God Speaks...

It is Sat night, well actually Sun Morning and I really need to go to bed, but I am still just amazed at several things that happen in my life... Today, I did go see Jason Crabb at Dollywood. He did an awesome job and a really funny thing, was that he performed bare footed..said he didn't have time to get his socks and boots on when he heard his introduction... It was the first time I had ever saw him in person, I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't totally thrilled either. I do think he "performed", but in all fairness, that is what he was there to do. But overall, I was totally pleased that I got to see him...and really enjoyed the 45 minute concert. But anyway, wanted to say that he did sing several songs that I felt was for me. Jason also said, "Blessings do not depend on the opinions of people" Well, for some reason, this really stuck out to me too... After all I am going thru, God was speaking to me thru those songs and testimony...and then to top it off, I ran into one of my friends down there and shared a little with her about life's troubles and she said, "Well, isn't it funny how that God can get us humble, sometimes"...This totally caught my attention. I have had a peace in the last day that I can't explain...no, the problems are not gone, but several things have come my way that I just feel like is God speaking to me, giving me reassurance that He is still in control. I have picked up the Bible several nights and just opened it, praying for something to be there to help me, and do you know what the verse was the first night? Our problems are under His feet. Wow! What a consolation...that has helped me thru this week. The next night, was a scripture about, and I can't quote it, but it was saying how that God's mercy was upon a person. Right now, I need God's mercy so bad...

Sneak Peak at Mohawk Memories Photography

http://blog.mohawkmemoriesphotography.com/?p=160#comment-81

Here is the link to 2 more sneak peaks of Morgan and Lukas..she did a great job!!! I am so thrilled and want to work 90 hours a week so I can buy them all!! LOL
Anyway, go check them out!

Mi Amigos

Here is a picture of the girls I used to trabajas (work) with at the clinici in Morristown. I miss these gals and all thier culture lessons.. Lupe, Ana, me and Judi

Photo shoot by Mohawk Memories

A lady at school was having a "photo party" and I went and took the kids...you got a 20 minute session with all the different poses you want.... she is on her way to posting more, but go check out this link and scroll down to Morgan and Lukas...

http://blog.mohawkmemoriesphotography.com/?paged=2
I really thought it brought out thier fun personalities...and Lukas' dimple is shining...too cute!
I hope I am not in the mood to spend money when I see the final proofs... She is working on more tonight and will have more of us posted later, I will send a link...

This week...

Monday, Morgan had volleyball practice till 5pm, Lukas had to be at football field at 4:45pm...Morgan then had a birthday party to go to at the park at 6pm...She ended up walking with a bunch of her friends to the park...Lukas won his ballgame by 2 points. It was a really good second half. He played the Vikings. They are a real challenge this year. I tried to mow some with the push mower when I got home. Accomplished a little, then it was too dark to see.
Tuesday, Morgan had a hormonal breakdown early in the morning...mostly because I had told her that her duffel bag was not to be used as a book bag and the strap came loose as she was going up the steps to catch the bus...well, this was icing on the cake, because she had already gotten up with only 30 minutes to get ready for the bus. Tom had told me last night that he couldn't take the kids this morning, so I went up and set her clock for 5:30 and her phone for 6:00...still she didn't get up.
So after having a screamin fit, saying "Why does my life have to be this way??? I can't handle it" I just told her to come back inside and I motioned for the bus to go on. (then all day I worried about Lukas, since he was on the bus expecting the driver to wait on her) But, I left Morgan with Mom and Jaida and she had a day to rest. Lukas had practice this afternoon and Morgan actually went to sleep in the car while I studied my Intro to Psychology.
Wednesday, Tom called and said he was working the floor at the nursing home and if would be great if I could come in and work from 4pm-7pm...Morgan has practice this afternoon, so I picked up Lukas from school and this is what I done...got the Pal's on the way home to eat, since it was almost 8pm.
Thursday, I am so tired and I go straight home after having a bad day...chest pressure-wise, worried, and I get Morgan's fuzzy blanket and lay on my bed and doze off to sleep...Lukas comes home in about 10 minutes, but he doesn't wake me, although I hear him come in....then I wake up at 4:20 to take him to football practice. Morgan is gone to her game on the bus with the school. It was too far away and she isn't playing much on varsity anyway, so I didn't go.
At football practice, I can't go back to sleep in the car, so I read..I am reading Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks so I read some...Tom comes, which ends up not being a good idea at all. I go to the nursing home to take Lukas to see Tom since he has to work graveyard, which will make him working 24 hours, I go get him something to eat and decide to just work a little since I have to wait in town for Morgan to get back from her game...(they won) come home and can't sleep because of chest pressure and caffiene!!! Talk to Tom on the phone for a little while, then I toss and turn all night..
Friday, plan on going to the Cherokee Ballgame tonight since it is homecoming and the kids are saying all thier friends will be there...
Saturday, plan on going to Dollywood since Jason Crabb will be there in concert....

