Amy Wenzel Workshop Giveaway Story

This submission is not about me, but my sister-in-law Angie.
Angie and I have husbands who are brothers and up until a little more than a year ago we lived on different continents.
In the last year however, we have spent lots of time together and I have got to know a generous, funny, passionate, home schooling, photographer mom of four sweet boys.
And the story could end there. Luckily for me it doesn't.

Late in October I found out I was suffering from an unusual, fast growing cervical cancer that needed radical surgery to stop it spreading. As a result, I can no longer bear children and I was heartbroken. As soon as we shared this news with our family, Angie offered to carry our biological baby as a gestational carrier. In the next week, we are both starting the medical process to allow this to happen.

It is hard for me to verbalise how much I appreciate and admire Angie for this selfless and special gift. It is amazing that she would make so many personal sacrifices to give my husband and I the opportunity to have a biological child.

I would love for Angie to win this workshop place, as I know she loves your work and it would be great for her to have an opportunity to spend some time on herself and her passions. She has recently purchased a new Nikon 300si camera and she wants to grow her business and further develop her personal style.

I'm not sure what to think about this..

Today I was given 5 or 6 compliments on my appearance. That doesn't normally happen.
I had to do a presentation to the SA Chicken Meat Council and thought I would make an effort to look as professional as I could. So, I wore a black dress with a shirt and straightened my fringe.
Did I look so much better than my normal, still-acceptable self or do I need to consider that others were telling me to look at my standard 'uniform' of Jacqui E black pants, shirt and wet hair bun?
I'm not sure on this one.

An early Thanksgiving

According to Wikipedia; in the US, Thanksgiving is a four day weekend which usually marks a pause in school and college calenders. Families and friends gather for a reunion, a day of thanks and a festive meal. In keeping with the holiday theme, people often talk about what they are thankful for or tell about experiences in the past year for which they feel grateful.

It has been a tradition at Norwood to celebrate this American holiday, with first the Burchams (Elizabeth was originally from Tennessee) and now Dave being the American amongst us.
We might not have had the holiday, but we certainly did the 'festive meal' part.
Tom and Margaret offered their home as the venue and about 20 of us gathered. The turkey was the highlight (5kg in size!), accompanied by mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes and marshmallows, beans, carrots, corn and cranberry sauce. It was fare much more suited to the 'Fall' temperatures of the Northern hemisphere, but it was enjoyed regardless. Dessert was pumpkin and pecan pies, caramel apple cake (suggested by Mom as a traditional but less common dish - yum!), cheesecake and a fruit platter - a definite concession to the 30'c plus weather we are experiencing in Adelaide right now.
Dave talked a little on the reasons behind the Thanksgiving celebrations and we all shared what we were grateful for.

The DeWitts were thankful for:
- Our church family in Norwood
- Opportunities to visit and spend time with our families in Victoria and in the US
- Our gorgeous new nephew, Landon Nathaniel Case
- Being part of Brian and Kristen and Renee and Mark' s weddings
- Continued growth in our marriage relationship

Weekend in review

It was awesome to have a three day break, especially since it is the only one in the second half of the year.

- One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday morning is go 'garage saling.' This is normally at odds with Dave's Saturday morning sleep in. However, Dave actually suggested that we go (although there may have been an ulterior motive). We picked up a few small things, however more successful was the visit to the Salvos op shop on Magill Road. I bought a great pair of leather boots for $15 and also a couple of tops and a fun belt. Dave bought a Red Dwarf video, which he is going to debut at the Thursday boy's night.

- On Saturday, was the much awaited AFL Grand Final. Our team the Geelong Cats played the local Adelaide team, Port Power. Everyone in Adelaide it seemed was sure of a Port victory, while all of Victoria was desparate for a local team to reclaim the crown. They weren't disappointed and Geelong cruised to a 119 point (record) victory, their first win in 44 years.

Dave and I enjoyed the match at home, with James and Chelsea joining us in the second quarter when the game was almost over. I cried and wore my scarf to church the next day. Predicatably the Sunday Mail featured a dejected Power team on the front page, with the victorious Cats nowhere to be seen.

- Renee called and she and Lisa found shoes to match our bridesmaid dresses. Hooray! We can check sizes when we visit for the Hen's night this weekend.

- Gary, one of my supervisors at work opened a shop this week. It is called the Indian Store and is on Main North Road. He is selling asian spices, food stuffs and some clothing, jewellery and movies. We dropped to see it on Saturday afternoon, on our way to pick up lunch and crickets for Glo.

- Reg preached from Ephesians and challenged us with our use of the 'talents' that God gives us. How are we using what God has given us?

- After getting home from work on Monday, I cooked brunch. We enjoyed bacon, eggs, pancakes and toast with Mum's yummy quince jam.

- Two gorgeous parrots were flying out of the bottlebrush tree in our driveway.

- On Monday afternoon, we headed down south to Hallett Cove Conservation Park. It was a great, sunny afternoon and perfect for being outside. The highlights were the dolphins frolicking not far off the coast, the remote control gliders swooping overhead and some really cool rock formations.

Divorce - why?

This is something that has been on my mind a lot in the last few months.
It has touched me like I never thought it would.

Is it a conscious decision made or it is an unconscious one?
Does it have anything to do with love?
Does time and inattention dull the desire?
Does pride and selfishness distract the heart?

I want to know why.
How it can happen.
It is so shocking, so unexpected, so painful.

I want to protect against it in our marriage.
To never know the sting of separation, the breaking of vows.

In the newsagent today, I saw a card, it said "Congratulations on your divorce, you're free."
It made me incredibly sad.

Getting Started

This has been one of those things that has been going around and around in my mind for months. I think and I want to say something. To remember. A journal is always something I have wanted to do consistently and have struggled to do. As the years go by, it is good to look back and see where you have been. 'Blogging' is a good way to do this. I write, not to be read, but to remember.