Christmas, in Three Parts

I married into a blended family, with all the love and flexibility that comes along with it. I love all the in-laws that come with the extra families, and even my closest friends get confused when I talk about J's sisters. He has 4, you know, and 3 brothers. They just keep coming. I haven't even met them all (although, in fairness, the one I haven't met has unusual circumstances). So I say all that to say this: Here is our Christmas, in Three Parts.

Christmas, Movement 1

We went to Amarillo, where J's mother met us for an early Christmas. Both of us were glad we bought the tickets before we were laid off from work. It was good to see J's mom, step-dad, and grandmother. We were there for 4 short days. Amarillo tried to impress us by setting record lows while we were there. All I have to say is, Brrr. I don't remember it being that cold when we lived in Lubbock. But it must have been. . . .

While we were there we blew up grandma's old microwave. It was much less exciting than it looks in print. So, Merry Christmas, Grandma. You get a new microwave for Christmas.

While we were in Amarillo, we got to spend a little time with J's two uncles and aunts. We went over to Ronnie's house on Sunday, watched football games back to back to back, and talked all afternoon.

We celebrated early with this family, complete with a Christmas dinner. They know we're not huge turkey fans, so we had ham there, instead. Yum! Everyone was in the kitchen, getting in everyone else's way. It's my kind of holiday. We also had a small gift exchange, with just the five of us. Budgets were tight, since, of course, J had been told he had a job 24 hours before we boarded a plane, and J's step-dad was laid off just after I was. So Christmas was nice and low-key with this group. I can't wait to get my new clock J's step-dad made. The photos are lovely, and Bill does such good work.

We left Amarillo on the 23rd, and flew back to Dallas. The original plan had been for me to work on the 24th, but since my bosses decided I didn't have to work for them that day (or ever), we decided to stay in Dallas for a few extra days.

For more on this Christmas, click here.

Chrismas, Movement 2

For this Christmas, we went to J's sister-in-law's house, near where my parents live. This Christmas dinner was actually on Christmas. We had a turkey with all the trimmings, and all J's local family was there. We stayed several hours and got caught up with the kids and the grown-ups over dinner. The downer here, I forgot my camera. Grrr. So there will be no photos posted of this Christmas with J's dad, step-mom, and all the brothers, sisters, neices, nephews, and extended family. There were 13 of us there. Thank you, Lori, for being a gracious host to all of us, both for Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We really enjoy it!

Christmas, Movement 3

We celebrated Christmas on the 26th this year. Bartalie (that's Hollywood speak for Bart and Natalie, my brother and sister-in-law) came up with the AB-ster on the 26th and we opened presents and had Christmas dinner when they got there. Never fear, we celebrated birthdays on the 27th. Everything got bumped back a day, but we fit it all in. We're suckers for cake and ice cream.

Back to Christmas. We had a wonderful Christmas on the 26th. Mom out did herself with the yummy food and being with family is wonderful, even if it is my kid brother.

We all went to church together Sunday AM, which I love. This was the first time for AB to go to mom and dad's church, and both of them were introducing her to their friends. More like showing her off (and how could you not?) I called dibbs on her during church, and we rocked and patted together for an hour. She slept the whole time, and I wasn't cold at all in their church. Having a 3 month old heater really helps.

J and I came back home Monday. It had been 12 days since we left, and we were ready to come back. We have some last minute projects to finish up before he goes to work next week. I said, before he goes to work next week. If you want to see my husband smile, remind him he goes to work next week. He's pumped, and has himself motivated to finish projects around the house. It's easier to get stuff done when you have a deadline.

So that's our three part Christmas. We hope you had a wonderful holiday as well, and that your new year is blessed!

