Being Sick...

and away from home is one of the worst things ever I think.

We started our long drive home today and it was just miserable. My entire body aches, going through elevation changes with a sinus infection is a recipe for disaster.

I just want to sleep in my own bed without two little children in the backseat saying, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy...."

I was able to get some work done in the car today while we were driving. I planned my entire worship service and tomorrow on the rest of the trip I imagine I can start working on my sermon.

Good times abound.

As a random side note, does anyone else think it's absurd how much it costs to print an obituary? Almost $600 for a woman I know to run an obituary for her mom. It's insane. Silly me I assumed things like that were free.

Do you ever...

look at your kids and wonder how you got so lucky? We've been out of town these last few days. We did decide to take the 15 hour drive to go see Marcus' grandpa who was really sick and in the hosptial.

They endured the 15 hour trip like it was nothing and these last few days they have done nothing but meet great aunts and uncles, great grandparents, and they have just be so wonderful.

They've been friendly with everyone. They gave everyone hugs and kisses and they've played for hours and entertained themselves with no toys or anything.

They are just amazing and precious.

I looked at Marcus tonight and asked, "How did they get to be so good?"

He seems to think we should get the credit but I don't know. I think they're just amazing.

Plus I've been really sick since we've been here. Sick enough that I went to the urgent care this morning. Each time I sneeze they both say, "bless you mommy."

I just love them, and their endless energy, and their willingess to just go with the flow and love everyone around them. They just continue to amaze me everyday.

I'll post more updates and pictures soon. We've been so busy seeing everyone and I've been pretty drugged up in an effort to be able to function.

Saturday- Snapshot Jump!

I love this picture that my MIL captured of Emerson jumping off the steps of my church.

She loves to jump. She seeks out curbs and steps where ever we go so she can jump off. 

She's getting pretty good at it (and a little too brave) her jumping platforms are getting higher and higher.

She counts, "3, 2, 3..." and then she jumps.

I'm linking up to the saturday snapshot meme here. 

What would you do?

Marcus Grandpa is really sick with an infection. The last update we heard is that he's improving and being moved out of the ICU.

Neither Marcus nor I have seen this set of grandparents in over 5 years, and they haven't met Eli and Emerson which I know really bothers Marcus.

We're trying to decide if we should take the 15 hour drive north to visit with them.

On the one hand this is a no brainer for me. Family is so important and there won't likely be another chance in the near future. Right now my schedule can be somewhat flexible (assuming we leave after church on Sunday and return before the next sunday) I can rearrange my other work obligations.

Marcus hasn't started his job yet so we don't have to coordinate that.

We can take a route up there that will take us through our hometown, which is almost halfway so we wouldn't need to spend any money to stay the night somewhere.

Mostly it would cost us gas money.

So what would you do. Would you go?

I'm leaning towards just going for it, but it's such a hard call.

We would appreciate any prayers or thoughts for Marcus grandpa.

I turned 27, Emmy gets glasses, I get a black eye...

We had a full day around here. This morning Emmy had her eye doctor appointment part II. We went to a totally different doctor this time.

Little Emmy was not the most cooperative eye patient. She's leery of doctors and has been for awhile. That coupled with the new things they wanted her to do didn't go very well. They tried to have her do a "baby" eye chart where they pointed to a shape on the eye chart and she was suppose to point to the same one on the card I was holding. That didn't work at all.

Then they wanted her to put her chin and head on a device so they could look at her eyes and get some measurements. She just wouldn't do that at all. Luckily, she did really well with some of the other exams and the doctor was able to see her lazy eye and also check the back of her retina.

Although I did give my the doctor the side eye when she asked me, "Does she ever complain to you about having double vision?" Um.. no she's two, is just starting to talk, and I don't think she has a clue what double vision is.

They wouldn't let Eli and Marcus come back with us which upset her (Eli was with us because he had to get some labs drawn). I mentioned that sometimes she's more cooperative if she sees Eli do something first so I mentioned that and the doctor thought it was worth trying.

