Long awaited update

One of my handful of readers insisted I needed an update. Where do I start?

On the personal front, I'm still working away at teaching school. Things are going pretty well there. My hubby has begun some installations in schools, which means working late and hopefully a little overtime. My daughter is doing well in Germany, apparently (no pun intended) getting baby fever from babysitting two adorable children of friends. My older son is home from his Canada visit to his fiancée and is now waiting for a basic training date from the Air Force. My younger son was doing very well on his AD/HD meds but recently started sliding into old patterns. We visited the doc yesterday, and she is adjusting his meds a bit. Overall, though, he has made good progress!

On the missions front, we were able to represent Agape Flights at our church's mission conference. It felt like a little closer to being missionaries! Our friend, Ruth Scott, Agape Flights missionary to Les Cayes, Haiti, was able to return home to join us at the table, hear her son preach, and travel to see her new grandson! Ruth and LJ are always such an encouragement to us! Financially, we're still plugging away at retiring debts. Mark is trying to wrap up loose ends of his mom's estate, which will bring in a little more money to put toward debts. As you know, Haiti has suffered a major earthquake, which has put life at a standstill in Port-au-Prince. We aren't sure where Agape Flights would have us serve, but we're still willing to go wherever God is sending us. Please keep praying for God's leading and timing.

Agape Flights has been doing tons (literally) of relief shipments into Haiti. The only airplane they own, the King Air 90, suffered a landing gear collapse in Jacmel, Haiti. This will at least put the plane out of commission for a long time, if not permanently. They are leasing and borrowing other planes for relief shipments, but I know they will be needing to repair or replace the King Air. Please pray for Agape Flights as they continue their exhausting work and seek God's direction concerning the King Air.

Thanks for your continued interest in our family!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I totally missed December in blogging! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family & friends.

Our Christmas was small & quiet. My married daughter was off in Germany. My older son went to Canada to see his fiancee. So it was just me, my hubby and my younger son. We didn't even decorate! I got out a Christmas tablecloth, but that was about it. My younger son picked out most of his own presents, so I didn't even wrap gifts. But it was nice and relaxing, and I didn't hear any complaints.

I've enjoyed a two-week break from working. I love teaching, but it's nice to get some time to myself. I must have really been tired because I've been sleeping a lot! I guess I needed to catch up!

We've decided to start planning a trip to Haiti to introduce our younger son to the country. Hopefully we'll be able to spend some time there this summer. Spring break is an option, but it wouldn't give us much time there. We've applied for our son's passport, which is the first step. Once our missionary friends get settled back in the country after their Christmas trips home, we'll start discussing timetables and arrangements.

I've started a diet called the Phase One diet. It is similar to Atkins -- very low carb. I was on it a couple of years ago and did very well. My blood sugar and lipid numbers went WAY down. Right now, my diabetes control is the worst it has ever been ! I need to do something for my health's sake. I need to lose some weight. And if I get a better figure in the mean time, even better! I'm going to try to do some exercising, too. I just haven't developed the plan for that yet. I do have an accountability partner! She's starting her diet on Sunday, January 3. She's a homeschooling missionary mom in Mexico that I met on SparkPeople, a free weight-loss website.

I also want to get into better spiritual habits -- Bible reading, praying, giving, etc. Please pray for me in this. Feel free to ask me how it's going when you see me!

I wish you all a Happy New Year! If you needed a new start, here's a brand new decade!

Thankful for blessings

Last Sunday evening, we had a Thanksgiving barbecue dinner at our church. (Yes, barbecue!) The praise time was awesome! There was also a time for us to share what we were thankful for this year. Although I didn't share at that time, it got me thinking. It has been an eventful year, and I have a lot to be thankful for.

