This day is GOLDEN!

Today is a BIG day in the life of two of the most important people in our lives! BIG, like once-in-a-lifetime kind of BIG! Today marks 50 YEARS since Michael's aunt and uncle, who are very affectionately known around these parts as Tony and Gin-Gin, were married. A 50th wedding anniversary!!! WOW! Such an accomplishment! And they have not just stayed married, they have continued to love another. They are loving and caring to one another. And the role they have played in our lives can't be understated! Who knew that way back in 1990.....

They would be such a HUGE part of our lives in the decades to come! Gin-gin was an honorary mom at our wedding since Michael's own mother had just passed away 6 months before. I had no idea how she would so beautifully fill the role of mother-in-law (in all the BEST ways!) that I would have had vacant. She's been such a blessing to me, over and over again! She shops with me, she buys the BEST cards for birthdays and anniversaries, she calls to check on me, she proudly makes me a member of her Republican Women's club, she cheers me on and so faithfully tells me what a great job I've done raising the boys, she reads my blog 😍, I really could go on and on! I'm so grateful for you Gin!
But this blog post isn't just about Gin, it's about the dynamic duo!
From the very first moments when they declared themselves "Tony and Gin-Gin", they've jumped in and been such a presence and delight in our lives.
Look at these absolutely adorable jewels that I uncovered!!!

I'm quite sure no one else in the Air Force was EVER serenaded by Lt. Col. Callanan! 

Can't you see the love in these photos!! And it's mutual on everyone's parts!!

 They went on vacation with us! Florida, Austin, San Diego, LA, San Antonio, Coupland....

I remember one year, I surprised Michael and we flew out to LA to see Kenny G live in concert. Tony and Gin went to our hotel room before we arrived and filled our room with goodies. Tony mentioned that they had to tell the front desk that we were "their kids" in order for them to get in. He hoped we didn't mind. I remember being so humbled by that. OF COURSE we didn't mind! We have felt like "their kids" always. They've been grandparents to the boys, they've been like another set of parents to us, loving, caring, cheering us on! 

Even when I'm sure they thought we were completely berserk for the choice to homeschool, they never let us know. But they sure did let us know when they saw good things in us and in our boys. Tony even had the system director of Navstar GPS personally write 8 year old Jonathan and Jeremy a personal congratulations letter when they won the science fair using GPS as a subject! That's just the way they roll. Cheer and encourage! 

They've help fund the boys' college, because way back in 1995 they wanted to do something. WOW!! And as usual, they've been so encouraging to the boys as they have pursued their degrees and are moving away from our nest. 

How many people have 3 sets of grandparents cheering them on every step of the way?! 

God knew all those years ago that our hearts and lives had a spot that only they could fill. And that their hearts had a spot created just for us. Way beyond "aunt and uncle" closeness. For that we are so grateful!!!

Tony was in the Air Force and has been such a great example of a true American: Hardworking, Patriotic, faithful, fun! He's volunteers at the air museum in Torrance and shares his knowledge and love for flight with the visitors. Gin-Gin has so faithfully served by his side as an Air Force wife for 50 years and is the quintessential hostess. She's faithfully served the Bay Area Republican Women's Club for so many years. She's set a great example for staying involved in your community and doing your part to make your corner of the world the best it can be. Even all these years in California hasn't made them crazy liberals! ;-) And I think they are just glad we aren't either! We certainly share conservative values all the way around. That in itself is such a blessing! 

They met in Big Spring, Texas. She was teaching and he was in pilot school. A gal from Coupland, TX and a guy from Philadelphia. She was a UT Longhorn, He was an Iowa State Cyclone. They were married in the Philippines. January 24, 1967! And the rest is history!

They love watching football together. There will probably always be disagreement with the Eagles play the Cowboys and when the Cyclones play the Longhorns, but that's the way they like it. A little spice to make the sweet just right.

We are so proud of these two! We love you both SO MUCH!! We are delighted to spend a GOLDEN day, celebrating such a GOLDEN pair!!

So to wrap up this celebration, here's 50 memories Michael, the boys and I have of our lives with you (there are so many more, but here's what came up first):

1. Gin being an honorary mom on Peggy's behalf at our wedding.

2. The "just married" shirts you gave Michael and me to wear on our honeymoon.

3. The Schnauzer love you always gave to Max and Gretchen.

4. Gin's saying "I knew it! I just knew it!" when we told her we were expecting.

5. Gin's coming to help when Jonathan and Jeremy were babies.

6. Tony and Gin coming together for a visit when Jonathan and Jeremy were just a couple of months old.

7. Trips together to places like Ft. Walton Beach, FL

8. La Brea tarpits

9. Disneyland

10, Lego Land

11. San Diego

12. Austin

13. Your cute care package the first time all the boys came to visit Orange County.

14. Evenings at the Embassy Suites during happy hour during our six week vacation (well six week work project for Michael in Rancho Santa Margarita; six week vacation for the boys and me!)

15. Your trip with Michael to see John Glenn on his space shuttle launch

16. The flight suit and army suits you sent to Jonathan and Jeremy on their 8th birthday

17. With your own personal flight patches attached!

18. The letter you had written by a GPS program director after they won the 2nd grade science fair.

19. Tony sharing flight stories and telling about River Rat reunions

20. Your sending cookies with the presidential candidates' pictures on them in 2008.

21. Super thoughtful Christmas ornaments every year

22. Your handling gracefully Josiah breaking your screen door

23. And the light fixture on the same trip!

24. Trader Joe's goodies

25. Your participating and sharing at all the boys' 13th birthday celebrations

26. Shopping trips to Savers and Macy's

27. Tony calling during an Aggie game to say he's "lighting candles" for the  Aggies

28. Or if they are playing Iowa State to issue a "cyclone warning"! 

29. Your amazing greeting cards for every birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, Easter.....

30. How you would write on the boys' birthday cards "You now have ____ shares in your Van Guard Star Fund for your future"

31. How excited and grateful they were when they were old enough to actually understand what that meant!!

32. How you set up those funds and it paid for all of Jonathan and Jeremy's Bachelor's degree that they didn't pay in CLEP fees!

