Still Here!

My goodness.  I can't believe it's already been three weeks since my last post!  I'm so sorry for leaving you all without notice like that. As you probably guessed, blogging just hasn't been on my list of priorities these past couple of months... :-)

  First off, I thought I would let you all know that my dad is doing much better this year than he was this time last year. Praise the Lord! He's now had a total of four Tysabri treatments (once every four weeks) and each time he seems to do a little better. He hasn't had an exacerbation since the beginning of last November, which is a HUGE blessing from the Lord. His main trouble right now would probably be with his memory/his ability to remember things when he needs to. As far as motor skills go, he is doing extremely well. Sometimes I forget just how far he's come in the last few months. To think about how differently things were last summer-fall honestly gives me the chills. I could never thank God enough for faithfully sustaining my Daddy and my family during that time. :)

Psalm 145

"I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation commends your works to another;

they tell of your mighty acts.

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They tell of the power of your awesome works—

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

The LORD is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.

All your works praise you, LORD;

your faithful people extol you.

They tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might, so that all

people may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through

all generations.

The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises

and faithful in all he does.

The LORD upholds all who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The LORD is righteous in all his ways

and faithful in all he does.

The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

The LORD watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever."



Laughing w/ Dad and being silly on my 18th birthday. :)

Oh-so-very-thankful.

Choosing Courtship

 

My family was introduced to the idea of courtship quite a few years ago through the stories and testimonies of other Christian couples.  During that time we all agreed it was definitely the route to go and through the years found several good resources concerning the topic.  Some of my favorite books include I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris along with his other book Boy Meets Girl (Say Hello to Courtship) and Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally.  On my 13th birthday I made the committment to remain physically, emotionally, and spiritually pure not only for my future husband, but for my parents and most importantly for my Lord Jesus Christ.  As a teenager I always knew I would never have a "boyfriend".  Rather, I would wait until the season of life when I was ready to be married before any kind of relationship would ever begin. On my 16th birthday I decided to have dinner with my parents in order to spend that time further discussing what all we believed exactly in regards to courtship.  It was at that time that I made the committment to steadfastly pray for my future husband, with the realization that God intends for a prospective wife of noble character to bring her husband good, not harm, all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:12)  Since then I have remained content in fulfilling the callings God has placed on my life by serving my family at home.  I've always known and trusted that if it was the Lord's will for me to someday marry, then He alone would be responsible for writing my love story.  This was something I determined to leave in His hands in order to avoid involving my own self at all.  I even prayed for Him to make me completely "oblivious" and "unaware" of the young man who would someday become my husband until just the appropriate time.  I didn't want to deal with the struggles of fantasizing over 'every Godly guy' that came my way prior to that, and it was important to me that my love not be awakened until it so desired. (Song of Solomon 2:7, 3:5, 8:4)  In other words, it's been my prayer that the Lord would keep my heart guarded and that He would prevent me from ever prematurely romanticizing in any kind of way.  ...And that prayer still stands today! ;-)

"Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:

do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires."

Song of Solomon 8:4

It's the *Greatest* and *Busiest* Time of Year...

Which explains the lack of posts around here! 

So, what things have I been up to? 

Well, here are a few...

(Did I seriously just make all that rhyme?

That was totally un NOT intentional! lol)

#1

Watching Christmas movies.

This was the most recent:

↑ 

You gotta love these 'wise guys'!


#2

Drinking hot chocolate.

But I have such a hard time choosing which brand of instant cocoa is better! 

OR

I just can't decide!

#3

Reading the TRUE Christmas story

. . . and singing Christmas songs!

Luke 2 and Matthew 1 are read and re-read quite often during this time of year. :)

And some of my favorite Christmas songs include:

• What Child is This?
• O Come, O Come Emmanuel
• Silent Night
• O Holy Night
• Away in a Manger

    And many more! ;-)

#4

Last-minute prep for our church's outdoor drama performance!
.

For the past three years our family has participated in our church's annual Christmas drama on the life of Jesus Christ. However, this year we didn't sign up because we knew we wouldn't be able to fully commit with Dad's health issues. That is, until we found out last Saturday that there were still a few roles that needed to be filled! So... Shelly, Eliza, and I have joined in pretty much at the last minute. Yesterday was our very first practice--and the program is this weekend! Needless to say, we have a LOT to figure out between now and Saturday evening. :)



A scene from last year's drama -- 2009. 
I'm Mary, Shelly is the middle angel on the left,
and Eliza is the middle angel on the right. 
(Sorry... Had to blur our faces! :)



Oh! And I bet you'll NEVER guess what roles we're playing this year.

We're 'disguising' as three of the twelve disciples!!

...Shh!  It's a secret. ;-D

..

