Happy birthday Sophia!!!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
Very Brief Family Update from 2014
Brittney:
She's 16 years old and a junior in high school. She gave up all her activities this year except competitive cheer, mostly because she didn't feel good enough. She finally had surgery to have her tonsils out on Fri Dec 26. She says she's dying. I think she doesn't tolerate pain well. We're probably both right. We did have to take her back to the hospital on Sun to have an IV because she was so dehydrated. They also gave her some morphine, which kept her happy for a while.
Riley:
He's 13 years old and a 7th grader at the middle school. He's playing percussion in band, singing in choir and playing baseball and football. He also loves playing video games on the Xbox and hanging out with his friends.
Taylor:
She's 12 years old and a 6th grader at the middle school. She's playing viola in the orchestra and loves helping with kids at church and anywhere else. She's also into makeup and socializing. She's my most helpful child, when she feels like it ;-)
Zeke:
He's 12 years old and a 6th grader at the middle school. He loves any activity with Special Olympics, especially basketball, track and swimming. He likes the Vikings and the Packers!!! He also loves socializing but we're working on teaching him what's socially appropriate. He still wears braces on his legs but walks and runs without any other assistance.
Anthony:
He's 9 years old and a 4th grader at the Intermediate School. He loves playing outside and had playing baseball this summer. He still struggles with authority, which makes coaching (and parenting) difficult but he's doing much better.
Sophia:
She turns 5 years old tomorrow and is in her last year of preschool. She likes stuffed animals, tiny toys and art projects. She is definitely strong willed, just like everyone in our family and tries to act like a teenager most of the time.
Steve:
He works at the bank and also part time for the Swiftel Center. He keeps busy finishing all the remodeling projects I start. In his little bit of spare time, he still loves watching any sports.
Me:
I don't remember most of the year and it seems like it was just Christmas 2013! I realized I needed to make a bit of a change when I heard a speaker talk about making a list of 50 things that bring you joy and I could only come up with three! Seriously!!! I get so busy making sure everyone else has what they need that I kind of forget about myself. Which apparently makes me grumpy. So now I continue to make a 'joy list' and make sure I do at least one thing on the list everyday, even if it's something as simple as snuggling with my dog or drinking a good cup of flavored coffee in solitude.
Two weeks ago, I had surgery on my knee. A few months ago, I torn my meniscus and the ortho doctor fixed it for me. It feels much better now but it's definitely slowed me down more than I'd like. At least I can finally drive again!!!
So if I haven't seen you lately, that's why. Not what you may have heard from Brittney.
When Brittney's doctor gave her the option of an earlier surgery date, I told her no, she would have to wait until the 26th because the 19th was too soon after my surgery and I wouldn't be able to help her because I'd still be incapacitated.
She's never been very good with vocabulary and proceeded to tell everyone she saw that her surgery date was the 26th because we couldn't both be incarcerated at the same time.
So now everyone thinks they haven't seen me around because I've been in jail! :-)
She's 16 years old and a junior in high school. She gave up all her activities this year except competitive cheer, mostly because she didn't feel good enough. She finally had surgery to have her tonsils out on Fri Dec 26. She says she's dying. I think she doesn't tolerate pain well. We're probably both right. We did have to take her back to the hospital on Sun to have an IV because she was so dehydrated. They also gave her some morphine, which kept her happy for a while.
Riley:
He's 13 years old and a 7th grader at the middle school. He's playing percussion in band, singing in choir and playing baseball and football. He also loves playing video games on the Xbox and hanging out with his friends.
Taylor:
She's 12 years old and a 6th grader at the middle school. She's playing viola in the orchestra and loves helping with kids at church and anywhere else. She's also into makeup and socializing. She's my most helpful child, when she feels like it ;-)
Zeke:
He's 12 years old and a 6th grader at the middle school. He loves any activity with Special Olympics, especially basketball, track and swimming. He likes the Vikings and the Packers!!! He also loves socializing but we're working on teaching him what's socially appropriate. He still wears braces on his legs but walks and runs without any other assistance.
