Last night as I was getting ready for bed, my hip went out. I have been telling Seth that I will need a hip replacement by the time I'm 40 and I'll have full alzheimer's by the time I'm 50. I would hate to be right.
Occasionally, as I am out shopping, my hip will go out. I suddenly can't move and I have to do a couple of high knee bends to get it back working again. Last night's hip issue was completely different. I felt it slide out of place almost....I can't really describe it. There was no popping sound, just sudden pain and I couldn't move. I couldn't put my weight on my right leg. I felt like my leg bone was completely out of the hip socket which I'm sure is not actually the case. I pulled myself into bed and carefully layed down. I couldn't believe how much my hip hurt and I wasn't sure if I would be able to sleep.
Well, I didn't sleep great. I woke every time I needed to turn over and carefully rolled into a position that was somewhat comfortable. It was painful. Finally, I woke up wondering what time it was, if my alarm would be going off soon. I reached back to check my phone but that was too painful so I adjusted my position a bit. I had 9 mintues left. Could I wait it out? I tried. My hip just hurt lying there. I needed to get up move around, find out how bad it really hurt. So I grabbed my phone and keys, picked up Seth's work clothes for today, and carefully got out of bed.
Surprisingly, I was able to put weight on it. The more I walked the better it felt. I went upstairs and eventually sat on the couch. But I immediately stood back up. It hurt to sit. It hurt to lie down. It didn't hurt as much to stand or walk. So for the next couple minutes I paced the living room, working my hip to see if it would feel better. Seth finally got up and asked what was going on. I just told him my hip hurt. He told me to take ibuprofin but I would be too stubborn.
He's right. I don't take medicine unless I'm practically dying. My hip wasn't killing me, but it was certainly interfering with my normal daily activities. I sat in my computer chair and it wasn't too bad but I couldn't sit long. I paced some more, went back downstairs, came back up, sat on the couch, but moving was definitely the best thing for it. Seth left for work and left me to my regular day.
I sat down on the edge of the couch and opened up my devotional book. I am currently reading "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. Each devotion is dated and written as if it were God speaking to me and then it gives verse references for me to look up and read to support what was written. I opened it up to September 8 and this is what I read, "Accept each day exactly as it comes to you. By that, I mean not only the circumstances of your day but also the condition of your body." It is amazing how often these little devotions completely match what is going on in my head...even if I'm a few days behind. God is awesome!! He knows exactly what I need when I need it. This is not a coincidence. I am encouraged by the verses that went along with this as well. 2 Corinthians 13:4, "For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we shall live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you." Jeremiah 31:25, "For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes." I have the power of God within me. He gives me rest, He satisfies me. He refreshes me. He is all I need.
I finally took some ibuprofen. As I continued to pace the living room, I was noticing how the pain in my hip was affecting my entire body. I felt sickish, allergies seemed to be worse, and I'm sure I'm tired from such a restless night. But, now that the ibuprofen is kicking in, the hip is starting to feel better. I will make it through today with the power of God.
*verses are quoted from the NASB
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
God is good all the time
Since returning home from our trip to Iowa, we have been on a rollercoaster of emotions. So much has happened I'm afraid I'm going to forget something but here we go...
At the family reunion, my sister announced that she was expecting baby #3. Notice the shirts on 2 of the kids in the above picture. It was a surprise to everyone. We were all a bit worried to see how next summer's bride was going to take it. Her response, "You're the one that has to wear the dress." We already have our bridesmaid dresses so we're stuck with the size that we bought. Nearly 2 weeks later, I received a text that things were not going well with the pregnancy. She was able to see the heartbeat a couple of times but was labeled as a high-risk pregnancy. Then the next day there was no heartbeat. I had lost a baby 9 years ago so we compared notes on our losses and we can find comfort in that common bond.
About a week after our Iowa trip, my uncle on my mom's side was in an accident at work. He shattered his 12th vertabra. He was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery on his back. They cleaned out bone fragments from his spinal cord but cannot guarantee that he will walk again. While in the ICU, the nurses nicknamed him "Pain" which fits him quite well. If you knew my uncle, you would totally understand. He is a comedian, not afraid to give people a hard time, and can make anything funny. He is currently in a rehab center and we're all praying that he will walk. The last I heard he could move his knees but not his ankles and toes.
Just before our trip to Iowa, I volunteered myself to help teach a new Sunday School class at church. I am very excited about it. After we came home, we had a Sunday School meeting and could figure out exactly how to go about the new class. I will be teaching with a good guy friend and we will get to teach the high school seniors and a couple of recent grads. Everyone is so excited to see what the Lord will do with this class. One little hiccup....ok, a major hiccup. My co-teacher is in the hospital with a possible blood clot in his brain. He has been suffering through some severe headaches for over a month. I would like to go visit him but I'm not sure if I want to bring the kids so we'll see what happens. As for our class, someone has offered to sit in with me until he is out of the hospital and ready to come back. We're praying that God will heal him quickly and he'll be back on his feet soon.
