Good News/Bad News

  The story of my life LOL



We have a date to move in the house!!!!!!!!



It's June 17 :(



So we did get a date, there are lots of little issues, along with inspections and I think a new kind of Florida inspection dealing with flood zones.....  so everyone is positive that everything will be done and finished by June 17th.  It's official....

At first I was pretty upset, not so much with the wait as with what all is going on with us.  Selah is having hip surgery on May 5th and will probably have to go into casts, I'd hoped we'd be moved so the nurses could tend to her on both sides of her bed, so much easier for everyone.   Casts are really hard to deal with, we've done it once before and since we can only work from one side of the bed because the room is so small, it just makes it 10 times harder for everyone.   This time the casts will be high up, maybe even with a bar in the middle to hold her legs apart.  NOT looking forward to that!

Plus my house is packed up....totally, I could fill a moving truck up today.  So now I certainly will have to unpack some of the kitchen things I've put away.  Our house seems very chaotic with boxes everywhere.  I packed up over the last few weeks so we wouldn't be "caught with our pants down"  Sometimes I can't do things when I'd like to and it's better to do them as soon as I can....well....it's all done! 

And the other thing I hate is with Steve going away to college in August, he'll only have 2 months of actually having his own room before he leaves us......I think that's what got me the most upset.  I feel like he's spent the last 2 plus years giving up a lot of privacy.

But we'll live and time will pass fast.  I do love where we live now, just not with boxes everywhere~!

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So Steve and Shad's big trip was a trip by themselves to Universal Studios!  They've had a blast, we got them a hotel room there by the park so they would be safe and not have to drive all over the place.  Steve bought his and Shad's tickets, he wanted to do that for Shad and we got them the room.  I love that Steve wanted to take his brother with him.

 

 

I went out and cleaned the car windows with Windex and a towel before they left.  I remembered my father in law doing that for us one time we were down here visiting from NY and then waving as we left.  NOW I'm the parent left behind and waving LOL

 

 

Both boys were big Scooby Doo fans as I am too.  I adore this picture!

 

 

 

 

 

We were really happy that the boys got to go and have fun.  Of course now they'll expect this all the time.....

 

 

 

 

Sarah and Sam were out on the swings this morning having fun.  Sam is getting so big we can hardly strap him into the toddler swing.  But they still love it!

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah got her wheelchair today.  It's lovely and she likes it.  I'm hoping our insurance will cover one for Sam too.  He walks, but not far distances and both of them are too long for the big strollers we have.  He will be jealous of her wheelchair.  There have been times we've had just the single stroller and put Sarah in it and Sam just sits down on the ground in protest. 

 

 

 

 

 

 We'd hoped that Sarah would walk but despite intensive therapy and all kinds of doctor visits, she just doesn't.  We are not sure exactly why.....    All the doctors say her legs are strong enough and she really doesn't have CP.  It's like she doesn't have the desire.  It might be because of her vision, she doesn't have the sight to see things so there is no drive to move.  She'll walk some in her walker but she doesn't like to do it for long.    Sam was just turning 3 when he started walking.  He really took off after he'd had the corneal implant when he was 3.5 years old.  So maybe the lack of sight is what holds her back.   She'll walk out on her sidewalk but to take her anywhere with the walker is just overwhelming to everyone.  Maybe that will change, but at least we have her a wheelchair now to help us get her around:) 


Well hope you all have a great weekend.  Our boys will be home tonight cause Steve has work tomorrow.  We'll be glad for them to come home!

VEGAN update

VEGAN update.....we were vegans for a month, I had a couple of "slip ups" but Jon was perfect.  Now with half of house packed up, we are not always eating vegan.  Cooking Vegan is a commitment and time consuming but worth it!    Both of our cholesterol went down.  Mine went from 202 to 168 and his 210 to 178 and that is just in one month!  Is that crazy or what?.  But we both have higher than normal triglycerides  levels.

