Haiti mission trip and John K. Bahr!

So John and I took a mission trip to Haiti last week with a team of 10 others from our church (Crosspointe Church) in Cary, NC.

I'm still processing a lot of what I saw, smelled, and experienced but the MOST profound thing that I can say without a doubt - is that my husband, the one and only, John K. Bahr, is my hero.

We were separated much of the trip, just doing different missions, but I was able to watch him from a distance on several occasions. Every time that I watched him, without him knowing, I thanked God for his heart. My husband has a servants heart. He never once complained and he is always there for whatever the task at hand may have been.

He not only shared a room AND bathroom/shower with 9 other men, he didn't sleep well (which is nothing new), but it was also veryyyy veryyyyy hot in Haiti... I never once heard him utter a complaint.

I love his heart. I love his desire to be a better person. I love that God chose HIM for me!

Balancing act.

Over the last several weeks, our lives seem to have spiraled out of control. From John's "extended stay" at Duke, my Granny passing away, and other "stuff" that I don't feel at liberty to discuss with the WORLD via the WORLD WIDE WEB... John and I have been left feeling tired, worn out, run down, beat up, and just overall... BLAH!

Last week, I began praying about where I was with everything in my life. And God revealed things that needed to be addressed, cleaned up, worked on, and refreshed.

Balance. I needed it back in my life.

So, last week I started with getting back to a regular schedule. When I got home in the evening I worked out, I had quiet time, and I forced myself to take time to just "be"... this meant less cell phone, email, and Facebook time. I had to unplug.

Tonight, after a very busy weekend, I feel like I'm ready to try and tackle next week with the same strategies that I implemented last week.

Focus. Balance. and Quiet time.

Cheers to hopefully another successful attempt at finding it.

JB's "extended stay" at the hospital...

Who knew that a little cut from a pocket knife (4 stitches worth) would cause us to have an "extended vacation" at Duke University Hospital?

While the majority of this experience was a scary time, John and I were able to share a lot during those 4 days.  Basically, time stopped for a little while.  We were FORCED to slow down, "unplug", wait, pray, and just let the Dr's do what they do best.  

There were several funny things that happened... 

Yesterday, JB's manager and friend, Mark, came to visit him in the hospital - which was completely unexpected and appreciative.  He said:  I've got a little something for you from the office.  He reached into his pocket and pulls out a little white, plastic knife that was signed "get well"  "get better soon", etc and signed by all his work mates.  Hilarious!  I WILL be framing that and putting it up in the garage where the "incident" occurred.

Then this morning, I ran down to the cafeteria to get us both some (really baddd) coffee.  I set it up in front of him on the tray and put a straw in the cup w/ a lid and warned him that it was INDEED hot!  When i noticed that he was struggling w/ it, I bent the straw so he could reach it. I turned around and heard a horrible grunt and moan - I looked and JB had taken a sip out of the straw, but b/c it was bent it downward, the hot coffee spilled out onto his chest.  The poor man had 2 hands that weren't "available" to wipe away the hot coffee... Bottom line, he burnt his whole chest.  

I felt sooo terrible - then he looks at me with a serious look and says:  "are you TRYING to kill me? now I've got a CHEST WOUND to boot!  Guess they'll be sending me to the BURN UNIT NEXT!"  We both busted out laughing!  I mean at THAT point, you had to laugh.

I will say that now that we are finally home, showered, and happy about the promise of sleeping in our own bed - I can't help but reflect on how incredibly fragile life really is.  Sheryl Crow nails it when she sings that every day is a winding road!  

a fresh hair cut... an ode to Kim!

Tonight I got my haircut.  While that isn't exciting to anyone OTHER than myself, I am so incredibly happy about it!

I love my girl, Kim Young at Mitchells at Southpoint... Let me tell ya, she's AWESOME!  

I told her tonight that I wasn't leaving until she gave me her cellphone number -- b/c I told her that if she EVERRR leaves Mitchells and doesn't tell me about it -  I WILL kick, scream, and cry!  I even told her that I would FLY to Korea to FIND her and have her cut my hair... ;o)

People, she's THAT good and I love her.

So, tonight before I got in the bed I had to give my girl, Kim a shout out!... even though she doesn't read my blog.  I don't care. 

Basically, she made my day and I'm grateful.

 

Molly-isms...

Molly is 10... going on 38!  She is very intuitive, insightful, thoughtful, caring, and has acquired a very funny personality.  Molly is my sidekick and I just love being in her company!

