We arrived back home from evacuation on Sunday evening. We still have no power but our boss brought over a generator and hooked us up. We slept comfortably. Only half of the house has power but it is enough to run a window a/c unit, the refrig, freezer, and some lights. Also, the hot water heater, which was great to get a hot shower this morning.
I am ready for things to be "normal" again. I have loads and loads of laundry to do and dishes piled high that we rinsed but didn't wash as we were preparing for evacuation. So my house is a wreck but I am glad to be at work where we have power and a/c all day long.
I do have a lot of catch up to do at work because we lost a whole week of working. So, I better get back to it and get some work done.
Thanks for prayers and concerns for Southeast Texas. Bridge City residents really need a lot of help and prayers and many even in Beaumont lost roofs. So far, our church family had very little damage for which we are thankful, but we are trying to reach out to the community and help as we can.
I am praying hurricane season is over for us, even though we still have two more months of season left!!!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
HURRICANE IKE
No, I didn't think I would be blogging much anymore. But......Hurricane Ike came to visit and because of him, I have something to blog about.
Thanks to all those who have commented and left replies. Sorry, I was away so long and didn't moderate the comments. I have been a little stressed lately.
So...on to my news!
First, my friend's daughter is doing well, really well. Thanks for the prayers. She is back at student teaching and will marry in December. All is well at this time with the family. We have had a few scares with her mother's cancer the last few weeks, but things seem to be doing better. Please continue to pray for them as they are very, very tired of medical issues.
We went to Abilene to see these friends over the Labor day weekend. We left on Thursday afternoon and enjoyed a great day Friday, visiting and eating and just being together. Then Saturday morning, we woke and found Hurricane Gustav heading our way. We have some handicap friends from church that we always help to evacuate and knew we had to get back to them. We also knew that possibly our son in law who is in the National Guard Reserves might be called up so we had to be there for our daughter and grand daughters. We headed back Saturday afternoon.
On the way back, we heard that the couple had to be out of their apartment by 6pm and we could not get there by that time. So another couple from church was evacuating anyway and took them to meet family half way. We could now concentrate on our own family. Trying to secure the house and getting ready to evacuate, we were tired. We made the decision to listen to each update and leave Sunday evening if it was indeed headed our way. Fortunately, or unfortunately for those in Louisiana, Gustav made way for Louisiana. So.....we were spared again and stayed home. What a relief.
We traveled to Corsicana on Wednesday evening to get the handicap couple and bring them home. We traveled all day Thursday from Lewisville, north of Dallas We were exhausted.
We made it through the weekend and then began to watch Ike! It appeared he would be visiting South Texas so we continued to watch and try to catch up on work, clothes washing and repacking!
I am exhausted because in all this, I have now become employed on a more full time basis. Our company let three people go at the end of August. One of them was the Benefits Manager. This was done to allow the individual dealerships to manage the benefits instead of from the central office. I am the transition person to help this take place. So.....I am working full time, doing my regular job of assisting Mr. Ruddy and learning the benefits position, without the help of the previous employee. It is quite stressful, but doable. Then add the stress of Gustav, Ike, taking care of family....you get the picture.
On Thursday, when the City of Beaumont called for Mandatory Evaucation, we made the decision to stay and watch a little longer. We reported to the handicap couple that our son in law was called up and we had to take care of Jamie and the girls. We would not be able to take them to Dallas, but we would see that they could get to the high school, where they would be evacuated. They found someone else to take them to Dallas. It turned out that Paul was to go to South Texas for reserves but as the storm began moving north, they were in training one day and the released to take care of their own families. None of us were in any condition or state of mind to sit on the road for hours evacuating. We made the decision we would hang in a little longer.
Friday came and we made the decision, along with our children and a friend of hers with her young child to hunker down and stay through the storm. We knew our house had withstood Rita, we knew we were high enough there would be no storm surge for us and we had enough provisions and a generator (thanks to work) to get us through. I keep asking myself, "What were we thinking?" I do know we were exhausted and travel weary. We just couldn't stand the thought of getting in the car one more time.
We hunkered down and all day Friday when nothing much happened, no rain, very little wind, we were in good shape. We put the three little girls to bed about 9 pm and settled in to wait it out. We lost power about 11:30 pm and the guys started the generator. We settled in, all of us in the den with the little girls in the front bedroom (north) so that they were away from the southeast corner of the house which would take the most pounding. I could hear several of the others snoring occasionally and the winds and rain began!
I can't tell you the force of those winds, the constant pounding of the wind and the rain! I can tell you I was scared. I did okay for a while, but began to get more and more troubled as I could hear limbs blowing over the roof and as the wind changed directions ferociously and I feared tornados. I think that was what bothered me most. I grew up in the Panhandle of Texas and remember the terror I felt as a little girl each time we would run to the cellar for a tornado. There was one point about 4:30 when I could feel pressure in my ears, the wind whipped up under the back porch and I just knew the roof was going to peel back. Then all of a sudden the back windows in the eating area just seemed to bend inward. I don't think they actually bent inward, but it felt like it.
Later, when talking to my neighbor and she felt the same thing and then another friend came over Saturday night and reported that the Market Basket grocery store had bricks off the building and she couldn't understand what happened because there were no trees in the area, I knew it was probably a tornado hitting it, probably about 4:30 am, If I had to guess!!! My worst fear!
I was constantly praying, all night. My sentence was a continual flow of, "Lord, please place your protective mercies around my house, keep my babies safe. Tuck us under your wing of protection. Raise those tornados above the house. Please, Lord provide your mercies to us." This was a constant flow of words out of my mind for at least 6 hours to 10 hours. Finally, about 6:30 am, I had all I could stand. I was a nervous wreck and could feel my blood pressure high! I mentioned to the group, I could not stand it any longer, please make the wind stop, when my daugther, Jamie suggested I go to the front room with the girls. I sat in the rocker near them, touching their hair and hands, watching them sleep. I am so thankful they slept through it. I have to admit the wind noise was a lot less in there. I continued to rock and pray and asking God to make the next band less wind and quieter. I finally had to chastise myself and realize I had to trust that he could get us through. Afterall, he had been with us so far! At that time, I forced myself to calm down and relax, which I did somewhat.
I waited until 7:00 am to call my daughter in Missouri where we both worked not to cry. I then called my friend in Abilene and my folks. I promised each of these people I would never put them through this again. I would always leave, especially if a storm is coming in on the west side.
Yes, we made it through. I cannot imagine the terror for some of those who were on the beach, in Gilchrist or Galveston. I don't know how they mentally made it. I barely did.
Thank you for all the prayers for the safety and comfort of those living in Southeast Texas.
The men made sure we had power from the generator and we all slept in the den on air mattresses, even the little girls, where we had a window a/c unit and fans. We slept hard and it was much needed. We packed up Sunday afternoon, cleaning out the freezer and refrigerator and headed north to Corsicana and my folks. We even brought along another friend and her mother.
Tollie and I have been in Tyler this week, working our jobs and will be heading back to Corsicana this weekend and then back to Beaumont on Monday.
Again, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN AND PRAYERS. I will not say "God is Good" as I believe God is always good. But I will say "God is Merciful" and I am thankful for his mercies shown to me and my family.
You will notice the picture above was taken on the beach. Our beloved beach is a mess, no homes and hardly any beach.
I will try to post pictures when we finally return home.
Thanks to all those who have commented and left replies. Sorry, I was away so long and didn't moderate the comments. I have been a little stressed lately.
So...on to my news!
First, my friend's daughter is doing well, really well. Thanks for the prayers. She is back at student teaching and will marry in December. All is well at this time with the family. We have had a few scares with her mother's cancer the last few weeks, but things seem to be doing better. Please continue to pray for them as they are very, very tired of medical issues.
We went to Abilene to see these friends over the Labor day weekend. We left on Thursday afternoon and enjoyed a great day Friday, visiting and eating and just being together. Then Saturday morning, we woke and found Hurricane Gustav heading our way. We have some handicap friends from church that we always help to evacuate and knew we had to get back to them. We also knew that possibly our son in law who is in the National Guard Reserves might be called up so we had to be there for our daughter and grand daughters. We headed back Saturday afternoon.
On the way back, we heard that the couple had to be out of their apartment by 6pm and we could not get there by that time. So another couple from church was evacuating anyway and took them to meet family half way. We could now concentrate on our own family. Trying to secure the house and getting ready to evacuate, we were tired. We made the decision to listen to each update and leave Sunday evening if it was indeed headed our way. Fortunately, or unfortunately for those in Louisiana, Gustav made way for Louisiana. So.....we were spared again and stayed home. What a relief.
We traveled to Corsicana on Wednesday evening to get the handicap couple and bring them home. We traveled all day Thursday from Lewisville, north of Dallas We were exhausted.
We made it through the weekend and then began to watch Ike! It appeared he would be visiting South Texas so we continued to watch and try to catch up on work, clothes washing and repacking!