33. How that's doing the same for Jeffrey right now!

34. Christmas in California

35. Christmas in San Antonio

36. Christmas dishes-Spode Christmas tree-all thanks to you!

37. Taking Jonathan and Jeremy to the Ronald Reagan library when they came out to visit alone

38. Republican Women's luncheons and fashion shows

39. You calling us "your kids". Yep, we do the same. It's not just "less complicated", it's true!!

40. Scardinos

41. Kinkaid's

42. Blue Water Grill

43. Those cute black lacy pants that Gin and I both have! 😁

44. Sports Illustrated for Kids subscriptions for years

45. And Money Magazine and Consumer Reports when they were older

46. Beautiful evenings spent out on your back patio visiting and watching football or Fox News

47. Being at your house playing while the boys were at Worldview in Santa Clarita. 

48. Gin-gin and Josiah playing Wii bowling

49. Tony totally rockin' it on Blazing Angels on the Wii

50. All your love, generosity and support for all these years!

WE LOVE YOU!!!!💖💖💖

I'm "crowned with lovingkindness and tender mercies"! or Cue the "dental doula"!

Full disclosure: it's another post about my tooth. If you are tired of hearing about it. You will have to wait another couple of days for a more light hearted post!

I'm sitting here at "way past my bedtime" typing a blog post trying to distract myself for the next hour and a half until I can take more pain meds. This has been my life over the past 10 days. BUT, I'm not here to complain, I'm here to journal the things God has been showing me over the days. Of course there are lessons we wish we could learn in sweet times only, like hearing a toddler giggle (but, wait, that toddler came into the world by pain and labor) or celebrating football championships won (but, wait, that only happened through days, weeks and months sweating, moaning, running, planning, showing up when you'd rather quit). Yep, that's life. We don't REALLY learn deep meaningful lessons while journeying the easy road do we? 

Here's the latest on my tooth journey. First, let me give a "great joke" shout out to Jeffrey who made a comment earlier this week when I mentioned that I was hoping to get an appointment to see the dentist about my tooth the next day. He asked, "What time is the appointment? Tooth hurty?" Get it?? Tooth hurty...2:30. Very clever!! Surely that needs to be a comic at some dentist office somewhere!! 

Anyway, back to my journey. We left off at pain, crying, advil, tylenol, pull the tooth. That continued through all this week. I was able to go to class on Monday. Jeffrey graciously came and led my last class so that I could get to the dentist that afternoon to see what they could do. They numbed my mouth (that was a little bit of a relief) and tried to further enhance the shape of the temporary crown so that the bite would match. At this point, the dentist still felt that the pain was coming from my bite being off. Again, such microscopic things out of place can cause such pain!! Life lesson there, I'm sure! Tuesday, started off ok. I added some essential oils to my arsenal to see if it would help. However, at one point Tuesday morning, I was in such incredible pain. And I had taken Tylenol about an hour earlier. For some reason, it was taking longer and longer for me to feel relief. I texted Michael that I needed him please to pray because I was in terrible, terrible pain. He not only prayed he called the dentist. About 15 minutes later, he called me back. (Of course by this time the pain was beginning to subside a little). He told me "There's an endodontist on stand-by ready to do a root canal if you want it as soon as you can get there. Or Dr. Ratliff will see you to pull the tooth as soon as you can get there. Or you can go back to Dr. Ratliff and see if there is something else he can do to adjust the bite more. And by the way, I have Jeffrey on the other line waiting to hear if he needs to come back to the house and get you." (He was on his way up to fill out paperwork, etc. for his new job). I tell you, my dear husband is AMAZING!! 

Well, earlier that morning I had done some research on root canals and discovered that for different potential health problems down the road, I didn't want one. So I told Michael that wasn't an option. And that the verse I joking referred to at the end of my last blog about "Hold fast. I am coming quickly; Let no man take your crown" was really kinda ringing in my heart and head like maybe it was God saying not to pull the tooth either right now. So, he cancelled the appointments both places and we stayed home. The pain never got that bad again. 

Until today. Today, it got so intense that I bypassed the Tylenol that didn't seem to be working as well and moved up to a prescription pain med. Don't worry, we don't have enough for me to get hooked! But it sure did help my tooth stop hurting! It was glorious! I called and talked to my dentist's assistant and asked how soon the permanent crown could be ready. She asked if I had seen the endodontist because it would give us useful information about what is really going on under the tooth. She also said she would call and see if they could get the crown ready for tomorrow. I called the endodontist and have an appointment for 9:20 tomorrow morning. Here's the REAL kicker, though. I'm not supposed to take ANY pain medication for 8 HOURS before my appointment!! I haven't gone 8 hours without pain meds since day 1 of this ordeal. But. earlier this week in Jesus Calling (a devotional book I try and read each day) the author encouraged people to not be anxious about the day ahead because you only see what COULD happen, and not the grace and presence of Jesus that will go with you during that day. After all, "God IS my refuge and my strength; A very present help in time of trouble" Psalm 46:1. So, I'm making the conscious choice to not be anxious or afraid. I believe that God will be a very present help WITH me tomorrow and I walk without pain medication!!

