update

jay has no markers of cancer in either the colon or esophagus! he needs to be on the heavy duty meds to repair his esophagus and then be scoped again in 8 weeks. alex will need to be scoped by the age of 20 because their is such a strong hereditary gene and occurance of cancer on the sergio side...hint, hint Chris---go to the drs!


the insurance still doesn't want to pay for the appropriate meds! So we will see who will win the fight! i love love love the drs. treating jay! they are all about keeping him healthy with the right kind of meds! i hate hate hate the blue cross/blue sheild....they are cheap skates!

I didn't know how to title this one....

Jay has an appointment tomorrow with his gastroenterologist about course of treatments and next steps!

Alex made 1st chair trombone in the highest middle school band for next year!!!! We are so proud of him! He has worked so hard for it and his private tutor is just beaming with joy for him!

Chelsea is cruising along and aceing her finals!As of Wed. at 8:30 p.m. now has her own vehicle! Dont' be hatin'--it is almost 10 yrs. old with 180k miles on it!

We leave Sat. for 10 days...we fly to Vegas, then drive to Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite National Park, San Fran, Sequoia National Park and then back to Vegas!

See ya when we get back!

A pair of bad genes

The Sergio Family has had a little reality hit them in the face over the past week. As some of you may know, Jay's dad passed away in 2004 at the age of 58. Jay's grandfather on his father's side had passed away at the age of 60. They both died of cancer. So since Jay's dad died, I have been trying to get him to go to the dr. and get some tests run because, well, the cancer gene in the male Sergio's seems to be a strong one. Now mind you, Jay has NOT been feeling bad at all but nonetheless, I want him to go and get these tests run--a baseline if you will for the future tests. Several years ago Jay had precancerous skin removed and he goes back often to continue to check out that nothing is growing that shouldn't be.

We got the name of a GREAT gastrointerologist (sp?) and set up the appointments and Jay finally went! He was well..."roto-rooted" from both ends and samples and tests were run. When Jay had the upper endoscopy done and he woke up from his wonderful oblivion, the dr. looked at him and said "Have you been feeling ok?" "No heartburn?" "No acid reflux?"--Jay answered "No". The dr then informed Jay that his esophagus looks like someone has taken razor blades to it.....it is just waiting for the cancer to form.

He's 38!!!! No symptoms! It's all in the genes. So now we are fighting with our insurance to pay for the level 4 medication that he needs to repair his esophagus, so that cancer does not form. Jay got very angry the other day with them and said...which is cheaper? Paying for the meds I need to repair my esophagus or curing my cancer?

Can you believe that they are fighting to have to pay for it? They wnat him to be on a med that is not so strong....um, they are not drs. they pay for the diagnosis!

So we were just cruising along in life, thinking everything is great and hunky dory. Not a care in the world! Then WHAM! Reality hits.

So people...I strongly encourage you to go get those tests done. I am going in July for all the womanly stuff...I know--TMI!! But this has convinced me! Man! being almost 40 is rough!

Jay is now trying to convince his brother to do the same. I have told my kids that they will get the same tests done when they are in their 20's before they are off our insurance. You just can't be too careful.

Ramblings

New floor is in! I LOVE IT!!!! We laid Pergo Naturals in the shade of heartwood oak! It looks like a cottage floor! Rustic looking--perfect for me! Alex learned how to use Jay's power mitre saw! Now he is wanting us to do all kinds of home improvement projects becuase he can saw! We created a monster!!! So Jay and Alex sawed and hammered and grunted and scratched while Chelsea nad I measured and laid the floor and made sure we had the perfect 1/4 inch perimeter. Now it is up to Jay and Alex to lay the quarter round and the trim!

I have a lot I could say about cindy Sheehan--the vrey vocal woman about the war in Iraq since her son died--but I won't. I feel awful for her. I feel awful for her family. Everything about that situation is just sad.

