Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Maybe I will post about the funeral soon. It was a really sad day, but encouraging at the same time if that makes any sense. Thank you for all the food, encouragement, and love!

BUT FOR NOW...I'm ready to trade my mourning for dancing! (or whatever it is that we're doing tonight!) I'm SSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO looking forward to being with my best girlfriends tonight! I've looked to this night all week as my getaway from sadness. I know it's going to be great!!! Hopefully I will see most of you tonight...except Kevin & Aaron! No Boys Allowed! Well, except Jaxon!

Randy's sister Sharon died today of cervical cancer.

We were about to leave the house to go out for my birthday when his brother called and said that Sharon took her last few breaths.

Please pray for our family, especially Randy's Mom Shirley and Nathan, Sharon's husband.

What a Day!

I’m Semi-Speechless.

Today Randy and I got up and went to church like every Sunday. We got there early to greet the visitors. Nothing out of the ordinary happened except we were given our new Life Group Leader badges. We were looking very official in the hall. As we were waiting there to meet new people I shouted with joy (out loud) when my eyes saw Ray & Christy. I think it’s possible that Randy and I were the happiest to see them today. We have some history with them that goes back to our first year at KLF. Christy was a wonderful example to me of what a Godly mother was like. She loved people and both her and Ray knew the Word like no one I knew. Anyway, when they left our church my heart really hurt for a long time. Even recently I was talking to Randy about how much I would love it if they came back to our church. I had not seen them for years so when I did today I was filled with excitement! We ran over to them and hugged them and told them how happy we were to see them. I hope they stay.

So, anyway, Ray gave his incredible testimony about the miracle God did in his body. I was hanging on his every word…that is when I wasn’t laughing at his unique humor. I felt like I could have listened to him all day. Everything he said I could picture in my head. I’m so hungry to hear about real encounters of healing and the super natural.

Then Bryan got up to preach and I think it was the most powerful sermon I’ve ever heard him preach. Well, maybe the Easter sermon this year, but today was so good. It was full of passion and wisdom. He was talking about how we cannot be offended at God. I loved how he talked about Ray and when he wasn’t sure if he was going to live he asked his daughter to trust God if he lived or if he died. That was so powerful. Bryan was talking about how past disappointments cannot be a barrier between you and God. As he was talking about these things I was searching my heart to make sure that I was not offended at God about how long it has taken for Miles’ healing. I was feeling good inside but a part of me was worried that other people around me were concerned that I was holding up Miles’ healing because of my own heart. As I was praying and asking God if he was pleased with me in this area Bryan called us out and said that he was so pleased with us. In front of 300 people he said that if this was in Bible times that he thought that Randy and I would have been on the pages of the Bible. Oh my gosh, I broke. Something in me was released and affirmed. I really left there feeling 20 pounds lighter. Bryan was so kind to us and talked about how proud he was of us for going through what we’ve gone through with Miles and still chosen to love and serve God. I cried so hard. It felt so good.

Then, as if that wasn’t good enough…Brandon got up at the end of the service, mentioned us again and everyone gave us a standing ovation. Man, that was amazing! I felt so validated and loved. I loved seeing all the people who have stood with us during this whole time. Again, I was over whelmed with how loved and supported we are. Everyone goes through things that are hard. I don’t know of anyone who has as much love and support as we do when they’re going through it. Thankful doesn’t cover how blessed I feel by so many people.

I kept thinking today, “Wow, that was unexpected!” I mean, who in the world gets a standing ovation unexpectedly? We didn’t have to sing or preach or anything really but show up and worship our Lord the way he deserves to be worshipped.

I don’t think I did today justice, but I wanted to get something up here explaining how thankful I feel!


AND, on a side note: Besides the standing ovation, that’s hard to beat, but Randy got a great offer on the house he’s building! It looks like a Go on that! We’re thrilled! Also, Randy’s sister Sheila stopped by the house for a little while and she gave me $100 for Miles skating party! It looks like we get to have the birthday party that I really wanted for him! And, let’s not forget the fancy life group leader buttons we got today! The last day of my twenties was a very good one!

