Rejoicing in God's Amazing Grace!

I am so behind in my blogging.  Life has been happening at warped speed.  So many things in our first three weeks of summer break...left me a bit exhausted.  I am happy to say, that I am feeling more like me again, although Oscar the Grouch (see previous post) is still trying to rear her ugly head occasionally. 

I thought I would get caught up documenting all that we have done these past three weeks.

Our family headed to Grapevine, Texas for a wedding on June 11th.  We left our part of Texas a few days before so that we could do a little shopping and to visit Cook Children's Hospital for the last time!  Glory!

But, before we left, the girls got a little "feathered."  Have you seen the feather look?  Yes, I know it's totally from the 70's, but it is retro cool again.  We found a sweet girl who came right over with feathers in tow.  There were so many to choose from but this is what the girls chose:

Hannah liked the green ones and Rachel liked the pink ones:

After they were properly feather-fied, thank you Alayna, we hit the road.  Road trip, baby!
We met Mr. Incredible's family for dinner at Pappadeaux's where yummy seafood awaited, checked into the hotel, and slept for a bit.  The next morning it was time to do a little shopping.  Charming Charlie's anyone?  Yes, please!  I adore this store.  They have the best accessories...and they are not very expensive, unless you are Mr. Incredible.  Ha!

I wanted to snap a picture of my girls in between shopping for the perfect accessories.  Apparently, I was still shopping when I took this photo because I focused my camera on the jewelry behind my girls instead of on my girls.  OiY!

After doing a little shopping, it was time to drive to Ft. Worth for Rachel's last appointment with her pediatric neurosurgeon.

Look at the sweet smile on her face as she waited:

Hannah got caught up on a little reading:

And then Dr. Roberts arrived.  We were so glad to see him!  He doesn't know this, but we count him as part of our family now.  We are so thankful for him and for how God used him.  He did a thorough neurological check up and confirmed what we already knew...she is perfectly fine...no complications!  Glory!  Rachel had a few questions for him before she goes off to college {sob!} in August and he answered every one.  He was so gracious to remind her all that had happened and encouraging too.  Since our daughter is now 18, this was our last visit and naturally, I had to have a picture:

Words will never be able to describe our absolute joy and thankfulness for this wonderful doctor that the Lord blessed us with.  Dr. Roberts is careful to not take any credit for Rachel's miracle, we know it was the Lord, but we are thankful for his part too.  God used him in a mighty way! 

Rachel and I cried in the parking lot, tears of joy, as our minds recalled all that has taken place in her life and all that took place at Cook Children's Hospital.  As we made our way to the car, we saw families who are in the beginning stages of diagnosis and treatment, and our hearts ached for them.  We wanted to tell them to keep praying and believing because God can do anything....Rachel's precious life is proof of that! 

After calling my parents to tell them Rachel's wonderful news, it was time to celebrate!  Pei Wei's sounded like the perfect spot!

Delicious!

After lunch, it was time to go back to the hotel, change clothes, and attend a wedding rehearsal and dinner, but I'll tell you about that tomorrow.  Ya'll have a blessed day!

Rachel's Last Check Up

I am completely overwhelmed with absolute gratitude and thankfulness to the Faithful One and for the great work He has done in Rachel's life.  We just left Cook Childrens Hospital where her neurosurgeon checked her progress for the last time!  He marveled right along with us at the great things God has done.  What a mighty God we serve!  To Him always be the glory for the absolute miracle He so graciously blessed us with! 

Our Miracle Celebration

We couldn't let the one year anniversary of Rachel's miracle go by without a celebration.  I got up early that day and wrote my blog post through tear-filled eyes...the Lord and I had a mighty fine time together reflecting on all that He has done and continues to do.  The memories are so fresh...it seemed just like yesterday.  After my time with the Lord, He and I set out to decorate the house for Christmas.  Even though, I really wanted to decorate on my birthday, the week before, His timing was perfect.  I was thankful to have all of my Christmas decorating to do on the date of Rachel's one year anniversary.  The girls woke up a few hours later and helped me finish the decorating.  We still have our large family tree to decorate and the outside lights too but the rest of it is done. 

