Eleven Weeks Later....

It has been 11 weeks since I broke my foot.  And when I say broke my foot, I really mean severely sprained my ankle and broke a bone in my foot in 2 places.  It hasn't healed completely and never will.  I will have to see if it gives me pain or discomfort and if it does, I can choose to have surgery to have a pin put in.

In those 11 weeks, I've had a lot of time to sit and think.  I also spent a lot of time sleeping (pain pills will do that to you), and a lot of time watching Downton Abbey.  I didn't feel like reading, I couldn't move around well, and I was in pain. 

You really start to appreciate the little things when you can't:

• drive
• get in and out of the shower by yourself
• get yourself any food or drink
• easily get on or off the toilet
• leave the house except for a doctor's visit or maybe church
• clean the house (sure a break is nice, but 11 weeks?!?!)
• cook dinner
• do any kind of chores
• sit at the dinner table with your family

It wasn't that I couldn't do all of these things the entire 11 weeks.  Most of them lasted at least 6 weeks and others the full 11.

The break, the resting, the sitting and doing a lot of nothing was fine for the first few weeks.  But then you get restless.  You want to go out into the world and do something, but it's too much effort to even get out of your pajamas and your husband is working 50+ hours that week so there's no one to even go out with.  You get in a rutt and you want to get out.

I don't remember much of the first 2 weeks.  I watched episodes of Downton Abbey that I don't remember and I apparently had a conversation with a lady at church that she remembered but I didn't.  I felt bad that my husband had to work 50-60 hours a week, including 12+ hour days with some of them starting at 4:30am, and then he had to come home exhausted to help out with the evening routine.  My teenagers were VERY helpful, but there are certain things that needed to be done that they just couldn't do.  My poor husband is so tired!  I think he's more excited about me FINALLY being able to drive than I am!

I had friends and family that helped out a lot along the way.  They took me to the grocery store, drove me to church and homeschool group, brought me delicious homemade bread and took my kids to their activities.  There were people I only knew through Facebook (law enforcement wives are VERY supportive of each other!) who checked on me, encouraged me, and asked me how I was doing.

I know this period of time happened for a reason, and I may never know that reason.  I know that I had very important plans that were changed and God knew that all along and still allowed me to miss a step off my back porch.  I also know I could've used my time better, but I didn't.  

I look forward to the changes that will come from being mobile again.  I look forward to slowly walking up and down my road to get back in shape and see how my foot holds up.  I look forward to getting back into a routine and getting some order back in the house.

And I hope I never break a bone again!

 

FINALLY!!!

We weren't expecting to hear this news until mid April, but here it is...

 The adoption is final!!

Even though this is a BIG day in our family, it still doesn't change much.  From the day he moved in our home last summer, we considered him part of our family.  Now we just have the paperwork to prove that!

It may seem funny or odd to the rest of you but there are two things that make me most happy now that it's official:

1. No more paperwork!!  We had to fill out a daily grid that tracked his behavior and experiences relating to his goals.  We filled out daily paperwork for his medication.  We filled out a monthly list of contacts.  We filled out a monthly list of doctors or therapist visits, activities we took him on (at least 3 were required each month for the type of care he's in), and the date we had a fire drill.  I understand why we had to do this, but it was still annoying to keep up with.
2. More freedom!!  Only our approved support people could be with him without my husband or I present.  Our wonderful neighbors agreed to be support people (they didn't know what they got themselves into!) as well as my parents.  I can't imagine getting through this process without having those support people!  Now that we have more freedom, I can leave him with friends of our family too and that's a HUGE help!

 When he got home from school today, I told him the exciting news... As we had thought, his reaction was minimal and he just wanted to play some Wii!  I had to actually show him the adoption decree stating his new name!  Thankfully, he already had a therapist appointment scheduled for this afternoon so they can talk and help him process this new concept of adoption.

We had already planned on having take out for dinner tonight, so we are adding a special candy treat to that and having a small celebration!  A friend of mine is going to make us a special cake next week.  He also gets his traditional Friday bubble bath tonight, he can play Wii and on his IPod and can stay up just a little bit late as a special time to mark this special day.

