The Tipping FamilyRedefining Normal

I feel like I have been pretty bad about updating on how things are going or what we are doing…no real excuse…just not slowing down a lot of the time to actually write on here as much as I would like!  Since August rolled around, and now we are almost at the end of September, time is just zooming by!

For the last couple of weeks, I have been going to Charlotte for blood work to prepare for a procedure (tubalplasty and hsg) which was to hopefully clear the fallopian tube that we found out was blocked back in August, due to left over material in the uterus.  I am not sure if I had mentioned before, but we had gone to Charlotte to talk with a new fertility doctor there, really just for some newness.  I had the procedure done on Monday, and actually the tube is still blocked, so we will have to do a further procedure before moving forward with trying again.  This was a little frustrating, just because of being ready to move forward, but also I know it is a part of the process that we have to go through.  Please pray for perseverence, I want to do that and not complain.  Those of you that are around me a lot, you probably hear me complain too much, sorry!

Allen and I have also decided to discontinue going to Charlotte for the doctor, and give the other fertility doctor here in Columbia a try.  It is too draining to go all the way there.  We will see what happens!  I will try to update soon of more life stuff going on!

• a husband who loves me daily
• a mom who gives selflessly
• a church family that cries together, laughs together, fights together, grows together….
• a job that teaches me daily, pushes me, and I enjoy
• close friends who care deeply, who push me and love on me
• our house, and providing for our daily needs
• sunsets and sunrises, we don’t deserve to start and end our days with something so beautiful
• people’s stories that shape them and help to point others to you
• your grace
• your peace
• your love
• your joy
• innocent children who are so care free
• hugs from children
• relaxing runs and bike rides
• family

Ok, I have been pretty bad at writing about such special people in my life… I had started highlighting people who have impacted me in big ways, and then I slacked off…and by the way, there are so many of you guys, I want to continue doing this for a long, long time! When we lost our babies, and still currently, there are so many of you that have helped us to look towards Jesus, and keep one foot in front of the other!

Wow, I seem to get a little teary eyed when I think about Kristi and Clash, there have truely been moments when if it weren’t for one of them…Allen and I both might have really given up!  For those of you that do not know them, they live here in Columbia with us, and Clash is on Staff at Midtown with Allen, and they actually do a lot of things together in ministry.  For the past couple of years, Kristi and I shared unique hurt with each other through losing someone very close to us.  She lost her best friend, Mallory, just three years ago, and a few months later is when I lost my dad…so since then there was an understanding of things.

In the last months, Allen and I and Kristi and Clash got to know each other better and better, and they became some of our strongest support in preparing, praying, everything for the six babies.  They took care of us in a lot of ways, like family, just wanting to do anything to help.  Then when things started to happen and we went into the hospital, they didn’t leave our side.  Here are just a few things they did and continue to do that I could never repay them for:

• countless slushies and grilled cheeses (a lot I didn’t even get to eat! But you still kept getting them when I wanted them)
• updating the blog constantly ( helping so many other to know what was going on!)  This was huge!!
• loving on people in the hospital that you didn’t even know
• praying constantly
• not bringing any germs in the room!! (Clash got hand sanitizer at ever person’s door!)
• Clash-for writing that poem from your heart, that has helped me so much to have a beautiful picture of our babies, thank you, thank you.
• Kristi- for the journal that I continue to fight through and use towards healing and walking through this journey.
• Always asking how we are doing, even the hard questions!
• Going to the group with me
• Loving on us even when we are not fun to love on!
• Listening to us cry
• Taking care of me in Mexico

I thank my God when I think of You, I could go on… and on… thanks for letting Jesus shine through you and being a picture of Him as you love and serve every single person around you! We look forward to continually walking in this journey/adventure with you guys! I love you!

I will just highlight on a couple of things from the last couple of weeks or so…sorry I have been pretty slack about writing on the blog here lately, mainly last week, I was at the beach with no computer, which actually was probally a good thing for me to take a break!

• the week after Mexico, we finished up our ultimate frisbee season, boo-we lost in first round of the play-offs, but it was great to be able to play this summer.
• went for HSG (Hystosalpingiogram) yikes, not sure if I spelled that right, which is a dye injection to see if there was any scarring in the uterus/fallopian tubes at the hospital.  I was a little freaked about doing this, but knew that I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any more issues.  There was a little scarring in my uterus, but not too much, and one of my fallopian tubes looked suspicious.
• had a good time having Paul, Jessica, and Ella stay with us for the weekend.  They are good friend of ours that went to Clemson with Allen.  Everytime that we spend time with them, I am so encouraged with their relationship with each other and the way they serve each other.
• Then I left for family beach trip…it was a great little getaway! My mom got a place in North Mrytle Beach and we had different people down all throughout the week.  I spent a lot of time just reading and relaxing and hanging out with friends!  I felt like a kid again, we went putt-putting one night and to the waterpark one day, fabulous!
• Allen and left at the end of the week to drive to Camp Bob Cooper for Midtown’s Family Vacation, which was wonderful.  The whole weekend we talked as a family about Humility and Pride, something we all need reminding of constantly.  But it was great to see people loving on each other all througout the weekend, and just seeing God at work in so many people’s lives was awesome!
• I started work this past Monday, which is crazy that the summer is all over.  I have been to 40 people’s houses for homevisits over the last three days which is a litte insane!
• I also went to see a different fertility doctor in Charlotte on Monday afternoon to talk about some different things…I will write more about this soon!