Here's something else God has shown me. This evening I had another bad episode. This one was complete with shaking, nausea, etc. (Kinda like labor! This is where the "dental doula" part comes in.) Michael was in the bathroom with me letting me lean on him and stroking my back. And I realized that maybe when I'm pacing, fidgeting and rubbing hard trying to find a way to make the pain stop, maybe I'm actually causing more harm than good, like tensing up during contractions. Now granted this toothache is NOT like labor. It's much worse! And it's not natural. I remember during Julie's labor with Katie (I think) when the nurse suggested an epidural for the pain by saying "you wouldn't have dental work done without anesthesia, why do this without it". I thought that was ludicrous then-and still do-because the female body is made to give birth and has God-given ways to compensate for the pain. We just have to cooperate with the design God gave the body, not fight against it (like with writhing in pain, clenching up, screaming, etc). I realized that maybe I can be a "dental doula" to myself and be focused on being calm, taking deep breaths, quoting Scripture to myself, do things that are soothing, etc. Granted, these toothache pains are just 2-3 minutes long and don't come in waves (well actually they kinda do...), but I think the same types of concepts apply. Surely, God has given my body a way to compensate for this pain as I wait for Him to "come quickly" like in Revelation 3:11. 

So while I was doulaing myself sitting and leaning on Michael, I was listening to a YouTube recording of Scriptures and prayers set to music. Psalm 103 came up and there was a phrase there that really hit home to me. Here's what the Psalm says: 

Bless the Lord, O my soul. and all that is within me, bless his holy name

Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits.

Who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases. 

Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies

Who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his way to Moses, his acts to the children of Israel.

There's more, but I was struck by these verses especially. He heals my diseases! I am certainly in DIS-EASE right now. Of course the "crown" caught my attention, it's been the focus of my attention for all these days now! How sweet to know that what when the Lord sees me, He places a crown of lovingkindness and tender mercy on me. So many of my prayers this week have been "Lord, please have mercy on me!!" These verses were like God saying "yep, got that covered. Your whole head is covered not only with mercy, but TENDER mercy and lovingkindness." Even this time will prove to bear out the lovingkindness of the Lord toward me. I don't see how now, but I trust that one day I will!!

Then the verses that REALLY got me, He SATISFIES MY MOUTH with GOOD THINGS so that my youth is renewed like the eagle and the Lord executes righteousness and justice for the oppressed. I know it's small in the grand scheme of things, but I have to admit this week has left me feeling oppressed often! But the point I loved is that the Lord promises to satisfy my mouth with good things! This actually brought me to a point of rethinking my "definite NO" to the root canal. Don't get me wrong, it's STILL NOT my first choice. I would really rather not have it. But what if for some reason, it's part of God's bigger plan for me.

 Here's another labor story as case in point. After Jeffrey's homebirth with a midwife, I decided right then and there I would NEVER go to the hospital to have a baby unless it was an emergency. It was just so much better than even a great hospital birth could be. Why would I ever choose to go to the hospital?? So when I was pregnant with Josiah, it was a no brainer. Call a midwife. Thing was at this point we were in Memphis and there were only 2 practicing midwives there at that time. One was a new age, super hippy, maybe even into Wicca kinda gal. NOT an option. (Actually, I probably would have done it because I just that bad didn't want to have a hospital birth! Michael wisely stepped in and said NO WAY!!). The other midwife was a Christian, homeschool mom. The problem was that she traveled with her husband to homeschool conventions in the month of June. When was I due?? Yep, June. Thankfully, she recommended a great OB/GYN and we had a wonderful birth...in the hospital. Where I never again wanted to have a baby. But that was the beginning of my season as a doula. And I believe the Lord used that time because I needed to be able to say with confidence to the gals in Memphis who were having hospital births that they COULD have great births in a hospital. 

What does this have to do with my tooth? Well, I realized that maybe I need to let go of my hard stance on the root canal. I need to trust that the Lord will "make His ways known" to the dentists tomorrow and they will clearly see and understand what is going on and what to do next. And even if it is a root canal, I can trust that the Lord is only satisfying my mouth with GOOD things!  And to paraphrase a little further on Psalm 46...it really reads "God is my refuge and God is my strength; a very present help in trouble. Therefore, I will not fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be tossed into the midst of the sea."  I've paraphrased this to myself to read "God is my refuge and my strength; a very present help in trouble. Therefore I will not fear, though the nerve be removed and though the molar be tossed into the midst of the sink". (Cuz that's jut the way I talk to myself to cheer my soul on! :-) ). I can trust that even if a root canal is in my future tomorrow, that the Lord has it for my good and my good ONLY! Because as Psalm 103 goes on to say, "He knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust...and the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children". He knows me. He knows I'm weak, but He shows me mercy ALL.THE.TIME! 

So as I wrap up this tooth diary, I'm going to take a moment to practice 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. "Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus". 

Here are some things I'm thankful for during these nervy days:

1. That my back isn't hurting!!

2. That this type of searing constant pain didn't come after my laser eye surgery! THAT would really have been bad! I wouldn't have wanted to test the literalness of  the"if your eye offends you, cast it out" scripture! But seriously, I'll take blinding pain in a tooth over literally blinding pain all the time!

