Hurricane Isaac

Well. I left for vacation last Friday. Hopped on a plane and headed for Pensecola to see one of my best friends and her marine hubby. It is gorgeous here. Trees everywhere, white sand beaches, and water. So much water! Originally, the plan was to fly in Friday and fly home Monday. But Hurricane Isaac decided he wanted to visit! Long story short, I will not be flying home today. I am going to stay put until Isaac dissaptes. In the meantime, Tiffany and I are going to teach ourselves to crochet. And did I mention it is sunny right now? Some hurricane. I know, knock on wood. Xo, Beth

Kaleidoscope

This is something I wrote over a year ago. I came across it today. I didn't edit anything, I just posted it.

------

Kaleidoscope. I saw this word today. I forgot how much I love it! Think about it- a kaleidoscope takes tiny bits and pieces them together to make something bigger, something beautiful. When you really look at a kaleidoscope, you can see how it’s been broken and rearranged. That’s like life! Life knocks you to the floor and just as you’re about to get up, it stomps you back down. Life isn’t perfect; it’s messy. The messy parts are what makes it beautiful.

The Lord seems to have a consistent theme in my life- change. Change isn’t just a lesson and go. Change is learning to depend on God. Change is taking a step back and letting go. Change is dancing where you haven’t gone before. A kaleidoscope is constantly shifting, changing, emerging. It blends from one thing into something else. Another picture materializes, showing us something we didn’t see before. 

A kaleidoscope requires imagination. You see all of the little details first. The big picture comes later, after you’ve connected all the little pieces. That’s how we view life and circumstances. Only God can view the whole picture. We think it’s going to turn out one way, but the Lord shifts the layout on us.

I looked up the Webster’s definition of kaleidoscope. A kaleidoscope is:

1-     a complex set of events or circumstances

2-     a complex, colorful, and shifting pattern or scene

Both of these “official” definitions nail it. A kaleidoscope is complex. It’s colorful. It’s busy. It changes. It’s crazy. It’s life. And that is what makes it beautiful.

Love, BLV

Make 'Em Laugh

Just for your pleasure, here are some snippets of our conversations. Try not to laugh too hard. And mind you, some of these are just straight up sarcasm.

"I was gonna hit you with my purse and yell, 'BAD KITTY!' like the old lady on Madagascar, but Beth told me not to." Rachel to Dad

Dad reviewing music- "The whole world shakes..."
Rachel misheard- "The whole world shimmies?! Well that's different."

We're watching a TV show and Dad asks, "What's a Canadian Texan local?" and Rachel answers, "Mom!" who was born in Canada but grew up in Texas.

The dentist- "Rachel, you're in the corner."
So Rae says, "Nobody puts baby in a corner!" Whaddup Dirty Dancing reference.

"Can I be the Shawn to your Gus?" Psych problems.

"Umpaloompas are first generation Snookis!" Another fabulous Rachel quote.

Dad- "My bottom teeth bridge broke because its 20 years old."
Rachel- "Good Gahndi that's older than me!"

"'Take me by the tongue and I'll show you' Who says that? Who does that? Awkward."

"Can you turn Wandering Hills on pause and help me?" says Mama. "It's One. Tree. Hill." emphasizes Dad, referring to my obsession.

Stranger- "Did you forget to paint your big toe?"
Me, very sarcastically, which sadly doesn't come across in writing- "Why  yes, I did. I totally forgot to paint a toe that doesn't even have a nail on it."

"Was it just me, or did she remind you of Bon Qui Qui? I wanted to yell, 'SEKURITEEE!'" -Rae

"Mom, was I made in China?" "Well considering I've never been to China, no."

"NOT IN 'DIS HOUSE SON!"

And last but not least, last night Rachel whipped out some kick-butt dance moves. As she's doing a very jerky version of the sprinkler, she yells, "You can't stop the motion of the OCEAN!!!!!" and Mom jumps, before looking back at her, shaking her head, and telling Rachel, "Rae, stop you'll hurt yourself!"

Hope you laughed. If you didn't, well, you're a sad person.
<3 Bethany

Current Obsessions

What I'm loving lately:

Falling Skies on TNT

Chick-Fil-A Cookies and Cream Milkshakes

Target(Duhhh)dresses especially

Ephesians 5:8
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light."

Long Letters from friends

One Tree Hill Soundtrack Volume II

F*R*I*E*N*D*S reruns

this blog: http://www.blondeambitionblog.com/

and this blog: http://www.sweetnessitself.blogspot.com/

Getting the okay for my 19th birthday present...it's still a secret ;)

Dreaming of Pensecola and seeing one of my bests and her sweet & silly marine hubby (don't tell him I said that!)

And THIS. PICTURE. Of my favorite couple. At the Olympics. Swoon.

All together now- awwwwwwww.

And I like all of you readers, too.

Love, Bethany

A Year Ago {Yester}day

August 4th, 2011 is a day I had forgotten until August 4th, 2012 was upon us. And then I remembered.

I’m not going to go into the whole story, because we don’t have time! J

Basically, my mom went into surgery a year ago to have a Baclofan pump put in to alleviate the Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. The doctor told us to prepare for great results- less pain, more walking, more movability, less falls, and better control over the spreading of the Multiple Sclerosis. What happened was the opposite.

I think Daddy and I wore the road out between Dallas and Denton. Back and forth, every day, sometimes twice a day, for two weeks. We became friends with some great nurses and nursing students, and appreciated and loved them for everything they did. Our favorite was a sweet young blonde named Courtney. The best, hands down, of anyone ever (and I’ve seen a lot of nurses!).  