Every Sunday for the past few months, we have brought some neighborhood kids to Sunday School with us. The first Sunday after we came home, we picked up one kid who told us his niece and nephew had moved to Texas. With all the emotions already stirred up with my uncle's accident, this news just caused me to overflow. I cried the entire way to church and through part of Sunday School hour. And it wasn't just a normal Sunday at church. We were hosting a young adult conference so there were many many many people there visiting, some I knew but hadn't seen in about a year. I had to wipe away the tears and move on. Some people did notice that I was upset and came to comfort me. God can reach people in Texas. However, we received some confusing news yesterday as we dropped off the same kid. His niece and nephew were visiting because his niece's birthday is this week. I asked if I could get their address. The boy ran over to get the address and came back with just a house number and street address. His niece followed him back to our van. I asked what city and she didn't know. She just knew she was staying with some sort of relative. So I just repeated the address and said, "in some town in Texas." The niece looked at her uncle (who is 9) and said, "We don't live in Texas." So I looked at her and asked if she was still in Wichita. She said she was. Well, if that's the case, then they can certainly rejoin us at Sunday School if they want. We do miss them.
Wichita has set a record for being the hottest summer recorded. We had 52 days in triple digits. Some of those days breaking or tying records as well. 104, 106, 111....yeah, that's hot. And to have them for 52 days in one summer is miserable. But to keep some perspective, the record we broke was set in 1936. They endured 50 days in the triple digits and most people did not have air conditioning in their homes back then. We are spoiled 70 some years later. I usually stayed inside with the kids. If the kids played outside, they weren't out there for long. Seth was beside himself with misery. As a plumber, he works hard and often times in the heat. I'm pretty sure crawl spaces aren't too air-conditioned. I grew up in Iowa where not only are summers hot, they're also really humid. The heat didn't seem to phase me too much. Seth grew up in Idaho where it can snow in June. A few summers ago, they actually had a heat wave with temps into the 100s while we were visiting. No one was used to the heat. It was not a common thing to have an air conditioner. That summer, there were lines across the stores to buy air conditioners. Seth has not out grown his Idahoan weather tolerance - or intolerance as the case may be, even though he hasn't lived there in over 13 years. He was always looking at the forecast and Saturday when we went to bed, he was just giddy. The high for Sunday was to be 79. The highs for the rest of this week are in the low 80s. The lows are down into the 50s. Yes, it is super nice weather!! Thank you Lord for bringing us relief from that heat!
Last Sunday we had our annual Sunday School picnic. It's always tons of fun and I look forward to it every year. Good food, good fellowship, fun games. I won a box of ice cream cones which I may open up today. I played some volleyball and our group game was 4 on a couch. What fun! And I truly enjoyed the devotion. Do all for the glory of God and give it your all. Quit making excuses and put God first.
This weekend, my family celebrated my grandma's 80th birthday in Iowa. We were unable to go partly because Seth has to work today. They trade off holidays and it's been a while since Seth has worked a holiday. So yesterday, we had our own Labor Day celebration. We went to the theater and watched Zookeeper. Soooooo funny!!! The audience was in hysterics through some scenes. It is definitely a movie I will see again. Kevin James is always funny. We love his movies. After the movie we ate out at our favorite restaurant - HuHot. It's a Mongolian grill where you pick out your meats, pastas, veggies, and sauces and they cook it for you. My kids go through multiple times.
Tomorrow we start school. We tried out our new routine last week. J did great. The girls not so much. And I did horribly. Perhaps we'll do better this week, and with schooling to do, we'll have more things to keep us busy. I am looking forward to starting this year. We are using a new language curriculum so I'm anticipating how well it will work for us.
Just in the last couple of weeks we have been up and down. But God remains the same. He holds us all in His hands and causes all things to work for good to those who love Him. His plan is perfect, even when we don't always understand it. He knows the big picture and He has a purpose. I completely rest in Him. God is good all the time.
At the family reunion, my sister announced that she was expecting baby #3. Notice the shirts on 2 of the kids in the above picture. It was a surprise to everyone. We were all a bit worried to see how next summer's bride was going to take it. Her response, "You're the one that has to wear the dress." We already have our bridesmaid dresses so we're stuck with the size that we bought. Nearly 2 weeks later, I received a text that things were not going well with the pregnancy. She was able to see the heartbeat a couple of times but was labeled as a high-risk pregnancy. Then the next day there was no heartbeat. I had lost a baby 9 years ago so we compared notes on our losses and we can find comfort in that common bond.
About a week after our Iowa trip, my uncle on my mom's side was in an accident at work. He shattered his 12th vertabra. He was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery on his back. They cleaned out bone fragments from his spinal cord but cannot guarantee that he will walk again. While in the ICU, the nurses nicknamed him "Pain" which fits him quite well. If you knew my uncle, you would totally understand. He is a comedian, not afraid to give people a hard time, and can make anything funny. He is currently in a rehab center and we're all praying that he will walk. The last I heard he could move his knees but not his ankles and toes.
Here is my uncle with his family last Christmas.
Just before our trip to Iowa, I volunteered myself to help teach a new Sunday School class at church. I am very excited about it. After we came home, we had a Sunday School meeting and could figure out exactly how to go about the new class. I will be teaching with a good guy friend and we will get to teach the high school seniors and a couple of recent grads. Everyone is so excited to see what the Lord will do with this class. One little hiccup....ok, a major hiccup. My co-teacher is in the hospital with a possible blood clot in his brain. He has been suffering through some severe headaches for over a month. I would like to go visit him but I'm not sure if I want to bring the kids so we'll see what happens. As for our class, someone has offered to sit in with me until he is out of the hospital and ready to come back. We're praying that God will heal him quickly and he'll be back on his feet soon.
