A Scare

Before I launch into the story of the week, I thought I would post a video that I discovered about wiener dogs. Apparently I'm not half as bad in my love for dachshunds as some people.... :)

Anyway....

Friday afternoon I came home from work, as usual. Jody came over from the church and we sat down for lunch together. It was the end of another workweek, and that is always cause for celebration. :)

It was then that we noticed that Eu-mi was twisting backwards to check herself. Now, this can mean several things. Sometimes it's an indication that she needs to go outside and go potty. Or sometimes it's an indication that she needs to have her anal glands drained. (Sorry, this may be too much information, but it's true - all the joys of owning a dachshund.) So we decided to let her go outside and take care of business.

However, when we came back inside, we noticed that she was no longer her usual self. She was slow to want to jump up on furniture. She would sit down - almost involuntarily - and her lower back would twitch. She acted as though she in pain, though she didn't cry out, which is how she has usually conveyed pain in the past.

This made us very, very afraid. The reason is, dachshunds are known to struggle with something called Intervertebral Disc Disease, which basically means their backs are known to 'go out' and require surgery that can cost around $3,000. Obviously, Jody and I cannot afford that, so if Eu-mi's back goes out, we'll have to put her down. We didn't expect to have to deal with this so early on, though. Eu-mi just turned 2 years old this week, and dachshunds can live to be 15 plus years.

Anyway, the short version is: we decided to take Eu-mi to the vet. Our vet checked her out, affirmed that she was in pain in her lower back, and that x-rays would be needed to assess the damage. We left her for an hour or more, and of course I just cried in the car.

Though Eu-mi is just a dog, she has weaseled her way into my heart, and I love her so much! She has brought so much laughter and joy into our lives amidst the stresses of seminary, church ministry and health troubles.

We went back to the vet to pick her up to find out relatively good news. Her back had not blown out; she would not need surgery. However, she would need anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants and crate-rest for about a month. Also, we discovered she was a little overweight at 14 1bs. Fourteen pounds! Holy mackerel! We also realized we'd need to change some things at home. No more crazy jumping off of furniture, twisting to catch toys, and a careful eye on her diet.

So yesterday, Jody decided to build Eu-mi a ramp. Yes! He finished it in one day with some wood from our backyard and leftover carpet from when our carpet was redone in the spring. This was the end result. GOOD WORK, JODY!


Please pray for us and for 'Baby Nation'. She needs to slow down, eat less, rest more, and use her ramp to get on and off the couch. Pray for quick learning!

virginia: the week before thanksgiving, 2010

a few weeks ago i visited my family in virginia. it was wonderful! here are some snapshots from my week there. i...

got to see all of my siblings except chris and sister-in-law courtney. here i am with anna, rebekah, josh and luke (with little jane!).

saw beautiful fall colors, even though it was mid/late november. i love the virginia foliage!

met anna's boyfriend nate. so glad to finally meet him and encouraged in anna's choice in boys. :) he's a keeper, i think!

tried to catch up with anna when she wasn't working (at VIGS), going to school, at youth group, leading FCA at clover hill, doing homework, going to the youth retreat... or sleeping. in short, i grabbed her when i could!

tasted some of rebekah's amazing homemade salsa. VERY IMPRESSIVE, bekah!

got to meet, feed, hold and hang out with beautiful baby jane! what cutie!! SO MUCH FUN!

tried to keep up with rascal, miss 4 year old chloe! i love that little stinker and cannot believe how much she looks like her great-aunt conway and second cousin katherine!

watched the boys as they were up to their usual mischief. i am so glad they're still young enough to hug aunt ruth, though. there were several hugs.

spent quality time with bekah on several occasions. rare, special quality time. so, so thankful for my dear sister. i love you, rebekah!

met and hung out with my new friend, rebekah, who is now the adopted 6th daughter in the clementson family (after courtney). so much fun. LOVE LOVE LOVE her!

went to CNU in newport news, va to see sarah at her college. i also saw her amazing dorm room (AKA palace!), her roomie rachel, who was also a high school friend.

met sarah's boyfriend, justin. loved staying late with him and sarah on saturday night, asking them questions and getting to know justin for the first time and sarah all over again!

got much-needed and updated photos of sarah and me. so, so proud of her and the decisions she is making with her life. LOVE YOU, SARAH!

got great pictures of all of us!

spent ridiculous hours hanging out with rebekah at the house, watching football, looking at her modeling pictures online, having sleepovers, eating food late at night, and just having a grand old time!

hung out with my wonderful brother luke! i am so proud of him, because he has been asked by The Mile High Report, a blog that is run by fans of the Denver Broncos, to be an online commentator! i am so, so proud of luke! to check out his posts, click on the links below. (prepare to be blown away by his statistical geniusness!!)

