Family Visit

Last Tuesday, Peggy, Jaime and Jackson came for a vist. Peggy had to deliver one of the puppies to it's new owner who lives on base at Scott, so our house was an easy meeting place.
This is Annie--the puppy that was being delivered. Isn't she sweet?




She was so good while she was at our house. Ali and Indy weren't too thrilled to have another animal invade their territory but we humans didn't mind a bit. If you love Annie as much as we do, Peggy has one male puppy left from the litter. You can go to http://seraphimkennels.com/ for more information. The puppies are pure bred Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizslas and make great hunting dogs if you are into the sort of thing.

Tuesday night was spent at my house just hanging out. Jaime had ordered pizza, the White Sox were still playing ball at that point and we spent the time catching up. Jackson is absolutely adorable---look at this face and tell me that you just can't help but smile....




Jaime is such a good mom--she loves him but doesn't coddle him. He's just a good baby (even though Jaime says he doesn't sleep through the night). We didn't really hear him cry once the whole time they were here.

Wednesday, Annie's new owner's picked her up and then everyone went over to Randy and Loretta's to meet Sofie's bus. They hung out with Sofie for the afternoon until Randy, Loretta and I got off work and joined them. Once again we had pizza, watched the Cubs this time and chatted. Poor Loretta was having computer problems at work and didn't get home until 8:30 or so. Even then she was still stuck trying to get her laptop to work which she later found out wouldn't have happened no matter what they tried. It was a bad computer and had to be replaced. I took Momma home around 9:30 and everyone else stayed at the loft until around midnight.

It was such a great visit and we can't wait to see them again.

Happy Wednesday

Good morning!!! I have a quick break here at work so I thought I would say hello.
Momma had her weekly blood draw this past Monday and the doctor called with her numbers yesterday. Her platlets are at 31,000, her white blood count is 19.9 and her hemoglobin at 11. So we are good for a couple more days--we have no nose bleeds right now which is a good thing.

Yesterday was a LONG day for me. Loretta and I did not get back from Arizona until 11:30PM Monday night and by the time I made it home and bed it was 1AM. I worked from 8AM to 6PM, had a hair appointment at 6PM, picked up dinner at Quizno's, ran into Walgreens for some gauze and then home. Momma was so hungry by the time I finally got there--but she was a real trooper about waiting.

Jeff had his biopsy yesterday so he was on the couch asleep(thus the need to pick up gauze at Walgreens)when I got home. I took his sandwich and a soda down to him so he didn't have to move too much. Momma and I ate while watching the newest episode of NCIS. After dinner, I did two loads of laundry, prepared my coupons for the week (love the grocery game website!!) and watched some of the Presidential debate.

At around 10:30PM, Jeff said that he would kill for a big soda and I was thirsty as well. So we took Ali and went up to Quick Trip. We grabbed sodas for all of us along with donuts for Jeff and Momma and a honeybun for me. We pigged out and then I got ready for bed.

I started reading "Eat, Pray, Love" last night. My sister-in-law gave me this book at Christmas along with a wonderful handwritten note. I only read the first three chapters last night but I really enjoyed what I read.

So today I was on Ali Edwards blog ,http://aliedwards.typepad.com/, and she is offering a set of stamps. To win you have to leave a comment telling her something good about today. Here was my comment:
Reasons that today is a good day:
The sun is shining but it's a cool brisk day
I have great hair today (happy hair as I call it)
My MIL told me that I looked really nice when I left for work
I was able to get the kitchen picked up before I left this morning
I made plans for lunch on Friday with a friend

What is good today for you? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Have You Missed Me???

Sometimes I miss me --ha ha

A LOT has gone on since my last post. Momma went back to Litchfield for her class reunion--her 66th I believe. Tracy and Christie took her and they said it was a lot of fun. There were only 25 people there--all that is left of her class from what I understand. Given their age the reunion was actually a lunch---when you reach the age of 83 you have to be home early for bed (or the age of 34 for that matter :>) )
Momma spent the weekend in Hillsboro with Christie while Jeff and I went out of town.

