Crazy travels of an OT

Helping others by saying nothing

2012-01-13T13:14:00.000+02:00

My father and mother still carries heavily on this burden called my brother's death. But more and more I've seen my father really suffer from sadness, which really is normal and to be expected, and I feel that my hands are so chopped off.

I have this awful habit of telling people that I can't help them, or don't know what to do to make their situation better when I feel overwhelmed by their situation. This is one of those situations. And I had to catch myself before saying that to my dad, because how would that really make his day any better?

Sooooo, thinking this over, I realised that my best response to his sadness is not in my words (or lack thereof), but rather in my actions. A hug, holding his hand, and if I feel the over-powering need to say something, to just say I'm sorry that he is sad. Because the truth of the matter is, this is a loss a parent NEVER gets over - EVER.

If I think how much I still grieve my lost baby, even though I never got to hold him/her, how much worse is my father's pain. He who held this son, played with him, saw him grow up, become a man, get married, and accomplish so much in his short life time. Surely, that pain is so much more intense, the memories ever-present.

Yes, I struggle with my brother's death, but at times life is normal, and I can get on with it. But then again, I don't have to live in the house where my brother was born into, grew up in, never left, and was burried out of. I don't have to constantly be reminded of him at every corner I turn, or every detail I see in the house. This is what my father has to deal with, every day of his life.

It saddens me to see my dad like this, but really, I can only hug him. That's all I have...and that's all I should give.

How do YOU help someone when they are in pain / emotional turmoil / overwhelmed?

May the grace of GOD surround you every day of your life!

Me =D

Excitement in Paradise

2011-11-16T17:05:00.000+02:00

Please note - it has taken me a whole TWO MONTHS to finally upload this post - LOL.

Hello Hello!!! I'm so terribly excited because of certain developments in my valley (aka my tiny abode).

I'm getting creative with my cooking - figuring out what to do with leftovers like broccoli.
I got 2 POUNDS of fresh strawberries for $2.80!!!! (4 punnets for R20 in total) - I am freezing them all to have stash for strawberry and paw-paw smoothies during the summer time.
My husband bought me a Kelvinator Mini-oven!
I'm cooking and baking in the very nice Kelvinator Mini-oven! (This is brown mushrooms and sliced zuchinni with shredded spinach, vegetable stock powder and lovely white cheddar sprinkled over it and baked until crispy!)
My husband is very happy with the results ;-)

These are the days of a happy housewife!
Keep well and hope your week is fantastic!

I am happy because...

2011-10-26T15:29:00.004+02:00

God's grace and mercy carries me where no-one else can!
I am in a loving marriage with a seriously understanding husband (=
My family just totally rocks!
I have learned to look after myself better, making healthier food choices and lifestyle changes.
I completed my first ever 35 km (21.7 miles) Mountain Bike Race (Nissan X-Trail Series - Diamond Rush, Cullinan) and will hopefully be doing these distances more regularly!
I have lost 5 kg (11 lbs) since beginning September 2011!
I get to cook meals everyday for my husband and I (i.e. we have food in our cupboards and fridge), whilst there are people living around me who are never sure where their next meal is coming from.
Jesus Christ is my HERO!
My friends are kind, loving, and caring people :-D
I am able to walk, talk, cycle, swim, sew - all because GOD has gien my the ability to do these things.
Luke 23:40-43 & John 3:16!!!!!

Just thought I'd pop these on here :-)
Have a superb rest-of-the-week!

The incompetence of the GSSC

2011-09-29T14:10:00.002+02:00

I am up to my neck with frustration. Last year August the Dept of Education started illegally deducting money from my salary. I was able to stop them after two months, but I'm yet to see that R2200 that they deducted before I could stop them.

This case has been pending for a YEAR now, and I am at the point of no return. How do you fight a bureaucracy that is unwilling to change or improve? How do I get back money which was illegally taken from me? I'm so agitated by this whole situation - because along the road there are so many people who are trying to help me get back my money, but their hands are tied by faceless, nameless upper-level management CSO's who could not be bothered to sign a piece of paper to give me my money back?

Will I now do what the rest of South Africa does when calling for justice on a matter? Toi-toi outside the GSSC building? Camp out in their foyer? How do I demand that my money be given back to me, in CASH, not deposited into my account which will cause it to be taxed AGAIN (after my salary was already taxed in any case last year when these deductions were made)? I am SO SICK of the incompetence of the GSSC!

GSSC, you are the reason for people leaving the public sector! When you screw up this badly, you make people very angry, give them a reason to not trust Government in general. I don't want to wait until my pension for this money to be paid in, because I'm sure you will not pay the interest accumulated on that amount to me as well....

UGH!!!! Okay, end of this rant and rave, because it won't help in any case. I've seen how useless upper-level management at the GSSC is. Just know, upper-level management of GSSC, you make the lives of your lower-level workers difficult, since the messenger gets killed time and time again over YOUR mess-ups!

Insulin Resistance and other health problems

2011-09-05T16:23:00.004+02:00

Recently I went to a GP who seems to focus more on family planning and diet. He immediately did a gazillion blood tests (actually more like 15 of them). The reason I went to him? I'm struggling to fall pregnant.

Two of my friends have told me they were struggling to fall pregnant, then got diagnosed with insulin intolerance and once placed on medication for that, fell pregnant. Well, who could've guessed? It turns out I'm insulin resistant. But that's not all (this sounds like a Verimark advertisement) - I also have high cholesterol (family related) and high uric acid levels (which explains my severe joint pain during the past Winter. My shoulders were especially affected this Winter.).

At first I thought, okay, just change your diet as the GP told you, and drink your prescribed medication, and then you're all set! Okay, I was WRONG. The more I read about this, the more I'm learning about the type of diet I have to follow (heck, there is SOOOO much to consider). And my lack of exercise - NOT GOOD!

So, here is the bits I have made sense of:

I must check what I eat - not all vegetables are equal in health-status.
Although protein is recommended for my diet, red meat is not a good idea with regards to the high uric acid levels.
Low fat milk can actually INCREASE your blood glucose levels, but then full cream is not necessarily good for high cholesterol levels.

I'm feeling very over-whelmed at this moment in time, having to process (and then digest) all this information! But, I know that in the end this will make me a happier (potentially less-moody) person who might actually fall pregnant, if GOD wills.

Hopefully I'll learn more and more each day, and I'll try my best to share ideas on my blog to inspire others also recently diagnosed with all these conditions.

Unhealthy eating habits

2011-08-31T20:43:00.005+02:00

I'm not one for over-the-top, super-creamy&rich food. But MAN, have I invested in some seriously nice food over the past weekend, and up till today?

Sunday I decided to make pumpkin fritters (actually, more like little round balls of pumpkin-mixture) that wa DOUSED with caramel sauce (homeade - naturally!). THEN, I made some more pumpkin fritter-balls last night, this time without any sauce. Added to that I sliced up quite a few baby potatoes, then fried them and proceded to cover them in salt&vinegar seasoning (read: loads of MSG).

But tonight we came home late, and that called for some vetkoek to be made. I bought some ready-made bread dough from the shops, and then made these babies!!! As my brother, Otto, explained it to a non-South African one day - it's the donut without the hole. And this picture shows EXACTLY the way we had it tonight - even had Lyle's golden syrup in the green tin... SOOOOOO unbelievably good!

Thank goodness for comfort-food South African-style!

My Geeky Husband's 30th Birthday Party

2011-08-22T12:23:00.003+02:00

My husband celebrated his big 3-0 birthday 1 1/2 weeks ago. Since he did not have the best of birthdays last year (my brother passed away 3 days before my husband's birthday, and then my sister-in-law's brother passed away ON my husband's 29th birthday), I thought this year better be fun.

First he wanted to have a mountain bike party with just family. But I thought friends should really be included. Then another birthday party and a bachelor's was organised for the 6th of August (when we would've had his party), and he decided to cancel everything.

I, on the other hand, decided to throw him a surprise 30th! The theme??? Android and GEEK! (My husband is an absolute geek, he likes ANYTHING geeky, his website is www.geekworld.co.za, catch my drift???)

I spent several afternoons at my 3rd brother's house cutting Android stencils out of X-rays, and stenciling Androids onto paper plates using green food colouring. I proceeded to cut an Android stamp from a potato to stamp the serviettes with (using lime green craft paint). My brother's kids, Ivan, Zoë and Joël, all got pulled into this Android-spirit by making cards with Androids, drawing Android men until they perfected it, and Ivan and Zoë even made an Android poster for Thinus at 23h00 the night before the party!!!! My sister-in-law, Brenda, is a WHIZ when it comes to decorating cakes, and so she was summoned to make a lovely, BIG, chocolate and vanilla marble cake (2 layers) with caramel treat in-between and decorating it with none other than: ANDROID! We even made cupcakes decorated with little Android men (once again, the kids were a GREAT help, since my husband pitched up at my brother's house 2 hours before we expected him to!).

Sooooo, here's the link to my husband's website. Go check out his "Turning 30 the Geeky Way" post and all the lovely pictures he took (using his Android phone, a Samsung Galaxy S) and attached :-D

At least now I know I will one day be able to pull off themed parties for our kids :-)))))

Having faith

2011-06-27T07:37:00.005+02:00

I'll just jump right into this post today. I'm experiencing disappointment, heartache, jealousy and lack of faith. Why? Because we've been trying to fall pregnant for more than a year now following the loss of our first child. And all that's happening is...nothing. Every month I slowly but surely build up the excitement that, 'this might just be the month it happens', only to come crashing at the end of my cycle when, once again, nothing....

I'm struggling with this, asking 'why, why, why???'. I don't for one second believe that I serve a cruel, heartless, distant GOD, but One that gives life, and that in abundance. Yet I find myself asking, 'Am I not a good enough Christian? Don't I pray or read the Bible often enough? Is my faith THAT lacking? Is my body just not willing to give us the child we so want?' But I've come to realise that my desire for a child overrides any other heart's desire I have. It came to the point that I had to admit that it's my top priority, not my relationship with GOD nor my husband.

I know that I have to work on that, and just last week I could reside in GOD for the first time in a long time, and say to Him, "Okay, not my will but YOUR will". That was difficult, since I am a control-freak. To hand over control (even though I never really had it, eh? Since biology is not dictated by my whims) is very difficult for me, to say to GOD "You really know what You're doing" when things aren't going the way I want it to, that's hectic for me. Yet, I know I have to release myself from this, because it's busy driving me crazy. My life comes to a halt, to a sudden breakdown every month, nothing being as important as the answer to 'Am I pregnant or not?'.

I've been spending a lot of time reading Job, and also James. Job is still difficult to read, but he kept his faith even though he endured all that pain. He never forsaked GOD, even though he had lengthy conversations with his friends and GOD about his dire situation. I want to have faith like that...

In Hebrews 11:1 it says "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (NIV). I have to have faith that GOD knows what's best for me, the same way He says in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV) He has a hope and future for me that I cannot begin to fathom, even though I would love to have a sneak-peak.

GOD says in James 1:3-4 "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." (NIV)

HE also promises: ⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” (NIV, Jeremiah 17:7-8)

I have to keep on holding onto these promises, otherwise my heart will break time and time again. I don't want to have all those feelings I first described. I don't want to feel inadequate as a woman, struggling to bring forth a next generation. But most of all, I don't want this to come inbetween my relationship with GOD, the way it has in the past year.

I want to be released from this continuous sadness and brokeness and inability to not let go of my 'control'. I want GOD to be the centre of my life, not my obsession? over the desire of having a child. And I want this not to interfere with my relationship with my husband...because marriage is not only about reproducing, but about building on a already wonderful relationship between two beings to experience fellowship with GOD on a completely new and elevated level.

GOD, help me to surrender completely, laying all at YOUR feet, relinquishing control and my will, and believing in YOUR perfect timing.

Easy Makeshift Clothing Line

2011-05-16T16:45:00.009+02:00

I hate hanging jeans / denims on my el-cheapo wire clothing line... SOOOO... being an OT (occupational therapist) and having excessive amounts of creative and lateral thinking / thoughts this is what I came up with just now:

This is such an amazing ladder! It has also served as a jungle gym when I had my nieces and nephews over and the weather wasn't playing along.

Here's all it can do:

Jungle gym: Read: A child's dream come true!
(link: http://www.saladder.co.za/products/wonderladder_KL7338.jpg)

Normal ladder to change light bulbs, etc.
(link: http://www.saladder.co.za/products/wonderladder_KL7338-A.jpg)

Or a REALLY long ladder for those hard-to-reach places.
(READ: Our flat's 3.2 - 4.2 m high ceilings)
(link: http://www.saladder.co.za/products/KL-STRAIGHT.jpg)
Serving as a work bench - just add a piece of wood on top.
(link: http://www.saladder.co.za/products/KL-M.jpg)

Just thought I'd share this - I think it's ingenious!

Thank You, LORD!

2011-05-11T07:10:00.004+02:00

This morning I received an unexpected, yet VERY welcome Skype call from my friend, Elizabeth. And after our conversation, which turned into a four-way conversation when our hubbies joined in, I suddenly experienced such immense gratitude towards GOD for such wonderful friends.

I met Elizabeth in 2008/9 through my blog, and we started chatting on Facebook and eventually on Skype. We just found common ground since we share the same faith - GO JESUS! - and have similar interests (READ: Food, more food, more food, kids, GOD, kids, GOD, food). But more than that, we could connect over 1000's of miles in a way one could not before technology took over the world.

This morning I was still lying in bed, and had forgotten to close my laptop last night, when suddenly I hear the all-too-familiar Skype-ringtone. Now, at 04h45 in the morning, that's a rather interesting sound to hear. I was awake, since Thinus had just woken up to get ready for the day. Then the ringtone suddenly disappears before I can get to my laptop, only to find it was Elizabeth, all the way from Texas, calling me. Well, she was actually trying to message me, but somehow Skype called me. And here I was sitting, SOOOO excited to be speaking to my friend again! We ended up speaking for over an hour and half, via message and a quick (READ: 33-minute) Skype-call.

I have come to realise that one can make friends without ever having met a person in real life (although Skype comes PRETTY close to real life!). And I also realised that we found each other in this really huge World Wide Web, only to realise we enjoy chatting to each other. What's so special about this, you may ask? This is how I met my husband - over the internet, one morning at 02h30 AM. I was 14, and chatting on mIRC everyday, and one night I entered one of my regular chatrooms, only to find this soul sitting on his own in there, waiting for someone to come and chat. We became best friends over the internet, chatting for 11 months, before finally meeting and knowing within an instant we have to be together, we fit each other - to the T.

Now I can't WAIT to meet Elizabeth and Nathanael and their two beautiful boys, and hopefully it won't take forever to get to America. Because, this friendship seems to have stood the storms of time (we've never had an argument, but we've been through a lot together, supporting each other as best we could). Thus, it means this friendship should last until we're all old and grey but still in awe of GOD.

So, Thank You, LORD, for sending these special friends into our lives! They mean the world to us!

Why the Government frustrates me...

2011-03-15T18:49:00.005+02:00

I'm a public servant, employed as an 'education therapist' in the Department of Education. Working for the Government has its ups and downs, but mostly it's downhill...

Ups:
--> Good medical aid
--> 4 months paid maternity leave
--> Pension fund

Downs:

I inform them they're paying me too much, they FINALLY recitify it (after I followed it up extensively) by handing me over to the GSSC without even having the decency of telling me so.
I pay back their money (which I never touched, since I KNEW they would come back for it, giving them the FULL amount BEFORE Tax was deducted).
A year later they start deducting money from my salary on a monthly basis to retrieve the money which I already paid back a year earlier!
It takes me to go in to the District Offices and put a stop to this, take all my documents to prove to them that they're illegally deducting money from my salary.
They stop the deductions after taking a considerable amount of money from me.
They put in a mandate to give the money back to me --> sending it through to the GSSC with a tracking number and all...
I've followed this up for the past 7 months - wanna know where that piece of paper is that just needs a signature??? In between all the other 7 billion pieces of paper of other hopefuls on the desk of the head of the GSSC, minus a tracking number so you can't check up on their progress... (compliments of the GSSC, NOT the Dept of Education's fault, I must add)
I'll maybe ONEDAY in the VERY FAR FUTURE (heck knows WHEN) get my money back - TAXED... NEVER the full amount - because, guess what? They can't give me the FULL amount in my hand written out on a cheque. Oh no, they HAVE to pay it into my account, sortoff as an 'extra', which will be taxed. Thus my money will be taxed twice... Nice, uhh?

So there, that's why I'm ABSOLUTELY frustrated with the GSSC at this point in time.