3. That in my reduced pain/pain free moments, I've tried and found some fabulous Trim Healthy Mama recipes that are easy, delicious, soft and easy to keep around. This has seriously kept me from going all the way into comfort foods (read=wheat and sweets!). I haven't had either this entire time and I haven't missed them.

4. We haven't seen mice in weeks. Not at all related to my tooth, just VERY thankful for that!

5. That I have such a kind, compassionate, wonderful, loving husband!

6. That he has modeled for our boys such great things and they are following in his footsteps. 

7. That we have a bag full of prescription drugs that we can use for just this type of situation!

8. That at some point in time Michael must have brought home a lot of Tylenol from a project at work, because it's not one I keep at the house. But I've been SO grateful to have it! 

9. That I know how to help give TLC to my liver, kidneys and gut after all this is over!

10. That I've been blogging so I have a place to write my thoughts, even if no one reads them. But I know at least four people will! :-) Thanks for reading my blog, by the way! 

And now, guess what time it is. It's time for me to go get something to eat so I can take my last dose of pain meds before my doctor visit tomorrow. 

Please pray for me if you read this in time, and if I come to your mind. But know that I'm at peace, believing the Lord will satisfy my mouth with good things tomorrow! :-)

Celebrating provisions

It was another week of seeing God provide things for our family. He does it all the time, and I'm not capturing here all of what He did. But here's some of the fun things that I received this week.

I purchased a bundle of ebooks called the "Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle" that includes something like 80 ebooks (one of which I'm super excited about that is about planning and planting a garden for your family) . In addition to the ebooks, companies donate free products that go along with the ebooks. So for the price of the bundle ($30), plus the cost of shipping (about $20 total) I got free organic maca root powder (that I'll use in Beauty when I run out of what I have), kombucha tea so I can make my own, gelatin powder (to use when I run out), Meyers dishwasher tabs and toilet bowl cleaner, a shower grout brush (because we didn't have one of these..that's the reason our showers are mildew-y, right?!), trilight herb product for migrane headaches, body ache balm and chap stick, and one that I'm very exited about, two organic eye shadows! In addition, for $40, after hosting a Jamberry party, I got my hostess goodies. I'm so excited! 11 nail wrap packages, 2 nail lacquers, the mini heater and quick dry spray. I LOVE Jamberry! I'm so excited to try these new wraps.

In addition to these fun provisions, we were able to book Jeremy a trip home for Jeffrey's graduation for only $80 on Southwest, using my airmiles. So excited for this one!! It normally costs $800-1000 to fly to and from Portland. I'll take $80, thank you!

Also, God provided Jeffrey with A JOB!! He's going to follow in Jonathan and Jeremy's footsteps and work at Discount Tire. The manager he interviewed with said "Jeffrey, I told myself I was going to treat you just like any other applicant, but I can't. If you are anything like your brothers and want the job, it's yours." Thanks, Jonathan and Jeremy for being such great, dependable workers so that the Dagerath name carries such weight! For work, Jeffrey needed black shorts, pants, socks and shoes. He was able to get black shoes for $30 (regulary $70), black pants for $15 (regularly $70), and black shorts for $20 (regularly $50) at Academy. He then popped over to Kohls to try and use the Kohl's cash I had for new black socks. He got them free with the Kohl's cash!

Truly, Philippians 4:19 has been fleshed out at our home this week. "My God shall provide all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus". 😄

Of all the nerve! (otherwise entitled "I'm on pins and needles" or "The Queen gets her crown")

My week in a word: NERVY!! Is that a word? Should be if it isn't. My entire week seems focused on these tiny, ever present, amazing messengers all through our body. Glad for nerves, don't get me wrong. After all they are signals that something is awry...something big or most of in my body lately, something little. Isn't is shocking (that word is carefully chosen!) how one tiny thing out of what can cause stop a body in her tracks? Well, as you know, I've been walking hand in hand with some nervy friends who keep trying to remind me about some discs in my back and some muscles in my hips that aren't quite right. Oh, such faithful companions they are! And I've done so many things to let them feel they have permission to STOP SHOUTING! Chiropractor, massage, muscle relaxers, essential oils-all with some limited help, but nothing long lasting.

So, I've added a new weapon: acupuncture. Yep, needles. I was actually really excited to try this out! I've been interested for years and just never tried it. So, when my spinal doctor recommended it as an option, we booked an appointment immediately! I've now been five times. The results: horrible! Each time, I end up feeling worse than when I came in. She's adjusted the location of the needles, gone shorter times, not added current, all kinds of things. Nothing has helped. In fact, the last time, my back hurt in ways it hadn't since the days right after the initial spasms in my middle back. Have I mentioned how TERRIBLE those spasms were??!! Like NEVER again, please God I beg you, kind of terrible. So, for this latest acupuncture session to bring up hints of that kind of pain, was enough for me to say "Zaijan"! (Goodbye, for you non-Chinese speakers). I believe that acupuncture really does help a lot of people. Just for some reason, right now, I'm not one of them. But it's not been a total loss, Michael and I have had a lot of giggles as he asks me if I "wan Chineee ur" (want Chinese herbs) and counsel me (like the acupuncturist did) to get a smaller "pur" (purse):-) Seriously, the gal was super nice, needles just aren't for me right now. So, cross that one off of the list!

In addition to my nervy expedition into Chinese medicine, I also got another first this week. Your highness, The Queen, got a crown!