Wow...on a less depressing note...Man, I'm tired!

Well, that's not too cheery either.

Okay, how about...I'm so excited because it's my wonderful friends birthday! I am excited about that! I've got plans up my sleeve that have required me to think about her no less than 2,289 times this week! RACHEL, you're gonna love me! I adore you!

Birthday Feelings

An interesting phenomenon has happened. Interesting bad, not interesting good. I will be turning 30 in just a few short days. I’ve been asked several times how I’m handling turning thirty. Every time I hear that I’ve been caught off guard because it doesn’t make any sense to me why it would bother me to turn thirty. I’ve actually been excited about it.

It’s not my own birthday that I’ve been dreading. It’s my son’s. Miles will be three in about two weeks, but I’ve caught myself avoiding the subject and even panicking about it. How is it possible that I’m upset about my son turning three instead of myself turning thirty?

Miles’ third birthday does not conjure up exciting birthday plans for me. I think about how therapy services will stop coming to our home. I think about renewals of services and new routines that will begin. I think about how last year he didn’t have a party (the first one of my kids to not have one) and how depressed that made me. I didn’t have a party because I was thoroughly exhausted from his body cast. Plus, I had given in to nurse care which made me feel defeated. Also, the thoughts of how no one seems to know what to get him for a present saddened me. We did have an extremely lame cake cutting over at Randy’s aunt’s house for his birthday since a family get together was already planned. Someone gave him a box of diaper wipes for a gift. It made me so mad I said bad words about it when we got home. I mean actual bad words that I can’t type here.

Then I also think about how Randy’s niece Amanda that also had cerebral palsy always had lame birthday parties. I remember the family, behind Sharon’s back of course saying things like: Why does she have a party for Amanda? Amanda doesn’t care. Or, I hate giving Sharon money for Amanda because what’s she going to spend it on?

I mean who the hell cares? What do you give presents for? To make people happy! If you can’t make the kid happy you can sure make the parents happy! We’ve all given presents to kids to actually make the parents happy. Giving a two year old diaper wipes for his birthday because he can’t enjoy a toy train does not make a parent happy. It’s just another reminder that he’s not normal. It’s just sad.

So, what do you get a little boy that is turning three that can’t do much but be adorable? There are many things. He loves noise so CD’s are great. Clothes are useful. The kids love to read him books. That’s one of his favorite things because his very favorite things are his brothers and sisters. McDonald’s money so he can take his family to dinner. Cards saying that you love him. Safari decorations for his room. If you really want to spend the big bucks you could get him an adaptive swing for his wheelchair in the backyard. That would only set you back about a thousand dollars. Diaper wipes, spare me the repentance.

Regular day thoughts about Miles are filled with love with an air of excitement about the day of his healing. Milestone days are also filled with love with a few dashes of mourning, frustration and bitterness. I wish it weren’t so, but it is. Do I worship the Lord on those days? Absolutely. As Miles’ birthday has begun to creep up on us I have taken on the position of thankfulness that he has a birthday to celebrate. The enemy’s plan for Miles was death, and he did not succeed. Miles will turn three and that in itself should be cause for celebration. In a perfect world this would be my continued position.

The thing is I’m also a mom. I have a mother’s heart. I long to see the unseen. As I patiently and sometimes impatiently wait to see the miracle I crave I’m forced to deal with things like this. I can only pray that I will be able to receive the grace needed to celebrate his birthday with a joyful and thankful heart for the blessing that he is today.

Say Cheese!

Picture three ladies, exactly 365 days ago, early in the morning sitting around a beautifully built kitchen table, chugging coffee while wishing that it could be intravenously shot right into the veins. Their own hair had not found a brush that day, but you can sure bet that all their kids had that morning because it was SCHOOL PICTURE DAY! The day had snuck up on them as if none of them had ever had a photo shoot before. They were unprepared for getting up early for extra fancy hair and even fancier clothing. More than that the women were not prepared for the fight to get their offspring into sweater vests or shoes without Velcro.
The ladies sat around for three hours trying to discuss various things, but the topic of the dreadful picture day could not stop itself from popping back up. The day was blacked out on their calendar. Declarations were made for better preparation for the following year. Vows were made to not fight with their kids the next year.

