Well hello 2011

Never one to do anything half way... Yeah right. I'm THE epitome of half way. What an exciting January 2011. So much so that I didn't even blog once. And it was beginning to look like February would be the same way. But I'm taking a few minutes before anything else happens to put out a quick update.

Started the year off with Haley's birthday. Evan finishing basketball season and Haley starting basketball season.

Haley turned 12. We spent it at E's league b-ball tourney. Is there a pattern here? We spent Sophia's birthday at E's football game. Haley was a great sport and had a good birthday too. She and I got to run away for a couple of days to Wichita to play and do girlie stuff. Having the days to go off with my kids is definitely a super perk of being a stay at home mom. I LOVE just being in the car with her and listening to all her random dreams and dramas and plans. She's so special. Can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for her. I call her my little prayer warrior cause that's what she is. Quick to get a sense for what and who to pray for.

Evan's league championship game was an exciting one. LONG story short...Time was 0:0. We were down by 1. E got fouled on a 3 to shoot 3 free throws. Missed the 1st...breathe, breathe...made the 2nd...breathe, breathe...missed the 3rd. Which he so rarely does. Ended up losing by 1 in OT. Took him a few weeks to get past that. My little warrior.

Haley started MAYB. And if I wasn't sure Jon should be Father of the Year on a normal year...it's even more so this year. You try focusing..heck..containing 8 = 11/12 year old girls for 40 minutes. He's done a fabulous job and they're doing really good. They got second in tourney yesterday. It is, shall we say, a little slower pace than E's team...but they're gonna get there. :)

BIG News..we bought a new house. We sold our house. I got an abcess in my throat. Spent several days in the hospital in the middle of all the buying and selling. Just crazy! We'd been throwing the house idea around for a year or so. We are friends/Jon is co-workers with the people we bought the house from. So we kind of started "talking" about this awhile ago, but didn't know if we were bold enough to make a move. But here we are. We are super, crazy excited. We take possession of new house March 21st. And have to be out of our house by May 1st. So will give us some time to do a few things to make the new house ours. Paint, paint, paint and some other projects. Nothing too major. It's only about 4 blocks from our house. So the move shouldn't be too painful. yeah right...

so the abcess story...who knows?? The Dr. doesn't. I woke up Sat. 2/5 with a what I thought was a sore throat. But was only on right side. Didn't think too much about it. But by noon I was in horrible pain. Had done all the over the counter remedies could think of. Of course no fever so always hesitant to go to ER. Jon finally called his friend who's also happens to be our family Dr. Told him symptoms and Dr. said..go to ER. By the time we got to ER Sat. night at 5:30 I can't describe the pain. So starts the tests, CT scan, everything. And THANKFULLY DRUGS! demerol shot first, didn't touch it, morphine shot, didn't touch it, finally some lortab kind of took edge off. ER Dr. says it's an abcess. Load me up with fluids, steroids. Tell me it should go down. Sunday comes and goes...no better. More Dr. calls. Off to Hays hospital to be admitted and see Ear, nose and throat Dr. I get to Hays mid morning Mon. By the time the Dr. is coming in I'm passing out off and on from pain. Seriously people. I have NEVER experienced pain like that. And I gave birth to 2 kids with no drugs. At 2 they start giving me morphine injections in IV. I'm dehydrated on top of it. They give me 2 or 3 injections every hour for 4 hours. Barely touches it. After 5 hours the pain is somewhat manageable. Things are looking better. By Tues. afternoon Dr. thinks that maybe with 24 hours of steroids, fluids, antibiotics, etc. the abcess will go down. He mentions it is behind the right tonsil and the only way to get it is to have a tonsilectomy. I'm thinking no way right?? I'm feeling OK Tues. night. Gonna make it. Oh no. Wed. comes. I want to die. How is it possible for the pain to be worse? Wed. was my come to Jesus moment. For real. I will never be a navy seal. My physically bankrupt, can't take no more, broken ...is 120 hours...You couldn't even make a movie about me...The Dr. came in and said this is it...gonna hve to do the tonsilectomy so he can drain the abcess. All I can think of is all the horror stories about "old" people have their tonsils out. I've prayed my brains out...God what do you want me to do?? I was literally washed over...washed over with..."It's gonna be fine..take the tonsils out...you're gonna be fine.." I was laying in the bed and I was washed from head to toe with that. I looked at Jon and said let's just do it. I asked him to start contacting everyone to pray for me. I knew people had been praying for me, but I could not face any more without KNOWING there were people at war for me in the heavenlies. The scripture, Ephesians 6:12..for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rules, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms...kept going through my head. Even in the midst of everything I knew I was not at war against an abcess or my body...but dark, dark powers. Well those dark things took a good swipe at me...but My Father is bigger than anything. I had a peace come over me. It was so peaceful it was almost freaky. When I woke up from the surgery the pain was nothing to what I had been in. And that's how it's been ever since. There is pain...but NOTHING like it was. The surgery was the best decision.

Thank you if you sent up a prayer. I don't want to be all super dramatic but I've been through some mysterious things the past 6 months and I really don't know if I would have made it if those around me weren't going to the thrown of God on my behalf and interceding on my behalf. I know the Lord's Word is complete and true and He controls my destiny...He and no one else...but through all of this I've seen how God works through each of us. It is a beautiful thing. He has downloaded some really cool things into my spirit. Can't wait to share more.

So I get to come home to sunshine...I like to call it Sonshine. So grateful for my husband...who.. there are just no words...the depth of my love and community with. You are my earthly true love. My beautiful children. Even though in the middle of the tween/middle school years have been beyond compassionate and caring towards their old mama. With hugs and kisses and offers to help in anyway. And their prayers...oh my. Again..no words..to watch your beloved cling to the Father and know He's all they've really got when things get tough... Gonna cry... it's all good. My family...parents, parents-in-love, brothers, sisters-in-love, nieces, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles...I felt your love and prayers. Sustained me. All our friends and church family calling, texting, bring food, driving our kids everywhere, taking our place at things we'd signed up to do..even though you were busy and sick and doing life too. It's really overwhelming. It is the Body of Christ. What a miracle.

The open diary shall close for today....not gonna try and spell check or anything...just gonna let the words flow and land where they may...know that I love you all dearly. You are in my prayers. Haven't really been able to speak yet...so have spent lots and lots of time in prayer...may you each be blessed 100 fold for the way you've blessed our little family. Angels unaware..that's who you are.

Stay away from being sick....and run to the Body of Christ! There is no God like Jehovah!!