tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30844567763513836542023-11-15T12:40:58.754-06:00Life in the Peterson homeJP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-73759423249134433712010-10-06T11:41:00.003-05:002010-10-06T11:42:40.771-05:00Happy Anniversary!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 16px; "><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">One year ago today, Jaden and & I were just leaving the pediatrician's office after being told that he has type 1 diabetes. After 2 hrs at the pediatrician's office we were sent home to pack our bags and then head back to Ft. Worth to be admitted into the hospital for the next 48 hrs. Jeremy was in Cuba and received his email around 8pm that night with the not so good news. We were only able to "google chat" for a little while so I could fill him in on everything. He got on the 1st flight home the next morning and was at the hospital with us by 3pm that day. I will never forget how God orchestrated everything that day and all of our friends and family who stepped in to help. </p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "> </p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">It was only by an act of God that we even went to the Dr. that morning. Jaden hadn't been himself for a couple weeks and so I emailed a friend, Becky, at 5am that morning asking some "nurse" questions about his "symptoms." She said she never checks her email in the morning before work, but for some reason (God) that morning she did. She quickly wrote me back and said that his "symptoms" were classic signs for diabetes. Had she not told me, I probably wouldn't have taken him in that morning. You see, I had no idea what diabetes was or what all it entailed so it was all very new to me. I thought the Dr. would just give him some medicine and it would be better. Oh, silly me. </p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "> </p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">All the phone calls and emails that I made that day. Robyn stepping in to hold down the fort and take care of Jenna in order to keep her little life calm. Kim, for also stepping in to help with Jenna and just stuff with home. Robyn, Matt and Heidi for coming to the hospital late that night for moral support. Melissa for being my 2nd ear in training/education classes while at the hospital until Jer got home and could join me. My in-laws for getting on the next plane out to come be here for the weekend in case Jer couldn't come home. My sisters who were so supportive and willing to come if/when I needed them to. And then most important of all......All the people across the globe who were so faithful in prayer for our family!! I say most important of all, because well....Prayer is our most valuable tool from God! He is the Great Physician and I know He has Jaden in His arms 24/7!</p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "> </p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Praise the Lord for Dr's who are gifted with the knowledge needed to help take care of my little man! It's just a year later and we are no longer doing "shots" of insulin, but now on a pump that does it all for us. God is so good to take care of HIS children!</p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "> </p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Honestly, I don't know how anyone could live without knowing the Lord and having the hope that He gives through the salvation of His son Jesus! I thank God everyday for my many, many blessings. I pray that I never take Him or those blessings for granted. I know He will use diabetes for good in Jaden's life. Yes, it sucks to have a disease, but oh how wonderful it is to know that that disease may be used to lead someone to Jesus some day!</p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "> </p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">My little man is strong and knows the Lord who takes care of him. Thank you, Lord, for taking care of us each day!</p></span>JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-58695817017383268572009-10-11T02:59:00.000-05:002009-10-11T03:01:02.128-05:00Our world has been rocked!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">As some of you may have heard, we found out this last week that Jaden, our 5 yr. old son, has Type 1 juvenile diabetes. This was very unexpected since there is no one in our immediate family with diabetes. About 3 weeks ago, Jaden seemed to be "fighting" something and we just thought it was allergies/asthma. He just wasn't acting like himself - he was grumpy, tired, up a couple times each night. All of those things are normal for him when he's getting sick or about to have an asthma attack so I was prepared for it since it's allergy season. Then not only were those symptoms there, but he then started eating all the time like a pubescent boy, complaining of his stomach hurting, drinking and peeing a lot. Now for some, those would be classic signs of diabetes, but not for someone who has never been around anyone with it. I then wondered if maybe he had a bladder infection so I emailed a very dear friend to ask her opinion and she suggested we head to the pediatrician's office asap just in case it was diabetes. Long story short, we went to his Dr. first thing in the morning, did a physical exam and when