Heavenly Sevenly

Today is our 7th anniversary. How exciting for us. I know 7 years isn't all that long, but we're happy about making it that far. We have been blessed with a lot in our short time together. Great jobs that make us happy, a great church where we get to serve the Lord, a great house with an equally great payment(read cheap), great friends and family, and of course a WONDERFUL, AWESOME, CUTE, ADORABLE, SWEET, red headed little boy.

This past year was filled with a lot of craziness and busy days, but we did it and came out on this side happier than ever. So, I love ya babe!!

You made my Life!

We text...... a lot. Here's our text conversation for today. It's by far the best ever.

Me:Thanks for stopping by, you made my day
(Chad has stopped by my office to get Clayton's car seat, and we chatted a few minutes about nothing really important)

Chad's reply:Thanks for loving me. You made my life.

WOW

Go Bama!!!!!!!!

At the Carswell manor we love football. All kinds, high school, college and professional. Our pro team is of course the Carolina Panthers. I feel this is our year. They almost won against Pittsburgh on Sunday. It's still early, but I'm hopeful. On the college front we love the University of Alabama. The Crimson Tide is basically an American Institution. In my humble opinion. Anyway Saturday evening was their season opener. They trampled Clemson 34-10! In the spirit of the festivities we decided Clayton needed to support the team as well. He was sleepy and it was way past bedtime, so the photo shoot didn't go all that great. But, don't you think he looks great in his Red. Go Bama!

It's Here

The Medtronic Minimed Paradigm 722, and it's accompanying Real Time Glucose Monitor arrived via "Brown" today. We were so excited. Chad immediately tore in to his packages and opened everything. He still has to wait a few weeks to get started on the insulin pump. There is training that is required before you can begin insulin therapy through the pump. Anyway, it's a giant leap in the right direction. Chad's well on his way to a target A1C of 6.

YIPPIE!!!!!!!!

Chad is finally getting an insulin pump. He had a consultation today at our local Diabetes Care Center. They were very knowledgeable and helpful. He has decided to go with the Minimed pump distributed by Medtronic.

This pump has all of the standard features, and a few really cool extras. The main extra feature is called real-time Continuous Glucose Monitoring. This is an extra piece that he will have to insert in hie abomen. This device measures his blood sugar every 2-5 minutes. If his blood sugar rises above, or falls below, a safe level the device will sound an alarm. Our hope is that this will, in time, eliminate the hypoglycemic comas(it's a scary name, but we do know how to manage them) and the incredibly high spikes.

As of Friday morning we have placed the order for the pump to the Medtronic Rep in our area. They will contact our insurance for final approval. Chad's medical history has to meet medical necessity for an insulin pump. This is not generally a problem for a Type 1 diabetic. Insurance companies are starting to realize that it is cheaper to control diabetes, than to pay for medical care to combat all of the complications of diabetes.

God has truly answered all of our prayers thus far. What follows is the short list of answered prayers.

1. We prayed that God would allow our insurance company to cover the majority of the cost of the pump. When deciding to go the route of the pump, there are a lot of costs that are associated. The pump itself cost around $6000. Then there are the monthly supplies that are required to get the insulin from the pump into the body. They run around $500 monthly. These prices are before insurance pays their portion. Our Savior saw fit to provide the pump at a tiny fraction of the total cost. I don't think you would believe me if I told you what the estimated charges are. Let's put it this way, a nice steak dinner at Longhorn would cost you more out of pocket than Chad's pump should. My God is GOOD.

2. We prayed that God would send the pump to Chad quickly. Our thought of quickly was 6 weeks to 2 months. It's better than that. The diabetes educator informed us most patients have their pump around 2 weeks after ordering it. There is training required after it is received, but that is minimal and should be scheduled very quickly. Chad should be using his pump before September. Keep in mind, we will be on vacation 1 whole week during August. My God is GREAT.

