Thank you for your prayers!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support for my sister-in-law. We is doing so much better. Nikki is now off the ventilator and will be moved out of ICU very soon. We know that Heavenly Father has heard our prayers and blessed Nikki with healing. We are so grateful.
Thank you.

Prayers for my Family

My family is really in need of prayers right now. On Monday, my younger sister text us with news that my sister-in-law Nikki was in the hospital on a ventilator in ICU. Nikki and my brother, Victor contracted the H1N1 virus while on a family cruise. The virus has attacked her lungs and she is unable to breathe by herself. Although this week has very slowly brought good news, there has been more bad news. My niece came down with the flu and strep, and Victor also came down with bronchitis. My brother and his family in St. Louis also now have the H1N1 virus as well. At Victor and Brian's urging, Carl and I got vaccinated at the local health care center.
Please pray for my family, especially Nikki right now. We are unable to visit her due to my health problems. I have already had a terrible case of bronchitis as well. this is my way of doing something as I feel so helpless right now. My family is sick and I am unable to do anything, except this. Please help my family.

Carl's baby teeth

So I don't think I wrote about this before. Most children begin to loose their baby teeth in Kindergarten and first grade. Carl kept waiting for his teeth to begin to fall out. I kept telling him, don't get your hopes up, your teeth came in so late that they will fall out late.

Carl got his wish. He lost his first tooth right before the end of first grade.

Now that Carl is in second grade, he finally lost one more tooth. We were concerned because the permanent tooth was coming in without the baby tooth falling out first. I finally was able to pull it out on Friday (right before Carl got strep throat; good thing I was my hands all the time). Carl is so excited to finally loss his baby teeth.

My Summer

So Brian had a great summer in Scotland. Carl and I also went to St. Louis for just over one week while he was in Scotland. I was going to blog about the great times we were having, but then I thought, I am putting the fact that we we both very far from home on a public blog. Even when I came home, I was have some health problems. (Remember, I have Ulcerative Colitis). At the beginning of summer, I was having problems, so my doctor put me on a strict low residue diet and a new medicine. I did not respond to the medicine well, so they put me on a different version of the same medicine with pepcid so I could tolerate it better. My energy levels were terrible and I could not get back on a regular diet.
In July, Carl and I went with Brian to Atlanta for three days (Math I testing conference). Carl and I had a great time at the hotel, mostly swimming in the pool. Poor Carl, I just did not have the energy to do much of anything. (Oh, great news, we sold our house on the east side of Athens!! Mom and Sarah moved in with Victoria.) We did get the chance to take Carl to Six Flags over Georgia after Brian finished working. Carl loved it and can't wait to go back. It was expensive, but we really had a great time. We also went to a Braves game.
So I finally went back to the doctor in August and he agreed to do a colonoscopy and endoscopy to figure out what was going on with me. Good news, my UC was down graded from moderate severe to mild. Bad news, the new medicine caused gastritis (a swelling of the lining of the stomach). The new medicine is working great, but stomach cannot tolerate it. So the doctor put me on prilosec. And it is working. I now take medicine five times a day, but I can eat normal, my energy level is up and I feel great. I can go to work and come home and cook dinner.
It feel great to feel healthy again.
Well, except for the fact that Carl and I are home sick today!! Carl has strep throat and I have bronchitis! We are both doing great and feeling better. We came down sick at the same time on Saturday. Brian took us to the local urgent care center and we are both on antibiotics. My mom picked both the worst and best time to come and visit. I am so grateful for her help, but this was suppose to be a vacation for her!
So that is the very long and short of our summer.
We are looking forward to the second part of the Scotland exchange. They are coming in one week!

Birthday Weekend

Firday night was the big finale. A big dance party called a Ceilidh (kay-LEE) . After the welcome and music, we got to the dancing. I was feeling a bit mopey and only danced one, but it was nice to see the kids having such a great time. Even some of the Scotland students commented on how brilliant a Ceilidh it was.

All of the guys looked smart in their kilts. I decided against buying one. It was one of those times when my rational overtook my emotional self. Sometimes I wish the rational would just shut up and let me have fun, but I could not justify the expense (a cheep kilt would cost £20 which is about $40). I think it was the right decision, but it would have been fun! That night I rode back to Chris' place and he went to Glasgow to be with his girfriend. Exactly why she needed him so bad I don't know. So the first half of my birthday was spent alone playing X-Box. Eventually, I was able to hook up with Alec (my friend from my first trip here) and he came and got me in his new camper van (a converted ambulance).

You know someone is a good friend when they say, "How are you?" You say "good", and they respond, "not very convincing".