I am exhausted because in all this, I have now become employed on a more full time basis. Our company let three people go at the end of August. One of them was the Benefits Manager. This was done to allow the individual dealerships to manage the benefits instead of from the central office. I am the transition person to help this take place. So.....I am working full time, doing my regular job of assisting Mr. Ruddy and learning the benefits position, without the help of the previous employee. It is quite stressful, but doable. Then add the stress of Gustav, Ike, taking care of family....you get the picture.
On Thursday, when the City of Beaumont called for Mandatory Evaucation, we made the decision to stay and watch a little longer. We reported to the handicap couple that our son in law was called up and we had to take care of Jamie and the girls. We would not be able to take them to Dallas, but we would see that they could get to the high school, where they would be evacuated. They found someone else to take them to Dallas. It turned out that Paul was to go to South Texas for reserves but as the storm began moving north, they were in training one day and the released to take care of their own families. None of us were in any condition or state of mind to sit on the road for hours evacuating. We made the decision we would hang in a little longer.
Friday came and we made the decision, along with our children and a friend of hers with her young child to hunker down and stay through the storm. We knew our house had withstood Rita, we knew we were high enough there would be no storm surge for us and we had enough provisions and a generator (thanks to work) to get us through. I keep asking myself, "What were we thinking?" I do know we were exhausted and travel weary. We just couldn't stand the thought of getting in the car one more time.
We hunkered down and all day Friday when nothing much happened, no rain, very little wind, we were in good shape. We put the three little girls to bed about 9 pm and settled in to wait it out. We lost power about 11:30 pm and the guys started the generator. We settled in, all of us in the den with the little girls in the front bedroom (north) so that they were away from the southeast corner of the house which would take the most pounding. I could hear several of the others snoring occasionally and the winds and rain began!
I can't tell you the force of those winds, the constant pounding of the wind and the rain! I can tell you I was scared. I did okay for a while, but began to get more and more troubled as I could hear limbs blowing over the roof and as the wind changed directions ferociously and I feared tornados. I think that was what bothered me most. I grew up in the Panhandle of Texas and remember the terror I felt as a little girl each time we would run to the cellar for a tornado. There was one point about 4:30 when I could feel pressure in my ears, the wind whipped up under the back porch and I just knew the roof was going to peel back. Then all of a sudden the back windows in the eating area just seemed to bend inward. I don't think they actually bent inward, but it felt like it.
Later, when talking to my neighbor and she felt the same thing and then another friend came over Saturday night and reported that the Market Basket grocery store had bricks off the building and she couldn't understand what happened because there were no trees in the area, I knew it was probably a tornado hitting it, probably about 4:30 am, If I had to guess!!! My worst fear!
I was constantly praying, all night. My sentence was a continual flow of, "Lord, please place your protective mercies around my house, keep my babies safe. Tuck us under your wing of protection. Raise those tornados above the house. Please, Lord provide your mercies to us." This was a constant flow of words out of my mind for at least 6 hours to 10 hours. Finally, about 6:30 am, I had all I could stand. I was a nervous wreck and could feel my blood pressure high! I mentioned to the group, I could not stand it any longer, please make the wind stop, when my daugther, Jamie suggested I go to the front room with the girls. I sat in the rocker near them, touching their hair and hands, watching them sleep. I am so thankful they slept through it. I have to admit the wind noise was a lot less in there. I continued to rock and pray and asking God to make the next band less wind and quieter. I finally had to chastise myself and realize I had to trust that he could get us through. Afterall, he had been with us so far! At that time, I forced myself to calm down and relax, which I did somewhat.
I waited until 7:00 am to call my daughter in Missouri where we both worked not to cry. I then called my friend in Abilene and my folks. I promised each of these people I would never put them through this again. I would always leave, especially if a storm is coming in on the west side.
Yes, we made it through. I cannot imagine the terror for some of those who were on the beach, in Gilchrist or Galveston. I don't know how they mentally made it. I barely did.
Thank you for all the prayers for the safety and comfort of those living in Southeast Texas.
The men made sure we had power from the generator and we all slept in the den on air mattresses, even the little girls, where we had a window a/c unit and fans. We slept hard and it was much needed. We packed up Sunday afternoon, cleaning out the freezer and refrigerator and headed north to Corsicana and my folks. We even brought along another friend and her mother.
Tollie and I have been in Tyler this week, working our jobs and will be heading back to Corsicana this weekend and then back to Beaumont on Monday.
Again, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN AND PRAYERS. I will not say "God is Good" as I believe God is always good. But I will say "God is Merciful" and I am thankful for his mercies shown to me and my family.
You will notice the picture above was taken on the beach. Our beloved beach is a mess, no homes and hardly any beach.
I will try to post pictures when we finally return home.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
PRAYERS NEEDED
I have a friend whose daughter is having surgery on Monday. Please pray for Casey. She will be in the hospital for about 5 to 7 days and we need to know that she has no cancer and will not need any more surgery for her Crohn's Disease!
Thank you to the few that check out this blog and lurk around. I know I have been away a lot this summer and have not posted much. Actually I have not had much to post, but this request is much needed. Hopefully, enough of you will lurk here and find the time to pray for my friend!
I think when you are away and no one seems to notice, it is time to shut her down. This will probably be my last post of all time! Thanks and it has been fun!
Thank you to the few that check out this blog and lurk around. I know I have been away a lot this summer and have not posted much. Actually I have not had much to post, but this request is much needed. Hopefully, enough of you will lurk here and find the time to pray for my friend!
I think when you are away and no one seems to notice, it is time to shut her down. This will probably be my last post of all time! Thanks and it has been fun!
Monday, June 23, 2008
PERCEPTIONS
I have not blogged in a while. I don't seem to get to it everyday, even though I come to the computer every day and read blogs! I just don't seem to have all that much to say recently. Yet, my mind is whirling and tossing around ideas, questions and even some answers. So......I want to post some questions whirling in my mind and I hope if you drop by, you will leave a gem of wisdom here on this blog.
Do perceptions define our reality? Can perceptions actually change reality?
Do perceptions define our reality? Can perceptions actually change reality?
Thursday, June 05, 2008
SORRY, SORRY, SORRY
So sorry, to Charmed Mom, I forget that I now need to moderate the comments. I will try to do better to watch for them!
Sorry I have not posted much lately. Been very busy walking and trying to stay connected with my new trend of eating less. Takes a lot of energy, but feeling better and better each day.
Sorry, I had only two days with our kids this past week. Trent and Mindy were here and it went by so fast.....but, we enjoyed them so much. It does make me miss them even more. All the family together was such a treat. I feel so grateful for my family and love them all.
So sorry to hear my friend did not get good news yesterday. My dearest friend in all the world (aside from my husband!) had breast cancer several years ago and was doing quite well until.....
Yesterday, she went to the doctor because she had shortness of breath and tightness in her back. She thought she had a chest cold or fighting some allergy related problem. The doctor thought at first she had pneumonia. Turns out she has pulmonary emboli or clots in her lungs. She was sent immediately to bed with massive doses of blood thinner. She is being taken care of well by her famiily doctor and oncologist who is about 2 1/2 hours away in another town. But she needs our prayers....big time.
When I talked with Gina last night, she is understandably shaken by the fact that in all probability, she should not be here today. She could have dropped dead at any time carrying the clots around. So, she is being very careful and still, allowing the blood thinner to do its magic and thin the clots out. Please pray for Gina and her family. A lot of events are coming up in their life in the next 9 months and she should be around to experience them.
Besides, I need her more than ever!
Sorry I have not posted much lately. Been very busy walking and trying to stay connected with my new trend of eating less. Takes a lot of energy, but feeling better and better each day.
Sorry, I had only two days with our kids this past week. Trent and Mindy were here and it went by so fast.....but, we enjoyed them so much. It does make me miss them even more. All the family together was such a treat. I feel so grateful for my family and love them all.
So sorry to hear my friend did not get good news yesterday. My dearest friend in all the world (aside from my husband!) had breast cancer several years ago and was doing quite well until.....
Yesterday, she went to the doctor because she had shortness of breath and tightness in her back. She thought she had a chest cold or fighting some allergy related problem. The doctor thought at first she had pneumonia. Turns out she has pulmonary emboli or clots in her lungs. She was sent immediately to bed with massive doses of blood thinner. She is being taken care of well by her famiily doctor and oncologist who is about 2 1/2 hours away in another town. But she needs our prayers....big time.
When I talked with Gina last night, she is understandably shaken by the fact that in all probability, she should not be here today. She could have dropped dead at any time carrying the clots around. So, she is being very careful and still, allowing the blood thinner to do its magic and thin the clots out. Please pray for Gina and her family. A lot of events are coming up in their life in the next 9 months and she should be around to experience them.
Besides, I need her more than ever!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
PICTURES TELL ALL
I went to the doctor yesterday and I am released. My tonsil surgery was a great success with a full recovery and no problems. In fact, I am 17 pounds lighter and have more oxygen going to my lungs, heart and whole body. I feel better, more energized and ready to take on the world!
I have included in this post a couple of pictures of my mouth.
