{A Change in Plans}

This weekend was one of changing plans and just going with the flow. It was one of those times when the best laid plans were completely turned upside down, but in the end became a blessing. Tim regularly prays, at the beginning of our day, that God will place our steps. I learned this weekend that too often I live, believing God will direct, but "of course" He will fit it in with the plans we have made for the day. Silly... and presumptuous, I know!

Saturday evening we had a birthday party to go to, but the rest of the day we were spending accomplishing tasks. Tim was going to cut wood. I was going to bake. Somewhere in the preparations, Tim threw out his back. Terribly. He could only limp in to lie on the couch, grimacing in pain.

He called our chiropractor and was able to make an appointment for late afternoon. Our plans quickly transitioned to going to my parent's house, 45 min. away to wait for the appointment and try to get some Christmas shopping done. By the time we made it to the car, however, Tim could barely walk. By the time we made it to my parent's house, shopping was no longer an option. It was quite heart-wrenching to see him in so much pain. All we could do was count the minutes until his appointment.

The blessing of this forced relaxation was that we were able to just visit with my parents uninterrupted. We've wanted to do this for a long time, but it seems like we're always in the middle of a big project or have limited time. It was nice just to sit and visit and let them have Oliver time.

After the adjustment, Tim was only a little improved and the doctor recommended not driving all the way home. He wanted to see him again Sunday afternoon. How thankful we are for a doctor who will see him in an emergency on the weekend! Of course, my parents were elated to have Oliver overnight... and us too!

The only problem was, we weren't prepared for an overnight stay, so while the guys went to Costco, my mom and I drove back home to gather what we needed to stay over. It was just getting dark and by the time we made it up the grade, snow was beginning to fall, with slush accumulating on the roads. We got home, ran around like crazy gathering everything up, fed Oliver, and got back on the road. How thankful I was to have my mom along for company and moral support, especially when we encountered fog on top of winter conditions.

Tim felt a little better by the time we arrived back, so we decided to take advantage of Grandma and Grandpa's generosity and went out on a little date. We visited a new little wine bar downtown and enjoyed some live jazz. Afterward, we walked through the Christmas lights at the park. When we arrived back, we found Grandma and Oliver snuggled up on the couch (he had slept the whole time) and my dad making breakfast for the next morning. He had also made dinner earlier!

Next morning, I visited my old church, my parent's church now, and was blessed to introduce Oliver to all my friends there. My dad, the proud grandpa, held his grandson up for the congregation to see during the service. So sweet!

After the second adjustment that afternoon, Tim felt a lot better, though he is not all the way there yet. It turned out to be a good weekend. We headed home yesterday afternoon to prepare for the dinner party we hosted last evening for the OCF (Officer Christian Fellowship) cadets (and a girlfriend) . We had a great time. It was a blessing to provide them a family-style Christmas dinner. It was encouraging to realize that in spite of the discouraging state of our country at times, God is still calling very high-caliber, committed Christians to service in our military. It gives me hope.

{ The Christmas hat on the right was the best one I've ever seen... it did a song and dance! }

{We even had MacDonalds employees show up to carol for us. I think they were a little
intimidated by the amount of people that filed onto our porch!}

Although it's not the best of circumstances, Tim is taking today off. We are all so happy to be spending a quiet day at home together.

In the past couple of days Oliver has really started smiling! He doesn't do it all the time, but there are those precious moments when I can look into his beautiful, big eyes and see him smile up at me. This morning we had a very sweet rock and sing time. Being his mommy is just so wonderful! Of course, there are incredibly challenging times, when I feel overwhelmed, but those good times make up for it.

{ Going out for a drive to see Christmas lights a few nights ago. This suits
makes Tim think of the bunny suit in "A Christmas Story" }



{ Speaking of "A Christmas Story"! This lamp sits in all it's glory in our parlor }

Fudge and bon bon making was a huge success. The fudge took me no more than 5 min. from start to finish. To think of all the years I've gone without it! And the bon bons, oh my! Delicious!