2009 so far

2009 has already been an incredible year. I write this as I still recover from surgery this past month. Recovery has been difficult for me. I am not a “do nothing” kind of lady. On August 8th, I wrote on my facebook status that I was ready to turn my "doing dials up a notch". Too much T.V., huh? I guess I did not know how hard this would be going into this, because it has not been fun. I thought I would try to watch one movie every day, but that did not appeal to me much at all. I read a couple of books and enjoyed that thoroughly. Otherwise, I have sat using Nathan’s laptop staying updated on the world and my friends. I enjoyed that quite a bit, but that also contributed to the thought of not being able to do anything but pray for my friends that needed something. I made some phone calls. A couple friends came over, but there was still more hours in the day to feel useless in.

I have gone back to work and I have been able to do some things. That has helped, but I come home and sit so I make sure I feel like going back the next day. Friends that have had this done tell me that in a few more weeks I will be so glad I did this and that it is behind me. I pray that is true. I am ready for it to be in the past now. I thought I would have awesome times in the Word of God and I have, but I only felt like doing that for some of the time during my days. Don’t get me wrong, the LORD and I had some quality time some days. He has been right here with me the whole time, but maybe you understand I wanted so much more from this time. I am sure I can blame some of it on the lack of energy, but I did not feel like sleeping and I still had to get up quite a bit with all the water the doctor had me drinking.

Those have been my feelings and as I read back over them it sounds so depressing. Maybe that is what is referred to as “after surgery blahs”. But I am so ready to get past that and I am going to start now.

Nathan has been back at work for 2 weeks already. Maybe that contributed to my “blahs” as well. I am definitely not ready for our summer to be over. There was so much more I wanted to do. WHOOPS, Sorry! I am over that right. Nathan enjoys his new position. He can hardly wait for Monday to get here. The students are excited. I think they have caught that from their incredible teachers and staff at New Tech High School. It will soon have a new name, so be listening for that soon.

We had an awesome trip to Michigan in June. We left here on Derek’s Birthday after waking him up to breakfast in bed and planning a surprise at choir practice that evening. Jonathan Krake and fellow choir members pulled that off for us. David disliked us leaving on Wednesday but he got over it. He does not like to miss church ever. We were given free tickets to the Ranger Game, the one that got rained out on June 10th. We are glad David is a forgiving young man. Since David did not really want to go anyway. He and I went to Poncho’s right around the corner from our cheap hotel. It started raining before we got finished eating our not so good Mexican food. It was a good thing we parked right by the door, but we still got more wet than Daniel and Nathan did at the rained out game. I felt like a drenched wet dog when we got in the Tahoe. David took a shower to warm up and feel better when we got back to the hotel. I put dry clothes on. Wrapped up to get warm and waited for Nathan to call and say to come get them. Daniel and Nathan had fun exploring the Texas Ranger stadium. They had seen it all before, but not in a leisurely way. They were not allowed to go to their seats because the storm was pretty severe. It wreaked havoc over the surrounding area as it moved through the DFW area. Anyway, they hung out until the game was called off for the night.

The next morning we took out pretty early heading for Memphis, Tennessee. We visited my maid of honors parents in Eads, Cheryl and Mike Avent. They had a beautiful home in the country outside of Memphis. There are tons of pictures on my profile page on Facebook. If you are not my friend on Facebook then I would encourage you to join whether you want to be my friend or not. You are probably already my friend if you are taking the time to read this already long blog entry though. We stayed with the Avents two nights. I was so blessed by Daniel and David coming to me and saying, “These people are just like our grandparents; they are treating us just like we are their own grandkids.” In other words they loved my best friend’s parents and enjoyed being in their home. It was a joy to see Karen, my best friends little sister, as well.

Cheryl let Nathan and I sleep in her very comfortable bed. She did not have to do that. She insisted. Cheryl went sightseeing with us all day, our third day out of Abilene. We went and checked out Elvis Presley’s Mansion. There was so much to see and it was hot after we actually saw his little house. The boys thought the house was very tacky and cruised through it very quickly. They are old enough that they will remember it though. With Michael Jackson’s death just days after we got home, June 25, 2009. They probably have a greater understanding of what significance will be done to make Michael Jackson’s memory last for years to come.