Every Sunday for the past few months, we have brought some neighborhood kids to Sunday School with us. The first Sunday after we came home, we picked up one kid who told us his niece and nephew had moved to Texas. With all the emotions already stirred up with my uncle's accident, this news just caused me to overflow. I cried the entire way to church and through part of Sunday School hour. And it wasn't just a normal Sunday at church. We were hosting a young adult conference so there were many many many people there visiting, some I knew but hadn't seen in about a year. I had to wipe away the tears and move on. Some people did notice that I was upset and came to comfort me. God can reach people in Texas. However, we received some confusing news yesterday as we dropped off the same kid. His niece and nephew were visiting because his niece's birthday is this week. I asked if I could get their address. The boy ran over to get the address and came back with just a house number and street address. His niece followed him back to our van. I asked what city and she didn't know. She just knew she was staying with some sort of relative. So I just repeated the address and said, "in some town in Texas." The niece looked at her uncle (who is 9) and said, "We don't live in Texas." So I looked at her and asked if she was still in Wichita. She said she was. Well, if that's the case, then they can certainly rejoin us at Sunday School if they want. We do miss them.
Wichita has set a record for being the hottest summer recorded. We had 52 days in triple digits. Some of those days breaking or tying records as well. 104, 106, 111....yeah, that's hot. And to have them for 52 days in one summer is miserable. But to keep some perspective, the record we broke was set in 1936. They endured 50 days in the triple digits and most people did not have air conditioning in their homes back then. We are spoiled 70 some years later. I usually stayed inside with the kids. If the kids played outside, they weren't out there for long. Seth was beside himself with misery. As a plumber, he works hard and often times in the heat. I'm pretty sure crawl spaces aren't too air-conditioned. I grew up in Iowa where not only are summers hot, they're also really humid. The heat didn't seem to phase me too much. Seth grew up in Idaho where it can snow in June. A few summers ago, they actually had a heat wave with temps into the 100s while we were visiting. No one was used to the heat. It was not a common thing to have an air conditioner. That summer, there were lines across the stores to buy air conditioners. Seth has not out grown his Idahoan weather tolerance - or intolerance as the case may be, even though he hasn't lived there in over 13 years. He was always looking at the forecast and Saturday when we went to bed, he was just giddy. The high for Sunday was to be 79. The highs for the rest of this week are in the low 80s. The lows are down into the 50s. Yes, it is super nice weather!! Thank you Lord for bringing us relief from that heat!
Last Sunday we had our annual Sunday School picnic. It's always tons of fun and I look forward to it every year. Good food, good fellowship, fun games. I won a box of ice cream cones which I may open up today. I played some volleyball and our group game was 4 on a couch. What fun! And I truly enjoyed the devotion. Do all for the glory of God and give it your all. Quit making excuses and put God first.
A guessing game at the picnic.
Here is my grandma last Christmas with most of her great grandchildren. One is missing from this photo. A new one has since been born and another one is on the way. She has 7 more in heaven with her twin sister who was a blue baby. She turned 80 years old yesterday. She is one amazing and blessed woman.
This weekend, my family celebrated my grandma's 80th birthday in Iowa. We were unable to go partly because Seth has to work today. They trade off holidays and it's been a while since Seth has worked a holiday. So yesterday, we had our own Labor Day celebration. We went to the theater and watched Zookeeper. Soooooo funny!!! The audience was in hysterics through some scenes. It is definitely a movie I will see again. Kevin James is always funny. We love his movies. After the movie we ate out at our favorite restaurant - HuHot. It's a Mongolian grill where you pick out your meats, pastas, veggies, and sauces and they cook it for you. My kids go through multiple times.
Tomorrow we start school. We tried out our new routine last week. J did great. The girls not so much. And I did horribly. Perhaps we'll do better this week, and with schooling to do, we'll have more things to keep us busy. I am looking forward to starting this year. We are using a new language curriculum so I'm anticipating how well it will work for us.
One last hurrah before school starts. I let the kids sleep in the living room last night.
Just in the last couple of weeks we have been up and down. But God remains the same. He holds us all in His hands and causes all things to work for good to those who love Him. His plan is perfect, even when we don't always understand it. He knows the big picture and He has a purpose. I completely rest in Him. God is good all the time.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Getting ready
Today we start getting ourselves back into school routine. Although we don't actually start school until next Tuesday, I thought we needed practice and prepare our bodies for the early mornings. It has already been a difficult morning but not too bad.
My alarm went off but I didn't get up. I was interrupted from a very strange dream. Ok, no more late night snacking. Late night snacking means strange dreams. I've had 2 in a row and it's very hard to get up when I was just in a dream state - even if the dream is awkward and I'm happy to be out of the dream. This morning's dream was some odd competition. I was racing against someone - someone whom I know, but not sure who it was. We were seeing who could drink the most gasoline in 2 minutes. The person who lost had to refill the conatiner and bring it back to the shop. This wasn't like those red containers. It was a huge metal machinery thing with 2 spouts which is, of course, what we drink from. This was my first gasoline drinking competition so I got some help from my cousin - this time I know who she was. But, even with 2 people, we still lost against the other guy. I went home (which wasn't really my home, I have no idea where I was except that it was supposed to be where Seth and I lived). I told Seth about the competition. Just then, my uncle knocked on our door and shoved the huge gasoline machine into the house. Then I realized that I had to figure out how to fill it up and take it back to the shop before it opened in the morning. At some point while I was driving around with this thing, the alarm woke me up. Whew! I didn't really drink any gasoline. I didn't have to fill the monster machine and find a way to take it back to the shop. I was glad to be done with that dream, but ugh. I had to get up.
