Halleluiah, I'm Done!

I'm finally finished with my ICD coding class! Yayyyyy!!!!! I just took my final, and I got a 90! Now, I only have 2 more classes to take and I'm finished with classes altogether!
Now I can focus on getting ready for Christmas. This is probably the first class I've had that I wanted desperately to be finished with. Probably because of the time of year. I want to be able to do other things besides study all day. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done!! Woo hoo!!

Christmas Festival

The Christmas festival was alot of fun, but also exhausting. I cooked, with several ladies from my support group, from 8am to 3pm, and then it was time to get dressed to go. I was at the festival from 4:15 til 9:30. Being in charge of something, besides kids, was a whole new experience for me. I'm told I did well, though, and it's nice to hear people say that the Mexican food was good. I enjoyed the experience, and now I know I'm capable of doing it. But, I think I will wait until I'm finished with school before I say I'll do something like that again. I feel like I'm behind on that again. However, I believe that God will bless my efforts for putting the festival first. After all, the whole point of the festival is to raise money for our school so that we can raise our kids in a way that is pleasing to Him. I am thankful that I can help in building our Community for that purpose. Thank you, Lord, for helping me.
And, Heather, we all missed you terribly. I'm not used to doing stuff like this without you! We're praying for you! Love you!

The Other Rachel

I got a great surprise this morning! My friend, Rachel, came to visit. Yes, this is the young lady I named my daughter after. I used to babysit her when she was little. She brought her son, Jacob with her. He is two months old, and a cutie. He looks alot like her brother, Donald, who died when he was 5. She didn't stay terribly long, but I enjoyed our visit thoroughly, and we exchanged our information so we can keep in touch. I have missed her so much. It was such a blessing to see her today. Another little jewel from God.

Mia Catherine

She's here! My little goddaughter, who is absolutely beautiful, is here! She is sooooooo cute, and very peaceful. Lots of hair that looks like it's going to be curly. I had the best time holding her today. She has the sweetest little mouth. She even has a tiny cry right now. I'll try to post some pictures soon.

Iminent Arrival

I am so excited! Heather is going in tomorrow morning to be induced! I can't wait to see that sweet little girl. And to find out what her name is!

Relaaaxxx...

Well, I'm feeling a little more relaxed now.
I got through Thanksgiving, which was very nice, with some INCREDIBLY good food.
I've made the radio spot for the Christmas festival, which turned out pretty good.
I just made a batch of the burritos I'm going to make for the festival next weekend, just to make sure they will be good. And they are. Very.
I finally made 100 on one of my quizzes on the first try! I've been waiting for that!
Things don't seem quite so overwhelming at the moment, which is very nice. I do still have quite a bit of school work to do before Dec. 13, which is the end of the class. But it suddenly doesn't seem as scary as it did before. Once I get past the festival, I can concentrate on getting through with this course.
I am looking forward to this festival. I have never been in charge of anything before. I think it's going to be alot of fun.

Overwhelmed by blessings

I have been feeling very overwhelmed for the past few days. I have started my second coding class of 4, and already I feel like I am behind. I am in charge of the Tex-Mex booth at our annual Christmas festival, and have alot to do in that area. I have been asked to do a radio spot for said Christmas festival. I still haven't finished painting my great room. My house is a disaster area. And the list goes on.
But I realize in all this, that God has given me a wonderful home, a beautiful family, loving parents on both sides, and a great Community to live in. I have great opportunities to serve others, and I'm almost finished with school.
My mom is on her way over here right now to help me finish painting and clean up my house. How many of us can say that we have a mom willing to give up her day to come help us keep up? She has always had a servant's heart. She amazes me. Thanks, Mom. I love you.

So Honored!

Yesterday, my best friend, Heather, asked me to be one of the godmothers to her baby girl, who will be born in about 4 weeks. I must say, I am very honored and excited! It was all I could do not to cry when she asked me. I can't wait to get the call that Heather's in labor! I was able to be there when her daughter, Gracie, was born, and it was such an awesome experience. I was already looking forward to this little girl's arrival. Now, to be able to call her my godchild, will be even more wonderful! Thank you, Heather and Paul, for giving me this honor.

