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| 6th grade |
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| 7th grade |
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| 8th Grade |
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| Learning to dance! |
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| Beautiful table. |
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| 10th Grade |
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| 9th Grade |
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| One picture from Girl Scout days: Father/Daughter date night. A princess with her prince! |
Monday, February 27, 2012
A different kind of "love" story
Thursday, February 23, 2012
google changes
I am learning that the Google Friend Connect will be dropped by Google. I am not sure how that will affect our blog because GFC shows there are only 5 followers (thank you family members!). Since I am brand new to blogging and not sure how to add other widgets for followers to click on please follow via email. I have read that bloggers using "blogger" will not be affected but not sure so please take notice of the "follow by email" box on the sidebar - place your email address in the box and hit "submit", you should then receive updated notices via your email whenever there is a new post. If you are experienced with following blogs and can give me some information please pass it on and I will post it so others can learn too! This change from Google should occur March 1st.
Monica
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Our story
I can't remember the exact day that I first met Dave but the feeling in my heart I can never forget!
I would say that maybe we met at the beginning of 2000. I was taking a night class at Missouri Southern (biology), as I had decided that I was meant to remain single and I was okay with that. I decided to make the future better for me and the kids by completing school to become an R.N.. During this time, the school district had started a wellness program for the employees, with volleyball being one of the activities we could participate in. During my career as a school nurse I was always traveling from school to school-usually I was assigned to 3 schools (I think at first I may have had 4 schools). Because of all the traveling and not necessarily having the opportunity to become close to very many of the staff I didn't usually participate in many activities. There was one school I worked at that I did get to know the teachers, and they needed another volleyball player so I joined. I thought it would be fun and growing up volleyball was our family picnic game! So on the nights I didn't have class, the girls (Stephanie & Gabriella) and I would join the rest of the staff from Irving (the school building is no longer standing as it was destroyed by the tornado) and play volleyball. Now, believe me when I say that it never crossed my mind that I would ever meet anyone interesting especially since I planned on remaining single and made plans for my future. God had other plans!
At one of the very first games there he was, playing for the opposite team. I had no clue who he was or what department he worked for, BUT, the principle I worked for and who was on my team knew him and was talking to him like old friends! Of course I didn't think too much about it as we did have a game to play then I had to leave so I could study and get Gabriella ready for bed (she was only 4). On the way home I told Stephanie "Did you see that cute guy?" Of course what teenager would notice-silly me! The next time I was back at Irving I asked the principle about Dave. I didn't even know his name so I just asked her about the guy she was talking to that night. She told me what she knew about Dave, they knew each other from her days working at the high school the same time he was there. She thought he was still single, had two sons and had been working for the school district a really long time. She realized that I was just a little interested and she said she would find out more! My first question was to ask if he was christian and believed that salvation came from Jesus Christ. He had to be a believer or forget it! She didn't know and said she would find out. Now I know this all sounds school girlish but like I said I traveled all the time and didn't come into contact with some people at all. Dave's job usually kept him in the warehouse but once in awhile he would have to fill in for the guy who did the mail route but I never ran into him. I didn't always see him when we played volleyball because we played different teams, eventually we would have a rematch.
During this time I continued spending time studying and doing my job and didn't give anything much thought. Debbie (the principle) did tell me she found out that Dave was indeed a believer in Christ but that he was dating someone else. Well, believe it or not all I was thinking was that was okay (about him dating someone else) but that one day he wouldn't be and I will be here! Why in the world was I thinking that? I surprised myself with that thought but then maybe it was God putting it on my heart. I would see Dave once in awhile at the games, he said he was checking out the teams they would be playing against, hmmm, I will never know if that is true but I am pretty sure it probably was. I started running into him at various schools and would small talk about our respective teams. I was usually very busy, there is a lot to squeeze into a half day at school when you have lots of hearing and vision testing and phone calls to make so we didn't really get a chance to talk much, besides he had a delivery schedule to stick to.