Seth reached up and looked at his alarm clock. His didn't go off because a couple hours earlier he accidentally turned it off. Yep, a couple hours earlier, A came into our room because she was scared. Let me rewind to last night before we went to bed....
Usually, if A falls asleep in the living room, we carry her to bed when we go to bed. Well, last night, A dragged her blanket and pillow upstairs from her room, set them out in the living room and layed down. She proclaimed that she was going to sleep in the living room. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep. Seth and I decided it was time to get ourselves to bed and he asked if we were taking A to bed. I said I didn't think it was necessary since she puprosely fell asleep there. Seth reminded me that I always say to put her to bed because if she wakes up in the middle of the night not knowing where she's at, she'll be scared. This is true. But I insisted that if A made herself a bed in the living room and wanted to sleep there, then she would be fine.
Well, obviously I was wrong. As A climbed into bed with us I said, "I should have listened to me." I cuddled with A for a bit but there was no way I was going to sleep with her there so eventually I told her she needed to go to her own bed. We both trekked upstairs. She grabbed her blanket so I grabbed her pillow and we dragged them back downstairs. She climbed into her own bed and I tucked her in.
Back to this morning. We figured that when A came to bed, Seth had accidentally turned off the alarm when he reached back to check the time. So, anyway, we both get up and start the day. Seth went off to work while I sat and read my Bible. The problem with that is I was hardly awake to pay attention to what I was reading. Normally I love sitting in the presence of God and soaking up His Word, but I am typically more awake - but more distracted by children who are also awake. I was hoping that getting up with Seth would give me the opportunity to spend time with the Lord without the distraction of kids. I didn't expect to be so tired that I couldn't focus on my reading. Perhaps as I get more used to getting up so early, I will be able to pay attention better.
This week is basically our practice week and to tweek the routines if we find something that doesn't quite work. I know I will already have to change some things on my morning list. We have to really work with K and A to get moving which I already knew would be the case. K will find every excuse to avoid her chores until she has no other choice. That's not gonna fly so if she can't figure it out by the end of this week, she'll be looking at some very bad mornings. A is just little and just learning to do chores. I help her out. J always does a great job. For the last month, he has been getting up early on his own, finishing his chores and is playing the Xbox by the time I got up. I can usually depend on him to get things done. Obviously he's the firstborn.
We are currently in our school time but we're not really doing school. J is drawing. K is working on last year's math. A is doing her pre-k books. We will keep on with our new routine the rest of the day. Monday afternoons will be busy ones with cleaning up the kitchen and washing dishes. I would say the kitchen is my weakness. I can never keep the counters cleaned. The kids are in charge of the dishwasher, but I admit, I probably let that get behind as well. Apparantly, we have no basketball players because people keep missing the trash. And I have a tendancy to not empty it when it's needed. I will work on changing these bad habits this year so we have a nice clean kitchen everyday....or at least every week. :)
My main goal is to get ourselves into the habit of keeping things cleaned and picked up so that when we try to sell our house again, we will be able to get the house ready for a showing in 10 minutes. A quick pick up and vacuum and out the door - not an hour rush of cleaning hoping it's good enough for the potential buyers. I'm guessing we have at least 2 years to master this plan.
So, here's to another year of challenges, learning, and fun.
My alarm went off but I didn't get up. I was interrupted from a very strange dream. Ok, no more late night snacking. Late night snacking means strange dreams. I've had 2 in a row and it's very hard to get up when I was just in a dream state - even if the dream is awkward and I'm happy to be out of the dream. This morning's dream was some odd competition. I was racing against someone - someone whom I know, but not sure who it was. We were seeing who could drink the most gasoline in 2 minutes. The person who lost had to refill the conatiner and bring it back to the shop. This wasn't like those red containers. It was a huge metal machinery thing with 2 spouts which is, of course, what we drink from. This was my first gasoline drinking competition so I got some help from my cousin - this time I know who she was. But, even with 2 people, we still lost against the other guy. I went home (which wasn't really my home, I have no idea where I was except that it was supposed to be where Seth and I lived). I told Seth about the competition. Just then, my uncle knocked on our door and shoved the huge gasoline machine into the house. Then I realized that I had to figure out how to fill it up and take it back to the shop before it opened in the morning. At some point while I was driving around with this thing, the alarm woke me up. Whew! I didn't really drink any gasoline. I didn't have to fill the monster machine and find a way to take it back to the shop. I was glad to be done with that dream, but ugh. I had to get up.
Seth reached up and looked at his alarm clock. His didn't go off because a couple hours earlier he accidentally turned it off. Yep, a couple hours earlier, A came into our room because she was scared. Let me rewind to last night before we went to bed....
Usually, if A falls asleep in the living room, we carry her to bed when we go to bed. Well, last night, A dragged her blanket and pillow upstairs from her room, set them out in the living room and layed down. She proclaimed that she was going to sleep in the living room. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep. Seth and I decided it was time to get ourselves to bed and he asked if we were taking A to bed. I said I didn't think it was necessary since she puprosely fell asleep there. Seth reminded me that I always say to put her to bed because if she wakes up in the middle of the night not knowing where she's at, she'll be scared. This is true. But I insisted that if A made herself a bed in the living room and wanted to sleep there, then she would be fine.
