Our first day at camp!

I think the front row of boys describes our group to a T! We had our biggest group ever, filled with some wild and crazy kids - but a very fun group for the most part - they actually only got in trouble four or five times (at least that I know of anyway!) They were really hard workers and people complimented their work ethic, now if we could just work on our thinking and acting skills at the same time, we would be golden. You may notice two non-yellow shirted people. Well the guy in the blue is our new friend Luke from Colorado - his dad was the MC so he needed a group to stay with so they picked up - I hope we didn't scare him too much!

And the person in the red shirt - well that is me and that is what I wore all week long! I did alternate between the red shirts but they were all red since I was on staff. You know me always sticking out like a sore thumb!

SMT 08 - The fun begins!

This year for our summer mission trip we went to McHenry MD - on our way down we went White Water Rafting - that was pretty crazy! I am pretty sure it was my last adventure like that - My body can't take that beating anymore. It was so hard that I had to suck up my pride and get into a different boat because I was too tired to paddle anymore...I can't believe I am actually admitting to that, but it is true so I might as well just deal...anyway - the trip down there was gorgeous! The rolling mountains and back roads were amazing - it made me wonder how people can't believe in a God that created it - it is too amazing to just happen - there has to be a design.

Well the first night we had the priviledge to stay at the Springs Mennonite Church. They treated us so well. They brought us snacks and opened their church to a bunch of strangers. They even made us a huge breakfast the next morning. What a God thing the whole situation was, especially since two weeks prior we didn't even have a place to stay. Here are a few snaps of our time there.

The last day of YL Camp

I am finally trying to catch up on my blogs - since I am stuck on the couch for a day or so more and I am getting really antsy I figured now would be a good time to catch up on some of my blogs. So we are going back to mid July for our last day at camp. Here are a few pictures from our final celebration.

The Highs and Lows of Steroids

Catchy title isn't it...just a bit of a disclaimer before I go any further...I can just imagine what is going through some people's heads right now. Steroids - how could Jana talk about the benefits of steroids as a former coach and health educator, and especially with the olympics going on and all the testing that occurs there....well - I am talking about Solumedral which is an IV steroid used to treat MS symptoms, so don't worry it is legit!

Now that we are all on the same page let's talk about the highs and lows.

Highs

• 1. I get stronger without having to do a single push-up, sit-up, or walk about the block
  
• 2. I will hopefully feel good for almost a month afterwards if all goes as planned!
• 3. I get to spend time with the nurses in the infusion section of the hospital and they are pretty fun, and they think I am important because I am on the radio!
• 4. Contact work from the couch - I have seen more kids in one day here on the couch than I have seen all week. It is a great ministry tool and there are some great stories to tell.
• 5. I am not sure I can think of a fifth one but it seems to be a good number to end on, so yeah if you have an idea for number five you can post it as a comment. Interactive blogging - I love it - and all because of steroids.

Lows

• 1. Getting the IV - is let's just say awful - it took 1.5 hours to get an IV to work for me today - I am not exaggerating. After 4 IV tries and 4 IV nummer shots let's just say I was about to throw up or pass out, it was so bad that my friend Miss Karen had to leave the room. Then to top it off they were moving the needle around while it was still in my arm - let's just say that I did not like that at all.
• 2. Five days of treatment that make me very sick at times. YUCK!!!!
• 3. Not wanting to eat for days and then when I am hungry and try to eat something I get really sick to my stomach
• 4. Having to back out of previous commitments - ughh I just hate to do that - I had so many things planned - one of which was a weekend sleepover for my niece Kamryn - she was so excited to come and stay over, then a picnic for my friend, and a birthday party for my nephew Hayes - he's going to be two!
• 5. Roid Rage - and yes that does really exist and it is not fun - just stay away from me on day five and six. Unless of course you want to be entertained by my emotional roller coaster and rage exibits.
• 6. Not sleeping - so yeah - hence why I am exhausted and up typing a blog when I should be sleeping - this is so frustrating to me. Especially since my hands feel like crap!
• 7. Loneliness - realizing how lonely it can be during the times when people have left and you are just overwhelmed with this feeling of being alone. Silly especially since I have been so blessed to have so many people stop by and offer to help.

So I am going to try one more time to go to bed, but before I do I want to share a picture, Exibit A - and give a shout out to Richard - the IV specialist at Evan hospital - thanks for getting the IV in and doing it in one try! You are my hero for the day! Check out his handy work!

Christopher Williams

All I have to say is that it is a small world. About 8 years ago while living in Clearfield I had a group of friends that loved to go to coffeehouse concerts around the area. We all just loved acoustic music. So one night we headed to State College to hear this guy in concert. It was an awesome night as we got to hear him and Jason Harrod. I grew to just love his music, and to this day still listen to it on a weekly basis.