Crazy Days

Things have been a little crazy around here lately. I am trying to finish up another course. This time, it's the first of the four coding courses. This presents a whole new challenge, because alot of the time, I think I have the right answers, and I discover that I don't. Learning where to find the right codes, and why they are right, is a whole new experience. I am still enjoying it though. I plan to take my final in the next day or so. I am a little anxious about it, but I know God will help me apply my knowledge. By the way, I got a 94 on the final for my last class!
I have also been in the process of repainting my study and great room. The study is finished, and I love the shade of blue that we chose. The great room is almost finished, and is a beautiful shade of red. Next, I plan to paint the dining room gold, and Rachel's room either blue or green.
I think we may be having Thanksgiving here this year for my side of the family. It will be nice because we will still be able to see John's family during the day as well. They will be right next door, so we can just walk over at some point. I am hoping that my Aunt June and Uncle Wayne will come. They are more like my grandparents than my aunt and uncle. Aunt June had surgery recently, and won't be able to cook like she normally does, so I am hoping to be able to serve her this year. She is such a precious lady! I will miss her chocolate pound cake, but I'll take her presence over cake any day.
I am so looking forward to the holidays! I love this time of year. I love decorating, preparing good food, getting gifts for others, enjoying family, the beauty of the season of Advent, teaching my kids about the birth of Jesus, and so much more. I always seem to get in the spirit of Christmas long before it gets here.

Glen Cove

I am so looking forward to this weekend. We will be going to a place called Glen Cove in the North Georgia mountains. It is a rustic cabin, right next to the waterfall I grew up playing in. I love this place. I will take pictures and try to post them when I get back. An added bonus is that Rosie Bea, our niece and goddaughter, will be coming up when John comes. We may freeze our hinies off, since there is no heat in the cabin besides a fireplace, but we will bring lots of blankets. It should be a very relaxing time.

Cutie Patootie

Matthew brought me a picture that he drew last night. It was a laptop made out of paper, with a video game on the screen. "That's great, Matt! I love it," I said. His response:"Yeah, it's awesome, and cool, too!"

Cousins

I am sitting, listening to Matthew and his cousin, Charlie, playing in th other room. Now, they are calm and seem to really be enjoying each other's company. Sometimes it's hard to have them play together. They want to compete over every little thing. But, they're 4. What else should I expect? Of course, they are doing much better with that than they did when they were 3. But even in the midst of them arguing, I try to remind myself that they are cousins, and what a blessing it is to have them living so close to us. It's wonderful to have family so close that I can just walk over to their house any time. The kids have someone to play with every day. I love where I live. God has truly blessed us.

My Precious Boy

I haven't said much about my Robby yet. He is such a wonderful, gentle, loving boy. Sometimes I worry that he won't stand up for himself, but when the time comes, he always surprises me. He seems to have alot of wisdom for a child of 8. In situations that have arrisen at school, he has responded in ways that make me extremely proud. Of course, he does need guidance sometimes, but he always seems to remember what we say when it's important. He is by no means perfect. None of us are. But God has given him a gentle spirit, and I pray that he will keep it and nurture it. Robby has even said that he thinks God might want him to be a priest. I think that's awesome! If, in fact, that is what God wants, that's great, but if it's not, that's great too. I'm just thrilled that he's considering what God wants at this early age. I'm so proud of you, Robby. I love you!

Another Class is Coming to an End

Well, I think the class I'm taking right now is finally winding itself up. This particular one has only lasted for a month, but it seems like much longer. There is so much information to take in, and I've had to do 3 chapters per week. Now I just have a few more assignments to turn in, and my final to take.
I'm always a bit nervous when preparing for my final. John says I'm silly for feeling that way because I always do well on them. I'm sure he's right. I've just always been that way when it comes to taking tests. Granted, it's not nearly as bad now as it was in elementary school. It's probably good that I feel that way, somewhat, because it makes me study more and try harder. I am determined to do this right.
The day after this class ends, my next class begins. I pretty much won't have a break from school until Christmas. Which is fine. It just means that I will get more done towards my goal. Only four courses left! Then I can start my internship and prepare to take the certification exam!
I'm still enjoying myself. It's definitely been a challenge, but I think that's just what I've been needing. I do look forward to getting a job. I sincerely hope that I can work from home so I can be here when my kids need me. Taking care of my little jewels will always be my most important job.

Beautiful Weather

This week has been so beautiful! The temperature has been in the low 80s, and it's been nice and breezy. I love it! I have had the windows open all week. This kind of weather always makes me feel good, and thankful for the wonders of God's creation.

Happy Birthday Heather!

I had the best time last night! Along with several friends, I took Heather out for her birthday. Of course, her actual birthday was last week, but this was the first chance we had to celebrate together. So, Holly, Andree, and I took Heather to Chili's for dinner. Our friend Jennifer met us there later.
We are all over 30, and we all have at least three kids each, so we have some very interesting conversations. The things we talked about were not anything unusual; just kids, husbands(all good stuff), bodily functions, among other things.
I don't think I have laughed that much for a very long time. I laughed so hard that I had tears running down my face, and at one point, I thought I was going to choke because I couldn't stop. Heather is just about the funniest person I know. She just has a way of telling stories.
We always have a good time when we go out. I look forward to every opportunity to spend time with my friends. Thank you, ladies for such a fun night! And thank you, Heather, for making your birthday party a gift to all of us! I love you all!

