Ray and I are going to be a pa and ma!

Note that I wrote on my facebook page:

Six months ago I left my family, friends, new house, and my dog Molly to embark on an adventure in Australia with my husband Ray. We thought our adventure would consist of new people and places, spending lots of time together, and growing in our relationship as well. But this was not the only adventure that God had in store for us! I've spent almost the last three months now learning quite quickly what it means to be "sicker than a dog," "moody," "fatigued," etc.


Ray and I thought that now was as good a time as any to start trying to have a baby. If it happens, it happens. Well, October and November came and went, and then came December and I'm happily blessed with a child!


For many, (women that is), would like to know the details, so I will tell you in a note on facebook, since most of you probably cannot wait another week or two to hear the whole story, which is fine. Ray was gone during the week before Christmas, and I was feeling a bit "outside myself" for the past week. I felt strange, and began to feel obsessed with possible pregnancy symptoms I may or may not have been feeling. I decided that since no one was there to tell me I was crazy, I would be crazy and go out and buy a pregnancy test 5 days before my missed period. I thought it would show up negative and I would feel 'normal' again. Well, that's not what happened. It was positive right away, and my response was "HOLY SHIT!" (you'll have to excuse the language, I was suprised!) So I decided another pregnancy test of a different brand, a few days later was in order. That was positive as well. So, I began researching the odds of false positives. There really is not such a thing. So, I was pregnant. But that did not mean one more test, two days later, was not necessary. Of course it was necessary...three positive pregnancy tests.


I kept my little secret from Ray for 5 days! Until he returned from South Africa. He came in the door, put his luggage down, kissed me and I said "Let's open your Christmas present!" I had wrapped up some baby clothes that said "I love my daddy" on it and two positive pregnancy tests. He opened it, and just starred at the box. He then looked at me, and then starred back at the box. Looking around for his 'real' present I guess. Then he says to me, "really?" with tears in his eyes. He gave me a big hug, asked one or two questions about it, and asked me if I wanted to see his South African pictures. Bless his heart!


Ray's parents were the first to know our news since they were arriving two days before Christmas. Spending two weeks with them over the holidays and not having a drink or two, or three we thought was a bit obvious so we told them, by showing them "what I got Ray for Christmas." They were thrilled. After they left we then shared our news with my parents. The grandparents seemed to catch on WAY faster to the "I love my daddy" statement, than Ray did. But it's those little things that make this story fun!


For the past 4 or 5 weeks now, I have not been feeling great. Some of you may be putting the pieces together now about why I have not been laying out by my pool, or why I would be wanting cherry popsicles. And for those I've lied to, my deepest apologies! It seemed to have been expected, wanted, or hoped by many that I would come back pregnant, and so Ray and I tried to keep it a secret that we were even trying, so that there would be some element of surprise in the end.


I have had ultrasound already at 8 weeks and 4 days. Ray was there to see the heart beat. The baby was only 2cm long. It was an amazing thing to see where the arms and legs were going to be, and see that life inside of me. The ultrasound put me at a due date of August 29, but another date would be August 31rst. Needless to say, the baby will decide in the end when he or she is ready, but it will be around then. So yes, I will be a big, fat, sweaty whale this summer...nice visual huh? :)


I am so glad that my friends now know along with my family. I appreciate all the 'congratulations' and I am so excited to share this baby's life with all of you. You are all such amazing friends, and Ray and I are so grateful for your support! (Now I will begin to put up "baby bump" pictures.) :)