We called the family and invited them all over for a good old fashioned shrimp boil.  This is one of Rachel's, and Hannah's, favorites so it seemed fitting.  This was a day to celebrate!

Rachel wore her Cook Children's Hospital jersey (thank you Grandpa!):

I LOVE my girls so much.  I thought this was a special picture.  My girls have grown so very much since their 1 year pictures.  I should have had them switch seats though.  Hannah's 1 year picture is on the left and Rachel's is on the right.  And the dolls in the  middle belonged to my precious Aunt Faye who I miss so very much!  On the day of Rachel's surgery I felt "surrounded by such a crowd of witnesses."  I can't explain it but I felt like they were cheering us on to keep the faith throughout Rachel's pain, surgery, and recovery.  God is amazing!

The house was decorated, cleaned up, we showered, got ready for company, and then began boiling the water for a shrimp boil.  The black pot on the left belonged to my grandmother who use to can in it.  I am so thankful to have it and I think about her every time that I use it. 

I've posted the recipe for my "Low Country Shrimp Boil" but just in case you have forgotten it, here you go.

10-12 whole small red potatoes4-6 small ears of corn (I use the frozen ones)

1 pound of cleaned, de-veined shrimp w/ tails
2 links Cajun smoked sausage cut diagonally
2 T Old Bay Seasoning (I use a lot more!)

Boil 8 quarts of water, with salt and Old Bay Seasoning. After your water is boiling:
Add potatoes and cook for 10-12 min.
Add sausage and corn on the cobb and cook for 7 minutes.
Now add shrimp and boil another 3-5 minutes (just until pink).
Drain and pour contents onto your newspaper lined table(now that is an easy table scape....newspaper that's it!). Sprinkle w/ salt and serve w/ butter, Old Bay Seasoning, cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

Since we were having 12 over for our shrimp boil, I used 2 different kinds of sausage:  andouli (cajun~spicy) and regular smoked sausage that is a bit more mild.  I had about 12 links cut up in this bowl:
 

I like to use Green Giant's Nibblers~they are sweeter than others:

And I used 3 sacks of red potatoes:

I found this shrimp at HEB and it was on sale....so I bought 12 pounds....yum!

Then it was time to gather in a circle to pray and to thank God for all that He has done for our family...and for Rachel....Mr. Incredible started to cry....and then we all heard "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch" playing in the background (we had Christmas music from Sirius playing in the background when our guests arrived but I forgot to turn it off before the prayer~oops).  It lightened the mood a bit as we all chuckled and then it was time to eat!

The shrimp boil was delicious...the company was fantastic....God' marvelous work was definitely celebrated!

We finished the meal with the Cheesecake Factory's Red Velvet Cheesecake and Starbucks coffee.  It was a day to reflect and treasure. Thank you, Father for your glorious gift!  To You be all of the glory!

One Year Ago This Very Day...

...I saw a miracle with my very own eyes. 

I saw God do what only He could do!

I felt like I could have a conversation with Jairus...Jesus healed his daughter too! And we could share with each other how the Faithful One came to our daughters' rescue....only Jesus!

I saw mercy and grace like I have never seen before.

I felt so wrapped up in and covered and in the palm of His very hands that at times I could hardly breathe. 

I felt peace that I have never known.

I felt completely surrounded by prayers of so many faithful friends..from so many of you!

I was surrounded by a bustling hospital who had 110 surgeries to do that day and our daughter, Rachel, was one of them...and even in the midst of one of the most agonizing seven hours of my life, I watched as my precious family reached out to other family members who were waiting for God to do what only He could do for their children too.

I had been believing God for the nearly a year before that He was going to set the stage in Rachel's life to best show His glory...and that day arrived...one year ago today.

