lest anyone think that olivia is on a grand vacation - she is not!  life does not change 100% for the better in the blink of an eye.  it takes work and alot of effort.   she is learning some difficult life lessons.  she is learning how to be a responsible, resourceful adult.  she is learning how to deal with consequences of the past.  BUT SHE IS RISING TO THE OCCASSION.

I Corinthians 13:11 -"When she was a child, she talked like a child, she thought like a child, she reasoned like a child. When she became an adult, she put childish things behind her."

oivia is working very hard to become an adult...

sorry that i haven't blogged in a while.  it is certainly not because olivia is not doing well.  she is continuing to learn the job of dental assisting.  she pitches in and works with everyone very well, she is taking some grammar and spelling lessons, she is still seeing a therapist.   she has done absolutely everything that we have asked of her since day one. 

i know that when she is sad or bothered it is because she misses her girls.  she has assured me that absolutely nothing else is negative in her life at all.  even that is not necessarily a negative thing.  she realizes that ashley and hailey are in good places and  that they are being taken care of.  it is simply normall for a mom to miss her kids.

if you are reading this, i would ask you to say a prayer for her.  if and when she crosses  your mind, say a prayer for her.  she is doing well - pray that she will not grow weary in well doing!  Satan is still a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  i believe that he thought he had devoured olivia's life.  PRAISE GOD HE WAS WRONG...

The Old Spaghetti Factory in Nashville

Olivia and Elvis (:

Downtown Nashville

The Ryman!

Olivia posing in front of the Titans stadium

we have been extremely busy at the office lately.  so busy that there is no way we could have kept up and fit all of the patients in without an extra hand.  olivia has been that extra hand.  she has been a huge help and asset.

when she first arrived we were going through a couple of slow months.  that's just the nature of general dentistry. you hang on because you know that there will be busy months and then even busier months.

i told olivia that i feel God brought her to us during a slow time in order for her to train and get her feet under her.  now that she has some training under her belt we are busy again! pretty cool how God sees the big picture even when we don't.   

PRACTICE XRAYS OLIVIA TOOK ON ME TODAY!!!!!! GREAT JOB OLIVIA...

olivia continues to do well!!!!!!! she is learning by leaps and bounds.  you can all be so proud of  her.

we have had a wonderful weekend.  i felt that i should offer oliva an opt out of the flea market if she so chose.  even though it meant that she would be home for most of the weekend alone, she opted out.  i have had a great time with my daughter logan and i believe olivia has enjoyed her alone time.

it is saturday evening as i am posting my blog,  and olivia left  2 hours ago  to attend another outdoor music concert.  she left with a smile on her face and a spring in her step.  i know that she appreciates us giving her the freedom and abilitly to go. 

i am looking forward to hearing a challenging message a church tomorrow and then joining logan again for our last day at the flea market.  i love that place so much! i can't imagine why olivia would chose to not be there from sun up to sun down for 3 days in a row.

avery and olivia are doing our family grocery shopping tomorrow.  this is a chore that i have always hated doing and i am learning to delegate it to other adults that live in the home. why should i have to be the one to go?  i assure you - olivia will return with something chocolate.

we have a super busy weekend ahead of us as we are working at the nashville flea market.  we will set our booth up this afternoon and then be there bright and early friday, saturday, and sunday.  olivia is a good  when left with the option to stay home she rarely chooses to do so.  she almost always opts to join us where ever we go (whatever we do).

as a side note - i see a huge improvement in olivia's depression.   i know that the attributes this much to her medication.  she has been deligent to take it and make sure that she doesn't run out.   she is being as responsible as she knows to be! 

