If Only It Were That Easy, Dude

Creative Way.

Real Way.

I Have Been VERY Hesitant To...

Share this blog. Why? Because of the knowledge that I have some out-spoken non-Christian readers (and Dennis isn't the only one I know of, he's just the main one I know wouldn't object to the linkage) that I really hope will come to know Christ as Savior. You see, it's kinda one of those dirty-little-secrets-thing that you don't mind talkng about among like-minded people but something that can totally be taken too seriously and used as ammo against us by those who think in opposition.

The blog mostly pokes fun at Baptists and Baptist-ish churches. This will make some of you readers laugh because the truth hits too close to home. I hope others will see it as evidence that Christians are not perfect and that there are a great many who don't even claim to be! We all have our failings but through Christ and His Bride, the church, we keep running the race before us.

New MLS Number And Renewed Hope!

I'm all shiny and happy again. Things are LOOKING UP!
We gots us a new agent, a new MLS# and some renewed spirits!

It's Just Impossible

Whether I write 50 words or 5000, none would be suitable for a blog entry about this tragedy.

Praise God this family has a deep faith and confidence.

Lord, please give them peace and endurance and bless them for glorifying You.

In A Very Difficult Situation

I hurt someone's feelings. I knew it was a possibility even though it was unintentional.

I have had a yucky feeling since the drama started. The email I sent tonight makes me feel at peace, though. I didn't mean harm and think I explained myself gently in response.

God says...

Hebrews 10:36 NLT

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Patient endurance....God's will....Patient endurance....God's will....

*******

Prayer Walk Today

Open house tomorrow and Sunday. We are very optimistic!

There are two houses of particular interest to us on the buying side of things. I would be ecstatic with either, but have a favorite.

I wonder how many houses I've loved in this adventure...

Keeping it real.

Technology & Tornadoes

Yeah, it's awesome we have the ability to see this amazing event occur live. And it's cool to have the ability to edit and post online for the world within a couple of hours of its occurence.

But the coolest thing?

Psalm 135:
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him
throughout all heaven and earth,
and on the seas and in their depths.
7 He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth.
He sends the lightning with the rain
and releases the wind from his storehouses.
(NLT)

This Post

A post called "Multiplication" by a gal named Jenni, was of great encourgement to me today. I thought I'd share it with you.

Sorry For All The Links & Stuff - A Little Update

I know I haven't written much personal stuff lately. I've had some things I could tell you about but then you'd think less of me so I've decided to just skip it.

Seriously, I've been pretty wrapped up in homeschooling (more tweaking needed and enacted today), lobbying, BoBB planning, house-selling, church-stuff-ing, etc. and just haven't done a good job blogging. Sorry.

I REALLY need to get an even better video of Captain walking because it is ADORABLE. He walks everywhere now and it's so darn cute!

Softball & baseball & T-ball sign-ups are this weekend! Here we go! Four playing this year!

Birthdays start next week on the 13th (Captain's) and run through June 22 (Rocky's.) Five kids' birthdays in 5 months. Good times! And, as the paragraph/sentence above states...right in the middle of ball season!

And did I mention lobbying? Yeah...AT LEAST once a month I will lobby at the State House for HB314 and SB240 (same bill presented in House & Senate.)

Thankfully, the children's musical ends this month, my creative movement group works through Easter, and the Adolescence class I'm going to teach only runs for 6 weeks. After those, please make me say 'no.'

I'm sad that I actually DID say 'no' to working at the kids' consignment sale this year. WAH! I will miss the perks that go along with that. I will be selling, though. Need the money for buying the next round of clothing for the kids!

Our house WILL SELL, ya know! The Redland Road Elementary School had its groundbreaking today. THAT is important!

God is working in my life.

OH! One of the coolest things we're doing right now is reading the Bible in a year. We're using this system and have been perfectly consistent so far (and praying to be able to continue, in Jesus' name!) We read one section silently while all sitting together (Psalms so far,) then turn to the OT "history" where Henry & I read (Genesis and starting Exodus this weekend) and finish with New Testament (Luke & Hebrews so far) where the kids each read portions. Of course, we've not completed any of those books so far but the schedule has taken us through large chunks of them. It's REALLY cool. I'm excited to know the kids will have already read the ENTIRE Bible at such young ages, by the end of this year! Isn't that awesome?

