My Kidney Story - Part 4

If you are new to reading my Kidney Posts, please feel free to catch up with Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

In picking up the story following my three treatments of Cytoxin.....

After having endured more than enough of my nephrologist, and already living in Virginia, we made the decision that I needed to change to someone more local for my kidney treatment. After doing a little research I found Northern Virginia Nephrology Associates.

Great find, in retrospect. My first appointment, though, was not good at all. I had an appointment scheduled at 3:30 and finally got in to see my new nephrologist at around 5:30. Not the way to start. Though I knew that my former doctor was old-school and antiquated, I never had to wait in his office.

This was also my first experience with a Dialysis center. As it turned out, the doctor only visited the satellite office once a week, so they just used two offices in the Dialysis Center. People sitting around me were there for completely different reasons. Some went back for dialysis, and some just sat and waited (and waited, and waited) for doctor appointments.

When I finally got back to see the doctor, things just got worse. He had received my records from my previous nephrologist only the Friday before (it was a Monday), and had read bits and pieces. He informed me of two things right off the bat, right after "hello, my name is":

I would be on dialysis in five years and
I would have a transplant in ten.

Extremely scary words for me to hear. (still) He proceeded to tell me that it was his last day, and they really should not have sent a new patient to him. He would be starting his own practice, but that was at least a year off.

I left his office that day feeling less confident about life than when I had gone in. I was upset to the point of rage. Why would they schedule me to meet with someone new, just to break the bad news about my future to me, so that when I got to meet with a longer-term doc, they would seem to be more lenient? I didn't care. I was told "5 years, 10 years" and did not have an appointment to see the new doctor for two months.

It was well worth the wait! I met with Dr V. Broumond about a week into his partnership with Neph. Assoc. of NOVA. As this was his first practice, I was one of his first patients. I became a challenge to him almost immediately. When I told him what the other nephrologist told me about the 5/10 year "plan" - he reassured me that we would find something to circumvent that idea and get me a much longer life.

We gave prednisone another chance, to no avail. Dr. Broumond talked to me about going onto Cyclosporine, which is a drug typically used for transplant patients. It's an immunosuppresant.

I was more than a bit nervous about it, but agreed that we had to have a new plan of attack. I started out quickly on 150 mg twice daily, which brought my protein levels in my urine down to much more manageable than they had been since getting sick.

About a year later, we began to lower my dosage slowly, which sent my protein back up. Not skyrocketting by any means, but we decided to keep things at a higher level, so long as my long term health was not in danger. I have continued on Cyclosporine, and am still on it.

Since that brings us to the early part of this year, I am going to close this post. I will have one more "My Kidney Story Part ##" to follow soon, and then will just keep things updated as they happen!

Okay, I want comments!

An earlier post asked what your favorite Christmas Song is and I got nothing from nobody. I'll ask a different question:

What is your LEAST favorite Christmas song? We've got one of those two-weeks-before-Thanksgiving-playing-24-hours-a-day-Christmas-Music. Anny is addicted, and I will listen to it in place of commercials on other stations.

My least favorite Christmas song has to be Christmastime in Washington. I detest it at this point. I am a huge fan of cheesy music, but this one crosses the line. Just gross.

Do they even play Christmastime in Washington in other regions? I'll be in Saint Louis this weekend, so I'll keep an ear out for it while I'm there.

But really: what is your least favorite Christmas song?

Happy Birthday to....

ME!!!

And Anny too?!?

Yes, my wife and I share a birthday. We don't do gifts, so my gift is letting the world know that it's her birthday.

Happy Birthday Anny!

Last Year UCC. This Year UMC. When PCUSA?

Another year is wrapping up, and we all know that this is the time of year that those who do not normally go to church look for a place to worship. Our Presbytery is doing an ad campaign on local talk-radio station WTOP. It directs people to one of three websites that we (I) have updated to reflect services that our churches are having.

Our Presbytery put up the cash for this campaign. We are the ones that, in response to our churches, organized it, too.

Last year the United Church of Christ put on a media blitz with GREAT commercials that ran across the country. The commercials were moving, and directed people to their special advertising site where you could find out more about their denomination.

This year the PCUSA has once again passed up on the idea, and the United Methodist Church is doing GREAT things. I saw this one today:



I know that the PCUSA put money into developing a campaign, but stopped short of ever putting it into action. Oh well. Maybe that is a contributing factor to our "dieing denomination."

(You can find other UMC advertisements HERE.)

If you're in the DC Metro Area this Christmas and are looking for a congregation to worship with, check our our sites! Maryland is HERE. Virginia is HERE. Washington, DC is HERE.

Barack Obama on Monday Night Football

I didn't catch it live, but saw it yesterday and had to share! He had me fooled for about half of it!

**As usual, I don't like to leave videos up, so here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/v/xdLhw6bgyLQ

Another Music Post

We bought the new James Taylor Christmas CD and have not been disappointed! Leave it to JT (not Justin Timberlake, you crazy reader!) to take even the traditional and make it fun!

Anyway - On his CD there is a song called "Some Children See Him" which I had never heard in any sense before. I googled it this morning and found out that it's a "Traditional Poem" that apparently missed my tradition. It's a great poem and so I will share:


Some Children See Him
By Alfred Burt

Some children see Him lily white
the infant Jesus born this night
Some children see Him lily white
with tresses soft and fair

Some children see Him bronzed and brown
the Lord of heav'n to earth come down
Some children see Him bronzed and brown
with dark and heavy hair (with dark and heavy hair!)

Some children see Him almond-eyed
This Saviour whom we kneel beside
Some children see Him almond-eyed
With skin of yellow hue!

Some children see Him dark as they
Sweet Mary's Son to whom we pray
Some children see Him dark as they
And, ah! they love Him so!

The children in each different place
Will see the Baby Jesus' face
Like theirs but bright with heav'nly grace
And filled with holy light!

O lay aside each earthly thing
and with thy heart as offering
Come worship now the infant King
'tis love that's born tonight!

'tis love that's born tonight!

Again, just thought I would share!

I'll post again soon. I'm not avoiding posting, there's just a lot happening right now!

Tis The Season - for Music?!

I'm an eclectic music listener. On my Ipod I have something from almost every genre available, and always look to add others as I discover something new and fun.

Country? Yep.
Christian? Yep.
Rap? Yep.
Classical? Rock? Oldie? German? Yep all around!

Now is the time of year that I get to pull out the Holiday playlist, and it makes me smile. I have my Ipod on in the office everyday from about 10 until I leave at 4. This week I have been playing the holiday playlist almost non-stop. It all comes back to being eclectic in what I have.

Country Christmas? Yep. (Reba McIntire)
Christian Christman? Yep. (Reliant K)
Christmas Rap? Yep. (Run-DMC!)
Classical? Rock? Oldie? German? Yep, Christmas all around!

One of my favorites is Bing Crosby singing White Christmas. Simple and classic. Anny's is by far "Hippopotomous for Christmas" which is a bit rare and random, but cute.

What is your favorite Christmas song? Do you listen to you local all-christmas-all-the-time radio station this time of year?

Black Friday is FINALLY here!

I love this season! I miss working retail on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving for those that don't know. I used to work at a sporting goods/athletic shoe store and loved every minute of the Thanksgiving shopping weekend!

There's something about the people shopping. Everyone is hopeful and usually happy. Employees take longer shifts, but are usually in better moods as well. Sales have just started in some stores, though others have realized that they can get some sales started a little earlier now.

When I first started at Champs Sports the holiday sale season was the "Big Six." Everyone was focused on getting the sale started exactly six weeks prior to Christmas.

My third year at Champs, we moved up to the Super Seven! I guess they figured they could get even more money with an extra week.

I left before they got to eight. We used to joke that it would be the "Elite Eight" and would have a college basketball theme. I don't know if they have ever gotten to that, but I know they thought about it!

I miss the working, but will do my part of shopping. Anny and I will head out to Rehoboth, Delaware, when she gets out of bed. I'm actually thinking about going to Target now.

Yeah, I think I'll go.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Stanger Than Fiction

I began writing this days ago, so if it is choppy, please forgive me!
If you're going to see the movie Stanger Than Fiction please either a: don't read this or b: don't be mad at me for ruining the movie for you!

Now that that's out of the way...
Stanger Than Fiction was a GREAT movie! It's not Will Farrell the traditional sense, but that is not to say that he was not funny. The cast around him was great, which I don't think that the commercials or interviews are getting enough of. I won't take time to ruin the movie, just put down a couple of parts that stirred my thinking.

The premise is unique, but simple. Will Farrell character is hearing the voice of the person narrating the story. The key is that he does not know he is in a novel up until this point in his life. He sees a shrink who tells him to go see a literature professor at the nearby college. Immediately they begin to rule out what kind of story he is in. They narrow it down to tragedy or comedy.

I don't know that I could narrow my life story down to comedy or tragedy, but it's a movie, so this was an easy process!

When it's established that the author always writes tragedies, and ALWAYS kills off the hero of the story, he begins to freak out. His solution is to go directly to the source, so he hunts down the author and shows her that she's not just writing fiction, she's writing about his life, as he is living it.

Farrell gets an advanced copy of the end of the book - therefore discovering how he will die. He reads it and realizes that in order for the story to be complete, he must die. He just has to.

She ends up changing her time-tested method of killing off the hero, because she now knows that he's a real person. She instead writes into her book, a deadly accident with a commuter bus, but he lives. In the next scene you see him in a hospital room all casted up. Not fun, but cetrainly better than death.

