A New Years to Remember

11 years ago I had it all figured out. I had just graduated from college. I had a plane ticket purchased to move across the country, the perfect job offer, and thought that life couldn't be better. I had a plan . . . the problem . . . God had a different one.

11 years ago today, I met Brad. He really threw a kink in my plan. I DID NOT want to be interested in a boy from Oklahoma. That did not fit into my plan of moving to Washington state. So, I continued on with the original plan full force ahead! Until 4 days later when I slid off a highway on black ice in the middle of nowhere Kansas. The car (which was my sister's brand new car that she had let me borrow for the trip to Aubrey's wedding) crossed over oncoming traffic and rolled over narrowly missing a telephone pole and a gas line pole. This was definitely not part of the plan! I spent all of my graduation / moving money towing the totalled car back to Texas and taking care of as much of the negative balance on the car that I could. I spent over a week crying, not sure what to do with myself. I had my life planned out. I knew exactly what I wanted. And I felt my dreams slipping away. I did not want to stay in small town Texas! Then over the next couple of months, my priorities began to change. Brad came around more and more often and I was hooked. Plans changed! I got the perfect job here and I fell in love with the boy from Oklahoma.

10 years ago today there was no looking back. Brad proposed to me on a carriage ride in downtown Fort Worth on New Years Eve. And the rest is history. I wouldn't change a thing! We have been blessed with great friends, loving family, and two precious little girls. This is way better than my original plan! I am thankful that God is in charge. I am thankful that He brought Brad and I together, that He made it impossible for me to continue on as I had hoped, and that He continues to surprise us with unexpected blessings.

In this New Year, I wish your family all the best. May God surprise you with unexpected blessings as he has done for us!

Merry Christmas to All!

It's 7:30 Christmas morning . . . Brad is gone to work, the girls are engrossed in their Santa gifts, and I figured that now was a good a time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

We went to Starla's house last night for food and gifts with my family. We had a great time! My mom came, ate, and even rocked out a bit on Guitar Hero. It was nice for us to all be together again. I don't think that has happened since Thanksgiving. Anyway, enjoy the pictures. And I wish all of you a Christmas filled with family and friends. We are off next to the Cooks' house for a little Christmas breakfast - yum!

A Friend Loves at all Times

This post is dedicated to the amazing friends that God has blessed us with. New friends who have become such a special part of our life this year . . . people who have surprised us with their compassion and with how quickly we have come to love their friendship. Old friends who have stuck with us through the good and the bad . . . the ones who are always there for us, no matter what, who open their doors and their hearts. They are raw and real, and they accept Brad and I as is.

This year more than ever, I want to take the time to express how thankful I am for each of you. It's been a rough year. It's hard to describe how cancer seems to affect every aspect of your life, but I think that it has. It is such a scary word. And although my mom is doing fairly well with the treatment process and her doctor assures us that when this is over she will be fine, it has still deeply impacted our family. Between nausea and low white blood counts, her interaction with us has been extremely limited. But my friends have really stepped in and been a tremendous support through it all. They have helped out with the girls, given me advice, and taken us in as family. I miss spending time with my mom and dad, but these friends have given us a place to feel like we belong, like we are one of their own. And for that, I will be forever grateful! So thanks Sheila, Jessica, De'Ana, Keely, and Donna! I love you all!

Catching Up

Whew! I made it. School was out today at 1:00 and I am free for two much needed weeks of Christmas break. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job - the good days and the bad. It just seems like this time of year life gets so crazy that I find myself longing for the time off to just spend time with Brad and the girls doing absolutely nothing. Between work, meetings, and special programs at school, I feel like we haven't been home together in weeks. In fact, last week Brad and Lily went to OKCity for 4 days to visit Jay for his birthday. They came home Wednesday night, and Gracie and I left Friday night to go to Lubbock for the weekend. In between I had something going on at school both Wednesday and Thursday nights, so I haven't seen much of Lily or Brad in a while.

The trip to Lubbock was great. It was the first time that Gracie and I have gone out of town on a "special" trip, just the two of us. We went to see Amy Carr graduate from LCU (Congratulations again, Amy!!!). It was neat to be able to take my daughter to visit my Alma mater. I haven't been back to Lubbock in years. And I am so thankful that Gracie was able to see Amy's accomplishment. She adores Amy and I am thankful for the example that she continues to be for my kid.

My mom has started the last round of chemo. Only 3 more weeks left. Things seem to have settled a bit. She still feels pretty rotten some days, but it is much more manageable than a few weeks ago. The germy kids and I are just ready for her blood count to be normal at the same time that she feels like seeing people. I think that I can count on one hand the number of times that we have seen her over the past 2 months. We are counting down the days until January! After that, she will see a radiologist so that they can decide whether or not she will need to have radiation. Keep praying! I know that she is lonely and ready for it all to end, but most of all we all pray for total and complete healing.

We don't have big plans for Christmas. Brad's sister and her family are going to Michigan, so his dad may come here for a few days. We have plans to see my family on Christmas Eve if my mom is feeling alright. Brad (of course) has to work Christmas Day, so there will be a VERY EARLY morning Santa "reveal" and then I will get to torture my children the rest of the day making them wait until Brad is home from work to open their gifts. Sounds fun, huh?!? Wherever you and your family will be, I wish you safe travel, precious time spent with loved ones, and a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Brad!

