~First Time For Everything~

There is a first time for everything and I've decided you are never to old to start something new.

~Today, I participated in my first 5K! ~

My Motto During This Has Been:
Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

I started the Couch Potato to 5K back in May but only half did it. Then we went to Ecuador and I didn't hit the pavement again until 3 weeks ago. But, Arkansas heat was too much for me to run outdoor and we finally joined a gym on Monday, July 26th. I got right to working out on the treadmill 5 days a week and only got 1 1/2 weeks of training in before today.

On Thursday, the 5th, I was able to run 3.1 miles on the treadmill in 43 minutes but that was in the air conditioning and on a treadmill not in the sun, heat and hard pavement with uphills and down on the course.

The 5K was called Avenue of Hope for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life and my husband's company was a bronze sponsor for this event. We went to Collierville, TN yesterday, stayed in a hotel and got some good rest before the race this morning.

Ryan, my bonus daughter and Mason, our grandson came to participate in the race with us. Mason stayed with one of the organizers that Roger knew and passed out fruit to the races while the 4 of us ran the race.

This race had a very special meaning for me personally...Daddy, this was for you! My daddy died of lymphoma (cancer) on 8/4/1989. 21 years ago my world was crushed when I lost my best friend so this race had an extra special meaning to me, besides participating in my 1st 5K. Daddy, I ♥ U and I miss you so much!!!

Roger kept telling me that we needed this race as a "practice" for the one we signed up to do with some friends to challenge ourselves to complete the workout...the next race is September 25th. He kept telling me that it would be different and harder than my leisurely running in our neighborhood or on the treadmill and boy, was he right!

Right from the start, my feet and legs felt like they were made of concrete and my mind was screaming..."you can't do this...just stop!" I kept pushing as far as I could, stopped walked to the count of 20 and started running again. Roger was within my sight but Tyler and Ryan left us in the dust! I finally sprinted to where Roger was and we started walking and running...pushing each other to go further than we thought we could.

Roger would have had a much better time if he had just left me and I tried to get him to go on ahead. He continually said "I'm not leaving my wing man" and he didn't.

When we rounded the corner at mile 3 and we could see the finish line...I took off in a full sprint...not as much to get a better time but to get it over with.

What is the best part? THE FINISH LINE!!! and the sense of accomplishment just knowing you started it and you finished it.

What did I learn today? I have a lot of work to do before the next race, I desperately need to lose this weight, I loved running in the 5K and will do more in the future!

Here are some pictures from our race today.



Team "W"

4 Racing "W"



Ty took 2nd place in his age division! Way to go, Ty!



Roger took 1st in his age division! That's my guy!



Us girls didn't place but we did a great job! A 1st for both of us!



My 3 handsome men!!! Roger, Ty & Mason



Uncle Ty and Mason...sweet boys!



Mother & Son...Ryan & Mason...amazing team!!!



I have the t-shirt to prove it too! lol
Jim's Tank Service on the back as Bronze Sponsor

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Off To Ecuador We Go!

Good Morning!

It has been a long time since I have blogged but I wanted to post a quick on this morning before we leave the United States of America and head to Ayangue, Ecuador.

Our church is taking a missions team this year back to Ecuador to hopefully, finish Phase I of the ONLY Assemblies of God campground in the entire country.

God has blessed our family with donations and sponsorships from our family and friends so that our trip is nearly 100% financed. We are praying that God will pour out his blessings on each person that invested in our lives and in His outstretched hand to the Ecuadorian people.

We had originally planned to take Tyler to Washington DC, NYC, Cape Cod and Niagra Falls this summer...his dream vacation that he has wanted to go on for several years.

But, after sitting in church in mid-March listening to different ones testify about their missions trip experiences and our MAPS leader take about Ecuador and this year's trip...he came home wanting to go to Ecuador instead.

We asked him numerous times..."are you sure?", "you know you are going to work, right?" and his answer was always the same..."Yes, I'm sure, yes, I know that I'm going to work and YES, I WANT TO GO TO ECUADOR INSTEAD OF OUR PLANNED VACATION."

So, I cancelled my hotel reservations that I had already made and we shifted gears...we are off to Ecuador to "Shine The Light In Ecuador"...spreading God's love to everyone we meet.

Please be in prayer for our missions team as we fly out tomorrow from Memphis, TN at 2:15 PM and arrive in Guayaquil, Ecuador at 10:30 PM Saturday night. We will return on Friday, June 18th at 7:55 AM after flying all night.

There are 34 of us going this year and 11 of these are youth! PTL! We are asking people to pray for the following prayer points and we would covet your prayers. This will be a life changing experience for each member of this team.

• Pray for willing hands and a servant's heart
• Pray for flexibility to deal with a variety of situations & understanding
• Pray for unity-so we can function as a team...team spirit
• Pray for good working weather
• Pray that God will supernaturally give us the needed skills to complete whatever task is set before us
• Pray that we will be a blessing to Missionaries Phil and Deanna Barber and the Ecuadorian Church
• Pray for health, strength, endurance and wisdom
• Pray for safe travel and safety while in their country
• Compassion for the work in Ecuador
• Compassionate Heart for the people of Ecuador

I can't wait to get back in 14 days to share our experiences and lots of pictures.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Change of Plans

Good Afternoon Everyone!

It's been a month since I've been on here and posted anything but life is full of twist and turns...mine is no different. :)

Tyler has been wanting to go to Washington DC and New York City for the past couple of years and we finally decided this would be the summer for that trip. I started planning back in January and by February...I had all my hotel reservations made and events planned. We threw in a couple of extra stops...Cape Cod to go whale watching and Niagra Falls. Finally, we decided that we were going to be gone too long so I had to start scaling back because it was getting way too expensive. But, by the end of February, I had revised our vacation, changed our hotel reservations to meet the new agenda and we were all set to make our journey up the east coast.

