Something Old, Something New, Never Blue!

Homeward Bound

2011-03-01T09:17:00.001-06:00

Saturday morning came all too quick and all too late at the same time, so many mixed emotions about going home. I loved being in the Philippines and getting to know the people. I enjoyed seeing their servant heart. I loved having the special time with my husband with no needy children. I enjoyed getting to order food at a restaurant that I wanted and not what I thought my children could share. I love the spirit and attitude of the people around. I enjoyed being in a different place, experiencing different things. At the same time, I wanted to be home around people I already know. I missed my boys and just wanted to sit in a restaurant with them by my side no matter what we were eating. I was tired of living out of a suitcase and not being in my own home. And, even though I’m not a fan of my mattress, I just wanted to be in my own bed.

We went to breakfast and then quickly finished packing the hygiene items for our long trip home. We got to the lobby and piled our luggage with everyone else’s by 7:45 am. Within a few short minutes, the bus was waiting for us outside and we got in the long line out of the lobby. We were instructed to leave our luggage in the lobby and come outside. As we started outdoors, we heard singing. Several of the people we had met throughout the week, were standing at the bottom of the hotel steps singing, “Thank You for Giving to the Lord”. It was an emotional parting. While we listened to them sing, most of our luggage was loaded under the bus. We said our good-byes, took lots of pictures, and loaded the bus. We got to the airport before they even had the terminal open. It only took a few minutes and the doors were opened but because there were so many of us in line it took almost 45 minutes before we were able to go through security back to our gate.

We boarded the plane around noon for our short flight to Hong Kong. We got into Hong Kong and it took no time to get through immigration and customs. We exited the secure area where we were met by our missionaries, Doug and LuJean Stone and one of their local friends, Joyce. Immediately we could smell a difference in the air. It was cleaner and crisp. Mr. and Mrs. Stone chartered a bus for us and took us downtown to a street market. We were given an hour and a half which was not enough time, but all we had. I really wanted a leather notebook bag and found one for about $32. I probably could have bargained more, but didn’t know how much bargaining they would do and I knew it was a better price than I could get in the states for what I got. Chris purchased a rolling backpack, I got a purse, we bought the boys some t-shirts, and a couple other souvenir items. But, I probably could have spent an entire day there and bought so much more. We left the market and went down to the harbor. I could never imagine the amount of high-rise buildings until I saw it for myself. It doesn’t even compare to big cities like Chicago or Los Angeles. There wasn’t a single-story building anywhere. Most apartment buildings would no less than 100 stories high. Can you imagine what would happen if the electricity went out and the elevators didn’t work? The harbor was beautiful. We got there as the sun was going down. We stayed until the famous light show. It wasn’t as glamorous as others had made it out to be, but definitely worth the experience. There were several laser lights at the tops and on the sides of the buildings that flashed to the sound of music. Hong Kong is a definite “want to revisit” on my list. After the show, we were taken back to the airport.

We had a couple hours in the airport before our flight left so we ate at a restaurant and had some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream before we boarded. I got on the plane, got situated and before we even got on the runway to take off, I was asleep. When I woke up, there was just a little over 3 hours left in flight. I think that means I slept about 9 hours. We got to LAX and got through immigration and customs much quicker than I anticipated. We had to re-check our luggage and change terminals, but that left us plenty of time to eat at Burger King and check voice mail and texts for the last couple weeks. It was great to finally be back on American soil. Unfortunately, that also comes with a price. The bathrooms were disgusting. I barely wanted to touch the faucet at the sink it was so horrible. We flew from there to Dallas. In Dallas, we were asked to join Mr. Konnerup in the Admirals Club. We ate delicious muffins, had juice, and my first apple in 2 weeks. I love my apples and typically eat one a day so I had really missed having apples. It tasted so sweet and juicy. I checked my e-mail and sat in a comfortable chair before we took the long walk to our terminal and gate. It was nice to have the exercise so we avoided getting on the Skylink. Only one flight left and we were home in Springfield.

Since it was 10:30 when we landed and 10:45 when we got out of the airport, we decided to go home to shower before going to get the boys. Les had left his truck in the parking lot for us. The boys were in church and there was no reason to disturb that. We met Dad at the Wal-mart parking lot to get the boys. Unfortunately, my boys had gotten my Mom sick and she was unable to come. We hugged and kissed on the boys and then Les and Nicole met us with our car. We decided to go eat lunch and invited them to come with us. Of all things, my husband wanted to eat Chinese food. Really? I obliged even though I could have really gone for a big salad or cheeseburger right about that time. We ate lunch and went home with our boys. We had a great afternoon with the boys even though it was very hard to stay awake. We went outside to play just so the wind and sun would help keep our minds in the right mode. We fed the boys dinner about 6:30, but I was too tired to eat. We had the boys in bed by 7 and Chris barely even made it across the house before he fell into bed and was asleep. I finished a load of laundry, washed my face, and brushed my teeth crawling into bed by 7:45. The storm woke me up a couple times and then I was awake again at 5 with some pains and cramps. I took some muscle relaxers and dozed until the alarm went off at 6:15. It is so great to be home.

Time's Up

2011-03-01T08:12:00.000-06:00

Friday morning was a little more relaxing. We didn’t get up to an alarm and our bodies actually let us sleep until 7. We were kind of lazy getting around to eat breakfast. We found JP after breakfast and asked him to put a tour together for us. Five other Mission Office people and five others that traveled with our group rented a van. JP’s roommate, Mar, came with us. Several of us had certain places we wanted to go or things to see. JP also had a few recommendations.

Our first stop was on the edge of the island. We could see some small islands off shore but not too far. Mark said one was where they take their lepers. They have some nurses and small hospitals on the island for them. Another is where they take pick-pockets and thieves during festivals or other special events. Of course, they can’t gather them all, but they try. We then went to Fort San Pedro. It was a place where they fought against the Spanish. There were old cannons on top of the wall. The center courtyard was beautiful with green grass, lots of tall trees, and plenty of flowers and bushes. Mark said it was a great place to bring a date ;)

We then went to Magellan’s Cross. Since Chris and I had been earlier in the week, we chose to stay in the van. When the other part of the group returned, there were several children following them. They were begging for money. They were also trying to block the group from getting back into the van. Several of the kids finally left but a few were persistent. One in particular wouldn’t get out of the way of the door so we could close it. Mark finally got him pulled away and we got the door closes only for a few seconds before the child reopened it again and again and again. We were eventually able to lock the door and he began to knock on the side of the van. As the van started to move he ran along side of the van knocking harder and harder on the door begging for money. As we gained speed, he stopped and just yelled. The biggest heart break for me was seeing the man sitting on the wall on the back side of the sidewalk and knocking he was probably in charge of the group of kids taking everything they had gained in the day. None of those kids were wearing shoes. Some only had shirts and no pants or shorts. They were all filthy from head to toe as if they had never experienced a bath or shower. They were somewhere between the ages of 7 and 10. We had many beggars approach in our time there, but this was the most persistent, most life-impacting.

We had another stop or two that were Cebu City historical sites. Our last tourist stop was the Taoist Temple. It was everything I expected and more. There were signs everywhere to observe silence and respect for their gods. Idols were incased in glass. Special idols had their own hut while others were grouped together. In each hut were small kneeling benches so you could say your prayers or ask for blessings. There was incense and candles burning in several spots. Proper attire was required to enter a hut; no sleeveless tops, no shorts. All tourists were asked not to video or take pictures of their gods as that was disrespectful. One posted sign especially caught my eye. It said something to the effect that if you asked a god for something you had to be prepared for his answer. If he says yes or no, you accept it. If he says wait, then you may have to return another day. If he says maybe, then you may need to simplify your question. I’m so glad my God doesn’t need me to simplify my questions. My God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think. My God knows what I’m thinking before I even ask. What a great God we serve. The view of the town and surrounding mountains from the top of the temple was beautiful. I had never visited a temple of that kind before. I had only seen them on TV and read about them in books. The feeling I had there was like no other.

We left the temple and went for lunch back at the SM Mall where most of us chose to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I had fettuccini alfredo and a slice of pizza that was quite good. We got back to the hotel with just enough time to do the Sky Experience at the top of our hotel.

We did the edge roller coaster together. I thought I would be really scared, but because you are strapped in so tight from the waist down there’s no possibility of moving. It was another beautiful view of the town and just a great time to enjoy being alone with my husband. Chris also did the Sky Walk which he said was not scary. Basically, you put on a space-looking suit and are strapped to a harness that hooks to some bars above your head and then you are able to walk along the edge of the hotel looking several hundred feet down. We finished a few minutes later than we thought and ran to the elevator and to our room quickly to change clothes.

We met the Mission Office group in the lobby where Pastor Jun escorted us to a local Filipino restaurant. The whole way, I was thinking to myself. I’m already sick. It can’t get any worse but I’m not sure I can eat anything that looks weird. Then, I thought, well that’s rude, I have to eat. My thoughts transferred between being rude and well, at least I can eat the rice. I finally just set my mind on giving everything a chance. No one knew what to order so Pastor Jun just ordered for everyone. They brought out individual empty plates for us all and then sat the foot in the middle. We had garlic shrimp, grilled tuna, stuffed crab, two kinds of beef soup, chicken, pork egg rolls, and rice. He also ordered each of us a mango shake…delicious! I tried everything except the chicken. When the chicken came out, it was the last thing. I had already stuffed myself with everything else and the chicken was so dark, when they sat it on the table I honestly thought it was beef. I decided that would be the one thing I would “chicken” out eating. I guess I wasn’t the only one because there was a whole plate of it on the table when we left the restaurant. Pastor Jun and his wife, Ma’am Judy, were wonderful hosts and we had great discussion at the table over the meeting and the possibility of another global meeting in five years.

We got back to the hotel and Chris was responsible for calling all traveling with us the next day. He had to tell each about the terminal fees, check-out time, departure information, and other stuff. He stayed in the lobby while I headed to the room to begin the chore of re-packing. I quickly learned that I had to lay dirty clothes flat or actually fold them to get them to fit back into the suitcases easily. I had almost everything finished when Chris got to the room. We finished a few things together and crawled into bed at a decent time. Again, I think we both slept well.

Mid-Week Challenges

2011-02-25T08:56:00.002-06:00

It's been a few days since I've been blogged. Two reasons...sick and busy when not sick. I've been on an unwanted weight loss program since Tuesday afternoon and now it's Friday night. We go home tomorrow morning and this is one thing I would like to leave here. I blame it all on Chris. Tuesday we went to TGI Friday for lunch and I ordered a cheeseburger and fries. The cheeseburger came with everything on it, just the way I like it. But, because we had been, earlier in the week, advised not to eat lettuce, I began to take mine off. Chris joked with me about it and said he was leaving his on. I felt bad, so I left all the veggies on it and within and hour I was sick. I missed church Tuesday night and Wednesday morning but thought I was feeling better so I hopped on a bus with Chris, 3 people from Bible Baptist Church Cebu (BBC), and a pastor and his wife from Nepal. We went to the beach.

Their beach is not like any beach I’ve ever seen. The sand is imported and just poured on top of the hard, dirt ground. There isn’t enough to squish between your toes or build a sandcastle. The sandy beach doesn’t go down into the water. There are steps required for that. It is still beautiful and the water is clear. I didn’t see any fish in the main part of the ocean. However, the resort had 2 captured sharks in some stale, murky water. They were maybe 3 or 4 feet long but big enough that I didn’t want to get in the water with them. Pastor Sharma, from Nepal, rented a jet ski for him and his wife. Since they live in the mountains they had never seen a large body of water, much less been to the ocean. She quickly panicked so Pastor Sharma convinced Chris to gout with him to drive. Pastor Sharma held on for dear life and only lasted about 10 minutes before he asked to go ashore. He told Chris to go back out and finish the time. Chris happily agreed. At that resort an employee has to ride with you at all times so off they went. Chris played his usual dare-devil tricks and it would seem as if the employee had a lot of fun with it. Chris swam a while and saw a couple more fish and then we took pictures before heading back. I didn’t get to enjoy all the beach had to offer because my problem revisited.
On the way back to the hotel one of the ladies from the church, Ivey, gave me some medicine. After a little rest in our room, I thought the medicine was working. I decided to ride the bus to church.

Church didn’t even get started before I realized it was a bad idea. I found Chris and asked him to help me flag a cab for me. Chris instructed the driver to take me to Crown Regency Jones. That began the scariest 10 minutes of my life. The cab driver started by locking the doors. None before had done that. Then, he pulled away from the church and turned the opposite direction of the normal route. We drove down roads I had never seen. I started counting turns; one left, one right, two rights. I was freaking out. The even scarier part was we were on roads that were so narrow he had to roll down his window to pull in his mirror. On top of that fact, we were the only cab, no, the only car on any of these streets. There were some tricycles and some people, but no road-side stands. Eventually, I spotted the Chua Hung Hospital which is just blocks from our hotel and I could finally breathe normal again. My heart slowed and my muscles loosened.
I slept well with minimal problems and went to breakfast with Chris Thursday morning. I decided to try to go to the meeting again. But, before services started I knew I needed to get some help. I found our buddy, JP and told him I needed some “good drugs”. He found me a nurse who brought me some Gatorade and put me in touch with Ma’am Judy Lumagbas. She is the Assistant Pastor’s wife and the Head Nurse in the church. I guess since they have an elementary, high school, and Bible college they have nursing staff. Anyway, she was home sick with the same thing. Ma’am Judy called me on the phone, and after interviewing me, said she would call the doctor for me. The doctor, another member of the church, came to the church office just for me. (She was on her way to take some guests to the airport.) She asked all of the same questions and some new ones and then wrote me a “prescription” on some paper she found in the office. I asked JP to take me to the pharmacy but he just took the prescription instead and had someone else go get the medicine for me. They returned with medicine in just a short time. I quickly took it and then JP helped me get another cab back to the hotel. I had a little energy so I ventured out with Chris to a different mall for lunch, where we ate an Italian lunch followed by some Italian ice cream, with some friends. We went back to the hotel and rested for a few moments and then headed to the Cebu Convention Center which is the same place where the first meeting was held.

Church was excellent. The speakers were entertaining and challenging but most of all Biblical. After church we stayed around to take several group photos and then tried to make our way across the street to eat dinner. It was like paparazzi everywhere. Filipinos would follow you and ask to have their picture taken with you or they wanted just your picture. They love Americans and other Internationals. They were so thrilled to have their picture taken with someone of a different color. We finally got some food and back to the hotel around 10:30. We tried to watch a little bit of a movie but fell asleep in the middle of it. Guess that’s how tired we were.

What a Monday!

2011-02-21T17:49:00.000-06:00

If you know me, you know I’m a planner. I wanted Chris to make all our tour plans before we even left the States. That didn’t happen. All Sunday night after church I was stressing over what we were going to do on today. Chris just told me to be flexible and live in the moment. That is so hard for me to do. We woke up this morning and showered and went to breakfast. Still no plans. Then, we went to find some Mission Office cohorts. We couldn’t find them. We ran into the gentleman taking care of the music for the week at the meeting, Harold Payne. He was going to try to convince the group of BBC guys to take a Jeep-Me to the real markets…two experiences at one time. We ran into our Mission Office cohorts and told them of the plan. They were on board. We went downstairs to talk to the people of Bible Baptist Church Cebu. They decided we should have a guide, one of their own. J.P. volunteered to go with us. They instructed us to get rid of wallets, cell phones, any and all jewelry. They told us to only carry enough money to purchase the Jeep-Me ride there and back and a little for shopping and all money was to be carried in your front pocket. J.P. helped us get on the first Jeep-Me. The group was so large we had to take two. After we got off the Jeep-Me there was a short distance to walk. He called a friend to meet up with us because he was worried about keeping track of the whole group. Mark happily joined our group. We stopped at their “mall” which was totally different than the tourist attraction malls we had previously been taken to. It was one huge store, but on each level was a different thing. The first floor was accessories like sunglasses, belts, backpacks, etc. The second floor was department store items like small appliances and bath linens or curtains. The third floor was all men’s clothing. The fourth floor was all women’s clothing. You get the idea. It was six floors high.
After we left the mall we headed to Carbon Market. We separated into two groups going in opposite directions in a circle around the market meeting back at the exact spot we had parted ways. We were given even more instructions to hold tight to cameras, place backpacks in the front and hold your hand over the zipper, stay close in the group, and check your pockets often to make sure you still have what you came with. We headed in to the market. Each section is divided just like a grocery store. In one section there are vendors who are all selling flowers, the next section, all vendors are selling noodles or vegetables.
The meat market is within Carbon Market but it’s separated by a different roof and tile floors. The tile floors were only in the walkways, though. I guess that’s meant for cleanliness because as we were walking through several people were spraying the walkway with water and wiping it off with brooms. We got to see a guy take some sort of skin looking stuff out of this bag. It was long and see- through. He put it over the end of a nozzle. He then put this ground up meat stuff in the top and cranked the handle. As he did the meat came down and into the nozzle filling the skin. He was making some kind of sausage. The next row over in the meat market, you could see the workers taking those long strips of sausage and using string to make smaller pieces but it was still all attached. I’m not sure I’m describing it very well, but I’m doing the best I can with words. Anyway, no more sausage for me ;)
Further into the market we saw several guys standing around. We were again instructed to watch our pockets and hold tight to cameras. Each guy had a rooster. They were getting ready for a cock fight. I guess that’s pretty common in the market. One of the crazy things we found in the market was banana ketchup. I passed on trying it. We did stop and try something. I have no idea what it was called. It was a sticky, sweet rice with mashed peanuts on the inside. J.P. assured us it was clean and very good and it was. He wanted us to try these purple eggs that had been hardboiled in some kind of salty mixture. I, again, passed on that. We found this section and they were all selling coconuts. He had a lady (who had humongous arms) crack up this coconut for us. She then grabbed a straw for us and we drank the milk straight from the coconut. How cool was that? It tasted totally different than I expected. After we had all had our fill (mind you, sharing the same straw) we gave it back to her and she filled a plastic bag with the remaining milk. It was a lot more than I had anticipated because I thought we had drank a lot. She then cut open the rest of the coconut and scraped out all the meat for us. Again, it was totally different than I expected but not in a bad way. We gave the leftovers to J.P. and he was very excited about that. We went into a souvenir shop where I picked up a few things and J.P. helped bargain for a better price.
After that, we met up with the rest of the group and walked down to Magellan’s Cross. Chris and I stayed outside. It was a quite small gazebo thing in the center of town with a cross inside it. I think it symbolized where Magellan was killed. J.P. said it was his first time every actually going there because since he’s a Christian he doesn’t care about that kind of stuff.
We walked a little further and grabbed a Jeep-Me back to the hotel where we ate lunch. Lunch was at Mr. Grill upstairs in the hotel. We attempted to eat a cheeseburger. I barely choked down half and left the rest. Chris gobbled his up and made fun of me for not eating mine. I’m really trying to not be so picky, but there are some things I just can’t get past. Our burgers barely even filled the center 2 ½ inches of the bun. There was twice as much bun as burger. The fries were ok, but again not the same. I’ve been drinking lots of water to keep flushed of any bad stuff that might venture in and washing good all the time.
We showered and relaxed for about 30 minutes when we got a phone call to tell us to be out front of the hotel at 3:45 to go to the Convention Center. Chris doesn’t like when people have to wait on us so we were downstairs at 3:30 which gave me less than 10 minutes to finish getting ready. We got to the Convention Center, which was huge by the way, and I realized it was going to be a long night. Church didn’t start until 6 and was expected to run until 9 and I was going to get hungry. I asked a local if the area was safe. He assured me it was so I alone walked across the street to, yet another mall, find something to eat. I decided to try KFC. I got the original recipe chicken meal. It came with this nicely packaged thing that looked like a biscuit but I had already been warned that rice would await me beyond that paper. It was indeed rice. I headed back to the Convention Center and found a place to squat and eat. The chicken was great, just like home, and I ate about half the rice ball.
Church started promptly at 6. There were over 5,000 in attendance and not an empty seat in the house. There were many standing in the back or sitting on the floor. They had somewhat of an opening ceremony. It was cool. They had a guy sang a beautiful song about Calvary’s love and there was a group sitting in the corner wearing all black except white gloves. They had black lights on them and they made lots of different shapes and words with their gloves, so cool! Then, they exited the stage and had families in their church dress from many of the different countries around the world. As they introduced each country, the family paraded across stage and filled the aisles of the convention center. It was very well done and you could tell how much work was put into the program. I felt like I was in one of those big churches, well we kind of were. We sang congregationals and listened to a famous Japanese opera singer. She is a product of a missionary and so she sings for the glory of God, but she is also a professional singer in Japan. She is in traditional dress and very prim and proper every time I see her. She has a phenomenal voice. The first speaker was from Japan, Yoshida. His testimony was that of a Buddhist background from which he was saved. He still has several relatives that are from the Buddhist background and even a few uncles who are Buddhist priests. What an awesome testimony he has.
The last speaker was Dr. Jesalva, the Pastor here at Bible Baptist Church Cebu. He gave an excellent message on how to become a better servant of Jesus Christ. Wow! And, he and his church are living proof of what it means to be a servant. They have made runs back and forth to the airport for the last week and a half helping people get through immigration and customs. They have been in our hotel lobby exchanging currency. They have helped arrange tours for us and taxis. They have put so much work into making their church even more presentable to all the guests. They are feeding and housing hundreds of guests who could not otherwise afford to be here. They have been amazing and I am sure they will all collapse of exhaustion just a few short hours after the escort the last guest to the airport. The service ended and we were bused back to the hotel. I immediately washed and got into bed but checked my e-mail and did a little Blogging when my eyes were very heavy and I fell asleep. I woke up shaking I was so cold. I guess I woke Chris up, too. He got out of bed and turned the air up and then crawled back into bed and pulled me close to give me some body heat. I quickly fell back asleep and didn’t awake until the alarm went off at 6am.

Church, Spa, Church

2011-02-21T01:10:00.002-06:00

Got up early and ready for church. Church services were great. The choir sang and it was a packed choir. They had 2 special speakers, both Americans. Pastor Mark Hodges did an excellent job of incorporating mission history in the Philippines with his message.

We got out a little earlier than expected. As soon as we got out of the gates of the church there were several local vendors trying to sell french fries (which they were cooking on the spot), newspapers, fruit, and lots of other stuff. I don't know if they are there after every service or just spotted the 2 huge tourist buses sitting outside and tried to make a little extra cash. We passed them and got on the bus.

The bus took us to the local mall for lunch. Chris and I stopped at an Italian restaurant this time. He ordered some sort of tortellini with a white cream sauce. He wasn't sure what the meat stuff in it was but he said it was pretty good. My philosophy is if it tastes good, don't ask what's in it. It might ruin it for me. I ordered spaghetti pesto and it was absolutely delicious. I've decided if I get hungry from lack of eating normal food, I'll go back there or to TGI Friday's. It's just like in America.

We finished eating before 1 but the bus wasn't leaving until 2 from the mall so we caught a taxi back to the hotel. It cost 68 pesos which is about $1.25. I came to the room and called the hotel spa. They had an opening available and so I went upstairs to the spa. I had a body scrub, massage, and facial altogether lasting almost 3 hours. It cost a whopping $20 and that included a more than 10% tip.

I came back up to the room and showered, threw on some clothes and Chris and I headed downstairs to catch a cab back to church. The bus left 10 minutes prior and we didn't make it. Church services were again very good and it was packed full of people. There was a gentleman who was saved out of the religion of Islam 40+ years ago who now runs an institute in Colorado teaching people who to win the Muslim community. He was very interesting to listen to and incorporated some of the things currently going on in Cairo and other middle-eastern countries. The last speaker was the man who helped start Asia Baptist Clearinghouse which is a sending agency for Filipino missionaries. We got to meet several Filipino missionaries last night. That was a cool experience. They just might be the ones who are able to take the gospel into the middle-east since Americans have a harder time getting visas than they do.

After church the bus brought us back to the hotel. We walked down to the local supermarket that also has a few restaurants around it. We ate at Pizza Hut, real authentic, I know. They only had 2 kinds of pizza, cheese and bacon or ham and pineapple. I ate one of the ham and pineapple. Chris had cheese and bacon. They were pretty good, but still a little different.

Got into bed and slept good until about 6am when some guys were hollering down the hallway right outside our room. Oh, well! I guess it was time to wake up.

About Cebu and the Philippines

2011-02-20T08:04:00.007-06:00

Some special things about the area where we are.

Everywhere building you go in there seem to be metal detectors. It's ok if they go off half the time, but they are there just in case they want to enforce the rules.

