Camp Time

This summer has gone by so quickly for me. It started with baseball and that ended the 4th of July weekend. We had a houseful of company then, the next couple of weeks were Vacation Bible School and this week Caleb is at camp. Caleb went to his first church camp where he was going to stay for the entire week. It has been harder for me than for him, because I can't call and check on him. I had to call and ask my mom how it felt when I first went to church camp for the entire week and I was just a couple of months younger than Caleb. I hope he is sleeping well at night, being a team player, exhibiting a good attitude, all the things that mom's wish for. We are excited for him, he is staying in a cabin with 18 other boys, their counselor is having loads of fun I'm sure.

Next week starts the first day of school, I can't hardly believe it. It also brings a new school, new friends, new schedule and another adjustment to our daily lives. The good news is that Caleb will know alot of the kids that are at his new school, and he has already met his home room teacher and seems to like him alot.

This past weekend we were able to see an eagle. We had taken the boat out on the Ohio River with some friends and were crusin the Ohio, when we spotted the eagle. The kids all enjoyed seeing the eagle sitting up in the tree. The crows were all circling around it above the trees and Mr. Eagle just sat so patiently just watching and waiting. It was very relaxing enjoying the nature that God created along the river banks, the river itself is not so pretty but I'm amazed that as the boat cruises through the river it leaves this pure white path that comes from ugly brown water. It is kinda like God, he takes the all the ugliness that is in our lives and makes it so pure and white when we turn our life over to Him.

This is just a really cute & helpful e-mail I received from a dear friend of mine so I'm sharing it with you. Enjoy!

Weekly Schedule:

Monday WashDay

Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles
of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not
set a bad example for others.

Thursday Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love.

Saturday Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday The Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please help me so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

Patients vs. Patience

Wow! What a week this has been for challenging patients and challenging my patience.

I'm continously amazed at the way people think, live, act, ect.... I've had a 25 year old girl that has led a lifestyle that has wracked her body with disease and she has 2 small children at home, but she is unsure of who is taking care of her children. An 81 year old lady that has several sisters but no one wants to take responsiblity for her, they just want to place her in a nursing home and she doesn't want to go. Doctors that seem to think they speak the words and orders just magically happen in a split second. Then there is the 35 year old male that is so covered with tattoo's and a gauged earring that is so large that his earlobe is almost split. He is as gentle and soft-spoken as a baby but his body is filled with infection and he has no family support. I've had a lady that is 75 that was suffering from chest pain and when the test were ran, found out she had cancer spread throughout her body and now has to make some life altering decisions.

Human nature is a fascinating thing and when I deal with these patients, I have to think about the journey that has brought them to the point where they are today. Some of these patients have made some bad choices throughout their lives, others have just been dealt some really bad cards in life. My problems and situations in life are so small compared to what others have to deal with.

Tomato Plants

This is the big tree that crashed through our back deck and walkout patio. Needless to say the dogs were pretty scared when I got home that night, today was the first day that they have slept in their dog houses.

Upward view of the tree on the house. It landed against my kitchen window and patio door but did not break any glass.

Another close-up view of the railing on the deck.

This is the back & side view of Wayne's pole barn, it appears that the entire roof will have to be taken off and replaced as well as some of the trusses.

Last week in the storm, my tomato plants got ruined and I was really bummed because my tomato plants were doing so well. This was the first time I'd ever tried growing tomato plants in a container on the deck but it was not to be. Tonight when I got home, I had a huge tomato plant on my front porch, my dear friend Tracy knew how badly I felt about my tomato plants and she shared one of hers with me. She even included this sweet card that shared my disappointment about losing these plants. I know they were just tomato plants but it was kinda like giving birth, you plant them so very small and watch them grow. Tracy thanks for being my dear friend, you are there for me through all my ups and downs in life and I'm so glad you are. Sniff, sniff. My girlfriends and my husband know how I can cry at anything and I'm feeling real sentimental about these silly plants. God made me such a unique creature it is no wonder He threw away the mold.

Storm Damage

Last night on my way home from work, I stopped by to pick Caleb up from a friend's house and the clouds were rolling in. Sure enough we had just gotten into the car and it started pouring rain, visability was difficult but I snail-paced my way through (since I'm terrified now to drive in the rain due to my wreck). I almost pulled off a couple of times but kept on going, sure enough we had to wait for a tree to be cleared off the road before we could go on. When I pulled into our country subdivision I noticed my neighbors on their front porches (it kinda felt like a welcoming committee), I waved and they waved then I noticed the damage, almost every house had something torn off, or a couple of trees split in half. Needless to say, by the time I'm cresting the hill to go down to our house, I remarked to Caleb, hum wonder what kind of damage we have. I pulled in the driveway and noticed that Wayne's pole barn had two trees that had split over top of the barn, the trees had pulled the entire back of the roof line of the barn and one side of the roof line. I turned the corner to park in the garage and there was a huge tree that had crashed through our deck and onto the roof. Thank goodness it didn't come through the roof or window. I opened the door in the kitchen that opens onto the deck and there was that tree, nothing like leaves greeting you. Outside my kitchen window was a mass of green leaves. I'm bummed about my tomato plants that were growing so well, they were destroyed.

I'm thankful that no one was hurt, and the damage was all exterior. Wayne came home from work early to a real mess and spent his day chopping wood and cutting down trees. Caleb has been such a real trooper, he has helped his dad out all day. Wayne was letting him run a chain saw, which makes me a nervous wreck. I plead, he is only 10 but my husband says it is character building, oh, the joys of parenting. Tonight, I've also done my fair share of hauling and stacking wood and pulling branches, it is muscle building for me.

I'll post pictures later after I get them uploaded.

Picture update

This a pictures of Wayne's grandma on Father's Day.

Everyone watching Wayne's dad open his scrapbook for Father's Day.

Wayne getting ready to give his dad his gift.

Caleb and his team after the last regular season game of baseball. Good job boys!

The boys and their coach Ben holding up their trophies.

Caleb getting in position to pitch a ball.

Pitching another ball.

Happy Father's Day!

Dad,
I just wanted to publicly wish you a Happy Father's Day since I will not be spending the day with you and will not see you for a few more weeks. I love you daddy and think that you are a wonderful person. You modeled the character that I looked for in a husband, you are hard-working, intelligent, persistent and a seeker of God. We don't always see eye to eye in everything but we have the right to disagree and still love. You have helped me to become the person that I am today and I thank you for it.

Just wanted to let you know that I will be thinking of you today as you celebrate the day with my brother. I wish that I could be there but my heart and spirit is with you.

Lots of love,
Rachel

P.S. Please don't buy a shirt with your money as I've already loaded your closet full.