I have seen the movie "Family Man" several times but Sunday night, after watching it again, I truly started to think about it in depth. The movie is about a man who is afforded an opportunity to see how his life could have been different based on ONE important decision in his early life. The choice was between young love and marrying or going off to become successful in his life and career. He chose success. He became head over a company. He became rich and powerful. To his thinking, there was nothing better. He believed he was truly happy living a rich but alone life. It is kind of funny how we view ourselves in our own eyes. Back to the story, Nicolas Cage walks into a convenience store that is being robbed. He tried to buy the robber down, instead it turned out that his life was about to change dramatically. The choice of passing up love and marriage would be his to live for a time, for a glimpse of time. Now he would see what his life could have been. Of course in the beginning, he fights the glimpse and complains about how unsucessful his life is. He goes on to explain to his wife how unhappy he is at where their lives are. He turns to his wife, and asks her to describe how she thinks their lives turned out. She says "A SUCCESS". He goes on to fall in love with this new life. The time comes where he has to return to his OLD life. In it all, he learns that he really was just a lonely soul searching for the next thing in life to give him a temporary happiness.
I always catch myself saying, If I could do this over I would "............" Or "..........". If we were given a glimpse of alternate choices and watched how they turned out, we would all have mapped our lives to the Greed of manipulation to our own ways. Thankfully, we are not given the glimpse of what if I made this choice or that choice. It might be a great possiblity that we make a bigger mess. The Bible says " There is a way that seems right to man but the end there of is death" Proverbs 16:25. Even in our best efforts to map our lives, we fail. God has given us a glimpse of what eternity will be like if we choose him and even a glimpse of what eternity would be like if we don't choose him. For the ones who follow God, He has ordered our life. Psalms 37:23 says the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. Jerimiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I know that in my own life, it has seemed bleak at times. I walk with so much uncertainty of what will happen next. I know that I can trust God through it all. I know that He will carry me. I just have to stand and trust. God's ways are not our ways. God is in control and I have to remember, I have a glimpse of the road I am on of what lies ahead of me from the choice I made earlier in my life to serve God, my King, by accepting Jesus as my personal Savior. God loves me and I love Him. I just need to keep my eyes pressed toward the mark of reaching the goal of my race. So, in saying that, IN JESUS NAME, I PRESS ON.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Vacation...
Well we are back from vacation and back to the grind of things. We are back to the routine of things which does make it easier to get back to the grind of things. Sometimes, I wish it were a bit longer to enjoy places, family and fun activities. I don't think I was ready to get back to the grind of things but like it or not, I am here.
Our vacation was very nice. Chad and I visited Tennesse where we enjoyed the fall foilage, my family and mountain scenary. We visited Georgia where we enjoyed Chad's family, Stone Mountain and Thankgiving!
I long for vacation again! I am however grateful to God for the time we did get to spend!
Our vacation was very nice. Chad and I visited Tennesse where we enjoyed the fall foilage, my family and mountain scenary. We visited Georgia where we enjoyed Chad's family, Stone Mountain and Thankgiving!
I long for vacation again! I am however grateful to God for the time we did get to spend!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thanksgiving in Georgia...
I am sitting in the hotel room thinking back over the past three days. Chad, Chase and myself came to Georgia to spend Thanksgiving with Mindee and Jeff(Chad's sister and her husband), Chad's parents and SURPRISE, Chad's oldest sister was here on a Medical reason and was also able to come to Georgia and we spent Thanksgiving with her also. We missed visiting with her whole family but having her here was a blessing! This was the first time that we had Chase and his 2 cousins Thomas and Ryan together.
We arrived in Georgia about 2:00 EASTERN time Wednesday Aftertoon. We checked into the Hotel and rested and freshened up. We then drove to Mindee and Jeff's home. It was very lovely. The first day, the boys played outside and had a good time. They played and fought and all was well. Later we went in and the boys played inside. Chad and Chase went up the stairs to see Thomas's and Ryan's room. They had Thomas the Train tent beds. Chad left Chase upstairs and told me to go and look at the beds. I started toward the stairs just in time to see my baby step down and head into a full roll down the stairs. He went head down, then started rolling sideways. SCARED ME to bits! My legs were shaky and I had anxiety for a little while. Chase did get up crying but was otherwise unscathed. We had sandwiches, vistied and went back to the hotel for the night. Chase didn't feel so great. He coughed and ran a little fever through the night. We gave him some Motrin for the fever and some cough medicine for the cough. The second day was Thanksgiving. Chase had run out of diapers and we were running late to get to Mindee's. We finally found a Walgreens that opened at 9 am. We bought diapers and headed to Mindees. Mindee worked very hard on dinner. Chad and Jeff had gone golfing that morning. I felt a little awkward and out of place at first. Sometimes when I am around a lot of people without Chad, I feel lost. I don't know what to say and hope I don't come across as rude. As the time passed, we all visited. Chad and Jeff came in about 2:00 or so and we had dinner close to 3:00. We had Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, beans, and pies. I am sure there were a few other things too that I can't list off the top of my head. It was very DELICIOUS. Mindee did a fantastic job. The kids played and fought and did well together. Chase didn't go outside on Thanksgiving due to his cough the night before. He hung out inside. He did play with the toys and enjoyed himself in spite of not being able to go out. We had nice visits with everyone. We finally headed back to the Hotel and slept! Chase slept more sound with only minor coughing. Again, he ran fever and we gave him Motrin. He seemed better in the morning. Friday morning, I called my parents. It was their anniversary. They have been married 41 years. My mom filled me in on their Thanksgiving day. I was thrilled to hear that they had a big bash and everyone showed up for it. She was thrilled too! She repeated the story about 3 times before we got off the phone. I know she was excited. We drove to Mindee and Jeff's. Mindee had planed a really nice trip to take to Stone Mountain. Again this day, Chase did not go outside so his Grandmother watched him as Chad, Stacie and I walked through the plantation "self" tour in the park. There are some historical homes that sit in the park, some original homes and others were transplanted into the park from the mid 1800's. There was some very interesing history. Signs were posted with herbal and natural remedies on how the Cherokee Indians treated illnesses. It was very educational and inspiring. It left admiration to those who paved a road for us in the present time. After Stone Mountain, we drove back to Mindee's. We all ordered a Chili's meal, took pictures and Chad and I headed out for the hotel. We had such a great time. It was wonderful to see family and visit. Now we are preparing for our long trek home. Although we had fun, I think I am ready for home.
