{26}

These two young people weren’t old enough to rent a car. Fresh faced. Green. Not a clue about living as a married couple and what life would have in store for them.

We married on my grandparents’ 51st wedding anniversary. It rained cats and dogs that day. They say rain on your wedding day brings good luck, washing all your worries away… hmm.

Today we have been married for 26 years.

312 months.

1352 weeks.

9495 days.

We have experienced some wonderful things together – buying our first home, filling it with the laughter and love of three daughters, making memories, traveling, serving, loving.

We have experienced some lows. Illness, loss, hurt, struggle, heartache. Life is hard. Life is so much better when you have a partner who loves Jesus and loves you, too. I think the hard stuff has made us better together.

Looking at what we have now… I would do it all again in a heartbeat. We are rich. We are blessed. I love us just the way we are.

Love you, Gary! Happy anniversary!

{30 days of Thankful}

Today I am thankful that our youngest has found a team to be part of. When she quit tennis at the end of last year, I was concerned that she wouldn’t have a place to land.

FFA has been a great new home for her. She takes her practices seriously, takes pride in how she looks when going to competitions, and is invested in the team. She is sad when they don’t do well and celebrates when they do.

Friends and memories are being made and I couldn’t be more proud of her.

{30 days of Thankful}

After almost 25 years of teaching, the Mister has stepped down from leading a Sunday School class. Finding a new home on Sundays has been something we have both been a little timid about but also excited to do.

Visiting a variety of classes has been fun. We’ve seen people we haven’t seen in a long time, gotten to visit and catch up with friends we don’t usually see because we were in our own class.

Today we wandered into a classroom where we knew we would find people we knew. Neither one of us expected more than just another Sunday, visiting a new spot.

The greeting of smiles and hugs and “what are YOU doing here” was so fun. What I found in that room was akin to coming home. The lesson was about community and the church and being knit together. We talked about what intertwines our lives and what keeps us from being knit closely together.

I think the Mister and I have felt a little disconnected for some time – just life circumstances and a busy family life. It was so good to be reminded of the days when we were better connected with like-minded people, doing life and supporting each other, ministering in the church, for the church, with the church.

I am thankful today for that reminder.

“That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.”
Colossians 2:2

{30 days of Thankful}

Last night was a long night of tossing and turning, praying and thinking. Restless and preoccupied, the clock mocked me all night.

Today was a long day of a very busy postpartum floor. The first time I was caught up was almost 1600. Again, the clock and I duking it out until 1900.

Tonight is the end of Daylight Savings Time and I am so so so thankful for the extra hour of sleep I get tonight! Maybe the clock and I will be friends tomorrow.

{30 days of Thankful}

Last night the mister and I went to a football game.

There is so much to be thankful for in that statement.

He felt good enough to go out in the evening.

Many evenings he is just plumb worn out.

He kept up with my walking pace because his feet weren’t killing him.

This was HUGE.

We got to visit with friends and catch up. The girls were all with us.

It’s so nice when you get to be with your people.

Little things.

Just be thankful.

 

 

 

 

 

{#everydayreality}

November is American Diabetes Month.

“For the diagnosed, diabetes can affect every decision – what to eat, wear, do and other decisions about how they’ll take care of themselves.”
American Diabetes Association

July 19, 2018. A date we will never forget.

The mister was seen for a well checkup the day before and after his routine blood work he got a call saying he needed to get himself to the ER. His blood sugar was 457. A normal fasting glucose should be around 100 or less. We made it to the ER where his blood sugar was repeated, and it was 754. By all accounts, he should have been in a coma. For reference, his A1C level was also “off the chart” at “greater than 14.”

Needless to say, the mister found himself in the ICU on an insulin drip overnight. He ended up spending two nights in the hospital and his life hasn’t been the same since.

Diabetes is an #everydayreality for our whole family now. The foods in our house are different, there are insulin pens in my refrigerator, the cookbooks are different, we have testing kits as part of the decor. We read so many labels now. We compare everything. And my refrigerator is FULL of sugar free Jell-O.

The mister is an IDEAL diabetic. He checks his blood sugar daily, takes his medicine, and eats like he should, which is hard for a man who doesn’t like seafood or vegetables. He eats a LOT of chicken, salads, and green beans.

But it still hasn’t been easy.

Medications have side effects. And they are sometimes awful.

Most days he comes home from work and can hardly walk because his feet hurt so bad. We are working on a solution for this.

Diabetic diets are designed to help a person lose weight – my mister is THIN to begin with. Gaining weight has been a challenge.

We are on a first name basis with the pharmacy tech at CVS these days. Test strips and lancets are not cheap. We have a used sharp container in our bathroom.

The mister HATES needles. And he gives himself a shot every night.

He is figuring it out. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s reality now.

Diabetes. We had no idea. But we are learning. Are you at risk? Click here for the American Diabetes Association’s Risk Test.

