... like something bad is about to happen, and then it does and it spooks you out?
... like you wish you had a pause button for life to make time stand still during the blissful moments?
... like you are running against a clock, in the sand, on a rainy day?
... like you wish you could fast forward to something good, but you have no idea what that is right now?
... like if you could talk to yourself three years ago, you'd let your old self have it for thinking she had problems then? You'd also laugh at her plans.
... like home is more of an imaginary land- a place you've been to in dreams only- a place you've heard described so completely that it seems more familiar to you than where you are now- a place you ache to be.
Yeah, me too.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I'm here to pick up my body parts....
Today at work, a very sweet and feeble old gentleman came in to the admissions desk and waited in line. When my coworker asked him if she could help him, he replied "Yes'm. I'm here to pick up my body parts." Everything stopped. We looked at each other, and then looked at him, and then back to each other. She said "Excuse me, sir, You're here to do what now?" He stepped up closer and leaned in over the desk, as if my friend was hard of hearing. "I'M HERE TO PICK UP MY BODY PARTS" he yelled. Carefully, she asked, "Which part are you here to pick up today, sir?" I knew this was a loaded question, and I couldn't wait for his answer. "I think it's a screw or soemthing for my knee. Dr. X said they'd be here today. He's gonna put em in my hip next week." I could almost see the lightbulb go off above my friend's head. "Oh! You're here for preop! Are you having a hip replacement surgery next week?" she asked him, handing him the sign-in sheet. "That's what I been trying to tell ya!," he replied, scribbling his name on the clipboard, "And the doc said he had to order some parts and they'd be here. I guess I'm here to pick em up".
Well, needless to say, we didn't give him his body parts today, but he did get the ones he has already checked out and should recieve the new shiny ones next week.
Well, needless to say, we didn't give him his body parts today, but he did get the ones he has already checked out and should recieve the new shiny ones next week.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
But,.. but,.. they're my trifocals!!
I rarely go an entire night at work without SOMETHING striking me as funny. Tonight was no exception.
Where I live, there is a large population of Russian natives. Like any group of people who are made up of mostly immigrants, alot of them do not speak english. At the hospital I work in, we have several Russian translators, but they are always very busy and it's hard to get one when you need them sometimes. Tonight, we had a Russian-speaking guest that I needed to relay a message to, but she understood just enough english to tell me her interpreter would "Be back in 50 second", holding up one finger. Whatever. I decided that I would be snazzy and use Bing translator. If you've never used it, it's pretty awesome. You type in anything in the english side, and it will translate to whatever language you need. I typed the message I needed to tell her in, and pressed "translate". Within seconds, I had her message, printed in Russian, in my hand. I thought she would be relieved, excited, happy,... but no. She was frustrated because she didn't have her glasses with her (at least that's what I understood from her hand motions). I pointed to the message and spoke simply and clearly "Can you read this? Okay? This is okay?" She shook her head and pointed to an elderly white man (who might speak Gaffney, but I'm willing to bet he couldn't speak Russian) and said "Aha!! You!!! Mister!! You!!!" and ran to him. Now, picture a very well developed middle aged woman, with a thick accent, running at you in a hospital, pointing and screaming "You! You". This man was frightened, and I only wish there were words to express the sheer horror on his face. It was hysterical. I'm following her, saying "Ma'am! Ma'am! It's in Russian! He can't read it!" She had other plans. She reaches for his glasses on his face, and of course he jerks his head away from her and is trying to understand what she's doing and why is this crazy woman stealing his glasses OFF HIS FACE. "Glazzezz! You give me, Mister, please. I use you glazzezz, okay Mister?" As she is putting them on to read the russian message, he keeps saying in protest "But those are my TRIFOCALS! They're no good for you!" Well, neither were his words of protest, because she kept right on squinting through the large manly framed glasses on her face. She hands them back and says "Not good. Not good glazzezz." and shakes her head like he had really dissappointed her in some major way. Just then, the interpreter's "50 second" break was up, and she returned and translated my message for this guest and all was well. Sorta. I went back to the gentleman with the trifocals, to try to apologize for the crazy situation that had just occurred. "Sir, I'm so sorry about that. I tried to stop her, but I do'nt think she understood me. Thank you for being so patient and kind with that whole situation", to which he snickered and said "That's alright, Hon. These are trifocals. I knew she wouldn't see a thing with 'em anyhow!" and winked as if he'd pulled a fast one on the babushka.
Where I live, there is a large population of Russian natives. Like any group of people who are made up of mostly immigrants, alot of them do not speak english. At the hospital I work in, we have several Russian translators, but they are always very busy and it's hard to get one when you need them sometimes. Tonight, we had a Russian-speaking guest that I needed to relay a message to, but she understood just enough english to tell me her interpreter would "Be back in 50 second", holding up one finger. Whatever. I decided that I would be snazzy and use Bing translator. If you've never used it, it's pretty awesome. You type in anything in the english side, and it will translate to whatever language you need. I typed the message I needed to tell her in, and pressed "translate". Within seconds, I had her message, printed in Russian, in my hand. I thought she would be relieved, excited, happy,... but no. She was frustrated because she didn't have her glasses with her (at least that's what I understood from her hand motions). I pointed to the message and spoke simply and clearly "Can you read this? Okay? This is okay?" She shook her head and pointed to an elderly white man (who might speak Gaffney, but I'm willing to bet he couldn't speak Russian) and said "Aha!! You!!! Mister!! You!!!" and ran to him. Now, picture a very well developed middle aged woman, with a thick accent, running at you in a hospital, pointing and screaming "You! You". This man was frightened, and I only wish there were words to express the sheer horror on his face. It was hysterical. I'm following her, saying "Ma'am! Ma'am! It's in Russian! He can't read it!" She had other plans. She reaches for his glasses on his face, and of course he jerks his head away from her and is trying to understand what she's doing and why is this crazy woman stealing his glasses OFF HIS FACE. "Glazzezz! You give me, Mister, please. I use you glazzezz, okay Mister?" As she is putting them on to read the russian message, he keeps saying in protest "But those are my TRIFOCALS! They're no good for you!" Well, neither were his words of protest, because she kept right on squinting through the large manly framed glasses on her face. She hands them back and says "Not good. Not good glazzezz." and shakes her head like he had really dissappointed her in some major way. Just then, the interpreter's "50 second" break was up, and she returned and translated my message for this guest and all was well. Sorta. I went back to the gentleman with the trifocals, to try to apologize for the crazy situation that had just occurred. "Sir, I'm so sorry about that. I tried to stop her, but I do'nt think she understood me. Thank you for being so patient and kind with that whole situation", to which he snickered and said "That's alright, Hon. These are trifocals. I knew she wouldn't see a thing with 'em anyhow!" and winked as if he'd pulled a fast one on the babushka.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Up and Running
Okay, I think I have fixed my tech problems (without Dan's help, let it be noted).
Since it's waaaay past my bedtime and I'm going to NICU for clinicals tomorrow (very VERY hard to stay awake in there), I'm going to keep this short and sweet.
Today is February 20th (for at least another 52 minutes), and it's been 3 yrs since I started this whole blogging bit. Alot has happened in those years,... alot that I've written about and alot that I haven't. I've had rejection letters from school, acceptance letters to a better program in school, Dan's gotten a better job and loves it, friends have gotten married, some have gotten divorced, some have become parents, some have lost children, some have become christians, some have come to visit and some had us to visit them. I've lost family members and watched family members grow. I watched prayers being answered as my husband recovered from a bad illness.
Now, looking ahead from here, I see a graduation on the horizon. I see a possible job opportunity that I hope will be there when I do finish, and if the Lord sees it a good fit for me, it will. I see a little girl growing up fast and learning hard lessons way too early, but handling them with a maturity I never had at her age. As she put it to me recently, "Everytime I think about doing something, I stop and think, Does this make God happy? If not, then I don't do it." Coming from a 9 yr old, this is truly humbling. I look down the road and I see us getting ready for a new home, a new schedule that doesn't require me being gone 15+ hrs a day, vacations and new responsibilities.
I know this road is going to be windy and curvy and there are turns I can't see around. I know I can't possibly be prepared completely for what's beyond the point of vision. There is no way that I can see where this road ends, nor would I want to.
Since it's waaaay past my bedtime and I'm going to NICU for clinicals tomorrow (very VERY hard to stay awake in there), I'm going to keep this short and sweet.
Today is February 20th (for at least another 52 minutes), and it's been 3 yrs since I started this whole blogging bit. Alot has happened in those years,... alot that I've written about and alot that I haven't. I've had rejection letters from school, acceptance letters to a better program in school, Dan's gotten a better job and loves it, friends have gotten married, some have gotten divorced, some have become parents, some have lost children, some have become christians, some have come to visit and some had us to visit them. I've lost family members and watched family members grow. I watched prayers being answered as my husband recovered from a bad illness.
Now, looking ahead from here, I see a graduation on the horizon. I see a possible job opportunity that I hope will be there when I do finish, and if the Lord sees it a good fit for me, it will. I see a little girl growing up fast and learning hard lessons way too early, but handling them with a maturity I never had at her age. As she put it to me recently, "Everytime I think about doing something, I stop and think, Does this make God happy? If not, then I don't do it." Coming from a 9 yr old, this is truly humbling. I look down the road and I see us getting ready for a new home, a new schedule that doesn't require me being gone 15+ hrs a day, vacations and new responsibilities.
