Being Sick is not fun, but "God Gave MeYou!"

The last few days have been miserable for me. I have had pneumonia and felt like it was never getting better.  Each day, I would pray, hoping that was the prayer God heard and would answer for me that I would wake up feeling better and rested. There were nights, I would cry, lying awake just praying...not knowing what or how to pray anymore.  I was starting to feel helpless by myself.  I kept hoping, just maybe Jason would wake up and pray with me.  I sent texts asking friends, I knew would see that text and start to pray.  I ended up getting up and watching a movie.  Other times I would sit with my Bible open...not being able to read because my head hurt so bad...that's all I could think about.  Most days, I couldn't sleep, but was in too much pain to do much of anything...I would get out of breath to walk to the other room which isn't much of a walk...our house is tiny.  I remember thinking of my mom and and had that since in knowing why she's so depressed all the time.  This is her everyday life and here I am dealing with it for a few days and already starting to feel to this way.  This morning, I woke up and received a Bible verse through text that said, "Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans." Wow! I got tears  in my eyes and just laid in bed and thanked God for being there the whole time.  When I was sitting there crying in the middle of the night wanting to fall asleep and just wake up better, God was there right beside me.  He was listening to my prayers and was slowly answering them.  And then I thought of Jason lying there next to me..he's not much of a cuddler, but he stayed by me each night even when I was up coughing all night, or tossing or turning or itching from medicine, he was still there, he never left me.  Many times,  I would wake up to his hand being across my chest or his hand feeling my head or him lying right up against me.  He wasn't afraid of getting sick or catching what I had.  All he cared about was making sure I was ok and that I felt ok and made sure I had my medicine when I needed it.  I'm sure he felt so helpless, when he saw me take my medicine and watching me sweat, trying to hold back the tears and from throwing up. Not to mention he still kissed me goody bye every morning when he left and every evening before we went to bed!  After reading that text, stopping to pray, I came into the living room feeling well rested for the first time in days.  I took my medicine like a pro and didn't dread it! I drank a glass of milk with it and then had to sit up for ten minutes so I turned the tv on. Jason and Eli always listens to CMT when they get ready in the morning (I mean we do have deer head and fish on our wall) therefore it was on so I just listened to the song lyrics that happened to be on. 

"God Gave Me You" Blank Shelton

I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be

But you stay here right beside me
And watch as the storm blows through
And I need you

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
Gave me you

There’s more here than what we’re seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
And I’ll be the flattered fool
And I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
 And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.,
He gave me you.

God gave me Jason! I may not have thought he was there throughout those long nights...maybe he wasn't sleeping...maybe he was saying a prayer for me. God gave me Jason for the ups and downs
God gave me Jason for the days of doubt.  And for when I think I lost my way. There are no words here left to say, it’s true God gave me him! He gave me my husband!
On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

I really do pray that we really are stitched together forever just like our slideshow song...were stuck like glue babe! And I'm ok with that and seems like you are too! Sugarland "Stuck Like Glue"
There you go making my heart beat again,
Heart beat again,
Heart beat again
There you go making me feel like a kid
Won't you do it and do it one time?
There you go pulling me right back in,
Right back in,
Right back in
And I know-oo I'm never letting this go-ooo

I'm stuck on you
Whutooo whutooo
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
Whutooo whutooo
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue

I love you babe and want you to know this post is for you and how much I appreciate you and your love for me.  Thank you for always being there and putting up with me even when I am sure I kept you up several nights in a row coughing and tossing and turning, but you stuck it out with me and I really appreciate it.  Just like the rest of the song says,

Some days we may not feel like trying
Some days one of us may wanna just give up
When it doesn't matter who's right, or we fight about it all night or thought we  
Had enough
You will give me that look
"I'm sorry baby let's make up"
You do that thing that makes me laugh (just don't tickle my toes)
And just like that...
You know I'm stuck on you babe! I hope you have a wonderful day at work and get the chance to read this and know how much I love you everything about you! Thanks for the get well flowers and praying with me on Saturday and Sunday  and keeping me company.  Love you so much!

DC Pics

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Deep Creek

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TN Visit

This weekend, Jason, Eli, my parents and I went to Knoxville, TN to visit my brother, Andrea, and my niece and nephew.  It was so great getting to see them again.  It was also mine and Jason's first trip together as a married couple.  We got to stay in the master bedroom with our own bathroom.  While there, we mainly hung out at the house and played with Lexi and Logan.  Saturday, we went shopping in Knoxville for a little bit as well as ate at McCallister's for lunch.  That evening we went back to the house and grilled out and watched the game.  It was TN's first football game; however, we watched the Notre Dame game more. I'm pretty sure playing with foam swords was a personal favorite for the three kids. Sunday, I let Lexi do my makeup.  She had a blast putting glitter and eye liner on me, and I had fun bonding with her.  After breakfast, we went to Tanger Outlet Mall.  We mainly hung out here most of the day.  We were going to go to the aquarium, but decided not to and was going to go putt putting instead, but then it started to rain. We then decided to go back to Knoxville and have dinner, but after an hour of waiting at Wild Wings, we decided to go back to the house and make sandwiches and watch the Boomsfest on tv.  It was quite a firework show.  They started the railroad bridge on fire.  Jason and I read Eli his devotional after this.  It was on making the right choices and watching what we say and thinking about it before we say it.  I know for me this really stuck out because so often we say things without thinking about it and then end up hurting others.  We talked to Eli about how important it is for him to make the right decisions.  We told him he needs to be a role model for the other children he's around.  He knows right from wrong, and he knows the importance of making the right decisions because someone is always watching even when we don't think they are.  As a parent and teacher, I feel like this is so important.  I need to watch what I say and do at all times, because little ears are always nearby listening wanting to learn from my actions and words.  I want them to be learning right not wrong.
  Today after playing a few last games with Lexi, and getting a few last laughs from Logan, we had to head back to Indiana.  It was hard to leave, and  didn't want to say goodbye; however, I knew the time had come.  We said our goodbyes and headed out in the pouring down rain.  I hope that now that we are gone, we left a postive influence on the children.  I hope Lexi learned from Eli as well as from us.  It was so neat listening to both Eli and Lexi pray for our meals throughout the weekend and the influence they seemed to have on us adults reminding us to pray before we ate each time, and Eli reminding us to do our devotions no matter how busy or how late it was.  Isn't it funny how children as young as 5 are reminders for us adults at times.  Eli's devotion tonight was on this very topic. The challenge question was: "Are we a squeezer or a pleaser?" Do we find time to squeeze God in before meals and bed or do we find time to really please God?  Do we take the time daily to read God's word and purposely find time for God? I know with the new job and new hours, and things going on almost nightly since school started, I have not had the quality of time to spend with God as I would like.  Time gets away from me so fast and then my day is over before I really focus on Him.  I spend my quiet time with the Lord as I drive to work each morning, pray with my students before snack and lunch and before they go home, but am I really giving Him all the time that I should be?  This devotion may be geared towards little boys, but I am a grown adult and I get more out of it than my own devotions.  Why? I think that goes back to the basics of life.  Devotions for children are so simple, every day lessons that us as adults take for granted.  Sometimes we need to take a break in our busy routines to remember what is important in life.  We need those quiet times to refuel ourselves so that we can be used by God.  The more we know Him and spend time with Him, the more natural it is for us to share him with our students and children.  I want my everyday actions, the way I speak and act to show Christ to others especially the children in my life whether it be Eli, my nieces and nephews, or the children in my class.  I want my actions to point Him!