If there is one thing I have learned over the last 6 months, it is that you can't judge becuase you ahve nto walked in their shoes. I knwo what I think I would have done if I were in that situation but truth is I don't really know what I would do.

Rosie and Elizabeth--again, I won't say much but I feel very sorry for Rosie. I don't think She is a happy woman. She seems very angry. I used to LOVE Rosie's show when she had her own talk show. Then it got pretty negative and she got negative. I just feel sad that she is wasting so much life being angry. Life's too short.

What not to wear--new favorite show! Getting good tips--love, love, love that they pick people with all kinds of bodies types. So now when I shop, I am an informed customer--can't afford $5000 wardrobe--me and Eddie Bauer outlet are bff's though!

Look up!

it's been a while....we are laying a new floor this weekend in our dining room. I ahve never done that before...so we will see how it goes!

last night we had another meeting to discuss draft 3 of our mission, vision and value statements. It was exciting! People are taking real ownership! I was pleasantly surprised by several people last night!

I feel like we are moving forward--a little bit at a time. Just as long as we are moving FORWARD!

Chelsea has her permanent license now. We are gearing up for our vacation in June. There are many exciting things happening at church and with our Fairfax family!

Our good friends and Student minister had their first child last Sat. Cade Arthur Bedard is, well, perfect!

We have prayed for him iwth his parents for 4 years and he is here!! God is good--ALL the time!

Sigh--things are looking up!

Reoccuring thought

While our church is trying to find itself. We have had a consultant, who does this professionally for churches, come in once a month and talk to about 50 of us who make up a cross section of the church.

Every month, this thought keeps coming up. "Why did God set up the church?"

You see as a church and maybe even a society, I feel that we have lost the idea of why God originally set up the church. All I keep hearing from members is, "I want...." or "I don't like...."

When did we ever get the idea that coming to church on Sunday morning has to do with what I like or want? That is such a culture infused ideaology.

Our culture is about me. What I like. What makes me feel good. I hear people say over and over again. I want a church that meets my needs. Can I tell you how unbiblical that statement is?!!!

I am currently reading a wonderful book called "Confessions of a Pastor". I have only read 3 chapters but I LOVE IT!!!! He says everything that I am afraid to! He ahs a whole section dedicated to Christians who want to have church for themselves. Christians have fallen into the belief that it is "their" church.When in fact it is God's church.

So maybe we/I need to start praying "God help me change my attitude about your church and my role in it" When did we start thinking that church was for us? We are the church and WE are here for the world. A world that is lost.

I think that this attitudeis one of the things that angers me most about Christians.
What do you think?

Beautiful

I have been feeling sad since last Friday. I was a little weepy on Friday. I couldn't figure it out. I was crying at songs and t.v. shows. Yes, I was being a little hormonal BUT I am not usually weepy.

Then it hit me--Tuesday (may 8th) would have been Sarah's birthday. I can't believe how much I still miss her. Some days the sadness seems to be so thick. I know it is not what she would have wanted me to do. But I see 2 of her children everyday. Daily reminders of the life that was Sarah Bergquist. Beautiful.

Reflections

Wednesday night we had a wonderful little service to help each other deal with our fears and grief. Bruce relayed the story of Jesus calming the storm in relation to where God is during a crisis.

When he started, I thought...where is he going with this? Bruce talked about how the storm was raging around them while they were in the boat. The disciples were freaking out! They went into the boat and woke him up and asked him if he cared what was happening.

Can you imagine? Asking the Lord God almighty if he cares? I thought of course he cares!--but then it hit me....not everyone thinks like me. God has made us all different and to have different questions is ok.

Then I thought about significant things that Chelsea will remember from her teenagehood....

*9/11/01
*a year later we had a sniper loose and wrecking havoc in our area.
*from that our kids now have regularly scheduled lockdowns and terrorist drills, like we used to have fire drills.
*we now have a family emergency plan...which needs to be revised now that Chelsea can drive.
*at our church we lost a vital member and close friend this past dec.
*2 dec's before that Jay's father died.

