Overwhelmed describes how I've felt for months now. But lately its been the "oh my gosh, theres so much to do and no time to do it and things are so incredibly crazy I'm gonna cry or scream!" kind of overwhelmed. Well what I'm talking about today isn't that kind of overwhelmed. I'm talking about the "I can't believe people care about me THAT much!" kind of overwhelmed.
To start with, Sasha watched my kids for almost 3 whole days and 2 whole nights straight! I am baffled at how I ended up with such an amazing friend. My kids aren't always easy to handle, and for someone to willingly take them for more than 1 day/night is amazing to me. Now, I love my kids, but I do know how they are and I know that for people who aren't their parents to take them for extended periods, it just has to be love. Love for them, love for me. Also during the 3 days I was gone, my other friends Steve and Katie took them 1 night. Now I know that they love my kids and me. But it wasn't the 1 night that got me. It was that after taking the kids for a night, they still found time, energy, and love to go to my apartment, take out my old "bed" (which has, for the last 3+ yrs been a mattress on the floor) and give me a new bed (box spring, mattress, frame, bedding)! Now, not ONLY did they do that, but they ALSO cleaned up the girls room and did some laundry! I am truly thankful to them for doing such amazing things (even though they'll say it was no big deal). But it is a HUGE deal to me!
I said in a previous post that I've felt like I was drowning on dry land. Well, after having such a long period of darkness, it is refreshing to have such blessings HEAPED upon me. Saturday night I sat on my new bed, looking around and just thinking. And it took me awhile to even come up with words to describe what I was feeling. I was simply speechless. This past week I have felt love (from people outside my family) that I haven't felt in years. I am so very grateful to God for placing these and other wonderful friends in our family's life. God is so good and gracious and in my suffering He has shown mercy and has used some very good friends to bless me. They may or may not know that some of the simple things they've done have meant SO MUCH to me. And I know that through their acts of love and kindness, God will bless many others and also bless them in return. Thank you really doesn't seem like enough. But unfortunately, its the only words I have right now. So again and again and again....THANK YOU! I am truly overwhelmed by the love.
<3 Mya
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Convention Day 3
So this is a day later than I promised. But I really needed yesterday to decompress after the conference and rest. Convention was great! The one thing I wish, is that the last workshop I took, I wish it could have been the first! It would've made the weekend a lot smoother for me and more relaxing. But, I'll get to that in a minute.
So the first thing I did on the last day, was go and hear the keynote speaker. They had one each day, but I didn't make it to hear the others. Seeing as I was there super early on Saturday and had nothing better to do, I went to hear him. He was talking about what they call "The third wave of homeschooling concerns". Well to catch you up (I didn't know what wave 1 or 2 was either) Wave 1 is where everyone is concerned that you won't be able to provide an adequate education for your children (this was big back when homeschooling first came about...the '70s I believe..). The 2nd wave is where they are concerned your kids won't be socialized (this isn't a huge issue anymore for most people, but was and is something homeschoolers get asked). The 3rd wave is concern that you are teaching your kids to be intolerant. Let me clarify this. "People" are concerned that because you homeschool you are teaching your kids YOUR values (duh! right?) and they are not being exposed to social values and therefore you are teaching them to be intolerant of things like homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion, planned parenthood, etc, etc. Well...yea...thats true. I am teaching my kids my values and Christian values which have very firm lines on these issues, whereas in the school system they would learn to tolerate those things and that its "okay". So I agreed with some of what he said, but some of his biblical references weren't right, which bothered me.
The first workshop I did Saturday was called "How Big is God?". It was an astronomy presentation by The 4th Day Alliance. I've seen their stuff before and knew it was going to be good. Basically they take pictures and films of the stars, planets, etc and put scripture with them and tell you how big and awesome God is to create all these universes and celestial things just for us. It really is a cool show and if you ever get a chance to see one, check it out.
Second workshop was okay. It was on "Rx for YOUR special needs". Basically on helping your special needs child. She really didn't touch too deeply on specifics which would've been nice. But it was an okay workshop and there wasn't really anything else I wanted to hear during that hour.
