All We Can Do Now Is Pray

 This year has really challenged the notion: “all we can do now is pray”... when we couldn’t be with a friend in the hospital, we could only pray. When we couldn’t gather as a Body, we could pray. When we didn’t have the opportunity to celebrate weddings, lives well lived, and accomplishments... we could pray. When hearts were hurting and buildings were burning, we could pray.  When one month became one year, we could pray.... but did we? 

Did this year of change and frustration grow our belief and faith in the power of prayer? Did we choose to surrender our goals, our timelines, our dreams, our careers, our families to Him? Or did we long for the days to come when we could gain back the tight grasp we have had on all these aspects of our lives for so long? 

Have you found yourself more often on your phone or in the Word? Have you allowed your heart to feel the burden of the world while simultaneously freeing yourself of the urge to control and manipulate situations and circumstances to feel better?

Heavy. Hard. Tiring. Exhausting. Frustrating. Sad. Lonely. Depressing. Failure. Heartache. Loss. Unstable. Confusing. Divisive. 

When we look back over this past year, have we grown or have we floundered... when all we had left to do was pray? Have we risen to the calling the Lord has placed on us or have we allowed the circumstances to inundate our thoughts and reduce our faith in Jesus with inadvertently strengthening our faith in an ever-changing immoral culture and society? 

I find myself looking to the clouds now more than ever, anxiously awaiting my Jesus’ return. Come, Lord Jesus, come soon. 

Until then, I choose to pray. In the successes and failures 2020 has brought. If now is not the time for the Church to wake up and stand up, we won’t ever know what is! Let’s not miss this! Let’s not be found sleeping as we have for so long. 

Hearts are open, many with gaping wounds; let’s facilitate and illuminate the healing salt and light to them! Let us be found saying with  great delight and expectancy “all we can do now is pray!”. 

Ditching the Mom Guilt

Little King

Wise, Skillful

God is Gracious

Joyous Celebration

Burning Lion-Like

Five beautiful names; five completely different meanings. Five arrows to launch into this world at five separate times. Five miracles and five blessings. Five times the amount of toilet paper, food, clothes, shoes, and laughter. 

Five different ways to feel guilty.

Have I given our son enough encouragement? Have I shown my teenage daughter how to demonstrate true beauty inwardly and outwardly? Am I homeschooling my five year old well enough to succeed in "real school"? Will our "little middle" feel noticed and appreciated? Does our baby get so spoiled that everyone else will resent her someday... or are they already resenting her?

Wow, I have not written in this forum for almost five years! In fact as I looked at my last blog post (unpublished), I realized the last time I started to conjure up thoughts to post was when Andrew and I fasted from media for 30 days, which was OVER five years ago! That time of fasting was incredibly significant because that is when the Lord very clearly called us to step into obedience and adopt our oldest two children. Five years later that feels like it was an eternity ago but also like it all happened yesterday. God's faithfulness and provision in our lives is simply incredible. We so do not deserve the blessings we have received. 

But let's just get real for a few minutes. Chances are if you're reading this, you are a momma with kiddos that are similar ages as mine. You're taking a few minutes to relax or veg out by reading this, so you're hoping I'll give you a nugget of truth so you can get back to giving your kids nuggets of chicken and last until bedtime. I get it.You're probably feeling the mom guilt pile up just because you're reading something and not doing something for someone.

Those who know me personally know that my husband and I are unusual in that we have both teenagers and toddlers. Not only do we have teens, we did not get the privilege to "warm up" to the teen years. I believe we purchased the "trial by fire" package of parenting. The fire was turned on, fully blazing, fueled by teenage hormones and insecurities; and we jumped in! We are where we are by a whole lot of grace from Jesus and guidance from those who have navigated the waters before us. 

On the other hand, we are raising a toddler, a pre-schooler, and a kindergartener!
Lord, have mercy! Someone come have coffee with me and  we'll ignore the meltdowns around naptime together. If there is one thing I have noticed that is a trend in my own life in every season of parenthood, thus far; it's the overwhelming sense of mom guilt.I used to think my own mom was crazy to second guess her choices or say " I think I really screwed yall up when I did X, Y, or Z". After all, my mom did a LOT of things right; I would think she was just seeking validation when I was a young adult and she would ask my opinion on a parenting decision she had made years prior. I am now realizing, even she was not immune to the ever pervasive mom guilt.

