Happy B-day Jack!

Today, we celebrated Jack's 3rd b-day at Pump It Up. I cannot believe my baby is turning 3. We all had a great time and enjoyed seeing all of his friends. Jack looked adorable in the t-shirt that Courtney Perry made for him. Jeff's bright idea for Jack's b-day present was a 4 wheeler. He had told me that the ATV was for ages 3-8. Yesterday, it arrived and to my surprise it's tiny! I thought, "Jack can handle this." Jack rides the gator better than most of the other children in the neighborhood that are older than him. Well, Abby decides to jump on the 4 wheeler and take off down the ditch going about 30 mph. She ended up flipping the 4 wheeler. It landed on her. After making sure that Abby was fine, Jeff said, "I bet our neighbors think we're a bunch of rednecks." Now, we can laugh about Abby's first experience on Jack's 4 wheeler. Jack is not ready to ride it just yet. We're going to give it a couple of years...... By the way, the recommended age for the 4-wheeler is 14-16.

Today, I'm feeling much better. Although I was completed exhausted after Jack's party, my aches and pain were not as strong. However, I did take a 3 hour nap to recover from the busy morning.

I hope each of you have a wonderful Sunday. I will see you soon. I appreciate everyone celebrating Jack's B-day with us.

By the way, scroll to the bottom to see pics of Jack.

Kristi

Thursday

It's been a few days since my last blog. Yesterday, I had an appointment with Dr. Zhou. I still do not know anything at this point. He did narrow it down to (4) possible diagnosis: 1. Inflammation-Rheumatory Arthritis 2. MS 3. Infection in the blood 4. Fibromyalgia
Dr. Zhou decided on a course of action: 1. blood work 2. nerve study 3. full body scan 4. spinal tap

I am very confident that I will have an answer soon. My body aches have become increasingly worse. I will see Dr. Zhou today at 11:00 for a nerve study. Within 2-3 days, I will have the full body scan. I have to wait for my wonderful insurance, Cigna, to approve the scan.

I want to say thank you to my family at The Journey and my truest friend, Stephanie Godwin. You have been with me every step of the way with your phone calls, e-mails, prayers, etc... I know that the Lord is with me as well. He has done amazing things for my family and I. I have faith that whatever God sends my way, I can handle it.

I love you all!

Kristi

Difficult Days Ahead!

Many of you do not know but I have been having some health issues. It started about 2 months ago. What I thought was me being clumsy has now lead me to see a Dr. Zhou, Neurologist. The past two weeks, I have been having episodes of extreme muscle aches and loss of balance along with several other symptoms. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with Dr. Zhou at 12:30. I'm being worked in to see him. With my episodes becoming more frequent, I did not want to wait until April 28th. I made it a half-day at work. Then, I just could not tolerate the pain in my body. Without even recalling, I had entered to take a half-day off from work today. I truly believe that God was saying, "You do not need to work today." So, I went home and tried to rest but my nerves kept me from doing so. Please keep my family and I in your thoughts and prayers.

God Bless,

Kristi

Wonderful Day at The Journey

My family and I had a wonderful morning at church with friends. Jeff & I have been praying about him finding Christ. With each passing day, he is getting closer to the lord. We decided to go down front and have Eric pray for us. It's so nice to be comfortable enough to let everyone know that we are dealing with personal problems and need Christ in our lives.



Yesterday, I fell once again. Many of you do not know but I have been having some health issues. Last week, I fell three times. I look as if someone has beaten me. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning at 8:40. Then, I hope to get an appointment to see a neurologist. To some, I may appear to be paranoid but something has to give with the way I feel. I'm completely exhausted!



I will keep you updated on my progress. I have to go prepare dinner for some of our friends from church. I hope each of you have a wonderful week!


Kristi

Saturday!

Today has just begun and I'm already exhausted. I did not go to bed until about 1:30 AM. Jack decided to wake me up at 5:45 AM. Abby has a soccer game at 9:00 AM. This is Abby's 3rd season of playing soccer. She is doing very well. I have decided to take her to soccer camp at UT Knoxville from June 2-6. I think, Abby will have a blast. Jeff will hold down the fort here in Lebanon. Hopefully, he will be able to handle Jack.

As I sit here listening to Jack watching Alvin and The Chipmunks, I cannot help but to reflect on what God is doing in our lives. It seems as if as one door closes several open up. I have been struggling with the idea of leaving my profession to begin a new career. Most people realize that a teacher's salary is not what it should be. Each day, the children that I work with have some how made it apparent to me that I make a difference in their lives. I believe that God is sending me a message to let me know that being a teacher is my calling.

Also, I have been worried about next school year. Jack is attending the learning center at Southside Elementary. Abby is in Kindergarten at McClain Christian Academy. My mornings are hectic! I have to leave the house an hour before I have to arrive at work. I make two stops before I drive 17 miles to TXR. Last week, I was notified that Abby had been approved to attend school at TXR for the 2008-2009 school year. Also, Lebanon High School is going to open a learning center. So, Jack is going to be able to attend the learning center at TXR. Initially, they did not have an opening for Jack. I'm going to have both children with me at TXR next school year. I will be able to check on them throughout the day, eat lunch with them, go on field trips, etc... I'm so excited!!!

In closing, I would like to say that I'm so excited for what God is doing in Jeff's life. Most people do not realize that about four months ago was the first time ever that Jeff had been to church. Now, he is participating in small group, helping with host duty on Sunday morning, attending a conference today with The Journey, and informing others about The Journey. Praise God!

Kristi