Aug. 3, 2008
Getting Back To Normal
I know it has been a long time since I've written anything. This past month has been good and challenging at the same time. I'll give everyone a quick summary.
D had a lovely Bible birthday party. I dressed up as Esther, which meant I was able to wear the dress my mom and I made for DH's and my vow renewal 6 years ago. D was King David, J was Joseph, husband of Mary, and DH was Abraham.
The day after the party we left for Family Camp. We had a lovely week at Richardson Grove RV park. We stayed in a cabin this year. That was much easier than moving in and out of the tent several times a day. Our dog, Isaac enjoyed having a shady place to relax. The Bible classes were stimulating and fruitful in growth. We studied the history of the Church. We had fun with crafts and activities. We made new friends. We even gained two new brothers in Christ.
One of those new brothers was D. He requested to be baptized within an hour of our return home on Saturday, July 5. Just the immediate family was present, because he felt shy. The angels in heaven are still rejoicing with me.
The bad news was that immediately upon returning home from camping I developed shingles. It took me a week to figure it out and become resigned to my fate. I thought the pain was just the chronic pain I have in my left arm and the itching was from the countless bug bites I received despite all possible precautions. This meant I spent an additional 2 weeks off from work. No one wanted me to give chickenpox to a newborn. I spent a week on Valtrex and another week on prescription strength hydrocortisone. I returned to work this past Friday. I hadn't worked in 5 weeks. ( I must say I really enjoyed not working despite being sick).
In addition to shingles, my computer broke (that explains no blogging) and my purse broke (an annoyance which will be quickly remedied). I now have a new computer which is fancy, fast, and nice. I'm starting to get used to Vista. There are a few things that I don't like, but I'm a nurse and a mom so I've learned to be flexible.
We did have some fun even though my vacation wasn't quite what I expected. The garden is in, finally. DH has one more raised bed to finish. I have baby radishes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, arugula, lettuce, cucumber (I thought I would try even though it's late), basil, thyme, and garlic plants. I'm still waiting for rosemary, oregano, green onions, cilantro, parsley, brussel sprouts, and 2 types of squash (see the cucumber note). It's just been 2 weeks since I planted the seeds. I also knit my first sweater. (I'll post photos sometime this winter. It's to warm for alpaca, silk, and merino wool.)
I'm now working a new purse to felt.
We did go to the beach, but only once. We went to Fort Humboldt the Saturday they had the Steam Donkey fired up. We rode on the train, received a good education on the Steam Donkey including physics and chemistry, picked herbs and made tea from the medicinal herb garden, made kites, and the boys earned their junior ranger badges. That same day we went to see the Nina which was in port at Woodley Island. I attended a bridal shower. We also attended a 50th anniversary party. We chose not to attend the 2 weddings due to shingles and fatigue.
This past week, July 28-30, the church held VBS. We had a lovely time. We had 14 children on Monday and 13 children on Tuesday and Wednesday. The children had fun, participated in class discussions, and all really enjoyed the crafts and games. God really blessed the week and everything went smoothly and easily.
We took a lot of photos but I haven't downloaded them to the new computer yet. I have been trying to figure it out and get everything settled. I got it on Thursday afternoon, but worked Friday and Saturday.
Most of my Bible study lately has been centered around Sunday Bible class and VBS. I am preparing a devotional for Ladies' Retreat which I'll share sometime in September.
I have spent a lot of time reflecting on priorities and balance. I obviously didn't take a break soon enough to prevent getting sick. It did bother me that my body was run down enough to get shingles. I'm too young and healthy for that. It interfered with my ability to fully serve my family and God. I've rethought some practices I have and made some changes to allow me more rest. I think prayer and an attitude adjustment is in need and will take more time to achieve. I feel guilty whenever I sit down to rest, especially if someone else is working. In the past few months I have started to remind myself that I was working while other people were sleeping, but I still feel guilty and tense. This means I'm not really resting.