It is finally Thanksgiving break! Things have been a little crazy over the past week, and I couldn't ever seem to find the time to post. We decided to have a garage sale last weekend to finally clear out the huge mounds of junk that had accumulated in the garage over the past couple of years. It was about time considering we started cleaning out closets and making these piles over a year ago when we decided to have the garage sale. But for some reason, it never happened . . . and the piles just continued to grow . . . They are gone now! Yippee! Special thanks to Donna and Steve for braving the cold with us as we sat all day peddling our goods to the crazies that come out for a garage sale.

In the midst of the garage sale prep (wow it is a LOT of work to get one ready) we celebrated Brad's birthday. He's only one year away from the BIG 40! So Happy Belated Birthday, Brad!

I thought that in celebration for his 39th birthday, I would share 39 things that make Brad special. Here goes:

1. He is a strong spiritual leader in our house. When I would rather sleep in or lay around on the couch, he is the one that insists we get dressed and go to church . . . or the Bible study . . . or our small group.
2. He is an excellent dad. He doesn't mind taking the girls so that I can have time without them. He loves to spend time with them and has a special bond with both of our girls.
3. He has a kind and servant heart. If anyone needs help with anything, Brad is always willing to step in and lend a hand.
4. He loves me unconditionally. I know that most of you will be surprised, but I can be a pain at times . . . and he loves me anyway.
5. He is a great example to others. Brad is not perfect. But people tend to admire his honesty and the way that he puts himself out there - he is "real".
6. He is generous. He never thinks twice about giving to others who are in need.
7. He loves God. I have really seen him grow over the past few years. His love and devotion to the Lord has deepened and affected every aspect of his life.
8. He is a helper. He doesn't get mad when I volunteer him to help cook hot dogs for Gracie's second grade class or to pick up a trailer full of student desks from TCU to haul to my school.
9. He is kind to my family. Brad takes the heat that he gets from my dad and my brother in stride. He is kind and accepting to my entire family.
10. He is funny. As much as his humor sometimes drives me crazy, I am usually laughing as I roll my eyes.
11. He is willing to stay up after working a crazy shift and miss out on needed hours of sleep in order to make it to church with us on Sunday mornings or spend time with us during the week.
12. He volunteered to teach the teenage boys at church.
13. He saved our family from certain death on the jeep ride from hell last summer. And he didn't even yell back as I frantically screamed and cussed at him in the midst of the trauma.
14. He is fun to be around.
15. He has no rhythm, which can be quite entertaining when he decides to dance or try to rock out on Guitar Hero.
16. He surprises me with chocolate.
17. He is a great friend to me and others.
18. He loves it that we have two girls and has never pouted about not having a little boy.
19. He supports me in my career.
20. He encourages others to spend more time in prayer.
21. He is always downloading sermons to listen to.
22. He doesn't blare his headbanging / screaming music (too often)
23. He loves his dad. Brad still calls him almost every day to check on him.
24. He loves to fish and doesn't mind that I think it is boring and stinky.
25. He surprises me every once in a while by doing the dishes, making the bed, or washing a load of laundry.
26. He always takes care of filling my car up with gas when I need it.
27. He will buy groceries when I am too stressed or busy to take care of it.
28. He is complementary of my cooking . . . and I don't cook that well.
29. He works hard to help support our family financially.
30. He agreed to hang his stuffed fish in the garage.
31. Even though he hates public speaking, he has volunteered several times to take care of the sermon / discussion time at church.
32. He has been my rock through some very "rocky" times over the past few years - leaving our church (the one that I grew up in), my mom's cancer, etc.
33. If I don't feel like cooking, he never complains about eating cereal or going out to pick up take-out for us.
34. He takes care of me when I am sick - going to the store to buy four different kinds of medicine, soup, crackers, Sprite . . . whatever I might need.
35. He puts up with my moods and ever unpredictable hormones.
36. He chose me and has never looked back.
37. He agrees to go on trips and travel because he knows that I love it . . . even though he would prefer to stay closer to home.
38. He sleeps in the back bedroom on the uncomfortable trundle bed during the day if we are at home so that we can have full run of the house.
39. He is the love of my life!

Beads, Baubles, and . . . Ammo?

A few friends and I went to a jewelry and bead expo today. There were aisles and aisles of beads, pendents, and pre-made jewelry. It was amazing and a bit overwhelming looking at all of the options and trying to decide which beads had the best potential. I came home with a bag full of choices and am looking forward to a beading party tonight so that I can throw a few things together.

The strangest thing was the expo across the hall from the bead extravaganza. It was a gun show. Apparently the bead people and the gun people have it all figured out. They can book their shows at the same time to provide fun for the whole family.

It was just so WEIRD to be in a public place with people EVERYWHERE carrying all kinds of guns. People must come out of the woodworks for a gun show. There were no parking spaces available anywhere and a long line at the door of people waiting to get into that section. (And even the people waiting in line to get in were carrying guns.) Like I said - strange!

I admit . . . I don't get it. I can't imagine fighting that crowd to walk around and look at guns. Although, I am sure that one of them could be at home right now blogging about the amazing deal on ammo they found today at the gun show and the crazy women accross the hall at the redicoulous bead show.

Twilight

I love to read. It is one of my favorite things to do when the laundry is done and the house is quiet. And that is the problem. When is the laundry EVER complete and the house quiet? So, finding the time to relax with a good book has been nearly impossible for the past several years. There was also the problem of the boycott after grad school. After putting my entire family through two and a half years of torture while I worked full time, had a new baby, and attended grad school, I swore off reading . . . anything. I was so sick of doing research and reading chapter after chapter in textbooks that I had lost my love of reading. Until now . . .