everything was ok, they tested his urine and blood sugars. Sure enough his blood sugars were 548 and they told me the norm was around 127. His Dr. was shocked because Jaden hasn't lost weight, but was gaining; and he is a strong healthy boy besides his asthma. My initial thoughts were: okay, what do we do? How do I get ahold of Jeremy since he's in Cuba? what is diabetes? where do we go from here? who do I call so that I'm not bombarded with phone calls/texts/emails, etc? How do I stay strong and not let him see me cry (which he did and we just cried together). Our Dr. immediately called Cook Children's in FW and got us set up with an endocrinologist there and told us to go home, pack our bags and that we would get a call from the hospital when they had a bed ready for us. We did just that and set up a plan for Jenna's care while we were there. I am so blessed to have family near and such awesome friends so close who were willing to do anything and even just to be "on call" until I needed them. One friend was even able to come to the hospital to go through training with me until Jeremy could get home so that I would have another ear to hear everything. We ended up staying in the hospital from Tuesday - Thursday, Jeremy came home on Wednesday. Our endocrinologist said that we must have caught this very early since Jaden wasn't any sicker than he is. He was the only new patient admitted that evening who didn't have to have the IV and fluids. He was so brave when they drew the blood for all the lab work and he never even flinched. The nurses were prepared to have to hold him down and when he just gave them his arms to poke and prod, they were shocked! He's definitely a warrior! We made it through training and Jaden's levels finally got evened out thanks to a great nursing staff and Dr and were able to go home 48 hrs later. So many have been and still are praying for us - all around the world. Thank you! We can't thank you enough. We've also had several friends offer their support due to their own diagnosis of diabetes. We are so blessed! We are also blessed to have him in the school he's in. They were so proactive and supportive once they heard the "news" and have already trained his teachers and staff who will be working with him so they are ready for him when he comes back to school on Tuesday! This is going to be an adjustment for our whole family, but once again we are up to the task knowing that we have an Awesome God whom we serve faithfully and He is there to walk us through this. I don't know what we would do without our Lord and Savior who gives us hope each and every day! I have lived the last 22 yrs of my life with this verse as my guide: "All things work for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 I know that our family loves the Lord and that we are called by Him and I believe that there IS good to come from this new challenge. Please continue to pray for our family as we learn to take care of Jaden. We praise the Lord for his watchful eye and keeping over us at all times! </span>JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-31980704992283441522009-01-22T12:19:00.005-06:002009-02-04T12:24:40.935-06:00Hold your tongue!Well after reading today's scripture in my quiet time, God really put some things into perspective for me. You see, like many, I have a hard time holding my tongue. I can remember the days in my life when I didn't care what anyone else thought of me and so I spoke my opinions freely. Not that I don't share my opinions now, but I'm a little more cautious in certain circumstances. My goal is to never lead someone astray, but to direct them toward the Lord.<br />Ps 39 puts it all into perspective - v1 "I said, ' I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence."<br />Why is it that we get so opinionated and think we have to always argue when "the wicked" are near. That's when I find myself always shooting myself in the foot because I say too much when confronted by someone who is a non-believer. I've learned through the years, to put that muzzle on and make sure that what I have to say is from the Lord and not my own "opinions."<br />v6 says: "Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro; He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, no knowing who will get it." Our lives are but a breath here on earth. We get so wrapped up in all that we think we need to do and forget to focus on what's important - Loving God and loving people. Our time here on earth is short compared to eternity in heaven. Why not take as many with us when we go? Maybe it's time we muzzle our mouths, stop all the arguing and start loving people the way Christ did in order to bring more to Him!