A crazy face and crazy boy

Although most of you have probably already heard through my facebook status and text message frenzies–our counteroffer was accepted! Sale Pending! And, we were able to lock in a good interest rate on Friday, which means that now we get to “relax” (relatively speaking) and watch God complete our special new little home.  Lord willing our Corvallis house will close September 1st and our new home wil close September 14th. What amazing timing! We are still in awe of God’s goodness to us.  Plus, although we didn’t get as much as we’d hoped to out of the house, we got–almost to the dollar–what we needed to close the new house and pay off a small school loan from seminary that had been subsidized until this month. Thank you, God.

–On a completely different note, in the midst of our house-sale celebration I got a nightmare on my face.  Yes.  Right now I am sitting in bed with 12 white dots of calamine lotion and an ice pack on my cheek.  To my horror (I know this sounds gross), my long-term friend the bizarre bump on my face somehow got infected and how it’s swollen up HUGE and red and hurts so bad I can’t sleep on that side of my face.  Then, the next day it was so hot we left the doors open and apparently the mosquitos went crazy and I woke up with TWELVE mosquito bites on my face.  Yes.  You can imagine between the giant bright red crazy bump and the 12 bright red bites I looked in the mirror and felt like I was in a horror movie. What happened to my face?!!   I also had another 15 or 16 now on my arms and hands.  Needless to say I marched over to Safeway and bought Off! and calamine lotion. Nothing like spraying on the Off before going to bed in your apartment. 🙂

I know, I’m vain.  I know, I’m wimpy. But my face hurts so bad I can’t sleep.  So anyway, they got me on antibiotics for the infection and I”m hoping someday soon I won’t look like a monster.  Why am I sharing this? Partly because I’m hoping someone can find some humor in it and maybe feel oddly encouraged knowing no matter who bad you might feel about yourself at this particular moment, I PROMISE your face looks better than mine right now! 🙂

The other fun thing is that someone had apparently kidnapped our sweet son and left us with a crazy-boy instead.  The boy won’t sleep and it’s making for difficult days and nights!  For 2 1/2 years we’ve had this sleeping thing down. And now he won’t sleep!  And yes, I’ve been praying! Yes, I’ve snuggled. I’ve read stories. I’ve held the door shut (yes).  I’ve opened the curtains. I’ve closed the curtains. I’ve sp-nked.  In the middle of the night it’s like having a puppy. Last night I’m sleeping and all of a sudden I feel something on my feet.  What the? Then it slowly wiggles up, up, up, and next thing I know his little warm self is snuggled up right next to me, then his little wiggly self edges me off the bed.  I finally gave up, left him there, and I went and slept alone in his bed!  Enough!  Anyway, tonight getting him into bed took 2 hours of perseverence. Naptime today took 2 hours.  This is getting old.

So I know these things are m-i-n-o-r but between not sleeping because of my enormous throbbing cyst, and not sleeping because my crazy son won’t sleep, I’m tired and my face itches like crazy and wouldn’t you know it, Jeff is preaching this weekend.

So Jeff says that all of our trials and suffering are working for us. They are producing character, hope, they are drawing us to Christ. They are preparing us for seasons of ministry and leadership. They are entering us into the fellowship of Christ.  I agree. I really do.  I’m just wondering what my frightful face and insomniac son are working for me right now. I suppose it’s showing me my vanity and impatience.  I don’t know.  I think the real reason I’m writing this is because my blog listens better than anyone else I know. 🙂

Thank You, God for my crazy face and my crazy boy.  Give me patience.  Help me not complain.  Goodnight.