Broken Bones & Broken Hearts

November 5, 2010

This post is about the times when my expectations in life have not panned out or gone in an unexpected direction. Of course there are many times in my life when I would say that changing courses has really been for the best whether it was my choice or not. And so, as I sit here and ponder the course of my life currently, I know all will be very different in June (just 7 months from now). There is no way of telling at this point where I will be living, worshiping, having parent conferences, etc... I also have no idea where I will be working and what I will be doing. On the bright side... I do know in my broken little heart that God is preparing a place for me and it will be wonderful!

Yesterday, Oliver had a follow up appointment and a new x-ray on his broken little arm. The result of this evaluation was that it is not healing as we expected and he is scheduled for surgery on Monday (prayers please!). This surgery will change Oliver's life forever. He will have a plate screwed into his bone that will remain as long as his body will allow (potentially forever). This news does not excite us in the least but we know it is the only way we can be sure of his complete recovery and proper future use of his dominant arm. I guess that is the bright side.

So my prayer today is:

Almighty God,

you who know what is best in this broken world,

have mercy on us.

Heal our hearts and our bodies;

because we know that only through you can we truly look

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.

Amen

Thought Reading Week/ Fall Break Would Be More Productive

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Reading week was off to a bad start when I got a call from St. Andrew's School stating that Oliver was hurt. This is not the first time getting a call of this nature. These calls usually need a visit to the emergency room. There was the call from Hannah's elemetary school when she fell off the monkey bars and put her 2 front teeth completely through her bottom lip. There was another time that that same school called about a head injury in PE with Oliver. An then there was the time we got a call from a friend about a dog bite which required many stitches in Oliver's lip. And the call from another friend about an accident with a boomerang.

This call was no different. Oliver had fallen off a swing, yes a swing. A child's play toy. We took him to the Sewanee Hospital emergency room where he was x-rayed and determined his arm to be broken. He received a temporary cast and was sent on his way with a prescription for pain meds and the names of 3 orthopedists.

Friday, October 15, 2010

I spent Friday (after Midlore) calling orthopedist only to find that 2 of them don't have office hours on Fridays and the other had the flu. This meant that Oliver would not be seen by an orthopedist until after our trip to Savannah.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

We left early Saturday morning in order to attend the wedding of 2 young adults who met in our youth group many years ago. We had to rig up a dress shirt for Oliver so it would fit over his large temporary cast. It was a beautiful wedding! Congrats Ashley & Kim!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Needless to say we needed a day to sleep in and this day was it. We went to Forsythe Park around 10am to walk Oreo (the puppy) and spend a leisurely Sunday morning in the park. We sat for a while in the park to get internet and check emails while Oliver attempted to sketch with his right hand (since he broke his left & dominant arm). He is actually getting very good at it. It was a wonderfully relaxing morning. We went to the "Brighter Day" health food market to stock up on some healthy yum yums. YAY! My day was complete or so I thought until we attended the Celtic Eucharist at St. Paul's that evening. What a beautiful service. Must do that again on my next Savannah visit!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Called the orthopedist office. I got an appointment for Oliver's cast. Drove back to Sewanee. Feeling a bit under the weather, but happy to be back in my mountain home.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Oliver got his new shiny HOT PINK cast. He will need to revisit the Doc to have his arm x-rayed again. If it is not healing well, he will need surgery. YUCK!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Completely wiped out of all energy. I now have a full blown cold! another YUCK!

got nothing done so far and reading week/ fall break is 1/2 over.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Repeat of Wednesday...

Friday, October 22, 2010

Drove Harry to the Nashville airport so he could fly down to GA for a meeting with the Commission on Ministry and the Standing Committee. Still not felling well, but since I was in an area with real stores, I decided to get some ferret food and a dress for Dubose. Score! within an hour I tried on about 8 dress and found one that fits well and isn't black. Low expectations made it easy to meet the criteria. I was back home in time for lunch. at 1:30 I needed to meet with Dean Bruce before instructing a class for college pledges on safe practices while consuming alcohol.

I made some chili for dinner. I had to take Oliver to a Fall party in Cliff Tops. I like to call Cliff Tops "Fort Knox" because it is hard to get in and hard to get out. Of course in the dark of the night, I made one wrong turn on a one way street (no turning around and going back) and I was lost in there for about 5 miles. I hope to never live in a gated community!

