Living the Life of Riley

Death: The past couple of months have been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. In January I attended the funeral of a sweet cousin who was like a sister to my late mother. Last week I drove down to Southeastern Kentucky to pay final respects to a close family friend. The two common threads with both of these people were death and my mom. Death is harsh. It's so, so.... final. Of course, if the person dying is a believer, it is just the beginning of eternity. This is more about those of us who are left behind. Attending both of these funerals, less than a month apart, had me missing my mom and thinking of my own mortality. That in itself, can produce anxiety to think about, especially, when I am only a year younger than when she passed away. It's not like I choose to ponder on it. When something comes up that reminds me of her, I am reminded. Life: Life is challenging. It is also a gift. A gift that I know I don't always choose to live to the fullest. I tend to be a gla...

Hi there! I'm glad you are here! I'm glad I'm here. You want to know why? It means I have a few minutes to MYSELF!  After attending a bridal shower for my soon to be sister- in- law, I have been pondering a question I am often asked.  "How do you do it?!" This question almost always follows the preceding, "how many children do you have?" I have five kiddos.  Yes, you read that correctly. I have actually had 6, but one is in heaven. Elizabeth is 18, a high school senior. Luke, 16, is a sophomore. Emma, born in 2002 at 24 weeks gestation, is in heaven. Isaiah is 13 and in 8th grade. Elijah is 11 and in 6th and bringing up the caboose is Noah, 41/2 in pre-k. (if you notice the grades watch for a blog entry this time next year on transitions.) Our home is loud and busy, and physical. Anyone with more than one boy may understand that last sentence. We have taught them right from wrong, teach them manners, and raise them to love God. However, like most, we...

Another Father's Day has come and gone and each year I am reminded of some great men who have meant a lot to me.  This is me and my daddy. I was his girl. I had him wrapped around my finger and he had my heart. I was about 4 in this picture. My daddy loved his family fiercely and worked hard to provide for us. He's been gone since 2005 and I still miss him a lot. I treasure the memories we shared in our earlier days before my mom passed away. This is my father in law, aka Papa or Grandpa. In this photo he is with his first grandchild, Elizabeth, in Ireland.  I love this man. I don't know if he realizes it or not, but, he and his oldest son are credited with leading me to Christ. I saw someone who loved Christ first and then his family. He and Jane would include me in family activities long before Mike and I were ever married. He sets a great example for his grandchildren and happens to be one of the biggest kids I know! This is my beloved. I fell head ov...

When Mike and I married nearly 21 years ago, I had no idea of the adventures, heartaches, headaches, and joys that were in store for us. Some of those joys (and headaches) have names: Elizabeth, Luke, Emma, Isaiah, Elijah, and Noah. Yes, that's six pregnancies. I only have five to show for on Earth as Emma is in heaven. It used to bother me that I had stretch marks and saddle bags for breasts (tiny ones mind you) but finally accepted them as battle scars of birthing and parenting. I started having babies at the age of 26. I was pregnant for most of 1997. I got pregnant in 1999 and was with child on every calendar year until 2005. I was pregnant for half a day of 2005. If that is confusing, Elijah was born on 01/01/05. After some stressful months of "are we pregnant or not", Mike finally had a "procedure" so we wouldn't worry anymore. Woohoo! Free sex! (Hopefully the married couples will appreciate that humor!) That was in 2008. Shortly before Mother's...

Do you know someone who was sexually abused as a child? If you are reading this, you now do.   Do you know there are 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse in the US? 42 million..... 20% of the abused are violated BEFORE the age of 8. Females are 5 times more likely to be abused than males: *      “About 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before they turn 18 *,+” *      “About 1 in 7 girls and 1 in 25 boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18*” *      “It is estimated that 7-12% of children are sexually abused*” *      “As many as 400,000 babies born in the U.S. this year will be sexually abused before their 18th   birthday unless we do something to stop it*,+ >”  (stats shared from d2l.org) Between the ages of 3-5 I was abused by a trusted relative, babysitter, who lived across the street. The abuse with this person happened multip...

I take my back for granted way too often. Are you aware of how intricately designed it is? God did such a cool job programming our bodies to function specific ways for specific purposes. The spinal cord and countless nerves run through the spinal column. It makes sense that when we have a headache or other ailment in the body it can often be caused by a subluxation in the back. You impressed by the "fancy" talk? Don't be. I have unfortunately learned it from all my recent visits to the chiropractor.  I have been going regularly since about December.  My back issues started with my feet when my shoes, with custom made orthotics, were stolen (inside my gym bag along with some other important items...). I was without orthotics from late October until early January. In that time my whole gait and alignment were thrown off.  Most recently the pain has been from a "pinched" nerve in my lower back. It pinches and then causes the muscles around it to spasm. At that ...