I notice myself getting distracted by what sneakily feels like conviction but sinks in as guilt.
A harsh, untimely word: guilt. An insecurity that leaps out of my mouth and is projected onto my child: guilt. A quick-tempered remark: guilt. A moment spent alone: guilt. A reaction to a mess: guilt. A hug withheld, a hand closed tight, a heart withdrawn: guilt, guilt, mega guilt. I've noticed these things about myself. I can honestly give you a personal guilt-ridden anecdote for each of these scenarios from the past week! I've also learned a one giant lesson, which is truly the point of this blog... grace.

Personally, I feel it is no coincidence that there is a five letter word to revolutionize my parenting and life. A letter for each child to remind me that "His grace is sufficient for me" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Not only that, but "His power is made PERFECT in my weakness"! This is the Good News! Jesus's salvation covers every mistake I make in parenting. I don't have to carry the guilt of all my mess-ups and shortcomings as a wife, parent, daughter, church member, neighbor, coworker, or anything. 

I have a simple wooden sign that says "LIVE BY GRACE, NOT PERFECTION". I'll be honest and say that I've questioned its Biblical foundation at times, especially when my theologian brother said jokingly "What kind of heresy is that?". In the past year I have come to realize that I don't want to accept grace because I don't want to humble myself to the point of accepting my imperfections. OUCH. This is why I have that reminder in my home. It is not that I am living contrary to Paul's word in Romans 6 that warns us not to "continue in sin that grace may increase". This is not my heart at all. I strive to serve and please Jesus in excellence in all things. 

To truly understand the concept of grace and guilt, it is important to understand how they interact independently and dependently. Grace is from Jesus through Jesus' blood. Jesus did not die so that we wouldn't need Him. He came as the Messiah to extend that grace to us through taking on our sins and dying on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to satisfy God's wrath. This is not through our own power; it is through Christ's power and does not depend on us. We get to freely accept this grace, and I pray you have! 

Guilt elevates us to believe we can erase our own sins. It makes us believe the lie that we can do something in our own power to right our wrongs and even change the outcome of them. If I may be so bold: that is heretical thinking! That kind of thinking is what leads us to the insecurities and frustrations that become cyclical and cause us to trust ourselves above the God of creation. Guilt seems like it is just pointing out the flaw so we can change it, right? Wrong. Guilt causes us to focus on ourselves and seek to take control of our sin. Guilt actually tries to eliminate our need for Jesus! Satan loves to pull out the "mom guilt" card in particular. You know why, mommas? We have a high calling on our hands! In fact, so high that we can't do it alone and we certainly can't do it without Jesus. Staying in the cycle of mom guilt will only lead you to degrade that calling and elevate yourself above Jesus. Can I just encourage you today and say, we will never be above needing Jesus' grace? We cannot live perfectly enough to not need Jesus. Even if you never sinned from this point forward, the damage is done. You were born sinful and you cannot erase that. BUT, and here's the best news: you can live in grace from here on out!

You CAN ditch the mom guilt and live abundantly! You might not have pinterest perfect dinner on your table tonight but you can have a gracious, life-giving conversation with your teen. You might not keep it all together today, get to your next destination on time, or love everyone around you perfectly but you had better believe that you can extend the same grace Jesus gave you this morning (this very second!) to everyone you encounter. You might not have a family picture with everyone smiling, but you can certainly rest easy knowing that Jesus' grace will be made perfect in your weaknesses. 

Your life of grace will speak volumes to this broken world.

So today, when you become short-tempered, short-fused, and had it up to HERE(!!!) with all you children, remember this:

Grace accepts; guilt controls. 

Accept grace; give Jesus control!