Word for the day

CHANGE

"to become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's self or its former characteristics or essence."

I usually like change... I hate change...so what are my thougths on change? Change happens and for the most part, I can handle new situations. But lately, new situations are NOT what I need. I do not need change. I need stability. I need the comfort that comes from stability. The definition above is correct, but this time, I think I have lost myself. I think I am not changing very well this time. I am at fault for it all. I am the one who grabbed change by the horns and took it. I do not like change. Sometimes, change is for the better, not this time. I don't think I need to change. Things were fine the way they were. well, not really, but it wasn't change. It was the same. What made me think I wanted change? I am changed, forever, and I will never be the same. I never want change again. I want the same. I want to be assured that things are the same...forever... CHANGE..right now, I hate it.

Back to School Test...

I forgot to mention that I took my COMPASS test for admittance into Walters State Comm. College to at least start working on my RN. I will most definitely have to have some kind of financial assistance, but I am praying this will all work out... so how did I do? I ended up having to take two remedial math classes, (Alg 1 and Alg 2) which is not surprising to me...cause I can't do that stuff, so I need taught! I did pass the English, Reading and Writing part... YA!!!!
I cannot register until the spring session, so that will be in Jan. 09...so in the meantime, I am gonna try to CLEP out of several tests...right now I am working on Intro to Psychology. Will keep you posted!

Cifford, the Big Red Dog

Guess who this is???!!! Guess who had a blast???

Scattergories

Using the first letter of my first name to complete the category...harder than it looks
WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Sherry

BOY NAME: Samuel

GIRL NAME: Samantha

OCCUPATION: School Nurse

A COLOR: salmon

SOMETHING YOU WEAR: scrubs

FOOD: sour krout

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: soap

REASON FOR BEING LATE: slothful

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: shut up

SOMEPLACE TO TRAVEL TO: Spain

My first CPR episode.

First, let me say, it definitely was an experience! I had heard people talk of what happens in CPR, heck, I even am a CPR instructor. I teach the class...and, I have seen it done in the ER with a healthy man on a stiff ER table....but nothing had prepared me for the experience I had last evening. Pressing on the chest of an old, debilitated body was nothing like compressing on the "Annie" dummy. So, here's the story..
I am at work, I hear someone yell, "Call it, Call the code" When I noted that it was my patient, I took off to the room...Another nurse had beat me there, and she immediately started CPR. As I stood and attempted to ask the resident if he was okay, I hear his ribs cracking....I expected that, but really didn't expect to "hear" them. She compressed about 4 times, and stepped away to reach the ambu bag...I start in compressing... I totally expected the bones to be already broken and no more to break...Unfortunately, I was wrong...Each time I compressed, I felt the bones crack and break, numerous times underneath the pressure. It was literally like I was crushing the person's bones into a million pieces!!!! I know, this is harsh, but after about 4 compressions, the other nurse was back and said, Sherry, do you want me to relieve you? I say, "yes, please...I have never done this before..!" I didn't have time to think of the feelings I was having, as I continued the ambu bag, and other things waiting on the EMS. When they arrived, they hooked him up to the defibrillator...I thought, oh my gosh, am I gonna be able to watch this?? Am I gonna be able to watch as his body comes off the bed???? When they say all clear, I am thinking, okay, do I look or turn away?? What do I do??? Fortunatly, they had some sort of rhythmn so I didn't have to see that... But I will tell you a funny part...they asked for a suction machine... so I ran out the door to get them one from our crash cart...came back in, wasn't in the room for no more than 1 minute and they asked for a different tip for the suction...so, I ran back out to get it, was looking up the hallway, grabbed for the drawer to pull it open, and already had my body in a backward motion when I realized that the cart had been moved... so down I went, right on my butt in the middle of the hallway....It was totally hilarious!!!

