Well it's been a few weeks.....

 Well......since the last blog our lives have changed quite a bit. 

March 27 we were sitting on the couch after putting the babies to bed when Jon began rubbing his LEFT arm/shoulder.....well you already know where I'm going don't you......

He headed off to the hospital and in a few hours I got the call that there was Troponin in his blood suggesting something was going on with his heart.  Literally I started shaking so bad my teeth were rattling & I could barely talk.  Luckily our son got home from work and I called our oldest son and his wife.  They got over and we went to the hospital together.  Believe it or not a little 10 year old doctor (just kidding) was trying to tell Jon he just needed to get his shoulder checked out by a neurologist....the only one who got checked out was her!  We got the cardiologist in and of course he thought a heart cath was in order due to Jon's history and we knew there was a small blockage when he had his last heart cath in 2020.  At the time it was deemed to small and hard to get to.  In fact it was mentioned when he had the heart surgery in 2016 but it was too small to justify putting a stent in.  I know that sounds crazy but there is a protocol  to follow.  Anyway he had the heart cath the next day after many delays because of emergencies.  He was the last patient done and they successfully got a stent in.  It was on the LAD "the widowmaker"  Despite it being 90% blocked it was very reassuring to know this was not a "new blockage"  In fact his arteries are all clear and it shows that taking statins have made a huge difference!   I told on it was almost worth having to deal with all this to get that good news.  

So then he came home and all was good.....in fact I scheduled a cruise for us LOL  When he had his first heart attack and surgery I knew how much he wanted to go on a cruise so I told him "if he was a good boy in surgery" I would schedule a cruise for us.  I never wanted to go on one.....oh how that changed  So I scheduled one for us in a couple of months.  He's feeling great!

Then I finally made the appointment to have foot surgery.  I have Haglund's Abnormity and needed it taken care of.  It's caused by too much walking and high heels....Guilty!  So I scheduled it for the day after Easter.  There was no way I was going to wear a boot with my Easter dress!Easter was great~

We came home and had a great meal fun relaxing day.... later that night Sam seemed to throw up a little.  not much we actually thought maybe he intentionally made himself throw up.  He was playing and acting normal so we headed off to bed to be ready for my surgery the next morning.  I was beat because I'd spent the last week preparing for the surgery by laying pavers working on the lawn, cleaning the house and doing some meal prep.  Once during the night his pulse/oxygen machine went off but before I got out off bed it stopped so I did not worry about it.   But the next morning I looked in his room because I heard a noise and he was covered with horrible throw up- undigested food.  It overed him the bed and the wall.  We got him up and I cleaned (and retched) while Jon gave him a shower.... at that point I was questioning having my surgery!  But Jon said it would be ok.....Mr Optimist himself.

Our caregiver came and we told her just to give him some soup and tea a little later And off we went ....my foot surgery was easy peasy just a pain after with the stupid boot.  We got back home later and gave Sam some tea.  He had had a little of the soup but not much.  He couldn't even swallow the tea and threw it up  violently.   At that point we knew he needed to go to the ER.  Jon took him to our local ER hoping it was just a virus.  It wasn't.  He had a blockage in his small intestine.  He got transferred to Arnold Palmer in Orlando where thankfully we had a surgeon who had already seen Sam.   After we found Sarah's  malrotation of the small intestines we had Sam checked for it..... Of course he had it although it was not as crazy as her's was.  He had a regular malrotation which we were told was still serious but at his age we could just keep an eye on it,  Well....it was acting up so he had surgery yesterday.

He had the malrotation moved, the small intestine worked on appendix removed and the red mole on his nose taken off!  Unfortunately his surgery could not be done like Sarah  through a laparoscopy  so he has a huge cut down his belly.  He turned out to be more difficult than Sarah in a different way.  He has a NG tube that's removing all the bile and gook from his small intestines.

right before surgery

after

He recently has gotten obsessed with blankets.  this is so soft

so much bile 

Please keep Sam in your prayers  He has a long recovery ahead  My foot is pain free but I'm wearing a boot and suing a knee scooter a friend lent me  The doctor said if I obey his rules I should make a full recovery! My plans were a long 2 week marathon of tv and books.....welp.....I'm still doing things just like he told me-just not at home.  Jon and I take turns staying in the hospital.  He is staying nights and i'm staying during the day.  Thankful for a Ronald McDonald House right next to the hospital..  I do wish I'd cancelled the surgery but I had no idea how sick Sam was!!!  I'm stuck and need help to do things but at least I can sit with him.  