Update

Well, after about two weeks of sitting at my desk at Amway with nothing to do, they finally let me go with pay till the end of January. Which means, I am now back to where I first started here in Australia. Three weeks at the apartment with not a whole lot to do. There's always laundry to be done, and I have to write up all the stuff that we bought for customs but I must pace myself. I cannot and should not do everything at once.
Ray continues to stay busy, even asked me today if I could help him with sequel coding..."does it have to be right?" I asked.
The plan is for me to head home on February 6. I have a 1 hour lay-over in L.A and we are all (my family that is, since they have to pick me up at the airport eventually in G.R) praying that I make my flight! I only have to have them check my passport, get my luggage, go through customs, re-check my bags and get to the next terminal. I am hoping that someone will offer me some help and hold my plane for a few minutes! Wish me luck, I have only been contemplating this whole ordeal for the past three weeks when I first realized I only had an hour to change the world it seems like!
Ray nor I can't quite fathom that this journey is almost over. Ray will be heading to New Zealand on February 6 to help them with the BI project that Ray originally came down here for. He then will return to Australia for one week, and then leave for South Africa for the second time on February 23 for the final strategic planning meetings. He will return either at the end of February or the weekend of the 6th of March.
One of the first things I think I will do when I get home, (besides give my family a great big hug and pick up my dog) is make a beef roast with gravy and mashed potatoes. This has sounded like heaven to me for quite some time now! I will need some help eating it though, seeing that I will be the only one home...maybe not though, I have had a good appetite lately. I also will be picking up some yellow cheddar cheese and making some nachos! In order to make all this I guess I will have to go grocery shopping first!
Ray and I have not exactly had variety when it came to dinnertime meals here. There was no sense in going out and buying a bunch of expensive spices, when in the end they would just get thrown away. We also did not have the wonderful thing known as a crock pot. So some of our favorite meals consisted of tatortot casserole, chicken stroganoff (sometimes I got creative and made it with beef and noodles instead), beef dumplings with Jackie's dipping sauce (soy sauce, vinegar and oil) along with egg roles with rice, chicken breasts marinated in terriaki sauce baked in the oven, with boiled cauliflower covered in white cheddar cheese and that's about it. We would also enjoy a chicken salad on occasion with ranch dressing. When all else failed, there was always pasta! The Cole's brand lasagna was also quite tasty. If I've enticed anyones tastebuds, then I've done a good job, otherwise sorry Ray better luck next time!
Well, I just wanted to let everyone know when I was supposed to arrive home in a few weeks. Check the blog yet, I may get bored and want to ramble some thoughts. Miss you all!

Birthday Shout-out to JULIE STINTON!!!!!