There are security officers everywhere, in most businesses or just standing around outside. This doesn't necessarily make me feel any safer, it's just a fact.

Any reputable business has uniformed employees. If they don't have uniforms, you have to wonder why.

Lots of stores and restaurants have signs telling people to "check their guns". In other words, you can't bring weapons inside. I guess that's common practice around here.

We complain in the USA about making minimum wage which is around $7.25 per hour. They do well to make 300 pesos per day which is less than $7. That's for the WHOLE DAY!!!

There is someone to clean up after you in every restaurant whether fast food or sit-down. If you clean up after yourself you just deprived them of the privilege of performing their job. Most of the time, you can't clean up after yourself, though. It's too hard to find a trash receptacle.

Filipinos for the most part, tend to be a hard-working people.

Whenever your car stops moving you will be bombarded with sales people. They are trying to sell sunglasses, watches, newspapers, fruit, you name it...they want you to buy it.

Jeepneys are everywhere. I had the experience of riding one. It is their public transportation like our city buses. They only take certain routes and each one only costs 7 pesos.

Road-side restaurant stands are everywhere. You can buy whole chickens, pigs, and real-live fish sticks :)

The weather is warm and humid but if the air is moving, it's not a big deal.

Our room key is the only way the electricity and air-conditioner work in our room. When you walk in the room you have to put your key card in this slot and then everything turns on. Without it, nothing works. Guess that's a good way for them to save on their electric bill. That means the water in your refrigerator is only cold in the morning from being chilled all night. During the day there isn't enough time int he room to keep it cold. It also means you can only charge phones and cameras when you are going to be in the room for an hour or two.

Most Filipino girls want to marry white men. It's not uncommon to see a white man and Filipino girl walking down the street together.

This is another list I'll be adding to as I have time and see more.

Everywhere

2011-02-20T07:58:00.004-06:00

There are some things you just see everywhere you go no matter what part of the world. There is usually a slight difference than what you see in the USA, but it's still the same. Here's a few of what I've found so far.

McDonald's - here they serve rice with every meal, but rice is still an option. Drinks are not free refills and they are really small. Someone opens the door for you to enter and exit. They also clean off the tables and put the trash away. You don't. That's their job and they really want to do their job.

KFC - also comes with rice instead of mashed potatoes or a biscuit. The rest is the same as McDonald's.

Pizza Hut - only 2 options of pizza at the one we went to tonight, bacon and cheese or ham and pineapple. Pretty much tastes the same, though.

Toyota, Suzuki, Mitsubishi - They have different models of cars that I've never seen before. If it isn't a Japanese-made vehicle they probably don't drive it here.

Mormons, Church of Christ, Jehovah's Witness, Catholic, Nazarene, Assembly of God, Baptists, Pentecostal - Religion is not only popular in the United States. Every religion has made its way into other countries. We saw them all.

As I think of more, I'll add them. My eyes are fading.

Flopped Saturday Salvaged

2011-02-20T07:32:00.005-06:00

I would love to tell you that Saturday's tour was just as good as the day before. I'd love to, but I can't. It was a miscommunication flop that was salvaged with a trip to a church and walking through the local market. Let me tell you about it!

We were instructed to be on the bus in front of the hotel at 9am. I had already heard Pastor Jun describe the tour and didn't want to go but was assured it was going to be a great tour and not really given an option. I obliged and got on the bus. We drove for an hour and a half or so and listen to a guy talk about the Mactan island. Some of it was interesting information, most of it could have been Googled or found on Wikepedia. He was a super nice guy, though. He had his degree in electrical engineering but I guess makes more money as a tour guide and has been doing that for over 20 years. Crazy, I know! Anyway, at 10:30am we arrived at this beach resort. He proceeds to tell us that we can go in, eat lunch, and swim for a few hours. Well, no one told me we were swimming on the tour so I was not prepared. Neither did anyone else who came on the same tour have any idea that's what we were doing on top of the fact that 10:30 in the morning is too early to eat lunch. Our mission director stepped in and called a local pastor.

Pastor Tangun came quickly and took us to his church where we were able to meet some of his people. He also has a school for children and a Bible Institute. These facilities were much nicer and they even had a few small air-conditioner window units installed in the main sanctuary. They also had a covered basketball court on the back side. Nothing was extravagant, just nice. I've never been a big fan of Manna feeding centers mostly just because I didn't know much about them. However, Pastor Tangun is a result of a Manna feeding center. I guess they're pretty important. Some of my favorite missionaries in Mexico say a lot "They'll never care what you know until they know you care". It's so true! People don't really care to know about the Gospel until their basic physical needs are met. We had a great time at his church.

We went back to the beach resort where we were fed a buffet lunch that included none other than rice and lots of Filipino authentic food. It was a beautiful view for our lunch. There weren't enough tables set up under the tent so the Mission Office crew ate in a cabana. Pastor Tangun then escorted us to their local mall which basically consisted of one huge department store in the dead center with a few kiosks around the outside.

Chris, Jason, Sally and I opted to stick together and walk the streets of the local markets. We were talked to, laughed at, and stared at. It was very interesting. It was an experience worth taking. We saw whole pieces of meat hanging from hooks, lots and lots of fish (whole), and many other things I can't even describe. People would holler at us and say "Take my picture Sir, take my picture Mum". Several of the kids wanted Chris to show them their picture on the digital screen after he took it. They were so much fun posing for pictures and smiling and following us. We were definitely the talk of that part of the town. We walked in a big square and then stopped for a snack at Julie's Bake-Shop. All the girls (at least 4) were in uniform serving many kinds of breads and rolls. We ordered cinnamon buns for all. They weren't like a cinnamon roll from back home, but definitely good. We then went back to the "mall" where Chris purchased a local shirt called a Barong. I bought wash cloths. Why? Because our hotel does not have them. I only brought a few to wrap breakable items in, so I purchased a few at the department store which I can leave behind when it's time. We then got back on the bus and drove 1 1/2 hours back to the hotel. Whew! Thank goodness.

We got back to the hotel in plenty of time to do some exploring and then headed out to dinner with Sally. We decided to try Jollibee. The locals say it's a lot like McDonald's but better and cheaper. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, mostly because I don't plan on repeating that experience. The burger definitely had something else mixed in with the meat. It was not American cheese or cheddar cheese or any kind of cheese I recognized. There was some funky sauce on there I ended up trying to wipe off with my napkin. I guess the taste was still stuck in my mouth because my french fries ended up not being so good either yet Sally and Chris both said they tasted fine. We then walked up to the rotary where there are actually signs posted that said "Please, No Public Urination". We walked across a bridge that went over the busy street but were in too close quarters with many young boys and felt uncomfortable. We made it around to McDonald's where I ordered an ice cream cone and then headed back.

On that little journey I saw several little kids lying on cardboard boxes some with parents, some without, some very young (like probably around the age of 2) and some maybe as old as 10. I saw adults who were using their jacket as a blanket and an umbrella to cover their face so people couldn't see them. It was sad! My heart aches for them.

We got back to the hotel and headed to bed promptly.

Friday in the Philippines

2011-02-18T18:40:00.002-06:00

We got up at 4:30am to shower and head downstairs by 5am. We took a bus to the ferry and the 2-hour ferry ride took us to the island of Bohol. We had free Wi-Fi on the ferry so we were able to call and check on the boys. We found out Dylan had been sent home from school with an upset stomach. We were briefly able to talk to him and excited to hear his voice. I'm really missing my boys. We haven't talked to Eli since LAX but I don't think he minds so much. They are doing well with their Aunt and sounds like they are having tons of fun with the beautiful weather. We met Pastor Richard Famadoro at the ferry to take us to Bohol. He has been at our church (Wilson Creek) before and we gave him money to help pay for church property. He was our tour guide. We started at McDonald's for breakfast where they serve rice with almost every meal you can order. It was super cheap, even cheaper than McDonald's in the states. I took pictures of McDonald's and the menu so everyone can see. Hopefully, I can get some pictures uploaded tonight.

We left there to go to Blood Point, at least I think that's what it was called. It had something to do with Magellan coming to the island and signing an agreement with them that was supposed to be a Peace Treaty but turned into the Spaniards turning the people of Bohol into slaves.

We moved from there to go to the oldest Catholic church on the island (400 years old). It was built by the people of Bohol under slave control. It was an old run down building but inside had all the fancy idols and things you would typically see in a Catholic church. They still hold mass there but they have a museum upstairs. It was interesting to say the least.

Our next stop was this place where we got to see what they think is the largest python in the Philippines. I don't know what the measurement is now, but in 2005 they said it was 23 feet long. I actually got in the cage and touched it. Chris even sat "Flat Dylan" on the python for a picture. If you don't know who "Flat Dylan" is you'll have to ask me later. It's a fun story.

We went from there to a different stop where they had Tarsier monkeys. They are the smallest monkey in the world and are going extinct. I think you can actually only find them on the island of Bohol. They are super cute. The place also had a couple other monkeys who were chained to fences and that had a small python which you could have wrapped around your shoulders and then a picture taken. I refrained this time. I was taking a picture of one of the other monkeys and it actually jumped at my camera. Good thing it was on a chain!

We then took a riverboat cruise that had a buffet on it. We got to eat all kinds of things that we didn't know what it was. A guy sang to us and we went down the river and saw some really short waterfalls and then back up the river. We stopped alongside at one time and this group of about 20 girls, women, boys, and men sang to us and danced and played all kinds of music. I took some pictures and video.

After that, we headed to this place called Chocolate Hills. It was these really neat hills that are supposedly made of coral. Of course, you can't see the coral because it's covered in grass. The funny thing is that all the valleys had palm trees and other trees, but there were no trees on these hills. The other funny thing, they didn't market very well. I couldn't even buy chocolate there unless it was milk or ice cream. We chose mango ice cream and it was absolutely delicious.

We drove through a man-made forest. I guess the area was completely undeveloped so they mandated boys to be in boy scouts and they had to plant trees. They created a forest along part of the road we traveled. It was pretty neat.

Our last touristy stop was the zip line. We went across the river that we had taken the riverboat cruise on earlier in the day. We got to go side by side going one way. Chris and I started at the same time, but he ended up passing me about halfway. On the way back it was only one at a time and I chose to go last so Chris could take my picture coming in. The last zip line was much faster but both were totally fun. We did them both Superman style!

After all the tourist stuff, the pastor took us to show us the property their church was in the process of purchasing and then we got to go to their current church which is quite a drive away. I will definitely have to show you pictures of this. I am so thankful for our church and the building we have. They run about 180 people, but meet in plastic lawn chairs under a tent. There aren't even enough chairs for everyone to sit down, yet their church continues to grow. There aren't any fans to move air and it was just plain old dirty. The back of the church had dorms for their Bible college students. I can't even put into words how sad my heart felt to see where they sleep, cook, eat, and do laundry. Their church also has a Christian school and lots of the kids were still there. They use old A.C.E. curriculum that churches in the states send them. They are happy with that and well known in their community for having an American style school. That is a good thing on their island. It's highly regarded. The pastor lives in part of the building and also has his office there. It's so small, but I know that's normal for them.

We then went to eat an authentic dinner at a local chicken place. We got to watch them cook our chicken on an open flame grill at the front of the restaurant. Then, they took it to the back and put it on plates and served it with none other than "rice" :) They eat rice with everything here just like most oriental countries. We headed back and waited on our ferry, got on the ferry and got back to the pier around 8:30pm. There was only 1 van there so our driver waited around for a while to make sure another van got there to pick up the rest of the group. We got back to our hotel around 9:00pm. We got cleaned up and crawled into bed. I responded to some e-mails and Chris informed me he wasn't tired. However, within about 3 minutes he was snoring so loud I had to wake him up to get him to roll over. Guess he was more tired than he thought. I turned off the lights about 10pm. This mattress is probably just as comfortable as the one back home :) Some of you will actually understand that joke!

Philippines Trip Day 1 thru 3

2011-02-18T18:08:00.002-06:00

We started our trip at the Springfield National Airport at 2:30pm where we met up with part of our group. There we about 25 or 30 in that group. We patiently waited for our first of 4 planes for the trip. We boarded and left for DFW with no troubles at all. We had a small layover in Dallas and picked up more in the group. We flew to LAX where we had another small layover and then our group grew even bigger. By this time, we probably had about 60-80 in our group.

We then boarded the 3rd plane for our long 15hr and 8 minute flight. It's been a long time since I've been on a plane overseas and I'm not sure I remember how long it actually took from back then. This was our very own time machine. We actually traveled, in the dark, 14 hours forward in time. So, basically, we lost half a day. I had an aisle seat on this trip and Chris sat across the aisle from me. I waited until they fed dinner about 1 1/2 hours into the trip and then took some Tylenol PM. For dinner, I had beef merlot with mashed potatoes and something else. I also had some delicious cheese cake and some other things that I have already forgotten. I dozed on and off but at one point I realized the guy sitting next to me was no longer there. He had stepped over me and disappeared. I didn't think I slept more than an hour but later in the flight I found out he had gone to the back to stand and talk and was gone 4 hours. I didn't see him leave and only awoke for a brief second to let his wife out and then again when they wanted to sit back down. Guess I slept longer than I thought. That was a good thing, though. I watched a couple movies between all that. Each person has their own individual screen with tons of movies and TV shows and also video games to play. You have a remote and gaming remote. It's great for such a long trip. You can also watch the map of the plane moving across the sky or you can watch out the camera that is located on the bottom of the plane. That turned out not to be so cool except during take-off and landing. The rest of the time you just saw black (the night sky). Chris's TV didn't work, or at least the remote didn't. So, every time he wanted to watch something he had to ask a flight attendant. Kind of funny, but made for a long trip for him. We ate breakfast at some point. You could order some clam cognee (which turned out to be a creamy soup) or you could have a ham frittata. That turned out to be an egg omelette with ham and veggies in it. It also came with "streaky bacon". I have no idea why they called it "streaky" but it was just flimsy bacon. It also came with some creamed spinach, red skinned potatoes, fruit bowl, yogurt, juice, and an apple loaf. The apple loaf was actually pretty good. I ate everything except the creamed spinach. It was kind of dry and, well, just not so great. We were served snacks at random during the flight where I found I enjoyed a small chocolate bar called Tim Tams. I'm going to have to get a few extra on the flight home to share with my boys. They'll love them. We landed in Hong Kong downstairs and then had to go through security to get upstairs which is where you have to be for all departing flights. We were able to connect to the Wi-Fi and use the soft-phone installed on my laptop and call Dylan on his 6th birthday. I think I was more emotional about that than actually leaving them the day before. He was excited to hear from us and know we were in China but couldn't hear very well. I know by the time we get back he will look like he's grown a foot. I miss my boys so much. We were in the Hong Kong airport a couple hours before we boarded our 4th and final plane to Cebu. I sat by the exact same people, Steve and Jenell Bender, but this time I had the window seat. That was the perfect time for a window seat. I got to watch the islands pop up in the middle of the ocean all the way from Hong Kong to Cebu. I saw Manila as we passed over it...so neat! We ate chicken and rice rolls on that flight. No, the rice and chicken wasn't in an egg roll. It was literally rice cake rolls with some chicken on top of it. Not too bad. It also came with some fruit and other stuff that I already forgot. Guess my memory isn't working too well.

We landed in Cebu and as we came down the tunnel we saw our first "welcome" sign. It was the BBFI Global Fellowship meeting sign. They were all over the airport. As soon as we got inside we were greeted by Chris's boss and ushered to a special line that was supposed to move quickly, but didn't move as quickly as anticipated. On the other side we were greeted by Pastor Jun and I'm not even going to try to spell his last name. He's the Associate Pastor at the church who is hosting the meeting. He helped get us through customs and then we were again greeted by even more people from Bible Baptist Church of Cebu. This time it was a group of ladies who, didn't put lays on us, but instead put a tag around us that symbolized we were there for the big convention. After we all got through security, customs, and got our luggage we were ushered outside to be again greeted by members of BBC Cebu. This time is was a group of young people singing and playing instruments. It was so cool! They had 1 large bus and a van to get us all to the hotel, Crown Regency. It was a short 30 minute drive but full of sights of poverty and uncleanliness. People, well mostly guys, just drop their drawers anywhere. We saw some mental cases, lots and lots of shacks if you can even call them that. We immediately saw the need for the gospel here and our hearts are so thankful there are missionaries and pastors hard at work in this city.

We all, obviously, got to the hotel at the same time and check-in was a mess. First of all, I have to tell you that we walked into the hotel and there was a metal detector but since they were overwhelmed with the number of guests arriving at the same time, they just let us all pass. That makes me feel safe, not! The hotel wasn't prepared for us and had assigned rooms to couples with 2 twin beds and rooms with singles in it got King beds. It was a mess. We finally got a room assignment in Tower 2. I have no idea where everyone else is. Funny thing is we have to take our elevator to floor 9 and then take a ramp and some steps over to floor 10 to actually get to our room. And, there are some in our group that have to take the elevator to floor 10 to go to a different ramp to get to their room on floor 9. It's crazy but we've got it figured out now.

We were allowed ample time to shower and clean up and get things adjusted in our room, but were asked to meet at 5pm for further instructions. At that time we were told of our next few days plans and escorted to a bus where we went to the nearest mall. The mall was huge. Again, we had to walk through metal detectors, but this time they actually checked bags and were very careful about what got through. The mall was 4 flights up and 1 down in the basement. It was full of stores I've never heard of and lots of stores we have in our own mall. There are so many places to eat and shop. There are salons and mani/pedi places. We didn't want to think so we ate at TGI Friday's that night. It was hard to sit down because the thought of getting back up was painful. Every time we went in a store and stopped moving for a second my legs would get heavy. We decided to just keep moving. We were allowed to meet back at the van at 8pm (had to and then taken back to the hotel. There was no discussion about what to do when we got back. We brushed our teeth and crawled into bed. I don't even think it took 10 seconds for my eyes to close and be in deep sleep. We slept from 9:30 to 4:30 the next morning (our Friday) with no problem, or at least I did. More to come!

Ornery Boys

2010-11-23T14:56:00.002-06:00

Dylan is out of school for a week. It's Thanksgiving break. We already had his Fall Break back in October and during that break, we went non-stop. I planned activities for almost every day. We went to the Titanic Museum, Silver Dollar City, Fantastic Caverns, the lake, and so much more. I didn't want him to be bored. You know what he says he likes to do most, though. He likes to play at home with his toys. Don't get me wrong. He enjoyed everything we went to do, but when you get right down to it, the boy likes to sleep in his own bed and hang out at his house. He's not a fan of long car rides or unfamiliar places. He doesn't want to eat out all the time and he prefers his own toys over anyone else's. I love that boy! We've gone through some struggles with him since school started. Granted, some of his getting in trouble at school wouldn't necessarily happen in a public school, but he is where we chose for him and we need him to follow rules they have set. What's he getting in trouble at school for? Well, there's the time he didn't pass his papers forward when he was supposed to or there was the time he fell out of his chair because he leaned back too far in it or there was the time he was making gas-passing sounds on his arm when he was supposed to be quiet. Yes, those are the things he shouldn't be doing because he needs to follow rules no matter what they are. But, in addition to that, my little rambunctious boy has been talking too much at church and focusing his energy in the wrong direction at gymnastics. We've had some heart-to-heart talks in the last week and have seen a turn in the right direction. I'm just hoping it continues.

Eli is a firecracker. He wakes up with a humongous smile. If he doesn't, watch out, because he's either sick or something is seriously wrong. His smile is infectious like no other. His big cheeks just beg to be squeezed. His graying tooth sticks out like a sore thumb when he smiles but I love him just the same. He's smart and witty. His goal is to make you laugh or smile with him. He loves attention and to be the center of it is even better. We've been talking about pre-school for him next year to get him used to a different routine. I do learning time with him but he needs to get acquainted with a different authority structure and work on his social skills outside of family and church. He's not excited about it, but I think he'll do great when he starts.

Stolen Tongue

2010-11-23T14:37:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it has been this wrong since I've written. I used to be so good at writing down my thoughts and things going on in life. Seems like Facebook has stolen my tongue. You can jot little tidbits of your day and those are just good enough to get you by, but there is so much running through my head constantly.

I am, right now, overwhelmed with thoughts and decisions to make. I'm torn and don't feel peace about any one certain direction. Our Pastor always says to just keep doing what you know is right and God will give you direction. Unfortunately, right now I'd rather God just write it in the sky with lightning so I know exactly what to do and I need to make a decision yesterday. Yes, I said yesterday. Sometimes in life we think we know what's best but then someone throws a little kink in it with comments or questions and they make you think. That's where I am.

First Leg of Cruise Vacation 2010

2010-06-16T17:52:00.002-05:00

So, the Jaquess/Beeson family decided to go on vacation together...all 15 of us. This is in celebration of our parent's 40th wedding anniversary. We agreed on a cruise leaving out of New Orleans and headed to Cozumel, Mexico. Each family is on their own to get to New Orleans. Aaron and Julia with their kiddos stopped to see Julia's best friend in Livingston, LA. Christopher and Mel hitched a ride with Dad and Mom and they stopped to see some old friends from Germany in Oxford, MS. Chris and I spent the night in Jackson, MS and got to New Orleans earlier than everyone else so we could do a little sight seeing.

Just after we left Springfield, we realized our air conditioner wasn't working as well as we thought it should. By the time we passed through Memphis, I was sweating. I had dressed warm and brought a blanket because Chris usually freezes me out in the car. We finally stopped at Wal-mart and got some stuff to charge the air conditioner and enjoyed the rest of the ride. We stopped in Canton, MS to eat dinner at McAlister's. They had a miniature menu, but were very gracious to us even ordering at 10 minutes to closing time. We were throwing our trash away and leaving when the manager brought us a free piece of banana cream pie and 2 chocolate chip cookies. She said she knew how it was traveling with little ones and hoped this would make the last of our leg a little bit easier. How nice!

We stayed at Quality Inn and Suites in Jackson last night. The hotel was in need of some repairs and updates but it was mostly clean. We woke up this morning and headed down to eat breakfast. The biscuits and gravy were completely gone. There was no mix left for waffles. There was only 1 piece of wheat bread left and the fruit was gone. We asked one of the workers and he said someone was on a grocery run for fruit but he couldn't help with anything else except the waffle mix. So, we ate waffles and the little bit of cereal they had. Just makes me look forward to the hot omelettes on the cruise. We left Jackson this morning around 9:30 and got to our hotel without any problems.

Our hotel is 1 block from Canal Street and once you get to Canal Street, about 3 blocks down to Bourbon Street. We stopped and ate at Duffy's Diner. Chris had a philly cheese steak which was really good, but I ordered the Duffy's Cajun Special. It was delicious. I had jambalaya, gumbo, and cajun rice. The only thing I realized I didn't care for is red beans and rice. Something about it just didn't work for me. That was the only thing left on my plate. We left there and headed down to the river which turned out to be quite a walk with a 2 year old. We saw a holocaust memorial which I still am not sure I understand the placement. We then walked over to Jackson Park which is probably the most beautiful place we saw today in New Orleans. We visited the Saint Louis Cathedral and then wandered around long enough to bump into Cafe Du Monde. It took forever to find a waiter even willing to talk to us. Then, he told us he couldn't place our order because we weren't in his section which was literally the table behind us. We moved to that empty table and then he took our order. It took almost 10 minutes for him to return with 4 tiny glasses of water and our 2 orders of beignets. They were good, but not any better than a good ol' funnel cake from Silver Dollar City. The dough is more dense but basically the same ingredients. Our boys were so hot and sweaty they downed the water before even taking a bite of the beignet, but since the waiter had already disappeared we couldn't even ask for a refill. We then headed back to our hotel, which by this time was quite a walk. We figured we would walk down a portion of Bourbon Street not realizing exactly where we were. We ended up walking at least 8 or 9 blocks down Bourbon Street. It is not a place I would want to be at night, especially without my husband. No one even tried to talk to us, probably because we had our two kids with us. We finally got back to about a block from our hotel and they had shut down the cross streets to all traffic, that includes walkers. Come to find out, the New Orleans Saints are getting their Superbowl rings tonight at the Roosevelt hotel which is on that stretch of road. We had to walk around the whole block to get to our hotel. That wouldn't have been a big deal if we hadn't already walked so much. On top of that, this lady was walking behind us who was obviously very upset. She was yelling all kinds of vulgar language at her friend. Her friend kept telling her to stop talking that way, there's children around. She said, well they need to learn early. I told Dylan to hang back with me a little and we let them get ahead. Crazy lady! Anyway, we finally made it back to our hotel. The boys are playing with their Dad on the other bed. Our room with two queen beds actually has two separate rooms where we can close the door tonight and have some alone time without kids staring at us and giggling at us every time we make eye contact. My parents and Christopher and Mel just called. They are down on the French Quarter now eating dinner. Nothing like calling us as they are walking into the restaurant. Guess they didn't want to hang out with us :) I think I'll enjoy the air conditioning just a little longer for now. In 24 hours I'll be on a boat in the ocean. I'm good with that.

