Happy New Year!

As I write this there are 4 hours and 24 minutes left of 2007. I just can't believe how quickly the time flies!I can hear the music coming up from the basement, the kids are having a New Year's party with their friends, so far it's pretty tame - they're playing Guitar Hero on Play Station2. There's lots of food and from what I understand there will be games and movies going on later. Good bunch of kids so I'm not too worried - I'd sure rather have them in my home having a good time than out and about.

So... 2007 was a bit of a rough year for our family, our prayer is for a "less eventful" 2008. I'll try to recap this last year...

January 2007: Ciara began traveling with the Forensics team.(Drama)She didn't really have a fabulous year in forensics, but is excited that it will be starting up soon and she's thinking she'll have a better year. After a long battle with emphesyma, Luke's stepdad, Harry passed away. We were comforted by the fact that Harry was a believer in Christ and we knew that his suffering was ended and he was with his Savior. We traveled to Gregory South Dakota for the funeral. It's been especially hard on Luke's Mom, but she is an amazingly strong woman.

***** took a break from bloggin' to go play a few games of Sequence with Luke, I'm back at 11:15 p.m. - 45 minutes until 2008!! *****

February 2007: We looked for a retail location in Hays to open a Jinny Crickets store. There were simply no buildings that were suitable, so after much contemplation and prayer, we decided to give up on the idea for now. Ciara was a candidate for Snoball princess at her high school's winter formal.

March 2007: Uneventful

April 2007: Brandon turned 13 and Luke and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.

May 2007: Ciara took 2nd place in the EHS IDOL competition at her school and Brandon was chosen by the graduating 8th grade class to usher at their graduation ceremony.

June 2007: We trekked to West Point, Nebraska for the wedding of my cousin Travis to his bride Angela - it was fun! We headed down a day early and enjoyed a day in Omaha at the Henry Doorly Zoo, it was a blast. The kids don't really remember having been there before since they were so little the last time we visited it. What a cool place... we'll definitely go back. Ciara and her boyfriend broke up in June, which made for a tough summer for her (and therefore, the rest of us) - they have since gotten back together and will have been dating for a year this February.

July 2007: Fairly uneventful... we did enjoy the big fireworks display in Hays and some homemade ice cream when we got home.

August 2007: We picked up Tina, our German student, from Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita, she will stay with us through the end of the school year. So far this has been an exciting adventure. Brandon and Ciara were both chosen to be a part of the student leadership teams at their school.

September 2007: Ciara was elected treasurer of the SADD group. (Students against destructive decisions) Tina played on the Freshman volleyball team and we spent our days at games and running back and forth to practices. I went in for a regular eye exam and discovered what appeared to be papiledema (swollen optic nerves). This was scary, as it could be an indicator of something serious such as brain tumor.This began a series of tests and appointments to try to figure out what was wrong with me. UGH!Floyd Kelly, Grandma Wolf's friend/companion of 15 years passed away. He was a sweetheart of a man and will be missed terribly. Even though he had moved away to another nursing facility to be closer to his family, Grandma had a hard time accepting his death. With her alzheimers progressing, it is harder all the time to deal with. She is so forgetful and it's hard to see her like that, since it's impossible to rationalize with her.

October 2007: Tina had a part in the school play, and we once again drove back and forth to practices. It worked out alright though, since Brandon began taking Tae Kwon Do and it conveniently took place on the same days as play practice. The Wolfs welcomed a new family member... little Wyatt James was born to my brother Jarrod and his wife Gina. He's precious!

November 2007: Luke broke his leg in the Home Depot parking lot, (see previous posts)and went through surgery. The road to recovery is a long one! I praised God when I found out from the Opthalmologist that I don't have Papiledema, but rather a condition called Optic Nerve Drusen (see previous posts)I was so relieved to find out that I would be ok and I could quit all the worrying and expensive testing.

December 2007: We had a wonderful Christmas! I can't believe it's already over. Luke is still on crutches, but regaining strength in his leg. Today he began walking with a cane, and that's pretty exciting. According to the surgeon, he should be back on his feet and getting around pretty well by Feb. 2nd. You know Luke... he is pushing and is determined to be walking again before that 3 month time frame. I just hope he doesn't overdo it.

***** It just got really noisy downstairs, as the ball dropped in time square - we were all watching it on Fox... gotta go get some fun photos of the kids with their confetti, horns and silly string. Will post those photos later. :) *****

So.... now it's been 2008 for 48 minutes. We are looking forward to what the new year brings. I can't believe at this time next year Ciara will be approaching her high school graduation and Brandon will be nearly through his Freshman year of high school. Tina will be back with her family in Germany. I pray that your 2008 will be blessed!

Icy Pix of the Hespe Kids

Good Doctor's Report

Luke went in for his follow up visit on the 17th and the surgeon was very pleased with his progress. The X-rays showed some signs of healing, though you can still distinctly see the breaks and bone fragments. The doctor reassured us that the bones are healing from the inside out, and that he didn't expect to see more healing than he saw on the x-rays... he said Luke's right where he needs to be and is doing very well. He is now able to bear half his weight on that leg, which as you can imagine is very painful for him, but doc says this will help his leg heal faster. We are all about that! He also said because Luke is doing so well and has good range of motion in his foot that he would not require physical therapy later on. YAY!! We don't go back now until February. Seems like a long time to me, but I guess Dr. Ahad is confident that the bones are in alignment and healing as they're supposed to. If he's not worried, then we shouldn't be either right? He still has a huge amount of swelling in his foot and ankle, especially when he's had his foot down and not elevated for a couple of hours.

He continues to ice it and ask the kids for popcorn, water, coffee.... whatever he wants that he can't carry himself. ha ha. We dont' mind helping him out, but we told him not to get used to it, because when he gets rid of those crutches we're gonna have him getting things for us! :) Brandon shoveled the 13 inches of snow we had last week since Luke couldn't get out and do it. We were really proud of our strong young man handling the hard work for his dad. He's a good kid. My dad came over with his "bobcat" and moved the snow out of the driveways. So grateful for his help too through this time, him and mom come over regularly to check up on "the cripple" and ask what they can do to help. Thank God for family!! Don't know how we'd survive without all their help and the kids pitching in too around the house.

Well... that's it in a nutshell... Luke and I headed to Wichita yesterday so he could spend a day of meetings at the office while I finished Christmas shopping, then we went to his Company Christmas party at Abuelos mexican restaurant in the waterfront area. The photo above was taken at the party last nite. We had a nice time and it felt good to get out and do something fun.We're headed home after lunch today and then we've got to finish up some work for the week and we're both taking Christmas week off. We are really looking forward to that. Today is the last day of school before Christmas break for the kids. The girls had finals yesterday and today, so they're ready for BREAK!! We all are.

Hangin' in there...

BRR.... why is fall so short and winter in such a hurry to get here? I feel like the biggest wimp with the colder tempteratures. It's inevitable I guess, but even Tina noticed that fall is short in Kansas.

