The Heat is on!

So much to my dismay, I broke down and finally turned my heat on, despite the fact that my air conditioner is still in the window. I usually am very good about not turning the heat on until the very latest...however my house is freezing and it is a shot night. It is about midnight and I just took my shot about a half hour ago, it was a bleeder, I hate when that happens, I just hope I can sleep through the night, that is my big hope.

Last week my shot prize was a candy bar this week it was Easy Mac, it was not my top choice but it was one of my few options. I will explain my lack of food in a later blog. So with all that being said, I have turned into a wuss and turned my heat on to deal with the chills that I usually get along with my shots.

My girls win, Tucker is bad, MS Sucks

So the title gives away my roller coaster of a day. First the great news, my Lewisburg Girls won the district championship in Cross Country...in fact Casey Miller (one of the nicest and hardest working kids ever!) from my youth group came in first. She along with another girl from my youth group Shannon Wright finished in the top ten or close to it. The boys ended up getting 4th place but ran very well, Great Job today - I am so proud of you!

The down part of the day, I guess watching cross country really did me in today...I was having trouble standing by the end and almost fell asleep at lunch. So I came home and laid down, as I was sleeping my dog decided he was going to search the house for things to destroy and eat and break....

Tucker ripped out the bottom of my box spring, he tried to bite my ear while I was sleeping and was successful in eating my glasses, well they are not completely eaten but they are ruined! He has been so bad - I think he needs exercise but I can't get up without feeling like I need to sit down...which leads me to my last point...MS Sucks!

I so hate the fact that at one moment I feel pretty good, I feel like I can get out and do things, and then the next day it is all I can do to get out of bed...so I did this morning, but then I was back in bed all day, no energy, dizzy, and just exhausted, so because of that I had to stay home tonight and skip Young Life, where I was supposed to give the talk...I guess my role tonight is to just pray for the kids! I know God has a purpose in all of this, I just wish I could see the big picture!

Shot Night

So my shot night had to be switched this week due to several obligations on Tuesday. It wasn't as bad as last week so that is good, my new trick is to have a reward for myself as soon as I am done taking my shot - last week I wasn't allowed to eat dinner until I did it, this week it was a candy bar, which is a funny story. During middle school youth group tonight we shared our favorite candy bar with everyone - I was trying to explain my new favorite but I couldn't remember the name, I said it was crispy, crunchy something, but it can be found on the top row by the check out at Walmart - well one of my boys (Daniel) said I am going there tonight I will get you one - and that he did, his mom delivered it on their way home.

So thanks Daniel for making my shot worthwhile and thanks Hershey for this new candy bar it is delicious!!!

A rainy Day in Central PA

What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day.....many people would say nap. Boy would I love a nap right now but that doesn't seem to fit my craziness for the day. Some people would say relax and read a book. Well as I sit here I am looking at a book called MS and Your Feelings and I am not sure I am ready to dive into that one. Some would suggest a movie, that is a good idea, but not the one that I am going for tonight. How about a football game! Despite the fact that sitting in the rain can be a very soggy experience, I actually enjoy experiencing it! Especially if it is going to be on the warm side, which tonight is supposed to be. So that's it folks - my rainy day in central PA choice for the night is FOOTBALL - I must be crazy! Good Luck Tigers!

MS Challenge Walk

Well the 30 miles are complete and I can still walk....actually I feel great, which is a nice change to how I felt last week at this time. It seems like my energy comes and goes and last week it was gone and fatigue seemed to be my best friend. But by the weekend, thanks to many people praying I was able to complete the 30 miles. It was a beautiful walk, we explored different historical sites, we walked through a neighborhood of mansions that had streets lined with Sycamore trees! It was so neat! And being competitive I felt that I should just walk but I should walk at a brisk pace....we ended up doing 16 miles in 3.5 hours. We finished in the top 10 people out of about 300....now it wasn't a race, but being the competitor that I am I wanted to walk as fast as I could just to see if I could do it! And I did! I was pretty sore that night and was thankful for an afternoon nap. That night they did a candle lighting service, it was nice, many tears were shed as people shared their stories, but it was also a night filled with hope for the future.

Day 2 was just as beautiful but a different setting, we walked through the horse farms in the Brandywine historical area, there were more hills and I was a bit slower, but thanks to Tim and his insistant prodding, I stayed well hydrated and learned to tolerate Gu (an energy supplement). We finished out our 14 miles in Longwood Gardens which is a beautiful place I just wish that I had more time to just look around, but we were on a mission to finish and that we did, in about 3 hours. We celebrated at the end and had a little ceremony, it was a great weekend and I am so thankful that I was able to finish the 30 miles and feel pretty well (other than being sore!) I am thankful for my friends that made it a point to be there for the finish (Erik and Elias - that poster was great!), Biz - thanks for being a great bathroom buddy, Braedon - thanks for skipping work to be there, and Tim - you are a great walking buddy, even though you hate you the rah rahs!!