She has experienced more sorrow and heartache in her 16 years than I had. How will that change who she is?

Our family alone has had a major event happen every year since the fall of 1999. This has just been our family.

So I can see how people would think "does God care?"

What I have learned from all the above crap that has happened is....

Yes, he does care. Just like he told the disciples....he controls the wind and waves. He has promised us an amazing afterlife but we have to claim him in this life inorder to get that after life.

Many opportunities have been laid before me to profess my faith and beliefs, as a believer...i am commanded to share it. I will confess that until 2001, I didn't do it. I am trying much harder now. I have started to pray to invited God into my life in that way.

So-- yes, Virginia, there is a God and he loves you and wants a relationship with you.

In rememberance and a challenge

Tonight at 7:30 p.m. the Fairfax Church of Christ invites you to be a part of the prayer service to honor and remember those who have been affected by the horrific events at VA Tech.







I know this has been extremely difficult of alot of you. I challenge those of you who believe in God to share boldly your faith with others. This is a time that has been laid before us by the evil one and I challenge you to take this and use it for the good that we KNOW Jesus brings us. People are listening and asking questions. YOU don't have the answers to the questions, just show them God. He has them.

From what I understand, the families at VA Tech have declared Friday, April 20th Orange and Maroon Effect day. Wear your orange and maroon!

Listen to our Hearts

As the news poors out of Blacksburg, the tragedy is hitting even closer to home. Teens in our youth group, friends of my daughters, are reeling from finding out that friends they played on high school teams with are gone. Our Youth intern from last year attends Tech. The RA killed was an RA that she worked with for 3 years. One of the students is her fiancee's best friend, he was shot 4 times. The last I heard, he is in critical but stable condition.

It is just so sad that our teens are having to deal with this. It seems so unfair that the reality of man's sin is thrust upon them and crammed down their throats.

They are choking on vomit that this world is regurgitating. I just wonder, when will enough be enough?

The only thing I know what to do is, just tell them that this isn't God's will. Man has a choice and man's choices have consequences. Often those choices fall out on others.

But God is a great God! He is saddened by this tragedy too. God wants you to know that He is here for you. Just as you are, He accepts you. You don't have to have the perfect words to say to Him. So maybe you don't need to speak. Just cry, be angry, be sad.

He listens to our hearts.

It's a sad day

I am sure by now that you have heard about the tragedy that happened at Virginia Tech.

My brother, sister-in-law and their sweet children all live there. We have several children of Fairfax members who attend VA Tech. All are physically fine.

I would like to impart some things I learned over the 9/11 tragedy and the death of my father-in-law. Please pray for the families affected by this horrible event.

I know that this seems overwhelming and senseless.

Remember that what you are feeling is normal. There is no hand book on how to handle something like this.

Take some time to do something "normal". If need be go to McDonald's and order a big mac.

Turn off the t.v. for a while.

Do not watch the t.v. with the kids in the room.

Remember to be talk to your kids on their level about what happened. Remind them that they are safe, that God loves them and you. Pray with them for the families and individuals involved. IF they ask--remind them that God gives us free will to make choices and sometimes people are so sad and upset that they make bad choices.

A situation like this can be horribly overwhelming and that is a normal feeling. Don't try to make sense of this right now.

Ask God for peace and wisdom to deal with this.

This is just another sad reminder that this world is not our home. Unfortunately Satan's reign is strong here on earth.

I love you all.

And the Oscar goes to?

Jay and I are poor...so we are watching all the Oscar nominated movies now that they are on DVD/payperview. I think I would like to ask "The Academy"...what in the world constitutes Oscar worthy movies?

So far we have seen The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine and Babel.....

My opinion is.....

1. The Departed--it was ok. Out of the 3 we have seen, I guess I like this one the best. It had a good story line, good character development, but the ending was depressing!