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT
7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

The Wave Of Paralysis

You know, waves don't have very long lives. They come to shore, crash, then wash away. Depending on what causes the wave, there might be similar ones following or there might be shrinking ripples which eventually smooth out to glassy surfaces.

With all this house stuff, I have waves of emotional & spiritual paralysis. I have no real serious complaints about our living situation but sometimes I just feel sick and homeless. I want a house of my own. I want my own bed again. I want an answer to prayer.

This scripture spoke to me more loudly today than it has in the many times I've read it in the past. I NEEDED it today. Praise God for giving me this wonderful reminder! It made the wave crash and wash away...

2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

And THIS entry really drives it home.

THANK YOU, LORD. I am willing to wait while you re-adjust my gaze.

A Prayer I Have Begun To Pray

St. Ignatius Loyola prayed, "Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will."

Being the "words of affirmation" love language that I am, I struggle with being satisfied that following God's will is enough.

Take this house-selling stuff. I think it should be completed by now because of it being God's leading to do this. If God said to do it, shouldn't it be done by now? Shouldn't we be rewarded with an easy experience since we are being obedient and willing to sacrifice the luxury of our own large home?

"Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will."

And homeschooling... Shouldn't the kids joyfully bounce out of bed every day and gratefully get started on it and thank me profusely for being such a wonderful change from "real school?" Shouldn't we be in a groove by now? Shouldn't I feel accomplished at the end of a school day? Shouldn't I be gifted with perfect organizational skills and educational enthusiasm?

"Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will."

(NLT) Psalm 128:

1 How joyful are those who fear the Lord—
all who follow his ways!
2 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
How joyful and prosperous you will be!
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,
flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees
as they sit around your table.

So I will continue to fear the Lord and will continue to seek and desire and earnestly strive to follow His ways. I have faith that my joy will be full. And I pray, "Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will."

Death Discussion

Most of you know we don't do Halloween but I figured y'all might not appreciate this topic on many other days. Am I right, or am I right?

AND, I don't have to write everything I want to say because Barbara already quotes, notes, links, and says most of the things I'd like to tell you. So, just click over to Barb's post and then come back here!

Go ahead...click over...I'll wait...

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Read it? OK, you can continue here now.

Many of these thoughts began cropping up in my head after the beautiful experience I had with my Granny when she was called from earth to be with the LORD. I have never fully worked through all of my thoughts but I've had many of these ideas for a while now. I guess I'll have to truly discuss all of this with family some day but if the day for needing these decisions made comes sooner than later, all you blog-readers can attest to my wishes!

In a nutshell, I'd like:
-death at home without over-medication. Keep me aware of my situation!
-family at my side
-pine box, wicker or similar wooden/naturally decomposing coffin
-natural oils & spices in place of chemical embalming
-funeral time spent in praise and pointing people to Jesus with a time of invitation

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died[f] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.[g] 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died[h] will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

***

(p.s. - I still nauseatingly cringe about all the plastic used to bury our dog, Lucy...I honestly can't stand to think about it....purposely thinking of something else now....la la la la...)

"I'm So Glad We're Behind Her!"

That's what the couple said who was standing behind me in the self-checkout line at Wal-mart tonight.

OK, not really. But they were probably THINKING it with my mad scanning & bagging skills. "Beep!" (bag) "Beep!" (bag) (pay) (grab receipt) (see ya!)

Why in the world am I blogging about this? Because I'm desperately trying to quit thinking & worrying & "doing" about house stuff.

Henry & I concluded today that we will no longer arrange with our Realtors to look at houses unless we are ready to make an offer. We gave ourselves the leeway of making a CONTINGENT offer before our house sells but I seriously doubt we'll go that route.

So, no more window-shopping. Online browsing is the only thing allowed at this point.