Have you ever noticed that no matter how hard you plan, how detailed you are...that...nothing is ever set in stone? If you haven't...let me help you out...it ain't!

After all the planning, scheduling and revising, by the 7th of March...it all went up in smoke...again! But, it's all good because it is God!

We had a testimonial time that Sunday morning where several people testified to their experiences on one of our missions trip and the "unveiling" of this year's trip.

Let me start by saying how very proud we are of our son, Tyler, who is 15 (almost 16, if you as him) for wanting to travel to Ayangue, Ecuador this summer with our church on a missions trip.

He came to us and said that he wanted to go on the trip this summer. When Roger and I went in ’07, he wasn’t old enough to make the trip but now he is and he wants to go.

He knew if he decided that this is what he wanted to do that he will have to forfeit his “dream” trip up the east coast to Washington DC, New York City and Niagra Falls this summer. We also made sure that he understood that he was going to “work” not play. His reply to us was “Mom, Dad…I spend a week roofing a lady’s house in Kentucky two years ago on our youth mission’s trip…yes, I understand and yes, I want to go.”

Wow! How could we deny him this life changing opportunity to serve others? He made the decision to put other’s “needs” before his “wants” and we couldn’t be more proud of him.

Roger and I went to Quito, Ecuador in ’07 to help build a church in the Andes Mountains and it was the most rewarding, life changing experience that I have ever had. I am so thankful that we have the opportunity to share this with our son and work along side him.

He is fully aware that he will have to work odd jobs to help pay his way, as Roger and I will have to do extra things as well to pay for this trip upfront.

We are going on the 14 day trip it is $1,200.00 per person because it was only $200.00 more to go the full time and experience every moment of the trip. Either way...it is very expensive for a family of 3.

Oh...did I forget to mention that normally when they go to the coastal region to work on this campground (not our church's first trip to that region) that on one of their fun days...they go whale watching! Oh, God is good! We don't have to go to Cape Cod to see these beautiful animals but will get to see them up close and personal in the Pacific Ocean.

My goal was to let Tyler work to help pay his way to Ecuador...all the while, putting others before himself, earning the money which would him him appreciate it more and experience that sense of accomplishment...something to be very proud of.

I told Roger and my mother this morning that God never ceases to amaze me. In all my 47 years, I have never been in a situation that I depended on God to finance something that we needed or wanted. Yes, He had already provided us with good paying jobs and with that, we were able to do what we needed to do for our family, but I'm talking about over and above that. But this time, $3,600. is a lot of money to come up with in such a short period of time and we knew it wasn't going to be easy.

I sent our a Facebook email to many friends and family trying to generate Tyler some odd job work to help defray the cost and God has used this too bless us.

God is so faithful & He uses ordinary, everyday people to provide for His children. Can I tell you that in the "natural"...it wasn't possible but with God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. He has used a total stranger, our hairstylist, family members and a doctor so far. Not to mention that he worked 2 days of his spring break with our youth group and a spaghetti dinner at the church and earned $225.50 toward his part of the trip. PTL!!! I can't wait to see whatelse he has in store for us.

I received a friend's request from a guy that I graduated high school with that I haven't seen in 30 years just this past week. AND...this morning, he posted on my wall that he wanted more information about our missions trip to Ecuador because he and his wife would be willing to make a donation to help us meet our financial cost. He had read several of my status updates on Monday about our trip and how God was providing. He is a minsiter of a small church in Chicago plus he and his wife started a non-profit organization to help train inner city under privildged and un-served individuals so that they can acquire employment and become self... See More sufficient. (www.citcchicago.org) He is helping others in his city and now he wants to help us reach other in another country.

WOW!!! I give God all the glory! When Tyler asked to go...how could you tell your teenage son "no" when he is willing to forfeit his pleasure trip to go work for those less fortunate in another country and God was saying "go"...you can't say "no".

This was my prayer that I posted on Facebook on Monday and it is still my prayer today.

Father God, I ask that you pour out your blessings on those who have invested in the Woolbrights and who are helping send us to Ayangue, Ecuador. We are their hands extended from the USA to Ecuador to minister to those who are in need. You know each one by name and I thank you that they are richly blessing our lives with a life changing experience.

If anyone else feels led to help send us to Ecuador...please let me know. But, if you can't help financially....please pray with us and for us in the two months leading up to our departure and while we are abroad. I will post more on this later.

This is a short video of Phil and Deanna Barber, Missionaries to Ecuador. They minister in 3 regions there...the coastal region, the Andes Mountains and the Amazon, yes...the Amazon.

Scroll down and pause my music first and ENJOY! We are going to complete Phase I of the youth campground...it is seen on the video below. Also, you will see the Condado Church...that is Bro. Phil's church in Quito, Ecuador....we worshipped God with all the native Ecuadorians in this very church in '07 when it only had a roof and no sides. It amazed me how you can worship the same God to music that you don't understand the words because they were in Spanish but yet, enter into the very presence of God with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Oh, the memories that have started to come flooding back. We are soooo excited!

Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. (NIV)

Pan American Project 2 minutes from Philip Barber on Vimeo.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

~It's Time For A Change~

At the end of 2009, there were some prayers that hadn't been answered, goals that hadn't been meet and desire that haven't been fulfilled yet. So...my outlook going into 2010 was CHANGE. I longed for 2010 to be a year of change...permanent change...not ones that you do for a couple of weeks or months but rather for a lifetime.

