I'm having some fun lately editing photos...
Before:
After:
After:
Well, Mom & Dad left to go back to MD today. I was so happy that they stayed with us, for Mom's sake I thought...you know prolong the inevitable...they're going home to an empty house. No Mom-mom waiting, no pups to feed and put out, just quiet.
I'm praying for Mom today because I know it's going to be a long drive home and for Dad because he needs continued strength to support Mom. But on my way to work, I started crying and couldn't figure out why.
Then it hit me...I needed this visit just as much as Mom did. I miss Mom-mom too. I can't call her on my break at work, can't hear her voice whenever, and won't see her when I go to MD for Steven's wedding in a little over a month.
I guess I just have to take my own advice. Get back in a groove. One step at a time. When grief feels heavier than the clouds which overcast the sky this morning, we truck on...and like Mom-mom LOVED to stay, we "Put our BIG GIRL panties on, and deal with it!" Miss you and love you Mom-mom, but I'm so HAPPY and even a little jealous for you...no more pain, no more tears for you.
Our dearest friends and family,
We want to thank you for your continued prayer and support throughout these last few weeks. Mom-mom went home to be with her savior on Tuesday August 10. The obituary can be found here. The viewings and services are as follows:
Maryland Services
Viewings
Friday August 13, 2010
2:00 - 4:00 PM
4:00 - 6:00 PM
495 Ritchie Hwy.
Severna Park, MD 21146
Memorial Service
Saturday August 14, 2010
11:00 AM
8422 Elvaton Rd.
Millersville, MD 21108
South Carolina Services
Viewing
Monday August 16, 2010
9:30 - 11:00 AM
495 North Main Street
Bishopville, SC 29010
Graveside Service
Monday August 16, 2010
11:30 AM
2980 Camden Hwy.
Bishopville, SC 29010
It seems as though one of the worst things that could happen is happening...right now...and I can't do a thing to stop it.
My precious, sweet, loving, caring, GIVING, amazing, strong, feisty, stubborn, (I could go on) Mom-mom is dying. I spent the better part of last week praying with her, spending precious time with family, and hoping for healing. I still pray and hope, but at the beginning of next week, she's going home. Home to the house she's lived in since I was in High School. Home to a bedroom with a hospital bed and a nurse. Home to the place where her body is going to wear out. I know this sounds depressing, but my heart is truly sad.
Her worn out body is full of infection and pneumonia on top of the effects of last week's stroke. She has a feeding tube in her nose that constantly drips into her stomach. She's on an IV b/c she cannot swallow or drink. She's in and out of consciousness. She knows who is speaking to her and hears what they are saying, but cannot speak in return.
My hope now rests in the fact that soon she will be free from pain and fear. We serve an amazing God who saves us from all pain. Miracles happen daily and I refuse to limit God's ability to save her from this and grant her a full recovery here on Earth, but I also know the reality that life on Earth is mortal. Eternal life is only by the grace of God.
Mom-mom, I love you and will continue to hope and pray and honor you the best way that I can. You are the BEST grandmother a girl could ever ask for. You have taught me so many things. One of those things is love. I pray that I will be able to continue to love as you have. You never gave up on your family and look at us. We're finally together again. I pray we don't lose these bonds that we're re-building. I promise to do the best that I can to keep us together and to love just as you've taught me how. And if God decides to heal you? Well I will praise Him just the same as I will if and when He chooses to to take you HOME! I love you Mom-mom.
Most, if not all of you, know that my Mom-mom had surgery this morning. The Drs. were confident that she had a severe blockage in the carotid artery and that as a result of the stroke she had earlier in the month she needed surgery to bypass the blockage. Well, when they went to put the stent in this morning, they found it was not necessary. In recovery, she suffered another stroke...
I'm still waiting on details, but in the meantime I am at work waiting...watching the clock...trying unnsuccessfully to be productive...feeling guilty because I can only concentrate on one thing...my grandmother (Mom-mom.)
A co-worker and friend reminded me that "God is the GREAT PHYSICIAN." I believe that, but am honestly struggling right now. I haven't really ever had to deal with death; not when it came to a close family member anyhow. When I was in college and my Mom had colon cancer, I refused to even consider death as an option. Now, I find myself thinking about it often. Too many what ifs over the past few weeks. What if...
...they can't do surgery and she dies?
...she has another stroke before the surgery and doesn't make it?
...they can't put the stent in and have to do emergency bypass?
...the surgery is successful and everythings ok?
Never did I think what if the surgery is completely unnecessary and she'd have another stroke in recovery.
