Amen for Maymen

Pinterest Tryouts

2012-01-21T19:23:00.001-08:00

Pinterest: It's like Fantasy Football for CHICS!
Here's a few things over the past few weeks that I have tried... some are successful, others are not... and some are still waiting.

1. Stuffed Pepper Soup - YUMMO!!! I have made this twice in 2 weeks. It is a big hit at our house. The leftovers are just as fantastic and it is good in eggs the next day. (from Skinnytaste.com)

2. Pumpkin Cupcakes - YUMMO! Super moist. Didn't follow the recipe exactly though. I used a spice cake mix, 1 cup of pumpkin and 1 cup of water. Ran out of time to make the frosting. They were great without and a few less calories. (also from skinnytaste)

3. Salsberry Steak with Mushroom Gravy & Mashed Potatos/Cauliflower - YUMMO! Super great and filling. (also from Skinnytaste)

4. Clementine Cake - Not a great success. Had a weird spongy texture from the eggs. It was more like a dessert quiche and quiche is not one of my favorite foods.

5. Frosting techinque. - not a success... not the recipe's fault. It was TOTALLY user error!

6. Freezer meals for the crockpot - so far so good. Still waiting to make the BBQ chicken one. The beef goulash was good. Loved the fact that we assembled 4 meals for the freezer in less than an hour with several interruptions from kids.

7. My future dining room table - the plans are printed and I have this on my Valentine's Day list. We will see if the wood fairy makes this in time. I am hoping for Easter at the latest.

8. Dryer sheet - great idea and it works. It has lasted 2 weeks at our house. The last load was a little static-y, so it must be time to change it/refresh it.

9. Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes - tasted great! Frosting didn't set up. The caramel was too soft. The directions weren't accurate, but still tasted great! The chocolate cupcake is by far the best one I have ever tried. The caramel tasted right, it wasn't a good consistency though. That's what I get from following directions and not following my (not-so) expert caramel making self. (I make caramels every christmas by the tons!)

10. Freezer Breakfast Burritos - a new family FAVORITE! I made a dozen at first. They lasted about 4 days. I made 2 dozen next. They are awesome. Reheat in the microwave for 1 min and eat! Kinda like McD's Breakfast burritos without having to drive there, wait in line, pay a dollar for one and drive home. (We live in the country now... and no one wants to go to town even though it is only 4 1/2 miles one way) I made 2 dozen for less than $5.

11. My latest endeavour - Winter sown seeds in milk jugs... yup... my garden is started outside as of today. It is strictly on trial basis. We won't know the full outcome for a couple months.

My drafts are done for next week's picks from Pinterest! Stay tuned to see them.

With Love,

The Logan Brick's

2012: Cheers! To new beginnings...

2012-01-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

I don't like resolutions. They always end up broken. Great intentions are interrupted with daily life, so we are resolving to do nothing. We are resolving to be us... for us... and with us!

Bucket List for 2012:
1: Take one memorable family pic each month.
2: Do something out of the ordinary.
3: Spend time with family and friends.

After all, they are the glue that keeps us together.
4: SURVIVE 3 semesters of clinicals and school.
5: Spend more time with God.
6: Exercise more, Eat more veggies.
7: Grow our garden; be closer to our food sources.
8: Develop my cookie/baking skills.
9: Continue to freezer cook to keep home-cooked meals on the table.
10: Go on a family vacation that will print great memories in our children’s minds.

Here we go!
With Love,
The Logan Brick's

Our Family Bucket List for 2011

2012-01-10T21:42:00.001-08:00

2012… We are welcoming you with open arms!
Last year was not our best. 2011 was not kind to our family. We had a few good moments with her, but, oh man, she was rough. So goodbye, good riddance, adios, auf weidersehen 2011!
Our family bucket list update:
1: Eat too much at family dinners & feel no guilt –Life is too short to worry so much!
We ate so many Christmas cookies… Wow! THEY WERE AMAZING!

2: Volunteer together
We rang the Salvation Army bell as a family. Corah sang carols during the bell ringing while EJ wished every person that walked into Rural King a MERRY CHRISTMAS at the top of his lungs!

3: Cookies for Santa & Reindeer food – see above pictures. There were about 2 dozen cookies leftover…that is until Zoey the dog ate them. EJ put out carrots for the reindeer.

4: Give 2 “secret’ gifts to 2 special people in our lives. We chose 2 children from the Salvation Army gift tree. We picked out a 12 year old girl and a 5 year old boy.

5: Fill Stockings – the kids had their stockings hung from the top of the TV stand. Good thing Santa is tall and provides great wake-up calls at 3:00am.

6: Make Advent calendars/stringed presents. We found a lego advent calendar for EJ. He watched Caillou’s Christmas story of the Advent season that explained each day of the calendar and the variations of Christmas throughout the world. He enjoyed the advent calendar. Each day he opened a small part to build to create the city. He also enjoyed Corah’s advent calendar. When she went to open Day 5… no chocolate….Day 12 gone, Day 16 gone. EJ had enjoyed her days as well as his!