Fast Forward 365 days from then. Man, how time changes things. And yet, how some things time does not touch. The beautifully built table was left alone, undoubtedly disappointed for not getting the scoop firsthand. You see one of the three ladies now worked where the actual pictures were being taken so she could not debrief with her friends about the morning events.

Her morning was quite different than it was the previous year. Not only did she have to get herself and four of her children ready to have their picture taken, but she also was extremely involved with helping nine kindergartners get their picture taken. And, I assure you that wrestling, I mean managing nine kindergarteners while getting their picture taken is more work that can be told. For some reason five year olds that are about to get their photo taken are attracted to sand. They must play in it. Also, for some reason it’s harder than you usual to control oneself when you want to throw a football at a little girls head. Then, unbeknownst to her, she realized that her elder teacher was compulsive on picture day about brushing the children’s hair repeatedly. The lady was shocked at the number of times; with the same brush mind you that the kindergarteners were groomed by their teacher. After hours of picture taking, the first lady was sure that she had it easier the year before.

The other two ladies, although all details have not been reported, seemed to have a similar day to the one many moons ago. For instance, one of them found out their son had chicken pox. Then the other one, for some strange reason almost missed picture day all together because she thought that her son must have a hair cut BEFORE school! I wasn’t previously aware that it was even possible to get a hair cut before 8:00, but apparently someone was bribed to do it just in time for a great school year photo.

So, the ladies, although not together this morning, made it through another school picture day. The saga lives on.

Hot News

I just found this information and I believe that all my friends and family need to be aware of this important break through news. I do this because I care.

Americans will eat 24.2 million Hot Dogs in major league ballparks -- that's enough to stretch coast-to-coast from Dodgers' Stadium in Los Angeles to Camden Yards in Baltimore.
Travelers passing through Chicago's O'Hare airport purchase 2 million Hot Dogs each year according to restaurant and concession stand reports. This makes O'hare the biggest Hot Dog seller in the United States.
• Actor Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore at Pink's Hot Dog stand in Hollywood, California.
• Americans typically consume 7 billion Hot Dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
• On the Fourth of July, Americans will enjoy 150 million Hot Dogs!
• On every Independence Day since 1916, at its original Coney Island hot dog stand, Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest has celebrated this iconic American food.
• The United States Chamber of Commerce officially designated July as National Hot Dog Month in 1957, and the tradition has been going strong ever since.
• July 20th has been declared National Hot Dog Day.
• Every second of every day, 450 Hot Dogs are eaten in the United States.
• Nearly one-third of all Americans eat Hot Dogs one to three times per month.
• Sixty percent of Americans prefer their Hot Dogs grilled.
• Twenty one percent prefer their Hot Dogs boiled.
• The world's longest hot dog was 1,996 feet, made in honor of the 1996 Olympics.
• People who cook Hot Dogs tend to be women, 25 to 44 years old, married with school-age children.

Hot Dog Etiquette
If you think eating Hot Dogs is all about slapping a wiener on a bun, you're in for a surprise. If you're going to dine on dogs properly, you'll need these do's and don'ts from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