2. Little Miss Sunshine--it was alright. I was very disturbed by the language of the teenage son. I just kept thinking...."his mom and dad let him talk that way for the movie and hear the things said to him by the grandfather...." It was disturbing to me.

3. Babel--um what?!!! I thought it was slow, long, boring, and anti-climatic. If you have seen the move from a few years ago called "Traffic" with Michael Douglas then this seems very similar to me.

Now the Pursuit of Happyness--there was a GREAT movie!!!But alas, not nominated. Excellent story--uplifting. LIfe can be depressing enough, why do I want to go pay people to watch their 2 hours of unhappiness?

I don't know that I will see the Iwo Jima movie or the Queen. Not unless someone can give me several good reasons to go.

I have seen Premonition in the theatres--I kind of liked it. I took the kids to several movies over Spring Break. Wild Hogs was cute. Blades of Glory--didn't actually see but it was dumb. I still would like to see Breach.

There are a few movies coming out that I would like to see.
What did you think of these movies?

Answers

Here are the answers to my quiz



1. I went to ACU
2. My official job title is Assistant TO Children's ministry--I am not a minister by title
3. I share a birthday with Gillian!
4. I sang for a benefit put on by Nancy Reagan my junior or senior year in high school at the Mayflower hotel downtown.
5. My favorite fast food is Sonic because I don't get it very often!
6. I have never been to Miami
7. I have never been a substitue teacher
8. i have recently found a fondness of green beans. I tolerate broccoli in salads mixed in with lots of other stuff....
9. I was in a major car accident at the age of 19
10.Jay and I have never had a honeymoon--sad isn't it?

Thanks for playing!

This is me hopping on board....

Create your own Friend Quiz here

Vengence is mine sayeth......

If you have read my blog much, you know that I have a certain preference, an affinity if you will for a certain southern fast food franchise.


Now, I have been thrilled to learn that the afore mentioned southern fast food franchise has established itself about 45 miles from my house! We have been once. We have plans to go next weekend.


I recently chaperoned an annual youth group trip. We just so happened to stop in the town of Blacksburg for dinner on the way back. I think that may have had so mething to do with the fact that I was the "lead" chaperone on bus #1....but who can really be sure....anyhoo....WE stopped in Blacksburg. Renowned locale for the wonderful establsihement of higher learning....VA Tech. It also just happens that this is the homestead of my dear brother and his beautiful wife and 3 children (who are adorable...just fyi). So I called them and asked if they would like to join us for dinner while we stop. I mean, we don't get to see them very much and I just consider each and every moment that we can spend with them precious and well almost sacred! I also asked that they do me a very teeny, tiny, really very insignificant favor for me. I asked them to bring me a Route 44 cherry limeade. Being the most wonderful people that they are, they did. I mean I NEEDED this limeade. I had been on a bus for almost 16 hours with 35 jr. highers...enough said! Can I get an AMEN?! Well, when they walked into the restaurant with my large and MUCH NEEDED drink, well people got upset!! It was almost riotous (is that word? it is now)!


Our youth minister and his wife (who is with child) got upset. My daughter and her friends got upset. I mean people were up in arms!!! Please people...ya gotta have connections! Sing with me now....."You gotta have friends....."



Well it just so happens that this past week our youth minister and his wife traveled to TN to see some family in failing health. What good people they are! OR are they? This is what I have received from them while on their mission of compassion.















































yummy--was caption of the picture, as it was sent to me with evil intentions....




















tastee-- was this caption!









I think someone needs to be coming forward next Sunday while we sing, "What a friend we have in Chris and Mindy"

WHY? Why? why?

1. Why is Heroes not back on until April 23rd?

2. Why is when you are in a hurry at the grocery store, there are only 2 lines open with 6 people in each AND their lights are blinking due to a price check need?