When the doctor told her assistance I heard the assistance say, "That's not going to work her brother is younger than she is. We shouldn't even bother." She was incredibly rude. I wanted to interrupt their conversation but didn't and we brought Eli back and clarified they were the same age. Eli did all the exams without any issue but Emmy was done.

Long story short, Emmy is getting classes to hopefully help strengthen the left eye. The doctor is hoping that since we caught it young that we can avoid any patching or more extensive measures. So we'll see.
~~~~~
After the eye doctor we went to lunch and then the bookstore (part of my birthday celebration). Then Marcus and the kids baked a cake and cooked my favorite dinner.

It was a great day until Eli threw a flashlight at my eye which resulted in a cut, severe pain on the entire left side of my face.

You could tell he felt really bad and he started crying. Then he kept hugging me and saying sorry mommy.

Later during bedtime prayers we got to the part where we pray for our families and say "Thank you for mommy, daddy etc. etc." Emmy said, "Mommy owie bubba." So she prayed for me... or something.

I'll post pictures tomorrow. My face is throbbing like crazy. I knew his habit of throwing everything was going to hurt somebody one day.

I can't wait...

One of my very best friends from grad. school is getting married in a couple of weeks and I've been counting down the days for months.

We were all together in June for another wedding and it was so so nice to see them again.

Some of my very best friends at the wedding in June.

Random side tangent. Everyone in my house is asleep right now it's 11:55pm and I heard a lot of noise outside our backdoor. I'm so hoping it's a random cat or a raccoon. I ran and told Marcus that we were potentially going to be murdered (I'm not dramatic or anything). His response was, "I don't care."

I'm guessing he's going with the raccoon theory. I'm debating whether or or not I should investigate. Now this post is all of focus. And I pretty much forgot where I was going with it except to say I can't wait to see my friends. 

"The blessings of Harvest"...

Today a man came to the door that I didn't know. This is not really unusual. It's well known in the town that the pastor lives in this house and so we often get people stopping by with all manner of requests.

The man asked, "Are you associated with the church next door?"

I told him I was the pastor and he told me that somebody named Axxx Mcxxxx said to bring me some pears and apples. I didn't recognize the name and I didn't know the man at the door but he walked to his truck and brought us these.

Three large 

 full of apples and pears. He told us the trees were more than full and this was just an abundance. 

Eli and Emerson are both fascinated with the big buckets full of fruit.

Eli tried carrying the bucket he didn't get very far.

The amount of fresh produce available in this area is so astounding to me. Since moving here we've been gifted an incredible amount of food. Not to mention the fruit that grows on the trees in our backyard.

I think it's my turn now to pass on some of this fruit to others in my congregation. Maybe if I'm feeling super ambitious I'll make apple pie and applesauce. Never mind that I don't really "make" anything. I might as well try right? 

Another bad idea...

I've learned that lots of things may appear to be good ideas but when you add two year old twins to the mix it just turns into a disaster.

The newest bad idea of mine was to go for a run. Which isn't so bad, except Marcus wanted to come, which also means Eli & Emmy had to come along for the ride.

Since we both hate running with the stroller I had the bright idea that we would go to the track at the high school. Marcus and I would run and Eli and Emerson could play in the middle of the big grassy field. Brilliant!

It started off okay. Marcus and I began our first lap and Eli and Emerson were playing happily. Then they looked up and saw us at the end of the first straight and so they both took off running after us.

Okay, that too was fine. Until we kept moving away from them, thus confusing them, and they both started crying. So we towards them and then Emerson decided she was going to run with me around the track. It was a valiant effort from my sweet girl and she actually did really well but of course no one was expecting her to actually run a quarter of a mile.

So in all Marcus ran 1 lap and I ran 1.5 laps. Major fail. But I think Eli and Emerson may be runners, especially Emmy. Looks like from here on out Marcus and I are going to need to stagger our running times.

What I read in August...

I'm only slightly late in this post. Oops. Before I get to that I want to share a picture first

She looked so old to me. We were sitting on the stools and she grabbed a nectarine and just sat there reading her book with extreme concentration. She reminded me of myself to be honest. Perhaps she even learned the art of reading and eating from her mother. I so hope she always loves books.

Anyways August was another slow reading month for me. Such is life I suppose. Here's what I read

1.) Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