Don't ...
• Put hot dog toppings between the hot dog and the bun. Always "dress the dog," not the bun.
• Leave bits of bun on your plate. Eat it all.
• Use ketchup on your hot dog after the age of 18.
• Use a cloth napkin to wipe your mouth when eating a hot dog. Paper is always preferable.
• Put fresh herbs on the same plate with hot dogs. Mustard, relish, onions, cheese and chili are acceptable.
• Bring wine to a hot dog barbecue. Beer, soda, lemonade and iced tea are preferable.
• Send a thank you note following a hot dog barbecue. It would not be in keeping with the unpretentious nature of hot dogs.
• Ever think there is a wrong time to serve hot dogs.
Do ...
• Apply condiments in the following order: wet condiments such as mustard and chili are applied first, followed by chunky condiments such as relish, onions and sauerkraut, followed by shredded cheese, followed by spices, like celery salt or pepper.
• Serve sesame seed, poppy seed and plain buns with hot dogs. Sun-dried tomato buns or basil buns are considered gauche with franks.
• Eat hot dogs on buns with your hands. Utensils should not touch hot dogs on buns.
• Condiments remaining on the fingers after eating a hot dog should be licked away, not washed.
• Use paper plates to serve hot dogs. Every day dishes are acceptable. China is a no-no.
At the Movies
"How can I trust a man who won't eat a good old-fashioned American hot dog?". --From the movie S.W.A.T. starring Samuel L Jackson.
"Nobody, but nobody, puts ketchup on a hot dog anymore!". --From Sudden Impact.
"You look like the Fourth of July! Makes me want a hot dog real bad!" --From Legally Blonde.
"I can't forget it. I am sorry. I had no idea it was your cab. Let me make it up to you. How about a nice hot dog and a beer." --From Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
"Eat the hot dog, don't be one!". --From Steel.
"I want to buy eight hot dogs and eight hot dog buns to go with them. But no one sells eight hot dog buns. They only sell twelve hot dog buns. So I end up paying for four buns I don't need. So I am removing the superfluous buns. Yeah. And you want to know why? Because some big-shot over at the wiener company got together with some big-shot over at the bun company and decided to rip off the American public. Because they think the American public is a bunch of trusting nit-wits who will pay for everything they don't need rather than make a stink." --From Father of the Bride.

Only Six More Shopping Days!

My Dear Friend will be THIRTY in seven days. I will openly admit that she’s hard to shop for. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s picky or if it’s because of the pressure I feel when I’m trying to find a great gift for her. You see, she gives me the best presents ever that are dearest to my heart so I always feel in debt to her in the area of gifts. I don’t know how she does it but she comes up with the most perfect gift for me that I didn’t even know I wanted! This situation is quite troublesome for me because I’m known to be a great gift giver myself so it should come easy for me to find something for one of my most special friends.

If money was no object I would…

Sneak her off to New York for her birthday and we would stay in the nicest hotel with room service and on call massages.

Or

I would take her to her favorite store Ikea and let her furnish her home with their wares.

I would pick up one…no two of every thing in Hobby Lobby, buy an air conditioned portable building and make her very own card making store in her backyard.

I would go to Lowe’s and set up an account where she could pick up whatever she needed for all her continuous projects and the bill would always be sent to me.

I would find her someone who would go through all the labor pains with Jaxon while she drank coffee at a local cafe, and after he was delivered she could just go pick him up…in her pre-pregnancy jeans of course!

I would loan her my husband for the whole month of October to build whatever she needed built for children’s church or home…handy man services only please!

I would pay to have her cloned so the clone could do all mundane or disgusting jobs that she has to do. The clone would do all cleaning, jobs that produce sweat, kid’s homework, anything that involves poop or throw up and take boring or complaining phone calls. Most importantly the clone will listen to ALL whining!

I would pre pay her college tuition at HSU and get babysitting for her kids while she gets her degree in criminal justice. Not to mention that I would buy her all the lawyer movies ever made and have them put on one single non-scratch-able DVD.

I would set it up where for every one hour that she spends on line looking up whatever it is that she looks up, $100 would be electronically deposited into her bank account.

Hey, I’m searching High and Low for the perfect gift for you…although the problem I keep coming up with is that money is an object! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

I'm on my LUNCH BREAK.

Please pray for me today. I'm overly tired and feel emotional.

Thanks!

Amen Sister

Today in class I was walking around helping the kids with their papers. I came to one table and there was a little boy that was being too silly. One of the little girls looked at me very seriously and maturely said, “Oh Please, I’m not happy about him!”

I've felt that way about a few boys during my lifetime.