Well... it's been a month since Luke broke his leg, he's still not able to bear weight on it until about Christmas time - this is making him crazy. He's so ready to be able to get rid of the crutches! He's gettin' a bit of cabin fever also. We went to IHOP today with the family for a late breakfast, then he cruised around Wal-Mart on a motorized scooter through the store and looked at "guy stuff" with Brandon while the girls and I did some Christmas shopping. I think it was just good for him to have a change of scenery. We also stopped at the Mall and the kids had their picture taken with Santa. I know it sounds creepy, but it was fun. :) I'll post it here once I get it scanned into my computer. Apparently I'm not bright enough to operate my scanner.

It's been nice to have Luke working from home all this time, but now he is talking about heading to Wichita in a couple of weeks to do employee reviews. This has me feeling just a bit nervous - I'm trying to picture him navigating himself into a hotel room on his crutches with a suitcase, briefcase and whatever else he needs. There's also the issue of the small amount of leg room in his truck - I can't imagine him having his leg down and cramped for 3 hours on the trip... he's hurting here after not having it propped up for an hour or 2. I guess I have to let him go sometime, but I don't have to feel good about it right?

The kids and I are fine, I'm busy with Christmas orders and the kids are just countin' down the days 'til Christmas break. I'm ready for it too - I'm just weary. Ok, more later and I'll post some photos too.

Costume Dance Fun '07

Finally... some GOOD news!

I went to my opthalmalogist appointment yesterday and even though the office experience wasn't good - the outcome was. (Thank you all for your prayers, and thank you Lord!) I'll spare you the details of the 2 1/2 hour visit where I spent a total of maybe 10 minutes with the doctor.

He told me that I DO NOT have papilledema - what I have is "Optic Nerve Drusen" Drusen are little white protein deposits on the optic nerve. This condition is often hereditary, so it's possible that my parents or my kids may even have it. There is no known cause or cure. Namely, this condition doesn't cause any real problems, though it is often mistaken for papilledema (which is a far more serious condition)When I go for my regular eye doctor visits and he does visual fields testing, they will be a little wacky because of the drusen. Apparently, over time the drusen can get larger, and eventually may cause some peripheral vision loss, but not central vision loss. So... thankfully, my vision should not be affected much by this condition. In very rare cases, optic nerve drusen can interfere with blood flow in the eye and cause bleeding, but I'm not too worried about that since the doc said not to be. The exciting thing about this diagnosis is that I do not have to have a spinal tap, I don't have any tumors, I don't have MS - I just have an eye condition that has no known cause, can't be prevented or cured, but shouldn't cause me too many problems.

From here we are going to monitor in 3 months and make sure there's no change and then just keep an eye on it. The doctor said if there is change that he would probably give me some eye drops to take. Since there is no cure for optic nerve drusen, he said he feels like he should do "something" if my condition worsens - and he would treat it like glaucoma to hopefully keep the condition from advancing - but there is no known treatment. I can live with that. Finally.... I know what's going on with me and I'm relieved. Now... let's get Luke's broken leg healed and we're in business! :) Thanks again for your prayers, I know God is honoring them. The outcome of my "issue" is proof! God is so amazing.

Update on Luke:
His appointment went well, the dressings were removed and the incisions look "good" (according to the surgeon) - I think seeing metal staples in human flesh is a bit oogy... but that's just me. The doc says that even though the bones really haven't begun to mend themselves back together yet, not to worry cuz it's only been 10 or so days, and this will likely take about 6 weeks. He said that the bones are staying straight with the rod and that's a good thing. Overall, the surgeon was very pleased and will see him back on the 19th to remove staples. No more saran wrap showers, woo hoo!! :) Luke is getting around well with the crutches and getting antsy already to get rid of them - but no weight bearing until about Christmas, and no driving until MAYBE after Thanksgiving sometime. He said we'll have to see how he's doing and then decide when he's ready to be in a car for 3 hours with his leg not elevated. Overall - things are ok and each day improving just the tiniest bit. We'll take whatever progress we can get! :)

I'm the Ringmaster (another long one)

Hey! So we're home and it's like a 3 ring circus here. :)

Ring 1:
Luke was discharged from Hays Medical Center on Monday evening at about 6 p.m. - I can't even tell you how ready we both were to get out of there! He is doing alright, they didn't cast his leg, but he has what's called a "cam boot" and he needs to be wearing this when he walks with his crutches, which he's doing pretty well with.The really fun thing is wrapping that whole contraption in saran wrap and then duct taping a trash bag over the whole thing for a shower. UGH! Talk about a chore. When he's not wearing the cam boot he is trying to keep ice on it to help with swelling. He's on Percaset for pain and alternating that with Ibuprofen trying to get the swelling down in his leg and foot. The swelling does seem to be going down, thankfully - but the staples in his knee are really starting to hurt. We go in on Monday the 12th to see what the surgeon has to say about his progress. We were told not to remove the dressing. I did remove the ace wrap last nite and everything looks pretty good so far. He is beginning to take care of some work-related things. Phone and computer stuff. You know what they say, "you can't keep a good man down". I follow him from room to room with pillows and a basket of "essentials" Cell phone, medicine, etc. He has been mostly taking it easy, but that's getting old for him quick and he's wanting to accomplish something. We did hear from Home depot today and they are claiming that since Luke's accident wasn't their fault, there is no liability on their part. I think I will do a little bit more investigating because I find it hard to believe that a company that size wouldn't make sure that their customers were protected. So please pray in that regard if you will. The bills will be rolling in soon and we do have 90/10 coverage through our medical, but 10% of several thousands of dollars is still going to be rough on our family. Thanks in advance!!

Ring 2:
Me and my papiledema. I finally made it to the neurologist for a visit and what I DO know is that my problem is not brain related. Thankfully!! Also the cyst on the brain is not active, so that's good news. The neurologist did say that he wasn't sure, but thought he may have seen "Drusen" which is an eye condition that is deposits on the optic nerve discs. Apparently this condition and papiledema are closely related, so we're not really sure exactly what I have - which is why I'm going to the opthalmologist on Monday. I guess it's treatable which is encouraging. We are now trying to rule out pseudo tumor cerebri. The neurologist said that based on my symptoms he's not sure that I have that. (it's a condition that "acts" like a tumor but can be treated with medication or by decreasing the spinal fluid to relieve the pressure. (sigh) None of this sounds fun. First things first, I'm headed for the opthalmology appt. on Monday the 12th. (same day as Luke's check up visit... may as well have all the fun on the same day!) :) I'll keep ya posted. If this next appointment is not conclusive, they're talking about a spinal tap to which I am adamately opposed, but I guess you do whatever you gotta do. I'm just ready for this drama to be over. I really feel fine except for being exhausted from everything else that's going on.

