Crazy Love Prayers needed!

My girl...she is so homesick. She calls me several times a day. It is only the first day, but she is burning up her minutes on her new cell phone! I feel so bad for her, and I miss her so. Please pray for her, that she will settle in, that she will find joy in her classes, that she will grow and flourish. Pray for her poor feet...she is in agony! Poor kid. I feel so helpless, I can't do anything for her. I did ORDER her to go to the dorm mom and get an ibuprofen, so the pain at least is muted a little. Hopefully some GOOD sleep will help her view of things. She IS enjoying her roommates, and whenever I tell her to have sweet dreams, and to tell them the same, she does, and they all call back to me "Sweet dreams!" So sweet.

Please pray for our finances. I THOUGHT I would be working in July, but I am NOT, and while I will get unemployment, it isn't even enough to pay the monthly rent. I am asking around for work, although this week I am volunteering at our church's VBS. OH, I love my kids! I have the ten year olds, and they are a blast! I just LOVE them!!!! :) So I CAN'T work this week, and it KILLED me this morning when my boss called to see if I could help out and I had to say no. sigh

I also had an offer for a house/dog-sitting job, but THAT week I have volunteered to be a camp counselor at a wonderful camp being run by a couple from my church. They are COMMITTED to helping children come to know Jesus. I have to smile...the two times I am doing something for Jesus, I have had to turn down PAYING jobs. Think He is trying to tell me something? Something like "Trust Me!" You'd think I'd have learned this lesson by now! :)

Thank you for your prayers! We sure are needy! :P

Blessings...Nancy

Tomorrow

Tomorrow...tomorrow my little girl tries her wings. Tomorrow she puts her toes (literally...haha, ballet humor!) into the giant ocean called life and experiences it on her own, without me by her side. Oh, I will be just a phone call away, but still. Tomorrow I have to drive away with a smile on my face. Yeah, right. sigh. Okay...I'll TRY!



We are pretty much ready to go. Her suitcase is packed, her linens/bedding are packed. I have two small boxes in the hallway...one is toiletries, etc. The other is her "kitchen." Paper plates, plastic utensils, one sharper knife, napkins, paper towels, ziploc bags, a couple of containers, some garbage bags...just in case.



She has her books and Bible packed. We already put the cases of water in the car. Dancing is thirsty work! Her new ballet slippers are all set, elastic sewn in. There are leotards, pointe shoes and ballet skirts waiting for us at Nutmeg's Boutique. It's all good. EXCEPT...she's leaving me. Ever watch "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? I keep doing the line "Why you want to leave me?" with all the pathos that the Dad used to his grown up daughter. It makes us both laugh...but WHY YOU WANT TO LEAVE ME???



I'll be fine. I think. Oh, I know I will. Still....this is not easy. not.one.little.bit.easy. sigh



We have to stop at a Target store on the way up to Nutmeg, to buy an extra-long twin mattress pad. I know they have them...and OH, why did I not BUY the thing when I was there? I plead insanity. Now we have to go there, after having hit several local (sort of) WalMarts, to no avail. However, we DID get the cell phone she needed! So that was good. I can't believe that tomorrow is the day. Please keep us in your prayers...ShaoXi for fun and excitement, new learning experiences, new friends, health and rest. ME? for not falling apart without my baby girl.

Blessings...Nancy

FIVE DAYS!!!

My baby goes to Nutmeg in FIVE DAYS!!! EEEK!!! Boy, will I miss her. I am gonna do my best to NOT cry til I've left her there. We'll see...I'm a cryer, so it's gonna be hard!

We took a mini vacation to New Hampshire to visit her godparents. While we were there, they took her to the bank with a large coffee can full of change...cashed it in for dollars, and sent her home with $185 to get things for Nutmeg, and for spending money. Blessings abound. These are the same wonderful folks who are paying for half of the session! They are so very very good to us!

And NH was GORGEOUS!!!! Best weather we've had while visiting there. BIG fluffy clouds, in a blue sky, with the lake and mountains. Oh, how I love it there!!! It fills up my soul.

Now it's back to normal life. I'm working today, and two more days, and then I am done for the summer. I just applied for a dog sitting job for a week in July. Please pray that comes through, because I have NO clue how I am going to pay the rent and utilities for July and August, with only unemployment coming in! That doesn't even cover the rent, never mind anything else. Trusting God here....BIG TIME!!!! Willing to work at whatever I can.

Gotta get to work getting girly ready to go. Right now she is out mowing the lawn. The landlady hired her to do it, and she has been saving money from that, too. So she is very set for new pointe shoes, as needed, and spending money. Thank You, Father!!!!

