Catching Up During A Busy Time

It's been a while since I sat down and spilled my guts (so to speak) and actually wrote something instead of just posting pictures and commenting on them.  The past two weeks have been busier than usual; Much busier!  I don't even know where to begin this post.  I guess I can start 2 weeks ago, May 15th, my cousin Mary's daughter Michaela's wedding day.  She had asked me to be her photographer!   I take pictures as a hobby with my $100 dollar Samsung camera; I am in no stretch of the imagination a wedding photographer!  I told Michaela this, but I told her I would do the best I could.  Her wedding was to be at 2 p.m. at a beautiful cabin in Walnut, so we got there a few hours before to take lots of pictures.  I will share a few of those pictures with you in this post.  The wedding was lovely and it was extra special to me because there were family members there that I had not seen in around 10 years.  Ya'll know how hyper I get!  Needless to say, by the time we left Walnut that afternoon around 5, I was spent!  On the way home, I noticed my gum on the bottom right side was throbbing.  I blamed the throbbing on my sinuses and took a couple of ibuprofen and didn't think much of it.  By bedtime that night, I knew it was not my sinuses; something was wrong!  I slept very little that night.  I took Tylenol and ibuprofen every 4 hours that Sunday and anxiously awaited for 8 o'clock Monday morning to arrive so I could call my dentist.  Sunday night, on the way home from church, we had just pulled into the Sonic at Fulton and my phone rang. It was one of our church members, Mrs. Dotty.   Her sister in law Candace, another church member, had a heart attack and was at the hospital.  We left right then heading back to Amory hospital.  While I was on the phone with Mrs. Dotty, her husband, Bro. Herman was on his phone and got news that their sister in law had passed away. Very little sleep Sunday night.  Monday morning, I called my dentist and they told me to come in at 11:45.  He took an x-ray which showed a perfectly fine tooth!  He said that since I didn't have a cavity or an abscess, it must be a crack down in the tooth.  He gave me some anti-biotics and pain medication and told me to try that first and if that didn't help, I'd have to go to an endodontist for a root canal.  That night I went with Scot to visit one of our church member's nephews in ICU, and then stopped by my best friends house to give her birthday gifts to her.  When we got back in the van, I told Scot that my tooth was worse.  Before, it was just the gum throbbing, but now I could actually tell which tooth was hurting.  I got very little sleep that night.  Got up Tuesday morning, called the dentist again to see if that would be normal, and ended up getting an appointment to see an endodontist.  This was Tuesday, and they couldn't see me until Monday, so I stayed on the anti-biotic and pain meds and tried to be very careful with what I ate, etc.   Tuesday night was visitation at the funeral home and I felt so upset because I didn't feel up to going.  I was to sing at the funeral the next day and I sure wanted to be able to fulfill that wish, so Scot, Noelle, and Cale went to the visitation. I stayed home and cooked a cake and some other dishes to take with us to the church the next day.  Our church family prepared a meal for the family to eat after the funeral.   The funeral for Mrs. Candace was very special, but of course, very sad.   We love our church family very much and from my heart I can truly say that when they hurt, we hurt.  Our prayers continue for Doyle, Jason, Lindsey, and the rest of the family.
After the funeral, Scot and I visited another church member, Mrs. Sue who had some tests done that week.  She didn't know it at that time, but the very next day she would be in the hospital awaiting open heart surgery.  Friday morning, Scot went to Tupelo for her surgery.  Once again, I stayed behind...not only due to the fact of being loopy on pain meds, but my mother's first cousin had passed away last Wednesday, and Mother and I were asked to sing at his funeral Friday. There is so much sickness and sadness sometimes.   I got a phone call that afternoon saying that all had gone well with Mrs. Sue, in which I was so very thankful for.
Our dear friend (one of my 'other' children) Claire and some other friends of my children were graduating from high school last Saturday, May 22.  Scot, Noelle, and Cale attended the graduation.  I stayed home and prepared clothes for Sunday and rested. I didn't want to overdo and be unable to go to church the next day.   Scot grilled that afternoon. 
Sunday, May 23, our precious church family recognized Scot and our family for our one year anniversary at Freedom Baptist Church and presented him with a beautiful card and a generous gift.  They also took us out to eat for lunch.  We went to River Birch Restaurant.  We had never eaten there.  We enjoyed it very much.  May 24 was our actual one year anniversary date.  We praise the Lord for giving us a place to serve.  The people at Freedom have been nothing but kind, encouraging and loving to us.  We appreciate them very much. 
Now, on to Monday.  Cale and I got up and went to Tupelo to Dr. Cosby to have my tooth checked.  He took another x-ray and once again, NOTHING!  He agreed with Dr. Nix that there must be a crack down in the tooth.  So, Wednesday morning at 9:15, the much awaited, much needed, but much dreaded root canal began!   After the procedure, I felt great!  Noelle went with me that day; actually, she took me!  I told her to choose where she wanted to eat because I was still numb and wouldn't eat much anyway.  We stopped at Pepper's, where I got a small bowl of potato soup and some tea.  She had wanted to look at some dresses in JC Penney for several weeks, but hadn't had an opportunity to go, so I told her I would be fine just to browse in that one store...so off to the mall we went.  She bought one of the many dresses she tried on and we headed home.  I still felt fine!   I was a bit tired by the time we got home and decided to lay on the couch just for a few minutes, ended up taking a nap.  I got up, went outside and walked around looking at my plants and flowers, still feeling good.  I talked to some of our church members and told them how great I felt and I was so glad the pain was gone.   Thursday morning, I woke up to another story!!!!!  I was in great pain!  First of all, my bubble was busted because I had such high hopes of getting back to normal, and secondly, I was hurting so bad, I couldn't think straight.   I took my pain medication, put ice on my jaw, and laid around all day hoping to feel better so I could attend my cousin's graduation in Falkner.  We went to the graduation.  I held a soft throw on my face and laid my head back all the way there.  I enjoyed seeing our family at the graduation.  BTW, congratulations to Megan!  After graduation, thankfully the crowd had all scattered from the bleachers down to the court to visit with the graduates.  My family was still standing in the bleachers talking to my cousin and her family.  I turned to take a picture, my foot slipped (it was pouring rain when we got there) and I lost my balance.  Had Noelle and Scot not grabbed me, no tellings what I'd be posting about today!  I got so tickled at Cale on the way home.  He said, "I thought, Momma is falling, I can't get to her, WE ARE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL!"   Another night, very little sleep!   Yesterday, I decided to just lay around, although that is getting old and on my nerves, and I decided to not chew much, even on the opposite side.  Seems like I'd hurt worse after I'd eat even with me chewing on the left side.  I had soup for lunch and a banana shake for supper.  I kept ice on my jaw off and on all day.  I DID SLEEP LAST NIGHT!    So far today, I am feeling a tad better.  OK, the point to this post;  well, one of the points to this post is this:  I do not like being to where I can't go about my rat-killing, as my Mother would say.  I enjoy doing for others, I enjoy working in our home and yard, I enjoy going and feeling happy and yes, I decided that my 'hyper-chipper' self is a good thing! During times like I've had the past two weeks, it's made me appreciate the times that we are so busy.  Sometimes I get so tired and wish we had a week or so that we didn't have to do anything, but busy is good, as long as I feel good.  I'll do my best to just enjoy it from now on.  