Well, obviously I was wrong. As A climbed into bed with us I said, "I should have listened to me." I cuddled with A for a bit but there was no way I was going to sleep with her there so eventually I told her she needed to go to her own bed. We both trekked upstairs. She grabbed her blanket so I grabbed her pillow and we dragged them back downstairs. She climbed into her own bed and I tucked her in.
Back to this morning. We figured that when A came to bed, Seth had accidentally turned off the alarm when he reached back to check the time. So, anyway, we both get up and start the day. Seth went off to work while I sat and read my Bible. The problem with that is I was hardly awake to pay attention to what I was reading. Normally I love sitting in the presence of God and soaking up His Word, but I am typically more awake - but more distracted by children who are also awake. I was hoping that getting up with Seth would give me the opportunity to spend time with the Lord without the distraction of kids. I didn't expect to be so tired that I couldn't focus on my reading. Perhaps as I get more used to getting up so early, I will be able to pay attention better.
This week is basically our practice week and to tweek the routines if we find something that doesn't quite work. I know I will already have to change some things on my morning list. We have to really work with K and A to get moving which I already knew would be the case. K will find every excuse to avoid her chores until she has no other choice. That's not gonna fly so if she can't figure it out by the end of this week, she'll be looking at some very bad mornings. A is just little and just learning to do chores. I help her out. J always does a great job. For the last month, he has been getting up early on his own, finishing his chores and is playing the Xbox by the time I got up. I can usually depend on him to get things done. Obviously he's the firstborn.
We are currently in our school time but we're not really doing school. J is drawing. K is working on last year's math. A is doing her pre-k books. We will keep on with our new routine the rest of the day. Monday afternoons will be busy ones with cleaning up the kitchen and washing dishes. I would say the kitchen is my weakness. I can never keep the counters cleaned. The kids are in charge of the dishwasher, but I admit, I probably let that get behind as well. Apparantly, we have no basketball players because people keep missing the trash. And I have a tendancy to not empty it when it's needed. I will work on changing these bad habits this year so we have a nice clean kitchen everyday....or at least every week. :)
My main goal is to get ourselves into the habit of keeping things cleaned and picked up so that when we try to sell our house again, we will be able to get the house ready for a showing in 10 minutes. A quick pick up and vacuum and out the door - not an hour rush of cleaning hoping it's good enough for the potential buyers. I'm guessing we have at least 2 years to master this plan.
So, here's to another year of challenges, learning, and fun.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
I am a Greenlee
I'm also a Cannon, Campbell, and Stowell. At least those are the names of my 4 grandparents. Earlier this month, we traveled up to Iowa for the Greenlee family reunion. I believe our last reunion was 1995. I was about to enter my senior year of high school. That is the last time I saw some of these people.
I enjoy family reunions. I love geneology. I love figuring out how I'm related to people. There were several pictures of my grandma and her siblings along with their parents sitting around on tables for people to look at. There were also a couple of family trees. I wish I had the time and money to really get into geneology. Someday, I might. I want to pass on my knowledge of my ancestors to my children so they can pass it on to theirs.
We have a Cannon reunion every other summer around the 4th of July weekend. There's a Campbell reunion every year in June. I haven't attended that since K was born and I don't know that family very well. We don't have a Stowell reunion but I wish we did. This year, the Greenlee family decided to get together every 3 years. The next reunion will be held in Wyoming, where they always used to be held, in 2014. I sure hope we can make it.
Of all the siblings in my grandma's family, only her brother still lives. Both he and his wife are doing well. The wife of another of my grandma's brothers was also at the reunion. There were several people missing, however. Some of my 2nd cousins I remember hanging out with as a kid at our other reunions in Wyoming were unable to come. And the only 3rd cousin generation were my dad's grandkids. Maybe we'll get more to attend in 3 years.
There is a rumor that it is through the Greenlees that we are related to the Wright brothers. One theory is that the Wright brother's mother's sister is my grandma's grandmother. So I believe this means that the Wright brothers are my 1st cousins 3 times removed. But there is some dispute with that as it seems too closely related. Ah well. It's just fun to say I'm related to the Wright brothers. :)
So, there it is. I am a Greenlee and proud of it.
I enjoy family reunions. I love geneology. I love figuring out how I'm related to people. There were several pictures of my grandma and her siblings along with their parents sitting around on tables for people to look at. There were also a couple of family trees. I wish I had the time and money to really get into geneology. Someday, I might. I want to pass on my knowledge of my ancestors to my children so they can pass it on to theirs.
We have a Cannon reunion every other summer around the 4th of July weekend. There's a Campbell reunion every year in June. I haven't attended that since K was born and I don't know that family very well. We don't have a Stowell reunion but I wish we did. This year, the Greenlee family decided to get together every 3 years. The next reunion will be held in Wyoming, where they always used to be held, in 2014. I sure hope we can make it.
Of all the siblings in my grandma's family, only her brother still lives. Both he and his wife are doing well. The wife of another of my grandma's brothers was also at the reunion. There were several people missing, however. Some of my 2nd cousins I remember hanging out with as a kid at our other reunions in Wyoming were unable to come. And the only 3rd cousin generation were my dad's grandkids. Maybe we'll get more to attend in 3 years.