7: Make peppermint bark & caramels – made caramels a little last minute, but they got done. EJ and I took treats to the hospital. He had naughty treats (coal made from oreos) and nice treats (caramels). He enjoyed going around and deciding on whether people were naughty or nice. Everyone got a huge kick out of him. Didn’t get to making the peppermint bark… ran out of white chocolate making buckeyes. The Big E LOVES white chocolate buckeyes.

8: Ice skating in Lafayette – waiting on this glorious Indiana weather

9: See 3D movie @ IMAX Indy – Polar Express? – didn’t go see the IMAX, however, for EJ’s birthday, we went to see a 3D movie in Lafayette. We took Gma, who hadn’t seen a 3D movie EVER… She thought it was outstanding. PUSS in Boots was super cute. And of course our Christmas season couldn’t be complete without viewing the Polar Express and The Christmas Story 500 times!

10: See a play/musical/dance – We will be going to Wabash in January to see Swan Lake. It’s the FAMILY GIRLS NIGHT OUT! All the wonderful women in our lives will be dressing up, going to dinner and then going to the musical/play/ballet.

11: Make a gingerbread house – GMA put a gingerbread house together with the kids. Corah did a lot of the frosting whereas EJ was in charge of the CANDY… SURPRISE!

12: Cut down our family Christmas tree – We went to the tree farm and of course, like every other year, we went on a day that it was not opened! Due to chaotic scheduling, we opted to go to the local B&K and pick our tree out from the kind people who cut them down from their family farm and sell them to the YAHOOs of Logantucky that missed the days that the farm is really open.

13: String popcorn/cranberries for the tree – decided the dogs would have gained too much interest in the tree with food on it. Maybe another try next year.

14: Send out a new “awesome” number of Christmas cards – I believe our final total was around 80. Not our greatest year, but it will do. Next year…. Our card is already planned out.

15: Make Hot Cocoa after sledding – once again… waiting on the wonderful weather of Indiana to produce some of the white stuff so our children can use the NEW sleds.

2011-11-03T10:06:00.001-07:00

I never considered once how I might feel after my father would pass away. I always knew that I would/could handle the situation and then work through the emotions after. I always knew that I was a survivor. I am the caretaker. I am the decision maker. I am the strength in weak situations. I have always been an adult. I have always (well, almost) been responsible. I have made my life from scratch and I have the student loans to prove it. I pay day-care fees and work full time. I pay taxes and full premiums on dental appointments when our yearly maximum is met. I educate Corah with a little help from others via homeschooling. My calendar looks treacherous. My appointments are plentiful. In all that I do and have experienced over the last few weeks, I am grateful.

Aug 27
Saturday started out normal for our family. The Big E worked all night and slept the morning while the kids and I went to a soccer game. My parents went garage-sale-ing. We attended a wedding after taking the kids to my MIL’s. My parents enjoyed the day. Mom worked around the house. Dad worked in the garage. He was getting a generator together to finish the shed. After the wedding, we were supposed to go on a movie date. No kids, just us. It had been quite a while since our last planned/unattended date (April – back when Corah went to Riley). We were quite ready for this night. Sans kiddos. Of course for any special occasion, I did what all women do. I wore the more uncomfortable pair of shoes possible. I talked the Big E into taking me to Kohl’s to find a comfy pair. I tried on probably 5 pairs… found one. Then my phone rang. It was my mother. She was frantic sounding on the phone. She told me that my dad had stopped breathing and they were working on him. I had to ask her what she meant. She told me that they were doing CPR and had shocked him once. I hollered for the Big E and we left. I don’t remember much of the drive, it went by too fast. What I remember of the drive was that he was gone and it would be ok. I don't remember the sound of God's voice, but I know it was Him. He gave me comfort in the moments that were the most critical. He told me that it was his time and that He would take care of everything. We got to the hospital before the ambulance arrived. CPR was still in progress. It had been at least 17 minutes. It was not good medically speaking. We were surrounded by an amazing team. They did everything they could, but Jesus had decided that He was calling him home. All activity ceased and he slipped away. No pain. No lingering. Just gone.

Aug 28
We went to the funeral home to make arrangements for the service. It was smooth and too easy. Decisions came naturally. Family was called. They were all coming. The house was soon full. The next few days were blurry.

Aug 30
The viewing

Sept 1
The funeral

Sept 5
My birthday and the first day that we tried to resume some form of normal.

November 3, 2011

Now it's November, a little over 2 months have passed. It has been an odd few months. Each day passes by without him. He was such a center part of all of our lives. It is hard to put him on the back burner and live life. But we are surviving. So many people ask "how are you holding up??" Well, it's definately not me holding me up... It's God. He held me together with his embrace during the night my dad passed away and walked across the pearly gates. He held me together while I gave a eulogy at my dad's funeral. He held me together through moving in with mom. He has done the work, I am just a participant in His plan. I figured that being an active participant is the least I can do to survive.

