The Newest Member of the Been household...

Meet Eu-mi (or Yoo-mi, as Jody likes it)!

Our puppy is a girl dappled mini dachshund. We decided on a Korean name and found the sound (Yoo-mi) to be fun and easy to say. Eu-mi comes from a litter of 8 pups out in Elizabeth, CO. We picked her for her bold and feisty personality, but also for her love of snuggling. She has proven to be a joy and quite a big job at the same time, and I'm thrilled to have her in our home! She loves to wrestle with her toy Molly the Moose, to play fetch, and to sit on our laps on the couch and sleep for hours at a time. Jody and I are both pretty thrilled that she's going potty outside about 85% of the time, and she's slowly adjusting to sleeping in her crate at night. We will all be rejoicing when we can all go to sleep happily and quietly.... but in the meantime, Jody and I are thrilled by how quickly she's learning!

So you're probably thinking.... 'What are Jody and Ruth thinking - getting a puppy!?' Well, let me tell you....

About three weeks ago Jody and I began spending more time with some friends we met through Denver Seminary... Sam and Britton, who also moved here for Sam to start working on his MDiv. One evening we went over to their apartment and met their beautiful and hilarious young dog, Rustie, who is a mini dachshund. As we played with her that night, I noticed that she didn't bark, smell badly, shed, or act needy and whiny. And she wasn't big enough to be much of a bother! For the first time in a long time I thought that just maybe I could put up with such a breed.


So Jody and I began to talk and pray about getting a puppy. The more we thought and prayed about it, did our research on breeds and prices, and just asked Sam and Britton for advice, we decided we could do it. For the first time, we feel more settled in life. We don't plan on moving for a couple of years, so we finally feel like we can offer a good home to a pet. Also, Jody is and will continue to be very busy with school, and as a result I have a good deal of free time by myself. And while I am job-searching, my schedule is flexible, so I can easily devote the time needed to train her. In short, we felt peaceful and excited about it!

This past Saturday (yes, Valentine's Day, haha) Jody and I invited Sam and Britton along to check out the litter of puppies and to see if there was one we could bring home. In the end, we found this little one, and we're loving the time with her.

Come visit! She's so much fun to play with!

Week #2

Jody survived his first week of classes, and I am really impressed at how well he has responded to the workload. He's taking 14 hours, which I think will keep him busy, and he comes home full of exciting new tidbits of knowledge all the time now. It makes life fun and interesting!

Though the weather is cold, he has started riding his bike to the campus. I think it will wake him up for the 8 o'clock classes he's taking...

I continue to job hunt. It is a slow and painful process, but I'm holding fast to the promise that the Lord will provide all our needs. Please pray for an open door!

Welcome to Our Home!

In the three weeks since Jody and I moved to Colorado, we have attempted to settle and accomplish as much as we could before Jody began classes at Denver Seminary. And here we are, three weeks later, with the first day of classes looming before us tomorrow. The time has flown! I confess I am exhausted and yet rejuvenated, weary of all the unknowns we have had to live with the past five months and yet thrilled that we are entering a season of new everything! It is fitting, at this point, that I acknowledge that apart from the grace and mercy of God, we would not be where we are. I am so thankful He has taken care of us, and I am disciplining myself to remember that He will continue to be faithful, even though I don't know yet where I'll be working or how our daily lives will look once this semester gets going.

I am thrilled about one thing - our home is mostly in order! The most pressing walls in the basement have been painted (the living room / hall and the master bedroom), the boxes and trash have been removed, our items have found their homes and I have been able to catch up on laundry, cleaning and pantry-filling. We have been able to live and move from day to day with enough rest to keep going. God has indeed been faithful.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, called us and encouraged us. Please don't stop! We rely on those prayers and words of encouragement.

These are just a few pictures of our new place, but if you want to see more, please click on this link - it will take you to my (Ruth's) facebook account, which has an album with more pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=216068&l=54bca&id=853925610

Our First Meal in our new home!

Jody and I are loving our kitchen! We don't have an official table, but this little breakfast cart is serving us very well. We love making new foods, too!

Our new favorite brunch dish! We love it!