Brain is Storming

2010-04-27T10:11:00.005-05:00

Well, with the housing market in a crunch people are still selling, but in our neighborhood they are taking serious losses. We thought that within the next year or two we would start looking for land to build, but we can't take that kind of loss. So, now we plan to add value to this house. Where to start? There is so much to do. I have to landscape the boys' favorite dirt spot and that will take some imagination. We just acquired a small section of a playset in our back yard. We intend to link them with a bridge and add a swing or other attraction to it. Our master bedroom and bathroom are in much need of decoration attention. When we moved in, it was necessary to make the entry way and living area appealing because that's what everyone else would see. And, Dylan's bedroom had to be decorated of course because he's a kid. When Eli came along he got a much more calm decor, but decor nonetheless. Now, I walk into my bedroom looking at an outdated color and absolutely no pictures or artwork on the wall, very few photographs in frames on the chiffarobe, a comforter in need of attention, and an old oil lantern that goes with absolutely nothing in the room. It needs a pick-me-up. My brain is storming. My wheels are spinning. I'm on the hunt for new. This summer is going to be full of redecorating, landscaping, redoing, and adding. By the time I get the bedroom done, I will move to the master bath and it must flow like never before. Then, I want to come up with some great ideas and start framing in our bonus room. By the time I get everything done, I'm not going to want to sell. Maybe that's a good thing!

E-mail from God

2010-04-22T14:07:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I get a quick note by e-mail that just makes my day. It doesn't have to say much, just Hello or How are you or, this is what I'm up to. I often keep those e-mails all day and read them over and over. It's that extra reassurance that someone cares.

When I read certain parts of the Bible, it's the same way for me. There are certain things in God's word that stand out more to me than others. A morning scripture reading can lend to that verse going over and over in my head all day or I go back and read it. It's my reassurance God cares. He's always watching me and looking out for my best interest.

Funny Things About My Boys

2010-03-16T09:44:00.003-05:00

They compare body parts any time they get a chance.
They can pee on the side of the road and without toilet paper.
They think burping and passing gas is funny, even at age 2.
They make up silly games like "slip and bleed".
They can be a cowboy one day, the next a baseball player, and the next a skateboarder.
Their moods can change almost as fast as a girl's.
Drama still exists

The Good Why

2010-03-03T15:47:00.002-06:00

Have you ever just stepped back and looked at your life and wondered why you have it so good? I have! Wow, what a blessed lady I am. I have a great husband who is a wonderful role model and Father to my two handsome boys. We live in a house and drive cars that work and have our health. We always have food on the table and in the cabinets. We have more than we could ever ask. God is so good!

There have been some things come in our lives lately that we honestly haven't expected, yet God has provided every single time in abundance. Why? I don't know. But I'm thankful he has in the past and continues to do so now.

Lamentations 3:21-24
21) This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22) It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23) They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24) The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

God has blessed my family, but in an instant He can take it all away. It's easy to sing his praises while things are going good. The test will be when they aren't. I'm not sure how I'll do, but I hope I will remain faithful to His Word, to church, and to my family.

Unknown

2010-03-02T13:00:00.003-06:00

Anxiety is defined in the dictionary as distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune. My definition is similar. For me, anxiety is the fear of the unknown. No one knows what the next year, next month, next week, or even what the next minute holds. You can label it however you want. Sometimes anxiety is experienced when calling a friend for a favor. Sometimes it's over telling the truth. Sometimes it is over test results, whether school or medical. Sometimes it's about a decision you made but can't get peace. Everyone knows what anxiety feels like. It is your pounding heart, stomach curling, sweaty palms, and mind racing with worry and fear. Anxiety is natural. We all experience it at one time or another. How you deal with it is key.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Bible dictionaries actually define "careful" as anxious. So, Paul is reminding us not to be anxious about anything. He says we need to pray and earnestly talk to God. If we talk to God and develop that relationship he'll give us peace. Maybe it is peace about the right decision. Maybe it's peace in a tough time (death or marital problems). Psalms 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. The Psalmist, David, doesn't say we never have fears. He says that when we seek the Lord, the Lord will deliver us from our fears. Anxiety is the fear of the unknown. Psalms 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Today I Choose

2010-02-26T15:11:00.003-06:00

I'm just going to vent my frustration here because my husband isn't having a great day either so he doesn't need to have more added drama. I wake up this morning to Eli crying and he won't go back to bed so, yes, I do the lazy Mom thing and stuff him into bed with me. I just about fall back asleep when I realize I really need to be up showering and getting ready for my super busy day that includes payroll. I'm running behind already and it isn't even 8:00. I get my stuff organized and get ready to log in to start payroll and the Internet at my place of business is down. Great! So, I can't remote in and that means one thing, pack up your stuff and head to the office. But, wait, if the Internet is down, then I still can't connect to Commerce to do direct deposit so I'm going to have to do hand-written checks, anyway. Uggghhhh! If I just have to write the checks, anyway, then it isn't crucial that I get the information at any certain time. It's only direct deposit that has to be done before 6pm tonight. I move on to Job #2 and have problems there, as well. Things won't balance, transactions are missing, I'm confused about new items. Ugggghhh! Did I already say that? I finally get things figured out through several phone calls (and I rarely ever place a call to my boss there - I just do my job and we talk through e-mail if at all). As soon as I complete that, the Internet starts working again so I'm back to working on payroll. I get everything printed and I'm rolling along and I have troubles logging in. I finally get logged in after several tries and then low and behold there is an error message when I'm doing direct deposit. I log out and log back in like a good customer before calling. Same error message. I try to do a fund transfer instead thinking I'll just do the necessary and try again later...error message! Uggghhhh, I am so frustrated. The kids are arguing in the background. The trains are going round and round on the track but no one is playing with them. And, I'm sure there was something else annoying going on but I don't know what it was. I finally decide to call tech support and he says, "Well, you can't use Google Chrome...your error message is because you aren't logged in to Internet Explorer". What? Are you serious? I use Chrome every week and now after 6 months of doing direct deposit, it's going to give me an error message. Is this a test? I'm not passing. My stomach is full of anxiety. I haven't really eaten more than a snack of shredded wheat today (and that's not a filling snack, mind you). My head is starting to ache. My muscles are tense. I keep telling myself, it's Friday. The day is going to get better. I log in to Internet Explorer and it works. Everything works! This is the first good sign of the day. I finish payroll and I know that made me happy because that means money in the bank for me. But even through that, I had to laugh at myself. I've been talking about how good things have been lately and there always has to be bumps in the road. So, job #1 complete after job #2, but that's ok. Unfortunately, I didn't make it into town today to make my pick-up for job #1 and I didn't go by Mardel's to get my things laminated for my Sunday School class. I have friends possibly coming over tomorrow night which means tomorrow was set aside for cleaning. But, now I need to make a trip into town to do my pick-up and my laminating, so I have to switch plans for tomorrow to today. Where's my superwoman costume? I fixed the boys lunch. Does peanut butter and honey sandwiches with some chips, grapes, and a banana qualify as "fixing" lunch? I mean really, not much work involved there. I threw together a smoothie for my lunch and started picking up everything out of the floor for a quick vacuum. I vacuumed the house while the boys ate lunch and then put Eli down for a nap. Don't I feel horrible that he was awake 6 hours and I didn't spend much time with him. I feel pretty rotten. I sat down with Dylan and did a little learning time, all the while he's begging to play a board game or card game of some kind. I know the learning time is important so I insist we finish that but then he really needs to go down for a nap, also. Tonight, we're leaving him and Eli with some of our friends so he really needed that nap. Of course, now he's up for the 3rd time because "he has to go to the bathroom". He's not napping and he's not going to. He needs to wear off some energy. So, I tell him to get some shoes on and a jacket to go outside and play. I'm watching other posts on Facebook and I'm not the only one having a Monday on Friday. You know who you are?

So, I set out to find peace in the only place you really can...in God, the Bible. I started just looking up some key words and phrases. He's what I came across that made my smile, I've had plastered on my face all day, a reality. 2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." My day really wasn't that bad. I had a few hiccups, but if I let those little things wear on me, they could end up ruining my whole day. I can't let that happen. Ephesians 3:19 - 21 "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus through out all ages, world without end." He's saying God's love passes our understanding. It's beyond our comprehension. But, if we know the love of God we can be filled with him. God is able to do more than we can even think about and his power works in us, if we allow it.

I'm human. Being a Christian doesn't mean you don't have bad days. I have days that will get you down. I have frustration just like anyone else. I don't always handle it correctly. Today, I'm going to choose the right path. God loves me. My family loves me. If I get down in the dumps and let it ruin my day, I will have a negative effect on everyone else I come in contact with today. God will direct me. He says he will in Proverbs 3:5-6. So, today I choose to put a smile on, to sing funny songs and to finish my night with a bounce in my step. What will you do with your bad day?

Ironic

2010-02-25T15:58:00.002-06:00

The old songs says, Isn't it ironic...don't you think, It's like rain on your wedding day, It's a free ride when you've already paid, It's the good advice that you just didn't take, Who would've thought... it figures. I looked up ironic in the Webster Dictionary. It means incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result. My song would say something like, Isn't it ironic...don't you think, we haven't talked in 10 years but now we're laughing hard, you lived nearby and we had no time, now that you're gone a Chat window is all we have, Who would've thought...it figures. I have the desire to spend the next month traveling around to see all those people. I'd start with a short 1-hour drive, follow it up with a 5-hour drive or two, then on to a 9-hour drive, and maybe finish it up with a few trips overseas. A friend recently said to me, There are no mistakes made, just lessons learned. I guess that's the positive way of looking at it. Is it just my reminiscent attitude? Maybe! Do I want to be back in high school? No way. I love my life!

That Long

2010-02-20T15:46:00.003-06:00

Has it really been that long since I left a Blog? Oh wow! I guess Facebook status updates have ruled my life and I forgot how much fun it is to write. My little boys are growing up so fast.

Dylan just turned 5 this week. That means he definitely not a baby anymore and not a toddler either. He's just a kid and a smart one at that. He hasn't been in pre-school this year. It just didn't work out. The one he was in closed down and by the time I started calling around, the others were all booked up. I know, academically, he'll be just fine in school. His only problem is being easily distracted. I'll tell him to do something and he starts to go do it and then he sees a toy or something on the floor that shouldn't be there and he takes care of that and totally forgets what he was supposed to go do. I used to think, WHY does he do that? But really, I am just like that. I'll be on my way to do a load of laundry but I'll see something out of place and I'll put it away and then I'll notice I forgot to make a phone call and then I'll remember I needed to add something to my calendar and then I'll check my e-mail while I'm there and before I know it an hour has past and I haven't started that load of laundry. Can those type things really be hereditary?

Eli is 2 1/2 and so full of character. He wakes up with the biggest smile on his face and the first thing out of his mouth is, What's for breakfast or Can you fix me some breakfast? He's a tough little booger, too. He cries over pain but not near as long as you would expect. He does, however, know just how to whine when his brother is around to get his brother in trouble or to get his brother away. He's got that one mastered. Most of the time they play together really well. Days where they create games are the funnest for me. They started playing air hockey with the base to their marble race track and they've made up their own rules which pretty much make them both winners and everybody's happy. I love that! Dylan is extremely helpful with Eli and protective when others come around even though he likes to beat up on him when nobody else is looking. Next year, when Dylan starts pre-school, it's going to be a different world around this house.

I've been on Facebook for a year and a half or so now and just came in contact with my best friend from high school. You know, the one that knows everything about you...your deepest, darkest secrets. We haven't been in contact much since about 2 years after I graduated. There have been Christmas cards and maybe a phone call or two, but this recent connection has led to lots of laughs, late night searches for old CDs or pictures. It's that feeling deep-down of finding something you've been missing for so long. It's that smile that won't go away when you're talking, even if it is just through a Chat window. It's that excitement to see if they posted something on your wall or are online at the same time as you. I love it! Facebook has been incredible in ways I did not imagine. I go to church with a lot of people but in the hustle and bustle of getting your kids to their class and teaching a class and then picking kids up and all the other stuff, you don't get a chance to talk with everyone. Sure, there are church activities, but even then we spend half the time preparing food for our kids, feeding our kids, cleaning up after our kids so if they aren't sitting at the table with you, you probably aren't talking much. So, Facebook has been our connection. I know it's crazy! I've gotten to know people better because you post things on here you wouldn't just walk up and tell someone. Sometimes it is just what's going on that day or that they are sick or kids are sick, but it's a way for us to connect like never before. I've been able to talk to friends who live overseas and I wouldn't normally call them or sit down and type a letter, but I might leave a line on their wall and they on mine letting us feel like we're still "friends", still "connected", still "communicating".

Life is so good right now. Even when I don't feel great or the kids are sick, ultimately I wouldn't change a thing about life right now. I sit here with a half-cocked smile on my face just because I'm thinking about all the fun stuff that has happened in my life in the last 6 months. Don't get me wrong! There have also been lots of frustrating things, but don't they make you a better person. Don't they make you stronger. I think they have for me. Smile!

Fishing and St Louis

2009-10-07T14:46:00.003-05:00

My life seems to get busier by the minute. I cannot believe how fast the summer went by and I'm not sure fall is going to hang around long.

A couple weeks ago we took the boys to a stocked pond not far from our home. It was a family fishing day. Eli got to reel in his first fish, a perch. Dylan had the privilege of catching and reeling in a bass. Without exaggeration, I would say 3.5 lb and maybe 17 inches long...maybe bigger! The smile on his face is unforgettable. Fishing for kids is not so much fun...until they catch them...then they just want to keep trying.

Last weekend we took a trip to St. Louis. We like going up there but would definitely not want the big city life. At least, not that one. There is so much to see and do and much of it is not too expensive. We went to "The Hill" to eat at Mama Campisi's. I have to say I was not impressed. Don't get me wrong the food was good, but just not great. The service was mediocre. We called ahead and the lady was just not as friendly as you would expect a hostess. When we got there we had to wait almost 5 minutes before anyone even greeted us. And, NO, they weren't busy. We got seated and no one asked us if we needed a high chair or a booster. Within minutes Eli fell out of his seat and on his head. I quickly took him to the car and we got our booster seat out of the trunk. It was fortunate we still had it in there. They brought us our water but only brought 3 and said, "Do you need an extra?" I'm thinking, extra, there are 4 of us. How about do you need enough for each of you to have a drink. Oh, wait...I guess in there business the kids don't count. They brought us some bread but had to be asked to refill it. We had to set our drinks on the edge of the table so the waiter could see they were empty. When our main dish finally came, the portions were small for the price. The food was good, but when Chris got to the middle of his lasagna...it was cold. We didn't want to say anything because we had waited forever to get the food in the first place. The kids were ready to go. After all the other tables of people left, the waiter said "It was a pleasure serving you today." He didn't do that for us. We weren't difficult, we asked for nothing special, our kids were excellent, and we were very polite. I guess it's just the fact that we brought our kids into a nice restaurant. Well, you can rest assure, we won't visit Mama Campisi's again. The last time we were there we went to Zia's. Despite the long wait, the food and service was great at Zia's.

Friday morning we visited the Arch which I actually endured quite well despite my tendencies toward claustrophobia. We then found free parking for a tour at Busch Stadium which was really cool. The boys enjoyed most of it even if they didn't understand it all. Friday night we went to a Cardinals game. Our seats were a little high and we couldn't see part of the outfield, but we got to enjoy the majority of the game. The boys enjoyed watching the major league and when they got restless we just gave them snacks which we were allowed to bring into the park without hassle. They have a family friendly policy and they allow you to bring any food items in a soft cooler and any drink items in a plastic bottle. That was a huge money saver for us.

Saturday we visited the zoo, free to all and we even found free parking not too far to walk. That day the sea lion show was free so we enjoyed it, also. We ate a small snack of french fries. They did give us a large portion but charged the usual outlandish price. Good thing we just needed a snack.

On the way home we stopped and ate at Five Guys and Fries. Their food is fresh, never frozen and pretty delicious I would say. The boys scarfed down their cheeseburger in no time and then didn't sleep a wink until 30 minutes away from home. It worked well, though! We played outside a little, took baths, and got them into bed early for church on Sunday.

St Louis is a definite replay for us. Next time we're going to try the City Museum and the Magic House. We hear both are fun for all.

Great Day

2009-07-16T16:34:00.003-05:00

Every day we all have our own definition of what makes up a great day. Sometimes a great day is just peaceful and quiet at home. Other times it involves an activity or just good news. I just had a great day watching 35 kids run around in the back yard dripping wet and screaming. Let me explain.

Dylan had been asking to have a water gun fight and his Dad and I do good for an afternoon or for a weekend, but he really wanted to have over some of his friends for a water gun war. We talked about it and I kept saying we could have this person or that person over but the more we discussed it and the longer I thought, we decided to have a real water gun war. We invited all the kids from church that were Dylan or Eli's age and all their siblings (plus Moms).

Everyone brought water guns. We set up 5 gallon bucket filling stations at several different points in the back yard. When everyone arrived we went down to the baseball field right behind our house. We played an inning of baseball, killed a little time, and got hot and sweaty. Then, we layed down some ground rules: no shooting in the face, stay in the boundaries, don't shoot the moms, and most importantly...HAVE FUN! We had 35 kids running around with water guns or water balls...all of them got wet and everyone had fun. We then ate lunch in the shade. Everyone brought their own sandwiches and then Dylan and I had cut up lots of different kinds of fruit, provided chips, pink lemonade, water, and snickerdoodle cookies. After lunch we had more water gun wars and for those who were done getting wet they could swing, slide, jump on the trampoline, or just sit back and watch the fun. We had the usual mishaps but nothing that hampered the overall mood of the day. No one had any broken bones, nothing got broken, and no significant amounts of blood were lost. So, THAT is what I constitute as a great day.

To top it off, after everyone left I cleaned off the back porch and got all our water guns put away. I brought in all the remaining food and drink. As I was doing all this, the clouds started rolling in. The sky started to darken. The wind blew harder. I pulled my car back into the garage and just as I did, little rain drops began to wet the driveway. I came inside and put the food into the fridge, straightened up a few things and just when everything was back to normal, I looked outside and the rain began to pour. How blessed we were to have our party uninterupted by rainfall. We prayed that it would be a great day, worthy of getting wet, and would not have to be rescheduled due to the rain. God could not have answered our prayers more precisely. Thank you, Lord! What a great day!!!

Vacation

2009-06-10T14:30:00.004-05:00

Our garden is looking beautiful. We actually have a few tomatoes growing and 2 green bell peppers. I think Aaron saw some cucumbers and my lettuce is just about ready to have its first cut. Aaron is not my brother, for those of you who might think so. Aaron is a friend who lives here in Willard. He and his wife, Kristy, are sharing the responsibility of the garden so we can share the yummy vegetables. I can't eat them by myself and there isn't much in the garden that Chris cares to eat.

Chris and I just returned last week from our 10th anniversary cruise vacation. We left out of here on Saturday afternoon and our church prison team dropped us off in Tulsa on their way to OKC. We walked several blocks to find something good to eat and ended up coming back to just across the street from the hotel and settling on good, cheap, Arby's. Then, we went back to the hotel and went to bed kinda early. We got up at 4:00am Sunday morning and headed to the airport. The seats on Continental Airlines were so uncomfortable we didn't get much of a nap on the plane. We got into San Diego around 10:00. We couldn't board the cruise ship until 11:30 so we figured we would just walk to the cruise terminal. We were told it was just barely over a mile. So, luggage in hand, we took off. We followed what we thought was the ocean line, but it stopped at the end of a pier. We could see our cruise ship but couldn't cross over so we had to walk all the way back around and followed the main road down to the terminal. All in all, I would say we walked about 6 miles that day. We got on the boat and ate lunch and then headed to our cabin for a nap. We didn't get a nap, though, because it was time for lifeboat drills and ship introduction. By the time that was over we wanted to go out and watch the ship leave port and then there were things to do on the boat. Then, we were hungry for dinner. However, by the time dinner was over...I was dragging. We finally got to bed around 9:00 and I slept so hard I don't remember the boat rocking or stopping. Keep in mind the time had rolled back 2 hours for us so technically we were up for 4am to 11pm. That's a long day for anyone, but especially me.

We woke up around 7 the next morning. Getting up early for breakfast was a good thing because the food was generally hot and the lines were minimal if any. Our favorite was the made-to-order omelettes. Monday was our only day at port. Technically, we never ported, though. We stopped way before Catalina Island and had to tender in to the pier. That's an experience in itself, but it wasn't a bad one. Catalina was very pretty but the day was overcast and misty until almost noon. We walked around in the mist and shopped and went up to the Chicago Cubs old summer training camp. We were told it was about a mile up the road. It took us almost 45 minutes just to get there. I know I'm not a fast walker, but I can do a mile a lot quicker than that. We definitely got our exercise, again. I love it when people estimate a mile. I think they ought to walk it before they estimate. We did a tour later in the afternoon and then were one of the last two boats to tender out. We had a great evening dinner of lobster and steak and met a very nice family.

Tuesday we were supposed to dock at Ensenada, Mexico but becuase of the swine flu we didn't. Instead, some kind of international law made us park in the cove because it was Mexican waters and we had to stay there 3 hours looking at a beautiful city on a very warm, summer day wishing we could get off the boat and play on the beach. Then, the Captain decided to head back into International waters where they could open the casinos and shops and the clouds came back out and the warm weather was officially gone for the remainder of our cruise. Chris and I played basketball up on the top deck one day and we ran around the track (for 1 mile :D). We really enjoyed just being together and not having the daily grind of cooking, cleaning, and all the other stuff. We went to the shows and even closed down the Karoke lounge a night or two. You know, most people in the karoke lounge can actually sing. Don't get me wrong. There were a couple people who got up there just to make fools of themselves, but in general there were some great singers. One guy sang some Frank Sinatra and I was impressed. Then, there was a lady who got up there and said something about Whitney Houston and I said, OH NO! But, after the first line of the song the crowd went wild because she had an excellent voice. We had such a relaxing vacation.

We got off the boat Thursday morning early and the rental car company picked us up right outside the gate of the terminal. We got in our car and headed to LAX. Since we got there a little early, we decided to hit the beach just outside the airport. It was a little cool but nice enough to take off my shoes and walk in the sand. Then, we ate at our favorite CA fast-food restaurant...In N Out Burger. We flew Allegiant Air back into Springfield and got to see our beautiful (or should I say handsome) boys about 8:30 Thursday night. I'm so glad to be back home.

May

2009-05-20T15:27:00.002-05:00

April showers did not bring May flowers to my garden. As a matter of fact, I think it rained more this month than it did in April. To top that off, I think all the rain earlier this month drowned and rotted my green bean and carrot seeds. I have a weed garden where green bean plants should be appearing. On a brighter note, my tomato plants and a couple of my pepper plants are flowering. That's a good sign. It means I need to go to Wickman's Gardens and pick up some bug repellant because it won't be long before they start nibbling away at any and every good thing I've got going. I had Dylan help me weed in the garden and had there not been so many weeds, I think he would have done a pretty good job. I spent 2 1/2 hours of back breaking weeding and really only got one section done good. We had so much rain that it was too muddy until these last couple days to even get out there and pull weeds, so now the job is much bigger. Not to fear, though. I will just spread the work out over a few days so it's not so much.

Dylan and I went to Silver Dollar City on Monday. We took one of his pre-school friends, Rory, and her mom, Dawn. It was the Bluegrass and BBQ Festival. Dawn is a huge Bluegrass fan and actually plays the mandolin. We watched a little bit of several different shows and you could see how much she enjoyed it. The kids were not as enthused, especially Dylan. Even though the park was relatively empty, we spent the majority of our day there. Eli enjoyed a peaceful day at his favorite Aunt Mel's house.

Chris and I are preparing for vacation. We're only gone for 5 1/2 days, but I will enjoy every minute of it. Fun in the sun with no children tugging on my shirt. I'll miss the boys, but it will make our time when we get home that much more special.