Here's the whole gang. All of the Greenlees who were able to attend are here. There's 4 generations represented here.
We are the descendants of my grandma, Esther. All of us were able to be there except my sister's younger soon-to-be step son. Her fiance and his older son came.
These 3 couples all celebrated their anniversaries on August 13th. This is my parents (on the right), with my dad's brother (on the left) and sister (in the middle) and their spouses.
This is quite the crew. These are the 1st cousins and they are so fun to be around. I think they're all 25 years old on the inside (some even younger - lol).
This is the last of my grandma's siblings. Her brother, his wife, and another sister-in-law (sitting) who moved to Iowa from Seattle just in time for the reunion.
We are the 2nd cousins. There are many more of us out there who were unable to come.
And this is the 3rd cousin generation. However, these all happen to be 1st cousins because no other 3rd cousins came. These are my grandma's great grandkids.
I don't know much about my grandma's history. I believe while she was in her late teens or early 20s, her mother passed away. Her aunts came to take care of her father and the little children and some of them moved with their father to Wyoming. My grandma stayed in Iowa where she eventually met my grandpa. They had 3 children, my dad was the baby. My dad was about my age when he lost his mom. She became very sick with a rare disease. I remember her laying on the hospital bed in their living room. She passed away just before I turned 4, I think.There is a rumor that it is through the Greenlees that we are related to the Wright brothers. One theory is that the Wright brother's mother's sister is my grandma's grandmother. So I believe this means that the Wright brothers are my 1st cousins 3 times removed. But there is some dispute with that as it seems too closely related. Ah well. It's just fun to say I'm related to the Wright brothers. :)
So, there it is. I am a Greenlee and proud of it.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A Blogging Vacation
I'm so sorry that it's been so long since my last blog. My laptop needed some repair and I don't like using the kids' laptop so I have not been able to blog for a while. So I guess I went on a little blogging vacation, although not by choice. :)
I do have a blog to write and share and it will include pictures which is the main reason why I haven't blogged using the other laptop. I don't want to upload my pics on that computer. lol I just got my laptop returned to me last night so hopefully I'll get those pics uploaded and the blog written soon.
Thank you for your patience.
I do have a blog to write and share and it will include pictures which is the main reason why I haven't blogged using the other laptop. I don't want to upload my pics on that computer. lol I just got my laptop returned to me last night so hopefully I'll get those pics uploaded and the blog written soon.
Thank you for your patience.
Friday, August 5, 2011
A Week Without J
A couple weeks ago, J got to spend a week at Kansas Bible Camp. This was our first time for any child to be gone for this long. What an interesting week it was!
We got J all packed...except we couldn't find one of his flip flops. We searched and searched but could not find it in time. After the potluck at church that Sunday, we headed to camp. It was a very hot day. Seth wasn't feeling well; he had come down with yet another cold. We pulled up into the camp and got J's stuff out of the van and he started the check-in process. But not before he gave me a quick hug with a "Bye Mom" as if we were just leaving right away. lol
Check-in went smoothly and J was shown the room in which he would be staying. I took a quick picture and left him to set up his things and change to go swimming. Seth, the girls, and I sat waiting to say good-bye. But he didn't come out. Seth finally went in to see if he needed help with anything, but he was gone. So, we went on a small search, starting with the pool. No sign of him. We looked around again. Still nothing. Finally, we took one more trip and Seth spotted him in the pool area. We walked up to the fence, said our goodbyes, and left.
I did a lot of praying on the way home. My stomach was unsettled. Will he use enough sunscreen? Will he drink enough water? Will he sleep ok at night? Will he make friends? Will he shower? Will he change clothes everyday? "Lord, calm my heart. He is in Your hands and I know You will take care of him."
By Monday, I was doing fine. My girls were having a difficult time, however. A continued to ask where J was and if he was going to eat with us and if he was going to sleep with us. I let A and K sleep together most of the week. We wrote him letters and sent them on Tuesday. Seth and I realized during this week that J is the source of calmness among our 3 children. Without J, it was like someone removed the pin from a hand grenade. The girls went absolutely crazy!! K is generally the one to be loud and hyper, but this week she took A with her and their bouncing off the walls was multiplied by 10. lol
On Thursday, we went swimming at a friend's house. Several people were there from church. After a while, I saw K sitting on the edge of the pool looking very upset. I walked over to see what was going on. "I can't dive without J to dive with me." Poor sweetie was lost without her brother! It is true, when we do go swimming, they dive together. He gives her the confidence to dive in the water and without him, she didn't think she could. So, she sat there bawling because her brother wasn't there to dive with her. I told her just one more day, and he'll be home. We can wait one more day. "I can't! I can't! It's too long!" :( It's nice to know that she loves her brother that much and she missed him a lot.
Well, Friday finally came after a very hot week with temps over 100. Seth was unable to join us because of work. The girls and I could hardly wait until it was time to leave. Finally, the time came, and we got in the van and headed back to camp. As we pulled in, I noticed a few kids with T-shirts wrapped around their heads. "Why are there kids dressed like Ninjas?" I thought to myself. One ninja was kinda following our van, jumping up and down all goofy. Then, I noticed his face through the T-shirt that covered most of it - it was J. J was one of the ninjas and just as goofy as ever. lol As soon as we parked, the girls got out and practically mauled J with hugs. :) We collected his art projects among other things and then sat down for supper. I met a couple of his new friends as well as his counselors.