We arrived in Georgia about 2:00 EASTERN time Wednesday Aftertoon. We checked into the Hotel and rested and freshened up. We then drove to Mindee and Jeff's home. It was very lovely. The first day, the boys played outside and had a good time. They played and fought and all was well. Later we went in and the boys played inside. Chad and Chase went up the stairs to see Thomas's and Ryan's room. They had Thomas the Train tent beds. Chad left Chase upstairs and told me to go and look at the beds. I started toward the stairs just in time to see my baby step down and head into a full roll down the stairs. He went head down, then started rolling sideways. SCARED ME to bits! My legs were shaky and I had anxiety for a little while. Chase did get up crying but was otherwise unscathed. We had sandwiches, vistied and went back to the hotel for the night. Chase didn't feel so great. He coughed and ran a little fever through the night. We gave him some Motrin for the fever and some cough medicine for the cough. The second day was Thanksgiving. Chase had run out of diapers and we were running late to get to Mindee's. We finally found a Walgreens that opened at 9 am. We bought diapers and headed to Mindees. Mindee worked very hard on dinner. Chad and Jeff had gone golfing that morning. I felt a little awkward and out of place at first. Sometimes when I am around a lot of people without Chad, I feel lost. I don't know what to say and hope I don't come across as rude. As the time passed, we all visited. Chad and Jeff came in about 2:00 or so and we had dinner close to 3:00. We had Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, beans, and pies. I am sure there were a few other things too that I can't list off the top of my head. It was very DELICIOUS. Mindee did a fantastic job. The kids played and fought and did well together. Chase didn't go outside on Thanksgiving due to his cough the night before. He hung out inside. He did play with the toys and enjoyed himself in spite of not being able to go out. We had nice visits with everyone. We finally headed back to the Hotel and slept! Chase slept more sound with only minor coughing. Again, he ran fever and we gave him Motrin. He seemed better in the morning. Friday morning, I called my parents. It was their anniversary. They have been married 41 years. My mom filled me in on their Thanksgiving day. I was thrilled to hear that they had a big bash and everyone showed up for it. She was thrilled too! She repeated the story about 3 times before we got off the phone. I know she was excited. We drove to Mindee and Jeff's. Mindee had planed a really nice trip to take to Stone Mountain. Again this day, Chase did not go outside so his Grandmother watched him as Chad, Stacie and I walked through the plantation "self" tour in the park. There are some historical homes that sit in the park, some original homes and others were transplanted into the park from the mid 1800's. There was some very interesing history. Signs were posted with herbal and natural remedies on how the Cherokee Indians treated illnesses. It was very educational and inspiring. It left admiration to those who paved a road for us in the present time. After Stone Mountain, we drove back to Mindee's. We all ordered a Chili's meal, took pictures and Chad and I headed out for the hotel. We had such a great time. It was wonderful to see family and visit. Now we are preparing for our long trek home. Although we had fun, I think I am ready for home.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tennessee Trip
For Thanksgiving this year, Chad, Chase and I are spending it with Chad's family in Georgia. The first part of our trip would be a small family vacation for Chad, Chase and myself. We went to Tennessee. The ride up was absolutely beautiful. We started in Texas, through Louisiana to Mississippi and on to Alabama. We then took a small trek through a tip of Georgia into Tennesse. The scenary was full of fall foilage. The trees were alive with color. It was a wonderful drive. Chase did really well on the trip. He did get sick with diarhea and upset stomach. He is doing better now. Our first destination was Pigeon Forge. We stayed at a Family Inn right on the main road. The room was very nice. It was comparable with a 4 star hotel, more amenities and at a lower price. I will difinitely stay there again when we come back. We did a lot of site seeing through the Smokey National park. We were on a hunt to see a bear in the wild. Although it did not pan out, we still enjoyed the sites. We drove to Maryville where a lot my dad's family lives. I visited my Grandmother, an Uncle and some cousins. It was so nice to see them and talk with them. It was nice to cut up and laugh. We found some really nice parks to take Chase to. He thought the whole trip was to take him to PLAY. The first words every morning out of his mouth were PLAY PLAY. We made sure to take him everyday to PLAY somewhere. One park in paticular that I liked was Springbrook Park. It had several walking paths that ranged in distance. You could walk .6 mile, .8 mile, 1.0 mile or 1.4 mile. The sceneary was so beautiful. There was a little stone bridge that crossed a creek. A water fountain flowed into the same creek. Trees were in full color with leaves covering the ground. Lots of birds played in the brush. I caught one on camera bathing in the middle of the creek. I definitely loved this park! I loved seeing that it was full of nature. Later, Chad took me to one of my favorite restaurants in Pigeon Forge, The Old Mill. It sits next to a Grist Mill that is still in use today. They make flour, muffin mix of all favors. They have a gift shop and so much to look at. We took a short trip to Gatlinberg also. We found the new COOTER's. Chad loves the Dukes of Hazzard and has worked with Ben Jones at an Autorama in San Antonio so we had to go see his new setting in Gatlinberg. It was a little disappointing as he chaged a lot of his original stuff from his earlier shop. He had a replica of the General Lee but his Sherriff's car and tow truck were not there. He changed his shop into a putt putt and bumper car station which took away from his original attraction of the original tv series. Even so, it was nice to know that Ben Jones made his shop more kid friendly. Well, on our leave, we decided to travel down the mountains through North Carolina. The mountain scenary was a site to behold. The breath taking scenes were so marvelous that it is hard to fathom the things going on in nature even when nobody is looking! One of my favorite scenes was when the clouds flowed like a creek in the center of a long mountain range. The sun was just peeking through and the mountain peeks could be seen through the cloud tops. Mist moved freely through the tree tops giving the mountains that SMOKEY look. When I get home, I will have to put that photo out here for the world to see. It was AMAZING. We are now in Georgia. I am sure there will be another blog to follow with those events!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Senior pictures...
I took Ashley to take some senior pictures. She wasn't present when the school had them so we took her to a local studio and they would upload the photo to her school for the yearbook. I am so excited about them. She looked so pretty! We have chosen a pose for a package for myself and will be picking them up hopefully after our trip to Georgia. I pray all goes well for her and that we make it through to the end of the year for GRADUATION. She has "A"s and "B"s on her report card. She is doing well!
Picture day...
You know it is a funny thing how parents anticipate picture day. It never fails it seems that as the day draws nearer that something without fail happens. Three days before picture day, I pick Chase up from the day care and he has a red mark that eventually turns into a scab by his right eye. The daycare worker does not know what happened. Two days before picture day, I pick Chase up from the daycare and he has a red streak down his nose. A mosquito bite on his left check and the scratch from the day before. The teacher does not know what happened. One day before pictures, Chase has lots of tiny scratches on his cheeks. The teacher said he tried running up the slide backwards and he tumbled down the same way?! Well, he was really ready for pictures now. AFTER the pictures, I pick Chase up he has lots of scratches on his face. The teacher said that Chase scratched himself...time for another nail trimming job! I am anxious to see the pictures anyway.
Mornings....
I love mornings! I love waking up to a little voice saying :MOMMY". Of course shortly after I get the head but to the face from the little voice when he crawls over to me and tries to love. He just drops his head straight down on my check, chin or forehead. LOVE PATS! Who says love doesn't hurt!? Then I feel those tiny little arms around my neck. We love and play for a few minutes before the inevitable of getting up. Having Chad here at home in the mornings has sure made it a blessing. The three of us get to eat breakfast together and talk!! That will be a big miss once Chad's hours go back to normal!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wrestling with God...
Wrestling with God…
There is so much in my life that seems like it is in fast forward spinning motion. It would be so easy just too finally get dizzy and throw up. There are days I want to lay down and sleep for a long while praying that when I did wake up that everything was RIGHT in my world. I know life doesn’t work that way. I sit and ask God why, just to say BLESSED BE YOUR NAME and I trust you with my life a few minutes later. I realize that I am wrestling with God as Steven Curtis Chapman so eloquently put it. I never gave it a second thought other than thinking that I was being double minded. I know that God gave us a whole range of emotions to use in life situations and shouldn’t feel bad when my weak human frailty fails to see the entirety of God holding the situation in his hand. I feel that even though I have a hard time not focusing on the brokenness in my life or knowing the depth of every wrong situation in my life, I do know the one true and right thing in my life and that is God and His Sovereignty. Even in my weak moments when I call out to God and ask WHY, I know in my heart that God is there. I will be carried through this wildness and despair and I will praise Him through this storm.
Pray for my family in these areas:
My teen daughter, my heart and my treasure has made some choices that have given her consequences in this life that she will forever live with. She got pregnant and had a miscarriage. She ended up marrying the young man whom we believed to be 19. He turned out to be 27. She is working, going to school and living as a married girl. It is so much for a young teen to handle. I am praying that God will prosper her and she will turn to Him with her whole heart and seek His guidance and direction for her life. We talk and are doing ok. I just pray that she continues to finish school, doesn’t get pregnant until she is done with school and that her life will be fantastic. The young man is a very nice person. I don’t know much about him at all other than He is saved. I do thank God for that. I am not sure however where all his morals stand. I know in human weakness we all do things.
My mom is doing ok. She is on a vitamin now called Phosphatidyl serine which doctors prescribe for patients with Alzheimer’s/Dementia. It is suppose to be very good. She has been on that for a week now. She has really good days and really BAD days. Please pray that God will restore her 100%.