Hard at Work

good weekend!!  olivia cooked dinner for us saturday.  she borrowed avery's car and went to an outdoor music concert all by herself.  i told her that i felt as if i were sending my 1st grader off to school.  i think she felt much the same way.  she left with a smile on her face and returned 2 1/2 hours later with even a bigger smile.

she called her dad today to tell him happy father's day today.  she said that they had a good talk and she seemed to be encouraged afterward.  she said that she knows he is in the right place and that she is in the right place.

i am sleepy and headed to bed! will post more later...

we were commenting today on the fact that olivia has been here for exactly 2 months.  she is amazed  at how much she has learned during this short amount of time.  i am also amazed at how well she has fit into our family and become apart of our lives.

she passed her nitrous oxide monitoring class today and we rejoice with her in that.  we had a birthday celebration for andrew tonight.  she joined us in a game of "taboo" which  she had never played before but gave it her best shot.

in a family, when one rejoices we all rejoice and when one hurts we all hurt.  my daughter, avery, and her boyfriend have put an end to their relationship.  avery is hurting and olivia sincerely seems to hurt for her also.

i am trusting God in olivia's life just as i am trusting Him in my own personal life as well as avery, logan, andrew and ole's lives.  i rest in the fact that i have never, never, never had a need that He has not more than met.

       

this week has been an exceedingly hard week.  i can't really explain exactly why but some days are just a struggle and then some weeks are a struggle.  my family is not perfect.  we are not trying to show olivia what a perfect family looks like.  that would be impossible since as i just stated we are not perfect.  in fact, we are not really trying to show olivia anything.  we are simply living our lives.

lucky her!  she gets to watch.  she gets the front row seat in our reality show.  our reality must be better than the reality that she knew before coming to our home.  i asked her a few days ago if she was homesick and she said NO.  i asked if she could see herself ever becoming homesick and again she said NO.

i don't have the above plaque perfected but i am working on it. 

God is good and we are blessed!!!!!

i have to constantly fight the urge to make  plans and timelines for olivia.  i have a very nasty habit of coming up with "wonderful" plans and then scheming about how i can bring these great ideas to fruition. God more often than not jolts me into the reality that my plans stink.  it is actually quite gracious of Him to do so.  this is His merciful way of letting me know that He has a much better plan than i can ever imagine. this is true not only for olivia but for myself and all of those around me.

pray that i will be wise to see the doors that God is opening for olivia and then walking through them rather than planning for her and then finding an accomodating door.

i know that she is nervous about the nitrous oxide monitoring class she will be taking on friday.  keep her in your prayers!!!!

our pastor spoke yesterday about how the enemy wants to rob us of our God given potential.  i am so thankful that even though Satan sought to eraticate all potential from olivia's life he was not successful.  Satan is a mighty advocate but God's love for olivia is greater!

it's a reminder for my life also. i have regrets and am sure that i have allowed Satan to rob me of potential but God's love has won out over and over again.  He has and is continuing to fulfill His potential in my life too.

i gave olivia a hug and told her that i see potential in her life.  she smiled and nodded yes.  i hope that means that she sees it too!!

i apologize for not blogging everyday.  there is often not enough time in the day to do everything that i want to do!

we went to a "centering prayer" workshop today.  i hope that olivia walked away with a better understanding of exactly what meditation in our yoga practice is all about.  not everyone that practices yoga has the privilege of having a yoga instructor that is a believer.  as she pointed out today -meditation has been around for thousands of years.  isn't it sad how the world can take ANYTHING and turn it away from God.

Psalms 19:14 -  "may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in you sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. "

this is a big week for olivia.  she begins some grammar/english tutoring on thursday and takes a nitrous oxide monitoring class on friday.  keep her in your prayers!

olivia and i had a discussion last night about moving forward so i thought that this saying was very appropriate for today.

i complemented olivia on the way home today about how well she was doing and the improvement that i see everyday in her people skills.  when she first arrived and she spoke to the therapist he asked her what one thing she would like to improve about herself and she said she would like to "have better people skills."  i have racked my brain about what i could do to help her in that area and have even felt discouraged because i didn't feel there was much i could do.  i have had to simply trust that God knows her every need and would meet this one as well as many others.  i should not be surprised each time i hear her speak a little more confidently, a little more clearly.   however, i never cease to be amazed at God's goodness!!!!  this is no exception.

Luke 1:46 - my sould glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.    

