Much Needed Down Time

Today has been one of those days. You know the kind...a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad one. I know some days are like that, but it doesn't make them any easier. For those of you who have seen the news, Daynah's best friend is the daughter of the woman who died in the car accident in Dunlap last night. In the midst of my busy day, I found out that Jennifer had died. I wanted nothing more than to just go to the school and sit with Daynah. But I couldn't get away from work today. So, when I pulled into the driveway tonight, I started worrying about what I was going to say to Daynah and how I was going to act. I came to my room to check my email and Daynah was online. So I IMed her and asked if she wanted to play Carcassonne. So, I was able to just relax with her and play a game. What a good end to a rough day. Here are our pictures of relaxation.

Here is the finished game board.
Here are my men doing a flip because they won.
Here are Daynah's men building a pyramid.
Here are our men working together to build a bigger pyramid. We work well together, don't you think!

Just in Case...

I don't know if I will get around to posting again before I leave, so I wanted to leave some information for those of you who want to know.

First, our team has a blog that we are hopefully going to update while in Thailand. The address is www.thailandmissiontrip2008.blogspot.com.

Second, here is a rough travel itinerary.
Leave the church Thursday at 5:30am.
Leave Chicago at 11:30am. Arrive in Korea 14 hours later.
Four hour layover in Korea. Then another 6 hour flight to Chiang Mai.
Arrive Chiang Mai 12:35am Saturday.

Leave Chiang Mai at 1:55am March 9.
Layover in Korea.
Arrive in Chicago at 10:35am March 9.

So, going to Thailand because of the time changes, we lose Friday. But I guess we sort of gain it back on the way home since it looks like our travel time only lasts for 8 hours when it will really be about 21 hours.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support for this trip! I can't wait to get back and tell you all the adventures we went on and how much the Lord blessed this trip!

Countdown Coming to an End

So, I opened my cell phone this morning only for the countdown to Thailand to tell me that I leave in 2 DAYS! I am really excited, but cannot believe that it is finally here. I have been thinking about going on this trip since before I went to Guatemala last July. I actually was deciding between the two trips, but then God revealed to me that I could go on both trips.

Before the two days is up, I need to finish the following paperwork at work: two assessments, one treatment plan, two closings, correct mistakes on another assessment, finish all my regular case notes. That is on top of meeting with all of my clients in three days time. Plus I found out that I have an additional meeting to attend today. I was at work until 8:00 last night, I will be at work until 8:00 tonight, and I will be at work on Wednesday until all of my paperwork is complete. : ) I'm actually not too stressed. It will get done. It's just a lot to think about in the next two days.

On the bright side, I am officially packed. I think all I have to add into my suitcase are the last minute things Thursday morning! And I still have to decide what I am wearing on the plane. I will be leaving 30 degree weather and arriving in 90 degree weather. That poses clothing difficulties. Layering, I know, but what kind of layering.

And for those of you who really want to know, I am 90% sure I am getting a sore throat/cough. Perfect timing, don't you think? In case you don't remember, I just got over the flu two weeks ago : (. I am determined to pour a bunch of vitamins into me in the next two days. This cold will not get the best of me : )!

Country

For those of you who don't know, I secretly like country music a lot. And Brad Paisley is my favorite country singer. Well, he was in Peoria on Friday and Kevin got us tickets...here are a few pictures of the event.

This is as close as my camera would zoom in.
This is how close we actually were. Not bad seats at all.
Brad had a shirt on that said "My baloney has a first name". I don't know why, but it amused me the whole night. I decided it's not fair for girl country singers. They have to get all dressed up and look pretty for concert night, but the guys just throw on a pair of jeans, their cowboy boots, and whatever t-shirt happens to be clean!
This was actually a new song that I don't know, but I loved the lighting and how the picture turned out.
So, here are the two biggest things that happened. There was a drunk guy (well, I'm assuming he was drunk) who got up on stage and started dancing. Security rushed out to get him down. Brad just said "shake that thing" and laughed. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before this happened, so I wasn't able to document it.

