"Don't worry, you're not pregnant"

I knew when I went to bed Thursday night that Friday would be a crazy day--it was the last day of work before payroll taxes were due for our clients, among other things. But I had no idea just HOW crazy this day would be.

I had a doctor's appointment scheduled first thing yesterday morning. I've been having a sharp pain come and go on the lower right side of my abdomen for months. I finally caved and went to the doctor (I HATE going to the doctor) a few days before Christmas. My conversation with the doctor had gone something like this:

     Can you explain the pain?
          It hurts.
     Can you give me a number from 1-10?
          It varies.
     Is it constant?
          Sometimes.
     Is it a dull, throbbing pain or a sharp, shooting one?
          Both.

Having a nurse for a mom, I'm usually the ideal patient. I know all the questions before they ask them and I have my answers ready. This pain just couldn't be described...it was like one big contradiction. Consequently, they weren't able to identify the cause of my pain and sent me home with a pat on the back and some ibuprofen.

Now two weeks later I was back with the same complaints. They ordered a pelvic ultrasound. No, not the kind they just roll across your belly. The exam room was tiny so they asked Justin to wait in the lobby. A few minutes later I was seeing my uterus and then...a giant black thing.

(giant black thing...the small black thing on top is the probe)

     WHAT IS THAT?!?
          Don't worry, you're not pregnant.
          It's just a cyst.

Just a cyst? This thing is HUGE. It measures 6.5 cm, nearly the exact size of a tennis ball. I couldn't stop crying. Mainly because I finally knew I wasn't crazy. I had been feeling this pain for months but when all you can say is "my stomach hurts" you just sound like a weenie who complains a lot. It was almost a relief to know that there was an actual cause for this pain. But despite my relief, I was also pretty scared. 

Turns out, ovarian cysts are fairly common. Normally they stay very tiny and go away on their own, mine just happens to have been growing for the last 6-7 months. They generally aren't dangerous but can cause a lot of pain depending on their size and location. In some cases they can be cancerous if they're solid, but mine is clear fluid which I'm told is a good thing. I was sent to a radiologist to have a second pelvic ultrasound and now I'm waiting for a consult with an OB/GYN to find out what happens next. There is a surgery that can be done to remove the cyst, but chances are mine will go away on it's own and I won't need surgery.

Needless to say, I never made it in to work and my day was just as crazy...probably more so after my phone was stolen at the doctor's office, but that's a whole other story. Did I mention yesterday was also our four-year anniversary? What a day!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

...Hi, neighbor!

In case I haven't mentioned previously, I work for K & M Winslow. They're a small accounting company that just so happens to also manage the property and condos where I live (that's actually partly how I got my job--an awesome story I'll probably post eventually). Anyway, while I was at work today we got a call from the daughter of two other tenants from my building. Her elderly mom fell down and hit her head on New Year's Eve, landing her a stay in the emergency room. The mother finally made it home yesterday or today, but the daughter is staying here until her mom (who also takes care of her husband) is back on her feet. Okay, so..who cares?

Turns out, I do. Being the daughter of a mom diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and several other auto-immune diseases, I could automatically relate to this woman. I know what it's like to have to take care of a parent. A few nights ago my own mom fell down and wound up with a trip to the emergency room and a few stitches for a souvenir, so I also know how hard it is to be half a country away when one of your parents is hurt or ill. It's really hard to rely on other people to look after them. So...after I got home I took a sticky note with my contact information along with three roses from a bouquet Justin brought home this weekend and marched upstairs to their unit. I introduced myself to all three of them, shared my flowers, and visited with them briefly. I told them if there was anything I could do to help--getting groceries, picking up prescriptions, driving them to appointments--that I would love to help. And I meant it. More than anything I wanted their daughter to have peace of mind knowing that when she returned home to Florida, there was someone here who was willing and eager to help her family.

