Is God Calling?

I have a heart for missions - or I have had in the past. I've been on 5 mission trips, but it's been almost 9 years since my last one. The first was in 1992 and I went with my youth group to Bryan/College Station and we did simple home repairs on 3 houses in the community - simple things like painting and such. In 1996, I went to Costa Rica and we repaired and painted a church as well as played with the kids. In 1997, I went to Honduras and my team worked at a school, in a medical clinic and one day I even got to handle a machetti and go to work in the rice paddies. I went to Europe for a month in 1999 on a 2 part trip with a team of 8 from Southwest Texas - in England we helped a church with their inaugural VBS, did some homeless ministry and did some street teaching and then in Scotland we were counselors at a youth camp. The last of my 5 trips was in 2001. I went with a wonderful group from a church in Pennsylvania (none of whom I knew) to Russia and we spent 2 1/2 weeks repairing one orphanage and visiting numerous others to visit with the children.
I don't ever remember truly seeking God's will for whether or not to go on any of those trips, but He taught me much and blessed me greatly through each one of them.
I was talking to a friend from church last Sunday about a trip she is leading to Bangladesh this coming June. As she was telling me about the trip plans and what all the team will be doing, I felt a stirring in my heart - a desire to go with them. I've had other opportunities over the last 9 years, but I haven't truly felt a desire to go (or I did, but only because I wanted to see that place - like Zimbabwe or Tanzania).
So, I'm wondering and praying...this stirring in my heart...is it ME just wanting to go or is it GOD calling me to go? Hopefully it's clear soon. She needs an answer yesterday but told me to let her know ASAP!

early morning

I woke up at 4:30 this morning to knocking and when I opened my eyes, Bella was sitting on the corner of my bed staring at the ceiling. There were red and blue lights flashing on the ceiling. The knocking wasn't at my door and when I looked out the window, I saw an ambulance and a fire engine in the parking lot. I tried to roll over for my 45 minutes left of sleep, but the flashing lights were too bright and distracting and Bella was so nervous that she was on top of me.
I took Bella outside before I got into the shower and she took off running because we saw the ambulance gurney outside an apartment door. As we were walking back up the stairs, we saw the EMT's carrying someone down the stairs in some kind of chair. I guess because the stairs have a landing, it makes it hard to get the gurney up.
Bella didn't calm down until the red and blue lights quit flashing about 15 minutes later - apparently it wasn't a life and death emergency because they didn't move very fast...
Thankfully, I haven't been any more tired today than I usually am for the loss of 45 minutes of sleep. However, I think I'll hit the sack a little early tonight.

My Crazy Dog

My dog has recently started hanging out in the bathtub while I am gone. It has only been since I got back from vacation back in July. I'm not sure why - the bathtub? She doesn't like taking baths, so why would she lay in the bathtub while I'm gone?
I realized that's where she was one day when I came home and I heard all this scrambling and banging. She was having trouble getting out...
Maybe it's a cool place to lay, or maybe she's hiding and feels safe there...who knows.
I wish I had a picture of it, but I haven't been able to catch her yet - but I always hear her jumping out when I walk in the door.
That's my crazy dog...

Tragedy and Fear

Last Monday, the police found my uncle dead in his house. He and my aunt were separated, so he was living alone. Nobody had heard from him in several days: he wasn't answering his phone and he didn't answer the door hwen the neighbors when to check on him for my aunt.
We later found out that he had had a seizure and his his head and had been dead between 3 and 5 days when he was finally found.
It has always been one of my biggest fears that something would happen to me and nobody would notice for a few days and then it would be too late. There are days when the only people I talk to are the people at work, but would they call and check on me if I didn't show up one day - I don't know...I know its a little morbid, but its one of the fearful hazards of being single and living alone.
I wasn't close to my uncle, but it makes me sad to think of the way he died. If you think about it, say a prayer for my aunt and 2 cousins as they cope with his death.

Sinus Surgery

Last Thursday I had sinus surgery, a turbinectomy and a septoplasty. For at least the last 6 months, I have suffered from chronic sinus infections and in January I had a CT scan that showed inflamed tissues (turbinates) blocking my nasal passages as well as a deviated septum (the cartilage part of my nose was S-shaped) which make it difficult to breathe. Since no antibiotic would help the sinus infections, my Dr. determined surgery was my best option for relief.