Second, during one of his songs, all of a sudden Brad said "Get a room." to some couple in the crowd close to him. Later, after he finished the song, he said basically the same thing to them again. Then he said, "Are you two married? To each other?" It was really funny!

The concert was really good. Chuck Wicks and Rodney Atkins opened for Brad. A very entertaining evening, especially considering all the drunk people we got to watch all evening!

Teenagers

This is what I came home to on Friday. Daynah (on the right) and her friend Jordan were laying on the kitchen floor. Why, you ask. I have no idea. They wouldn't tell me. They just giggled a lot. Then when I got the camera, they got all shy and hid their faces, as if that would stop me from doing anything with the pictures : ).

My Non-Post Post

So, I'm failing my readership. I haven't blogged since Saturday. I am a horrible person. Here are my excuses (in no particular order). First, it would help if I got home before 10:00. Second, it would help if I could get on the computer before 11:00. Third, apparently I'm going to be out of the country a week from today (actually I will be 13 1/2 hours into my first flight with only one more hour to go!!!). Fourth, I turned on my computer last night at 11:45 to post something only to discover that our Internet wasn't working. Fifth, the cats were out of food. Haha, just checking to see if you're still paying attention or if you're just skimming to see if this gets any more interesting. It doesn't. And I think it's all I have to say.

I feel like I missed something...

Like a week of my life. So, I worked a total of 10 hours this week and saw 2 clients. This is the worst case of the flu I've gotten in a long time and I'd love to say I'm over it, but I'm still really weak. I worked a full day on Thursday, but then ended up only working one hour on Friday because I think I overdid it on Thursday. On Friday I was at work sitting at my desk, feeling like I existed in a tunnel and that if I didn't lay down, I was going to pass out. I quickly decided that it was in my best interest to not drive or put kids in my car! I am beginning to think that I will never get over this sickness, but I know that I will. Enough about me being sick...

In the midst of the foggy week, apparently Valentine's Day happened : )





Kevin brought me flowers to work on Thursday. He is so sweet. He knows that Valentine's Day isn't a big deal to me, but he still made it special, even amidst me being sick. The funny thing is, I didn't even see him that day, I just kept finding proof that he had been around! When I got home from work, I also had a present on my bed. Everyone gave me a hard time because I didn't cancel Bible study on Thursday, but it turned out to be a good thing because both of us were probably too sick to do anything!

More cutest nephew pictures...

My sister-in-law is a huge New York Giants fan, so John got dressed up for his first Super Bowl party!
I know it's a little early for a cell phone, but how else will I get to stay in touch with John when he is so far away?!
I received a bunch of pictures of him smiling today. He is so adorable!

I am beginning to feel as if I will never shake this cold/flu. I have been doing nothing but laying around and sleeping for 3 days now, and it doesn't feel like I am getting any better : (. I've been taking lots of medicine and trying to drink lots of liquids (never an easy thing for me when I am sick). I know there is an end in sight, I'm just not sure when it will actually be. Amy said she just yesterday started feeling normal and she had the worst of it Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week. And everyone is still hacking from the cough. So, now my goal is just to get better before the Thailand trip, which is in 16 days!

Like Death Warmed Over

I'll admit it. I'm sick. And at this point in time I need sympathy. My brother started this disastrous course in our home when he got sick last weekend. Then Amy and Daynah got sick. I was just beginning to think I had missed it, when it hit like a two-ton bag of bricks on Saturday evening/Sunday morning. I've been running a fever for two days, coughing up fun stuff, and feeling really gross. I call it the funk. It is nasty. I want it to go away. Sigh. Okay, I'm done being a baby, at least out loud. I will wallow in my own self-pity in the privacy of my room and await a time when I wake up and feel human again. I hope all is well with everyone else out there in the real world!

