Monday, August 4, 2008, Nashville, TN., 8:59 a.m., D.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

It's just li'l ol' me.  Louisiana.  Thought I'd write in here, to let y'all know how we are faring.

Well, I am positively bubbling over with sheer happiness.  Not so much for me, per se, but for a friend.  My friend is the one I'm happiest about.

God's allowed Kendra Kent to adopt yet again.  She now has nearly forty children.  She will be getting her two newest children, both girls from Kabul, Afghanistan, tomorrow.  Their names are Zeba (Arabic for "beautiful") and Tamana (Arabic for "wish").  As far as I know, they're healthy, but I could be wrong.  Seems that most of Kendra's children have some sort of disability.  Wouldn't be surprised if the girls had a disability.  Anyway, they're beautiful; saw pics of them, and I couldn't help but cry tears of joy!

I can imagine the Kent family must be wild with excitement over the two new additions!  I am happy for them!

We are not adopting (much to our dismay), but we are still involved within the foster care program.  We will be getting a new little boy within a few weeks, a little six-year-old with autism/pervasive personality disorder.  Name's Billy Ray.  He's a cute little thing with long dusty-brown hair and penetrating brown eyes.  Sounds like a real handful; things are going to get interesting around Casa Sandusky...LOL

The kids are looking forward to  having Billy Ray with us, but I don't know if we can handle a second child with austism.  We do have one now (Roberto), and he can be a paradox at times: one minute he's all sweet and buddy-buddy; the next, energetic and out of control.  Or he'll head-butt you when you least expect it.  Being sixteen now, he's gotten very strong; it takes at least three people to hold him down when he goes into one of his tizzies.

Summer for us has so far gone without a hitch.  We won't be going to Ohio (due to the high cost of gas, air fare), and it was a hard decision for us to make.  We were going to go to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, a wonderful amusement park, but even with group rate, it would have cost us a fortune.  So we're only going to Louisiana for the LeCajun festival; the only reason we're going to that is because we'd made our reservations last year, shortly after it ended.

We may go to Cedar Point next year; it depends on if fuel prices fall.  If not, we're staying put, and we can just forget about Fan Fair or LeCajun.  Stay at home and become hermits.  LOL

Work for me has been nothing short of crazy.  Seems that the hotter weather has brought in all the nuts, the crazies, to our hospital.  Don't know when I've seen so many heat stroke or heat-related cases in my life, or people getting burned/injured due to carelessness or pure-t stupidity on their part.  If I'm not in the ER, I'm working the MICU or some other ICU.  LOL

Today hasn't been too bad, but I bet later on it will be.  Seems when the temps soar to the upper nineties to 100 degrees, that's when the s*** hits the fan! LOL  Then it's Nelly, bar the doors! LOL

I haven't been getting home from work until seven most nights--that is, if I don't end up working the night shift, which has been a common occurrance in my world as of late.

Then husband and kiddies wonder why they don't see much of me.  DUH!!  I'm stuck at work!! LOL

I should be grateful:  at least I'm working.  At least I can pay the bills (MOSTLY on time!).  At least I can get what we need, and that's only by God's sovereign grace that we can.  Somehow, somwhere, He makes a way for us, and we don't have to worry for lack of anything!  He is our Jehovah Jirah! :)

Next week starts our back to school shopping trips.  More clothes. More supplies.  Seems the kids never run out of necessities even before the school season starts!  It's always a mad rush to make sure the kids have everything they can possibly need for school!  I'll be sooo glad when it's overwith and the kids are in school!!  (That way, mama or daddy can  have peace--when they're not working, that is!!)

This is when I need to say: "Calgon, take me awaaaaaaaay!" LOL

Well, I'd best go.  Phone is ringing again; bet it's Bill.  (He's off work today; he's home with the kiddoes.)  Wouldn't be surprised if it was.  Or Ronee', to say good morning to me.  She always calls me to do that.  Or she calls to say good night if I'm at work during the night shift.  Somehow she can't say it to me in front of everyone; don't know why, but that's how she is. 

Take care and God bless you as much as He's been blessing us!

~Love, your friend in Tennessee, Louie May. :D