bahahahaaaaa.........ahahahaaaaa!!

I've had a couple of interesting things happen over the past several months.  I didn't really think they were all that funny until I was telling friends about what happened and they busted up laughing- the  more I thought about it, the more I realized, 'this is funny stuff and MUST be shared'!!

Here's to keeping it real!!!

So, the first of the two funnies goes like this:

I'm a bath taker.
It doesn't matter if we have but one shower in our house and no bathtub, I'm still a bath taker.
A washcloth over the drain in the bottom of the shower to clog the drain and a good 4 inches of water will fill up on the bottom of your shower in no time flat.
There I sit, on the bottom of our one shower, night after night, taking a 'bath'

One of my boys came down with athlete's foot.  A wicked case of it.
They stand in our one shower.
Remember I sit on the bottom of that shower..

I am living proof that there is such thing as 'athlete's crack'
At first I wasn't sure what was going on- it was several days later that I saw the bottom of my boys feet and asked
'do you have athlete's foot?'
That's when I put it all together.

It was NOT fun spraying the same spray that you spray on your athlete's feet onto your case of athlete's crack.
It feels like fire
but it's better than battling athlete's crack

I still sit on the bottom of my shower every night and when I do, I think to myself
'I wonder if I will get another case of athlete's crack?'
and then I self talk about how I should clean my shower better and spray it down with bleach before I sit on the floor of it..blah blah blah
but I don't
I just sit in my four inches of water and think about my day and enjoy my 'bath'

I crack myself up!!!!!!!!!!!
bahahahaaaaaaaaa!!!

Enough about AC and on to things that leave you speechless.....literally with no words!!

We have used the same paint from the same paint store for 15 years.  This past year, I put two and two together that the manager of the paint store we frequent has children that go to AWANA at our church with Ellie.

This story is going to be short and right to the point....

Since September (15'), we've been remodeling our house- One day, Matt was picking up paint from our paint store, you know, the one where the manager's children go to AWANA with Ellie, and called from his cell.  He needed a long sequence of letters read to him over the phone...the letters were the paint code we needed for our exterior paint.

Remember we're married

I thought it would be really funny to not only say the letter of the paint code but also add my description of the letter- the description I was saying is really funny between a married couple BUT not funny at all for the masses of people to hear (especially not the manager of the paint store who I see at my church)
S is for.....and so on

mid way through my description of each letter,  Matt say's in a quiet voice....

"um, Steph, your on speaker phone"

I hung up without saying another word

I then planned my strategic escape out of ever picking up Ellie from AWANA again.

Several hours later, Matt called and was laughing- he told me he was only joking, I really wasn't on speaker phone.

Every time I see the manager from the paint store, I look into his eye's for any sort of recognition that he knows what I did...
If he does, he hides it well

I pray Matt really was only joking (that I was on speaker phone)


Happy Wednesday y'all

hee! hee! hashtag TRUTH

an unguarded moment of almost 41

There is something incredibly real about the picture below.
Something that shows an unguarded moment of what it looks like to be almost 41.
It shows a moment where my husband, unbeknownst to me, picked up my camera and took a picture-
One that later he described to me as beautiful....
To which I replied with an eye roll and then went on to point out everything I observed wrong with the image I saw in the picture...
wrinkles
gray hair
big pores
heavy eye lids
uneven eye brows
and so on
I didn't say this to make Matt contradict what I was saying- I was saying it because it's truth in my eyes....
unswayed, Matt replied with what he started with 'your beautiful, Steph'

To get older emotionally is amazing- you are so thankful for the ground you have covered and for the maturity that comes with covering that ground.  Life lessons that only age can teach...

To get older physically is so intimidating

our world is so much about the outward beauty.
inward beauty without outward is scoffed- it's put down and shamed.  with age, our world tries to teach that you automatically become invisible and cast aside for the newer younger version

the balance of not depicting our worth on what we see, on the outside, is a constant challenge for us women.  To feel truly worthy and beautiful when the world tells us we are anything but...

it seems like it all comes down to who we are letting determine what we are worthy of-
does the world determine our worth
or do we let the very One who created us, the very One who called our precious life into existence, the very One who said that we are wonderfully and fearfully made (Ps. 139) determine our self worth.
I so much appreciate that the Lord knew, as women, we would struggle with allowing ourselves to feel beautiful as we age.  I also so much appreciate that He addresses the very issue of beauty and age in the same sentence in the Bible.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

Really think about some of the most beautiful women you know or have known...
consider what made them beautiful
it had nothing to do with how wrinkle free they were or how small their pores were...
nope...
it had everything to do with the beauty of their heart and the light you saw shining out of their soul.
Jesus in us, shining through, is what beautiful is!!  

