Persistance Pays Off

Alyssa decided to join track this semester. It was kind of out of the blue and I didn’t really expect her to stick with it. She has never been a runner or really particularly athletic at all. When she started, she was unable to run one lap (1/4 mile) around the track without stopping multiple times. But she has amazed me! She really stuck with it. She has persisted and is constantly improving. Within a matter of 2 or 3 weeks she was able to run a mile (4 laps) without stopping and last week ran 2 miles without stopping. She has participated in two track meets so far, and while she is not competitive at this point, she is constantly scoring PR’s. She is proud of herself, and I am proud of her, too!

It's Oscar Time!

On January 26th at 3:30am my sister, Andrea, gave birth to Oscar! He was ELEVEN pounds and 22 inches long! She tried so hard to get him out but he was just too big and ended up with a cesarean. Amy and I drove up to Raleigh because we wanted to be there when he made his first appearance. Everybody expected he would be born on the 25th. Amy and I were afraid we’d miss it, but things went a big longer than we anticipated! While poor Andrea was laboring, my dad, Amy and I hung out in the waiting room, ate at the cafeteria, surfed Dad’s computer and talked. It was actually a pretty cool time spent with my dad. Once Oscar arrived, we got to see him in the nursery and Andrea announced his name on her way to recovery. Then we all went home to get some rest. Amy and I finally went to bed about 6am! Later that afternoon, we went back to the hospital to get to know my new little nephew. The next day, after saying goodbye on the way out of town, we went home. He is now two months old! I miss him and want to see him again. I’m sure he has changed a lot. Here are some of my favorite pics that Andrea has taken since I saw him last:

I can't wait to see him again in a couple weeks! I miss you Oscar!

Question #9

What was a moment that when you BLINKED your whole world changed?

Question #8

What is a moment of Faith for me?

Journaling: When I was about 16, my cousin, sister, and two friends went to Camp Suwannee to be counselors. We had a great week. Before we left for home I joked around with a prayer “Lord, if we get in an accident, please let me be asleep!” On the way home we got in a car accident. Yes, I was asleep at the time. It was pretty serious. The car went through a barbed wire fence and flipped three times. This was an accident that easily could have killed all of us, but there were mostly only minor injuries. I was knocked unconscious. The accident occurred on property belonging to the local sheriff and occurred right across the street from a church. It was a Saturday, yet the pastor was outside talking to someone in a pickup truck. The pastor jumped in the back of the truck and they drove over to us. The dust was still settling when I awoke to the sound of the pastor praying for us. As we waited for the ambulance, my friends were walking around picking up their belongings off the ground. They wouldn’t let me move because I had blood all over me. Sherry found the tape recorder somewhere and put in the first tape she found to see if it still worked. The song playing was one of my favorite songs at the time, ‘Fear Not My Child’ by Carman. The ambulance arrived and took us all to the hospital. Everyone else was treated and released. During an x-ray they discovered I had a fractured skull. They decided to transfer me to Gainesville, FL which specialized in head injuries. It was a 2 hour ambulance ride away. During this time, our families had all been notified. They put me on the prayer chain at church. My parents drove up to meet me at the hospital. When I arrived, they gave me a CAT scan. There was no longer a fractured skull! During the two hour drive, while the people from my church were praying for me, I had been healed! I stayed at the hospital one night for observation, and then went home the next day with a large epidermal hematoma on my forehead and two black eyes, but no fractured skull. From the beginning, God took care of me. He even answered my flippant prayer about being asleep if we had an accident! I awoke to the sound of prayer and the song, ‘Fear Not’. Then, he healed me. Never at any time was I afraid. I felt completely safe in the arms of God. Interesting note: on the back of the car is our church bumper sticker ‘JESUS now more than ever’.

Question #7

If you could freeze one moment in time what is that moment?

Journaling: The moment I became a mother. Well, maybe not that exact moment, I was kind of out of it! But those first days of holding my very own baby in my arms, there is nothing better, and that goes for all three of my babies! I guess that makes three moments in time…

Question #6.

Who is the storyteller in my family?

Journaling: Well, I guess that would be me. I’ve been scrapbooking for 12 years, and a few years ago I started a blog journal. Dean is better at writing than I am, though. He’s a great storyteller, but doesn’t have much time for it.

(Yes, that's my friend Debby from 'Debby's Dare' giving me rabbit ears! She's so silly!)