CRAZY BUSY

Things are crazy busy around here these days. I've decided that throwing doctors appointments into the mix was not a good idea - but I guess there is no way around that.

We only pay for Vision insurance every other year, so this was the year for eye check ups and new contacts / glasses - I just shouldn't have waited until this fall to schedule all the appointments! Jason had one visit and Amanda and I have both had two. And just to vent - dealing with doctors and insurance is SO aggravating! The eye doctor scheduled two appointments for Amanda and I because of contact lenses - she has had them for a while and I was trying them again. He did the regular vision exam on the first visit, but said he would just wait until the 2-week recheck to do the dilation and photos. Well, come to find out, that decision changed the 2nd visit from a "recheck" to a regular office visit, which was NOT covered by insurance or a co-pay. AGH!!! Also, contact lenses require an additional "fitting" fee, also not covered by insurance. And after "trying" contact lenses again for a few days, I am throwing in the towel and have decided to just stick with glasses. My eyes burn and tear terribly with the contacts, and although there are some different things I can try, it is all just too much work!!!!! I need EASY. Glasses are annoying in that they get smudged and bumped and slide down my nose and I just don't look good in them - but at least all I have to do is pick them up and stick them on my face and I can see. No messing with solutions and saline and when you can/ can't wear them...

I have to go this afternoon and buy Amanda specially fitted basketball shoes ( high end New Balance ) so tomorrow the Orthotics doctor can fit them with inserts - hopefully to alleviate the pain she has in her left foot. She is still going to physical therapy twice a week to strengthen her left foot and leg- she actually enjoys that and hopefully it is doing some good. She has 2-hour basketball practices twice a week, with a LOT of running.

Mark went to see his regular physician last week just to get a prescription renewed, and mentioned how tired he his all the time. Really, for at least 10 years he has been exhausted! He gets up in the morning and says, "I'm tired", and plops on the couch or the bed after work and takes a nap almost every day. And he probably gets 7-8 hours of sleep at night, sometimes more! He doesn't yawn or literally fall asleep during the day ( except for naps ), but he just has no energy, and just tells everyone that he is "old". The doctor asked a few questions, and when Mark mentioned that I sometimes wake him up in the middle of the night and tell him to breathe because he holds his breath in his sleep, the doctor set him up to go to a Sleep Lab for an evaluation. He might be experiencing sleep apnea, and the doctor said that using a special device to help his breathing at night might make a world of difference! His appointment at the Lab is in 2 weeks. He has to spend the night there, hooked up to electrodes, and be monitored all night to determine how he goes through the various stages of sleep. I tell you, Mark is very excited about the POSSIBILITY that he might not be tired all the time! He's trying not to get his hopes up too high, but we keep running into people who tell us how they or their spouse were like "new people" after only a couple of days using this machine. Wow. The "Honey Do" list of projects around the house that hasn't been dented for years is dancing in my head!! Maybe, just maybe....

Other things on my plate at the moment -

I have to go order senior plaques for the Volleyball Awards Banquet in 2 weeks, and Amanda/I have to print certificates for all the players and get team pictures printed and framed for the coaches.

Create a Book Class is going well, I am spending several hours a week trimming paper and getting materials ready... we made the book jackets in class yesterday and will construct the book covers and the skeleton pages next week.

We start Unit 2 of Tapestry of Grace, Year 2 this week. Unfortunately, I am barely skimming through the material with Jason right now, which makes me very unhappy. Too much running to appointments and practices, and it is just eating up my days! I'm still working on "fixing" this problem, and would appreciate any and all prayers in this regard. For Rhetoric ( high school ) Co-op, we are spending the next 10 weeks studying Shakespeare, and reading 3 of this plays - I am trying to prepare fun, interesting material for that. We are also writing a 10-page research paper, and I have to pull together the details for that, so I can give enough instruction in 1 hour per week for 6 weeks. Then we move on to playwriting to finish the unit.

We are hosting another Fear Not Party on Oct. 31, and I have a long To-Do list for that - starting with cleaning my house and yard! Jason begged me to do this party again after our first one 2 years ago. I decorate the house and yard with fall decorations and white lights, the kids dress up as a hero of some kind - no spooky or scary costumes -, we play lots of games that have a biblical theme to remind the kids that God is greater than our fears and provides for all our needs; we have candy and yummy food like caramel apples and popcorn and pumpkin bread and cut out sugar cookies and hot cider; the kids bring carved pumpkins to display - again, no scary designs - and we have a bonfire in the backyard, and a friend will share a devotion or story about why we don't celebrate Halloween the way the world does. God sent the Light to conquer the Darkness - we should not dwell on our fears, but focus on the One who casts out fear.

Sarah and Eric were both just home for Fall Break, but I only got to see them very briefly. Unfortunately, their break coincided with the Volleyball Tournament, so we were gone for 2 of the 4 days they were home. But they are both doing well and keeping very busy with their studies. Busy is a theme here, I think.

Haven't heard from Alex in 2 weeks because of Army training exercises, but hopefully we'll get a call at the end of this week. Keep him in your prayers as he and his unit prepare for deployment in February.

Okay, that's the update for now. Got to go and DO some of those things on my very long list....

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