Retreat!

RETREAT is: A weekend away…filled with lots of giggles, late night pillow talk, deep thoughts, spiritual insight and renewal, worship, walks on the beach (alone or in a group), leisurely strolling through shops without kiddos or husbands encouraging us along, naps, games, lots of food and tons of fun!

This year’s Salem Alliance women’s retreat was amazing! Lorelei Friesen spoke to us about the freedom in pursuing who God created us to be. I am still processing much of what Lorelei spoke about this weekend. I loved the depth and truth she spoke into my heart as I realized many ways I needed to understand myself and motives for the way I look at life.  Not to mention the way that God cherishes me…just the way I am…because he created me to be me.  Hmmm…maybe I will blog more about this later…I am not sure I can express the depth of my thoughts in this moment.

I loved that our Hearts at Home worship team, led by Shannon Campbell, was asked to lead worship this weekend! Such a refreshing time of worship and fun to see familiar faces!

 

And then there was FUN! This year I had a blast. All of the women on Hearts at Home Council came to retreat this year. Many of us roomed together and stayed up way too late. We did miss Sarah…who couldn’t be there…due to being sick (we were praying for her though). Pictured above…my dear friends: Me in the very back. Back row: Karen, Mia, Rachel, Jen, Becky. Front row: Heidi, Cary, Katherine and Deb

I just love these women! They really are becoming amazing friends!  We are enjoying challenging each other  in our personal and spiritual lives, while growing closer and deeper in relationship with each other. Each of these women work together to lead and make Hearts at Home what it is and it is clear that God is using these women to do great things in Hearts as a ministry…but also in my life, as I learn more from them each time we are together.

Below are some fun shots of the weekend.

 

Jen waving hello, while Cary works on her beautiful quilt for her daughter Cady.

Karen and Katherine, bed buddies and roomies.

OK…yes…those are rabbit ears. Mature I know…but who can really hold back given the opportunity? Dinner on Saturday night, by the way.

Roomies: Becky and Rachel

Jen and Heidi hanging out and catching up.

Kara and Jen…silly girls.

Shannon, I think that run did something to your eyes.  No, I am really impressed that you went running during women’s retreat! And that Kara would hug you afterward! WOW…that’s a friend!

Oh…I must say that I am already dreaming of next year!

A VERY Relaxing Weekend with Friends!

Ammon and I talked on Wednesday night before this long MLK weekend and we decided together that we were going to go ahead with our trip to the mountains with the Knowles…despite my hospitalization last weekend.  Ammon felt it would be really good for me to be “away” from the house as I am re-gaining my strength. This way I won’t be tempted to do too much at once. Which, obviously shows how well he knows me. If I am at a cabin in the woods with dear friends, and a husband who is hovering, I will more likely be able to make a full recovery more quickly. I guess I will go along with that logic!

So we left on Friday night, leaving the kiddos in Eugene with Ammon’s parents, and met Tony and Rachel up at the cabin at the “Inn at the Bridge” (on the McKenzie River). This is the second year we have taken this long weekend trip together. Last year, Rachel and I surprised our guys with the weekend away. After last year and having so much fun, the guys were just as interested in getting away for the weekend again in 2010.  

Our view of the McKenzie from our #8 cabin.

The cabin is so cozy, though we each have our own rooms and bathrooms.  We take turns making meals (though Rachel and Ammon did most of the cooking this weekend) and just enjoy hanging out. Last year we ended up going up to the snow and went sledding…this year (due to my “recovering” status) played lots of games (Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Flash UNO were the favorites), talked till late at night, took naps, read books, painted our nails (don’t worry…just Rachel and I) and just hung out. I have to say this weekend came at the perfect timing!

 

An Unexpected stay at Riverbend

January 9-12th

Ammon took pictures throughout the time I was hospitalized for an obstructed bowel. I guess I have trained him well to “scrapbook” or now blog all the events (big and small) in our lives. So I knew I would need to post something about this miserable weekend. So here it is….

Picture taken from my hospital room on the 7th floor. I have to say, that if I had to be in a hospital lying around in a bed in pain, this is the view I would’ve asked for!

So…it didn’t start with Ammon smiling…but it was the only picture I had of him to post.  First, I have to say that I have the most amazing husband in the world! Ammon was by my side and taking care of me, making sure that the kids were taken care of and that phone calls were made to all the people who needed to know. In stride, and with little sleep, he was the most supportive, sensitive, caring, concerned and loving husband!

