Well, we've sold our house. We've moved all our contents to storage. We've begun the process of building our new "estate". We've permanently moved part of our family to Texas while the rest continue to travel back and forth between Texas and Louisiana (Except for our darling oldest daughter who has settled ~at least for now~ in another state). So, the first order of business....*(Here comes the poll)* Does North Central Texas still count as the South? Cause if not, I have to rename my blog.*(Here ends the poll)*
Okay and here is a picture of the beautiful pages of one of the beautiful new books I bought. (Hopefully more on that later)
I used to have so many words to say. Words to describe my day. Words to describe my feelings. Words to describe the color of the sky. Words to describe behaviors, emotions, sentiments, activities. Now I think in blurbs. "How quickly can I update people on what I am doing and can I do the whole thing in the third person?" I blame it all on facebook.
I suppose there could be some room in there to blame the unbelievable level of busy my life has been these last months, but then you would want me to tell you all about it. And this is the best I can come up with....
Sing4Joy's BFF came to visit and they went to a wonderful wedding together Sing4Joy's husband returned from the final deployment of his Air Force career and is preparing for retirement Sing4Joy attended her last PWOC gathering ever Sing4Joy's second daughter graduated from High School and enlisted in the Air Force Sing4Joy is trying to get her house in order to sell and move to another state etc, etc, etc.
Things don't really promise to slow down any time soon, and facebook continues to be a 3 minute option for updating my people so I don't know how much life is left in Southern Living and other peeks into my psyche, but we shall see.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of having an Upper GI Series with Barium swallow and baking soda crystals.
"What NOW S4J? Seriously, don't you have something else to do besides go to the doctor?"
I really do. But the reality is I have an earthly body that has seen some natural destruction due to life, genetics, aging and environment and general misuse and abuse on my part and that means sometimes things fail. My current ailment list is kind of lengthy and boring so I won't list them now, and I promise to update when test results are in and we know something conclusive. For the purpose of today's post I will tell you that I have been experiencing chronic severe heartburn (at least it feels severe to me) so I went for a series of x-rays in which they take pictures up and down the upper gastrointestinal organs; esophagus, stomach and something else I can't remember the name of. This is not a medical show people. This is done in different ways depending on the particular purpose of the tests. In the case of this series for me, they first gave me some baking soda crystals to 'shoot' (not kidding. that's what the tech said) She described these as being just like pop-rocks candy from when you were a kid. Except you don't keep them in your mouth, you need to get them straight to your throat and swallow them so they can start making lots of air in your tummy and you are not allowed to burp it out even though you will really feel like it. Swallow it back down.
But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's back up a little....
My day started like any other; Wake up, Husband is not there - he's in another state for work Take a shower Load the twins up into the van and follow the 16 year-old in the little purple car as she drives herself to school. *faints* Oh dear, I've already forgotten what I did next.
Okay fast-forward a little... I drive up to post to go to the hospital and see the yellow and white canopies that get setup for big events like redeployment ceremonies and fests and the like lined up along the blocked off half of the brand new additional parking. And that's when it starts. You folks who have been at Fort Polk know what's coming; the drive that will make you late for your appointment up and down and up and down and up and down the parking lot looking for a place to park. I kid you not, unless you were a childcare worker or a motorcycle there was not one empty space to be found in the first parking lot. So, I began the drive of doom through the second parking lot. God said, "My gift to you this morning is a nice long leisurely walk in beautiful weather. In order to receive this blessing, you will have to choose one of the last available spaces at the very end of the overflow parking. You're welcome."
Thank You Lord. I actually had plenty of time and was not feeling stressed other than being slightly aggravated at what seemed completely nonsensical blocking of parking they purposely built to help alleviate problems like this, I mean there was no country star with a big black hat and an amplifier crooning from those empty blocked off spaces, but who I am to say?
So to add pleasure to pleasure,(no really, it was a super lovely morning) as I was getting close to the entrance I came upon a friend who has been here a little longer than me and I don't see very often anymore and we had a lovely chat about the woes of facebook, friending/unfriending, crazy updates and the the two giant scars on either side of his ankle where he has had surgeries to correct what he broke in Korea. And then I saw that I now actually only had 9 minutes until my appointment. Okay okay time to go indoors.
Getting checked in was all very pleasant. I waited no time at all to be taken back and start the fun. "Here is the gown you need to change into, you may only keep your underwear and socks. Everything else must go. I will give you extremely quick instructions on how to install the gown with three arm holes onto your body and then send you off to work it out. Yes, you really have to lose the bra too even though it has no under-wire. You will be completely covered."