Long Overdue

A few weeks ago, I inadvertently posted something that hurt a friend's feelings. I offered to take the post down, and she replied (correctly) that the damage had been done. I took down the post anyway, and apologized to her. However, I feel like I need to apologize in the same arena where the slight occurred. Friend, I never meant to hurt your feelings. I am sorry for the hurt my actions have caused you, and I appreciate your forgiveness. Thank you for calling attention to my thoughtlessness, and handling your hurt appropriately. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to apologize. I value your friendship. Merry Christmas. dc

Hands

I have been thinking a lot about hands recently. I am thinking about them because I have been unable to wash my hands between patients and I have been using the alcohol based hand cleaner, which I hate. Anyway, hands can tell a lot about the person, I think. I like the way my hands look to patients. Usually they’re a little damp from the recent hand washing. My hands are often dry, again from the too frequent washing. The nails are short and clean, and usually I haven’t been chewing my cuticles. My skin is generally cool to touch.

I really think about these things when I do a physical exam. I try to touch my patients with compassion and tenderness. My hands are the only physical contact I have with most people.

I have had other important hands in my life, too. My husband’s hands, that hold mine. They’re comforting and reassuring, and strong. They’re my life partner’s hands. My parent’s hands were where love, playfulness, and discipline lived. They have taught me much about life, how to live, how to love, and how to raise a loving family. My grandparent’s hands were gnarled and wrinkled with years of work by the time I got to know them. But they were patient, showing me a new, exciting world, helping me explore, and tenderly showing me the value of family.

The most important hands in my life are none of these. The most important hands are the hands of Jesus. The hands that came to earth as an infant. They started tiny, grasping, new, just like yours and mine. They were human, warm, showing tenderness and compassion, granting mercy and forgiveness to those who were sinners. These hands were sinless, perfect, blameless. A perfect sacrifice for my sins - the sins my hands commit without a second thought. The blood on my hands was washed clean because of the blood on the hands of Jesus.

This season as we look forward to the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, we realize his humanity. We look to heaven, searching for answers. And the answers are as close as the hands of Jesus, outstretched to us.

“[B]ut the angel reassured [the shepherds]. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!” Luke 2:10-12

Medical Musings

So I have done a few shifts at the part time clinic downtown, and obviously I have lived to tell about them. So let me tell you about them.

My first day, I was early. That was good. Someone was waiting to let me in. That was also good. They showed me my very small office, and told me to settle in and explore the clinic. My sense of direction is lacking, so letting me explore is not such a good idea, even in a small clinic. Juan was my hero. Side note – his name is pronounced H-uan. Not W-aan, like us Texans pronounce it. So Juan was my hero. He showed me where the bathroom was. Most important.
I got to relax for a few minutes, then the crowd came in. One by one, they came in asking for healing. Most spoke English the first day, and most were acutely ill. I treated each as best I could, with the medicine they could afford. The doctor and I saw 82 (!) patients on the first day.
I didn’t write a single name brand prescription all day. I have literally never done that before. And it can be done. I didn’t feel like I had short changed anyone by substituting a generic medicine.

My Spanish was shaky the first day. I asked for Juan and Marta frequently, especially to explain the medicine.

My second day, clinic started much the same. Except. Juan and Marta and the rest of the nursing staff were discussing, get ready for it, How Many Times They Have Been Shot At. I had, of course, nothing to add to that discussion. So, I sat quietly in my office instead.

I had much the same experience the second day as the first day, except fewer patients spoke English. I am better at Spanish now than I was on day one. The doctor and I saw 40-something patients that day. Again, I wrote no name brand medicines that day. It still blows my mind.
The second day I was talking to a 217 pound 12 year old. I was discussing, in English, his weight and blood sugar. I was trying to discuss the urgent need for weight loss. The mom asked me which was better, diet or exercise. I answered that both would be appropriate for this young man. I urged the mom and patient to not think of it as exercise, but more like play. I instructed him to get out and ride his bike after school, to get out and skateboard more. Um. He doesn’t own a bike, or a skateboard. And his neighborhood isn’t safe enough to walk in, let alone bike in.
I accidentally wrote a prescription that was generic, but not on the approved Medicaid list. I overheard a man, the father of my patient, discussing the cost of this prescription with the pharmacist. It was $12. The man said to the pharmacist that the medicine was too expensive. The pharmacist offered to have me rewrite the prescription, but the man said that they would find a way to afford it, if the baby needed it.