Honestly I was so overwhelmed by all this and a few other things going on that I just did not see how we could do this but we are making it.  Thanks for your prayers

2023 Update

 Well let's just recap 2023 thus far LOL 

Jon and I went on 2 cruises...one in January and one in February.  We have travel agents as friends!  (if you want a great travel agent contact OVI at Kay's travel doesn't matter where you live he can help you plan a great vacation tell him I sent you!)

The first we went to to Key West and Nassau with my BFF college roomie and her husband.  It was their first cruise and they had a great time.  

this is a real unfiltered picture from my phone!

We left out of Tampa so that was easy for us.  It was the coldest cruise I've ever been on and the oldest.  We were some of the youngest folks on the cruise.  But we had an absolute blast!  It was in January during a cold snap.  It was even cold in Key West!  I don't think I've ever been there when it was under a 100 degrees!  Then we went to Nassau-we took a tour around the city-that was interesting especially the rum cake factory!  We laughed so much on this trip! 

Then in February we went with a group from my hometown to the Bahamas.  The group included our travel agent.  This time we left out of Cape Canaveral one a huge ship.  It was the biggest one we've ever gone on before with Broadway Shows, a theater, an amazing promenade area filled with shopping and restaurants that were mainly included in our fare.  At first I was a bit overwhelmed being on such a large ship but it was very comfortable and although there were more people it did not seem crowded. We shared the ship with a convention of Anime folks and "furries" that was interesting.  The last night we got into a conversation with a group of them and really enjoyed them.  They were very open and respectful.  I'm glad we didn't let our differences keep us apart!

The ship had Grease the hit broadway show running.  It was a treat!  On this trip we just stopped at Royal Caribbean's Bahamian Island  Coco Cay.  We had gone there years ago but it was rather unremarkable.    It's been updated and is wonderful with trams, lots of shady places, lots of things to do, places to eat, very nice!

We went on the balloon ride-none of my family or friends can believe I did it but it was beautiful to see the island from 450 feet!

There were lots of chickens on the island so I felt right at home.  To be honest I didn't think I'd enjoy the island but it was fantastic.  

Here is our group don't we look like we are from Downton Abbey??

Some folks wonder how we can afford to cruise but we don't go out much in our day to day life.  We don't go on "dates" because it's usually just too complicated. And over the past years we don't even go out to eat that much either.   It's not relaxing to us knowing we have to come home and take care of our day to day duties.  In other words it stresses us out.  Going out to eat with the kids is getting harder as Sarah has a strict diet now on top of having to have her food pureed.   If we were to go out and get home at midnight, then our caregiver would leave and we'd have to be up early in the morning to start the day.  For us we relax at home by reading or watching tv after the kids are in bed. That is great and we do enjoy it but going on cruises are all our date nights at one time LOL  So we go on cruises so we can relax and spend time together. Living in Florida makes it easy and having grown kids means we can usually get dropped off at the terminal so we don't have to pay parking. (and we return the favor to them too)  It doesn't hurt to have a great travel agent who works hard to find us a good deal.  We generally get an inside room which is the cheapest - sometimes less than $100 a day.  Meals are included at no extra charge.  You can't beat a cruise for the price, convenience and over all relaxation!

It's been really good for us as a couple to get away from our extremely complicated life and focus on each other and having fun.  We have so very many responsibilities that our life is filled from the time we wake up till we go to bed.  I know everyone has responsibilities too but we are almost 60!  Yes Jon will be 60 this year!!!  Our responsibilities with our family is like having toddlers in bigger bodies that require total care.  We get so tired physically then Jon has the prison and the church.  We have our older boys too and Selah to watch over at her group home.  It's alot and God gives us the strength to do it but this gives us a time to recharge.  I'd recommend it to everyone!  

