Some Day!

This has been a great day! Started by attending a ladies Bible study; Lies That Young Women Believe. http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/ It was a great group of about 12 ladies, mostly younger than me. Ok, in reality, I think they were all younger than me, but maybe there was a little gray-haired lady sitting in the back that I missed. Whatever!

After Bible study I visited with Kristen and Kristin. Both young moms are new to EFCB so I was glad to get to chat. Kristen said "We should do lunch sometime" and I said "What about now?!" Not sure where that spontaneity came from, maybe it's the new me. So we went to Ted's Montana Grill, http://www.tedsmontanagrill.com/ a new restaurant in Bozeman, owned by Ted Turner, and famous for serving bison meat. So I ordered a Bison Montana Burger without really looking at the description of the burger, just thought it seemed appropriate. We ate on the sidewalk cafe, it was perfect weather! When I got my burger there was a large slab of ham on the burger, and since I'm not voracious carnivore, I took the ham off, and brought it home to fry up for breakfast in the morning. (Can I stretch a meal or what?!) It was such a nice time chatting with Kristen, sharing our stories. Two hours later we decided we should probably finish lunch, since it was nearly dinner time!

When I left the restaurant, I ran to Costco, then home, to gather items that I was preparing for dinner at church tonight. I cooked for the Recovery Group that meets every Friday night at our church. It was such a wonderful opportunity, to use my gifts (cooking?!), to meet new people, to feel I was ministering and being ministered to. All of these men are recovering from some sort of substance abuse. Some were out of work, some had probably been drinking before they came to the meeting, and one of them is homeless, sleeping in his car. It was a pleasure to serve! My family also came about dinner time, and helped me get everything on the serving table, and then they all helped me clean up.I divided up the leftovers ( I had cooked for an army!) so they could take them home. It was all very wonderful.

We went from the church to a Bozeman High School Football Game. As we were walking through the parking lot, a man asked if we had to buy tickets, or if we had a pass to the game. We told him we had to buy tickets. He pulled out his wallet and handed us two season passes to all BHS football and basketball games. He was a Booster Club Member and had these two passes to give to "a couple of deserving people." Not sure why he thought we were deserving, but what a blessing! We were overwhelmed! I looked at Jim and said "You just can't outgive God!" Unfortunately the Hawks got beat on their Homecoming Night, but there were two significant times in the evening when things got interesting. Early into the fourth quarter the Hawks blocked a punt that gave them possession, and a much-needed morale boost. As most of the crowd was enthralled with the new-found energy on the field, I was witness to a 60-something-year-old individual that apparently had some energy of his own. He ran in front of the crowd, on the track close to the stands, totally naked! He was probably a little disappointed that most of the crowd didn't even see him, but I was a little disappointed that I DID see him. And just in case you've ever wondered if you really can see much when a streaker goes by, (looka dat, looka dat) the answer to that question is yes! Disturbingly, yes!

Gloves Down, Tires to Go

Tonight I purchased seven pairs of stretchy gloves! Check! Next, the studded snow tires!

"Bring On Winter"

This is the book I received from the ladies at EFCB, at a breakfast last week. The morning was planned for fellowship, food, and figuring out how to help Kim through her first Montana winter. These are just a few of the hints included in the compilation.
1. "Carry extra blankets in your car!"
2. "Little Stretchy Cotton Gloves- buy a ton of them and leave'em everywhere!"
3. "Make sure you have studded snow tires." (Why does this sound like an oxymoron to me?)
4. "You'll need long silk underwear." (Can you say Cuddl Duds?!)
5. "Make friends with winter and find things to do. skiing, skating, and sledding."
6. "Two Words: Rice Sock! Take a long sock and fill it 1/2 way with rice. Tie a knot in the end. Pop it in the microwave & off you go!"
7. "The big thing in the winter is layer your clothes and you'll stay warm. I started wearing about 5 layers, now I just wear 3- so you will adjust." (Just three?)
8. "Just love it! It comes with all sorts of blessings and beauties. It's the best season."

Several ladies also recommended cross-country skiing. I wouldn't necessarily be excited about this, but someone has already given me a pair of cross-country skis and boots. Guess there's really no excuse, huh?! Especially since one gal offered to teach me how to cross-country ski, and then invited me to her outdoor hot tub afterward! "When it's 10 degrees below zero and you have ice cycles in your hair, but you are toasty warm in the hot tub, it's a lot of fun!" I'll let you know on that one!
The breakfast buffet was fabulous, with egg casseroles, homemade cinnamon rolls, fresh strawberries, and even cheese & onion grits!
My friend, Carla, always has clever ideas! She wrote several ideas in my book, including "Close the curtains, turn up the heat, put the Beach Boys on, grill hamburgers, make some sort of frozen drinks, wear shorts, and pretend it's a sunny, hot day!" I like Carla's ideas! Somehow this mother of six boys always seems to have a creative bent to everything! I'm sure it has served her family well! (Which I'm sure she would love you to know, now includes a brand new baby granddaughter!)

So "Bring On Winter"...I think. I've got my survival manual in hand. Oh, but I need to get those studded tires and stretchy gloves. Better wait on the winter, at least for a few more weeks!

