Validation

I received my Td (Tetanus) Booster on Wednesday. When I got in my car to leave, my arm started hurting really bad. By bedtime, my body started to feel slightly chilled and achy. The next morning, my body was still hurting, and once I got up and around, I was out of commission. I took a super hot shower to try and get my joint pain to relax a little. I bundled myself up and headed for the couch. I felt SO crappy, I was in tears. It took my doctor's office FIVE HOURS to call me back after calling TWICE. I finally took some Tylenol. In the meantime, I called the 24 hour nurseline of my insurance company. She suggested I take Tylenol or Advil. Duh. She was actually the most helpful out of everyone I spoke with. I asked her about delaying my Hepatitis B shot, and she agreed with me that I should wait 1-2 weeks. It just felt nice to hear some empathy at the other end of the phone.... On Friday, I had to go into the lab to have my TB titer "read," since I received t...

So, what's the deal between Baptists and Pentecostals/Charismatics? Why is it that these two groups allow the non-essentials (non-essentials to salvation, that is) to divide them? I grew up in a conservative, Baptist church. Certain "things" that Pentecostals did, were basically mocked and considered "evil/of the devil." Raising hands during worship? Forget it. Praying in tongues? ABsolutely NOT. As a kid, I remember watching African-American church services on TV, and being mesmerized by their enthusiasm in worshipping God. I wanted to worship like that - to fully express my emotion and love toward the Lord with other believers. After all, I LOVED Him! He was my closest Friend since I was about four years old. I WANTED to express my love to Him. Frankly, I found my church growing up to be very BORING. Grab a hymnal. Stand up. Sing a song. Sit down. Yawn.... When I turned 18, I was invited by Joe's mom, to attend a Foursquare church where I lived. Now, havin...

Great news about our car! The guy at the autobody shop did some research regarding used replacement parts for our car. Using these parts would bring the price of the repair within range to not total it! Yes! Thank you, Lord! The doc said Amanda only had muscle strain, and we continued with the Ibuprofen and ice.

Yesterday, I received the kind of phone call no parent wants to receive: "Hi. I am here with your daughter and we've been in an accident - she pulled out in front of me. No one is hurt, but if I call the police, she will probably get a ticket, so what would you like to do?" Me: "Uhhh....No, I'll be there in 10 minutes." I went into "solve the problem mode," as I usually do and sped to be with my daughter. As I drove, I thought about the correct response I should have, knowing the significance of this moment for Amanda. I got there, and went straight to her and hugged her. Then, we began to talk about what happened. The woman involved was extremely gracious and kind. She explained to me that she had called her fire chief husband, and they had agreed not to call the police, in order to protect Amanda from getting a ticket. I thanked her profusely. We then exchanged all of our necessary information, and the woman hugged Amanda as we left. TH...

I recently spent about $460 in ultrasound textbooks! Man - that's a lot of money. ----------------------------------------------------- On Friday, it was my daughter, Melanie's 15th birthday, so my family and I went down to Owen Beach at Pt. Defiance Park. I had such a great time being with my family, laying in the sun on the beach, playing in the water, watching Ben jump over waves, having sea kelp shoved up my swimsuit by Melanie and getting in a water fight. Good stuff...good stuff...Oh YES - and there just happened to be KAYAKS for rent there. SWEET! The girls and I each got a single kayak and out we went for about an hour. Now I know where I can go for a quick kayaking fix! ----------------------------------------------------- Joe and I were invited over to the home of the gal from church, (that I went to lunch with awhile back). She and her husband are employed at our church, so they live in one of the homes the church owns, which was recently renovated. They also...

Today, I decided to go to an unofficial Kentridge reunion picnic for my 20th high school reunion. There weren't as many people as RSVP'd, but enough to have a really, fun time. I was surprised at how much fun I had. It made me wish that I had attended the reunion last night. I think the thing that surprised me was how everyone was so eager to talk with everyone else! It was really fun learning about what the people had done the last 20 years, and remembering a few fun things from Kentridge High School. Someone pulled out a yearbook, and we started flipping through it, and asking about this person and that. Some of the people were WAY cooler than they were in high school (I hope I am, too), and I wanted to get to know them more! One gal recently moved to our town and has boys my son's age, so we're going to get together. I even saw an old boyfriend from 9th grade - haha! My girls thought that was pretty funny, and even funnier to me, was when they thought he was hot. HAH...

