Lisa

Let us know how the surgery went! I hope it went well and your problem is resolved.

Good luck!

I know you'll be glad to have this ordeal behind you! Good luck on an uneventful procedure and super-speedy recovery! Make sure you remind the kids that when Mommies have surgery it's mandatory for their children to wait on her hand and foot for at least 48 hours afterward!!! This means breakfast, lunch, AND dinner in bed, pillow-fluffing, remote-control locating, phone-call screening, never letting the drink glass get under half-full, foot massages......well, you know the drill. (Sorry, kids, but rules are rules!) Love ya! SANDY

Off to the hospital

Hi everyone-

Happy belated anniversary to C&B.

Thought you might like to see a picture of my future astronauts. If I can figure out what file I put them in, I will upload a picture of James playing soccer but I can't seem to find the file this AM.

I am off to the hospital to have this pesky gallbladder removed. I had every test possible to prove that it was not the problem but every test pointed back to the gallbladder. So I will have it out and hopefully be done with this chapter. I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM for surgery at 7:30 and hope to be home by mid-afternoon. Please keep the prayers coming and I will let you know how everything went.

Love, Lisa

Anniversary

Well, ancient dinosaurs make for interesting reading, but today I'm more interested in ancient humans. Bill and I are celebrating our 38th anniversary, and I'd say that makes us worthy of study. That's 13,879 days of togetherness with never a cross word or a misunderstanding. We're quite remarkable. Love to all, C.

Dinos, Camping, and such!!!!

. BECKY----The rain subject in question is addressed in Gen 2:5-6. In the NAS, at least, it specifically says that there were no shrubs or crops yet because there was no rain, and that there was no rain because it wasn't needed since a "mist" or "flow" rose from the earth each day to supply all necessary moisture to the plants of the earth. I don't think its a stretch to say that the mist might have more accurately come from above and rested on the earth, since we're talking about thousands of years of translations b/w what we see and what Moses first wrote (it would be really easy for "down upon" to become inverted to "up from" considering the incredibly complicated grammar rules of the ancient Hebrew language)! As for the dinosaurs, another question has always plagued me.......how can scientist claim to KNOW what the dinosaurs ate or how they behaved in general? Isn't it true that when they assign those "facts" to a species it's based entirely (or close) upon the type of teeth and claws? While I agree that a T-Rex's teeth would make vegetarianism unlikely, being a meat eater isn't always synonymous with being an eater of all things meat! Even today there are creatures that baffle us with their super-specialized diets, eating only one or two food items and nothing else (even if starving). So is it all that far-fetched to think that dinosaurs may have only eaten other dinosaurs? I mean, obviously any other creatures would have to watch out for the gigantic reptilian feet and tales, but other than that coexistence could have been quite peaceful! (It doesn't make for very exciting dino movies, though!)
. Re: Camping......April is ear-marked for you guys. Do you have somewhere specific that you want to camp? Personally, I'd love to keep you w/in driving distance so St Mtn is my suggestion! But if you're not interested in having visitors while you camp, I understand! As far as towing, Danny's truck is currently the only safe (and legal) option because it has the full set up to control both lights and brakes on the camper. I can't tell you how many times we've been traveling along and commented to each other that we're SO glad the camper has brakes as well (in interstate traffic, or on steep and winding roads, it can be a true life saver)! If you do choose Stn Mtn, Danny says he'll just haul the camper over there and set it all up for you (then pick it up on the flip side), so you'll be able to use your own van for interim transportation. The same would be true for another campground if it's within a reasonable distance. Otherwise you'll need his truck, which means Aidan needs to be old enough to sit in the middle seat up front and two car/boosters can fit in the passenger part (or else you'll have to take more than one vehicle). As I type, I realize that there's also the fact that you'll be camping during a work week, and unless he and Tammy can work with her truck alone, he won't actually be able to leave the truck in your possession all week. Camping at Stn Mtn may not be a real "back to nature" experience since other campers are sure to be all around you......but it does have plenty of indoor and outdoor activities (including back-to-nature hikes) to keep the kids from going stir crazy! (Check out the website for their newest kids attraction, the Sky Hike!) Campers can also take a free motorboat-shuttle from the campgrounds to the attractions on the other side of the lake. April 30-May 3 they'll be having the Frontier Days event, which might appeal to your educational pursuits these days! And since we're members we can book the campsite and purchase event/attraction passes at a discount, too. The major drawback of Stn Mtn is the fact that it's more people, less nature. It's also $5-10 more expensive a night, but our discount offsets that part. If you go to the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites website you can take a look at the vast number of state campgrounds available----and for most of them you can go ahead and book your reservation online. Just bear in mind that many of them offer little to do before the swimming beach opens for the summer season!! The closest ones, I believe, are at least 35-45 minutes away from us.
. Well, I've gotta run. I wasted all of my time writing to Becky, and for that I apologize to the rest of my adoring fans! Your turn will come soon, dear ones! SANDY