I was reminded on Saturday just how fragile life is and how quickly it could be over...either mine, my husband, parents or children. An old friend from my hometown has 3 beautiful daughters with the youngest being 24 years old. Her name is Dani (after her father) had a brain aneurysm at 2 AM on Saturday morning, rushed to the hospital with no brain activity and she died at 8:30 PM on Saturday evening. She left 2 beautiful, young children...a daughter and a son. Her family's life and her children's life changed forever in that instant.

I want to make the best of my life, time with my husband, children and grandson, take better care of myself and love those around me to the fullest because I never know when I will draw my last breath...it could be in an instant and without warning.

Our Sunday morning sermon was based on our new mission statement for 2010...DESTINED TO WIN IN 2010. Our vision statement is an acrostic of the word RIVER.

God had already began to stir in my spirit the changes that He wants to do in my life and my family. I have had several desires or goals running around in my head but just hadn't put them down on paper yet.

It wasn't until I turned off the TV and the lights at 11 PM tonight to go to sleep that I began to put it all together. I sat up, turned on the light, got my pad and pen and went to writing. Then, while it was still burning inside me...I decided to write a blog post about it. So, here I am at midnight Sunday night/Monday morning...keep that in mind when you read my first goal. lol

Pastor Rusty laid out the acrostic this morning for us but do you see how perfectly God had already begun to work these very things into my spirit. After I wrote out all my goals, then I felt the prompting in my spirit to get my sermon notes back out and see where God was taking me on the journey in 2010.

R - RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS
I - INTIMACY WITH GOD
V - VALUING GOD'S GIVEN GIFTS
E - EDUCATED IN GOD'S WORD
R - REACHING OTHER FOR CHRIST

He challenged us to "GET OUT OF OUR BANKS"!

John 7:37-38
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. (38) Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

This is what I jotted down tonight.

PERSONAL GOALS FOR 2010

1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night (well, not tonight but tomorrow)
2. Walk 3 x a week
3. Do Wii Fit 2-3 x a week
4. Drink 3 bottles of water a day
5. Don't eat after 7 PM (this will be a challege for me...love to snack in bed)
6. Learn a new hobby or interest
7. Nurture friendships more
8. Waste less time daily and use my free time more wisely
9. Simplify my life

SPIRITUAL GOALS

1. Spend more time in the Word
2. Memorize scripture
3. Spend more time in prayer
4. Step out of my comfort zone
5. Tap into my spiritual gifts and use them

HOME GOALS

1. Get organized
2. Plan our meals in advance
3. Make a workable/doable schedule
4. Cook meals at least 4 x a week (I don't like to cook)
5. Get rid of any clutter
6. Work on my projects to completion
7. Do home repairs that need doing

FINANCIAL GOALS

1. Stick to our budget
2. Find new ways to save money
3. Increase our giving

FAMILY GOALS

1. More quality family time with our children
2. Spend more time with our grandson
3. Eat our meals at the table and not the TV!
4. Family devotions

MARRIAGE GOALS

1. More quality time alone without the TV
2. Date nights/days at least every 2 weeks
3. Weekend getaways every couple months
4. Devotions and praying together

WORK GOALS

1. Get better organized
2. Clean out the office/work closet and files
3. Be more efficient

I believe these are the changes that God wants to see in my life, home, family, marriage, spirit and job. But, not only does God want to see them...but these are the desires of my heart as well. Our desire over the past few years has been to simplify our lives, get back to the basics and not have to work all the time to pay our bills but to pay off our bills and have more time to spend together as a family.

I need you to help hold me accountable in 2010. I love you guys and I pray that these goals will free up some time that I can get back to blogging on a more regular basis. I love you guys!

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

~Surprises Come In Big Packages and Small Ones~

It has been a long hard week! My sweet hubby has been out of town all week for his job. I got sick again this week with bronchitis and Tyler came down with a sinus infection. Yikes!

Today...there was the light at the end of the tunnel cause my honey was coming home. I called him when I was on my way to the office that I work for (45 minutes away) to pick up my work and my paycheck (can you say...yeah!) when I tried to call my hubby again to see if he had landed yet.

He went with his boss and another co-worker to school several hours away but his boss has his own plane and is a pilot...so, they flew. Now, I'm not a huge fan of flying in a jet much less anything smaller than that...so, I was nervous because this is the first time that he has flown with his boss.

You see, I haven't thought about this in a long time...until this week. But, I believe that what goes up...must come down. I just want it to come down in the manner it was intended to. I have a "slight" fear of flying because 16 days before my 21st birthday...I crashed in a helicopter. Since then...I really prefer my feet to stay on the ground but I do fly from time to time. However, I am a big time "white knuckle" flyer on take offs and landings. :) The enemy tried to mess with my head this week, however, there is nothing that God and I can't handle together. That must have come as a surprise to the enemy this week because he wasn't able to get me all worked up. Surprise #1.

So, my second surprise was...my hubby answered his cell phone when I called, was safely on the ground again and coming home. And, my final surprise (#3) was sweet and has made me smile all night.

I have this amazing, sweet, giving and ever so talented bloggy sister named Angie who sent me a goodie package of her homemade, organic soaps.



When I pulled into my driveway...I saw a box sitting outside of my garage. I immediately knew who it was from and couldn't wait to open it.

Can I tell you...oh, my goodness...they smell wonderful and I can't wait to try them.

Oh, Angie...I love the lip balm!!! Thank you so very, very much for my sweet package. I will pamper myself and hide them so the guys don't get into them. lol

Angie...you and having my hubby coming home tonight....was a sweet closure to a rough week.

I just LOVE surprises.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

A Merry Heart

Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

(In The Message)
A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.

