tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77673702336483953782024-03-13T09:14:30.936-07:00I Can Do All ThingsSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-66905974071725526462012-07-07T20:07:00.000-07:002012-07-07T20:07:08.066-07:00America calls him a Solider- I call him Dad<br />
Somethings that's been heavy on my heart and mind here lately is" Deployments". Anyone that has spent a good amount of time around us in the last year and a half knows why....<br />
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I have lived the military life for most of my growing up years. But it wasn't until about 10 years ago that I got my first experience at what the word Deployment meant... I didn't like it then and I really don't like it now..<br />
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We have personally gone through 3 deployments since 9/11 happened. The first one being a year long one to Fort Riley Kansas. At the time we thought it was awful but looking back now... I would of taken that deployment over the last 2 in a heat beat... <br />
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The 2nd one was a very very long 22 months in Iraq being the longest out of all 3.<br />
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And the 3rd most recent one was a very long 15 months in Africa. It was probably the hardest out of all 3. Iraq was long and there was definitely nothing easy about it but I struggled emotionally, physically, and mentally more with the Africa one then I did the Iraq one. Just ask my best friend....<br />
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I don't know if it was because I was older and understood better, or if it was because I knew how hard Iraq was so I dreaded the Africa one more, or because of everything else that happened during this deployment. Whatever the reason may be, this one has definitely been the hardest of all 3. It was only through God's grace, and strength and the amazing love, support, and encouragement of our loving church family, friends and family in both Garden and Stafford/ St. John area, and most importantly my best friend and her awesome family that we got through it as well as we did. The deployment was kinda the icing on the cake on top of everything else that seemed to be thrown in our laps unexpectedly. In less then a 6 month time span we had lost someone very very special, my Grandpa, we watched my Grandma go downhill and get worse by the day, to her moving in with us, to me going through my first major hard break up, to continuing to watch Grandma go downhill, still dealing with the loss of my Grandpa and in the midst of all this a deployment is thrown at us. My Daddy, of all people, is shipped out of the country for yet another deployment... leaving Mom to take care of not only us, but now my Grandma,who is getting worse by the minute, and we don't know why. In a very short amount of time my world ,as I know it, is turned completely upside down and is never quite the same..... Before I really had time to stop and think about it my Grandpa and in a way my Daddy, two of the most important men in my life, are taken from me and everyone was just expecting for us to go on with life as if nothing ever happened... <br />
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Less then a week after Dad arrived in Africa, my Grandma got really bad and we ended up in the ER with her, the same day my senior pictures were taken. Within a matter of minuets of getting the results from the CT scan, Grandma was air lifted to Wichita and within a couple days of that she had to have brain surgery to remove a huge tumor on her brain. Luckily it wasn't cancerous and they were able to remove it pretty easily ;) You can read the whole story <a href="http://sarah-icandoallthings.blogspot.com/2011/04/our-miracle-thats-what-faith-can-do.html" rel="nofollow">Here</a><br />
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However, my reason for this post isn't to give you a full report on everything that happened during this deployment, but more to give you a little more insight as to what a deployment is like and what goes through the minds of the families while their loved one is away fighting for someone else's freedom for many, many months.<br />
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Is it easy? No! It is one of the hardest things out there to go through. People have tried to tell me that they understand what it's like because they have a brother or sister off at college... umm... let me just get this out here... having a brother or sister off at college is NOTHING compared to having someone like your Daddy or Spouse deployed for anywhere from a year to 15 to even 22 months at a time. I have a brother off at college and trust me, it is not even close to the same.<br />
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Does it get easier with time? Yes, and No! More NO then Yes. It doesn't ever really get easier, you just kinda learn to deal with it and go on because you have to. You sort of go into survival mode for the length of the deployment and tell yourself that you don't have a choice but to survive this and be strong for the loved ones around you. You survive and get through it because you HAVE to, not because you WANT to! A part of you leaves for the amount of time your loved one is gone and doesn't return until they are back safe and sound with you.<br />
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The love and support of friends and family becomes vital during a time like this. You may not think so at the beginning, but no matter how strong you think you are, at some point your going to need someone to talk to, to cry with, vent too, and even just share the silence with. Talking about it is important. For those of you who know me, I'm generally a very quiet person and not one to be open about how I'm feeling and or what's going through my mind at any time but especially at a time like this. You start feeling very alone after a while. You start feeling like no one cares and your the only person feeling this way. Your entire world has been turned upside down for the time being and no one cares, at least that's how you feel. Chances are they do, they just don't know how to show it because they don't understand. Unless you've personally been through a deployment there's no way to understand what its like. However, if your lucky like I was, you'll have that one person that know's you better then you know yourself sometimes. In my case, my best friend. She became my sanity through the entire thing and I honestly couldn't of it survived it without her love and support.. She laughed with me, she was a shoulder to cry on when I needed it the most, and most importantly she realized I needed to talk before I really realized it myself. She saw I needed her and was there, no questions asked. She knew when I needed a good distraction and was there no matter what. Having someone you can call on, no matter what, day or night is very important in being able to survive something like this. Don't try to handle it or go through it on your own. Don't be afraid to call on that special person, whoever it may, be during a time like this. If they truly care about you like they claim, they will be there for you, whether its in the middle of the day or the middle of the night. Just knowing I had someone I could call on when needed did more then that person could ever know!<br />
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Don't be afraid to talk about it. If you cry, you cry. Don't hold your emotions in and try to hide it. It'll just make you feel worse. I preferred not to talk about. I didn't want to talk about it because it was easier to deal with and didn't feel so real if I just kept quiet about it. Didn't work out so well... you end up completely loosing it before its all over and have a very worried best friend on your hands ;) and then you both end up crying. Yes this is experience talking ;) Everyone deals in their own way and that's okay... to a point.<br />
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On the other hand, if someone you know is going through a deployment be there for them. Ask them to go do things to get them out and about. Don't be surprised if your once very outgoing, talkative friend becomes some what quiet and reserved and just not interested in doing much. Chances are they are going to become somewhat depressed during a time like this. They are hurting like they didn't know possible. Encourage them to stay active and try to get them interested in going to do things. They will thank you! Chances are, deep down, they want too. Don't take offense if they turn you down, or if they don't act interested. Just keep encouraging them too and most importantly be there for them, even if its just to share the silence with. They need to know someone cares and is there for them. As I said before, just knowing someone cares and is there does more then you could possible know ;)<br />
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Also, don't expect for things to get back to normal when their solider gets home. As hard as it is to have them gone, as much as we hate when they're gone, it does become somewhat of a new normal for the time they're gone. The first 6 months they're home are just as hard, if not harder, then when they were away. Everyone's gotten into a "new normal" by the time they get back and now they are having to readjust to having them home. And the solider is having to readjust to being home. It's hard on everyone involved. No one warned us of this and we were a little blind sided when Dad came home from Iraq. It took everyone a while to get back into a normal routine again. Because it was so hard, I spent the last 3 to 6 months Dad was deployed to Africa dreading his homecoming a little bit. Did that mean I wasn't excited about him coming home? NO! I was super duper excited and couldn't wait to have him home again, however, a part of me dreaded the transition! Memories of the last deployment home coming was coming to mind and I was absolutely terrified at times. He has been home 5 months now and things are just now starting to feel normal again. As normal as normal gets around our house hold anyway ;) There have been some pretty stressful times in the last 5 months. I'm not gonna lie and tell you its been easy, because it hasn't! However, having him home is WONDERFUL!! As hard as it was, and has been, and continues to be at times, we're slowly adjusting and I wouldn't trade it for anything! Continue to be there for them when the solider gets home and let them know if they need to talk your there. If they need to get away from things for a couple hours, your there. Whatever they may need... be there for them! Don't just assume since their solider is home that they no longer need someone to talk too, because chances are they do! :) <br />
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It is an emotional roller costar through the entire thing. We honestly don't know how to feel or how we're supposed to react at times. If you are going a deployment or have gone through one and you've experienced some or all of this, don't worry! Its normal. If someone you know is going through one or have gone through one and this is sounding familiar then take note and be there for them, if it all possible ;) Even just a simple I'm thinking of you, here for you, wondering how things are going text, phone call, card, and or email can do more then you can possible know. The random out of the blue I'm thinking and praying for you texts did wonders for me. It got me through during the times when I was beginning to wonder how in the world I was gonna survive it all. <br />
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Though the Military life is nothing but easy, its also very rewarding and the sense of pride you get knowing your Daddy, Husband, Uncle, Grandpa (whoever may be over there) is fighting for your freedom and someone else's is something I don't even begin to know how to describe! I can't say how proud I am to be a daughter of a US Solider. He is my Hero! Some people's hero's were capes, mine wears Dog Tags and a Uniform and I wouldn't trade it for anything.<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-20768948538926228042011-12-18T19:05:00.000-08:002012-01-13T17:47:12.744-08:00That's what Faith can do- our browned eyed, blond headed adorable miracle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Her theme song has became " that's what Faith can do" by Kutless.</div>
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She is our true miracle.</div>
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I think the picture says it all.... She is just as ornery as the other 5 and we wouldn't want it any other way! She is our browned eyed, curly blond headed adorable true miracle. She has given us more then one scare in the 3 years shes been alive and there was a time when we wondered if she'd make it to her first birthday much less her 3rd birthday! But we serve an AWESOME God and here we are, our precious miracle turns 3 tomorrow! Where have those 3 years gone? </div>
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She is the joy of our lives, without a doubt! She is my sensory challenged, dear devil, sweet, loving, cuddly, adorable baby sister! This sister didn't know it was possible to love someone so much till the day she was born and I got to hold her for the first time. She is full of life and knows how to make you smile when you need it the most. She is her daddy's girl and her mamma's whole wold. She is full of giggles, laughs and snuggles. She will do whatever it takes to keep up with her older siblings and don't you dare try to tell her any different ;)<br />
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Here is some pictures from the last 3 years that speaks better then any word ever could. <br />
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Precious Hannah in NICU a day or 2 after she was born.<br />
They had to keep in her a medicated coma to keep her O.2 levels from dropping.<br />
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A couple days after she got to come home</div>
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A little bit older</div>
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Happy 3rd Birthday Miss Hannah Corrien!!! Sissy loves you very very much and I can't imagine life without you!!! You are a true miracle!!! </div>
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<br /></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-42604841587838547712011-04-28T18:58:00.000-07:002011-04-28T18:58:22.434-07:00Our Miracle- Thats what Faith can do- Part 3You can read the 2nd half of this story <a href="http://sarah-icandoallthings.blogspot.com/2011/04/our-miracle-thats-what-faith-can-do_24.html">here</a>.<br />
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<br />
We don't know our way around Wichita very well so Betty goes downstairs to ask the guys at the desk where the nearest wal-mart is. It happens to be a security guard and after looking her up and down with a look that says your crazy, he responds, your not from around here are you? She's like umm...no I'm from Stafford. He's like do you have someone going with you? She responds, yeah "my" 18 year old and my baby. He looks at her and says...your crazy! OK so note to self...being outside near St Francis after dark is not safe apparently.... He tells her that the closest walmart he would not send her too, unless she had a full body guard with her, shes like umm...Okay... . So he sends us to the one clear over on Kellogg.... He then ask if she at least had someone that could walk us out the van...<br />
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So we ask my uncle Dewayne if he would please walk us out to the van,. he was happy too!<br />
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We get out to the van and get loaded and off we go to walmart... The road we take there is one with lots of stop lights and lots of dark creepy corners, a place YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE AT 11:30 at night!!!! We finally find Kellogg and get on there and find walmart pretty easy... We get to walmart and go in and out in pretty decent time. We decided we were going to take a different route back to the hotel/hospital. One without so many stop lights and dark...creeepy...corners! lol We decide to get on Central to Broadway which is right there next to the hospital. Note to self..... Central does not stay central...Central turns into a completely different street...lets just say that the river was flowing on the road side of the road in the wrong direction... we saw parts of Wichita we never care to see again.... and yes, Betty can do u- turns in her 15 passenger van ;) We finally get back over to a familiar area and we find the Hyatt ( which is where our annual home school convention is held every year) and we decide to stop there for directions... we felt that was the "safe" place to stop... the guy told Betty- do you know how many people stop here for directions because this is considered the "safe" part?....lol and yes they do have security guards standing outside the front entrance to the hotel... ;) lol So we get directions and get on our way again. At this point my uncle Dewayne is calling asking us if we were OK....were like ya were fine...just a little lost! I think we had him rather worried at this point. He tells us to turn onto a street ( I can't remember names) so we find it and guess what....that street does NOT go the direction we need it too.....do you know how many one way streets are in the downtown area of Wichita? WAY TO MANY!!! So were like Okay then...well....now what? We never thought we'd consider doing something illegal, such as run a stop light, or a stop sign to get a police escort back to the hotel but we did consider it a few times HAHA... long story short....we finally find a road that took us back to the hospital/hotel area and we find the hotel no problem. Since it was pushing midnight at this point we decided to wait and see Grandma in the morning and go get some sleep. We entertained the family when we got back with our adventurous story. I think this beats an another adventurous trip we've had together ( but that's another post, another time) LOL Yes, we are scary when we get together, but we always have a ton of fun!!!! ;) We'll see what kind of trouble we can get into at this years home school convention in June ;)<br />
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We wake up bright and early Wed morning and get dressed, and get some breakfast and head over to the Hospital to see Grandma. She was pretty rough looking, as they had to shave all but one strip of hair and there was bandages and tubes everywhere, but she wasn't quite as bad as I had imagined. She was pretty alert too which was surprising. She even told the nurse Good morning and said "ouch" when they poked her foot. This was an improvement, as she was not talking at all when we first took her into the ER. She really enjoyed watching Hannah, she would follow Hannah's movements with her eyes, and her whole face would light up when we would bring Hannah into the room. It was good to see her show some good emotion and see her smile again. We were all very thankful to have Betty there through all this. I couldn't of done it without her! ;) I think she was good for everyone!!! We even managed to have a lot of fun and lots of laughs in the processes ;) We visited for quite awhile and just hung out. Around 1:30 or so Betty and I decide we should probably head back to Stafford. We stop in Yoder on the way and eat our favorite Amish place for lunch. It was really good and a nice change after eating Cafeteria food at the hospital. We eat and get back on the road again.<br />
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It's also miss cookie-pickles ( Heidi's) Birthday. She is 6! This big sister can't believe it!! I"m not sure where these last 6 years have gone! We get home in time to wrap presents and whip up some supper and a birthday cake for a small birthday party that evening. We came home exhausted but happy. I also come home to find out that the radiator in my pick-up decided to go out... Brad thinks he can fix it but it'll be a few days. I was planning on being back at the Hammonds either Wednesday night or Thursday morning...but God had other plans....I enjoyed some extra unexpected time with my "other family" and we just hung out and enjoyed each others company. It ended up being Saturday night before Brad got it completely fixed. By Friday evening Mrs Hammond was ready to come get me. We think the pickup will be fixed by Saturday morning so I tell her to hold off for little bit. He gets it fixed on Saturday but it was to late to head home by the time its completely fixed, so I wait and head home Sunday morning. I made it to Garden in time to meet Chay for lunch before we head out to her house. I enjoyed every minute I got with the Eisenhours, but I was also glad to be back! I was missing the Hammond's horribly at this point, as I had become rather attached through all this, and I could tell they were glad to have me back ;) Though...I can't wait for another stay at the Eisenhours hopefully sometime soon! I adjust to being back home and get back into the swing of things at work. Grandma got moved out ICU on Saturday night and we were told it was going to be a good week, maybe longer, before she would be stable enough to be transported back here for Rehab. However, God worked another miracle. As we were sitting down to eat supper Sunday night, my phone goes off....its mom. First thing she says is: Does Dana's Tahoe have a 3rd seat? So I asked Dana and she responds yes, but then continues with but WAIT....who is it? I'm like Mom, shes like OH OK...ya it has a 3rd seat. I proceed to ask mom why she needed Dana's Tahoe? She's like there releasing Grandma either tomorrow or Tuesday and if we have a vehicle we can lay her down comfortably in , there gonna let her come home by vehicle instead of by Ambulance. Were all really excited at this point! We were all ready to have mom home and it was going to be great to have grandma's rehab right here in Garden. Dana is more then happy to head to Wichita whenever they release Grandma, and they decide to have my Grandma Thys ( dads mom) come with them so that encase something would happen, they'd have a 3rd adult with them ( she's a RN as well). However, later that night mom texts Dana and tells her that Grandpa decided to come as well and they have an excursion so she didn't need Dana to come to Wichita after all. I wake up Monday morning and head to work. About an hour later, Dana texts me saying that she for sure was not going to Wichita and that my Grandparents and Rebekah were headed to Wichita. They came through Garden City on their way and dropped Jacob off at a friends of his and I also meet them for lunch real quick too. I get back out to the Hammonds around 6:00 or so that evening and get informed by Dana that now there not sure there going to let Grandma go by vehicle, that they were now saying she was going to have go by ambulance. Mom was beyond mad and said she was going to let the nurses have it. Yes, the nurses were throwing a fit, not the DR's. The DR's were completely OK with Mom bringing Grandma back, the nurses on the other hand.... Dana was getting rather annoyed at this point and was ready to go let the nurses have it her self. However, we figured with both mom and grandma thys on their case we didn't have to much to worry about. Sure enough, mom and grandma eventually won, though I guess the nurses put on a pretty good fight. Grandma finally asked them if they were going to pay for the Ambulance ride back to Garden, they all the sudden were OK with them bringing her by vehicle! LOL. They made it back to Garden around 5:30 or so Tuesday evening. They got Grandma settled into the nursing home and then came back to the house and we all enjoyed a wonderful meal that our amazing church family brought in. Grandma and Grandpa headed back that night. We were all glad to finally be back under one roof, together again after being separated for over 2 weeks. Not that I didn't enjoy staying out at my amazing best friends house, I loved every minute of it! Her and her family are simply amazing and we could not have done it without them ;) We are so blessed to have them as a part of our family.<br />
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We spent the rest of that week enjoying each others company, and trying to get caught up on sleep, along with house cleaning and laundry. We are finally caught up on everything I think. We are even getting back into a normal school routine! Grandma is doing really good!!! She doing Physical therapy, Occupational therapy, and Speech therapy and so far doing really good in all of them. The Dr and nurses are all very pleased with her progress so far. We still have a long ways to go but were on the downhill slide I think. Were excited to hopefully get our old Grandma back.<br />
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It has only been by the grace of God and our amazing friends and friends that we have survived all of this. We couldn't of done it without each and everyone of them. We are so blessed! :) We serve an awesome and might God! :) Below is a song that I think is very fitting! It has several meanings to me! It is also my "Baby sister" Hannah's theme song as well... :)<br />
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That's what Faith can do by: Kutless.. ;)<br />
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Everybody falls sometimes<br />
Gotta find the strength to rise<br />
