That's One Peter 5:7 for you, MacNCheese.

Did ya miss me? Awww, come on! I know you did!

So, yeah, working full time leaves me w/ no time for blogging. I kind of miss it. I do keep up w/ all the Journal Goddesses, though I have rarely left comments. Time is so precious now! HBM, I' working on your questions. It's just taking forever.

Thing1 has completed her first quarter at Sinclair. She wasn't happy w/ her grades, but she did ok. We just signed her up for Fall quarter.  We're taking Crispani to get signed up tomorrow.  He wants to be a firefighter. I think that is so cool! I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up.

They have been so good for each other! As most of you know, he moved in w/ us a couple of months ago. It has been going well. He's respectful of Cat and I, and of the rules we set for them (of course he would be! he wants to marry our daughter!) He's been helping around the house too.

The two of them bought a car together, so that's one item checked off of their "To Be Finished Before The Wedding" list. There is still no date set, as they expect the list to take some time to complete. They are both working now, so they are slowly accumulating that big lump sum they want to have in the bank (item one on the aforementioned list). I'm impressed by their ability to save money. Cat and I still struggle with that. Anyway, Cat and I are praying for a long engagement. They're still so young...

Thing2 just returned from his first foreign mission trip. The youth group went to Mexico. T2 had a blast! I'm glad he had fun, because he worked hard too. They were blessed w/ much more tolerable weather than they expected. It was in the 90s rather than the 100s all week, and on top of that, the church they were sleeping in was air-conditioned! Yes, they were very blessed. AmericanGirl went too. They took issue w/ all the PDA rules the ministry they were working with had. I guess they were very strict--no hand holding or anything. I told T2 it's good for them to practice self-control. He wasn't amused.

He's psyching up for school to start next week. He's taking honors courses, which he's wishing he hadn't signed up for. I guess the reality of the workload is beginning to set in. He'll be fine once he gets started. He just tends to stress about things until he can jump in, then he's fine. I worry more about him getting himself up in the morning than anything else.

Ying is a 25 yo trapped in a 7yo's body. This child has all of the sudden become too "mature" for everything under the sun...at least everything appropriate for a seven year old. She wants to paint her nails and put on make up before going out! She expects to be treated like an adult. She argues every stinkin' time we get in the car because she wants to sit up front and not wear a seatbelt. She's too grown up to sit in the back seat, and seat belts? They're for babies! Clothes must be unstained, match, and on top of that, they must be stylish. Thank goodness ScrapbookQueen and KimmySue handed down all those cool clothes from their girls! We'd be in trouble, otherwise. And attitude? Boy, has she got a mega-attitude. Please pray for our character studies, which will begin when we pick back up w/ a full load of school next week, to be fruitful in both our lives.

She is still lovin' Kuk sul do. She got her red-striped belt last week. They're beginning to work on forms now. Mostly just to get the kids used to the idea, because that is where they'll spend most of their time in the older class.

Yang is growing up so quickly. Oh, funny story. Yang has had this beautiful curly mop of hair that I just hadn't been able to bring myself to cut. I just love little boys w/ longish curly hair! Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, we were coming in from church, and he asked if he could get his hair cut just like "Boy1's" (Diamond's oldest boy)? I said sure, and I pulled out the scissors and gave him an All-American Boy haircut. Short all the way around, w/ white walls and everything!  I left a little length on the top, but for the most part, it was short. So I give him the mirror, and with a little shake of his head, he says, "Yup. Just like Boy1". Too cute. So we go a whole week, and he says nothing more about the haircut. Then the following Sunday morning as we're walking into church, he asks, "Do you think Teacher will see me and think she has two Boy1s in her class"? I about cracked up. He was so funny that day.

CindyLouWho is precious, as always. Next month she'll be two. I just cannot believe how the time has flown by. She's so full of love and is always hugging you. When we come in (any of us) she will shout our name and come runnin' w/ a hug. She just makes me smile. She really likes Crispani and AmericanGirl. She has given her approval to both of them. Crispani has a soft spot for CLW too. It's been fun to watch them getting to know each other over the last couple months. At first CLW would hide from him behind my leg (or T1's). You know, peeking out from behind us? But now, she'll run to Crispani as soon as she'll run to any of the rest of us.

