Book Reivew - A Rush of Wings

I was curious about this book because I have read others by Kristen Heitzmann and have had trouble getting into them. This was not the case with this book. I was hooked from the first chapter right until the end. The story centers around Noelle St. Claire who is on the run. From what is learned in the first chapter, a reader would question why she would run. She has a loving father, a seemingly loving fiancee, and lives a comfortable life in New York. She gives all this up and runs to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

It is in these mountains that we learn of the fear in her life and Noelle learns to finally trust again. At her final destination, a ranch owned by Christian Rick Spencer, Noelle must learn to face her fears. She does this and more as she learns to face her past, learns to love again, and look towards God and the future.

This book is for anyone who loves suspenseful fiction. There is plenty of action and romance in the novel and it is a page turner to the end. A great novel about love, forgiveness, and God's faithfulness.

DISCLAIMER: Bethany House provided no monetary compensation for this review. I was provided with a copy of the book to review. These thoughts are my own and have no connection with Bethany House publishers.

Hatteras Girl

I eagerly awaited the arrival of this book from Bethany House author Alice J. Wisler as I had enjoyed her previous book How Sweet It Is. This book is an intimate look at Jackie Donovan as she prays for two things. A man to marry and her own bed and breakfast to run. Along the way she has to deal with many blind dates that her well meaning family set her up on and the realization that God knows exactly the right time to bring someone into your life. In the time before God gives an answer to her prayer of owning a bed and breakfast Jackie works at a local magazine on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Jackie feels God has answered her prayers when she meets Davis, who holds the key (literally) to the property she dreams of owning. Through the course of the novel, God shows Jackie, through her friends, what trust in God and waiting on His timing is all about. As she is learning to trust in God, He brings the right people in her life not only professionally but personally to help her realize her prayers have been answered, just in a different way than she thought.

This is a great book for anyone who loves a good love story, reading about God's grace in our lives, or people who love the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Disclaimer: I received no compensation from Bethany House publishers other than an advanced copy of the book in return for this review. The opinions in this review are completely my own and not associated with the author or Bethany House.

It's been awhile

I know its been awhile. I will try to do better. I am almost fully recovered from surgery. I go for a six month checkup on December 3rd and hope to be cleared for good.

Work is going well,counting down the days until Thanksgiving Break next week. Then we only have 3 weeks until Christmas Break. Where has the year gone?

One Month

Today is the one month mark from my surgery. To say this was WAY more than I anticipated would be an understatement. I had no idea how hard this was or how involved it would end up being.

I am making good progress though in my recovery. I am now able to live by myself. I have been living alone for the past week. I am so thankful that my mom has the summers off and was able to stay with me. I am thankful I have the summer off as well, I could not imagine having to work and try rehab at the same time. I am exhausted from the smallest things. I have a doctors appointment in two weeks and hopefully will be cleared to drive then. That is 2 weeks before I have to go back to work. My therapist promises me that I will be ready for school when it gets here.

It's HOT out there

but, thanks to last Wednesday's surgery, I will be resting comfortably in my house for the next several weeks except for my "field trips" to physical therapy.

I have the Avion (I think that is what its called) procedure on my right knee last Wednesday morning at the Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Georgia. Actually, the hospital is across the river in Phenix City, Alabama, but who cares. We came away from this MOST impressed with the hospital. These doctors at the Clinic KNOW how to run a hospital. My pre-op admit on Tuesday lasted less than 30 mins. because they CALLED me on the phone to take my medical history. Wow, what a concept. We were told to arrive at 6:30 Wednesday morning and come in the emergency entrance. When we got there, the people gave me a wrist band, my paperwork and took me upstairs. When I got off the elevator, my pre-op nurse was waiting at my room door. I had been there less than 15 mins. and they had me changed, an I.V. going, had taken my vitals and we were waiting.

Met the medial doctor and he cleared my chest, met anesthesia and they listened when I said I get sick and gave me a patch and some amazing drug cocktail and I was off to sleep. They came to get me just before 9:00 and mom had talked to the doctor by 10:15. According to the doctor, the surgery went better than expected. I did not have as much arthritis as the x-rays made it look, so I should heal better and this give me great relief. I got great relief from the nerve block I got in recovery!! Never felt anything the rest of the day or night. My nurses the entire time I was there were AMAZING!!!! They are trained in orthopedics and were the nicest people I could imagine. Plus I got to keep the same ones day after day. It only changes at shift change or if they are off.

Then came Thursday morning and PT. Those people are brutal, but they had me walking that morning and by that afternoon I was walking 100 feet at a time. The only issue comes with bending. But that is because I have 36 staples in and the trauma to the knee. They promise it will get better, but tomorrow at PT will be murder.

We got home Saturday afternoon and I have been hanging on the couch and in my bed hooked up to my torture device ever since. I have a machine that came home with me that I have to be on 2 times a day for 2 hours at a time. It bends my knee in a motion that don't have to do anything with. Right now we are at 59 degrees and have to get to 127 by July 1st when they come to get it.

All in all this was a good experience and I had to do it, I just did not realize how involved it was going to be. I had blocked the previous surgery from my mind. Hopefully, I will be getting better each and every day and the pain will get less and less as I get more and more movement.

Is it June yet???????

While the students are anxiously counting down the days of school left.. 13 days and 3 days of exams, their weary teacher is counting them as well. I will miss this year's group of graduating seniors. Several of them hold a very special place in my heart and I will be sad to see them go, but I am excited about what God has in store for them. But, I am counting for another reason.

Last week I went and saw my local orthopedic doctor who has been treating me since I was 14. After consultation with him about my pain in my knee, it was determined that I needed a new MRI and it was probably time to discuss surgery. There is a new procedure out where doctors can replace the kneecap on a person instead of the entire knee. Well, my kneecap is the messed up part. Problem is, this is really new surgery and the only person remotely close to Macon that does them is a doctor at the Hughston Clinic in Columbus.

So we waited for the call, and today, Mom and I made the drive to Columbus to meet with the doctor there. While driving through the beauty of west central Georgia, my phone rings and its the doctors office calling to let me know the doctor is sick, I would be seeing the PA. I was fine with that as long as I got some answers to my pain. Since the plans changed, my appointment time changed from 11:30 to 1:00. Just enough time to have lunch with an old friend of mine and her two adorable kids before they move to Rhode Island this summer... life of an Army Wife.

Back to doctor's appointment. We got to the clinic, and this place is nice. I guess they are world famous orthopedists for a reason. When we were called back I was put in a room and we waited on the PA to show up. Now, if I get to see the PA all the time I am in the hospital this summer, it will be just fine with me.... talk about some EYE CANDY!!!!! Back to the issue at hand, he thinks I am a perfect candidate for a partial knee replacement to happen sometime the beginning of June. I will spend several days in the hospital in Columbus and the home for about 6 weeks of recovery. Of course, this means I will not be going to the summer class I wanted to go to, but oh well, there is always next summer.

Prom Season

What a few months this has been. TSA Prom was last night and if you had asked me in January how we were going to pull this off, I would have told you that we could not. We were bumped from our traditional location by the Allman Brother's wanting to do a concert. So of course the city of Macon agreed to a concert and bumped both Proms scheduled at the City Auditorium this weekend. I found another venue and have spent the past 4 months assuring them it would be ok. Well, it was more than o.k, it was FANTASTIC. We really did transform that place into a "Night Under the Grecian Moon". The column groupings anchoring the dance floor were the highlight along with the entry way with benches and a working fountain. Thanks to all my moms and dads who helped make this happen, I am now going to sleep for several days and I took Monday off since I have worked every Saturday since February!!!!:)