The reason the Department of Education frustrates me? Apparently therapists don't need money, they don't need Occupation Specific Dispensation. As long as we don't have job descriptions in this Department, they don't have to pay us for all the work we do which is not specific to therapists' realm of experience / training . As long as they don't pay us OSD, they don't have to worry about the fact that we're struggling to get our required CPD points because we simply can't afford it to pay so much for courses which they can't provide to us since the GSSC won't pay if something has not yet been delivered... Once again the GSSC seems useless. You have to PAY to get CPD accredited, thus you can't PROVIDE a service before it's not been PAID for, because you won't be able to guarantee that the service being provided for will be covered by the GSSC. CATCH 22!!!!

Therapists in Education gets paid less than Teachers in Education (employed by the Department of Education, not necessarily those employed by School Governing Bodies).

Education thinks we are Health's responsibility, and vice versa. FACT is, Dept of Education employs us, they should pay our OSD.
Why is my 4 your BSc degree not equal to a teacher's Diploma or Teaching Degree?? I.E, why do I get paid LESS than a teacher if we both studied for 4 years, or in my case if I even have 2 years post-graduate training????

I want to help people who can't afford private services, but with such poor delivery on the Government's side, I tend to think that I should go work privately because in the end maybe my sanity relies on my ability to help people on my terms... I worked HARD for my degree, I worked HARD for my post-graduate Diploma and Certificate. I'd like to think that I work HARD at my job and that it's noticed and rewarded.

Sometimes Quality of Life outweighs Quantity of Money and Benefits... Maybe it's time I realise that...

Friendly Four

2011-03-13T18:31:00.004+02:00

I am always excited when people realise just how rewarding it is to give to others. To recognise that there's a need other than one's own. To actually act upon that need and get out there, do something for that someone in need.

My niece (age 10) saw a need to bless others around her. She just has that kind of personality, and I think her love language(s) according to Gary Chapman might just be "Acts of Service" and "Receiving Gifts" (although she also Gives Gifts). And so started her mission to get friends together so that they could serve others by making things which would ease their needs.

Yesterday 3 of the Friendly Four got together for their first official 'meeting and made and packaged chocolates. They dropped these off at an old age home later in the afternoon. The people were SOOOOO appreciative, and I really think that they brought some sunshine to each and every person they interacted with.

I just want to congratulate my niece on her selfless actions and spontaneous personality which allowed her and her friends to let this 'club' come to life!

Thank you, Zoë, for wanting to make a difference! Jesus sees your actions, and I'm sure He's moved by it!

Catching up...

2011-03-02T18:32:00.004+02:00

Can you BELIEVE that we're already in the 3rd month of this year?!?!?!?! CRAZY!

So far this year has presented itself with loads of ups and downs...

Kids that don't listen to you when you SPEAK to them, annoys me to no end (not referring to my nieces and nephews). Kids who choose to pick fights, and then also prefers to avoid the fact that they are the common denominator in all fights, really is like stepping on my sciatic nerve and grinding it with your boot's tip.
The Government in general seems to be useless, especially the GSSC - they're quick to jump on the bandwagon and force you to pay back money that they wrongfully paid to you and you actually informed them about it. But when they've taken your money illegally, it's PERFECTLY FINE for them to take longer than 6 months to sign a sweet piece of paper to give your (rather big amount of) money back.
Missing my parents a lot, have not seen them in more than 3 weeks - which is a lot for me!
Missing my baby brother to no end - last year this time we made plans to visit for the weekend. We visited, and JUST after the weekend we found out I was pregnant...
Missing being pregnant, and not having a baby to show after being excited... and frustrated at the process of falling pregnant again (having to sort out a huge cyst on my right ovary and getting the MMR innoculation, now having to wait before we can try again).
Being stuck at my work / home for most of the week without a car - ugh.... just REALLY wanna get out!

The pick-me-uppers in my life:

My husband wakes up EVERY MORNING at 04h55 and starts to run a bath, then makes me breakfast and Pink Nesquik Milk before leaving for work.
Seeing my husband smile from EAR-TO-EAR about his new job, and experiencing him coming home with a little skip in his step, instead of dragging his feet because it never ends..
Hearing Thinus' key turn in the front door at night :-D
Chatting to my family, my parents, my brothers, my sisters, my nephews and nieces.
Making plans to visit friends, being frugal and hopefully saving some money in the process.
Visiting with my family and friends on Tuesday, Thursdays and sometimes Sundays.
Going to church.
Practising Lancet with our interschool-team, and getting rid of pent up energy, frustration and showing all-round appreciation for kids who try their best, never mind the TONNES of odds stacked up against them!
Practising for the revue / musical production at our school - these kids are amazing, REALLY! They try so hard, and succeed in things I, for one, can definitely not do (I suck at coordination).
Baking, baking, baking and some more baking...
Reading any available quilt-blog on the internet, downloading patterns for clothes, bags, quilts etc.
Planning our trip to Bloemfontein as well as the other trip to the Western Cape for a wedding at the end of this month.
Talking to my parents on the phone at 06h30 in the morning to discuss things like a person's sagittal plane and how exactly that cuts you up i.e. anatomy.
Being grateful for amazing people around me.

Okay, that's me. I've caught up. Hope the rest of your week's a good one!

This year...

2010-12-10T16:06:00.003+02:00

I'm at absolute breaking point - this year has just been too much to bear. I'm over-emotional, high-strung and easily ticked-off by anyone. I need a looooooong holiday, not just 4 weeks (WAY too little)...

So, let's see what this holiday (which is way too short) holds.

Frugal Living

2010-11-24T20:41:00.005+02:00

How come the more you earn the less you have? I've been asking myself that question quite often this year. Here's the scenario:

2008 I started working (after living off only Thinus' salary and money gifts from our wedding for the first 6 months of our marriage).

I get a paycheck, and we suddenly have to start looking for a new car since we only had one working car which was OLD (1982 Datsun Skyline, Powder Blue colour! A WICKED cool car!).
We found a 2007 Toyota Corolla 1.4oi (RunX shape) and bought it... but did not even consider negotiating the sky-high interest rate (things you don't know.)
My entire salary goes towards paying for the car, the petrol to my work (which was SERIOUSLY far from home, but I couldn't change, I was assigned to work there as my community service year), and the insurance on the car.
We buy a new Cloud Nine bed in Aug 2008 after discovering that Thinus had been saving up money for the past 3 years without him realising - that truly saved me years of more backache!
The money that was not spent on the bed we put away for a holiday at some stage (which came in March/April 2009).
I get my first bonus - buy something special for myself and save the rest.
We pay some of the money for Thinus mom's home caregivers (She was terminal with lung cancer and Takiyasu Syndrome).
We see my parents often, we make biscuits for Christmas presents and that's 2008.
We STILL make end's meet!

2009 I start a new job with a hectic annual salary increase (or so I thought).

Suddenly I only work half-days, I don't have to drive NEARLY as far as previously and Thinus gets a lift to work with one of his friends.
Thinus gets a mountain bike from one of my sisters-in-law, which he uses to cycle to work 2 days per week. It keeps him fit and the petrol / gas costs down!
I start studying for my Diploma in Hand Therapy, requiring quite a chunk of money from me before July 2009 to pay off the course -and fortunately I receive a pay-out from my pension for the previous year. It goes straight into my studies (okay, maybe one tank full of petrol as well for the car).
We go camping TWICE (really a cheap way of having a holiday).
We go visit Thinus' dad in Cape Town in March/April with the savings that was left over from Aug 2008.
I get a bonus, buy a bunk-bed set for my brothers' kids for when they come for sleepovers, as well as one single-bed Cloud Nine mattress - and plan to buy the next one a few months later with savings.
We make it through the year of 2008 with money put away from my bonus for two weddings.
And another huge amount of my bonus goes down in November 2009 to pay towards a deposit for a new course: International Interdisciplinary Wound Care Course
My aunt requires home caregivers over weekends, and Thinus and I decide to pay for that.
We visit my parents very regularly, really as often as we can.
I make each of my brothers a calendar with all the birthdays on it for Christmas, and buy my dad a Sudoku Rubic's cube (that's just CRUEL!)

2010 - I get an increase,

I still have some money left over for my bonus of October 2008
PLUS we move to the school which was how we were gonna save up money for a deposit to buy Thinus a car...
My aunt passes away...
I go to study - which includes two trips flying to Cape Town on my account for my residential weekends (one of it includes taking Thinus along for a holiday)... OUCH
We get invited to 5 more weddings... YIKES! Of which one is in Cape Town - amounting to an extra trip to Cape Town (but we just could not miss this wedding!). We also travel to Harrismith and for another wedding we go to Potch, then two in Jo'burg, and then the two we did budget for (one in the Vredefort Dome, and one in Nylstroom). We also get invited to our eigth wedding of the year - just outside Potch in December...
I fall pregnant (YEAH!!!!), but after 5 weeks of happiness, our baby's heart stops at 10 1/2 weeks gestation... that amounts to 4 / 5 trips to the Obs/Gynae and an operation.
We visit my parents nearly every second weekend.
Our PC decides to die on us, and we urgently have to buy a new laptop for me in order for me to finish my studies.
My studies are all paid for at the end of July 2010... and then my baby brother passed away in the beginning of August 2010 (the 8th).
Funerals are expensive, incase no-one knew...
Three days after my brother's death, my sister-in-law's brother passes away - August 11th.. We attend his funeral in Bloemfontein.
The phonebill comes for August 2010 - it's astronomical and we just don't care because we were busy letting the whole world know of all these tragic events...
Sept 2010 one of my varsity friends passes away from a pulmonary embolism - I can't attend her funeral in Cape Town, due to a lack of finances.
Oct 2010 I get my bonus - it's gonna buy another mattress for the other bunk bed, and it's gonna be used to pay-off my laptop, and to give Thinus money for his Gamer's PC, and to save for next year's two weddings, and to pay for the wedding gift for December's wedding... basically to patch up lots of holes.
November 2010 - my car gets serviced and sucks up a quarter of my bonus. Some money gets redistributed, some money gets used on books (too much, really)... I buy a portable DVD player for our car (I got an extra bonus for back-pay on a salary increase). We go back to the Ob/Gyn for lack of falling pregnant, only to discover that I have a cyst (6x3.5cm) in my uterus / womb and have to go on treatment for the next 3 months and if that doesn't work, surgery's the next step... SO I can no longer afford to buy my bunk bed mattress or save money for next year or buy a wedding gift for December (fortunately I did get them a very nice bridal shower gift ;-) ).

What is the lesson to be learned? I'm not living frugally, but even if I was, this year was so full of unexpected events, it showed me all the loopholes in my 'budget'. I am not making New Year's resolutions, I'm making New Life resolutions.

I want to live frugally so that I can afford life's curve balls without feeling completely shaken.
I want to spend less time on my cellphone, and utilise Skype / FB more often so that I can connect with my family.
I want to pay off the outstanding amount on my laptop.
I want to save money for future holidays without guilt.
I want to save money for kiddies - those we want too and they come with a price tag!
I want to visit my parents as often as I can, as well as Thinus' dad in Cape Town.
I want to stay at home, and learn how best to save money using home recipes for removing soap scum in bath tubs, washing hair with vinegar and baking soda, processing food I buy in bulk from the farmer's market alongside my best friend Vici, just live a little.

So I am roping in the help of a few websites to

learn how to budget,
learn how to spend money on what's necessary and save money on what's not,
how to use cloth diapers,
how to make nice food from here that does not cost an arm and a leg.

I'm pretty excited to be sharing all of this information with my husband tonight - YIPPEE for frugal living!

OT time

2010-11-09T18:56:00.007+02:00

It's been a while since I last blogged about anything concerning OT. Well, my personal life seems to have gotten the better of me, PLUS my crazy loads of studying. I'm almost done with my IIWCC (International Interdisciplinary Wound Care Course) I am happy to report :-)

Well, the past few days I've been reading and Googling and finding new resources to use for OT-purposes. Basically to make my life a whole lot easier next year with regards to planning treatment and so forth. I discovered, as well as having been directed to, some amazing websites containing a plethora of information!

www.kleuters.co.za has the most amazing worksheets in Afrikaans
www.yourparenting.co.za also boasts very beautiful printable worksheets which can be used for both Afrikaans and English children.

And THEN, my personal favourite at the moment: http://juffer.wordpress.com/ For all the teachers out there, WOW, this is a wonderful website / blog to explore. Loads of information and ideas that are shared. LOVING it!!!!

So, that's me doing my OT-post. Hope you're all still well, and that the information provided will be of some assistance :-)

A little bit of a tribute... to someone else who knew my baby-brother

2010-10-22T20:45:00.008+02:00

Here follows a tribute, in Afrikaans, but also translated into English, which I wrote to Jacques Raubenheimer as a response to his Tribute to Heinrich newsletter sent out in collaboration with Mountain Pursuits.

Hallo Jacques.

Marthinus Kahl, een van my vele boeties, het sopas vir my die Tribute to Heinrich gestuur wat jy verlede week uitgestuur het.

Ek wil net begin deur om vir jou dankie te sê dat jy dieselfde passie vir God deel met Heinrich as wat julle gedeel het vir klim. My woorde is bietjie meer 'clumsy' as syne - hy was altyd beter met woorde...

Toe jy daai stuk insit van wat hy geskryf het oor die tekort aan erkenning van GOD binne die klim-gemeenskap, het dit my herinner aan 'n gesprek wat Heinrich en my man (sy swaer) vroeër dié jaar gehad het. My man is in die IT-wêreld en ook nogal 'n 'avid gamer'. Hy't vir Heinrich gesê hy mis die Christelike samesyn in hierdie gemeenskappe, en dit laat hom baie alleen en afgetrokke voel omdat mense nie GOD erkenning gee soos dit hoort nie. Heinrich het toe ook teenoor Thinus (my man) opgemerk dat hy in 'n soortgelyke situasie sit wat die klimgemeenskap betref, want al is hulle omring deur GOD se glorie en rykdom van die natuur, gee hulle nie erkenning aan Die EEN wat hulle geskape het en hulle voorsien van 'n plek (die berge / boulders / rotse / die natuur) waar hulle hulle passie kan uitleef nie. Weereens het dit nou vir my duidelik geword dat GOD Heinrich se nommer EEN passie was in die lewe!

Hy't dus sy passie GOD uitgeleef in die natuur, in sy menseverhoudinge, in sy studies en in sy hobbies. Sy stokperdjies het hom op 'n manier altyd aan die natuur gekoppel - daar waar hy die naaste aan GOD gevoel het (veral die berge). Hy't 'n teleskoop gebou om die sterreprag te kon aanskou, hy't van mooi kos gehou, want hoe kan jy dan nou nie van kos hou wat onberispelik goed en mooi voorberei is nie? Hy't tou-geloop en ook ons hele familie in sy stokperdjies betrek. As dit nie vir hom was nie het ek dit NOOIT gewaag om twee maal in my lewe op rots te klim nie... en as dit nie vir sy liefde vir fotografie was nie, het hy nooit die enkele foto geneem wat my vasvang waar ek 'n roete doen naby De Hoek in Oudsthoorn nie. Sy liefde vir herwin het van hom 'n kunstenaar gemaak, wat met ander oë na ou, weggooigoed laat kyk het. Sy afgetrede klimtou het oor 'n paar weke die gestalte aangeneem van 'n gerolde mat.. dié lê nogsteeds as eerbetoon in sy en Carlien se sitkamer op die vloer. Hy't met my pa se ou elektronika parte oulike insekte gesoldeer met ou CPU's en wie weet wat nog. Hy't vir my 'n toon-vas wind-chime gebou met riete wat hy gesaag en almal volgens die klavier in 'tune' geskuur het. Hy was definitief 'n kunstenaar in eie reg en tot eer van GOD.

So ja, hierdie is maar my tribute aan my kleinboetie, my amper-tweeling boetie (met 'n verskil van 1 jaar 11 maande en 20 dae tussen ons twee). Hy't my leer boomklim, my allerhande 'ontgroening-sessies' laat deurmaak om deel van sy en Pieter-Ettiene, sy beste pel, se bende te kon wees. En ek mis hom, maar ek kyk na die natuur, en veral Boven die afgelope naweek, en besef dat hy alleenlik sy hoogste doel in die lewe kon bereik deur een met GOD te word in die natuur en deur sy verhoudings met ander. Ek eet gerookte mossels op Vita-snacks en onthou hoe hy my dit leer eet het na 'n harde klim in Hogsback se Hog 1, waar ek hom nie wou toelaat om die tou van my te laat gaan sodat hy sy multipitch kon voltooi en terug kon keer na my toe nie. Hy't my oortuig, maar dit was met BAIE oorredingsvermoë van sy kant af.