A couple of the teachers at my school kept talking about the Twilight series and how good the books were. I decided to give it a try. I figured that it would be perfect. Totally fiction . . . no deep meanings . . . just a story to read and enjoy. I finished the first book (all 500 pages) within a couple of days. In fact, I finished it on the way to meet up with the rest of my family who were spending the weekend at the lake camping. As soon as we were in the middle of nowhere, it was over and I tried to convince Brad to turn around and find a bookstore because I NEEDED the next book. I was hooked. I have now finished the fourth book, and the next day it was sad . . . I kept thinking to myself, "I don't have anything else to read now." Talk about addicting!

If you like to read, check it out . . . just don't say I didn't warn you! If you don't like to read, they are coming out with the movie this month. Of course, you never know what you are gonna get when someone in Hollywood takes a great book and tries to recreate it on the big screen. I'll let you know. A group of us from school are already making plans to go and see the movie when it comes out.

Happy Halloween!

The second graders performed their Fall musical this week - "ROCTOBER". They did a great job! Gracie's job was to open the show with the first lines of the night. She was fabulous!

(This is my first try at adding video to my blog . . . and our computer is malfunctioning right now, we have no sound. So hopefully the video works.)

Halloween is usually unpredictable for our family. It never fails that something happens to interrupt our family plans. This year - pink eye. Gracie woke up yesterday morning with a swollen, bloodshot, crusty eye. NICE!

We ended up taking her to a couple of houses to trick or treat and then Brad and I took turns staying home with her while the other took Lily to the Cooks for a Halloween dinner and party. Not quite what we had planned. Although Gracie's main concern was, "Will I still get to get candy?" So I guess (for her) the night was a success. Somehow, although we only went to a couple of houses, we ended up with a bucketful of candy. I'm not quite sure HOW MUCH my dad and Kenneth and Gwen shoveled into their pumpkins.

My mom just "loved" my lip ring, nose ring, and funky lashes . . . Happy Halloween!

Life Is Sweet . . .

Sometimes a little too sweet!

I'm not sure who the guilty party is who took the pictures. But they are out there, so I might as well share . . .


We had our Fall Festival at school last weekend and (for some reason) I thought that the pie in the face booth would be a better choice than the dunk tank. Looking back it may have not been the wisest decision that I ever made. When all was said and done I had whipped cream in every nook and cranny imaginable. In my ears . . . down my shirt . . . so far up my nose that the rest of the day all I could smell was that nasty sweet smell. I don't know if I will ever eat whipped cream again.

The carnival turned out great, though. We had a big turnout and the kids seemed to have a blast. And I must say that we have some teachers who are real troopers. They volunteered to have pies thrown in their faces and to sit in the dunk tank. Overall, I think it was a real success.

Brad's family also came into town for the weekend. The girls had a great time playing with Nathan and Daniel. And it was nice to get to spend time with Brad's dad, sister, and brother-in-law.

My mom was able to have her chemo treatment today. Her blood count is finally up and, hopefully, we will be able to see her sometime this week. It has been a long two weeks of seclusion and the kids and I are ready for a Mimi visit!

Much Ado About Nothing

Not much has been going on . . . actually, that's not entirely true . . . I guess that a whole lot has been going on, just not much to blog about. I feel like I have been running a race lately, yet somehow, no matter how hard I run, I can't seem to get anywhere. Work has been very busy. It seems like there is no catching up. Which is actually part of the reason that I love my job so much - there is never a dull moment. I actually spent a couple of days this week in Austin serving on a TAKS standards review committee. (For those of you who are non-educators, I'll just say that it was two very LONG and intense days looking at numbers and data to help make a recommendation to the Texas Education Agency as to some changes that need to be made.) It was both frustrating and informative at the same time. I didn't get home until Tuesday night in time to kiss the girls goodnight, unpack, and crash for the night.

Brad is still working crazy shifts. Honestly, I'm not sure when he is coming and going. It seems that as soon as I have it figured out, they change it for the next week. Needless to say, it hasn't helped the craziness of work and me being out of town. It is funny that I had to catch up on a little of what Brad has been up to by reading Matt and Keely's blog. If you are not a regular reader, it is worth checking out. The link is in my list of favorite blogs, and the post is titled "haircuts". It was quite entertaining!

Our school is having a fall festival this Saturday with hayrides, face painting, and even a dunking booth. Somehow I managed to avoid the dunking booth, but was convinced to participate in the pie in the face booth - can't wait! Hopefully there will NOT be pictures for me to post next week. Brad's family is also planning on coming down for a visit this weekend, so it will be crazy around here with all of our house guests and the carnival.

My mom is doing well. She has not been able to have her chemo treatments for the past two weeks, though, because her blood count was too low. Good news - no nausea, bad news - no exposure to germs, which means the rugrats and I are off limits (after all, I am around LOTS of germ carriers all day long). She and my dad were getting a bit of cabin fever this week, though, so they have actually packed up the trailer and gone camping for a few days.

Other than that, I have no real news. Life is good. God continues to amaze us daily as He works in our lives and through the people that he puts us in contact with. I feel blessed. Blessed to be a part of two precious little girls' lives. Blessed to have such an amazing husband who is a super dad and an amazing spiritual leader in our house. Blessed to have friends who have touched my life in so many unexpected ways. Blessed to have a great job that I love where I am able to impact the lives of children and adults in ways that I never expected. Blessed.

