Sick Days

My home school year has gotten off to a bad start unfortunately. I started feeling bad on Tuesday and by the evening, I was achy all over, running a fever, had a headache, and was coughing like crazy. I have spent the rest of the week on the couch or in bed. I went to the doctor this morning and I have bronchitis. He gave me an antibiotic so hopefully, I will be feeling better in a few days.

The other thing that has made it harder to bear is that the weather has been absolutely gorgeous the last few days; the nicest days we have had in over two months. I have had the windows open which is a good thing but I do so wish that I felt well enough to be out and about in it. I just keep telling myself that the dear Lord has a better plan; there's a reason for everything...

I pray that all of you have a blessed, peaceful weekend....

Year 17

Year 17 of homeschooling begins! Only two years to go....

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

90 years old today....

It is such a blessing to still have him with us..

Another week of summer has flown by...

I must admit I'm getting tired of the endless heat...this is one of the hottest summers we've had in a while. Right now, we are getting a new geothermal heating and cooling system installed and the A/C is off. It's not hot in here yet...I turned the thermostat down to 68 degrees this morning and it was about 70 degrees when they arrived so I'm hoping that it will stay cool for a good part of the day. If not, the fans are on standby...

I'm thinking about the beginning of the school year...Michael's last year at home and only two more for my Johnny. Where has the time gone? It's hard for me to believe my homeschooling years will soon be behind me. I was looking at a homeschooling website and I was getting sad thinking about the early years and how I almost wish I could go back and have all the options they have now and that I could do a few things over. Hindsight...

We are going on vacation next month... the last half of September...to Texas. The boys, especially Michael, have always wanted to visit Texas and it's not a place to go to in the middle of the summer; though I imagine it may be pretty hot there in September too! We're looking forward to watching the Reds play the Astros in Houston, the beach at Galveston (hopefully no hurricanes!), the Alamo and Riverwalk in San Antonio, and Lake Travis near Austin where I'm hoping we will also get to visit with Will's sister and her family. Then we're moving on to Kansas City to meet the Gordon BOPs in person! I'm looking forward to that too though I'm always afraid that when I meet an online friend in person, that they won't like me...

After Kansas City, we're moving on to visit Will in Omaha. Last summer, he was out there visiting friends and he met the younger sister of someone he went to the Josephinum with. He started talking to her and visiting when he could this past year. He got laid off from his teaching job here at the end of the school year so he decided to move to Omaha. I must admit I've had mixed feelings! I'm happy for him because I know this is where his heart is leading him but I do miss getting to see him. Angela is a sweet young lady (I've had the privilege of talking to her twice) and I'm looking forward to getting to know her a little better when we visit there. It will be nice to see the town where Will is living...and him, of course!

I guess I should get off here and do something useful.

A blessed, peaceful day to you all....may you be ever mindful of His endless love....

32 Years of Wedded Bliss

Mark and I are celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary today....what a joy!!!

I can't believe how quickly the years have gone....I look back at pictures from our wedding day and we look like such babies at the age of 20! I was trying to remember things about that day and it's amazing how much of a blur it all is. It was a cool, rainy day; very unlike the weather we're having this year. I remember packing up the last of my clothes that I would need and my brothers dismantling my bed and taking it to our new apartment. I remember well my brothers helping me out to the car and I had to lift up my wedding dress and walk over boards in the front yard because my parents had work being done on the foundation of the house and everything was a mess. One brother was holding my arm and the other was carrying an umbrella over my head and we were all laughing....

I remember being slightly dismayed because the bridesmaids' bouquets were not what I had ordered and I didn't like them, but it wasn't too serious.

I remember the huge smile on Mark's face as I came up the aisle; he was a very relaxed bridegroom. His best man was the one who was a nervous wreck! I do wish I had a video of our wedding; that wasn't available in those days. I would love to be able to hear Monsignor's homily again...I can't remember a word he said.

After Mass, we went to visit Mark's grandparents who were in poor health and couldn't come. We had planned on having pictures taken in their yard and Mark's sisters had spent hours making it beautiful, but unfortunately the rain kept that from happening. But they loved seeing us...

I hardly had time to eat at the reception so by 10 o'clock, I had a headache and Mark went around trying to find if anyone had some aspirin I could take! That helped though I do remember feeling very tired by the time midnight rolled around. After the reception, we realized that the car we had had brought there for us to drive off in was almost empty of gas. (Poor planning on our part...hehe!) There were no all-night gas stations around, so we went to my grandmother's farmhouse and Mark put gas in the car from the gas tank we had there for farm equipment and I sat in the farmhouse in my wedding gown with my grandmother and great-aunt to wait...they loved getting to have me all to themselves for a few minutes!

It was definitely a happy, exciting day.

And since we have been blessed with our joys and our sorrows but I know He is with us through them all....blessing our love, blessing our faithfulness to each other, showering us with His gifts of faith, hope, and love...

God is good, indeed!

I love helping at the Bible Institute but it does run a body ragged. As a result, I'm now running a fever and have a nasty cold. But on the bright side, it's a good excuse to take it easy for a few days! Hopefully, it won't last too long...

I'm enjoying catching up on my email, paying the bills, and doing the type of things that don't take much energy. I was actually able to do my normal morning prayer time today though I must admit I stayed in bed a bit longer today.

I'm also enjoying looking out the windows at our flower beds. Goldfinches are eating our coneflower seeds, hummingbirds are at our cannas, and all types of butterflies are enjoying our butterfly bushes...absolutely beautiful! I can't believe it's August already though I must admit I am looking forward to it becoming a bit cooler...the endless heat is getting old.

A blessed, peaceful Monday to all....