From the ashes and make a new beginning<br />
Anyone can feel the ache<br />
You think its more than you can take<br />
But you are stronger, stronger than you know<br />
Don't you give up now<br />
The sun will soon be shining<br />
You gotta <div><nobr><a class="FAAdLink" href="http://www.lyricsreg.com/lyrics/kutless/What+Faith+Can+Do/#" id="FALINK_2_0_1">face</a></nobr> the clouds<br />
To find the silver lining<br />
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I've seen dreams that move the mountains<br />
Hope that doesn't ever end<br />
Even when the sky is falling<br />
And I've seen miracles just happen<br />
Silent prayers get answered<br />
Broken hearts become brand new<br />
That's what faith can do<br />
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It doesn't matter what you've heard<br />
Impossible is not a word<br />
It's just a reason for someone not to try<br />
Everybody's scared to death<br />
When they decide to take that step<br />
Out on the water<br />
It'll be alright<br />
Life is so much more<br />
Than what your eyes are seeing<br />
You will find your way<br />
If you keep believing<br />
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I've seen dreams that move the mountains<br />
Hope that doesn't ever end<br />
Even when the sky is falling<br />
And I've seen miracles just happen<br />
Silent prayers get answered<br />
Broken hearts become brand new<br />
That's what faith can do<br />
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Overcome the odds<br />
You don't have a chance<br />
(That's what faith can do)<br />
When the world says you can't<br />
It'll tell you that you can!<br />
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I've seen dreams that move the mountains<br />
Hope that doesn't ever end<br />
Even when the sky is falling<br />
And I've seen miracles just happen<br />
Silent prayers get answered<br />
Broken hearts become brand new<br />
That's what faith can do<br />
That's what faith can do!<br />
Even if you fall sometimes<br />
You will have the strength to rise </div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-62880873006117336282011-04-24T19:31:00.000-07:002011-04-24T19:31:36.122-07:00Our Miracle- Thats what Faith can do- Part 2You can read the first half of the story <a href="http://sarah-icandoallthings.blogspot.com/2011/04/our-miracle-thats-what-faith-can-do.html">here</a>.<br />
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3 weeks ago yesterday, my Grandma took a major turn for the worse. It had been a super crazy couple of days. On Friday April 8th, we had our annual Fine arts. Which is a competition our home school group does every year and we compete against other home- schoolers and surrounding christian schools. I was asked by one of the ladies in charge to judge k-3rd grade poetry recitation. I judged it with another lady in our group and it ended up not being quite as bad as I had thought. I was up there from 8 till about 1 or so that afternoon. During my lunch break, my best friend Chay texted me and asked me if I wanted to meet her and her family at the zoo at 1:30 that afternoon for a couple hours. Her Uncle ( her moms brother) and his family were in town from Kentucky and they were always talking about them and I was really wanting to meet them and they were really wanting me to meet them. So I left early and met them at the zoo. It was a lot of fun! I love that family to death and they are a ton of fun to be around. I learned their extended family is just as fun and it didn't take me long to get comfortable around them and I instantly felt right at home. After we got done at the zoo I came home and helped mom finish cleaning the house. Grandma Thys was coming in that night to help watch Grandma on Saturday because I had senior pictures in Jetmoor. Mom didn't feel comfortable leaving Grandma for that long on her own, and it was to much on Rebekah by her self, as it took two people to get Grandma to the bathroom and back. Grandma got in around 4:30 or 5:00 Friday evening. I spent most of the evening getting things around for senior pictures that next morning. We had to be at Jetmoor by 9:00 Saturday morning and it was an hour drive, which meant we had to leave the house no later then 7:45 because we didn't know where this lady lived.<br />
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We woke up bright and early Saturday morning and got things around and headed to Jetmoor. Jacob had a youth rally that weekend and he was leaving at 7:45 that morning as well, so we dropped him off on our way out of town. We got to Jetmoor in plenty of time and found the house no problem. Senior pictures went really well. except for the horrible wind we fought all morning. We got several good outside ones, I think and tons of good inside ones, from what I could tell. I haven't actually seen them up close yet. I'm hoping she'll post them very soon. Its about to kill me, not being to see them yet. <br />
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We got done with Senior pics around 11:30 or that morning. We then headed on to Dodge, since it was only 25 miles from Jetmoor. We wanted to go look at Hobby lobby for some Graduation things and such. We also splurged since it was just mom and I and ate lunch at A&W. It was really good. Grandma Thys called mom several times through the day to touch base, and kept saying she didn't know how Mom had been doing it with Grandma. She said it was all she and Rebekah could do to get her to the bathroom and had to practically carry her. Mom was rather puzzled as she had not been having much trouble. We got home around 4:30 or so Saturday evening. Grandma Thys kept mentioning how lethargic Grandma had been that day, and how out of it she was. She said they couldn't hardly get her to eat all day and or drink. Grandma was like, I don't care what those Dr's are saying...this is NOT DEPRESSION!!! Mom's like I know....but what is it? It was driving Grandma nuts all weekend, as she used to be a nurse for many many years. She kept telling mom that if she kept being this Lethargic she needed to get her into the ER and make sure everything was OK. Mom didn't know what to think at this point. Mom knew that for sure by Monday anyway we needed to get her into somewhere and see if we couldn't get some answers. She was going to have Jami ( a good friend of ours who is a nurse at the hospital) schedule us either a Cat scan/ and or an MRI for either that week, or the next. We knew we couldn't wait any longer. Grandma was getting progressively worse by the day, not better.<br />
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We had both had a really long, exhausting day so we decided that since Jacob was gone, we were going to order pizza and go rent a movie and just relax that evening. We went and picked out a movie at Hastings and then went and picked up our pizza and then came home. We had barely gotten back the house when Grandma indicated she needed to use the bathroom. Normally if I help mom get her into the wheelchair, mom can get her to the bathroom on her own pretty easy. However, this time Grandma was not supporting any of her weight what so ever. I finally came and helped mom, but grandma wouldn't move her feet at all. She just stood there with her eyes closed and wouldn't respond to us talking to her at all. She also had an odd color to her and was more out of it then normal. Mom realized what Grandma T had been talking about and we both became very worried. We finally got her into the bathroom but Grandma didn't do anything but just sit there with her eyes closed. Rebekah came in and informed us that she hadn't hardly drank anything all day and there fore hadn't gone to the bathroom all day. We didn't know what to do. We were really worried but we didn't want to jump to conclusions. After trying to get Grandma to answer us for about 10 minutes and getting absolutely NO response, we decided to go ahead and take her in just to make sure everything was OK.<br />
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We knew there was NO way we could get her loaded our selves, so mom called a couple guys from Church and they came and helped us get her loaded into Anita's ( moms good friend's van) Her Husband drive her van and mom rode with grandma. Anita took Rebekah and I in our Vehicle and we followed them to the ER. On the way I texted Chay to let her know what was going on. She instantly called me in a panic and I told her we didn't know what was going on, just that she was NOT acting her self what so ever. I was about in tears at this point and told her I'd keep her updated. We were in the waiting room maybe 5 minutes before they took grandma back. Mom said the Dr took one look at her, did a few things and sent them straight to CT scan! Mom wanted to hug the guy. We finally found someone that was gonna do something about it and actually run tests. Mom came out and told us what was going on. She said they were gonna do a CT Scan and admit her over night and watch her close and pump her full of fluids, as she was severally dehydrated at this point and probably release her sometime that next day. At this point it was getting close to 10:00 so mom calls a friend of her's to see if Rebekah could stay there, as she is good friend with her daughter and I call Chay to see if I could stay out there. She of course says yes and she happens to be in town so she comes and picks me up from the hospital. We are fully expecting Grandma to be released by that next day so Mom was planning to meet Rebekah and I for lunch after Church gets out. Chay comes and gets me and we go to sonic and get something to drink and I calm down a little bit. We drive around and talk for quite a while and jam out to music. I'm actually looking forward to staying out at her house at this point, unplanned sleepovers are the best ;) lol. Just wish it hadn't been for the reason it was. We get back out to Chays house around 11 or so. A friend of her brothers brings him home and ends up coming in and visiting for a while. So where all sitting in the living room visiting and I'm filling Mrs Hammond in on what was going on exactly when my phone goes off.... that phone call changed my life dramatically......<br />
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I answer it fully expecting it be mom., since that's whose phone it was. It wasn't mom.... it was her friend Anita. I could instantly tell something was wrong... she then proceeds to tell me something no Grand-daughter should ever have to hear..<br />
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This is what she said: Sarah, I have some news about your Grandma. At this point my throat jumps to my throat. She proceeds to tell me that they got the results of the CT scan and its not good. She told me they found a HUGE mass on grandma's brain and they were flying her flight for life to Wichita that night. A million questions are going through my head at this point but my mouth is dry and my voice seems to have vanished. Chay is standing beside me and could tell something was major wrong. I'm trying my best not to break down but I'm not doing a very good job of it. Mrs Hammond takes one look at my face and motions for me to go down stairs, since Codys friend was still there. Her, Chay and I go downstairs and I manage to tell them what was going on without completely breaking down. Mrs Hammond instantly thinks of Mom being by her self and is ready to head to Wichita right then and there. I go ahead and call mom and try to get some more details and such. She tells me that they are waiting to fly out and that we should probably just stay put for the time being. Mrs Hammond still isn't convinced and its about to kill her just staying put. I'm not exactly the calmest at this point either and still on the verge of breaking down. I try to distract my self the best I can. We finally go to bed and attempt to get some sleep...<br />
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We wake up Sunday morning and I decide to go to Church with the Hammonds instead of our church because I knew I couldn't emotionally handle answering a ton of questions at that moment. I call Betty ( a very close friend of ours in Stafford) and let her in on whats going on. She instantly goes into panic mode especially when she hears moms up there by her self. She calls our church family there and feels them in on whats going on and within a couple hours, Stephan and Tammy ( some other good friends) was there with Mom. Some friends from the St John church also went up that day when they heard what was going on. We were overwhelmed by the wonderful love and support we received instantly from both St John/ and Stafford. I was glad Mom had them there for support and such, so she wasn't there by her self. It was killing me not to be there but I also felt like I needed to stay put so I could work and not miss anymore then I had to. I of course loved staying with the Hammonds and that's where I feel the most comfortable and at home.They became my security net through all this and I became rather attached, more so then I already was. I couldn't of done it without their amazing love and support. I'm so glad their part of my life. I'd be lost without them!! Especially Chay- She has been the only thing that has kept me sane through this last almost year. If you know me very well at all, you'll know why! ;)<br />
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I tried to go on as normal as possible. On Sunday my Grandparents came and got the younger 2 and took them to Colorado till further notice, at the time. I worked Monday and I also got to hang out with another good friend of mine. That was a lot of fun and much needed catch up time. You know who you are ;)Then I met Chay at the Y and worked out for a little bit- then we went out the house and ate supper then we met another friend at Dairy Queen for a little bit and hung out. It was a much much needed distraction for me. I also got word that day, that Surgery was going to be the following day on Tuesday. Grandma was in ICU at St Francis. They did several cat scans and an MRI and learned that it wasn't cancerous and that they should be able to remove the tumor no problem. But wouldn't know fore sure till they got in there.They also said it was one of the largest tumors they had ever seen. My uncle Dewayne and aunt Kimila had flown in on Sunday night, so Mom wasn't by her self anymore, which gave this worried daughter, and her worried best friend some relief. I wanted to be there for the Surgery and Mom wanted me to be there. So I left early Tuesday morning and went as far as Stafford and met my "other mom" and her and I and my "baby sister" Hannah went on to Wichita. We made it to Wichita about 3 hours before surgery. We found the hospital without to much trouble. We go in and find mom and she takes us to the ICU floor. They had the ICU unit in lock down the entire time which was a huge pain for all of us friends and family, because we had to call someone to let us in and out every-time we had to use the bathroom or something. We were very surprised but they let Hannah go back into the ICU unit with us. We were very glad, as it helped to keep me calm having Betty back there with us. She helped keep the stress down and things fun and light the whole time ;) thanks "Mom"! We all sat around and visited for a while, then mom, Betty, my uncle Dewayne, my aunt Rose and I went downstairs and grabbed some lunch at the cafeteria downstairs. Grandma was scheduled to go into Surgery at 3:00 and it was only supposed to be a 2 and a half to 3 hour surgery.<br />
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They took Grandma back to pre-op around 3:30 or so.... mom went back to pre-op with her and the rest of us went to the Surgical waiting room. Mom didn't come back from pre-op till almost 4:45 and she didn't go into surgery till after 5 sometime. They called once to say surgery was going great and she was doing really good. I of course am a complete stressed out mess at this point and am all broke out in hives. Richard came up for a little bit and sat with us through part of the surgery. It was really good to see him and have him there for support. Hannah was also a great distraction! I chased her around and read her books and just tried to keep my focus on her and not what was going on. They finally called to say they were finishing up in Surgery and Dr should be out in about 40 minutes to talk to us. About 45 minutes to an hour later the Dr finally came out and said she had done beautifully through surgery and they were able to remove all the tumor, and it was not cancer! PRAISE GOD!!!! It was a huge relief!! It's about 10:30 at this point. Betty and I were not planning on staying the night, however they said Grandma was going to be in post-op for a good hour and we couldn't see her during recovery. Betty called Brad to see what he wanted us to do. He said for us to just stay the night and come back in the morning. We were not planning on staying which meant we had NOTHING with us. We decided we were going to run to wal-mart real quick why Grandma was in recovery. They took mom back to recovery, so I texted mom to tell her we were running to wal-mart real quick.<br />
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This is where our adventure starts.... cont in next post....Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-46822992881626857262011-04-24T16:22:00.000-07:002011-04-24T16:22:22.845-07:00Our Miracle- thats what Faith can do... Part 1The last week and a half has been a complete whirlwind. It has only been by the Grace of God and the amazing love and support of our friends and family that we have gotten through everything.<br />
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As most of you know, we lost our grandpa- dad- father- in-law..etc..in a horrible farming accident last August. You can read about that <a href="http://sarah-icandoallthings.blogspot.com/2010/08/in-loving-memory-of-my-grandpa.html">here</a>. A good 6 months, maybe longer, before my Grandpa passed away we started noticing that my Grandma was not acting her normal self. When they would come visit she would just sit on the couch and not really visit or engage in conversation, she would just sit and stare off into space. Mom also noticed that she wasn't calling as often as she normally did. Both Mom and Grandpa were really worried about her and wanted to get her into a DR but didn't know who to go with or where to start. They were also having issues getting Grandma talked into it, as she had informed them she DID NOT need to see a Dr. A couple months before Grandpa passed away, we all really started noticing a change in Grandma, she had really became distant and didn't really have much to do with any of us, very unlike her. She had also informed us she was going to quite her job at the post office. We were all shocked, as she had worked at this job for about 10 years and had loved every minute of it. We just figured she was tired of it and wanted a break but we still found it rather odd. Her last day was on a Friday and my Grandpa was killed the following Monday night. <br />
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Why we were in Colorado dealing with everything following Grandpa's death we realized just how bad Grandma had gotten. It was a shock for all of us. Mom was also pulled aside at the funeral by several friends who were around her daily. They told mom she needed to get Grandma into a Dr ASAP, that something was bad wrong. A good friend of her's that she worked with, that worked at another post office in a near by town told mom that in the past several months grandma had been calling her for help daily on how to do stuff she had done for years no problem. Not only was she calling for help on how to do stuff, she would forget in the middle of the conversation why they were on the phone and what they were doing. Joyce was really worried and so were we. Mom took her to her Dr in La Junta, Colorado. The Dr diagnosed her with severe depression. We didn't feel that was the problem, or all the problem anyway. But we decided to give the depression medicine a try. She continued to get worse, not better. She went to live with my Uncle Dewayne and Aunt Debbie end of September-first part of October and stayed with them till December. They got her into a Dr there in New Mexico.She could tell something else was wrong but didn't know what. They tried a different depression medicine and her thought was maybe a stroke as well because her left side was getting weaker and weaker. She wanted to do a cat scan/ MRI to see if we could figure out what was wrong. Grandma refused to do either one. We also thought maybe it was altimers or a type of it because she was getting really forgetful and couldn't finish her sentences or remember what she wanted to say half the time This had been going on for a good 6 to 7 months, possibly longer, and getting progressively worse with time. But Grandma was tying our hands behind our backs by refusing to a cat scan/ and or MIR.<br />
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She came to live with us again end of December- first part of January and we noticed a huge decline in her in just that short amount of time. She was getting to where she wouldn't talk at all, wouldn't really do anything but sit on the couch and watch TV all day long, something she never used to do. When we would talk to her or try to get her to engage in conversation, she would just stare at you with a blank, very confused stare. By the middle of February she had gotten to where she couldn't walk very well on her own. We got her a walker. Within a week or two after that she got where she couldn't support her own weight at all so we went to a wheelchair. We knew something was badly wrong and we wanted to get her into a Neurologist ASAP. We had one scheduled but had to cancel due to bad weather. We had another one scheduled for the first of March. At this point she couldn't do anything on her own anymore. It was full time care for mom. She couldn't walk- talk- feed her self- go to the bathroom- dress her self and she was barely feeding her self. We were hoping and praying we were going to finally be getting some answers as to what was going on.<br />
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Her Neurologist appointment was in Wichita, which is about a 4 hour drive from Garden. We went as far as Stafford the night before and stayed with our good friends Richard and Cheryl. It was good to see them and catch up a little bit. We woke up bright and early the next morning and drove the rest of the way to Wichita, which is about an hour and a half drive. We found the place no problem and made it to her appointment a few minutes early. We didn't have a very long wait and they took her back pretty quickly. They were in and out in just under 30 minutes- which I thought was rather quick. I could tell Mom wasn't pleased when they came out but could tell she didn't want to talk about it in front of Grandma. When we got home late that night, mom informed me that the neurologist took one quick look and automatically diagnosed it as severe depression. He told mom we needed to double up on the depression medicine and that would take care of all her problems. We weren't convinced in anyway that, that was the problem. We felt there was something else going on and were kinda upset he didn't run any sort of tests to rule anything else out. Mom decided to go ahead and give the double up her depression medicine a shot and see what happens. Within a couple days she had gotten much much worse, not better. Mom and I became very worried and everybody from here that was around her, knew something was bad wrong and it was NOT depression. She was getting weaker and declining by the week. Mom took her off the depression medicine and we noticed a little change. She was more alert and with it. she also got a little stronger, but still couldn't really walk. We gave it a good 3 weeks to make sure it was all out of her system. As a result she became a little depressed again. But we thought that it might help to not be drugged up. She was doing more grieving, which was good, as she had not done much of that since Grandpa's death because of putting her on depression medicine right away. We thought if it was really just severe depression and maybe a little mental ( as we had been told several weeks before) then maybe just making her talk about grandpa and face this death head one, would help her snap out of it and help clear her head. Mom made her talk about what was going through her mind and got her to have several good cry's. We noticed that after she would have a good cry,she would snap out of it a little bit and be more alert and with it, as to what was going on around her. Mom decided to give this several weeks and see if we didn't notice a huge improvement. At this point she had become so weak and unsteady that we were afraid to leave her at all. The most we ever left her for was an hour or two tops. We really wanted to do a cat scan/ MRI and not give Grandma an option. She was getting one and that was finale. We needed to know what was going on! We were tired of being tossed from Dr to Dr and being told it was just severe depression. We weren't saying that wasn't it at all... we figured she was a little depressed. Who wouldn't be after just loosing your Husband of almost 50 years. But we knew there was something else going on beside that. Mom talked to a lady at Church who's husband had gone through the same thing. They had been tossed from Dr to Dr, neurologist to neurologist who said the same thing- its depression. They knew it was NOT depression either and finally found a really good neurologist out of Denver but came to Salina once a month. He actually listened to them and actually ran some test to try to figure out what was going on. She said it was such a relief to know they weren't crazy and that something really was wrong. As this is how we were beginning to feel. We felt like we were the only ones noticing something major wrong and was beginning to question our sanity... <br />
