Bovine Theology

Here are pictures from the kids’ visit to INK today:

Yesterday, the day after Christmas, Leslie was supposed to have her next round of chemo. However, she surprised us all when she came home early that morning. She didn’t have chemo! You can ask her for more details, but the gist of it is that her counts (red blood cells I believe) were too low. This is not abnormal. It happens as the cumulative effects of chemo build up. So it may not be the last time she misses her chemo.

At first I was upset about it. Her schedule is now one week off, and one week later. So instead of being done the 18th of March, it will now be the 25th. Additionally, my department at work had coordinated our “in office” weeks to be with her chemo weeks, so that my traveling would be done on non-chemo weeks. But then I had to remind myself of good ol’ bovine theology. God knew before we ever thought of planning anything out that this would happen. There’s no point in getting upset about it. Churches will understand if I have to reschedule. We’ll celebrate big whether she finishes the 18th, the 25th or even later.

So once I got over it, I realized it was kind of a late Christmas present. Instead of her being sick during the holidays, she feels pretty good and we’re enjoying family time together. Today I am working and she is taking the kids to meet up with my sisters and their kids at INK (an interactive, learning type place). So it has been a good thing for us, and yet another reminder of God’s good providence in our lives.

Whew! I’m tired. It’s been a constant round of festivities since Friday. But this has been a very special Christmas. We knew it would be one of the hardest because Nannie is gone. None of us could imagine Christmas without her. And it wasn’t the same. It was also hard with the lingering thought of chemotherapy coming tomorrow. It’s been a hard year, no doubt. But a time like this is one in which I think all of us were mindful of all we have to be thankful for.

We enjoyed yesterday at home (mostly) as a family. Leslie ran a couple of errands in the morning and I ran a couple in the afternoon. Mine included getting some firewood in hopes of surprising Leslie with a Christmas Eve fire. She’s been wanting to have one and we’ve never burned a fire in our fireplace. I found a couple in Murrayville who were open on Christmas Eve and bought a few sticks from them. I should have sprung for the cured wood that had never been outside, but I was being cheap. So later that evening when I tried to start a fire, I ended up burning mostly newspaper. All the kindling I gathered from the yard was still wet from the recent rain. It was pretty while it lasted and Leslie was excited about it.

We gathered around the tree and the kids opened a couple of presents “from us,” which included a toy and pajamas. They were thrilled and of course the girls wanted to wear them immediately. We let them all sleep together in the same room since it was Christmas Eve, thinking they might all sleep better. McGrooter took the top bunk, Aggie the lower, and Munch was in the sleeping bag on the floor. It was quite a while before they were all asleep. You could feel the excitement! Les and I finally were able to get things set up in the living room. McGrooter had left a couple of notes on the tree for Santa, so I had to write answers to his questions. He asked what Santa looked like and how he was “able to see in all that darkness.” I explained to him in my response that Rudolph’s nose was pretty bright, to which he responded this morning, “Oh, I didn’t know Rudolph was real.”

McGrooter got up several times during the night wanting to know if Santa had come. At one point I realized I had a wonderful headache (which lasted all day). I assume it was from trying to get the fire started (and breathing in all that smoke). We finally got up just before 7 and headed out to the living room. The kids were excited and that, of course, excited us. We ate breakfast and played with new toys until about noon when we got ready to head over to Leslie’s folks. We spent the rest of the day there with them. We had a wonderful meal and then opened presents for well over an hour. Unfortuantely, Poppie was still not feeling well and wasn’t able to be with us. Mike videoed the festivities to show him later, but it just wasn’t the same without him there. Afterward, everyone played and visited, and I laid down for what was supposed to be ten minutes. I felt a little better when I awoke. I left about 7:30 to head home and put blankets and PJs in the dryer so they’d be ready for the kids. I brought McGrooter with me and Les was supposed to come behind me shortly after with the girls. It’s now 10:05 and I just heard the garage door open. Guess we’ll have some tired pups!

Leslie heads in for an 8:30 AM chemo appointment in the morning. Back to reality I guess. But she’s had the best round, in my opinion, this last time. I’m really thankful for that. We have been able to enjoy Christmas much more than I imagined we would this year. And as hard as things are right now, I think we probably have a better perspective than we have ever had in life. I guess this is growing up.

To all of our friends and family who have continued to keep up with us and pray for us, thank you! And Merry Christmas to you and your family. We are especially thankful for the new relationships, the deepened relationships and the renewed relationships this year. Things that mattered so much to us a year ago have faded away in many respects. Relationships have come to matter so much more.

This weekend we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family up at my sister’s place in Cleveland, GA. It was a really good weekend and I think everyone had a good time (except for a quick stomach bug that ran through several of us and precluded me from joining in the festivities on Sunday). If you’ve never seen the Grande Gang, click here. Of course, you can also see how we really are here. My brother, Rob (his family is in black) pulled up a big camper and all the kids were dying to spend the night in it. I thought it my be a cousin Eddie experience (from the Griswald’s), but it turned out to be really nice. Sorry Rob, just had to give you a hard time! My sister Lara (her family is in red) came down from Pennsylvania. My other sister Jenny (her family is in brown) was the hostess with the mostest. We are in blue (except for me because I forgot to go to the dry cleaner). My parents are in denim.