As I sit here waiting for more news, I am comforted by one thing about death, specifically regarding my precious Mom-mom. She will be in heaven...there's NO doubt in my mind. That's OBVIOUSLY not what I want to be thinking about, but right now, there's no controlling the thoughts that just roll across my thick head.
If you're reading this, then I hope that you will pray with me. I'm reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9,
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
God is and will continue to be in control and regardless of what happens next, I'm comforted by this.
Ok, so it's been a while since one of us has blogged. I bet you think I'm gonna blog about our new house.
No such luck...sorry.
I want to tell you about my new MONEY SAVING PLAN...HOBBY...ADDICTION... yeah that's better.
couponing
I'm not sure if it's just a "southern" fad, a soccer mom* thing, or just another phase in life, but SO many people here are couponing. This is more than just heading over to the 'ole walmarts with the current weeks newspaper coupons. There are rules, and specific store policies (because someone always has to push the limits), and all different ways to find coupons. A friend of mine once told me that she "made" money shopping at CVS, and I didn't really understand, but the other day I spent $6 out of pocket (or oop in "coupon lingo") for a ton of stuff.
2 nights ago, I went to Harris Teeter, the expensive grocery store and bought all of this:
for only $9.62!
And I'm just a "beginner."
2 nights ago, I went to Harris Teeter, the expensive grocery store and bought all of this:
for only $9.62!
And I'm just a "beginner."
Of course it may not seem like there are many items in the photo, but let me give you a quick list:
6 pink lady apples
8 cans of Alpo Dog food (makes for a Happy Jack)
2 six packs of Mott's Applesauce
2 four packs of dole parfait cups
4 four packs of dole gel cups
3 four pack of yo-plus yogurt
64 oz. welch's juice
1 herbal essences shampoo
1 herbal essences conditioner
Harris Teeter was having their "super doubles" coupon sale, so this was more than worth the trip just for all the freebies I could snag. The most expensive thing I purchased were the apples @ 2.87.
***WARNING***Here's where I ramble about how I really should've paid less. I know it seems stingy, but dang, I worked hard to put my shopping list together. (Ok, ok, I copied it from here...God bless you Jenny @ Southern Savers... but really, it takes time to print all those coupons, and cutting them out...well let's just say, I think I'm developing some serious scissor calluses.)
Rambling ensues:
To be quite frank, I SHOULD have paid 3.50 less than the total for all of this. It was late when I went...I like it this way, b/c stores are SO empty at 10:00PM (with the exception of nosey soccer moms*.) When I got to the register, only the self-checkouts were open. I checked the items out, counted the amount of each value of the coupons I had, and handed them over. Some of my coupons would not double in their system, and somehow in the mix of things, one $1 coupon didn't even scan. I tried to go over each of the coupons with the gentleman at the checkout (it was REALLY slow, so there weren't any annoyed shoppers in line behind me.) He was so sweet and was about to adjust the incorrect coupons when another employee decided to get in the middle of the situation. She explained why a few of them didn't completely double. I actually had coupons worth more than the product cost and they don't give overages. Okay, no biggie...I was satisfied with her response (hey I'm still new at this,) but there were still a few coupons that I questioned. Some nosy shopper decided she needed to be helpful and explain the store's policy to me while all this was going on. At this point, I was pretty frustrated, so I just paid, but when I got to the car and looked over my receipt, I found the mistakes. I've decided from now on that it's best to avoid the self checkouts because you can't monitor the coupons as they're scanned. Unless of course I'm in Food Lion or Lowe's Foods, b/c I can scan my own there.
Okay, rambling over...maybe tomorrow, I'll tell you about how I spent $.98 on 3 glade oil tins and 1 refill pack at Target! G'night!
*No soccer mom's were harmed (and hopefully non offended) during the writing/reading of this post.
6 pink lady apples
8 cans of Alpo Dog food (makes for a Happy Jack)
2 six packs of Mott's Applesauce
2 four packs of dole parfait cups
4 four packs of dole gel cups
3 four pack of yo-plus yogurt
64 oz. welch's juice
1 herbal essences shampoo
1 herbal essences conditioner
Harris Teeter was having their "super doubles" coupon sale, so this was more than worth the trip just for all the freebies I could snag. The most expensive thing I purchased were the apples @ 2.87.
***WARNING***Here's where I ramble about how I really should've paid less. I know it seems stingy, but dang, I worked hard to put my shopping list together. (Ok, ok, I copied it from here...God bless you Jenny @ Southern Savers... but really, it takes time to print all those coupons, and cutting them out...well let's just say, I think I'm developing some serious scissor calluses.)