Ring 3:
The house/the kids/and my business. This is the busiest time of year for Jinny Crickets with Christmas Sales rising. I normally love this, but it's been quite a challenge to get things done with all the commotion around the house, doctor appointments and kids' activities. This gets interesting at times. Everyone wonders what happened to all the washcloths or why they don't have clean socks when I realize that, "wow, I guess I need to do laundry". There's just too much going on. Tina is in the Junior class play which is tonite (Saturday). I'll be glad when that's done, since it's been about 6 extra trips to Ellis a week dropping off and picking up for play practice. Brandon is also doing Tae Kwon Do 2 days a week, which is good for him, but it's still a lot of driving. That's the disadvantage of living 10 miles one way from everything, we spend a lot of time in the car, not to mention gas money. Don't even get me started... gas here is now $3.05/gallon. UGH!! Makes me angry. Ciara does help me transport the other kids though sometimes, and that's a huge help. Saturday is our catch up day for getting house work done and laundry caught up. I'm so glad to have the kids here to lend a hand with that. I had to scurry this morning to get it all done since I need to head into Hays around 12:30 to represent the Jinny Crickets product line at my new retailer in Hays. It'll be fun, but I hate being away from home for 3 hours with Luke home and needing help. Some evenings as I'm getting ready for bed I realize that I never made it to work that day because there were just too many other things going on. Oh well. Right now I'm just focusing on the things that are screaming the loudest for my attention and that I know are most important and that's my husband and family. So please, if you're already praying, here's the need - FAST healing for Luke and energy and strength for the two of us to endure this time of healing - just that things would settle down a little bit here, as it can get a little tense at times, but we're doin' ok. We're not alone and we've got lots of family support. Thanks again for your prayers, that's really what helps the most. Love you all!! Jami

Luke's Broken Leg Shopping Fiasco (Long Post)

Ok, so we have the gallon of primer, the Veggie Tales Video, AND the power tool we needed... but the Nebraska trip didn't happen. We are day 3 at Hays Medical Center. The car was packed, we were ready to go - but we had one last stop to make on the way out of town, who could have guessed it would result in so much "excitement"?! We stayed in the car as Luke went in to Home Depot to pick up a couple of things for his family in Springview. The kids and I were waiting and I was just beginning to think it was taking him a long time when I heard one of the kids exclaim, "Daddy!" I looked out my window but didn't see anything... until I looked down. There was Luke on the ground. The wind was howling as usual here, (30+ mph)and Luke had a box with a heavy power tool towards the front end in the cart. The cart was building momentum rolling down the lot and the wind was taking it- Luke decides to hop a foot onto the bar way underneath the handle and somehow his foot slips and catches in the cart as the wind takes it one way and his leg goes the other. He heard the bone snap and then he went down. Let me tell you, I couldn't get my seatbelt off fast enough. I ran out asking him if he was ok, I didn't know if he bumped his head or what he did, but I could tell he was hurting because he was beginning to let out some painful groans. I asked him what he hurt and he said his leg, he was holding his left knee and I looked down to see that his leg was pointing east instead of south. This had to be one of the most horrible freaky things I've ever seen - his foot was hanging at a 90 degree angle.I yelled for someone to call 911 and it took more than 10 minutes for an ambulance to get there. I was thinking how grateful I was that he wasn't having a heart attack or that could've been bad!

So the ambulance got there finally and I told them he needed something for pain right away. The whole thing was really stressy. It's hard to see someone in that much pain when they are usually Mr. Tough Guy. I knew it was bad. It got worse when they had to move him to get him in the ambulance and it got really ugly in the ER when they had to straighten the leg to splint it. X-rays showed that he broke the Tibia and Fibia (I think that's right) The big and small bone in his left leg. The worst break was about 6 inches above the ankle and the other break was in the smaller bone about 3-4 inches above the ankle. Surgery was to be at 8 a.m. but apparently a set of twins decided they were more important :) so we had to wait for the anesthesiologist to finish with a C-section delivery. Finally at 9:45 he was taken in and surgery lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. It was a closed surgery, meaning the only incisions were to get the rod and screws in. This decreases risk of infections. A rod was inserted just below the knee and all the way down the leg to hold the big bone in place. It's held in with 4 screws, 1 on top and by the knee, 1 through the front of the leg and 2 from the side. The break in the smaller bone Doctor thinks will mend itself.

The surgery went well and Luke came out of anesthesia just fine. He was in a lot of pain after surgery, but nothing like the pain he had gone through the day before when it happened. By last nite the pain was under control with a morphine pump and doses of Tordal.(don't know if that's spelled right)If he had to move the leg for any reason he about went through the roof. Finally by bed time he was doing pretty good, but his bladder wasn't back to doing its job yet, so he had to suffer through a few straight catheters in the evening and through the nite. The nurses told him that morphine can cause this problem, especially in men, so he backed off of that nearly altogether and just used the tordal. He was also able to get his IV taken out today since he was off the morphine, this made him really happy, but not as happy as the fact that his bladder back to normal, thankfully!!! The surgeon also came in and said that he will not put a cast on it, he just has a straight splint and ace bandage on it. He'll get a support boot to wear for a while. FUN FUN! Dr. said that if therapy is going well it's possible that he'll get to go home Monday afternoon. Yeah... you heard right, the therapist was in already today having him walking with crutches and doing excerices with the leg. OUCH. He's doing really well, though and I'm so proud of how strong and determined he is. He really wants to go home.

This whole thing has been such a nightmare, it didn't even seem like it could really be happening - but I'm praising God that it wasn't something more serious; like a car wreck with all 5 of us in it. It could have been so much worse. Ciara has been great about stepping up and cleaning house and taking care of things at home while I'm here at the hospital with Luke. I've been staying the nite with him. His nurses are pretty good, but what normal person can wait 20 minutes when they have to go to the bathroom??!! I wanna be here to help him, I can't imagine not being here. I'm so thankful for kids that can look after themselves and be responsible. They're the greatest!!

So what's the future hold? The rod and pins are permanent unless they cause problems, then could be removed. He will be on crutches 4 to 6 weeks, and it will likely be 3 months before he is considered "back to normal". The doc said he can do desk work, but we'll find out tomorrow how long until he can drive. I'm not in a big hurry to put him on the road by himself with crutches and a broken leg though - so I hope he'll be reasonable about it and not try to be a martyr and hurry back to work, that'd just be crazy. His co-workers and employees have just been fabulous about telling him not to worry and that they're taking care of business.

Well... that's our exciting weekend in a nutshell. We would appreciate your prayers regarding a full, speedy recovery. Thanks so much for that! I know many have already been praying and we very much appreciate it!

Jami

IRONY - somewhat comical and twisted

We are headed to Springview, Nebraska this weekend to visit Luke's folks. For those of you that don't know where this is... it's up near Valentine (about 5 1/2 hours from here). More specifically it's kind of in the middle of "nowhere". There is no Wal-mart anywhere close, so it takes some doing for the folks that live there to get things they need that they can't find locally. Luke's mom called and asked if I would pick her up a gallon of wall primer and mentioned that she is wanting to get a jump on her Christmas shopping, so she asked me to look for a specific Veggie Tales DVD. I said sure, no problem. I love Veggie Tales movies, they're well made, cute little kid movies that always share an awesome message about God. Adults love these movies too, they're great!

This morning I was running errands and picked up a few things at Wal-mart, so I'm walking up and down the video aisles searching for this cute kids video and I'm not finding it. I was beginning to think that Walmart didn't even sell these anymore. Finally I decided to ask for help.

