Out of the Blue...

Yesterday, my van died. Good news is, it only cost $118 to repair and they had it fixed by noon today. It's running like a dream now. The van wouldn't go over 10mph- I could floor the pedal and the engine would make a lot of noise, but we weren't going anywhere. The kids got really scared. Thankfully I was in town and was able to limp into a transmission place with my hazard lights on. When I got there a mechanic came out to greet us and I burst into tears- how embarassing! (Thought we were going to have to re-build the transmission or something) All I could think of was "How in the world are we going to pay to have this van fixed" when my man is out of work? Anyway, the man was kind toward me and told us to go sit in the air-conditioned waiting area while he ran some diagnostics. Much to my relief, he came back smiling and said, "Not to worry, Ma'am it's just a sensor that's gone bad." Talk about instant stress relief! Mark my word- this is the LAST Ford vehicle I'm going to own for a while. Don't know if it's just my luck or that I happened to get bad autos, but Fords seem to fall apart. My man knows a thing or two about cars and keeps them well-maintained, but you should hear all the ticks & piston rattle under my hood. Oh well, at least it's paid for...

God is good! Today my man got hired on officially with a Construction Company for a good starting rate, so we won't starve. We definitely need benefits though. I've pretty much decided to re-enter the work force this Fall when the kids go back to school. I go back and forth over this. Sometimes I look at my youngest child and she seems so small and helpless. Other times I think she's so grown up. Life has not been without struggles, but I'm thankful I was able to spend so much time with my kids. A lot of Moms have NO choice and go back to work after maternity leave is up. I believe it's good for young children to be with their parents as long as possible. I've done 10 years as a stay-home Mom and it's probably time to move on... I must admit it sure feels good to bring in a paycheck again!

Several friends called us out of the blue to chat this week, which really lifted our spirits. One such call was from the man who got us involved with LifeTalk in the first place. Jay & I really respect this person and for him to take time out of his schedule to call and encourage us meant a lot!!
We are still not sleeping well. I just can't seem to shut my brain off at night. I lay in bed for hours contemplating so many things and praying for direction. I'm tired! Today I set aside time for a short nap.

Herman is gone somewhere today- probably a Dr. appointment. We fixed up his old flag pole and bought him a flag for July 4th. I think he will be thrilled to see it. (I love to surprise people!)

Hope things are going well for you. Have a safe & enjoyable July 4 weekend!!!! :o)