Thanks again to everyone who has prayed and spread the word about the www.EmeraldMtn.blogspot.com site. (Steph & Jen, you two PARTICULARLY rock!) I know that it's basically just been something to keep me busy and to make me feel like I have done something to help with the house selling but my heart knows that it really doesn't matter what I do.

But...

Proverbs 14:23NLT
Work brings profit,
but mere talk leads to poverty!

Indie's Day!

Yesterday was Indie's 9th birthday! As I reminded her over and over, I just really can't believe it's been 9 years!

Starting Monday afternoon, I started talking about what we were doing 9 years before. I could tell she liked hearing the little details of what was going on back then. She chuckled as she had a realization of how young Ray really was! When it became a tangible thought that Ray was actually younger than her little cousins, Indie almost couldn't believe it.

I told her of how Henry and I were watching a rented movie (Red Square - it did not catch my attention and I don't remember anything except that it starred Richard Gere) when we decided it was time to head to the hospital. We took Ray to a friend's house, a friend she can't even remember (they have lived outside of AL for the last several years) and excitedly went to the hospital to have a baby!

**Indie, you are a precious joy in our lives. You have always been the smiling-est of children we've ever known. Your fun-loving spirit always keeps the house in a silly mood (even though we sometimes need it to be serious!) and you need to know that this is DEFINITELY a gift from God. There is no doubt your Heavenly Father has huge plans for you and we can't wait to see how God continues to guide your life. You encourage us with your natural love of people and the way your friendly approach to life is such a blessing to everyone in range of your gorgeous smile.

You really are a beauty inside and out. You have a strong maternal instinct and are such a dear blessing as you help take care of your brothers. I honestly appreciate all the ways you step in to help me. You make things much easier for me and I am so glad I can count on you to be a loving helper.

I hope you will continue enjoying this busy summer we are in and will keep playing ball in such a fantastic fashion. You're a strong player and we're very proud of you. We're sorry the crazy ball season has prevented us from doing anything super-big for your birthday but you know we're not done celebrating yet!

WE LOVE YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, INDIE!

1 Peter 1:6-9 NLT So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

This May Day Is RAY DAY!

Happy Birthday to my little Ray of sunshine :)

11 years ago, from right now, I was getting into the groove of hospital labor. I had seen the midwife on May 6th for a 2:00 appointment and by 4:00 that afternoon, I knew that it was almost time.

I called Henry at work and told him there was no need to rush home but not to dilly-dally when he got off at 5:00. We didn't want to just sit around doing nothing so we drove up to Shoney's for supper. I don't know why Shoney's, but that's where we went and enjoyed our last pre-kid family meal. We saw a friend from school (Cassie F for those who remember her) and she asked, "When are you due?" and I answered, "Well, I think I'm actually in early labor now!" I think it weirded her out!

At 10:00 that night, I rationalized, "We should go ahead and call our family and go to the hospital. It'd be easier to tell everyone now before they all go to sleep for the night."

So we called everyone and headed towards B South Hospital. Most of the family arrived the same time we did! Being the first child born on both mine and Henry's sides of the family, EVERYONE was as giddy with excitement as we were!

So I went through all the normal checking-into-the-hospital things and got hooked up in the bed. Since my water wasn't broken, I was free to get up and go to the bathroom as needed but at all other times, I was required to be in bed and hooked up to the monitors.

Of course, I didn't know NEARLY what I know now and was 100% fine with all routines. And because my contractions were pretty regular, I was pretty much left alone once we got situated. I think they were just gonna let me labor the best i could through the night and then handle any possible delays in progression when the sun rose.

THANkFULLY, Ray kept moving down her pathway. Contractions were pretty regular and somewhat painful but I was able to get into a trance-like state and handle them. I remember staring at cross-sections of the white panel ceiling during each contraction. I also focused on breathing and as the pains got stronger, i would work harder at keeping my inhales equal with my exhales. That was the worst thing I did and as contractions got closer and closer, I began to hyperventilate. It was awful. Really awful. My face and hands were tingly and I had to have a paper bag to breathe into. When I got to the serious stages of labor, I had to really focus on handling the contractions and I had to have someone hold the paper bag over my nose and mouth until the contraction was over. That little pattern of breathing into a bag during each contraction really helped a bunch.