Monday

2009-05-04T15:57:00.002-05:00

Monday is a relatively busy day for me. We get up and as soon as breakfast is done and we are dressed for the day, we head to job #2 for a drop off/pick-up. The boys are always wound up because it is first thing in the morning and they have so much energy. I have to try to file and make copies amidst trying to calm the boys or fix their ails and woes. If you know boys they are generally getting hurt because of fighting or running or slamming a door on their head, as was the instance today. After all that drama we get in the car and head to Sears to get an oil change and the tires rotated. On the way, I call to see if JC Penney can fit in picture time for Eli. We get to the mall, drop off the car, hit the play area for a good 20 minutes to wear out some energy and then off to Penney's for some pictures. Dylan sits very well during Eli's pictures watching Sid the Science Kid. Eli cooperates quickly and I ooh and aah over pictures. After placing an order we're off to check out a shop or two and then to the food court where Dylan says he smells Chic-Fil-A. Yum, yum! We eat our lunch and run down to Sears where the car has fresh oil and the tires have been rotated. We hop in the car and head to Target to pick up some diapers and milk...all the necessities of life with young children. We pick up a box of Oreos which we snack on outside Target in the little circle part of the concrete wall. Dylan and Eli are both fascinated with that and I don't know why. We jump back in the car and drive to job #2 again to make the final pick up from the depositors and mail man and move on up the road. We figure we're going right past Daddy's work so we better stop to say Hello. We tip-toe in as if we're being sneaky but get caught, give kisses and are on our way again. We get a few miles down the road and the boys start to settle. Eli's eyes are fading and Dylan is saying "Can I stay up for 10 more minutes, please?" No wishes granted. Off to bed they go and here I am telling you about our day. Whew! Now, I must work for job #1 before I have no job.

Double Standard or Not? You Decide!

2009-04-10T15:35:00.003-05:00

Do some Christians have a double standard for Christmas and Easter? Both holidays have religious undertone, and both holidays have been commercialized. Most Christians participate in the gift giving at Christmas and have a Christmas tree and decorations in their home. They justify it all by telling their kids the Christmas story and explaining the real "reason for the season". Then, Easter rolls around and we say "No" to Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets filled with goodies, Easter bunnies, and all the commercialized business that goes with Easter. Is that a double standard? Could we not just sit down before the Easter hunt and tell the real reason our churches celebrate Easter? Could we not tell the Easter story about how Jesus came to earth, lived as a man, performed miracles, was crucified on a cross to pay for our sins, laid in a borrowed tomb, and then rose from the dead 3 days later? Can we tell that story like Miss Patty does with different things inside an Easter Egg? Would this be an extra opportunity for churches to minister to kids who would otherwise never listen to the Gospel? What about those kids in church who already know about Easter? Is it ok for us to justify not allowing them to participate in Easter egg hunts by saying it's of the world or Easter bunnies who don't lay eggs have nothing to do with Easter?

Life, In General

2009-03-26T16:03:00.002-05:00

It's been crazy busy around here and I've seen the insides of Cox Hospital more than I want. Mom has had several tests run; angeogram, ultrasound, CT Scan, blood work, EKGs, etc. No one can figure out what's going on with her. She has severe chest pains that sometimes radiate into her lower jaw, sometimes into her shoulder blades and around into her upper back, sometimes the pain goes down into her arms. She gets tired easily and has very little energy. They just did the CT Scan yesterday, so we're hoping it comes back with some kind of results. The sooner they can identify the problem, the sooner they can treat.

We also had a friend who recently had an accident at work that landed him in NTICU for a couple days and he hasn't gotten to get out of the hospital, yet. Although, he is in a regular room now he just underwent surgery and is on the road to recovery. His wife is pregnant and they have a young child so I've been assisting in child care as well as making sure the Mom eats occasionally.

I'm now on my own at the newest job. I do most of my work from home but make at least two trips a week into the office. It is challenging and I am learning so much but this is a good thing. It keeps my mind sharp.

My two little guys keep me very busy. Dylan enjoys pre-school but the last 3 or 4 times I've dropped him off he's begged to stay with me. I'm not sure why that is because when I got to pick him up, he's never ready to leave. I think we need a little more one-on-one attention and maybe we can elimiante problems when he's left somewhere.

Eli is developing character and becoming such a little man. He's my "can-do boy". A couple weeks ago I told him to go put his shoes in his room and I didn't see him for several minutes. When I went to see where he was, I found him standing on a rubbermaid container in his closet. I asked what he was doing and he pointed to the shelf in his closet where his shoes were. He said, "My shoes here". He had not only put his shoes in his room but he had put them on the shelf in his closet where they go. He had moved some stuff off a rubbermaid container that is in his closet and climbed up on it to put his shoes away properly. He was so proud. He likes to do things on his own and he just tries and tries until I finally force him to let me help. When I get on to him he bows his head down and then looks up at you with just his eyes. It's cute but also not cute when he's in trouble. Other times when you're trying to talk to him and he's interested in something else. He'll turn his head away from you and just cut his eyes back so you know that he hears you but he's doing something else. Crazy kid! My Mom said his personality sure is cute but it's started to get him into all kinds of trouble.

As I sit here and look outside the clouds are rolling in and I can tell it's cooling off outside. We're expecting rain tonight and possibly snow by the weekend. Today, it was in the 60s and the boys played outside. I am so ready for the spring/summer and to get outside. These roller coaster weather days aren't much fun!

My father-in-law has been here every day this week. He's building new cabinets for our kitchen. It's funny how he communicates with the boys. It's a lot of "Huh?, What did you say?, Were you talking to me?" Eli likes to talk to him but every time the saw starts or the air compressor kicks on he comes running back to me and holds on for dear life. The cabinets are almost finished and now we have to find a stainer. The stainer we had lined up just moved. I can't wait to get them done and installed.

Well, it's time for me to fix some dinner. My stomach isn't telling me what to fix. I guess I'll have to resort to asking a child.

Snow

2009-02-27T21:45:00.002-06:00

We might be getting snow tonight and generally I don't pray for bad weather. I don't really want bad weather. I just want enough snow to either play in or no snow at all.

I'm actually looking forward to spring more than anything, but since that isn't coming for a while, I'll try to enjoy what we get before then.

2009-02-27T21:43:00.001-06:00

Tuesday started off as any normal Tuesday does. I did the usual chores around the house and dropped Dylan off at pre-school and headed to Wal-mart to do the weekly shopping with Eli. As I finished with a cart full headed toward the check-out my cell phone rang. When I looked down it was my Dad. When my Dad calls my cell phone in the middle of the day, it isn't going to be good news. He said he was at the ER with Mom. She had been having severe chest pains and shortness of breath and they were going to keep her for observation, EKG, and possibly a stress test. Well, that tells me they think she's having or going to have a heart attack. I rush to the check-out and get out as quickly as I can but then I have to go back to Willard to pick up Dylan from pre-school and throw the groceries in the refrigerator. I do all that and get to the hospital within 45 minutes. I did pretty good. They were just leaving the ER to put her in a regular room. We sat in the hospital all day while they drew blood multiple times and ran a second EKG and then did a stress test. Finally, about 6:45 that night the doctor said he didn't know what was wrong but she had a healthy heart and could go home as long as she would do a follow-up visit with her doctor.

Throughout conversations during that day I learned Mom has been having severe chest pains for almost a month. In the last week the pains have moved from her right side into her left. She has been achey in her left arm. Her jaw and cheek bones were starting to hurt. The pain was spreading into her back shoulder blades and she's been excessively tired for some time now. She didn't tell anyone, including my Dad, about any of these things until yesterday. She has an appointment this coming Monday with her doctor to alert him of her symptoms and try to come to some conclusion. I'm sure this will not be something they figure out quickly, although I wish they would. Pray for her strength. She still works a full-time job, teaches Sunday School, teaches at the women's prison with my Dad, and is very active with all 7 of her grandchildren. She needs prayers to get back to her normal, healthy self.

What's Up

2009-02-03T09:56:00.002-06:00

I officially started training for another new job from home. I have to do training for the next month or so at the office, but once I'm trained I will only go by to make pick ups and drop offs. I'm excited because I'm expanding my knowledge of Quickbooks. If I get enough of these stay-at-home jobs I won't have to go back in the work field when the boys both get in school. It will leave me more flexible where I can stay involved in their activities. That's what I really want. I never anticipated to be one of those Moms who didn't work outside of the home, but now all I really want is to be able to take them to school, pick them up, go on field trips if needed, drive them to any after-school activities and just in general...be available all the time. Funny how our opinions on life changes with age and circumstances.

Cold Fun

2009-01-28T16:08:00.002-06:00

We had at least an inch of ice on Monday afternoon and Tuesday and then got an additional 2 plus inches of snow on top of that. The boys and I went out today to play in the snow. We don't have a sled so I tried to teach Dylan how to use a slick cardboard box. He couldn't hold the front up so he kept falling off but he seemed to be having fun, anyway. Eli fell face first in the snow within the first 15 minutes outside and he didn't have any fun after that at all. He wanted to be carried everywhere. We eventually put him inside to watch us out the window while we played for a little longer. Dylan did great until his glove came off and his hand got cold and then he started being a little whiny. I figured out how to dust off the snow from his glove and warm up his hand and then put his glove back on and he continued to have a great time. We all had 3 or 4 layers of clothes which made Eli look even more funny. The snow wasn't the kind for packing and making snowmen or snowballs but it was fun to roll around in and to throw the powder. I felt like a kid, again.

Happy New Year

2009-01-07T21:48:00.002-06:00

I've been so busy with my part-time work from home job, NTCP, kids, holidays, and normal every day stuff, I haven't posted in a while. Right now I have kind of a yucky sinus infection that just started so I went to Wal-mart and spent like $30 on medicine and kleenex and herbal tea and honey and all the things I might need or want to make myself feel better.

I'm sitting by the fire and I just logged onto the computer to start working and them my boss called within just a few seconds and said, "Stop, Wait, Not Yet". She's trying to do some downloads so I'll take this brief time to tell you what's going on in our world.

Eli is starting to talk. He says Mommy and Daddy really well and Dylan sounds like Dolin to me but I know he'll get there. He says tookie for cookie and he says apple very well, but sometimes he says apple when he wants grapes so you just have to know what he wants. When he comes and points his left hand completely behind him and says iwandat, that means follow me and I'll show you what I want. He will tell you about 50% of the time if he pooped unless you notice first and then if you ask, the answer is always No. His answer to most questions is No initially and then if he sees it really is something he wants then he'll quickly change his answer to Yes, but No seems to be his first response. He does a lot of shrugging his shoulders and giving you a questioning look as if to say "I dunno". He stands with his hands behind his back whenever he's observing something or waiting for something. He has his tongue hanging out of his mouth when he's really excited or if he's concentrating on something. He absolutely loves his Dad. When he hears the truck pull in the driveway or the garage door start to open he goes and stands waiting for Dad to walk in. He runs to hug him and usually follows him around unless he thinks he's about to starve to death and then he comes back to whine at my feet until I feed him. He's in the middle of whatever Dylan is doing which requires Dylan to be a little more creative with some of his play.

By that, I mean, sometimes Dylan has to take his toys in his room and play up on his bed so Eli can't get to them. Sometimes he has to hide under a tent that has no entrance. Sometimes, he just has to learn to find something else or include his little brother. Dylan is really enjoying pre-school. He especially likes the fact that one of his classmates always chooses their art project colors after him and she always chooses exactly the same colors in exactly the same spots he already has. He doesn't really talk much about school unless you ask questions but he looks forward to going and is never ready to leave when I get there to pick him up. Dylan isn't partial to Mom or Dad on any certain occasion. One day Mom might be his favorite and the next day Dad. If he's feeling a little left out he just tries to butter you up with lots of compliments. He looks forward to his best pals Aaron and Kristy coming over and when they walk in the door he is like trying to contain a monkey in a cage. They spoil him rotten with attention. Aaron is, of course, just a big kid himself so I think he enjoys playing almost as much as Dylan does. Dylan is getting older and asking more questions and reasoning things. He's growing up like they all do. I teased him the other day about taking him to Wal-mart and selling him to another family when he turns 4. I told him Daddy and I liked little kids and we didn't want him to grow up so we were going to trade him for a younger one. He asked us to keep him and it was really funny because he had such a huge smile on his face the whole time. We explained to him that we would never get rid of him and how much love he brings to our life. It was fun! We're planning his 4th birthday party and he's already talking about it.

Chris doesn't seem to be as busy as he used to be. His side-jobs are not as many and we're thankful for the extra time we get with him. This winter has been busy but we've also had some evenings home and been able to play some board games or just run around in circles out in our sunroom. We've enjoyed having a wood stove this year which is something I never thought I would say. I am even pretty good at starting fires and getting them blazing hot. Occasionally, I even wake up in the middle of the night to add wood and keep it going. Chris thinks I'm a good partner for cutting wood. He cuts and I haul it to the trailer and stack it neatly. Then, when we get home, I throw it down to him and he splits it and stacks it. We're a great team! 2009 brings our 10th wedding anniversary. Almost makes me feel old but since I'm not 30, yet, I'll try to hold off on that feeling.

We've had a lot of ups and downs this year. It's been a really hard year. We've had a lot of firsts; some bad, some good. I think we're both looking forward to what the future brings. I know, for some, the economy is unstable, jobs are unstable, prices for everything are higher than ever, and many in the world are at war, but God is still in control. God still reigns on High and we have to look to Him for our stability, peace, and comfort. I trust you will look to Him for what you need.

Wrapped

2008-12-16T15:33:00.002-06:00

All the presents we have purchased and received (except Dylan & Eli's) are wrapped and under the tree. However...why is it that my tree, even with presents under it, never looks as pretty as you see in the movies or pictures? My tree is beautiful. It's a 10 foot pre-lit tree that my husband decorates and it looks great. There is a matching tree skirt under it and lots of presents covering the bottom, but yet it isn't as pretty. Maybe it's my wrapping paper. Maybe it's the horrible job I did on wrapping. Maybe it's that there aren't any bows. I don't know what it is. I love looking at my tree and having Christmas music playing in the background, but some day, I want that special "in the movies" look for my Christmas tree.

Done

2008-12-15T15:16:00.002-06:00

The last time I wrote I hadn't even started Christmas shopping. Today, I officially have one present left to find and purchase. We know what we're going to get this person but it's something you can only order online and so we're waiting for the right product at the right price.

I wrapped about half of the presents today because I my plans for the day fell through. Today was supposed to be my annual Christmas goodie baking day with my Mom, sister-in-laws, and aunt. My Mom decided to get sick on all of us and there was a little ice on the roads this morning so unless Mom is feeling better tomorrow, our annual baking day will be cancelled. I won't be sad that I don't have all that candy to get fat on, but I will be sad that I don't get to spend a fun-filled day with my girl family.

Christmas Shopping

2008-12-04T15:23:00.002-06:00

Usually I have all my Christmas shopping or at least 95% of it done before Thanksgiving. I haven't even started this year and what's worse is I have a pretty good idea what I'm going to get most people. I just haven't sat down at my computer and done the research to get it ordered. Crazy?! Some people are making it rather difficult on us. The whole, well we don't care what you get us. I am going to buy something for them because that's just the way it is. And, honestly, I do want to buy them something. It's not out of obligation. It's genuine, and now I have to try to figure it out and make them happy without any help from them. I love Amazon wish lists and I think everyone should have one for them, their kids, and their dog if their dog gets presents. You know what I mean? My money is better spent when you have 10 ideas I can choose from and they are all something you like. It's still kind of a surprise because you don't know which of the 10 things it is...right? So help out your friends and family. Get an Amazon Wish List or put together a wish list of some kind and give it to them so they don't have to play the guessing game. You'll be happier, they'll be happier and you won't have to fight the crowds after the holidays to return it.

(sigh)

2008-12-04T15:03:00.003-06:00

So hard to come up with titles for a Blog. We'll just go with (sigh). Eli went to bed Monday night. We had a good day. I don't recall him being extra whiny or not wanting to eat. At 12:30 I got up because Dylan was calling for me. He was scared of the dark. Seriously! It's always dark at night and if you were asleep you wouldn't know it was dark. Well, that's what I wanted to say, but I didn't. I just reassured him there was nothing in the dark and it was ok to be scared but he should pray to ask God for peace and he just needed to figure out how to deal with it. Something along those lines. About 30 minutes later, he called again. He couldn't go back to sleep. I just told him there wasn't anything else I could do and he was just going to have to lay there.

Within another 15 minutes I got the chance to get up again. Sleep was not on the agenda for the night, at least for the kids and I, anyway. Eli was crying. It was the cry you know you need to go find out what's wrong. I didn't turn on the light but I could see he was standing in his bed. I reached down to pick him up and he was wet. I thought, wow did I do that bad of a job putting on his diaper that he already leaked out or did he really drink that much. And, then...it hit me...the smell. It was definitely not pee. I moved him to the changing table to take off his clothes, turn on the light, and assess the damage. He had vomitted everywhere. It was on his bed, pillow, Mr. Moo, the bumper pads in the crib, all over himself, in his hair...oooh grosse. So, I started to take off his clothes and he proceeded to throw up again. I got his clothes off and put him in the floor where I put on a new onesie and then he did it again and I fortunately caught it with his pillow. Oh, yes...the pillow. Because I would a whole lot rather wash a pillow in the washing machine than try to clean the floor and forever have that stiff carpet feeling. I did manage to catch 98% of it and then I started trying to talk a little louder in the monitor. "Chris, are you there? CHRIS can you hear me? CHRIS CAN YOU hear me? CHRIS I COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP!" Well, that didn't work. So by this time, since Eli has been screaming and now I've been talking very loudly, Dylan is awake complaining that Eli woke him up. I have puke all over me. Eli still has it all over him. I have plenty to clean up and Chris is oblivious. So, I walk quickly and loudly (mind you) to our bathroom where I turn on the water and sternly say, "I could REALLY use some help here. Didn't you hear me calling?" He's still oblivious. What's going on, he says. So, I politely explain in a hurry and say, "You have to give him a bath while I try to clean up his room. I clean up his room, start a load of laundry, get the rest of the dirty clothes out in the garage so it doesn't stink up the house, set up the pack-n-play in our bedroom with towels and blankets all around on the floor just in case he decides to do it again and then bring fresh clothes for him to put on. Eli is so tired. You can tell he is completely drained of all energy. I put on his clothes and lay him down in the pack-n-play, he rolls over to his sleeping, rear in the air position and he's out within seconds. Wow! What a night. Oh, and now I can feel my own stomach churning. It's going to be a great night.

We wake up Tuesday morning and Eli has not vomitted all night. Woohoo! Oh, no, though...my stomach has not forgotten it's still churning. And...here goes my problems. I spent the morning racing to the toilet and then just laying limp on the bed but then I realize I have to get Dylan to school. Oh great! I feed him some oatmeal and Eli a little apple juice with some water which quickly comes back up. No more food for him. I take Dylan to school while trying to avoid talking very long with the teachers. I actually make it there and back with no problems. Eli and I are happy to just lay in bed all morning and do nothing. That's how my day was. I only changed out of my pajamas because I'm not sure how Dylan's preschool teachers would have reacted. No, I didn't shower because I didn't care. I was nice enough to brush my teeth, though.

Wednesday morning, Eli was in a much better mood but still not real mobile but that didn't last long. He didn't want to eat anything and suddenly all he wanted to do was lay on me and whine. He still wasn't feeling well. He didn't throw up but he wasn't ready to get down and play, yet either. About 2 hours before church I was trying to decide whether to take him and risk it or stay home. He helped make up my mind. His diapers started getting really runny and yucky. Well, I was honestly happy. Not that I didn't get to go to church, but happy that it wasn't puke. Diarrhea is contained in a diaper. It's easily cleaned up. Yes, it stinks, but This...I can handle. So, yes that's what we've been doing for 2 days now. We are helping ensure White Cloud diapers stays in business. But, I AM NOT COMPLAINING.

I do however have one complaint about this whole situation. My family (all 4 of us) just had this same experience in October. So, shouldn't there be a rule about how often one family has to endure the stomach bug. Like, maybe only once every 6 months would be a good start. Whoever makes up those rules should really think about it. :)

Brace Yourself, Chapter 2

2008-11-13T10:03:00.003-06:00

I got my bottom braces on yesterday and immediately I could feel how tight the wire was. I am suppsed to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours but if it's anything like last time, it will be a week before I can chew up a steak. My cheeks are getting a lot more raw than they did with the uppers. I feel like I bite my cheek more often. She had problems getting the brackets all on and the wire through because my bottom teeth are cramped and two of them are very crooked. I look forward to this being a little easier and more importantly to getting my teeth fixed so I can get these braces off.

I had a major blessing yesterday when I went to get these on. Chris has been doing a little computer work for them. They usually just take the money they owe Chris off my bill. It works great! He had done some work about a month ago and it didn't come off the bill this time, but completely separate you have to pay an additional amount when they put the tops and bottoms on. So, after I got the bottom braces on yesterday, I went to pay my monthly bill and for the bottom braces and she said I didn't have to pay for the bottoms. She said her paperwork showed they were already paid. I assume it has to do something with the work he did, but we didn't think the work equaled out to that much. We're so thankful, though! Next year I'm going to have to have my wisdom teeth pulled to have some room for all the movement in my teeth and it's going to be expensive. Any money we can save on the braces can help with that. Plus, Christmas is coming up and I normally have half my shopping done by now. I don't this year. God always seems to provide and always at the right time. It's God good!

Eli Say...

2008-11-13T10:00:00.002-06:00

Eli has started to say a few words. He says, Mom, Dad, hat, hot, ball, and maybe one or two others. He has always communicated very well, but lately since he realized he can grunt and point he's started doing that more and I don't really care for it. Chris was feeding him a rice krispie treat the other night after dinner. Before he would give him a bite he would say, Eli say...love or Eli say...please. It was so funny because there are certain words like please, thank you, yes, and no that he just signs and I'm not sure if we'll ever get him to say those words. He laughs at himself when we get excited if what he says sounds similar to what we asked him to say. I'm sure if you had us on video trying to get him to say words and then getting excited and watching his reaction, it would be quite humorous.

Past That

2008-11-02T16:48:00.002-06:00

So we might actually be past the sickness round in our house. At least, we're at the end of it. We went through quite the battles here over the last month. We just ended with 3 of us having severe congestion and winter colds, even though it isn't even winter yet. And, now, Eli is getting 3 teeth at one time. Poor kid! I know it's just part of getting bigger and older, but you know it can't be fun. I am experiencing all kinds of fun pain with braces and so I can relate at least a little.

I just finished an afternoon of Quickbooks for NTCP and some laundry and now I'm back off to church for the evening. I gotta figure out what I'm going to fix for dinner when we get home. No time for that, now, though...Eli is waking and needs some attention before I undress and redress him for church and stick him in the car for 35 minutes. Every day is a great day! I know that sounds sarcastic but I don't know what I would do with a different life. I love mine very much and everyone in it.

Job From Home

2008-10-20T22:22:00.002-05:00

I finally got a job I can do from home. My husband is a great contact and he's a good networker. You know what I mean? He talks to lots of people and they talk to people. He always has tons of work and this time the work needed was actually some Quickbooks data entry and reconciling of accounts. I'm actually working for a legitimate business who has been established for a few years. I've always wanted a job to do from my own home computer, but never found anything that wasn't pay us $49.99 and we'll tell you how to do surveys so you can make $2 for 15 minutes of your time. I'm not real interested in that kind of stuff. If you could actually make decent money I'd jump at the chance to do surveys. Anyway, this job is temporary. It's just supposed to be through the end of the year. You never know, though. Maybe I can prove to be an assest and the company can find another use for my talents. I hope so!

Chili

2008-10-19T21:27:00.001-05:00

My husband has been harrassing me to make him some Chili for quite some time now but I didn't think the weather really necessitated it. So, he's been getting his fix elsewhere. Last week he came home bragging about getting 3 bowls of homemade chili for lunch from a lady he did computer work for. So, I am staying up right now fixing some chili for his lunch tomorrow. I will not be outdone by customers. Just kidding! I love my husband and am happy to please. I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner.

Facebook

2008-10-19T21:24:00.002-05:00

So, under a little pressure I decided to join Facebook. I have to tell you, though, I actually enjoy it. I don't really chat too much with the people who pressured me into joining, but I have reconnected with my cousin. She and I were great friends back in the days where our families got together a lot. Now that our Grandparents are gone, we don't see much of each other. Plus, we have families of our own now and it's hard. It's been good to be in contact with her and be a friend and have a friend, again. I've also been able to chat with some missionary friends, a pastor's wife friend, and friends from Kansas City. It's nice just to get little tidbit updates on what's going on in everyone's life and also be able to check out up-to-date photos. I probably should post some of my own.