I know this road is going to be windy and curvy and there are turns I can't see around. I know I can't possibly be prepared completely for what's beyond the point of vision. There is no way that I can see where this road ends, nor would I want to.
We're experiencing some technical difficulties!!
Hey everyone,.. or no one really,.. because chances are, you can't see this. I'm not sure what's up with it, but my blog has been hiding from me for a few months. I redecorated and everything, but I can only see it when I log into it and view it from my dashboard. I can't find it if I try to look for it myself. Weird. I know. Just sayin', I'm working on it.
That's all for now.
That's all for now.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
All You Need is LOvE!
I love it when my husband calls me during the workday to tell me something he's excited about.
I love it when my neice calls me her Aunt Choody.
I love it when I find out there was a 10 point curve on one of my final exams, especially when I didn't bomb it to begin with! Woo hoo!
I love it when it suddenly downpours rain, and the sky gets so dark and the clouds hang so low you think it will never shine again, and then as fast as it came, the storm rolls away and the sun shines through and the world looks all clean and shiney and new, and better than it did before the storm. There's a life lesson in that somewhere, I'm sure.
I love it when I drop the lid to my new fat marker at work, and I look and look everywhere. Under my chair? No. Behind my trashcan? Not there either. And just when I'm about to give up, and I'm afraid I'm gonna have to throw the marker away, my co-worker walks by and says "What's this?" and picks up my marker lid. Day saved.
I love it when my dog can tell I've had a bad day, and instead of whining for rubs like he usually does when I walk in the door, he sits beside me on the couch, and lays his chin in my lap, and looks at me with his big brown eyes and sighs.
I love it when my husband texts me random punch lines to inside jokes at random times throughout the day.
I love it when I am thinking about a song I haven't heard in a long time, and then I turn on the radio, and it's playing. "G-L-A-M-O-R-OUS!"
OH! I thought this was pretty neat, so I'm gonna share it with you (as if anyone other than me reads this blog anyway!)
I always wanted to have my own little garden. When we got married, I tried to grow tomatoes. No go. They died. I tried to grow mums. Dead within a week. I planted flowers and peppers and vegetables, and nothing NOTHING would grow. I bought MiracleGro, and fancy heads for my hosepipe, and garden tools from Lowes. Nada.
Last summer, I was visiting my grandparents at their house, and I commented on my grandmother's iris blooms. Now, my grandparents are kinda known for their garden. It's dynamite. Papa would find these beautiful flowers and plant them for Grandma, and she would tend to them and keep them looking as pretty as her. She said that she had so many iris blooms, that she had to thin out the flowerbed, and dug up a ton of iris bulbs. Papa insisted that I took a bag of bulbs home with me and plant them at my house. I tried to refuse, explaining that I would only kill them, but he insisted, and if you knew Dial Holder, you knew you coudln't tell him No to anything! "They're easy to grow!" he said. "They'll be blooming next spring and you won't have to do a thing! I promise!". I took the bag home, but honestly, just so he would feel like he'd won.
That bag sat on my front porch for days before I did anything with them. I did plant a few bulbs in the flowerbed in front of our house, not even clearing out the weeds first. I basically just dropped about 5 iris bulbs and kicked some dirt on them and forgot about them. I wanted to tell him the next time I saw him that I had planted his iris bulbs like he wanted me to. I didn't get that chance. He died, very suddenly, about two weeks later.
Weeks went on, and months went on, and I never did plant the rest of those iris bulbs. It was just too sad.
Easter Sunday, we were pulling out of the driveway on our way to church, and I gasped. I coudln't believe it. In front of my house, in my flowerbed, were 5 beautiful lavender iris blooms, more beautiful than any I've ever seen except for at my Papa's garden. He promised they would grow, and they did. They grew and are probably about 18 inches tall and just as full and lavender as you can imagine.
Now, I'm not trying to say that my Papa is "looking down on me and tending my flower bed full of irises". I know where he is right now, and it's surely not looking down on me. He's enjoying his reward and waiting on the day of judgement to be with all of the saints in Heaven. But what I am saying is that he was right. I did what he said, and they are more beautiful than I could have imagined.
I love it when I look at my flower garden, and can hear my Papa say "They'll be blooming by next spring!" like he was right beside me.
Sonny Coon, Sonny Bear,
Trudy
I love it when my neice calls me her Aunt Choody.
I love it when I find out there was a 10 point curve on one of my final exams, especially when I didn't bomb it to begin with! Woo hoo!
I love it when it suddenly downpours rain, and the sky gets so dark and the clouds hang so low you think it will never shine again, and then as fast as it came, the storm rolls away and the sun shines through and the world looks all clean and shiney and new, and better than it did before the storm. There's a life lesson in that somewhere, I'm sure.
I love it when I drop the lid to my new fat marker at work, and I look and look everywhere. Under my chair? No. Behind my trashcan? Not there either. And just when I'm about to give up, and I'm afraid I'm gonna have to throw the marker away, my co-worker walks by and says "What's this?" and picks up my marker lid. Day saved.
I love it when my dog can tell I've had a bad day, and instead of whining for rubs like he usually does when I walk in the door, he sits beside me on the couch, and lays his chin in my lap, and looks at me with his big brown eyes and sighs.
I love it when my husband texts me random punch lines to inside jokes at random times throughout the day.
I love it when I am thinking about a song I haven't heard in a long time, and then I turn on the radio, and it's playing. "G-L-A-M-O-R-OUS!"
OH! I thought this was pretty neat, so I'm gonna share it with you (as if anyone other than me reads this blog anyway!)
I always wanted to have my own little garden. When we got married, I tried to grow tomatoes. No go. They died. I tried to grow mums. Dead within a week. I planted flowers and peppers and vegetables, and nothing NOTHING would grow. I bought MiracleGro, and fancy heads for my hosepipe, and garden tools from Lowes. Nada.
Last summer, I was visiting my grandparents at their house, and I commented on my grandmother's iris blooms. Now, my grandparents are kinda known for their garden. It's dynamite. Papa would find these beautiful flowers and plant them for Grandma, and she would tend to them and keep them looking as pretty as her. She said that she had so many iris blooms, that she had to thin out the flowerbed, and dug up a ton of iris bulbs. Papa insisted that I took a bag of bulbs home with me and plant them at my house. I tried to refuse, explaining that I would only kill them, but he insisted, and if you knew Dial Holder, you knew you coudln't tell him No to anything! "They're easy to grow!" he said. "They'll be blooming next spring and you won't have to do a thing! I promise!". I took the bag home, but honestly, just so he would feel like he'd won.
That bag sat on my front porch for days before I did anything with them. I did plant a few bulbs in the flowerbed in front of our house, not even clearing out the weeds first. I basically just dropped about 5 iris bulbs and kicked some dirt on them and forgot about them. I wanted to tell him the next time I saw him that I had planted his iris bulbs like he wanted me to. I didn't get that chance. He died, very suddenly, about two weeks later.
Weeks went on, and months went on, and I never did plant the rest of those iris bulbs. It was just too sad.
Easter Sunday, we were pulling out of the driveway on our way to church, and I gasped. I coudln't believe it. In front of my house, in my flowerbed, were 5 beautiful lavender iris blooms, more beautiful than any I've ever seen except for at my Papa's garden. He promised they would grow, and they did. They grew and are probably about 18 inches tall and just as full and lavender as you can imagine.
Now, I'm not trying to say that my Papa is "looking down on me and tending my flower bed full of irises". I know where he is right now, and it's surely not looking down on me. He's enjoying his reward and waiting on the day of judgement to be with all of the saints in Heaven. But what I am saying is that he was right. I did what he said, and they are more beautiful than I could have imagined.
I love it when I look at my flower garden, and can hear my Papa say "They'll be blooming by next spring!" like he was right beside me.
Sonny Coon, Sonny Bear,
Trudy
Saturday, January 2, 2010
My Non-resolution Resolution
I have some of the greatest friends on the planet. And fortunately for me, some of them go to church with us here at Boiling Springs church of Christ. We all decided a long time ago that we wanted to join a gym together, because misery loves company, right? Well, unfortunately, we didn't all have the money to do it right away (and by "we" I mean "I"), and to benefit in the deal this particular gym was having, we needed to all pay up front for the year. Thankfully, I was able to save up enough, and with money I got for Christmas, was able to join the gym! I have gone everyday since joining now, which was 12/30/09. I really really really love it. I've never ever worked out really before. I mean, sure, I've played in a backyard football game, or an intramural softball game (if there were no other warm bodies to man the plates), but to have a routine and work at it and stick to it and most of all, ENJOY it, I'm totally new to that. I'm really loving it and hope to stick to it. I love how proud of myself I feel when I walk out of there knowing that I'm doing something really good for me, but I really love how proud my husband is of me, and since that is my second goal in life, I am happy for that.