In the coming season, our goals are to develop some form of new normal. We have a very unique picture of family. Our immediate family includes my mother. We live with her now. It works out well most days. We work, we homeschool, we go to and from the doctor, we go to preschool and swim clinics, and occasionally we travel. We are working on a new normal. Our routine is slowing coming together.
So in hopes of a new normal, this is our bucket list for the coming season:
Go look at Christmas lights
Eat too much at family dinners & feel no guilt –Life is too short to worry so much
Volunteer together
Cookies for Santa & Reindeer food
Give 2 “secret’ gifts to 2 special people in our lives
Fill Stockings
Make Advent calendars/stringed presents
Make peppermint bark & caramels
Ice skating in Lafayette
See 3D movie @ IMAX Indy – Polar Express?
See a play/musical/dance
Make a gingerbread house
Cut down our family Christmas tree
String popcorn/cranberries for the tree
Send out a new “awesome” number of Christmas cards
Make Hot Cocoa after sledding

Day 2 School for PJ people

2011-08-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday went well. Corah got up at 745am, found something for breakfast, reviewed her daily work and got busy. She was so busily involved with school work that we (my husband and I) were told repeatedly to leave... she was busy reading. Math, Science, Social Studies - Byzantine Empire, and science... finished. Day 1 done. Dad was Mr. Mom for the day... I got called in to work (insert sarcastic surprise here). They survived without me! Came home to a semi-clean home with dinner (BBQ chicken prepped from Sunday) on the stove.... maybe I should work more often.

Day 2 - School for PJ people
I love PJs, so why not learn one day of the week in PJs! Today started out with a review of yesterday's work. Grading math, reviewing concepts she learned yesterday... only disagreement we had was because I wanted to do review when she wanted to read. The teacher rules had to be stated. When it is school time, I have to check out as mom and become the teacher. She needed to hear those words. After that, no problems.

We will see how the rest of the week goes...

With Love,

The Logan Brick's

An Adventure for Corah

2011-08-21T18:11:00.001-07:00

Because of Corah’s recent diagnosis, one of the challenges that we faced in the last few months was what to do with Corah for schooling next year. The movements have subsided. Her balance is back. The tics are fewer. She has completed a triathlon (swim, bike, run). She is physically 95%. Emotionally and mentally, she is still 60%. Her decision making skills are less than to be desired. In a normal person, a fire alarm sounding would signal to the person that something is wrong. In her, no response. A bug flies by your face, you swat it away. For her, the bug is attacking her causing her to scream and run wildly to escape. New situations cause panic and excessive anxiety. Changes in plans are emotional road blocks. The thought of sending her to a school full of 6th - 8th graders where they change classes every 45 minutes and do not have one teacher who “knows” them was absolutely terrifying. After speaking to the middle school counselor, we just didn’t get a good vibe on the structure or how her days would be controlled. So our options: We could send her to a county school, where 6th grade is still elementary. We could send her to a private catholic school. Or we could keep her home and educate her ourselves. So after much thought, prayer, counsel and discussion…
Tomorrow is a very exciting day for our household. Tomorrow is the first day of school for us! We are embarking on a new adventure with Corah. We, Ez & I in collaboration with Gma, will start homeschooling. Ever hear of the game show, Are you smarter than a 5th grader?? The answer is NO! We have discovered that the majority of what we (the adults) have learned in elementary school we have long forgotten. Luckily the State of Indiana offers a virtual public school at no-cost to the family. She has to follow traditional school rules, has holidays off, a set of teachers, books and they have to follow her 504 plan (developed for special needs). A teacher provides a plan, grades her work and assigns homework. A teacher is available every day of the week to interact via live lessons if a topic isn’t understood. It will take some practice and a few weeks to get used to. She can do anything! Afterall, she did complete a triathlon less than 3 months after a physical stumbling block.
In preparation for our week, I have devoted all Sunday afternoon to cooking, prepping and freezing meals in attempt to ease our busy week. We made raspberry/blueberry muffins, chocolate oat pancakes, frozen chocolate banana bites, bbq chicken, tomato basil chicken, meatloaf and homemade corndog muffins. I found a great blog that had great recipes to freeze. We have mapped out our meal plan for the week and will be sticking with it to ease dinner time stress.
Books are ready. Computer is ready. Kids are heading to bed. And the parents not far behind.
With Love,
The Logan Brick’s

Corah's Chorea

2011-06-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

It has been 9 weeks since we first noticed our daughter's world turning upside down. It has been a crazy roller coaster ride. 9 weeks ago... We had what we thought was a normal, growing preteen with wild hormones and a rapidly changing body. She would complain about her knees and wrist hurting. She would cry for no reason or for the smallest complaint or frustration. She had always been a busy-body, but was moving more frequently... fidgety... But her penmanship had changed. Her handwriting that was graceful had become similar to a kindergarten boy. When we asked her about it, she shrugged and just said that her wrist hurts when she writes. She offered no complaints other than writing difficulty, occasional headache and occasionally knee and wrist pain. Looking back, in February, she was taking a test and lost her peripheral vision. We took her to the eye doctor and to her pediatrician. Both exams were normal. In early April, penmanship changes. Late April, the complaints increased.

