There's a tiny speck of light at the end of the tunnel.

This year has been awful.  

I really hope next year is better.

We did get some good news yesterday!

After a year of limited duty,  Keith finally has a neurologist that knows what he's doing.

Keith wasn't supposed to see that Dr.  There was an appointment scheduled on Friday with a different Dr.  The appointment got canceled, because it was for a 30 minute appointment and he needed a 1 hour appointment.  So his appointment got moved to Tuesday.

The Dr. was supposed to update Keith's record so it would show that he has migraines too.

Instead of just doing that, the Dr. looked at his record and he thinks he can help him!! YAY!!  He can even stop the MedBoard.  I am so thankful!!!

It was a very last minute thing.

Something only God could orchestrate.

It was a miracle really.

Who knows what would have happened if the appointment on Friday was kept.  

I'm going to be hard to live with...

Ok, believe it or not,  I am not THAT hard to live with.  BUT I will be soon...probably tomorrow.

WHY??

I discovered that my favorite diet drink (Pepsi Max) has 69 grams of caffeine in every 12 oz. can.

That wouldn't be SOooooo bad, but I drink several of these a day.

So I am going to stop drinking it.  :(  I don't need the sodium anyway.

Soooo, if you call me and I'm cranky you will know why.

I can use some prayers.  After I get rid of the caffeine, I need to stop eating so much sugar.  I figure, I need to take it one day at a time and one addiction at a time.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am so thankful Keith woke up this morning feeling better!!

He has felt so bad over this last week.

He's smoking a ham and I'm making some dressing, homemade rolls,  green beans, and peas...and I made a cheesecake last night.  I can't wait to see how it tastes!!

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!

What I need to work on this week.

I need to work on: being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to be angry.  

No matter which version you prefer,  they are all the same.  I am having a hard time slowing down and actually listening.  I've been doing it for a long time now and I need to work on it.  

James 1:19-20 (New International Version)

 ¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

James 1:19-20 (New Living Translation)

¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

James 1:19-20 (New American Standard Bible)

¹⁹This you know,my beloved brethren But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
 ²⁰for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

James 1:19-20 (Da Jesus Book,  Hawaiian translation)
19 Eh, my good friends! Rememba dis: You guys know dis stuff awready. Weneva you hear somebody talk, everybody gotta listen real good first befo dey talk.  Dat way, dey no get all huhu quick time.  20 Cuz wenyou come all huhu, dat no help you fo do da right kine stuff God say you suppose to do.  (huhu= angry)

And the good old King James Version:
 ¹⁹Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

 ²⁰For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

I found the Hawaiian translation of the New Testament.  It's called "Da Jesus Book".  I love it!!  They gathered 20 something Hawaiians with the American Bible Society and translated it in "Pidgin" from the original Greek and Hebrew.

So now you know my BIG problem.  Hopefully I will overcome it.  I am going to need lots of prayers...so if you have an extra minute or two, how about saying a prayer for me.  I could really use all the prayers I can get.

Right now...

Right now Gracie is crying.  


Why?  


Because she wants to go outside.  In order for her to go outside, she must clean her room.  Meghan got all of her chores done, so she went outside.  I've asked them to clean for the last couple of days.  I don't understand why Gracie has a hard time realizing if she does her work, she can have privileges.  You would think she's only 6 years old or something.  


I can almost hear God saying..."See this is how you look when you don't get your way...and there ARE reasons why I want you to go through what trials you go through."  


Wow...I think it's time I stopped and asked God to forgive me, for all the whining I've been doing. Thankfully, just like I love Gracie even when she's whiney, God loves me when I'm whiney too.  

I can feel the winds of change blowing and it scares me...

I guess it's rather obvious that change is about to occur in our lives.  I would be rather dumb to overlook the obvious.  I am going to be honest, it scares me.  I have always hated "change".  That sounds weird coming from a Navy wife, right?

