Posts
We got our tree and it looks so pretty in our family room. I still have to put lights and ornaments on it but it smells good, it is relatively straight and everyone is happy! I went a little easier on Gary this year. Usually we spend about an hour making sure it is perfectly perfect but this time I let go of the control and it looks just fine!
I am more than exhausted right now. Have you ever been so tired you felt like you were going to throw up? That is where I am at now.
I did the annual Black Friday Shopping with girlfriends and had a great time. We met in front of Kohls at 3:20 AM and by
10:00 AM I had been home, we picked out our tree and we were on our way to La Quinta.
We left my Aunt & Uncle's beautiful home last night around 9:30 PM and rolled in at midnight this morning! I even drove about 3/4 of the way! I woke up this morning at 6 AM and got ready for Ryan's birthday party at Scooters Jungle at 9 AM.
The house is clean, home group is coming over tomorrow and the boys are having their party this Friday night at our house! They are sooooooo excited!!!! They are such great kids!
My eyes are involuntarily closing and I need to sleep before church! Gary did okay yesterday in the desert but today was down for a couple of hours. Tonight he managed to bring the tree in with Chuck (our great neighbor) and did countless loads of laundry and cleaned many dishes! He is such a great husband and father. We are so blessed and lucky!!!
Good Night!
Lisa :)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
One For The Blog
Yet another Jax story...................
We are currently sitting at the dinner table - minus Nate - and all the boys are eating In-N-Out. Jax is lagging on his grilled cheese so I have made him a deal. 2 bits grilled cheese gets you 5 french fries. He would opt for the "fry option" only if I had not made this a mandatory part of the dinner experience.
I tell him after a few rounds that in the next round - because he snuck an extra couple fries during the last round - he will need to eat three bits to his five fries. Here he goes................
Jax: Can I have more fries?
Me: I just told you what needs to happen in order for you to have more fries.
Jax: I did not hear you.
Me: I think you did. You are sitting right here next to me.
Jax: I DIDN'T HEAR YOU.
Me: silence.......................more silence with the stare after I politely tell him not to raise his voice and be disrespectful.
Jax: After I have three bites do I get more fries?
Me: AHA! I KNEW YOU HEARD ME!
Jax: (looking at me with a mile wide grin) I had to try to manipulate you! LOL
Me: more silence because I understand that this is how my child operates!
WE ARE IN FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!
LOL
Have a great Monday night! Go BACHELOR BRAD!!!
Lisa
We are currently sitting at the dinner table - minus Nate - and all the boys are eating In-N-Out. Jax is lagging on his grilled cheese so I have made him a deal. 2 bits grilled cheese gets you 5 french fries. He would opt for the "fry option" only if I had not made this a mandatory part of the dinner experience.
I tell him after a few rounds that in the next round - because he snuck an extra couple fries during the last round - he will need to eat three bits to his five fries. Here he goes................
Jax: Can I have more fries?
Me: I just told you what needs to happen in order for you to have more fries.
Jax: I did not hear you.
Me: I think you did. You are sitting right here next to me.
Jax: I DIDN'T HEAR YOU.
Me: silence.......................more silence with the stare after I politely tell him not to raise his voice and be disrespectful.
Jax: After I have three bites do I get more fries?
Me: AHA! I KNEW YOU HEARD ME!
Jax: (looking at me with a mile wide grin) I had to try to manipulate you! LOL
Me: more silence because I understand that this is how my child operates!
WE ARE IN FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!
LOL
Have a great Monday night! Go BACHELOR BRAD!!!
Lisa
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Happy 5th Birthday JAX!
It is one of those nights.
I do not experience them that often but when I do it really sucks because I am tired and I really want to sleep! Believe it or not, this will be therapy and let me explain.
I sometimes experience sleepless nights because I have WAY TOO much on my mind. There are things I have wanted to do and need to do that I have yet to do because life consumes me at times and I continue to keep pushing the really important things aside to deal with the monotonous day to day things.
I have been meaning to update this blog for sooooooo long and I keep saying "tomorrow" and tomorrow comes and then the next day and the next and it still does not get done. So, I become increasingly overwhelmed with things that I should not be overwhelmed with. And so on and so forth.......................boring.
So, I will be able to cross this off of that To Do List that resinates in my head! YEAH for me! One less thing. I guess all I can do is a little each day to get caught up. My next task is a little more time consuming.............thank you letters.
When I tell you that Gary and I have hundreds of thank yous to write I am giving you a conserative estimate! Let's be real......I should not include Gary in the writing of these letters. We all know that I will write them (his writing is barely legible and he is a classic peck typist), read them to Gary and then I will seal them, address them, stamp them and mail them! I get flustered just thinking about it. I think he could put the stamps on them! :)
On the other hand, I can barely stand the thought of having to have forged through this alone with no one to thank. We are so incredibly blessed and fortunate! I do not think any of you know how blessed we feel.
If you were at church this morning you got to witness a "very rare" event. Gary got up in front of our church to thank everyone and pour out some incredible emotions! He has come SUCH A LONG WAY! Never in a million years would I have thought he would get up in front of hundreds of people ON A MICROPHONE and share his most private thoughts and feelings! He did such a great job and we love him, admire him and respect him so very much! He told everyone that he was actually thankful for having had the opportunity to experience cancer! He feels like his life has been changed and touched in so many ways. He owes everything to the Glory of God and I think he is truly amazing!
So, back to me.
I am thinking about how I want to thank everyone. Many people have told me to write a general letter and send it out to everyone and then write a small "blip" at the bottom to each person. A "small blip"????? I ask! Are you kidding? Have you read this blog? There is absolutely nothing short-winded about my writing or my thoughts! I have to articulate things - my feelings, the way they come across and how they are taken! I am an over-thinking, analytical being who can't possibly be expected to write a "small or short blip"!
My point being is that I will begin to write this week. Please do not think we have forgotten about you. We think about you everyday. We think about how you have touched our lives in so many ways and continue to do so even now. We covet your prayers and think about how we hope to someday touch your life like you have touched ours!
I bet you want an update on Gary's general well-being???
He is coming along with his healing. If I were to take a stab at what percentage he was functioning at I guess I would say 70% at this point. He has more overall good hours in his day. He looks great even though he walks a little funny sometimes!
We are in the process of re-writing his resume right now and that is one more thing I HAVE TO CROSS OFF MY LIST TOO! Many people are waiting for it and I need to get it done! Thanks Tom for being so patient!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray that he gets a wonderful job offer. He is so deserving of that and he is getting prepped and ready for that perfect job!
We are looking forward to the Holidays and Gary's next check up is on December 13th. I have thought about changing it to the first of the year but I am unsure if we are going to do that. We will pray on it and make sure we make the right decision.
THE BOYS
What can I say about our boys?
All three of our boys are doing extremely well in school and have had rave reviews by their teachers! They just finished baseball tonight until the spring and we are now in the official "sport hiatus"! A break for a while will be nice. Nate's and Zach's coaches were awesome as always and we are so thankful for the time they took to invest in our boys! Yeah coaches!
JAX IS 5 TODAY!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR LITTLE MAN!
NATE WILL BE 7 on the 28th!
GARY JUST TURNED %2 on Nov.9th!
I will be 29 on Dec.11th!
Poor Zach - no birthday until February!
All three boys have taken their turns throwing up near me all week. Please let me assure you that I DO NOT DO VOMIT! EVER!!!
Jax puked and as he was crying I had him walk himself into the shower - fully clothed - to rinse the disgusting chunks of vomit off of himself and his clothes. I got him to the shower just in time. Gary was coming home from Bible study and he took over - HE'S DA MAN! I love my kids but I DO NOT DO VOMIT! Poor Jax.........and Nate...........and Zach..........and Gary. They had to fend for themselves for a few days while I was down for the count.
Thankfully, we are all on the mend and feeling much better.
Jax managed to use his wit and charm to get cashflow from several people tonight to play video games at Jake's birthday party. He is seriously resourceful and cute!
Nate managed to tell his brothers the other night this very thing.............."We all know that there is no such thing as the tooth fairy! It's Mom! Right, Mom?"
It absolutely is not me and has not been me. I can honestly say that.
Zach is growing into quite a young man. He is always ready to help me with whatever or accompany me on tedious errands and he even will pick up dog poop if I ask him! I am working on cleaning the toilet seat but we don't want to push growth in too many areas at once! :)
Okay.....I am still tired and need to get sleep. I am going to bed now. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more.......
Love and Hugs and Smiles,
Lisa
I do not experience them that often but when I do it really sucks because I am tired and I really want to sleep! Believe it or not, this will be therapy and let me explain.
I sometimes experience sleepless nights because I have WAY TOO much on my mind. There are things I have wanted to do and need to do that I have yet to do because life consumes me at times and I continue to keep pushing the really important things aside to deal with the monotonous day to day things.
I have been meaning to update this blog for sooooooo long and I keep saying "tomorrow" and tomorrow comes and then the next day and the next and it still does not get done. So, I become increasingly overwhelmed with things that I should not be overwhelmed with. And so on and so forth.......................boring.
So, I will be able to cross this off of that To Do List that resinates in my head! YEAH for me! One less thing. I guess all I can do is a little each day to get caught up. My next task is a little more time consuming.............thank you letters.
When I tell you that Gary and I have hundreds of thank yous to write I am giving you a conserative estimate! Let's be real......I should not include Gary in the writing of these letters. We all know that I will write them (his writing is barely legible and he is a classic peck typist), read them to Gary and then I will seal them, address them, stamp them and mail them! I get flustered just thinking about it. I think he could put the stamps on them! :)
On the other hand, I can barely stand the thought of having to have forged through this alone with no one to thank. We are so incredibly blessed and fortunate! I do not think any of you know how blessed we feel.
If you were at church this morning you got to witness a "very rare" event. Gary got up in front of our church to thank everyone and pour out some incredible emotions! He has come SUCH A LONG WAY! Never in a million years would I have thought he would get up in front of hundreds of people ON A MICROPHONE and share his most private thoughts and feelings! He did such a great job and we love him, admire him and respect him so very much! He told everyone that he was actually thankful for having had the opportunity to experience cancer! He feels like his life has been changed and touched in so many ways. He owes everything to the Glory of God and I think he is truly amazing!
So, back to me.
I am thinking about how I want to thank everyone. Many people have told me to write a general letter and send it out to everyone and then write a small "blip" at the bottom to each person. A "small blip"????? I ask! Are you kidding? Have you read this blog? There is absolutely nothing short-winded about my writing or my thoughts! I have to articulate things - my feelings, the way they come across and how they are taken! I am an over-thinking, analytical being who can't possibly be expected to write a "small or short blip"!
My point being is that I will begin to write this week. Please do not think we have forgotten about you. We think about you everyday. We think about how you have touched our lives in so many ways and continue to do so even now. We covet your prayers and think about how we hope to someday touch your life like you have touched ours!
I bet you want an update on Gary's general well-being???
He is coming along with his healing. If I were to take a stab at what percentage he was functioning at I guess I would say 70% at this point. He has more overall good hours in his day. He looks great even though he walks a little funny sometimes!
We are in the process of re-writing his resume right now and that is one more thing I HAVE TO CROSS OFF MY LIST TOO! Many people are waiting for it and I need to get it done! Thanks Tom for being so patient!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray that he gets a wonderful job offer. He is so deserving of that and he is getting prepped and ready for that perfect job!
We are looking forward to the Holidays and Gary's next check up is on December 13th. I have thought about changing it to the first of the year but I am unsure if we are going to do that. We will pray on it and make sure we make the right decision.
THE BOYS
What can I say about our boys?
All three of our boys are doing extremely well in school and have had rave reviews by their teachers! They just finished baseball tonight until the spring and we are now in the official "sport hiatus"! A break for a while will be nice. Nate's and Zach's coaches were awesome as always and we are so thankful for the time they took to invest in our boys! Yeah coaches!
JAX IS 5 TODAY!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR LITTLE MAN!
NATE WILL BE 7 on the 28th!
GARY JUST TURNED %2 on Nov.9th!
I will be 29 on Dec.11th!
Poor Zach - no birthday until February!
All three boys have taken their turns throwing up near me all week. Please let me assure you that I DO NOT DO VOMIT! EVER!!!
Jax puked and as he was crying I had him walk himself into the shower - fully clothed - to rinse the disgusting chunks of vomit off of himself and his clothes. I got him to the shower just in time. Gary was coming home from Bible study and he took over - HE'S DA MAN! I love my kids but I DO NOT DO VOMIT! Poor Jax.........and Nate...........and Zach..........and Gary. They had to fend for themselves for a few days while I was down for the count.
Thankfully, we are all on the mend and feeling much better.
Jax managed to use his wit and charm to get cashflow from several people tonight to play video games at Jake's birthday party. He is seriously resourceful and cute!
Nate managed to tell his brothers the other night this very thing.............."We all know that there is no such thing as the tooth fairy! It's Mom! Right, Mom?"
It absolutely is not me and has not been me. I can honestly say that.
Zach is growing into quite a young man. He is always ready to help me with whatever or accompany me on tedious errands and he even will pick up dog poop if I ask him! I am working on cleaning the toilet seat but we don't want to push growth in too many areas at once! :)
Okay.....I am still tired and need to get sleep. I am going to bed now. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more.......
Love and Hugs and Smiles,
Lisa
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Hi. I am sitting here with the kids out of school because of not only the poor air quality but I am certain that so many teachers are out due to evacuations and such that the district would be hard pressed to find as many subs as they would need to effectively run all of our schools. So, here we are. A day of non-stop video games, television watching and let's not forget to mix in A LOT of sibling rivalry! I hope not the last one but we all know when 3 kids are cooped up together it is more than likely inevitable!
Gary is actually leaving right now to go and help a client that he worked with for a year or so with his old company. He is very fond of his old clients and he wanted to help them after they phoned him. He is so incredibly dedicated and loyal! I love that about him.
Gary is making progress every day. His bladder is beginning to work better. I sent him to a Hematologist last week to see why he is bruising and bleeding so easily on his arms. The doctor at UCI is not concerned as Gary's system was septic for so long it will just take a while for his body to return to normal. We do not go back to the surgeons until Dec. 13th - thank God.
He has more good days than bad and he actually walked 2 1/2 miles with Hobie and I the other day. He was a bit sore the following day but after months of not doing much of anything I guess that is to be expected. He has been at more of the boys baseball games and has been helping me pick Jax up from school so that I can be at my office a little more. I love going to my office because I can get more things done without being interrupted.
My Mom is traveling all over Great Britian for a month with friends and I think she is in Scotland right now. I hope she is enjoying her time. She has an amazing love affair with Great Britian! I am truly happy for her.
Hobie has had quite an infection and is in the process of healing. I am praying he heals completely by Halloween because he is going in for the BIG OPERATION! Hopefully he will quit humping anything and everything that comes near him! It is so annoying.
A special mention to our friends, The Briwick's. They had to say goodbye to their beautiful 5 year-old dog Zoe yesterday. She was diagnosed with lymphoma just a couple weeks ago and the cancer was so fast moving and she hung on for as long as she could. We are all so sad for their family and will keep them in our prayers. Hobie loved walking with Zoe around the Lake! She will be missed by so many!
