I think....

I may just lose my mind! Last night while I was getting ready for bed I found ONE in the bathroom - of all places!! A tiny one. (If you don't know what I found - it's a bed bug!). I REALLY thought we were through with them. It had been 31 days since we had seen any or had any evidence of bites. But there it was. Crawling on the floor - stage 2, I believe. I have NO idea where it came from. I also found a really tiny dead one in our bedroom - that must have just died because I just vacuumed there last Wednesday before the exterminator came. UGH!!!! I am not at all pleased and am really starting to get angry. Why are we still dealing with these? What is God's plan in all this? Am I suppose to get rid of MORE things? Are we suppose to move? Leave everything behind? Honestly, I could get up right now and walk away from this house and never look back. If the house burnt down RIGHT NOW, I would not regret losing anything. I am that tired of this whole situation. Living out of bags is getting tiring. Getting ready for Easter Sunday was a fiasco as things were everywhere and not in their normal places. There is NOTHING more we can do to our house, except keep spraying pesticide and DE - which works only sometimes. I woke up at 4:00 am just crying out to God to please answer our prayers of relief. I want my house back - I want to live in peace - I want my children to be able to play freely on the floors - I REALLY want everything back where it belongs. I know there is a reason for this.....I just wish I would learn the lesson already so we can be done with this trial of 6 1/2 months.

Crazy Week!

That's where I am at right now! Life has been INSANE for the past week! I don't ever remember being so on the go. It all started last Thursday with the Michael W. Smith/ Steven Curtis Chapman concert and has been a whirlwind of activity everyday since! I am not complaining! God is so good and has allowed so many blessings to fall on us.

Last Saturday, my wonderful mom took me out to get my hair done - a cut and a perm (I haven't had one in YEARS!) and then a full day of clothes shopping! She is so excited about my losing weight that she wanted to get me some new clothes before we go on vacation (just THREE WEEKS from today! YEAH!!!!). I ended up not getting home until 9:00 pm! An incredibly fun day!

On Sunday we made the yearly trek to Ocean City, New Jersey for their half price ride tickets. It was a gorgeous day! Unfortunately, Andy was unable to make the trip with us as that very morning, the ONLY drainage pipe in the basement that hadn't been replaced decided to crack! UGH!!! Poor Andy spent the whole day, and a good portion of the early morning, replacing the pipe while we were enjoying the fresh breezes of Ocean City. The kids had a great time walking the boards and even getting onto the sand for a short time. But the rides were the highlight! It made them all excited for our vacation come September! I know it seems far away now, but it will be here before we know it!

The school week has been filled with the yearly standardized testing. Neither Matt or Sarah are required to have it this year, but I like to see how they are fairing. This year will be an interesting one as it has been so incredibly difficult to get what I consider "normal" school in with the whole bed bug situation and other factors. I am hoping that they do at least as well as last year. We'll see. I am trusting God to help me realize He had a reason for this entire past year. I know it didn't go ANYTHING like I had planned - but God knows and only asks that I trust in Him for it all - so I will.

Today, as a kind of celebration of finishing testing, we headed to the Franklin Institute to see the Narnia Exhibit. It was SO great! I really enjoyed seeing all the props and even some of C.S Lewis' personal things - like his copies of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy! They had the White Witches throne and it was SO COLD!!! It felt great! Unfortunately, we weren't able to take any pictures - boo! But the memories are there and the kids had a great time. Even Daniel enjoyed looking at everything and climbing into Reepicheep's tree house. The attention to detail is absolutely amazing. They also announced that "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", the third movie, will be released in theaters in 2010! I can't wait!!

After touring the exhibit we spent a couple of hours walking around the museum looking and experimenting. I really enjoy the Franklin Institute!

God continues to show us mercy and love despite my weaknesses! It has been four weeks today since we have seen a bed bug. I can't tell you HOW THANKFUL I am for this! I still look for them wherever I walk and nothing is put back into place yet. I am still fearful that they will return. Each day is a walk in faith - knowing that God knows what is best for me and will help me through it all!