Anthony:
He's 9 years old and a 4th grader at the Intermediate School. He loves playing outside and had playing baseball this summer. He still struggles with authority, which makes coaching (and parenting) difficult but he's doing much better.
Sophia:
She turns 5 years old tomorrow and is in her last year of preschool. She likes stuffed animals, tiny toys and art projects. She is definitely strong willed, just like everyone in our family and tries to act like a teenager most of the time.
Steve:
He works at the bank and also part time for the Swiftel Center. He keeps busy finishing all the remodeling projects I start. In his little bit of spare time, he still loves watching any sports.
Me:
I don't remember most of the year and it seems like it was just Christmas 2013! I realized I needed to make a bit of a change when I heard a speaker talk about making a list of 50 things that bring you joy and I could only come up with three! Seriously!!! I get so busy making sure everyone else has what they need that I kind of forget about myself. Which apparently makes me grumpy. So now I continue to make a 'joy list' and make sure I do at least one thing on the list everyday, even if it's something as simple as snuggling with my dog or drinking a good cup of flavored coffee in solitude.
Two weeks ago, I had surgery on my knee. A few months ago, I torn my meniscus and the ortho doctor fixed it for me. It feels much better now but it's definitely slowed me down more than I'd like. At least I can finally drive again!!!
So if I haven't seen you lately, that's why. Not what you may have heard from Brittney.
When Brittney's doctor gave her the option of an earlier surgery date, I told her no, she would have to wait until the 26th because the 19th was too soon after my surgery and I wouldn't be able to help her because I'd still be incapacitated.
She's never been very good with vocabulary and proceeded to tell everyone she saw that her surgery date was the 26th because we couldn't both be incarcerated at the same time.
So now everyone thinks they haven't seen me around because I've been in jail! :-)
My Heart is Breaking
My heart is breaking for a friend and her family. Over the past few years, Lisa has shared many of her family adoption stories by blogging. In November, I was privileged to hear her speak and get to know her personally. She's an amazing mom with a challenging life.
"Russ and I are heading out on a short road trip this morning with Dimples. A friend who used to work in the cottage at Dimples’ program invited her to come visit for a few days. Dimples is beyond excited. Not only will she see some of the adults who were integral to her life and path toward healing, she’ll see some of her friends as well. One of her closest friends has a family now (!!!!); they’ll get to visit and have fun outside of the more structured environment where they met.
This trip is very healing for Dimples. The counselor who invested so much in her wants to continue being part of her life; this is very powerful for a girl who has experienced so many fractured relationships. We are deeply thankful."
I knew from a mutual friend that something was wrong but I wasn't sure what. Then
this was posted by their son Isaiah on Saturday morning:
"Our family experienced a terrible tragedy yesterday.
Dimples was born in October 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She became a part of our family eight years ago and it was our great joy and honor to love and care for her.
Yesterday morning, Russ and Lisa were driving Dimples to Montana for a holiday visit with friends when they were involved in an automobile accident. Dimples passed away instantly in the collision."
"Our hearts are heavy as we grieve the loss of our sweet girl. We loved her deeply and are heartbroken by this tragedy. We thank God that she did not suffer, and that she is now completely healed and at peace in the arms of Jesus.
Lisa is in the hospital with a fracture and temporary nerve damage, but we expect her to be discharged in the next couple of days. Russ is unharmed. All the Qualls children are together, waiting for Russ and Lisa to return home."
Friday, December 26, 2014
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Monday, December 15, 2014
Home.......almost
Made it back to Brookings. Interstate is nasty. Icy, windy, accidents, etc.
Gravel roads ok.
Brookings roads yucky. Ice & snow-covered.
Filling prescriptions, picking up kids then finally home to rest. I already heard from Riley that Zeke wet his pants at home :-(
Surgery part2
Surgery complete. Three holes drills in my knee.