No matter what you hear, especially from your self, you are wonderfully made.
you are beautiful.....
so am I (I'm talking inward, the beauty that never fades- I'm talking Jesus shining through us)

Thank you Lord Jesus!!

a visual thousand words

Sometimes, pictures are worth a thousand words.
Saturday night was a beautiful evening with friends and family celebrating the 39th Anniversary of two very dear people-
My Auntie Anne and Uncle Reid.
We ate, danced (square), and visited...

Enjoy the visual thousand words!!

P.S. Patrick and Molly you were missed (so were you aunt Petra and uncle Paul)

Aunt Anne and Uncle Reid

My dad, Ry, and nephew Ben

So sweet that my Aunt Anne is holding my nephew Jordan's hand :)

Ellie and Gretta

Add caption

My cousin Anna (L) and sister in law Liz (Levi's wife)

my sis Jodi and brother Levi

This is one of my personal favorite pictures taken Sat. night- Claire's smile is priceless

Levi and Liz

My brothers (Chris is on the left) and my youngest nephew Jett

Ryan's I AM poem

At school, Ryan had to write a poem about who he is- When I saw what he wrote and the pictures he chose to display, it brought both Matt and I to tears.

We are so proud of who you are Ry and we love you lots!!

Great job on the poem.....

'I am from the bullets out of my grandpa's gun

From peanut butter sandwiches and nasty eggs

I am from the small house with the big shop

And the smell of stew cooking on the stove

I am from orchard grass fields and palm trees

Who blew in the wind, calming the soul

I am from never waiting until Christmas morning

And big family dinners

From Jolings and Huttemas

I am from dirt bikes, 3 wheelers, and street bikes

I am from be strong and courageous

To singing the Beach Boys on the way to school

I am from Christmas dinners with nan and pops

I am from Deutschland to Medford

To roast and mashed potatoes on Sunday

From big crashes and scars

And ending at grandpa's flag on grandma's table'

a lesson from big beach

Just South of Wailea, on the Island of Maui (Hawaii), is Makena State Park.  Makena State Park is known for it's popular beach, 'Big Beach'.  Big Beach is about a mile and a half long and has a large sand area along with a great surf.
When our family visit's Maui, we spend most mornings at Big Beach, boogie boarding or body surfing.  I'm not a boogie boarder or body surfer but a floater- I will float in the water, just beyond the crashing surf, and enjoy watching everyone (Floating is appealing because I don't enjoy  sand enema's or having my bathing suit ripped off from riding the big waves in :).

One of the first times I was floating at Big Beach, I was taught a valuable learning lesson about the waves.  Waves will come in sets.  You will have small comfortable waves for a length of time, and then, out of the blue, a larger set of waves will take those comfortable wave's place.  It may be just two or three larger waves and then the ocean will resume back to the smaller comfortable waves, or it may be many larger waves, one large set after another.

Matt was floating with me, beyond the break of the waves, this particular morning. We were enjoying the smaller swells when the first set of larger waves started coming in.  I was immediately  uncomfortable because of the need to swim just a bit farther out so that the wave would not crash on us.  We both realized, within minutes, that the swells were not letting up with just one or two waves.  The waves were increasing in size and had become too big for us to get back to shore (at least for me).

'If we swim just a bit farther out, Steph, where the waves are only small swells, the water will be calmer.  You will only need to tread water and float until this set of waves pass' was what Matt was telling me.

I know how to tread water
I also know how to float
But doing these two things, farther from shore than what I was comfortable with, was making me start to panic.  I wanted nothing more than to swim right back to the shore and place my feet on that sandy ground (and then high tail it out of there).