My dad has been having a lot of pain in his stomach area. He also hurts in his legs and feet. He went to the VA for testing. He told us that he had a bad stomach ulcer and Gall Bladder stones. The Gall bladder may need to come out soon! My mom told me that my dad had told her that He had stomach cancer and that he was going to tell us kids it was an ulcer, which that is what he told us kids. Chad had an opportunity to golf with my dad and talk with him. It turns out as best as Chad could get out of him that it is an early stage of stomach cancer. He is taking meds to prevent it from turning into something worse. I am not sure what to think or believe as to the severity of the cancer. I pray for him to be straight forward with us. I don’t know if this is his way of not fully admitting to himself what is happening to his body.
Please pray for me also. I am struggling with some days of depression over it all. I just need God to restore me to a place to where I am not going to worry over what is and accept that God knows what is best and that I can and will come through this as it isn’t about ME but about the things going on and the people in and around my life. Pray I will shine as a witness and bring God glory through it all.
There is so much in my life that seems like it is in fast forward spinning motion. It would be so easy just too finally get dizzy and throw up. There are days I want to lay down and sleep for a long while praying that when I did wake up that everything was RIGHT in my world. I know life doesn’t work that way. I sit and ask God why, just to say BLESSED BE YOUR NAME and I trust you with my life a few minutes later. I realize that I am wrestling with God as Steven Curtis Chapman so eloquently put it. I never gave it a second thought other than thinking that I was being double minded. I know that God gave us a whole range of emotions to use in life situations and shouldn’t feel bad when my weak human frailty fails to see the entirety of God holding the situation in his hand. I feel that even though I have a hard time not focusing on the brokenness in my life or knowing the depth of every wrong situation in my life, I do know the one true and right thing in my life and that is God and His Sovereignty. Even in my weak moments when I call out to God and ask WHY, I know in my heart that God is there. I will be carried through this wildness and despair and I will praise Him through this storm.
Pray for my family in these areas:
My teen daughter, my heart and my treasure has made some choices that have given her consequences in this life that she will forever live with. She got pregnant and had a miscarriage. She ended up marrying the young man whom we believed to be 19. He turned out to be 27. She is working, going to school and living as a married girl. It is so much for a young teen to handle. I am praying that God will prosper her and she will turn to Him with her whole heart and seek His guidance and direction for her life. We talk and are doing ok. I just pray that she continues to finish school, doesn’t get pregnant until she is done with school and that her life will be fantastic. The young man is a very nice person. I don’t know much about him at all other than He is saved. I do thank God for that. I am not sure however where all his morals stand. I know in human weakness we all do things.
My mom is doing ok. She is on a vitamin now called Phosphatidyl serine which doctors prescribe for patients with Alzheimer’s/Dementia. It is suppose to be very good. She has been on that for a week now. She has really good days and really BAD days. Please pray that God will restore her 100%.
My dad has been having a lot of pain in his stomach area. He also hurts in his legs and feet. He went to the VA for testing. He told us that he had a bad stomach ulcer and Gall Bladder stones. The Gall bladder may need to come out soon! My mom told me that my dad had told her that He had stomach cancer and that he was going to tell us kids it was an ulcer, which that is what he told us kids. Chad had an opportunity to golf with my dad and talk with him. It turns out as best as Chad could get out of him that it is an early stage of stomach cancer. He is taking meds to prevent it from turning into something worse. I am not sure what to think or believe as to the severity of the cancer. I pray for him to be straight forward with us. I don’t know if this is his way of not fully admitting to himself what is happening to his body.
Please pray for me also. I am struggling with some days of depression over it all. I just need God to restore me to a place to where I am not going to worry over what is and accept that God knows what is best and that I can and will come through this as it isn’t about ME but about the things going on and the people in and around my life. Pray I will shine as a witness and bring God glory through it all.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Some days life is hard to take…
Some days life is hard to take…
Some times when I am having a bad day, all I can do is sit and dwell on it. I pray and ask God to help me be thankful in every situation. That is HARD to do. But, I know that God is God and He is sovereign. He knows all, sees all and understands all. Even when I think this is all I can bear, God carries me. At that point, I may not even notice but I know it is happening because God said He wouldn’t put more than I could bear upon us. He sustains me. Life sometimes hands out hardships. It seems like mine has been ongoing for three years. I can only pray that I see some light soon. I was listening to a song by Natalie Grant called “HELD”. Some of the words are true and ministering. I know that this life is not promised without tribulations or horrors. If that were so, Job would not have gone through what he did. But in the end God delivered him and blessed him with more than he had in the first place. Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all
Partial words : Natalie Grant Song. HELD
Who told us we’d be rescued?What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?We’re asking why this happensTo us who have died to live?It’s unfair.Chorus:This is what it means to be held.How it feels when the sacred is torn from your lifeAnd you survive.This is what it is to be loved.And to know that the promise wasWhen everything fell we’d be held.This hand is bitterness.We want to taste it, let the hatred NUMB our sorrow.The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.Bridge:If hope is born of suffering.If this is only the beginning.Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?
Some times when I am having a bad day, all I can do is sit and dwell on it. I pray and ask God to help me be thankful in every situation. That is HARD to do. But, I know that God is God and He is sovereign. He knows all, sees all and understands all. Even when I think this is all I can bear, God carries me. At that point, I may not even notice but I know it is happening because God said He wouldn’t put more than I could bear upon us. He sustains me. Life sometimes hands out hardships. It seems like mine has been ongoing for three years. I can only pray that I see some light soon. I was listening to a song by Natalie Grant called “HELD”. Some of the words are true and ministering. I know that this life is not promised without tribulations or horrors. If that were so, Job would not have gone through what he did. But in the end God delivered him and blessed him with more than he had in the first place. Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all
Partial words : Natalie Grant Song. HELD
Who told us we’d be rescued?What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?We’re asking why this happensTo us who have died to live?It’s unfair.Chorus:This is what it means to be held.How it feels when the sacred is torn from your lifeAnd you survive.This is what it is to be loved.And to know that the promise wasWhen everything fell we’d be held.This hand is bitterness.We want to taste it, let the hatred NUMB our sorrow.The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.Bridge:If hope is born of suffering.If this is only the beginning.Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?
Friday, July 10, 2009
Expediency or Faith? AMAZING you have to hear it for yourself!!!
Rough overview
Genesis 16 – Sermon by Alistair Begg
AMAZING and ENLIGHTENING
Expediency-Not asking the question what is right but settling for what will work,
Basically Self Effort taking the place of FAITH
The Bible is clear, The end never justifies the means
Abram and Sarai – Promise of a baby from God.
Sarai- expediency -Doubted God, reasoned that God had made her unable to have children, Told Abram to go unto Hagar and gave her handmaiden to Abram tried to make God’s promise come into being from self effort.
Abram – expediency- sinned, listened to Sarai, voice of reason, and came unto Hagar.
Hagar – conceived Ishmael, and conceived false pride by despising Sarai,
Sarai - conceived false accusation towards Abram.
Abram - false responsibility, told Sarah to treat Hagar as she pleased as it was her maid servant.
Hagar – Flees, God tells her to return to Sarai and submit to her authority that she will give birth to a son, name him Ishmael. Descendants would be numerous.
Ishmael – donkey of a man, will be hostile to everyone and everyone will be hostile to him.
Repercussions : chaos, confusion, brokenness, and future repercussions of Islamic religion being born and the war that continues between Ishmael and Isaac today.
What degree of faith we are today determines our outcome of our future tomorrow.
God’s Will Must be done God’s way out of Faith and not self effort. We should not act out of expediency. We should act in faith and learn to wait as waiting and faith are hand in hand. Help us not to grab things with our own hands Lord but to wait on you.
Genesis 16 – Sermon by Alistair Begg
AMAZING and ENLIGHTENING
Expediency-Not asking the question what is right but settling for what will work,
Basically Self Effort taking the place of FAITH
The Bible is clear, The end never justifies the means
Abram and Sarai – Promise of a baby from God.
Sarai- expediency -Doubted God, reasoned that God had made her unable to have children, Told Abram to go unto Hagar and gave her handmaiden to Abram tried to make God’s promise come into being from self effort.
Abram – expediency- sinned, listened to Sarai, voice of reason, and came unto Hagar.
Hagar – conceived Ishmael, and conceived false pride by despising Sarai,
Sarai - conceived false accusation towards Abram.
