Trees

About 11:30 last nite, Bob is asleep on the couch, I'm dozing thru the news while on the floor, when I hear a sound like ladyfinger firecrackers outside. The family across the street is known for being loud & all, so I peek out the window & realize something is in my view that usually isn't. So I turn on the porch light to get a better view. I can now tell that what I heard is the branch of the 100yr old acacia tree cracking and falling. Whowee fun. Woke Bob up from his stupor to go investigate. It landed about 6 feet from the house, so no damage there. Bob stopped by the land lord's house on his way into town to see if he was even up (he's working on building a house for themselves) and let him know. Crazy stuff - I'm sure we'll be working on it later, although all Bob has is a little hack saw, nothing big enough to get all the way thru the big part of the branch.

As for my arm, it is beginning to itch...a good sign I know, but I can't scratch it since the stiches are still in it till Monday. I should get the biopsy results then. Nat's regualr MD doesn't think we need to do anything just yet w/the thing on his side - keep an eye on it for now - call if it changes kinda thing. Still no definitive answer. Nat is adamant that he doesn't want to have it cut out, so I guess we'll wait a little bit longer.

The situation at church isn't getting any better. Had a phone call last night that someone will be printing up a motion to be brought at the next scheduled business meeting to vote the guy out. So, now Bob needs to get his written statement going that he as the pastor is not in support of the motion and will not be voting on it at all. It is really our only course we can take to help our side of the case should the guy decide to file suit. Not that it will completely protect us, but at least its on file. Bob was talking to the gentleman who has been counselling him thru this and he can't believe the whole thing.

Anyway, I need to go find myself some breakfast, maybe shower so I can be ready to work when Bob gets back from Bible study........

Healing Process

well, so far, my husband has pushed hard on my shoulder & 2 of my 6 coworkers have...all accidental of course...but still enough to cause some slight discomfort. I left the bandages off today, the rest of my skin is all red & angry from the adhesive in the bandaids I was using. Oh well - life goes on and my skin is changing.
Scouts tomorrow nite, md appointments Friday am, nothing else major going on - yeah!!!! Do need to plan something for me & the boys to do in October while Bob heads to Vegas again with his brothers. Nat happens to be out of school the same time, so I may take off work one day to spend with them.

Chelle

Stitches

As in I have 3 internal and 5 external. A neat diagonal scar right across the point of my right shoulder. No real pain unless me or someone bumps it - I go back in 10 days to have them removed - hopefully I'll have a biopsy report prior to that and I'm praying its clear. As for Nathanaels' mystery bump, she measured it & told me to bring him back in a week to see if things had changed. Not a whole lot more than I already knew, but that's all she had to say. It could be that since she was only working by the light from the window, she didn't have many options (the wind was blowing 30-40 mph that day & the whole building lost power). So, next Friday, when Nick has his 5 year old check up, we'll check Nat too. Such fun.

Church was interesting this morning - all the people not happy with the plan of restoration boycotted - made it hard to focus on leading worship when I know that God is not being honored by all who call themselves part of this particular congregation. Bob was preaching & did a great job - focusing on bringing in the lost - something that this church needs to get back to doing instead of worrying about themselves. He did go spend quite a bit of time w/both the boys Thursday morning - and offered to be their transportation to the church when that time comes.
On a positive note - today is Nick's bday - a big 5 years old! We spent most of the afternoon assembling the 4 power ranger toys he got - discovering one I need to take back tomorrow cause it doesn't make the sounds it supposed to. Such is life as a parent.

Bob's ability to control his tongue

Well, the meeting last night went for 3 (yes 3) hours before my husband came home. I left after the first hour because I needed to get the boys into bed. Its crazy, there are people who are dead set against any form of restoration - people who are supposedly leaders of the church. Bob was prepared at one point for one person to stand up and ask for his resignation, but it never happened. He explained that he & the deacon body had set up the procedures/precautions and that the offender had agreed to those as well; but people were still on a vendetta. And now, 5 years later, they are suddenly worried about the boys who are his victims! Haven't been all this time, but now that they can be used as a tool to get rid of the offender since they can't be anywhere near him. Anyway - he did have several people tell him they were proud of the way he managed to keep his tongue & not fly off the handle. So, keep praying that things will go as God wants for this church.

On another note - Nathanael has a really weird thing on his side - looks almost like a bug planted an egg sac under his skin! WEIRD! He has an appointment tomorrow morning with the doctor - he doesn't like needles, it could get interesting. My appointment about my shoulder is tomorrow afternoon - 3:15 to exise the small mole/freckle on my right shoulder. We both may have stiches tomorrow nite....I may post pictures, we'll see.

Gotta get back to dental business.....anyone need a crown done? :)

Chelle

Retreating

no, I don't mean from a situation, altho that would be my option of choice right now, I am about 20 minutes east of Chicofor our associational women's retreat. I want to just hide from everyone, and study God's word, but I do need to eat & part of refreshing my spirit will need to include some corporate worship, so I will at some point need to leave my room! I've already headed farther up a trail than I should have, if only because I was alone & noone knew where I was headed (heck, even I didn't know where I was headed)! So, once I passed the mountain lion scat (I think) I figured I needed to head back to the land of the living. This is where I was when I wrote about my paternal grandmother's influence on my life, and I was reminded of it again as I passed the streams by. I had written that her influence was like a stream, deep and still in places, but rushing and noisy in others. Kinda like God - the still times are good and refreshing, but its the rapids that make the noise & the glory! Anyway, only spotted a little lizard on a rock wall, but I'm sure I will see the deer family that resides within the preserve sometime tomorrow. Its cool & a little breezy here right now, but its supposed to heat back up tomorrow I think.