Update #1

Jody's wisdom teeth surgery went really well. There was the possibility of touching a nerve in the bone on the bottom as well as going through a hole in his sinus on the top, but neither happened, praise God! He was extremely loopy afterwards, and he had me as well as the medical staff giggling to no end with his talk. But with a SONIC milkshake and The Dark Knight to keep him happy, he settled into the Beens' recliner and rested for the next several days. A subsequent visit to the doctor assured Jody that he was doing well and had avoided the dreadful dry sockets.

Update #2

We have successfully moved! On Sunday Jody and I rented a U-Haul in Pampa, and we packed up all our stuff and said our goodbyes. Early Monday morning we made the drive to Littleton, Colorado with no problems. Praise God! We have been here almost a week now and are getting settled in. The basement, where we are living, is fairly old ('60s), so it needs a fair amount of work, but we're excited about making the improvements. We'll start painting in the next few days, which will speed up the process of settling in. :)

• The highlight so far was Melissa (the lady whose basement we're renting) finding a used refrigerator and stove for $95 off of Craig's List. Woohoo! The kind gentleman from whom we rented the U-Haul gave us an extra day and 100 miles for free, and we needed both so we could go and pick up the appliances at the former owner's home. It is amazing how the Lord worked it all out. I used them yesterday and am thrilled that we have a functioning kitchen. God is good.
  
  

Update #3

I am officially Ruth Clementson Been! We went to the Social Security office and got that taken care of finally.

Update #4

We both have new American cell phone numbers. If you want to reach us, email me at ruth.been@gmail.com and we'll let you know how you can give us a call. We get free minutes after 7pm mountain time and on the weekends, of course. How exciting!

Tomorrow morning Jody is getting his three remaining wisdom teeth removed. I'll let you know later how he's faring.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9, 6-7

Dear Family and Friends,

I wanted to take a moment to write you all and wish you a Merry Christmas. Yay for yearly updates!!! As I am writing, I am sitting in the home of my in-laws. Today is Christmas Eve, and I am starting to get excited. Gifts are piled under the tree, candles are lit throughout the house, and homes throughout Jody's hometown are decorated in lights to celebrate the holidays. It is wonderful to spend Christmas in America this year!

2008 has been a year of definite growth and change for both Jody and me. We finished our season of teaching in Korea - closing a huge chapter in our lives and saying goodbye to many good friends. Then we had to transition back to life in America. It has been exhausting. We have had to move countries, spend months with in-laws, live frugally, coordinate to compile all our stuff in one place, apply (and get accepted!) to Denver Seminary, and find a place to live once we got there. It has been a huge challenge for us, but God has been faithful through it all!

Perhaps the biggest challenge, however, has been the waiting. We had decided that Jody would pursue seminary back in February, but there were months of waiting in Korea... and months of waiting here in America. It has been a long season of growing and waiting in faith on God's timing, but we are thrilled to almost be there! And even now we see the Lord's guiding hand, leading us step by step.

We plan to move up to Littleton, Colorado early January, and Jody will begin classes on January 26th. We will be living in the basement of a Christian family's home about a mile away from the school, which is close enough for Jody to reach by bike. Yay! (I got a bike, too, which I am tremendously stoked about. Scroll down to see a picture of it.) I will begin looking for a job. I do not know yet what my options are, but I am praying for God to prove Himself faithful once again! We are also thrilled to be moving to Colorado - where I was born, where my parents spent significant time and raised part of our family, where the Denver Broncos are (woohoo!), where Jody and his family often vacationed, and where it is easier to live an outdoorsy, athletic lifestyle. We could not be more thrilled. :)

I would be remiss if I did not at least mention another great part of 2008: our first full year of marriage! This past August Jody and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary- woohoo! We are so thankful for the time we had in Korea to start learning how to be a team. In another culture it often feels as though it is 'you vs. everybody else', even if it is not the case, so we learned to work together. Now we are learning new lessons as we face the challenges of life in Amerca. It is humbling and challenging, but we are determined to grow. And the Lord is faithful to multiply love and grace between us as we work through all the logistics of life. We love each other more than ever!

As we start a new phase in our lives, we wanted to let you know how dearly we love and miss each and every one of you. We hope and pray that Jesus, the One called Immanuel, God With Us, will be with you this holiday season and into 2009. May He be the Lord of your heart and the One who directs your steps. God bless you and Merry Christmas!