Sweet Little Boy

I have been sitting on the couch, trying to catch up on some homework, with kids and cat running around, making noise, asking questions(the kids, not the cat), and generally disrupting any flow there might be to my thoughts. Bed time finally arrived, and off they went. All except Matthew. I was getting a little frustrated with him because he kept telling me that he wanted me to go lay down with him, and I still had so much work to do. He even tried to entice me by telling me I could bring my laptop in the bed with me. Eventually, he gave up, and decided he would just sit and watch me as I worked. Shortly thereafter, he was a snoring mass, leaning heavily on my left arm.
As I sat next to him, listening to his soft little snores, I realized again just how precious children are. That is one of my most favorite things to do: sit and look at my kids as they sleep and listen to them breathe. I still do that with the older ones sometimes, too. God has truly blessed me with the three he has given me. They grow so fast. God, please help me to be the mother you would have me be. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to love these little jewels.

Her Heart is in the Right Place

Yesterday, while working online, my computer froze, so I had to shut it down and reboot. While I was waiting for it to reboot, all 3 of my kids came over to show me the fabulousness of Build-A-Bear fruit snacks. They had discovered that yes, you can actually "build a bear" out of them, and wanted me to see. They used the corner of my laptop to rest them on, and my dear Rachel reached over me an accidentally hit some keys. The screen went blank and stayed that way. So I shut it down again, and rebooted again. This time it came up with a message saying that Windows could not start and a repair program started up. After a few minutes, it said something about restoring to an earlier time. By this time, Rachel was absolutely panicking, so sure that she had broken my computer. I told her not to worry about it, and, even if it was broken, it wasn't her fault and it could have happened to anyone.
So, I continued and tried the "restore" option. This took a few minutes, and while I was waiting to see what would happen, I started reading some of my homework. Next thing Iknew, Rachel was standing in front of me with her piggy bank, and proceeded to empty it. I asked her what she was doing, and she said,"well... if you have to buy a new computer..."
So precious! She was willing to give me every dime she had to try to fix what she had done, or thought she had done. Thankfully, the restore worked, and everything was fine.
I love you Rachel! You are a jewel!

Looking On the Bright Side...

Going back to school hasn't been the only change in my life recently. About six weeks ago, I had to have a hysterectomy. The recovery wasn't so bad, and now I am pretty much back to normal. I am sad that I won't be able to have any more kids. They are such precious gifts. I was looking forward to seeing what the next one would look like. I think my kids are mourning the loss of what might have been as well. I know John is.
Robby told me that he wanted me to have another baby, right before I had the surgery. And Rachel has already started talking about the possibility of adopting. Matthew, on the other hand, is happy to be the baby for as long as humanly possible.
On the bright side, I am no longer in pain! I have had almost constant pain for the past couple of years, and it had gotten to a point of being debilitating. I know it was affecting how I related to my kids, my husband, and probably everyone else. I can't even begin to describe the difference in how I feel. I actually feel GOOD. Thank you, Jesus!
God has truly blessed me during this experience. My sister-in-law, Heather, who is 6 1/2 months pregnant, who also happens to be my best friend, set up meals for my family for 3 weeks so I wouldn't have to worry about it. There are so many wonderful Christian friends around me who have been so very willing to help. My mom was here every day for 3 solid weeks, even when she didn't feel all that great, herself. She cleaned and took care of the kids, including doing things like taking Rachel to the orthodontist, and taking the cat to the vet.
I am so thankful to all of you who have helped me. God gives us little jewels daily to help us in our journey. You are all jewels to me. Mom, Heather, Holly, Anna, Kelly, all you wonderful Alleluia ladies, I love you all dearly.

Changing Times

Well, this will be interesting. I can't say I've ever done anything like this before. But, hey, I'm trying alot of new things lately. Like going back to school. I'm 33 and have had a desire to go back to school for quite some time now. I finally took the leap and registered for classes one day. I must say, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I am taking courses to become a medical coder.
I guess I have jumped the gun a bit. I should probably introduce myself. I'm Becky. Actually, that's not even my real name, but I haven't gone by that since my dad decided I looked like a Becky shortly after I was born.
I have a wonderful family, including my own wonderful parents and a great brother and sister-in-law. My husband, John, has quite a few more people on his side. He has 3 sisters, and 3 brothers, all married, and all great people. His parents live right next door to us, and are just about the best in-laws a person could ask for. Oh, did I mention the 22 nieces and nephews, and 4 great-nieces and nephews? All good kids, too.
Then, of course, there are my own little jewels. Rachel is 9, Robby is 8, and Matthew is 4. I love my children dearly, and I thank God that He has trusted me with the honor of raising them. They truly are beautiful, inside and out. Of course, the inside is the most important part. I want Jesus to be just as proud of them as I am.
It's getting late, so I will add more later. Good night!