The Incredible Edible Car Derby

An exciting thing happens when you are a second grader at our school - The Incredible Edible Car Derby.

Apparently, along with a unit of study over force and motion, second graders are all asked to create a car entirely out of edible items. They are allowed to use any kind of food, toothpicks, skewers, and glue. Everyone brings their cars on the same day and there is a competition to see whose car will travel the furthest when released on a ramp.

When we received the directions a few days ago, I was instantly struck with a brilliant idea. This was the perfect project for Gracie to create with her Paw Paw. It seemed like a perfect bonding experience. Plus, this is right up my dad's alley. After all, he loves to build things and figure out how to make them work(perfectly). So, I dropped her off Wednesday night so that they could work their magic together. Two hours later, when I picked her up, I asked my dad if they had finished. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Well no, we have been working on our prototype. She'll have to come back tomorrow so that we can make the final product. I still need to work on the axles to make sure that it drives straight."

The next night, when I picked her up, not only had they perfected the "prototype", they had also decorated it with headlights, taillights, and a driver all made out of candy. My dad explained that he had created his own hub caps by filling a small tube with hot glue, pulling it out, and poking a hole in the center. Then as we were leaving he told me to make sure that I didn't let Gracie eat the lifesaver wheels when she was finished with her race. When I asked why he explained, "Well, because I sprayed them with silicone spray so that they would roll better, of course."

So, the incredible edible derby was today. Gracie's car made it all the way down the ramp and across part of the floor without falling apart, which is better than a lot of the other cars. It was hilarious, though, to see all of the different creations - a gourd with onion halves as wheels (that one smelled up the entire hallway), a chili pepper with limes as wheels, soggy bananas with who knows what as wheels . . .

Gracie didn't win a ribbon, but I think that the experience was a huge success. She had a great time working on a special project with Paw Paw, and she had many compliments on how cute her car turned out.

Thanks, Paw Paw!

A Day at the Lake

Brad, the girls, and I spent the day yesterday at the lake with all of my family. We took the pontoon boat, and at one point the kids were able to get some serious tubing in. Well, serious tubing for my girls . . . probably not too thrilling for some of the seasoned water enthusiasts . . . the pontoon boat is great to fish off of and to casually cruise around the lake in. However, it lacks the "oomph" to really sling anyone around behind it. But, the kids seemed to have fun anyway. Surprisingly, we were actually able to convince Lily to get on for a few minutes. She screamed the entire time, though, and the other kids eventually voted her out.

It was nice to get away for the day. My mom has been pretty sick (nauseous) all week, but she finally felt "normal" again Friday. So, it was great for all of us to get out of town and spend time together relaxing and having fun. Chemo #2 is scheduled for tomorrow. So, we start another round of yucky days . . . pray for my mom.

A Quick Update From a "Single" Mom

I did not sign up to be a single mom. Although I'm sure that a lot of women out there who are single moms didn't expect to be where they are either. Really, I can't complain too badly. My status is only temporary (thank goodness!). But still, this stinks!

Brad is on the sick and annual leave shift for the next three months, which means who knows what days and times they will have him working. This week he is working from 4 to midnight. So, when we leave for school in the morning he's asleep, when we get home from school he's at work, and when he finally gets home from work we are asleep. I think that he is good . . . at least as far as I can tell from the few brief phone conversations that we have had. But here I am . . . a single mom . . . outnumbered . . . and they know it . . .

I had strep throat last week. (Probably from all of the germy little darlings that I get to "bond" with each day.) So I felt pretty rotten for most of the week. But the antibiotics have kicked in and I am good to go now! Which is good since I am a single mom and seem to have some sort of meeting or somewhere to be every day after school. The good news is that as a single mom I don't have to cook a big dinner at night and can go to bed as soon as I get the kids tucked in and asleep. (Which is my plan for tonight.)

My mom started her chemo yesterday. It took most of the day mainly because she had to meet with the doctor and take care of blood work beforehand. So far, so good. She said that she was nauseous most of the night last night, but has been able to sleep today a bit. She will continue to receive treatments once a week for sixteen weeks. One down, fifteen to go!

This Could Be Dangerous!

I have always avoided scrapbooking (kinda like I used to avoid blogging). I figured that it was one of those things that the anal, obsessive side of me would get completely wrapped up in. I knew that it could easily become an expensive and overwhelming hobby, so I remained strong and steered clear of anything "scrapbooky". My family photos (sadly) are stuffed in photo albums, piled in boxes, downloaded onto the computer, or still stuck inside the digital camera. There are no fancy backgrounds or decorative cropped pictures. I have played it safe.

Until tonight.

The girls and Brad are sound asleep and I got bored. In order to avoid housework and laundry, I decided to check out digital scrapbooking. My sister-in-law is actually an avid scrapbooker and she and I have talked a few times about the many on-line options available. So, I thought that I would check it out. I went to scrapblog.com. I didn't spend too much time . . . I just wanted to give it a quick try to see what it could do. The results are below. It's pretty cool considering I only spent about 10 minutes putting it together. It could be dangerous, though . . . I already feel the need to gather up all of our family photos and start organizing them into some creatively designed scrapblog book . . . HELP!

Wii Will, Wii Will Rock You!

