I've Moved

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He's Coming Home

Mom called this morning and said they will be releasing daddy to come home later this afternoon. I'll be meeting them at the house to help him in. Since I'm not sure if he'll be able to get up the front steps, we'll be sure to drive around to the back of the house. Much less effort there and I'm sure my brother, John, will be there too.

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Thankful for Inhalers

Harrison has sports induced asthma. So of course he uses an inhaler for those times when he is wheezing and gasping for air.

Well, in The Original White House Cook Book, which is a book of recipes dating back to 1887, I found this relief for asthma which makes me thankful for inhalers:

Sufferers from asthma should get a muskrat skin and wear it over their lungs, with the fur side next to the body. It will bring certain relief.

If Harrison's inhaler ever stops working, I'll be sure to hunt down a muskrat.

Have You Ever Found Everything Funny?

I went shopping at Wal Mart by myself this evening. One of my favorite things to do is people watch. And I saw some interesting people tonight. I just wish I had taken my camera to capture these people.

Like the woman at the deli with a bee hive hair do in white walking shorts, black panty hose, and red high heel shoes.

And how about the mother with four children, one of which was sitting in their infant car seat looking around without a care in the world while her three older (yet very young) brothers are throwing everything they can get their hands on into the buggy while mom had her back turned. And then they would look at each other, put their hands over their mouths and giggle at the thought of mom purchasing items she did not put in the buggy herself. OK, I admit it, I giggled too and gave them one of those shame on you looks....followed by a wink, of course. They were just so cute.

There was an elderly man walking behind his wife as she did all the shopping, never speaking to each other, and yet everything they did, they did in sync as if they had shopped the same routine for thirty years.

The little girl in the shoe department trying on all the ladies shoes, pretending and wishing her little foot was big enough to buy them. "Look, mama. These almost fit" with five inches left behind her heel.

I also had one of those days when I ran into everyone I knew. Two people I sort of knew from church, but not really. They knew my name, but I was embarrassed not to know theirs. I think I played it off pretty good though. I've learned that saying "Brother" or "Sister" in place of their name really helps a LOT. I learned that from Brother Johnny. lol

Remember my hood and how it popped up while Bruce was driving it the other week? Well, the hood is definitely damaged. The mechanic was able to get the hood closed, but we're going to have to replace it. While we were driving to church, I noticed the windshield wiper on the passenger side was broke and it looked pretty bad. We weren't sure if it was the blade or the arm. Bruce was going to check it for me later today when he got up, but while I was out I stopped at the auto parts store and they were kind enough to check it for me. It was just the blade so I purchased two new blades and they replaced them for me. Bruce was happy it was just the blade and that it's taken care of. I also noticed there is white paint on my windshield. But I think I'll be able to get that off myself. The car is in desperate need of a washing so I think I'll put Justin and Harry on that tomorrow. Harrison likes washing the car with Justin and Hannah. He likes to control the water hose. I'm sure you can guess why.

I better hit the sack. If I don't, I'm going to start rambling and this post is going to be way too long. "See ya" tomorrow!

Two Updates

After dropping Justin off at work this morning, I stopped by mom's to drop off some clothes for Hannah. She'll be staying with mom for a couple of days to be company for her and to help her around the house and getting back and forth to daddy's hospital room.

Mom spoke with daddy this morning, who should have been in dialysis, but they were running late. They told him that since he is dressing himself, bathing himself, and feeding himself, they see no reason to send him to rehab. I have mixed emotions about this considering they wanted to send him to Charlotte just two days ago. But I'm happy to hear they feel he's doing so well. I don't know when they'll send him home. Maybe in the next couple of days. We'll see. He requested mom bring him pudding, jello, and snack crackers. So I'm assuming he won't be home today.

Hannah updated her blog. Click here to read a little bit about her trip to Puerto Rico. I'm sure she would love a comment from you!

Dinner at the Parris Home

Brother Sam and Mrs. Anna have held a special place in our hearts since we came to Faith. Mrs. Anna is a wonderful story teller and Brother Sam is one of the most dedicated Clemson fans we have ever known!! (one toilet in the house has a Clemson toilet seat on it...need I say more?)

