Windy South Dakota! and a cute baby :)

It is another cold day in South Dakota - it's going to be tough to get out this winter with Wyatt if the wind continues like this! 20 degrees and dropping ... colder than Fairbanks, which is unusual for this time of the year!

Grandpa Z holding Wyatt at the Firehouse

In recent news, life has been going pretty well! My parents flew out from Washington the week before Thanksgiving to spend quality time with their new grandson; they treated us to dinner at the Firehouse Brewery, where Wyatt tried out a Fireman's hat.

We had a good first Thanksgiving with Wyatt; we potlucked with the other graduate students in Rapid Valley and lounged around, watching football and playing games. Wyatt just kind of took it all in. He likes to observe, eat, and sleep. He does have a cute smile that he has started showing more regularly! Here is a picture I snapped this morning of his smile :)

Gold flakes in the bottom of a gold pan :)

In other news, Josh continues to work on his thesis. We have had some fun going out and gold panning in areas near Rapid Creek - I take Wyatt up with me and he sleeps in the car seat near us as I help Josh fill buckets with gold bearing dirt! We have had success although it may not look like much at the moment. Wyatt seems to enjoy the outdoors as he stares up at the trees we walk past.

Josh also recently acquired a part time job working a security position at a building on Ellsworth AFB. A man we met at church offered him the position and he works weekends day or night shifts, from 4 - 4. It is a blessing as we currently have no other income! And the other great part about it is that he has Christmas & New Year's weekends off, so we will be driving back to Washington once again for Christmas! It will be interesting attempting that trip with a baby!

It's amazing how much of my life has changed in a few short months since Wyatt was born. At first I struggled with the transition from a busy / hectic work / study life to the new routine of feed baby, diapers, sleep when you can ... but as time has gone on I am beginning to really enjoy this time with Wyatt at home. I don't know that it will be like this always, so I am very glad for the opportunity now. I am trying to take the extra time I have to focus on what God has for us next in life, as we will likely be moving to wherever Josh is able to find work. My hope and earnest desire is that I honor God with whatever I am doing and find satisfaction in Him alone, as I have always struggled in being valued for what I do, not who I am in Christ. Today our pastor spoke about life and death, and living out the passions and dreams that God has given us. Strangely I never had the desire to be a stay at home mom, but that is where I am currently at. So I am praying that God shows me how I can encourage and love other people from my home while supporting my husband and raising my beautiful boy. I am not even close to being there yet, but I trust He will open the doors and show me the way! And if He has something else in mind, I trust He will show me what the next steps are to take. I can't imagine what the next few months will bring ... we are truly at a crossroads in our life.

Time to catch up!

Obviously I have been slacking on the blogger front .... but I think that I will try now to catch up although my blogging will have a different focus than before! And the reason for that is my wonderful son who was born September 15th, 2011, at 1:16 PM. I will give a shortened version of the birth story for those interested :)

I had been working at Casey Peterson & Associates since I returned from Nevada, filling in for the front desk receptionist since Josh & I decided it would be best for me to hold off on returning to school. I had been enrolled in graduate studies in Geological Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Anyway, working was going good, pregnancy wasn't too bad at this point, and I was only a little swollen and uncomfortable. I hadn't even packed my bag for the hospital or had the final consult with our doula even though the date was set. September 14th was nothing noteworthy at work although I did end up staying late and was planning to come in early the next day to help process tax returns for the September 15th corporation filing extended deadline. But alas, it wasn't to be.

I woke up around 5 AM on Sept. 15 to get a drink of water after feeling kind of a funny "pop" in my abdomen. Turns out my water had broken! I told Josh, who decided to lay down for a little bit longer as he had just gone to bed from working on his thesis. I didn't feel too bad right away, so I proceeded to eat breakfast, take a shower, and do my normal work preparations. I figured I would go to work until my dr's appt at 10 AM. I know, I'm a little crazy. We decided to call my doula first to see what she thought - she was concerned since it was 3 weeks early and said I should call my dr. We called the dr's office where the on-call dr was shocked we weren't already at Labor & Delivery. Hmm. Josh at this point had gotten back out of bed and the contractions had started to strengthen. We talked it over and decided to go to the hospital although we had planned to labor at home for some time. So we called our doula and told her to meet us at the hospital. We had to make a quick run over to the school to print off our birth plan prior to going to the hospital, and ended up checking in around 8:30 AM.