Wii (I mean We) may have a new addiction . . . Last night we went to some friends' house to play Rock Band. This was actually our third time to "rock out" - we did it once with a large group of friends and once with the teenage son of some friends, but both times were short jam sessions. Last night we rocked hard . . . for hours . . . and I think that we may be hooked! The poor kids kept coming in asking if it was their turn to play, and we kept sending them away telling them maybe in a few minutes. (Nothing like the adults hogging the video game.)

If you have never played Rock Band, you must. It is ultimate karaoke with a drummer and a guitar player. It is tons of fun! I wish that I had taken a camera to catch the live action to share with you. Oh well, maybe next time!

A Super Reader

Did I mention yesterday that Gracie is a super reader? (It's kinda ironic since her second grade class are called the "Super Sewards".)

The official results are in . . . 1 chapter book down, and she made a 90 on the test! What a reader!!!

My Little Reader

Alright, I guess since this is MY blogsite where I can share whatever I feel like sharing, that I won't feel guilty for doing a little motherly bragging today. You moms out there will understand. For those of you who aren't, I apologize . . . you may want to skip this one and try back a different day for a different post.

Gracie checked out her first chapter book from the school library yesterday. Not a short picture book, an honest to goodness Junie B. Jones chapter book.

And she hasn't put it down yet! The last time I checked she was already on chapter 7. A chapter book!!!

I know that it may seem silly for me to feel such overwhelming emotions over a library book, but this is such an accomplishment for Gracie. She struggled in Kindergarten, to the point that the teacher talked about holding her back. Her self-confidence was shot. In fact, one time during church she came to sit with me (leaving the pew where she was sitting with her best friend) to tell me that she was sad because her friend could read and she couldn't. She hated school. She cried every day. I cried every day. Homework was a nightmare!

Then God shook things up. I spent a summer in turmoil looking for an assistant principal's position within our district and ended up with three offers. Initially I leaned toward the "easy" choice of staying at the campus where I had taught for nine years. After all, I knew all of the staff members, I had a couple of years of experience serving as an administrative intern there, and staying seemed like the best choice. But God nudged me (gently at first, then a little more firmly through a couple of my mentors) to trust in Him and try something new . . . something that would bless my family and me. I ended up at one of the elementary campuses in town (elementary . . . like small people . . . REALLY small people for a former sixth grade teacher) that has both a daycare room for Lily and a fabulous support system for Gracie. (Not to mention that I LOVE the people that I work with.) And the blessings began to flow . . .

Gracie had a fabulous first grade teacher who worked diligently to reach and teach EVERY child in her room. She also spent the year working with an outside tutor and was pulled daily by the dyslexic therapist at school (another fabulous teacher). By the end of first grade, she went from a struggling Kindergartener unable to recognize all of the letters and sounds, much less try to put them together into words, to a confident first grader who knew and believed that she could read just like everyone else. And now, as she is a month into second grade, she continues to gain confidence and shine. Last week when they tested the kids, she was reading at a second grade level, actually ahead of some of the kids in her class.

So here were are. I have an excited second grader who loves school, and now she has her first chapter book. She read after school yesterday afternoon, last night in bed, on the way to school this morning, in the office before school . . . she's a reader! And to quote The Little Red Caboose, a book that my MawMaw read to me as a child, my "heart nearly burst with pride."

Church at the Lake

We had church at the lake today. Our church family has been doing this for several months now on the first Sunday of each month. We call it "church out of the box", and this is definitely an appropriate name for it. It is completely non-traditional, completely spontaneous, and completely wonderful! It is hard for me to express how God is working through our group. But I am moved today to try and share the wonders and excitement with you.

First, let me try to describe church at the lake. Flip-flops, lawn chairs, dogs, and children everywhere. We typically set up right next to the lake under the shade of some beautiful (huge) trees. The worship service is very casual, yet somehow (for me at least) very meaningful. There are no pews or bulletins, no formal worship service order. In fact, today we had our "house band" ready to lead the praise and worship time when two other guys showed up with harmonica and guitar in hand . . . so they joined the band for the day. It was awesome! God was there mixed in with the beauty of it all. And as we sang I couldn't help but become overwhelmed by the way that He had brought us all together. There are so many stories of how God has worked in different families lives to weave together this group of believers.

One family, in particular, are fairly new to our group. They were originally introduced to us through a weekly Bible study that some of the stay at home moms began. Eventually, the family came to one of our small group pool parties, and they were hooked. They have recently began attending Sunday morning worship services and God is already using them to make a huge impact on our group. This precious family decided to share their recent experience with the power of prayer to our group this morning. (I did mention that we are fairly spontaneous, didn't I?) So, halfway through the worship service, they took the microphone and shared that their four year old son had been extremely sick the previous week. In fact, he had spiked an extremely high fever and they had to take him to the emergency room where a battery of tests were given to try and figure out what was wrong with him. This went on for several days, leaving the family feeling desperate and defeated. Finally, out of desperation, the father called his grandmother (who he knew had a strong prayer life) and asked her to pray. A little while later one of the stay at home moms from the Bible study called and asked if she and another mom could come over and pray over their son. The two moms went to the family's house and said a short and simple prayer over the sick child. With tears in his eyes and a choked-up voice, the dad explained that before they even finished their prayer his son was sleeping peacefully and that within five minutes his fever had broke for the first time in days. This experience confirmed to his family the power and love of God and his people. Isn't God great!

Today, I am inspired by church at the lake. It was such a simple worship service, yet extremely powerful at the same time. There in His presence, we had a time of sharing, a time of powerful testimony, a time to be real and worship. It doesn't get much better than that!

