Made It

We arrived in Tulsa safely, thank God! We were able to get ready to leave quicker than we anticipated, so we left Wednesday afternoon. We stayed Wednesday night just south of the Twin Cities, and made it to Tulsa yesterday evening.

Everything is so different here from what I have gotten used to. I was telling Amanda yesterday that it feels like I've been out of the world for a while. It has been a long time since I saw so much traffic, so many stores... It is strange! The weather is so different here, too. We went from late winter to late spring within just a few hours of highway! I knew it would be warmer, but we still packed warm clothes and jackets; they certainly are not needed here, but we'll probably be thankful for having them when we head back north.

I was able to see Dad last night, and his prognosis might be better than we first thought. But we just don't know yet. I am grateful to everyone for the prayers. The keyboard of Chuck's laptop is difficult for me to type on, so please excuse any typos.

God bless!

Heading to Tulsa

We are planning to take a trip to see our families. We will probably leave early on Thursday, stay Thursday night somewhere in the area of St. Louis, and arrive in Tulsa late Friday. We can only stay a little less than a week, but I hope it will be a good visit. There are many relatives that the children and I haven't seen in a little more than two years!

Today I wanted to get all the clothes washed, but this wet and muddy weather isn't helping with that goal. Every time anybody went outside they came back in with soaking pants and socks! We also got some more hay and then cleaned out the van. Tomorrow we will finish laundry, pack, and clean house.

Chuck flew home yesterday, and only barely made it thanks to incredibly thick fog. Driving up to the airport, visibility couldn't have been more than 10 yards or so in some places. The plane that was supposed to land at 1:30 was diverted to Marquette a few hours later! When I finally reached Chuck on his cell phone, he told me that if they couldn't land in half an hour, they would be sent back to Minneapolis. The children and I went to the grocery store to get some things to make sandwiches, and I told them, "We will just have to pray for the fog to lift." Sure enough, when we drove back the fog was greatly diminished, and by the time Chuck's plane landed there was none at all. God is so good!

I was able to talk to my sister, Melissa, today; she had only this morning been able to speak to an actual doctor regarding Dad's condition. It sounds as if he is out of danger of imminent death, but he is still a very sick man. Please continue to keep him in your prayers, and while you're at it please pray for our safe travel.

God bless!

Prayer Request

My Dad is in the ICU and he is very seriously sick. I am so sorry that I cannot be there with everybody.

Please just pray for God's mercy.

God bless!

Back, Mostly

I'm not quite back 100%, but I feel so much better. My head didn't explode, and I can breathe again, so I guess that means I am getting better. Thank you all for the prayers and well-wishes.

From what I hear it is spring almost everywhere else. I cannot wait for this slush and mud to disappear! I like it though. Alabama's spring was something like the world waking up to a raucous alarm clock; it went from winter to summer too suddenly. Here, I can sense nature yawning and stretching and quietly contemplating the work to be done in the time ahead.

That's how I prefer to wake up, myself.

God bless!

Sinus Infection

Well, my "mild" cold turned into a full-blown sinus infection; that's where I've been all week. At least it makes the pregnancy-related nausea seem not so bad. Thankfully I have the feeling that today was the turning point, and I will start getting better.

It's too bad, too, because today was absolutely beautiful. We got up close to 50 degrees with clear, sunny skies. Chuck and the kids were very industrious; they fixed up a little trailer we bought (it is actually the back of a pick-up that is probably older than our parents!), took a run into town for the tag, went to the dump, and cleaned out the garage. I, on the other hand, shook out the rugs in the mud room. Then I took a nap.

I hope everybody else is feeling well and enjoying a beautiful weekend.

God bless!

Pictures from Texas

My Sweetie took the hint, and I have some pictures to share. First we have the result of many hours of safety training.

While we were dealing with snow storms, he got stuck in a sand storm. If you look closely, you will see the sign to a Wal-Mart across the street, but you cannot see the Wal-Mart.

This picture shows what has to be the only good thing about having to be at work while most of the rest of the world is sleeping. A beautiful sunrise:

God bless!

Chuck's Coming Home!

We thought he'd be able to fly in yesterday, but we are going to get Chuck from the airport in just a little while. Poor Chuck; he's coming home to a wife and kids who are sick, and a house that shows the effects of mild neglect over the last week. He's not feeling so hot, either. It's a good thing misery loves company. He took some great pictures that I hope he'll put in Photobucket so I can share them here. (Imagine him skateboarding on top of a wind turbin almost 300 feet in the air... pretty cool!)

God bless!