God is very mindful of olivia's state and will tend to every detail.

it's been yet another blessed (and productive) day! logan and i got up bright and early to head for the office to tend to the bitter sweet job of mailing out bills to our patients.  it is bitter because some patients refuse to pay, others pay but ever so slowly, then there are the ones that pay but complain miserably about having to do so. it is sweet because we have many patients that understand totally that it's their bill and their responsibility to pay. period.   SORRY!!!!!! i couldn't resist the opportunity to vent.

olivia opted to stay home and do her cleaning and laundry.  i think it had something to do with our bright and early departure this morning.  otherwise, she is usually right there with us. she accompanies us just about everywhere we go. i hope she is beginning to feel that she is a part of our family. she is.

we ended the evening again at an outdoor music concert.  i am amazed by how much olivia loves music. she loves and appreciates all genres.  i cannot help but think that had her circumstances in life been different she would have been a musician.

a wise person once told me when i was going through a difficult trial - "you can't go back, you can't stay where you are, you must go forward."  when i am tempted to wonder what olivia's life could have or should have been,  i dwell on that thought.  she has no where to go but forward.    

one more day has passed and i can still say that olivia is doing well!!!!!  i could go into the details of the day but unless you are in the dental field you would probably be bored.  so simply saying that she is doing well sums it up.

actually, when i sit down at the end of each day and confirm in my mind that - yes - olivia is still doing well, it gives me pause to ask myself the same question.  am i doing well? not will i be doing well tomorrow or next week or next year but  today?  having olivia here and trusting God in her life each day at a time helps me keep my own life in focus.  we only have today and that is truely all God wants us to dwell on.  

i can honestly say that there are things in my life today that i would like to improve on tomorrow.  i know that today i could have been kinder, gentler, and more faithful.  Lord willing He will give me the opportunity tomorrow!

ole and i took olivia bowling again yesterday.  we all went on mother's day and she was pretty shy and meek about the whole thing, but when it was just the three of us she hurled the ball down the lane with great intensity.  her scores were much better and she seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself.  she commented on mother's day that she hadn't bowled in FOREVER so i guess she needed a warm up.

ole and i bowl at least a couple of times each month so it looks like we are going to make a great bowling threesome.  ole teased olivia that she would be in  a bowling league soon.  who knows?! 

after a very long, enjoyable holiday weekend ole commented that it was time to get back to work.  olivia agreed wholeheartedly.  she is definitely developing a sense "ownership" at the office.  she is owning up to the fact that the people who walk in the door are our patients and our responsibility to take care of and give our best to.  i like that.  her skills will continue to improve everyday.  skills can be taught to just about anyone but a true love for the job and desire to do her best can only come from within.

i love sundays!  we had a great start of the day at church, then out to eat, home to do laundry, cleaning, a little shopping and then a nice sunday nap!  all of that topped off with an evening movie.

i forgot to mention in my blog yeserday that when we came home from our trip to macon yesterday olivia's dental assitant license was in our mail.  this was such an encouragement to her.  her face lit up!  this makes her legal in the state of tn to practice dental assisting.  she still has so much to learn and more courses to take in order to expand the duties of what she is legally able to do.  i don't want her to take the courses too soon.  i want her to really be ready so that she can confidently take the courses and pass the first time!  nevertheless, this piece of paper is a huge deal!

i have always wondered if the people in heaven could know what was going on here.  i hope that olivia's mom somehow knows that she is doing well. i know that it is every mom's prayer and hope that her children are doing well.

what a great weekend olivia has had!  she had a wonderful visit with her daughters and was also able to see her  2 sisters.  thank you audra and lea for taking the time to see her.  i know that olivia feels your love.  she said that it was sad for her to say goodbye to hailey and ashley but she is very encouraged by how well they both seem to be doing. she is doing well and they are doing well.  what more could she ask for?!

on the way home we  talked about the fact that the greatest thing she can do for her girls is pray for them.  i am so glad that i was able to meet them also.  i can now join olivia in praying for ashley and hailey and put  their faces with their names as we ask God for His grace and protection in their lives.

we ended the day with an outdoor music concert.  we were fortunate enough to see rick vito (a former fleetwood mac member).  awesome performance! i think it is ironic that olivia is such a lover of music and has found herself in a city that is so full of music.

ole and i met in macon, ga and he has not seen much of it in over 20 years.  while olivia visited with her girls we drove around and took a stroll down memory lane.  he has always said that macon was the nastiest place he had ever lived but what a wonderful thing came from it - ME!  i am glad that we were able to leave macon behind some 20 years ago and i am glad that olivia was able to leave it behind today.

