Angel

My daughter Angel, has a mental illness. She hate when I say that. She is bipolar and on a manic high right now. She looks so much like a Schizophrenic it is scary. Her symptoms first showed up when she entered Jr. High. School. She really suffered a manic high when she entered high school. Then the low where she tried to commit suicide.
She did so well for a year and a half, getting good grades, relating well with others, was fun and enjoyable to be around. This last year she attended every class, arrived on time, took part in the passion play and many people commented on what a great person she was how she was going to do so many great things and help so many people with her passion for the disabled.

Then something flipped her switch. She shot back into manic behavior. She took off to live on the streets, under a bridge with other run away teens that she didn’t know. She did this for two weeks, was finally arrested and made her way to her biological mother’s work stating that she didn’t want to live on the streets anymore. She is now living with a woman who is proud that her 17 year old daughter got a tattoo that Angel’s 23 year old brother gave to her with his new tattoo gun.

We adopted Angel when she was 10 years old. We loved her through many out of control behaviors, through her lies about us, her hatred towards us and all we stood for. And we watched God heal the hurt and scars her bio parents inflicted upon her.

Then this. She has lied about us again, trying to destroy our family. Slashing out at us with invisible but sharp knifes that cut so deep and fast we don’t even know we are cut until our hearts are bleeding sorrow all over the place. I run around in circles trying to understand her behavior, trying to find what when wrong, but it is like trying to find a corner in a round room. She is sick. She is mentally ill. I have a friend that tells me this is the best day in age to have a mental illness, because there are so many great medicines out there. I am reading a book called A Brilliant Madness” by Patty Duke and Gloria Hochman. The author in there quotes, it is the only mental illness with a positive side. Apparently, in their manic state they are very creative. I have yet to see any positives.

I have no answers, I have no solutions, I have pain and frustrations and disappointment.

So… I will take my baby Angel and lay her at the feet of the only ONE who can make beauty from ashes. I will lay her at the feet of the ONE who paid the full price for her. He has the answers, and the solution, HE can deal and heal my pain, frustrations and disappointments.

I am so con fused of where Mental Illness fits in with God’s plan. Where does God fit into someone who isn’t right in the head, who seem helpless to make good choices and instead driven to make destructive choices? If the Holy Spirit lives inside Rachel how is she doing all these things? Does God hear the prayers of a lone mother? Does He capture her tears?

I trust. I just Trust.

Do you have an arm like God’s and can your voice thunder like His? … Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you. Job 40:9, 14
Who has claims against Me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to ME. Job 41:11
INDESCRIBABLE: Chris Tomlin

composer: Lora Story

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God

All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God

Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Warning.

I wanted to share with you all the exciting and somewhat frightening event that happened to us last night around 1:30 am.

We have a carbon monoxide detector located next to our room and after 7 years of having it, the voice warning went off last night. "warning, Carbon Monoxide, Warning." she said.

My husband and I woke up surprised. After discussing it, we decided that it was because we had had a fire in the fireplace and closed the vent when we finished. The heating vent must be pushing the "whatever" up. we decided to go back to bed. about 1/2 hour later it went off again. We got the kids all up and warm and called the fire department.

The Arvada Fire department rocks. they were here in about 5 minutes.

They came in with their detector and then told us to evacuate. we did have a high enough level of carbon monoxide. ( actually they had told us to leave when we first called but it was so cold outside. so we kind of waited instead.)

They tested each of us to check our oxygen levels. two of my children tested high enough that they put them on oxygen for 10 minutes. my 5 year old is one of those children. ( small bodies are more prone to the poison)

It was the fireplace that caused the carbon overload. Thankfully we were all alright and after airing out the house and 10 minutes of oxygen we were able to get back into the house and go to sleep.

things we learned.

Keep the vent to your fireplace open for 24 hours after putting the fire out.
Carbon monoxide spreads evenly so all the rooms tested with the same amount of CM.
Having a monoxide tester by our room is good but also one in the basement is needed and you can pretty much put it anywhere.

You probably already know this but I thought I would share from our experience. I don't know if this could have ended badly or not but I guess better safe than sorry.

Michelle Lynch

Warning.

I wanted to share with you all the exciting and somewhat frightening event that happened to us last night around 1:30 am.

We have a carbon monoxide detector located next to our room and after 7 years of having it, the voice warning went off last night. "warning, Carbon Monoxide, Warning." she said.

My husband and I woke up surprised. After discussing it, we decided that it was because we had had a fire in the fireplace and closed the vent when we finished. The heating vent must be pushing the "whatever" up. we decided to go back to bed. about 1/2 hour later it went off again. We got the kids all up and warm and called the fire department.

The Arvada Fire department rocks. they were here in about 5 minutes.

