*Sigh*

Life at the Miracle Place seems to continue to be quite busy. But today was Chelsey's last class at Central....she's a little sad, because she was having a great time hanging out with people from church for about an hour at the Bojangles on campus. I'm really glad she got to have some time to develop these relationships. It was always fun to pick her up laughing and hearing about the fun they had together.

Yesterday I spent most of the day with my Mom & Dad with a doctor appointment and then a couple of short errands, then some shopping. It was only a start on their Christmas shopping, and we didn't make it to the grocery store since all the shopping tired them out. We will continue that adventure on Friday.

This weekend is once again very busy. Chelsey will be babysitting on Friday morning while I'm shopping again, and then on Friday evening, she is going to a Christmas party that the Interpreter Club/Program at CPCC holds for the deaf community as a thank you for allowing the students in the ASL/IPP program at CPCC to participate in their weekly & monthly activities. Chelsey has benefitted greatly from these interactions. Her favorites were the deaf Bible study group at First Baptist Church downtown (Gene enjoyed that one too) and the group that does league bowling. She found these groups the most helpful and willing to take time with the students and to draw them in to the activities.....more so than the silent dinners at the mall. Anyway, that is Friday's schedule so far. Then, on Saturday morning all three of us will be at the gift wrap. Following that we will go and get our Christmas tree. Gene gets it in the stand and makes sure it is straight and all of that, then he and I put the lights on. Chelsey gets to decorate on Saturday night while we are at the leaders banquet at church. Then Sunday is church and couples care group.

The following weekend will be just as busy! Chelsey has been hard at work planning a Christmas party for the high schoolers at church on Friday night. It has blessed us to see how she has taken the responsibility to make sure that she has secured the proper authority and guidelines for planning this event. She had to write a proposal and submit it to the pastor over the homeschool group, plan and line up the activities and entertainment for the evening, contact people to help with refreshments, plan decorations, line up adults willing to be there to supervise the event and answer lots of questions from parents as well. We are hoping that everyone will have a great time that evening. Then on Saturday, she and I will be at the church at 9am to help with the door hanger invitations. (Gene has a meeting elsewhere). Then we will go back that evening for the Caroling/Outreach at the Trailer Park. And Sunday is church and our care group Christmas party.

All of this activity, and a picutre of a bare tree.....Gene is just wondering when he is ever going to have time to work on the 2 acres of leaves that are laying on our ground (plus the ones at my mom and dad's house next door)! God is good though. I think by the time he is able to get on the mower and start mulching up all the leaves, they will all have fallen to the ground, and he will be able to take care of it in a couple of Saturdays.

So I have to work in some time for Christmas shopping and making goodies and all of that stuff. It will be nice since CPCC morning classes are done....that will definitely make a difference! It is nice to be busy. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that so that I don't go down the road of complaining because I just want to "sit down and rest or read or something".....I still have time for that too. I am grateful for the ability to do all of the things that we have to do! Praise God for life and health and the mind to think about how good He is to allow us to have so much, so many friends to do things with, and the joy that comes from only Him! I am grateful for all of these things and more than I have time to post or that anyone will ever want to read! Well...I think I need to go get some of these things done!