Olivia and Her Girls

Summer Music at Providence

olivia thrived on the fact that ole's assistant (tracy) took the afternoon off and she was the assistant for 4 hours this afternoon.  i am so proud of how far she has progressed. tracy is also off tomorrow and thursday and you can tell that it is  important to olivia that she will be the assistant in her absence.

i have told her that i will be there to help as she needs me but for the most part she is in charge.  she thrives off of us putting our confidence in her and trusting her.  i pray that tomorrow goes very well.  it will do wonders for her confidence!

she is so excited to see her daughters this weekend.  i hope that it is not too difficult for her to part with them when it is over...

olivia's doctor increased her lamictal dosage today.  olivia says that her depression is ever so slowly going away so hopefully the increase in the dosage will nudge it along a little further.   when i mention olivia's depression i do not mean to paint the picture in anyway that she is not doing well.  she is doing sooooooo well!  but i am very aware of the hold that it has had on her life and i see it in her face.  when that veil of darkness is lifted she will be a new person and better able to tackle life's issues.

   

it's been a good day!  we had a good service at church this morning, some shopping, scrapbooking, and relaxing this afternoon and then back to church for the gospel sing.  i know that the music spoke to my heart.  olivia seemed to enjoy it.  i trust that God is doing things in her heart, soul and mind that i cannot see or even understand. i am so glad that i don't have to.  i am  thankful that i am not responsible for olivia.  i am only responsible to God and my response to His leading in my life. that is encouraging and freeing.

we had a great day at the lake today.  everyone seemed relaxed and happy.  i know that olivia is excited to see her girls soon.  i know that she misses them and the familiarity of the people around her.  we are doing all we can to let her know that she truely is a part of our family.  i realize that this will take more time as she has only been here a month. 

i am looking forward to worshipping tomorrow and seeing what God has for us. we don't usually have a sunday evening service but we are having a "gospel jubilee" tomorrow night that she seems to be looking forward to.  this will probably be the kind of music she grew up listening to.  i trust that the entire day will be a blessing. can't wait!

today has been a good day! house cleaning, grocery shopping - those kind of things.  olivia started a latch hook rug as soon as she came.  she hasn't finished it yet and commented yesterday that she wanted to finish it but simply has not had time.  i asked her if there had ever been a time in her life that she had been this busy.  her answer was a big NO! 

we talked about the fact that she has obviously had too much idle time on her hands.  i know that God created us to do good works.  sitting around, dwelling on self, pleasing ourselves simply does not produce good works and certainly doesn't produce a happy person. a huge part of her healing and recovery involves learning how to become a fruitful, productive person.  

i still see an underlying sense of depression in olivia.  it is slightly better than when she first arrived.  her life is changing.  her circumstances are improving and she has been on the mood stabilizer for about 3 weeks.  i pray that in time all of these things will completely resolve her depression. it is such a debilitating thing!   

as i have mentioned several times she has worked incredibly hard in the month that she has been here.  we are taking a complete day off and spending it at the lake tomorrow.  i know she is excited (we all are)!  we have prayed for a pretty day and it looks like we are getting it.       

olivia was in the dental chair again today.  she is missing several teeth so she is having a bridge done and 1 more crown.  it's good to be on the receiving end of dentistry so you can appreciate what the patient feels like.  i think olivia will be a very sympathetic care giver.

every now and then i find my mind drifting past the present. i wonder what the future looks like for olivia and if we are doing everything right in order to help her get there.  i have to remind myself that i am not in control of the future and that wondering often leads to worry so i best not do it.

this used to be my biggest vice!!! God has dealt with me greatly and helped me significantly with my worrisome nature.

