Recital Weekend!

Costumes $65

Tickets $38

Pictures $90

Seeing my daughter perform in "the big show!"....PRICELESS!

This weekend was the big dance recital and then we finished up with gymnastics tonight. So it is offically summer for Evy. On Saturday night, Evy's group was the first act after the opening...dancing to "Lollipop." We couldn't video tape during the recital, but Michael got some video during dress rehearsal. She missed dress rehearsal for gymnastics due to a quick trip to the RE Tulsa, but was the first one to perform through the obstacle course performance they had set up. She did great and you would have never known she missed. She is so very proud of her award she received as a first year student. In the end, we really racked up the money for her to be on the stage, but if it is something she likes...and is good at, money doesn't really matter.

stressful weeks+ crazy weather = sick

This is not the week for me to be sick. It was one of the busiest weeks of meetings at school- I think the count for special ed meetings is now up to 55 for the year--and I serve less than 20 kids. I also averaged out my salary stipend for working with special needs kids...a "little" bonus for all the extra work...that equals an extra $1.40 an hour. I am not so sure it has been worth it for every kid this year...some just cost a little more than $1.40 extra an hour. But I keep turning back to the my personal creed " every kid, every day, every chance"! And I can definately make it 3 more!

I know it is an old wives tale that the weather makes you sick, but for some reason I have some sort of cold. I am sure it is more related to all the stress and the germs at school, but nonetheless I am sick. On Tuesday, I thought I had the swine flu. In some regards I wish we were going camping with our small group pals, but feeling like this would make the first time campers experience a little less pleasurable I am sure. For the last few nights, I have just camped in my bed watching TV and resting... I am definitely feeling much better than I was on Tuesday--a great improvement. Evy and Michael have pitched in--he even grilled dinner one night. Such a great man!

This weekend is Evy's first dance recital. We will be sharing the event with 8 of our family members. It makes for a busy weekend, after being lazy and sick...tonight I have to clean the house after dress rehearsal. Tomorrow everyone will arrive and we will eat and be merry. I am looking forward the cousins playing together and watching her on stage. She will probably be a ham as usual.

Monday....the RE appointment and a shoulder MRI are in store...and no school (for me) since I will be at the doctors office or traveling most of the day...I am pretty excited!

The good, the bad, the ugly....

Today I survived a very ugly test...one in which they stuck me with a needle numerous times and shocked me with electrical currents. I have about 10 needle marks up my arm that will probably be bruised tomorrow.

The good news is...there is nothing neurologically wrong with me. My test came back absolutely normal.

The bad new is...I am still in pain (unexplainable) pain. And now I am back at square 1...I will go back to the orthopedic doctor and explore other avenues like tendon issues, bursitis, or rotator cuff issues. The neurologist ordered and MRI of the shoulder, which I will do on Monday.

Last year, I told the doctors I thought something was wrong with my rotator cuff, they talked to me and did an x-ray and determined that it was just fine...I am not sure how the test will turn out, but I am sure of one thing, the originally injury is now probably healed in an inappropriate way. Which might require surgery. I have lots of special certificates and degrees on the wall...none of them medical. In one way, I hope I am right...in another I hope I am wrong.

I would say that my faith has been tested last week. uh...just a little. It seemed everything I prayed the exact opposite happened. I felt that I should stop praying altogether for fear someone might get hurt. It was what Evy has referred to as "a horrible day" this week. The answering service moved with quite a few problems...phone company issues, equipment problems...all and all--I was pretty sure our large investment was flushed away and sorry we had done it. At one point, bankrupcy was looking like a pretty good answer. But...God PROVIDES...and I learned a little bit MORE about patience. God sustained us through some pretty intense emotional pressure this week.

we

didn't

fail

we

perservered!

There are times that I felt so inadaquate and like my prayers were just being reflected off the ceiling...Michael and I spent some time praying together before work one morning, not something we do often. Although, I wish we did. I physically had to "cast my cares/burdens" to him...and oh how hard it is not to take them back. With the issues we were facing and God felt so far away, it seemed pretty hopeless for a while and then all the sudden...the grey clouds parted and some sun started peeking through. It isn't all fixed but I will tell you... the aniexousness is lifting.

Dear Jesus, Lord of Lords, Great Physician. Abba Father...

Please be near to my Mike laying in that hospital bed tonight. Bring complete healing and restoration to his tired and sick body. Take away the infection in his blood and give him strength. Lord, I can't imagine that his work here is done! Selfishly, I want him to see his grand daughter grow up, to meet her future spouse and maybe her children...don't take that away from her. Your way is perfect, but I know you hear our prayers and you know our hearts and mine is on my knees (well, technically not) begging you, pleading like Hannah...restore him! We aren't ready to let go!

Also...please allow the move tomorrow to go smoothly. I am so not sure what lessons we are to learn by the stresses you allow us to feel during this time. I know life shouldn't feel perfect, but a few easy days would be nice. Please allow the phone line transition to be seamless, for clients to not be effected, for the movers, the phone installers and the "team" not to face any snags. Give my sweet husband peace...give him patience, give him rest and give him YOUR presence. I know that you can be so near and sometimes feel so far away when the stress of life is pushing against our world. Lord, you be the wall...you be the barrier, be real in every way tomorrow...TAKE all the GLORY!

Give me strength and patience as we face the day...and let me get my work complete.

~Amen

I love hotels.

Maybe because the mirror and toilet are spotless and I didn't put any effort into it.

Maybe because their furniture (and in today's case TV) is cooler than mine at home.

I especially love when the room comes with a fridge so you can store your leftovers so you don't have to throw them out, just because you are out of town.

I like that the beds are made...the floor is clean...and the towels match.

Generally, I guess I live in a very narcissistic world because I rarely consider the lives that have "lived" in the hotel room before me. The people who breathed (or whatever else) in the bed I just slept on. If you overthink it...I would probably change my title statement.

Stepping out of the Hampton shower this morning. Oh...showers are the only things that I don't love about hotels. I am a little partial to my Water-Pik shower head and nothing quite compares. I even find the "noises" intriguing...but the showers, they could stand for improvement... ah I digress.

Stepping out of the Hampton shower this morning, I considered who might have been here last night. And whether or not the housekeeping crew did a mighty fine job in disinfecting the room given the recent swine flu issues. Given that our state hasn't offically announced any H1N1 virus cases, I am not too worried, but the thought did cross my mind. Given the recent Yahoo! featured article, "Confessions of a Hotel Housekeeper." maybe I should be a bit more concerned. Even so... I still love hotels.

Favorite moments.

This week has been incredible hard. I decided that telling you all the crazy- and I am talking C-R-A-Z-Y stuff that has happened this week is too much so....I will leave you with some of my favorite moments from this week.



Friday. 3:05p.m. The bell rings.
Also...A Celebrity Look-a-like went to work with my man today. It sure was hard work being Hannah...she said!


Thursday. Spider Sushi Rolls Yummy and Dancing Evy!



Wednesday. Bride Wars

Tuesday. Baby Stellan goes home after heart sugery and 5 1/2 weeks in hospital

Monday. Grant application completed!

Sunday. After church my Dad made breakfast AND we took a nap!

Saturday. Playing at park with Evy and Grandma. Lord kept us safe from tornados!