unPlanned:True Story of a former Planned Parenthood Director

I don't usually do book reviews or anything other than share about our life here in Va Beach, but as my passion for unborn life and seeing the genocide of abortion stopped increases, that may change some. 

Many of you know, I volunteer at the Keim Center in Virginia Beach, one of the crisis pregnancy centers here in Tidewater.  Before I began volunteering, I knew abortion was wrong.  I knew it was a horrible thing, I knew it should be illegal, but I didn't know how to talk about it, I didn't know facts about it or any specifics other than a baby was killed in the process.  Since I've learned about it, since I've taken classes, since I've learned how to counsel women, pray for women, and love women through the decision of whether to abort or choose life, my understanding of this war is much greater and my desire to see victory in this war is much greater.

When I look at abortion facts, the thousands and thousands of abortions performed every year, and the greatest reason for abortion being that having a baby would dramatically change their lives (74% in 2004 taken from the guttmacher website), definitely not rape or incest(1.5% taken from the same website) it saddens my heart to see that we as a culture are so blind when companies like Planned Parenthood say things like their goal is to make abortion safe and rare and that they really exist to help women and to love women. 

This book, Unplanned is a book that both pro-life and pro-choice people should read.  It's the memoir of a woman, Abby Johnson, who was the Director of Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas. Johnson was deceived, like many Americans, into thinking that Planned Parenthood existed to help women have safe and affordable health care, and to make abortion a rare thing in this country.  In this book, she recounts her journey to learning the truth about the company that she gave 8 years of her life to.  She starts off with the event that God used to show her the truth, assisting with an ultrasound guided abortion.  For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a procedure that is "suppose" to make abortion safer and have less complications.  Most abortion facilities do not use this method as it is very costly to do any ultrasound.  She describes in great detail what she sees on the ultrasound screen as the suction cannula moves towards the baby.  The baby jerks and trys to get away.  She describes what it looks like to see every piece of the baby sucked away into a tube and she describes how her eyes were open for the first time that day. 

Later on in the book, she describes how her eyes were open to the fact that the only thing Planned Parenthood was really concerned about was the bottom line. As there numbers creeped more and more toward the red, their goal became one thing: to increase their money maker procedure.  The only true revenue Planned Parenthood has is in abortions. Maybe when the company started out, their goal was for good, for women to have affordable health care, but that is not the case today.  Not when every day of the week except Sunday, a woman can get an abortion for any reason, even the reason being that the couple doesn't want a girl.  Their purpose is not to make abortion rare, not when the Planned Parenthood in Va Beach just built a 13000 sq ft building with 2 surgical suites in hopes that one day they can do late-term abortions.  They don't care about women when they are not adequately counselling them on the procedure that is about to change their lives.  So many women come to us having no clue as to what has happened to their bodies during the previous abortions they have had. Planned Parenthood is not for the good of women, and keeping abortion on demand is not for the good of women.

I know there are many differing opinions on this subject.  From it should be illegal, to only for rape/incest/life of the mother, only 1st trimester to any woman should be able to have an abortion from week one to week 40.  But listen to me, don't discount this book just because you are pro-choice.  Remember that part of being pro-choice is that 2 of the choices women have are to parent and to adopt.  I highly recommend this book no matter where you fall on the spectrum, if for no other reason, than just to learn a little more about Planned Parenthood and what they stand for. 

Over the next few months, I'm going to try and do a series of posts on abortion among my normal posts. Again, if you are pro-choice, I invite you to read and share your opinion if you feel so inclined, but don't discount this as just another pro-life rant. Read with an open opinion before judging what I write, that's all I ask.

 

Anniversary Trip to Italy

After 220 days, roughly 7 months and some change away from my husband, God blessed us with being able to meet in Sorrento, Italy a day after our one year anniversary.  The whole trip was such a wonderful adventure and I'm so thankful most of that adventure was experienced with my Love.  After about 24hrs of travel, running through London Heathrow Airport to catch my plane and Roma Termini to catch my train, not seeing Isaac in Naples and figuring out through a language barrier how to get myself to Sorrento, I finally arrive to my hotel where the staff were quite possibly the most kind hotel staff I have ever dealt with.  About 8 hrs later around 3AM, I recieved a call(I was dead asleep after almost 2 days with no sleep) and it was Isaac asking me to let him in.  I had not expected him till late that morning so it was the greatest surprise ever!! I was able to see Isaac for the first time, I can't even explain how happy my heart was to have him back with me, even if just for a few days. 

