Lisa Plett

Thursday the 13th was a good day, first it was one of my best friend’s birthdays and also my dad’s birthday, he would have been 89 years old. He celebrated his 26th birthday in Heaven this year. Thursday was also good because I got good news from the agency about families for Bryson. Bryson also had a doctor’s appointment with his new Diabetes doctor. The team was amazing and we learned about new technology for Bryson’s insulin pump that will make it easier to manage. FIST PUMP FOR TECHNOLOGY!

Yesterday, I visited one of my cousins who lives in the valley and it was good to catch up with her and also to use some of my 100,000 words that have been building up over the last few weeks because of not having as much physical contact with people.

Today, well it’s cloudy and we are expecting a thunderstorm in the next few hours. It is also cloudy in my mind and my stomach feels a bit like a thunderstorm. I have been waiting for something in the mail here that I need for Bryson’s application to move forward and I found out it went to Indiana instead. So I’m anxious. I have been wrestling in my brain asking God why? While I was brushing my teeth, I heard Him whisper to me, “I have the timing right”. I need to trust that whisper, but it is hard. God has done many miracles this week and He will continue. I have to remind myself that the timing of our Arizona Adventure is perfect, numerous events occurred over this summer that proves that. If we would have moved ahead last fall/winter like I wanted, I believe we would have experienced more complications.

Waiting on God is hard, waiting is not one of my spiritual gifts, waiting triggers memories of past experiences. So as I sit here typing, I know that I am putting these thoughts into words so that I can read them for myself and surrender to my Almighty Father who KNOWS, CARES and has me safely in His hands.

The water here has been very hard on my hair, thanks to my amazing hair stylist, she recommended a hard water product to order. Amazon overnight for the win, I went into town to the closest Amazon locker to pickup this morning and on the way home as I was waiting on a stop light, I looked up and saw this picture below. As I looked, I saw three crosses where Jesus died on the hill for me and you. I know it was God speaking to me again, reminding me of His presence here in the desert with me, as I wait. I think the cacti might be fake up there on top of the hill, they look too perfect, but whether they are real or not, they stand tall and God used them to speak to me.

The clouds are definitely rolling in here, Bryson currently has 4 football games on the tv screen at the same time and it looks like we need to hunker down to experience our first desert thunderstorm.

Thanks for reading, praying and all of your encouragement during this adventure.

Happy Wednesday to everyone! I didn’t sleep good last night and was still awake way too early this morning. I had told Bryson yesterday that today was cleaning and laundry day. I did the laundry and Bryson swept MO.

Yesterday I met at the agency in North Phoenix who is helping me with the applications for Bryson’s disability benefits. I gathered so much helpful information and understanding on the entire process. But it left me very overwhelmed. There is a lot that I have had to process but I’m not ready to type it all out here now. They confirmed that he should not have a problem qualifying but they don’t make the process easy. I have had many battles in the past with the school system and doctors so I know how to fight but man I’m tired and the thought that I have another battle ahead seems exhausting. Thankfully, Brad is my level headed husband with wisdom and reminded me this morning, that I can’t focus on the what ifs and what might be ahead but be in the moment and do what I can do right this minute. If you remember from a previous post this is something I need reminded of a lot and I’m a slow learner.

I have had numerous events in my life that has caused me to have PTSD and I can be triggered by events. This process of getting Bryson benefits and funding has taken me back to the 2 year adoption process of getting Stevan home from Jamaica. It was out of my control and in the hands of a government. Those were some tough years for me mentally, emotionally and spiritually and I want to learn from that experience and not go down those same paths but… to be honest the thoughts pop up more often than I would like. I know Jesus is walking each step of the way with Bryson and I and I’m working on surrendering control to him. I am actually reading a book right now called “the cost of Control – why we crave it, the anxiety it gives us, and the REAL POWER GOD PROMISES” by Sharon Hodde Miller. It has many great insights I’m trying to put into practice.

OK so now on to lighter stuff… Bryson and I drove to the town 10 minutes from us and I did not use my GPS and I navigated around the town. Town isn’t big but it is hilly, curvy and as most of you know I’m directionally challenged. Here are some pictures from our drive and when we stopped at a local cafe for a smoothie and went on a walk.

Appreciate your continued prayers as I work though this application process and for my emotional wellbeing during this time.

Till later

Yesterday Bryson and I visited a local church. It was a very small congregation but part of a bigger church located in Mesa. Bryson loved that the preacher was on the big screen, he wondered how much it would cost for our church back home to have that done too???? He thought the preaching might be better! Hey I’m just telling you what he said.

I took a nap in the afternoon in hopes that I would not be exhausted and ready for bed by 6. I did make it till 8:45. It continues to be strange to have all sports games done by 8-8:30. Bryson wasn’t sure about the fact that football games were starting as we headed into church in the morning.