Even though introducing myself to these perfect strangers was a little out of my comfort zone, it was also very easy for my because I could relate to their situation. I HAVE walked a mile in those shoes. Not to mention the Bible says that we are to love each other just as Christ has loved us (John 13:34). But this command does not limit our love to "only those we can relate to or sympathize with". Actually, Matthew 5:43 says quite the opposite: "You have heard the law says, 'love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!" And just in case anyone thinks they can get out of that one on a technicality, the Bible also says, "don't just pretend that you love others, really love them." (Romans 12:9)

Ouch. Those verses really made me ask myself if I am loving others the way God wants me to love others. If I'm going to be honest about it, the answer is no. I can't just pick and choose who to love. So I'm working on loving others they way God loves us...even the dog lady that yelled at me for building a snowman in the courtyard. But if it were easy to love everyone, God wouldn't need to remind us to do so! 

To hear the powerful story of one family who chose to share God's love with a stranger, watch Samuel's story here:

"...God was telling me to say PIE!"

Saturday afternoon I got an email from our church listserve explaining the unique format for the service on Sunday. In place of a sermon they were having an open mic session where anyone could share how God touched their heart in 2010. They offered five questions to guide the discussion: 

         

* How did God show up in your life this year?

* How did you grow this year?

* What are you thankful for?

* How did you experience Christian community?

* What adventure did God take you on?

When I read that you could also e-mail your story, I felt compelled to share. Little did I know that MY email would end up being read aloud by our pastor to the entire congregation to kick off the open mic session. I'm sure everyone around us knew we wrote it because Justin and I could NOT stop laughing!! Here is what I wrote (or what Michael read, anyway):

When I first read the suggested questions in this email I had to laugh a little. How can I briefly answer the question "how did God show up in my life this year", when God was in every single moment of our giant, crazy adventure of 2010? 

In January I was engaged and living at home with my parents in Houston, Texas. I was 21 and had just graduated from Texas A&M University. My fiance Justin, 22, was also living with his parents, 3 miles away, and wrapping up his last semester at the University of Houston.

In April we came to Norfolk to look for our first home together. We only had one weekend to find somewhere, with no time or money to make a return trip before our wedding and our 1500 mile move.

In May life really got crazy. Justin graduated from college. The same day he was commissioned as an officer in the Navy. One week later we were saying "I do" and off to our honeymoon, a one-week, much needed vacation in Mexico. Five days after we returned, we packed up our cars and a u-haul and moved 1500 miles away from everything we ever knew to start our new life together in a town where we knew no one.

On Halloween, we tried a new church. We had bounced around since we arrived in Norfolk in June, but nothing felt like the church we had grown up in. As soon as we entered this church, we knew it was different. The people were friendly and eager to help us find a place to get involved. There were Sunday School classes, and missions opportunities, and all the things we had been looking for. Something just felt like home here. And then Michael talked about pie. Being huge food enthusiasts, we took it as that final nudge from God that yes, we were home. Call us crazy but sometimes it's those little details that stand out. We joined a few Sundays later, and we couldn't wait to bring my in-laws along when they visited us at Thanksgiving. If you hadn't guessed, the church was Spring Branch.

Michael finished reading our story and half-yelled "and you all thought I was just going on and on about this delicious pie, but really...God was telling me to say PIE!!" Everyone was laughing. Justin and I took the opportunity to introduce ourselves to him after the service and I'm really glad we did. He's a great pastor and we're looking forward to getting to know him better.

So This is the New Year...

It's hard to believe 2010 is finally over...it was such a huge year for so many reasons! I wish I could share in better detail just how much God showered us with blessings this year, but I didn't bother to keep track of the details, just that it happened. That's why this year my resolution is to maintain this blog. I know it will be a year of challenge and growth for Justin and I with his first deployment looming over us, but I am positive that God will use that time to bring us closer and I would love to be able to share that experience with others. If you didn't catch our Christmas newsletter in my last post, here's a look at what 2010 held for us!

