After a very long week, all is finally well in the Chafey household. My cold has pretty much cleared up, and Hal is almost back to 100 percent again. We are both feeling much better with much thanks to a nice, restful weekend. Hal gets this week off from work, and he has to go back Monday. Other than that, things are pretty normal in our lives.
Like many of you, Hal and I decided to participate in Lent this year. Our church as a whole did not participate, but as individuals we decided to. Hal and I have found much spiritual growth since we have been married, and by fasting for Lent, we felt it would only encourage our growth. Tomorrow will be the 14th day, and its been the hardest 14 days of my life.
Hal wanted to fast sweets for Lent, and I wanted to fast every beverage except for water and milk. We came to an agreement that we would each do both, so it wouldn't be hard on either one of us. So that means that I am fasting all things sweet, AND all sweet tea and soda. Holy cow, has it been hard. I am ADDICTED, seriously addicted to sweet tea, and I crave it everyday. Last night when Hal and I went to Publix to get groceries, we were strategically planning our Easter meal. Right now, we are thinking that I will eat a whole Key Lime Pie and he will eat Chocolate Brownies with Peanut Butter icing. I am telling you, this is HARD!
Yes, I have thought about just taking a drink or a bite, but everytime I just couldn't. I couldn't do it. This Lent has really opened my eyes to the sacrifice that Jesus made for me, and I want to prove to myself and Him that I can make a small sacrifice for Him. My minor meal adjustments don't even compare to the catastrophic sacrifice that He made, so I know I can make it 33 more days until Easter!
And thanks to Lent I have lost 7 pounds!
I don't know if I will participate next year, I guess I will see when it comes around again, but I know I am thankful for Jesus making such a sacrifice, one that mortal men would never be able to make.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Its been a LONG week!
This week I really do have a good reason for my lack of blogging.
As you know, Monday Hal had surgery. He's doing great today, and actually goes back to the doctor for his check-up at 2:30. Monday he was having a pretty hard time getting around so he asked me to stay home from work on Tuesday. About an hour after we got home Monday, I began running a pretty high fever and feeling awful. My throat was hurting so bad that I couldn't even swallow.
I called my boss Monday night and told him that I wouldn't be back to work just yet, and today I have finally come back. After 4 straight days of feeling like crap, I am well enough to work. I actually never went to the doctor because I don't have a doctor, so I just rested at home until I was better. I just know that the sick bug that's been going around bit me, and it was bad.
Now let me tell you that I love my husband with all of my heart. He is the most wonderful man in the world in my eyes, and I would do anything in the world for him. Honestly, though, this has been the longest week of my life. It has been so hard to take care of him when I have been so sick myself. The first two days out of surgery were the worst, and those were the days that I was the sickest myself. If I heard my name once I heard it four thousand times in the last 4 days. You know when you are sick, all you want to do is lay down and close your eyes. I swear everytime I would get my eyes shut, I would hear "Haley, can you..." or "Haley, help me..." Yes, I admit there were a few times that I just wanted to scream. Hal was cranky because he was hurting and I was cranky because I didn't feel good so we were both on each others nerves pretty badly. Ultimately, he helped take great care of me, and I think I did a pretty good job, myself.
I am so thankful for all of the help this week from my parents and Hal's parents. They brought in food everyday and we are so grateful, because neither of us was up to the task of cooking.
After a long 4 days, we were able to relax with a nice dinner and movie last night. Both of us were feeling better so we decided to eat sushi for our Valentine's dinner. It was so yummy. We went on our first date 5 years ago on Valentine's day, so its always special to us. We never really go big on Valentine's day, but its always a day we want to remember.
Now that I am back to work and feeling better, I am sure that we will have a great weekend relaxing and catching up.
As you know, Monday Hal had surgery. He's doing great today, and actually goes back to the doctor for his check-up at 2:30. Monday he was having a pretty hard time getting around so he asked me to stay home from work on Tuesday. About an hour after we got home Monday, I began running a pretty high fever and feeling awful. My throat was hurting so bad that I couldn't even swallow.
I called my boss Monday night and told him that I wouldn't be back to work just yet, and today I have finally come back. After 4 straight days of feeling like crap, I am well enough to work. I actually never went to the doctor because I don't have a doctor, so I just rested at home until I was better. I just know that the sick bug that's been going around bit me, and it was bad.
