God, is my character strong enough yet?

I feel like this last week I have gone through an abnormal amount of "character-building" in the form of one scare after another.  Last Sunday, my little sister had a scare that she might be miscarrying.  We all rushed to her side, and I prayed the whole way to her house, I was so scared.  Then Thursday, my older sister's little girl under went surgery to correct a broken arm that had not healed properly.  Only this time she was halfway across the country and I could NOTHING more than sit at my desk at work and pray.  Then this morning I get a call from Mom that Dad had a mild grade heart attack and they are keeping him in the hospital until Monday when they will do an angiogram.  I'm not sure I can handle anymore character building!!  I'm a weeper, it doesn't take much to set me off and this week has been Niagra Falls!  God, give me peace.  I need your help to get through these emotional times.  Be with my Father in the hospital, how frightening for him and for us, his family!  God, I need to feel your peace.

I LOVE SparkPeople.com

I LOVE this website! It helps me keep track of fitness and calories burned, keep track of what I'm eating and even has a recipe calculator so I can input my recipes and find out how many calories per serving of my favorite recipes! It even has a sister site, BabyFit.com, so I can stay healthy during pregnancy (whenever that is =)  It's really neat!

DEFINITELY...a Happy Birthday

Thank you to everyone who made my 31st birthday such a happy one!  My husband took me to a Japanese steakhouse for some hibachi cooking.  My little sister and her husband joined us for the fun.  We had some sushi, had some laughs and then headed over to their house to play a game and some more laughs-ABRACADABRA!  And to top all that off, today (my actual birthday) is Super Bowl Sunday, so I get to eat all this junk food and lounge around in my jammies!!!  What a birthday!  Tomorrow, I took the day off work but I'm having lunch at HuHot with a couple of my girlfriends from work.  Definitely a Happy Birthday.  Thank you all, and I love you Honey!

Down Memory Lane

I remember this ONE family vacation...up in the Rocky Mountains.  Along side the curvy mountain road crouched this unassuming hunters cabin.  My sisters and I decided to investigate (April had her camera along and wanted to take pictures-Kay took the video camera).  Down the mountain side we trekked, video taping the whole journey...for posterity...or hilarity as it turns out.  As we reach the cabin we are discussing its possible past occupants.  Gold diggers from the 49 gold rush maybe, lone hunters out for elk in the high mountains.  We peer through the tiny window and somebody says "Wait a minute...there are blankets on that bed and it looks slept in."  Someone else notes "There are canned goods that shelf on the wall." Suddenly, Kay (with the video camera) turns and walks away.  Not to be left behind, April and I follow.  As we hop over the tiny mountain stream, someone steps in the water and sucks in a breath-it's COLD.  Kay takes off as though BigFoot himself is pursuing her.  All we see is Kay bolting for the car! April and I speed up the side of the mountain.  -Now, I don't know how many of you have ever tried any sort of physical activity up in the mountains, but the air is thin up there? It's difficult to catch your breath when you are walking.  When you are running for your life, it is as thought your lungs will explode.-  We arrive back at the van, completely breathless and yet laughing hysterically.  While we heave and guffaw, I look up to see Mom's face etched in concern and Dad's eyebrows couldn't go any further up his forehead.  suddenly, the laughter intensified as we imagined what it looked like from above, as we explore, decide to leave and suddenly barrel up the mountain.  It was hilarious...and as I mentioned before, all caught on video tape.

One of my favorite memories with my sisters.

Pray for Joy

My best friend Joy is a missionary in Kazakhstan, has been for 3 years.  While trying to leave the country to re-apply for her visa (you have to re-apply from outside the country-she was headed to Ukraine), at the airport, she and another missionary were detained and ultimately deported.  They are appealing the decision and will have to wait in Kiev, Ukraine. If the deportation is NOT over turned, she will not be able to return to Kazakhstan for 5 years.  My heart aches for her and for all the hard work she has put into her ministry in Kazakhstan and the possibility of having to leave that behind, it’s devastating.  But God’s will is at work here, He is omniscient and omnipotent and I have to trust him to protect Joy.  Maybe this is God’s way of removing Joy from harm’s way.  He will protect and all I have to do is trust him and pray.  God, keep her safe, give her strength and give her your peace, peace that passes all understanding.