Saturday, October 24, 2010

Went to the market. No eggs... bummer. Got some muffins and scones... YUM. Had out biannual Seminary Missions Committee Work Day... great fun and fellowship & HARD WORK! We had a great turn out. Finnished by 12:30 had lunch and went to CVS for some drugs! Drugs knocked me out and I slept 12 hours. Of course I completely burned the potatoes I was baking in the oven. Note to self... 4 hours is too long to bake potatoes, take cold meds after potatoes are done.

Sunday, October 25, 2010

Harry came home a little after midnight. I was feeling much better after the meds and rest. We went to church, had lunch, and went out for a drive to take pictures of the peek fall trees! Beautiful Day! (see pictures on my facebook page soon)

So as you can see.... I didn't get much done this week. On the bright side... between the pictures of Oliver's arm, the wedding and the fall pics, I have some great memories!

Busier than EVER!

We are a month into the semester and I'm realizing that I can be very busy without work.

Monday is Spiritual Direction

Tuesday I am taking Contemporary Moral Issues with Dr. MacSwain & Group Spiritual Direction or Spouse's Board meetings (and occasionally a home soccer game)

Wednesday is the Women's Bible Study

Thursday is Church History with his holiness: Dr. King (and occasionally a home soccer game)

Friday is EFM

Saturday is time with Hannah & Oliver (while Harry studies or writes papers) and sometimes bartending

Sunday is youth group (TOSS)

All of the in between time is filled with reading or preparing for all of these events. Not having a steady paycheck makes me somewhat uncomfortable however I am really able to indulge in the community and classes.

Last week I had my kitchen remodeled, my parents came to visit (just as they finished), Hannah had a 16th birthday celebration, and I led a two day retreat for the Spouse's of the Seminary. It was craziness but with God's help... I got through it. Leading the retreat was an amazing experience that is leading me to explore new options in my search for my "off the mountain" calling. I really enjoy working with adults as much as youth.

Hannah's Soccer season is going well. Now that she is over her knee injury she is back on the field in full force... and she is fast! I thoroughly enjoy watching her games. She has been 16 for all of a week now and it is nice to see her growing up and being more responsible. She is quite lovely :)

All in all... busy is good because when I am not I tend to bring cute furry creatures into our home. Creatures need food, water, and much love and attention. As busy as I am, I have no more time for any more creatures.

On the bright side... life is good on the mountain! Good friends, good times, and a great community! Thanks everyone :)

Oh Blog how I missed you!

Day 58 (August 27) Oh Blog how I missed you. Life got a bit crazy. It is amazing how busy I can get without pay. I've been preparing for EFM, the Spouse's Retreat, & the Teens of the Seminary Youth Group. Between those activities and having a new puppy and school starting at St. Andrew's & the Seminary I just haven't had any time to write.

This week consisted of: open house for Oliver (SAS middle school), open house for Hannah (SAS high school), Bar tending at the Vice Chancelor's home, Church picnic, First day of school for SAS, Quiet day, Matriculation, Dean's Dinner, Class (church history), Lake Cheston picnic... Let the craziness begin! I am absorbing all of the last times this year.

We have now had Oreo (the puppy) for 3 weeks and he is getting along great with Patches (the 12 year old dog) and the 2 ferrets. The cat is still unsure of this new "house guest" and she is waiting for his departure. She attempts to skulk around the house at night while the pup is in his pen and no threat to her. We don't see her any other time except when her food bowl is empty. At which time she meows from some safe distance. Oh poor kitty!

EFM prep is going well. I think I have 12 in my group. My co-mentor will not be certified until January so I'm flying solo to start.... ugh. Getting paperwork and checks has been a drag!

On the Bright Side... the Spouse's Retreat is going to ROCK!!!! I've got some great stuff planned. I just need to get some spouse's on video which may be a bit of a challenge.

St. Andrew's had a parent's marathon of activities that were so redundant. I feel for parents of a middle & a high schooler. It is twice the wretchedness. All in all, I am thrilled to have the kids back on a routine. Hannah has had 2 soccer games so far and her team won both! YAY SAS! High school is going well so far...

TOSS (Teens of Sewanee Seminary) will begin next week. So excited to get started. I've had so many people volunteer to help. Thanks all! (but not everyone can get on that high paying work-study salary. Of course, a conflict has been added... the cook outs are continuing... this cuts into our meeting time. We will have to work this out... time to consult the professionals.... TEEN.

Well, back to enjoying my last Friday.... until EFM and TOSS steal you away...

