9 down...

... at least 22 to go. And thank you to the celebration of MLK day, I get a Monday to completely finish my laundry. If you know me at all, you can imagine what a cramp running out of the house every day at 8:55 has put into my "schedule". Darin is probably loving this little deviation from my typical "regimentedness" (there are times when I think that I should've been a speech writer for the Bush administration...). And truthfully, I have lost a lot of my previous ATC-induced ability to "adapt and overcome" (and you thought that I wasn't listening Larry!). It's a skill and I've let mine lapse by being very stuck in routine (although that's not to discount the way that Moms everywhere adapt and overcome every single day! ha ha...). So now I am forced out of mine and working hard to keep all of the plates spinning. Sarah Young had this to say today... "Disruptions to your routine highlight your dependence on Me. Trusting acceptance of trials brings blessings that far outweigh them all. Walk hand in hand with Me through this day. I have lovingly planned every inch of the way". wow...

As usual, I got off to a good start here and then Darin came downstairs ready to go to work (so I got up to get his lunch together and pour him some coffee). I poured myself some more coffee and got back at it when Parker came down the stairs saying, "Good morning Mommy". Now he has joined me on my lap and is asking me to read everything that I am busily typing. Today we are planning to make some drive-in movie cars out of large cardboard boxes today for movie night at Kidz Krew this week. Dryden told me that he wants to win third place. hmm... somewhere we went wrong if he is striving to only succeed a little bit... He's not trying to get first prize, he just wants to place. Ooooh, even funnier Dryden story... last night we were watching the last half of Return of the Jedi (the saga rages on for us here... you'll get that if you go back to Day 1 of this blog), which we started last weekend, and I was trying to make a moral lesson out of the way that Darth Vadar aged after turning to the Dark Side by saying something along the lines of that is what happens when you live a life of evil. Darin is over on the love seat rolling his eyes when a little voice from the couch said, "Grammy is all wrinkled and old but she isn't evil". HA HA HA!!!!! (and, just so you know, I called her to tell her this so she isn't finding out here...) So... that lesson backfired a little bit but it also gave us the chance to reiterate that, no, Grammy is not evil and neither is she that old!

I wanted to send out a huge thank you to the many people who so lovingly responded to my meltdown of the the first week of radiation with cards, emails and so many encouraging words. I know that you are all praying for us but the extra reminders were timely and so uplifting. (especially that book that you found from Dad & Mom to Grandpa, Aunt Faye! It's so neat to have that even if the circumstances are not so great...) The continued meals were a great idea, Shawna. Thank you for talking me into that. It seems kind of wrong since I am not feeling so sick anymore, but it is so nice to not have that on my plate every day as well. What an ongoing blessing (and the bonus now is that I also get to eat and enjoy them!! hooray!).

Our weekend was quiet aside from the Flexitouch trainers session on Saturday morning. I could definitely go on and on about this situation but that accomplishes nothing and the bottom line is that I am fortunate (I will stop short of saying "lucky"...) to have access to something like this in the privacy of my own home. I will say that Darin walked in during the "training" and watched them help me figure out how to don this contraption with a look of horror and pity. At least now he knows that I wasn't totally overreacting... Naturally Rock had amazing words from the Lord on Sunday that, as usual, both encouraged and convicted me. One of my favorite thoughts as I get this week started is as follows...

"The Holy Spirit leads Jesus' followers to places they had never planned on going and places where they didn't wish to go at all!" Can I get an AMEN from the congregation??? But this is part of being truly dead to self and alive to Christ. Not an easy task but the only way to be free.