Where I'm at Today!

I am sitting on the couch debating bedtime. I took a 2 hour nap tonight from 5 - 7 because I wasn't feeling well. Last night HEM was sick. I think it made it worse for her knowing we were going out for her birthday lunch today at her favorite place, Biaggi's. Thankfully she awoke a new kid today! I prayed with her last night and gave her as much medicine as I could to relieve her pain. She said it was hard to sleep so I told her to try praying for people and that would take her mind off of her problems. Today she told me how smart I was and wondered how I came up with such a good idea because it really worked! Needless to say it brought on one of those teary eyed moments. Tomorrow is her 11th birthday! She's so excited she said tonight she hoped I felt better so I could wake her up to the tune of Happy Birthday like I always do.

Tomorrow begins our usual schedule because it's the first day of dance class for HEM and EMM who are, thankfully, taking lessons back to back this year. I am also working on the women's retreat here and there because I am speaking this year. I'm doing 2 sessions. God has really been putting His words into my Microsoft Word document. I covet your prayers. This is no light task and I want what I say to be God's words more than my own. He has done SO much for me in my life and continually teaches me new things every day!

Other than all that I am preparing for HEM's birthday party Saturday. She's having a 50's sock hop. Should be a lot of fun! I hope to get pictures up not too long afterward! I'm so proud of the young lady she's turning into.

Safely back home!

Well we finally made it back to our reality this week. We're catching up on sleep and I'm slowly managing to return items to their proper places. Actually the girls are going to Grandma's tonight so I can have more time to clean my house! YAY!

My grandmother is still doing well though I can see the fatigue from a long journey starting to set in as I watched her try to do even the most routine tasks. She said she appreciated the visit and it meant a lot to her. The girls really seemed to enjoy their time with her and the rest of my family as well. I think the hardest part of the entire 6 weeks was the day I had to leave and say good-bye . I wonder if I will ever get to tell her good-bye again. She appreciated everyone's thoughts and prayers and said she hoped to meet them one day even if not here on earth. The most precious things included HEM listening to her "history lessons" about what life was like for her as a child, watching EMM play Go Fish with her, and that GEM wouldn't leave her house without giving her a kiss good-bye.

We are getting back into our schoolwork and looking forward to catching up with friends. We all enjoyed our visit to the chiro yesterday (Thanks Dr. J!). The girls were SO funny talking about how different they felt after that. :)

Keep praying for my grandmother as she comes to your mind. She's a special lady. Pray for my mom who is her caregiver, too. It is very tiring for her and she works 2jobs!

Thanks to those of you that kept in touch with me while I was gone! You'll never know how much that meant to be thought of while away. I'm emotionally drained from the last couple of months and trying to regain perspective again. I'm also preparing to speak at our women's retreat next month so I have a lot of work ahead for that as well.

Praise the Lord!

Hard to believe my time in Albany is drawing to an end. Just one more week yet it is filled with plans. We got a great report from my grandmother's doctor this week. Her stomach cancer has shrunk thanks to the chemo treatments and the spots on her liver have faded. She came home shouting "praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the Lord!!" Tomorrow we have lunch with the family, my mom, my brother, Joey, and his family, and my aunt and uncle. We're also planning to get to Panama City Beach as well as the Georgia Aquarium among other things. Lots to do. It has been a rewarding time with my grandmother, but I'm ready to be back to my reality in Iowa in my own home with my husband. I don't know that I've missed much in Iowa, but I'm looking forward to getting back. I've definitely faced some trials while here in relation to being here in general away from home and also spiritually. There are things I don't understand and I just have to give it to God and try not to let it get to me. I only had one real breaking point a few weeks ago. :) I've appreciated those few friends that have reached out to me and reminded me that they've been thinking of me while I'm gone. I do realize a need to analyze some aspects of my life when I return to Iowa though. A need to step back and withdraw in some ways I think. Not sure how people will view it, but I feel it's needed for my own sake at this point and that of my family.

I have lots of pictures to finish scanning in my computer this week. Hopefully I'll get that done! I realize just how bad the 80's were to me!! Ugh. It just makes me laugh though!

My mom and I enjoyed an orange push-up tonight and now it's time to head to bed. I hope to blog once more before I leave. It's been strange not being able to access the Internet when I want. Hard to believe what a big part of my life that is!