Please keep in touch!

the beens

jody.been@gmail.com

ruth.been@gmail.com

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;

Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;

Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Psalm 103, 1-5

The past week was a full one for Jody and me, and we are overwhelmed with praise at God's goodness to us. Last week was full of Thanksgiving festivities. We celebrated with both sides of Jody's family. Pictures are soon to be posted on Facebook, at least of one side of the family!

Then, Monday morning Jody and I left early for Colorado. It was roughly 450 miles from Pampa to Littleton, going through the Panhandle, northwest through New Mexico and then straight up I-25 to Denver. We arrived at Denver Seminary in good time and were ushered to their guest apartment, where we stayed for two nights. On Tuesday we took the campus tour, visited two classes, the chapel, and had lunch with Jody's academic advisor. We even found out that the owners of the school's cafe are Koreans and we are sure to have Korean food for lunch should we want it! YAY!

After a busy day at the school, Jody and I went and visited a basement that was on Craig's list for rent. After viewing it, talking with the family that lives there, and praying a LOT, we decided to go for it. The basement has its' own separate entry, two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen (that yet needs appliances), free Wi-fi, washer/dryer, all for $500! We are so thrilled by God's provision. The family sounds really great and are strong Christians. Truly, for the Littleton/Denver area, I do not think we could find a better situation for where we are and what we're trying to do - get Jody through seminary without going into debt.

Now we are back in Texas, catching up on rest from that busy visit, and praying for a job to open up for me once we move and settle in Littleton. Overall, we are greatly encouraged in our faith and are anticipating what God will do in the future.

The Clementson Girls

Fall 2008

MY NEW BIKE!

Thanksgiving is approaching!

To all whom we love and miss, HELLO! I know that you probably feel like we have dropped off of the face of the earth, but Jody and I are still alive and kicking. Please forgive me once again for the delay in blog-writing. It is challenging for me to operate healthily and consistently without a regular schedule and being sensitive to Jody's parents' schedules, as well. But I am praying for grace, health and the love of Christ to flow from me no matter what situation I find myself in.

Right now I am sitting in Pam and Alan's office and listening to Brian and Jenn Johnson, an amazing husband/wife team of worship leaders, based out of California ( http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=90954097 ) . The house is quiet elsewhere, as the parents-in-law are out running errands, Jody is working, and I am taking the day off to rest. I needed a day to just be alone.... and I will not lie, it has been wonderful.

Two weeks ago we returned from visiting Jody's friends in Austin, TX. Since then we have been helping his family friends the Andrews (consisting of Jeff, Sharron, and their three daughters Rachel, Rebekah and Ruth) move from one home to another here in Pampa. Jo and I rouse ourselves around 8 and toot across town (5 minutes from one end to another!) and receive instructions from Sharron for what she wants accomplished that day. Mostly we have been boxing and just taking the boxes to the new house. A few days ago we spent a good amount of time trying to catch the koi fish in the Andrews' backyard pond. Since there is no pond in the Andrews' new yard (yet), they are giving their fish away. And yesterday we began taping/papering and painting the master bedroom closet in the new house. Who knows what we will have to do next week!?

In other news, two weeks ago Jo and I went to Amarillo and bought a bike for me! It is a reddish-orange colored Jamis mountain bike, and I am totally thrilled about it. God is so good! I have dreamed about having my own bike for a long time. I look forward to days on the trail and off-road in Colorado in the months and hopefully years to come.

As for Jody and Denver Seminary..... he registered for classes as of Tuesday! Praise the Lord!! I think, as of now, he is registered for 11 credits and is on the top of the waiting list for a 3-credit class. We heard he has a good chance of being added.

We will head up to the school on December 1st and tour the campus on the 2nd. Then we're planning to stay with a friend of mine Rebecca and her husband Deric, both whom are graduating from Denver Seminary this semester, while we look for an apartment. Please be in prayer for us, as we are making big decisions for the next phase in our lives.

I will close with one prayer request. I am seeing a consistent trend in my life where my body shows it is not happy when I am under any kind of stress. Often it has been laryngitis, when I lose my voice for months at a time. This year it has been that AND fever blisters. I got one in Korea this year (for the first time in YEARS!) and I have gotten two fever blisters in the past month. I am guessing that my body is exhausted from Korea, moving back to the States, living in parents' homes, and living in months'-long transition, all the while preparing for a life and seminary in Colorado. Please pray for me to find my rest in Christ and to cast all my cares on Him. He is more than enough to sustain me.

three week update.

jody and i have been home in virginia for three weeks now. we flew into richmond from seoul (via tokyo and chicago) on 2. september. the exciting news amidst the weariness of the long trip is that we were bumped up to business class for the flight from tokyo to chicago. the reason for it remains unknown, but either way it was absolutely amazing. the difference in service between economy and business was frightening. we LOVED it. and now we see why some people will willingly pay the extra $1200 to get bumped up. it's pretty worth it.

