POST-IT NOTE TUESDAY

Welcome to Post is Note Tuesday again!! If you'd like to join us, head over to Supah Mommy and link up. If you're not sure how it all works, Supah Mommy explains it all here. Hope you enjoy!

I hope you all are having a fabulous week. Thank so much for taking the time to stop by. I am still having quite a difficult time with my illness, so I apologize if I haven't been by to visit you lately or if I haven't responded promptly to your comments. Please know I am doing my best and that I appreciate you ALL so very, very much!

{{HUGS}}

Teresa

THANKFUL THURSDAY

Sometimes when you are living a life with a chronic illness, it is really hard not to get very frustrated and discouraged, especially when that illness is invisible to others and they do not always understand how you feel and what you are going through. What is even more difficult to deal with for me is the fact that I feel very, very isolated and alone most of the time because I am homebound and bedridden. Plus, I don't usually feel well enough to have very many visitors. Many of the symptoms from my illness are not at all pleasant to deal with even with my own immediate family around, much less with extended family or friends who might drop by. Even when we do have the occasional guest, most of the time I just don't feel up to 'entertaining' them. And no matter what anyone says and no matter how sick someone is, you know we always feel the need to play host to our guests and make them feel comfortable in our home....even if it is just carrying on a conversation with them.

As I said, life with a serious illness is very frustrating and, honestly, very depressing. As the weeks, months and now even years continue to tick by, there are days when it is very hard to hold on to hope that things are going to get better. But just when I start to get really down and really depressed about it all, the Lord always allows some 'one' or some 'thing' to cross my path to remind me that there are, indeed, those who have circumstances much, much worse than mine and that there is so much hope in this world! He also reminds me that I have SO much to be thankful for!

This morning, I came across a video of an incredible man who has every reason in the world to be down and depressed! Most people in his position would probably hide out in their homes and never let anyone see them. Not this man! He is reaching out to others and letting them know that they are so special, just the way they are! He is truly amazing! Take a look.....






After that, I can't help but praise God for the things in my life that I am thankful for! Today, I am so very thankful for:

1) Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, who continues to show me His amazing love each and every day. He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own. (I love that hymn!)

2) My amazing husband who gets up before the sun each morning to prepare everything I will need for the day (and that's A LOT!) He works really hard all day and then he comes home and starts his second job...caring for me. He smiles all the time and never complains. He does little things like bring me flowers, cards and candy for no reason at all, except to show me he loves me. He hardly ever enters or leaves the room without asking me if I need anything. Yes, I am living the life of a Queen!

3) My three amazing daughters the Lord blessed me with, beginning with the oldest 24 years ago this coming Sunday. I am so thankful that she and I have re-established our relationship and that I get to see her and my grandsons a little more often than I used to. However, I wouldn't mind seeing them more. Hint, hint! :0)

4) My two youngest daughters who, like their father, work really hard at their day 'job' (school), and then come home and start their second (or third, for my middle daughter), taking care of their mom. They have definitely had to take on a lot of extra responsibilities since I've been sick and have given up a lot of the fun things they would like to be doing. However, they never let it get them down, or at least they never let it show. They just roll with the punches and keep on, keeping on. They, like their daddy, are always doing their very best to help care for me and make me feel as good as I possibly can.

5) My Mom, who I took for granted WAY too much when I was a kid, a teenager and even as an adult. I have just come to realize over the last few years just how AMAZING she really is. I have also learned more and more just how much she and my dad love me, and will do anything in the whole wide world for me. Their love for me is the epitome of unconditional love.

6) My incredible prayer warriors out here in blog-land, and those actually here around me 'in real life', who consistently get on their knees and intercede on my behalf. I appreciate your love and dedication more than you will ever know.

I have SO many more things I am thankful for, but those are at the very tip top today.

What are YOU thankful for?



Teresa



Visit Sonya at Becoming a Strong Woman of God as a Wife, Mother and Friend to link up for Thankful Thursday.

POST-IT NOTE TUESDAY

THANKFUL THURSDAY

These are the things I am so very thankful for today:

1) My Savior, Jesus Christ, who continues to hold me up through all of life's storms and always reminds me that I am His.

2) My amazing, wonderful husband who works so hard to provide for our family and then comes home every evening to take care of me, regardless of how exhausted he may be, and never complains.