My heart is singing praises this morning! I finally got into see the heart specialist yesterday afternoon after many rescheduled appointments. After having an EKG done, giving extensive medical history, symptoms and life events...Dr. Porterfield has ruled that my problems with my heart appear benign.

He said that based on my 1st EKG that was done locally when my heart was "skipping" a beat shows that it is coming from the right, lower chamber of the heart. He said that it feels like it is "skipping" a beat but it is technically having an "extra beat" thrown in. When the "extra" beat occurs in the right, lower chamber then it is considered benign.

After telling him that I have noticed several things that trigger these episodes, which are: stress, anxiety, OTC cold medications and sickness...he concurred that these are the very things that cause PVCs in the right, lower chamber. He diagnosed it as PVC (premature ventricular contractions due to situational events) and we would just watch them. He confirmed our decisions for certain lifestyle changes ie. simplified life with less stress and more quality family time would be very helpful.

He will see me back in 6 months unless I have more episodes accompanied with other symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pains, fainting or any other unusual symptom. At that time, we might do a Heart Stress Test and Echo Cardiogram just for precautionary measures.

I really loved Dr. Porterfield! He was a very sweet man with a calming demeanor. He said that if he thought there was anything else going on...he'd say so and order the necessary test to rule out heart disease but he felt completely comfortable with his diagnosis and assessment. So do I!

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Fightig A Losing Battle?

Are you fighting a losing battle today? Is there a situation that seems impossible right now in your life? Is there an adversary whether in the spirit or in the flesh lurking in the shadows to cause harm to you or your family?

• No matter how hard you try to get ahead in your job, to get that promotion, be recognized as a valued employee, get a raise...someone or something keeps knocking you back down or holding you back from advancement?
• Is there someone (co-worker, friend, church member, family member) who "plays" nicey nice to your face but buries the knife in your back the first opportunity they can
• Is there a neighbor who is envious of what they "think" you have or the life they "assume" you live and bad mouths you to others?
• Does it seem the harder you try to get out of debt, the more unexpected and costly things keep happening in your life?
• Have the doctors have said "there is no cure, we've done all we can, we can't change what is happening to you"?
• Is there a family member who is constantly stirring up strife in your family, calling you out and putting you down?
• Do you have a "friend" who has betrayed your trust and confidence that you put in them and told your deepest secrets to others?
• Have you or are you are being unfairly sued for something that you didn't do?
• Is your spouse is unwilling to put your marriage and your family first?
• Are your children are under attack by others at school and they are saying mean, vindictive things to and about your child?
• Have you finally begun to see the light at the end of the financial tunnel when the pipes burst due to cold weather, the furnace went out, the car's engine messed up, your hours got cut at work, you or your spouse lost your job, there was an medical emergency or something that attacked your finances again?
• Is your teenager(s) are rebelling, refusing to comply with the rules of your home, acting out, being verbally abusive to you as a parent?
• Is your child is starting to hang around undesirable crowds, their grades are dropping and you can't seem to get through to them?
• Do you feel like you are sinking into a black hole of depression and there is no life line to grab on to ?
• Do you have adult children who are not living for the Lord and refuse to heed your warnings, refuse to go to church but instead say they love the life that they are living?

These are just some of the things that have either happened in my own personal life, in a friend's life, family member's life or worse case scenero situations.

In my Bible reading yesterday, I read Psalm 35. I posted a couple of scriptures on my Facebook but I couldn't get away from the impact those verses had on me.

I began to think about all the situations that I listed above and there are so many more and when I thought of these...I felt like I was drowning...fighting a losing battle.

This is exactly the position that the enemy wants us to be in...feeling vunerable, weak, helpless, lost, defeated. BUT, that is not what the Word of God says.

Can you picture this? As a Child of God...when someone comes against you with our cause and attacks you or your family...God immediately goes to battle for you.

Psalms 35:1-2
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. (2) Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.

vs. 4-6
May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. (5) May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away; (6) may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

vs. 7-8 (These scriptures we stood on during a lawsuit & God delivered the victory)
Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me, (8) may ruin overtake them by surprise - may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

Isaiah 54:17 (Message)
but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged. Any accuser who takes you to court will be dismissed as a liar. This is what GOD's servants can expect. I'll see to it that everything works out for the best." GOD's Decree.

2 Corninthians 10:3-5 NIV)
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

I've always heard it said..."it is the darkest before the dawn" and I know for a fact that in those very dark hours, days, weeks, months and even, years...you want to give up, quit, throw in the towel BUT, all God ask us to do is to give it to Him and let Him fight our battles for us.

The sun will shine again and only because we allow the Son to shine into our darkest hours...the enemy has to flee because he can't handle the light...God's light, His Son will shine brightly so that we can see the right path to take and He will guide us every step of the way out of the dark and into the light.

Today, it is my choice to allow God to fight my battles, the unjust attacks made on me and my family, the ugly things that are said behind my back to others (whether I ever know of them or not), my financial situations, my marriage, my children and every attack that the enemy brings in whatever form he chooses to use...God has a counter attack already in place and waiting for me to relinquish the control, turn it all over to Him and FIGHT THE ENEMY FOR ME. I am no longer fighting a losing battle but I AM WINNING THE WAR, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

To School or Not ~ Enough Snow or Not...That Was The Question

Good Morning Everyone!

Our household woke up to snow on the ground this morning but the question of the day in our home was: Is there enough snow to keep us out of school for the day. Well, that seemed to be the question in every household in our school district because we were the only ones in the Tri-State area that didn't have school openings or closings on our local TV weather channel, radio station or internet.

You talk about a bunch of frustrated parents in our school district...well, we were. In my 19+ years in this school district, there has ALWAYS been one or the other on Channel 3 news...very early in the morning so you know what you have to do with your children for the day.

