We went traveling this past weekend. We went to Fontana Village and Resort. This place is 2 miles from Fontana Dam, and there is all kinds of things to do. Its a perfect spot to just get away, or even stay for a week or two. We will definitely get back soon.
Since US129 (Tail of the Dragon) is closed due to a rockslide, we had to go through Cherokee, NC. This route took us about an hour longer. It wasn't too long before we figured out we had no cell service. With the place being a "resort", I kind of expected to have cell service once I got there, so I wasn't too concerned. Well, when we got to the resort, we still had no cell service. Interestingly, if we had Verizon, we would have.....
At first, I was frustrated with ATT for not having cell service in the middle of the Smokies. But then, I changed my opinion. Why was I here? To have a day AWAY, and as much as I would like to think I would put my phone down, I don' think I would have. For that reason, I am thankful to ATT for not having cell service up there. Some places just don't need it.
Do you find it difficult to put your phone down for extended periods? Can you shut it off for a weekend? Or, are you like me and need a place with no cell service to go to?
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
*Something Better
Children are the greatest spiritual teachers out there in bodily form. God speaks most to me through the words and actions of my children. As some may know we are hosting our nieces through VBS and others may also know that my daughter tends to have the roughest time during these visits. 95% of the time everyone is happy and getting along, but if one princess is going to be unhappy it tends to be mine. She is more used to being the solitary princess that the other two, who are used to having another girl around. The youngest tends to get what she asks for, because her sister and my son will sweep in and hand it over because she is the smallest. Anyway... my daughter was having one of those times when her brother was giving to my youngest niece at the 'expense' of his sister. When handing out the cereal bowls this morning he gave the one my daughter wanted to my niece because she also wanted it. This was most upsetting and prompted some crying. Feeling like she needed some special attention I offered a 'special breakfast' when we got to the church building. "Just me and you" This special breakfast being a trip to the buffet in the library for the VBS workers:) I knew I was offering something better than the bowl of cereal that was causing such drama. I knew there were strawberries and donuts and bagels, etc that she loves to eat. I knew this was a treat.
She did not. She cried some more and begged for a bowl of cereal in the color she wanted. She did not want purple or green. She needed PINK!
I offered again and promised a wonderful treat and time with momma. She snuffed and consented against her better judgement.
Then in the car she told me she didn't want my treat.
I was quite irritated with her at this time, and hurt. I knew what I offered was better and that she would love it and it was the best offer available to her, but in her anger and hurt and, I may say, in her pride she didn't want it. She wanted what she wanted, not what I offered.
How often do I do that with God?
I cry and I beg and I whine for what I want. When all the while he is calling me to something better, because He Knows what I do not.
Later I pulled my daughter aside and showed her the buffet of food she told me she didn't want. I was tempted to not give it to her, because she was so snippy to me, but instead we went through the line and she got a donut and some fruit and some milk and was so happy sitting alone with mom.
And I who know how to give good things to my daughter am a broken person. How much more does my Father in heaven know how to give good things?.... if only I would let go of what I am begging for and see what He has to offer instead. It will always be something better.
She did not. She cried some more and begged for a bowl of cereal in the color she wanted. She did not want purple or green. She needed PINK!
I offered again and promised a wonderful treat and time with momma. She snuffed and consented against her better judgement.
Then in the car she told me she didn't want my treat.
I was quite irritated with her at this time, and hurt. I knew what I offered was better and that she would love it and it was the best offer available to her, but in her anger and hurt and, I may say, in her pride she didn't want it. She wanted what she wanted, not what I offered.
How often do I do that with God?
I cry and I beg and I whine for what I want. When all the while he is calling me to something better, because He Knows what I do not.
Later I pulled my daughter aside and showed her the buffet of food she told me she didn't want. I was tempted to not give it to her, because she was so snippy to me, but instead we went through the line and she got a donut and some fruit and some milk and was so happy sitting alone with mom.