A Piece of My Heart

My dearest Jane,

My, how you have rocked my world! Sweet girl, there are not adequate words to express my love for you. Your tender heart has spoken to mine in ways that I never could have imagined. You have become my alarm clock, my meal plan, and my main source of exercise since you entered this world 10 months ago. I can honestly say that I have never known a life filled with so much frustration and tears, yet overflowing with such peace that has melted my heart into a new-found stillness in Jesus and led me to a place of holiness. Your room has become a place of strength, rejuvenation, and utter brokenness. I can't tell you how deeply pained your daddy and I were when you were taken from us in the hospital the night you were born. I know that sounds so silly and you won't understand until you hold your own dear child, but sweet girl, that was torture. 
Taking you home seemed to be an exciting new adventure until we learned what so many other parents before us had learned: there is NO manual to this parenting thing! And my goodness, we needed one. Our dear Capri, you CRIED. Some people said it was good and you were just stretching your vocal chords and clearing your lungs. But sweets, your lungs were clear as day and your vocal chords were as primed as a professional opera singer's! Oh sweet girl, we love you, blood-curdling screeches and all. I can remember one night in particular when you were two short weeks new. Daddy and I had both reached our limits with the crying thing, but guess what? You hadn't and that meant we had to continue being parents to you... by holding, swaddling, shushing, swaying, nursing (me only... maybe daddy should have tried?), burping, cleaning, bouncing, shaking (mimicking car movements...), massaging, "wearing", and the list goes on and on. We tried everything but you didn't settle. There was a hurricane brewing in our area and daddy decided to sleep in the other room to get some good rest until his shift arrived to take care of you. We all startled (didn't awake... that would have required us actually sleeping) to hear our security alarm going off because of the storm. We ended up hunkering down in the hallway, away from all the windows and glass. You finally fell asleep for a few hours, all swaddled next to me on the floor. Daddy took sweet pictures of us the next morning, all cuddled together, the storm having passed and the new mercies of the next morning finally having arrived. It seemed that the upheaval of the storm mirrored our very home's atmosphere.  
I tell you this story to give you just a little glimpse of what life is like. Precious girl, nighttime storms will always come and go. Merciful mornings always come and go. Dragging days and sleepless nights, too, will come and go. And there is just one thing that will remain constant: Jesus. My love, if you learn nothing else from this life your daddy and I live, please know that Jesus remains. He is ever-patient, ever-kind, ever-loving, ever-faithful, ever-tender, ever-powerful, ever-gracious. "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" Exodus 14:14. 
I know this letter is jumbled and mess, but I feel so compelled to write this out to you as a reminder to us, as your parents, and to you, as our child; that all we do is for Jesus. We will fall so short time and time again, but He never will. Our love for you doesn't even compare to the love that the Lord lavishes on each of us. I pray that as your grow, you will see these things to be true in our family in all that we say and do. I can only imagine the stories that I will cherish so deeply when our house is quiet once again and our necks yearn for little arms to envelope them. I can imagine that many of our most powerful Jesus moments will be coupled with such pain and intensity that we won't wish to experience them again but will forever be changed by their impact. You are truly a vessel of joy, love, and hope in our family. You have taught us more about grace and love than any Bible study or conference ever could. The Lord has already used you in such mighty ways that I am in utter amazement to imagine your future in Him! Munch, never forget how gracious our Lord is.

Becoming Mommy: Delivery!

Over three weeks ago, our delivery story began. We had been preparing for labor and delivery in all kinds of ways, but nothing truly prepares you for it until it happens. Friday, June 20 I woke up around 5 AM. Andrew was still at work, and I was restless and determined to get labor going. I had been feeling okay in the days prior but when I woke up at 5 that Friday, I felt pretty yucky. I had some pretty nasty back cramping and some unwavering nausea. For anyone who knows me, nausea makes me shut down completely, and I become the meanest version of myself there is. Poor Andrew.... He graciously went to the store on the way home and got me blue gatorade (with the cool twist top), a can of coke, and watermelon (my last pregnancy craving). By the time he got home, there was no way I was going to be able to eat or drink any of those items. I also had a pretty awful headache. 