I have to get rid of my migraine! I have had it for 4 days now. I know I am prone to getting them with this air quality but enough is enough!
Christmas is coming and it is my absolute most favorite time of the year! I can't wait to get all my stuff down and decorate. I love the way everything looks and smells! I love having a fire in the fireplace and I love the music. Gary better recover completely by then because he has lots of bins to get down out of the rafters! :)
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR GARY'S RECOVERY. HE NEEDS TO GET STRONGER AND THE PAIN NEEDS TO DIMINISH EVEN MORE FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO GET BACK TO WORK. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR A JOB OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT ITSELF TO GARY. ONE THAT WILL BE SATISFYING AND BETTER THAN HIS LAST OPPORTUNITY. HE HAS GROWN AND CHANGED IN THE PAST MONTHS - He actually has gone to mens events and socialized and has had many visitors witout me being home that he has hung out with and gone to breakfast with and so on. God does do good things through trials with his children.
Stay inside if you live in our area and stay happy! A positive attitude is EVERYTHING sometimes! Once again, we are so grateful for the involvment that everyone has had in our lives! We constantly think about how blessed we are amidst our struggles and we thank you for all of it!
Love and Happiness,
Lisa
Gary is actually leaving right now to go and help a client that he worked with for a year or so with his old company. He is very fond of his old clients and he wanted to help them after they phoned him. He is so incredibly dedicated and loyal! I love that about him.
Gary is making progress every day. His bladder is beginning to work better. I sent him to a Hematologist last week to see why he is bruising and bleeding so easily on his arms. The doctor at UCI is not concerned as Gary's system was septic for so long it will just take a while for his body to return to normal. We do not go back to the surgeons until Dec. 13th - thank God.
He has more good days than bad and he actually walked 2 1/2 miles with Hobie and I the other day. He was a bit sore the following day but after months of not doing much of anything I guess that is to be expected. He has been at more of the boys baseball games and has been helping me pick Jax up from school so that I can be at my office a little more. I love going to my office because I can get more things done without being interrupted.
My Mom is traveling all over Great Britian for a month with friends and I think she is in Scotland right now. I hope she is enjoying her time. She has an amazing love affair with Great Britian! I am truly happy for her.
Hobie has had quite an infection and is in the process of healing. I am praying he heals completely by Halloween because he is going in for the BIG OPERATION! Hopefully he will quit humping anything and everything that comes near him! It is so annoying.
A special mention to our friends, The Briwick's. They had to say goodbye to their beautiful 5 year-old dog Zoe yesterday. She was diagnosed with lymphoma just a couple weeks ago and the cancer was so fast moving and she hung on for as long as she could. We are all so sad for their family and will keep them in our prayers. Hobie loved walking with Zoe around the Lake! She will be missed by so many!
I have to get rid of my migraine! I have had it for 4 days now. I know I am prone to getting them with this air quality but enough is enough!
Christmas is coming and it is my absolute most favorite time of the year! I can't wait to get all my stuff down and decorate. I love the way everything looks and smells! I love having a fire in the fireplace and I love the music. Gary better recover completely by then because he has lots of bins to get down out of the rafters! :)
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR GARY'S RECOVERY. HE NEEDS TO GET STRONGER AND THE PAIN NEEDS TO DIMINISH EVEN MORE FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO GET BACK TO WORK. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR A JOB OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT ITSELF TO GARY. ONE THAT WILL BE SATISFYING AND BETTER THAN HIS LAST OPPORTUNITY. HE HAS GROWN AND CHANGED IN THE PAST MONTHS - He actually has gone to mens events and socialized and has had many visitors witout me being home that he has hung out with and gone to breakfast with and so on. God does do good things through trials with his children.
Stay inside if you live in our area and stay happy! A positive attitude is EVERYTHING sometimes! Once again, we are so grateful for the involvment that everyone has had in our lives! We constantly think about how blessed we are amidst our struggles and we thank you for all of it!
Love and Happiness,
Lisa
Thursday, October 11, 2007
WE ARE STILL HERE
FRIENDS & FAMILY
How on Earth do people keep up on this blog thing on a daily or even weekly basis? Most of my time is spent being crazy and the fact that I am actually awake right now is astounding considering I am usually passed out COLD by 8:30 every night!
I wish I could keep everyone updated more regularily and I am vowing to do just that right now. I will update weekly so that I can keep you up to speed.
So, a few weeks ago we hit some seriously shakey ground with Gary and he began to slide into a depression filled with self doubt, low self worth and just plain miserable. I was very concerned with his outlook. I know you are all probably asking yourself why in the world would he feel this way when his cancer is gone and he is 5 weeks post op and he should be on the upswing. Well................
Gary has been through a lot. He has been sick since the beginning of the year and now is recovering from a ginormous procedure. He still does not have complete control of his bladder, when he eats he feels miserable afterward (from the intestinal resection) and he is out of work. They have removed his prostate and this has caused some temporary pain for him as well. His new bladder is working he just does not know how to work it completely yet.
He is struggling with being out of work. Gary is a man who enjoys leaving everyday as much as he enjoys coming home. Much of his identity and self worth (like most men) is wrapped up in what he does for a living and the kind of provider he is.
Back to the depression - I got a hold of him, slapped him across his face and told him to stop whining like a little sissy girl and get off his butt and do something about the way he feels dangit! He is such a baby!
OMG - I am totally kidding. I did however tell him something like that but I did not say those things exactly to him!
Basically, we explored getting him some help or I told him that I would work with him to help him get through it. I explained that it would take complete honesty and that working through some of what he is going through was going to be rough but I am in it with him for the long haul. So, he agreed and we have made progress (lots of progress) over the past 2 weeks.
Friends from church came over last Friday night to play Texas Hold Em with Gary. He had a great time. Dave and Zach have the killer poker tables! The Elders from our church have been visiting Gary and calling him and checking on him which has been HUGE! Ren meets with Gary once a week and Gary got to go to Mollies for breakfast this morning!
Todd has been great about getting updates from us and our friends, family and church family (ALL OF YOU) have been super supportive.
I am working on getting thank you cards out to everyone who have been a part of our journey. It is so hard to do everything! My heart goes out to the single parent! God Bless you!
Gary has been getting out a little more each week. I wish his discomfort would go away for him so that he could make it through a day without feeling cruddy. I know his will happen in time.
The boys are really well. Zach and Nate will be Mad Scientists for Halloween and Jax is going to be a Whoopie Cushion complete with a real life fart machine! That is so fitting for Jax!
I am actually going out to dinner this weekend with Stacy and Julie for the first time in months. I am really excited to have a night out!
Okay, Grey's is on and I am ready to call it a night. I promise to keep everyone in the know!
Love and Smiles,
L
How on Earth do people keep up on this blog thing on a daily or even weekly basis? Most of my time is spent being crazy and the fact that I am actually awake right now is astounding considering I am usually passed out COLD by 8:30 every night!
I wish I could keep everyone updated more regularily and I am vowing to do just that right now. I will update weekly so that I can keep you up to speed.
So, a few weeks ago we hit some seriously shakey ground with Gary and he began to slide into a depression filled with self doubt, low self worth and just plain miserable. I was very concerned with his outlook. I know you are all probably asking yourself why in the world would he feel this way when his cancer is gone and he is 5 weeks post op and he should be on the upswing. Well................
Gary has been through a lot. He has been sick since the beginning of the year and now is recovering from a ginormous procedure. He still does not have complete control of his bladder, when he eats he feels miserable afterward (from the intestinal resection) and he is out of work. They have removed his prostate and this has caused some temporary pain for him as well. His new bladder is working he just does not know how to work it completely yet.
He is struggling with being out of work. Gary is a man who enjoys leaving everyday as much as he enjoys coming home. Much of his identity and self worth (like most men) is wrapped up in what he does for a living and the kind of provider he is.
Back to the depression - I got a hold of him, slapped him across his face and told him to stop whining like a little sissy girl and get off his butt and do something about the way he feels dangit! He is such a baby!
OMG - I am totally kidding. I did however tell him something like that but I did not say those things exactly to him!
Basically, we explored getting him some help or I told him that I would work with him to help him get through it. I explained that it would take complete honesty and that working through some of what he is going through was going to be rough but I am in it with him for the long haul. So, he agreed and we have made progress (lots of progress) over the past 2 weeks.
Friends from church came over last Friday night to play Texas Hold Em with Gary. He had a great time. Dave and Zach have the killer poker tables! The Elders from our church have been visiting Gary and calling him and checking on him which has been HUGE! Ren meets with Gary once a week and Gary got to go to Mollies for breakfast this morning!
Todd has been great about getting updates from us and our friends, family and church family (ALL OF YOU) have been super supportive.
I am working on getting thank you cards out to everyone who have been a part of our journey. It is so hard to do everything! My heart goes out to the single parent! God Bless you!
Gary has been getting out a little more each week. I wish his discomfort would go away for him so that he could make it through a day without feeling cruddy. I know his will happen in time.
The boys are really well. Zach and Nate will be Mad Scientists for Halloween and Jax is going to be a Whoopie Cushion complete with a real life fart machine! That is so fitting for Jax!
I am actually going out to dinner this weekend with Stacy and Julie for the first time in months. I am really excited to have a night out!
Okay, Grey's is on and I am ready to call it a night. I promise to keep everyone in the know!
Love and Smiles,
L
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
FYI
I just wanted to report to all of you that Gary is having a much better day than the past 2 days! He had a fever last night and of course I was afraid that we would have to make another trek to UCI but his fever broke, the color came back into his face and he looks great today!
He smiled on several occasions today! I am just so happy to see that! I know to most of you it does not seems to be that big of a deal but it is to me and I actually saw a glimmer of the old Gary today! YEAH!!!!
I am off to get kids, do homework, to a staff meeting and baseball practice!
Love,
L
He smiled on several occasions today! I am just so happy to see that! I know to most of you it does not seems to be that big of a deal but it is to me and I actually saw a glimmer of the old Gary today! YEAH!!!!
I am off to get kids, do homework, to a staff meeting and baseball practice!
Love,
L
Monday, September 24, 2007
Another First From The Sallee House
So, Jax has given me the bird and tried to shave his legs. These are definite "firsts" in our house. Tonight Gary had his own "first"! So exciting and awesome. Gary actually sat at the dinner table with us and ate his entire dinner! That is HUGE for our house! Normally, the kids and I sit in the kitchen and eat and Gary lays on the couch in a 1/2 recline to eat his meals. I would love to eat in the family room with Gary but that would mean that I would have to allow the kids to eat in there as well and THAT is a NO NO! My children (not all of them but 1 in particular) is incredibly absent-minded while eating!
Tonight, the Marvel's cooked an amazing dinner for us and we all sat at the dining room table - candles were lit and football was on in the background! It was a great night! The boys played Pokemon on their DS's (what a shocker) and we had great conversation while Gary and Don bar b qued some great chicken. Thanks Marvel's!
I wanted to give you some information about Gary and his ongoing recovery. After going to the doctor and then talking with several people including Ren about recovery and how seemingly long is has been I realize it has not been that long after all. Gary had surgery less than a month ago.
I think when people call me and ask me in a hopefully optomistic tone how Gary is I hate saying that he really is still not good. In my mind I am thinking the cancer is gone, the surgery is over, he is home and now it can only get better - and fast. Boy, I am wrong. It has been hard for me to watch him struggle day after day and I keep hoping for that one day that he will tell me how much better he is feeling.
Don't get me wrong. He is healing and he will get better. It just won't happen as fast as some of us think it will. So, my new approach and response is exactly what the doctors told me and exactly what I have been denying the past couple of weeks. Gary will not start to really feel much better for about 3 months post-op! The estimated recovery time stinks it is a fact and my job is to be super supportive and positive and patient! So that is exactly what I will be!
So, I need to go to bed now before I pass out on the couch. I will continue to keep you posted!
Love, L
Random info - The new bachelor is hot, I can't stand Spencer and Heidi, the Cheetah girls is a great dancer, South Park is a nasty show, Jax is going to be a Whoopie Cushion for halloween and thank God Hobie is getting fixed at the end of October! Hobie is quite dangerous around ANY female dog right now!
Tonight, the Marvel's cooked an amazing dinner for us and we all sat at the dining room table - candles were lit and football was on in the background! It was a great night! The boys played Pokemon on their DS's (what a shocker) and we had great conversation while Gary and Don bar b qued some great chicken. Thanks Marvel's!
I wanted to give you some information about Gary and his ongoing recovery. After going to the doctor and then talking with several people including Ren about recovery and how seemingly long is has been I realize it has not been that long after all. Gary had surgery less than a month ago.
I think when people call me and ask me in a hopefully optomistic tone how Gary is I hate saying that he really is still not good. In my mind I am thinking the cancer is gone, the surgery is over, he is home and now it can only get better - and fast. Boy, I am wrong. It has been hard for me to watch him struggle day after day and I keep hoping for that one day that he will tell me how much better he is feeling.
Don't get me wrong. He is healing and he will get better. It just won't happen as fast as some of us think it will. So, my new approach and response is exactly what the doctors told me and exactly what I have been denying the past couple of weeks. Gary will not start to really feel much better for about 3 months post-op! The estimated recovery time stinks it is a fact and my job is to be super supportive and positive and patient! So that is exactly what I will be!
So, I need to go to bed now before I pass out on the couch. I will continue to keep you posted!
Love, L
Random info - The new bachelor is hot, I can't stand Spencer and Heidi, the Cheetah girls is a great dancer, South Park is a nasty show, Jax is going to be a Whoopie Cushion for halloween and thank God Hobie is getting fixed at the end of October! Hobie is quite dangerous around ANY female dog right now!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Just So YOU REALLY Know
I would like to apologize for not sending out thank you cards yet. I honestly have been overwhelmed with almost everything in my life and things have most defenitely caught up with me over the past two weeks or so. I think about sending them out every day - in fact every hour of every day if truth be known!
We start out every single day of our lives thanking God for placing all of you in our lives. We absolutely would have never wanted to go through this without all of your prayers, friendships, love, support, smiles, notes, meals, "pop overs" and everything else!
BTW - A thank you to whoever sent me the manilla envelope with the Starbucks Card (there are no words to tell you how much I LOVE Starbucks!!!) and the awesome Celebrity Gossip Magazine (another guilty pleasure)!
I pormise that I will get the thank yous out eventually. It is truly not because we are not thankful or have not thought about thanking you. It is super important to both of us that you all know how grateful we are. Please be patient with me - we all know I am the one having to write them all out! I have 3 page list of people we need to thank and I hope all of you are reading this so that you know how grateful we are despite my lagging on sending out something more formal!
GARY UPDATE
We went to the doctor office yesterday and the entire team is very pleased with Gary's progress! He does not have to go back until December 13th!! No Chemo and No Radiation! YEAH!!! He drove today for the first time in a long while and is now reclining on the couch watching..................3 guesses...............anyone???....................The History Channel! They should come to our house and shoot a commercial! Gary would be their biggest fan and best advertiser!