To Sandy: On Dinosaurs

I wanted to first apologize for my absence of late. And, I'm not even going to give any excuses as to why. Just, sorry!

Sandy, I've been pondering your dinosaur questions for what, a few weeks now? And, you built me up to give such a great, well-thought-out response to such a degree that I felt like I couldn't say anything! You paralysed my mind. HA!! Just kidding. Sort of. But, I really am not completely sure. I've always sort of felt they probably did co-exist to some degree, but not necessarily on the same continents. (Okay, I'm not getting into the continent-drifting theory right now.) But, you know how man first supposedly came across the Bering Strait to get to North America from Asia, right? Well, there were many dinosaur bones found up in Canada. Alberta, in fact. There's a big dinosaur museum up there dedicated to the dinosaur bones found right there in that region. So, presumably the dinosaurs lived and became extinct before people ever even walked on that soil. Could that be the case? I don't know. And, I really can't claim to know where else in the world they have found bones...probably among the earliest populated geographic regions. So, my theory is not developed at all...just an "off the top of my head" thing. And, I totally don't trust carbon-dating one iota.


And, regarding the flood, I also heard back in my college days of the "canopy theory," which basically said there was sort of a canopy-type humid/watery layer surrounding the earth back pre-flood. And, the Bible supposedly (again...I haven't done the research) didn't mention rain before the flood, because it didn't need to rain. The layer provided enough moisture or something. I don't know. (Which would have been another reason why people looked at Noah as if he was completely out of his mind when he said the rain was coming.) This is also why people lived to like 600 years old, and reptiles grew to the size of dinosaurs...because they didn't have the affects of the u.v. radiation to age them quickly. Don't some reptiles actually grow until they die? I'm not exactly sure if dinosaurs are actually reptiles, but run with it here. So, God realized he didn't really want to put up with anyone that long (LOL), so he sent the flood to both flood the earth and do away with that protective layer. After that, man's life span was limited to 120 years...it does actually say that somewhere. If I weren't lazy with a bit of a headache I'd go look it up.


Looking forward to seeing you next month, Sandy. Can we put in our reservation for your camper? We are still firming dates, but it will probably be around the end of April. And, what cars are also available to lug the thing? Can we do a car swap with someone with a hitch?


Love ya.

B

Sorry it took so long

Okay as far pigeon Forge is concerned and Will. I think that you could make it fun for him. I haven't been in 10 years since this time and I have to say they have added a whole bunch of stuff. they have a year round indoor water thing that is suppose to be really cool. I did the aquarium thing because duh Sarah love the ocean world. but there is putt putt etc. So YES I do think he could enjoy it!!!
Love ya!!
hey also .. I so don;t have your number , yeah I actually can't say I have much of any ones.. doesn't email spoil u... but I would like to come see you one Saturday.. if your are up to it. I figure that Brit could play with will and you could be u in the comfort of your home!! Any who let me know what ya think!! Love S

Is Pigeon Forge Fun?