These are just a few things that have kept me busy over the last little while… I will post soon on some things I have really been learning and processing and some more blessings, and pictures!

• amazing group of 19 from Midtown (would have been 20, allen we missed you).  I only knew a hand full of the group, so it was neat to get to know a lot of the others.
• bilingual worship is beautiful. The Sunday services we went to were in English and Spanish…both music and speaking…there was something very freeing about that.
• translating is fun! I loved getting to tell one of our folks what one of the kids were trying to communicate to them… like “are you coming back soon?”, “you have pretty eyes,” etc.
• We had never done this before really, but 4 people every night told their testimony/what God is doing in their lives, and wow, it was wonderful to be able to understand what people have been through.  Seeing God’s grace and love through all sorts of crazy things. We really bonded through this time.
• I broke as I talked with a mom of  3 in one of the villages who explained to me there was an extra little boy at her house that had been dropped off in the street the night before by his drunk father.  She didn’t know his name and he had no shoes on!  She asked if there was anything we could help get him, and we made plans immediately to bring some things back to her for him the next day. The shattering thing was the little boy never did anything to deserve this, and he was terrified. I wanted to bring him home.  But it was also amazing to watch a mom who could barely take care of her family, completely take this child in and love on him!
• I saw God’s perfect love over and over and over again.
• I saw God’s love through Delta, a 15 year old girl in Colonia Milagros, one of the villages, who I have gotten to know for 4 years now… I will share more about her soon…but we got to take her to Xel-ha on Saturday.  Xel-ha is an all natural water park that is beautiful, and I am pretty sure she has never experienced anything quite like that.

These are just a few things that stuck out, but I will be sharing more!

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

 ¹ O LORD, you have searched me 
       and you know me.

 ² You know when I sit and when I rise; 
       you perceive my thoughts from afar.

 ³ You discern my going out and my lying down; 
       you are familiar with all my ways.

 ⁴ Before a word is on my tongue 
       you know it completely, O LORD.

 ⁵ You hem me in—behind and before; 
       you have laid your hand upon me.

 ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, 
       too lofty for me to attain.

 ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit? 
       Where can I flee from your presence?

 ⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there; 
       if I make my bed in the depths,you are there.

 ⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 
       if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, 
       your right hand will hold me fast.

 ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me 
       and the light become night around me,”

 ¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you; 
       the night will shine like the day, 
       for darkness is as light to you.

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being; 
       you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 
       your works are wonderful, 
       I know that full well.

 ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you 
       when I was made in the secret place. 
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 ¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body. 
       All the days ordained for me 
       were written in your book 
       before one of them came to be.

 ¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! 
       How vast is the sum of them!

 ¹⁸ Were I to count them, 
       they would outnumber the grains of sand. 
       When I awake, 
       I am still with you.

 ¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God! 
       Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

 ²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent; 
       your adversaries misuse your name.

 ²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, 
       and abhor those who rise up against you?

 ²² I have nothing but hatred for them; 
       I count them my enemies.

 ²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; 
       test me and know my anxious thoughts.

 ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, 
       and lead me in the way everlasting.

This passage spoke volumes to me today, as I read it… God knows us perfectly…I hurt today, a little heavier than it has been lately…but God hurts that way for us non-stop…thank you Lord for your perfect love and perfect peace!

Why do I get impatient with where life is right now? Why can’t I be content? Why am I sad? Why am I so selfish? These are a honestly a few things I am fighting with…God is present.

Sorry it has been a little while since I have posted anything.  I have been trying to get some of my pictures ready from Mexico, and processing a little bit, I will post things in the next couple of days! Thanks for being patient!

A little sneak at some pics from this year in Mexico

So after I wrote the post last night, I went to get to get our passports from our fireproof little box, and just happened to look at the dates on them…and Allen’s expired in March.  We were completely in shock at first, not thinking this could really happen! We tried everything last night and this morning to see if we could work anything out.  Everything from trying to figure out if we could drive to Washington, DC to be there first thing this morning, to seeing if there was anyway else for him to be able to fly in the morning…but it isn’t going to work!!! I feel really bad leaving him here and really wish this could be different!!  We feel really stupid that we didn’t every check them before now!  Not fun, but sure good reason for all of it!

These are  some pics from last year in Mexico, and I am about to jump out of my skin to be there right now!!! We leave this Saturday though and I am so excited.  It is such a bitter sweet little blessing that we are getting to go, especially to think a couple of  months ago, there was no thought of being able to go with what we were preparing for!  This week I have gotten a few things to take to the kids, some little clothes, books, and toys which will be fun to share with them.  I can’t wait to see the folks we have formed special bonds with and just see God at work all week!  There are two girls in particular, Yeni and Delta who I have gotten to know over the last four years that I can’t wait to love on and talk with!

We will be going to the Yucatan Pennisula, which is right outside of Cancun.  Midtown has a special partnership with the missionary, Alfonso.  This will be the fourth trip down there.  Alfonso and his family have been missionaries there for over six years and really have a huge heart for the people there.  We will be going into two villages to do kids camps and help with construction in the communities throughout the day, and really helping with whatever we can to help them in our time there.  Please pray for our group, there are about twenty of us going, 14 girls and 6 boys!!! Girl power!

I will try to post a few things while there if I am able , and look forward to sharing when we get back!