Summer Storm

If you ask my daughter she will tell you I hashtag too much. I adore Instagram and hash-tagging. This is a recent post of mine.

#summer #storm The crickets and birds are chirping their own melodies simultaneously. A rooster crows, the hoot of a different bird echoes the bellow of a calf over the hill. The sky is bright and dull at the same time. The winds pick up and get anxious and then stop altogether. The kittens scamper on the deck, oblivious.The black horse raises his head, as if to hear what the wind is saying. His tail swishes and he continues to munch. The clouds are completely still in anticipation The thunder takes its first cue from the Director. I sit and sip and wait for the first rain drop.

Softball

The girls are all about softball this summer. Sunup to sundown. Or they just want to get out of garden work :)

Home Field

"You don't need a ticket to see some of the best baseball in the world, you just need to drive one of the players to a game." Baseball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I spent years driving all over this part of the state going to legion and amateur ball games, watching Ryan. I know how to get to more ballfields in the middle of nowhere than any person should. There is something special about the home field, isn't there? Especially when it kind of disappears from your life. I remember attending a state tournament while I was recovering from my surgery. It was too hot for me to sit in the stands so my father-in-law got me a tiny air conditioned room to sit in so I could watch the game. There were very few things that could stop me from watching. My oldest two children grew up at the ballpark. I remember Gavin hitting a plastic baseball off that Fisher Price toy T before he was a year old! He was born with the heart of a baseball player. Recently he told me, "I don't know why but I don't get nervous playing baseball. I get that way playing other sports but not baseball." He really loves the game, and I love watching him. Last night we were so blessed to be able to squeeze in a game on the same field where I watched his father play and his grandfather play. It was pretty special. Especially now since I know how extremely valuable life is. I love this quote. "Life will always throw you curves, just keep fouling them off...the right pitch will come, but when it does, be prepared to run the bases." Rick Maksian

Ditto

I guess the title of my last post was absolutely correct.

The summer is flying by so here is a little update post. I may have to make multiple posts to get it all in. Sorry. When it rains it pours.

In eight days I will take the last of my six months of methlyprednisolone. I AM BEYOND EXCITED. This means I am only one MRI away (scheduled for October) from seeing if those lesions settled down and stopped firing off. The damage that was done is done. It will never be erased. But no new damage should be happening with the steroid and the copaxone cocktail I have been on.

Unlike cancer, I haven't been able to educate myself on this auto-immune disease as much. The symptoms are different for everyone as is the treatment.

People ask how I am doing. The honest answer is I don't really know.

Sometimes I am tired. Sometimes I am sore. Sometimes I am dizzy, forgetful, have trouble finding a word. But I feel like that is all the same as before I knew it was MS. The more I read about it. The more confused I get.

I had been getting relief from a monthly massage. But that has sort of slowed down. I feel like the relief is not lasting like it used to. In fact, I can hardly feel the relax part of it at all. Makes me a bit sad. I walked away from the last massage with a greater range of motion in my neck but I couldn't actually "feel" any different. I usually feel relaxed and rejuvenated. But the last couple of massages haven't given me that feeling. Now is that me losing some of the feeling in my nerves or is that my anxiety playing with me? I wish I knew.

Something new that has happened is my napping. I don't know if it's just summer or the fatigue, but every time I sit down I can catnap. It used to be that I could only sleep at night in my own bed.

Evenings are the hardest, by that time I am so exhausted I can hardly keep my words from slurring. I hate that analogy but it is truly like I am buzzing. I can't walk straight. I can't see straight. I can't speak clearly. It is odd. Even more weird is the fact that I am getting used to it.

I do my best thinking in the mornings. I am more cheerful. I enjoy little things. I am relaxed. By the late afternoon all of that is just barely a memory and I am struggling to keep up with the rest of the world.

Physically, aside from the evening dizzies, I can still maintain a four mile walk with a friend 4-5x a week. I look forward to those walks. It makes me feel normal for at least one hour of the day.
I have given up on much else as far as working out. I know I should probably do more. But, I am. plenty sore from the walking and I don't want to think about adding more pain or fatigue right now.