Mag julle ALMAL aanhou klim, en ALTYD dit tot eer van dié EEN doen wat aan julle die wonderskone natuur verskaf het! GOD het Heinrich op die perfekte tyd, op die perfekte plek, saam met die perfekte persoon kom haal. Wat meer kan mens voor vra in jou lewe as so 'n ongelooflike wonderlike lewe saam en IN GOD?

Groete in Christus,
Ronél

_______________________________________________________

Hallo Jacques.

Marthinus Kahl, one of my many brothers, just sent me the “Tribute to Heinrich” which you sent out in your newsletter last week.

I just want to start by thanking you for sharing the same passion for GOD with Heinrich that you both shared for climbing. My words tend to be slightly more ‘clumsy’ than his – he always was better with words…

When you inserted that excerpt from one of the emails which he sent you, about the climbing community’s lack of acknowledging GOD, it reminded me of a conversation which Heinrch had with my husband (his brother-in-law) earlier this year. My husband is in the IT-world and also a rather avid gamer. He told Heinrich that he misses the Christian Fellowship within the gaming community, and that it leaves him feeling very lonely and desolate because people don’t give GOD the credit that HE rightly deserves. Heinrich then mentioned to Thinus that he faces a similar situation within the climbing community because even though they’re surrounded by GOD’s glory and riches of nature, they don’t acknowledge The ONE who created them and provided a place (the mountains / boulders / rocks / nature) where they can pursue their passion. It once again became clear to me that GOD was Heinrich’s number ONE passion in this life!

He thus lived out his passion for GOD in nature, through his relationships with other people, and in his studies and hobbies. His hobbies always somehow connected him with nature – there where he felt closest to GOD (especially in the mountains). He once built a telescope to be able to study the star galaxies; he also liked beautiful food, because he reasoned – how can you NOT like food that is delicate, good-tasting and beautifully prepared? He did tight-rope walking and also involved our entire family in this hobby. If it weren’t for him, I would NEVER have risked it twice in my life to do ACTUAL rock climbing, out in nature, on real rock… and if it weren’t for his love of photography, he wouldn’t have captured the single photo ever taken of me doing a route near De Hoek in Oudsthoorn. His love for recycling made him an artist who looked at thrown-away items in a whole new way. His retired climbing rope became a rolled-up mat within a period of a few weeks … this mat / carpet still gracing his and Carlien’s living room floor. He used my dad’s old electronics parts to solder cute insects with old CPU’s and who knows what else. He built me a tuned wind-chime with bamboo which he sawed and then tuned each individual ‘pipe’ according to the piano by sanding it until it was ‘in-tune’. He most definitely was an artist in his own right and always to the glory of GOD.

So yes, this is my simple tribute to my baby-brother, my nearly-twin brother (with a difference of 1 year 11 months and 20 days between the two of us). He taught me to climb trees, put me through all kinds of ‘initiation-sessions’ so that I could become part of his and his best friend, Pieter-Ettiene’s, gang. I miss him terribly, but when I look at nature, and especially Boven this past weekend, I realised that he could only achieve his highest goal in life by becoming one with GOD through nature and his relationships with others. I eat smoked mussels on Vita-snacks and remember how he introduced me to this snack after a hard climb in Hogsback’s Hog 1, where I wouldn’t allow him to let the rope be released by me when he wanted to complete a multipitch, in order for him to be able to return to me. He did finally convince me, but it was with a LOT of convincing / reasoning from his side.

May you ALL continue to climb, and ALWAYS do it to the glory of The ONE who grants you the passage to an awesomely-made nature. GOD took Heinrich at the perfect time, at the perfect place, whist with the perfect person. What more can one ask for in your life than such an amazing life with and IN GOD.

Greetings in Christ,
Ronél

So ja, this is me, remembering my brother, once again.

PS: We went to Waterval-Boven this weekend to the accident site. Carlien explained to us how everything happened, and we got some clarity regarding just exactly HOW big this miracle was that she's alive! The rock / boulder, which is now in pieces (each the size of a normal, KIC Supercool fridge) where once the size of a small vehicle, like a VW Golf.

The Miracle called Carlien

2010-09-14T19:01:00.004+02:00

There once was this girl who happened to walk into my family's life in 2003. She was blond, beautiful and in love with dancing. She could give amazing hugs and we could chat for HOURS. Our entire family adored her, we adopted her as our surrogate sister / daughter. She went with us on holiday, often stayed over at our house, several times actually sorta moved INTO our house. Mostly, she made her Check Mate move right into our hearts - forever in place.
Then, one day, she and this boy realised that they were meant for each other (something we all saw coming for several years before). They were each other's best friends, they loved each other deeply, treasured each other's hearts and decided to get married during a conversation they had somewhere in March or April 2009.
The wedding plans started coming together, this girl and boy's families rejoiced for they knew that it was just the way it had to be. Everyone got hauled in to contribute their bit of craftiness to the wedding. Quilts had to be made for the picnic-wedding, fabric had to be chosen for the wedding clothes, shoe-shopping was important, muffins and apple pies were baked, mustard made and jams were canned. All this for the BIG CELEBRATION!

On 2 May 2010, Carlien and Heinrich said their vows in front of their families, friends and most importantly, in front of GOD. They were surrounded by GOD, since they were in the mountains standing on top of a mountain to promise - Till death do us part.
Their wedding was joyous, their marriage blessed. They lived life to the fullest, decided to lay low on academics and rather celebrate each other. They traveled to Botswana, Namibia, all over South Africa, always to where there was a mountain to climb, a rock to boulder and a night under the stars.

Exactly 100 days after they said "Till death do us part" did God fetch Heinrich from this temporary world to the Eternal Universe of Heaven. Theirs was 3 months and 7 days of marital bliss, and God granted them the biggest gift of it all - marital unity in Him. What a perfect number!

You see, Heinrich and Carlien were about to ascend a climbing route in Waterval-Boven when the boulder they first had to ascend came loose in a rock slide. It went over Heinrich, who was connected by their climbing rope to Carlien (her harnass). She says it felt like the air was completely pushed out of her lungs, like a heavy force came down on her chest. They toppled / rolled 5 times before coming to a complete stop. Immediately there was help, but Heinrich had already exchanged this life for Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God, where we're sure there are no boundries to the amount of mountain routes he can now red-point!

BUT, Carlien was alive...

Heinrich's multiple injuries caused him to die withins approximately 60-90 seconds. His pants were severely torn, his body battered, and Carlien's pants looked exactly the same than his... YET, she only broke her 2nd metacarpal bone in her left hand, sustained rope burns and deep bruises. Her previous back injury was not further worsened.. SHE was alive! This is a great miracle, because the first rock that went over Heinrich must have weighed over 2.5 tons! (We know this because the cam-device that was still attached to his harnass on his left hip had a bent cable - and that would have only occured when a force of more than 2.4/2.5 tons was applied to it). Do you see what I mean by MIRACLE???

Now, last week Tuesday a friend of Carlien met her at their local climbing wall. He had a message for her from a friend of his (a certain Danie) who was climbing next to Heinrich and Carlien when the rock slide occurred. He witnessed that MASSIVE rock also going over Carlien's body, not just Heinrich's..... AND SHE IS ALIVE! He said he does not know how she survived that - it is a miracle.

So, you see, we have this miracle in our lives called Carlien. She survived a tragic accident, but as she puts it "don't stare yourself blind against the tragedy that occured and completely miss the miracle that happened alongside it"... She lost her husband, but God spared her, brought her home to her parents, and mine.

Carlien, you're our miracle! We are forever grateful that God sent one of you back to Potch when He took Heinrich Home. And as Casting Crowns sings so very aptly "And although my heart is torn, I will praise YOU in the storm"!

Praise You in This Storm (watch it on YouTube)
Written by Mark Hall / Music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms

I was sure by now
God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with You"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Parents experiencing the loss of a child, a wife losing her husband, and a baby-sister dealing with her grief...

2010-08-27T15:37:00.011+02:00

I'm in tears once again, realising that my parents that saw my brother being born into this world, also very unnaturally (as in parents are not supposed to bury their children, but his last moments were in his most beloved mountains) saw his exit out of this world into Heaven. I read this article by Robbie Davis-Floyd on how a parent experiences the death of their child... And it just made me cry all over again.

My heart is breaking into even tinier pieces than it did 2 weeks and 5 days ago when I received the news of my kid brother's death. My parents carry on, only through the grace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Carlien, his wife? She holds onto God's love and peace and consolation, knowing that her Strength comes from HIM. She carries around his CAM device (rock climbing equipment) that has a bent cable due to a force >2.5 tons (the boulder) which contorted it's shape against my brother's hip, as a constant reminder that it's a miracle that she's alive, and to have a piece of him with her.

We all have constant reminders of Heinrich in our lives

I'm struggling with the emotions of numbness and total dispair, because at every corner that I turn, there's something that reminds me of him. His climbing photo is stuck to my wall in my office, our family photo is stuck to my fridge, a photo of him and me on his wedding day is my profile pic on my laptop's "startup/login" screen. He's on the laptop's desktop background, he's on my facebook profile.

HIS NUMBER IS ON MY PHONE BUT HE'LL NEVER AGAIN ANSWER IT!

His wedding shoes are next to my bed, I wore them yesterday - our feet were the same shape, his were just longer, so they feel like I've worn them in - yet the footprints left in these shoes are my brother's...

The necklace he made me from a flat pebble and copper plate and a blue marble lies in my Bible carry-bag, safe until he could fix it for me - he never got the chance to...

The shawl I made to wear to their wedding is often swaddled around me - a constant reminder that I witnessed one of the greatest and happiest moments in his life!

The newspaper with the front page photo of Heinrich and Carlien on their honeymoon at a beautiful waterfall, lying within sight in our lounge for all who enter.

The rolled up canvasses of paintings by all my siblings and their children, my parents and him and Carlien - meant to make a quilt with as a wedding present. He never got to see Oom Kaspaas which Otto so diligently painted and which stained Thinus' work clothes. But I WILL finish this quilt, as a rememberance of our family unit, and to cover my sister's pain...

My German Bibel next to my bed takes me back to the day that our Dad bought these for us so that we could learn his heart's language whilst learning God's Word. I still have to learn how to understand and converse in proper German. Heinrich read his with fervour - he SO loved German, went to Frau Heidi to have German 'conversations' with her every week to sharpen up his grammar and language. And so I read from my German Bibel to my dad today, from Luke 6:21 (a verse I saw last night again, after reading Luke 5, and it was underlined with a side note saying that God will restore my laugther after I went through my miscarriage). It read as follows:

"Freut euch, die ihr jetzt Hunger habt!
Gott wird euch satt machen.
Freut euch, die ihr jetzt weint!
Bald werdet ihr lachen."
(Lukas 6:21. Die bibel in Heutigem Deutsch)

"Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh again.'
(Luke 6:21. NIV translation)

BUT, even though I'm surrounded by all this memories and reminders, they can be good even though saddening at times. They remind me of how my brother and I cherished each other's company, how he loved JESUS CHRIST, how he truly loved his family, how he loved his wife with all his might, and how he loved life!

Thank you GOD, that I'm once again reminded of Heinrich's beauty, and Your comforting love, grace and peace...

Ode aan my boetie

2010-08-23T17:43:00.002+02:00

Hoe kan woorde ooit beskyf…

Hoe kan woorde ooit beskyf
Die impak van jou woorde op my siel?
Hoe kan wysies ooit omskryf
Die passie van jou lewensreis?

Want jy laat my tweemaal kyk
Na die siel van my bestaan.
Laat my wil uitreik
na my drome vir môre
en dit vasvang in vandag…

en my hart breek in tienduisend stukkies
van vreugde, herinneringe, pyn, liefde, drukkies
passie vir JESUS

want jy’t intens liefgehad,
intens gelewe,
en uiteindelik…
…
intens gesterwe

So hoe omskryf mens in woorde
die dade van ‘n hero?
Want al was jy nie foutloos nie
het jy sonder blaam gegaan.
Jy wat vrede bewaar het
terwyl jy jou man kon staan.
Jy wat liefde uitgedeel het
sonder om dit ‘n cliché te maak.
Jy wat elke sekonde gelééf het
… en binne sekondes gestérf het.
Want selfs in jou dood het jy liefde beskerm
Jou GROOTSTE liefde op aarde…jou maat.

Die HERE tel my hartstukkies op
En plak dit weer vas met Epoxy-gom genaamd LIEFDE’nGENADE.

En regdeur jou lewe, jou bestaan,
loop ‘n goue draad
- liefde passie omgee -
no compromise on your faith…
en dis daai goue draad waarna ek gryp
want daarin lê die resep vir ‘n vol lewe
maar joune was nie ‘n resep nie…
dit was ‘n roeping

Nou hoe kan woorde ooit beskryf
Die essence van jou bestaan?

©Ronél Swart, 2010

In loving memory of Johann Heinrich Kahl aka Exo

2010-08-09T13:29:00.009+02:00

In remembrance of Johann Heinrich Kahl: 16 October 1983 - 8 August 2010

My dearest baby-brother, Heinrich, passed away on Sunday morning 8 August 2010, doing what he loved most in life - mountain climbing. He went to Jesus whilst being in the place where he felt closest to God, the mountains. With him dying, he saved his wife's life...

Our hearts are broken over our loss... he got married a mere 3 months ago, and leaves behind his wife, Carlien. Our parents are shattered, the siblings astounded. Where do one begin to explain the accolades of such an amazing man???

Heinrich, or Tiekieboks as my parents called him, was my friend (1 year 11 months and 20 days my senior) and my confidant. He loved life SO much, and he was always there to catch me when I fell (physically and emotionally). We had crazy travels together as children, being the two 'laatlammetjies' in the family. We got to experience so many amazing things together. He was and still is, my hero...

There's SO much to say about my brother, but somehow I cannot find the words - he was good with words, busy with his Masters in English Poetry. What I know is this:

He loved God above ANYTHING in the whole world, and Jesus was his personal Saviour. He lived what he believed!
He loved his wife, Carlien, dearly with passion which exceeds any understanding. She was his best friend, and they had awesome times together.
He loved our parents with every inch inside of him. He would go to the ends of the earth for them.
He had unconditional love for his siblings, he was the glue of this family. When we had issues with each other, he chose to remind us that we were blood-relatives, and as such had to love each other no matter what!
He was my parents' pride and joy, and never anything less than a pleasure to them!
He was a top-notch mountain climber, and always loved spending time in the mountains.
He loved his friends and was the most loyal of them all!
He was an amazing student, and very good at anything he attempted! He succeeded in life in a way many would envy him...

My liefste kleinboet... waar gaan ek nou vir my 'n kleinboet kry? Niemand gaan ooit jou plek kan vul nie. Ek's hartseer oor selfsugtige redes, maar my hart breek veral vir Carlien en Mamma en Pappa... en vir ons boeties en skoonsussies en kleinkinders en nefies en niggies en tannies en ooms... ons almal wat jou geken het, het geweet jou hart sit op die regte plek! Jy was die toonbeeld van onselfsugtige, onvoorwaardelike liefde en hoe om soos Jesus te leef. Ek kannie in woorde uitdruk hoe lief ek vir jou is nie, maar ek dink jy weet my liefde vir jou het nie perke nie.

Dankie Pappa God dat Exo by Pappa is, en dat waar hy is daar geen pyn of lyding is nie, net die 'vrede wat alle verstand te bowe gaan' (Fillipense 4:6-7)

I salute you, my dearest friend, companion and beloved brother. Ek gaan jou mis...

New beginning

2010-05-27T15:29:00.004+02:00

It's been almost 2 months since our baby's heart stopped beating (April 6th), and only now can I say that we're over the worst. Except - today a friend, that recently found out she's pregnant, told me that they, too, have lost their baby. My heart breaks when I think about what they're going through. It's not an easy road to travel, the journey is heart-wrenching and the destination seems so far away.... BUT, what I DO know is that our Father God is ever-faithful, and will provide in all our needs. He also knows our hearts' desires, and He cares for us in a way that we cannot even begin to comprehend.