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Well, I hope you enjoyed seeing some of what I've

been up to lately. Have a blessed Thursday, everyone!

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*Cough* *Sniffle* *Cough*

All last week I was sick with a terrible sore throat, fever, and congestion.  Yuck!  My mom and Sister #1 both had it a couple of weeks before, so I guess I was next in line. :)  I was able to visit the doctor's office on Thursday and tested positive for strep throat.  I've been on antibiotics since then and today feel SO much better.  Praise the Lord! 

There's nothing like being sick to help put things in better perspective for you.  It sure makes me realize just how easily I take my good health for granted.  There's always a reason to give thanks to God, and today I'm thanking him for my health. :)

"My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  Proverbs 4:20-23

*So happy*

Dear friends, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all is well with you today!  (My paraphrase from 3 John 1:2 :)  Have a blessed week!

These Days ...

• I'm spending lots of time with my Daddy. 

I didn't realize just how much of each day I spend sitting around with my Dad, until he and my mom left for appointments all day Tuesday.  It was then that I realized after finishing my daily "tasks" that I had nothing to do.  I was so bored and couldn't figure out why it seemed like the day was dragging on.  Typically, it's the other way around and I feel like I'm trying to sqeeze in all my responsibilities and ideas for the day before its over.  So thanks for always keeping me occupied, Daddy! --Or maybe it's the other way around. ;)

• When I'm not with Dad, I'm spending time with Mom. :D

I've always enjoyed talking to my mom about everything.  We spend a lot of time together discussing our struggles, things that need to get done and how to do them, things that God has been showing us lately, or even what we're going to make for dinner that night, etc.  We really do talk about everything!  I'm so thankful for the closeness of our relationship.  It's so nice to really have a best friend you can tell everything to.  And that's exactly what she is to me! 

• I'm getting ready to start my homeschool Senior year.

                                                         ...And I can't wait to say this ↓  :D

I've been planning out my schedule and workload for the next school year, and I'm getting really excited about the prospect of graduating from "highschool".  I plan to start this year's curriculum the first week in September... That's only two weeks away! 

• I'm Driving

^ And here's the proof. :D

I've been doing quite a bit of driving around the area lately.  Whenever we need to make a grocery run or go on a few errands, I take the opportunity to add some hours to my time "behind the wheel".  I still only have my permit so one of my parents has to be sitting in the passenger seat, but I'm working on finally getting my license.  It's just a matter of time...... :)

• I'm about to complete my plan for reading through the Bible in a year...

For the second time!  I first took the challenge of reading my entire Bible through the course of a year in January of 2008.  I learned a lot through that year and was able to stick with the reading plan and finish in January of 2009.  ...A huge accomplishment for me!  For the next few months I enjoyed reading at my own pace.  Not until September did I feel the need to start following the plan again for three reasons: 

1. 
   
   Honestly, there were days when I failed to read my Bible at all because it simply didn't cross my mind.  With following the reading plan I was motivated to dig into Scripture every single day.  
2. 
   
   I remembered reading about a man who was in his 10th year of reading through the entire Bible.  Once he would finish, he would start all over again!  I decided there really wasn't a reason why I shouldn't continue reading through the whole Bible either.  Doing so would only be beneficial! :)
3. 
   
   Like I said in the beginning, I felt led to do it!

I'm excited about finishing, but of course that won't really be the end. ;)  I have so much more to gain in knowledge and depth of insight... I will continue reading until the day I die!  Or until Jesus comes back to get me.  Either one. :)

So there you have it!  That's an overall look at what I've been up to lately.  :)  I hope you enjoyed reading.  Have a blessed day everyone!

Time For Some Catching Up!

Oh, wow...

Has it really been OVER a week since my last post?!? I guess it has! Sorry about that. :) I thought I would spend this post catching up on everything that's been going on.

.............................................

Last week... a friend of mine {her name is Emma} came to visit. She lives over an hour away (where we used to live) so she stayed with us the entire week. Every summer we make plans to see each other, and since she already has her license (*chuckle* --still working on mine!) this year it was her turn to come see me! ;) There are at least 4 things we typically do every summer.

#1 - Play cards. California Speed & Nertz are our all-time favorites. ;)

#2 - Go swimming. (In some form or fashion.) In the past we've gone to water parks and even jumped off docks into the lake, but this year we had to settle for something a little less extravagant: the pool in my backyard. :D

#3 - Go to the movie theater. In 2007 we saw Fantastic Four 2. I don't remember what we saw in 2008, but last year we saw Race to Witch Mountain and this year we saw the new movie Inception. (It was pretty good. Except for some unnecessary profanity. Argh!)

And last but not least...