These were sobering to me. I have never been in want, really wanted, that is. I have been poor, in graduate school, especially. But I have always lived in a safe enough neighborhood (except for when we got robbed at the apartment, and that was kind of a fluke.) I was really thinking about how much we, J and I, have. We’re so blessed. We have a full pantry, full freezer, full house, full heart. I can walk safely through the neighborhood. I have a bike I haven’t ridden in years. I have more friends than I can count. I am so blessed in so many ways.

I still have more clinic hours to do. I learn more Spanish every day, but I am really growing spiritually and emotionally. I plan on working there until I can find a permanent position. I really do enjoy it. As long as I leave before dark.

J Christmas Present

A new job! J starts his new job January 5th at a school district here. He's really excited about working again.

God answered this prayer exactly 6 months after we started praying. June 18 through December 18 we had constant petitions and prayers lifted to heaven. God's timing is perfect, and we couldn't ask for a better environment for J.

More later, but yes, I have survived my time at the part time clinic I am working with.

A new opportunity to serve. . .

I have accepted a temporary job with a company that specializes in temp jobs for PAs. I get paid on an hourly basis, and it's really flexible so I can also take a day off to interview if I need to. I start with this company tomorrow with my first assignment. I knew it wasn't in the best neighborhood. . . .

Because of my HORRENDOUS navigational skills, we drove to the clinic today after church so I would have some clue about where I was headed tomorrow AM. Okay, so the neighborhood degenerated quickly after we exited the highway. Really quickly. I didn't take a photo of the clinic, I thought better of getting out of the car at that point. Let's just say that when I asked J where I should park in the morning, he said, "Behind the 8 foot tall chain link fence with the three rows of barbed wire above it." He said this without even thinking. Sounds good to me. This is the kind of place where I would feel more comfortable if one of the clinicians was scary and mean looking. Or packing heat.

So, on the way home, I started praying about this job. I have committed to three shifts at this particular clinic. It came to me that God puts us where He needs us to be, and where our talents are needed. I can serve here. I can serve this population with the heart of Jesus. I can treat them with kindness, gentleness, respect. I can heal their physical ailments. I can also touch their soul.

I pray that this week you also find someone, somewhere you can serve. It may be at home. It may be at school or work. Please allow God to touch your eyes and your heart to stir you to good works. We are put here to touch others. And it may be at that very moment that God touches us.

We hope to have permanent job news for both of us at the beginning of this week. Please be praying about those opportunities.

Houston Snow!!

Who knew that it would snow TWICE in five years here on the Texas Gulf Coast? It was practically a blizzard. And I know my friends and family in the north are making fun of us now, but it was a really big deal. They even had some school delays the next day. I saw snow men and snow angels. We had a blast. Here are some fun photos!

Wordless Wednesday

P is for PASS!!

Whoo-HOO! I passed my exam! I know not anyone else out there was worried, but I was, and I am so excited. So there's the news!!! YEAH. Now to find a job. . . .

Thanks for your prayers!!

Announcing. . .

A new blog! Well, not new, technically, just revamped. Check out Teaching Kids the Bible to the right. It's a joint adventure between Kim and myself, posting our Bible lessons to that blog. We figured that if we're having trouble teaching Romans (and other lessons) to first graders, other people might be, too. So, we're restarting our posting to that site to help others teach kids Biblical truths.

Each entry (should) include the text, any worksheets we did, and activities. Photos will be included, when available.

We're so excited about this joint effort. If you have any ideas, please e-mail either Kim or myself. We'd love to post whatever wonderful ideas anyone else has. We try to give credit where credit is due, but if we forget, please let us know! We definitely don't want to take credit when it's not ours to take.

We both hope you're inspired and ready to teach little ones!

Photos of AB. Warning, Cuteness Alert!