This is going to be a fabulous new year, I can tell already. We got pulled over on NYE on the way home from a friends' party. We were trying to get home before midnight, and so we left with about 15 minutes to go. We were only about 3 miles from home, when we got blue lighted! Yep, that's right. We got a pulled over. Now let me give you a little background on this... the party we came from was at a church friends' house. The theme was "The Roaring Twenties", so we were all decked out in costume. Dan was dressed like John Dillinger, complete with handgun. So as we are waiting on the cop to come to the window, he's frantically trying to hide the phony gun, and I'm saying "Dan! Dont look suspicious! Just show him it's fake!". Chaos, but he managed to get it successfully under the driver's seat before the officer reached the car. Luckily, he was just looking for drunk drivers, and since we hadn't drunk anything harder than Sprite, we were off the hook. But yes, we spent midnight NYE with the blue lights flashing. So romantic!
I hope you all had a great and safe New Year's! Love you all!!
Please continue to pray for the Grays.
This is going to be a fabulous new year, I can tell already. We got pulled over on NYE on the way home from a friends' party. We were trying to get home before midnight, and so we left with about 15 minutes to go. We were only about 3 miles from home, when we got blue lighted! Yep, that's right. We got a pulled over. Now let me give you a little background on this... the party we came from was at a church friends' house. The theme was "The Roaring Twenties", so we were all decked out in costume. Dan was dressed like John Dillinger, complete with handgun. So as we are waiting on the cop to come to the window, he's frantically trying to hide the phony gun, and I'm saying "Dan! Dont look suspicious! Just show him it's fake!". Chaos, but he managed to get it successfully under the driver's seat before the officer reached the car. Luckily, he was just looking for drunk drivers, and since we hadn't drunk anything harder than Sprite, we were off the hook. But yes, we spent midnight NYE with the blue lights flashing. So romantic!
I hope you all had a great and safe New Year's! Love you all!!
Please continue to pray for the Grays.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Hey Everyone!!
I'm terrible about keeping up with this blog. I just noticed that it's been June since my last post!
Here's my attempt at catching you up on what's been going on in our lives since then...
JULY
In July, we took a one day vacation to Charleston, SC with some friends from church, Rhea, Rhonda and Monty. We ate awesome seafood, walked the market, and spent some time on Folly Beach. All in all, it was a great little getaway!
This is Monty, and his Sand Legs!
Monty, Rhonda and Rhea at A.W. Shucks
Me and Dan at A.W. Shucks. I really wish I had some of their shrimp right about now!August
August was by far the busiest month I've probably ever had!
First of all, Dan's cousin, Ashley, had her wedding in Alabama.
I was honored to be asked to be a bridesmaid, and this is a picture of Ashley's bridesmaid's luncheon.
The is Mrs.Ingram (Dan's mom), Mrs. Ingram (haha!), Ashley Davis Watkins and her mom, IvyWhile I was in the gump for some bridal festivities, I met up with some Faulkner friends that I haven't seen in ages! We met at Olive Garden for dinner, and then went to see
The Time Traveler's Wife
at the Rave. It was a really good movie. Bring the Kleenex with you though!
These are just a few of the ones who were there. Laurie, Taryn, Wendy, Bambi, Brooke, Me, Leigh, and Shanon
August was also the start of school for me. I am in the Respiratory Therapy program at Spartanburg Community College. I'm loving the classes, and being an asthmatic myself, I'm learning so much about how to make life easier on myself too. These are some friends in Lab. We had some free time and a camera, so ya know,..
Me, Deanna, Taylor, Audra, and Ashley
Grandma and Papa at a grandchild's wedding
September
With the month of August behind me, I just dove headfirst into my studies and work. It's so much easier for me to deal with the death of a loved one if I'm too busy to come up for air, let alone think about how he's gone.
August was also the start of school for me. I am in the Respiratory Therapy program at Spartanburg Community College. I'm loving the classes, and being an asthmatic myself, I'm learning so much about how to make life easier on myself too. These are some friends in Lab. We had some free time and a camera, so ya know,..
Me, Deanna, Taylor, Audra, and AshleyThe week after school started, I went back to Alabama, this time with Dan, for the wedding. It was at Lake Martin at Children's Harbor. It was a truly gorgeous wedding and we had a great time. This is the bridesmaids with the bride, on the dock.
August was also one of the saddest months of my life.
See, My mother had been having some heart problems for a while, and was having test after test to determine her course of treatment. At one point, we were waiting for her to have a pacemaker implanted (but thanks to answered prayer, that was deemed not necessary after all). About the same time, my papa had begun having some problems with his health. He was very sick to his stomach and we couldn't figure out why. One Tuesday night, my mother was at Greenville Memorial Hospital, while Papa was at St. Francis Hospital down the road.
I chose to go sit with Mama and see that my dad got some dinner,
and thought I would go to see Papa the next day after classes.
The next morning, I woke up with a wicked sinus infection. I went to the doctor, and then to the pharmacy to get my antibiotics filled. While waiting in line, I called Daddy to check on Papa. As they were getting Papa ready for an exray, they were moving him to a
stretcher from his bed for transport, and they believed he dislodged a blood clot.
He was rushed to ICU, and we were waiting on word.
When I got home, I recieved a call from my mom that he did not make it to ICU, but passed away on the way there, most likely from a pulmonary embolism.
He was 79 years old.
Grandma and Papa at a grandchild's weddingSeptember
With the month of August behind me, I just dove headfirst into my studies and work. It's so much easier for me to deal with the death of a loved one if I'm too busy to come up for air, let alone think about how he's gone.
October
Dan and I took a break, and went back to Charleston for a few days. We relaxed, and ate great seafood again, and enjoyed the perfect weather. We went on a Graveyard Ghost Tour, which was fantastic!! I truly recommend it. This is the guy we met while waiting for the tour to start. He was nicer than he looks. haha
When we got home, we found out that my mother doesn't ventricular tachycardia like they thought, but she has atrial fibrillation, which isn't super, but it's got a better treatment plan and quality of life associated with it than VT.
Dan and I took a break, and went back to Charleston for a few days. We relaxed, and ate great seafood again, and enjoyed the perfect weather. We went on a Graveyard Ghost Tour, which was fantastic!! I truly recommend it. This is the guy we met while waiting for the tour to start. He was nicer than he looks. haha
When we got home, we found out that my mother doesn't ventricular tachycardia like they thought, but she has atrial fibrillation, which isn't super, but it's got a better treatment plan and quality of life associated with it than VT.
As far as November goes, I'm just back to studying nonstop, working nonstop, and wishing I could sleep! We've had some health issues with Moose, but it looks like he'll be okay.
We are going to Montgomery as usual for Thanksgiving next week.
Then my finals are the next week.
Then it's time for a break!!
I'll try not to wait so long to post again.
I hope you all have a
GREAT THANKSGIVING!!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Hoooowwwwdeee!!!!!
Last week I had the priviledge of working at Palmetto Bible Camp for Second Week. This place is incredibly special to me, as my family has been involved with camp since my parents met there when they were around 14 years old. (Insert “awwww” here).
It was wonderful to spend the week with old friends, and even new ones, and to be surrounded by the Word of God so completely. I have a ton of pictures that I want to share with you, but they are not all accessible yet,.. so here’s a few that I can show you so far. I hope you enjoy!!
PS- A little update on Dan!
He had a doctor’s appointment with Dr. Lijewski on Friday, to get the biopsy results. He has no diseased tissue whatsoever!!!! Dr. L said he went 5-6 ft inside Dan’s colon during the colonoscopy (yeah, try not to think too hard about it,.. it’s gross), and didn’t find anything wrong, and he took 4 random colon biopsies and they all came back 100% healthy!! He said “Dan, you were a seriously sick man, and there was definitely something showing up on that CT scan. I fully expected to see a diseased colon, but I didn’t. As a physician, I can’t explain it. There is no explanation. You’re just cured and that’s all there is to it.” How amazing! It is so humbling to know that God listened to our prayers, and the prayers of our friends and loved ones, and even strangers, and He saw it fit to heal him and take away whatever was making him sick. Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts, for your cards, thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Trudy
It was wonderful to spend the week with old friends, and even new ones, and to be surrounded by the Word of God so completely. I have a ton of pictures that I want to share with you, but they are not all accessible yet,.. so here’s a few that I can show you so far. I hope you enjoy!!
PS- A little update on Dan!
He had a doctor’s appointment with Dr. Lijewski on Friday, to get the biopsy results. He has no diseased tissue whatsoever!!!! Dr. L said he went 5-6 ft inside Dan’s colon during the colonoscopy (yeah, try not to think too hard about it,.. it’s gross), and didn’t find anything wrong, and he took 4 random colon biopsies and they all came back 100% healthy!! He said “Dan, you were a seriously sick man, and there was definitely something showing up on that CT scan. I fully expected to see a diseased colon, but I didn’t. As a physician, I can’t explain it. There is no explanation. You’re just cured and that’s all there is to it.” How amazing! It is so humbling to know that God listened to our prayers, and the prayers of our friends and loved ones, and even strangers, and He saw it fit to heal him and take away whatever was making him sick. Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts, for your cards, thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Trudy
Friday, June 5, 2009
Movin' on Up...