You see, The Strong Tower, the Healer, the Great Physician, the Faithful One, the one who can DO ANYTHING did what only He could do....and we saw it! He stepped in and saved the day!!!!  Rachel's year long suffering ended that day.  In all of His mercy and grace, He healed her!

Oh, my heart knows there is so much more to Rachel's story and one day I will sit at the feet of my precious Saviour and take in every word that He shares.  His presence is so thick in my room this morning that the tears are flowing as I pour out my heart of thanksgiving to Him.

On that day...one year ago today, He gave our daughter back to us.  He taught us many things about Himself to us that year, He held us in His arms of love when we could have given in to despair and asked us to keep believing that nothing was too difficult for Him.  And so many of you helped us do that.  We kept believing even when we didn't understand why she was having to suffer daily....and it was agonizing.

He lovingly reminded us that He often waits to send help until the time of our greatest need so that His deliverance will be clearly seen and so that we will put our complete trust in Him...no matter what our circumstances.  And that day of help and deliverance arrived one year ago today.

I don't know all of His reasons for Rachel's suffering that year but I do know He was and is over it all.  He knows what is best for us.  Our surroundings are determined by Him and wherever He places us He does so to strengthen our faith and to draw us closer to Him (Streams in the Desert). He asked us to stand firm and that we would see the deliverance of the Lord (Exodus 14:13). 

And oh did we see the deliverance of the Lord!!!!

We serve a God who delights in the impossible and who asks, "Is anything too difficult for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27).  And my heart cries, "No! Nothing is too difficult for you! Praise, You Father, great things YOU have done! May you continue to receive all of the praise and all of the glory because it was only You!"

I don't know what you are facing in your life today, but I do know there is One who can do what seems impossible to man.  If you need a little encouraging today, here are some words I penned last year as I reflected on all that He did for Rachel.  Keep believing...stand firm....He could be setting the stage in your life to show you and the world His great glory.

Reflections on Rachel's Surgery Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

From a heart filled to overflowing with grattitude and thankfulness to God, may you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving!

In Only 15 Days....

...we will celebrate the one year anniversary of Rachel's miracle!!!! The day we saw  a real life miracle with our own eyes....we saw the Great Physician step in and save our daughter....and show His majesty and glory...we saw Him do what only He could do... and we will never stop praising Him for what He has done and continues to do!

My devotion early last Friday morning asked, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14). And I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, "No! Nothing is too difficult for You!"  But, I chose to not wake up my sleeping family and whispered it to the Lord instead. 

Streams in the Desert continues, "This is God's loving challenge to you and me each day.....Nothing is too difficult when we believe in Him enough to go forward doing His will and letting Him do the impossible for us.  The only thing "too hard for the Lord" is our deliberate and continual disbelief in His love and power, and our ultimate rejection of His plans for us.  Nothing is impossible for Jehovah to do for those who trust Him." 

From the smallest needs to the largest....nothing is too difficult for Him!  Praise, You, Father!!!!!

Beloved

I just have to tell you that we will celebrate the one year anniversary of Rachel's miracle in only 5 1/2 weeks!!!  Oh, God is sooooooooo good!

My emotions are running high these days as I reflect on this last year and God's absolute grace and the miracle that came from His hand...it was only Him...and I will NEVER stop praising Him for all that He has done and continues to do!  Praise, You Father!

Last week, I had a last minute photography session cancellation and Rachel and I embraced that time to do another senior photo shoot.  I found a new place that I had been saving just for her photo shoot.

We knew exactly what shirt to wear:

The precious ladies at Wild Olive Tees blessed her with this shirt last year.  The verse on the back says:

We prayed this exact verse over our daughter many, many times.  When I emailed Wild Olive Tee's to purchase the t-shirt, I told them a little bit about Rachel's story and they generously sent Rachel a t-shirt...they didn't let me pay for Rachel's shirt.  I was so touched by their generosity that I had a t-shirt giveaway on my blog last year and my sweet blogging friend Bethany won the t-shirt. 