Abram - false responsibility, told Sarah to treat Hagar as she pleased as it was her maid servant.
Hagar – Flees, God tells her to return to Sarai and submit to her authority that she will give birth to a son, name him Ishmael. Descendants would be numerous.
Ishmael – donkey of a man, will be hostile to everyone and everyone will be hostile to him.
Repercussions : chaos, confusion, brokenness, and future repercussions of Islamic religion being born and the war that continues between Ishmael and Isaac today.
What degree of faith we are today determines our outcome of our future tomorrow.
God’s Will Must be done God’s way out of Faith and not self effort. We should not act out of expediency. We should act in faith and learn to wait as waiting and faith are hand in hand. Help us not to grab things with our own hands Lord but to wait on you.
Garage Sale Temptation
Garage Sale Temptation
On my way to work this morning I saw numerous signs for garage sales, yard sales, and moving sales. I didn’t see one for estate sale but I am sure there must be one out there. I was so tempted to call in to work today for a day off! However; conscience would not let me. I always have Saturday.
Saturday garage sales start off about 7:00 am. We buy a paper, mark where we want to go and if we don’t know where it is, we use the GPS! (I love my honey and thank him for the GPS!) Most of the times, I find a little bit of things. Other times, I find a whole lot of things! About 10:00 am, it starts getting very hot and we call it quits. We head over to Janette and Adrianna’s for breakfast. It isn’t a big ordeal but it does get you out of the house and moving! It is a nice break from work. OH HOW I WISHED I HAD TAKEN OFF TODAY!
On my way to work this morning I saw numerous signs for garage sales, yard sales, and moving sales. I didn’t see one for estate sale but I am sure there must be one out there. I was so tempted to call in to work today for a day off! However; conscience would not let me. I always have Saturday.
Saturday garage sales start off about 7:00 am. We buy a paper, mark where we want to go and if we don’t know where it is, we use the GPS! (I love my honey and thank him for the GPS!) Most of the times, I find a little bit of things. Other times, I find a whole lot of things! About 10:00 am, it starts getting very hot and we call it quits. We head over to Janette and Adrianna’s for breakfast. It isn’t a big ordeal but it does get you out of the house and moving! It is a nice break from work. OH HOW I WISHED I HAD TAKEN OFF TODAY!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Just standing...
I know that thousands of people deal with this every day and yet I feel alone and isolated. The diagnosis for my mom is early stages of Alzheimer’s and mild to moderate dementia. I have read some disturbing facts online and I guess I really didn’t want to know the facts. I feel stricken with grief and sadness. I feel a weakness in my body that leaves me nauseous. I feel loss in my life already.
The fact sheet:
1. 5.3 million People in the US are living with Alzheimer’s.
2. 3x Alzheimer’s and dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans 65+ (my mom isn’t even 59 yet).
3. Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s
4. Alzheimer’s costs more than $148 billion each year to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses.
5. Alzheimer’s disease is 100% always fatal.
Courtesy of Facts & Figures – Action Alz
I feel so sick inside, lost. There is so much emotion and anxiety that I am feeling. There is an inside imploding taking place and I feel it is just going to burst through to an outside appearance any time now. At this point, I can’t imagine life without my mom. Yes, I know it could be years but it could also be months. I pray for years. I honestly pray for healing instead.
I know I will have to deal with this head on. As of right now, I haven’t told my mom the results of the Doctor’s diagnosis. I don’t know if I will ever tell her. My dad knows and he hasn’t told her either. I have to make an appointment with the doctor to see what we need to do next. Since there is no insurance, it is so expensive. I am trying to see if my mom will qualify for Medicare before we do anything else. I am waiting for an insurance application by mail that hasn’t come yet. I may have to just go down to SS office and see if I can get one physically.
I pray that my heart can keep it together with wise decisions and choices. It seems that unless I do anything, no one else will move. My dad seems to make no effort in getting my mom help. He says he is so concerned, more so than us kids but I am having a hard time believing him. I think that he thinks, if he ignores it, the problem doesn’t exist. My brothers don’t know what to do either. They are looking for answers and I don’t have any myself. I feel a big strain even in home life. So many of the plans we have made or planned have now changed. I just want to survive the storm with my family intact. I don’t want to argue or split apart. I want to wish everything alright. I know I have to trust God and truly lean on Him. So why do I feel so human in my emotions? It is like an untamed ocean raging. Sometimes, I feel like I have to keep what I feel inside for the fear of annoying those around me. All I want to do is just stand. All I am going to do is stand.
The fact sheet:
1. 5.3 million People in the US are living with Alzheimer’s.
2. 3x Alzheimer’s and dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans 65+ (my mom isn’t even 59 yet).
3. Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s
4. Alzheimer’s costs more than $148 billion each year to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses.
5. Alzheimer’s disease is 100% always fatal.
Courtesy of Facts & Figures – Action Alz
I feel so sick inside, lost. There is so much emotion and anxiety that I am feeling. There is an inside imploding taking place and I feel it is just going to burst through to an outside appearance any time now. At this point, I can’t imagine life without my mom. Yes, I know it could be years but it could also be months. I pray for years. I honestly pray for healing instead.
I know I will have to deal with this head on. As of right now, I haven’t told my mom the results of the Doctor’s diagnosis. I don’t know if I will ever tell her. My dad knows and he hasn’t told her either. I have to make an appointment with the doctor to see what we need to do next. Since there is no insurance, it is so expensive. I am trying to see if my mom will qualify for Medicare before we do anything else. I am waiting for an insurance application by mail that hasn’t come yet. I may have to just go down to SS office and see if I can get one physically.
I pray that my heart can keep it together with wise decisions and choices. It seems that unless I do anything, no one else will move. My dad seems to make no effort in getting my mom help. He says he is so concerned, more so than us kids but I am having a hard time believing him. I think that he thinks, if he ignores it, the problem doesn’t exist. My brothers don’t know what to do either. They are looking for answers and I don’t have any myself. I feel a big strain even in home life. So many of the plans we have made or planned have now changed. I just want to survive the storm with my family intact. I don’t want to argue or split apart. I want to wish everything alright. I know I have to trust God and truly lean on Him. So why do I feel so human in my emotions? It is like an untamed ocean raging. Sometimes, I feel like I have to keep what I feel inside for the fear of annoying those around me. All I want to do is just stand. All I am going to do is stand.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Water Park Adventures
Today we took Chase to the water park for the very first time. He absolutely loves the water!! I believe he would love to be in the water all day if we let him! He is such a brave little guy. He fell face under about 3 times and never did get frightened. He loved it. Chad and I sure enjoyed spending the time with him.
My most precious friend! My mom.
My mom is my most precious friend on this earth next to my husband. She has been a very big support in my life. I can call her when I am sad or when I am happy. I share so much with her. She gives me comfort in sad times and laughter in fun times. We do so much together and enjoy each other's company. She is so fun and easy to talk with. She is my best friend.
It seems over the past year I have noticed changes in my mom. I notice that she misplaces things and can't find them again. I notice that she repeats herself or tells me the same thing maybe 3 or 4 times in the same hour. I notice that last year, she remembered me for my birthday but can not remember what day or month I was born today. I see the person that she was fading from me and my heart is broken. I decided to take my mom to the doctor. He did some blood work and a mind test with simple questions. My heart sank when the doctor asked her what the current year was and she replied "1990 something". He asked her what floor she was on and she said "I think we are on a second floor". The clinic is a one floor facility! He gave her 3 words to remember and to repeat back to him within a few minutes. When it came time, she couldn't do it. He gave her a hint and she was able to give him 1 of the words back. She was surprised to find out there were 2 more words. He graded her on a scale of 1-30. 1-15 being severe, 16-20 being moderate and 21 - 30 being mild. She rated at 21 on the border of mild to moderate for memory. I haven't received the results of the bloodwork yet. This is to rule out diabetes, b12 deficiency, anemia, and a few other things. If the bloodwork comes out to have an issue, the doctor says it may reverse some of the memory issues with treatment. If all is ok with the bloodwork, we will need to do a cat scan to see if maybe a mini stroke or series of ministrokes have occured without notice. He said that further testing can be very costly easily reaching near $10,000. I don't know how to manage. I have to take her for a followup for results and figure out a plan if further testing is needed. I am not sure how much it will cost. My parents do not have insurance and this last visit was quite expensive. I have to call to see what the follow up will cost. One step at a time!!! My mom takes care of Chase now and I have seen some improvement with her alertness. Her common sense and responsibility skills are in tact it is just the memory of things past or misplacing things are affected. I find that I cry more easily and constantly worry about her. I continue to pray for her and place her in God's hands. She is so dear to me and I am not ready to lose her mentally if it can be prevented. I LOVE YOU MOM!
