it's way too early for me to be up, but i always have trouble staying in bed when there's a big day ahead with lots to do. we have to be downtown for the kdis to run the Jr. Dillo mile this morning, then Margaret and Samuel's first soccer game, then a long day of grocery shopping and packing for a week-long camping trip.

earlier this week my grandfather's wife tripped in the kitchen and she ended up spilling scalding spaghetti sauce all over her face, chest, and down her throat. she was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center. i cannot imagine how painful that must be! she'll be in the hospital for a long time as the burns are pretty severe. she has her first reconstructive surgery on monday. please pray for her. she is nearly 20 years younger than my grandfather, but looks his age (80's) because she's such a heavy drinker and smoker. my grandather has wanted her to get help for a long time. maybe this is the answer to his prayers. so yeah, pray for her because not only is she suffering from the burns, but she's having withdrawal.

it seems that everywhere i look i'm reading scary things about our food and the chemicals in our homes. i feel really overwhelmed right now. i want to do what is best for my family, but i don't even know where to start! i also want to be conscientious without making an idol of healthy living. so i've been praying for God to give me wisdom to know how to act on what i discover.

we've been having a difficult time with one of our boys again. are there seasons of anxiety and OCD? it seems it was last year at this time that he was struggling a lot. it's really hard to keep my head on straight when he gets this way. i just want to MAKE IT STOP! the retracing of steps in a superstitious-like way, the fear of everything, the annoying sounds, the struggles with clothes....at the end of the day i fall into the bed feeling as if i've been wrestling with an octopus all day. i was discussing it with my sister in law, Meredith, today and she said that maybe he struggles more with these things when his seasonal allergies are bad. she doesn't sleep when hers are bad and can feel herself coming unwound and getting anxious and OCD about things. if that's the case with my sweet boy, it's even greater motivation to search for relief for him.

here are some pictures from the Jr. Dillo Mile.

all the kids did well and improved on last year's times. Margaret ran it in 6:58 garnering her the 2nd place medal for the 12 year old girls. Samuel ran his mile in 6:26, fast enough to earn him the 2nd place medal for 11 year old boys. William ran in 8:29, and John in 8:00. Margaret and Samuel had a soccer game right after the race and their team won! it's been years since they've been on a team that wins games, so this is really exciting.

from the library -

i'm going to try to keep a record of what i've been reading. i should have been doing this long ago. here goes...

last week's reads -












some reading is for pleasure, some for school, some because my life depends on it. i'm hoping to get a lot of time to read while we're on our camping trip. i always take way too many books when we go on a trip.

time to go worship!

When Eve was brought unto Adam, he became filled with the Holy Spirit, and gave her the most sanctified, the most glorious of appellations. He called her Eva, that is to say, the Mother of All. He did not style her wife, but simply mother, mother of all living creatures. In this consists the glory and the most precious ornament of woman.
    - Martin Luther