Thus, I've realised that I won't comment saying "this is for the best, there was probably someting wrong". We always accepted the situation, yet it wasn't an easy time in our lives. I'm going to cover my friend and her husband in prayer, inform her that I'm praying for them, and leave my 'door' open for when she's ready to talk. Why? Because it hurts like crazy when you hear what others mean to be healing words. And I appreciate these as being consoling, but when you're in that situation at that time it doesn't seem like the pain will ever go away. The only thing that has taken my pain away and has dulled my heartache, is God's healing grace. So, please don't see this as an attack on anyone that has sympathised with us during our miscarriage, we really did appreciate your caring. It was a great comfort to know that we were covered in prayers and blessings from others, that those we came into contact with understood why life didn't appear quite as rosy at that stage. But understand that the tears remain, the hurt remains - and only through God's healing power can that pain be taken away, and your body be restored.

May I ask that those who read this post to also cover my friend and her husband in prayers and blessings? That's the most amazing gift one can give to another. To ask for God's healing and restoration in their lives?

We thank God that we've experienced His Healing Power, and that we are now ready to try again, God willing. So here's to new beginnings, both in our lives, and in those of my beloved friend and her husband!

Praise be to God Almighty,
for His blessings are poured onto us daily,
His love covers our pain,
His grace covers our past..
Great is the Name above all names!
For He is Good, ALL the time!

Remarkable Child

2010-04-15T21:00:00.007+02:00

Remarkable Child…

I discovered your presence early one Monday…
Confirmed it late the next Tuesday afternoon
I started dreaming up our future,
Everything was so perfect…
And for four solid weeks
I carried you in my heart.

I remember seeing your heart

Beating strongly on the screen

You were ever so tiny at 7 weeks
But I was already in love!

Then at 9 ½ weeks,
Your heart came to a standstill.
And what should have been a joyous day
Turned into a day of despair…

I watched your lifeless little body
On the screen that day
Your arms perfectly formed,
Stretched out for a hug…
But where once I saw a heartbeat,
There was only white noise…

My heart skipped a beat
And the next moment I knew
That God took you to Heaven
Because your life here would be cruel.

I still carried you inside of me
To bid my farewell
And saw you on Tuesday
Already far away…
You were curled up and peaceful
With no care in the world
And I realised this was goodbye
For this lifetime at least…

I miss your presence,
Even though I never felt you move
I miss dreaming big dreams
About what we would one day do…
My heart breaks each day
When I realise anew
That this is one more day
Without knowing you…

And today I had to let go
In a way I never wanted to
But I know that one day I’ll meet you
When I go up to Heaven.
And we’ll be together once more…

~ Ronél Swart ~
~ 15 April 2010 ~

Today my husband and I experienced losing our (first) child. It hurts so much that I can't even begin to explain it. BUT "We know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 Good News Translation). It is for this reason that we will mourn our loss but cannot ever blame God or ourselves for it.

It is only through our faith in Jesus Christ, our LORD and Saviour that we remain standing. He's love has shone through in everyone who've supported us in the past week and a half.

So, we bid our sweet child farewell. We won't forget you, for you've made an extraordinary impact on our marriage in the short while that we carried you. For that we cannot thank you (and especially our Father in Heaven) enough!

A note from my dad...

2010-02-27T20:26:00.010+02:00

Tonight I was quickly putting away another certificate of attendance (for my CPD activity record) in a file I used when I applied at different Universities in my Matric year (2003). This file also contains my registration documents for the University of Witwatersrand in 2004 as a BSc OT 1st year student.

I found the following poem, quoted by my dad (Gideon Kahl Sr.) to me and written on the inside cover of a ring-file on 26 January 2004 in the Residence Life Office at WITS University, which is the day he had to drop me off at the University... his last-born and only girl in a very big city:

LET GO AND LET GOD
by Ben Hildner

As children bring their broken toys
with tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God
because He was my friend.
But then, instead of leaving Him
in peace, to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help
with ways that were my own.

At last, I snatched them back and cried
"How can You be so slow?"

"My child," He said,
"what could I do?
You never did let go."

Just thought it would be nice to share with the world... It's good to find these treasures every once in a while. Makes me realise how much my parents love me and care for me. I don't always show my appreciation, but I hope that reflects some appreciation on my part. Thank you God for such awesome, loving, caring, always-helping parents. They truly did pray me into the person I am today!

Baie liefiPappa!!!!

Ina Kahl's life & passing...

2010-02-01T00:06:00.005+02:00

Auntie Trudi, Ronél & Auntie Ina (wearing blue-purple blouse)
16 January 2010

Tonight (Sunday, 31 January 2010), at approximately 22H00, my Aunt Ina passed away after a long time of physical suffering and emotional heartache.

It's been 8 1/2 years since her husband passed away, and her life basically came to a standstill. For without her husband, she had very little reason to live... the only reason for her life on earth, as she had often said, was that God was not yet done with her on earth. He still had plans for her...

But tonight God finally allowed her to go Home to Him, where she will no longer endure suffering of any kind, nor rejection. She's made free, and will spend eternity with her loving Heavenly Father.

We're going to miss her sorely, but we know that this is for the best. May God's love and peace always envelope her. And may her sons come to know what a wonderful, albeit sometimes difficult, woman she truly was. May everyone remember her for her good.

Thank you to everyone who helped to look after her. Those who accepted her unconditionally and took care of her needs. Thank you Mom and Dad for giving her a place to live and giving her a second family. You guys are all amazing...

I love you auntie Ina, and I'm so happy that you can now be in Heaven with your husband and with our Lord Jesus Christ. You deserve nothing less!

Exciting times!

2010-01-31T21:08:00.006+02:00

I said I would blog more often this year, and now it's not even happening! So tonight, after reading some of my friends' blog posts, I got into the "blogging-mood" again.

School started with a BANG, although I'm STILL trying to touch ground! We've got quite a few new entries, and that meant a lot of assessments had to get done. Now I still have to write all of those reports, since I'm flying to Cape Town on Wednesday afternoon. I'm starting with my International Interdisciplinary Wound Care Course at the University of Stellenbosch on Thursday, 4 Feb at 07h30 already! (or something along those lines...) It's a rather exciting time in my life, and I'm so happy, because my husband went to the Cape this past weekend and will be joining me (not to study, but to support me) throughout this new venture of mine!

Last year I told myself I won't go back to varsity / studies again quickly... and then on the last day of my exams, as I drove back to Johannesburg from Pretoria, having just completed my Hand Therapy Diploma's last exam, I thought... WHAT am I going to do with myself if I cannot study?

... And then came the answer in the form of my father - he informed me about the IIWC-Course that was being presented at Stellenbosch University's Tygerberg Medical Campus, and I could not resist saying "yes" to the idea of studying something I've been passionate about since I've been 5 years old. You've guessed it right (or maybe not) - WOUND CARE!

My mother is a wound care consultant, and we actually have conversations about various wound care cases during supper (I know, it sounds gross, but I must say I've learned SO much over the years!). This course is also great with regards to OT, as I will be able to choose electives that fall within my scope of practice - especially post-surgical wound care. This is an important aspect of Hand Therapy, and also links closely to other aspects of OT, such as Amputations and reconstructive surgery (e.g. of nerves or muscles). I'm STOKED, to say the least, about the opportunity to study again / some more!

So even though studying this course is an advancement for my career with regards to the attaining of knowledge and honing of skill, this is also the fulfillment of a life-long dream. I'm excited about what I will learn and how I can apply my knowledge later-on in life. I'm glad that I will be able to share more with my mother, and I know she's also excited about the prospect of having her daughter maybe someday following in her footsteps. She just LOVES teaching others about wound care - truly one of her greatest passions (although being faithful to GOD and following His will for her life is the most important!).

Another happy turn of events is that one of my best friends from high school, and close spiritual-friend, has ALSO moved during the December holidays and is now staying a cool 12.5km from our house! We've already seen each other twice within one week, and our planning for a very sociable February is well on it's way! Movies, dinner and lots of late-night coffees is in the pipe-line!

We're very blessed to have Vici and Wayne living so close to us, and God has truly worked in all of our lives. It's like everything just suddenly fell into place for all of us - everything was actually SO sudden that we could not overlook the fact that God had intervened in miraculous ways! He knows our hearts MUCH better than we do ourselves, and I realise now that He is allowing us more time to grow as friends and spiritual-friends /-partners. Together we can pray for each other, carry each others' burdens and bless each other and those surrounding us. Thinus and Wayne have found true friends in each other, and Vici and I could not have asked for more amazing husbands! It's wonderful that we all get along SO well! God is GREAT!

And then, finally, my (and Vici's) other best from from high school got engaged last night! The poor guy could not even go down on his knee since he underwent knee surgery on Thursday (29 Jan). I thought he would ask her on her birthday over a week ago (22 Jan), but the ring was not ready by then, she told me this morning. She's still recovering from the (very nice & positive) shock, but sounds VERY pleased. They're getting married on 31 July 2010, so in exactly 6 months' from now. We are praying blessings over them and their relationship, and hope to spend many more days / months / years with them. God is faithful!

So, with this, I leave you. I have to go and unpack some more stuff (yes - I'm STILL not done with all my moving and unpacking!)... and then precious sleep is around the corner!

Hope your week is a blessed one! And remember to live by the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22&23).

BLESSED NEW YEAR!!!!

2010-01-01T22:16:00.003+02:00

It's 2010, and I'm truly excited for what this year beholds!

Yesterday my husband and I moved our last belongings to our new flat at the school where I work. We're very excited (and at the same time somewhat scared) for what this year holds, but we trust that this was God's will and that we are doing what pleases Him.

2009 was a VERY LONG YEAR, but at the same time it flew by so quickly! I'm grateful for all that happened in this eventful year:
- We started attending the most amazing church with amazing fellowship!
- I started working at a special-needs school (which was daunting at times, but mostly great fun
and a humbling experience all-together)
- I started and completed my Diploma in Hand Therapy at the University of Pretoria (PRAISE
GOD - I've passed my diploma with good grades and will be receiving my diploma at the
graduation ceremony on 20 April 2010!!!)
- Thinus and I became uncle & auntie again for the 10th and 11th time! (a girl and a boy)
- My baby-brother got engaged, and is to be married to the most wonderful woman in May
2010.
- THREE of my best friends became engaged - to be married in 2o10!

These are but some of the major things that happened in our lives.

With all of this I just want to thank God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ for standing central to everything that happened in our lives. Through Him we are capable!

May 2010 be an amazing year. May God bless you, keep you and make His countenance shine upon you and give you peace!

Shalom!

Such a long road to go...not really!

2009-10-25T11:22:00.003+02:00

My husband has been on my case for the past few weeks now as to why I haven't recently blogged. I must say, life just kinda SWALLOWED me!

Shortly after my last blog, I had to get 4 assignments done for my Hand Therapy Diploma, and then fortunately, it was SCHOOL HOLIDAYS! For 10 glorious days I was allowed to just rest, do some serious sewing, go and watch an international cricket game with Thinus (he's NEVER been to a stadium to watch even a local cricket game - it ws the ICC Champions Trophy, New-Zea land VS South Africa ), and spending time with the nephews and nieces. What a stunning time.

Then it was back to school on Monday, 5 October, with my birthday following on Tuesday, 6 October. It was a very quiet birthday spent with family, baking cake and cupcakes. My mother and Thinus spoiled me so much, both buying me new sterling silver rings - I just love it! I also got money to spend, and bought a few picture frames, TEVO Vacbags (to vacuum pack-store clothing, toys and linen in) and CD's! Truly nice! Not to mention, I got to see my friends on Saturday, 10 October for a small get together with lots of cake and cooldrink - and Guitar Hero on XBox (Thinus bought 2 Gibson Les Paul Guitars for the price of 1, and then a week later got one of the Guitar Hero Games 2nd hand). My friends all loved Guitar Hero, but I truly suck at it! It was so encouraging though to see all my beloved friends, so sad for those who could not make it...

The past 2 weeks at school was spent in discussions and assessing children - it's really been hectic! We also had our annual prize giving ceremony, but in our school's case it's actually FOUR prize givings, since we have children aged 3 - 18 (preschool to final year high school). Truly hectic, but very awesome! And this coming week we're starting with the Gr.12 final exams - CRAZY!!!!

I also am studying since my final exams for my diploma is in 2 weeks time, which is just TOTALLY hectic, but I will survive :-) Especially since I was the one who paid for this diploma - it really motivates me to not fail anything. Just read the cartoon below to understand how I feel about studying right now - even though I'm paying for my diploma.

Then it's back to school for about 2 weeks, and then Summer Holidays!!!!! Can you gather that I'm excited? I can't WAIT for more holidays, even though I recently returned from school holidays.

So, that's me, and with photo's that will hopefully follow soon!

God Bless!!!!

My life this week...

2009-08-28T19:18:00.004+02:00

Today's my oldest brother, Otto's, 40th birthday! I'm so excited about this, since it means at least one of my brothers can now be considered - oh, wait for it - OLD! I'm just joking! It's just amazing to think that my brother has been around for so long (I never do consider that my parents are much older than that, it's like my parents don't have an age). Compared to my young 23 years, 40 years seems somewhat older. But anyway - here's to a blessed 40th birthday Otto! Love you lots!

As for the rest of my life, I'm still trying to recover from my hectic Hand Therapy assignment that I handed in this past Sunday. It's like I'm now just want to chill...yet there is SO MUCH TO DO! I'm writing Anatomy exam in 3 weeks! (Not really all that prepared yet...kinda scary.) And before my 4th Study block, I still have to finish 4 assignments. Crazy stuff!

Some more great news is that one of my best friends got engaged on Tuesday. She says it was a romantic dinner with a beautiful mountain view. Her fiancé went down on his knees and presented her with the most amazing / stunning diamond ring! I'm so happy for her - the last time I got this excited, and felt the kind of emotion I experienced when she gave me the good news, was about 2 seconds after I got engaged myself 3 years ago! Yippee for her engagement!

Yesterday we went to Pretoria University to take one of our school children for an AAC assessment (Augmentive and Alternative Communication assessment). In the process I also picked up my application forms to study my Masters Degree in AAC next year. Yet, today I'm not really sure how I will cope with another 2 years of studying! But I'll push ahead, as it is a very interesting field of study and could assist me greatly in becoming a better OT within the Special Needs Education realm.

Tonight I'm trying to just relax, read a book, pack my bags (we're going to Potch tomorrow afternoon) and get into bed early. Hope everyone had a lovely week!

Feeling yuck...

2009-08-17T19:58:00.002+02:00

I think I've finally come down with flu - after avoiding it for most of the winter!

It all started on Thursday, when I developed a post-nasal drip (leaving me with severe nausea), then on Friday it was a sore throat, and on Saturday came the inevitable - a sore back. I always get terrible backache when I've got the flu. On Sunday came the creepy feeling over my skin, and today came the chills!

So I've been self-medicating on Corenza C, acc200, Barocca effervescent tables, with SinuTabs taken to alleviate the blocked sinuses. I'm not a happy person when I'm sick - I completely loose my appetite, and poor Thinus has to figure out what to feed me. Shame! So bread buns with Bovril and cheese, melted in the microwave, will have to do right now.

The worst is that today when I had to take my niece to ballet, traveling the road I ALWAYS travel on a Monday since the beginning of the year, I could NOT REMEMBER how to get to her ballet class! That was rather a big fright! So Zoé (my niece) told me matter-of-factly that I better not be driving around for the rest of the day. I just sat in the car waiting for her, catching up on my Hand Therapy Projects, and then drove back to her house after Ballet. Then I told my brother he better take Zoé to gymnastics, cause I'm gonna sleep off this stupid flu.

I feel slightly better now, just had my doze of effervescents again, and will now go and watch Survivor. Hope I feel better tomorrow :-\

So that's me, feeling frustrated by this stupid, unwelcome illness.

Hope everyone else is in much better health!

Why I love being an OT...

2009-07-29T22:49:00.002+02:00

This picture depicts what I am striving towards - and may I never get there, otherwise I can't learn more! But it is a good standard to uphold and strive towards :o) I saw this picture and thought, "Now I can explain my love for OT to the world".

Last week whilst I was working with my Gr.2's & 3's (we did a gross motor obstacle course and used a thing called a parachute, made of sail material, to bounce a ball around on!), I realised that I love working with kids. Why, you may ask? Because I have ADHD, and usually I have to contain myself (except when I'm with my family and my OT-colleagues who truly get me, and could not be bothered by my hyperactivity or inattention at times), playing on a gross motor equipment is the most amazing and fun thing EVER!!!! Thus having the opportunity to release my energy, is truly liberating. I love playing with children, and they have such insight at times. And then some children come up with such quirky things!
One of my 6-year patients recently had Botox injections to ease her spasticity in her (CP) hemiplegic side. It has been amazing to see the improvement, now that one muscle group doesn't completely override the other - but even better is that she is using her affected hand much more in activities! Thus she is also building up muscle strength in the affected muscle groups, allowing better motor control and smooth movement. She told me that her mother will tell her - "hold the cup in your weak hand", and she CAN! Then she continued with something along the line of "that lovely Mother of mine, God bless her beautiful heart!" AMEN to that!

