Random Thoughts and Happenings of Late

When you buy a brand new refrigerator, it's supposed to work for more than five weeks, correct? I mean, come on, at least give me a couple of months before I have to call a freaking repair man. Lowe's is terrible here. That's where the aforementioned appliance was purchased - as well as many sets of blinds that still have not arrived nor been installed. Ducking beneath the windows in my room to fetch clothing everyday has really gotten old. Mike and I are on display to the neighborhood every night as we read in bed. It's ridiculous... thank goodness there are no other houses close behind us. The blinds should be off backorder and to our doorstep next week (fingers crossed).

I had a breakthrough this morning at the gym. You're probably wondering... what did she do? Break a personal record on the treadmill? Lift a million pounds? Spin so fast she rode the stationary bike right out the door? No, no, something way more miraculous. The big breakthrough was that Abby Kate actually loosened her death grip around the nursery worker's neck and walked around and played today. Imagine that! In all previous visits, she'd be crying when I left her (actually she starts to cry as soon as we pull in the parking lot) and then she'd calm down, but sit in the lady's lap the whole time and then cry again when I picked her up. But not today my friends! I peeked in at her and she was playing with the other kids, having a grand ol' time. I asked her if she had fun and she said, "I had a good time," which is way more comical if you could hear her say it. Anyhow, SUCCESS!

Uncle Bill (Mike's younger brother) came to visit last weekend. He and Mike played golf and then we all enjoyed Mexican Lasagna when they got back home. Abby Kate warmed up to Bill very fast and was singing and laughing and playing games with him up until bedtime. Bill leaves for Iraq this coming Monday on his fourth deployment. He is also a pilot in the Marine Corps. Please pray for a safe trip over there and for a quick and safe return.


The Newbolds came over on Saturday. They brought their blow-up pool, which was a fabulous idea as it kept the kids entertained while we spent time catching up and enjoying a couple of drinks and chips'n'dip on our deck. We had dinner and truly enjoyed their company as it had been awhile since we'd had a gettogether. The girls have so much fun together. I love it when they get to play and laugh and run around. They are all so sweet.

I heard from an old friend I met when we lived in Virginia after she found out we had moved to NC. I met Jody when Mike began TBS in Quantico. She, her husband (also named Mike) and their 15-month-old boy, Noah, live down in beautiful Emerald Isle. It's about an hour drive from here. Jody invited us down to spend a few hours at a water park near their home. We had a nice time catching up. Thanks for inviting us, Jody! It was great to see you and meet your adorable son. The picture is of Noah and AK getting ready for the water park.

Update

Thanks for your prayers for my grandmother. She is still in the hospital - although moved to St. Mary's now instead of Baptist East - where she underwent another procedure yesterday. She came through it fine and now has a coil inserted in her pulmonary artery. The doctors are hoping to get her back on her blood thinning medication soon so the blood clots in her arms won't move to her heart. Please keep her and my family in your prayers as she heals.

Another Video

I've been using my camcorder more lately. I feel like I missed a lot of video opportunities during her second year, so I'm trying to make up for it here at the end. Here she is doing one of her favorite things... naming objects, animals, letters, numbers (almost anything) she sees in pictures.



Uuuuuuuum, that's it. :) I have another video of her at the beach. If you're not sick of these videos, maybe I'll post that one soon as well.

ABCs and One, Two, Sevens

Our daughter loves to sing. The only song she fully knows is the alphabet, so she sings it to us all day long, over and over. No matter though - we love it! She has been doing this for months now, and I finally caught it on video on our way to the beach yesterday...



She's now working on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. :)

She started counting several months ago as well. At first, she had numbers one through eight down, not missing a beat. But lately she has decided that she just doesn't have time for three through six and has discarded them entirely. Now it's 'one, two, seven, eight, NINE!' no matter how many times we say 'one, two, THREE!'

She is so much fun. We laugh with her nonstop and continue to enjoy each stage of her precious life.

Fun in the Sun... er, Rain

William and Abby Kate, Ft. Myers Beach, FL

Vacation with my family in Bonita Springs, FL, was great - even if it did rain (read: POUR!) almost everyday. We just had to change our focus is all. Instead of playing in the sand and waves on a beautiful sunny beach, we played in the racks of clothes and shoes and accessories in the outlet malls. No complaints here!