I notice that the clerk is already helping someone, so I decided to stand by and wait patiently for my turn. I observed that the other customer didn't seem to be the brightest bulb in the box and he was looking for a "Friday the 13th" (horror) movie - he kept repeating "The one - Jason goes to hell, the one - Jason goes to hell" I'm like - ok... why would anyone wanna watch this movie, it's obviously gonna be sick and twisted. ICK! So the clerk tells him that they don't have the movie and the guy appears put out and disappointed. I was thinking to myself that it was no great loss and the fellow was actually lucky that they didn't have "Jason goes to hell". Then... I couldn't help but chuckle when the clerk turned to me with a "how can I help you" expression and I said with a smile, "I'm looking for the Veggie Tales movies". Talk about irony!It was classic.

GRR!!

Ok, I know that "family stuff" comes up, but I feel really frustrated. I've been waiting more than 6 weeks to get in to see the neurologist - after all this time of wondering and trying to be patient - I get a phone call this morning that I will have to reschedule my appointment that was scheduled for Nov. 1st. GRR! Apparently the doctor had something come up that he had to leave town and the receptionist "hopes" that he will back in time for my rescheduled appointmet at 1:00 on November 7th. (sigh) Ok, I hope whatever the Doc. had to leave town for all works out, but I just wanna get this appointment over with so I know what I need to do next. After I received that phone call this morning, I thought to myself "I haven't prayed for patience recently have I?" *smile* Seems that whether I did or not, my patience is being tested for sure. At least it's only an extra week, for that I'm grateful. The bad thing is, Luke rescheduled his whole week of work to be here with me for the appointment and now he's supposed to be in Georgia next week on a work related trip, so most likely won't be able to come with me. GRR!

Enough growling... just thot I'd get an update to those of you who are trying to keep up with all this.... uh... "excitement" :) I'd still appreciate your prayers next week. Thanks in advance, for your prayer support, it means so much!

Jami

"The World Is Morally Bankrupt"

"The world is morally bankrupt, and the gold that redeems it from its bankruptcy is righteousness. And what is righteousness? Righteousness is holiness in longing. And holiness is a hunger for God's approval."
Calvin Miller

I just added this quote to my page this morning. I LOVE IT! It comes from the book "Conversations With Jesus" by Calvin Miller. I find his writing to be so refreshing and so touching. The book is written in the perspective of a person seeking Christ, and what Christ's response might be. It's just so different than any other devotional type book I've ever read. If you're looking to have a time with God each day but you don't have much time - I'd definitely recommend this book!

So... "the world is morally bankrupt" That is an understatement. It really is quite sickening to take a look around and see what people think is acceptable. I'm embarrassed to watch TV commercials with my kids sometimes! I mean, let's face it, Victoria doesn't have any secrets!! I think the lines of morality have been blurred so much that people don't know which side is which. Right and wrong is relative? It's different for you, it's different for me.... Where do people get these kinds of ideas? Even non-believers have a certain level of morality - knowing right from wrong. One would think then that believers should be held to even a higher standard of morality. I admit, in an effort to survive in this world, I find myself struggling to know how far is too far. I feel bombarded by the world and its ideas about what is O.K. or not O.K. One thing is for certain, that straight and narrow path that leads to eternity is so much harder than the smooth, paved, wide one that most travel to nowhere.

I think many measure themselves against the world's standard and not God's standard. What a difference it would make if we would compare ourselves to Christ instead of those around us. Jesus is the standard. That's convicting, huh? When's the last time we hungered for GOD'S approval? Holiness ~ hungering for God's approval...that's what I long for. That's what I need. That's what He wants from me.

Chilled....

BRR.... it's cold here, 37 degrees over night and a high today of around 70 - that's an improvement from the initial forecast that gave a high of 58. I do love fall though, so I can't even complain... it's just that it seems so crazy to turn on the furnace on October 16th. :) I think what's worst about it is that Luke is a stinker about the thermostat in our house, we're supposed to be comfortable in the summer with a house that's close to 80 degrees, but then in a matter of a few weeks we expect our bodies to adjust to 67. I know that I can speak for most women when I say... "I don't think so!" I guess I'm a wimp. ha ha. But seriously, I think my body thermostat has issues, because it's a rare thing that I'm comfortable, I'm either hot or cold. I know... old age does that to a person. Tina has never been exposed to such extreme temperatures (100 in the summer and 30 and below in the winter)so she is really whining about how cold it is. I think she asked me 3 times yesterday when we could go shopping for some warmer clothes for her, so I told her we'll go buy a coat and some sweatshirts this weekend.

Speaking of chilled, I guess I'm more chilled since my last post. My bloodwork came back normal and even showed that I'm not showing any signs of early menopause - which is a relief cuz I was starting to wonder about that. So, that's good news, but then what is causing the swollen optic nerves? I did get an appointment for the neurologist on November 1st, so I hope that I'll get answers then. I wanna know about the cyst and I hope he'll be able to tell me more about it from looking at the MRI. I guess the way I feel about it is that the neurologists look at this stuff every day so they should be more trained to know what is there since they have others to compare with. I find that encouraging somehow. So for now I am chilled. :)

Uncertainty (long post, sorry)

Uncertainty ~ The quality or state of being uncertain. Falling short of certainty to an almost complete lack of conviction or knowledge especially about an outcome or result.

Uncertain is what I am right now and it's driving me crazy! It all started with a routine eye exam the last week of September. I've been having slight headaches and feeling like I am straining to have clear vision. My vision is fine, it's unchanged - but when doing the visual acuities he discovered a couple of blind spots in the peripheral vision of my left eye, so he decided to take a closer look. His discovery was that I have swollen optic nerves - also known as papiledema. What does this mean and why do I have it?

My doctor was very kind and patient in his explanation that generally papiledema is symptomatic of another problem. The swelling of the optic nerve is most commonly due to increased intracranial pressure. (pressure in the head,excessive spinal fluid or some such thing) It could be caused from something as simple as a reaction to medication or something as complex as a brain tumor. Well I'm not on any medication that would do this, so I start to feel nervous. He said that he didn't want to alarm me, but that I defnitely should have it checked out, so he called my family doctor for a referral for an MRI.

MRI's - if you've never had one, consider yourself lucky. It's not painful... it's just that the room was freezing cold and you're shoved into this tube for long periods of time and you can't move or flinch. Of course this is the time that you have a fuzzy on your nose, you have to sneeze or worse yet... you have to use the restroom. UGH! After 2 hours worth of this and having them poke around trying to inject dye into my veins for the final tests, I was done and ready to get the heck out of there. I told Luke that I think our government could use MRI's as a form of torture to get people to talk. Just give them about 6 cups of coffee,strip them down and spray them with water and send them into that cold machine for 2 hours without a bathroom break. I think it would be a quite effective method!!

My sweet husband was kind enough to take me to IHOP for breakfast, though I admit I wasn't very good company. I trust God with my life... but in my humanity my mind was going wild! "Are those tests gonna show a brain tumor? Am I gonna die? But I want to live to see my kids graduate, get married.... I wanna be here to enjoy my grandchildren... I'm only 37!" I really can only explain this state of being as torturous. I'm not generally a very patient person, something I'm not proud of... but the waiting for these test results about put me over the edge.I don't think doctors understand our mental state in these types of situations otherwise they would feel a sense of urgency about calling us with test results!

