I feel like i was just walking along and all of the sudden i stepped on a merry-go-round and then i got smacked by the bar and fell to the wood chipped ground. But before i really understood what was going on i was standing back up and my face hurt… I have a feeling that this is going to leave a mark. So here is an update on what is going on now in the first month of the year of our Lord 2010.
Let’s go back to Tuesday, January 12th. Tuesday was going to be just like any other day except that Ej and i had to get up extra early before the sun and go to Round Rock for her to have a few simple procedures done. The procedures were in regards to her issues with UTI’s that she has dealt with since she was a wee little lass. The first one was nothing but smooth sailing and then it was time for the second which was going to be a little more intense. I was waiting in the room designated for such an activity and succumbing to my boredom i had just published a ‘Random Mobile Post’. Although i was bored i was really relaxed because it is always easy to be relaxed at the doctor when you aren’t the patient and the one just waiting to leave. Well much to my surprise a nurse comes out to the quick filling waiting room and calls, “Mr. Ripple?”. I was engrossed in reading headlines from my phone but i immediately looked around to see who else shared the Surname Ripple. Well no one got up and at that point it was quite obvious that i was the only possible Mr. Ripple that she was looking for.
“Yes thats me?” I said as i sheepishly walked toward the door to “the back.”
“Come on back with me, your wife wants to see you.”
“Ok”
At this point i have no clue what is going on because the nurse doesn’t seem to be acting weird or anything (like i would know what normal for her was). She opens the door to where Ej is sitting in a hospital robe balling her eyes out. Quite honestly she looks devastated (coincidently what she looked like on our wedding day), i walk in and the door shut behind me, i’m waiting for her to say anything and mentally trying to prepare for her to say she has cancer or something.
I get settled in to the chair next to her and finally she says,
“We’re pregnant!”
I was speechless and quite frankly didn’t really believe it. We just sat there for a moment and talked about how bizarre and unexpected this was. We are excited and thankful for the gift that God has given us. I can’t wait to make their acquaintance.
That was Tuesday morning, now on to evening. Our camper aka current home, has apparently been the intense breeding ground for a cute little black mold family. And apparently they enjoyed our bed more than we did. Although i have always been one for diversity, i could no longer tolerate these sneaky unwanted and uninvited guests. I trashed our “mattress” and we slept on a big pile of blankets, which turns out isn’t as fun and comfortable as i so vividly remember. This immediately turned out to be a blessing because upon a brief investigation the next day, i found a perfectly sized mattress up in my brother’s room and this one was leaps and bounds more comfortable than the one we slept on for over a year.
Thursday morning we woke up to the sobering news that the loyal family dog, Skeeter, had finally kicked the bucket after a fairly long life. It made me trust in God’s strength and goodness all the more. You may think that i am over-reacting a little but God cares and knows when the sparrow falls to the ground and dies, so of course i am going to believe that He knows and care and is sovereign even over Skeeter’s death. The Lord gave us a member of the family, and the Lord took one, blessed be His glorious name.
Saturday night i got a call right before i was getting into bed that my friend had a blow out on the side of the highway and needed my help, i rounded up Spencer and we were off to her rescue. We finally got the tire unstuck from the rotor and an hour and a half later i was back in bed warming up.
The next morning while siting in Bible study i went to play with my wedding ring and realized that it was gone. I must have lost it while changing the tire. My hands were really cold and i must not have felt it come off my hand. Ej handled it much better than i expected. We will see how it goes with her being prego and me not having a wedding band.
On top of all of that, these last two weeks have been some of the most fast paced and visibly productive in the whole homestead project that by God’s grace we are undertaking.
I am thankful for His grace and faithfulness… To say the least, “I’m so freakin’ excited!”