Day 3 At Kathy's!

This was my third day at Kathy's, Monday.  It was a busy day, but I think my most favorite time was the time I "had" to keep an eye on the baby for awhile.  I and my camera had a lot of fun!

I started out this morning with a 2 1/2 mile run past the cemetery, then down a new path to the right, rather than to the left.  I was very disappointed that I didn't hear my favorite bird this time, the one with the piercing call, but I heard another bird caw-ing very loudly.  Can you guess what it was?

I decided that the path I've been running on is probably actually a motocross or 4-wheeler path, based on the way it was made.  This particular leg of the journey was built with medium sized rocks at the bottom, smaller rocks poured in between, a generous layer of dirt, and some drainage pipes.  Any rock which was outstanding (get it??) had a coating of bright orange paint, so no one would kill themselves on it.  And in some places, there were markings similar to a paved road: an orange stripe down the middle and two white stripes on either side.

Anyway, I got a little further back than I intended, so my 23 minute run turned into a 33 minute run.  Not bad, though, since the weather was nicely cool.  

By the time I got to Kathy's after my shower with my wet hair, hot tea, and sausage on a small plate, the kids were eating their breakfast.  Would you believe I actually found people who eat slower than me??  I know it's really hard to believe, but it's true nonetheless.  I showed up after they started, and they were still stirring their soggy cereal around when I was done.  

After breakfast, I hit the dishes again, making a further dent in the pile.  I also put on some laundry, folded, and put away some clothes, too.  If I keep folding and putting away 2 loads for every one load I put on, and if I put on about 4 loads a day, I can catch up by tomorrow afternoon.  *whew*

Today is Kathy's errand day, so we loaded up all the humans and went to McD's, but not before Emmy reached over, got ahold of a tear in Matthew's pants, and widened it way beyond belief.  Needless to say, we had to stop by Goodwill and pick up another pair of pants for him, so he wouldn't be a prince dressed in rags!

Anyway, we went to McD's, ate, and Kathy & I set up Command Central while the kids played in the play place.  We both had our Kindles & computers, and when one program was coming up, we used the Kindle; while the Kindle was downloading stuff, we used the computers.  Busy, busy!  Lots of fun talking about different books, like the one she got, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and the one I got, Holy Bible KJV optimized for Kindle.  I was so thrilled that it actually goes to chapter and verse if I want it to, rather than searching by some obscure location number.

After our electronics session, she dropped me off to get my hair done, while she fed the baby and went to Walmart.  At the Cost Cutters, I had an eyebrow waxing (she did an ok job, but there are strays I'll need to get when I get home) and a cut.  She did a very thorough job...perhaps a bit too thorough.  At least I know it will grow out.  ;)

I walked to Walmart and got some birthday presents for Emmy, came home, did more dishes and laundry, and started preparing dinner.  The kids and I went out to the garden, and I picked beans while they trampled them.  It was quite harrowing for some of the plants.  I didn't stay long, just long enough to get the beans we needed for dinner, then we went back up and I fried chicken breasts, and cooked green beans while Kathy made some noodles disguised as rice.  It was really good, though.

My evening was spent doing more dishes and more laundry, and I took the kids out to the playground and pushed them on swings (they were jets taking off from aircraft carriers, etc.).  I chased them around for awhile, and ended up in the sandbox with them.  Lots of fun!

I was also able to spend some time holding Luke while he was awake.  He has no control over his eyes yet, so when he accidentally finds my face, he looks at me like I came from some other galaxy and then looks away.  Really cute, though.

Then I helped the kids put all the toys away, did more laundry, and kissed them all good night.  All of which brings me to now.  *whew*  I'm about ready for bed!

Kathy keeps saying over and over how much she appreciates all the help, and having me here.  I can see that having three small children is quite a daunting prospect, and I'm sure it's a relief to have an extra hand around for a few days.  It's been my pleasure to help her out.  I can't help but think of all the many times she helped me after I had each of my own babies.

My Trip To Kathy's, Day 1

The Lord allowed me to fly up to Escanaba, Michigan for a few days to help Kathy with her newborn baby, and get to visit for a bit!  I had a tremendous time, and while I was gone, I wrote detailed emails to the family about what I did.  I will be posting some of those letters for a few days, and some pictures, about my trip.