I finally got a call from my doctor 4 days later. (that was a long weekend) For some reason he was irritated that he had been asked to refer me for an MRI without seeing me. I don't know what he thought he was going to do when he got me there... look at my optic nerves to confirm they were indeed swollen? DUH! He said something about since he hadn't seen me in the office and we were trying to do this all over the phone... (so!?) then he proceeded to tell me that he doesn't think his patients realize how much time it takes to fill out the paperwork to make those test referrals. (Translated, "I'm irritated with you because you didn't pay me for an office visit and I'm having to mess with you!") Ok... WHATEVER! At this point he's about got me in tears because I think I could die and he's worried about a $57.00 office visit. (jerk) There's more to that conversation, but long story short the MRI did NOT show a brain tumor or aneurism or any signs of Multiple Sclerosis, which is the big things they were ruling out. Praise God for that!

What the MRI did show - I have a cyst on my brain. What?! Apparently this small cyst has been there for a while, but I don't know how long. I don't know where it is exactly, or what type it is (there are several types, some to worry about and some not to worry about)So I had bloodwork done and am waiting for results to find out if there's a problem with my pituitary gland or if there is something else going on. And I'm currently waiting for an appointment with a neurologist to find out what the heck this cyst is doing there and what I need to do about it. Of course the soonest appointment I could get with them is in December which is 2 months from now - I could be insane from worry by then. UGH!!!!! I did find another neurologist that can get me in sometime in November so I'm waiting for them to call me and set the appointment. All I know is that it couldn't be soon enough for me!

My husband is the best. I don't know how many people he's got praying for me, but I know there are people I've never even heard of that are praying. I mostly need God to calm my heart and help me to trust him with the outcome as I wait to find out what is really going on with me. I'll be honest, I'm just a little scared. I need God to pour out his peace, mercy and grace over me - that I would rest in him as I wait. That's just so hard to do. I really have to force myself every day to get up and move. I'm lethargic and feel overcome with uncertainty and it is really difficult to deal with. When my eyes ache or I have a headache my mind races wondering if it's caused by something serious or if it's just a sinus or tension headache. I think about the dizzy spells I've had in the last couple of years and how forgetful I am sometimes and wonder if these things are random or a result of what I'm dealing with now. I don't wanna to make my family nuts talking about it so I mostly keep it to myself - I dont' want them to worry. It may be be NOTHING - but I am eager to be certain about what is or is not going on with me. Oh why does the time go so slow in situations like these?!

Anyway, it felt good to vent all this. This isn't the kind of thing you just talk about casually with an acquaintance in the grocery store and I think I just needed to express these emotions. I love the life God has given me. I'm not afraid to die, but I just wanna keep living it for a while longer. There may be nothing wrong with me (please God)- but life is uncertain, that's one thing I've learned from all this. Enjoy every day God's given you, trust Him with your life, and take nothing for granted.

Perspective

"Can’t see the forest for the trees..."

An expression used of someone who is too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole.


I've been searching high and low for my fall decorations. I've got big, deep rubbermaid totes that I keep my holiday and seasonal decorations in and each one is marked with Christmas, everyday, fall, etc. Well I've been looking for the tote marked Fall and couldn't seem to find it anywhere until today. I was so frustrated because it could only be in 1 of 2 places - the freezer room or the furnace room, where we store stuff. I've probably looked for it 3 times, but for some reason when I walked into the store room today I happened to glance down straight ahead as I walked in and under the overhang of a wide corrugated box I see the Fall decorations! I wasn't looking there because I was surrounded by all this "stuff" and couldn't see what was in front of me all along.

This may not seem like that exciting of an event, but it reminded me of the saying "Can't see the forest for the trees" because sometimes the obvious thing is right in front of you but you can't see it because you're standing too close, you're in the thick of it. I think in our human-ness we choose to stay in the middle of it rather than to back up and see what is before us. The big picture. We're so busy and preoccupied with the task. I know I've found myself in this situation many times.

For me, I feel as if I need to really step back and look up. To see the big picture, to contemplate "God's plan". I'm greatful that He is always there waiting to hear from me. I'm gonna try harder to not stay in the thick of a problem and tackle it on my own, but rather to step back and do the obvious - Seek Him. Then I will see more clearly what it is I'm looking for and what it is God has for me.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights."
James 1:17

Spirit Week & Homecoming Slide Show

Spirit Week & Homecoming

Well... last week was an exciting week for the kids as it was Spirit Week for Homecoming. Each day was a different dress up day and the girls had a great time with that. Tina was a good sport and dressed up silly with Ciara. In Germany they don't have school dances or sports in their school, so this was a pretty exciting time for her especially. Brandon marched in the parade last Friday with his snare drum and did a super job. Ciara walked along side the Junior Class Float (which was the best by the way!) and Tina filmed the parade for their multi-media productions class. They are making a video yearbook, fun huh? The girls especially had a fun time with homecoming - but Brandon got in on the action with marching in the parade and again that nite at the football game. We got smoked by Smith Center, but oh well. We beat Norton tonite by 1 point. WOO HOO!!! That was a sweet victory.

So, I hope that you all enjoy the fun slide show from Homecoming. Please post a note sometime, would love to hear from you. Love & Hugs.... Jami

Growing Old

Growing old... it makes me sad to think about it. I mean... how long are we really supposed to live? God decides when our time on earth is over, but I pray that He will spare me a life of misery in my old age, whether it be mentally or physically. My grandmother has Alzheimer's disease and just celebrated her 85th birthday on September 13th. The kids and I visited her and took her a gift. She lives in the nursing home, and let me just say that that is a sad place. I don't know why, but for some reason that day... there were so many residents in the hallways etc., that were in a vegetative state, hooked up to oxygen, or sitting by the nurse's desk crying. When we got to Grandma's room she was laying on her bed and I could tell she was upset. She sat up and I hugged her and wished her a happy birthday, she said she forgot it was her birthday. She began to open her gift but stopped and began crying about a spat she had that morning with another resident regarding some weird looking angels that they were making out of neck ties. Apparently the lady thought that Grandma was bragging about her mad crafting skills or something because she had words with Grandma. It didn't end well and several hours later she was still crying about it and couldn't let it go. I apologized for the lady and said that she shouldn't let it upset her and ruin her birthday, but rather should remember that her family loves her and was there to wish her a happy birthday. She also got flowers that morning from my Mom, but she forgot that Mom had been there. She cried until we left. It was horribly depressing. It's such a helpless feeling, since there's really nothing we can do. She is so forgetful that she doesn't know she is in the nursing home. She keeps saying that "her mind is getting so bad she won't be surprised if she ends up in the nursing home."