We went to Eugene originally to go to our niece, Lily’s baby dedication.  However, we got there on Saturday night and the plan was to “hang out” with the family and then head to church in the morning. Well, I had been having “adhesion pains” (something I have dealt with on and off since I was a child). It didn’t make me nervous at all. However, as the evening went on and I didn’t even want to play Settlers of Catan with the family…I knew something was more serious.

I went into the bedroom to lay down…now in pretty serious pain (though trying to downplay it to the rest of the family). My prayer went something like this, “Dear God, I know you are a God who heals! I know that you can…so I ask you to heal me right now. But if you choose not to, please give me a sign that I need to go into get this checked out.” As my prayer ended, I realized quite quickly that my pain was still there. I reached down and touched the tender area of my stomach and immediately felt a bulge on my lower right abdomen. Yes, I did say a bulge. You know how pregnant women can see the fist of their baby later in pregnancy? Well, I had a fist protruding from my stomach…and I knew I was not pregnant!  I knew this was the “sign” I had asked for. So within the hour we were sitting in the ER of Sacred Heart Riverbend Hospital in Springfield. UGH.

My next fear came quite quickly. OK…any major medical issue I have had I have always been seen at OHSU in Portland (since birth)! OHSU knew my very unique history…had all my medical records and it was where I felt most comfortable! Also, I always have had a really strong need to “connect” with my doctor so I felt I could trust them. Here I was…in an unknown hospital, with unknown medical situations with a serious medical situation. UGH! So I prayed. And then I told Ammon, “I will be very, very surprised if I get out of here without a major surgery. I’m pretty sure I have an obstruction.”  We prayed.

After a while I was situated in the ER, receiving fluids, morphine (which at first was not even touching the pain). Ammon was sitting for several hours on the most uncomfortable looking metal chairs as we waited. It was a busy night in the ER. But at least my nurse was nice. The DR eventually came in and within minutes I felt comfortable with her. Not only did she listen to me rattle off the surgeries I have had in the past, what I thought was going on, but also listened to me explain my fear of not being at OHSU.  She responded to my fears first…we compared notes and the last time I had surgery up at OHSU she was there…studying under the same doctor that I was a patient! Not only that, she went on and on about how much she learned from that doctor, how she still has connections with her and if we needed to consult her we could. Prayer #2 answered quite miraculously!

After ER, I was admitted to the surgical floor. Still in a lot of pain…but glad to be admitted.  The rest of the night and all day Sunday was pretty much a blur to me. I don’t remember too much. The pain was great and morphine was fully coursing through my body. Thankfully. At one point that day my mom told me I begged the nurse to get the doctor and just get the surgery over with because the pain was so bad.

Family and friends surrounded me as I slept most of the day away. I briefly remember Annie and Nathan’s visit. All I remember was thinking…I have to pull all the energy I can while they are here so I don’t scare them too much. They brought me get well posters and a balloon that Annie was adamant she should get for me! Annie was quite outwardly concerned during the entire ordeal. Nathan seemed to internalize his concern a little bit more.   So…to make a long story a lot shorter…I will let you know that the doctor was pretty much convinced, based on the CT scan I got while in the ER, that he would come in on Monday morning to do surgery on my obstructed bowel. The next morning, before the doctor came in, he ordered another x-ray. X-ray showed that “things seemed to be “moving.” A good sign that we needed to wait it out and see if the obstruction would take care of itself. He gave me some meds to get my bowels working and wanted to see some progress by the time he came in later that afternoon. Well, answer to prayer #3: Things started moving AND I was able to get off the morphine! Things just kept getting better from there and Tuesday morning I was discharged!

I truly felt God holding me during this time! Before, during and now after! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband, fabulous family and super-duper friends! Prayers WORK! Thanks everyone.

I am feeling much better today..it’s the second day of being home and I can see continual improvement in the tenderness of my stomach, bowel functions returning to normal slowly (yes…that’s pooping and farting) and just over-all feeling better.  Continue to pray…I will need it for a while. 

Hugs to all!

Hearts at Home “Rejuvenation”

The first General Session of the year (Jan 7th) the awesome General Session team put together a tropical get-away themed morning to encourage the theme of “rejuvenation!” Amazing morning! Fun morning! The GS Team out did themselves this morning. The speaker for the morning, who was a psychiatric nurse talked to us about stress in our lives and good ways to deal with it. Perfect…cause moms definitely have their fair share of stress in their lives.  