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Mom called this neurologist and we had an appointment scheduled for May 11th. We didn't want to wait this long but we didn't know what else to do so we put it in Gods hands. Her Dr in New Mexico had her put on the high priority list, as she felt it was getting to be a life threatening thing when she heard how fast she was declining. We prayed that they would have a cancellation and we would be able to get her in much sooner then that. However, God had another plan in store for us.... Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-9888115883992797742011-01-17T20:29:00.000-08:002011-01-17T20:29:15.031-08:00To the dear children of Sgt Shannon Thys: My Solider, My Hero, My DaddyThey had a "send off" for Dad at our Church and our dear Preacher wrote a very touching, very tear jerking poem to us Kids. I did not make it through without tears. I told my self I was not gonna cry and thought I had it made....till he got up and read this very touching poem...<br />
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I would like to share it with all y'all.<br />
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<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> To the Children of Sgt. Shannon Thys:</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thank you. Thank you for the precious gift of your daddy, I wont pretend to know the pain and void his deployment has created in your hearts. But I do know why he is willing to make this sacrifice and my hope is and prayer for you is that pride, honor and gratitude will help your aching hearts.</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Your daddy loves his country. He loves her ideas and her heritage. He wants this country to afford you the same freedom he grew up with and cherishes. While the rest of us are recipients of his commitment to preserving this freedom, he does it for you,</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Your daddy loves his fellow man. He wants others to be delivered from oppression and injustice. His love is proven by putting himself in harm's way to help secure what they are not able to secure for themselves. But once again, he does this for you. He set for you an example that we are indeed our brother's keeper. </div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You should be very thankful to have a father like this. The blood he's willing to spill on foreign soil is the same blood coursing through your body- the kind of blood that is the foundation and fabric of this great nation. When you put your hand to your heart and feel it beat, just remember that your daddy loves you so much that he never wants you to have one single heartbeat that isn't free. His love for you is the highest form of love a man can have. Your daddy is a hero- never forget that.</div><br />
I am probably one of the most proudest daughters of an American Solider. He is my Hero.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-42139995411888003522010-12-16T18:03:00.000-08:002011-02-08T12:08:32.378-08:00Taking a step back from Technology and deeping your intimate relationship with your heavenly father~After a lot of prayer and thought, I have decided that I'm going to take a little bit of a "media" fast till after Christmas. I'm not going to fully give up everything ( though I probably should). I'm not going to get on Facebook. I will blog very little, if any at all. I will check regular email some ( If I don't I will get way overloaded and overwhelmed) but not very often. I will limit the amount of secular music I listen too, I will still listen to some country ( I love my country music, it's part of who I am :) but not as much as I normally do.You have to be careful, I admit, but not all country is bad ;o). I'm not a huge TV fan so that's not normally a issue for me to begin with. <br />
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Though I will probably think I am dying and yes, my family has doubts on me actually carrying through with this, I'm pretty determined. I have been feeling God tugging on my heart for a while that I needed to take a step back from this addicting technology and spend more personal time with Him. I am not where I want to be spiritually nor as strong as I want/need to be. I do not have that intimate relationship with Him that I so desire to have. My prayer is that this will draw me closer to Him, and get a deeper, more personal relationship with Him.<br />
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He wants us to make Him number one in our lives and rely solely on Him for everything. We shouldn't put any worldly things before Him, no matter what it may be. Nothing should be more important then our personal walk with Him, our personal, intimate relationship with Him. My Prayer is that this fast will help me to grow closer to Him,and help me to realize that though yes, facebook is a fun way to keep up with your friends and family and something fun to do during your free time, it is something I can live without. I don't need to check it every minute I have free. I don't have to update my status every little bit. I don't have to read the latest "gossip". I don't have to post a ton of pictures every time I get some new ones. Though it is harmless fun and can be used for good, if your careful, it can also become something not so good, if you let it become more important then personal time with your heavenly Prince. As much as I hate to admit it, and am ashamed to admit it, I am about to that point. It's something I've known deep down for a while but wasn't about to actually admit it. I want nothing more to lay my life completely down for Him and let Him be in full control in every aspect of my life. I want every thought, every word I speak, every decision I make, etc be holy and pleasing to Him in every way possible.<br />
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Worldly things may seem important now but we can't take any of that with us. The only thing that should matter is getting to heaven and living both our heavenly life and earthly life with the most amazing, most loving, most romantic God we can ever imagine.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Luke 9:23- Then he said to them all; if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me</span></span>.<br />
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To me that verse is saying, that in order to fully follow Christ, to fully be a true follower of our heavenly Lover, we have to first "die of self" and completely become consumed of Him. He needs to be our ONLY focus, He should be the only one we worry about impressing and stealing the heart of.<br />
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Another Good one that goes along with this is:<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Luke 14:33- In the same way, any of you who does not give up <u>everything</u> he has <u>cannot </u>be my disciple.</span></span><br />
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OUCH! if you ask me. Does he really want us to give up EVERYTHING? Really? How does He expect us to live without our ipods, our cell phones, our lap-tops, our money, our friends, and anything else we seem to think we HAVE to have in order to survive? Well....He's not asking us to literally get rid of it ( unless its something really bad that shouldn't be in our lives, as a daughter/son of the King in the first place) He's just simply asking us to NOT put any of that before Him, and to realize that we could live without it. We don't really need any of this earthly-worldly stuff, all we need is Him!! We cannot find true happiness and true peace until we rid ourselves of earthly things and consume ourselves with things that are pleasing to Him, spending our every waking moment with Him and deepening our intimate relationship with Him. That should be our number one goal in life. Not worrying about the latest fashion trend, or the latest music on itunes, etc. None of that is gonna matter 20, 30, or 50 years down the road. I feel like I've been a little all over the place but I hope and pray you are getting and understanding what I'm trying to say, even if I'm failing miserably at it ;o)<br />
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With that said, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!! I will see you all after Christmas. I'm gonna go enjoy my Family and some much needed time with my heavenly Prince.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-23268642420701571552010-11-09T11:45:00.000-08:002011-02-08T10:38:28.682-08:00Holidays and GriefThis coming weekend, we are going to be going up to Los Alamo , New Mexico, to have a VERY early Thanksgiving with moms side of the family. It was really the only weekend that worked for everyone. This year seems to hold a lot of first. Due to different things that have happened over the years, this is the first time we'll get to spend Thanksgiving with my Uncle Dewayne ( moms brother) and my aunt Debbie and their nine beautiful DC in almost 8 years. This is also the first Thanksgiving ( or any major holiday for that matter) that we'll be celebrating since the tragic death of my Grandpa. Due to that, we decided to all meet at Dewayne and Debbie's this year. We had talked about all meeting out at the farm, like we have always done and having a thanksgiving out there,however, I don't think any of us are ready for that yet. There are still too many reminders, and memories out there, and the "wounds" still to fresh. So we decided that we would just meet somewhere else this year. I don't think the full reality of all this has fully set in yet. Yes, we miss him deeply, and yes, the pain is still there, but we have not had to celebrate a holiday without him...yet!! That is quickly coming and I am having very mixed feelings on it. I am both really excited to spend thanksgiving with all my cousins, but at the same time really dreading it. It will in NO way be the same without him there. He has always been the one to be in charge of things, so to speak, when it comes to Thanksgiving, Christmas...ect. He has always made it really special in his own way. Like every family, we have our favorite family traditions with each holiday and somehow it just seems wrong to go on with them like nothing ever happened. For most of us, I don't think the reality of it has fully hit yet. I have a feeling that a lot of it will this weekend though. Though I'm not sure that it will EVER fully sink in. You would think after almost 4 months it would have by now,but I don't think it has.I know with each passing month, and holiday it will get easier and the pain will get less and less, but I know for a fact that it will never be the same and there will always be a empty chair at the table, an extra piece of pumpkin pie, that should of been his ( that was his favorite), and just a empty feeling all around. Part of me wishes we could just skip thanksgiving this year and not even go there, but I know that we have to get this first Holiday behind us. I'm looking forward to spending a weekend with my Aunts and Uncles, and Cousins and all the fun and laughter that seems to happen when were all together. Though it will in no way seem the same. Yes, it will still be Thanksgiving, and it will becomes what I like to refer to as our new "normal". <br />
Yes we will miss Grandpa beyond what words can express, and I have a feeling we'll all shed a tear or two over the next couple months during this bitter-sweet holiday season. But I know with Gods amazing love and comfort, and the amazing love, comfort, and support from our many wonderful family members and friends that might as well be family, we'll somehow get through it and maybe even enjoy it. As hard as it is, we have to come to grips with the fact life does go on. We will see Grandpa again someday soon in the far future. I know without a doubt that he is looking down on us each and everyday and hopefully with a smile on his face. As hard as it may be at times, I'm determined to stay positive and have a good, up beat attitude about it all. Being depressed all weekend isn't going to change anything so I might as well have fun and enjoy being with my wonderful extended family that I don't get to see very often. So with that said, I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!! Gods blessing on all of you.<br />
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I love and miss you Grandpa! You will never be forgotten!!!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-59321109374983990982010-09-21T17:16:00.000-07:002011-02-08T12:16:18.762-08:00~Llife~These last few months have been a complete blur. I'm ready for life to get back into a somewhat "normal" routine but as most of us know there really is no such thing as "normal" these days. It seems like everyone and everybody is always in a hurry or rush at one time or another. I got home from camp the end of July and literally two days later on August 2 we got the call that my grandpa ( moms dad) was killed in a farming accident. You can read about that <a href="http://sarah-icandoallthings.blogspot.com/2010/08/in-loving-memory-of-my-grandpa.html">here</a>. We spent a crazy 2 weeks in Colorado dealing with everything there. After being gone for a week at camp and then turning around and being gone for another two weeks in Colorado and loosing Grandpa I was beyond ready to get home and have a sense of normalcy again. I came back a day before mom and the younger kids did and enjoyed some much needed time with friends. The month of August is pretty much a blur.<br />
Grandma came back with us and stayed with us for about a week to a week and a half. She then went and saw her sister in Texas for about a week and is now staying with my Aunt and Uncle in New Mexico, the longest she's ever stayed somewhere so far. We are finally adjusting to the " new normal" I think. It's been a challenge to say the least. <br />
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I can't believe we're in the middle of September already. I'm not sure where this summer, or year for that matter, went. Most of it is a blur. We're finally getting into a good school schedule after a late start with everything that happened with and following Grandpa's death.<br />
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I just got back from getting to spend a week with my "other family" for a week. It was good to just get away for a while and enjoy some much needed time with those amazing 6 kiddo's. We really didn't do a whole lot, just enjoyed each others company. We celebrated 2 birthdays while I was there. Lora turned 8 on the 13th. and Betty had one on the 16th. We celebrated Lora's actual birthday at the State fair( dollar day). We all enjoyed that. It was a little bit of a LONG, HOT day but a really good day none the less. One of the things we did, that was probably all of ours favorite, was spend some time at the Kansas National Guard Booth. The kids got to mess around on the different tanks and stuff they had set up and do a rock climbing thing, and we just enjoyed visiting with the soldiers. The two we visited with the most had both served 2 different tours in Iraq. Yes, I am the proud daughter of a solider who has served 1 tour over there so getting to talk to other soldiers that have served ( possibly with dad) was a real honor. When they found it was Lora's birthday they gave her a replica of the National Guard NASCAR that Dale Earnhart Jr. Drove. It was pretty neat and something Lora will get to treasure for a long time. We probably spent a good 2 hours there and there was no other place we would have rather spent it. <br />
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I enjoyed my week there a whole lot and like always, it went WAY to fast and it was another tearful goodbye. Already looking forward to when I get to go again, whenever that may be. <br />
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Though it was good to be gone, I was also glad to be home. I'm still catching up on sleep and trying to get back into our "normal" routine. When someone figures out what "normal" is, let me know. We don't have anything else too major planned for a while, except my cousin Jacia's wedding the first weekend in October. We're all looking forward to that and getting to see and spend some time with some extended family we haven't gotten to see in a while. Then I may possibly get to to go to Minnesota with some really good friends and also to a Vikings game. I'm excited and hoping it all works out. We shall see. <br />
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That's pretty much all that's been going on here lately. Seems like there's never a dull moment here and always something going on. I wouldn't want it any other way though.<br />
Here are some pictures from my trip. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwqEKGO1g_HGViJiBfWnF2t4UTbqKIfzIw0pN2wGz8P9jKzyJTCEWTyPWpo_TgHpbHnZOUySxi3WRfxxAtZbSJ-NeJ7YawBEz3hyNXAvhOQZB5wgv1LDPqUV8FQeUnFVp-3MAxqO0/s1600/Moble+uploads+167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwqEKGO1g_HGViJiBfWnF2t4UTbqKIfzIw0pN2wGz8P9jKzyJTCEWTyPWpo_TgHpbHnZOUySxi3WRfxxAtZbSJ-NeJ7YawBEz3hyNXAvhOQZB5wgv1LDPqUV8FQeUnFVp-3MAxqO0/s320/Moble+uploads+167.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> Isaiah stole my sunglasses LOL<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6A5aiOEnVT2nLk4ANzT7uQH4lfS0aJfdo5-dXExm_-M5krBSKPA-FWBheMWRJ5vdJCWH_VRlvMk1xOvrAj3-q90BzqWKW6cd_o0cKjkrS8FpogJH24W2PL3DEnaskFrDgtDzU_upx/s1600/Eisenhour+kids+072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6A5aiOEnVT2nLk4ANzT7uQH4lfS0aJfdo5-dXExm_-M5krBSKPA-FWBheMWRJ5vdJCWH_VRlvMk1xOvrAj3-q90BzqWKW6cd_o0cKjkrS8FpogJH24W2PL3DEnaskFrDgtDzU_upx/s320/Eisenhour+kids+072.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Noah on a big tractor <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9jg8WNmlo2Ta3ezOCMcwqGuN_FkdTRPqV0rTtRGto1EsLecQDlPmH1OJctUi4p-DrIKDbKHA4mVCVUf3VYPXqVN6kgz0aclJXDkuAbA9uqgdmFGDiCe2e3iQoCgYM2RC_uljL_m2/s1600/Eisenhour+kids+077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9jg8WNmlo2Ta3ezOCMcwqGuN_FkdTRPqV0rTtRGto1EsLecQDlPmH1OJctUi4p-DrIKDbKHA4mVCVUf3VYPXqVN6kgz0aclJXDkuAbA9uqgdmFGDiCe2e3iQoCgYM2RC_uljL_m2/s320/Eisenhour+kids+077.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The kids on a tank of somesort with one of the soldiers. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBREuHL4HcI_zmYPsgVG0cnrfDAPzO329QnMRXYmIs93NEZk-VD_KzNoeYL76eACdYATELP2k9cHDJu1zwPPhcwtvce07iLeeY6Y3GOlgKnwMOk5luVP5j_6gLsxNSJa1Tj4HRkyZP/s1600/Eisenhour+kids+099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBREuHL4HcI_zmYPsgVG0cnrfDAPzO329QnMRXYmIs93NEZk-VD_KzNoeYL76eACdYATELP2k9cHDJu1zwPPhcwtvce07iLeeY6Y3GOlgKnwMOk5luVP5j_6gLsxNSJa1Tj4HRkyZP/s320/Eisenhour+kids+099.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Philip rock climbing <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbakHDqbnbAuzQTXXoOOGcCoSuO4kKxNF8T-eVer794gkFG0vr4v968s0Y9Ga_EqVapYVCazaUb1741uzPPms13YrHIJyeJMpVaYKJvA-iaNCOiThPsKhsf03QaRfkKvHKOf3HfG9/s1600/Eisenhour+kids+100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbakHDqbnbAuzQTXXoOOGcCoSuO4kKxNF8T-eVer794gkFG0vr4v968s0Y9Ga_EqVapYVCazaUb1741uzPPms13YrHIJyeJMpVaYKJvA-iaNCOiThPsKhsf03QaRfkKvHKOf3HfG9/s320/Eisenhour+kids+100.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Lora giving it a shot<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncMlnT21vYHaYzRD9ZGt3Gp7GxYCQV4BS6dxBLlA53IKs2a_qO9nySWK5D5KKvI-3NMlk9RFJJmRnFrl50_p_KFdzS5IdaqHjCDLVoG6SGRQFiBLvDjbekTo-BLSy5HSWOo94-zfS/s1600/Eisenhour+kids+125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncMlnT21vYHaYzRD9ZGt3Gp7GxYCQV4BS6dxBLlA53IKs2a_qO9nySWK5D5KKvI-3NMlk9RFJJmRnFrl50_p_KFdzS5IdaqHjCDLVoG6SGRQFiBLvDjbekTo-BLSy5HSWOo94-zfS/s320/Eisenhour+kids+125.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Isaiah, myself, Hannah and Lora with two of the soldiers.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-66522353821695869912010-08-26T12:53:00.000-07:002010-08-26T12:53:20.088-07:00In loving memory of My grandpa!One thing I've learned in the last 2 and a half weeks is that no matter how tightly you cling to someone or something, it doesn't make it yours.<br />
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On August 2, 2010. We got the nightmare call around 12:45 AM that my Grandpa ( who I'm really close too) was killed in a farming accident. It came as a total shock. None of us were prepared for it. We don't really know what happened, just that he was out working on equipment ( something he's done for years) and when we went to start up the tractor, it was in 3rd gear ( something he's never done before) He somehow got pinned between the tractor and the pickup ( were assuming that he must of tried to get to the pickup and didn't make it). He was gone before anyone knew something was wrong.<br />
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I had just drifted off to sleep and was maybe asleep an hour before I heard moms phone ring. My heart instantly went to my throat, the phone doesn't just ring at 1245 AM for no reason. I knew before mom got off the phone that something wasn't right. I couldn't tell at first who she was on the phone with but I knew one thing, she was UPSET!!! I at this point was in tears my self...though I didn't know why yet. I had to know but couldn't make my self get up to ask.. I knew I had to know but was scared to know. I didn't have to ask. I heard mom say that we'd be on our way as soon as she got everyone up and around, I was in full panic at this point. I didn't know what was going but I knew it wasn't good if she was going to wake the entire household up. I heard mom attempt to tell dad what was going on through the tears. I completely lost it at first, then I went numb with shock. Finally around 3 or so we had managed to get packed and ready to go. we didn't know how long we'd be gone at this point, or what we would find when we got there. We just knew we needed to Grandma QUICK!. <br />
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My other Grandparents had already heard. My aunt asked them to go stay with my Grandma till one of us could get there. They left shortly after we got to my Grandma's around 5 ( Kansas time). They had been there since 1 ( Colorado time) and was utterly exhausted. We didn't know what to do at first. None of us had any sleep ( unless you include that 1 hour). Mom kept trying to get me to go lay down but I knew there was NO way I going to be able to sleep. I was too upset and my stomach was in knots. Finally around 6:30, 7:00 ( Kansas time) I decided to go ahead and at least lay down for a little bit and ended up falling into a restless sleep for about an hour or so. <br />
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Everything from here on out is a complete blur. Family started to arrive later that afternoon. My moms sister and her DC were the first to show up. Then her Brother and one of their DC got there around 2 or so (Colorado time). My Aunt and the rest of there DC showed up sometime that evening. It was a very emotional greeting and reunion to say the least. None of us knew quite what to say, I don't think. <br />
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More family showed up throughout the week and we finally had everyone together Friday morning.<br />
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We were all at a loss on where to start at first. The Food, Friends, Phone calls, and everything else started to pour in. We had a houseful of Friends from the morning after it happened till we came back home. That is one AMAZING community. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE loved my Grandpa.<br />
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Michael was finally able to fly into Colorado springs on Wednesday! My Dads parents, Dad and my self went and got him.<br />
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Because some of Grandpa's family lives in Canada we didn't want to have the funeral too early to give them time to get here. My Mom, Uncle Dewayne, Aunt Kimila, and my Grandma went and talked to the funeral director to start making funeral arrangements.They decided to have the funeral on Friday in Kim Colorado, which is about 30 miles from my Grandma's house. We were new to the whole funeral planning process ( not exactly something you want to be good at) so it was a learning process for all of us, and a stressful one at that. Friends were more then willing to step up and take care of whatever we needed so they were a HUGE help in the whole thing. We couldn't of done it without them. It was pretty much on my Mom, Aunt and, Uncle because ( as expected) my Grandma was still in huge shock and not at all thinking clearly enough to help out much. They got her input as much as they could. <br />
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I was still in complete shocked and still hadn't processed this whole thing. I wanted desperately to talk to one of my really good friends but the signal out there is horrible. I had to end up texting her the news ( something I didn't want to do) but luckily we did get enough signal to text back and fourth and finally picked up enough signal to talk on the phone some. Just being able to hear her voice helped a lot!, to have a reassuring voice and just someone to talk to and cry to and someone to tell me that everything will be OK eventually!.<br />