We had a birthday party for her yesterday with our family, my parents and my uncle and aunt from Larned... we were there for over 2 hours and had ice cream and cake, we sang happy birthday, opened presents and visited and looked at pictures, she seemed to enjoy herself until she brought up the little neck tie angle incident again and was carrying on about it, my aunt told her to let it go and quit worrying about it, so she got upset, she was mad at me for not allowing her to take the rest of the cake to her room, and mad at my mom for saying that she doesn't have any room to bring more furniture into her tiny little room that she shares with a room mate. She was in such a tizzy that she didn't get to go out and enjoy dinner with her family for her birthday celebration. It makes me so sad, because at that point there is nothing anyone can say or do for her to make it better. The nurse came in the room right before my uncle left and she asked her ,"how was the birthday party?" Grandma said, "what birthday party?" A day later my aunt talked to the social services director at the home and she was told that Grandma was complaining about having nothing to live for because her family never comes to see her. (sigh)

The bible says that pure, undefiled religion is caring for widows and orphans. (James 1:27)
I pray that God will give me the wisdom and strength to be able to do this, because mentally and emotionally... it's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

Rejoice!

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again; REJOICE!” (Phil. 4:4) This is the verse of the day today on my blog. What a great reminder that in the midst of everything (always… regardless of circumstances) we are to rejoice! No matter how rough things seem to get, there is always something to praise God for.

Today I’m praising God that none of Luke’s co-workers were hurt or killed in the Love Box fire yesterday. (God... you're awesome!) My biggest challenge is being still enough to hear his voice. Our world is so busy, and it shouts louder than God sometimes. It’s in the quiet moments, when the house is still and there are no guitars, pianos, kazoos, radios, or kids making noise – that I can truly feel as if I can tap in to what God has to say to me. Today I have an overwhelming sense that God would have me rejoice. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself because it’s just so darn hard to be the mom of teenagers! (GRR) I have to say that I mostly feel unappreciated and dumb. What a complete struggle it is some days. You just don’t think that your precious angels will ever change from “I love you Mommy, You’re the best Mommy in the world, I never want to move away from you and daddy because I’ll miss you too much”… to… snorts, stomps, scowls, grouchiness, sullen or “you’re so stupid” facial expressions, and exclamations of “I can’t wait to move out!”
(it would seem that there isn’t a place far enough away!)

I have nearly always thought that I was a fabulous mom, apparently that one is up for debate. I do so love my “babies”, they truly are good kids, and I recognize that things could be so much worse. My kids don’t drink or do drugs, they desire to live a pure life in a world that is saturated with sex. (UGH!) I guess what I’m trying to say is… even though parenting teenagers is a challenge, it has its definite rewards. On a drama free day our kids are loads of fun! They have such a weird, wacky and fun sense of humor and keep us laughing. We can also have intelligent conversations and go places and do things that we couldn’t do when they were younger. So… I shall rejoice, because one day my children will be adults and possibly even parents… and they will KNOW how hard it is. And perhaps their mother will be fabulous once again!

What do YOU think? Is there something you're rejoicing about?

Love Box Company Fire

This is what Luke saw when he got to work in Wichita Tuesday morning. Love Box Company was on fire! We are praising God that nobody was hurt, which is really a miracle since there were 3 explosions and fire hot enough to melt "fire proof" ceilings. Here's what the news had to say about it:

Fire causes $2 million in damage

at Love Box Company

Watch the Video

WICHITA, Kansas, Sept. 11, 2007 –

A fire at Love Box Tuesday morning did $2 million in damage. The fire started around 7 a.m. in the 700 block of East 37th Street North. Investigators say the 3-alarm fire was caused by a generator malfunctioning.It took firefighters about an hour to put it out, even though the flames were discovered and reported to dispatchers quickly.

"There wasn't anybody directly in this building," Battalion Chief Rob Hughes, Wichita Fire Department, said. "There were people in close proximity to it and they heard the explosion and they investigated and quickly found the fire and alerted 911." The flames were contained to the one building, but there's heavy smoke damage in that area as well as damage to generators and boilers.

Luke spent most of his morning helping people set up temporary offices since their building was blocked off and smoke damaged. It was quite a day. While he was discouraged that he didn't get any work done all morning... he was so thankful that there was not even 1 person injured.

Thank you Lord, for your protection!

Lots of excitement!

It's been pretty exciting around our home with the arrival of our new German daughter, Tina. She arrived at 12:10 p.m. on August 19, 2007 at Mid-Continent airport in Wichita, Kansas. We were grateful that Jarrod, Gina, Abbi and Dominick also came to welcome her and helped us pass the time while we waited for her flight to come in. She finally arrived and looked a little worried as she came down to the reception area. We learned later that she was confused about which way to go and where her luggage was. :) It didn't take long to see that she is a really exceptional girl. We got to know one another a bit better over a lunch at Applebees. She is a picky eater like Ciara, I figured that out straight away when she scraped all the cheese, onions, peppers and mushrooms off of her "smothered chicken". She barely ate a thing, but commented at the huge portions in the USA. We are learning the likes and dislikes of another child, that's interesting at times! :) She is not familiar with a lot of the traditional German foods that my family eats - and commented that "everyone thinks people from Germany like to eat sausages, but we don't!" :) It was pretty cute. Living so near the sea, her family is more apt to eat sea food and more common foods. YUMMY! She brought pictures and it's just beautiful there. I really hope we can go there and visit one day!

Anyway... back to the arrival story - we finally got home that afternoon after a short stop to the Mall in Salina. She seemed pleased with her new home, and even comfortable - but was a bit quiet the first day or two. That changed quickly as she spent time with the crazy Hespe family. She talks and talks just like the rest of the bunch. Her and Ciara have become very good friends and giggle and laugh like sisters. She laughs at Brandon a lot with all the silly things he does, but we all have a lot of fun together. He thinks she is fabulous - we all do!

We found it interesting that Tina has never eaten corn on the cob - it is only fed to livestock or made into corn flour for bread where she lives. She has also never eaten peanut butter. That would be unfathomable in the US, where we feed our kids pb&j all the time! Her family lives in Rostock, Germany which is just off the Baltic Sea. She spends her free time with friends on the beach and at the disco. She is very sociable. It's fun learning about her way of life. She is such a sweet girl and so excited for school here. She finds English III to be her most difficult subject, even though she's had 9 years of English. Ciara and her work on their homework together and Ciara helps her understand. It's been good for Ciara to build a relationship with Tina in this way, it's like the sister she never had... and for Brandon - well.... it's 2 sisters to laugh and tease him now. ha ha. He loves it though. We all think that Tina is the bees knees and we love to listen to her talk in German. Luke constantly tries to show off his German "skills"?? :) Tina says, "I will teach you!" She likes to laugh at Luke and all the silly things he says and does, and I enjoy hugging all the kids good nite and spending time with them around the house, preparing and cleaning up meals, playing with the kitties and pupper dog, etc. Mostly my time has been spent transporting 3 teenagers though, because Ciara's car has been in the shop for 10 days. We will pick it up today and that should free up some driving time for me. Thank goodness!

Tina is playing volleyball, so that adds an interesting element to an unathletic family. :) We will be most zealous about supporting her by going to home games, getting her to practices, etc. I'll share some of those pics later.

Well... there's so much more, but I better cut this short for now as it's time to once again pick up kids from school and then a quick trip to Hays to get Ciara's car and run some errands. FUN!