It surprised us when they invited us for dinner for this weekend and we were happy to go, looking forward to spending time with them. The last time we spent time with them was at the Clemson/UNC football game, which you can read about here. That was the very sad day our wonderful tarheels lost MISERABLY. We will NEVER forget that game. It was terrible. Last night was a lot more fun for us, I promise!


Mrs. Anna cooked up a delicious meal of roast, beans, mashed taters, corn, a WONDERFUL broccoli casserole and fresh veggies and cantaloupe. Not to mention the four desserts of chocolate chip cake (too sinful), banana pudding, cherry cheesecake, and moose track ice cream! Trust me, we did not leave hungry!


After dinner we talked at the table for a little while, sharing stories of how we were saved, stories of Brother RJ and Katie when they were little, stories of the grandchildren, etc...

Hannah and I helped Mrs. Anna clean the kitchen while Bruce watched Brother Sam and Harrison put puzzles together. Then we retired to the living room for more talking, story telling, and looking at the numerous picture books Katie has made for them.


Justin tried not to be rude, but just couldn't help falling asleep. At one point he was even snoring and we had to wake him up because we couldn't hear ourselves talking.


Hannah was tired too and very quiet through the evening. But she did a lot better than Justin and was able to, at least, stay awake.

Thank you, Brother Sam and Mrs. Anna for opening your home to our family. We had a great time and enjoyed the fellowship. It was a blessing spending time with you!

Visiting with Paw Paw

Bruce and I picked the car up yesterday morning from the mechanic. It was nice to have my little ride back! We parked it at mom's house before going to see daddy at the hospital.

I took a picture of mom, but it was less than flattering, so I took pity on her and decided not to post it.

The kids were tired, grabbing a nap at every chance they could.

(sleeping in the hospital chair)

They brought daddy lunch while we were there. It looked....hmm....well, like hospital food. When they brought it in, he asked them what it was. They told him BBQ. Now, 'round here in these parts, when someone says BBQ, you think juicy meat with a savory sauce, right? Yeah, not at the hospital. It was more like two four oz dried up tenderloin, with no sauce. Daddy said it was like eating the tongue of a boot. LOL Poor thing. He actually did eat quite good. I knew if we stayed while he ate that he would eat better than if we weren't there.

Daddy and me

Daddy, Justin, and Hannah

There is no change since the last update, sorry. We had a good visit, although it was difficult to leave him with tears welling up in his eyes.

We had dinner plans with Mr. and Mrs. Parris from church last night. We had a great time talking and laughing. Mrs. Parris will keep you laughing, I assure you! She tells some great stories. I'll post about that tomorrow. Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. I know we will. The youth will be testifying about their trip. So, I'm eager to hear what they have to say.

Da Plane! Da Plane!

I'm dating myself with this picture, I know it! For you younger peeps you have no idea what that's about, but for you older peeps....hehe

Justin just called to say that their plane has landed and they are on their way home from the airport now. We'll be leaving here in just a few minutes to meet them at the church. I am so overly excited I can't even begin to tell you!! Woo HOO! My babies are home!! Well, they're in town, anyway.

Staying the Weekend

(pic taken last night)

One of daddy's doctors was going to send him to the rehab center in Charlotte today, but mom insisted that he stay over the weekend for more observations and if they wanted to send him after dialysis Monday, they could. Providing she felt he was ready. They can not determine why his white blood count is so high, although they did rule out an abscess in his stomach.

Mom said he was quiet and sick today. He doesn't want to eat either. There's really nothing more to tell at this time. Hopefully, they'll be able to learn more over the weekend.

I'm hoping that a visit from his grandchildren in the morning will be a good dose of medicine for him. He has missed them TERRIBLY! So I plan on taking them up there first thing in the morning.

I stopped cleaning mom's house long enough to meet Bruce and Harry at Love's Fish Box for lunch today. When I made it back to the house to finish cleaning, a dear ole' chum of mom and dad's called to check on daddy. It was good talking to him. I appreciate his thoughtfulness and the blessing he and his wife are being during this time. Thank you, Brother Tom and Mrs. Sue, I know the Lord will bless y'all for your kindness.