The following day we drove to Louisville, Kentucky. We did spend some time in Nashville. Drove around downtown and wound up right in the middle of the CMA festival. There were tons of people lining the river listening to someone sing. I asked one of the parking attendants at the stadium who was singing, but none of us recognized the name they told us. The boys thought the artist sounded like Reba. My comment to them was that everyone sounds like Reba from this distance. And Nathan added that Reba McIntire would most definitely not be out there in the heat of the day on a barge singing. She very well may be the musical artist singing at prime time this evening but not right now. We drove past the Grand Old Opry. When we got to Louisville, we went to the Louisville Slugger Museum and baseball bat factory. They were even making bats that afternoon. I guess we went at a “high demand” time because they don’t always do that on Saturdays. We even made it in time for a tour. Our time with our friends there was very enjoyable even though it was fast. We kept them up way too late. Thanks for staying up with us Edward and Jennifer Heinze. Braden and Kara Beth stayed up way past the bedtimes as well that night.

The following day we drove to Grand Rapids and dropped Nathan off for his week of training for his new position. After we dropped him off, we drove to Three Rivers, MI and spent the week with our dear friends, Rick, Cheryl, and Brooke Salas. The boys and I relaxed for a couple of days then we went back to Indiana and checked out Notre Dame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and a chocolate factory. Notre Dame was fun for David and me. Daniel was not that impressed. We did get to see “Touchdown Jesus”. Both the boys enjoyed the College Football Hall of Fame. It would be a little bit of a stretch to say I enjoyed it. I did enjoy seeing my boys enjoy themselves though. I did beat them at a game of football we played. It was a game of highlights from a game. The film clip would role and then stop just before the play ended and you had to predict what would happen. I just chose the same button the whole time. On the last one I chose my play and which direction the ball would go. I predicted correctly and beat both boys. I asked them to take a picture because my camera had broken before this trip, but they would not do it.

Our last stop was the South Bend Chocolate Factory. We were not impressed at all. The sample we got was an orange flavored dipped pretzel. It wasn’t even chocolate.

The next day we went to Shipshewana, an Amish community. I was so glad my friend Cheryl went with us. The boys would have given out long before I would have been ready to leave. It was like Fredericksburg, TX so many little shops to go in, so much to see. Cheryl and I went into an Amish grocery store and had so much fun. The boys sat outside and people watched. They did not complain once, but if it would have been just us. I don’t want to think about it.

The next morning the boys and I went back to Grand Rapids to pick up Nathan. We spent the morning at the zoo and ate at Subway. Then we all rode back to 3 Rivers so Nathan could spend some time with the Salas’s especially Rick. Rick was a gracious host all week. He grilled out for us. Cheryl had to work some. As we left Kentucky our “service engine soon” light came on. Nathan was not too concerned about it because we had had trouble with it turning off and on. I told him though that since the boys and I would be venturing out some without him I would like to get it checked. Rick took it to a place in 3 Rivers and found out all that we needed to do was take the gas cap off and put it back on. The light went off and we were good to go. Thanks Rick and Thank You Jesus for taking care of us.

The next morning we took off early for Chicago. We walked the pavement there from 10:00 a.m. till almost midnight. There is another video on my facebook profile with just Chicago pictures on it. Check it out. David is a wonderful photographer.

The next morning we drove to Rogers, AK. We spent the night with another exceptional family, Becky, Kent, Caitlynn, and Hannah Shaffer. We were excited to hear about an incredible ministry that this family is involved in. Check out www.savinggracenwa.org There is more information on the facebook group called Saving Grace out of Arkansas. Look for the icon with a lighthouse to find the group.