The final workshop I attended was great! I wish it was the first one I went to for the whole week (but wasn't offered until the very end). It was on planning, organizing and (something can't remember). Anyways, have you ever listened to someone speak and one specific thing stands out so much that it doesn't matter what else they said the whole time, all you remember is that one things? Well that was this for me. The lady put it very plainly and boldly that it really doesn't matter what you teach your kids and when they learn it. Now, don't take it the wrong way. Yes kids need to learn reading, writing, math, etc. But they WILL learn it, just maybe not reach the entire goal by the end of the school year. But what really got me was when she was talking about what to teach. Well, as a christian the one thing I really want to teach my kids is who God is, how much He loves them, and raise them to love and serve God with all their hearts, souls and minds. Well, so that means teaching bible. And really, if you teach by the bible, all the other important stuff will fall into place. Ex: God wants us to learn to read so that we can read the bible and learn more about him and what he wants for us. He wants us to learn science, because otherwise he wouldn't have made such wonderful things in nature. (etc...you get the idea). Well if I had thought about it this way from the start, I think I wouldn't have freaked out so much.
Well, that was convention day 3. Overall the convention was a good experience and I'm really glad that I got to go. I enjoyed hearing others who are in the same situation I'm in and seeing familiar faces who are so willing to help me along the way! I wouldn't say that convention was very helpful in getting me started with planning lessons and getting organized or anything, but it did bless me. And I know I said it before, but really I wouldn't have even been able to go if it hadn't been for amazing friends who willing gave up their time to watch and care for the girls so that I could go, distraction free for 3 whole days. Thank you again and again and again! I love you all so much! <3 <3 <3
Mya
So the first thing I did on the last day, was go and hear the keynote speaker. They had one each day, but I didn't make it to hear the others. Seeing as I was there super early on Saturday and had nothing better to do, I went to hear him. He was talking about what they call "The third wave of homeschooling concerns". Well to catch you up (I didn't know what wave 1 or 2 was either) Wave 1 is where everyone is concerned that you won't be able to provide an adequate education for your children (this was big back when homeschooling first came about...the '70s I believe..). The 2nd wave is where they are concerned your kids won't be socialized (this isn't a huge issue anymore for most people, but was and is something homeschoolers get asked). The 3rd wave is concern that you are teaching your kids to be intolerant. Let me clarify this. "People" are concerned that because you homeschool you are teaching your kids YOUR values (duh! right?) and they are not being exposed to social values and therefore you are teaching them to be intolerant of things like homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion, planned parenthood, etc, etc. Well...yea...thats true. I am teaching my kids my values and Christian values which have very firm lines on these issues, whereas in the school system they would learn to tolerate those things and that its "okay". So I agreed with some of what he said, but some of his biblical references weren't right, which bothered me.
The first workshop I did Saturday was called "How Big is God?". It was an astronomy presentation by The 4th Day Alliance. I've seen their stuff before and knew it was going to be good. Basically they take pictures and films of the stars, planets, etc and put scripture with them and tell you how big and awesome God is to create all these universes and celestial things just for us. It really is a cool show and if you ever get a chance to see one, check it out.
Second workshop was okay. It was on "Rx for YOUR special needs". Basically on helping your special needs child. She really didn't touch too deeply on specifics which would've been nice. But it was an okay workshop and there wasn't really anything else I wanted to hear during that hour.
The final workshop I attended was great! I wish it was the first one I went to for the whole week (but wasn't offered until the very end). It was on planning, organizing and (something can't remember). Anyways, have you ever listened to someone speak and one specific thing stands out so much that it doesn't matter what else they said the whole time, all you remember is that one things? Well that was this for me. The lady put it very plainly and boldly that it really doesn't matter what you teach your kids and when they learn it. Now, don't take it the wrong way. Yes kids need to learn reading, writing, math, etc. But they WILL learn it, just maybe not reach the entire goal by the end of the school year. But what really got me was when she was talking about what to teach. Well, as a christian the one thing I really want to teach my kids is who God is, how much He loves them, and raise them to love and serve God with all their hearts, souls and minds. Well, so that means teaching bible. And really, if you teach by the bible, all the other important stuff will fall into place. Ex: God wants us to learn to read so that we can read the bible and learn more about him and what he wants for us. He wants us to learn science, because otherwise he wouldn't have made such wonderful things in nature. (etc...you get the idea). Well if I had thought about it this way from the start, I think I wouldn't have freaked out so much.