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The few days before the funeral, like I said before, was a complete blur with funeral arrangements, family coming in. spending time with friends and family and just trying to survive and get through each and everyday.<br />
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Having a houseful of friends and family helped keep me distracted and my mind off of it. I also welcomed some alone time in there too. I didn't really feel like being with anyone or talking to anyone, but it was for the better. Wed evening I got the pleasant surprise from a friend saying that they were coming to the funeral. I was in utter shock. I didn't know what to say. I realized over the course of these past 3 weeks just how amazing my friends are. Having her there meant a lot to me. Just having someone you can lean on and know they're there for you no matter what, really helps. Helps make a very difficult time a whole lot easier. I know there were several more close friends that wanted to be there but couldn't due to certain reasons.,..just knowing they wanted to be there meant a LOT!. The funeral is somewhat of a blur....don't really remember a whole lot about it. My uncle made this really really neat video of all of us 17 Grand-Kids telling about our favorite memory and what we loved most about our grandpa....that was really hard to record when we were doing it, but totally worth it in the end. I'm hoping to attach it to this post! We're hoping to eventually put together a slide show as well, we ran out of time and wasn't able to get it done. <br />
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Loosing someone you love is never easy. The only thing that gets you through is knowing that it isn't goodbye...its more like a see ya later. We're all on this journey and they just got to go a little sooner. I had 17 wonderful years with my Grandpa and I will cherish those precious times and cling to those wonderful memories for ever. It's one of the only things getting me through. That and the amazing friends and family that have surrounded me with love and support though the whole thing and have continued to do so.<br />
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One thing I was told in the early beginning was that I would experience every emotion possible and boy is that true. I've felt everything from the horrible extreme sadness, to feeling really angry and confused, to feeling at peace and OK with things and then you just become numb, you almost get to the point you don't want to feel any emotion anymore, and then back to being overwhelmed with sadness and everything in between. I've cried to the point of literally not having any more tears in me. Everybody handles grief differently, no two people handle it the same way. That's one thing I've really noticed through this whole thing.<br />
Another thing I was warned about was that it'd get harder, not easier as time went on. I've found that to be somewhat true. Yes its been hard since the beginning but I had the distraction of family and friends being around and surrounding you and you never really having time to think about it or give it much thought. Your busy with getting funeral arrangements done. letting everyone know whats going on and so on. It's when you get home and your not completely surrounded by someone at all times that it tends to really hit you hard...least that's what I'm finding!! And I know that I am NO where near through the worst...I think the worst is yet to come. I'm not sure its completely sunk in yet, I'm still in denial and shock I think.<br />
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It is by Gods grace and comfort and the wonderful prayers we've been lifted up in that's given us the strength to go on and get through each and everyday. Grief is a horrible thing but it's a very important step. God made us to grieve for a reason. If someone you know is grieving, let them. It's important. <br />
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I came home the following Thursday after the funeral, Mom brought Grandma and the younger 2 kids home that Friday. It felt really good to be home and away from everything! It was all I could do to be out at the farm for those two weeks that we were there...way to many reminders and memories everywhere. Though I know that yeah, the memories are painful now, but I'm going to be very thankful for all those wonderful memories I have and am going to have them to cling to when things get hard.<br />
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Grandma stayed with us about a week and a half or so then decided she wanted to go visit her sister in Texas. So mom and her left Monday and went to the farm first then on to Texas. It was a stressful couple days having Mom gone but we survived! She got back Wednesday and it's been great having her back home. We're all trying to adjust to our new "normal" . We're asking God to show us what our next step needs to be, in the way of what grandma needs to do. We know she cant live by her self right now but we're lost on where and what she's supposed to do. But God has a plan and will show it to us in his timing.<br />
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Things have been a complete blur since the accident and am sorry if this is not all making since. I'm doing my best to get it all out but words just aren't coming. <br />
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On Friday August 6, 2010. We buried my Grandpa in Kim, Colorado. Right next to his parents (my great grandparents) and I will never be the same.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-75821975875307289282010-08-26T11:43:00.000-07:002010-08-26T11:43:50.158-07:00~ Leroy~<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Sadness surrounds us as our loss settles in,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> memories made through the years with our neighbors and</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> friends.No one knows what may happen,we are here day by day,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> we'll all be called on at some point, that's what the good </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> book does say.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Leroy understood this and lived his life just that </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> way,his Lord, and his family came first everyday.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> a king man,a generous man, with compassion for all.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> quiet and unassuming he stood very tall. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> helping others seemed to help him so,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> doing the hard work that some might let go. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Farming was his business and each one could see, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> the long hours put in and nothing comes free. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Sometimes a good crop and sometimes not so,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> but knowing what must be done he stayed on the go. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> A good crop brought a smile, but hard times did too. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> He understood life and lived it right through.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Leroy's gone upward where a crop is always made,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> perhaps now he has time to rest in the shade.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> The hurting we feel can be eased with a peace of mind,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> this good man is being rewarded for being so kind.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Can't you just see it, St Peter will say</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> "come on in Leroy, you're a good who"s never been </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> rowdy" </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Leroy will step up, and smile and say "howdy, Howdy"</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</span></span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-66152065242588450922010-06-10T09:28:00.000-07:002011-02-08T13:08:44.401-08:00Home School conference~ Day 2!!!We woke up bright and early Saturday morning and got ready while Brad went and got us breakfast from a nearby McDonald's. After breakfast we finished getting ready, got bags packed, and Brad and the 2 older kids took it down to the van. Betty and I checked out of the hotel and we all met back up in the lobby area. Brad and I dropped Lora off at AIC. Philip was not enjoying it and really wanted to listen to some of the speakers, so Brad decided to pull him out of AIC and let Philip hang with him all day. We did some looking around downstairs for a while before Betty headed upstairs for her first session. I went ahead and messed around for a little bit downstairs before heading back upstairs. I let Hannah run around for a while upstairs, we walked, and did stairs and played with toys and ran around in circles for quite a while. She was feeling much better and it showed..:)<br />
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A little bit later we all headed downstairs to mess around, do some more shopping, and visited with some good friends from Stafford for a while.<br />
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Betty, Brad, and Philip, along with our good friends from Stafford headed back upstairs for more sessions. I entertained Hannah and myself and was back and fourth between upstairs and downstairs most of the morning.<br />
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Before we knew it, it was lunch time. I went with Brad to go get Lora from AIC. I had a couple good friends helping with AIC so I went and said hi every chance I got. We met back up with Betty, along with her friend Amy and daughter Megan for lunch, only this time our good friends from Stafford joined us as well. We ate Papa Johns again since it was closest to the convention center and pretty cheap.<br />
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We had to have Lora back to AIC by 12:30 and sessions started at 1. So again, it was a kind of rushed, but good lunch. It was HOT Saturday so it felt good to be back in AC after walking to Papa Johns and back.<br />
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Lora and Philip found water outside the restaurant and you know what happens when a 10 yo and a 7 yo finds water??.. They end up in it!!!! We couldn't help but laugh! As hot as it was outside, they were pretty much dry by the time we got back to the convention center. <br />
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We get back to the convention center and dropped Lora back off at AIC . Betty headed back up for more sessions, while I stayed down with Hannah and changed her and back packed her, while I looked around for a little bit. She fell asleep in the Mai Tie so I just left her in fear of not wanting to wake her. I walked around the exhibit hall for quite a while. Due to the loudness of the exhibit hall though she didn't sleep for a long time. After she woke up I went upstairs to let her run around for a while. Her and another 15 mo ends up having an absolute ball together and they played for quite a while. <br />
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I bounce between exhibit hall and upstairs all afternoon.A little bit later, Betty had a break between sessions and headed downstairs for some shopping and decided to take Hannah for a little while. So I stole the laptop and checked face book for a minute and caught my breath. <br />
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I head back downstairs to relieve "Mom". We end up all messing around downstairs for a while. Hannah decides it's time to eat right before another session starts so I go into one of the last sessions with "Mom" while Hannah eats....Hannah decided she wasn't going to be quiet after she got done so I didn't get to listen to that one very long LOL. That was OK though, as it was more important Betty listen then I..:)<br />
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Next thing I know, It's 5 and time to go watch the kids AIC program they put on for parents at the very end.<br />
We went downstairs and all met back up outside the area where AIC is held. It's an organized chaos mess if that's even possible LOL. We finally were allowed inside and ended up standing in the back, due to Hannah falling asleep in my arms and the stroller being too full to lay her down. Plus this sister didn't want to lay her down...shes our cuddle bug :). Not to mention we're all beyond tired of sitting anyway and we have an hour and a half drive ahead of us so we choose to stand.<br />
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The program went really well and it was really neat to see what all the kids have learned over the last few days, and to see them put into practice, so to speak. After it's over, Betty and I decided we're going to go ahead and head outside to the van and start getting the stroller unloaded and the van cooled down. After getting a little lost, we found our way to van. Not long after Brad and the kids show up. We got everybody loaded and the van cooled down and we head to find somewhere to eat. We decided that since nobody is really hungry yet we're going to head onto Yoder and eat at Carriage Crossing. We get there and find out that its going to be an hour and a half wait minimum..WHAT?? So we head on into Hutch and eat at Sirlion Stockade...it was delicious!!!<br />
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After getting our tummies full we headed on home. We got home around 9:30 or so. We unloaded the van and got everybody somewhat settled while Brad went and got the other 3 kids from grandma's. They came home tired and very excited to see us.<br />
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After talking about the days events and getting baths and showers we fall into bed exhausted.Betty and I woke up Sunday morning and decided that we're too tired to try to entertain and chase 6 kids around, so since we're all up anyway we decided we're going to go to church and Sunday school. Brad was bailing. Kids were really good for the most part and it gave us something to do.<br />
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It was another successful home school conference with many wonderful speakers and tons of great info. Along with tons of laughs and many memories made. We're all looking forward to next year and cant wait to see who the speakers will be and whatever else it holds.<br />
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-63573793300177657692010-06-09T16:28:00.000-07:002010-06-09T16:28:02.126-07:00~ Home School Convention~ Day 1.This past weekend, we went to the area home school convention in Wichita. I went with " my other family". This is my 3rd or 4th year getting to go with them. I also go and spend a week with them either before the convention or after. This time it ended up being about 2 days before and about 3 days after.<br />
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With 6 kids, leaving the house for a weekend is not an easy task. A lot of planning has to go into it. " My" baby sister Hannah had been sick for most of that week and let's just say we had been going through outfit changes like nothing else, so just to be safe we took about every nice outfit she owned with us, along with 2 extra outfits for everyone else just in case. We did manage to get it all into one huge duffel bag, diapers in all.<br />
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We only took 3 kids with us this year, Philip 10, Lora 7, and Hannah 16 months. Other 3, Heidi 5, Noah 4, and Isaiah 2 went to Grandma's to make things a little easier on us. Unlike last year, Betty's DH was able to go with us which also took a lot of stress off.<br />
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Thursday night, after supper and baths, we delivered the 3 kids that were going to grandma's house, to help make things easier for in the morning. The house felt EMPTY that night. We got up around 7 or so and got things around, ate breakfast, got kids dressed, finished any last minute packing and loaded the van. We left the house around 9:15 or so. It was a pretty peaceful, and uneventful drive for the most part.<br />
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We got to Wichita around 10:30 or so. We normally park in the hotel parking garage because its normally free for hotel guest...not this year. We get there and find out that its 8 dollars a day..WHAT???.....So we go and attempt to find somewhere to park that was free. We find a parking lot that has other 15 passenger vans parked there and it was right across the street from the hotel which we decided we could handle. We get the stroller out and packed and kids unloaded and head into the convention center to get our name tags and things of sort. At this point it's about 10:45 somewhere in there. There's nothing in the morning except walking through the exhibit hall and "shopping" So we split up and Brad takes the 2 older kids off to look at whatever they want to look at. While me and Betty look at whatever we want to look at. We decide to all meet back up about 30 minutes later, when we were going to head over the closest papa johns for pizza. Betty's friend Amy and her oldest daughter Megan joins us for lunch. It was fun to catch up and visit for a while.<br />
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The kid's AIC ( adventures in Character) started at 12:30, and the keynotes and regular sessions started at 1. so we kinda rush through lunch so we can get back over to the convention center on time.<br />
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We get over there in plenty of time. Brad and I drop kids off at AIC and Betty heads to her first sessions. I walk around with Hannah for a while and do some more looking.Then I headed upstairs to let Hannah run around for a while in a little sitting area they had up there outside the rooms where all the sessions are held. It's not long before Hannah crashes, so why she takes her nap I go ahead and head back down stairs and do some more looking, mainly because I was beyond tired of sitting at this point. Hannah took a pretty good nap. After she wakes up, I change her and Betty feeds her, and we both do some looking and shopping downstairs for a while. Not long before Betty heads back upstairs for more sessions. Hannah at this point is pretty stressed out from the crowds and kinda fussy, so I put her in the mei tie, with the feeling of security being strapped to her big sister she settles down and is in a pretty good mood. We go back and fourth between walking around downstairs and going up stairs and letting her run around and play.<br />
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Before long its' time go get kids from AIC and grab some quick supper before they have to be back at 7. We go get wendys which isn't to terribly far from the hotel. We get back to the convention center and drop kids off at AIC and I take Hannah up to our room to run around and get her away from crowds ( she had just about had enough at this point) Betty and Brad go and listen to more speakers. It winded down for the night around 8:30, 8:45. They come up the room and we finish getting unpacked and settled in. At this point Hannah is very unsettled and very fussy. We're trying to figure out what might possibly be the matter when it dawns on "Mom" and I that ever since she got sick earlier that week, she had pretty much went back to full nursing and wasn't really eating solids or drinking water like she had been. It was HOT that day, with the high being in the upper 90's. She hadn't hardly drank anything all day, and she'd been away from mom enough that she didn't get to nurse like she was used to. Due to complications at birth, she doesn't handle getting hot, or cold well like the rest of us can. This baby was dehydrated. She nurses for a good 45 minutes and I give her a quick warm, yet cool bath and she is in a MUCH Happier mood and acting more her self. We get the rest of us bathed and ready for bed. We are all exhausted at this point and we had another long day ahead of us so we go to bed kinda early.I don't think any of us had any trouble sleeping. It had been a very good, yet exhausting first day. We were all looking forward to the next day.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-33180736860334976692010-05-11T15:53:00.000-07:002010-05-11T15:53:13.445-07:00~ Family Camping trip~I recently did a post about our annual track meet that we had this last Friday. We also had our first camping trip of the year with all of dads family, so they could see him before he headed to New York for about 18 to 22 months. We decided to try a "new" camp ground in Burlington Colorado. It was pretty much about the same distance for all of us ( about 3 hours or so). We didn't get away from the house tell around 4:30..5ish so we got to the lake around 9:00 or so Kansas time. My grandparents were already there, and my Aunt Donna, and Uncle Mike and 2 cousins got there around midnight or so. My other Aunt and 4 cousins didn't come in tell morning. Since it's a little early in the year for camping, it was a little chilly. Due to that, we didn't get to do any of your normal camping stuff ( fishing. swimming, boating, tubing etc) but we still had a lot of fun and just enjoyed being together. We did some hiking, but mostly just visited and ate...ate some more, did I mention we ate? Hee Hee. It's the first time we've all got to be together since Christmas and will be the last time tell at least this next Christmas...if we're lucky. So it was somewhat of a bitter/sweet weekend. Bright side to camping this early in the year..NO BUGS!!! LOL It did end up getting pretty warm Saturday afternoon and Sunday, which was very nice. My 2 aunts, my mom and my youngest cousin Jennifer, and my self all decided to go on a walk. No big deal right?....WRONG!! My cousin ( who had already taken a walk with the other cousins) talked us into going going across this field type thing.....it was at one point part of the lake...there are every 2 different boat ramps at either ends to prove it....wont get you very far now..anyway...it was fulll of stickers and tons of probably snake holes and who knows what else....not my kind of fun. We finally made it across and all told Jennifer she was no longer in charge LOL. We decide to take another way and figure it has to be eventually wind back to the camp site...it did....about 2 miles or so later we were finally back. As Jennifer put it...I've had my exercise for the year! LOL. It gave us something to do though.<br />
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For the most part it was a very enjoyable weekend. Anytime I get to be with Family is a lot of fun....most of the time..;o) We're all looking forward to hopefully camping several more times before the summer is over.<br />
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However this will be the last time Michael gets to join us for at least a year, more then likely close to 2 years.<br />
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We all left the campground Sunday afternoon around 2:30 or so. Long story short, the Suburban had been in St John since the Sunday before, getting painted by a friend. Me and mom were planning on going to get it yesterday ( Monday) but Michael decided about 30 minutes before we left Burlington, that he wanted to go get it Sunday night so he would have all day Monday to work on it, OK..understandable....except we were all exhausted and none of us felt like driving another 2 hours on top of the already 3-4 we had ahead of us. Dad and Michael decided that Him and I should go get it. We got home around 7:00. Long enough to go the restroom..get a drink and whatever else we needed to do real quick, then we jumped in his pickup and headed for St John. We got to St John around 10, picked up the suburban and headed right back. Michael didn't want to stay the night, and dad wouldn't let me drive back on my own the next day. So we made the quickest trip I think I've ever done and got home around 1 or so. I was exhausted. Luckily we had the day off so I was able to sleep in!<br />
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These last few days...weeks have just been a total whirlwind! Trying to get everything done, and spend time with Michael before he leaves. We're all dreading this coming goodbye and if I could stop time..believe me I would. He is really looking forward to it, and cant wait to see what the future holds. <br />
