Cousins

How do four women, coming from three different cities, show up at one home all color coordinated?  Well...they must be related!  Their moms are sisters...oh now it makes sense!

Kelly, Abbi, Jenn & Lisa

Cousins

What a fun treat to get to spend the afternoon with my sister and two special cousins who came to Columbus for a visit.  Jenn is from Greenwich and Abbi is from near Toledo.  We are so thankful for the time together and vowed to do it again...soon.  We sure wish our moms had been here to join the fun....next time?  Thanks Jenn and Abbi for the delicious brownies and sweet fellowship.

Tom enjoying time with the girls!

Today during Tom's therapy sessions his heart rate was elevated which caused some minor alarm and much less therapy.  Please join us in praying that his heart rate will settle into a normal range.  Tonight we plan to go to Mt. Vernon for Matt's basketball game and I told Tom that if tonight's game is anything like last Saturdays game (3 OT's) maybe we shouldn't go with his heart rate already high!

Last Saturday we were blessed with another meal that we actually ate on Sunday.  Thanks to Lisa Cunningham for her vegetable quiche, whole wheat rolls and pomegranate salad...delicious, thanks Lisa!

Vegetable Quiche

Happy Birthday, Braden!

Today we celebrate our nephew, Braden's 17th Birthday!  What an awesome, well-rounded, great guy.  He is always pleasant to be around and can flash a smile that melts your heart.  He enjoys life and is in the middle of his junior year at Field High School in Brimfield, Ohio.

A very memorial occasion for our family this past summer was Braden's public display, baptism by water, of his inward decision to follow Christ!  What an awesome privilege for us to be there to witness this special event.

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

May it never be!  How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus

have been baptized into His death?  Therefore we have been buried with Him

through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead

through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,

certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him,

in order that our body of sin might be done away with,

so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

for he who has died is freed from sin."

Romans 6:1-7

Braden enjoys all aspects of life...water sports like tubing, skiing and wake boarding, bird hunting with his dad, cheering for the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Indians & Ohio State Buckeyes to getting good grades at school...all around great guy who aims to please his Lord and his parents.
We love you Braden and pray God's continued blessings upon your life.

Sarah insisted that I share the "Stroup Group" video I took while they were here Saturday night so you all would know just how talented they are...so if you're interested here it is:

Stroup Group

Zac, Sarah, Lisa, Tom (standing!), Amy, Della, Doug, Dora, Amanda, Anna & Amelia

We had the absolute privilege of welcoming Tom's cousin, Amy and her family to our home on Saturday night!  Amy and Doug have been blessed with 7 children...the 2 boys lead the pack and were not traveling with them, but the 5 girls are absolutely precious and we are so thankful to have had the few hours with them.  Doug and Amy live in north Georgia and were in Ohio on business.  Not only do they run a successful home business, home school their children and have a music ministry, they are servants of the Lord!

Apples to Apples Fun for the Kids

Amanda, Anna, Dora, Zac, Della, Sarah & Amelia

Amy plays beautifully...

It's not an "official" visit without music!

Stroups were near Amish Country so they picked us up some goodies!

We so enjoyed our time of fellowship, Jets Pizza, Apples to Apples and a good old fashioned sing-a-long.  We think they are amazing and their voices prove it.  Thanks Stroups for being a blessing to us.

Saturday the MVNU Cougars traveled to Indiana Wesleyan University for a 3:00 game.  Wow, what a game it was...THREE Overtimes!  Unfortunately, the Cougars didn't end up with the win, but what an awesome battle they fought.  We were so proud of Matt in his 45 minutes of play with 12 points...yeah Matt!  We plan to travel back up to MVNU this Tuesday for the game against Bethel College.

Happy Birthday, Terry!

"Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good."

Psalm 122:7-9

"Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me,

but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?"

Philemon 1:16

"Let brotherly love continue."

Hebrews 13:1

"He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him."