Which now brings me to this summer. We walked into club the first night at Young Life camp and I looked up front and thought to myself this guy looks so familiar, then after a few songs the speaker for the night announced that Christopher Williams would be singing a song for us, and wouldn't you know that the first song he sang was off the album that I owned from 8 years earlier! It was crazy! But awesome none the less, his music has been such a blessing to me over the years and it was such an encouragement to hear him play again.

One night while there he did a concert, after the concert I decided to stop and chat with him for a moment to tell him the funny story that I just shared, well as I shared it - it got even crazier....he asked where I was from and I said Lewisburg - well he went on to let me know that he went to Bucknell - how crazy is that!

Even crazier - he supports an organization called Blood Water Mission - and one of my friends David VanBuskirk was just interning for them and they are friends too! David is a friend that I used to work at Krislund with...what a small world.

Anyway - you need to check out Christopher Williams and his music - it is a must have for your collection, check out his website http://www.christopherw.com/ We also hope to be featuring him on one of our Get Real shows in the next couple months.

Catching Up - Back to YL Camp

So I am going to try to catch up on my blogging now that I am done house sitting for a couple weeks and for some reason, though my head is throbbing I can't seem to fall asleep, so I guess I will blog instead. To catch up I must go all the way back to July...not bad only a month behind. Anyway - this was one of my favorite nights at camp - it is 50s night! I love this night because it is a whole evening of pure fun! The kids laugh, they dress up, they dance, they celebrate life....it is just a blast! As you can see my girls loved dressing up, putting scarves in their hair, adding the bright red lipstick, and giving themselves moles (I didn't have to have a fake one since I have a real one in the perfect "50s spot". Anyway - I loved watching my girls let down there guard and just have tons of fun dancing, singing, and playing. I wish teens would play more, just let go of their fear of what others will think, let go of their desire to grow up and just play - not compete, just play!

Another good excuse

Well it has been two weeks since I have written and I got back from camp Aug. 2nd....I do have a good excuse I promise. I do have about 12 blogs in my head that I would like to write about. Since I have been back I have been trying to rest, which is a good thing since I need a lot of that, but don't get nearly enough. These two weeks are a bit slower at work so that is good, however my office is a mess so I really need to clean that. But the real reason is that my body is not happy right now. On Saturday night I started to feel really bad again...I struggled to talk and make sense... I tried to go to church on Sunday but I had to leave early because I felt so badly. I had to have people come and help me take care of the dogs that I was dog sitting. On the couch was where I have spent much of my week. I went to the doctor on Tuesday just to be told to see my neurologist. Then yesterday I went to a nutritionist and my neurologist. Lucky me I get to have another MRI on Monday. The worst part of the whole thing is that the doctor is concerned that my dizzyness is not related to my MS - and my thoughts are please Lord - I can't have anything else wrong with me - I don't have enough energy to deal with something else. So now I am sitting, resting and waiting for the test and the results.

So that is my new excuse for not blogging...but if I get some energy later today after I nap I will try to start doing some of my blogging!

Too Close to home

There are so many other topics that I wish I could write about....but it seems that this is the one that is keeping me up as we speak so I will do a late night vent... today I got a call from a good friend of mine letting me know that he was in the hospital, I was surprised but I didn't think too much of it until I talked to his wife and she told me why he was there....at the time of my call he was getting prepped for a spinal tap - YUCK! But the reason for getting one was all too close to home. He had lost all the feeling in his arms and his hands....and when they did his MRI they found a lesion on his spine....the possibilities are a tumor, which they think they may have ruled out...or MS but they won't know anything until tomorrow.

I was able to go and spend the afternoon with them...I answered a lot of questions, hopefully accurately, but also very factually....I didn't want to tell him the hard truth of the disease before he even knew what it was, but I just gave some general stuff to help educate them.

However, as I lay here in bed tonight and I can't sleep because my shot is kicking my butt and my body feels like it has been through the mill, I just want to cry and beg God to spare my friend....I don't want him to have to go through this...he has a wife and four kids, and that would just suck.... my heart breaks for him. I just wish I could take it all away for him.

I have so many thoughts going through my head right now, thoughts of what to say - thinking back to what I wanted people to say to me, thoughts of how to pray....when I just want God to heal his body so he doesn't have to deal with this, thoughts of frustration, thoughts of sadness, and thoughts of fear because I find myself incapable of looking at situation and not thinking about mine, which leads me to thoughts of selfishness...why does it have to come back to me...this is not about me...its about my friend...and this disease that has no rhyme or reason...please pray for my friend Todd...pray for quick accurate results, pray for comfort for his wife and kids, pray for God to heal his body and return the feeling to his hands.

One thing that I do know as does my friend Todd, that God will get us through even the hardest of times, and he will use hardships to make us stronger and to bring people closer to Himself.

