October 2019 Update

It's already November and I've not blogged in weeks!  I feel guilty as I get emails asking if everyone is ok and thankfully they are!!!

So let me recap late September &  October for you!

Some Ukrainian friends brought Sarah some traditional dolls from Ukraine!

We go to horse therapy 2x  week- these are pictures from various days

Sam's therapy looks alot different.  Because of his CP he is stiff so that's what they work with him on the most

STRETCH!

He loves this ball  It lights up and makes noise

Sometimes they need to change his posture and how he responds to different sitting.  

Both of the therapists are Physical Therapists.  Often people do "horse therapy" with kids but they only have a certification.  These two sisters both have their degrees in Physical Therapy!  That makes a big difference. 

Shad took this picture

Scenes from the country

I walk sometimes while therapy is going on- I have to get my 10,000 steps in!

the barn from a distance on a misty morning

my neighborhood

a neighbor cooling off

So... in October it was our 30th anniversary!!!! 




Who are those babies? 






Bahahaha!!!!

 

 



Celebrating!





The thought of being married 30 years takes my breath away!  That's a long time!  I have many different blogs in my head I could write about marriage but I'm too tired to write them!  Basically most folks (ourselves included) don't know a dang thing they just wing it!   What works for us might not work for another person.  We jumped into marriage and made a commiment.  I for one am thanfkul we didn't see our future because our lives have been pretty intense.  But it comes down to commitment and duty- words that aren't popular in today's world but that's what marriage is. Maybe one day I"ll write an in depth blog about it but not today LOL



Then we had our college homecoming!  Southeastern Univeristy!  I graduated 30 years ago this year!!!  WOW!


Friday night dinner



Friends





the next morning we see the media gang on the way to set up for the football game that night!   Shad joined up!  This will be Steve's last year working for the college ashe graduates with his MA in April. 





The three stooges :)





They did a chapel service - it was a little different than the services we went to Monday-Friday for 4 years but it made me think of the things God did in my heart during those daily chapel services.  he built a foundation in me that is still there to this day.

















My dorm room  in 1984

2019




Helping out in the studio




















Sarah spins during worship





Sam and Selah
























Our neighbor's chicken- I love this girl!  She always comes to see if I have any snacks for her

LOVE

  In the Green Swamp

 We found this amazing place in St Pete after a doctor's appointment for Sam

From the tower the board walks were wonderful




Tampa Skyline









he got a mad puffer fish!  he let him go







Two of our recent equipment through the Gardiner Scholarship  Sarah loves both of them!

This spins her

 she also got new ankle braces AFOS we haven't found the right shoes for her yet

 Our latest shipment to the Bahamas!  the truck driver estimated 5000 pounds I think!  It was alot!

 These are pictures I took in the beginning.  By the time we had everything out and was loading it I was too overwhelmed to do anything but try and help get it done!

Well I hope you've enjoyed this update!  I still have the month of November to go LOL

Thanks for all your concern and messages.  It amazes me that people are still so interested in how our family is doing!!!!

September Days

Sarah loves her horse

She will even hug it

Sam prefers the fake horse LOL
His therapist is able to work with him in a different way on it

Recently Sam has been going for massages.  it seems to help with his stiffness

Vermont would not probably like this picture too much- it's not very flattering

This pair greeted me the other day.  Molly & Gizmo.  It looks like Molly had been playing in the dirt!!!  She ended up ge4tting a bath

This picture is from the Hillsborough River State park.  I go there often.  I'm never sure who or what I'll see there

 

Some of the supplies we collected for the Bahamas!!!  Thanks to Grace Church, Dade City Christian Church, Zephyrhills  Correctional, Sumter Correctional, & God's Share/North Street Thrift Store

Thanks to Crossroads Alliance for picking it up and shipping it!   Now we got two vans full of supplies from St Leo University and 2000 pounds from another ministry waiting to be picked up and shipped !!!!  I'm so glad to do practical things for people!



Well Shad and I just had a birthday (we share the day) and I found some old pictures Fall 2006



These crack me up  First Shad is laughing then Sam

What's up?

Awwwwww

Notice they all had BOWL cuts :) :) :)   Boy I wish I could go back to that time and have our girls too!!  Although that was a few months before Sarah was born 



So here's an old picture of me for my birthday
This is a picture of me 50 years ago on my 4th birthday with my Uncle Mack that I loved so much!!!

