Catching Up...

Well, Springtime has arrived in San Antonio, but this year, much like the year we moved here, we've had some torential rain storms. I feel like the weather has been reacting to my mood...kind of sad since we're in such limbo waiting to find what God has in store for us in the way of a job for Larry. Each morning I wake up praying..."God, is this the day you're going to reveal your plan?" but as each day passes. I get a bit more discouraged. Thank heavens I have my escape through my job at school. Larry isn't so lucky. The funny thing is, he's never taken much time off, but now we don't have the money to do the things we've always talked of doing.

Just thought I'd include some pictures that have been taken recently in my classroom...lots of exciting "Art Adventures" taking place!

"Fiesta" kicks off this week here in San Antonio and we begin two weeks of celebrating! Friday, we began with the students participating in a parade with floats they had created at home with their families and then we ended the day with classroom parties...it was an exciting day at Encino Park!

Tonight was the final performance of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast Jr" presented by Encino Park Music Dept. I helped throughout dress rehearsals and the closer it got, the more I was amazed by our incredible students...this wasn't just the typical school musical, it was a perfomance they've been working on for a year!

Shelley offered to assist backstage the final night and although I was too busy to see much of her, it was fun just knowing she was there...that is definately one of her God given gifts!

Long Awaited Visit...

Spring break arrived with Larry and I preparing to have Shannon, Josh, Lydia, Joshua and Stacey fly down for a ten day vacation. We hadn't seen the grandkids since last summer due to my back surgery in December, so I could hardly wait! Even though Shannon does a great job of keeping up her blog so I can see what the kids are up to, there's nothing like one on one hugs and cuddle time in person! I couldn't wait for bathtime and bedtime that first night...my favorite time of the day!

We definately had LOTS of free play time...I love toys and I think the grandkids appreciate that fact! We also had a neighbor girl who loaned us her bike for the week and Lydia had a great time riding it to the park each evening.

Originally we had planned several outings to do while the kids were here, but when Larry lost his job that all changed. The good thing was that the kids were just as happy "park-hopping", which we did a lot of. They're at that age where they're really easy to keep happy!

I think for me one of the hardest things about living in Texas is missing holiday with the kids, so I cheated just a bit and had an egg hunt on St. Patricks Day! The kids didn't mind a bit and it gave me my Easter fix.

Little things like working in the yard became big adventures with the grandkids along side for the "ride"...

We're hoping and praying that wherever God takes us next will give us more opportunities for sharing in the lives of all our kids!

Rollercoaster Ride!

Life these days seems to be one big rollercoaster ride...up some days and speeding downhill the next. Last week began a really scary ride...

It all began when I came home from school one afternoon to find Larry home before me. He explained that an employee had made a complaint and they had suspended him until an investigation could be made. He told me the employee had been moved to his plant after having trouble conforming at another plant. When he also refused to follow instructions at the snack plant, Larry went in to tell him he had to do as asked and the guy pushed him and blocked the door. Larry lost his temper and fired him and didn't think any more about it until he was told he was being suspended. We thought it was just routine until Larry's boss called him in 36 hours later and fired him, supposedly for losing his temper. We were totally crushed...both of us!

So now we're looking at yet another move...

The owner of Vitner's (the plant he worked at up north) flew down to make him an offer, as well as a couple of other plants in Phoenix and Dallas that seem to want him. I'm voting for heading north to be with family again, but I'm trying to be patient as Larry explores his options.

Meanwhile, we've been busy with the new Oak Hills Church plant. Last Sunday we had our final service in the temporary building and then all headed over to bless the new building. We were all given markers to write on the floor before the carpet was put down.

Then this morning, we had our first service in the new building...wow, what a blessing to see all God has done in the last six months, not only with the building, but with relationships. He has totally bound our hearts together!

February Fun...

February is " Rodeo Time" here in San Antonio and we got tickets to the first weekend so we could see Tim McGraw perform. Shelley is a HUGE fan of his and of course wanted to be included...it was so much fun for me to watch her that I could hardly enjoy him! Anyway, it's getting to be one of my favorite parts of living here in "Cowboy Country". One of my favorite parts of the rodeo is when the three thru five year olds compete to see who can ride a sheep for the longest...they are so competitive that most don't even cry when they fall off and there are cowboys that are there immediately to comfort them. The other part I love is when the teenagers all compete to catch a calf...by running after them...it's hysterical!