Eventually the volleyball games ended and so did Dave's relationship. During this time I guess, Debbie kept asking him questions about himself and how his relationship was going. Eventually he realized that something was up, not sure how it all came about but he found out that I was interested. So now it was May and school was coming to an end. One day, at Irving, there was a concert or awards assembly and I was standing in the hallway watching and here comes Dave around the corner with a delivery. At the same time one of the students got sick so I was busy. Funny how Dave stood around chatting then the next thing I knew everyone in the office was gone! But I had a sick student, a phone call to make then a parent to talk with so we didn't have time to talk. Eventually he did ask me for my phone number! (later in our relationship he said he had to ask for my number then because he knew school would be out and he wouldn't see me all summer!)
I won't bore you with all the details but I do want to say that when you are faithful God is faithful to you! Dave and I started dating in May. We had an "old fashion" kind of courtship, we sat on my porch swing and talked a lot , lots of phone conversations, and long walks. Early on I talked to Dave about my faith and my desire to have a Godly man and if God couldn't be part of any relationship I was in then there would be no relationship. God had been so faithful to me and I was going to be faithful in Him. Dave had a desire to grow his relationship in Christ and I invited him to church. He was open about his lack of understanding and his wavering faith but I knew in my heart that this was right and God would be in the center.
June 28, 2000 is one date that won't be forgotten-for one that is Gabriella's birthday and she turned 5. It was just a family party with the kids and I, Dave came and a close friend dropped by. Later while Gabriella was playing outside Dave and I were sitting on the porch and he said he was going to have to find a new place to live. I said I would be happy to help him find a place, I love house/apartment hunting! He said something like, well I was figuring you would help because it would be a place for both of us. "Are you asking me to marry you because that is the only way I would live with anyone!", he said "yes". I thought I was supposed to say yes after he did the asking but I think he must have been nervous! :-)
So that's it. That is how we began. I know it may not be the sweet story of a young couple starting off for the first time. But for Dave and I it was like a first time as we made a conscious effort to be more Godly in our relationship. We knew we each had lots of "stuff" we were bringing into this relationship but we knew that as long as we were prayerful, and faithful God would get us through. As Dave and I look back and reflect we each have our own ideas as to why at that particular time in our lives we became a couple. Dave said he felt that God saved him with this relationship. I have always stated that Dave was God sent. I believe that when I started to live out the Christian life that I professed and became more faithful that God blessed me with Dave. We are not perfect, we still have problems and obstacles to over come and still have relationships that we need to work on with kids, and family but on this Valentine's Day we celebrate our love that is heavenly blessed.
I would say that maybe we met at the beginning of 2000. I was taking a night class at Missouri Southern (biology), as I had decided that I was meant to remain single and I was okay with that. I decided to make the future better for me and the kids by completing school to become an R.N.. During this time, the school district had started a wellness program for the employees, with volleyball being one of the activities we could participate in. During my career as a school nurse I was always traveling from school to school-usually I was assigned to 3 schools (I think at first I may have had 4 schools). Because of all the traveling and not necessarily having the opportunity to become close to very many of the staff I didn't usually participate in many activities. There was one school I worked at that I did get to know the teachers, and they needed another volleyball player so I joined. I thought it would be fun and growing up volleyball was our family picnic game! So on the nights I didn't have class, the girls (Stephanie & Gabriella) and I would join the rest of the staff from Irving (the school building is no longer standing as it was destroyed by the tornado) and play volleyball. Now, believe me when I say that it never crossed my mind that I would ever meet anyone interesting especially since I planned on remaining single and made plans for my future. God had other plans!