Off To McHenry, MD

Hey faithful readers, I just wanted to give you a heads up, and ask for your prayers. Tomorrow morning at 6am I will be departing for McHenry MD with 42 of my friends (33 high school kids, and 10 adults). On our way down we will be stopping to white water raft the nile..oh wait sorry that was what I wish I would be rafting again, however the Youghegeny will have to suffice for now until I can talk someone into taking me to Uganda to do the Nile again. Then we will stay at a great church called Springs Mennonite - who are graciously letting us sleep on their floors. Then off to Garrett College where we will spend the week doing home repair with Group workcamp. Anyway - with that being said - I will be gone for the week and highly unlikely to be blogging...sorry! I promise I will have some good pictures and stories to tell upon my return. Until then God Speed!!

A Night At the YL Rodeo

One of my favorite nights at YL camp - is Rodeo night - they take us all out in the woods and we get to listen to country music, play fun redneck games, like barrel relays, shovel rides, and mattress lines. It is a blast and then we finish the evening with some good ole BBQ diner with all the fixins! It is my favorite night for so many reasons! But my favorite reason is just sitting with my kids on a blanket in a field, listenin so to some good ole country music!

We are the pirates who don't do anything

The volleyball tournament at camp is not like any other....we dress up in outfits that make us look like we are going to a costume party! We were hot! Not just our looks but our temperature - it was about 90 degrees outside and we were wearing garbage bags! But I must say we had one of the best uniforms at the camp (not that I am biased or anything!) We didn't win a game of volleyball but our girls had a great time getting chips by dancing, singing and tackling guys to get frisbees! I am so proud!

Final Day at Dutch Days

It was a long hot day on Saturday...way too hot for someone like me. So hot that I actually almost fell asleep watching the parade and I love parades. We watched it from the porch swing which was in the shade, Tucker enjoyed it as much as a dog can enjoy a parade. There were lots of tractors - which I must say were some of my favorite things. The floats were fun, as were people who were all around - it was a big event!!

That evening was spent working in the soda stand (or if you are from Potter County - the pop stand) The first two hours I was in the cans - all by myself - they must really trust me.... or they must have been really desperate. Then the rest of the night was spent in bottles. We sold everything.....the drink of the night was Mountain Dew Live Wire...to make things a little more exciting - we yelled live wire everytime we sold one. You can't tell that I work with high school kids can you!

The famous name quilt was auctioned off at 10 pm and it went for 3335 dollars - wow! And that is not even the highest amount that a name quilt has sold for - one year it went for 6000. I can't believe that - that is crazy!!! But what a great fundraiser!

At the end of the night I got in one of the drink tubs (don't worry there were no drinks left in it) and I just stood in the ice cold water - it felt so good. Then it was back to the house for good conversation in the kitchen while we waited for the boys to get done, doing there traditional after Dutch Days celebration!

All in all I must say that it was a fun four days at Dutch Days! I might even consider going back next year - if it is not 95 degrees every single day!

Dutch Days - Day 3

After a long day at work, a visit with my friends up at the Platt Family Farm, I headed off to 3 three of Dutch Days in Richfield. After getting lost taking what I thought was a short cut, I arrived and spent the evening under the pavilion listening to some great stories from the past, enjoying some beef BBQ and spending some quality time with the fam (Joel's fam.) I am very excited to announce that my name is going to appear on the 2008 name quilt thanks to Michele. I would also like to make a comment about meeting new people. Sometimes when you meet new people, you just have a feeling you are in for a long conversation about things that you don't really feel like discussing....I met one of those people, though her intentions were great, I just wanted to tell her to leave me alone (sorry I am being utterly truthful today!) Then later this same woman who was giving me her advise, thought that I was 40 - oh my!!! Not that it is bad to be 40, it is not, but imagine if you were forty and someone thought that you were 50...you wouldn't like it. I think she was just assuming that because Joel is older that I was also older. It is funny how two weeks ago I was asked what year I was in college and this week I was asked if I was 40...wow! Anyway, the other funny part of the night was that at one point the announcer said, a goat has escaped, please be aware that a goat has escaped...only in Richfield! (the announcer said , only in Richfield, not me!).

Turtle Pond Tough Girls

This is the first post of a series of Rockbridge Young Life Camp Highlights. On the first night of camp, the camp does an obstacle course in the dark! It is so much fun...and for those of you who may be a little concerned about me doing such an activity...no worries...I just watched from a distance, took pictures, and designed some really cool sharpie tatoos for their arms!! Since a picture speaks a thousand words I will just post the pictures and you can imagine the rest! Just so you know they are wearing their bathing suits under their clothes!

It's my party

I can't believe that I have been alive for 33 years!! Wow! I still think I should be in my twenties but I guess that is how it works as you get older. It was a very fun day...I started out the day by playing golf with some ladies at Bucknell in the Member Guest Tournament - it was super hot outside, but for some reason I decided to play really well (at least for the first half!) and our team won first place!!! It was so awesome....then I also won a prize for getting closest to the pin on one of the par three holes! Despite the fact that I was really tired when I was done - it was a great time and I was so glad that I was able to do something semi-athletic for a couple hours.