2.) The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens

3.) Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

4.) The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin 

5.) Night by Elie Wiesel

Total read this month: 5

Total Read in 2011: 66

Number of pages: 1626

You can see what I read in June & August here

Reading Goal Update: At the beginning of the year I had a goal of reading 150 books. It seemed really doable considering the amount I read last year. However what I failed to account for was full time employment and moving a couple of times. I'm still hoping to break the 100 mark but I really need to pick up the pace. Maybe I'll throw a few YA books into the mix (I love them but they're always really quick reads for me). 

The End of an Era...

Yesterday at nap time Eli was doing some crib hopping. So we moved the cribs apart from one another thinking that would solve the problem. Except when I went to check on them he was just wandering around the room. I put him back in his crib and left again. When I checked again he was in his sister's crib. So clearly he could successfully get in and out of his crib and I was worried he was going to break his head open. So good-bye cribs. Hello toddler beds.

So sad. They were beyond excited though. Seriously bouncing around, running everywhere. We were pretty sure that last night was going to be a disaster.

Notice that the crib hopping didn't stop. Now it's just bed hopping. We had to go in a few times because they were running back and forth from one bed to the next. But it didn't take them very long to fall asleep and when they did...

Everything ended up in one bed. All the blankets, stuffed animals and both kids. 

Around midnight we heard a *thump* and we ran in to discover Eli had fallen out of the bed. Hilariously enough he didn't wake up from the fall and even slept through the transition back to his bed.(Please excuse their "pajamas" their real PJs were dirty so they're wearing oversized March of Dimes T-shirts). 

Nap time today was another story. Oh my lord. They totally trashed the place. Took everything off the bed, took everything out of their drawers, took all their diapers and threw them everywhere. Luckily, there's not really a whole lot in their room, but they were not good at all. I'm not sure what to do about that. So here goes night #2. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Update night #2~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took a little longer tonight for them to go to sleep. They kept getting out of their beds. When we would catch them out of their beds Eli would dive head first back into bed and then pretend to sleep. Emmy just ignored me. They eventually fell asleep. Once again in the same bed. (They also tore the sheets off. That drives me crazy.) 

People say funny things...

Eli and Emmy saw a new doctor today, and we actually really liked her. She's the doctor in our small town of Mayberry and I think I would like her to be my friend. She's not much older than I am and I need a friend haha.

Anyways, prior to seeing the doctor Eli & Emmy were weighed and measured.

Emmy: 24lbs 7oz 34in.  Eli 25lbs 11oz 34in.

They also had to get their fingers pricked to check their hemoglobin. Emmy flipped out poor girl. Eli on the other hand didn't flinch or cry or even care. I think we was fascinated by the whole process.

We were talking with the nurse some and she said a few things that just made me laugh.

Emmy is really anxious around medical personal. She's been that way since our visit with Dr. Wack-job and since her hospitalization in January.

I explained to the nurse that Emmy was a little nervous because of her hospital stay. The nurse asked why she was hospitalized and I told her RSV.

The nurse then asked, "Does she still have it?" Um... no 8 months later and she's in the clear. I think maybe she had a misunderstanding about what RSV is.

Then she asked why we moved to Mayberry and I told her I was the pastor at one of the churches.

Then she says, "You guys are really young huh? Like under 20."

*Sigh* no not a teenager. Armed with the following information: Mother of 2 year old twins, pastor at a church, her best guess for my age was at the oldest 19. Good lord. I do not look that young. Plus even if I did the basic information she had about me would tell her that I'm older than that.

I told her I was going to be 27 in a week, she didn't really seem to believe me.

The doctor was great though and we got yet another referral to an eye doctor for Emmy. Let's hope it works this time.

Things my kids do/say...

* Eli broke my computer a couple of days ago. The "L" button no longer works. Luckily we still have Marcus'. Emmy said to Eli in her longest sentence to day, "Naughty, naughty broke computer bubba."

* Marcus has been teaching Eli & Emerson some magic tricks. Eli was sticking a quarter in his ear. Emmy threw two quarters and then said, "Quarters go?" Then she struck two quarters between her toes. Not really sure how that's magic but it was hilarious.