Emotionally, I am a social person. In the past 10 years that has definitely slowed some due to children and activities. But, I feel like I am more hermit-like now than ever before. I find myself cancelling plans and thinking of excuses to get out of activities more often. Yesterday, on the way to one of the kids' ballgames, we drove past the farm-place of a friend who had passed away from cancer a few years back. I immediately thought of my own friends who continue to invite me to their gatherings even when I don't hardly show up anymore. I am reminded that our life here is short and that the Lord gave us this time only temporarily. I feel guilty for taking it for granted that I will have time for friends and family later. This is something that I want to be better about. Spend time with the ones you love. We just don't know when our time will be up.

My injections are annoying. I am on copaxone. It is a 3x a week injection of a synthetic protein that is supposed to stop the deterioration of the myelin. I have to rotate my injections. I can do most of them myself, but the back of my arms and my hips are hard to reach. I often ask my husband or my daughter to do those. The injections are becoming easier. I have messed up my share. I forget to take the cap off the needle before I press the injector button. Sometime the needle is bent. I have accidentally pressed inject before I put the syringe in my skin and expelled all the liquid onto myself.
When I do it correctly, it's okay about half the time. Sometimes it stings really bad when it goes in and make a huge lump that is itchy and sore for days. I have played with increasing the depth of the injections and that has helped although I bleed a bit more. My thighs and my arms are the most itchy. I think the other areas are a little less annoying. I cannot imagine injecting without the auto-inject tool. I have a hard enough time using it. But to put that needle in all alone? No thank you.

I have a few friends who are going through their own MS journey. I am able to connect with them occasionally to see how each of us are navigating. It has been extremely helpful, although I believe I do not reciprocate the support that I receive. I hope to be better about that as I get more adjusted to my new route.

I was out and about the other day and I ran into someone who said something about her family member having MS. She sort of commented that every post of hers on facebook was about MS now and rolled her eyes. I immediately thought of my own journey and how I read something everyday that intrigues me and maybe I share too much, too. For a minute it bothered me, then I forgot about it. Another symptom? Or just a survival technique? Either way, I am not going to stop learning about the disease because it bothers other people. I have much to learn and I will continue to read and share and post. You never know who else is reading and may need the information. If not, scroll past it and move on with your own life. That's what I do.

I think that about covers this almost 6 month update. Our summer has been all about softball and baseball and swimming and gardening. I hope to post some photos in the next few posts.

Bad Blogger

I think it's safe to say that I am not a good blogger.

Life is CrAzY. I barely have time to think, let alone compose a decent post.

Know this.

Multiple Sclerosis is quite undefinable and unpredictable. I just can't quite wrap my brain around it.

I went in for the two month checkup since my diagnosis. My neurologist was impressed with my active lifestyle. At first I thought he was making fun of me for being busy. He even sort of giggled at me when one of my major complaints was fatigue..."I bet" he all but mumbled.

I was sort of impressed with the fact that three whole weeks went by without any terrible symptoms. I foolishly thought I was invincible. Then week four happened. By week four, I mean that it's the fourth week of my steroid. It's compounded medicine that I take once a month for inflammation. The first week it's pretty tough with my body feeling like it's buzzing and I get less sleep than I normally do. But then it has settled down and the rest of the month has gone smoothly. Until this past week. About three days before my monthly dose I got so anxious I didn't even want to take it again. I even put it off a day. Bad idea. Very. Bad. It may have been my anxiety or my symptoms. There is no way to tell. But I was dizzy, sore, exhausted, crabby...you name it. It was ugly. And I still haven't gotten over it. I guess my Dr. knew what he was doing when he prescribed it.

This morning, after a short (long) week I feel as though I have been run over again and again by a bus. My neck is so sore I can barely turn it. My head is screaming as if I had a bottle of wine last night. I was looking forward to a nice relaxing Easter weekend but it seems I will be recovering from my not-so-smart choice of putting off the steroid for the time being.

