Howdy!

We are enjoying the pool! It's so nice to be able to swim everyday if we want. The kids and I are getting very tan! Zine only joins us on occasion! But the kids and I go almost daily. We have some neighbors that we are getting very close to. For the first time since my best friend moved several years ago, I feel like I'm connecting with someone on a best friend basis. I have lots of friends, but not a lot of best friends. Isn't that weird that when we're in high school, friends are so important..and now...it's still the same even as an adult! I guess that God did create us for companionship!

I kind of had a little scare about being pregnant. I have no intentions of having more children. My oldest is almost 10! But anyway, I've developed this dark sploth on my face. Went to dr because I was worried about it. Wanted to make sure I didn't have skin cancer or anything. Well, long story short, it is something that a lot of pregnant women get. I think I'm getting it because of early menopause symptoms. Or at least I like to think it's early. Don't want to think I'm old enough to start all the hormone stuff. But anyway, when I found out what it was and did some research it kind of bothered me thinking...could I be pregnant?? Then at the pool my friend said..yeah women get that when they are pregnant. I think my stomach did a cartwheel or two. The look on my face was pure fear I think. She immediately looked at me and said...are you worried about that? Then when I told her all this personal information about my cycles and such..she just died out laughing! She had no idea that she just sent me into a tail spin by what she said until I explained. Needless to say we both agreed that it was probably not pregnant but hormones of another reason. I will get results from drs. blood work on Monday. But I can verify that Target's test says I'm not pregnant! So that leads me back to the fact that hormones are all out of whack for other reasons....and I'm not ready to go there yet! But I am anxiously awaiting the drs. results.

Zine and I have been through a lot with church stuff lately. We have started going back to our previous church. It is so nice to be back there! It's not perfect but no church is perfect! I just enjoy being back. I've decided that I am very much Baptist! I've tried different denomination but I really like how we as Baptists do things. My children are memorizing scripture on a weekly basis! Zine and I are currently praying about whether to teach a young adult class or not. We're selfish in that we are enjoying our own Sunday School class...but we do love young adults!
We were talking about church yesterday and I said isn't it nice to be able to talk about church and not feel stress. I think that is what God desires. And I think when we are not where God wants us to be that He does not give us rest and contentment. So my goal is I want to stay where God wants because I defintely like that contentment that comes when I am there.

Double Trouble

A funny story...Conner felt bad yesterday and was just terrible in his behavior. So he lost his ability to play video games! Mostly wouldn't be too bad, except we got that long awaited call that our Wii was in. So we all got to play the Wii but Conner. I finally let him get about 20 minutes on it this afternoon late...but that's it! I bet the next time he'll think twice about being in trouble.

A sad story...Chloe just broke my heart tonight. She broke down and cried about feeling like people stare at her when she's in her wheelchair. And how she feels like she can't play the games at church good when she's in her chair but when she gets out she gets really tired!! Uugh!

Catching Up

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I posted! I need to do this more! As it turns out though, I've made two trips to Arkansas since my last post. My mom saw surgeon on Thursday and they did surgery on Monday. I met my folks in Little Rock and spent weekend together before her surgery on Monday. She was released on Wednesday morning so we left and came back home on Wednesday. She'd been home 9 days and my dad called early and said he'd taken her to the ER. Long story short, she had intestinal blockage and they did surgery that night when surgeon came by to see what was going on. She was in hospital for about 9 days before being released. I went and spent the last couple of days while she was in hospital and then spent another week there. I'm so glad that my homeschooling allows me to go and do as I need. However, before the last trip, I finished up our schooling so I didn't have to tote things with me. That was nice for kids not to have to be doing school while there! Of course, they always get an education when we go there. This time it was the strawberries. They loved watching the strawberries ripen and hoping to get a few before leaving. And then they got to help Papaw stake tomatoes. Chloe and Conner both enjoyed taking Memaw on walks. They felt so big and like they were actually helping her get better! It was so sweet! Thankfully, mom is getting better. She is still not back to norm but physically, I think she is slowly recovering. Her back seems to be better and that surgeon has released her. Her other surgeon has now pushed her visits to a month instead of a week. One major concern we all have is her memory and processing of information. Just seems her brain is not clear. She saw dr. today regarding that. The first week of July there will be several tests done so I might try to go be with her that week to help dad out with all the visits.

So anyway, it's just been crazy here. I just now am feeling like I'm caught up on things around here and can enjoy summer and get back to some routines. Although routine looks different right now, it's nice to be laid back more. I've also done some reading. I am totally loving the Karen Kingsbury series about The Baxter Family. I read one part of the series last summer and have now completed the second part of the series. I may go ahead and try to finish up with the third part this summer. But I might need to get stuff done around here as well and if I start reading...I won't want to do any of that. We'll see what wins out in the end. But today I have been productive at getting things done.

My heart has been hurting for my nieces. Their parents are divorced and there's just junk going on. Their mom is getting remarried and is moving so they are faced with major decisions about custody/visitation, etc. I pray that it all works out. It's just so sad that kids have to go through this! I'm trying to play down the middle. But I just want to see them and talk to them so honestly...but yet at the same time, feel like I need to be restrained as well. I just pray that God would give us time and words that need to be said or spent together.

We are enjoying summer. Conner is playing Team Tennis and that is taking some extra time! But he's doing so well and I'm sure with all the tennis playing, he's bound to get better before summer is over. Chloe is supposed to play last ballgame tonight if it doesn't get rained out. She'll have another round of games in the fall, but a break for the summer is very nice!

Still praying about where God wants us to serve Him in church and ministry. I am missing ministry. Other than with my own family, I am involved in no ministry right now. Maybe it's time for me to focus on my family. I've been doing a lot of that lately. But I do miss other ministry. Something came across my sights the other day that really intrigued me. I'm currently praying about that possibility. However, it'd be October before I could go through training for that ministry. So I have a bit of time to continue to pray over that ministry area. But it'd be with women mostly. But it'd be a totally different area than I've ever ministered in. It would be with abused women. Women who have been abused, raped, domestic violence that sort of thing. So it'd be way different but it really caught my eye when I got something about that ministry area this week. So...I'll keep praying about that for clarification.

In a nutshell, that's what's been going on here. God always allows trials in our lives but he brings good from everything. One of the good things I feel, is that my brothers and I are closer now than we've been in quite sometime. It's unique how that's all happend. Not one thing has caused it, but several different things. I don't know...just seems unique. When times are tough, family pulls together! That's what family is all about! And with the invention of e-mail and texting it allows us to communicate in different ways and that has aided in the change as well.