On Monday, June 22nd, we drove home via a stop at the national Oklahoma City bombing site, Earl's in Bricktown, and Nathan's two aunt's houses in Pumpkin Center, OK. We also made one more stop at my parents on the way into town to see how the Longhorns were doing in the College World series.

We had an incredible 9 state journey in 13 days. We put 3,465 miles on our vehicle.

Earlier in the year, Daniel and I had a wonderful time in Washington DC over spring break, David had a great time on a Youth Ski trip, and Derek spent the week in Mexico on a mission trip. All the boys went to camp this summer. David and Daniel went to New Mexico to Glorieta and Derek went to Taos, NM.

Now we are two days away from the beginning of David’s senior year and Daniel and Nathan’s first day at New Tech High School. We all plan on having a great end to our year.

We are looking forward to a couple of weddings and the birth of another nephew/cousin the day after Thanksgiving. Derek is in a wedding in Colorado on January 1st. Hopefully, we can spend part of our holiday in beautiful/cold Colorado.

 

My nephew turned 6.

Daniel and I went this past weekend to celebrate my nephews Birthday. We had a very nice time. Daniel received a special Leadership award this past month. He was the boy of the month at school. Our family went and celebrated with him at a special Breakfast at the Country club. His picture was also in the paper this week. We have the day off from school tomorrow. I hope that we can get all caught up on things around our home. Nathan and I had a very nice Valentine's Day yesterday. It was cold so we spent the afternoon at our home alone and watched a movie after eating lunch out.

If you are interested in reading the article I sent into the Abilene Reporter News click on the article below.

January 2009 almost history

It has been an exciting first month of year 2009. I only went to work/school one Wednesday this month. The last week has been one of the most emotional ones I have had in a long time. My dad going to the hospital in an ambulance and dear friends facing the most difficult family decisions ever. All I can do is hand it all over to my heavenly Father and say, “Here you go. Only You know how to take care of these things that concern me.”

On January 14th, I went to Winters with Revolution. They did a great job at entertaining preschoolers through 12th graders. There was at least one 80 year old man in the crowd as well. Revolution was there to help him celebrate another year of life. David went up into the balcony during the first concert with the middle school students. He just happened to run into Anthony. Anthony is the grandson of the neighbors that live next door to us now. There have been times in his life when he has lived next door, so he knows our family quite well. He has gone to AWANAs with us in the past. Anthony was thrilled David let him play his bass. Just this week Anthony was at his grandparents and he said all the girls were still talking about the "good looking bass player with Revolution".

Daniel received an Outstanding Student Leadership award from the Breakfast Optimist Club of Abilene this month. In other words he was 8th grade boy of the month at his middle school. We are very proud of him. His basketball team has only lost one game. We are enjoying these games so much with my parents, Grandma Nease, and even Derek shows up sometimes. Next weekend Daniel will play in the All City Honor Band

Derek is now the Frozen Food Manager at the Buffalo Gap United. He told us me he thinks he saw every teacher he had ever had (and some of their spouses) after the roads thawed out Wednesday afternoon.

Nathan and I are very proud of all our boys. I have always prayed with whomever I am blessed enough to get to take to school. This year it is David. One of the verses we recite is: Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” I pray each one of them will have good success in God’s eyes.

My blood work showed that I do not have Gout. There is still a possibility that it could be though. Everything they did for me helped me to get better. I still have the prescription. I only took one pill. If the symptoms come back I can take another pill and see if it helps. If it goes away then it may be Gout. The P.A.'s just don't think that my uric acid level would be as low as it was the next morning if it was gout. My God is able to heal me and I choose to believe that He had a hand in all of this. No matter what it was it does not hurt anymore and I can walk. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

My dad is home

I just got my dad and mom back to their house. All is not well yet, but my dad's nose it not bleeding anymore. Derek knows an EMT that works with the guys that picked up my dad Monday night. They came back with reports of how it was the worst nosebleed they had ever seen. I also had a nurse say the same thing after we finally got in my dad's room Tuesday morning. On top of all this the roads have been covered with ice. AISD was canceled both yesterday and today. Thank God for keeping us safe on the roads. Please pray that my dad's blood pressure would stabilize. He has a history of very low blood pressure, but right now it is too low.

