Sing For Joy

He called!

Yesterday evening one of Ellie's friends called for her and Ellie wasn't here.  Almost immediately after I hung up the phone, it rang again and said " Unknown Caller."  So I didn't answer, but I could hear the answering machine in the next room and it was Joe!  I immediately picked up the cordless phone sitting by me.  It was so great to hear his voice.    We had a great connection.  He says wherever he goes he has 6 bars on his phone.  Amazing, considering the remote area he is in now.    His latest prayer request is for his health-he's had stomach issues for the first time yesterday and then was to go on a bumpy 4 hour bus ride.   Hopefully the pink medicine he took with him helped him.   Thank you for your prayers.

Two More Weeks

We have exactly two weeks of summer vacation left.  At this point, the girls are just a little bit excited about going back to school.  It feels like the summer has gone by quickly.  7th grade and 4th grade.  Probably more homework and definitely more responsibility.  It will also be our last year in these schools.

I've enjoyed watching the Olympics with the girls this year.  They are more interested than ever.

Later this week, I'll be playing the piano for a children's theater camp on base.  It's all week, but they only need me Wed, Thurs and Fri.   Next week, the girls and I will go to Dallas for one night.  One last get away before school starts for just the girls.  We'll be back two days before Joe returns.  I heard from him by email almost everyday last week and he is doing great.  I probably won't hear much from him this week because he will be in more remote areas without any access to a computer. Saturday he goes to stay with his friend from Michigan and I should hear from him then.  Pray for us. Not knowing exactly where he is and what he's doing is hard for me.  I have been spoiled by email.   I'll be relying on this passage this week. 

We're thanking God today for much needed rain showers last night and possibly more this week.  Also thanking Him for a good sleep last night after a garage sale Saturday-so hot-and an early start for me yesterday at church.   Time to go exercise!

We Made It!

That was the subject of an email from Joe I received earlier tonight.  I am so grateful to know they made it safely to their destination for the mission trip and all is well.  He sounds happy.  This was my favorite part of the email:

The area and the city is even more beautiful than I imagined.  Thank you so much supporting me to do this.  I am blessed to have you as my wife.

 

We appreciate your prayers for their safety and health and for wisdom, as they do God's work. 

In case you were wondering......

What time did you get up this morning? 7:30am
Diamonds or pearls? diamonds
What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The new American Girl Movie-Kit Kittredge
What is your favorite TV show? Project Runway
What do you usually have for breakfast? yogurt
What is your middle name? Melene
What food do you dislike? beets
What is your favorite CD at the moment? The mixed ones made for our worship team by our worship leader
What kind of car do you drive? Honda Odyssey
Favorite sandwich? turkey with swiss cheese
What characteristic do you despise?  Holding a grudge
Favorite item of clothing? My new size 10 jeans!

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Somewhere I’ve never been-Australia.  Somewhere I’ve been and want to return to-Europe.
Where would you retire to? We’ve talked about Virginia, but we’re not sure right now.
What was your most recent memorable birthday? My 40^th-a fabulous girls night out for my actual birthday and a trip to NYC with Joe!
When is your birthday? May 15
Morning person or a night person? I am slowly becoming a morning person.
What is your shoe size? 6.5-7

Pets? One Golden Retriever named Sadie.
What did you want to be when you were little? a nurse
How are you today? Happy!
What is your favorite flower? roses
What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to seeing? The day we find out where we’re moving next
What are you listening to right now? The girls outside on the trampoline
What was the last thing you ate? I was bad and had some potato chips!
Do you wish on stars? YES
If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Carolina Blue!
How is the weather right now? Cool and cloudy after an unexpected thunderstorm!
Last person you spoke to on the phone? Joe
Favorite soft drink? Diet Coke
Favorite restaurant? Locally-The Beehive. 
Favorite color? Pink
What was your favorite toy as a child? My Barbie townhouse
Summer or winter? winter
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
Coffee or tea?  Both-just depends on the weather and my mood.
When was the last time you cried? Can’t remember!
What is under your bed? Wrapping paper and purses
What did you do last night? Went to a church meeting.

