Ok, its 9:39 in the morning and I'm finally getting around to making my coffee.
I've been preoccupied with changing diapers, getting kids dressed, feeding them breakfast, unloading the dishwasher, cleaning up from breakfast, ending arguments, building block towers, putting Josiah down for a nap, moving the pack-n-play, unloading the dryer and starting a new load of wash, etc. (Of course, I"M still in pajamas and haven't even brushed my teeth OR my hair yet....)
So I go in to FINALLY make my coffee. I'm looking forward to sitting down with a cup and reading my Bible and journaling for about 15 minutes before I get back to the craze.
The brewing comes to an end and I can already taste my little inidulgence.
And then it happens. I go to pull the carafe away from the coffeemaker and I see it...coffee grinds on the lid.
NOT TODAY, I think. I lift up the lid and yes....the stupid filter folded over.
I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!
So, not only do I have to redo the whole set-up process, but those were my last ground beans. Now I have to grind up new ones. All of this resulting in 10 more minutes until I can have coffee.
I know that isn't forever. But in my schedule, I probably won't get those back. And turns out, as I'm typing now, I can hear Josiah waking up. So I can forget the sweet break I had envisioned.
BUMMER.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Grieving
I am crying like crazy right now and can't seem to stop.
I can't go into all the details, because I don't know all of them and what I do know is horrifying.
John had a patient the other night. A little 2 1/2 year old boy was brought in...dead. John said it looked like he had been beaten to death. And that his body was so bruised and broken that it had obviously been going on for quite some time.
He found out tonight that Child & Family Services had interviewd the older 2 siblings (4 & 6) and they admitted to seeing their mom beat this little boy on other occasions.
The mom.
I don't even know what to say or think. But I felt I had to grieve this little boy's life because I didn't know if anybody else would.
I'm outraged. I'm terribly saddened. I'm speechless. I'm horrified.
I can't believe this still goes on. In this country. In this state. In this area! We have every resource available to us, and yet its not enough. These senseless tragedies!
Lord, have mercy on us.
What do I do? How do I respond to this?
For now, I'm going to keep crying. Then I'm going to get in bed with Brooklyn and hold her.
I can't go into all the details, because I don't know all of them and what I do know is horrifying.
John had a patient the other night. A little 2 1/2 year old boy was brought in...dead. John said it looked like he had been beaten to death. And that his body was so bruised and broken that it had obviously been going on for quite some time.
He found out tonight that Child & Family Services had interviewd the older 2 siblings (4 & 6) and they admitted to seeing their mom beat this little boy on other occasions.
The mom.
I don't even know what to say or think. But I felt I had to grieve this little boy's life because I didn't know if anybody else would.
I'm outraged. I'm terribly saddened. I'm speechless. I'm horrified.
I can't believe this still goes on. In this country. In this state. In this area! We have every resource available to us, and yet its not enough. These senseless tragedies!
Lord, have mercy on us.
What do I do? How do I respond to this?
For now, I'm going to keep crying. Then I'm going to get in bed with Brooklyn and hold her.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Tell how much
I was reading in Mark this morning. Reading parables and text I have read since I was a child.
I was struck by a command of Jesus.
Jesus had just healed a demon-posssessed man. A man who was filled with MANY demons. In fact, he was so tortured by these demons that he lived among the tombs, in isolation, and cried out all day and cut himself all day with stones. Talk about a miserable and out of control life.
Jesus walked on the scene and these demons were terrified of him. They knew they had to leave this man's body and begged Jesus not to send them out of the area. So, Jesus, being so kind, sent them into a herd of pigs nearby. (By the way, the herd was actually 2,000 pigs!!!) The pigs went crazy and ran off a cliff into the ocean and drowned.
All of a sudden, this man was in his right mind. He was sitting, wearing clothes and capable of having a normal conversation. What a miracle! He had been saved by Jesus. He wanted to stay with Jesus and his disciples....who wouldn't? But, Jesus wouldn't let him stay.
This was his command, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." (Mark 5: 19)
And, as you can imagine, he did just that!
How often are we telling others how much the Lord has done for us?? How often are we telling our own families???