K was just too excited and took off to explore the campgrounds. A wanted to join and J did also. We all walked over the scary bridge to the tree house and looked at the animals. Finally, I got K to follow me back to the van. It was time to go home. I helped J get his stuff from his room into the van. He lost his sleeping bag cover which is a big bummer since the sleeping bag won't stay rolled without it. I had him take a few more pictures with the disposable camera I bought him. And then we all climbed back into the van to go home.
J had fun. We survived. And we'll do it again next summer. Except K will get to stay at camp, too. *sigh* They grow up so fast. :)
We got J all packed...except we couldn't find one of his flip flops. We searched and searched but could not find it in time. After the potluck at church that Sunday, we headed to camp. It was a very hot day. Seth wasn't feeling well; he had come down with yet another cold. We pulled up into the camp and got J's stuff out of the van and he started the check-in process. But not before he gave me a quick hug with a "Bye Mom" as if we were just leaving right away. lol
Check-in went smoothly and J was shown the room in which he would be staying. I took a quick picture and left him to set up his things and change to go swimming. Seth, the girls, and I sat waiting to say good-bye. But he didn't come out. Seth finally went in to see if he needed help with anything, but he was gone. So, we went on a small search, starting with the pool. No sign of him. We looked around again. Still nothing. Finally, we took one more trip and Seth spotted him in the pool area. We walked up to the fence, said our goodbyes, and left.
I did a lot of praying on the way home. My stomach was unsettled. Will he use enough sunscreen? Will he drink enough water? Will he sleep ok at night? Will he make friends? Will he shower? Will he change clothes everyday? "Lord, calm my heart. He is in Your hands and I know You will take care of him."
By Monday, I was doing fine. My girls were having a difficult time, however. A continued to ask where J was and if he was going to eat with us and if he was going to sleep with us. I let A and K sleep together most of the week. We wrote him letters and sent them on Tuesday. Seth and I realized during this week that J is the source of calmness among our 3 children. Without J, it was like someone removed the pin from a hand grenade. The girls went absolutely crazy!! K is generally the one to be loud and hyper, but this week she took A with her and their bouncing off the walls was multiplied by 10. lol
On Thursday, we went swimming at a friend's house. Several people were there from church. After a while, I saw K sitting on the edge of the pool looking very upset. I walked over to see what was going on. "I can't dive without J to dive with me." Poor sweetie was lost without her brother! It is true, when we do go swimming, they dive together. He gives her the confidence to dive in the water and without him, she didn't think she could. So, she sat there bawling because her brother wasn't there to dive with her. I told her just one more day, and he'll be home. We can wait one more day. "I can't! I can't! It's too long!" :( It's nice to know that she loves her brother that much and she missed him a lot.
Well, Friday finally came after a very hot week with temps over 100. Seth was unable to join us because of work. The girls and I could hardly wait until it was time to leave. Finally, the time came, and we got in the van and headed back to camp. As we pulled in, I noticed a few kids with T-shirts wrapped around their heads. "Why are there kids dressed like Ninjas?" I thought to myself. One ninja was kinda following our van, jumping up and down all goofy. Then, I noticed his face through the T-shirt that covered most of it - it was J. J was one of the ninjas and just as goofy as ever. lol As soon as we parked, the girls got out and practically mauled J with hugs. :) We collected his art projects among other things and then sat down for supper. I met a couple of his new friends as well as his counselors.
K was just too excited and took off to explore the campgrounds. A wanted to join and J did also. We all walked over the scary bridge to the tree house and looked at the animals. Finally, I got K to follow me back to the van. It was time to go home. I helped J get his stuff from his room into the van. He lost his sleeping bag cover which is a big bummer since the sleeping bag won't stay rolled without it. I had him take a few more pictures with the disposable camera I bought him. And then we all climbed back into the van to go home.
J had fun. We survived. And we'll do it again next summer. Except K will get to stay at camp, too. *sigh* They grow up so fast. :)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
An Adventurous Drive in the Storm
I stayed late chatting after prayer meeting last night and we didn't leave until around 9:45ish. As we walked out the door, it was very windy and there was lightning. Once I got all the kids in the van, it started to sprinkle. It was full raining before we left the parking lot.
I live all the way across town and before I even drove a mile, the wind was so strong, I could barely see the road. Due to some construction, I had to drive 3 miles to get to the freeway that would take me to the other side of town. Seth wasn't with me. It was just me and the 3 kiddos.
Walls of water crashed into the van. I was traveling about 10 mph and still could barely see the road. I couldn't even see intersections, or the curb. I didn't know where to pull over to wait out the storm because I couldn't see! I knew there was a QT just before I would turn onto the freeway.
Street lights went out right beside me. I finally saw the QT sign just ahead. I couldn't exactly see where I should turn left to cross oncoming traffic to pull into QT. I knew there was a small median there, but I couldn't see it. I lined myself up with the QT entrance, and turned in.
The wind shook the van. The rain pounded so hard that I had to yell to the kids to be heard at all. I called Seth. I yelled into the phone and he yelled back that he couldn't hear me. So I texted him. He called me back. We yelled into the phone, this time getting our messages across.
I turned up the radio reporting on the weather as we sat and waited in the storm. Several other cars were waiting in the QT parking lot. The storm had come in so quickly that cars on the freeway that I would be taking home had stopped in the middle of the road. I don't blame them. With zero visibility, no one could see where it would be safe to pull over, so they just stopped.