Sarah,
I see you guys enjoyed a little gem "mining"!! We ended up trying out two places in Dahlonegah. One was really pretty fun because it was set up in the same stationary water pools that gold mining is done in, so you really had to do the sifting work yourself. The other place was three times the price and we finished before we even realized we'd started, because they used a running water "stream" set-up with a current that was so fast it carried all but the biggest stones away the instant your screen hit the water! (Not only that, but they added "fun" painted pea gravel to the other gem stones. Stupid!) Anyway.....I've always wondered if Pigeon Forge would be a fun place for Will, or if kids need to be older to really enjoy it. What would you say? S

Our trip to Pigeon Forge

just thought I would share a few photos of our Pigeon Forge Adventure. It was so well needed since I just finished our first week with our BAX/ Schenker merger. I have decided that I will never( hopefully) have to go through that again. 12 hour days at work and then drive time sinks!!!

. LISA----(I actually began writing this yesterday, but I did so with a million breaks, which meant I then needed to proof read it to make sure I didn't simply repeat myself a hundred times. Unfortunately, because of my eyes the proof reading had to wait a day. I now see that you've already posted a second note, which I also appreciate and will definitely follow up on! But this one is in response to the first post. I'm just telling you this so you won't think I completely ignored the good news about the Vanderbilt clinic!!!! Anyway, moving on......)