I know, it can be disgusting but I think you will see why I had the surgery and why it is a success. You can see how little airway passage I had in the first picture. I had an elogated and thick uvula. With all that gone, I have a clearer path to my lungs. I find I breath through my nose more all the time, and Tollie has stated I don't snore near as much, in fact hardly at all.
I went to praise team practice last night and sang with no problems, other than feeling tired in my throat and a little swelling last night. Tollie noticed that with that extra swelling, I did snore some. But that should improve over time as well.
I am really thankful for the 17 pound weight loss and plan to continue working on that. I find I don't mind the ellipitcal exercise so much because I don't get so breathless in a short period of time.
So, here is the plan. I eat a bowl of oatmeal or Cream of Wheat every morning. I eat a half sandwich or bowl of soup for lunch and then for supper, I eat half of what I would normally eat. I am trying to snack in the afternoon on apples, bananas and fruit or nuts and just taking my time eating and enjoying what I eat. I found while I was eating right after the surgery, that I had to eat so slowly to chew more and I would fill up sooner. So, I am trying to incorporate that now.
Thanks for the encouragement and I pray God will allow me to use this last opportunity, as I see it, to get my weight down. I told my husband I don't plan to be a model size, but I do want to get about 50 pounds off. That would be a huge difference.
This time does feel different. How? I am talking about it more, I asked Tollie for his help and I didn't even mind him helping me with some birthday cake the other day. After our son-in-laws birthday, I had a half of cake left over, Hummingbird Cake, which is my favorite type of cake. Tollie and I had just eaten a sandwich, I had eaten my half, and then cut a piece of cake. I sat down to eat it and Tollie just smiled and said, I will eat the other half when you are finished. I smiled, took a few bites and gave him the rest. I was okay with it. Then on Monday, as he left for his monthly Tyler trip, he asked if he could take the cake with him to give to the girls in the office. I helped him wrap it up and was actually glad to see him take it.
I think this time is different as well, as I see myself thinking in terms of help around each corner. When I went shopping the other day, I was rounding the corner where the ice cream freezers and thought I would get a pint of my favorite ice cream. They were pretty low on supply and I had to reach to get Blue Bell Banana Split, one of my choices. I struggled to reach it and walked away without it, thinking, "Thank you Lord, for keeping it out of reach from me." This type of thinking is unusual for me and I am happy to report is working as I see ways I want something, but God (or Tollie) intervenes. I really want to do this!
Have a great weekend and Happy Memorial Day.
I have included in this post a couple of pictures of my mouth.
I know, it can be disgusting but I think you will see why I had the surgery and why it is a success. You can see how little airway passage I had in the first picture. I had an elogated and thick uvula. With all that gone, I have a clearer path to my lungs. I find I breath through my nose more all the time, and Tollie has stated I don't snore near as much, in fact hardly at all.
I went to praise team practice last night and sang with no problems, other than feeling tired in my throat and a little swelling last night. Tollie noticed that with that extra swelling, I did snore some. But that should improve over time as well.
I am really thankful for the 17 pound weight loss and plan to continue working on that. I find I don't mind the ellipitcal exercise so much because I don't get so breathless in a short period of time.
So, here is the plan. I eat a bowl of oatmeal or Cream of Wheat every morning. I eat a half sandwich or bowl of soup for lunch and then for supper, I eat half of what I would normally eat. I am trying to snack in the afternoon on apples, bananas and fruit or nuts and just taking my time eating and enjoying what I eat. I found while I was eating right after the surgery, that I had to eat so slowly to chew more and I would fill up sooner. So, I am trying to incorporate that now.
Thanks for the encouragement and I pray God will allow me to use this last opportunity, as I see it, to get my weight down. I told my husband I don't plan to be a model size, but I do want to get about 50 pounds off. That would be a huge difference.
This time does feel different. How? I am talking about it more, I asked Tollie for his help and I didn't even mind him helping me with some birthday cake the other day. After our son-in-laws birthday, I had a half of cake left over, Hummingbird Cake, which is my favorite type of cake. Tollie and I had just eaten a sandwich, I had eaten my half, and then cut a piece of cake. I sat down to eat it and Tollie just smiled and said, I will eat the other half when you are finished. I smiled, took a few bites and gave him the rest. I was okay with it. Then on Monday, as he left for his monthly Tyler trip, he asked if he could take the cake with him to give to the girls in the office. I helped him wrap it up and was actually glad to see him take it.
I think this time is different as well, as I see myself thinking in terms of help around each corner. When I went shopping the other day, I was rounding the corner where the ice cream freezers and thought I would get a pint of my favorite ice cream. They were pretty low on supply and I had to reach to get Blue Bell Banana Split, one of my choices. I struggled to reach it and walked away without it, thinking, "Thank you Lord, for keeping it out of reach from me." This type of thinking is unusual for me and I am happy to report is working as I see ways I want something, but God (or Tollie) intervenes. I really want to do this!
Have a great weekend and Happy Memorial Day.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
NEW (& MAYBE LAST) OPPORTUNITY
Since my last post I have been to Missouri to see my baby daughter, my husband has been to Russia, I have been to Abilene for a visit with my dearest friend in all the world and I don't have tonsils anymore!
Wow! I had my tonsils removed in a whirlwind two weeks of going to the doctor and bam!, they were out.
Tollie has been trying to talk me into going back to our ENT doctor to have my throat checked again. He has been concerned about my breathing at night for some time now. I had a sleep apnea study done many years back and was told I did not have sleep apnea. Yet, Tollie believed there were problems with my breathing while I slept. He says I will breathe in fine, it is the breathing out that seems to be halted and restricted. He has said I make lots of funny noises and he has believed for a long time that my halted breathing out has been hard on my heart. I have poo-pooped the idea for a long time, thinking I am not tired during the day, I don't seem to have trouble sleeping at night and I have never gasped for breath like they talk about when you have sleep apnea.
I love Tollie and respect his ideas and especially his love for me and because he asked me to go to the doctor, I called and made an appointment with our ENT doctor on Wednesday April 30. I let them know that our company was changing insurance companies the next day so any surgery might have to be postponed until all that was done. I really didn't expect him to talk immediately about surgery, I expected him to tell me it might help and when I was ready to let them know.
I left the doctor's office in a whirlwind of thoughts. They wanted to schedule the tonsillectomy on the next Tuesday, May 6th. They were already doing ten cases that day and would just add another one. It would be outpatient and I should have no problems. When Dr. Heartfield looked into my mouth that first time, he just said, "ooh, 3+." We will need to take the uvula and thin out the soft palette." He then went on to explain that I had airway obstruction and wanted to know if I snored. I told him I did snore, a lot. In fact, sometimes I wake myself up snoring. He said I would not realize how bad the airway obstruction was until it was all over and I felt better, then I would realize how bad I have felt all along.
Okay, so I call Tollie on my cell phone, telling him they want to do it next week. I go to work and find out we probably can't get everything done with the new insurance in time for next week. But, later in the day, the HR person tells me everything is in place and I can go ahead! Tollie and I looked at several dates and really the 6th was probably the best date.
I went on Friday for my pre-op stuff and found that because we have a high deductible, we would be paying everything out of pocket. Still, for around $2000 I get a new opportunity at life? Seems fair enough.
So, on Tuesday morning, May 6th Tollie and I go to the outpatient pavilion and check in. They get me back shortly after arrival and then we wait. It is after 2 pm when they finally come and get me for the surgery. I remember them taking me from my room to the surgery suite and asking me to move over to the surgery table. I moved and the next thing I remember is waking up in recovery. I am still alive. No problem. I can swallow! I seem to be doing fine. However, Dr. Heartfield comes in to say that I did fine but because of the size of my tonsils and possible swelling, he wants to keep me overnight.....just for observation.
When Tollie met with Dr. Heartfield, he jokingly asked him if he had saved my tonsils in a jar. Dr. Heartfield said he didn't have a jar big enough. He would have had to put them in a bowl. He stated that my tonsils were growing down my throat and were probably some of the largest he has ever seen. He knew I would be feeling so much better in time. This was all we need to validate that my tonsils should have come out and probably several years earlier than now!
I have visitors that night, our dear friends the McLeods come by with a begonia, another dear friend from church, then my son-in-law and two grand daughters come by with a pink soft pig and homemade cards. They are so special! Tollie goes home to get some things we had not brought such as sleeping gear for him, toothbrushes, etc. He stops by and gets me a Wendy's hamburger. I tried to eat it and only could not because the anesthesia makes me sick to my stomach. They give me something for that and later in the evening, I am able to eat part of the hamburger.
I stay the night in the outpatient pavilion with only one other patient in the place and I have my own nurse. She is great. She comes and checks on me often and tells me if my oxygen monitor sounds the alert, I just need to take a deep breath and it will return to normal. I find that as I am just going to sleep, the monitor sounds the alert. So, I take a deep breath and start to relax again. Finally, after about 2 in the morning, I ask my nurse if I can have some oxygen so I don't keep waking up. She gets it for me and sure enough I don't get woke up every 5 minutes (and neither does Tollie.