AB's First Halloween. She had two costumes, a lady bug and a kitten. I'm not sure who the 1980s rocker is that's holding her. . . . his mom must be so proud!

She was looking at her daddy.

Photos with AB's mom (not mine)

My mom took these photos of the girl while she was there the first part of November. I think that girl is so pretty! I may be a bit biased, however.

I dont' know how to get the spacing right on this thing, but here she is. Even if the writing is a little off.

Made me think of you. . . .

There is a certain truth to this t-shirt I found at WDW. I thought about putting it as my photo, but I didn't. I still might. Enjoy.

We have angered the job gods. . . .

Jeremy was let go from his part time position Monday.

Jeremy had two job interviews Tuesday, both with CC*ISD. One went better than the other. We're still waiting on those results.

My job interview was supposed to be for this morning, but they cancelled it yesterday. She said she will reschedule it. I am anxious for that. I also have a contact who has said she will give me "info" about a job I would like to get if I call. I don't have a good phone number for her. *sigh* Doin' the best I can, I guess. Still looking for work. Good news is, someone called me and wanted me to interview for their clinic. Bad news, clinic is about 100 miles away. It's in beautiful country, though. I didn't tell them no. Maybe I should have. I don't know. God's not being as clear as He was before.

A friend and I were talking today about being good stewards of what God has given us, in plenty or in want. It reminded me that our "poor" way of living is how some people live every day, and really, we're not so poor. We have what we need. Not to excess, as perhaps we did in times past, but we have enough. And God promises enough. He gives just enough.

Please continue to pray for J and his spirits. He's really getting into a funk because of this job situation, and I know he'd rather have some job, any job, than nothing. And so J sits around and pokes me with a pencil, or watches me type Bible lessons, or other equally boring tasks. He did make dinner today, while I was off galavanting with my friends. I'm glad that happened. He really is a good house husband. I know that he'd be really happy to be more than just a house husband, though.

Please keep my father-in-law in your prayers. Mama T is my mother-in-law (her link is on my side bar). My FIL is interviewing for a job tomorrow. He got laid off right about when I did. Please keep him in your prayers.

I know this isn't cute, or filled with baby photos (those come later), but this is what's going on in our house right now. Just job stuff. Sorry we're boring, but this is life. It's definitely not linear.

Boarding

It's finally (and already) here. I take boards in 1 hour and 17 minutes. Please pray for this test and the results that will take two weeks to get! My friend called it a brain drain. Yep. I slept somewhere longer than 2 hours, shorter than 4 hours last night. I was anxious. Now I am going to eat eggs fixed by my sweet husband and get in the car in PLENTY of time to get to my test center. I will have my book in the car with me, so just in case I get there too early, I get extra study time! Whoo-hoo. Thanks for all the prayers.

Thankful

Of course, Thanksgiving is a day when we all are given the opportunity to count our blessings. And our family is so blessed. We have the opportunity to talk to God whenever we need it, and we're going to heaven. The rest is just gravy. And there is ALOT of gravy to be thankful for.

I want to challenge you all to think of the verse from 2 Corinthians - Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! Spend a minute every day listing 3 for 4 things you are thankful for, from the little things to the big things. Do this for the rest of the year, and see what God brings to your brain, what blessings He reminds you of, what blessings you are more aware of.

We are in a holding cell right now. That's all this world is. With all its gravy, it's still just a holding cell. We're waiting for the next step. Faithfully waiting. Patiently waiting. Sometimes comfortably waiting. Counting our blessings helps me realize that the blessings aren't from some magic coincidence, the blessings are from God. And I shouldn't be comfortable here. This isn't my home. It's just a cell.

Hope your Thanksgiving found you with friends or family, love and laughter. We pray that this year will give you all lots of blessings to be thankful for.

Free At Last!

So what does one do on the first day of "freedom" (also called unemployment)?

About 16 loads of laundry. Where did all these clothes come from?