Movin’ on Up…
My younger sis is moving this weekend to a cute little house in a cute little neighborhood (be very jealous). She lives in Johnson City, TN, and if you know us, you know that we can’t do anything without it being a total family affair!! My parents are going to rent a big utility van today, and my older sis is going to get some furniture out of storage, and I am bringing my elbow grease, and we are all headed up to TN tomorrow to help Heidi move. I felt like I should be bringing something cool to the table for the occasion, so this is what I put together last night. Tell me what you think…
My younger sis is moving this weekend to a cute little house in a cute little neighborhood (be very jealous). She lives in Johnson City, TN, and if you know us, you know that we can’t do anything without it being a total family affair!! My parents are going to rent a big utility van today, and my older sis is going to get some furniture out of storage, and I am bringing my elbow grease, and we are all headed up to TN tomorrow to help Heidi move. I felt like I should be bringing something cool to the table for the occasion, so this is what I put together last night. Tell me what you think…
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The Waiting Room Chronicles: One-Legged Yard Chickens
Sitting in the waiting room, I hear alot of things. Tonight, I was priviledged enough to catch this end of a wonderful conversation. See if you can correctly answer the multiple choice question following this statement.
"You know how bad chickens are about getting out in the yard? Well, you know, if you don't keep em couped up good they'll wander off and stuff? Well, Jimmy told us that if you chop off one of their legs, that'll keep em in the yard and they won't wander off as far. So that's what we did and I swear to you them chickens when we ate em, they was as tough as they could be. It was like eating cats!"
Question: What is wrong with this statement?
A) Chopping off one of the chickens' limbs was easier and seemed more logical to this person than paying for chicken fencing from Lowe's.
B) This individual took advice from Jimmy that involved mutulating their chickens to make sure they didn't wander off, where they could get hurt.
C) This individual speaks of eating one-legged, free-roaming yard chickens like it's nothing.
D) This individual is familiar with the taste and texture of eating cats.
E) All of the above.
If you answered, E) All of the above, you are correct!!
Your prize is knowing that no matter how bad your day gets, you don't have to chase one-legged chickens in your yard for dinner! Thanks for playing!
"You know how bad chickens are about getting out in the yard? Well, you know, if you don't keep em couped up good they'll wander off and stuff? Well, Jimmy told us that if you chop off one of their legs, that'll keep em in the yard and they won't wander off as far. So that's what we did and I swear to you them chickens when we ate em, they was as tough as they could be. It was like eating cats!"
Question: What is wrong with this statement?
A) Chopping off one of the chickens' limbs was easier and seemed more logical to this person than paying for chicken fencing from Lowe's.
B) This individual took advice from Jimmy that involved mutulating their chickens to make sure they didn't wander off, where they could get hurt.
C) This individual speaks of eating one-legged, free-roaming yard chickens like it's nothing.
D) This individual is familiar with the taste and texture of eating cats.
E) All of the above.
If you answered, E) All of the above, you are correct!!
Your prize is knowing that no matter how bad your day gets, you don't have to chase one-legged chickens in your yard for dinner! Thanks for playing!
Friday, May 22, 2009
No, no. Stop that. Put that back on.
While we were in the hospital, Dan would ask me about Moose (our dog) every so often. I didn't go home every day, and if I didn't go home, I would have either my parents or Lavinia run by and check on him. The first night I went home, which I believe was Sunday night (the night I first wrote about what was going on), Moose couldn't figure out where Dan was. He found one of Dan's tshirts lying around, and he drug it with him from room to room, looking for Dan. It was pitiful. He slept on it, he layed on it, he whined on it. He was totally heartbroken that Dan wasn't home. This went on the whole time Dan was inpatient. When Dan asked me how Moose was, and I told him how sad he was, he'd say "Poor thing, He probably thinks you took me back to the pound!" haha.
Last night, when we got home,.. oh boy! I really should have recorded Moose's reaction. He saw my car, and his little head popped up out of the grass. He slowly got up to his feet and saw that Dan was in the car too. When Dan opened the door, he came bouncing,.. yes, BOUNCING up to the gate! He was running around himself in circles and jumping and panting and licking. Pure joy! I just smiled and thought to myself "I know how you feel, Moose. I know how you feel!"
Today, Friday, we got up and Dan had an appetite! He was so excited, he took me to breakfast at Denny's, and then to the grocery store to get some foods that he can eat. When we came home, I cleaned out the fridge and threw away all of the bad foods, and hid the Pepsi. He's decided to try to quit. I'm so proud of him. He hasn't had one in a week now, and you'd just have to know him to know hwat a huge thing that is. Words cannot express.
I have to tell y'all the funny thing that we laughed about in CCU on Tuesday. It was 6am, and I wasn't supposed to be in Dan's room yet, but if they didn't want me in there, they should have locked the door better. :) He was just waking up, and I was standing by his bed, holding his hand and we were talking. This really loud nurse walked by, a tall guy, kinda young. Dan said "You hear him? All night long, he kept yelling at the guy in the room next to me." I was kinda intrigued, so I asked what he was yelling about. He said "I don't know. He just kpet saying 'No no, Mr. So-and-so, Stop that. Put that back on." I was really intrigued now. I asked him "Don't you want to know what it was he was doing in there?!" and Dan laughed and said "I most certainly do not!" I told him I had a mental image of an old scrawny man, standing in his hospital bed, gown wide open, swinging his blood pressure cuff by the cord and shaking his hips with a micheivious grin on his face. It has kinda turned into our inside joke now. We just randomly look at one another and put our hand on our hip and say "No no, Dan. Stop that. Put that back on!"
We are so weird. haha.
Now that Dan is doing fantastic and seems to be on the right track for getting better and better everyday, I would like to ask you to focus your prayers on the Tesnear and Tracy families, as their loved ones are still in critical care. I'm not sure about the Tracy family, but Ms. Tesnear was to have brain surgery today to alleviate some swelling. They were trying at all costs to not have to do surgery, because it would be a very dangerous and difficult case, but apparently that was not how things turned out. I haven't heard the results of the surgery, but I have seen all of your prayers work this week and I know they could sure use them. Thank you again for everything. You are all the best!!
Much Love,
Trudy
Last night, when we got home,.. oh boy! I really should have recorded Moose's reaction. He saw my car, and his little head popped up out of the grass. He slowly got up to his feet and saw that Dan was in the car too. When Dan opened the door, he came bouncing,.. yes, BOUNCING up to the gate! He was running around himself in circles and jumping and panting and licking. Pure joy! I just smiled and thought to myself "I know how you feel, Moose. I know how you feel!"
Today, Friday, we got up and Dan had an appetite! He was so excited, he took me to breakfast at Denny's, and then to the grocery store to get some foods that he can eat. When we came home, I cleaned out the fridge and threw away all of the bad foods, and hid the Pepsi. He's decided to try to quit. I'm so proud of him. He hasn't had one in a week now, and you'd just have to know him to know hwat a huge thing that is. Words cannot express.
I have to tell y'all the funny thing that we laughed about in CCU on Tuesday. It was 6am, and I wasn't supposed to be in Dan's room yet, but if they didn't want me in there, they should have locked the door better. :) He was just waking up, and I was standing by his bed, holding his hand and we were talking. This really loud nurse walked by, a tall guy, kinda young. Dan said "You hear him? All night long, he kept yelling at the guy in the room next to me." I was kinda intrigued, so I asked what he was yelling about. He said "I don't know. He just kpet saying 'No no, Mr. So-and-so, Stop that. Put that back on." I was really intrigued now. I asked him "Don't you want to know what it was he was doing in there?!" and Dan laughed and said "I most certainly do not!" I told him I had a mental image of an old scrawny man, standing in his hospital bed, gown wide open, swinging his blood pressure cuff by the cord and shaking his hips with a micheivious grin on his face. It has kinda turned into our inside joke now. We just randomly look at one another and put our hand on our hip and say "No no, Dan. Stop that. Put that back on!"
We are so weird. haha.
Now that Dan is doing fantastic and seems to be on the right track for getting better and better everyday, I would like to ask you to focus your prayers on the Tesnear and Tracy families, as their loved ones are still in critical care. I'm not sure about the Tracy family, but Ms. Tesnear was to have brain surgery today to alleviate some swelling. They were trying at all costs to not have to do surgery, because it would be a very dangerous and difficult case, but apparently that was not how things turned out. I haven't heard the results of the surgery, but I have seen all of your prayers work this week and I know they could sure use them. Thank you again for everything. You are all the best!!
Much Love,
Trudy
Thursday, May 21, 2009
There's No Place Like Home!!
We just talked to Anita, NP, and she said we are being discharged today afterall!!! Dan and I had taken a walk around the floor, and he said it felt so good to be up on his feet, he wanted to walk some more. So we went downstairs and walked around the hospital cafe, the gift shop, the lobby, bought a drink and sat down for a while, and when we came back, Anita was waiting on us with DC papers!! Yes!! She said they are decreasing his TPN to 50% for an hour. Then they will cut it off completely for an hour. Then check his blood sugar, wait about 30 mins for results and orders, and if it's in a healthy range, we're out of here!
I saw the Tesnear family a while ago. No changes in her condition. Her daughter is here now, and she's holding up wonderfully. Such a strong, sweet family. They are still in Neuro ICU.
I also talked to the Tracy family. He's having a rough time, but the doc said he'd be okay eventually. They are still in CCU.
Maybe the next post will be from 111 Country Place Dr!!
Love,
Trudy
I saw the Tesnear family a while ago. No changes in her condition. Her daughter is here now, and she's holding up wonderfully. Such a strong, sweet family. They are still in Neuro ICU.