The next few days flew by in a whirlwind.  We slept in Wed morning, and again, the kind hotel staff served us breakfast long after breakfast was finished being served. We took a shuttle into Sorrento and walked around for a few hrs.  The city was so beautiful, exactly what I imagined Italy to be with old, colorful buildings, outside cafes, beautiful views of the ocean, I absolutely loved it.  Thur was spent doing the same thing, although we did make it up in time for breakfast that morning.  Thur night, we went to quite possibly one of the best restraunts I've ever eaten at.  It was a family style restraunt, where Grandma did all the cooking.  Fri, we took a boat tour of the island of Capri.  It was beautiful.  We visited the Blue Gratto, this little cavern where the water is naturally neon blue, so beautiful.  It left me in awe of how much of an artist God is, creating such a place like that.  Sadly, there are no good pictures as the cavern was pitch black except for the water. 

The trip was quick, and many people thought I was absolutely crazy to spend so much money travelling to Italy just for 4 days, but let me tell you, it was worth every penny.  I can't explain how much I have missed my Love these past 7 months, and yes, I don't have much longer till he's home for good, but those few days we spent together were enough to give me resolve to finish this race. It was defnintely a gift from God to have a change to go, a gift that I will forever be grateful for.  I witnessed His kindess and grace through every step of the trip: delaying my flight in London so I could make it, getting me to the train station in Rome just in perfect time to make my train, giving Isaac the good sense to make a plan with me just in case he was not at the train station in Naples, our wonderful and unexpected reunion at 3AM, a 3 days together, making them perfect in every way, putting me in a group of Americans in London who all were staying over night at the airport so I wouldn't be alone.  So many things could have gone wrong but God perfectly orchestrated every event to make the trip perfect.  It will be a trip I talk about for years to come.

Here a few pictures from the trip:

This was our wonderful hotel, I would defninitly recommend it: Hotel Prestige

The next few pictures are from our first day walking around Sorrento

I was so excited when we discovered this site!

And so excited to discover this road! It was beautiful!

View of Sorrento from the Solarium at our hotel

The fun pathyway we found walking around the hotel

These are pictures from our 2nd day walking around Sorrento

All the cafes and restraunts had outside seating like this, I loved being able to eat lunch and gelatto out side with Isaac :)

 This was from our 3rd day, when we road a boat to Capri

The Harbor in Capri

The Love arch or something like that, it's suppose to be good luck to kiss while going under the arch

 We're getting ready to go into the Blue gratto, in a very tiny little boat

 Isaac allowed me to take 1 picture of him, this is what I got.  The gelatto was wonderful!

 Still in capri, we explored a neighborhood, all uphill.  I was exhausted by the time we got back down to the water.

 The next few pictures are from these ruins in the town of Sorrento.  We were fascniated with them.  Every time we walked by we just stopped and stared and of course, I took plenty of pictures.  They were beautiful, we both really wanted to go down and look at them, at one point, you could tell people did cause there was a stairway and walkways at the bottom, but no one was down there and it looked like it hadn't been toured for a while.

Happy Anniversary, My Love

A year ago today, I promised forever to my very best friend.  This year has been a crazy year of ups and downs with underways and deployment, but it has been the best year of my life. Isaac, you are such a blessing from God and I thank Him every day for putting you in my life.  I am so proud of you, and love you so very, very much! I can't wait to be celebrating with you so very soon, which is just another evidence of God's grace in our marriage, allowing us to celebrate our first anniversary together.  I love you, babe, forever and always!

Happy Anniversary!