Jeff and I went to Indianapolis for the Moto GP race. We left on Saturday morning EARLY and drove straight to the Speedway. I felt like I was at a mini Sturgis with all the motorcycles (although there were no scantily clad woman which is a staple of Sturgis). We spent the day walking the Speedway, looking at the manufacturers displays and watching qualifying. That evening we went to the fairgrounds for the flat track race which was SO much fun. It was a great race and even though I had no idea who the racers were I was still very excited for the winner. On Sunday, we went back to the Speedway for the actual GP races. We woke up to gray skies and knew that we were going to be battling the weather. We scouted out our seats in the grandstand and settled in. It wasn't long before the rains came in, followed by the wind. At first it wasn't too bad--I had bought two rain ponchos and we were staying pretty dry. Then the rain and wind became a big swirling mass and "I had a feeling I wasn't in Kansas anymore.." We took shelter under the grandstand with everyone else and waited for about an hour before it died down. Back up to our seats we went to watch the main event--determined that we were stronger than the weather. There were HUGE puddles of water on the track that the facility was diligently trying to dry out. Finally, the race started and our "local" boy, Nicky Hayden was leading. It was a 28 lap race, the track was still wet, the drivers were doing between 130-180on MOTORCYCLES when the rain and wind came back. I was hunkered as far down into my poncho as a I could go cheering on Nicky. The wind blew a manufacturer's tent down in the infield, it started whipping things out of the grandstands onto the track and it ripped a barrier off of the wall and the race was called with 8 laps left to run. Mother Nature won the battle. We drove home after a stop at Cracker Barrell for some WARM food.

When we walked in our door at about 9:30PM, we were met by Indy who was meowing frantically. She had clawed up the carpet at the door and when we walked in we knew why. With all the rain Glen Carbon had taken that day, our basement had flooded, on the finished side. So we ended our trip with a night spent moving furniture and running a shop vac. I felt so overwhelmed when I stood there surrounded by wet carpet and wet everything. I was waiting for Jeff to yell out of frustration and I am was torn over whether to file an insurance claim.

I set to work and just felt God's peace--as if he were saying "I'm in control, there is a reason". I went ahead and filed the claim even though I didn't know how we were going to pay the deductible. I guess that's called faith. It turned out that our insurance company had declared the state of Illinois a catastrophe. This means that our claim was not surchargable. Jeff worked dilligently for two days and we felt like we had saved the carpet, drywall, etc. I called back into our claims department to cancel the claim. My adjuster advised me to leave it open. Due to the amount of claims, the mitigation and the damages they were not even inspecting all the properties. They asked me some questions and stated that they were mailing me a check for the limit of my coverage with the deductible waived. I looked to Heaven and thanked God. He did have control, He knew tht financially were in a place were we needed some help and I stepped out in faith which He rewarded.

I was reading my devotion this morning and it was about the invalid who was laying on the mat next to well of healing. In the Bible, it says that Jesus went to the man and asked him if he wanted to be healed. The man replied that he did but that he had no one to carry him to the waters and someone always made it there before him. The devotion asked if we were stuck on our mat---maybe feeling sorry for ourselves, feeling like we were in a hopeless situation, giving up on life. This man was on the mat for just that time--when Jesus would come up to him and ask him if he would be healed. You may be on a mat right now but don't despair---trust and know that Jesus knows where you are and you are there for a purpose. Live life to your fullest while you are on your mat and before you know it, Jesus will heal you of whatever affliction has caused you to be there. Soon you will be carrying mat and taking a new path that God has already laid out.

Have a blessed week!!!

You Have To Read...

"Sarah's Key" by Tatiana DeRosnay. I read a review for this book in my latest edition of Hallmark Magazine and requested it from the library. I picked it up last night at 6PM and I finished it this morning at 10:30(thank goodness I have a laid back boss :>) )

The book is a historical fiction novel about a ten year old girl who was arrested with her family in the 1942 Vel'd'Hiv roundup. I had never heard of this event but apparently it is "the most notorious act of French collaboration with the Nazis".

The girl has a secret that connects her to a modern day family in Paris 2002. The story was very well written and I just couldn't put it down once I started reading it. There were places where I felt like I knew what was going to happen but then the author took it down a different path.

