here we go again

I wish I had posted a week ago after Sonia had had her surgery because so much has happened since then. But I guess I’ll still start there after I say this, Sonia needs prayer so PLEASE keep them coming.

Last Wednesday Sonia went in for her surgery. We thought she had 2 holes in her heart, but it turned out she had 3 and also needed a valve repaired. She had an amazing surgeon who took a genuine interest in her and cared for her. He is a good man. He was able to fix her heart completely.

After surgery she spent 48 hours in ICU and was then moved to a “regular” room. At the hospital they said that was the best a patient could do. It was good news. Sonia slept a lot for three days and then she brightened up and was a very happy, smiley girl. She had/still has severe congestion and it’s hard to watch her drink a bottle or sleep when her breathing is so labored. Please pray that the congestion will clear.

Andrew and I spent Saturday night in the hospital with her. It was nice having him there and I adore the way she looks at him and enjoys his company.

Then on Monday she was released from the hospital.

Her host family had an illness in the family and did not want to take Sonia home with them because of the risk of infection. So I had the pleasure of taking her for the night. We had a blast and I have never seen her SO happy. Andrew got her to laugh twice and I just about melted.

{Seriously. These two iPhone pictures rank among my top favorite photos of all time. Precious!}

Then Tuesday I noticed she was uncomfortable. She winced a lot and I knew she was in pain. She fussed more than I’ve seen her fuss. And she slept a lot. By late afternoon she felt warm and I worried she had a fever. We took her back to her host family because all was well and lysoled in the home and they were anxious to have her back. But she had a rough night and Sonia had to go to the ER the next afternoon.

Her fever spiked to 103.5 and she has an infection near her incision site. Her congestion is just awful still. So I am really, really sad that she is back in the hospital, but I am so glad she will get breathing treatments and medicine to get her better. I hope and pray she won’t be there for very long.

So please pray for her. Pray for healing and comfort. Pray for her host family. Pray for people to be willing to spend time with her so that she will have someone there with her around the clock. Thank you for keeping up with her and for praying for her.

pray for this little one

She will finally get the heart surgery she came here for TODAY! She goes in for pre-op at 6am {now} and the surgery is scheduled for 7:30am. Please pray for this dear one. She is blessed and very much loved. And please pray for those of us who love her and are caring for her because we are all a tad bit nervous about the {4 hour}surgery and the recovery. 

Please pray that the doctors, nurses, and staff involved with her surgery this morning are warm and kind for her sake. That they would be alert and at their best. That their skilled hands would repair the holes in her heart in a way that would heal her completely. That her life and her story would touch their hearts in a way that would impact them well beyond her time here in Florida. 

Please pray that she would recover quickly and well, without incident or complication. Please pray that her fragile system would remain healthy and that she would not so much as come down with a cold. Please pray for her future, that she would be adopted into a loving home and cherished for the sweet treasure she is.

Please pray for her dear host family. Pray for provision for them and rest, as well as preserved health during this time of recovery. Pray for them to be blessed in return for the blessing they have been to Sonia.

Thank you in advance for your prayers. They are truly appreciated and felt!

that is so pinteresting!

 

I may need help. I might need a {p}intervention. I could end up in rehab. Do they have a rehab facility for people like me? Maybe a support group? {Hi. My name is Shannon, and I am a pin-aholic.} I. Can. Not. Stop. And truth be told if pinning is wrong than I don’t want to be right. 

Pinterest. It is AWESOME! But it should come with all kinds of warnings and disclaimers about sucking you in, and taking up your time, and becoming an addiction, and all that stuff because it is serious. I have come across many a blogger and friend who feels the same way. This makes me feel better. I would hate to be alone in this…pinning on in guilt and shame.

In all honesty, it is really a great thing, and as long as you have more self-control than I do you should be fine. I’ve gotten tons of ideas for decorating the home which is really fun and inspiring as we just started the house hunt. I’ve also finally begun to learn and maybe understand how to dress myself and look cute. I’ve pinned loads of DIY projects and recipes…some of which I’ve already tried out or started, and I am loving that.

If you have no idea what I am talking about then allow me to show you a teeny little preview below…

These two sections are a part of my “What I’d Like to Wear” board…

Here is a section from my “Food” board…you might be able to tell where my priorities lie.

And here is a section from my “Living Rooms” board. It makes me all giddy at the thought of moving into a home we own where I get to paint the walls!

I am absolutely loving Pinterest for the inspiration and organizing of said inspiration it lends to me.  

If you would like an invite then let me know! I waited in anticipation for a month and I was so excited when Pinterest finally sent my account info. But if you have friends who pin then they can invite you and you’re in instantly. It’s a beautiful thing. And if you are already a pinner then follow me here and we can become pinning buddies. {Did I mention that you can pin things for friends and dialogue over the things you see and find?}

Happy pinning, my friends, happy pinning.

days like today

Today is the last day of school, but I'm not there. This year has been...different. I chose last summer to stay home this school year. The biggest, toughest decision of my life to date. I love teaching. I am comfortable with it. It thrills me and ignites passion in me. I come alive from it and through it because I know God built me for it and called me to it. So you might ask why on earth I wouldn't go back...and believe me there are days that I ask myself the same thing.