He is still in pain but is now taking Advil and trying to stay as still as possible. When he is still the pain is completely managable. Please pray that he learns to use his new "plumbing" and that he is able to begin to network with people so that he can get back to work once his healing is complete!
I am going to the Angels Game tonight with our 5th & 6th grade kids from church! We always have a great time with the kids and since the Angels are in such a great place the crowd should be nice and wild!!! GO ANGELS!!!!
Jax and Hobie and I are eating turkey bacon and looking at Halloweeen Costumes. He wants to be Homer Simpson. The 3rd child is sooooo different! Homer Simpson? My kids don't even watch that show but they did ask to see the movie when it came out and of course we said NO WAY!
The boys are home and we are going to get ready for BIG BANG FRIDAY!!!
Have a great Friday!
Blessings,
Lisa and Gary
We start out every single day of our lives thanking God for placing all of you in our lives. We absolutely would have never wanted to go through this without all of your prayers, friendships, love, support, smiles, notes, meals, "pop overs" and everything else!
BTW - A thank you to whoever sent me the manilla envelope with the Starbucks Card (there are no words to tell you how much I LOVE Starbucks!!!) and the awesome Celebrity Gossip Magazine (another guilty pleasure)!
I pormise that I will get the thank yous out eventually. It is truly not because we are not thankful or have not thought about thanking you. It is super important to both of us that you all know how grateful we are. Please be patient with me - we all know I am the one having to write them all out! I have 3 page list of people we need to thank and I hope all of you are reading this so that you know how grateful we are despite my lagging on sending out something more formal!
GARY UPDATE
We went to the doctor office yesterday and the entire team is very pleased with Gary's progress! He does not have to go back until December 13th!! No Chemo and No Radiation! YEAH!!! He drove today for the first time in a long while and is now reclining on the couch watching..................3 guesses...............anyone???....................The History Channel! They should come to our house and shoot a commercial! Gary would be their biggest fan and best advertiser!
He is still in pain but is now taking Advil and trying to stay as still as possible. When he is still the pain is completely managable. Please pray that he learns to use his new "plumbing" and that he is able to begin to network with people so that he can get back to work once his healing is complete!
I am going to the Angels Game tonight with our 5th & 6th grade kids from church! We always have a great time with the kids and since the Angels are in such a great place the crowd should be nice and wild!!! GO ANGELS!!!!
Jax and Hobie and I are eating turkey bacon and looking at Halloweeen Costumes. He wants to be Homer Simpson. The 3rd child is sooooo different! Homer Simpson? My kids don't even watch that show but they did ask to see the movie when it came out and of course we said NO WAY!
The boys are home and we are going to get ready for BIG BANG FRIDAY!!!
Have a great Friday!
Blessings,
Lisa and Gary
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Beware of sharp objects!
This is a good story.
Jax is in the bathtub today taking a nice, warm bubblebath. He has the usual toys that squirt massive amounts of water all over the walls despite the fact that I have told him on numerous occasions not to squirt up and on the walls. Anyhow, I leave him in the tub to go into our bedroom to put laundry away. I give a shout out to him every couple minutes to make sure he is okay and sure enough he lets me know each time that he is.
All of the sudden he tells me that he is done and wants out of the tub now. I hear him and continue doing what I am doing because I am in the middle of a task. I tell him to let the water out and to let me know when the water has drained so that I can get him a towel. He tells me that he wants me in the bathroom NOW!
I go into the bathroom and he tells me that he is bleeding. He begins to cry. I look over to see blood on his leg and then I catch a glimpse of the cover that goes over the head of my razor. Uh oh.
I walk over to him and get a closer look at his leg. It is bleeding, not profusely, but it is bleeding. I can see 3 perfectly spaced razor marks on his leg and I ask him if he was playing with my razor.
He denies playing with the razor then eventually cops up to it and tells me through the tears that his leg hurts! No kidding!
Zach got him a bandage and we proceeded to have a discussion as to why boys don't use razors let alone shave their legs!
This is a first in the Sallee household. Zach and Nate I don't think have ever even thought about shaving their legs before. Leave it to Jax! He seems to be jockeying to be "the first" at lots of things lately!
Have a great night and hide your razors! :)
Love, L
Jax is in the bathtub today taking a nice, warm bubblebath. He has the usual toys that squirt massive amounts of water all over the walls despite the fact that I have told him on numerous occasions not to squirt up and on the walls. Anyhow, I leave him in the tub to go into our bedroom to put laundry away. I give a shout out to him every couple minutes to make sure he is okay and sure enough he lets me know each time that he is.
All of the sudden he tells me that he is done and wants out of the tub now. I hear him and continue doing what I am doing because I am in the middle of a task. I tell him to let the water out and to let me know when the water has drained so that I can get him a towel. He tells me that he wants me in the bathroom NOW!
I go into the bathroom and he tells me that he is bleeding. He begins to cry. I look over to see blood on his leg and then I catch a glimpse of the cover that goes over the head of my razor. Uh oh.
I walk over to him and get a closer look at his leg. It is bleeding, not profusely, but it is bleeding. I can see 3 perfectly spaced razor marks on his leg and I ask him if he was playing with my razor.
He denies playing with the razor then eventually cops up to it and tells me through the tears that his leg hurts! No kidding!
Zach got him a bandage and we proceeded to have a discussion as to why boys don't use razors let alone shave their legs!
This is a first in the Sallee household. Zach and Nate I don't think have ever even thought about shaving their legs before. Leave it to Jax! He seems to be jockeying to be "the first" at lots of things lately!
Have a great night and hide your razors! :)
Love, L
Monday, September 17, 2007
Happy Tuesday
Well, the first official day of the week has ended. The boys came home from school yesterday super hyper so we went swimming for a few hours. They came home and did their homework and the evening was nice and calm!
Sunday was a very rough day for Gary and for me. Gary was not feeling well all night Saturday Night and we needed to get to the bottom of why he seemed to be regressing. He has been in a lot of pain and it is very hard for me to see him like that.
Well, he is doing better. The doctor has put him back on pain killers (Gary refused for a while to take them and was only taking a few Tylenol a day)! Yeah for the doctors! He will actually listen to them. Why are men like that? I wonder why they are so resistent to listen to us. Really, I have no problem admitting when I am wrong. It truly doen't happen very often (maybe 1X a year) but I am big enough to own up to my wrongs! :) I think some of my close friends might have even heard me utter a sorry or two over the past few years! :)
Gary has an appointment on Thursday for a check up. I know he is healing well and we pray that he continues to do so. Please pray for peace for Gary. He is struggling with being home and down and not being able to work and provide for us right now. God has healed him and with our networking and praying he will get a job too! Timing, timing, timing! It is hard to wait - especially for a man. Here we go on the whole man thing again. I will stop right here and now!
Off to get Jax and get back to work.
Have a great day and enjoy the Fall-like weather!
Love,
L
Sunday was a very rough day for Gary and for me. Gary was not feeling well all night Saturday Night and we needed to get to the bottom of why he seemed to be regressing. He has been in a lot of pain and it is very hard for me to see him like that.
Well, he is doing better. The doctor has put him back on pain killers (Gary refused for a while to take them and was only taking a few Tylenol a day)! Yeah for the doctors! He will actually listen to them. Why are men like that? I wonder why they are so resistent to listen to us. Really, I have no problem admitting when I am wrong. It truly doen't happen very often (maybe 1X a year) but I am big enough to own up to my wrongs! :) I think some of my close friends might have even heard me utter a sorry or two over the past few years! :)
Gary has an appointment on Thursday for a check up. I know he is healing well and we pray that he continues to do so. Please pray for peace for Gary. He is struggling with being home and down and not being able to work and provide for us right now. God has healed him and with our networking and praying he will get a job too! Timing, timing, timing! It is hard to wait - especially for a man. Here we go on the whole man thing again. I will stop right here and now!
Off to get Jax and get back to work.
Have a great day and enjoy the Fall-like weather!
Love,
L
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Thank God for Sundays
Today was a down day for Gary. He is trying so incredibly hard to make it through each day and he would love to have just one day when he wasn't uncomfortable or in pain or compromised in some way. When I think about how long he has been hurting it has basically been this entire 2007 calendar year. That is one heck of a long time to feel cruddy. Like I said before this pain is different. It does not make it better. But, he is healing and we have so much to be thankful for.
I look forward to Sundays for many reasons. Every other week we get to hang with our Home Group - 10 adults and 13 kids! We also get to spend time with so many of our friends from church. Since Gary has been down and out John Grudynski & Matt Sather have been helping me out with set up and tear down each week. All of my teachers have helped me so much with some added responsibility including cleanup! I just love going to church and I love the boys being a part of our church family!
Zach has a baseball game tomorrow afternoon. I have to do my Grocery Game list tonight so I can save some serious $$$$ at Ralphs! We are having dinner with friends tomorrow night and we of course have to put the finishing touches on the homework! It is always action packed on Sundays!
Evidentally the boys watched a really interesting show today called Ghost Stories. I just want to say that it was not on my watch! I understand that these are "real" stories. Have the boys ever watched anything like that? NO!!!!!!!!! Now, I am paying the price. Jax is afraid to go to sleep in his room and is waiting for me to either sleep with him or he wants to sleep in our bedroom! What a great show! Can't wait for them to watch another episode!
Hobie is barking and I need to tend to the little guy and make sure Gary is comfortable and doesn't need anything before I go back to cleaning the house!
I hope everyone has a great evening and a wonderful Sunday!
Love & Smiles,
L
I look forward to Sundays for many reasons. Every other week we get to hang with our Home Group - 10 adults and 13 kids! We also get to spend time with so many of our friends from church. Since Gary has been down and out John Grudynski & Matt Sather have been helping me out with set up and tear down each week. All of my teachers have helped me so much with some added responsibility including cleanup! I just love going to church and I love the boys being a part of our church family!
Zach has a baseball game tomorrow afternoon. I have to do my Grocery Game list tonight so I can save some serious $$$$ at Ralphs! We are having dinner with friends tomorrow night and we of course have to put the finishing touches on the homework! It is always action packed on Sundays!
Evidentally the boys watched a really interesting show today called Ghost Stories. I just want to say that it was not on my watch! I understand that these are "real" stories. Have the boys ever watched anything like that? NO!!!!!!!!! Now, I am paying the price. Jax is afraid to go to sleep in his room and is waiting for me to either sleep with him or he wants to sleep in our bedroom! What a great show! Can't wait for them to watch another episode!
Hobie is barking and I need to tend to the little guy and make sure Gary is comfortable and doesn't need anything before I go back to cleaning the house!
I hope everyone has a great evening and a wonderful Sunday!
Love & Smiles,
L
Friday, September 14, 2007
What My Child Learned At Kindergarten Today
I had to write. With a smirk on my face and much to Lori's dismay I have to tell you what Jax learned today at school. Did he learn to tie his shoes? Nope. Did he learn AEIOU & sometimes Y? Not that either. Did he learn how to be an excellent line leader? No. This is what he did learn today. Here goes the conversation at pick up. This all transpired within a 10 second timeframe.
Jax:Hi Mom. Guess what? 2 kids in my class JUST NOW said THE F word!
I think my eyes got REALLY BIG.
Me: Honey, are you sure they said THE F word?
Jax: Yes they did Mom and they do not get their Thanks ticket today. (their daily reward)
I am thinking but I don't want to ask if he REALLY knows what THE F word is.
I asked Lori and sure enough THE F word was uttered by a student or two!
I laugh but I think I would hate to be the parent whose child actually uttered THE WORD at school! We have all been there (in an embarrassing situation) with our kids. I am glad it's not mine! He saves the whole giving me THE BIRD for home viewing only!
Have a great afternoon!
Lisa
Jax:Hi Mom. Guess what? 2 kids in my class JUST NOW said THE F word!
I think my eyes got REALLY BIG.
Me: Honey, are you sure they said THE F word?
Jax: Yes they did Mom and they do not get their Thanks ticket today. (their daily reward)
I am thinking but I don't want to ask if he REALLY knows what THE F word is.
I asked Lori and sure enough THE F word was uttered by a student or two!
I laugh but I think I would hate to be the parent whose child actually uttered THE WORD at school! We have all been there (in an embarrassing situation) with our kids. I am glad it's not mine! He saves the whole giving me THE BIRD for home viewing only!
Have a great afternoon!
Lisa
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Thank God for Ann Corwin
We have always valued the esteemed advice of Dr. Ann Corwin. During Zach and Nate's toddler years I went to a group called Toddler Talk each week that was lead by Dr. Corwin. She helped Gary and I through several behavioral issues that we experienced with the boys while they were younger. She never ever lead us down the wrong path while we learned how to effectively discipline and help our kids grow and change their behavior. Well, here we are again calling on Ann to help us with some things that Jax is struggling with.
Jax has been reacting out of fear and new negative behavior has creeped up on us all and we felt like we needed some help to make sure that we were helping Jax to work through things and actually take control of changing his behavior.
Ann has done it again and has placed us on the right path to help Jax be successful! We are so thankful! Praise God for Ann!
We got home from UCI tonight after spending about 1 1/2 hours with the doctors and nurses there. Post-op is not a great experience and Gary even said today that part of him wished he was back in the hospital when he did not have to do anything - drugged up and in bed with a catheter! My heart hurts for him as I see him struggle to get better. He wants to be fully recovered RIGHT NOW and this is going to be a little bit of a longer road than I think either one of us thought.
His pathology is completely 100% clean and he will need to focus now on figuring out how to use his new bladder. I tell him it will take time but it will happen. I can only relate with a pregnancy story. I have had 3 and everytime for a period of time my body completely changes and then with time I get back to a new normal - after having a baby sometimes our cycle changes or our moods change or we pee when we laugh too hard! (I know some of you have had that happen! )
Please keep Gary in your prayers throughout this process. He needs us to pray for his healing (and quickly) and for his mind and spirit to be strong and solid and positive!
Well, we are going to watch Anger Management and hopefully have a few laughs! Thanks to everyone who has visited us and called us!
In His Love,
L
Jax has been reacting out of fear and new negative behavior has creeped up on us all and we felt like we needed some help to make sure that we were helping Jax to work through things and actually take control of changing his behavior.
Ann has done it again and has placed us on the right path to help Jax be successful! We are so thankful! Praise God for Ann!
We got home from UCI tonight after spending about 1 1/2 hours with the doctors and nurses there. Post-op is not a great experience and Gary even said today that part of him wished he was back in the hospital when he did not have to do anything - drugged up and in bed with a catheter! My heart hurts for him as I see him struggle to get better. He wants to be fully recovered RIGHT NOW and this is going to be a little bit of a longer road than I think either one of us thought.
His pathology is completely 100% clean and he will need to focus now on figuring out how to use his new bladder. I tell him it will take time but it will happen. I can only relate with a pregnancy story. I have had 3 and everytime for a period of time my body completely changes and then with time I get back to a new normal - after having a baby sometimes our cycle changes or our moods change or we pee when we laugh too hard! (I know some of you have had that happen! )
Please keep Gary in your prayers throughout this process. He needs us to pray for his healing (and quickly) and for his mind and spirit to be strong and solid and positive!