Sitting, Relaxing with my Ipod

Last night, Tom was at work...he had to work till about 10:30....I was stressed...just because things weren't in my control...(imagine that!!!?) (BTW, Tom always says I have a problem going to plan B, but that is a whole other story) Anyway, the kids had went on to bed...Morgan went at 7:30 and Lukas went to bed at 8:00pm...they were totally worn out...I could clean house...nope, too stressed...I could make up bed...nope, gonna sleep in it soon...I could watch TV... nope, nothing on that interests me...So, I grab my Ipod and slip out the door...It is about 70 degrees outside so I plug in my ipod and lean back in the chair and listen...and look at the sky... saw millions on millions of stars..the sky was black with white dots...beautiful!!!! I saw several planes go by and wondered who was on them..how many people were in the sky above my head...where were they going? What were they thinking...
Listened to music...some praise and worship music...looked at the creation and what God had created...
Needless to say, I wasn't stressed anymore...who cares if I am not in control of things...I don't need to let it bother me!!!!!

Defense...

Lukas got a call from his coach the other night after practice...but he was already in the bed, so I took the message...He made me proud...Coach said that Lukas had done a great job during tackling drills today and that he was showing improvement over last year (he played tight end) and that more than likely he had earned him a place on defense...
now, I asked Tom what this meant, cause even though I know quite a bit about football, I wondered how this ranked....obviously, your defense is a good "side" to be on...I mean, you are stopping the other team, right....? Anyway, made Momma proud!

The Little Lover...

I think of the little rascals and can see Alfalfa saying "I'm a lover, not a fighter" when I think about Lukas and his actions this past weekend...
First off, you should know that he spends more time in front of the mirror than Morgan does... his clothes has to be "stylin" and he takes great pride in how he looks in the mornings...so...with that said, at the football game Friday night, he and Tom went to the Cherokee ballgame... he let Lukas go a couple of risers down to sit with friends. The next thing you know, Lukas has one girl sitting at his side and ONE ON HIS LAP!!!!!!!! WHAT!!!??? Tom says he just kept watching them....but never said anything to him...
He says he is dating a girl at school also. I noted on his homework that he had a little booklet that asked about what he liked most about school. He put "all my friends, and that I am dating one of them."
Then, last night, we were talking about his day and he is speaking of the girl that was sitting on his lap and he says, "every time I looked at her, she was just smiling this little smile...she was cracking me up."
The boy acts just like his DADDY!!!!!!!

School Started...

Well, back to the old routine....it consists of...

Finally getting back in a routine
Early alarm clocks (four goes off in our house each morning)
Football practice
Volleyball practice
Lukas shower each night
Morgan shower each morning
Cook supper or not???
Homework
Sign Homework folders
Get snacks for the day each morning
Spelling words
Math facts
State Capitals
Lunch money
Read AR books!
New friends, old faces
New schedules
Tired all the time
Rushed weekends!

I AM A GREAT AUNT!!!!

Great Aunts are supposed to be old! They are supposed to be very old...remembering the civil war or World War I....I mean, not a lot of people have great aunts...I think I did when I was little...I remember Aunt Sally on my Dad's side...I had a few others, but I only vaguely remember their names and sure don't remember what they look like! I have 2 great aunts still alive on my mother's side...but like I said, they are historic...well, anyway...
Sierra had her baby yesterday...she is fine and he is beautiful....his name is Lofton (SP?) Xavier Looney...what a pretty name...

Thoughts I want to share of other Pastors Wives...