Rachel has worn this shirt so many times over the past year...it is one of many visible marks of God's great faithfulness.  He is mighty to save...and He takes great delight in His children.

We think Wild Olive Tees are the best and we love what their company stands for!  If you haven't seen their shirts please go visit their site today.

They have a special going on until 10/25/10.  You will receive free shipping on orders of 2 t-shirts or more if you enter RELEVANT 10 at checkout.

Good News Part 2

Happy Monday to you! I am sorry that this post is up a little later than normal. I had to go to the grocery store because my family thought they were starving! Just this morning Rachel looked at me and asked what she could have for breakfast. I'm sad to say that we were out of cereal, milk, bread, and even the old standby for when my pantry is running low-granola bars. Oiy!

I looked at her and suggested a frozen waffle...I think there are a few left. She popped the rationed waffles (Hannah needed breakfast too) into the toaster where she promptly burned one. The kitchen smelled delightful. Ha! So, she ate her one waffle with sliced almonds, see I have some things to eat around my house, before she went to work. Hannah had her 2 waffles and then I headed to the grocery store where I could have filled 2 carts. Goodness!

I texted Rachel to let her know that we have food again to which she responded, "Yay!" Oh, she will have choices for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch too.

I wanted to thank all of you for your sweet comments to Rachel's post on Friday. She was the cutest thing about posting for me while I drove...and I love what she wrote. We are so thankful for all that God has done for her!

She was a little nervous about this appointment. The MRI on Thursday afternoon was especially loud so she didn't rest during the hour long scans but she wasn't afraid either and I am thankful. I was able to stay in the room with her the entire time where I just focused on her sweet little eyes that I could see in the MRI mirror and just prayed for her.

We had fun shopping that night...we even did the dreaded swim suit shopping thing and survived. I always wonder if there is someone in security watching us as we try on bathing suits. And as a teacher I sometimes wonder if it might be one of my students manning the dressing room security cams. Do you ever wonder that? So, being in a different city, my mind was set at ease...well as much at ease as is possible when you are trying on bathing suits. Ha!

The girls and I laughed a lot on this trip together. We had dinner at the Macaroni Grill in Ft. Worth before we went back to the hotel for the night. We were in before dark so Mr. Incredible was happy.

The next morning we went back to Cook Children's for Rachel's appointment with her pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Roberts. He could not have been more pleased with her MRI and her news that she feels so much better than she did this time last year. He smiled as big as Dallas as we explained that she has really only had 1 headache since her surgery but that we believed it was allergy related. He asked about her choking to which we exclaimed that she has not choked once since before her surgery and he rejoiced along with us.

He explained that her MRI looked totally different compared to the MRI we had this time last year. Where once you could not see brain fluid, you can now see it! Glory! It was a blessed visit for sure as we all delighted in all that God has done and continues to do.

We are thankful that God led us here and to Dr. Roberts:



What are 3 girls to do in the metroplex after just receiving amazing news? We called Mr. Incredible to tell him the great news and then the grandparents and then we...went shopping! Here are 2 pictures that I took with my I-phone of the girls:





We also stopped by the beautiful Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens for a little photo shoot. I'll try to post a few pictures of that later this week.

Thank you so much for your prayers for us while we travelled and while Rachel was having her MRI and thank you for sharing in our joy over the great news! God is awesome!

Our Miracle Happened 6 Months Ago Today!

I could absolutely sob as I type the title to this post. Yes, it has been six months today since the Great Physician intervened and healed our precious daughter. Six months!

Six months ago today:

* I completely placed Rachel in His hands and pleaded for Him to heal her

* I felt a peace come over me that I had never known before

* I felt completely covered in prayer by so many precious souls that I may never get to thank in person on this side of Heaven

* I watched in complete awe and amazement as our daughter fully trusted in the Great Physician. Her strength, quiet trust, and complete faith were more incredible then I could ever put into words.