Nick was cute this morning, last weekend when we left, he didn't fuss or cry or nothing. This morning when I was leaving, he got all clingy. Sometimes little boys just need to love on their mommies. I hugged him close & we sang "you are my sunshine" together before I got in the van w/my friend to leave. He'll be okay - Daddy took him to lunch somewhere I'm sure, then he probly watched cartoons till time to go get Nathanael from school.

I think I'm gonna nap for a few before its time to head down for dinner.

lynch mobs

Well, that wonderful possible legal situation is only getting worse. According to California law, we MUST give 2 weeks notice before a called business meeting (the one they're planning to oust the man); our 50 year old outdated bylaws make no such stipulation, so now the group is willing to forego the law to meet anyway. The biggest personal problem I have w/all of this is that if any lawsuit arises out of an illegal meeting, ergo an illegal vote, the church leadership is almost always the ones who end up taking the full brunt of said law suit. Since Bob is the only staff member right now, that means us. It didn't make things any better that 2 of the people calling for the meeting told Bob that the outside advice he got to hold off, announce legally, etc was probably the right thing to do. By Wednesday's council meeting, they had decided to go ahead & proceed as they had originally planned. The doubt about if its time to leave is getting smaller & smaller by the minute. This is NOT how anyone should leave a church! I'm headed off to a women's retreat - I had decided to go last week or so, just to get away to feed my own soul - now I'll probably spend a lot of time in prayer about the whole thing. Bob will be meeting w/the deacons, then all of them w/the offender & his wife to try & deal with all of this. So, not only does he have that stress, he'll have the boys as well. Keep all of us in prayer...tears are welling even as I type...I know God is here, He has promised that, but it sure is hard to imagine that He is in this situation! People who claim to be godly are being punitive and judgemental; not allowing the healing Spirit to be in control at all - and it is going to tear too many people apart.

Last weekend

Bob & I had a great time - just the two of us, rattling around w/no real plans....it was a good thing! Saw some incredible redwoods near Santa Cruz, crawled inside one, then watched a herd of 6 deer walk no more than 15 feet from us - incredible! Headed up highway 1 north, stopped at a beach & hiked down from the parking lot to climb on some rocks & investigate the tide pools - very cool. Found a little gobi fish about 3/4 inch long that was so well camoflaged (spelling???) we nearly missed him. We will need to take the boys back sometime so they can see it all too.

Keep praying about the other situation - we're now having to deal with the fact that he wants to be part of the fellowship again, but people have already burned up the phone lines that we're going to vote him out. All this probably within the time frame of noon (when he went forward at church) to not even 1pm Sunday afternoon. Why is it that we Christians can be so vengeful and spiteful?! Yes, as a parent, and someone who is very close to the situation, I would love to see him attend someplace else. But, yet, Christ in me says that we need to give him a chance to repent and re-establish the trust. Anyway.......

Time to go eat my microwaved frozen dinner that I brought from lunch....patients will be walking in very shortly!

Dental life

well...it has been a week of wanting to pull my hair out.....patients just don't want to come in, not that its my fault, but I still feel responsible when everyone is standing around with nothing to do. Anyway, Bob & I are heading away for the weekend just us - no kids. We need to just be us for a few days.

Things aren't slowing down in any way - started cub scouts again tonite...Nathanael & I are doing this together, which doesn't make it too bad, but when I'm the leader and have had a long day, its just makes it hard to contemplate leading 2 very active little 8 year olds!

Gotta go finish packing - have a great day everyone!
Chelle

Let us pray, part 2

Things went okay last nite....the person in question is prepared for the fact that there are people who will not be thrilled that he is back. He just doesn't want to make a spectacle, etc. He is very aware of the limits of his parole & is ready to cooperate about that. As for the repentance issue, that's a hard read still. He's only been out at the most a week, so still a little rough around the edges after 5 years in prison. So, we will still be praying for a smooth morning.....

We've got a long weekend with no real plans except to sort of clean out the garage that we bombed w/spider killer. Its no fun to find black widows 2 inches across in there w/all our stuff!

Chelle

Let us pray.......

Bob is headed off to a confrontation he knew would eventually happen, but has been dreading for 5 years. Long story, but the short of it is that a person who is (was) a member of our church has been incarcerated since summer 2001 for inappropriate conduct w/kids was released this last weekend. He has made it known that he is expecting to walk onto the church grounds Sunday am and not be hindered at all. Bob checked w/the local PD and while they cannot hinder his religious freedom, by all means we can to protect the children that God has entrusted to our care. Soooo...Bob and a few deacons are headed to the hotel he & his wife are staying at (2 of the victims are the grandkids they have custody of, although they're both in juvie -don't ask right now) to confront him about openly repenting, etc...we shall see how it goes. Bob said this afternoon that he's dealt with more than he ever expected in the 7 years we've been here. In just one kid, we have atttempted suicide, drugs and cutting; molestation issues from the above mentioned situation....lots of things that the college level degree does nothing to prepare you for! Anyway, God has been good in equipping those He calls, namely....us! I'll let you know how things go later....Chelle