Study. Alot. But I'm passing my practice tests. Less than 2 weeks to go until I take my boards again. I'm starting with the heartburn already.

Sleep in. But not alot. My brain woke me up with all that I have to do today.

Apply for a job. In northwest Houston. I don't think it's going to work out. For several reasons.

Call my old job. Twice. But it was mostly to see how things were going with my former co-workers. And gloat. Nicely. Yesterday was rocky for them. I feel bad for them. Not bad enough to come back, though.

Make sure my unemployment claim was processed and going through. The important things, right?

Realized I was low on my facial regimen. Panicked, and ran to CVS, where I purchased the "magic" facial serum that helps my skin be calmer. And paid about $437 an ounce for that stuff. I didn't remember it being that expensive. But worth it.

I leave tonight for WDW, and I will spend today packing and getting everything ready (read: making sure my husband has food to eat) for me to go.

J has an interview this AM, and we found out another one is being scheduled for December 2. Please be praying for these, and for God's direction in this matter.

God is still working in our lives and it's amazing to see Him work. Thank you for encouraging us and continuing your prayers on our behalf.

Cuttrell 2, Jobs 0

Well, I guess there's some news to update.

As some of you know, Friday, October 31, I was informed that my contract with my current employer was not going to be renewed. I was assured that I had done nothing wrong, they were pleased with my performance, etc, etc. I have until November 14th to work here, then I am done. Do you hear God in this?

This is the job that I have been unhappy with for several months. I had discussed this with my bosses several times, as a grown up, not whining or complaining, but discussing what changes may improve morale here in the clinic. Laying off the PA was not on my list of things to do to improve morale.

So, on to the God part.

I prayed and prayed (and prayed more) for God's hand to be present in all this hoo-haa that is my current life. Monday AM, I asked God for a break. There's been so much pressure, and to walk back into a clinic that laid me off was mentally killing me. Monday AM, a friend from church came to me to ask if I would accompany her and her daughter to a conference, all expenses paid, to chaperone her daughter (who is a good kid, and I like hanging out with her anyway).

Where is the conference? Disney World.

That's right, the mouse with the most.

I leave four days after my last day at work for four days at WDW. While I am there, I will see another family there who have adopted J and me as surrogate children and get to hang with them for a while too.

It gets better.

Jeremy and I have decided (and I can't tell anyone this in person, it makes me cry) that we will put resumes out wherever. My very scary idea about getting a job outside of H-town is that we will have trouble selling our house. The market isn't great, but it's not terrible. I was telling God that's what I was most scared of. So, Saturday, less than 24 hours after learning my contract would not be renewed, a friend of a friend offered to buy my house. Sight unseen. Just hearing me describe it on the phone.

Wow.

I insisted that they at least come over and look at the house. They will be coming over next week to look. We have made it clear that we're not ready to sell just yet, but if they are interested after they see it, we'll offer the house to them first. And guess what they're preapproved for? Yep. Very, very close to what we're asking.

Does it get better? Of course.

We both have let go of the bitterness and anger that we felt initially. How can we be mad at someone who was just doing what God wanted? If it wasn't handled just the way it should have been, I can learn from that. Once I personally let go of the anger, God reached blessings into my life. I had asked for a few considerations, and was told, unequivocally, that there would be no considerations. No reason was given to me, but it was clear that they wanted as little to do with me as possible.

After the anger was gone, guess what? My boss came to me and apologized for his behavior and actions. He gave me everything I asked for. I told him that I didn't want him doing anything he was uncomfortable with, but he assured me he would be okay with what I had asked.

There are a few things that have gotten me through the nights.
1. If God wanted me to work here, there would be no way I could leave. If God wants me to leave, there's no way I could stay. I'm done here, and it's all in God's hands.

2. God promises me strength and faith for today. Not tomorrow, today. When I am laying in an emotional fetal position and thinking "I don't know how I can go to work tomorrow and face these people," I am reminded that I don't have to have faith for tomorrow. I will get that strength tomorrow from God. And he definitely provides. But enough for today.

