YES!

I just want to give a quick update about my grampa: He's doing so much better!

When I last posted, he was feeling very nauseous and throwing up--which, we found out, was because his stomach was "off." When they took out his spleen, they had to take out his stomach as well (and put it back in, of course), which put his stomach in shock and it turned off.

So then they put a tube up his nose, and down his throat, into his stomach to suck up all the stuff sitting in there making him nauseous. That tube would have to stay there until his stomach decided to turn back on.

We were praying for a miracle: a bowel movement. Yes, that's right. Well, after walking 2 laps around the 6th floor, he decided to take a trip to the bathroom. After about 5 minutes, we heard, "Good news in here!" coming from the bathroom.

HE POOPED! My grandma actually jumped up and started doing a jig. We were yelling and dancing. THANK GOD HE POOPED!

So yesterday he got the tube taken out and is feeling so much better now that his stomach works.

Thank you for your prayers! God is good, no matter what.

pray

Whoever reads this post, please pray for my grampa. It's day 4 after his splenectomy and he's not doing well. He's out of the ICU, but is feeling very sick and weak--he threw up, but the reason is not clear. My grandma is struggling with depression and anxiety attacks and has been staying at our house. Please pray for healing and strength.

clothes

Today, I was in a very unusual online shopping mood.

And I thought I'd share some of the things I have on a wish list...








(the pants---they're pink. i don't normally go for pink pants, but i really like the look of these.)

So, what do you think?

a list!

Thank you, John Conterez, for inspiring me to make a list.

Here are some things I want to do, not necessarily in order of importance:

1. Go to a drive in movie
2. take my camera and tripod to some pleasant location and take pictures of the sunrise
3. ride bikes somewhere at nighttime and look at the stars
4. go on a road trip
5. teach in Chicago
6. take free dance classes in Chicago
7. make sushi
8. talk to/perhaps get a date with the cute librarian...found out he has a girlfriend. wah wah wah.
9. start doing yoga again(I started today!)
10. direct a children's choir
11. have a bonfire on the beach
12. have a bonfire in my backyard
13. get baptized(happened August 15!)
14. go salsa dancing and swing dancing
15. visit Clarissa in hicksville and ride 4-wheelers, learn to drive a stick, and blow things up
16. Be in a musical

17. go to the beach
18. Get certified to be a yoga instructor
19. Take a hula-hoop dancing class
20. Go to Europe
21. Re-learn Spanish


I will be adding to this/hopefully checking things off.

life is always happening

Since my last post, my grandparents went to Mayo clinic and immediately the doctors found what was wrong. It's his spleen. So he is getting doses every other day of this medication that is meant to un-confuse his spleen I believe. If this medication doesn't work, he'll have to have surgery on his spleen. With his thin blood, this would be really risky. I'm just continuing to pray for his healing. And for my grandma's peace.

I was so happy they were able to come to my graduation. It was so much fun.

So yes, I am a college grad. This summer I will be babysitting and taking two classes at Harper. Then in the fall I'm anticipating starting the MA in Teaching program at Trinity as well as substitute teaching. OH also, I ran into my middle school jazz band director and turns out she needs a nanny starting in the fall for her twins! I'm soooo pumped. Giddy, in fact. God is my provider!

So besides going to classes, doing homework, and babysitting, here are somethings I'm looking forward to:
-Noah and Jamie's wedding
-Visiting and getting visited by Calli
-Reading
-Going down to the city to see friends, to hear/see music
-Taking lots of pictures
-Seeing Luke a few times
-Dreaming of a road trip, hopefully getting up the nerve to actually do it
-Seeing Bethany and Sarah
-Making new friends

intentions/happy friday

I created this blog intending to document my journey through student teaching. Oh well. It was a great experience and I miss my students.

One of my favorite things is the scent of frozen pizza cooking in the oven. It reminds me of all the Fridays of my childhood when we'd have frozen pizza and pop and sometimes watch a movie. Today, my mom is making it for my dad for lunch.

My Grandma is taking my Grampa to Mayo Clinic on Sunday because his oncologist doesn't know why his blood platelets aren't staying stable for more than 4 hours at a time. He's going to the hospital once a day to get his "dose" of platelets. My Grandma is clearly scared. My Grampa hates not being able to swim or ride his bike or do work around the house. The doctor told him not to do anything but sit. Sit, read, watch tv, sleep. It depresses him. So I'm continually praying for the both of them. And for my mom. I want to be there for her but for some reason I can't figure out HOW.

Do you know how sweet and tender my Grampa is? While he is fighting for his own life, he gets extremely sad when he hears that I'm not feeling well. THAT is my Grampa.

if animals could talk...

Yesterday, students responded to a writing prompt asking, "What if animals could talk? What kinds of questions would you ask them?"

Here is one of my students' letter-for-letter written responses (his spelling is so creative!):
"Theas are my chaweschens if a hipeo could talk. I woud ask wy are you so mean. Or wy they eat us. And wy are they so feroshes. And fite, 'or play,' with each another so much."

Here's part of another response:
"If he was smarter than me he would tell me who was the first person to land on the moon." --he was referring to a dog.


My future is so uncertain. Thank God HE knows what's up.