Aubrey's Visit

Nothing is Impossible

As I open my heart and eyes more and more to see God working in my life, I am amazed at the unique way that He puts all of the pieces together. From the crazy twisting of events that led my mom to her early detection of lung cancer to the amazing life changes that Brad and I have been through over the past two years on our spiritual walk, God is definitely at work. And last week He gave me the best gift - it was exactly what I needed. In fact, He used a negative situation for someone else to encourage me in a way that I thought was impossible.

Out of the blue, I got a text message from Aubrey that she and Jarrod were on their way into town. How does He do it? I had been quietly sulking for a couple of weeks, wishing that I could somehow spend some time with Aubrey. It is hard to explain through words the kind of friendship that we have. Throughout college we spent practically every waking moment together. But more than that, we seem to have an unspoken understanding. She can finish my sentences for me, we thrive on each other's sarcasm, and we always seem to reconnect like no time is lost even when months go by without seeing each other. She and Jarrod live in Illinois, though, and it seems like we are lucky if we get to see each other once a year. So I sulked, wishing that I could see her, but knowing that it was impossible because of the distance between us.

What I didn't consider was that NOTHING is impossible with God. You see, Aubrey and Jarrod are also being challenged now with some very difficult decisions. In fact, they are struggling with a very similar situation to where Brad and I were a year and a half ago. And so God once again took a negative situation and used it for good. While seeking God's plan for their future, He brought Aubrey and Jarrod to Texas for a couple of days. We were able to spend a few hours together talking, laughing, and catching up. And most importantly we were able to spend time sharing our struggles and praying together. It was a time of healing and of comfort. What an awesome God we serve!

My Mom . . . the Blogger?

I spent a few hours at my mom's house tonight helping her journey farther into the world of technology. Now that she has texting down, it was time to move on to the final frontier . . . blogging.

She has decided to create a blog page where she can share her journey with friends and family. For those of you who are interested, you can check it out at www.mimijoyce.blogspot.com. She hopes to share her thoughts and feelings up to this point along with updates as she undergoes treatment. So, take a look and (if you have time) leave her a post. I know that your support and prayers will be an encouragement to her.

Feelin' The Love

Lily and I have been back at school for a week now. All of our teachers came back on Monday and (finally) the daycare was open again. My school district actually has daycare for teachers, which has been wonderful the past seven years, especially now that both girls and I are finally on the same campus. One stop in the morning is great compared to the years that I had to drop each girl off at a different campus and then fight the high school traffic to get across town to my own school.

Yesterday morning, after I dropped her off and had started working, two of the teachers came walking down the hall toward me laughing. They also have daughters in the preschool class, and had just come in from dropping them off. They said that while they were out there, I made an announcement over the intercom to the teachers. One of them said to Lily, "Hey, Lily, did you hear your mom talking? Isn't that cool that you can hear her while you are at school?" Lily's response . . . she rolled her eyes and said (completely unimpressed with me), "Yea, that was my mom. She talks a lot." Leave it to my precious three-year-old to show me the love!

While Lily and I have been at school, SuperDad (a.k.a Brad) has been picking up Gracie each morning on his way home from work, (He is working midnight to 8:00 right now.) and watching her all day until I get home. The only problem has been that I haven't been home earlier than 8:00 at night all week. (With a new secretary and office receptionist, life has been pretty hectic trying to get ready for the first day of school.) Needless to say, SuperDad is pretty sleepy today.

My mom has an appointment with her oncologist on Monday. After that we should know the treatment plan and when she will begin chemo. Please continue your prayers for her complete healing and recovery. I am confident that God's warriors are fervently lifting her up and that His healing has already begun.

Mixed Emotions

Alright, I am starting to feel like there is some sort of hormone imbalance going on. One minute I feel elated and hopeful for the future, and the next I am looking for an isolated place to fall apart. What a roller coaster!

Just a few hours ago, I posted about the pathology results for my mom. And honestly, at the time, I felt very hopeful. The news was not ideal, but was still extremely relieving. God is truly at work helping us to catch this cancer very early! I felt good . . . relieved . . . in control of my emotions.

My mom called me a little later and told me that the oncologist had already come by her room to talk to her. He recommends that they wait 4-6 weeks to let her body heal from this surgery and then he will start her on 4 months of chemotherapy.

I knew that this was more than likely what he was going to say. I knew that it was necessary for her to undergo treatment. But when the words came out of her mouth, it was like the world slowed down and everything was in slow motion. Chemo . . . . it makes it feel so real. You would think that the diagnosis last week (which I have already admitted did not go over too well for me) and the major surgery a few days later would have made it feel "real" to me. But the thought of her undergoing chemo (being sick . . . losing her hair) for the next several months cut deeply.

And as I sit here now, letting it all sink in, I still don't know how to express how I feel about it. I don't doubt that God will take care of us. He already has. After all, I am surrounded by an obvious chain of events that have led us to this moment in time. I truly feel God's presence - His comfort and His peace. He has answered prayers - not exactly how I had hoped, but He has delivered her from what could have been a much worse situation. And I praise Him and thank Him for all that He has done. And in the next breath I feel lost, sad, and alone. Such a mix of emotions!

I guess that sometimes you just need a good cry, a big margarita, and a blog page to vent through . . . sorry!