Out of Context, but Still Funny

In seminary, my friends and I decided we were going to have t-shirts made with Psalm 56:1 written on them (we never did, of course, but we talked about it a lot and talking about it always amused us. It was like every time we talked about it, we were wearing the t-shirt!) Now, before you read the verse, understand that we fully knew we were taking the verse completely out of context. The psalm is really written by David when he had been captured by the Philistines. But picture four single girls sitting around reading this verse and you might just laugh along with us. Anyway, here it is: "Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack."

Why am I posting about this today, you ask...For one, it was a fond memory. Secondly, I was reading in the NASB and came across this verse and started laughing so hard, I think a tear came out of my eye. This translation puts a whole new spin on the verse: "Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; fighting all day long he oppresses me." Ha, how about that for a t-shirt! : ) Here it is in The Message: "Take my side, God--I'm getting kicked around, stomped on every day. Not a day goes by but somebody beats me up."

Twenty-one

The age I was 7 years ago.
The number it takes to win a hand of Blackjack.
7 x 3
3 x 7
The number of days until I leave for Thailand (technically, I will have been on the airplane for 10 1/2 hours of my 14 hour flight to Korea! Then there is a 4 hour layover and another 6 hour flight into Chiang Mai. I am SO excited [insert sarcasm here]). I really am excited about the trip, just not so sure about the flight time. But it's all part of the experience!

A "Friendly" Game of Ticket to Ride

So, I was playing Ticket to Ride with some friends the other night. Kevin was green and Kari was black. (The red and blue trains are irrelevant to the story, although the people who played with the colors are very important to me! I also don't think they read my blog, so they will never know they weren't mentioned and that the way I first worded that sentence implied that they were irrelevant, which, of course, they are not.). Back to the main purpose of the story...Notice the two green trains in the middle of the black trains. Kevin played these to complete a ticket, but also managed to block Kari in the process. Now notice the four black trains between the green trains. Kari played these trains simply to retaliate! Needless to say, it was a very interesting game of Ticket to Ride! I love hanging out with my friends!

Weekend Retreat

Here is a picture of me standing on a frozen pond. I'm not sure, but I think this might be a first.
Here is a picture of me with a friend. Notice the streak of gray in my hair. I'm not sure where it came from and don't feel like it is normally there, but it shocked me when I saw it on my camera. You'd think I was getting old or something.

Anyway...on to the retreat...It was wonderful and much needed. We went somewhere in Iowa to a Christian camp Friday night through Sunday morning. It was hotel style lodging which was nice since last year we slept in one big room with lots of bunks. Pastor Daniel gave up time with his newly united family to come and speak! He spoke on materialism and finances. It was a very enlightening topic, very challenging, and very applicable. We had free time on Saturday afternoon where people played broomball on the pond, climbed a rock climbing wall, and played volleyball. I spectated all of these things but did not participate in any of them except to take pictures! I think I got a total of about 9 hours of sleep. I didn't really expect to get sleep because I never do on a retreat, but it helped me realize that I'm not getting any younger! Okay, that doesn't do a very good job of summarizing my weekend, but I think it's the best I can do. Anyone else who went on the retreat can add comments as you wish.

Time Flies

My mom pointed out to me today that I hadn't blogged in awhile. Frankly, I didn't believe her. I feel like I blogged several times last week. But, as usual, she was right. I got online this evening only to discover that it has been almost a week. So, here are my excuses: Tuesday I worked late and then had to get some stuff done around the house. Wednesday I worked until 5:30 and then went straight to church for AWANAS and then went straight to the airport to see Daniel and Whitney arrive home with Ellie!!! Thursday I had Bible study and then spent some much anticipated time with Kevin. Friday I left for the weekend to go to Iowa on a retreat with my Sunday school class. And actuallly right now I should be sleeping because its late and I got approximately 9 hours of sleep this weekend. So, off to bed I go. I will try to post tomorrow about what an awesome weekend I had on the retreat!