Oh Me!!

I'm pretty sure there's already a post with this title, but I just don't know what else to say!! Remember how I thought I would never catch up, so busy, etc........Well - let's just say NEVER SAY YOU'RE BUSY because God will show you BUSY!!!

Whew! We just finished a whole week of Abby Birthday (see next post), went right into a busy Father's Day Weekend at Scottsboro (which consisted of LOTS of church), and then Monday was one of those days when you stand around and say, "Really, could anything else happen?" The house was chaos, work was chaos, and I was in a whirlwind trying to get loose ends tied up to come back to Montgomery for 3 days (LAST trip - WHOO HOO!)

Then I get a text...."Abby's not feeling good. She didn't want to go swimming. She just wants to lay on the couch." What?!? Is this MY child?? This has been an ongoing thing for 2 weeks. She would have a little fever one day, throat hurt one day, tummy hurt one day, and then FINE one day. Finally, I decided I would go pay my $20 copay and just let Dr. Laue tell me it was viral - she's fine. I'd feel better leaving her if I knew, right??

Diagnosis - MONO!!! Yep, you read it - mono! Let's compound it now. Ellie Kate had that same fever, throat thing (again, I thought just a virus). After some questions, Doc said he was 99% sure she had it too. Then I said, "Ummm.....Stewart went to the doc in the box this weekend with a fever and sore throat..." A few more questions later, and I was on the phone telling Stew to get back to the doctor to have the mono test.......his results aren't back yet, but probably positive! Somehow, it appears I show markers that I've already been exposed at some point in my life and shouldn't get quite the case as everyone else, but I have some mild symptoms. GOOD NEWS (especially if you are reading this thinking - great we were just around them this weekend!) - Mono doesn't seem to be the big, bad ugly it used to be. Sure, it's bad for some age groups, but luckily we don't fall into any of those. He actually said it was better for the kids to get it young so they wouldn't get it again when it could really make them sick. Basically it's just feeling bad for a few days (fever, throat, rash) and then on and off feeling generally yucky for a few weeks. He actually said we were probably already past the worst of it!

SO -here I sit in Montgomery after getting up at 3:30 this morning to drive down (since it was just TOO crazy to leave last night) while Stewart is home with the girls. From what I've heard, it must be an OK day, because his exact words were that they were WILD - Praise the Lord!!

If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans :-)

Here comes LOTS of catch up posts - GET READY!

I'll NEVER Catch Up - Graduation!

Oh me - I haven't posted in FOREVER!! I have SO much to catch up on, I decided the only way to tackle it was in brief spurts. So - watch out for the short, seemingly random posts!!

GRADUATION

So how weird is it that I'm married to a High School Principal??? VERY! You've seen the prom pictures, now check this out!


Straight out of the Huntsville Times -isn't he handsome?? (Ever wonder where EK gets the crooked grin?) This is a shot of Stewart handing out diplomas at his school's graduation ceremonies. Abby and I went to watch the big festivities at the VBC. Abby was super excited that her Daddy got to announce them "graduated" - almost liked announcing someone husband and wife - HA!

Anyway, it was a great day for New Century Technology High School, and a day I was very proud to say Stewart is my hubby (not that I don't feel that way every day :)) Looking at the platform with him seated with the Board, Superintendent, and other system dignitaries made me look up and thank the good Lord for working out our lives in ways we NEVER thought possible!

Believe me - coming from a high school band director to a displaced educator caught in the middle of politics and budget cuts who was forced (but thankful) to work at Staples for a year to this - all in less than 8 years. Impossible to man - POSSIBLE to God!! I promise if you had told either of us eight years ago that THIS would be the picture today, neither of us would have believed you!

I know neither of us will forget that summer that the jobs just weren't there, and it was obvious that there was another plan for us - whether we wanted it or not. We had been married one year, had a healthy mortgage payment (although I sure would like to have that small payment now :)), and NO education jobs in sight! I remember that desperate look in Stewart's eyes that first week of August when I started back to school, and we still weren't sure what was happening with his position. God stepped in - NOT in the way we thought we wanted. Stewart took a year off from education, worked retail for a year, and out of the blue came the perfect teaching position for him in another system. From there, he went straight to administration in Huntsville and the rest is history. Seriously - repeat that to anyone who knows the politics and the unpredictable job placements of school systems, and they will not believe it! God is faithful!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

I know there are many in this economy struggling with jobs and which way to go next. Stand still and know that God will provide - just maybe not the way you thought :)

For Today

I have much to post about and many pictures to upload, but for today, I wanted to share this video posted by radio hosts, Rick & Bubba. Most of you know that Rick and Sherri's son died tragically in a drowning accident when he was only 2. Their faith and strength during this circumstance has been amazing.

Like Job, when tragedy strikes, our commission is to praise God anyway. Guess what - that's HARD!!! I know the song we sing at church, "The Lord Giveth He Taketh Away - Blessed be the Name of the Lord", but it was a long time before I could sing that and really mean it. In fact, the Devil just wouldn't let me sing it for a long time because I really didn't know I could say that our tragedy was a blessing. Of course I knew everything was in God's plan, but praise is usually thought of in a positive sense. I used to think that praising God was for all the wonderful, happy blessings in life. Well, guess what? There is a deeper, truer praise from the heart that can praise Him for ALL blessings - even the ones that man cannot explain or understand - even the ones that grieve our hearts every minute of every day. Praising HIM even for that, knowing it is HIS plan and for our good, is nothing short of the miracle of God.