When they were bringing me out of surgery and into recovery, and as I was coming out of anesthesia, they had to hold me down because I tried to sit up, take off the blood pressure cuff and take off the gauze they had put over my nose. As I regained consciousness, the nurse asked where I hurt and at that time, my throat was raw from being intubated - they gave me pain medicine and told me to suck on cough drops or life savers when I got home.

Once the numbness wore off from surgery, the pain was incredible! I've never experienced such pain, except when I had kidney stones...when the sheet touched the tip of my nose, it sent shooting pain in all directions through my head and all I could do was cry. I had plastic splints in each nostril holding my nose straight and stitches holding the splints in place. This surgery is NOT worth the pain unless it is an absolute health necessity!

For me, it ended up being a health necessity. After the surgery, they sent samples from my sinuses to a lab for cultures to grow and test. What they found was the infection MRSA (Mersa) - methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus which is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. I found out that's what I had Tuesday at 2:30 when the Dr. removed the stitches and splints from my nose. He told me I will have to tell every doctor for the rest of my life that I have/had MRSA because it will affect the types of medicines they can give me. Then at 4, I was watching Oprah and she had a story on it - it can be fatal - very scary stuff. For more information, http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/understanding-mrsa-methicillin-resistant-staphylococcus-aureus.

I have to say I'm glad I had the surgery and I'm lucky they found out what the infection was and can treat it.

Another -0- Year

I turned 30 today. No big deal really. My Monday wasn't any different than most other Monday's except that I got more phone calls, text messages and emails; my teaching team brought me lunch; and Emily took me to dinner and brought me a present. I don't feel any older and I don't look any older than I did yesterday...30 is just another number.
I did want to do something special to celebrate this year so Emily and I went to Humble for the weekend and went with my mom to a tea room in Highlands, TX called the Teapot Depot and then we got pedicures and my stepdad joined us for dinner. It was a fairly relaxing weekend, which is just what I was looking for.
On the 4 hour drive back home, partly in attempt to stay awake and partly reminiscing, I started thinking about other birthdays I've had and how I celebrated them. There are a few that really stand out and others I don't remember at all:
10 - I got my ears pierced and had a slumber party
16 - I had a surprise party
20 - I sat in the emergency room and watched footage of the Columbine High School shooting while waiting to get my ankle looked at - it was fractured
21 -A group of friends took me to Medieval Times in San Antonio and Robin was my waiter (tights and all)
24 - A group of friends took me to the Omni Theater in Ft. Worth
29 - Emily and I went to Sam Moon and went purse shopping, had lunch at Red, Hot and Blue and then drove around Irving taking pictures to spell out "Melanie is 29"
Back when I was turning 10, 30 seemed a long way away. It didn't take as long to get here as I imagined.
I look forward to the coming year and all that the Lord has in store for me.
Lord, let my 30th year be my best year yet!

Maybe next year...

Well, I made the most of a day that I have never once had anyone to celebrate with...the day every single person dreads...Valentine's day. I went and worked out which is an every Saturday morning activity. In the early afternoon, I went to see "He's Just Not That Into You" by myself. It wasn't a great movie, but the premise rings true - at least in my life. I've been the girl to cling to any little hope that a guy might like me; to sit by the phone praying that he'd call - and checking to make sure that the phone did work so that I wouldn't miss the call. Pathetic, yes. But I just wanted someone to like me back so badly.
This evening, a good size group of singles from my church met at Freddy's Custard for dinner and then went rock climbing at Summit Gym. I didn't actually climb but it looked like a lot of fun. I need to practice with just a couple people before I risk embarrassing myself in front of half the singles group!
Overall, I would say it was a pretty good Valentine's Day. I still long for a fairy tale, but what single girl doesn't. Maybe next year...