Well, that was convention day 3. Overall the convention was a good experience and I'm really glad that I got to go. I enjoyed hearing others who are in the same situation I'm in and seeing familiar faces who are so willing to help me along the way! I wouldn't say that convention was very helpful in getting me started with planning lessons and getting organized or anything, but it did bless me. And I know I said it before, but really I wouldn't have even been able to go if it hadn't been for amazing friends who willing gave up their time to watch and care for the girls so that I could go, distraction free for 3 whole days. Thank you again and again and again! I love you all so much! <3 <3 <3
Mya
Friday, June 10, 2011
Convention Day 2
Well today was a VERY long day. Made it to convention this mornin and went by the exhibit hall to check out some more vendors. Theres soooo much stuff! After visiting only 2 booths, I was already feeling overwhelmed. I took a deep breath, said a quick prayer and kept on going. I made it thru about 1/3 of the booths and got caught at the "Math U See" booth. i was listening and watching the guy do his demonstration and I was hooked! It really looks great and seemed like something the girls would enjoy. So, 1 subject down!
I moved on and went to my first workshop. As of right now, I can't even remember what it was on. lol. But I think it was good. I dont think I hated it at least. We broke for lunch and then another workshop. My second workshop wasnt that great. Well, thats sorta not true. Im not sure whether I liked it or not. The lady went so fast I couldnt keep up and so I eventually glazed over and stopped listening. Which is funny because the workshop was on Raising Independent Learners and we talked about ways to help kids learn better (like going at their pace, which she didnt do).
Finally it was my turn to hit the used curriculum sale. Luckily my friend had a pass to go in early and she found the stuff I wanted and put t on hold for me. So when I went in I coukd take my time and browse without feeling too rushed. Wow was it crazy! So many people there and so much material! I posted some pics on my facebook page if you want to see what it was like. By the time I was done at the sale I was so fried and brain dead. We left and got some food and enjoyed a movie back at the house. Tomorrow is day 3! I will be heading home after the last workshop. Thanks to Steve and Katie who kept the kids last night they had fun! And thanks to Sasha who had them today and tonight and tomorrow until I get back! You rock! You guys are seriously the best friends I could ever ask for! Thanks everyone and I'll be posting more tomorrow!
Mya
I moved on and went to my first workshop. As of right now, I can't even remember what it was on. lol. But I think it was good. I dont think I hated it at least. We broke for lunch and then another workshop. My second workshop wasnt that great. Well, thats sorta not true. Im not sure whether I liked it or not. The lady went so fast I couldnt keep up and so I eventually glazed over and stopped listening. Which is funny because the workshop was on Raising Independent Learners and we talked about ways to help kids learn better (like going at their pace, which she didnt do).
Finally it was my turn to hit the used curriculum sale. Luckily my friend had a pass to go in early and she found the stuff I wanted and put t on hold for me. So when I went in I coukd take my time and browse without feeling too rushed. Wow was it crazy! So many people there and so much material! I posted some pics on my facebook page if you want to see what it was like. By the time I was done at the sale I was so fried and brain dead. We left and got some food and enjoyed a movie back at the house. Tomorrow is day 3! I will be heading home after the last workshop. Thanks to Steve and Katie who kept the kids last night they had fun! And thanks to Sasha who had them today and tonight and tomorrow until I get back! You rock! You guys are seriously the best friends I could ever ask for! Thanks everyone and I'll be posting more tomorrow!
Mya
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Convention Day 1
So 1st day of convention was good. It was a lot of info I already had, but on the plus side I got to walk through the exhibit hall a bit and peek at the curriculum sale. WOW! theres so mub stuff! It is definitely a lot, but I'm not allowing myself to get overwhelmed. I'm excited to get my hands on some of he curriculum and get planning. Day 2 tomorrow! I'll be posting feom convention and will try to blog about it a little tomorrow night. We'll see how tired and fried I am. lol. Until tomorrow...