Then to top off the day I got some beautiful flowers from my man (it even had orange lilies, my favorite!) After that - a few of my friends came over and we went to Skeeters for dinner - that is one of my favorite places! Once we returned we had some cake and then it was off to pack for the camp trip that would leave bright and early in the morning.

The funniest part of the day...I called my Dad to tell him that I won the golf tournament and he was so excited that I won that he forgot it was my birthday!

PS - Notice all the pink balloons! Thanks Meg!!! You know how much I love pink!!!

Girl's Night

Each year we do an event with the girls to pull out those dresses that you have in your closet that you wore to a fancy event but then you never get to wear them again....well we have created an event just for that. We spend a couple hours at the church getting ready. We do facials, and satin hands, as well as hair, nails, and make-up. This year we took 18 girls and moms and went to Olive Garden. It was a blast! And to top it off - my girls told the waitress about my upcoming birthday and they came out and sang to me and brought me a bowl of whipped cream with a candle in it - I thought that was a bit strange - but oh well! The only bad part was that most of my girls were in the bathroom and missed it all....so even funnier about 10 minutes later they all came out and sang to me again...what a night! Great times with my middle school girls! They are so fun!

Dutch Days - Day 2

So I wasn't planning on being at Dutch Days today, however I needed my car back so I returned the van and stopped by for a little bit - after the long day that I had I must admit I wasn't the most outgoing socialite at the event....which is probably not great since I am always meeting people, and today was probably not the best day for a first impression from me. Let's just say, if people didn't know that I had MS - they may have thought that I was drinking. I did a bit of stumbling and jumbling of my words, and my body just crashed! However I did get to eat of bite or two of a Mr. Sticky's cinamin roll which was very good, then I said hello to all the Snyders (which none of them are actually Snyder's any more besides Joel and his Dad) but you know what I mean....(Ebright, Leisters, Zearfus, etc) I also did get to see some of the old quilts including the first one! So cool! It was worth the walk over to see that!

Then to top the evening off I had to drive home (against someone's wishes!) I wasn't feeling well at all, but when I don't feel well I just want to be home and in my bed, plus Tucker needed to go out, so I am not sure how I made it, other than the fact that God had his hand on my car, because I don't remember most of it. But now I am home and ready for bed, so I will close my report for today. Stay tuned for Saturday's blog - I will write about the Parade, which is a big deal from what I have been told!

Camel Beach

A long day at the water park..but it was a great day for the kids! We loaded up the vans and headed to the Poconos for a day at the water park - all 38 of us! After a bit of a legistical craziness and having to drive to Richfield to borrow a van (thanks RMC you are a life saver!) we were able to get all of our kids in four vehicles. I decided that in order to make it through the extreme heat (100 degree heat index) I should take it easy - so I did...wave pool, scenic chair lift,lazy river, and falling asleep on the lounger chair by the pool. So the good side is - I listened to my body and took it easy...the bad side - I feel like a lazy and boring Youth Director, I would have much rather been out and about riding the waves with my kids, but instead I had to take it easy. I was proud of the fact that my obsession with sunscreen and drinking water really paid off - no dehydrated or sun burnt kids were brought home with us! (I just left all those ones there - jk!) Anyway - we left the park just in time to beat the storms! All in all a great day for the Lewisburg SPY kids!

Dutch Days, Not to be confused with a carnival

I must say that I received an education tonight on what not to call Richfield Dutch Days...do not call it a carnival (Paul how dare you!) Do not call it a fair...it is not a fair...and do not call it anything else that might have either of those connotations. Just call it Dutch Days. I must say that it was a fun evening for the most part. The only bad part was the fact that it was hot and I tire out so easily so by the end of the night I was loving the chair that Joel so graciously got for me. Let me tell you the highlights of the evening....I got to stick my arms in huge (I mean huge) tubs of ice water! Very refreshing. I got to have my first Beef Pot Pie Dinner - excellent I must say, it was almost as good as my Dad's Ham pot pie! I felt like a celebrity since Joel pretty much knows everyone and everyone seemed to want to meet me. I got to watch little Isaac (Joel's nephew) ride the train until the power went out on all the rides - that was somewhat amusing! I saw some people from my church - that was fun and funny! (long story!) I got to meet Nevon and Mary the most mature couple from Joel's church - they were so fun and we talked about Potter County the whole time!!! And I think the best part of Dutch Days is the fact that they make a quilt each year to commemorate the event (I almost called it a fair but I caught myself). They put the names of all the people that come to the fair and they hand quilt it - if my phone actually worked in Richfield I would take a picture and post it. It was so cool! It may just make me like that little town all the more since they quilt there....hmmm I will have to think about that.

I have an excuse, actually several

For those faithful readers, I do have an excuse for not writing on a consistent basis, really I do. First of all - I have been gone alot - in fact I was gone all last week, I didn't have a computer or a cell phone, it was like freedom!!! But my other excuse is this... I have lots of stuff that I want to blog about such as camp, my birthday, and other really cool things like that, however... I like to put pictures with my blogs, but that requires having enough time in the day to download them and transfer them to my home computer...so sometimes it takes a little while to get my blogs done....so I appreciate your patience!