Dr = happy: meniscus repaired.
Tricia = happy: Finally allowed coffee!
Steve = not happy: driving home in really crappy weather! 35-40mph on interstate so we opted to take a gravel road at the Trent exit.
Surgery
We made it safely to Sioux Falls. Just rain so far. Surgery scheduled for 8:30am.
Totally rockin' the hospital gown!!! :-)
Friday, December 5, 2014
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Sophia Says
Sophia was remembering her little four year old boyfriend that lived across the street. This past summer, all the neighbor kids got together and dressed up the two little kids and had a "wedding ceremony".
S: "Taylor made me marry a boy!"
Me: Did you want to marry a boy?"
S: "No!"
Me: "Did you want to marry a girl?"
S: "No! I wanted to marry a tall boy.....like 5 years old!"
Saturday, November 29, 2014
I Will Stand By You and Your Dreams
I haven't really felt like sharing any personal stories for quite a while now. I'm always fascinated by people that have overcome adversity because I want to know what it was/is that gives them hope. So I've decided to tell a story that isn't mine. It's a true story that was shared by E'rma Brundidge at the Called to Love Retreat that I attended near Portland a few weeks ago. She has an amazing life story and this is just a small part of it. She's also written a book, but this story isn't included in that narrative. This is really her story to tell but since most of you will probably never meet her and the message is important, I hope to do it justice. Sorry in advance if I don't get all the details correct but hopefully you'll understand the purpose and be able to utilize the wisdom she shared.
E'rma spent most of her childhood in and out of foster care. When she was a small child, her biological family was transient but her father sometimes held various jobs as a migrant worker, so the family didn't spend any significant amount of time in any one location. She was abused and neglected when she was with her biological family and sometimes in foster homes too.
Her physical appearance left much to be desired. She was small and dirty, wearing the one small dress she owned, which she took off and washed off once a week. Her hair was a long, tangled mess because she didn't have a loving mom to wash it and carefully brush out the tangles for her. She learned from a very early age to keep quiet and still or risk getting verbally or physically abused. Because of her appearance, survival personality and lack of time to get to know anyone, she didn't have many friends over the years and was usually alone.
When she was around eight years old, a group came around to her family's camp and asked if any of the children wanted to go to Sunday School. She jumped at the chance to do anything that got her out of her abusive home. Her only experience with God up to that point was a summer that she spent with her Native American grandfather when she was six. (Read E'rma's book The Treewalker's Gift for more on that period of her life)
Every Sunday morning that she could, she got on the bus that picked up the kids and drove them to church. While at church, most of the people just ignored her and left her alone, but that was good enough for her because she was hearing about a God that loved her and cared about her, which was more than she had ever had before. She continued to try to attend church wherever she moved and she always did her best to learn the verses and take in the stories.
At some point during the next few years, she was attending yet another church in yet another town, still the dirty, mousey transient girl. Many churches in those days gave out awards for attendance, verse memorization, etc. It just so happened that she had been at that particular church long enough to earn awards. One Sunday morning, the pastor announced that he would call the award-winning children up to the platform one by one. They were to bring their families up with them to be presented with their awards. She barely had time to contemplate the fact that she was entirely alone when the pastor called her name first.
She walked slowly down the aisle by herself, eyes to the ground, until she reached the front. One by one, the other children's names were called and they came to the front, surrounded by parents, grandparents and siblings until the front of the church was filled. She stood there, alone, unmoving, wanting nothing more than to sink into the ground. Then, from amidst the congregation, an older lady rose up and quietly walked down the aisle and stood by E'rma's side. The lady didn't say anything at all. She just stood there. She didn't say a word, then or later. E'rma still has no idea who she was.
At the conference, E'rma gave me two books and two bracelets. The bracelets say "I will stand by you and your dreams". How powerful. Sometimes we're so consumed thinking about what we should be doing to help others that we entirely miss the opportunity just to stand with them.