The thing that is wonderful, amazing, and awesome is my support from friend and family. I have a friend who is so so so good about texting me and checking on me and she is also dealing with her own version of the disease. I have co-workers who look out for me, a family who checks in on me and my strong faith to carry me through the long dark nights.

With Him ALL things are possible.

So here's to week one all over again. Have a blessed Easter everyone.

This girl loves to run...

Ain't no amount of sparkly dress, high heels, spray tan and makeup that can keep this girl from her running. She ran every event with a smile on her face. I am one. proud. momma. 5th place overall in the 400 meter dash and 10th place in the 200 meter. I don't know who's more excited for the next race.

She went to prom

My little girl put on a dress and a lot of makeup, got her nails painted and wore high heels. It was beautiful and scary at the same time.

We all went to watch her walk in the grand march. She was beautiful.

I almost cried. *Sigh* It's happening too fast.

The plague

Influenza hit us this past week.

Hit. Us. Hard.

Both little girls went to acute care with fevers of 102. Initially diagnosed with strep it turned ugly.

Maleah also tested positive for strep. She went down hard. The girl did not eat. This from the girl who eats everything. It quickly took down everyone but Gavin. When he had to come onto the main floor he would cover his mouth and walk through to the bathroom.

I am convinced it is more than strep. We are pretty awful at resting. If we felt good for even an hour we got up to do something. But we paid for it afterwards.

Today was the first day we were officially back at it. Tonight we are wiped.

It doesn't help that this week is super packed with dentist appointments, reading rally, church, prom, and the first track meet. It is complete and utter chaos.

I have officially decided that I am the worst person at resting. I wish I could show my children how to slow down and take care of yourself. But I can't. I am constantly thinking about what is next on the calendar. I can't take a nap in the middle of the day. I can't sleep in. I can't stop making lists in my head.

I am not a good example.

At one point we were all sitting outside this weekend. I thought to myself, how much longer do we have to enjoy these moments? How many more days will I be able to watch my beautiful children playing in the sun? When will they not want to run and play in the sun? When will they be busy with their own lives and not take the moments to sit and rest on the deck with me?

I wanted to freeze the moment. I wanted to forever feel the sun on my face. I wanted to forever hear the laughter of the girls on the trampoline. I wanted to forever hear the purr of the cat in my teenagers lap. I probably could have passed on the sound of the four-wheeler zipping around the driveway. But I would have loved to have frozen the joy of his face as he drove. So I could look at the joy whenever I want to. When the day is not sunny and the kids are not happy. I could remember this moment of this beautiful day.

I guess I can now. Thank the Lord for words and their ability to freeze this memory for me.

And so it begins...

So yesterday I put my phone in the fridge.

Today I stapled a packet of papers backwards.

Then I forgot to take the syringe out of the fridge to make it room temperature.
Then, when it was finally room temperature I went to inject it and I forgot to take the lid off the injector. So all of the liquid squirted out all over me. Ooops.

According to the nurse on the drug company's hotline this is a common occurrence. Go figure. In patients that have short term memory loss, really ?! No kidding!

Today my nine year old got sick with the flu. She is currently moaning and groaning on the couch.

I think it's past my bedtime. Barely 7pm? G'night.

The first injection

I remembered at about 10:30 this morning that I put my phone along with my lunch bag into the staff fridge at school. I was kind of proud of myself for remembering it all.

Last night I gave myself my very first copaxone shot. I was in the neurologists office being coached by a nurse. I may have been pretty anxious. Turns out it's not all that bad. It felt like a bee sting. The injection site swelled slightly and burned temporarily. I has a few muscle cramps but I feel like that is because I put it in my stomach area. Either way it was short lived.

Now we continue this 3x a week,

Results

In a funk.

Last night I went to bed at 6:30.