It's been a lonely year much of the time. I thrive on relationships, interaction, conversation, and nurturing. Day in and day out in the classroom I had all of those things, plus some. The creativity was unleashed and I felt empowered by it. I taught with joy and enthusiasm and I think I did it well. Not to have all that has been really, really hard. Some days I feel like I'm lost and it really gets me down. And because of that I now know beyond the shadow of a doubt what teaching means to me and that I really have been given a gift for it. 

I definitely derive a lot of my confidence from my teaching career. Parent's requesting me and writing letters of praise to me and for me to my superiors. Children drawing pictures for me and visiting me daily and hugging me tightly to let me know I've made a difference. Colleagues telling me I've done such a fabulous job in such a short amount of time. Sure, it feels good and it gives me a sense of self-worth and identity. 

And that's just it. It gave me such a sense of security that I poured every ounce of energy and free time I had into it. With little to no room left for family or for me. Teaching for me became me. There would be no me without a perfect classroom and adoring children and happy parents and impressed colleagues. And all that takes an awful lot of work. Rewarding and satisfying work, yes, but at a high cost. I did not know balance. 

So I chose to take this year to re-evaluate some things and to re-prioritize my life. I spent more time with my husband...time in which I was actually focused on him and not cutting something out for the next big project while half listening. I got to know my youngest sister as I picked her up from school each day. Priceless. I came home to a house that may not have been perfectly tidy everyday, but at least there weren't school papers and projects strewn about the couch, the floor, the coffee table, the dining room table, the foyer, and the office. I also needed to take the time off for my health. I want a baby and this body of mine needs a lot of rest and a lot less stress to make that happen. I spent some time on me, too. I journaled and read and processed. I went to see a counselor and began some self work that I had been wanting to start for years and years. I felt free and open and awake and much less distracted. 

Yes, it has been hard not to do what feels like second nature to me. It has been quite the adjustment not to derive my being, my happiness, my self-worth from my job. Yes, there are days I feel really depressed about it and regret my choice. But I knew there would be sacrifices when I made the decision to stay home. {insert sadness here for not having the joy of cute, toothless smiles and Target shopping sprees on the regular anymore.}

So on days like today when I ought to be celebrating an accomplished school year with "my kids", I  have chosen to reflect on my decision not to and to also reminisce on the wonderful years and experiences I have had while in the classroom. I'm not handing in my pointer and my guided reading crown permanently anytime soon. I've definitely got some teaching left to do...but for now and until who knows when, the teaching must wait while I do some learning of my own.

Here are some pictures of my teaching days. They bring so much joy to my heart!

The extent of my dressing up takes place for the school parties...I am not cool enough to attend grown up Halloween festivities. 

One year I could not keep the pencil cups full to save my life! I begged for parents to donate pencils every week because we NEVER had enough! Then one day I discovered that a certain student had been stockpiling pencils in his pencil box. I could not stop laughing.

There are a gazillion others that I wish I could post here, but who has the time for the posting and the looking...and you probably don't want to see them all anyway.  ;)

One thing is for certain...I've got  a lot of printing of pictures and photo album organizing to do! Perhaps I should have spent some time doing that this school year!

I made the right choice this year, even though it was hard and it hurt a lot of the time. There are things I learned and gained that I wouldn't have had I been in the classroom. Maybe one day I'll blog about some of those things. 

onward

I took a blogging hiatus, and now I am hoping to get back at it. I have not felt compelled to write much, even though I want to want to..."blogger's" block perhaps? I am 2 1/2 weeks late on my Multitudes on Mondays post. Instead of throwing it away, I am going to pick a few things here and there from my very long list to share with you.

The following will represent 229. - 302.

Trinity going around the house with me as I cleaned
a clean and tidy house
prayer
tug-o-war with Maddy Bell
talking to Lauren for a few seconds; always good to hear her voice
hearing Alexa's voicemail to Mimi and Papa
delicious new recipe

having great friends like Brian and Rachel, who always house us when we're in Orlando
Spencer waking me up in the morning to tell me to come "pay" with him
breakfast on Park Ave
sitting next to Cynthia at church

walking around Lake Eola and seeing all of the swan mamas and their babies

Leah and Trevor's wedding

Spending time with this little guy and his mama

Cynthia and I getting away for a couple of hours just us for the first time in years
hanging out, talking, singing, game playing at the Madsen's with the Scholz's
meeting up with Beth for some much needed just-us-girls time/excited to do that more often soon
hanging out with my family
singing while Andrew played the guitar
having a husband who is great with babies/kids...that's hot
3 a.m. cuddles with Trin




afternoon tea with two wonderful ladies and friends
summer breeze
catching up with Becky over the phone
lots of Sonia time

I look forward to adding to my list each night. I hop into bed and grab my journal with the anticipation of writing these things down to commit them to memory. It has become a realization that though I write these things down I might be missing the forest for the trees. So this week I have made a concentrated effort in stopping what I am doing to literally bend my heart toward God in praise and thanksgiving for what He has blessed and filled my life with the moment I realize I am experiencing something that will inevitably end up on my list. It's become a much more meaningful and intimate practice that way.