3) My 2 youngest daughters who have given so much precious time out of their lives to help care for me, when it is I who should be caring for them. I don't know how I can ever thank them enough.

4) The happiness in my heart that I still have since I was able to see my oldest daughter last week. I have also spoken to her several times on the phone since then. That has really made me happy.

5) All the wonderful, encouraging comments I receive in response to my posts. They make me smile and give me the motivation to write another post.

6) All of my prayer warriors! I truly feel your prayers and they really lift me up, especially during a long, difficult and pain-filled day and/or night.

7) Our sweet neighbor down the street who continues to occasionally bring us dinner. It is such a tremendous blessing to us and helps us out more than she can possible know.

8) For the incredible men and women (and their families) who serve in our military, to help protect each and every one of us from harm and keep our great nation FREE!

9) The upcoming graduation of our middle daughter, Morgan, from high school. I am so proud of the wonderful woman she has become and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for her future!

10) Last but definitely not least, our wonderful, amazing group of friends who have offered to plan, prepare and host Morgan's graduation party so that we can check that off our list and won't have to worry about a thing! This is a HUGE, HUGE blessing for our family and an enormous burden lifted off our shoulders. You guys are AWESOME!



Thanks so much for stopping by. I'd love for you to join us in Thankful Thursday and take a moment to share what YOU are thankful for. Visit Sonya at Becoming a Strong Woman of God as a Wife, Mother and Friend to link up.

Blessings,

Teresa

AND THE AWARD GOES TO....

I haven't wanted to mention this because I had serious doubts if we would be able to pull it off but, praise the Lord, we did it! I did it!

This past weekend was the very last marching competition of the season for my two youngest daughters, Mo and Bek. In fact, since Mo is a senior this year, it was going to be her last marching competition, period. Because I have been so sick, I have not been able to see any of their performances this year and I have been having an extremely hard time dealing with it. I hate missing out on all their activities, especially when it comes to band. Therefore, my husband started trying to figure out a way to get me to the last, most significant competition of the season. The biggest hurdle was the fact that it was going to take place approximately an hour and half (80 miles) from our home and I do not do well on long car rides. Heck, I don't do well on short car rides! We knew we had the long car ride, usually a long distance from the car to the stadium and then the long time of sitting in the wheelchair waiting on our band to play and then waiting on the awards. We had A LOT to overcome. We knew we had to come up with a really great game plan!

What we ended up doing was finding a super nice hotel really close to the high school where the competition was being held on Saturday. We booked it for Friday and Saturday nights. When my husband got home on Friday evening, we slowly made our way up there. It was not an easy trip but thankfully I was able to go straight to bed once we made it there and then sleep late Saturday morning. That was REALLY nice!

When it came time to go to the high school Saturday evening, we were just mere minutes from the school. Plus, we were able to park in the handicap parking, which was practically right next to the ticket booths just outside the stadium. You can't get much closer than that!

Although we weren't able to see a lot of the other bands, we did arrive in time to see a couple of the other bands before it was our band's turn to perform. It was perfect!

Our band was SO incredible! I had seen them on video but nothing ever compares to seeing them in person. Oh my! It was truly awesome! Our middle daughter, Mo, is their senior drum major and our youngest, Bek, marches alto saxophone. Watching them made me so proud!

When it came time for the awards, we were on pins and needles. We wanted them to win so badly. I mean, we ALWAYS want them to win, but this time it meant just a little bit more because it was Mo's last competition. They received all 1's (Superior) in each category - drum major, color guard, percussion and band. Then they received the award for first in their Class, 4A. However, at this competition there was also a Class 5A, which is somewhat unusual, so we knew winning Grand Champ was going to be a little more difficult.

But they did it! Out of 18 bands, 0ur band was the GRAND CHAMPION of the Georgia Bandmasters Championship!

We were so thrilled! I am SO excited that I was able to make it there and to see them win! It has taken a huge toll on my body and it is taking me a long time to recover, but it has all certainly been worth it!! Now, it will just take me a few days to get to feeling back up to par.

See ya soon!

