The Drugstore is Closed on Saturday

The drugstore in Wewa is closed on Saturday. I knew that. Well, I didn't know that in my head, but in my heart as I set out to go buy some decongestant for my stuffy nose I just knew it wouldn't be open. Sure enough, when I pulled into the parking lot, there were no Saturday hours posted on the door. I thought at the very least they'd be open in the morning, even until noon. I mean, c'mon! Come to think of it, I don't think it is open on Wednesdays, either. No, I know that for sure, when I stopped by there to get something for youth service one night only to discover that it was...closed.

Leave it to Wewa, just when you really need something, the place where you need to get it or whatever it is you need is unavailable. That might sound harsh, and typically I would read that, feel bad, and delete it, but I'm coming off of a week of being at home with my family, so anything that isn't Illinois at this point just isn't measuring up. Bear with me - I'm in my "readjustment" period.

Thanks to Dollar General (I never noticed that all small towns have a DG until I moved here) I was able to get a hold of some medicine and I'm - hopefully - on my way to decongesting.

Since I am in the stuffy nose/head zone and I am currently still sorting through items left over from the trip and trying hard not to breathe on Addie in the process of getting settled, I'll wait until I have a clearer head to write about my trip home. For now, just now that Addie and I both made it there and back in one piece. Phew.

I am thankful for many things today. Tomorrow I hope to be thankful for a clear nose.

Just a Few More Days...

I have not forgotten about you, my loyal readers! I am on a brief break but I am looking forward to returning in about a week (maybe a day or two less).

Thanks for your patience! I will tell you of our adventures sooooooon!

Today I am thankful for my mom.

The Skies are Silent in Wewa

Today, we had sun, which means I was able to make a last minute run to the beach. I wasn't planning on going today but when the sun's rays appeared to be streaming through the windows this morning, Sabian told me to go so, I went.




Minimal sunbathers, multiple birds, and a lone crab. It was a good morning.

The day started with one of my favorite ways to start the day - hanging out with Addie in our bed. We always know when she's really up when we hear her squealing and talking to herself in the morning - she's usually content to hang out on her own for a little while. Then, one of us goes in to get her, and as soon as she sees us, it's like we've been gone a week rather than just a few hours - her smile couldn't get any bigger.

We bring her in our room for a little tickling, some peek-a-boo, and overall general snuggling before the day gets going.



We don't get to begin every day this way, but it sure is nice when we do.

Today I am thankful for these days that start out this way!

P.S. There is a crab in the 3rd photo, he's just hard to see.

Rainy Afternoon=Chocolate Chip Cookies Dunked in Milk

Addie is sleeping. I should be sleeping. Should be.

It's been a busy week, and this is one of those random posts I talked about that I would never post, but it's a rainy afternoon, so here is some rainy randomness.

Oh, and I am also listening to Pandora, which I haven't done in a long time. Now that I have my musical accompaniment,(and some cozy slippers, see below) let us begin.


Typically I would be writing later on today and I would post a picture or two from the beach and write about what I saw today. Well, my optimism was literally squelched this afternoon when I thought it might clear up for me to head for my weekly beach visit. It did not, it has not, and it will not stop raining. We've had some rain all week and we're in for more rain. Feel free to take a dip in Lake Chaney when you get a chance.

We've been having revival services since Sunday night at church, so we've had something going on each night. The services have been good and Addie has done pretty well at sitting through them, although these days we've been sticking to a fairly regular schedule so when it's time to go she is more than ready.


We've also had the opportunity this week to get together with some friends here and there for lunch, which has been nice. It's hard when life gets so busy and we get caught up in doing just what needs to get done, so it was nice to hang out a bit.



I mentioned a couple of posts back that we had started feeding Addie baby food and that the results so far had been less than spectacular. She'd assume her position of biting down on her bottom lip and either as a result of some jumping to and fro by myself or gentle coaxing by Sabian, she would reluctantly part her lips and allow some food to enter. This week we have turned a new page in the book of baby food and Addie is now opening her mouth and gets what she's supposed to do with those oh so yummy squished carrots and ground up bananas.