As for me, it didn't matter either way and it is one day that we won't have to make up later but, it would have been nice to turn on the TV and see that we were going to school this morning rather than scrambling calling other parents and teachers to see if anyone else knew for sure. All the while still guessing that we were open before heading out on slushy/icy roads to get Ty to school on time.

My concern is the parents that have to go into work after dropping off their children off on a regular, good weather, perfect road condition day. If they had to leave earlier than normal to get to work safely in these conditions, then they would have had to leave home way before children were allowed to be dropped off at school. If school was cancelled, then they would have had to find daycare for their younger children before heading into work.

I think, it was very inconsiderate of our school district to not announce our opening or closing with everyone else today. Who dropped the ball? Our new superintendent? If it wasn't him, then he needs to find out who it was.

My suggestion: GET WITH THE PROGRAM...LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT...YOU AREN'T THE ONLY ONES THAT HAD TO GO TO WORK TODAY!!!

Keep in mind that the South is NEVER prepared for a little snow, ice or freezing rain like the North is...believe me! Usually, a few flakes and we are out of school for the day.

Ok, I feel better now...I've vented.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-I-O-N TIME!

I am screaming at the top of my lungs from Arkansas and Roger is screaming from the top of his lungs in Kennett, MO right now!

We just received his results from his 2nd try at taking the Certified Hazardous Materials Manager test. There are so many different dimensions to this test from chemistry to equations and stuff that is way over my head...actually, it makes my brain hurt to think about it! LOL!

He called today from out of town around 2:30 and asked me if there was anything in the mail yet. Of course, the mail hadn't run yet but I told him that I'd keep checking. I had to run some errands and checked the mail again at 4:15 PM.

Oh, my...when I saw the envelope in the mail...my heart stopped. He has worked so hard studying harder, longer and more intensely than even the first time.

I stopped in the driveway and called him. I told him that the envelope was here. He said "oh, no" and I asked him if he wanted me to open it (he's out of town overnight) and he said "yes, go ahead".

I opened it and told him..."oh, honey" and he just groaned as his heart sank. I said the letter says "Mr. W......(long pause)...Congratulations on passing your CHMM exam!!!!".

Ok...I know that was mean but I couldn't resist...he would have done it to me!

Needless to say...we were both screaming so loud that I scared the dog and probably the neighbors!

I am so proud of him!!! Way to go, baby!!!

P.S. Update...life is busy, life is crazy but I am slowly getting there. As for my heart, I have only had a few episodes over the past few weeks and I am so thankful. My new appointment is January 5th because I had to reschedule it do to a conflict with something else. I am praying that there will nothing be wrong and I will be given a clean bill of health.


Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year!

I Am Totally Wired!

I am totally wired for the next 30 days and no place to go! LOL

With my heart issues and finally going to the doctor on Monday...I am now on a "event" heart monitor for the next 30 days, it arrived on Wednesday.

It is a very small and the wires are easily hidden under my clothes. I am to wear it while I am awake and record any and all episodes when they occur.

Now, the small problem with this is that I am not supposed to be close to a computer, TV, running car, lawnmower or refrigerator because they might cause interference...gee, sounds like where I am during every waking moment of my day.

It will hold two recordings which is 2-3 minutes each, then you call them, they ask you what you were feeling at the time of the recordings and what I was doing when it occurred, then you have to put the phone receiver on top of the monitor and hit the send button. It sounds like a fax machine tones but you can hear the heartbeat in the tones. When it skips a beat, it makes a high pitch squeal and then you go back to hearing the heartbeats. It takes about 5-7 minutes to transmit the data and then you have to wait for them to come back to the phone to tell you that they got the report. They in turn send these reports to Dr. Porterfield for him to review on a daily basis...Monday through Friday.

Yesterday, my heart was acting up so bad that I wasn't getting anything done because I had to stop, record, stop, call and transmit data. Then, it would start all over again. I finally told the monitoring company that it wasn't going to stop acting up anytime soon but I had to stop recording so I could get my work done.

I was up until 3 AM this morning because I was feeling a "weird" feeling in my chest...not really a chest pain but a heaviness. I could also feel my heartbeat one strong beat and between that strong beat and the next strong beat...I would feel two faint beats. I assume that was the two lower chambers of my heart beating individually instead of together. It is all out of sync.

I recorded and transmitted a report at 2:30 AM and went back to bed after 3 AM. It never got back in sync before I fell asleep.

I am desperately wanting answers to what is going on with my heart. I want them to tell me that (1) there is nothing to worry about and it is something that I will have to learn to live with, (2) it is treatable with medication or (3) I need to make some lifestyle changes if this is brought on by stress.

These episodes have made me so aware of my heart rate that it is hard to ignore it right now. If they tell me that it is not doing any damage to my heart and it is not a threat to my life...then I will jump for joy and go on with life.

Last night and Tuesday afternoon have been the only two times that it has scared me. I need peace of mind if nothing else right now.

Thank you so much for your prayers, love and concern.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

She Has A Heart Even If It's Not Working Right!

Luke 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

I have heard it said many times about someone..."she/he is heartless, she/he doesn't have a heart or she/he is just cold hearted". There have been times in my life that I have had to make decisions that seemed and even felt heartless but I found out yesterday that I have a heart, even if it isn't working right.

I have been having some problems with my heart for several months...I say it is "skipping" a beat. Technically, it is not actually skipping but doing things that I don't completely understand right now. I have found some great website that is helping me to understand., though.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

It would "skip" a beat when I was stressed, on certain cold medicines or sick but then it would go away...until the next time. However, over the past 4-5 months...it has started doing it more days that it didn't. I attributed it to be stressed at my job and all that goes along with it. But, lately, I've noticed that it does it even when I'm not working. I have reduced my hours from 40 hours a week to 20 hours a week for other reasons than my heart. Even though, I thought this would also benefit my heart as well, but it hasn't.