After I finished cleaning the house, I headed over to Pizza Hut to pick up dinner for us. When I got home Bruce said Mrs. Janet had called and said the kid's plane was running an hour late. Which is OK, I guess. What can I do about it? I sure am getting excited. I can't seem to keep my eyes off the clock. It will be so good to see them and, as Jodi put it, smother their faces with smooches!

Harrison claims he hasn't started missing them yet, but he grins sheepishly when he says it, so I'm having a difficult time believing him. I will say, though, that he has enjoyed being an only child this week. And he's been a riot too.

Justin and Hannah talk about "plans" they have for their future. Well, Harrison informed me of his "plan" the other day. He said, "I know what I'm going to do for my future." "REALLY?" I asked. He shook his head and said, "Yeah, I'm going to save up all of my money between now and the time I'm sixteen. Then when I'm sixteen I'll be able to buy my own car and pay off some stuff." That last phrase, pay off some stuff, struck me funny. So I asked him, "Harrison, do you have bills daddy and I don't know about?" He grinned and blushed a little, then replied, "No, but you never know by the time I'm that old."

Yep, it's good to know my eight year old is planning for his future. LOL

Update

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

I found this at the Jungle Hut and decided to do it. Let me know if you do it too.

Bruce and I went to pay the mechanic for our car tonight. I thought we were going to pick it up, but then Bruce said it was due for inspection and the Check Engine light was on. SO! We paid the man for the job he had already done and told him to go ahead and inspect it. Who knows what he'll find out about why the Check Engine light is on. *sigh*

On the way to see daddy, we stopped at a little country store (the one where I broke down last Friday) and bought a soda and double decker chocolate moon pie. I looked down at Harrison, who had devoured his moon pie, and there was chocolate from ear to ear. Bruce saw him and said, "Boy! That moon pie must have been too big for your face!" lol

So, we saw my dad tonight. (Bruce, dad, my brother John)

There's really no more to tell than what we found out yesterday. He is seeing things that aren't there. Such as a black dog, a midget woman in a yellow dress, small children, etc. He knows it's strange that he would be seeing these things and they're not really there. But he can't explain it. Something else I've noticed is that his hearing is backwards. In other words, if something makes a sound on the right, he hears it on the left. Same with the other side.

His white blood count is over 23,000 now, they've put him on IVs with antibiotics and they ran a test on him tonight to see if they could figure out exactly why his counts are so high. We won't know the results from that until sometime tomorrow. Always tomorrow.

(my brother and dad)

We stopped for a bite to eat after leaving daddy and then went to check on my mom. Bruce bought us all a Wendy's frosty and we sat in her living room eating our ice cream and laughing at old stories.

My kids will be home tomorrow. I was going to go to the airport with some other parents, but after checking with Mrs. Janet today and hearing that Pastor did indeed say from the pulpit that he would prefer the parents meet their children at the church and not the airport, Bruce and I decided we would respect those wishes and so I will see my darlings tomorrow night, about 7:30ish, at the church. I am so excited about seeing them. I haven't heard from them since Sunday. So this mama hen is ready for her chicks to return home!

I think a traditional, all American supper will be on the menu for tomorrow night. PIZZA! They'll be happy about that, I think, especially since I've heard that the Sam's Club there is not like the Sam's club here. Instead of isles and isles of different foods, there are isles and isles of large cans of refried beans. I heard that Brother Johnny was smuggling several packs of quick gravy for biscuits and gravy. I wonder how that worked out.

Sun Drop! It's for what ails ya.

Tagged!

I was tagged by Susan from By Grace to do a Meme. I'm sure I've done this one before, but I'll play again. After all, there are many crazy things about me I can share with you.

Here are the rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged me.
2) Mention the rules.
3) Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about myself.
4) Tag 6 other blogger´s by linking to them.
5) Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged

*Well, y'all know I have this thing about numbers. Especially even numbers. I particularly enjoy numbers by twos and fours. But when I eat those little goldfish crackers, I have to do them in increments of ten. If I pull out more than ten I put how many I am over back in the bag/box. If there is an odd number of them left in the bag/box, I won't eat them.

*I get aggravated when the throw pillows on the couch are not where they are supposed to be. Putting them in their proper place is the last thing I do before going to bed.

*I DESPISE burping. I mean, I know we all do it. It is a natural way of expelling gas from the body. BUT, EXCUSE YOURSELF FROM MY PRESENCE. And when children do it, especially older children who should definitely know better, I have certain thoughts toward their parents. What is wrong with teaching our children manners? Hello, people!

