Thank You Very Much!

For a little taste of blog therapy, I am participating in KMama's "Thank You Very Much". Hop over to her site for some more ventings.

~ To my sweet (almost one-year-old) nephew whose pitiful fit's when not held have left me with a bad case of hip bursitis and both hands suffering from Carpel Tunnel... thank YOU very much! (And rest assured I will remind you of this a LOT when you get bigger... of how I was such a great Aunt to endure pain just to please your sweet face. )




~ To my husbands work, for telling us in October he could not have off for a trip to GA at Christmas to see his family... and then telling us THIS WEEK that he can... sending me into a panic, thank you very much!

~ To my various pains (what with this hip bursitis, carpel tunnel and some Fibromyalgia thrown into the mix) that are making sleep next to impossible and leaving me more irritable and moody than usual, thank you very much!


I feel better now! :o)

All for the love of...

... technology!!!!!!!!

I wanna win! I wanna win! I wanna win!!!!!!!!!!!

One of my favorite bloggers is hosting a fantastic giveaway. I have a shot (though slim, a shot is a shot) at winning a new HP TouchSmart computer. All's I have to do is remember how to make a word into a link. So let's just test my memory, shall we?

MckMama Rules

Hope on over to the site and check out the new computer I am trying to win. But please, don't enter yourself! Cause then my chances are lowered. *ahem*

:)

P.s. MckMama, I deserve to win this. As my reward for just today completing my very last assignments in my very last college course. ;)

Thank you very much!

I am joining in with Kmaman this morning for the stress relieving series, Thank you very much!



To my dearest 10 month old nephew who has just this week decided that a 30 minute nap in the morning is enough for him... thus leaving me worn out quicker... thank you very much!

To my oldest nephew for realizing teenagers have the answer to everything, and need not obey authority... you will realize soon enough that the rules we adults make are actually for your own good most of the time. And you will look back and realize you should've been a little less bossy... thank you very much!

To the swine flu, for sending my paranoia to a whole new level and causing me to check my temperature everytime a new "cold" symptom arrives... thank you very much!

To my husband's employer for not providing us with the insurance information in SEPTEMBER and causing us to be in a last minute unexpected frenzy of stress searching high and low for the best policy, just in time for the holiday season, thank you very much!

And to my self, that fell way too hard way too fast and lost focus on everything else in life but love, thus failing Spanish and wrecking my entire following 5 year plan... thank you very much!

"I Do"

Marriage.

Wasn't this once upon a time, a commitment that people made with lifelong intentions? And surely it wasn't that they expected a perfect lifelong marriage. They knew troubles were bound to be waiting around the bin. But marriage is a solemn vow. It's a promise we make before God, and before all the most important people in our lives. It's a promise so sacred that hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars are poured into making the day incredibly special and memorable.

Before my husband and I got married in August 2008, we had already discussed many many times how important the vows we would say were to us. We truly took on the "Divorce is NOT an option" attitude. We talked about the pain divorce brings and how we both felt it was taking the easy way out when things get rough. God is at the center of our marriage. We made a sacred promise before him, to have and to hold one another until the day that God calls us home to be with him. We can think of no circumstance under which a divorce would be justified through God's eyes. Okay, maybe "no circumstances" is too strong. Sure, I can imagine a few situations under which it might have to become an option. In my mind, God wouldn't want one to remain in a marriage with serious abuse (rather to a spouse or to our child/ren). And God does not accept murder, so I suppose if one of us became a murderer we may have to rethink it all.

But the truth is, most marriages ending in divorce are not ending over serious things like that. It is said that most marriages end in difficulties over finances. Debt, disagreements about debt... that's not a reason to divorce. It's a reason to drop to your knees and seek God's guidance. It's a reason to seek financial help. It's a reason to seek counseling, so you can work through the issues. Divorce will not help finances. It will worsen them.

All around me people are separating and getting divorced. Children are paying the price for their parents not-so-wise decisions. And I just can't help but wonder, what were these people thinking when they said "I do"?

I thank God every day for my husband. I pray all the time to become a better wife. I struggle hourly to be the wife I know I can be... the wife that bites her tongue and thinks before she screams speaks. It's not always easy, but I made a vow and I have no intentions to break a promise I made before God, my husband and all the important people in our lives. God never said life would be easy. He just said it would go on. And he is there always waiting to carry me through the times I feel I just can't go on.

