One more Funeral

I feel like one of the only times I write is when we have another funeral. Our poor little church has seen so many of it's older members go home this year. This is the 7th death that we've had and the 5th funeral I am going to be helping with. Fred's wife died back in July and was buried on their 49th wedding anniversary. Fred was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after that. He fought long enough to finish his last book. He wrote a book about his and his wife's life and their faith and how God brings things around full circle. Once he had that done his body just gave up. He was a sweet many who just turned 72 this year. He will be missed by so many.

In looking back and wondering home we could have so much death this past year I was reminded by how many we still have with us. My boss and our church pastor, Dave, was diagnosed with Lymphoma back in June. He has now been told he's in remission. We had a couple of other different cancer scares this year. So I am looking at this in both ways as to those who are still with us and those who are not. God is doing a mighty thing through all this with our church. He has brought us all together to rally around those who have suffered loss and to support those in bad health. Old and young have come together to help each other and that is what makes this such a special place. God's amazing love shows through so many of the people here that you just can't help but to want to be a part of it all.

The Most Wonderful Time of the year!

Just to update those who read my blog earlier, Trace's surgery went extremly well. It last only 5 hours and everything looks great. Thanks for your prayers.

Well this week I started leaving Sophia home with her daddy while I come to work. I loved having her here with me but she needs more attention now. She wants to play and be talked to and move around and it's hard for me to do that with her while I'm supposed to be working. It's been really hard on me because I have loved having her company. It's hard to believe she'll be 6 months on the 28th already.

Abbie has her first school Christmas program tomorrow morning. She is really excited about it. She's been practicing all the songs they are going to sing. She loves her preschool but we are still thinking about home schooling her next year. I don't want to send her to the elemetarty school that she would go to. The building is so old. It's 3 floors and the top floor only has one set of stairs to get up or down. Hello! Fire Safety! Yeah that falls under a grandfather clause and they don't have to have an extra exit. We have a great Christian school that several of our friends send their kids to but the cost is just too high for us. I know we need to decide soon. If we do home school her Justin would be the one to teach her. He's much more patient than I am.

The wonderful Ohio weather stricks again. We have rain right now which should turn to freezing rain and then to snow by mid afternoon. I'm going to have a fun drive home from work today. At least we just put new tires on Justin car.

I had to have 3 teeth pulled on Monday. Two of them were ones that I had root canals done on while we lived in Vegas. Why didn't I just have them pulled then. I have one thing to say, Our dental insurance is a lot better here than in Vegas and the doctors charges are a lot better too. I really like the dentist we choose and his office is right up the street so it all works out great.

Well I've just babbled on today. I had to do a personal review of my abilities and so forth for my job here at church. The board is going to look it over at their meeting on Sunday. It's weird trying to review myself. Well I better finish this and get to work.

 

Prayer Request

I would like to ask everyone to pray for a little 7 year old boy who comes to my church. His name is Trace and he is having surgery today to put in two growth rods along his spine. Trace has Spinabifida(spelling) which is the curving of the spine. The mortality rate of his surgery is 50/50 but without it he could die within the next 6 months. The way his spine is curving it is cutting off all of his vital organs. Trace is a very sweet little boy. His surgery with last 12 hours and started at 6:00a.m. eastern time. Thank you all for your prayers.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Well our high today is 32 degrees, but I have to say the weather has surely helped to put me in the spirit of things. There's a light dusting of snow outside but there's ice on all the road signs and trees. It looks very calm and peaceful. I love being at work in the mornings before anyone else comes in and I can just soak up the quiet and peacefulness of the church. The ladies came and decorated over the weekend and they did a great job making things look festive yet classy and simple. The sanctuary feels so warm compared to outside. I'm feeling a little sentimental and stuff today. Last night we had a moms meeting for moms with young kids. It's our version of MOPS, anyway we were talking about traditions that we can start with our kids and we had a mom come in who has 4 kids ages 26 to 10 and she talked about the different things that she started when her oldest was little and that she still does with her youngest. My point here is that the traditions that I most remember and now miss are the ones we did with our friends in Vegas. Our Thanksgiving traditions and our Christmas traditions and those are what I crave at this time of year. I miss going out to cut down a tree. Now we use our fake one we had before we moved to Vegas. I miss watching Christmas Vacation on Thanksgiving and sitting around a crowded housefull of our friends. I want to start new traditions with our kids especially now since Abbie and Kaleb are old enough to remember them and want to keep doing them so when Sophia is old enough she'll want to be apart of them too. I do have to say that I enjoying baking with the cold weather. It makes the house feel all cozy and warm while I bake and look outside and it's cold and snowy. Wow! When did I can to be so sappy?