 We also got some scans done, mine are fine but Jon's show some plaque in his arteries.  It doesn't impede blood flow...YET!    That finding was incredible to me!  Jon rarely ate fried foods growing up and probably has not had fried food more than once a year. He only eats it if we are at some dinner or something and he can't escape it.  The last time I can remember him eating fried food, was at a banquet at the prison and he tore off all the skin!  That's the best part!  If anyone should have plaque on their arteries it should be ME!  Fried Chicken is my comfort food.  One of my friends I worked with would laugh at my lunch choices.  It was always easy to see when I'd had a rough day, I'd head right to KFC!  Of course I restrain myself a lot these days. 

So with that finding, he will be having some more tests.  No one thinks he has any real risks right now but with his terrible family history, he has to take more care.  Once we get moved, and unpack I'm going to be back to cooking vegan!  I will say, the other night we were eating grilled chicken from Sonny's our favorite BBQ place and both of us were just about purring LOL.  When you've been away from meat, you appreciate it more when you eat it again.  Some folks get where they don't like meat, I'm not sure that will happen to us!

I can't imagine him exercising any more than he does.  He generally gets 2 hours in Friday-Sunday.  During the week he generally gets some days in which he gets a full hour of exercise in.  With his job as a chaplain, he walks the campus of the prison all day long.  He used to wear out a pair of dress shoes in about 9 months.  He would literally wear a hole in the shoe.,  So he asked if he could start wearing tennis shoes, and he was allowed to wear black ones-plus it's better for his back.  Now he still wears out tennis shoes but not as quickly.  So it's not like he is sitting on his butt all day.  At this point, I'm just very thankful he has taken care of himself over the years, knowing the health risks that runs in his family.  When we were first married, I didn't quite "get it" but when my brother in law almost died at only 32 of a massive heart attack, I suddenly got a lot more concerned about heart health!  Jon refuses to take Statin drugs and really his cholesterol is not bad enough but his doctor wanted to put him on a statin as a preventive measure.  I'm hoping the vegan diet full time or close to full time will do the trick. 

I just encourage all of you to be aware of your body and to take care of it.  I know I need to do better, it's so easy to be bad-there is fast food everywhere and all kinds of convenience foods that are full of chemicals and ingredients that are terrible for us.  It really is a battle daily.  I have to be prepared to feed my family healthier meals or I will go and get take out.  At leas I fight it:)
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SOOOOOO  good news on the house!  I got a call from our contractor today.  I told him I feel like a teenage girl when I see his number come up on my phone:)  It's better than getting a call from a boyfriend!  Haha!   It looks like almost everything will be done by the end of this week.  Of course this is Florida and there is always rain to deal with.  Next week the inspections from various county agencies will start....  I'm crossing my fingers for a move in date of April 18-19 but that might be premature.  Selah's surgery is set for May 5th, I really really want to be moved in and settled before we have to deal with that.  Unfortunately the surgery is quite extensive-anything with the hip is rough.  She did good last year, but we hoping this will be the final surgery she will need on her hip.



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Well my older boys are going on an EPIC adventure for spring break week.  I'm not going to share the details on line till they are back but I can tell you this Mama is learning how to "let go" and let them grow up.  Having gone through so much more than most people go through to have a child, both my biological and my adopted kids, and then having gone through a tragic accident, it's hard for me to not worry about my kids' safety but I PUSH myself to let them go and do things even if I have to take drugs (just kidding, I rarely have to do that!  LOL)   So anyhow if you think of my boys, just say a little prayer that they will be safe while they are having a fun time this week. 

The thing I appreciate about both of them, is they really don't get how special they are.  They just are who they are and most of the time just incredible guys. It makes me want to let them do things that I never got to do, and certainly never at their ages!!!  I'm a bit jealous and wish I was going with them.

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Hope you all are having a great week!

Lift Jesus UP!

So many thoughts zooming around in my head tonight.  There is so much going on in the world and in our country right now that it would be easy to get into debates on here and at times I don't shy away from them.  I don't think it is wrong for a Christian to share their beliefs or thoughts on any moral issue and I support that 110% and often do it!!   BUT.... Jesus did say that when He was lifted up, He would draw all men unto Him.  Sometimes we just got to lift up Jesus!