I just want to challenge you (AND ME) to be speaking of what the Lord has done and is doing in our lives. To take time to notice his mercy in our lives. To see the miracles and share them!
So, let me know what God is doing in your life. It is so encouraging and uplifting to share God's work.
I was struck by a command of Jesus.
Jesus had just healed a demon-posssessed man. A man who was filled with MANY demons. In fact, he was so tortured by these demons that he lived among the tombs, in isolation, and cried out all day and cut himself all day with stones. Talk about a miserable and out of control life.
Jesus walked on the scene and these demons were terrified of him. They knew they had to leave this man's body and begged Jesus not to send them out of the area. So, Jesus, being so kind, sent them into a herd of pigs nearby. (By the way, the herd was actually 2,000 pigs!!!) The pigs went crazy and ran off a cliff into the ocean and drowned.
All of a sudden, this man was in his right mind. He was sitting, wearing clothes and capable of having a normal conversation. What a miracle! He had been saved by Jesus. He wanted to stay with Jesus and his disciples....who wouldn't? But, Jesus wouldn't let him stay.
This was his command, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." (Mark 5: 19)
And, as you can imagine, he did just that!
How often are we telling others how much the Lord has done for us?? How often are we telling our own families???
I just want to challenge you (AND ME) to be speaking of what the Lord has done and is doing in our lives. To take time to notice his mercy in our lives. To see the miracles and share them!
So, let me know what God is doing in your life. It is so encouraging and uplifting to share God's work.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
My husband
I love my husband.
Currently, I love him, because he just cracks me up.
Our neighbor, Mark, just poked his head over our adjoining (7 ft.) wall and asked if John would come over and help him move something. Most people, would walk through their house, go out the front door, walk next door and go through their back gate.
Nope, not John. He just hopped OVER the wall.
Effortlessly, I might add.
I love that!
Currently, I love him, because he just cracks me up.
Our neighbor, Mark, just poked his head over our adjoining (7 ft.) wall and asked if John would come over and help him move something. Most people, would walk through their house, go out the front door, walk next door and go through their back gate.
Nope, not John. He just hopped OVER the wall.
Effortlessly, I might add.
I love that!
Grandma
In light of the last post, I want to do a brief tribute to my precious Grandma. We are kindred spirits and have shared some fabulous moments, like....
...everytime we went to her house as kids, she would make us 7-up drinks with a cherry and a little cherry juice
...our love for sweets, especially little ones
...our trip to D.C. and New York City when I was 8. She let me, the picky eater, eat bread and butter at all the fancy dinners and restaurants we went to!
...when my grandpa was in the hospital, my grandma stayed with us and shared my bed with me. Everynight before we fell asleep , we would eat chocolate covered raisins...IN BED! (our little secret)
...the summer I lived with her after my grandpa died, we went out for lunch and decided to have strawberry pie instead
She is the most thoughtful woman I have ever known. She has consistently sent beautiful cards to me and my family for every special occasion: birthdays, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, etc. If you show up at her house, she will have something specifically made for you to eat. She never forgets what you like and makes special effort to have it "on hand" for you anytime you stop by.
She is also the most generous person I know. She gives anyone who has need. She doesn't ask questions, but just opens her heart and gives. She enabled me to go to Brethren Christian H.S. which is where I met John and several of my best friends. She has helped my brothers and I with many other "needs" along the way....including, most recently, helping with our downpayemnt for our new home. (Don't hold it against her all of you who want us to stay!!!!!)
She loves the Lord and supports His work on this earth any chance she gets. Her parents were missionaries and she spent most of her childhood in Japan. There is no place you will find her on a Sunday morning than in her church. She loves the body of the Christ and her best friends and memories revovlve around her church. She has set an incredible example for me with her consistent behavior and devotion to the things of God.
Ok, so much more I could say. I have learned so much from her. She has been a woman I have wanted to emulate since I was a child. I am so grateful God blessed me with her as a grandmother and a friend.
Diagnosis
Ok, it's not "official", but it appears my grandma is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's.
