Sunday Snippets

Just wanted to post and kind of wrap up the week. Not a whole lot going on here-and I am very grateful for that! I will post in list format-again-because it's my blog and I can list stuff if I want to.

1. My friend Ashley had a show this weekend and from what I hear, it went great! Congratulations, Ashley! And Chase-I'm glad you made it through in one piece. ;o)

2. We got home this morning around 4am. I was up before 8. Curse the inner clock! I need sleep!

3. My husband is gone to the store to get the stuff to make homemade hoagie pizzas for dinner. My belly is growling just thinking about it!

4. Say a little prayer for my family. I'm not sure who all reads this blog so I won't go into details yet, but please know that God will know what your prayers are for!

5. This is the first week in a long time that we made it to California and home in 1 day less than a week! Our trips have been taking up to 9 days. This is definitely an answer to prayers.

6. Our four legged daughter, Caroline, was sick this week. I have decided that sick children and dogs freak me out. She had an ear infection, but I am pretty sure we are on the mend now!

7. I am ending this blog. I am going to make dinner and then I am going to bed.

8. Yes, I know it is only 6:34 pm right now..and actually? That makes me happy. ;O)

The Heart of The Matter

If I get back to the basics of things, the whole reason I started this blog was to share lessons that God teaches me on my road to adulthood and becoming His daughter. Therefore, today, I will share some things I have learned about friendship...the easy ways and the hard ways. We will, of course, be doing this in list format. After all, that is how I roll. :O)

1. I have learned that any friendship worth keeping is a lot of work. A great, close friendship is a lot like a marriage and it requires daily care.

2. I have learned that if you are really going to be close to someone, the best way to do that is by laying all of yourself out on the table. This means that you will have to say some hard things and hear a lot of hard things. Even though this part may hurt your feelings, you have to trust that the friend does it out of concern or sees it as truth.

3. I have learned that different friends fulfill different purposes in your life. You have a friend that may just be your movie friend. You have a friend that may just be the one that will tell you the truth when you try clothes on, and this is your shopping friend. You will have a friend that your children play with their children....the play-date friend. And then there are usually a couple....that even though you fall out..and back in....you can lay out all of your dirty laundry. You can call them and tell them your husband is being a real jerk. You can tell them you want to string your children up by their toes. You can tell them you need them to pray...hard and fast....and trust that they will do it. You can tell them they hurt your feelings. You can tell them you love them. You can be dirty or clean, hungry or full, empty or fulfilled...and when you show up it doesn't matter. It just matters that you have shown up. This friend is the forever one. The priceless one. This is the one that when you do hear hard things from them, you may be angry for a day or two...but you don't shut them out of your life. You need them too much.

4. I have learned that even the best facades can be seen through and broken down. No matter how hard someone tries.

5. I have learned that ANYBODY can say ANYTHING. It's in the "doing" that matters.

6. Finally, one of the most important things I have learned is this: “It is in conflict that our values are exposed.” – Genesis by Bernard Beckett, p. 88

Chock it all up to another lesson learned.

This is a public service announcement....

In order to keep from repeating the story several times, and my husband going insane from hearing it, here's what happened today in a nutshell. YOU ARE WELCOME.

*Disclaimer: I am on pain meds. Need I say more?

I started having lower abdominal pain the night before last, but nothing major. Yesterday evening, I was having a lot more. I had a very restless nights sleep and was ready to go to the doctor at 8am. The tests in the office showed fine, except my white blood cell count was up. She sent me for a million ultrasounds and they all showed fine. Long story short-she thought it was diverticulitus-which if it was bad enough could rupture and cause a long list of non-palatable medical problems. She said if the pain increased I would have to go to the ER immediately. I woke up at 4pm and the pain was a lot worse. I showed back up to the doctors office and they immediately sent me for a CT scan. I had to drink 3 cups of NASTINESS. At the end of the day, they ruled that I had a ruptured ovarian cyst. They should have picked that up on the ultrasound. I am relieved, and frustrated that it took all day to figure that out. However, I am home in bed with the hubs now and relaxing finally. I will say this-If this is how a ruptured cyst feels then I have never had one before. This was a pain I had never felt. I have been miserable all day. That is, until the happy pills kicked in about an hour ago. Thank you all for your prayers throughout the day today. I don't know how long this pain is supposed to last, but hopefully it will be over soon. After all, we have a very important guest coming soon to a town near us!
Ok...I'm falling asleep writing this,so whether it makes sense or notI am going to hit publish and hope for the best. I'm sure you guys will hear from me tomorrow on this blog thing. ;O) Love you all and talk to you soon!