So - what it got my brain to getting at - If I had a chance to meet my Author would I try to change anything that has happened? Would I ask that my future be re-written for my sake, or realize that my particular story is written for the greater good, no matter what it may seem like to me?

I haven't had the hardest of lives. I lived in a nice area growing up. I have never needed anything that I could not get in some way. (Not that I haven't wanted something else, though!)

But maybe there are things I would have passed up, particularly my kidney disease. I keep in mind, though, that I'm not as sick as other people are. (read - it could be worse) I think that my kidney disease has been almost a blessing. My priorities changed, and they needed to.

Would I change anything that I could know would happen in the future? I just don't know. I don't think any of us can know, and that's a good thing.

So, this my questions for you:
What would have changed, in retrospect?
What do you know about the future that you would change, if you could?
What would you ask your Author, if you had one question to ask?

Wax Advice

Our little miss Maggie (the beagle puppy) last week pulled a stunt that I could never have even imagined. She managed to knock over a candle.

Not a big deal, right? Just clean it up and get over it, Rob. It's just wax!

Well, we have prefered wickless candles for several years, because if we forget to blow it out, we don't worry about burning the house down. There is an independent candle maker out in Deleware that sells wonderful candles. (See the website HERE!) We really love to go into her shop when we are out there. She always has a smile on her face, and something new for us to try out.

Anyway - she sells very scenty and wonderful wickless candles. You put your jar of scented wax on a ceramic pot with a light bulb. Very nice.

Maggie knocked ours over last week at the worst point. It had been warming for about two hours, so it was completely melted. When she knocked it over, it did some major damage:

1/4 on the floor
1/4 on the WALL!!!
1/3 on the dog (very weird to have sticky hair on the dog)
1/2 on the couch.

The couch is the issue. We've cleaned the dog. We need to paint this room anyway, so the wall is not a big deal. The floor wax came right up off of the hardwood. The couch, though, is ruined.

One arm is completely waxed. We have thought about just getting a couch cover, but the scent is just too overpowering. I tried to sleep on it Saturday morning and realized that it is hopeless. We really like the scent in a candle, but when it's concentrated onto the couch, it's a bit too much.

Hopeless, that is, unless someone out there in internet-land has an idea. ANYONE???

We've got a replacement couch in it's place from the basement, but don't like the look of it. Does anyone know how to get both wax and scent out of a couch?

Let me know, after you vote today, if you have any ideas! Thanks!

A Wonderful Story I MUST Share

This post was written by a minister member of our Presbytery. He never ceases to amaze me!

http://web.mac.com/royhoward/iWeb/SayingGrace/Blog/DCE7EEC0-52D3-4A9E-B580-6A50A97EE0DD.html

(I also suggest reading some of his other posts! He wrote amazingly about the Amish community a few weeks back.)

Looking forward to November 8th!

I'm altogether sick of the political season. I hear that it's as bad in several states as it is here, and that's just not good. One of our candidates keeps talking about how he, single-handedly, will go in and change the Senate.

What?

Yep. He thinks that he will go in and change the world. I appreciate that he has such high expectations of himself, but I am much more of a realist. His promise should be to begin the process of change.

I keep joking that when I am Governor of the state of Maryland, transportation is first on my agenda. Not making new roads, or improving public transportation, but simply put: get tractor trailers off of the highways during rush hour! I'm so sick of sitting behind a tractor trailer that cannot make it up a hill, when I can see that the space he has left empty would fit at least seven cars - not one ssllooww truck.

My other idea is that we need to eliminate a lot of the stupid political ads paid for by outside groups. Both parties, and almost all candidates, have picked up the pace of those in the last few years. The change I would make:

Any ad on TV or radio need to be the candidate speaking.

Simple as that. Don't run scary pictures that you got from Google Images with scary music. If you think that Joe Schmoe has run his city's school system into the ground, YOU get on the TV and tell me that. If you support stem-cell research, YOU get on up and say it!

It blows my mind how much money is being spent on advertising. How many houses in Mississippi or Louisiana could have been built with the contributions to just ONE of the candidates in ANY of our states? How much more money could be put into improving the schools in Baltimore is our current Governor had not spent so much money on his campaign?

Anny's sick of me watching TV right about now. I get mad at just about every advertisement.

Oh yeah - if you ever run for office, please please please, when you run TV advertisements on stations that support more than one state, please identify WHERE you are running! We have two people who are missing that on their commercials, and you actually have to hunt for it on their websites.

Sorry for the rant. It will be better on November 8th. Until next season anyway!

There's Hope - India.Arie

Friends,
I heard this song, which is available on iTunes, on the radio the other day. It's amazingly sung by India.Arie, and the message is one that we cannot hear too often. It's the first song on several of my Ipod playlists already, and I just bought it this week.

Here are the lyrics:

Back when I had a little
I thought that I needed a lot
A little was over rated,
but a lot was a little too complicated
You see, Zero didn't satisfy me
A million didn't make me happy
That's when I learned a lesson
That it's all about your perception
Hey - are you a papa or a superstar
So you act, so you feel, so you are
It ain't about the size of your car
It's about the size of the faith in your heart

(Chorus)
There's hope
It doesn't cost a thing to smile
You don't have to pay to laugh
You better thank God for that

There's hope

(Verse 2):
Off in the back country of Brazil
A met a young brotha that made me feel
That I could accomplish anything.
You see just like me he wanted to sing
He had no windows and no doors
He lived a simple life and was extremely poor
On top of all of that he had no eye sight,
but that didn't keep him from seein' the light
He said, what's it like in the USA,
and all I did was complain
He said-living here is Paradise
He taught me paradise in in your mind
You know that

(Chorus)

(Bridge):
Every time I turn on the T.V. (There's Hope)
Somebody's acting crazy (There's Hope)
If you let it, it will drive you crazy (There's Hope)
but I'm takin' back my power today (There's Hope)
Gas prices they just keep on rising (There's Hope)
The government they keep on lying
but we gotta keep on surviving
Keep living our truth and do the best we can do

(Chorus)

Stand up for your rights
Keep shining your light
And show the world your smile

It's I wanted to share this song with as many people as I can, and this is my best outlet. I hope it has made you smile. :o) I would highly recommend the purchase.

The Poor, Pitiful Puppy Update

Over the course of the week, Maggie managed to literally break the splint that the vet put on her broken toe last week. Yesterday was our follow-up appointment. We saw a different vet in the practice, which was okay with me.

He cut the splint off and examined it. His quote was "I never would have splinted it anyway. She won't walk on it if it hurts, and it will heal on it's own." He left the decision up to us, and we opted to NOT put another splint on.

Maggie was back to her normal self upon leaving the vet. We're supposed to limit her jump-start running and how rough she is on steps, but we're clear aside from that. She was VERY happy to be out of that thing and spent the evening cleaning up where it was.

That was Monday during a week of evening events for us. We're looking forward to next week, when things will be calm and quiet again.

I Saw a Sign

And it opened up my eyes..... no wait! Today at a church we had a Cultural Proficiency Workshop I saw a sign. I don't believe that I have ever see this poem, so I thought I would share. (It was in the kitchen)

GOLDEN RULES
If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off.
If you unlock it, lock it.
If you break it, repair it.
If you can't fix it, call someone who can.
If you borrow it, return it.
If you use it, take care of it.
If you make a mess, clean it up.
If you move it, put it back.
If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission.
If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.

I think I will print it and put it up in the kitchen in our office!

"Hey Mom. Guess who broke her toe?"

I had a great long weekend with my sister, who turned 18 on Saturday. We ate dinner out a LOT more than we usually do, but that's okay to do once in a while. She rode the train up with only a short delay. I think we'll work it that way again in the future.

On Saturday we met up with Jason and Nadia and made the trip up to Grandma's house. Her three sisters have gathered at her house for a week or two. I had not even met two of them! Grandma had the whole spread set out: baked beans, mini-weenies, THREE types of salads, two bowls of chips... you get the picture. And that was LUNCH!

Michelle got a microwave for her birthday, which means that I'm driving her home today instead of dropping her on the Metro to the Amtrak. :o) (why yes, I am the best brother in the world, thank you for asking)

We skipped church on Sunday because Michelle does not get up that early! We did some shopping in the afternoon, and went to J&N's house for dinner. I ended up helping with some plumbing, and annoying Anny by staying later than she wanted to. Oh well. :o)

Monday Michelle and I met Nadia at work and had lunch at the World Bank! Very neat experience. We got to see her fancy office and meet some of her coworkers. It was a nice day!

Then came the reason for the subject of my post "Hey Mom. Guess who broke her toe?" On the other end of the phone my mom is simply saying "Michelle, what did you do?" :o)

But alas, Maggie the dog is the one with a broken toe! She was playing in the backyard on her own Sunday morning and began limping. The earliest appointment I could get was Monday evening. X-ray's confirmed that she has a broken toe in her hind foot. She is not a fan of the cone, and I am only putting it on her as necessary. Here is a picture of her bandaged foot though:

Isn't she cute?! She'll get over the annoyance. She does not seem to be in pain, so that's good. I now have to take her back weekly to have it looked at and rewrapped. What fun!

Yesterday I took Michelle back to school. It was a nasty rainy drive, but we got there with no problems. Her dorm room is TINY, which I will now continue to make fun of her for!

Overall we had a great weekend. She'll be up again soon, I hope. I guess we could make the effort and make a trip down there, but don't tell her that!