Mya
Mya
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Weathering the Storms...
So after what seems to be an eternity of bad days, stress, sadness, frustrations, and headaches, I've finally gotten a breath of fresh air. :) The best way to describe how I've been feeling lately is that I was drowning on dry land and today I got my head above water and was able to take a breath, and it was sweet.
I've been spending a lot of time lately stepping out of my comfort zone. I did it Monday night and tonight. It's uncomfortable, but I'm finding ways to enjoy it. And I know that I'm stretching myself and thats a good thing.
Tomorrow night I get to hear my babies sing! I'm so excited! They have been practicing so hard for tomorrow. They will sing along with many other children for a very large crowd in church. I am thrilled to be able to sit and hear them. I know that they will do a wonderful job and I am very proud of them for working so hard. Thank you to those wonderful people who've been leading them. They have had a wonderful time learning the songs and I appreciate all the hard work you put into it.
On Thursday I head to Richmond for the Homeschool Convention. Im excited and nervous about it. I'm excited to get my hands on the materials and start absorbing all I can about homeschooling. I'm nervous that I'm in over my head and that I'm going to go and be so overwhelmed that I can't see straight (theres a good possibility that the latter will happen). While I'm at convention, the girls will be bouncing between friends' houses. Thank you Katie and Steve and Sasha and BJ for taking them! I'm praying that they will behave and that nothing "interesting" will happen. But, with our track record, chances are someone will get sick, or be a terror, or break something! lol. I love my girls, but sometimes I wish life was a little less interesting with them. ;) If you think about us over the next few days, say a prayer for us.
We are facing a lot of new challenges lately, and it doesn't look like we will get a break from them any time soon. Challenges with the girls, with Jon's job, with homeschooling, Awanas, worship....the list goes on. Please just be praying for me, for the girls and for rest and peace. Keep Jon in your prayers while he is away. Things have been very busy for them and he doesn't see an end in sight. To make things harder, they haven't really been able to stop at many ports for a break, which makes life on the ship hard. Even through all the troubles and storms, God has placed wonderful, loving people in our lives to care for us and love on us. And I am very thankful for each and every one of you! Thank you all for helping us weather the storms. It sounds very cliche, but I don't know where we would be without you. Life is hard, but its easier with friends. :)
Love you all! <3
Mya
I've been spending a lot of time lately stepping out of my comfort zone. I did it Monday night and tonight. It's uncomfortable, but I'm finding ways to enjoy it. And I know that I'm stretching myself and thats a good thing.
Tomorrow night I get to hear my babies sing! I'm so excited! They have been practicing so hard for tomorrow. They will sing along with many other children for a very large crowd in church. I am thrilled to be able to sit and hear them. I know that they will do a wonderful job and I am very proud of them for working so hard. Thank you to those wonderful people who've been leading them. They have had a wonderful time learning the songs and I appreciate all the hard work you put into it.
On Thursday I head to Richmond for the Homeschool Convention. Im excited and nervous about it. I'm excited to get my hands on the materials and start absorbing all I can about homeschooling. I'm nervous that I'm in over my head and that I'm going to go and be so overwhelmed that I can't see straight (theres a good possibility that the latter will happen). While I'm at convention, the girls will be bouncing between friends' houses. Thank you Katie and Steve and Sasha and BJ for taking them! I'm praying that they will behave and that nothing "interesting" will happen. But, with our track record, chances are someone will get sick, or be a terror, or break something! lol. I love my girls, but sometimes I wish life was a little less interesting with them. ;) If you think about us over the next few days, say a prayer for us.
Love you all! <3
Mya
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Gearing up...