I wasn't in triage for long - just long enough to check that indeed, my water had broken and I was getting ready to have this baby! Our doula met us there and we got moved to a delivery room where we worked through the contractions walking, slow-dancing, and generally moving. However when it got close to transition I headed for the bed and didn't leave it! I can't remember when I started pushing or really even how long it took, maybe 1 - 2 hours? The funniest part was that my OB doc showed up and was heading out the door to get suited up when Wyatt came out - he ran over and caught him with his bare hands! I guess he came quick!

Wyatt was 6 lbs 1.8 oz at birth, 19 inches long. There was a little concern at the start about his breathing and jaundice, but the NICU nurses came to check him out and said he was just fine! We ended up staying two nights at the hospital before we were both discharged and sent home.

There are a lot more details to the story of course, but many I am not comfortable posting online for the whole world to see! So call me if you want to hear them or send me an email :) All in all, it was totally unexpected for Wyatt to show up early, but I ended up with the natural, med-free birth I had hoped for and recovered pretty well. 8 weeks out I am finally feeling well adjusted to being a stay at home mom with a wonderful newborn son!

The picture at the top is a photo of Wyatt Richard Brewer at 1 week of age in the "Boys Rule" onesie that was the first thing Josh picked up to dress him in. Here is another more recent photo of Wyatt from yesterday when I was getting ready to take him out for a walk in the stroller - didn't happen because the wind was too cold, but he sure looked cute!

Baby Shower!!

Yesterday I was blessed by the ladies of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship with a baby shower! Very first time for me to be the center of such attention! And it was a lot of fun to open all of the gifts with all of the baby clothes and other such things.

Here's a picture of all those wonderful women (and a few of their lovely daughters too). Baby Brewer is going to be a well-dressed little fella, I can tell you that for sure. Only 9 1/2 weeks 'til the due date, and as we all know that means the baby could show up anywhere from 7-11 weeks from now! Exciting and hard to believe the time is drawing so close. At least now I have a few diapers, baby wipes, clothes, and even a bouncy chair & bassinet. Hooray!

Angel Lake Hike

For my Sunday off this week I decided to go to Angel Lake for a hike and just to enjoy the afternoon. Lara came along with me and we drove out to Wells, then up a sketchy, skinny road to the lake. No guardrails and a drop off made for a bit of a nervous drive for me, since I still have a little of that fear of heights.

We decided to hike up one of the many trails in the area, this one leading to Smith Lake. As you can see, there was a bit of snow on the trail yet, which made it slightly treacherous. At the second snow patch we turned back since it was getting late and because we didn't want to risk sliding off the side of the mountain! Plus I was hiking in sandals... yeah not the best idea. Too hot for boots though.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny afternoon, and the bugs weren't even out. I was glad to see the renowned Angel Lake and had fun looking at the cool rocks. Yes, once a nerdy geologist, always a nerdy geologist. By the time we got back in town, it was time for bed!

Gallivanting around Twin Falls!

For the Fourth of July weekend I took some time off work to travel north to Twin Falls, ID! I left after hitting the pool for the midday swim on Friday. It was a nice drive, a little on the warm side but not bad!

I enjoyed myself and pampered myself on Friday night by going to the mall and watching a movie, Monte Carlo, which was a great fun comedy to watch (and admittedly a bit of a chick flick). I was amazed at how happy I felt when I arrived in Twin Falls to discover stores galore, especially one of my favorites (Target!) which was part of the plan anyway. After my evening I bedded down for the night and got at least a little rest - I wanted to hit the trails early in the morning before it got too hot!

So Saturday after a fabulous breakfast at Idaho Joe's, I made my way to Shoshone Falls, which was certainly beautiful. I made a morning of it by biking around on all the trails on the canyon rim and down to the nearby lake. It was a lovely day to be out on the bike! I did manage to wear myself out a little bit with the sun and the heat, so I was only too glad to get back to town and treat myself to a cherry limeade at Sonic ... mmm... wish they had one of those in Elko, though it's probably a good thing they don't!