Early spring is when we have our annual dance for grades three thru five and this years theme was a fifties theme...as you can see everyone dressed the part! Both our music teachers are darling and the families went all out with the kids costumes as well...it was a fun night for all.

Since today was Valentines Day, we had a special lesson in Sunday School and then the kids decorated cupcakes...it gave me my "kid fix" for the day! Larry and I then took off for Gruene for the day...the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed our dinner at Gristmill and wandering through the antiques for the afternoon. I didn't want Emma to feel left out so I got her a collar and shirt which only lasted a short time...she was so depressed (or humiliated) that I took it off after the picture!

What's New with Shelley...

As of this week, Shelley has officially lived in Texas for one year, and looking back I think it was a good change for her. She's gone through some rough times, but as with all of us, those rough times brought growth that has helped her become more of the person God desires her to be. The newest thing in her life right now is "Sadie", a three year old Cocker Spaniel she adopted. She brought her over last night so we could meet her and we totally fell in love with her...what a sweetheart!

Other news is her new boyfriend, Josh, who she met at church and is now taking up a lot of her time. We've had him over a couple of times and they seem to be pretty serious...they also seem to be a LOT alike!

She started out when she moved here working at Culvers, but is now working for the same company Larry is...HEB. She works in the "Cafe on the Run..." and seems to be doing well there, in fact she's in the process of moving up to full time with a small promotion. Larry is very proud to have a daughter working for his company and I'm happy to just have her close by!

A Different Kind of Christmas...

Well, we made it through a Christmas unlike any other we've experienced before. Having had to cancel our plans to travel up north due to my back surgery, we decided to celebrate Christmas early with Shelley (and her roomate, Ashley) since she was still flying home for Christmas. It was the first time I had been up much since my surgery, but I really enjoyed having the girls and was thankful I was well enough to enjoy my time with them. The following day, I had a call from a neighbor who wanted to bring dinner and when I suggested they come for a "Christmas Tea", they decided to bring lunch instead. I've really appreciated every small "taste" of Christmas people have shared with me this year including the beautiful plants and flowers people have brought by.

We started our Christmas morning by watching Max Lucado, our pastor, on "Good Morning America", then went down to have our traditional breakfast and open gifts, which didn't take much time at all. Stacey made us a handmade sign that we plan to hang on the front porch, and Shannon's family gave us a grandparents calendar with pictures of the kids. I'm sure it'll help us get through those long months when we feel so very far away from everybody up north!

The first positive thing I thought about when I was told that I couldn't travel was that Emma wouldn't have to spend Christmas in a kennal. Well, she definately enjoyed her first Christmas with us! She loved opening gifts and really enjoyed her stocking...she had Larry and I in stitches as we watched her! She got a stuffed Christmas bear that she loved...I don't think it'll last more than a couple of days but she won't leave it for a second.

Emma's last gift she opened was a Christmas sweater that I though she would hate. Actually though, once she got used to it she left it on all afternoon. We had company for dinner and again, Emma was the center of attention (fortunately they were dog lovers). We had invited some of our friends from church over for a traditional San Antonio Christmas dinner...tamales! It was a nice chance to get to know people a little better and was an enjoyable afternoon.

It was a very "different" Christmas for us but one that I'm sure we'll talk about for many years to come. Emma LOVED being our "only child" for the day but was definately tuckered out after her first real Christmas!

Unexpected Answer to Prayer...

I actually couldn't wait to get home from our cruise so I could see a doctor and begin "treatment". Many people I had talked to said I would have to have physical therapy along with medication for the pain. Whatever they said, I was definately ready to get started so that I could move forward with Christmas and our trip north to be with family for the holidays.