Whatever happens in my personal life, God has been good to me.  I've certainly had my share of heartaches from childhood on but He has still been so good to me.  I can look back on my life after almost 50 years and see how God worked despite hardships, despite pain and despite what others might think. 

Having been given up by my birth parents to be raised by my great aunt, was a blessing although it came with its' share of issues.  My parents were a hot mess...  I'm so thankful that my aunt raised me but it was odd in a small southern town to not be in a "normal" family in the 70's and 80's.  Of course she was a "church lady" from her bun down to her pumps.  So that set me apart too.  AND we went to the local Pentecostal church, not a good ole Baptist church for us....no way!  LOL  Now I can look back with quite a bit of humor at some things I "endured". 

Through all that, God was with me.  He was preparing my heart in many ways and He was protecting me.  Often I wonder why my two brothers and sister were not afforded the same protection as I was and I don't have the answer to that. 

Many of my youngest memories were around church or church activities.  I "played" church with my dolls.  I was always the pastor's wife and I always sat on the "front pew" which was the edge of the bed or the top step.  I never got to see "The Wonderful World of Disney" but a couple of times in my life because we were not just at church on Sunday morning but Sunday night and Wednesday night too!  And in the summers, Thursday morning Ladies' Prayer Meeting!   Revival meetings were our "vacation" .  I can remember the first time I really felt God tugging at my heart, I was in elementary school and it was during a revival.  For those of you not raised in an Evangelical church, we often would "got to the altar" for prayer time.  Well the grown ups were praying around the altar and I began crying while sitting in a pew, the same pew I sat in for years, the 4th from the back on the left side of the church.  I'd never been "touched" before.....  Let me try and explain, it was like I was realizing God was real, not just a story or a sermon but a real God.  I felt overwhelmed by that knowledge. 

Even though I went through some slight rebellion, I never lost that knowledge.

Just in my growing up years, I can look now and see how God was involved.  It really amazes me to look back on the things that have happened to me. And when I look back, I have to look up and thank God!

There are so many things that happened to me that were hard to deal with, things I saw, people who let me down during those years but God gave me the grace to realize HE was more than a family, a friend, HE was more than the church people.....

I've mentioned before the church I grew up in was rather dysfunctional.....and that is putting it mildly!  Basically we had a pastor just about every year, one poor man didn't last four months and I don't blame him.  There was a lot of inner fighting and backbiting-made things interesting for sure but it wasn't the best thing for a young person to see.  Even with all the craziness, I knew God was so much more than people- I didn't look at the situation and think "there is no God" or "everyone is a bunch of hypercritics"   I was able to realize that God was above all of that mess. 

People always want to say bad things about "the church"  Well I figure ANY time you get a bunch of humans together....you have a MESS.  That can be true in a family, a business, a charity, a school ...whatever.....    I've seen plenty of nasty people in all kinds of places not just a church.  People want to conveniently say that so they feel absolved of any responsibility to be a part of a church.  I roll my eyes when I hear people sprout off things like that.

In life I've tried to learn EVEN from BAD examples!  So when I look back at the bad stuff, I make sure I don't do the same things I remember others doing.  My family was absolutely awful about not supporting the pastor or support staff  (with only a couple of exceptions- guys they loved)  So when I've been in a church, I've made it a point to support the pastor/staff to others so that I don't become like my family.   When we've gone through some rough spots in ministry, I always tell my husband that it's my family's "karma" catching up to me.  Just kidding -I don't believe in karma!

But God is good.  He walked with me, even when I didn't understand things completely. 

I've felt God's strength, I'm so thankful for His strength and joy.  He is true to His word, "He gives songs in the night"  Joy does come in the morning.  He is everything His word says He is!  I know-because I've seen it in my life!  God is not a liar.  HE is faithful and true.

When I look at some of the martyrs we are hearing about, like the students in Kenya  or the 21 Egyptian Christians killed because they were Christians, I pray that I'd have the same kind of faith as they have had.  I pray that I'd have the courage to confess Christ before others, even if it cost me my life. 


