A Quick Trip

This past weekend I went to Ohio to visit my Great Aunt Margaret.It was a small family reunion of sorts. I went with my parents and my uncle Jon who is here visitng for the week from California. I do not mention going with the rest of my family b/c John volunteered to stay home and watch the kids. We left early Saturday morning and then left again early Sunday morning to return home b/c I had to be back to work my weekly 3-11pm shift at the nursing home. Hence my title for this post- "a quick trip!" Once we arrived in Ohio, we met up with my brother and his girlfriend, Heather. It was neat that we got to see them seeing as how my brother lives in Kentucky. He was up visiting his girlfriend who lives in Windsor, CA,right across the border from Detroit, MI, which is only about 2hrs from where my great aunt lives in Ohio. Heather won tickets to the Final Four BB tournament in Detroit, MI and he took the week off from work so that he could go to the games with her.

My Great Aunt is 93 yrs old, and her mind is just as sharp as ever. She actually entertained us instead of the other way around. She suffered a small stroke back in January that has left her almost completely blind. It was decided then that it would be best for her to move into an assisted living facility. She is doing remarkably well, and has completetly recovered from her stroke, except for her eye sight. She can see shadows, black and white, and bright objects. I do feel bad that she can no longer see things like flowers and birds, two things that she has always had such a great interest in.

She got quite adventurous as she entered her 90's. On her 90th birthday, she decided it would be great fun to ride in a hot air balloon. So, up she went, and has the pics to prove it! On her 93rd birthday, she came up with another great adventure that she thought might be fun, to ride a Harley motorcycle!! And that she did as well! She looked so adorable in the pictures with her leather jacket, sunglasses and helmet on. She is one amazing woman.

We had a great time even though we were all quite tired from all the driving we did in such a short amt of time. It was also refreshing for me to be away for alittle bit as well.

Can't turn my back

I have sat down a few times to post something, but found myself being interuppted and unable to finish what I was writing. Hopefully, I can finish this post!! I don't seem to have much computer time lately. I don't really have much time to do anything right now with a toddler on the loose. I literally cannot turn my back on the little guy. Our little Jonathon has been keeping me very busy since he began walking. He is constantly on the go when he is awake, is very quick to get into things, ( the politically correct saying is "exploring his surrondings".) He is not contant to play with all of his toys in the toy box like I would like, he would rather swipe( which some of us think his new nickname should be "Swiper" from Dora the Explorer, which would fit him well considering "Swiper" is a fox!LOL) everything off the kitchen counter, find a pen/marker and write all over the floors and walls and scratch up the hardwood floors!! On the otherhand,he is such a joy and a blessing to our family. Usually,at the end of the day, after the kids go to bed, John and I always comment to each other how we couldn't imagine life without each one of our children and how they enrich our lives. BTW, So,my only reprieve is when the baby is napping, and it is during this time that I have to do things like take a shower, make supper, or go over schoolwork with Emily. Since having our 4th child, I have asked myself the same question over and over, "What did I get myself into?" Did God really think I could handle all this? I know I can handle it, but handle it well is something totally different. I know I can handle it all, but handle it w'o complaining or getting upset is another story. That is a struggle for me.

I know that this "season" of my life will soon be over.I am overwhelmed as never before and even when I am totally overwhelmed, I hear God telling me that I need to "rise above" and "keep pressing on" serving HIM and my family. Part of a verse from a favorite song says, So, I'm pressing on, HE is my strength when the journey is long....

On another note, I am happy to report that I am back to baking!! I was w/o an oven for 3 weeks. I was a bit bummed to not be able to bake homemade bread and cookies. It reminded me of my days back when we first moved here when I lived w/o a kitchen for several mos.! I did manage to get by with the stovetop and my crockpot. My new stove arrived on Saturday, and I love it! I took my time making a decision and did some research on the different brands and features that were out there to choose from. The one I chose has several more features that my old one that I think will suit our family much better than the old one.

Soakin up some rays

Today we had another beautiful sunny day. While I was in the powder room, I happened to just take a peek out of the window and noticed how warm the sun felt shining through the window. The house was quiet and I was feeling sleepy, so I decided to use one of my daughters bean bag chairs and snuggle up close to another window (I would have felt a little strange to nap in the powder room so close to the toilet! LOL) in the entryway where the sun was also shining through. Ahhh, the sun was so warm and felt so good especially on my face!!! (the rest of my body was covered with a blanket.) I will definetly have to do this more often.