In Their Own Words

Today I was working on my book and I asked the kids if they would tell me how they felt about Miles. I asked them to just talk to me about Miles. I asked them a few questions. This is what they had to say:



Joey:

I don’t really feel different about Miles than I do about Melody, Spencer and Jocie.

Sometimes people ask me what’s wrong with Miles. I don’t really like it when they ask me that because I don’t like to tell them all the details. I just like to say that he has brain damage. I don’t like to talk about how he died. It makes me sad.

Miles is special because he has a lot of people that care for him.

I like it a lot that Miles has a nurse at our house because we will know if he’s being taken care of. It’s also fun because we can have dates together because Christy will take care of Miles.

Miles wheelchair it’s cool because everyone likes to play with it a lot. Kids at church like to push him around.

I’m glad that God healed Miles because we’re able to play with him. I think God’s going to heal him more. I think it’s going to be kind of like what God did to Saul when he became Paul, and Miles is going to have a big testimony. Miles will be able to do everything that I can do. Miles will be really smart. It’s really tough to know how old Miles will be when God heals him.

Spencer:

He’s my baby brother. I love him. He’s special because he’s my brother and God made him. God raised him from the dead. I like that. I mean I love it. I know God’s going to heal him because I believe that he will, and I know that God is good and that he will heal him. I don’t really have an idea how he will do it. When Miles is healed I want to bring him to my school and show him to everybody. I think they will be happy because they have prayed for him a lot. I think he will be healed tomorrow. I’m just kidding. More like when he’s five.

When people ask me what’s wrong with Miles it makes me feel good because they care about it. I usually tell them that he died but that God raised him from the dead. I think the kids are surprised about that.

Comment by Spencer: I forgot how much I’m getting paid for this. Can you please tell me?

I don’t like that he has to have a wheelchair. I do like pushing him around in it because its fun and I get to push around my own little brother.

I like that Miles has a nurse because she’s there to help Miles. Also, she’s fun. She’s nice to us. I don’t think other people have nurses in their house. Well, Cody (his friend) does. It’s his own Mom. I like his therapists because they help Miles too, and they let me play with their toys…sometimes.

My favorite thing about Miles is that he’s always there to be with me.

Jocie:

I like playing with Miles. He’s very cute and I love him. I have fun playing with him. I have a lot of things to do with him. I like how he laughs.

That little boy at school asked me what happened to Miles. I didn’t answer him but I would say that he had casts. He had to go to the hospital to get his casts on. I don’t really know why he had to have casts on.

I like playing with his hair because it’s soft.

I like Christy the nurse because if you (Mommy) wants to go somewhere you can just go because Christy can take care of Miles. She gets to go some where with us, and she gets to ride in the car, and we might get to buy finger nail polish. She’s nice to us, and once she bought some finger nail polish and we were at McDonalds and they didn’t have ice cream making so you know what? We went to Sonic. It was just plain vanilla kind and we came home and she put soda in it. Christy makes him exercise, gives him baths all the time, takes him at the office all the time.

When we go to horse therapy I like playing with that girl. Sometimes JoBeth and Todd brings toys and I like playing with them. Also, I like when Miles has therapy because I get a snack and get to eat stuff.

I like how Miles wheelchair lights up. I like pushing Miles in the wheelchair because I have something to do. But sometimes I just do it because I like to help you do stuff. I like going places with Miles because I have fun with him. I like going to the coffee shop with him because I get chocolate milk.

I think God is going to heal Miles. And I’m thankful that he’s going to turn three. I will play with him at school when he’s healed…maybe.

My favorite thing about Miles is everything.

Melody:

I don’t like the colors of the wheelchair. I think they should be pink and purple. I do like pushing him around because I like to go every where I want to. It’s fun to push him at the store.

I like Christy because she gotted us that finger polish. It was only one dollar. That’s a lot. Is one dollar a lot? Ten is a lot. I want ten monies. I can count to ten. I like JoBeth because she bees nice. I like Todd because he plays with Miles. He makes Miles laugh. Todd lets him play with his toys. He lets me play with them a little bit. JoBeth plays with Miles. He likes it. Miles favorite thing to do is play with JoBeth.