* Check out the slide show below for all the latest photos of the expanded Hespe family! :)

What's been going on at the Hespe home!

Tina's Here!

Well, our new 16 year old German daughter from Rostock Germany arrived by plane today in Wichita, Kansas at 10:10 a.m. She is a delightful, beautiful girl. We are so excited that she's finally here. Her accent is fabulous! I think that it'll take a little getting used to when it comes to our weird family, but so far she is tolerating us fairly well. :) She has had a long day as she was up at 4 a.m. to get ready for her flight from Chicago, where she attended a Nacel foreign exchange student orientation to prepare her as much as possible for the experience. :) Are you ever really prepared to leave your family for nearly a year when you are only 16 years old? She must be a very strong girl. She did get teary eyed when she spoke to her "pa pa" on the phone to let him know she had arrived safely. I wanted to just go hug her, but I'm trying not to be too much myself for a day or 2 until she gets to know us better. So far we are understanding her for the most part. There are a few things she tries to tell us and isn't sure how to put it into words, but we are getting along fine. She is just a doll and I can't wait for all of you to meet her!

Like a idiot I took a charged digital camera with no memory stick in it to the airport. ha ha. Why do I do these things??? Lucky for us though, we had a blank tape in so that we could record video - then Luke went to the gift shop and bought a disposable camera. Once I get those photos developed and put on a CD I'll post pictures from her arrival, but until then I am posting a photo of her with a friend on the beach where she lives. It's a beautiful place. She lives near the Baltic Sea. She is the blonde haired girl on the right side of the photo. Isn't she cute?!

The Hespe family will likely meet her at Thanksgiving if they are in Springview... otherwise, not sure when. My family will probably meet her at a family wedding that is coming up in September, unless we bump into them sooner. She is very excited about school in the USA and we are going to get her enrolled for school, choose her classes and buy some school supplies tomorrow. Should be fun!

I'll keep you posted on the excitement here.... but for now - I need some sleep!

Love n Hugs!

Road Trip Flick'r Show

Fun Times!

Brandon and I got back from our little road trip on Thursday evening... we had a great time! What a fun kid he is! Crazy like his Dad and sister. ha ha. We started off Wednesday morning and headed straight to Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina. After having been to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha earlier this summer, we were a bit disappointed in Rolling Hills... but we still managed to have some fun, I mean how many people have ever gotten to witness a leopard vomitting?! Seriously, that was a first for me. :) It was really pretty hot, I'd say in the upper 80's/low 90's - cuz we got there a little before 11 a.m. - the animals in the outside cages were so hot, they pretty much just laid there. The prairie dogs were the cutest things ever - we bought some food out of the machine and Brandon tossed it out, the one little guy picked up the food and ate it with both hands, he lookd like he was praying and it was adorable! I wanted to bring him home. *smile* After that we went and ate at Red Lobster, where Brandon picked his own lobster out of the tank. It was pretty cool. I LOVE LOBSTER!!!! Then we went to Wal-mart and Target to look for a comforter for Tina's bed (our new German daughter- she will arrive on the 19th) We picked up a few things then went to our hotel. Luke gets points for frequent stays so we had a free night in a suite that opened up to the pool. Brandon loved it! He soaked in the hot tub and swam a bunch. We played ping pong in the courtyard and then we went and watched a movie, swung through McDonalads, then came back to the room and read books till bed time. It was a really good day.

Thursday we planned on riding go-carts, but apparently the place is hurtin' for cash, because they are closed Monday through Thursday. What a bummer! We had to compensate for that disappointment so we went to the mall and sat in massage chairs, bought some jeans for school and tried on masks at Earthbound Trading Company - a really awesome store that has trinkets from around the world. We had lunch there, then drove on about 30 minutes to get to the Russell Stover's Chocolate factory. OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! When we walked in the door, our noses were filled with the awesome, intoxicating aroma of cocoa. YUMMY! We bought a bunch of chocolates and got our picture taken with the bear out front. We really had a super time and it was just good for Mom and son to have some time together. Brandon is getting huge and turning into a man in a hurry. I'm thankful we had the opportunity to enjoy one another and act crazy before school starts on the 21st. Hope you enjoy the wacky pictures!

Mother/Son Getaway & a German Girl Named Tina!

So the summer has flown by... and I feel like I haven't really gotten to spend any quality time with Brandon. Ciara and I work together, we chat while she gets ready, etc. but Brandon has taken a few road trips with Luke and he and I haven't done much of anything. So... we're taking a little mother son trip today and we're pretty excited about it. We're going to the Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina. We'll have lunch and hang around for the day then stay the nite at a nice Quality Inn there with an indoor pool and jacuzzi, ping pong tables etc. At some point we're going to ride go-karts, probably play video games, maybe go to an Art museum and then his most exciting thing that he decided to do... is trek over to Abilene and go to the Russell Stover's factory and buy chocolates. He's a kid after my own heart. I need chocolates like a hole in the head, but hey! The point is we're really looking forward to our time away. Will post the results of the trip and maybe a few pix)

We decided to cut the trip short because we need to get home and make some preparations, for our new child.

Yes... we have agreed to host a German foreign exchange student for the school year. :) I know you're thinking... what??!! We are pretty jazzed about it, and her name is Tina. She is Ciara's age so they will have classes together. Ciara's just thrilled because she's always wanted a sister. Tina sounds like a really neat girl. We will get our visit Friday nite from the people in charge of the program for our area. If they don't think we're too wacky then I guess we get approved. :) She will fly into Chicago Saturday for her exchange student briefing, then she'll fly into Wichita and she will come to us as early as Monday or Tuesday. WHEW!! We need to change some furniture around to make accomodations for her, but we don't mind - we're just really excited. I will keep you posted and you know that you'll be seeing some pictures and stuff soon. YAY! Aren't the Hespe's adventurous?! :)

Driver's Test

Ok... so my birthday is coming up, and let's face it... when you start to get "up there in age" there are not that many exciting things about having a birthday!I walk out to the mailbox the other day, pull out a wad of envelopes. (most of them fabulous credit card offers and junk mail)I come in the house and start filing it away (trash) and discover.... A STUPID WRITTEN DRIVER'S TEST!!! UGH! Why? Now this I just don't understand. Luke and I moved to Kansas at the same time, so wouldn't you think that he would have been due to take a written too? Oh no... just me! So I start thinking about WHY I would have to do this. I have not had a speeding ticket since 1998, much less any other traffic violation. My darling, lead footed husband on the other hand, has had numerous speeding tickets since we moved to Kansas.

This is where I stomp my feet like a spoiled child and declare, "It's not FAIR!" So, I guess I'd better get to it. Thank goodness it's open book. Maybe I can get my soon to be 16 year old to help me, it will be a good review, and she should know all this right? ;)

Stay off the sidewalks... Ciara will be 16 tomorrow! *smile*

I hate driver's tests.