Family Here for the Holidays

Well, it's Monday again. Ray and I both headed back to work today. Over our break W24 was sold, and it was unsure what I would actually be doing today. Well, the answer was nothing. A moving truck is coming on Wednesday morning, but the boxes had already been packed, and just needed to be moved to the warehouse. Tomorrow, there is even a smaller amount of work to do. They talk about just paying us out to the end of our contract and sending us home. I would be okay with that, but I sense some jealousy from Ray because I will get to lay in bed while he gets up early, and then I'll move to the couch while he is busting his butt trying to finish up projects before he heads home at the end of February. Even though work is even busier than before, I still find him enjoying what he has been brought here to do.
I'm sure many of you are anxious to hear about our time with Ray's parents. They had an adventurous plane trip both here and on their way home-being delayed in Vancouver for 12 hours on their way here, and delayed 2.5 hours in Sydney, causing them to miss their connecting flight on the way home. But they were troopers and were all smiles when they arrived here at midnight on Tuesday evening.
Wednesday, the 24th, Ray and I still had to work so we sent his parents to Featherdale Wildlife park to pet the kangaroo and get their picture taken with a Koala. At night we took them to Hog's Breath Cafe for dinner. They serve good ol' American food here, and we thought this would break them in quickly to the Aussie lifestyle-actually it was one of the few restaurants that were actually opened. We came home to enjoy a few presents before going to bed.
On Christmas day we went to Taronga Zoo along with everyone else. The zoo is so large that it did not feel that busy. The weather was great, and after we enjoyed the animals and the scenery we did the Manly Ferry ride before heading to Darling Harbor for dinner. Dinner was at Nick's seafood restaurant where Ray and his dad enjoyed a seafood platter for two. This fulfilled one of Ray's 'wishes' while he was here.
Friday was another fun-filled day in the Blue Mountains. Ray and I's day was very similar to the one we had with Amanda-Govette's Leap, the railway car, the cable car, a small hike, Echo point, and the national park to see the Kangaroos. We headed home on-time and ate Tacos at the apartment.
Saturday we went back into Sydney to do the 'touristy' stuff. We visited Bondi beach and had lunch at the "Bite Me" Cafe. We walked a little ways on the coastal walk before heading back to the Rock's Markets, Lord Nelsons, and the Opera House tour. We then went to the Summit once more for dinner. It was just as good as the first time Ray and I were there. Unfortunately, that evening was cloudy and it was not the same ambiance that Ray and I experienced the first time we were there, but nevertheless the company and the food was very enjoyable.
Sunday, we took the Prins' to Hillsong church. Ray's mom described it as a "youth rally every Sunday." After church we went to the Parklea markets so that mom Prins could buy her souvenirs. She filled a basket-full before we headed to the mall to do a little more shopping. Ray and eventually left and went home to rest, and they stayed there for another three hours! That evening they got to experience Trelinni's Pizza-one of our favorite pizza restaurants we found down here. Ray and his folks devoured the Chicken Avocado, and pecked away at my Margarita Pizza with chicken.
Monday we made a trip to New Castle, first stopping in Hunter Valley to do a little wine tasting. We went to two winery's before a storm came, and we found ourselves eating lunch in a car under a canopy avoiding the hail. Our accommodations were very nice in New Castle. New Castle was a good starting point for our trip down the Northern Beaches on Tuesday.
After a free breakfast on Tuesday morning we started driving, stopping at the main beaches eating fairy floss (cotton candy) and ice cream a long the way! Our final stop was in Seaforth, for dinner at Rick's place (Ray's boss). His house is on the water, with a gorgeous view. We had to take a cart down the side of the cliff to first get to his house from the road, and then another cart to get from his house to the water's edge where we had dinner. Brian (the VP) also joined us for dinner. The evening was pleasant with good food and company.
Wednesday we slept in because we had a late night on Tuesday. Ray's mom laid out by the pool for a little while in the afternoon, the rest of us just mozied around the apartment, anticipating our evening on the Sydney Harbor.
This evening was spectacular. Amway provided the transportation, the boat, food, and the drinks to help celebrate the New Year. This is one New Year's that none of us Prins' will ever forget. The fireworks were amazing, and to think we were in Sydney where 100,000 fireworks were set-off on the bridge, barges, and on rooftops. The fireworks glazed the skies, and flowed from the bridge like a waterfall. During the break between the 9pm and 12am fireworks, our boat took part in the parade of lights, made up of 55 boats lit up with a sea creation on the sides of their boats. We were able to cruise the harbor, rather than stay in one stop for the remainder of the evening. Unfortunately, all of our pictures have a jellyfish in them from the boat in front of us. It was great having a bus, so we did not have to worry about transportation. We arrived home around 2:30am, and were quickly to bed.
We all slept in again on Thursday morning. Once we were up and about we went to Palm Beach for the afternoon to relax. That evening we went to a little family Italian/Seafood Restaurant down the road from our apartment. It was quite tasty.
Friday, the adventure was complete having to leave for the airport at 8am. We heard later that Ray's parents did not arrive home until around 4:30am on Saturday.
So, there's to another adventure down under!