This Easter seems extra special to me this year. I am so grateful for all He has done these past eight months. He has "shown me what is good; and what does He require of me? But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with my God." (Micah 6:8). It has been a humbling walk, but I have learned so much and am so thankful for all His wonderful ways. Thanks to all who have been praying. Please continue to hold us up as we continue to "walk with our God!"

Wrong, again!

Once again, my God has proven me wrong. I don't know why I continue to think that things I believe are impossible are also impossible for God or that He would choose to NOT bless me in that manner. But the story I am about to tell you is a TOTAL GOD THING! It smacks of God's humor and desperate love for the smallest details of our lives!

Back in February I purchased tickets for Sarah, Denise (a great friend in our church) and I to attend the United Tour - a concert featuring Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman. I have enjoyed both artists for as long as I can remember. Michael W. Smith was the first Christian Contemporary Artist that I listened to and attended his concerts when I was a young person! Sarah has become quite a fan of both and I thought this would be a great birthday present! So we made plans to head to Baltimore, MD - the closest place they were coming.

Yesterday was the concert. We headed down to Baltimore, MD at around 1:15 pm and arrived there around 3:30 pm. We started walking around and headed towards the inner harbor to see if the aquarium was still open. The concert was being held at the Hippodrome Theater. We were getting close to the theater when I jokingly said, "Wouldn't it be funny if Michael W. Smith or Steven Curtis Chapman would walk out we could meet one of them?" There was a man standing on the sidewalk in front of the theater and when he turned around it was Michael W. Smith!!!! I really couldn't believe it! "It's him!", I said and Denise and I urged Sarah to go say hi! As Denise and I got closer MWS had gone over to a group of men and was making a phone call. We waited a few seconds and Steven Curtis Chapman walks out from the group and starts talking with Sarah! She had such poise and grace as she politely explained what a big fan she was and how she enjoyed his music and couldn't wait for the concert. He jokingly said she was a "little" fan meaning she was young and shook her hand and asked if she would like a picture. She said yes and so we got one. Up behind him came Michael W. Smith and started speaking with Sarah and asking her if she was coming tonight and posed for a picture with her as well. Both men were extremely gracious and so friendly and not at all upset about us taking up their time! I am amazed. I am befuddled! I am in awe of God's goodness to us. I mean what are the chances that we would happen upon them at that specific moment? As I said, it was a total God thing.

I have to admit, I had been praying - half hearted - about Sarah maybe getting the chance to meet one of the men. I truly was not praying in faith as I truly believed it would never happen. I am ashamed to think that God wouldn't even care about that detail. But I have been proven wrong. He is an amazing God - in all circumstances. Whether it be battling bed bugs, dealing with preteen boys, or meeting a musician - He cares about all aspects of our life! I believe meeting these men made a huge impact on Sarah about what an amazing and awesome God we serve and that He loves us and desires to bless us in many ways. Thank you Father for your amazing love towards us!

I know....

it's been a while since I have blogged. Some people have been getting on me about getting back to blogging. I guess I am currently trying to overcome my fear of blogging. I know....it sounds strange to be fearful of blogging, but every time I blog about life one of those dreaded little beasts pops up somewhere and then I go into a slump. But a lot has been going on in the Schultz household that I should let people know about! So here it goes!

Last week an incredible group from Greenville College (in Indiana) came and did a week long football camp for the kids of the neighborhood. It was great! Everyday from 4-6 pm all three kids went to camp. Sarah was tagged with the nickname "El Pancake". I guess she was a pretty good defensive player. Matt had a great time running and doing the different drills. Daniel just had fun playing outside! I had a wonderful time of two quiet hours in the house! We were all sad to see them leave!

Friday morning, the Darrow clan and all of us went to the Kimmel Center to attend "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" put on by the Philadelphia Orchestra. It was incredible! I love the orchestra and could attend it weekly if I could afford it! They did a really great job keeping the kids interest and teaching them about Beethoven's life. Even Daniel sat for the entire concert. One of the reasons I love living in Philly is so that we can attend events like this one. I am hoping that we can attend more school concerts next year.