I also talked to the Tracy family. He's having a rough time, but the doc said he'd be okay eventually. They are still in CCU.
Maybe the next post will be from 111 Country Place Dr!!
Love,
Trudy
Wakey, Wakey, Eggs and Bakey!
When we were kids at Palmetto Bible Camp, we had this amazing counselor who used to wake us all up in the morning with "Wakey, Wakey, Eggs and Bakey!" to get us up for breakfast. This morning, Dan ate yes,.. you guessed it,.. EGGS AND BACON! I can't believe it. Dr. Lijewsky (Loo-Ess-Key) the gastroenterologist, called this morning to check on us and said that all we need now is to slowly come off the TPN (total parentel nutrition) through his PICC line, and increase his oral diet, and then we can go home! If not tonight, then tomorrow.
Again,.. I could never express my appreciation and love for all of you who have called, texted, emailed, sent cards and facebook/blogspot comments, etc. We are so humbled and grateful, and I feel like everything happens for a reason. I have already seen some of those reasons manifested in ways that only God could have planned. How blessed we are to be His children!!
Also, and update on my friends. Ms. Tesnear's condition is sorta improved. She's still on a ventilator, but they are weaning her off of it. Her daughter graduates high school on Tuesday, and her heart is breaking for her mother. Ms. Tesnear is responding to commands by wiggling her toes and blinking, so that is where she stands as of 11 am today. Mrs. Tracy's son is still in CCU with some internal bleeding that they don't know where it is coming from. He's been given two pints of blood this morning, and that's the last I heard on him. I will check on both families after Dan finishes eating lunch and we take a walk around the floor. I'm excited. We're calling it our "date night". haha. I might just put on makeup for this!! (Does it matter that I'm wearing the same jeans I wore for the past three days on this date? I do'nt think so. haha.)
Miss Patsy, our sweet nurse, just told us that we are not going home today. We're really not that dissappointed though. I kinda thought it would be too soon to wean him off TPN that fast anyway. So it's looking like tomorrow. That's still good news to us!
Love to you all!
Trudy and Dan
Again,.. I could never express my appreciation and love for all of you who have called, texted, emailed, sent cards and facebook/blogspot comments, etc. We are so humbled and grateful, and I feel like everything happens for a reason. I have already seen some of those reasons manifested in ways that only God could have planned. How blessed we are to be His children!!
Also, and update on my friends. Ms. Tesnear's condition is sorta improved. She's still on a ventilator, but they are weaning her off of it. Her daughter graduates high school on Tuesday, and her heart is breaking for her mother. Ms. Tesnear is responding to commands by wiggling her toes and blinking, so that is where she stands as of 11 am today. Mrs. Tracy's son is still in CCU with some internal bleeding that they don't know where it is coming from. He's been given two pints of blood this morning, and that's the last I heard on him. I will check on both families after Dan finishes eating lunch and we take a walk around the floor. I'm excited. We're calling it our "date night". haha. I might just put on makeup for this!! (Does it matter that I'm wearing the same jeans I wore for the past three days on this date? I do'nt think so. haha.)
Miss Patsy, our sweet nurse, just told us that we are not going home today. We're really not that dissappointed though. I kinda thought it would be too soon to wean him off TPN that fast anyway. So it's looking like tomorrow. That's still good news to us!
Love to you all!
Trudy and Dan
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Jello never tasted so good!!!
To say it has been a whirlwind of events and information this week would be the understatement of the year!! Dan has recieved so many sweet notes, cards, phone calls, visits, etc and countless prayers have been said on our behalf. From the bottom of our hearts- THANK YOU!! You will never know how much it all means to us, and we will be eternally grateful to you. We have been so blessed!! Here's a rundown on Dan so far...
Monday- I got to the hospital around 9am. We talked to Brantley Eske, NP for the gastroenterologist who said we would begin prep for a colonoscopy in a few hours. The prep would involved ingesting some contrast, which they would put through his NG Tube, and that in the morning, Dr. L (I can't even begin to spell the last name! sorry!) would do a colonoscopy, take a biopsy of the blockage and tissues, and make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. We'd be leaving the hospital in about 3 days. I stepped in the hall to call family to let them know, and she came back and said that Dr. L had decided against the c'scopy. He said Dan's system wasn't strong enough to handle the prep for it, and that we would treat him with steroids for about 2-3 days, and then try the c'scopy. I called family to tell them the new news. When I walked back to the room, our nurse stopped me and said she'd recieved an order for steroids, which I expected, and an order for a PICC line, which I did not. I was not happy. Neither was Dan. I explained to Dan that they were giving him a PICC line, and that it was a great thing, because he could recieve nutrients through it that would keep him strong while we were waiting for the c'scopy. He was too high on morphine to understand. A few hours later, two nurses came in with equipment for a line, and the process began. It's a long, detailed process, guided by an ultrasound and followed up by a chest xray. Dan tolerated it like a trooper though. Never once complained! I would have been such a baby about it, but he was soo brave and cooperative! They began the TPN (nutrients) and I left to go to work.
Around 5, my MIL was walking around and came to see me in the waiting room. She said he was doing well, and would probably start some clear liquids in the morning. Great news! Two hours later, she called and said "Trudy, don't panic. He's gonna be okay...". I was immediately scared. They had to call a Code Rapid Response on him,.. he was on his way to CCU (Coronary Care Unit) and something showed up on his EKG that the doc didn't like. I know, why are they doing an EKG on him? A thousand questions hit me all at once and I broke down. I managed to get out of the waiting room and get to CCU as fast as I could. When we met the cardiologist, Dr. Shah, he said that the PICC line went in too far and actually was touching Dan's heart (right atrium). This disturbed his natural cardiac rhythm, and sent him into atrial fibrillation. He was in danger of having a stroke, blood clot, pulmonary embolism, and even cardiac failure. Dan had apparently told the nurse that his heart felt funny, and she paged Dr. James, who thankfully ordered a cardiac enzymes screening, EKG (so that's why they took one) and a chest xray, STAT. This saved Dan's life. (I'm choking up as I type this. I never, never, never want to relive that feeling).
He spent the night in CCU, and was alert, oriented, and miserable, but stable.
Tuesday- I snuck into CCU at 6am (visiting hours begin at 9). We sat in the dark, while he tried to rest, and listened to all the beeps and whirrs and hums of his machines. Now he had a nasogastric tube, an IV, a foley catheter, a PICC line, and they were checking his sugar (he's been anywhere from 179- 224!!!!) every six hours, and giving him insulin shots in his non PICC line arm- not to mention he had at least 8 or 9 monitor pads on him checking his heart!!! Dr.Shah said he could go to a regular bed as soon as Dr. James signed some papers. This was around 8am. Dr. James came around 4pm, and signed him off. I called admissions to find out his new room #, and it was 422 (a regular bed). Then they called me back and said Dr. Shah changed his mind and wanted a monitored bed, #612, just to be on the safe side. It was about 7:30 when they wheeled Dan into 612. NOw he has a portable heart monitor on top of everything else. And he was NPO (No Pas Os- "Nothing By Mouth") since he got here Sunday morning. Not even water. After a few hours on the floor, Dr. James came by and said he could start some clear liquids, and if tolerated well, he could take out the NG Tube in the morning. He also took out the foley cath. With help walking, Dan could get up and go to the bathroom or take a shower. It was the first shower he'd had since Saturday afternoon!!!! And the clear liquids were great.
Wednesday- Dr. James came by this morning around 8am. He asked Dan if he was tolerating liquids well. He was. So he let Dan do the honors of pulling out his own NG Tube!! It's in the trash can, people!! He has been working up to a full diet with no restrictions, and in a little while, he will be eating some homemade chicken soup from my mother. God answers prayer!
Dr. James let us know how seriously dangerous surgery would be for Dan right now, but that as a surgeon, he knows it's on of the fastest ways to find out what's wrong. He said "Guys, I have to tell you that there were many times I almost pulled the trigger and said let's go to the OR, but I know now that would have been a devasting thing. I prayed for God to give me wisdom and guidance on your case, Dan, and He blessed me in that. I'm so thankful for that, because now you are getting better!!". I will always feel like I owe Dr. James my husband's life. And I will always be thankful to God for guiding him in his care.
As I type, I'm waiting on Dr. L to come check on Dan and let us know what's next. We've spent the past 2 days trying to get his heart back to where it needs to be, and now that it's stable again, we can begin focussing on his colon again. Right now, the plan is to go home maybe on Saturday. We're not really sure yet, but I've learned to just hold on tight, because this is a bumpy ride with alot of quick turns, but with prayers and good family and friends, we're making it through. Thank you all again so much.
AS a side note, please include the Tracy family and the Tesnear family in your prayers when you remember us. These are some of our church families that are in critical care units here, and they are in serious need for prayers too. Thanks again!