I am thankful that this process is getting easier. I was a little worried there for a little while. We're still trying to figure out some of the whens and hows to feed her, and I am looking in to how to start making Addie's food, but we seem to be on the right track now.

Addie is also mastering the art of rolling. No longer can we count on her to stay in the same place when on the floor, bed, or other flat or semi-flat surface. It is fun to see how she figures out to get from place to place, but it is also a wake up call! She's also working really hard at sitting up on her own.

Well, I think we're coming to the end of this randomness. As you can see, we've taken quite a few photos of Addie this week, most of which are in "her" chair. I'll share a few more from when Sabian was teaching her to do one of his favorite things - how to scratch his head - and then you can tell when she instead scratched his eye.





Now, it is time to fix dinner. It seems when we have a week when there is something going on most nights at church we end up having to adopt the eating schedule of the 65 and older crowd.

Today I am thankful for a sweet Addie and for the phone call we received today that is just another sign of God's provision.

Cheer Up a Child in India

Some of my favorite church services are those when missionaries are visiting and speaking about their ministries. I love hearing their stories about things that are happening, whether they are foreign missionaries or serving in the United States.

When we were living in Illinois our church had the pleasure of hosting Huldah Buntain, who is an AG missionary to India. She's one I'd heard about throughout the years and if there had to be "famous" missionaries, I would consider her a well-known woman.

Huldah's story is pretty cool. She and her husband, Mark, and their daughter boarded a ship to India in 1954, expecting to spend a year there in ministry. It is 2009, and she is still there, even after her husband passed in 1984. From what I remember, her daughter was just a baby when they boarded that ship and as any of us with kids know, a car trip, let alone a number-of-days-trip to India, is tough stuff.

Today, Calcutta Mercy Ministries is involved with inner city outreach, the ministry feeds 25,000 people daily, and offers the services of a full general hospital, among other ministries.

When Mrs. Buntain was scheduled to speak at our church in Troy, our pastor and his wife were unavailable to host she and her traveling companion when they arrived in St. Louis. Sabian and I were asked to pick them up from the airport, take them to dinner, make sure they were settled in their hotel, and then get them to church in the morning.

Upon their arrival in St. Louis, Mrs. Buntain and her friend arrived safely, but her luggage did not. It was scheduled to arrive on another flight the next morning. But wait...she was to be speaking at church in the morning. What about her toothbrush? PJs? Clothes for church?

From what I recall, we took a detour to Wal-mart and it was decided that I would head back to the airport in the morning, get her suitcase, take it to our house so she could get ready, and then get them to church. That last part wouldn't be too hard considering we lived about 100 yards from the church.

Amazingly, all went as planned and we made it to church on time and ready to hear what Mrs. Buntain had to teach us about the awesome things happening in India. It was such a pleasure to spend that time with her, getting to know her as a person, hearing her testimony, and listening to what their ministry is doing. She was also interested in who we were and what we did at church with the youth group.

I receive the monthly newsletters from her ministry via email and occasionally receive something in the mail. Several months ago something in a mailing caught my eye. I cut it out and posted it on the refrigerator, only to forget about it until it caught my eye again this week.

An arm of their ministry is called Children Need Love. This ministry offers several ways for people like you and me to get involved, including making a trip to India as a volunteer. While that would be an incredible opportunity to take advantage of, I know that many of us aren't able to do it. At least, not at the moment. The great thing is that we can all do something so simple, right from our homes.


Send a card to a child in India. Choose a card from their website, add a personal note, and the card will be printed and given to a child who is receiving free treatment in the Calcutta Mercy Hospital.

It's that simple. It's just like sending another email, updating your status on Facebook, or letting the world know what you're doing on Twitter, only the encouragement you can offer by taking five minutes to do this will mean so much more.

Today I am thankful for people like Mrs. Buntain and her husband. It's pretty cool to see that what they started so many years ago has grown and is doing so much for the people of India. I am also thankful for the opportunity to have spent some time with her.