I John 2:10

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,

and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house,

and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down,

and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand,

and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes."
Deuteronomy 6:6-8

"Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil;
cleave to that which is good.

 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;
in honour preferring one another;

 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;"

Romans 12:9-11

^"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory,

to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;"

Ephesians 3:4-16

There are no words that could esteem Tom's brother, Terry enough...other than God's Word.  We pray that yesterday (yes, now I'm behind!), even while cleaning carpet, that he enjoyed his day that God chose him to be born.  We pray that Terry understands what love and admiration we have for him.  What an amazing brother, brother-in-love, uncle, father, grandfather, husband, son, preacher, teacher, mentor, leader and man of God he is.  We are so blessed and thankful to call him family.  We love you Terry!

Stretch Marks

God continues to "stretch" us and I found it quit humorous when a dear friend said that our stretch marks are "like badges of Christ's faithfulness. We don't always like the way they look or feel - but they remind us of God's faithfulness - mostly."  Just like God...He met me where I needed this morning.

"This is why I tell you:  Don't worry about your life,

what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body,
what you will wear.

Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing?"

Matthew 6:25

"Jesus says that if you are rightly related to Him and obey His Spirit that is in you,

God will look after your feathers."

"My Utmost for His Highest"

-Oswald Chambers

"Good will come to a man who lends generously and conducts his business fairly.

He will never be shaken.  The righteous will be remembered forever.

He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord."

Psalm 112:4-7

"Give up the illusion that you deserve a problem-free life.

Part of you is still hungering for the resolution of all difficulties.

This is a false hope!  As I told my disciples, in the world you will have trouble.

Link your hope not to problem solving in this life but to the promise

of an eternity of problem-free life in heaven.

Instead of seeking perfection in this fallen world,
pour your energy into seeking Me:  the Perfect One.

It is possible to enjoy Me and glorify Me in the midst of adverse circumstances.

In fact, My Light shines most brightly through believers who trust Me in the dark.

That kind of trust is supernatural:  a production of My indwelling Spirit.

When things seem all wrong, trust me anyway.

I am much less interested in right circumstances

than in right responses to whatever comes your way."

-January 26

"Jesus Calling"

-Sarah Young

Okay Lord, I think I'm getting it!  Yet, more:

"Do not worry about your life...Do not seek what you should eat
or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind."

Luke 12:22, 29

"Accumulation of wealth is a popular defense against fear.  Since we fear losing our jobs, health care, or retirement benefits, we amass possessions, thinking the more we have, the safer we are...

We engineer stock and investment levies, take cover behind the hedge of hedge funds.  We trust annuities and pensions to the point that balance statements determine our mood levels.  But then come the Katrina-level recessions and downturns, and the confusion begins all over again...

If there were no God, stuff-trusting would be the only appropriate response to an uncertain future.  But there is a God.  And this God does not want his children to trust money...

Scrooge didn't create the world; God did.

Psalm 104 celebrates this lavish creation with 23 verses of itemized blessings:  the heavens and the earth, the waters and streams and trees and birds and goats and wine and oil and bread and people and lions.  God is the source of "innumerable teeming things, living things both small and great...These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season" (vv. 25, 27).

And He does.  God is the great giver.  The great provider.  The fount of every blessing.  Absolutely generous and utterly dependable.  The resounding and recurring message of Scripture is clear; God owns it all.  God shares it all.  Trust Him, not stuff!"

"Live Loved"

-Max Lucado

Isn't it awesome that God allowed me to start my day with those truths?  I thank Him for the sweet reminders that He is absolutely generous and utterly dependable, what do I have to fear?

Many of you are wondering how our meeting with WCS Superintendent and Human Resource Director went yesterday...well, it was all very informative and mainly the start of a long process.  I have my research cut out for me.  We know that a meeting like that is hard for them also.  We pray that God will continue to give us all wisdom as we venture down this rocky path together.  To say the least I tried the best I could to "keep myself together"...I lost it a little bit, but for the most part I was okay.  Tom was better, but you knew that already...he really has the peace of God that passes all understanding.  We both were so thankful that Zac and Terry could be there to support us.