3. Ralph said this Sunday and it stuck with me. If the apostles had known on Friday that Sunday was coming, would the joy have been so deep? Would they have grown? Would it have been as meaningful? We are definitely on Friday. But Sunday is coming. And it's gonna be cool.

We are praying fervently for Jeremy to get a job to replace our incomes. We want this prayer prayed specifically. Please put us on all the prayer lists you can. God is using this situation to allow both of us to grow enormously. We will keep you up to date on what's going on. It's gonna be a wild ride. I wish I was more patient, but God works in his time, not mine, and it will come when we're ready.

Keep praying!

Update on AB

Several of you have asked for updated photos of AB. OF COURSE, we took pictures while we were there last weekend. Here are several of my favorite:

The face I love:

Special time with Aunt D:

Uncle J has the touch:

Open Letter

This is an open letter to those who blew by me on my way to San Antonio this afternoon:

To All of You Who Must Have Missed the Speed Limit Signs:

I am in the right lane because I go 70 in a 70. Please do not zip up behind me and flash your lights. Where would you like me to move to get out of your way? The shoulder? No, thank you. I will piddle along at my middle aged pace in a futile attempt to obey the law (mostly) and drive at a safe rate of speed. And save gas.

So please pass me by in the left lane. Wave at me when I let you in, nicely, after you got close enough to lick the chrome off my bumper. I am patient and long suffering, I suppose. And I am not a rule breaker, including speeding.

And I think that I'm a safer driver than you. But just a little.

Daesha

Quilt Giveaway

Go to the link on the right hand side of my blog to enter to win this beautiful quilt!

When Did That Happen? And Other Musings

This is my Five for Friday, but I needed to ask a question of myself, and hopefully get an answer. Hmmm.

1. I think I'm getting to be an adult. At least, I am more adult than not these days. I actually had a converstaion about fiber in breakfast cereal last week. And said it was awesome. *sigh* But the cereal itself is really, really good, is that a mitigating circumstance? FiberOne Autumn Harvest is worth picking up. Yummy and full of fiber. Awesome. *sigh*

2. At what point does one just throw in the towel and resign? Probably when one has another job lined up, for starters. Some really petty things are happening at work. When my manager came to me to discuss how these things would be impacting me (and only me), she shrugged when I asked her what she wanted me to do, how she wanted me to work. Shrugged! Yeah, dusting off the resume. Perhaps.

3. I get to see AB next weekend. I am so excited. Of course more pictures to come from that trip. I made all my Bunko friends endure photos of her last night. Thanks O and K for the cute photo album. I get almost as many compliments on that as I do of her.

4. I can confidentally say that I can fix and serve 150 servings of spaghetti with bread and cookies. That is the equivalent of 5 of the LARGE pans of spaghetti. I can also confidentally say that it is way more fun with a friend, and that I do not want to eat spaghetti for a long time.

5. The most important news: Jeremy had a pre-interview this week that was promising. He's supposed to hear from the company themselves sometime soon to set up a *real* interview. He knows a little bit about where the job is and what he would be doing. The worksite is not too terribly far from us, considering where we live, and it seems to be something he would enjoy doing. Please be praying for the doors to open if that's what is in God's plan. And as much as it hurts me, if this isn't in God's plan, we don't want the doors opened.

This time next week I hope to be snuggling a baby! Yeah! And I just realized last night that my target date for taking my boards is 6 weeks away. Gulp. I gotta get cracking!

Party Animals

When do you people find time to blog?!! I don't even have time to read all that I want.


August was filled with celebrations, and I promised pictures for those of you who couldn't be there. Or wanted to see photos of my brother intensely studying a pacifier label. It was cute. I know this is crazy late, but we had a hiccup called Ike in the middle of September, and this never got posted. So there you go. Parties from two months ago that were fun!


Wedding





Two handsome ushers!