Rambling ensues:
To be quite frank, I SHOULD have paid 3.50 less than the total for all of this. It was late when I went...I like it this way, b/c stores are SO empty at 10:00PM (with the exception of nosey soccer moms*.) When I got to the register, only the self-checkouts were open. I checked the items out, counted the amount of each value of the coupons I had, and handed them over. Some of my coupons would not double in their system, and somehow in the mix of things, one $1 coupon didn't even scan. I tried to go over each of the coupons with the gentleman at the checkout (it was REALLY slow, so there weren't any annoyed shoppers in line behind me.) He was so sweet and was about to adjust the incorrect coupons when another employee decided to get in the middle of the situation. She explained why a few of them didn't completely double. I actually had coupons worth more than the product cost and they don't give overages. Okay, no biggie...I was satisfied with her response (hey I'm still new at this,) but there were still a few coupons that I questioned. Some nosy shopper decided she needed to be helpful and explain the store's policy to me while all this was going on. At this point, I was pretty frustrated, so I just paid, but when I got to the car and looked over my receipt, I found the mistakes. I've decided from now on that it's best to avoid the self checkouts because you can't monitor the coupons as they're scanned. Unless of course I'm in Food Lion or Lowe's Foods, b/c I can scan my own there.
Okay, rambling over...maybe tomorrow, I'll tell you about how I spent $.98 on 3 glade oil tins and 1 refill pack at Target! G'night!
*No soccer mom's were harmed (and hopefully non offended) during the writing/reading of this post.
Today was day one of Workout week #3. Adam decided that he was so proud of me for sticking to this so far, that I could get new tennis shoes. Wow...I must REALLY give up on things fast.
Tonight was truly a make or break night though. One of my workout buddies is home in FL for spring break, the other had Upward practice tonight, and a third decided that she couldn't make it b/c of cooking dinner and family drama. At least for a night, I had no girls to go to the gym with. I had a reason to stay home tonight. Instead, I went online and found a link from a friend's blog for Couch to 5K in 2 months. I decided to give week one a try.
WHAT? YOU'RE 275 POUNDS AND YOU'RE GOING TO THE GYM ALONE TO NOT ONLY WORKOUT, BUT RUN!?!?!?!?
Yes, all this and more was going through my mind too. Instead, I went and I got on that treadmill and I did the first day of week one. I did it! I really did! Just when I thought I wouldn't finish, I realized, I was up to 17 minutes and I only had to run for one more minute! That's all...really? I can ABSOLUTELY do this. Guess what? You can too! I'll leave you with this...
This WILL NOT be me!
Today was the first day of working out. I seriously can't remember the last time I REALLY worked out. I decided the other day that if I was going to really consider getting in shape again, I needed a buddy. I picked Julie. Then I mentioned something about working out to other friends, Amy and Cassie. I now have 3 buddies to work out with! GIRL POWER!
We get to use the gym equipment as seminary wives, so we went to the Ledford Center and lined up on the treadmills. (Unfortunately Julie couldn't make it. Please pray for her husband's family as Stephen's grandpa passed away. They went home to Alabama for a week.) I think we each walked/ran about 2 miles which is more than I thought we'd do. I'm so proud of myself...I actually jogged a bit. It's so encouraging to have buddies who can push each other.
My goal is to go to the gym at least twice a week, use a yoga video another three days, and take a day off. Adam & I have been following the South Beach diet and lost 30 lbs. each, but the holiday season put some back on. We're back on the diet and I'm exercising, so I'm hoping 30 more lbs. comes off just as fast. Here's hoping! More updates to come, so feel free to push me...I NEED IT!
~Mary
On Monday, the weather forecast said that we were gonna get like 4 inches of snow on Tuesday. Well, I didn't believe it, but sure enough when I woke up Tuesday morning, it was SNOWING!!!!
I dragged Adam outside and we took a walk and I took some pictures. The first are of North Main St. (the historic homes in Wake Forest) and the rest were taken on campus.
I think I can honestly say that this is the most fun job I've ever had. I absolutely LOVE working at these tree lots... I mean, who's in a bad mood when they're coming to buy a Christmas Tree??? The hours are definitely long, but it's worth it. Having a great time...
As you can see, we got our tree... Got it Monday and it's still not decorated... we'll get there... it's about 9 feet tall after all is said and done... loving it... just loving it...
As you can see, we got our tree... Got it Monday and it's still not decorated... we'll get there... it's about 9 feet tall after all is said and done... loving it... just loving it...