As I "clicked" the "publish" button on the previous post, I realized I forgot to mention several things:  First of all I realized that our new niece, Jessica did NOT celebrate a birthday in January, but she will in April!  Better early than late!

Secondly, I never updated you on Tom's MRI...I do not have an "official" report, but I did speak with the neuro-oncologists nurse, Julie, who confirmed that Tom's scar tissue makes it very hard to differentiate between infection, swelling, and tumor regrowth.  She said we are on the right path and the antibiotic is doing its trick and we need to just continue doing what we're doing.  We are taking this as good news and praise the Lord for His hand upon Tom.

Thirdly, Sarah encouraged me to sign up to go to our church's women's bible study, Tapestry, again.  I am so excited to join her and my sister's in Christ on Thursday evenings to study God's Word together.  I am so thankful that our son-in-love, Zac will be here to stay with Tom.  It will be good for me to get out and for the "boys" to have male bonding night!  Tapestry begins the first Thursday in February.

Delicious Lasagna Feast

Thank You, Judy Lanning

Pound Cake

One of Tom's favorites!

I remember in college, Tom would return back to campus after a weekend

at home with his mom's pound cake, a favorite.

As for the meals this week we were blessed Tuesday night by Judy Lanning and her amazing lasagna before we headed to MVNU to watch Matt and the Cougars defeat Taylor University!  What a fun game we enjoyed along with good friends Jerry & Sue Seiter and Doug & Carylee Meyers.

Jerry & Sue Seiter

Doug & Carylee Meyers

Thank you for the continued cards & prayers!

Chicken Tetrazzini compliments of Becky Chodzin

Thank You, Becky...it was delicious!

Choosing Joy!

"Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing."

James 1:2-4

I claimed this verse on October 14, 2011 after Tom's surgery that left his right side unfunctionable.  A dear friend sent me the sweetest e-mail about her struggle with "choosing joy" and I could so relate.  God brought back this verse again this morning in my devotions and I find it quite timely.  I can honestly say that what we have gone through has not been a "great joy", however God gives us joy in our spirit as we continually trust Him for His plan.  We know that God is producing endurance...we need it.  It is my/our desire to "choose joy" in spite of our circumstances.

"I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous!  I have conquered the world.”

John 16:33

We know why we have peace because we know Who has conquered this suffering world!

"Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways."

James 1:5-8

I have never been classified as a "wise" person and especially now I find myself in need of much wise counsel to help me navigate my way through medical and financial jargon.  I am so thankful for the "wise" people God has placed in my life to help me make sense of it all.  Tom has always dealt with our medical and financial things and I rather enjoyed not having to deal with it...spoiled you say...yes, he did spoil me...however, paybacks have come full swing!  I am in the process of going through all of our files and reorganizing them to "my system".  It is not a task I enjoy, however I am rising above and slowly but surely getting things in place.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, Tom and I are meeting with John Foreman (WCS Superintendent) and Mike Kremnitzer (WCS Human Resources) to learn what being on "disability" looks like.  We know it's time and the school has been more than gracious to us.  Please pray for both of us as we know this is a hard step.  I have asked some of our "wise counsel" to join us for this meeting...Terry Herbst and Zac Hess...their listening ears and good judgement bring me a peace.  On our way home from therapy last Thursday, we had the radio on in the car and a commercial for WCS came on.  I looked over at Tom as a tear ran down his cheek, he has such great love for WCS and knows his days there are over in a sense.  They have "kept the light on" long enough.  Tom has been a part of WCS since 1984.  We talked last night about how he feels and all he could say was "new chapter".  He is an amazing man of integrity and I can't tell you how blessed I am to spend each and every day with him.

Thursday Night Taco Pizza

Thank you, Alicia Kraynak!  We loved it and the chocolate cake too!