I am great at adapting to the deployments and moves that are thrown our way.  I am having a hard time facing the reality that we could be civilians soon.  It scares me!  The last couple of times I went "home", it didn't feel like home.  I experience culture shock every time I step in to the "Civilian world".

I know that God will provide and He sees the "Big Picture", but this has always been very hard for me.   It's funny, because it took me a while to really adjust to the Military life.  Now it seems that this is the only one I know.

I was reading over this post and realize it's a lot of rambling on and on about "nothing" to most people.  I'm sure there are some Military wives out there that can relate.

If I lost it all would my hands stay lifted?  I've been listening to Kutless' song, "I'm Still Yours".  It is a perfect worship song for my heart right now.  God IS enough for me and my family.  He WILL provide.  We might walk paths, we don't want to.  In the end, we will be better.  Lessons will be learned.  Above all, God is God and he has our lives in His hands, and I'm very thankful for that!!!

Here's the words to the song:

I'm Still Yours lyrics

If You washed away my vanity
If You took away my words
If all my world was swept away
Would You be enough for me?
Would my beating heart still sing?

If I lost it all
Would my hands stay lifted
To the God who gives and takes away

If You take it all
This life You've given
Still my heart will sing to You

When my life is not what I expected
The plans I made have failed
When there's nothing left to steal me away
Will You be enough for me?
Will my broken heart still sing?

If I lost it all
Would my hands stay lifted
To the God who gives
And takes away

If You take it all
This life You've given
Still my heart
Will sing to You

Even if You take it all away
You’ll never let me go
Take it all away
But I still know

That I'm Yours
I'm still Yours

Oh, I'm Yours
I'm still Yours
I'm still Yours

Great News!!!!

Sonya (Keith's Mom) got her results from the scan back...
The cancer in her lungs is shrinking!!!!!! 
Her lymph-nodes are shrinking!!!!  
God is healing her!!!!!   


She has one more round of chemo, and then another scan to check her progress!!  


Please continue to pray for her!!


Keith has a MRA? tonight.  It's a scan of the blood vessels in his head.  Hopefully we will get some answers soon.  It's hard watching your best friend and the man you love suffer...even if he doesn't complain...I know he is suffering.  

Back to blogging

I think it's time I got back to blogging.  I guess facebook had a lot to do with my hiatus.  I also felt like I couldn't be myself.  I won't go there...For now on, I will post whatever I want.  Hopefully I won't offend anyone.  If I do offend anyone, I apologize in advance.  I'm tired of pretending my little corner of the world is fine.  It's not.  I could definitely use your prayers.  


On a happier note,  here are a couple of pictures from Halloween. 

These are the pumpkins we carved.  Gracie carved the
top left, Megs the top right.  Keith carved the bottom left, and
I carved the bottom right.   Keith did his free handed and I think
it's pretty cool!  I had to use a pattern...but at least I carved one. :)  

Here are the girls behind their pumpkins.
I think they had a fun Halloween!! 

Tonight Gracie asked Keith if she could have a little box of mildew.  Keith's response after laughing: What??  Don't you mean Milk duds??  There is never a dull moment around here!!  

Our recent Mainland trip...

Today is Saturday...we returned on Tuesday night and I still feel jet lagged.  (Is that even a word??) 


I was looking through all the pictures from our trip...trying  to narrow down the number of pictures to post...I have 77 pictures!!  


That's a facebook album.  :)  Facebook is the reason I quit blogging.  It's so much easier to add an album and post a quick status update...instead of typing out a whole blog.  


Well since we are homeschooling again, I will try to keep up with this blog.  


Life is an adventure...and I will try to blog our adventures in Aloha Land...but for now, here are our adventures on the Mainland.  :)  (If you're wondering where I got my corny sense of humor.... It's from the guy in the first picture...My Dad... He's a pretty fantastic guy.  :)  

Grandpa, Gracie, and Brody

Gracie and Brody...Grandpa's shadow

Nan's birthday was October 10th.  We got to celebrate with her!!

