Month: June 2008

  • Home, Settling In, Finishing

    So, the trip to Indy was nice.  It was good to see my parents and other folks there.  Dad's department had a pretty big picnic for the four guys retiring from there.  Lilly owns a really nice park on several lakes and it was at a shelter house right on the lake.  There was a great playground, 3 sand volleyball courts and the shelter was great.  Dad was rather popular, with the most number of people there for sure.  My grandparents came (Hi Grandma!), my brother got off work, my dad's brother, sister-in-law and sister came, my mom's cousin who also works at Lilly (just a different building) took his lunch with us, and the stars of the show were the kids that my parents have "adopted" and their mom Lori.  Nearly four years ago, my mom started helping out with a family who had just had triplets and had 2 older boys.  Now, there's a 6th kid, the triplets turn 4 next week, and my parents are firmly "Grandma Brenda" and Grandpa Bobby".  The kids had a blast at the playground and did a great job of not going near the water.  We did tell them there was a shark in the water, so that helped keep them away for the most part.  Although one of them did want to go see the shark, so we had to convince him of the dangers of sharks.  It was fun.  We only had 4 of the 6 kids as the two oldest were at Boy Scout camp with Daddy.  Still, it was a blast for them and entertaining for me.  I took a bunch of pictures, but don't want to put them up here. 

    My dad worked for Lilly for 39.5 years (not the 41 I thought...Sorry!).  Still, it's incredibly impressive.  It was the first job he had after coming back from the Army.  He got drafted right out of high school, headed to Germany and missed going to Vietnam because of an infected thumb.  He still has problems with that thumb!  He came back, did some technical school, and started at Lilly January 1, 1969.  I wonder if there will be anyone from my generation who sticks with the same company for that long.  It seems that all of my peers change jobs and companies and states like it's nothing.  I love Team Expansion and know that I'll always support them, but I want to be a mom.  Chances are that I'll be a stateside mom with a non-missional husband, which means that I'll have to quit at Team Expansion.  But, who knows.  I might end up living in a hut in Africa yet!  I don't see that God's leading that way, but I am open to His leading, so who knows.   

    And, I'm settling back into life as a single woman.  It's not a fun transition and in many ways it feels like a divorce.  I am keeping the queen size bed that I had bought for Jake and I.  I never slept on it until he was out of the picture, but I love it too much to get rid of it.  So, my parents have my old bed as their guest bed since my brother moved out two months ago.  And I bought new bedding for my bed.  Last night was my first night to sleep with sheets and it was great.  I'd just been sleeping on top of the bare mattress, which wasn't too bad, but still not that good.  I am going to totally repaint my room and change things.  I picked an icy aqua color (it was on clearance) and really like it.  I'm thinking I might do three walls with a silvery gray color and then the wall behind my bed have be a couple shades darker than the bedspread.  We'll see.  It'll be a fun project, though! 

    Oh, and there were some people looking at the condo above me when I got home last night.  I had to talk to the realtor because they had parked in front of my garage and I needed to get there and unload my car.  I noticed he had an accent, but I can never tell the difference between Bosnian and Russian.  So, when I saw them as they were leaving, I asked and they're Bosnian!  They were amazed that I had been to Bosnia.  They're from the far northwestern part of the country, but it was still wonderful to meet them.  I do hope that she moves in.  It would be so great to have a Bosnian neighbor.  I've been praying for more ministry opportunities at home, and this would be perfect. 

    Okay, time is short today.  Tomorrow we head to Cincy for the NACC.  If you're going to be there, look me up! 

     

  • LASIK update

    So, my appointment this morning was a bit chaotic.  I scheduled the consult on Monday and they said nothing about having my contacts out when I came.  Turns out that you have to remove contacts for 7 days before a consult because they reshape your cornea and throw things off.  So, I had the preliminary stuff today, but go back July 14 for the big huge workup and tests.  The doctor today did say that I seemed like a perfect candidate and that my corneal thickness was totally fine.  So, if things go well on the 14th, I'll be scheduled into the next available surgery date.  He only does LASIK once a month, so it'll just depend on when his next surgery day is and if I can come.  I'm super excited about this!  Please pray with me that things will work out and I'll be able to have the surgery this summer.  I'd love to have it in July, but don't know when he'll be available. 

    Oh, and one of the questions on my paperwork this morning was "How long have you worn contacts?"  I had to think back and do the math, but it's been 14 years.  I got this in October of my freshman year of high school.  And, I've worn glasses since I was 7--20 years!  WHOA!  What a joy to have this taken care of and at no cost to me...thank you Jesus!