They came in with their detector and then told us to evacuate. we did have a high enough level of carbon monoxide. ( actually they had told us to leave when we first called but it was so cold outside. so we kind of waited instead.)

They tested each of us to check our oxygen levels. two of my children tested high enough that they put them on oxygen for 10 minutes. my 5 year old is one of those children. ( small bodies are more prone to the poison)

It was the fireplace that caused the carbon overload. Thankfully we were all alright and after airing out the house and 10 minutes of oxygen we were able to get back into the house and go to sleep.

things we learned.

Keep the vent to your fireplace open for 24 hours after putting the fire out.
Carbon monoxide spreads evenly so all the rooms tested with the same amount of CM.
Having a monoxide tester by our room is good but also one in the basement is needed and you can pretty much put it anywhere.

You probably already know this but I thought I would share from our experience. I don't know if this could have ended badly or not but I guess better safe than sorry.

Michelle Lynch

The big Freeze

I haven't cooked much all week then I guess I got motivated and cooked 8 meals in the past two days. My friend Jenn motivated me when I went over to her house and her freezer was full of meals.

Chicken was on sale and so I just bought a whole bunch, grabbed a book on tape and camped out in the kitchen with my recipes from "Don't Panic it is in the Refrigerator" and "Once a month cooking."

It must have been that cup of coffee I had at Sonshine's game at 4;30pm. I had so much energy that I just started cooking up a storm around 7:30pm. I finished the main part around midnight.

I also threw in a boneless pork roast and cooked up some butternut squash to eat for lunch today. Wow did I feel on top of the world. I though I would be so stressed out and sorry I started the meals but I wasn't.

Tonight I finished listening to the last CD from the book on tape, when I finished up my meals The house smells good, the kitchen is even clean and my family will eat great.... at least 8 times this month.

Picture day

Sonshine had pictures today with his soccer team.

We needed to be there by 1 pm and at 12:35, Sonshine couldn't find his uniform. He solved his problem by putting on a mis match throw together multi blue uniform. I was not a happy mama. I has spent the summer helping him organize his room so that he could have a place for everything and everything in it's place, including his uniform.

How in the world did he misplace it? I started in with the usual "you better find your actual uniform or you can forget going to pictures..." "I am not wasting my time helping you anymore, I can't believe you lost your uniform, why isn't it where it needs to be?" and so on. He was frantically looking, angry and frustrated.

Then suddenly all that wonderful parent training kicked in. Since groaning at him wasn't working and we were both just getting angry and more frustrated I decided to change tactics.

"You know what Sonshine, I am taking on a problem that isn't mine and I am very sorry, I want to take you to your picture, I really don't want you to miss them." I said. " I am going to take you as soon as you find your uniform. The pictures are at 1pm and it is now 12:50."

I walked out of the room disappointed and assuming that we would be missing pictures. but, this way if he missed pictures it would be his fault not mine.

His little sister piped in. "I'll help you look brother." together at 12:57 they located the missing uniform and we hussled to pictures, we were late and I half expected the pictures to be over but he made it just in time. Afterwards, he thanked me for taking him to pictures. I never expected a thank you.

Frustration

AHHHHHHHHHH. I blog so much that I can never remember the user name or the password. I have wonderful things to say... to share, Yet it takes me a very very long time to figure out how to get on here and by then I must move on to the next thing, like taking care of the kids or I have forgotten what I wanted to write in my frustration. Don't panic though, I have now written the important information down and I am set to go the next time I get a chance to share my thoughts of the day.

Boy I hope I remember what I did with the information I wrote down.

Hello again

Has it really been that long? October since my last blog.
So much has changed.

School starts in 18 Days, (not that I am counting) and it seems we just now have the routine of kids home all day down.

Where did the summer go? I am just now starting to really enjoy it. Late nights, swimming, camping, sleeping in and all the other wonderful things that go along with summer. I hope to keep up better with this blog so that we can share our lives with you as so many of you have shared you lives with me.
Here is a rundown of our year since last October.

January I turned one year older, yet not old enough to join my dear friends (you know who you are) in a (paying) survey. Maybe next year. Husband and I visited Alaska.
February Princess turned 5 and will be starting kindergarten in the Fall
March- we discovered that teenager hood may feel like it but it is not terminal. After a rocky start we discovered we will survive Beans entering the 9th grade and thankfully she got most of her brain back. And We spent one week in Utah camping, riding ATV’s and loving every minute of it.
April hubby and I went on a Cruise to the Caribbean and it is as gorgeous as it looks in pictures.
May- Beans turned 16 years old. Hubby and I celebrated 11 years of marriage.
June. Swimming, movies, library, etc. etc. etc.
July- Hubby turned one year older, Angel turned 17, Sonshine turned 8.