Whew!

The report from the doc today was great. The biopsy came back benign. David is in the clear. No more treatments, no more tests! We are all thankful: for the wisdom of the docs, for the prayers of the saints, and for the indescribable love of our Father! He has once again walked with us, knowing all the time what the results would be, assuring us along this path that He was in control. And I do believe that whatever the results would have been, He would have still been in control. We're just so grateful for the path He has chosen for us.

Back To School

Just a quick note, that David had a great weekend of recovery. He was doted on by many. On Friday, he had three visitors stop by and they all three brought ice cream. Now, that makes surgery almost worth it to an 11-year-old! He went back to school this morning, and made it the whole day. He's headed to football practice in a few minutes, not to practice, but to watch. Contact sports is the only thing he cannot do this week. Again, thanks for your continued prayers. We may hear something from the test results tomorrow. I won't be anxiously waiting by the phone, though. The news will come when it comes.

Surgery Report

David was a real trooper this morning. Handled everything like a pro, except he really didn't want to see the IV in his arm. The nurse obliged him with a cover for it. The surgeon removed the tumor, and the pathologist saw signs of teratoma. In children, this is not usually of great concern, and the surgeon is cautiously confident that this surgery will be all that David needs. The tumor is being biopsied, and we will know the results of that test next week.

We are all home now, and David is sleeping. I think the anesthesia will gradually wear off today. It is nice that he is home and resting. He was becoming a little agitated at the hospital, and really just wanted out of there.

Thanks for all your love and prayers.

I'm taking a nap!

Surgery Eve

We got word today, that David needs to be at the hospital at 6:30am tomorrow. He's getting used to the idea of having to do this, but every once in awhile he crashes. I'm trusting the Lord for a good night tonight; family time, laughter, empowering scripture, and a good night's rest. Thanks for all who are keeping us in your prayers. We will keep you posted!

A Day At The Park

This morning we woke up to 32 degree weather, not so great for a day at Yellowstone. Or so we thought. After the kids headed off to school, Jim, Jill and I headed for "the park." We saw Old Faithful, the Inn, Artist's Point, buffalo, coyotes, mule deer, long-horned sheep, and elk. Woo hoo! But I am a little worried about Jill, she didn't get to see a moose. She really needs to see a moose. She thought the mule deer were moose. Does anyone have a moose they can show Jill?
Not to be outdone by Saturday's bear-watching picnic, we took along a lunch and ate among the "Do Not Approach Elk" signs. Well, there were no elk at that particular place to be seen, but they should have had "Watch Out For Falling Pine Cones!" signs. Our picnic table, and our bodies were pelted with pine cones. Not the large, fluffy kind. But the small, torpedo-like kind. I think I have a welt on my back. (And I'm pretty sure we heard a squirrel high in the trees overhead, laughing at us!)

The weather warmed up nicely, to a balmy 64 degrees. So what do you do on a 64-degree day, after you've seen all the wildlife there is to see? Jump in the Boiling River. This was a repeat from our first trip to Yellowstone in July, and I can see, it's going to be a regular treat. We made it home by 6:30, just in time for me to make dinner and help the kiddos with homework! What a great day!

Jill Is Here!

Yesterday we welcomed a very special guest to our new home, Jill Wilson. A former JBU student, Jill has served at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya for the last 10 years. She has also "lived" on our refrigerator for that long. She is a special gal. We took her to see Mountain Arts Pottery, where Emily works, gave her a tour of the church (thus, the photo below), and a quick drive through downtown. Our plans today include a hike, maybe the museum, and pizza out tonight! Guess we're still in the habit of taking guests out for pizza, even if this isn't Chicago! As of now, it's cold and rainy so the hike may not be a go! Whatever we decide to do, it's just so good having Jill here!

Update: The hike WAS a go. Back to Hyalite Canyon to Palisades Falls. It was damp and 44 degrees, but it was exhilarating.
We took a picnic lunch, and ate along side the lake. Jim was on bear-watch so we were able to eat in peace.

Weepy Day

Today has been a weepy day. Not really sure why. I'm not afraid. I'm not worried. I'm sad, I guess. Sad that David is worrying that he'll feel the incision when the doctor does surgery next week. Sad that David is afraid he's going to wake up during the surgery. Sad that my little guy is learning the lesson of faith a very hard way.

Nothing profound to say. Just wanted to get it off my chest.

The Results, Again

The doc called yesterday, and it looks like David will need surgery. We will meet with the doc again this week, to discuss the whys and hows. David wants to go with us, because he has a lot of questions. David also does not want them "cutting me open". I assured him I do not WANT them cutting him open, either, but try and explain to an 11-year-old that something that is totally not bothering him, not hurting, not uncomfortable, has to be taken out. Not easy.

Last night as we were talking to him, he said "This is just a test". A point made by Pastor Chris in his sermon on Sunday, that God gives us tests to make us more like Him. I was pleased that David had made that connection. He HAD been listening in church on Sunday, despite the pages of doodles! And I was glad that my son reminded me of the sermon. I had kind of gotten caught up in the "this is awful" mode. This is a test, this is only a test.