PRIORITIES:

1. sleep.
2. eat. panera's. mexican. YUMMY AMERICAN GOODNESS.
3. see family and friends.
4. take walks and enjoy how quiet and big our country is.
5. BE AMERICAN and love it.
6. (jody) complete denver seminary application. pray for acceptance.
   

we have accomplished almost all of it. jody's application is finished and so the season of waiting and continued prayer begins.

it is good to be back in america. it is also, however, VERY different this time. this time i am married.. this time i am not visiting only to return to korea again. and this time we are going to texas on october 20th and then on to colorado. time is short!

if you are around richmond, let us know! we'd love to see you. xoxoox

goodbyes at ERC

last thursday night (28. august) i said goodbye to my wonderful students at ERC. in hindsight, i can hardly believe that it has been three years since i arrived in korea and began my classes with almost nothing... just a few children's books and my own creativity (combined with a few worksheets found online). what a stressful beginning it was! and now - three years later - i have many wonderful memories of all the different classes, all my hilarious children, quality english books, and finally an established step 3 program that can survive without me. it was time to say goodbye and start a new chapter.

last week i covered my advanced step 3 class for soyon, since she was busy planning the last-minute details of the wedding. thursday was my last night. after teaching the class, we had cake and said our goodbyes...

the following students have been an excellent class. we studied little house in the big woods, farmer boy, and we had just started the magician's nephew as i was leaving. we had so much fun, and i believe they've grown a lot in their understanding of english as well as their confidence in speaking, in synthesizing the material, and in writing solid summaries based on their syntheses. i am so proud of them!

here we are munching on cake with chopsticks, and i was reminding them to stay in touch and to check this blog! if you are my student, you'd better leave a comment!! :)


i will dearly miss all my wonderful students at ERC, and i am so thankful for the opportunity i was given to be just a small part of their lives. i pray that God's hand will touch their lives and bring them closer to Him.


these boys provided a lot of dynamic conversation in the class. they are (l-r) chris, kevin and james. i enjoyed their humor as well as their willingness to lead the class in discussion.

this is alex. he was such a quiet student, but i loved his subtle sense of humor! also, he would always include details in his summaries that the other students never thought to include. another thing i loved about him was his willingness to be a trend-setter. he wore crocs to class and endured ridicule for wearing 'shower shoes' out in public. i stood by him and applauded him for being strong. :)

alice was my only girl student in this advanced class. i was so glad for the female kinship! alice was also a quiet student, but she wrote excellent summaries. alice's dream is to be an english teacher. i hope and pray she becomes more confident in her english speaking and achieves her dream.

chris was the leader in the step 3 class. he was my strongest speaker and also the most competent in the class. his writing was also the most natural and flowing, which i never ceased to marvel at, since he had never traveled to an english-speaking country. he is also a strong Christian. throughout the year i was so excited to see a young man who was unafraid of his faith and whose decisions and lifestyle were effected by his beliefs. may God bless and prosper him!

Goodbye to all my wonderful students!

.mosaic.

our wonderful church in korea - lifechurch - opened up a beautiful new cafe near jeongja station in bundang a few weeks ago. if you are in seoul and looking for a relaxing place to hang out, this cafe is wonderful! and the coffee prices are much lower than the surrounding shops in jeongja. also, the cafe is a good place to hold bible studies or small group meetings.

jody and i were at mosaic for the 'grand opening' on august 23rd. it turned out to be a fabulous night. jody had fun talking and i had fun behind the counter helping the staff make the drinks and teaching them how to steam milk to perfection!

The Countdown Begins...

The past month and a half have been extremely stressful for the Been household. Almost daily Jody and I are reeling from some new bit of frustrating infromation. And yet, there have been wonderful moments of victory intermingled, where we can see that God's hand still remains on us and is carefully guiding us amidst all the pressures.