Letters of Intent

I am participating in Foursons new Friday tradition of "Letters of Intent". Such a fun idea. What's better than a fun way to vent? :-) ~ Happy Friday!



Dear Sony Laptop:

You are my best friend. I depend on you for daily living. A day without you is hard to survive. You hold my life: my photos, my school work, my emails, my facebook/myspace/twitter/blogspot (which are my very connection to so much of the world). Without you, I would not know what the girl I graduated with years ago but have not spoken to, is doing right this moment, Without you, I would not know that I forgot yesterday was Thankful Thursday. Without you, I could not have just completed all my school work for this week in my online class.

My dependency upon you means I have a huge amount of thankfulness for you and all you do for me. This appreciation means nothing to you. You repay me by shutting off at the very moment I have 5 screens up as I multitask my way through another day. When you do start back up, you take your time. You go slower than the snail out on my front porch. You find it humorous to prevent sounds from working right as a stumble upon my exercises for class that require hearing audio pieces to answer questions.

You take advantage of my love. You are so certain I would never give you up, that you test me daily.

Rest assured treasured friend, in the near future I will have the financial ability to replace you. I will desert you for a newer, younger, fancier model. You will be shut off for good! And then my friend, you will see how it feels to be let down.

Sincerely,
just-another-fed-up-user

P.s. I still appreciate that you continued to work after the day I tragically dropped you, leading to this life of duct tape. However, you could at least try to not break through the duct tape as soon as I rewrap you with fresh bandages.

Remembering 9/11/01 -- God Bless America

With a sad heart, I stop today to look back to that tragic day and recall all the lives that were lost.

I pray strength, courage, peace and comfort for those who lost loved ones on 9/11 and for those who lost loved ones on the days to follow by stepping in to search for people in the mess left behind and those brave enough that have stepped out into war for us. God bless each and every one of these people! May we never ever forget.

Random Photo Friday

Random Photo Friday

Yup... that's some people sitting in the boat... on land... not in the water.

And yup... I will admit that those people are my relatives. :-)

Does look like most people's Easter get together? 'Cause this is what ours can look like if the mood strikes.


Doesn't get much more random than this one! Gotta love the country life!

Prayers greatly appreciated

This sweet 3 yr old (Seth) who is a big part of my life, and heart, is in the hospital.

His appendix has perforated but they can not do surgery because he has such a bad infection all around it.

So for five days he will be in the hospital on IV antibiotics. Then home on regular antibiotics for 21 days. Then in 8 weeks surgery.

Pray for him. For courage to be strong through it all. For his heart to still have joy. For God's hand to protect him and not let his appendix burst. For the infection to clear so he can have surgery.

God had his hands around this boy! His appendix very very likely perforated over a month ago. It's likely that the infection was even the reason it has not bursts. (The infection is wrapped all around it, working as a sort of blanket around the appendix likely preventing it from bursting.)

Thank you Lord for his life, your protection upon him all this time and for the other miraculous ways you intervened in this situation!!

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday, I am both thankful and grateful, for this sweet nephew.

Heart of gold. Smiles a lot. Finds pleasure in the simplest things.

Today this amazing boy graduates from 5th grade & moves on to bigger and brighter things; or so he thinks.

Congrat's "banana's"!

I love you & am so proud of you.

Music Monday

A new adventure for this music lover's heart!

MUSIC MONDAY!

*Random song selection. I always have this tune stuck in my head. Something about this song just sticks with me.*

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

It's Finally Friday!!!

It's finally Friday!!!

Turn off the alarm clock.

Put the cell phones away.

Ignore the clock & just stay up until my eyes are too heavy to keep open.

Then sleep in until my body is ready to get movin'.

Hug my husband every time I feel like it ~ just 'cause he is here.

Enjoy dinner with my husband... & even splurge a little this weekend & eat out

Lay by the pool and enjoy the sunshine *if it appears*



And to take on a little tradition* here that I found among some Google results:

Random Photo Friday

My humorous husband on our honeymoon in Aug. '08

* I take no claim in starting this tradition, nor do I know where it began.

Another Thankful Thursday (& a very heartfelt one)

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Our amazing God who loves and protects the innocent children.

2) An ever growing faith and trust in the Lord, as I crawl my way through a very difficult time. The Lord is always faithful and I am seeing this so clearly this week!

3) A life that surrounded me by God fearing people; just knowing these kinds of people changes my life reguarly.