*When someone says something to me I usually spell out the sentence in my head and wiggle my toes with each letter. I could expound on this, really, but I'll spare you every detail of this crazy habit.

*When you visit our home, I like for our entire family to stand on the porch and wave goodbye to you like the Beverly Hillbillies until you are out of sight.

*I do not like to talk on the phone for idle chit chat. I would much rather communicate through emails or IMs. The sound of the phone makes me cringe (except this week while my kids are gone.) I LOVE my caller ID so I can screen my calls. Yes, I know people hate to hear my machine. And yet...they still call.

Who I am tagging:
Susan from Boogers in the Woodpile
Amy from Music and Notes
Lisa from A Place to Land
Tiffany from Mrs. Creative
Dana from The Simple Gift James 117
Katie from Turner's Talent
Starla from Anything and Everything
Carla from Three Men and a Lady...and a Poodle

Yes, I know I tagged eight people, but sometimes I'm a rebel.

Not Going To Rehab....YET!

The Lord did answer a prayer today concerning daddy going to rehab. Mom and I were a little concerned about him going just yet because it was really too far away and we wanted to find him a place closer to home. But also because we just didn't feel he was ready to leave the hospital yet. We were right!

He is still having those little episodes I told you about. Mom saw him have one again today. But the reason they're keeping him is because just sitting up in bed makes his blood pressure drop extremely low. Also, the disease control doctor was in and concerned because his white blood cell count was over 20,000. He believes he may have an abscess in his stomach from the surgery. Remember the SURGERIES?? UGH! Let's not even get started on that right now.

Anyway, mom did get her Family Medical Leave approved and daddy's stay in the hospital will buy us a little more time of finding a rehabilitation center closer to home. We hate there are other health issues keeping him there, but thankful he is not being moved at this time.

Our family thanks you for your prayers!

Pretty Good...Yet A Little Odd

We stopped at FMC on the way to the hospital to see my brother and get some sugar. Doesn't he look professional? I think he stole the lab jacket. You know what? I don't think I was supposed to be taking pictures in front of the plant. Oh well!

Daddy was in pretty good spirits today. They want to move him to a rehabilitation center tomorrow. It's far away so I'm hoping mom and I can get him moved to the rehabilitation center here in town.

When they brought his lunch, he was finally ready to eat something. Just as he was about to take his first bite, his head turned to the left and it was as if he was in a trance, barely responsive to me calling to him. He would fight to turn his head toward me and then he would turn it back to the left. He was like this for a couple of minutes. By the time I got the nurse to the room, he had already finished this episode and had began eating as if it had never even happened. The nurse asked him a series of questions that he was able to answer but he did not recall what had just happened. It was very odd and left mom and me questioning what was going on.

They believe his sugar has something to do with his stroke and want to raise his insulin. They also suggested him using a pump. Which I've wanted him to use for a long time. So we'll see....

Jonathan O (the young man with his back turned) is our acting Pastor this week. With our entire staff, Mrs. Janet being the exception, in Puerto Rico, Jonathan is doing a great job. He stayed for a long time with us today and was a blessing to us. Then "little" John O' came to visit on his break. He loves daddy and has been worried about him. It was a blessing to have him visit also. These boys are so precious.

Brother John O' ("little" John's daddy) was leaving the hospital when we got there this morning and spoke to daddy about a sure path. His words were encouraging and stuck with daddy the rest of the day. He also took a picture of daddy sleeping...

He was OUT!

Even In The Valley, God Is Good

It's late and I'm tired. I've already been to bed once, but I just had to thank the Lord tonight.

As most of you know, my sweet daddy is in the hospital. After running tests today, they have determined that his loss of vision is due to a stroke he had on the lower right side of his brain. When I heard that news today I didn't know what to think. There I was, stuck at home (remember my car is in the shop) feeling helpless and useless. I wanted so badly to be with both of my parents.

Mrs. Kim O' called me just as I was beginning to have my melt down and was so sweet to pray with me over the phone. God sent her at just the right time. Thank you, Mrs. Kim, for being there today. I appreciated that time of prayer.

