Ezra and Lily

John and I just returned home from spending time with our new grandson , Ezra, and his big sister, Lily! We praise God for the miracle of birth and for a safe, healthy pregnancy for Danielle. We had a good time with JD and Danielle and enjoyed taking Lily to the park. You can see pictures on JD's blog site- www.jd-mackiewicz.blogspot.com God has truely blessed us.

Happy Memorial Day ! « Straight Up

Happy Memorial Day ! « Straight Up See Dr. James MacDonald's response to the Christain and torture.

Colorado, July 08

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Diabetes in Youth conference that was sponsored by the Barbara Davis Center. It was located in the mountains at Keystone, Colorado. The speakers were excellent, the topics very timely and the opportunity to network with other Pediatric Diabetes Educators was a benefit. It was interesting to get view points from professionals from around the world.

John went with me and he spent the time hiking, kayaking, and investigating old mine sites and such. Then we had 2 days of sight seeing, hiking, and mountain train riding. We took an interesting tour of an old silver mind. The mountains certainly showed off the majesty of God. In contrast it was very sad to see that some of the quaint historic cities that we had visited 30 years ago have been taken over by casinos and are fast becoming ghost towns.

Trip to San Antonio

John had business meetings in San Antonio the last week of April / first week of May so we added a few days and spent a little time in the great state of Texas. The San Antonio Riverwalk was a pleasant, enjoyable stroll. We enjoyed eating outside along the river and observing the sights and sounds of the area. A cold front had just passed through as we were arriving so they were experiencing record cool temperatures and low humidities so it was very pleasant. It gave us a small taste of summer before we came back to the cool wet weather of Michiana.

We spent a day and drove down to the Gulf Coast. Along the way we stopped at a small cafe for lunch and the hope of "a bit of local color". The "Mom and Pop" business along the interstate was very busy and overwhelmed with 6 total customers. Just before we got our sandwiches "Mom and Pop" received an urgent phone call. One on the cows back on their ranch was in dire need. She was struggling to deliver- probably twin calves- and the buzzards were tormenting this poor mother to be. We heard the entire play by play several times as we sat and waited to be served and then again as we ate our meal. The cafe needed to be closed down so this cow could be rescued but alas another 4 patrons entered for lunch. When it rains it pours....

The weather at the gulf coast was warm but very windy. The sand blew around and drifted like snow. We were impressed by the ferry that transported us on and off the barrier island. There was no additional charge for the ferry and it was very efficient and organized. I guess the government can do some things well.

We were impressed by the patriotism displayed in Texas. The American and Texas Flags flew proudly across the state. A traveler also certainly got the messages "Don't mess with Texas" in addition to "Go Spurs!"

Grandparenting

Grandpa helping Lily with her "work" of the day. She always has a quick and easy smile as she happily keeps herself quite busy with her basket of "tools"- I mean toys.

Visiting Lily, JD, & Danielle

This weekend John and I were able to travel to Ohio to see Lily, JD and Danielle. It was great to spend some time with them. The weather went from sunshine to rain, to freezing rain and sleet, to a bit a snow. PTL we were able to travel safely!

Trip to Xenia- fixing the roof

John and JD spent a good part of the day,Saturday, fixing a hole in his roof. It was quite the project but it is now hopefully fixed and weather resistant.

Christmas with family

Christmas was special with family.
Lily was 6 months old at Christmas.

Christmas and family

I know! I am mighty late getting around to posting some Christmas pictures but as it still is very wintry outside I guess it is not tooo late!

We had great time with Jim and Marisa and with JD, Danielle, and Lily. We hope to be able to travel to Xenia at the end of the month to see Lily, and yes, JD and Danielle as well!

AWANA Quiz meet

And the Answer is~ One of the 3 parts of Awana quizzing is the multiple choice section. Here our fist book team is divided on the correct answer. Hopefully the correct answer was not C!

T&T AWANA Quizzing

Last Saturday we traveled to Hudsonville, MI for our annual AWANA Quiz meet. We had a great time and my 2nd book kids came away with a 3rd place finish which was awesome. We had good times practicing the 3 Sunday evenings prior to the event. It was a great time to review our Bible verses, study the Awana book content which centered on the church and family, and of course have a snack. Ruth's 3rd book team got a second place and Jim and Marisa's 1st book team did well also. Abby received this ribbon for a 100% on the written exercise which gave our team 200 points. I praise God for the lessons learned and for safety as we traveled.

Attitude of Gratitude

This Thanksgiving I want to express my gratitude to God and to my family. Most important is my thankfulness for the cross and the empty tomb which provides for my salvation. God showed his love to me, while I was still a sinner, and Christ died for me and rose again. Romans 8:31 & 32.

I am thankful for my family & for their love and support. May they have a special, blessed year in Him.

Autumn in Michiana 2007

It has been an unusually warm fall here in Michiana. Last weekend John and I took a leisurely drive through the apple orchards and vineyards of southern Michigan. The distinct aroma of ripe grapes was amazing. We ended our journey on Silver Beach at Lake Michigan. The entrance to the beach was wide open, concessions and beach houses were boarded up and closed for the season, and the snow/ sand fences meandered all along the upper beach. The beach itself looked just like mid summer with a whole host of sun bathers, swimmers, sand castle makers, and boaters moored in the shallow waters. It was a very strange mix of sights.

Mid week we had a taste of fall with temperatures in the 50's and lake effect rain showers for much of the day. Today is sunny with temps in the low 60's. My nieces birthdays are tomorrow and by mid October in Michiana it is almost always the peak of the fall foliage. This year as I look out over our fields to the woods, I notice the leaves really have not even started to change. John and I watched a half a dozen deer playing in the fields in the early morning light.