It was at that point when I realized how down I felt. So as we drove to the beach we talked, and laughed and I began to feel better. Of course beach should probably be in quote marks for those from the U.S. It was a rocky kinda sandy sort of thing, but very beautiful.

Then the strangest thing happened. Two cows wandered onto the beach!
We all agreed that none of us had ever seen such a thing before. It was cold, so we didn't stay long. I took some pics of the jellyfish and cows, picked up some rocks for Carl and we headed back to their place.

It was good to be able to hang out with Alec and Aisa on my birthday (again). Their little boy Inake (in-YAH-kee) is very cute and along with everything else I see and hear the last few days made me miss my family. The trip has been fun, but I am ready to go home.

Alec and Aisa were their usual thoughtful selves and after a dinner of fish and chips, surprised me with a birthday cake! That put a smile on my face and helped me end my birthday on a good note.

Tomorrow is set to be an easy day and then home Monday morning. It has been a great trip, but I will be glad to see Rebecca and Carl again.

Boogie Night

Tuesday, I got to rest all day. That evening we took a driving tour of the area, where I was given the finger.

Yesterday, I spent some more time at the school and then take a tour around town. It is a nice town and the building on the hill is a castle connected with Robert the Bruce.
Later, I had dinner with Christine, one of the teachers who was on the exchange last year. So here is a good dinner idea:

Stuff chicken breasts with a mixture of Creme Fresh and Sharp Cheddar and then top with bacon (it was english style bacon, so maybe ham?). Awesome!

She has a cute little house with a great view (see below).

That night was a disco fundraiser for the exchange. Chris was the DJ and he did a great job of getting the kids going. We all had a great time and stayed up too late.

Today I got to sleep in and then went into town for souvenier shopping. At lunch I met the kids and we went to a local place called "The Snugg". Good food, pool and trivia. Then back to Mr. McPake's for some for some games and dinner. We figured it was inexpensive and all the kids want to do is hang out anyway. We were right and they had a great time.

A little cleaning up tonight, some rest and tomorrow a trip to Inverary and the Ceidleigh.

Haunted Weekend

Back from the Edinburgh trip. Family day today, but Chris has to work so a free and easy day for me. So what better time to update?
I started by meeting the kids on a bus bound for Glasgow. Upon arriving, our first task was to stow our luggage at the Glasgow train station. Next step, food! We stopped off at a "chippie" and I got some fish and chips. They also had deep fried burgers (breaded and fried), haggis (breaded and fried), chicken (breaded and fried). I thought "am I in Scotland or Georgia". One of the students got one of the burgers it was actually pretty good. The fish was great and fortified me for our hike around town.

We took an open top bus tour around town and then took the train to nearby Paisley where we stayed with a student's family.

We were treated to a huge dinner where our hosts tried to provide us with as many traditional dishes as possible. Haggis, tatties and neeps, sausages, and lentil soup.
Then some trifle and cake. I then promptly laid down and passed out for a 12 hour sleep.

After breakfast, we got a cab, met up with Chris in Glasgow, and bussed it over to Edinburgh where we stayed in a youth hostel. The next day, we took another open top bus tour, and saw the castle (of course). AMAZING!!

That was followed by more sightseeing and shopping for souvenirs

After dinner at Jimmy Chang's, we hiked up the hill back to the castle for our ghost tour. Our guide regaled us with scary but true stories, startling gags and lewd jokes. Here you see him putting the thumb screws to Carla one of our students. The next day, we bussed back to Glasgow and visited the University of Glasgow. They had a nice museum there. However, we were all exhausted and ready to get back to Tarbert.

So now I'm back and ready for my next adventure. After some rest today!

Bow Before Your New King

Today we went to the ancient site of the crowning of the kings of Scotland. The Scots were an Irish clan that left Ireland and came to what is now Scotland and eventually conquered all the people who were already here. Dunadd is where the kings were crowned.

At the top of the hill is the site. There is a footprint carved in the stone and your foot had to fit in order to be crowned the king of the Scots. As you can see from the picture below, it is time I got my props. BOW BEFORE ME ALL YOU LESSER PEOPLES!

No doubt a perfect fit. However, I must decline my rightful throne to continue my work in America.

We visited some other ancient sites, looked at carvings noone understands and visited some burial sites of Knights Templar (maybe). The tour was great and ended at a local castle where we ate lunch.

Later in the evening, we had a musical night where all the students displayed their talents. I almost got up but chickened out. Mostly because of lack of music to sing to (and lyrics for that matter). The kids were amazing! So much talent on both sides of the Atlantic.

This weekend we are going to Glasgow and then Edinburgh. More updates next week.

Later.

