Baby and Doggie Love…
I started getting ready for work this morning. To my surprise, Ashley was awake. She had planned to stay the night with her cousins in Robinson. I was supposed to take her early and drop her off before work. I am putting my makeup on in the bathroom when Ashley calls for me. I don’t make it in time but the dog had climbed into the bassinet with the baby. The dog was lying on top of Chase’s tummy and legs. Now the bassinet is tall. So the dog jumped on our bed, leaped over the side of the bassinet and onto the baby. This of course woke the baby. So for a few minutes, the baby and dog were awake together in the bassinet!!!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Anniversary Weekend....
Anniversary Weekend ...
Chad and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on July 24th. We decided to plan a small trip to San Antonio for the weekend of the 25th. We had planned to drive down early Saturday morning and come back Sunday evening. I reserved a room at the Menger Hotel for Saturday night. Friday afternoon, Chad called and asked if I wanted to leave that night. I was all for it. When I got off work, we hurriedly packed and we were off. Now, I know most Anniversary celebrations are suppose to be just a husband and a wife trip, well we decided to take our children, plus a friend of Ashley’s. Ashley and her friend were going to go to Fiesta Texas all day Saturday. The trip down was nice. We did have to pull over once to feed Chase and give him a small break from the car seat. He did fairly well. It was late by the time we reached San Antonio. Now, we had to find a hotel/motel room for the night. We searched and searched and everywhere we looked the signs were posted “NO VACANCY”. We were surprised. It seemed like the whole city of San Antonio was booked out. We must have stopped at 20 different hotels. We were not going to give up. About 2 am, we finally found a room. The room was a double but clearly they were having some repairs done in the bathroom. It was scary turning on the light in the bathroom because the NOISEY fan would come on also. The fan was UNCOVERED and dropped black pieces of filth on your head while using the potty. The beds however were so comfortable! We slept till about 8:30am. We then got up and ate at a little Mexican Burrito place. The prices were very cheap and the food was fantastic. After leaving the Mexican burrito place, we drove Ashley and her friend to Fiesta Texas. The drive was very nice. It was very scenic. There were lots of shopping places along the way too. One day when I have some money, just to spend, I may go back and do just that! Dropping off the girls was quick and easy. I had my mind set that we would have to wait through a long line of cars and have to pay some type of fee. THAT WAS not the case. The park actually has a drop off and pick up place. It was an easy in and an easy out. Of course, I checked to make sure Ashley had all she needed.(money and coupon, to get in at kid price. That was the special, everyone pays kids price. After dropping off the kids, Chad, Chase and I drove to the Menger hotel. The hotel is located right behind the Alamo and connected to the River Center Mall. It was established in about 1856. Very historical. The inside is decorated so lovely. They have lots of OLD furniture decorating the halls. The rooms are very nice also. We had two full beds. The entrance of the room opened up to a counter topped mirrored wall facing the door. The bathroom was to the left of the counter. You had to go around the wall to get to the beds. It was so lovely. I don’t know how we managed this, but our room had a balcony that overlooked the whole pool area. JUST BEAUTIFUL. There were about 2 rooms with this view, ours and the one next to us. Not all the rooms had balconies. We were impressed. Another neat thing, Any where you parked in downtown San Antonio, you would have to pay a fee. Well, we were able to pay our fee at the hotel and enjoy the benefit of valet parking! Nice. I am not rich nor do I pretend to be but that was nice.
Chad and I got ready to go to the River Walk with Chase in his stroller. We walked down to the Buckhorn Saloon Museum. It is a historical museum that tells of the Texas Rangers and also has ROOMS of stuffed animals from around the world. It was kind of like walking through a zoo without the fear of being eaten alive because there were no barriers. Chase was very captivated by the stuffed animals. The Texas ranger part of the museum was FANTASTIC. They have it set up like an old west town. They had a Pony Express/Newspaper office where the people would type up stories for their paper and also send off boys to deliver the mail! Dangerous job!
The ad called for wiry, gangly boys under the age of 18 to run the pony express! They had a sheriff’s office that held a sleeping prisoner. Wanted posters were posted all over the walls. One poster was “Wanted Dead or Alive, Jesse James, $25,000.00 Reward”.