Finally, the rocking seemed to stop, the rain let up a tad. Cars were starting to leave QT, I followed. Still traveling slowly on the freeway, I made it across town to my exit without a problem. Visibility was still low, but I could actually see the lines on the road.
As I made my way north on the street that leads to my street, I drove through several deep puddles. I knew that flooding was likely, but I had never driven through such large puddles before. One, I wish I had never started through. All power was out so no street lights were on. I couldn't even see when I was going to hit a puddle until I was already in it. One puddle was pretty high and lasted quite a while, I wasn't sure if I was gonna make it out.
Finally, I reached my street. Seth had to run outside and clear the driveway of our garbage bins that had blown into it as well as a large branch. I pulled into our driveway and let the kids out and then I carried little A. The rain was still coming down pretty hard. The lightning was bright and the thunder had an occasional boom. With no power, and it was nearly 10:30 by this time, we all just headed to bed.
A ended up joining Seth and me in bed. I just wasn't tired and my shoulder was in pain (I don't know why) so I got out of bed. I blindly walked upstairs, took a couple of snoozes on the couch, and then went back downstairs and climbed into A's bed. Normally, I would move her to her bed, but since I couldn't see anything, I was afraid I would trip while carrying her or run into something so I left her in my bed and I slept in hers.
I woke up at around 6:45. The power was still out, but I could see with the early morning sun lighting up the room. I switched with A, but her bed messed up my lower back, I could not get comfortable. Seth got up around 7:30 for physical therapy and then work. The power was still out. I couldn't go back to sleep. I sat up and twisted and stretched and tried all sorts of positions to relieve the pain in my back. Finally, something worked and I went back to sleep.
By the time I woke up, power was back. This was the 6th time this summer we've lost power but this was the longest the power stayed out. Branches are all over the yard and street. A large branch broke off one of our trees. Thankfully, that's all the damage we have.
Even with the adventurous drive home and the practically sleepless night, I praise God for the rain!!! After setting records for high temps in the last few weeks, and everything turning brown, it was much needed!!
I live all the way across town and before I even drove a mile, the wind was so strong, I could barely see the road. Due to some construction, I had to drive 3 miles to get to the freeway that would take me to the other side of town. Seth wasn't with me. It was just me and the 3 kiddos.
Walls of water crashed into the van. I was traveling about 10 mph and still could barely see the road. I couldn't even see intersections, or the curb. I didn't know where to pull over to wait out the storm because I couldn't see! I knew there was a QT just before I would turn onto the freeway.
Street lights went out right beside me. I finally saw the QT sign just ahead. I couldn't exactly see where I should turn left to cross oncoming traffic to pull into QT. I knew there was a small median there, but I couldn't see it. I lined myself up with the QT entrance, and turned in.
The wind shook the van. The rain pounded so hard that I had to yell to the kids to be heard at all. I called Seth. I yelled into the phone and he yelled back that he couldn't hear me. So I texted him. He called me back. We yelled into the phone, this time getting our messages across.
I turned up the radio reporting on the weather as we sat and waited in the storm. Several other cars were waiting in the QT parking lot. The storm had come in so quickly that cars on the freeway that I would be taking home had stopped in the middle of the road. I don't blame them. With zero visibility, no one could see where it would be safe to pull over, so they just stopped.
Finally, the rocking seemed to stop, the rain let up a tad. Cars were starting to leave QT, I followed. Still traveling slowly on the freeway, I made it across town to my exit without a problem. Visibility was still low, but I could actually see the lines on the road.
As I made my way north on the street that leads to my street, I drove through several deep puddles. I knew that flooding was likely, but I had never driven through such large puddles before. One, I wish I had never started through. All power was out so no street lights were on. I couldn't even see when I was going to hit a puddle until I was already in it. One puddle was pretty high and lasted quite a while, I wasn't sure if I was gonna make it out.
Finally, I reached my street. Seth had to run outside and clear the driveway of our garbage bins that had blown into it as well as a large branch. I pulled into our driveway and let the kids out and then I carried little A. The rain was still coming down pretty hard. The lightning was bright and the thunder had an occasional boom. With no power, and it was nearly 10:30 by this time, we all just headed to bed.
A ended up joining Seth and me in bed. I just wasn't tired and my shoulder was in pain (I don't know why) so I got out of bed. I blindly walked upstairs, took a couple of snoozes on the couch, and then went back downstairs and climbed into A's bed. Normally, I would move her to her bed, but since I couldn't see anything, I was afraid I would trip while carrying her or run into something so I left her in my bed and I slept in hers.
I woke up at around 6:45. The power was still out, but I could see with the early morning sun lighting up the room. I switched with A, but her bed messed up my lower back, I could not get comfortable. Seth got up around 7:30 for physical therapy and then work. The power was still out. I couldn't go back to sleep. I sat up and twisted and stretched and tried all sorts of positions to relieve the pain in my back. Finally, something worked and I went back to sleep.
By the time I woke up, power was back. This was the 6th time this summer we've lost power but this was the longest the power stayed out. Branches are all over the yard and street. A large branch broke off one of our trees. Thankfully, that's all the damage we have.
Even with the adventurous drive home and the practically sleepless night, I praise God for the rain!!! After setting records for high temps in the last few weeks, and everything turning brown, it was much needed!!
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