Change is in the wind...

Hi, folks. Sorry again about the long delay in communication. I've had a few changes take place in my life recently, so I am going to attempt to share some of them with you. And no, Bro. Hight, it doesn't have anything to do with Florida, though I wouldn't mind that right now! Last night, we had another ice storm, and more freezing rain, wintry mix today. I was supposed to work today in home care, but they called us off due to weather conditions. So I got to go back to bed and be lazy! Yay!

Okay...back to what I need to say. As of today, I am no longer a home care nurse. Today was supposed to be my last day. I will have to return stuff next week, due to the icy conditions today. No, I did not get fired, I quit. I found out on 1/31, that HHC was being sold off to a large corporation. We were already affiliated with the larger corporation due to a merger several years ago. But we would no longer be associated with the small hospital that I have been a part of for over 10 years now. Well, that did not set well with me. In addition to losing my seniority, and my foot in the door at the hospital, we would be going back to paper charting for 6 months, then returning to learn a new computer system. Well, that was all too much for this gal to handle, so after a week of prayer and thinking, I turned in a 2 week notice. There were other factors involved as well, but I think that's all that needs to be said right now. I will say that when I made my decision, a peace just washed over me, and I knew that it was going to be okay. I will be returning to the hospital, effective Monday 2/25, to work prn. There are pros and cons to working prn. One of the big cons for me is losing my health insurance. I am hoping to be able to make enough that I can afford some basic insurance. There seem to be more pros than cons however. I will be able to decide when I want to work, though my need for money will dictate that somewhat :) I will also be able to pick up more hours teaching at the school, which I am very excited about. The tentative plan is for me to teach 2 days per week in general music, etc, teach piano 2 days per week, and work 1-2 shifts at the hospital. I don't know exactly what areas I will be working in yet. Probably some ICU, house supervision, and possibly some cardiac rehab and outpatient surgery. I will be able to pick up more hours in the summer months, and on school vacations. I will appreciate prayer as I make the transition. I go for my computer training on Monday, and then will do some re-orientation later in the week.

On February 2nd, our church youth group attended a lock-in held in Shoals, Indiana. I got to go along as one of the leaders of the youth group. We had a great time, and got to get reacquainted with some old friends. Out of this, I had an answer to prayer which will help me financially. Several ladies approached me about teaching piano to their children. I originally thought that it wouldn't be possible, as my piano day in Bedford is totally full. But then I had an idea, and to be honest, I think God put it there. It came to me that there wasn't any reason why I couldn't travel to Shoals to teach one day a week if there was enough interest. Well, I later contacted a friend and then the pastor's wife. And they have 12 students for me! So every Monday afternoon/evening, I will spend in Shoals teaching piano! God is so good to take care of us!! I will continue my Bedford lessons on Wednesdays, and I think I will have 13 here for right now. Anyway, it will be a very nice supplementation to my income, and I will be able to help the folks in Shoals at the same time! Very happy. I believe I start there on March 3rd.

Well, I have had another very big change in my life. On Feb. 11th, we had to put our dog Winkie to sleep. We had prayed about it for quite some time, asking God to just take him in his sleep. Well, that didn't happen, and I was frustrated, and even a little angry about it.I kept saying "God, the Bible says you care about the sparrows. We really need you to answer prayer for this little dog." I didn't see how we would ever get through putting him down. We got Winkie when he was 3 months old, and he was nearly 15 and a half. He has been a part of our family, and was happy to be with us as much as possible. Well, that last weekend was very bad. He had been feeble for maybe 4-5 months, would sometimes get down and then couldn't get back up. The last weekend of his life, he was down more than he was up. He was starting to get sores on him from where he would try to get up, and had to be held up to go to the bathroom. Poor Mom was up with him about every hour through the night, and we knew it wasn't fair to him to let him continue like that. He had slept in Mom's room for years, and was really more her dog than mine, since I was at work a lot. Needless to say, it was very hard on our whole family. I was already crying when I called the vet to make the appointment. But the vet was very compassionate, and they let us stay with him the whole time, and also let us bring him home to be buried. Several times during that day, I prayed that Winkie wouldn't be afraid, and that he would go peacefully. And God answered that prayer! He was usually terrified of going to the vet, would start shaking on the way there, would bury his head in my chest during his exams, etc. He was NEVER calm that I can remember. But that day, he was super calm, no shaking, no anxiety. And it was over in seconds. He never did act the least bit upset, and Mom and I stayed with him, talking to him and stroking him. He went very peacefully. And I will say that God helped us so much that day. We had several family members and close friends praying for us. We brought him home, and buried him that evening when Dad got in from work. The ground was frozen, so I wasn't able to make too much of a dent in it without his help. But we were able to dig the grave together, and buried him with his 2 favorite toys. I know that sounds really sentimental, but I don't really care. If you must know, I just had to go get a Kleenex just writing about this! It was spitting snow and sleet by the time we got him buried, and poor Dad fell trying to cross back over the creekbed behind our house. He didn't see the patches of ice on that stone. Fortunately, he didn't break anything, but was plenty sore for a few days. Here is a picture of Winkie in happier days, Christmas 2006, when he sneaked under the tree and opened his present without our knowledge :)



After moping around for a few days, we realized just how empty our house seemed. We were looking for Winkie everywhere. Every time we got out of a chair, or came into the house, we expected to see him. So this past Saturday, Feb. 16th, we drove to Daleville, near Anderson, Indiana, and picked up a new Yorkie puppy! We've had him almost a week, and he is rotten already. He turned 3 months on 2/20, and weighs somewhere around 3 pounds. He is completely adorable, and is in fact, asleep in my lap right now. He has adapted very quickly, and wants to be with us constantly. I tried to put him down for a nap in his crate earlier, but since I wasn't in there with him, he cried until I thought he would get sick. He is very smart, and is already doing well with 3 commands. He also knows that when he hears the icemaker on the fridge door, he will probably get some small pieces of ice that fall. He runs to the fridge everytime somebody gets a drink :) His name is Snickers, after the candy bar. We haven't sent in his papers yet, but it will probably officially be Matlock's Little Sir Snickers :) We pondered his name for several days, and decided we liked that the best. Other choices were Jackson, after Thomas Jackson, and Little Sir Winston, after Winston Churchhill. But we just couldn't fathom calling him Winston or Winnie, so Snickers he became. I haven't been able to get great pics of him yet, as he runs at the camera every time he sees it. These are mostly taken looking down at him. Enjoy!







As you can see, he is a big hit with the kiddos! In fact, Jared told me Wednesday that he wished he could come to our house every day to see puppy :) We have to protect Snickers from them a little. They try to be gentle, but he is so tiny, and tires easily still. He is very playful, very affectionate, and we are all completely smitten! Even my father, who stopped at a pet store yesterday just to get him a chew bone. My brother-in-law says Snickers doesn't know how lucky he is :) I'm sure you will hear more about him later.

Another change for me is that in January, I joined Curves. I love it! I go 3 times per week to exercise, plus sometimes I use the treadmill here at home too. I got weighed and measured after 3 weeks, and I had lost 2 pounds of body fat, and 3.25 inches! Yay for me! I hope to have more positive things to report in that department soon.

Well, I should go for now. Thanks to those of you who have been praying for me! My brothers family should be here soon, to celebrate our weekly "We're happy it's Friday" night :) My sister and her family are staying in this weekend, as they hope to avoid the flu that seems to be going around. Diane is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, to hopefully finally correct that arm. Please continue to remember her in your prayers.

Have a great weekend!