Sick

2008-10-19T21:19:00.002-05:00

This house is infested with puke and diahrrea. Two weeks ago we were out to eat and I noticed Eli was extremely stinky. I took him out to the car to change his diaper because we were getting ready to leave anyway and the restrooms didn't have changing tables. He had diahrrea. When we got home Dylan started complaining that his stomach was upset. I quickly gave him some herbal medicine and hoped all would be well. We all went to bed shortly after that. Chris and I were watching TV and I thought I heard Dylan cough through the monitors in our room. Then, he called "Mommy". I didn't think anything of it so I told Chris it was his turn. Then, I heard Chris talking to Dylan through the monitors and I thought he said something about "did you throw up?" So, I started running and when I got in there it was horrible. It was all over him, his Minnie and Mickey, the bed, the pillows, the comforter, down the wall and on the floor. He did it good! So, we made him a pallet in his floor, gave him a trash can, talked to him about what to do next time, cleaned everything up and went back to bed. About 2 hours later he was standing in the hallway crying. When I went to help I asked what was wrong and he said he needed to go potty and couldn't get his diaper down. We got that all taken care of and then as I was putting him back in his bed I touched something totally grosse. I said, "Dylan did you throw up again". He said, "Yes, but I did it in the trash can". Well, only about 1/3 of it actually made it in the trash can so the rest was on the towel I had put the trash can on and then his blankets where he was sleeping. I cleaned that up and got him back in a pallet on the bed and he begged to come sleep in our bed. I told him I didn't want to get sick and he wasn't sleeping with me but I would make him a pallet in our room and he could sleep on the floor. I got up with him one other time that night but by morning time he was sleeping good. I had a Sunday School class to teach so I took Eli with me to church and Chris stayed home with Dylan. When I got home from church, Dylan was running around in circles and he said he was feeling great. We took him to church Sunday night and he was fine. Monday he started all over again but this time it included diahrrea. Eli also had diahrrea that whole day. Then, Tuesday they were both fine. Then, Wednesday, Dylan started all over again. We had a Home Missions Conference at church that week which required my attendance. He went with us on Tuesday night but Wednesday Chris stayed home from work because I had to be at church all day. Chris said he wasn't feeling the greatest anyway. When I called later to check on them, Chris was having all the same symptoms. While at church that evening, I was sitting next to my brother, Aaron and his wife, Julia. The children's worker came out and said Emma was laying around and said she didn't feel well. They went back and got her and thought she was just tired. Within 15 minutes she puked all over the floor in front of us. So, while Julia was trying to clean her up and get her to the bathroom, I got to help my brother clean up her mess. Thursday, Chris thought he was ok so he went to work and I just told Dylan he had to go with me to church since he only had diahrrea and he would just have to sit in the back with me. My job was kind of crucial and no one else could do it that was going to be there. He had diahrrea one time before we left the house and then he has been fine ever since. Chris ended up coming home early from work on Thursday because he spent most of his morning at work over the toilet puking and he stayed home Friday, as well. His symptoms lasted until this week on Wednesday. He had it a full week. He did go to work on Monday and Tuesday (don't ask me why). He just said he had to be there so he closed his door when he was in his office and just washed his hands lots. Thursday night during the night I had the feeling in my stomach and throat you get when bad stuff is getting ready to happen so I got up and took some herbal medicine stuff and prayed really hard. It took about 3 hours of just laying in bed hoping I would either throw up and feel better or just feel better. Finally, I fell asleep and when I woke up in the morning with the kids I was really tired but actually felt better. Friday, Eli was acting kind of fussy in the morning so I just thought he was tired. I laid him down for a nap which I knew he needed. I had just sent Dylan and my niece Emma outside to play. I was going to be right behind them. Eli was whining and crying so I went in and he was standing up in his crib. I kind of swatted his leg an little and told him to lay down. He complied but by the time I walked out of his room he started screaming that pain scream when you know something is wrong. I picked him up and walked the floors, sat and rocked him in the recliner and did everything. All the while, he's still screaming in my ear. He would want out of my arms and he would walk around the living room and then he'd come back and get in my arms and squeeze really tight. Then, he'd get down and walk around and do it all over again. I think he didn't know what was wrong and he was trying to get comfortable. He got back up in my arms just in time to throw up down my shirt, in my bra, all over my back and pants, all over the chair and his blanket. It was a huge mess! I got him to the bathtub where he threw up several more times and then just became limp. I laid him down in the bathroom floor with only a diaper on while I got out of my nasty clothes. He just laid there pail as a ghost not moving or saying anything. About that time, Dylan comes running inside and says he just peed in his pants because he couldn't make it to the bathroom. So, I strip him down and make him go get some clean clothes while I get dressed and then lay Eli down on my bed. He immediately falls asleep. I'm sure it wore him out. I got Dylan fixed up and sent back outside and called the doctor. To no surprise, there's nothing they can do. So, I called my sister-in-law who happens to be a naturalist. I tell her my whiny story and she says she has just the thing. I package up the kids and go over to get this stuff called Bentonite. She said it tastes like dirt and it honestly looks like water with dirt in it. I don't think I want to try it. She says just to give him a teaspoon in whatever he drinks and it will help coat his stomach. She said to do it in every drink over the next 24 hours. It is supposed to pull out the toxins in your intesines and push it out through the bowels. When I got home I gave him a little in a cup with some juice but he no more than finished it when he puked again. I decided maybe if he only drank a small amount that was more concentrated it might work. I tried that and it worked. No more puking the rest of the night. Last night we celebrated family birthdays at my Mom's house and so we just all went. Eli did great the whole night. I took the Bentonite over there and gave it in his drinks there. When we left I forgot the Bentonite. Saturday morning he got his regular milk when he woke up and then he ate breakfast with no Bentonite. I had a ladies breakfast with the church ladies and Mom brought it to me. When I got home Eli was kind of fussy and very clingy. I knew he wasn't quite feeling good, yet. Chris said he was hungry and to feed him lunch and I did. Eli got down from his chair and walked over to the window where he gave us back his lunch, in a not so colorful way, down the wall and behind the baseboard, as well as under the baseboard. So grosse! I really should have given him a small dose of the Bentonite first. Chris said just to put him down for a nap and try when he wakes up. So, that's what we did. That was the last of the puke I have seen in the last 24 hours. Now, since Eli has been taking the Bentonite he has been having some really nasty diapers. The Bentonite is a detoxifier and it is doing it's job. I'll take the yucky diapers over puke, any day. They are at least contained.

That was probably more detail than anyone really wanted to hear. Sorry about that!

Chris wanted a wood stove for his birthday (the real thing). A guy at our church sells them and it came in Thursday. We went last night to pick it up and now we have to wait for somebody to come make a hole in our roof and get it all hooked up. We are hoping it will cut down on our heating bill. I'm hoping it doesn't make an ashy mess everywhere.

Busy? Who Us?

2008-10-13T16:22:00.003-05:00

So much as happened in the last 3 or 4 weeks and I haven't had time to Blog or check out my Facebook. It's been crazy around here! I used to think stay-at-home Mom actually meant staying at home. Ha! That is so far from the truth. Let's see!

Dylan has had Parents as Teachers meetings, pre-K testings, and started PreSchool two days a week for two hours each day at a place just a few minutes away. Yep, he started school. He loves it and they do a great job. There are 2 ladies teaching. One is a former Kindergarten teacher and the other is a former elementary counselor, both working for Willard Schools. There are only 2 other girls in Dylan's class so he gets lots of one-on-one attention and now I can give Eli a little one-on-one attention. Each day they do the Pledge of Allegiance and they have a letter of the week. Everything they do that day revolves around the letter they are studying. They have a snack that starts with that letter. They do an exercise that starts with the letter or somehow work the letter into the exercise. They have a science experiment that has to do with the letter. They do an art project that has to do with that letter. They also get to work with numbers, shapes, colors, calendar days and time and so much more. So far I like what I see. He's also been involved in birthday parties, fall picnics, and even topped it off with being sick for about 5 days last week.

We had Eli's 15-month pictures last week. He continues to grow and mature. His personality is really coming out and he absolutely loves his big brother. They play together very well. As a matter of fact, I was out washing the car this afternoon and they were both with me. I had to bring Dylan in for nap and Eli had another hour before he needed to go down and his attitude completely changed after Dylan came inside. Crazy!

Chris has been busy with the usual work, side jobs, and helping me take care of the boys. He's such a great Dad. When Dylan was sick last Sunday Chris stayed home with him because I had a SS Class to teach. Chris did a great job of making sure Dylan was comfortable and getting Dylan to the bathroom quickly when needed. Because of that, he ended up sick and is still recovering. I am so thankful for him. Tomorrow he turns 30! I try to remind him that life just keeps getting better and 30 is just a stepping stone for more good times.

I have too been busy. I am the "Mom". I take the boys for all their stuff; school, doctor appointments, testings, picnics, parties, and yes I helped clean up puke last week, too (more times than I wanted to). In addition to all the normal Mom stuff we had a 2 1/2 day Home Missions Conference at church. Basically, that means we bring people in from around the nation who are trying to plant churches and try to give them some spiritual and financial support to encourage them and keep them on the right track. I know what you're thinking, though! 2 1/2 days doesn't seem like that long but there is prep work involved and it starts at 8:00 in the morning with breakfast followed by classes until 12:30ish and then lunch. You get the afternoon off and then back to work by 5:30 for dinner which is followed by church and might conclude by 9:30 in the evening. There is also clean-up involved and then you need to visit with the church planters or missionary workers that have come in for the week. We ended the week with a big bang on Sunday which was a celebration of 20 years by our Music Minister at our church. That's a long time to be at one church, especially in this day and age. We had lots of special stuff Sunday morning and a big barbecue dinner Sunday night. So, again, prep work and clean up. Don't get me wrong? I wasn't involved in all of it from start to finish. With my two boys being so young and sleep being vital to them we weren't available as much as I would have like to have been. Some day, though, some day!

This week I actually don't have anything going on today so I went grocery shopping, did several loads of laundry, and cleaned my car inside and out. Now, I really need to be cooking dinner because Chris didn't eat breakfast and when I talked with him earlier he wasn't thinking he would eat lunch so he'll probably be hungry when he gets home. Tomorrow is Chris's birthday as I already said so if he is feeling well, we'll probably go out for dinner. Wednesday is my dentist appointment and a visit to Grandma's house for dinner before church. Thursday is dinner with my brother and sister-in-law and their family while she helps me complete my vacation scrapbook. Friday is a birthday dinner for Chris and my other sister-in-law at my parent's house and then Saturday is a church ladies breakfast with special honor shown for the Pastor's wife. (It's clergy appreciation month, you know!) Then, if the weather is nice I think our family is going to try to cut out and maybe do a day at Silver Dollar City. Whew!

You know what? I love my busy life! It's busy with all the right things. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Funny Boy

2008-09-17T15:23:00.002-05:00

When you get shoes and socks for Eli he starts smiling because he knows generally that means he's going outside or he's going somewhere. Yesterday, I got them and I headed to the area where we usually sit down and them on. I put my socks on and told him to come get his shoes on. What I meant, was for him to come over so I could put them on. He came over while I was putting my shoes and and picked up his shoes. He started to walk off and I said, No, No, No. I have to help you put them on so he walked over as close to me as close as he could get and shoved the shoes in my face and then just sat down with a hard thump and a grunt. It was kind of like...I did what you told me Mom, I don't understand.

Eli is my copycat. I guess that comes with being a second child. He's so funny, though! The other day Chris was carrying him and Chris spit so Eli made the same sound and tried to do it, also. Quite hilarious!

The last couple weeks Dylan and Eli have had colds. Dylan was never real good at blowing his nose up until recently. Now, he's really good at it. While we were on vacation he would find a Kleenex lying around and he would put it up to his nose and make the same sound with his mouth. He was immitating. So...so funny! This week, since we've been home if I go toward him with a Kleenex he starts to actually blow his nose before you get there. He usually has it dripping almost to his mouth by the time I get there and then he'll let you wipe once but if you don't get it all the first time you'll have to chase him and hold him down. He doesn't want to stand still to get it all.

When we're all playing around and one of us starts laughing, Eli almost always laughs and then claps his hands like he knows why you are laughing. Half the time we are laughing at him which makes it even funnier.

Today, Eli had already eaten lunch but since I was eating he wanted to continue eating. If you don't know Eli, that's him. He's my eater and if anyone is sitting at the table eating, he thinks he needs to be doing the same thing. I gave him a piece of bread to snack on. I had torn in up into pieces but toward the end he kept grabbing for the remainder of the piece. He didn't want it torn up anymore. Reluctantly I handed it to him as I was getting up from the table. I was going to clean off my place and put dishes away. He did very well for the first several bites actually chewing parts off and he had such a huge smile on his face, I thought he'd be ok. Then, I started making snacks for his bag for church tonight. I usually have a small bowl of cheerios and puffs and then one small bowl of nilla wafers. I have to break the nilla wafers because they are too big for him and he can't actually take bites out of them. He was me doing it and wanted some. He kept pointing at me and the nilla wafers, then he would put the bread down and point again. I told him he had to eat the rest of the bread before he could have a cookie. (That's what I call them!) He took the whole rest of the piece which was a pretty good chunk and stuffed it all into his mouth and then reached out for a nilla wafer...kind of like, ok now bring me one. Before I could get a handful of the crunched up pieces he started choking on that big huge piece of bread. I get there just in time to help pull it out of his mouth as he puked into my hands. Yes, he did! If you're a parent you've probably been puked on many times and I can't count how many times Dylan or Eli has puked in my hands or Chris's. But you know what! I laughed at him because it was actually quite funny even with stinky puke in my hands.

After he finished his wafer I put him on my bed while I did a few things in my room. When it was time for nap, I reached my arms out for him and told him to come here. He smiled really big and then layed his head down on my pillow. He knew it was nap time but he didn't want to go to his bed.

He's my lovable boy. He loves hugs and laying on you especially right on your face while you are trying to talk to someone or watch TV. I am really enjoying him and trying my hardest not to rush his growing up.

Long Time

2008-09-17T15:10:00.003-05:00

So, it's been a while since I posted. I've been busy! Mostly gone, but also busy. On Aug 25 my "Jaquess" family took a vacation down to Stillwaters Resort in Branson. It's just a few miles past Silver Dollar City although we didn't visit SDC during this vacation. SDC was closed preparing for their next festival. Our vacation started Sunday afternoon as soon as church was over. We ate lunch together and caravanned down. Dad did a little magic and some stories for the kids and then talked to us adults about properly raising kids for our evening services. We spent the next two days swimming, eating, fishing, and relaxing...probably in that order. It was a great time! I plan to post pictures on our beesonfamily.org website. Everyone went home Tuesday night except Dad, Mom, Emma, me and my 2 boys. We went to ride go-carts and play putt-putt on Wednesday with lunch at McDonald's before heading home for afternoon naps and evening services back at Wilson Creek.

We were home for a few days before Labor Day. We dug holes for a privacy fence to connect on one side of our house to the neighbor's fence. I don't know how much help I was but the boys sure had fun playing in the holes after they were dug, especially when we put water in the holes. They were both muddy messes but grinning from ear to ear.

Chris went back to work for the remainder of that week but took off early on Friday, Sept. 5 and the family headed to KC. My most wonderfulest sister-in-law helped me pack for vacation and I actually didn't forget anything. We ate dinner with some very fun friends, the Swearengins and hung out in the back yard for a while before heading to our hotel near the airport. Saturday morning we flew out to California. We had a great time. I will be posting a link on my beesonfamily.org website that has pictures and kind of a "what we did" with highlights. You can check it out if you are interested. Hopefully, I'll be able to get to it tonight or tomorrow. It will require help from the computer nerd in the house, so if I can actually remember to ask for help, he'll gladly do it.

We've just now been home 3 days and I haven't caught up on sleep, yet. We went non-stop and the time change also has got me messed up. I do like being home in my own bed with my own pillows, though. Routine for the day is also nice because the children do so much better.

I'm looking forward to going to our church tonight. Out-of-town churches are nice because at least you have somewhere to go but nothing is like your church at home. Your kids are more comfortable and it makes things so much easier.

I joined facebook this week because of a little peer pressure. I don't know how that will go. I'm still learning how to get around and not succeeding at some of the things I've tried to add. I also don't know how it will be having another place to post stuff, but it will be a great place to keep in touch with some friends from around the world. I do enjoy reading posts from the missionaries serving on the field that I have only met once or twice.

So, for now! That's what I have!

Brace Yourself

2008-08-22T15:18:00.002-05:00

I'm getting older every day. We all are but I'm going through the experience of a young teenager right now. Since Chris and I have been married there have been many times when I have said I really wanted to get braces. We've discussed it off and on, but I finally did it. It's been a long process of just going through all the consultations and cleanings just to get here. I had to have a periodontal cleaning because it had been so long since I had been to the dentist. We don't have dental insurance. Then, I had to have some teeth bonded because they had been cracked and chipped. I've had a consultation appointment with the dentist and one with the orthodontist. Then, I've had to have like a million pictures taken of my teeth, gums, and X-Rays of all the same things. It's crazy what you go through. Today is the beginning. I got the top braces put on this morning. Of all the things they didn't tell me at my consultation, they forgot to tell me after having a set of braces put on you are on a liquid diet for 24 hours. Well, I didn't eat a good breakfast. I guess that should have just been something I assumed, but I didn't. I was going to have a waffle for breakfast but Eli kept acting hungry so he ate half of it after already eating most of his oatmeal and some pureed fruit. I had half a waffle. That's not much with a small glass of orange juice so as soon as I left the orthodontist I headed straight to McAlister's Deli. I needed a warm bowl of soup. I ate it in the car with no screaming kids. It was great!

My teeth and gums are already getting sore. This will continue for the next 4 days. Headaches will come and go over the next 2+ years and pain will be a tolerance I have to build upon. I don't have to go back for about 10 weeks, so I guess that's good. At some point in the next 6 months, I will also have the pleasure of taking out all my wisdom teeth. Doesn't that sound like fun! I know the end product will be worth it and then I can go back to the dentist to spend more money and have them whitened. That will be a great day! For now, I will endure with the teenagers of today and I will truly know what it feels like when my own children go through this.

Example, Influence

2008-08-22T15:14:00.002-05:00

The other day Dylan was playing. He grabbed the step stool and put it next to the bathtub, climbed on the side of the bath tub and then jumped off. Guess who was right there to witness the whole thing? Eli, of course. As soon as Dylan moved out of the way, Eli started to climb up there. He thought he was quite funny. He got up there and was already standing on the side of the bathtub before I could grab him. He's a fast little booger.

I know Eli watches Dylan but that's just one example of the influence Dylan is going to have on Eli's life. It's such a small thing, but one day it might be something big. I have to make sure I've taught Dylan to do right because he may be the only one who can convince Eli to do right in a bad situation.

Growing, Changing, Evolving Questions

2008-08-16T14:26:00.006-05:00

Last night my hubbie had to work late, late so I went to my parent's house for dinner. I took the boys with me. We had a great time visiting with Mom and Dad and the boys enjoyed playing outside.

On our way home, Eli fell asleep before we even got a mile down the road. That was just fine with me. He was already in his pajamas. Dylan and I started talking. Just a few miles from my parent's house we saw a police officer on the side of the road with his lights on so that is where our conversation begins.

Why is the police officer on the side of the road?
Probably because he pulled someone over for going to fast?
Well, how does he pull somebody over?
He drives behind you and turns his lights on and you just know you are supposed to pull over?
How do you know you're supposed to pull over?
In the United States of America, the law is...if an officer turns on his lights behind you, you are supposed to pull over to the side of the road?
Are we Americans, Mommy?
Yes!
Why are we Americans?
You are an American because you were born in the United States of America and because your Dad and I are Americans. Your Dad and I are Americans because our parents were Americans.
You weren't born in America, Mommy.
No, I wasn't. Even though I was born in a different country, I am still an American because my parents are Americans.
Were you ever a baby, Mommy?
Yes, I was a baby and then I got older and grew up and had babies of my own. You are one of my babies.
Where was I when you were a baby?
You weren't even thought of when I was a baby. Well, I hadn't thought about you and Daddy hadn't thought about you, but God already thought about you. He knew when you would be born. He knows when you'll die. He knows everything about what you're going to do in your life.
Why does God know all that stuff?
He's God. He knows everything!
Why is he God?
Uh, Uh, Uh, because He just is. He is God.

Then, I didn't know what else to say...so I said let's play a game. And we moved on to a game without another question. Isn't it absolutely amazing how a child's mind works. I don't know about your kids, but that Dylan of mine is always making me think. I love him so much and his questions (usually) make me love him even more.

Is It Just Me?

2008-08-15T16:26:00.002-05:00

Over the last few months I have had to ask myself that question so many times. It has come up about dumb things and important things alike. Am I the only one who gets the "I Gotta Get Out of This House" itchies? Am I the only one who feels the need for adult conversation when I've been cooped up with sick kids for more than a couple days? I don't mean, just when the husband comes home either...I mean get out of the house WITHOUT the kids adult conversation. Am I the only one who feels tired at 10:00 in the morning when it's been a hard morning with the kids? Am I the only one who stresses out about getting dinner started by a certain time? Am I the only one who wants to have the house semi-tidy before the husband walks in the door? Am I the only one who...? I could go on and on. Well, I have had that question answered lately. No, I'm not! So many stay-at-home Moms face the same things each day and it's about how we deal with it. My goal is to stop stressing over these things and just try to enjoy each day as it comes. Do you know how hard that is? Well, if you are a stay-at-home Mom with a couple kids running around your feet, I bet you do.

Stomach Curls

2008-08-15T16:19:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I wake up in the morning after I have had a dream about someone. Usually it's someone I haven't seen in a while and then I start thinking about them during the day and I know I need to call them. Why does it make my stomach curl? It's like a nervousness! Sometimes I haven't seen the person for years, sometimes it's only been a few weeks, but I don't understand why. Is it a lack of confidence in myself? Is it a worry over what they'll say? Is it my own impressions of how the conversation will go? Do they want to talk to me? Why haven't they called me? Then, I realize...if they don't want to talk to me, it will be obvious. When I call them, I always feel better as the conversation goes on. My friendship is secured, my nervousness ceases.

I had a friend call me today. I have been awaiting news from this friend. I expect this friend will be moving away soon. If not in the next month it will be in the next couple years. The friend asked to meet up so we could talk. My stomach has been curling ever since. It's a nervousness! I'm afraid of how the conversation will go. I know God has a call on their life and God is moving them in a different direction. I know I'll have to try to, once again, maintain a long distance friendship. I'm not looking forward to it, but if there ever were a friend I would want to keep...it would DEFINITELY be this one, even if it were long distance.

Missionary Reunion

2008-08-13T16:39:00.002-05:00

What a blessing I received last week to spend the whole week with people who dedicate their lives and their children's lives to the ministry, to God, and to spreading the gospel. I missed last year due to the fact that Eli was 3 weeks old, but am so glad I had the opportunity to attend this year. Yes, we had some stressful times when children didn't want to nap because they weren't in their own bed or because they wanted to stay and play with the other kids when it was bedtime, but it was all worth it.

I met most of the families that were there but had a special connection with one lady imparticular. They are just on deputation but have had 2 different survey trips. They know just what God has planned for their life and they are taking 2 beautiful children with them. I can't imagine the sacrifices they have to make daily and will continue making them into the future. It's neat to see how God is important in different ways to different people and to see the call God has on some lives.

We had great women's sessions in the mornings. A pastor's wife from Oklahoma did the sessions and she did a terrific job. Even though the messages this week from her and her husband were taylored mostly toward missionaries, I felt like they were all just what I needed, as well. I hope I "renewed" some things.

Handy Manny Hangs Up His Screwdriver!

2008-08-13T16:33:00.002-05:00

We spent last week at the Annual Missionary Reunion. We had a great time and I got to know a couple missionary wives I had never met. One of them called Eli, "Handy Manny" all week. Eli had started about 6 weeks ago carrying around a screwdriver. He found an orange one in Dylan's toybox and he was instantly attached to it. Everywhere Eli went, the screwdriver went with him. He even took it to bed. One Sunday, I made him leave it in the car when he went into the nursery. When church was over, we went home with my Mom and Dad. His screwdriver was not with us. As soon as we got to Mom's house he found a blue one and was, again, instantly attached. He carried it around the whole time we were there. I didn't let him take it into the nursery and then when we left we got in our own car. He found his orange screwdriver and was happy. He took it to bed and everything was just as usual, until Monday. We were playing in the sunroom and he saw a blue screwdriver in Dylan's toybox and he put down the orange one, picked up the blue one and carried it. At the Missionary Reunion, Eli went even into the nursery with his screwdriver. He never got mad when someone wanted to see it. He just wanted it back when they were done. He never got upset if he lost it, but when he saw it again he would pick it back up. It was kind of funny! However, when we got home Friday afternoon, he threw it down in the living room floor and really hasn't played with it since. It was just a phase, I guess, but certainly a funny one.