Blessings...Nancy

Teenage Angst

Because the picnic with 20 girls wasn't enough, I brought 3 of them home with me for the night. Shao has a close circle of girlfriends that are very precious to her. But they also drive her nuts some times. And two of them lately, more than usual. It would seem that these two, who used to be Shao's friends, and friendly with one another, are now very tight, and unknowingly excluding the others, to the point where Shao and a few of the other girls are really hurt over it.

WELL...let me tell ya...last night was interesting! LOTS of deep feelings came out, lots of discussion, lots of tears and sadness, but in the end...LOTS and LOTS of joy and love and laughter, and I think much closer friendships than before! PLUS...when I went in to say good night? FOUR girlies jumped up for goodnight hugs. I thought my heart would burst! How sweet was THAT? These three girls are very dear to my heart. All for different reasons, all have different needs, all are very sweet, nice kids. I long for them to know Jesus, but Shao longs for that even more. We often take them to church with us, invite them to youth activities, and just keep loving on them. What a delight it was to see such open lovingness from them last night!!!! I hope it lasts...but when I saw them this morning, I opened my arms wide, and each one came for a morning hug! :) JOY!

Please pray for Krista, Emily and Megan. I want them to know the joy and love that is available to them. I want to be a vessel for God in the lives of these girls. They have lovely parents, but each girl has something in them that really needs ministering to, and each need is different. Also, please keep Megan especially in your prayers. She has some lumps on her arm, and has had all manner of tests, etc. Still no idea what it is, so the next step is a biopsy. But the thing about Meg? She is MANIC about needles. I am NOT kidding when I say she goes absolutely beserk, and totally freaks out. So it's a HUGE thing for her, and her parents are dreading telling her that she needs to have the lumps biopsied. It will not be a pretty thing...but GOD. I am going to pray earnestly for this. This kid needs to have some peace about this whole thing.

Anyhow...I now have a yard full of happy NINTH graders (well, they aren't 8th graders anymore, so I guess they're ninth graders now! I hear music, laughter, singing. I see some dancing and sunbathing, and just generally happy girls. YIPPEE, JESUS!!!! And I don't have to work this afternoon, so I can just sit back and enjoy them...and chauffuer them wherever (most likely the beach, but we'll see!)

Blessings...Nancy

Sweetness

Yesterday I arrived home to warm, freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! :) Today I arrived home to find my girl mowing the lawn, riding around on it like a pro, looking far more grown up than I am ready to face. Why do kids grow up so fast? I need to sit back and savor the sweetness of each moment. Because they really ARE fleeting. She will be off to Nutmeg in just 12 days. She is going to come home her first weekend, as it is Fourth of July, and we always celebrate it with beach and fireworks and friends. I am so glad she wants to come home for that. I spent so many July 4ths alone, wishing I had someone to go see fireworks with. Ever since she came home, it has been what we do. When she was very little, she called them "flowers in the sky." How apt is that? :)

Tomorrow my girl graduates from Eighth Grade. Today she received an award from the State of CT, chosen to receive Polson Middle School's "Eighth Grade Excellence in Citizenship Award."
Can you say proud mama? :) What a treasure she is.

We were supposed to be hosting a Graduation Party after the ceremony for 20 of her friends, down at the town beach tomorrow. HOWEVER...much rain is in the forecast, so we are moving to the rain date, which is Thursday. And listen to THIS....I was all worried about taking Thursday afternoon off, because I am already taking Wed. morning off, to attend graduation. But GOD...in His infinite wisdom, already knew I wasn't even NEEDED on Thursday afternoon, because my student's mom is picking him up! SOOOO...we are ALL set. Yes, I won't get paid. But I also won't put the bus company out, having to find a driver to do my run. Isn't God amazing even in the little details? Thank You, Abba Father!

Blessings...Nancy

My princess!

Isn't she beautiful!?!? This is the dress I made for her, for her Eighth Grade Social, the end of the year dance. She absolutely loved it. I wasn't quite happy with a few things, but in the end, she loved it, so that's all that counts. Of course, her latest request? "Mama, can you make me my wedding gown?" AIYIYIYI!!! I don't THINK so! :) Here's another picture:

Blessings...Nancy

Still doesn't know

So, I decided to NOT tell her IF she had decided to go to the graduation. Because I did not want to make her sad, and what was the point, if we weren't even going to be here? And she definitely did want to go to the graduation, and then to the dance, so that is what we did. And now I am still left with the sad task of telling her about Mr. Barker. But she ended up inviting a friend over for the night, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. Time enough to bring her down from her party high!!! She had a blast, and looked GORGEOUS. And somehow I never took a picture of her. Won't she just LOVE it when I make her put it all back on tomorrow, for picture taking?!?!? :) And I WILL do that, believe me! :)

Blessings...Nancy