She's been having difficulty with her memory for the last several months and it has gotten worse in the last 2 months. She has become very confused with time (a.m. or p.m. and what to do at various times of the day). It's been challenging for everyone, but we've all kind of chalked it up to old age and fatigue and poor diet.
She had a neurology appointment this last Wednesday and he prescribed a medication for her that might help. My grandma called me this morning saying she just about fell over when she read on her medicine that it was for people suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimer's. Apparently the neurologist made no mention of that actual phrase so it took her for quite a surprise. She has always been terrified of this disease and said she would rather die than live with any form of dementia.
I was ok with it, until this morning. She started saying things like, "well, we had some good times, didn't we?" And "I probably don't say it enough...how much you mean to me. But I hope it goes without saying, that you know it automatically how much I love you." Wow. That was tender to hear, but also made it feel very real that my grandma is scared and keenly aware that her life may not be that much longer.
I'm crying about it for the first time. Not that I'm afraid of death, or even her death. In fact, I rejoice in where she is headed! This woman has lived an amazing life and knows Jesus and is going to be united with her Father and her husband in the place we were really created for.
I'm more sad about what lies ahead for her in this earthly life. I went to a few websites this morning to learn more, and it was very difficult to read and comprehend in terms of my own grandma.
I take the kids to see her almost every Wednesday morning. I will continue to do so up until we move. The visits are getting harder, and thus shorter, but I am determined to spend as much time with her as possible. To make sure she knows how much I love her and appreciate her and value her.
I would appreciate your prayers for my grandma and all of us. I would also appreciate any insight or experience any of you might have had with this disease.
She's been having difficulty with her memory for the last several months and it has gotten worse in the last 2 months. She has become very confused with time (a.m. or p.m. and what to do at various times of the day). It's been challenging for everyone, but we've all kind of chalked it up to old age and fatigue and poor diet.
She had a neurology appointment this last Wednesday and he prescribed a medication for her that might help. My grandma called me this morning saying she just about fell over when she read on her medicine that it was for people suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimer's. Apparently the neurologist made no mention of that actual phrase so it took her for quite a surprise. She has always been terrified of this disease and said she would rather die than live with any form of dementia.
I was ok with it, until this morning. She started saying things like, "well, we had some good times, didn't we?" And "I probably don't say it enough...how much you mean to me. But I hope it goes without saying, that you know it automatically how much I love you." Wow. That was tender to hear, but also made it feel very real that my grandma is scared and keenly aware that her life may not be that much longer.
I'm crying about it for the first time. Not that I'm afraid of death, or even her death. In fact, I rejoice in where she is headed! This woman has lived an amazing life and knows Jesus and is going to be united with her Father and her husband in the place we were really created for.
I'm more sad about what lies ahead for her in this earthly life. I went to a few websites this morning to learn more, and it was very difficult to read and comprehend in terms of my own grandma.
I take the kids to see her almost every Wednesday morning. I will continue to do so up until we move. The visits are getting harder, and thus shorter, but I am determined to spend as much time with her as possible. To make sure she knows how much I love her and appreciate her and value her.
I would appreciate your prayers for my grandma and all of us. I would also appreciate any insight or experience any of you might have had with this disease.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Comeback Pile
Ladies, have you heard of this before? Has your husband ever referred to the "comeback pile"? I was shocked to find out it existed this morning.
Here's how the coversation went:
Me: "So are you going to wear that orange vest today?" (This was in reference to a very old orange sweater vest we found when cleaning out our closets yesterday.)
John: "I had thought about it."
Me: "Too bad you don't have those old orange pants to wear with it." (John had a pair of orange nylon warm-up pants that I hated and he actually wore them to our wedding rehearsal!!)
John: "I still have them."
Me: "What?! No you don't! You haven't worn them once since we've been married."
John: "They're in the comeback pile."
Me: I must admit, I'm a bit timid to speak. Scared to think of what else I thought was gone for good that might actually be residing in the comeback pile. "Hmmm. Sounds like your wife might need to intercede on behalf of your wardrobe."
John: "You don't know where it is. It is secured very safely." And he walked out of the room.
So now I'm terrified of what really is in there. And when John might bust out with a torn and ragged shirt or perhaps the hideously obnoxiously bright orange pants.