* Was the absolute worst and best day of my entire life

* I saw God do what only He could do!

* I saw an absolute miracle with my very own eyes!

* I saw mercy and grace and God's great glory!

...and we will never stop praising Him for all that He has done!

Rachel continues to be headache free~praise You, Father! And we continue to marvel at the way God so mightily moved on that day...6 months ago.

(You can read Rachel's story by clicking on my "Rachel's Story" link above. The links start with the most recent posts but her story really began on January 2, 2009).

Our Princess Goes to Prom

This past Saturday, our Princess went to prom...be still my heart! She and I had so much fun picking out her beautiful gown (it was the 2nd one that she tried on). It was a special moment...we both cried. Her dress is the same color as the "Praying for Rachel" bracelets that we wore only 5 months ago before her brain surgery. Isn't God amazing?! He cares about every detail.

I was quite emotional on Saturday. My heart was filled to overflowing with gratitude to the One who enabled our Princess to go to prom. This time last year we never would have imagined being able to plan for how to do her nails, or how to do her hair, or what kind of jewelry and shoes to wear with her prom gown. I didn't take one minute for granted. It was all pure delight!

Here is our walking miracle on the day of her junior/senior prom:





I know that she is my daughter, but isn't she absolutely gorgeous?





True to her generous heart, she chose to wear "Tom's Shoes" to prom. Have you heard about Tom's shoes? For every pair that you purchase, the company sends a pair of shoes to a child who needs them.



Her daddy was quite emotional on Saturday too. After I helped Rachel with her makeup and into her dress and jewelry she went to show Daddy. I encouraged him to take a deep breath as she rounded the corner to show him and then tears filled his eyes.



Rachel Ann, where has the time gone? Wasn't it just yesterday that I held you in my arms for the very first time? You have certainly grown into an amazing young lady...you are beautiful inside and out! Your daddy and I are so proud of you. Keep shining for the Lord...He shines so brightly through your precious life!


It wasn't long before the doorbell rang and Caleb arrived. All he could say when he saw you was, "Wow!" and then he was speachless for quite a while. He was so proud to have you on his arm at prom. I love this picture of you two because you were a bit worried about pinning his boutonniere. Little did we know that Mrs. T had already taken care of it; she used a magnet instead. Whew!



This is Rachel and Caleb's fave, so I had to post it too:



I liked it this way too:



Arriving at prom:



Memories to treasure!

Happy 17th Birthday Rachel Ann

Happy Birthday, precious Rachel Ann!

You are a gift from the Lord in every way...and I'll never be able to thank Him enough for blessing our lives with you!

Your birthday weekend has been an absolute blast. You invited two of your closest friends, next to your sister, to see Alice in Wonderland. You had been counting the days for the movie release. We all had so much fun!

Ya'll are stylin' in your 3-D glasses:

And then dinner at Cheddars...yum!

And home to celebrate with Gigi's Cupcakes:

A yummy Sunday morning breakfast at home and then a delicious lunch at Nonnie and Poppie's house.

In perfect timing, your birthday bulbs bloomed:

I think I love this pink one the best! There is so much symbolism in this picture, isn't there?

This beautiful flower bloomed where it was planted...and it is a glorious flower. This past year would never have been what we would have imagined for your precious life...but it was by far better than we could have imagined because it was the path God chose for you...and He was there every step of the way!

Through all of your suffering and pain, you somehow managed to share the fragrance of Christ with all of those who came in contact with you....and He shined and continues to shine so beautifully through you. Your faith in the Lord has never waivered. You are an encouragement to everyone that knows your story. We thank God for what He has done and what He is continuing to do.

You, my precious daughter, have blossomed into the most beautiful young lady and your daddy and I are so proud of you! While on this day, your 17th birthday, my heart begins to race and I start dreading the days ahead...your senior year..going off to college....my mind reminds me that I have felt the same way every year of your life. You see, I knew then, even when you were only a month old, that we would be here in the blink of an eye and I have LOVED every minute, every moment, every single journey of faith with you! And I can't wait to see what God will do next...but at the same time I long for time to stand still.