http://www.milehighreport.com/2010/11/30/1846608/statistical-analysis-what-do-the-numbers-say-about-denver#storyjump

http://www.milehighreport.com/2010/11/26/1835639/break-it-down-st-louis-denver

http://www.milehighreport.com/2010/11/18/1821113/break-it-down-denver-broncos-san-diego-chargers

i am only sad that i was not able to grab pictures with my brother daniel, nor of my good friends lindsey, jacque, melissa and lauren. all in all, though, it was a wonderfully memorable trip, and i am so thankful that jody allowed me to go.

my trip to va

these days i'm having a crisis. and it has everything to do with the word "home". i don't know where mine is anymore, and it causes a bit of consternation when i am telling people about my trip back to virginia. before i went, i wanted to say, "i'm going home!" and then i would invariably second-guess myself and wonder, "is virginia my home still?" or is it now in colorado?

jody says that his home is wherever i am. it's one of the things he says that endears him the most to me, partly because i know he truly means it. and i often tell myself that he's probably right. since leaving home for college at 17, i have lived in 6 places during college (3 places my last semester), 3 places in korea, and 3 places in colorado (not to mention months of living out of boxes in our families' homes in between korea and colorado. that's a lot of moving. i haven't lived anywhere for longer than a year in a decade. and there's no promise of it ending come may when jody graduates. moving has become a way of life for me, and it does get a bit wearisome.

now that i live in colorado, it is tempting for me to idealize the first few years of my life that i spent here in colorado. born in denver, i lived the first 5 years of my life in arvada, about 30-45 minutes away from where i live now. when i look at my baby book and the baby books of my older siblings, i see pictures of us in strollers at the denver zoo, sitting on outhouse potties way up in the mountains, and watching football with all of mom and dad's friends from their college and career group from church. i grew up with a family that faithfully roots for the denver broncos and where it's almost sacrilege to assume that God supports any team but the broncos. :)

and not to forget the mountains. i love the mountains! jody and i just bought our first tent, and we want to use it.... A LOT. we got a cool thermos and coleman camp grill for $12 from the goodwill behind our house, and now we want to car camp and use those amazing finds! we love backpacking, and there are yet so many places i want to visit and things i want to do here in this beautiful state.

but then i think of virginia, and i get all warm and fuzzy inside. i think of sunday park and the hours my siblings and i used to spend there. i think of all my family, of home school, of middle and high school, and of william & mary and the amazing lifelong friends i met during the college season. i miss virginia's trees and the greenery. i even miss the humidity a bit (yep... the cracked heels and nosebleeds do get a bit old).

so as i went back to virginia a few weeks ago to see my family, and the inevitable questions came about where jody and i would be in the next season of our lives, i found myself thinking about what it would be like to move back to virginia. it was almost like trying on an old pair of jeans. do they still fit? have my hips gotten wider? has my butt stayed toned? or is it time to go with a new pair? :) surprisingly, i found that as i mulled over moving back home (should a job be available for jody), the thought was a happy one.

jody has one semester left, and with this 'end date' in sight we are very prayerful about where God is calling us. my heart is open. i am truly content to stay here in colorado and to continue to forge a life for us here. i am content to go back to virginia to be close to my family or to texas to be closer to jody's family. i am preparing myself for the potential of moving to a totally new state where we have no familial connections, and having to create a whole new world for ourselves there (just as we have - to some extent - right here in colorado).

where the Lord leads, i know He will be faithful to lead us, provide for us, and prove Himself mighty in our lives. and i know that wherever He leads me will, i guess, be home.

fall snapshots

this week marked a seasonal shift: it snowed. i don't know why it is a shock to me. last year it snowed mid-october, dumping about 2 feet on the metro-denver area. so the fact that it snowed a measly inch in the middle of november this year almost seems a little late. nonetheless, it marks the end of one season and the beginning of another.

thankfully, jody, eu-mi and i were able to get out and enjoy the fall weather before the leaves all fell and the temperature dropped significantly. we went for a stroll at our favorite open spaces - cherry creek. amidst incredible wealth and some of the largest mansions i've ever seen, there are trails, ponds, and beautiful scenery that helps you forget that you're in the metro area. jody and i love to take the dog and just walk and enjoy the beauty.

i have also been thinking about how the end of 2010 marks 2 full years that jody and i have lived in colorado. it has been a challenging 2 years, for sure, but they have also been good years. years when God has shown Himself faithful to us, taking us deeper in our knowledge of His character and His provision.

this coming week i will be going home for a short visit. as i looked at my vacation time at work, i realized that i have not really taken any vacation time in 2010, and if i do not use it, it will 'go away' with the end of the calendar year. so jody and i looked at our schedules and realized that although there wasn't really a good time for jody to travel, i should go ahead and book a flight back to virginia. i am truly looking forward to this visit, but so sad that this is the second year in a row that i am visiting my family without jo. *sigh*

i will be in virginia from tuesday (16. nov) until monday (22. nov), and if you're there i would LOVE to spend some time with you, catching up. call me on my cell or at the parentals!