The Results Are In

The doctor came in with the pathology results today. The cancer had barely started to spread to one of the nearby lymph nodes. He said that it was also trying to get into a nearby blood vessel, but hadn't made it through yet. So, they were able to catch it before it had spread too much. What a blessing! She will meet with an oncologist next, who will determine how much and what kind of treatment she will require. The lung doctor said that she would most likely need some sort of chemo (at least) because it had spread some. She is still in the hospital, but may get to go home tomorrow or the next day.

Thanks again to all of you for your continued prayers and support!

Short and Sweet

I thought that I ought to give a brief update on my mom. The surgery went well yesterday - no surprises. The doctor removed the lower left lobe of her lung and the surrounding lymph nodes. He said that the pathology results would be in (hopefully) by Tuesday. These tests will determine if the cancer cells have spread outside of the spot on her lung. She is still in CVICU (not sure what the CV stands for), but was sitting up (sort of) in a recliner tonight. She was awake most of the day today and able to enjoy several visitors. Hopefully she will be moved to a room tomorrow if she continues to recover well.

I will keep you posted between hospital visits. Keep up the prayers!

Mamma Mia! Here I go again . . .

Words cannot express how overwhelmed I am tonight! My mom's surgery is tomorrow morning and, in preperation, she sent out a blanket text to all of her friends inviting them to an impromptu girls' night out. The text read, "Mamma Mia, 5:15 Thursday night at Star Village". (Yes, we "Smith" girls really did love the movie THAT much!) When I showed up, there were three rows of supporters there, and we were the only ones in the theater . . . Isn't God great!?! He gave us a private viewing so that we could laugh and sing together . . . and for an hour and a half forget about the worry of what lies ahead. What amazing friends she has! Even the non musical lover (Who knew there was such a person?) showed up. It was wonderful! And just another reminder of what an awesome God we serve!

And although the past couple of days have been extremely emotional and at times completely overwhelming, I have been reminded time and time again the power of prayer and the amazing peace that comes with being surrounded by God's people. Thanks to all of you - near or far - I feel God's peace raining down on me with each prayer and encouraging word that you offer.

In This Storm

Yesterday was a rough day. My mom's test results came in, and honestly I was completely unprepared for what we found out. I knew that everything was going to be fine. I was convinced that we were going to hear that all was well and would be able to finally put this behind us and move on. After all, we had many people praying for her healing, the doctor who performed the biopsy was fairly confident in what he saw, and I knew that God did not want my mother to have to battle cancer - not now, not while she is still so young. So, my mind was made up that the results would be positive. She would be fine. . .

How quickly things change! She has a malignant tumor on the lower left lobe of her lung. She will go in this Friday to have the lobe and surrounding lymph nodes removed. After that, the doctor will determine what happens next based on what he finds during the surgery.

I'll admit, yesterday was a bad day! I melted. I was shocked. How could this happen? Everything I found on the Internet added to my panic. I couldn't see past the news to do anything but sit and cry. Friends called and sent me text messages as the news spread, but I couldn't respond . . . I didn't know what to say. I finally called Keely, only to sob into the phone, and she and Matt came over immediately. They sat with Brad and I, and talked, and prayed. And suddenly, I felt a hint of peace . . . it's amazing what prayer can do and how God can use people at the right moment to say the right thing to remind you that He is right there. Later we went to my mom's house and were surrounded with a houseful of family friends who showed up to offer food and support. Again, I was reminded of all of the blessings that we have. I have been overwhelmed by the response of people who have contacted me to offer their prayers and support.

Today, the fear has subsided. No, it's not gone, but God has shown me that He has a plan. I don't know where we will go from here. But I do know that we will be alright.

And looking back, it is amazing how this story has unfolded. This "spot" on her lung might have gone undetected for a long time. You see, God has been at work all along. My mom was actually in a car wreck several months ago. She was hit by an uninsured, unlicensed driver and it totaled her truck. At the time, it was a terrible and expensive inconvenience. As a result of the wreck, she began to have shoulder pain and numbness in one arm. She eventually had to have surgery to have a plate put along the top of her spine to repair the damaged disks from the wreck. (Did I mention that this wreck was an expensive inconvenience?) Well, during a pre-op MRI, they noticed a shadow in her lung . . . I have read enough info on the Internet to know that oftentimes, lung cancer is not detected until it is too late. This is because by the time a patient is showing symptoms, it has usually spread and grown. But we caught it early. All because of the uninsured and unlicensed driver - bless her heart!

I love Casting Crowns. One of my favorite songs by them is "Praise You In This Storm". And as I woke up this morning, and felt God's peace, this song immediately began to play in my mind. So, I decided to close with the lyrics to the chorus:

I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

Every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise you in this storm

I Do

The two little words that couples say as they commit to spending the rest of their life with the person that they love . . . through sickness and in health, in good times and in bad . . . "I do".

But do they really mean it? It seems that I have heard a lot lately about marriages that are in trouble. At church, with groups of friends, and even talking to family members, it seems like somewhere in the conversations are prayer requests for someone's troubled marriage.

Brad and I are in our 9th year together, and we will be the first to admit that there have been good times and bad. It's hard work. And I don't remember anyone warning me about the hard parts when I was single. Or maybe I tuned it out along with the warnings to never eat pizza on a date . . . (it is possible that I made a mess of pizza once upon a time when I ate it). Then we got married and Satan began his attack.