Updating Some Old Posts

So, I feel like I should update on two of the things I posted about back in the spring and summer, and of course include pictures!

Update One: The Pumpkin Patch.
About a year ago we went to a pumpkin carving party, and I brought seeds home to grow pumpkins of my own. Well, we ended up getting four good plants from the seeds. They grew to at least 30 feet long, each, and took over one side of our house. It was great! The whole summer we had lots of flowers that should have become pumpkins, but we only got one. (I found out later that we need bees to do the pollination, and we didn't have any bees until late August)

Here's what I invested my year into making:

Yes, those are coffee mugs, and yes it's on top of our piano. The pumpkin is only about 6 inches wide. It's really cute, but kind of sad. Next year we are going to do more pumpkins, and will make sure that if we don't have bees, we will pollinate with a Q-Tip.
No, we're not going to carve it, but thanks for asking. :o)

Update Two: The Puppy!
We got Maggie in August from my sister, who is visiting me this weekend! It was believed that she is a beagle, but with her growing like she is, we think she is actually an American Foxhound. She's very pretty, and insanely smart. Here are some pictures of her:

And for those who ask about Rusty, here's one last picture. It's of both Rusty and Maggie. This is one of the few times during the day that they are both quiet at the same time, just before bedtime.

And those, my friends, are my updates. This weekend is my 'baby' sisters 18th birthday! She is coming up here from Richmond for a long weekend (Fall Break) I'm sure that I will have some good stories by the end!

Three Beautiful Things

Inspired by Three Beautiful Things, which I found on Blogs of Note yesterday, I am going to share Three Beautiful Things from yesterday.

1 - An extremely quiet day in the office. Five of the ten people in our office are on vacation this week! With yesterday being a holiday for most of our churches, my phone rang only three times.

2 - A freshly cut front lawn. Yes, I am the one that had to cut it, but since seven weeks ago we did not have ANY grass in the front yard, literally, having to cut the grass is a great thing!

3 - Puppies Playing. We have had Rusty for four plus years, and have had Maggie for only nine weeks and have been trying to get them to play together nicely. (Maggie does enjoy chomping on Rusty's leg, but Rusty is not a fan of that game) Last night while Anny was on the phone, they were both tugging on the same toy. It's a breakthrough!

And those are the Three Beautiful Things that happened yesterday that I can post about.

Mr Pringles Apologizes

Okay, I'll have something more substantive to post by the end of the week, trust me.

But for now, if you have 2 1/2 minutes, enjoy the following. It's a spoof of the recent Mel Gibson arrest, though I don't believe he has had such a press conference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZL4HjBsSLc

(I don't want to continue to embed videos, takes too long to load when you open my blog)

I hate the Political Season, but...

(Update: I removed the embeded videos and put back in the links)

This year in Maryland there is an interesting race for Senate. Things have been getting going since the day after the primary between Michael Steele and Ben Cardin. I thought with Steele's first TV ad that things would be different this year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7wjJyMDUH0

I thought that this was a good, positive advertisement to start the season. Maybe things would be different than every other year. But the Democrats took that one and rolled out this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjm_QfNAh8M

And knowing a politician, though claiming to not be one of the Washington Crowd, retaliated within days with the current ad that's running. (Saw it for the first time this morning)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pHe2NfQ4kM

I'm sure that it is no different than in your area.

Our governors race in the state has yet to heat up, but I think it will soon. For anyone who reads that actually lives in this area I would like to share an observation. I have been going out of my way to look at the drivers of cars with Erlich (Republican Candidate for Governor) bumper stickers and have made an interesting observation. EVERY SINGLE ONE of the drivers fits the same profile: White. 40-60 Years old. Men. Moustaches?! That's that one thing that has really stuck out to me. Every one of the folks who claim support of Erlich has a moustache.

And that, my friends, is reason enough for me to shave every day!

Approaching A GRAND!

Okay, so I have a Site Meter on my website. (For those who have not noticed, it's on the bottom of this here screen you're reading!) I check it from time to time, to see how people arrive at my little spot on the web. As I am quickly approaching my 1,000th visitor, I thought I would put up a short post about .... well about my silly little blog.

Shout outs go to Jason's New Class, Presbyterian Bloggers, and Yeah, But did Houdini have these Hips, for being the three largest sources of visitors! By looking at some of the IP addresses or locations I can guess who is reading my blog from time to time, but others of you I don't have any idea. I think that's what is cool about the web.

For those coming from Presbyterian sources, I hope to cross paths with you some day. I am really hoping to get to the next General Assembly. San Jose in 2008, right?!

Some of you have stumbled my site by doing a google search for some strange things that I have mentioned over the seven months that I've been online.

Some searches make sense: Potluck Lunch. (I apologize for those looking for a good recipe! My post was about an event at church) I will post a GREAT Tuna Fish salad recipe if anyone is interested.

Some searches I don't know what to do with. I would say that the search that brings people here most often is for Bleached Denim Paint. That's weird, people! You will get a much better idea of how the color looks if you go get a sample from the Home Depot. But if you're looking for a recommendation, I do recommend the Bleached Denim. I have it in three rooms in my house!

So, with this short post, and a recipe offer if anyone is interested, I close this post. Whoever is my 1,000th visitor I would love for you to comment so that I can give you a shout out next time!

My Shared "Moment of Zen"

Jon Stewart is awesome! Last Saturday night we went with my brother, his wife, and two of their friends to Meriweather Post Pavilion to see Jon Stewart (of the Daily Show fame) live. It was weird to go to a comedy show at an outdoor pavilion when we first got there, but it was an absolutely perfect night out, which made the show even better.

For an official account, read HERE.

As for me, I thought the night was great! Prior to 2006 I had been to exactly zero (0) comedy shows in person. I always have Comedy Central on when nothing else is on the TV. This Jon Stewart show was the third one that I have seen this year! (Blue Collar in March, Jim Gaffigan over the summer) If you have never been to a live, professional comedy show, I highly recommend that you go to one. Even if you have heard some of the material, the delivery is so much more genuine when you can see them, right in front of you.

Stewart was very up-to-date with his humor, even incorporating events that had happened as recently as Thursday! He opened by making fun of our region as a whole calling it the "non-descript crowd from the area between DC and Baltimore." When you open making fun of 10,000 people at once, it has to be a good show!

I also enjoyed his opening act, Mike Berbiglia. I had heard most of his stuff before, but he was very funny. I would have paid the $40 to go see him headline, so for me it was really two great shows in one.

And that's how I spent my Saturday night. Out past 10:30 for the first time in probably a month! (And yes, it was well worth it!)

Life Cycle of a Dog Toy

Date: Sunday, September 17, 2006

This is the story of a dog toy. Thank goodness that we only shop in the clearance section anymore. After church we enjoyed lunch with new parents Eric and April. From there, we went tot he pet store. Here is the time line of the Stuffed Dog Ring.

1:30 pm - Dog Ring purchased. About eight inches around, stuffed with fluff and and squeaker.
2:45 pm - After the dogs trip to the back yard, we give her Stuffed Dog Ring toy.
3:15 pm - first successful tearing of stitching by Maggie of SDR toy.
4:15 pm - Tear large enough to get some of stuffing out, so now toy is HALF-Stuffed Dog Ring Toy.
5:40 pm - Ring completely emptied of stuffing and squeaker, and HSDR toy is declared dead.

The total life-span of a toy with out seven month old Beagle/Hound mix, Maggie, was just more than four hours. She is amazingly focused at times.

Next post: Jon Stewart Show last Saturday Night.

My Kidney Story - Part Three

If you need a refresher, please check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Prednisone is a steroid in the best and worst sense of the stereotypes. I believe that I would be at a healthier weight if I had not been on them for so long. Prednisone is very effective in most cases of FSGS, but after being on it for 18 months or so, they had to change my official diagnosis to Steroid-Resistant Focal Segmental Glomerulonephritis. But that is getting ahead of the story.

The spring that all of the diagnosis process was happening was the spring that I proposed to Anny. It was also the spring that I (with Anny) made the decision to move from Maryland to Manassas, VA so that I could take a full time job at the Presbytery's Camp. Since she is a teacher, we knew that no matter where we went, there are jobs for her. I was unhappy with my warehouse job, and I think that working there certainly did not help my condition, and my dream job had opened up.

Needless to say, that added stress to my body. Moving out of my childhood home for the first time. Learning to live with another person, who was much more tidy than I was particularly used to. Learning to work a crazy system of a Retreat Center. It was stressful on the one hand, but stress relieving on the other. It was the best decision for me at the time, a less stressful job, living with Anny, learning the new things that I wanted to learn at work. (I'm a Microsoft Access geek now!)

After moving to Manassas, we made a conscious decision that I would retain my nephrologist up here in Maryland. Although I knew deep down that his methods were still a bit behind the times, things seemed to be progressing nicely toward the goal of minimizing the protein excretion that is my disease.

I continued to take prednisone for a total of 18 months. Everything that I read said to cut back after 12 months. We began to ween my body from the overpowering steroid, but because my protein count creeped back up, so I went back onto the prednisone! I got to bulk up, but never did the whole exercise thing, so I got fat instead of muscular.

During those months, I got married. So yes, all of my wedding pictures have me with my extra-pudgy face. Thank goodness that you could not see my legs, they were very very thick!

That brought us to the late spring of 2002. There was general consensus that my body was not responding the way it was supposed to be on the prednisone. That led to further clarification of my diagnosis to: Steroid-Resistant Focal Segmental Glomerulonephritis.

