Blessed Beyond Measure
David
Posts by David
Alphabet Counting
Jul 6th
Emily in her room taking a nap.
She decided to nap while running around counting and reciting the alphabet.
I think big sister had something to do with this.
Have a bubbly fourth!
Jul 4th
A couple of short videos of Emily having a good time at Chesapeake City Park listening to the excellent U.S. Fleet Forces Band.
Kingdom Style
Jun 29th
This was our dryer.
I forget where exactly I found this, but find it I did. It was on the side of the road and all it needed was a $50.00 element and since we needed a dryer, a dryer we got.
I forget exactly how many years we have had this dryer. At least 5, but probably more like 10. It worked but the lint trap had a shoelace for a handle, the screen was ripped, it was rusty and very noisy. We could have replaced it over the years but it just never came up as a priority.
Anyway, this dryer died on Sunday @ 4:00 literally right after a discouraging look at our finances. All we could do was laugh because at this point we can’t afford anything else.
The last couple months of medical bills related to my depression and sleep study has been a financial strain. My car needing a new clutch has been a financial strain. Alex heading out for 5 monts on an unexpected road trip across the entire country has been a huge financial strain. Having to purchase internet access so our son can communicate with us was yet another financial strain. Apparently it was all too much for our old dryer and in a horrific squeal and burst of smoke it died.
I was not happy about it but sleep deprivation prevented me from adequately expressing myself when Julianne told me about the death in the laundry closet. I just shook my head because shaking your head is free.
My wife, ever the optimist, said “God is going to have to work it out”. I agreed mostly because agreeing is also free and arguing seemed moot considering I had nothing to argue about. I am not even sure it was a prayer, more like a resignation, but I gave in to the fact that He must indeed work this one out.
I immediately thought of checking Craigslist and found pages of dryers. I found one for $90.00 in Suffolk that looked decent and decided we could pull that money out of somewhere to get our clothes dry. On a whim I sorted by price and there on the top of the list was a dryer for $25.00 in Chesapeake. No picture, just a phone number.
I wrote it down and gave the phone to Julianne stating “I bet this is right next door”.
This dryer was literally down the street and the lady had just placed the ad that afternoon. She had been holding it for a friend who was supposed to pick it up on Saturday but never showed. She just wanted it out of her garage and said it was brand new.
I take things people say with a grain of salt. I have trust issues, I admit it, but people keep reinforcing my lack of faith in them so it makes it difficult to think otherwise. I trusted this lady enough to head over to look at it and after all, it was just down the street so no harm done if it was junk.
We jumped in the car with Emily stopped at the bank to grab 25 bucks from the ATM and headed the last block to the house. Our house, the bank, and this house are all on the same piece of asphalt. We literally went a mile and a half. The only way this trip could have been more efficient is if the Dryer was at the bank.
A quick hello to the owner and walk around back to the garage and this is what we found:
A dryer in perfect condition that matches our washing machine for $25.00.
That my friends is a Kingdom upgrade.
Thanks Daddy.
Happy Day Counting
Jun 25th
Emily loves to sing.
She usually wakes up with a song and depending on the lyrics, we can tell the kind of day we will have. “Happy Day” is a good day and when we hear it we roll over and look into each others eyes and consider having just “one more”. If we here “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen” or anything in a minor key we know we are in for it and use those days as teaching moments for our older two to reinforce the impact of unplanned pregnancy.
We may never be grandparents. Seriously, I think Elizabeth is content to own cats.
Apart from singing, Emily can count to 10 and has been doing that since she was 18 months old. She also knows all her primary and secondary colors and has started to draw and paint. She also started telling us to “stop it” when she doesn’t like the conversation in the car and is generally able to communicate what she wants and when.
She has always let us know what she doesn’t like, but it is kind of exciting to be able to figure out what she does.
I think I will introduce her to acrylic painting next week just for fun because I can’t seem to muster any desire to paint lately and have a bunch of canvases I am tired of looking at. As long as I pick a “Happy Day” we should be fine.
If I pick an unhappy day I may end up with a piece of work only Dali could admire.
Alex Update June 21
Jun 21st
I think it is safe to say Alex is a little bit of a procrastinator. In his defense, very shaky OJ defense, internet connectivity has been hard to come by.
He was able to get online tonight and I Skyped with him and he sounded good. They are really feeling the exhausting schedule now. Alex was on his feet all day and said his ankles looked pregnant.
It was good to hear his voice, a perfect after Fathers day treat.
I am not sure when his next blog update will be. He is supposed to be doing that daily for school but we will have to slug that out in November.
Keep Alex and George in your prayers and keep an eye on the schedule and make plans to see him when he is near.
It would mean so much to us and him to have friends and family give him a hug.
Alex’s Vlog Dover Delaware
Jun 16th
Alex is a little behind on his vlogs, but here is his latest.
He really needs a new MacBook as he is trying to do everything on a Dell Net Book Hackintosh I made for him. We never intended to use it for video and photo editing and it is working, but he needs a real MacBook or MacBook Pro and we just don’t have the budget for it. If you feel so inclined to help him out, we can deliver it to him in Pennsylvania with the RV in a few weeks.
You can subscribe to Alex’s YouTube channel here.
His blog and twitter updates can be found here.