* The bottle issue isn't going very well. They still get a bottle pretty consistently. Tonight Eli was crying for a bottle before bed. I carried him into his room and he sat down, folded his hands, and with big tears running down his face, and he voice all choked he said the saddest prayer I've ever heard, "Tank tu, mama, dada, amen." He just sounded so sad and looked so sad. Poor baby.

Yay!!

I wrote my, "I feel sorry for myself post yesterday" and today Marcus has a job! It's only part time and it's not in his field but it's something and we'll take it.

Here's hoping things keep turning around for the better!

Sometimes you just need to cry...

and I did last night. I've been having kind of a rough time these last few months with our most recent transition. Moving to a small town where we're incredibly isolated. Moving away from family again (not that this is new for us but it was nice to have a sister and my brother living in our same city. With our parents only 2 hours away). Marcus' continued unemployment, not for lack of trying, but because there are just too many people seeking work and not enough jobs. The fact that I haven't been able to fill my crohn's medication in 1.5 months, which is stupid and really bad, but we just don't have the money. It costs an entire paycheck. Plus some other things.

I've been trying so hard to remain positive. We knew that accepting this position was a leap of faith but so many things ended up being different than we anticipated. Especially my health insurance situation (or lack there of, hence the issue with the crohn's meds.).

I know that our current situation will pass and that in the big picture of life this period of struggle will just be a little blip on our radar, but last night I just needed to cry about all of it, so I did.

I actually felt much better afterwards. I really freaked Marcus out though poor guy.

Here's hoping and praying that things turn around soon.

There is a Hope: My sermon in Memoriam 10 years later...

I can remember every single detail about my morning 10 years ago today.

I was a few weeks into my junior year of high school, and I was awake getting ready for school.

What I have always found most interesting about that morning is that we had our TV on. My entire life our family had a standing rule that the TV did not get turned on before school. With 6 kids to get ready for the day my mom wisely decided early on that we did not need any extra distractions.

However, for some reason the TV was on that morning.

And as I walked out of my bedroom into our family room I saw my dad, standing, as though he had stopped in his tracks, silently watching the events of 9/11 unfolding on the screen.

I too stopped, I was silent, as I watched.

In stunned disbelief I returned to my bedroom, where I had my radio on and I then heard news about a plane downed in a field of Pennsylvania and something had happened at the Pentagon.

I ran out to tell my mom and she answered, “you must have misheard. This doesn’t make any sense. It can't be all connected can it?”

However, as the morning wore on we all realized that all of what we were seeing and hearing was indeed a reality.

My memories are so vivid that I can even tell you what I wore to school.

At school my fellow classmates were in a state of confusion and panic. We were wondering if we were at war, or if we were going to war. We wondered who did it, if we were safe. This violence, which unfortunately was not new in the broad realm of the world had suddenly been thrust into our country, onto our soil, into our direct reality.

I remember those with loved ones in the area waiting frantically to hear from them, and I can remember so desperately wanting one of my teachers to say something.

But none of them did.

We proceeded through the school day as though nothing had happened.

And I can remember thinking, “Why aren’t we talking about this?  Why isn’t someone explaining why this happened? What do we do now? What does this mean? How does something like this happen?

Another thing I remember about that week is the sunday following that Tuesday. I remember how full the pews in my home church were.

Members who weren’t regular attended that day.

Those who only attend at Christmas and Easter attended that day

Those who didn’t attend our church or any church did that day.

In my small town 2,524 miles away from New York city. People filled the pews of the church. Searching for meaning, searching for solace, searching for prayer and community.

Of all the things I so clearly remember about that week, I actually do not remember what the sermon was about. Instead the image that I hold so dear to my heart is the fullness of the pews, the silence and reverence among the people. A coming together in the face of an unspeakable tragedy. A coming together in recognition that every had changed.

I knew that I was living history. That this event would become a “Where were you when…” question.

In the immediate wake of 9/11 it did seem as though everything had in fact changed.

There was widespread mourning as the death tolls rose, as more and more emergency rescue crews perished in their rescue efforts.

There was a nation wide mourning and a nation wide question of what’s next?

Yes in some ways everything had changed.

