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First random thought - Wow! It's been a while since I last put my thoughts down in blogdom. It's been an absolutely wonderful summer - activity-wise, not weather-wise! We have been doing a lot of bike riding together, my Honey and I. Who knew I'd actually like something which is also physically beneficial (i.e., good exercise)! We had a terrific 4th of July with my sister, brother-in-law, and parents; a totally awesome family reunion in Indiana; our son-in-law's ordination (so proud of him!); "Camp Grandma-Grandpa 2009" with R & L. Perhaps the most thought-provoking thing we've done this summer, though, is something called The Truth Project, a 13 week dvd series put out by Focus On The Family. Which leads me into:Second random thought - Each week Dr. Del Tackett takes the viewer on a "tour" of a given subject. I highly recommend this series to any and every believer. It is not an apologetic series, therefore I would not take unbelievers to it (the ALPHA course is better suited for that purpose). It presupposes at least a desire to live within the framework of God's leading; it strengthens the belief system already in place. Amazing series...Third random thought - In conjunction with #2, I am reevaluating some areas of my life. I find that I spend WAY TOO MUCH TIME on things that do not further the cause of the Kingdom, and hope to purge my life of said things as quickly as possible.Fourth random thought - In all of my years as a Christian, I have noticed that God speaks to me most clearly during the summer months (perhaps I listen more closely then?). This summer He has impressed upon me a portion of Scripture which I have endeavored to memorize. It is 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. It is a phenomenal thought captured in these verses; I feel a sense of awe and wonder every time I ponder it, and I've done a lot of "pondering" lately. Fifth (and last) random thought - "I will set before my eyes no vile thing." - Psalm 101:3
Well, I'm in the middle of packing because tomorrow I leave for PA to spend the week with my daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren. While L & J are running a missions camp for middle/high schoolers at Pine Springs Camp in Jennerstown, PA, I will be playing with...er, I mean, watching my grandchildren, also at the camp. How much fun is that going to be?? I can't wait! We had a really fun time last year, so I anticipate more of the same this year :)
I am currently experiencing heart trouble. Not the physical kind (Thank you, Lord), but the emotional kind. I found out yesterday that our Pastor of Children's Ministry is being "let go", a seemingly nice way of saying he's being canned. Now, I don't know WHAT the Board was thinking, but Tim has been here for almost 10 years. Unless he has done something illegal or immoral (and I'd be willing to bet he hasn't), they had no right to terminate his employment the way they did. He was told this past week, and his last Sunday is June 28. The kids in that church adore him and his wife, Diane. I can't begin to imagine what the Sunday School teachers are feeling - they are much closer to them than I, and I feel like I've been kicked in the teeth. I guess this is something that will have to work itself out, but I don't see how. Tim is on facebook, and his status said "God DID NOT say, 'What the heck just happened here?' I know I can trust God no matter what!!!!! Still!" I feel blessed to know these people, and I pray that God will grant them His peace until He reveals His plan for their lives. Selfishly, I hope that His plan keeps them here in the area because I'd love to be involved in their ministry. Okay, I'm done ranting - for now.
My husband has been helping a friend of his, Bob, with Bob's shop for a couple of years now. Bob has all sorts of health problems - diabetes, he's on dialysis, heart attack, amputations... today my husband called to tell me that Bob's wife, Peg (his caregiver), had a heart attack last night. The aorta ruptured, but the docs thought everything was under control. A couple of hours later, my husband called again to tell me that Peg had died. My mind is numb, not wanting to accept what he told me. I wasn't particularly close to Bob & Peg, but I know them, and they are very good to my husband. All of this has gotten me to thinking about my Dad & Mom. Mom has been Dad's caregiver since 2002 when he had surgery to repair a brain aneurysm. A year later he was doing well with his recovery when he was suddenly diagnosed with Wegener's, an autoimmune disease, which won't kill him, but it does require a good deal of care-giving on my Mom's part. So back to Bob and Peg. What is going to happen to Bob? I don't think he can stay by himself. What would happen to my Dad in the same situation? It's not something I want to think about, but maybe I need to consider the alternatives in case Mom goes before Dad. Gee, such a happy post. Sorry ....
I weighed in at Weight Watcher's this morning and made it to my 10% goal! They gave me a cute little key chain and, since I've been there for 16 weeks, I also received a little charm to put on my key chain. Isn't that cute :) As you can see from my ticker, I'm down 19.8 lbs., so hopefully I'll be breaking the 20 lb. mark next week. This is actually turning out to be FUN!! Go figure!