Matthew 6:34  - do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own.        

i stuck my head into olivia's room to tell her good night and as usual she had her dental assistant book out reading it and taking down notes.  i told her again that i am so proud of how hard she is working.  she told me with a smile on her face that she really, really likes the work that she is being trained to do.  we talked about what a huge blessing that is.  if we had invited her here to train for this work and she had hated it then that would have been tragic.  that's a GOD thing!

i love ecclesiates 5:19 - when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God.  he seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

God uses the little reminders that i get from olivia in my life.  i am so blessed in my work.  i love working with my husband and hearing people say that they love coming to our office.  i bet that's something most dentists don't hear very often!   

  

i almost didn't blog today because it was such an incredibly slow day at the office and absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happened (or so i thought).

some of you country music fans may be familiar with "whispering" bill anderson.  he is a singer but mostly song writer.  he is a patient at our office.  he is actually quite an ordinary guy.  he complains about the high cost of dental work just like all of our other patients. he came into the office today with his longtime girlfriend who had an appointment.  olivia had the priviledge of meeting him. i didn't really think much of it.

all i could focus on today was the fact that half of our patients forgot about their appointments and the other half remembered their appointments but needed to reschedule them to another day. i was too focused on the negative to realize how much meeting bill meant to olivia.

when we came home from work she was beaming and excited to tell michael (avery's boyfriend) that she was introduced to bill anderson.  michael is a country music fan so he was very interested in her story. olivia is normally very quiet so i know it must have been a huge deal for her to share her experience with someone.

in alot of ways i envy the fact that everything olivia is doing right now is new and exciting for her.  she is having so many first time experiences.

the moment i thought that and typed those words this scripture came to my mind -lamentations 3:22, 23 "because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!"  i also experience something new everyday. it's God's great love and never failing compassion for me.

Mothers' Day

Olivia and Me

We went bowling!

Ole and Avery

mother's day always makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. i chose to have my children but they didn't get to choose me.  they were just kinda stuck with me upon arrival.  it seems that the celebration should be the other way around.  i am so thankful to be logan and avery's mom.  they have taught me so much and brought me unspeakable joy.  they were so patient with me through the years as i learned how to be a mom.  yes, there were many trials, but joy always came in the morning!

about three-fourths of the way through the day i told olivia that i hoped she was okay and mother's day had not been difficult for her.  she said it had been a good day and that she was good.  she has lost her mother and her daughters are not nearby.  she chose to have a positive attitude today as she does almost everyday.  GREAT REMINDER FOR ME! attitude is everything.

the girls gave olivia gifts for mother's day.   logan gave her a dress and avery made a necklace for her.  logan made her favorite cake which is yellow with chocolate frosting.  it was incredible!!!!!  then at my personal request we all went bowling.  i say with olivia - IT WAS A GOOD DAY!   

we are seeing God's hand of direction in the lives of our family. logan and her husband andrew will probably be moving to marrietta , GA in october in order for him to begin chiropractic school.  avery has finished her cosmotology educator's program and been offered a teaching position. 

olivia has known that we have all been in prayer for God to lead and guide as we trust Him to do what is best for our kids.  she and i had a conversation regarding the fact that her life is no different.  we are praying for God's direction for her.  when we see the hand of God in someone else's life it can often give us the hope and faith that God is able to do the same for us. 

i have seen God do more that i even ask or think he is capable of in my family and i have no doubt that He can do the same for Olivia.  since she has arrived i have purposefully had no expectations for her beyond what each day holds.    as i am learning with my own immediate family - who am i to assume that i know how God will work things out?  i don't know what the big picture of her life will look like but i am trusting that God will get her where she needs to be.

i talked to olivia today about holding her head up high,  speaking confidently to patients,  and looking them in the eye. she said again that so much of her shyness is from worrying about what people think about her.  i reminded her that 99% of the people here know nothing about her. so how could they possibly think anything bad of her? their only thoughts when they meet her should be that she is a confident young lady who is training to be a dental assistant.  

when i dropped her off for her class tonight i told her that i was proud of her and her response was
"i'm gonna get there."  i have no doubt that she will.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that SO EASILY entangles.  and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

olivia is not the only one that is running a race in an effort to reach her goals.  aren't we all!!!!! and just imagine what that ultimate goal will be like - HEAVEN - can't wait...