I'm sure you are all thinking, "At long last...the crown! Must I now bow to her? never turn my back on her? Let her binge watch The Crown on Netflix?" Well, no (except maybe the Netflix part). It's unfortunately a much less regal crown of the dental variety. Yep, a crown on my tooth. Said tooth has been starting to crack, for years actually. When I went to the dentist in October, he suggested replacing the filling of the tooth in front and then putting a crown on the tooth behind it (that had a crack.) After all, we don't want the tooth to actually crack and break apart. Well, that's true. But I also didn't want to shell out hundreds of dollars before Christmas! Not my idea of "A Crown for Christmas" (shout out to the Hallmark movie). But Tuesday, Jeffrey and I went to the dentist (He got his teeth cleaned. We thought he had four huge cavities-after he confessed to not brushing his teeth for like a MONTH when his ankle was broken! Gasp!! But I had a concussion at that point...no reserves to ask my 18 (!) year old,  "Hey hun, brush your teeth today?" Turns out, those "cavities" were thankfully just old fillings that were starting to fade.) 

Back to the Queen: I had said crown applied to said cracked tooth. Numb mouth, funny smile, drool, the whole bit. But I figured by Wednesday morning, all would be awake and well. When I was leaving on Tuesday, the dentist let me know that if it's aching, there could be a bite issue, so don't let it keep hurting; just come back and he would shave a little here and a little there and voila! bite corrected, pain gone. But alas, that was not to be. 

Wednesday came, tooth ached and felt like electricity when I chewed on that side. So, I called and made plans to go back on Thursday for him to fix what was ailing me. Cue the Advil. But at this point, I'm still full of hope that things will be better on Thursday. I return Thursday morning (before the last awful acupuncture appointment), he fixes my bite a little and it doesn't zing when I bite on that side. However, my nervy companions decide to continue to linger in my mouth. And throb, throb, throb. Cue more Advil.  Call the dentist back. I go back on Friday. More shaving, less zing, hope slightly returns. But still my mouth continues to ache. At this point it's been days since I've chewed on that side of my mouth. But I'm thinking "Surely once this ache goes away, it'll all be ok." Nope. More throbbing, more throbbing, cue more advil. And now it's the weekend. Cue the crying, cue my sweet husband hugging and consoling me, cue to fervent prayers for relief. Cue more Advil. Cue the Extra strength Tylenol because the pain is so bad and I'm already taking the maximum amount of Advil advised in a 24 hour period and still not getting relief. Cue the hours at night that I'm awake because the throbbing in my tooth is taking a long time to respond to the Advil. 

So here I am. Still dosing more meds than I've had since my accident, in as much pain as I was following the accident, all over a tiny temporary crown on my tooth! So tomorrow, I head to CC with meds in tow and prayers for grace to put a smile on my face. Throughout it all, the words of the song "Take Courage" are rolling in my heart and soul:

Take courage, my heart

Stay steadfast, my soul

He's in the waiting.

Hold on to your hope

Let your courage unfold,

He's never failing.

So through it all, I believe that God is for me, He is able to heal me, He is always with me and He hurts when I hurt. In the meantime, I'll keep praying, asking, taking meds, using essential oils, and calling the dentist for help. I'm also seriously rethinking this verse: Revelation 3:11 "I am coming quickly, hold fast to what you have. Let no man take your crown". Because, really, if you want this crown..you can have it! :-)

And...we're back!

Well, as it is written, "All good things must come to an end." So it is true with our CC holiday. It was a GOOD thing! Lasting from the Monday before Thanksgiving until January 9. A very GOOD thing!! Of course, I was confident that THIS would be the year that we did the work required over the break BEFORE January 3. And of course, THIS wasn't the year and we found ourselves scrambling to get things finished the day before class. There's always 2017, right? And there was so much other great stuff to do... like play with brothers, and play with brothers, and then play with brothers (what else is there really?!). 

But we started it all up and I was so grateful to hear Josiah say on Sunday evening that he was actually excited about starting up. Well, his actual words were "I'm excited about seeing everyone again.", but I'm listening with an optimistic ear. In fact, it WILL be nice to be back in a routine where things actually get done in a timely fashion, especially since the only brother still here also has things HE needs to accomplish (and so does mom!). So, "back to life, back to reality". But in fact, I love my life and I love my reality. So it's a great place to get "back" to! 

And since I'm the director of Josiah's class this year, that means I can sneak a photo of him while he's working in class. :-)

Yep, that's Starbucks. It's our thing. It's conveniently located on the way to class, so it's our incentive to leave home on time, or a few minutes early. We've done this with Panera in years past. Good memories for sure! And just have to say, it's lots cheaper to do these morning fly-bys when there are just two of us in the car! And that Starbucks app! WAY TOO EASY! 

So what's on tap for the spring semester? Here's a list of a few special things:

Policy debate: Should US government ban sales of genetically modified foods? Already a hotly debated topic in our house. Jeffrey and I stand on opposite sides of this issue. Thankfully Josiah was chosen to argue the side I'm on! Happy to give you LOADS and LOADS of info on this one, Jo! 

Lincoln Douglas values debate: Rescuing great cultural and artistic achievements from theft or destruction is worth risking one's life. For this one, Josiah has to prepare both sides and doesn't know until right before the debate which side he will have to defend. 

Rhetoric walk: The students will take time to "walk together" and ask and answer big questions they have been asking various adults and teens throughout the semester: "What is rhetoric? flattery? justice? discipline? pleasure?" We are reading a book by Plato and then discussing what he has to say and comparing it to what people in today's culture have to say about those things. And of course, then comparing it to what the Bible has to say about it.

Spring Protocol: This is an evening we do each year when the CC high school classes dress up and go to a formal dinner and event to practice protocol. We believe that we are raising men and women who are going to have prominent roles in society and need to have these skills. Plus, it's just fun to dress up and go to dinner! This year our campus will go and see a play and then go to dinner. This'll be a blog post for sure! 