Hope you enjoy these pictures that I have taken in the last couple days.

I bought pickleball paddles and balls today, so hopefully Bryson and I can have some fun on the courts.

As they say it’s 5:00 somewhere… well it’s 5 here now and Monday night football is just starting. At home I would usually go get my Pj’s on and settle in for the evening. Here sitting in MO (that is what I named the RV) the sun is still shining, we haven’t eaten supper and the options of what to do are endless….. but I just might go get my pjs on and settle in!

Tell later..

Happy Saturday! To be honest, today doesn’t seem any different then the last 7 days here. I don’t think I’m ready to live in the retirement zone. I’m enjoying the slow pace but for a gal who is used to being busy and lots of appointments on my calendar, this is different. Over the past 2-3 years, I have been working on learning to “just be” and “being in the present” I believe that God is giving me ample opportunities to work on these here.

I appreciate those of you who sent me names for the RV but I did some research last night about words related to the desert. I have decided on calling the 5th wheel My Oasis and MO for short. Although the literal meaning of oasis is “a green spot in the desert,” it can also be used to describe a peaceful area in our everyday lives. Peace, I think can be associated with what I wrote about in the first paragraph. I wanted something short also, so MO it is!

From our RV resort I can see these mountains and it wasn’t until yesterday on our boat cruise did I learn its name Four Peaks. Four Peaks is a prominent landmark on the eastern skyline of Phoenix. Part of the Mazatzal Mountains, it is located in the Four Peaks Wilderness in the Tonto National Forest, 40 miles east-northeast of Phoenix. In winter, Four Peaks offers much of the Phoenix metro area a view of snow-covered peaks. (I hope this is as close as I get to snow this winter) I love mountains and each time I leave MO and I see this view, I’m amazed at God’s handywork.

One thing that I am learning here in the southwest is that most restaurants don’t serve sweet tea! This will definitely be a hardship! Maybe it’s God’s way of saying “Lisa, drink more water!!”

One final note for today, I got to empty the black (poop) tank for the first time by myself today. At first it didn’t quite flow like Brad had explained and I thought “am I going to have to go to my neighbor and ask for help with my poop?” But a few extra water flushes and all was well!

Till later….

I’m finding it hard to find a balance between the idea that I’m living here and not just vacationing. Today is day 8 since we left home.  I feel like B and I are in a decent rhythm in the RV. B sleeps on the sofa bed in the main area and so we open it every evening and close it up each morning, this morning while I was in the shower, I heard a thud and B was putting his bed away by himself.  I was impressed!

Yesterday my plan was to stay at the RV park all day, but I had my first Amazon package delivered to a local Amazon locker and I HAD to go pick it up, which led to a visit to Target, Bealls Outlet and Walgreens. We then settled in for the evening to watch the Colts on Thursday night football at 5:00 PM. That was just weird. The game ended here a bit before 9, it was one of the worse Colts games I have watched but hey I got to stay up to the end, even OT and they won.

The weather has been gorgeous, in the upper 80’s and sunny and we are loving every minute of it. Today we ventured out to Saguaro Lake 15 minutes from us, we got there just when they were ready to board for a cruise of the lake. I learned a lot on the 80-minute cruise, and I definitely felt like a tourist today.

The next photos are a few in the RV…

Well, I think that is all for now. I have gotten a few name suggestions for our RV.. still haven’t decided yet. I hope everyone has a good weekend! Stay warm!

As I was laying in bed last night, first night of just B and me, I was reflecting on the last blog post I did in August of 2014. Kaden and I had just come home from Jamaica, and I was not in a good place with Jesus and His timing. On that trip Kaden and I had flown into Kingston airport which is not a tourist airport. It was nighttime and it was raining. My cell phone didn’t work, and I was praying that Patrick, our friend and driver, would be outside waiting for us. Walking into a dark and rainy night, our white skin stuck out in the sea of dark. Thankfully, Patrick was waiting for us, and we headed on our 2-hour journey to our “home” for the next week. I remember that drive as if it were yesterday and my thoughts of “what in the world am I doing in the middle of this small island with my 11-year-old son with no control over anything going to see this boy who God had told me was my son?”

Well, I had a thought a lot like that again, this time it is “what in the world am I doing in the middle of the desert with my oldest son and finding him a family to live with 1900 miles away from me?” When I let my mind marinate on this it feels right but oh so hard and that was the same feelings I had with the adoption process, it was right but oh so hard.