You are the heart of my heart, the reason I am called Momma, and the apple of your Father's eye. What an absolute treasure you are. "May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you" (Numbers 6:24-25).

With Much Love,

Momma

xoxoxo

Two Months!

Yesterday we celebrated Rachel's 2 month anniversary. Two months ago she had brain decompression surgery....two months ago the Great Physician came to save the day....two months ago we saw first hand that He still performs miracles today...two months ago....my heart is so full.

Rachel continues to be headache free....no more choking....no more muscle fatigue...no more weakness. Praise the Lord, great things He has done!!!

Before Rachel's surgery, I started Beth Moore's "Esther: It's tough being a woman" study. I took a little break over the holidays but quickly picked the study back up when school started. How fitting that today's study revolved around, "A day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents." Esther 9:19.

Psalm 16:5-6 says, "LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;surely I have a delightful inheritance." Beth explains, "In our own words we might say something like: Lord, in all the chaos and crisis, all the threat and doubt, You caused my life to work out. Instead of me falling apart, the lines of my life have fallen together. Truly I can say that You have given me a delightful inheritance."

She continues, "No matter what life--or satan himself--hands us, the favor God has on His children causes that "lot" to tumble out on the table in such a way that, instead of destruction, the child will discover that her portion turned into destiny one trusting step at a time. When all is said and done, she will see that the portion God assigned her was good. Right. Rich. Full of purpose." Glory! Praise You, Father!

I don't know what you are going through right now, but this I do know, we are dearly loved; you are dearly loved! Keep holding on to Him....keep taking those steps of faith... He is with you. He is our portion, and He supports our lot. And there is nothing like being held in the very palm of His mighy hand!

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today I posted this:

January 4, 2009:  I'm crying as I type this...my devotion today was simply written for me...although it was penned in 1925 by L. B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert


Here is what she writes:

Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed (John 4:50).

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe. (Mark 11:24)


When you are confronted with a matter that requires immediate prayer, pray until you believe God--until with whole-hearted sincerity you can thank Him for the answer. Never pray in a way that diminishes your faith. You may tell Him you are waiting, still believing and therefore praising Him for the answer. There is nothing that so fully solidifies faith as being so sure of the answer that you can thank God for it.


The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. George Mueller.

Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but simply taking God at His word. Christmas Evans.

This is the time to look up through the storm, and among the trembling, frightened sailors declare, "I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me." (Acts 27:25).
I love this! I'm clinging to this with every fiber of my being! I believe God is who He says He is and He can do what He says He will do. (Beth Moore, Moore) I'm choosing to believe God!
If you would, please remember us tomorrow as we visit with the pediatrician at 11:30. We are praying that he recommends the right neurologist and neurosurgeon and that we would listen to the Lord's leading every step of the way.

From this momma's heart, I thank you so much for your prayers. (Crying again) You'll never know how much your generosity in prayer means to us!

And Today:

I read the same devotion this very morning and remembered this post from last year....how incredible to be on this side of it all.  To look back and see how marvelously God worked...in so many areas.  I am so humbled by Him....by His perfect timing....by His perfect plans....by His tender mercies and grace. I don't have words to properly show my great love for Him!  How awesome to be His child.  How do people do this thing called life without out Him?! 

What an awesome God! Rachel is back to school today.  Glory, hallelujah! 

(I'm giving away a copy of my favorite devotion book:  Streams in the Desert.  You still have time to enter my giveaway~see last Thursday's post to enter or click here. You have until 8:00 pm CST tonight)

PS  Traci is giving away a Lisa Leonard gift certificate!  Wow!  Lisa's designs are gorgeous. You can see them here.  Go visit  my friend Traci to enter this fabulous giveaway!

Filled to Overflowing with Gratitude!