• A Heavenly Father who gave His only Son that we might have life!
• The ability to offer Him praise and honor!
• A family who all trust in Christ as their Savior!
• A son who led his girlfriend to Christ this spring!
• A wonderful trip to Haiti with 11 wonderful people!
• A wedding with 14 beautiful Haitian brides!
• A fun visit with my son's girlfriend!
• A beautiful wedding for my beautiful daughter!
• A handsome & intelligent son-in-law added to our family!
• A loving mother-in-law who finished well and is with the Father now!
• A lovely daughter-in-law to be!
• A wealth of loving extended family!
• A faithful, loving and very patient husband of 27 years!
• God's provision of jobs and material needs!

So often I fail to remember just how much for which I am thankful. And I'm sure my list is way too short!

I pray God will give you, my friend, a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and many blessings in the year to come!

Just going through life

It's been three weeks, so it's past time for an update. I'm not sure I have much to say.

Will had a great time on his first trip to Pine Cove, a Christian camp, for a weekend retreat with the midschoolers. A friend & I were counting up the years we have had kids going to Pine Cove. For her, it was 7. I realized that over the last 11 years, when my daughter first went, my kids have gone every year except last year. They continued to go as high schoolers on the servant team (serving meals for the midschoolers). My older son even went once as an "adult counselor" after graduating high school. He skipped last year, though.

Today was Missions Meal. This is a monthly (most months) meal we cook and serve to raise funds for our Haiti Sister Church or other missions cause. It's always fun to get together with friends and work for a good cause. We're raising funds with a new roof in mind for our brothers and sisters in Chambellan, Haiti. We had a small crew, but we got it done eventually, starting at 8:00 a.m. and finishing up at 2:30 p.m. We hung out for an hour to wait for the midschoolers to return from Pine Cove.

I've been convicted about a couple of things -- time in the Word and in prayer, and financial giving. I'm posting it here so I'll be accountable to you, my reader friends. So far, I haven't made any changes. I find time to read fiction all the time, but I'm having trouble getting motivated to read my Bible. Right now, I'm not in a Bible study other than my mini-church (home group), so I don't have a class to structure my reading. I'm terrible at deciding WHAT to read, and that stalls me out. I have a devotional that would at least keep me going, but I'm not picking that up either. So, when you see me, asking me how I'm doing on spending time with the Lord.

Although I enjoy the relative simplicity of having fewer people around, I do miss my big kids. With my daughter in Germany for 9 more months and my son in Toronto for a few more weeks, it's been quiet. But I do enjoy the smaller grocery bill! Only I have to adjust my shopping habits to buying for three, not five. We can get by on a gallon of milk each week! Wow!

OK, I guess I had something to say! I'd better wake my younger son and see if I can get him to do a little more school work!

A friend told me today that I update my blog every two months, whether it needs it or not! OK, friend! Here's an update, much sooner than predicted!

As of Wednesday, we're a one-kid household. My older son is in Canada visiting his girlfriend. My daughter is married and in Germany with her husband. It feels strange to only be the three of us! But it's kind of nice, too. Less to worry about, fewer people making messes, etc. Don't get me wrong. I miss the big kids. But I'm ready for this next stage. And the older son will be back for a couple of weeks before he leaves for Basic Training.

My younger son was in a parade today. Lewisville had their Western Days festival. My son's karate group marched in Old Town Lewisville. It was a small group and short parade, but it was fun! My husband and I drove the instructors van, equipped with an amp and speakers which were playing country music loudly for the crowd! It was good to help out!

Tonight we went to a thank you dinner for serving on the Brew Crew, our church's coffee service team. We serve coffee for the church services on Sunday. The coordinator hosted us to a nice dinner of fajitas and all the fixings in his lovely backyard. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other better!

It was nice to have a relaxing weekend with fun events. Not that we don't have a few fix-it projects looming in the future! But that'll be another weekend!

Back in the Saddle

Or, rather, bus driver's seat. The school hired two new drivers. One of them is terrific! The other one quit after a week and a half. They tried to get teachers to drive personal vehicles. They even rented some 15-passenger vans. It still wasn't working well. So they asked me to drive until a new driver, whom they had hired, could start in a few days. I agreed to drive for a few days.