We ate, exchanged gifts, played cars, rode four-wheelers, and had a generally relaxing time (once the family photo was over…what an ordeal!).

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed doing with my nieces and nephews is teaching them to say out-dated, slang terms which aggravate my siblings (it’s the little brother in me). I got a kick out of teaching Harrison to say, “peace out, yo” while tapping his chest with two fingers. While I was taking individual family photographs, the kids were getting weary, so I told him to say it. He did, while tapping his chest then pointing with two fingers, which I managed to capture (merely by chance, of course…or by providence if you’re Reformed), in this photo.

Another favorite photo was when I getting Rob’s family over to take their photo and his two oldest boys were deciding where/how they would sit. We had a few small stools for people to sit on and I commented to them that if they couldn’t fit to just put one cheek on one stool and one on the other. This is how they understood my instructions!

Leslie has continued to feel really good throughout these past several days. Her strength has been at an all time high since beginning chemo. We are all so very thankful for God’s continued graciousness.

Here are the pictures (more than you probably care to see) from Aggie’s birthday party today. There are also some from McGrooter’s Christmas program at school.

During the party Uncle Rob got my camera, which explains many of the “creative” pictures!

It’s officially Christmas time for us. Leslie and the kids had their first day off from school today. The magic is in the air!

We celebrated Aggie’s fifth birthday today at the Jump Zone. All the cousins were in attendance, including the five from Pennsylvania. We had tons of fun with friends and family. I’ll try to post some pictures here soon.

Tonight our friends Paul & Cindy came over and got Leslie’s grocery list to run that errand for us. It was a huge help!

We’ll celebrate Christmas this weekend with my family and then with Leslie’s on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

For those who may be interested, I wrote an article today on some recent trends in Muslim ministry overseas. You can read it here. I’m open to feedback if you have any criticisms/suggestions!

On a funnier note, I thought I’d share a video that made me laugh really hard today!

A good friend of ours sent these to us and I can’t help but laugh every time I look at them. Maybe there is something wrong with me.

      I think this “freaky Santa” is the scariest kind of funny.                 

We are still alive and well! I apologize for delaying so long in posting to the blog. I’ve been a bit under the weather and just plain busy.

Leslie has been doing well since her last chemo treatment. We’re extremely thankful that her nausea, pains, and exhaustion have been at a minimum this round. Tomorrow is her (and the kids’) last day of school before Christmas. The kids are excited and enjoying parties at school and all the festivities of the season.

Leslie’s next chemo treatment will be the day after Christmas, so we hope to enjoy a good time together with both of our families before the next poision infliction!

Merry Christmas to you all!!

Leslie and I vowed to each other, for better or for worse, that we’d stay together some nine years ago yesterday. I never quite imagined an aniversary like this one and I’m sure Leslie never did either.

Leslie recieved her fifth round of chemo on Tuesday. She’s felt pretty good since then, just a little tired. When I got home from work last night, she’d already fed the kids and was working them through the showers while I ate. I got them in bed, and without any reading to them, I hit my head soon thereafter. I’m not sure what my deal is. Normally when I get an antibiotic, I am doing much better within 24 hours. I started this one on Monday afternoon and I felt awful last night. I can’t stop coughing. So I’m sure Leslie thought, “Wow, my husband the romantic,” while I thought that she would be the one in bed first. I’ll have to do something really special to make up! Maybe my early rising this morning will make today a better one…if I can just stop hacking.

There isn’t really much new news on our end. The kids are all sniffling, but no one seems to be doing too bad. The Christmas tree is up and they always want the lights plugged in first thing when they get up.

Meals have been coming all week so we have not had to cook each night. Cindy came over on Monday and worked her magic around the house and with the kids.

I do need to take care of one thing and that is because I’m not sure how else to do this. But we did receive a letter from Santa with a very generous Wal-Mart gift card. I’m still not sure that guy is really up there at the North Pole, so I’m guessing that was someone’s way to bless us anonymously. So this is the only way I know to say, “THANK YOU!” We were blown away and can’t even begin to convey how much that means to us.

I do hope to do better at my blogging once I am feeling better. Trust me, it’s not the only thing I’ve slacked off on. I’m way behind on my web work. But this stuff, having now plagued me over a week, has got to be near the end. So normal, whatever that is, should be close around the corner.

I spent the better part of the day in bed. I’ve been sick since Thursday, but have made it through each day with cold medicine. But today I was down for the count. I’m guessing sinus infection. I’ll go see the doc tomorrow afternoon.

Leslie took the kids to church and then went to lunch with Poppie. Afterward they got a Christmas tree and came home and decorated it. McGrooter was especially excited about it.

I’d write more, but those of you who have sinus infections know what it feels like on day 3 or 4.