Yep, or rather nope, no electricity yet.  We actually stayed with my folks last night to make it easier for the girls to get ready for school.  And sometime in the wee hours, their power went out – again!  So I was up making lunches by candlelight ~ it is still dang dark at 6:30 am! 

At home, I heated water in a pot in the fireplace to try to clean up a bit.  Just like camping, with all the conveniences of, oh, well, not!  We do have tons of wood for burning outside in the fire pit.  I actually had devotions there this am and it was kinda nice in that camping, back-to-nature kind of way!

But we are blessed.  No house damage, everyone healthy, and food on the table.  Our prayers are with those not so lucky.  And our friends who are grieving the loss of their tenth grade sons in a fire this weekend – tragic! 

Will keep you up to date as we continue to be patrons of the Fayetteville Public Library:  heat, computers, Arsagas, and all free!

So we are mid fourth day without electricity and it isn’t that bad.  For those of you who don’t know why, we in Northwest Arkansas have experienced the worst ice storm in many years.  Our power went out Monday night and cam back on for a few hours Tuesday morning, and now has been out since about 10am Tuesday.  Almost all of Fayetteville was out for Tuesday and Wednesday, with pockets of power on Thursday.  Today, Friday, we are still out.  We can keep our cold food (milk and such) on the porch as the temp hasn”t been above 35, and is in the teens at night.  Our fireplace is gas and we have tons of wood, so as long as we keep everything in the house closed up and we sleep in the living room, we stay semi-warm.  Here at the library, which opened yesterday, it is warm, we have internet access, and can get coffee, hot chocolate and read.  It’s a new adventure everyday!  Yesterday, for instance, we got free hot showers at the local athletic club!  It’s the little things!!  Will keep you posted as we have access to the library.

Of surgery that is.  The surgeon feels like he got what needed to be gotten.  Mom was admitted to stay overnight, but is doing well.  Her throat is still sore from being entubated, but she’s getting better.  She has to do radiation, but we aren’t sure what that will entail just yet.  Dad says that should be home by spring!!  No, mom has to stay down through the weekend,  and they have 4 new appointments for the end of the month, but Dad is going to try to change them.  For now, we are just praising the Lord for a quick and easy surgery and a speedy recovery.  Thanx for your prayers!!

Well, Mom and Dad are in Minnesota – again.  And it is snowing up a storm there!  Even Dad says the driving is treacherous!  Mom started in today with the breast cancer surgeon who proceeded to order more tests immediately.  Mom says she was treated like royalty, every one was soo nice!  The doc says there will be surgery, but to what extent will be determined when they see her tomorrow morning.  If they are not snowed completely in, that is!  Will keep you posted as I know more…

I sincerely hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a New Year of loving Jesus more.  My resolution is to love more regardless of the cost ~ whole heartedly, passionately and honestly.

Cassie and I went to the OneThing conference in Kansas City and were inspired and pumped to bring back the passion!  My focus has been off for a couple of months now, so I begin realignment with the GBF.  (If you don’t know, ask me)

Mom and Dad were home for Christmas, tried and tested in every sense of the words!  Once home, Mom received a surprising and totally unexpected diagnosis of Paget’s Disease, a rare form of breast cancer.  We don’t know any details other that what we read online.  They head back to the Mayo this weekend, with 8 appointments scheduled for January 12-13.

Kaitlyn is doing well, tired after back to back conferences where she is literally on her feet all day, being an assistant to a director. 

Tori and McKayla are well, and, believe it or not, happy to be back at school!

Rick continues to care for his parents, continues at Disney, and continues to job search here in Arkansas.  We are all praying for a break through soon.  Although jobs are hard to come by, we have The Great God who has a plan, and hasn’t forgotten!

The girls and I now in the jewelry biz – check out www.liasophia.com/DLime and let me know what you think!

Be blessed and a blessing!!

“Like a bride’s nightie” as my father-in-law says!  Mom and Dad are on their way to Rochester, Minnesota.  They were stopping in Kansas City to have a late lunch with Kaitlyn (Hi, darlin’girl!) then on the road again.  We do so appreciate your prayers and will keep you posted!

It’s snowing!!!

Yep, Mom and Dad are off to The Mayo clinic in beautiful (and probably really cold!) Rochester, Minnesota.  And that’s all we know.  Really.  She has an appointment on Dec 4 at 7:15 (yes, Mom, AM) and from there it is all a mystery.  Sorta hard to plan.  Everything starts as an outpatient, so they will have to get a hotel for however long this process takes.  When/if she is an inpatient, Dad will be able to stay there with her.   The docs here say that she should have surgery there rather than here, but that will be Mayo’s call.  So we have spent the last week requesting records from everyplace that Mom has received treatment/care for the past 2 years.  She is suppossed to take it all with her.  Because of the short notice, we will have to be out and about all day on Monday trying to gather whatever has been put together for her, as well as packing for a trip of undetermined length and a stay at, well, we aren’t really sure where yet.  Get the picture?  We so appreciate your prayers in these next uncertain weeks!  They will leave on Tuesday to drive up there.  I am not going for the first part, as Dad can handle the trip and the outpatient stuff and I have responsibilities here (at least 3 that you can think of!)  Since Billy is in California working, that leaves me to hold down my own fort, as well as theirs.  Once (if) surgery is scheduled, I want to go up there.  However there are those 3 responsibilities that will still have school and stuff, so I have absolutely no idea how that will work out.  Anyone up for a free place to stay for a couple of weeks in beautiful Northwest Arkansas just before the Christmas Holidays??  Teenagers, carpools, and pets included!

We do hope that you had a lovely Thanksgiving.  Amidst all the uncertainty, I am blessed to have been able to go up to see Kaitlyn for a few days.  It snowed!  The girls – all 4 at the same time and place! – spent 2 days baking, eating and playing games.  It was nice!  I am blessed that they all have Jesus in their hearts, they are healthy, they do well in school and are relatively well adjusted (for the time being!) 

I pray that you find time to truly search out the blessings of Our Lord in your life as you head into the coming holidays.  Be consumed and passionate about the Reason, not the season.

God bless!

So all the docs are working together ( a feat in itself!) to try to get Mom into the Mayo clinic in Minnesota.  Now, in addition to the Myasthenia, the fluctuationg blood pressure, the mass in her stomach, the injured shoulder (from inpatient tests in Sept), and a terribly degenerated knee due to arthritis, she also is losing blood somehow, somewhere.  At her weekly blood count check last Wednesday, her hemaglobin was back down again.  So she had a transfusion on Thursday and we continue to wait for more info.  At this point, no news is, well, no news.  Will keep you posted.

Well, my sister got home, safe and sound. And just in time!  We’ve got our first real cold spell!  It was a beautiful, sunny 47 degrees today and supposed to get down under 30 tonight!  Her beautiful southern California self would be really cold!  But it was a treat to get to spend some time with her.

Mom is doing okay.  Things just don’t seem to ever get all the way better.  All her doctors say that  she is a complicated case and they are checking into the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota – noted to be the neurological treatment site of choice.  It would be tough (and cold!) to be far from home for both Mom and Dad.  But it will depend on whether they can accept her as a patient.  So with physical therapy 3 times a week, and 2 doctor’s appointments this week, she just keeps hanging in there.  We so appreciate your prayers!

And feel free to come visit – just bring an extra blanket and your footie- jammies!