4) A strong loving, sweet, compassionate husband. My rock! Always beside me and holding me up, always supporting and never lets me down.

5) Friends that have become family. (And family that are friends as well.)

6) For God allowing me to be a part of so many little lives and most importantly this week, two specific ones. Children are a gift from above. And it is a privelege to have children in your life (your own or someone elses).

7. Last but not least, I am thankful for the life of Linn, Emma, Graham, Liberty, Isaiah, Elizabeth & Elijah Saunders. For their lives are truly a testament of God's protection!

Thankful Thursday, a day early

I wanna share the happenings of our lives over the last couple of weeks. When some things occur in your life, you learn very quickly to be thankful for a lot.

Last week started with me at the doctor on Monday convinced I had my THIRD sinus infection since Thanksgiving. And I also had a cough that was so bad that the spells ended with me throwing up. The doctor said I had bronchitis! That was a new one for me. Never ever ever have I had anything along those lines. Meanwhile, feeling a little sick and wanting just to stay in bed I begin wishing desperatly for the weather man to be wrong, and for us to get MORE snow than predicted. Guess what... I woke up Tuesday and saw a world covered in snow! So beautiful! But my dear husband, determined to get to work and not disappoint the boss man ventures out just after 6am in that beautiful but not so friendly snow. Ten minutes later my phone rang and it was him. My heart stopped! He had wrecked. He was reasonably ok (no ambulance or hospital needed). His truck... well the estimate was $7800 worth of damage. So much for loving snow! I love my husband a whole lot more and decided wishing for snow is a no-no. So within two days I was VERY grateful for health insurance and car insurance. Also very thankful for the kind man in the tow truck who pulled my husband out of the ditch for free. Whoever he is, I pray he gets blessed for his kindness. My husband was in a lot of pain (back) for the first couple days. It did ease some. But still as of Monday this week he was in pain. Sunday I was on a liquid only diet in preperation for an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. So Sunday was not a fun day. Monday morning off to the hospital for the procedures. Within 60 seconds of them giving me my anethesia I was out cold. So thankful for whatever is in that stuff to knock me out so cold cause the thought of what those doctors were about to do were very disturbing to me! I woke later to my husband who had been trying for a bit to wake me. Apparently the doctors tried for a while to wake me (as they do not like to leave a patient who is still under) but seeing as I was not waking up they had to move on to other patients waiting. Colonoscopy was fine. Thank you Lord! (My father had colon cancer.) Endoscopy revealed a hiatal (spelling?) hernia. It's pushing into my esophogaus. This is what is causing the horrible acid reflux and slight bleeding. While being very thankful for them not finding anything worse, I am wondering how a 25 yr old female can have THREE hernias (I have others elsewhere)!?! Also pondering if they are going to tell me at my consultation (keep in mind I never saw my doctor) if this is something they need to do surgery for to fix. I know the rule. If the hernia is not causing pain or problems then let it be. But this hernia is causing problems. So we shall see. Monday evening once I was feeling a bit more like myself I finally talked my husband into going to the doctor for his back because only a doctor and xray could say for sure if he was going to get better and not worse. And the medicines for him to sleep without pain sure were needed. And everytime I drive by where he wrecked and see the steep ditch he ended up in, and the sign and HUGE rocks he hit... I can't express how thankful I am that he came out of there with only back pain. And despite the pricey estimate, his truck did come out and was able to be driven to the body shop. I look at that ditch and know without doubt how easily he could have flipped sideways into there. And how just the slightest bit more speed could have made it all so much worse. Thank you Lord for putting your hands around that truck! Meanwhile my husband and I had started the journey to becoming first time home owners. When a wrecked truck and a pricey visit to the hospital hit, it makes us question this whole house thing. But I am putting my faith and trust in the good Lord. He has ALWAYS provided for us. And I trust he will always do so.

So today, I sit and think of all the things that I have to be thankful for. Our health. My husbands life. Insurance that allows us to recover from all of this without ending up thousands of dollars in debt. I am just thankful for life in itself! Thankful for such a strong and loving husband. He was such an awesome care giver during the day before and day of my procedures! He is such an amazing man! And knowing a sweet sweet family I know is living in a hotel right now after a fire took their house, I am thankful for this cozy apartment I call home. And thankful for each of their lives, as they were sparred their lives by only minutes!

The Lord is good! He is there in everything!