Heard from the pharmacy about the meds. Here is what I heard. Blah Blah Blah...Don't put the needle too deep in the muscle you could have awful side effects. Something about heart racing for more than 15 minutes. Call 911. Blah Blah Blah. Most women complain about tenderness in the injection site, especially in the thigh and hip areas. It's a lifelong condition. We are hoping to find a cure. Many people live long lives giving themselves injections 3x a week. 

Sure. 

I bet.

Wonderful.

Today I got the written notes from both the brain MRI and the cervical spine MRI.

It read something like this. Tiny lesion... small lesion...another small lesion...another small lesion. Plaques. Lesions.  Oh, and something about how they change with the contrast which I can only assume to mean that they are active. The only difference between the brain and the spinal was the location there was lots of C2, C3 C4 C5 in the spine and the brain talked about hemispheres and such. Good stuff. Really great vocabulary. I had to actually sound out some of the words. Love a challenge.

Great

Reading.

Material.

I'm not sure how to explain what I feel. I know I was already aware. But to see it in print with those words. Yuck. My tummy hurts. But really it should be my brain that hurts and I guess my neck.

Does it make sense that I am just tired? I mean about learning about it. It exhausts me. As much as they know, they don't know. They don't know if my lesions will stop or continue. They have no idea what my symptoms will be. They can't tell me how fast or slow the disease will progress. Who are they anyway? 

Then I find out a dear old friend is going through the same stuff. I mean her symptoms are, of course, not the same as mine. But her "they" is thinking the same as mine. I feel crappy for her. I feel crappy for me. 

But I know it's just another moment that has already been planned out. Another step in this crazy journey called life. 

Words of advice from some wonderful people who are going through the same thing I am. One day at a time. No other way you can actually do it. Sometimes it's one step, one breath, one blink at a time. 

Keep your chin up and your pockets full of  tissue.

Happy Ash Wednesday.

Telling

The hardest part, so far, has been the actual telling. I mean who do you tell? Family, close friends, church members, relatives, co-workers... does it really matter?

Tonight I told my massage therapist. I figured she needed to know. She took it harder than I thought. That told me I must be getting conditioned to it. There's nothing you can do to make it easier. I just believe in honesty. It's always better to tell the truth.

I tell people my life story pretty much the first time I meet them. This will just be another page. Maybe even a chapter. We will have to wait and see...

And MY side effects thus far...

I'm hungry. Not hungry but HUNGRY. Like my body is shaking because I need food.

I'm hot and achy. My neck is tender. I have a headache...like a tension head ache.

I am cold, like shivering cold, like I need a blanket and a coat on kind of cold and it's 50 degrees out.

I am not only not hungry but to even try to put food near my mouth or my nose makes me want to vomit.

But the one thing that is consistent is the crying. I cry. I cry myself to sleep. I cry in the shower, I cry in the car. I cry in the classroom. I cried in conferences. I cried on the phone. I cry. I just can't get a hold of my emotions. That will be annoying.

Note to self

Don't blog at 3 am. I have no idea what happened to my text color and backgound. Can't even begin to read the html code to fix it, sorry.

Tonight I have a date with my sleeping pill again.

Lesson learned.

Side Effects

I took my first dose of 1000mg methlypredisolone this morning. Along with 18 supplements mostly thanks to my dear mother. I love you, mom.

I think we can safely say that insomnia is most definitely a side effect. I have slept only a couple of hours tonight. I forgot to ask if I could also take my sleeping pill along with this medication. I will probably remember that next time.Because this is exactly why I shouldn't "surf" at 2 am...

According to ehealthme.com these are the known drug interactions.

hepatic function abnormal
gastrointestinal haemorrhage
headache
acute respiratory distress syndrome
hyponatraemia
loss of consciousness
pneumonia
renal impairment
aaemia
arrhythmian


Yikes,I think I'll watch some PureFlix  instead. Say a prayer that I don't fall asleep working the concession stand tomorrow.Actually I hopped on to this blog to talk about the awesome day I had. I hope that is a side effect as well. The kids helped with household chores and animal chores and then we went for a long walk in the misty rain. It was a nice outing.