However, in some ways many things stayed the same. As my friend and colleague from Divinity school N.icole F.lores reflects this morning.

“The anti-Muslim rhetoric, discrimination, and violence that ensued was disgustingly predictable.  The visceral fear that engulfed the act of traveling reflected our national apprehension about security in general.  The subsequent violence of years of war was also not a surprise.  War is a national habit, our response in the face of threat, our knee-jerk reaction to hatred and violence.  What else could we have expected from national leaders in this instance?  Everything had changed, but nothing had changed.”

 And so that’s where I am this morning 10 years later. Reflecting, remembering, and looking towards a country and a world where some things will never be the same and a country and world that is yet very unchanged.

I think sometimes when the very worst things happen, the best way to address it and speak of it through our silence.

Silence in powerful.

There are times when words simply seem to escape us and all we can do is turn our heads and our hearts and our minds towards God.

One of the reasons I chose this passage from Romans is because it so clearly addresses our inability to know what to say, or what to do.

Chapter 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray, but that very spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

This is the hope and the power that Jesus offers to us.

Even when we’re so lost

Even when we’re rendered silent and speechless from the things around us

The spirit is at work.

The spirit intercedes

The spirit groans

In the midst of the very worst

In the midst of something that defies any kind of reason or understand we are not alone.

As we are all more than fully aware the world if full of suffering.

Full of suffering without meaning,

Suffering when thousands of people lose their lives on a single day due to an act of hate.

That kind of suffering is without sense and without reason.

However, this scripture offers a hope.

A hope that in the midst of all of that we are not alone.

We are never truly without words because God can hear us fully and clearly in our silences. God can hear us in our stunned disbelief.

God can hear us when we are too shocked to speak

And more than that

We are never alone because God is right there with us.

Crying when we cry.

Mourning the loss and destruction caused by hatred

God is wrapping us up and holding us in this.

I don’t know about all of you but the imagery of God holding us close when we are without knowledge of what to do, or where to go is one that brings me a great deal of peace and hope.

More over as Christians we are tasked with the responsibility of doing more.

Of asking ourselves what are we going to do to help eliminate hate?

What are we going to do to be a source of love in the world?

What are we going to do to show others what it is to live a gospel of love that Jesus taught us?

Are we reading and willing to fully forgive?

We have the power to change and transform the world.

We must only keep on hoping.

As our scripture says, “For in hope we are saved,” and the thing about hope is that we can’t see it. Because as Paul wisely writes we don’t hope for what we already see or what we already have.

Instead we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience, and more than that, we work towards the vision that we are someday hoping to see.

For myself I hope to one day see peace.

I have hope that one day we might fully embrace difference as not something to be overcome or feared but instead something to celebrate and learn from.

As Jonathon Sacks so beautifully says, [What lies behind fear] is a profound insecurity that makes you feel when you meet someone who is not like you, or doesn't agree with you, that that challenge is a threat against your very being. Aggression is always a sign of insecurity. And insecurity is always, at bottom, a lack of faith, not a presence of faith.”

I have hope that we as a Christian community will be a people of love and justice with all of those we encounter in our world.

I have a hope that we will stand secure in our faith and our knowledge of the love of Jesus.

I have a hope that instead of making assumptions about what we think we might know about someone because of how they look, or dress, or what religious tradition they are a part of. That we might instead see that they too are a child of God.

10 years ago to this date will forever be embedded in my mind. In a couple of years I will be tasked with the responsibility of talking with my own children about the events of that day, because already 10 years later we have a generation of children who do not know what this day means or why we are remembering.

But in those conversations and as we move forward my story and my understanding will always be framed with hope.

For in hope we were saved.

For in hope we have the power to envision and work towards a different tomorrow

In hope we can image a world where violence stemming from hate is no longer a reality.

A hope that my children may never ever have a day that they will need to remember.

These are just some of my hopes