The biggest grief as of late came almost two weeks ago. My wonderful grandmother, Henrietta Clementson, went home to be with her Lord on July 24. She lived a wonderful 86 years and was able to see four grandchildren get married and three great-grandchildren enter the world. I am so thankful for the rich heritage I have had in her life. She was a powerful woman who was unashamed of Jesus Christ, and for that alone I honor her. I will miss her dearly.

About two weeks ago, also, Jody and I decided that we would return home to the States a little earlier than planned. My constant struggle with laryngitis compounds the stresses of life in Korea, and amidst all the challenges of the past few months, we felt it best to leave sooner rather than later. We will be flying out of Korea on September 2, heading first for Richmond. The plan is to spend a month to six weeks with family and friends in Virginia, and then to fly to Texas to spend time with Jody's family and friends - in Pampa and also hopefully in Austin. After that, our plan is to head to Denver for Jody to start seminary.

The Lord has been incredibly gracious to Jo and me in that both our bosses responded well to our decision to leave. My boss, Mrs. Kim has been a rock of support throughout it all. But the real surprise was the peaceful response from Jody's bosses. They have not always dealt Jody a fair hand, so we were uncertain how they would receive our decision.

Another blessing has come in the form of friends, John and Soyon. Soyon is a wonderful Korean friend who has grown up in international circles as the daughter of Korean missionaries in Nigeria. She attended college in the US and thereafter came to Korea. I actually phone interviewed her to take my position at ERC two years ago (summer 2006) while I was here in Korea and she was still back in California finishing up her degree! But when I felt God calling me to stay at ERC, I had to email her and tell her that the position was not open after all. Then, randomly, I met her for the first time last November at Life Church, our international church that meets in Suwon!

What makes Soyon's reappearance in my life so funny is that a job opportunity opened up at ERC this summer, and I offered it to Soyon. She accepted the position and is actually transitioning into teaching MY advanced Step 3 program as I prepare to leave! Now I see God's hand in our paths crossing once again. I am so thankful for a God who knits His peoples' lives together.

It gets even better. John and Soyon will be getting married August 30, and as Soyon is taking over my job, I thought it even better if she and John could move into our apartment after they return from their honeymoon. Jody and I will have already left for home, and there will be a fully furnished apartment with all basic needs taken care of for them when they return! It works out the best for everyone: Jo and me, John and Soyon, and Mrs. Kim, who will not need to prepare another apartment for a new foreign teacher. God is GOOD!

As the countdown begins until Jody and I fly out, there is a ridiculous amount of work left to be done. As of today, we must box and ship things via boat to Texas, since we cannot fit everything into our suitcases. I must finish the curriculum for On the Banks of Plum Creek. I will be hosting a bridal shower for Soyon on the 16th. I will also be coordinating her wedding on the 30th. And since my voice has partially returned, I have begun teaching the Step 3 class again, so that Soyon can observe me and take it over. Hopefully soon. I'm exhausted! And while all this is going on for me, Jody is in the busy month of intensives at his school, working split shifts. He's pretty pooped, too.

We love and miss everyone at home. Please pray for strength and energy so that we can finish our time in Korea well.

Also, if you will be in Richmond or nearby in September and part of October, let us know! We'd love to see you!

there is no better way to describe korean culture than this....

AHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAA!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D1ABElypBs

as promised...

a few months back, jody and i went on a 24-36 hour trip with our australian friends brad and belle to the eastern coast of korea. we hopped in their car early saturday morning and drove to the northeastern part of korea to a small, mountainous town called inje. it is known for it's water rafting in the wild, monsoon weeks in july and august.

when we went, however, the water was quite low. it still made for a fun time for all of us, though, as it was the first time for everybody. we arrived in inje, found the water rafting site, and went down the river with some pretty amazing guides, steering us amid a lot of rocks. wet and cold and fairly content afterwards, we got a place to stay for the night and went into town for some delicious budd-ae jiggae, my all-time favorite korean stew!

brad and jody outside our place to stay for the night

that night we stayed up late playing the games pass the pigs and killer bunnies. what fun!

the next morning was big. after breakfast, jody and brad decided to bungee jump.

gearing up


jody's "I CAN DESTORY THIS" face

brad getting his game face on

signing in... just in case they die

JODY GOING UP....

