Progress

progress(n): (a) a journey or expedition; (b) a forward or onward movement; (c) gradual betterment

We've got a whole lot of that going on around here folks. Definition (a) probably best describes our little piece of earth. Every time Terry and I walk the mile and a half to our new little piece of earth where things are moving right along, I feel like it's 1492 and I am Columbus sailing the ocean blue! (Thanks mom for that rhyme!) From our loft when we first got married to our rodent-infested house [yes, still infested. on this week's wanted list: flowers out of the bathroom, steel wool that we stuffed in another hole near the dishwasher, a dish towel stuffed behind that steel wool with many holes in it (see picture), and two - yes two - more pairs of my underwear, but I digress] to this new plot of land and building a house. This has been a definite journey and will continue to be an expedition.

Here is the untouched land - it looks so small to me, I kept wondering how they would fit a house on this (granted, it's not big, but still)

Then, they cleared the land on Thursday - oh that's where the house will go!

Then, they dug the footings for the house today. Progress folks, progress.

But that little piece of earth is not our only unchartered territory. So is definition (b) "forward or onward movement." This is how this little pea feels - or at least how we feel about this little pea. Moving forward and onward in life to what comes next, and for us now, this is family. Remember the manatee you saw at week 7? Well at week 8 (and 3 days) we got to see this.

It's okay if you can't tell what everything/anything is, we couldn't either at first. Head on the left, turned to the side and looking down. The dark empty spot is the brain (takes after its daddy!) you can see one little eye lid. The white spot is the heart, and then you can see little arm and leg buds. And that little white spot was pounding. 171 beats per minute loud and clear and music to our ears. And now we are moving through week 9 and things keep growing and changing - including my waistline which has added 4 pounds which I'm feeling when I button my pants!

(c) gradual betterment. This would be because of each other and the 2 years of being married that we just celebrated on Tuesday. Our marriage has definitely been that so far - the gradual betterment of each of us, of each other, and of our marriage - already great and getting better every day.

Here we are 2 years ago; and here we are this weekend

That's a whole lot of love, and a whole lot of progress.