Today was fairly uneventful

I like days like that. I'm still not well. I may have to go back to the doctor tomorrow. I wake up okay but by early afternoon, my fever starts climbing again. I have a fibroid and am scheduled for a surgical procedure on July 20 to see if and how it can be removed. My womb is enlarged about 2X but I don't know if any of that has to do with the fever. I have run a fever every day for thirteen days. That's crazy. It usually tops out at about 101° which isn't horrible but it's enough to make me feel pretty sorry.

My daughter and grandson are home and actually have been since Sunday. It is nice to have the home. Peggy is home from camp. She seems to have had a good time and has talked a little bit about the sermons. She is one of those teens that you have to give some time and space before she will talk much.

All in all there wasn't much eventful today. I fixed a really good salad with grilled steak on it for dinner. The fresh veggies felt good in my tummy.

I hope tomorrow to resume posting my introductions.

I'm back! Death's Door Sends Its Regards!

I, nor my husband, can remember me ever being as sick as I was the past week and a half. I'm not sure what was wrong, and I even went to see the doctor and he didn't know either. The doctor did give me some super-charged antibiotic and it's finally working. Whew!


I don't know about you, but I think funny things when I'm sick and this time was particularly interesting. I was lying on the couch coming in and out of a feverish sleep thinking, "When I go to heaven, who's going to vaccuum?" In reality, that would probably be one of the least of my family's worries, but I worried about it.

Now that my fever is broken, my thoughts are more like, "Would my children live godly? Would my grandchildren know my faith?" Those are the things that I live for.

Introductions

I thought I would take a few posts to indroduce the players on my stage. I'll start with myself.

I was born in Germany where my Dad was serving in the U.S. Air Force. We returned to the States when I was almost three. My Dad was stationed in San Angelo, TX for the next 16 years. Because of his long-term assignment, I didn't grow up like most military kids. I lived in the same town and went to the same schools for most of my life. My parents had two boys and two girls after me.

My parents took me to an Independent Baptist church where I was saved when I was five. When I was almost 9, my mother suffered the first of a series of mental breakdowns. My parents dropped out of church but my little brothers and sisters and I rode the bus.

My parents had no standards for us at all, but I had many for myself. I wanted to please God with my life. I didn't date through high school and I paid my own tuition to Christian school my Junior and Senior year.

After I graduated, I moved to the Dallas area when I was 19 to work for Accelerated Christian Education. At the church I attended I met a young man who had just surrendered to the ministry the week before I met him. We were friends for eight months and then he asked me out. We dated 19 times in 19 days and he proposed. (I do not suggest this time frame for my children.) We were engaged for nine months and married on June 5, 1981.

We wanted six children—five boys and one girl. God had other plans. I have endometriosis and have suffered 10 miscarriages. We adopted a new-born girl in 1985. Wendy was 17-hours old the first time I held her. When I introduce her, I will share some of the miracles surrounding her adoption.

When it became apparent that we would not bear biological children we looked for more children to adopt. In 1996, Jessica, Jesse, and Marcy became part of our family. They were a sibling adoption and were 10, 11, and 12 when we took them. In 2000, Amanda and Peggy became part of our family. They were 13 and 9 at the time.

I homeschooled Wendy all the way through graduation. The other children I homeschooled or sent to Christian school at various times. Currently, all but Peggy have graduated and I am homeschooling her.

Wendy was married in 2003 and gave us the gift of a beautiful grandson, Elisha.

I don't know if this tells all about me, but it's a start.

I want a horse.

Horses don't throw fanbelts. Horses don't need transmission fluid or coolant. Horses don't need new radiators. Yea, I want a horse.

Of course, horses leave messes. A horse makes a 180-mile trip a month-long adventure instead of a day trip. Horses bite. I fell off a horse once.

I've never fallen off my car.

I guess technology is progress and I like my van.

Wendy took my van to Kansas City because her car is in the shop getting a new radiator. Today, as Wendy was leaving Wal-Mart, the fan belt popped off. Some little part has to be replaced. Thankfully, my sister knows how to do that and it's not an expensive part.

I do thank God that it came off in the Wal-Mart parking lot and not on I-80 somewhere in the middle of Iowa when she was alone with a 2.5 year old.

Someday I may own a horse, but I guess cars and vans are good. I know God is good.

Sick

There is nothing more annoying to me than to go to the doctor, have him confirm what I thought was wrong and send me home to "get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids." And I paid how much for that advice?

