Vacation. High Blood Pressure...What's wrong with this picture?

  It certainly seemed like a wonderful vacation. I mean, I had been anxiously awaiting this getaway since my sweet hubby surprised me on my birthday in January with tickets to the Gospel Coalition Women's Conference in Orlando, Fl- and to top that- included some of our dearest friends so I wouldn't have to be alone & he could also have company while we ladies were in sessions. We drove away from our sweet children, all the stresses of managing a household and business ownership on Wednesday (a week and a half ago), taking our time to get to Florida. We stopped in Destin to have dinner with a business associate/friend & his wife since they were also vacationing in the area, left around 11p.m., drove 2 more hours & stopped for the night in Marianna- arose early to finish off the last 6 hours of the trip just in time to meet our friends at the airport. It was so good to see Travis & Alicia, as it had been a year since we had all been together.
  The conference began the next day & was really good. There were wonderful speakers including John & Noel Piper, Tim Keller, Carrie Sandom, Kathy Chapell, Carolyn Mahaney & many more... The strongest reminders I walked away with were:
1.) I need to handle my words toward my children (and others, for that matter) with care- be slow to speak and quick to listen.
2.) Sometimes God allows us to be isolated so that our focus can be solely on Him. He wants our attention. This was probably the one that stood out the most for me. I am so easily distracted by all of my "responsibilities" and relationships here on Earth. There have been many days, especially this past year, when I have longed to be face to face with my Maker in Heaven, where my only purpose will be to sing His praises.  I don't mean that in a morbid, suicidal kind of way. I have been blessed in this life with wonderful relationships, both in and outside of my home, but sometimes I allow them to take precedence over my most important relationship of all, that with my Heavenly Father, Creator of the Universe, Jesus. I could go on & on about this lesson, but I'll suffice it to say that He has gotten my attention and is teaching me to be content in all things; both in plenty & in want- whether it be in a financial sense, or relationships...all things.
  We had such a great time chatting & laughing with our friends the first night that our hotel neighbors were banging on the wall to keep us quiet...lesson learned, we found all the late night restaurants to sit & visit in for the rest of the trip.
  Several days later, Monday to be exact, we began our drive home, this time with friends in tow. Tropical storm Debbie hit right as we pulled away from Orlando, so we drove through some rainy weather along the way. Since my brother and his family were vacationing in Destin, we swung through to hang out with them for a bit and had dinner at my favorite restaurant in the world. Later that night, we stopped near Mobile to rest and then carried on to Houston the next afternoon to get our friends home. It was so sad to say goodbye. I will admit that I shed a few tears after we pulled away from them. I was also not expecting to feel so many emotions driving through the big city near where we had served on staff several years before. I was reminded of the hardships that we faced there and God's faithful provision through it all. Jason & I laughed about some of the cars we had been forced to drive as we were nearly in poverty. Soon we approached the ship channel bridge. This time I was crying tears of fear. My husband, ever the comedian, reminded me of the time he had to drive his great aunt's Oldsmobile up that very bridge & barely made it as it shook & sputtered the whole way. Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying. Those years were tough, but I wouldn't trade them as we learned so much about God and his love for us through the storms. We went on to meet two other dear friends for dinner in Pearland. It was a great time of encouragement to see them in their new roles of pastor/pastor's wife, and how they seem to be handling all of life's changes so gracefully. It was getting late, so we decided to drive a little ways to Livingston and stop for the night. The next morning we would complete our journey home.
  It had been such a wonderful week. Jason & I pondered what may be in store for our future; changes in how we homeschool, possibly changing our zip code (only slightly). Would we live in a neighborhood, or have some land? It was a peaceful trip...then as we reentered East Texas, I began to see the heaviness of responsibilities land on my hubby's shoulders. I reminded him that his vacation wasn't over & he didn't need to think about work until the next day. Unfortunately, the stress won. He had me check his blood pressure (that he had been taking medication to control) and it was slightly elevated...out of normal range, but nothing to panic about. A little while later he began to experience chest pains. I called my sister-in-law to come be with our children & out the door we flew. In route to the hospital, Jason had me turn around and take him to a fire station that we had passed. He was certain that he was having a heart attack. He was loaded onto an ambulance and instructed me to drive his truck to meet him at the hospital. I beat them there and panicked a little bit. A sweet nurses aid was able to get in touch with his driver and assured me that Jason was stable and on his way. Long story short...after two nights in the hospital having stress tests, EKG's and pictures, his heart appears to be healthy. The cardiologist changed his blood pressure medication and he seems to be better controlled now. The internal medicine doctor that was on call has recommended some other tests to try & figure out what's causing some of his symptoms- possibly something to do with the adrenal system. We should know more in the next couple of weeks. Jason was grounded from his phone, iPad & computer for several days and has slowly been winning some of his privileges back ;)

(He's not going to be happy with me for this :) 

 I am so grateful for our wonderful families that not only cared for our children while we were on vacation for 7 days, but also kicked into overtime for the 3 unexpected days we were in the hospital. Thank you all so much for allowing me to stay with my husband. It was wonderful to know that the kids were being well taken care of. I promise we won't leave again for AT LEAST another year ;) I would also like to thank all of our coworkers/employees for being so considerate as Jason was resting. I appreciate the way everyone kept things in working order during Jason's absence. I'm counting on y'all to keep an eye on him when I'm not around. Thanks to all of you who called, texted, prayed & visited with us. We are blessed with amazing friends.
  Continued prayers are appreciated!