A wee update on the past 2 months ...
We visited my father twice a week while he was in physical rehabilitation. He had to get strong enough to withstand his, prayerfully, last surgery in his whole ordeal - I'm not sure I've posted about it. He had a botched surgery that led to a ripped intestine. It made him so weak that they couldn't go in and do the next surgery until he'd gained strength. The whole ordeal began in October. He had the final surgery Friday, 25 Feb! He's doing great!!! I sat with Mom all day Friday while DH stayed here with the children. I left between 6:30 and 7 and didn't get home til nearly 10 pm. But for the past two months I would take the children up there one day during the week and we'd stay all day long with him. Then on Sunday's after Church we would go over and visit him - this time with DH.
I was so happy to hear the prayer I typed out for him helped him greatly. He didn't tell me until the day of surgery. He asked me to type it up again and laminate it cause it got lost somewhere during the move between the rehab center and the hospital. I'll have to get it and post it. It is a prayer that always greatly helps me when I'm either depressed or worried about the weight on my shoulders. I also gave him a paper icon of St. Anna as the icon was weeping myrrh. I'm so glad he liked them AND used them! See he isn't Orthodox so the fact he even accepted to have the things with him ... Prayers for his conversion to the One True Faith would be greatly appreciated.
I began the new semester at school. I'm bored. One class I don't even need but I had to take in order to go half time so the loan people stay off of me ... If I were on the quarter system then I'd have nothing to worry. So alas, I'm taking a class I don't need cause it's cheaper to do so. At least it's somewhat interesting and not a complete waste of time - World History from about 1600 to the present time. The other is biology - the second part. Since it is beginning biology it is utterly boring - this makes the 3rd time I've taken it.... NOT because I failed but because the first time was in high school taking AP Biology. The second time was not too many years ago when I earned my Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Forensic Science. BUT it doesn't transfer here and in order to take the next set of Biology's I have to retake this biology. Again, another waste of time and money. Why must the educational system be like this? I mean really?
I'm truly trying to believe that there is a method to this madness and that something good comes out of me taking this set of classes twice. But honestly there is no use in crying over it cause it still has to be done if I want that medical degree.
Well, DD15's "boyfriend" has come to our Church several times these past couple of months. If you will, pray he is overcome with the truth of the One True Church and converts, please.
DS19 thinks he wants to join the Air Force as well with DS18 while my cousin wants to join the Marines or the Army National Guard. (This cousin and his mom are the only other Orthodox in my family - they are Greek Orthodox :) ). I'm just a little overwhelmed as I don't like the current state of the country (or the world really) so I'm worried for them all. My cousin (DC20) called to talk to me about the Marines versus Army NG since I am a Marine. It was really his wife that has the issue. She's worried that he will come out "crazy" if he enters the Marines. Now initially DC wanted to be a chaplain BUT with his wife not being Orthodox it presents a problem with him going into the priesthood. I know he really wants this but he didn't come back to his faith until after he'd married and they had a child on the way. So now he has to live with this. So of course, I also ask for prayers for DC20's wife to see the truth of the One True Church and also converts.
On the homesteading front we've gotten the garden turned and discovered it is full of ants. So we're trying to get rid of them organically as possible and do some container gardening. We've got some seeds planted, some seedlings, and I've got to plant some more seeds here today. Also I've got to get the peas and onions out. They were supposed to be out this weekend but stuff came up. We've also gotten rid of a lot of bags of clothing. Several were taken to a friend that is also an Orthodox homesteader :) including a whole nother garbage bag of cloth diapers! I already gave her two a couple of years ago but I found more here and there - it is utterly amazing the places you can find cloth diapers even when your home is spotless and relatively organized. I'm sure if I started looking for other things that I'd come across the same sort of thing - finding them in all sorts of odds and ends places! Other bags were taken to charity bins. Speaking of charity, we're having a food drive at the Church to take down to St. John the Wonderworker's food bank ... I need to remember to get those cans and such that we don't need right now!
Activity wise ...
DD12's Horse Quiz Bowl Team came in 2ND in the STATE at competition this past January! Now her team is now studying both Hippology and Horse Judging for the next two competitions coming up in the April/May time frame.
DD7 has earned a spot at State Competition in May!!!! She also won a medal for 4TH place in BEAM at her competition a couple of weeks ago. January's meet was her worst ever meet - we're talking super loooooooow scores and an all-around score of 30.15 or something like that. BUT this meet in February was her best meet of the season!!!!!!! Her all-around was 33.3!!!!!! (The highest all-around score one can get is 40.00 ... all-around for those that don't know is when you add the scores from all four events - bars, beam, floor, and vault - together. At this level getting all 8's is good and gets you a spot at State Competition if you score at least a 32 at two meets.)
Soccer has started up again *sigh* Don't get me wrong, I love soccer, I love watching my kids play, I love their enthusiasm, I love their camaraderie with their team mates ... but, I don't relish the long days. Most of the time it's fine but when I get a headache, the day is interminable. I put the time to good use though ... during gymnastics the rest of us go to the library and do work or read depending on how much school work was completed during the time between my classes and leaving for gymnastics. At soccer, we walk/jog, play on the playground, kick the soccer ball around with each other (the ones that aren't having soccer practice that is), and so forth. I may start bringing the scooters and bikes as well so they can ride while I walk/jog. There is also a frisbee golf course around the perimeter of the park so we will to do that as the days get longer and it's daylight for most of practice.
DD15 is in the Talent Show - dress rehearsal is Wednesday and the talent show is Friday evening. Not what I wanted to hear as that is when the only two evening services are this week and I have class on Wednesday (a test so I can't miss at all or I get a 0 without a legitimate hospital excuse, death certificate/obituary/and proof of relation, or police report stating I was in a traffic accident or in court) and this talent show on Friday. I can't stand conundrums!
She also has LGPE coming up the next week. There will be a practice concert Tuesday night for the parents and then all day Thursday is the actual competition.
So, as you can see, I've been just a tad bit busy.