Clay & Michaela Hunter

May 15, 2010

The pretty flowers my parents sent to me.

My faves: daisies and roses!

2010 Graduate Megan McMillin and her sister Michaela

Noelle, Graduate Claire Wilson, and Cale

Cale, Graduate Sam Gable, and Noelle

Graduate Leah Pharr and Noelle

Very pretty and sweet card from our church

celebrating our 1st anniversary at Freedom.

Lunch at River Birch

Wow, this is an extra long post; more like a short story or something, but that and then some is the past two weeks of my life.    I'm so thankful for my sweet husband and children who have done their chores and most of mine during this time, and for my precious mother who sent me some flowers to cheer me up even though she's been under the weather from taking a fall last weekend.  I'm thankful for friends and our church family who would text, email, or call me just to say hi and to check on me.  I sound more like I had major surgery instead of a tooth ache and root canal, don't I?    I'm also thankful for the quiet times I've enjoyed with my Lord. 

During this time, we have also been busy planning some special events at church, one of which is next week.  We will have a special Family and Friends Day.  Also, our children have decided to plan a 25th wedding anniversary reception for me and Scot.  So, we have 4 short weeks to get that together.  Scot and Cale have also been working in the garden alot.  What can I say?   Even in the valley, God is good.  So much sadness in this world, but what a comfort to have sweet peace and joy down in my soul; even on those days I feel like I'm good for nothing, as I have felt alot the past 2 weeks.  There really is joy in serving others and God.