Well, we are going to watch Anger Management and hopefully have a few laughs! Thanks to everyone who has visited us and called us!
In His Love,
L
UPSTAIRS
Gary finally made it upstair to bed on Tuesday! He comes to bed late but he actually sleeps with me!
We have a doctor appointment today at 3:30 and we have many questions we are hoping to get answered.
The boys will stay home with the Muck family so we can have peace and quiet at our appointment.
We have been getting the greatest meals! It has been such a blessing to not have to cook most nights. It takes the pressure off.
We are off to school - YEAH! I have to wash cars this morning and get up to Sonshine Bookstore to pick up some curriculum I have been waiting for for the past 2 weeks! I have a phone consult with the amazing Ann Corwin today. I am hoping she can help Gary and I with one of our children's situational behavior struggles.
I hope everyone has a great day and I will update tonight after our appointment.
Have the greatest day ever!
Love, L
We have a doctor appointment today at 3:30 and we have many questions we are hoping to get answered.
The boys will stay home with the Muck family so we can have peace and quiet at our appointment.
We have been getting the greatest meals! It has been such a blessing to not have to cook most nights. It takes the pressure off.
We are off to school - YEAH! I have to wash cars this morning and get up to Sonshine Bookstore to pick up some curriculum I have been waiting for for the past 2 weeks! I have a phone consult with the amazing Ann Corwin today. I am hoping she can help Gary and I with one of our children's situational behavior struggles.
I hope everyone has a great day and I will update tonight after our appointment.
Have the greatest day ever!
Love, L
Monday, September 10, 2007
Just a Day
I wanted to post before I head off to bed. Gary is still sleeping downstairs because our bed is too high for him to climb in and out of. He is doing a little bit better I think. He went to church for about 1/2 hour yesterday and even went up on stage and spoke for a few moments! He did a great job for a first timer! We all know how much I love getting up in front of people and I think we are both in the same boat. I will say that the more I do it the easier it gets!
Our home group came over last night and we all had a great time! The kids play so well together - all 13 of them! The bounce house is on its very last legs and it has given our home group kids a great year of bouncing, wrestling, playing and jumping! God rest the bounce house!
Nate and Zach had baseball games yesterday and they both had pretty good games. Zach was disappointed in his pitching but we reminded him that he has not pitched since May so he had better not be so hard on himself! He said that he got a few good hits and he had fun! Nate went 3 for 3 and made a play to first for the out! Way to go Nate! They both love the game and have a great time with their friends!
Zach swam at Cameron's this weekend and had a great time and Nate went home with CJ today to play and swim! CARSON'S birthday is today - HAPPY BDAY CARSON and we went to his house tonight to celebrate with pizza and a TRUE ice cream cake! The boys went to bed later than usual and I think the boys think this time of year is just a modified version of summer! Enjoy it now while it is warm, before the homework starts piling on and before the time changes. Times they are a changin'!
Gary has an appointment on Thursday and I think he is a little nervous about it. He is struggling a little right now. He is tired of the healing process and I know he is growing restless from being out of work. He is up for 10 minutes and then is hurting so he has to go back down again. I reminded him that healing is slow and that he needs to stay focused and positive. I am going to take him out and about for a while in the morning to get some fresh air and a fresh perspective.
We have loved everyone calling and coming by to visit. We love the meals and the cards and the out pouring of love and support!
BTW - Something somewhat comical with one of my kids - who shall remain unnamed - that will make you feel like your children are absolute angels.
One of our precious little angels gave me "THE BIRD" last night! Yes, you read correctly! They do not know what it means but they do know that it is something that is unacceptable and they know it is B A D !!!! Do you feel better about your childs behavior now??? Glad I could help some of you out!
Love and Hugs and
Our home group came over last night and we all had a great time! The kids play so well together - all 13 of them! The bounce house is on its very last legs and it has given our home group kids a great year of bouncing, wrestling, playing and jumping! God rest the bounce house!
Nate and Zach had baseball games yesterday and they both had pretty good games. Zach was disappointed in his pitching but we reminded him that he has not pitched since May so he had better not be so hard on himself! He said that he got a few good hits and he had fun! Nate went 3 for 3 and made a play to first for the out! Way to go Nate! They both love the game and have a great time with their friends!
Zach swam at Cameron's this weekend and had a great time and Nate went home with CJ today to play and swim! CARSON'S birthday is today - HAPPY BDAY CARSON and we went to his house tonight to celebrate with pizza and a TRUE ice cream cake! The boys went to bed later than usual and I think the boys think this time of year is just a modified version of summer! Enjoy it now while it is warm, before the homework starts piling on and before the time changes. Times they are a changin'!
Gary has an appointment on Thursday and I think he is a little nervous about it. He is struggling a little right now. He is tired of the healing process and I know he is growing restless from being out of work. He is up for 10 minutes and then is hurting so he has to go back down again. I reminded him that healing is slow and that he needs to stay focused and positive. I am going to take him out and about for a while in the morning to get some fresh air and a fresh perspective.
We have loved everyone calling and coming by to visit. We love the meals and the cards and the out pouring of love and support!
BTW - Something somewhat comical with one of my kids - who shall remain unnamed - that will make you feel like your children are absolute angels.
One of our precious little angels gave me "THE BIRD" last night! Yes, you read correctly! They do not know what it means but they do know that it is something that is unacceptable and they know it is B A D !!!! Do you feel better about your childs behavior now??? Glad I could help some of you out!
Love and Hugs and
Saturday, September 8, 2007
One In The Same
I don't know about everyone else but every day seems the same to me. Whether it be Monday or Saturday or Wednesday it really doesn't make a difference. All of my days have seemed long lately and Jax has been giving me a run for my money as of late. The whole duct tape thing is looking better by the hour on most days!!!
Last weekend Stacy, Michele, Steve, Jeff, Christy Ronda and the Solt's got to see Jax in action as he tried manipulate me - HARD CORE! One thing that is not working in his favor is that my will is WAY stronger than his! The whole strong-willed thing is only beneficial when we become adults! Anyhow, he seems to try my patience EVERY SINGLE DAY without giving me a break! It is wearing thin but thankfully I can refocus most of the time and stop and pray and gain that extra measure of patience that saves him from having a rather large piece of duct tape plastered across his mouth! This too shall pass and I can wait. I have patience and I think I was a little bit like Jax growing up. I know this is very hard for anyone of you to believe but I was less than perfect as a child! :)
All three of our boys have weathered these circumstances amazingly well and they are so glad to have Gary home. Jax loves Brownie the Bear that the boys made for Gary and he has dressed him up in his official Angels uniform! All 3 boys have been so helpful and loving and caring with Gary. Hopefully this is a foreshadow of what kind of husbands and fathers they will all be someday. What a gift they all are to us! Our beautiful boys are incredibly sensitive and we thank God for them every minute of every day (even when they are manipulative)! :)
Gary had his first outing this afternoon and we went to Stacy's house for dinner. I think he hung in there but I know he was uncomfortable even though he got to hang on the couch and the dogs were all kept on the outside of the gates! I am hoping he is tired enough to have a great sleep tonight. He really needs it! He is actually asleep on the couch and I do think I hear some soft snoring! Finally - maybe a deeper sleep for Gary!
Home Group is coming over Sunday night and we are looking forward to that. Right now it is easier if people come to us!
Both of the boys have their baseball games tomorrow at Noon at different fields. Since I watched Zach play in the Sandlot all summer I told Nate that I would go to his game and Zach would have his own cheering section consisting of Michele, Jenn, Monica, Kayla, Hailey and I am sure other parents on the team. I feel bad not being at Zach's game but I know Gary is not ready to sit for a few hours to watch a game quite yet and I can only be in 1 place at a time. Next week!!!
I am off to bed. Sunday mornings start early for me at church and tomorrow is our first time doing full set up all summer. I got used to being able to store things at Tesoro. I am grateful we got to do it as long as we did!
Once again, we love you all and thank you. Please know that if we have not sent a thank you note to you (FYI - no one has received one) or returned your calls it is not that we aren't thankful. I honestly have not had the time to sit down yet to begin eityher one of thess things. I will eventually do it but know that we are thankful and you are truly an answer to prayers for our entire family!
Have a great night and we will talk again tomorrow night!
Love,
L
Last weekend Stacy, Michele, Steve, Jeff, Christy Ronda and the Solt's got to see Jax in action as he tried manipulate me - HARD CORE! One thing that is not working in his favor is that my will is WAY stronger than his! The whole strong-willed thing is only beneficial when we become adults! Anyhow, he seems to try my patience EVERY SINGLE DAY without giving me a break! It is wearing thin but thankfully I can refocus most of the time and stop and pray and gain that extra measure of patience that saves him from having a rather large piece of duct tape plastered across his mouth! This too shall pass and I can wait. I have patience and I think I was a little bit like Jax growing up. I know this is very hard for anyone of you to believe but I was less than perfect as a child! :)
All three of our boys have weathered these circumstances amazingly well and they are so glad to have Gary home. Jax loves Brownie the Bear that the boys made for Gary and he has dressed him up in his official Angels uniform! All 3 boys have been so helpful and loving and caring with Gary. Hopefully this is a foreshadow of what kind of husbands and fathers they will all be someday. What a gift they all are to us! Our beautiful boys are incredibly sensitive and we thank God for them every minute of every day (even when they are manipulative)! :)
Gary had his first outing this afternoon and we went to Stacy's house for dinner. I think he hung in there but I know he was uncomfortable even though he got to hang on the couch and the dogs were all kept on the outside of the gates! I am hoping he is tired enough to have a great sleep tonight. He really needs it! He is actually asleep on the couch and I do think I hear some soft snoring! Finally - maybe a deeper sleep for Gary!
Home Group is coming over Sunday night and we are looking forward to that. Right now it is easier if people come to us!
Both of the boys have their baseball games tomorrow at Noon at different fields. Since I watched Zach play in the Sandlot all summer I told Nate that I would go to his game and Zach would have his own cheering section consisting of Michele, Jenn, Monica, Kayla, Hailey and I am sure other parents on the team. I feel bad not being at Zach's game but I know Gary is not ready to sit for a few hours to watch a game quite yet and I can only be in 1 place at a time. Next week!!!
I am off to bed. Sunday mornings start early for me at church and tomorrow is our first time doing full set up all summer. I got used to being able to store things at Tesoro. I am grateful we got to do it as long as we did!
Once again, we love you all and thank you. Please know that if we have not sent a thank you note to you (FYI - no one has received one) or returned your calls it is not that we aren't thankful. I honestly have not had the time to sit down yet to begin eityher one of thess things. I will eventually do it but know that we are thankful and you are truly an answer to prayers for our entire family!
Have a great night and we will talk again tomorrow night!
Love,
L
Friday, September 7, 2007
Elvis Was In The House
Elvis was in the house last night! He appeared around 6 PM. He came through our front door and ran into the family room where Gary was reclining on the couch. Hobie caught sight of Elvis and came bounding in after him.
Can anyone guess where Elvis landed after he jumped??? Anyone????
If you guessed right on top of Gary you are the winner! Right smack on his ENTIRE abdominal region - the WHOLE AREA! I was in the kitchen and out of nowhere I hear a LOUD YELL - it was Gary!
I really thought we would have to go to the hospital to get Gary checked out but so far he seems to be okay.
If you haven't figured out who Elvis is, Elvis is a Boxer puppy that weighs in at around 35-40 pounds! He is Hobie's best friend (when they are together) and they love to swim together in Stacy's pool! Elvis belongs to Stacy, Carson and Kendyl and we love Elvis! He definitely Shook everything up last night!
Gary had a 4 hour visit with his RN John yesterday at the house. John was super nice and gave Gary a stern talking to about his insane notion of how ready he is to the laundry and wash dishes and other household duties! Yeah for John!
Gary seems to be healing well and he has a Dr. appointment next Thursday. He is in fairly good spirits but I know he is getting sick and tired of sitting around the house all day. Hopefully as he gains more strength he will be able to go on short car rides and run a few small errands.
I am getting his temporary handicap placard tomorrow. That baby will come in handy at Angels games, the beach, shopping at the mall, etc.... The sky is the limit! I guess in order to use it I just have to have Gary in the car! Rats!! Plan B......
Anyhow, he watched Top Gun today and many cooking shows! He also watched the Discovery Channel and snuggled with Jax when he got home from school! Jax has been glued to his side when he is home!
My Mom is leaving us tomorrow! :( We will miss her and we love having her here. She got to spend lots of time with her friends and that is so good for her! She misses everyone and her girlfriends are great! Maybe the airlines will cancel her flight tomorrow and she will have to stay another day! The boys want her to stay for at least another 2 weeks. We love our Nana and she will be missed. She is planning her next adventure in October to England and Scotland for 28 days with friends! How great that will be for her!
Well, the boys are going to the Angels Game tonight - GO ANGELS - and my Mom, Kendyl, Jax and I are going out to dinner! I am sure Jax will want Rubys which is fine. I love their turkey burgers!
Gary and I are talking a little at church this weekend and we are both looking forward to it.
Baseball is in full swing and both boys have games this Sunday at 12 Noon - same time different fields - of course!
Love to all of you and sorry Stacy for not posting sooner! I did not think anyone was interested in still reading this thing!
Love, Lisa
Can anyone guess where Elvis landed after he jumped??? Anyone????
If you guessed right on top of Gary you are the winner! Right smack on his ENTIRE abdominal region - the WHOLE AREA! I was in the kitchen and out of nowhere I hear a LOUD YELL - it was Gary!
I really thought we would have to go to the hospital to get Gary checked out but so far he seems to be okay.
If you haven't figured out who Elvis is, Elvis is a Boxer puppy that weighs in at around 35-40 pounds! He is Hobie's best friend (when they are together) and they love to swim together in Stacy's pool! Elvis belongs to Stacy, Carson and Kendyl and we love Elvis! He definitely Shook everything up last night!
Gary had a 4 hour visit with his RN John yesterday at the house. John was super nice and gave Gary a stern talking to about his insane notion of how ready he is to the laundry and wash dishes and other household duties! Yeah for John!
Gary seems to be healing well and he has a Dr. appointment next Thursday. He is in fairly good spirits but I know he is getting sick and tired of sitting around the house all day. Hopefully as he gains more strength he will be able to go on short car rides and run a few small errands.
I am getting his temporary handicap placard tomorrow. That baby will come in handy at Angels games, the beach, shopping at the mall, etc.... The sky is the limit! I guess in order to use it I just have to have Gary in the car! Rats!! Plan B......
Anyhow, he watched Top Gun today and many cooking shows! He also watched the Discovery Channel and snuggled with Jax when he got home from school! Jax has been glued to his side when he is home!