So, now we are officially a family of FIVE!  Sure, we've lived like this for almost 9 months, but there's something a little different today. 


 

A Surprising Friendship

Just about a year ago, I met someone who would soon become one of my closest friends. 

The sad thing is how we got to be friends and get so close in such a short period of time.

For the privacy of her and her family, I won't give many details.  I'll just say that I was made aware of a crisis in her life and reached out to her during that time.

This family had visited our church with us around Christmas time and had been attending for a few Sundays.  The existance of a superficial relationship helped me be bold and confront her on some things.  God worked in her life and she was saved soon afterward.  But her crisis didn't go away; in fact, it got worse.

Over the next few months, I got to witness something I had never seen before in a friendship of mine.  My new friend, a new Christian, was seeking HARD after the things of God and challenging me to do the same!  We talked on the phone, texted and emailed and met when we could.  We read a book together and discussed what we learned.  Over the summer, when her schedule was easier, we met weekly at church to do a Bible Study together.  

She shared with me the details of the crisis in her life.  I was frustrated and sad for what she was dealing with.  She knew without a doubt that God had forgiven her and she had completely repented, but that didn't change what she was going through.  But she continued to cling to God and has gotten to see Him work a miracle in her life, one that even her young children and her husband noticed.

There were also times this past year where my new friend encouraged me... Through the countless adoption meetings and visits, through personal illness and a health crisis in a family member, through the stress of LEO life and in the fun times of the soccer season and vacations... She was there to text Scripture, ask how I was doing, give advice and laugh with me. 

If you were to ask me just over a year ago if I would reach out to someone I had met only 2 or 3 times and was 12 years younger than me and start a friendship and that we'd be as close as we now are, I would've called you crazy.  That's not what I do.  I don't reach out to people I don't know... I don't stick my nose into that person's life... I don't put myself out there like that...

The only thing I can think about this situation is that God knew what I didn't.  He knew that she needed my friendship and He knew that I needed her's.  And even now He is the only one that knows what lies ahead for her future.

If I had been content to stay within the circle of friends that I had a year ago, I would have missed out on getting to know a wonderful person... I would've missed out on seeing God work through the struggles she faced... I would've missed out on my own spiritual growth as well.

2012- A Review of Our Year

This is the time of year where many people look back at what has happened over the year and then they look ahead to the coming year....

This blog post will be a review of 2012 and in a few days I will post a look at 2013, including some new goals I have...

Here are some highlights for our family in 2012!

1. If I had to sum up our year with only one word, it would be... Adoption!  It consumed our time and energy from the 1st of January until the 31st of December.  We made many trips to meet the boy who would become the newest member of our family, logged many hours and miles in our van to transport for our weekend visits, we experienced many meetings and lots of paperwork and rules.  But we wouldn't trade it for anything!  Not only did we experience the process of adoption, we were also able to see that process in the lives of at least 4 of our friends!  What a vivid example of what God did for us when He adopted us as His children through Jesus' death and resurrection!
2. A phrase that makes me think of 2012 is new friends!  Through a variety of circumstances, I've made some new friends and have enjoyed getting to know them.  It's nice to have people to support you and for you to rely on, to laugh and have fun with, and to support and encourage.
3. Another thing I learned this year, whether through my own experiences or through my friends, is trust!  Here's the important part... That trust needs to be in God, not in people.  People WILL let you down and disappoint.  God is ALWAYS faithful and His ways are ALWAYS the best.  So whether you're dealing with marriage problems, health issues, needing provision, having family or children issues, problems at work... Nothing is too big for God to handle!
4. Support is another word that sums up our year.  I have a great support system in my homeschool group, a core group of close friends, and some other ladies that live the LEO life like we do and understand those stresses on a marriage and family.
5. Last but not least, Life is hard!  God NEVER promised us that we'd have enough money, no sickness or no hard times.  In fact, He did promise us that we WILL experience trials of many kinds.  The good news is that whether life is easy or life is hard, God IS always with us!

