30 things you may not know about me

I read another blog that had a list like this and got to thinking do I have 30 things? hmmmm....

1. I click when I sleep (my husband says it sounds like a ping pong match)
2. I love animals but hate that they shed
3. I love candlelight. I love to get up early in the morning and do my devotions iwth a cup of coffee or tea and candlelight.
4. I like who I am when no one is around. I don't like myself when others are around-brings out my impatience and lack of self control.
5. At 11 pm something comes over me and I have no control over the amount of chocolate I eat.
6. I love the sound of water (rain, streams, bathtub).
7. I love to read cookbooks
8. I usually have 5 books I am reading at a time-slowly.
9. I love fiction books but think they are a waste of time considering our limited time on earth so I read the Bible or other Christian/Bible based books.
10. With the above statement about a waste of time....I am addicted to reading blogs. Well, not addicted but enjoy reading them (about once a month, it fuels my creativity).
11. My favorite blogs are Jenny Hodges, Mary Koester and Rebekah Gregg.
12. I love quick result craft projects.
13. I love paper: stationary, colored paper, etc.
14. My favorite website is Family Fun
15. Wish I were less uptight
16. Wish I could let the house get messy
17. I love going on walks
18. I love picking fruit and vegetables and cooking with them
19. I'd love to own an RV
20. I would love to just get into a fight someday to see what I was really made of (I'm sure I'd walk away crying after the first punch-I can dish it but can't take it)
21. I start day dreaming if you talk for more than 2 minutes.
22. I hate to talk on the phone, unless your name is Jenny Bagby
23. I cannot end a sentence. "...soooooo........"
24. I don't like being the new person
25. I play the piano but would love to play the drums
26. I have a 2nd soprano voice but can only sing melody so I screech at most songs.
27. I love hip hop old school "It takes two to make a thing go right..."
28. I love beach music and love to dance (NC term "shag" not European term in this sense). I also love Tony Bennett and Harry Connick, Jr., Brad Paisley and Tim McGraw.
29. I love to swim but don't do it much because I hate to fix my hair and also I hate how cold I get when I get out of the pool
30. I love to explore new places I've never been

I don't have my contacts in so I will spell check later.

Glory!

Can I just say OH MY GOODNESS! It has been 4 months since I posted! Well my goal is once a week. There is so much. Highlights:

February-moved into a new house

March-Back to USA for 2 weeks! How great! and FCA golf camp

April-Immersion Team Spring Break-Immersion parents visit, host them and take them around.Griffin starts swim lessons and tin whistle lessons. Enjoying Scouts. Some trouble with kids with Griffin. Sweet Sarah hosts a birthday party for me (with brownies-mmmm).

May-Creech Sr's arrive. First trip out of the US!!!! Come with friends of theirs (and now ours) Pam and Jerry. 2 teams in. Ludie traveling over Ireland teaching Way of the Master Evangelism. Immersion Team comes off field and back to Lacken House (OM Ireland headquarters) where they will stay and work through July.

June-finishing up school for the summer. Went with Griffin to see matinee The Secret Garden play. Immersion team (9 people) are staying in our house for 3 days while the construction crew has come here to finish out the kitchen, meeting room and dormitory rooms of the stable block at Lacken House (utterly AMAZING!). Coming up this month: Speaking at our Ladies group at church on the 8th (oh my-need your prayers), Emily has hip dysplasia check with pediatrician on the 14, Car inspection on the 18th, Anniversary on the 21st (13 years), and Impact Ireland June 29th-July 13.

My SISTER and her family come week of July 4th !!!!!!!

My head is spinning- and my legs are hurting

There are so many things going on. Such opportunities and so many rabbits to chase. I pray that the Lord would give us priority in our lives to make our hearts align with His priority and his best. I don't even know where to start so I will just pick a day and tell you about that.

I woke up this morning trying to figure out why my legs hurt so bad. Then it came to me...the big sprint down the driveway, down the road, to the boat dock, then back up the hill to the house not knowing what awaited me.