<br />vs 14-16 kind of made me realize how lucky I really am to be a citizen of the United States. I don't have anyone trying to kill me (at least not within my knowledge), but I realize the enemy is lurking behind every corner trying to bring a slow death to me whether it's a physical one or spiritual death. What I've realized is that I have to give up focusing on all the bad stuff around us and actually turn my faith to the only ONE who can do anything - God. He is where I place my trust. With all the Presidential stuff going on right now (most of you know that I'm not into politics) people are throwing their opinions around like it's water. God ordained that office and whoever is in that place, we as believers need to support him in prayer not continue to criticize his every move. Yes, I believe the end times are near, but so has every generation before us. Every day brings us closer to the final day here on earth.JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-77476922072996654162009-01-22T11:59:00.006-06:002009-01-22T12:18:53.158-06:00BreatheA friend of mine, <a href="http://hsmsmom.blogspot.com">Melissa</a>, shared with me not too long ago a word that God had given her: Breathe. It keeps coming up all around me; in scripture I'm reading, sermons, and the fact that I have to breathe in order to be alive. We watched a Rob Bell Nooma video about it last night even. Let me share some thoughts with you:<br />In Hebrew, God's name is Y,H,V,H (in English we'd pronounce this as "Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh." <br />Rob Bell - "Some pronounce the name 'Yahweh' or 'Yahveh', although in many traditions the name isn't even pronounced, because it's considered so sacred, so mysterious, so holy. In fact, the ancient rabbis believed that these letters actually functioned kind of as vowels in the Hebrew language. They believed that they were kind of breathing sounds and that ultimately the name is simply unpronounceable because the letters together are essentially the sound of breathing. Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh. Is the name of God the sound of breathing?"<br />He then talks about how the first and last things you do in life are to take a breath. <br />The very first and last thing we do in life is speak our creator's name. Isn't He amazing?JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-6138074058793539202009-01-21T09:49:00.005-06:002009-01-21T11:10:14.455-06:00Things I love in lifeSome of these are very random.....others are very much not random!<br /><br />1. The freedom to worship my God & Father<br />2. Jeremy<br />3. Jenna & Jaden<br />4. My extended family<br />5. something Jaden said this morning when I told him we needed to be praying for President Obama all the time and he said "even in the night!" Very true<br />6. Jenna, who is not a snuggler, crawled up in my lap yesterday and slept because she felt so crappy.<br />7. friends the Lord has brought across my path - both old and new<br />8. facebook - (it's brought some of the old friends back across my path)<br />9. my new juicer - it's so much healthier when you think about all the sugar and artificial additives you cut out<br />10. my new mandarin garnet ring :)<br />11. late 80's/early 90s rap music - you remember them....Funky cold medina, Baby got Back, etc. I heard both of those the other day and it brought back a kazillion memories.<br />12. having a brain that keeps memories<br />13. the memories I have of my parents that I can share with my kids even though my parents are now in heaven<br />14. my new church - Compass Christian<br />15. the hope for eternal life in heaven - especially the fact that there is more to life than this earth! Praise God for that!<br />16. my daughter's accepting Christ into her life and baptism this summer! Now, that's exciting!<br />17. country music and country dancing<br />18. my new home in Roanoke<br />19. mexican pottery!<br />20. the color ORANGE<br />21. knowing that I have a Savior who hears my prayers night and day and answers them<br />22. strawberry shortcake - both the food and the little girl :)<br />23. my daddy's nickname for me "Pooch" - I hated it back in the day, but just wish I could hear him call me that today<br />24. i can ask Jaden "do you know what I need?" and he'll say "I got what you need" and then he kisses me<br />25. Jenna trusts me enough to tell me things and ask some hard questions<br />26. my kids' lullabys are - Jenna, "Jesus, There's just something about that name" and Jaden, "Amazing Grace" it calms them every time and puts them to sleep every night<br />27. cowboy boots<br />28. Beef Taco Bake<br />29. Kari's roast<br />30. Romans 8:28 - my life verse...look it up!<br />31. snow skiing - although we never go anymore<br />32. my MacBook<br />33. Prison Break, 24, The Office<br />34. Dumb & Dumber<br />35. 13 Going on 30<br />36. Greese<br />37. hanging out on the beach with my husband<br />38. Saltgrass Steakhouse<br />39. chocolate milk<br />40. Peppermint Mocha coffee creamer<br />41. pumpkin pie<br />42. chocolate chip cookies<br />43. having a "backyard neighbor" who I can call to borrow a cup of milk from so I can make muffins for my kids<br />44. rodeos<br />45. fresh baked bread<br />46. having a husband who is my very best friend<br />47. fireplaces<br />48. grandparents<br />49. Chi hair straighteners<br />50. sweet tea<br />51. big bulky warm sweaters<br />52. sweat pants<br />53. iris flowers<br />54. honeysuckle bushes<br />55. friends<br />That's all for now....I'm sure I'll post a part 2 another day.JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-56140347189057298582008-10-16T13:11:00.003-05:002008-10-16T13:15:37.112-05:00A never fail recipeWant a good recipe that will never fail you? Try this one.