We did do a family date night at the Strawberry Festival this year....

The cutest couple 

Sam got his corn

my boys- i had no idea how much they looked alike

Then we went on a night just for Sam.  Both trips were for his birthday present.  He loves the Strawberry Festival.  We rode most of the kid rides and all of the ferris wheels

Jon had more sense than to ride this one.  I got so sick  Sam loved it

Then I even took my friend to it so she could be a Strawberry Queen!

So far this year Sam has NOT had an issue with seasonal depression and has not lost weight!  This is the first year we have not struggled from January -May (of course we still have some time but we've never seen it hit this late)  We use a light box-it must be helping!  Sam has topped the scale at 124!  Last year he was up to 119 but lost to 84 pounds and doctors got very worried.  We did too  A doctor suggested this so I bought a cheap one on Amazon never thinking it would work but it did!!!!!!!

Steve and Nichole are doing great as newlyweds and recently went on a trip out to the Grand Canyon and Utah.   We called it their 3rd honeymoon LOL 

Shad got a promotion at work and has new responsibilities.  We are so proud of him.  He is so focused on his future and has such a great work ethic.  He has his future planned and has goals.  It's really great to see your children grow up and start their adult lives.  When Steve first left for college I did not know how I'd live!  He was the first one out of the nest and it was hard for me.  I loved having all 5 of them at home.  But I chose to embrace their growth and with that I grew too.  Shad still lives at home but he works a crazy schedule and really only is home to sleep. He's like our roommate HAHA  I've learned to treat them as adults and both of them have entered into their adulthood in a way that has made us very proud.  They are both responsible and dependable. Steve has an amazing job as a video producer.  It's crazy to think of my little boys all grown and completely self sufficient.  

Selah is doing great in her group home.  She has been there over a year and we are so grateful for the care she receives.  I was there today and had a wonderful visit with her and her private nurse..  Yes they worked out a way to get her her own nurse! Since she is under 21 she is eligible for a peds nurse.  So she has one during the day and at night.  It's incredible.  

Sarah was in the hospital in February.  She had a blockage.  Since her surgery things don't move as well as we would like them too.  We have her a a regimine now that seems to be working but it's not exactly the most natural meds.  But at this time we have to keep things going and hopefully her system will get back to normal.  

Her new gastrologist did get her and Sam into the St Joe Complex Care Practice.  Originally they were at Arnold Palmer's but that doctor moved.  Our original pediatrician retired and moved too.  It's been a challenging couple of years.  If you don't have older special needs kids you will not believe how hard it is to find healthcare.  We had 2 doctors refuse to take them as patients!  Even our personal gastrologist was uncomfortable with their care because of their complications.  I thank God for the many years we had such a wonderful pediatrician.  Dr W gave me his home cell and back office numbers.  I never took advantage of that trust.  He would call and check on us when things were going on.  I felt like we were a team taking care of them.  He respected my input and I trusted his decisions.  I knew he'd give med the best advice.  Even back then I knew we were blessed but boy do I realize now just how blessed we were with him.  Those kinds of doctors are few and far between.  Thank you Dr W!!!!  I'm hoping things will work out good with this new group/doctor

The day after Easter I'm having foot surgery.  I opted for a lesser surgery on my heel in hopes it will fix my issues.  I only have to be in a boot for 2 weeks....only.....  I'm very tactile defensive myself and am hoping I can handle it!  Just trying it on made me feel stressed.  It goes up to the knee and has air compression in it.  Evidently between all my 10,000 steps and my love of high heels I have what is called Haglund deformity  It's affecting everything now and I get pains down the back of my legs.  It's been a problem for almost 2 years.  I had hoped it would get better but it hasn't.  So wish me luck!  

So that's it in a nutshell.  We have more chickens.  I ended up buying chicks for my broody hen at the end of the year.  My hen was in chicken heaven and took them under her wings immediately.  It actually brought tears to my eyes. (see a couple of posts back)  Now those chicks are bigger than their tiny mama..Another one of my older chicks went broody and is sitting on 9 eggs (from various other chickens too) I had to mark them as some of her sisters will sit almost on top of her and lay their eggs and she'll roll them under her!  So every night I pull the unmarked eggs out from under her!  These eggs should actually hatch on Easter!  Wouldn't that be adorable???