. First of all, you definitely did NOT say anything hurtful! Your note was a wonderful out- pouring of love! As for the depression issue......that's no new topic of investigation for me. In college I was eventually diagnosed with a cyclical mood disorder in the family of BiPolar (if BiPolar were a black triple espresso, what I have is a decaf herbal tea with milk and honey)!!! I've been on medication for that since my early twenties, with wonderful results. For the last six months or so (excluding pregnancy) I've also been using 60mg of Paxil as a migraine-preventative (works really well in that area, by the way!). The truth be told, doctors and loved ones over the years have sometimes been too quick to diagnose me with depression (a common experience for narcoleptics). I understood that when a person is too tired to be involved in their own life, depression is often the reason. But I kept trying to persuade people that surely depression didn't account for the extent of my sleepiness! A perfect example: The whole time I was getting dressed and primped for my wedding, I was secretly fantasizing about locking myself in the bathroom to take a NAP! (And I'd had at least seven hours of sleep the night before!) If given the option, I absolutely would have elected to postpone the ceremony several hours so that I could sleep. The desperate need I had for zzzz's, my obsession with sneaking in micro-naps, can only be equated with serious drug addictions!
. Now, don't get me wrong----there were also many times that I really was clinically depressed!! But my therapist and my psychiatrist, together, helped me fine-tune my "internal radar" when it comes to mood imbalances. As a result, I'm now able to step back and logically analyze my emotional/mental state, detecting the first "scent" of chemical imbalance in time to minimize the extent and duration of any relapses. That same analytical nature, coupled with years of experience, has given me the tools to decipher between chemical depression and circumstance-mediated depression. Without having experienced the furthest extremes of depression and dysphoria, I doubt that I would have had this ability. People who haven't experienced both---or enough of them---don't realize that there are distinct, physiological, differences between the two. Even just picturing it in my head right now, I swear I can literally feel, almost smell, the difference in chemical depression (this includes hormonal issues)---so much so that my very face instinctively pinched up into a sour, irritable expression! There is often an unbearable agitation associated with it, as well as a deep contempt for myself and for the life that has "betrayed" me and profound pity for the people who have to live with me. The thing that really separates those emotions from just an average bad mood or sad time, is that even while I'm actively experiencing them I'm also acutely aware of both the irrationality and the ambivalence behind my thoughts. Another crucial difference is that when chemicals are involved, I find myself feeling desperate to DO something to make the unpleasantness go away. (Therefore, unlike the experience of being overwhelmed by unhappy circumstances, I know chemical depression is a matter that requires immediate medical intervention.)
. Since finding the right medication and dosage, any episodes of dangerous chemical imbalance that I've had were short lived (and often hormone-related) so that one or two doses of my "emergency meds" (Xanax) is enough to kick it. (I'm blessed that in those instances my mind is willing to accept medication as a solution rather than something more drastic!) I do have longer periods of passive despair, or simply profound sorrow and dismay. And that's a mood I often find myself in these days. But one must consider the question (as I asked in my post-title), "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?!" This same question is posed on every website re: my specific conditions (i.e. the narcolepsy, chronic migraines, restless leg syndrome, and poly cystic ovarian disease), because each one of them has associated depression. So far, no one has been able to prove whether the depression is an actual, direct, symptom of these conditions or simply the indirect manifestation of a persons struggle to live with the conditions' symptoms! For me, I know that as long as I'm not experiencing acute desperation and/or agitation along with my despair, I don't have to worry about my safety. Honestly, how could I expect myself NOT to be despairing after all these years of praying, waiting, believing, expecting to be healed? And when you're too tired to leave the bed, too mentally alert to fall asleep, and your eyes hurt too much even to have the distraction of tv or a book, it's only natural for the brain to take a trip down self-pity lane!
. I used to have no doubt that God's plan in all of this would culminate in my healing, and subsequent opportunity to "use" the unique perspective that I've gained. But last year I found myself questioning that expectation. We can't assume that God's decisions will be bound by human logic.......He's the Father of mysteries, after all! My prayer has always been that He use my life AS HE SEE FIT. And as unpleasant a scenario as it may be for ME, I have to accept the fact that He just might see fit to leave me in this poor state of health forever. It would not be without reason, of course---- but I might not have the privilege of knowing what that reason IS, in my lifetime. (By the way, the decision to give God that freedom over my life also prevents me from being truly tempted by suicide......the only thing worse than living like this would be to take action that prevented it from being used in the way God intended!) When I first began facing the fact that I might not be healed, I felt like my whole inner world was turned upside down. Somehow "maybe not" translated into "no chance", and I simply gave up hoping (or praying) for better. I decided that giving up was the right thing, that it was proof of my total acceptance of God's authority. But I didn't stop there. I also decided that God wanted me to let go of any need to have purpose in my suffering---that I needed to submit to His right to have neither plan nor purpose behind what's happening to me. At first glance, such an attitude actually sounds spiritually healthy. After all, it's the highest possible level of submission! And to an extent, I still think there's merit in recognising that God doesn't owe us anything---including purpose! But the catch is that I failed to follow up my submission with a serious look at God's NATURE. He may, indeed, want us to submit so entirely---but that doesn't change the fact that He also WANTS to unfold a plan and purpose in each of our lives. It's a gift He seeks to give us all, as His children! In staying stuck on "hopeless but submitting" I was forgetting who I was submitted TO! After almost a year of what I can only describe as a spiritual and emotional black hole, something suddenly stirred within my spirit. It was as if I woke up one day and decided that the hopeless, helpless, condition of my heart AND my health just wasn't good enough anymore. It couldn't possibly have been God's will for me to remain like that----the proof was in the pudding! I was the farthest thing from being a living testament of faith and worship, so the only one actually benefiting from that state of mind was God's enemies!! I still don't know if healing is in my future, but the healthiest course for me will be to live in pursuit of it! (Ironically, several weeks after that spiritual epiphany I was surprised to discover that I was also pregnant. It seemed like a sign of favor, perhaps even of healing..........until I lost the pregnancy. I still don't know quite what to think of that chain of events. As Mom says, maybe it didn't mean anything----maybe, like so many other heartaches, it was just a side-effect of living in a fallen world. In the end, I decided not to let it change my new perspective.)
. I don't know why I went into that monologue, Lisa (and everyone else!). I'm also going to have to re-read it because I've stopped and started so many times today that it's liable to make no sense!!! In the end, my goal was to reassure you that while I'm frequently depressed about my circumstances, I'm not in a state of clinical depression. (My medications would surely prevent that, if nothing else!) The depression I feel is more one of being overwhelmed by the limitations, and at a loss as to a solution. The two issues that have the greatest negative impact on my life also fit together like an evil little puzzle, so that I can't seem to overcome things. You see, if it was just the fatigue factor bringing my life to a standstill, I would turn to my treasured pass-times of writing, beading, and reading to keep my spirits up (and perhaps even contribute to society). Each of those can be done from bed, if need be, and are low-energy enterprises! I'd still be limited in how long I could engage before needing a nap, but that's okay. The second issue is my eye pain. Although I have low grade pain/discomfort 24hrs a day, the truly incapacitating attacks are brought on by certain preventable activities. UNFORTUNATELY, the term "aggravating-activities" applies to anything that requires using my eyes to focus on words or objects.........such as writing, beading, or reading. Now, if my eye issue was the only thing troubling me I'd still be frustrated and mournful over having to ration out the time I spend engaging in my favorite activities. But if eye pain WAS all I had stopping me----even if also still had narcolepsy (that responded to meds) and occasional migraines----I could at least get out into the world and live my life. I could distract myself from what I wasn't getting to do, and find ways other than writing to reach out to people. HOWEVER, the first issue prevents me from overcoming the second, and vice-verse. I know I sound like I'm feeling really sorry for myself, here. And trust me, I frequently do. But right now I'm actually in a rather cheerful mood (must be the return of sunshine!), and I feel more like an objective reporter than like the one who actually has to deal with all of that. (It's probably the positive effects of the "writer's trance" that I enter when I've been typing without interruption for a while!) I can't risk wasting this good mood by staying here until my eyes are too far gone, so I'm going to say good-bye. I hope you realize that I wasn't trying to imply that you were wrong to suggest the depression factor. It would actually be careless of you NOT to bring it up, especially since clinical depression can be dramatically improved with simple medications! I guess I just wanted you to know all the background info so you'd realize that I wasn't simply dismissing your insight----there really is a reason I haven't focused on the likelihood of clinical depression!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to me, again. Yet another sign of the O'Cal love!!! SANDY