I also remember my Mom rubbing my feet and legs a little bit because they had some tingling sensations, too. And as things got more obvious that a baby was on her way, Henry started fiddling around with cameras and tripods. He had that nervous activity thing going on but also did a good job with helping me through the contractions. I think he liked being able to hold the bag ofr me because it gave him something productive to do.

A little before 8AM on the 7th, the midwife came in to check me and little did I know, go outside and tell my waiting family that it would be a while before there was any baby.

So breakfast became the topic of ocnversation. I remember people coming in and out of my room asking Henry what he wanted and that they were all running out to get some breakfast. I remember being hungry and mad that they were talking about food in front of me!

Mom and Dad went downstairs and wanted to speak to a friend who works at the hospital and knew he should be on his way in since it was right at 8AM. As they were getting off the elevator to find their friend on the 1st floor, before going to get breakfast, they were told by a lady at the desk that they needed to get back upstairs because their grandbaby was about to be born.

Since the message came via the hospital staff who said Mr. Trippe (Henry's Dad) was calling, my parents thought it was a joke. Mr. Trippe is quite the joker and if he had thought of it, he probably would have played this little prank. It wasn't a prank, though! After my midwife had checked me and left to tell everyone that a baby was a long ways away, the nurses helped me roll over in the bed to get some rest.

That roll made family history!

As I moved from my back to my left side, there was a loud POP and a little head receiving a crown :)

Ray was born at 8:11 AM after just 3 little-ish pushes!

This birth experience was such an awesome one that I started thinking about how I could share with pregnant Moms that not EVERY birth experience is a horror story. Good labors and births are totally possible! Even natural ones!

Even though it took me a little while to become a doula and eventually a homebirth advocate, it was definitely this experience that got me started thinking.

And it was this BABY that got me realizing that being a Mom is definitely one of the greatest blessings in the world and that I am SO HAPPY with this calling.

Ray, you are a precious jewel and I just love you to bits! You will always be that special introduction to the best part of my life...being a Mom! You are beautiful and oh-so-smart, and encourage me with your spirit and love of the Lord! I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!

Psalm 20
1 In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
2 May he send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
3 May he remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
Interlude

4 May he grant your heart’s desires
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

Should I Write The Truth?

In an effort to be an uplifting and encouraging person, I am trying not to use this blog as a place to grumble and complain. However, today was such a rough day in so many ways that I feel as if I would be lying if I blogged and did NOT grumble about it.

No, nothing was life-threatening. Just normal, pesky stuff. Things like Ray & Indie trying to pull a fast one on me in an effort to get out of doing what they're supposed to do; kids watching TV and ignoring my telling them to get ready to go, only to make us scramble out the door later than we needed to; a poopy diaper while already running late; the discovery that Rocky's helmet & glove are not in the car; the realization that said helmet & glove were probably left at the ball fields Saturday; having to be cordial to two people (one by phone and one in person) who were compounding my running late problems; going to the wrong practice site for Rocky's practice and being even LATER; having to hike a mile from parking spot to ball field for Rocky's practice; realizing Rocky didn't put on his cleats in the car (which is parked a mile away;) nursing extremely patient (thank you CAPTAIN!) baby in car a mile away from Rocky's practice where I can't see what he's doing; walking back to the field only to find Rocky kicking up dirt and being left out of practice time because he doesn't have a glove (and is a lefty so can't borrow anyone else's;) feeling awful about the way I look because of baby fat and a too-rushed hairdo/ponytail; and lastly, feeling sorry for myself because Henry has drama practice for the Easter drama at church and won't be home until late.

But I'm not going to complain :)

Well, let me just say that prayer works. Henry took a minute out of practicing to call and check on me and let me know he had been praying for us. THAT was the key, I know it.

