In an exciting bit of news, we have nailed down the dates for our Summertime trip to Tijuana! Yes, I am going back. Of course I'm going back! We'll be launching out in mid-July. This trip will be a bit different, as there will not be an initial trip to Disneyland. The place is over-rated anyway. We will arrive in San Diego, get briefly briefed (coined a new phrase), and get ready to cross the border. I'm not sure if there will be a beach trip, or if we'll be flying or taking the Amtrak. Either way, we are headed back to love on those kids from Colina de Luz, and we'll hammer out the details over the next couple of months. I already can't wait! When I came back from the last trip, I felt that God might be leading me in that direction on a more permanent basis. Perhaps this trip will push me over the edge? We will have to wait and see what God has in store.
Confession time: I went to my doctor's appointment yesterday for my diabetes. I have been a bad boy. I didn't realize how naughty I had been in my eating habits. They checked my A1c, which is an average of your blood sugar levels within the last 3 months. For the past several months, I have scored a 5.9, which is very good. Normal levels are between 5.0 and 7.0. I scored an 11! Yikes! My initial diagnosis had me at a 14. Needless to say, my doctor was not very happy, and it was a wake-up call for me. Doc said that since this is my first year of diabetes, and I'm still in the learning process, he wouldn't be too hard on me. He admonished me to lay off the junk and get more active. My next appointment is in April, and if my levels are high again, he's going to go through the roof. All my life, I have been a junk-food junkie. I love chocolate and chips, and scads of other wonderful delights. It's hard for a guy like me to deal with this disgusting disease, but God has a reason. In the meantime, I can enjoy occasional sugar-free candies, but in moderation. Those things can mess with your intestines and you'll be in and out of the bathroom for a while! Also in my doctor's visit, my bloodwork showed high levels of cholesterol. My HDL (good cholesterol) was OK, but everything else was high. I'm on a new med called Lovostatin, which is designed to lower those levels. I'll be taking this indefinitely. My hope is that I can get my cholesterol down enough so that I can get off of it. I'm not a big fan of taking medicine.
On New Year's day, I spent several hours taking down and putting away all of my Christmas décor. That's always a tough thing for me. Christmastime is so blessed for me, and I hate to see it end. The most time-consuming project was the Christmas town. Every building had to be unplugged and packed away. I have more than 20 of them now. The only remaining decoration I have out is my Nativity scene. Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men, and that day is observed on January 6. I left my set out for a few days to celebrate this, and I'll take it down this weekend. Here's a screen shot from my Facebook page that I feel says it best and clearly explains my feelings about the end of the Christmas season:
Last week, the Kansas weather went totally insane, and we were plunged into sub-zero temperatures. We got a few inches of snow, and during our first week back at school, our kids were subjected to inside recess for the whole week. Those kids needed so badly to get out and run, but it was too cold to even venture out for a few minutes. The wind chills were dangerous, and there were advisories regarding those wind chills. It's during those times that I am thankful for a safe house with a working furnace. Our furnace, which was originally built for coal and then refurnished to run on natural gas, has been a real trooper. That thing is a tank! It has done a great job of keeping us warm. The next few days will bring another cold front, but we're hoping that eventually we'll inch into zones safe enough for our kiddos to get outside. They've had cabin fever this week, with no outlet to run off their energy. That can make for stressed-out teachers! Can I get an amen from my teacher friends? :-)
At long last, I am finally getting tired, so I'd better get some sleep. I'd like to thank you for taking a few minutes to catch up with me. I pray God's blessings to be upon you.
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