<br /><br />Beef Taco Bake<br /><br />1 lb ground beef<br />1 can tomato soup<br />1/2 cup milk<br />1 cup salsa<br />1 cup shredded cheese<br />5 tortillas torn into small pieces<br /><br />Brown your meat and drain then mix all ingredients together and put in a 2qt casserole dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips and mexican rice.JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-26755536868711489352008-10-16T10:46:00.004-05:002008-10-16T11:17:06.460-05:002 Doors downI've waited too long to write this blog, well maybe just avoiding it rather, but I guess it's time. Many of you may have heard that there was a murder that took place a couple weeks ago in Roanoke. Let me take you through the last couple of grueling weeks in our neighborhood and family.<br />The kids and I were leaving for church one Sunday morning and as we walked out of the house, all we saw were police cars, trucks and black suburbans on our block and in the drive 2 doors down. Hmmmm.... I quickly got the kids in the car and then walked down to ask the police if there was anything I needed to be concerned about for my family's safety. He then told me, "No, ma'am, it only involves this family. I can't give you any more information at this time."<br /><br />We went ahead and went to church praying for this family along the way. Jenna's first question was "where is David?" You see, David is a 13 yr old boy who lives in that house and we had played with him several times this summer. I told her I didn't know, but I'm sure he was safe. She quickly said a specific prayer for his safety. All we knew about David is that he lived with his mom and had an older sister that stayed with them from time to time. David told us that his mom worked 2 jobs and we never saw her there, which meant that David was home alone most of the time. We had invited him to church, but he never came with us. <br /><br />Long story short.....David, his sister and her boyfriend murdered their mom, left her dead in the hallway while stealing her car to head north. The kids were picked up (only by an act of God) in South Dakota for being out after curfew on that Saturday night/Sunday morning. You can read all the details on CBS.com if you're interested.<br /><br />The part that disturbs me the most is that the whole week after the police found Susan's body, there was just a very heavy, dark cloud over the neighborhood. I can't explain it, but it just didn't feel right. Knowing the little bit that I do about the spiritual realm, I know this heaviness was the spiritual battle going on around us. Even the policeman who came down to talk to me about everything, said that when he entered the home there was just "evil" in the air. Wow!<br /><br />Come to find out, the kids were living in a fantasy world through a series of books. One of the books is called "Dragons Blood." It scares me to think that more times than not, parents are not monitoring every aspect of their kids' lives. Most people will chalk these books up as fiction, yet these books become very real to their readers and allows the enemy one more entrance into their lives. <br /><br />After being in Youth Ministry for 10+ years, it breaks my heart for David. He was a really nice kid, although I always sensed there was something wrong deep inside. I never would've dreamed it would end like this. <br /><br />I've had a hard time explaining to my kids what happened. In fact, they don't know the whole story. They just know that someone killed Susan and the kids won't be coming back to this house. I've had to just leave it to the Lord and explain that there is a lot of evil in this world and we need to be on guard at all times. We are to be kind and loving to everyone (Ephesians 4:32) no matter their situation.<br /><br />The Lord tells us in scripture: 1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."<br /><br />The devil succeeded in devouring the household 2 doors down, but we will continue to resist him, standing firm in our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ to share His love with everyone we meet!JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-19676303238971834332008-09-08T08:05:00.006-05:002008-09-08T21:59:12.350-05:00A New StartWell, we've only just begun. What a great day we had with the start of our new Compass Christian Church site in Roanoke. We had 247 on our first day open to the public! I'm amazed by that. I'm not much for numbers in church, but it's exciting to see how many people knew that our doors were "open for business." Our church put a huge ad (including the front cover with a picture of Jeremy & Trevor) in a local magazine ("<a href="http://www.livingmagazine.net/">Living</a>" Keller/metroport edition) that went out to like 28K houses in the area. We had about 20 people say that they came because of that ad in the magazine. The article is really good and represents the heart of our group really well. We had several people make a decision for their lives yesterday including some who want to be baptized next week. How exciting is that? The angels are having a HUGE party right now! I can't wait to see all that God has planned for this community!<br /><br />I have to admit I was very scared to move away from our home for the last 9 1/2 yrs, but God has continued to bless us for our obedience to His call. For those of you reading this who know us well, you know that we lived way out in the country for the last 2 yrs in Katy and had to drive A LOT! It made life difficult at times to be able to be in community with people and we really missed that. We now live about 5 minutes from Jenna's school and our church. We have Wal-Mart & Home Depot around the corner from us and are loving the small town feel of Roanoke, yet being about 15 minutes from the city life. God continues to bring new people along our path that we just get to love on and share life with.