  • Wipeout and LASIK

    Anyone watch the new show "Wipeout" on ABC tonight?  It was hilarious!  A bunch of people looking like idiots while falling in the mud, bouncing off huge red balls, and going for a spin on the Dizzy Dummy.  Cracked me up non-stop.  If you need a good laugh, I highly recommend this! 

    And, tomorrow is a momentous day for me.  I'm going for a consult for LASIK eye surgery.  I've wanted this for a long time, but have never been able to afford it.  Well, there's a doctor here in Louisville who does it for free for missionaries.  The wife of one of the guys in our office works there and got me the hookup.  Another girl in our office had it done in May.  I'm super excited about this possibility!  I have no idea when my surgery will be, but I'm sure I will know after tomorrow.  I've been tested for this before and was a perfect candidate.  So, hopefully everything will go smoothly tomorrow.  Several years ago, I wore those contacts that you can sleep in and waking up with perfect vision was a miracle to me.  I loved it.  I'm thrilled that I'll be able to do it again, every day of my life, and not have to worry about the contacts scratching my corneas (which is why I stopped wearing them). 

  • God is Faithful

    This has been a really hard week, not gonna lie.  I am so thankful for a God who loves me and cares for me in the midst of everything going on, for friends who call me and check up on me and drag me out of the house, and for the serenity and haven of my home.  I am so thankful that I have a home of my own.  It's been wonderful to be surrounded by things I love and be able to lay on my couch and chill while listening to the birds.  Thanks to all of you who have been praying.  I've been feeling it for sure...it's the only way I've gotten to here.  I'm still not sleeping very well, so please pray specifically for that. 

    Got some big things going on the near future.  This Saturday, we have a group of 70+ coming to work at Emerald Hills.  It'll be great to be there working and helping and doing great things.  Speaking of Emerald Hills, things are coming along super well.  The cement walls for the basement are up and it's amazing to look at!  They've been working on contouring the ponds and run off edge of the Great Lawn and around the ponds and also on the septic system.  I took a family from Taiwan out for a tour today and had to drive a different way because of a new trench.  Everytime I'm there, it's totally different looking and I love it. 

    Next Thursday, my dad retires.  He's worked for Eli Lilly for something like 41 years.  So, I'm headed to Indy for that.  Plus, I have a lot of presents that need to be returned, so I'll be bringing those with me.  It'll be good to see my family and spend time with them and with some other friends in the Indy area. 

    Then, there's the North American Christian Convention in Cincy July 1-4.  It's always fun to go to those things and see old friends.  Immediately after that, my mom's siblings (minus one) and families are gathering at my aunt's house for a summer party.  We celebrate July 4th and my dad's birthdya which is the 6th.  That'll be a load of fun...I love my cousins!

    My last planned travel thing for the summer is July 19-25.  I'll be headed to Follansbee, WV to speak at a church on Sunday the 20th and then will be a camp missionary for a Junior camp week July 20-25.  It'll be good to be working there and spending time with the kids.  Plus, I get to be a mom for the week!  What fun! 

    Okay, so that's my update for now.  Hope you guys are doing well. 

  • Why

    Why does it have to hurt?  Why do people say one thing without really thinking through their actions?  Why can people not commit or follow through with what they have committed?  Why can't people be honest? 

    God, please help!  My heart is shattered.  My finger is empty.  My brain hurts from trying to figure it out.  Give me Your peace. 

  • Over.

    Yeah.  It's over.  No more.  Pray for me. 

  • A Change of Plans

    Well, I have some big news for all of you out there in Xanga Land.  After much prayer and discussion, Jake and I postponed our wedding this last week.  That's right... just 11 days before the wedding was originally scheduled, we decided to delay.  We're still getting married, just not next week.  We need to do some work on our marriage before we can actually get married.  He's coming back here to Louisville for the summer and we'll be doing some intensive counseling work.  We all know that I'm control freak.  Sadly, it's something that has gotten way out of control and I need to figure out how to handle this before it destroys my marriage.  There are other things as well, but frankly, you don't need to know them.  If you have questions, feel free to ask, just know that I might not answer. 

    We appreciate your prayers as we work through things.  It'll be a lot of hard work, but we both know that in the end it will pay off greatly.  We're not yet sure when we'll be getting married and won't set a new date until after we've been in counseling for a bit and know how much we really do need to work on and how long it will take.  Rest assured that when we do reschedule, I'll let you know. 

    And, I know I have some brides-to-be who read this, so I'm posting this for you.  The wedding is one day, the marriage is a lifetime.  I lost sight of that in the midst of the planning and the stress of getting everything ready and moving.  Take twice as much time to prepare for the marriage as you are for the wedding.