Numerous men from our church have emailed asking if there was anything they could do. And I thank them for their concern and willingness to help and be a blessing. Thank you, Jonathan, for going to see daddy and standing in the gap for Pastor Goodman, your dad, and Brother RJ, when they couldn't be here. Thank you, Brother Randy and Brother John C, for taking the time to visit and give encouragement. And thank you to whoever else may have visited that I don't know about yet.

My mother showed up on my doorstep tonight just after 6:00. She was tired and hungry. I was able to fix her supper and eat with her. After we ate, Harrison and I packed our bags and came home with mom to spend the night. We meet with the Neurologist in the morning. Please pray he has a good prognosis for daddy's vision.

Mom was on her way to bed and I was going to run Harry some bath water. Just as he and I were headed to the bathroom, I heard my mother say, "There's no water. We have no water." Sure enough...no water! I felt so sorry for her as she leaned over the sink on the verge of tears. "What next?"

She made her way to the computer room and sat in her chair to look for a number of a plumber to call in the morning. Then she thought there was maybe someone in our church who could help. She called Mrs. Janet who assured her that everything would be all right and not to worry about the well.

Mom hung up the phone and began to cry. I said, "Mom, it just occurred to me that the devil is throwing these things at us to keep our minds off of the children's mission trip." Both of us were honest enough to admit that through the adversity of the day, neither of us had taken the time to pray for the young people and the staff in Puerto Rico. "God is bigger than these problems and He has gotten us through so much more than this." She went to her bed. I went to mine. We both began to pray. I'm not sure what she prayed, but I am pretty confidant that her prayer was similar to mine, praying for our young people to see the lost, praying that they will be a blessing to our missionary there in Puerto Rico. Praying for our staff, for Mrs. Debbie at church who faced cancer surgery today, knowing the outcome will most likely not be promising. Praying for Mrs. Tina's daddy who faces surgery tomorrow morning, and for Mrs. Coleen who is recovering from a very serious surgery. Praying for a family that is broken and trying to move on. Praying for a church member who will be leaving for Iraq soon, leaving behind his wife and three children. For all kinds of burdens on other brothers and sisters hearts. Eventually, we were both asleep.

And then at 9:45 the phone rang. It was Mrs. Janet calling to say that some men in the church were on their way over to make sure we had water in the morning. Thank you, Brother Larry H, Brother Mark H, and Brother Bowen, for coming out so late and working on the well. As I watched you from the kitchen window I thanked the Lord for each one of you, for coming out so late and getting the water running for my mom. You will never know what your kindness means. It was almost 11:30 when they finished. God will bless them, I know it!

I've asked that the parents who read this blog not say anything to your children if they are in Puerto Rico. I certainly do not want Justin and Hannah knowing. I would hate for this to ruin their trip and get their hearts on something they can not do anything about.

Daddy is in God's hands and just so you'll know, I have it on good authority that he is his jovial self. Making the nurses laugh and realize they have a character on their hands. Isn't that funny? I'm home crying and worrying and he's laying in a hospital bed, nearly blind, making people laugh.

God is good....all the time.

Happy Birthday, Celine!!

Celine is more to me than just a child I babysit. To us, she is a part of our family. We love her so much and it was wonderful to help her celebrate her FIFTH birthday. I can't believe she's already five. Even though she acts sixteen sometimes.

Celine is full of fun and life. Always buzzing around and bringing smiles to those she's around.

WE LOVE YOU, CELINE!! You're a precious, wonderful part of our lives and we're so thankful the Lord brought you to us.

Amanda ordered Celine's cake from Amy. She did a cake to resemble cotton candy, which I thought was soooooo cute! Amy has such a talent for cake decorating and I always get excited to see what she's done "this time!" Isn't that cute?


The tables were decorated pink and blue with cotton candy taped to the back of each chair for the children to take home and skittles were used as confetti. Cute idea, Mander!!


There was a blow up slide...

...and one of those air bouncy things. Both of which were quite popular with the kiddies.


There was a brief moment of devouring cake and ice cream.


And then it was present time. Let's see, she turned five, so for five years she has LOVED music. She knows the Sons of Faith CD by heart. When I watch her from the choir, she's singing every word right along with us. It's so sweet. She likes to listen to my iPod when we're traveling somewhere, so we bought her an MP3 player and her daddy is going to load some music on it for her. She seemed really happy with it, as well as all the other wonderful gifts she was given.