I swam after Matt as we made our way farther out.  We treaded water and floated until there was a break in the sets and it was safe to swim back to shore.  We were completely safe but the experience was a stretch for me.

'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' (Matt 11:28)

Sometimes, the Lord allows our life circumstances to become bigger than what we are comfortable with.  Sometimes, our circumstances are like those sets of waves at Big Beach, coming in one after another.  Circumstances that become so big, it is impossible to get back to the shore of our comfort zone- a place where we feel more in control, where we feel a sense of stability and calm.

It is in times like these, when we are forced out of our comfort zone, forced by circumstances into situations where our emotions are telling us to panic, that we are given the opportunity to rely on our Heavenly Father even more.  We get to 'tread water' by pressing into His Word and praying without ceasing- things that the Christian life have equipped us to do.  We get to rest in the fact that He is working all things out for His glory and our good, even if our circumstances don't change or maybe they are getting worse.  We also get to learn the refining self discipline of resting in the Lord when everything in us wants to feel weary and burdened- when everything in us wants to quit.  We get to see His strength in our weakness and know that it is only through Him we made it through.  Best of all, we get to know Jesus more, becoming more like Him,  as we walk through our difficulties and struggles trusting and relying on Him.

For this I am thankful and for this reason, we press on.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your constant presence in our lives.  Thank you for your never ending love and peace.  Thank you for your sovereign hand guiding our lives at all times.
I love you Dear Lord Jesus

my boys boogie boarding at Big Beach :)

knees and ticks

The Saturday before last, I thought my boys were sitting out in our field chatting it up.  What I didn't realize, until several minutes later, was that Matt's knee had given out and the boys were trying to help him get to the house.
We got him loaded up in my car and he and I headed off to the hospital (the boys met us there).  I was trying to decide if he should just go to urgent care or the hospital. We both settled on the hospital because of the amount of pain he was in,
The ER visit sent Matt out with a referral to the Orthopedic doctor's office
Orthopedic Doctor did an exam on Matt's knee and then sent him for an MRI
The MRI was today
A little over an hour after the MRI was done and we were gone, the doctor's office called and said they would like to see Matt tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. and that he needed to be using both of the crutches he was issued at the hospital during his ER visit (you know, those $25 crutches that the ER charges $500. for....smile).

12 days after Matt's knee injury and he's still hobbling
still in lots of pain
things just aren't right

The woman checking Matt in when he was getting his MRI said he could, if he choose, get a report of the MRI later on this afternoon.  Once the Orthopedic's office had called and said Matt needed to be using both of his crutches, we got super curious about what the MRI results said about his knee- I ran and grabbed a copy of the report.

It will be interesting what comes out of the visit tomorrow.  The report has 5 numbered bullet points under 'Findings' that are summarized like this:

1. Extensive acute internal derangement with periarticular osseous fractures and large, layering lipohemarthrosis.
2. Complete ACL tear (AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!) p.s. the AAAAAHHHHH!!! is not on the report, I added this in :)
3. Medial and lateral meniscal tears
4. Grade 2 MCL sprain
5. Fibular head fracture with surrounding soft tissue edema and possible disruption of the proximal tibiofibular ligaments.  The static elements of the posterolateral corner are not seen and may be involved

My poor Matt.  Hate seeing him in so much pain- He's a trooper and continues to go to work and tough it out.  I'm so glad he's in good hands and getting some answers.  Hoping that from the answers we get tomorrow he can start on the road to complete recovery (whatever that looks like).

Here we are, waiting for Matt's MRI- He's still as ornery as ever and still has his sense of humor :) :)

Totally changing the subject....
Ellie's tick arrived to the clinic in Maryland to be tested today.  It will be tested for Lyme, Tularemia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  We also ended up having her go on preventative antibiotics for the tick bite.  While the preventative antibiotic method may not be for everyone, it is the right choice for our family at this point.
When you pay for the testing, you get a link that you can click on at any time to see the status of the testing.   I appreciate this type of communication that Tick Encounter provides (that the results are available to you just as soon as they know, as opposed to waiting for communication via mail).  We should know the results no later than Tuesday of next week.