There are many more answered prayers in relation to the insulin pump and Chad's diabetes. He has not had a critical low in 6 weeks. That's exciting for us. There may be one tomorrow, but God's grace is sufficient. He's kept Chad safe thus far and I believe Has a greater purpose for Chad and for our family. Diabetes DOES NOT run our life. It DOES NOT have preeminence over our God. My God knew exactly what He was doing when he created Chad with extra antibodies(extra antibodies kill the insulin cells that the body creates in Type 1 diabetics). Chad is still "fearfully and wonderfully made". This is a challenge we deal with every day of our lives. But through it we have drawn closer to God. We have been forced to rely upon the Lord for Chad's safety, health, and well being. Chad and I now realize we can't take care of ourselves. It's all God. We aren't supersaints or bionic Christians. We are simply saved by Grace. Our creator loves us, makes us the way He wants us so that He gets all the glory for our lives. If Insulin Dependant Type 1 Diabetes in Chad brings more Glory to God, BRING IT ON!!.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me!!!!!" Philippians 4:13

It's Official

It is official and certifiable that I am the worst blogger in the history of all blogs. I sincerely apologize to all of my adoring fans(all 3 of you). I will attempt to do better.

On a different note, Chad is finally getting somewhere with the insulin pump. He goes next week to the Diabetes Center at a nearby hospital for a pump consultation appointment. This appointment is expected to take 2 hours or longer. It sounds very daunting, but we are very excited. I have called our insurance carrier and we were excited to learn that our insurance pays for insulin pumps and they pay very, very well. We are thanking the Lord for how he has worked this out for us.

Please pray for Chad and for me as we begin this new journey. There will be a lot of learning and changing, but we are definitely up to the challenge and ready.

Another Busy Weekend!

Does life ever slow down? Ours doesn't seem to. That's OK, because we have a very full and rich life. I wouldn't trade one mintue of it. Anyway here's what our weekend was like. Here goes.

Friday, we attended a funeral of a precious lady that died very tragically last week. I won't go into the details, because I want the Lord to receive all the Glory for her homegoing. I don't understand why God took her home in the fashion that He did, but, thankfully, it's not my job to try and understand these things. On a side note, at the grave side services for sister Vivian, there was a Scottish Bagpiper. How cool is that. It really was fascinating. I have been to a lot of funerals in my short life, but that was definitely a first.

Friday evening, Chad and I were able to steal a few minutes to ourselves to have a little date. Clayton stayed with his Mawmaw(Chad's mother) and we went to dinner. We went to a place called Friday Friends. We had not eaten there before, but thoroughly enjoyed it. It was wonderful to have an evening with my sweetie.

Saturday afternoon we were honored to be invited to a wedding. Philip and Amanda Crump were hitched at Calvary in a beautiful and sweet ceremony. They seem to be genuinely in love with one another and with their Savior. Pray for them as they start down this new road together.

Saturday evening we went to dinner with Mom, Dad(the boss), and Ed and Nancy Taylor. Brother Ed pastors a church in Perry, FL. They were in town for Jesse's ordination. More on that in a moment. At dinner, my brilliant husband(he really is, Love ya babe) locked his keys in his car. We think they fell out of his pocket while he was taking his pre-dinner insulin. Anyway, there happens to be a high ranking office of the Lenoir Fire Department in our church. Chad called this man and he was willing and able to dispatch Lenoir's finest to our aid. We were very grateful not to have to call a locksmith. Thanks LFD.

Sunday. Of course we had our regularly scheduled church services this morning. Then this afternoon Jesse(baby brother) was Ordained into the ministry. It was an awesome service. I don't get to too many ordination services, but this has to be the best one I have been to thus far. As they were laying hands(special prayer time) on Jesse I was able to reflect on how fortunate I am to have a heritage of preachers. My husband, father, brother, and father-in-law, are all preachers. They also all pastor in some fashion or the other. In addition, they all live what they preach. How many people have this many preachers in their family. I love it and them.

So that was our weekend. We are physically EXHAUSTED, but we really are very full. God loves me and allows me to be a part of all of these wonderful activities. I'm grateful for every opportunity He provides for our family.