All nighter...

I spent most of the night with my dad at Abilene Regional. My mom called about 10:30 p.m. She had called an ambulance because they could not get my dad's nose to stop bleeding. This has been a recurring issue lately. Nathan went to their house and drove my mom to the hospital. I relieved Nathan at about 1:00 a.m. As soon as I got there they talked about a room. We did not get into a room until 4:00 a.m. One of the nurse's this morning made the comment that it was the worst nose bleed she had ever seen. With my dad's meds bleeding like this is a major issue. Please pray they will know what to do for him. It has stopped bleeding for now. He will get some more blood drawn this afternoon. He may be able to go home in the morning.

What a day...

What a day yesterday was. I stayed home from work on Wednesday because I had some stomach issues the night before. It was nice to have a day off because I did pretty well most of Wednesday. On Thursday, I sat down to lunch feeling fine. I was told just before lunch to go get some cake if I was interested in dessert with my lunch. The Librarian had taught a class at her lunch time for the AHS teachers and had served cake to make it a little more worth their time. As I got up after I ate my cake and soup, I had an incredible pain in my foot. The pain was somewhat better while I sat the rest of the afternoon, but I don't just sit at my job. For the first 45 minutes afterward I do. I go and relieve the circulation desk person so she can go to lunch. Anyway, as I was leaving AHS at 3:40 p.m. I could barely get to my car. I used the stairs which I should have never done. My thinking was if I kept using it I might work the pain out. I did have a gentlemen offer to carry something for me, but I said I was fine. Daniel had a Basketball game that would start at around 5:15 p.m. and we had not decided exactly how Nathan was going to get to the game yet. I called Nathan and told him I needed to come pick him up because I could barely drive. The pain was in my right foot. When Nathan got in the vehicle I told him I thought I needed to go to Minor Emergency. My thought was that if we did it now I would not be in the waiting room with the 5:00 p.m. crowd and hopefully get out of there pretty fast. The wait was not too bad, but we did miss the first half of Daniel's game. (DRATS!)

Anyway the P.A. was pretty sure I was having a side effect of Gout. They took x-rays and there was not a fracture. They gave me a shot, a prescription, lab paperwork, and told me to go and prop my foot up and put ice on it. David brought me his crutches at the clinic and then Nathan and I went to Daniel's game where I propped it up. After his game we came home and I did everything else the P.A. ordered.

I was not sure what Gout was. The P.A. shared information with us. I have had a friend that had it but I wanted to know more so with my foot propped up I went to www.gout.com. If you are interested here is what I found out:

An estimated 5.1 million people in the United States live with gout, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, 1988-1994. Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in men over 40 and affects approximately 3 times as many men as women. The number of newly diagnosed cases has increased over the past 40 years. (So what am I doing with this? I am definitely female.)

Gout is a kind of arthritis that has been known since ancient times. In reality, there are a number of factors that can lead to gout, and diet is part of this larger picture.

The pain of gout (called attacks or flares) is caused by inflammation when needle-like crystals are deposited in connective tissue and/or in the fluid that cushions a joint (the synovial fluid). These crystals are made up of uric acid, a substance produced when the body breaks down purines found in human tissue and many foods we eat. Most uric acid is carried through the bloodstream to the kidneys, which eliminate it from the body in the urine. However, if the body produces too much uric acid or if the kidneys don't eliminate enough of it, uric acid can build up in the blood. This condition is called hyperuricemia and can lead to gout attacks in some cases. However, in most cases, hyperuricemia does not lead to gout. (The blood work I went to get this morning is checking the uric acid in my body. It will also check my kidneys and blood sugar.)