The house is coming along....slowly, but surely. Andy is back to ministry full-time and so has limited time to work on things. We are currently looking to purchase three windows - one very large one for our living room and two for our bedroom. Our bedroom windows really need to be replaced as they are original to the house. They are the old weighted and chain pulley type windows. They are pretty cool - but very drafty! I can't imagine how warm our bedroom will be after we replace them! We have discovered, however, that windows are not cheap! We are planning on using some of our tax refund to replace the windows.

Since joining the gym on March 6th, I have gone everyday, except yesterday (we were out of town!). I REALLY like going. I feel like I am actually accomplishing something. Today I was scheduled to meet with a trainer. When you join you get one free session. I didn't plan too well for it, however. I went my normal time, 6:30 am, and did 47 minutes on the elliptical (my favorite cardio machine). I then started working out with the trainer at 7:30 am. He was good and was teaching me some great exercises for my abs and legs. Then it happened - I could feel myself starting to crash. The trainer must have recognized the signs because he asked if I was okay. In short I had to end my session and go home to eat something. I was really bummed as I didn't get to finish the session. The good thing is he said I seem to know what I am doing and to just keep pushing myself. I guess I need to learn to eat more before going to the gym - an apple doesn't cut it! I am still learning how to deal with this whole new lifestyle.

And yet another one!

Last night after teen club Andy came home and started tearing the sofa apart. He had fallen asleep on the love seat (funny to think of a 6'1" man on a less than 5' love seat!) a couple of nights ago and some bites had shown up on his ankle. He found one. UGH!!! Now the count down starts all over again. I am ready to just pitch the furniture - even though it is only two years old this month. I am just not up for the battle - it seems it would be easier to just get rid of the furniture, buy some cheap sofas, or maybe some metal chairs, until we are truly done and then save up to get a nicer set - maybe when we retire? But Andy wants to fight the bugs and keep the sofa's - more power to him. I can't even sit on them without thinking about bugs. Will I ever be sure they are totally gone from our house? Who knows!

Tonight we are down to one kid - Daniel. Sarah was invited to go to an American Girl Fashion Show with my sister. After talking with her tonight she was on cloud nine! She had so much fun! She was able to enter into a raffle for some American Girl things and will find out next week if she has won. Since Sarah is with Lisa, my sister, Sam, her son, is with my mom. My mom offered to take Matt with her as well so the boys could spend some time together. They were enjoying MomMom time. The went to a movie, ate at Chick-fil-a and then Cold Stone Creamery - lucky dogs! They were playing Wii when I called. They are both highly competitive.

Andy and I decided to go up and visit his Mom since Dad is out of town for the night. We went to Applebee's for dinner. I was proud of myself as I didn't order what I REALLY wanted and ordered a Weight Watchers approved meal. I figured I have been to the gym every morning this week and shouldn't ruin all that work on one night. My new schedule has me getting up at 6:10 am and getting to the gym by 6:30 am. I use the elliptical for 45 minutes and then do weights for 30 - 40 minutes. I thought I was going to die in the beginning of the week - but I am not so soar right now. I have always enjoyed getting up in the morning - I get my brain going and cleared and can focus on the kids and school when I get home. Since I am getting up so early, I am also going to bed earlier - usually by 11:30 pm. It feels good! So, I am now off to bed!

Death to all parasites!!!

Parasites are the worst thing ever! What falls under the category of parasites? Ticks and Bed Bugs. This past weekend we journeyed up to the Schultz Farm to attend our home church missionary conference. We had a great time seeing old friends and wonderful supporters. Andy did a great job representing the ministry and talking with all the people who had questions. We had decided to sleepover as Andy was asked to share in Sunday School.

