Harvell Update

Many many things have happened in our lives since we came back from Israel and as we prepare to go again this upcoming summer.
First, I am starting to do some artwork that is both insprired by and reflective of our whole trip. I hope to post pictures soon. I wasn't planning on doing any paintings from memories and our pictures but the artistic bug has now made itself known and Im finding myself constantly sketching out scenes from the Via DoloRosa and the Garden of Gethsemanae.

Next, we have officially sold our home...well sorta :). We are in a lease/purchase agreement with a lady who has two young boys. She is actually moving in on November 1st and has a year to buy our home. We hope that she loves it as much as we did and will buy it sooner rather than later. Until then she is helping us get out from under two house payments and several utility bills. Thank you God!!
On September 28th I had my appendix out!! YAY! That was less than delightful. We had gone to San Angelo,TX for a wedding reception for one of my very best friends. On the way back I was in a lot of pain and couldn't eat anything the entire day. So at 8:00 that night, after being persuaded, Adam took me to the ER. I didn't want to go for two reasons. A) we weren't sure if our new insurance through the seminary had kicked in yet and B) does anyone really ever want to go to the ER?
We got there and they started running all kinds of test....I can't belive some of the gross things they did to me. Adam was a trooper and supported me through my five year old sensitivity to all needles, anything involving blood and my four catscans throughout the night.
Pause...I do remember a very funny conversation between Adam and I even though I was on pain medication.Here goes.
Nurse- Mam you must drink this entire gallon ( just kidding, liter) of contrast ( nasty drink) before your catscan. ( she exits the room)
Kinzie- takes four sips and declares dramatically that she can't drink anymore, its just awful.
Adam- the nurse said you have to!
Kinzie- I can't. I won't. Sets the drink down.
Adam- Kinzie if you dont drink it I will go get the nurse ( while he's forcing the straw into my mouth...once again I resort to a 5 year old mentality when it comes to sickness or pain).
Kinzie- well then go get her.
Adam laughs and puts the drink down.

So anyways, after four horrible catscans ( i was cold and in pain) they decide that they need to admit me because my white cell count was up to 16,000 and a normal count is 10,000, along with other things had occured that I can't say without gagging. There was some kind of infection in my body. So then I started having bad hunger pains because the last meal I had was at 6:30 on Saturday and it was now Monday morning. So then they decided they needed to do an exploratory surgery to see what it was and that while they were in there they would take out my appendix.
So I went into surgery at 5:30 and woke up at 6:15 asking for Adam. He came in and said they did take out my appendix ( even though that was not the problem) and that the doctor had found where some cysts on my ovaries had ruptured. Who knew those tiny little things could cause so much drama?
So now its almost 3.5 weeks later and besides my belly button looking a little alienish I am 100% better. Adam is still cautious about letting me lift heavy things but I dont mind...in fact he could stay that way for the rest of our marriage :).

Other than that things are steadily plodding along. Adam is finding seminary to be challenging, especially Hebrew. There are many nights where he stays up til midnight and then wakes up again at 6:30 to finish homework, papers, articles or study for a test.
We are both now employed by the seminary. Me, in housing and He as a carpenter. He is very good at building and demolishing so he loves his job! I am just thankful that he was able to quit his other job which was in retail!! So now he is home by 5 every night and has every weekend off!!!! God is really blessing us..sometimes we lose focus on that and I will wonder aloud why we are in Texas? but I know for sure that God has promised us that He is our source of life and that right now, while we are living in the "mundane" He is preparing us for a wonderful journey.

P.S.- even after he begged and pleaded the doctor would not give Adam my appendix so we could scrapbook it. Funny and grotesque all at the same time.