not for the faint at heart

not only is this entry a long one, but it's also picture-free. which, if you're like me, tends to be a second-rate blog posting.

i've been holding off on "the big one" for quite some time just because we haven't really known what's going on. we've searched and wondered and prayed a lot, and even though there are still patches of fog, we are seeing more clearly each day. we just praise God for what he's doing and working in us!

let me start off by saying that lots has happened. second to the whole "when should we move and how can we get jobs" question in our heads has been the question of what the next step was with jed's back. he has been needing another surgery for a few months, but not needing like "unable to get out of bed" needing. we've been wrestling and praying about what to do. we don't feel that the best answer was another "open back" surgery like he had 3 years ago just because of all the scar tissue it left behind that has tended to be a nuisance to his back arthritis. not knowing what other options there were and having already tried chiropractic, we were at a bit of a loss.

providentially, jed's dad sent us a link of a place that we had heard about before but never looked into. it's called the laser spine institue and their website lists possible treatments available for jed's condition - spinal stenosis. there are only two lsi's in the states - one in tampa bay and one in phoenix. in mid-december we sent his most recent mri down to the one in tampa bay and waited for them to review it and call us back. they called back and told us what proceedures they would be doing and how much it could help. they do about 300 surgeries a month and have 8 reputable doctors on board at lsi, so we felt very comfortable with the idea of getting help from them. however, when we asked about insurance/cost, they told us that they don't deal with insurance and so it would be an out-of-network proceedure costing us around $30,000 (it's a $60,000-$80,000 proceedure). obviously, that settled it for us because there's no way we had $30,000 cash on hand. we took it as a sign from the Lord and just continued to wait and see and pray.

well, they called us on tuesday morning of this week and said that since they have a very slow schedule right now, (maybe because of people's deductible's renewing plus the recession, etc.) they wanted to at least get surgeries scheduled even if it meant pretty much giving them away. they offered the surgery to us for $5,000 cash due the day of the surgery which is an UNBELIEVABLE discount!!! after praying about it and taking time to think and get advice, we jumped on it! jed is tentatively scheduled to have surgery on january 29th in tampa bay. this is a tentative date right now only because the dr's at lsi would like updated records on his heart condition and a release from his cardiologist for the surgery. we've been told that his condition is an electrical problem and really nothing harmful according to research, so we're praying that it will be a quick checkup and the release form will be signed.


some amazing facts about this surgery: a quicker recovery time because of the laser method (he would be allowed to drive home if he wanted); very uninvasive (they only move muscles with a probe and don't cut anything); it's just a band-aid incision; he will walk out of the hospital after the surgery and he's told to take a very long walk the night of surgery; the doctors feel that they will be able to help some of his problems; it probably won't affect our moving schedule. we're so thankful that God has provided for this opportunity. though it's still a huge chunk of change, we've already been seeing ways that God provides and we gladly use our money for something this important! jed and i both will have to be in tampa for 5 days - 2 days of pre-op, day of surgery, physical therapy day, and check out day - which means being down there from the 26th-31st of january.

we have tried many different options with jed's back and though we never want to chase the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, we are confident that this is another step that God has for us. it's perfect timing!

now, as far as the nyc schedule goes: we'll be coming back to greenville after the surgery, but we plan on flying up to brooklyn sometime the week of february 9th. we're so excited! another huge answer to prayer is that God has worked it out so that my bosses are letting me take that entire week off and still come back to work for the first week in february to make just a tad bit more money while jed recovers. what an unexpected blessing! we're planning on leaving all of our things completely packed in our greenville apartment while we're in brooklyn looking for jobs and an apartment. dailey and michelle crafton and the people at williamsburg church have lovingly told us that we are more than welcome to stay with them as long as we need to, though our goal is to have jobs and an apartment by march 1st. we'll fly back down for a quick trip at the end of february to then pack the truck and drive it back up.

ta da! these are our plans, but God may have changes along the way (which has happened before) so we're taking it one day at a time and learning to trust and love him more. he's been so awesome to take care of us in these ways! we realize the importance of planning, but also the necessity of remaining extremely flexible.

if you've made it this far, not only would i like to congratulate you but i also hope you're rejoicing with us!

our holidays

here are our families. more info on the move later...lots happening with little time to happen! woohoo!