 Good homes were found for the other 3 roosters and now there's just  my one beautiful sweet boy.  He is literally the best rooster I have ever known.  Isn't he gorgeous?  He has 14 girls so he is a happy boy!

Life is good-I'm thankful for my family and for all God has done for us.  There are challenges but He brings us through and helps us out.  Have a good weekend!!

Happy New Year 2023

 So this is the end of 2022.... as usual a year with high high and low lows.  A good medium year would be great if I could just order one

2022 literally started in the ER for Sarah as we realized her tummy situation was not resolved in spite of a week in the hospital in December 2021,  She ended up staying almost the whole month of January at St Joe's.  At one point they wanted to send her home with the issue unresolved.  We literally had her dressed and I literally felt "that nudge" so I changed her back into her gown and refused to leave unless they were transferring us to another hospital.  It got a bit heated with the doctor but I've got broad shoulders (literally lol) and really do not give a fig what someone like that thinks of me.  The little doctor girl got snooty with me and asked me for my diagnosis.  So I told her I thought it was her small intestine  I had been researching everything.  So the doctor agreed to do an upper Gi with contrast the next morning but warned me we would have to leave if there was nothing wrong.  Sarah's entire chest/belly area was swollen like she had a giant beer belly.  Well..... as they test was running I looked at the screen that was lit up under her arms with what looked like her intestines and her belly had absolutely not contrast   When I pointed that out all hell broke out!  Her intestines were literally up and down under her right arm pit instead of across her belly!  Her appendix was under her left lung......needless to say we got a new gastro group/doctor immediately and did not leave the hospital.  She had surgery as soon as they could arrange it with a surgeon that we personally knew.  He basically told us she had had many volus (where her intestines twisted) she could have died from this!  So again trust your gut in situations even if you don't understand everything medically!  

Sam had a rough January- May as he has seasonal depression (just diagnosed through the DNAstudy he is in.  They found another deletion and it is related to seasonal depression which he has had every year of his life.  I've bought a light box to see if that will help him in the coming year.  We also had him checked for Malrotation of the small intestines & guess what he has it too but his is a more normal case.  It could still become very serious and now we have to decide about surgery for him.  Since he had a very bad anesthesia reaction in 2021 we have to really weigh it.  We gave ourselves a little time and have had a few consolations.  Right now I think we are leaning towards doing it.  

In February after ten months of paperwork calls to Tallahassee we were able to get Selah into a wonderful medical group home.  They were originally not taking clients under 21 but I knew it was the place for her if we had to place her in a group home.  It was very bittersweet to move her but after 10 months we are still so very happy with it.  It is an amazing group home.  She is well taken care of- they have a nurse, CNA and a respiratory therapist on every shift for just 6 clients.  In fact Selah has had a private nurse 6 days a week for 12 hours daily.  They also have their own doctor, physical and occupational therapists and many volunteers.  It is a dream for young people like our daughter.   Last night I walked out with one of the therapists and she told me she has never gone to such a wonderful group home.  That made me so happy!  We are blessed!  On Christmas Eve we did a little Christmas service for the clients and staff.  We brought in stockings for the clients and for the other group home they run and goodies for the staff.  While we are so happy it's still not what we wanted.  We wanted to keep her home but we feel God helped us to find the best place possible for her.

