Thursday Thirteen - 13 things I am praying about this week

1. Steve's back pain. It's debilitating and frustrating. It's putting him in a bad mood and keeping him from enjoying a lot of every day activities. He's working on getting in to see his brother-in-law's doctor in Salem and I HOPE that guy has some answers. But right now, I would really go for some divine healing.

2. My overall sanity. This week (probably due to PMS) I am having one heck of a time. I am very low on sleep and it doesn't seem to matter HOW hard I try to get Dorothy and I into bed at a decent hour, SOMETHING sets us back. I am exhausted, tired and grumpy. I need recharged.

3. My health. I have been getting more stomach aches lately, whether due to stress or something else I'm not sure. My eyes have also been sensitive which may have to do with some of the lighting in this house.

4. Dorothy's appointment at OHSU next Tuesday. I am taking her for the first time and I am very glad that I'm going along. An acquaintance of hers used to drive her but he didn't go in to the appointment and I only got limited information from Dorothy afterwards. Both Heather and I will be at this appointment which I'm very happy about. We're hoping for some answers regarding prognosis and progression.

5. Jordan's summer. That boy... I don't even have words. I'm really hoping to do a post soon that is a letter to him. I'm praying for him to have an awesome summer and to retain everything he learned in first grade and be a more fluent reader by the time he starts 2nd grade in the fall.

6. Our trip to Sisters on Wednesday. The three of us are going because I have Wednesday at 8:30am all the way until Sunday afternoon FREE!! From BOTH JOBS! We are leaving Wednesday morning for Sisters and staying until Thursday. I'm also praying for RELAXATION for all three of us over the course of those days. I want to stay away from my house as much as possible (because that is the only way I can keep from DOING things here - I have a hard time being in the house and being off-duty) which means we may be spending a lot of time at Steve's house.

7. The summer. There are a lot of things I want to do this summer (swimming, picnicking, barbecuing...) and I don't get as much time away as I would like for these things. I knew this might happen so I am trying to do my best with it. At some point this summer I'd really like to have a bunch of friends over here for a BBQ in my awesome backyard.

8. Communication. Dorothy now has 4 caregivers instead of 2 and while this is AWESOME, it leaves room for communication holes. We have a passdown notebook that works very well but already something has changed regarding the feeding tube and I, being her "primary" caregiver, need to make sure that everyone else knows. Thank goodness for e-mail. :)

9. Steve's brother. He is going through a messy breakup and it's hard to watch. He withdraws from everyone and becomes very depressed. This is his second big breakup in a year (because he's like me and becomes very attached very quickly) and it hurts to see him pull away. We have been trying SO hard to get him to come to church with the rest of the family because every week I sit in the service and think, "Wow, THIS is for David." He is the kind of guy that has a hard time being alone and I'm really praying that he can spend some time focusing on where God wants him to be...

10. My parents. My dad is unemployed right now and although it's great for home improvement projects, obviously being unemployed is not desirable. My mom works very part time but is also looking for more work.

11. My job. Tomorrow is the day I got to Lebanon to train their staff on electronic signature. We also had a little training session on Advance Directives today, in preparation for starting a new electronic database for them. I may have an opportunity to become a know-it-all in that area and help train people in the future.

12. My finances. I'm trying so hard to save money while I can! At the same time, I really want to get my debt (although it's not much) payed off. This includes my car. But I also want a large sum in my savings account for when I need to move again.

13. Steve and I. That we would get the time together that we need, and that the three of us would get enough family time (when I only GET so much time, there is a balance that has to be found). There are nights when I JUST WANT A HUG and he's 20 minutes away and I can't leave. It's going to be hard to decide eventually whether I want to move to Albany to be closer to them (and where it is sometimes cheaper to get an apartment) or whether I want to stay in Corvallis, close to my job and my church and my family and save on gas.