And Then There Were FIVE!

Okay, well we almost made it to June without any more surprises, but the Good LORD just wanted to bring us a big ol' smile. It seems our Debi and Justin are expecting their second little one come late January! We are thrilled with the grandchildren God is entrusting to our care and we pray for mommy and baby throughout this pregnancy. And it appears that Miles wanted to tell us in his own special way so his parents found this cute shirt to mark the wonderful occasion. This new little one will be our fifth grandchild in 4.5 years! Our cup runneth over and over, and over, and over, and over again!

A Dodged Bullet

Well the hospital, x-rays, doctor visits are finally fading away into our past, but all day today I keep feeling like I just dodged a bullet...with my spouse's motorcycle accident! I can't help, but keep thanking and praising the LORD for protecting him from much greater harm and for giving my husband an awareness and acceptance that it is time to sell the bike. (It is now listed in our local newspaper, hope it sells quickly.)

Last night we were invited to celebrate Memorial Day with 3 other couples and one of the women said that a mutual friend of ours, Dr. Sam, called motorcycles, "donorcycles". I know God's protective hand was on my husband. In the last few months my bible study friends and I have begun praying daily, and specifically for each of our husbands and naming each man out loud. We have prayed for their physical and spiritual walk as well as their careers. And in the last few weeks each man has been dealing with one or more of these areas in his life! One has just been let go from his company even though he does wonderful work, another has concern that any given Friday he may be let go because the economy is doing so poorly, another has some health concerns, and then there is Robert's accident. During the dinner we began talking about other husbands we know who have also been dealing with their careers and health and how it is affecting their spiritual walk. I am happy to report that each one of these men has become a stronger, better Christian more than ever determined to serve their KING!

I am so grateful the LORD has moved each of us wives to pray specifically for our own and each other's spouses. I am confident that this was from the Holy Spirit and glad that we were and are prayerful. Hope every one of my female, married friends is praying for her spouse, I am sure you will agree with me, each one of these godly men needs that extra protection out in the world.

Back Home and Settling In

Hi Friends, just a quick note that Robert was just released from the hospital, but is still recovering from the lung puncture. They actually were not going to release him today, however I met with the doctor and the head nurse assigned to his case and they agreed to let him go as long as he agrees to see his GP in the morning. He had a pretty bad night every night, especially last night, so we are hoping he can sleep without all the distractions, disruptions, and discussions that occur on a regular, hourly basis in the hospital setting. We are so thankful he is doing well, but he must still take it easy for 3-4 weeks and he cannot fly for the next 6 weeks. After that he should be just fine. Thank you so very much for your prayers, calls, cards, and visits...it brought us great comfort and peace to know others were caring for us.

One thing you realize after something like this is how important it is to be healthy and stay that way. We have been blessed for quite a long time without any major event like this in our lives. Our Creator has been so good to us and we are so very thankful. Now everyone get healthy and stay healthy for as long as you can.

The Emergency Room

Though it's been a very long time since our last trip to the ER room, at least 25 years, in less than 12 hours we have been chosen to visit them twice! So, here is a quick summary of the latest and later when things have settled down I can tell you more.

Robert was leaving the parking lot at work on his motorcycle going quite slowly about 5 mph and turning right when he didn't swing wide enough and lost his balance landing hard on his right side which then cracked a rib and punctured his lung, and oh yes, torn his jeans, and scrapped his knee up pretty good too. So he is in the hospital until the lung heals and in case the lung should decide to collapse (which can be life threatening) they can quickly put a chest tube in.

So, how to pray? He is in tremendous pain whenever he moves, however they have him on morphine and vicodin. Please pray the pain eases. Also of course, that the lung resolves itself and no chest tube is needed. Finally, please pray for him to come home quickly and just overall quick healing with no long term negative effects. We are praising God that it was not more serious, no one else was involved, we have good insurance, and the medical staff has been very good. Thank you for the visits, the calls, and the prayers, love, and support you are sending our way.