The past 2-3 weeks, it has been beating 2 beats and then "skipping" 1 beat...so every 3rd beat...it was messing up. There would be periods of time that it would beat regular for long stretch of time and then go back to beating irregularly.

We have a huge deductible on our insurance and being that I haven't meet any of it this year and it is the end of 2009...I didn't want to "burn" that kind of money. Our deductible starts all over January 1st, 2010...we don't have a 3 month carryover like some old policies used to. It is coming up on the Christmas season, money is already tight, I'm working half the hours that I have been working and I just couldn't afford to be out that kind of money right now. So, I've tried to hold off on going to the doctor until the first of the year.

Well, yesterday it was doing it constantly while I was at my desk working and I couldn't handle it anymore. I stopped what I was doing and went to our local walk-in clinic to see the nurse practitioner, Debbie. We had talked about it before when I was sick but it wouldn't do it while she was listening.

Yesterday, I prayed as I drove to the clinic that it would "act up" for her and she could hear what it was doing. It did it right on cue for her and she immediately ordered an EKG to record it before it stopped, which it never stopped doing it.

She explained it as irregular heartbeat with PVC (premature ventricular contractions) or extra heartbeat in the lower chambers of the heart. She said that when it is in the 2 upper chambers of the heart, it was normally caused by caffeine or nicotine. But, when it is the lower chambers of the heart, then it warranted investigating. I have done a lot of research since yesterday and unless, I have an underlying heart condition that I don't know about...this should be a minor situation but we will not know this for sure until further monitoring and testing.

She referred me to a renowned specialist. Dr. Porterfield, in electrophisiology and cardiology. I had asked her about a certain, highly recommended cardiac group in Memphis but she said that since this was the electrical make-up of the heart that the cardiac group would refer me out to this doctor anyway. She was trying to help avoid extra cost, testing and get an answer faster for my peace of mind.

Dr. Porterfield's office called me yesterday and got all my information from me. The originally had my appointment set for November 18th but after explaining our insurance situation to her. She said that she wanted to put me on hold and see if there was something else she could do for me. When she returned to the phone, she had discussed with Dr. P my history and physical information, symptoms, why I was referred and the EKG strips that I had done that morning, plus, she explained the insurance situation to him. She told him that I wanted to find out what is wrong with my heart but as cheaply as possible.

He ordered a 30 day "Event" monitor for me to wear at home. I will wear it only when I am at home and every time I feel an episode...I push a button and it will record and perform an EKG for 2-3 minutes. Then I have to call the nurse with the monitoring company, answer a few questions, transmit the readings to her. She will then, send the EKG to Dr. P's office for him to review. I have to do this every time it happens.

This is where I am struggling with this solution...it happens all day long and I will spend all day on the phone. Hopefully, after a few repeated episodes, they can change up the way or the number of times that I have to call and transmit.

My new appointment is December 16th. I was so thankful that Dr. P was willing to work with me on this. That said a lot to me about him and his office. If he were a greedy and/or if her were a uncompassionate person...he would have said "no, she needs to come in now and let us run all these test to see what is really going on"...but, he didn't.

I am trusting God with all my heart and my heart is in His hands. If he knows the number of hairs on my head (that keeps Him busy enough...I lose a floor full every morning) then this didn't catch Him off guard or by surprise.

Luke 12:7
And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail--even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries. (Message)

Regardless, of what happens with my heart today, this month, next month or next year...my hope and trust is in the Lord. Whatever comes my way...I will praise Him and thank Him for it. Nothing happens by chance and everything happens for a reason. I want to get all that I can out of this situation for my life. I want to live today like there will be no tomorrow because there might not be for any of us. And when it is my time to depart this earth...I am glory bound!

Psalm 112:7
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 12:25
An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up

Proverbs 15:13
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

I would never want to leave my family but nothing compares to the glory and splendor of Heaven and being in the very presence of God Himself! I am ready...are you?

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

A"mazing"

This is what my lawn looks like after the first few frosts of the fall. I love to watch the "maze" patterns that appear beginning with the first one. Each additional frost just adds more details in the patterns. It is really amazing to look at.

There are times that I feel this is what my life is like...one giant, confusing maze but the perfect "constant" in my life is Jesus Christ. He takes every step that I make, He is there when I think that I've hit a dead end, He turns me around and gently guides me back the right way and I never have to walk it alone because He is there with me.

In the little maze games we play...you know the plastic one with the tiny steel ball...there is a "prize" point that you aim for...one that says "I won", "I completed the task" and "I didn't let it defeat me".

Well, my "prize" in the maze that I call life is spending eternity with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ living in my mansion on streets of gold when this "crazy" life is over. It will be worth every wrong turn, every dead end...as long as I win the "prize" when it's all over.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Awwww...Still Basking In Yesterday

Yesterday was the best birthday that I've ever had. The day started out by getting to sleep in, which I did until 10 AM! I got up, ate bacon and eggs for breakfast, got on the computer for a little bit, my mom called, Roger came home...all before I could take my bubble bath.

I got my long, hot bubble bath, did my manicure and pedicure...then, hit the couch in my pjs to watch The Notebook. Now, I didn't take into account talking to family and friends on my birthday when I planned to watch chick flicks all afternoon...I only got one watched but it was so worth it.

My sweet friend, Simone came by and brought me a card with a pedicure gift certificate in it. Oh, yeah!!! I love her!

