Queenies Little Kingdom

HERE’S WHAT SEEMS TO BE NORMAL IN INDIANA THIS WEEK!
DOWN TREES! With kids standing by in awe!

Suppose you only had thirty days left to live……what would you do? Would you take a trip? Would you do something that you’ve never done before? Would you change the way you were living?
These are some of the first session’s questions from the book, Live Like You Were Dying. Our church launched the study last week. The entire congregation is participating in the study (all at different times and in smaller groups) for the next four weeks.

I learned of the book this summer at the Southern Baptist Convention in Indy. The author was there promoting it to the thousands that attend the greatest convention in the world. Sure, I’m a bit biased! The book seemed very intriguing! So, when I heard that we were going to do it at FBC…..I was psyched! Hubby and I will be leading a group of parents to teens on Wednesday nights. Pray for us! This study is heavy stuff.

I have been trying to think of what I would do if I was told I only had thirty days to live. I’m not into jumping from high places or crazy about seeing a foreign country. I love to travel and would enjoy going somewhere exciting like Greenland or Switzerland but not under those circumstances. My thoughts go more to my family and loving them with every ounce of my being. I think I would want to have a platform to speak the truth about my Savior. Maybe live that dream of speaking to women about my life and what God has done for me. Honestly, I would want to show people the love and forgiveness that they deserve from me.

What about you? Tell me, would you want to do anything in particular? I don’t have too many regrets, at least not any that burn my heart so deeply that I have to do them or else. I must say that I’ve loved my life and I feel more than thankful for all that God has blessed me with. He’s been more than generous with me. Thank you, God.

I’ll try to keep you updated on how the study goes.

Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

I’m still here.  Waiting for phone, internet and cable tv….but still here.  We have so much to be thankful for and we are thankful.  But we miss those luxury items….the kids complained this morning…we’ve watched all our movies and we don’t want to see them again.  (Oh they are funny….no way have they watched all of our movies!!)

As I type, Gavin and Don are outside doing detective work (disguised as Comcast cable guys searching for the down lines!!) and hoping to find the problem.  We have called them three times over this past week to report the down service and still have not seen a repair guy yet.  We ain’t bitter!  Just anxious!  I didn’t really think I was so into my stuff, but obviously I am.

This moment I have now on the computer (I’m bootleggin’ it).  Don has his cellphone connected to a laptop so I can have a small fix of internet.  God bless him.  Speaking of him, he’s having a crazy allergic reaction to SOMETHING!  He woke up this morning with a swollen top lip and as the day has progressed he has swollen all around his mouth and his eyes.  Two nights ago he jumped out of bed with a bloody nose (he does not have bloody noses ever) and his voice is gone.  He’s obviously having some sort of reaction to something going on here at home.  How to tell?  We’ve literally had no normal this week.  Pray for him as he deals…..He has to preach tomorrow and is really starting to look very odd.

Oh good news….while he and Gav are outside, they have found all the lines down for our cable.  Also several of our neighbor “dads” have come up as well to help and guess who innocently pulls up on all the “git er done”?  Yes, the Comcast repairman!!!  Yay!  I see them all trampling through the woods pulling and moving trees.  Yay…..we might be back among the norm soon!   Yeehaw!  Thank you God!  I am blessed, I tell ya!

I hope life is going well for you…..I feel like the week has passed with all it’s news and info right past my town onto other folks.  I haven’t heard anything about anyone outside my little family and friends.  This past week was our state ISTEP testing for our students, it has been moved to begin on Monday-Wed.  It is also our homecoming week, we party it up for these special occasions and this storm has really stolen our thunder.  Oh well….we will make the best of it.  You can’t keep a good dog down.

Till we meet again……I’ll keep on a chillin!  You do the same, friends.

No electricity + trees and debris all over the place = NO SCHOOL!  We have electricity again.  Today we watched as the power crews (not local’s….they traveled here to help us) worked tirelessly in our woods replacing all our neighborhood’s lines.  At almost 5:30pm, we had lights!!! Woohoo!  So exciting!  We would’ve really enjoyed our days off of school…..had we had some elecricity.  Haha!

You know that “not a happy camper” title?  I’ve learned where that fits best…when you’re stuck in a terrible windstorm and you lose all your county’s power!  I was not a happy camper!  I was hatin!  Hatin no lights…hatin no computer……hatin no hot food (we spent our budget this week and then some eating out here and there!!) hatin no hot water….hatin no real way of seeing the real me in the mirror or being able to do my hair.  I could’ve molded it into a nifty design if you asked, that’s how dirty it was.  For those of you who know me……I take 2 showers a day, so imagine how sweet I was?  Grrrr.

Oh the best part……I’ve been dealing with shingles all week!  My lip grew to the size of a fat grape and throbbed so hard that my eye kept twitching.  My left side of my face hurt so bad. Pathetic, huh?  I was, totally hurting.  Then on Tuesday, I decided if I was going to be a skank princess I was going to get out there and clean up our yard (the war zone).  I raked and hauled away trees and limbs all day (thank you to Gavin and Gates for helping).  When I stopped around 3pm for a sandwich, a little yellow jacket landed on my arm and when I went to blow him off (I was totally being kind and peaceful) he stung me.  Now 2 days later my arm is still swollen and throbbing as if he were still stinging me.  I’ve taken Benadryl….no helpy!  Can you believe all this?  I can’t!  It’s so crazy!

But, tonight….I cooked, washed tons of laundry, changed sheets and I’m feeling so good.  My anniversary was surely one to remember.  Tomorrow the kids go back to school and hubby and I are off to celebrate in Indy for our anniversary.  We are excited to get away, even if it’s only for the day and evening.  We know how to party!

So, to my bloggy pals, I’ve missed all of you.  I think I really am addicted to the blog world.  While the world was shut down…..I got a bit restless and fantasized about how to get on a computer somewhere and go to it!  Haha.  I recognize that’s a bit nutty.  I have since repented!  heehee.  I love my hubby for rigging me up that one night with his handy-dandy cell phone online so I could blog my misery across the airwaves.  What a guy!  That’s love.

Phil. 4:8  “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

I just want to let the world know how special my wife is to me.  Today is our 19th wedding anniversary and I honestly don’t believe it has been that long!  This woman I married has been through a lot because she hitched herself to my wagon.  I wish I could change much of what our life together has been like.  I wish I had treasured her better, I wish I would have honored her more, I wish I had been less selfish, argumentative, mean, cold, and many other things she never deserved.  However, I can not change the past.  I can tell you that our relationship is better today than it ever has been and I know I am trying, with God’s help, to be the best husband I can be. It never stops amazing me that a woman like this loves me the way she does.  My stomach still does a flip when I see her. I am still in awe of her beauty on a daily basis. (Even if there is no power or hot water, she still looks great!)

I am so thankful for her love for me and for my children.  We often joke that Wanda has four children, three natural and one adopted, me! She cares for us in a way that makes us feel like we are loved and cherished.  She as always made my home a place of refuge and peace. I appreciate that more than I can put into words.

However, it is her love for Jesus that makes my wife so special!  She loves her Lord beyond anything you can imagine!  She is His Daughter and she knows she is special because of it!  She has been willing to follow His will for our family no matter where it took her. I have appreciated her discernment and advice when I was facing tough choices.

Thank you for being “All That and a Pack of Crackers, too,” Wanda!

Your Loving Husband,

Don