We did have a wonderful time spent together. We stayed in my aunt and uncle's beautiful condo and the kids had plenty of room to run and play. William and Abby Kate cracked us up the whole time with their dancing, singing, and yelling at at the rain... "go away rain, go away!" Abby Kate loved her Uncle Brian... every time I put her in one of her pretty little dresses - before I'd even buttoned her up - she'd say "go show Bwian?" So cute. We did get out to the beach one of the days and to the pool one or two times as well. And thankfully I took a lot of pictures on those days!

Hanging out with Pawpaw.

Mommy wanted to do sandcastles, but the bucket was much more interesting. I think she could've sat there for hours filling it with sand.

"Hha you?" as William would say.

Running so fast she's kicking up sand!

After a delicious shrimp dinner and key lime pie!

They were having entirely too much fun bouncing on the bed!

Telling Mimi stories on the patio.

Our trip ended in a rush home to see my grandmother who was not doing well. I changed my flight to take us to KY to see her. I stayed for a day and a half and was pleased to see her doing much better when I left. She is such a special lady. I love her dearly and ask for your continued prayers as she is still in the hospital.

Mawmaw is in the same hospital as Dad. In fact, he was in the Critical Care Unit and only two doors down from where my she is now. It was weird (yet so good) to see my dad walk through those hallways. He looks so strong and so much leaner. I just can't tell you how great he looks. And he feels great, too. God is so good.

We're back home in NC now and we are soaking up Daddy as much as we can when he's home from work. Mike was very happy to see us, and Junah was, too!

Prayers for Mawmaw

Please pray for my sweet grandmother (my Dad's mom). She is in the hospital after having chest pains earlier this week. She will undergo a procedure tomorrow where doctors shoot dye up into the heart to determine if there's trouble (forget what it's called). She is in good spirits, but fearful. Please pray that all goes well and that the doctors take great care to fix things.

Vacation!!!

AK and I are busy packing our swim suits and beach towels for a week in the sunshine state with my family. We are very sad that Mike won't be able to come. I feel bad that he has to miss everything. We haven't been able to plan visits to either of our families' homes together or plan a vacation for ourselves in what seems like years. We only travel on holidays together anymore. We are hoping Mike gets a break in the coming weeks, but with his schedule, you can never predict.

The Marine community has this saying "semper gumby," which I hate. Semper is the Latin word for "always" and gumby, well, that's just referring to being "flexible." You get the point. It's stupid. But whatever. I think most people say it with a smile on their face while gritting their teeth.

Anyhow, we will kiss Daddy 'bye tomorrow morning and fly down to Bonita Springs, FL, to spend time with my Mom, Dad (who is doing great, by the way!), Brian, Carrie and William. Thanks to my Aunt Darlene and Uncle Lin for letting us all stay in your beautiful condo! We are really looking forward to it.

Can't wait to share pictures from the trip!

Settling

Abby Kate, enjoying the view from her new front porch.

The movers came Saturday with all our stuff. When the big moving truck pulled up, Abby Kate said, "Oooo, BIG TRUCK!" Followed by, "petter?" As in can I pet the truck? We did not pet the truck, nor did we go in it. If I HAD gone in it, maybe I would've seen the box I'm now missing. :) Mike's brother, Bill, drove up from Wilmington to help us unpack. Thanks, Bill! If it weren't for you, we'd still be living in a cardboard fortress!

The painters come tomorrow morning. I'm so excited to see how it turns out. I'll wait to share pictures after it's painted - and clean, for that matter. Mike has been busy working on his "Man Room." I agreed to let him decorate the upstairs room. So far, he has our old 52" big screen TV in the corner and a desk and bookshelf. What more does a guy need? Apparently a couple of leather recliners and a kegerator. Hmmmm. :)

Abby Kate is loving her new room. (And I love her new room, too - specifically because it's on the first floor. I love not having to run up and down the stairs carrying a 30 lb child 20 times a day.) This move hasn't really affected AK one bit. She has adapted so well that I'm not even sure she realizes we've moved!

We are planning to spend the 4th out near the bay with friends. I'll be sure to take pictures for all you Nicholas Sparks fans. I'm looking forward to exploring our new surroundings a bit more this weekend.

Happy 4th of July everyone! ...and happy birthday to you, Dad, on the 4th.