Yes, here I am again, providing entertainment for myself and the neighbors. It was the morning or the Ladies Coffee and Tea-an outreach to the community by a local church (you can pray for people to come in and be fed the Good News). I had to get the kids together to get a birthday gift for one of Griffin's friends and then to the tea and coffee. HOWEVER... that was not the priority of my seven year old. Actually it was a priority just not an URGENT one. So between getting ready he would be doing anything but getting ready, leaving me to sound like the mommy I did not want to sound like. (I am sure my mom lost her patience but I don't remember it but once-that's a whole other story). So I got the car warmed up. Got the kids in the car seat and then realized I really need to go to the bathroom because I will not make it to the church (and public bathrooms are few and far between in Ireland).

So, I have the kids in the car, the front door open because we have to air the moisture out of the house while we are gone, the heat off in the house, the dog locked up in the wash room (or so I thought) and me in the restroom (or toilet as is said here). Then I hear pawing at the door of the washroom and whining of the dog. Since I was in a hurry (more information than you should or want to know), I was running out of the bathroom while zipping up my pants and buckling my belt. I got a sick feeling that the dog got out. I got out of the bathroom, saw the washroom door open, and the front door open.

The kids were sitting patiently in the car and Emily was actually not screaming. I told Griffin the dog got out to stay with the girls, I'll be right back. Well that sent both girls into crying and screaming. Later I found out that Griffin yelled at Ruth Anne to get her to stop crying (and she did) because he said "I could only deal with one child screaming at a time". (Gee, I wonder where he heard that!?).

So... Here I go running down the driveway as fast as I can (first time sprinting after having the baby), in my dress shoes, through the mud, past the neighbor's houses. It is lambing season here so the baby lambs are in the pastures. I was so worried about the dog chasing and harming the lambs since he is so big and fast. I was praying outload as I ran, "God please don't let him chase the sheep", "God help me to catch him"-over and over. Well thank God he did not chase the sheep. He is a bird dog and was more excited about the freedom and the water fowl commonly found in Lough Ree. I am not sure at this point if my pants are fully zipped.

The dog does not come when you call him when he is outside the house. Needless to say as I was sprinting and seeing him in the distance, I was yelling for him to come here anyway. I am sure the whole community could hear me.

I could not catch him and was worried about the children so I ran as fast as I could, breathless, back to the top of the hill to our house and got in the car. On the way home I saw one neighbor and I just said "I have 3 kids in the car and the dog is out", and kept running. Then I saw my sweet friend and neighbor Sarah, and almost in tears just told her the dog is out and the kids are in the car. She drove towards where he was in an effort to probably corral him. (God bless her).

Now back to the house, with the kids buckled in I barreled down my driveway. Going full speed down the road, I spotted him running back up the marina walkway. I also saw a farmer looking at the dog and at me driving at speeds unheard of in this area coming down the road. I got out of the car at the playground (looking like the Dukes of Hazard) and the dog kept running toward me. He then quickly turned at a right angle and ran away again. I got back in the car and Ruthie was saying over and over again, "I wanna play" talking about the playground.

Then we went to the point of the peninsula chasing the dog in the car. I think I was going so fast it scared him and he stopped and coward on the side of the road. (For a half second I just wanted to hit him with the car, but knowing that was not the right thing to do and the kids would be traumatized, I opened the door of the car and he hopped in.) At this time I looked up just in time to see another farmer standing in awe in the middle of the street (and I am sure thinking some thoughts of his own). I did not bother with the obligatory wave to either farmer and just got the dog back home.

I tried in my best Carol Ingalls voice, "wow wasn't that an adventure!" and managed a laugh with the kids. I can laugh about it now and what a sight it might have been but at that time I was about at my wits end.

We did not get the gift until after the coffee and tea but enjoyed the calm friendship and a cup of tea with the ladies. And instead of being rushed to get the gift, we just took our time strolling and getting the gift after the Tea which I don't think we've done in a LONG time! It was nice not to be on a schedule, or at least not a tight one. That in itself was a gift to me and the kids.

What I want to be....

