Not Me!!

Pin It May I just request that SOMEONE take it upon themselves as a MINISTRY to take the phone away from someone who has just had surgery and is hopped up on pain meds?

It was not me at all who had "female surgery" last week and then apparently a lot of inhibition-reducing drugs and decided in a bout of 3 am wakefulness to post on facebook and COMPLETELY overshare.  I certainly did not discuss a catheter (and spell it wrong half the time) and internal plumbing and all manners of things that are just entirely inappropriate for me to discuss on facebook.  Nor did about half of these posts make absolutely no sense at all

And if I had, I certainly would well remember the conversation and would not, almost a week later, read through it and be completely horrified that I posted such details.

And then I wouldn't laugh at myself and instantly write this blog post in my mind.

So yeah ... someone take it upon themselves as a ministry to people having surgery to just quietly slip in to their hospital rooms and remove their phones for their own good.  I promise you, the patient will thank you later.  So will all of the people who really don't want conversations about catheters all over their facebook walls!

(And I can see from my call history that I had a couple of conversations with people ... conversations that I can't remember AT ALL.  If you happen to be one of those people, and I completely overshared with you ... please either erase it from your mind or NEVER EVER SPEAK OF IT, and since I can't remember at all, we'll just call it good and move on.)

Gratitude Journal - 261-270

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Oh.  Hm.  I have a blog?  I seem to have forgotten.  I will ease back in to the blogging with a thankful list.

261.  For quiet mornings when it looks really pretty out, even though at 6:30, the temperature gauge already says 86 degrees, so looks are probably a bit deceiving.  It really does look pretty though because the wind is gently blowing, the sun isn't scorching (yet) and it's quiet and pleasant in my house.

262.  For our local Chick Fil A, which is doing another "bring them home" fundraiser tonight for this family.  How completely awesome! 

263.  For skilled surgeons.  I had some surgery last week.  I am especially loving that my new laparoscopic scars are at the edges of my c-section scars, and are at an angle, so now I have a smiley face.  Awesome.

264.  For the hope that the surgery will be successful and the pain will be gone.  :)  I am very hopeful because other than the first day or two, the pain of the surgery was actually less than the pain the surgery was supposed to treat. 

265.  For awesome friends who have taken such excellent care of me and my family over the last week.  I am so incredibly blessed!  :)

266.  (I can't believe I haven't posted this one before now!)  For the COMPLETION of our 2010/2011 school year!  We actually finished over a week ago, and will be starting our (very abbreviated) summer schedule this week.  Summer schedule is about an hour a day; mainly to keep up skills and give the kids something to do when it's tooooo hot to be outside.

267.  For the 2011/2012 plans and curriculum all being in place.  Everything is here for the next school year except math for the oldest, which hasn't actually been released yet.  When I can lift things again, the new stuff will come out of the bins, onto the shelves, and the stuff currently there will be put away for future use.  :D :D

268.  For all of the mindless and entertaining things with which I've been occupying myself for the past week - Words with Friends, Psych DVDs, books on my nook, etc.  And for the various children who have enjoyed the mindlessness with me.  :)

269.  For my sweet husband, who has kept up with all of the stuff around the house and put up with me requesting a specific smoothie that required more than one stop to find and for keeping the kids entertained.

270.  For the pictures my dad has sent ... which have made me laugh and made me cry.

Wordless Wednesday - Preschool Graduation

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I am way behind on the Wordless Wednesday posts. I still have recital ... and I don't remember what else ... to post. At least it will be some filler from the lazy days of summer. :)

So ... my baby graduated from PreK. It was the sweetest ceremony.

Before the ceremony.

Getting his diploma.

This was their prayer at the end.  Forgive the picture quality; it was taken from my phone through teary eyes.  It's just the sweetest thing though!

They had all of the kids list something they enjoyed this year and something they are looking forward to next year.  This was my son's.  Let's all say "awww!!"  :)  (and hm ... his favorite thing was going on stage?  Really?  I have another performer? LOL)

We thoroughly LOVED Learning Hands Preschool this year!  I am so glad we chose to have him there this year!  It was such a blessing to him and to all of us!  :)

Gratitude Journal - 251 - 260

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This is a reach.  I honestly don't know if I'm coming or going these days.  One day I'll be thinking about Troy and can just laugh at all the typical growing up siblings stuff and the next minute we'll be out of the dressing that I like and I will cry and want to scream.  I guess that's how grief goes. 

I do believe that God is good and God is sovereign, even though I don't understand, so I really am trying to keep my gratitude journal going.  I usually write these posts in advance and I didn't last night, so I guess this is an "on the fly" gratitude journal.  Just forgive me if I recycle a bunch of things.

251.  It is raining as I type.  Like a serious soaking rain.  A desperately needed rain.  Usually I am complaining about all the rain we get down here, but it's been over a month since there has been any kind of rain!  I was in the mood for a good storm, and that's what's happening.

252.   I have downloaded a bunch of free books for my Nook and I am really enjoying reading!  Most of the free books I have are from authors with whom I'm not familiar, so it's been a surprise when I've started reading them.  Most of them I have thoroughly enjoyed.

253.  For a fabulous day with friends on Friday.  Last Thursday was a bad day.  From being attacked by the radio to running out of my favorite dressing to dealing with some regrets to just stuff ... bad day.  Bad to the point where I almost canceled going shopping with friends on Friday.  I am so glad I didn't.  It was nice to just get away, to get the last of our curriculum for next year purchased, to eat some yummy Mexican food, and just relax. 

254.  For Pandora and a radio receiver in my car, so I can create my own radio station on my phone, play it on my stereo, skip songs I either don't like or am not emotionally stable enough to hear, and listen to what I want to listen to.  We've I've enjoyed some 80's stations and let the girls make their own stations too.  Super convenient little app and gadget!