 I remember going to this same bridge with my dad and my mom and my siblings.

 Addison said this tree must be a Redwood. You can tell we have family in California.

 They found the largest shells down here near the ice.

Rock throwing contest. You can see how far because it lands on the ice.

Ended the day going to church and then having a glass of wine with friends. Couldn't really ask for a better first day of taking my medications for M.S. I feel blessed.

I don't think I can even bare the thought of googling whether I should have had that glass of red wine. Oops.

Tomorrow is new day, I hope;)

It's official

I guess I should start at the beginning. Or the middle. Whatever.

In 2011 the left side of my face became droopy. My Dr. said it was Bell's Palsy. He ordered an MRI. Which is why I have my baseline. Maybe I knew then but I surely know now there was at least one lesion in my brain at that time. But from everything I have read nobody gets diagnosed with just one lesion. It's called Multiple Sclerosis for a reason.

Fast forward to the beginning of February. My face was acting up again. This time instead of falling down it was sort of pulling up. It would spasm for a short time and then sort of relax and this went on for a good four or five days. Until it was mostly frozen in a sort of half smile-smirk for the better part of the day, only relaxing in the late afternoon enough for me to not have to pretend I was just smiling all day. It was an odd feeling. No pain, Just tension. Then some numbness like I just had some work done at the dentist and the Novocaine just wasn't worn off. Then one day I was eating my lunch and I bit a chunk out of my cheek. I tasted the blood before I even knew I had done it. That was weird.

So I decided to get an appointment. Which in itself is a terrible inconvenience. A sub says she can work and then says she can't and then has to write plans from her sub plans for another sub.It gets messy.

But I did it. Initially he thought it was Trigeminal neuralgia. But the more he listened to my symptoms the more he was perplexed. He went through a battery of tests to see how bad the numbness was. What pain was involved? How was my balance? Then he simply said, well I could put you on a muscle relaxer to stop the discomfort. Because that is what I was calling it. I wasn't in pain. It was just annoying. Or we could do an MRI. Did I need muscle relaxer? Is that the quick fix? Are you sure of the diagnosis? No. Okay, I said let's do the MRI. My husband I a joked it was a pretty expensive test to rule some things out. He listed lots of things it "could" be. A whole list. I didn't really hear anything but tumor. Yes, let's rule that out, please.

The nurse scheduled an MRI for the next morning so I went in and laid on the cold table did what I had to do. It was quick and painless. Back to work I went. Hoping for results sooner than later. But, by now the face was beginning to look a little more normal again, or I was just getting used to it. I kept asking my friends, does it look swollen? Can you tell if it's crooked?

Now if you want to read this in sequence you have to read my previous post next. That's what teachers do. We tell you to put the events in sequence. So here it is.

My second date with the MRI was on the mobile truck and it was much more pleasant. Maybe it was just the nice technicians or the fact that I knew exactly what was happening. Although this one was much longer, almost two hours and I needed to have an iv in for part of it so they could take a look at more specific areas in my brain and my cervical spine.

There was one sort of funny part.The tech says, what kind of music do you like? I said I like most kinds. Thinking maybe he had a relaxation cd or ocean sounds or something. He kind of surprised me because they didn't even offer me headphones at the hospital only blaze orange ear plugs. So as the table slid in to the magnetic resonance imaging machine on comes the loudest, twangiest country music. I listened to it for almost an hour before, when they moved me to put the iv in, I begged for 96.5. That part was a litle painful.

So that was late Thursday night. I missed my son's ballgame. I didn't get home till almost 7 from a 3:00 appointment. I was exhausted. Meanwhile I have an appointment to meet with the neurologist at 7:45 the next morning.

I forgot to mention that during all of this my awesome, strong, better half was suffering from a terrible, icky flu. He even went to acute care to get something to help him through it. He tried to make all the appointments with me but he just wasn't well. My mom volunteered to take me in on Friday morning. Late Thursday, the hubby had to call in sick, he decided it just isn't good practice to have a health care professional take care of you while they are ill. But, it made me feel safe because now he would be able to take me in for the diagnosis appointment and his brain is so much more reliable than mine.