To this day, that event was the single most impacting event in E'rma's life. The fact that someone would choose to stand by her, regardless of her imperfections, was able to fill a void in her heart and give her courage for the future.
Who do you need to stand by?
E'rma spent most of her childhood in and out of foster care. When she was a small child, her biological family was transient but her father sometimes held various jobs as a migrant worker, so the family didn't spend any significant amount of time in any one location. She was abused and neglected when she was with her biological family and sometimes in foster homes too.
Her physical appearance left much to be desired. She was small and dirty, wearing the one small dress she owned, which she took off and washed off once a week. Her hair was a long, tangled mess because she didn't have a loving mom to wash it and carefully brush out the tangles for her. She learned from a very early age to keep quiet and still or risk getting verbally or physically abused. Because of her appearance, survival personality and lack of time to get to know anyone, she didn't have many friends over the years and was usually alone.
When she was around eight years old, a group came around to her family's camp and asked if any of the children wanted to go to Sunday School. She jumped at the chance to do anything that got her out of her abusive home. Her only experience with God up to that point was a summer that she spent with her Native American grandfather when she was six. (Read E'rma's book The Treewalker's Gift for more on that period of her life)
Every Sunday morning that she could, she got on the bus that picked up the kids and drove them to church. While at church, most of the people just ignored her and left her alone, but that was good enough for her because she was hearing about a God that loved her and cared about her, which was more than she had ever had before. She continued to try to attend church wherever she moved and she always did her best to learn the verses and take in the stories.
At some point during the next few years, she was attending yet another church in yet another town, still the dirty, mousey transient girl. Many churches in those days gave out awards for attendance, verse memorization, etc. It just so happened that she had been at that particular church long enough to earn awards. One Sunday morning, the pastor announced that he would call the award-winning children up to the platform one by one. They were to bring their families up with them to be presented with their awards. She barely had time to contemplate the fact that she was entirely alone when the pastor called her name first.
She walked slowly down the aisle by herself, eyes to the ground, until she reached the front. One by one, the other children's names were called and they came to the front, surrounded by parents, grandparents and siblings until the front of the church was filled. She stood there, alone, unmoving, wanting nothing more than to sink into the ground. Then, from amidst the congregation, an older lady rose up and quietly walked down the aisle and stood by E'rma's side. The lady didn't say anything at all. She just stood there. She didn't say a word, then or later. E'rma still has no idea who she was.
At the conference, E'rma gave me two books and two bracelets. The bracelets say "I will stand by you and your dreams". How powerful. Sometimes we're so consumed thinking about what we should be doing to help others that we entirely miss the opportunity just to stand with them.
To this day, that event was the single most impacting event in E'rma's life. The fact that someone would choose to stand by her, regardless of her imperfections, was able to fill a void in her heart and give her courage for the future.
Who do you need to stand by?
Friday, November 28, 2014
:-(
It's probably not good that my anger level just keeps going higher and higher. A padded cell in isolation is sounding pretty good about now :-(
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Note To Self and Everyone Else
Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to try to use the voice to text feature with Spanish words. I really just wanted to know if it would work so I tried to say the word escucha me, which means listen to me to Steve. My phone definitely doesn't understand Spanish because it sent the text "excuse me dumbass"
I Had No Idea
I'm really having too much fun with this voice to text thing. Lisa showed me how to do it on her phone and when I got home I told Steve how cool it was. He informed me that the phone I have had for over a year can do the exact same thing. Who knew? Except it's not very good at punctuation and capital letters :-/ so now all I have to do is talk to my phone and it types all the words for me!
Brittney's in Texas
Britney is checking out The University of Texas at Arlington with my mom and uncle. Tonight they're having fun at a basketball game. Last pic is with the UTA president & his wife.
Tricia is a Rebel
In case you're not my facebook friend, I posted these pictures that Kim took on our trip. She labeled the album Tricia's a rebel. We have way too much fun together!
Riley :-)
Riley's dad posted some pictures of him on Facebook when he was a little kid. He was so cute.
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