Miraculously, things on the ride home and at home were going very smoothly. I know the kids were making extra efforts to be sweet and helpful Dinner was enjoyable and at the table (rare on American Idol nights!) and everyone actually ate their beefaroni! YAY ME for remembering to separate out a portion for the boys BEFORE adding garlic and onions to the recipe because they will cause themselves to gag if they taste, smell, or see these things in their food. The partitioning of the food really made things go nicely at dinner time. Rocky even ate the big chunks of diced tomatoes!

Baths & devotional also went well. Believe me, I am praying some thanksgiving prayers tonight!

Forgive me for not doing the non-complaining thing very well.

Phillippians 2:13-15 NLT
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Back Into The Sling Of Things

From February Blog

This pic was taken on the first day Jack and I were left home alone. The sling was really mandatory at 1 week old! Of course, I really didn't do much while Henry & the big kids were gone but I was able to unload and re-load the dishwasher!

Now, at 2 weeks old, the sling isn't as mandatory at home but it's been 100% necessary when have gotten out a couple of times. Today was Captain's pediatric checkup (weighs 8lbs 8oz!! Go Manna Milk! LOL) and then we went to the chiropractor. He got his first adjustment (yay!) and I got a MUCH-needed realignment. My body was feeling a little wonky (one leg felt longer than the other) but now I'm feeling great! And what a GORGEOUS day for us to be getting out!

The other kids were adjusted as well and now we're hanging out at my Mom's in between goings. We'll be taking Ray to Home-Ec in just a bit.

But after all this going today, I am looking forward to several days in a row at home. In fact, I'm HOPING that my days at home will allow us to get my van in the shop (after months of attempting this) for a new front-fender paint job. It is very difficult to find a 2 or 3 day stretch when I don't need my van. The best days for it (the week of Captain's birth) were not cooperating weather-wise (too cold) so we couldn't get it done, then. Really hoping it will work out for this week.

I know this is a rather boring and non-specific and somewhat erratic entry but I feel so FREE sitting here at a computer desk without a baby in my arms and I just can't make myself quit typing! :) Don't get me wrong...I really do love nuzzling with my baby all day but I definitely have missed my email & blogging time!

One last thing - I started attending a women's Bible study in the neighborhood on Monday nights. There I met another nursing Mom who is SO sweet and who was actually the spark that even got me KNOWING there was a Bible study in the neighbhorhood! It turns out that she knew of me through Jen's blog and somehow through all of the friends-of-friends thing, she got the CORRECT impression that I might be someone who would like to attend the study. She told the hostess that she thought I might be interested and then got in touch with me about it! It turns out that I was so desperately wanting a close-to-home small group study that I had already been calling area churches to see if they offered evening classes! This is absolutely better than going to any of the churches I called because I can WALK to the study, I can take my nursling, and I am getting to know NEIGHBORS! And they're all so cool!

So, THANK YOU TO Jen, Chris, and "J" for getting me connected!!

There's Nothing To Disclose But...

I just wanted to warn y'all who are super-curious about impending labor/birth, that this forum will NOT be a full-disclosure blog about all physical occurrences I am experiencing. It's tempting at times but I have learned that it is MUCH better to keep such changes to oneself so as not to have a phone ringing off the hook with everyone or ANYone thinking that "experience A + B = labor."

So, before I get to that point, I just wanted to make it clear that even though I am almost officially into "nesting mode" and that even though it's almost impossible for me to even think about anything EXCEPT this growing belly and its passenger, I will be working very hard to protect myself from too many questions from others.

Can I get an "amen, sistuh" from others that understand!?

With all of that said, however, I probably won't be able to keep myself from talking at least a little bit about how these last weeks are going. For example, I am at that stage of experiencing, at least once a day, the "my belt is too tight" feeling. You know the one where you wish you could unbutton your pants or let your belt out a notch or two.....but there are no clothing articles or accessories causing the discomfort. It's just that little boy of ours squirming and pressing and making me feel mighty tight in the midsection.