It seems over the past year I have noticed changes in my mom. I notice that she misplaces things and can't find them again. I notice that she repeats herself or tells me the same thing maybe 3 or 4 times in the same hour. I notice that last year, she remembered me for my birthday but can not remember what day or month I was born today. I see the person that she was fading from me and my heart is broken. I decided to take my mom to the doctor. He did some blood work and a mind test with simple questions. My heart sank when the doctor asked her what the current year was and she replied "1990 something". He asked her what floor she was on and she said "I think we are on a second floor". The clinic is a one floor facility! He gave her 3 words to remember and to repeat back to him within a few minutes. When it came time, she couldn't do it. He gave her a hint and she was able to give him 1 of the words back. She was surprised to find out there were 2 more words. He graded her on a scale of 1-30. 1-15 being severe, 16-20 being moderate and 21 - 30 being mild. She rated at 21 on the border of mild to moderate for memory. I haven't received the results of the bloodwork yet. This is to rule out diabetes, b12 deficiency, anemia, and a few other things. If the bloodwork comes out to have an issue, the doctor says it may reverse some of the memory issues with treatment. If all is ok with the bloodwork, we will need to do a cat scan to see if maybe a mini stroke or series of ministrokes have occured without notice. He said that further testing can be very costly easily reaching near $10,000. I don't know how to manage. I have to take her for a followup for results and figure out a plan if further testing is needed. I am not sure how much it will cost. My parents do not have insurance and this last visit was quite expensive. I have to call to see what the follow up will cost. One step at a time!!! My mom takes care of Chase now and I have seen some improvement with her alertness. Her common sense and responsibility skills are in tact it is just the memory of things past or misplacing things are affected. I find that I cry more easily and constantly worry about her. I continue to pray for her and place her in God's hands. She is so dear to me and I am not ready to lose her mentally if it can be prevented. I LOVE YOU MOM!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
But by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of GOD
Mathew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
One morning I was reading my Bible and began reading where Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. This one scripture jumped out at me like a ton of bricks. IT IS WRITTEN! Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Jesus himself said it. This is the word of the Lord. IT IS WRITTEN...This is the word of GOD himself. After all didn't God SPEAK things into being? Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 ¶ And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. We go on to read in Genesis everything God said to exist and it did! God's word is so powerful and gives life. Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. You see, God knew that man would have great need. We need food, shelter, water and clothing, basic needs of life for physical exixtance but he said this was not all man needed. We shouldn't just live with the basics of life but we should live by every word that proceeds out of HIS MOUTH. To each of us God has given us a gift to share for bringing others to know Christ to have relationship with God the Father, to exhort the body of Christ, to teach others how to live as Christ would have us to. Romans 12:3-6 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; I believe that God equips us for LIVING, not just for the physical but also for the spiritual. Our lives are not our own. When we try to live to exist on physical basic needs we are missing the Word of the Lord for our lives. The word that proceeds out of the very mouth of God to LIVE. You see, My family has come through a great and terrible battle. By no strength of our own did we survive. God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives and when we step out of that purpose and plan and try to do our own we are grasping for the FLESH needs and failing miserably. If we are living by GOD's WORD then we are being prepared to fight off the wards of Satan. Isn't it much better to live as God purposes us? If God could speak the world and everything into existance, then why do we have trouble believing that he has spoken a purpose and a plan for each of us? I am asking for myself. Our eyes and body are of the flesh and we see more fleshy wants and needs in this life that it is so easy to lose sight of God's purpose and plan. We get caught up in our troubles and forget where our strength and source is. I want to live the word that proceeds out of God's mouth for my life. I believe with all of my heart that because we trusted God during the biggest hurricane of our life through prayer, claiming God's word and just standing when we could do nothing else (because that is God's word to do these things!!!) that God in His mercy brought us through!. I am beginning to see such a huge turnaround. I want to continue in this. That means I have to set aside my human reasoning, understanding and not stand in the puny strength of my own hands. My life was not meant to be lived for existing. It was meant to be lived to accomplish God's will and purpose to bring glory unto him. This can only happen if I live my life by the Word which has proceedeth out of the mouth of God...Have you read your Bible today???
Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
One morning I was reading my Bible and began reading where Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. This one scripture jumped out at me like a ton of bricks. IT IS WRITTEN! Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Jesus himself said it. This is the word of the Lord. IT IS WRITTEN...This is the word of GOD himself. After all didn't God SPEAK things into being? Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 ¶ And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. We go on to read in Genesis everything God said to exist and it did! God's word is so powerful and gives life. Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. You see, God knew that man would have great need. We need food, shelter, water and clothing, basic needs of life for physical exixtance but he said this was not all man needed. We shouldn't just live with the basics of life but we should live by every word that proceeds out of HIS MOUTH. To each of us God has given us a gift to share for bringing others to know Christ to have relationship with God the Father, to exhort the body of Christ, to teach others how to live as Christ would have us to. Romans 12:3-6 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; I believe that God equips us for LIVING, not just for the physical but also for the spiritual. Our lives are not our own. When we try to live to exist on physical basic needs we are missing the Word of the Lord for our lives. The word that proceeds out of the very mouth of God to LIVE. You see, My family has come through a great and terrible battle. By no strength of our own did we survive. God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives and when we step out of that purpose and plan and try to do our own we are grasping for the FLESH needs and failing miserably. If we are living by GOD's WORD then we are being prepared to fight off the wards of Satan. Isn't it much better to live as God purposes us? If God could speak the world and everything into existance, then why do we have trouble believing that he has spoken a purpose and a plan for each of us? I am asking for myself. Our eyes and body are of the flesh and we see more fleshy wants and needs in this life that it is so easy to lose sight of God's purpose and plan. We get caught up in our troubles and forget where our strength and source is. I want to live the word that proceeds out of God's mouth for my life. I believe with all of my heart that because we trusted God during the biggest hurricane of our life through prayer, claiming God's word and just standing when we could do nothing else (because that is God's word to do these things!!!) that God in His mercy brought us through!. I am beginning to see such a huge turnaround. I want to continue in this. That means I have to set aside my human reasoning, understanding and not stand in the puny strength of my own hands. My life was not meant to be lived for existing. It was meant to be lived to accomplish God's will and purpose to bring glory unto him. This can only happen if I live my life by the Word which has proceedeth out of the mouth of God...Have you read your Bible today???
Sunday, April 12, 2009
OH MY SHE IS 17!