And so we rally as a family
And trust God with all the details and results.

ellie's tick bite (UPDATED)

We've been asked quite a bit, 'what would you do if someone in your family was bit by a tick?'.....

For those that do not want to read this entire blog post, here is a bullet point list of the steps to take if you are bitten (if I have have missed a step, please message me so I can get it added):

• Remove the tick, including the head of the tick
• Immediately put the tick in a zip lock plastic bag and place in the freezer.  Mark on the zip lock bag the date you were bitten by the tick 
• Mark on your calendar the date you were bit and start watching for symptoms of Lyme Disease.  The symptoms will usually not begin showing for 2 weeks but can begin sooner or later.
• Do your best to identify what type of tick you were bitten by (see below for the tick identification chart)
• Begin watching the bite site.  If you notice the spot developes a rash or raised area around it, take your tick out of the freezer and get it sent off IMMEDIATELY to a tick testing facility (we have used University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter).  The tick can be tested for Lyme and other co infections.
• For extra precaution, your Lyme Literate doctor may also recommend that you get tested, using IGeneX labs or another similar lab.
• No matter what, even if you do nothing else, keep any tick you are bit by (stored in a zip lock in your freezer)

Now we'll get back to the blog post :)

Last night, Ellie and I were sitting on the couch.  She was sitting on my lap and I was reading her a book.  Her head was sitting just below my chin and her wild curls kept sticking in my lip gloss.  At one point, I smoothed down the hair on the top of her head and my finger caught something that felt like a moveable scab.  I instantly stopped reading and started sorting through her hair to determine what it was I was feeling.

'There's a tick on the top of Ellie's head, Matt!!'

As Matt started sorting through her hair, we both were trying to determine if the tick was embedded in the top of her head, or, if it was trying to embed but the amount of hair it had to go through to actually get skin was preventing it from biting Ellie.

Ellie has A LOT of hair :)

Matt pulled it out, head in tact, and I put it immediately on a piece of clear tape.  Be very careful when you are removing your tick.  Do your best to make sure you have the entire tick removed (it is common to remove the tick body while accidentally leaving the head)
The tape was folded up around the tick very carefully.

We then needed to determine what kind of tick was on Ellie- After using the chart below, we know it was an American Dog Tick (Male).  The American Dog Tick can carry Lyme Disease.

Once a person is bit by a tick, you immediately start watching for a bullseye rash to appear around the tick bite.  You also start watching for flu like symptoms (usually takes about 2 weeks after a bite to start seeing the symptoms of Lyme Disease- a good way to remember the date of the tick bite is to write it on your calendar).  Since we were not sure if Ellie was actually bit or if the tick was just caught up in her hair, we started watching the place on her head where the tick was.  This morning we noticed that a red scab had appeared at the tick site (no bullseye rash, only a red scab).

With the knowledge that Ellie was bit by a tick, we took the next step and will send the tick to Tick Encounter to have it tested for pathogens most commonly found in the American Dog Tick.  The tick will be mailed first thing Monday morning and the results will be to us by early the following week.  The cost to have a tick tested through Tick Encounter is $50.
If, in the meantime, Ellie developed a bullseye rash around the tick bite site or any other 'symptoms', we will immediately start her on (the antibiotic) Doxycycline.  If the tick comes back positive for Lyme, Babesia, etc. we will start her on Doxycycline.  We will do all of this within a 2 week window of the tick bite.

I will keep you all posted about the tick results!!

P.S.  If you are bit by a tick but do not want to send if off for testing, save the tick in a ziplock bag and put it in your freezer.  Watch the area where you are bit for a bullseye rash, if one developes,  go to your doctor immediately and start on Doxycycline (or if you develop flu like symptoms around the 2 week mark after you are bit).  At this point, take the tick out of your freezer and GET IT TESTED- A good resource for testing is University of Rhode Island's Tick Testing.  For the contact info and instructions how to send your tick for testing, please click HERE.

UPDATE:
I sent a message asking Tick Encounter if it was ok that I put the tick on tape.  I also asked if a tick that has been frozen for days or weeks could still be tested.  Please see our messages below.

TEST RESULT UPDATE (5.31.16)

Praise the Lord for the negative results!!

Here is the tick we sent in- YUCK!!