An attack usually starts with sudden, severe pain, tenderness, redness, warmth, and swelling in the large joint of the big toe. (Mine was just in the top part of my foot, not my toes.) Other joints may include the instep, ankles, heels, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows. Rarely, the shoulders, hips, or spine may be affected. After about 3-10 days, the attack usually subsides, and the next one may not happen for months or even years. But over time, the gout attacks can become more severe, last longer, affect more than one joint, and occur more often. (Praise God for good P.A.'s, shots, and God's healing touch. I am fine this morning. No need for crutches. Praise God, too much of those and my arm pits would be hurting almost as bad as my foot.)

Gout can progress, eventually causing damage to joints, potentially leading to disability. However, with proper treatment, most people with gout are able to control their symptoms. Treatment may include different kinds of medication to ease the painful attacks, to prevent future attacks, and to help prevent long-term damage to the joints and related disability.

I also read: "In fact, gout is one of the most painful medical conditions. It's been compared with childbirth (Not sure I agree with that. A man must have wrote this article. It was painful, but at least I could move my foot around and give it some relief) and bone fractures. Gout attacks usually last from 3 to 10 days and can cause knife-like pain, tenderness, redness, heat, and swelling in an affected joint. These are all signs of “inflammation,” so gout is sometimes called an inflammatory arthritis.

By the way Daniel's team was undefeated, but they did loose their first game yesterday. He was pretty brokenhearted. They had beat this team before though, so I am pretty sure we are still in first place.

I read this on a friend's blog today. "God used a star to point the Persian astrologers toward Jesus; now he uses you and me as his ‘stars’ to point the way to Him: “You shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life (the message of Christ)…” (Philippians 2:15-16). All of us are on a journey; let’s invite others who are searching to join us in our quest to experience Jesus Christ. He is the greatest fulfillment for our searching hearts."

This invitation is open to anyone. I pray you will RSVP today if you have not already.

2009 yearly letter

Looking back at 2008, Nathan and I celebrated 25 years of marriage this year. Nathan has always wanted to go on a cruise. We did just that the first week of August. We went to Cozumel, Grand Cayman Island, and Jamaica. We won the “Not so, Newlywed game” and the “Amazing Race” on the Carnival Triumph. It was a trip of a lifetime. I say that about every trip I go on though. I love to go anywhere.

We are parents with no one below teenage years now. Derek is taking a break from college. He is seeking God’s direction about what he should do. He wants to be consumed in the satisfaction of the LORD and in that, find wisdom, faith, and direction. God is his fortress. He is praying about going to Southwestern Theological Seminary and participating in an Undergraduate program they have in Music Ministry. He is employed by a local grocer and is also still interning at his Church. He has not lived with us since he went back to college his sophomore year. He presently shares a house with a friend from high school (and several cats).

David is a very talented musician. He bought his third guitar with his Christmas money. He continues to play in Revolution. It is an ensemble of fiddlers from both of our local high schools. He is the electric bass player. Check him out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P77B2yQkH0o He continues to play the stand up string bass and perform in all-region orchestras. We found out he is dyslexic this year. We started the school year out finding out that he needed reading glasses, but his English teacher noticed things no one else has in 10 years of schooling. I knew David could not spell, but other than that he had great ideas and his grades always reflect how smart he is. Not until History classes did he really start having trouble. David is very intelligent and over the years he has just figured out how to compensate in so many ways. We are very proud of him. He will be taking some pretty in-depth and long tests at the end of January to see if he will be granted more time to take the SAT and ACT.

Daniel is still the athlete in our house. He is in the middle of basketball season right now. His team is undefeated. This is his last year in middle school. Next year he and David will have one year together at the school where Nathan has taught for 23 years. He plays the baritone in the band. He will perform in the All-City Band this year. He received a Wii this year for Christmas and we are all enjoying it. We plan on all getting fit this year with Wii Fit.

We have been very blessed by our heavenly Father this year. I took on a new job at Abilene High School. I am now a Library Technology Aide. Our library has seventy computers that I keep up and running. My job is never the same on a daily basis. I miss my friends at my old school especially my roommate last year. It was her first year and we grew very close. She has had a very hard Christmas season. Her daddy passed away just before school was out for Christmas. I know she will never stop dancing, but I pray God puts a beautiful new step into her routines as she worships God this year.