Now let me tell you that I love my husband with all of my heart. He is the most wonderful man in the world in my eyes, and I would do anything in the world for him. Honestly, though, this has been the longest week of my life. It has been so hard to take care of him when I have been so sick myself. The first two days out of surgery were the worst, and those were the days that I was the sickest myself. If I heard my name once I heard it four thousand times in the last 4 days. You know when you are sick, all you want to do is lay down and close your eyes. I swear everytime I would get my eyes shut, I would hear "Haley, can you..." or "Haley, help me..." Yes, I admit there were a few times that I just wanted to scream. Hal was cranky because he was hurting and I was cranky because I didn't feel good so we were both on each others nerves pretty badly. Ultimately, he helped take great care of me, and I think I did a pretty good job, myself.
I am so thankful for all of the help this week from my parents and Hal's parents. They brought in food everyday and we are so grateful, because neither of us was up to the task of cooking.
After a long 4 days, we were able to relax with a nice dinner and movie last night. Both of us were feeling better so we decided to eat sushi for our Valentine's dinner. It was so yummy. We went on our first date 5 years ago on Valentine's day, so its always special to us. We never really go big on Valentine's day, but its always a day we want to remember.
Now that I am back to work and feeling better, I am sure that we will have a great weekend relaxing and catching up.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Update
We just got home from the hospital about 45 minutes ago. Hal is doing well, or as well as can be expected.
When his doctor went in to repair the hernia, he actually found another one on the other side. So, both of the hernias are repaired now, and Hal is coping okay.
He says he's in a lot of pain, but the doctor prescribed Percocet, so he should be fine and dandy in about an hour.
Thank you all for your prayers, we really felt them, and greatly appreciate them.
When his doctor went in to repair the hernia, he actually found another one on the other side. So, both of the hernias are repaired now, and Hal is coping okay.
He says he's in a lot of pain, but the doctor prescribed Percocet, so he should be fine and dandy in about an hour.
Thank you all for your prayers, we really felt them, and greatly appreciate them.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Really quick...
I just wanted to quickly ask for your prayers tomorrow. Hal is having his hernia surgery tomorrow morning at 10:45am. Its going to be a very simple surgery, but its surgery none the less. I will try to post an update when we get home tomorrow.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
A couple of things...
Last night, Hal and I spent about 3 hours at the Spartanburg Regional Urgent Care because Hal had found a lump on his lower belly that started giving him some trouble. He found out last night that he has an inguinal hernia, what we suspected it was. YUCK. He went back to the Occupational Health doctor this morning and they told him that he has to have surgery to repair it because it won't repair itself. Basically, his intestines are poking out the wall of his abdomen and causing some major discomfort. We are sure he did it at work, since his job is so physically demanding. The surgery is really minor, and its not something we are worried about, but it still stinks having to deal with this.
Here is some really cool news...do you remember the band Rumor Jenkins? I know most of you Byrnes ladies do. Well, they have sort of gotten back together, and its pretty exciting. Our friend Charlie Barnett, an original Rumor Jenkins band member, passed along this information to me, and I wanted to pass it along to you. Charlie, Jarrad Lister, and Josh Thompson have gotten together again, with a new lead singer Colt Davis, and have created a new band called Colt Davis. Right now they are recording their first album, and have not yet begun to play publicly. I have heard some of their music and they are actually quite good. They are very Rumor Jenkins/Albert Hill esque. Their sound is very mellow and unique, and I am excited to share their music with you today:
http://www.myspace.com/coltdavismusic
I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think...I will pass it along to Charlie, I am sure they would love to hear from you.
Hope you're having a great Tuesday!
Here is some really cool news...do you remember the band Rumor Jenkins? I know most of you Byrnes ladies do. Well, they have sort of gotten back together, and its pretty exciting. Our friend Charlie Barnett, an original Rumor Jenkins band member, passed along this information to me, and I wanted to pass it along to you. Charlie, Jarrad Lister, and Josh Thompson have gotten together again, with a new lead singer Colt Davis, and have created a new band called Colt Davis. Right now they are recording their first album, and have not yet begun to play publicly. I have heard some of their music and they are actually quite good. They are very Rumor Jenkins/Albert Hill esque. Their sound is very mellow and unique, and I am excited to share their music with you today:
http://www.myspace.com/coltdavismusic
I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think...I will pass it along to Charlie, I am sure they would love to hear from you.
Hope you're having a great Tuesday!
Monday, February 4, 2008
A Fantastic Friday
I don't ever remember a more spiritually fulfilling day in my life than this past Friday. It was a great day for me and I want to share about it.
Friday afternoon after I got off work, I met Hal and my mom at my house and we headed to Byrnes where we got the pleasure and honor of hearing Bobby Bowden speak. Yes, THE Bobby Bowden, the winningest coach in college football.