Another, “Wanted, Dead or Alive, Billy the Kid, $5000.00 Reward”. It was great. They also had a livery stable that advertised renting a horse or horses for a day, week or month. There was a bath stop, 25 cents, soap and towels free! It was a very awesome place. There were wax people in different scenes with a button to push to hear about the history of what was taking place. There were pictures with writings beside them telling the history of how Stephen F Austin and others founded Texas. I loved this.
The museum had a little restaurant and Chad and I ate there. There was a man there with his guitar playing old trail songs and even so modern country songs (George Straight, All my ex’s live in Texas). He also did “Deep in the Heart of Texas”.
Chad, Chase and I strolled back to the hotel to rest. Around 6:oo, our hotel phone rang and Ashley was ready to be picked up. We drove back to get the girls. Once in the car, they told us that the gate person had made them pay full price to get in, ($15 dollars more than kids price). The guy at the gate had taken advantage of the girls. When Ashley asked about it, he totally ignored her. I was angry about that. They also had to buy a locker to place her friends purse in. All the $13 dollar lockers were taken and they had to purchase an $18 locker. The locker machine took their money the first time. Ashley explained this to the locker keeper. He told them that was too bad and made them pay $10 more for the locker. They lost a lot of money that day!!! They ended up putting what little money they had left together to buy supper and a drink. I thought about calling the park and complaining but let it go. It was done. The girls had a great time anyway. It was just HOT and they tired quickly!
Sunday morning, we walked the River Center mall and stopped at Starbucks. We walked lots and decided to go down to the River walk for Lunch. We ate at Casa De Rio. After lunch, we drove back to Waco. Our trip was great. After resting a while, we met Chad’s sister and family at Golden corral for supper. They came down from Africa. We had a great visit. My nieces and nephew have grown so tall! It was so nice to see them. Our anniversary weekend was great!
Chad and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on July 24th. We decided to plan a small trip to San Antonio for the weekend of the 25th. We had planned to drive down early Saturday morning and come back Sunday evening. I reserved a room at the Menger Hotel for Saturday night. Friday afternoon, Chad called and asked if I wanted to leave that night. I was all for it. When I got off work, we hurriedly packed and we were off. Now, I know most Anniversary celebrations are suppose to be just a husband and a wife trip, well we decided to take our children, plus a friend of Ashley’s. Ashley and her friend were going to go to Fiesta Texas all day Saturday. The trip down was nice. We did have to pull over once to feed Chase and give him a small break from the car seat. He did fairly well. It was late by the time we reached San Antonio. Now, we had to find a hotel/motel room for the night. We searched and searched and everywhere we looked the signs were posted “NO VACANCY”. We were surprised. It seemed like the whole city of San Antonio was booked out. We must have stopped at 20 different hotels. We were not going to give up. About 2 am, we finally found a room. The room was a double but clearly they were having some repairs done in the bathroom. It was scary turning on the light in the bathroom because the NOISEY fan would come on also. The fan was UNCOVERED and dropped black pieces of filth on your head while using the potty. The beds however were so comfortable! We slept till about 8:30am. We then got up and ate at a little Mexican Burrito place. The prices were very cheap and the food was fantastic. After leaving the Mexican burrito place, we drove Ashley and her friend to Fiesta Texas. The drive was very nice. It was very scenic. There were lots of shopping places along the way too. One day when I have some money, just to spend, I may go back and do just that! Dropping off the girls was quick and easy. I had my mind set that we would have to wait through a long line of cars and have to pay some type of fee. THAT WAS not the case. The park actually has a drop off and pick up place. It was an easy in and an easy out. Of course, I checked to make sure Ashley had all she needed.(money and coupon, to get in at kid price. That was the special, everyone pays kids price. After dropping off the kids, Chad, Chase and I drove to the Menger hotel. The hotel is located right behind the Alamo and connected to the River Center Mall. It was established in about 1856. Very historical. The inside is decorated so lovely. They have lots of OLD furniture decorating the halls. The rooms are very nice also. We had two full beds. The entrance of the room opened up to a counter topped mirrored wall facing the door. The bathroom was to the left of the counter. You had to go around the wall to get to the beds. It was so lovely. I don’t know how we managed this, but our room had a balcony that overlooked the whole pool area. JUST BEAUTIFUL. There were about 2 rooms with this view, ours and the one next to us. Not all the rooms had balconies. We were impressed. Another neat thing, Any where you parked in downtown San Antonio, you would have to pay a fee. Well, we were able to pay our fee at the hotel and enjoy the benefit of valet parking! Nice. I am not rich nor do I pretend to be but that was nice.