Okay, so Adam's been updating this pretty well, but I haven't, so I'm just going to post some pictures of some things we've been up to. By the way, praise the LORD I got a job!!! I'm working for ONUG Communications. They are a Christian owned company that stands by it's principles to be governed by Christ. I'm an admin. asst. for a group that is contracted by AT&T. Our group works in an AT&T building close to downtown Raleigh. I have about a 40 minute commute. It's NOWHERE near as bad as it was in MD.
This is Josiah. I babysat him every Friday morning until I started working. He's my little Elmer Fudd...those eyebrows are so expressive.
This is the terminal opening of RDU. Mom & Dad were trying Chili from the new Carolina Ale House. By the way, a lot of the new restaurants are owned by the company I used to work for, HMSHost.
This is my Mary Kay director, Audrey. I can't believe I've known her for almost 8 years now. She still looks the same. This product WORKS y'all. We were laughing so hard at Kathy, a newer consultant, who was standing on a chair promising to advance to Red Jacket by the next event, so she didn't have to sleep in the bunk beds. Then Lauren, my upline and mentor, was doing the "Solja Boy" We were in stitches!
Lauren doin "Solja Boy" and Kathy's announcement.
Adam surprised me and took me to see Rodney Atkins at the NC State Fair. It was so awesome. We had seats on the floor and I got to walk up to the stage to take pictures. I so wish we had our new camera then b/c the pictures would have been SO much better. We totally cheated on our diet that night and ate a lot of bad food. It was so good though.
The last weekend in October, I drove 3 hrs. to Charlotte, NC to go to Corinna's baby shower. I was priviledged to make her cake, but I spelled Haiden's name wrong. Ooops, wish I'd known. Another friend of hers made the cupcakes. They were so cute and the stands she had displayed them so well.
Last weekend, I participated in the Craft and Bake sale at Southeastern. They do this every year so that Seminary wives who have creative gifts can make a little Christmas money. I used the opportunity to try to sell some cards and to get names for potential Mary Kay customers. Well, I only sold one set of cards, but I got 45 names for makeovers. That was definitely worth it since I've decided to pursue my business more intensely.
The last weekend in October, I drove 3 hrs. to Charlotte, NC to go to Corinna's baby shower. I was priviledged to make her cake, but I spelled Haiden's name wrong. Ooops, wish I'd known. Another friend of hers made the cupcakes. They were so cute and the stands she had displayed them so well.
Last weekend, I participated in the Craft and Bake sale at Southeastern. They do this every year so that Seminary wives who have creative gifts can make a little Christmas money. I used the opportunity to try to sell some cards and to get names for potential Mary Kay customers. Well, I only sold one set of cards, but I got 45 names for makeovers. That was definitely worth it since I've decided to pursue my business more intensely.Wow, I know that was a lot in one blog, but I wanted to at least update you on some of the things I've been doing since we've been here at Southeastern.
This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.
The degree that I'm currently pursuing is a Masters of Divinity. There are several core classes that are required for the degree, but also a large number of electives. While the seminary offers a wide variety of concentrations, the concentration that I'm currently enrolled in is that of "Christian Ministry." Sounds kind of broad doesn't it? Well, it's meant to because it's somewhat of a "make your own concentration" concentration. There are 30 credits of electives built into it.
I'm trying to get as many of the core classes out of the way as early as possible, because I figured that it would take me a while to decide which electives I'd like to take. I think I've decided that I'm going to take as many classes on apologetics as possible. These classes teach you how to argue for Christianity. For instance, it would help me be able to answer the hard questions that we ALL know middle and high school students ask eventually. It will give me a broader and deeper knowledge of different world religions and how to share the love our Prince of Peace with them.
I've been thinking about this for awhile, but something i saw today solidified it for me. There is a local pastor here of a really big, really good church called The Summit Church. The pastor's name is JD Greear and he has a blog that I like to keep up with. One of the church's projects lately was to find out what non-Christians are saying about-- well... why they're not Christians. I found myself silenced by their ponderings. These are not quotes from people who are just too lazy to go to church. Some of them are incredibly well thought out arguments, and some of them I would have nothing to say to without a lot of research. I don't want to have to tell everyone I have a conversation with that "I'll have to get back to you on that after i do some research..." That does not say to anyone that I'm serious about Jesus.
So with all that said, this is my prayer today: "Father, since you've seen it fit to put me in Wake Forest, NC for the next four or so years, I'm going to do my best to spend them preparing for the conversations I'm going to have for the rest of my life. I want to share You with those I come in contact with. I want others to know that You are really, really, real. Give me wisdom, give me tact, and give me opportunities... all for Your glory and not for mine, through Your Son. Amen."
Here's what some of those excuses were:
Sent to you by Adam via Google Reader:
via the jester's pub by markhelsel on 10/3/08
"It's extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases."