Dysautonomia Center

Wow! Two posts in one day for me!

I talked to my friend who is a pediatric neurologist. He did not know of anyone in Atlanta but he recommended the Dysautonomia Center at Vanderbilt. Here is the link: http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=adc&doc=4770. You will need to investigate insurance and I think they also have a questionnaire for potential patients.

Hope this helps and good luck! Lisa

You would be missed

Sandy-

Your beautiful writing conveys so much of your powerful inner life. I agree that we are fortunate to be blessed with a large family who supports us and loves us, no matter what the situation. This unconditional love is what Jesus taught us.

You are correct that half-way through your post I felt the need to stop and call you to ask if you felt like hurting yourself. I am glad I finished reading instead. I do not think that your symptoms and feelings are a character flaw at all. You have provided a heart-wrenching description of depression. Such a vivid portrayal of sadness, of severe fatigue, of the feeling that the world would not notice if you were gone! I understand that some people feel that depression is a character flaw or a lack of mental toughness. It is not. Depression is an illness that happens to affect the brain. Mental illness also happens to run in our shared families and can be expressed as depression or mania or addiction. I am not discouraging you from being fully evaluated for all your symptoms nor discounting the dysautonomia, but I am encouraging you to consider that part of the problem could be depression and you may benefit from exploring that diagnosis and treatment. I want nothing more than for you to be the best Sandy possible.

Hope my comments are helpful. I debated on whether to say anything for fear that I would inadvertently say something that was hurtful.

Have not had time to research the dinosaur issue. I have to admit that I don't struggle with this issue personally and never followed the literature that closely. Will let you know if I find any great insight.

Lisa

No.......Thank YOU!!!