Love Out Loud

This past week I had to take a blogging break as I was living in a high school library for a week. I had the opportunity to lead worship at a Group Workcamp in Baltimore OH. It was a great week! There were about 400 campers and staff, and it was life changing for many people, including the residents and the campers. Since I was also doing my training as an MC I got to do some extra things that were really fun like MC the Variety show....there were some amazingly talented kids and adults there.

The theme for the week is Love Out Loud....I John 3:18 which says Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other with words, but let us show it with our actions. What a great verse, that seemed to go very well with the message I shared at church yesterday.

Who is this Me?

This week has been one of the toughest weeks I have had in a long time. I have really struggled with my health this week, which in turn has set off my emotional health as well. I am not sure how to deal with all of this, so for me when I get overwhelmed or consumed by something, I tend to write. But I am going to be honest, I don't usually let anyone read what I have written. However I feel as though I have struggled to put into words how I am dealing with my MS, so tonight as I laid here once again consumed by my fears and worries, I found myself writing for the first time since I have been diagnosed.... so here it is

Who is this Me?

Written 6/27/08

This disease called MS is ruining my me…

It’s sucking my life out, why can’t you see….

The thoughts that are raging and consuming my mind

Are irrational, cynical, angry, and mostly unkind

It’s like a war that raging from deep down inside

The pain and burning does not seem to want to subside

There are days filled with energy that seem to be so good

But they are hardly remembered, although they sure should

They should be my focus on the really bad days

But when bad days come, they are but a haze.

I am tired of dealing with this, and it’s just been a year

I feel as though I have lost myself, and that is what I fear.

The fears consume me; they seem to rupture my soul

The tears rush like rivers, drowning out all my goals.

I had different plans God – why can’t you see

This disease is destroying this person I call me

Who is me anymore, or dare do I ask

I am not even sure; it’s like wearing a mask

I am empty, I am broken, I am just a big mess

All I want is to be me, and that would be a success

But now the question is back to square one

Who is this me, to this question I succumb…

Who is this me that I search for, is there even a hope

I struggle to find out the answers, Lord please help me cope

You see I know all the answers, I have the degree

But it doesn’t take away the memories of the old me.

I should put things in the past, most people would say

And put on a smile, and celebrate this brand new day

The advice sounds legit a good place to start

But how do you begin to overcome the funeral in my heart.

Right now in the midst of this troublesome time

I must cling to the hope that only in Him I can find

The me that I long for, I may never again know

But I am sure the Great Healer will stand my side as I go

This is a comfort, but truly honest I must be

That when life’s filled with darkness His light’s hard to see

So right now as I wrestle, with the thoughts of despair

I get by with the promise that God will always be there

Although this storm, seems to be wrecking my well planned out life

I cling to the promise that I will never be left out of His sight

Lord, I need you to hold me, to get me through this life’s storm

Show me a new me, one to which you will form

Form me into a servant; give me a heart that will love

Show me new ways to show your mercy, ways that comes from above.

And now as I rest, hold me tight in your arms

For only You can give shelter in the midst of the storms

Farewell Lorelai and Rory!!!

I can check one of my New Year's Resolutions off the list. This afternoon I watched the final episode of Gilmore Girls. It was sad...and I must admit I cried...not because the show is over, but because it was a happy sad ending to the story that has been going on for years. I really enjoyed the show (with the exception of a bit of smut that was thrown in, without my permission of course) but good. Thanks Mom Storm for getting me the first two sessions during my treatments last year. These Gilmore Girls were so fun to watch, but this may sound silly, they actually have helped me get through many of my bad days when I couldn't get out of bed and had no TV to watch to pass the time. Also a big thanks to Jeanne and Betsy for keeping the ending a surprise, I know that it must have been very hard since you would watch a whole season in a night, and then had to keep it a secret for months - I am impressed!

The Next Great Adventure

So our lunch adventure today was a big hit we had 28 kids come to our pool party. It was so entertaining to watch my kids have such a good time. There is a huge group of 5th graders moving up to Branching Out (our Middle School Youth Group). The whole day was one laugh after the next, the kids were doing flips on the board, in the one picture below Nate is doing his one time a year sit up (that is my kinda kid!!!) Then the other picture is of our kids walking in a circle around the pool to create a whirlpool. They are such a fun group!

We are also doing a study of Ephesians and this week we focused on the importance of praying for our friends and our church family!