Trudy
Monday- I got to the hospital around 9am. We talked to Brantley Eske, NP for the gastroenterologist who said we would begin prep for a colonoscopy in a few hours. The prep would involved ingesting some contrast, which they would put through his NG Tube, and that in the morning, Dr. L (I can't even begin to spell the last name! sorry!) would do a colonoscopy, take a biopsy of the blockage and tissues, and make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. We'd be leaving the hospital in about 3 days. I stepped in the hall to call family to let them know, and she came back and said that Dr. L had decided against the c'scopy. He said Dan's system wasn't strong enough to handle the prep for it, and that we would treat him with steroids for about 2-3 days, and then try the c'scopy. I called family to tell them the new news. When I walked back to the room, our nurse stopped me and said she'd recieved an order for steroids, which I expected, and an order for a PICC line, which I did not. I was not happy. Neither was Dan. I explained to Dan that they were giving him a PICC line, and that it was a great thing, because he could recieve nutrients through it that would keep him strong while we were waiting for the c'scopy. He was too high on morphine to understand. A few hours later, two nurses came in with equipment for a line, and the process began. It's a long, detailed process, guided by an ultrasound and followed up by a chest xray. Dan tolerated it like a trooper though. Never once complained! I would have been such a baby about it, but he was soo brave and cooperative! They began the TPN (nutrients) and I left to go to work.
Around 5, my MIL was walking around and came to see me in the waiting room. She said he was doing well, and would probably start some clear liquids in the morning. Great news! Two hours later, she called and said "Trudy, don't panic. He's gonna be okay...". I was immediately scared. They had to call a Code Rapid Response on him,.. he was on his way to CCU (Coronary Care Unit) and something showed up on his EKG that the doc didn't like. I know, why are they doing an EKG on him? A thousand questions hit me all at once and I broke down. I managed to get out of the waiting room and get to CCU as fast as I could. When we met the cardiologist, Dr. Shah, he said that the PICC line went in too far and actually was touching Dan's heart (right atrium). This disturbed his natural cardiac rhythm, and sent him into atrial fibrillation. He was in danger of having a stroke, blood clot, pulmonary embolism, and even cardiac failure. Dan had apparently told the nurse that his heart felt funny, and she paged Dr. James, who thankfully ordered a cardiac enzymes screening, EKG (so that's why they took one) and a chest xray, STAT. This saved Dan's life. (I'm choking up as I type this. I never, never, never want to relive that feeling).
He spent the night in CCU, and was alert, oriented, and miserable, but stable.
Tuesday- I snuck into CCU at 6am (visiting hours begin at 9). We sat in the dark, while he tried to rest, and listened to all the beeps and whirrs and hums of his machines. Now he had a nasogastric tube, an IV, a foley catheter, a PICC line, and they were checking his sugar (he's been anywhere from 179- 224!!!!) every six hours, and giving him insulin shots in his non PICC line arm- not to mention he had at least 8 or 9 monitor pads on him checking his heart!!! Dr.Shah said he could go to a regular bed as soon as Dr. James signed some papers. This was around 8am. Dr. James came around 4pm, and signed him off. I called admissions to find out his new room #, and it was 422 (a regular bed). Then they called me back and said Dr. Shah changed his mind and wanted a monitored bed, #612, just to be on the safe side. It was about 7:30 when they wheeled Dan into 612. NOw he has a portable heart monitor on top of everything else. And he was NPO (No Pas Os- "Nothing By Mouth") since he got here Sunday morning. Not even water. After a few hours on the floor, Dr. James came by and said he could start some clear liquids, and if tolerated well, he could take out the NG Tube in the morning. He also took out the foley cath. With help walking, Dan could get up and go to the bathroom or take a shower. It was the first shower he'd had since Saturday afternoon!!!! And the clear liquids were great.
Wednesday- Dr. James came by this morning around 8am. He asked Dan if he was tolerating liquids well. He was. So he let Dan do the honors of pulling out his own NG Tube!! It's in the trash can, people!! He has been working up to a full diet with no restrictions, and in a little while, he will be eating some homemade chicken soup from my mother. God answers prayer!
Dr. James let us know how seriously dangerous surgery would be for Dan right now, but that as a surgeon, he knows it's on of the fastest ways to find out what's wrong. He said "Guys, I have to tell you that there were many times I almost pulled the trigger and said let's go to the OR, but I know now that would have been a devasting thing. I prayed for God to give me wisdom and guidance on your case, Dan, and He blessed me in that. I'm so thankful for that, because now you are getting better!!". I will always feel like I owe Dr. James my husband's life. And I will always be thankful to God for guiding him in his care.
As I type, I'm waiting on Dr. L to come check on Dan and let us know what's next. We've spent the past 2 days trying to get his heart back to where it needs to be, and now that it's stable again, we can begin focussing on his colon again. Right now, the plan is to go home maybe on Saturday. We're not really sure yet, but I've learned to just hold on tight, because this is a bumpy ride with alot of quick turns, but with prayers and good family and friends, we're making it through. Thank you all again so much.
AS a side note, please include the Tracy family and the Tesnear family in your prayers when you remember us. These are some of our church families that are in critical care units here, and they are in serious need for prayers too. Thanks again!
Trudy
Sunday, May 17, 2009
"We found a little something in your CT"
This is gonna be short and not so sweet. I don't know what to write because we dont know what it is yet, but please keep us in your prayers. My husband, my soulmate, my Dan, is in the hospital. Admitted today thru the ER. He has an NG Tube, and something in his abdomen. He's so sick. I don't know what to do. His parents drove here as fast as they could, and they are with him right now. I'm at home, supposed to be resting up since I've been up for 24 hours now, but I can't sleep. He's on morphine, and that's keeping the pain around a 2 or 3, verses the 8-9 it was this morning.
Counting my blessings:
My parents are amazing. They drove to SRHS, got my keys, and went to my house and cleaned my kitchen and living room, and consoled my dog who is worried sick about Dan. I'm not kidding. He's dragging Dan's shirt around the house, crying. He knows soemthing's not right.
Dan's parents are also amazing. They drove up as fast as they could from Montgomery, AL. They have been as comforting to me as they have to him. So incredibly compassionate.
My sisters- they have called and called and texted and said all of the right things. Lavinia is worried sick, and though she coudln't come herself, she sent her friend to spend the day with me while we were waiting. He was such a huge help. He even came back later tonight. Heidi's boyfriend, Paul, is equally amazing. He's called and prayed and letting Heidi use his phone since her's went on the fritz today. I'm so grateful to all of them. Heidi even offered to drive 3 hrs to be here tomorrow. I told her to just stay by a phone for now. Paul's. Not hers.
Our doctor- Dr. Hugh James. I love this man. I truly do. I've worked around this man for 2 yrs. My two favorite things about Dr. J is one: He frequently prays with his patient's families before and after procedures. His mind and heart are always focussed on The Great Physician, and I respect that in him very much. Second, his motto is "I may be a surgeon, but I"m gonna try everything to not take you to surgery". He recognizes surgery for what it is; A necessary thing when everything else fails. He's not out to cut what don't need cuttin'. I feel good with Dan in his hands, and he knows me, so I feel like he may have an even more personal interest in Dan's case. I hope so.
My job- I can still work while Dan is in the hospital, and be just a hallway away from him. It's a blessing to not have to use sick days, or vacation days, or lose pay.
Our Church Family- I couldn't tell you how many well wishes and prayers have been ours today. I love them so much. Boiling Springs Church of Christ is as much a part of me as my right hand. And I'm right handed.
I will keep you updated as I can. I guess I better to go lay in bed.
If you want to.. here's a free way to cheer Dan up...
If you click here, you'll go to the SRHS website, where you can send Dan a free cheer card! The little volunteer ladies bring them around in the afternoons. I think he would love to hear from you! Above all, though, please pray for him and Dr. James to get this resolved without drastic measures.
Counting my blessings:
My parents are amazing. They drove to SRHS, got my keys, and went to my house and cleaned my kitchen and living room, and consoled my dog who is worried sick about Dan. I'm not kidding. He's dragging Dan's shirt around the house, crying. He knows soemthing's not right.
Dan's parents are also amazing. They drove up as fast as they could from Montgomery, AL. They have been as comforting to me as they have to him. So incredibly compassionate.
My sisters- they have called and called and texted and said all of the right things. Lavinia is worried sick, and though she coudln't come herself, she sent her friend to spend the day with me while we were waiting. He was such a huge help. He even came back later tonight. Heidi's boyfriend, Paul, is equally amazing. He's called and prayed and letting Heidi use his phone since her's went on the fritz today. I'm so grateful to all of them. Heidi even offered to drive 3 hrs to be here tomorrow. I told her to just stay by a phone for now. Paul's. Not hers.
Our doctor- Dr. Hugh James. I love this man. I truly do. I've worked around this man for 2 yrs. My two favorite things about Dr. J is one: He frequently prays with his patient's families before and after procedures. His mind and heart are always focussed on The Great Physician, and I respect that in him very much. Second, his motto is "I may be a surgeon, but I"m gonna try everything to not take you to surgery". He recognizes surgery for what it is; A necessary thing when everything else fails. He's not out to cut what don't need cuttin'. I feel good with Dan in his hands, and he knows me, so I feel like he may have an even more personal interest in Dan's case. I hope so.
My job- I can still work while Dan is in the hospital, and be just a hallway away from him. It's a blessing to not have to use sick days, or vacation days, or lose pay.
Our Church Family- I couldn't tell you how many well wishes and prayers have been ours today. I love them so much. Boiling Springs Church of Christ is as much a part of me as my right hand. And I'm right handed.
I will keep you updated as I can. I guess I better to go lay in bed.
If you want to.. here's a free way to cheer Dan up...