#4 - Make cupcakes!! :D

Emma loved wearing my *fabulous* cupcake apron...

which fit in just perfectly for the occasion! ;)

These are our colorful creations... :)

Anyway, we had a really nice time together. Maybe next summer *I* can drive up to her house for a visit. ;D

..................................................

Now onto this week...

Monday I went with my parents to several different appointments for my Dad. In between appts. we made a stop at a nearby Bass Pro Shops store. Mom agreed to take Dad there as long as he would comply to using his wheelchair once inside. Of course, he did. ;) I ended up buying him a new Bass Pro cap, and I even got one for myself. :D

Tuesday there were no appts. scheduled, so Mom decided to use that opportunity to take Sisters #2 and #3 to see a movie with Dad.

They saw Despicable Me.

And of course, my sisters loved it! :)

Wednesday I had to go with my parents to Dad's speech and physical therapy at the rehab center, because I had an appointment with my orthodontist afterwards... Ah, the dreaded dentist.

(Not my picture)

I haven't mentioned this on my blog before, but I finally got braces put on last May. I missed my June and July appointments, but Mom was finally able to call and reschedule. ...I forgot how much I appreciate being able to eat and chew food without any pain! lol Now my mouth is very sore, but it should be feeling better in a couple of days. :)

................................................

Today I stayed home with my little sisters while Sis #1 went with Mom and Dad for more speech and physical therapy at the rehab. Dad is still doing well. His trouble with being able to find the right words when speaking is still a bit of an issue, but he doesn't seem to have a problem with being confused anymore. Praise God! Please keep praying for us as we are about to make a decision on what method of treatment we need to use. We only want to be obedient to the Lord's will and whatever He has planned for Dad--whether that be a certain diet, MS drug, etc. Either way, we know that ultimately his healing will be from the Lord. :)
Alrighty! I think that about sums up these past two weeks for me. I thought I would end this post with a Bible verse of praise to the Lord...

"The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory... Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD."
Psalm 102:15, 18

Praise the Lord! :)

I hope you all have been enjoying a lovely week. God bless!

Before I Go...

... I have a few more awards to post! Since there are so many of them and I don't have much time, I think I'm going to do what Lindsay did in her post and skip out on the tag portions that are supposed to be included. ...I hope that's okay with everybody! :) Also, I'm going to "officially" tag anyone who hasn't been awarded with one of these yet!

1.

...........................................................................
The Best of Friends Award

............................................................................


From...

Liz Darcy & Eden!

2.

.............................................................................
The Beautiful Blogger Award

..............................................................................

From...

Leah & Lindsay!

3.

............................................................................
The Sweet Friend Award

............................................................................

From...

Eden & Liz Darcy!

4.

............................................................................
The Faithful Commenter Award

.............................................................................

From...

Lindsay!

5.

............................................................................
The Prolific Blogger Award

............................................................................

From...

Lindsay & Liz Darcy!

6.

..............................................................................

The Lemonade Stand Award

...............................................................................

And lastly,

but certainly not least,

this one is from...

Eden!

~

Wow, thank you so much to every

one of you girls for thinking of me!
I love the awards and I really do

appreciate all the sweet things you

mentioned about me in your posts.
Thank you! :)

~

Now...

It's time for me to go! I won't be posting here or using the Internet again for an entire month. I'm going to miss you all! But, I have to admit I'm looking forward to all the time that my family will be spending together as we read and study God's word. :)

I pray that you all have a wonderful

and blessed start to Summer! =)

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Photo credit: Taken & edited by me. :)

Just So You Know...

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that as of this Friday I will be taking at least a month-long break from blogging. :) Our family has started a study on Biblical holidays together and we're really excited to learn more about the significance of Christ behind Jewish feasts and festivals celebrated in the Bible. The holiday that is coming up next on the Jewish calendar is Pentecost, which occurs during the month of Sivan. So, we've decided that we'd like to fast from all electronics for the month of Sivan (which starts this Friday) and spend more quality time with each other and studying God's word. :) There is so much to learn about and we're really ready to dig in! I know this will honestly be a much-needed break for us all. (I'm sure once we start we'll realize just how much of our days are spent using some kind of electronic device! :) I don't think it will be too difficult of a challenge, but I am definitely going to miss reading everyone's posts for the next month... I always enjoy logging into my blogger dashboard and finding new updates! ;)

Anyway, I'm planning on writing at least one more post before I go. (I have a few more tags and awards I need to do! :) So this won't be the last time you hear from me. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up!

I hope that you are all enjoying your week. Have a blessed day!

Some Fun with Family...

Hi everyone! I hope you all have been enjoying your week. I know I have. :)

Last Friday my mom's brother and some of his family came down to visit and we had a really great time while they were here! This morning we all got up bright and early (6:30am) and said our "good-byes" and "I-love-you's" and then watched as they drove away. :( It's always sad when it's time to say goodbye, but we were so glad that we got to visit with them! (The last time we saw them was in 2007.) The only regret, though, is that two of my cousins weren't able to be here this time because they are both working and one of them is a sophomore in college now... My, how time flies!

