Matt Foley, Taylor Swift, and Jesus

Here we are. The night before the big surgery. The countdown has shifted from days to hours. Remember I said this feels like being on Big Thunder Mountain? Maybe because that's the only actual roller coaster I've ever ridden. I really hate roller coasters. Did I mention that? I'm not a thrill seeker by any stretch of the imagination. I'm more of a spinning tea cups kinda girl. Anyway, I'm imagining being back in that little rail car climbing up the first steep slope. Now we are so close to the pinnacle, we are slowly tick, tick, ticking by the inch. We know the drop is coming. There's no turning back. All we can do is hold on tight and pray the next few days fly by. I guess that's the good thing about the drop. Compared to the slow, agonizing climb, the drop is scary, but then all of a sudden, it's over.

Tonight we are sitting at the North Little Rock RV park. Random, yes. We had to come to ACH today for another helmet fitting. Here is my poor girl. As you can tell from the picture, she is really not too fond of the process. I think I have mentioned Caroline prefers to be held. Hey, she's not picky. She's particular, okay? Anyway, the helmet guy- I never caught his official title so in my mind he's "Helmet Guy"- he tells me to place Caroline in the Bumbo seat. "All the kids like it" he says. Mmm hmm. I comply knowing full well she is not going to have any of his nonsense.

She really isn't a fan of the sock on her head. I don't get it- something to do with lasers. Ask my husband, the engineer. He knows. I just know Caroline isn't crazy about the black t-shirt. She wants it to be known that is not from her personal collection. 

About 5 seconds after this picture was taken, he says "never mind, just pick her up." Gladly. Magically, Caroline stops screaming. Imagine that. So, Caroline and I sat down quietly. Then we were done and on our merry way. Since we have to check in at the surgery center at 5:30 tomorrow morning, we thought it more convenient to stay the night here rather than wake up at 1am to shower, pack, and feed her by 3am. Fortunately, I have the best dad in the world. Truly. He brought his RV down for us to stay in since the RV park is about 5 minutes from the hospital. So here we sit. Just like Matt Foley. Living in a van (sorta) down by the river. Currently, we are having a dance party and singing T-Swift's newest song. Punky isn't normally a fan, but she admits this new one is solid.

The next few days and weeks may not be the most pleasant, but we will make it. We are confident of this because of all of you offering up  prayers and support on our behalf. The other night, I was feeling overwhelmed before bed and grabbed my bible hoping to find a little peace to calm my nerves. This passage made me think of all of you prayer warriors and the hope you give us.

"8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety." - 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

We are thankful that although we are scared and uncertain about the future, God is never surprised or stumped. We have confidence in His goodness and that He has placed the right people in our lives. Thank you for praying. Thank you for speaking words of encouragement and hope over Caroline and our family.