Monday, April 25th

Corah went to the school nurse. Side note: AMY IS AMAZING!!!... Her throat was a little sore. A glass of water cured it. Later that morning, her wrist was hurting her and she couldn't grip a pencil. Amy the Amazing called us concerned. Usually Corah doesn't complain, so she was worried. We made an appointment with our pediatrician. Side note: our pediatrician is as old as dirt and loves to read...translation: he is very experienced and keeps up to date. During the appointment he examined Corah. The exam was relatively normal with the exception of movement of her right hand and mouth at random. He referred us to a neurologist in Indy. The appointment was scheduled in June. No worries. To us, we weren't worried. Our doctor wasn't worried.

Tuesday, April 26th

We got a call. Our appointment had been moved up to May. No worries still. I am a nurse. I know what urgency looks like in a physician. He wasn't worried. He did give us a possible name. Chorea... Movement...

Wednesday, April 27th

defining day. Corah went to school, no complaints. She was herself for the most part. We went to my parent's farm immediately after school. My mother had bought Corah some tuna snack packs and Corah decided that was going to be her after school snack. She began opening the package on the floor. She couldn't grip the package. She tried opening it with her teeth, successfully. I was watching her... she was getting frustrated. She couldn't get the spoon inside the 2 inch opening of the tuna pouch. She kept trying, but her hands were not cooperating. She was flipping tuna all over. She tried to grab her drink, but instead spilled it. She was in a total meltdown. So was I. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was like she had a stroke and the right side of her body wouldn't move the way she told it to. I didn't know what to say or do. I just hugged her. I promised her that we would find out what was wrong with her. I told her that no matter what happened, we will get through this together and figure out life from here on out. With or without her right side. I had to go to work that night... I was thankful for the distraction. I needed my friends with medical knowledge to rationalize this out.

Thursday, April 28th

Amy the Amazing called twice. Once for her wrist and the second time for the movement and tears. She was very concerned. We called the pediatrician. He was out of the office. We saw his partner, a doctor that I deeply respect. Dr Pawlowski had seen Corah in February for her headache. He has seen her "normal" on her neurological exam. He noticed right away something was different. He was worried, but he didn't let us in on his worries. He called Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. They wanted her there tonight. Now, rather than later. We were already worried. We were seeing 4 out of 5 symptoms of a stroke. She had slurred speech, she was dragging her right foot when she walked, her right arm dropped when she held them up, and had no grip strength in her right hand. The nurse in me was FREAKING OUT! The mom in me was as cool as a cucumber. Her father was feeling the same way. We had to be STRONG and THANKFUL TO GOD FOR EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING WE WERE GOING TO BE HANDED!

We got to Riley at 530pm. We were whisked to a room in the ER. They did exams, blood work and tests. We saw 3 different physicians and 3 nurses. She was a new case for them. All of her preliminary lab work came back normal. Her head CT was normal! THANKS TO GOD!!! We were told that they were 90% sure that she didn't have a stroke. But still no explanation on the Chorea.

Friday, April 29th

She was admitted to the 7th Floor in the Simon Tower of Riley @ 0130am. More tests throughout the night. CT with contrast at 3am. More blood at 430am. ECHO and EEG @ 650am. No Sleep + Preteen girl = moody and emotional havoc! We had what felt like a bazillion doctors in and out of our room. She was unusual. The docs took video and did "neuro" exam over and over. Each exam was essentially the same. Neurology consulted Infectious Disease. The collaboration of the teams came up with a diagnosis by 4pm. Diagnosis: Rheumatic Fever with Sydenham's Chorea.
Corah was discharge at 530pm. WOW!!! 24hrs and we had a diagnosis.