8 stadtmillers and 32 tyrpaks = so much fun!

over-sung and under-thought

as an adult, i've over-sung every single christmas song out there. from rockin' around the christmas tree to away in a manger, every christmas season brings repetitive christmas songs that have entirely lost their meaning. at least in my head. (please note: i'm not super disappointed that christmas shoes has lost it's meaning because it is entirely overplayed.) of course, each year there are a few new ones here and there. but as far as the awesome songs that tell of Christ's birth and the real reason why we pause to celebrate? not many new ones. however, last year we found our new favorite christmas music to listen to - Savior. the true meaning of christmas was revived in our hearts, and that album continues to teach us and minister to us year-round.

since jed has been out of town this weekend, my sister and i went to our church's christmas concert together last night. i'm rarely disappointed with our worship pastor's music choices, and last night was no exception. it was a traditional christmas celebration service with singing and scripture reading mixed together, but it was so very powerful! just a few phrases from traditional songs that really spoke to me....

• who laid aside His rightful reign to take away our sin and shame
• darkness is ended, sinners befriended
• a thrill of hope
• the King of Kings lay in a lowly manger....born to be our God
• God and sinners reconciled
• veiled in flesh
• mild He lays His glory by
• born to raise the sons of earth...(and)...give them second birth
• King and God and Sacrifice
• He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found

what a wonderful time of year, and what an awesome reason to pause and praise God!

christmas

well folks, it's officially december. (i know i'm a day late, but yesterday was such a funky day coming off of thanksgiving that i'm just not going to count it as a day) december is one of the most nostalgic, memorable, and meaningful months for me because we celebrate a holiday that mandates being with those we love and stopping our craziness to enjoy a moment of life. at no other time of year do we have so many reminders everywhere we go! i love it.

on my way to work this morning they were playing "sleigh bells" on the radio. it took me immediately back to our living room as a kid where we would wake up to christmas music almost every saturday and sunday during december. dad always had (and still has) this sparkle in his eye at christmastime, because as we all know "it's the most wonderful time of the year!" for some reason, "sleigh bells" is the christmas song that reminds me the most about him. he loved to talk about his trombone playing skills in high school because it mesmerized us, and he would tell us about the trombone neigh at the end and we could never believe that it wasn't indeed a horse. that's where i was on the way to work this morning - in my red fleece pj's that smelled like syrup listening to my dad get so pumped for christmas.

even a hot oven reminds me of christmas. well, i should rephrase that. a hot oven when it's cold outside reminds me of christmas. a hot oven when it's hot outside reminds me of being HOT and then i remember that it's summer and i should turn the stupid oven off. but back to the hot oven. only good things come from ovens. my mom was (is) an oven fiend. the christmas cookies she can whip up are continually amazing and she is never so excited about baking as she is at christmas! after she baked, she would leave the door open and we would crowd around and try to warm up. not exactly the perfect "open fire" that the song talks about i'm sure, but we loved an open oven.

aaaaaaaaaaa......christmas. ya gotta love it!

time flies when you're having fun

our lives are going nuts over here right now, which would lead one to think that posts would get updated at an insanely regular rate, but nay. life is happening fast and we're just hangin' on and lovin' it! i guess that's why time has flown.

nonetheless, it's important (to me, at least) to chronicle all that God is doing as we see it happen, so here's an attempt not to forget anything.

the weekend after the phillies won the world series, jed and i made a trip to brooklyn for more evaluation, walking/exploring, and for jed, job hunting. jed left on thursday, november 6th, and i joined him on saturday. it was a whirlwind trip that made us love clinton hill, brooklyn, even more as we walked all over it. i would describe the neighborhood as old, full of people, on the verge of growing drastically, and artistic and whimsical in its taste. we look so forward to living up there and becoming part of the community that God desires to draw to Himself!

between the time that jed's internship ended on october 31st right up until he left for new york, he blitzed the internet with his resume in hopes to get a few interviews while in the city. though he never got an interview while we were there, we are excited about one possibility in particular that dailey crafton got for jed. it is with new york university's recruiting/admissions office in the medical science training program. we've been waiting to hear back from them for an interview, but they have assured us that their hr department will slow things down. pray that God will work in this specific opportunity so that jed will get a job.