Travels to Xenia

Last weekend John and I took my mom and dad to see Lily......... and JD & Danielle. We had a great time visiting with them and spending time with Lily. This was the first that the great grandparents were seeing her and they were thrilled. Lily is such an adorable, happy baby. I know, we are a bit biased but I know everyone would agree!

We went out for dinner, spent some time with them on Saturday morning, had lunch at a sandwich shop in Xenia, drove around Cedarville looking at some potential homes and building sites for their next home adventure, took a hike in John Byron Park, and then Danielle and JD made dinner for us Saturday evening.

Oh, yes, I don't want to forget- I introduced my mom to Bed, Bath, and Beyond shopping. This was her first experience with B,B,& B and I may have created a monster! She was totally in shock and awe and found alot of treasures.

For pictures check out JD's blogsite. Someday I may learn how to add pictures to my blog but please don't hold your breath!

Vacation week 2007 at Donnell Lake!

This past week John and I packed up and headed to Donnell Lake for a week of vacation. We had planned on doing a lot of boating and fishing and resting and relaxing.... What we had not planned on was all the torrential rains! All was not lost. We ended up doing some needed shopping in Battle Creek, Angola Outlets, Shipshewana, ..... I was able to enjoy reading three delightful novels.... Wednesday Dennis and Mary Hartsell brought us a reprieve from the low clouds and storms and we had a good afternoon with them. Thursday started out with clear skies and we were finally able to take our morning walk around the west end of the lake, see some of the wild life- (some seemed to be pairing off in groups of 2) , do a bit of fishing (a very little bit), take a canoe ride (after John did a remodel on the seats and bought a padle) and a bit of a boat ride. It was getting late afternoon and the skies were still sunny but for some reason John decided to turn on the local news and saw the storm warnings. He had just enough time to go back out and tie up the boat and cover it securely before the wind and rains hit. It was quite the sight watching the top of the willow tree next door come crashing down to the shore. Since the electricity went out we spent the night back home. Friday morning looked like a lot more of the same so we opted to raise our white flag to the week of rain and pack our stuff up and come home. The electricity at the cottage was still off and remained off the entire time we packed and cleaned up.

Journey to Porter Baptist Church

On Sunday, August 12th, John and I met JD, Danielle and Lily at Porter Baptist Church. They were on their way back from participating in Patrick and Rachel's wedding the day before in upper, lower Michigan. It was great to see them parenting, hold and cuddle Lily, and hear Dr. Dan Gelatt speak on the book of II Thessalonians. Yes, Lily slept through the entire service in John's arms so we did get to really hear the service and worship with Danielle's grandmother Kline and great aunt Maxine.

Professional Journey to St Louis

The first week in August I had the privilege to travel to St Louis for the Annual AADE (American Association of Diabetes Educator) meet and exhibits. The flights were without incidence (making me wonder if the usual flight challenges are related to traveling with John...! Just kidding, dear!) The speakers were great, the break out sessions informative , and the exhibit hall had an incredible display of new products and innovations in diabetes management and/ or education.

I went with my friend and co worker, Kathy, and we were able to do a bit of sight seeing. We went to the park and the St. Louis Arch and I had an "educational dinner" at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens.

A Daily Walk in the Word- Our Journey

When my schedule allows I enjoy listening to "Walk in the Word" by Dr. James MacDonald. Locally the radio station is 1270 AM @ 8:30am. Dr. James focuses on what God's word says (what a concept!) and provides practical, interesting, and colorful application, always in light of biblical principles, to our every day walk. I always gain some insight into my own daily walk.

A resource that is provided is "Our Journey" , a daily "Walk in the Word" booklet, that is mailed monthly. It provides scripture; insights from leading authors such as Dr. James MacDonald, Mart De Haan, Charles Spurgeon, and Beth Moore; questions for thought; and a place for personal journaling.

The website is www.walkintheword.com

Journey to Chicago

Early this week John and I made the trip back to my shoulder specialist, Dr. Romeo, in Chicago.

(Very, very briefly for those who may not know I have been on a ten year journey. Exactly 10 years ago this week I was diagnosised with a L frozen shoulder and had several full courses of physical therapy and accupuncture, several examinations by specialists, and an unbelieveable amount of daily narcotics and anti inflamatories just to keep the discomfort somewhat under control. The physical therapy alone usually takes care of 90% of those who experience a frozen shoulder.

I then had a surgical procedure that essentially restored a functional range of motion but the pain persisted. This was supposed to also take care of the pain as well. So I had my second surgery- an exploratory surgery that reveled a significant bursitis and impingement syndrome and oh, interestingly enough, I now had essentially no cartilege on the head of the humorous. After several more months I decided to have a L total shoulder replacement as cartilege does not tend to restore itself. This was followed by extensive physical therapy again and the result was chronic pain but a functional range of motion.) This last surgical procedure was in 2000.

This spring it became painfully apparent that my R shoulder was now a problem. I returned to the specialist and oh, yes, I now had a R frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis. After a steriod injection, oral steroids, and anti inflammatories and oh, yes, multiple sessions of physical therapy and accupuncture~ it is still frozen and my range of motion is now worse than what it was in March and May. The good news is that I am finally sleeping pretty well at night thanks to the multiple anti inflammatories, and a night time narcotic. All in all I am much more comfortable most of the time than I was with the first, (L), shoulder situation. So I praise the Lord for that and am trusting God day by day.

Psalm 98:1 tells us to "Sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things. his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory." My arms a frail but I can fully rely on HIM for all things! PTL!