She's getting high marks from the WOW teachers (although they give all the babies back there high marks). She loves it back there. She and Gracie have really taken to each other. CLW kind of migrates toward Gracie every week. They're very cute.

My favorite aunt passed away last week. She's been fighting inoperable pancreatic cancer for quite some time. The end was very hard. The funeral was Friday. I went with my parents. Cried a lot. She was so young and so...good. I will miss her. My uncle is not only struggling w/ the loss of his beloved wife, but they had very little and the worry about paying for the final arrangements is always just under the surface. So, all the way home, I had to fight the urge to ask my parents if they'd made plans for their deaths. I'm a planner, and I just like to make sure everything is taken care of, but I knew the timing was bad. So while I'm biting my tongue, I'm also crying at the thought of losing them. It was a hard day.

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this, but Cat is legally blind in his left eye. He has no central vision due to a disease called hystoplasmosis, which is attacking his retinas. A few years ago, they tried to save his sight (in the left eye) w/ surgery, but it didn't work. His right eye has up to now been unaffected by the hysto, but last week, Cat told me that he's seeing "anomalies" in the vision in his right eye. He made an emergency appointment w/ the eye doctor, who saw him today and referred him to the surgeon again. He says they've caught it early. Cat is trying to maintain his stoic demeanor, but it's very hard. I know he's scared. He even asked me if I would stay with him if he went blind. I just teased him and said he needs to quit assuming I'd do what he'd do in my place! He'd be out the door in a heartbeat, but I'm hanging around for the duration. I told him God gives special awards in heaven for things like this, so I'm gonna stick it out. LOL, kinda.

I dare not share my fears with him, he's so fragile right now. I cannot even begin to fathom how we would function. Could we still homeschool the Littles? Would Cat be eligible for disability through his work? Would I have to quit to be at home until he becomes "accustomed" to it? Would he ever become accustomed to it? If so, how long will that take? Could we afford the luxury of me taking off work? All the things he'd miss seeing....

Everything we do is so dependent on our eyes... He made the mistake of going out to a website where others facing blindness go to ask questions, share, cry and whatever else they do, and every post he saw were from people who just weren't handling things well. I guess most of the spouses leave. Many are suicidal. It's just horrid hearing what those poor people are dealing with.

We know God is sovereign. We trust that He is all-powerful. The way we handle the seeming incongruity of those two character traits is where Cat and I differ in our relationships w/ our Maker. God can choose to heal or not. If He chooses to heal, praise be to God! If He chooses to allow this to run it's course, then what? I will make my mouth say praise be to God, but will my heart be in it? I'm not sure. That's where I both respect and fear for Cat. He will cry out to God about it. Cuss Him. Argue with Him. And, eventually, submit to His will; maybe even find peace there. He is so real. That's why I love him so much. But that realness, that vulnerability can be so heart-wrenching; to watch and to live. And it will be spread over such an extended period, that the cursing and arguing part might just do him in. That's my biggest fear in all this. I fear for his faith.

On a brighter note, Cat's anxiety issues haven't resurfaced. The combination of the original diagnosis and his oldest daughter's lifestyle choices are what kicked off the first anxiety attacks. He's been off the meds (for anxiety) for a couple of years now. Please pray that we can trust God through this. Cat's appointment is for 8/31.

Well, I'd best get back to work. Have a great week, Please pray for my little friend Lucy! (Leukemia/chemo/chicken pox) I haven't heard how she's doing. Hopefully, she's going to be ok. And pray too for my nephew Justin. He's a new daddy and he's leaving for Boot Camp tomorrow. My friend C could use your prayers too, as she is separating from her husband. So much pain and fear in this world...

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Much love and blessings!
SebbieDue


Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18