Resting on the day off :)

I'm taking it easy for my day off today ... I actually skipped work Monday because I was so dizzy that I could hardly get out of bed. I went to the doctor and discovered that I was dehydrated, so I am making a big effort to drink plenty of water! Have to take care of this baby! Today is my only "day off" before I work the next 6 days straight, then I will have 4 days off for the 4th of July. I am planning a trip to Twin Falls and Pocatello, ID, to do some shopping at "real" stores and to visit Wheaton friends! I am excited for the weekend, I think it will be a great mini vacation from work. After I get back, there will be only 6 weeks left of my internship. Crazy how time flies!

Is this where it gets hard?

No new pictures, sorry everyone :) It's been one of those weeks that I am only too grateful to make it through. I had food stolen from me twice, and today at church a woman was kind enough to tell me that "you look awfully large for only being 6 months along". Thanks a lot, lady. That is the last thing you tell a pregnant woman!

It isn't that things are so bad ... the sun is shining and life is good. I just find myself missing my husband and my friends back in Rapid City terribly. And I know that I cannot complain because I have chosen this for myself. I just keep telling myself that it's for the better that I'm here to give Josh space to work on his thesis. I keep believing that this must be where God wants me, otherwise why would He put me here? But then the doubts start creeping in, and I can't help but wonder ... did I hear God right? Or did I just talk myself into this? Am I completely crazy to spend my summer pregnant with our first child in a completely random, lonely Nevada town? Is this REALLY God? Or is it me? I don't know. And at this point I can't turn around and go back, I'm in for the long haul. So all that I can say now is that I will be spending the summer in prayer, on those long bus rides at 4:30 am when I'm trying desperately to sleep but my mind won't stop churning...

Life is so strange. It doesn't often end up where I expect it to be, in fact it is usually very different. And as much as I long to settle I almost wonder if God will just keep us moving from community to community. Whatever He's got in store, I've got to keep remembering that He knows best. Sometimes, it's just hard.

Enjoying Sunshine and Flowers :)

I thought it might be nice to give my picture an explanation ... I spent my Sunday (only "day off") at church, the laundromat, and I also went up on the hillsides for a little bike & hike.

I got a nice sunburn from my time enjoying the sun, but it was well worth it! The mountain flowers were blooming and the weather was picture perfect. I hiked when I got to some steep sections that I could no longer bike up. Behind me is the "city" of Elko laying in the valley. A typical day in Nevada, and a good way to spend a day off!

Week 2 Disappointment

My second week of work started off Monday with the expectation on my part that I would receive underground induction training. However, that plan was quickly halted as my supervisor and the head geologist pulled me aside. I am officially banned from the underground mine, due to the fact that mercury exists in vapor form underground and I am pregnant. I was hugely disappointed and also felt excessively guilty that I did not forewarn my supervisor of the pregnancy part, but they were extremely nice about the whole thing. I had no idea it would be such a big deal ... I guess that Barrick is playing on the side of caution. Even if there is not imminent danger, the possibility exists for mercury exposure and they would rather not have the possibility of it harming me or more specifically the baby.

So while everyone else trained, I hung around the office and read some geology papers. The week rapidly improved towards the end, when I was shown how to log chips. At least I could feel semi-productive! And I will get open pit hydrology / geology exposure throughout the summer, so I won't miss out on everything. It's still hard to be left behind when everyone else is going underground!

All in all, I am thankful I still have a job, excellent coworkers, and a great learning opportunity. I worked Tuesday - Saturday, so I even got an extra 10 hours this week. And my supervisor is happy to let me work as much as I want to, so that will be good for the bank account, especially considering our current financial circumstances! There are blessings even in the disappointments, and I think it will be a good summer after all.

I went up to Lamoille Canyon again to visit and found lots of snow and sunshine, so I hiked up next to a waterfall and hung out for a little bit reading my book. It was a beautiful afternoon!