My Mom is leaving us tomorrow! :( We will miss her and we love having her here. She got to spend lots of time with her friends and that is so good for her! She misses everyone and her girlfriends are great! Maybe the airlines will cancel her flight tomorrow and she will have to stay another day! The boys want her to stay for at least another 2 weeks. We love our Nana and she will be missed. She is planning her next adventure in October to England and Scotland for 28 days with friends! How great that will be for her!
Well, the boys are going to the Angels Game tonight - GO ANGELS - and my Mom, Kendyl, Jax and I are going out to dinner! I am sure Jax will want Rubys which is fine. I love their turkey burgers!
Gary and I are talking a little at church this weekend and we are both looking forward to it.
Baseball is in full swing and both boys have games this Sunday at 12 Noon - same time different fields - of course!
Love to all of you and sorry Stacy for not posting sooner! I did not think anyone was interested in still reading this thing!
Love, Lisa
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Couch Potato
Geez! All Gary does is lay on the couch and watch TV! It gets annoying hour after hour watching him veg and not be a productive member of our family! Does he think that major surgery gives him the right to be exempt from all family activity?
Hey, I squeezed out 3 kids, had a bowel resection, hernia surgery (7 months PG) and had double pneumonia (PG also) and I was up doing everything within a day or two! Get going Gary!
After reading the paragraph above to Gary he simply shrugged his eyebrows as if to say - wait I definitely can't repeat what he said here!! Let's pray for his salvation for that comment!
All kidding aside and let's get serious! He is doing GREAT and it is SUPER GREAT having him back home! The kids love him being back and woke up this morning wanting to wake him just to say good morning!
In his words - I am processing nicely! I am sore but not taking any pain meds and I have even done a few loads of laundry and washed dishes! I got the kids ready for baseball, got their beds ready, yelled at them from the couch and I even took a shower and shaved away my Grizzly Adams look!!
Now is a time for healing. We will see the doctors every 3 months for the first year and every four months for the 2nd & 3rd year. Then every 6 months until the 5 year marker and then 1X a year after that point! I think we should have the UCI Urology staff over for dinner to get to know them better since we will be spending so much time with them in the years to come!
We have NEW PRAYER REQUESTS! All of your prayers have been answered so we would like to enlist all of you once again for some more! Most of you seem to have a direct line to our Creator so WE REALLY NEED the following prayer:
1. Continued healing for Gary - everything goes perfect with the new bladder
2. Quick recovery for Gary
3. A job for Gary - Please pray for God to bring Gary the perfect job opportunity - Pray for a company to come his way that desires a knowledgable, loyal, hard-working, wonderful, skilled man to be an important part of their company!
WE KNOW THAT THIS IS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR GARY and we have to patiently wait on the timing of it all!
4. Protection and peace while we wait for Gary to go back to work.
We have 100% faith in our Father that He will provide for us - healing, peace, patience, and a job. Look what He has done so far! He placed all of you in our lives and for that we are eternally grateful and you could never realize how much we cherish your support and kindness and love and awesome meals and everything else!! Thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
PRAYER WORKS! Please remember that!
Love,
L&G (G is back!) YEAH!!!! I just love my hubby!
Hey, I squeezed out 3 kids, had a bowel resection, hernia surgery (7 months PG) and had double pneumonia (PG also) and I was up doing everything within a day or two! Get going Gary!
After reading the paragraph above to Gary he simply shrugged his eyebrows as if to say - wait I definitely can't repeat what he said here!! Let's pray for his salvation for that comment!
All kidding aside and let's get serious! He is doing GREAT and it is SUPER GREAT having him back home! The kids love him being back and woke up this morning wanting to wake him just to say good morning!
In his words - I am processing nicely! I am sore but not taking any pain meds and I have even done a few loads of laundry and washed dishes! I got the kids ready for baseball, got their beds ready, yelled at them from the couch and I even took a shower and shaved away my Grizzly Adams look!!
Now is a time for healing. We will see the doctors every 3 months for the first year and every four months for the 2nd & 3rd year. Then every 6 months until the 5 year marker and then 1X a year after that point! I think we should have the UCI Urology staff over for dinner to get to know them better since we will be spending so much time with them in the years to come!
We have NEW PRAYER REQUESTS! All of your prayers have been answered so we would like to enlist all of you once again for some more! Most of you seem to have a direct line to our Creator so WE REALLY NEED the following prayer:
1. Continued healing for Gary - everything goes perfect with the new bladder
2. Quick recovery for Gary
3. A job for Gary - Please pray for God to bring Gary the perfect job opportunity - Pray for a company to come his way that desires a knowledgable, loyal, hard-working, wonderful, skilled man to be an important part of their company!
WE KNOW THAT THIS IS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR GARY and we have to patiently wait on the timing of it all!
4. Protection and peace while we wait for Gary to go back to work.
We have 100% faith in our Father that He will provide for us - healing, peace, patience, and a job. Look what He has done so far! He placed all of you in our lives and for that we are eternally grateful and you could never realize how much we cherish your support and kindness and love and awesome meals and everything else!! Thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
PRAYER WORKS! Please remember that!
Love,
L&G (G is back!) YEAH!!!! I just love my hubby!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
HOMEWARD BOUND
He is coming home! It is official and we are all so excited! All of his pathology reports are clear and things are progressing well! He is coming home with my Mom and Gay!
I will do a more in depth posting tonight but right now I have baseball and karate detail!
Love and Hugs!
Lisa
I will do a more in depth posting tonight but right now I have baseball and karate detail!
Love and Hugs!
Lisa
Sunday, September 2, 2007
It's a Double!
It is official! Gary had an entire double cheeseburger today and it only took him 20 minutes to wolf it down! He opted to skip dinner because the burger was more than enough for his stomach - which is probably the size of an acorn at this point!
Gary got his IVs out today and we also removed his super sexy white thigh high compression hose! I know he was sad to see those babies go!
The boys got to spend a couple hours with Daddy today and we walked several laps around 5T for the first time without an IV cart! He did a great job walking around on his own. His sciatic nerve is still bothering him but that's an easy fix! Gary has to use a walker at home for the first couple of weeks. I thought I would go buy him one of those baskets we used to put on our banana seat bikes and fasten it to the front of his walker! This way he can carry drinks, food, remotes, his phone, etc. in his little basket. Maybe I will get him one of the little bells that I used to have on my bike as well!
Hopefully Gary will get to come home Tuesday. We miss him soooooooo much!! I hate sleeping alone. I haven't minded not waking up to seriously loud snoring but even a small part of me misses that too! We are waiting for pathology results and for the doctors to give him the test to make sure his new bladder is working completely.
I can't believe summer is ending and school is beginning. I know this is going to be a great year for all of us!
I will let you know what we hear from the morning rounds (1st shift MD's)! We are off to T-street in the morning for a few hours of body boarding!
Have a great night and remember to thank God even for the smallest things in life! Acknowledge Him in everything you do and for everything you have!
Love,
L :)
Gary got his IVs out today and we also removed his super sexy white thigh high compression hose! I know he was sad to see those babies go!
The boys got to spend a couple hours with Daddy today and we walked several laps around 5T for the first time without an IV cart! He did a great job walking around on his own. His sciatic nerve is still bothering him but that's an easy fix! Gary has to use a walker at home for the first couple of weeks. I thought I would go buy him one of those baskets we used to put on our banana seat bikes and fasten it to the front of his walker! This way he can carry drinks, food, remotes, his phone, etc. in his little basket. Maybe I will get him one of the little bells that I used to have on my bike as well!
Hopefully Gary will get to come home Tuesday. We miss him soooooooo much!! I hate sleeping alone. I haven't minded not waking up to seriously loud snoring but even a small part of me misses that too! We are waiting for pathology results and for the doctors to give him the test to make sure his new bladder is working completely.
I can't believe summer is ending and school is beginning. I know this is going to be a great year for all of us!
I will let you know what we hear from the morning rounds (1st shift MD's)! We are off to T-street in the morning for a few hours of body boarding!
Have a great night and remember to thank God even for the smallest things in life! Acknowledge Him in everything you do and for everything you have!
Love,
L :)
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Unlimited Liquids
Tomato Bisque, coffee, "mystery custard", sherbert and juice - just what a man wants to eat after involuntarily fasting for 7 days! Well, this was his first official "meal" and after eating it he told the nurse not to bother bringing dinner!
Anyhow, he has now graduated to an unlimited liquid diet for the time being. Hopefully they will add some soft foods soon!
Let me tell you that every doctor and every nurse LOVES Gary's room! One of the Urologists told us that in the 4 years of being at this hospital he has never seen such a HAPPY & COOL room! We had so much help with all the decor and we are so thankful to everyone who made posters, sent E-mails, brought balloons, brought flowers, brought stuft animals and brought cards!
I would venture to say that Gary had a pretty good day today. He never asked for pain meds (he is officially off ALL pain meds) and Don brought some holographic disks to place on Gary's body to help with his sciatica. Today I tried to help ease his sciatic pain and instead after slightly applying pressure to his "tender area" he squealed like a little girl! Hey, I tried.
Gary did a few laps today around the 5T and he had lots of visitors. Gary is really becoming super social - which surprises most! Remember God can do great things through trial.
Thank you for all your prayers! Keep them coming!
Signing off for now. I need to take a shower and watch Wild Hogs!
Love, L
Anyhow, he has now graduated to an unlimited liquid diet for the time being. Hopefully they will add some soft foods soon!
Let me tell you that every doctor and every nurse LOVES Gary's room! One of the Urologists told us that in the 4 years of being at this hospital he has never seen such a HAPPY & COOL room! We had so much help with all the decor and we are so thankful to everyone who made posters, sent E-mails, brought balloons, brought flowers, brought stuft animals and brought cards!
I would venture to say that Gary had a pretty good day today. He never asked for pain meds (he is officially off ALL pain meds) and Don brought some holographic disks to place on Gary's body to help with his sciatica. Today I tried to help ease his sciatic pain and instead after slightly applying pressure to his "tender area" he squealed like a little girl! Hey, I tried.
Gary did a few laps today around the 5T and he had lots of visitors. Gary is really becoming super social - which surprises most! Remember God can do great things through trial.
Thank you for all your prayers! Keep them coming!
Signing off for now. I need to take a shower and watch Wild Hogs!
Love, L
911
If I were smart enough I would be able to post a picture with a post next to it! However, I do not know how to do this and hopefully my dear friend Michele will fix this for me!!!
So, the elevator opens at the hospital while Gary, my Mom, the boys and I are out for a stroll around the fifth floor and out comes a police officer. Let's rewind one minute before when we caught the boys playing with the pay phone and found out that they dialed 911 - Nate & Jax of course. The police man walks our way and somehow knows it is these innocent looking boys who had dialed this forbidden number! He gave the boys a stern talking to and I am hoping this will never happen again! For those of you who are snickering - HA HA!!! Not funny!
Anyhow, Gary had a fairly good afternoon and is completely off of pain medication. No srip and no IV meds. He has a painful sciatic nerve and is on 8 ounces of liquid (TOTAL) per day and is still not eating anything (NOT BY CHOICE) and other issues we won't discuss here and now! On a positive note he is recovering nicely and is VERY anxious to come home! We are hoping maybe Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest.
PLEASE keep praying for the pathology results to come back CLEAN! Also, pray that Gary continues to heal and keeps positive!
Once again I am feeling the need to thank everyone for EVERYTHING! We are so insanely blessed by everyone and we love all of you and thank God for you every hour of every day!
A shout out to the girlfriends - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I love all of you!
I need to go to bed and will update you tomorrow. My Mom and I are watchng What Not To Wear and I love that show! Beats ICE TRUCKERS!!! :)
Love, L
So, the elevator opens at the hospital while Gary, my Mom, the boys and I are out for a stroll around the fifth floor and out comes a police officer. Let's rewind one minute before when we caught the boys playing with the pay phone and found out that they dialed 911 - Nate & Jax of course. The police man walks our way and somehow knows it is these innocent looking boys who had dialed this forbidden number! He gave the boys a stern talking to and I am hoping this will never happen again! For those of you who are snickering - HA HA!!! Not funny!
Anyhow, Gary had a fairly good afternoon and is completely off of pain medication. No srip and no IV meds. He has a painful sciatic nerve and is on 8 ounces of liquid (TOTAL) per day and is still not eating anything (NOT BY CHOICE) and other issues we won't discuss here and now! On a positive note he is recovering nicely and is VERY anxious to come home! We are hoping maybe Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest.
PLEASE keep praying for the pathology results to come back CLEAN! Also, pray that Gary continues to heal and keeps positive!
Once again I am feeling the need to thank everyone for EVERYTHING! We are so insanely blessed by everyone and we love all of you and thank God for you every hour of every day!
A shout out to the girlfriends - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I love all of you!
I need to go to bed and will update you tomorrow. My Mom and I are watchng What Not To Wear and I love that show! Beats ICE TRUCKERS!!! :)
Love, L
Friday, August 31, 2007
END OF A LONG WEEK
Good morning! I just got home after spending the night camping at Doheny with Matt, Jen, Trey and our boys! Our tent was right next to the train tracks so needless to say I am not as heavy of a sleeper as I once thought! Our "neighbors" in campsite 116 showed up at midnight and started to party until the wee hours of the morning! I forgot is was Labor Day Weekend! Lots of partying going on!
All that being said we woke up to Matt & Jen cooking eggs and bacon on the camp stove and the kids were pumped to go surfing! Zach and Nate are still surfing and Jax and I came home to get ready to see Gary and get ready for Meet & Greet at school!
I hate that summer is over! Thank God we can still go to the beach in the afternoons and on the weekends until October! That is precisely why we live here!
So, Stacy and I went up to the hospital to see Gary last night and when we walked in I noticed that he looked a little flush. I bent down to kiss him and could feel heat radiating off of his body. Sure enough he had 101.5 fever. It climbed a little but as fast as it came on it went away and he has been fever free all night. He took a sleeping pill and slept again last night.
He was given 8 oz. of fluid yesterday and was so happy to have apple juice! Maybe they will increase his liquid intake today and hopefully he will get some food soon.
He loves his new "Bladder Man" posters! The doctors all come into his room and love our decor! He has been getting so many E-mails and cards and posters! KEEP IT COMING! He loves them all and they are all hanging up on the walls in his room!
I need to get ready to see him now and will update everyone later!
KEEP PRAYING for the pathology reports! NO MORE CANCER NO MORE CANCER NO MORE CANCER!!!! We should hear something early next week!
Love,
L
All that being said we woke up to Matt & Jen cooking eggs and bacon on the camp stove and the kids were pumped to go surfing! Zach and Nate are still surfing and Jax and I came home to get ready to see Gary and get ready for Meet & Greet at school!
I hate that summer is over! Thank God we can still go to the beach in the afternoons and on the weekends until October! That is precisely why we live here!
So, Stacy and I went up to the hospital to see Gary last night and when we walked in I noticed that he looked a little flush. I bent down to kiss him and could feel heat radiating off of his body. Sure enough he had 101.5 fever. It climbed a little but as fast as it came on it went away and he has been fever free all night. He took a sleeping pill and slept again last night.
He was given 8 oz. of fluid yesterday and was so happy to have apple juice! Maybe they will increase his liquid intake today and hopefully he will get some food soon.
