Surviving the Snow

Yes, hello, we do have snow! Here we are in Minnesota for Christmas...not our plan, but we do have joy in following God's plan! I never know what will happen next but right now we are in Minnesota for a few months keeping company with some amazing relatives. Jim is helping an uncle with his business while he take radiation and chemo, possibly surgery. Now we know how hard he has always worked! I am helping do what I can to be a bonus for my aunt and maybe lighten her load a little.

I am getting used to the cold again and driving on snow and ice. Poor Jim is just plain being a good sport. I don't think he will ever enjoy winter in Minnesota like we do...but he does like summer here! No one has to worry that Jim will leave the south...that will never happen, rest assured. But Jim does have a heart for people and an ear for God. He is obedient. He is my role model.

Our dog, Belle, thinks snow is okay if it's above zero with no wind. Otherwise, she starts to freeze before she is half done with her business and hops around on two legs until she can't take it then lays in the snow until I scoop her up. She has gotten quite attached to my uncle and cuddles and gives him comfort. She defends us all from the dreaded dryer timer..that's when she gets some exercise.

I've sewn a couple quilts and have gotten in some reading, but I want to be more useful to my aunt and pray for her to get an idea on something I can do for her when she is at work. I am still losing weight on Weight Watchers, but expect to have a little set-back from Christmas. I will step up the exercise when we get back.

We are staying with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson over Christmas and really had fun watching him open gifts. Christmas is so special with children around! Original plans were to be in Washington, I thank Him that we have such understanding children! We are where we need to be right now. On this Christmas when we celebrated Jesus's birth, we also celebrate a new baby in the family! Tracy announced her pregnancy by having Owen wear a T-shirt that read, "I am going to be the best big brother in the wole world!"

Tonight we pack up and will leave after breakfast tomorrow. As much as we love to see and spend time with family, it will be nice to get back to our warm little bedroom in Isanti county.

Back From the North

Jim retired a year ago. What a big change! We decided to travel, staying in Minnesota for the summer and home to Georgia for the winter. It was working quite well, until this current financial crisis. Now, we are in God's hands, as we wonder and pray if we should be returning to the workforce.

That aside, we had a great year. We stayed in our 5th wheel at Shell Lake in Osage, Minnesota, where we are not directly on the lake but in the 2nd row of a 14 campers in three rows at Wilds Resort and Campground. The lake is 3,140 acres and shallow, with deepest areas of 18 feet. There are several weed and wild rice beds, which are perfect places to catch pan fish.

We were blessed to have some company: Jim's sister, Joy, and her hubby Kenny from Kathleen, GA...my daughter Robin, hubby Ted, and children, Natalie, Will, and Lydia from Olympia, WA...my sister, Kat from Horace, ND...my sister, Gayle, and her secial friend Al, from East Hampton, CT...and my daughter, Tracy, hubby Jeremy, and little boy, Owen from Moorhead, MN.

Besides staying at the lake, we took the RV on the road to Washington for a 2-week stay at Millersylvania Park for Will's 3rd birthday. We had such fun and pulling the 5th wheel was quite an education. We loved sight-seeing along the way and staying in different campgrounds. Belle isan also an adventurer! On the way back to the lake, we went through the Black Hills and to Mt. Rushmore...but we were on a timetable so couldnt dawdle too much.

The weekend we got back was a reunion/birthday party at Mom's on Big Cormorant Lake. Gayle and Al came from CT and Mom's brothers and sisters, from Northern and Southern Minnesota also attended. It was great to be with family more than once or twice a year.

On the way up to Minnesota and on the way back down to Georgia, we were able to stop and see Jim's daughters, Rachel and Sarah Mae. Rachel is a senior at Liberty University in Lynchberg, VA. Sarah Mae and her hubby Bert Parham live in Lexington, KY where they work and she also attends Asbury Seminary.

Now, we are settling into Dr. appointments, church and small group studies, and reconnecting with friends. We possibly won't be traveling for awhile, until next summer, but are hoping to take a winter trip to WA. to see the kids and kiddo's. We continue to make plans, and then we follow the changes in our plans as we tweak them to be more in line with God's plans for our lives. Whatever the future holds for us, we know we are in God's hands and need to consult Him first. It's great to be home!

Getting Back

It's been nearly a year since I thought of writing on this site again, but it is a good exercise for me because I am going to be serious about writing my book this year. (A year In Maryland) I have so much encouragement from my daughter and my husband, and the time to do it now that I'm fully retired.

I am getting used to having another retiree in the house, though...but that's another story! Jim is great and shares in or does most of the cooking. He plans our trips and outings and dates, keeps track of finances, and keeps me up to date on the news. He also likes to rearrange furniture. He is always trying to make room for more seating in our small living room in case all the kids come at once...but that is very rare, now that they are all in different states. I am assuming we will be able to 'entertain' more once we figure out what to get rid of so there is more room. I would love us to be able to host a life group for our church some day.

These days, we are a little sedentary. Two weeks ago, on a trip to Lexington, KY to see Bert and Sarah Mae, I fell in a utilityhole while walking the dog in Lenoir, TN. Nothing was broken but I have horrible bruises and a hemotoma. The doctor thinks it may take about 3 months to heal and believes I have tissue and muscle tearing.

I'm also in a neck brace and will start physical therapy for 4 weeks. I have a few bulging disks that are pushing against my spinal cord causing neck and ear pain, as well as hypersensitivity to cold and air flow. I am on Cymbalta to inhibit the sensors, but have not seen any effect after only 2 days except that I seem to have less pain from my 'manhole' bruises. Praise God!

In keeping friends and family up to date, I warned them not to turn 55. My Sunday school teacher from Maryland responded that she would rather be 55 than 88! I am so blessed to have so many loved ones praying for me, but I do look forward to turning 56 in July because I will be back home with much of my family and maybe even my sister from CN!!!