Great books: We are reading some great ones this semester! Something Beautiful for God (about Mother Theresa), Father Brown Mysteries, Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit, Out of the Silent Planet, Screwtape Letters, and others. 

A trip to California!: Oh yeah! We are tagging along with Michael when he goes out to Natural Products Expo West in March. Counting down the days until this one!

Track meets: Jeffrey and Josiah decided to run track again this year. So track practice and track meets will fill up our spring (which just makes it go even faster!).

Graduation!!: Jeffrey promotes from this....

to the real deal on April 28. Big day for sure!! In the mean time, Jeffrey's racking up those college credits and looking for a job. 

Maybe there will be more chicks...maybe football spring camp...maybe me speaking at CC practicum...hopefully continued improvement on my back, ankle and shoulder...lots of great things to come for sure! 

The juiceman

One of my favorite things in healthy living is fresh juice. One of the things I don't like doing, making fresh juice. Well, actually, I don't mind the actual JUICING, it's the peeling the citrus fruits, rinsing celery strings that get wrapped around the blade and then the final cleaning up of the juicer. THAT'S what I really don't like. So what's a gal to do??!! Pay a willing servant to do all that for me! Yep, one of our "commission jobs" (thanks to Dave Ramsey for the idea a few years ago of moving from allowance to commission. The boys get paid to do work, not just getting paid to have lived through another week!) So, for $5/week, Josiah (usually is the one) juices for me. Which means not just the fun stuff, but all of it! Lemme tell ya, THAT'S $5 well spent!! 

And know what I love as much as just showing up in my kitchen to fresh juice? Getting great produce for cheap! Remember when I said I was doing this 100 days of healthy on a budget? Here's one of my favorite ways to cut the budget. Buy the produce that's on sale. What you didn't see in this photo was a HUGE bag of avocados and another bag of tomatoes that were also marked 50% off. Avocados and tomatoes...yep, guacamole. LOTS of guacamole! 

Here's part of what we juiced this week. 

And HERE'S the man of the hour! He just puts on his tune and juices away. He and Jeffrey also really enjoy drinking the juice. The chickens enjoy the pulp. Everyone's happy-and healthy!

Today we made 3 quarts of carrot, grapefruit, orange; 2 quarts of "Caribbean C" (pineapple-which I got on sale 4/$5-orange, lemon), 3 quarts of "Mean Green" (spinach, kale, green apple, celery, cucumber-I LOVE this one!!) and 1 1/2 quarts of tomato, zucchini, celery. I also made 4 quarts of Singing Canary, another favorite that is lemon with tumeric and some collagen and protein. 

Here was the shot from my fridge. I figure all these juices would cost $5-6 each jar from Whole Foods, so at least $50. Even considering what I paid Josiah, I think I probably paid a total of $20 for the produce and labor. Almost all of the produce was organic. 

And now I just get to kick back and read a book and drink some yummy greens!

A great day to celebrate

Today is a GREAT day to celebrate! First and foremost, we celebrate the best.dad.ever! 

This amazing man turns 70 today! Happy birthday, daddy! I can't begin to tell all that he has meant to me! Sooo many laughs, stories, happy memories, hugs through tears, words of wisdom, life lessons...I could go on and on. I'm just so thankful for him! And thankful that he didn't just stop at being an amazing dad, he's grown into the best Pop any grandkids have every had! He's so intentional about sharing all those laughs, stories, memories, words of wisdom, along with fishing trips, hunting trips, football games, even trips to see the Nutcracker (with Julie's daughter) just because he loves his grandkids and wants them to know it. And they do, they KNOW it! 

And I know it! I appreciate you even so much more than I did on this day. And I was so grateful for you even then! Being a mom has caused me to grow exponentially in my appreciate for my own mom and dad and family! 

Today, we also celebrate another great one, our sweet puppy, Jackson. January 8 is the day we rescued him from the pound. So today marks 12 years that he has been a member of the Dagerath clan! That makes him a whopping 15 years old! I'm glad he never listened when people mentioned that larger dogs aren't supposed to live that long! I seriously think living in the country has extended his life! He's chilled out a lot in the last 8 years. 

Check out these cuties!

That's how long ago we had Jackson! Look at how black his snout and ears are here. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't have the photos. Now he's as gray as I would be if I didn't like NOT looking old as much as I do! Back in Jackson's black snout days, he used to run. ALOT. He would run after squirrels all over the golf course. In fact, he's probably looking at one in this photo! We even had a song that we would sing when we went looking for him in the neighborhood...again. We would sing (to the tune of "My Bonny lies over the ocean)

My Jackson runs after the squirrels

My Jackson runs out through the trees

My Jackson run more than he ought to,

Oh bring back my Jackson to me!

Bring back, bring back, bring back my Jackson to me, to me.

Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Jackson to me!

(What can I say? You see how young Josiah is here and this is a couple of years after we got Jackson. I HAD to come up with something fun to keep a lot of boys from crying as we hunted!) 

In fact, there was the time our first Christmas with him that he ran away at a cabin in Arkansas. It was a miracle we found him. Christmas miracle for sure. Then there was the time he ran away and was gone for TWO WEEKS! We were sure he was gone forever. Then, on a whim (or a prompting from God, I'm sure!) I looked on the Bartlett Animal Shelter website and THERE HE WAS! We went straight from church the next day and sprung him from the clink! You should have seen how high he jumped when he saw us! I still get teary thinking about it. It was so sweet! He was as relieved to see us as we were to see him!