Bobby Bowden is one of the greatest role models that I know of and I was so excited to be able to hear him speak. He came and delivered his message to the Byrnes FCA and luckily we have friends in high places who were able to get us in as well. As he hobbled across the gymnasium floor, the whole crowd the the tomahawk chop. After a standing ovation, he began his message. He gave his personal testimony of how he came into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and encouraged those kids to enter into a relationship with Jesus too. He told us that football wasn't and never had been his top priority, that God always had number one. He spoke to the kids about having their priorities in order, and that athletics weren't everything. I was so impressed with the way he spoke on their level. He didn't use any big words or fancy phrases to get their attention; he spoke directly to them, and all about Jesus.
I felt so honored to be apart of that crowd, and I left there with a precious memory. Bobby Bowden is the epitome of what every role model in a child's life should be. I thanked the Lord then and there for allowing Mr. Bowden to come to our small town and witness to our athletes. I am sure he made more than a lasting impression.
Later that evening, Hal and I went to our church for revival. Wow, what a revival. I felt such a spiritual revival when I went to bed on Friday night, something that I hadn't felt in a long time. When revival started the New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir from Greer came and sang the praise music. They are an African-American choir, and let me tell you, I have never, EVER been more moved by music in all of my life. They were AWESOME and did a great job preparing us for worship. At one point, I really did feel the urge to just get up and shout to the Lord. Most of the time they were singing, I had tears running down my face. The Holy Spirit was there that night, and I felt Him as if He were physically sitting right beside me.
After the singing, Pastor Len Turner came and delivered the message from 2 Corinthians 12:7-11. I almost jumped for joy when I turned over to this in my bible, because this is my very favorite passage in the bible. The passage talks about when God gives Paul a thorn in the flesh and he pleads with God to take it away. Instead of taking it away, God tells Paul that His grace is sufficient, and that in Paul's weakness God's strength is made perfect.
Glory Hallelujah! What an awesome God we have, who knows what we need, and doesn't always do what we ask! God's grace is ALWAYS sufficient, no matter what, and when we are weak, God's grace makes us strong. If God were to take away all of our thorns, we wouldn't ever have to lean on Him. Because we are all weak, God's marvelous grace is our strength. What a triumph! At our weakest God is at His strongest, and always, in His time, comes through!
I find such fulfillment in knowing how all mighty our God is.
Friday was a kind of day I want to strive to have everyday!
Friday afternoon after I got off work, I met Hal and my mom at my house and we headed to Byrnes where we got the pleasure and honor of hearing Bobby Bowden speak. Yes, THE Bobby Bowden, the winningest coach in college football.
Bobby Bowden is one of the greatest role models that I know of and I was so excited to be able to hear him speak. He came and delivered his message to the Byrnes FCA and luckily we have friends in high places who were able to get us in as well. As he hobbled across the gymnasium floor, the whole crowd the the tomahawk chop. After a standing ovation, he began his message. He gave his personal testimony of how he came into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and encouraged those kids to enter into a relationship with Jesus too. He told us that football wasn't and never had been his top priority, that God always had number one. He spoke to the kids about having their priorities in order, and that athletics weren't everything. I was so impressed with the way he spoke on their level. He didn't use any big words or fancy phrases to get their attention; he spoke directly to them, and all about Jesus.
I felt so honored to be apart of that crowd, and I left there with a precious memory. Bobby Bowden is the epitome of what every role model in a child's life should be. I thanked the Lord then and there for allowing Mr. Bowden to come to our small town and witness to our athletes. I am sure he made more than a lasting impression.
Later that evening, Hal and I went to our church for revival. Wow, what a revival. I felt such a spiritual revival when I went to bed on Friday night, something that I hadn't felt in a long time. When revival started the New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir from Greer came and sang the praise music. They are an African-American choir, and let me tell you, I have never, EVER been more moved by music in all of my life. They were AWESOME and did a great job preparing us for worship. At one point, I really did feel the urge to just get up and shout to the Lord. Most of the time they were singing, I had tears running down my face. The Holy Spirit was there that night, and I felt Him as if He were physically sitting right beside me.
After the singing, Pastor Len Turner came and delivered the message from 2 Corinthians 12:7-11. I almost jumped for joy when I turned over to this in my bible, because this is my very favorite passage in the bible. The passage talks about when God gives Paul a thorn in the flesh and he pleads with God to take it away. Instead of taking it away, God tells Paul that His grace is sufficient, and that in Paul's weakness God's strength is made perfect.