Last Friday I had a great idea...bake cutout cookies for Matt's basketball team.  You see I didn't get to make any Christmas cookies so this would be my "fix".  Zac and Sarah left on Saturday morning to drive out to Grace College so they could be at the MVNU vs. Grace game and see Matt play.  I packaged up the cookies so they could take them and present them to the MVNU players for their trip back home.  It was a tough loss for MVNU and we figured they could use the cookies to cheer them up!

Just out of oven...

Icing added...no, they're not pumpkins...

Basketballs!  Go Cougars!

Last Wednesday I had the privilege of meeting one of my dear and "wise" friends for coffee at Starbucks, Nancy Green.  I was able to do this since Sarah could stay with her dad...thanks, Sarah!  What an enjoyable time we shared together and the time went way too quickly.  I had mentioned to her that I had gotten Tom the i-pad and still did not have a protective case for it...well, her son works at the Apple store and she was able to get his discount and she purchased it for us.  She came to church on Sunday with it.  She also was able to give me some quick lessons on the "how to" side of an i-pad.  Thanks Nancy...I love you!

On Saturday we enjoyed City Barbecue from Chuck and Chris Grant.  What a treat it was and especially the DQ Snickers Blizzard for Tom and the Peanut Buster Parfait for me!  They were so large that we have enjoyed them for the last three nights!

While it was a quiet weekend with Zac and Sarah gone we did enjoy having Kent and Suzanne Homoelle over for some good old fashioned Skipbo competition!  I believe we all left happy with the guys winning one game and the girls another.  Thanks, Kent and Suzanne for your special friendship.

Tom, Lisa, Kent & Suzanne

July 4th, 2011 ~ Venice, FL

We were all wishing we were in Venice now!

Crazy Days & Belated Birthdays

Tuesday was an early morning.  Tom's PICC line evaluation appointment at OSU Medical Center was at 9:00 a.m.  When we left the house a torrential downpour of rain kept us from arriving until 9:10, but I'm realizing more and more that an appointment time is just "when you should arrive" and the actual "procedure" time is much later!  While pulling into the valet parking my phone rang and it was Dr. Cavaliere's nurse, Julie, informing me that we needed to cancel Tom's Thursday (1/19) appointment...okay, they would call me to reschedule.  We were greeted at OSU by Carrie Houts, an OSU Medical Center patient advocate who is married to WCHS alumni, Brian Houts.  We first met Carrie at a WCHS graduation party and then reconnected with her at the benefit dinner!  What a sweetheart she is and made us feel very welcomed, cared for and accommodated our valet and coffee needs!  Thanks, Carrie!

While we were being registered I noticed on the gentleman's desk a magnet that I immediately asked if I could take a picture of so I could "document" the "God moment"!  I read the verse to Tom and we were both strengthened for the day ahead before we even knew the twists and turns it would have for us. 

We were then escorted to the pre-op waiting area and we had time to visit with Carrie.  Tom's "procedure" wasn't considered an "operation" but they have no where to put patients who are not being admitted and need simple procedures done, so this is where you go.  After getting Tom settled into his room they came and did a chest x-ray, in the room, to make sure his PICC line was still placed correctly.  Then the waiting began.  At 11:52 the PICC team nurse finally came in!  When I told her that Tom had a 2:00 MRI at the OSU East Medical Center and I asked if he would be finished in time for that, her eyes got wide and she said, "this takes a minimum of 2 hours and he will not make his appointment".  She quickly got on the phone and made arrangements for Tom to have his MRI done there at the main hospital which then delayed the PICC line procedure.  I had to accompany Tom to the MRI because the PICC line nurse did not know how to operate the portable pump!  While I was unhooking Tom from his pump the young man who was the MRI technician asked me if I was a nurse!  I laughed and said, "why yes, I'm a nurse, speech, occupational, & physical therapists with honorary degrees in each"!!!  He said "wow"; I then proceeded to tell him I'm Tom's wife, was a stay-at-home mom and I dropped out of college to tell the truth!  I never officially wanted to learn any of this.

