-d safe and sound.  We are off to a soccer game or three this morning. 

 

   Can you guess just who that might be?  He said I can call him that as long as I don't call him, "my stoned man"!!! 

   Went with Tom to the Urologist yesterday.  He has an appointment with the hospital to be put to sleep and have that nasty rotten little stone removed manually.  I wish I could go in and help.  I love to help with simple surgery type stuff.  I miss doing it.  I love helping.  When I am in almost any doctor's office I can hardly keep from "helping" and they don't want my help and I know that, but it is almost instinct or something.  I have to resist doing what seems to come naturally.  (PS I am very thankful there is some relief in the near future for my husband.) 

   Our crazy friends left town for a couple of weeks.  They brought over this weird machine that does something to water.  It puts oxygen in it.  Anyway, it is a new purchase that cost them $3k.  Tom & Steve are gonna see if they can hook it up before they get back.  This water promises all sorts of health benefits.  I took our friends when they get back we are gonna look 10 years younger.  They said then they could be our parents. 

   I sure am gabby today.  I am gonna go over to the office and "help" a little today even though it is supposed to be my day off. 

   Mom & Dad are supposed to arrive sometime this evening.  It will be great to see them.  I sure am missing my sister and her family.  I wish we could be closer. 

   Steve is having terrible allergy problems... like hayfever.  He is talking about moving to another area.  I had problems in other areas, but nothing near so severe here... btw, Tom had problems elsewhere also but not so bad here.... but then our son, Greg has terrible allergy problems here.  I wonder if people go through stages of allergies and then get a reprieve for a while. 

   See what I mean.... yak, yak, yak...  thanks for listening.        

See below for picture details

 

   This is Dusty, 18 y/o.  He is around 6'6" with a 38" inseam and was on his way to the airport.  He is going up to Alaska to work on the "pipeline".  He doesn't have his cowboy hat on here, which is unusual for Dusty.  I took this picture for Dru Frater.  Dru made Dusty a little cowboy stained glass sun catcher at VBS this summer.  Dusty was very touched by Dru's gift. 

   We are in a war, but our weapons are not carnal.  Does anyone else cry out... come quickly Lord Jesus?  Sometimes I feel so selfish wanting peace and calm from the storm of life, then other times I just think I am feeling and thinking the same as other human beings.  Someone said at church last night that Israel isn't the only place bombs are going off.  She was referring to her own life and the battles she fights on a daily basis.   

   Kidney stones are on the forefront today.  Tom's appointment with the urologist is this morning later, then it's off to work I go... ho, ho!!!     

Readng James.... now it's off to Work.... will write later 

   Tom just left for work... it was a good weekend, but very quiet.  We got some rest, got some stuff done.  It almost feels like we are on vacation on the weekends without the kids here.  That is very strange.  We finished readying James together yesterday on the patio.  It was special.  No Works = No Faith and No Faith = No Works

   This morning is haircut for Joel at 7:30.  Then I head off to work for an hour or so.  Then it is washing & drying in the new dryer!    But first, it is latte time!

   Next Sunday is Church in The Park.... Maybe I can get some new pictures!  It is my favorite place for church.

I think these are particularly beautiful shots of The Columbia River! 

 

 

    Saturday morning - Remember the new washer?  Well the matching dryer is coming this afternoon.... and this morning the big screen tv is going to the TV doctor.  Her screen is extremely pink, with an occasional normal look.  Funny thing Joel can't see anything wrong with the color.  Everyone else does so I think we need to take Joel to a Eye doctor.  He is so funny!!!  

   We went to the play at CBC.  It was "The Wizard of OZ".  They did an outstanding job.  And the live music was also superb!!  Plus the music was familiar so we could almost sing a long.  (Not that we did)  I took some movie clips. 

   The stone has not rolled through as of yet, if you know what I mean.  Some discomfort especially at night, but so far tolerable.  

   While on the subject of men, here is another picture of some sort of train part on a flat car.  If anyone knows what this is, I would sure like to know.  The caboose is kinda cute I think. 

    

   And did I already say to go look at my guestbook for some news from Susan?   http://www.xanga.com/Private/feedback.aspx?tab=guestbook

 

   Tom ended up going to work yesterday, just a little later than usual; about 10:30 instead of 7:30AM.  Then I also went back to work only not until 11AM.  Lots to do I worked over six hours yesterday and then brought some home and left some today on Monday.... I normally only work Tues & Thurs only 4hrs.  At the end of the day, Tom called me and said he "felt like last night never happened" but he didn't pass any stones or anything.  We figured maybe in the bladder or something.  Anyway in the night he had some more pain, but in a different spot.  Tonight we have tickets to a play.  Lord willing he will make it through the night and the stone will dissolve and pass without incident. 

   Have more pictures and more to tell... but will have to be later.....  The Lord is soooo good.  I love to believe in Him. 

  PS  Something interesting the ER doctor said is:  "These pain medications I am giving you do not take away the pain.  They only make you not care that you hurt!"  I thought that was really good. 

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BTW - read my guestbook for some news from Susan.

  Yesterday proved to be a different sort of day.  Tom called in the morning to say he was having an important meeting that might prevent him from getting out for lunch.  Indeed it did.  We were invited to go look at a house with some friends.  The house is on the very top of Thompson Hill all by itself.  It sets on 7.5 acres.  As a matter of fact here are some pictures:

Here is the whole thing from above. 

  

PART OF THE HOUSE FRONT & BACK (Orig. Built in 1971)

   

THE VIEW FROM THERE

  The only things not real good about the day was that Tom couldn't come with us and then what happened next was real unpleasant.

  Tom called me about 4:30 and said he was going straight to the ER in Richland because he was sure he had a kidney stone and it was hurting bad.  He wanted me meet him there.  (I had dinner in the works, peppercorn marinade pork steaks, rice, veggies & salad.) So I started scurrying around preparing to leave the dinner.... when he called back said he had gotten to ER and there were a lot of people there so he asked me to get his hydrocodone from the last kidney stone in 2000 and meet him at Albertsons.  We met there, he was drinking gatorade.  We sat for a while and he decided he should come home and see if it would pass on it's own.... well, we tried to eat and he was pacing back and forth, holding his side, obviously in pain.  He said it felt better when I prayed, but eventually he asked if I would take him back to ER as he wanted that stone out of there.

  We got to ER about 8:45PM  and it wasn't bad.  They called him back almost right away, took some blood, gave him a cat scan, and then we waited.  I shut the door, turned down the lights, and crawled on the stretcher with him.  We fell asleep so the time went real fast.  He said he felt better with me rigth there next to him and so did I.  It was warmer.  The stone is in the right ureter.  It is 2mm in size and we need to wait for it to pass.  (The last one he had was too big to pass on it's own.)  The doctor gave him some real strong pain killer and he has been sleeping ever since. 

  I better call work for him.... bye for now.  Thanks to everyone who prayed or will be praying. 

PS - BTW, our friends said the rooms in the Thompson Hill house were a bit too small for them!