Once again I apologize

I am so bad at updating this thing.

A lot has gone on since I last blogged. I have been in an enormous amount of pain. It started with me feet and then spread throughout my legs specifically my knees, causing stiffness, swelling and pain. It got to the point where I was in a wheel chair if I was not teaching, and when teaching I was using a cane.

The good news is that I believe the worst is over now, the bad news is we are unsure what is causing it. It start as plantar faciitis in my right foot. Extreme pain in the heel, and unable to put much pressure on it. However at the same time I became stiff and achy all over my body, all my joints. You know how you feel when you have the flu and a fever? Well it was like that all the time. My back and shoulders began to hurt and I couldn't sleep at night because of the pain. I began going to the Chiropractor, Dr. Bill from California, and the pain in my back and shoulders soon dissipated. He also adjusted my foot after a month of me trying other things to get relief. He doesn't like to do extremities, he is "a spine guy". The foot felt better within two or three days. Of course this was coupled with me staying off of it whenever possible. So my foot started to feel better then for no reason at all on July 5th my left knee swelled up along with my calf and ankle...my roommates where a bit dismayed at it when I asked if they thought it was swollen, it was very swollen. Since then it has been stiff and painful to bend. This caused a bigger problem, I was now trying to keep weight off of both legs, the right for the plantar faciitis and the left for the swollen stiff knee. Grrrr.... My fingers and hands have been swollen and painful since about that time too. Well the knee is muscle related, when I get massages at the Chiro it feels much better and when Dr. Bill works on it it feels better (but man does it hurt when he is rubbing that muscle that seems to be contracted and not releasing causing me knee to be pinched to one side, thus causing my body to go outta whack and my other knee to try and compensate and it hurting too....sigh....it truly is amazing how the body is so closely interconnected.) Anyway I am slowly feel better everyday and I am trying to make sure I force myself to walk as normally as I can for longer and longer distances each day. I can't let my body get used to sitting in that darn chair! So far I am up to about a block. This means I can walk a block with out being in worse pain the next day. We are about to start our second week of vacation so it has been a blessing not to have to worry about teaching. I hope to be able so spend more time in my classroom getting ready for next semester.

I got pretty down at the end of last semester. The pain was changing how I could teach and that really made me mad. I know I was shorter with the kids, how can you not be when you are coping with large amounts of pain with every step you take. I know I was not the best teacher I could have been for the last month. I am hoping that the next semester goes much better. I thank you all so much for your prayers, I know that I have people praying for me in at least seven different states, people I don't even know, I am so glad I am a Christian and have such an amazing extend family!

We also have more good news...we got our replacement camera!!!! Hooray!!! So in the next several days check back on both this blog and the Peru blog for picture of our schools 28th of July Peruvian Independence day program. (My kids looked so cute but MAN is was a hellish day...sigh four year olds don't do well when their entire normal schedule is thrown out the door and barely controlled chaos is given to them instead. Did I mention they look cute though?)

Keep up the great work people, if we don't give up we might just make it through this day... (I must admit, there have been times in the last month that I have been ready to give up, yet some how God has carried me through.)

Update number...whatever

I am letting you all know that life here is still going...and going...and going.

Things have been hard recently, as I have been having chronic pain. Burning throughout my entire body. It came to the point that getting out of my bed was almost too much for me. Two weeks ago I went to see the Chiropractor. Dr. Bill is from California and is a Niner's fan. Other than that I love the man! He is up front with what he does how it works what it costs and the pains of the process. He is great. I have been put in much more pain by both Dr. Bill and the massage therapists. But...in my everyday life the pain is slowly ebbing away. Little by little it is leaving. I still have a ways to go but I am feeling a better poco y poco.

I truly am enjoying my job, and now that I am seeing a possible end to the pain I am getting excited about working with my kids again. For a bit there it was very difficult to go into work and interact with the kids. But God is faithful and I know that I will again be able to function in life without the pain and enjoy the everyday things around me. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to remember both Emily and myself in them.

Keep up the good work people, if we don't give up we might just make it through this day.

hello for an old lady

Hello all. Well on Sunday I turned 31. When someone asked how old I was and I told him he said "Wow, that's not young." Well thanks....geez... My birthday was fine. We had a party and lots of cake on Saturday. The best part was that on Monday I got a package from the STATES!!!! My most wonderful friend ever in the world Wani sent me a package. It contained many things, including: Crystal light individual bottle packets of powder, Serendipity (DVD), popcorn, pens and pencils, her little sisters book (Yes that is right ladies and gentlemen her little sister is a PUBLISHED author!) and the bell that used to hang on the porch of the CCF campus house. It made me cry! I love my friend. I gotta go but i just wanted to let you all know that I am not young and that i am fine with it.

Keep up the good work people if we don't give up we might just make it through this day!

Hello from Valle Hermoso, Surco, Lima, Peru, S.A.

Hello all! Things here are falling into a routine. Life is starting to even out for the most part.

We can now take a taxi to a few not too far destinations with confidence. We are not completelydependent on others to be able to get around as much. Our Spanish is coming along, Emily's fasterthan mine for a multitude of reasons. We are persevering. As the Superchick song says "stand in the rain, you won't drown, stand up when it is all crashing down." No matter what comes our way we know we can stand up under it because God will give us what we need to survive. He meets our needs even before we ask Him too. What a faithful God we have!

We have also been blessed with many sunny blue sky days when normally we would already have grey foggy dreary days by this time in May. We thank God for that everyday it lasts. We have had several foggy "grey days" but not nearly what there usually are (or so we have been told.)

We are hoping to expand our horizons even more in the next month with the purchase of bikes. We are told we will be able to get bikes at an affordable price.

We managed to do some tourist-y type things over the last month. It has been good. We are finally able to look beyond teaching every now and then to enjoy life here in Lima. Well I am short on time right now so I will write more at a later date.

Thanks for stopping by and reading.

Keep up the good work people, if we don't give up we might just make it through this day!!!!