Last Thursday and Friday Dana came to visit us. We had so much fun – we love visitors! On Thursday we went to the Parent-Teacher store and browsed the Mall at Green Hills. And on Friday we went swimming at the Y. I won’t mention that we also spent about 4 hours cutting out laminated items. Fun times!

On Saturday PawPaw and Nonny came to visit. We had a good time visiting and eating some good hamburgers and cookies.

Will and I have had a great time riding around in our “new” car. It drives well and the air conditioning is cold – what more could a girl ask for! Bill also bought me a new computer this week. And I think I’m in love with it It is so sleek and pretty and it is so fast. Now I just have to transfer all of my files and pictures and get to work!

I also got a (temporary) job! Well, at least I think it is going to work out. I am going to be working 10 hours a week in the student ministry office at church – practically the same job I did before. The one “hurdle” is getting permission to bring Will with me until he starts school on September 1.

Well, that is all I know for now. Hopefully my next post will be more exciting!

Yesterday I had a very productive day and I am trying to do the same today – so far it’s not going well I keep getting distracted by important things like planning our trip to NYC in October!! Whoo-hoo! We finally get to go back. The three of us and my Mom are going at the end of October and I can’t wait. (For real this time – the plane tickets are booked.) I want to check out a few places in Brooklyn while we’re there and of course see all our friends.

Remember when I said that Will did not prefer electronic toys? Well I think I spoke about 6 months too early! He has recently become very enamored with his tool bench and steering wheel that light up, make noises, and sing. I think he’s finally old enough to be able to manipulate them well and really enjoy what they do. He only takes sharp left turns with his steering wheel so maybe we have a future Nascar driver!

2. Tomorrow Will goes to “Playcation” at church. It is all day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and I am teaching the 2 year old class. I am a little nervous about him going – silly, I know! I hope he behaves, does ok without a nap and that I packed him enough food for lunch. The only lunch box we own is Vera Bradley and pink – I hope his friends don’t make fun of him.

3. For reasons unknown, my computer has decided to not “pull up” certain websites. For instance, I can’t log on to our online banking. But I also can’t log on to my Netvibes account and this is where I store all the blogs that I like to read. But this has been a blessing in disguise. I found that the more time I spent reading blogs the more un-content I was in my own life. It’s easy to constantly compare yourselves to everyone else on the internet! So, even when I get the capability to look at Netvibes again I am going to drastically scale down and only read blogs of people I know (and a select few that are inspiring to me).

4. I started a new Bible study with some girls in my Sunday school class last Tuesday night. We are striving to really hold each other accountable in our spiritual walk. One way, of course, is asking what we have learned each week through our Bible reading. Well, I have really failed this week. If they ask I may have to lie and make something up. Just kidding Maybe I’ll learn something at Playcation tomorrow!

This is the CD that came in the mail – “Have a Fancy Yancy Christmas” It came just as Will and I were headed out to do a little Christmas shopping so I put it in the CD right away to enjoy. This CD was great! I caught myself singing along to the songs right away – a sure sign that it’s good.

I am no music critic so I based my review on three questions: 1. Do I like it? 2. Will I listen to it over and over? 3. Can I sing along to it? So, here goes:

1. Do I like it? Yes, I do like the songs and the performer! It’s fun to listen to as it has traditional Christmas songs but in a very upbeat and fun tempo. The closest thing in my music collection to Yancy is Aly & AJ’s Christmas CD – love them both!

2. Will I listen to it over and over? Yes! I have already listened to the CD many, many times. I think it is quickly becoming a favorite – I MUST add it to my iPod playlist soon.

3. Can I sing along to it? Yes! And the best part is that I could do this right away. There are a couple of new songs written by Yancy on the CD and I am quickly learning the words to those too!

Here is some “official” information about “Have a Fancy Yancy Christmas”:

The songs are a mixture of traditional Christmas carols and contemporary favorites, but all performed in a very fun and modern way.  Yancy penned two songs: “Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas” and “Christmastime”.  Both are sure to become staples for many Christmas’s to come. The song “The Greatest Gift” is being played at radio across the U.S.

So, a very fun CD to add to the Christmas collection. I will be enjoying it for many years to come and you should too! CLICK HERE to buy the Fancy Yancy Christmas CD. And to find out more about Yancy, her blog, her ministry and her music check it out HERE.

I FOUND IT! MY MOM THREATENED TO COME AND FIND IT – AND IF SHE FINDS SOMETHING I THINK I’VE LOST THEN I OWE HER A DOLLAR! INSPIRATION HIT AND I FOUND IT IN MY COAT POCKET

Dr. Michael Rich, a co-author of the study, is quoted saying that baby educational videos are “just wasted time” and “At the very best, they steal time from much more productive cognitive developmental activities. Ultimately, what it’s about is to make parents not feel guilty about an electronic baby sitter.”

This particular study was not looking at the possible harmful effects of TV. So, their conclusion is that TV is not beneficial

To read the complete article: Click Here

And now what you come to the blog to see!

A few pictures of Will  laying on his stomach and holding up his head. PepperAnn has taken a little more interest in Will now that he holds his head up and rolls over. Today she showed him how easy it is to roll over – she is such a show off!

Our friends Kristian and Katy are perhaps the most “Jesus like” people I know. They live in New York City and work for non-profits yet they give more away in terms of possessions and time than anybody I know. They constantly had people living with them in their apartment – for various reasons like they were looking for an apartment. They lead small groups, serve at Apostles and many other places. They are humble, sweet and purp0seful in their lives.

Read their story here: http://kristiankatyrose.blogspot.com/2009/02/at-77th-st-subway-station.html

It made me cry. It challenged me to do more – right here, everyday, in the burbs.

I felt pretty good for the most part of Thursday. But, by the afternoon I had a dull ache that was getting worse. So I called Dr. Swarr’s office and let them know what was going on. They immediately called the surgeon’s office and told me they would see me as soon as I could get there. About 4:00 pm on Thursday I met with Dr. Russell, the surgeon. After telling him what had been going on and he poked and prodded my abdomin and asking about my family’s history with their gallbladders – he then asked what I was doing on Friday. I said – I’m coming to have my gallbladder taken out!

So, Friday morning at 8:00 am I showed up at the Surgery Center for the procedure. It went very well with no surprises or complications. I was really sore and did not feel good Friday night. But, today I am feeling much better. Still really sore but slowly getting better.

Thank you for all your prayers!

Well, I have had this pain 5 or 6 more times since then. And Tuesday night it was THE WORST! I have never been in so much pain. (Reminder: I had a baby 10 weeks ago.) And I repeat: I have never been in so much pain! So, about 11:15 I told Bill that I needed to go the the hospital. So we head to Southern Hills Medical Center because it’s much closer than Williamson and I thought I might die (not literally) before we got to Williamson.

I get checked in to the ER, hooked up to fluids, morphine and anti-nausea medicine. Then they start poking and prodding me. They suspected gallbladder trouble so they do an ultrasound of my abdomen. The doctor comes back and tells me that I have gallstones and sludge. Isn’t that lovely? And that the attack was triggered by the fatty, greasy hamburger I ate for dinner.

At this point, I have met with my PCP and he is referring me to a surgeon. And my PCP is reviewing the ultrasound and official report from the ER. I am expecting a call today to tell me when my appointment with the surgeon is. I will probably have my gallbladder removed in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I shouldn’t eat anything I like! For example, I love to eat at Outback. But, the Bloomin’ Onion is loaded down in fat and even the vegetables aren’t good for you! Way too much butter. For now I’m stuck eating bland things like applesause and dry toast Yuck! I know this might be a bit extreme but I would rather not risk having another attack!