So…here are some fun pictures from the morning! From grass skirts to learning a dance. Spa treatments, pedicures, manicures, spiritual refreshment, sweet conversation, fellowship and lots of yummy food with a tropical theme! What a morning!

 

January Birthday Celebration at Small Group

January 6th this year fell on a Wednesday.  So for small group we had to celebrate Mr Gene and Isaac’s birthdays!  Isaac turned 7 and Mr. Gene is 80!  Definitely, a year to celebrate!

Our small group this year has been so fun! We love being in group with Mr. Gene and Miz Luella! They bring such wisdom to the rest of us “young couples.”  The Smith family (Diane, Scott, Bethany and Eli). The Schaap family – our newest small group addition this year (Heidi, Michael, Olivia and Jack). The Knowles family (Rachel, Tony, Isaac and Joshua). And then of course our family! We are so blessed to be growing in God’s word with these couples and “doing life” with their families!

Happy Birthday Mr. Gene! May 80 be the best year yet!

Life’s little moments…

Nathan…deep in thought after running down the hall and twirling around…stops and looks at me very seriously and says, “Mom, I bet Jesus gets dizzy.”  Not quite following his train of thought I ask  him, “What do you mean?”

“Well, all my running and jumping around must really make Jesus dizzy since He is always with me and lives in my heart.”

My sweet boy! Today, I pray that as my son grows he will continue to walk, run, jump and twirl with his Savior!

*Picture is when we got our “surprise snow.” I just love this picture and had to post it.

Also, today after Hearts at Home we went to the “Arches.”  For those of you who are having a hard time following, this is the mom’s secret word for McDonald’s.  Anyway, as he was playing I looked up to see him standing next to a little girl who was struggling to get up to the next level of the play structure. He went behind her and helped her up each level so she could get to go down the slide like the bigger kids. Such a sweet moment. Taking time out of his “playtime” to help a stranger in need. I love seeing this sensitive and caring side of Nathan.

Happy 59th birthday Dad!

Family and friends came to Canby, January 2nd to celebrate my Dad’s birthday. I asked Dad to retell Grandma Pearson’s recollection of the day he was born: –42 degrees below zero in Morris, Minnesota and every time they brought him in from the nursery to see her he was blue.  Annie was wide eyed and amazed. “That’s cold!”

I love my Dad so much! He is the most loyal, loving and caring person I know! He loves his family and cherishes each of us individually. I love that he tells us he loves us…but also shows us in kind and practical ways that suit our own personalities. I love that Dad prays for me and sends me notes of encouragement throughout the year. I love that he is an awesome grandpa to both of my children and loves them to pieces (while of course spoiling them rotten). I love that he has taught me to love the Lord with all my heart and has modeled how to parent, following the advice of Deuteronomy 6:5-9. Thanks Dad…may this year be the best yet!!!

We all had a great evening together. Dinner for our family at 5:30pm and then extended family and friends came at 7pm for dessert!  A fun shot of the the sisters! I had to include it! I just wish I looked as good as the other three.

New Year’s Day and the Rose Bowl

I have to say that this New Year’s Day revolved around the Rose Bowl…parade in the morning and Ducks vs. Ohio State in the afternoon. Food, fun and family here throughout the entire day!

As an avid Duck fan I have to say that, “yes” I am disappointed in the loss to Ohio State! However, I am confident that 2010 will prove to be another great year for our team! I LOVE MY DUCKS!

 

I was amazed that Ammon caught this play on the camera taking a picture of the tv. Blount’s touchdown!

Lily was “ducked” out! 

 

New Year’s Eve Party – So long 2009!

New Year’s Eve 2009 was a blast! Annie, Nathan and Grandma Sherrill worked for hours on all of our party hats! They turned out beautiful!

We had fun with family this year! Both sides came and enjoyed lots of food, fun and games! Kendra and Jason introduced some of us to a new game, Ticket To Ride.  

Later in the evening we all sat down for a rousing game of Rich Man, Poor Man! I have to say that I wasn’t doing too well in the game until Annie came and sat on my lap. Quite the good luck charm!

Annie, Nathan and Wendy played many Wii games throughout the night. Super Mario Bros. was a favorite!

The Fenske family came to hang out until the boy’s bedtime.

The Spillum family made it a little later…but left before midnight as well.

The rest of us stayed to ring in the new year with poppers, sparkling cider and well wishes all around! “To a Good year ahead!” This year Nathan got to stay up till 9pm and Annie made it to the end of the night…ringing in the new year with the adults at midnight!

  

Happy New Year from our family to yours!