Next weekend is the big HEAV (Homeschool Educators Association of Virginia) conference in Richmond. I feel like I've taken on a lot this coming fall, and thats because I have! I will be homeschooling a Kindergartner and a 2nd grader for the first time. A little scary, a little intimidating, and a LOT overwhelmed right now. I am in the process of gathering information about different curriculums, how parents structure their learning time, play time, activity time, etc and getting tons of information that I can't possibly go over before August. I'm excited to homeschool, but right now, without having any solid ground beneath me, I'm nervous. There's a lot to be done over the summer to get ready for the school year. But I know that it will all be worth it! :)
Also in the fall, we will finally be able to move into the new sanctuary! I'm so thrilled about this new stage in our churches life. It's going to be a lot of work getting everyone used to the "new" sound and the new sanctuary and the new setup, but it will be a good kind of hard. As I look at all the things coming in mine and my family's lives I have to admit that we are facing huge growing pains. We will have a lot to balance and things that we will have to say "no" to doing. But I'm also filled with joy at the thought that we will be growing in new and wonderful directions.
"Taking one foot and putting it in front of the other, that is the only way to travel forward...If however you take steps forward whilst looking backward; well -then you will fall over because you end up tripping over something you would easily have seen if looking where you were going in the first place. So, when looking back just stay still for a moment, allow yourself to reflect, but then you must at some point turn around and just keep moving - or you will stagnant on the spot which means going nowhere at all." Jacquelene Close Moore
Friday, May 27, 2011
Please Stand By....
Yep. Thats how I feel. We are waiting to find out whether Jon is going to have a job still. They are doing cut backs in the military again (yes, you heard right). So instead of putting in a packet to re-enlist, Jon put in a packet to see if he is getting cut instead. :/ Frustrating. We are "standing by" to find out still.
We are past the halfway point for Jon's current deployment. I have a tentative date, but can't really share details. Suffice it to say that he will probably be home before the new sanctuary opens up (which we don't exactly have a date for that either...). But the happiness about him coming home is bittersweet. I found out today, actually I heard about a month ago that this might happen, that they will only be home for a few months after this deployment before they have to turn back around and do another deployment. :( So because of this, I'm not sure we are going to get to take our planned vacation to Disney World when he gets back. I'm not sure he will get the normal vacation time, or vacation at all for that matter. So......
Happiness...please stand by...
Re-enlistment...please stand by...
Vacation to Disney....please stand by...
Please stand by...we will be returning to our normal programming shortly....
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Rest and Sickness
It's been sooooo nice this week to just rest! The only thing I had planned this week was work, which I ended up not going to because Tay is sick. :( It has really been wonderful to just rest and get restored after all the craziness thats been going on. So speaking of resting, this has become my new favorite song. :) Have a listen and enjoy!
As for Tay, we saw the doctor today and we were thinking it was probably a UTI (again). So we ran the urine culture and are awaiting the results. BUT, she looked in her throat and it actually looks like it could be strep (could be both!). So while we wait on both cultures to come back, she has been started on antibiotics anyways. So now we just have to wait for those to kick in and hopefully by Sunday she will be 100% again. I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing 3 day weekend with nothing to do but relax! Thinking maybe we will hit up the beach if the kids are feeling good. Have a great weekend everyone!
<3 to all!
As for Tay, we saw the doctor today and we were thinking it was probably a UTI (again). So we ran the urine culture and are awaiting the results. BUT, she looked in her throat and it actually looks like it could be strep (could be both!). So while we wait on both cultures to come back, she has been started on antibiotics anyways. So now we just have to wait for those to kick in and hopefully by Sunday she will be 100% again. I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing 3 day weekend with nothing to do but relax! Thinking maybe we will hit up the beach if the kids are feeling good. Have a great weekend everyone!
<3 to all!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Burned Out...
It's been a while since I've posted, and for very good reasons. The past few weeks have been crazy. I know I say that a lot, but I mean its been so super busy, that I haven't really had time for anything extra. I love being busy, but when its so incredibly busy with important stuff, I get stressed. So I've been VERY stressed out for a long time now. Stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted....done. Those are some of the words I am choosing to describe the past few weeks. There were plenty of happy times in all the stress, but that doesn't mean those were stress-free times. So lets see if I can recall everything thats been happening....
