Doctor Knows Best...

Well, I'm back on the pump again. BOO! I was so loving taking a shower and sleeping without being connected and getting tangled in tubes,  but I'll survive. Don't take your showers and sleep for granted people!

I was a little sad about going back on the pump, but I trust my doctor, he seems to know me pretty well. A plus is that I can do so much more with the pump like get out of bed or off the couch and clean the kitchen or house a little without feeling so sick.

My doctor and his nurse say that I am really bad about not telling them or anyone how bad things really are, and I sound like everything is fine then they evaluate me and find things to be a little different. My sister, Katie, and Chris think they are exactly right, and I must admit maybe this is just a little bit accurate. I am just one of those people who doesn't want to sound like "a baby" I can just "tough it out" I mean lots of people are feeling a lot worse than me - I should be doing something for them not feeling sorry for myself. However, I do have a pretty high pain tolerance and I think that is some of it as well. They reminded me that it took me 2 years to tell them about my everyday pain - that turned out to be  Endometriosis and IC. Point taken.

So for now, I am listening to the doctor...he has proven to know what is best for me for many years, 9 to be exact. I trust him and know that he cares not only about me but my family. He always asks me about Mom and Katie, and he asks Katie about me. Maybe that just means he sees us too much...LOL - either way he does care about me. And, as his nurse reminded me yesterday, "you are his patient and he does not want you suffering at all."

The pump really isn't that big of deal, I'm just whining about the showers and sleep oh and the bruises, but those are SMALL sacrifices for a BIG MIRACLE! I would do it all a again if I was given the choice to get a healthy Rozlynn here safe and sound.

Most importantly, I trust my Savior! I know He is with me and His will, not mine shall be done.

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18

Hope you all have a blessed day! Stacy =)

Quick Prayer Request

I have so many people on my prayer list this week. Hoping that some of you can join in praying for many people who are sick, waiting for doctors, in need of rest, have children who are sick, needing strength, or just really needing God to direct their lives.

Thank you for praying!

Good News

I have been without the pump for 48 hours now! AND I have only vomited 2 times!!!

I can't do as much as I could with the pump on, but I'm hoping this is a good sign and hopefully I will not have to sport the pump at the wedding in March =)

Thanks for your prayers and please continue to pray for us. Not allowed to work until post baby but hopefully things are getting better.

Lauren and Clay

"I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself." Colossians 2:2

I am so happy for my brother-in-law, Clay, and his bride-to-be, Lauren. They are getting married on March 12, 2011. We are so excited to add Lauren to our family, she is a woman of God and I know she will live out Proverbs 31:10-12.

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."

I thank God for the marriage of these two incredible people. It is so evident they were meant to be and it has been amazing to see God at work in their pasts and now in their future together as one.

"This is my beloved and this is my friend" Song of Solomon 5:16



Please join in praying for Lauren and Clay as they start their journey together as a couple.

I love weddings and have been so excited by many people in my life getting engaged. Taylor and Jay and Christa and Brandon will both be getting married this summer =)

I would love to hear from all of you - what advise can you give to newly-weds or to people who have been married for almost ten years (like Chris and I)? What keeps your marriage alive?

I Lied...

How many times have you heard "God will not give you more than you can bear" or what I should say is, how many times have I said that to someone in need of comfort, I can think a of a few. I have really been thinking about that one statement and how often I hear it or unfortunately have said it. Through my experience (which is not much I realize) I have come to the conclusion that...

IT IS A LIE

I have been wondering why this is said, where does it come from...here is the scripture I think is the heart of this saying.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." I Corinthians 10:13 

However, the more I looked and researched this verse I saw the word TEMPTATION - God doesn't TEMPT us, and He does not allow Satan to TEMPT us more than we can bear. But, this verse does not say anything about circumstance, stress, worry, pain, or grief - it is talking about being tempted. 

temp·ta·tion –noun

1. the act of tempting; enticement or allurement.

2. something that tempts, entices, or allures.

3. the fact or state of being tempted, esp. to evil.

4. an instance of this.