Please pray that the proper balance will be achieved in my life between serving God, serving my family, my job, and the proper rest necessary to live my life to the fullest for God.
D had a lovely Bible birthday party. I dressed up as Esther, which meant I was able to wear the dress my mom and I made for DH's and my vow renewal 6 years ago. D was King David, J was Joseph, husband of Mary, and DH was Abraham.
The day after the party we left for Family Camp. We had a lovely week at Richardson Grove RV park. We stayed in a cabin this year. That was much easier than moving in and out of the tent several times a day. Our dog, Isaac enjoyed having a shady place to relax. The Bible classes were stimulating and fruitful in growth. We studied the history of the Church. We had fun with crafts and activities. We made new friends. We even gained two new brothers in Christ.
One of those new brothers was D. He requested to be baptized within an hour of our return home on Saturday, July 5. Just the immediate family was present, because he felt shy. The angels in heaven are still rejoicing with me.
The bad news was that immediately upon returning home from camping I developed shingles. It took me a week to figure it out and become resigned to my fate. I thought the pain was just the chronic pain I have in my left arm and the itching was from the countless bug bites I received despite all possible precautions. This meant I spent an additional 2 weeks off from work. No one wanted me to give chickenpox to a newborn. I spent a week on Valtrex and another week on prescription strength hydrocortisone. I returned to work this past Friday. I hadn't worked in 5 weeks. ( I must say I really enjoyed not working despite being sick).
In addition to shingles, my computer broke (that explains no blogging) and my purse broke (an annoyance which will be quickly remedied). I now have a new computer which is fancy, fast, and nice. I'm starting to get used to Vista. There are a few things that I don't like, but I'm a nurse and a mom so I've learned to be flexible.
We did have some fun even though my vacation wasn't quite what I expected. The garden is in, finally. DH has one more raised bed to finish. I have baby radishes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, arugula, lettuce, cucumber (I thought I would try even though it's late), basil, thyme, and garlic plants. I'm still waiting for rosemary, oregano, green onions, cilantro, parsley, brussel sprouts, and 2 types of squash (see the cucumber note). It's just been 2 weeks since I planted the seeds. I also knit my first sweater. (I'll post photos sometime this winter. It's to warm for alpaca, silk, and merino wool.)
I'm now working a new purse to felt.
We did go to the beach, but only once. We went to Fort Humboldt the Saturday they had the Steam Donkey fired up. We rode on the train, received a good education on the Steam Donkey including physics and chemistry, picked herbs and made tea from the medicinal herb garden, made kites, and the boys earned their junior ranger badges. That same day we went to see the Nina which was in port at Woodley Island. I attended a bridal shower. We also attended a 50th anniversary party. We chose not to attend the 2 weddings due to shingles and fatigue.
This past week, July 28-30, the church held VBS. We had a lovely time. We had 14 children on Monday and 13 children on Tuesday and Wednesday. The children had fun, participated in class discussions, and all really enjoyed the crafts and games. God really blessed the week and everything went smoothly and easily.
We took a lot of photos but I haven't downloaded them to the new computer yet. I have been trying to figure it out and get everything settled. I got it on Thursday afternoon, but worked Friday and Saturday.
Most of my Bible study lately has been centered around Sunday Bible class and VBS. I am preparing a devotional for Ladies' Retreat which I'll share sometime in September.
I have spent a lot of time reflecting on priorities and balance. I obviously didn't take a break soon enough to prevent getting sick. It did bother me that my body was run down enough to get shingles. I'm too young and healthy for that. It interfered with my ability to fully serve my family and God. I've rethought some practices I have and made some changes to allow me more rest. I think prayer and an attitude adjustment is in need and will take more time to achieve. I feel guilty whenever I sit down to rest, especially if someone else is working. In the past few months I have started to remind myself that I was working while other people were sleeping, but I still feel guilty and tense. This means I'm not really resting.
Please pray that the proper balance will be achieved in my life between serving God, serving my family, my job, and the proper rest necessary to live my life to the fullest for God.