Chad and I got ready to go to the River Walk with Chase in his stroller. We walked down to the Buckhorn Saloon Museum. It is a historical museum that tells of the Texas Rangers and also has ROOMS of stuffed animals from around the world. It was kind of like walking through a zoo without the fear of being eaten alive because there were no barriers. Chase was very captivated by the stuffed animals. The Texas ranger part of the museum was FANTASTIC. They have it set up like an old west town. They had a Pony Express/Newspaper office where the people would type up stories for their paper and also send off boys to deliver the mail! Dangerous job!
The ad called for wiry, gangly boys under the age of 18 to run the pony express! They had a sheriff’s office that held a sleeping prisoner. Wanted posters were posted all over the walls. One poster was “Wanted Dead or Alive, Jesse James, $25,000.00 Reward”.
Another, “Wanted, Dead or Alive, Billy the Kid, $5000.00 Reward”. It was great. They also had a livery stable that advertised renting a horse or horses for a day, week or month. There was a bath stop, 25 cents, soap and towels free! It was a very awesome place. There were wax people in different scenes with a button to push to hear about the history of what was taking place. There were pictures with writings beside them telling the history of how Stephen F Austin and others founded Texas. I loved this.
The museum had a little restaurant and Chad and I ate there. There was a man there with his guitar playing old trail songs and even so modern country songs (George Straight, All my ex’s live in Texas). He also did “Deep in the Heart of Texas”.
Chad, Chase and I strolled back to the hotel to rest. Around 6:oo, our hotel phone rang and Ashley was ready to be picked up. We drove back to get the girls. Once in the car, they told us that the gate person had made them pay full price to get in, ($15 dollars more than kids price). The guy at the gate had taken advantage of the girls. When Ashley asked about it, he totally ignored her. I was angry about that. They also had to buy a locker to place her friends purse in. All the $13 dollar lockers were taken and they had to purchase an $18 locker. The locker machine took their money the first time. Ashley explained this to the locker keeper. He told them that was too bad and made them pay $10 more for the locker. They lost a lot of money that day!!! They ended up putting what little money they had left together to buy supper and a drink. I thought about calling the park and complaining but let it go. It was done. The girls had a great time anyway. It was just HOT and they tired quickly!
Sunday morning, we walked the River Center mall and stopped at Starbucks. We walked lots and decided to go down to the River walk for Lunch. We ate at Casa De Rio. After lunch, we drove back to Waco. Our trip was great. After resting a while, we met Chad’s sister and family at Golden corral for supper. They came down from Africa. We had a great visit. My nieces and nephew have grown so tall! It was so nice to see them. Our anniversary weekend was great!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Whimsome Ramblings....
Baby Joys…
I love that sweet, sweet smile the first thing in the morning when the baby wakes up. He rarely wakes up crying in the morning. After the smile and about 5 minutes, if his breakfast bottle is not ready, THEN, I get the cry. What an angel. I can almost be sure that when the baby wakes, He will be smiling up at his momma.
Teenager Joys…
A lot of times, my teenager daughter suffers with insomnia. She sometimes takes a non addicting/non habit forming sleeping pill. Once in a while, I will wake up in the middle of the night and find that she is still awake unable to sleep. Some times these are the best shared moments together. I will lay with her and we talk. It can be silly things or serious. Last night was one such night. We were reliving some of the cartoons and shows she watched as a little girl. We giggled and laughed as we talked about the funny parts of them. It was great.
Husband Joys…
My husband and I rarely have a chance to just sit and talk for long conversations due to many uncompleted tasks that need attending to. Early mornings or late nights can be very special. This is when we are able to sit and chat before he leaves for work or doze off to sleep. I enjoy these special times of sharing.