I went on feeling crummy all day, but at points the nausea and headache would ease up. In the early afternoon, I started to feel feverish, and the thermometer confirmed my suspicions. I was advised to go to labor and delivery just to be evaluated. We went in around 3:45, but after two IV bags of fluid, I was discharged. I still felt pretty nasty but decided it would go away on its own. Around 9 that night, I started to feel MUCH worse, and my fever spiked to 101.1. I was again advised to go to labor and delivery. I was then admitted for the night for observation. The doctor on-call was really great and decided that since I was clearly fighting an infection or virus that it would be safest for me to stay in the hospital until they could conclude I was better or figure out what was actually causing my fevers. We "slept" that night in the hospital and woke up early the next morning. I was feeling much better but still not 100%. The doctor came in and said she would really like to induce me to make sure the infection didn't harm the baby. She also informed me that if my temperature had spiked in the middle of the night that she had decided she would do a C-section right away. Thank the Lord that didn't happen! Around 9:45 AM they started me on Pitocin; I was excited! We did not see this coming at all. Although they were not ideal circumstances, we were elated to know that we would be meeting our little girl shortly! From here on out, my timeline is very sketchy, so just know that the hour could be off big time. I was pretty dazed from being dehydrated the day before and getting caught up in this whirlwind of all of a sudden truly having a baby. At 2:05, my water broke on its own. Around 3 I believe, I was still not dilated past 1 cm but contractions were pretty strong, so I asked for Nubain. I was a tad disappointed in myself for breaking my "no meds" rule, but you just don't know until you know! Around 5, the Nubain had worn off, and I was more than ready for an epidural. The anesthesiologist did an awesome job, and I felt GREAT for the duration of my labor and delivery. The evening was filled with family and friends coming in to enjoy this time with us. It was really really special. I didn't feel anxious or scared. I was genuinely excited about actually giving birth. We were all excited about having a summer solstice baby! Buuut around 11:30 when I still didn't feel the need to push, we gave up hope on that, haha. We decided the 22nd wasn't so bad! ;) I decided to try to nap for as long as I could before the infamous "you gotta poo urge" hit.

So I woke up around 1 AM and felt it! However, it very much felt like a baby... not poo. We called the nurse in and began that process! I'll spare you the details (really it wasn't that gross) but at 1:31 AM, our tiny baby girl made her debut. She came out looking very Asian and very adorable. She was very loud as well. I was thankful for that, but after 30 minutes, I didn't exactly know how to comfort my just minutes old baby, so that got old fast. She calmed down eventually and then got her little tags and all that from the nurses. I don't really know what all they did to her, but she was still pretty upset when she was under the warmer. Eventually they gave her back to us. She weighed a whopping 6 pounds, 0.4 ounces and was 18 and a half inches long. She had a head full of dark hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was perfect. She still is. Everything was going well for both of us. The following evening; however, the pediatrician on-call decided to put her on a round of antibiotics to make sure whatever was plaguing me before hadn't gotten to her at all. Her glucose levels also kept dropping, so she had to stay in the little nursery except for feeding times. That was heartbreaking and gave us a very small taste of the pain parents with sick kids go through. It was awful to see our 24 hour old baby hooked up to an IV and pincushioned feet. I hadn't had an IV until I was in my 20s! But I must say, I am so thankful for the doctors' and nurses' decisions to keep her healthy! I am a firm believer in medicine and medical intervention when necessary. They did what was best, and that meant some tiny pricks and pokes that would heal quickly. Our sweet friends from T.Y. Photography stopped by and captured some of our time in the hospital here! 
On Wednesday, the 25th, we were finally released from the hospital! It had been a long 5 days, and we were so excited to take our girl home. If you ever want every little detail about my labor and delivery, just ask! It wasn't so bad, and I think more people should share their stories. Even with some odd circumstances, our delivery story turned out beautifully! I mean look at the little light at the end of the tunnel:

Becoming Mommy: 35, 36, 37,& 38

Well, you all know she has arrived!! Yay! But I had to finish what I started (mostly for my own peace of mind). The last few weeks of pregnancy were BUSY!! We had tons of fun events that kept us going and going up until the day she came. We had those wonderful maternity photos taken by T.Y. Photography! We did some last minute shopping and nursery preparation. We had a baby shower for our sister-in-law, Anna's baby girl, Allegra! We got to attend our niece, Natalie's kindergarten graduation! Overall, the last few weeks of pregnancy were spent nesting (big time) and spending time with family, friends, and just each other. We also went on a ton of mini dates which were each a blast! Now, bear with me as I attempt to recollect the final weeks of carrying Jane in my tummy!

My last belly picture that wasn't taken in the hospital!

Cravings: Slurpees!! ALL the time! Water!

Aversions: Nothing!

Baby size: Coconut, Honeydew, Winter Melon, and Pumpkin (*spoiler* she's not shaped like a pumpkin)

Recent Emotional Feelings: I was feeling so excited. I didn't really get anxious about giving birth. I became more anxious about bringing her home and life changing so drastically. More than anything, I was just ready to be done being pregnant and to be thrown full force into mommyhood.