The verse below has been on my heart the past week and I was amazed when I saw this devotional. It reminded me of what Shelley Hendrix taught me two years ago. Don't concentrate on what you don't want to be but what you want to be. It is so true. Somehow I fell into the old habit of concentrating on the don'ts instead of do's. If there is a Proverbs 31 woman I would model my life after it would be Lila Cox, missionary to Thailand.

Below is a devotional from Proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com
Devotion by Amy Carroll:
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

As my plane landed, I wondered if she'd be there. The retreat weekend simply wouldn't be the same without her. I would miss her encouraging looks as I spoke and the women of her church would certainly have hearts that ached with her absence. All year I had thought about the words that she had spoken the previous fall, and I needed to ask her more probing questions.

She had a secret that I longed to know. There were many women from the group who I wanted to ask about, but as the event coordinator and I waited at the luggage carousel, I started with my most important question, "Will Ruth Clark be coming?" My heart rejoiced as I heard the reply that was given with a smile, "Ruth has had a lot of health problems this year, but she'll be there!"

Entering the room at the retreat center, my eyes searched for Ruth among the small clusters of chatting women. I found her dear, smiling face quickly and headed to greet her. She opened her arms wide, hugged me and said, "I've been praying for you all year." After asking me to wait for a minute, Ruth opened her purse, took out a well-worn pink book full of small cards and began to leaf through it. Finally, she found the card for which she had been searching, and pulled it out. On it was a black-and-white photocopy of a picture of me with my name written underneath. She explained, "Each day I use this book to remember who to pray for. I put you in my book after the retreat last year, and I've prayed for you every day."

I looked at her face, creased with crows' feet and laugh lines, the product of many wide smiles and tender glances. I took in her white hair, the walker beside her and her comf ortable shoes and had a single thought—"Beautiful!"

Ruth is the woman that I want to be when age has settled onto my features and slowed my steps. Her beauty is an internal light that has grown brighter with time and experience rather than being extinguished. Knowing Ruth has changed my life and set me on a journey. When we first met, I immediately knew she had something I wanted.

After listening to this delightful woman talk for a while, I asked her, "What is your secret? How have you continued to grow in the Lord, stay positive and exude joy?" She answered quickly and confidently, "Be today who you want to be tomorrow."

Profound!

So, how can you and I apply Ruth's advice in our lives while we're still younger women? We can ask to God to reveal our own sins and flaws, repent of them and ask for His mercy to start living differently today. He's given me a very personal and specific list of where to start! I can ask God's help to stop my tend ency toward complaining about difficult circumstances and develop the habit of praising Him for molding my character through trials and tests. I can ask Him for the spiritual fruit of self-control so that I resist flying off the handle in a grumpy, hormone-fueled fit for no good reason. I can ask Him to stop my free-flowing river of words and help me listen to others compassionately before I speak. I could go on, but you're getting the picture. Are you starting to make a list of your own?

Although thinking about our own aging and watching loved ones age sometimes generates fear, we can face the future with tremendous hope and faith when we know that we can begin shaping our tomorrows today. I truly believe that becoming the woman today that we want to be tomorrow is the key to becoming the woman of grace, love and wisdom in our 70s and 80s that we so desire to be.

Dear Lord, I long to be a growing, godly older woman until my very last breath. Help me to begin t oday in developing the character and spiritual disciplines that I'll need to follow You victoriously throughout my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Random Recap of 2009

I am making myself go to bed before midnight (is my goal) so with 10 minutes to spare I am going to try to post the fastest recap of the year! It is one year ago today that our flight took off from Ireland. I remember calling my Grandmother from the airport to tell her I love her. With her being 92 that this might be the last time I am able to communicate with her while she is alive while on this continent. That proved to be true, because in March 2009 she passed away. What a blessing it was to knowingly say our goodbyes and while she was in good health.



We left with just our suitcases. We were organizing and repacking up until the last 30 minutes before we left. It was simply too expensive to take the things we planned to take in order to make our new home, HOME. So we took what we could.



