Highs and Lows and In-Betweens

Where do I begin? Obviously I've been a bit preoccupied, not keeping up with my posts. A couple weeks ago we went shopping for Natalie's first homecoming dress. That was fun and exciting! My sister owns a formal wear business, so it's always fun to go and visit her and try on all the dresses. Well, the girls do anyway! She picked out a beautiful fun little dress and all the accessories. She's going with a group of friends, very fitting for a brand new freshman. I'm excited for her, but a bit nervous too. High school can be tough. In the midst of all of our fun, we lost our camper due to a major mouse attack. There was so much damage that we could not use it this summer. It was a total loss. It's just one more thing that has not gone well this summer, and yet I still smile.Or maybe that's gas...Sigh. More important than our destroyed camper was the call we got from her latest x rays. Her spine curvature has progressed to the point that surgery is necessary. So we took a trip down to U of M hospital and talked about her options. We will be scheduling the surgery for early next summer so she doesn't miss one day of school, as she requested. She may have to put off taking driver's ed since she will be recovering for quite some time. I know I'm being "matter of fact" about this. It's just a lot to grasp. However, I am grateful that what she has is not much worse, as we saw in the waiting rooms. She and I have had many special talks together not just about the surgery, but about God. We have had a lot to deal with this summer, starting with her having to quit volleyball, her beloved sport. It's just not fair...but that's another road I don't like to go down because it just makes me angry all over again. The good news is that her band teacher got a shiny new bass guitar for her to learn this summer, so she has been crazy jamming on that thing! Our house is vibrating from that big ole amp in the corner of the family room. I love how happy it makes her to be able to play music like that. She's looking forward to playing in the jazz band for the first year and we can't wait to cheer her on. Without volleyball in the way, she'll have more time for her music, which is her passion. Where one door closes, another opens...right? And I just keep praying for other doors to fly open....because I'm really tired of getting my fingers smashed in ones I try to open myself.