Since then: Corah has to have Pencillin for "life". She has mitral valve regurgitation.
She has joint pain and sydenham's chorea. Sydenham's Chorea is a movement disorder. It affects the motor-neuro pathways in the body that misfire and cause her right side to move without her knowledge. The joint pain is going away. It is intermittent and is probably more related to her growth spurt in the last month (she's 5'6", 5'4" in December) than to the rheumatic fever. The chorea is still present. It is subtle and we are usually the only people who notice it. The emotional instability is present and is not changing. It is getting a little worse. She has developed an insane fear of sleep and bugs. She is super sensitive to texture, sound and touch. She had difficulty with dressing and picking out clothes. We were walking on eggshells, but now we can't. She sees an occupational therapist to develop her skills for daily life. She worked with speech therapy during school. Her speech has improved and she has found that others understand her more when she speaks slowly. A chatty cathy we now have to force to talk. She is hesitant to interact with other kids. She will begin seeing a psychologist/therapist in the next few weeks to work on the fears and OCD symptoms.
Daily life can be a struggle. She would like to sit in her room and stay there all day if we would let her. But she needs to blossom in the world. She needs exposure to life and learning. We PRAISE GOD for the child HE has given us. We embrace our opportunity to grow with her. To teach her. To love her. Thanks for all of your prayers!

With Love,

The Logan Brick's

2009-11-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

I think I have finally figured out the picture thing... Christmas is around the corner... Christmas cards are filled out and ready to go to the post office... I think we have a family record! 164 cards this year!

Progress of School

2009-11-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

I am truly a blogger slacker... I must tell you that I have had a recent experience in which I have chosen to share. My faith has been tested. I can't even begin to count the number of heartaches I have had this year, but God has held my hand through each one. The other day... my college doctorate-prepared professor (who referenced my rural county lifestyle and lack of sophistication last semester) wanted to talk about my discussions from class. Each week in class we are supposed to post messages regarding questions and responses from the other students in class and the material we are supposed to read. So I finally got the nerve to call her. I am still a little offended from last semester... She wanted to talk about a post that I had regarding how is scientific belief different than religious belief and what quantifies one as more true. My response online was that neither is more real than the other. My religious belief is just as true and real as my right hand. My right hand I can touch and feel, but my faith in God is just the same. She didn't understand what I meant. So I proceeded to explain. The reality of life in science exists where seeing is believing. The reality of religion is believing is seeing. My beliefs are real. My God is real. I was feeling that she wanted to debate my belief system rather than my posting. I continued to hold my ground and repeated myself about the reality of my faith and belief in God and his miracles. She continued questioning me about why I felt the way that I did. I continued to repeat myself and once again told her that faith is believing is seeing. When you believe wholeheartedly in God, you will see His face everywhere in life. She finally accepted my response and gave me an "A". I wasn't seeking out an "A". Matter of fact in this class, I only want to pass just to get through it. I believe that she wanted to test my faith. To see if I was a waivering Christian. I will answer her... No. I am a believer in Jesus Christ. I am a follower of the Bible. I will stand my ground and lift up Jesus' name no matter where I am and what I am doing.

If you ever want to read/watch a video that I saw one day that is similar... go to youtube and search chalk professor and usc. Pretty powerful. I felt this and I will be the standing student.

Being an Auntie!

2009-03-05T04:53:00.000-08:00

I must let you in on one of my guilty pleasures....2 am babies...Imagine it is 2 am, you are alone with a group of newborns. One is super cute (not that I am partial to my babies...jayden...evan...delight...etc) and he/she is crying. I HAVE to go pick them up (even if I am not the nursery nurse) and cuddle them. You take them out of their tight blanket swaddle and place them on your chest, prop up your feet, put their blankets over them and rock them back and forth....They calm down immediately. They love being held close to you. Everyone always says that I need another baby, but what people forget is that those babies grow up. I have the perfect job! My babies may grow up but there is always another baby that I sneak some lovin' from at 2am. I don't need any more children of my own when all of my friends are giving me a wonderful opportunity to be Auntie Cyndi. One of these days I will learn how to post pictures to show you. Ezariah & I have 15 neices and nephews, all who have grown up ranging in age of 6-26. So now as an Auntie, Jennifer gave me Devin on Halloween, Haley gave me Jayden a little over a week ago, Evan is 2 months old, Brooklynn is 2 months old, Delight...oh my, I hate to say it is 7 months old already...(time to get on the ball sam & nikki..I am ready for another)... I get Lachlan this month and Baby ??? in July! I love watching my babies grow. I love watching my work babies grow up. So keep posting pictures, I love watching them grow!!!

2009-02-07T00:57:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been very trying at work. It has been busy and the work has been rough, both physically and emotionally. After a long discussion with my husband, my family and boss, I have decided to back down and just work 3 days a week. For those of you that know me, that is a big thing for me to do. I am/have been a workaholic. I am working on it (note previous entry). I have found a 12 step program that I have enrolled in. OK....not really, but I am not going to work as much as I use to. I am missing my babies. I am missing my husband. And I know that they are missing me. It is hard to have a relationship and it blossum if you never see each other. Right now, we are in a rut and I know it is because we pass each other in and out of work. We are both tired and haven't had a lot of time to spend together. This is my first week of just 3 days. I am going to still work out like usual. It is pre-race season afterall and there is nothing like the smell of chlorine on your skin after you have swam and then showered or running outside for the first time in the year because that day you couldn't see your breath.
So today, I got up at 5:15am to go to an aerobics class...no instructor... so I ran upstairs for 10 mins, did some arm reps and then got in the pool. I swam a 500 without difficulty. I surprised myself. I hadn't swam that for awhile without stopping. Then I did some drill work, including (Mandy, you would be proud) butterfly stroke. Well, that is the end of my blog...it is time for me to go play Thomas the Train with my buddy.