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Here are a few pictures of our Camping trip!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Zl_KFFhxKEwSaTRopTu8yqi0wLGqz-_CHmuzBn-5RC5dpBfCTtaUrFP7aFLufOcN-LMOlGWzyUJw__rcuMe712DqnWPm4BDQHD7yxdQVDWt1x5LB4zXscN80arvgvfo4EHQYJHda/s1600/Camping+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Zl_KFFhxKEwSaTRopTu8yqi0wLGqz-_CHmuzBn-5RC5dpBfCTtaUrFP7aFLufOcN-LMOlGWzyUJw__rcuMe712DqnWPm4BDQHD7yxdQVDWt1x5LB4zXscN80arvgvfo4EHQYJHda/s320/Camping+1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uOAV04EcWq6ZtcOk7-I6puOkNFvJpxwlQJtJazwXebgQm56X8xmtRkEBRUZ_XIYXlCsgsOR599II1htwW9N5hgPmJme52DuFzaeGWRlO9Dce-20Jj3G9r9hA5qqCk-kZDfsaNBQF/s1600/camping+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uOAV04EcWq6ZtcOk7-I6puOkNFvJpxwlQJtJazwXebgQm56X8xmtRkEBRUZ_XIYXlCsgsOR599II1htwW9N5hgPmJme52DuFzaeGWRlO9Dce-20Jj3G9r9hA5qqCk-kZDfsaNBQF/s320/camping+4.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OJEMaBXbHqOJzWmCCD0h0h90kFB-QdC_GH_OotJ0FT1OXm3PsMIz3nVHctwYy0t7vFsJgzUbDSb3nDSrM_sqZx45YECYIGNIGKLtDY2Ky3YkAsuUep5UICilBi0cyXCvHl693kS2/s1600/camping+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OJEMaBXbHqOJzWmCCD0h0h90kFB-QdC_GH_OotJ0FT1OXm3PsMIz3nVHctwYy0t7vFsJgzUbDSb3nDSrM_sqZx45YECYIGNIGKLtDY2Ky3YkAsuUep5UICilBi0cyXCvHl693kS2/s320/camping+3.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-h8_toYr84CkaUFWnbEluoa4m-aDSQTkoI_1NXe3p8_lG5p6F0mQ7Sq2N703O2Atlk82xbl98-bPXIt3Q2vAy7HNVNnNX1kZzDrRqVST_LVB6CVmmtCkbbhaSB4smn0JExYqdxSH/s1600/camping+trip2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-h8_toYr84CkaUFWnbEluoa4m-aDSQTkoI_1NXe3p8_lG5p6F0mQ7Sq2N703O2Atlk82xbl98-bPXIt3Q2vAy7HNVNnNX1kZzDrRqVST_LVB6CVmmtCkbbhaSB4smn0JExYqdxSH/s320/camping+trip2.jpg" /></a></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-21455851888038829642010-05-11T14:59:00.000-07:002010-05-11T15:00:22.282-07:00HPHE annual Track Meet!<span style="color: #c27ba0;">This last Friday we had our annual track meet. It's something I usually always look forward too and enjoy every minute of it.I'm a very active person and enjoy the competitiveness of it. We practiced for about a month, then we had actual track meet. We had everything weather wise from, bright and sunny to, sunny and WINDY to, cool to, cool and windy to, rainy, cold and windy! It seem when track is in the picture there is NO happy medium. This was no exception. We practiced Thursday before the track meet and it was pretty gorgeous weather, yes it was HOT but there was no wind and when you consider what it could of been, it wasn't bad. I even got a little sunburned on my face. You know the saying that goes, if you don't like the weather in Kansas wait 5 minutes it'll change...we'll it came true, only it was in about a 12 to 24 hour period instead of 5 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">We woke up Friday morning to a VERY windy VERY cold Friday morning. It was about 30 degree's outside when we got to the track. We all were ice cubes after about 30 minutes of being out there. I was wearing a sweat shirt and a heavy fleece coat./jacket type thing and I was COLD!!!!!!! Both Jamie and Jami, along with Grandpa ( Jami's dad) was able to come watch most, if not all of her events before heading to work. Ryann was done by 11 with all 4 of her events and so Grandpa took her home after her last one was done. She did the 100 meter dash, the 50 meter dash, long jump and, soccer kick. She placed 4th in the hundred meter dash. We're not sure if she placed in anything else yet. They didn't do the best job announcing things over the loud speaker like they normally do.She did really good on all her events and it was a blast to get to watch her. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">I only did 3 events this year. I did the Long Jump, the relay and then the medley relay. My Long Jump was right before lunch, then I had nothing tell around 1:30 or so. I was running right into the wind for my long jump so I didn't place in my long jump. The wind really interfered with a lot of the events and nobody did that great, considering what they normally do. Our relay went pretty good.Not sure if we placed or not, but it was fun. Then we did our medley. For those of you that don't know what that is, it's a 4 person relay. The first 2 people each run a 200 meter. the 3rd person runs a 4 hundred mete, then the 4th person runs a 800 meter. I did ran the 2nd 200 meter. We didn't place, but we were the only girl team and that was the last race of the day, and a lot of us had already ran several races. We had fun, and in my opinion that's what counts. There was about 250 kids registered, and I'd say pretty much everybody showed up. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">Hopefully next year will be MUCH warmer. Like I said, seems like there is NEVER a happy medium, however, I'll take hot over cold any day. </span><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"> Everyone had fun, considering the weather and I'd call it another successful year. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">We're all looking forward to next year. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0;">Here are a few pictures of this years track meet. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wYo0T31RvWwfwekin_fEBEIphdQ3X6QmIkStrR2LA0B8FbZ5kq1mW4nnxnJyHJ208DAuzPsnTILLXmfDXufI9buhQz36LzMx1CiFsocyULNCs9z1iu0mDeoGpJAvPUWrpZGK7CZJ/s1600/Hphe+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wYo0T31RvWwfwekin_fEBEIphdQ3X6QmIkStrR2LA0B8FbZ5kq1mW4nnxnJyHJ208DAuzPsnTILLXmfDXufI9buhQz36LzMx1CiFsocyULNCs9z1iu0mDeoGpJAvPUWrpZGK7CZJ/s320/Hphe+1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsX5pgEFjxKoxV5ZlQbvs-qWLizm7HvGMy_1f-mUTiC1AlN7CYGHdqQuIuKXSLXnZAFdjubVdlqUCKBk3rvZJY3FQWJ0Em9M8FzQYMAeB7F9crih25Qq6KokC87UW0o65UTJsNlkP1/s1600/Hphe+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsX5pgEFjxKoxV5ZlQbvs-qWLizm7HvGMy_1f-mUTiC1AlN7CYGHdqQuIuKXSLXnZAFdjubVdlqUCKBk3rvZJY3FQWJ0Em9M8FzQYMAeB7F9crih25Qq6KokC87UW0o65UTJsNlkP1/s320/Hphe+2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KfcW7AsuGqGzdh-jNIe0vwrr3FGBz5eywPXaTcg2I4vJ0D471ItChWmxtD4nPffxhXMwIFMAC-uvWqc_YYR5FKiCArmgjTUrw7o-96yFZNzzyR0_0eOtEI5q4sSeQZJlgErX0x8w/s1600/hphe+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KfcW7AsuGqGzdh-jNIe0vwrr3FGBz5eywPXaTcg2I4vJ0D471ItChWmxtD4nPffxhXMwIFMAC-uvWqc_YYR5FKiCArmgjTUrw7o-96yFZNzzyR0_0eOtEI5q4sSeQZJlgErX0x8w/s320/hphe+3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nrbTNw1EPXtrKbZGk-dD1Ps3kEEv-Qzd4LNSZNdWbKF5PV9Cga_YO_vqw8Zqg1QyW7UdmTOvwBfm7Ux7CapFCM27AcZcBDaF94tKV5Eu9T6tdmYI9gWY2eZrGI-sSKJ7XXrIGH8K/s1600/hphe+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nrbTNw1EPXtrKbZGk-dD1Ps3kEEv-Qzd4LNSZNdWbKF5PV9Cga_YO_vqw8Zqg1QyW7UdmTOvwBfm7Ux7CapFCM27AcZcBDaF94tKV5Eu9T6tdmYI9gWY2eZrGI-sSKJ7XXrIGH8K/s320/hphe+4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZo8cDiDBaCY3dO_udH-Jwl6GqrDeIdq9qv_qawWMTx4xByD4mWKCaad_xRvFh8DzpZW7CZTvqOpjzmcyOuytNtRoXXiXIvDVdSRRICd4UNzcufdEhklsg2bf8wPfLOK93wNs00pLt/s1600/hphe6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZo8cDiDBaCY3dO_udH-Jwl6GqrDeIdq9qv_qawWMTx4xByD4mWKCaad_xRvFh8DzpZW7CZTvqOpjzmcyOuytNtRoXXiXIvDVdSRRICd4UNzcufdEhklsg2bf8wPfLOK93wNs00pLt/s320/hphe6.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaaZ0-YM4m1QvsKs0U0jL-bqzL1UzxTzTL4D6c0gF6A6XLHWZum1Y0XrqXe-U-a5RggeL3Qxn1jUHtFgLXkqr7BllhffJruP0hXU9p8KUjRPO6cigHzYwIFMRqvjrIloYANV_x6s0/s1600/hphe7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaaZ0-YM4m1QvsKs0U0jL-bqzL1UzxTzTL4D6c0gF6A6XLHWZum1Y0XrqXe-U-a5RggeL3Qxn1jUHtFgLXkqr7BllhffJruP0hXU9p8KUjRPO6cigHzYwIFMRqvjrIloYANV_x6s0/s320/hphe7.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #c27ba0;"> </span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-82826609367268901682010-05-03T19:12:00.000-07:002010-05-03T19:12:35.752-07:00This past weekend-- From Bible Bowl to a quick trip to St John/Stafford.This last weekend was one of the most craziest, busiest, tiring, stressful and greatest weekends in a while.<br />
We had our monthly Bible Bowl tournaments for this year. We left Friday afternoon around 3 and got to Denver about 10. So not horrible, but bad enough. Me, Hannah, Heidi, Tillie, and Melody ended up getting to stay at the same host home which was fun. It was our coach's daughters house which was really cool. I played B team this month in Division 1. It was Hannah, Tillie, Eric and my self. This was the first month we got Eric on our team and there is never a dull moment with him on your team. He is the most amazing kid ever!. We placed 4th, which I didn't think was too bad. I was pretty pleased. Considering its the whole years material worth, so about 5 books worth. I hadn't studied like I should, so we only got 5th in top brain average, but I was just happy we placed. We were all pretty pleased. Helped us to see what we needed to work on for Nationals and college tournaments, for those who are going. Since it was the senior month, they do all sorts of fun things throughout the day, like a seniors verses sponsors game. That is always very entertaining to watch and of course the seniors won..;o). They also do seniors questions, which is where 2 of the rounds are not timed and all of the lead in questions are about the seniors. That is always a lot of fun, and very entertaining. It's especially hilarious when your playing the seniors that the Q happens to be about ;o) LOL. Then during awards they have all the seniors come up front and the coach of the sponsor reads them a blessing, lets just say there isn't a dry eye in the room by the time they're done. It's neat to see how close the coach is to "their kids" and just give them that few minutes to say thanks and good luck or whatever.<br />
This is probably the hardest, yet best tournament out of all of them. We left the church around 5 Kansas time. We stopped in Limon and ate supper, we did pizza hut this time, which is always a favorite for all of us. We got back to Garden around midnight or so. By the time we got the trailer unloaded, coolers unpacked and all that fun stuff done, it was probably about 1 when we finally got home, closer to 1:30 by the time I got to bed. It had been an extremely long weekend already and I was exhausted. I had to be up by 5:30 at the very latest that next morning, or in this case that morning LOL.<br />
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Michael was to speak at both St John and Stafford Sunday morning. He was speaking in Stafford in the morning, and we ate lunch with them real quick and enjoyed fellowship with them before we had to rush over the St John and give the same speech. I do admit my stress level for St John was pretty high but not as bad I expected it to be. Though I dreaded seeing everyone, it wasn't as bad I thought it would be. We got to see Ami afterward. It was great to see her again and only made it harder to leave. I must admit though that it was complete torture to be right there in Stafford and not get to see my " other" family :( it about killed me.<br />
We got home around 6 or so. I was literally beyond the exhaustion mark. I haven't been that tired in a really long time LOL. 4 hours of sleep was just not cutting it LOL.<br />
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It was a very long weekend but it was also a very fun, great weekend. What did you do this weekend??Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-77228428461953212232010-04-19T11:45:00.000-07:002010-04-19T11:45:07.960-07:00Having a True God Written Love Story!!!One thing I have really been struggling with lately is putting things in Gods hands and letting Him take control. One of the big things is relationships, and yes, I'm talking about boy/girl relationships. I will be 18 in November and have never, at this point anyway, been in a relationship of any kind. I've had several crushes and have even *gasp* been asked out, but really didn't have an interest. That is until recently. Several of my friends now have boyfriends and several went to prom. In the day and age we live in it's hard not to want one. Everybody has one, and in a way you're looked down on if you don't have one. Not so much me, since I'm home schooled, but I know that if I was in the public school system it'd be much harder. In today's society it's much harder to be single as you get older and not be looked down on, then it might of been 10, 20, even 30 years ago. Teen pregnancy is through the roof and not just in the High School, but the middle schools as well. I am reading this book called "When God Writes Your Love Story" that I borrowed from a friend. I'm not very far into it and it's already changed my life in a way. I've read another book from these same authors called "When dreams come true" and that one was just as good! It's talking about how we need to give God the "pen" to our story and let him be the author and let him have full control over it. We don't normally think of God as the romantic type but He is very much so!! He wants to be in control and if we let Him, He'll write us a beautiful love story. It's amazing to think that He has someone already picked out for us, that is our perfect match. In this book it talks about how we should be faithful NOW to whoever he or she might be, long before we even meet that perfect someone. That we should act like our future spouse is watching our every move and would he/she be proud of how we act towards other girls/guys or would he/she be ashamed and upset that we haven't been faithful to them, even though we have NO idea who they are. It really makes you think...most of us don't give much thought of how we act towards other girls/guys. We need to take into consideration that they have a perfect someone out there waiting for them and would they be proud and cheering you and her on for how your both acting towards each other. It really makes you think. Most of us think that as long as were not having sex before marriage we're good. Right? We'll yes and no! Most of us like to push the limit on how far can we go without getting too far! How close we can get to the line without actually crossing it, and that's just the society we live in. They have made it where it's OK...when in reality it's not! Not in God's eye, which is the One we should be striving to please with our every move. Even though I don't have a boy friend right now, nor do I plan to anytime soon, I want to start being faithful to him now, and hand God the "pen" to my love story and let him write me a beautiful story. I can start by praying for him, and my hope and prayer is that he ( whoever he might be) is doing the same about me. The authors of this amazing book are great examples on this. They both had many relationships before they met each other, and before they fully handed God the "pen" to their story, they had to learn hard lessons. Leslie ( one of the authors and the wife to an amazing guy) thought that just as long as she wasn't sleeping around and going too far physically she was fine, when in reality she wasn't! She got so obsessed with having a boyfriend and got so attached both physically and emotionally and she would literally pour her heart and mind out to each and every guy she dated whether the "relationship" lasted 3 months or 3 days. Then when it would come to an end ( and as she puts it-- it always did) she about couldn't handle the emotional trauma she'd go though. To avoid feeling that way, she would jump right into the next relationship as soon as possible and then turn around and do it all over again. She got tired of feeling that way after each break up and realized that this was ridiculous. Why not put it in God's hand and let him take control! Right after she let God take control over the "pen" she started to have doubts and worries...does God really care about something as little as this, does He really want to be the one to pick your future mate...and can we trust God enough to let Him have control over something as precious as this area of our life? Certainly, and not only does God care, but He wants to be the one in control and he wants you to trust him, with EVERY area of our life, not just this area! After all He created you and knows you better then you know yourself, and He already has the perfect mate picked out for us. Not only that, but He is already shaping and molding that special someone we are to marry someday, to be the perfect spouse that will one day be our husband or wife. I get goose bumps every time I think about it. I mean how cool is it to think that He has everything under control and we can just sit back and enjoy the ride, so to speak. He already has a beautiful love story written for us and all He needs is the go ahead to "publish" it and truly make it ours. One thing that I know a lot of us are thinking is that "is there such a guy out there"? Is there a guy that truly cares about the fact we've been faithful to him long before we knew him and is he doing the same for us? I mean lets face it girls, guys don't think the way we do. They can be in a relationship and not get emotionally attached like we do to every single relationship were in! They are visual people and the way we dress and act around them can make them have less than pure thoughts. In today's society they have made it OK to show off as much skin as possible and let everything hang out and not give it a second thought, where as guys, the first thing on their minds is what's underneath. Sad but true. <br />
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I read another book here while back called "Boy Meets Girl". Same author to" I Kissed Dating Goodbye".<br />
There both really good books and they bring out a lot of great points! It has a lot of the same stuff that, "When God Writes Your Love Story" does. The only thing I don't agree with in "Boy Meets Girl" or "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" is that it's pretty much saying that you should court not date. I'm not sure I agree with that. The actual term dating isn't wrong, it's what happens during the relationship that makes it bad! You can date and have a pure, God- centered relationship. Just as you can court and leave God out of the entire thing and do anything you want both physically and emotionally! So, to me, it's not what you call it, it's what you do during the relationship that counts. I'm not saying you shouldn't court. If you feel that's what you should do, then that's great I'm all for it. Just don't turn around and tell me I'm doing something wrong because I'm dating and not courting! In my opinion, as long as your doing everything God has called you to, that's all that matters. Some people may disagree! That's their right and I'm not here to say they're wrong. I'm just asking that you don't tell me I'm wrong for my thinking on this.<br />
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One of the chapters in the book I'm reading now, "When God Writes Your Love Story" is about singleness, can the sweeter song be a solo? It's just talking about how some people think that your not a whole person until you have a husband or wife. Which isn't the case! You're very much a whole person, and we need to enjoy singleness as much as possible before we're married and devoted to one person for life. Once you're married your whole life revolves around one person and you can't just go out with friends and have time for your self like you could when you were single. Not to mention there may be a ministry that God is calling you to while your single that you may not be able to do for some reason after you're married. Leslie starts off this chapter with a story about how she was able to minister to young girls that have been in a hurtful relationship and she was able to really spend time with them and counsel them, since she had been in a few similar relationships her self. Had she not been single or had she been so focused on finding someone and settle down, she wouldn't of gotten that great chance to minister to younger girls and she is very thankful she didn't miss out on that. Though God has designed us to want to settle down and get married, we should still enjoy our season of singleness and not be so miserable and set on finding someone that we miss out on an opportunity that God may be calling us too.<br />
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Is there such a thing as Prince Charming? Is there really a guy out there, in this day and age, that truly cares whether or not I keep my self pure and remain faithful to him long before I even know him? I believe the answer to this is yes! I believe that there really is a guy out there waiting for you, keeping him self pure as well, and has given God the "pen" to his love story as well. It may not seem like it in this day and age. There are so many guys out there and seems like all they care about is going too far physically and no longer have feelings for us. They're ready to move on and find someone else! While meanwhile your left sitting there feeling hurt/used and deserted. You gave him your whole heart and all he really cared about was "using" you. Believe it or not, not all guys are "jerks" as it may seem!! Their really are godly guys out there that want to save them selves purely for marriage and want to remain faithful to their future wives. In one of the chapters, they ask a number of Godly guys what their opinion is of easy girls, Their reply was:<br />
It's disgusting<br />
A total turn off<br />
Totally unattractive<br />
so on and so on.<br />
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They were then asked what they thought of girls who are careful about guarding her heart and emotions? Their responses were:<br />
I have the utmost respect for a girl like that<br />
That's the kind of girl I want to marry<br />
If I'm interested in a girl, it may be frustrating if she doesn't fall for me right away, but deep down I am all the more intrigued by the challenge of winning her heart.<br />
These are real responses from real men. Believe it or not girls, there truly are guys out there that care and truly value a women that will completely save herself for marriage and not try to cross the line.<br />
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I'm not saying that the first guy I date will be the one I marry, If that happens great but I'm not going to go into the relationship thinking that because chances are that's not going to happen. I don't want to put him ( whoever he is) not to mention myself under that kind of pressure. To me that's setting your self up for failure. If your so set on the fact that this will be the only guy I date and he will one day be my husband, that's in a way just asking for trouble because he may not be the guy that God has in mind for you! If you get so focused on one guy you can start to loose focus on whats really important, and that is keeping God not only the center of your relationship but letting him have control over every area during the relationship and if meant to be during your marriage together. I once heard someone say that it doesn't just take 2 in marriage, it takes 3. What they're meaning is that, if you don't let God have total control over every aspect of your relationship then your not going to have a healthy relationship!! Gods not going to bless you and your future spouse if you don't invite him in and say, Your in control, what you says goes.<br />
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Another thing that Eric/Leslie ( author's of "When God writes your love story" mentions in their book is that, you need to have your whole family involved in your " love life". I agree completely with this statement. I have seen it first hand, when they didn't have the parents approval from day one and let's just say that needless to say that marriage didn't last. Not only did it not last but it was a miserable marriage. Their not saying that you need to have them involved in every single part of it, however the more the better. Our parents know us better then anybody else (except God) and if they're having any kind of doubts or concerns about whoever we're dating, then we need to at least listen to what they have to say, and what their concerns may be. In one of the chapters in this book, Leslie talks about how her and Eric were best friends before they had any kind of romantic relationship. Eric felt like they were spending too much time together and that it was possibly hurting the future of each others spouses. Without really thinking about what he saying, he blurted out that he needed to talk to Leslie's dad, she responded, yeah you do. That talk between Eric and his future's wife's dad changed his life. Eric was planning on telling him that he felt like he needed to step back from the relationship and quite spending quite so much time together. His response was far from what Eric expected. His response was, if you feel you need to do that we understand, however just know that if you ever feel you want to pursue a relationship with our daughter you have our full blessing. You can imagine the shock there. A few months later, he did indeed start a relationship with Leslie and within a few weeks after that, he started feeling like that God was telling him that this was his future wife. He couldn't imagine life with anybody else. He had yet another talk with her Dad, told him what he thought God was telling him. His response was again shocking. He said, Eric God has been telling me for some time that you were to someday be Leslie's husband and we can't imagine her marrying anybody else. WOW! What a response! Read this and then tell me that this wasn't a match made in heaven. It excites me to think that God has such a plan in place for me one day.<br />
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He wants us to have "team mates" involved in our relationship with our future mate, Someone to just help give us a different view, What we need to work on, if we're going "too far" in one area, someone that can give us Godly insight during the relationship. Guess what? We have built in team mates that know us better then anyone else..Our parents!!! They want to be involved and God wants them to be involved.<br />
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I admit that reading this book ( and I'm not finished) has made me get more excited and and anxious over the thought of getting married someday, however, I'm not in any hurry and am enjoying each and everyday that I get to be single.<br />
