Joy Day

Today I was scheduled to get the bone strengthening shot at 9am. They called me at 9:45 and wondered where I was.  Ummm...I thought it was for 11:30. Silly me. I had made my last few appointments for 11:30 so I thought I had done the same with this one. NOPE.  Thankfully they were able to squeeze me in at 11:30 but that meant a much longer wait time. I had to have my port accessed. At least this time I remembered to put the lidocaine on with my pretty holiday press and seal to keep it from getting on my clothes.  They drew my blood from the port and then we had to wait for the labs to come back with my creatinin level to show that my kidneys were working fine.  In the mean time, I chatted with those that walked by & weren't busy. Messed on my phone answering texts and facebook messages. When the results came back they brought them to the nurse immediately.  Then of course the doctor has to release the shot orders and he had just stepped into a room with a patient.  Sheesh!  I had to wait longer. Then they took the iv stuff out of my port and got the orders for the shot to be given. By the time we left, I think we had been there for nearly 2 hours.  Oh well. Thankful that I had someone great taking care of Sadie & Braly.  He was still home sick today. Kept complaining he'd get dizzy when he was up walking around for a little bit. Temperature was back to normal all day today but still coughing.  At least its quiet right now.  Hope he sleeps better tonight.  Just in case you were wondering, this was a subcutaneous shot and I opted to try it in my arm. It burned as the solution went into my arm. But wasn't too bad afterward.  A little sore to the touch so I was protective of it today. Mostly when Sadie gets a little crazy she bumps it. And my port was a little sensitive today too since they accessed it.  It's really quite strange the feeling that I get when they access it.  I thought last time that it was because I forgot the lidocaine & got myself all worked up so I got slightly woozy but not exactly. The same thing happened this time & the nurse told me that some others describe it similar when it's accessed.  So that kinda made me feel better, that I wasn't the only one that got that weird, odd sensation.

The doctor popped in to tell me that I should hear back from Ann Arbor by the end of today and if I didn't that I should call them tomorrow.  He said that they had agreed with the treatment plan he has me on which makes me feel good but for some reason, I still want to make the trip down and confirm everything else.  they did not call me today so I will be making a phone call to them sometime tomorrow.

I think I mentioned that Morgan finally decided she's okay with getting her hair cut and I was fortunate that there is an opening for her tomorrow.  I think she'll like having her hair a little shorter again.  She looks cute now & will look cute with it shorter. And I think it will be easier for her to maintain herself more.  Which will be good for all of us.  I have to often tell her to take her hair out of her mouth. I don't honestly know how people can suck in their hair.  I can't stand having 1 piece in my mouth let alone a whole mouthful. lol  And she keeps getting food in it because it falls in her face so frequently & then she's mad when I have to help remove said dried, gross, or sticky food & it hurts.  I do hope she likes it when it is done.

Gabby came home very excited from school.  That is saying a lot because she has been completely bummed that Braly has stayed home yesterday & today. In fact, she was willing to sit in the line of fire, so to speak, of Braly's coughing & use his blanket because she was hoping to get sick & be able to stay home today. We explained to her that if she did that, she would not likely get sick that quickly but rather wreck her extra vacation days by being ill.  She opted against that.  So back to her coming in the house all happy....she handed me her paper with her grade from the video project she did.  She got 100% some lovely remarks on her paper and she was grinning from ear to ear.  I praised her for her score, told her how proud and pleased I was, not just with the grade, but because she showed so many people her heart & shared Jesus, the only way to get to Heaven. And then she handed me a folded up piece of paper. I thought, oh, maybe her teacher had written me a note. I unfolded it & started reading.  She had won a spot to attend the Packer vs Steeler game in December. She & 2 other students will be going to the game (freezing their little bodies) with the principal, and will stop for lunch on the way down & dinner on the way home with both meals being paid for as a reward for having one of the best projects to share with her class.  Pretty cool!  She's pretty excited about winning. I know she didn't really care about that part of the whole project in the first place and I don't think that she thought she'd win.  I think there are close to 200 kids in her grade that all did this project so that's pretty neat for her to get selected as a finalist and then have her name drawn.

So that's our big day.  We got 4 loads of laundry put away so we won't have nearly as much stuff to do tomorrow and we're planning to make some photo books for free from Shutterfly.  Should be a fun day tomorrow. I'm happy the kids don't have to go to school. I love spending time with them. Now to just keep the peace among all of them and still get a few chores done while having fun & making memories.

Today's devotion is again about thankfulness. Today it said to remember that to protect thankfulness.  We must remember that we reside in a fallen world where blessings and sorrows intermingle freely, so thankfulness needs protection. Whoa.  That's so true & why it is easy to be pulled in the wrong direction so quickly & easily & to lose sight of God. That's why we are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.  The devotion goes on to say how precious are my children who remember to thank me at all times. They can walk through the darkest days with Joy in their hearts because they know that the light of my presence is still shining on them. Rejoice in this day that I have made, for I am your steadfast Companion.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  As I have said before & I'll say it again...it is a lot easier to praise God when things are going good & we have a good or even great day. And sometimes things go so great that we even forget about God.  Sometimes we only pray when things are bad & we need help or healing or for things to change. But God is a jealous God. He's jealous in the way that He wants ALL of us. Remember that song I shared last week or so?  He wants the entire YOU. The good, the bad, the ugly. He already knows the things you have done and yet, he still wants the entire package.  That's saying something about His love for each of us. Don't you think???
There is a song that I learned when I was a little girl that references part of Nehemiah 8:10. It goes: The Joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength.  Of course the tune does not come through here (which makes it better, honest) and if you know the tune, you've probably got it stuck in your head now. You're very welcome. haha  But the truth of the matter is: when I find joy in God, He is my Strength.  This has helped me so much during the first part of this obstacle and journey I am walking.  I am certainly grateful for God's love, his everlasting, unfailing, love. I am thankful for being able to find Joy when it might seem lost and to know that God is my strength & will carry me through this. It has been  just over a month since I was first told that I had breast cancer. And then the news of the PET scan that said it had metastasized into my bones. Ouch. what a bomb to drop on me & my family.  Do I wonder why it happened to me?  A little. And then I think, Lord, there must be a reason, or many reasons, and though I may not understand them all, I trust you.  I am staying positive and believing in a full healing. I know we've got people all over the U.S. praying for us & letters & cards are coming in from so many people, people we don't even know to say they are believing & praying for us.  It's really very cool. And we've got people in Spain & even France.  God is moving in a mighty way. He is using this to call more people to spend more time with him. Please do it!  Not just to pray for me & my family but show Him your heart!  That's my prayer for all of you. Get your heart right with our Creator. He loves & cares for each & every one of you.  He's using this disease, this diagnosis, this pain, this platform to bring people closer to him and answer many prayers. I know there are prayers I have been praying in several areas & for several people & he's using this to answer them. I jokingly said, "Hey God, I would have been just as happy with a yes answer in another manner but since you know what's best...I'll just praise you & say Yes Lord, use me!"  Love & blessings to you all.
Good night!
Jeannette :)