our move, at this point, is hinging on jed's job. we feel it slightly risky to move without a job at this point, though we may have to resort to that come january. we're ready to go! it's starting to sink in that we're leaving soon, and the feelings are bittersweet (though heavier on the sweet side). we're going to miss our friends and family that have become such integral parts of our lives, yet we know that the new life ahead of us is what God has burdened and excited us for.

more updates (and pictures - maybe) to come in the next few weeks. on the slightly less important side, let me comment on the mundane happenings in a nutshell. the art show went well on the 7th and 8th; i have another one coming up on the 4th of december; leave it to the eagle's to make history (a tie?!); jed jogged on the treadmill this weekend with strong stability in his knee for the first time in 13 years!; and, we will be spending thanksgiving with my family and christmas with jed's family.

peace and love.

event of a lifetime

*let me preface this posting by stating that i will hereby not be giving any specific stats relating to the phillie's record, current status, or projected effects on other philadelphia teams. not because i don't know them, but because i don't know them exactly. i know when to boo, when to cheer, when to bunt, when to walk, etc. but statistics are different. in person, i can get by with mumbling some statistics under my breath in the name of "carrying on a conversation" or "impressing my man," but the risk i run of solid mockery should a printed statistic be false is high (see post on marrying into a dynasty of philadelphia diehards). end of preface.*

in the five years i've been married, i have learned that when history is made, you watch it. world series. march madness. the olympics. wimbledon. the masters. and of course, the superbowl. at first i didn't quite enjoy that, but it has become a significantly enjoyable passion for both me and jed. sometimes things happen in big events that could make the record books of history, and missing such an event would be missing out on your small part in the timeline of man. it's serious folks. just think, i will be able to tell my kids that i got to see that arrogant dude federer get beat by the little 'ole long-haired spaniard nadal. and when tiger woods won with a messed up knee/shin. and when michael phelps' amphibious qualities awed the world. and when coach k lead the redeem team to the gold. and when adam morrison cried like a baby. i watched it.

but this whole phillies thing is quite amazing. the fans have lived and died by their philadelphia teams, and the phillies world series win is no exception. last night, hours after the game had ended and i had passed out asleep, jed lay awake in the dark with his eyes wide open just soaking up the five games that had changed history for the entire city. you always hear about these middle-of-the-night phones calls you get because of a death or accident, but now add to that list a sports-inflicted insomniac. a bit after midnight, jed's brother john called and they were able to find comfort in each other's inability to settle down. rather, i think they just ended up pumping each other up all over again while replaying utley's amazing fake, the crowd going wild at the end singing "we are the champions" in unison, and even projecting the future prowess of the eagle's.

i've been hearing the legends of mitch "wild thing" williams blowing it for the phillies in '93, and thus continuing the philadelphia curse. and i actually have believed in the curse. maybe it's because they threw snowballs at santa or maybe it's because they're the truest fans (good and bad) in the history of sports, or maybe it's just because the whole state is snafooed. i don't know. the important thing is that now i have witnessed a philadelphia win in my lifetime, and not everyone can say that. history has been made, the curse is lifted, and now it's time for the sixers and eagles to show out, too! better yet, maybe the philadelphia curse will make its' way to boston now.

illyria pottery, just between you and me books, & green shadow accessories

i'm getting really excited about our upcoming art show! once again, christin pratt and katie coston and i are getting together for a christmas show with a few themed gifts and great stocking stuffers. katie is hosting the event again and from what i hear there will be many new ceramic designs from the kiln. i've seen some of christin's newest books and they're incredibly creative and beautiful (she did the super hot design for our invites)! i'll also be bringing some of my newest accessory designs, so be sure to stop by and take a look! it'll for sure get you in the christmas mood. hot wassail, art, cool studio - what more could you ask for?

friday, november 7th from 6-9pm & saturday, november 8th from 10am-3pm @ katie coston's studio/home (416 perry ave, greenville, sc 29601)

see you there!