Update 10/17/24: Hectic Home

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

Life has been a hectic whirlwind in our house. I apologize for not providing a recent update. Doctor appointments, school schedules, wedding plans, home projects, and so much more has kept us running. So here is a quick update/dump.

Update Wayne: Wayne continues to do his therapy two days a week, along with walking 2-3 days a week at the rec center. Although Wayne continues to beat the odds, it feels like a rollercoaster sometimes. It’s a wild ride! Some days things go really well and we understand Wayne, and other days, Wayne struggles to communicate clearly. There have been a couple days that were really hard. Once or twice, Wayne appeared to be confused and appeared to have short term memory issues. Thankfully, it was short lived and he seems back to normal. 

Wayne helped me clean at church the other day by vacuuming. 

Wayne enjoyed the pool for the last time for the season. It was too cold for me to join him.

We got new bedding for our room. Our kids joked that we had the same bedspread their whole lives. Our bedroom has been doubling as a wedding storage room…wedding stuff all over our room and dressers! 

We enjoyed a family movie night and watched Inside Out 2. Shan joked that the movie felt like a window into his sister’s minds…Wayne and I agreed! 

Shan had dislocated his knee a few weeks ago. He’s now doing PT to strengthen his knee.

My dad had some skin cancer cut out the other day and I was his chauffeur. I enjoyed having some quiet time to prepare for my next Bible study on 1 Peter. 

Wayne and I loved getting to watch Joella be inducted into the Beta Club at her school. She is the club’s chaplain. I love seeing the girls thriving and enjoying their time at school!

Wayne and I enjoyed seeing the Northern Lights from our front porch. We missed them last time it was this south because we were headed to Abigail’s college graduation, so this was a treat. It was beautiful!!

Micaela and I helped paint my parent’s fence. We know why the big KY horse farms use paint sprayers to paint all their miles of fence…it’s a lot of work!

Naomi drove up north to visit friends during fall break. I love that she got to see Sarah and Sammy, and that they are such wonderful friends. 

Sophia and her friend practiced their HOCO presentation on us. They were trying to convince us parents about their altered HOCO plans. Apparently, it worked!

Joella, Micaela, and I have been gathering items for the people of NC and TN with my friend Carla at church. Our church family and community rallied around us and brought in tons of items. I love the girl’s hearts for others. They have spent two of their fall break days helping us with this project! 

We baked cookies for 4 hours this morning to bring to families in TN/NC.

Micaela and Joella helped me start decorating for Abigail’s shower on Saturday. We have more work tomorrow, but we made a lot of progress today. I cannot believe my oldest is getting married in under 60 days!!

Update Rebecca: there has been a lot going on in our lives, which means I have been juggling a lot. I have been having some odd twinges lately, which can quickly spiral me to worry. I’ve struggled some times making sure that I’m proactive about my health, but not becoming a worry wort about every little thing I feel. It’s hard not to overthink things when your body tried killing you once before. 

Sometimes trying to navigate it all: my health, Wayne’s health, the kids, and life, it’s hard…like really hard. Some day it’s hard to breathe and not feel overwhelmed. But then life comes along and puts things in perspective. After seeing the carnage that the hurricanes did, especially in NC, it gives one pause. At least we have a home, heat, clothes, food, etc. Wayne and I helped serve in eastern KY after they had their major flood. I remember how bad things were there, so I can only imagine how bad TN/NC is. Having seen the devastation in KY helped spur my desire to help those in NC. Perspective impacts everything. 

On top of it all, we recently learned of others who have been diagnosed with brain cancer. Two people from my old CC community know people who have been diagnosed (a dad and a boss). I hate the cancer and what it does to lives. 

Prayer Requests:

Wayne - for his continued health. 

Rebecca - for all that I have to juggle, for endurance, and for my health. 

Kids - pray for all of us as we deal with teenagers, hormones, jobs, school, wedding.

Please pray for my friend Melanie’s dad who is in Texas undergoing treatment for GBM. Please also pray for Shane and Heather as they navigate doctors and try to find a solution for his brain tumor. Finally, please pray for my friend Lisa who is mourning the loss of her partner from brain cancer.