He loaded up on cough drops, hand sanitizer and filled his pockets with tissue, and off we went.

The neurologist was all business this time. He showed us the MRI, the MRI with contrast and the baseline MRI from 2011, yes, it was all there. What was there in 2011is bigger now and there are more lesions, And, the most interesting part, the re was plaque in my cheek. He mentioned that is not as common as other places. So it's official.I have M.S.

They handed my husband a book and some pamphlets and me the tissues. We has a strong feeling it was coming. We had a lot of questions. Primarily,what now?

Well a compounded dose of some steroids to start with and then a regiment of 3 shots a week, indefinitely. I repeated it to him, indefinitely? He repeated it once again back to me without a flinch.

All righty then.I have enough reading material to get me through the next several weekends or months.

He did have some words of knowledge but, of course, I barely remember most of it. It will come back to me someday I hope. I do remember him saying a lot of people have it and you can't even tell. Something about maintaining a pretty good quality of life on these medications.

But for the present moment this is my life.

I don't really know how to tell people. It's not like you can see what I have. I'm not afraid of what you might think. I am just not well versed about this disease. But, I know I will be. With the help of my friends and family and some wonderful supplements and vitamins I will be taking this diagnosis for the ride of it's life. My creator had this in mind for me since the moment He made me. I trust him completely even when I can't comprehend what is happening. It's a reminder that I should thank Him because

Maneuvering the construction zones

It was about 10 am on a Friday morning and I was in a room with 16 third-graders when my phone rang. I usually put it on silent at school, guess I forgot.

It was not the news I wanted to hear.

Even though it was one of the several outcomes that he had told me it might be. I wasn't expecting this one.

A bout a week ago I found myself on the tray again and put my head in the helmet for the second time in my life. The noises are so annoying. It gives you a terrible headache and even a little nausea. It was quick but not very fun.

Then I waited. Then I called. Then I waited some more. Then the phone call in the classroom.

I kept it together. For the most part. I texted my husband. The doctor told me to prepare to miss a few days of work for testing. I decided while the kids were at recess to alert the receptionist that I would be needing some time off for appointments.

I did pretty well. She came in later when I was alone in the room asked me if I was okay and gave me a hug.

Then I lost it. I googled it but it was too scary. I called my mom.

I realized that my life is never boring. There is always something interesting going on. This time its just another part of the plan. I would call it a detour. But I know better. The road isn't always smooth and safe. Sometimes its bumpy and rocky and muddy and slippery. My road is a mess right now.

It's a good thing I am not the navigator.

So now I wait. I took some more blood tests. I have another date with the moving tray and the helmet and the noises tomorrow. Then maybe we will get some answers. Maybe?

If you're reading, I sure could use your prayers.

Weekends are for basketball.

Schwew! It's been a whirlwind of a weekend, again.

The little girls had a tourney. The big girls team had a tourney. There was a free-throw contest. Next on the calendar is 4-h. Somehow it will all get done. I feel like I get robbed of my weekend. But, I do enjoy watching my kids doing what they love. In the end, everyone's happy. Tired, but smiling.

The free throw champions from our local contest.

This is the little girls team. They played hard and learned a lot!

After they won! Look at those smiles.

In fact, they were smiling all day :)

 Since we are doing basketball photos...here is the big girl getting a rebound.

Oh, here's a better one :)

 This, well, this is what the little's do at the big's ball tournaments.

 More proof...smiles even at 8:00 on a Saturday.

 The boy got a foul for this layup. Sorry about the distance. Click and zoom.

And this, my friends, is the only other photo I have taken of him this season. I know. It's shocking. I just watch this year. I can't remember to take a photo. You can't see his smile. But, believe me, he is, I promise.

You are what you...drink?

It's Friday night people. And I am old, I mean vintage.