Mountain City Try 2

I did find the alternate way to Mountain City, and drove all the way to Owyhee (which is really close to Idaho, actually). I headed out with a semi-full tank of gas to take advantage of my last day off for a week. I was surprised to discover a huge, beautiful lake at Big Bend / Wildhorse Reservoir, and I followed the curves through a canyon to Mountain City. It wasn't actually in the mountains, as I kind of was expecting it to be, but it was in a beautiful area!

I brought the bike along (as always) to see if I could find some fun paths to bike through the countryside, but the only trails led down to overflowing streams from all the recent rain. After crossing the same creek 4 times I decided to turn back. The water seemed to get deeper every time. I will have to wait for true summer before the trails will be rideable. I did hop out for a quick ride around the Big Bend area, which was relaxing and beautiful.

On the way home I was worried I would almost run out of gas! And that would not be fun. I have to think twice about these trips, I should really tell someone where I am going and when I plan to come back, in case something were to happen with the car. It wouldn't be fun to have to bike 15 miles into town to get gas and bike 15 miles uphill on the way back to fill up the car. Fortunately, this time I made it to the gas station, but it definitely gave me food for thought! A cell phone free life is really nice but can also be inconvenient and frustrating in circumstances like this!

I hung out with some of the other interns yesterday for a BBQ and the night before for dinner. All in all, a fun weekend!

40 hours of training ... and 12 hours of bus riding

My first week of work is officially completed! I don't have much to show for the week, due to the fact that all I really did was sit in a classroom watching numerous powerpoints and training videos on every facet of possible hazard in a gold mine. However, I do have one photo of my cool standard mine outfit next to one of the massive haul trucks. We got to tour the mine on the final day of training, which was the highlight of the week. This place is huge!

Oh, and the 12 hrs of bus riding? The mine is located 1 1/2 hrs from Elko, where we are staying, out in the middle of nowhere, Nevada. So we get on the bus at 4:15 am, get dropped off to work 6 am to 4 pm, and return to the bus stop at about 5:30 pm. Good thing I have mastered the ability to sleep on a bus. As it is, I still have to get to bed before 9 pm to be functional the next morning. Once you get used to the routine, it isn't that bad. It only leaves me about 3 hrs of free time in the evenings, which are generally taken up by working out, eating dinner, and relaxing for a bit. Busy, busy, but at least the time will fly by fast. It certainly isn't as bad as it sounds. Life is good!

Off to Harrison Pass

In my final day of exploration before the big job began, I decided to drive past Jiggs and towards Harrison Pass, in the locally acclaimed Ruby Mountains. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect, just the right temperature. I was excited to see all sorts of fun granite formations, and I decided to hike / bike up the closest hill. What I didn't anticipate was the effect of the elevation at ~7000 ft. Yeah, the hiking / pushing the bike took a lot out of me! But the view, and the fun rocks, at the top were well worth it.

The only thing that concerned me were some massive black beetles along the path - they looked kinda scary. I tried to get a picture but wasn't able to get one that did it justice :)

After I picnicked on the hill and rode my bike down, I drove to the other side of the pass on a road built of grus (highly weathered granite rock for the non-geologists). On the other side was only a T intersection, with a ranch to the left and a wildlife preserve to the right. I drove to the wildlife preserve, which ended up being an extensive marsh, and circled on the "wildlife view loop", watching a huge variety of birds, before turning back around and heading home so I could get to bed early before an early morning and busy week of training.

Wandering ... halted.

My goal was to make it to Mountain City, with no idea what would lay ahead.... I headed north along the highway past Tuscarora and some interesting chert nodules that looked like they were being mined. As the highway disintegrated into a dirt road through ranchland, I saw a warning sign telling me of washouts. My curiosity could not hold me back so I followed the road to the point where the washout was visible, and indeed there was no way to cross!

The trip wasn't a total loss, I got to see mountains and explore a part of the country I have never been to before. I just will have to try the other way to Mountain City, which I think I will attempt on Memorial Day since I have that extra day off.

Biking Lamoille Canyon!

Of course, one of the first things to do once arriving in Elko was to scout out potential mountain biking locations and explore the surrounding region, including the Ruby Mountains that sit on the horizon. I had heard about Lamoille Canyon, not too far out of town, and it did not disappoint although I did not expect to see quite as much snow!