Since then, there's been running after goats, kittens, deer. He's torn ACLs, learned to adapt (because surgery is too expensive when there are four boys still living at home!), gotten very gray, slow, increasingly deaf, but sweeter and sweeter. He still loves to go on walks and run after deer. He's convinced the deer here have gotten exponentially faster over the years! And he won't admit it, but Joy has actually added years to his life (and taught him how to hold down a pan with his paw when he's licking it out-true story!)  

He doesn't like the camera, but here's to you, sweet old man! 

Football...I'm a fan!

One of the fun things about the football season is the evening when everyone gets to don not stinky (I mean awesome LOOKING!) football pads and jerseys, but instead dress up for the end of season football banquet. As a senior mom, I got the chance to put together a memory board for Jeffrey that was displayed at the banquet. Here's the one Jeffrey and I put together. What fun to pull up all these pictures and put the board together. Shout out to Tony and Gin-Gin for the cute Christmas ornaments that found their way to the board! :-) See the one with the boy in a cast? It reads "Jeffrey football 2016". Yep, that sums it up. What isn't shown in the board is how proud we are of Jeffrey for his stellar attitude after what was potentially the worst and hardest season of his life. We ALL had high hopes and were so excited to watch Jeffrey play his senior season. It wasn't meant to be, and Jeffrey handled it all like the champ that he is! Jeffrey, you da real MVP! 

Here's what it looked like on the table at the banquet. 

 Every banquet has a few things in common: A highlight video that the seniors put together. It was a fun one, as always.

Jeffrey introducing the highlight video that the seniors put together every year.

Another great thing each year is letter jackets being awarded to seniors or players who have completed at least two years of FEAST football. Guess who got one this year??!! At long last...it's Josiah's turn! And as God would  have it, the evening of the banquet a super cold front came through. Temps in the 20s! Just in time for a nice warm letter jacket! Josiah was super excited that he finally has a Patriot jacket! Looks good, doesn't he?! Josiah's grown up a lot this season, and not just in stature. This football season was filled with a lot more than just football for him. Lots of helping Michael pick up the slack at home, play nurse, cook meals, fold laundry, etc. Josiah, we are so proud of you and the young man you are and are becoming!

Here's a proud group of underclassmen who were awarded their jackets. 

Another great moment in the banquet is when THIS guy, the amazing Coach Dagerath, personally speaks to each senior, share their stats, personal memories of them and tells which character trait (that the boys have studied all year during the "half time of practice" devotional times) that senior especially exemplifies. Michael does such an amazing job at this task! He takes such time to think about each player before the banquet. I've seen him do it for years. He's such a great coach! And it's always special when he is talking about one of our boys! 

We had possibly the largest senior class in FEAST football history. But here's my favorite senior...

 Here's Jeffrey listening to Michael share his thoughts about Jeffrey this season. There were tears! Jeffrey's character trait was "Dependability: Fulfilling what I consented to do, even if it means unexpected sacrifice." This was certainly a season of unexpected sacrifice! And Jeffrey was an amazing captain for this team, even when he had to be absent from the field. Proud of you, Jeffrey!

I'm so grateful for FEAST football and the opportunities that it has given our boys to be mentored by amazing men! Sure, there's football and that's fun. Sure, it's fun to win. But the bigger life lessons are worth so much more. Thank you, Michael, for investing in not only our boys, but so many others!

I know there will come a day when my garage isn't hosting stinky football pads and helmets, when dinner each evening from August-December isn't a green smoothie at 9:00, when Friday nights aren't already booked, when Michael comes home straight from work and spends the evening at home, when HUDL and watching film aren't a constant, but that's not now. And honestly, I'm very glad! I'm such a FEAST football fan!

This week's menus

Here's what I'm planning on eating this week. I think I'll have three boys home this week. Woohoo! So they may be eating not what I'm having (like homemade donuts, pizza, tater tot casserole, etc.), but at least they will be getting the stuff out of my pantry and freezer that I should really not be eating. But I have to give a shout out to Josiah who has been home with me and been such a trooper in trying new recipes with me. You de man, Josiah!! :-)

Breakfasts this week are all going to be The Beauty.
My snack #1 this week are all fresh juices with some collagen added for protein. Stay tuned for a post featuring my handsome juice maker!
My snack #2 this week will be a spinach powder and greens smoothie. Remember, I'm eating out of my pantry. Michael got this spinach powder last year at a trade show. Gonna get rid of it! :-)

Here's the variable meals:
Tuesday- Tuscan Tomato soup, salad for lunch; Ranch chicken wings and super salad for dinner
Wednesday-turkey chili and crackers, carrots and apple for lunch; creamy mushroom pasta and broccoli for dinner
Thursday- left overs for lunch and we have a football banquet for dinner
Friday- loaded fotato soup (meaning it's made with cauliflower, not potatoes), salad and apple crisp for lunch, pot roast with onions, carrots and radishes (that cook like potatoes) for dinner.

There you go, mom. :-)

Getting moving...

