BUNCO

Hi Ladies,

I am writing this to invite each of you to come and play Bunco with us NEXT Thursday 7pm at Cyndi Bahler's home in Lamar. Cyndi has called me and challeneged me to get 40 ladies at Bunco next week. So I need YOUR help to make this happen! I would love for each and EVERYONE of you to come out and join us for this GREAT night of Fellowship. You may say What is Bunco??? Bunco is a dice game. It is a fast moving and fun filled game. It is played with tables of 4 ladies and the the more tables we have the better it is! You may say I don't know how to play? No problem! It is a easy game that can be learned in a matter of minutes. You may say I don't know anyone? That's great this is an awesome opportunity to get to know others in our community and surrounding communities!

We play Bunco once a month and we rotate homes. This month is at Cyndi Bahler's home. We try to start RIGHT at 7pm so we need everyone there NO LATER then 7pm and then we play a round or two and then we have a snack period and then we finish out the night. We end the night with prizes and rumor has it that Cyndi has 40 prizes this time around so you don't want to miss this! My goal is to have the night finished by 8:30- 8:45pm so that you can return to your families. Those who can stay always stick around and fellowship a bit more once the evening is done.

I do need to know NO LATER then Monday if you plan on joining us. We need to know ahead of time so that we can make sure that we have ladies in increments of 4 so that we can fill the tables and we need to plan for snacks and make sure we have enough tables and chairs. So INVITE a friend or two or four and let me know by Monday if you would like to join us and I will make sure you are added to the list! If you commit to playing and something comes up I need you to let me know ASAP or you need to find yourself a substitute because we must have tables of four to make this game work!

I hope to see each of you there!!!!!!!! This will be so fun!

Gift of Friendship

So part of the Buffington clan showed up to suprise us at church last night! It was the most special suprise! This morning we got to hang out and have breakfast together before they headed back home. I just was reminded how special friendships are and how neat it is to have those special friends to share our lives with. Even though we may be far apart we are always near in our thoughts and prayers and it is so neat to see God blessing and using each of us where He has us planted. This isn't always easy and it is many times a SLOW process but none the less God is working and we rejoice in HIS goodness and His faithfullness! May we continue to press on and press forward not growing weary in doing good knowing that we will reap the harvest if we DO NOT give up! Thanks Buffingtons for the special morning and the special gift of friendship that you are to each of us! We love you guys!

Mongollian Grill

So we got to see the Towns on Friday. We went to eat at a Mongollian Grill!
We ALL piled our bowls so full that we all had tons of leftovers! We had a great time! Thanks you guys for the GREAT visit! We love you guys and appreciate the time that we have with you guys whether it be ONE hour or 6 hours it is always precious time!

Family Christmas

We had a great family Christmas this year. We had our family meal on Christmas Eve and got up early Christmas morning to do our gift exchange. I am just so thankful for my family and the wonderful times that we have together! After we opened gifts we headed into town to help serve a meal to those who had no one to spend Christmas with. It was THE HIGHLIGHT of our Christmas it was a JOY to be apart of and to just serve alongside so many great people! We served over 250 people it was AWESOME!!!!

Christmas Fun

So this year at church we changed things up a bit and did a pancake feed one night. It was so fun. The guys did all the cooking and the kids made gingerbread houses and chocolate and then we had a white elephant gift exchange. It was so much fun!

Twas the Night Before Christ Was Born!!

So I am going to try and get this blog caught back up. Things have been busy. Below are the pictures from our church Christmas program. It was so much fun. Lynn directed it and Teresa played the music. The kids did a wonderful job. I was so proud of Austyn and Bubba. Austyn played the Innkeeper and Joseph and Bubba played the mouse. They did a SUPERB job. I am so thankful for kids that just get in there and serve. I did have to twist their arms in the beginning but they got in there and just did it. I think this is Austyn's last year though. He has done this for 12 years and he is feeling like he is getting a little old for it. Especially when he was told he was going to wear purple. That just didn't set well with a kid who is turning into a man and purple is just not a man's color in his eyes.

Crazy but Fun Week

Well this week has been a crazy but overall good and fun week. I forgot to take any pictures though. Steph and I went to Omaha for a quick 2 days. It went by so fast but we had a great time and we got to go shopping at Kohls, Target, and Walmart and we got to eat at a wonderful mongollian grill called Hu Hot. It was so fun! On Wednesday Steph had her checkup appointment and the doctors were so pleased with her progress and said to come back in 6 months for another MRI. We are so happy and so praising God for the miraculous healing that is taking place in her body.

Then Wednesday night the boys had their friend come over to stay the night. Anthony is a great friend that the boys met just over a year ago. Anthony comes here several times a year from Texas to visit his aunt and uncle and he always gets to spend some time with the boys. They always eat way too much junk, stay up way too late, and play way too many video games, and play and do dangerous boy stunts but they have such a good time. Anthony left this morning and the boys are very sad! I am thankful though that they have such a good friend and that we get to spend the time with him that we do get to spend!

