Learning to wait on the Lord

This is something that is much easier said than done--learning to wait on the Lord--wait to see what His will is--wait to see what direction He wants us go.


I've been in a bit of a funk this week...I'm not sure what direction this post is going to go...I certainly don't want it to be a gripe-fest, but more of a thinking out loud. So, there is my disclaimer. Continue at your own risk!


We are in our current position because of a decision that we made four years ago. More on that in another post, but, we felt the Lord was leading us. Everything that we tried to do just fell into place like a puzzle.


We sold our business, moved out of state to lovely North Carolina, and in less than a year, had to move back to Ohio. 


We are currently renting from my SIL, but she and BIL would like to sell this house, when we find something else.


Hubby and I have tried to buy (mostly at auctions) 10 - 12 houses. On one house, we were the high bidder, but after the obligatory five minutes "wait and talk it over" time, a new bidder appeared on the phone, and bye-bye house. On another deal, we looked at a house that had been sitting on the market for about a year with no one interested. The house needed a LOT of work, but for the right price, we were up to the challenge. Now, remember, no one had even looked at this house for several months. We looked at it, made a list of all the repairs it needed, worked up an offer. The week that we gave them an offer, not one, not two, but FOUR other offers poured in!! We brought that guy a great blessing, because all the offers were higher than ours!


So, with every house we have tried to get, but have not gotten, we said, "Well, I guess the Lord has something better for us." And, each place that we looked at was better than the last. Except that they all went to someone else.


Our last experience is the one that has put me in my current "funk". We looked at a small but cute house, a cottage, really. The price was low enough that we could put an addition on. It has a little bit of land, so we could have a nice sized garden. It is owned by a local bank. When we looked at it, the guy that showed it to us said that there was someone else who had shown some interest in it, but had not put in an offer.


So, we put in an offer. The guy told us that the bank people were having a meeting in the morning, and he would tell them of our offer. Fine. Great.  
An hour later, "our" guy calls and tells us that the bank CEO thought the other party should know, so he called him, told him our offer, and asked if he wanted to  "up our offer". 


Does that sound A) slightly unethical  B) highly unethical or C) AOK?   I pick "B".  So, we play the little unethical game, raising the price. 


After two rounds, Hubby asks for the name of the person we are now bidding against. It's a contractor by the name of Jones*. Hubby knows Jones*, so, he gives him a call to let him know what is going on. He was hoping that when Jones* realized how unethical the bank dealing was, he would back out. Nope.


When Jones* was told that the bank told us he had raised the bid $500, Jones* said he hadn't even talked to the banker that day. Hubby told Jones* that we were backing out, and wouldn't raise the bid. He called the bank and them that we would offer the same as Jones*, they would have to make the decision.


When we didn't hear from the bank, we had someone call for us, pretending to be interested in the house. He was told, yep, they sold the house. Only one person was interested. Hmmmmm. I thought there were two people interested.  Now, why would the bank have to lie about that?  


But, that's the way things seem to go for us. Think of the weirdest, most bizarre scenario, and that's how it happens. (Hubby did call Jones* and offered him a little more, if he wanted to make an easy profit. But, he's buying it for his in-laws so they can be closer.)


I know the Lord hasn't forgotten us, but I wouldn't mind at all if He wanted to send us a little telegram with just a hint of what He has in mind. I guess we'll know soon enough, if we just keep waiting on the Lord.

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Project 52 - Week 3

I kept my word, and did a P90X workout last week. (And, I'm still sweating from the workout I just completed.) The workout I attempted to do was the core synergentics. I just love a good core workout!


I am not a newcomer to exercise. I've done areobics, water aerobics, kickboxing, zumba, yoga, and pilates. But, honestly, I'ver never seen most of the exercises in that one workout--and there are about 12 more dvds to go through! I can't even imagine the joy and surprises that await me!


You wouldn't think that a minute is a long time, would you? Surely, I can do an exercise for one stinkin' minute.


Ever hear of a "superman banana"? Yeah, a minute can be a very long time!  The things he wanted me to do were just downright unspeakable!


I felt like a big, ol' clumsy, awkward, out-of-shape hippopotamus, trying to be a beautiful ballerina. (And, I'm not saying that any of those moves even closely resembled ballet.)


Here is a sampling of a few thoughts that went through my mind as each exercise was performed, and I stood in silent shock:

• Holy cow! I'm supposed to do WHAT????
• Are you freaking kidding me???
• Seriously???
• Superman Banana???
• HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
• HUH???
• Yeah, right!!
• Now you're just showing off!!

After the shock of "I'm supposed to do WHAT???" wore off, I got my big self down on the floor, attempted in very bad form, to do a ridiculous kind of push-up. By the time I "completed" one, they were off and running (literally) to the next fun exercise.


I didn't know there were so many variations of a "simple" push-up, none of which included "girl-style" push-ups. Ever tried a walking push-up. It's fun!!!


I did appreciate the fact that he did allow 45 seconds for a water break. Those 45 seconds flew by in comparison with the 60 seconds of some crazy exercise, which seemed to last 60 minutes.