Our dear friend who was like a family member was losing his battle with cancer during the first part of this year and passed away in May.  That has been such a hard thing for me and for Jon too.  Our whole family has missed him so much.  But we are thankful for all the years he was a part of our life.  There will never be anyone like Guy for us.  He was an uncle to my boys, loved all our kids and was so supportive to us and our church.  It was an honor to be part of his funeral, we along with others watch over his grave for his family who live out of town/state.  I've had lots of losses in my life but most were older folks who had lived good long lives.  There was and is always sadness about their passing but Guy's death has affected more than anyone's except my twins.  I don't love (or even like) people easily and I certainly do not trust people easily.  He was someone we knew had our backs and as pastors that is so important!  I could call him and ask him to pray about something and I knew he would!  He's the one I called as I was following the ambulance with Jon in it when he had his heart attack.  While we know we will see him again it's been hard. He was truly my brother.  Until he was sick we always keep clear respectful boundaries even though we were very close.  The three of us were close and it was an unique situation as we worked together in our church.  Once he was sick things were different, I even went with him to doctor appointments and he became even more like family.  Just days before he passed I was able to sit with him and talk.  We knew it was going to be our last conversation until heaven.  It was the most precious time.  He gave a blessing to my children that meant so much to me.  He gave me a few assignments -so I gave him some too!  I asked him to find my twins in heaven and tell them how much I love them.  I also told him to tell Jesus to send us more people for our church!  That hasn't happened yet....we laugh about it sometimes that he hasn't done his job!  In those few minutes I just told myself to "be in the moment" and soak it in.  Not everyone gets the privilege to say good bye to a loved one and I realized despite the fact that my heart was breaking it was a blessing.  I'm so thankful for the hope of heaven We told each other we would see each other again!   Jon saw him more often and had some special moments with him mixed with tears too.  

So those are the biggest challenges that 2022 held for us.  It was hard to walk through them but God....

The highs of 2022 for us were...

Shad graduating the Academy and getting his badge from the Department of Corrections.  He was only 18 years old, one of the state's youngest officers!  He's now been working for a year and has done so good.  We are so proud of our son.  He is very mature and has his head on straight.  He has done exceptual for such a young man.  I LOVE how our relationship has changed as he has gotten older.  I love that boy with my whole heart.  He is an unique young man.  He has confidence and knows who he is.  He doesn't try to impress anyone he is just his own person.  We really have fun together and laugh alot.  He still lives with us.  He was going to move out but since he works so many 16 hour days it's crazy to move since he's not here much but to sleep lol  I like having him home where I can still baby him a little.  

Of course with Steve..... he gave us a huge high mountain top moment marrying his sweetheart Nichole.  I love having a daughter in love and she is just the best!  I enjoy spending time with her.  She is a wonderful girl and worth every prayer I ever prayed for Steve to find a wife!  They included us in their proposal on a cruise this past summer which was very special.  A few years ago we were on the same cruise during a rough spot in our family.  And I remembered standing on deck watching the ship move out of the harbor pass a lighthouse.  I was praying about our family and how to deal with a situation that seemed hopeless.  Fast forward to this summer I was sitting with my newly engaged Daughter in law to be watching the same scene as we moved out of the harbor.  My heart was busting with happiness as I saw how God dealt with that situation for us and brought such a wonderful lady to our son!  Their wedding was perfect and just brought our families together.  Every moment was special to me.  It was a happy moment/day in which I reminded myself several times to "stay in the moment"  I just wanted to experience it and soak it up.  

Life is full of highs and lows and I do feel like we seem to have such extremes but God is faithful in the hard moments as well as the happy moments. Even in the hard moments God is there giving wisdom hope and comfort and in the high moments we do not forget God's faithfulness.  

In less than an hour it will be 2023 for us I pray this is an easy year.  The last 3 years have been so hard for the whole world there's more than enough turmoil unknowns and trouble.  For us we've had challenges and heartaches as well as happiness. I'm hoping for a year with lots less challenges and heartaches!  And I hope the same for you!

2023 will be our 17th year at Grace Church!  Jon will have 26 years as a chaplain and we will be married for 34 years.... we are getting old!  In fact Jon will turn 60 next year....I have no words for that LOL  It will be the last year we have a child under 18 the whole year Cr

I'm not one of those spiritual girls who get all kinds of words from God LOL but believe it or not I actually feel God gave me a word for 2023 and it is SERVE.  It came to my heart a few weeks ago.  I feel like I should serve my family/friends, community, church and God without expecting anything in return including recognition for my service.  I know that sounds so spiritual lol and believe me I didn't come up with this idea on my own!  This is something I think God has been teaching me for a long time but I want to embrace it instead of grumbling inside when I feel unappreciated  In this world we are told we should be acknowledged for everything we do.   Anyhow that's my word for 2023 and the first time I've ever felt impressed to have a word.   BTW we don't even teach or focus on having a word for the year LOL it's a little charismatic for me but look at me....lol  Let's see if I can actually do it!