Tomorrow we will celebrate, 15 years of marriage together. This is so dear to my heart.
Credit card whoas…
Sooo. You go on line and realize that your card has been charged by a company that you didn’t place an order to. WHAT TO DO!? Well, the obvious thing to do is contact the company to inform them that you hadn’t purchased anything from them. You get to their website and find the CONTACT US information or the CUSTOMER SUPPORT information…which these two things take you to the same page. It is an email messaging system. No phone numbers, no addresses, just a messaging system. I have left 2 messages and no return email. I even left my day number and evening number, no phone call. How frustrating. Now, you have to wait till your statement posts to dispute. What a headache.
Weekend look forwards…
About the middle of the week, Wednesday, hump day, lets get past it so that I can look forward to the weekend. WE ALL DO IT…smile. Happy looking forward!
I love that sweet, sweet smile the first thing in the morning when the baby wakes up. He rarely wakes up crying in the morning. After the smile and about 5 minutes, if his breakfast bottle is not ready, THEN, I get the cry. What an angel. I can almost be sure that when the baby wakes, He will be smiling up at his momma.
Teenager Joys…
A lot of times, my teenager daughter suffers with insomnia. She sometimes takes a non addicting/non habit forming sleeping pill. Once in a while, I will wake up in the middle of the night and find that she is still awake unable to sleep. Some times these are the best shared moments together. I will lay with her and we talk. It can be silly things or serious. Last night was one such night. We were reliving some of the cartoons and shows she watched as a little girl. We giggled and laughed as we talked about the funny parts of them. It was great.
Husband Joys…
My husband and I rarely have a chance to just sit and talk for long conversations due to many uncompleted tasks that need attending to. Early mornings or late nights can be very special. This is when we are able to sit and chat before he leaves for work or doze off to sleep. I enjoy these special times of sharing.
Tomorrow we will celebrate, 15 years of marriage together. This is so dear to my heart.
Credit card whoas…
Sooo. You go on line and realize that your card has been charged by a company that you didn’t place an order to. WHAT TO DO!? Well, the obvious thing to do is contact the company to inform them that you hadn’t purchased anything from them. You get to their website and find the CONTACT US information or the CUSTOMER SUPPORT information…which these two things take you to the same page. It is an email messaging system. No phone numbers, no addresses, just a messaging system. I have left 2 messages and no return email. I even left my day number and evening number, no phone call. How frustrating. Now, you have to wait till your statement posts to dispute. What a headache.
Weekend look forwards…
About the middle of the week, Wednesday, hump day, lets get past it so that I can look forward to the weekend. WE ALL DO IT…smile. Happy looking forward!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Midst of the Hurricane
Midst of the Hurricane
Sometimes life can feel like a hurricane waiting to hit. I guess the intensity can depend on each situation. Recently, my family and I have gone through one of the worst hurricanes in our life. I would rate it a category 5 tipping the scales to a 6 if there could be a 6 strength. My 16 year old daughter, at the time 14, met a boy from our church. My daughter had always been the type to invite others into the youth group and get them involved. She was a very happy and joyful girl. This boy seemed alone and quiet. She went over and introduced herself. She always did this. She invited the boy to come and join the youth group. He did and they were acquaintances. In December of 06, the boys father had a heart attack in their home. For some reason, the boy called my daughter to pray. Unfortunately we did not get the call. My daughter had recently gotten grounded from the cell phone for going over her limit on minutes. The father ended up dying in the boy’s home. A friend of our daughter’s was able to reach us by our home phone. She let Ashley know of the death and that the boy was trying to reach her. We allowed her to call. The boy asked her to go to the funeral. We thought this would be a great way for her to show support and allowed her to attend. I took her. From then on, the boy and my daughter became best of friends. Later, it turned into a “boyfriend/girlfriend scenario”. I wished I would have jumped in and stopped it. As I do with ALL of my daughter’s friends, I met the mother. She seemed very legitimate and very Christian at that time. I decided to try and get to know the mother more since she had just lost her husband and thought she might could use a friend. The family was very wealthy as the father had been a doctor and had left his wife with money, a life insurance inheritance and she had received an inheritance from a past relative. They would be ok “financially”.