Once again I began to worry about my choice of doctor, but it just seemed easier to stay with him. We made a decision to stop taking the prednisone and go a completely different route. Bring in Cytoxan. (HERE is a link to WebMD. Bottom line, nasty stuff) The form of cytoxan that I was put on was intravenous. It was described to me as basically Chemo, but for kidneys and not cancer. That's exactly what it was.

Cytoxan meant an overnight stay at the hospital, which meant that I had to go up to Maryland to get the treatment done. After hearing about how bad chemo was (and having experienced the nasty things it does with my grandmother) I was a bit freaked out. The experience overall, was not as bad as I had prepared myself for. The collateral damage to other organs was never determined, and probably never will be.

Like most people, I remember the worst of the experiences. I had to go for three intravenous treatments of Cytoxan. For the most part, the whole experience was okay. The nurses at the local hospital was GREAT to me. (As they have been to the other folks in my family that have had to go there) The eternal problem with going to an Adventist hospital is that they had not yet begun to serve meat. Well, the 'meat' that was in the sloppy joe was.... just gross.

If that's the worst thing that I remember, I think it was an okay experience.

The Cytoxan treatments of my FSGS had little to no effect on my health. Not positive nor negative. I was disappointed to the extent that I decided to leave the Doctor that I had been seeing for most of two years. We were happily living 50 miles away from the doctors office and each of the hospitals that he worked at.

A longer title for clarification of my diagnosis: Steroid-Resistant, Cytoxan-Resistant Focal Segmental Glomerulonephritis. It does not mean anything more than the original disease diagnosis, except that it gives future doctors some direction.

This post is too long, but is an integral span for the overall story. In the next part of the story look for an update on a doctor change, another doctor change, and new medicines!

Over the Limit, Under Arrest - REVIEW

See my PREVIOUS Post to see where this all began.....

So, the 18 days of enforcement of the "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" campaign are over. I heeded to the warnings of TV and radio, and indeed did not drive under the influence of alcohol in any way.

So, here are how the statistics broke down, from where I sat:

0 - Number of minutes spent drunk driving by Rob
700 - Approximate number of miles driven by Rob during the 18 day period
1 - Trip to and from Rehoboth Beach, DE, quite a party town during the summer

0 - Number of Checkpoints driven through during the last TWO YEARS, which include the 18 days of "strict enforcement" of drunk driving laws under the Over the Limit campaign.

For those who only know me through cyberspace - I live just outside the University of Maryland. When I say just outside, I mean that I have restaurants that I avoid during the school year around the corner because they're invaded by students. (Actually, during the winter, we can see the Chapel on Campus)

Overall, I think that I really need to hear some solid statistics from someone, anyone, about arrests and citations. I went back to their website, and cannot find ANY follow up information. Maybe it's too soon, but you can be sure that I will keep an eye on that.

Did you pass through any checkpoints? Do you know anyone who did?

To be honest, I don't know why this is the particular bee in my bonnet. There are more pressing issues in the world, and I know that. I hate being targeted, I guess. I am hoping that my next post will be My Kidney Story Part 3, so keep an eye out for that by the end of the weekend!

Fun on a Long Weekend

Since we will be in Saint Louis this Christmas, Maggie (our 5 month old Beagle) will be staying with family here locally. My family is a dog family. We need to make sure that Maggie will be okay with the other dogs and not freak out, so this was a test run. I'm sure we will have several more before the holidays are here.

Saturday morning we took off early in the rain, headed for the family house in Delaware. We were greeted with the most diplomatic of the dogs, Joey. Joey is a female Golden Lab, about seven years old. She's the most docile big dog I have ever met, going so far as to not flinch when receiving injections of Cortisone for allergies. It took a little bit of effort on everyone's part, but soon Joey and Maggie were cool.

Next was two of the standard poodles. (The third is basically a crack head as it is) After some intentional meet and greet time in the garage, we released all of the dogs into the back yard while we two-legged folks worked on the patio enclosure that was damaged in some nasty wind that had passed through the day before.

The dogs got along very well, even chasing each other for quite a while. Glad to have each of them getting the exercise too! I think that Sunday Morning was the most sleeping-in done in our house in a long time. (Maggie is not yet an alarm-waker, she likes to be up at the same time every day, and it's earlier than I want to be!) I think that they will all be fine at Christmas!

Sunday we went to church, and afterwards met with our pastor to talk about Confirmation Class. I somehow volunteered to co-lead with our Pastor and our Seminary Intern. I have not led confirmation classes before, so this is an exciting proposition! There are only about ten active 8th and 9th graders, so it will be a small class, but mine was only seven! I'm looking forward to a slower-paced youth activity than the every-Sunday that I was used to at my last church.

The afternoon was spent at our friends house. They moved in a few weeks ago and everything that can be in order, is. (They want to get the pool fence redone, and have to rebuild the deck, but those can wait!) Their son is almost two and just as adorable as ever.

Monday (YAY for holidays!) was spent cleaning the house and doing other general stuff. I bought a new pair or running shoes, since I have put several more miles on my cruddy shoes than they ever asked for. I have avoided Nike for many years for silly reasons, but when all is said and done, nothing beats Air Max shoes! We went for a walk last night through the puddles, so I've given a good workout. (and Maggie LOVED playing in puddles)

I'm now to the point of taking two days to write, and I'm feeling like I'm rambling.

Okay, Bye.

People Watching is More Fun with Sports!

My boss has season tickets to the Washington Redskins, but could not go to last night's game, so My Brother and I got her tickets! (for FREE!!) Since Jason is a teacher, and I'm a bum who needs/likes his sleep, we ended up leaving at halftime with a score of Ravens a lot, and Redskins zero. It was the final preseason game for both teams, so by the time we left, the guys on the field are third string, so basically I could have played cornerback. If I could run.

So, we spent a good amount of time people watching. I really do think that people watching is better at sporting events than pretty much anywhere else. You have a good mix of people. Some passionate about one of the teams, some just dragged there by their friends. Some there to drink beer, some driven crazy by the noise level.

PW#1 - For those unaware of the NFC East, there are several rivalries, but none bigger than the Cowboys and Redskins. The game we went to was against the Ravens, but there was a 'Boys fan in the next section over causing a ruckus. It was funny because there was a woman several rows in front of him actually SCREAMING back at him, spouting off last seasons records of both teams, and going back into the glory days to spout off championship years and such.

PW#2 - Sports unite people who you would not normally think. The old are teaching the young. There were several people in front of us who obviously did not know each other at 8:00, but were having football conversation by the end of the first quarter. Last season at a hockey game, Fantasy Hockey became the focus of several people around me, so I joined in on their conversation too. (Had to set them straight!)

PW#3 - Completely a personal one here - I saw a pair of Air Jordans that had to have been custom made for a team because they were NEVER released in stores. Tarheel blue soles and red uppers is not a nice combo, but they were unique!

PW#4 - Tailgating. I have never understood this phenomenon. I guess it's cheaper than buying tickets, but there were folks with a TV and grill set up in the parking lot when we went in, and when we left. Again, folks talking to them left and right. But they were in their lawn chairs, probably for the whole game. Part of me think "how cool to meet and greet with complete strangers for hours on end." Part of me thinks "how much cooler to use a flush toilet inside the stadium.

On all fronts a good time. It was my first game at FedEx Field, and my first Redskins game live in a dozen or so years. On a side note - if you're in the are and need to catch up on some hockey this season, let me know. We're going to order the Center Ice package again, so I will get to watch hockey every night of the week, if I'm so inclined!

Another Day of Firsts - but again not for me!

Firsts today:

Anny has students for the first time this school year!
My "little" sister starts her first semester of College today!
My Mom begins her new job today!
My Step-Father begins his new job today!

I guess I'm close to finishing my first from-scratch webpage on the company website? Have you had a chance to add your two cents? See the post below to let me know what YOU would ask your governing body. I would still love to have a couple more questions to use.

(yes, shameless post just to direct attention to my previous post. Fun how that works, eh?)

Want to Help Me on a Project?

Hey Folks,
I have been given my first web project at work, but I need your help. As you know (or I hope you do) I work in a Presbytery Office. We have decided that as more people are using the web, we should probably have a FAQ page, but I don't know what questions people have!

What I want from you is a Question. What questions do you have of your Presbytery or Presbytery Office? Here are a couple of questions I have picked up from co-workers:

How much is Per Capita?
How do I get to the Presbytery Office?
Why is Rob so cool?

Okay, I threw that last one in.

Please please please let me know what sort of questions you would ask if you could. Those of you non-Presbyterians, please also participate. What questions do you have about your denominational office? Your regional office? Your church?

Any help would be great. If you cannot comment because you don't have Blogger, email me HERE.

Thanks!

A Great Day of Firsts!

Today is the first day for a lot of things in lots of lives, and in our household there are several biggies:

Anny's first day back to school!
Jon's first day at his new job!
(by default) the first day that the Puppy has stayed home along all day.

YIKES! That's too much excitement for one house for one day. Honestly, the only one I worry about is the puppy. :o) My aunt has volunteered to stop by on her way between offices to let the dogs out.

The other big event this week is that my little sister begins her college career tomorrow! I'm so excited. We'll make a trip down sometime in September to see her. She's ready for "city" life, I think. Last I heard, though, she had lost all of her orientation material. (mental note, call tonight!)

