Disappointment, Dr. appointment, and the holiday weekend

Disappointment:
So I've started to blog about this a couple times now, but didn't really have the energy or the desire to put it in any creative words.
Ben was informed on Tuesday that he is being laid off from his job. Just six days since I left my job at the same place. A small university that we both attended and love. My dad works there, my sister will be attending in the fall, and they just sent me off on my journey as a stay at home with a lovely outdoor goodbye party after 4 years of hard work in a high burnout job.
My feelings are quite mixed. We both are at peace and know that God has a plan to bless us...not only that but to do such awesome things in our lives that we'll look back and be glad for the opportunity. We still love the University and the people...and are disappointed along with the rest of the institution in the decision making of the "higher ups".
Ben wasn't the only casualty. A few others lost their jobs (all in the name of balancing the budget). Even more were cut down to part time and stripped of their benefits. My dad went from 40 hours to 30 and will lose his health insurance. My siblings are still at home 16 and 18 years old. Luckily, they were smart enough to let him keep the tuition benefit that they were already planning on for my sister's schooling next year.
The weirdest part is that Ben still has a job for two more weeks. FMLA was what saved us. He put in for leave with the dates of July 20th-31st, the two weeks after my due date. Since they had already approved the leave, it would be against the law for them to let him go before then. So he is working for the next two weeks and then get paid for the two after that. We'll have health insurance through the end of the month. I feel bad for Ben having to endure work knowing that he's been let go- but he's received a lot of support from those who were spared.

Dr. Appointment
Had our 38 week appointment this morning...before which I walked a mile to meet Ben at work. It's beautiful weather outside and I couldn't resist the opportunity to get some exercise and encourage labor :)
I'm at a "good" 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. My doc asked me if I wanted her to stretch my cervix when she checked-I wasn't exactly sure what that meant but when she said it could encourage labor to begin I opted for yes. It actually didn't really hurt- it was uncomfortable and felt kind of like cramps or a contraction but was over quickly. She said I could go into labor or just experience the same intermittent contractions I'm already going through. We'll just have to wait and see. She predicted I'd go into labor next week, but it really could be any time now.
Baby is so low that she could feel his head when she checked for dilation. The great thing about that is that during labor he won't have very far to go. We were already expecting a quick labor due to family history, but it was nice to have confirmation that things will probably go fairly fast once they get started.

the holiday weekend...
With the Independence Day weekend Ben has tomorrow off of work. My parents, siblings, and a bunch of our extended family are all going camping up the coast. I obviously can't go (it's 3 hours away) nor do I really want to sleep on the ground at 9 months pregnant!
Ben and I are going to house/dog-sit at my parents' place which is in a rural area just outside of the city we live in. They have better a/c in their house and an awesome pool. It will be like a belated baby-moon (we had to cancel ours that was planned for when I was 14 weeks because of unexpected bleeding). It'll also be an alternative to going away for our 2 year anniversary which is on Tuesday July 7th. Although, I think Ben has something small planned for that evening :)

Have a great weekend everyone and if you think of us- pray that Ben gets a job before his time at this one ends!