I will also say that the frequency of trips to the bathroom are getting annoying. I've always prided myself (rightly or wrongly) in having a steel bladder and it's very frustrating to need to visit la toilette as often as is necessary these days.

And when I say I'm nesting, that basically means that I'm ready to do nothing but stay home and get it straightened up. It is a huge mess and I'm ready to just BE HERE. I still have a small number of to-dos that will prevent me from becoming a hermit but whenever possible, I WILL be at home. And sometimes when I am home, my feet will be up. And always when my feet are up, I will be thankful!

Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT)
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

Late Night / Late Morning / Late Night Cycle

Last night, Henry & I stayed up to watch the last episode (2-hour finale) of LOST-Season 2. We now have to find a good way to watch the first 6 episodes of Season 3 on the Internet before the remainder of Season 3 airs, starting in February. WE LOVE THIS SHOW!

So we started last night's DVD pretty late after coming home from a friend's birthday party and getting He-Man back from my Mom and Dad's. (quick side story - I think He-Man is smarter than we give him credit -- and we give him lots of credit -- but I think he might have figured out that if he didn't spend the night with my parents last night that he would have me and Henry all to himself. He got to sleep with us and everything. And he giggled like his planned worked! That little stinker....OH -- and he patiently waited for and recognized a kick from Captain for the first time. He had felt kicks before but wasn't paying enough attention to notice. Last night he just laughed and laughed and wanted to do it again and again. It was so sweet!)

Allright -- back to the rundown:

After starting the DVD pretty late, we didn't turn off the lights until after 1:00. That's not a non-pregnant late hour but these days, that nearly kills me. So after staying up so late, I had to sleep in. I was able to snooze until nearly 10! It was awesome!

The rest of the morning was spent coordinating pick-up times of the two homes that housed my other 3 children. Henry took He-man to get them all picked up while I stayed home to get ready for a wedding. Our original intent was to have all 6 of us go to the wedding together but we decided against it since all the kids were post-sleepover.

At the wedding, I BURNED UP. It was doggone hot today! But I am not complaining. I just don't have the biggest variety of maternity clothes to wear for crazy weather swings. So I actually loved today's weather and would love to duplicate it for most of the year, I just wasn't properly dressed for it.

So, as sad and embarrassing as it is to admit this, my sweaty pits actually lead me to skip the reception and get back home. The heat drained me and I didn't really want to stay in my black tights and long-sleeve shirt any longer.

Thankfully the wedding was beautiful and very, very sweet. I'm glad I went. AND I got to see Michelle! (Sorry I didn't see you afterwards to say bye!)

After getting back home and in some lazy clothes, I took the ol' Dixter for a walk. Bless her heart, she had already been played to a worn-out state while I was gone. The kids were with her outside all afternoon and Henry cut the grass, which makes her run around like a wild-child. So when I put her on the leash, she happily went with me but kept her pace nice and slow...which is exactly what I needed today, too!

Oh how I waddle these days. And babe really isn't that low yet (meaning he hasn't dropped. He's low cuz he's #5 but his (thankfully) head-down position is actually making the biggest discomfort near my ribs). But I feel like I'm carrying a bowling ball in my torso 24/7 and that gets a little tiring, ya know? The walk was good, though and I'm really going to be dilligent about it in these next few weeks. He-Man wasn't in prime position when I went into labor with him and I just don't want to repeat that scenario this go 'round. Therefore I will be taking frequent visits to the chiro and will be walk, walk, walking.

Today's 70ish temp was WAY better than the bitter cold of a few days ago, though. I only took a 1/2 walk earlier this week when my ears became numb from the wind. Dixie didn't like it either.

Now I'm sitting here KNOWING I need to hit the sack but am blogging instead. Part of that cycle I guess. Not good considering that we have to be at church early tomorrow so that Donnie can be prepared to sing.

I will close after saying that the situation that prompted my Ugh post has improved greatly. I know a great deal of the improvement is because of the prayers of my child and her repentant heart. I've been so thankful for it.

Romans 5:3-5 (New Living Translation)
"3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”