And I who know how to give good things to my daughter am a broken person. How much more does my Father in heaven know how to give good things?.... if only I would let go of what I am begging for and see what He has to offer instead. It will always be something better.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
* Medical Adventures
My niece reminded me the other day that I had not posted on my son's medical adventures. She did this in an unexpected way, not in a straight forward "Aunt Michelle you need to post about my cousin." Instead she ran down the steps and dramatically announced that my son was "laying on the floor of [my] room and he looks sick." I panicked and ran upstairs to find him laying on the floor of my room holding his leg because he had bumped it in that spot on your knee cap that just hurts. A praise to God for that spot and praise God that was all that was wrong.
Since January Judah and I have walked around expecting something else.
Two summers ago our son awoke, the final morning of the youth mission trip, having a seizure. This was most upsetting to Judah because he saw it as they were in a boys room. I missed it and only saw the next 45 minutes of lethargy when we couldn't keep him awake or responsive. Not fun. We then drove the entire area of Mobile looking for the children's hospital. We found two other hospitals before locating the one we wanted. By that time our son was up and conversing and looking like nothing was wrong. They did some blood work, declared it a febrile seizure since he was still 6 and he had a fever. Hopefully never to happen again.
And for 18 months it didn't.
This January at another youth trip Judah sat up in bed and declared that our son was having another seizure. In that split second I thought it odd that he could know that so quickly. Then I heard the teeth grinding and nasal secretions and since then I can hear it quite easily as well even from rooms away. It is not a sound easily forgotten. Having experienced the first one Judah was ahead of me on that day. He was indeed having another seizure. Lasted 1-2 minutes and then again 45 minutes of lethargy and crying (for those who have seen neuro patients cry you will know the sound/look - for others you will not, a neuro cry is not a cry of pain as you normally see/hear it) We very handily had a physician on that trip with us and he (and his family) very graciously allowed us to wake them up at the early hour of eight (early for a youth ski trip) Soon enough our son came around - the group prayed for us and we began the travel home, because we were six hours from a decent hospital and one just never knows... After he became himself again our son was pissed that we left and he didn't get another day of skiing.
We called our pediatrician when we returned, got a routine office visit and an appointment for an EEG. I am going to pick up the pace... Very little sleep on EEG night, which thrilled our son because he and I were playing Wii at 11:30 and that was very cool. Having to sleep at the EEG was not his thing but cuddled next to mom it went ok. That afternoon we made him take a nap (which he protested because he had already slept once that day and he doesn't TAKE NAPS anymore) Against his will he did anyway because we had to travel the next day (or so we thought) but that is another post.
Normal EEG. Got an appointment with a neuro doc just for kicks. Mom and dad feel better. Then a few weeks later dad is at his early morning men's prayer/bible study and I heard the teeth and the secretions and was out of bed and across the hall to find my son on the floor. No fun to watch. My heart goes out to those parents who have witnessed more than I. This seizure got us a moved up neurologist appointment and an MRI. The neuro doc reported that he had benign Rollandic seizures. They happen only at night and rarely develop into the full blown ones that we have seen. Most are confined to his face. With this information the amazing amount of drool marks on his pillow/sheets over the past couple of years makes heaps more sense...
Normal MRI. Much to Judah's frustration there is nothing that we know that triggers the seizures. We can not ensure avoidance through proper eating or sleeping or illness, etc. That has not stopped our paranoia when he runs a fever or gets over tired. It has also found us getting up to check on him in the night when we hear strange things. An interesting note now that summer has arrived. There is a poster in my son's room that scrapes the wall with an amazing resemblance to teeth grinding when the ceiling fan is on. There is now a chair holding that poster to the wall due to its interrupting my sleep and scaring the __ out of me.
Thusly when my niece came and told me he was on the floor looking sick, despite the knowledge that his seizures are at night I still ran up the stairs.
Sometimes moms and dads (and grandparents and aunts/uncles) think with their heart first and not their brain. We have been seizure free since February and look forward to growing out of them in the preteen - early teen years. Then we can lose sleep worrying about something else.
Since January Judah and I have walked around expecting something else.