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The most awesome "wedding ceremony" has yet to take place! No type of wedding ceremony, no matter how big or gorgeous or perfect it may be, will be able to compare to the one that's yet to take place, and that is the one that will happen when we get to Heaven. We are the Bride of Christ and we get to experience a beautiful, gorgeous "wedding" so to speak when we get there, and finally get to spend eternity with the one who loves us more then anyone else could possibly comprehend or imagine. WOW! Does that not just make you get all giddy and super duper excited and anxious to spend eternity with this amazing Father of ours?<br />
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When you entrust the "pen" of your life to the Great Author of romance and learn how to love with extravagance, you wont just be humming the praises of God for a life time, but you will be singing the "sweeter song" for all of eternity.<br />
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God is longing to write your love story- a love story far beyond the most incredible fairy tale ever written. Will you give him the pen today?<br />
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If you want to do some further reading, here are a few books that I highly recommend.<br />
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*When God Writes Your Love Story* by- Eric & Leslie Ludy<br />
*When Dreams Come True* by- Eric & Leslie Ludy<br />
*I Kiss Dating Goodbye* By- Josh Harrison<br />
*Boy Meets Girl* By- Josh Harrison<br />
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Another one that I've heard is really good is * authentic Beauty* by Leslie Ludy.<br />
I haven't actually read it my self but have heard that it's an amazing book! Hoping to get the chance to read it my-self very very soon!!!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-68670278849971538092010-04-17T17:34:00.000-07:002010-04-19T11:50:51.757-07:00~ Bible Bowl~Not this coming weekend, but the weekend following that, we'll have our last monthly Bible Bowl tournament for this year. It's definitely a mixed feeling. Sad and in a way depressed that it's already almost over for this year, yet happy relieved and can't wait for it to be over. Over all it's been a pretty good year. We've had our ups and downs but mostly ups. At the end of this year, I'll have been in for not quite 2 years. It's been some of the best 2 years of my life. Though it's a lot of work and you have to really be devoted, it's totally worth it when your able to show up at the tournaments and take first in your division and make it in to the top 20. However, that is not what it's completely about, though that's something awesome to work for and it's an amazing family when you go and excel, but, if your not applying it to your everyday life, then no amount of studying is really worth it, if it's going in one ear and out the other. We need to not only memorize the material, we need to apply it to everyday life. That is something our coach will drill into you for hours. She doesn't care the amount of ribbons we bring home, or how we did on the top brain, I mean yes she cares, but not like she does when were applying it or not applying it to everyday life. Most people think that since I'm home schooled I have endless amounts of time to study, um.. not exactly. Yes I may have more time then your average high schooler that is involved in every single sport out there and make them selves busy every min of every day, but, if they really wanted to study and do well, they'd make the time. I don't have the amount of time that they may think I do. I still have my school to get done everyday, and I have kids all day. Which leaves the evenings, and that really doesn't leave much time unless I don't spend any time with my family, or I get to bed really really late, neither one is good. it's not easy trying to juggle all that but so far it hasn't been too bad I guess. Though I am sad it's getting ready to end, I'm also kinda relived and looking forward to a little bit of a break. I wont have anything tell the end of June/first part of July, which will be really nice.<br />
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The last tournament of the year is what we call "Senior Month". All the lead ins to the questions are about the seniors, and we have the seniors verses sponsors game which is always a ton of fun and hilarious to watch. During awards at the end, they have all the seniors stand up there and they say what their future plans are, and what is their favorite bible bowl memory is. Then the coach to each seniors awards them with a "blessing" and just gives them last words of encouragement and things like that. It's really neat, and there wasn't a dry eye in the room last year. I'm really looking forward to this tournament and can't wait to hear what some of the questions are.<br />
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The way Mrs Z does it, not all teams are set, but the first 3 or 4 normally are pretty set. I play B team with 2 other girls, sometimes she'll add a 4th player just depending on the month. For the most part it's been an amazing team to play with and we've really connected and work well together. We quote amazingly well together and that's one thing that really helps us out, due to that were able to get most of our bonus points, which is were a lot of the points are.<br />
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Last month was a little rough,but not bad! Tillie ( our main, strong player out of us 3) wasn't able to make it, due to other things. It had been a crazy month for several of us and neither Hannah or I had really studied like we should of. Since Tillie wasn't able to make it, Mrs Z put Carrie and Rebekah on our team. Carrie was our life savior! She had studied more then us and knew her stuff pretty well, however, this was her first time in division 1 so it was a little over whelming for her. We only won 2 games during the whole day! We should of moved down, but due to a miracle we were able to stay up. It was a hard, exhausting day both physically and emotionally but we made the most of it and tried to just have fun! I was able to buzz in more then I have in the past which was fun. I also placed 18th in the top 20, which was super exciting! We also got most Christ like,which according to Mrs Z, the highest award we could ever receive so we were excited and that helped lift our spirits a little. though it was a rough weekend, it was also a pretty good weekend over all. Had a lot of laughs and made a lot of memories.<br />
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We're planning on making up for it this next tournament. We'll have Tillie back and it's review which is bad, but it also will be nice to not have to learn anything new this month. <br />
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Bible bowl in a way has changed my life. I have met some amazing people and grew closer to the ones I already knew. I have been able to have some great experience through it and see places and do things I wouldn't of gotten to do, had I not been in Bible bowl.It's been amazing. God has really blessed me in these last 2 years. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPmtEhtgLY2EGXJ_pf2AhipJlltRfG1mpoVOxiHEtkkVELa6EYtP43aGGo8LJ2xGaQ3-yKDviv3aN_E5d4i3oLViy9_cb-sTjnK34riMnYhelB-58cEWw4NEVlyCVYRRRamw_-BRY/s1600/The+whole+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPmtEhtgLY2EGXJ_pf2AhipJlltRfG1mpoVOxiHEtkkVELa6EYtP43aGGo8LJ2xGaQ3-yKDviv3aN_E5d4i3oLViy9_cb-sTjnK34riMnYhelB-58cEWw4NEVlyCVYRRRamw_-BRY/s320/The+whole+group.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLmHejt_M0pH015rrz-i3MuHtocLdMGwPr1o9QG2wJhUZ-FnRFx72ivrPvHe-ugIb_F4giX_g24aU6iAOPoApa-06_h1_5i9p_vZYpKxEHY1igJsN53My_I7znWpJg1j3t14RZiG-/s1600/Bible+bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLmHejt_M0pH015rrz-i3MuHtocLdMGwPr1o9QG2wJhUZ-FnRFx72ivrPvHe-ugIb_F4giX_g24aU6iAOPoApa-06_h1_5i9p_vZYpKxEHY1igJsN53My_I7znWpJg1j3t14RZiG-/s320/Bible+bowl.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-YHscOOBX9HGMdfwWbPeHy9YoqH6qYEzqGhgg3nwHNSVrg99WVM_dLB-to_qEKO5xNIKSydVVqZuEVHMmo4LsPtZp95UsNKG2s5-b2JxttUQj0BcsufNMYgh56teIntesc0NUvgg/s1600/bible+bowl+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-YHscOOBX9HGMdfwWbPeHy9YoqH6qYEzqGhgg3nwHNSVrg99WVM_dLB-to_qEKO5xNIKSydVVqZuEVHMmo4LsPtZp95UsNKG2s5-b2JxttUQj0BcsufNMYgh56teIntesc0NUvgg/s320/bible+bowl+1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCp0Ml4UhKfQxY2ommX2q612kNLJmLRaJypNnXyn6yWhtbdu7kOYrwPwydbFSx-IfHJ6bMnjAG6L31cTGIyKgCE01fBak77EqUd3P3qA3-g3W3HTDsxr_a0vXhTetBZTQDJ8WF_Zs/s1600/Bible+bowl+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCp0Ml4UhKfQxY2ommX2q612kNLJmLRaJypNnXyn6yWhtbdu7kOYrwPwydbFSx-IfHJ6bMnjAG6L31cTGIyKgCE01fBak77EqUd3P3qA3-g3W3HTDsxr_a0vXhTetBZTQDJ8WF_Zs/s320/Bible+bowl+2.jpg" /></a></div>Please feel free to comment or Facebook me if you have any questions concerning this post.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-56349305105458762072010-04-13T15:10:00.000-07:002010-04-13T15:12:25.229-07:00Happy Birthday Heidi Elizabeth!!! I love you!!Today, <span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"my" Sister Heidi turns 5!!! I'm not sure where those 5 years have gone! I'll tell you one thing though, these 5 years have been some of the best years of my life!! I can't describe what kind of joy having her in my life brings! She always has a smile and a huge bear hug waiting for you! We call her our Heidi Bear, which fits quite well, she is either a cuddly teddy bear or a grouchy don't mess with me or you might get "bit" kind of bear. I can't help but feel happy and sad at the same time! Happy that she has made it this far and has grown into a beautiful young girl striving to please God each and everyday, but sad that she is no longer our adorable blond curly headed toddler that it seems like just yesterday she was! We have had more th</span>en <span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">our share of scares with her, she got extremely sick when she was about 14 or so months old ( can't remember for sure) her fever spiked to 104 and 105 and was very lethargic, needless to say they ended up in the ER that evening, at which point her fever had spiked to a 106, after a ice bath and IV's they finally got it back down. That was the scariest night ever! She had lost a lot of weight which she never really gained back! We have pictures of her swaddled in the bouncy seat at 13 to 14 months old! She wasn't much bigger then her brand new baby brother ( who's birth weight was right around 10 pounds) It didn't take long before Noah had "outgrown" his older sister period. I remember being asked more then once when they just a little bit older, if they were twins, Which we would then reply NO, and believe it or not Heidi is older! I few of them you could tell didn't believe us at first! They are not quite 13 months months apart. After Noah was born, I got close, I mean REALLY close to this family! I spent just about every waking moment out there and even spent the night more then once! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Heidi has always been that one that when she gets sick, she gets SICk!!! so we try to keep her in and away from anything, during sick season! We have ended up in the ER more then once in her 5 years of age. She is also our accident prone one. At the age of 3, we had our first broken bone. She jumped off the table and broke her wrist! She was so proud of that cast too, it cracked us up how much she loved that cast. We also had a scare with an horrible allergic reaction, I got the phone call that evening after everything was some what back to normal. We think she was bit by something but were not entirely sure, what exactly set her off. Whatever it was was BAD!!! She was very lethargic by the time they got to the ER. Because of such a several reaction and all the medication they had to give her she had to be seen by her<br />
pediatrician the following day, So Betty and I with all 5 kids head to Great Bend, the following morning! What was supposed to be a quick trip the pediatrician turned into a crazy hectic, very comical "road trip" so to to speak. We get there and find out that she has to be seen by the allergist in Hutch and not only that we have to be there before 3 or 4. It's a good 2 to 3 hours from Great bend to Hutch, By now its pushing 11:00, 11:30, none of us had eaten and we needed gas because that last thing we wanted to run out. I call mom to feel her in that umm..we wouldn't be home for a while and we weren't sure what was going to exactly! We get to the Gas Station and Betty gets out to fill up and I all the sudden hear, meow, meow, meow...I was like OK..there is NO WAY I'm hearing what I think I'm hearing! At this point Betty is done filling up and think she hears the same thing so we get out and look under the van,don't see anything and decide that we must be hearing things! She calls Brad to try to figure out if there is a different rout to Hutch, without having to drive clear back to Stafford and take that rout. There is so we figure that out, still not entirely sure where were going, and we have kids complaining they're hungry! We all were, but were on such a time crunch, were just trying to survive! We finally get out of Great, not entirely sure that were on the right road. We see a sign for Hutch and can finally relax that were at least on the right road! We go through like 6 different counties and I lost count on the amount of towns! We find one that has a wendys and we decide to stop for lunch real quick! Just for the record, going into a restaurant with 5 kids is never quick! However considering the amount of the time they've been in a van at this point, they were all really really good and things went pretty smoothly!! We finally get to Hutch and to the Allergist in time..barley but in time! Everything goes pretty smoothly at the allergist, we get in and out pretty quickly, they run some test to try to figure out what set her off. Come to find she is allergic to tree nuts, and possibly bee stings! They can't do a whole lot today, but they're were going to run more test later! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Ha ha, we come out of the office, and find that our van was surrounded by people and we hear, MEOW, MEOW, MEOW really really loud! Me and Betty look at each other and just about die laughing! Betty's like ..please tell me that my van is not meowing, does it fly too? I just about die of laughter again! We get over to it and I put kids in the van why Betty tries to figure out where the mysterious meowing is coming from.I get kids in buckled in car seats and go to help Betty try to figure out where the kittens are, if there are any! We finally figure out that it's coming from under the hood, we pop the hood and there sitting under the hood were two, only about 3 or 4 week old kittens! They were drenched in radiator fluid, we get them and wash them off with some water and put them in a swans ice cream bucket. Were at the point it's either laugh or cry. We call Brad and tell him what we found, he dies of laughter and thinks were crazy at first! We convince him that we really did find 2 kittens! LOL, We still need to run to Wal-mart. It's well over 80 degree's out and we know we can't leave them in the van, but at the same time we can't leave me and kids in the van in the heat! So we decide that it's better to risk leaving kittens with windows down then to leave all of us with the kittens. It turned out OK. I don't think I'll ever forget this day! I still laugh when I think about it!! This is one of the things I love most about this family is that there is NEVER a dull moment!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">That is just one of the many adventures I've been able to experience with this amazing family! </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">We are now super careful with what Heidi eats. Absolutely NO tree nuts. Were even a little weary of letting her play outside during the summer, just because of fear of her getting bit by a bee or wasp, we always have an epi-pen with us and ready to use. We all know how to use it and never go anywhere without one! We have a little tag that ties to her shoe string, alerting others to her allergy, and we always leave an epi-pen with whoever is in charge, if were not there!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Heidi is the most easy going, full of life and energy 4 ( now 5) year old I know. Her smile will bright up the entire room. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">You may hear us call her "cookie pickle". That was her form of "Name calling" when she was about 3 or 4 and mad at her Daddy! We couldn't help but laugh, and it just kinda stuck!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">She is and always will be our cookie pickle! She will do anything to keep up with her older brother and sisters and don't you dare tell her she can't do something, because she will find a way! </span><br />
I <span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">hate the fact that I'm missing out on so much of her growing up. I miss them all terribly and am anxiously counting down the days till June, when I get to spend almost if not a week!!! I am her Sarah as she puts it. I love hearing her call me that!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">She is the sweetest, most adorable 5 year old I know, and they all mean the world to me. I miss getting my hugs and kisses from her and the rest</span> of <span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">them.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzdmtkw-Js6dw5UozquCmu2qhzaMutsGTTYNylsosN_0gUHlqG-E4IAn0Cl5xQ-u94QgSrW1Q5pwXpg0Xb4eT4k729QMQpSMeUPpby7zEmgC3K36d-mDQ6T3VKHNGX4o1PTsL97uP/s1600/hannah9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Happy Birthday, Heidi!!! Today your 5, may your day be filled with many wonderful blessings. Looking forward to getting to watch you change and grow from a adorable, loving 5 year old, to a beautiful young lady, striving to please God each and every day!! I love and miss you and can't wait to see you in June, if not before!! You are such a beautiful young girl. Your parents are SOOO lucky to have you as their daught</span>er!!! <span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">looking forward to many more wonderful Birthdays! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Fun at the State Fair!!! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuP6RisDk-2J35W0qNZB5wq802dXyvAU18dt2DsXz38O27uLtahaMul35xxPysM9MNs9H_H2avVmVcLyLKdUakq2d4vF39cDYm0AEDkaRJ3oUea5lQKdNf0yV3oSFWM5YsZcFfBLr/s1600/heidi%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBniH042vUuM02xU1-aL1duOdER5JlzczuPhITXtEID96v0YtdS8S2egeI-5RWSjN-2n4jjiXm8P385CSYtbQYvI1ZDU-xAuRBatESDsr0IU-FLC8vHAY6a_Ps9QW9hrL9p0gEU4OM/s1600/heidi9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBniH042vUuM02xU1-aL1duOdER5JlzczuPhITXtEID96v0YtdS8S2egeI-5RWSjN-2n4jjiXm8P385CSYtbQYvI1ZDU-xAuRBatESDsr0IU-FLC8vHAY6a_Ps9QW9hrL9p0gEU4OM/s320/heidi9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
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</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuP6RisDk-2J35W0qNZB5wq802dXyvAU18dt2DsXz38O27uLtahaMul35xxPysM9MNs9H_H2avVmVcLyLKdUakq2d4vF39cDYm0AEDkaRJ3oUea5lQKdNf0yV3oSFWM5YsZcFfBLr/s1600/heidi%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuP6RisDk-2J35W0qNZB5wq802dXyvAU18dt2DsXz38O27uLtahaMul35xxPysM9MNs9H_H2avVmVcLyLKdUakq2d4vF39cDYm0AEDkaRJ3oUea5lQKdNf0yV3oSFWM5YsZcFfBLr/s320/heidi%203.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrPZQB-_NHtofBTPr7XvEdawIPDUEQ-Kwue0gcf-OGdVjOsVFLz8BE7sHxHdO6sQ-5qkh2fhxxuanqMhgrwSFYFlKakzYDlfhvR6lQssdMmOlYOGZLv6wwg1f1O6t3lgcoTHpnjI-/s1600/heidi%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrPZQB-_NHtofBTPr7XvEdawIPDUEQ-Kwue0gcf-OGdVjOsVFLz8BE7sHxHdO6sQ-5qkh2fhxxuanqMhgrwSFYFlKakzYDlfhvR6lQssdMmOlYOGZLv6wwg1f1O6t3lgcoTHpnjI-/s320/heidi%205.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExdh3TLFLcSGFI88-2lZKB598y-S9vvjMzceqKt_XubGYJ2H1xR0dRXaSu0EbGLZq4SsqXnH2iwTCYO8fgDkfnsKNFk_1QWLPuwVECXE2M6FfywWCUcqS0Wb7HGk9obVw3s-FjFyR/s1600/heidi%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExdh3TLFLcSGFI88-2lZKB598y-S9vvjMzceqKt_XubGYJ2H1xR0dRXaSu0EbGLZq4SsqXnH2iwTCYO8fgDkfnsKNFk_1QWLPuwVECXE2M6FfywWCUcqS0Wb7HGk9obVw3s-FjFyR/s320/heidi%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs87xf8rJPlmEbxr1GduKTpqAbbf09EiGIBgHnuIoMTzSV4ClaO7ps8UpIE0DgOxm42EVOVNlAStkGb34rGYsn8O18a5ZKV5VZBKxN1N4tS85EBKRlRCEH6k2jNlGoeKzuwSZmGBPA/s1600/Heid%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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</a></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-37105867438579442272010-04-05T14:49:00.000-07:002010-04-05T14:49:19.784-07:00Active and loving it!<span style="color: #a64d79;"> I've always been pretty active! I enjoy most sports, Soccer, track, Volley ball, etc. </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;">When we lived in St John I really didn't get much chance to do any sports and I missed it!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"> In November of 08, we moved back to Garden! It was an adjustment being back after being gone for not quite 4 years! We jumped right back into the big home school group and they all welcomed us back with open arms! </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;">I was excited about being back in the big group that did sports! They had the track meet and soccer tournament once a year! We also did PE once a week at Coop! We had the best PE coach ever!!!! She was fun, out going, and a blast to be around! She turned something that most people dread into something that we ALL looked forward to every week! I also became good friends with her daughter and we started doing sport related things together, along with other things! ;o) I had always thought that Volly Ball looked fun but had never really gotten the chance to play, that is until several months ago when my best friend asked me to play with her and her mom, dad, and several other people! I was hesitant at first! I really didn't know what I was doing and didn't want to make a fool of my self! Finally after lots of convincing, she talked me into it! That was the best 6 or 8 ( cant remember for sure)weeks of my life!! I learned a lot and had a blast doing it!!! </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;"> I miss playing and hope to get the chance to again SOON!! Thanks to this same friend, I also got the chance to play tennis!! I had always thought it looked like fun but never got the chance!!!! that is some of the most fun I've ever had!!! Can't wait to play again, now that it's getting warmer out and staying light longer.</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;"> We also here recently started track! I about didn't do it due to some things that happend but decided to go ahead and try! I am very glad I did!! It has been a great way to get in shape and have a pretty good time doing it! It has also motivated me to start running on my own! I have felt a lot better since I've started running! Though it still kills me to run more then once around the track, I'm getting there and It's becoming easier!! I love running and just about can't get enough of it! Me and a good friend hope to start getting the chance to run together some this spring/summer!!! It makes it much more enjoyable when your running with somebody, especially your best friend! ;o) It always is a great way to vent anger or just think and clear your head! Even spend some personal one on one time with your heavenly father! I can't describe the feeling I get during and after I run! It's a like a release from anything and everything that might have happend that day! </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;">We had track practice today, and though I am definitely feeling it tonight and will for a few days! It was great!! I got the chance to catch up with a friend and get some great exercise at the same time! Yes I am tired, and yes I am sore but I also feel the best after I run! </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;"> <br />
