Saturday, Jennifer came up to my place and helped me to make the Majestic Mountains basket that everyone made at the sewing retreat.  Of course, I forgot to take any pictures, so I’ll just have to tell you that it’s turning out great.  I only need to finish the rim and the decoration, and stain it.  I was thinking of tea-dying it but the rust color I chose really runs, so I don’t think that’s an option.  I’ll just spray stain it.

While she was up, Jennifer also worked on a vase basket, and her Cathedral Window quilt.  The basket turned out beautifully, and her quilt is coming right along, now that Grandmother showed us all how to make the squares without all that ironing.

She inspired me, so Sunday I got motivated to work again on my own Cathedral Window quilt.  I’m still up in the air about the color pattern for the front, since the background is going to be all black.  I need some input and maybe some new ideas.  I’m just not liking the idea of sage, yellow and black when I think of decorating a whole room around it.  Any suggestions anyone?

Then yesterday, having the day off, I spent some time on a little cross-stitch peice featuring a Care Bear that I started when Jillian was up caring for me and my foot the other week.  I don’t know what I’m going to do with it.  Jillian gave me a set of three Care Bear kits.  I thought about making some sort of baby gift, but we’ll see.

I have to say, God has truly blessed me with this surgery and answered alot of prayers.  After two weeks now, I have had NO pain whatsoever.  I went in for a check-up and the doc said everything looks good.  I even got to see the X-ray showing the two pins holding the bone together.  It looks so straight now.

I didn’t think crutching back and forth to work was going to be so tiring, but it is.  I ride a bus and the metro to work, and using crutches to get around in all that sure is a trick.  One good thing is that using these crutches is building up my arms. 

This morning at 7:30am I was wheeled into the operating room for a bunionectomy and possible osteotomy on my left foot.  That means, taking a wedge of bone out of  the large bone in my foot that connects to my big toe, sawing off some of the bone at the bunion, and possibly taking a wedge of bone out of my big toe bone.  All went well, and I didn’t have to have the osteotomy.

I was asleep, but not knocked out during surgery, so I feel awake and alert.  My foot is still numb, but I expect that to wear off soon.  I’ve heard from other people who had this done that the pain is terrible, so I’m keeping my meds handy just in case.  I have a cast on up to my calf that I will have for six weeks.  I won’t be allowed to put any weight on this foot the entire six weeks, so I’ll be crutching it.

Ross is taking care of me now, and Mom and Jillian are coming the next couple days to help while I have to have my foot elevated, which I am thankful for.

I did take a before picture, but I don’t have it on the computer yet.  I think I’ll wait to post it until I can pair it with the after picture, when I get the cast off.  Sound good?  I thought so.

This past week I went to Chicago to work for the week.  While I was there, I got to visit with Liz, my friend from JMU that I graduated with last spring.  Tuesday, she took me to Downtown Chicago and showed me the sights.  We had dinner, saw the “Bean” at Millenium Park, and got some pretty good exercise with all the places we walked.  Behind us is the Chicago Theatre.

Thursday, I went to Liz’s house, which was only a mile from my Hotel, and spent the evening hanging out with her and her roommates.  We had a great time.  It was nice to get in a visit like that on a work trip.

I know this is an old one, but I still love it.  Some songs will always be good, and this one is one of them… easy to listen to.  I hope you enjoy it…

On Super Bowl Sunday, my church held a big event where people could come watch the game and have food, play games, win prizes and socialize.  I took my friend Larissa with me.  She was rooting for the Colts, so I took the Bears as my team.  Since I’m not a football fan anyway, I figured it would be fun to cheer for the opposing team.  We had a great time.

Some friends that I have made at church were also there.  This is Jocklyn and Thanka.  Then there’s Pete, who was lucky enough to win a free food ticket by catching one of the little footballs thrown out to the congregation after church.

My small group leader, Joy, went to Frontline (church for young adults) with Larissa and I.  Then she stayed through most of the game with us and my other friends.  We all had a really great time hanging out and watching the game, though none of us won any prizes.  I actually got into the game and really pulled for “my team”  right up until the last second when I finally had to admit that we would be defeated.  But I have to say that I think it’s awesome that the winning team has a Christian coach.  Maybe the Colts will be my new favorite team….

Hi everyone.  I hope the first month of the 2007 year went well for each of you.  I’ve been so busy at work with lots of travelling.  I went to New York for a week near Albany.  It was so pretty there.  The temperature was about 10 degrees and it snowed every morning just enough to be beautiful and not mess up the roads.  I stayed in a little town called Amsterdam that was full of old rundown buildings and beautiful old victorian style homes.  Everything was ramshackle, but with a layer of snow, I would guess that almost anyplace could be pleasing to the eye.

This coming week I’ll be heading to New Jersey for a week.  Even  though I am really enjoying my job, I’m not looking forward to this one because it’s going to be a lot more work than usual in the same amount of time.

I’ve got more to post on my time yesterday watching the Super Bowl, but I’ll have to get to that later.  I’ve got to get back to work. 

Well, It’s been a while since I’ve put anything up.  I have pictures to post on my Urbana trip, but I don’t have them on the computer yet.  Soon, hopefully.  I roomed with three awesome girls there who I hope will be friends of mine for a long time.

I’ve been busy with my new job, which is going great.  I’m in North Carolina right now for work.  I’m also looking forward to getting involved in some new church activities in the new year.  I’ve made a committment to read my Bible in a year, which is something I haven’t attempted since Aunt Sheila and I worked on it together when I was about 12 years old.  I’m going to need some encouragement when I get to Numbers not to just skip past it…

I pray everyone is having a great start to their year.  Bless God.

Javonne

Well, it seems like my life has all-at-once turned upside down… but in a good way.  I am no longer a Gasoline Tanker driver but it’s because God put me into a new job in DC with a CPA firm as an Auditor.  I am officially back in the world of Accounting.  I’ll be traveling alot, but at least now I won’t be doing the driving, and I won’t be pulling around a virtual bomb behind me.

And because of this new job, I also moved to a new place.  God totally blessed me with a room in a beautiful home with a Christian woman and her two children in a quiet residential neighborhood.

So now I can go to church regularly and not have to worry about working weekends.  I’ll still plan to work on my masters in Counseling via online courses with Liberty.  Plus I’ll be taking a class in the spring called Perspectives – On the World Christian Movement.  It’s a pretty intense class, but I’m going to have alot of time on my hands to be reading with all this travelling.

I’m totally excited about everything that’s happening and I can wait to see what else God has planned for my future.

On Saturday, September 9th I went to the Warren County Fairgrouds to see Michael W. Smith  in concert.  It was a beautiful warm evening which was nice because the concert was outdoors, of course.

It was such a good concert.  He did a couple old songs, but played mostly new material.  He really got the crowd into the songs.  People were truly moved by the music and the message and were up out of their seats praising God.

I’ve been a MWS fan ever since I got involved in the youth group back at Bethel, and he’s still making awesome music all while giving the glory to God.

What a great testimony of a Christian following in God’s design.  First giving Glory and Praise to God – Then Reaching out to others with the message and love of Christ as all christians have been commissioned to do.