5. the temptation of Christ by Satan. Matt. 4

Temptation has nothing to do with the trials we face as Christians. Actually I have seen this "saying" to be the exact opposite - you can count on God given you more than YOU can bear or that YOU can handle, because being a Child of the King is about losing control, so as long as YOU try to handle a situation it will not get better. Sometimes we are so far deep in our stress, pain, sorrow that they ONLY place we can turn is to God. In that moment we stop trying to handle the circumstance and allow God to step in we receive some peace, some comfort, some relief. I even found this in scripture:

"We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety." 2 Cor 1:8-11

I am so sorry to anyone I ever told that "God won't give your more than you can handle" because yes He will! Instead I should have encourage you to "cast your cares upon Him" and to let God take control, not give you comfort in thinking that YOU could handle the situation. Because, the honest truth is YOU can't, but God can, and He will if you allow it to happen.

If you are going through a trial, don't take comfort thinking God won't give you more than you can handle...it's a lie. I know I have found myself many times thinking, okay I can handle this, and I fail at doing so, then I think well, if God won't give me more than I can handle, what's wrong with me...and it snowballs from there. Take the pressure off yourself...know from the beginning YOU can't handle it, but trust that God can, and be thankful that He is bringing you closer to Him.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1: 2-4

Now, I am not saying I go out praying for trials, but I do pray to be closer to God and sometimes I have so much standing in the way of Him that it takes a trial for me to move everything out of the way and focus on my Savior. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." I Peter 5: 6-7

The same goes for those of you who are trying to do good, but you cannot see the reward. Take comfort knowing you don't have to be in control, you don't have to be the one to handle the situation.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Instead, keep fighting the good fight, hold on to God's word, and trust His promises.

All this said to say that I pledge to never lie to my friends who are hurting, I promise to encourage them to seek God for He alone can handle the circumstance.

Memories

As we start 2011 and look forward to so many good things to come this year (the arrival of Rozlynn, Lauren and Clay's Wedding, all 3 cousins playing together, Kyle coming back to the states - just to name a few) I have spent a lot of time thinking about 2010 and the journey God has taken me through.

2010 left me with many memories and lessons that I will never forget.

1. Pregnancy #2 and the miscarriage of the baby. God taught us so much through this pregnancy (3 years of trying, many doctor visits, treatments, surgery, and diagnosis). The time of year this all occurred was so busy for us. I was busy with One Act Play, Cheer, TAKS, and Basketball season with both the boys and girls in the play-offs.
I remember the night it started happening officially (the doctor had told us it was going to, we had just been waiting for 2 1/2 weeks for it to actually happen) I was with the cheerleaders at a hotel in Austin. We were cheering for the girls in the State Semi-Final game then driving to SFA to cheer for the boys in the Regional Semi-Final and Final game, and back to Austin for the State Championship. I was in a hotel room with my friend, Frieda aka Mrs. A and her daughter, Carlee. Chris was at SFA with the boys, Katie was the girls, and Mom and Dad where at another hotel with Reese. Frieda was so supportive but I wasn't with my family. I remember very vividly going into the bathroom of that BestWestern in the middle of the night and sitting there for an hour experiencing some of the worst pain (emotional and physical) of my life. It remember getting so frustrated and mad that my family wasn't there for me (I know so selfish in the moment) but because of the circumstances I truly had to just depend on God to get me through. I had a rough night and spent many hours in that bathroom trying not to disturb Frieda. God was with me the entire time and kept reassuring me of my favorite verse (the one I quoted almost daily, the one that hung in my classroom, hung in my living room, and the one I shared with others all the time) "We know that in all things God works together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 I truly believe that this happened at the worst possible time so that I would lean only on my savior for comfort. Now, I am not saying my family didn't support me because they did and they loved me through the worst time in my life, but physically they just couldn't be with me. How amazing is our God, that He can always be with us physically. The next morning I woke up, went to the Drum to cheer for the girls and my sister, and then drove to SFA to cheer on the boys and my husband. I was able to hug my Mom that morning, hug Katie (my best friend and sister), and hug Missy (a friend who just understood me). I had 11 amazing girls with me to keep my smiling, laughing, and remind me of God's love as well as my friend, Frieda. Once we made it to Nac I got to hug Chris and see his family. Yes, it was so hard to sit in the stands, drive from Nac to Austin, put a smile on my face, and answer questions about my pregnancy when I felt like I was going to break at any moment (the community of Martin's Mill could not have loved my family more during this time and I am thankful for every question even if it hurt me to respond because each one was out of love), but I did it. God was with me, "for He hath said, 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee," Hebrews 13:5.