 

 

 

{30 days of Thankful}

It is hard to know where to start with being thankful. The last couple of years have been… challenging. Our family has experienced some really good things and some really awful… stuff. In the end, I have gained some wisdom about what is truly important, being true to myself, loving unconditionally, and that even when things seem very dark, Jesus is not far away.

I am sure that the next 30 days will have some deep thoughts about things I am thankful for as well as some shallow, materialistic things. We will just have to see where life takes us over the next few weeks.

Today, though, I am just content. If you have known me for any amount of time, you will know that this is an area that I, like many women, struggle with. I think it is natural to worry about your circumstance, compare yourself/your situation to others, or to want more than what you have (or less, if we are talking about what happens to a middle-aged female’s body).

My Bible is full of underlined verses that have to do with finding peace and not worrying and wanting what isn’t mine to have. I think I am finally learning – sometimes it takes struggle to make one see what is truly important.

Is life perfect? Not a chance.

Am I happy all the time? No.

Have I found peace in the midst of some crazy stuff? Absolutely.

Am I content today? YES!

 

 

 

{so this is 48…}

This is 48.

Happy birthday to me. I have new wrinkles and some gray hairs I try to hide. I now carry readers for reading menus and nutrition labels. I’ve had my share of happy and sad. I feel more like “me” than I ever have… maybe I’m finally growing up. I’ve learned a few things over the years that I’d like to share with you. Take ’em or leave ’em. Love me or leave me. I am who I am. But I hope you like me anyway.

• Pray
• Don’t worry so much.
• Find something to be happy about every day.
• Do things that scare you.
• Hard things are hard for a season.
• People will let you down.
• Love covers a multitude of sins.
• Be nice to the unlikable person.
• Marriage is hard.
• Raising children is hard.
• Don’t ever give up on either.
• Stop worrying about what other people think of you.
• Be yourself.
• Love your sister like you chose her – she’s your first friend.
• Kiss your husband in public even if he hates it.
• Moving from parent to friend is an amazing transition.
• Hug your parents.
• Take in a stray cat.
• Naps with a giant dog are the best.
• Bake cookies after school.
• Let your friends see you cry.
• Carry your friends’ burdens.
• And let them carry yours.
• Go to the doctor.
• Wearing readers isn’t so bad.
• Your waist line will expand.
• Home is the best place to be.
• Teaching kids to drive doesn’t get better even after three.
• Girls have a lot of drama.
• Gray hairs are good.
• Highlights are better.
• A great hairdresser is best.
• Find your passion and pursue it.
• Work at a job you love.
• Nurse friends are one of a kind.
• Be vulnerable with people.
• Read a book.
• Make lists
• Make goals and meet them.
• Wear sunscreen.
• Don’t complain.
• Let things go.
• Drink coffee from your favorite mug.
• Be patient.
• Read your Bible.
• Pray for your children.
• Treat yourself.

 

{overwhelmed…}

As my fourth, and final, semester of nursing school gets started I am feeling a bit… overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed… with the amount of homework I have. Ten weeks of class, three tests, one final. Several paper/projects. Online tests every week. Three full days of NCLEX (nursing board exam) testing prep. Eight clinical days. And THEN preceptorship begins… 144 hours in the hospital one on one with an RN.

Overwhelmed… that my formal school training is coming to an end and I’ll be able to sit for boards and receive those sweet letters after my name… RN

Overwhelmed… with the desire to finish strong. I am on track to graduate with our honor society – there are only 11 of us – and that is something that is important to me. There is still the fear of not passing something this semester, but what I really want is to finish with honors. Prideful? Maybe. But I’ve waited a long time to do this!!

Overwhelmed… at the sheer amount of knowledge I have gained and am expected to know from here on out.

Overwhelmed… with the reality that I will be caring for real people, not “Manikin” people in the lab. Overwhelmed with the knowledge that I will be present when people come into this world… and leave it.

Overwhelmed… at the thought of having to say goodbye to some really sweet people. A lot of my classmates are here for college, their families living in other places in Texas. I have surely enjoyed being “Mom” to some of them – they have made this experience enjoyable. They have also made the loneliness of the Bearkat being away at school a little easier – being with them is a lot like being with her. I do love their hugs, lending them pencils, giving them ibuprofen, and sharing my snacks with them.

Overwhelmed… at the way the Lord has surprised me with great study partners and a super sweet “nursing school chum.” We study together. We laugh together. We have cried together. She gives my girls her hand-me-down workout clothes. And I have sent pretty dresses over for her girls. We have eaten breakfast, lunch, dinner, and countless bags of Boom-Chicka-Pop popcorn together. This gal is a post for another day, though.

This experience has been overwhelming from the very beginning until the very end. But I am absolutely loving it all. There are only 101 days left until our pinning ceremony!

it’s almost time…

I really don’t have the words. I haven’t really had words for the last 18 months. I should probably start a series of posts about my experiences in nursing school. It has been one of the most challenging things I have ever set out to do. Today I will just put that picture up there and try to let it sink in. Tomorrow I will try to put into words all that I am feeling about it!