We're going to Colorado this weekend to see dads side of the family, and I'm hoping to get the chance to run in the open country! I love running in town but there's nothing like getting to run in the middle of no where once in a while. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;">I'm also looking forward to getting to swim this summer and get some exercise that way! That allows me to get a great workout and also spend some great time with the kiddo's! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">You don't just have to run to get in shape either!! Walking is just as much effective and you can talk easier when you walk, rather then run if your with a friend! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"> Even playing tag or soccer or anything like that with your kiddo's outside, or maybe go the the Zoo or park. There's many ways to be and stay active and have a blast doing it!! If your doing something with your kid's that helps me to be and stay active as well! I know from first hand what a couch potato can be like and It's not good! My 5 yo that I watch would much rather watch Tv, play her DS, or play on the computer then go do something active outside! I've had to make her several times and though me she might through a fit, once she gets outside she has an absolute blast, whether It's riding her bike, me swinging her, playing a game of tag, or soccer. Either way we always have a ton of fun and I just about can't make her come inside when It's time to come inside!! Her baby sister on the other hand is a different story! She can't get enough time outside and will throw an absolute fit when It's time to come inside, and don't you dare try to bring her inside before everybody else! I have a feeling we will be spending 80 to 90% of the summer outside! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Though I my self am not much of an outside person, I'm getting better and getting to the point where I prefer to be outside when it's nice out, rather then be inside! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">I'm sure I will have tons more to write as the summer goes on! But for know this is it!</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;">I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!!</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;">If you have any idea's you'd like to share! please leave a comment or facebook me :) </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;"> 200 meter dash!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtuCExwoUIrD0F9_JPoGmdLxXU2nAjQq70CZhOJ71uzEhkq7tsv4GsMWp-8cYy7YcSwlObmWlLPi4UWT_-YMeIHoJepvPcb40OIJT0KaoM5NFx8J2A83ZlPFHdMF84vQTIPx2qySZ/s1600-h/me%20running.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtuCExwoUIrD0F9_JPoGmdLxXU2nAjQq70CZhOJ71uzEhkq7tsv4GsMWp-8cYy7YcSwlObmWlLPi4UWT_-YMeIHoJepvPcb40OIJT0KaoM5NFx8J2A83ZlPFHdMF84vQTIPx2qySZ/s320/me%20running.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Long Jump</span></div><span style="color: #a64d79;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWPEhiZEiZYGTDwAXx16YbnEQbSVc3k5fcfpa8Ybb9Ez6w8_ynVrm5sT71t1C5jfdUn4qWJ4dkcxqFWqVpwWRJfgRplED9fYz1H_TOhERAd5xKNND7U7edEc_GM_uLyJj27ldJlfx/s1600-h/long+jump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWPEhiZEiZYGTDwAXx16YbnEQbSVc3k5fcfpa8Ybb9Ez6w8_ynVrm5sT71t1C5jfdUn4qWJ4dkcxqFWqVpwWRJfgRplED9fYz1H_TOhERAd5xKNND7U7edEc_GM_uLyJj27ldJlfx/s320/long+jump.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNx5JPVYAYDSZwVimo3fG53AdVRwzbDkxPyPfpv5HGDv-6h644PF1JiQCxMUCw6qCdfoMmoPvtU8td_6fbeujWF6v_gnHXXbxUc-VC8Hg7sCIFzWXELePjrNSHcZM8-XKr5iViP5E/s1600-h/Isaiah%20in%20mei%20tie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNx5JPVYAYDSZwVimo3fG53AdVRwzbDkxPyPfpv5HGDv-6h644PF1JiQCxMUCw6qCdfoMmoPvtU8td_6fbeujWF6v_gnHXXbxUc-VC8Hg7sCIFzWXELePjrNSHcZM8-XKr5iViP5E/s320/Isaiah%20in%20mei%20tie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #a64d79;"> Just after playing soccer with the older kiddo's!!</span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;">I don't have any of actually playing or I would of posted those!! </span><br />
<span style="color: #a64d79;"><br />
</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-44249525548662650412010-03-30T14:50:00.000-07:002010-03-30T14:50:32.620-07:00My Adventures in Baby Wearing!<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"></span><span style="color: #741b47;">I am probably not your typical 17 year old! I have been through just about everything when it comes to taking care of a baby! I will probably have experienced it all by the time I'm a mommy, if I haven't already! I have gotten many wonderful experiences in my years of baby sitting! When I lived in St John, I got the wonderful chance to baby sit for 6 wonderful kids, whom I claim as my siblings and call their mom, "mom" She has been like a 2nd mom to me and I honestly don't know what I'd do without her! We have been through a lot together and I have gotten to watch "my siblings" grow up! Which is an amazing experience! I was there when Isaiah ( now 2) was born, and got to watch him grow from a tiny new born, to a very active, very ourney, but loving toddler! I even got to be their for the ultrasound when we found out that Miss Hannah was a girl!! Talk about an amazing experience! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">I have also gotten a wonderful education in Baby wearing!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">I have learned a lot and am still continuing to lean a lot!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">It has saved the day MANY MANY times! My "other mom" has this very neat baby carrier called the Mei Tie, It is the coolest baby carrier EVER!. You can front carry either facing in or out,back carry ( my personal favorite for toddlers) and hip carry.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">If you are looking for a comfortable, multiple ways to use, cute baby carrier, This is the one to use!!! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">It is a very light carrier, so you just have the weight of the baby and is very convenient to take places, you can just throw it in either the diaper bag ( if you have a good size one) or the bottom of the stroller. Betty has made several of them, and having 2 of them at the home school conference last year made for a easier weekend. We could both have one and pretty much had either a toddler on our backs or a baby strapped to the front of us all weekend! She padded her straps so it didn't rub after a while like some carriers do! It has saved the day MANY MANY TIMES!!!...Like when your toddler is teething and fussy or just wants held, your able to have your baby close to you and you can still be hands free and able to get things done!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">I have used it numerous places like,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Home school conference ( I'm sure I'll do it again a lot of this years 2)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">The Zoo</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Shopping</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Fine arts</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Track meet</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Just on walks around the house </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Just being outside with the kiddo's/playing soccer with kiddo's </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Just around the house</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">VBS</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Vbs decorating</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">and lots of other places</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">As most of you know, I have a full time baby sitting job for 2 little girls, ages 5 and 18 months. Betty loaned me one of her mei tie for me to use with Lakyn when needed and it has come in VERY Handy MANY TIMES! There has been days when she has been in a wants to be held mood and I needed to get stuff done, I can back pack her and she is content being held and I'm able to get dishes done, play with Ryann, Fold laundry, do laundry or just whatever needs done!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">I have even been known to use it on days when she is over tired but wont go down, I'll front pack her and she is normally out within 10 to 15 minutes.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">I used it last year at Fine arts, It allowed me to have her close and still have both free hands to keep hold on Ryann!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">State testing last year when Ry wanted to be outside and lakyn wanted held, and different places like that!! I don't know what </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">I'd do without it!! I am definitely sold on it!!! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">I used it today and Lakyn was wanting to be held and I needed both hands free, and having her on your back makes it even more convenient because you don't have the bulkiness of having the carrier on your front! We have our annual fine arts coming up, and even though I'm not participating, bible bowl still serves lunch as a fundraiser so I'll probably more then likely back pack lakyn so I can have her right there with me and still able to work and have both hands free! The track meet is also coming up and when I'm not competing I'll probably back pack her some, easiest way to keep track of a active 18 mo and still have 2 hands free to keep tabs on an active 5 yo, that is always competing in the track meet! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">It has made trips like to walmart, target and places like that, SO much easier, especially when all the sickness was SO bad, I didn't have to worry so much about her touching something and then getting sick since she was strapped to my back the whole time!.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">It has made trips to the ZOO, park..etc..so much easier and a whole lot more enjoyable! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">I'll more then likely have more to post about baby wearing in the future, but for now this is it!!..If you have any questions or concerns about baby wearing, please don't hesitate to ask! If I can't answer your question, I know someone who can! ;o)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Here are a few pictures of my times in Baby wearing </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;"> Me with Isaiah last summer</span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNx5JPVYAYDSZwVimo3fG53AdVRwzbDkxPyPfpv5HGDv-6h644PF1JiQCxMUCw6qCdfoMmoPvtU8td_6fbeujWF6v_gnHXXbxUc-VC8Hg7sCIFzWXELePjrNSHcZM8-XKr5iViP5E/s1600-h/Isaiah+in+mei+tie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNx5JPVYAYDSZwVimo3fG53AdVRwzbDkxPyPfpv5HGDv-6h644PF1JiQCxMUCw6qCdfoMmoPvtU8td_6fbeujWF6v_gnHXXbxUc-VC8Hg7sCIFzWXELePjrNSHcZM8-XKr5iViP5E/s320/Isaiah+in+mei+tie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_1Lp0HwZ1pVv-_y-ral6Lv6nRywgDvVax8PYjVPYrvuiikLNqwk7I9Oo2y7PuAfo1Wh7Ey4J6J0fnOJBH-XPEYrQ9FGw3yiUQvDamXS0jIWr7mv7SnzDgrSNp-FUNXyT3NJFDe5S/s1600/Lak+in+mei+tie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_1Lp0HwZ1pVv-_y-ral6Lv6nRywgDvVax8PYjVPYrvuiikLNqwk7I9Oo2y7PuAfo1Wh7Ey4J6J0fnOJBH-XPEYrQ9FGw3yiUQvDamXS0jIWr7mv7SnzDgrSNp-FUNXyT3NJFDe5S/s320/Lak+in+mei+tie.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;"> Me and Lakyn at the zoo! At this point she was grumpy,tired, hot and thirsty and not in the best mood! I'll try to get one of her smiling when shes in a better mood and repost it!<br />
I'm going to post more pictures as they come available!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: #741b47;"> HAPPY BABY WEARING!!!!!!!!<br />
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</span></span></span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-3257022882052883002010-03-15T11:55:00.000-07:002010-03-17T09:24:40.807-07:00Our Journey through Ear tubes and tonselectamony Surgery<span style="color: #e06666;">With kids you have to be prepared for anything.It seems that whenever kids are involved there is NEVER a dull moment!, As most you know I'm the full time care- taker of 2 adorable little girls, ages 5 and 18 months! Like most kids , they both had been fighting colds/ear infections and anything else that's been going around during this what seems to be bad flu season. </span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;"> We have tried to keep them in and away from any bugs but we cant keep them in a bubble and with both parents working and Ryann in preschool 3 mornings a week and Zach ( older brother) in full time school odds are they're going to catch something because I'm sure between the 4 of them there constantly bringing stuff home! It has seemed to be an extra worse year for things like RSV and different things like that.</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">All 3 kids are RSV babies and it seem like once you've had it your chances of getting sick are higher!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">Both Girls have been sick a LOT this year and there for a while they were both constantly in and out of the doctors office and Lakyn spent a good month to 2 months on antibiotics just trying to get over sinus infection after sinus infection and ear infection after eat infection! I actually quite going to home school group because of her. Neither Jami or I wanted her in the nursery being exposed to other bugs, he even stopped bringing her to the nursery at our church and I don't remember the last time that they have been there for class!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">They'll come to worship but she's even nervous about that, which, I don't blame her! She had been fighting with the ENT here in Garden about getting ear tubes for Lakyn and redoing for Ryann, But he just kept refusing saying it wasn't necessary! Jami ( who is a nurse) was about sick of fighting with him and we were both besides our selves after having sick kids for like the last 3 months, we knew something had be done! After about another month of fighting with the ENT here, she decided to try one in Lakin, who she had heard great things about. She really liked her and after just one appointment the ENT was like yeah they need ear tubes and Ryann needs her tonsils and adenoids out. </span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">She planned to have it all done on one day to just get it done and not drag it out any longer then it needed to be! We were both about sick of the whole mess anyway!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">The Surgery was planned for sometime during that first week of March ( whatever that first Tuesday was)</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">they went into surgery around 8:30 Tuesday morning. Jami texted me around 11 or so to tell me both girls had made it outta surgery okay! Lakyn was doing great, Her's was just Ear tubes and she breezed right through no problem! Ryann on the other hand was a different story! Surgery went okay, but recovery was a little rough, She was really out of it and the pain medicine they gave her made her REALLY SICK to her stomach, which, Jami told them it would but would they listen..No of course not. So within an hour after just getting her tonsils and adenoids out and having pretty major throat surgery she was throwing up and coughing REALLY BAD! I can't even imagine, my heart just cringed for her!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">She texted me again around 3 or so to tell me that Lakyn had gone home with Grandpa and was doing great but sleeping a lot and they still didn't know if Ryann was going to get to come home since recovery was so rough! They ended up letting her come home but they told her had she not been a nurse they would of not released her. Jami was hoping to be able to go back to work Wednesday, but texted me Tuesday night saying that Ry was REALLY sick and not doing well at all, wouldn't eat and barely would drink so she would go ahead and stay home with her that next day, Which I was glad to hear she was, not because I didn't want them but because Ry needed her mommy right now!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">I texted her Wed morning to see how she was, At this point she was doing okay...a little better anyway but still not that great!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">we went and saw her wed afternoon for a little bit and I was not prepared for how bad she looked! It broke my heart to see her like that! When we got there, Jami brought her out for just a min but you could tell she was not up for company! She couldn't really talk and her face was still pretty swollen from surgery and her mouth was still VERY swollen and she just laid there. Like I said it broke my heart! Pretty sure she was running a pretty good low grade at this point 2 she felt pretty warm when I kissed her before we left!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;"> They of course weren't at church, but I talked to her Grandma who said she was doing and acting a little better! she had really perked up that evening and even ate a little, and had some color again!!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">Since she was doing a little better, Jami decided to try to go back to work Thursday!<br />
Ry still didn't feel like going anywhere or getting dressed for that matter so I went over there Thursday morning and stayed with them all day! Ry was acting a little better and even got up for a little bit and played her DS with me and we watched TV at the breakfast bar and she looked pretty good but still kinda swollen and pretty pale and I think I only heard like maybe MAYBE 10 words out of her all day!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">I think it hurt to talk and she really didn't have a voice so that was interesting trying to communicate with her LOL. She still really didn't want to drink or eat, what little she drank was me forcing her to every 20 mints or so and even then it was just a sip, 2 if I was lucky! LOL, and she pretty much refused to eat, I got like 3 bites of Popsicle down her, if that! That was about the extent of what she had all day!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">Around 11 or so she started acting a little "off" She was sitting there at the breakfast bar and she all the sudden got really pale and just not acting quite right, It was almost like talking to a ghost when I would talk to her, She was looking at me but she wasn't looking at me! It was like she was looking right through me! Talk about a scary feeling! I made her go lay down, at first she refused, I made her take a drink which she kinda did and next thing I know she gets up and goes and lays down on Jami's bad on her own, since the baby was sleeping I went and laid down with her for a little bit, I bet you she was out within 2 minutes of her head hitting that pillow! I laid with her a few more minutes, then the phone rang, It was Jami checking on Ryann</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">I told her what was going on and she had me check her temp, She was running around a 99 almost 100. We were both a little concerned about it and especially after I told her how she was acting!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">She came home to check on her and after seeing her decided she needed to be checked out!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">She made her appointment for around 2:30, She woke her up to tell her and this and at this point she was acting really "off", she sat up looked at Jami, grabbed the remote and started frantically pushing 45..45..45 but pointing it at the window, not the TV, her eyes were doing weird things to, then she just laid down and was pretty much out before her head hit the pillow again! Jami decided to go back to work tell her doctor app, I was just to watch her close and make sure nothing changed! The baby woke up and I fed and changed her and went and checked on Ry again! I woke her up and made her take a drink , pretty sure she doesn't remember any of this! she went back to sleep and I played with the baby till a little b4 2:30 when I woke her back up and brushed her hair, made her drink. She just sat there, staring off into space, not really caring what I was doing. I was glad that Jami had made her an appointment! Daddy came and got her and I stayed with the baby! Around 4 or so I still hadn't heard from Jami and I was beside my self at this point. Grandpa came and got the baby and I went home! I went and ahead and texted Jami to so see what was going on and what they knew at this point, At this point they were waiting on labs..I told her to keep me posted!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">Around 530 ish, she texted me saying that they were going to go ahead and admit Ryann for SEVERE dehydration! They were going to pump her full of fluids and watch her close and hopefully be released sometime the next day!!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">At this point I was beside my self with worry and a little bit of an emotional basket case, it had been a long week and I was going on very little sleep between being back and fourth between their house and mine all week! I hated to hear she was getting admitted but also wasn't that surprised after how bad she looked before her doctor appointment! I tried to keep my self occupied and try not to worry or let my self get stressed out ( easier said then done) We went up to the hospital around 8:15 or so! At this point she had been on IV's for about 4 hours and now and just in the last 30 minutes before we got there, she had kinda perked up and was looking and acting a LOT better! I couldn't believe the difference!!! I was like WOW! it was almost like relief and a weight had been lifted! She was sitting up, had some color again, was drinking on some slushy and even smiled, I hadn't got to see that smile for 2 LONG days and it was relief to see it again! She was talking a little bit but still not very much! Her cousins Cole and Dalana were there also! We didn't stay long because we didn't want to overwhelm her, but it did my heart good to see her doing so much better! We had one VERY dehydrated child and the IV's were making the world of difference!!!! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">Jami of course stayed with her that night and Mr Jamie went and stayed with the other 2 kids, since he had to take Zach to school the next morning, he had me come up to the house around 8:15 or so to take the baby off his hands so he could get Zach to school. I Got the baby fed and dressed and at this point I hadn't been home pretty much ALL week except to sleep lol so I took the baby over to my house for a little bit that morning. Around 11 or so Lakyn started getting sleepy and since the plan at this point was for Ry -Ry to get dismissed around noon or so I went and grabbed something quick for lunch and went back over their house and laid her down so I wouldn't have to wake her when I had to meet Jami over their anyway!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">She ended up getting dismissed around 12:45 or so, and got back to the house around 1, it was like a completely different child that walked it! She was smiling and somewhat talking and had color again!!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">She looked really good!. I finally got brave and looked in her mouth, Jami warned me it was bad lol</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">It looked better then it did 2 days ago but it was still REALLY swollen and had 2 black/redish spots were the tonsils had been, but it looked better!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">Back the pain medicine issue, The kind they gave her had coating in it so it knocked her out cold! LOL</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">We noticed that she was like refusing to take her medicine and wouldn't tell us when she was in pain.</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">We could tell she was in pain and didn't want to swallow or drink so her mouth had gotten really dry but she also had like this very thick mucus type gunk that she didn't want to swallow and had to force her to spit it out ( sounds gross I know, but this is what this poor girl was dealing with) we'll we figured out that there was 2 kinds of this medicine, one had alcohol, the other didn't, we'll come to find out the kind they gave her had the alcohol in it and it stung REALLY bad when she'd take it, therefore making her not want to take it and not telling us when she was in pain, so the pain would get way out of hand, which made her not want to drink or eat because of being in so much pain! It was a vicious cycle and had we found out about this sooner we could of got her the other stuff and wouldn't of had the major ordeal of the sever dehydration and hospital stay! Jami was a little ticked ( which is to be expected after what they went through because of it)</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">Luckily they figured it out at the hospital and got her the other stuff, which is why she was doing SO much better Friday is because she was now willing to take her medicine , and drink and I even got 2 Popsicle down her, Still not near enough but MUCH improvement from the day before! It was still a fight to get her to drink and it was PUSH PUSH PUSH on my end but we had her drinking again!! She still didn't have much energy and laid down a lot and didn't really do a lot but it was just good to see her acting more her self!!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">The following Monday she was back at school!!!! She was going nuts from being in the house pretty much all the last week, so Jami decided to let her try and go to school! She did great!, We made her lay down that afternoon though, Oh my word you would of thought the world was coming to an end LOL. She needed it though and you could tell she felt better when she got up!. She is now pretty much back to her old self and bouncing around like nothing ever happened! which is such a relief to see after the struggle we went through after surgery.</span><br />
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</div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="color: #e06666;"> This is just one of the many adventures I'm sure I'll go through during this journey of Baby sitting! I love every minute of it and can't wait to see what each week holds! I got an unexpected day off today and I"m trying to enjoy it, but the truth is I'm lost and unsettled when I don't have them! We have had them for for about a year now, and when you have them day, after day you kinda get attached!! It has been a great learning experience and I'm one of the few teens that will have probably seen it all before I become a mom my self,in fact I'm pretty sure I have seen it all or pretty close to if it not! </span></div><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">I have done a lot of baby sitting in my 17 years of life and I have loved every min of it!!</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">I was the full time baby sitter to 6 amazing kids before we moved from St john and still am their baby sitter but I have become more then that to these kids, I am a big sister and I love that!</span><br />
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I cant wait so see what the future holds!! <br />
