High lows for the week

Monday

High-Sydaleigh finally had her eye appointment with a local ophthalmologist to get a prescription for glasses ( I got the date wrong so it was a week later than I expected.)

High-Kate was able to come with us to help translate because the terminology for this appointment was way past my language level ( Silly me hasn't learned the french words for things like 'astigmatism' yet)

Low-the doctor was TERR.I.BLE. Our appointment consisted of him putting up letters and numbers for Sydaleigh to read and then telling her over and over that she was wrong when she couldn't read them (she couldn't read them because she can't see!) and making her try again until she got the letter right and recording her "correct" answer that she only got from guessing and then determining her eyes are, oh, just fine and dandy, and she doesn't need a prescription. What. the. heck?! That is not how you do an eye exam! Who gave this guy his license? He then told us her previous diagnosis for 20-100 was not accurate and said we needed to go to the pharmacy to buy eye drops to dilate her eyes (they don't keep eye drops in the office, you have to go buy them at a pharmacy, then return at a different time for a follow up visit and pay for another exam fee) just so he can confirm to us that he is right in his diagnosis. Um yeah, let me think about that for a sec. No. He then went on to say that maybe she had an astigmatism, then maybe she had 20-80 vision, and then no, never mind, her eyes are fine, and she doesn't need a prescription. But he said to still come back anyways so he can dilate them. Again, I think we'll pass on that. Eish. If that wasn't the most frustrating biggest waste of time. Ever.

High-My super awesome friend Jenn, who I've known for many years and happens to be an optometrist in the States, talked to me afterwards and helped bring me back from the brink of having a little frustration induced meltdown and said it would be okay to wait until we can return to the States and have a proper eye exam conducted so long as she's not having headaches and squinting a lot and can sit in the front of the class.

High-God blessing me with awesome friends!

Tuesday

Low-Kate moved to Mali. Sad day for my heart losing the company of such a dear friend.

High-I got to go to the gym at the embassy! My first time in a gym in a year and a half! I have rediscovered that I am a lover of gyms. I have very little motivation at this season in my life to exercise at home, especially alone, trying to go through all of those pinterest "exercise at home" routines. That is not gonna happen for me. Maybe for a day, or even two, but after that not a chance. A gym on the other hand....I can do a gym. I love a gym. So I have replaced my walking times that I did with Kate with going to the gym in the mornings instead.

High-I had my Bible study in the afternoon with some great ladies. We are doing Beth Moore's The Patriarch's and it is phenomenal. Seriously. I am soaking this up.

Wednesday

Low-The director of the new orphanage in town that I started serving at on Wednesdays a little over a month ago told me that I (and Rebecca who was also with me this day) was not welcome to return until sometime in March. Like, told us to leave. 45 minutes after we got there, we got in the car and drove away. I will need to write on this more in detail, but seriously, this made me livid. I was blowing steam. After dropping Rebecca off at home I had myself a good cry.

High-can't think of one for this day. It was just a low day. Oh wait. I went over the Nathanja's in the afternoon with the girls. I spent a few hours hanging with her and it felt good especially after the cruddy morning I had. And then that night I watched October Baby with Isaak. A sweet movie about adoption and rejection and healing and forgiveness. It was a "Christian" movie, you know, the Kurt Cameron type that I hate because they are lame and cheesy. But this one was so good and the actors were great and the storyline was awesome and there was no cheese! Plus the soundtrack was full of great music so that helped too.

Thursday

High-the gym again!

High-watching the Olympics and the women skate for the gold! We were on the edge of our seat as each woman took the ice and we screamed and cheered and had the grandest time. We are SO blessed to be able to watch the Olympics here. Gosh we are hard core Olympic junkies, this had been the sweetest gift!

Low-Ten minutes after me and Isaak laid down in bed around 10pm Isaak heard what sounded like someone throwing up in the bathroom (I heard it too, but for some reason I thought it was Amira playing? I lost mommy points on that one). We go into the adjoining bathroom to see Sydaleigh standing over the sink vomiting and look around to see puke covering almost every surface in the bathroom. There was also a trail of vomit from the bathroom leading to her bed where she started. So we had to strip everything off her bed including her mosquito net, which hey, those are awesome and we are blessed to have those to keep the mosquitoes away at night, but dang man, those are like the least convenient thing to have to deal with when you wake up sick to your stomach and you can't get out of bed quickly because you are encased with netting. Yeah...it wasn't pretty. I spent the rest of the night with Sydaleigh holding her hair back as she threw up every 20 minutes. She was literally writhing in pain all night long because her stomach hurt so bad and didn't pass out until around 2am. Oh man, I hate seeing my girls in pain and not being able to help them. Needless to say it was a long night. We both got about 4 hours of terrible off and on sleep before I woke up at 6am so I could get Marvelly off to school.

High-Isaak was great and helped clean up the mess, bless him!

Friday

Low- Sydaleigh stayed home from school sick. Her vomiting stopped but she came down with a rogue fever of 103 degrees that kept climbing and wouldn't budge until I pumped her with the full dosage of both Tylenol and ibuprofen. My poor baby. =(

High-in the late afternoon her fever broke and she started feeling better. By the night she was smiling and feeling like her self again! Hallelujah!

High-great friends (Joanna, Seth and Rebecca) came over for dinner, dessert and we watched a movie afterwards while the girls watched a special episode of Sofia the First that I was able to download earlier since Sydaleigh was sick.

Low-falling asleep during the movie because I was running on four hours sleep (it was Ender's Game and I had really been wanting to see it too! Bummer! I hate when I fall asleep during movies-it's so annoying.)

Saturday

Low-waking up after only getting five and a half hours sleep! Wha! My body betrayed me. Geesh man, you get five hours of sleep every night and for some reason it starts to think that's all it needs. What the heck- it's not!! I want more, I promise I do!!

High-Rebecca and Seth came over in the afternoon to help us get ready for Marelly's party on Sunday. I baked the cake and cupcakes in the morning, so we sat around frosting and decorating all afternoon and then we had pizza for dinner and watched more Olympics.

Sunday

High-Marvelly's all girl princess birthday party was a HUGE success!! All the girls had so much fun! A more detailed account on her party later.....

Low-I freakin' stubbed my toe so bad. And I stubbed it on balloons and a soft pillow. What?! It hurt so bad I almost started crying, and Isaak was so confused because I stubbed it on balloons and he couldn't understand how stubbing your toe on a balloon and pillow could equate to tears and yelling and we have this really twisted reaction of laughing at people when they stub their toes, so a part of him was wanting to laugh at me but he knew he would be chopped liver if he did. And the rest of the day all through the party I had to walk on the side of my foot because my toe had shooting pains through it. All because of some stinkin' balloons. Geesh man, were they blown up with lead?! I hurt my toes more than any person I know. It still hurts as I write this. Of course this would be the toe that I haven't able to bend for six years because I jammed it as I stumbled down the stairs while I was pregnant with Marvelly. It's always this toe. I hate this toe...

And that's that. A whirlwind week, like always around here! We had some great highs. And some low lows. I don't care how stinky a day is, there is always something to find to celebrate over. Always. It has become especially important to me now since moving here to find at least one high from the day, especially if it was a really hard day. There is always something to look on with gratefulness. Even if it is just getting to go the gym. Or watching a movie with Isaak. I'll take those highs any day.