Do Elephants Go To Heaven?

2008-07-30T14:24:00.003-05:00

Today, the boys and I went to the zoo. It was a last minute decision but everything went great. Earlier this week Dylan told me we hadn't been to the zoo in a long time. We have Zoo Passes so it doesn't cost us any extra if we take our lunch. About 9:30 this morning I decided to go. We packed a lunch, went to the library for storytime, and then headed to the zoo. We arrived around 10:50 and got in quickly. I enjoy watching their reactions to each animal. Eli liked some of the monkeys that were moving around. He was very hesitant around the goats. When we got back to the elephants, Dylan and I started talking about baby elephants and he remembered that the last baby elephant at this zoo had died. So, he asked me if the elephant was in heaven. I said, No...only people can go to heaven. I continued on to say that not all people go to heaven. Only people who believe in Jesus go to heaven. Of course, it's hard to explain the whole truths to him at this time, so I just left it at that. He said, "I believe in Jesus, Mommy". I said, "I know honey, and I'll explain more as you get older."

This is just a sign of what my boys would miss out on if they never went to church, if their parents weren't believers, or if their grandparents weren't faithful Christians and teachers of The Word. For this reason and many others, I am again reminded to be thankful for the opportunity to attend church faithfully and to show my children a Solid foundation.

Eli's 1st Year Highlights

2008-07-24T16:16:00.000-05:00

Babysitting

2008-07-18T15:38:00.002-05:00

I had the privilege of babysitting two kids of a missionary family. The family is here for Candidate School. They have already been approved to be missionaries and are going to begin deputation to head to the field of Peru. Their kids were well behaved, played well with my children as well as together, ate good and had great attitudes. They have trained them well for the next few hard years of deputation and the many years of people's scrutiny as missionary kids.

Big Boy Bike!

2008-07-18T15:36:00.002-05:00

Dylan is learning to ride on a real bike now. It, of course, has training wheels but it's a bike that can eventually just be two wheels and we're very excited for him. He came to me last Friday, one week ago, and said Mom I want to try to ride my big boy bike. We actually had tried earlier in the summer (probably like May) and his feet didn't quite reach the pedal when it was all the way down. Now, he can pedal great. He is still learning and falls occasionally but that's a natural part of learning and he gets back on to try again. That's the important part.

He's Walking!

2008-07-10T15:25:00.002-05:00

How cool is that? I've been saying I really wanted Eli to walk by his first birthday. He would take a step here and there but on his birthday he would just get the courage to walk from one side of the room to the other. I'm not saying he's a full-time walker, yet...but he has really taken big strides this week. Earlier I was laying on my bed and he was giggling at himself as he walked from dresser to dresser and then to the bed. He was so proud of himself. His birthday party is Saturday. I'm looking forward to him showing off a little for all the visitors. We've got a big one planned. There will be 40+ with adults and kids counted if everyone is able to make it. I'm glad his birthday is in the summer where we can have an outdoor party. We're even going to roast marshmallows and make s'mores over a fire pit.

Friends

2008-06-29T15:57:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it's weird because I have friends I talk to all the time. Some friends I only talk to through e-mail. Some friends I talk to every once in a while over the phone. Other friends, I see all the time. Then, there are friends that I would consider some of my best and we go weeks where we don't see each other or talk and then we go weeks where we see each other 3 or 4 times in the same week. I don't mind not seeing friends but I don't like going long periods without talking. It makes me feel weird. So, when I haven't seen or talked to a friend in a few weeks, those first initial moments are a little weird. It's almost like you have to remember what's happened in the last couple of weeks and pick some key moments that are worth talking about. If you talk often, then you can talk about even the little stuff. I have one friend, I would probably consider the best I've ever had. We're that way. We go weeks where we don't talk, not because one is mad at the other, just because life is busy. When we get together it's like the first few minutes are a little awkward and then we start talking and an hour later we still have more to say. It's great having friends like that. If I go too long without talking to her, though...I have to make up an excuse to call just so we can catch up. I have the fear that some day that friend won't be nearby anymore and we'll have to learn a new way to communicate. It's easy now to just run over to her house or run into each other at the grocery store. But, if she ever moves away we'll both have to adapt to talking on the phone. Although, I'd have to say I do pretty good at communicating via e-mail. We'll see when the time comes although I'm not looking forward to that day. It seems like I've had good or even great friends in my past and with time, they all have disappeared in one way or another. I'm glad I have a husband and more importantly, a heavenly Father, I can always talk to and he'll never go away. That doesn't mean I don't like my girl time, though.

What's Ahead

2008-06-27T08:48:00.002-05:00

Next week, Chris has the whole week off work. We have some friends coming in from KY and OH. We're very excited to have them around and hope we can be entertaining enough. It's hard to plan activities for young and old alike that all will enjoy. I think the old people want to sit around for 5 days. The young people don't mind a little of that, but would probably enjoy a little more activity. We'll see what we can get them to do. I'm looking forward to having my husband around for a week but if we don't come up with activities he'll end up working because he can't sit still.

This will be Eli's first July 4th. We're excited to see how he will respond to fireworks. Dylan remembers playing with chicken fireworks last year and how they pooped out different colors. That's what he says he remembers anyway.

I better get moving so Dylan and Eli can have a little time outside before the rain moves in for the day. Have a great weekend!

Glad It's Over

2008-06-27T08:43:00.002-05:00

Our Relay for Life was a success. We met and exceeded our financial goal. Our disappointment came when we thought we would be the only team selling smores for the evening but ended up being one of three or one of four. We were the only team allowing you to roast your own marshmallows, but either way it didn't go over as big as we had hoped. Several people joked that we should sell time by our fire because as the night went on, the weather got cooler, and the dew fell making you cold and wet.

I'm going to learn more about the American Cancer Society. This year we did the Relay kind of out of obligation to our family. However, I don't have a problem working hard for a charity and having fun at it. I'm going to find out how the money is spent and I'll get back with you on whether it is a worthy cause.

There were lots of things to do all night long. They had karaoke, volleyball tournaments, tricycle races, balloon toss, egg toss, and lots more. Plus, there was plenty of time to just sit and visit with people that you maybe don't have that opportunity with at other times.

I'm glad it's over just because I felt like I was worrying over it too much, but I did enjoy the evening and I especially enjoyed just hanging out not having to worry about where my kids were or if they were ok. My Dad and Mom took great care of them and the boys had fun.

Big Night!

2008-06-20T15:22:00.002-05:00

Tonight is the big night. We have our Relay for Life. I hope to make it all night. That means I will have no sleep or maybe just small winks of sleep until tomorrow morning when we get home around 8:00a.m. I will be so tired. I am thankful my Mom and Dad are willing to keep my boys tonight and take them tomorrow for several hours so I can catch a few winks more.

We're selling s'mores at our tent for $1 each and you get to roast your own marshmallow. We'll be at the Republic Middle School track for any of those who might be interestd in a great dessert or just some fun fellowship. We'll be there all night, literally.

Our team reached its financial goal thanks to many of you. We're very excited about that and everything we make tonight on our silent auction basket and s'mores will be extra. Our silent auction basket should be pretty cool. We have Silver Dollar City tickets, Branson Tracks free ride tickets, and lots of candy, popcorn, and soda. Yes, I said Soda. That's what I call it. Some call it pop. Sometimes when I'm trying to be funny I call it soda pop. That's funny!

Today, I told Dylan I would love to go ride on a cloud some day and he told me I couldn't because they don't have seats. Isn't it funny how 3-year olds think. He's going to have a great time tonight because he gets to run in the biggest circles. If you know Dylan, you know he LOVES to run in circles.

Kids Are Great

2008-06-17T16:32:00.002-05:00

I love my boys. Dylan and Eli crack me up daily. Dylan has this beautiful smile and his big blue eyes just shine. He's growing up so fast and he comes up with new things every day. I think, "Where did he get that?" It's so funny to hear him talk to Eli. He says so many of the things we say. He's not just a direct reflection of us, like a mirror, he repeats us. Sometimes, he doesn't even know what he's saying. He loves to ride his tricycle and play in the dirt. His favorite thing to do when we go down to the baseball field is to kick the dirt. He wants to go on a walk all the time which really means ride our bikes and he either wants to go to the park to play on the playground or to the recreation center where he can run in big circles in their gymnasium. He is always asking for cold water and I think that's great. It's summer time and water is a very refreshing, hydrating solution.

Eli is almost a year old. He also has a beautiful smile but he still only has 3 teeth so I'm sure it will only get better. His big blue eyes stick out and swallow you in. He loves to climb everything. We were recently at a friend's shop. Eli had a yucky diaper, so I being the nice friend, decided to take it out back to the dumpster rather than put it in their indoor trash can. I thought my husband would naturally watch Eli but he didn't feel the need so he went off to the restroom. Our friend was taking care of a client. When I got back inside, Eli was 3 steps up on a 6-foot ladder with his foot ready to climb to the 4th step. I ran toward him and all I could see was this huge smile on his face. I stopped behind him to make sure he wouldnt' fall and then waited for Chris to return. After laughing at Eli together, I did have to scold my husband but then we both laughed again because it was just a funny situation. That's Eli! He climbs step-stools all the time. If you can't find him in the house, check Dylan's bed because there is a step-stool in there for him to climb. If he's not there, check the bathroom. There's a step-stool in there and he loves to climb it so he can look at himself in the mirror. If you're outside he is one of two places when he disappears. He's either climbing the steps or getting into the little battery powered car we have. He loves it, also! He's so strong, too. I am, however, ready for him to walk. I'd like him to start walking soon so he can get more coordinated for when we go on vacation. I think he'll be able to enjoy more if he can walk. Plus, if he's still only crawling then I'll have to keep him in pants most of the time to protect his knees and I'd just rather he be able to enjoy shorts weather in California.

All In!

2008-06-17T16:20:00.003-05:00

When I commit to something, no matter what else happens, I totally commit to it. I joined a Relay For Life team and I'm not real great at raising money. Most fundraisers, I'd rather just give my own money and move on rather than inconvenience someone else. In this case, I don't have $400 to give. Someone else committed me to that dollar figure and I will try to do my part. Well, my husband came up with $300 of it and then we did a garage sale at our house. With everyone's stuff our total came to be $305 plus then we auctioned off the stuff that didn't sell and made an extra $48. So, I guess I feel like I got close. But, I still want to contribute to make sure our team reaches its financial goal of $3,000. I already told you about the phone calls I was making. Well, I haven't gotten any more cash donations. I did, however, score some show tickets for Branson, get a $25 gift card from Murfin's Market in Willard which I spent on supplies for at least 100 s'mores to sell the night of the Relay, and I got free ride passes at Branson Tracks to put in our silent auction basket. So, if our silent auction goes well and we have everything in there that we're supposed to, our basket will be valued at $200 or more. I know I didn't do it all but I contributed. I will also contribute some of my own money, yes. I will buy some popcorn and peanuts and soda pop for the basket and maybe that will help a little. Plus, when it gets right down to it, I'm hoping we'll sell tons of s'mores. My mind has been consumed with this lately and I'm so ready to get it over so I can concentrate on something else.

We have family friends coming in at the first of July. I'm already starting to work with my sisters-in-law and mom to come up with activites and menu. I've been coordinating and communicating with all parts of the team here and the visiting crew. It's been fun and in a few days I can concentrate completely on it. I'm ALL IN!

With that thought in mind, shouldn't we, as Christians, be ALL IN? Wow! What a thought? We should love God with our whole heart and want to live our lives to the fullest extent where everyone around us knows we are Christians and we represent God's army.

In your life, what are you ALL IN about?

People Not to Do Business With

2008-06-16T14:37:00.002-05:00

So, I was calling around looking for some show ticket donations for the Branson area. I called a few local businesses and I honestly don't mind them saying they aren't interested, can't afford it, or already helping someone. I don't mind being told No at all. What I don't like is when people say, "No Way" or they just plain old hang up on you. How rude and unprofessional?! I called the Branson Hotline 417-823-3064. They were one of those extremely rude companies. I called Branson Central Reservations 417-334-4991 and she's the one who actually hung up on me. I wanted to call back and say, "Sorry, we must have been disconnected", but I decided to be the bigger person. I had one guy at "Branson Show Tickets" 417-336-5925 say he was on the other line and he would call me right back. I used a different phone line so he could do that and guess what...he never called me back. He could have just said he wasn't interested or couldn't at this time. I am a very understanding person. I had several people direct me to someone else and then that person directed me to someone else. I think to some it was a game and some they honestly didn't know what to do. I'll even take that better than a business hanging up on me. That's just immature. So, I named the businesses and gave you their phone numbers. Don't do business with them.

As for good companies, I got turned down by several. Price Cutter, Lacey, was extremely cordial. She said they had lots of donation requests and could only take so many. She also said they were corporate sponsors for Relay For Life and appreciated what I was doing. I like those kind of No's. Wal-mart managers I spoke with were very nice and Dixie Stampede was above par. They could not have been nicer.

I've decided that I'm big on reviews. I want to know what other people think about a product or a company. It really helps me decide what to buy and where. So, from now on, those who impress me or don't will get a review. You'll know how I really feel.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-06-05T16:33:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary to my beloved husband of 9 years. I love you!

Right Between the Eyes

2008-06-05T16:24:00.002-05:00

I was sent a devotion today. I enjoy receiving them from someone else. It says to me that "this devotion meant something to them and made them think of me or my family". So, with that I give you the devotion that was sent to me.

Deep Grief
By Lysa TerKeurst

Psalms 30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

Sometimes when we lose things it causes a temporary panic that rises and falls in a mini-tidal wave fashion. Like earlier this year when I lost my camera with all our ski vacation pictures on it. The panic escalated, crested with some hand wringing and mind racing, and then slowly ebbed away.

But sometimes a loss cuts into your heart so viciously that it forever redefines who you are and how you think. It’s what I call “deep grief.” The kind that strains against everything you've ever believed. So much so you wonder how the promises that seemed so real on those thin Bible pages yesterday, could possibly stand up under the weight of enormous sadness today.

I once stood at the side of a casket too small to accept. Pink roses draped everywhere. And I watched my mom as she lay across the casket, refusing to let go. How could she let go? Part of her heart laid within, so quiet and so still.

I stood paralyzed. Just days ago we were doing everyday things and assuming that all of our lives stretched before us in spans of many, many years. And then suddenly it all stopped. In the flurry of funeral plans and memorial services we all operated on automatic. People were everywhere. Soft chatter filled in the gaps that our stunned silence could not. And enough food was brought in to feed the whole neighborhood.

But eventually people went back to their own lives. The soft chatter dissipated. The food stopped coming. And we were forced to carry on. Only we had deep grief wrapped about us that made our throats feel strangled and our feet stuck in mud.

I remember I tried to go to McDonalds to order a happy meal. But I couldn't. I sat in the drive-through with the speaker spouting words at me I couldn't process. She kept asking if she could take my order.

Yeah, I had an order. Take away my bloodshot eyes. Take away my desire to hurt the doctors that couldn't save my sister. Take away my anger toward God. And then take away my guilt for being the one that lived. I'll take all that with no onions and extra ketchup, please.

I drove away sobbing. How dare they offer happy meals. No one should be happy today. Or tomorrow. Or next year.

This is the reality of deep grief. Even when you love God and believe in His promises. Even when you know without a doubt that you will see your loved one again. Even when you know hope is still there.

It takes time.

It takes wading through an ocean of tears.

It takes finding a possession of your loved one that you thought was lost, and realizing God did that just to comfort you. It takes discovering one day that the sun still shines. It takes being caught off-guard when you catch yourself smiling… only to realize it's okay.

It takes prayer. It takes making the decision to stop asking for answers and start asking for perspective. It takes telling people to please not avoid saying her name - you want to hear it, over and over again.

Then one day you take off the blanket of deep grief. You fold it neatly and tuck it away. You no longer hate it or resist it. For underneath it, wondrous things have happened. Things that could have only come about when Divine hope intersected with a broken world.

And finally you can see years stretching before you once again. You look up, blow a kiss, wipe a tear and find it's still possible to dance. In light of their own recent loss, may we all keep the family of Steven Curtis and Marybeth Chapman in our prayers for all the time it will take them to shed their deep grief and discover their dance again.

Dear Lord, Thank you for assuring us that your principles and promises hold true even when life seems to betray us. We praise You that Your love reaches to any depth we find ourselves in. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application Steps:
Is there someone in your life who is grieving right now? Commit to reaching out to them this week.

Reflections:
Death is a reality of life. So, how can you live more intentionally each day with those you love?

Power Verse:
2 Corinthians 1:2-4, “Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (NIV)

Wow, so that hit me right between the eyes. And, it came at a time where I could accept it. "Thank you, Lord, for bringing people into my life that make me think."

Mild to Wild

2008-05-28T15:48:00.006-05:00

So, I'm helping my family out with Relay For Life. We have formed a team and are walking in the Republic Relay at the end of June. We're supposed to be gathering donations and quite frankly I have a hard time asking people for money even when I know it's for a good cause. I would just rather come up with the money on my own. Unfortunately, my cousin committed us to $200 per person. My husband and I are both on the team and I don't have $400 I would like to spend out-of-pocket. So, my husband is asking some companies for a donation. We have two specific companies in mind and we think they will be happy to comply. It's still very difficult to ask. In return for a donation we would like to have a sign made to put around our campsite the night of the Relay so everyone there will know that these companies helped us reach our goal. We are asking the company for a $100 donation. The sign is just going to be a simple one-sided coraplast sign with a metal H stake. I want the sign to look nice but it's not going to be worth $100 because we can't spend all our donation on a sign. So, I started making some phone calls to find out what sign was going to cost me. I first called Payne Sign Company here in Springfield. She was extremely nice but basically each sign will cost $75 and that includes set-up fees. She mentioned I might call a nationally known company and ask them to donate money to make our signs. I appreciated her help and made that phone call but that company I will leave unnamed said they could help in other ways but a cash donation or paying for products was not possible. I thanked them and went about my phone calling. I called 5 other companies. Three companies never called me back. One company quoted me prices but it was still going to cost $38 for a one-sided sign. So, I'd get $100 from the company I asked for a donation and then I'd have to turn around and spend $38. I'd actually only be receiving a donation of $62. Doesn't sound like a good deal. I talked to another company and actually came right out and asked them. What can you do for me? I gave my sob story of having to spend too much of my donation and asked me if they would maybe split the cost. That company agreed to cut the cost in half as long as I would post signs around my campsite with their name on it. Reluctantly, I said ok. Although, I really don't still want to be out-of-pocket $25. I guess, at least, at this point I am keeping 75% of my donation. I stopped calling. I e-mailed all the information to my Team Captain and as I finished the e-mail the phone rang.

Hello...I said. He said, "I'm looking for Stephanie." I said, "That's me". He told me he was from Mild to Wild Graphics. They are located in Republic, MO. I had already talked to that other company so I just simply pretended like I was still making my phone calls. I told him, "My family has put together a Relay For Life team and we are asking for donations from businesses. The businesses that are donating money we would like to do something nice for them in return. We would like to have a 18x24 coraplast sign with their logo on it and maybe something about how they helped us reach our goal. We will stake those around our tent for everyone to see and we want them to look nice because for one sign we are asking for a $100 donation.” He asked me what Relay for Life was for. I told him it was to benefit the American Cancer Society and he said, “How about I donate those signs for you…I’ll do them for Free”. I told him that would be great and asked him to make sure he made a couple signs with his company name on them so we could post them around our campsite, also. He explained how his life has recently been touched by cancer in many ways. We got to talk for several minutes. He is a super nice guy and I'm not just saying that because he donated signs for our team. He was very personal. This is my online plug for him and I will tell anyone who every asks me about signs or car decals or anything else. His website is, http://www.mildtowild.net. Check it out! Make sure if you live in the Republic, Springfield, Battlefield, Willard, Nixa area or anywhere near you contact Alan and he will help you out.

Garmin

2008-05-13T15:50:00.002-05:00

If you've never had a Garmin and you travel outside of your normal realm even occasionally, you should consider one. What is a Garmin? It's a little digital map that had the coolest information and all the need-to-know stuff right there.

You type in an address and it leads you step by step, turn by turn, to the front door. You don't know the address, type in the name of the place...just as good. You want something to eat but you don't know your nearby options, just do a search for restaurants. You want to go shopping but you are in an unfamiliar area, just searching for shopping. You want to find a mall look for shopping center. You want to make a phone call to a local place but you don't know the number, just look it up. I have a Garmin Nuvi 360 with Bluetooth so it connects to my phone. I can just click on dial and talk right to the Garmin. It's great!

I don't know where we would have been without Garmin this weekend. We used it so many times. Well, as a matter of fact we used it for every single place we wanted to go. We wanted to find a Chili's, but not just any Chili's we wanted one near our hotel. It found one within 4 miles for us. Another time we wanted a Quizno's it took us to the closest one to our current route. We hit traffic one time and just clicked on Detour and it took us a different way.

We are totally unfamiliar with St. Louis and would have been staring at maps for hours. We would have eaten at restaurants that we didn't have coupons or gift cards for and it would have cost us more. We would have been driving around in circles and spent more in gas. The Garmin was one of the greatest things that happened for a traveling crew.

We're going to CA in a few months and believe me, it will be one of the first things to get packed.

Weekend

2008-05-13T15:14:00.002-05:00

How was your weekend? Mine was great. I get to spend 3 days with my most favorite boys. We left Friday afternoon headed for St. Louis. We got to St. Louis in time for a late dinner. Eli did really well in the car even when I knew he was probably getting hungry. We had been given a gift card to Chili's so we typed it in on the Garmin and within 4 miles of our hotel, we found one. We paid $9 and we all ate very well. It was one of the best, hot, $9 meals I have had in a long time. When we finished eating we headed to the hotel, got checked in and went down to the indoor swimming pool. Chris and Dylan had a great time. It was a little too cool for Eli and I so I took him back upstairs to our room and let him play in the bath. He had much more fun with that. Of course, when Dylan got there he wanted to play in the bath, too. It was a full house in such a small tub. We're used to the big whirlpoool jetted tub for bathtime. Kids are easily adjusted, though. Friday night sleep was a bit of a challenge. We were all in one room and it was unfamiliar territory for Eli so it took a while of crying before he finally settled. Dylan had a runny nose and couldn't get comfortable so he tossed and turned until 1 or 2 in the morning.

Rise and shine at 7 am. We got ready, went downstairs to eat breakfast, and headed off to the zoo. We found a free parking lot just across the bridge from the zoo entrance. Zoo parking is $10 and people must start showing up at 8 in the morning to get a good street side parking spot. We probably drove 1/2 mile down the road from the zoo looking for a good parking spot against the curb. When we turned around and headed back we spotted the Turtle Park and went over there. We didn't see any charges listed so we parked. It was actually closer than most of the curb-side parking. We had to wait in line to get our Safari Pass. If you are a Dickerson Park Zoo member you get a Safari Pass for half-price. It's totally worth it. We got to ride the train which is normally $4 per person. We rode the Conservation Carousel which is typically $2 per person. We got to go in the Children's Zoo and I don't know what the cost is for that. We also went to the Sea Lion Show and I'm unsure of that cost. We paid only $5 for the Safari Pass so it was definitely a money saver. Zoo entrance is free which is really cool. They have a very nice zoo and lots of walking paths with beautiful scenery. It's done very well. I think my favorite exhibit was probably the penguins. They are in this artic area which is very cold but when the penguins are swimming in the water you are literally so close you could reach out and touch them (if you were allowed). There were so many of them and we got to see them interacting and playing and swimming. Very cool exhibit. We also got to see the polar bear. He was outside which surprised me because I expected him to be in the artic area, also. He was up roaming back and forth but he didn't have anyone to play with and I'm not sure if he had any toys. The chimpanzees were also cool! They were running and playing and their environment looked so natural. They had one that looked funny because they had shaved all his hair. I don't know if it was health reasons or if he was old, but it looked interesting. Eli did really great. I thought he would get tired and cranky but he didn't. He whined once or twice and we gave him his pacifier but he didn't really want it. I could tell he was wearing out and so I laid back the stroller and by 1:45p.m. he just passed out in it. We left about 30 minutes later and he slept all the way back to the hotel. Then, Chris magically got him back to sleep in the hotel room and we all took a nap. We got the boys up around 4:45p.m. and headed down to "The Hill". We had been told this was a version of Little Italy and we both love pasta.