I know you're dying to know what a superman banana is. It's very simple, really. Merely lay on the floor on your stomach, and pretend you're Superman flying. Arms straight out, raised up off the floor--the same goes for your legs. Hold that pose. Now, quickly, simply roll over onto your back--arms and legs still straight out, but now, you're arched like a banana! Hold that pose! Now, roll back over to superman - hold - back to banana - hold - continue for only a minute. It's so much fun. Go ahead. Try it. You know you want to!

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The Diary

Let me start out by saying that I did not write this. I wish I had. I'm not even sure where it came from. I have one copy with no identification on who might have written it. But, it has gotten an annual reading for many years. And, no matter how many times we've read it, we still laugh all the way through it. I hope you enjoy it and laugh your socks off!

December 8: 
6:00 PM. It started to snow.The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our coctails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!
December 9:
We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow eovering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the Whole World? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life.
December 12:
The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man. I'm glad he's our neighbor.
December 14:
Snow lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold  makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll sertainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.
December 15:
20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's care and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.
December 16:
Ice storm this morning. Fell on my butt on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like crazy. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.
December 17:
Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should have bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.
December 20:
Electricity is back on, but had another 14" of the darn stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Darn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I thing they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.
December22:
Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white stuff fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to go to the bathroom. By the time I got undressed, went to the bathroom and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the idiot is lying.
December 23:
Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she nuts!!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.
December 24:
6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the idiot who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his hair. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for the darn snowplow.
December 25:
Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the slop tonight. Snowed in. the idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's a wonderful life" one more time, I'm going to kill her.
December 26:
Still snowed in. Why the heck did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.
December 27:
Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze.
December 28:
Warmed up to above -25. Still snowed in. THE WIFE is driving me crazy!!!!!!!
December 29:
10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?
December 30:
Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is suing me for a million dollars for the bump on his head. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted.
December 31:
Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.
January 8:
I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

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Wordless Wednesday

This is what I am looking at out my window today! More snow on the way! Blah.

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Project 52

Project 52 is the brainchild of Jennee at Cheap Therapy (my amazing daughter, fyi) and Karen at Karen's world.

I'm not much of a goals person, and usually fight tooth and nail against making goals of any kind, BUT, (and I hate to admit this) I have found that having a list does help me to: 1) get things done and 2) remind me that I have actually accomplished something. And, I really enjoy using that little strikethrough button!

I'm hoping that as I cross things off my list, I will become (and stay) more organized.

So, what have I accomplished this week?

1.  Lose 30 pounds - 15 by March 

I am down a few pounds, but consider it more of a fluke than anything. If anything substantial occurs, you'll be the first to know! 

2.  Read 10 books

     I finished my first book, but before you get too impressed, I started reading it in December. Not only is this book a good thriller, but the last 26 pages are full of footnotes to back up all the information found in the book.

                  

24. Get through an entire P90X workout - I'm working up the courage to get started. I promise to get through at least one workout this week! (Ohh, did I "say" that out loud?)

25. Go through the box of "stuff" in my bedroom

This box was much smaller than I imagined, and when I started going through it, I realized it was full of "unmentionables". I just transferred it all to my "unmentionables" drawer! (Am I really making any headway here?)

35. Drink more water

The problem with drinking more water is... what goes in has to come out! sigh!

44. Take down the Christmas tree

Okay, so I admit, that this is a cheap goal. The Christmas tree HAS to come down sometime, right? Like I said, I like using the strikethrough button, and this makes me feel like I'm making progress!

46. Find a place for Sweetie Pie's toys

This was easier than I thought it would be. Jennee has taken my sewing machine and serger out of retirement, so, the retirement lodge has become a toy chest.

50. Learn how to transfer a button--in less than an hour! 
I should probably take this one off and replace it with another goal. I actually do know how to transfer a button-surprise! surprise! (Said in a Gomer Pyle accent) The button I was trying to transfer had a glitch in it, and so, for once, it was not me who had the problem.

Well, there's my list. It's not too late to start your own list and join the fun! Just click on the Project 52 button, and if I did it right, it should take you over to the blog hop! Come on, it'll be fun!

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It's my Blogiversary!

It's hard for me to believe, but I've been blogging for one year now! I distinctly remember Amazing Daughter dragging me over to the computer, and sitting me down, then saying, "You are going to start a blog!"


"What's a blog?" "Why do I want to write a 'public diary'?" "I don't get it. What's the point?" 


But, it didn't take me long to get addicted to blogging! And, I think I "get it". It's about sharing and making friends. I'm not much of a talker, but blogging gives me a way to share my life and thoughts. And, it gives me a way to share in other's lives in return.


I didn't think I'd care about having followers, but after I got my first follower, I was so excited, even though it was my daughter! Karen was my second follower. After that, I loved watching that number rise. 


I love getting comments, and try to leave lots of comments, (but, honestly, sometimes after reading a lot of comments, I feel like mine would be boring or sound like I copied from someone else's comments.) But, now that you know that, I'm going to try to leave more comments, even if they sound, like, "duh".
I know you like comments, too!


So, as I start my second year of blogging, I hope to become a little more "blog-savvy". Time will tell if I succeed.