Bella & Me

I just doesn't have the same ring to it...I went to see the movie Marley & Me yesterday. I thought it was a really good movie, even though I spent the last 20 minutes crying uncontrollably. For those of you that haven't seen the movie and don't want it spoiled, STOP READING HERE...
Foolishly, I forgot my Kleenex, even though I cried uncontrollably during the latter part of the book when I read it 3 years ago just after having to put my dog Ember down - reading about them putting Marley down was like reliving putting my own dog down.
Ember was a 12 year old pure breed Dalmatian with more spots that I've ever seen on a Dal. I had gotten her just before my 15th birthday when she had just been weaned. I was away from her the years I was in college, but as soon as I could find a place that would allow big dogs, I brought her up here with me. At 12, she had become arthritic and cranky. One day she got in a fight with Paisley, my friend Emily's dog. Needless to say, she didn't win. Based on her age, her changing temperament and her injuries, I decided to put her down. It was like losing one of my best friends. She was a good dog. Ember
However, it wasn't just the end of the movie that I related to. I enjoyed the movie more because I could relate to the destructiveness of Marley as well - though on a much smaller scale. About a month and a half after putting Ember down, I got a new dog. It was just too lonely all by myself. I wanted another Dalmatian so I started looking online and I finally found a Dal mix at the Humane Society of North Texas. She was about 8 weeks old when I brought her home. The shelter said she was 3 months so they could go ahead and spay her but they don't loose their puppy teeth until about 4 - 5 months and she didn't lose her until June. Anyway, I brought her home and called her Bella. She was all white with a few brown speckles and hazel eyes!

Bella on her second day at home.

This cute little puppy turned out to be full of mischief. Thankfully, it was all covered by the pet deposit...here is a list of some of the things she did:
1. She chewed through the supply line of the toilet and flooded 3 apartments.
2. She ate all the windowsills in my apartment, parts of the door frames and baseboards and pulled paint off the doors and walls.

Do you see where the paint is peeled off the door? Doesn't she look proud of herself?

3. She dug a hole in my carpet down to the concrete slab.

The hole was in my guest bedroom - through the carpet, she ate the padding, down to the slab.

4. She dug a hole in the crash pad (a big 7 foot long pillow you could sleep on) and pulled the stuffing out so she could fit inside.

The crash pad used to reside at my grandparents house and we grandkids would fight over who got to sleep on it...nobody sleeps on it anymore.

5. She ate a green pen at Emily's apartment and got it on the couch cover (which Emily later gave to me) and on her paws.

Bella's green thumb.

I think those were the major things. I tried using baby gates to keep her in the part of the house where I wanted her but she quickly learned how to climb one, and when I bought a second she could scale them both. She continued with her destructive tendencies until we moved into a new apartment. She hasn't damaged anything in the year and a half we've been here. So unlike Marley, Bella grew out of her destructiveness.

A dog is one of the family and in that I can certainly identify with the Grogan's. No matter what destructiveness she caused as a puppy or what heartbreak awaits when the time comes to let her go (hopefully many years down the road), Bella adds to my life and I can't imagine my life without her.

At my parents house over the summer wearing the pink bandanna her Granny got her.

Looking Back

A Look Back at 2008...