Death

I don't know what is going on with our little church that so many people keep dying. Our organist at our church passed away in her sleep last night. She was in her 60's and just had a hysterectomy last week. Her husband woke up this morning and went to ask her what she would like for breakfast. He thougth that she was still asleep but then when he touched her he realized she was already gone. I've know Judi and Willi all of my life. This is just a big shock to all of us. In the little over a year that I have worked here we have had 6 deaths in our congregation of around 225. It's just getting to be a little more than I can handle as a church secretary.
We have an older man who's wife died this past summer having brain surgery to have a tumor removed this morning. My boss Dave, our pastor, just called me and he is going back and forth between Willi's house and the hospital. Dave himself is still recovering from Lymphoma. We have several others with cancer or other problems right now too. I just don't know how one little church can go through so much.

There's a lot of other things going on but I won't go into anymore. Pray for my church. We are on the edge of growing and changing and satan is really trying to keep us from doing that.

Updates and things

I thought that I should let you all know that my sister Stephanie had her baby on September 19. After 16 hours of hard labor they ended up doing an emergency c-section. David Martin Guenther was born at 11:30p.m., and weighed 6lbs 14oz. She had been told all a long that he was going to be a big baby, but they got that wrong. At least they didn't get the sex wrong. She's doing well and so is her baby. It amazes me how motherly she is.

I've recently been in contact through email with Sabrina and Jules. Jules and Steven had visited us on their way to Washington state just after I had Sophia. It was a short overnight visit but it was great getting to see them. I know that most of the time that Jules lived with us I whined and complained about a lot of things, because that is what I do, but I have come to find how much I truly enjoyed having as a friend. She brightens up my day with a quick email and it just makes me wish that I had been a better friend while we lived together. I've also come to the conclusion that I suck at living with other people. Justin would probably leave me if he wasn't married to me. Ok that's probably an exaggeration, well I hope it is. I'm bossy and controlling and I just complain and whine way too much. It's only taken me 28 1/2 years to figure this out. I've missed Sabrina and I'm sorry that I used her ear as someone to complain to all the time.

Sophia is doing well. She's growing at a normal rate. I can't believe she'll be 4 months old next week. She still comes to work with me which I love. She's a very calm baby. Right now she's being held by the ladies here for Thursday morning bible study. They love having her down there with them on Thursdays.

I think we are going to carve pumpkins with the kids this year. I recently found out that my husband has never carved a pumpkin. I think we are going to remedy that this year. Justin's home about 4 nights a week now so I've been trying to find more family things we can do together. That is when he's not out digging up my back yard. That's a whole other story that I won't go into.

Well it is Thursday which is my busiest day at work so I guess I better get to it.

My Kids

My kids are such wonderful blessings to me. Each time I look at them I am just amazed by how creative God is. Each one has their own personallity and their own look. Abbie is my whiner but she is my most creative. She can make up all kinds of stories which also means she can lie pretty well too. I look at her and I see me. Not just in her looks but in her stuborness and her moodiness. I think that is why we argue the most. Kaleb is my sweetheart. He loves to give hugs and kisses. The only problem with Kaleb is he's bigger than your average 21/2 almost 3 year old. We are still working on what it means to be gentle. He tries it's just hard. Justin has already be showing him how to be a great blocker for football. Kaleb is our boy and he is all boy. He loves to bother Abbie because he knows he can. I look at them though and I am thankful that they have each other. They may fight and yell but they have a bond that will never break. Then there is my sweet Sophia. She has been my best baby so far. She comes with me to work everyday. She is very calm which is good when there's just one of you most of the time. She reacts well to Abbie and Kaleb even when they are right in her face. This is my family and I love them and thank God for them.

Justin's grandma past away over the weekend. I remember when he took me to meet her the first time. We had just started dating and he wanted me to meet his grandma. His grandma was the image of what you typically would think a grandma would look like. She was a short, round white haired little lady. Her house smelled of moth balls and she always wore skirts. I remember her home was just full of stuff that she had collected over the years. She loved to cook and loved to bake. She made quilts and was well known for them where she lived. Everyone knew Norma Cleaveland. I wish that my kids could have known her better. I wish that I could have known her better. She would have been 90 in November. She had a bunch of Grandchildren and even more great grandchildren.

I've been in a very reflective mood lately. I've been really good at going through the motions lately. Of doing the right things and being the person everyone thinks that I should be. I'm working on finding out who I am. Who it is that I want to be. I don't know. I could just say that I have a little post pardum depression but I think it is more than that. I'm not happy with myself as a whole. It's not just my body but my heart and soul. I need a makeover of my heart I think before I can work on the rest. Wow I don't know where all that came from but that is me and where I am. Now I must tend to my calm little girl who isn't so calm at the moment.

