Hi, I'm glad you stopped by to find out more about me. The following is a testimony of how God has worked in my life. My nickname,"ROSEBUD ", came about by me learning the hard way how to stop and smell the roses. This is my story......

This is the story of how God has worked in my life over the past 12 years, molding me into the person He created me to be(He's still molding),and of me learning to be content in the place He has for me. My walk with the Lord began nearly 30 years ago on the shores of Spirit Lake, WA(the beautiful lake that was wiped out whenMt. St. Helens blew her top), when I asked Jesus into my heart. The years since have been full of both blessings and heart aches, but for now I would like to share with you where I am today and how I got here.

One of my biggest heart aches was not being able to have a child. Then in May of '87 my dream of becoming a mother finally came true. It had been 9 long years of emotional ups and downs that a person experiences with infirtility. All the disappointments & heart ache was over, or so I thought(later I grieved for the loss of bearing a child). On the day that Chrissy(2 1/2) & Jason(3 1/2) became my children by adoption, I didn't have a clue to how my life as a mother would be.

During the preschool years I was Super Mom to the rescue!! Yes, the kids had suffered neglect and abuse, but according to the state case workers, all they needed was a loving home. Well, you can take a child out of an abusive environment, but it is not that easy to take the results of abuse out of the child. I was planning on Homeschooling, and did a lot with them in those early years. But by time they were school age I was burnt out !!!I was feeling totally overwhelmed w/raising these special kids that had so many needs. The mental (FAE) and academic disabilities were becoming, more obvious, so I sent them off to Public School to be taught by professionals.

Now I would have a life again!! At first I started working part time waiting tables. It was nice to have adult conversation, and exciting to meet people from around the world, who had come to see our famous Mountain(St.Helens).I remember one particular night waiting on a gal that I knew, she was surprised to see me working. As usual we were busy, and I told her,"that a night of running my tail off , beat staying home and being a referee". Now I can honestly say I would rather be a SAHM(Stay At Home Mom) than anything.

In '92 I headed back to college hoping to full fill a 20 year dream of getting an education. I thought I finally knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, a counselor, with a MSW. There was one big problem, this was not what God had in mind for me. He was putting up road blacks, but I wasn't listening. On the day of my placement exams, I woke up w/chest pain. Half way through the testing the pain became severe, and I some how managed to get myself to the ER. It turned out that I had pericaditus(inflammation of the sac around the heart), I was very sick for 3 months. Then by fall I took the exams and started classes. My kids were doing ok in school and I was enjoying college life, when in the middle of my 3rd term, I started having sever pelvic/back pain. I end up being sick for a couple months(w/out a dx), but was never quite the same. I made a feeble attempt to return to school only to become ill again. I was finally dx w/Lupus, and later Fibromyalgia.

The next 3 yrs was a time of not only physical pain, but a lot of grief over the loss of my dreams and life as a able bodied person. During this time my son was in upper elementary were he suffered from academic failure, daily teasing from his peers, and was sliding deeper into depression and behavior problems. I struggled with the PS staff in an effort to get him the help he needed. Now, looking back I would give anything to go back to the beginning of his 4th grade year, to bring him home to learn, which is what he needed. But I thought
there was absolutely NO way that would work!!

Well, finally God got thru to me, and Jason spent 7th grade at home.It was difficult, and I had many doubts, but the change in him was worth it. Jason is starting his 3nd year of Hs'ing and Chrissy a 7th grader her 2nd year of learnig at home.

Today I am semi homebound due to my disabilities, but there is no were else I would rather be. I have learned the hard way where God wants me to be. I have gotten an "education", I just don't have degrees hanging on my wall. I may not be a MSW, but I am a contented SAHM!!!!

Besides being a Hs'ing SAHM, I am a wannabe writer, and I love to create with my hands. I have dabbled in painting with water colors, drawing, and counted cross stitch. But, now all my spare time is spent expressing myself via my computer keyboard. I have just completed an HTML course, and I'll soon be leaning to make computer graphics.

Well, I guess that is enough about me, for now. Thanks for taking the time to read my story.