I think God is going to heal Miles. Miles will be able to play with his toys. I think he will be a Dad when he grows up. He will be a good dad. I don’t know how many kids he will have. He will give them a bath and take them to the church we go at.

My favorite thing to do is to play with him. I rub his tummy and he laughs. I also read him books. I read him the itsy bitsy spider.

Christy gives him some food and stretches his arms.

That’s all I want to say.

Funny for the Day.

Today in class Mrs. Brokaw was teaching her heart out during Bible time about the resurrection of Jesus. She reviewed the resurrection and then the responses of some of his followers. Today her main focus was the time he was on earth and then his ascension into heaven. That woman can tell stories about the Bible that even gets me mesmerized! She’s a great teacher of the word! Well, she was well into the story when a star student of hers (my precious daughter Jocie) raised her hand perfectly to ask a question. At the time that she did this I was not facing the class. I was organizing papers in another part of the classroom.
So, Mrs. Brokaw asked Jocie what she needed and Jocie asked, “Tan we tollow?” Mrs. Brokaw did not understand her so she asked Jocie to repeat the question. “Tan we tollow?” Jocie asked again. Again, she was asked to repeat herself. I understood what Jocie was asking, but I didn’t want to be “the mom” speaking for her daughter so I just let them work it out. Jocie wanted to know, “Can we color?” I guess she was tired of the story and she was ready to get onto the inevitable coloring.
Mrs. Brokaw heard something else. Mrs. Brokaw asked, “Can we tell others? Yes! Of course we can tell others! Did everyone hear what Jocie just asked? Can we tell others about Jesus!” Mrs. Brokaw was beaming with pride about her evangelistic student. Jocie beat her to the punch line of the lesson! Here she was talking about the last days of Jesus being on the earth. He was making sure that his disciples knew they were supposed to teach the world about him. That’s what the story was about, and her young pupil was moved by the story so much that she wanted to tell the world about him. Mrs. Brokaw went on and on about how they can talk to others about Jesus. She told them that they could tell everyone about Jesus. Then a little boy blurted out, “Mth, Brokaw, We canth tot to thrangors!” Mrs. Brokaw agreed but she assured them that they could talk to children on the play ground and their cousins.
So, here I was, not facing them, on purpose at this time. I was afraid that I would totally crack up! When Mrs. Brokaw finally went on to end the story I turned around to put papers away. When I did Jocie looked at me with a look that I’m sure was saying, “Did you see how that went down? I made out pretty well!” I giggled at her and we shared a little classroom secret. She was quite pleased with herself. I was pleased too. I was so glad that she didn’t burst Mrs. Brokaw’s bubble by clearly asking if she could color!

My Kindergarten Class

I’m hooked.

A little girl ran in the classroom this morning and gave me a great big hug.

A little boy burned my bottom with a pretend light saber during recess.

Two kids wanted to hold my hand during rest time.

One girl asked me what happened to my nose. (My nose ring) When I told her that it was like an ear ring in my nose she said, "Oh, okay. In your nose huh?"

The Lord has been good to me!

My heart is so thankful.

My first day of being a Teacher’s Aide was today and it went very well. The kids are so cute. It was a busy day because the teacher taught lessons for today and yesterday since the kids were out for Labor Day. I’m hoping that the kids will fall in love with me quickly. I’m also hoping that the Lord will help two of the kids obey me immediately so that it will help Mrs. Brokaw when she’s teaching. I’m sure they will probably end up being my favorite two kids in the class…besides Jocie of course! Anyway, today I was just trying to figure out the whole routine. Being up there half a day doesn’t seem like enough time for me to get everything done. Maybe I’ll get faster at things. For the first day I had a great time.

Also, I’m thankful because my sweet husband brought me to class since it was my first day. My goodness…he’s near perfection! The flowers are beautiful. I used to think that flowers were such a waste of money. I told Randy a long time that I would rather have the cash than flowers that would die. I guess the older I get the more I like flowers. They make me so happy now!