As I continue on my 100 days toward health, and as I get stronger and my back pain gets more and more manageable one of the things I'm excited to add back into my regular routine is moving. Not moving house, just moving my body. When my accident happened, I was a mover and a shaker. Well, not much shaking, but moving yes. I was training for a 10K (that was scheduled for two weeks after my accident), so I had been walking 6 miles a day and I was also doing other things during the day. Obviously, that all came to an abrupt halt on September 10! I think one of the hardest things for me to accept during my recovery is that my body, at least up to this point, has NOT been in a position to move like it did. As a result, I've gained back all of the weight and lost all of the tone muscle that I worked hard to earn over the previous six month. And believe me, it's much easier to gain weight and lose muscle than it is to lose weight and gain muscle...much, much easier! In the past, when I've gained weight, I'll just start training for a half marathon, do P90X or something and get it done. Guess what, not this time! My back, hips and ankles now say "No way!" So what's a girl to do? Especially when my chiropractor and acupuncturist (yep, done that!) and spinal doctor all agree that sitting still is making me worse. Ok, let me get this straight, moving makes my back hurt, and not moving makes my back hurt. Hmmm...what do I do? I guess, just get up and move. 

So, here's what I've been doing and what I'll keep doing. 

1. Walking. Old faithful. Not even close to six miles at this point, but I'm going farther and farther each day. I'm up to about 2 miles. My goal for this week. Is at least 20 minutes, 5 times this week. Jackson and Joy keep me honest on this one. They get SO excited when I even look at my tennis shoes or even open the drawer where I keep my socks. So, because I feel sorry for them, I'll strap the shoes on and just get walking out the door. 

2. Riding the recumbent bike. We bought one of these after the accident and Jeffrey's ankle surgery. It's currently part of our living room decor. My plan is to ride it 2 miles at least, 5 times a week. 

3. THIS....

This is so.much.fun!! I loved doing this dance workout before my accident. Josiah and I actually did one together last week and I so loved it! It was so much fun to get back into the groove (literally!) of this workout, that doesn't feel like a workout. 

4. Holy Yoga. 

Stretching is something that seems to really be helping my back and hips. And really, that's what this workout is. It's not Eastern religious practice. (One of my boys recently said something like "Yeah, didn't you always teach us mom that if it's Eastern it's evil?!" Sweet boy, was that after I gave you the homeopathic remedy or after I got home from acupuncture? Come on! Obviously, we had a conversations of what I REALLY said!) But the thing I love about this set of videos is that it is very intentional about focusing on worship and relating the stretches to Biblical spiritual truths. And it helps! So, my goal is to do this video 3-5 times this week.

5. And finally (can't get my picture to load) T 25!! This is probably one of my all time favorite video exercise routines. I love that it's 25 minutes long! I love that it's pretty fun (but not like 'Cize!) and mostly I love that it works! Both times I've worked through the program, my massage therapist notices. Any workout that has your massage therapist saying "I can tell you've been working out!" is a program worth doing! (And it's not because I'm so sore, if that's what you were thinking.)

So, I'm starting over. I did one this week. It was such a delight! I know that may sound bizarre, but to be able to do something that I wasn't sure if I would be able to do again any time soon is such a relief. Of course, I had to modify. But I'll take it. My goal is to get through T25 week one over the next two weeks.

Anybody else wanting to move a little more? I'm learning, slowly but surely, that even doing little bits over a long time is worthwhile. Slow and steady wins the race!

A Peek in My Pantry

You KNOW you have it good when your husband and son take a Friday night to clean up your pantry. Look at it! Isn't it a beaut!! I wish I had remembered to take a "before" shot. Picture all of this, more stuff, chaos on the floor and mouse poop! GAG!! Let's take a moment to examine my lovely pantry and then I'll go into even more detail about how amazingly awesome my husband is!!

Yep, mice prompted this cleaning. Off and on over the last year we've battled those nasties. We've even put a bounty on their heads..$1/mouse. The boys love catching and killing them (read: taking the glue traps out to the trash and "finishing" the job if needed.) Who wouldn't pay $1/mouse to NOT have to carry a trap out??!! Well, in the last few weeks, we've (mostly ME!) noticed "evidence" of their presence in our pantry. We've trapped a few off and on, especially when the weather turns colder, but we never could seem to get them all because they never showed up on the traps, but still left behind their "calling cards". Once, a couple of weeks ago, I went to grab some spices and saw one running along the shelf I was headed toward. We made eye contact! BLECH!!! Personal victory: I didn't scream! But the battle went to the next level, let me tell you! 

So enter my knight in shining armor and his valiant side kick. We spent a couple of hours Friday evening taking food out of the pantry, cleaning boxes, wiping down shelves, finding what the creeps were eating and getting rid of it. Shocker: they didn't eat ANY of the roasted sea weed! :-) But the candied pecans were an obvious hit! When we reached the box with my Lily's chocolate bars in it, I said "Now, if they've gotten into my Lily's candy cane bars, I'm gonna kill them with my bare hands!" Josiah laughed..out loud! He said, "Mom, I think I just heard the mice laughing!" Clearly, he doesn't know how much I value those delicious (expensive!) stevia sweetened chocolate bars...only available during the holidays!! Thankfully, my bluff wasn't called. Lily's chocolate was all safe! 

After scrubbing my shelves and the floor, Michael placed four MORE glue traps (for a total of 8 in our pantry! We're serious, I'm telling you!). Next morning, four mice down! That's gross. I know. But better out than in, right?! Next morning, nothing, but there was poop. So Michael went into strategy mode. He moved the traps so that they mice would have to go full American Ninja Warrior mode to not be step on the traps! He told Josiah "These mice will NOT see 2017!" Gosh, I just love him!! Next morning, BIG mouse gone. 

This morning...all clear and no evidence of activity. Stay tuned, but I think Michael is right and they didn't make it to the new year. That makes it a happy 2017 already!! 

And in case you were wondering....

Trixie and Snowflake were unavailable for comment...hmmmmmm....