FBI's Most Wanted List- #1 Scooter aka "Luigi" Mo

Be on the look out for a short, about 2 feet high, 20 inch long, Shih Tzu, wearing a white and spotted brindle haired coat. An incident reported at a local home and investigated last week uncovered the following information filed at the FBI headquarters. The report reads as follows: "Just because he's cute doesn't get him off the hook, let's face it the dog is an addict," was a recent comment overheard by this investigator when observing said animal. Apparently, the dog is known for his disarming and loving personality coupled with extended periods of good behavior providing a very deceptive cover for the crimes he commits. "His personality and demeanor is allowing him access to valuable items," another comment made at the residence where this canine can be found currently dwelling in a tan kennel. "This look is exactly the problem, pretending to be all innocent when you know darn good and well it's this dog's cover." Going by the name of Scooter aka "Luigi" Mo said dog will only obey commands when treats are included in the summons to obey. The local FBI (Fido Behavior Institution) lists Scooter as "armed and dangerous." His MO (modus operandi) is to play and be cute, coupled with a wagging tail and the licking of hands and faces which renders humans, useless, ineffective, off guard, and unprepared for the damage he can inflict when gone unnoticed and undetected. His most recent crime, which his owners, although insured, hope will only run in the $10's of dollars, is chewing a sizable gash in the leg of a very expensive and relatively new coffee table while his mistress was under the influence of Vicodin and his master was asleep in the LaZBoy. Additionally, his addictive chewing has personally cost him numerous toys that had to be destroyed, an upset stomach from swallowing indigestible items, vomiting, and rejection and disdain from more mature canines.
The FBI suggest immediately imposing sanctions on this innocent looking animal, such as saying "NO!" loudly and emphatically while simultaneously withholding all treats. They also censured his owners reminding them that he is ONLY ten months old and therefore is subject to fits of teething and uncontrollable urges to gnaw on anything within his range of travel. Imposed sanctions against the owners include never leaving Scooter alone, never again being under the influence of a controlled substance and never falling asleep or talking on the phone, while leaving the animal unsupervised. Supervised daily visits have been approved for the time being on a regular basis however, animal rights activists say that this may cause Scooter to feel marginalized and act out even more unacceptable and bad behavior in the future. FBI officials remain guardedly optimistic and say only time will tell whether Scooter is rehabilitated and able to be mainstreamed into normal canine society. The owners have decided to remain loyal dog lovers for an extended period of time. No other charges are pending.

Up Close and Personal

As promised another photo shoot of the knee.



Just to show you that the nurse wrote yes in blue and the doctor wrote yes in black to be sure we had not only the right leg, but the correct leg as well! Ha-ha!

Here's what the Dr. said about the surgery: 1) My ACL is strong and healthy, 2) My femur is strong and healthy, 3) He cleaned up the meniscus which was causing my leg to lock up and swell if I walked or stood too much. 4) Surprisingly he found a floating bone chip which he removed! 5) He says the arthritis is from my leg bone and femur touching...nothing he can do about that.

He took pictures inside my knee and showed my husband and two friends who came to the hospital with hot chocolate and scones for Robert and visited me in recovery. One of them also took the recovery photo posted in the previous blog. Later, these same two friends came bearing gifts and dinner! They were in total shock at how great I looked and how much I could do so quickly...actually so am I. Robert and I just cannot stop thanking the Good LORD for this wonderful blessing...I feel like I got my life back. I just didn't realize how much it had made me slow down. Next time I will listen to my body and take it more seriously sooner rather than later. N.

Today's Surgery Photo Op

Hi All, Well one hour after going under general anesthesia, and arthroscopic surgery here I am (with Rita the R.N. from Nicaragua, and Robert) wide awake, alert and feeling so wonderful. I cannot tell you how great I feel. My Vicodon wore off hours ago, but I have no need for another! I was going down the stairs "like a big girl" several hours later, which I haven't been able to do since August. Also, have been able to get up off the couch normally and easily! Praise Our God! I feel great! The surgery was at 7a.m. and I was home by 9:30a.m.! Unbelievable. The funniest thing is Robert had to go lay down and take a nap, but I have yet to sleep. I guess the 45 minutes on the operating table was good for the day! I am thrilled to feel so good so quickly. Thank you much for the prayers, phone calls, and good wishes. Will post more as soon as Robert takes a picture of my leg.

New Color Scheme

Just needed to change the color scheme of my blog...it's spring and green is and has always been my favorite color. So, for now, I changed my blog template. Whaddya' think? N.

Dum Dum Du Dum!

Ok, this is the week I have been waiting for and now the count down begins. In about 20 hours, I will arrive at the surgery center to finally have my orthroscopic knee surgery. I am so ready to have my leg back to normal...my only anxiety is how long it will take to get back to normal. The doctor said that it will be three to four weeks of having my leg up higher than my heart whenever I sit down, but other than that I will have 3-4 days of pain and I am done. Ta-da! After 8 months of pain, what's another 3 or 4 days? Anyway, your prayers requested that everything goes well, and recovery and physical therapy are easy. Thanks so much. N.