Farm in the Jenkins Home

Day 36-39 (August 5-8) Ever since the adoption of our 5th current pet (Oreo the puppy) life has been a bit changed. This is the first time I've ever owned a puppy. Killian, our 17 year old dog that passed last summer was a year when she found us and Patches, our 10 year old dog was 9 months old when we found him in a shelter. I am up at 5 am to let the pup out of his crate and a 6 am feeding before my exercise routine. Of course this means I need a nap in the afternoon so I can stay up until 10:30 to put Oreo back in his crate.

Taking in Oreo seems like falling off the wagon of my down-sizing plan but it has definitely a gift and a blessing in our home. He is a precious sweet addition to the Jenkins family farm now consisting of 2 ferrets, a cat, and 2 dogs. I've never seen such a mellow and easily trainable pup. I can not believe someone would dump him.

We got Oreo to the vet. He got his first shots and deworm medication. Yuck. He is about 10-12 weeks old. The vet says he is part boarder collie but his brother looks like a lab. I sure hope he has something small in him as well.

Leave without Pay continues for another few weeks. In September I will be working as a Youth Minister part time! YAY!!! I am not at liberty to share where until we get the details worked out. So you will have to continue to read this very boring blog to find out.... ha ha ha :)

EFM is also beginning in September and I am taking a couple of classes so my blog will need to be adjusted. I'm sure I will need to change the name as well. Maybe it will be "Count Down to Moving off the Mountain". I really don't want to leave. I have been so blessed to be here.

More to come...

Getting Around Town

Day 33 - 34 (Aug 2 & 3) - I've been doing a good bit of bike riding around Sewanee. I have also been assisting in many Seminary move-ins. The community this year will be awesome! The junior class has 26 or 28 students... wow! With these Seminarians comes families with tons of kids. There are approximately 15 or so middle & high schoolers, 16 or more elementary school children and over 10 preschoolers. The chapel is going to be really full on Thursday nights. KOS (kids of the seminary) will be busy. I look forward to many good times with all the teens.

Speaking of good times with the teens... we had an amazing Ultimate game on the practice field on Tuesday night. A great turn out of youth and former youth leaders. My team lost, but I'm up for a rematch :)

I put the word out on "Sewanee Classifieds" that I was looking for the little brown dog. No leads, just a bunch of sightings and people who almost took him in. I'm sure someone has given that sweet dog a home.

Day 35 (Aug 4) - Wow! 4 move-ins in one day. We also moved in on Aug 4 (in 2008). There were many move-ins that day as well so we didn't have too much help. I am tired and my knees hurt from playing Ultimate.

At the first move-in of the day we found 2 puppies that were dumped in the Woodlands the night before. We decided to take one home. We haven't committed to keeping him, but he is doing so well. Only one accident... it was on the kitchen floor that is going to be replaced in a couple of weeks anyway.

If this dog isn't the cutest thing ever... (the boy isn't so bad either). He also played well with the ferrets!

Housework & House Guest

Days 30 & 31 (July 30-31) -
I love to cook and I love to eat. Some of my favorites are fried green tomatoes, eggplant parmesan, sushi, and guacamole. Of course anything made with tomatoes is great. People who don't like to cook, usually eat pre-made meals, easy "helper" meals and eat out. One thing I hate to do is clean house.

When I was a teenager I believe I received shock therapy from the weather beaten extension cord on the electric lawn mower. Yes, an electric lawnmower. This has ruined me for any form of electric (with a cord) machines... especially the vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately I have a dog that sheds enough fur to stuff a mattress. Vacuuming is quite essential. Someone should invent a cordless vacuum that actually works (not like a dust buster). I may write a letter to Dyson. If people who don't like to cook don't cook than people who don't like to clean shouldn't clean. A housekeeper may be in order in my future :)

The cook out was loads of fun. The teen count is rising in the seminary community. I think we are up to 14. Woot, woot! They all seem to get along well. This was the first week that my own teens wanted to stay later than me.

We found the cutest dog today. I know with a dog, a cat, and 2 ferrets I really don't need another dog. In order for you to understand why I would consider another dog you have to see his picture. It speaks volumes and Patches seems to really like him. When we left for the movie, we put him outside. He was gone when we got back.

"How to Train A Dragon" was the movie at the SUT this week. What a great turn out of teens. With Harry out of town, I sat alone. Some might think that is sad, but in actuality it means that my kids sat with friends and that makes me so happy! Abe was loud in the theater and I told him so :)

Day 32 (August 1) - Harry is home (sort of). He got in at 3 am so he was not up for church or for the firs move-in of the day. When we got home at noon he was up and ready for the second move-in. He was still a little loopy and jet lagged the rest of the day.

No sign of the little dog we found. If you see him around the mountain, let me know. Maybe he will find his way back to our home....