Well Happy New Year 2023....I pray it will be a good year for each of you!

Wedding Day

 Yall I have no excuse for not blogging other than our life has been so busy!  

Steve and Nichole were married December 10th in a beautiful ceremony.  She was gorgeous and he was so handsome and happy. It was a lot of work to get everything together but they made it work!  Having eloped this was my first time this involved in wedding planning!  I've been in plenty of weddings but the moms usually did everything and I just showed up LOL  This was a bit more but I'm a mom now so i guess it was my turn.  They had a vision for the wedding and really pulled it together.  It was very nice.  It was such a happy day and everyone had a great time.  

This picture just blows me away!  I love that Jon is perfectly centered in the background as they walk out.....

These are a few of the professional photos, aren't they absolutely gorgeous? We are so happy for them and so blessed to get such a wonderful daughter in love  There was no sadness for us that day but we did have tears of happiness a few times.  Jon struggled at one point during the ceremony but was able to keep it together!  What a blessing it was for Jon to be able to join his son in marriage to his wife.  It was so special

Ashley their caregiver and my dear friend

Sarah was the flower girl

My friend caught this picture-it involved an explanation of a popular song.  My husband didn't quite understand it.

the best man

I love this guy!  He has done so much in the past year and works like a dog at the prison!  He hadn't taken one day off for over a year until the wedding.  He looked so handsome.  

This was at their hotel

I love this group of folks so much!  I am so very very blessed

the beginning of the ceremony

Sam was the ring bearer

the Mother Son dance

My girls!!!!! Jan on the left was my college roommate and Kandi on the right has been my friend since we moved here!  Her kids and mine have grown up together

Here are the   Wedding vows Nichole's dad videoed the vows it is priceless. I'm still on a high from the wedding, so much love that day.  What an honor to share such a special day and to have family and friends around to be a part of it.  We have not gotten all the pictures back yet from the professional photographer, I can't wait to see them all! We have pictures with all the families together. 

At the reception I gave this speech....

27 years ago God decided to surprise us with you Steve after years of infertility.  You have a special story and from the first moment I loved you with all my heart-having you (&the rest of the kids later) made up for every lonely day of my early years. We’ve had a wonderful family life and I cherish each moment whether it was the mundane things of life or if we were on an exciting vacation.  The memories we’ve made are so precious.  God had been faithful to our family through the highs and lows

The first day you were home from the hospital I sat on our couch with you while Dad was at work.  That day I read to you and prayed Ps 1 over you. 

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

² But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

³ And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

⁴ The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

⁵ Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

 God has been with you to become that type of godly man.  That day I also prayed for the wife you would have one day.  It seemed a little foolish to me even while I was praying it because you were so little and new and a marriage for you seemed so far away…. There were many other times I would pray that for you even when it seemed hard to imagine you grown up and married.  But it happened so fast..

Nichole came into your life and then into ours and from the beginning was so special.  I began to wonder “could this be the One for him?” Well she is!  And we could not be happier.  Now my prayer is that God will bless every aspect of your marriage & that He will be that Rock that you build on in the good and bad times.  You’ve both seen enough of life to know there are valleys that can come but I want to encourage you both to cling to each other in the hard times as well as the good times.  You’ll be shocked at how fast life goes and when it comes down to it nothing in this world is more important than your family nor does anything last as long as your family.  Having the memorial table today reminds us of our parents and grandparents and the legacy they left behind them that has continued to us…now you two have created your family and have the opportunity to begin that legacy in your lives.  Start strong and remain strong keep God as the center and your marriage will be strong.  Forgive & forget quickly trust and depend on each other & don’t let anything come between you.  Marriage is a blessing but it also takes work  You will have our prayers and support as we watch you two grow together. 

This song is so beautiful and NO I’m NOT going to sing but I want to read these words as a prayer or a blessing on you two. 

May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children

May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you
All around you, and within you
He is with you,

In the morning, in the evening
In your coming, and your going
In your weeping, and rejoicing

He is for you

 

May God bless you with a wonderful long marriage!  We love you both!

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