Asked and Answered

-Alyssa from My Husband's Watching TV asked: Did you guys have any trouble getting pregnant?

M- I always feel badly telling this story because I KNOW how many people are struggling with infertility, but the answer is no. We weren't trying to conceive--I was starting to get baby fever (Justin already had it), but didn't feel "ready" to start having kids. I didn't think we made enough money to make it work. Justin had been encouraging me to pray about it. After trying unsuccessfully to refill my birth control prescription about 3 times, on Easter Sunday we decided that I would go off the pill in preparation for trying to conceive in 3-6 months, but we were still going to be using another method of birth control. Well, one time we didn't use the other method, and two weeks later I found out that I was pregnant, and was honestly, I was pretty terrified at first. It was just much sooner than I anticipated!

She also asked: What is your biggest fear/concern about being a mom?

M- All of it! But the biggest concern is more about making it work financially for me to stay at home. My mom also told me the other day that I was walking by 7 months, which is CRAZY to think about! Also, it occurred to me the other day that if my child ends up having any sort of eye issues, I am going to be in big trouble with my crazy eyeball phobia.

And: What does Justin do for you even though he absolutely doesn't like it? (i.e. shopping, painting toenails, etc...)

M- Justin's been a great sport about helping with almost everything I ask him. Although he does it, I don't think he particularly likes cleaning the bathrooms. Last night, he said, "I really don't understand why I have to do this. It isn't like company's coming over."

-Beth Ann from Life With Us in KS asked: What is his version of how you two met?

J-We were at a multi church campout at the lake and at lunch one day my buddy who knew Meredith, and who is now my brother in law, knocked my plate out of my hands and said, "stupid gravity." So I picked up what was left of my lunch and proceeded to eat it. Meredith saw that and instantly knew she could cook anything for me. And thats how she fell in love with me.

M- And Beth Ann, you nailed it...as I recall, we met about three days earlier when Justin and his brother were playing guitar. I remember that my youth group was full of total flirts, and so I called "dibs" on whichever one of them was my age. I actually thought that Justin's brother was the one that was my age, but was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was Justin.

And: What is his favorite way to spend time with you?

J-In bed of course. I'm not gay.

-Sara asked Justin a crazy long question about plumbing: Over the past few months our toilets have lost their oomph. They flush, but it takes forever for the water to leave the bowl and come back, and I fear soon they won't work at all! So gross! I'm hoping you'll have some ideas or DIY advice to fix them.

J-Give me a call. It could be a number of things and i dont want to type that long. I could probably write a short book trying to tell you what could be wrong. In short you should probably call a plumber. But give me a call and maybe we could figure it out before you have to call.

And asked me where I get all the crazy statistics about pregnancy complications. And the answer is straight out of the pregnancy book that I have, and it doesn't really seem to phase Justin at all. I don't know that I always tell him the crazy statistics, and if I did, he'd probably just roll his eyes at me.

Sara also wanted both of us to answer: if you could make a living wage doing anything(or nothing) you want what would it be and why?

M- Well I would love it if the government would pay me, even just for a little while, to be a stay at home mom! It would be a huge blessing to be able to raise our kids without having to worry about how to pay the bills! Aside from that, probably photography.

J-I would like to test video games or be a disney voice. But I would probably get tired of it not to mention fat. So I would probably stick with what I do now.

-Leah from Marital-Bless asked: At what point did you feel your faith was the strongest?

J-As long as I can remember I have believed in God. I think that I've always been just as strong as I've always been. Although I have had aha moments when my faith has been affirmed but I've also had moments of serious doubt. I do wish that I had a stronger faith though. Sometimes I wonder if it is strong enough.

M- I don't think I've ever felt like my faith was particularly strong. In a lot of ways, believing in God and trusting in him is a constant battle for me. I'm really trying to put things in God's hands this year, and turn to him when I'm in need, rather than trying to "fix" everything myself. And sometimes, I feel like I "get it", but then the next day, I find myself doubting or questioning again.

Also, I get frustrated sometimes because I don't always feel like my faith translates into actual actions in my life. And especially now, I have been thinking more and more about how I want Lizard not only to hear about Jesus, but to see us living in a way that demonstrates not only his love, but our faith as well.

-Leslie gave us two questions to answer about each other. The first being: What is your spouses most annoying habit?

J-Meredith nags and exaggerates when she nags and she is such a good arguer that I feel stupid when we fight. Even when she is wrong she can represent her wrong case better than I can represent my right case. I know that was more than one habit. But they all go hand in hand and always come out at the same time.

M- Justin chews (as in chewing tobacco). Often. I hate it, and it's beyond gross, not to mention expensive. I hate the circular arguments that it causes, and I just wish that he would stop.

And the second was: What's one quality/attribute that makes your spouse the "better half"?

J-She is a woman and remembers everything. I might lose my head if it wasnt attached to me.

M- If you read this blog with any regularity, you know that I'm a complete worry-wart. It's absolutely crippling. Justin doesn't worry like I do--he has inherant faith that things will all work out the way that they're supposed to. Sometimes, it's absolutely aggravating to me, but I'm also very thankful that we're opposites in that way because usually, he can make me trust that things will work out as well.