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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
Thursday, October 25, 2007
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
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