There's one spot left . . .

God went before us on Monday and opened a miraculous door for Micah's junior year of high school.  She had the best schedule ever save for one class.  She was signed up for Algebra 2 with a teacher that Matt had had, a teacher neither Sam nor I felt was quality nor did he have good classroom control according to Matt. We even found conferences with this teacher to be painful. We went into the dean's office without an appointment, knowing Monday was our only day because as of Tuesday, I was off my foot for the rest of the week.  The dean's secretary took pity on us, found a different Algebra 2 class at the same exact time with one of Matt's very favorite math teacher's teaching it - and there was ONE spot left!  Her dean approved!  Micah got it!  To God be the glory!

Puke Free Surgery!

Bless all of you who prayed!  I just survived my first ever puke free surgery!  The anesthetist decided that he would give me a transderm SCOP patch for motion sickness and the lightest amount of non-narcotic anesthesia along with no pain meds save the maximum doses of Advil and Tylenol.  Friends, I feel GREAT!  Well, as great as you can after having surgery!  I'm off my foot for the next three days and then I am back to life!  To God be the glory!

(Although once the block on my foot wears off, I may dance to a different tune!)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for praying!

Our "Step Out and Serve" Group Yesterday!

Thankful Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

When God is so good, there's no reason NOT to thank Him every single day!

Thursday

Woo hoo!  I passed my pre-op Thursday morning and went to Sam's school in the afternoon to set up his room.  I had his car and he had mine, so when I left to go home to make supper, I got into his car, turned on the key and got this awful "rrrhhh, rrrhhh, rrrhhh" sound.  Fortunately, he was still in the building, he was able to call Boeser's for a repair and I was able to call Matt to have him make supper.  All was good.  Three phone calls later, Matt had supper in the oven and we discovered Micah now had Sam's stomach bug. Thankfully, I didn't.  Nor did I have Matt's cold. 

Friday

I was called in to work early at Sand Creek to tour people.  I sent them down the zip and then followed them to the next platform where I sent them off again.  It was a beautiful day - awesome for zipping!  Thankful for a lovely time at work, I arrived home to discover Sam's car repairs were only around $140.00 and his car was home.  Unfortunately, Micah's fever went higher and higher and higher as the evening progressed.  Thankfully, it went down just before we loaded her in to the car to take her to ER.  And I didn't have her fever.  Nor did I have Matt's cold.

Saturday

It was a wet and rainy day when we started work at Sand Creek, but thankfully by noon the rain was gone - and I got to tour once again!  Seriously, there is nothing like riding our zip line!  The best zip of the day came from a man who grew up in India.  He was shaking on the platform as I went to send him off.  He didn't want to go, he didn't want to go, he didn't want to go.  I finally got him off and he started to scream and then part way though his first zip, those screams turned to giggles of joy.  And you know what?  We could hear those giggles of joy all the way through his second zip, too!  And in spite of the rain, I still didn't have the fever or the cold.

Sunday

Today was "Step Out and Serve" day at our church.  What started out as a joke on our part became the opportunity for 50 some people to go to Sam's school and spruce up the grounds before school starts tomorrow (for the staff).  I can only say how absolutely amazing these people were!  There was no weed too tall, no task too big - they went above and beyond what they were asked to do!  What an absolutely amazing blessing!  I managed to take two photos with my phone which barely gives you insight to the awesome time we had - working/serving!  Still without a fever or a cold . . . 48 hours to go!

Weed Smashing in the Dumpster

Hauling water - really!

  Surgery

Barring any unforeseen fever or cold compliments of my germ sharing family, I am scheduled for foot surgery this coming Tuesday, August 30, at 2:00 p.m.  Pray all would go well . . .

"Breathe, just breathe . . ."

The lyrics to Jonny Diaz' song "Breathe" resonate in my heart right now:

(chorus)
Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at My feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need

(bridge)
Is to take it in fill your lungs
The Peace of God that overcomes
Just breathe
Let your weary spirit rest
Lay down what’s good and find what’s best
Just breathe

Sam is down in Iowa right now with some sort of stomach bug.  He and Micah went to see his parents who are in the same hospital across the hall from each other.  His mom had a hip transplant and his dad has an infection.  They wave.  (Breathe, just breathe.)

Matt is home with me fighting a cold while working extra hours at the Y because our Aquatics Coordinator left for a new job and our Senior Coordinator was injured.  (Breathe, just breathe.)

But not Matt's germs because I found out this morning I'll be having foot surgery next Tuesday to remove a ganglion cyst.  Until then, I'll be battling an ear infection that I discovered this afternoon.  (Breathe, just breathe.)

Meanwhile, we volunteered to host 50-plus people at Sam's school on Sunday for our church's "Step Out and Serve" Day.  We'll be getting the grounds pruned, mulched and weeded. (Breathe, just breathe.)