Both kids had birthday parties to attend the same weekend. Thats what started off our super busy week ahead. I spent last week helping my best friends get ready for their yardsale. And of course it wasn't just ANY yardsale, this was THE yardsale to end all yardsales! This yardsale was to help fund their adoption (or at least one of the payments). On Tuesday night, the kids and I, along with another dear friend and her kids, went to Katie's to help make all the signs and a huge banner for Saturday (yardsale day). That was a long, but fun night.
Amara's actual birthday was on Wed, May 18. My baby turned 7yrs old! I am so blessed to have had 7 wonderful years with that beautiful child. I love her and I wish Jon could've been here to celebrate with us. Emotionally, Wed was a hard day. Jon has missed a lot of the girls' birthdays. Not that its his fault, or that I blame him. It just makes me very sad that he has to miss out on such special occasions.
Saturday came quick. There were so many people there to help with the yardsale! I was overwhelmed by how many people came out and helped Steve and Katie make it happen. Early on, Katie had asked me to just take charge of the clothing side of the yardsale (yes I said "side" because half their yard was clothes!). So I was giving orders and directions all around. But even though I was totally stressed out, None of the volunteers were. Which made me less stressed. They were all smiles and helpfulness on Saturday even though it was tiring and hot. And I am so grateful for all their help. There was a steady flow of people all day long. It was awesome! By the end of the day, when we finished tearing everything down and putting it all away, we were DONE! I was so tired that I could barely walk! We left at 8pm and I took the kids home, bathed them, fed them and put them to bed. By the time I got to eat, it was 10pm! They were able to raise $4,202 from the yardsale. AMAZING! Which put them almost at the total amount they needed for their next adoption payment. I am so happy that the girls and I got to help them reach their goal. It will definitely be something we always remember. :)
Sunday.....man was I tired! My legs were sore, my back hurt, but I went to church to lead worship anyways. Sunday was our churches military appreciation day. We usually just try to recognize our military members and their families in some way. This time, Steve had picked a special song to play in Genesis. It wasn't anything patriotic, or specific to military. It was just a beautiful song about resting in God's arms. Its called "Arms of My Savior" by Lincoln Brewster. I knew before-hand that Steve would say a few words about the military and the song, but didn't know exactly what he was going to say. Well, we always hear that actions speak louder than words. And its very true. I love my friends and family, and they can tell me they love me all they want. But sometimes I still don't feel like I'm that loved. But if you do something to SHOW me love, then I definitely know it. Well this song was Steve's way of showing love. I haven't told him this yet, so if you're reading this, Thanks you Steve. :) He talked about being in a military family and what it was like as a kid, but that he didn't see what his mom went through until he had friends in the military and saw how hard it was for them when the spouse is away. I've said it many times, being the wife/spouse of a military member means being a single parent about half (maybe more) the time. When they are away, you are on your own. Well Steve made me cry. It means a lot to me to hear that someone gets it. That they see my pain, my struggles, my hard times. Many times, it's all just overwhelming. And thats how I've felt for over a month now. Just overwhelmed. With everything. With life, the kids, cleaning, cooking, bills, etc, etc, etc. (And no, I'm not saying that Katie doesn't get it, or that my other friends don't get it either. I'm just saying it was nice to actually "hear" it.)
Both kids had birthday parties to attend the same weekend. Thats what started off our super busy week ahead. I spent last week helping my best friends get ready for their yardsale. And of course it wasn't just ANY yardsale, this was THE yardsale to end all yardsales! This yardsale was to help fund their adoption (or at least one of the payments). On Tuesday night, the kids and I, along with another dear friend and her kids, went to Katie's to help make all the signs and a huge banner for Saturday (yardsale day). That was a long, but fun night.Amara's actual birthday was on Wed, May 18. My baby turned 7yrs old! I am so blessed to have had 7 wonderful years with that beautiful child. I love her and I wish Jon could've been here to celebrate with us. Emotionally, Wed was a hard day. Jon has missed a lot of the girls' birthdays. Not that its his fault, or that I blame him. It just makes me very sad that he has to miss out on such special occasions.