Looking back over my life, I am so thankful to God for His goodness, His faithfulness and His love.   I want to be more faithful to Him. 

Easter 2015 in pictures

Easter 2015 in pictures!

I don't really do Easter baskets cause Sam doesn't like sweets at all, Sarah and Selah can't eat them but I did get Shad and Steve Star Wars Easter bunnies:)

 Getting Ready for church-it took Steve and Shad to get Sam's shoes on, I just stood there and laughed!

 

 

 

 

I had the smart idea to take pictures before church!  Much easier although Jon was still at the prison doing his service

 

 

 

 

 





the loves of my life!!!



 

 

 

 

                                                     Selah and her nurse Rose who is like her Grandma:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shad

 

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

I caught Sarah looking so pretty

 

 

 

 our worship team practicing.

Sam enjoyed the egg hunt, he'd find an egg, laugh and then throw it as hard as he could!!!!

Sarah was not impressed!

Can you believe that Shad is only 4.5 months older than Sam?????  Sam looks really small next to Shad!!!!


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Yesterday was THREE years since we met our girls

WE had just walked through the door that you can see over Jon's shoulder and saw them.  I didn't know who to grab first so I grabbed Selah and had my hands on Sarah.  What a moment....worth every penny, every effort, the ride on the all night hell train.....I don't think I've ever been any happier than right in that moment, so glad we have this picture even tho you can tell we'd not had a shower, no make up or hair fixed.....didn't even brush my teeth cuz we ran out of bottled water BUT I was there and I was with them!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

I had such an anticipation about today's service.  The Resurrection just seems so alive and real to me this year.  This morning as I sat in a nearly full church (yes pastors and their wives love Easter LOL) and sang the songs that I sang as a child, those truths seemed timeless. 

"Up from the grave He arose
with a mighty triumph o're His foes
He arose the victor of a vast domain
and He lives forever with His saints to reign
He arose
He arose
Hallelujah  Christ Arose"

And

" He lives He lives
Christ Jesus lives today
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way
He lives He lives
Salvation to impart
You ask me how I know He lives
He lives within my heart"

And even some new songs/hymns like

"Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all"

In my heart I know whatever is going on in this world, or in my personal life is just temporary.  Just as certain as Jesus rose triumphantly some 2000 years ago, He is coming back.  He will rule this world one day in all of His glory.  No other religion has an empty tomb......or a risen Savior!


BlogSpot is having technical difficulties so I will have to do another blog to share some Easter pictures!

Good Friday thoughts

For many years I just kind of skipped over Good Friday.  I mean Easter is so much more fun and victorious isn't it?  Good Friday is hard, gruesome, painful and sad......it's a hard thing to deal with.  What Christian hasn't wondered WHY God demanded the physical death of Jesus?  I mean He is God right?  He didn't have to allow it......  
I know all the theological reasons.  I can quote you chapter and verse but it took until now that I realize just how much it sets Christianity apart from any other religion.  Christians had THEIR God, the God of the Universe come and die for them!  He didn't require them to sacrifice human lives for Him, He came and died for them, for me....that is mind blowing. 

On this Good Friday when the world is in chaos and our country is in turmoil, Jesus is still Lord of All.  As we see hatred for Him spreading across the world from so many different ways, He is still the God who gave His Life, the Only one who came out of the grave victoriously and the One who is alive on His throne! 

That's what I know to be true!





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OH my almost a week has gone past since my last post....

Catch up....
Jon is fine, no one else got sick.  We still don't know what he had!

Steve has his application and all his financial aid stuff done for the fall!  We went on Wednesday and got him registered and applied for some endowment scholarships too:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some pictures of our babies......

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sam & Selah ready for church last week

You can STILL give to the humanitarian aid for Ukraine at
http://www.life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html

Like them on FB
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Lots of News

Well of course life stays interesting around here!