So, those are the firsts that I know about. I guess the "first" for me is that I have been building a shelving unit for our living room to keep stuff organized, but handy. I have these whims from time to time that I should build things. This is only the second to come to be. This evening is shelf-cutting and assembling.

Over The Limit, Under Arrest

http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/

I have seen many commercials already over the last few days about the current National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and their new "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" campaign. The general message is that men should watch themselves and not drink and drive. At least from today until Labor Day.

The whole timeline for this campaign can be found HERE. Several months of intense work, for an enforcement period of just 18 days. Apparently they are taking time on both ends to conduct surveys about the "event." It does not say who they are giving surveys to, but I am guessing it's not the drunk guys that they have pulled over. Anyway, aren't law enforcement officers supposed to stop drunk drivers 365 days a year, every year, from now until the end of civil law?
The focus of the crackdown is also aimed completely at men. I guess that got that tartget "market" from the surveys that were done earlier this summer. Combine that with earlier articles this summer about men leaving churches, and maybe we have something to put together. Apparently, ladies, you are safe for the next 18 days to get as drunk as possible and go for a joy ride. (note, this is sarcastic, please don't do this!)

The commercials are okay. They talk about the true costs of getting caught. They put drunk driving into dollars and days. ($5,000 to $20,000, and jail time) This may be good enough to put a scare into social drinkers to call a cab. Will it be enough to slow down the driving offences of the true drunk? I doubt it.

The commercials, though, do not address the lives lost or ruined by the effects of a drunk driver. That used to be the focus of drunk driving campaigns. Every MADD ad that I've ever seen, anyway. (Looks like they are supporting this campaign though.

I lived with someone who would drink and drive. It was a scary event every weekend to go out and come home again. His license was revoked on several occasions. He's now clean and sober, and has realized the lives he put into jeopardy. Does the NHTSA truly believe that with an intentional crackdown of just 18 days it will change someones life? I certainly don't. I think that it will take a lot more than a temporary crackdown.

I, for one, will vow not to drive drunk for the 18 days. Heck, I'll even expand my vow to as many days as I'm left on this planet. I think it will save me some money.

And life.

New Blogger Beta

Okay, I moved my blog over to the new Beta version of Blogger. Some of the features are pretty cool. You can rearrange the information on the right side much more easily ~~~~>

When drafting, there is an easy "Labels for this post" section, so you can easily mark them for categories.

When picking a template, you can make overhaul changes without knowing HTML. The template I picked had a black background, and all I needed to do is a one-click change to make the background gray.

I like it. I will warn you, an annoyance was that it did not bring over my html list of blog links. I had to go in and recreate that list, but even that process was not mind bending.

Besides, I did it before you, so I feel ahead of the curve. :o)

Where Do You Sit?

Sunday at church, I noticed that there was a smaller crowd than usual. Once I read that there was a guest preacher because our Pastor is on vacation, it did not surprise me as much. The other thing that did not surprise me:

The rows farther back were as full as usual, it was the more forward rows that were more empty than usual.

The row in front of us was FULL! 12 across. They were all choir members who wanted to sit together, which is nice for those of us who don't pull our weight in making the church sound pretty. (Side note: if you visit a church during the summer, try to sit in front of where the choir folks are sitting. It makes the music sound much nicer) I commented on how far back they were sitting, and one of the guys said "but you're behind US!" Good point.

Why is it that Presbyterians tend to fill from the back? Is it so that visitors have the best view up close? (no) Is it because the sound is better than in the front? (sometimes) I have never understood this, but it's true of almost every Presby church I have been to. We sit closer in at our new church than at our last church, but that's because I sat with the youth, and I could never get them more than three rows in.

My father's reason was always the he was afraid that God would smite him for being a sinner in a church, and that if the roof were to cave in he wanted to be the first one out. I never bought that, partly because Jesus welcomed sinners, and partly because I knew that my dad would probably be too lazy to run.

When I was in high school, the parents of a friend of mine requested that we sit with them, and I did that out of respect and out of appreciation that someone cared to invite me to the front. I thought of it as an honor. Is that what it takes, for one of the front-sitters to invite some of the back-sitters to the front?

I think that it all goes back to Junior High when no one, not even the dorkiest of the dorks, wanted to sit in the front row. The closer to the back, the cooler you felt. I, of course, was one that sat in the middle, off to the side if possible, so that I could see all of the cool kids, and talk to the not-as-cool kids in the front, without committing to either side. (Yes, I've always been a people pleaser)

Is it true of other denominations? Worship in other Religions?

Now that I have written this post, do I need to sit in the front and push myself out of my comfort zone? We've been at our church for less than a year and we sit in the same seats each week. Maybe I'll take baby steps and try sitting on the other side.... I'll update next week. :o)

Coffee Guy

I don't drink coffee. It's one of those things that I have tried, over and over again, but just cannot bring myself to do. Every Christmas I go out of my way to try the Starbucks Gingerbread Latte. Every year it disappoints because it taste too much like coffee.

Though I do not drink coffee myself, I have no problem with most coffee situations. I am okay walking into Starbucks to get an iced tea or hot chocolate, the smell does not bother me. I'm okay with it as people walk by, or are even talking to me with coffee breath. I have found one way that coffee just rubs me the wrong way, and it's all thanks to Coffee Guy.

I don't know his name. He works in another office on our floor in the office building that I work in. I know who he is, which I think makes it more awkward. My issue is not that he drinks coffee. It's that he dumps his coffee in the sink in the public men's room. Again, not an issue if you know the proper etiquette, or what I consider the be the proper way to dispose of your (really mostly his) nasty smelling hazelnut coffee. It's as simple as splashing a bit of water from the spigot and rinsing the coffee down the drain.

What happens instead is that the coffee sits in the sink and just festers for however long it takes for someone else to walk in. There are certain smells that I expect in a public restroom, particularly a men's room. Hazelnut coffee is just not one of them. It just gets more pungent as the time wears on because of poor ventilation.

Just gross.

Every time that I happen to be the one who walks in after him I get that same feelings. Have the same thoughts.

1 - "HEY MAN. Just take less coffee! You do this every day needlessly."
2 - "HEY MAN. Your office has a sink, dump your stuff there"
3 - "HEY MAN. Just a simple rinse would stop the inconvenience of everyone else"

What I actually say: Nothing. What can I say? It's a public, share space. I have contemplated what a note left on the mirror would say, but have just never gotten up the nerve to write it. Since there are only two tenants on the floor, it's easy to eliminate most of the men from contention. He does not have any power that I know of, but deep down it's none of my business.

It IS obnoxious.

So, In an effort to get more comments on my blog than my brother does, I ask you this:
What would you do? Have you ever had this problem? Would it be wrong of me to smack this man in his forehead one day?

Someone Else's Post on Communion

I will obviously post about our new puppy sometime this week, but I just read a post from a Pastor in our Presbytery. Though I have never heard him preach, he is great a Presbytery Meetings. I have only ever heard good things about his preaching, and this post is a story from a recent Sunday Service.

http://web.mac.com/royhoward/iWeb/SayingGrace/Blog/D1D23EF1-0FB2-4CB3-90DF-F06CCC63C615.html

It is ALWAYS about Weather!

I woul hate to be involved in News Weather. People always try to be nice to you, but never are happy with what you have to say. I'm the first to say "I'm sure they're wrong, it won't snow at all." They are right about as often as I am, which is okay.

During the snow, everyone prays for the summer heat.

During the summer heat, people are looking for snow.

I think that this year is different for some, though. Our weather is so crazy, not just here on the East Coast. My In-Laws have never seen a need for an air conditioner, but after the last couple of weeks worth of heat, they are toying with buying a window unit for next summer. (I have not been there during the summer, but I hear it only last for like two weeks!)

My best friend is a mechanic, and is smoldering in this 99+ degree heat we've been dealing with. When I went yesterday to get an oil change, I made sure to bring everyone an ice-cold bottle of water. I was welcomed with open arms in a place where the temperature outside is added to by the heat of engines running the whole day. I was only out there for 20 minutes or so and needed to drink a bottle while I was there, and had another as soon as I got home.

Funny, though, that I found this article HERE about the extreme cold temperatures at the South Pole. The pictures are spectacular, both for the landscape and the clouds. You have to have perfectly cold (-176 F) and just the right amout of wind (143 mph) to have these clouds. Suprised that we have not seen these clouds in Wyoming during one of our trips. :o)

I'm enjoying the air conditioning, but look forward to this heat breaking over the weekend. I have a bookcase buildling project that I would much rather do outside than in.

Puppy Plans!

We did some calendar work and found out that Anny could not go with me if we wait until Michelle goes to school to swap Maggie, our new puppy. This led to a lot of playing in our minds about when we could make our drive down to North Carolina. The real key is that we have a three week window with which to work. It would be easier if I was one of you teacher-types and we could just take off whenever. :o)

So, this weekend Anny and I will be driving down to spend the weekend with my mom, step-father, and sister. Mom and Tony have recently decided to move a bit farther inland from where they currently are. Not sure where yet, but they are going to be having a moving sale on Saturday, so I get to be a salesman! I love doing that.

When we come home on Sunday, we will have a beautiful beagle puppy! Thought I don't believe that she reads this blog, many thanks to Michelle, my "baby" sister for the work she has done to mold Maggie into a well behaved dog.

The thing that I am not looking forward to, though, is that apparently she (Maggie, not Michelle) does not travel well in the car. She's quite a drooler, which could be cute for a while, but it's a six hour drive. We're going to put the seat cover on the back seat before we leave. :o)

I really wish I had something more interesting to write about, but I've been sick for three days and this is something that excites ME!