Last weekend

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Well, I just noticed that my last post was on the 2nd of December. I apologize for the delay...I'm sure some of you have been anxious to hear from us!
The weekend before last, Ray and I did not do much, hence there not being a post. But last weekend we headed down to the south beaches and visited Jervis Bay. This place was as beautiful as it was described to us, if not more so. Everywhere you looked there was the clear, aqua-color water, and new wildlife to been seen.
We left Friday after work, and arrived at Bewong River Retreat around 9:30pm. Our cabin was nestled away in the woods, not far off of a river. The place was very nice, with an Elegant Roman Empire theme to the room. We had a kitchen, large bathroom, and the best part was the jacuzzi hot tub situated in the corner of the living area.
The next morning we rolled out of bed, and took a drive through Booderee National park, getting out at various lookout points. The day was warm, and sunny but extremely windy. It was not a good day to sit on the beach because the sand really hurt when it smacked into your face. Each location seemed a little bit different than the next. We viewed St. Georges Basin-a freshwater lake, Murray's beach, Booderee beach, and at St. George's lighthouse we saw a young man who had just broken his leg before we got there. We found it strange to hear an ambulance coming out in the middle of nowhere, but they were coming for him. He had been body surfing amongst a bunch of rocks, and hit his leg on a rock and broke his leg. He was lucky to be alive. Eventually, they were going to have to airlift him out of there because he was not going to be able to make it back up the cliff that he originally had to climb down to get to the place he was at. We did not stay to see the rescue.
At the end of the day we headed back to our cabin (with no cockroaches!), where there was a field of Kangaroos to greet us. How fun it was to see them up close, and personal, hopping around, scratching and licking themselves. It was great!
That evening we enjoyed a T-Bone steak, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. Dinner was delicious!
After dinner we headed down to the river to do some fishing. We did end up catching a few, so it made it worthwhile and fun. I of course, had to show Ray how it was done...once again.

The next morning we took our time getting ready, had some lunch and took the canoe out on the river again for a little while and fished. The wind was still blowing pretty hard which made it hard for Ray to steer the canoe. We eventually came in, and took off for home, heading down the Pacific Coastal Drive. The highway took us north up the coast line, giving us fantastic views of the ocean. We drove over the Sea Breeze Bridge, which was created along side a cliff. The journey took two more hours than the drive there, but it was all worth it. We made some stops along the way home as well, checking out some scenic look-outs and visiting the Kiama blow hole. We took lots of pictures again, which some of you have already seen on my facebook account.
So, that was our weekend away and we were quickly interrupted by another work week. Ray has continued his excitement as he has ventured to South Africa on Tuesday of this week. He will be coming back to Australia late Sunday night. Ray has been involved with the Strategic planning meetings for Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Amway is definitely keeping him busy, but continues to use his gifts and talents to shine amongst others.
This week has been the first week I have had time to myself in over four months. It's been strange not having someone to wake up to, sleep next to, and talk with in the evenings, but I sure have gotten some shopping done! Haha! I of course look forward to Ray's return on Sunday. Ray and I are both anticipating Ray's parents coming out here on the 23rd of December. I cannot believe how quickly this time has come! We have a week and a half with them, that is full of new adventures to be had together! I am greatly looking forward to our New Year's Eve in the Sydney Harbor, watching the fireworks! Well, that all for now! I hope everyone is doing well!

Happy Birthday to Luke Dejonge, Mitch Dejonge, Kristin Dejonge and Grandpa Beelen!

Below is a video we shot of a field full of Kangaroos at our resort...thought we would share! :)

Weekend

Well, after a very busy week of writing up extended contracts and cancellations, the weekend arrived! Ray was grateful for the weekend as well, after he became involved with the strategic planning of Amway Australia. On Friday night was our Amway Christmas party at the Crown Plaza hotel. The food was very good, and they had a really good live band. Ray listened, while I danced the night away with my coworkers, and the CEO (Maric).

On Saturday we slept in, and caught up with family since we missed Thanksgiving with them. We then had dinner plans at Stewart and Beth's home. Stewart is a coworker of Ray's. We have now gone to Hunter Valley with Stewart, and hiked in the blue mountains with him and his wife. We had a very nice evening of food and Settlers. Ray of course won again. I tried to warn Stewart and Beth ahead of time that Ray always wins, but no such luck.

Sunday we attended the Baptist church again, ate McDs for lunch since our oven was broken, and then headed out for the Parklea markets again with our coworker and friend from Denmark-Dorthe (pronounced Daughter).

We had another busy, but enjoyable weekend, but Monday came too quickly! We have been hearing that Michigan has been getting hit with some snow storms lately, while here it has been in the 80s the last three days. I definitely do not complain about the weather here! Ray's parents will be here in three weeks already! We are both looking forward to seeing some family again! It will also be so nice to have Christmas with his parents as well, otherwise I think I would be a bit homesick. It's hard to get in the Christmas spirit this year, since everything is so different from other years...our schedules our wide open and we rather be in our swimming pool than in front of the fire place! But I'm sure it will come.