Sleep

Why is it that the more we sleep, the more tired we are? My teenagers have been the sleepiest things this summer... I have no idea how they can sleep that much, but somehow they do. If they go to bed at midnight, they want to sleep till at least 10 a.m. because "they're tired." If they go to bed at 10:30 pm and get up at 7 a.m. - "they're tired" cuz they had to get up so early. Both of them have been having trouble getting to sleep at nite, then sometimes they even wake up in the middle of the nite or really early a.m. and it takes them a while to get back to sleep. One day last week, Ciara got to bed late, slept in until about 9 or so... then napped in the afternoon. You guessed it... she couldn't sleep at nite so she was tired again the next day. (Dejavu from when my babies had their sleep schedule all mixed up!)

It's a vicious cycle. I've got to figure this sleep thing out. Here is my my motherly assessment. The kids are tired because they aren't doing anything. The more they lay around, the tired-er they get. :) Maybe I have the solution... MORE CHORES!

Yay... I love it when I'm a problem solver. ha ha.

I think I'll put out a survey on sleep... I'd love to hear what you have to say about the subject. *smile* Please participate ok??!!

Hairspray? Yes, thank you!

SO MUCH FUN! Ciara and I saw Hairspray last nite and loved it! John Travolta is a hoot.My goodness, how they convinced him to dress up as Edna Turnblat I'll never know, haha, but he was great. I wasn't sure what to expect from the movie, but the music was good and not overdone. I've never seen Hairspray before, so the whole movie was a surprise for me. I thought it was fabulous how Tracy's dream goes from being "Miss Teen Hairspray" to integrating the Corny Collins show to include black and white dancers, and to help people understand that even if you're not a size 2 Barbie Doll, you can still acheive your dreams. We laughed and laughed at some of our favorite actors; Christopher Walken (as John Travolta's husband - it was outrageously funny), Jerry Stiller as Mr. Pinky, Michele Pfeifer - the racist TV station manager, Amanda Bynes as the best friend and of course John Travolta as the Mom. Interestingly enough, Ricki Lake shows up in the audience in the movie and she was in one of the original Hairspray productions.

We couldn't convince Luke to go, but I think he really would have enjoyed it too. He and Brandon stayed home and watched a (grunt) "guy movie" - Braveheart.

Anyway, Ciara and I give this one 2 thumbs up... so go see it if you can, I think it's sure to please.

Bargain Shopping Get Away

Okay, so Luke had meetings in Wichita this week and Brandon was going to go and hang out with his dad at work. My little resourceful brain started workin' and I thought... "if Ciara and I go, we can go shopping." We have totally been missing all the good shopping and other fun stuff in Wichita, so we tagged along. We had to get up and be ready to go by 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, but you know girls will do just about anything to get their shopping fix - so we made it. We really did have a great time, it was just nice for me to get away from work for a day or 2, we also got to stop over at my brother's house and spend some time with him and his family. It was fun. Abbi cried cuz she wanted to come home with Aunt Jami, you can't imagine how sad that was. :( I felt bad I couldn't bring her along.

So Brandon hung out at work with Luke at the office all day Wednesday and Ciara and I had a blast. We first visited a friend of hers that was in the hospital at Wesley Medical Center. I had a consultation to see if I would be a good candidate for eye surgery and they said I could have PRK which is basically where they go straight into the cornea and correct the astigmatism and reshape the cornea. I'm going to do some more research, but the idea of waking up and seeing the alarm clock sounds pretty good- it would be the first time in nearly 30 years. I'd really like to have it done.

Then we proceeded on to Krispy Kreme. YUMMY. (I needed donuts like a hole in the head), but anyhoo... OH HOW I LOVE KRISPY KREME. Only when they're fresh and hot though. Then we went shopping and got some fabulous bargains. Ciara got 2 formal dresses for around $50 total. They are beautiful, so she is all set for Snoball and Prom this year. (sigh) We also got some really good deals at Old Navy, American Eagle, Abercrombie, Famous Footwear and Gordmans. A good chunk of the school shopping is done, so that is a really good feeling. Best of all... I didn't buy anything that wasn't on sale or clearance. YAY for bargain shopping - I love it.

Last night we had supper at Sal's Japanese Steakhouse. It is more than a meal, it's entertaining. We had a very witty chef. They cook the food right on your table, and do all kinds of cool stuff. Luke and Ciara both caught a shrimp in their mouth when the chef tossed it to them. It was really fun. These are the kinds of things I miss about being closer to the city - but ya know there's a lot to be said for the simple life too. It's pretty quiet here in the prairie lands and I can drive just about anywhere I need to go here in less than 15 minutes. Today Brandon did a little shopping with the girls and managed to get a some new things for school including 2 cool pairs of shoes - 1 cool pair of brown suede converses and a neat looking pair of black canvas Rocket Dogs. He didn't last long though... he was shopped out by lunch and we took him for a half day at the office with Dad. *smile*

I'm glad My honey let the girls tag along, and now when Brandon's classmates talk about what their dad's "do" ... Brandon might just have a little better answer than, " I don't know, he mostly talks on the phone all day." :)

For Your Viewing Pleasure....

Have you tried Live Links?

Ok.. this may sound kinda mean, but it's oh so funny! My almost 16 year old daughter has a friend that is a guy. They love to chat about the most ridiculous things and he is a fairly intelligent, and fun conversationalist. The problem is that he would love to date her, but she just wants to be friends. (Even though he is a cute kid). Ok... so in this wonderful age of technology he asks her out on a date via text message. Here's how the conversation goes:

The guy: "I'm looking for a woman to take to a movie tonite"
Witty daughter: "Have you tried Live Links or the Personal Ads?
The guy: "I meant you... you should go with me"

Just for those of you who haven't seen the commercial, Live Links is a personal dating service company where you call in and meet people and talk to them over the phone. The commercial is ridiculous and usually has some scantilly dressed young girl having the time of her life talking to a complete stranger. So of course witty daughter is just being silly... but he proceeds to beg her to go with him. She says something about not leaving the house because she has a nasty cold sore. As luck would have it, it's a midnite movie. She tells him that her parents wouldn't let her leave the house at midnite and he tells her to sneak out. She says "NO WAY! besides, you know I'm a good girl" He pauses, then asks her, "why are you a good girl?" Here's the best part - her response is:

"I don't want to disappoint God or my family." YAY!! This opened up a huge conversation about faith and the bible. She shared the truth with him, I'm pretty sure he hasn't ever heard it. She was very honest and open about it and he was interested. Not sure if he completely understood or believed it all, but he listened and she shared.

Praise God for getting it right as a parent. Apparently somewhere along the line her Dad and I did something right. She is such an awesome young woman and I was sure to tell her how proud I was of her for being so bold.

Here I go again...

I tried the blog thing once before and wasn't sure about it... but here I am again as a result of wanting to comment on my sister-in-Law's blog. I guess it's kinda nice to be able to pour it all out somewhere, somehow. This just might be good therapy. I've tried journaling, but never seem to be able to keep up with it. Maybe this will be easier, it would seem that this generation cannot write a full paragraph without complaining about writer's cramp. ha ha. Are we spoiled with our technology or what? I prefer a keyboard over pen and paper any time... it's so much easier and faster to type. So my ramblings begin. I was supposed to be entering an invoice but instead I'm setting up a personal blog. Oh well... this is way more fun!