Recent Physical Feelings: I was feeling really energetic. I had a hard time sitting still because I would remember something that needed to be done or that I wanted to clean and HAVE to do/clean that thing! I deep cleaned the most random spaces in our house in efforts to be baby-ready!

Things I’m most looking forward to in pregnancy: Delivery!! I couldn't wait to deliver this girl! I know it seems weird, but I didn't grow up thinking birth was mysterious or scary. I knew it was natural and that really, my body was going to do the work; I just had to let it!

Things I’m most looking forward to when baby arrives: I couldn't wait to dress her! I was longing to put her in the most adorable onesies we had and place perfectly coordinated tiny headbands and bows on her head!!

Best moment of the week: Hmmm.... LABOR! THAT is a story for later though :)

Andrew’s Shining Moment: We had to schedule our 38 week appointment for a time that Andrew was working, so my mom went with me. I was happy to have my mom there but was a little sad that Andrew wouldn't be able to make it. Well, I was triaged and sent back to the waiting room. All of a sudden, the door opened and this HANDSOME cop walked in (every woman's head turned) ;) and he came straight for me! I was elated. Not only did my baby daddy make it to the appointment, but he showed up looking fine! 

Aaand here's a sneak peek for next week!!

 

Becoming Mommy: 31,32, 33,& 34

We are nearing the end of this pregnancy thing! These weeks have been some of my favorites, by far. We have had two wonderful baby showers and had our maternity pictures done. We have, as always, been blessed by people around us pouring into us knowledge and love.

Cravings: Celery with peanut butter, ice water (LOTS of ice: but no, my iron isn't low), slurpees, *shamefully* still hotdogs

Aversions: None!

Baby size: Pineapple- Squash- Durian Fruit (huh...)- Butternut Squash

Recent Emotional Feelings: I have been feeling very content. It has surprised me to not feel much anxiety with the upcoming changes. I am sure I will get to a very antsy point here soon, but I am thankful that God has given me and Andrew a peace about all the upcoming transitions.

Recent Physical Feelings: I have been feeling pretty good physically. I am still tired a lot of the time, but it hasn't been horrible. I have days where I feel super heavy and days where I can barely feel the extra weight. I still get charlie horses in my calves almost every morning (bananas and water haven't changed that a bit). For the most part, I feel great considering the extra 23 pounds I've put on!

Things I’m most looking forward to in pregnancy: I can't wait to finish our nursery! I go on maternity leave soon, and those days will be dedicated to completing the nursery until it's EXACTLY how we want. I also can NOT wait to deep clean all those little drawers and cabinets that have collected whozits and whatzits galore ;)

Things I’m most looking forward to when baby arrives: I am so excited about family days! I am so anticipating some really fun days when Andrew and I both have a day together that we get to take our little girl to the beach or our favorite parks. I know these days won't go as planned, and there will probably be silly mishaps or arguments, but that's life. I am elated to be able to show Janey girl where her daddy proposed, where we got married, and where we carved our names in a bench in 2008.

Best moment of the week: I have two best moments: baby shower and baby shower! We had two showers back-to-back! You can read and see pictures about the first shower here . We received so many blessings and words of encouragement at both of our showers, and I am so thankful for all of them!

Andrew’s Shining Moment: I had been avoiding packing Capri's hospital bag because I couldn't pick out her outfits. I finally asked Andrew his opinion and figured he probably wouldn't really care. He took a good thirty minutes with me going through all her freshly washed clothes and carefully picked outfits (complete with matching mittens, booties, hairbands, and hats) for the days we anticipate spending in the hospital! It was so fun, and I have a lot of confidence in his future abilities to dress his baby girl :)

Here are baby's items for the hospital!

I thought I would upload some pictures of what's recently been going on: baby and non-baby-related!
 

We got to watch Capri's sissy, Rory :)

Chip sneaking up on Beary Boy

A not-so-traditional pregnancy picture... but I am pretty sure this more accurately portrays 99% of pregnant women's feelings

 

 

 

And look at this stud catching fishies!