If you click here, you'll go to the SRHS website, where you can send Dan a free cheer card! The little volunteer ladies bring them around in the afternoons. I think he would love to hear from you! Above all, though, please pray for him and Dr. James to get this resolved without drastic measures.
Friday, May 15, 2009
How to Escape from a Grizzly
I remember a few winters ago, we were having a Christmas party at my Aunt Betty Sue’s antique house. There was only one television set in her dainty livingroom, and my grandfather had long ago designated its use to show Andy Griffith all night. No fear, because the cousins and I had brought board games, as was our custom and still is, and made ourselves at home in her parlor floor. Ashley, and her new fiancée, Doug, had brought their new favorite game, “Worst Case Scenario”. I remember this game vividly, because when it was Doug’s turn to read aloud his scenario that he had to survive, he did so in his thick, low country, getchee accent and we all had sore stomach muscles from trying not to laugh out loud at him. The card said “How to Escape from a Grizzly Bear”, but what Doug read was more like “Ha ta ‘scay fru uh Grit Lee Beh”. Hearing him describe with great energy and lots of hand movements the steps one must follow if they want to survive such an encounter was so obviously hilarious, even Ashley laughed out loud.
I haven’t thought about that night in ages, not until just a few weeks ago. I was sitting at the desk at work, and there was only one family in my waiting room. They were sitting behind me, and discussed everything from Obama being “fine lookin” to one lady’s account of her ‘pastuh been flirting wif me’. All very entertaining, if not mostly annoying. And then, to my delight, the object of pastuh’s affection got up like she was going to leave. She walked by my desk and I nodded politely at her, careful not to engage her in conversation, and counting her steps to the door- the steps that would leave me in peace and quiet!
“I can sho talk!” she said, proudly displaying her two gold front teeth.
Again, I gave her a nice smile and a polite nod.
“See, I’s movin my cah, and I’s gots to do it fo’ my mama decide she gon’ come wif me, cuz I dun tol’ hur she cain’ go wif me cuz if sum man decide he gon’ come afta me I’s gots to be able to fights him and I cain’ fights him if I’s takin’ care o’hur, you know?” She has ceased to move towards the door, and is standing in front of my desk, knock-off purse flailing around as she uses her hands and fake nails to tell her story.
“See, we’s been raised up ruff. I tol’ mama I knows how to gets away from a man if he gon’ come afta me. All I worries is if he’s gots a gun, but I can still handle dat. Alls you gots to do, is go at his growin’s and kicks em in, and when he draws hisself up like this (proceeds to demonstrate), then you jus knock dat gun outta his hand and keep beatin him (demonstrates beating a man with her knock-off purse). I tol’ mama, you jus gotsa have some strengf and you can beats him. I gots strengf, cuz we’s raised up ruff. I dun chop up wood when I’s raised up, so I gotsa strengf.” And with a smile that could mean nothing more than self pride and confidence in her demonstration. She opened the door and began to leave, but not without turning around to me once more and saying “I’s be aight!” and with that she left to move her car in the dark, downtown parking lot.
I pity any man that tries to take her down.
I haven’t thought about that night in ages, not until just a few weeks ago. I was sitting at the desk at work, and there was only one family in my waiting room. They were sitting behind me, and discussed everything from Obama being “fine lookin” to one lady’s account of her ‘pastuh been flirting wif me’. All very entertaining, if not mostly annoying. And then, to my delight, the object of pastuh’s affection got up like she was going to leave. She walked by my desk and I nodded politely at her, careful not to engage her in conversation, and counting her steps to the door- the steps that would leave me in peace and quiet!
“I can sho talk!” she said, proudly displaying her two gold front teeth.
Again, I gave her a nice smile and a polite nod.
“See, I’s movin my cah, and I’s gots to do it fo’ my mama decide she gon’ come wif me, cuz I dun tol’ hur she cain’ go wif me cuz if sum man decide he gon’ come afta me I’s gots to be able to fights him and I cain’ fights him if I’s takin’ care o’hur, you know?” She has ceased to move towards the door, and is standing in front of my desk, knock-off purse flailing around as she uses her hands and fake nails to tell her story.
“See, we’s been raised up ruff. I tol’ mama I knows how to gets away from a man if he gon’ come afta me. All I worries is if he’s gots a gun, but I can still handle dat. Alls you gots to do, is go at his growin’s and kicks em in, and when he draws hisself up like this (proceeds to demonstrate), then you jus knock dat gun outta his hand and keep beatin him (demonstrates beating a man with her knock-off purse). I tol’ mama, you jus gotsa have some strengf and you can beats him. I gots strengf, cuz we’s raised up ruff. I dun chop up wood when I’s raised up, so I gotsa strengf.” And with a smile that could mean nothing more than self pride and confidence in her demonstration. She opened the door and began to leave, but not without turning around to me once more and saying “I’s be aight!” and with that she left to move her car in the dark, downtown parking lot.
I pity any man that tries to take her down.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Funky Panties
First of all, here's some new super healthy, super yummy recipes I made up...
Chicken Swiss Wrap
Take one whole wheat tortilla. Spread one wedge of The Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese on the tortilla. Take three slices of shaved chicken lunch meat and place on top of the cheese.
*You can add reduced fat bacon to give it some crunch.
*I also like to add some Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic seasoning in leu of salt for added flavor.
*Try other varieties of The Laughing Cow Light cheeses. French Onion is also great in this wrap.
Wrap it up and enjoy! It also keeps in the fridge really well.
Banana Wrap
This is really good for breakfast.
Take one whole wheat tortilla. Take a spoonful of low fat peanut butter and one spoonful of honey. Microwave the pb and honey for about 10 - 15 seconds, just to make it more spreadable. Spread it on the tortilla. Cut up one whole banana into bitesize pieces, like you're going to put it on your cereal. Soak in lemon juice to keep the banana pieces fresh, and to add flavor. Let it soak for about a minute. Drain the lemon juice off and put the banana pieces on your tortilla and wrap it up like a burrito. This is great to eat right away or you can keep it in the fridge too.
More recipes to come!
Okay, now for the Funky Panties story...
So, I took Natalie to the mall last Weds to buy her mom something for Mother's Day. Natalie was having "Funky Sock Friday" at school, so after I bought her the funkiest socks we could find, she decided that was exactly what her mom needed was a pair of funky socks. I couldn't agree more.
We left the tweenie-bopper store we were in, and went to the nearest department store. I figured the socks would be near the underwear. We went walking past the bras and panties, and I didn't even notice the mannequin dressed in a sexy bra/panty set, but you can bet Natalie did. I noticed she wasn't standing right beside me, so I looked behind me and sure enough, she was still standing in front of the mannequin, staring up at her purple lace and see-through outfit. You could just see the question mark forming on her small forehead as she tilted her curly-haired head slightly to the side the way Moose does when I am talking to him.
"Did you see any funky socks over here?" I ask her. Without taking her eyes off the purple lacey thong, she pointed to the frills on the hips and whispered "Aunt Choody, What are those things for?".
Well, what am I supposed to say? Overcompensation? Your husband's birthday? Stripper attire? I had to think quickly. I knelt down to her level and said, "Well, Noodle, it's kinda like your socks. You know how we went to buy you some funky socks, and you're really excited about them? And even if you wore tennis shoes and no one else could see them, you'd know they were there and that would make you feel a little extra funky?" She nodded her head, still staring at the frills. "Well, those are like the same thing. Some women like to wear them, even though no one else will see them, they know they are there and it makes them feel a little extra funky."
"Funky panties?" she asked.
"Yes, Noodle. Those are funky panties", I said, taking her hand and leading her away to the socks.
About a minute later, she softly said "Aunt Choody?"
"Yes, My Noodle" We always call her that.
"Does my mama wear funky panties?"
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
"No, Noodle. Not since the last time I saw your mama's underwear."
"Do you?" she whispered, so not to embarass me.
"No, I don't. I'm funky enough without them." My eyes were welling up with tears of laughter. I was about to bust.
She pulled my hand down so she could whisper to me "Me neither!!" and then she giggled. We both giggled. And then we ran, hand in hand to the socks counter.
Little girls are so much fun!
As a side note, Natalie said "I want Mama's socks to have hearts on them because I love her". We found some obviously left-over valentine's socks and she pointed at them and said "Those! that's the ones!". No arguement from me. We got the socks and headed to the dollar store in the mall to pick out a gift bag. She pointed to the obviously left-over valentine's gift bag that said "I love you" with roses on it and hearts on it. "That one!" she said, "Because I love her!" So Lavinia had a very Valentinish Mother's Day. When I explained the hearts on the socks and the bag, Lavinia just smiled and said "I couldn't love anything more!"
My family is so awesome. :)
Chicken Swiss Wrap
Take one whole wheat tortilla. Spread one wedge of The Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese on the tortilla. Take three slices of shaved chicken lunch meat and place on top of the cheese.
*You can add reduced fat bacon to give it some crunch.
*I also like to add some Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic seasoning in leu of salt for added flavor.
*Try other varieties of The Laughing Cow Light cheeses. French Onion is also great in this wrap.
Wrap it up and enjoy! It also keeps in the fridge really well.
Banana Wrap
This is really good for breakfast.