sometimes i just have a hankerin'...

for korean nummies! so our spiritual formation group meets on mondays, and here we are! the henkles and us switch every other monday, hosting our group time, and on this occasion jody and i decided to go 'all out' and get a few korean food items at the H-Mart in aurora so that our dinner was completely korean from start to finish. it was so much fun!

we had spicy ramen - complete with the egg and slice of cheese on top, kimchi, kim (seaweed), the yellow radishes, sticky rice, the pounded fish bread (i don't know what it's called exactly) and bean sprouts. we even had the maxim coffee mix and ice cream from korea to wrap up the meal. it was SOOO much fun!

part of the fun is, as always, exposing friends to a new type of food. the ramen is pretty safe, of course, but the side dishes are what provide the greatest mystery to american friends. it's more fun to take a friend to a korean restaurant, but i thought we did a pretty good job! and jesse and rachel seemed to enjoy it all. haha. i am thankful for their willingness to experiment and humor us. :)

having jesse and rachel in our lives has been such a blessing. finding friends, and i mean true 'kindred spirits' has been harder than i'd like to admit in this season. i think part of it is... we're grown ups now, and free time is harder to come by. i think part of it is also that we're in the crunch time of seminary. jody has one more semester after this one, and he is consumed with school assignments and his job at the church. amidst it all, however, the Lord has been so kind to us in providing like-minded friends in jesse and rachel. we are so grateful. i pray that no matter where the Lord takes us, our friendship will last.

Deeply Rooted... and Letting Go...

As I step outside of myself and look at this season in my life, I can see that God is up to something... something big... inside of me.

When Jody and I left Korea two years ago, we launched out in faith, trusting that God had something big for us. We left our jobs, breaking our contracts at our English schools, sending boxes to Virginia and boxes to Texas, telling everyone that Jody was going to Denver Seminary. He hadn't even applied yet!! We said good-bye to our wonderful friends in Korea. We lived with my family in Virginia for 2 months, cleaning out my grandmother's home and catching up with the Clementson family. Then we flew to Texas, where we spent time with the Been family, helped the Andrews' family move and waited for the spring semester to start.

We truly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. If we had, I'm sure we probably wouldn't have launched out into the unknown. Seminary and life in Colorado has definitely been a journey. It has taken us to three different "homes", drained our hefty bank account of everything (and then some), forced us to our knees, challenged our marriage and forced us to pay more attention to our health than we have ever before.

Jody has physically gotten hurt in the past two years than ever before. First it was his knee, then it was his shoulder, then his finger. Recently it has been his ribs. Why? I have absolutely no idea.

I have also had a myriad of health issues. One has been the discovery of hypothyroidism. Apparently it is something Grandma Etta had, as well as something both Grammy and Grandy struggle with. So, it's genetic. But beyond that, I discovered the type of hypothyroidism that I struggle with is called 'Hashimoto's thyroiditis'. What the heck is that, you ask? Well, it basically means my immune system has turned on my thyroid gland and - not recognizing it - attacks. What is the real kicker is this: since the thyroid is under attack, it is inflamed. Well, there's this nerve called the laryngeal nerve that is wrapped around the thyroid gland, and when the thyroid is inflamed, it pinches that nerve... thus causing chronic laryngitis. Let me tell you, when I found this out, there was much rejoicing. Now I know why I have struggled with this issue for so long. God is truly good. In the midst of the struggle, God is good. I have also discovered that my hormones are all out of whack, which - for a woman - is a VERY big issue. :) It has launched me on a journey of discovery about myself, my body and my faith in God.

Through it all, I feel like the Lord is working in me in the area of control. I think I have a problem with it. I don't like not having control of my life. I have always been a hard worker, and I think I always thought that if I work hard enough, do everything just right, A plus B will always equal C. But it's not always working out that way.

And so, I'm having to let go. I'm having to trust that God is good. I'm having to praise Him and let go and trust that His love is more than enough to sustain me no matter what. It is in times like these that Jesus Culture's song 'Your Love Never Fails' is especially true. I hope it leads you to the throne room like it does for me.

Your Love Never Fails

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

Bridge:
You make all things work together for my good

photoshoot.












compliments of suzanne michelle photography. if you live in the denver-area, let me know, and i'll get you in touch with her. she's brilliant!

fun valley 2010

i have come to love fun valley. what is that, you ask? fun valley is a small family "resort" for RVers or anyone who wants a little bit of comfort in the context of mountains, and it is located near south fork, colorado. i have come to notice that it is a place that seems only known to texans. :) but it's a wonderful, relaxing bit of peace away from the hustle and bustle of the denver metro area. jody's family has been many times over the course of the last ~15 years, and now it serves as a wonderful mid-year reunion for us with jody's parents pam and alan, jody's brother brad and his wife lindsey.
thanks to lindsey for the first few pictures!