I have one word to describe my kayaking trip: heavenly. The weather was absolutely perfect. I wasn't cold once. Even with wet feet. In fact, it was so warm, we waded around during our lunch break. My cottony, long-sleeved Under Armour shirt was perfect - it kept me protected from the sun and wicked away moisture. The only downside to our trip: no whales. The guide went on and on about how he had this amazing experience with the whales the day before, so I had my hopes up to see some. Nope. We saw some Dall's porpoises, a seal and a couple of bald eagles. The porpoises were close enough to see their colors and hear them shoot air through their blowholes - kinda cool. It was just fun being out there doing something I've always wanted to do! We learned some new things, and I even ate some kelp. I totally want my own kayak now. Really bad. Me with my coffee on the ferry to Friday Harbor. Look at the gorgeous surroundings outside! I love living here (in the summers - haha)! Joe ...

So, my dumb water shoes didn't arrive in time. We had to go out this evening and find some more. I found some pink and black Speedo ones that aren't too bad. I also got some sporty capris that will keep me a little bit waterproofed from water spray, as well as a long-sleeved Under Armor t-shirt to keep me drier, too. We found Joe some cheap water shoes, too. You can tell the differences between my husband and I, as we get ready for this kayaking trip. I have read all the pertinent information on the website - my husband has read zero. I want to talk about the recommended list of items, such as gloves and he doesn't thing he needs gloves. I told him about the specific list of their recommended items - he says he'll read it tonight (we leave in the morning). I printed him the list. I also printed the ferry schedule, and the important information about where to meet the guides when we get off the ferry. I think I'm a planner and a preparer. My husband would ...

I registered for my DMS orientation early start class today. I also ordered some of my ultrasound books today. Hee Hee. I'm excited.

This morning, I sit at my computer in a silent house. My morning started at 7:00AM to get ready to take Amanda down to her symphony audition. At the same time, Joe arrived home to take Melanie (and Amanda's stuff) down to the church to get loaded up to leave for church camp. After he dropped Mel off, he dropped Ben off at soccer Bible day camp. After Amanda's audition, we rushed her to the church to take off for church camp. When we arrived, they had a "bus issue," so the pastor paid for all the kids' breakfasts at a restaurant down the street. I drove Amanda to the restaurant, and here I am. I will have three hours completely to myself all week. Ahhhhh.....a mother's dream come true....

I just finished the book, "Joni," by Joni Eareckson Tada. I read it when I was a young teenager, and I actually bought it, hoping my girls would read it. I ended up reading it myself. I got a lot out of it this time around, particularly toward the end with some added chapters in her 25th anniversary edition. She shared a lot of her life lessons, including verses to go with them. Here's a few things I honed in on: 1. Suffering is a part of life. Paul said "rejoice in suffering." James said "welcome trials as friends." Peter said "do not think it strange in the testing of your faith." Romans 5:3-5 says: "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment......" 2. God never places any real emphasis on the present - exc...

Last night, I found myself taking my girls and one of their friends to Borders, for the midnight release of Stephanie Meyer's book, "Breaking Dawn." I was pretty tired, but once I got there, all of the books and all of the energy woke me up! There were a couple hundred of people there! Most of them had come earlier in the day to get a numbered bracelet, which secured their space in line for their midnight purchase. There were also festivities going on since 9:30 PM that night. I thought it was pretty funny that some people came dressed up as some of the vampire characters - even a bride! I enjoyed myself browsing through the books while my kids stood in line. It was so nice to just peruse without any destination or timeframe whatsoever. I found a cool cookbook called "Country Italian Cooking" on the bargain table, and then I brought my 30% off coupon for a book by Dr. Henry Cloud entitled "9 Things You Simply Must Do." He's my favorite author, and ...

These are my new Teva water shoes. I found them online at a major discount. I am so excited to go kayaking, I'm really getting into looking at all of the "right" gear. I think, if I get my own kayak someday, I would like to have the neoprene booties with the reinforced soles, but I couldn't find any good sales on those. Anybody know of other kayaking "must haves?"

Yep. I got my acceptance letter from the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program!!! I'M IN!! After I get some shots, etc., I start September 8th.