Take one whole wheat tortilla. Take a spoonful of low fat peanut butter and one spoonful of honey. Microwave the pb and honey for about 10 - 15 seconds, just to make it more spreadable. Spread it on the tortilla. Cut up one whole banana into bitesize pieces, like you're going to put it on your cereal. Soak in lemon juice to keep the banana pieces fresh, and to add flavor. Let it soak for about a minute. Drain the lemon juice off and put the banana pieces on your tortilla and wrap it up like a burrito. This is great to eat right away or you can keep it in the fridge too.
More recipes to come!
Okay, now for the Funky Panties story...
So, I took Natalie to the mall last Weds to buy her mom something for Mother's Day. Natalie was having "Funky Sock Friday" at school, so after I bought her the funkiest socks we could find, she decided that was exactly what her mom needed was a pair of funky socks. I couldn't agree more.
We left the tweenie-bopper store we were in, and went to the nearest department store. I figured the socks would be near the underwear. We went walking past the bras and panties, and I didn't even notice the mannequin dressed in a sexy bra/panty set, but you can bet Natalie did. I noticed she wasn't standing right beside me, so I looked behind me and sure enough, she was still standing in front of the mannequin, staring up at her purple lace and see-through outfit. You could just see the question mark forming on her small forehead as she tilted her curly-haired head slightly to the side the way Moose does when I am talking to him.
"Did you see any funky socks over here?" I ask her. Without taking her eyes off the purple lacey thong, she pointed to the frills on the hips and whispered "Aunt Choody, What are those things for?".
Well, what am I supposed to say? Overcompensation? Your husband's birthday? Stripper attire? I had to think quickly. I knelt down to her level and said, "Well, Noodle, it's kinda like your socks. You know how we went to buy you some funky socks, and you're really excited about them? And even if you wore tennis shoes and no one else could see them, you'd know they were there and that would make you feel a little extra funky?" She nodded her head, still staring at the frills. "Well, those are like the same thing. Some women like to wear them, even though no one else will see them, they know they are there and it makes them feel a little extra funky."
"Funky panties?" she asked.
"Yes, Noodle. Those are funky panties", I said, taking her hand and leading her away to the socks.
About a minute later, she softly said "Aunt Choody?"
"Yes, My Noodle" We always call her that.
"Does my mama wear funky panties?"
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
"No, Noodle. Not since the last time I saw your mama's underwear."
"Do you?" she whispered, so not to embarass me.
"No, I don't. I'm funky enough without them." My eyes were welling up with tears of laughter. I was about to bust.
She pulled my hand down so she could whisper to me "Me neither!!" and then she giggled. We both giggled. And then we ran, hand in hand to the socks counter.
Little girls are so much fun!
As a side note, Natalie said "I want Mama's socks to have hearts on them because I love her". We found some obviously left-over valentine's socks and she pointed at them and said "Those! that's the ones!". No arguement from me. We got the socks and headed to the dollar store in the mall to pick out a gift bag. She pointed to the obviously left-over valentine's gift bag that said "I love you" with roses on it and hearts on it. "That one!" she said, "Because I love her!" So Lavinia had a very Valentinish Mother's Day. When I explained the hearts on the socks and the bag, Lavinia just smiled and said "I couldn't love anything more!"
My family is so awesome. :)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Monthly Resolutions...
... are what I am now working on. I've decided that making a resolution at the beginning of the year is more committment than I am able to, well,.. commit to. I am a list person- when I clean house, the first thing I do is make a list. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I can mark something off my list and know that it is completely done. Therefore, I am combining my list-a-bility and my desire for a new resolution, and doing a Monthly Resolution. Hopefully, four weeks of working on a new resolution will start a new, good habit for me and it will become a lifetime resolution instead of just a monthly thing. I'm picking two small, easy to do goals for this month, since this month is halfway over already.
#1. Drink more water. I never drink enough water. I don't really like it. I'd so much rather have a tall glass of semi-sweet tea. Granted, my sweet tea is nothing like everyone else's. I put about 1/3 of the sugar most people do, and I buy decaf tea, so it's not the caffeine that I'm addicted to. It's the tea taste- the way it tastes like summertime, the way the condensation forms on the outside of the tall glass and drips down it's sides in slow motion like drops of summer rain tracing the outside of my bedroom window panes. Water is so much less romantic than a tall glass of tea, but right now, there's not much in this world that is more unromantic than my hips, so I'm choosing to drink the H2O and end my affair with my tea. My measurable goal is 6 full glasses of water a day. Baby steps, people! Baby steps! I may increase from there, but 6 is the minimum.
#2. Be early for everything. I have the curse of the Holders, and I'm late for everything. I will be late for my own funeral! I've been doing alot better about it lately, but I would like to make this an official goal to not be late for anything at all (as it is within my power of course) for the rest of the month. Whether it is work, church, bible study, meeting friends or whatever, I am going to be more than on time,.. I'll be early! I've been driving to work about 20 minutes early for a few weeks, and I sit in my car and just chill out before going in to the rat race, and I'm noticing that I'm less stressed, and in a much better mood throughout my shift. I don't have to worry about speeding to get there, or hunting a parking spot, and I can do little things that I normally have no time for (today, I trimmed my fingernails and organized my purse). I am hoping to keep this up and apply it to everything else I do.
I hope you are all having a great April and stay tuned for my May Resolutions!! What is the one thing you would work on for a solid month in hopes it becomes a daily habit?
#1. Drink more water. I never drink enough water. I don't really like it. I'd so much rather have a tall glass of semi-sweet tea. Granted, my sweet tea is nothing like everyone else's. I put about 1/3 of the sugar most people do, and I buy decaf tea, so it's not the caffeine that I'm addicted to. It's the tea taste- the way it tastes like summertime, the way the condensation forms on the outside of the tall glass and drips down it's sides in slow motion like drops of summer rain tracing the outside of my bedroom window panes. Water is so much less romantic than a tall glass of tea, but right now, there's not much in this world that is more unromantic than my hips, so I'm choosing to drink the H2O and end my affair with my tea. My measurable goal is 6 full glasses of water a day. Baby steps, people! Baby steps! I may increase from there, but 6 is the minimum.
#2. Be early for everything. I have the curse of the Holders, and I'm late for everything. I will be late for my own funeral! I've been doing alot better about it lately, but I would like to make this an official goal to not be late for anything at all (as it is within my power of course) for the rest of the month. Whether it is work, church, bible study, meeting friends or whatever, I am going to be more than on time,.. I'll be early! I've been driving to work about 20 minutes early for a few weeks, and I sit in my car and just chill out before going in to the rat race, and I'm noticing that I'm less stressed, and in a much better mood throughout my shift. I don't have to worry about speeding to get there, or hunting a parking spot, and I can do little things that I normally have no time for (today, I trimmed my fingernails and organized my purse). I am hoping to keep this up and apply it to everything else I do.
I hope you are all having a great April and stay tuned for my May Resolutions!! What is the one thing you would work on for a solid month in hopes it becomes a daily habit?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Spring Fever!
There are few people in this world that are as excited that it is April as I am! One of the things I love most about living in SC is our seasons. We have 4 very distinct seasons, and for someone who gets bored easily, that's a blessing. When asked what my favorite season is, I always say "whichever one is coming up next" because I anticipate it so much- the foods, the festivals and activities, the holidays, the weather, the clothes- and then about halfway through it, I'm done. I'm ready to move on and get to the next set of foods, festivals, holidays, etc. haha. By late August, I'm craving pumpkin pie and Halloween parties. By early November, I want Santa- Now! When January hits, I start looking at fabrics of daisy print and shamrocks. Now that it's officially April, and the dogwoods are blooming up and down my street, I am tickled pink!
When I have time, I like to organize my grocery list in two parts- things that I must get at Ingles, and things I can get at the Dollar G. Paper products, shampoo, cards, canned goods- usually come from Dollar G. Meat, produce, etc- from Ingles. I'm not sure if it saves me all that much money, but I feel like I'm being smart, so I do it. On occasion, I walk through the book section to see if there are any cute coloring books I can spoil my neice with. Yesterday, I found myself in the garden section. I was amazed at how much stuff they carry! Ever since we got married, I've wanted my own little garden. I tried growing tomatoes in a planter on the porch of our first apartment, but they didn't do so well. I tried growing peppers in a planter on our back porch last summer,.. again,.. it was a flop. I'm thinking I should move onto something else,... like flowers. I love flowers! All kinds, all colors, all shapes,.. I love love love them. I also love the cheesey tacky garden ornaments. Not so much the ceramic gnomes, but I did see some wire flowers that you stick in the ground and they were really tall. I thought that was cute. And chimes,.. there was an awesome chime I saw yesterday there too. They even had potting soil! I started on my garden at the end of last summer, but didn't finish it. It's small, in front of our house, and needs alot of work. I think it'll be a great summer hobby for me. I can't wait to finish what I've started! Pictures will definitely be coming soon!!
Also, this weekend, we (myself and Dan, Lavinia, Natalie, a friend, and my parents) are all going to Lake Jocassee. We're taking a boat with us, so we can travel around the perimeter of the lake and see some waterfalls. I can't wait,.. I love waterfalls as much if not more than flowers. Flowers along side a waterfall? Wow. I may not be able to contain myself! haha. Spring time,.. I love you!
Come back soon for some pictures of me and my spring time bliss!
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