Lunch Adventure #2 - My 16 kids

I have gone places with my kids before and I have had people ask me which one of the kids was mine, and I would laugh and let them know that none of them were actually mine, I just borrowed them for the day....but this time the question was a little different. Last week while we were enjoying a bit of a rainy day at the park I had a woman come up to me in front of all 16 kids and ask me if these were all my children....so I laughed and said...well not all of them are mine....then after she said, wow and walked away, I realize that I just lied to a complete stranger and pretended that some of the kids were actually mine. The kids thought it was so funny that everytime she would walk by our site one of them would say, Mom can you help me, or mom Johnny hit me. It was so funny...so I really look old enough to have 16 children who don't look alike at all? I mean I am all for adoption, but wow! Anyway - we had such a great time despite the rain, I even built a fire so we could all stay warm after my crazy boys jumped in the 50 degree lake! (I have some more cool pictures but they are being held hostage on my cell phone) Stay tuned for our next Lunch Adventure!

Anna & Joel's Wedding

Well my posts have been a little absent this week....but I feel like I had a great excuse. I had the priviledge of being the wedding coordinator for my dear friend Anna. It was a crazy busy week but we pulled it off and it was a perfect day for the bride and groom. Here is a picture of Anna and I just before I was off to be sure everyone was in the right place. It was so fun to help with the wedding and help reduce the stress for the family. If I had more energy I would do this as my job, but I think I will have to pass on that for a while, until my energy levels return (if they do!)

My three Dads

In honor of Father's Day I thought that I would do a little tribute to my Dads. You may be thinking to yourself - Dads I didn't know Jana had more than one dad...I do ....I actually have three....I will explain I promise.

First is my Dad - the man that I call Dad...the guy that changed my diapers...(at least I think he did) the one that let me cuddle up on his lap when I was cold (big guys are great for that) I remember him giving me M & Ms when I got my stitches out. He is a great man...he has overcome many obstacles in his life and he has become an even better dad through each one. During this past year we had a huge scare...my dad was life flighted to the hospital with a massive heart attack, it didn't look good, but by the grace of God, he made it through - he has lost 75 pounds and looks and acts like a brand new man - I hardly recognize him when I see him. I love my dad! I long for his approval (too much so sometimes) but I am proud to be his little girl and I am honored to be called Charlie! (The picture is from Christmas 2006)


My next dad - is my father. By defination the father is the one who is the male that had a role in creating you. That is my birth father. I do not have a name for this man, I don't have a picture of this man, however I do know a few things. I know that he was tall...6'3, I know that he has blue eyes and blonde hair, I know that he is around 51 year old. He has fair skin, has a slim build, and was very intelligent. From these facts I am assuming that I got my big feet and big hands from him, my blonde hair from him. But everything else must be from my mom since I am not tall, I have brown eyes, and I am dark complected and I am not very intelligent (just normal intelligence). As I said before - I don't know him, but I do love him, and I pray for him - thanks for chosing life!

And lastly but most importantly - my Abba Father...God - our show yesterday Get Real with Dave and Jana featured the topic Abba Father and it was about God's longing to have an intimate relationship with him. Abba is translated - Daddy - which is a very intimate relational term. It is a reminder of how much God the Father loves us and desires to have a relationship with us, he longs to comfort us, to shine his love through us, and to give hope to us. That is what he has done for me over this past year. He has given me hope, when I have been overwhelmed by life. He has given me comfort in the midst of the challenges of MS, and he has given me peace in knowing that my identity is in him and not the things that I can or can not do. Abba Father - thank you for loving me despite all my weaknesses, I am blessed to be called your child.

Impressive!

I am so impressed with myself, I blogged 14 times in one day! I think it must be my competitive nature that still lurks inside of me, that when I set out to do something I want to do it well, so once I declared it in my mind that it was National Blog Alot Day I thought I should live it up! So that is what I did, and it may just be a record - do you know of anyone else who has blogged 14 times in one day....if you do let me know. I am now off to count pills for the Guatemala Mission Trip. Have a great day!

Dairy Queen's Last Supper

So a very unusual sight tonight at the Dairy Queen. We were sitting enjoying our ice cream, when I noticed above the stuffed animal crain machine there was a picture of the Last Supper, I asked my kids if they thought that was strange, and Jacob one of my boys said - well maybe they are all eating ice cream and that is why they have it on there! It was too funny! Can you imagine Jesus and the Disciples sitting at the table washing each others feet then eating a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Fun Times!

Majestic

On our way to the bounce complex today we drove pass this field filled with flags - it was so cool even my middle school kids noticed, so I stopped the big blue whale (aka the church van) in the middle of the road and had Braedon take a picture! There is just something majestic about flags!

Branching Out Bouncing!

Tonight was another trip to the Bounce Fun Complex in Selinsgrove. We had a great time, and just for all of you that are wanting to mom me and ask if I actually bounced with the kids while being sick - the answer is no - I was good - I just watched and took pictures, I actually got tired watching them! We had a great time!