We had to wait another 11 months after Kaden and my trip in August of 2014 till Stevan made his way home. The process, the waiting, the crying out to God on what in the world He thought He was doing was exhausting and damaging to my faith…. and then Stevan came home, and I fell further downward into depression, anger, and questions. God has been faithful, and He has led me and has restored me and has shown me new ways of freedom in my relationship with Him. Now here I am again, in a place of waiting on the process, dealing with exhaustion from caregiving for Bryson. I’m waiting on a government again to move and approve what I need for Bryson’s next move. In a lot of ways this feels like a vacation, I’m surrounded by mountains, cactus, and palm trees but it’s just me and Bryson in our little home (still need a name for it). I’m now his fulltime caregiver with no one to give me a break. I’m looking forward to the day when I can have a break from caregiving Bryson and just be his mom. Then I think to what happened when I got what I had been fighting for those 2 years of the adoption process and prayers were answered and Stevan came home. It really is a scary place for me, and I covet your prayers.

So that is my deep thoughts for the day… so here is a brief look at the last two days of our adventure.

Yesterday was haircut for Bryson and on the way there we saw our first pack of wild horses. Bryson got to sit by the pool for a bit yesterday. Today we went and saw the movie Running the Bases, it is a great movie with a strong message on grief, questioning God’s ways, forgiveness and living out the life God calls you to do! Bryson played a little basketball this afternoon too.

This is a view from the edge of the resort

Tonight’s sunset

Till later…. Good night!

I’m sitting in my new office space/dining table in my new home away from home. It feels surreal! My mind wants to go a lot of places and I’m trying to keep it centered into the purpose of what I want to share here in this blog post. Those of you who follow me on Facebook know what this adventure that Bryson and I are on. Here is what I posted over a week ago…..

Just wanted to give everyone an update on the next GREAT PLETT ADVENTURE.  As some of you know, Bryson has been wanting to move to Arizona for quite some time.  This seemed like a wild dream but after much research, communication and prayers we are going to attempt to make his dream come true.  The state of Arizona is known for their good disability benefits, and we have connected with a great agency in the Phoenix area that works with adults with disabilities.  Brad, Bryson, Ty and I are heading out next weekend.  Brad and Ty will be there for several days to help get Bryson and I set up in our 5^th wheel at a RV resort in the Phoenix area.  This process could be 3-5 months to get everything in place for him to live with a family in Arizona.  We don’t know how this will all play out but as I have processed this over the past year my thoughts always come back to the idea that as parents, we want our children to grow and find their own identity and place. Yes, Bryson has a lot of challenges that are different from the “normal” child but that shouldn’t disqualify him from branching out and discovering new places and new opportunities.  We would appreciate your prayers for our entire family during this time of transition.

To recap the last 4 days, let’s just say that Arizona and Indiana are a loooog way from each other when you drive. Thankful for safe travels on our 2 day drive. Our home is out on the edge of the desert, in a quiet RV resort but Target is only 8 minutes away. We have to drive over a cattle gate to enter the resort since there are cows loose around the area. We were introduced to one of them on the first day right in front of our RV.

Brad built a new entry way into the RV for our safety.

On our second day here we got to experience a dust storm. Ty, Bryson and I had just headed out for a walk and suddenly the wind picked up and Ty looked behind us and saw a wall of dust. He sprinted back to the RV but I didn’t figure Bryson and I could run fast enough so we ran into the laundry room till the dust storm ended. Ty googled it and it seems that they don’t get them very often here but hey now I can check that off my bucket list to experience! One limb behind our RV didn’t make it.

Yesterday we went shopping to get things for our outside space. We brought one chair from home but Bryson wanted a reclining chair and AT HOME is only 1/2 hour away and didn’t disappoint. Bryson likes the outside TV and sat there for awhile waiting till we went out for supper.

The weather has been warm, it definitely isn’t fall here yet but the stores are full of fall decor and even Christmas decor. It really doesn’t feel right… it is still HOT. Brad and Ty left this morning and I was able to organize a few more things since there is more space. This RV wasn’t made for 4 people. Bryson keeps asking me when are we going to go to town. I told him “just chill” we have lots of time and I need to pause a bit.

I do need some help, I want to name our RV. As some of you know, the title that comes up on my phone is Queen of Plett Nation, so Brad thought it should be named Buckingham Palace, I think that’s too formal. Send me your ideas in the comments and I will work on getting this RV named. The person that provides the name I choose will get a small gift from me!

Thanks so much for your prayers and please continue, the rubber really hits the road now. I will keep you all posted here on our adventures, update on Bryson’s benefits and maybe there might be a few deep posts sprinkled in here and there.

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So my last blog post on this site was 8 years, 1 month and 17 days ago. A lot has happened in that time span. I want to journey through those 8 years in these next blogs but mostly I am welcoming you back as I am on another adventure in my life. This is just supposed to be a transition blog post… I’ll be back soon and start letting you into my life again! Welcome back!