We had been told Zia's was a great restaurant. We got there at 5:20 and it took us about 10 minutes to find a parking spot and walk back 2 blocks to the restaurant. She told us it would be about 30 minutes. That was doable. Eli would be hungry but we thought we could hold him off until that time. At 6:15 we went back in to tind out how much longer and she said they still had a few small tables in front of us. A few minutes later they called a party of 10 and then a party of 5. They weren't small groups by any means. Well, if you know me I started to get a little impatient. I was holding a 20 pound baby and there was nowhere to put him down. Chris was entertaining Dylan because it's really hard for a 3-year old to have to stand in a small spot for an hour. We got called at about 6:45 and headed back to our table. Well, by this time I probably had high blood pressure. I was thinking...if they would have said an hour we may not have stayed but if we did at least I would have been more prepared. Instead they said 30 minutes and it took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Crazy?! So, we get seated and our waiter is so busy he doesn't even bring us water for about 7 minutes. I'm a little hot under the collar. Dylan is by this time actually complaining about being hugnry and I'm sure the waiter is going to bring us some bread to snack on with our water so we can at least get some sort of nourishment. No! He brings us water and takes our appetizer order. Then, with our appetizer he brings out a loaf of bread. Now we can eat our appetizer so the bread isn't as important. But then we taste the toasted ravioli. Our bellies are quenched. It's so good! We start to relax and finally take off our jackets. We start to talk and laugh and then we actually got to enjoy the rest of our dinner there. It kind of ruined the evening though because we wanted to go walk around by the arch and stuff but since it was so dark we didn't see much. Dylan at least go to see what we were talking about. He really wants to go back so we can go up in it. At least, he says he does. I don't know how he would actually do once we stuck him in the little cart and it was close quarters. I guess we'll see when he's a little older.

Sunday was rainy, cold, wet, and extra windy. We took our time getting around in the morning and let the boys play in the room for a while. Around 9:30 we checked out and headed to Union Station. For a tourist attraction there isn't much there. We paid $2 for parking and that was too much if you ask me. There are no good shops in there and very few people. I was not impressed. I had been there before and I guess I had forgotten how lame it was. We left there for The Galleria. It's a big shopping mall. They are doing renovations to it but had covered the construction on the inside very well. We had a good time just cruising around the mall. We ate a quick lunch at a nearby Quizno's (thanks to our Garmin) and then went to the Science Center. I have been there a few times before and enjoyed myself but it's not a real great attraction for 3-year olds. Dylan was not impressed. He got to build a few things in one area and play a computer game in another place but I honestly think his favorite part was going to the Omnimax waiting area where no one was and he had plenty of room to run in circles. That was probably the highlight of his day. It had stopped raining by that time but still remained cold. We thought we would cruise by Grant's Farm on the way out of town and let Dylan see the Clydesdale horses. He couldn't see them very well in his car seat from the road and they had closed early due to the weather so that will be something we have to go back for some other time.

So, how was our hotel? We booked a Comfort Inn & Suites in Hazelwood, MO. It's about 10 miles from Forest Park. It's right off the highway so it's easy to get in and out. The rooms were very clean, service was great, and the continental breakfast was everything you could ask for. For breakfast, they had waffle mix and a waffle maker. You could pour in your own batter and cook them. Deliciouso! They also had boiled eggs, cereal, toast, danishes, muffins, bagels, apples, oranges, bananas, yogurt, and oatmeal. They had a couple different kinds of coffee, apple juice, orange juice, milk, and water. There were plenty of choices and for it to be included in the price...I have zero complaints. They kept the dining area very clean and while you were eating breakfast there was someone re-stocking the food and cleaning up after everyone. I have not had a bad experience with the Comfort Inn & Suites I have stayed in and I believe this is the 2nd or 3rd one.

I guess that pretty much sums it up. For an inexpensive weekend, we had a great one and the best part was we were all together.

Cold Rain

2008-05-06T16:07:00.002-05:00

I've been doing some staining yesterday and today. Our cedar pillars and cedar garage entry needed a little upgrade. We've had the stain in the garage for quite some time and I just hadn't broke it out. Yesterday, the weather was just beautiful. We went out in the morning. I got up and took a shower and did a couple loads of laundry and vacuumed the house before we headed outdoors. I got out the ladder and stain and got both pillars to the front entry finished. I think they need a little water sealant and it will last longer than before. I swept off the driveway and mowed the yard, cleaned off the lawn mower, swept out the garage, and came back inside. I finished up the last load of laundry and cooked dinner all so I could have a relaxing evening. After dinner was cleaned up I didn't have anything to do except get the boys baths before bed.

Today, it looked like it could rain any minute. I started a load of laundry and got us all ready for the day and just decided we would go out no matter what and when or if it started raining we would come back inside. I got out the ladder and started to tape off the garage. I got a little over 3/4 of it done and ran out of tape so I just decided to start staining. I barely even got half way down the first side and it started sprinkling. Within minutes it was pouring but as long as I stayed up on the ladder, I didn't get wet, nor did my stain. So, I just kept working. I actually got a little cold by the time I finished with the first side. I came in and took a hot shower and then laid down in the floor to watch a little TV with Dylan. That was my warmer. There's nothing like lying on the floor next to your child and having them lean over into your ear to tell you secrets while watching TV. What fun! We ate lunch together and then played with trains before doing a little learning time and then I raced him to bed for naptime. They are both asleep now and I should be fixing dinner. I have to wake up Dylan in just a few minutes so I better get to it. It's only Tuesday and I am already looking forward to the weekend.

Whirlwind Week!

2008-05-02T11:51:00.002-05:00

This has just been a busy whirlwind week. We had a birthday party last Saturday. We had a lunch between church services on Sunday. Eli's doctor appointment and some errands on Tuesday morning. Republic Kindergarten musical on Tuesday night and a family dinner to follow. Church was on Wednesday evening as usual. Thursday was pictures for Eli and some more errands in town. Thursday night we went to visit Jerry. This morning we had to run to Wal-mart to get groceries for all this weekend stuff and we have Emma Rosie's birthday party tonight. Tomorrow the boys are going to see Monster Trucks while I go to our church Spring Banquet and maybe, just maybe tomorrow evening we'll have a free night to hang out as a family. Then, it starts all over. Sunday afternoon between services we have a family dinner with Chris's side. After evening services we're getting together with some friends. Monday night and Tuesday night look mostly clear. Wednesday night is church. Thursday night is Friends of the Zoo night with hot dogs and chips. Friday night we leave for St. Louis and we'll be gone until Sunday night. It's summer schedule already and it's not even summer. How crazy is this? Keeping busy does make the time pass and keeps your mind busy on the task at hand. I guess, for now, that's good!

Go Away Rain

2008-04-24T15:21:00.002-05:00

It has been a beautiful week and Dylan has got to play outside the majority of every day until today. It rained all night last night and a little early this morning so "his dirt" was mud. He went outside for a short period of time but the wind was blowing making it kind of cold and the mud isn't as much fun to dig in because it sticks to your fingers. Dry dirt is way better. His shoes he was wearing have about an inch of mud caked on the bottom and it made it hard to walk, so no fun!

Eli is teething today. He's running a slight fever and tooth #2 on the bottom is coming in. I do feel sorry for him, but I don't enjoy him whining all the time. I am sure it doesn't feel good, though so I'll try to be sympathetic.

I have very little motivation today. I got a couple loads of laundry done and I really need to iron. I think that's one of my least favorite chores and I put it off until it absolutely has to be done. Well, I'm there and I just can't bring myself to do it. I'd almost be willing to pay someone to do it if I wasn't so stingy with my money.

Hard Hurt

2008-04-22T21:36:00.000-05:00

Friday will be officially a month since Janet’s passing. I keep thinking it’s going to get easier and some days are better than others, but today was not. I took Dylan by Wal-mart where she worked for 23 years and talked with her best friend. Then, we went down and visited Janet’s work area. Dylan and I had some errands to run in Republic. That was where she worked. We used to go up there and go to lunch with her and her best friend. I did a few things and then went by the Meat Locker. Janet used to pick it up for me a lot of the time. I always have bought ground beef, steaks, and bologna from there since I married Chris because that’s where they always got their meat. It was hard for me to go in there. I’d been there a few times myself but I knew she was always the one who did it for me so it brought back lots of memories. Then, tonight was the kicker. We went over to visit Jerry as we do every few days. Jerry is Chris’s step-dad. He was standing at the gate looking out on their field. Janet used to take Dylan out there all the time to look at their horse, Bobby. Bobby died in the middle of the winter. I think the thing that put me over the top tonight was when the train came. They live right across the street from the train tracks. When a train comes, Janet would always take Dylan over to the steps on the side of the house. She would put Dylan up on the rail around the porch and point at the train. About the time I hoisted him up, I realized what I was doing and fell apart. I regained my composure quickly and put Dylan down and then left so I could gather myself more. We left shortly thereafter and I cried almost the whole way home. It’s so hard to go over there, to go in the house and she’s not there. I’m ready to stop crying so much. I don’t want to forget her. I just want it to stop hurting so much.

Dylan & Nana's Dollar General

2008-04-15T12:11:00.002-05:00

This morning I was getting Dylan out of the bath and I told him we were going to get ready to go. He asked where we were going. I said Dollar General and the Library. He said are we going to our Dollar General. I said, Yes. He said, "Nana that's up in heaven took me to that Dollar General before." I asked why she took him there and he said, "She bought me squirt guns." I remembered and told him that was really cool and then reminded him about what he got to do at her house that day with the squirt guns and how much fun he had playing in the water. This was in the middle of last summer. He remembered something on his own about his Nana that is almost a year ago. How cool!

All About the Kids

2008-04-14T16:35:00.001-05:00

Eli has been crawling for a couple months now and he started pulling up within a week. About 2 weeks ago he started cruising around coffee tables and anything he could move around. This weekend he started letting go of things and trying to stand on his own. It usually doesn’t last long, but he’s trying. He turned 9 months old last Monday. I can’t believe how big he is getting. He likes to play with doors of any kind. He opens and closes them constantly. Sometimes he gets mad when he closes the bathroom door and can’t get out. It’s kind of funny!

Dylan gets smarter every day. He talks non-stop and is so excited when we get a warm day so he can play outside. He remembers things I told him months ago and never forgets when he’s supposed to get a piece of gum or candy. He is helpful when I’m working around the house. He now has chores to do. He has to take out the bathroom and laundry room trash once a week. He has to dust his dresser once every two weeks. He has to pick up his toys in the sunroom before he goes to bed. He also has to help with other odd and end jobs that he’s capable of doing. He’s been helping his Dad water plants and he’ll probably start helping Chris mow since it’s already getting that time of year.

Diaper Change Disaster

2008-04-12T16:31:00.000-05:00

So, I'm changing Eli's diaper the other day. I lay him down on the table. I take off his pants and diaper. I get him all cleaned up and then realize he might be running a bit of a fever. As I'm trying to get the thermometer he pees all over me and the table. I finally get that cleaned up and grab the thermometer. About the time I start to put it in, he poops a runny mess. I start to clean it up and just about finish we he spits up. I clean up the spit up and then he starts to gag on some phlegm. I sit him up to help him get it taken care of and get that mess cleaned up. I finally got to take his temperature which was 102.7 at the time. We got the diaper back on and our day continued as days do with kids who don't feel well!

My Visions

2008-04-04T16:22:00.003-05:00

I know in the Bible God says, My thoughts are not your thoughts and neither are my ways, yours. Isn't that the truth. The whole time my mother-in-law was in the hospital I just could never imagine or envision or wrap my brain around the possibility that she might not come home. I kept thinking she'd be ok, everything would be ok and she'd be at Eli's birthday party with a hat on and a bald head. That was my vision, not God's. Since I couldn't imagine it as a possibility I just kept thinking it wouldn't happen. It's so weird. Just a few weeks ago we were sitting in her living room floor listening to her talk about the diagnosis and watching Jerry make phone calls to the family. Jerry kept saying, "She says she's going to beat this thing". We all thought she would. You look at statistics and you just imagine your family is going to be on the good side. They are going to be part of that % that survive. That's just how you have to think. My brain still isn't fully comprehending that she's gone. Everything is so different now.

Weekend Plans

2008-04-04T16:16:00.002-05:00

Tonight Chris is taking Dylan to a Springfield Cardinals game. Dylan just likes going to see Louie. They are going with Uncle Trent, Aunt Wendy, Canyon, and Uncle Kerry. This last week is Dylan's first experience getting to know Uncle Kerry. He really likes him, too. They have all-you-can-eat tickets which means they get to stuff themselves on hot dogs, bratwurst, nachos, and other fattening stuff like that.

Eli and I have been invited to Nana's house. We're going to eat spaghetti. Well, I'm going to eat spaghetti and Eli is going to wish he could. He'll probably get to eat some carrots.

Tomorrow, the boys and I are going to Kite Day at church. I hope the weather is nice. Dylan will have fun flying kites. All he wants to know is, "Is Aunt Cole going to be there?" He likes our family on both sides and I'm really glad he gets to grow up around so much family.

Something to Think About

2008-04-04T16:15:00.002-05:00

Here's a question my friend was recently asked. It's made me think. I'll get back with you later on my answer.

"Why are you a Christian?"

Laugh, Again!

2008-04-03T15:19:00.001-05:00

Although my husband probably doesn't want to talk about this, he actually made a joke the night before last. Then, we saw something on TV and it made us both laugh really good. It's been a while. Last night, during church he had the hiccups and he made another joke. We're on the road to recovery. Recovery doesn't have to mean we forget. It just means we move on with our life in light of the past. We're looking forward but still remembering the past.

Interesting (for lack of better word)

2008-04-03T15:11:00.004-05:00

What's interesting to me is that when a funeral is over I've always got to go home and within a day or two things return to normal. You never forget and maybe sometimes your mind is drawn to that person, but you continue on. The family doesn't get to do that for a while. They have to look at the plants and flowers. They have Thank Yous to write. They have all the personal belongings to go through. They have holidays and birthdays to endure without that special person. Our youngest son turns 1 in July. His Nana would be so proud. He's going to be walking by then. He's going to be the one that digs in the cake like you always wanted. His big blue eyes are going to light up when he realizes he gets to feel real food with his own two hands. He's going to have teeth soon. We're going to miss her so much! We're going to make sure our boys know who their Nana was and that she loved them. Her grandkids were very special to her.

Questions

2008-04-03T15:01:00.005-05:00

Your kids will ask questions you never expected. You better be prepared. Here are some of our most recent asked questions.
Where's Jesus?
I can't see heaven, where is it?
How do we get to heaven? (remember you're talking to a 3-yr old)
Can we invite Jesus to my birthday party?
Can we go visit Jesus some time?
Why can't Nana just come back to life like Jesus did?
Why won't Jesus bring Nana back to life?
What's that? (sometimes you don't want to answer that question)
Who made God?
Why did God make me like this?
Who am I going to marry when I grow up?
What are you talking about? (sometimes I really don't want to answer that question)

Are you prepared to answer some of those questions? I wasn't, but with time I am learning to be prepared for anything. Although, they still catch me off guard, I can usually think about it for a few seconds and come up with a satisfying answer for both he and me.

Funny Story

2008-04-02T13:28:00.003-05:00

Eli was crawling around and he had his pacifier in his mouth. He had lost his pacifier under the table and was chasing Dylan around. He saw his pacifier under the table and started to crawl for it. Dylan saw it at the same time and, of course, made it there first. He grabbed the pacifier up and put it on top of the table. There's no way Eli could get it then. Eli didn't whine he just kept playing and as soon as Dylan left him alone he crawled over to his car seat. I always keep an extra pacifier in the car seat for when we are traveling. Eli pulled up on the car seat and grabbed the pacifier out. He started sucking on the pacifier and then he turned around and gave me the biggest smile. It was like he knew what he was doing. How cute!

Regret, Loss, Time Too Soon!

2008-03-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

Janet passed away on Tuesday, March 25, 2008. This was three weeks to the day of her diagnosis. She's just Janet to other people. To her family she was Mom, wife, sister, daughter, mother-in-law. That was what she was for me, my mother-in-law. She was a great one. Graveside services were held Friday. Everyone went home and life goes back to normal for most. For some of us, family and close friends, life will never be the same. What a way to start out the year? I told my Mom on Friday, "I've been to this cemetary twice in the last six months and I don't want to come back for a long time." This was the hardest funeral I have endured. I have had grandparents pass but I was not as close or familiar with them as I was with my mother-in-law. Chris and I will be married 9 years in June and dated a year before that. We visited her regularly and she was our most used babysitter.

I keep thinking I'm going to wake up from this awful dream but I know it's reality. Our world, our family, is forever changed. I know as a Christian, in my mind, this was God's will. I know, in my mind, timing was perfect. I know, in my mind, there was a reason. I'm just having a hard time feeling that in my heart. People say to read certain scriptures and they will help bring you peace. Maybe they will in time. Right now, there are too many questions, too much pain, and my heart is NOT at peace.

Everyone keeps saying, "How are you doing?, How are you feeling?" You know what I feel? Right now I just feel pain and regret. I regret I didn't tell her I loved her every chance I had. I regret I didn't call her every single day she was in the hospital. I regret I didn't tell her how much she meatn to me. I regret my kids will never know how great their Nana was. I regret that my husband lost his mother, his friend, his confidant. I regret I didn't tell her what a great job she did raising her son, the man I love. I regret I didn't talk to her more the day I spent with her at the hospital. I regret tat I feel bad for crying when I really want to. I regret that I feel like I need to be strong for my kids. Should they see some vulnerability in me. I regret I didn't help out more when she had knee surgery. I regret that she didn't feel like she could call on me. I regret not having more pictures of her. I regret not having more pictures of her with my kids. I regret that I never shared my testimony with her.

I wish I had all the right things to say. I wish I could say or do something to make my husband feel better. I want this sad feeling, this hole in my heart, this pain in my stomach, this knot in my throat, to go away. Yet, I don't ever want to forget her. I want a full night of rest to be normal, again. I want not to have to be near Kleenex all the time. I want to be able to listen to the radio without crying over every sad song I hear. I want to be able to talk to my husband again about happy things without the underlying sad tone. I want not to feel bad for trying to make a joke or laughing when I'm supposed to be sad. I want my kids to know their Nana loved them.

I'm starting to analyze my life. Through every circumstance God is teaching in our lives. He is helping shape and mold us. I just wish I didn't need this lesson right now.

They say every day gets easier. I'm ready for that but not getting their fast enough. I go to the house and in the back of my mind hope that she'll step out of the back room with her contagious smile and say, Hello Steph. It's not going to happen I know. When the phone rings, I want it to be her. I want to ask her how she's doing and tell her I love her. I want to tell her how much I'll miss her when she's gone.

I say she was too young. We are too young. Our kids are too young. I didn't get to say Goodbye. I didn't realize her last 3 weeks were going to be her last 3 weeks. The Bible says, "It is appointed unto man once to die..." It also says your life is like a vapor. We don't realize how quickly someone can be gone until it's someone close. I used to hear all the time, "Tell them you love them every time because you never know which time will be the LAST time." People say, "Tell your loved ones how you feel because if you don't you might regret it when they're gone." How true?!

How do I feel? I feel at a loss. I am at a loss for words in answering that question.

Privilege

2008-03-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

I have the privilege of being at the hospital with my mother-in-law today. Grandma has an appointment and Jerry needed to go home for a few hours. He stayed the night last night. She officially had the last of the first dose of chemotherapy yesterday. At this time there are no new cancer cells developing. She does not need any blood transfusions or platelets at this time, either. Those are both good news. She is, however, running a fever and that is of concern for the doctor. They will put her on a second antibiotic and hope the fever comes down. If it does not, they will call in a disease specialist to see if he can help. They have yet to come in and add the second antibiotic. I'm sure it will take some time to put in the order, get the medicine up here, and then have a nurse come put it in. They will do another biopsy on Friday just like the last one. They will cut off part of the hip bone and take some bone marrow. We will find out by Monday how well the chemotherapy worked. If it worked, the cancer cells should be killed off and retreating. She would be at that time, considered, in remission. She will spend another 2 1/2 weeks in the hospital for precaution and monitoring. Then, she will be allowed to go home for a period of time. They will, again readmit her to the hospital for a second treatment which will be given in 3 hour doses every 12 hours for 7 days. They will allow her to recoup and then decide when and how the 3rd treatment will occur. She will probably start losing her hair in the next few days and she will be very tired for the next week or so.

I am just sitting here typing on the computer while she rests. I haven't been able to do much for her. Two of her granddaughters colored some flowers and made her some paper flowers. She isn't allowed to have real flowers in the room because they might carry or grow germs. So, I pinned the pictures to her curtain. They are very colorful and gave her a smile this morning.

I haven't been able to come in and see her much. Eli isn't allowed in the room because he is so young and is still receiving his immunizations. Since they are a live virus it wouldn't be in her best interest to be around him while she has no immune system. That leaves me hanging out in the library or visiting room most of the time.

Well, Grandma just showed up. That means my time is up. Catch up with you later.

Admitted

2008-03-13T14:12:00.001-05:00

Monday afternoon at 4:30p.m. the Oncologist called and said, “Be at the hospital at 6:00p.m. tonight and you will be here for a minimum of 30 days.” We all went to be with her for admittance and waited around for the doctor to come in and talk. Chris asked what the rush was and if things were going to be ok. The doctor said the best chemotherapy treatment for leukemia is this 30-day in hospital treatment. Chris’s Mom’s paperwork had gotten into the wrong stack of paperwork and when the doctor found it she wanted her admitted and the treatment started as soon as possible to ensure the best chances for survival. The hospital got her IV hooked up and all the paperwork stuff done Monday night as well as the visit with the doctor. Tuesday morning they hooked up a pick line and a port. The pick line and port is where all her medicines come into her body, where they can draw blood on a daily basis, where they can put CT Scan fluid in, and just everything. It minimizes how many times they have to stick you. Tuesday late morning she started receiving massive doses of potassium and she received her first Chemotherapy bag Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday morning the doctor came in to give her what they call a “Push Dose”. It’s where the doctor actually puts a syringe in and pushes a full dose of chemotherapy into her body while she’s there and they do it in a very short period of time. It is a massive dose. She will receive Chemotherapy non-stop until next Tuesday night. Next Wednesday morning they will do a biopsy to find out how her body is responding to the treatment. They want to find out if the chemotherapy is having an effect on the leukemia. Within 7 days of the beginning of treatment, if things go well, she should start the beginning stages of remission.

Better News

2008-03-07T16:03:00.002-06:00

We heard back from the doctor today about my mother-in-law's biopsy. She does have leukemia but it is cureable, or so they say. That's good! He says it is a hungry cancer which is good because it will eat up all the chemotherapy treatments in turn killing itself. She has had cancer for about 5 weeks now according to the biopsy. I guess if there if you could choose the kind of leukemia to have, this is the best option. The spcialist should be calling this afternoon to set up treatments.

Geotrax

2008-03-05T15:35:00.002-06:00

I love Geotrax and I am on my way to meet a guy about possibly purchasing more. What is Geotrax? They are plastic train track pieces, including all sorts of train stops, depots, bridges, tunnels, and so much more. I can spend hours designing and playing with a track. How old am I? Well, we won't go there but I am a Mom of two beautiful boys and the oldest loves that I like to play with his toys, too. If you are ever in doubt about whether your train lover or engineer might enjoy Geotrax, don't hesitate and maybe you'll have a little fun, too.

Diagnosed

2008-03-05T15:31:00.007-06:00

Yesterday, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. It is a fast growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. She is doing a biopsy today to determine the spread and treatment levels. This will be an ongoing battle of chemotherapy vs. cancer cells for at least the next 6 months. Keep her, especially, in your prayers as well as the rest of the family.

For more information, paste the following link into your address bar:
www.marrow.org/PATIENT/Undrstnd_Disease_Treat/Lrn_about_Disease/AML/index.html

Pulling Up

2008-03-05T15:29:00.003-06:00

Eli started crawling February 22nd. That's a Friday. The following Monday he would crawl to my legs and try to push his arms down and straighten his legs as if to try standing. Officially, Monday of this week he started pulling up on everything he can get his hands on. Sometimes it falls over with him. How cute it is to see his big smile when he succeeds. He even likes to test the limits and hold on with only one hand. Too cute!