As for working with paediatric & adult clients (in the Hand Therapy field) also holds its own rewards. Such as that older patients often can provide one with great wisdom, and even uplift your spirit when you're feeling down. They've had experience in life, and they are very willing to share their life lessons with you, if only you'd allow them. So I'm learning to listen more than I talk with my Hand Therapy clients - a very difficult thing for me as a person! But there is a reason why God gave us 2 ears and one mouth - it should indicate the ratio of listening to talking quite clearly to us!

So overall I just wanted to let everyone know that I LOVE being an OT. God teaches me new things everyday with the patients / clients I encounter. He teaches patience, wisdom, thanks-giving, joy, peace, compassion, and on the odd occasion He teaches me how to grieve with a patient. He is the reason I am an OT, and I hope that I never will forget that! Thus I have to strive to become the best OT that God intended me to be - that is my purpose in life!

Soli Deo Gloria!

A week's worth of work and laughs!

2009-07-13T20:24:00.006+02:00

This past week has been such a fun week. My father-in-law is here from Cape Town for 10 days...and BOY are we having fun! So I thought I would share it with everyone... plus photos on what my beautiful St Joseph Lily buds...how beautifully they've bloomed!

The men hard at work is because my father-in-law decided that we needed some shelves for our kitchen, and I refused to settle for chipboard / laminated wood... I wanted the REAL stuff. It resulted in us buying an old bookcase that were painted with PVA or something, and had to be paint stripped. It was HARD work on all of us, but especially on behalf of my husband and his dad.

And here are also some photos taken on our wedding anniversary when both my parents and myself were cracking ourselves up...over NOTHING! (We were all tired...and then later on I realised that my parents could hold a straight face, whilst I couldn't!)

And this shot I just HAD to put in: Where in the world do you find a BMW 3 Series being guarded by a plastic roaring lion? ONLY IN SOUTH AFRICA!!!

2nd Wedding Anniversary

2009-07-08T22:34:00.004+02:00

Yesterday, the 7th day of the 7th month, Thinus and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary :o) (We got married on 07/07/'07) What a nice day!

We had Thinus' dad here (all the way from Cape Town - 1500 km away - thx Pa Manie!), as well as my parents that came to visit us last night after work (They drove 130 km to come for supper - I really love them so much). It really was a special day, and Thinus even took me out for lunch...

The lunch was a nice way to spend the day, as it is the first time in our entire 8 1/2 years of being in a rela tionship that Thinus made a table reservation at a restaurant for us. We went to the Harvard Café at the Rand Airport and had some delicious food... I had Fettucini Alfredo, and Thinus had a hamburger (he just loves hamburgers!). The food and the conversation was really good!

Then, to really make this day special, Thinus took me to the flower market to buy a bunch of flowers to celebrate the day. Now, for those of you who do not know, Thinus is highly allergic to pollen, and gets terrible hay fever / asthma attacks when he's even just in close proximity to flowers... so this was EXTRA special! He bought me a bunch of pink St. Joseph Lilies which still have to open, with about 3 -4 buds per stem... VERY BEAUTIFUL!

When my parents came for supper, it was really nice to have all the parents here...but we all were sad that Thinus' mom wasn't here to celebrate the day with us. She passed away in November 2008, and I can still remember how happy she was to have made it to our wedding 2 years ago. (She was diagnosed with lung cancer about 2 months before our wedding). But we did enjoy each other's company!

Cleaning this house...

2009-07-02T13:59:00.002+02:00

I'm officially on holiday since Monday, and I had the BEST of intentions to clean my house and sort out my cupboards, etc. Yet, I'm just making more of a mess than actually cleaning.

I'm SO frustrated by our lack of FUNCTIONAL furniture which would allow me more storage space. I suddenly have to make way for all kinds of things, and have to find spots for my husband's XBox games, XBox steering wheel and his hi-fi. This all in an attempt to create a corner for our fax machine and telephone. I just wanna go on holiday where I don't have to face my house!!!!

Anyway, this is all in an attempt to create the illusion that Thinus and I actual have an organised house where we can find ANYTHING at the click of a finger! But, alas, I don't know if that was destined for us!

Let me get away from this computer with its facebook, email and interesting websites.

I better go figure out what I'm gonna do with all the games that are lying sprawled over our lounge-floor. Oh, and did I mention that there are like TEN MILLION CABLES (of various types and function I presume!) of my husband, which I don't know what to do with? And then all the toys in the toy-corner has to be sorted for the nieces and nephews... and then... and then... then the two bedrooms.

Bye nice internet, hello cruel world!

Information overload and GOD IS GREAT!!!

2009-06-22T17:52:00.009+02:00

I'm yet again in Pretoria for another week of lectures, and it being only the first day I am SOOOOOOOOO tired! This has been a day with WAY too much info being pushed into my brain. I cannot really handle the amount of work I have to process before going back to class tomorrow.

We had a class on pressure garments as well as scar management. This was followed by low tech activities one could use in a Hand therapy practice, followed by an afternoon of learning about upper limb massage and joint mobilization. EISH! I am beyond tired.

I only went to bed at 01H00 this morning, after having to finish 34 OT Reports that was due today. I emailed it, got into bed, and slept like a baby until 06H20, when I had to wake up to get ready for class. But that is not all of my adventures...

Yesterday afternoon I was doing the laundry in a twin-tub washing machine, and only half-way through did I take off my wedding ring. My wedding ring is a very small ring with three 4mm pearls on it. The ring is not supposed to be submerged into water, cause it's apparently bad for the pearls, and they can also come loose.

Anyhow, last night I came to Pretoria, and once again moved in with my aunt and uncle for the week. After getting everything out of my car, I was just brushing over my wedding ring with my finger (see two pictures below), when I suddenly realized one of the pearls (the one right at the back on the straight band) was missing. But the best is, I did not cry or even want to cry! I realized that this has happened before (3 times before), and EVERY time we found the pearls in truly miraculous ways. The first time I found my 4mm pearl in the middle of a huge ball-pool! God is AMAZING!

So I called Thinus and said that now is a good time to get me a diamond ring which I can submerge in water and don't have to remember to take off for every encounter with water. He's not convinced though ;-P But I prayed to God at 01H00 this morning (I did look for the pearl, but it was dark and I could not find it outside on the grass or in my car). I asked God to show me where my pearl is, and to find it, IF it is His will ( I know this sounds weird). I told Him that I am rather sentimental of this ring and the pearls, as it reflects a time when this was all we could afford (it was my mother's ring which my dad gave to her on their 25th wedding anniversary, and Thinus only replaced the pearls for our wedding, he could NOT afford a wedding ring), and it is precious to me. This was my heart's wish, just to find this pearl and restore the ring.

This morning when I got up, I decided to look everywhere (again ) I was last night (i.e. under the bed, the grass, the lounge, the kitchen, the hallway...) I also asked my aunt's domestic worker to help me look for the pearl. I went to check the grass again, then my car. And there I found it on the car-floor at the back... just lying there to be found! GOD IS GREAT!!!! To say the least, the pearl is now safely put away, together with the ring, in my luggage bag.

Last year I also asked Thinus for a diamond ring (an eternity ring) to go with my pearl ring, and only when he saw the two combined did he agree. So although I can't wear my wedding ring right now, at least I have the small diamond band to wear (we're talking like 3 mm wide). See the picture on the left (that's exactly what it looks like).

But I miss my pearl ring...I really do. We'll see what we can do about the ring situation, though.

Anyhow, I just wanted to testify that God really looks after us ALL the way, and knows even our smallest heart desire. I don't believe that this is petty, nor that He sees it in such a way. So we can pray to God about things like this...I really was once again proven that He can provide in miraculous ways!

Back to normal...ALMOST

2009-05-17T18:06:00.003+02:00

It has now been more than a month since I last blogged and I must say I've really been SO busy!!! But it's bound to be a bit more quiet around the house until my next study block.

First I had to complete my 3D Finger Model for my Hand Therapy Diploma (2nd study block), then also had to help out with our school's musical production to celebrate 40 years of existence.... And not to mention preparing for my 2nd Study Block in Pretoria for my Diploma. It was all just SOOOOOO hectic!

I got 67% for my 3D finger model, and 75% & 70% for my Physiology Assignment that was due before the 2nd Study Block. I'm so pleased with the end-product, and thanking EVERYONE that assisted and consulted me regarding the finger model. I now understand what David meant when he wrote in Psalms 139:13-16 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am ferafully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." God really WOVE us together, do you know the intricate detail that is in-place for just a SINGLE FINGER?!?!? I cannot begin to describe to you how difficult it is to make a FUNCTIONAL and ANATOMICALLY CORRECT 3D finger model... God is the Creator, He is the Master Engineer...the most amazing Biomechanical Architect! When I deviated even slightly from God's design, my finger model did not work! And when I then fixed the problem by following God's design...VOILA! A working finger model! I really appreciated that Master Craftmanship behind our anatomy, and how intricate the design is to compliment good biomechanical function.

During the 2nd study block-week I had to work with a group to do a presentation on sensibility (your ability to interpret shapes and textures, thus what your are feeling and relating it to what that actual object is). It was SUCH a mission, and in-between we had to study for a test on Friday (8 May), which I got 78% for, although it did not count, it was only to check our progress. I learned a LOT, and was SO tired by the end of that week (4-8 May).

On Friday, 8 May it was also our school's musical production's last concert. I took one of my brothers and his family, my mom & dad, my paternal aunt, Thinus and 3 of our good friends to go see the show. From the first song I was in TEARS!!! These kids at our school struggle with motor planning, auditory perception and copying movements - BUT they out-shone themselves and their disabilities on Friday night! I cried SO much, cause these kids really had to work hard to give this AMAZING concert! The parents & other audience members were proud for different reasons than the therapists... we were AMAZED that these kids could learn how to co-ordinate movements when they're lacking the auditory perception to TIME the movements. But their timing was mostly SPOT-ON!!! Sorry for all the exclamation marks, but I'm just in awe of these kids...I'm so proud to have been part of the process to produce this production along with all the other staff-members. :o) I just love being an OT at a school!!!

For the rest, I've been trying to get back into a normal routine following South Africa's most UNPRODUCTIVE month in the year, namely April. During the month of April we only have 17 working days, as there are so many public holidays - I mean, TWO long-weekends within 3 days of each other? It's hectic! So now I'm getting into routine, sorta...because this coming week our school is hosting the South African CP Conference 2009 from Monday - Wednesday.. EISH. So 3 LOOOOOOOOOOONG days are to follow for me.

Thinus and I returned from a camping trip just over 2 hours ago, which was so much fun! We had to go baby-sit my brother's and friends of ours' children. 6 Children all together...ranging in ages from 3-10 years... the THREE year old gave us ALL our days! He even went missing when Thinus & I tried to fix ourselves breakfast. We finally found him, but I was very upset by that time. And that's how our day started..... It was a long day, but after yesterday I decided I've had my share of kiddies for a while. This keeps my broodiness in check! This was Thinus' 2nd camping trip in 3 weeks, and I believe his 3rd camping trip in his ENTIRE life! But he enjoyed it tremendously...it was just great! (Apart from the fact that I'm busy treating an annoying flu ;-)

So, that's my life in the past 6 weeks, in an egg-shell, cause I've outrun a nutshell's space. I will be posting photos SHORTLY. First I have to now go clean my house.

PS: GREAT NEWS! My baby-brother (read: age 25) is now engaged!!!!! After a short courtship of 4 months, and a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG friendship of 6 years, he and one of our very good and close friends (also aged 25) finally figured out what our entire family has known for the past 6 years --> They belong together as husband and wife! They're getting married next year April, when they have finished their studies and when her favourite flower (the KOSMOS) blooms. We can't wait, and are VERY excited that the entire Kahl-clang will soon be married. SO great!

Cape Town Holiday...and Hand Therapy Project

2009-04-06T17:00:00.013+02:00

It's been FOREVER since I last blogged, but with good reason.

Thinus and I got very busy with school and work, and then illness struck...and it struck HARD! This was after Thinus was surprised with a mountain bicycle from my brother Gielie and his wife, Brenda. Thinus was over the moon, straight into seventh heaven and onto cloud nine when he got the bicycle! We fixed my bicycle, bought some safety gear (helmet for him, reflective cycling shirt for me) and went cycling at 19H00 one night...and that was stupid!

That evening we both became ill, and by the next morning (Wednesday, 18 March), our throats were killing us. Thinus was actually so ill that he had to take two half days (Wednesday, Thursday 20 March). On Friday we had had enough and went to see the doctor, who booked us off. I went back to school the following Monday but still had a fever until the Wednesday (25 March)! Thinus was very ill...and still remains ill. The doctor figured out that Thinus has a super-allergy because of our irregular seasonal changes. He's now on a series of nose sprays to alleviate the allergy, but it's much better now!

Meanwhile we had Gielie and Brenda's children (Ivan, Zoe & Joel) visiting us on 28, 29, 30 March as well as on 1 & 2 April. They slept over and it was SUCH fun. We went to Potchefstroom to visit my parents, and then I took them synthetic Ice-skating on Monday...which had dire consequences. Joel refused to skate and just took pictures of his older siblings. Ivan and Zoe was coming on nicely, and I told them to hold hands so that they could move more flowingly... BIG mistake! At first it worked very well, but then Ivan sorta almost fell, and Zoe did INDEED fall.... and in that moment Ivan actually (very much by accident) skated OVER Zoe's hand...uhm...there was lots of blood!

We drove to the doctor SO fast after tighgly bandaging Zoe's hand, with my niece really screaming very loudly, and I just put on the car's hazard lights and drove as fast and safely as I could. We got to the doctor whilst she was in consultation with Thinus, as he had to go and see her about his continuous illness. She then called in Zoe (after checking with Thinus that she could quickly see Zoe first), and I just stood there with Zoe in my arms, crying almost just as much as Zoe. I felt SO bad that this happened under my care of the kids! But when Brenda came (Zoe's mom), she sat between Zoe and myself and gave us each a tight hug, whilst the doctor saw to Zoe. 5 stitches and some sedatives later, Zoe was a happier and sleepier little girl.

After the doctor, we took Zoe to her first ever clothing shopping trip (the way women do it...trying out a gazillion outfits and only buying a few), as it is my birthday gift to her (we're in Cape Town whilst Zoe's turning 9 in Jo'burg). It was a lot of fun, and after that Ivan and Zoe decided they will return to the Ice Rink, as they had all-day passes. Joel said he will most definitely NOT skate, since Zoe ended up with five stitches! But they had such a jol!

We came to Cape Town on Friday (3 April) together with my brother Heinrich and a friend of us, Carlien. It's been such a wonderful time. Yesterday it would have been Thinus' mom's 54th birthday, so we (Father-in-law, Thinus, myself & Thinus' brother) took off at 06H20 AM and drove to Langebaan to scatter some of her ashes at her most favoured beach / place in the whole world. That gave us all closure, and it was a beautiful day spent with just us.

My mother's best friend's granddaughter (12 years) was also diagnosed with Brain Cancer last week, and our family immediately started praying. It is rather aggressive, and went inbetween her brain's lobes, into her skull and behind one of her eyes. The doctor will be operating on Thursday to do a biopsy and remove some of the tumour from behind her eye to relieve pressure. But we will only know the full outcome then. We went to visit Winé in hospital yesterday, and she was so quiet, not really like the bouncy and energetic kid that I remember from a year ago. Ivan, Zoe and Joel even made her cards to tell her that she should not be afraid, they are praying with her and for her. HOW AWESOME?!?!? We took her a teddy from the entire family, as Linda (my oldest sister-in-law) said that you can't be in hospital without a nice teddy to hug.

PLEASE pray for Winé and her parents and family! They all need the prayers, and we believe in THE Miracle Maker! God can heal, in which ever way He chooses to, and we can only pray!

On a lighter note. I've got this Hand Therapy project that is due very soon...and I have to make a model of a human finger minus the flesh and arteries, nerves and veins. So it's basically gonna be one finger's phalanges (proximal, middle and distal) with its cruciate ligaments, volar plates and attached tendons. It has to be fully functional as well as anatomically correct. I went on search for a skeleton whose phalanges I could impress into potter's clay (mould) and the make a replica of these phalanges. My dad was awesome in helping, as well as my father-in-law! I met up with quite a few people today, including a medical doctor, Dr. Wim de Klerk from Medis (CPT), as well as Paul Hepburn and Attie Bester (Orthotists and Prosthetists) and one of their assistants, Steven Davidson. WOW!!!! Theses guys were all SO awesome in helping me to make a replica of the finger's phalanges. I owe them BIG time! Thinus and I decided we might just leave OT and IT and become orthotists, it seems highly stimulating and satisfying!