Cinnamon Rolls or Jesus?

Anyone that knows me even a little bit knows that I. LOVE. CHRISTMAS! I love everything about Christmas--the music, the decorations, the traditions, the time with family--everything except the 75 degree t-shirt and flip-flop weather that is so characteristic of Houston. So you can imagine my joy when the weather channel predicted snow for our first Christmas together as a married couple. The only thing standing in the way of me and my perfect Christmas were my own, unrealistic expectations.

Being my first Christmas as a Drace, I was very excited to begin some holiday traditions of our own. I didn't feel like I was being unreasonable, all I wanted was to send out a Christmas card and newsletter and to make homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. One week before Christmas, the excitement had been replaced with stress and angst...how was I going to get it all done? Suddenly I was choosing between having presents or getting the cards out on time.

I came to my senses and went into disaster control mode. The cards could wait until after Christmas...after all they do say "and Happy New Year". I finally felt at ease on our way to the 5:00 Christmas Eve church service (my favorite Christmas tradition), knowing the presents were wrapped, our dinner would be waiting for us in the slow-cooker, and I would have plenty of time to make the cinnamon rolls before bed. God had other plans, however, and we arrived at a packed church with seats only available in an overflow area in front of a television set. It was hard enough being away from my family for the first time at Christmas, but having the Christmas Eve service taken away from me was just too much to handle and I burst into tears. I told Justin watching the service wasn't the same as experiencing it and we left. I knew there was one more service at 7:00 but by the time we could make it home my chicken and dumplings would be mush and there would be no time left for my cinnamon rolls.

Then it hit me.

Christmas isn't about cards or cinnamon rolls. It isn't about music, decorations, or traditions. It isn't even about time with family, although I do love that. Christmas is only about one thing: celebrating the birth of Christ. If I couldn't take the time to do that, then what difference did all of the rest of it make? The choice between cinnamon roles and Jesus was a no-brainer. We killed some time, got a snack at Sonic, and headed back early for the 7:00 service. Even without all the familiar faces or hugs, it was one of the best services I ever attended.

So we finally had our white Christmas, and we built a snowman to celebrate. We treated ourselves to a delicious honey-baked ham and took a day off from any intensive cooking. We listened to Linus tell the story of Jesus' birth in a Charlie Brown Christmas. We were even visited by Santa (he brought me a Le Creuset!) We didn't have cinnamon rolls, but that's alright because our Christmas was perfect without them! Merry Christmas y'all!

Click here for a PDF version of our newsletter: Drace Family Newsletter: Christmas 2010
 

The Best Laid Plans...

My to-do list is never-ending (whose isn't?) But I'm not talking about the everyday pay-the-bills, clean-the-house tasks. I'm talking about my constantly evolving list of personal projects: preserving the best memories of the last four years of my life in photo albums, amassing all my recipes into one convenient location, starting a blog...

GASP! The dreaded blog.

I've been avoiding this for so long because I have this terrible enthusiasm problem...in that I have way too much of it. I'm always excited to tackle my next big idea, but rarely do I stick with it long enough to see it amount to anything. So I thought a good New Year's resolution might be to start, and MAINTAIN, a blog (and yes, I really do start planning my resolutions this far in advance.) But knowing my track record for keeping said resolutions, I figured I could benefit from getting an early start. That way, when I inevitably neglect this blog for weeks at a time, I can bypass the feeling of "well I already ruined my resolution, might as well give up" and just press on! At least, that's the plan.


Now that Justin and I have moved across the country and away from home for the first time, I thought a blog would be the best way to share our many new adventures with our friends and family. The blog title came from the song lyrics of one of my favorite country artists, Alan Jackson. It seemed like the perfect fit because although we've loved each other for almost four years, being married has finally given us the opportunity to really learn what it means to do life together, the way God intended it. And THAT is the real adventure and what I hope to share through this blog. Thanks for joining us on the ride!