I hope everyone continues to do well! Hugs and Kisses!

Happy day!

Just a shout out to my sister- HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKIE!

And also a HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone! We miss you all!

Week of the 16th-23rd-Amanda's here!

Well, I cannot believe this past week has come and gone already. It was in mid-August that Amanda, my best friend from Chicago, booked her ticket to Australia to visit Ray and I while we were living here. She has now boarded a plane, stopping in San Francisco, before heading back to her new condo back home.
On Sunday we picked Amanda up early in the morning from the airport. Once she showered and dropped off her bags, we headed to the Blue Mountains. There we road the steepest railway in the world down the side of a mountain, and explored the valley. When we decided to head back up, we took the cable car back up to the top. We showed her the three sisters, and viewed Govette's Leap. Govette's Leap scenic look-out has been compared to the "next best thing" to the Grand Canyon. It was an amazing view! We then headed to a national park where we saw three Kangaroos eating some dinner. Ray was sure to obey all the laws in the mountains. :)
Monday and Tuesday Ray and I both had to work so Amanda ventured off by her brave self. She rode public transportation to Featherdale Wildlife Park, and then to downtown Sydney to do the bridge climb. She enjoyed both activities and made it home safely.
On Wednesday, Amanda and I had a tour of the Opera House, and walked around Sydney, souvenir shopping. We were approached by a gentleman giving us a good offer on a hair cut and color, so we randomly got our hair done. The hair turned out great, I just wish I could get it to look like it day after the salon finished with it!
Thursday was a day full of animals. We went to Tarongo zoo, which was very enjoyable! They did an excellent job on the monkey exhibits, and the views of the animals with the city in the background were spectacular! After the zoo we took a break, and road the ferry to Manly and back again. We then went to Darling Harbor and visited the Sydney Aquarium. I appreciated the aquarium because there were many fish on display that Ray and I saw on our trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Afterwards, we enjoyed dinner at "I'm Angus" at Darling Harbor.
Friday was finally the day that we saw some sun! The rest of the days were cloudy and sometimes rainy. It was finally the perfect day to take Amanda to the coastline. We took a bus to Coogee and then did the coastal walk to Bondi Beach. This walk ended up being almost four miles long. Once in Bondi we took some pictures, had some lunch, and shopped around a little. We took a bus back to the main city, where our Ghost Tour of the rocks awaited.
The ghost tours were full of stories of hangings, murders, and deaths of people who roamed the streets many years ago. Amanda and I were entertained by the event, and tried to humor the idea of taking pictures of trees and windows to see if we saw any "strange things" or "orbes" (the tiny circles that showed up in our pictures). Of course, our mind sees what we want it to see, and in one of my pictures I decided I saw a face and Amanda decided she saw a shadow of a woman. Then we laugh.
Saturday, Ray joined us. We took it easy in the morning, but then went to the markets in the rocks and walked around visiting Lord Nelson's and souvenir shops. We walked through the botanical gardens, and listened and watched the nearby Rave party taking place. On our way back towards the Opera House from the gardens we had the entertaining opportunity to see the finalists of Australian Idol practicing for their deciding performance of the next "Australian Idol" on Sunday night (tonight actually). I was even able to get a picture with Mark Spano, the third finalist, who made the Kings of Leon, "Sex on Fire" song famous here in Australia.
We had dinner that night at an Italian restaurant in the rocks. Afterwards, we went to minus 5, a bar where the inside temperature was 10 degrees fahrenheit. They gave us jackets, and gloves before we went inside and we could only be in there for 30 minutes. Inside, the place had ice sculptures everywhere, and even our cups were made out of ice. It was an experience that made us feel at home.
We headed home afterwards, and woke up early today to go to Hillsong and head to the Parklea Markets before we had to bring Amanda to the airport.
Overall, we had a great week but I am now left almost to the point of exhaustion with a large blister on my pinkie toe from all the walking. I am finally getting into shape though. 10 mile walks will do that to you!