 

THANKSgiving....

Thanksgiving is just another day in our house this year as my husband will be working a 12+ hour shift.  He hopes to come home for a brief snack at some point, but who knows if that will actually happen.  So, we'll just eat our Thanksgiving dinner when he gets home near dinnertime.....


Meanwhile, here are some things we are thankful for this year!


Troops that are stationed overseas, as well as their families that are at home without them...

Helpful parents, especially when I was sick this month and my husband was working...

Adoption!  What a perfect picture of what God has done through His redemption of those who are His children... We've been able to see this up close and personal this year...

New friends...  I've had the privilege of making several new friends this year and it has been great getting to know them better...

Kids!  Mine are pretty cool, as are their friends!

Special times with family.... We are blessed with the time we are able to spend together....

Great husband of mine!  He's definitely not perfect, but he's exactly what I need!

Internet... Just as with most things, it can be a good thing or a bad thing... But to consider the resources at your fingertips in only a few seconds, it sure can help in certain situations...

Verse by verse preaching in our church!  They are NOT afraid to speak God's Truth...

It's our great country, America!  Yes, we have faults, challenges and problems, but we still live in the BEST country in the world, with freedoms that others can only dream of!

Next year... I know I probably shouldn't look ahead just yet, but we've got a LOT of fun stuff coming up in 2013 as well as several changes that will take place...

God's grace, mercy, forgiveness and redemption... What more can I say than that?

 

First Week of School, Part 2!

Last week was the week that our youngest started public school.

I knew it was going to be a CRAZY week, but I didn't realize just how crazy.

My husband was finishing up night shift, I was recovering from a virus and then my daughter got sick overnight Monday into Tuesday.

My son had a soccer game Tuesday.

I got very sick (the virus must have come back, but this time it was WORSE!!) on Wednesday so the guys went to church that night and the girls stayed home to recover.

Thursday I was once again trying to recover, my daughter had science lab in the afternoon and my son had an away game that evening.  I think we ate dinner at 8:30pm.

On Friday, I was STILL trying to catch up from the week and got a little bit done.  My son had another soccer game.  The guys were playing VERY well and were winning 2-0 in the 2nd half.... Then a player on the other team collided with his goalie.  It was a LOUD hit that we heard on the sidelines.  The player was down on the ground for a long time and the goalie was obviously in pain as well.  Thankfully, the mom of one of our players was a nurse and the dad of another of our players teaches first aid and CPR so they were both out on the field to give assistance.  After a bit, the coach decided to call for an ambulance as the player was having neck pain.  It seemed to take forever, although I'm sure it was the right timeframe for a 911 call and dispatch to a volunteer department, but the ambulance arrived and took the player to the hospital.  The game was called at that point.  We later heard the goalie had some torn rib muscles and the other player was released from the hospital with a concussion.  We're glad they weren't hurt worse!

My husband took the youngest, our daughter and her friend to a minor league baseball game with some free tickets so my oldest and I were hanging out at home.  At some point I started to think about a young friend of mine that I met at church a year ago and how I hadn't seen her on Facebook much in the last month or two.  So I decided to go on her wall and see what was up..... That's where I had my BIG shock of the week...

My friend was dead!

She died in early July, just a month after turning 25.  She leaves a 1 year old daughter and 3 year old son.

I'm so sad....

She and I had been trying to find some time in December and January to get together.... Between Christmas, birthdays, her schedule and mine, we couldn't find a day that worked.  Then all of our adoption stuff started and I kept forgetting to get back in touch with her.  When I'd remember, I was usually too tired, so I'd tell myself that I'd message her or see her "soon".... "Soon" turned into months.... And then it was too late.

I enjoyed getting to know my friend this past year.  I met her just about a year ago to be exact.  I held her baby most Wednesday nights and talked with her and got to know her a little.  I enjoyed her hugs on Sunday mornings.  I will miss her...

I really never want to go through all of those things again in one week's time.  It was a tough week: busy, stressful, shocking...