Where did you begin 2008? Apparently nothing exciting because I don't even remember. I think I spent New Year's Eve day driving back from my parents in Houston. What I did that evening...no clue.
Were you in school this year? Did I take classes myself, no. But since I'm a teacher, I went to school almost every single day.
Where did you go on vacation? I went up to Pennsylvania for a family reunion over the July 4th weekend and took a scenic drive back with my parents. I went tubing in New Braunfels with a group from my singles group and went to Texarkana to see my friend Kim.
Favorite Books from 2008? I reread a couple books from high school and found that I enjoyed them more the second time around, such as: Diary of Anne Frank and Catcher in the Rye. I always read a lot in the summer - something like 40 books this past summer. I don't remember half of them.
Did you know anybody who got married? I knew people that got married, but I didn't go to any weddings this year. I have several coming up in the first few months of 2009.
Did you move anywhere? Thank goodness, no.
What sporting events did you attend? I went to my first Mavericks game in April and my first Stars game on December 29th - I had so much fun!
Describe your birthday: Emily took me shopping at Sam Moon, we went to eat lunch at Red, Hot and Blue and then we drove around taking pictures of me with random letters and number to spell out "Melanie is 29". See the post from April for the pictures. We had fun and get got the 9 at one the of the Irving Fire Stations - they were really cool.
What's something you learned about yourself? I learned and admitted to myself that for the time being, getting out of debt is more important than focusing on meeting someone to spend my life with.
Any new additions to your family? My older brother Chris and his wife Amanda had a baby boy. My nephew Pierce was born in April.
Favorite Night out? It was very recent, when Emily and I went to the West End for dinner at Gators and then to the Stars game is ranking pretty high (that was last Monday - Dec 29th).
What do you want to change in 2009? I spend way too much time at home by myself. I need to get out and be more social.
What would you change about 2008? I don’t think I would change much. Parts of this year were really fantastic…and even the parts that weren’t a lot helped me to grow and mature. Everything that happened helped me learn a more about myself and what I want from life and want I want to do with my life.
What random cool things happened in 2008? I'm sure there were some, I'm just having trouble remembering them...
Other than home, where did you spend most of your time? Probably work...not exciting, but I don't do much other than go to work, go work out and come home and spend time with the dog (what a boring life).
Do you have a New Year's resolution? I haven't decided what my New Year's Resolution will be - other than to be more social.
Do anything embarrassing? I try really hard not to do anything that will cause me embarrassment because I don't like drawing attention to myself. I'm sure I did do something, but I've mentally blocked it out and refuse to remember it. What was your favorite purchase? I PAID OFF MY CAR!!!! And I bought a Dyson vacuum - the purple one for animal hair. It was a floor model so it was scratched up, but I got it at a great discount and it does a great job of sucking up the dog hair out of my carpet.
Did you get sick this year? I get sick a lot - mostly just with sinus infections, but during the spring I battled pneumonia.
Start a new hobby? I started making jewelry and selling it. http://www.melodesigns.etsy.com/
Are you happy to see 2008 go? Absolutely. I'm always ready to see a year go and a new one come - you never know what it will hold.
What are you wishing for in 2009? I turn 30 in April - I'm hoping to take a trip to celebrate. I'm still working on paying off debt. I've come a long way and paying off my car was a big step - I'll keep on plugging away at it until it's gone.

Reviewing this, I've determined that my life is pretty BORING. I definitely need to take steps to make it more exciting. If you have any suggestions that won't cost me a lot of money, send them my way!
Now, my blogging friends, it’s your turn. Tell me about your year in review… I can’t wait to read it!

Pink Eye

Bella and I posing for our Christmas card picture.

Last week I took Bella to the vet because her right eye had a gross green discharge and was pink. Lo and behold, my dog had conjunctivitis, otherwise known in the people world as pink eye. The vet gave me some ointment to put in her eyes several times a day for the next 10 days to get rid of the infection. He told me to be especially conscious about washing my hands after messing with her eyes, and I have been.

However, I didn't think about where she sleeps when I'm gone at work all day, which is usually on my bed, either on my pillows or on my pajamas if they are laying on the bed. Yesterday, I woke up with a red left eye. It itched and had some gunk in it, but most of the redness went away when I used my allergy eye drops. Throughout the day, my eye continued to bother me. The nurse at school said it could be allergies or it could be pink eye - she told me to wait and see what happened overnight and if it was sealed shut when I woke up. It sure was. So off to the doctor I headed first thing this morning.

I ruined my perfect attendance record for the school year because I got pink eye from my dog! Who would have thought. I guess I need to start shutting her out of my bedroom when I'm gone.

58 years...

Today my grandparents celebrated their 58 anniversary. I think that's an incredible accomplishment. One I'm not likely to ever match - especially if I don't get married in the next few years.
My grandparents married in their very early 20's, in the year 1950, like a lot of couples did at that time. In 58 years, they have accumulated 3 kids, sons and daughter-in-law, 13 grandkids (several of whom have spouses) and 10 great-grandkids; they worked until they couldn't work any longer (though it was easier to get Grandma to retire than Pap Pap) and they now live in a basement apartment at my aunt's house outside Altoona, Pa. They have had their challenges, their ups and downs, but overall, they have been and continue to be very happily married.
I aspire to have what they have and have had for the last 58 years. Again, as I approach 30, I'm not sure 58 years will be feasible, especially seeing as I have no potentials currently. But it's not the years that I aspire to, it's the love; it's the way they cherish each other.
Pap Pap has been suffering from mild strokes and some other health problems since this time last year. The strokes have really been affecting his personality. I saw it for myself firsthand over the summer when I went up to visit for few days. He was very easily agitated by the great-grandkids noise and rambunctiousness and that hasn't ever bothered him before. He got angry and yelled at Grandma and it just broke her heart. My grandma still loves him with all of her heart, but she sees the man she loves slowly slipping from her. After he yelled at her that day, she just sat and cried, not out of anger, but out of fear of losing him and because it was something he never would have done before.
I want the good and the bad - the forever, however long God's forever is for me - I want my chance to experience the love my grandparents have for each other.