<br /><br />In my last blog, I wrote about "friends for life" and am still seeing how God is using people in our lives. We have a dear friend who was in our youth ministry for 4-5 yrs who decided that when she graduated college that she wanted to come work with us. She is now Trevor & Jeremy's admin, Jeremy's asst soccer coach for Jenna's soccer team, and my dear friend. The team that we have to work with in starting this church is awesome. Each of them brings such a unique heart and desire to serve the Lord that encourages me even more with each day.<br /><br />I thank God for this new start in ministry. I thank Him for not allowing us to get burned out, but keeping life fresh and new each day.JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-61123617327419941332008-09-04T13:52:00.008-05:002008-09-04T16:07:53.794-05:00Friends For LifeHave you ever tried to figure out why certain people come in and out of your life at different times? Or maybe you've just wondered why certain things have happened to you in your life. For some reason, these thoughts have crossed my mind more than a few times in the last couple weeks. People from my past (childhood, college, etc) have "be-friended" me on facebook and it has brought back a lot of memories - mostly good thank goodness! :)<br /><br />You see, I look back on my childhood and remember my best friend from growing up. We were only 2 days apart in age and lived in the same houses until we graduated high school. Eric was such a great friend growing up. I remember having cheerio eating contests, wrestling matches, trampoline contests, swimming contests, birthday parties, and just sharing the ups and downs in life while growing up.<br /><br />Then there's the girls I cheered with, played piano with and made it through Jr. High with. One of those girls became like a sister to me and her mom a mom to me. Thank God for them during 9th grade when I lost my parents. We are still friends today and I'm so thankful.<br /><br />I then think about what a special place my sister became in my life once she moved back home with me after my parents died. I wouldn't have made it through high school without her. This leads me to remember my preacher who always just checked up on us and loved us through a very difficult time. Thanks Glen! I also had a tremendous youth minister and his wife. I dreamed to grow up and be just like them. My youth group and youth sponsors held such a special place in my life - more like a family to me. Well, thank you Kari, because I was a youth minister's wife for 10 yrs because of you and loved every moment of serving those kids. (we are still in ministry just with adults now instead of students.)<br /><br />What about the friends made in youth group and at summer camps. One in particular had just lost his mom after I had lost mine. We had a lot to talk about and share with each to encourage one another to keep going. It blows my mind how God brings people to us when we need them most. What about the "bonding partners" made at camps as well. Those who you share those deepest joys and hurts with. You continue to pray for them through the years even after you lose contact with them. It's fun to reconnect 5-10 yrs later and find out how your prayers made a difference in their lives.<br /><br />Then there's college - some of those friends I would like to just forget, but know that God brought them into my life for a purpose at the time. Like the relationships where I learned best that God is right - "don't be unequally yoked." My "pledge daughter" was brought to me so that I wouldn't stray too far away from the Lord. What a friend she was and still is.<br />College years are fun to look back to and see how people had such an effect on your life. I was in a sorority for 4 yrs and I have to admit, there's a lot of good that came from it, but also some bad choices were made. I had an awesome boss/pastor that the Lord brought into my life who helped me to see that poor choices made can be forgiven. Thanks Watson! Watson helped me find that dream again to be in ministry. During this time of ministry, I had a student in my youth group who became a great part of my life. Shoot, she's one of those people I can just sit with and stare at a box of rocks and still have fun! :) Love you, Corey!<br /><br />That's when I headed to Joplin to take 1 more yr of college at Ozark Christian. I met this really great girl and we were instant friends. I love you Heidi! She then introduced me to this really great brother of hers who I am now very happily married to and serving in ministry with.<br /><br />Now to the "adult" years of life. Once we moved to Katy, I was about 12 hours from all my friends and family. God loved me so much, he blessed us with yet another great church family. Oh the memories of starting a family. One friend came into my life b/c we were pregnant at the same time and even though she didn't think she needed a friend at the time, :) I pushed my way in and we've shared many great moments raising our kids together. I cherish our friendship. Our children are special friends and will be through life. Who knows, they may even get married some day since they have a "pre-arranged marriage" from Papa Wayne. Then there's the adopted "grandparents" and "aunts & uncles" who took us and our kids in as their own since we didn't have biological family nearby.