At one of the very first games there he was, playing for the opposite team. I had no clue who he was or what department he worked for, BUT, the principle I worked for and who was on my team knew him and was talking to him like old friends! Of course I didn't think too much about it as we did have a game to play then I had to leave so I could study and get Gabriella ready for bed (she was only 4). On the way home I told Stephanie "Did you see that cute guy?" Of course what teenager would notice-silly me! The next time I was back at Irving I asked the principle about Dave. I didn't even know his name so I just asked her about the guy she was talking to that night. She told me what she knew about Dave, they knew each other from her days working at the high school the same time he was there. She thought he was still single, had two sons and had been working for the school district a really long time. She realized that I was just a little interested and she said she would find out more! My first question was to ask if he was christian and believed that salvation came from Jesus Christ. He had to be a believer or forget it! She didn't know and said she would find out. Now I know this all sounds school girlish but like I said I traveled all the time and didn't come into contact with some people at all. Dave's job usually kept him in the warehouse but once in awhile he would have to fill in for the guy who did the mail route but I never ran into him. I didn't always see him when we played volleyball because we played different teams, eventually we would have a rematch.
During this time I continued spending time studying and doing my job and didn't give anything much thought. Debbie (the principle) did tell me she found out that Dave was indeed a believer in Christ but that he was dating someone else. Well, believe it or not all I was thinking was that was okay (about him dating someone else) but that one day he wouldn't be and I will be here! Why in the world was I thinking that? I surprised myself with that thought but then maybe it was God putting it on my heart. I would see Dave once in awhile at the games, he said he was checking out the teams they would be playing against, hmmm, I will never know if that is true but I am pretty sure it probably was. I started running into him at various schools and would small talk about our respective teams. I was usually very busy, there is a lot to squeeze into a half day at school when you have lots of hearing and vision testing and phone calls to make so we didn't really get a chance to talk much, besides he had a delivery schedule to stick to.
Eventually the volleyball games ended and so did Dave's relationship. During this time I guess, Debbie kept asking him questions about himself and how his relationship was going. Eventually he realized that something was up, not sure how it all came about but he found out that I was interested. So now it was May and school was coming to an end. One day, at Irving, there was a concert or awards assembly and I was standing in the hallway watching and here comes Dave around the corner with a delivery. At the same time one of the students got sick so I was busy. Funny how Dave stood around chatting then the next thing I knew everyone in the office was gone! But I had a sick student, a phone call to make then a parent to talk with so we didn't have time to talk. Eventually he did ask me for my phone number! (later in our relationship he said he had to ask for my number then because he knew school would be out and he wouldn't see me all summer!)
I won't bore you with all the details but I do want to say that when you are faithful God is faithful to you! Dave and I started dating in May. We had an "old fashion" kind of courtship, we sat on my porch swing and talked a lot , lots of phone conversations, and long walks. Early on I talked to Dave about my faith and my desire to have a Godly man and if God couldn't be part of any relationship I was in then there would be no relationship. God had been so faithful to me and I was going to be faithful in Him. Dave had a desire to grow his relationship in Christ and I invited him to church. He was open about his lack of understanding and his wavering faith but I knew in my heart that this was right and God would be in the center.
June 28, 2000 is one date that won't be forgotten-for one that is Gabriella's birthday and she turned 5. It was just a family party with the kids and I, Dave came and a close friend dropped by. Later while Gabriella was playing outside Dave and I were sitting on the porch and he said he was going to have to find a new place to live. I said I would be happy to help him find a place, I love house/apartment hunting! He said something like, well I was figuring you would help because it would be a place for both of us. "Are you asking me to marry you because that is the only way I would live with anyone!", he said "yes". I thought I was supposed to say yes after he did the asking but I think he must have been nervous! :-)
So that's it. That is how we began. I know it may not be the sweet story of a young couple starting off for the first time. But for Dave and I it was like a first time as we made a conscious effort to be more Godly in our relationship. We knew we each had lots of "stuff" we were bringing into this relationship but we knew that as long as we were prayerful, and faithful God would get us through. As Dave and I look back and reflect we each have our own ideas as to why at that particular time in our lives we became a couple. Dave said he felt that God saved him with this relationship. I have always stated that Dave was God sent. I believe that when I started to live out the Christian life that I professed and became more faithful that God blessed me with Dave. We are not perfect, we still have problems and obstacles to over come and still have relationships that we need to work on with kids, and family but on this Valentine's Day we celebrate our love that is heavenly blessed.