We have a new couples class at our church. It is great to see how they have grown together. They are young married and it is so great to see them form such wonderful relationships that I believe will last for a long time. Especially with www.facebook.com at our fingertips now. If you haven’t tried it you should. It will connect you with friends and family that you might not see very often or even thought you would never see again.

Our year started out a little rough. Derek and his girlfriend for two years broke up. It was hard on all of us. Last night though Derek told us that they were still good friends and talk all the time.

We have had several friends serve overseas in the war we are still in. They have all gone and come home safely. We still have friends that continue to come and go. We pray God’s protection for all of them.

I lost a dear friend on Christmas day. Teri Payne went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She left behind a 6^th grade daughter and her husband. I also have a friend that her son is serving his second time in prison. We are praying for him as he awaits a hearing coming up this next week. His sibling is also going through a very difficult time right now. I pray God will bless this family with peace this year.

Several of my friends that have battled cancer this past year are doing well now. Praise God for His healing touch in Jan, Susan, Linda, and Lesa’s lives. I am not sure where I got this but it is written in my journal this year.

What Cancer cannot Do…

“It cannot invade the soul,

suppress memories,

kill friendship,

destroy peace,

conquer the spirit,

shatter hope,

cripple love,

corrode faith,

steal eternal life,

silence courage.”

I also have friends that are grieving the loss of precious babies. In the past two years I have had three friends go through still births and some others go through miscarriages. I have even had precious families receive an adopted baby and then the mom change her mind. Nathan has had two students pass away just this school year. Life is certainly hard at times, but God is still on the throne.

My dad had an angiogram right before Thanksgiving. He had to have two of his five bypasses opened up. His defibrillator has not gone off on his pacemaker. He is still looking for a job that will meet his and my mom’s needs.

God continues to move in the part of China that I went in 2001. One of the friends I made while I was there serves in Bangalore now. Some friends of ours are asking God for direction for their lives here in the states. We are praying for God to speak words of direction to them this year. They are like our own family. We love them so much. Nathan did their wedding. He did everything but the vows with them. The female accepted the LORD while she was in his physics class years ago. One of her good friends led her into asking Jesus into her heart. She was so excited and told Nathan when she was going to be water baptized. She babysat the boys for us. Her husband helped us with the boys when they got older with rides and such after school. Then the next thing we know we are doing pre-marital counseling with them. They have a beautiful 2 year old now.

Several friends were married this year- Titia, Kim, Christen, Sarah, & Cameron. I pray God will continue to bless their marriages.

We are all still wondering about 2009 as we have a new president take office. God, show us how to pray for Barak Obama and his family. We have several friends that we are praying will accept Christ in 2009.

The Nease Prayer for 2009 is that God will be glorified in Nathan’s and my marriage, our family, our schools, our church, and our daily lives. We pray that the LORD will give peace and comfort to our friends that are hurting and grieving because of loss. We pray that Daniel and I will have a safe trip to Washington D.C. and back again. Thank You for providing the funds for us to do this trip one more time. We pray that our Youth at our church will grow in the LORD as they ski spring break. We thank you Father for the athletic ability you have given Daniel and that he will use it for Your glory. We thank you for our boys’ friends. We pray you will give them courage to share Christ with the people they come in contact with. We pray that You would bless our parents physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. We pray for our neighbors that they would all come to know Jesus as their personal savior. Thank you for our friendships with some special neighbors. We pray you will show us how to reach out to some other neighbors. We pray for an older neighbor that lost his wife. Now his son and his wife live with him. Please blend his household so that they will all get along and live in harmony.

Father, help us in our pursuit of holiness. We desire to honor You above all other values. We want to choose the right over the easy and benchmark our choices against Your righteousness. The Nease family wants be an example “in speech, in conduct, in faith, in purity.” (I Timothy 4:12). We want to be pure and blameless until the day of Christ (Philippians 1:10, NIV)

In Jesus precious name, AMEN.