Right now I'm riding in a shuttle bus, a white stuffy thing loaded with soggy, smelly people, on my way from the Iron Mountain Airport to Escanaba.  The sun has just set, and I'm getting tired.  I've been sitting in these cramped seats all day, it seems to me, going from one plane to another, then to the bus.  But it's been a really neat trip.

When you all left me at the airport, I took my bright purple bag and checked in right away, and then went right in to security.  It took just a few minutes to get through security, but I must admit, it's hard to look like you know what you're doing when you've never been there before, and never traveled by yourself before.  It's not difficult, though, since I'm so used to being in unfamiliar places.  

I got to my gate and then waited for a while, then boarded what I think is a DC-9.  Nice, comfy jet.  Takeoff was tremendous, and I don't think I will ever get over the wonder of flying.  Would you believe that all the houses and all look just like Google Earth?  I couldn't believe it!!  We flew up above the lower cloud layer, and then there was a higher cloud layer, which was completely gorgeous with its anvil tops and puffy cumulus piles.  The pilot carefully wound the plane around these fluffy obstructions, and maneuvered us to Detroit.  It seemed like only a few minutes, and we were back on the ground.

At the Detroit terminal, I walked to my next gate and discovered that my flight had been cancelled!!  Thankfully, I wasn't the only one, so I chatted with another passenger who was also headed for Escanaba, and discovered that I was to go to another gate.  Of course, that gate was all the way across the airport, at lease it seemed to be.  On the way, I walked on a flat conveyor belt, almost like an escalator, but it stays level, propelling folks along a very long hallway.  I estimated that by walking on it, I could go somewhere around 6 or 7 mph - faster than I run!  It was a really neat feeling to be going that fast, while only walking.

I got to the gate, just to be sent back to the original gate!  Aargh!  So, I got treated to another walk on the moving sidewalk, and arrived at the gate with just enough time to grab a sandwich, wolf it down and use the bathroom before boarding time.  Of course, they didn't board right away, so I waited for a bit, but not long.

My next flight was uneventful as well, although I went to Iron Mountain instead.  I was completely amazed by the view of the ground from the air.  I don't think I could ever get tired of it.  I was counting pools, when I saw a large field, and what must have been a radio controlled airplane flying around!!  It must have been HUGE, because we were at least 1000 feet up, and I could still see it plainly.  Or is it plane-ly??  :)

That brings us up to now.  We should be getting to Escanaba soon.  Kathy asked me if I could sing tomorrow, so I'm going to do He Loves Me Like I Was His Only Child....by myself!!  Hopefully it will be a blessing; it’s one of my favorite songs.

I think I see the lights of Escanaba, so I'm going to go!  

God is So Good!

Yes, it has been awhile. Before I get into all my excuses, I want to make an extremely important announcement: I’M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER --- AGAIN!!!!

There you have it, Folks! Our beloved daughter and wonderful son-in-law are going to have their third little dumplin’ sometime next year, Lord willing! We found out on Thanksgiving Day! What a lot to be thankful for!! The Lord has been sooooo good to us!

Since getting back in the bus in November, I’ve been able to develop a good schedule for us here, wherever we happen to be. That’s something that is very hard to do, when your house moves every few days, but the Lord has helped me to do it. It’s been real good for all of us, especially the children.

We’ve been blessed to be able to use the BJU DVD curriculum for the younger children, which I (and they) enjoy immensely. The instruction is extremely thorough, and they are all very well done and interesting. However, it seems to take longer than I’m used to, to do the schoolwork each day. Hence, I have very little free time, especially since I’ve been doing a little work each day on my book.

Right now we are in Tampa, Florida, where my husband is seeing a Lyme Disease specialist. The doctor wants to put him on about six weeks of powerful intravenous and oral antibiotics to completely rid his body of the spirochetes and other co-infections. Of course, that changes our entire schedule – again (remember the bus accident??) – so my husband really wants to try to only go for two weeks. As the Lord leads you, it would be a blessing to me, and the whole family, if you could take some time to pray for him, and for us as we stay here to get his medical care.

Meanwhile, we now have an unplanned ministry to McDill AFB!! Isn’t God good?