Eeyore Day

Do you ever have those days where you feel like Pooh's little depressed friend, Eeyore? I'm having one of those days. I've pretty much cried off and on since about 8:30 this morning, and I have a splitting headache.


For those of you whose mind will go straight to R...he is just fine. He just wishes his mommy would quit crying. For those of you who will go straight to David...he is fine, his job is secure, and our marriage is still intact. For those of you who are still wondering...

• I'm homesick for Tennessee, in a bad way.


• I'm lonely with so few people I can call friend here in the area I live in. Building community is easier in some places than others; here it has not been anything close to easy. It's been 18 months, and the lack of community is really getting to me.


• I made a mommy mistake and yelled at R today, and I am sick about it.


• A ministry group I am helping with has some dynamics going on, and the stuff hit the fan today via email and phone.


• My emotions are just raw.

My only solice...tomorrow is a new day.

Lamentations 3:22-24
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'"

I'm waiting, Lord, but I wish it were tomorrow already!

Heaven

R's AWANA lesson last week was on heaven. His verse was John 14:2, which says "I am going to prepare a place for you." After reading our story and lesson, he was asked to describe some things about it. I think he put it best given who he is...

"In heaven, Jesus is there. There is no reason to cry or get pictures (i.e. MRIs) because there is no hydrocephalus in heaven. Jesus is building me a house in heaven to live in one day; I think he is putting the roof on right now!"

Amen and Amen!

Proud of Dad

My dad is an introvert with a servant's heart. He notices what needs to be done and does it. He works hard. He serves without asking for or looking for any recognition. He loves others by serving them. He deserves to be noticed, but he isn't typically noticed because he truly prefers not to be.

Well, HE WAS!!!

My dad, the civil engineer, was honored this week as a "2009 Top Ten Federal Engineer of the Year" by the National Society of Professional Engineers. In the world of engineering, this is a big deal; and I am so proud of my dad. Those awarded as Engineers of the year came from a variety of federal agencies such as various branches of the military (army, navy, airforce), the Department of Health and Human Services (National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and Public Health Service), Department of the Interior, the US Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the USDA, and Tennessee Valley Authority.

Dad works for Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and has for the bulk of his professional career. He was worked in a variety of areas within TVA including design and construction, nuclear quality assurance, and environmental engineering services most recently. In addition, dad serves as an adjunct faculty member at The University of Tennessee in the College of Engineering teaching two Professional Development courses. He also serves on the board of ABET for the accreditation of civil engineering programs nation wide. These things only highlight what we have known about dad for a long time...he is absolutely passionate about engineering and the integrity of the profession of engineering. Not only does he want to be a great professional engineer, but he wants future generations to be strong in the profession as well.

WE (the family I grew up with...my mom, brother, and me) got to join Dad in Washington D.C. on Thursday at the National Press Club for the awards ceremony. Fancy place, fancy lunch, important people abounded. It was definitely a treat for this stay at home mom! We even got to have a long weekend of sight-seeing in D.C. It was perfectly-perfect in every way, in my opinion.

I am so grateful that he was nominated for this award (by his boss!). I am so grateful that he got the award of a "top 10". I am so proud of his accomplishments professionally. I am so proud of him.

Dad may have been awarded the "Top 10" award, but...award or no award....engineer or not... he has always been #1 to me.

Thanks, Dad, for showing us what it means to serve. Thanks for modeling a strong work ethic to us and for teaching us to work hard with a good attitude, regardless. Thank you for living a life that honors God, even when it seems no one is watching. Thanks for being my dad. I love you.

Cold is a Relative Thing

Picture above...a trip down memory lane. This was a year ago. My son, the true Wisconsonite, helping his dad blow snow. R doesn't get cold, and the following really rings true, especially for him! I don't know who wrote this, but I find it to be too true to be too funny. I'm just hoping we might be through with the snow for the winter...although I am sure that we are not!

COLD IS A RELATIVE THING. . .

65 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Wisconsin plant gardens.

60 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Wisconsin sunbathe.

50 above zero:
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Wisconsin drive with the windows down

40 above zero:
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, and wool hats.
People in Wisconsin throw on a flannel shirt.

35 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Wisconsin have the last cookout before it gets cold.

20 above Zero
People in Miami all die.
Wisconsinites close the windows.

Zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico .
People in Wisconsin get out their winter coats.

10 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Wisconsin are selling cookies door to door.

20 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Wisconsin let the dogs sleep indoors.

30 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Wisconsinites get upset because they can't start the Snow-mobile.

40 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Wisconsin start saying, 'Cold enough for you?'

50 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Wisconsin public schools will open 2 hours late

Friend Like Me

Here at our house, we are just happy to have friends. However, the social one of our group is most definitely R. He LOVES playdates with friends here, in Madison, in Knoxville, etc. A typical daily question is "who do we get to see today, mommy?" But, every once in a while, a friend comes along that just has a special connection. Our new friend, Jackson, is just such a friend. You can learn more of his story at his mom's blog Jackson Dean.(http://jacksondeanbarnett.blogspot.com/)

But, long story short...

Jackson's mom and I met on the Hydrocephalus Listserv. This listserv is an online, email based support group for both people with hydrocephalus or parents of children with hydrocephalus. We noticed one another because we both had boys with hydrocephalus who had a number of episodes/complications/surgeries in a relatively short period of time. Our boys have hydrocephalus for different reasons, but the resulting surgeries are just the same (mostly). Both the boys are doing great at the present time, and both of the boys have been through a journey that we don't want to repeat! Jackson (and his parents) moved here last summer from Greenville, SC, and we have had the pleasure to get with them a few times since Christmas. R and Jackson had an instant connection. They both smile from ear to ear the whole time they are together and seem to really enjoy each other company. They both know a little about what the other friend has gone through, and that gives them a person "like them."

Having a "friend like me" is really important to R right now. He wanted to know if Jackson was as scared of pictures (i.e. MRIs) as he was, and he loved knowing another kid who has had pictures. I thought R would want to dwell on the dreary side of their experiences, but they got their simple questions out of the way in about 60 seconds and have just enjoyed having each other as a friend every since.

By the way, R's parents really like hanging out with Jackson's parents, too.

Thank you, God, for giving us another family who knows about this path we have been on. Thank you for moving them to the area. Thank you for providing us these new friends.

Because having friends who understand can (and does!) make a big difference...