Too Much Excitement for One Weekend.

So, besides the scheduled big events of this weekend...like meet the teacher on Friday, Women of Faith all weekend (amazing), or the first day of school (great). We had a few unscheduled surprises.
First, on Friday after meet the teacher, we headed to Target to get a few things off of the kid's teacher's wish lists. Troy and Nate dropped off Abby, Ian and I to shop while Nate got his haircut across the street. With Ian in my cart and Abby pushing her own cart right behind me, we headed down the main drag. All of a sudden two men come running down the aisle, one on each side of my cart. Abby had the aisle blocked right behind me so one of the men could not get through. So they begin to play a cat and mouse game around my cart. The man being chased turned to go the other way as a Target employee and a police officer round the corner. They box the guy in and tazer him right in front of us as the guy screams curse words....seriously...with my kids there. Abby is saying look at the bad man...loudly. Ian's eyes are as big as saucers. We went down an aisle to get away from the situation but could still hear the police officer yelling at the man to put his hands up and the guy shouting curse words back. Then my cell phone is going off and it is Troy wondering why there are six police cars and an ambulance outside of Target...well, honey, a funny thing happened while shopping for school supplies... Turns out the guy was stealing car stereos.
Then on Monday as I was waiting outside West Shore Elem. for the kids to be released from school, I was bit several times by fire ants. As I was driving home, my body started to tingle and my vision went blurry. I got tunnel vision and couldn't see to drive. My stomach and head hurt and I couldn't breathe. I told Abby to call Troy to meet us at home and prayed like crazy that we would make it. He pulled in right after us. (He said later that I did not want to know how he made it home from the church, but he didn't pull in right after us. Apparently, I was passed out in the car when he pulled up. When I thought he was pulling in, he was really getting his keys that he left in the car so he could get me into the house to call 911. He couldn't find my keys because I had turned off the car and dropped them.) I couldn't really get out of the car but, because I am stubborn and my kids were freaking out, I tried to walk into the house. I passed out right inside the front door. Troy called 911 and paramedics stayed until the acute reaction was over. I opted not to go to the hospital in an ambulance but was talked into going to see my doctor by my parents and husband. They checked to make sure it was just a reaction to the ant bites and not my heart (it was the ants). Now my body has to recover from the stress and I need to make an appointment with an allergist to get an epi pen.
You know, life can get crazy. Both of these situations could have had very different endings...what if endings...
What if the thief had had a gun? What if he had grabbed Abby or Ian? What if I had gone completely blind while driving? What if Troy had gotten in an accident coming to my rescue?
We don't often see God's protection so clearly or have such tangible reasons to praise. Thank You, Father, for Your love, grace, protection and presence. Thank You. Praise You.