LIFE!! Where's the pause button!

OK so Sophia will be four weeks old tomorrow. Where has the time gone. Sophia Ellen Clark was born at 9:34am on Tuesday June 28. This was after my doctor was an hour late because he over slept. She weighed7lbs. 14oz. and was 21 inches long. She looks just like Abbie and a little like Kaleb. She has been a real joy. Kaleb wanted to take her home right away. He loves his baby Sophie. Abbie is very helpful. Always telling me it's time to feed the baby. Abbie doesn't like to let her cry. She tells everyone she meets about her new baby sister. I only took two weeks off of work which were very nice. Justin was off for a week also so it was nice for both of us to be home together. Last week we had Vacation Bible School at our church. I was one of the co directors. It was a fun but very busy week. This is my first real week back at church with nothing too pressing hanging over. Sophia is coming with me to work. It is really nice to have a job where I can bring her along.

My boss Dave is still out on medical leave. He's feeling better, but still trying to get his strength back. We had another death in our church this past week. It seems that several of our older members are dying off. Since I have taken over as church secretary we have had 5 deaths in our church. That's 5 in the last 10 months, in a church of about 225 people.

If I knew how to post a picture on here I would. Just to let you know our old email is no longer working (theclarks816@adelphia.net or jennmarie@adelphia.net) Our new email address at home is theclarks816@fuse.net and my work email is jennclark@calvarychapelcma.org
Iwill try emailing pictures as soon as I can.

And soon we'll be 5

Well tomorrow morning at 8:00am I am having my c-section. It's still strange to me to have a scheduled time to go to the hospital, but it's very nice in the planning. My baby room is still not ready but I am hoping it will be done by time Sophia and I come home from the hospital. We are waiting on a piece for our changing table that was damaged. Everyone is excited and waiting. It's nice to be home in Cincinnati with my family this time. Justin's parents are keeping the kids most of the week and my mom will be with me some at the hospital. All my friends here are excited about being here for the birth of one of my kids. Although I miss all my friends in Vegas who have been there for the birth of my first two.

I'm a little nervous about being out of the office at our church. There is just so much going on right now. Our pastor, Dave, my boss is in the hospital recovering from having his spleen removed last wednesday. He was officially diagnoised with Lymphoma and the found it all to be in his spleen. When they removed his spleen it was the size of a football. Yes it was just a bit enlarged. He's been running fevers still and they are not sure what is causing them. We have several men in our church who have stepped up and are taking over the things Dave normally does since he will be out till mid August. It's been great to watch how our church is responding to all of this. Several ladies are covering for me while I am out of the office. It makes me feel better knowing that there is someone here watching the phones for me and someone else to take care of the bulletins for me. I might actually try to not worry about things here.

20 days and counting

In 20 days I will give birth to our 3rd child. What was I thinking?? I go from being very happy one minute to FREAKING OUT the next. I love my kids but they are a handful and now I am adding another child to the mix. Well there's no turning back now. On June 28 at 8:00am I will have my 3rd c-section. Our church here is giving me a shower this Sunday. I love baby showers. We are in the middle of a small baby boom for our church. There are 4 of us pregnant and due between now and the end of September. Two of us are Jenn's and two are Stephanie's. My sister Stephanie is due in late September and she just found out she's having a boy.

My boss Dave who is our pastor here is in the hospital. He has an enlarged colon and spleen. He's in his late 30's and has some other health issues, but doesn't take good enough care of himself. He doesn't stop ever. He won't say no to you even when he should. I love my boss he is a great guy and I am very lucky to work for him. If you could just pray for him and his family that would be great. His wife's name is Lisa and he has 2 son's. Spencer is 13 and Taylor is 8.

Justin is finally getting moved to a store closer to us. He's been working at the Donatos in West Chester about 45 minutes to an hour from us depending on traffic. They are finally going to move him to the Amelia store which is about 10 minutes from us. This is such a blessing for us. He starts there after his week off after I have Sophia. He is very excited about moving to a store that is closer. We'll be able to go up and eat there and see him in the evenings more often.

Life keeps going and I keep trying to go with it.

Long Time

Well it's been a long time since last I blogged. I've just not taken the time to do it. I am now almost 7 months pregnant with another girl. Her name will be Sophia Ellen or Sophie. Lately I've been asking myself if I am crazy having another baby. I know it will be hard but I am truly excited. Abbie is just fascinated by the whole process. She loves to feel the baby move and she loves to talk to her. She tells her she loves her all the time. I've been trying to go through Abbie's things and get rid of some stuff but she wants to save it all for her baby sister.