It does not seem like a lot but the Lord had been really working on us especially the past couple weeks in showing us the difference between needs and wants.


I have to say, sitting here a year later we have all we need and more than we deserve (which is nothing-we deserve). We look around and are so blessed and cannot imagine that we moved here a year ago.

January: We arrived and looked for housing while staying at Leena and Mary's house (they were gracious to be bombarded by a family of four). We went to Mosbach, Germany for orientation and training with Operation Mobilization. We came back and got settled into our cottage at Portrunny in County Roscommon (in the midlands of Ireland).

February: We found out our family of 4 was going to be a family of 5. I think I skipped culture shock and just plain was in shock!!!! Connect Youth Event at Kilkenny College.

March: Started going to a local Moms and Tots group and meeting other moms in the community. Ludie gets involved with the Big Red Bus Outreach on Sundays at a local Mall.

April:FCA Golf Camp at Glasson with Anders Forsbrand (Ryder Cup Champion). Went up to Ballina, County Mayo to help with a youth outreach event.

May: Ludie shares his testimony in a church in Belfast. Get to ride the Logos Hope from Belfast to Dublin and stay on it a couple nights. Al McMillan from FBCW Missions Department and Steve Hyland, our SMP leader come for a vision trip.

June: Griffin starts soccer. Doing homeschool through the summer so we can take our summer break when the baby arrives. Logos Hope arrives in Cork. Ludie does evangelism training on it. Impact Ireland. Griffin goes to Art Camp at our local church.

July: Griffin goes to VBS. Impact Ireland lasts through until July 21st. Cross walk from Cork to Rahara Ireland, many lives touched by the message of the cross. Ludie joins the Core Leadership team for OM Ireland.

August:Immersion Ireland team arrives

September: Immersion Ireland Team

October: Immersion Ireland Team goes to their assigned locations throughout Ireland. Emily Grace born!!! Mom and Dad visit.

November: Ludie goes to Germany for OM leaders conference. God is working on his heart regarding evangelism.

December:Immersion Ireland team finishes their first semester! Much needed and enjoyed family break!

Well that is a fast recap that will be edited later but the kids have been sick this week and there is a lot to be done around the house tomorrow. I don't want to miss my time with God tomorrow before the house wakes up because I stayed up too late. Not because I am that "spiritual" but because I am NOT that "spiritual" and need the Lord's hand on my life more than ever!!!!

Catching Up with Pictures

Griffin and Ruth Anne snuggling watching a video on the computer.








Griffin is helping me now with the cooking. He loves to chop the vegetables (as inspired by the soup making in the movie: Desperaux. Ruthie loves to "shake shake" the spices and "stir stir stir"



We watched the Macy's Parade on live feed on the computer.









Thanksgiving dinner with the OM Ireland Team at the Bryants House









All the babies and mamas. Thank God the babies are finally here and all safe and healthy!








Ruthie helped me make an apple pie. All the flour was dumped out while I had my back turned. Luckily it landed on the table and not the floor!!!










We had the most rain that Ireland has seen in 1000 years. The flood waters were rising while Ludie was in Germany. Thank God for good neighbors (Dax and Sarah) that filled up the car with gas for me in case we needed to evacuate and did some grocery shopping so I did not have to take the kids out in the flood waters (Emily was 3 weeks old then). I was so thankful when Ludie got home. The water got up to one sheep pasture away from us from the bay off of Lough Ree-it is usually 3 sheep pastures away.






Griffin is the first to read the Bible to Ruthie. He read the story of Sampson to her. He is such a great big brother.










Thank God for a dog. He may leave a lot of hair all over the place, but he does clean up good after Ruthie. I was in the kitchen when I heard the box of cereal hit the floor.










Brazillian BBQ and great friends. What more could you ask?

More pictures to come but the function key is not working at the moment!

Cultural Differences-the birth of Emily

Emily Grace is here! She was born on the 23rd of October at 11:10 am. She is 7 lbs 13 oz and 56 cm long! She is healthy and a very content baby girl!

