What a surprise…Wendy and 3 of her wonderful kids came to visit us in GA this week (well, really they came to visit Mama and Daddy) but nevertheless, I got the chance to see them. Jeremy, Cayla and Cady had a great time fishing with ‘Grady’. I had a wonderful time singing with Wendy in church Wednesday night…..what GREAT memories. Wish we would’ve taped it!
Also thankful to be able to visit with Dad and Mom. Mom is not doing very well and talks more and more of Heaven every day. Dad is doing ok! Would love to have more company (I think) but he is committed to taking care of Mom EVERY second of the day! Praise the Lord for the great example they have been to us! We are thankful to have parents like this.
We took Mesa and Tiger swimming today. Tiger cracked us up trying to ’swim’. He didn’t do bad, but he was definitely skeptical of the water. I think if he’d go a few times he’d warm up to it. He was afraid, but he at least enjoyed the water. Mesa on the other hand had a great time. She didn’t have a life jacket so we weren’t sure how it would turn out….at first she didn’t like Owen (the dog swim coach) so I got in with her and she loved it! A very trusting kid!
We have been able to catch up a little this week! Catching up on sleep…work…family time! It has been a blessing being able to visit with Billy’s mom and Mamaw in Greenville, SC. So thankful they live in a great location so that we can visit on ‘pass thru’s’.
My parents were able to come to Oklahoma to pick up Mesa for us. It has been quite the few weeks having her cooped up. Although, not too bad as the last 2 Pastors seemed to like her. The Tunnells in Clovis even let her come over to their house each evening which was such a blessing for us in going to sleep. Anyway, the Lord allowed my parents to be able to come and see the work that the Lord is doing in Stillwater at Bible Baptist Church. They didn’t get to stay long, but we are so thankful they were able to help us out!
It has taken awhile for me to type about this, but I believe the Lord has given liberty to do so. In March, Billy and I found out we were expecting our first baby. What a thrilling day it was for me, but Billy was in denial. So much so that he made me go to the Dr. that day to really make sure the home test(s) were correct! So, that afternoon we verified that truly we were expecting. Wow the thrill. They did however make sure to let us know that we needed to return for our first ultrasound visit to ‘verify’ the pregnancy. The next 4 weeks went by extremely slow…extremely slow! We had no idea what to expect at the first visit, but quickly learned that it was very simple. During the ultrasound we saw a yolk sak, but no fetal pole (which would be the heartbeat). So, we all thought it might be a little early to see the heartbeat. We returned a week later for another ultrasound. This time we saw 2 yolk saks….that’s right…TWINS! but still no fetal poles. Still thinking we were early, we waited 2 weeks to check things out again. The next ultrasound was simliar…no fetal poles, but the yolk saks had grown. (It was possible that the twins were hiding). So another 2 weeks was recommended. In the meantime we had blood drawn for toxin levels, but those came back normal. A week later I miscarried both babies. I was alone, Billy was washing Mesa and my Daddy kept calling me on the phone…it was a whirlwind experience and very scary. Through the night I passed several clots of blood (the first though actually looked like 2 matching saks). So, I believe those were the babies. The babies officially were in Heaven 12 weeks into the pregnancy. The tests didn’t tell us how long they lived and due to no toxins in the blood it is possible they lived close to the time frame (of course, no real way to tell). Many of you already knew of this trying time in our lives, but I tell you, this has been the darkest trial of my life. For several days I could not think straight…sure, hormonally I was ‘off’, but I was Spiritually as well. I never doubted God’s goodness or His plan for my life, but I did wonder what He was trying to teach me by taking these babies home. A couple of weeks prior a dear friend’s baby went home to be with the Lord and the comforting thought of the twins and Emma playing together was such a sweet thought…also the thought of them knowing my nephew, Wilson was super sweet to me. However the sadness has been overwhelming. We have received several sweet notes and cards from many of you and I want to thank you so much. I have not had the words to reply, but my gratefulness is large. I have been in awe at those who have written that I haven’t had the privilege of meeting yet, but thank you, thank you…each time I opened your cards, I cried. For you to write someone you didn’t know was the most thoughtful thing ever to me. Keep praying…I have stayed in Georgia to recouperate until this week. I am thankful to Westbrook Baptist, Clovis, NM (Pastor Furgus Tunnell) for being so thoughtful and understanding…I have felt no pressure and have felt quite at home. What a great week to jump back into my duties next to Billy. In further posts, I’ll share what the Lord has been and is teaching me. I may never know what the Lord’s full desire is through this, but I know I want to learn all He has to teach me!
Billy's turkey with 'da man (my Dad) and the famous call box
Daddy's turkey with Billy (Billy's to the left...in case anyone wondered)
Kris Stephens, Daddy, Billy and Kris's dad Charlie
Praise the Lord!!! Billy killed his 1st turkey along side my Daddy in Alabama. It weighed about 22lbs and was the best eatin’ turkey ever! We had family over the following Monday for a turkey feast! Mesa has even enjoyed it as a ‘treat’!
The special trip was with a dear friend of ours from Crooked Creek Baptist Church in Athens, GA (Kris Stephens). They met over in AL for a 3 day hunt at some family property of Kris’s. What a great time they had together!
Tried to surprise my sister today at work (in Ocala, FL) but the surprise was on us…she was sick and left 15 minutes before we got there. We’ll try to see her on Thurs. It was a sad day for me as I was really looking forward to seeing her!
Our first stop to Florida was the Daytona 500 speed week. We met up with Billy’s uncle who drove over with Mamaw! Billy’s mom and Tiger stayed with us in our trailer (which we took with us to Daytona). We had the best time travelling down in tandem and now enjoying our time with family!