Another Place to Call Home

At long last, we are in our new home. We have no furniture, mind you, but we are in it nonetheless. We left Meridian and our little, yellow rental house behind last Saturday and headed to NC, stopping for the night in Augusta, GA. Our friends, the Newbolds, were moving to NC the same day, so we stopped at the same hotel and let Abby Kate and their two daughters play in the pool together. It was a fun way to break up the trip and felt almost like a vacation. The Newbolds so graciously offered us a place to stay for three nights once we got here since we weren't closing on our home until the 26th. They have a beautiful new home with lots of space. Thank you, Colin, Sarah, Eden & Maren! We had fun!

As of yesterday afternoon, we are the owners of a beautiful new home in a great neighborhood. I have paint swatches taped all over the walls and can't wait to get some color in here. Right now, a guy is hooking up our cable, internet and phone. Our furniture arrives tomorrow morning (we hope). Abby Kate and Junah are loving all the big windows and open areas. And Mike and I are enjoying having a big bathroom with double vanities again.

Mike has been busy checking in and preparing to start work on Monday. He'll be really busy the first few weeks and then will slow down a bit after that. I'm not sure when his first flight in the Harrier will take place. He has a few weeks of ground school before they'll get in the aircraft. Mike is excited, and a bit overwhelmed at how fast they've gotten him into the mix here.

I joined Gold's Gym today. The one in New Bern is nice - it has a lot of great classes and best of all, free childcare... perfect! We are also planning to make many trips to the pool and the beach this summer. Atlantic Beach is only about a 30-min drive, I'm told. We're looking forward to checking it out! I'll be glad to get more and more settled in the coming days and get back to my routines with AK, my work and exercise.

More to come, including pictures... as soon as I find my camera and all associated cords for downloading. Hmmm, might be a few days. :)

Seven Years

Mike and I were married seven years ago yesterday. It doesn't seem like it could possibly have been that long ago. And even more unbelievable is the 15 total years we've been together. Wow! That says only one thing. That we're OLD. :) In the midst of our move, we didn't celebrate the usual way with a nice dinner out. We are trying to eat up all the food in our refrigerator before we move, so our dinner consisted of the last pieces of chicken we had, sprinkled with (no joke) a random box of Shake 'n Bake that we had in our pantry. As I shook, I had to say with my most childish, country accent "It's Shake 'n Bake, and I helped!" OK, now I'm just shouting my age.

I have and will love you always, Mike. Happy anniversary!

Father's Day

Abby Kate greeted Daddy with a "Happy Day!" this morning. I tried to teach her to say Happy Daddy's Day, but that's what came out. She gave Daddy a big kiss and then was off to more important things, like her Dora yogurt. Mike chose to play golf with his buddies today, so AK and I went shopping for a Father's Day present and we're going to make Daddy's favorite dinner - tacos! Happy Father's Day, Mike! Thank you for being such a great daddy to our little girl. We love you!

This father's day is an extra special one for me. I am spending today cherishing thoughts of my dad and all the times we've spent together and conversations we've had, knowing that I came very close to not having them anymore. Dad, I am so thankful to have you. You are the greatest, most loving and caring father. I can't thank you enough for all that you've taught me and given me. But most of all, I thank you for loving me. Happy Father's Day!!! Can't wait to spend time with you next month at the beach!

Updates

The Move to NC

First, I'm happy to tell you we found a home in NC! We love it. It is beautiful, brand new and located in a great neighborhood. I'm so happy to be owning a home again... looking forward to collecting paint swatches and fabrics for decorating. We'll actually be moving into it faster than we thought - Mike received his orders and they say we've got to be out of MS and headed to NC next weekend. So we're having the movers come and pack our household and move it next Thursday and Friday, and we'll be closing on the house on June 26. Busy, busy!

Dad

He's feeling so much better. He's been working full days, taking walks in the neighborhood, doing yard work, helping Brian with his yard work, picking up William (my nephew) and just being his old self. His only complaints are headaches due to the plates on the sides of his face. But the doctors say those will go away after a few more months. He's starting to get the feeling back in his teeth, and they are a bit painful, too. But all in all, he's fabulous! We are going to celebrate his health with a trip to Florida next month. I'm so excited!

Mike

Mike is doing great. He healed up extremely fast from his appendectomy. He's back to running, doing pull ups, flying and tossing Abby Kate in the air.

Abby Kate

This girl cracks us up every day. We love this stage! She is full of words and phrases and repeats everything. She sings the alphabet and counts to ten (however jumbled). She loves her baby dolls and likes to ask them if they're hungry or tired or if they want a cracker. It's so cute. I'm not sure how this move will affect her, but I imagine she'll be fine as long as she's with her mommy and daddy. I happened to see a little boy playing in the yard across the street from our new house, so hopefully she'll make some friends.