Oh what a night... isn't that a song?

2009-01-24T00:42:00.001-08:00

So...I am at work... with the Deeter sisters... they are hilarious, but a true gift that keeps me on my toes. One is with me pending a possible early arrival of a Justin Jr., the other one is texting me sick, worried and I am not sure if she was not worried sick. It was soooo cute. The texting sister finally sucked it up and came in to be seen for her puking, sending her husband on a journey up a flight of stairs to check on her sister. The other sister sent me down a flight of stairs to check on her sister. They are both worried about each other. It is so cute. I have been so blessed to see, experience and share in their love for each other. It reminds me of the love that we need to have for each other.

Bring the Rain

2009-01-20T01:11:00.000-08:00

I just want to say a few words about my week. If you are reading this, you will either know exactly what I mean or think I have lost my mind...
1: Bring the Rain! If you have read the post about Bring the Rain, you will understand when I say... I will praise Him in the Storm. Bring the Rain, I will accept all that He brings.
2: 99 Balloons. Wow, what a celebration of life in His Grace.
3: IOPO... give what you are willing to receive.
4: Love each other as you want Him to love you.
5: The less you speak, the less chance you have to sin... proverbs: (heard it on WFRN).
6: When He brings the rain, remember you will not be washed away, just really wet for a while.
7: Sisterhood of the Running Y-Nots, keeping me on my toes... Girlfriends...Go Figure
8: Everyone has faults, I am learning to look in the mirror, see mine and either embrace them or fix it.
9: Praise God for the miracles that surround us each day...open your eyes they are right in front of you!
10: I am a work in progress...God is not done with me yet.

2009-01-13T20:33:00.000-08:00

I ran across this passage on a blog from a friend... Thanks Wendie. Psalms 139 from the Message....
God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when Iget back; I'm never out of your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you're there, then up aheadand you're there, too — your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful — I can't take it all in!
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If Iclimb to the sky, you're there! If I go underground, you're there! If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, You'd find me in a minute — you're already there waiting! Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark! Atnight I'm immersed in the light!" It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread outbefore you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.
Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them! I couldn't even begin to count them— any more than I could count the sand of the sea. Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you! And please, God, do away with wickedness for good! And you murderers—out of here! — all the men and women who belittle you, God, infatuated with cheap god-imitations. See how I hate those who hate you, God, see how I loathe all this godless arrogance; I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred. Your enemies are my enemies! Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Lord, as I sit here tonight, I am in awe of your AWESOME power and grace. Each day I have here on Earth may it be lived in YOUR glory. I pray that my words are soft and tender, passionate and kind, wise and caring. I pray that others may see you through me. Guide me through each day and give me the strength I need to get through each day. What an awesome prayer of David...As I see new life each day, Lord, grant me the guidance to make it an awesome experience in Your Glory as each new life in this world is yours and of your making. Thank you for being with me, in front of me, behind me and all encompassing of me. In Your Most Gracious Name I Pray, Amen.

2008...A year in review and little update for my Y girls...

2009-01-08T23:13:00.000-08:00

So I am not a good blogger...my last post was 5 weeks ago and I have been told to update...

I look back at 2008 and think a lot of the things that have changed in my life.

January... I started running/swimming about everyday. For me, a slight bit of a miracle, considering my first attempt at exercise was in August 2007 and I am not "athletic" by any stretch.

February...I still exercised but we also started remodeling. Who in their right minds remodels in 20 below freezing temperatures? Oh....Us! We also paint the exterior of our house at night... Crazy people we are. But i got a new kitchen out of the deal.

March was both a good and bad month. I renewed my relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ at a retreat. What a life refresher that was. I learned more in 4 short days about myself and my faith than I had ever thought I could learn in a lifetime. Jesus Christ is truly amazing and I am so fortunate to have him in my life. What I didn't realize that later in the month, my faith would be tested. March 28, 2008, Connor was brought into this world by his amazing mother and left our world in Jesus's arms only a short hour later....I could go a million ways in a million different tangents about this, but I won't right now. I will say that Connor has changed my way of nursing. He is carried with me each day I am at work.

April....My husband turned 30 and we surprised him with a party. A nice surprise and gathering with the family. We had Easter at our house. We had 25 people at our house. It was really fun and a great blessing of family. We are so fortunate that both of our families love each other.