So for those of you who think you have control over your husband's wardrobe....beware of the comeback pile. It is lurking somewhere.....
Here's how the coversation went:
Me: "So are you going to wear that orange vest today?" (This was in reference to a very old orange sweater vest we found when cleaning out our closets yesterday.)
John: "I had thought about it."
Me: "Too bad you don't have those old orange pants to wear with it." (John had a pair of orange nylon warm-up pants that I hated and he actually wore them to our wedding rehearsal!!)
John: "I still have them."
Me: "What?! No you don't! You haven't worn them once since we've been married."
John: "They're in the comeback pile."
Me: I must admit, I'm a bit timid to speak. Scared to think of what else I thought was gone for good that might actually be residing in the comeback pile. "Hmmm. Sounds like your wife might need to intercede on behalf of your wardrobe."
John: "You don't know where it is. It is secured very safely." And he walked out of the room.
So now I'm terrified of what really is in there. And when John might bust out with a torn and ragged shirt or perhaps the hideously obnoxiously bright orange pants.
So for those of you who think you have control over your husband's wardrobe....beware of the comeback pile. It is lurking somewhere.....
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Wedding
So, my little brother Mark got married on Good Friday to Jaclyn. It was beautiful. Mark was as cute as he can be. (Can little brothers ever grow out of "cute"?) Jaclyn was gorgeous and calm!
Josiah was hysterical in his little tux and my princesses looked adorable in their flower girl dresses. And since there were 6 flower girls there was no pressure on McKenna. But, the big girls befriended her and she did her duties like a champ! (Of course, she wouldn't smile or even look at the camera for most shots so there is a long blond in every picture that HAS to be McKenna!)
My husband got to get all dressed up in a tux as a groomsmen and it was so fun to see him in his handsome attire. What is it about tuxedos?!
To see more pictures, click on the Yates Family link to the right. There are a lot!!!
I was emotional and teary from watching my brother make one of the most important committments he'll ever make and crazy and frantic from watching my kids. Wow, they were a handful. If it isn't a CLOSE family member, I recommend NOT taking 3 small children to a wedding. Seriously. Wow. I have never been more ready for an alcoholic beverage.
And it was great fun to see all of my dad's family from Texas and New Mexico. Once we move, we will be a 5 hour drive to Taos, NM and plan to do some weekend trips out there to visit. And we got to see a lot of old friends we don't hardly ever see anymore. They all got a kick out of seeing me with three children.
McKenna's favorite part was watching everyone dance silly. Brooklyn really liked the grilled steak and mushroom skewers...she was really hungry. And Josiah just loved being passed around all night and cuddling with anyone who would hold him.
Overall, quite a beautiful and successful night!
Congrats Mark & Jacs!!!
Josiah was hysterical in his little tux and my princesses looked adorable in their flower girl dresses. And since there were 6 flower girls there was no pressure on McKenna. But, the big girls befriended her and she did her duties like a champ! (Of course, she wouldn't smile or even look at the camera for most shots so there is a long blond in every picture that HAS to be McKenna!)
My husband got to get all dressed up in a tux as a groomsmen and it was so fun to see him in his handsome attire. What is it about tuxedos?!
To see more pictures, click on the Yates Family link to the right. There are a lot!!!
I was emotional and teary from watching my brother make one of the most important committments he'll ever make and crazy and frantic from watching my kids. Wow, they were a handful. If it isn't a CLOSE family member, I recommend NOT taking 3 small children to a wedding. Seriously. Wow. I have never been more ready for an alcoholic beverage.
And it was great fun to see all of my dad's family from Texas and New Mexico. Once we move, we will be a 5 hour drive to Taos, NM and plan to do some weekend trips out there to visit. And we got to see a lot of old friends we don't hardly ever see anymore. They all got a kick out of seeing me with three children.
McKenna's favorite part was watching everyone dance silly. Brooklyn really liked the grilled steak and mushroom skewers...she was really hungry. And Josiah just loved being passed around all night and cuddling with anyone who would hold him.
Overall, quite a beautiful and successful night!
Congrats Mark & Jacs!!!
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