He loves his new "Bladder Man" posters! The doctors all come into his room and love our decor! He has been getting so many E-mails and cards and posters! KEEP IT COMING! He loves them all and they are all hanging up on the walls in his room!
I need to get ready to see him now and will update everyone later!
KEEP PRAYING for the pathology reports! NO MORE CANCER NO MORE CANCER NO MORE CANCER!!!! We should hear something early next week!
Love,
L
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Pain With Purpose
This is the first time Gary has had pain that actually has a purpose - HEALING! Gary has had pain that has slowly increased since Christmas of last year. Through his pain he remained dedicated to his family, his job and church every Sunday morning!
Now, things are changing for him.
For those of you who have come to visit us in the hospital know that I joke around with him LOTS about his discomfort and about all the things he is going through right now. I have watched him be in pain for so long and it has really torn me apart. However, he is in pain now and I can make light of it because after months of being misdiagnosed he is finally experiencing pain that is part of a healing process! HEAL AWAY!!!!
Gary is a trooper. As we did some "laps" around the 5th floor yesterday he told me that had he known how much pain he would be in he would have never signed up for this! We are so fortunate that we left our last doctor to find our next doctor that referred us to these surgeons. UCI is a wonderful hospital and the staff and doctors and surgeons have been awesome. Gary is getting great care. The jury is still out as to whether the food holds any kind of merit but hopefully Gary will get to test it out soon. He still has had nothing to eat since Saturday and nothing to drink since Sunday.
Gary's parents left early this morning to go home. They have been here 3X over the past month and it has been awesome having them here for all of us. Don't worry - I will take great care of your boy! I might smack him around a little to keep him in line but we won't be doing wind sprints until the middle of September! :)
Yesterday the boys had a crazy good time with the Marvel's and Muck's at Wild Rivers! Zach got to sleepover at the Merk's and today everyone will swim at Stacy's! I think i will have to join them for a while! I need some R&R too you know!
I will update all of you tonight. Keep praying that Gary's pathology tests come back CLEAN & CLEAR!
Love, Hugs, THANKS and Smiles,
Lisa
Now, things are changing for him.
For those of you who have come to visit us in the hospital know that I joke around with him LOTS about his discomfort and about all the things he is going through right now. I have watched him be in pain for so long and it has really torn me apart. However, he is in pain now and I can make light of it because after months of being misdiagnosed he is finally experiencing pain that is part of a healing process! HEAL AWAY!!!!
Gary is a trooper. As we did some "laps" around the 5th floor yesterday he told me that had he known how much pain he would be in he would have never signed up for this! We are so fortunate that we left our last doctor to find our next doctor that referred us to these surgeons. UCI is a wonderful hospital and the staff and doctors and surgeons have been awesome. Gary is getting great care. The jury is still out as to whether the food holds any kind of merit but hopefully Gary will get to test it out soon. He still has had nothing to eat since Saturday and nothing to drink since Sunday.
Gary's parents left early this morning to go home. They have been here 3X over the past month and it has been awesome having them here for all of us. Don't worry - I will take great care of your boy! I might smack him around a little to keep him in line but we won't be doing wind sprints until the middle of September! :)
Yesterday the boys had a crazy good time with the Marvel's and Muck's at Wild Rivers! Zach got to sleepover at the Merk's and today everyone will swim at Stacy's! I think i will have to join them for a while! I need some R&R too you know!
I will update all of you tonight. Keep praying that Gary's pathology tests come back CLEAN & CLEAR!
Love, Hugs, THANKS and Smiles,
Lisa
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
R U STILL PRAYING?
One last thought that I forgot to include in my last post tonight.
I want to thank God for being such a presence in my life and for showing me how to grow in my faith through this trial. I have truly had an unwavering faith through this. I am not worried, scared or fearful. I am calm, trusting and I believe that God has a plan and a story for us to share! God has sustained Gary and grown him incredibly as well. You will all see and hear the amazing ways God has worked in so many people through this.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY........pray that the pathology reports come back clean. Pray that the cancer is completely gone and that Gary can return to his life as he knew it! Pray for his speedy recovery and pray for COMPLETE HEALING!
The pathology report will most likely be in the first of next week.
PRAYER WORKS! Keep it up!
Hugs and Smiles,
L
I want to thank God for being such a presence in my life and for showing me how to grow in my faith through this trial. I have truly had an unwavering faith through this. I am not worried, scared or fearful. I am calm, trusting and I believe that God has a plan and a story for us to share! God has sustained Gary and grown him incredibly as well. You will all see and hear the amazing ways God has worked in so many people through this.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY........pray that the pathology reports come back clean. Pray that the cancer is completely gone and that Gary can return to his life as he knew it! Pray for his speedy recovery and pray for COMPLETE HEALING!
The pathology report will most likely be in the first of next week.
PRAYER WORKS! Keep it up!
Hugs and Smiles,
L
Tuesday Late Night
Hi! I just got home. It is 11:20 PM and I had to wait until I woke up a little to drive all the way home. I brought a beach chair to the hospital this time and I at least had a comfy chair to sit in while Gary and I watched his favorite shows! He is so lucky he is recouperating from surgery because I would normally grab the stinking controller and turn the channel! Gary loves to watch anything about weather (tornado and hurricane episodes in particular) and he loves to watch some show where truck drivers travel across large patches of ice??? What is up with that? I think we watched 3 episodes of Dirty Jobs and oh let's not forget Deadliest Catch! I tease him very lovingly because he puts up with a whole lot of my shows - believe me!!
He got up and walked around in his room for about 45 minutes this evening. He got a chance to wander into the bathroom to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror. I recall himself referring to his face and body as "The Pillsbury Doughboy"!
He actually looks better tonight - not as swollen. Being in surgery and being pumped full of fluid for such a long time takes a toll. He is tired and I hope and pray he gets a good rest tonight.
I took the boys to see Gary this morning and they brought him a Build A Bear that the Muck's had taken them to make! He loved his bear and loved seeing his boys even more! They were so glad to see their Dad.
Jen and I took the boys to the beach for a few hours this afternoon and then Jen took Zach to karate. Tomorrow the Marvel's and the Muck's will take all three boys to Wild Rivers! They are super excited!!!
Thanks Angela for the Costco Run and thanks Sam for dinner! Thanks Gay for bringing over all the deli stuff and of course to everyone who has brought me RED VINES! Yum Yum Yum!!!!
If you want to send Gary some E-mail you can through the hospital. They deliver it to him every day and he loves getting them. The web address is www.ucihealth.com and click on patient and visitor information on the menu bar.
I am going to bed now!
Love to all and talk to you tomorrow!
Love, Lisa
He got up and walked around in his room for about 45 minutes this evening. He got a chance to wander into the bathroom to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror. I recall himself referring to his face and body as "The Pillsbury Doughboy"!
He actually looks better tonight - not as swollen. Being in surgery and being pumped full of fluid for such a long time takes a toll. He is tired and I hope and pray he gets a good rest tonight.
I took the boys to see Gary this morning and they brought him a Build A Bear that the Muck's had taken them to make! He loved his bear and loved seeing his boys even more! They were so glad to see their Dad.
Jen and I took the boys to the beach for a few hours this afternoon and then Jen took Zach to karate. Tomorrow the Marvel's and the Muck's will take all three boys to Wild Rivers! They are super excited!!!
Thanks Angela for the Costco Run and thanks Sam for dinner! Thanks Gay for bringing over all the deli stuff and of course to everyone who has brought me RED VINES! Yum Yum Yum!!!!
If you want to send Gary some E-mail you can through the hospital. They deliver it to him every day and he loves getting them. The web address is www.ucihealth.com and click on patient and visitor information on the menu bar.
I am going to bed now!
Love to all and talk to you tomorrow!
Love, Lisa
TUESDAY EARLY MORNING
THE ONCOLOGY TOWER - Never thought I would be visitng my husband there but here I am and here he is post-op!
I am super tired tonight! I decided to come home after getting Gary settled in room 5019. What a room and what a view! Yes, I am being sarcastic. He does however have a private room so I am not complaining.
After 11 grueling hours (for everyone) Gary appeared and everything went extremely well. They cleaned him out and sent all of the tissue to pathology and we have 1 week to wait for results. Without results, the doctors think everything looks good. They are 97% positive that the cancer was inside of a diverticulum - which is what we were hoping for. He will be in the hospital for 6-8 days and he will not be able to eat for the first 4 days. If everyone could hold off on planning to visit him until Wednesday I think he would appreciate it. You know how vain he is - he doesn't want to be "puffy" when you all see him! He needs some beauty rest and a gel eye pack! :)
While Gary was in recovery we went to Corner Bakery for dinner tonight and had a relaxing time. The posters that all the kids made for Gary are AWESOME and he LOVES them! Jen, Jenn, Michele and I hung all of them before the girls left tonight.
So, Gary is in a lot of pain and he is on a morphine drip. He was already trying to tough the pain out BUT I TOOK CARE OF THAT ONE! Up the man's morphine NOW! He is such a pain in the rear sometimes but you gotta love him.
Speaking of love.............
We feel soooooo loved! We have not gone through this alone and that is so evident! My heavens - we had so many family members and friends at the hospital today. Todd and the Elders came at 6 AM this morning and prayed over Gary and prayed for me. It was so uplifting and many hospital staff commented on how awesome our support group was! We have one amazing church body!
Our family, friends and church family has continually poured out love. We could never tell you all how much everything you have done and contunue to do for us means!
A shout out to my girlfriends - I love you and could not and would not want to go through this without you! You are stuck with me! Claudia, Stacy, Gay, Angela, Ren, Monica, Jenn, Jen, Michele, Todd, John, Rob, Kim, Mom, Mom & Dad, Dave and anyone else I missed who came to the hospital today - thanks so much! The Muck's ROCK!!! My kids love you and we love your family! Matt - thanks for having Hobie over for a playdate with Stella and Murphy! STACY - love you and love you Kenny! Thanks for taking the boys for a sleepover tonight! I am sure they miss me, huh? Probably not as much as they love playing the Wii!! :)
I need to take a shower and get some sleep.
Love to all and talk to you in the morning!
Lisa
I am super tired tonight! I decided to come home after getting Gary settled in room 5019. What a room and what a view! Yes, I am being sarcastic. He does however have a private room so I am not complaining.
After 11 grueling hours (for everyone) Gary appeared and everything went extremely well. They cleaned him out and sent all of the tissue to pathology and we have 1 week to wait for results. Without results, the doctors think everything looks good. They are 97% positive that the cancer was inside of a diverticulum - which is what we were hoping for. He will be in the hospital for 6-8 days and he will not be able to eat for the first 4 days. If everyone could hold off on planning to visit him until Wednesday I think he would appreciate it. You know how vain he is - he doesn't want to be "puffy" when you all see him! He needs some beauty rest and a gel eye pack! :)
While Gary was in recovery we went to Corner Bakery for dinner tonight and had a relaxing time. The posters that all the kids made for Gary are AWESOME and he LOVES them! Jen, Jenn, Michele and I hung all of them before the girls left tonight.
So, Gary is in a lot of pain and he is on a morphine drip. He was already trying to tough the pain out BUT I TOOK CARE OF THAT ONE! Up the man's morphine NOW! He is such a pain in the rear sometimes but you gotta love him.
Speaking of love.............
We feel soooooo loved! We have not gone through this alone and that is so evident! My heavens - we had so many family members and friends at the hospital today. Todd and the Elders came at 6 AM this morning and prayed over Gary and prayed for me. It was so uplifting and many hospital staff commented on how awesome our support group was! We have one amazing church body!
Our family, friends and church family has continually poured out love. We could never tell you all how much everything you have done and contunue to do for us means!
A shout out to my girlfriends - I love you and could not and would not want to go through this without you! You are stuck with me! Claudia, Stacy, Gay, Angela, Ren, Monica, Jenn, Jen, Michele, Todd, John, Rob, Kim, Mom, Mom & Dad, Dave and anyone else I missed who came to the hospital today - thanks so much! The Muck's ROCK!!! My kids love you and we love your family! Matt - thanks for having Hobie over for a playdate with Stella and Murphy! STACY - love you and love you Kenny! Thanks for taking the boys for a sleepover tonight! I am sure they miss me, huh? Probably not as much as they love playing the Wii!! :)
I need to take a shower and get some sleep.
Love to all and talk to you in the morning!
Lisa
Monday, August 27, 2007
Praise God!
Hey everyone....after 11 hours of surgery Gary is doing great! OK, so he's a little loopy, but he still has that great sense of humor in tact! Lisa will update everyone tomorrow, but she and Gary wanted to thank everyone for their prayers, love and support!!
Michele :)
Update as of 3:15 PM
Hi! It is us - Lisa and Michele! We are reporting live from the UCI Medical Library in beautiful Orange, California!
Claudia treated myself, Angela, Stacy and Jen to El Torito! Yummy!
Now, I guess we will talk about the Garemeister!
His surgery is on track and they have removed his guts - oh, I mean his insides! We are laughing - is it lack of sleep or the fact that we are just now defrosting from the refrigerator they call a waiting area???? :)
Back to Gary............
His surgery is going smoothly and they are reconstructing his bladder now. We do not know details other than he will be in surgery another 3 hours.
We held a group prayer and the girls made me cry! By the way - Have I told you that my girlfriends think Pastor Todd is hot? Don't worry girls - you won't go to hell! :)
That is ALL for now!
PRAY HARD for the reconstruction of his new bladder. Pray that his body accepts it and that it works perfectly!
Love to all,
L&M
Claudia treated myself, Angela, Stacy and Jen to El Torito! Yummy!
Now, I guess we will talk about the Garemeister!
His surgery is on track and they have removed his guts - oh, I mean his insides! We are laughing - is it lack of sleep or the fact that we are just now defrosting from the refrigerator they call a waiting area???? :)
Back to Gary............
His surgery is going smoothly and they are reconstructing his bladder now. We do not know details other than he will be in surgery another 3 hours.
We held a group prayer and the girls made me cry! By the way - Have I told you that my girlfriends think Pastor Todd is hot? Don't worry girls - you won't go to hell! :)
That is ALL for now!
PRAY HARD for the reconstruction of his new bladder. Pray that his body accepts it and that it works perfectly!
Love to all,
L&M
Update as of 12:50 p.m.
A nurse called Lisa to let her know that everything is fine (he has been in surgery for 5 hours). Nothing else to report at this time, however PLEASE continue to pray and send Gary your positive thoughts!
Love,
Michele Merk
Love,
Michele Merk
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Bring It On!!!
A week has gone by so quickly and we are so tired of waiting to get this over with! Gary is in the middle of getting ready for surgery for tomorrow - taking antibiotics on the hour and drinking clear liquids & broth! YUM YUM! Our amazing home group came over after church and we grilled yummy sausages and had lots of great salads and chips and fresh peanut butter cookies - yummy............so sorry Gary that you could not partake! We thought of you as we scarfed our food down! :)
Gary's parents arrived this afternoon and my Mom is here as well. My Mom is forcing me to write lovely things about her - so Gary says that there will be a long pause now! :) Funny!