May...I completed the Mini-marathon in Indy. I ran/walked it with Mandy...who was 5 weeks postpartum and I got yelled at for letting her do it. I told the docs that she needed an outlet of success...but I needed it too. I think I was crying at the finish line. It was truly amazing and exhilarating...I know that I had Christ with me in the run...otherwise I wouldn't have made it. Ezariah & I celebrated 10 years of marriage. We went to dinner, nothing fancy, just Taco Bell...same place we went to on our honeymoon night.

June... Completed a triathlon...still wondering how I did it, all I know is Phillipians 4:13...I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. If I didn't know the Lord, I wouldn't be where I am today. I know He guides me and shows me the way.

July...Ran a few races...my neice, who joined the AirForce in July, ran her 1st 5K and survived. When we ran the Iron Horse, Haley and I literally got 6 blocks onto North Street when it started to rain cats and dogs. I think this race was the most fun ever. We jumped in puddled on High Street and stuck out our tongues to catch the rain for a drink. Ok...maybe that was just me. Corah turned 9. She is growing up so fast. I can't believe that 9 years have past.

August...I took a break from my workout life...I committed to giving another a weekend retreat like I had. So between work, family, and retreat meetings, I was stretched. Oh by the way, I also started my Nurse Practioner Master's Program at IUPUI.... once again...Phil 4:13...

September... I turned 30. I turned 30 on my overnight retreat meeting. I was serenaded by 30 women that I didn't really know and was given a giant piece of Death By Chocolate Cake. What a nice surprise. My girlfriends and I went to go see Journey, Heart & some other group that I don't remember. Heart was awesome. Journey was a little disappointing. I just miss Steve Perry and then to find out that Journey originally broke up over hip replacement surgery. Go Figure. Got a flat tire on the way to Journey and got new tires the next day! Happy Birthday to Me! My neice graduated Basic Training from the US Air Force and we (the whole family sans kids) flew to San Antonio, Texas to watch her graduate. It was soooo much fun. Good Idea Sherri!

October brought me a little piece of joy I call...Cyndi Jr... Well, her parents call her Devin. I still like to think of her as Cyndi Jr. My best friend of 22 years welcomed Devin October 31. The same day that I was to be gone on the 4 day retreat. She was born early in the morning. I left Clarian North at 4am and arrived in North Webster at 7am after sleeping in my van in the McDonald's parking lot in North Manchester for an hour. One of the longest deliveries I have ever had the pleasure of having and I mean PLEASURE!!! I said before... Connor changed my nursing life. I will be present for my girls...and they all, ALL, know it.

November...a little blurry...My baby turned 2...so sad...I think I might need another... no...just kidding. I didn't run but maybe one day all month and hadn't ran since September So when the bitter cold Turkey Trot came around...oh my...i was nervous. But all the girls we there...most were pregnant. Thankfully...Jen started having stronger Braxton Hicks and I got to "monitor" her on the last mile or so. Sorry Jen to use and abuse your "condition". Thankgiving was great. Black Friday a little disappointing. But the fellowship was fantastic. I love hanging out with our friends and families.

December... WooHoo...We went to Jamaica. Our Honeymoon and 10 year anniversary trip. We spent 4 beautiful 80 degree sunny days in Negril at a Sandals Resort. We went with 2 other couples. I would highly recommend going to a Sandals Resort. The next weekend, Devin came to visit her favorite Aunt. We baked for 12 hours. We had so many goodies. Christmas was great. We did the exact same thing that we have done for several years. My parents came for breakfast, lunch/dinner at Jackie's (Ezariah's sisters) and home late that night. The weekend is followed with dinner with the cousins. The semester ended for school. I got an A- in my class. Yeah! Two more of my girlfriends had their babies...Holly welcomed Corey on Dec 24 and Megan welcome Cyndi the 3rd on December 29...Ok Megan really named her Brooklynn.

So besides, work, school, my family, my professional running career, what else can I say.... My life is a small sentence in Christ's big book. He has blessed me and taught me so much this year. I am eternally grateful and I will praise his name even in the deepest storm. May God Bless You this Year!