My other sweet and precious friends, Dorinda and Jackie wanted to take me to lunch but I was enjoying my bubble bath...so, hopefully, I will get a rain check on that. :-)

I finally got in the shower at 5 PM to get ready to go out to eat last night. Roger went and picked up the football boys for me and we left shortly thereafter.

We went to the Butcher Shop where that have amazing steaks! Yum, yum! I got the 16 oz. New York Strip, twice baked potato, salad and diet coke. Oh, my!!! Now, the other 1/2 of my steak is in the refrigerator for today's lunch.

Since I am not a big sweet eater...birthday cakes go to waste around here...so, I ordered a piece of New York cheesecake.

Needless to say...I came home stuff but completely satisfied and loving this birthday. Here are a few pictures that we took last night.

Plus, Roger and I are going camping this weekend while Tyler is at their Youth Discipleship Retreat at the same campground. Some time alone with my hubby is always nice and we are supposed to have gorgeous fall weather.

Thank you for all your wonderful birthday wishes yesterday! You guys are the greatest!













Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Feelings vs. Truth

In my absence from the blogging world these past week or so, I have been under a great deal of stress with things that are completely out of our control. However, even when we know that they are out of our control...they can still take control of us.

As hard I fought against the stress of the situations, the discouragement and minor depression began to creep in. Add the fact that we didn't see sunshine in Arkansas for over 2 weeks due to rain, rain, rain and very dark, dreary days...my mood was getting very dark.

When I get this way, I don't want to talk to anyone but of course, life continue to move on whether you do or not. You will be put in places and situations that you HAVE to put on a "happy face", smile, talk, laugh and act like all is well with the world...when in fact...IT ISN'T. I find myself doing this and hiding behind a "happy face" so the world doesn't know my business.

If you have never allowed a situation of life to control you, discourage you or cause you to enter into some level of depression...then, you might take your loved ones actions personal when they are not meant to be. When we are with our loved ones, our family, in our own home...we tend to be ourselves without the phony facade. If your loved ones don't understand what you are going through...they might be offended by your actions or lack of.

By Friday, I wasn't smiling but functioning day by day. When I was alone, I was deep in thought and the war was raging in my mind between what I was "feeling" and the truth.

I went to Jonesboro to take my oldest son, Brandon, his jacket and shirt he left at the house earlier in the week and this gave me plenty of time alone to just think.

During this entire "dry" time in my life, I have filled my mind with praise and worship music, prayer and some reading of the Word. I can't focus very well during this time to spend much time reading...so, I don't. I would go to bed at night with my iPod playing through my headphones...filling my sleep with praise and worship music. However, I would wake up the next day in the same "funk" as I went to sleep in.

Driving back from Jonesboro, I had a notebook with me, so I wrote down words that described how I was "feeling" that very moment. I started to scan the page and post it but too lazy to go do it...so, here is what I wrote down. As I was writing the words down on the left side of the page of how I was feeling, my thoughts would immediately go opposite and I wrote these down on the right side of the page.

Physical vs. Spiritual...Feelings vs. Truth

Beat down / My joy comes from the Lord

Great sadness / My hope is in Him

Overwhelmed / I put my trust in Him

Defeated / When I am weak, He is strong

Angry / Be angry and sin not

Hurt

Anxious / Be anxious about nothing

Minor Depression / I am more than a conqueror

Doubtful / Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean
not unto your own understanding

Tired & Drained / I will give you rest

Alone / I will never leave you nor forsake you

Emotionally dry / He is the fountain of living water

As my flesh was screaming out my weaknesses, my spirit was screaming out the Truth...God's Word.

Did I immediately feel better? No!

I sought the advice of a very dear friend, wise counsel, godly person that afternoon and they confirmed what I already knew. That there will be times in our lives that we go through dry spells, when we feel alone, that God is not there, when our prayers aren't being heard, when we feel there is no hope for our situation BUT, that is not the TRUTH. The truth is...God is actively working in my life, my family, my situation and He is still right there by my side and at times, He is carrying me when I am to weary to walk on my own.

This time, I didn't feel that my prayers weren't being answered or that God wasn't there with me but, I knew I was in a dry season. This is the biggest difference that I've seen in this time and other attacks from the enemy in the past.

It was confirmed to me that I knew the truth and I was refusing to buy into the lies of the enemy during this period of my life. Now, I just have to wait until my flesh grabs a hold of the truth.

By the way, I am feeling much better starting on Saturday. I still have my "quiet" moments but the joy of the Lord is returning to my flesh.

Nehemiah 8:10b
Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Psalm 33:20
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

II Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Psalm 39:7
"But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Hebrews 13:5b
God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Please pray for me as the stress has begun to affect my heart again. It is skipping beats more frequently and makes me tired easily.

THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Pure Joy!

There is so much going on in my life right now that I am very distracted, overwhelmed and a little gloomy. I keep blaming the weather...rain, clouds, dark and dreary days for my feelings but honestly, it is more than that and I know it. So, since my forum on this blog has always been honesty...then, here it is...I am battling a minor amount of depression. I can call it minor because I have suffered the major and this is no where near that. Nearly every time that I have ever battled with depression it has always been situational and this time is no different.

God is in control of all things and that includes my life, my situations, my problems and HE CARES ABOUT EACH ONE OF THEM!

I will post more later on some things that I can share but right now...I don't have the time nor energy to do so.

So...on a much lighter note. I wanted to share some pictures of my family with you. Most of these are of my youngest son, Tyler, who is 15 and in the 10th grade. He is playing high school football and is doing very well. In these pictures you will see a couple with my oldest son, Brandon and my mother...aka...Nanny. They both came to Tyler's last JV game this past Monday night.