Morning Commute 1.19.17

 It was absolutely gorgeous yesterday morning. The van practically stopped itself for me to unbuckle and snap this shot. Then after work...sigh.

Keurig, Kickboxing, and Kitchen

The news came last night that the baby was born! So for me its Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho...off to work I go.

For Christmas I bought myself a Keurig. It was an amazing deal I just couldn't pass up. I was dreaming when I thought having a single cup coffee machine might help me kick my habit. In reality I have only gone from a pot of coffee a day to 4-5 really amazing strong cups of coffee. It's awfully wonderfully terrible. I am totally in love.

Just last week Amazon Prime Instant Video put up a lot of free exercise videos. I perused many of them before stopping on the Kickboxing one. The thing about winter is it limits my outside workouts so much. I just need a little something different to make me excited and feel like I am doing something. Well, I really like this video and it has a little ab workout included! Bonus! It also made me a little sore :) No pain no gain, right?

Today was the first day in quite some time that the calendar was blank. I really felt like sitting on my bum but after worship this morning I started cleaning the kitchen/dining area and by 4 p.m had completely rearranged two rooms on the main floor...oops. Today was a rest day but moving the piano kind of ruined that. It was an interesting way to get my strength training in. Hope the hubby likes it when he gets home from ice fishing.

The ice and snow are predicted for tonight and tomorrow. So my first day back in the saddle might be a delayed one. Stay safe, stay warm. Drink some coffee :)

Resolutions

One of my New Years resolutions was to read a chapter in the Good Book every day. I am following a plan from one of the authors that I love, Joanna Weaver. We started at the beginning in Genesis. Then took a walk in some Psalms. Now we are back to Genesis. You know what is most fascinating to me? The fact that must have read the book of Genesis now at least half a dozen times and STILL I am realizing new information and making new inferences when I read those words. That is the wonderful thing about revisiting the Word. Every time I read it I am at a new place in my little insignificant life. And all of a sudden a verse brings new meaning to me. I am in awe of what a few minutes of spending time reading the Bible does for me.

That Noah, what a man! To be chosen by the Lord because of his faith, to carry on the human race. My mind can't help but flash to that recent movie with the funny guy as Noah. It seems a bit funny in the movie, but this is the Word of God in other words TRUTH. Can you imagine? Hey Noah your faith is so amazing that I want YOU to build an ark and continue a human race starting with your family. What an honor. How could he even concentrate on building while contemplating the powerful responsibility that was upon him? Then the wait...and the rain...and the water...and the waves.,. and the living on the water...and then to start all over.

Those verses about Noah planting vines and drinking wine. A span of several years going by in less than a dozen words. He was the first to plant the vines and then he drank the wine. Do you know how long it takes grapes to grow? Years, Tens of years to make wine. The passing of time happens so quickly in these verses. Hundreds of years before the son of Adam passes down to the son of Lamech and Noah is born. Chapter 5 and already the story of creation and hundreds of generations have occurred. All in a few words. I can remember being in Sunday School or Confirmation and reading those verses and just stumbling over the names of all the descendants of Adam. Wow. All I can say is WOW. In my last post I referred to kids growing like weeds.It happens so fast.

We get a tiny peek at what life was like at that time. The people sinning and building towers to the heavens and the Lord not in favor with their beings and confusing their languages to make them spread out and fill the earth. How awful must it have been for God to want to end all of the living? How terrible was life at that time? How did it compare to life now? I wonder. But we do not have to fear about the Lord sending a flood again. He promised he wouldn't and He is One who will never break a promise. Never. Ever.

The latest story

Right now I am in between jobs. Which may sound kind of sketchy but for a substitute teacher its just the way it is. I am waiting for a baby to be born, latest job security. In fact, babies are the reason I get work.

