Age...Falling Apart...OUCH!

To be honest, I appraoched my fortieth birthday without any qualms or the angst that most people feel. My hubby and I CELEBRATED this milestone and loved every second. However, it appears that since that day of celebration, every part of my body has gone out of calibration! :-)
First, I had a physical exam and all the prerequesite tests and found I had to see a Cardiologist for a suspicious EKG and for my pre-hypertensive blood pressure readings. Everthing else came back normal, thank you, Jesus. Then, the aches started. My jaw is back to aching regularly and I am not sure if I will be able to get my insurance to allow me to see the specialist again. My back had started aching and so off to the Chiropractor I went. I was alllllll better until this last week!

After a week of vacationing you would think everything would be all good. That seems to NOT be the case with this aged body. I am now in excrutiating pain that even the Chiropractor, Naproxen, nor Darvocet could not relieve. Three days and counting. I have severe pain in my middle back and it radiates UP AND DOWN my spine. At moments my left arm is tingly and "numb" when in the next moment, it is my left foot and leg that are experience the same. It is the PITS! There have been tears, pills, back rubs, kisses and prayers from my kids and hubby, and I still arose this morning with pain as my companion.

I do believe my Uncle is correct, aging is the pits! At least in regards to the aches and pains that come. Aging is another matter when it comes to wisdom and such. Love that aspect because I am making fewer poor choices and learning more about how to deal with life, kids, friends, temptations, etc. So, in my estimation: Aging is a 50/50 venture!

Please pray for my backpain for I know the prayers of the righteous availeth much!
Today is Independence Day and I am going to try to celebrate my blessings of freedom and family. Just wish I was "free" of this ugly pain!!!

God bless you and yours as you celebrate the freedoms our forefathers fought for and secured for you. Later today I will be posting my thoughts on this lovely holiday and its history.

Now off to find another Naproxen and offer more prayers of Thanksgiving to my Healer.

Not Knowing....

As a music director, I spend a lot of time thinking/praying about the songs we will sing and play for services. Last night was a new adventure for me. I came to choir practice with no idea what we would sing. There were at least 4 songs fighting for dominance in my head. So, not knowing what to do, we practiced all of them. In one hours' time, with multiple new members, we went over 4 songs. Most Sunday afternoon practices we are lucky to finish practicing the two we will sing for service!! Somehow we were able to practice all of them.

At the end of practice, I had to admit to the choir I still had no idea what we would sing during service. We had prayed at the beginning of practice for direction, didn't feel we had gotten it yet, and prayed again at the end. Service started and I honestly just put my heart into worshipping Christ and forgot about the choir songs. It was lovely....until we were done with the preliminaries and I still had no idea what to sing. Then I felt a nudge toward the slower of the songs. So, I shared this with Sarah, who was directing, and the musicians. We sang that song and the anointing was so powerful!!! At the end of "Faithful Is Our God" I felt God finally direct me towards the second song. What a time we had as Sarah Booker blessed the Lord with her vocals on "Thank God For Saving Me!!" It was a blowout from that point forward!!

Not knowing....that was good for me as a lesson on just putting my trust in the ONE who KNOWS all!!! He was in control, not me! Not the choir! Not the musicians! GOD had HIS perfect way through our yielding control to him!

I commend the choir on their stellar performance and for seeking God's anointing, worshipping with abandon, and allowing themselves to be used! Even more so, I am so Holy Ghost proud of the band!!! They had no idea what they would be playing until moments before each song and yet they played them as if they had spent days practicing!!!! Thank you ILC Sanctuary Choir and Band!!! You are a blessing to me!!!! I love you all! Let's keep trusting God to use us for HIS glory and bless the Lord at all times!!!

Summertime

Summertime is here. School is almost over for my home-schooled kiddos. They look forward to a break and fun in the sun.

Sunday my sister called and said she was coming to visit. She and my gorgeous nephews arrived Monday afternoon. We visited, ate, watched the kids play wii, got panicked when we were told Trevor had hurt his eye, Jennifer got to go to Kaiser so Trevor could have 4 stitches to close up the eye wound, and then they left the next day (Wednesday.) It was wonderful to have them visit and I look forward to seeing them again in July AND hopefully in August!!

This next week we leave for our timeshare vacation in San Diego. A week of relaxation and family fun!!! We are all looking forward to beach time, swim time, reading time, nap time, etc.!! Looking for cheap activities for us to do while there. Got any ideas for us?

July holds several trips in store for us. First, a trip to NorCal to visit family. Second, the girls go to Peak in Tulsa. Oh, and I get to have a Nuclear Stress Test that same week. Ain't I lucky?? :-)

In August we will go to Knottsberry Farm and who knows what else. One last trip is planned for the girls' birthdays in October (not summer, I know) to Big Bear. They are excited about that as well!

Well, I hope your summertime is enjoyable...check back for pictures of our summer trips and such. Have a great one!!!