My heart can't believe it! My baby girl is 17! It seems like time has snuck up on me. I sit here and remember from her birth to now. I remember going to the hospital. I wasn't sure that I was in labor or not. The night before, I felt this light pressure of my belly pushing out. Everytime it happened, I timed it. It would last for 30 seconds to a minute, 12 minutes apart. I was with my mom at her job. She took care of an elderly woman and it was her turn for night shift. I spent the night with her in the living room. I was so surprised when the contractions started but didn't say a word to my mom for fear of her worrying. I was worried myself. I had no pain. I decided that I would wait until morning to say anything. If I started to have pain in the night, I figured I would just wake her and then tell her. The night passed without a hitch. I was still having the contractions in the morning but there was no pain. We left when the second lady came in to take over. I remember going to Taco Cabana and picking up bacon so that we could go home and cook for my dad. It was Saturday! I told my mom about the contractions at the drive through window of Taco Cabana. She was anxious to go to the hospital. I told her that I wasn't sure it was even labor since there was no pain what so ever. I told her that I had heard that if it were real labor, walking would intensify the contractions. That was all she needed. My parents took me to the flea market after breakfast and made me walk and walk and walk. We then drove over to Clifton to drop off some tax papers to a guy that was doing my dad's taxes. We came back through McGregor and stopped for a snack. I had a cup of peach cobler. We drove back towards home and stopped at the Bellmead Sonic to get supper. It was about 5:30 that afternoon. I still had contractions about 5 to 3 minutes apart...again...no pain. After supper, my mom begged me to let her take me to the hospital. I finally gave in. We got to Hillcrest Hospital about 6:30. I walked up to the desk and said "I think I am in labor, but I am not sure". They had me change and hooked me up to a monitor. It seemed like ALL THE CONTRACTIONS just stopped! She said, let me know if you feel anything! The slightest pressure occurred and I said, "umm, I think I am having a contraction." SURE ENOUGH! We were settled in about 7:oo. I was dilated to a 3. Still no pain. The doctor came in an hour later and checked me. This time, I was at a 4. He decided we need to speed things up. He broke my water. Since I had no pain, I opted to do this without meds or epidural. Once my water was broken, no more than 10 minutes later, I was crying for the epidural. The nurse came in and put an IV bag of fluids in my arm. She said I had to run through this bag before an epidural could be administered. I was beside myself. I kept telling the nurse, I am going to be sick. She said, Your ok! I said...NO I AM SICK...I proceeded to throw up!(NEVER EAT A HAMBURGER IF YOU THINK YOU ARE IN LABOR. IT IS NEVER A PRETTY SIGHT NOR DO YOU FEEL VERY DIGNIFIED ONCE YOU HAVE SPEWED!). The nurse rushed over and apologized for not listening. After we changed my sheets, my gown and pulled my hair back, I was finally settled again. I was still begging for an Epidural. My dad was trying his best to take my mind off of the pain. He started telling jokes?! I told my mom to make him sit in the waiting room. Finally, the fluid bag was empty and they replaced it with a new one. About 15 minutes later I got my epidural, 5 minutes later, I was watching tv and talking on the phone. I even let my dad come back in for a while! At the time, I started running a high temp but was not aware of it. The nurse gave me my first clue when she constantly kept taking my temp and proceeded to shake her head. I was alarmed. I didn't know what was wrong. I finally dilated to a 10. It was about 1 am in the morning. The doctors said that I could start pushing. I pushed. I pushed and I pushed. 2 hours later, I was exhausted, Sick, and extremely panicked. The nurses however would not let me quit! I kept pushing! At 3:30am with and episiotomy, Ashley entered into this world. She got her first spanking by the doctor and wailed! I remember not being able to see her the next day at all. I was still very sick. I didn't know what was wrong and no one told me. fianlly about midnight the next night, a nurse brought Ashley to me to breast feed. That was our first encounter together. Now, I look at her and she is grown! She is beautiful. She is wonderful and precious. She is my sunshine! I see all the ups and downs, the good and bad times we've been through and I wouldn't trade it. I could not see my life as to ever have been without my sweet girl. Now, I have to start slowly preparing my heart to let her go. She will someday leave home and have a family of her own. My joy and confidence that I can trust and carry is that she is in the safety and the arms of the Lord. From the time she was in my womb, I prayed for her. I prayed for her through all her growing up years. I will continue to pray for her for the rest of my life. As she continues to get older, I will continue to love her and accept her for her. I will be here when she wants me and I will do my best to back off when she wants to try it herself. She is 17 and I see her maturing and growing in better choices and decisions. I see her wanting more for herself. There has been some downfalls that has made her life not so easy in her teen years. She has fallen off the merrigoround but has gotten back up, dusted off and climbed back on. She is an overcomer. What a privilege it is to have raised her, continue to raise her and watch the Lord move in her life. He has brought joy, healing and victory. She is 17!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Chase and the stomach bug...
Chase has had the stomach bug this past week. Poor little guy had high fever and was very fussy. No matter what, he was just unconfortable and seemed to whither with pain. He had minor vomiting and diarrhea. I think the worst of it was tummy cramps. After about 4 days, he finally was better! Last night, he finally slept through the night and I was thankful!
Moody Blues....
Some days you just have an off day...I call it the moody blues day! It is overcast, wet and cold. I don't know if the weather has anything really to do with it or not. I don't know what it is really all about other than it just happens on some days! There is really nothing wrong or off. All is well. SO WHY DO I FEEL YUCKY today? I guess it is one of those things that you just can't explain. Now, I have to focus to reorganize my thoughts. Yes, I know there are other people who have terrible issues and I should be grateful and thankful. I am. I just can't help the way I am feeling right now. I can however try to change the way I am feeling. I am going to go to bed and count my blessings. I am going to NAME THEM ONE BY ONE, then I am going to GIVE THANKS TO GOD. I am thankful for Jesus and salvation, first and foremost! I am thankful for my wonderful family! I am blessed with 2 beautiful children. I am blessed with a wonderful husband. I am blessed to have a job. I am blessed to have friends. I am blessed that both my parents are close by for the time being. I am blessed that I have a place called home. I am blessed that all our needs are met. I AM BLESSED. So I pray, in the name of Jesus, that my thoughts come captive unto the Lord and that joy would be restored to my heart tonight! I am blessed!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Ashley's run in with a Drum Cymbal..stapples involved!
Today, about 15 minutes before work was out, I receive this phone call from Zach, Ashley's boyfriend. Ashley has had an accident and we are headed to Providence Hospital. She fell and busted her head open! Ashley then gets on the phone, crying hysterically, I am bleeding and my head is cut. OK! So when do I not panic? It was a good thing that I had my deposits entered. All I needed to do from that point was print them. Well, I had 2 slips to print, I printed the same slip twice, realized I left a check out after shutting down my machine. I had to log back in print out a new slip to replace the duplicate slip and then do a whole new slip for the lone check! I ended up with 3 deposit slips. I called Chad because he was CLOSER to the hospital and he made it there before Ashley ever showed up! I felt much better that he was there. I called my mom to let her know that we would be late getting home since she takes care of Chase only to find out that he has cried all day and had been fussy. Chad tells me that Ashley is OK and to go home and pick up Chase. I do. (Ashley wanted me there) I get there. I find out that Ashley tripped over a part of Zach's drum set, grabbed the CYMBAL stand while going down and the Cymbal smashed her in the back of the head. It caused about an inch and a half long cut. It is wide also. (kind of like slicing a tomato thick with a dull knife, you can get deep enough but not quiet!) Chad and I decide that things are OK and one of us needs to go home with Chase. Chad and Chase leave. The nurse finally calls us back and they examine Ashley's head. Then we wait. The doctor comes in and cleans and numbs the cut. Ashley is very emotional at this point. She cried through the whole procedure. She now has 6 staples in her head...she will get them out in a week. POOR BABY. I feel sorry for her.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Arkansas Visit February 2009
Chad, I and Chase went to Arkansas to visit my inlaws. The drive was very pleasant. We had great weather and the temps started out just right. The farther we drove the cooler it became, but the sun was shining and we took several breaks along the way. Chase did very well in the car. I was grateful since most of our trips really don't go past 3 or 4 hours in the car. That is about all Chase usually takes before the crying begins! When Chase started to get the least bit fussy, we would find a rest stop, gas station or if it was near eating time, a place to stop and eat. This gave him ample time out of the car seat and when we were ready to leave, it was like almost starting over from the beginning! After 11 hours, We finally reached Arkansas. During the drive to Mountain View, Chad and I saw so much damage from the recent ice storm. There were so many power poles down, trees toppled (on power lines), trees on roofs and we saw one on a car too. We saw long rows of NEW power poles put up without any power lines on them. There were lots of people without power. We were listening to the radio and came across a emergency station that was reporting counties and cities, towns that still remained without power. They were listing places that were to be worked on and were asking people NOT to call in and report that power was still out as that it was slowing down repairs and power restoration.