For breakfast, my nurse has ordered double for me and Tollie. We have sausage and pancakes. Yummy, I am able to eat two pancakes and two sausages. I am feeling really good. We get released and because the PA cannot find a monitor in town, I am told to sleep the night sitting up. They are really concerned that with swelling my airway obstruction will be blocked completely.
It is now a week later, and I am doing great. I have had pizza, mexican food, soups, sandwiches, toast, eggs, ice cream, popsicles and pretty much anything I want to eat. I just returned from my doctor's visit and he says I am doing great. There are few scabs and there is already healing tissue starting. My tonsils had a bacterial infection in them, but since they are gone, so is the infection. There is still some swelling and I can try to sleep in my bed tonight, but only if Tollie monitors me. No problem! He has been monitoring me the whole time. At first, I slept in the den in my chair and he on the couch. We finally got smart and moved the chair to the bedroom so he could sleep in the bed. We have both done fine, but I am ready to be in my own bed. I still take Tylenol every 6 to 8 hours and find I wake about 2 am with my ears hurting and my throat throbbing. I have discovered the pain comes at 2 am because I am not moving the tissues and drinking. They get stiff and sore. But I can take my Tylenol and in about 30 minutes I am back asleep. So tonight, I will try sleeping in my own bed.
I am so happy for this opportunity to lose weight. Dr. Heartfield told me today that probably this week, I am going to get a real hunger pang. He said to try and resist it and keep doing what I am doing. I don't think I have lost a lot of weight, although I know I have lost some. I don't have a scale at home so it will be hard to know for sure. But my clothes are fitting better and no more than I am eating, I have to have lost something.
I want to take this opportunity to continue what I am doing now, eating very slowly, small bites, chewing a lot and not eating much. I have not been hungry yet, so when I get hungry, it will be harder. Please pray for me that I can resist the temptation to eat when I am hungry and take this opportunity to continue what I am doing now. I hope to have more energy and be more likely to exercise because I feel better. I have this chance, I don't want to waste it.
Wow! I had my tonsils removed in a whirlwind two weeks of going to the doctor and bam!, they were out.
Tollie has been trying to talk me into going back to our ENT doctor to have my throat checked again. He has been concerned about my breathing at night for some time now. I had a sleep apnea study done many years back and was told I did not have sleep apnea. Yet, Tollie believed there were problems with my breathing while I slept. He says I will breathe in fine, it is the breathing out that seems to be halted and restricted. He has said I make lots of funny noises and he has believed for a long time that my halted breathing out has been hard on my heart. I have poo-pooped the idea for a long time, thinking I am not tired during the day, I don't seem to have trouble sleeping at night and I have never gasped for breath like they talk about when you have sleep apnea.
I love Tollie and respect his ideas and especially his love for me and because he asked me to go to the doctor, I called and made an appointment with our ENT doctor on Wednesday April 30. I let them know that our company was changing insurance companies the next day so any surgery might have to be postponed until all that was done. I really didn't expect him to talk immediately about surgery, I expected him to tell me it might help and when I was ready to let them know.
I left the doctor's office in a whirlwind of thoughts. They wanted to schedule the tonsillectomy on the next Tuesday, May 6th. They were already doing ten cases that day and would just add another one. It would be outpatient and I should have no problems. When Dr. Heartfield looked into my mouth that first time, he just said, "ooh, 3+." We will need to take the uvula and thin out the soft palette." He then went on to explain that I had airway obstruction and wanted to know if I snored. I told him I did snore, a lot. In fact, sometimes I wake myself up snoring. He said I would not realize how bad the airway obstruction was until it was all over and I felt better, then I would realize how bad I have felt all along.
Okay, so I call Tollie on my cell phone, telling him they want to do it next week. I go to work and find out we probably can't get everything done with the new insurance in time for next week. But, later in the day, the HR person tells me everything is in place and I can go ahead! Tollie and I looked at several dates and really the 6th was probably the best date.
I went on Friday for my pre-op stuff and found that because we have a high deductible, we would be paying everything out of pocket. Still, for around $2000 I get a new opportunity at life? Seems fair enough.
So, on Tuesday morning, May 6th Tollie and I go to the outpatient pavilion and check in. They get me back shortly after arrival and then we wait. It is after 2 pm when they finally come and get me for the surgery. I remember them taking me from my room to the surgery suite and asking me to move over to the surgery table. I moved and the next thing I remember is waking up in recovery. I am still alive. No problem. I can swallow! I seem to be doing fine. However, Dr. Heartfield comes in to say that I did fine but because of the size of my tonsils and possible swelling, he wants to keep me overnight.....just for observation.
When Tollie met with Dr. Heartfield, he jokingly asked him if he had saved my tonsils in a jar. Dr. Heartfield said he didn't have a jar big enough. He would have had to put them in a bowl. He stated that my tonsils were growing down my throat and were probably some of the largest he has ever seen. He knew I would be feeling so much better in time. This was all we need to validate that my tonsils should have come out and probably several years earlier than now!
I have visitors that night, our dear friends the McLeods come by with a begonia, another dear friend from church, then my son-in-law and two grand daughters come by with a pink soft pig and homemade cards. They are so special! Tollie goes home to get some things we had not brought such as sleeping gear for him, toothbrushes, etc. He stops by and gets me a Wendy's hamburger. I tried to eat it and only could not because the anesthesia makes me sick to my stomach. They give me something for that and later in the evening, I am able to eat part of the hamburger.
I stay the night in the outpatient pavilion with only one other patient in the place and I have my own nurse. She is great. She comes and checks on me often and tells me if my oxygen monitor sounds the alert, I just need to take a deep breath and it will return to normal. I find that as I am just going to sleep, the monitor sounds the alert. So, I take a deep breath and start to relax again. Finally, after about 2 in the morning, I ask my nurse if I can have some oxygen so I don't keep waking up. She gets it for me and sure enough I don't get woke up every 5 minutes (and neither does Tollie.
For breakfast, my nurse has ordered double for me and Tollie. We have sausage and pancakes. Yummy, I am able to eat two pancakes and two sausages. I am feeling really good. We get released and because the PA cannot find a monitor in town, I am told to sleep the night sitting up. They are really concerned that with swelling my airway obstruction will be blocked completely.
It is now a week later, and I am doing great. I have had pizza, mexican food, soups, sandwiches, toast, eggs, ice cream, popsicles and pretty much anything I want to eat. I just returned from my doctor's visit and he says I am doing great. There are few scabs and there is already healing tissue starting. My tonsils had a bacterial infection in them, but since they are gone, so is the infection. There is still some swelling and I can try to sleep in my bed tonight, but only if Tollie monitors me. No problem! He has been monitoring me the whole time. At first, I slept in the den in my chair and he on the couch. We finally got smart and moved the chair to the bedroom so he could sleep in the bed. We have both done fine, but I am ready to be in my own bed. I still take Tylenol every 6 to 8 hours and find I wake about 2 am with my ears hurting and my throat throbbing. I have discovered the pain comes at 2 am because I am not moving the tissues and drinking. They get stiff and sore. But I can take my Tylenol and in about 30 minutes I am back asleep. So tonight, I will try sleeping in my own bed.
I am so happy for this opportunity to lose weight. Dr. Heartfield told me today that probably this week, I am going to get a real hunger pang. He said to try and resist it and keep doing what I am doing. I don't think I have lost a lot of weight, although I know I have lost some. I don't have a scale at home so it will be hard to know for sure. But my clothes are fitting better and no more than I am eating, I have to have lost something.
I want to take this opportunity to continue what I am doing now, eating very slowly, small bites, chewing a lot and not eating much. I have not been hungry yet, so when I get hungry, it will be harder. Please pray for me that I can resist the temptation to eat when I am hungry and take this opportunity to continue what I am doing now. I hope to have more energy and be more likely to exercise because I feel better. I have this chance, I don't want to waste it.
Friday, March 14, 2008
GOD'S ORCHESTRATION MAKES BEAUTIFUL MUSIC
My day started out usual with some expectations. By 10:00 pm Paul would be home and the Goebel Family would be complete again! Well, the first call came at 11:15 am when Jamie said that Paul was already at the Columbia airport and had been bumped up to an earlier flight. There was no guarantee that he could get an earlier flight out of Charlotte but she just wanted to put us on standby.
Tollie came home for lunch and we left as usual to go work. On the ride to work, Paul called to say that Jamie’s work phone was on the blitz again and he would call me to let me know if he got on the flight. He was second in line so he just didn’t know. There was a good possibility that if he got on the flight, his luggage would not make that flight!
At work, I checked my e-mails and made sure I e-mailed Jamie to let her know I had been in contact with Paul and he knew about the phone situation and would be calling me. I would let her know. Dad and I should be able to take off work earlier, much earlier than we planned.
