Long overdue!!

Sorry it's been so long since I updated...Ron's been sick, which keeps me on "high alert".

Jan 29th, Ron came down with bronchitis. Thankfully, it was caught early and we were able to treat him at home...keeping that no hospital streak going! WOO HOOO!!! We were also concerned about Stacee since we had been around them a good deal that week, including the night before Ron spiked a fever. Praise God she has not shown any signs of illness. Stacee is now at 32 weeks and doing well. Being off of work and on partial bedrest has really helped. They have a website if you'd like to check them out: www.nordellfamily.shutterfly.com

Back to Ron, as I said, we caught the bronchitis early, keeping it from developing into anything else. However, he's overall felt like crud. He has also been having a great deal of digestive issues (more-so than usual).

It seems to go in cycles like this; he'll do fairly well for a few weeks, maybe even months, at a time--and then there will be several weeks/months that are just BAD where he feels he is fighting off yakking all day, every day. It seems everything constantly backs up and sit's in his esophagus ready to come up at the slightest provocation. We haven't been able to determine a rhyme or reason to it.

I often wonder if the stress of school exacerbates things. He enjoys the classes and needs something that gives him a purpose and keeps his mind engaged; on the other hand, school is really hard for him...it's been over 30 years since he had to study and it tends to bring on alot of stress and frustration while making him even more tired.

As you can imagine, this roller coaster is very much affecting his mood. It's a catch 22...down when he has nothing to do; or down when he's so worn out from school and studying that he finally gets sick and can't do anything.

Our life is not all gloom and doom...we try to encourage Ron to get out some and he's making an effort to step out in faith and try to do a little. He attended the men's breakfast at our church in January; a few weeks ago he and Aaron went to a Mavericks game and we've had a couple of birthday celebrations (Stacee, Jan 25 and Aaron, Feb 4). He has thoroughly enjoyed each of these events but is one tired pup afterwards; and always ends up yakking, ugh. He had talked about wanting to try to start going to both church service and Sunday morning bible study; but with the setback he's had, we've not even made it to church service the last few weeks.

More to share, but I'll save it for another time, this e-mail could easily become a novel!

Thanks for standing in the gap and praying us through these difficult times.
Christie

"I have learned that pain can isolate us and cause us to feel alone in our journey, even when we have those around us who care. But a word from the Lord companions us as nothing else can...because it goes into the very marrow of our existence.
I'm surprised at how small my vision is for God. I've walked and talked with Him for years, and yet I'm still startled by His generosity and jolted by His desire to know us and be known by us. To remind us of that, He has dispersed light to give us insight, direction, protection and hope that we might consider Him and His glorious ways."
from Catching Fireflies by Patsy Clairmont

"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others" 2 Cor1:4

"Delight yourself in the Almighty and look up to God...pray to Him and He will hear you" Job 22:22