God's Little Hints

2008-03-05T15:26:00.002-06:00

As a parent sometimes we do funny little things for our kids. When they are crawling around on the floor, we drop something in their way that we know they'll enjoy playing with. If they are headed for something dangerous, sometimes we just pick it up and move it out of the way. Sometimes, we leave it there and tell them "No" to see what their reaction is.

Isn't God just that way. He puts things in our path for enjoyment. He moves things out of the way that might cause us to stumble and then sometimes he leaves it just to see what we do.

The End

2008-03-05T15:00:00.003-06:00

Last year my Dad turned 58. At least, that's how old I think he is. When his birthday came around I found myself thinking about age. When you are young in life thinking about death isn't something you do often. I'm not talking about my death, but now I am getting to the age where grandparents and parents are getting older. Maybe they are having health problems or maybe they aren't. Either way, as you get older you have the, unfortunate, death factor.

My father's Dad passed away when my Dad was only 18 years old. We lived in Germany and I knew of my other grandparents but never had the opportunity to develop a close relationship. My grandmother (Mom's mom) passed when I was 12, I think. My grandfather (Mom's dad) passed away just 2 years after I got married. I have one living grandmother (Dad's mom) who is an assisted living home doing some rehabilitation with the hopes of going home in a few weeks. All of that to basically say, I was young and didn't maybe fully understand. But now a realization of immortality has arisen.

At the end of October, our church gets together for a Fall Festival. It's an alternative to allow the kids of our church and their friends to get candy without having to dress up or go out and trick-or-treat. We were sitting in the middle of devotion when my husband's phone rang. I knew it wasn't good by the look on his face. He headed to the back of the chairs and then when he came back he said we needed to go. I had overheard part of the conversation so I had come to my own conclusions. Chris's step-Grandfather had passed away. He had heart bypass surgery 8 years prior and had never been in great health since then but there wasn't any specific problems. He had sat down in his chair to watch some TV. When Grandma called for him, he didn't answer. He had gone on to heaven even though his body was still there. Grandpa was a Christian. He was saved at a young age and attended, faithfully, Macedonia Baptist Church. What a night for Grandma that must have been. She called the hospital but they wouldn't come pick him up because he had already passed. She was waiting on a coroner which took nearly 3 hours. He just sat in his chair. Family came over to help her, but there he sat. I believe he was 80 something. We saw him a few times a year but not often. He was a nice man and enjoyable to talk to and we miss him, especially at holidays.

We are all going to die. The Bible says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement." The word "but" is followed by the more important part of the statement. Anytime you say "but" you are actually saying the most important part of what I'm about to tell you is... So, after death is the judgement. Are you ready for the judgement? We may not live to be 80, it may be 25 or 30 or 50. You never know. What if today is the day? Where will you go? There is a real heaven and a real hell.

A Day To Forget!

2008-02-29T22:35:00.003-06:00

I woke up this morning and it seemed like a good morning. Neither of the boys woke up early. I got things accomplished. It looked like I was going to be able to get out of the house by 9:00. That's pretty good when it's just the boys and me. I quickly sat down to check my e-mail and I realized I was having problems with my Paypal account. I had sold two items on eBay and one person and already tried to pay me but it says the payment had not been claimed. Which to me meant, my e-mail address was listed as the old address on the invoice she had and she wasn't paying the right person. But, it wasn't her fault and I knew that. I knew I had messed up but didn't know how to fix it. So, I told her to cancel her payment and I would try to send a Request For Payment via Paypal. After 35 minutes of agonizing over the problem, I decided to continue to get ready knowing I was already that much behind.

I got dressed, the boys dressed, the car loaded for the day, the boys in the car and then I reached into my purse to find my keys. They weren't there. I panicked. I looked everywhere. I dumped out my purse, I looked in the house, retraced my steps, called Chris to see if he had them, etc. After several minutes of looking I found them. So, now I'm off to do my errands.

I went to the PO Box and I was trying to mail something. I had hand written the To / From part of the package. I went to the Automated Machine and typed in all the appropriate information. I paid for my package and then it printed out a shipping label. It wanted me to write in the "To" address on there. I didn't bring in a pen. So, I had to go out to the car, get a pen and write in the address and then go back inside. That's not easy to do with kids hanging on your arm. Oh, well! Mission accomplished.

I headed to Sam's. While I was picking up a few things, Dylan asked for a sample of the mini taco. You know how they stand there handing those things out after they cook them. You go to Sam's Club when you're hungry for a small snack. Dylan actually liked it and asked if we could buy some. Wow! Great! Something Dylan and Daddy will enjoy on a Sunday night after church when there isn't much time to cook a meal, this was perfect. I grabbed them with the 3 other things we were purchasing and headed to check-out. When she scanned the mini tacos, it says the "Item Is Not Sellable". (whatever that means!) The manager comes over and says there might be a recall on the item. I tell him he better find out because she's sampling it in the back and if somebody gets sick there might be a liability issue. He says he'll go find out and as he leaves our register he grabs another box from another register. My cashier doesn't say anything but I'm left to assume he isn't coming back because she hands me my receipt and tells me to have a nice day. I guess they didn't really want that extra sale.

I leave Sam's headed for Cookie Cutters. It's a place that cuts kid's hair. On the way, I realize I'm closer to Christian Publishers Outlet now than I will be after Cookie Cutters and Eli is asleep so it would be better if he got an additional 15 minutes on that nap before his haircut. I stop at CPO knowing I really only want to run in and grab a kids CD and maybe a kids picture Bible so I know it will only take 5 minutes. I did a horrible thing. I grabbed Dylan, left Eli in the car, locked the car and headed inside. While we were in CPO, Dylan was doing the pee pee dance. I ask him if he needs to go to the bathroom and he says "No". Of course, he said no, he always says no. But he doesn't stop dancing and I know I better take him. I quickly find a restroom and take him. He pees forever like he hasn't been in two days and then we get out of there, I grab the things I came to get, we check out and head to the car. On the way to the car I am rummaging in my purse to find my keys...THEY ARE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND! I look in my pockets, front and back. I look in Dylan's pockets, I dump out my purse, I look under the car, I try to see in the car, and nothing. I check on Eli. He's still asleep. This is good. I go back inside and retrace my steps over and over. I check in the bathroom, look around on the floor...nothing. I retrace my steps again, go back out to the car, look under the car, look in the car...nothing. I check on Eli. He's still asleep. This is good. I head back inside moving leaves and trash with my feet checking for keys. All this time I am dragging Dylan with me everywhere. He's asking a million questions. Try telling a 3 year old that his little brother is locked in the car and we are looking for the keys to my car which I cannot find. I go inside and talk to a Sales Associate, ask if she's seen any keys or had any reported missing. She hasn't. I retrace my steps again and when I end up back out at the car, I call Chris. I call his cell. No answer. I try again. No answer. I call his office phone. No answer. I call the operator at his office and ask if Chris is in the building. She says he is standing in front of her desk. I says it's an emergency and I need to speak with him. I tell him that I have locked his 7 month old son in the car and I don't know where my keys are. He starts to bark orders at me about retracing my steps and asking the clerk if they've had any keys turned in. I, of course, am already hitting panick mode and I yell back, "I already have"! Then, I tell him that his yelling at me is only going to make me feel worse and I already feel horrible. He says he is in his truck on the way. I start to retrace my steps again. I walk up and down every aisle in the kid's section at CPO, even aisles I never went down. I go back out to the car and check on Eli. He's starting to wake. I can see his feet moving. I had pulled the shade up around him so you couldn't see him hoping it would help him sleep longer while I was driving. Less distraction for him generally means more sleep. I have a mirror on the head rest of the seat behind him so I can check on him from my rear view mirror. I can see that his face is starting to pucker. I call Chris. He tells me where he is and then I hear it. Eli is screaming. I look. Yes, it's him. Meanwhile, Dylan is playing in the grass in front of the car. He feels no sense of panick. He's asking his 350 questions about why we are still there and where did I put my keys and what's that baby doing crying. He doesn't know it's Eli. He asks how long we're going to stay and then he begins to run around in the grass. I'm ok with that until he gets stuck in the bushes and I have to help him get out. I wait for Chris to arrive because, seriously, how many times have I already retraced my steps. I need fresh eyes. Chris shows up and unlocks the car. All I am worried about is calming Eli down. He is sweating from crying so hard, so long. His head is a little wet and his back is soaked. I talk to him for just a minute and give him his pacifier. He's fine. We all go in together and Chris asks me to show him what I've done. So, yes, we retrace my steps again. He asks a Sales Associate if anyone has turned in keys. I talk to the lady at the check-out counter to see if maybe I laid my keys down while I was paying. They both say No. Chris starts to leave but tells me I should leave my name and number in case they do get turned in. I go back and talk to a lady and give her the information. I load the kids in the car and we head to eat lunch. I need some down time. I get about a mile down the road and the lady from CPO calls. "We've found your keys on top of the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom". Whew! So, I turn around and go back to get them. I get the keys and then we head to eat.

We get to a back road and I turn on it to head to the restaurant. I forget where to turn and go a block too far. I turn around and come back. We go into Bandana's BBQ. I go to fix a bottle for Eli and ask Chris to order something that Dylan and I can share. I come back and feed Eli his bottle. Our food is there rather quickly. Chris ordered a smoked turkey platter with corn and french fries. Dylan said he wanted corn. They bring corn on the cob. That's ok, we can cut it off. Eli finishes his bottle and then I feed him his carrots. He does well with it. I ask the waiter for a steak knife. He says they don't have any and walks away. I'm thinking if I'm a waiter I'm going to says I don't have any, but what do you need it for and see if there's anything I can do to help. He doesn't. Obviously, he could care less. I start to eat my food, which is by the way just barely luke warm at this point. Dylan has tried to eat the corn on the cob but had a hard time biting into it so he started eating the french fries. That's fine. I put the sweet & smoky bbq sauce on my plate and taste the turkey. The turkey is dry but I guess it has ok flavor. The bbq sauce is disgusting. I try the original...disgusting. I add ketchup. It doesn't go with smoked turkey. I mix the 3. It's even worse. So, my lunch was not great. I've always said that sit-down restaurants in a shopping center are never good. I just proved my point one more time. Bandana's BBQ is in a shopping center and the place was almost empty at prime lunch time on a Friday. I now know why.

We go next door to get Eli's hair cut for the first time. I forgot my camera. I have actual film footage of Dylan's first hair cut and I can't even take a picture during Eli's. Other than that, it went great. He got a good trim, no eyes were poked out, all limbs attached, no scratches or cuts. We're good to go! When we leave they give Dylan a sucker. I hate kids with suckers unless they are outdoors and half naked. Dylan drips everywhere, so I'm not going to let him have it in my car. I need some chocolate, anyway. He asks if he can eat the sucker in the car and I say "No", but without hesitation I add, "Let's go get something else for dessert. Mommy needs it". We head to the mall because I'm thinking we can stop at Great American Cookie which is right outside Children's Place. Perfect!

We go into the mall and up to Great American Cookie. We order 2 cookies. Dylan wants one with M&M's on it and I'll just take the simple, Chocolate Chip. Then, I think...why don't I just get 2 more for us after dinner. The clerk turns into a salesman and says if I buy 5 I can get the 6th one free. I say it sounds great and he rings it up. Oh, my! 5 cookies are $5.95. Well, I did get a 6th one for free. By the way, their cookies are good, but my chocolate chip cookies are just as good if not better.

I go into Children's Place and get the two things I want. We're out of there. I ask Dylan if he needs to go potty and he says no, but since he's not doing the pee pee dance, I believe him and we leave.

We are now headed to Papa and Nana's house. Chris is going to be gone for the night and I don't want to be home alone. It was part of the plan from the beginning of the day. I've been to my parent's house hundreds of times, right? I have been there without them many times. I think I have a key but don't really need one because I always remember the garage code. I get there. It's 2:30. Eli is asleep and has been for about 20 minutes but his nap time doesn't generally start until 3:30. Dylan is awake. His nap usually starts at 2:00. Dylan asks if he can play outside while I unload the car. That's fine with me. I pull up to the garage as close as I can because I'm thinking if I can get Eli in without him getting too much wind, maybe he won't wake up and he'll get in a good long nap. I punch in the garage code. Garage doesn't open. I try a different code. I try it backwards. I try a different code. I call my sister-in-law. She doesn't remember the code but she thinks it was their ages at a certain time or maybe their birthdays. I know exactly what the numbers represent but can't remember what they are. While I'm on the phone I catch Dylan doing the pee pee dance and holding himself. I say, "Do you need to go potty?" He says, No. Of course, he doesn't. He's too busy playing. I tell him let's go anyway and start to unbutton his pants. He starts dancing faster. Before I even get his pants down to grab at his underwear, he pees all over his pants, underwear, my hands and the phone I'm holding. Oh, yes...everywhere! I tell my sister-in-law I've got to go and I'll figure it out. I hang up. I tell Dylan to sit down. I take off his pants and underwear but put back on his shoes because we're still outside and I don't want him walking around in his sock feet. So, he's running around Nana's yard with a shirt, socks, and shoes on. You know what that makes me think of? When you go into stores and it says shirt and shoes required. It never says anything about pants. I guess he could go in even though he's start naked from waist to ankles with a full moon hanging out. At this point in my day, this isn't funny though. I'm just frustrated. I check on Eli. He's awake and crying. No extra sleep happening there. I search my purse for keys. I found my keys. I go to the door because I have a key to my parent's house. I try the key. It doesn't work. I try every key on my ring and none of them work. I call my Mom. She gives me the garage code. I get the kids into the house and things unloaded from the car.

I put Dylan down for a nap on Nana's bed. Eli is crying in the living room because he can't see me anymore. We're going through that phase. I tell Dylan when he wakes up from his nap he can just come out and get me. At home, he generally calls for me from his room and then I come get him out of bed. It saves me the worry that he's wondering around the house doing things I don't want him to do. I'm sitting in the living room floor with Eli for about 5 mintes and Dylan comes walking out. I ask him what he's doing and he tells me I told him he could just come out. I tell him that I meant he actually had to take a nap and he says he has something on his finger. I fix the problem and send him back to bed.

About an hour later, I put Eli down for a nap and quickly rush to the computer to fix the problem with my eBay and Paypal account. I get on eBay searching for answers and end up spending about 20 minutes on Live Chat with an eBay personnel. I get my questions answered but I'm left with another problem so I have to contact Paypal. I contact Paypal but because we have the account under Chris's name, she doesn't want to answer my questions. I tell her that I can give her his SSN, DOB, any credit card, acct #, she wants. I can tell her where he works, his home address, his wife and kid's names, but she won't budge. She finally says she can give me answers to basic questions as long as it doesn't pertain to the actual account. I start asking questions and I don't know if she forgot the rule but she eventually gives me all the information I need to know. I'm on the phone with her for about 20 minutes also and half way through the phone conversation Eli wakes up. I get him out of bed and talk to him while she's doing some research for me. I set him down and turn on Dad's foot massager and Eli is mesmerized. We're good to go!

I head to the kitchen, now complete with that saga and start to fix Eli's food and bottle. I can't hold him and do all that stuff so he sits in the floor and cries while I fix it. We get his bottle down and then his peas and sweet potatoes.

Mom comes home with BBQ ribs, baked beans, cole slaw, garlic texas toast, and corn (not corn on the cob). We eat a dinner, redeeming BBQ for the day and enjoy conversation about a great day we had.

I'm home now. My husband intended to be home an hour ago but that didn't work out. It wasn't his fault. So, now I'm going to dress for bed and crawl into the cold sheets alone and pray I can forget this day ever happened. As I start to post my Blog I am reminded of my verse at the top of this page. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."

Tomorrow is a new day!

Back To Work?? I Don't Know!

2008-02-27T16:04:00.001-06:00

Lots of people ask me if I'm going to go back to work when the boys get in school. That's a hard question. There are so many variables. Some day I might go back to work when the boys get in school. Chris and I are debating private schooling. We just don’t know if it’s what we want to do, yet. I’m sure the doors will either open for that to be an option or they won’t. I’ve talked about going back to school once the kids get in school but I honestly don’t know what degree I would want. I guess the best thing to do when you don’t know what to get is just to get a Business Degree. Fortunately, for me, I have the bookkeeping for the non-profit to keep me current on how to do some accounting work and I keep up on the Internet so I’m not behind on technology like a lot of stay-at-home Moms. I want to keep “going back to work” as an option. Although, sometimes I think that if I help out at the school wherever Dylan and Eli go and then I have to take them to school and pick them up and help with field trips and then be at home when the boys are sick, I’m not sure how much actual time I will be able to work. I still want to be very involved in their lives once they get in school. So, I guess I’ll need a part-time job from like 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. And, I’ll want something flexible so I have no idea what life will be like in 5 years.

Crawling

2008-02-27T16:01:00.001-06:00

Eli started crawling Friday. He just decided he was going to do it and did it. With Dylan it was the whole, get up to crawl, lunge forward, and then fall and we did that for probably a month before he crawled. Eli just waited until he knew he could do it and took off. He’s been able to move from sitting position to crawling position and vice versa for some time now, but just hadn’t actually put his legs and arms in motion. He is much happier. Although, most of the time he just crawls to where I am and lays his head down on my feet or grabs my legs hoping I’ll pick him up. Funny kid!

Dylan just had his 3rd birthday and he’s growing up so fast. It’s funny because he’s been doing this thing where he repeats stuff we say but he totally uses it in the wrong context. Like, he’ll say “My toes have to jam in them for a reason.” I guess I tell him regularly that I did something for a reason. It’s so funny!

I have decided to try and make my own baby food with Eli. I always just bought the store stuff for Dylan. With Eli I waited almost an additional 3 months before starting him on baby food. It’s not really a health issue because I think even store-bought food is pretty much just the vegetable with some water. I just think I can save a ton of money. I jar of baby food is almost $0.50. I can make 9 servings of peas for $1.25 and a little of my time. It seems easy so far. I throw whatever in the pan to steam and leave it until I think it’s ready. I occasionally go through the kitchen and stir it. Then, when it’s done I throw it in the blender with some water and then scoop it out into bowls, and freeze it.

2007 Year In Review

2008-02-21T16:13:00.000-06:00

Late? Who me? Never! Well, I can make excuses like the best of them. It’s the same as last year except I do have one new one. My birthday comes mid November and from that day until after New Year’s we have family events non-stop. We, of course, celebrate my birthday, and then we have Thanksgiving, then my Mom’s birthday, Christmas, and New Year’s. Those aren’t just simple events in our family. For every event we have my family, Chris’s mom, Chris’s grandma, Chris’s granddad, Chris’s dad, and sometimes more. So, yes we get at least 4 Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas get-togethers if not more.

I am still working as the bookkeeper for New Testament Church Planting. It keeps me busy. I do enjoy helping out in that area and now that I have it organized I would have to give it up to someone who wouldn’t do near the job I do.

So, now to the Annual Update…Dylan turned 2 in February and as I am writing this we are preparing for his 3rd birthday this coming Saturday. Last birthday we did a train theme because he was really into trains and that phase still comes and goes on occasion. Our last month or so we have been on a kick of race cars. Right before Christmas Dylan was into monster trucks for a long time. He’s your typical boy who loves to wrestle, run, jump, be loud, and compete for attention. That’s a new one for us since he was our only child until July. We’ll get to that later.

In May we decided we better take a small vacation get-away because it would be the last for just the 3 of us and our vacationing wouldn’t be so easy any time soon. We took off to Branson for a few days, did some shopping, went to Celebration City, swam at Grand Country Inn Hotel, and lots of other stuff. Dylan had a great time. The water was still a little cool but we enjoyed it.
Since we have been married, Chris has always had the 2nd car. When we got married he was still driving his 1969 Cougar. A couple years into marriage, we bought a new car. I drove it and he got my Camry. Then, a couple years later, we bought a Highlander for me and he got the other car. But this year was different. Chris has been dreaming about driving a big “manly” truck since we got married and he finally got exactly what he wanted minus the saddle leather seats. He is driving a 2004 4x4 Ford F-150 Super Crew Cab 4-door with tinted windows and a huge tool box in the back that is painted black to match the truck. Then, he went out and bought a state-of-the-art Bluetooth wireless, GPS, radio, DVD, CD player and installed it. He has it all! You know he needed that GPS for his 10 mile trip to and from work because that’s the only place he drives since gas is outrageous! But, I was very happy for him and in fact encouraged him to buy this so he could finally see what his hard work has earned. It is really nice and I enjoy an occasional ride in it.

Eli Hunter Beeson was born 7/7/07 at 10:31 a.m. in Delivery Room #7 at St. John’s Hospital weighing in at 7 lbs. and 5 oz. The doctor said somebody should have put some socks on that boy before weighing him because he would have had to be the luckiest baby every born if he would have been 7 lbs. 7 oz. My doctor from Malaysia, I think, so he has Chinese background and 2007 was the year of the pig. I know that doesn’t sound so great but in Chinese culture that is the best of the best. People were scheduling weddings and trying to purposely get pregnant in order to have a child during the year of the pig. Nevertheless, he is growing like a weed. He still isn’t crawling but I foresee it in his near future. He gets really frustrated when he’s on his hands and knees but can’t go anywhere so I’m hoping his frustration will motivate him.

In August we started Dylan potty training. It didn’t take as long as I thought to get the concept in his head. I just kept thinking I was the one being potty trained, not him. I was the one who did all the work and had to take him. It will pay off in the end, though. I know. Now, he tells me when he has to go and he runs in there himself. I still have to help pull his pants up when he’s done and if he has a snap or zipper I have to be there to pull them down. He’s got the rest! I’m so glad that’s over and not at all looking forward to doing it again. Although, I will because diaper changing isn’t something I want to do forever either.

Chris went to the Missionary Retreat without me this year. With Eli only being 3 weeks old I didn’t think the people in our building would appreciate a crying baby 2 or 3 times in the middle of the night. My Mom came out to stay with me. She even took a whole evening shift where I got a full night of rest. Now, that was nice. My Mom is the great Mom ever, though. She really babied me the whole week. I got naps and she helped cook all the meals. It was great! I missed Chris, but she sure made the week a lot better.
In October our church held our first ever Home Missions Conference. We brought in several new Pastors starting new works from all around the U.S.A. Our church, personally, gave out over $10,000. It was great to be a blessing in so many different pastors’ lives. They presented their work and their need and our church, as well as many others around, helped supply those particular needs. We’re already planning our second one for the same time this year.

I pretty much already told you about November on. I won’t go into detail, but we sure keep busy. I used to make fun of my sister-in-law. You would ask her if she could do something and I’d give her a date and she would say “I’ll have to check my calendar”. I could never imagine how anyone could have so much going on. Well, I’m that way now. Since the beginning of this year, we haven’t stopped going and I don’t think it’s going to quit any time soon. I guess that’s why time flies so fast.

Sorry for the delay in the update. Better late than never! It was great to hear from those of you that wrote at Christmas. Enjoy what is left of 2008. We sure will!

Changes!

2008-02-12T09:25:00.000-06:00

I am in the process of making some changes. I would like to establish a website for my family, the one I married into, so they feel comfortable coming and checking us out on a weekly basis. Check back in a few weeks and I will hopefully have a new updated look.

Tough Questions

2007-11-30T14:39:00.000-06:00

I'm driving down the road the other day with my two boys in the back seat. We see some Christmas lights and Dylan gets excited. So, me, I started to tell him what Christmas is really about. I explained that it isn't about getting presents or lights or trees. It's really about how God sent his only son Jesus to the earth to be born as a baby just like Dylan. I tell him Christmas is really a big birthday celebration for Jesus. Dylan says to me, "Where's Jesus, Mommy?" I tell him Jesus is in heaven. He then asks, "Where's heaven?" I told him it is above everything we can see in the sky. It's far far away above the clouds and the sky and the moon and stars. Dylan says, "I can't see it". I re-explained that it was beyond what we could see but we just had to believe it was there because God tells us it is in the Bible and the Bible is true. He asks, "Do you want to go there some time?" I say, "Yes, I do". Dylan says, "Do you want to go there with me some time?" I said, "That'd be fantastic, that would be great, that's exactly what Mommy wants!" He says, "So, how do we get to heaven?" I said, "uh, uh, uh, well, you see you have to believe that Jesus was born and that he lived on this earth just like we do, and that he died on the cross to save us from the bad things we do, and then you have to believe he came back to life and went to heaven." So, that totally seems like a bad explanation but how do you tell a 2 year old what salvation is all about. I know this is just the beginning of the hard questions and they only get harder. I guess now I know why church is so important, even at this young age.