" Being married to a Pastor has it’s challenges but it also has a multitude of blessings. It is a humbling thing to be married to a man of God who is called to shepherd the people of God. To come along side of him as his helpmeet, to encourage, to pray for, to lift him up in prayer and serve the Almighty God together. Although there are times of trial, being married to a Pastor has been one of the greatest blessings of my life."
This is exactly how I feel...she said it great!


"Pastors may feel prepared for the lifestyle, but, says one study, 84% of wives don't. "I had no clue how to be a pastor's wife," says Amy Andrews, 32, a mother of two in Rochester, N.Y. After nine years, "I still don't." (from a TIME mag article)

I thought I knew what it was like to be a Pastor's wife...I mean, I had lived all my life in a Pastor's home! What else could there be?? Well, I NEVER had an idea!!!! I mean, what really strikes me most is the Mother Hen feeling that me and Tom have toward the church...we don't want anyone to hurt them or destroy them. When God used the word 'Shepherd', it was totally true...cause I can't imagine how much more that Tom feels like this...

My B/P today...

Is 145/104...wow..really healthy there, Sherry! Don't fuss! I am starting on a new medication tonight! I know, I am a nurse and I should know better!!! Well, like I said, I am taking care of it! I do have a headache!!!

OMG, He really CARES about ME!!!

I have had a few very "away from God" weeks in the past month...thoughts running rapid thru my mind of evil things, people distracting me from the Christian way, and I had gotten pretty low....so low, in fact, that Tom even commented on my "God relationship". Well, as alot of you know, if Tom tells me something that I know is true,but don't want him to comment on, I am gonna either die trying to deny it or try to fix whatever is wrong...well, it just frustrates me in myself that Tom would say anything....Anyway, I had this problem, went to Bible study and asked for prayers...and obviously someone got ahold of God for me...On last Thurs night,I grabbed a devotional book beside my bed and started to read...it spoke of how if you continue to do something even when your conscience is telling you "No", that eventually it will quit bothering you...(well, I knew that, but you know how it is when you want to do something and try every way to justify) On Friday, I opened the Bible to read a scripture and Man, oh Man, did that hit home also!!!! I mean wow!!! Was this God talking or what??? So I started thinking on Sunday morning as I awoke, how good God was to care about me and even take the time to remind me of where I was wrong...well, then, as I got to Sunday School, we were late, of course, I walked in and the teacher was teaching once again, exactly on the scripture I read on Friday...His last statement really got me...no matter what you do, it will not affect only you! It will affect everyone around you...Talk about God REALLY speaking to me...so now I am thinking how awesome He is!! I mean, he took the time to Show me...a person who should already know... that He cares for me...Tom's message on Sunday night was especially for me too... it made me realize that it was just the Devil tempting me and trying to get me to fail and no matter what, I can make it!!! So, I feel really honored....you know, people can tell you all your life that God cares for you, but when you realize it in ways like this, it means soo much!

Old Woman at Hollister

This is sooo unimportant, but I thought it was weird...ok, so I am at the Mall at Hollister switching an item and they have two cash registers side by side...at the other register, beside me, there is this old woman who is at least 65 with a bottle of cologne...she has a receipt and claims that she purchased the cologne there yesterday and when she got it home, it was half used...the cashier confirmed that it had indeed been opened and scanned a new bottle...that is when it showed up on the screen that it was the wrong receipt...it wasn't even the same kind of cologne she had with her...now, go make up your own reasoning behind this...did she know that?? Had grandson set her up??? what exactly was her story???!!!!!

Doing my civic duty.../Donating blood

I actually went to the nursing home today and gave blood...first time I have ever gave blood...it seems that a nurse should have done this before, and I have wanted to for a long time, but it never was convenient...so, I figured that this time I would make time and just go....So I did...usually needles don't bother me and I was actually reading Lukas' T-cap grades and it did hurt, but I didn't look...I usually watch the stick...but didn't watch this time just because...so anyway, I did look down right before she took the needle out and it literally freaked me out!!!!! I think it was bigger than an 18 gauge!!! Does any of you medical people know what size needle is used??? I mean, this needle was bigger than a pencil lead!!!!! HUGE!!!! I am glad I didn't look before she stuck me or I would have passed out.