Happy Birthday, Celine. You're a sweetheart!

Dinner With Tim and Angie

As I said in the post below, we had dinner at Don's last night with Brother Tim, Mrs. Angie, and their youngest son, Logan. Their oldest son, "Todd," is in Puerto Rico too.


Angie and her sweetheart son, Logan. He is soooooo funny! He definitely has his own personality. lol And Angie has the sweetest voice. She's so nice and fun to talk to.


This is Brother Tim. He's a "special" case, this one. By the way, the wall tile in the background is not tile. I'm not sure what the wall was, but the tile markings were done with a magic marker. Pretty wild, huh?


Logan was hiding from my camera, but I GOT HIM!


At Sonic, Logan and Harrison found fun on the merry-go-round.



But then it was ice cream time. They were very serious about their ice cream!



These were Bruce's kin folk that showed up. From left to right is Aunt Diane, Uncle Robert, Uncle Richard, and Aunt Sylvia. Uncle Richard and Aunt Sylvia are my mother-in-law's brother and sister. These here are all good people and we love them so much!!


Theresa and Tammy were at Sonic too. They are so fun to be around. When you need to be around happy people, these are two that you look for!


And then of course was Brother Tim. Here he was showing his dog, Malachi, to someone at Sonic. The dog was not happy. Keep in mind, peeps, that these K-9 dogs are NOT pets. But I will say I have great respect for the dog. LOL.....Tim too, but I'm NOT telling him that!

Ever Had One Of THOSE Days?

Yeah, me too! I had one of THOSE days yesterday.

I was already feeling somewhat emotional from seeing my babes off to Puerto Rico. I thought that would be the only sad thing in my day. But alas, I was wrong.

As you know, daddy is VERY sick. His sinus infection has caused him not to be able to see out of one eye and his other eye he can't seem to focus. Normally he drives himself to and from dialysis, but with this going on with his eyes, he certainly can NOT do that. So, mom took him to dialysis before work and I picked him up. He was terribly weak with his blood pressure being very low.

With his bp being so low, I knew I'd need to help him up the steps. After twenty minutes, we finally made it. Poor thing no sooner got out of the car that he started going down. I was standing behind him so I quickly wrapped my arms around him and, although he still hit the ground, I was able to help break his fall. I just had him sit there momentarily until he felt he had enough strength to try again. When he was ready, I braced myself with my arms through his and began to lift him up. Just as he was almost up, his legs gave out again and down he went. This time pulling my back. He's somewhat stubborn, as most people know, so I couldn't talk him out of trying to crawl. He got on his hands and knees and just stayed there, unable to move. The sidewalk was so hard on his knees he began to cry. I ran up the porch steps and grabbed a rocking chair. After several attempts, we were able to get him in the chair. He sat there while I raced in the house to fix him a cold drink. It was so hot outside yesterday. Finally, we were able to make it up the steps and into the house, just in time for him to fall into his chair. Bless his heart. He stayed there the remaining part of his day.

I was going to clean the house, but before I did, I decided to cook their supper for the evening. Daddy normally cooks for them, but again, since he can't see what he's doing, I figured I'd cook their meal so momma wouldn't have to when she got home from work. Remember, she's sick too!

So, the meal was completed, the house was finished, and daddy was resting in his chair. Time to get home. We had dinner plans with Tim and Angie C. I had enough time to get home, shower, and take a nap before leaving.