Thursday and Friday were back to back appointments and things to do. Thursday I went to the dentist for my regular cleaning. I hate the dentist. I always come out feeling like they cleaned my teeth with steel wool. (yes, I just put THAT image in your brain. and now you're probably saying, thanks Mya, now MY teeth hurt! lol) Thursday was also our day of prayer and fasting for missions at LBC. So being stressed out, along with fasting and crazy amounts of things to be done, didn't turn into a good combination. Amara had a Dr appt after lunch and then we were meeting for a potluck dinner to break the fast and pray as a group for missions and our missions teams, etc. Well, I didn't make it through the fast portion, but we gathered and had a wonderful time of fellowship and prayer together. Friday Tay had a Dr appt (and no, I couldn't put them both on the same day, I tried, but ended up having to drive out to Ft. Eustis 2 days in a row).
Friday night....it was time to setup for the yardsale. We all got together and the plan was to "stage" the yardsale and put stuff away, or in the back yard and pull it out in the morning. Yea....that didn't happen. After we got the attic cleared of clothes, and some of the stuff out of the house, we realized we would just have to start setting up for the yardsale now and hope nothing got stolen during the night. Yardsales are stressful anyways, but when you have enough stuff for like 20 yardsales, its just that much more stress piled on. We put up some clothes racks and as soon as we decided we should go in to sleep a few hours before the early morning of 4am, they fell down. I don't do well in the dark. So once it got dark outside, I kinda got useless. I wanted to help set up still, so I kept trying to do things, but basically just stressed myself out and really didn't get a whole lot done. : / I kinda felt like sleep was useless too. the 4hrs of sleep I should have gotten was broken by me waking up every 30 min. So by 4am when I got up to start getting ready for all the volunteers to arrive at 5am, I was more exhausted than when I went to sleep.
Saturday came quick. There were so many people there to help with the yardsale! I was overwhelmed by how many people came out and helped Steve and Katie make it happen. Early on, Katie had asked me to just take charge of the clothing side of the yardsale (yes I said "side" because half their yard was clothes!). So I was giving orders and directions all around. But even though I was totally stressed out, None of the volunteers were. Which made me less stressed. They were all smiles and helpfulness on Saturday even though it was tiring and hot. And I am so grateful for all their help. There was a steady flow of people all day long. It was awesome! By the end of the day, when we finished tearing everything down and putting it all away, we were DONE! I was so tired that I could barely walk! We left at 8pm and I took the kids home, bathed them, fed them and put them to bed. By the time I got to eat, it was 10pm! They were able to raise $4,202 from the yardsale. AMAZING! Which put them almost at the total amount they needed for their next adoption payment. I am so happy that the girls and I got to help them reach their goal. It will definitely be something we always remember. :)
Sunday.....man was I tired! My legs were sore, my back hurt, but I went to church to lead worship anyways. Sunday was our churches military appreciation day. We usually just try to recognize our military members and their families in some way. This time, Steve had picked a special song to play in Genesis. It wasn't anything patriotic, or specific to military. It was just a beautiful song about resting in God's arms. Its called "Arms of My Savior" by Lincoln Brewster. I knew before-hand that Steve would say a few words about the military and the song, but didn't know exactly what he was going to say. Well, we always hear that actions speak louder than words. And its very true. I love my friends and family, and they can tell me they love me all they want. But sometimes I still don't feel like I'm that loved. But if you do something to SHOW me love, then I definitely know it. Well this song was Steve's way of showing love. I haven't told him this yet, so if you're reading this, Thanks you Steve. :) He talked about being in a military family and what it was like as a kid, but that he didn't see what his mom went through until he had friends in the military and saw how hard it was for them when the spouse is away. I've said it many times, being the wife/spouse of a military member means being a single parent about half (maybe more) the time. When they are away, you are on your own. Well Steve made me cry. It means a lot to me to hear that someone gets it. That they see my pain, my struggles, my hard times. Many times, it's all just overwhelming. And thats how I've felt for over a month now. Just overwhelmed. With everything. With life, the kids, cleaning, cooking, bills, etc, etc, etc. (And no, I'm not saying that Katie doesn't get it, or that my other friends don't get it either. I'm just saying it was nice to actually "hear" it.)Monday night was Amara's Rapunzel birthday party. I spent all day stressing out because I had so much to get done and no time to do it. But, I got it done in time and the party went off without a hitch. I fit 18 people (kids and adults) in my tiny apartment and it wasn't that bad, except that it was so hot! Sorry everyone, my A/C sucks. haha! Amara had a great time and so did everyone else. Thanks to everyone who came and made her birthday so special!