Last weekend when we got the kids, I hadn't seen them since our trip to Disney World and I had really missed them.  

Molly came up to me and said, "Um, do you have something for me?"

Me:  what do you mean?  We are getting ready for dinner?  No.

Molly: You know... something for me?

Me:  Nope. (thinking to myself - JUST BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SEEN U IN A WHILE DOES NOT WARRANT A GIFT???  maybe I can make a lesson out of this...)  

Molly:  So, you mean, you don't have a gift for me... IN YOUR BELLY?

Me:  Dumbfounded?  What???? WHAAAATTTTT????  NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Later that weekend, we go to Barnes and Noble.  I go get coffee, John takes the kids upstairs to the kids section and when I get up there, both kids are in their dads lap (big surprise!) in an over stuffed chair.  

To no surprise of coarse, John and Mack are looking at a book about "fancy-handled-knives". Molly, on the other hand, is "hiding" the book that she has chosen.  (She's at the stage that she can (and WILL) read anything - and age "appropriate-ness" is always a factor!)

  

Me: Molly, I hope that you have chosen to read something that is age appropriate?

Molly:  ummm

Me:  Mol, really - I dont want you reading something that you know isn't appropriate!

   (me, looking at the book that she is hiding... I GASP!)

Molly;  I KNEWWW you were going to do that and I'm ONLY looking at it for the book I'm writing.

ME:  DEER IN HEADLIGHTS...

Ummm, yeah.  Its the one and only:  60,000 BABY NAMES!

Good grief... this kid is hard up for a sibling?  Someone PLEASE send my kid a baby doll!!!!

... that cries, poops, stays up ALL night, and that needs funding for a college education!

SIGHHH... welcome to my life!

What I love most about myself???

Tonite, I had a Hot Totties meeting with some of my most favorite women!

We started with an icebreaker where we threw a ball of yarn from one person to the next and we had to answer a question that our President (the one and only, rockin' SUZANNE!) came up with.

Several questions like:

• What kind of animal would you be given the choice?
• What is the best gift ever given to you?
• If you had to lose one of your senses what would it be?

My question was ....

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF????

On the spot, you dont have a lot of time to think about a question of this caliber! Of coarse, I started out with, "ummm, wellllll, there are JUST. SOOOO. MANY. THINGS. ITS. REALLY. HARD. TO. CHOOSE."

I quickly came up with: My personality.

I'm really grateful that God granted me the ability to laugh... both at myself and lifes' many insane situations.

But I have to say that after thinking about the question the rest of the evening, I do, INDEED, love a lot of things about myself....

I love that:

• I can forgive myself for mistakes that I've made.
• I've worked really hard to be a successful woman.
• I've got an AMAZING network of friends... outside of where I'm from!
• I have a very happy marriage.
• I work hard to love myself - regardless of lifes UPS and DOWNS!
• at the end of the day, I know, that I know, THAT I KNOW, that God loves me right. where. I. am.!... I really love that I know that... b/c there are people that I love very deeply that still don't know that!

So for what its worth, I really DO love a lot about myself.... and honestly, not in a cocky, conceited way... but in a way that I'm really proud of... and today, on the 55th wedding anniversary of my very beloved grandparents, I'm happy to say that because of their endless love and reinforcement, I believed what they said about me... " I have a lot to be proud of."

Overwhelmed and testy!

So why is it that on a Saturday when I WANT to enjoy a day at the pool is it THE most overcast day of the year?

Tell me then, Whyyyy is it that since its an overcast day can't I sleep in past 7am?

Whyyy is it that when I get up at the crack of dawn do I feel the need to do YARD WORK?

WHYYYYY CAN'T I ENJOY A LEISURE DAY OFF PEOPLE???

WHY CAN'T I SIT STILL FOR ONEEEE MINUTE AND NOTTT FEEL THE NEED TO DO LAUNDRY, CLEAN THE HOUSE, DO YARD WORK, AND WELL... JUST EEEENNJOYYY IT????

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGgggggggggggggggg...

Husband on the other hand...

Slept in, read a book (yes a WHOLE book), worked out with the guys, smoked a cigar, and watched a movie.

WOMEN? Why aren't we wired to just CHILL?

... oh wait, thats right?!! B/c if WE "chill" NOTHING WILL GET DONE AROUND HERE???
GOOD GRIEF!

Feeling a bit overwhelmed and testy tonight... sorry fellas!

...ahhhhh, that's better!