Squeakers

So Austyn has aquired a new nickname. His voice is changing and so he has the occassional "SQUEAK" We tease him to no end and he dishes it right back. It is hard to believe that our baby boy is turning into a "man" YIKES!!! Our time left with him is so short and we pray that we can treasure each and every moment!

More Baking Pictures

The girls and Irma did such a great job of decorating the cookies! Our last batch of Spritz cookies for the evening got burnt so we had to toss them. Morgan just loved me taking her picture! LOL!!

Baking Night at Church

We had a great night of baking last night at the church. I think we set a record for how many women you can have in one VERY SMALL kitchen. It was craziness but it was so much fun. I just have one question though for Tiff....what's that smile about? Does it have something to do with baking soda??? Did you just maybe forget an ingredient?? Thanks to all the ladies who were there. I had a great evening with all of you!

Quizzing

So I forgot my camera last weekend but we had Bible Quizzing. The boy's team got second place and they were able to take the 2nd place traveling trophy home. They were SOOOOOOO excited! We were so proud of them and all the hard work that put into memorizing God's Word! We know that all the time and the driving and the money that we put into this will all be worth it. We know that God says that His word will not return void!

December 2008 Bunco

Well last night was our monthly Bunco night! We had a total blast. We had 16 women who came out to Bunco with us. It was so much fun! Enjoy the craziness displayed through pictures. Do you want to Bunco with us???? We would love to have you join us! Next month we will meet at Cyndi Bahler's in Lamar on January 8th! It's a fun time and you don't want to miss it! Give me a ring or shoot me an email if you want to sign up to play with us next time!

MRI Update

Well, yesterday morning when the doctor came and saw Steph she told her that she was VERY pleased with the results of the MRI. It confirms the doctor's success of the surgery! We are PRAISING GOD and giving HIM all the honor and glory for giving the doctors the ability to remove the tumor. Steph will continue to get routine MRI's to keep checking and making sure that nothing begins to grow again!

Stephanie was doing good yesterday morning and said she was feeling "less foggy" and she was more talkative! It was encouraging to see her beginning to feel better. She did have quite a bit of swelling which is very normal and to be expected!

Matt just talked with Dan. (Steph's dad) He said that her swelling was pretty bad yesterday but they iced her overnight and today it is much better. Steph is doing awesome and they will be releasing her today. They will stick around Omaha until about Noon tomorrow. Then she should be home by tomorrow evening. When she returns to Wauneta we will begin taking meals to her next week. If you are interested in making a meal for her just shoot me an email or get ahold of me and I will add you to the schedule. I am willing to take the food down there and there is a couple ladies that are going through Wauneta for work next week so we could get it to them and they can deliver it!

Thanks for all the prayers and support for Steph!

Friend from Junior HIgh

Well tonight for supper we were able to meet up for dinner with a friend from Junior High and High School days. I am not naming this friend so that I keep his identity safe! LOL!! It was fun to laugh and recall the old stories and memories that we had. It was fun to see how our lives have changed and to see how and where our lives have taken us. Thanks to our friend.....you know who you are.....LOL......for meeting us for supper it was a good time!

Boys and their Toys

This afternoon we went to one more Hobby Store. This is like a candy store for the boys. I thought I was going to have to wipe the drool off Austyn's face. He was so suprised by how big the store was and the inventory that they had. The boys; all three of them, are so into RC Vehicles and they were in heaven, The Hobby store even had an indoor concrete race track where they have weekly races. They also have an outdoor dirt 4x4 track for the summer months. They were in awe and have big dreams and plans. This is an expensive hobby but one they are enjoying together! They had THOUSANDS of RC Vehicles in this store. IT was incredible. They even had a Landcruiser that looked like the one that we used to have for 4 wheelin in AZ.

Words of Encouragement

Below are some words of encouragement on "HOPE" from a very dear friend of mine! This was posted on her blog and it was so good and I wanted to share it with each of you! Thanks Janelle! I hope you don't mind that I reposted it! Love you!

I'm watching the snow come down and cover the dreary streets and it's beautiful...as long as I get to stay inside. :) My hope for this is fleeting. Obviously, I can't stay inside until spring or even until I have the chance to get over this winter cold thing that seems to have caught me. As I was sitting here thinking how temporary and empty the hope I hold in keeping warm all winter long is, my thoughts jumped to other hope I have. (I'm just sure I have ADD tendencies because my thoughts jump around...A LOT!)
But anyway, back to the hope issue...

Lamentations 3:21-24 reminds us, "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!”"

Ps. 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.

Our friend, Stephanie, had surgery yesterday on what was considered an inoperable brain tumor. The thing is, she and many others kept on hoping in His word and trusting Him for whatever outcome there was. We are praising God today because the doctors think they were able to get all of it. She will have tests done to clarify the results of the surgery but regardless of the outcome, our hope remains fixed on God. It seems like everywhere we look there are horrible things happening. Cancer, poverty, HIV, abuse, the list goes on BUT there is always hope and as we thank God for His many blessings, I pray you and I can continually put our hope in Him.

Romans 5:5 tells us, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Take heart and HOPE IN CHRIST! And please, keep praying for my sister and Stephanie, and all those hoping in Christ as they run the race towards healing from cancer. Thanks!