I was working along, doing my usual thing, and I hear from Paul, “I made the flight. We are off.” I immediately e-mailed Jamie. It was 1:45 and he would arrive in Houston Intercontinental at 4:36. That meant she would need to get my e-mail, leave work, pick up Ashton and Emma from their classes at school, go to her house, leave her car and grab the stuff to make signs. We would drive the 25 minutes to Sour Lake, pick them up, head to Houston that usually takes about an hour and 45 minutes to the airport. Then we would park, walk to the baggage claim and we might get there about the same time! Whew! We would try!
I told my boss my situation and he understood. I would work tomorrow to get out a letter he needed to go this week. No Problem! Tollie’s office is right down the hall from mine and I ran to see, was he ready? No. He had just ordered a computer online with Dell and was waiting on the call for them “to pick up the inventory.” He was frantically doing what had to be done. I went back to my computer and printed out the flight status to get the terminal and gate numbers. Sure enough, it showed flight status as “departed” and arrival into Houston at 4:26.....ten minutes early!
I went back to Tollie’s office. He had to tell his boss, who was eating lunch with his family, we would need to leave early. We explained our situation and as we were ready to depart, my boss (the father of Tollie’s boss) started telling us a story. We politely stayed there and listened to it and then quickly made our exit. When we got to the van, Tollie immediately pronounced we were never going to make it in time.
We needed to contact Jamie and suggest to her that we pick up the girls and she go to the house and get the sign making stuff. I assured him she was probably already getting the girls and we would make it in time! There were just so many “ifs.” If she got the e-mail, if she did that, or that! I called Jamie on her cell and sure enough, no answer. Could I even be certain she had gotten my e-mail? Maybe there had been an emergency with a student and when we got to Sour Lake we would not only need to pick up the girls, but first go to Jamie’s school to get her! My mind was running ahead and I was getting dizzy! But I still knew we would make it in time! How? Don’t know that answer. Just knew.
About half way to Sour Lake, Jamie calls and tells me she already has the girls and is on her way to the house. Where were we? Were we at the house already? No, well we will meet there. Got to Jamie’s house, everybody peed, picked up water bottles and sign making stuff and loaded the van. We are off. It is 2:15 and we will barely make it in time, but we should make it.
On our way to load up the van, Ashton said, “This is the greatest day!” She was all smiles!
We left Sour Lake and I promise I did not speed. Well, not more than my usual 4 miles over the speed limit! We were getting closer, through Liberty, now through Dayton! The girls are so excited. They are almost finished with the poster. Ughhh, Emma is getting car sick, better stop drawing. Where are we now? Are we still in Beaumont? No, oh I see an airplane. Could that be his? No, not yet. It was great to hear the chatter going on in the back of the van between the girls!
We make it to Atascosita and I make the turn south toward the airport. Thank you, Lord! We are at the airport! Now! Where to park? We watch the signs and fortunately already know the terminal and gate number. Good thing! None of us saw “U.S. Airway” on the signs at the entrance. We would not have known which terminal!
Parking in my large van is always scary in those parking garages. There never seems to be enough space between the roof of my van and the garage structure! But we squeeze by. No parking down that aisle, none down that one. Ohhhhh, there is one. We park. Emma says, “I’m feeling funny in my stomach.” I think it is just the excitement of seeing her daddy. Ashton repeats that this is one of the best days of her life!
We ride the escalator up to the ticket counters. We have heard that they might let us go to the gate if we ask. Jamie finds the first bathroom and takes Emma. She is fine. Right across from the bathroom is the US Airway ticket counter. Tollie, Ashton and I are waiting for Jamie with the signs. A gentleman walks past and sees the sign. He asked Ashton if she made the sign. She tells him her daddy is coming home. I suddenly realize he has a US Airway badge and boldly ask him, “who do we see to ask about going to the gate for her daddy’s arrival? He is in the military.” He asks me where he is flying from. I give him the flight number and town. He starts his keyboard pecking. He is asking for our ID’s. I run to the bathroom to get Jamie’s. He is writing on a boarding pass, GATE PASS ONLY. While writing on these three boarding tickets, he is telling us that this is highly unorthodox. He hopes they will let him do this. He suggests we lay low, find a quiet spot and when we hug and kiss him, make sure it is out of the way of the other passengers! Then hand us the passes “Now, get out of here, before I cry.”
We are on our way to the gate and stand in line for the inspection. I notice that our “boarding pass” has our name printed on it, but we are heading to Las Vegas through Phoenix? The first lady looks at the boarding pass with a quizzical expression. I explain we would like to meet their daddy arriving. He is military. She sees our signs. She broadly smiles and says thank you, putting her initial on the pass. We take off our shoes, put them in the buckets and let them pass through the x-ray machine. Tollie has the camera, shoes, wallet, Carmex, keys, three thumb drives to put in a bucket and is behind all of us girls. I walk through, Ashton, Emma, Jamie......Dad forgot to take his belt off. He has to go back and start over. We have made it through, got our shoes on and watching for him to come through. I get his stuff-- the camera, shoes, wallet, Carmex, three thumb drives and keys. He finally makes it through and has to get on his belt and shoes and re-stuff his pockets. I comment to no one in particular, “it is a sign of our times that we have to undress to get through the airport” and sigh!
We have plenty of time. It is only 4 pm and his plane should land at 4:26. We are through inspection and gliding our way to gate A19. We find seats right across from the gate entrance! How cool is that?
As we wait, several see our signs and smile. The girls are antsy and excited. Jamie tells us that if Paul calls, we will tell him we are waiting in the baggage area. Sure enough, Paul calls Jamie’s cell. The plane has landed and they are taxiing to the gate. Jamie sits there and tells Paul we are waiting in the baggage area. When she hangs up, I say, “liar, liar, catch on fire.” We all giggle!
Tollie starts to video all us girls with the signs and a young man offers to take the video and get Pops in as well. Pops hands over the video and we all smile for the camera.....while watching the door. More people come off. He is coming? More people come off. I tell Jamie that he is probably on the last seat as he was probably the last one on the plane. Dad says he sees him. Paul spots Jamie. I can tell because a big grin spreads on his face and tears start to pour. Jamie contains herself and waits for him to pass all the other people and come to us. They embrace and then the girls grab their daddy by his legs. It is a special moment. One to remember -- one to cherish. They are a complete family again. We all hug and kiss and I have to say I am a little disappointed that he does not have on his fatigues. The army did not want him traveling in his fatigues for his safety! There are too many against the war!
Many in the crowd realize he is probably military and smile and watch the drama unfold but it was not the cheering homecoming I was hoping for. All in all, a very emotional time anyway. In fact the young man, who offered to take the video camera, told Paul a little later, “Thank You.”
As we were standing outside the bathrooms again....Paul this time!........Ashton begins to cry uncontrollably. I embrace her and we all let her know she can cry all she wants. She has held in her emotions for so long, she just cannot contain them anymore. She is crying and trying to say at the same time, “I just missed my daddy so much. I am glad he is home.”
We walk to the baggage area, hoping his bags made it and sure enough, some of the first to come out of the tunnel! Wow, thank you again, Lord. My only regret is that we did not go back by the US Airway counter and thank the man for letting us go back to the gate.
Tollie and I are in bed by 10pm. And let me tell you, God’s orchestration made some beautiful music today.
Sorry the video does not have sound, technical problem! But you will get the gist of happy homecoming!
Tollie came home for lunch and we left as usual to go work. On the ride to work, Paul called to say that Jamie’s work phone was on the blitz again and he would call me to let me know if he got on the flight. He was second in line so he just didn’t know. There was a good possibility that if he got on the flight, his luggage would not make that flight!
At work, I checked my e-mails and made sure I e-mailed Jamie to let her know I had been in contact with Paul and he knew about the phone situation and would be calling me. I would let her know. Dad and I should be able to take off work earlier, much earlier than we planned.
I was working along, doing my usual thing, and I hear from Paul, “I made the flight. We are off.” I immediately e-mailed Jamie. It was 1:45 and he would arrive in Houston Intercontinental at 4:36. That meant she would need to get my e-mail, leave work, pick up Ashton and Emma from their classes at school, go to her house, leave her car and grab the stuff to make signs. We would drive the 25 minutes to Sour Lake, pick them up, head to Houston that usually takes about an hour and 45 minutes to the airport. Then we would park, walk to the baggage claim and we might get there about the same time! Whew! We would try!
I told my boss my situation and he understood. I would work tomorrow to get out a letter he needed to go this week. No Problem! Tollie’s office is right down the hall from mine and I ran to see, was he ready? No. He had just ordered a computer online with Dell and was waiting on the call for them “to pick up the inventory.” He was frantically doing what had to be done. I went back to my computer and printed out the flight status to get the terminal and gate numbers. Sure enough, it showed flight status as “departed” and arrival into Houston at 4:26.....ten minutes early!
I went back to Tollie’s office. He had to tell his boss, who was eating lunch with his family, we would need to leave early. We explained our situation and as we were ready to depart, my boss (the father of Tollie’s boss) started telling us a story. We politely stayed there and listened to it and then quickly made our exit. When we got to the van, Tollie immediately pronounced we were never going to make it in time.