Monica
Saturday, February 4, 2012
catching up on news
Wow! didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted. So now, do I start with the fun stuff or the not so fun stuff? If you have looked at my profile you will see that I follow a lot of blogs and although I don't read them on a daily basis I do take a peek now and then. Somewhere on one of them I saw a hand stamped necklace with the phrase "There is joy in the journey" and it was discounted! (yippee!) I really liked it and knew that that was the attitude I wanted to have about the journey we are on, so I purchased it to remind myself to look for joy everyday. Now, I have to say that is the hardest thing to do! The necklace came with two beads dangling from it and they are always clicking against the stamped tag, its almost as if they purposely make the noise to remind me to look for the joy. So based on that I will give the not so fun news first to move on to the good stuff!
To recap: Dave has had some difficulty with the medications that are meant to help with the dementia. The first medication made him really sick, the second med was doing well while he was on the low dosage, but when he was placed on the maintenance dose, which is a higher mg., he started to experience some bad side effects. The third medication just didn't work at all. Even Dave voiced how he didn't feel motivated to do anything, (on the previous med he was painting and reading again) and I noticed he was having a harder time putting sentences together and forgetting more than usual. So now we are on his fourth medication. We are to give it at least 2 weeks and according to the dr we will know if it is doing the job or not. Where is the joy? Well, we look at it this way, there is now a medication that can slow down the progress of the dementia. This gives us more time together. Where would we be if there was no such medication?? I am not saying we don't worry about what could happen if none of the medication works but we choose not to dwell on it and concentrate on the good stuff. We ask that you pray for us to find the right medication and that Dave doesn't experience any more side effects.
Okay, so now to some good stuff! A few weeks ago, (or maybe longer) Linda (my sister) and Fran came down for a visit. They were only here for the day but it was a lot of fun! The weather cooperated and although it was a little cold the sun was shining!!! We didn't do anything but talk and eat! We caught up on other family news, and discussed how much roomier the house looked without the chairs (see earlier post) and talked about who knows what else! I made some chicken soup, salad, and chocolate cake! Then it was time for them to leave. That was a happy/sad time....hated to see my sister leave! Hopefully things will work out and she can come back in the spring/ summer and stay much longer! My family doesn't live far (Grandview) but since we all know how unpredictable the weather is (in our part of the country) and how life can be, it can seem like too many miles away. The bad part is I didn't get any pictures! Too busy talking I guess.
Just about a week or so ago, Pam and Roberta (Dave's sisters) came for a visit. They were here for a few days and it was so good to have them here. It really lifts Dave's spirits when family comes. I hope that coming out here, they live in California, helps them put into perspective how Dave is doing. Unfortunately for me I was a little under the weather and don't feel as though I was on top of being prepared. Adam, Michelle and girls came to visit also. It has been a long time since Adam has had the opportunity to visit with his aunts.
Unfortunately, Dustin and Brittney were unable to come down....hopefully the next time. Dustin did talk with them on the phone and I will put Skype back on the computer,(hopefully it won't crash my computer again) so if need be they can at least skype each other. Thanks again Michelle for helping me get dinner on the table. I have been blessed with three wonderful daughter-in-laws. Dave will be having the big 6-0 birthday this year so maybe they can all come back in October and help us celebrate!! Since we all know that all good things must come to an end, it seemed too soon for Pam and Roberta to go back home. Dave rides a roller coaster when we have visitors. He is anxious for the visit (a good type of anxiousness) and then has a big let down when its over. The emotions seem grander, almost like a child's.
It seems that for a few weeks we were living our "before" life....you know "before the diagnosis"......then all of a sudden reality sets back in and we have to get busy again putting our lives in order to prepare for the future. I do have to say that there is no more procrastination going on! I have been organizing and purging like crazy. These are task that I was supposed to do when I became a "stay at home mom" but lets not discuss how long ago that occurred! (see the joy in that statement?!)