As I pulled away from my parent's home, something just didn't feel right. The car didn't want to seem to go. I made my first turn and checked to make sure I was completely in drive. I was. I looked at the speedometer...it wasn't working. Neither was the odometer or anything else on my dash. I made it to a little country store when it finally cut off. Drifting into the parking lot, I thought to myself, Oh dear....poor Bruce. He and Harry pulled up about 15 minutes later. Bruce jumped the car off, but it didn't hold it long enough to switch gears. We'd have to have it towed. We drove to our mechanic, which was fairly close by, but he didn't have a tow truck. He did tell Bruce that if he had a charger (which he does) he could charge it up enough to get it there from where it was. Our charger was at home though. For sake of time, Bruce decided to jumped it off again and this time left it running in hopes that it would charge the battery long enough to get it to our mechanic. Then he remembered this "thing" he had in his truck. Apparently it jumps the battery without using another car. ANYWAY! He hooks that up, closes the hood down on top of it and off he goes. But here's the thing.....the hood wasn't secure. So while Harrison and I traveled behind him to the mechanics, we were stunned and worried when we saw...and heard...the hood come flying up. Bruce continued driving, since he was able to watch the road through a crack. He drove like this about a half mile before he made it to the mechanic's. Needless to say, he was a bit upset when he saw what had happened to my hood and roof because of the hood flying up. So now, not only is the car broke down, but the hood and roof are damaged too. I suppose I could have been all over Bruce about that happening, but I think he was beating himself up enough. Besides, I didn't really care about the hood and the roof. I was just happy he wasn't harmed in the process!

We did make it home, but would this day get any better? My back was really starting to hurt. I was exhausted. Hot. Wondering about my babies. Thinking about daddy. Praying....for everything and everyone! I couldn't WAIT to get home, step into a hot shower, and rest before going to dinner. There wasn't time for a nap, but it sure felt good to put my feet up, in a cool house.

Bruce made a call to Mrs. Janet who let us know the kids were safe and sound in Puerto Rico. Not long after, my baby girl called. Her sweet little voice made the rest of the day seem like a blur.

We met Tim and Angie at Don's for supper. We enjoyed our time with them and it was so nice to be with friends. Thanks, Tim and Angie, for a great time of fellowship. We needed it and we had a wonderful time with y'all.

We all went to Sonic for ice cream!

While we were at Sonic, Bruce's Uncle Robert and Aunt Sylvia, Uncle Richard and Aunt Diane showed up.

While we were saying hello and stealing hugs, Theresa and Tammy showed up.

And THEN! While we were standing around talking, a policeman pulled up and started shining his light right in my face. I thought they were looking for someone at first. Then I realized it was Brother Tim and his K-9 dog, Malachi.

Most of my day was spent with burdens on my heart. My children. My sick daddy. My car. My husband. But it ended with a lot of laughter and smiles. And when we got home there was, not one, but TWO, calls from my kids.

I'm so blessed.

Although this day looks like it may have some "holes" in it, I'm just going to go with it, knowing the Lord is in control.

And Then There Were Three

I got the kids up at 6:30 and while they dressed and got ready to leave for their trip to Puerto Rico, I made chocolate chip pancakes. But we were out of syrup. Well, I thought we were. We actually had a very small amount of maple syrup and we did have a brand new bottle of Karo syrup in the baking cabinet. So, that worked! The kids love chocolate chip pancakes and I knew they would enjoy those this morning. I was right.

Once they were dressed, fed, and ready to go, Bruce and I had a time of prayer with them and then we were off!

We stood around waiting to board the bus and everyone chatted, hugged, told plane crash stories, bomb threat stories, etc.

They'll be hiking through a rain forest so Bruce gave our kids a piece of advice..."Walk in the middle of the group so if anything jumps out to bite, they get someone on the outside of the group. And remember....you don't have to outrun anything. Just the person you're with." Yeah, that's good advice from their dad, huh? lol

Time for a group pic!


Next was checking to make sure everyone had their IDs.


Then it was hug time! This is Taylor and her mom, Kim.


Time to board the bus!!


Jeremy saying goodbye to his Grandma H


Jeremy, Parker, and Justin....what is up with Justin's smile?? LOL


Hannah got on the bus when told and then got stuck when she wanted to give us a hug, so Bruce and I hopped on the bus too. There was no way our little girl was leaving without that hug!!!

Of course, we weren't the only parents hopping the bus for hugs! (Rebecca and Jamie)


Mrs. Marla was driving the bus to the airport. Between driving that big bus and her daughter flying out today also, looks like she's already losing her mind!!

We're gonna miss those younguns! We're praying they'll have a great time with their church family and our missionary. But most of all, that the Lord will show them what the mission field is all about and give them a vision and love for lost souls.

THIS JUST IN: Hannah called on Justin's cell to say hello. They were getting ready to eat at a Sizzler there in Puerto Rico! Sure was good to hear that little voice.