-Bono
Lord help us!
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to the jester's pub using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
You may have to click on the picture to see it better, but if you look closely, there are two deer in this picture. I was making my "exterior rounds" at one of the plants that I haven't worked at yet, and before heading in, i was lucky enough to snap this pick with my phone. It was taken about 3:10am. Are deer nocturnal?
Anyways, I got called a the last minute for this shift, but I'm grateful for any hours that they'll give me right now. If that means pulling an all-nighter, then so be it. We have Sunday School in the morning, then I'll be able to catch a few Z's before all the big games tomorrow! All the games I wanted to see are being televised here! Panthers at Minnesota, Steelers of course, and the Green Bay/Dallas game is sure to be a non-stop battle till the end.
After they're great start this year, I'm finding myself becoming a fair-weather Panthers fan. Don't get me wrong, the Steelers are still No. 1 in my heart and always will be, but it's nice to be able to root for a hometown team. I never could do that in Baltimore. It's actually a bit difficult to find people interested in the NFL down here. They're all about college ball here, and believe it or not, they could care less about UNC, Duke, or NC State. They're all Georgia Bulldogs fans. I made the mistake of asking one of our neighbors if he was a Green Bay Packers fan because the front of his SUV had a big "G" on the licence plate holder. I was quickly corrected... and embarrassed. Live and learn...
This is kind of random, but if you're a football fan of any sort and enjoy quick little novels by amazing authors, check this book out. It won't disappoint. If you want to borrow it, let me know and I'll send it out to you if you promise to send it back when you're done. It will also make you want to go to Italy.
I've blabbed enough for one night. OH! One more plug... If it's playing anywhere near you, go see the new movie Fireproof. Should be excellent. OK, I'm done now... TTFN...
So this is what our gas gauge looked like today...
And this is what the line at Sheetz looked like...
I just needed gas...these people probably filled up 2 days ago...oh did I mention that the Hess station was OUT OF GAS?!!!!!????!!!!????
Sent to you by Adam via Google Reader:
via McCainBlogette by meghan@mccainblogette.com (Meghan McCain) on 9/1/08
The first political convention I ever attended was when my mom was pregnant with me in 1984 and the Republican Party nominated Ronald Reagan for a second term as President. I have been on political stages and in campaigns since before I could walk or talk. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that it is difficult to establish your identity and independence as the son or daughter of a politician. When I was 14 years old, a reporter questioned my father about me having a hypothetical abortion, had I been pregnant at 14. This reporter's question single-handedly changed my life. This story comes up in almost every profile written about me and in almost every interview. It's a rough go being the son or daughter of a politician. I have not known Bristol Palin very long, but there is a certain kinship I feel to her as I do other political daughters such as Chelsea Clinton, Jenna and Barbara Bush and Mary Cheney. You can't fully understand it unless you have lived it. So I just wanted to let it be known that I support Bristol and the entire Palin family.Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to McCainBlogette using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Praise the Lord! Mom-mom's home from the hospital. We've got her all propped up in an arm chair. She's still got a long way to go, but we're thankful that she's home. Thanks for your prayers.
Also, thank God b/c Adam's dad had his first test where they "lit" his body up with the first radioactive pill. The only place there were thyroid cells were in his neck where his thyroid was. The next dose of medicine will kill these cells, but for the next 5 days, they have to stay 8 feet apart and everything he uses that isn't disposable has to be wrapped in plastic wrap. If he touches something that isn't wrapped, then it has to be put away and not touched for 80 days until the radioactive stuff does it's half life thing and goes away. Crazy huh!
Thank you for you continued prayers for Mom-mom. The surgery went well yesterday, but they will definitely have to put pins in sometime later this week or next week. She will also have to have skin grafts done after the next surgery. She had to have this done after she hurt her leg a few years ago, and it was very painful. They kept her in the hospital last night. We'll let you know what happens as we find out more.
In other news, classes went very well this week. My hardest class by far is going to be Hebrew. It's not as much difficult as it is a lot of work outside of the classroom. I worked an extra shift on Saturday (6a - 6p) and spend a good 3-4 hours just reading through the lesson and doing the homework. I still have some vocab to memorize before Wednesday. At the same time, even though it's tough, I'm really enjoying it. I hope I'm still saying that 1/2-way through the semester. Old Testament and Hermeneutics are just a lot of reading and a few papers. Not too bad.
Please continue to pray that Mary finds a job soon. We seem to be running into a brick wall at every turn. We know God provides and that His will is perfect, we just hope that He reveals it to us sooner than later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)