VERY URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

I am very worried about my 6 year old grandson, 'Big Boy'. My daughter, Whit, called me this past Saturday morning because she had grown concerned about a place on his leg. Apparently, at some point last week, Big Boy developed a 'bump' on his leg that looked like a small spider bite. As most kids do, he had been scratching and picking at it. It finally managed to scab over but then Big Boy picked that off, too. When Whit called, she was very worried because the 'bump' had grown in size and had become very 'black and yucky looking'. Since it was the weekend, she was having a hard time locating a facility that was open and staffed with a physician on a Saturday.

I was also quite concerned because what she was describing sounded very much like a very serious staph infection, possibly even MRSA. I had seen so much of that in my many years in the medical field. We saw a ton of it over the last few years that I worked in a family practice office, as it had made its way from the hospital setting into the community setting. I advised Whit that I thought it would be best to go ahead and take Big Boy on to the ER so he could be seen ASAP. She agreed and said she would call me later with any news.

A couple hours later, Whit called back to tell me that Big Boy did indeed have a bacterial infection, but that it was being diagnosed as CELLULITIS. They did not do the test for MRSA. They just went ahead and prescribed oral antibiotics. They said if it did not improve quickly, they would have to proceed to the stronger antibiotics via IV. I immediately started asking family and friends for prayer at that time. After that, I did not hear anything else from her until this afternoon. I had been hoping and praying that everything was going well with the antibiotics. I really wasn't sure though since I hadn't heard from her and there had been very little activity on her Facebook.

Apparently, though, Big Boy started running a fever of 103 and began vomiting very early this morning. His mom thought his leg had gotten worse and she took him back to the ER. However, this time he was diagnosed as having the H1N1 Flu.

I feel SO bad for Big Boy. He HAS to be absolutely miserable. I also feel sorry for his mommy. It is so terrible to watch our children when they are sick and it is especially difficult when you know they have an illness(es) that is potentially dangerous. It is a very helpless feeling.

So, this request comes from the very bottom of my heart! Will you PLEASE commit to helping me pray for my grandson until he is well again? It would really mean so very much to me...and to his mom, I'm sure. I do not get to see Big Boy very often but I love him so much, just the same.

I promise to keep you updated on his status. As I hear, you will also.

Thanks so very much!

'THE FAT BOY CHRONICLES'

Image via Wikipedia

Our town has been the home to the filming of many, many TV shows and movies due to its charm, beauty and picturesque homes and landscape. It is becoming increasingly popular to Hollywood and we are seeing more and more film crews all the time. Some of the filming includes: On The Big Screen - Our Winning Season ('78), The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid ('78), Fried Green Tomatoes ('91), Fluke ('95), Get Low ('09) and Zombieland (To be released in October '09). On the Small Screen - Murder in Coweta County ('83), Decoration Day ('90), Grass Roots ('91), Manhunt in the Dakotas ('91), Wife, Mother, Murderer ('91), I’ll Fly Away Series ('91 - '93), Silent Victim ('93), Passing Glory ('99), The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn ('99), October Road ('07 - '09), Drop Dead Diva ('09) and The Wronged Man ('09 - '10).

We were thrilled to learn a few weeks ago that not only was a new movie going to be filmed here but it would contain scenes from our 2 youngest daughters' high school! As the dates approached for filming, we learned that their high school band would have to be on set in order to be included in the filming of a 'dream scene' in which the band would be performing at a pep rally and a parade.

The movie is going to be called 'The Fat Boy Chronicles', the same as the book on which the movie is based. Here is a little information taken from The Fat Boy Chronicles website:

"Inspired by a true story, The Fat Boy Chronicles reveals the emotionally painful world obese teens experience in the face of a thin-obsessed society. At age fourteen. 5'5 Jimmy weighs 187 pounds. Outside the comfort of his family and church, life for Jimmy is a constant struggle. The cruel taunts of his classmates make going to school or playing sports a humiliating experience. Yet, he still manages to focus on his goals-- to lose weight and win over the girl of his dreams."

We were really excited to learn that our middle daughter, Mo, who is the drum major for the band, will likely be seen at least a few times in the movie. She was involved in a lot of the shots during the filming of the dream scene at the school that day. She said it took all day to film the short scene but it was very much worth it for the experience. She was also able to really talk with the cast, the crew and the producers. Unlike some film crews who have come through here, taking over the town and not being very kind, this crew seemed to be very affable and generous. It really turned out to be a great experience for her and everyone else involved. We are looking forward to seeing the movie when it hits the theaters in early 2010!