Kaleb is my big boy who even being 18 months younger than his sister is almost as tall and a 100 times as strong. They where the same size clothes and the same size shoes. I can't seem to keep up with Kaleb. There will be a time soon when I won't be able to pick him up. He's been trying to exert his independence lately. It's funny when he tries to yell at me because his voice goes up a couple of octaves. The other day at Target he looked at the lady at the check out and said, "I'm Kaleb that's me." That was the first time I had ever heard him say his own name. I'm surprised by how much he talks since his sister never stops talking. Abbie will talk your ear off about anything. She's been fascinated by bugs lately. I can't believe she will be 4 in 12 days.

Justin is working for Donatos' still. He's at a different store working as an assistant general manager and he loves that. He is much happier doing what he's doing. The store he's at now is almost an hour drive with traffic, but he still likes it. He's hoping to get moved closer to our home sometime in the near future.

The weather has been great for early April in Ohio. It's in the mid 70's and we haven't had a ton of rain yet. Although as I say that we do have a big chance of rain for the next several days.

Well life certainly does go on and change without you realizing it all the time. We miss all our friends in Vegas but we have been able to build several strong friendships here. We aren't doing a small group or anything right now, but there is another couple that I think we may work with in getting something going again. Brian was going to be a Baptist pastor, but had a lot of problems with how things were done in the church. He preaches here on occasion and he's really good. He reminds me of Joe with some of his feelings he has toward church. He told me when he was in college he got sent to the deans office for suggesting that instead of meeting at the church 3 or more days a week that they should start small home church's.

Well I guess that I have caught everyone up. I am going to try to blog more. I always feel guilty for taking the time at work, but it's not like I have a ton to do. I just sit here and wait for the phone to ring.

All Is Well

Well my sister Stephanie is doing much better. It took a little time but she is finally getting over her pnemoniua. She hasn't had any problems with her pregnancy so far either. On a happy note my youngest sister Jessica gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Feb. 22. His name is Wakefield Martin Wendell Cook. Jessica loves to come us with wonderful long names. She is doing great. I wish I could see her but with her in Florida it just isn't going to happen. I will get to meet my new nephew in July when she comes up to meet my new baby. Speaking of our baby on the way-- We are having an ultrasound on Thursday and hopefully we'll be able to tell what we are having. We are going to take Abbie with us. I don't think Kaleb is ready to sit through something like this but I think Abbie will really like it. I just hope for her sake we are having a girl because she is set on having a little sister.

Life has been very good lately. A little tiring but when you have two kids and a third on the way what do you expect. Justin has recently been demoted back to a Assistant General Manager for Donato's. He's moved to a store he likes a lot better, but it's also on the oppisite side of town. It takes about 50 minutes to an hour to get there. This is just a temporary move to have him work with one of the best GM's in the area. He has interviewed with a couple other places but keeps staying where he is. He is much happier as an AGM than a GM that's for sure. It's been an amazing change for me to watch him. I'm just happy that he's happy. Work for me is going great. It's another quiet morning for me here.

Our church has been under attack by satan though. We have an interesting mix of older, middle age and young adults in our church. Lately it seems that all of the older ones are getting sick. Bill Saar who is a wonderful man and so friendly has recently been diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. They really don't give him much time. He's in his late 50's early 60's and has only been a christian for a few years. In that time though he has worked with several different ministries telling his story and talking with others. He has worked a lot in the prison ministry here and it's just really hard to watch this man that had such a huge presents when ever he was around, slowly get weaker and thinner and just not be the same. We have a couple other women who have had major surgery lately. One lady had to have surgery last week on one of two brain anurisms they have found. Another has breast cancer. It just seems that so many are sick here. The wonderful thing is that it has brought us all together more. Our church has slowly been growing lately. We are still small compared to most only around 200 on a weekend, but things are good.

I am going to start actually writing more in here again. Well I am going to try to write more. I should probably get back to work for now.

Please Pray

My sister Stephanie just found out that she's 7 weeks pregnant. This was a bit of a surprise to her and her husband since she is on the pill. Back in December she had bronchitis and was on antibiotics that made the pill weaker. Anyway now she is pregnant, but she has pnemounia. They haven't put her in the hospital yet, but they may in the next day or two. If you could just pray for her and the baby I would apprecitate it. This being her first baby and being a bit surprised by it all she hasn't really told many people that she's pregnant. She's worried now about losing the baby or the baby having other problems.

Children

Last night Abbie was sitting on the couch with me watching TV. We were curled up nice and cozy and then she looks up at me. She says, "I love you mommy." I tell her that I love her too. She then tells me that she loves God too because he's her daddy. Not like daddy is her daddy, but God created her and she loves him. I just gave her a big hug and told her that God loves her too. It made me so happy to think that all the things that I have been teaching her and the things she learns during church are finally starting to make sense to her. It was just a wonderful moment.