I tried to make Pad Thai last night. It took two stores to really find all the ingredients, and I still did not have everything, but I had the important stuff. Fish sauce is a bit scary, but in the end it worked out and tasted ok (actually…it may have been the best Pad Thai anybody had ever made…I don’t know what makes good Pad Thai). I did learn that an electric stove makes cooking in a wok hard, you don’t have much temperature control and things can get out of hand and burn really easily. Um…so…that my culinary adventure for the week

A few of you have asked about my back (thanks Heath!), so here is a quick update. I want to the specialist (he is a neural surgeon) about four weeks ago. He said that he could do surgery, but that if i could get better with physical therapy that is (obviously) better. I just got done with around 5 weeks of therapy (traction, core strength stuff, etc). I feel like i am at around 90% of where i was before, i just feel delicate…like i am about to break. I will not be going to therapy on a regular basis, but will be continuing to do core strength stuff. The big question is if my body will maintain and continue to heal without traction. The therapist thinks that it will…i hope and pray that it will.

Thank you all for your prayers over the past weeks!

You know how sometimes you just have one of those days?  When you get up early to go to the farmer’s market, but when you get there, there are 4 people just setting up their booth, and the only thing being sold is flowers….so you go to get some coffee on the next street over, but they aren’t open yet.  And when you forget that you are supposed to lead the devotion in your staff meeting….so you try and try and try to pull something out of your head to share with everyone….and then finally you decide to stop and ask God what He would have you speak about…(this is where I picture Him saying, “Are you done yet?  Can I please take over?”)  And so you let Him speak to you and you are amazed….and then you don’t even end up giving the devotion anyway.  And then you are supposed to do 5 different things that will fill up your whole day, but then one by one, they each get cancelled.  So you are left with time to do your laundry and get a little homework done.  And then someone calls you for a favor, and on the way to taking care of that favor your best friend calls, so you call her back when you’re done and end up having a really, really great conversation.

Most of the things that happened in my life today I didn’t plan on.  The things I did plan on just kind of fell through.

There’s a song by Caedmon’s Call that I’ve thought about several times today. The song is called, “Table for Two” and it just seems to perfectly fit my day today.  Here are a few lyrics from the song…

“Well this day’s been crazy
But everything’s happened on schedule,
from the rain and the cold
To the drink that I spilled on my shirt.”

I guess I could look at it as if today was a failure….but I prefer to take these days as reminders of the One who is in control, and enjoy the surprises He brings my way.  Because today, I spent some great time walking around downtown with my husband….and God reminded me that I need Him…and I got some laundry and homework done…and I had a really, really great conversation with my best friend.  I hadn’t planned on those things today, or at least not in the way they panned out…but I’m grateful for them.  And I’m grateful for Him.

You know how sometimes you have a friend that just knows you so well that it’s kind of scary….but kind of amazing and wonderful at the same time? I have been blessed with such a friend in Laura. Laura and I lived together in college for 3 ½ years……we took classes together, grew in our faith, challenged each other, laughed ‘til it hurt, and had so much fun together. She is truly a friend who knows me deeply. She came to visit this week. We went horseback riding, kayaking, watched movies, walked around Wal-Mart like old times when we were roomies, & had some great talks. She cleaned off my porch for me….got rid of the leaves that accumulate there, and swept it off. It looks so much more inviting now. (thanks, friend)

I took her to the airport yesterday. Our goodbyes are bittersweet now that we are no longer in college together…..the Lord has brought us to different paths in life, but our times together are still so sweet.

Here’s a picture of us from the weekend. I am blessed to have been given such a wonderful friend.