If you happen to be a Facebook junkie, you can learn more about the movie on the The Fat Boy Chronicles Fan Page. If you do this, be sure to look at all the photos that are there. Most of the ones that are posted are from our high school and local hospital. In picture #45, you will see the band during the parade with Mo marching backwards, directing the band!

Let me know what you think about the premise of the movie and of the photos - and be sure to come back and let me know if you go to see the movie when it comes out!

See ya soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FIRST BORN

Image via Wikipedia

I have not been feeling well at all, especially the last few days, so I failed to get this posted on time - Saturday, August 22nd.

I can not begin to believe that it has been 23 years since I gave birth to my first born child, my first daughter. 23 years since I held her in my arms for the first time and fell head over heels in love with her. It seems like just yesterday that her father and I brought her home from the hospital in the little blue and white dress my mom picked out for her. I had secretly wanted a really fancy pink and white lacy one that would reveal to everyone that our precious new bundle was a girl. However, my mom had found one she liked first and proudly gave it to me as the new grandmother-to-be. I hadn't the heart to buy another one in its place. I still have that sweet little dress, so simple yet so beautiful. It swallowed her whole! She was a tiny little thing. Like all my baby girls, she was just over 6 lbs.

Oh, how I sometimes wish she was still a baby and could wear that little dress again. How I often wish I could go back in time with the knowledge and wisdom that is now mine but was so lacking when I became her Mama at age 17. She would have had such a better mom than she did.

There has been so much that I have wished very badly I could have changed about the last 23 years. So much water that has passed under the bridge that I can't get back. So many things I would say and do differently. Many things I wouldn't. No, I know I have not been the best mom in the world but I surely have tried to be. I truly wanted to be. Don't most mothers have that desire?

I desperately want her to know that I have always loved her more than life itself, even when it did not seem like it at the time, especially in her mind. There have been choices and decisions and misunderstandings and mistakes and many, many other things that she and I both have made and have done that neither of us have understood. Maybe we never will.

But when all is said and done, all I want is for her to know that I love her. I have always loved her. With everything that I am. I will ALWAYS love her. No matter what. I want her to be a very real part of my life. Always.

I am so very proud of the wonderful young woman and the amazing mother she has become. She has created two incredible little boys who I love so very much, even though I very seldom see them. My prayer is that my renewed relationship with her over the last few months will strengthen over time and that one day the great divide that is between us will become less grand. I can only hope and pray that one day those beautiful boys will really know me and know my tremendous love for them.

So for now, I want to wish her a very happy 23rd birthday and tell her that I love her with all my heart and soul.

Happy Birthday, Whit.

(You may click on any of the photos on my blog to enlarge them.)

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I found this totally awesome blog called TRUTH 4 THE JOURNEY.  She sets aside one day a week to blog about the 5 things she is most thankful for that week.  She calls it THANKFUL THURSDAY.  This is especially exciting to me this week because I am about to bust at the seams to tell someone our latest good news.  It's wouldn't be overly huge under normal circumstances but it means a ton to us at this point!

The 5 things I MOST thankful for this week are:

1) Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.  My Forever Friend.  I'm thankful that He loves me so much that He gave His life so that I could live for all eternity.

2) THE most amazing husband in the world who treats me like a queen every single day and my 2 youngest daughters who also sacrifice a huge part of their lives to helping me and caring for me.  I honestly do not know where I would be without all of them.

3) My mom and dad who are always ready at a moment’s notice to help out, no matter what I/we need.  They never, ever say no!

4) The fact that my oldest daughter, Whit, and I have been talking a lot more lately.  She will turn 23 years old this weekend and I couldn't be more proud of the woman and mother she has become.  

and last but certainly not least.....

5)  Our good news.....today we learned that my husband will DEFINITELY be keeping his job for at least the next 12-18 months!!  (We were afraid he was about to be laid off.)  Not only is it an incredible job but they provide us with truly amazing benefits, including our health insurance which they pay for 100%.  This is an amazing answer to prayer!  Hallelujah!

If you'd like to participate in THANKFUL THURSDAY or just read what others are so thankful for, hop on over to SONYA'S BLOG and check it out!

See ya soon!