I drove up to the canyon mouth and discovered snow on the road, so I decided to bike instead of drive up the canyon because for some reason I feel more comfortable riding my bike in the snow than driving. Of course the snow plow passed me not more than a mile in and cleared the road .... but it was much more fulfilling to bike than to drive!

I enjoyed the waterfall that seemed to dump right on the road, and I biked to the point where the snowplows were working to clear off 3+ feet of snow on the road. I think it ended up being about a 15 mile bike round trip. It was glorious, a great way to start my adventures in Elko. It was a little cold on the ride down but well worth it :)

Obligatory Pregnancy Post

Okay, so everyone is sure to be wondering how the pregnancy is progressing, so I thought I would post a picture every month or so. Here am I in my home for the next three months - a hotel in Elko, NV.

And I am officially 20 weeks along in this photograph - not too huge but definitely something going on! Halfway to the finish line! Which means I really need to ramp up on the planning since all that Josh and I have ready for the baby is a crib without a mattress, and a few clothes that my mother and sister provided. I am hoping to spend some of my spare time after work and on the weekends getting a registry set up and making all those decisions on diapers, car seats, strollers, and all the rest!

On the road again ...

Monday, May 16 I took off for my drive to Nevada, where I will be spending 13 weeks working for Barrick Gold as an intern in the Underground Geology Department. I am working at the Cortez mine, which is (unfortunately) an hour and a half drive from the town of Elko, Nevada.

The drive through the Black Hills was fun, I went down to Custer and then west through Newcastle, Wyoming. Wyoming was not the most exciting state to drive through but it went smoothly! I left Rapid City at around 11:30 AM after a semi-emotional farewell to Josh. I arrived in Rock Springs, Wyoming and stayed for the night at about 8:30 PM. I took some stops along the way though and I definitely took my time!

Not to mention that the Geo Tracker is a little slow on the travel, I had it floored heading west and generally could only get up to 65 mph because of a stiff headwind. Oh well.

The neatest part of the first leg of the trip was Independence Rock, which still retains inscriptions of some of the original travelers of the Oregon Trail! I hiked up to the top and wandered around a bit as the wind attempted to blow me off the rock. I took this picture of one of the inscriptions, I thought it was neat because it was a young woman who had traveled through 165 years ago! History can be amazing when you think about it.

Day 2 of the trip was the leg from Rock Springs, WY to Elko, NV. It was only scheduled for about 6 1/2 hours, but of course I took much longer. I took my time especially in the intermittent snow, hail, and rain. It is actually quite a beautiful drive through southwestern Wyoming and northern

Utah, with colorful hills and mountains. I didn't get many pictures because it was rather fogged in, but here's one to give you a general idea.

I arrived in Elko around 3:30 PM (with the time zone switch) and checked into my hotel, chilled for the evening and got some "wonderful" microwave meals since we aren't actually allowed to cook in the rooms :(. It will be an interesting challenge to eat healthy this summer and get the right kind of nutrition for this little baby I'm carrying! I might head outdoors for a lot of cooking then, since there is a supplied grill and I can legally cook outdoors. I'll let you all know how that pans out!

Wind Cave and Crazy Horse (or not)

On Tuesday my parents and I headed down to Wind Cave, a pretty long drive southwest of Rapid City, to take a tour of the underground. Josh stayed in Rapid City to work on his studying and school work. We made it to the cave for the 11:30 AM tour and had a grand time wandering around the cave. I discovered that I really like being underground, which is a good sign for my internship this summer!

My parents also wanted to stop by Crazy Horse so we swung by on the way back ... only to discover that the fee was $10 per person or $27 per vehicle - a little too steep for any of us to pay! So my mom got this photo anyway. Just as good as driving in, right?

On Sunday we did the Spearfish Canyon tour and stopped at the waterfalls, throwing in a little fishing on the side. Nothing to be caught, the water was high from recent snowmelt and rain. It's definitely spring in Rapid City. Wednesday we went mini golfing in the morning before the weather turned bad in the afternoon (which is kind of a Zylstra family tradition on vacation). We had to bundle up pretty good, there was a stiff and cool wind!