And in Christ we are all offered the opportunity to continue to hope for and work towards a different and better tomorrow.

For I am convinced that neither death nor earthly powers can separate us from the love of God.

Amen

---

[i] http://nicholemflores(dot)wordpress(dot)com/2011/09/11/lingering-questions

want to hear something hilarious?

My church is having a yard sale tomorrow and so I spent all day assisting with the sorting and pricing. I had some boxes left over from the yard sale my family had in June and since my items were already priced other people were taking the things out of the boxes and putting on the table.

So I totally forgot all about this:

(This is not me. Image from here) I never looked this put together with newborn twins. Plus my stomach, post twins looks nothing like this unfortunately. 

My hands free nursing bra from back in the early days of Eli & Emerson's life. I pumped exclusively for about the first 6 months and I was pumping 18-12 times a day. So this (as awkward looking as it is) was a life savor for me.  

However, to the untrained eye it just looks like a really inappropriate bra with strategically placed holes. As we were arranging the tables one of my parishioners picked it up and exclaimed, "What in the heck is this?"

I about died laughing. Because it's incredibly awkward and um... just weird looking. Even I think so, but it's an incredibly valuable tool for the pumping mother.

Then another parishioner grabbed it and put it on her face and said, "Maybe it's a mask?"

Bwhahahah again I about died. I explained the purpose of the bra, and they both looked relieved and then suggested and I label it with specific information as to its function. So I did with a really large tag.

There was a time in my life with this would have been embarrassing for me but these days I don't care. I just thought the entire thing was hilarious. It's a weird looking item of clothing, I don't blame them for giving it the side eye. (But it was also expensive almost $30 so I really do hope some other young mother can get some use out of it). 

I can only imagine what kinds of initial thoughts they must have had about me, their pastor, upon first seeing the item. 

Cooking with Gram...

Last weekend when my in-laws were here my Mother in law baked chocolate chip cookies with Eli & Emerson. Well, actually mostly just Emmy. Eli has a much shorter attention span, plus he doesn't really like getting things on his hands (and so after dumping in the brown sugar he was kind of over it). Emmy was adorable though. Sitting on the counter in her, apron (which I made in 7th grade home ec.) cooking with her gram.

Cooking with Gram

A deep love...

My very first love in life is books. I can't remember a time in my life without books, they're just a part of who I am. When I'm upset, sad, or having a bad day I turn to my books for rejuvenation. (This sometimes leads to accidental orders from Amazon).

Marcus also knows this about me and so throughout our married life on several occasions he has surprised me with a novel. This is way better than flowers. I'll take a new book any day. While in the hospital on bedrest with Eli & Emerson I often sent Marcus on hunts in my schools libraries, he even went to a book signing for me at my request.

I recently started reading The Shadow of the Wing by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I'm literally only a few pages into it but I'm already in love. A book about books what could be better. In just the first chapter alone there are already so many amazing quotes.

So I'm going to share a few with you now because after my day (see previous post) I need something that brings me joy.

"I was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day" (4).

"Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens" (6).

"In this shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody's best friend" (6).

"Under the warm light cast by the reading lamp, I was plunged into a new world of images and sensations, peopled by characters who seemed as real to me as my room. Page after page I let the spell of the story and is world take me over, until the breath of dawn touched my window and my tired eyes slid over the last page" (7).

"Once, in my fathers bookshop, I heard a regular customer say that few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of the words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a palace in our memory to which, sooner or later-- no mater how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget-- we will return" (8).

*sigh* beautiful.

This is one book that I actually wish I could read in its original language. If only my spanish were up for such a task.

Estoy Frustrado...

On August 12th we went to the doctor to get a referral to an eye doctor for Emmy because her left eye turns in. We followed all the proper procedures and hoops for our insurance. Went to that ridiculous doctor, waited forever, and got a referral. (Or so I thought).