What are you afraid of? Snakes
Salty or sweet?  Both!
How many keys on your key ring? 4
How many years at your current job? 12.  J
Favorite day of the week? Friday!
Do you make friends easily? No

A new girl in town

Ok, not a new girl, but this girl has a new look.  I'm proud of her for choosing these frames and standing firm on these.  I tried to talk her into a more neutral pair.  I think these look great and she is thrilled with how well she can see now!

A Happy Monday

Despite the temperature reading 104 right now, it has been a good day.  I was able to sleep in, but still get in a good jog/walk around the neighborhood before it got too hot.  Energy for the day!   After some strength training, housework and a shower, I got ready for a lunch date with my husband.  Just the two of us went to Jason's Deli for lunch together and did a little shopping for a trip he is taking a week from today.  He is going on a mission trip with two other men from our church.  He'll be gone from 4 Aug-21 Aug.  The last part of the trip he'll actually be visiting a friend from High School who lives near where the mission trip location is.  Sorry I can't be more specific, but I appreciate your prayers for their safety and that God's will be done on this trip.    Joe is so excited.   He is flying tonight, which is why he is home today. 

We are guinea-sitting this week.  A friend of Ellie's owns 3 guinea pigs and they are currently residing in Ellie's room until next Monday.   So far things are going well.  We are not letting Sadie get to know them. Just not a good idea where Sadie is concerned. 

Less than a month until Beth Moore in San Antonio and 2 days after that, school starts!  Wow!

How long till Winter? And, Thank you God, for air conditioning.

Forecast for Abilene, TX (79606)

10-Day Forecast NEW: Larger Radar Maps & No Ads High / Low (°F) Tonight Jul 25 Partly Cloudy 70° Sat Jul 26 Partly Cloudy 98°/72° Sun Jul 27 Partly Cloudy 100°/74° Mon Jul 28 Partly Cloudy 104°/73° Tue Jul 29 Mostly Sunny 101°/74° Wed Jul 30 Partly Cloudy 100°/74° Thu Jul 31 Partly Cloudy 98°/73°

Works for me Wednesday-helping little ones with learning to wash their own hair

When my girls were getting to the age of being excited about taking a shower-oh those were the days-now when I tell them to take a shower you would think I told them to go scrub the toilets with a toothbrush-they also wanted to start washing their hair on their own.  When they were ready, the hard part was using too much or too little shampoo.  I happened to have an extra cup-like the kind you get with a bottle of children's liquid medicine to measure the dose correctly.  I poured the shampoo in that and put in on the edge of the tub-and removed the full size bottle of shampoo.  Then, they had the amount they needed-no more, no less.  It worked well for us! 

Ch-ch-ch-changes

It seems that's the theme for Ellie these days.  She had her eye appointment today and it went well.  She did GREAT about talking to the doctor when she needed to.  I was so proud of her-and relieved.  Her vision is 20/70 and she needs glasses to see things at a distance.  Once her glasses come in next week, she is going to see things much differently.  I'm excited for her.  Her Dad's vision is 20/200, so it's not surprising one of our girls needs glasses already.  Joe didn't get them until after college!   I still don't wear glasses, but I've also never had a real eye exam.  I'm now scheduled for Friday morning. 

I had my mammogram today-twice.  Not because they found something wrong, but because the processing machine "ate" my films.  So, after the machine was repaired, I got to go through it all again.  Thankfully, that time it worked and they didn't see anything that needed a second look. 

For those of you with teenage boys.....

Or boys that will someday be teenagers, I pray you have a large food budget and you enjoy cooking!  We had four visiting ROTC cadets to our home for a meal last night.  They are all 19-20 year old men and came with appetites large enough to eat chips and guacamole for awhile, followed by dinner.  Large amounts of dinner.  It was a pleasure to watch them eat and enjoy.  It's one of the reasons I love to cook so much.  By the way, guess what we had?  :)   Along with  pinto beans, macaroni and cheese, cantaloupe, yeast rolls and lemonade pie.  I can't imagine having family members who eat that much everyday, but I know there are plenty out there who do.  More power to you!