Just Another Day at School :)

Today most of the day was spent at Tarbert school. We started the day with an all school assembly, there are a little over 100 students in the whole school (k-12). It was very nice (never been a guest of honor before). We were presented with some wonderful gifts and treated to music. Later, I spent 2 periods in Chris' math class, and then went around to some other classes and talked with students about the differences between our schools and theirs.

There were also lots of questions about cars, driving, drinking, and strangely enough Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They were fully convinced that everyone in America ate PB&J all the time! I corrected them on that and some other scores. We talked a lot about sports too. Sports aren't really as connected to the schools in Scotland.

They were particularly horrified to find out that our students had to start at 8:00 (They don't start until 9:00). They also felt sorry for us that we had hour and a half long classes. On the other hand, they would love to not have to wear uniforms, and were jealous that we go 3 weeks less than they do.
Can you pick out the Americans below?

Then we went to a BBQ (cookout) at the home of one of the host families. As we came over a hill on the way there, we were treated with an amazing view. (even the locals were impressed).

It was a bit chilly on the windy hill overlooking the Atlantic. We alternated hanging out outside and moving in to warm up. Our hosts made chicken, burgers and sausages (mmmmm...sausage). We all had a great time.

Tomorrow...the ancient history tour!

Brian has arrived in Scotland!

Greetings! We have arrived in Scotland and we all made it. Not without speed bumps. First, two of our 23 reservations were spelled wrong (they didn't match passports). Good thing we were there early! Then the flight from Philly to Glasgow sat on the runway for an hour before taking off!

But we landed safe and sound and everyone found their hosts (Chris, mine, is above).

The other pics are of our first stop off at the Argyll Forest Park, about half way from the airport to Tarbert. Jet lag is tough, but I am holding up. Too exciting and beautiful to sleep. Chris and I are already laughing our heads off :)

More updates and pictures to follow.

Back to "NKOTB"

Well, Victoria found out that NKOTB was coming back to Atlanta to begin their second/summer tour at the Lakewood Amphitheater. This time, Sarah went with us. The weather was terrible and we were late to the concert. Luckily the rain helped out as NKOTB did not start until we got there (an hour late!!). The concert was a mix of old and new songs, and yes, they do have a new album out. (Check it out on iTunes.) We were suppose to be on the lawn, but they let us move forward into the seats. In fact, we were in a similar location to the stage as last time! We were on the right side towards the back. We were pretty much on the last row of seats. Lucky for us, a bunch of people did not come because of the rain, so we moved ourselves up closer to the stage. We then stood on the seats to get a good view as we were still not that close. I don't know how one of us did not fall off the chairs. What amazed me were the girls in front of us. They were really dancing while standing on the seats and wearing rain boots/goloshes! I also noticed that while most everyone was still mid-thirties women "reliving" their teenage years, there were also younger people there as well. And just like last time, a few guys who looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there!

As we left the concert, there were a bunch of men selling concert T-shirts for $5 on the street! (The same men had been selling umbrella's and poncho's before the concert. We assume the shirts had "fallen off the back of the truck"!!) We each bought one, although Victoria had to buy two because the guy did not have the right change. She tried to exchange with another guy selling a different shirt and he told her she was "tripping". It was so much fun to go to the concert and also to go with my two sisters.

Victoria took the pictures as I did not even bring my camera because of the rain.

(Please exuse the spelling, the spellcheck is not very good. And if you know me well, you know I rely very heavily on spellcheck because I cannot spell anything)

A Visit from "Despereaux"

Yes, we had mice come to visit us, and yes, we killed them. Or at least, Brian and the traps did. Brian literally killed one in our pantry as he could not catch it to put it outside. We were very sad thinking this was just a fluke as we had been outside a lot that week. We thought it had gotten trapped inside and tried to deal with the mouse in a humane way. To make a long week and story short, we found lots of evidence of mice in the corners after I saw in the living room. We finally broke the news to Carl that "Despereaux" had come to visit, but we set out traps and poison to get rid of him. Carl was way too cool with that idea. In fact, Carl wanted to see the mouse in the trap!! Brian had already gotten rid of it, knowing I could not handle seeing the dead mouse. Apparently, Carl was unhappy that the mice were eating our saltine crackers!! Just so you know, Carl loves "The Tale of Despereaux". His class read it, we bought him the book and have seen the movie. Carl has read the book three times, by himself!! I guess this shows that Carl has a firm grip on reality and has truly learned the difference between fiction and non-fiction. Mice make great stories, just don't let them eat our food!!