My heart is so full of gratitude and praise to the Lord. I just have to blog about it before I burst! Last Thursday night, Mr. Incredible, Rachel, and I made the drive back to Ft. Worth for Rachel's post-op check with her pediatric neurosurgeon. Hannah stayed home with her grandparents because of the much anticipated junior high dance that was finally rescheduled (finally is her word, not mine)and a fun sleep over with her friends after the dance. Even the promise of shopping after the doctor's appointment could not persuade her to go with us. Her feet were set to dancing and nothing would change her mind.

So, the three of us made the drive together. I plugged in my ipod and the three of us sang praises to the Lord at the top of our lungs during most of the drive. We checked into the hotel around 10:00 only to find that the Lord had blessed us with the same room that we had stayed in only 3 weeks ago. It was bitter sweet to stay in the same hotel room, the very room where Mr. Incredible and I had a very sleepless night while our precious daughter slept so soundly the night before her surgery (we would later learn of so many that God would awaken during the night to pray for Rachel on that night too-isn't that incredible-what a mighty God we serve).

Our minds were already flooded with memories of the surgery as we made our trip to Ft. Worth but how cool to be physically reminded too. The three of us looked at each other in amazement that we were given the exact same room but it made us miss our other family members that had made the journey of faith with us too. The conversation was so sweet as we all recalled memories of how we felt in that very room the day and the night before Rachel's surgery.

Mr. Incredible and I slept much more soundly last Thursday night. I woke up early Friday morning to get ready for Rachel's appointment. As I put on my makeup and fixed my hair and looked into the same mirror that I had looked in only hours before Rachel's surgery, I was overwhelmed with gratitude once again. I remember saying, "You are an awesome God! What a journey this has been. You did what only You could do. How can we ever thank You enough?!"

Mr. Incredible told me later that he was just as emotional that morning as he got ready for the day. I'm certainly not doing this moment justice with my words. I can only explain it this way: the Lord ordained every step of this journey of faith...even blessing us to stay in the same hotel room....and we marveled at His amazing attention to every single detail.

We were so happy to see Dr. Roberts. I think he was just as glad to see Rachel. He seemed so pleased to see how well she was moving her neck and overjoyed when she told him that she, "has not had one headache since her surgery!" Glory to God!

He chuckled and said, "This may be the shortest visit ever!" We talked some more, he watched her carefully, and then joyfully announced that she was free to be Rachel again and that he would see us in June! June???? I think we asked in astonishment, "June?" and he smiled and said, yes! She is doing so well that we don't need to do a follow up MRI scan until then. And then the tears that I had been holding back began to flow.

I saw a few tears in his eyes too. I think he was just as overjoyed as we are! And he was so humble about it all. Oh, yes, the glory for it all belongs to God! But, I am so grateful that he chose to use Dr. Roberts.

We hardly said a word until we got into the elevator to leave his office and then Rachel began to sob! Our precious, courageous, daughter, had hoped and dreamed that this day would come and here it was. She was free to be Rachel again...free to dream big dreams for her life again....free to be all the God created her to be~it was a moment like no other....a moment where the King of kings and Lord of lords seemed to fill every corner of that elevator and showed His great glory and favor towards her...and we marveled in the moment!

A few minutes later we arrived on our floor and the texting and phone calls began. We couldn't wait to share the good news. The three of us decided to walk over to the hospital and see all of the glorious Christmas decorations and have a celebratory cup of Starbucks coffee (Mr. Incredible doesn't drink coffee-so he just asked for an Eggnog Latte, minus the coffee-you should have seen the looks). The Lord timed our visit just perfectly because David, Dr. Robert's surgical assistant, the one who actually closed the surgery, was in Starbucks and we were able to thank him and tell him the great news.

We had lunch with our good friend Scott and then he and Mr. Incredible headed to Cabellas while Rachel and I did some shopping. It's funny, we were in one of my favorite places to shop, we even went to Sam Moon, but we hardly bought anything. Our Christmas had already come and there were no gifts to be bought that could even compare.