For today, praise HIM for ALL things.......great, small, happy, sad......HE controls it all.


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1495122219857&ref=mf

Abby's Violin Recital

Here is Ms. Abby's violin debut. She was a pro! She had never played along with a piano which would have freaked me out, but she just jumped right in and did her best!! I think she did great since she's only been taking lessons since January!

If it CAN happen.....

It WILL happen to me - medically that is! What a week! I've been having some minor discomfort from a tooth for a couple of weeks. I went to the dentist Monday only to find out that it was a tooth I had already had tons of trouble with a year ago and had already had a root canal on (read here). Infection was setting in and the "fix" options did not sound fun, but I was supposed to take my antibiotics, a little meds if necessary and see the oral surgeon next week.

Well, a couple of new pain meds and new antibiotics later, it was WAY worse! The pain was unbearable even with BIG pain pills and one side of my face and neck were so swollen it looked like I had the mumps! The dentist said head to the ER! What???? ER - for a tooth?? Yep - they said with the infection growing so fast I needed IV antibiotics and pain meds to stop the cycle.

Well 3 hours later we were back home, and I was feeling the effects of the drugs. I think I told Stewart I was on Pluto once!! HA - no seriously, Huntsville Hospital ER has done some major revamping. We were called back quickly and taken care of and out the door before we would have even been called back before!

So, I am trying to find the right combination of pain meds that keep the pain somewhat at bay but at a level that I can still be conscious and participate in life! The swelling is going down slowly, and I meet with the surgeon Monday. I have 3 words for him - "GET IT OUT!!"

We have a singing tonight and Abby's violin recital is tomorrow - crossing my fingers I can manage them all!!

FYI - need a great dentist in the Hampton Cove area?? Go see Dr. Greg Lansdell! He is so attentive and sweet and the girls in there can't be beat!!! They have taken GREAT care of me, and Jenn was even calling Stewart last night while we were in the ER to check on me. Oh, and pick on Lisa when you get there - she'll love it!! (That one's for you Lisa - you made the blog!!!) I"ll get a picture with everyone once this is all over and post all of our smiling, pain-free faces!!!

Hoping for a great weekend with mashed potatoes and pain pills!!

Mother's Day and a Whirlwind Weekend!

Oh me - I'm TIRED!!! Running to get ready to be gone for a week, being gone for a week, coming home to all those lovely "mommy chores" left undone for said week, and then flying into a lovely, but packed, Spring weekend have taken a toll on my energy levels!!! No worries - the upteenth load of clothes are in the washer, I've uploaded pictures (which you'll see in a bit), and the rest will have to just wait on me to get there!!

Saturday was filled with Gymfest (a "recital" of sorts for gymnastics students), a Daisy Scout "give back" project (the girls met to pick out items to donate to the babies in the NICU - a cause close to my heart), a birthday party and PROM. Yes - you read correctly - PROM. I hadn't really thought about the fact that now that Stewart is the principal at a high school this would be a mandatory event. I am WAY too old to go to prom, but felt WAY too young to be the principal's date either - HA! I mean come on - what does a very conservative, over weight 30-something wear to the prom?? Well anyway.......we had fun! We went and ate at Ruth's Chris before (yummy!) and then "supervised" the events until well into the night/morning. At one point the choice of "music" (I put it in quotes b/c I wouldn't call it music - maybe NOISE!) made both of us feel like we might have to be admitted to the cardiac unit for heart palpitations!



Sunday was a busy day filled with family! The girls had spent the night with Mom b/c of prom, so Sunday morning was just me and Stewart. He gave me the sweetest bracelet that has all 3 girls' birthstones and an engraved toggle that says, "For this child I have prayed". This is a special verse for me - it's on the wall in EK's nursery. Sure everyone prays for their children, but there's something more fervent, perhaps even desperate about the prayers from a mother who knows the reality of loss. No longer are those prayers just lines that are spoken partly out of habit, but expressions of the desires of our heart.


We took Stewart's mom and grandmother to breakfast and then went on to Scottsboro to church with my Mom. The afternoon was filled with LOTS of extended family, playing with cousins, and "straw-be-derries" in EK language!

This year I think I was too busy to stop and think about what could have been. Ever since my little break down a few weeks ago, the Lord has provided me with a simple peace. Not ever forgetting, but content with the present and thankful for each day! Simple, patient, loving, ever present - God.

I am a mother of three beautiful little girls whom God gave me to love both here and above. I am the daughter of a strong, faithful, woman who walked roads before me that have made my journey easier. She is the mother of 3 - me and two more angels who are certainly taking care of their beautiful niece, Olivia in that Heavenly place. The line of grace continues to weave through our family, but it all points to one source. We are all mothers who have been graced with mercy and wisdom from the most high. What a blessing beyond words. May we all remember the source of our love and strength and honor these women who carry the love and grace of God to share with their children and the children of others.


FYI - Stewart says he's going to post one day and surprise me. We'll see if he keeps up his end of the deal!

:)

I'm in Montgomery for the week :(, BUT this makes me :). I'm shocked I have nothing else to say, but it's kind of nice to be able to sum it up with a smiley face. :)