In Florida there is a scholarship called Step Up for Students.  It has many different scholarships -the one we are awarded is called the Gardiner Scholarship.  Its for students with special needs who are home schooled.  It's amazing.  It's what pays for their PT and horse therapy.   There are man things on the website that can be selected for the kids.  Recently I ordered Sarah a record player.   It's rather complicated and we're waiting for big brother to come home for the weekend to put it together for her but I went to the thrift store and bought some very retro records for her.  They are all in good condition.   I'm looking for old Disney records and show records too if anyone has any they'd like to donate.    I'd LOVE to have the Sound of Music.  I've also recently ordered them an inside swing and a sensory chair.  I need a therapy room to put all their things in one place

Playing Catch Up Once Again

Sam recently had an upper GI and a swallow study.  He was really sweet and cute through them.  He enjoyed a day out of town with daddy and mommy alone.  We joke around about our medical dates and vacations.  Everything was ok-nothing new.  He does hold a tiny bit of food liquid in his throat but we compensate by feeding him with a baby spoon. 

 Our son did a week long camera gig in Washington DC at Trump Hotel.  It was a blast for him  He got some sightseeing in, bought me a bunch of gifts (LOL) and had an awesome experience.  They almost had to drive home because of the hurricane- thankfully at the last moment the airports opened back up.  Now I'm ready to go back to DC it's been about 12 years since we really spent any time there 

 This is so funny

 His buddies

my trinkets he knows how to make me happy :)

Me and my twins:)  People always ask me if they are twins.  

A week later

 Sweet Selah

I"m back to walking 10,000 steps daily (or most days)  One morning I was the first (and only in the park)  It was pure magic!  I think my park missed me!

Today was another medical date for just us!  Jon had to have a steroid injection in his lower back  He was quite goofy from the pain meds at first but was happy to go and eat!  This is the restaurant Shad works at and they were surprised to see us with no kids!  

We've started doing intermittent fasting.  I'm so excited about it.  First it is really the way I eat normally -breakfast is not a meal for me even though I normally get up early all I want is coffee until about 11 or 12!  Since Friday i have lost 3 pounds.  Getting older has made maintaining my weight harder.  now after going through surgical menopause I know it's going to be much harder.  After getting my thyroid back on track I lost about 10 pounds but then since the surgery it's all crept right back up on me!!!

Looking at all the diets out there, there's none that we can stick with given our family/work situation and there are some diets that we'd never do (keto)  But this one is great!  We still eat healthy low fat and low carb (really working on that! carbs are hard!)  Now I'm cleared to get back to exercising too.  I don't care what anyone says exercise is important  Yes a person can lose weight by dieting alone but exercise is so healthy & good for everyone.  I crave walking!!!!   Yes there are days I hate it before I start walking but once I'm out and going I'm so happy!  And of course when it's over....I'm in ecstasy:)  We'll see how this goes.  I'd like to lose 22 pounds in all- only got 19 to go now. 

Hope everything is going good with you all!

Praying & Doing for the Bahamas!

We are so blessed not to have been affected much by Hurricane Dorian!  But our hearts go out to our neighbors in the Bahamas!!!  Watching the videos that have come out is heartbreaking/  Some of them just took my breathe away.  It really put my tiny little almost flood into perceptive!  Although it had the potential to make our house uninhabitable- we had so much help surrounding us-our friends and church members, the local Fire Department and Emergency Management-the Red Cross... and we only had to relocate a few miles away to be safe and in an air conditioned clean room with no danger to us! These folks don't have that luxury!  Lets's hep them out!  I'm collecting items in our local area and will even pick them p if it's not too far

 Items needed:

 Baby food & Formula

 diapers & wipes

hygiene products (deodorant- toothbrushes and tooth paste-bar soap -feminine products)

plastic utensils

 canned foods 

MRE's 

paper plates, cups

 paper towels

 trash bags 

batteries, battery operated lights

 solar lights, 

 

 tylenol, advil, antibiotic ointment 

mosquito nets and spray. 

Towels, sheets, blankets, 

 toilet paper, tissues,  sunscreen, ... 

and anything you can think of for camping out for weeks!!

This is a good list to start with!

If you'd like to send a check we give through 

CONVOY OF HOPE

a check can be sent to 

Grace Church

7060 Berry Road

Zephyrhills FL 33540

the amount in its' entirety will go to the relief 

Convoy of Hope is the Assembly of God's humanitarian organization.  It serves America and the world.  

Convoy of Hope read all about it!  

Text me at 863-712-1734 if you want things picked up!