Pop eating his ice cream sandwhich

Megs riding the motorcycle Keith rode when he was 5 years old!

Almost as daring as her Dad...

Looks like she's winking at the camera

   

I think Pop's holding on tight...he looks scared!! 

Bekah, Nan, and Megs

Gracie, Uncle Gary, and Meghan

Uncle Gary and his buddy Megs... He's graduated from Tea parties to riding 4-wheelers!

Megs, Brody, and Gracie

Awww they love each other...wish we all lived closer.  :(

Here's Gracie acting like her Aunt Carla!!

I love Gracie's expression...she's having fun.

I think she drove 100 miles on the lawn mower!!  

Grandma and Megs

Megs took Gracie and me for a ride...

We roasted marsh mellows twice. 

:)  This will be one of the "embarrassing photos" we show her boyfriends.  :)

Keith, Gracie, Sonnie, and Meghan

Awwww aren't they cute??

Meghan took Grandma for a ride on the 4wheeler

Grandy and Gracie

Grandy and Megs

Grandma, PJ, and Megs

Megs ran out of the picture when I told her it was going on facebook!!

Awww Aren't they sweet??

Granddaddy was telling me to hurry up!!

Gracie was so tired...she fell asleep with Grandma!

Ok so this is random...BUT we don't have squirrels in Hawaii!!!

Megs reading to Brody

On the way to the Varsity with Grandma and Grandpa

He's growing up too fast!!

I couldn't resist adding this picture...Grandma looks like she's having fun!  :)

Gary decorated a puppy...Isn't it sweet the things Uncle's do for their nieces?  

Gracie, Avi, and Megs

Molly, Avi, Gracie, Megs and Amber

They too us out to Olive Garden...It was a great night.
Hopefully next time we can spend more time together!

Grandpa took the girls to Dausette Trails.
I think Megs took the picture.

Gracie took this picture.

Sonnie and Megs

Grandpa and Gracie

Grandpa and Megs
It's blurry.
They were  going too fast for a good picture.

Gracie took a picture of Grandma, Me, and Sonnie being silly...or CRAZY.!!

Here's a picture Gracie took of me... I was acting crazy again.

Grandma and Grandpa just had to give them icecream.  :)

Oh yeah...and for the reason we went to the Mainland in the first place....

Duh and Jessy's wedding....

Duh and Jessy "leaving" for the reception.
It was a fake exit.
Then they took pictures.

Keith grabbed this picture I think it's pretty awesome.

YAY...Family Portrait  :)

Awwww I love this picture!!
You can tell how much her Daddy loves her!!
It's priceless!!

Keith and his Mom
They really are alot alike.
Some would even say they are both Psycho.
Shhhh don't tell them I told you their secret.
There's not telling what they will do to me!!

Nan, Pop, and Gracie

Daddy and his girls.
All three of them were tired of taking pictures.  :)

Keith kissing Megs.
He loves aggrivating her.

Uncle Duh, Megs and Gracie

Awww...Uncle Duh and Megs

The girls with Jesy and Duh
They look so happy...
Jessy was a very beautiful bride!

Sonnie and Gracie and Megs

Sonnie and Megs got Gracie back...

Everytime she sees someone taking a picture, she has to sneak behind them and
put bunny ears on them...So they got her back!!

Here's a picture from the Justin Bieber concert that Keith took Megs to.  He received the Father of the Year award.  :)  Here's a picture from honolulupulse.com

 

In case you're counting...it wasn't 77...I shortened it a little.  I'm too tired to count how many pictures there are...I'm sure if Keith reads the blog he will tell me it's not 77 and let me know how many there are.  I love you, babe!! You really are a fantastic Daddy and Husband too.  You get the Husband of the Year award too.  :)  And I didn't even make you sit through Toby Mac... maybe next year!!