The more I talked to the mom, the more she seemed like a strict mom. Then one day we were hanging out waiting for our kids at a movie and she told me that her son had started having some depression. It was understandable considering that the boy had just lost his father. Then, she said that her son had a gift to see demons. That took me a step back. It isn’t that I don’t believe that demons exist, because I do, If I believe the Bible as being the true word of God then, I have to believe the part that demons do exist but, I also believe that if you have the gift to see them, that you should also have the gift of sending those things packing. This was not the case. The mom felt that it was “OK” for these things to hang around. NO BIG DEAL, she said she saw demons too. This is where I get very uneasy. I started noticing a change in my joyful daughter. In a matter of 3 months, she had started changing drastically. She didn’t hang out with her friends any more and she didn’t go out to do things. She started secluding herself and cutting herself off from everything and everyone. I felt that this relationship was not healthy for her. I talked to my daughter and told her that she and the boy couldn’t hang out and see each other anymore. She became very upset and ran away from home. This is when my husband and I searched for some answers. We looked into her room and found some things such as homemade Ouija board, very dark writing and some dialog between my daughter and the boy. He had basically told her that she was too nice and that he would show her how to change. It wasn’t something he could tell her but SHOW her. We were shocked. We also found poems with curses against my husband and myself. We were finally able to bring my daughter home that same day she ran away. However, the boy and his mom had called CPS. I had been married young and my daughter was from my first marriage. Her birth father had stopped seeing her when she was 5. She had been forced to visit sporadically between the age of 3 and 5. During that time, unknown to my husband and myself, (I had remarried to a wonderful man who had adopted my daughter at age 10 ) during a summer visit, Ashley’s birth father and 2 uncles had molested her. We never knew about it until my daughter ran away. This is why the mother and boy called cps. CPS came and talked with Ashley. Then with us. We were bewildered that the mom had put a report against my husband and myself for “medical neglect” when we learned that Ashley had cut herself on her arms. We didn’t even know she did it. I was so angry. However, CPS found no such medical neglect to be true. They ruled out the neglect accusation. (They believed it was a retaliation for us breaking up the kids). We did put Ashley into hospitalization for the cutting for a week. We also had to put her on anti-depression medicine too as now she was suffering with depression. (she was so happy before she met this kid). As Ashley began to do better, we found that the boy had introduced her to WICCA. Witchcraft. We found that they did more than just dabble. I couldn’t understand it because, when they were with me, they were always with me..not by themselves. The mother assured me that when they were with her, they were not by themselves. I found out later this was not true. The mother let them have free reign. I was shocked. Even after breaking up the kids, the mother of the boy started sneaking the kids around. I was furious. They had even purchased a cell phone for my daughter to use since hers had been taken away for punishment on over exceeding her minutes. I WAS MORE FURIOUS. I told my husband NOT to take the phone away so that they would see that she would go over the minutes. THIS WORKED TO OUR ADVANTAGE. When the boy and his mom received the phone bill, they noticed several calls to the same number for hours at a time. My daughter made friends with other boys and girls from her new school and would call them on her NEW CELL phone. The boy was curious. He called the numbers and found that some of them were boys. He was livid. I knew this would happen. I KNEW IT. This made the boy show his TRUE colors and abusive tendencies. He was so hateful to my daughter and finally ended the sneaking relationship for good. THANK GOD. This is what I prayed for. Since then, my daughter has had to go back into hospitalization a second time for cutting. She still takes