Thanks for stopping by!

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Christmas and Gallbladder Surgery!

So, we had a wonderful Christmas. Sweetie Pie and her dad (our oldest son) got to spend two weeks with us. Our other son and Awesome Daughter live close by, so we got to spend a lot of family time together. (Some may say too much time! Anyhoo...) Christmas is so much more fun with little ones around. When anyone asked Sweetie Pie what she got for Christmas, she said, "Everything!" This was basically true, since almost everything under the tree had her name on it!


In the wee hours of Sunday night/Monday morning, Hubby started stirring. Sometimes, if he can't sleep, he'll read a book. In my half-awake/half-asleep mode, I thought that was what he was doing. In reality, he was getting dressed.  Then, I heard him say, "I'm going to the hospital."  PARDON?


(He's been having gallbladder trouble since April, when he first landed in the E.R. They wanted to take it out then, but he wanted to see if he could control it by diet first. It seemed that the only thing to set off an attack was hot, spicy food. Fats did not affect him. He would do OK for a while, then another attack would come. He has a very high tolerance for pain, and none of these attacks landed him in the hospital until this one.)


So, I said, "Do you want me to come with you?" He said "yes", as he doubled over in pain. I quickly dressed, and scribbled a note to let everyone know where we were.


As I made my way to the car, I noticed Sweetie Pie's booster car seat in the back seat. I pulled it out and set it on the freezer. I was impressed with myself that I had the presence of mind to do that, considering the time (3:30 AM) and circumstance. 


Hubby got in on the passenger side. I didn't have to force him to let me drive.
I started backing out of the garage, zig-zagging around the extra vehicles that were parked in the driveway. The driveway is quite long, and I was able to get turned around and go forward.


Snow was falling, the driveway and roads were completely covered with snow. I cautiously made my way out to the road. In spite of inscruciating pain, Hubby says, "What's that noise?" 


"What noise?"


"That weird sounding noise?" 


"Uh, I don't know"  (Honestly, how can you be thinking about a noise???)


Then I looked into the back---and there was the back door, coincidentally the same back door that I had opened, swinging wide open as we rounded a curve on the snow-covered road.


He noticed it the same time I did. "How did that door get open?" 
(Beats me.) I remained quiet and reached back to close the door.


The normally short drive to the hospital was made longer due to the snowy conditions, and my overly cautious driving. And, the fact that at 3:30 AM someone pulled out of their driveway right in front of us and drove slower than me. Never fails.


I dropped Hubby off at the E.R. door, then parked the car.


After several hours, the E.R. people did some tests, and ultrasounds. Not only did he have gallstones, but one or several (they couldn't tell) were blocking the bile duct by the pancreas, giving him a lipase count of 34,200! We didn't really know what that meant, but when the doctor said it was the highest count he had seen IN HIS LIFE, we figured it must not be good. (We learned that normal is 50.)


What we eventually discovered was that the blockage was causing the pancreas to leak out digestive juices, and the pancreas was basically digesting itself. (Pancreantitus...not a good thing!)


Then they had to figure out who, how, and where they could do the surgeries...one to remove the gallbladder, and one to take care of the stone/s that were causing the blockage. If the stones were too far up into the bile duct, the gallbladder surgeon couldn't do it; he'd need a gastrointologist..and both of those doctors were on vacation. Great. So, they were calling around to other hospitals to see if someone could do the surgery. No stress there.


However, in the end, the gallbladder surgeon felt that he could do the surgery, and Hubby was admitted into the hospital at noon on Monday.


The surgery was Tuesday morning, after the lipase count was down. Everything went fine. They were able to do the non-invasive surgery. That lasted one hour. Then they had to take care of the stones causing the pancreantitus. We were told that could take one to four hours. His only took one and a half hours.  Then my beeper went off (just like the restaurants use), signaling that the surgery was over and I could talk to the surgeon. My son went with me in the likely event that I would not remember everything. 


After waiting for 20 minutes in the little private room (my family was starting to worry, and I was getting a little nervous), the surgeon finally walked in. No greeting, no handshake, nothing infinitesimally personal.


"He did fine in the surgery. We got the stones out. I'm two hours behind in my office calls because of this. If I get back in to see him it will be late tonight."  And, out the door he walked. Well, OK, then. So sorry to inconvenience you. 


I guess doctors are too busy and too important to waste time on common courtesy. But, he's an excellent surgeion, and we're thankful for that. But, would it kill him to treat us like human beings?


I'm way past the point of saying, "to make a long story short" , but Hubby is home now and recovering nicely. His best medicine was to see little Sweetie Pie after the surgery.


He's not supposed to lift anything over 20 pounds for two weeks, which means he's not working. And that means he's home during my regular blogging time. And, that means I probably won't be doing any regular blogging for a week or two. (But, I'll do my best.)


He can't wait to have a nice, spicy Mexican meal. And, today is his birthday. Happy Birthday, HoneyBun! I love you!


P.S. I don't have any pictures, because when I suggested that it would make great blogging material, he just gave me "The Look". 


So, here's a picture of our Christmas tree instead!

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