Pap Pap, Grandma, my cousin Blake w/ his son Mason, my Pop

It's Finally Done

Back in August, I started working on my first quilt. It's not my first quilt ever, but it is the first one I've made that I'm keeping for myself!


I've made baby quilts for friends and siblings when they have had babies; I've given one as a wedding gift; and one as a Christmas/birthday present to my mom. I try to make one with my students each year - I guess you could consider those mine, but I keep them on display in my classroom and on occasion on display in the hallways.



Quilt for one of the Woods twins



Quilt for my nephew Pierce


2007 - 08 Class Quilt "Walking My Way to the Future..."


This quilt was made completely for me. I picked the colors for me. I picked the pattern for me. I bled for it, and it's finally done. It's only a lap quilt, but I can curl up in my chair and watch a movie or read a book beneath it. I look forward to it - the colors are just right for this time of year!



My whole quilt - Autumn Day


A close up of my initials and year


Now I can begin work on my next quilting project - I'm seeing black, white and red...

First Sale

I sold my first piece of jewelry today! It was one of my favorites that was for sale and I'm glad someone bought it and will enjoy wearing it. I really enjoy making jewelry and wearing my own creations. Hopefully, more people will find my designs attractive and will find joy in them as well. Here is Black Rain, the one that found a new home today...

There are many other pieces listed on my website www.MELodesigns.etsy.com. Go check them out! Here's a sneak peek...

Blue Moon

Break Out of Your Shell

Pilgrims and Indians

I know I'm a week late, but think back to Halloween...
For Halloween, my Principal wanted the teachers to dress up. For the last several years we have taken our students on a field trip to the Dallas Arboretum to the Texas Pioneer Adventure and we are doing the same thing this year. Prior to the field trip we take a couple of weeks to study the Pioneers so the kids will be able to impress the docent with their extensive knowledge. We typically do our field trip around Thanksgiving so we can study the Pilgrims as well and do a comparison of the Pilgrims and the Pioneers. If you don't know the difference, those we typically call the Pilgrims are those that came over on the Mayflower in 1620 and settled at Plymouth and had the first "Thanksgiving," which they called a Harvest Feast, with the Indians, to celebrate a successful first harvest. By comparison, the Pioneers were people that were part of westward expansion - think of those traveling west to California and Oregon to find gold in the early to mid 1800's.
Anyway, we were getting ready to start our Pilgrims and Pioneer unit as soon as the Election was over, so our 2nd grade team decided to dress up as Pilgrims/Pioneers and Indians. Mr. Watts was a Pilgrim, I was a Pioneer and our two bilingual teachers, Mrs. McAfee and Ms. Cordero were the Indians. We had our own little "Thanksgiving" feast in the teachers lounge at lunch.
The kids were really excited about our costumes and are looking forward to the next couple weeks as we study Pilgrims and Pioneers and get ready for our December 2nd field trip.
Ms. Cordero, Mrs. McAfee, Me, Mr. Watts


Me - in the school library

Learning Restraint...

I choked my principal the other day. I pulled her hair, kicked her and threw a punch. Do you believe it? Well, none of it was for real, but I wasn't nearly as nervous when I had to sit down with her for a meeting on Friday.

My principal and I and 3 others from my campus took a restraint training last week and my principal was my partner when it came time to practice the blocks and releases, so we took turns punching, kicking, choking and pulling.

It was a training I was required to take because of potential circumstances I face at school. It was the Nonviolent Crisis Invervention Training Program through the Crisis Prevention Institute. The purpose of the program is to focus on the care, welfare, safety and security of the student. It is definitely a training I would recommend to other teachers, even if you don't have a student you may potentially need to restrain. We worked to understand that restraint is a LAST RESORT option to be used only when the student is a danger to him/herself, others or destructive to property.

I don't see myself necessarily needing to use the restraint procedures, but you just never know what will happen in the classroom, so the information is handy to have. It would have been helpful to have a few years ago when I had an especially challenging student who was a runner and I found myself grabbing for her far too often because her favorite route was for the outside doors and toward the streets - she once made it as far as the street corner of a major intersection.