In The Circle

Olin and I are finally home, and exhausted. It's been a couple busy days that only promise to get busier over the weekend. There has been a huge lack of sleep lately and we are running behind on chores, etc. However, this morning a 10 year old succeeded in making me stop dead in my tracks. Take a deep breath. And finally feel what it is like to be in the circle.

You know the one I speak of-the circle of parenthood. Late last night, Seth said.."Oh, I forgot. We have parent breakfast this week and tomorrow is the last day and I really want you guys to come with me." Did you read that right? Parent breakfast? You see, his grandparents offered to go earlier in the week and he declined, telling them it wasn't grandparents week and he would wait until we got home and could go. He would wait for Olin. And he would wait for me. His parents. I immediately said that we would go, and then let the reality sink in for myself. You see, I have to take the small victories. To some parents, it would be another thing they have to go to the school to do. For me, especially since he is in his last grade of elementary school, it may be my first and last chance at a parent breakfast.

We got up at 6am. 6 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. Ahem...Showered, and were out the door on our way to what I just knew would be a gourmet breakfast! As we were walking into the school, I kinda caught my breath when he reached for my hand. How long will it be before it is embarassing to him to hold my hand? As we walked down the halls, you could see him walk a little straighter as he was proud to have us on "his" turf. I marveled at all of the napkin dispensers and hand washing stations that were at waist level for me. We got in line and got a plate full-french toast sticks, grits, juice, fruit, and toast. Pretty good, if I do say so. ;O) We sat at tables that threatened to lock me in and keep me there for life, or until I got skinny enough to get back up. Seth had the time to talk openly about school, and activities they do. You see-it was HIS time. No cell phones, no computers, no pressing chores to do. As the bells went off and announcements were made, I was taken back to my days in elementary school. A school cafeteria is quite the time traveller. As we left for the day, with talks of what we were going to do this afternoon, I couldn't help but get a little lump in my throat. I couldn't help but think that this may be the only time I ever get to do this. And I want to remember every. little. thing. about. it. I want to remember the chairs, the smell, what we ate, what he was wearing. I want it all kept in a pretty little package with a bow on it. I feel like today was a little bit like my "icecicles from God". Which is why this post came about. Thank you for indulging me.

You know-I'm not really a breakfast food person. Today I was. And it was the best breakfast I have ever had.

Much Ado About Nothing

I am not coming here with anything important to write. Therefore, I will make a list of our comings and goings for the last couple of weeks. Lists are how I operate. It settles down all the craziness in my brain. It put things in order.

1. We are in California...again. We started in NC, went to Oregon, came to Cali today, and will be back in Oregon in the morning and in PA by Tuesday. Grateful to have a job....also grateful that my couch and bed are waiting on me at home.

2. In preparation for family photos, I will be getting my hair "did" Wednesday night. I am getting it cut, colored, and highlighted. I feel like I have been in a hair slump for quite a while (too long to mention) and need to get out!!! I am going to spend some time researching hair styles today. I'm all jacked up about it!

3. Have I mentioned the family photos? Oh, I have. Well...have I mentioned who will be taking them? And spending the weekend with us????? Drumroll please.....
None other than Amy Beth! Yes, that's right...THE Amy Beth from ministrysofabulous.com. Sheyna told her we were making a paper chain. I am afraid if she really knew how exicted we were she would RLH in the opposite direction! Ha! She seems to be just as excited..and more than the pictures we are all looking forward to getting to meet her!

4. Just you wait until you see Seth's outfits for the pictures. That kid is cute enough to have for a snack. ;O) He agreed to wear one outfit that I chose(which would get him beat up on the playground at school) and I got him one outfit that he chose. This day should be interesting!

5. Shane, David, and Kealey will be at my house with their dog, Polly. I can't wait to see how Caroline will react to having another dog on her turf. Maybe I can get her use to the idea before she gets to spend time with her betrothed Artie. Oh, how I hope she uses her manners!

6. I am simultaneously planning picture weekend, a trip to Disney, and hopefully a trip to Charleston. I am in list heaven...or should be. Only, I don't feel like making any of the lists necessary for any of these projects. I got the number 1 writted down for the "picture weekend" list over dinner...and seriously, that's as far as it got.

7. I have decided that I hate paying bills online. It really just unnerves me but it is the best way to handle it on the road. Go figure.

8. Did I mention that Amy Beth is going to be in my town? Ahh...I forgot. Well, I will mention it again. AMY. BETH. IS. GOING. TO. BE. IN. MY. TOWN.

9. I feel better now that I got that off my chest.

10. I feel obliged to end it with 10. Although, I don't really have anything to write. Oh, just thought of one. If you were interested in doing the mail thing, look for a form to be heading your way via email or snail mail soon. (sending it via email seems quite contradictory to what we are trying to do here...but I feel like it will get it all started quicker. Thoughts?)

I'm off to research hair-do's and do-nots!