Are you still with me? I have to giggle at the length of my posts. Maybe I should stick to writing them on my i-phone. Ha! On the way home, we stopped and ate at a fabulous place in Abilene. I have some funny pictures to share-maybe tomorrow.

It's the week of Christmas! The week of Christmas! I better get moving.

P.S. I made a new blog button. Thank you for your prayers for Rachel and for so graciously joining us on this journey of faith. Yes, God still performs miracles today. Rachel is living proof. Please help yourself to the new button.

Glory to God!

Great things He has done! We just had a follow up appointment with the Rachel's neurosurgeon.
He could not have been more pleased with how well she is doing. She is released to be Rachel again!!!
We don't have to go back to Cooks for 6 months and we are overjoyed.

I have much more to post but I simply could not wait to
share the awesome news with you! I'll try to post more
when we are back home and I can type on my laptop.

For now, we are off to have lunch with some friends
while we are in Ft Worth and then a little shopping!

Oh this is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice
and be glad in it !!!!!!!

Sweet Surprises

Today is Thankful Thursday and we have so much, so much, to be thankful for...but then that is true every day. In sharing with you glimpses from Rachel's surgery and recovery, I wanted to share with you some very special additional sweet surprises that have come from sweet friends and family and amazing colleagues. I already posted several of those blessings here but I wanted to share a few more. I am almost afraid to post this as I know that I am leaving some out...and I am so sorry! I wouldn't mean to leave any out in a million years. We have treasured every one!

Have you heard of the clinging cross? Mrs. C blessed me with one and it brought so much comfort. I meant to take a picture of mine but you can see one here.

Of course, these are the blessings that we can see with our eyes but we realize there are more that we can only see with our Spiritual eyes. Countless individuals, families, and churches have prayed for Rachel....that is amazing to us! I wish that I could give each one of you a Texas sized hug and tell you face to face how grateful we are. Meeting with you at the feet of the Great Physician has been one of the most tremendous blessings to us in this journey of faith.


Here is Hannah bringing a special delivery from Mr. Incredible's aunt and our community dentist (and neighbor) and his staff. It was filled with delicious goodies, a pink monkey, and happy balloons. (And no, Hannah is not drinking coffee, she was bringing me my favorite~pumpkin spice latte)

Another special basket filled with great bath supplies from our school Superintendent and his sweet wife complete with chocolate: a bubble bath and some chocolate! What more could a girl want!

A happy bouquet from Rachel's 5th grade teachers (she is in 11th grade now-but they will always hold a special place in her heart). They sent Hannah a special gift too, isn't that sweet?

I can see crumbs on Rachel's tray from the delicious bread that another one of our neighbor baked especially for Rachel. She enjoyed the bread for breakfast every morning after we returned home from the hospital.

This is "TP" or "therapeutic pony," from our sweet neighbors, "Dang-Dang & Peach." "Dang-dang is a rough and tough cowboy who wanted a pink bracelet to wear. I think that is pretty sweet. I have heard of several other mighty men who were not intimidated to be wearing a bright pink bracelet to remember to pray for Rachel. That just makes them even mightier in my eyes.

And then this special surprise arrived in the mail....

It was from Florida...hmmmmmm ...who could it be from?

It was a special "Praying for Rachel" card made by Debra's (from clothed with scarlet) son Josh. He had all of his football buddies sign it, and the coaches too. She was so overwhelmed that she cried! We "know" Debra and Josh from this amazing blog land. How incredibly thoughtful and generous Josh is...just like his momma, I imagine.

Thank you, God for surrounding us with precious friends and family who have so wonderfully shown us Your love during Rachel's surgery and recovery. We will never know how many have prayed for Rachel but we know that you do. Please, bless them abundantly and please, help us to be just as kind and generous!

Yes, our family has so much to be thankful for...more than words could ever adequately express.

What are you thanking God for today? I would love to know. To see more Thankful Thursdays, please visit Truth 4 the Journey.