Two summers ago our son awoke, the final morning of the youth mission trip, having a seizure. This was most upsetting to Judah because he saw it as they were in a boys room. I missed it and only saw the next 45 minutes of lethargy when we couldn't keep him awake or responsive. Not fun. We then drove the entire area of Mobile looking for the children's hospital. We found two other hospitals before locating the one we wanted. By that time our son was up and conversing and looking like nothing was wrong. They did some blood work, declared it a febrile seizure since he was still 6 and he had a fever. Hopefully never to happen again.
And for 18 months it didn't.
This January at another youth trip Judah sat up in bed and declared that our son was having another seizure. In that split second I thought it odd that he could know that so quickly. Then I heard the teeth grinding and nasal secretions and since then I can hear it quite easily as well even from rooms away. It is not a sound easily forgotten. Having experienced the first one Judah was ahead of me on that day. He was indeed having another seizure. Lasted 1-2 minutes and then again 45 minutes of lethargy and crying (for those who have seen neuro patients cry you will know the sound/look - for others you will not, a neuro cry is not a cry of pain as you normally see/hear it) We very handily had a physician on that trip with us and he (and his family) very graciously allowed us to wake them up at the early hour of eight (early for a youth ski trip) Soon enough our son came around - the group prayed for us and we began the travel home, because we were six hours from a decent hospital and one just never knows... After he became himself again our son was pissed that we left and he didn't get another day of skiing.
We called our pediatrician when we returned, got a routine office visit and an appointment for an EEG. I am going to pick up the pace... Very little sleep on EEG night, which thrilled our son because he and I were playing Wii at 11:30 and that was very cool. Having to sleep at the EEG was not his thing but cuddled next to mom it went ok. That afternoon we made him take a nap (which he protested because he had already slept once that day and he doesn't TAKE NAPS anymore) Against his will he did anyway because we had to travel the next day (or so we thought) but that is another post.
Normal EEG. Got an appointment with a neuro doc just for kicks. Mom and dad feel better. Then a few weeks later dad is at his early morning men's prayer/bible study and I heard the teeth and the secretions and was out of bed and across the hall to find my son on the floor. No fun to watch. My heart goes out to those parents who have witnessed more than I. This seizure got us a moved up neurologist appointment and an MRI. The neuro doc reported that he had benign Rollandic seizures. They happen only at night and rarely develop into the full blown ones that we have seen. Most are confined to his face. With this information the amazing amount of drool marks on his pillow/sheets over the past couple of years makes heaps more sense...
Normal MRI. Much to Judah's frustration there is nothing that we know that triggers the seizures. We can not ensure avoidance through proper eating or sleeping or illness, etc. That has not stopped our paranoia when he runs a fever or gets over tired. It has also found us getting up to check on him in the night when we hear strange things. An interesting note now that summer has arrived. There is a poster in my son's room that scrapes the wall with an amazing resemblance to teeth grinding when the ceiling fan is on. There is now a chair holding that poster to the wall due to its interrupting my sleep and scaring the __ out of me.
Thusly when my niece came and told me he was on the floor looking sick, despite the knowledge that his seizures are at night I still ran up the stairs.
Sometimes moms and dads (and grandparents and aunts/uncles) think with their heart first and not their brain. We have been seizure free since February and look forward to growing out of them in the preteen - early teen years. Then we can lose sleep worrying about something else.
* Quirky Quotes
This next quote would be best seen in video but hopefully the concept will come through. The following conversation was observed between my daughter and eldest niece while we were walking through our local mega-home improvement store. They had spent the last thirty minutes declaring everything fashionable or not with phrasing such as "That is sooooo in fashion" or "That is sooooo NOT in fashion" (Please recreate those words in your head with the appropriate tone) I am reserving my thoughts on that part because I have mixed emotions about the general idea that my daughter thinks there is some merit to "fashion." Maybe I have the same thoughts but keep them in my head instead of declaring them to the shopping public at the mega store. Anyway....... After making their opinions on tile and counters and handles and wire and tools and paint color and light bulbs and whatever else they saw my niece made the following suggestion....
"Let's walk like this...Only let your toes touch the ground"
(She then demonstrated what I believe she thought fashionable people walk like... which resembled a high stepping horse-duck which had apparently stepped on a tack)
(This lasted for all of two steps.)