SARAH--- Listen, I'm sorry for making you get all teary......but was it really necessary to return the favor?! Actually, I'm glad you did, because hearing that my note moved you so much lets me know that I was successful in conveying what's really on my heart! And I think I can speak for everyone when I say that you're just as "stuck" with all of us as we are with you---as is true for all who are born into this powerful extended family unit! Does anyone else ever think about how unique our family dynamics are? Jim and Mary O'Callaghan birthed a true legacy of love and closeness! Remarkably, that legacy continues to cross the standard boundaries of time---to defy the limits traditionally set by shifting generations---maintaining its influence on down thru fourth (and blossoming fifth) generations!!! How many people do you know who still see almost all of their cousins at least once or twice a year?! Better yet, when we gather, our kids feel as comfortable with each other as if THEY were first cousins! It's really quite amazing, when you think about it. (And yet, thinking back, I don't guess I ever could have imagined it being any different!)
EVERYONE---Before I go, I also wanted to say thank you to everyone else who has sent me well-wishes, both here and via email. The other night I was reading a note from Marky (regarding some possible suggestions), and found myself getting as teary-eyed as Sarah had! I was especially moved by her closing line: "But know that I love you and I want you to have a full life!"! Not only were those words precious to me, but they also triggered a sudden awareness of the fact that I am blessed to be surrounded by people who feel that way! My single greatest struggle in all of this has been the sense that I have practically ceased to exist. All that I was, all that I expected to become, has been sucked into a black hole...........what's left behind is little more than the fossilized remains of days gone by. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard to accept if I hadn't spent a lifetime planning to make an impact on this world, in God's name. So many ways I envisioned helping people, reaching people........but, instead, I know that if I disappeared today the world at large would be no worse for it. My frustration and confusion often turns to despair, and I start telling myself that, in fact, Will is the only person on earth who would really be impacted by my disappearance. (Please don't take this to mean I'm a suicide risk. Trust me, I would never do anything like that on the off chance that it would deny me the opportunity to spend an eternity with my babies!!! Besides, when I'm in that despairing mindset, I'm generally also in a state of such physical fatigue that I couldn't stand up and do anything about it even if I wanted to!!!) For years I've tried to keep this "ugly" side of my world as hidden as possible, because I'm ashamed of letting others see what's become of me. I'll speak freely of migraines, and of things like the gastroparesis when it hit, because I feel confident that issues like those are clearly beyond my control and therefore won't inspire judgment against me. But when it comes to the ever-increasing fatigue, and the unexplained cycles of not even being able to leave my bed, I try to remain much more evasive. I'm all too aware that these kinds of symptoms, especially when there isn't a clear-cut medical reason, can start to look more like personal flaws than physical illness. And when I factored in the impact they have on my life......such as the unacceptable condition of my house, or the fact that I'm not doing anything WITH my life......I couldn't bear to imagine what you'd secretly be thinking if you ever saw the whole truth. If any of you judged me even a fraction as much as I judge myself, I'd be devastated. Because no matter how tired I am, no matter how overcome by inertia, that little voice in my head never stops listing off all of the things that I should be managing to get done----and never stops heaping the shame and guilt on me each time I fail to do so. I'm sharing all of this now because over the course of the last week I've begun to recognize the fallacy of my fears. Each time I revealed a little about my "shameful" situation, the response was always one of encouragement and sympathy. I've had to realize that this family's love isn't born of inspiration----it's not contingent on your being able to be proud of me for something----it just.....is. And your ultimate hope for me isn't that I would accomplish great things in life, but that my life would be full for me!
I'm sure I could go on forever, but my eyes have already sent out the "quitting time" signals! So, until next time..................Love you all!! Sandy

thank you sandy

Okay so since I actually read the past blogs I feel that I am finally all caught up.. I gathered through the bits and pieces in emails that Laurie (tell Thad congrats, I so remember when he was born) was plannin a wedding now since I broadened my horizons I even got the date. Amazing I know. Anyways the reason I came to the blog was to thank my dear cousin Sandy for the long heart felt email that I know was hard to write. Let me give you a brief picture of me.. imagine me leaving Publix ( had to get the buy one get on free box of Captian crunch) , guess that is the new O'Callaghan thing going around, and I didnt even know it, and Im staring at my Blackberry with these huge crocodile tears flowing down my face. I continue driving down the road in traffic reading ( yes the email was that long) and tears are everywhere. They were good tears though, and I didnt wreck!!! Kudos to me..