Bocce Fun in the Sun! Lunch Adventure #1

So instead of breakfast on every Wednesday like we do during the school year, we have decided that we are going to do Lunch Adventures instead - that way we can all sleep in, and to be honest I am not a big breakfast person anyway. So this week we had some nice sandwiches but the best part was the strawberry fest we had for dessert! Yum!! After lunch we headed to the park for a fun filled Bocce Challenge. As you can see in the pictures - we had a great time, and Drew had so much fun he broke the ball! Long but funny story you will have to ask him about it! I just love Bocce - it is great for all ages, genders, disabilities etc. Great Times and Great Adventures, tune in next Wednesday to see about our next adventure!

New Technology - Friend or Foe?

A dear friend gave me this really cool new technology stuff for my computer - a camera and mic, so I can communicate to people over the computer. It is great - when it works...but when it doesn't it is so super frustrating. And it is even more frustrating when it works with some people and not with others...and since I know nothing about it and my computer tech decided to leave the country, I am going to have to rely on someone else's brain power to figure this whole thing out!

PS - This is my 10th blog today - Happy Blog Alot Day!

Eight Posts in one hour!!!

Oh my!!! Eight posts in one hour - that is almost unheard of! I can't believe I just did that! Watch out you blogaholics.... I may just get a record for the number of blogs in one day! I hope I don't run out of things to blog about! Oh wait I am a girl...I can always think of things to talk about!!!

Hungary Prayer Request

Joel just left with a group of 12 people to do a two week trip to Hungary. They will be working with Word of Life. The first week they will be doing set-up for the camp and the second week they will be helping to teach English and Baseball to the kids. They may also have some opportunities to do some open air evangelism. Please keep them in your prayers and you can get updates about the trip daily by going to Hungary08.com.

Josh Griffin

A blog about a blogaholic!!!! If you have never checked out Josh Griffin's blog you should....he blogs an average of about 10 blogs a day, they are always entertaining, and sometimes even helpful and thought provoking! Check it out at Morethandodgeball.com Today I had the priviledge and honor to do an interview with Josh for our summer youth ministry series that will be aired in July on Get Real with Dave and Jana. It was so fun to chat with him before we did the interview - he is so funny! Really really funny! But what I didn't realize is that he can also be very serious and well spoken. We did a 15 minute interview and he was able to maintain a serious tone through the whole thing! Actually, he is a great guy with a great heart, and a great deal of wisdom about Youth Ministry. Check out his blog, if nothing else you will be entertained! Thanks for an awesome interview today!!!

LBG Graduation 08

I can't believe that I have had these kids since they were in 7th grade! Wow - time flies! At graduation one of my boys Harry Lesher had the honor of giving a speech as class president. He did such a great job, he had everyone laughing - it was great. But he also had a message to share with the class...he told them that there was someone in his life that contantly reminded him that "to those who have been given much, much is expected!" That someone was me and he used that statement to address his peers and the entire group of people in attendance. I was so proud of him, and I was happy to know that my nagging him with that statement actually had a positive impact on him and hopefully those around him!

Gross!!! Fish skin!!!!

Our last night at the beach we ate at a place called Awful Arthurs. And since we were at the beach I thought that it would be appropriate for me to order my once or twice a year fish meal. So I ordered this battered fish, which was very tasty and it looked very appetizing, until I turned it over to realize that the skin was still on it....I am sure that it was intentional...but I want you to know that if you ever make me fish, please feel free to peel off the skin I don't really need it to be on there.

It was a nice place though and the food was very tasty, I am just weird about fish skin I guess....they had hushpuppies and they were delish!

Tim Buck II

Yes there is a place in the Outer Banks called Tim Buck II and it is actually located in Corolla right across from the house that I stayed in two falls ago. After we had dinner, most of the gang walked around and shopped, but for those that know me, shopping is not my favorite activity, plus I was tired (remember the whole fight between MS and Heat - yeah let's just say the heat won and kicked my butt!) So Joel and I found a swing and sat and chatted which was nice! As I was sitting there I was thinking about how much my life has changed since I last sat on that porch swing...it has been about a year and half. And these are the things that have changed since that point:

• I woke up blind in one eye - they thought it was lymes disease



• I have had 6 MRIs - they are fun



• I was told I had Lymes Disease - but they retested and that was wrong.



• I started to Co-Host a Radio Show



• My sister in law was life flighted to the hospital - blood clots in her lungs - she is fine now



• I was diagnosed with MS in April



• Several Friends got engaged and then married



• Did crazy stuff with my friend Jared - like canoeing the Susquehanna in the winter along with all the ice chunks.



• Turned 32



• Started my 6th year of working at the church



• My dad was lifeflighted to the hospital for triple bipass - three ambulance trips back to the hospital, a lot of stress for the family, and 75 pounds lost - Dad is doing great!



• Church Drama - yuck!



• Change in friendships, some losses, some gains



• And now a relationship with a great guy

Wow - alot has happened! And that was all going through my mind as I was sitting on that porch swing....scary to think that I think that much! No wonder I have anxiety problems!