So here follows a few photo's of our past week's adventures:

Zoe and Ivan trying to master the guitar.

Thinus&I @ Langebaan to celebrate his mom's life, and to scatter some of her ashes.

Thinus & Heinrich catching a sleep...

Carlien & I @ yet another road-works stop.

Mr. Bones & I, with his finger busy being moulded to make a replica of his middle finger's phalanges. (You can see Thinus in the mirror behind Mr. Bones' head, taking the picture).

Goodbye for myself and Mr. Bones!!!

Going back to Varsity...

2009-02-15T14:21:00.003+02:00

This week was VERY busy! I started my Diploma in Hand Therapy at the University of Pretoria (aka "Tukkies"), and BOY did they make us work hard! Postgrad is tiring and we are chopping down lots of trees with all the gazillions of photocopies we had to make.

But seriously, this was info-overload in its highest grade! I am amazed that I survived varsity at all. I have no clue as to how I survived hour-long lectures and sat in class from 8 - 4pm with only VERY short lunch breaks in-between. I am now really in the mood to join a gym and start exercising, cause that's the only way I can think of that my body won't conk in on me this year! That maybe also explains why I had such a good-looking body back in my 2nd year. What, with all the classes I had to attend, I went to gym EVERY day of the week! So I'm motivated to once again look and feel great. Thinus tends to agree with me on this one, except he's one ahead in that he's already going to the gym at his work. Lucky man!

I stayed in Pretoria the entire week, except for Monday night as I had to go for an interview pertaining my current job. My word, so after a very LONG and BUSY first day at varsity on Monday, I still had to drive back to Johannesburg (70km to our house from Pretoria University), pick up my husband and go for this interview at 19H30 PM! I was SO tired and overworked by the time I got to the interview, that I became extremely stressed and could not eat. I made the mistake of having a bite of a cheese-muffin Thinus was eating, and I was IMMEDIATELY nauseous. After the interview I was exhausted (it was not a very long interview), and Thinus bought us McDonalds. Yeah for an awesome husband! It's been about 1 - 2 months since we last had any take-outs.

Thinus and I missed each other a lot this week, him more than me. I was just so busy at varsity, but in those very rare quiet, uninterrupted moments I would catch myself missing him. He had a hard week at work, but he came home to an empty house every night, poor thing! I, on the other hand, went to stay with my mother's youngest sister and her husband and it was like having parents there while I studied. AWESOME! So I worked hard during the day, drove back to my aunt's place, study, eat, study and sleep.

I better be off now, as I still have to make Sunday lunch, and it's already 14H35 PM!!!

Ciao!

My life is almost back on track..or not ;-)

2009-01-31T19:23:00.006+02:00

I've been really busy around school and at home. Since starting my new job, I've actually had time to help my sister-in-law out with driving the kids around for extra-mural activities. And not only that, I've been able to visit that same sister-in-law (Brenda) way more often. Keeps both of us sane, I suspect!

This week was an exciting week, as the new 4th year OT students came from WITS (University) for their Cerebral Palsy Practical. Not only that, but it turned out that one of the OT students is my Varsity - Residence 1st Year, meaning that I made sure they were alright in first year in Residence, plus they kept me sane at that stage. We were SO happy to see each other that Leigh-Ann (my 1st year, now 4th year, OT student) and I actually ran towards each other then she picked me up and we whirled around whilst screeching with happiness! She was the 4th person to know the night that Thinus and I got engaged – I told her and her roommate about 5 or 10 minutes after we got engaged.

Then, just for the HECK of it, there was a Solar Eclipse (Tuesday 27 Jan, I think?) this week! We got to see it at school when my dad called me to remind me of the eclipse. I think we got something like 35% coverage of the sun in Gauteng. Cape Town actually got about 62% coverage! And then I had my camera at school and got to take photos! (Look at the end of this post, there you will find the photos I took of the solar eclipse.)

Another happy event that happened 3 weeks ago was my dad’s birthday party to celebrate his 64th birthday. ALL of us were there, and I’m also including a family picture at the end of this post. Just to orientate you, here follows the names (and relations) of the people in the photo.

Back row: Brenda (sister-in-law, Gideon’s wife), Dad, Gideon (3rd brother), Heinrich (5th brother), Reinholdt (Oldest grandchild, Otto’s Oldest), Otto (Oldest Brother), Petrus (4th brother), Chantelle(Petrus’ wife), Jesse (sister-in-law, Marthinus’ wife, & pregnant with their second daugther), Marthinus (2nd brother).

Middle row: Joël (with his face turned away; Gideon’s youngest child), Aunty Ina (my father’s sister-in-law), Ivan (Gideon’s oldest child), Mom, Yochanan (Otto’s 2nd child), Eliyahuh (Otto’s 3rd child).

Front row: Thinus (my husband), Myself, Zoé (on my lap, Gideon’s middle child), Linda (sister-in-law, Otto’s wife), Ada (Marthinus’ 1st child), Amy (Petrus’ 1st child) & Netanyah (Otto’s youngest child). The last three girls are all the same age!

Hope you all have a great coming week. I will hopefully write a more informative post in the next week. Ciao!

A New Government Department, A New Beginning...

2009-01-14T15:41:00.003+02:00

Hi to all!

It's been a while since I last blogged. What I can say is that I am doing somewhat better! I went to have a sonar done, and I was treated like a piece of meat being man-handled by a butcher. I still have to go and complain on www.hellopeter.com / .co.za to ensure others that follow will not get the treatment that I got.

I'm not going to go into detail, except to say that

both health care practitioners who saw me remained nameless to me,
did not wear a name tag,
did not introduce themselves (nor greet me properly),
did not say what profession they were in (e.g. radiologist, doctor --> although I knew the last one was a doctor as the previous person who saw me told me to wait for the doctor),
what they were about to do to me (e.g. the gel we are using are gonna be a bit cold, but don't worry)
WHY they were doing what they did (e.g. telling me to move onto my left side and just telling me to breath and hold the breath and not when to expel my breath!)
they did not close the door of the consulting room properly, as the doorhandle was broken.

ALL THIS IN A PRIVATE HOSPITAL!!! It amazes me that people can be treated in this manner, and then it will be said that the person treating them was professional. But there is a HUGE difference between being professional and just plain un-ethical, as I see these health care "professionals" to have been. I've been working in the health care sector for 2 years now (1 year student, 1 year community service OT), and you

GREET someone,
then INTRODUCE yourself,
and then make them FEEL AT EASE,
as well as EXPLAINING ANYTHING you will be doing to them (what you will do and WHY you are doing it)!

I could not believe the way I was treated, and as I related the story and my mal-treatment by the health care "professionals" to Thinus, he kept on asking why I didn't say something. I think it is because I was in such SHOCK that someone could treat you in this manner. I will not EVER go back there again!

The good news is that nothing was found out-of-place(e.g. pregnancy) / wrong (gallstones) from the ultra-sound / sonar, and that it turns out my constant nausea is caused by reflux. But instead of me having heartburn, I only present with extreme nausea. So I'm now on medication to ease the reflux, and it appears to be working most of the time! Yesterday I had a nausea-spell again, and my blood pressure just dropped (with me still having to drive home in the rain!), so that when I got home I fell on my bed and went to sleep immediately!

As for the New Beginnings... I started at Muriel Brand School as an OT on Monday (12 Jan 2009) and could not be happier! I am also VERY happy to state that I have gotten through and have been accepted to study the Diploma in Hand Therapy at the University of Pretoria during this year! Since April 2007 I've been dreaming about studying hand therapy, and now I will finally have the chance to do so! It's gonna be a bit pricy, but that's fine as it all pays in the end. I can barely wait to start my course in 3 weeks' time, but first I have to get my finances in place to actually pay for registration ;-).

The school is awesome, and I love to be surrounded by other therapists. They are helpful and understanding, and I just love that I am once again in a structured and routined setting. We have not yet started treating kids, but on Monday we are starting to screen babies / kiddies. I'm very excited, and slightly nervous about that! Athletic trials are also tomorrow, and then next week we will have to start picking and processing vegetables found in the vegetable garden project together with the older children. Just at a time when I feel that I finally can say I have "green fingers".

Last but not least, today is both my father's 64th Birthday (Lekker Verjaar, Pappa!) and Muriel Brand School's 40th Birthday!

I'm praying that this will be a positive year full of surprises, and some routine, and happy days!

Ciao!

My moaning session

2009-01-07T21:05:00.002+02:00

Right now I am a rather miserable person. I have to go for an (expensive) ultra-sound tomorrow to figure out if I have gallstones / stones in my gallbladder... In turn my faulty gallbladder is causing me to be a very awful person to be with, as I am CONSTANTLY nauseous. NOT NICE.

Our home computer has got a virus on it, with anti-virus software and all. Thinus says he will literally have to rebuild the computer to fix the problem! I can't even get to Mozille Firefox or Windows Internet Explorer due to the virus. Just comes to show you that it's better to pay up money for a good anti-virus than to download freeware / open software.

Now my tax return is also giving me trouble, as the SARS e-filing says I am not typing in the correct info, whatever that may be?! So tomorrow I have to go sort that out... Plus I have to go and pay a speeding fine, renew the car's license and my own driver's license. And inbetween ALL of this I have to clean our house. I forgot to mention the admin / filing that has to be done to sort out all our paperwork before we start with a new year's paperwork (which is already piling up on the kitchen breakfast-nook).

Thus I have turned into a rather depressed little heap, who snaps at the most sincere person (i.e. my husband) and dislikes doing housework. There are heaps of laundry to be done, and yet I can't find the strength in me to just even load the washing machine. So this is me, being all sorry for myself and really struggling to not be so negative about life.

One last thing, the past 2 days I've realised that something smells like it might be decomposing in my spare bedroom/store room. And to get to the smell, I first have to clean the entire spare bedroom to be able to move around in that tiny space. This makes me even more upset, I don't want to clean up all this mess! Even though I am mostly to blame for this mess :-/

May everyone else have a good week, and I really hope my week gets better - SOON!

Keep well. Ciao...

Blessed Christmas!!!

2008-12-24T05:15:00.004+02:00

Hi to everyone!

It's really been quite some time since I've last blogged, but I'm still trying to catch up with all my work that got left behind when I had to leave so suddenly to go to Cape Town (for Thinus' mom's memorial service).

I'm just quickly logging on to say "May you all have a blessed Christmas" from Thinus and myself, as we will be sorta busy for the next 2 days. We're celebrating German Christmas today with my parents and family, and then will spend tomorrow's Christmas day with my brother and his family (for the church service) and Thinus' maternal grandmother and uncle for lunch.

I still have to go and make some fudge and drag Thinus out of bed to make unbaked chocolate cookies - this year everyone is getting home-made goodies from us as we had to really check our budget! But I think it's actually WAY better than getting bought gifts, not that there's anything wrong with bought gifts ;-)

May God really transcend your Christmas and make it a joyful, loving and cherished experience!

Lotsa love,
Ronel & Thinus

Goodbye to a Mother...

2008-12-05T15:34:00.002+02:00

It has been quite a while since I've last blogged. When Thinus left for Cape Town, to be exact... Since then a lot has changed, and I just feel the necessity to blog and share some news.

Thinus left for Cape Town (CPT) on 24 November 2008 to be with his parents, especially his mother who was terminally ill with cancer. His work was wonderful in that they provided him with the necessary airfare to travel to CPT, as well as his own car that he could travel to work and back from his parents' home every day.

Throughout the week Thinus would call me with daily updates, and his father and I spoke quite regularly on the phone. I am rather fond of his father, and it really helped to talk to hom about his wife/my mother-in-law, since she was no longer able to communicate at all. I felt the uttermost dispair whenever I spoke to Thinus or his father, and even just on the way to work. I would cry all the way to work, and in-between patient appointments, and then all the way back from work. I did visit with my family once or twice, but I really wanted to be on my own at home where Thinus could reach me.

I was in Potchefstroom, with my parents this past weekend (the weekend of the 28th Nov) when Thinus once again called me early on Saturday morning (the 29th Nov), and asked "Why does God allow my mother to suffer so much? Why can He not just take her away?". This he asked throughout the week that he had spent in CPT, and I just could not give him an answer. We had watched a DVD by Louie Giglio - "Hope, When life hurts most". This helped us tremendously to deal with his mother's suffering and looming death. But on this particular Saturday, Thinus sounded very hopeless and cried a great deal... and I just prayed that God would take away his mother and end her suffering.

On Saturday afternoon, 29 Nov, at 13H05, Thinus' mother passed away. It was sudden, but peaceful, and her wish of dying at home was fulfilled. Thinus called me at about 13H40 to inform me of his mother's passing, and I suddenly had to start making plans to get to CPT from Potch. We checked the airlines, but there were only vacant seats on SAA, which would cost R2000 ONE way! My youngest brother, Heinrich, then offered to drive with me to CPT, since Thinus and I had initially decided that we would drive to CPT as soon as his mother passes away. But Thinus was there, and I was 1335km away from him. My brother was in anycase on his way to Oudtshoorn, approximately 450km away from CPT, and would've taken the bus to Oudtshoorn the next day to go mountain climbing with his buddies. After having to do a few calculations (regarding time of arrival, etc), my brother and I left Potch at 16H45, gassed up with all clothes necessary. We bought him a bus ticket from CPT to Oudtshoorn, left Potch, slept for 2 1/2 hours in Bloemfontein (about 320km away from Potch) at my 2nd oldest brother's house. We left Bloemfontein, after filling up with some more petrol, at 00H20AM, and got ahead with driving to CPT.

We arrived in CPT at 11H40AM Sunday 30 Nov, and put my brother on the bus at 15H10PM. It was quite a drive, and Heinrich and I had a TERRIBLE breakfast on Lainsburg at the Steers (TOO MUCH OIL!!!), but we enjoyed the roadtrip (despite the reason for having to take the roadtrip).

Thinus' mother's memorial service was held yesterday, 4 December, from their church. It was so good to finally be able to bring closure on this chapter. We had spent this past week just being with each other, and having the idea of no wife/mother around, sinking into our reality.

Margaret Irene Swart will be sorely missed, but we rejoice in her pain-free state and that she can now be with the Heavenly Father, whom she loved SO much! Thanks for everyone's prayers, and please continue to pray for Thinus, his father,Manie, and his brother, John, as well as is maternal grandmother who has lost her beloved daugther.

Ciao...

Indefinite visit...

2008-11-25T00:02:00.003+02:00

This is just a quick update with regards to Thinus' mother (my mother-in-law).

Things have not been looking too great with Thinus' mom since she came out of Rehab following the spontaneous fracture of her right femur just underneath the femoral head (and thus right hip joint). She no longer really has an appetite, sleeps a lot, and seems unaware of small things that used to matter to her - e.g. is her son John at work, have the birds / cat been fed, etc.

Last week Thursday (19 Nov) Thinus called me at work to say that he just had news that his mother is really not doing well. I have asked him to please get onto a plane and go visit with his mother for as long as he needs to. He really did not want to go, saying that he could not bear to watch his mother die without me being with him (which is kinda impossible for me right now, since I have no leave days left for the remainder of this year). But the more I spoke to people who had lost someone to cancer / death, the more I realised how important it is for him to be with his mom or at least close to his mother when she passes away.

On Friday afternoon he called me to say that his big boss had just called and had informed his supervisor that they would send Thinus to Cape Town to work there at their head offices until such time that his mother passes away. It was the biggest blessing ever, and when Thinus came out of a meeting with his supervisor he called to say he would be flying down on Monday (24 Nov). The thing is just we did not know if he would make it in time, as on Saturday his father also called to say that his mother's kidneys seem to be failing.

So yesterday (Monday, 24 Nov) at half past 2 he gets the call from head office to say his flight leaves at 5PM. What a mission, coz I was still in Orange Farm (50km away from home) having lunch with my auntie, and Thinus was still at work (16.5km away from home), working.

But we all made it home, and to the airport on time. I did not have much time to say goodbye and when I called him last night (Monday, 24 Nov) he was rather tired. It had been a very emotionally taxing weekend and day.

Please pray for Thinus, his father, brother, but most of all for his mother. That she may be pain-free and continue to be peaceful. I don't know when Thinus will be returning, and I'm already missing him tons! But I do pray that he will have precious moments with his mother in these last few days.