The driver didn't work out. I'm still driving. It's only been a week so far, but the driving is much easier than last year. Instead of having 50-60 students, I have 20-30 students. Also, my route is over 10 miles shorter. I'm thinking about continuing the job. They asked me if I wanted the job when the new driver didn't materialize, but at that time I didn't think it would be a good idea. Please pray for wisdom for me. The money is nice, but I need my sleep and my sanity!

My daughter and son-in-law are in Germany. I hear they were supposed to move into an apartment, but I haven't heard from them since. A youth hostel, which has rooms full of bunk beds, is not a newlywed's dream accommodation! Also, due to Oktoberfest, the hostel was booked solid. The apartment came through the day their reservation ran out at the hostel! I hope it is working well for them.

My older son is leaving for a 5-week stay in Ontario with his girlfriend. He'll be back for about two weeks before he leaves again for Basic Training. It just hit the younger son that his brother wouldn't be around much longer. It's going to be a hard transition for him, but I think it will be a good one for us. It might be emotional, though.

We're still battling schoolwork issues with the younger boy. He's already sliding into bad habits. Driving hasn't helped any because I haven't had the energy to ride his case constantly. We saw the neurologist again on Friday. She's going to put him back on Adderall, but on the extended-release version. My son tells me, after we've left the office, driven across town, and are eating lunch, that he doesn't want to go back on it because it makes him moody. I wish he'd said that at the doctor's office! We'll give it a try and see how he does. The Focalin made a noticeable difference, but he still wasn't getting his work done. And, yes, we have seen him do his work willingly, if not cheerfully, when medication was working well.

My class is going well. I'm sticking closer to procedures than I did last year, and things are running more smoothly. I also feel like I'm getting more opportunities to provide academic assistance -- that is, actually teach!

As for the missions front, things are still moving slowly. We hope to be more aggressive in paying off bills. We've had a lot of home repairs that needed to be done, and we still have more to do! That will get the house more ready to sell, so it's not wasted money or moving backwards in our "getting ready" process. It's hard to wait on God's timing, even when you know His timing is perfect!

Sorry I left you hanging!

My daughter said I need to update my blog! She's right. I shouldn't have left you in a slump for a month!

My biggest bit of news -- NO MORE SCHOOL BUS DRIVING! After a near miss involving a tight turn and a ditch, I decided the stress of driving was too much for me after my roller coaster summer. My nerves are just not up to it. I think I'll be a better teacher for doing less. And I'll be available to tutor or meet with parents after school.

School has started, and we're setting into a routine now.

My younger son has started a new AD/HD medicine, and it seems to be working well. We are determined to keep him on track this year!

My teaching is going well so far. I still have a few challenges now and then, but that's just part of it! Teens will be teens. Overall, it seems much smoother than last year. Maybe I learned from the experience of my first year.

My daughter and son-in-law have left for Germany. He will be teaching English in a German high school on a Fulbright scholarship. Hopefully they are finding a place to live and settling in. I haven't heard more than a "Good morning!" on Skype. Of course, I was

asleep at the time! We'll get this time difference thing worked out eventually. I need to get a webcam so we can actually see and hear each other.

My older son is officially in the Air Force now. He departs for Basic Training in San Antonio on November 17. Life is changing in a hurry for our family. Frankly, although I'll miss my older kids, I'm ready for this next phase. I'm hoping it will be better for all of us.

Keep Mark in your prayers as he will be the representative in handling her estate. He'd be the executor, but the will she prepared wasn't valid. The lawyer said declaring her intestate would be easier and would give the same results with less hassle and expense. He'll have to make several trips up to Oklahoma on business days for court

appearances and such. They will also have to sell the property. The house still isn't empty, but it's getting there.

We've been able to use some of the money from my mother-in-law's estate to pay some bills and make a couple of purchases. We have some nice patio furniture that we're using in our living room that we got at the end-of-season discount of 50%. If we ever make it to Haiti, the termites can't eat this! It's cast aluminum. Also, Mark is buying a digital SLR camera, which has been a long-time dream. I think taking a photography class at church this summer stirred up the shutterbug in him!