My parents left Thursday morning for their drive to Denver and eventual flight. It was a good visit for everyone involved.

Having a blast in the Badlands!

Today we decided to ask a few of our meteorologist friends to join us on a trip to the Badlands to show my parents around. It was a beautiful sunny day with the green grass still brightly growing in the Badlands. We spent plenty of time bounding up and down the shaley formations and convincing Dan to climb higher (not bad for a North Carolinian). I have to say the Badlands is one of my favorite things about South Dakota. Dan was also oddly entranced by the presence of prairie dogs.

Kathy, Josh, Dan and I also braved the Notch trail (which I have always wanted to climb) and made our way up the sketchy ladder to beautiful views on the other side.

It was well worth it!

After all our fun, as the sun was beginning to set, we stopped in Wall for ice cream at Wall Drug. Always a fun place to stop and look around, although we didn't have a lot of time and had to return to Rapid City quickly so Mom and I could get ready for the first annual "Mom Prom". Basically, the "Mom Prom" was a chance for a bunch of ladies to dress up, get together, dance and eat chocolate fondue. The best part was probably the fondue! It was fun, just a little crowded, and I wore out pretty quick so Mom and I headed out and talked for a little while before heading home. All in all, a pretty good day!

Parental (and Prenatal) Visit

So my parents really wanted to come visit us in South Dakota this summer ... and the only time that would work would either be before my internship in Nevada or after, in the heat of August. They decided that May would be better, and arrived on May 5, the same day of our 18 week ultrasound (scheduled early because of my internship).

The parents arrived around 9:30 PM, which was a blessing because I was still madly finishing a final paper for my Digital Modeling of Groundwater class! I ended up waking up early and finally turning it in around 9:30 the next morning. Not the best paper, but I still ended up with a 4.0 for the semester (and year)!

So our Friday fun was decided to be touring the SDSM&T campus and then off to Mt. Rushmore for the afternoon!

Weather was good, at least it wasn't raining, and it was super nice to be so early in the season and beat the tourist rush!

Oh yeah ... and the ultrasound that we had showed everything looking good, baby is active and happy, and is a BOY!!! So that's the latest for our family, stay tuned for more!

Procrastination and dissatisfaction...

Here I am on a lovely Saturday afternoon, staring blankly at a computer screen where I am "supposed to" be doing ArcGIS work for a project that I may or may not be funded for. On top of that my professor informed me yesterday that he expected me to contribute 20 hrs a week to his arsenic research project, which I had no idea about and no plans for contributing to. Oy vey.

Although I am sure there are few (if any) that actually read this blog I feel like sharing a bit of life every now and then to the outside world. First, perhaps, should be a status update.

Josh and I are living in Rapid City, SD, both attending South Dakota School of Mines & Technology as graduate students. Josh is in his second year (final semester!!!) of the atmospheric sciences program. I am in my first year of the Geological Engineering program. We moved here from Fairbanks, AK in 2009, so that Josh could attend graduate school here. For a year I worked at a variety of places, including a jewelry store, JCPenney, and a locally owned tax and accounting firm. I made a return to school largely because I was tired of working retail and IT, and longed to get back into the scientific realm. I have discovered this is poor motivation for earning a graduate degree; however, I do enjoy it more than the extreme dissatisfaction I was experiencing as an IT person at the accounting & tax firm. This last semester, I multitasked as I worked part-time at the tax firm, served as an assistant volleyball coach for Rapid City Christian, helped head up the children's ministry at church, attended school, and TA'd chemistry. This coming semester I originally planned to work part-time at the tax firm and attend school the rest of the time. It isn't looking like it will be quite that easy. The best thing that has come from attending school here is the internship that I landed with Barrick, a large international mining company. I will be in Nevada from May-August, working in a gold mine. Josh will remain in Rapid City to finish research & writing his thesis.

There is so much more to be said about struggles with academia, church, and life ... but perhaps now is not the time or the place. The best, and perhaps only, thing for me to be doing these days is spending time on my knees in prayer, bowing down and surrendering my life to a merciful God.