Looking back, Brad and I have come so far. We have soared together above the mountaintops and fought hard to climb out of the valleys. I have watched him grow from a timid guy who occasionally went to church (probably to check out all of the single girls) to a strong leader in our church family. To be quite honest, he has far exceeded my expectations of the possibility of his spiritual leadership in our family and among our friends. Shame on me for limiting what God can do through someone!

And I know that God has amazing things in store for us as we continue together. No, we don't always agree (in fact, some of our friends enjoy watching our battle of wills at times). But "I do" love him through it all . . . in sickness and in health, through the good times and bad . . . And I am confident that he loves me, too! But pray for us and our marriage . . . God knows we need it. And if you are married, it is my prayer that He blesses yours as well.

Update

Not much is going on these days. We are on the home stretch before school starts up again. I actually go back to work next week for pre-registration. So the girls and I are trying to cram in as many pajama days as possible before we get back to the daily grind. Gracie will start 2nd grade in August. It was amazing one day this summer when she instantly turned into a 2nd grader. She was telling me a story, and suddenly (mid-story) she began to talk and look like a 2nd grader - snaggly teeth and all. Lily is totally 3, opinionated, stubborn . . . a mess! Good luck to her pre-school teachers!

My mom's biopsy was yesterday. It went well, no complications. The doctor was pretty positive about what he saw, so hopefully the test results will prove that she is fine. It may be a week or two before we get the official results back, though. Thank you to everyone for your prayers, e-mails, texts, and support.

Mamma Mia!

The movie was fabulous! My mom, sister, and I had an impromptu girls' night out and decided we would give it a shot. We could sing along with most of the songs, which is always a plus for the "Smith" girls, and we laughed out loud through the entire movie. We actually don't get out often (just the girls) without the rest of the crew, so it was nice to do something together that the three of us all enjoyed.

It ended up serving as a great distraction the night before my mom went to see her specialist to get the results of her "pet scan". (No, it doesn't involve man's best friend.) Apparently live (possibly cancerous) cells love sugar. So during the pet scan, they injected sugar into her body and watched to see where it went and if it attracted to any cells. Hers did clump up around the suspicious spot on her lungs. So, the next step is to have a needle biopsy so that the doctor can determine exactly what type of cells we are dealing with and where to go from here. This biopsy is scheduled for next week. Please continue to pray for her healing as well as comfort and strength as we all wait in limbo for the results.

Colorado Vacation Shots

The Rollmann's Hit the Road

Colorado is beautiful! We have had a blast and totally enjoyed the change of scenery. We have spent the past week in Granby, Colorado (near Winter Park). The picture below is the view from the pool at our condo.


One day we rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain . . . quite an experience . . . (who knew that Brad was so afraid of heights). At the top, we walked the trails and took a few pictures.


One day we drove to Breckenridge and rented a jeep for the day. It was definitely an adventure! There were moments of terror as we hopped and slipped through narrow passages, wondering if we were still on the trail or not. Then there was the moment panic when (after slamming the bottom of our jeep on a huge boulder) Brad calmly told me that we were out of gas . . . OUT OF GAS . . . in the middle of nowhere, on the steepest hill in Colorado, with no one in sight . . . We turned off the jeep, got out to "discuss" the issue, and I began to PANIC!! We decided to get back in and try to keep going (since there really weren't many other options). When Brad turned the jeep back on, the gage started working again and showed that we still had plenty of gas. At that point, I was ready to find an "easy" trail . . . forget this "moderate" stuff!! We eventually found our way out of that trail and enjoyed a few hours of easy 4-wheeling. While we were clinging for dear life, we didn't stop to take any pictures, but here is one of the girls later enjoying the ride.


Yesterday (our last day) we went 4-wheeling. It was overwhelmingly our favorite day of the trip. We all had a blast riding. Our timing probably wasn't the best, though, because we were on the trial during prime nap time. At one point Brad actually had to pull over to figure out why Lily kept rocking back and forth. She told him that she was tired and he knew that all of the head bobbing was because she had fallen asleep. But when she was awake, she insisted that we "go faster".



At one point, Brad actually let Gracie take the wheel. It was a little frightening when they sped past me and he held his hands up to show me that she was in control. She loved it!

We had a great time, but are anxious to be home. The girls can't wait to see Mimi and PawPaw and pet Sadie, and Brad and I are ready to sleep in our own bed. Colorado is great, but there is nothing like home sweet home!

Kindred Spirits

Who knew? After 26 years I'm pretty sure that our moms would still ground us if we didn't make up and become friends again. But I guess that they knew what they were doing. After all, they are the ones who forced us to watch Anne of Green Gables in the first place. (Which is where the quote, "I think you may be a kindred spirit after all" came from.)

I am amazed to look back over the years and see how God has been working. It is hard to put into words the bond that we have. Keely's dad and my mom were actually friends growing up, who lost track of each other after high school until her parents moved back to Azle when I was in the 2nd grade. Their friendship was renewed and Keely and I began a friendship that is still going strong. We grew up together, and at times were inseparable. We were baptized on the same day, along with Keely's dad. And today our husbands are great friends as well as our children.

Their family is precious to us. It is so unique to have a family that totally "gets" you and loves you - the good and the bad. Through the past couple of years they have challenged us and loved us as we have grown spiritually and had our eyes opened to many new possibilities. I am aware now of God's hand working on us from day one. I know that Brad and I wouldn't be where we are today without His help and this precious family that he knew we would need in our lives. And I can't wait to see where he will take us from here.

Who knew . . .

Here's another great Anne of Green Gables quote . . . "Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"