Happy Anniversary

Today marks Kim and Paul's 10th anniversary. We love them so much and are proud of them and wish for them many more years to enjoy their family and one another. A good marriage is to be cherished. Paul has been a blessing to our family and I know that God in Heaven had a hand in their "finding" each other. Kim is one of the greatest joys of my life and she is a good wife and mother.
On another note- David is at UAB ER with Josh. He called a little before 4 this morning and said his back was killing him. He has not felt well this week having strept throat and some other pain that he thought might be a muscle pull or something. Anyway, David called me about 5 and said they thought he had a kidney stone or stones. They were doing an ultrasound/CAT scan. I have heard that kidney stones are painful, and many people compare the pain to childbirth. I guess only a woman who had given birth and had kidney stones could testify to that. Josh has never had any problem with stones, so I pray that this will be his one and only encounter. I hope to hear from them soon. Since it was the middle of the night, Katie stayed with Hannah. Hopefully once they see what is going on we will know which way to go.
I made it to WW last night and I had lost 2.8 making my total 61.4. I thought I would never hit that 60 mark. Despite parties and special occasions, I have managed to hold on. I know we have so many times when food is in abundance, so I just have to compensate during the "regular" times. My closet is getting pretty sparce, as I have had to discard at least 1/2 of my clothing. I have a Mother's Day gift card from Josh and Katie to Cato's and as soon as I have time I am going to go pick me out a new outfit. It is funny, but when I go look at clothes, I keep looking at the same size that I have been buying. It is hard to buy a smaller size for some reason. Thank goodness for jeans and t-shirts that take a while to get too big.
Last night we received a call from our sweet Brianna Montagano. She wanted to be baptized. Within about 30 minutes we managed to pull together a nice little group to witness this important and special moment. We love Bri and are so proud of her decision to put on Christ in baptism. She is a special girl.
I hope you all have a great day. Pray for Josh today.

Musings of a Proud Mom

Let me start by saying, I know I have been a blog slacker. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say, it’s just that I have not had time to say it- and also, they have blocked our ability to post on Blogger from work. Imagine that!
Life has been busy. Kim and family spent a week during their bathroom remodel. The kids were good and I miss the big greeting I got every afternoon when I came home. Levi makes you feel like you have been away at war or something.
I am still plugging away at the weight thing. Last week saw a whopping one pound and I think this week has been about the same. I am going to miss WW tonight because Addi has a ballgame and I have some things I need to do. I will be back next week. I do think I have hit the 60 pound mark, but with Memorio Day (as Addi calls it) coming up, that might be a challenge.
The pool is open and I am working on getting the water clear. That is always a challenge because I like it to sparkle. Hopefully by Monday it will be blue and clear. It is on its way. We hope to get this year out of the pool and maybe upgrade a little and re-do our decks, etc. Everything costs so much.
On another proud Mother note- On Sunday Josh and Paul will be installed as deacons. I am so proud of both of them. They are good boys and I know they will do well in the position. Lord willing I know that one day they will both serve as elders. When my boys were little I used to think about wanting them to be leaders in the Lord’s church- and both have taken on roles and responsibilities in that field. I know that Paul’s parents are proud of him, as well. We will also have two new elders, Marty Glenn and Mark Wylie, and another new deacon in Brian Maddox. I am proud of all of them, as well. I have watched Mark and Brian grow up and it is a wonderful feeling to see them take on this position.
I hope all of you have a great week’s end and hold on- the long weekend is coming!

Mother's Day

Well, tomorrow is the day set aside to honor mothers. I feel honored every day, so I don't really need a special day. I have the best kids in the world and I am so thankful for all three of them. They are not perfect, but who is? They are pretty perfect to me, for certain. I can't imagine my life without my kids. I thank God for them every day of my life. I am proud of what they have become and when I look at the world around me, I know how blessed I am to have such good kids.
My kids have always given me sweet, beautiful cards and expressed their love in so many ways- but yesterday I had a little group of kids do something that brought me to tears. Our Hispanic population at school now stands at about 20. These kids are so sweet. They love the library, and there is hardly a day goes by that I do not see at least 15 of the 20. They love books. They are working so hard on their English, and I am working on my Spanish. We sometimes communicate with hand signals, but we manage to get by. Well, I had gone to the office and my clerk and my "Doctor" intern were in the library when the entire group came in looking for me. Dr. Martin told them I had stepped to the office, and she told me off they went to find me. Now we have a fairly small office, but somehow all 20 of those kids got into the office to present me with a candle and an artificial rose for Mother's day. That had to be the most beautiful "flower" I have ever received. Then they all, one by one, hugged me with such passion. I wept. I felt like more of a "teacher" on yesterday than in all my years. What a wonderful day.

A Whopping....

2 pounds. Slow and steady...boy that seems slow, but the total is now 57.8 pounds.

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts

I have been blogging on Thursdays to give a WW update, but did not get to go this week because I went to Quintown with David. He preached in their revival this past week and I went every night. I don't often get to go every night when he is preaching away, but I did this time. I will get back to WW this week (while I did not have an official weigh-in, I have lost several more pounds according to my scales). David hit the 45 pound mark this week- WOO HOO!!!! Continue to pray for us, and I am not saying that lightly. Losing weight is harder than gaining it, and keeping it off even harder. When I was a kid I used to think that when I got older that I would no longer like candy, cake, pie, all that sweet stuff- but guess what, that did not happen. I have a very strong desire to be around for many more years, and I know that losing weight might help to insure my years. Again, it might not. I really want to see my children grow old and my grandchildren grow up.
The past week was busy with the revival (David did a great job and the people were very kind, work, a little ballpark activity, and a day of shopping on yesterday. I am trying to do some laundry this afternoon, and a little dusting and vacuuming. The next few weeks look to be very busy, as well.
I am in the process of inventory at school- ugh!!! I can't get it done for the interruptions. I hope this week might be better, as I think several grades have field trips planned. I wish they would all go somewhere on the same day!!!!!
In other news, the cemetery that was vandalized this past week is the cemetery where my parents, grandparents (both sets), aunts, uncles, and cousins are buried. We went by to check that afternoon as David had to go to Quintown anyway. The row of markers behind my Daddy's parents graves had all been knocked over and broken. How sorry is that. The people they showed on TV that had been arrested gave the appearance of "inbreeding" if you get my drift. They looked pretty low-life. Anyway, we went back by on Thursday so that I could put flowers on Mother and Daddy's grave, and my grandparents (Daddy's parents-I always put something on their grave as Mother tried to do that because there is no other family left- my aunt and cousin still put something on Mother's parents grave), and they had the grounds looking really nice and most of the damage as repaired as possible. I know my flowers got rained on hard on Saturday, but it did not make sense to make another trip out there as we were already there on Thursday.
MaMa and PaPa Courington are doing pretty well. MaMa's feet have been swelling a lot and PaPa had an eye infection. At their age and health, it is one thing after another.
Mary had to go to the ER this morning. She came to church but she was so tormented by the itching that she had to go to the hospital. They gave her a shot and told her to see her doctor. Of course, her doctor has said until the transplant, he has done about all he can do. They may have to put her on a benadryl IV to help the itching. I know I have said this before, but unless you have ever had anything to make you itch (I have and had to be hospitalized), you can't really imagine the torment. Pray for Mary and pray that a liver will be found soon.
I hope everyone has a great week.