Today, almost a month later was Emmy's eye appointment. We loaded up the car, got to the doctor, checked in, only to be told that Emmy couldn't be seen because she didn't have a referral. What!! The doctor we saw on August 12th set up this appointment for us. The entire purpose of that appointment was to get a referral per our insurance, and yet a month later only at the time of the appointment we find out they didn't actually send a referral at all.

It was a lovely way to waste an hour. So now we get to go back to the doctor again and repeat the exact same thing we did on August 12th and hope we get an actual, proper, referral this time. I'm so over health care BS. It should not be this difficult. My 2 year old daughter has an eye that crosses-inward. Who knows how that's affecting her but it's getting worse. We need someone to see her.

We already rescheduled with the eye doctor without the referral because if we didn't book today we were looking at a wait time into December. As it is her next eye doctor appointment is October 31st.

Then as an added bonus our tire was flat from two nails. So we waited over an hour for our tire repair.

Fun times today.

Learning to be a pastor...

I spent yesterday and today at my denominations conference center getting an "orientation" on being a new pastor. Ever the student, I was the awkward person asking all the questions (how is it possible other people didn't have questions)?

I actually had a lot of questions about all the "grown up" stuff like pensions, retirement accounts, health insurance, social security, finances of the church, where my role is in all of that. So much information to figure out. Besides I figured they were inviting questions about such things and I just happen to have a few handy.

I ended up getting to connect with some other young clergy, which I really love. The average age for pastors in my denomination is around 57 (I think it's possible I made that number up but the avg. age is much older than I am), so it's nice to find other young clergy to talk too. Overall, not a bad way to spend a couple of days. I do like clarity and information (it's just how I operate) so I appreciate forums to learn and ask questions as I can figure it all out.

And since this is a post about my job I thought I would post a few pictures from last sunday that my MIL took while I was serving communion.

Children's moment (I've obscured the faces of those children that don't belong to me)

Breaking the bread

The cup.

We use grape juice in my denomination, so whenever I take communion somewhere with wine it's always a shock to the system. I much prefer the grape juice.

A few months ago I took my confirmation class to an Episcopal church for worship. I told them that they use wine and they were all super excited about this (Middle schoolers are funny. Apparently getting alcohol even if it's a tiny bit on a piece of bread is exciting). However, after the fact they all thought the wine tasted horrible. I'm telling you once you're used to grape juice the wine just shocks the system. 

Eli and Emmy after the service hanging out in a pew. 

Labor day Weekend...

We had a good labor day weekend. Marcus parents came to visit this weekend and Eli and Emerson were beyond exciting to have their Gram and Granddad here. They left this morning after breakfast and Eli and Emmy have been asking where they are.

On Saturday we took a drive to a nearby community to attend the local fair.

They did some fishing (Emmy wasn't catching anything so she just reached in and grabbed a fish)

Then they both fell forward. 

Eli and his Granddad looking at some birds

Me and Emmy

Eli & a goat

Eli and a sheep

Emmy seeing a real pig. All day she kept asking for the pigs. 

Another up close look at a pig

Some fair refreshments to cool us down. 

Eli & Emmy went on their first ride. 

Sunday we had church, Emmy and gram made cookies and we just sort of hung around the house. It was a great weekend and it's always nice when the in-laws come to visit. 

Small things...

Just some small things I want to remember or comment about.

Today I found a video on you tube (while search for videos about trains because both Eli & Emmy wanted to watch the "Choo-choos") and I saw an alphabet video.

It went like this, "A is for apple ah, ah apple, B is for Ball buh buh ball... etc etc."

Eli was so intent while watching the video and he kept trying to imitate the words and the sounds. He was really good at "ah ah apple, hu hu hat, and pa pa pig" He was so focused on every sound, letter, and image that came on the screen.

(Just a side note, trying to write the sounds of each letter was an interesting experience for me. I didn't know how to spell them hopefully you get the idea).

Then later he was walking around singing "ah ah apple, ah ah ball" he's so cute.

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I've recently shared with you what Emerson's crib looks like with all of the stuff she puts in there before bed. Tonight, we overlooked the fact that piggy (her most favorite thing in the world) was not in the crib. She went down okay but then a few minutes later she started crying really really hard. I went in the room and through her tears she whispered, "pig, pig, are you pig"

It was the saddest thing I've ever seen. When I brought piggy into her she was so relieved and laid right back down. Dear lord please never let us lose the pig.