After Tom's MRI we headed back to his room for the clot busting medication (pictured above) to be injected.  Once injected they wait two hours to then flush the "pig tails" and see if they are working correctly.  The nurses were so accommodating and bent over backwards to make up for our wait time.  They not only provided lunch for Tom, but me as well.  We enjoyed a quiet lunch for two in the room.  While Tom was able to sleep off and on while comfortably lying in bed, I took over the recliner and became rather sleepy too.  The goal was for us to make the 3:15 doctor's appointment at a different location and receive the MRI results from the neuro-surgeon, Dr. Elder.  Around 2:00 I received a call from Dr. Elder's assistant who informed me that Dr. Elder had been called in for an emergency surgery and would not be there for Tom's 3:15 appointment!!  So our three appointments turned into one long appointment at the hospital!  At 2:30 the PICC line nurse returned to flush Tom's "pig tails" and see if the clot buster worked...well, one did and the other did not.  Since our 3:15 appointment had been cancelled, she highly recommended staying and having another injection of the clot buster...so we did.  At 4:30 they retested the pig tail and it still didn't work...she told us to pray that the one that did work would get us through the next 4 weeks.  So now you know what to pray for...4 more weeks for the PICC line to cooperate and no infection would enter through either tail.

Tom's "Pig-Tails"

During all that we were so thankful that Sarah was available to get Tom's parents to the airport for their flight back to Orlando.  Before we left for the hospital it was our goal to get back in time for Tom and I to take them...hindsight is 20/20!  They left Columbus at 1:30 and arrived back in Orlando at 3:30...they beat us home!  We too are thankful for the wonderful visit we had with Tom's parents.  I can't tell you how much Tom seemed to improve while they were here.  They were able to see him at therapy, go to Matt's basketball game, go out to dinner, worship with us and of course, get a few rounds of Skipbo in too!  It was a great visit.  I only had to cook one meal while they were here! 

Beef Stew, Homemade Soft Pretzels & Blueberry Cobbler

Thanks, Ulrike!

Due to a food scheduling blooper we were delivered TWO amazing meals on Tuesday!  Ulrike Brennan blessed us with another incredible meal...awesome job Abby on the pretzels...we loved them.  Melissa Shawver teamed up with her mother-in-love, Pam Rice, to bless us with Chicken Pot Pie, Fresh Fruit (enough for a small army) and muffins...yummy.

Chicken Pot Pie, Fresh Fruit & Muffins

Thanks, Melissa & Pam!

new nieces-in-love celebrated birthdays.  They are both so new to our family that I still am not sure exactly of their birthdays...but I do believe the "newest" Mrs. Anglea's birthday was January 17th...

Happy Birthday, Britney Anglea!

Britney became an "official" Anglea on December 31, 2011 and we are so proud to have her in our family.  From what we hear she is an amazing cook and a very talented violinist.  We look forward to how the Lord will bless her as she comes alongside of Timothy as his helpmate.

Britney's Violin Talent Displayed in Winter Garden, FL

Happy Birthday, Jessica Anglea!

On July 30th, 2011 we "officially" welcomed Jessica into our Anglea family.  What a blessing to be able to attend she and Luke's wedding.  Jessica is finishing up her senior year at Providence Bible College in Elgin, IL along with her husband, Luke.  We think she celebrates her birthday today...isn't that awful that I don't know...I need to get my family updated on my calendar!  So many weddings and additions to our beautiful family.  We continue to pray for Jessica as she studies, works and is also a new bride.

We trust each of these godly young ladies celebrated and enjoyed their special days.
Zac and Sarah will travel out to Grace College for the weekend and get to watch Matt play basketball when the Lancers take on the Cougars Saturday at 3:00...go MVNU!  Not sure who Zac and Sarah are cheering for???  Anyway, Tom and I are looking forward to a quiet weekend alone.