Sunday morning Andy came to me and said "Matt has a tick embedded at the hairline in his neck. We need to call the pediatrician to see what to do." Can you believe it? March 7th and we found a tick on our son already!!! Haven't we had enough blood syphoned from our bodies this year? That little tick was really embedded. It took us at least 20 minutes to convince it to let go. Obviously our greatest concern now is Lyme's disease. Jonathan's dog (Andy's brother) was just diagnosed with Lyme's disease as well Jonathan himself and they are both on antibiotics. Thankfully, I already had a doctor's appointment for Matt scheduled this morning because his knee, the one he fractured 3 1/2 years ago, was causing him some pain and I wanted to have it checked out (Diagnosis: tendinitis). We will have Matt tested in about four weeks to see if he has Lyme's and if so he will be put on a course of antibiotics. The good thing is is the doctor said kids are much more treatable than adults and have a better cure rate. Please be in prayer that Matthew does not have Lyme's disease.

When I came home, my husband did not have a happy look on his face. He had been preparing the beds for the exterminator to come and do, what we had hoped, was to be our last treatment. In the course of him taking the boys bunk apart he found a live bed bug. UGH!!! It had been two weeks today since we found a live one. What else can we possibly do? The exterminator is baffled. He has no idea what else can be done. He did a treatment and will check in with us in two weeks to see how we are doing. My biggest disappointment is that we will not be able to declare ourselves bug free before we go on vacation April 30th. We leave in 53 days and you need to wait 55 days. With the way things have been going with this whole situation I would not begin to doubt we would find one on days 54 or 55. That's just the way this thing has seemed to go. I guess we will have to do the guinea pig test while we are gone. You put a guinea pig in the middle of a bed and surround it with glue traps. The idea is that the bed bugs will go after the guinea pig because it puts out a lot of CO2. If you find them on the glue boards, then you still have bed bugs. I guess we'll be acquiring a new pet come April.

I am tired of parasites. They are literally sucking the life out of me. But one thing I realized this weekend is that no matter where you are - they can find you! That became even more real when we met Pastor and Mrs. Haggar. Amy Haggar had a terrible rash all over her body. In talking with her we discovered that they believe they have bed bugs. She had a bite that became infected and had a terrible reaction. They, however, have never found an actually bed bug. THAT has to be even more difficult. I am praying that they don't really have bed bugs, but maybe a spider or two that is causing the bites. They have been dealing with this since November. Please pray for the Haggar family and that their situation would be resolved quickly.

Thank you for all your prayers. They are being heard and I still have a peace. We will get through this. Each day gets better and God is faithful.

I joined....

a gym!!! It is something that I have wanted to do for quite some time, but never got up the guts, or the money, to do. But after re-figuring finances and the great deal the local gym was having. I got up the guts to call my friend Laurie's daughter, Joy, and we went over together. Joy already has a membership and showed me all the wonderful things that are there. We did the elliptical for 20 minutes and then the bike for 20 minutes. She also did the treadmill for 20 minutes while I had to take the tour and sign up. It felt so good to exercise!!! I have missed it so much these past few months. I am already excited to go tomorrow morning before we head out to Andy's parents for the weekend.

Many of you know I have been on a quest to lose weight. Since September I have lost 24 pounds, but have been fiddling around with two or three pounds the last few weeks. I used to exercise almost everyday at home using the Biggest Loser Workouts on DVD, but with all the construction going on in the house there has been no room to do it. I am hoping to get back on the weight loss track since I have joined the gym. I would really like to lose another 20 pounds by May 8th which is my 40th birthday! I would like to say I lost 40 pounds by the time I was 40! I then hope to reach my weight loss goal by September - a total of 60 pounds. We'll see!

As far as bed bugs go, the last alive one we saw was February 16th. Andy had some suspicious looking marks on his ankle last Sunday, so we tore our sofas apart, vacuumed them, steamed them, and then laid pesticide on the parts that we don't touch (under the sofa and inside the back cushions). Since last Sunday we haven't had any more suspicious marks or any sightings of bed bugs. I am praying that we have reached the end of this trial. Hopefully, by the time we go to Florida on April 30th, I can declare our house bed bug free and we can put it all back together in June. It will feel really weird to live "normally". Not going to the basement for our clothing? Not having to look in every nook and craney with a bright flashlight? Everything back in it's place? My school room empty of all the excess stuff from the other rooms? Weird!!! I can't wait!