Monday 9:00am
XS has a dentist appointment and we are attempting X-rays. He is supposed to put his head in a 3-pronged “vice grip,” stand still and allow a moving white box to circle his head.
9:15am
I am sweating, the dental hygienist and I have bribed, held and encouraged him, all to no avail.
9:20am
He finally whimpers he will try again, I hold him as close as I can without getting swiped by said white box as it makes the orbit and XS is desperate to get the BLEEP out of here.
9:25am
XS has 2-3 toys in hand (a car and plane at the least). He opens his mouth widely, with no whimpering, for both dentist and hygienist, and they find some decay in back teeth. After the words, “he’s going to need a filling” I am on an imaginary trip to the Tropics. I am sweating hard enough to feel tropical…
9:40am
The X-rays were blurry. XS has most of his teeth cleaned. He has a new Mater toothbrush and Crest toothpaste. I climb into the van, parked in my dental office parking lot at an extreme angle because there are no flat places in Duluth, and feel like the week should be over. Instead it is beginning.
5:00pm
Still reeling from the day, Calista takes time to write out the memory verse from Sunday School:
So we must pay attention to what we have heard. Then we will not drift away. Hebrews 2:1
Tuesday: a stay at home day because Mom is feeling WIPED. Sore throat. Must mean it’s time to bake and play TURTLES!!
Mostly BFF
Wednesday
or was it Thursday
I had to stay home again. I was feeling so crummy last week I started to think (as did a family practice doc) I had mono. I told her, “That would be awesome if I have mono.”
Friday 7:15am
The kids are in the van. We are headed to Big Bay MI: that’s da’ UP ya’ know! 5.5 hour trip. Here we go!
I am about to teach a Bible Dig In Track for a fall conference. About 20 students and 9 hours of teaching… Here goes nothing. I’ve packed for days. We will need a shoehorn to get us out of the minivan.
7:52am
The 3 kids rip into their lunchboxes, packed FULL for a long trip.
8:00am
Lunch boxes are almost empty.
10:15am
We passed “Up Chucks” – a bar where we stopped a year ago for a meal (pizza was good there!) and gas stations charging .50 more than in Duluth.
10:30am
The little guy up chucks. All over his seat belt. And outfit. Thanks God for reminding me to have plenty of WET WIPES (or as Elam has said his whole talking life – wep wipes) in the van. We remember XS has possibly never been in a car for this long.
2:00
Everybody’s gotta go! Thankfully the boys only get to use their front equipment. Calista has had her fiber and blesses a lovely apple tree in the ditch with fresh fertilizer.
2:30pm
Arrival at camp. I had managed a quick nap with the kids all fussing in the back seat. I still don’t feel great. I cannot imagine how this weekend will go. I try to trust God and have a good attitude when all I want to do is curl up in my sleeping bag and zip it over my head.
5:00pm
Calista is desperate to help me prepare for my session. She helps make a sign. She helps set up the tables, hand out the hands outs and Bible passages and as she arranges the candy on the tables she says, “Mom, if we get all this organized, the students might feel really welcome!”
Love it.
Future World Changer in training
Saturday 7:00
We are on East Coast time, so it’s really 6am my body clock says. But my head says: You are not sleeping anyhow and your head is full of crud. Go run.
My smarter side says: it is pitch black, raining and did I mention it is dark out there?
I go for a 3 mile run. On my way home dawn breaks and I can see there are no wild animals about to run into me. Whew.
1:30pm
There are gale force winds. It is raining. It is maybe 45 degrees. We go hiking.
Brian was full-time Dad for the weekend so I could teach 20 students in Ephesians. He rocks.
Sunday 8:30am
There are 3 more hours for me to get through. Chunks of various autumnal hues literally fly from my mouth as I cough and wake up.
This is how I cope. (I lost the medicine cup…)
Life is full of crazy. This past week was extra full. I am still fighting some autumnal colors but there are also moments like this last one, making us feel very blessed. He encourages us daily that our Asker 5 are going to make it: through gale force storms, puking in the car and Mom drinking DayQuil right from the bottle.