We have all heard the phrase,"it takes a village",well, for me it is not a village but a small "community" known better to us as our care group. It is so hard to put into words what a wonderful blessing these people are. When I have a melt down from the over whelming feelings they are so sweet to listen,encourage,love and pray for us. They give us a helping hand by brain storming with me and connecting us with names of people who can help. They have helped in so many other ways; there is someone who I am sure would prefer for me to not mention it but she has brought us a couple of meals and were they delicious! She brought them at just the right time unbeknownst to her on days when I had not put any thought into dinner. We are grateful that Dave has a group of people whom he is relaxed around and he can enjoy himself and not feel conspicuous around when he has moments of forgetfulness. Some time when our families come to visit I want them to meet our Godly family, I want our families to see that God is taking care of us,when they are so far away, through these wonderful people. What better joy can there be!
To recap: Dave has had some difficulty with the medications that are meant to help with the dementia. The first medication made him really sick, the second med was doing well while he was on the low dosage, but when he was placed on the maintenance dose, which is a higher mg., he started to experience some bad side effects. The third medication just didn't work at all. Even Dave voiced how he didn't feel motivated to do anything, (on the previous med he was painting and reading again) and I noticed he was having a harder time putting sentences together and forgetting more than usual. So now we are on his fourth medication. We are to give it at least 2 weeks and according to the dr we will know if it is doing the job or not. Where is the joy? Well, we look at it this way, there is now a medication that can slow down the progress of the dementia. This gives us more time together. Where would we be if there was no such medication?? I am not saying we don't worry about what could happen if none of the medication works but we choose not to dwell on it and concentrate on the good stuff. We ask that you pray for us to find the right medication and that Dave doesn't experience any more side effects.
Okay, so now to some good stuff! A few weeks ago, (or maybe longer) Linda (my sister) and Fran came down for a visit. They were only here for the day but it was a lot of fun! The weather cooperated and although it was a little cold the sun was shining!!! We didn't do anything but talk and eat! We caught up on other family news, and discussed how much roomier the house looked without the chairs (see earlier post) and talked about who knows what else! I made some chicken soup, salad, and chocolate cake! Then it was time for them to leave. That was a happy/sad time....hated to see my sister leave! Hopefully things will work out and she can come back in the spring/ summer and stay much longer! My family doesn't live far (Grandview) but since we all know how unpredictable the weather is (in our part of the country) and how life can be, it can seem like too many miles away. The bad part is I didn't get any pictures! Too busy talking I guess.
Just about a week or so ago, Pam and Roberta (Dave's sisters) came for a visit. They were here for a few days and it was so good to have them here. It really lifts Dave's spirits when family comes. I hope that coming out here, they live in California, helps them put into perspective how Dave is doing. Unfortunately for me I was a little under the weather and don't feel as though I was on top of being prepared. Adam, Michelle and girls came to visit also. It has been a long time since Adam has had the opportunity to visit with his aunts.
 | |
| Michelle, baby Izzy, Roberta, Adam, Pam, Autumn, Dave |
It seems that for a few weeks we were living our "before" life....you know "before the diagnosis"......then all of a sudden reality sets back in and we have to get busy again putting our lives in order to prepare for the future. I do have to say that there is no more procrastination going on! I have been organizing and purging like crazy. These are task that I was supposed to do when I became a "stay at home mom" but lets not discuss how long ago that occurred! (see the joy in that statement?!)
We have all heard the phrase,"it takes a village",well, for me it is not a village but a small "community" known better to us as our care group. It is so hard to put into words what a wonderful blessing these people are. When I have a melt down from the over whelming feelings they are so sweet to listen,encourage,love and pray for us. They give us a helping hand by brain storming with me and connecting us with names of people who can help. They have helped in so many other ways; there is someone who I am sure would prefer for me to not mention it but she has brought us a couple of meals and were they delicious! She brought them at just the right time unbeknownst to her on days when I had not put any thought into dinner. We are grateful that Dave has a group of people whom he is relaxed around and he can enjoy himself and not feel conspicuous around when he has moments of forgetfulness. Some time when our families come to visit I want them to meet our Godly family, I want our families to see that God is taking care of us,when they are so far away, through these wonderful people. What better joy can there be!
Monica
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