After visiting the Emergency Room on Sunday, I expected to get in to a neurosurgeon on Monday, so I took the day off. The pain in my neck, right arm and hand continued to intensify along with discouragement when every doctor I called couldn't see me until after the holidays...no way could I handle this pain that long! I finally decided to go in to see my primary care physician that evening who told me the same thing they had told me at the hospital. Feeling VERY discouraged, I took lots of pain meds and went to work on Tuesday. During my second group of students, my phone rang. I normally wouldn't answer it, but under the circumstances, I did. It was the neurosurgeon's office telling me the doctor could see me in one hour. I called the office to tell them I had to leave and took off right away, stopping to pick up a copy of my MRI on the way.

This doctor is supposedly the best in the area according to people I had talked to, and I felt complete confidence that he would be able to help me. Well, after looking at the MRI he said it was the worst case he had seen and immediately scheduled me for surgery on Friday...only two days away! I spent the rest of that day having all my presurgical tests done, which made for a miserable day. I was upset about the news that I would be alone for Christmas as well as worried about the fact that I hadn't yet finished my shopping. To add to that, I passed out twice that day as they took blood and did some other test called a "bleed-out". After all that, I had to drive home in torrential rains...something that doesn't happen often in San Antonio. I got thoroughly lost and had to call Shelley to get me home. It wasn't one of my best days!

I spent the next two days getting ready for Christmas. The doctor had taken me off all pain meds in preparation for the surgery, but I was so focused on finishing as much as I could, I was able to deal with it. I couldn't lift the crates where I store gifts, so I only had a couple of gifts each to send up north. I wrapped all the gifts one-handed, praying for each person as I wrapped their gift. Thankfully I had ordered things for the grandkids and had them sent to Shannon and Josh's house...Christmas would go on without me!

Friday came and I was actually so anxious to be free from the pain, I couldn't get to the hospital fast enough. When the doctor came in to see me in Pre-op, he had some more news for me...the nerve damage in my right arm was so severe, he didn't expect my arm would ever be completely usable again. With only a few minutes left before the anesthesia, I began praying and trusting in Jeremiah 29:11-13, knowing that God knows all that is ahead and that He has a plan for me. That's the last thing I remember before being put out...well, that and how cold I was!

I woke up four hours later and the first thing I noticed was that I could feel my right arm again! There was still lots of tingling, which remains even now, but I do think the nerves will heal in time. I see the neurosurgeon on December 18th and we'll see what he says.

For now, I'm home recovering, unable to be up for long. I spend my time moving from the couch to the recliner to the computer. I've started reading the New Testament again, hoping that I can discover new truths that will help me grow into the person God has planned for me. I have lots of time to pray for all the people I love, and I constantly get reminders that it could be worse...I realize what an honor it is to know Christ and have Him with me at difficult times like this.

My favorite thing to do right now is work on "My Thankful List"...it's the one thing that's helping me deal with all the negatives right now. I'm currently up to #28, and I'm discovering more each day. Like it says in James 1:2-4, my goal is to face this trial with "joy"!

My First Cruise...

Our long awaited vacation took place Thanksgiving week, and while it wasn't exactly how we had visualized it, it still is a pleasant memory. I was dealing with a lot of pain when I boarded the ship and ended up visiting the medical clinic the first night we spent on board only to find out I was dealing with a bulging disc. Since I had to be on an IV all week, I wasn't able to do half of the things I would've liked to, however it was still a nice vacation.

Our first stop was in Key West where we wandered the streets for the morning. It was a place I wouldn't mind visiting again when I'm feeling better. We thought it was a bit odd to see chickens wandering the streets, however I guess it's rather commonplace there.
Our next stop was Cozumel which would have been better if they hadn't been experiencing a rare tropical storm while we were there. We spent a good portion of the morning in one shop trying to avoid the flooded streets. The rain did finally let up enough for us to walk the streets a bit, where Shelley met a very friendly parrot!

In Belize, the girls both had their hair braided by the locals and then we wandered around the city. It's a very impoverished area which is sad because they all cater to the tourists who visit their city.

We enjoyed the ship a lot and actually had Thanksgiving dinner on the ship.

This is a picture of our waiter, Ben the last night of the cruise. I missed a couple of meals due to the pain I was having, but the Larry REALLY enjoyed the food. My favorite person on board was definately my Swedish nurse...she made the entire week bearable for me!