Beach Time Fun

Last week I got to go to the beach with the whole Snyder Clan. Let me just tell you it was a very long drive for a very short time, but it was fun to get away even if just for a short time. On our way down I was imagining in my mind what I would do while I was there, and it is funny...but I am not sure I actually did much of what I pictured in my mind. I thought I would be spending a lot of time at the beach, enjoying the sun , and the water, maybe going for a walk on the beach....so yeah - not really much of that. It was so hot and humid we were only at the beach for a couple hours and then we spent the rest of the time at the pool - which worked out much better for me. Let's just say MS and Heat are not very nice to each other. The other weird thing...I was there for three days and this is the only picture that I took, but at least it was a really cute one! This is Joel's nephew Isaac! He is my adopted buddy, because some of the best kids are adopted kids!!! Not that I am biased or anything!

Surprise Parties

Do you know how hard one person has to work to throw a surprise party for a farmer....really hard, in fact, I moved the party 5 different times in less than 3 hours. It was crazy, I had to lie - a lot, I had to involve the parents, I even had to beg the birthday guy to come help me move a desk, so finally around 9pm - Erik shows up in his dirty clothes tired and ready to help me out just to find my dining room filled with people that wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday. You see we couldn't cancel or postpone the party because I had already made him a cake! This was one cake I did not want to cut. I was so proud of myself.

National Blog Alot Day!

Okay so I have recieved a few complaints that I have been a slacker in my blogging recently....that actually is very exciting to me, since that must mean that people actually care to read my blog! So in honor of all of my faithful readers, today is National Blog Alot Day! So be ready to read about all the things that I have been doing but haven't had time to write about. Enjoy!!!

One out of 24

Okay so I am in a house with about 24 other people and it is almost 1am and I am officially the only person not sleeping...rediculous!!! I am the one that is always tired and now I am the one that can't sleep - it is so annoying. In the last hour I have read many interesting things

• What to look for when buying a kayak
• Top 100 websites to check out for all sorts of needs
  
• Apple Juice has less calories than white grape juice
• The new Honda element that has a camper built into it's roof
• A story about Sasqwatch and smores
• Facts about exercise and obesity
• Facts about going green
  
• Facts about must have camping equiptment
• And facts about other things that I don't like to talk about since I am not married!
  

So basically if you haven't figured it out by now - I have spend the last two hours reading Camping Life Magazine and I have read Women's Health Magazine. I have also tried listening to music, not so much helping the can't sleep thing.....but oh you know what I just realized.....I forget to take my night medicine, which in case you didn't know - helps me sleep (one of its many benefits) although the later I take it the harder it is to get up in the morning.

WOW - if I could have only remembered that about 4 hours ago - I would be sleeping by now!

So far behind!

So I have about 12 different things that I would like to blog about but I have been so busy and I haven't had time to download my pictures, so as soon as I do that I will be all over the blogs again. In the mean time I will just sit back and relax, because I am on VACATION!!!!!! Loving the time away, with my man and his family!

Auntie Grantie!!!!

Yes!!!! It is true I am going to be aunt again! This time it is my little brother Dan and his lovely wife Krissy! The new little one will be joining us in January! I know that some of you may not be quite as excited as me but a new life is something to be excited about, especially when I get to be the aunt that spoils this new little one!!!

Bouncy Fun!!!

Last week we took our kids to this new Trampoline Complex in Selinsgrove. Let's just say I lasted about 5 minutes and then had to sit down, but those five minutes were definately fun filled. Check out some of our pictures (The one of Braedon is the best!!!)

Smash-O-Rama 2008

What a fun night! We dropped some really fun things from this cherry picker. I must say that I was a bit scared going up but what a rush to drop a TV from 30 feet in the air and watch it smash on the ground with 30 kids cheering in the distance! In the pictures you will see the TV that I dropped, Braedon dropping a TV (I would have put my picture, but his was cooler, and the best picture which was a grape soda bottle exploding after it bounced off the ground.

Finally a good day!!!

It has been a long time coming...a good day...in fact I was about to resign to the fact that I was not going to be able to have much energy for the rest of my life...that's the mind games that my MS plays on me. But when all you ever feel is tired it is no surprise that a person gets down in the dumps and feels as if things will never change, right? Well right or wrong that is how I have been feeling for over two months now. I have had so many bad days in the last month that I had to start taking a new medication to see if I can get through a week without having to spend at least one day in bed.

So with all of that being said...Monday I had a great day! I felt almost normal for the entire day, I played in a golf tournament and I didn't get dizzy or faint once, my hands didn't hurt and my eye wasn't stupid...all reasons to celebrate! Then I had a nice dinner. After dinner I found out that I was the lucky winner of 4 tickets to the Penn State Temple game next year (my dad is so excited!). Then I went to a Arbonne party and had a facial that was fun, and I topped the evening off with a little Gilmore Girls with a friend - if it hadn't been for having to take my shot that night - it would have almost made perfect day status!

So rejoice in the good days for they are what gets me through!