We needed to contact Jamie and suggest to her that we pick up the girls and she go to the house and get the sign making stuff. I assured him she was probably already getting the girls and we would make it in time! There were just so many “ifs.” If she got the e-mail, if she did that, or that! I called Jamie on her cell and sure enough, no answer. Could I even be certain she had gotten my e-mail? Maybe there had been an emergency with a student and when we got to Sour Lake we would not only need to pick up the girls, but first go to Jamie’s school to get her! My mind was running ahead and I was getting dizzy! But I still knew we would make it in time! How? Don’t know that answer. Just knew.
About half way to Sour Lake, Jamie calls and tells me she already has the girls and is on her way to the house. Where were we? Were we at the house already? No, well we will meet there. Got to Jamie’s house, everybody peed, picked up water bottles and sign making stuff and loaded the van. We are off. It is 2:15 and we will barely make it in time, but we should make it.
On our way to load up the van, Ashton said, “This is the greatest day!” She was all smiles!
We left Sour Lake and I promise I did not speed. Well, not more than my usual 4 miles over the speed limit! We were getting closer, through Liberty, now through Dayton! The girls are so excited. They are almost finished with the poster. Ughhh, Emma is getting car sick, better stop drawing. Where are we now? Are we still in Beaumont? No, oh I see an airplane. Could that be his? No, not yet. It was great to hear the chatter going on in the back of the van between the girls!
We make it to Atascosita and I make the turn south toward the airport. Thank you, Lord! We are at the airport! Now! Where to park? We watch the signs and fortunately already know the terminal and gate number. Good thing! None of us saw “U.S. Airway” on the signs at the entrance. We would not have known which terminal!
Parking in my large van is always scary in those parking garages. There never seems to be enough space between the roof of my van and the garage structure! But we squeeze by. No parking down that aisle, none down that one. Ohhhhh, there is one. We park. Emma says, “I’m feeling funny in my stomach.” I think it is just the excitement of seeing her daddy. Ashton repeats that this is one of the best days of her life!
We ride the escalator up to the ticket counters. We have heard that they might let us go to the gate if we ask. Jamie finds the first bathroom and takes Emma. She is fine. Right across from the bathroom is the US Airway ticket counter. Tollie, Ashton and I are waiting for Jamie with the signs. A gentleman walks past and sees the sign. He asked Ashton if she made the sign. She tells him her daddy is coming home. I suddenly realize he has a US Airway badge and boldly ask him, “who do we see to ask about going to the gate for her daddy’s arrival? He is in the military.” He asks me where he is flying from. I give him the flight number and town. He starts his keyboard pecking. He is asking for our ID’s. I run to the bathroom to get Jamie’s. He is writing on a boarding pass, GATE PASS ONLY. While writing on these three boarding tickets, he is telling us that this is highly unorthodox. He hopes they will let him do this. He suggests we lay low, find a quiet spot and when we hug and kiss him, make sure it is out of the way of the other passengers! Then hand us the passes “Now, get out of here, before I cry.”
We are on our way to the gate and stand in line for the inspection. I notice that our “boarding pass” has our name printed on it, but we are heading to Las Vegas through Phoenix? The first lady looks at the boarding pass with a quizzical expression. I explain we would like to meet their daddy arriving. He is military. She sees our signs. She broadly smiles and says thank you, putting her initial on the pass. We take off our shoes, put them in the buckets and let them pass through the x-ray machine. Tollie has the camera, shoes, wallet, Carmex, keys, three thumb drives to put in a bucket and is behind all of us girls. I walk through, Ashton, Emma, Jamie......Dad forgot to take his belt off. He has to go back and start over. We have made it through, got our shoes on and watching for him to come through. I get his stuff-- the camera, shoes, wallet, Carmex, three thumb drives and keys. He finally makes it through and has to get on his belt and shoes and re-stuff his pockets. I comment to no one in particular, “it is a sign of our times that we have to undress to get through the airport” and sigh!
We have plenty of time. It is only 4 pm and his plane should land at 4:26. We are through inspection and gliding our way to gate A19. We find seats right across from the gate entrance! How cool is that?
As we wait, several see our signs and smile. The girls are antsy and excited. Jamie tells us that if Paul calls, we will tell him we are waiting in the baggage area. Sure enough, Paul calls Jamie’s cell. The plane has landed and they are taxiing to the gate. Jamie sits there and tells Paul we are waiting in the baggage area. When she hangs up, I say, “liar, liar, catch on fire.” We all giggle!
Tollie starts to video all us girls with the signs and a young man offers to take the video and get Pops in as well. Pops hands over the video and we all smile for the camera.....while watching the door. More people come off. He is coming? More people come off. I tell Jamie that he is probably on the last seat as he was probably the last one on the plane. Dad says he sees him. Paul spots Jamie. I can tell because a big grin spreads on his face and tears start to pour. Jamie contains herself and waits for him to pass all the other people and come to us. They embrace and then the girls grab their daddy by his legs. It is a special moment. One to remember -- one to cherish. They are a complete family again. We all hug and kiss and I have to say I am a little disappointed that he does not have on his fatigues. The army did not want him traveling in his fatigues for his safety! There are too many against the war!
Many in the crowd realize he is probably military and smile and watch the drama unfold but it was not the cheering homecoming I was hoping for. All in all, a very emotional time anyway. In fact the young man, who offered to take the video camera, told Paul a little later, “Thank You.”
As we were standing outside the bathrooms again....Paul this time!........Ashton begins to cry uncontrollably. I embrace her and we all let her know she can cry all she wants. She has held in her emotions for so long, she just cannot contain them anymore. She is crying and trying to say at the same time, “I just missed my daddy so much. I am glad he is home.”
We walk to the baggage area, hoping his bags made it and sure enough, some of the first to come out of the tunnel! Wow, thank you again, Lord. My only regret is that we did not go back by the US Airway counter and thank the man for letting us go back to the gate.
Tollie and I are in bed by 10pm. And let me tell you, God’s orchestration made some beautiful music today.
Sorry the video does not have sound, technical problem! But you will get the gist of happy homecoming!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Tollie, my husband, friend, lover and companion of almost 38 years is off to Russia. Individuals in our con-gregation support children in an orphanage in Sharya, Russia (near Kostroma, northeast of Moscow) through the Hope Chest organization. Hope Chest has told us that we are one of a few churches that support a whole orphanage, especially for the size we are. There are about 26 children in the home and nearly all of them are supported by someone in our congregation or has been associated with our congregation in the past. So….every year, we send a team over to interact and work with the children.
Russia has too many orphans. Each year there are over 40,000 orphans added to the orphanages. There are many reasons for this but often the reason is simple economics. A parent or parents cannot afford to house and keep their child and therefore they become a ward of the state. It is sad and many of these children are not true orphans but are bunched in that group. Hope Chest now runs about 40 orphanages, helping approximately 2400 orphans. The children range in age of pre-school of about 4 or 5 to about 15. When they turn 15 or 16 they are sent to a Resource Center in the town of Kostroma (for our orphanage, this is the place they go to) to learn skills and living independently. Otherwise, they would be turned out on the street and become drug addicts and prostitutes. Hope Chest is trying to change the life of the child to be independent and able to make a living. That is why sponsorship is so important to these children. But sponsorship only takes care of their physical needs and that is why we send a team to interact with these children. We hope to help their spiritual and emotional well being also and give them the ability to deal with life in those terms.
It is the responsibility of each team member going to Russia to raise their funds for travel. Unfortunately, this year, the costs of the land package is more and now it costs each individual about 2800$ to travel to Russia. Tollie has raised almost half of his support and is working on the other half. If God places it on your heart to help these orphans in a special way, you may send money to Christ Covenant Church, 6390 N Major Drive, Beaumont, Texas 77713 and indicate it is for Tollie Corder. I know you can pray for these orphans and please pray for the team traveling in March to touch the lives of these kids.
While my love is gone to Russia, I am planning to travel to Bethany, Missouri to spend the same amount of time with our baby daughter, Mindy. I arranged my flights to correspond with the Russia team so that I can travel to Houston with them and back to Beaumont. Tollie and I will be apart for over a week and I have a birthday in that time frame as well. So, please pray for us as we are apart. The only reason I can stand for us to go in different directions is my love for him and these kids, and my daughter!
I am looking forward to spending this lengthy time with Mindy and Trent. Mindy is planning to take a day off work and I plan to take some hand work with me and spend time cooking and enjoying Bethany and the surrounding area. Also, Mindy plans for us to attend a Women of Faith Conference in Omaha, Nebraska while I am there. I have never attended one, nor has she and we both are looking forward to this time of worship and fellowship with sisters in Christ. I am also excited as I have never been to Nebraska and that area of the country. I am already impressed with the beauty of Northern Missouri……as a place to visit! I am trying to pack for the 30 to 40 degree high days and of course lower at night temps. That will be hard to deal with as I am already enjoying 60 and 70 degree highs here and putting in our garden already! No planting there for another month or so! How do you pack coats, sweaters, handwork you are working on and gifts, all in one suitcase? I am trying though.