my hubby said that i hurt his feelings a couple of posts ago when i posted pics of the family but he was not in them so here he is.  he is a pretty important fellow so i am not sure how i managed to exclude him.

he is my employer, landlord, boss, father of my children, spiritual advisor,  coffee maker, therapist, cat feeder, and best friend.  he is olivia's dental professor,  landlord, employer, friend and encourager.

olivia is continuing to go to yoga with me 2 evenings a week.  she seems to really enjoy it.  she says that it is making her back feel better.  apparently she has some minor scoliosis issues.  i can honestly tell that her posture is improving.  perhaps it is a combination of the yoga, becoming more comfortable and aware of her body and confidence in herself.

i know that she was up until  11:00 last night.  i asked her if she was watching a movie.  she said NO she was reading and studying her dental books.  it takes a great deal of  discipline and personal motivation  for a person to apply themselves academically when they are not in a classroom setting being pushed to do so by teachers and peers.

when we left the house this morning she had her books with her.  she said that last night while she was reading there were some things she had questions about so she was bringing her books today to get some clarification.   she is doing the absolute best that she can!

pray for us that we will do the best that we can for her!!!!!!!

when i was 19 years old and first met ole, my husband, i was quite insecure and unconfident.  he immediately began the task of building me up, complimenting me at every turn, convincing me that i was smart and capable of doing anything that i set my mind to.  this went on for about the first 15 years of our marriage.  I FINALLY GOT IT!  i was then 34 years old which is the age olivia is now.

i cannot imagine feeling as insecure and unconfident as i did at 19 at the age of 34.  we are all trying to build olivia up and encourage her.  it's not a difficult task.  she is putting forth so much effort into absolutely everything she does.  she deserves to be praised and complimented.

after work today i told her again what a great job she is doing.  she is already assisting chairside with 1 or 2 patients each day.  i would never have imagined that she would be at that point already but  she is so determined.  her face beamed when i complimented her.

i know that God is able to build up her confidence and self-esteem at a fast forward pace.  i can just imagine that she must feel that she has soooooooooo much catching up to do.  we are not pushing her but she is pushing herself.


i am now quite confident and sure that i am capable of doing anything that i set my mind to (within reason of course).   olivia's favorite verse is "i can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." that is a source of confidence for all of us!!!!!!!!!!

ole still compliments me even after 26 years.  he simply can't resist...

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”

Sunday Brunch

our message at church today was from john 15:1 -8.  it was a reminder that we are the branches of Jesus Christ Himself.  the point of our entire existence as christians is to bear fruit in order to point others to God.  the title of the message was Rolel Models.

before the message began we watched a video about leaving a legacy.  i have always felt that if i could be a role model to my daughters;  even if they were the only 2 people whose lives i ever really touched; then i would have fulfilled my calling in life. i still feel that way! 

i could not help but think during today's message that olivia can still be a role model and leave a  legacy to her daughters. it is by no means too late.

she spent 4 1/2  hours at a pottery shop today painting a birthday gift for her daughter hailey.  she put so much thought into what to paint for her.  she chose the colors and designs to put into it very maticulously.  i know that she wants her daughters to be proud of her.  i trust that they will go beyond that one day and look up to her and call her a role model.

  

our craft sales didn't go very well today. most of the shoppers were looking for items for their dogs.  all proceeds went toward the animal shelter.  we saw hundreds of dogs though! logan is a dog lover so she thoroughly enjoyed that. just as in life, things don't always go as planned but they are still just fine!

olivia was able to call both of her daughters.  that always put a pep in her step. she also spoke to her sister, audra, last night and i know it meant a lot to her that audra called. thanks audra!

short and sweet tonight.  i am headed to bed...

 

Bark in the Park

Here is our booth:

Olivia sat patiently with us all day, even though we say very little action.  Truth be told, we saw only $18.00 worth of action at our booth! Not a good selling day for us!

Me, Logan, Lady, and Penny:

Penny in her $2.00 t-shirt that we got for her today:

Lady and Penny were exhausted toward the end of the day.

There were plenty of other dogs there too, but of course, ours were the cutest!