Back to the important things! We are organized and ready for the events of tomorrow!
Pastor Todd will join us to pray in the morning at UCI and many friends and family will join us there as well.
There are three things God does not want us to allow to control our lives in any circumstance - worry, stress & fear! These are complete "joy busters"! I can truly tell you that I have not allowed stress, fear or worry to play an active roll in our lives during this time! I have been guilty in the past of allowing these things to control me but I have learned through this that most things are truly out of my control and I am learning every day to give it up to God! I have a super long way to go but I am here to tell you that I am on the road!
Please continue to pray for us tonight. Pray for Gary's complete healing. Pray for our protection and for peace. Pray for the doctors and everyone we come into contact with that will be a part of this experience! Pray that God uses us somehow!
Stay tuned...............
We love you!
L&G
Gary's parents arrived this afternoon and my Mom is here as well. My Mom is forcing me to write lovely things about her - so Gary says that there will be a long pause now! :) Funny!
Back to the important things! We are organized and ready for the events of tomorrow!
Pastor Todd will join us to pray in the morning at UCI and many friends and family will join us there as well.
There are three things God does not want us to allow to control our lives in any circumstance - worry, stress & fear! These are complete "joy busters"! I can truly tell you that I have not allowed stress, fear or worry to play an active roll in our lives during this time! I have been guilty in the past of allowing these things to control me but I have learned through this that most things are truly out of my control and I am learning every day to give it up to God! I have a super long way to go but I am here to tell you that I am on the road!
Please continue to pray for us tonight. Pray for Gary's complete healing. Pray for our protection and for peace. Pray for the doctors and everyone we come into contact with that will be a part of this experience! Pray that God uses us somehow!
Stay tuned...............
We love you!
L&G
NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE
Good Evening or Good Morning since it is 12:11 AM on Sunday morning. I think Gary and I are watching the World Poker Tour???? Anyhow, I'm getting to the title of this blog.
Tonight my Mom was on Delta Flight #1481 from Atlanta to John Wayne and her plane was diverted due to mechanical "problems". I think failure is more like it because the aircraft lost complete cabin pressure and began a rapid descent. Their altitude went from 36000 feet to 10000 feet before the pilot was able to pull the nose up to somewhat stabilize the aircraft. My Mom was sitting next to a Christian Doctor and as they both thought they were going to die they began to pray together. The aircraft was completely silent as most of the passengers were praying.
They made a very rough emergency landing and she is now in Dallas and will be arriving at 8 AM! Whew! That's all we needed! Thank God they are safely on the gound and hopefully that particular airplane has been taken in for some serious repairs! Could we have any more excitement???? Geez. Enough is enough!
Anyhow, tonight was INCREDIBLY AWESOME! We had some prayer time at our house and SOOOO MANY people came to pray with us! I lost count and we had standing room only! God is so great and once again has surrounded us with so many loving and awesome friends and family!
We owe our lives and everything in it to the Lord and we do truly give thanks in every circumstance! We truly believe so much goodness will come from this.
Keep tuning in and find out the blessings that come from this time in our lives!
We love all of you and thanks for coming to be with us tonight!
PRAYER WORKS! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE KEEP PRAYING - even if they are popcorn prayers! We will take anything you got!
Love & Hugs,
L&G
BTW - Gary says to continue to pray for everyone you come in contact with. :) Be a light to others! You never know when even the smallest gesture - like a smile - might change someones day!
Tonight my Mom was on Delta Flight #1481 from Atlanta to John Wayne and her plane was diverted due to mechanical "problems". I think failure is more like it because the aircraft lost complete cabin pressure and began a rapid descent. Their altitude went from 36000 feet to 10000 feet before the pilot was able to pull the nose up to somewhat stabilize the aircraft. My Mom was sitting next to a Christian Doctor and as they both thought they were going to die they began to pray together. The aircraft was completely silent as most of the passengers were praying.
They made a very rough emergency landing and she is now in Dallas and will be arriving at 8 AM! Whew! That's all we needed! Thank God they are safely on the gound and hopefully that particular airplane has been taken in for some serious repairs! Could we have any more excitement???? Geez. Enough is enough!
Anyhow, tonight was INCREDIBLY AWESOME! We had some prayer time at our house and SOOOO MANY people came to pray with us! I lost count and we had standing room only! God is so great and once again has surrounded us with so many loving and awesome friends and family!
We owe our lives and everything in it to the Lord and we do truly give thanks in every circumstance! We truly believe so much goodness will come from this.
Keep tuning in and find out the blessings that come from this time in our lives!
We love all of you and thanks for coming to be with us tonight!
PRAYER WORKS! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE KEEP PRAYING - even if they are popcorn prayers! We will take anything you got!
Love & Hugs,
L&G
BTW - Gary says to continue to pray for everyone you come in contact with. :) Be a light to others! You never know when even the smallest gesture - like a smile - might change someones day!
Friday, August 24, 2007
No Infection
He does not have an infection! Thank God!
Thanks for your prayers!
We are off and running and I will catch all of you up in the morning!
Love,
L&G
Thanks for your prayers!
We are off and running and I will catch all of you up in the morning!
Love,
L&G
FRIDAY
Well I certainly am thankful that I decided against going to the beach today with Christy and her boys because we are getting ready to leave for UCI right now. We suspect that Gary has an infection from the tube that is draining his kidney and they need to see him right away! At least we stayed away from any medical establishment for 6 days!
I did not want to drag the kids up to UCI again so Steph Muck is graciously helping me out and taking the boys for an afternoon of fun! The boys love Josh, Jenna, Nick and Jake!
I will let you all know what happens when we get home!
Love,
L
I did not want to drag the kids up to UCI again so Steph Muck is graciously helping me out and taking the boys for an afternoon of fun! The boys love Josh, Jenna, Nick and Jake!
I will let you all know what happens when we get home!
Love,
L
Thursday, August 23, 2007
SUMMER LOVE
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the summer months! There is no place I would rather be on this earth then at the beach with my family & friends! I love everything about being there - watching our 3 boys play in the surf, the warm sun, the sand, the smell of the ocean, the seagulls flying overhead, reading trashy magazines (guilty pleasure) the pelicans dive bombing for fish, the sound of the surf and of course the smell of suntan lotion! I am completely recharged when I am there and hate ever leaving! I feel closer to God when I am at the beach - go figure! I also love having the kids home from school - away from being so scheduled every moment of our day. I will miss our summer together and will look forward to the next one!
Auntie Robin and cousin Alex came for a visit this summer and we also visited them at their home in Nashville! What a great week we had on the lake! My Dad visited, Gary's parents have been here a few times and now my Mom is coming on Saturday. I only wish she were coming under different circumstances. My Aunt Susan is helping my Mom while she is here by coming to my parents home and taking care of my dear sweet Nanee! My Nanee is one amazing woman and she is a shining example of who I strive to be every day! Love you Nanee!!
We really have a great "biological" family. No one in our "biological" family lives close to us but everyone is reaching out and praying for us and wanting to come along side of us to assist us during this leg of our journey. Praise God for our family!
I hope and pray everyone who reads this is as fortunate and as blessed as we are to have so many people in their lives that love them, support them and pray for them! I mean it when I tell you that it is truly overwhelming to see what we have seen over the past two weeks.
Many of you have become a part of our "friends" family - both BIG and SMALL. We "do life" with our friends every day. You are the people who surround our family and who interact with our kids. Our friends (from every aspect of our lives) have touched us in so many ways. Even those of you who we know but have not spent a lot of time with are included in this family category. We spend so much of our lives being social and surrounded by our friends that everyone who has any kind of an influence in our lives makes a huge difference to us!
The position we are in right now is a position I hope none of you ever have to be in. Watching Gary struggle with his health and knowing he feels more than terrible about not being able to provide for us is a harsh reality that we face right now. However, if you ever find yourself in this position I will tell you that our unwavering faith and our unwaivering support system is what gets us through each day and I get on my knees and praise God everyday for the people He has brought to us in our lives.
I hope this trial makes me a better person - kinder, more compassionate, more loving and understanding, less judgemental and a stronger woman! I want to grow stronger in my faith, be a better wife, a greater Mom and a better friend! God will and is bringing out the best in people and he will bring so much good during this time in our lives!
We hope you know that no amount of thank yous could ever convey to you how thankful we really are!
Love and Smiles,
L&G
Auntie Robin and cousin Alex came for a visit this summer and we also visited them at their home in Nashville! What a great week we had on the lake! My Dad visited, Gary's parents have been here a few times and now my Mom is coming on Saturday. I only wish she were coming under different circumstances. My Aunt Susan is helping my Mom while she is here by coming to my parents home and taking care of my dear sweet Nanee! My Nanee is one amazing woman and she is a shining example of who I strive to be every day! Love you Nanee!!
We really have a great "biological" family. No one in our "biological" family lives close to us but everyone is reaching out and praying for us and wanting to come along side of us to assist us during this leg of our journey. Praise God for our family!
I hope and pray everyone who reads this is as fortunate and as blessed as we are to have so many people in their lives that love them, support them and pray for them! I mean it when I tell you that it is truly overwhelming to see what we have seen over the past two weeks.
Many of you have become a part of our "friends" family - both BIG and SMALL. We "do life" with our friends every day. You are the people who surround our family and who interact with our kids. Our friends (from every aspect of our lives) have touched us in so many ways. Even those of you who we know but have not spent a lot of time with are included in this family category. We spend so much of our lives being social and surrounded by our friends that everyone who has any kind of an influence in our lives makes a huge difference to us!
The position we are in right now is a position I hope none of you ever have to be in. Watching Gary struggle with his health and knowing he feels more than terrible about not being able to provide for us is a harsh reality that we face right now. However, if you ever find yourself in this position I will tell you that our unwavering faith and our unwaivering support system is what gets us through each day and I get on my knees and praise God everyday for the people He has brought to us in our lives.
I hope this trial makes me a better person - kinder, more compassionate, more loving and understanding, less judgemental and a stronger woman! I want to grow stronger in my faith, be a better wife, a greater Mom and a better friend! God will and is bringing out the best in people and he will bring so much good during this time in our lives!
We hope you know that no amount of thank yous could ever convey to you how thankful we really are!
Love and Smiles,
L&G
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Wednesday
Okay Ken! Here it is - my update! I am so sorry I have not made created an entry until now.
I will make it short and sweet!
Zach and Nate will be playing Fall Baseball that starts in a few weeks! We found out that our family has been welcomed back into the "baseball friends" circle of parents - we are so privileged! No sarcasm from me - all smiles!!!!! We are hoping that Nate will be on Carson's team! It is always more fun when you are with your friends!
I just got home about an hour ago from Doheny! We camped (hey, we slept in a tent!) for 2 days and the kids had their very first AWESOME camping experience! Matt came down and helped me out to get camp set up - thanks Matt - and I actually started a raging fire and set the GINORMOUS tent up by myself and even had witnesses! I am no helpless female - unless there is something to gain from it! :)
Stacy and the kids joined us and many other friends stopped by - The Sather's, The Hublitz's and the Welchel's! Zach surfed at 6:30 this morning and surfed until 8 PM the night before! We bar-be-qued, drank some vino, sat by the fire and fell asleep counting the shooting stars above!
It is so awesome being so close to home because I think I went back and forth a half a dozen times! Gary even joined us for a few hours each day and laid in a beach chair and slept under the umbrella. He needed it. Yesterday Gary was having a super down day. He is struggling with everything that will happen on Monday and who could blame him! So, I am a pretty positive person and I needed some of that to rub off on him! He needed to get some fresh air and get outside to enjoy the beautiful day. I will ask him right now. Did it help Gary? His response it that he thinks it helped a little bit - getting out and getting some sun and fresh air! He says it goes without saying that he always loves being with me and the kids - GOOD answer Gary! :)
The summer Sandlot Baseball is coming to an end this Friday and Zach will join the Coleman's for the final game and celebration on Friday night. Daniel has given these boys a gift of continuing to play together during the off season and Zach has loved every minute of it - Thanks Daniel! Nate and Jax will spend the evening and night with Matt, Jen and Trey and Gary and I will be at Crystal Cove for the night. We were fortunate enough to book an ocean front studio apartment at Crystal Cove 6 months ago. It will be nice to spend an evening together before his surgery.
So, surgery is scheduled for 7:15 AM on Monday at UCI. The surgery will be 8 - 10 hours and Gary will be in the hospital for about 8 days. They are set to remove I think EVERYTHING in his lower abdominal region- bladder, prostate and ALL lymph nodes. He will then have a new bladder reconstructed from his intestines! Thank God he will not have to have anything external and there is no stoma (a collection bag).
Once Tuesday comes around please feel free to come up and visit him! My cell is always on - 235-2816 - and it is great having people around! Call me to let me know if you are going to come.
I have to get to my staff meeting now so I will update again later!
Have an amazing day!
Love,
L&G
I will make it short and sweet!
Zach and Nate will be playing Fall Baseball that starts in a few weeks! We found out that our family has been welcomed back into the "baseball friends" circle of parents - we are so privileged! No sarcasm from me - all smiles!!!!! We are hoping that Nate will be on Carson's team! It is always more fun when you are with your friends!
I just got home about an hour ago from Doheny! We camped (hey, we slept in a tent!) for 2 days and the kids had their very first AWESOME camping experience! Matt came down and helped me out to get camp set up - thanks Matt - and I actually started a raging fire and set the GINORMOUS tent up by myself and even had witnesses! I am no helpless female - unless there is something to gain from it! :)
Stacy and the kids joined us and many other friends stopped by - The Sather's, The Hublitz's and the Welchel's! Zach surfed at 6:30 this morning and surfed until 8 PM the night before! We bar-be-qued, drank some vino, sat by the fire and fell asleep counting the shooting stars above!
It is so awesome being so close to home because I think I went back and forth a half a dozen times! Gary even joined us for a few hours each day and laid in a beach chair and slept under the umbrella. He needed it. Yesterday Gary was having a super down day. He is struggling with everything that will happen on Monday and who could blame him! So, I am a pretty positive person and I needed some of that to rub off on him! He needed to get some fresh air and get outside to enjoy the beautiful day. I will ask him right now. Did it help Gary? His response it that he thinks it helped a little bit - getting out and getting some sun and fresh air! He says it goes without saying that he always loves being with me and the kids - GOOD answer Gary! :)
The summer Sandlot Baseball is coming to an end this Friday and Zach will join the Coleman's for the final game and celebration on Friday night. Daniel has given these boys a gift of continuing to play together during the off season and Zach has loved every minute of it - Thanks Daniel! Nate and Jax will spend the evening and night with Matt, Jen and Trey and Gary and I will be at Crystal Cove for the night. We were fortunate enough to book an ocean front studio apartment at Crystal Cove 6 months ago. It will be nice to spend an evening together before his surgery.