I hope your Spring time is going well and you are enjoying the Son at EASTER!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY
I thought when you got older, things slowed down. Not so with us. We seem to be busier now than ever before. Although, I don't think you can ever be busier than you are with teenagers! Glad we are past that phase!
We have had something going on at church every weekend. We had Jane Pata from Argentina and she stayed with us. We had a ThinkNext seminar and Phil Claycomb stayed with us. We had Angel Food distribution last Saturday, plus the grand girls stayed with us, Friday night.
I don't think we have anything...... oh yes, Tollie has Men's Breakfast and we are having a work day at church on Saturday. Nice thought we didn't have anything!
I really need to do some work in the yard! Arghhhhhhh! After the girls left last Saturday, I kept thinking I would get out and mow, but alas a nap was calling my name. By the time I got back up, it was later and thoughtfully I decided not to mow. So, Sunday after eating out, we came home and I mowed while Tollie edged the yard. In fact, I almost got of it then! As we were leaving the resturant, one raindrop fell on me and I rejoyced. But by the time we got home, it was not raining at all. So we started in. I do have to say that God has humor because on the last round of the side yard, it started pouring! I finished up and came in. But it was done.
Now I just need to get out and work some flower beds and weed out a vine that grows across the back fence. Our neighbor put this up on their side, but it is creeping around to my side and invading my yard! I hate the stuff. I know if it put Round up on my side it will kill their side as well, so I hesitate to do that, but.....I am working and thinking!
Have a great week.
We are excited as we make preparations for Tollie to go to Russia and I am going to Missouri the same week. Separate vacations are not my choice, but I am looking forward to visiting a whole week with my baby daughter and her husband. I did not want to go to Russia, but Tollie is excited! More on that later!
We have had something going on at church every weekend. We had Jane Pata from Argentina and she stayed with us. We had a ThinkNext seminar and Phil Claycomb stayed with us. We had Angel Food distribution last Saturday, plus the grand girls stayed with us, Friday night.
I don't think we have anything...... oh yes, Tollie has Men's Breakfast and we are having a work day at church on Saturday. Nice thought we didn't have anything!
I really need to do some work in the yard! Arghhhhhhh! After the girls left last Saturday, I kept thinking I would get out and mow, but alas a nap was calling my name. By the time I got back up, it was later and thoughtfully I decided not to mow. So, Sunday after eating out, we came home and I mowed while Tollie edged the yard. In fact, I almost got of it then! As we were leaving the resturant, one raindrop fell on me and I rejoyced. But by the time we got home, it was not raining at all. So we started in. I do have to say that God has humor because on the last round of the side yard, it started pouring! I finished up and came in. But it was done.
Now I just need to get out and work some flower beds and weed out a vine that grows across the back fence. Our neighbor put this up on their side, but it is creeping around to my side and invading my yard! I hate the stuff. I know if it put Round up on my side it will kill their side as well, so I hesitate to do that, but.....I am working and thinking!
Have a great week.
We are excited as we make preparations for Tollie to go to Russia and I am going to Missouri the same week. Separate vacations are not my choice, but I am looking forward to visiting a whole week with my baby daughter and her husband. I did not want to go to Russia, but Tollie is excited! More on that later!
Friday, February 15, 2008
BELATED HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
Sorry! I am a day late. So Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours.
Mine was absolutely one of the best Valentine's I have ever had. It started on Wednesday when I decorated my husband's office, like I do every year. I think I showed you his office last year in a post. It was a great job with pictures from our lives plastered all over his office. I was afraid I could not top last year. Everyone was impressed on how great it was.
So.....this year I even thought about not decorating his office, but then I was afraid everyone at work would think something was wrong. After all, I do it every year and I didn't want them thinking we had marital problems, especially when we don't have any!
Anyway, I started putting up some small Valentine cards I had and strung a string of lights across one wall with some tinsel garland of red. As I was decorating I began to think of ways I could possibly make a great day of Valentine's. I had an empty Italian bottle of wine and stuck a candle in it. Then the day began to take shape. I left him a note with instructions that he was to start the music CD I had for him as a present. It is Chris Botti, Italia. Then at 11:30 I would bring lunch to his office for us to share.
The next day, promptly at 11:30, I arrived with my ice chest and card table in tow. He helped me get everything in and set up. We put up the card table and set it with a red tablecoth and the wine bottle candle. I had brought plates and silverware and my crystal glasses. I had baked potatoes, ribeye steak and salad. I had prepared chocolate covered strawberries. When we were ready, Delores (co-worker in the office next door) came by to ohhh and ahh on what we were having for lunch. We lit the candle and turned out the lights so only the candle and string of lights were on and closed the door! We sat and listened to Chris Botti and talked quietly, enjoying our lunch. It was so relaxing. Delores was given instructions by me to turn anyone away that came toward Tollie's office. She left for lunch and put a large note on Tollie's door "Do Not Distub".
I received a dozen red roses and a message in a bottle. I cried when I read the message.
I can't tell you how relaxing and fun the lunch was. Tollie kept thanking me for the wonderful meal. I had also prepared Lemon Lush for dessert. It was great! So, we both had a wonderful time. I laugh because I think it was partly the secrecy with the door closed that made it so fun! Everyone at his work was jealous.
Later in the afternoon, I received an e-mail from Delores stating that it was so sweet to hear Tollie bragging to his friends on the phone how special the lunch was. She said she was not eaves dropping, but she couldn't help overhearing him. He was talking real loud because he was so excited. That made me smile.
I really had ulterior motives! Usually we go out to eat or eat a big meal at home in the evening and then too full to enjoy a night in bed! (if you know what I mean!) But this time, we had our big meal during lunch so last night was a wonderful time! (if you know what I mean)
I hope you had a great Valentine's. Mine was exceptional!
Mine was absolutely one of the best Valentine's I have ever had. It started on Wednesday when I decorated my husband's office, like I do every year. I think I showed you his office last year in a post. It was a great job with pictures from our lives plastered all over his office. I was afraid I could not top last year. Everyone was impressed on how great it was.
So.....this year I even thought about not decorating his office, but then I was afraid everyone at work would think something was wrong. After all, I do it every year and I didn't want them thinking we had marital problems, especially when we don't have any!
Anyway, I started putting up some small Valentine cards I had and strung a string of lights across one wall with some tinsel garland of red. As I was decorating I began to think of ways I could possibly make a great day of Valentine's. I had an empty Italian bottle of wine and stuck a candle in it. Then the day began to take shape. I left him a note with instructions that he was to start the music CD I had for him as a present. It is Chris Botti, Italia. Then at 11:30 I would bring lunch to his office for us to share.
The next day, promptly at 11:30, I arrived with my ice chest and card table in tow. He helped me get everything in and set up. We put up the card table and set it with a red tablecoth and the wine bottle candle. I had brought plates and silverware and my crystal glasses. I had baked potatoes, ribeye steak and salad. I had prepared chocolate covered strawberries. When we were ready, Delores (co-worker in the office next door) came by to ohhh and ahh on what we were having for lunch. We lit the candle and turned out the lights so only the candle and string of lights were on and closed the door! We sat and listened to Chris Botti and talked quietly, enjoying our lunch. It was so relaxing. Delores was given instructions by me to turn anyone away that came toward Tollie's office. She left for lunch and put a large note on Tollie's door "Do Not Distub".
I received a dozen red roses and a message in a bottle. I cried when I read the message.
I can't tell you how relaxing and fun the lunch was. Tollie kept thanking me for the wonderful meal. I had also prepared Lemon Lush for dessert. It was great! So, we both had a wonderful time. I laugh because I think it was partly the secrecy with the door closed that made it so fun! Everyone at his work was jealous.
Later in the afternoon, I received an e-mail from Delores stating that it was so sweet to hear Tollie bragging to his friends on the phone how special the lunch was. She said she was not eaves dropping, but she couldn't help overhearing him. He was talking real loud because he was so excited. That made me smile.
I really had ulterior motives! Usually we go out to eat or eat a big meal at home in the evening and then too full to enjoy a night in bed! (if you know what I mean!) But this time, we had our big meal during lunch so last night was a wonderful time! (if you know what I mean)
I hope you had a great Valentine's. Mine was exceptional!
Saturday, February 09, 2008
HERE IT IS!
Well, here is the final project! Again, it is hard to tell much about it in a picture. So......if you are ever in my area of Beaumont, Texas, drop on by and I will be happy to show it to you in person. I am very happy with it. I am a little disappointed that after framing and putting it under glass that you can't see the bead work as well. But, I still believe that it is best to put it under the glass to protect it from dirt. I am not sure I will leave it above the fireplace, but that is the best place for now. We plan to get a light to put on it or actually below it to shine up. That may help the beadwork.
Now, on to other projects! It never ends. There is never enough time!
Friday, January 25, 2008
CROSS STITCHING
As I said in the previous post, I love to cross stitch. Some people say that working on something like this project would drive them crazy and they would become so impatient. Not me. It is soothing to me. I love to sit and cross stitch and watch old movies, or new movies, if they are worth watching!