Wednesdays are busy days for me. I usually go to my friend's house for a little crafting/conversation time, then head home to get ready for work. After work I go directly to the church for a very quick dinner before our Financial Peace University class starts. Herein lies the problem. As I was heading to church after work, I realized that I'd forgotten the book.... the one we take notes in... the one that I have somehow become responsible for. So, after weighing my options, I decided to call my DH and ask him to bring the book. No problem, really. Except, he didn't answer. Now what do I do? I decided to swing by the house and see if the book was still there. Maybe DH had been in the shower when I called and he'd gotten the message. But, what if he couldn't find the book??? Oh my... I began to think of what I would say to him if he couldn't find the book. Something like "If you would just open your eyes you would have seen the book, right where it's been for the last eight weeks!" BUT, then I realized that this was not the real problem. Sure, he sometimes looks right past an item he's searching for (don't we all?). The real issue was that I had forgotten the book, and I guess I was kind of mad at myself. The easiest thing to do was to pass the blame along, instead of owning up to it. So, when I saw him at the church, I kissed him and I said, "Hi, Honey. I love you." - Thanks God, for the attitude adjustment!!
I am soooo very tired of the elusiveness of Spring! Come on already - I want to see my forsythia in bloom - NOW!! The weather forecast for tomorrow is calling for a high of 49-52, with the possibility of snow. Oddly enough, they are also saying that it could go up to 80 this weekend. So, make up my mind. Which is it? Spring or Not Spring? Personally, I could jump right to Summer and be quite happy, for a very long time. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
The aforementioned dental work was completed as Dr. Plumb seated the temporary bridge. But, for anyone who knows me, things in the dental realm do not always go as planned, so I was back in to see my dear Dr. Plumb the next week because my jaw still hurt, and apparently it was not supposed to be. Soooo, Dr. Plumb gently made a few adjustments and I was on my way, happy as a clam. Then this past Tuesday the permanent bridge was to be put in place. I walked in and took the seat in the chair, confident that Dr. Plumb would not hurt me......EXCEPT IT WASN'T DR. PLUMB, it was DR. VIC. He scared me and then he hurt me, and then he scared me some more. By the time I was done, I was trying to think of a way to get out of the rest of the treatment plan they had for me. But it gets better. The bridge was loose. No, it wasn't just loose - it came right out. Now I was terrified because I was so afraid that I'd have to see Dr. Vic again that I was crying as I was talking to the scheduler. She promised me that I wouldn't have to see Dr. Vic again, and that I would be seeing Dr. Plumb. So, Wednesday I went in and Dr. Plumb reseated the bridge. He was soooo gentle, and I was soon on my way. Are the Dental gods toying with me? Why, you might ask? Because the bridge is STILL LOOSE!!! Now what do I do? I'm supposed to go in on Friday for a cleaning and crown prep on another tooth, but I don't see how I can have that work done while the bridge is still loose and the teeth under it are still sensitive. I guess I'll find out. The good news is that it will be Dr. Plumb taking care of me, and I trust him.
Well, it is accomplished... the dental work I needed done, I mean. My daughter called as I was sitting in the waiting room this morning, being extremely nervous. She prayed for me over the phone, which was comforting. But get this - when the dentist, Dr. Plumb, came in to start work on me, I said something like "Do you pray?" He said that he did, and when I asked if we might pray before he started, not only did he agree... he's the one who offered up the prayer. He then said that he should start every procedure with prayer! Yeah, not a bad idea! Gotta love that dentist :)
So, I mentioned the benefit dinner we had last night for Peace of the City - Bart Campolo was our keynote speaker, and he was fabulous! We had 30 more people attending than we expected, and praise God, we were able to seat all of them and feed all of them. Remember the cheesecakes I mentioned in my last post? Yeah, well, after cutting and plating 320+ desserts, I decided that I would indulge and have a piece after all. [If you check my weight loss ticker to the right, you'll notice that I am still losing weight.] Anyway, there were a few pieces left, which came home with me (to be used for our next staff meeting). As I was looking at the box, I decided to check the Weight Watchers Points value for that piece of heaven I'd had earlier. Believe me when I tell you that I was absolutely sick. 12 points - yeah, 12 points. I only get 25 for a whole day!!! Thankfully, because I'd behaved myself all day, it only ended up being about 6 points over my daily allotment, which just comes off of my "weekly allowance". Whew!
Tomorrow is the benefit dinner for Peace of the City. I am in charge of procuring the desserts for this auspicious event. I find it quite ironic that I will be going to my Weight Watcher's meeting tomorrow morning with 9 cases of frozen CHEESECAKES in my car! Rich Products donated them for us - is that cool, or what (no pun intended)?