Thursday Jon came home from work so very sick.  I noticed he pulled in early and I went outside to meet him and was shocked at how he looked.  He was fine all day then within minutes got a chill and nausea.  By the time he drove home, he could hardly walk in, he was leaning to one side.  I got him to bed because of course he resisted going to the ER, what man doesn't?  After throwing up a few times and feeling no better he let me take him.  To backtrack, the night before we saw one of our favorite companies had had a recall on some products because they had Listeria ( a serious bacteria) in them.  I only saw one item on the list that we'd bought some of, but they were already eaten.  Jon did have a couple of the other products in the last week or so and I told him not to eat anything else.  Well when we got to the ER I told the doctor about what all he'd eaten and the fact no one at home or work was sick and they tested him for Listeria and put him on meds.  We won't get the results till next week but since there is a possibility that it is Listeria, they thought it was safer to deal with the sickness as if that is what it is.  Today he is back to normal and outside with the kids.  I'm glad he's better, I don't think I've ever seen him so violently ill but one other time in 25 years of marriage!

BTW, I CLEANED the whole house with Clorox.  I'm the Nazi germ killer!  Somebody throws up in MY house and I'm squirting Clorox in every conceivable place!  I'd swore that I was not cleaning this house again ( we are taking up the carpets and painting after we leave) but nothing like someone throwing up to get me to cleaning! 

In other news, we are still waiting on the house.  I think all the indoor things are done, but the septic system could not be done this week because of the rain.  We are hoping it is done on Monday!  Our old house is pretty much packed up.  I've even gone through 3 of our 4 sheds, mostly throwing away old junk.  We are at the point now, that I've had to buy a few small things that I'd packed up LOL!  I'm still cooking with one pot, one skillet and a few other pieces LOL. 

The BIG news is......  our oldest son is going back to college next semester.  He wants to transfer his credits from the community college and put off going to work at the prison.  He is going to go to our Alma Mater, Southeastern College now University.  He/we have gone back and to on this and we've let him make his decisions.  The only reason Jon and I have been hesitant about him going to SEU is the COST!  It is a private school and even with grants/scholarships he will owe quite a bit every semester whether he lives on campus or commutes (45 minutes from home)  We'd like for him to have the experience of living on campus so we are all going to "bit the bullet" and just commit to him doing that!   The three of us have talked this to death over the past year and Steve has always had the last vote.  We've looked at pros and cons of everything and all we can do is hope the right decision will be made.  We are very excited for him -just worried about the $$$!  But things always work out one way or another......

The whole "money" thing is something that is staring me in the face right now and feels a bit overwhelming.  We have lived in our church's parsonage in lieu of a salary for almost 10 years and soon we are going to be getting used to paying a mortgage.  Plus all the things we need for the new house.....  Now college in a few months..... YIKES! 

I've always said to others how faithful God has been to us financially and we've done our best to make wise, prudent decisions so I'm just going to trust that God will provide for us and give us the wisdom to continue making wise decisions. 

We HATE to be in debt.  We paid off all our bills (except for my student loan) when Sam was born and I had to quit work.  So we've been basically debt free for years except some medical expenses .  We didn't want Steve to start life in any debt and we still don't so we are praying about how this will all work out.

I don't mean to be biased, but Steve has been and is the best boy in the world LOL  MOST of the time!  We've never had any real issue with him and we've remained close through the teen years and now into his early adulthood.  In many ways, it's been like our family has had THREE adults in it for a long time.  So we want him to have the absolute best life possible.  We are looking at every aspect to figure out how he can go to college and not get into debt.  He is working but we don't want him to work too much once he starts school back.  Some kids can work crazy hours (like I did) and it doesn't affect their school, Steve needs more time to study and work on things.  He is a more detailed person.  Jon is the same way, he worked summers and went to college without working during the school year.  But I know we'll figure out things, with God's help. 

So we are going next week to reactivate his application there.  He was basically accepted but then chose to go to the lower cost community college last fall.  At least he has a semester under his belt and has some credits to transfer.  Of course we can't find any of his codes to go into either college system and transfer his credits (do the paperwork for the transfer)  but he is going to go do that on Monday. 

Well we are looking forward to a quiet weekend I hope!  Hope you all have a great weekend.