Things are looking up!

We are finally beginning to feel "human" again. Grammy is doing great from her gallbladder surgery. Mom got the staples out and is getting around pretty well. She still has a long road but is expected to recover. She is still getting IV's twice a day and has about 4 weeks of that left. I went to the doctor for a post-surgery checkup and got most of the packing removed. It will take some more time to determine if the surgery was successful at restoring my hearing. I am still hurting off and on but things are looking up. In the meantime, we have all had a little cold going around at our house but now we are doing better.

Wedding plans are in the works and it will soon be here. We attended a wedding shower today for Alex and Amanda and have another one to go to tomorrow. The flowers are all finished and the details are coming together for the rest of the decorations. Raegan's dress finally came in and it fits great. I got my dress and we have ordered Scott's tux. We are finishing the final plans for the rehearsal dinner and desserts.

It looks like school plans have changed slightly. I was going to begin college again in January to get my ED.S but they have decided to start the program up in the fall. This may be a blessing in disguise since things have been so hectic lately. I am looking forward to going back to school but this will probably be my last degree for a while. LOL! Everytime I say that my dad says yeah right until the next one rolls around but I'm serious this time.

Raegan got her first report card from school. We are proud of her and all she has accomplished. I love to see how much she loves school....ahhh evidently just like her mommy. She works intently to memorize her Bible verses. They recite one a week on Fridays and then they get to go to the treasure chest. We practice with her each week and she enjoys the praise and the reward for her success. She has made many friends at school and I am proud to see her personality through her interactions with these little friends. We plan to send her there next year but after that I'm not sure what will happen. Private school is so expensive but such an investment so I am praying about it!

My sweet husband has been a blessing lately. He has helped clean the house, take care of me and my mom, and cooked for us. He has been so thoughtful and kind while things have been so crazy. He has been a rock to me! I love you Scott....I can't believe that 10 years ago this month we met. Neither of us were too serious about a relationship but we were crazy about each other. You told me to just let it go where it was meant to go...get on the train and ride...and so here we are. We are committed in a wonderful marriage and still crazy about each other. Thank you for 10 great years of being yours.

Special thanks in our time of need.....

This past week has been so stressful but in the midst of it all, God's mercy has been with us. He has kept us all healthy and well during this trial. On Wednesday of last week my mother had a preparatory surgery where doctors harvested veins for 4 hours to prepare for a major operation on Thursday. On Thursday, the team of doctors completed a bifemoral artery bypass and stint replacemnet in 8 1/2 hours where they removed infected grafts in her femoral arteries, replaced them, and connected them to the abdominal aorta. On Friday, I had a tympanoplasty and mastoidectomy on my right ear to remove a lesion on the bones, repair the eardrum and drill the bones behind the ear to remove infection. Then on Monday my mother also had a minor surgery to put in a Hickman catheter/ central line. To say that our family has been hit hard is an understatement. Miraculously, my mother was disimssed home today. She will recover at home with home health services for the next few months. She will receive IV antibiotics for the next 6 weeks which will be administered by my wonderful husband and great aunt twice a day. Next week my grandmother will have gallbladder surgery. To add to all this excitement...my brother and his girlfriend...now fiancee have announced their engagement and upcoming wedding. WOW!!!!! All I can say is thanks be to God....because without HIM we would have never made it. I know many prayers were going up on our behalf this past week and we have definitely felt HIS presence in our time of need. Special thanks to the many friends and loved ones for all your acts of kindness. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to be at the hospital, cards, flowers, food, and for loving my child when I couldn't be there with her. Thank you to the saints... I mean aunts who gave mom's house a facelift and thorough cleaning so that she would have a comfortable place to come home to. Thank you for the countless acts of kindness that you all have shown. My family is forever grateful and blessed because of you.