Anyway, I thought I might share a few pictures that I took while they were visiting... :)

Here's an interesting shot I got of my Mom while she

was preparing dinner for all the family last night. :)

.

(I was really doing a test shot with my camera sitting on

its stand on the table, because we wanted to get a group picture

with everyone later on. It ended up turning out really great! ;)

Now here's Sis #1 and our cousin again.

(Yes... they're using a broken desk chair as their "table"! lol)

The three of us stayed up until about 2:00 each night

playing card games and watching movies. We had

a whole lot of fun together!

Here's my uncle fishing in our pond. :)



(Yes, they're playing ping-pong on our dining room table! :D)


And here they are jumping into our swimming pool
with Sisters #2 and #3...

Can you believe that they actually went swimming in April?!

The water was FREEZING cold and the pool wasn't as

clean as it should've been, but that sure didn't stop them!

They had a blast anyway. :)

(I love how the trees are all turning green again! It looks

so much nicer that way. :)

And here is Ty. :)

He was SO happy to have a boy that would play with

him while they were here. He just loves running around

outside and none of us will ever do it with him!

----------------------------

Well... I hope you enjoyed the pictures! I wanted to give y'all a quick "sneak-peak" from our lovely week and weekend. :) We really did have a wonderful time with our family and I'm so glad they came. We have LOTS of fun memories of when all of us cousins were younger, and now that we're all getting older I'm cherishing the times we have together more and more. Hopefully it won't be too long before we see each other again, though! ;)

Have a blessed rest-of-the-week, everyone!

This is Sis #1 and our cousin playing "War"!

A "Pictorial" Explanation...

For not posting in almost a week! :)

Hi, everybody! I can honestly say that the past couple of weeks have been two of the craziest weeks I've experienced in all my 17+ years. :) We finally started the full therapy/diet and our days are now busier than ever. It includes making juices at least every hour (in the morning it's more often) and also preparing meals that take a lot more time and effort than they used to... among many other things. I must say it's been a challenge for us all. It's difficult finding enough time to get much else done throughout the day, therefore we are having to learn to work in shifts. We made a schedule for ourselves to keep up with what has to be done and when (including our chores, schoolwork, etc.) but it needs a little adjusting. The first week I tried waking up at 6am and finishing my schoolwork by 8am which is when we have the first juice and our breakfast... Well, by the time the afternoon rolled around I was just exhausted! So I really need to figure out a new way to get my school accomplished. Hmm...

Anyway, after our first juice of the day (which is our yummy orange juice) comes the awful and dreaded...

Green juice! It includes:

Romaine lettuce, bell pepper, apple, chard, endive,

escarole, & red cabbage.

The next juices are the tolerable...

Carrot and carrot/apple juices!

Which obviously include carrots and apples!

All three of these juices are then used throughout the day.

After each juice we end up with lots of pulp which has

to be thrown in a bucket outside because we recently found that

just throwing it all in the trash can inside makes it WAY too

heavy to carry out. :)

Now, here are a few vegetables we use to cook for our meals quite often...

Broccoli

(It's a family favorite now!)

Fresh Garlic

Leeks


Onions

Celery Root

(I had no idea that was edible. lol!)

Potatoes

Tomatoes

And occasionally we even get...

Yes!

Organic chocolate bars for each of us girls. :)

What a YUMMY treat!

Thank you SO much, Mommy & Daddy!

The last juice we make is at 7pm and that's also when we have dinner.

By the time we get get everything cleaned up, we're ready for some relaxation! :D For me that often includes watching a movie, reading a book, getting on the computer, reading my Bible, and going to sleep. :)

We're starting to get used to this whole thing now, and it's actually been going pretty well. At first I worried because I didn't understand how we'd ever make it through a day, but the Lord has been sustaining us with the energy to get it accomplished. I know that it's definitely worth all the time and effort. We're already seeing some good results with my Dad's health, which is a praise! Please pray that things will only continue to improve and not worsen. It's easy to start worrying, but we are always reminded to trust in the Lord with all our hearts. He is still in control! :)

Thank you so much for your prayers, everyone! I hope you've been having a wonderful week!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him

and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

Picture credit: Google Images

Ah, Spring is in the Air!

And I have pictures to prove it. ;D

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~~~~~

~~~~~

~~~~~

I'm so thankful for this lovely spring weather. It helps to make my days so much more enjoyable! :) Don't you just love it? ...I hope you're all enjoying it as well!! ~ Have a blessed Friday, everyone!


All photos taken by: Me. :)