Update-ish stuff

I wasn't kidding when I wrote that I was embracing the intense of raising boys.

It's loud

it's chaotic

Some days I just can't keep up.

But I am laughing more than crying and joining in with the cray-zay more than reacting in frustration.

You should have seen me last Thursday night. I was exhausted, but had promised the boys we could stay up past our regular bed time, since they got the following day off from school. I had the over-tired-loopy giggles. Could.not.stop. laughing. - Which made the boys laugh hysterically at crazy mom. It was a laugh-ish cycle of hilarity.

Ok, so maybe you would have had to have been there to truly appreciate - but take my word for it. Funny stuff.


And I have a long way to go in this commitment to laugh instead of throw fits.

The good news: These boys have my heart forever.

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Three weeks ago I had the opportunity to experience a classic kidney stone attack.

Woo-hoo. 

And I got to have lithotripsy; a treatment using shock waves to pulverize my large kidney stone.

Just feelin' so special.

I was sedated during the procedure, but felt everything. Very, very strange. I'm grateful that we were able to crush the stone, but still feeling slightly sore and bruised.

And as is often the case, I am now onto the next medical "issue".

Sigh. 

I really am quite healthy. These things are just random and happen to be occurring in quick succession.  Here's to hoping that 2015 will begin a nice long string of boring months where random and odd health occurrences do not take place.

Long story short for the next crazy:

• Imaging from my kidney stone also showed a large cyst in my ovary
• ovary is coming out
• surgery in two weeks
• overnight hospital stay

The hardest part of this little unexpected ah, "change in my schedule" is... just that.

The recovery. 

The schedule change. 

The schedule clearing.

I'm not exactly a sedentary gal. 

So here comes a lesson in slowing down and a lesson in rest, asking for help..... leaning on people.

You guys that's so hard for me. I get it. I know I need to do that thing which pulls on the edges of my pride: admit I need people, and lots of help. 

Pray for me in that. I want to be wise and I don't want to prolong the recovery process. I can totally see myself being stupid, thinking I can hit the ground running, and doing just that.

In the last couple of days I have said no to a wedding, canceled photo sessions, moved appointments around and eyed the couch that I will have to choose to stay on for a while.

Here's to saying, "Ok God. Your schedule, Your timing, Your way, Your will."

And dragging that eraser across the last 2 weeks of my November. - And then more if He asks.

Deep slow sigh. 

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I had one of those, "dreams do come true" moments last week.

We are building a photography studio on our property.

24'x30' of space. This is quite above and beyond what I ever imagined I would have to work with. I'm giddy.

The space the studio now occupies looked like this in the summer:

There was an old chicken coup that our Great Pyrenees/lab, Buster lived in. We began the process of tearing that down.

The area, all cleared, looked like this:

And over the next 6 months Dave has spent every spare minute working on this space. I have tons of photos of the process,

Things like this happened:

And this:

And here's where we are today:

Much still needs to be done. Dave is starting the crazy puzzle of the electrical process today. We had a conversation about it about an hour ago. I did alot of head nodding and tried not to let him see my glassy eyes and spinning brain.

However, with large extension cords, power strips, warm enough weather not to care about the heat not being hooked up, and portable equipment, THIS happened on Tuesday....

  Good things are happening. :)

Leave a comment with something God is doing in your life and/or something you are immensely grateful for. I'm ready to be flooded with gratitude.