I have had a lot of people ask me what the differences were in delivering here vs. the US. Well I will tell you our delivery story and you can see for yourself.

The contractions started at 4:30 am. I was awakened by the first contraction and knew by the horse kick in the belly that this was the day! So I went back to sleep and slept between contractions until they were about 15 minutes apart. We then got up around 7 am to get ready to go to the hospital. By the time we left for the hospital at 8 am the contractions were 5 minutes apart. It is a 40 minute drive to the hospital. We passed 3 tractors on the way. We even parked the car and walked instead of having Ludie drop me off at the door so that my contractions would keep on. I did not want them to stop and have to go back home.

In Ireland they give you a card that tracks your doctor (general practitioner) and hospital visit summary. We went to the labor ward, told them I was having contractions 3-5 minutes apart (which were getting pretty painful by then), and told them of my history of fast labors with the previous 2 children, and gave them my card that had my info and medical record information. The hospital and doctors keep everything on a computer system where they can look up each other's notes, test results etc very easily. A system I have been very impressed with. They hooked me up to the monitors to check the baby's heartbeat and monitor the contractions. Then checked me and I was 5 cm dilated. (My first pelvic exam of the entire pregnancy). They told me I could walk the halls if I wanted to. I thought we were gone for longer but Ludie says it was only 15-20 minutes at the most that we walked the halls. When we came back I was 9 cm. Ludie was joking with me at 10:45 am asking me when I thought we would have the baby by. I said 11:15 am. He said 10:47 am. Then a HARD contraction came that made me yell out. The midwife quickly got out all the supplies needed. She just sat down at the end of the bed like she was my best friend and we talked for a bit between contractions. She told me when I was at 10 cm and then said it was time to push.I think in about 3 contractions Emily was born. Thank God because those 3 were not fun. They had gas and air hooked up for me to breathe in if I wanted pain relief. I did that about 3 times but it just made me feel funny and did not help so much with pain. They do offer epidurals and other pain relief options but I would just rather get it over with without dealing with the drug side effects.

I really loved the nurse midwife. It was calming to have her there and she was so sweet and calm. I told her if I am in any other country that if I ever were pregnant again I would come back to Ireland to have the baby. When Emily was born they wiped her off quickly and handed her to me to hold skin to skin. That was the first time that has happened. Usually they hand the baby to you but you have clothes between you or the baby is wrapped in a cloth. I was able to hold Emily and put the sheet over her and she did not cry one second once I held her and just got to hold her for about 20 minutes. Then they took her to weigh her while I got sutures. That was just so amazing!!!!

After some sutures from a doctor that talked too much, they put me in a wheel chair and took me to my room. There were 3 beds. One was filled with a lady that had been in labor since 10 pm the night before. I got in bed. The babies get to stay in the room with us, and husbands can stay during visiting hours unless you are in labor. They bring you tea and toast (pot of tea, toast with butter and jam, and yogurt) after you deliver. Ludie went to the local convenient store and got us some cajun chicken sandwich baguettes (it is like a little subway at the convenient stores where you can get sandwiches). So he came back with that. I ate half and saved the rest for the middle of the night.

Ludie brought the kids and my parents up to visit that night.They got there at 8pm. I did not see a nurse but once since I left labor and delivery. She stopped by to ask if I needed pain medication or not. I guess since I did not then there wasn't really anything else that was needed. They come if you need help and call them with the nurse button, but other than that, you just rest and enjoy your baby. They don't even check on the baby. If you think the baby needs anything or have a question you just ask, but other than that you are left to rest! The bathroom was across the hall and you just wheel the baby with you in their little cart to the restroom that has a bath (some have showers). Still the baby has not been bathed. That is not done until the next day so that the baby is not chilled and also is able to absorb some of the vernix (to protect it's skin). Something I was glad I knew before then.

I don't think my nurse call button worked so I walked down the hall to ask if I could be released the next day and they said yes as long as the pediatrician approved Emily to go home. So I ate dinner. Got to visit with the kids and my parents and then slept in 15 minute intervals the rest of the night. My poor roommate was in labor and Emily would not sleep in the crib so I held her and dozed. I am sure we were both a little more alert because of the tea that was brought with supper and at 10pm they brought tea and cake. Each pot of tea makes 3 cups of tea. I came home addicted to tea and toast with butter and jam. I love it and still crave it!