Needless to say I didn't sleep much last night :>) I had had a killer migraine the night before and hadn't gotten much sleep. Once I was home last night, I made dinner and then curled up on my bed to watch the Packers/Vikings game. I fell asleep between 8 and 8:30 and woke up when Jeff arrived home at 10:30. I was awake then so I grabbed the book and started in. I finally put it down at 3AM and brought it to work so that I could finish it. I just had to find out what happened!!!!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

63 Years Ago....

Margaret Johnsey became Mrs. Ralph Budd. Today would have been Momma's 63rd wedding anniversary. There was no celebration but instead a journey of memories. I took Momma to Union to visit Ralph's grave and then we spent the afternoon with Tracy and Floyd.

I was afraid we were going to have to go in the rain much like the last time I took her. However, by the time we arrived the sun was shining and the day was beautiful.

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday.....

It's Here!!!!

Can you hear it (dun dun dun dun), can you feel it (foot stomping thunder, your heart beating in your chest), can you believe it???? Tonight is the first regular season NFL game!!!!!

Last weekend was great with the start of college football but tonight the games are for real. The Redskins vs the Giants. I am not a Giants fan so I will be rooting on the Redskins. My beloved Buccaneers play the Saints on Sunday.

Those who know me will know not to contact me tonight unless it's be text message. I will be sitting on the couch with taco dip, chips and a big glass of iced tea. Tomorrow I will probably be hoarse from screaming at the TV.

What fun!!! Fall is officially here!!!

Do you ever feel like you are in the tiniest boat upon the stormiest sea? You can't put your finger on it but there's a unsettled feeling around you--not necessarily just one thing but a myriad of things and feelings that are causing your boat to rock. You hunker down and keep hoping that the seas will calm and your little boat will go back to joyfully skimming along the water. When in reality, we need to be like the fisherman on the boat in the Bible who cried "LORD SAVE US".

Are you, like me, hunkering down in your boat hoping that the storm will end? Have you, like me, forgotten that our Heavenly father can calm the storm if we would but ask?

It hit me smack dab in the middle of my forehead last night. My dad went back home yesterday after visiting us for the week. He had been such a help and such a joy to Momma while he was here. My day at work was tension filled---so many clients needed so many things ASAP and we were at the mercy of other brokers. I arrived home to find just Momma. She was weak, her nose was bleeding, she was frustrated and she was depressed. Her platlets were at 11 yesterday which means another transfusion today. Jeff was no where to be found and when I asked her where he was she said that she thought he had gone to Home Depot.

I putzed around the house feeding the dog, emptying the dishwasher, going through the mail and still no Jeff. Finally I called his cell phone and he said that he was on his way home. He came through the door with a downtrodden look on his face. I asked if he was OK and he waved the question off. He went downstairs to the family room and I followed. I asked about dinner and he said that he didn't care. All night he projected a cloud of unhappiness.

I sat upstairs with Momma, watching TV and doing word find puzzles. In my mind, I was running through scenarios trying to figure out what could have made him so depressed. I turned the page in my word find book and the subject of the puzzle was the book of Ruth.

I paused and said to Momma how much I enjoyed this particular book of the Bible. I felt God urging me to pick up my Bible and read Ruth's story again. So I completed the word find, picked up my Bible off the shelf and curled up in my bed to read her story.

Ruth was married to one of Naomi's sons. Naomi's husband and sons passed away and Naomi urged her daughter-in-laws to return to their people. Ruth, however, refused to leave Naomi. She says " your people shall be my people, your lands my lands, and your Gods my Gods. Where you lead I will follow". Ruth was dedicated to the well being of her mother-in-law.

I felt like God smacked me in the head and said ---you are doing what I want you to do. You are on the path that I have chosen for you. Your marriage may not be full of happiness and joy but I brought you down this path for this moment in time. He knew that Momma would need this special care at this moment in her life. He knew that I was the one He had chosen to provide that care. I closed my eyes and breathed a prayer that God would give me wisdom and that I would always remember that He is in control.

My boat is still rocking this morning but I know that I am safe because God is directing my path.

If you feel like your boat is rocking, take some time to listen--really listen---to what God maybe saying to you. Even in the hard times, God has hand upon you and if you let him He will direct you to where you are supposed to be.