Much Love,
Mya
Mya
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| picture by Lindsay Collette Photography |
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Appointments and Awards
Wow, where to start....
I've known for weeks that today was going to be an absolutely crazy day. It's not that I had like a million little things to do, but I did have several big things happening one right on top of the other. Work, pick up Amara from school, go to Tay's appt, go to Williamsburg for Amara's appt, then run back to Hampton for the awards ceremony. These weren't "normal" appointments either. No, these were major, lets find out what we're going to do about this issue, kind of appointments.
So Tay's was for urology. Most people know that she's got urology issues. Not the biggest deal. She had a procedure last year to fix her urinary reflux problem. Well that didn't work. So she still has reflux and today's appointment was to find out what we were going to do about it. Options: 1. keep her on antibiotics for 1yr and then reassess whether her reflux has "resolved itself" 2. take her off antibiotics and "see how she does" and again...reassess in 1yr on whether her reflux has "resolved itself" 3. do another delfux and see how it turns out. Not exactly the options I want, but Jon and I have a lot to think about.
Amara's appointment was a whole different beast. As of right now, I'm not ready to share details with the whole world. I need to talk to Jon and we have decisions to make and a LOT of things to think about. But, I did like the doctor she saw (which is a good thing) and I feel like he is truly trying to do whats in her best interest. So I will be talking with Jon, Amara's PCM, and some of my best friends while we work through some of this. I will fill everyone in later when we've reached some decisions and I've had time to wrap my head around everything and form opinions and thoughts completely.
Tonight was also our Awanas Award Ceremony. If you don't know what Awanas is then you're missing out! I love Awanas and I love my Sparkies! I am so proud of all the kids and how hard they've worked this year. Tay finished her second Cubbies book and got her award, Amara finished her second Sparks book and got her awards. They both were so happy! And I am a proud mama, they have worked hard memorizing bible verses and I can't wait until next year!
For now, that's all. Love ya'll and keep checking back for more updates!
I've known for weeks that today was going to be an absolutely crazy day. It's not that I had like a million little things to do, but I did have several big things happening one right on top of the other. Work, pick up Amara from school, go to Tay's appt, go to Williamsburg for Amara's appt, then run back to Hampton for the awards ceremony. These weren't "normal" appointments either. No, these were major, lets find out what we're going to do about this issue, kind of appointments.
So Tay's was for urology. Most people know that she's got urology issues. Not the biggest deal. She had a procedure last year to fix her urinary reflux problem. Well that didn't work. So she still has reflux and today's appointment was to find out what we were going to do about it. Options: 1. keep her on antibiotics for 1yr and then reassess whether her reflux has "resolved itself" 2. take her off antibiotics and "see how she does" and again...reassess in 1yr on whether her reflux has "resolved itself" 3. do another delfux and see how it turns out. Not exactly the options I want, but Jon and I have a lot to think about.
Amara's appointment was a whole different beast. As of right now, I'm not ready to share details with the whole world. I need to talk to Jon and we have decisions to make and a LOT of things to think about. But, I did like the doctor she saw (which is a good thing) and I feel like he is truly trying to do whats in her best interest. So I will be talking with Jon, Amara's PCM, and some of my best friends while we work through some of this. I will fill everyone in later when we've reached some decisions and I've had time to wrap my head around everything and form opinions and thoughts completely.
Tonight was also our Awanas Award Ceremony. If you don't know what Awanas is then you're missing out! I love Awanas and I love my Sparkies! I am so proud of all the kids and how hard they've worked this year. Tay finished her second Cubbies book and got her award, Amara finished her second Sparks book and got her awards. They both were so happy! And I am a proud mama, they have worked hard memorizing bible verses and I can't wait until next year!
For now, that's all. Love ya'll and keep checking back for more updates!
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