Becoming Mommy: 28,29,& 30

Wow! I am behind!! These weeks have really flown by for us and have been super busy! While I am currently over 33 weeks, I thought I would fill you in on these three weeks and save some goodies for the next blog. Week 28 started out with the fun glucose tolerance test! It was NOT BAD! People make this thing out to be a nightmare, and I had worked it up that way in my brain. The juice didn't taste terrible (I had orange), and it didn't make me a bit nauseous. My testing came back normal, so there was no need to do the three hour test, praise the Lord! Our Life Group threw us a surprise baby shower, which completely shocked both of us, as we were supposed to be "celebrating Easter"! It was a TON of fun, and I think all the men who participated in the bottle chugging contest (and didn't cheat) have a new found respect for newborns. We celebrated Easter, which is my favorite holiday! I spent a lot of the day picturing what the next year would look like when we have a little nine month old to celebrate with! I just can't wait to put that drooly girl in a pretty little dress with frills! Overall, the weeks have flown by, and we are getting so close to meeting lil miss Jane Capri.

Cravings: Slurpees, cucumbers, and celery with peanut butter.

Aversions: None!

Baby size: Eggplant- Acorn Squash- Cucumber

Recent Emotional Feelings: I have been feeling ready! I have not necessarily felt ready for baby girl to arrive because there are so many things that need to be done. However, I have felt ready to be ready. I am not super anxious about her arrival. I know it will be quite the transition, but we are right where we need to be I believe. We have prepared a lot for this baby and have been tremendously blessed by friends and family walking alongside us to help support our shortcomings. We know that parenthood will be an enormous struggle in a lot of ways, but we are choosing to focus on the blessings that come through the struggles!

Recent Physical Feelings: I have felt really good still. I am always hungry (for the most part). Sleeping has become rather difficult because I love sleeping on my tummy and obviously that ain't workin'! Every time I adjust in the middle of the night, I actually wake up and have to consciously move my belly to the other side; it is the weirdest thing. I have become increasingly tired in these past few weeks because of the third trimester fatigue setting in and probably the weird new sleeping habits.

Things I’m most looking forward to in pregnancy: BABY SHOWERS!!! I have two more showers coming up, and I can't wait for them! They are going to be a blast! My friends and family have put so much effort into them, and I can't wait to share the time with some super special people.

Things I’m most looking forward to when baby arrives: I can't wait to use her to brighten Andrew's days! He comes home from work stressed a lot (rightfully so), and he is able to change his frame of mind so quickly; it's impressive. I know that when he walks through the door and sees that chinky-eyed, chunk smiling at him, he's gonna lose every frustration that plagued him all day. I know not every day will be like that, but let's face it: I married an amazing guy and seeing how he treats me and the ladies in his life so well assures me that his little girl will become his world, in the most beautiful of ways.

Best moment of the week: I think the best moment of the week was walking in on our surprise shower. We walked into our friends' house and saw this cute sign that said "Capri", and I immediately thought "That's odd that they would want to decorate their new home with our baby's name..." Really, Danielle....... That was dense. Then we heard "SURPRISE!!", and I started to catch on! The whole night was such a blast. We had just come from celebrating my mom's birthday at my parents' house, so we were running late. We had so much fun as we played games, opened gifts, and grilled out! It was such an amazing thing to think about how many awesome Christian examples our children will be surrounded by! I love knowing that our church family will teach ALL of our children so much more about Christ's love than we could on our own!

Andrew’s Shining Moment: This is an easy one. Andrew is a champ. He is always a sweetheart, and he has the BIGGEST heart for people. So the day of my glucose tolerance test, I was so nervous. I didn't want to do it for anything. I kept assuring myself that it wouldn't be THAT bad, but then I would get freaked out again. Well, Andrew went with me to the doctor (like he always does when he can). As soon as we arrived, they gave us this timer/stopwatch like they use for track meets. The thing constantly clicked for the remainder of the hour that they set it for. So Andrew puts this "ticker" around his neck, zips up his hoodie, puts his hood on and sketchily reads magazines in the waiting room. He looked ridiculous. Of course it doesn't stop there... When we get into the exam room, he continues his goofiness and plays with every instrument in the room. He pretends to be a stand-up comedian with gloves on his ears. He put gloves on his jacket that was hanging in the corner of the room (scared the doctor). All in all, he made the time pass so quickly that I couldn't be more thankful for his goofy ways. The whole appointment was over before I knew it! My sugar came back low, so I wouldn't be surprised if I burned a little extra of it just from laughing so much!