Christmas with the Kranks...I mean Brick's

2008-12-04T00:57:00.000-08:00

I love the movie Christmas with the Kranks... I had to have my husband search the cable listing and preset the DVR to record the movie so I could watch it...over and over... secretly I have seen it 3 times this week. The movie cracks me up. But this year, we are sort of the Kranks! We are going to JAMAICA! We leave in 26 hours... We are not skipping Christmas this year. We are celebrating full blast! If you haven't seen the movie. I strongly suggest you do... It is hilarious! I love to decorate for the holidays. I love my pumpkins and skeletons for Halloween, but November 1 they came down and were quickly replaced by wintery stuff (my husband refused to let me put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving). My husband and Corah went Tuesday to go pick out a tree, she was so proud of her choice. They picked out a 9 foot Balsam Fir. The kind with long needles. It is beautiful. She promised she would keep the needles swept up. I will post pictures when I figure it out. I have several trees started for this year. Each of my children have a tree for their room, we have a tree in the upstairs, downstairs and family room, and not to mention the clark griswald christmas lights to come soon outside. My snowmen are making daily appearances.
In the movie, the biggest thing that i remember is the sense of community and the feeling of home. When my husband and I first moved to Logantucky five years ago, after traveling with the Army, we knew no one, but my parents and aunt & uncle. We have met so many wonderful people over the last five years. We have community. We have built our village. We are home when we see the sign to turn off of 24 to Logansport. It is comforting to be home.
I will share with you our Christmas plan for this year. Each year our children get so much junk that they do not know what to do with all of it and they don't play with it after 2 days. This year, we are celebrating Jesus's Birthday. We are giving our children THREE gifts this Christmas to symbolize the three gifts from the wisemen. Surprisingly my children have not whined about this. I guess it is hard to whine about not getting more than Jesus did and in an effort to teach them about reaching out to the community. Our family has adopted a family of 9. In which we will provide the same for them. Three gifts. Christmas is about the birth of our Savior. I want to keep that in the front of my children's minds when they think about Christmas. I want to teach them about giving, caring, sharing, loving, learning, listening, and praying. I think that this is a way for them to do just that.
For the record, Santa will visit our house, but must have preapproval on what gifts he brings. I have sent him a nice long letter of our wishes and he will also abide by the three gift rule. I wonder what everyone's traditions are? Are the traditions that I am setting going to teach compassion in my children? I know with God's direction, my children will be impacted. That is why we are here as parents, right?

Happy Thanksgiving - Happy Black Friday...

2008-11-28T23:26:00.000-08:00

Well, Thursday was a good day. I got out of bed (thankfully, didn't want to get up). Praised God that I am able to get up and move in the morning. I went to the Y, saw my girlfriends and did the Turkey Trot. For those who have no idea about the Turkey Trot, it is a four mile run/walk in the freezing cold in the morning of Thanksgiving. It is time to spend with my other family, my running family. After the Turkey Trot, I went home, showered and gathered the rest of the Bricks and headed out to my parents to cook. We had close to 20 people at my parents house. Then later in the afternoon we headed to my husband's sister's for Thanksgiving. Two thanksgivings... yeah!! I love turkey, especially smoked! My tradition of thanksgiving takes me to Kokomo to spend the night with my girlfriend, Melissa. We have done this for six years now. I spend the night and then we get up before the chickens and shop till we drop! I get about 90% of my christmas shopping done! It is so much fun! One year we were sitting in the Starbucks drive thru and saw a guy plow right into a light pole driving to the Bestbuy. Nothing too exciting this year. Not great buys, but decent ones. I am now at work and feeling every bit of the last 48 hours of chaos. Fun Chaos. Four more hours to go before the post-thanksgiving sleep coma is induced...

Amen for Maymen

2008-11-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

Where do I start? I think that I have read blog after blog and get ideas about what to write about. I think of all of the things that I want to say but never do. Not that I think that people care about what I have to say but I can get out the words here. A little diary per say. I am Cyndi. I am a nurse, a wife, a mother, a housekeeper, bandaid-applier, teacher, professional student, boo-boo kisser, planner, organizer and the co-CEO of a small company (my household). I am busy like the rest of the world. My schedule is booked. I have two children, Corah, age 9 and EJ, age 2. My husband, Ez Sr is busy saving the world one traffic stop at a time. He has goals and aspirations of keeping the peace and making the world drug free.
We work midnights. Mostly opposite shifts. We have great parents and siblings. We have a large family. Our in-laws love each other. It is the most cohesive group I have ever seen or heard of. Our families go to church together. We go out to dinner together. We celebrate everything together. There is no weird family battles. I guess in this day it might be weird that there is no family battles. I will just take it as lucky. We love each other. Our daily lives are filled with choir practice, work, school for Corah and I, and hunting for my husband. We have a huge family rule. There is to be no scheduled activity between 5pm and 6pm. That time is reserved. We sit down for dinner at the dining room table. We have been consistant for two years now.
Each night that we sit down for supper I am reminded that I am constantly watched by little ones. My children, Corah & EJ, are our audience. Before we eat, my daughter prays outloud with her father's guidance. After she finishes wishing safety for the world and her cousin, Sherri, who is in the US Air Force, my son announces: Maymen!!! He is two. It was hilarious the first time he said it, but it reminded me of the important things that we are teaching our children. Our pastor once said in a sermon that we are being watched diligently in the quantity of life. Our children learn from our ways, our motions, our reactions, our touch, our voice, and our lives that we show them. I am not always great at showing them what I should be, but Maymen is something that I am proud to say. My son is comforted by prayer. He is learning to pray aloud. Something that I struggle with. God is present in our house! His face is in my two-year-old.
I can only pray that as each day passes, my children will grow closer to God through us.