I am in between maternity leaves just coming out of a long term one at an awesome place where every one knows my name. Nope not that place but the town starts with the same letter ;)
The thing is I thrive on being around people. Conversations, question and answer sessions, deliberation, how can we save the world with our ideas...you know your typical office or round the lunch table stuff. I have been at home now for three or four days or maybe more, I have lost count.So these stories that I just have to tell they are just building up in my head. My workout partner gets the brunt of them but I can't remember half the time what I have told and and what I haven't. She is polite enough to listen to the story several times and pretend I haven't already shared it. Again, I got lost. The stories. they have to be told. So just in case your bored. Read.

I have a severe case of bleacher butt. Just this weekend I logged over 16 hours of sitting in the bleachers cheering for the 7th grade boy and then the littles. This butt is bleachered. I mean for real! Not even the softest baby powder will relieve it, inside joke for my co-workers. It seems ALL the kiddos got their love of "doing something athletic" from their father. I don't know how. I was sort of hoping least one would be the nerdy singing reading writing kid like their mother. Nope. We were having a conversation the other day, the littlest and I.

Littlest:Did you play basketball,
Mom: Not after my sophomore year I needed a job.
Littlest: Volleyball?
Mom:They didn't have volleyball when I was in school.
Littlest: What? You are THAT old? How about softball or cheerleading?
Mom: Nope
Littlest: What did you do?
Mom: I sang and did oral interp.
Littlest: Oh. (clearly trying to decide what oral interp is)

So I guess what I am saying is my bleacher butt is here to stay.
Goal: Remember the stadium seats for every game!

You know that saying they are growing like weeds? Well this is a story to prove it.

In August I scored an awesome bargain on these  "I can't remember the species name" Nike's at a garage sale. I made my son get out of the van and off his phone to try them on. They were at least a half of a size too big. SCORE. I was pumped $20 for the kind he liked. The colors were off but he could deal with them. I had to buy him running shoes at the same time and I was thankful he tried on the brand so I knew what size he needed. Fast forward to bleacher butt weekend. All week he complained that his feet were sore. Saying his toes hurt and his heels were rubbing. I put band aid on his blisters and made him wear double socks saying it was just him being active. At the tournament by the third game he was limping. So on Sunday night I made him show me his feet (they are huge) and noticed the big toenails were black and the blisters were worn down and bleeding on his ankle. At this moment I think to myself...could his shoes be too small? It couldn't be. That would mean his feet grew two sizes in less than 4 months. So I ask him to bring me his shoe. I make him try on his dad's shoes. They fit perfectly. I am officially the worlds worst mother. He is growing so fast. It is very very bad for a bargain hunter like me to have to buy shoes in the middle of the season. But I did. They were on sale. The color is a little off but he can deal with it...

The oldest has been looking at prom dresses and sending me screen shots for months. We have tried a few on here and there but when Grandma said we should check out a place that just got lots of new dresses on we jumped on it. Of course after trying on several she found one. She was in love with the dress. I was in love with the %75 off sign. (a few weeks ago I was saying our budget was $50, I've come a long way :() Anyway we brought the dress home. She tried it on, several times at home. She found a loose thread, She found an unraveling seam. No problem, I thought. I mean I took home economics 20 years ago from Mrs. Jennings. I can fix a seam.Two hours later I am cursing at my bleeding fingers while I am holding up the layers of the dress that my daughter has on at the moment because that is the only way I can get the fabric to lay right. I am almost in tears when I give up. I'll call a friend in the morning I tell her. I toss and I turn all night thinking I threw all my money away on this stupid dress and don't get a wink of rest. At six am the next morning I text a co-worker, probably get her out of bed and practically beg her to take a look. We show up the next day (and this is no lie) it took her longer to show me to the sewing room than it did for her to fix it. I almost KISSED her. Why did I not pay more attention in home ec? Why do I not have a fancy sewing machine? She was kind and patient with me as I almost cried. I love people. I just do. I love people and their talent and their patience.

I also love telling stories. I bet you can't wait until I am at your school!

Now I have to go wait for the Fed Ex guy. The boy needs his shoes before the game tonight. Queue aforementioned bleacher butt.

P.S. Anyone in need of a pair of mens size 11 Hyperdunk Nike's? Cheap? I'm your gal!