We arrived at my inlaws around 6ish pm. We were all very excited to see each other. It had been nearly 9 months since we had been together. My mother-in-law went straight for the baby! And Chase just loved it all. We got the grand tour the new house and picked our bedrooms. We slept upstairs. We were the first to sleep up stairs! Chase and I slept in the right side bedroom (ON THE NEW BED TO BEAT THE BOOT!)and Chad in the left bedroom. We had the upstairs bathroom. AGAIN a first. we were the first to shower upstairs, I believe. The house was very lovely and homey. It had excellent views from every room and window. My favorite part of the house was the breakfast room. It was very dainty and quaint. We could watch the birds from the breakfast table. (although we didn't really ever eat breakfast there). The outside was very woodsy. There were lots of down trees. Chad and my father-in-law worked a couple of days outside pulling down trees. The second day they were going to cut them up but couldn't get the chain saw going. So we all went for a drive. We saw lots of places in town. We went to a place called Calico rock and saw an amazing view of the river and town.(in which my MIL found some history on the river! VERY INTERESTING). We also went to a little shop strip and I can't remember where but it was a historical place. We went in and looked around. There were some really cool and neat things in the shop. There were some old type toys that I played with as a little girl. This is where we got Chase's b'day gift from my inlaws. It was a Pixar Disney Cars rug. It is a pretty nice sized rug that Chase can play on the floor. The man who owned the shop also owned an ice cream parlor next door. Due to the ice storm, and lost power, I believe he lost about $600 worth of ice cream. It was sad because his insurance deductable was about $10,000.00. He said they went to a hill side and poured out all the sour ice cream. He was also handy in sewing things...after a long debate and persuasion, I had my favorite purse have it's broken strap sewn back on. I hope it will live another year! Around lunch or dinner I am not sure which, we stopped at a Mexican diner to eat. It was so nice. The hot sauce and chips were terriffic. I had eggs ranchero and had a very different experience as the ranchero sauce was none I've ever eaten before. It looked like a barbeque sauce type but still had the tomatoe taste. It was very good. We really had a nice time looking at all the tour spots for the Music places even though it was not in season. One day, my MIL took me to a Mennonite lady's home, Elsie. She was making a baby quilt for her soon coming grandbaby. It was still on the quilting frame and there was suppose to be a quilting get together but it had been cancelled due to the lack of power for some of the people. It was interesting to meet her and hear a little about how she came to be in Arkansas. I also met a lady named Mary. She was very nice and interesting as well. We also met a couple that were my inlaws friends. Their names were Carl and Jean. They were very nice and are very involved in many things. There was also another couple that we were able to meet, I can not remember their names but I believe the man helped my FIL work on the house. I feel good that my inlaws have friends there. I think they will have much to do for a long while. The woodsy land will be enough to keep them busy for a while.
While there, the weather seemed cold and windy. On one of those days, we went for another car drive just to see some scenery. We went down Meisenhiemer road and on to a farm. We saw a sow and her 15 piglets running openly. While driving, we also saw a HUGE pig. I have never quiet seen a pig so big before! We had supper at Pizza Inn and had great visits with each other. Chase made sure to leave fingerprints on windows and doors. Best of all, I GOT TO LISTEN TO A FEW DAYS OF SOUTHERN GOSPEL MUSIC! Chad didn't complain ONCE while driving in the car home. It was great.
We arrived at my inlaws around 6ish pm. We were all very excited to see each other. It had been nearly 9 months since we had been together. My mother-in-law went straight for the baby! And Chase just loved it all. We got the grand tour the new house and picked our bedrooms. We slept upstairs. We were the first to sleep up stairs! Chase and I slept in the right side bedroom (ON THE NEW BED TO BEAT THE BOOT!)and Chad in the left bedroom. We had the upstairs bathroom. AGAIN a first. we were the first to shower upstairs, I believe. The house was very lovely and homey. It had excellent views from every room and window. My favorite part of the house was the breakfast room. It was very dainty and quaint. We could watch the birds from the breakfast table. (although we didn't really ever eat breakfast there). The outside was very woodsy. There were lots of down trees. Chad and my father-in-law worked a couple of days outside pulling down trees. The second day they were going to cut them up but couldn't get the chain saw going. So we all went for a drive. We saw lots of places in town. We went to a place called Calico rock and saw an amazing view of the river and town.(in which my MIL found some history on the river! VERY INTERESTING). We also went to a little shop strip and I can't remember where but it was a historical place. We went in and looked around. There were some really cool and neat things in the shop. There were some old type toys that I played with as a little girl. This is where we got Chase's b'day gift from my inlaws. It was a Pixar Disney Cars rug. It is a pretty nice sized rug that Chase can play on the floor. The man who owned the shop also owned an ice cream parlor next door. Due to the ice storm, and lost power, I believe he lost about $600 worth of ice cream. It was sad because his insurance deductable was about $10,000.00. He said they went to a hill side and poured out all the sour ice cream. He was also handy in sewing things...after a long debate and persuasion, I had my favorite purse have it's broken strap sewn back on. I hope it will live another year! Around lunch or dinner I am not sure which, we stopped at a Mexican diner to eat. It was so nice. The hot sauce and chips were terriffic. I had eggs ranchero and had a very different experience as the ranchero sauce was none I've ever eaten before. It looked like a barbeque sauce type but still had the tomatoe taste. It was very good. We really had a nice time looking at all the tour spots for the Music places even though it was not in season. One day, my MIL took me to a Mennonite lady's home, Elsie. She was making a baby quilt for her soon coming grandbaby. It was still on the quilting frame and there was suppose to be a quilting get together but it had been cancelled due to the lack of power for some of the people. It was interesting to meet her and hear a little about how she came to be in Arkansas. I also met a lady named Mary. She was very nice and interesting as well. We also met a couple that were my inlaws friends. Their names were Carl and Jean. They were very nice and are very involved in many things. There was also another couple that we were able to meet, I can not remember their names but I believe the man helped my FIL work on the house. I feel good that my inlaws have friends there. I think they will have much to do for a long while. The woodsy land will be enough to keep them busy for a while.
While there, the weather seemed cold and windy. On one of those days, we went for another car drive just to see some scenery. We went down Meisenhiemer road and on to a farm. We saw a sow and her 15 piglets running openly. While driving, we also saw a HUGE pig. I have never quiet seen a pig so big before! We had supper at Pizza Inn and had great visits with each other. Chase made sure to leave fingerprints on windows and doors. Best of all, I GOT TO LISTEN TO A FEW DAYS OF SOUTHERN GOSPEL MUSIC! Chad didn't complain ONCE while driving in the car home. It was great.
A year gone....A new one begins...
It only seems like yesterday that I gave birth to my sweet baby boy, Chase. It is hard to believe that Saturday, Feb 21st, He will be a year old. We have had so much joy in the passing of the first year and we look forward to many more joyful years. I have watched him grow and change. I have watched him triumph in rolling over, sitting up, crawling and now walking. He has learned several words, mimicks peoples faces and is ready to give kisses. It is amazing to me how I already miss his babyness(if that is a word). I have seen him change also in appetite. He loves his food. He isn't afraid to eat new things at all. I am so very proud. How dearly I love him.
Another year has passed for my daughter, Ashley, who will be 17 years in April. It is so very hard to believe that my beautiful daughter has become a beautiful young woman. She is so amazing. She has an amazing voice and sings wonderfully. She has made great strides in her school work and is doing well. She is triumphing over emotions and feelings that can so easily take over. I see her learning to deal with life and learning to make mature decisions. The future for her holds no bounds. What excellent opportunities await her. The hardest part for me will be letting go slowly. She has always been my angel baby. She and I have been through a lot together. She has been a sweet gift in helping me through! I love her so dearly and am very proud of her. I am proud of her every accomplishment. I am just proud.
Another year has passed for Chad and I. We have been married going on 16 years. It seems like only yesterday that we were married. I love him with all my heart. He has been a strength to me that only God himself has placed in my life for me. He has been and is an encourager to me. He supports me and makes me feel safe. He gives me comfort and tries to understand me. He shows me his love in so many simple ways that never go unnoticed. We have had such wonderful times. We have also had such hard trials and yet through God's grace, we have made it through. We love each other more and stronger. I am so very proud of Chad and I dearly love him. I thank God for him.