It is nothing short of pure joy to have my family around me and I am filled with pride when I watch my son play football. I truly love my family with every fiber of my being.

Tyler is #12 in either the white jersey (away games) or the blue jersey (home games). This is several games combined together of both Friday night football (Varsity) and Monday night football (Jr. Varsity).

If you can't tell my these pictures and my photo tags....I love that boy and we are so proud of him.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Contentment

Contentment? Hmmmm....boy, have I been lacking in that area the past few days. For those of you who follow me on Facebook knows that I was struggling bad yesterday.

You see, I have a really hard time knowing that I have to work...a couple of times a year. In the spring and in the fall...I absolutely hate working. In the summer when it is in the 100's or in the winter when it's in the 30's....I don't mind at all. **YES, I'M THANKFUL FOR MY JOB AND MY WONDERFUL BOSSES....I'M NOT TAKING IT FORE GRANTED**

It started on Monday when it was absolutely gorgeous outside and I was stuck inside. I didn't deal with it right then and there but allowed it to fester and by yesterday...I was entering into full blown depression.

I have to be very careful during this couple times a year because I am so "unhappy" that my tongue will hurt others who are doing all they can for our family. I would come across ungrateful, selfish and probably spoiled. I am not saying that my tone, body language and attitude still doesn't say all of that but I am trying to not speak those exact words that are running through my mind.

When I get like this...I just want to be left alone and I don't want to talk to anyone. It is the safest place for me to be at the moment.

I love taking care of my family and devoting all my time and attention to them and our home. However, for me...I can't do it to my liking working a full-time job. I get very resentful when I start feeling like this.

I love to do all the housework, yard work, cooking, shopping and anything else that needs doing so my husband doesn't have to when he comes home from work. He is working two jobs...his regular job 5 days a week plus having to take call one week out of three. His second job is a part-time police officer in our town...which he loves. He works his full-time job and then goes to the PD for another 7-8 hours only to get up the next morning and do it again.

We use his PD check to save for vacations, home improvements and now a car for Tyler when he turns 16...which isn't far away.

We have looked at our finances, what we owe, our home and everything to see what we can get rid of so that I didn't have to work and there just isn't anything at this time. We desire things that we "want" to do that aren't "necessities" in life. These are new carpet in our home, vacation up the east coast, a car for Tyler that we can pay out right and a car for me the same month. We are striving to become debt free. Can we live without all these things? Absolutely!

All of that doesn't go hand in hand with me quitting work. I know this but it doesn't change the fact that I long too. I was a SAHM for 9 years and I loved every minute of it. I never got bored and I was at home, not out running around. I always had things to do to keep me busy. I loved it and I long so badly to be there again.

I have many friends, not all of them that don't have to work and that doesn't help either. Do I envy them? No, but I wish we had done things differently so that I didn't have to work.

I have gone over and over our 18 1/2 years of marriage and asked myself...what do you regret? What would you change if you could? There are only two things that I "regret" and would change if I could but....I CAN'T. I would have been more money conscious early in our marriage when my husband got big bonuses and I would have paid a vehicle off and kept driving it. We have had a car payment x 18 1/2 years. So, no sense crying over spilt milk but rather learn from your mistakes and don't do them again.

There are things that I will never regret and would do again regardless of the outcome. I don't regret taking the trips/vacations with my family that we have. They created memories that will last a lifetime...I would go on every one of them again. I don't regret buying our camper because it brings us so much pleasure, relaxation and more memories that we share with Tyler and our grandson, Mason. I hate having a camper payment but it is worth the sacrifice.

I began to pray last night for the Lord to help me to be content again with our lives and our situation. I work up this morning with a new attitude and a new determination to make the best of what I have.

You see, I have a great job. I work from home, with great, generous bosses but I just have to put the hours in and work to get it all done. So, why am I whining....because I don't want to even do that. But, that isn't an option, now is it? NO!

I was determined this morning to be creative and have the best of both worlds! So, as I type this...I am sitting outside on my patio, with my laptop, on a make shift desk, sitting under the umbrella and only squinting a little bit. I have my radio playing K-Love for the neighbors, a cool breeze, my Diet DP, my work, sunglasses on, my dog is out here with me and here's to a great day. Can't get much better than that...except, being unemployed! lol

I am learning once again to be content in whatever situation I find myself in.

Philippians 4:11-13
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. (12) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (13) I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

1 Timothy 6:6-8
But godliness with contentment is great gain. (7) For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. (8) But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.


Have a wonderfully blessed day!

I Am Finished!!!

Today is Day 39 of my weight loss program and yes, I am supposed to go 40 days but it has been a roller coaster week for me as far as weight loss. I've been up and down all week and whatever I might lose or possibly gain is not going to change the fact that I have to go another round anyway.

I am ready to eat again, but what I am really looking forward to is...taking my hormones again!!! lol

I have been waking up numerous times over the past few weeks with night sweats/hot flashes. They don't last long but it is enough to disturb your sleep. I get them during the day but not as bad as I do at night.

I have to continue the 500 calorie diet for 3 more days without the HCG and then I can eat what I want, when I want and as much as I want with the exception of sugars and starches for 3 more weeks. The final 3 weeks I get to add back my sugars and starches...little by little.

After the mandatory 6 week break, then I can go for round 2...might I add...the final round.

Check out these pictures and let me know what you think. I wore this shirt July 27th when we went to Florida on vacation and had the privilege of meeting my bloggy friends.

Debra and Kim...you will really appreciate these pictures. lol I am wearing the same shirt today as I did 52 days ago.

Can you see a difference? I sure can and it makes the sacrifices that I've had to make for the past 39 days...well worth it!!!





Have a wonderfully blessed day!