I saw a new dentist yesterday; after the problems I had last May, I just couldn't go back to the guy I've seen for 20 years. Yeah, what he did scared me so badly that I haven't sought dental care, which I desperately need. So, I found a place called...are you ready?....GENTLE DENTISTRY - yeah, right. Is there any such thing? Well, to my amazement, once I got in there, I actually found myself relaxing and laughing - yes, laughing! Okay, I admit that this was only the x-rays and evaluation, but considering what I'd been through previously, it was a huge step. The good news is that I'm getting the work done that NEEDS to be done - a bridge on the lower right, and a crown on the lower left. The bad news is that it's gonna cost $3572 and we still don't have an emergency fund in place. Did I mention that hubby and I are taking a course called "Financial Peace University"? This is our 4th week, and it is amazing! I actually cut up four credit cards at last night's class. It's a dynamic program, and I look forward to being debt free - it's going to feel soooo good!! But I digress... so how am I going to pay for the dental bill? Well, of course, they have a l'il ole payment plan (note the sarcasm, please) you can sign up for, which I did. I'm not happy about it, but the financial advisor at the FPU class last night said I'd done the right thing.So, maybe this dentist will be gentle as he promises. I'll let you know - my first appointment (of about a gazillion) is March 27th. He promised he'll be sedating me (gotta love that Valium!) so I don't feel the extraction...we'll see, we'll see.
A trip to Florida to visit hubby's sister and family - sounds great, doesn't it? We were all set to go next Thursday, but hubby wasn't that excited to begin with, so I felt like I was twisting his arm. Then the rheumatologist called to remind me of my appointment - on Thursday morning. Hmm. The Lenten Fish dinners have begun and I'm helping with the morning prep... on Fridays (duh); and hubby is at the HUB that evening. Next I got an email from my boss calling for a staff meeting on Tuesday. Do we see a pattern developing here? So, after careful consideration, we've decided to hold off on our trip until after Easter sometime. :(
Well, as mentioned in the previous post, I was somewhat miffed with my doctor's office with the "statin" call. After I got over the perturbed feeling, I checked my own records (who knew a patient would actually keep some info on themselves, eh, doc?) and guess what??? In the two previous cholesterol screenings they did on me, my LDL was 179, then 167. Now it's 151??? Do we see a pattern here? Doesn't the doctor's office see a pattern here? I can't wait until my niece-in-law graduates in May; she is studying to be a Physician's Assistant. Guess who I'll be seeing!!
Well, I just got a call from my primary's office - it seems that my LDL (the bad cholesterol) is too high for his liking. The nurse didn't even wait for me to ask any questions - she just launched into instructions about the "statin" the doctor was ordering... When I heard the "statin" part, I immediately, emphatically said, "NO!" That stopped her in her tracks. I told her how I'd started going to Weight Watchers and wanted to try diet and exercise for a couple of months before moving to medications. So, before I see the doc again at the end of April, I'm scheduled for another fasting blood test to check my cholesterol levels. Two months.... a lot can happen in two months... and maybe my LDL will go down where it belongs.
Oh my goodness, I have a new favorite musical group. I don't know how long they have been around, but they are absolutely amazing! They are Il Divo - four young men, all from different countries, with fabulous voices. A friend emailed me a link to a video on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ4xdKC8yAoEnjoy!!
So, I was playing on my computer today, and I found this really cool website called "tickerfactory.com". I found a weight loss tracker, which you will notice (if I did everything correctly) on the right hand side of this blog. Hopefully it will show my continued progress as I practice eating more healthy foods in the coming months. I actually joined Weight Watchers a couple of Thursdays ago, during an exceptionally cold spell, figuring that there wouldn't be too many people there. Well, since then the Thursdays with crappy weather are adding up quickly! Last week was just about as chilly, and this week looks to be extremely snowy. It's like the enemy is trying to keep me from going to the meetings, but I'm not going to cave. I really want this to work :)In other news, because of the snow today, I didn't go to work. I'm really bummed about it, because I LOVE MY JOB!!!! Do you know how cool it is to say that?? My lead teacher called to tell me not to come in because of the snow (it took her 2 hours - normal is about 20 minutes). We will still have our Open House today, but I won't be there :( Well, that's about it for today.
So, I went to the doctor on Friday. In the course of our conversation, I mentioned my intolerance of extreme cold, such as we have experienced here lately. Since I have Raynaud's (an autoimmune thing), it should come as no surprise. I told her I'd like to go south for a bit, but that's not going to happen. She wrote me a prescription: "Move to warmer climate (as soon as possible) for winter months". Now that's one prescription I wouldn't mind getting filled!!
Attention: Only 345 more days until Christmas! :)
Welcome to January - you know, the month after the holidays where everyone is sick of the cold and snow (it was nice for Christmas Eve) and just wants it to be Spring. As my darling hubby says, "We're one day closer to Spring!" I have to say, that does absolutely nothing for me - especially when I'm skating across a patch of ice on my way to start the car in the below freezing temperatures we get here in Western New York. I could cheerfully wait for Spring in, say, Myrtle Beach, or maybe Orlando. I'm sure Spring is one day closer in those locations as well. I am currently looking into going south for a long weekend to visit family. If I can work out the logistics, I may be able to convince hubby that it's a great idea. Time will tell.