I went down the hall around 11 pm and got some Paracetamol (like Tylenol)from the nurses and they gave me another dose to take with me to take during the middle of the night. Then in the morning they brought breakfast. I then asked if a nurse could help me give Emily a bath and they did. The pediatrician came by to check Ruthie. And they said that if I felt I needed to see an OB I could but otherwise I was released to go when I wanted. I said no that I was fine. Ludie came and picked me up and brought the best Papa John's pizza I ever had. We ate it packed the bags. Turned in a form to register the birth. Got the baby's security tag deactivated and removed and went home!!!! No sign your life away in blood, waiting 5 hours to be released, just go walk out of the hospital and go home! Wow how different, but I really liked that part!

I did have to go to the doctor Sunday because of a lump in my leg that I was scared might be a blood clot. It was not. The doctor did not charge us for coming in. She checked it and it seems that it is just an inflammation of one of my varicose veins. Thank God! So we were able to stay home and not have to go back into the hospital on Griffin's 7th birthday! I am so thankful!

Today, a home health nurse came by to check on Emily and myself. It is so nice not to have to go to the doctor's office with all the sick people coming in too, and wait to see a doctor. She just came to the house and examined the two of us and did the heal prick genetic blood test on Emily. I love that aspect too. She will be back in a couple days.

I loved my experience but was thankful I was prepared by one of my American friends that just went through the experience herself. If I had not known what to expect I would have been on edge but was rather able to enjoy it.

May I also say that God's timing was just awesome! My parents arrived Thursday morning and I went into labor Friday morning. It was such a blessing to have them here to look after the kids knowing that they came for that reason. I could relax knowing that. They have been such a blessing along with Ludie taking care of the kids, doing the laundry and working to get it dry despite the rain. Ludie has been working around the house like crazy and has been just a strength through all this. I was able to come home the next day and on Sunday celebrate Griffin's birthday with him.

One thing that was very different for me through this was the antenatal care. You rotate your doc appts between the GP (general practitioner) and the hospital where you go to see the OB. I love the GP appts because they are close by and quick and usually more thorough. When you visit the hospital it is on a designated day for the antenatal clinic where you and 70 other women are all seen within a 4 hour period. You wait for 45 minutes to an hour. They call you in groups of 5 to go and sit in a hall. Then you get called in 1 by 1 to get your blood pressure and weight checked, and turn in your urine specimen. Then you go back out to the waiting room. Wait 45 minutes to another hour and then go in to see the OB. They ask you some questions. Do an ultrasound showing you the heartbeat. Then the visit is over with. So all in all between the waiting and the driving there and back you are gone about 5 hours so it really turns into an all day thing almost when you consider the work day and the time it takes for Ludie to get into work. That was an adjustment. But I have to say I am VERY thankful for the free care and good care I received. If it weren't for God using Pat (a midwife) to intervene and have my blood tested to find out I needed hormone replacement in the beginning, we would not likely be holding precious Emily today! I am so grateful to God for the pro-activeness of the Dr. Monahan, his staff and the midwives.

I am so thankful for the prayers of those that prayed for us during this time of cultural adjustment in moving to a new country and the pregnancy. There were many times I wondered how I could make it through this and the honest answer is I cannot and could not. It is only by the grace of God that we are here and so blessed today. I have learned to trust God in this. I have learned a lot about myself and where I need to be more cooperative with God in areas in my life (repent and trust Him). And there are just qualities about God that He has revealed through all of this. He has been faithful. He had held me together and carried me. He has surrounded me with people here and abroad that He has used to work in my life to grow and mature me and to intercede. I praise Him and give Him all the glory. Glory that only He deserves. And I thank Him for this perfect little precious gift that I never imagined I would be able to have. What a miracle our children are! Thank you God! Pictures coming soon.