I didn’t realize that we were in for a season of sickness.

I’ve never seen anyone in so much pain and I never want to again. My mom lost so much strength in the hospital and she’s never fully recovered. Through physical therapy and occupational therapy, she is SO much better than where she was when we first came home from the hospital.

We’ve been blessed with great people in our lives.

Our family members, including our 80 year old aunt who sat up with Rachel and I past midnight a couple times and is constantly making sure we’re fed, to my grandma, who rearranged all her furniture so that we could enjoy Easter at her house, lets us spend a week taking time off from MS, and sends encouraging emails.

Our neighbors who occasionally mow for us, and this summer, they knew we were home alone during a neighborhood fire at NIGHT, and called to check on us and invited us over.

My mom’s girlfriends repeatedly volunteer to and do take her to doctors’ offices and appointments and sit with her so I could get school work done and Dad could work.

We have meals delivered.

Money shows up when we least expect it.

My Sunday school teachers would come do laundry.

When I was busy with Mom and couldn’t pick Rachel up from school, I had an entire list of people who told they could and would.

I had friends who insisted upon getting me out of the house.

The physical therapists and occupational therapists who don’t give up.

The sweet people who offer encouragements to my family.

And our endless, massive amount of prayer warriors. I have no idea where we would be without them. You are a wonderful, beautiful group of people.  Whether it was 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning, you always responded when we called.

Through a horrible illness, we’ve been blessed like never before. We are closer than ever. We are strong in our relationships with Christ. We believe this happened for a reason. God still has a plan for us, and this is part of it. I praise the Lord for that. My dad pointed out that this disease is in our lives to glorify Christ, to reach other people. I pray that we are doing exactly that.

Much love, Bethany

We didn't take too many pictures between August 2011 and February 2012. Subconciously I think we didn't want to have a record of Mama at her worst. So here are afew moments of the last year!

Mama and Rachel 1998

 April 2012- Mama and Daddy walking and rolling :)



June 2012- Mama walking with Rito our most recent physical therapist

May 2012- Rachel, Mama, and I, with a guest appearence by Tatum!!

May 2012- Daddy, Rachel, Me and Mama <3

Hello, August!

"Never have I asked an August sky, 'Where has last July gone?'" ~OKLAHOMA!

Well, today, I'm asking this Texas sky, where the heck did July go?! It FLEW by! I must've blinked.

July was a month of blessings and friends. Yes, every month has hard times, but there were many good times this month, too!

The GOOD- Every time I even had a nigglet of a doubt in God's plan for me, He showed up. Through my parents, through my friends, through verses and songs. I just love how the Lord never gives up on us. Even when we are at our worst (for me, that includes ugly crying) He is there. That has been a theme in my life. Thanks for the constant reminder, sweet Lord! :)

The GOOD, Continued- I j'adore the sweet friends the Lord has in my life. Serously, yall. From my crazy sister, to my penpal who recently moved to Jordan with her hubby, and one of my bests, who stood outside talking with me for an hour after a 3 hour Girls' Night. Cherish your friends, gang.

Me and Rachel Beth (not my sister; although we are practically sisters!) 

The GOOD, part three- My family met up with two families we grew up with that we don't get to see very often. Rachel and I were worried that the meeting would be awkward...psh. It was a total SUCCESS! 9 hours of epic greatness. We all regress to 5 year olds, yall. Well, the adults don't, but us kids do.

my sister Rachel and Morgan! Childhood BFFs aka My Littles

Rachel, Emily, Andrew @ the Aquarium

Me, Andrew, Emily, Rachel

The BAD- Mama fell this week. A combination of Texas heat, stressful doctor's visit, long drives to Dallas, and the MS made for a fun afternoon. The lovely paramedics came to pick her up, since Rachel and I are nowhere near the size of The Hulk. (I am not saying my Mama is large; I'm saying when she is super sick, she is a complete dead weight.) They are always so sweet to us. The men just get in there and get the job done. Fully suited, in the heat, and they arrive within 5 minutes. Make sure you thank policemen, firemen, and servicemen for what they do! They don't hear thank you's often, and they deserve them the most, in my mind.

The FUNNY- Have I mentioned how funny my family is? Like, HILARIOUS. We could be stand-up comedians, yall.

Funny #1)Rachel anticipated the dispatcher's questions and got ahead of the dispatcher. Poor lady was confused. We've done the 911 thing before; can you tell?

Funny #2)"I'm coming for you BURT!!" -Rachel
"Why'd they have to name my van Big Ugly Rolling Turd?!" -Mom

Funny #3)"Is that the Vietnamese waltz?" My sister, who's clearly been mislead. It's Viennese babe.

Funny #4)"Are you coming?!" I yell

"I'm soothing him!" hollers Rae

"You're seducing him?!" I holler back

When yelling across the farm, don't mistake "I'm soothing him" for "I'm seducing him"... oops.

Speaking of Farms...Rachel's best friend lives on a couple acres and has a couple animals. Rachel volunteered to take care of the animals while her best friend was on vacation. Naturally I wanted to join in on the fun! Blog, meet the animals.

Daisy Duke the Donkey

Mercedes and Buffy- Get it? Mercedes is the black gangsta chicken and Buffy the blonde is named after Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You know it's funny.

Daisy Duke's cousin, Napoleon

Rae and Shadow, the blind pony

That's all she wrote for today. Or all I wrote. Same difference.

Be blessed lovelies.  

XO, Bethany