Coloring with her cousin Cole</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaPBrxRLGKg2EYHL8ZJIlondub6SqA324ablpKlulczUKTkHW1EcUAhm_6L__-p_wng5MOgUzMNkCIT40Q3QDL6ib7usE2RmyMHuT1N7I6uXXvuBoYz8Sm7lKmYGmRHf-H3En5L6C/s1600-h/Ry%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaPBrxRLGKg2EYHL8ZJIlondub6SqA324ablpKlulczUKTkHW1EcUAhm_6L__-p_wng5MOgUzMNkCIT40Q3QDL6ib7usE2RmyMHuT1N7I6uXXvuBoYz8Sm7lKmYGmRHf-H3En5L6C/s320/Ry%202.jpg" vt="true" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdfD_Gi8HQIZ5VkSls9GysEFQi2O24NtCMtkNYxUId7WxtaTbNj88giv4s1LzMcSMFpdq_PFRTZBcyT7kkeuADGV07DATu3Ydpt5dkTkNMbAlj7Wiae7kXh2_xocsI78cCD2jk17T/s1600-h/Ry%20in%20hospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdfD_Gi8HQIZ5VkSls9GysEFQi2O24NtCMtkNYxUId7WxtaTbNj88giv4s1LzMcSMFpdq_PFRTZBcyT7kkeuADGV07DATu3Ydpt5dkTkNMbAlj7Wiae7kXh2_xocsI78cCD2jk17T/s320/Ry%20in%20hospital.jpg" vt="true" width="320" /></a></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-23498520141683137172010-03-14T17:43:00.000-07:002010-04-13T15:24:40.689-07:00My Daddy My Soldier My Hero. My Adventures in being a Military Family!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hLr6ktXTZBb3uZG8MIFosr19_mQFKafRoEMRgeh7g3grwcERZhHiEmxWB_Ug1KDpJlO7nI1PVGrdjYP5IoOEAduZMqEjUFSljQQWSp5wdg-JkAHiSSLVdh3rWMnqn3ysRbYwkvkX/s1600-h/100_0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hLr6ktXTZBb3uZG8MIFosr19_mQFKafRoEMRgeh7g3grwcERZhHiEmxWB_Ug1KDpJlO7nI1PVGrdjYP5IoOEAduZMqEjUFSljQQWSp5wdg-JkAHiSSLVdh3rWMnqn3ysRbYwkvkX/s320/100_0131.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">As most of you know we are a military Family! My Dad joined the National Guard about 12 years ago! And was in the Navy before that</span></span></span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">I am a proud daughter of "my soldier" He is my hero!</span></span></span></div><div style="border: medium none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">Growing up in a military family I have probably been through more then your average teen has even imagined going through!</span></span></span></div><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">We have gone through a total of 2 deployments since the attack of the World Trade Centers. The first happened about a year after the attack, He got stationed at Fort Riley for about a year!</span></span></span><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">At the time we thought that was the hardest thing ever and in a way it was! However looking back now it wasn't your "true" deployment in the since of, He was home at least once a month if not more or we were up there!! Yes we missed him and yes it was hard, but we got to see him quite a bit! Which helped a lot and made the year go by a lot quicker!! One of things I remember most about this deployment was when us, My Grandparents, My aunt and her family all went down one weekend and surprised him for his Birthday! We got him good! He thought that we were going down to Colorado to see family, Mom had to tell him that because he had been planning on coming home that weekend so mom had to "kinda lie" to him from coming home! You can imagine his face when we all come walking into his Barrack! It was GREAT!!!! We had a blast that weekend! We did some sight seeing and different fun things like that, But mainly just enjoyed spending time as a family! We also celebrated my cousin Jessica's birthday that shares her birthday with her uncle Shannon! It was a very enjoyable weekend and it went WAY to fast!</span></span></span></div><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">It wasn't a horrible deployment but bad enough! We were very happy when this year was over and we were back together as a family once again!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">It was a little bit of a struggle readjusting as a family but with God we made it through!</span></span></span><br />
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<div style="border: medium none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">About a year or so later after getting home, He was ready for a job change and in Jan of 05 we made the move to St John.</span></span></span></div><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">When God first brought us this job we were confused and had no idea why in the world God was bringing us clear to St John out of all places!! We had good friends in Garden and were very happy there! Me and Michael probably struggled most with it! We had our good home school friends and we did NOT want to move! But we trusted God had a plan!!..It was an adjustment and the first few weeks were kinda rough and scary because we didn't know anybody..yet! Dad was enjoying his new job for the most part!...It was an adjustment for all of us!...They did have a small home school group and we got involved in that. That took some getting used to, us coming from a huge home school group that did stuff every week, along with a HUGE track meet, Soccer tournament,Fine arts, etc. Where as the one there was a lot smaller with only like 5 families or so. We only met like every other week instead of every week, and we didn't do near the activities that we did in Garden! So that was a little bit of an adjustment but we were just happy to see they had one! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">Around May of 05 we received the news that Dad was getting deployed again, this time to Iraq! We didn't take that news very well but we knew with Gods help we would get through it!</span></span></span><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">In October of 05 dad started his training in Camp Shelby, Mississippi, that goodbye was a tough one. We wouldn't see him again tell that Christmas! That Christmas could not come fast enough! Those first few months were probably the hardest just because we didn't know anybody that well yet and we were still adjusting from the move! We hadn't sold our house in Garden yet. so there for a while we were back and fourth like every weekend trying to get the house sold, which kept our minds off the deployment! Before we knew it it was Christmas time!! It was so good to see him again!!!...and those ten days went WAY WAY WAY to fast! But it was also a little bit of an emotional ten days!..emotions that I hadn't dealt with like I should of been came out!! That was not fun being with the entire family! But we were all pretty emotional because we didn't know at this point when we'd get to see him again! That was one hard goodbye! But we kept our selves busy and tried to keep our minds off it best we could!! I got really close to an amazing family that I honestly don't know what I'd do without them! They kept me sane! I ended up having to live with them for about 6 weeks when we got a mold problem in our house and wasn't able to live there till we got it fixed! Let's just say we all became attached more then we were already! We also became good friends with a family from our church! We got CLOSE!...We were always doing stuff together whether it was a movie night or girls day or just hanging out! It was nice because her husband worked a lot so she was always free to do stuff! I don't think a weekend went by that we weren't at one of our houses!..between these 2 amazing families we were able to somewhat deal with the deployment and this very hard time! We also had an amazing church family in Stafford that was WOW!...AMAZING!!! They welcomed us with open arms and was just there and supported us big time through the whole ordeal!...I also started working at the same place dad worked before the deployment! Stephan's ( dads boss) wife Tammy hired me to clean and do odd jobs around the shop and also cleaned her house part time! For the most part I enjoyed it and it helped keep my mind off off the deployment and gave me something to do when not doing School and when Betty wasn't using me! It was a good first job! In March of 06 we got to go to Mississippi to see dad one last time before he got shipped off to Iraq! It was a good trip! LONG but good! My grandparents came with us and we drove straight through! we were all so excited and anxious to see him that the drive seemed to go by fast or at least as fast as a 24 hour drive could go!..We drove it in 2 VERY LONG DAYS!!!..We were all so excited when we finally made it to Mississippi and didn't want to sit in a car for a long time! HA HA! It was so good to see him! 3 months is WAY to long to go without seeing your daddy LOL. We enjoyed our time in Mississippi and it went WAY TO FAST!!We did a lot of sight seeing and just enjoyed time as a family! They also had one HUGE send off for the 3000 plus guys that were getting deployed!</span></span></span></div><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">It was really neat!! Except for the fact it poured rain! LOL..But it was still neat!..never did pick out dad though LOL..kinda hard to when they all look and walk the same! LOL..If there is one thing I've learned through this It's to NEVER trust what the military tells you! They stood up there and told us one year from today we will have your guys home..uh huh..SURE!!..but more about that later!...That Goodbye was probably one of the hardest! Well they were all hard but this one was exceptionally hard just because we didn't know if and when we'd get to see him!..I hate to put that IF but there was always that's chance!...He ended up getting to come home for Christmas but we didn't know for sure if he would get to at the time! We got home and tried to readjust to our "New Normal" It was a rough few weeks after getting home. Just the trying to readjust to everyday life and get back into the swing of things and dealing with missing him terribly! But we kept our selves busy and our minds off of it best we could!...That summer was a crazy one!..I cant remember everything for sure that happened but I remember it being a whirl wind...I'm pretty sure that summer I went and helped my "other Mom" at the TPA conference!..That was a great weekend!!! always an adventure but I LOVE IT!!...I also went to camp that summer ( of course) like usual it was an AMAZING week and it went WAY to fast!..but the more stuff to keep my mind occupied the better! before we knew it it Christmas time!!!! Since dad hadn't been home in over a year, for some odd reason we just wanted to be home so ALL of dads family came in and we had Christmas at our house!! It was one of the best Christmases ever!!!..Probably because we got our Daddy home but I just remember it being a great Christmas!!..The 2 weeks he was home went WAY TO FAST!!!! But this goodbye was a little easier because at this point he was going to be home for good that coming March! We were SOO ready to have him home and be together as a family again. We tried to keep our selves busy to help the time go by faster!!! 2007 was quite the year!!!...It started off being a rough year but got better!! As I mentioned earlier we thought Dad was coming home in March for good! we'll in January of 07 dad called to say he had received news that he was getting extended!.....let's just say that um..yeah...that news did not set well!! mom and I completely lost it! well She started crying when she was on the phone with him and this point I didn't know what was going on just that I knew she was talking to him and she was crying! Panic sets in and I loose it!!!! She gets off and phone and proceeds to tell us that he was getting extended! It was both Relief and total dread and disappointment washing through me! Relief in the since that it was just an extension because my first thought when she was on the phone was OH NO he had been hurt or something along those lines! So after having those kinds of thoughts running through you, an extension doesn't seem quite so bad but bad enough!! Friends and Family instantly stepped up and just overwhelmed us with their love and support!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">Our amazing Church family put together a basket with lots of different things like, Movie tickets, candy,popcorn, a movie, restaurant certificates, money, ETC...Just to keep our spirits up and our minds occupied.It was amazing!! I know for a fact that if it wasn't for our amazing friends and family we would not of survived this deployment!!! They were a huge part of it!!! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">In May of 2007, we got some excitement...Our TV antenna went out so we had been without a TV for quite sometime. The weird part was we really didn't miss it except for the news and a few different other shows.This would of been one evening that having TV would of been helpful! Around 11 or so, all us kids had gone to bed! Mom was doing dishes when the phone rang. It was her good friend Ami wanting to know what we were doing, Mom was like well the kids are in bed and I'm finishing up dishes, Ami was like have you watched any weather? Mom was like No..Why? Ami was in Hutch and had just finished Races when they got word that a tornado ( ef5) had just taken out most of Greens burg and was headed for St John! Shes like get the kids and get in the basement NOW!!! Mom not sure what to think came and woke us kids and we went to the basement. We had just barely gotten to the basement when the sirens started going off and power went out within seconds after that!..luckily mom had grabbed several flashlights and blankets and a radio that ran on batteries! We turned on the Radio just in time to hear them saying that yes it was headed straight for st john and that if you had not taken cover yet to take COVER NOW because it was a BIG ONE! We didn't know at the time that Greens burg really no longer existed!!...we at this point had gone into what we called the "safe" room in our basement that was half dirt and had no windows ( aka creepy room). Ami told mom to go ahead and take a mattress down with us, so Michael hauled one down! At this point it was raining and hailing REALLY HARD!! We climbed under a work bench type table that was nailed to the ground and had put the mattress over it so we were pretty secured if it were to hit! At this point we were convinced it was and it was just pretty much sitting there waiting for it to hit, talk about a scary feeling!! Moms phone started going off, Friends and family from here and in Colorado wondering if we were still alive and if we still had a house..At this point we did! It was big enough though that it made national TV and dad had seen something on TV clear over in Iraq and he had heard that green burg no longer existed. that it was headed for st john so he called Mom all in a panic, Mom then assured him that at this point we were fine and nothing major had hit yet!..It ended up being nothing but heavy rain and hail! We later found out that it had come half a mile within St john...2 CLOSE FOR COMFORT!!!! LOL...Macksville had taken a pretty hard hit and little surrounding towns had been hit also! There was damage up to half a mile out of town and then more on the other side of St John, How it missed us we don't know but I know that God had a major part of it, It was like he put his hand over St John so it came right up to it,picked up and dropped down again on the other side! See this and tell me there's not a God! LOL...It was a pretty scary night!..We got round 2 the next day!!..Nothing happened again but we ended up in the basement again, this time with Ami, Her 2 boys, and her dogs, plus all of our animals ( our lady bug, 2 cats and a litter of kittens) Talk about a house full! That was one memorable night! don't think I'll ever forget this weekend! It was quite scary! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">It again missed St John...We were VERY LUCKY!!!! That was an awful year for tornadoes and we spent more then one night in the basement! But it missed us every time!!....Because of so many tornado's that was an awful work summer for Michael and them in the way of irrigation systems..We had record number of systems down that summer! It was all Stephan and them could do to keep up!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">Around the end of April we received the wonderful news that Dad was going to get to come home sooner then we thought!! At this point he would be home middle of June-first part of July!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">We couldn't be more excited!!!!! June couldn't be here fast enough!!!! we tried to keep our selves occupied to help the time go by faster!!!..We decided that we were going to have a come and go welcome home home thing for him!!..That kept us busy planning that!! But it was fun!!!..Ami was a huge part of that, Along with Betty! That is probably the most fun I've ever had planning something!!..It was a lot of work but TOTALLY worth it! Before we knew it June was here!!! YAY!!! lol they had a welcome home for all the guys in Pratt, Where they had bused all the guys in!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">That was one of the best days ever! At this point we had not seen dad since Christmas, talk about 6 LONG MONTHS!!! LOL </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">It was a pretty neat welcome home! They had the Governor speak and some one sing and different things like that! It was really neat! From what I remember anyway, that day was kinda a whirl wind! LOL</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">We were so happy to have our daddy home!! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">We had the huge welcome home thing we were planning for him around the middle part of June!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">It was a huge success! We had a pretty good turn out!<br />
friends from Garden even got to come, which was AMAZING!!!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">It was a little overwhelming but over all a VERY GOOD DAY!!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">It was a little bit of an adjustment the first few weeks even months he was home, just trying to readjust to being back as a family and Dad was dealing with a lot of stuff both physically and mentally! The first few weeks were a little rough to be totally honest! but we made the most of it and just tried to enjoy each other and spend time together!! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">Around the first part of June we went on a family Vacation ( first one we'd ever really taken) Us kids had wanted to go somewhere like Disney world or something along those lines, but for some odd reason Dad, after spending 22 months in the sand, didn't feel like seeing more sand lol He wanted to go to the Mountains!! LOL. So we settled and spent about a week in Red River, New Mexico. It was an AMAZING WEEK!!!! We took my Grandparents Camper and camped the whole time which was a lot of fun! and cut down on hotel and food cost!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">Since its a tourist town there was a lot to do, We did everything from hiking ( we did that several times ;o) and we also went horse back riding, That was a BLAST but also quite the adventure we went on the beginner trail thinking that it'd be easy right..WRONG! They took us up the side of the mountain! Mom was like if this is the beginner one I'd hate to see the advanced one! LOL. It was fun though!! Except for it started raining and hailing a tiny bit when we were about back! ( just glad it waited till we were about done lol) Being up in the high mountains it rained a lot!! I actually loved every min of it and that's one of the few times I actually felt good!! Something about that clean mountain air!..It was amazing!!! It just felt cleaner!! We actually didn't do a whole lot,It was just good to get away for a while and spend some much needed time as a family after being apart for 22 LONG months!! That week away went 2 fast! None of us were ready to go home yet! We actually spent most of that summer gone. We spent a majority of it in Colorado so Dad could spend time with his parents, and Sisters and their family!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">We spent about another week in Colorado after we got back and about a week after that Mom and Dad wanted to get away for a while just themselves so they spent about 4 days at the Royal Gourge , In the Meantime I had camp and Michael had work, So we left the 2 younger ones with grandparents and we went home.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">It was crazy trying to get everything around for camp but I managed to get it done in 1 very long day!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">Michael stayed with the Battens, and I stayed with Ami!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">I went home Sunday morning and finished getting everything around for camp!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">Ami being the amazing person she is took me down to camp!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">That was one of the best weeks ever!!!! CAMP is ALWAYS AMAZING!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">and like usual it went WAY TO FAST!!! But enough about that.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: magenta;">I cant say enough about our friends and family that were there and supported us through this whole 22 month LONG deployment! We could not of made it through without them!! They are all amazing!!! There is one very special lady ( you know who you are ;o) that was just amazing through the whole thing! She was there for me through the entire deployment weather it was a hug or just someone to talk to she was there!!!..and still continues to this day to be there! I honestly don't know what I'd do without her and I pray I never have to find out! This deployment would of been a hundred times harder had it not been for our amazing </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">group of supporters! </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Having someone your close to and can talk to about anything, Is VERY important if your going through something like this, trust me I know! It was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">My hope in writing this is that I can offer advice and be there for anyone else that may be going through or getting ready to go through the same thing! Having someone that can truly understand and know what your going through can make it a lot easier and I never got that, But I hope I can offer to it someone else and be there for them!!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">As I write this, My Dad is away for drill weekend!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It's normally just for a weekend but this time we had an unusual 5 day drill in Fort Riley!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It's been a long 5 days and were all ready for him to be home! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Some of you might be thinking that after going through 2 deployments and living the military life for 12 years I should be used to it by now but the truth is you don't ever get used to it!<br />
Yes you adjust and kinda get used to the "new normal" but its still extremely hard and just have to take one day at a time!!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Each deployment is just as hard as the first and my heart aches for the families of the soldiers that are on their 3rd and 4th tours over there! I cant even imagine!! I pray for them every day,that God will bring them back there families safe and sound and SOON!!!! </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I know there will be many more adventures being a military family, and there's a good chance we'll go through at least one more deployment before Dad retires, But I know with Gods help we can get through anything!!! In a way this last deployment has brought us closer as a family and made us realize how short life really is and we need to enjoy each and every minute we have together!!! We lost 22 months that we can't get back but instead of dwelling over that, But instead of dwelling over the past, we are just enjoying each and every minute we get together and not worry about the past or future that we have no control over, but just enjoy the now!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">If you have any questions feel free to ask!! I'm happy to answer any questions you might have or at least do my best to do so!!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I hope that you have gotten at lest some good from this!</span></span><br />
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I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">God Bless!!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Courier New;">Dad after the send off!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpnXk4G2k9WwZ9WadyrEntTKRIrATkuUCscKOfnX2-C06u23w0fKLsMBuguiRJxh6erIxYe_XjbQ_nDuWP_1GdFyV6bj2Vb7G9PKvBVWZ-0xvLZp_Ngb5SYD4FUaqsyxgRhYm7jvv/s1600-h/my+Daddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpnXk4G2k9WwZ9WadyrEntTKRIrATkuUCscKOfnX2-C06u23w0fKLsMBuguiRJxh6erIxYe_XjbQ_nDuWP_1GdFyV6bj2Vb7G9PKvBVWZ-0xvLZp_Ngb5SYD4FUaqsyxgRhYm7jvv/s320/my+Daddy.jpg" /></a>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767370233648395378.post-80826854529466588632010-03-12T16:04:00.001-08:002010-03-12T16:04:47.156-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjIUsBIRJ_kOf4g8MCuP6oYJ7XstwAF9FtkjXlgq8kI7Nt0OfWvRPfkS36oZ3QfvWsj5CIJ_1S7xF4FkH0NFyOML6xf65nsc3nkcVgEH7mX8tc2Hh-gQ4SgyoA9T02NkxcZFO6BdA/s1600-h/Sarah+background+.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjIUsBIRJ_kOf4g8MCuP6oYJ7XstwAF9FtkjXlgq8kI7Nt0OfWvRPfkS36oZ3QfvWsj5CIJ_1S7xF4FkH0NFyOML6xf65nsc3nkcVgEH7mX8tc2Hh-gQ4SgyoA9T02NkxcZFO6BdA/s320/Sarah+background+.png" /></a></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410114481506229437noreply@blogger.com0