Some of you may know that I like to take pictures. This visit was an absolute gold-mine of photographic interest to me, but I figured (correctly) that I wouldn't really be able to get good shots of what I was doing and seeing while still making it possible for the techs to get the good shots of my insides that they needed. Plus, I really have no idea how, if at all, x-rays would affect my camera and whether cameras would even be allowed in. Given those odds, the camera stays at home. *sigh* However after manufacturing a third arm and getting all the little holes filled and in their proper places, I sat down in the chair and waited for the tech to finish her prepping and asked her if I could have brought my camera.
"Uhh, well....I don't think there are any rules against it...although no one has ever wanted to take pictures before....I suppose it could be done...."
*Methinks they have and just never asked*
I see that this post is turning rather long, so I will end here and get back to the story later because I have exciting news to share: I am published. :) PWOCI Blog . Look for "McWitness".
AND, I also wanted to share this song with you. It's a Hillsong United song, but I chose this video because these two are just too cute and sweet. It's a bit long, so turn up the volume and get some dusting done while you listen!
Already having a fun start to my day. Linda over at 2nd cup of coffee is holding a contest to find the ugliest mug in bloggyville. The mugs that are already up are really atrocious, but the campaigning for said mugs is completely hilarious. Not only did I have several good laughs this morning, but I came across several blogs that I am interested in going back to. I am not posting an ugly mug because, well, I don't have any. I have boring mugs, but no ugly mugs. *slouches* plus, I don't drink coffee. And there is no Starbucks here to be able to make use of the prize. You feel sorry for me now. Don't you? Any way, I am happy to dedicate this post to Linda's 1,000th post so that I can say, "Thank you" for your blog. She talks about her faith, her family, her life and she is absolutely hilarious. A highly recommended read. Here is the one that got my vote.
It's my belated bloggerversary! On December 9, 2007 - I posted for the very first time. It's such an indication of my life at this moment that I am 2 days late posting about it. Life is abundantly good and overflowing with busy-ness. School was cancelled today because snow was sighted in the area (okay, that could be a bit over-simplified) and so all of my children are home. This will require a bit of a shift in my schedule. Lord help me to see this as the blessing You would have it be for me. I will leave you with a reprint of my very first (and still one of my favorites) post.
Today was our Christmas cantata - A Celebration of Carols. (Funnily enough, the front of the program said, "Sing for joy") My choir director said to me, "I love to see the joy on your face and in you when you are singing. You are such a blessing." How little she knows about what a gift it is to me to be able to be a part of this most amazing and beautiful choir. I am reminded of the verse from Jeremiah 20:9 which perfectly describes my NEED to sing to the Lord ...."But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." Indeed I cannot. Even if I wanted to. I sometimes am so completely overwhelmed by the need to worship the Lord that it feels like if I don't get it out, the power of it will shatter my bones into pieces. And truly when I am worshiping with this amazing group of people, I feel so full, that there really is nowhere else for the joy to fit and it just runs over. Right over the brim of the cup the Lord has given me. I urge you to find the thing that the Lord has given you to do on this earth and do it with all your heart. Truly, when you are doing the thing that God has created you for, you will be able to do it no other way and you'll be so happy about it to boot.
Whoa! What do you know?? This is my 200th post since I joined bloggyville. In addition to celebrating with the cutest button EVERKNOWNTOMANKIND made by my very creative, talented AND for-hire BFFIRL, HisGirl ~ I am also doing a small giveaway. I have and am willing to part with THREE Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazines, and ONE Martha Stewart special issue for Parents and Kids (lots of decorating ideas - so cute). You can find a sampling of that below....
You don't have to be a regular reader of my blog(although you should become one) ~ or be present to win. Haha. If you're interested in having these gems of visual delight, leave a comment saying something to the effect of, "You are so great AND I want to have those magazines" If you don't care about the magazines at all, you can still leave a comment to tell me that I am great.
Tomorrow, I am thinking, begins a game. For those of you who already know the answer to the game, you are on notice that you are not allowed to give it away!
I was visiting one of my favorite blogs today: Chatting at the sky ~ discovering the holy moments in the midst of the mundane. She posted about why she takes pictures and it was so eloquently said and exactly what I have been trying to understand about myself and put into words as well. You can read that post here - and look at the lovely pictures she takes and her vibrant, funny and well-spoken way of looking at the world. The only thing that I would add, is that I want others to look at my pictures and experience the same beauty, wonder, interest and emotion that I experienced when capturing that moment.
Well. Cousin Amber has gotten me into this blog-eat-blog world and I am already on the verge of obsession. I have been reading my own posts over and over again. While doing so it occurred to me that some of you might think I'm a bit dramatic having missed an IM from my husband and thinking I might never hear from him again and thus refusing to ever wash another dish. Here is the situation. My husband is serving on active duty in the United States Air Force and is currently deployed. So you may read from time to time things that seem a bit odd, and sometimes they just will be odd and for no good reason, but if you check the context of 'her husband is at war' against the oddity, it may clear it up for you a bit. And man-oh-man it is fun when someone else reads your little notes and says nice things about them!