Setting: metropolis of A. The guy getting married is my cousin's son. We drove around with the windows down in August because the humidity was under 80%. The wedding was beautiful and we wish both of them blessings on this marriage.


2 Year Old Birthday Party







Setting: metropolis of LC. The theme was Sesame Street and was SO CUTE!! Beware, I'm taking notes! The boys seemed to really enjoy themselves, and the rest of the kids did too.

Baby Showers! (I know AB's already here, but here are her parties!)

Setting: metropolis of SA. My brother and SIL picked ladybugs for the nursery, and it's SO CUTE. The theme of the second shower was ladybugs and was SO CUTE.

Jeremy is still looking for a job. He redid his resume and started sending it out again. So far there's been some interest, so please keep that in your prayers.

So now we're caught up. Work is back to normal, life is back to normal. For us at least. We're going to enjoy the calm before the holidays. Can you believe they're just around the corner! Now that I have instilled panic, I will sign off. Enjoy your day.

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

My brother and his lovely wife gave me a niece today.

The new family:

AB was born September 28, 2008 in the afternoon. She is 7 lbs, 6 ounces, and 21.75 inches long. She was born by cesarean section after a loooong labor by one tough mama (and her tough birth coach.)

I drove like a crazy woman, leaving here Saturday night late, and returning home exactly 24 hours and 42 minutes later. I didn't sleep much. But I did get to do this before I left:

So, thanks, to the wonderful friends who kept me company while driving by myself on the lonely highway, even into the wee hours of the night. Thanks to the makers of Dr. Pepper who allowed me to stay awake on the way home. Thanks to the NewsBoys, whose music played at top volume makes my ears ring and the time go by faster. And thanks to my brother and his wife for letting me get to be there for this wonderful occasion. It means alot to me.

And one more picture to make your heart melt before you click to someone else's blog. At least, it made my heart melt:

What we do when we're bored at work.

The guy on the left is my boss. MY BOSS.

We really need patients here. Come to the doctor please. The head bands are from the Lord of the Flies children in our kitchen. We all have them. The headbands, not the children.

Working with Ike

So today I'm working. Obviously not too hard, because I am writing on this blog. It's amazing to live in post-Ike. It's also amazing how quickly people become adapted to a new normal. Last night it got dark and I went to get a flashlight, even though our power was on. I had forgotten that our light switches worked again. It was dark, that means time for bed because there is nothing else to do. It will probably take a few days to get used to power again. The human spirit is resilient, and our brains are remarkably forgetful. At least mine is!

We were very blessed to make it through this terrible storm with our house mostly intact. And our yard was pretty much okay. I had a friend accuse me of cleaning my yard before I took a photo. We did have damage, but the plants are mostly okay. Two or three plants were uprooted. We staked them back down. They'll make it.

We are very blessed to have power back so early.

We are very blessed to have gorgeous weather this week. Low heat and low humidity; who can ask for more!

We are very blessed to have plenty of bottled water right now. We have our regular hurricane stash that we always have on hand this time of year, as well as plenty of bottles of water.

We are very blessed to have plenty of food to eat right now. Again, we have our regular hurricane stores of food, and the refrigerator was full of food. That may seem like a bad thing, but the office had power before we did, and we took our food to work and put it in the fridge here. Our pantry is overflowing.

We are very blessed to be working now. My office is open now, and we're seeing patients. Jeremy's part time gig is open now, and he's there helping them today.

We are blessed to be in a safe neighborhood, where, although we did sleep with the gun next to the bed one night, we didn't need it. There are still police everywhere.

We are blessed to know that our gas tanks are still quite full for the time being, and we don't have to wait in line for fuel. We still have several full cans in the garage, for when we start getting low.

We are blessed to know that when it was so hot and my dog had stopped eating and drinking because of the heat, we (and she) were welcome at a strangers home for the night for a hot shower and hot meal, cold air conditioning and cold refrigerators. We really needed that to recharge our batteries, and get her rehydrated.