However, the past few days, I've turned the question over and over in my mind—"Should I go to the doctor now or wait it out?" I've had a fever off and on since Saturday. Since Sunday, its been pretty much on rather than off. Last night I was miserable. I kept waiting and trying to listen to my body and decide. I have fibromyalgia and I thought it might be that, but I've decided I have an infection somewhere in my abdomen. Lots of green tea, some immune boosters and good ol' ibuprofen for the pain and I think I'm going to live.

I'm glad I waited. I'm not mad at the doctor and my checkbook thanks me.

My house is vibrating!

The construction crew putting the new storm drains in before they build the new road, is right in front of my house this morning. They have this giant truck that pats the dirt down. As that machine does its work, my whole house vibrates. It's really funny. I was looking around and thinking maybe they would shake all the dirt and dust down to the floor and then all I'll have to do is vaccuum and sweep!!!

On the other hand, can you believe Marcy is downstairs sleeping through this?

Happy Father's Day

My husband is the best father I know. These are pictures of him with his girls, and one with Elisha. I couldn't find a picture of him with Jesse. I think those are in his office.

My heart broke this morning.

We have a little boy at our church who has been riding the van to church since he was 2. He is now 4 and is one our most faithful riders. During part of Children's Church he came in my room to play for a little bit. He took a toy bead necklace and tied his own hands behind his back and said, "I'm going to court. They're taking me to jail." I realized that he must have seen this enough that it was a game to play.

I was a bus kid. Church was the highlight of my week. At church, people weren't screaming at each other and the grown-ups acted like they cared about me. I learned that they acted that way because they loved Jesus and Jesus cared. Our churches needs to remain a place where children can feel save and find the love of Jesus.

Oops!

I woke up at 6:45 a.m. this morning to the sound of the huge backhoe in my frontyard. That was pleasant. I think I would have preferred to awaken to the sound of birds or a waterfall, but oh, well. The city is rebuilding our road. We don't have one right now. They tore it all out and they are putting in new storm drains and curbs and everything. When they got to the houses on our block they figured out they had to rerun our sewer lines because they aren't low enough. Thus, on Saturday morning before 7 a.m. the backhoe in my frontyard fired up.

We were going to get up at 7:30 anyway because we had to run Peggy to Chicago. She is going to church camp this coming week and today was the best time to take her. She is staying with friends over the weekend. Anyway, Mark went out and was talking to the workers about the sewer line when OOOPPS!! They tore up our water line. A geyser shot forth from the ground and the water in the house quit flowing. We were blessed in that we were going to be gone most of the day.

When we got home around 6 this evening, we had a brand-new water line and the backhoe is sitting idle for the remainder of the weekend.

I hope I can make it 8 days!

Wendy and Elisha made it safe and sound to Kansas City. I called tonight to tell Elisha goodnight and he was already asleep. I don't think I realized how much I expect him to just be underfoot. I found myself listening for the back door all afternoon. (He loves to sneak outside!) And now tonight I expected his little slobbery kiss before he goes "die-dight snuggle Mom!"

One day down, seven to go!

The Perfect Cast

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7

I had to meet with the Lord several times this morning. My daughter, Wendy, and my grandson, Elisha, just left for a 350+ mile trip to visit family for a week. I was worried—okay, I am worried! My mother was the Queen of Worry and I used to tease her about it all the time. (Oh, I hate the moment when you realize you are turning into your mother!) However, in this case, Mom's weakness could be sin and I don't want to endulge my own sinful nature.

When Wendy was born and we held her the first time, we bowed our heads and gave her back to the Lord. Our Father knows so much better than we do. Even after being saved for more than 40 years, I have to daily remind myself that He cares for me and He will carry my cares.

I just need to cast.

Here, I want to take a picture! Smile!

A couple of things have happened lately that have me thinking about photographs. Father's Day is coming up and I made a scrapbook of my mother for my Dad. She hated having her picture taken and it shows. I was able to find only 15 or 16 pictures of Mom from her 56 years of living. It made me sad to realize that I had very few visual images Mom to share with my children and grandchildren.

The second thing that happened was trying to find a picture of myself to put on this blog. Guess what? There aren't very many picutres of me either. Now, I am not photogenic at all, but I've decided that it is selfishness and pride on my part not to allow my family to take pictures of me. I want my granchildren and even my great-grandchildren to be able to look into my eyes in a photograph and remember that I prayed for them before they were even born.

To blog or not to blog

I've tried to keep a journal but I'm awful at keeping up with it. Many of my friends "blog." This is an attempt to see if I can keep up with an "online journal."