However, the restraint I find myself needing more often, lies within myself. I need to restrain myself because I become impatient...with people in general. I get impatient when I have to wait for people, especially when it was a set appointment; and I get impatient with my students when they are playing instead of paying attention. I need to rely on God to give me patience, to take a few deep breaths and just relax.

Yes, I do...

Yes, thankfully, I do still have a job. After a very stressful week, I will continue going to work and teaching my students. For the next two weeks, we are studying the presidential election. Hopefully it will help me decide who I want to vote for. Even if it doesn't, my kids are really enjoying it.

Yes I have a job, No I don't...

It's kind of like he loves me, he loves me not, but on a much more serious note. Dallas ISD is facing an 84 million dollar budget shortfall and it's teachers are taking a BIG hit. Unfortunately, this hasn't been a quick process. It has been a long, drawn-out, painful, stressful process. The "higher ups" keep pushing back the decisions deadline. First, it was the deadline about what they were actually going to do. On October 2, they decided they were going to have to let 550 teachers go. In effort to avoid firing that many teachers, they opened up a time for voluntary resignations. Finally, this past Monday, we were told that Wednesday, tomorrow, was the day that teachers would be getting pink slips.

Mind you, we have been going about our daily lifes, teaching and just plain living, with bated breathe for more than a month now. We have been expected to act like nothing is happening; like we aren't in danger of losing our jobs at the next turn. Every single teacher is worried about whether or not he or she will have a job tomorrow. "They" say every delay is to make sure they are making the best decisions for everyone involved, but I have a hard time believing that letting us hang for weeks, going on months on end is good for us. We are expected to continue teaching our kids when at any moment our principal could walk in with that dreaded piece of paper that says "Sorry, you are no longer employed by Dallas ISD. Please pack your belongings and vacate the premises."

Well, it's stressful enough thinking that tomorrow is the dreaded day, but then I get an email saying that because of a meeting that HE had with the principal's, they are pushing it back one more day, JUST TO MAKE SURE. So it won't be until Thursday. I read that email and I just wanted to scream. I don't want to lose my job, and until Sunday/Monday I had done a really good job keeping my focus elsewhere and not worrying about it.

At this point, the decisions have already been made. The principals know who is going to go, so they just need to get on with telling people - so that everyone can breathe a little easier. Even if it is me, I just want to know...I don't want it hanging over my head any more.

Come see me...

A few years ago my mom started making jewelry. She has time for fun little projects like that since she had to retire from work - jewelry, quilting, etc. Once she started making jewelry, she got me into it and I really enjoy the creativity of figuring out how different beads work together to make a necklace, bracelet or pair of earrings. We have made jewelry for ourselves and given it away to family and friends, but it would be nice to make some extra cash from our little hobby. A friend mentioned a website called etsy.com over the summer so I finally looked into it and got a store set up.

Come and see me (and my mom) and my (our) designs at www.MELodesigns.etsy.com.

$55 million

The other day I was listening to the radio and I heard that Johnny Depp had agreed to do a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie for a mere $55 million dollars and I thought..."Wow, why does he get $55 million for a few months of filming a movie (yeah I know its a lot of stunts and stuff) and I only gross in the mid $40K's per year for teaching those who hold the future in their hands?" How is that fair...I know...life's not fair, but I don't have to like it. And now, on top of everything else, Dallas ISD is in the midst of an $84+ million budget shortfall and on Thursday they decided that 550 teachers will be fired. So every teacher has to go to school and continue doing their job while sitting on the edge of their chair wondering if the next time their classroom door opens it will be the principal telling them to pack up their desk and go home...
The Dallas budget crisis somewhat mirrors the national crisis, which I can't pretend to understand because I still sit at home counting pennies hoping against hope that I can stretch until the end of the month, until the next paycheck, until I finally have all my debt paid off and can breathe again. I'm down to about 20 months if all goes well, I get to keep my job and I don't breathe too deeply...

Back in its parking place

My car is back in its rightful parking place tonight and I'm only $156 more in debt than I was before. Luckily, the only belt that snapped was the one that controls the power steering. I say luckily because the mechanic called and said that the other 2 belts were in really bad shape. So, there could have been much more damage which would have cost a lot more money and put me in a much more dangerous position when the car broke.
The Lord definitely took care of me last night...just as He does every day. I just have to focus more on leaning on Him.