3. Why are people upset with LOST? I have heard more people say they are going to stop watching it if something doesn't happen soon....um, they are setting the stage! Patience people! Patience! (note: please do not tell me that is the answer to #2)

4. Why is it when your kids grow up, you kind of forget what it was like to have little kids?

5. Why did Congress pass a law to move up daylight savings time? How is that going to save money?

6. Why do restaurants put their flyer in your door to advertise their delivery service and then they don't deliver to your house? And you are craving their panini sandwich but NO they don't deliver to you! THEN DON'T GIVE ME YOUR ADVERTISMENT!!!!

last but not least...
7.Why? WHY? is there no Sonic closer than 45 miles from my house?!!!! Today was a for sure cherry limeade day!

Anyone who has answers to the above questions, that I like, gets the prize!

for your viewing pleasure

This weekend, I saw

Facing the Giants--http://www.facingthegiants.com/
*an independent movie made by 2 Baptist ministers. It is loosely based on a true story. It is a MUST see for the whole family! The acting is a little cheesy but it is an EXCELLENT movie! Now on DVD...go to your local video rental place and see it today! Or better yet but it at your local Walmart or Target!


Amazing Grace--http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0003096.cfm
* The inspiring story of one man, William Wilburforce, and his fight against the slave trade in England in the 1800's. He was inspired by his friend and mentor John Newton who used to be a slave trader and repented and wrote the song, that we sing today, Amazing Grace.

Both must sees!

You want to feel good? Watch these!

i am not silent--yeah right Ellyn

for some unknown reason...i can not leave comments on other people's blogs.....i switched over to the new blogger and well....not i can not comment....so here's some making up some time!


Ramona--YEAH for a boy!

Tanya--love Abby's haircut! Tell her Ellyn got her's cut short too! and enjoy it while you can that they think the "s" word is stupid! Reality hits all too quickly!

Malia--you post too quickly to comment! You make my head spin but I enjoy reading it!

Kelli--thanks for the email and Rachel is just growing so quickly! She is SOOOOO cute!

Erin--may you see the beauty in life through the recent tragedies that you have been through. God is using you in great ways. You have always been a person that I can see Him shining through you! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful thing.

Em--I printed off the pictures you took of Sweetpea and Boo-boo and hung them in my office! You have a gift! AND the ONLY way to eat pancakes in my humble opinion is with peanut butter and syrup!

That is about all I have sort of kept up with!

and now a word from our sponsor....

Here is a video that one of our chaperones put together of Winterfest. Chelsea is not in it much but Alex is about 3 times and yes it is him with the long hair, you can recognize him by his all time favorite orange coat.....I am several times....me and my orange sweater! I am wearing glasses because I caught a cold in my eye and it was all goopy! The good one of Chelsea is she is taking a picture of the videographer and she is wearing a green coat and a purple hat with purple gloves.

and now for your viewing pleasure.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBoCZjn_srQ

p.s. please forgive the AC/DC music! (it is kinda cool!)

please disregard

It has come to my attention today that there are some horrible lies being circulated amongst our "brotherhood" as to things happening at the Fairfax Church of Christ.

If you hear anything...please ask me because everything I have heard is 100% false. Unfortunately there is a person/people who attend Fairfax who are spreading lies and being decietful. I don't know who they are and I don't want to know who they are.

It makes me sad that someone/ones feel the need to be so mean and sinful.

I know I have not posted in a long time. Things here have gotten real crazy. Right now I am not in the mood to post....well I want to post about things regarding the lies I have heard but that would not do any good and bring any glory to God, so I won't.

So until my anger about the situation passes, I need to keep quiet.

Few things--
Thanks Jonathan and Tanya and kids for seeing us in the bitter cold as we came back from Winterfest! I so much enjoyed my cherry limeade!!!

Winterfest was great! Love the trip!

Chelsea is a legal licensed driver now! Yikes!

Due to extreme water damage--we have to gut the kids' bathroom down to the studs and redo the bathroom! UGH!!!

More later!