The plaque that sits on our mantel and angel to remind us of our second pregnancy. My mom gave me that angel it touches me heart everytime I look at it.

2. 20 Children to love and a very special Mother's Day card. After the miscarriage I was still busy with One Act Play. I love OAP and I love the kids I get to work with. We always take the maxium number of cast and crew possible as well as alternates. These students are so inspiring they are all involved in multiple activities and successful at all of them including basketball, UIL, tennis, and track. The truly understand commitment and what it means to be a team. They have been with me through the years trying to get pregnant (they didn't know specifically but they had seen me through surgery and treatments). They were so excited when I became pregnant for the second time, some them were just as excited as me, they were just like my family. So, they went through the miscarriage with me and many of them shared in the pain I was experiencing, they were so sweet. I tried to be honest with them throughout because I wanted them to learn that God is amazing and what was happening was very sad and hard to take, but God was there and His glory would be seen. I told them before our Regional performance that God had not yet given me multiple children of my own but he had given me ALL OF THEM 20 OF HIS CHILDREN TO LOVE. Which I believed with every part of my soul, this is why I love being a teacher because I get to see God's children, build a relationship with them, and love them. I never really thought about what that meant to them, but God did. On our way home from Regional OAP we stopped at a convinence store, they had these gigantic Mother's Day cards and several of the students were buying them, I helped some of them pick some out, etc. What they didn't know was hard Mother's Day was for me, it had only been weeks since the miscarriage and it was just really hard. The weekend before Mother's Day we were having a pep-rally for all the UIL state qualifiers, and at the end of the pep-rally they announced a OAP meeting on the court. I thought this was weird because our season was done, but I went ahead and went down. I was then surrounded by the entire cast and crew who presented me with a giant Mother's Day card full of kind words along with many hugs and tears. It was so overwhelming to me that God knew how much I was hurting and he used those sweet kids who I loved to remind me of His love for me. It was such a special moment and I will never forget it!




The sweet card the OAP Cast and Crew of 2010 gave me for Mother's Day.

 3. Our move to Yantis. I was so against moving to Yantis when Chris first mentioned to me he was going to interview. They were a rival in our district, some of the students from Yantis had thrown and broken Reese's toys at a game in Martin's Mill - I just had a bad taste for them. I was at the Daniel's house swimming with Reese (which was a weekly activity for us in the summer) when Chris got back from the interview. I remember him walking up telling me that Mr. Oakley had already called and offered him the job, and a job for me as well. My immediate response was, no. I was really struggling with supporting my husband not letting my feelings hinder his ministry. I agreed to go and meet with Mr. Oakley a few days later to talk about a job for me and the school. Chris and I had spent the entire night before fighting (well not really fighting but in honest discussion of our feelings) about the possibility of this move. I LOVED and still LOVE Martin's Mill, my sister and her family is there, the staff and community are amazing, and they have given me nothing but love for seven years. I prayed for God to be in control not my feelings and that I would not get in the way of His will. After meeting with Mr. Oakley I was 100% okay with Chris taking the job. Mr. Oakley has the same desire to serve God and reach children, and he made it clear that many others would be in support of that same thing. We could see opportunity for us to be like Christ to the students of Yantis.

It has turned out to be true, the staff are so kind, and we have both got to share our love of Christ to students. Yes, it has been hard with me not being able to work and not feeling like I am not a real member of the team yet, but I know God wanted us here at Yantis. We clung to Romans 8:28 yet again as we moved from our family and our comfort zone.

3. Pregnancy #3 - Rozlynn Faith has taught us so much. The journey it took to conceive her and now the journey it is taking to get her here with us. After being placed on "bed rest" for the remainder of my pregnancy and 8 weeks past delivery we have experienced many more struggles. I can't do as much as I used to, the house is never clean, the laundry is never done, I can't be the coach's wife I want to be for Chris, and I can't do as much with Reese as I want to. Not to mention that I can't work so we are only getting Chris' pay check. We keep telling ourselves not to worry and to just trust God that he will provide for us. HE HAS.