YAY! a successful jump for both of them... with certificates to prove it! (pics only of jody, though)

after bungee jumping, we left the town of inje and headed further northwest to seoraksan national park, but belle was not feeling well. so we decided to head back to suji. overall, it was a great time with friends!

update and news to come....

much has been happening in the been home. just wanted to give you a brief summary and further pictures are to come!

• GOOD NEWS: very little dizziness these days. i think the doctor found out what was wrong, and i'm doing much better. thank you for your prayers!
  
• BAD NEWS (or is it good news, too? i don't know anymore): i have laryngitis again. yes. since thursday (26. june), my voice has disappeared. a possible reason could be the drainage caused by the the medicine the ENT used to break up the stone in my left ear. or another reason could just be that my body needs rest. anyway, i'm feeling alright, despite the congestion, and my boss and i are peaceful about the situation. God is on the throne, and He's seen me through these situations before.
  
• i will be doing work on Little House on the Prairie in the meantime, at home.
  
• jody turned 28 last wednesday! pictures of the surprise birthday party are to come... and, oh, i got him an iPod, and i think he's loving it. thanks to stefanie and john for contributing to his music/movie collection!!
  
• 5 months left in korea. but who's counting?!
  
• we are continuing to pursue denver seminary for jody, possibly applying to start in the next summer session ('09). prayers for confirmation would be appreciated!
  
• at SEI jody has moved from primarily teaching 4-5 speaking classes a day to only teaching a class or two a day and doing a lot more curriculum work - preparing lesson plans for the speaking classes. a korean - canadian young man named DJ started working with jody a while ago to help share the load. and yet another kyopo (a korean who grew up elsewhere) is supposed to start teaching at SEI today, as well. there still remains a good deal of haziness in communication, however. they tell jody very little, so much remains to be seen.
  
• though taking a break for the past few weeks, jody and i have been meeting with brad & belle on wednesday to study a book / workbook called Infectious Inheritance, which addresses sharing our faith. it's been good. i'm anxious to return to the states, where its material applies a little more!
  
  
• COMING... jody's bungee jump and birthday pics...

we love and miss you! stay in touch!

 My health...

I just wanted to let everyone know how the doctor's visit went today. Jody and I returned to the ear doctor this morning, and he said he had discovered a stone in my ear. Upon doing some research on webMD, we are learning that it is a somewhat common occurrence. We are greatly relieved and hope this will stop the dizzy spells. I have 5 days medication, and I'll return on Monday for a follow-up.

Go to http://www.webmd.com and type in BPPV - benign paroxysmal positional vertigo - for further information. Phew. Glad to have a name for it.

Love to you all. Thanks for your prayers. 

(from our trip to europe in september.)

wednesday musings

i am tired right now. my eyes are heavy and my thoughts slow. it's 8:40pm wednesday night, and honestly... i have done little today. after talking it over with jody, i finally called mrs. kim and asked for the day off from work.

for the past six months or so i have been having dizzy spells. some situations i have learned to be wary of. for example, when i am in the shower and it gets too hot and there is not enough oxygen. i need to keep the shower curtain partially open and i make sure the bathroom door is always open.

and then there are the times i sit or stand up too quickly. sometimes i just lose my balance. other times i begin to black out. usually jody is close enough he can catch me. but i have also learned to try to get in the lowest position as gently as possible.

i went to the doctor last week. after taking a blood sample, he said i do not have anemia and my liver functioning is normal. apparently my blood pressure is low, and i just need to drink a lot of water. i confess i was both relieved and disappointed with the news; relieved that 'nothing' was wrong, but disappointed that there was nothing more concrete to blame these blackouts and dizzy spells on.

this morning, however, it began happening again. i was off-balance for no reason. my vision became blurry if i moved more quickly than normal. everything was off-focus. it felt so weird!

so i have stayed home today and done pretty much nothing. jody asked me not to get in one of my cleaning frenzies.... because i do have a tendency to get carried away. i promised him i would not clean. instead i have slept and emailed and prayed and read the news and looked at pictures... and watched the second half of my fair lady. i love that movie. and after this i will spend some more time with the Lord. it is nice to have a day off, i admit. still, i wish i did not feel so strange.

i do not know what is wrong. perhaps it is nothing. but i confess i am a little concerned. please pray for me. if it is nothing, i just want to learn how to deal with this in a way that does not affect the normal flow of life. otherwise, i really would like to know what is causing it.

i love this picture. yep, jody is still up to his old tricks. :)