I've gotta go to bed now, it's been a rather long day for me too. And I have to be up nice and early tomorrow morning!

Ciao!

Photo-update on my life

2008-11-10T17:56:00.006+02:00

Here follows a LOT of photos of how I spent time 2 weekends ago with my family (another installment will follow on what my friends and I did last weekend)

First you will see a lot of family photo's - that was when we spent the weekend of 31 Oct - 2 Nov 2008 with my brother Marthinus, his wife Jesse and their daughter Ada in Bloemfontein to celebrate Ada's birtday and see everyone participate in road cycle races. The kiddies did a "Classic Kiddies Race" on Saturday, 1 November, and my brothers did a 107 km Road Race on the Sunday, 2 November.

Secondly you will see Ada and I with a black doll (well, brown actually) that I made for her birthday and took me THREE years to complete due to the stupid hair having to be woven in strand-by-strand!

The Bloemfontein Weekend / Ada's 3rd Birthday Party:

Illness sucks

2008-11-03T18:34:00.002+02:00

I'm once again sick... for like the 3rd time in one month's time! It's my sinuses again and I think that it also did not help that my sister-in-law and brother has also been ill, and I spent the weekend with them.

Could you all just pray that this continuous illness will subside. It really is affecting my personality negatively, and it makes living with me kinda a nightmare.

So, that's all I wanna say right now. I will post some photo's of our weekend away at some other time. Keep well all!

Ciao!

An update on our lives...

2008-10-29T22:03:00.013+02:00

It's been quite a while since I last posted anything (a full 8 days!!!) so I thought I would quickly update everyone on our lives.

1. Job Applications:
I called every school before applying for each post, just to make sure that the posts were still available. One school that I called said I did not have all the reference numbers, and therefore took my details to call me back with the 3rd reference number that I was missing. They were quite desperate for OT's, and for each job that you apply for there's a reference number, and they had THREE job openings (right now they are 2 OT's having to treat 400 children!). So they called me last Tuesday (21 Oct) to ask if I would come for an interview as they are in desperate need of an OT. And the fact is, they only could call me cause they had my number from the previous week when they had to give me the extra reference number. Apparently our Department of Education in Gauteng Province prolonged the closing date for applications to 31 Oct, which means it will take the HR Section of the Educational Dept about a month to sort through and short-list the applications sent in. Then the schools only receive the short-listed candidates' applications in Dec (by which time our schools are closed for Summer Holidays) and would only be able to interview the candidates in January. Which means they will only appoint the chosen candidates in APRIL (with the start of the 2nd term in the school year). So I would have been without a job for FOUR MONTHS if this school did not have my number! I'm going for the interview on Friday, 31 Oct - and I am really praying that I will be granted this job! God work in misterious ways, and just even the way that they could get hold of me is awesome!

2. Mother-in-Law's Health:
Thinus had to fly down to Cape Town for work on Friday, 24 Oct and got to spend the weekend and these past few days (up until today, Wed 29 Oct) with his parents in Bellville, Cape Town. His company provided him with a rental car as he was not using their accommodation (saving them TONS of money!), and therefore could zip around everywhere that he had to be. He went to see his mother, who is now in a Physical Rehab Step-Down facility where she is receiving OT and Physiotherapy to rehabilitate her following the injury to her right femur bone (by the way, they decided on putting in plates and not doing a hip-replacement, which is down right awesome). My father-in-law had to remind the two ambitious young ladies (OT & Physio) that my mother in law suffers from a lot of pain, and now the instruction board above her bed reads "Respect Pain". How cool is that?!? Thinus says that his mother had her ups and downs, and that his father is really very drained (physically and emotionally). They looked for caregivers to look after his mother during the week, and finally found some qualified home-based caregivers at affordable rates. The whole family is helping out to help and provide for these caregivers. So please continue to carry my mother-in-law in your prayers, as well as Thinus' father.

3. Having a good life:
I spent the weekend with my parents, driving back to Jo'burg on Monday morning (actually first to Orange Farm and then to Jo'burg after finishing off my work day). I also slept over at my 4th brother's house on Monday and yesterday again to try and lessen the missing-my-husband part. By yesterday I was SO ready for Thinus to come home!!! Tonight when I went and fetched him at the airport, I literally RAN into his arms and started sobbing because it was so good to see him again and be able to HUG him!! He says the flight was somewhat rough, but the pilot must have found the short-cut between Cape Town and Jo'burg, bcoz even though their flight was delayed in the Cape, the STILL landed on-time in Jo'burg. (Apparently the flight took only 1 hour 40 minutes, a total of 10 minutes shorter than usual!)

So this weekend Thinus and I will join 3 of my other brothers to go and visit our 2nd oldest brother in Bloemfontein to celebrate his daughter's 3rd birthday (and the brothers are also participating in a Road Cycle Race on Sunday of 107km!!!). We are completely looking forward to the weekend and just taking time to relax - we are all putting in leave for Friday so that we can leave early for Bloemfontein, which is about 470km from Jo'burg.

And that's about it...and I know by now this post is no longer falling in the "just-a-quick-hi-and-bye"-category, but I hope that it brought you up to date on what's up in our lives. Hope you have a good weekend, cause I'll be spending it away from the computer!

Ciao!

PS: Here are some of the photos of the past two weeks - I included some of the pictures we took at my niece and nephew's Sea Scout Water Sports Day. It was SO cool!

My neighbour, Charmaine, and I after our first official swim for the summer. The piece of cloth around my hair is my swim shorts - I had to keep my wet hair out of the way!

The bottom picture is of Thinus and I, also after the first official swim of the summer...

Ivan (right) and Zoé (left) preparing for their Kayak Water Polo Event - what a JOL that was?!?!

Joel is always climbing ANYTHING that he can find that will support his hands and feet - even his sleeping uncle Thinus!

Zoé and I (known as Aunty Dolla) taking a little rest next to the lake...whilst Oom(uncle) Thinus, Joel and my brother Gideon (in orange shirt and wide-brim hat) heads back to the shade.

Gideon read a bit while we waited for everyone to finish of their games for the day.

The prize-giving was quite something! And I just LOVE the outfits that the Sea Scouts wear - Sea Officer hats whilst in-land, and a nice 1400km away from the sea!

Long Time No See!!!

2008-10-21T06:19:00.014+02:00

It's been a while since I last blogged, although I've really wanted to blog in the last week. I collected photos to put on my next blog entry, and stories to tell....and then I never got to the blogging part!

Thinus and I, together with our neighbour, went for our first swim of the summer on Tuesday, 14 October, and BOY was that fun?!?! We did laps and water aerobics (my tummy muscles ache just at the thought of the water aerobics) and cooled down a LOT! We even took some photos afterwards to commemorate this big event in our lives...how exciting! As for the rest of my exercise, I even went to play squash for the first time in 3 months on Wednesday, 15 October. So I am rather proud of my physical activity these last few days, as I usually am a lazy girl. The thing is, I'm one of those lucky people who only have to exercise twice to see results, like in several pounds (not so many kilograms) - that makes me lazy coz I know that I don't need to exercise often to get results. Not a good way to live a healthy lifestyle!

Regarding my job hunt - I applied for no less than FIFTEEN jobs between Wednesday and Thursday of last week. God has been SO awesome, really changing me from the inside and my attitude towards other sectors of public service, such as the education sector. I have a love for children with learning difficulties, but I have some difficulty enjoying working with children with Cerebral Palsy, as my experience with most of these children are that they are not disciplined and lack respect for me as the therapist (I've been slapped and kicked more times than you can imagine). Even if your child is disabled, they need discipline and routine, and if they don't have this they wreak havoc, just like any other typical child would do without these basics. But children with learnding difficulties, I GET them. I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, and the early diagnosis spared me a lifetime of hardship (like my dad had to experience until being diagnosed at age 49?). I knew how to structure my own environment to avoid external stimulation and consequent distraction. Thus I can truly empathise with children that have learning difficulties, as I also have one. So the point of this whole rambling on?

I am now really looking forward to the idea of being a therapist in a school setting, as it will challenge me as a person and as a therapist. The fact that there are added benefits (increase in basic salary, more holidays/leave and less hours per day) also helped to change my mind! I will have more time for Thinus and myself, and my studies...maybe even a little pink foot? But the point is, God really miraculously provided in Thinus and my needs. It turns out that our Gauteng Department of Health are freezing all permanent posts (so if you are not a permanent yet, good luck trying to become permanent if you were on a contract for your community service year) due to over-spending by some major hospitals! I found out about the job vacancies in Dept of Education a cool 7 days before the closing date for application! And here I was applying for Department of Education as well as 3 posts in Dept of Health, not knowing that Dept of Health would not be able to offer me a job! So God really intervened in this matter, knowing that a job at a school would aid Thinus and me tremendously! Praise GOD!

Finally, regarding my mother-in-law...I'm afraid that she's had another serious set-back. She fell on Sunday night, and by yesterday (Monday) her right leg was VERY swollen and she experienced tremendous pain! She was taken to the hospital by ambulance (the driver was SO nice and only drove like 15km/h to prevent her from feeling too much pain and went EXTRA-slow over bumps!) and was immediately admitted. It turns out that she has broken her right femur just underneath the hip joint (that's the area where she has bone-cancer in her hip-girdle), and they had to do surgery to fix the problem. Thus they did an ORIF surgery (i.e. Open Reduction and Internal Fixation) to align the bones and secure the hip as well as the femur bone. Thinus spoke to his father last night, and it sounds as if they had to do a hip replacement, due to her bones being so brittle from the cancer. The doctor says that he cannot guarantee her mobility but that they are aiming towards as much comfort as possible for my mother-in-law. She was admitted to intensive care unit to get through the night, and we will find out this morning how she is feeling. Please pray for my mother-in-law and that her pain will be managed better. Also for Thinus' maternal family, especially his grandmother who is really being hit hard by the foresight that her child might not make it through this. Thinus and I spoke about it, and it is easier to accept to lose a mother (as it is inevitable) than to lose your child (that's just not normal). We are trying to be strong for the family, but we also cry with each other when it all just gets too much. We just wish his mother to be pain-free, as that would really improve her quality of life!

Anywhooo, I'm gonna have to go now so that I can still eat breakfast, bath and get dressed for work before it's too late! I will add some photos when I get a chance to!

More illness and happy days at home!

2008-10-10T07:52:00.008+02:00

On Monday I wrote about my B-day and being ill...and then some more. So on Tuesday I went to work, on my way with the Government Transport from Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital (Soweto) to Orange Farm (about 27 km from there), I became SOOOO tired!! As I'm typing this the drowsiness is overpowering me again.

When I got to work I could not think straight and struggled to walk straight! I had difficulty dealing with my morning patients, and then realised I better rebook my afternoon patients or I might just have a narcoleptic attack and crush one of my kiddie-patients! I then fell asleep in one of our consultation rooms (after rebooking my patients) on an examination table (YIKES! - those tables REALLY hurt your body after 2 1/2 hours of sleeping on them!). I was only awoken by 14H00 by a doctor that decided not to give our OT Assistant a message, and wanted to give a message DIRECTLY to me (I did not appreciate that!).

When I spoke to Beauty (our OT Assistant) she asked me, "Are you not maybe pregnant?". And honestly I thought that there is a strong possibility that that could be true, coz I've never been THIS tired in my entire life! And when I got into the Government Transport and we picked up my friend and another female doctor from Lenasia-South Community Health Centre (read: Clinic) they also wondered if I might not be pregnant. So when I got home in the afternoon, I took my car and drove to the local mall to pick up not ONE but TWO pregnancy tests, just to make sure! (I ended up only using one of the tests) And I did the test..and it was negative. (It sucks when you now decide that there is a very real possibility that you're pregnant, have figured out the text-message you're gonna send everyone, just to find out the test is negative!) You see, Thinus and I would LOVE to have kids right now, but our finances will not like it. There is a lot to consider, and with me possibly going back to study next year (albeit a part-time diploma), money can sometimes become a bit tight!

So when I spoke to my mother on Tuesday night, she ALSO asked me if I'm pregnant and at least I could affirm I'm not! But then on Wednesday morning I wake up, and I'm EXTREMELY dizzy! Plus I had aweful stomach cramps, compliments of a mild gluten intolerance that I have and aggravated by eating a whole TIN of Woolworths' Shortbread biscuits! That's when my husband decided that I have to get to the doctor. He then proceeded to take the day of work (and in anycase did his work from home) and took me to the doctor.

The doctor told me I have a serious case of Sinusitis, to the point that I now need to take anti-biotics! I could not believe that Sinusitis could be THIS bad?!?! So now I am on Augmentin SR (these pills are as big as suppositories!), and an antibiotic nose spray that smells like LAVENDER! Yes, you heard me - LAVENDER! (Not nice to spray floral-scented nose sprays into a Sinusitis, and currently hay fever-plagued nose!). Oh, and then I'm also now on Beclate, another nose spray smelling of flowers but is actually a cortisone-based spray to open up airways. And for the big finale, I'm now taking a multi-vit. Previously I was just taking VitB12 &Folic Acid.

And the best?! I've been booked off work until Monday, 13 October. Coz if I don't start looking after myself, my patients will no longer have a nice OT looking after them! Thus I've decided to spend yesterday at my sister-in-law's house, basically vegging out on couch and bed. I did have to sleep a little bit, but mostly I just took things slowly. I also had the time to finally finish the painting of an orange and yellow Gerbera that I wanted to give to this particular sister-in-law.

Whilst at my sister-in-law's place, her children built an Egyptian Shaduf as part of their science & technology lesson (they are home-schooled). It came out SO cool, so please click on the link I provided and read about the purpose of this particular tool. Here are some photos of their Shaduf (built in their back yard!)

Today I'm staying at home, having to get some sort of order in our house, because I'm VERY ashamed regarding the current state of my house! And I will probably do some painting, starting a new painting project and all. Plus we are house-sitting my 4th brother's house (it's got a jacuzzi and satellite TV [similar to cable TV]!! YEAH!!!) for the weekend, and I can't wait to just veg out in front of the TV and sleep late!

But that's me for now! I hope to speak of only good things next week! God Bless!

Ciao!

My 23rd Birthday...Aardklop...and the Psychosocial Presentation

2008-10-06T22:50:00.008+02:00

23rd Birthday!!!
Today is my 23rd Birthday, and I'm happy to announce that I am still alive and kicking! It was a strange, and at the same time blessed day!

It started this morning with Thinus and myself waking up to sing "happy birthday" to one of our close friends. And then Heinrich Niemoller (our close friend) said "Oh, but Ronél, Happy Birthday to you too". Uhm...*GULP*...Thinus and I had forgotten that it was my birthday! hehehe! Thanks Heinrich for reminding us that you and I share a birthday!

The bad part about my birthday was, and still is, that I am currently sick with sinusitis, blocked ears, a bad case of hayfever (I've NEVER had hayfever before, but due to drastic weather changes and there not being a lot of rain up to date, THIS year I got it!), post nasal drip (with secondary nausea) and a sore throat. Not a stunning way to start your birthday! But I went to work...and then went home due to being ill. I did get spoiled yesterday (had my birthday party then), and then got the "Onbeskaamd Live!"-CD (STUNNING Afrikaans praise and worship - check out the website!) and the book, "The five love languages" by Gary Chapman with money given to me by my dear friend, Jessica.

I've also been chowing on my shortbread biscuits that I got from my surrogate family in Jo'burg, the Benecke's. It's really been nice this afternoon to listen to my CD, and just chat to everyone that called.

Aardklop...
The festival was the same than any other year...except that Angke and one of her architecture friends, Peet, joined us for a lovely weekend. We spent a LOT of time on visiting and WAY too little time on sleeping! What I did not like about the weekend, was that there were so many DRUNK people, especially young people who are either in Gr.12 or are students at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. So read more about my husband and my experiences at and experience of Aardklop on his blog.

Psychosocial Presentation
I was up till 3 on friday morning to write this presentation..and God just KNOWS how to bless His children! It went very well with the presentation and a lively discussion followed the presentation. After the discussion as said "Thank you for participating in this discussion, and I hope that you enjoyed the presentation"...and would you know? I GOT AN APPLAUSE!!! No one has received an applause for their presentation this entire year, and here I was: dog-tired, worried about the presentation, and busy becoming ill with WAY too little sleep. And I got an applause?!?! God truly is faithful and worthy of praise!

For the rest I enjoyed my weekend and my day, and now I just wanna get to bed. My husband bought me a Temptations High Viscosity Memory Foam Pillow - but I should actually be saying "cushion", cause it really cushions your neck! It is the most awesome pillow ever, and is very good for correct spinal alignment during night time. So instead of sleeping with the normal 3 pillows all stacked on top of each other, I now only need ONE pillow, and BOY is this pillow heavy! Thinus says if we now have a pillow fight, I'll probably end up with either a concussion or a traumatic brain injury! Hehehe!