My first two months off of work met us with an amazing blessing. I have said before how wonderful the staff and community of Martin's Mill truly are and here is proof that they are living out Galatians 6:2 "carry each other's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." Even though we no longer work with or live in the community with these people the staff put together a fundraiser at a basketball game were they auctioned off pies in our honor. They gave us over $1300. Wow, it still brings me to tears - it is so humbling to experience a gift like this. We had a hard time swallowing our pride and taking this kind of blessing, but we told God over and over we trusted Him, who are we to control the way he chooses to provide?

As if that was not enough a few weeks later the Women's Ministry of Martin's Mill Baptist put together a stocking of our pantry. We received 3 boxes of food and $200 in gift cards. This totaled $1500 and a pantry full of groceries God provided for us, we are so very thankful for the people of Martin's Mill and their willingness to listen to God and do His work. We have used and are still using this items while I am out of work.

Rozlynn will have many stories to hear about her "special" pregnancy. I hate wearing this pump, I hate being sick every day, I hate that I am still throwing up 2-4 times a week, I hate the headaches the Zophran causes, I want to sleep without being connected to tubes, but I know it is all worth it and I would go through every bit of this again for this sweet little girl.

Rozlynn Faith, I cannot wait to meet you, to hold you, and to see what God has planned for your life.

4. Reese on the journey. Man, it has been so hard for me in 2010 but Reese went through it all. Reese wanted a brother or sister so badly, he prayed for one every night, and it was really hard on him when pregnancy #2 did not make it full term. Before I found out I was pregnant the second time Reese told me one night that he had a brother and a sister. Reese had been praying for one before the second pregnancy. He told me that some nights he gets to see them, they come to his room a boy and girl but it is not time for them to be with him yet. He told me then he named them Matthew and Carlee. I just smiled and laughed, but the more I look back on this moment the more I am amazed. I believe there is nothing more innocent than a child and that they have a connection with Christ and I also believe that Christ was comforting Reese with these dreams of his brother and his sister. We do not know if the baby we lost was a boy, but a part of me like to think he was.

Before we told Reese about the 3rd pregnancy (we waited just because it was so hard on him the first time) we were driving home from school one day and Reese asked me when he was going to get a brother or sister? He said I know I have one in Heaven with Jesus, but I just want with me to kiss before I leave for school each morning. He was crying and asking why his brother had to be with Jesus. It was so hard for me not telling him there was another one...but I didn't let him know then. Reese was so excited when we told him he was going to be a big brother. He already is the best big cousin and big brother anyone could ask for. He talks and kisses Rozlynn and always prays for her. He bought her presents at Christmas (his own idea) and is already worried that she doesn't have enough toys and clothes. He is so unselfish, I wish I was more like him. I try to talk to him about when Rozlynn gets here and how life will be different. One night we were talking and I told him that the baby would sleep in Mom and Dad's room for a little while, but he would still have to sleep in his room. We've talked about Rozlynn crying a lot and keeping him up. However when we talked about Mommy having to hold Rozlynn a lot and might not get to hold Reese as much my heart was melted. He began to cry. I was thinking, okay he is finally going to talk about himself. I asked him if that upset him or would make him feel sad. He said, "not me Momma what about Nathan, won't you still hold him because it will hurt him if you don't. He doesn't live with us so we have to hold and hug him when we see him" WOW! He was worried about how Nathan would be feeling.

Reese doing one of his favorite things!

Reese Austin you are such an amazing boy. You have a heart for others and I cannot wait to see how God uses your love for people. You are an inspiration to me, and I love you so very much!


The Hightower family cannot wait to see what God teaches us in 2011, and how our new blessings will shape our family. Lauren is joining us in March - she has been such a blessing to Clay and our family I couldn't have asked for a better sister-in-law and aunt for Reese and Rozlynn. (They are getting already have an amazing Gigi and I know Aunt Lauren will be just as special) Rozlynn arriving in April - she already has it good between Gammy and Gigi (Gigi is what Reese calls Katie, he said Rozlynn could call her Aunt Katie - maybe he is a little selfish with his Gigi - she spoils him so much) her room and closet is staring to grow.

We are so blessed!

Under Construction

Hey! It's been forever since I updated, my blog is under construction but I have several blogs I'm working on. I"ll be back into the blogging world real soon =)