medicine for depression. She has struggled with self worth and confidence. It has been about a year now. She seems to be doing better. We are starting to see our a little of our old daughter coming back. She has added color back into her wardrobe and she is in steady counseling. She also meets with her life group leaders and has returned to youth and life group at church. I know that we still have a way to go with her. We will make it by the grace of God. I believe with all my heart that God has His hand on my daughter’s life. I have raised her to know the truth. I hold on to God’s promise that if I raise my children in the way they should go, in Him, that when they are old they will return and not depart from God. I have prayed for my daughter all her life. I mean sincerely prayed, constantly. I believe God and hold on to His promise. Even though my daughter knew the truth, she made some horrible choices that gave her severe consequences. She is learning from them a very hard lesson. So are we as parents. Even though we checked everything out about this family, we still did not know the truth about them. I know that God is faithful and merciful. I know He is the one to give praise and honor for brining my daughter and family through. Please parents, don’t let your guards down. This is just a portion of the story. I couldn’t even begin to tell the whole thing. There were such frightening events that my husband and I knew that our only hope was to rely on God. To lean on God. He is still in the healing business and He is still bringing us through. I will not lean on my own understanding, I will acknowledge God in all His ways, and He will direct our paths. Please, be prayerful with us as we are on our way in God’s healing power. This hurricane did not defeat us. Even though Satan rose up like a flood, God rose up and kept us from drowning. In the eye of this hurricane, God blessed my husband and I with a beautiful healthy baby boy. It was a blessing in our storm. My daughter adores her brother although she tries to act tough. She feeds him and holds him and loves him. I am grateful. I can’t say that I wasn’t angry and I that I understood, because I didn’t understand and I was angry. I asked God why so many times. I am learning how to say BLESSED BE YOUR NAME in both the good and bad circumstances of our lives. I stand and say that this hurricane has dissipated. The sun is beginning to shine again. I praise God for all the prayer warriors who warred with us through this.
Sometimes life can feel like a hurricane waiting to hit. I guess the intensity can depend on each situation. Recently, my family and I have gone through one of the worst hurricanes in our life. I would rate it a category 5 tipping the scales to a 6 if there could be a 6 strength. My 16 year old daughter, at the time 14, met a boy from our church. My daughter had always been the type to invite others into the youth group and get them involved. She was a very happy and joyful girl. This boy seemed alone and quiet. She went over and introduced herself. She always did this. She invited the boy to come and join the youth group. He did and they were acquaintances. In December of 06, the boys father had a heart attack in their home. For some reason, the boy called my daughter to pray. Unfortunately we did not get the call. My daughter had recently gotten grounded from the cell phone for going over her limit on minutes. The father ended up dying in the boy’s home. A friend of our daughter’s was able to reach us by our home phone. She let Ashley know of the death and that the boy was trying to reach her. We allowed her to call. The boy asked her to go to the funeral. We thought this would be a great way for her to show support and allowed her to attend. I took her. From then on, the boy and my daughter became best of friends. Later, it turned into a “boyfriend/girlfriend scenario”. I wished I would have jumped in and stopped it. As I do with ALL of my daughter’s friends, I met the mother. She seemed very legitimate and very Christian at that time. I decided to try and get to know the mother more since she had just lost her husband and thought she might could use a friend. The family was very wealthy as the father had been a doctor and had left his wife with money, a life insurance inheritance and she had received an inheritance from a past relative. They would be ok “financially”.