<br /><br />There's always the people you work along side in life. When I didn't think I needed another friend or could have time for another friend because my life was so crazy with family, ministry and my grandma - the Lord brought me someone who might as well be my sister. She & her husband became our very best friends, not only at work, but in life. I love you guys and miss you so much!<br /><br />Most of all, I'm thankful for the husband that God brought to me. I couldn't ask for a more supportive, loving, encouraging man to work alongside and share life with. We've shared many ups and downs in these last 10 1/2 yrs together and I have to say - there's no one I'd rather be with. Jeremy & I are starting a new season in our lives with our move to Roanoke and starting a new ministry. God continues to bring new friends and people into our lives and I'm excited to see what role they will play.<br /><br />I was just recently sent this in an email and it is what brought this blog to my mind.<br />"God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.<br /><br />Father God, bless all my friends in whatever it is that You know they may be needing this day! And may their life be full of your peace, prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer relationship with you.<br />Amen. "<br /><br />I love all of you and thank God for you everyday! I couldn't make it through this life without you!JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-3403859728854771192008-07-29T09:07:00.003-05:002008-07-29T09:16:34.063-05:00Dermabond: Not so amazing!Well, as you can see, I'm not too good at keeping up with the blogging, but.... <br /><br />That "amazing invention" that I last wrote about, did not turn out to be so amazing! Dermabond did not bond to Jaden's chin for very long. We were back to the ER in 2 days (it should've lasted at least 7) to have it checked and then back the next day because it had completely come off. Needless to say, within 4 days after the fall, I was playing Nurse Mama and butterflying it myself. <br /><br />Jaden is doing much better now. He is finally able to play in the water and sweat as much as he wants. :) Trying to keep a 4 yr old, active little boy down for a few days, was next to impossible.<br /><br />We've had a lot of fun though with visits from friends and family to come this weekend. We have VBS this week every night and it is absolutely exhausting!<br /><br />We start our new church site on September 7th so you'll probably start hearing a lot more about the preparations for that. Keep us in your prayers!<br /><br />Maybe I'll be a little quicker with my next post. I think I'll write about our new found fun family place: the lake.....JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3084456776351383654.post-20931330398042846942008-07-17T11:51:00.006-05:002008-07-17T12:10:50.826-05:00Amazing InventionsPeople invent things everyday, but I was introduced to an absolutely amazing invention yesterday that I'd never heard of. It's called "Dermabond."<br /><br />You see, I have a very accident prone child who had to visit the ER last night because he busted his chin open on the playground. After cleaning up the blood and getting a really good look at the cut, my husband and I decided Jaden probably needed to go see the "Dr." I called it the "Dr." so that he wouldn't get scared because of his last visit to the ER when he hit his head 2 years ago. I also avoided the dreaded word "stitches" because I didn't want to have to explain how a Dr. was going to use a needle and thread to sew him up.<br /><br />The first thing Jaden did when I told him we were headed to the "Dr." was go and find his "ER bear" that the hospital gave him 2 years ago, the last time we visited the ER. He then requested to ride in the truck and away we went to the ER. (What's funny about this is that we have only been in this area for 2 1/2 weeks now and had no idea where the nearest hospital was. Jeremy had to run next door and ask.) Luckily it was only about 5 miles down the highway. We got half way there and Jaden finally asked, "mama, are we going to the ER?" I said, "well, is that ok if we are?" He said "yes, maybe they'll give me another bear and then I'll have 2 ER bears." How sweet.<br /><br />We get tot he ER and find out that there is NO wait and we were in and out in 30 minutes. As far as ER visits go, this was the best ever except that they didn't have any bears to give away.<br /><br />Ok, back to the invention part of this story. I was so scared to tell him what they were about to do and I asked the nurse if we really needed to be there. She said yes and that they could probably just glue it together with this new stuff called "dermabond." It's this glue like substance that the Dr. uses to hold cuts together instead of stitching. Nothing scary or painful about it. I was so thankful and blessed that we didn't have to go through the pain of stitches.<br /><br />Thank you, God, for new inventions!JP's Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04849087542248487950noreply@blogger.com4