I trust God with my family. He has carried us through this past year. I trust that He will carry us through many more years to come. I will stand in awe of the Lord and give Him thanks and praise. Blessed be your name!
James 1:17 King James Version
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Another year has passed for my daughter, Ashley, who will be 17 years in April. It is so very hard to believe that my beautiful daughter has become a beautiful young woman. She is so amazing. She has an amazing voice and sings wonderfully. She has made great strides in her school work and is doing well. She is triumphing over emotions and feelings that can so easily take over. I see her learning to deal with life and learning to make mature decisions. The future for her holds no bounds. What excellent opportunities await her. The hardest part for me will be letting go slowly. She has always been my angel baby. She and I have been through a lot together. She has been a sweet gift in helping me through! I love her so dearly and am very proud of her. I am proud of her every accomplishment. I am just proud.
Another year has passed for Chad and I. We have been married going on 16 years. It seems like only yesterday that we were married. I love him with all my heart. He has been a strength to me that only God himself has placed in my life for me. He has been and is an encourager to me. He supports me and makes me feel safe. He gives me comfort and tries to understand me. He shows me his love in so many simple ways that never go unnoticed. We have had such wonderful times. We have also had such hard trials and yet through God's grace, we have made it through. We love each other more and stronger. I am so very proud of Chad and I dearly love him. I thank God for him.
I trust God with my family. He has carried us through this past year. I trust that He will carry us through many more years to come. I will stand in awe of the Lord and give Him thanks and praise. Blessed be your name!
James 1:17 King James Version
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
In Memory of Arthur Franklin Amick Jr.
Saturday I picked up the paper and read that Mr. Frank Amick Jr. passed away. To me, Mr. Amick was a very admirable man. He was a Godly man and he left a remarkable impact on my life. Who is he to me? He was my 7th grade History teacher from G.L. Wiley Middle School. I remember going to him on some hard days and he would pep talk me and remind me that God was in control. He was very compassionate and cared about all the other students. He tried to instill good values into students who otherwise may not have had a model adult at home. I thank God for the opportunity to have known Mr. Amick. I thank God for the opportunity to have had his class. Although, History to me was not very interesting at the time, it was the man who left the mark in my life. He challenged us to stand up and do what was right and not to do the cowardly thing and follow the crowd. He was true to heart and lived the life. I know that he is in the arms of Jesus rejoicing. Some day, we will meet again!!
Obituary:
Arthur Amick Jr.
"Frank" Amick Jr. Arthur Franklin "Frank" Amick Jr. passed away Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, at Scott & White Hospital in Temple, and went to rest in the arms of the Lord and Master he had served so faithfully. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at the First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Steve Ramsdell officiating. Frank was born Feb. 21, 1922, in Burlington, N.C., the first of seven children born to Arthur Franklin and Elsie Moser Amick. When Frank was 15, the family moved to High Point, N.C., and he became an athlete and student at High Point High School. He graduated in 1941. On Dec. 8, 1941, Frank enlisted in the Navy and was very proud of the time he served his country. He was a crew member on the aircraft carriers, Ranger and Wasp in the Atlantic Theater, and served on the Currituck, a seaplane tender, in the Pacific. He had many stories from those days and they served him well when he became a history teacher. He not only taught history, he lived it. When he returned to High Point, he became reacquainted with the girl he had first met when he was 15 and she was 12. They fell in love and were married on June 1, 1946. Frank became a student at High Point College and joined the football squad. His love of the sport determined his future career. After graduating from HPC, he became the coach of all sports at Randleman, N.C., and introduced football into their lives. He shared his love of sports and history with these students and they made an indelible mark in their lives. When Frank decided he wanted to get a master's degree, he and his wife agreed that Baylor and Waco would be the right place. They came prepared to stay one year, but they never left Texas. His coaching and teaching years in Texas were spent at schools in Marlin, Crosby, Teague, Victoria and Waco, where he shared his great enthusiasm for history, fair play, love of God and good sportsmanship. Frank was a member of the First United Methodist Church, the Wesley Workers Sunday School Class and Gideons International. He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister and brother-in-law, Elise Victoria and Russell Hunt; and a brother, the Rev. Alvin Amick. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Frances Coppridge Amick; two sons, Richard "Rick" and wife JoAnn of Richmond and Michael "Mike" of Lewisville; two daughters, Patricia "Pat" and husband, Andrew Waden of Austin, and Nancy and husband Brad Lamb of Richardson; 10 grandchildren, Eric and wife, Amy Amick of San Antonio, Nick Amick of New York City, Wesley and wife, Lizzie Amick of Keller, Brett and wife, Nicole Amick, Sean Amick and Jordan Amick, all of Lewisville, Laura and husband, Benito Hipolito of Round Rock, Kevin and wife Laura Waden of Killeen, Scott Lamb of Richardson and Jason Lamb of Waco; seven great-grandchildren, Catherine Hipolito, Joshua and Conner Amick, Marshall Amick, Brycen Amick and Mikaela and Keira Waden; two brothers, Hervey Amick of Morrow, Ga., and Bobbie and wife Martha Amick of Greensboro, N.C.; two sisters, Polly Yow of Jamestown, N.C., and Helen Stutts of High Point, N.C.; and many nieces and nephews in Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. Pallbearers will be the grandsons. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the
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Alzheimer's Association, the Salvation Army or the charity of your choice. February 21, 1922 - February 11, 2009 Sign the Guest Book at http://www.wacotrib.com/
Thursday, January 29, 2009
...Ducks Ducks and more ducks
I have passed by the lake almost every day, twice on my way to and from work for about 8 years! I look at the water and in passing and to me, it seems peaceful. I long to stop my car and take pictures. The two places on the lake in passing are to dangerous to stop to do that. Yesterday, on the way home, I looked across the lake as usual. I never noticed before, but there were HUNDREDS of black specks in the far middle of the lake. Then I realized they were ducks...LOTS OF DUCKS...
I wished at that moment to have been in a row boat with my camera. It was so neat to see them. In all the 8 years I have passed the lake, I have never noticed the ducks in winter time! I thank God for the opportunity to see them!
I wished at that moment to have been in a row boat with my camera. It was so neat to see them. In all the 8 years I have passed the lake, I have never noticed the ducks in winter time! I thank God for the opportunity to see them!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Baby Bargain toys...
I meant to write about this awhile back and forgot. When Chase was about 6 months old and starting to sit up by himself, He hardly had any toys. One morning I made it my mission to go garage saling for toys. To my surprise, I found a fantastic garage sale...a ONE stop shop for all the baby toys I could want! I ended spending about $10 bucks in toys. I had a couple of bag fulls of toys. They were not just dinky toys but GOOD solid quality toys. They were clean and looked like new! I paid .25 to $1.00 for each item. Well, time passed a bit and right before Christmas, you receive those toy catelogs,advertisements, plus I get an online catelog from ABC Dist in the mail. To my surprise, I found several of the toys I purchased from the garge sale in the Walmart advertisement and ABC Dist catelog. They ranged from $10 to near $20 dollars. I was so proud of myself!!! I love garage sales. I don't know that I am a thrifty buyer really but on this occassion it worked out perfectly. Now, when Chase outgrows the toys, I can turn around and have a garage sale and help someone else out too!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
New Year and January half gone!
It is hard to believe that a whole year has already come and gone. It seems to have flown by so quickly! My teenager will be 17 this year and my new baby will be 1. Such a BROAD range! I guess I closed my eyes for a second and then BOOM...January of 2009 appeared. I am amazed. I still write down 2008 on most things I sign and date! Oh, it will take me time. I say to till the end of February before I habit the new year in writing! I didn't make any new years resolutions. I guess I still have time to do that as the year has just begun. The most important resolution for me is to talk more to others about Jesus and what He has done for me and them. To share salvation and pray others will accept. I guess also to take a closer look at myself and dedicate those things I hold away from God to Him with not strings attached! I want to speak softer and kinder to pe0ple. I want to listen to my daughter more. I want be kinder and more loving to others. I know these seem like such simple things...but..I often find that I don't do a lot of these.
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