It seems the vision she had in her head was not easily recreated in reality because she then said...
"Maybe we should just glide."
"Let's walk like this...Only let your toes touch the ground"
(She then demonstrated what I believe she thought fashionable people walk like... which resembled a high stepping horse-duck which had apparently stepped on a tack)
(This lasted for all of two steps.)
It seems the vision she had in her head was not easily recreated in reality because she then said...
"Maybe we should just glide."
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Relationships
This summer, our college group is doing a study on relationships. Instead of focusing on the classic, male - female kind, we are looking at one's relationships as a whole. In other words, we are studying the relationships that one has with friends, spouse, children, work, God, environment, etc. Basically everything. Its been eye opening for most of us when we start discussing Gods' expectations of us when it comes to our relationship with our pet dog.
Last week, I taught a class to a group of men about the concept of relationships and how we (human) were connected to pretty much everything we come in contact with while living on this planet. I used the verses Genesis 1:26 - 28 as a back drop. We are created in God's image. We are to rule over every living thing. We are to rule over the earth. We are to populate it.
I don't' want to get into an in depth discussion of what "image of God" means, but I do want to highlight one aspect. Being created in the image of God means trying to see the world the way He does. Treating people the way they deserve to be treated. Taking care of animals the way God would.
N. T. Wright has an excellent quote in "After You Believe": "Human is thus a kind of midway creature: reflecting God into the world, and reflecting the world back to God." Wow! What a concept! he goes on to say, "God placed Human in the garden to reflect His image into the new world He was making - that is, to be the means, present and visible, whereby His own care of garden and the animals would become a reality. And if human was going to do this, Human was going to have to keep in tune with God."
We all have this "feeling" when something is right or something is wrong. Where we get messed up is when we try to start justifying our actions. Murder is wrong. But what if someone is trying to kill my family? Its still wrong. This "feeling" of what is right or what is wrong in the world is "the Image of God". Things become more black and white the more in tune with God we are.
Along with the concept of image of God, the thought that we reign over the earth is amazing. God has given us the ability to rule over everything! However, that does not give us the right to mistreat animals and pollute His creation. We can not rule over something that is destroyed! Again, we must attempt to see this world the way God sees this world. We must be in tune with it, and we must be in tune with God.
How do you "get in tune" with God? How do you "see" people you come in contact with? Do you see God in them? Do you reflect God back to them? Do you view your pets as God's creation? What about those rodents? How do you see your place on this planet?
Last week, I taught a class to a group of men about the concept of relationships and how we (human) were connected to pretty much everything we come in contact with while living on this planet. I used the verses Genesis 1:26 - 28 as a back drop. We are created in God's image. We are to rule over every living thing. We are to rule over the earth. We are to populate it.
I don't' want to get into an in depth discussion of what "image of God" means, but I do want to highlight one aspect. Being created in the image of God means trying to see the world the way He does. Treating people the way they deserve to be treated. Taking care of animals the way God would.
N. T. Wright has an excellent quote in "After You Believe": "Human is thus a kind of midway creature: reflecting God into the world, and reflecting the world back to God." Wow! What a concept! he goes on to say, "God placed Human in the garden to reflect His image into the new world He was making - that is, to be the means, present and visible, whereby His own care of garden and the animals would become a reality. And if human was going to do this, Human was going to have to keep in tune with God."
We all have this "feeling" when something is right or something is wrong. Where we get messed up is when we try to start justifying our actions. Murder is wrong. But what if someone is trying to kill my family? Its still wrong. This "feeling" of what is right or what is wrong in the world is "the Image of God". Things become more black and white the more in tune with God we are.
Along with the concept of image of God, the thought that we reign over the earth is amazing. God has given us the ability to rule over everything! However, that does not give us the right to mistreat animals and pollute His creation. We can not rule over something that is destroyed! Again, we must attempt to see this world the way God sees this world. We must be in tune with it, and we must be in tune with God.
How do you "get in tune" with God? How do you "see" people you come in contact with? Do you see God in them? Do you reflect God back to them? Do you view your pets as God's creation? What about those rodents? How do you see your place on this planet?
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