Thanks for all those the prayed - I am sure that is the reason I did so well!!! God Rocks!!

The Walk if finally here!

So yeah - I am about to depart for Philly for my 30 mile MS challenge walk. Last year at this time, I would not have thought twice about walking 30 miles, it would be an easy knotch in my belt, but this year brings a whole other twist on walking 30 miles. My body has been about 10 steps behind for the past month or so, so I am a bit nervous. Many people told me that I just shouldn't walk - which you know me that makes me want to do it all the more. Then others say just do what you can and that will be a great success - actually that is what I would tell someone in my position, but for me - it is not a pride thing - it is a physical task that I more than anything want to finish, especially since I have felt so frustrated in my ability to do physical stuff.

So anyway - I am off - we will see what the weekend brings! I will report more later!!

Office Privacy

So the great part about my office is that I can clothes both of my doors if I need some privacy or I am working on something important. Now it doesn't always work, but at least it deters some from just walking right through. Our secretary (or Administrative Assistant) does not have that luxury so she often has to put her work on hold and do everything for everyone, as well as hear conversations that she would prefer to not hear. She is basically at the mercy of everyone who walks through the door...Until now.... thanks to my creative juices along with the help of my trusty assistant we built Sharon her own private office on her day off. Now those that enter must ring a bell for service and then enter through the streamer wall to get assistance!

If you are having a similar problem at your office, try streamers - they work wonders and are a great conversation piece!

Cutting Costs

Do you know how much it costs to use your dryer to dry a load of clothes??? It can cost up to 3.50 a load - that is a lot of money especially when you have to wash all your closes do to a flea infestation from Potter County. So my solution to the high costs of drying clothes....turning my back yard into a huge drying rack - my neighbors must think I am nuts! The great news is that so many of my friends have seen my yard and laughed, and have offered to build me some laundry lines because of it! Pretty good deal, A!

Rescue Dog!

Yes - my dog - although he has not been trained yet to do so, has now been crowned rescue dog for the Himmelrieich Christian Resource Center. Here is the story, Tucker and I were in my office at church with Braedon getting some work done, when our Librarian came into my office and asked if I knew how to get a squirrel out of a building. I mentioned that I was not an expert but maybe Tucker could help...and that he did - he chased that squirrel right out of the building and rescued all the patrons from the potential to contract rabies from the crazy confused squirrel that inhabited the library.

Alas - all were saved by my little four month old puppy! I am just so proud! He will be signing autographs next week at Pets R Us - Super Rescuers!

Get Real with Dave and Jana

Tonight our show will feature our interview with Tony Dungy - if you are able you should listen to the show tonight at 10pm or check out our podcast or listen online at www.wgrc.com

I hope you will enjoy the show!

My favorite tree!

You want to know what makes me mad...well maybe you don't but I am going to say it anyway...we had a big storm on Thursday of last week. And in the wind of the storm my tree decided to split in half and fall over, but the funny part is that it was my favorite tree - it was young and vibrant (so I thought) and not the tree that I have distain for (that would be the tree that was right next to it, the tree that I have been wanting to remove since I moved in to my house) Instead - the tree that I love is now going to have to be cut down.....that makes me so sad.

Okay so enough about my trees - that was just the beginning of the craziness. And I don't feel like going into details so here is the long and the short of it.

Friday - went to a wedding in Rochester - it was really nice - Congrats Michelle and Adrian! On the way home we looked for a hotel so we could go hiking - there was no room in the Inn or anyplace for that matter, so as we drove, I got a call...my dad was being taken to the hospital again. So back home I came!

He was transferred to Sayre after being stabilized. I stayed at my house because of the orders I recieved from my mom. He was taken to the ICU with an infection and a few other less serious but annoying problems - hives all over.

So when I came home I realized that my basement was leaking under my tub, my dryer had died, and I got four bills from the hospital, ahhhhhhhhhhH!!!!!!!

Stress!! That has been my month - every time I think that things are going to be less stressful - wamo! (Is that a word, if not it is now!)

So now I am getting ready for bed, it is Monday and it has been an uneventful day - thank the Lord (really) I even had a chance to spend some time out in creation - I ran! That is a miracle in and of itself.

Now that I have rambled, I guess that means it is time for bed!