Picked a Peck of Pickled...Cucumbers!

Our second annual Christmas in July celebration was last weekend and it was just the weekend I needed! (This is what the family reunion is nicknamed. See post on 7/20)

Last year it was blazingly hot, so if we weren't inside, we were at the pool. We were only able to handle the pool for about an hour. We spent a lot of time inside!

This year we had a beautiful weekend, with with the weather and with the company of the families gathered there. The family gathered there.

Our particular travel began on Friday with a delayed flight out of Baltimore that caused a very shortened layover in Minneapolis. I always plan for about a two hour layover for a reason! (Though my apologies go out to Jon who requested a gift from the airport. The shops close early there!) We managed to stop for a glass of wine and had enough time to read a few pages before hopping on the small plane to take us to Des Moines. We landed on time, and walked into the open arms of the In-Laws! With the hour time-change, we got to sleep as soon as we got back to the house we were staying in.

I struggle to describe the familys land in Iowa. What do you think of when you think of Iowa? CORN! Trust me, there is corn everywhere. Somehow, the Miller part of the family managed to grab 40 acres of wooded land in the midst of several of those fields. It's a beautiful place to be, no matter the time of year. There are two, custom-built houses on the property. One is nine years old, the other is much newer, only a couple of years old. They are huge and pretty, both inside and out.

Saturday came early for Anny and I. I don't know why, but I am an early riser, even if I get to bed very late. After breakfast, we kind of just hung out in the yard playing with the kids. There are three 2 1/2 year olds (!!) a 4 year old and a 7 year old. Two of the young ones are twins. The thee young ones are amazing together. I think that they have only seen each other three or four times in their lives, but they are best of friends around each other. (Ellie left while the twins were napping on Sunday. When Maddie woke up, she immediately looked for "the girl" to play!!)

Naps for the kids, and their parents, after lunch! Anny and I and a few others went over to the two acre garden that the Millers are experimenting with. They are growing many vegetables to feed the many children and adults out there! (Just for food, not money) I think that things have gotten a bit larger than they anticipated! They are growing squash, pumpkins, beets, potatoes, cucumbers (for pickling mostly), green beans, watermelons and peppers. Apparently it's time for pickling cucumbers and green beans to be ready, so we helped to pick some of those. Before we arrived on Friday we were told that they had already sealed 95 quarts of beans. 95!! It will last the winter, but they have assured each other, and everyone they meet, that they will grow less next year.

Saturday night we just kind of hung out some more. A large group went to the local girls softball game. The towns there are getting geared up for the state playoffs, and unfortunately, "our team" lost, which knocked them out of competition. Anny and I stayed back, mostly because all of the running around with the kids had worn me out pretty badly. After a good night of sleep, I was ready to roll again.

Sunday we went to church in a cute Quaker church. It's always nice to worship someplace new. They are in the process of starting a building campaign, which is pretty exciting. They didn't mention it at church, but Annys Aunt has done the preliminary designing and was showing me. Anyway, after church it was back to the house for lunch. Annys brother and his family left before Ellie needed her nap, hoping that she would sleep in the car. Naps were enjoyed by all on Sunday afternoon I think.

Monday morning Anny and I helped in the garden again, but it began to drizzle so we headed for the house. After a cup of water, Anny said "I am ready to relax for a few hours before we have to leave." Famous last words, right? We ended up helping to take down a tree in the yard that needed to be dropped to put in a new section of driveway. It was a BLAST! I got to use a good chainsaw for the first time in a while, and now I'm hoping to get a new one soon. We'll see.

Flights home were uneventful, which is always nice. I did enjoy sleeping in on Tuesday, though. It was VERY nice.

Overall it was a GREAT weekend and I look forward to doing it again next year. (Don't worry P&S, we didn't discuss any dates or anything after you left!) I'm actually contemplating driving it one of these days, then maybe we could try to bring back some of those nice looking green beans!! (yes there are other things that happened, but this post is too long as it is.)

Too Tired to Blog

Okay - It's late and I have to be to work tomorrow after a nice long weekend. Here are my updates:

Our trip to Iowa was GREAT! I'll post about it later this week.

Other important event today, Nephrologist appointment. Things are better now than since this whole thing started. In the spring when I did the detrimental diet, my protien excretion was over Three Grams. Now is is at Three Hundred MILIgrams!! That's quite the turnaround. At one point it was above Eleven Grams, but that has been several years ago.

So - I will update about Iowa later this week. Hopefully tomorrow, but we'll see.

Take Me Home, Country Road

This weekend seems to be THE weekend to have a family reunion. One of my co-workers is helping to organize her 80+ person family reunion at a picnic ground in DC. Their family is much more organized that I want to be. They have a committee with representatives from each of the families in the group. They do a local picnic every other year. On the OTHER of every other year, they take a major, planned-out trip. I don't remember where they went last year, but next year is Chicago. They work just like any other organization - several sites are scouted out and information is brought back to the committee, who ultimately decides the fate of the extended family reunion.

My mom's family is having a reunion, of sorts. The unwritten reason for the gathering is that my uncle (the oldest) who lives in Oklahoma is going to be visiting my grandma. I have only met him sporadically over the years. Because of the major event of my Grandpa Bill dyeing earlier this year, I have a feeling that this weekend will be one of discernment among the siblings. My mom is not making the trip for several reasons. I sometimes worry that she is distant from the family, but it's hard to continue to make that trip, and she has made it many times this year.

I will also miss the Donovan's (my mom's family). It's unfortunate, though, because if it was next weekend I think that mom would come up and I know that we would have been available. Yes, I told the family this way back in May. Oh well. We are going to miss is because of another family reunion.

Christmas in July is the brainchild of MANY people in my wife's extended family. For many years the family gathered at Christmas time in Iowa like clockwork. When whe Midwest was pounded with snow one year, MIL and FIL were stuck in Wyoming with no way to get there, and BIL and SIL were in an accident on the way and headed home instead. This was the first year that I was invited, as the fiance. I opted to stay home, well in advance, to do "one last" Monroe Family Christmas. It was, after all, the last time that one of us "kids" was getting married. I convinced Anny it was the right thing for me, and I still believe it was. Anny was the only rep from her part of the family to make it "back home" for the holiday.

The next year it was decided that each clan would celebrate on their own, and we would work an every-other-year thing. That was the intent. (That became my first Wyoming Christmas. VERY pretty out there, even with all the snow) I had begun to work on Anny at this point about the number of trips westward we were making. I came to a family wedding completely prepared to be the outcast for suggesting that we gather in Iowa during the summer instead, and let Christmas be for the smaller family units. Turns out, I was not the only one thinking that way!

For many years Jim (among others), my Father-In-Law, had been thinking, if not suggesting, such a shift. There were some other awkward, but necessary, conversations being had at the time, but Anny and I planted the idea into another persons head, and the idea grew into our Christmas in July gathering! I'm very excited this year, now that I know the family a bit better. Even talked Anny into buying water guns for some of the kids, play dough for the others.

So - I will be out of touch for the weekend again. When you think of me, think of me in tie-dye, drinking lots of water, enjoying a relaxing weekend with family. Also, probably eating corn. :o)

A Web Free Weekend

I'm going crazy, people. Our internet access at home is VERY limited. So limited, in fact, that it has worked for about six hours in the last three days. Those hours were while I was at work, of course, but it worked for Anny and Jon. On Sunday I had to resort to cleaning up my workshop since I could not blog. or even read other people's blogs! In reality, that may be a good thing because I have neglected my shop pretty badly. (I can't even reach my screwdrivers without being acrobatic)

I had the weirdest experience last night. For those who do not know, my 18 year old cousin has moved in with us while he attends college. It's a pretty cool deal, because now I have someone to play video games with, and also someone to help with stuff around the house when Anny is doing other stuff. Having Jon in the house is like having a child. That is not to say that he is a child, but Anny and I have lived on our own for so long, that to add someone ten years younger is like having a child around. We did not do all of the diapers, or kindergarten or such, but we have a young man in our home. We do have a young adult who can tell us directly what he does and does not like so we don't have to guess. (Though, I'm working with him to expand his palate of food. How can someone not like Chinese food??)

So - the weird experience. Last night I helped Jon to set up his first semester of college schedule. (Going to my alma mater to get a jump start on the University classes) I remember saying the exact same things he did about taking everything the first semester. Such aspirations. Since Jon does not have a drivers license yet, we had the special issue of trying to find classes at the Hyattsville Extension Center, which is on my way to work, and only about ten minutes from the house.

Taking into account all of the core classes, we managed to line up daytime classes Tuesday and Thursday, with a couple of evenings, and a few Saturdays. Not a bad schedule, and I probably would have taken it myself if I had realized it was an option. I even managed to talk him out of the Psychology class that met Friday from 5 pm - 9:45 pm and Saturday 9 am to 5 pm. Only met three times, but that's too much time in a classroom at once.

When I was growing up, my father used to tell me he had one reason for having children. Mowing the grass. Yep, healthy relationship. Anyway, I realized early on that having a child to mow the grass did not really make any sense. The earliest you can safely mow th lawn is what, 12 or 13 years old? It's just not fiscally responsible to pay for food, clothing and the such for 12 years to wait for the output. (maybe this is the reason that I now plan our bank account out for a year at a time?) With Jon around, we have someone who can, right off the bat, help in the yard with mowing and stuff.