Well Sandy thank you! i am sorry that for 7 or more years that I was a black hole in the family. I do have to say that my Nannie did push me and I tried once or twice backed away and now you won't be able to get rid of me.. But then again i am family so technically you can't get rid of me.. You will have to thank your mom as I do believe that if she hadn't always been so heartwarming and Truly caring when i did call, I probably would still be MIA. But regardless I am sorry that we haven't been as close as we were and I do remember our trip to St Louis, ands to correct you , you did write me once, sent a cd when you were at Appalachian state( somewhere up there) wherever it was, and I didnt write back. Not because I didnt care, probably because I didn't know what to say. I have often felt like the odd Man out and I truly wish that I had been there over the years instead of running away. So as I told Ron that I finally came full circle I have actually been more proud of myself( to not be conceded) in the past 2 years than I ever have been in my life. i have dealt with my demons and actually let people come in the I pushed away for years. So lucky you , my whole Ocallaghan and extended family are included. You learn from your mistakes and GOD himself know s I have made enough for all of us, but I guess it takes loosing almost everything to realize what truly matter in life. So as I am teary eyed again. Sandy thank you.. And as a side note every time I see anything that says Jack in the Box or Denny's.. I think of our trip!!

Well time to go fix dinner.. Love to my whole family

sssnnnoooww? SNOW!!

Dear Fam,
Allow me to be the first to amaze you with pictures of Atlanta's BLIZZARD of 2009!!! My son now believes that snow exists BEYOND the walls of his imagination!! He and Daddy sported thick winter SOCKS as mittens (I literally just donated the actual mittens I purchased last year---tags still attached), and made a cowboy snowman in the rapidly accumulating (and snowman-perfect) snow!!! Will refused to come back inside (but did allow a few mitten-sock/jacket changes) until frostbite began to set in. One of his favorite parts was standing on the front hill and listening to the slushy commotion of cars that drove by. (Unfortunately, on this street there's never a shortage of them!) Hope, too, enjoyed the rare opportunity to get in touch with her Arctic-wolf ancestry!
The pictures below are from our camping adventure at Amacalola Falls. I don't know where my head was, but I didn't take a single photo of our actual campsite or camper!!! I guess I was just enjoying the chance to be 100% focused on GOD'S treasures! It was all just so breath-taking! At one point, while taking Hope on a solo potty-hike in the mountain trails directly behind our campsite, I couldn't help but wonder if God still sneaks down here to stroll amidst the marvels of His Hands!?! (You know, when the nearest human is miles away!?) I sure hope so........He definitely deserves to enjoy it all much more than we do!

Late Sat. with Jazz in the background

Hi fam! Great to hear from you all, and Sarah...the house looks so great! We are all so happy for you, and proud of all that you are creating as a beautiful home and family.

Sandy, the dinosaurs will have to wait...it's late, and all my kids are in town (tho most are at a wedding), so I am not waxing theological as yet. We just returned from Zoe's Honor Band recitual at JU, and it was wonderful.
As for Cleveland Clinic: that is where Chris' sister Stephanie went for her valve repair, and it is excellent. I will offer another wholistic encouragement in addition to Marky's. I just finished a CD bk from library that I think every O'C/Mees relative with tendencies toward clutter accumulation should listen to. It is a great motivator, and the empowerment that comes with even just beginning to take charge of clutter is amazing. I have been exhilirated, and then it carries over to so many other aspects of life. And all you have to do is sit and listen and it starts to work in you to ready you for action. So even if you don't have the pysical energy component yet, I think it will create a certain energy. It's called "It's All Too Much", by the guy who does Clean Sweep on tv. Like all things profound, it is about one thing on the surface, but it applies to so much more of life than just picking the papers up off the counters!

Has everyone heard that Lloyd will be stationed in Crete for one year, starting this Sept?! He's excited about it, and expects visitors!

Laurie and all Modlins: have I mentioned how excited (and yes, for some of the fam, surprised!) we all are?! Everyone is checking calendars.

Benjie: my Quaker meatloaf has one variation, to put 1/2 - 1 pkg. of Lipton Onion soup mix instead of onion flakes. And ketchup or V-8. Did you know that www.foodnetwork.com is a great source, too? I was thinking of doing meatloaf Mon Night for our 24 dinner, but switched to stuffed peppers! (We rotate going to someone's house to watch "24" together every Mon, and have 2 teams that alternate the dinner plans...there are 24 of us!).

Gnite! --Wendy