But enough of all my pressies. Hope you guys have an awesome week!

Ciao!

Psychosocial Presentation

2008-10-03T02:53:00.006+02:00

It is now 02H30 am, and I am SOOOOO tired! Like my Zulu patients at the clinic would say "Katele Kakhulu!" - meaning I am Tired Big! (Very directly translated ;-) )

I just finished my presentation for Psychosocial Meeting, with the Psychologists and OT's from all the clinics in JHB Metro Region A, that I have to give later this morning (in about 6 hours' time - BLEH!). It took me quite some time to actually get to the sitting-down-and-doing-the-presentation-part, but once I started I was on the roll and I just could not stop! It is titled "Taking a Chance on a Second Child (as borrowed from a New York Times article by Michael Winerip) - Impact on a mother's decision to have another child following the birth of a disabled child".

I am glad to say that I think it is a pretty neat piece of work, and that a lot of research went into making sure I presented a well-rounded picture.

But now I MUST go to bed! I have to get up at half past 5 to start packing for my weekend away in Potch! We are going to attend Aardklop, the local Arts Festival in Potch that is held every Spring Vacation. Check out the website...although it is predominantly Afrikaans. However, more and more English, as well as African productions are being introduced into the festival.

AND then I have to come back EARLY on Sunday morning, since I'm having my birthday party on Sunday afternoon, and still have to come clean the house! (I'm turning 23 on Monday...eish...old-age is now setting in LOL!)

So jah, let me get to bed!

Ciao!

A wife once again...and the new South African President

2008-09-25T20:35:00.002+02:00

My husband came home in the wee hours of this morning from Cape Town...after driving 14 hours to get to Jo'burg and sleep in his own bed. And it did not do my nerves well to think that he and Marco were driving whilst actually being dog-tired due to continuous road-works along the way! So I am happy to report that I once again have a husband in the house, and that he is much more awake after taking the day off work!

His mother has not been doing very well, and Thinus said that she complained of severe pain (headache I assume) yesterday. I could actually HEAR her crying yesterday morning when I was speaking to Thinus over the phone, and he was 2 rooms away from where she was. So please continue praying for her, and that her pain will stabilize. Only God knows what lies ahead for her and Thinus' family, and I find my strength in the fact that He never takes us through situations / experiences which we can't handle.

As for our new president...uhm...jah. BEFORE today I've NEVER heard of this guy in my LIFE! And it's not as if South Africa is a very big country... His name is Kgalema Motlanthe and if you wanna know more about this dude, feel free to click on his name and you will be directed to an article published in the UK Guardian today. Besides for him being chosen for the President, I also have NO IDEA who this new deputy-president of ours is... a certain Mr. Baleka Mbete. So please read the article attached to the link by clicking on his name.

And then...for all the political turmoil that follows the resignation of our previous president, Thabo Mbeki on Sunday afternoon (21 September 2008). I think about 11 of our ministers and about 3 deputy-ministers have resigned from the cabinet since Thabo Mbeki put forth his resignation. I've stopped trying to keep track of who's resigned, who came back on board (for example Minister Trevor Manuel - Minister of Finance) and who has moved elsewhere (e.g. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang - Minister of Health...right NOW I don't know WHAT she is, but she is part of the presidency). So I've lost track of what is happening in my country...and it terrifies me. But I do believe that God is watching over us, and that He is ultimately in control, even with the human free-wil given to us.

So I will try keep you updated regarding the happenings in South Africa. However the changes come about so quickly that it is hard to keep track. Hope this week is blessed for everyone else, and that the weekend is relaxing!

Ciao!

Hubby's short-term farewell...

2008-09-23T05:25:00.006+02:00

It is now almost 05H30 in the morning...and I've been up since about 04H15! The reason for such unreasonable times to be awake? Uhm...my husband has a business meeting in Cape Town today, and his plane leaves at 06H30. This means that he was picked up at 5 o'clock to go to the airport, by his friend (Marco) and the friend's mother.

The cool thing about him flying to the Cape, is that he will get to spend the evening with his mother, father and brother. And if I have my way, with his best friend as well! (I'm gonna call his best friend's wife at 06H30 to tell her Thinus is at his parent's home for ONE NIGHT ONLY... I know that he will really love to see Ettienne (the best friend)!) Another awesome thing is that only his dad knows that he is coming, and he had to keep it a secret since SUNDAY AFTERNOON! I think Thinus' mother is gonna be thrilled beyond words to see her son!

Thinus and Marco will be driving back from Cape Town (a cool 1,500 km OR 932 miles) to bring Marco's company car back to Jo'burg. So Thinus decided that they will probably stop over at my 2nd brother's house in Bloemfontein [Bloemfontein to Jo'burg is about 420 km / +- 261 miles] (I'm including the picture of the South Africa Map, so you can fathom these distances!). Then they get to see my very cute niece (the one that I took pictures of in my wedding dress?!?) So I'm either seeing my lovely husband tomorrow night or Thursday morning. But it's worth the wait, and he gets to see his mother!

So I'm all lonely now..but NOT FOR LONG! I get to spend this evening and the WHOLE of tomorrow (which is a Public Holiday ~ Heritage Day) with my family on the other side of Jo'burg! I'm really happy about it, coz I have not seen my brother (my oldest brother) in about 4 weeks, and it's been a week since I've last seen my sister-in-law and the niece & nephews. So I'm sure it's gonna be a blast. Only thing is, my brother and his family are Jewish, and I've not stayed over at their house since they made this transformation a few years ago (They were living in the Eastern Cape, and I was studying in Jo'burg..so I didn't get to see them that often). But I'm sure that we will be able to get past that fact.

Ah well, I better go and pack my overnight-bag now. I will go to my brother's house straight from work...YIPPEE!!!!

PS: Thinus' mother's pain is quickly spreading, especially being really bad in the fontanelle region of her skull. This is because the cancer has spread to the frontal skull bones. So please pray for her, just for some relief from the pain. The medication does not always take away all the pain, and then all we can do is pray.

I have direction!!!

2008-09-17T15:18:00.006+02:00

I have been threatening for a while now to apply for a Postgraduate Diploma in Hand Therapy at the University of Pretoria (PTA, South Africa). And this afternoon I FINALLY did it!

I've paid for my application, I've signed the contract, and now I'm just waiting for my new student number so that I can fax through the signed contract to the university. I cannot tell you how psyched I am!

Last year I realised how much fun Hand Therapy really is (when I was supervised by two EXCELLENT Occupational Therapy Hand Therapists at Johannesburg General Hospital). Since then I've known that I really want to study further in this direction. But up to now I have not gotten around to it.

That was until I was asked at my interview on Monday if I have applied for the postgrad diploma yet..and I had to answer "No". That really made me think I better do it fast! So this afternoon (I'm home because I'm still recovering from illness) I actually gathered up all my nerves and called the PTA University to get all the necessary info and how to go about applying for this diploma. And I just LOVE internet, 'coz I did it all via internet without any difficulty (I must say that they have an excellently designed application website!).

Now I know what I will be doing next year, besides for working for the Government's Gauteng Province Health Department. (I am not allowed to study this year, because I'm doing my Community Service Year and that's basically like your internship...or something ~ but you do get paid!)

So yah, just thought I'd share this exciting bit of news with you all! I better get back to bed now...my body is yearning for some rest :o)

Ciao!

The inevitable

2008-09-16T20:39:00.006+02:00

There was always one thing in life that I had wished, as a grown-up, to avoid...to never face, to NEVER have to participate in. And that was: The first job interview".

Yip, you heard me! I had to go for my first ever job interview...it was inevitable~ It just had to happen...and I think it went alright. That was until I started replaying the interview in my head --> over and over and over again! Not clever, cause then you start picking up on all your mistakes. And believe me, when you are interviewing for the post of an Occupational Therapist, there ARE mistakes you can make. What mistakes, you may ask?

Things like, applying the wrong patient right to a given scenario; or getting the type of treatment given to a Guillian-Barrè patient in an acute setting right the first time! EISH! Oh yah, and how would you correctly supervise an Occupational Therapy Assistant within the hospital setting...uhm...gave them my answer. I'm wondering if my answer was in line with what they were thinking?...

Anycase, so I went for the interview, both the longest and the shortest 10 minutes of my life! I can't believe that they can actually decide your fate based on 10 minutes spent with me, but okay. And this interview happened with me being ill.

I've been ill since last week Wednesday, having dizzy-spells, sometimes having some nausea, and feeling like my blood-sugar levels were dropping every half 'n hour or so. Plus I had this constant, but not too high fever that would not go away even after taking Paracetamol to fix the problem. But by late afternoon yesterday, it ALL became clear to me. I had developed a bladder-infection (which explains every last symptom!), and it was NOT pleasant!

This morning I called my doctor (one of my sisters-in-law) to ask if I should still not eat/drink anything to take a fasting blood-sugar level test, or if I could PLEASE drink some water and a Urispas tablet since I had now solved the puzzle. She then said that's fine, and that I should just come in for a prescription and a note off work.

The worst is, this morning I woke up (unbeknown to me)at HALF PAST THREE!!!! This is because a bladder infection brings on this beautiful urgency to want to urinate every 2 seconds...3 drops at a time! It was aweful, and because I was still actually asleep I cried a great deal and kept my husband up with me. Now I know why I married this guy! He came and sat with me in the bathroom...to comfort me and just be with me. Then he switched on the TV for company when he had to go back to bed to get just a little bit of rest in until he had to get up for work. He even drove to work, and then I just drove to my (other) sister-in-law (where I spent the day). He was awesome! I love this guy to bits!

Anyhow...a little bit of last-minute info. Thinus (my husband)bought a Sinotec 32" LCD TV yesterday, after having to go without TV for the past 2 or 3 months (I begged him to get rid of our previous TV, which was about 20 years old and giving us more trouble than joy)! And the best is, he bought it for R4899 at Game Stores, as he was able to PRICE BEAT the original price of R5999 with R1000 at Makro (who sold the TV for R4999). The cool thing is, on Saturday he renewed his contract with Vodacom, and got a nice old R2600 voucher with his new contract. Then he Price-Beat Game Store's price, and then he only had to pay in R2300 to buy the beautiful TV! He is the happiest man alive, and now can play X-Box and watch all the UEFA Soccer Games in STYLE! I'll put up some pictures when I'm a bit more rested.

For now I'm going to say ciao. Still have one call to make, and then it is sleepy time!

Painting = Expressing the Soul

2008-08-30T07:21:00.014+02:00

About 1 month ago I once again became interested in painting. I used to paint when I was in St.9 / Gr.11, but nothing serious. So I bought a few canvases, new brushes and borrowed my brother's acrylics.

The first painting I did was finished in about 4 hours, and I thought "This is the BOMB!"... until I went to Cape Town and visited my parents-in-law and cousin, of whom my father-in-law and my cousin helped me to improve on technique. My first painting is on a 5"x7" canvas.

Then I produced (with a lot of help and input) the MOST AWESOME yellow and orange rose ever to be painted by me (Okay, it was only the 2nd rose I have ever painted)! It's about the size of an A4 paper...the rose in any case, excluding the border. So the challenge when I got home, was if I could repeat this incredible feat without the assistance of other people...especially my cousin who really gave me such good advice on technique.

I then continued to paint an orchid with only the computer screen to guide me with regards to colour. That was rather difficult, and after a few days I still just wanted to change the think, cause you ALWAYS can change / improve a painting even more! This orchid was painted on another 5"x7" panel.

So please, ladies and gentlemen, feel welcome to view the first presentation of Ronél Swart's paintings!

This is the first painting, titled "Silent Rose".

This is the 2^nd painting, titled "A New Beginning". I painted it for my mother-in-law, so that she can also have something nice to look at everyday and know that my husband and I are always thinking of her. She proceeded to hang it up on the wall opposite to where she sits, and says that when she wants to talk to GOD, she finds silence by looking at the rose. Very comforting for us to hear!

This was my 3^rd painting, titled "Bowing Out Gracefully". I gave it to my mother, she and my father share a deep affection for delicate flowers. My mother also put it up on the wall opposite her bed, so that she can look at it everyday. I love my mummy!

Life in Orange Farm...

2008-08-23T06:50:00.005+02:00

As you could read from my profile info, I'm currently working as an Occupational Therapist in Orange Farm. I also have/had this very nice Samsung U700 mobile phone which has taken a few knocks since last year when I got it, coz I kinda make anything fall easily (except for babies!). So I thought, hmmm...just another year with this phone until I can upgrade on my contract at my service provide. Okay...that's the background to what follows next.

Yesterday I was alone in my department at work at around 12H30pm when two guys saunter into my Child therapy treatment room (adjoining my office). They looked kinda weird, they smelled of alcohol and they were carrying an old plastic clothes bag (Edgars or Jet? I'm not sure) with them.

I was busy doing some sewing, and quickly had to iron a band to make its seam. So there I was ironing, with all my stuff laying on my desk - my phone, the sewing machine, a very sharp pair of scissors, all the material, the iron I was using to iron the material with, and so forth. You get the picture, a very messed up and "deurmekaar" desktop!

These guys then come and say that they wanna ask me something, so I'm like "Yes, how can I help you?". They were standing in such a way that they were blocking the room entrance from me, I'm basically in a corner. They start pulling out old clothes from the bag and try to sell it to me. I told them "I don't have money, no thank you", but they persist. So once again I tell them "I don't have money, I'm not interested, thank you". But they ask me, what about this piece of clothing. They just could not get the hint that I didn't want or needed to buy clothes (and I suspected if anyone bought clothes from them the guys would have used the money for MORE alcohol - I don't know, that's just a calculated guess I made).

Now the guys were standing so that one was on my left in front of me, one stood on my left, but more towards my back. So that one behind me asks again "What about this for R40?", and I turned to him and said "I'm NOT interested, I DON'T have money, can you guys please leave now?".

They did leave, and about 3/4 of an hour later, whilst I was busy packing up everything... my phone was GONE! I first tried to think and be rational about this and looked everywhere that it could possibly have been - my handbag, all my drawers in my office, rummaging through all the material I had just used.

Nothing turned up, so I calmly walked to our Matron's office and asked if I could use the Clinic's cellphone as I was looking for my cellphone and I thought it might be stolen. She was very shocked, and I told her it might just be missing, but I suspect that it was stolen, please give me a few moments. I went back to my department, called my phone and after the first ring someone put the phone down. I called again, same thing, after one ring someone put the phone down.

This is when I knew that I had to get my phone and SIM-card blacklisted, so I quickly called my husband and relayed the story to him (with a lot of emotion!). It turns out the guys distracted me with that last question and when I turned around to the guy behind me, the guy in front of me took my phone from my desktop.

I went back to Matron's office, and she asks me "Where is this therapist?" which I reply to her "this therapist has already left for home". She asked where the other two therapists were, and again my reply was the same. So uhm...ja, bit of a problem cause they left when they weren't supposed to leave!

I have since thought this over a million times, and I'm VERY greatful towards God. I was ALONE in my department, there were very sharp scissors on my desk --> these guys could've stabbed me. I was ALONE in my department, with 3 doors between me and the exit of the department --> these guys could've raped me. They ONLY took my phone, without me realising, and left me alone!

God is AWESOME, He truly protected me. So I have forgiven the guys, and pray that they will find the Lord and repent their wrong-doings. But I'm very frustrated as I lost a few hundred photos stored on my micro-SD memory card.

So this is what I learned yesterday:
1. It's not good to be alone in the department at 12H30 on a Friday afternoon (My husband says that I must tell Matron that I will be working half days on Fridays as a I'm no longer safe on my own and all my colleagues have left by then. On Friday ALL my fellow therapists / colleagues had left already for their "unofficial Friday half day" as always that the matron doesn't even know of! I don't take unofficial half days, I feel that I get paid for a full day, thus I must WORK the full day, EVEN on a Friday!)

2. God's mercies are new every morning, and this day He was REALLY merciful!

3. I must really carry my cellphone out of sight and VERY close to my body to prevent further such events.

4. I'm VERY greatful for insurance, I can now get a new phone --> YIPPEE and next time I will ensure the phone for more than it's worth as I will always have to pay an excess amount of R600 when I make a claim.

So this has been a very long post, but you know, I just had to get this all out of my thoughts and on ... uhm.. digital paper? Keep well and have a good weekend. Be safe and pray for God's protection - ALWAYS!

Ciao!