Okay, in re-reading this post I feel like I'm all over the place. Maybe it's because I'm writing two minutes at a time. Back to work for me.

It's Me, Alphabetically!

I have been inspired, to a certain extent, by The Trail Guide over at The OrganTrail. Her first post was simply "101 Things About Me." I don't know that I can do 101, so I decided to go with the alphabet.

So, the following are things about me, some things you know, some you don't. Here's my list:

A - Anny - my wonderful wife. (A also made me think of the Apple Cake I want Anny to make for me from the Racheal Ray Magazine)
B - Blogging - I'm learning to like writing, and reading too! I don't do books very well, I don't have the attention span. Reading blogs is easy, reading books is hard. (typo intentional)
C - Change - I don't carry coins unless I have JUST recieved them. I have two different change stashes at home, and one at the office.
D - Dog Lover - We have one, and puppy on the way. At family gatherings there are typically up to seven dogs to 14 people!
E - Eclectic - I listen to a wide variety of music. I have everything from Classical to Classic Rock, from Rap to Country. (I even have a playlist called "International Music" which has mostly songs that I don't understand.) If you have something you think I haven't heard and should, let me know what it is and I'll usually buy it!
F - FSGS - The type of Kidney Disease I have. I wish it didn't shape my life, but it really does.
G - Glenkirk - I worked at Camp Glenkirk for many years, in many different roles. I miss it from time to time. Anny and I met and married there, so it has always meant a lot to us. (It's now becoming houses)
H - Humorous - I like to laugh, and like even more to make other people laugh.
I - Immunosuppresants - I take these twice a day to battle my FSGS. Yes, there are other meds, too, but these are the long-term ones that are supposed to be working.
J - Job - I really like my job. I get to work with and for people that I really respect, and even have fun from time to time!
K - Kidneys - for obvious reasons.
L - Laity - I feel a true sense of call to Lay Ministry in the church.
M - Michelle - My "kid" sister chose her college in part to be closer to my brother and I, since we have not really known her for many years. (separate homes, 10 year age span)
N - New House - We just bought our first house this week, so lots of time and energy are going into that for the coming months. In our weird situation, we've been doing the time and energy for a while, but it's totally worth it!
O - Obsessive - I actually check my sitemeter about six times a day. I did really well on my diet, because I was actually addicted to making myself look better.
P - Potassium - Because of my disease, I am not allowed to have potassium. In the past, I have been more forgiving, and probably will be again, but for now it's nil in my body. Want to see the list of stuff with Potassium?
Q - Q.E.D. - The only thing I remember from math in high school. It is Latin for Quod Erat Demonstrata (which is to be demonstrated). This is how we ended our math problems.
R - Red - It's the color of my hair. It's natural, thankyouverymuch, and I will never permanently die it another color. (I did spray in neon green once)
S - "Shame" - One of my nicknames at work. I picked it up because I apparently have no shame when it comes to kissing up. An Equal Opportunity Suck Up!
T - Technology - I'm fascinated by innovation. Since I'm the youngest at work, I defaulted as the Tech guy. It's okay, though, because I enjoy learning it as I go.
U - Uncle - I have a soon-to-be three year old niece whom I adore. Another one is on the way.
V - Vacuuming - It's one of my jobs on the chore list. (Dusting too)
W - Walking - I am struggling to find a diet I can do well, but Anny and I ahve been walking around one of two lakes near our house.
X - XY - I'm a boy. (chromosomes folks)
Y - You - I'm very into other people. My personality is definately feeds off of other people! (and on that topic, YOU can comment on this post. See below)
Z - Zamboni - I'm a HUGE hockey fan. Someone will think "why did it take you until Z to mention hockey?" My answer - I didn't go in order, silly-head!

I know that this list is different now than it would have been six months ago. I also know that the list is different than it will be six months from now. I've added a note to my calendar to update it every six months, so that later on I can see where I was, and look to where I have come.

This list took me a lot less time than I thought. The one that took the longest was N. N should be an easy one. XY is kind of lame, but tell me, what would you have used for X??

Two Presbytery Pastors in the Washington Post!

HERE is an article from the Washington Post. (The link should work for about two weeks without needing to register to read the Post) The article is about Pastors who are using blogging to reach out to the younger generation on a more personal basis.

When I read the article, I was struck at the idea that people being connected to their Pastor on a daily, personal basis is a new idea. Not knowing our pastor was never an issue, because he lived in town. I think back to the way that we got to know the first Pastor that I can remember, we had a meal (usually dinner) with him on a regular basis, or just ran into him at the grocery store.
That's just not a reality anymore. It does not make sense for a pastor to feel like that have to live in walking distance, because times have changed. It's hard for a family to make time to sit down to dinner with just the parents and children, but trying to schedule your pastor into that also? As it is, churches seem to be struggling to get people to lead the programs that are going on because of other commitments, so why should pastors be held to a different standard? They are parents, aunts, uncles, or grandparents, just like the rest of us.

I'm a fan of being able to connect on a personal basis with more than one Pastor also. I have the privilege of working with several people with "Rev." as their title, so I have a different view than most. I like to hear what other leaders in the Denomination are thinking about the issues facing our Church (capital Church, Church as a whole) as well as in their local churches.

Anyway, I've rambled much farther than I planned to. I have to assume that most of you agree, because you are bloggers yourselves. :o)

Gonna Be an Uncle, Again!

I love my niece more than almost anything in the world. She's really the cutest kid around! We've gotten word that Sarahlynn is pregnant again, and that things are going really well!! HOORAY!

http://sarahlynn.blogspot.com/2006/07/it-takes-two-to-make-it-outta-sight.html

A Nice Day for Fish

Today we went up to Baltimore to the National Aquarium. I was not necessarily excited, but appropriately ready to go. I enjoy museums and such for about an hour, then I get bored. Today was a different story! (Blessing)

We got up there with no traffic problems, a small miracle in itself. I dropped off Anny and the In-Laws while I went hunting for a parking garage. When I rejoined them, we picked up the pre-purchased tickets with no problem and went straight in! (had to beat the school groups) We wandered around and looked in the huge tanks of rays, sharks and fish.

The real reason that I wanted to go is that they have recently opened their Australia Outback exhibit, where the animals are free to roam as they like, and we just walk through their habitat. VERY COOL. The National Zoo in DC has an Amazon exhibit that has the same base, and theirs has more animals. We head down to the zoo about every other year, and have not been in a while. Hmm....

Anyway, when we bought tickets, we purchased the ones that got us into the Dolphin Show! It was very exciting, and all four of us were very happy that we got to enjoy it without a school or camp group under our care. :o) It makes a difference. We got lots of pictures, and Anny got a great one that cost me some money. Our camera has a wonderful landscape feature, which is perfect for events like these. We were getting too many, or so I thought. I told her that if she could get a good one with a dolphin completely out of the water, I would give her $5 in cash. Here's what she got:


Yes, I circled a dolphin about 22 feet in the air, since it does blend in a little. I can't believe she got the picture, but sure am glad that she did. It will be our desktop for the next few weeks, until we get good Iowa pictures.

I got lost getting the car, but that was not a big deal. We had CPK for lunch, which I have been looking forward to for weeks. Their pizzas have such a far range of choice that I can find them with no tomatoes or tomato sauce.

We're home watching the rain fall AGAIN today. We have started to collect some of it so that when we are in a system of no rain, we can use the water for plants. Our pumpkin plants have started to grow nicely, using mostly rain water. We got another 30 gallons from our earlier storm, which is our capacity in our trash can. I'll put pictures up on that soon, I just have a couple of tweaks to do to make it perfect.

But Just How Clean is Clean?

I have had to re-learn what the word clean means.

Growing up I was not a cleaner at all. My method of cleaning was to rearrange a room. When you rearrange, everything has to be dealt with: keep, trash, or to be put away. Simple process, but my problem became that I tended to rearrange our rec room once a month. (Granted, this was high school and college) I dub this "The Rearranger" and it has since been toned down at the request of just about everyone I have ever lived with.

I used to be what I would call a "Closet Cleaner" meaning that if it was on the floor, it would go into the closet for the day I needed it to be clean. Once the need for clean was gone, it would come back out.

I learned later to get out of that, and become what I would call a "Pile Cleaner" meaning that if it was in a pile, it was clean. Old bills, computer pieces, et cetera are considered clean if they are in a neat pile, or in a basket.

Over the weekend, I needed to learn a new way. I guess it would be a "Complete Cleaner." A list was needed because there was so much to be cleaned. For this weekend's cleaning, there was help, and I played a role just like everyone else. My solo job was to dust and vacuum the first floor of the house. Jon's role was to clean his room, and help out in other places as needed. Anny's job was the dirty work: bathrooms and kitchen. In my defense, she likes to clean!

So, that cleaning seems normal, right? That's because it is. The Complete Clean comes in when the realization hits that in three hours my father in law will arrive, and five hours after that, my mother in law will arrive too. (She was at a conference in NYC) I found out that our Furnace Room and Closets needed a good cleaning before the end of the weekend! The furnace room has probably not been clean since the day the house was built, because it is a working storage room. (Freezer, canned foods and other such extras)

It needed to be done, and now that it is done it's very nice. We've all learned new things as this process has been going along. Next time, and I'm sure there will be a next time, I will know to expect that a "Complete Clean" job is expected, and that a list is REQUIRED!

What kind of cleaner are you?