Birthday Weekend Blessings

Baby Reegan falling asleeping in my arms. Taylor helping me take Peaches out for a walk. Dinner with the family. Grandma holing Reegan. Long talks with Mom and Dad.  Sleeping till 0930.  No sounds of cars or sirens outside.  Afternoon reading time on the porch. Shopping trips with mom.  Lunch at Soppers. Starbucks with Mom. Babysitting Reegan and Taylor. Taylor praying for our food. Grandma spending the night. Seeing my brother ordained as a deacon.  Playing memory with Taylor. Driving Grandma home. Long walks down country roads with Peaches. Seeing the mountain from our road. Sunday afternoon phone date:) Movie time with Mom and Dad. Sweet birthday voicemails from church friends. Surprise birthday call on my way home from my Love.

And my most favorite blessing this weekend: The last long, 5 hr drive I will have to take without Isaac for a long, long time :)

My New Piano

On Thur night, this lovely gift arrived at my house. 

My wonderful parents-in-law shipped this beautiful instrument to me all the way from Colorado.  I cannot even begin to explain how excited I've been about having a paino to play again.  I began playing the piano when I was 8, hated it till sometime in high school, then it became one of my most favorite things.  Sadly, I haven't really played an actual piano since I was 18, more than once or twice while I was living in Charleston.  I had a keyboard in college, and played some, but nursing school did not accomodate for real piano playing and on one of my moves, my keyboard died, so it has been 3 years since I've really played.  Since the piano arrived, I haven't hardly been able to tear myself away from it.  Even after all the travelling across country, it sounds really good.  I can't wait to hear it after a proper tuning!  The first 2 songs I'm working on are Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars and am re-learning Moonlight Sonata. 

I am so incredibly thankful, and think that I have the best parents-in-law ever! I absolutely love this gift!

My Last Summer Adventure

The last week in August, I was able to take one more summer trip and visit my family and friends in North Carolina. 

The main reason I wanted to go home was to meet my sweet litte neice, Reegan Nicole.  I loved getting a chance to bond with her while I was home! One of my favorite memories of the week was when I got to take care of her for a whole night.  I got just a little taste of what it would be like to have a new born, although, I did get to go home and sleep, afterwards, which was nice :) Another favorite memory was getting to play with Taylor.  She came home with mom one night and we played memory and took Peaches out for a walk; she loves Peaches!!

A few other wonderful memories: coffee with the Perezs and their sweet little Lucy, coffee with my cousin Britt(the first time we've really hung out in over a year), dinner and girl time with my favorite ladies in Charlotte, and getting to meet Jess' new class(she has some real cute kids this year!).  All in all, it was a wonderful week. 

Now, just alittle longer and my Love will be home.  I've not started the countdown yet, that will come at day 50, but it's getting close!  God has been so faithful to give me the strength to get through every day without Isaac.  I am so thankful for His grace on the hard days and even more thankful that with every passing day, He is bringing me one day closer.

Here a just a few pictures from my trip home:

Me with both my sweet neices :)

Taylor just loves helping me with Peaches!

I love the quiet peacefulness of having a cup of coffee on my parents front porch

One of my favorite views of home, other than the mountain

Adventures with 3:16.

A few weeks ago, I was able to travel with out youth group to Camp Willow Run in North Carolina as their camp nurse. 

 I was told before I left that I was going as just a precaution, and mostly to give out medications if needed, but otherwise, they didn't suspect that I would really be needed as a nurse.  I don't think I'll ever believe that if I'm told again.  One of the lessons I learned was that if a nurse is there, a nurse will be needed.  The kids(and counselors) kept me very busy in the 3 days that we were there.

Nonetheless, it was some of the best 3 days of my summer. We have an exceptional group of teens at our church.  I enjoyed, so much, getting a chance to get to know some of them.  I was very impressed with how they led worship, prayed for each other, included everyone, and all around, seemed to be on fire for the Lord. 

The three days we were there were filled with tons of fun stuff for everyone to do.  There was canoeing, a high ropes course, archery, volleyball, soccar, a lake to swim in and the red shark...although i was not a fan of the red shark because that was what kept me pretty busy on Thur afternoon. We also had group devotions every morning, morning and evening worship(which I loved), camp olympic games every morning, and all ending with the big skit night, which I got to be a judge for.  The skits were very imaginative and creative!  I laughed most of the night while watching them. 

All in all, it was a wonderful few days! I hope I get to join them again next year.

Here's a few of the pictures from the week.