255.  hehe ... the aforementioned storm just knocked the power out and the little one kind of freaked.  While I'm in here still typing, I'm listening to the oldest comforting him.  Very sweet.  (Don't worry about my parenting abilities - a) he is being a BIT dramatic and b) she is good to him and loves this sort of thing.  If my assistance were required I'd be in there.)

256.  For the smell of rain, which I was rather enjoying before every candle we own has been lit.  In a few minutes, I will actually be enjoying the smell of candles.  Apparently we take power outages very seriously around here.

257.  For the fact that I had already planned to have sandwiches for supper, so I'm not needing to change any plans at all if the power stays out for a while.

258.  For about six hours of school and the 2010/2011 school year will be officially wrapped up for us.  This has been a good year, but now I'm done and ready for our (light but still existent) summer schedule.

259.  For puzzles and games, which are being pulled out as I type to entertain small children.  I'd love to send them out to play in the rain, but not so much with the thunder and lightening!

260.  For reassurance, as I am haunted by the memory of a 10 year old sobbing at a funeral, that the Lord has a plan for that child, and that He loves him.  (And his brothers, of course ... I just looked at my sweet 10 year old nephew and his similarity to my 10 year old daughter, and my heart has been tied up in knots ever since.) 

Y'all please keep praying for my family.  My mom starts her radiation treatments today and needs all the prayer support she can get.  I'd love to ask y'all to pray for NO side effects of the radiation.  Pray for my dad as well, as he is taking care of her and my nephews, and just for an extra measure of comfort.  This grieving thing is hard for me, so I know it has to be so much harder for them. 

I will be linking up with Ann's blog, A Holy Experience today, so feel free to go visit and see some more gratitude journals. 

The Flash / Muffin Story

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To develop the proper appreciation for the story, you need a picture of the dog in your head.  This is not the actual dog.

Troy fell in love with English bulldogs.  He was in high school at the time, which means I had to be in college.  I'm not sure if it was the Baylor days or the Sam Houston State days ... probably both??  Oh wait ... it had to have been a little later than that now that I think about it.  So yeah, definitely SHSU days (for me) which means he was out of high school.  Well ... 20-ish years ago, anyway.

So ... the parents got him an English bulldog. 

(pause for a moment ... did *I* ever get an English bulldog??  Nooooo ....

.... not that I actually wanted one.  Just had to take this sisterly opportunity to complain.)

She really was a cute dog.  Tongue hanging out, ran kind of at an angle, like her back legs ran faster than her front legs, did the head tilt ...

In typical short round dog fashion, she did not move very quickly unless there was a lawnmower around, in which case that dog could BOLT.  TO the lawnmower.  So evidently not the sharpest knife in the drawer ... but I digress.

So ... Troy named the dog Flash.  We're all great fans of the sarcasm, so that was probably a really good name for her. 

BUT ... I was a big sister.  Getting along peacefully?  Um, no.  Needling and annoying?  Yes, please.

So ... *I* named the dog Muffin.  Which annoyed the SNOT out of Troy.  Which meant I had to RUN. WITH. IT.  Which meant, not only did I call the dog Muffin, so did all of my friends.  I made a collar for the dog with Muffin on it.  I bought him a stuffed dog and put Muffin on the collar.  I was generally as much of a pain in the butt as you can ever picture any sister being.  Ever.  And, bless his heart, I think he got really mad every single time I referred to the dog as Muffin.  Which is exactly why I kept doing it.

You want to know the really funny thing though?  I remember Troy coming here for a visit several years ago and we were talking about the dog.  Generally now I refer to that dog as Flash/Muffin.  HE ACTUALLY REFERRED TO HER AS MUFFIN.  Then he gave me that smart-aleky face that brothers always reserve for sisters.

This is the actual Flash/Muffin with Troy.

So that's the Flash/Muffin story.  And the story of how I was a rather obnoxious sister.

Gratitude Journal - 241 - 250

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I'll be honest. I'm not feeling a whole lot of gratitude right now. I'm feeling a lot more like wallowing. Maybe that's the very time I need to make this list the most, right? And there ARE things for which I am very grateful.

241. For faith - the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. I am filled with a lot of things unseen right now, and a lot of "BUT WHY" and yet, through all of that, there is still faith, somehow, whether I ever see it or not ...

242. For a pastor that I love dearly ... and his ability to say "I don't know why things happen like they do, and it's okay to wonder and to ask."

243. For friends willing to drive five hours to attend the funeral of someone they had never met simply because they love me.

244. For friends who meet us at home with exactly what we need exactly when we need it.

245. For reconnection with old friends ... and promises to keep in touch better.

246. For fried squash, which has been the main staple of my diet over the last week. And for fresh squash, which I bought yesterday.

247. For a fabulous first year of t-ball for the little one, complete with fabulous coaches who taught a lot about baseball, and a lot about sportsmanship.

248. For the completion of all of our school year activities. Except school. Sigh. We'll get that finished this week. Probably.

249. For an "extended" church family who welcomed us in and took care of us, making us feel very loved in the process.

250. For memories, which honestly are just making me cry right now, but there have been a few giggles through the tears, which is nice. :}

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. You can feel free to hop over and read other gratitude journals, or start your own. (And if you do start your own, be sure to leave a comment and I'll happily visit your blog.)

L.E.N.S. Challenge - Comfort

Pin It Today's challenge is comfort. I saw it and immediately thought of this picture, taken almost ten years ago.  Actually just seeing this pic of my grandmother and my middle one is comforting to me.  :)

eta -- looks like the graphic is trying to decide to not show up! This is linked up with Home Is Where You Start From, so hop on over there to see other comfort entries.