Cleaning Up, in Several Ways

For those of you who have visited before, you will notice little changes in colors around the site. I am working on learning HTML but have yet to take a class. This is truly the first time that I have sought the advice and teachings of a younger person when it comes to technology! It's a weird feeling, but it's okay. My cousin had to take HTML in school, so he has a ton of knowledge. English? Math? I don't know how he did, but in HTML he gets a good grade from me!

Mostly I'm working to add other links, and have played around with some colors. It's fun to see the charts of all of the available colors! Soooo many.

The other Cleaning Up that's going on is in the house. My In-Laws will be here on Monday for a week. I'm looking forward to it! I know, I know, you're supposed to dread having your MIL in your home, picking out all of the problems that you don't notice on a daily basis. I look forward to having them around. :o) ((Yes, I realize that my wife and sister-in-law read this!))

It sounds like we will have a week of being tourists, and shoppers, and loungers. I'm a fan of all of those things! We'll head up to the Baltimore Aquarium one day, and may even do some Smithsonian stuff another day.

So - posting could go one way or the other - I'll need to blog to share good news, or I will have no time to blog, so I will not be up for a week or so. I'll probably ge another one in before they come, but may spend more time playing with formatting instead. :o)

My Silly Times

For years I have associated dates with times. It's silly, and probably compulsive. I'm probably glad that there are as many hours and minutes on our clock as there are months and days on a calendar.

Examples:
My wife and I share a birthday on December 16th, though several years apart. Every day when I actually catch it, I will send an email or text message at 12:16 to her saying something along the lines of "It's Birthday Time!!"

I think that it's partly because I like to find little celebrations every day. I used to send flowers on Tuesdays with a note that just said, "Happy Tuesday!" I'm the eternal optimist, I guess, but that's a good thing, right!??

The other one that I notice most often is 7:11 - Slurpee Time. I don't often have a slurpee, but it's fun to think I could have it twice a day with purpose!

The 7:11/Slurpee thing is also something I just do with a friend's birthday. Her birthday is July 11th, so I refer to it as the slurpee birthday! (What a great birthday, because they actually GIVE AWAY slurpees at 7-11!!)

There are others, but they are even more silly. I'm positive it's compulsion, but if it's positive it's okay I think. That's what I tell myself.....

Technology is Awesome!

I have not been to a General Assembly meeting. Having worked summers at Camp, it was not ever really convenient. Now we are on a new every-other year approach. I don't know that I will ever get to go.

What I CAN do, though, is watch the general sessions online! I would even be okay with just streaming audio, because I am replacing my regular radio listening with the GA proceedings. I didn't even know what I was watching one day, and it turned out to be the pre-speeches for the moderator elections!

I'm not a fan of the folks that just want to go to a microphone to say things like "we need coffee" or "where is the Bible in the LES system." I know that there is a reason for the open mic time, and that the purpose is things like coffee and technology, but it just seems very out of place. Those are things that could be dealt with in other ways and they come off as complaints.

Right now I'm listening to the debate about the Executive Director of the General Assembly Council. (Elder Valentine from Fourth Pres in Chicago was elected very easily.)

It's also very cool to me that the Advisory Delegates get to vote prior, with no actual power on the outcome, get to cast their votes in advance of the others and that their results are displayed. It's a neat thing from my youth ministry background to see that there is an importance put on their opinions, no matter what the issue is.

If you want to view the things going on in Birmingham, this is the direct link:
http://www.pcusa.org/ga217/

My Kidney Story, Part 2

For previous post, click HERE

(A quicker synopsis is - got sick, doctor #2 diagnosed, and referred me to Dr K)

Upon diagnosis by Dr Lee, he immediately prescribed a diuretic medicine, to alleviate the massive amount of water that my body had been collecting in my legs, face and hands. The diuretic made me need to … umm… pee a LOT more than any normal person should during a day. At the place I worked, it was really inconvenient, too!

My first impression when entering Dr. David Kessler's office (I only use his real name once, and only really use it because he is no longer practicing.) was how home-like feeling it was. Two older women at the desk were the nicest doctors’ office employees I had ever met! Didn't have a checkbook to pay my co-pay, no big deal, just mailed it when I got home. In looking around the office, it was obvious that Dr K was a WWII veteran. Pictures all over the office of aircraft or medical units during war time. Several signed by government big-wigs.

I found out later that he was a pilot, but not able to fly the F-16's in the pictures. :o) He was pushing retirement age, which he confirmed at my second visit when he told me that he was hiring on a partner to take over the practice when it was time for him to move on.

So - the Dr K era began. He explained to me that is very strange for someone of my age (22 at the time) to get the nephritis that was be presenting itself. At first glance (severe edema), urine sample and one blood draw, the diagnosis was acute adolescent nephritis. The next test that I got to do was a 24 hour urine sample. NOT fun. For starters, it’s extremely embarrassing. I learned that I needed to take the day off of work if I was going to be doing a sample of this nature. The good news is that I only need to do this once or twice a year.

When the sample results came back, we then proceeded with the process of having a kidney biopsy done. I don't recommend this to anyone. A kidney biopsy is so invasive that most nephrologists don't even do it, they refere to specialists to do it. I did so poorly at it, that I had to go three seperate times:

My first biopsy was done "traditionally." You have to stay awake during the process, so that you can tell them what you're feeling, and to minimize any damage to the kidney. I was laid down into an MRI machine, where they used imaging to locate my kidney. I then had to hold my breath and then inserted a 9 inch needle type instrument into my back. They had apparently not used enough anestesia, becuase I felt it very painfully. They did this three times, and sent off the biopsy to the Mayo Clinic. Not enough of a good sample, I would have to have another one.

My second biopsy was a bit more progressive, an ultrasound. They lubed up my back and used imaging again to locate my kidney. At this point all I could think about was the pain that the other process brought. I freaked out again, and almost passed out. The doctor stopped the procedure and sent what he could get to the Mayo Clinic. Again, not enough of a sample to make a good diagnosis.

My third biopsy was done by putting me completely under with general anesthesia and make a cut in the side of my stomach. When this method is used, they can physically stop motion of your kidney to do a biopsy. The major downside, though, is that it really is major surgery. I had an incision of about 9 inches, which is now a pretty cool scar with staple marks across the whole thing! Chicks dig scars, but not this one!

With the final sample, they were able to diagnose me with FSGS, focal segmental glomerulonephritis. HERE is what Nephcure has to say about it.

I was put onto prednisone, a steroid. This is the first step in almost every nephrotic treatment. This post is already too long, so I will pick up at this point again when I am ready to venture farther. I am finding it theraputic to write about this experience, and I pray that someone just finding out that they have this disease is able to find some comfort in knowing that other people have gone through the same issues.

Pot-Luck Lunch - Mmmm. Lunch.

If you found me by google, I apologize that this is probably not what you're looking for. I honestly don't know what people ARE looking for when they google potluck lunch. Post a comment below and let me know what you're after. I have a ton of ideas for both recipes and themes, but don't know what people are looking for! Comment and I'll be helpful!

Update: I have found a good site for recipes. I have not tried any of them yet, but most sound GREAT! Here it is: http://cookingadventure.blogspot.com/

Another Update: I have begun to post recipes that my family has discovered recently. They are available over at http://recipes.mdmonroes.com.

I'm a former Youth Director, and will probably volunteer with you again sometime. I left my last position (paid, though the money went directly back to the youth program) because of my move last summer to Maryland. I don't know that I would take a part-time paid position again, because I don't take "part-time" to heart very well. Needless to say, it was really hard for me to leave.

I had volunteered at my previous church from the day I graduated until the day that I left. It started out as a way to get me away from the Senior Highs to let them develop their leadership skills. I hated the thought at the time, but am very grateful to the Educator who was at our church at the time. I actually thank her for it about every three months when I bump into her. Without her nudge, I would have been one of those famous 18-30 year olds who leave the church!

So, now on to the title of my post - last Sunday we had a congregational pot luck lunch to sit down and hear from a consultant who was hired to help our church discern how to use our newly found mortgage money. It always amuses me that as soon as a church has a mortgage paid off, it's time to go back into debt with a new building or something of the like.

So, the congregation was given a survey on two Sundays, and via email for us slackers who weren't in church those weeks. 75+ responses is a great number from a church our size. In identifying our priorities of ministry, four things came out on top:
Outreach/Mission
Nurturing
Education
Worship

Number four on the list with 8 votes was "Youth." We then looked at priorities for 10-20 years out. Same four, with 10 votes for "Youth."

The question presented to those in attendance was "are these the values that you can all agree on?" Split into groups of 4-5 people and talked for a few minutes, then presented to the room. Each and every group identified Youth and Young Adults as needing to be placed into a priority and value for ministry.

Each year the church hires a Seminarian on a one year basis, and part of their job description is Youth Ministry. I have learned from experience that I don't want to step on toes, but I think it's time that I got back into it. I think I have to learn more about their specific program and see if my volunteering would even be helpful, or if I should find another part of the Church that I can be helpful in.


But, I have been thinking about approaching the Pastor about getting back into Youth Ministry for several weeks now, as the school year is ending and I'm thinking back to summers past. Now is the time for planning next year, mission trips, and a day or two of just plain fun at a theme park. It's the time for reflection on the lives of seniors, and looking forward to the almost-middle schoolers as they arrive. Good times. Great times!

So, I have to figure out a way to talk with the pastor about getting involved while there is still a lot of passion swirling around it. Anny told me that she wants to be more involved in this ministry, if I go through with it, because most of them will not be her students like at my last church.

We'll see. I'm praying about it for a few more days before I bring it up at church.