The more I talked to the mom, the more she seemed like a strict mom. Then one day we were hanging out waiting for our kids at a movie and she told me that her son had started having some depression. It was understandable considering that the boy had just lost his father. Then, she said that her son had a gift to see demons. That took me a step back. It isn’t that I don’t believe that demons exist, because I do, If I believe the Bible as being the true word of God then, I have to believe the part that demons do exist but, I also believe that if you have the gift to see them, that you should also have the gift of sending those things packing. This was not the case. The mom felt that it was “OK” for these things to hang around. NO BIG DEAL, she said she saw demons too. This is where I get very uneasy. I started noticing a change in my joyful daughter. In a matter of 3 months, she had started changing drastically. She didn’t hang out with her friends any more and she didn’t go out to do things. She started secluding herself and cutting herself off from everything and everyone. I felt that this relationship was not healthy for her. I talked to my daughter and told her that she and the boy couldn’t hang out and see each other anymore. She became very upset and ran away from home. This is when my husband and I searched for some answers. We looked into her room and found some things such as homemade Ouija board, very dark writing and some dialog between my daughter and the boy. He had basically told her that she was too nice and that he would show her how to change. It wasn’t something he could tell her but SHOW her. We were shocked. We also found poems with curses against my husband and myself. We were finally able to bring my daughter home that same day she ran away. However, the boy and his mom had called CPS. I had been married young and my daughter was from my first marriage. Her birth father had stopped seeing her when she was 5. She had been forced to visit sporadically between the age of 3 and 5. During that time, unknown to my husband and myself, (I had remarried to a wonderful man who had adopted my daughter at age 10 ) during a summer visit, Ashley’s birth father and 2 uncles had molested her. We never knew about it until my daughter ran away. This is why the mother and boy called cps. CPS came and talked with Ashley. Then with us. We were bewildered that the mom had put a report against my husband and myself for “medical neglect” when we learned that Ashley had cut herself on her arms. We didn’t even know she did it. I was so angry. However, CPS found no such medical neglect to be true. They ruled out the neglect accusation. (They believed it was a retaliation for us breaking up the kids). We did put Ashley into hospitalization for the cutting for a week. We also had to put her on anti-depression medicine too as now she was suffering with depression. (she was so happy before she met this kid). As Ashley began to do better, we found that the boy had introduced her to WICCA. Witchcraft. We found that they did more than just dabble. I couldn’t understand it because, when they were with me, they were always with me..not by themselves. The mother assured me that when they were with her, they were not by themselves. I found out later this was not true. The mother let them have free reign. I was shocked. Even after breaking up the kids, the mother of the boy started sneaking the kids around. I was furious. They had even purchased a cell phone for my daughter to use since hers had been taken away for punishment on over exceeding her minutes. I WAS MORE FURIOUS. I told my husband NOT to take the phone away so that they would see that she would go over the minutes. THIS WORKED TO OUR ADVANTAGE. When the boy and his mom received the phone bill, they noticed several calls to the same number for hours at a time. My daughter made friends with other boys and girls from her new school and would call them on her NEW CELL phone. The boy was curious. He called the numbers and found that some of them were boys. He was livid. I knew this would happen. I KNEW IT. This made the boy show his TRUE colors and abusive tendencies. He was so hateful to my daughter and finally ended the sneaking relationship for good. THANK GOD. This is what I prayed for. Since then, my daughter has had to go back into hospitalization a second time for cutting. She still takes medicine for depression. She has struggled with self worth and confidence. It has been about a year now. She seems to be doing better. We are starting to see our a little of our old daughter coming back. She has added color back into her wardrobe and she is in steady counseling. She also meets with her life group leaders and has returned to youth and life group at church. I know that we still have a way to go with her. We will make it by the grace of God. I believe with all my heart that God has His hand on my daughter’s life. I have raised her to know the truth. I hold on to God’s promise that if I raise my children in the way they should go, in Him, that when they are old they will return and not depart from God. I have prayed for my daughter all her life. I mean sincerely prayed, constantly. I believe God and hold on to His promise. Even though my daughter knew the truth, she made some horrible choices that gave her severe consequences. She is learning from them a very hard lesson. So are we as parents. Even though we checked everything out about this family, we still did not know the truth about them. I know that God is faithful and merciful. I know He is the one to give praise and honor for brining my daughter and family through. Please parents, don’t let your guards down. This is just a portion of the story. I couldn’t even begin to tell the whole thing. There were such frightening events that my husband and I knew that our only hope was to rely on God. To lean on God. He is still in the healing business and He is still bringing us through. I will not lean on my own understanding, I will acknowledge God in all His ways, and He will direct our paths. Please, be prayerful with us as we are on our way in God’s healing power. This hurricane did not defeat us. Even though Satan rose up like a flood, God rose up and kept us from drowning. In the eye of this hurricane, God blessed my husband and I with a beautiful healthy baby boy. It was a blessing in our storm. My daughter adores her brother although she tries to act tough. She feeds him and holds him and loves him. I am grateful. I can’t say that I wasn’t angry and I that I understood, because I didn’t understand and I was angry. I asked God why so many times. I am learning how to say BLESSED BE YOUR NAME in both the good and bad circumstances of our lives. I stand and say that this hurricane has dissipated. The sun is beginning to shine again. I praise God for all the prayer warriors who warred with us through this.
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