Add to that, I work three out of the next four days, have a pre-op scheduled and I'll be helping Sam set up his classroom - if he's well enough.  Otherwise, he'll be doing it alone this year.  (Breathe, just breathe.)  

And if you're reading this (Pray, please pray.)

The NOMADS

The NOMADS came to Sand Creek Adventures yesterday!  NOMADS stands for "Nomads On a Mission Active in Divine Service" providing volunteer labor for United Methodist organizations.  They travel in their RVs, usually spending three weeks on a project.  The project they're currently working on is building an addition to the Lydia Methodist Church.  Lydia?  You know, that small town just south of Prior Lake . . .

Did I mention they were all retired?  Which means "older than average"?  I had the honor of sending them down the zip line.  The next to last one to go was Jodi.  She was one of the oldest and confessed her extreme fear of heights: "Someone sing a hymn.  I can't do this!"  My response: "I can only think of 'Amazing Grace'."  Jodi:  "Oh, that's a funeral hymn!"  (That was news to me - maybe she doesn't know my version!)  Then one of the NOMADS who wasn't zipping began to sing, "Onward Christian soldiers . . ." and off she went! 

Thankful Thursday on Friday!

This week, I'm thankful for a lovely week (except when THEY were arguing about which TEEN was going to drive!) at the North Shore and since a picture paints a thousand words . . .

On Palisade Head

On Palisade Head

Boating was a blast!

Rainbow at Cascade River

Lovin' those heights!

Having a blast!

All hooked on - and see the glove for self-braking!

Another lovely evening on the lake . . .

Thankful Thursday!

My friends, it is Thankful Thursday with much to be thankful for today!  First of all, the tree top that went down last night in our backyard did not hit the house or the fence . . . and the tree removal company we called is pretty sure they can get it out of the other trees without destroying the fence!  Yay!

I am so thankful that my Water Safety Aid Class ended today with my kind of party - and it was the class' idea!  We had chocolate chip cookies, brownies with chocolate frosting, chocolate Dove ice cream bars, rice krispie bars with chocolate chips and popcorn (sadly without chocolate)!  Delicious!

I also thankful I earned enough money teaching that class to pay for the carpet being cleaned today.  Easy come, easy go . . .

Did I mention I am thankful for our new car?  And all the work Sam did to get it and sell my old car?  Supposedly I am the owner of an 2016 Attitude Black Toyota Camry and have been for two weeks.  However, I haven't driven it yet - but I am thankful for the children who want to go places with their mom so they can drive her car!  Micah even drove me to the dentist today where she sat and read and I, thankfully, had no cavities!

Happy Birthday, Annie!

Our crazy black lab-wannabe is celebrating her eleventh birthday today!  She loves opening presents, so we chose gift bags that were ready to be recycled and each gave her a present:

 

Neighbor Nancy . . .

Neighbor Nancy had knee surgery earlier this summer and while she was laid up . . . she googled "free food on your birthday".  I mean, you really can only read so much or watch so much TV.  Today is her birthday and she started out with a free breakfast at Perkins and followed it up with a free iced coffee at Caribou . . . and that was just the before-lunch report!  She has places to go today!

Happy Birthday, Nancy!

Gone! Gone! Gone!

Micah's wisdom teeth are gone!  Surgery took less than 30 minutes; recovery was a different story.  She had two doses of Zofran before she felt well enough to come home and one more dose at home.  Now that she's had three doses of Zofran, two bowls of applesauce and one bowl of ice cream, the nausea is gone and she's packed in ice to hopefully slow down the swelling.  My sweet chipmunk cheeks . . .   

Thankful Thursday!

Oh, the things to be thankful for today!  That it stopped raining so my sister and her husband won't get as wet as they drive in on their Harley . . . that I don't have to work tomorrow . . . that it's Micah getting her wisdom teeth out tomorrow and not me . . . that my sister won't get here until after we get back from PT . . . that we're done not eating chocolate!

Rejection dejection!

Micah and I attempted to give blood today, only to both be rejected!  We're now dejected.  My iron was at 12.4, one point from giving - my lowest ever! - and Micah's was at 12:1 - her highest ever!  In twenty-four hours we can try to give again . . . but Micah will be getting her wisdom teeth out instead!

What a class!

Oh, my goodness!  My Water Safety Aid Class at Black Hawk this morning was totally amazing!  Seriously!  They could actually swim their American Red Cross strokes correctly.  They listened.  They were polite.  They could dive.  It was great!  And I get them for seven more days!

Double Trouble

I'm working for ISD 196 this week at Black Hawk Middle School.  I hopped out of my car this morning just at the Camp Streefland bus was pulling up to pick up this week's campers and who should be at the end of the line?  Two smiling, waving, happy little girls!  Zoe and Kaylee!  I've taught them swimming the past three years at the Y so of course I had to stop and chat!  The only sad thing about our time together?  I still couldn't tell them apart!  But I do have three more days this week to try!