Glory Hallelujah! What an awesome God we have, who knows what we need, and doesn't always do what we ask! God's grace is ALWAYS sufficient, no matter what, and when we are weak, God's grace makes us strong. If God were to take away all of our thorns, we wouldn't ever have to lean on Him. Because we are all weak, God's marvelous grace is our strength. What a triumph! At our weakest God is at His strongest, and always, in His time, comes through!
I find such fulfillment in knowing how all mighty our God is.
Friday was a kind of day I want to strive to have everyday!
The Man and The Grass Stain
I might be a real girly girl at times, but I can never deny that I love football. I really, really do.
Last night was thrilling as I got to watch the Giants beat the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. I am a huge Giants fan so I was absolutely delighted that they pulled of that great win.
All year I have listened to the analysts, columnists, and commentators speak of how inadequate the Giants' team was. They won the wildcard spot into the NFC Championship, yet they still weren't capable of making it past game 1. After Eli Manning played one of his greatest games against Tampa Bay in round 1 of the playoffs, he was given some credit, but the sports writers knew that he could never beat Dallas, Green Bay, or the Pats. The Giants were just "over confident" they would say.
The Giants and the Pats met in the regular season end, in week 17. The Giants had nothing to play for. They had already won their wildcard spot, but the Patriots had a perfect season to play for. The Giants played their best game of the regular season that night, and only fell to the Pats by 3 points. I knew that night, if the Giants could make it, they would beat the Pats the next time around.
The Giants team is full of guys who play because they love football, and play their hardest, even when all odds are against them. That is why they are the world champions.
All week leading up to the Super Bowl, the buzz everywhere was that the Pats had it won, and the Giants shouldn't even show up. It was going to be a "blow out" I heard one man say. Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson all predicted the Pats to win by 2 touchdowns. No one even let it cross their minds that the Giants might actually win. Everyone had already forgotten that 6 weeks ago, the Giants almost pulled off a win against them.
The Pats came onto the field last night knowing that they would win. I truly believe that they had no doubts that they would win. I even saw Tom Brady say the words "This is f***ing crazy" right before half time, when the Giants offense had spent 20 minutes of the 30 minute half on the field. Even Tom Brady couldn't believe that his perfect team wasn't so perfect.
You know how when the referee tosses the coin, he will say "May the best team win?" Well last night, I really feel that happened. Maybe the Giants weren't the best team on paper, I mean the Pats are stacked with talent, but the Giants had the most heart. Sometimes, thats what really matters.
I am thrilled that Eli "The Man"ning has finally gotten himself a ring and validation for being a great quarterback. What I am even more thrilled about is that the Giants kept Tom "The Grass Stain" Brady flat on his back MORE than he was on his feet.
Last night was thrilling as I got to watch the Giants beat the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. I am a huge Giants fan so I was absolutely delighted that they pulled of that great win.
All year I have listened to the analysts, columnists, and commentators speak of how inadequate the Giants' team was. They won the wildcard spot into the NFC Championship, yet they still weren't capable of making it past game 1. After Eli Manning played one of his greatest games against Tampa Bay in round 1 of the playoffs, he was given some credit, but the sports writers knew that he could never beat Dallas, Green Bay, or the Pats. The Giants were just "over confident" they would say.
The Giants and the Pats met in the regular season end, in week 17. The Giants had nothing to play for. They had already won their wildcard spot, but the Patriots had a perfect season to play for. The Giants played their best game of the regular season that night, and only fell to the Pats by 3 points. I knew that night, if the Giants could make it, they would beat the Pats the next time around.
The Giants team is full of guys who play because they love football, and play their hardest, even when all odds are against them. That is why they are the world champions.
All week leading up to the Super Bowl, the buzz everywhere was that the Pats had it won, and the Giants shouldn't even show up. It was going to be a "blow out" I heard one man say. Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson all predicted the Pats to win by 2 touchdowns. No one even let it cross their minds that the Giants might actually win. Everyone had already forgotten that 6 weeks ago, the Giants almost pulled off a win against them.
The Pats came onto the field last night knowing that they would win. I truly believe that they had no doubts that they would win. I even saw Tom Brady say the words "This is f***ing crazy" right before half time, when the Giants offense had spent 20 minutes of the 30 minute half on the field. Even Tom Brady couldn't believe that his perfect team wasn't so perfect.
You know how when the referee tosses the coin, he will say "May the best team win?" Well last night, I really feel that happened. Maybe the Giants weren't the best team on paper, I mean the Pats are stacked with talent, but the Giants had the most heart. Sometimes, thats what really matters.
I am thrilled that Eli "The Man"ning has finally gotten himself a ring and validation for being a great quarterback. What I am even more thrilled about is that the Giants kept Tom "The Grass Stain" Brady flat on his back MORE than he was on his feet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)