Another thing to be thankful for is that Jocie did so great while I was in her class today. She treated me just like I was a teacher. She raised her hand when she needed to ask me something. She didn’t expect any special favors. She liked me being there, but she didn’t make a big deal about it. One of my highlights of the day was to see how amazingly sharp she is. That girl is smart, social and pleasant to be around. I was thrilled to see her be such a leader in the class. She may be the first woman president! I was very proud of her today.

I have a great report about Melody! She loved pre-k today! She was so adorable this morning. She woke up and the first thing she said was, “It’s my school day!” She was thrilled all morning. When I took her to the class she walked right in and never looked back. Her friend from church named Alley is in her class. When Melody first walked in she seemed very quiet, but Alley came up to Melody and then took her to play toys. It was so sweet. Melody had the best day! She was in the lunch room today having her snack when I took the kindergarten class to computer. She just waved at me. She was having fun. When I picked her up we went to eat lunch and she told me all about her day. She informed me that she wanted to eat lunch then she wanted me to take her back to school because she wanted to see her friends. I’m extremely thankful that she loves it so much. My mother’s heart was a little burdened last night when I thought of her going to school. None of my kids have ever gone to school before kindergarten so I was nervous for her, but she was as happy as she could be!

On the way into school this morning I was carrying all of Melody’s school supplies and trying to corral four kids. Jerrod Y. (He goes to our church. He’s Alley’s dad.) He saw me and asked me if he could help me get into the school. I allowed him to help me and I felt so taken care of. He was such a gentleman. He carried in my things and then told me to have a good day. It was nice to see him outside of church and for him to naturally be helpful. It made me feel very good about him.
I’m thankful that I have Christy to take care of Miles while I’m working. I didn’t worry about him one time when I was gone today. I knew that he would have everything he needed today and he did. She even bought him a new outfit and me some lip stick! Sweet! She’s such a blessing to me!

My Mom is so awesome! She offered to take Joey to physical therapy for me so I didn’t have to take all the kids with me. I pick up Joey from school, take him to her work then she takes him to pt. She has no idea what a major blessing that is for me! Plus, it’s special time that Joey gets with her all alone. That’s probably the best part!

Oh, and my laptop was healed! It stopped working last week for no reason at all! It just would not turn on. I called a friend and repented for not being a good steward of it and she forgave me. I still couldn’t turn it on yet, but I knew it was going to be okay. I took it to Best Buy today and it came right on. The Geek Squad did a check on it and everything was fine. I think it was just a reminder to 1. Keep up with the commitment that I made with the Lord. And 2. Make sure that I keep a back up file of all my writing. I got really slacked in this and I would have lost about 30 pages of my book if I couldn’t open my computer! That would have been terrible! So, the Lord was faithful to his word! If you will confess your sins to one another then you will be healed. (My computer was healed.)

Then, the biggest thing that I’m thankful for is that this past weekend was our 11th wedding anniversary! We’ve been married for 4,017 days. I get overwhelmed when I think about how incredible Randy is to me. We have the best marriage that I know of. I’ve seen some great marriages, but I know mine personally and I can say that it is right and good. We have made it when the world was saying that it was impossible. We’ve gone through things that have devastated marriages, but ours has grown stronger. We spur each other on. We balance each other out. We take turns doing it all when the other just can’t. We prefer one another…usually. We really are a team! Together we can get anything done. We’re quick to forgive. And we genuinely enjoy being around one another. However cliché, Randy is my best friend. I wouldn’t change him. I wouldn’t upgrade him. I love who he is and how he’s becoming. The Lord has performed a miracle in us!

Jesus is the best! He’s taking great care of me!

A thankful heart is a happy heart!

The day has come!

THIS IS MY BIG DAY! (See last post!)

Please pray for me today that:
I'll be a quick learner.
That I will be a great helper.
The kids will love me.
I'll have lots of energy.
I will be a blessing to the school.
Jocie will do great with me in her class.
Melody loves Pre-K.
I'll still have plenty of time & energy for my family after work.
That I won't be nervous.
and...that I will have LOTS of fun!