Carl's Piano recital

Carl had his end of year piano recital on Friday night. We were so excited for him. We had a small audience for him, mainly grandparents and friends, but it was perfect and special. As we know that so many people could not be there, we decided to go ahead and post it online on our blog. Carl did a great job. We love his piano teacher. She is wonderful, talented and so patient with students. Carl has learned so much this past year. We are grateful for her dedication as well. I know this may be a bit long, but I hope you enjoy it.

Carl was part of a Christmas piano recital this past December. As we were early (I thought it started a half-hour sooner then it did), Carl entertained the waiting guests/residents by a mock recital of his own. He was not nervous at all for this one because he has been "performing" for anyone who would listen (on any piano he found) for months now. He loves to play (but of course, not always practice like he should!!) and we are proud parents.
Enjoy!!!

Blessings from the Lord

I have felt very blessed this past few weeks. Even though Carl was sick, he did not get too sick as we caught it in time. Then last Tuesday, Brian was in a meeting and happen to hear there was a paraprofessional opening at the high school. I was able to get an interview on Wednesday and was offered the job on Thursday. I started on Monday morning. I greatly enjoyed my first week.
Carl is really enjoying that I now walk him to the Elementary school. We were surprised that he was so excited for me to get the job. The only problem is that I had to give up volunteering in Carl's classroom, but his teacher understood. Besides the fact that the weather was below freezing, I have really enjoyed our morning walks.
Brian was also selected as a chaperon for the Scotland exchange at the High School. He is so excited as he had such a great time a few years ago. So, now I am planning a "sister trip" for that same time. The funny thing is: it took Brian a week longer than me to realize he was going to be gone for our 10th wedding anniversary!! (But don't feel too bad, we had not planned anything as we wanted to save our money for Ireland next year!!) Now our only hope is that the economist are wrong and the dollar doesn't tank so much that international travel will be very expensive.
So, if you thought I was bad before, I will probably be terrible now.

Strep Throat

Yep, Carl had it this weekend. He conveniently got sick on Friday night and was fine to return to school on Monday. I think he was a little disappointed because he wanted to stay up late on Sunday night. We sent him to bed on time and I went to bed early. Who knew having a sick child could be so tiring?
I took him to an after-hours clinic in Jefferson on Saturday, not because I was convinced he had strep, but because of this weird red rash on the roof of his mouth and a fever. I did not see the typical white dots, but I knew something was up. Strep throat has been going around the school, so I decided not to take any chances. Brian was away in Atlanta (without a working cell phone) with the State Academic Bowl competition. (No, Jefferson did not win, nor place, but they did well enough for themselves as this was the first time to state in a very long time!). I actually felt relieved when the strep test came back positive as the last time Carl had a weird rash we ended up at the allergist (with no major allergies, just Carl afraid of doctors). So if you have children, blood blisters in the mouth is a symptom of Strep throat, not just the white dots in the throat. We all learn something new everyday!
Carl is doing fine. And so am I!! (For those who know my medical condition). Brian has been teasing me for the enormous amount of vit. C I have been taking, I have washed my hands raw, and I comforted Carl on Saturday and Sunday from across the living room. After his 24 hrs. on Amoxicillin, I washed or sprayed with Lysol anything he had worn, used or touched since Friday night!! (And as he wound up in the day bed in the office early Sat. morning, that meant two beds, two pillows, and a bunch of quilts, blankets and stuffed animals!! I was not taking any chances. Carl was only really upset when I told him he had to throw away his new toothbrush. He is so wonderful, and really takes most things in stride. He liked that the limited TV rule goes out the window with illness (and no, he does not pretend to be sick just to get to watch TV).

I do have to say this gave me the opportunity to finally finish my first piece quilt.
I took a quilting class last year(the class was six months long), and my quilt is now finished. I let life stay crazy and the quilt stayed in the closet, just waiting for me to make and sew on the binding. But now, I have it out on display finished, instead just almost there, hidden in the closet.

The Holidays are over.

I can't believe that it is now the new year and our holiday break is almost over. We had such a wonderful time with family. Not only did Lisa come for Christmas, but my brother Bernard and his family came to visit as well. We had the Brennan/Wilkerson family Christmas on New Year's Day. We had a great turkey meal and played games. Victor called and his family was sick with a stomach bug so Bernard and Terry stayed an extra few days with us. So I was disappointed not to get our family picture. Oh well, I guess I will just have to use photoshop to piece one together.
We also stayed up late on New Year's Eve and lite sparklers to celebrate, but actually we were up til 1 am almost every night anyway (mostly the "boys" and Stacy) playing PlayStation. Bernard loved playing Man U (Manchester United soccor/football team), but Nathan loved the hockey game he learned to play over the summer. We also found a really fun tennis game where four people could play doubles against each other. Even I played that one.
So now Brian and I need to learn to get to bed early to wake up early as life now returns to normal.