So, surgery is scheduled for 7:15 AM on Monday at UCI. The surgery will be 8 - 10 hours and Gary will be in the hospital for about 8 days. They are set to remove I think EVERYTHING in his lower abdominal region- bladder, prostate and ALL lymph nodes. He will then have a new bladder reconstructed from his intestines! Thank God he will not have to have anything external and there is no stoma (a collection bag).
Once Tuesday comes around please feel free to come up and visit him! My cell is always on - 235-2816 - and it is great having people around! Call me to let me know if you are going to come.
I have to get to my staff meeting now so I will update again later!
Have an amazing day!
Love,
L&G
Sunday, August 19, 2007
WEEKEND UPDATE
Is Weekend Update the name of a show or something? I thought it was but maybe not! Disclaimer - Don't judge me by the amount of typos you will encounter in this blog. I am usually Type A but am throwing caution to the wind and I am living dangerously!
Our weekend was packed full of friends and family - just what we needed! Gary's parents arrived back in town today to spend some more time with our family! We spent time with Steve M. and our home group came over for a visit today. Angela & Jeff brought lunch and Ron & Sam brought soda! It was great!
Matt, Jen, and Trey came to swim with us and our neighbor Chuck helped Matt "hurl" the kids through the air at the pool! Matt brought some interesting books that he shared with us - that is all I will say about the books at this time! The Merk Family spent the better part of the day & night with us on Saturday and Stacy joined in on the fun, too! Steve - you are the master bar b quer! Thank you all for a wonderful Saturday! "We love alls yous guys!"
My aunt, uncle, grandma, Dad and Stacy were here on Friday night for swimming and dinner and the ribs really hit the spot!
Right before my Dad left he shared with us how amazed he was by all of our friends that surround us daily and rally around to support us! He was blown away by the amount of people who came to pray with us and have fellowship with us.
It reminds us of how blessed we are to have such a network of people who we share our lives. Whether you are a BASEBALL FRIEND (this is an "exclusive" club you know) or a church friend or part of our homegroup or Bible study or you have known us forever (or so it seems - we have that effect on people sometimes) or you are just natually drawn to our radiant charm and fabulous good looks (this is the majority of you :) ) - we cherish you all and thank you for everything!
PRAY PRAY PRAY and.........KEEP PRAYING!
We are off to Doheny to camp for a few days! Thank God we are close because I have lots of errands to run and work to do and appointments to tend to and many other things! Hopefully Gary will be up to joining us for a while!
Love & Hugs & Smiles,
L&G (not the steakhouse!)
Our weekend was packed full of friends and family - just what we needed! Gary's parents arrived back in town today to spend some more time with our family! We spent time with Steve M. and our home group came over for a visit today. Angela & Jeff brought lunch and Ron & Sam brought soda! It was great!
Matt, Jen, and Trey came to swim with us and our neighbor Chuck helped Matt "hurl" the kids through the air at the pool! Matt brought some interesting books that he shared with us - that is all I will say about the books at this time! The Merk Family spent the better part of the day & night with us on Saturday and Stacy joined in on the fun, too! Steve - you are the master bar b quer! Thank you all for a wonderful Saturday! "We love alls yous guys!"
My aunt, uncle, grandma, Dad and Stacy were here on Friday night for swimming and dinner and the ribs really hit the spot!
Right before my Dad left he shared with us how amazed he was by all of our friends that surround us daily and rally around to support us! He was blown away by the amount of people who came to pray with us and have fellowship with us.
It reminds us of how blessed we are to have such a network of people who we share our lives. Whether you are a BASEBALL FRIEND (this is an "exclusive" club you know) or a church friend or part of our homegroup or Bible study or you have known us forever (or so it seems - we have that effect on people sometimes) or you are just natually drawn to our radiant charm and fabulous good looks (this is the majority of you :) ) - we cherish you all and thank you for everything!
PRAY PRAY PRAY and.........KEEP PRAYING!
We are off to Doheny to camp for a few days! Thank God we are close because I have lots of errands to run and work to do and appointments to tend to and many other things! Hopefully Gary will be up to joining us for a while!
Love & Hugs & Smiles,
L&G (not the steakhouse!)
Friday, August 17, 2007
MODESTY IS A THING OF THE PAST
So, we are home. Hopefully, we do not see the inside of a doc's office or a hospital or any kind of medical facility over the weekend! Gary is stocked up on pain killers and I am ready to take a short break!
I think Gary has decided that modesty is a thing of the past! Being a woman I already figured that out after I popped out the first kid! Welcome to my world!
The procedure to drain his kidney was successful and we were kinda hoping for instant relief from the pain. I bet you are guessing by now that we DID NOT get instant relief but he is actually in terrible pain from the drain. He was at a level 8 1/2 about 15 minutes ago until I shoved another vicodin down his throat! He is so super stubborn! Stinking take the Dang drugs and get some rest!
We had amazing ribs and chicken tonight and my aunt, uncle and grandma joined us from La Quinta. Stacy brought FireHouse Dog for us to watch and we sat outside an enjoyed a wonderful meal!
Gary is resting on the couch with a somewhat twisted look on his face - could it be gas? Probably not!
Surgery is scheduled for the 27th at 7:15 AM. We are ready and will arrange to have another prayer gathering at our house on the 26th after church in the early afternoon! Stay tuned......
My Dad leaves tomorrow - BAD DADDY! and Gary's folks arrive on Sunday to see their boy for a few days!
We have been so blessed by all of you dropping in and out, calling, E-mailing, praying and sharing our lives with us!
Stay tuned.......................YOU ALL ROCK!
Love to everyone -
L
I think Gary has decided that modesty is a thing of the past! Being a woman I already figured that out after I popped out the first kid! Welcome to my world!
The procedure to drain his kidney was successful and we were kinda hoping for instant relief from the pain. I bet you are guessing by now that we DID NOT get instant relief but he is actually in terrible pain from the drain. He was at a level 8 1/2 about 15 minutes ago until I shoved another vicodin down his throat! He is so super stubborn! Stinking take the Dang drugs and get some rest!
We had amazing ribs and chicken tonight and my aunt, uncle and grandma joined us from La Quinta. Stacy brought FireHouse Dog for us to watch and we sat outside an enjoyed a wonderful meal!
Gary is resting on the couch with a somewhat twisted look on his face - could it be gas? Probably not!
Surgery is scheduled for the 27th at 7:15 AM. We are ready and will arrange to have another prayer gathering at our house on the 26th after church in the early afternoon! Stay tuned......
My Dad leaves tomorrow - BAD DADDY! and Gary's folks arrive on Sunday to see their boy for a few days!
We have been so blessed by all of you dropping in and out, calling, E-mailing, praying and sharing our lives with us!
Stay tuned.......................YOU ALL ROCK!
Love to everyone -
L
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Thursday August 16th
Good Evening!
My Dad and I were able to take the kids to T street this afternoon around 2 PM to let them have their "ocean time"! They had a blast and they deserved that time after being at the surgeons office for a better part of our day! They are such troopers!
It was a sobering day - not that I am not sober already! :) No bad news other than the brutal fact that Gary will have to have his bladder completely removed! On the brighter side, they are going to be able to rebuild a new one that will takes its place out of tissue from his colon.
We really liked the surgical team and Gary is set to have the 8 hour surgery on August 27th. He will be at UCI for 7-8 days and then home. Not great timing with the kids starting school on the 4th of Sept. but beggars can't be choosers! :)
We are having a prayer meeting here in about 20 minutes and we are continuing to pray for complete healing for Gary! If you can't be here with us you can pray on your own from about 7:15 to 7:30 PM!
I will post again later tonight!
BTW - our meals have been delicious! The Kern's made this amazing tri tip and pie! The Morris' made awesome spaghetti and meatballs! The Murphy's brought out of this world chicken - we all want the recipe Heather!
Your kindness is so appreciated!
Jake, Hailey, Kayla and Shane made Gary the greatest cards! He loves them and they are on display! :) You brightened his day!
Love, L
My Dad and I were able to take the kids to T street this afternoon around 2 PM to let them have their "ocean time"! They had a blast and they deserved that time after being at the surgeons office for a better part of our day! They are such troopers!
It was a sobering day - not that I am not sober already! :) No bad news other than the brutal fact that Gary will have to have his bladder completely removed! On the brighter side, they are going to be able to rebuild a new one that will takes its place out of tissue from his colon.
We really liked the surgical team and Gary is set to have the 8 hour surgery on August 27th. He will be at UCI for 7-8 days and then home. Not great timing with the kids starting school on the 4th of Sept. but beggars can't be choosers! :)
We are having a prayer meeting here in about 20 minutes and we are continuing to pray for complete healing for Gary! If you can't be here with us you can pray on your own from about 7:15 to 7:30 PM!
I will post again later tonight!
BTW - our meals have been delicious! The Kern's made this amazing tri tip and pie! The Morris' made awesome spaghetti and meatballs! The Murphy's brought out of this world chicken - we all want the recipe Heather!
Your kindness is so appreciated!
Jake, Hailey, Kayla and Shane made Gary the greatest cards! He loves them and they are on display! :) You brightened his day!
Love, L
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
PRAYER REALLY WORKS
Wow! I HATE driving! I have been driving for weeks it seems back and forth to Long Beach and Los Alamitos to get this, drop off that and deal with insurance issues! I am ready to be a passenger and am convinced that I will not be planning any sort of cross country driving trip for years to come!
We have some extremely promising news. So far, the MRI of Gary's lower region including his pelvic area and abdomen show no signs of cancer other than the mass in/around/on the bladder. The lymph nodes do not apprear to be swollen and the CT of his chest came back clear!
He had a bone scan today and the radiologist who administered the test said that he saw no hot spots in the bones!
We can tell you that we truly believe 100% that this is the power of prayer at work! THANK YOU so much for praying for us! Please continue to pray!
We have an appointment at UCI tomorrow morning with a team of surgeons who will review our case!
I am off to Doheny to join our 5th & 6th grade kid from church for our annual camp out! Thanks to Matt and Jen and Mendy Sinsley for helping me with this overnighter!
PRAISE GOD for these first miraculous findings! May there be MANY MANY more!
- L
We have some extremely promising news. So far, the MRI of Gary's lower region including his pelvic area and abdomen show no signs of cancer other than the mass in/around/on the bladder. The lymph nodes do not apprear to be swollen and the CT of his chest came back clear!
He had a bone scan today and the radiologist who administered the test said that he saw no hot spots in the bones!
We can tell you that we truly believe 100% that this is the power of prayer at work! THANK YOU so much for praying for us! Please continue to pray!
We have an appointment at UCI tomorrow morning with a team of surgeons who will review our case!
I am off to Doheny to join our 5th & 6th grade kid from church for our annual camp out! Thanks to Matt and Jen and Mendy Sinsley for helping me with this overnighter!
PRAISE GOD for these first miraculous findings! May there be MANY MANY more!
- L
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
PRAYER TIME AT OUR HOME THURSDAY NIGHT 7 PM
To all of our friends and family members -
We will be having a healing prayer time at our home on Thursday Night at 7 PM! Please come and bring your faith, belief, and healing hands so that we can lift Gary up and ask for his COMPLETE HEALING!
XOXO L&G
We will be having a healing prayer time at our home on Thursday Night at 7 PM! Please come and bring your faith, belief, and healing hands so that we can lift Gary up and ask for his COMPLETE HEALING!
XOXO L&G
MONDAY & TUESDAY NIGHT PRAYER
Hi everyone.
Well, last night 2 of the elders from our awesome church came to spend time with us and pray for Gary. My Dad was here as well and it was a wonderful experience! Thank you Rob and Kim!
Tonight, Claudia and John Leyerle came over to lay hands on Gary. Stacy and my Dad were here and we all laid hands on Gary and prayed for COMPLETE 100% HEALING! At the very moment that John first asked God to heal Gary his stomach began to rumble! It was pretty cool!
We are having another healing prayer time at our home on Thursday Night at 7 PM! Anyone who can come is more than welcome and your prayers are more than appreciated!
We love all of you!
L&G
Well, last night 2 of the elders from our awesome church came to spend time with us and pray for Gary. My Dad was here as well and it was a wonderful experience! Thank you Rob and Kim!
Tonight, Claudia and John Leyerle came over to lay hands on Gary. Stacy and my Dad were here and we all laid hands on Gary and prayed for COMPLETE 100% HEALING! At the very moment that John first asked God to heal Gary his stomach began to rumble! It was pretty cool!
We are having another healing prayer time at our home on Thursday Night at 7 PM! Anyone who can come is more than welcome and your prayers are more than appreciated!
We love all of you!
L&G
IT'S NOT A PROSTATE INFECTION!
To our friends and family -
Hi everyone. Thank you so much for all of your encouraging thoughts and prayers. Our family has needed them and continues to need them.
We got some unfavorable news today that has caused many tears to be shed that we wanted to share with you.
Gary has been diagnosed with bladder cancer. We were hoping for a better report but we got that instead. We are in shock and feel numb right now but we are going to press on and beat this together!
Gary is scheduled for several procedures this week including a procedure to alleviate the pain by draining some infection out of his kidney. He will need both kidneys to withstand chemotherapy and we are praying they can save his kidney.
He will have bone scans and Xrays to determine whether the cancer has spread anywhere else.
We want everyone of you to know that we feel strongly that God is in complete control of this situation. The only thing we can do right now is to pray and we are asking for your prayers that this cancer has not spread anywhere else in Gary's body.
My husband is a true testament to our faith and is the most amazing husband and father!
So, here are our prayers:
Pray that the kids are protected and pray that we can come along side of them to be a support to them through this.
Pray that the doctors can save Gary's kidney.
Pray that the cancer has not spread anywhere else.
Pray that I stay healthy and that our spirits are high.
Pray for our financial situation as Gary has been laid off a few weeks ago with little severance.
Please know that we will be speaking with you and updating you as each test is performed. We love all of you and value your friendships so very much!
In Him,
Lisa & Gary
Hi everyone. Thank you so much for all of your encouraging thoughts and prayers. Our family has needed them and continues to need them.
We got some unfavorable news today that has caused many tears to be shed that we wanted to share with you.
Gary has been diagnosed with bladder cancer. We were hoping for a better report but we got that instead. We are in shock and feel numb right now but we are going to press on and beat this together!
Gary is scheduled for several procedures this week including a procedure to alleviate the pain by draining some infection out of his kidney. He will need both kidneys to withstand chemotherapy and we are praying they can save his kidney.
He will have bone scans and Xrays to determine whether the cancer has spread anywhere else.
We want everyone of you to know that we feel strongly that God is in complete control of this situation. The only thing we can do right now is to pray and we are asking for your prayers that this cancer has not spread anywhere else in Gary's body.
My husband is a true testament to our faith and is the most amazing husband and father!
So, here are our prayers:
Pray that the kids are protected and pray that we can come along side of them to be a support to them through this.
Pray that the doctors can save Gary's kidney.
Pray that the cancer has not spread anywhere else.
Pray that I stay healthy and that our spirits are high.
Pray for our financial situation as Gary has been laid off a few weeks ago with little severance.
Please know that we will be speaking with you and updating you as each test is performed. We love all of you and value your friendships so very much!
In Him,
Lisa & Gary
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