Stephanie

Well Stephanie had a BIG day today. They got her up to walk right away this morning and then she had the MRI and the nurses are CONSTANTLY coming in and checking in on her and taking vitals and whatever else. So needless to say she is not getting much rest. She looks very tired and says she feels "foggy" all of that is normal. Please pray with us that God gives her supernatural sleep tonight and that her body is able to get the much needed rest that she needs and that her body would quickly heal. This will be my last update on Stephanie from Omaha. We leave in the morning to go back home and so won't have internet until we get home. Steph will possibly be in the hospital until Friday and then stick around Omaha area until Saturday or Sunday. Once she is back home beginning like Monday we want to start taking her meals for awhile. So if you are interested in this please email me and we will get a schedule going!

Housekeeping Stuff

Sorry to those of you who try to text us and don't get a response back. It is the weirdest thing. Sometimes our texts work and other times they don't. Usually we receive them but we can't send out at the hotel or driving around town sometimes we can send them at the hospital.

The boys got to go to a hobby store this morning. They were in heaven. All the fun things boys like. R/C, Racetracks, Cars, Automobiles, Planes, Trains you name they had it!

Matt found a QT yesterday. QT was Matt's favorite conveinent store in Arizona. Their fountain drinks are awesome and they have flavored syrups that you can put in your drinks. Matt's favorite is Dr Pepper with a shot of vanilla.

We have a yummy mexican food restaurant attached to our hotel. We had lunch there yesterday. Brian come and we will treat you to lunch!

Walking Around

This morning we got to the hospital and were able to see Steph for a short visit. She is in ICU today and they hope to move her later this afternoon to a regular room. She is doing well. She looks very tired and we are really hoping she can get some rest. The doctor was in and was very encouraging and said all is looking well. The MRI that was to happen last night was postponed until 11am this morning. I will post the results as soon as I know them. PLEASE pray for a good report from the MRI. I will post results as soon as those are in.
As we were leaving they had Steph up and walking the halls. It is truly AMAZING to see how well that she is doing. The scripture that keeps coming to my head is that God does EXCEEDINGLY and ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL that we can think or ask TO HIM BE THE GLORY!!!! We serve a mighty God a God who answers prayers and is in the business of healing! PRAISE HIM!!!

Steph is Out of Surgery

Well the surgery part was officially done about 5:00ish tonight. It took them an additional 3 hours to sew her back up. We talked with the doctor tonight about 8pm. She was very encouraging and seems to think that all of the tumor was removed!!! PRAISE GOD!!!! She was very happy with the surgery and we were all so encouraged with her report. We are thanking God for going before her and giving her the wisdom that He gave her and we are praying for a quick recovery for Steph and a complete healing! We thought we would be able to see Steph tonight but she is very nauseated and they even postponed her MRI that she was to have tonight. They will do it in the morning. So we will go up in the morning and see her. So continue to pray for her healing and recovery from the surgery! The MRI tomorrow will be a guide point from here on out. We are just thrilled with it all and are praising God for such a good report! My brain is not processing information very well at this time but I just thank each and every one of you for your prayers and I ask you to continue! We serve a mighty God who is answering prayers and we look forward to Him answering and working even more. More tomorrow....

Surgery Update

Well Steph is still in surgery. We got word that her platelettes (spelling???) were low and they had to give her a transfusion. They said they got all of the tumor that they could get. They are sewing her back up and it will be another 1.5-2 hours before they are complete. Then she will go to recovery before we can see her.

Pre-Op Room

Well all of the pre-op stuff is done. They opted to not try and start a iv since it is so painful for Steph. Her veins literally run away and it is torture trying to get an iv going. So they opted for her port. It took three times with no success. The third time they got it in but it infiilltrated her chest and caused alot of pain. They had to remove it and start an iv. The "cute" happy juice guy was the one who started the iv so that was the only good fact about it all. They took her back to start the "happy juice" and the mapping and initital incision could take up to 2 hours. the overall surgery could take up to 8 hours. Thanks for the continud prayers. Steph's spirits are good and she has such a peace about her. It is awesome. Thanks to all who are keeping up with this blog. Our phones are not texting here so it is easier to keep this updated. Brian and Lynn Prosser have updates to for any of you who want to touch bases with them. All for now....

Surgery Day

We are headed to the hospital. Surgery is in 2 hours. PLEASE PRAY! THANK YOU!

Steph's Humor

Just so you guys know. Steph is full of her humor! She said she keeps envisioning a melon baller as they go in and "scoop" out the tumor! We have had some good laughs and are so happy that we are able to be here with her to support her in this time! We know God is going before her and we pray that she is able to sleep tonight!

Starbucks

This is for you Brian.....

Swimming Fun

Steph had this NEON GREEN nail polish picked out to wear at the hospital. They won't let her wear any nail polish so Eilene painted her's green then Steph's dad said he would do it and I said I would wear it and then Matt said he would and then Bubba and then Austyn so we are all wearing NEON GREEN nail polish just for Steph. It was funny to see Austyn painting Matt's toes.....too funny!