We are blessed to have a water heater and oven that is gas powered so while we cannot drink the water, we can bathe in it, and allow the hot water to soothe our aching muscles.

We are blessed to know we still have the physical ability to clean yards that need it. I was wondering if my body could still do this kind of manual labor, and I can. Muscles are definitely complaining, and I have several new blisters to show for my efforts, but yards are clean and I was able to help those who needed it.

We are blessed with friends who will ask for help when they need it.

We are blessed with friends to work by our side as we clean.

We are blessed coming through this together as a family.

I am working in strange conditions. We have x-ray, but no lab. We aren't taking appointments, only walk-ins. Tetanus shots for everyone, including my sweet husband, who got his today. His injury included being bitten by our big cat, and now it's infected. The cat didn't do too well with the storm. Half of our staff has power at home, half doesn't. We're all a little distracted, and there are two single moms who nobody has heard from. I had to treat a guy today for broken collar bone, and I didn't have a DME store open for a brace for him. So I fashioned a figure eight brace out of ace wraps. For those whose eyes glazed over at that sentence, it's impressive, let me assure you. There aren't many places open for prescriptions to be filled. And, of course, I don't have a nurse. That pretty much goes without saying. Since all the schools are closed, the children of our employees are in the kitchen, and have turned it into a kind of pseudo-daycare. The portable DVD is fired up with free Willy, and they're cleaning out the ice cream that's left in the freezer. They set up rules for each other, and they posted them on the refrigerator. It's very Lord of the Flies. With minimal grown up supervising.

So there you go. We're very blessed and keep reminding ourselves that while it's mostly over for us for now, there are many people for whom this is just beginning. Please continue to keep those in your prayers. And thank you for your continuing prayers on our behalf. We really do appreciate it.

More Photos

I'm home. We have had power for about 36 hours now. Funny, going for 40 hours without electricity really makes you love your AC. Which we haven't turned on yet. It's really, really nice outside right now, so we're taking advantage of it.

Here are a few more pictures of our neighborhood with house damage.

McK House

I think there was a tornado in their backyard/neighborhood. One of the limbs that was down in the back there was twisted in a circle before it snapped. One of their neighbors heard two tornados during the hurricane.

Im House

The back gate Pappa said needed a little fixing was hanging on by 1/2 a hinge. Jeremy took it off entirely and laid it on the ground.

Pa House

Sh House -

Apparently they also had water damage inside their house. They will have to replace their wood floors for the 3rd time, and I am sure they're excited about that. A's play house is on it's side. It's not really usable now, but hopefully will be as soon as they get a little cleaned up.

Sm House - gutter damage

Check out her blog here to see what else she had going on. Pray for her and their clean up tasks. They have alot in front of them.

My House - here's how we could see what was going on. Shine a flashlight through the gap and see what's going on in the little corner of my yard we could see.

This was a photo of the last of the storm. It was taken about 7:00 AM in tropical storm conditions, after we unboarded the back door. We could see the banana trees out the back fence through the night. They bent in half during the night, so we could see the top of the fence when the wind blew hard, and when the wind let up, we could see the banana trees lift a little. That was our wind gauge.

This is generally how my neighborhood looked on Saturday AM. Many trees down, most fences down. A few roofs damaged in the front part of the subdivision.

Church Sunday AM

It was raining pretty hard, but there were a few of us there. We had church outside because there was no AC or power, so we were under a breeze way. It was very surreal. We sang songs we all knew because we didn't want to get song books. We had communion on our brass plates, and some optimistic soul passed the offering plate. People wore whatever they had. Jeremy couldn't even think of wearing shorts to Sunday AM church, so he wore jeans. We did have to wade a little to get through the parking lot, because the drains had gotten clogged with debris.

The Impact Center had some roof damage. But no fire damage from the funeral home next door.

Neighborhoods on Saturday AM. They look MUCH BETTER now, with the streets passable.

Sorry, Heather. I know you're anxious about your home. I wasn't able to get to it over the last few days. I hope you're able to get information on your house.

More later.