Here is the finished project.
The cutwork was scary to say the least.
As you can see in the border where the ties are in the middle of tied off strings. If you compare with the previous post, the area where there is blank white around the picture! Anyway, it was scary to actually cut threads of the project and pull them out and then tie off the remaining threads to make the open triangles. It will look really cool with a bright color (yellowish) coming through the cutwork.
Someone at work asked me why the alphabet and numbers on it. What is the significance? This is a sampler. Years ago, young, "proper" women would learn to stitch and sew. They made samplers with many different types of stitches. It was a test to see how well they had learned to stitch. They would use the alphabet and numbers and figures to show off their skill.
The gate was different in that you stitched over one stitch instead of two and it was so close.
Below, is a close up of the top portion. I love the way the project suddenly gets depth as you work the outlining. It is like a painting that suddenly pops and then you see the dimensions and feel a part of the painting. It is my way of doing art.
I still can't believe it is finished. After 12 years of working on this project, to have it finished, is......well let's just say I miss an ole friend!
It is now at the framer's, being framed. I said I was going to spend big bucks on having it framed and yes, I am spending big bucks! It cost a little more than I expected, but I think the finished product will be exquisite. It was hard to choose the frame, the mats, do I go with a filler or just the mats, do I go green or purple. I went with the green mat and gold colored mat under the green. The frame is really large and big and bold and beautiful. I don't like the gold glitzy type of frames but this comes close. It is rustic and compliments it very well. The purple mat looked very good with the finished project but the green did something better.....it made it pop. I love to look at how changing the mats can make a project look so different, in just a split second of changing them out. Color is an amazing gift of God's.
I really wish you could see the finished project in person instead of on line. It does not do it justice on here. I have taken some close ups of some of the areas but really you have to see the whole thing to really appreciate all the different stitches and colors and beads.
I had planned to hang it above my fireplace in the den, but I'm not so sure any more. It may be too big to fit there and it may be too far away -- too high up to really appreciate the work. So....I will have to play with it in several areas to see how it looks. When I get it hung and found just the right place for it, I will post a picture of it hanging and give you the full effect of it.
Again, if you are in my area of Southeast Texas, come on by and see it in person. It will be worth the trip!
Here is the finished project.
The cutwork was scary to say the least.
As you can see in the border where the ties are in the middle of tied off strings. If you compare with the previous post, the area where there is blank white around the picture! Anyway, it was scary to actually cut threads of the project and pull them out and then tie off the remaining threads to make the open triangles. It will look really cool with a bright color (yellowish) coming through the cutwork.
Someone at work asked me why the alphabet and numbers on it. What is the significance? This is a sampler. Years ago, young, "proper" women would learn to stitch and sew. They made samplers with many different types of stitches. It was a test to see how well they had learned to stitch. They would use the alphabet and numbers and figures to show off their skill.
The gate was different in that you stitched over one stitch instead of two and it was so close.
Below, is a close up of the top portion. I love the way the project suddenly gets depth as you work the outlining. It is like a painting that suddenly pops and then you see the dimensions and feel a part of the painting. It is my way of doing art.
I still can't believe it is finished. After 12 years of working on this project, to have it finished, is......well let's just say I miss an ole friend!
It is now at the framer's, being framed. I said I was going to spend big bucks on having it framed and yes, I am spending big bucks! It cost a little more than I expected, but I think the finished product will be exquisite. It was hard to choose the frame, the mats, do I go with a filler or just the mats, do I go green or purple. I went with the green mat and gold colored mat under the green. The frame is really large and big and bold and beautiful. I don't like the gold glitzy type of frames but this comes close. It is rustic and compliments it very well. The purple mat looked very good with the finished project but the green did something better.....it made it pop. I love to look at how changing the mats can make a project look so different, in just a split second of changing them out. Color is an amazing gift of God's.
I really wish you could see the finished project in person instead of on line. It does not do it justice on here. I have taken some close ups of some of the areas but really you have to see the whole thing to really appreciate all the different stitches and colors and beads.
I had planned to hang it above my fireplace in the den, but I'm not so sure any more. It may be too big to fit there and it may be too far away -- too high up to really appreciate the work. So....I will have to play with it in several areas to see how it looks. When I get it hung and found just the right place for it, I will post a picture of it hanging and give you the full effect of it.
Again, if you are in my area of Southeast Texas, come on by and see it in person. It will be worth the trip!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
PROJECTS
I have been working on a cross stitch project for years.....I'm talking 12 years on and off. I fell in love with this one and started it, thinking it would take a while but never dreamed it would be that long! I am not finished as of yet, but almost. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can taste the honey of victory! I probably have another couple of weeks to work on it and I will be done! The scary part is that the last thing you do is put a border around it that involves cutting the material!
You heard me.....cutting the fabric! Wow, I know I have dreaded that. After all this time of work and the last thing you do could destroy the whole project! But I am gaining confidence as I finish it up.
Here is the project in process. I have only a small area under the top peacock to work on and then the cut work around the whole thing. I will definitely post a picture of the finished product, framed and hanging, but I wanted to share with you what I am doing in my spare time right now.
I do mean every spare minute is spent working on this project. I told Tollie after Christmas that it was my goal to get this finished before starting any other project! He has understood and is patiently watching me work hard to finish it. I think he is as ready (or maybe even more ready) for me to finish it.
HERE IT IS!
You really cannot appreciate all the work that is going into this, unless you cross stitch. This one has lots of cross stitch stitches and beads and unusual threads to work in and then the cutwork. I just wish the picture would reveal more of the story. If you want to really see how beautiful it is turning out, come on by and I will proudly show it off!
You heard me.....cutting the fabric! Wow, I know I have dreaded that. After all this time of work and the last thing you do could destroy the whole project! But I am gaining confidence as I finish it up.
Here is the project in process. I have only a small area under the top peacock to work on and then the cut work around the whole thing. I will definitely post a picture of the finished product, framed and hanging, but I wanted to share with you what I am doing in my spare time right now.
I do mean every spare minute is spent working on this project. I told Tollie after Christmas that it was my goal to get this finished before starting any other project! He has understood and is patiently watching me work hard to finish it. I think he is as ready (or maybe even more ready) for me to finish it.
HERE IT IS!
You really cannot appreciate all the work that is going into this, unless you cross stitch. This one has lots of cross stitch stitches and beads and unusual threads to work in and then the cutwork. I just wish the picture would reveal more of the story. If you want to really see how beautiful it is turning out, come on by and I will proudly show it off!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
I pray you have had wonderful Holiday Times! We certainly have.
We had a relatively quiet Christmas and even quieter New Years. Ours was spent at home with our oldest daughter and her family coming for Christmas lunch. Jamie had been given a spiral ham from her school so we had that with yams, green beans, crescent rolls and fruit salad. Relatively easy lunch but oh so yummy!
For New Year's, Tollie and I had planned a party at our house with old friends we eat lunch with every Sunday, but alas, Tollie had a cold and was not feeling really good. In fact, on Sunday, he went to church, but he really should have stayed home. I tried to get him to stay home, but he insisted he needed to go. We had a long nap on Sunday and then Monday we watched movies. Actually, Tollie built my shelf for the hallway, where I plan to put my pitchers. I have many pitchers of various colors and shapes. I have wanted a better place to put them, and the shelf is working out great. He cut it and painted it and then put it up, while watching movies in between cuts. I watched many of my chick flicks, like The Notebook, where I cry every time. I try not to, but it makes me cry anyway. Tollie said he didn't want to watch that one, but found himself drawn in as well and ended up sitting on the couch and crying as well.
While watching the movies, (others like Catch Me if You Can, Shall We Dance?) I cross stitched on my project I have been working on for over 10 years. It is a sampler of an English Garden with peacocks. It is very detailed and I am determined to finish it before starting any other project. Actually, I have been working on crocheting an afgan which is turning out very pretty, but I didn't get enough yarn. Of course when I went back to Hobby Lobby to get more, they are out. So.....I am waiting for them to get more in. It is their brand of yarn so I will wait.
We ended up watching Superman, The Return later on New Year's Eve and after it was over, we went to Fuddrucker's to get a hamburger and shake. I watched the ball come down on TV while Tollie slept in the lounge chair. He had taken some cold medicine and was sleeping good. I woke him about 11:30 and we went to bed.
Jamie and Paul came over again on New Year's Day and had lunch with us. Paul and the girls got out and played soccer and we just visited. The girls ended up staying overnight with us and Paul picked them up today about noon so I could come to work.
Here I am, at work, typing my blog. My boss is at a doctor's appointment and because of the holidays, I have very little to do. I am trying to catch up on my filing.
I pray you have a great 2008. I am looking forward to this year. I have no resolutions, because I cannot keep them. However, I am trying to start off right by reading a daily Bible passage and exercise regularly. We'll see how long it lasts this year! :)
Hopefully, you have thoughts which will becomes your dreams and your dreams will become reality before the end of 2008.
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