Me

Staying busy with my design work and busy with Abby Kate. I'm looking forward to our move, even though I will hate to leave some great friends that I've known for so long (we'll miss you Sommer, Chad, Grif and Maggie!) and many that I've met here in Meridian this past year.

That's all for now. I'll send out our new address through e-mail soon.

Wings of Gold

Mike received his "wings of gold" on Friday, May 30th. I pinned them on his chest at the ceremony in the chapel on base that afternoon. Abby Kate clearly wanted to participate as she ran up behind me from her seat to 'help.' (You can see her climbing the steps in the bottom right corner.) She was quite a handful during the ceremony. She had been up WAY too long! And you know how that goes.

Mike's parents came in town for the winging. We all watched as Mike got several awards and certificates. Thanks to Lee and Ginger for coming and for watching AK for us a couple of times! She really enjoyed your company... and Dillon's, too. :)

I am so happy for Mike for all his accomplishments. He's is glad to be done and we are excited to get to North Carolina!

We'll be house-hunting this week, so wish us luck!

Mike with his class on the wing of the T-45.

Just after Mike got his wings.

When Mike touched down on the runway after his last flight (the day before the winging), he was greeting by me and a fire hose. A crazy tradition... but fun! I didn't have it on full blast. I'm not sure I could've held it if so!

More showers from his classmates.

With friends at the winging party. The wives of the pilots that winged made our own t-shirts that read: (front) 'Their wings are made of gold...' (back) 'Ours are of the angel variety' (with big angels wings printed across the back).

The Verdict

Just a quick post to tell you...

We got our #1 choice! Mike will be flying Harriers and we'll be living in Cherry Point, NC!!!!

We are absolutely thrilled! I have much more to post on Mike's winging - which was today - and all the events surrounding it.

Way to go, Mike!!! I love you and we are so proud of you!!!

Still Waiting...

I was nervous and anxious all day yesterday as I was awaiting the call from Mike to tell me where we're moving next. There are so many very different places it could be... California, Washington state, North or South Carolina, Arizona... ahem, Japan. That last one just isn't easy to consider. But unfortunately it's a possibility. (So you can understand my angst.)

I was waiting and waiting, trying to busy myself and not pace the floor. I called my friends, Sarah (whose husband is also selecting) and Sommer, at one point to jokingly tell them that Mike and I must be going to Japan because I had just received a bad omen outside my door... I walked through the living room and happened to look out the front window to find a big hearse parked right in front of our house. I thought, 'that's creepy. Who drives a hearse around in neighborhoods? And why is it parked in front of our house?!' It was gone after 30 minutes. So umm, not sure what that was all about.

All my nervous energy went to waste, however, because when Mike finally did call, he informed me that we wouldn't find out just yet. He has a couple more flights to finish because of his appendicitis setback. So hopefully we'll know by the end of the week.

I'll post as soon as I know!

Fun Indoors

Abby Kate's current favorite book is about pink cupcakes. So I thought she'd love to help me make some real ones. She liked watching the preparing and baking process, but when one of the pink-iced, gi-normous cupcakes was placed before her, she was very apprehensive about holding it or eating it. (I know, she must not be my daughter after all. ha, ha.) So now we have way too many cupcakes that will inevitably be eaten by me, if not Mike.

My cupcake-making idea may not have appealed to AK, but my fort-building idea certainly went over well. We had a couple of hot, muggy and rainy days here last week, so I decided we would stay indoors. It's amazing what a couple of chairs and a sheet can do. Abby Kate had a great time in her "house" as she called it. She brought all of her favorite dolls and stuffed animals inside, as well as a book to read and her piano for entertainment. We played in there all morning before its allure wore off.

I'm hoping the weather gets better here soon, so we can play outside without dripping with sweat within five minutes of stepping out the door. The humidity has been terrible!

On that note, I must also remind you that we won't be down this far south too much longer. In fact, Mike finds out tomorrow (!!!) what he'll be flying and where our next move will be. I'll post the news as soon as I know!

Qualified!

From left, Mike, John, Troy, Kurtis and Colin. They're standing a little too close to the edge for my taste!

Hooray! Mike successfully completed his carrier qualification! He spent Monday and Tuesday of last week bouncing, landing and catapulting his jet on/off of an aircraft carrier off the cost of San Diego. He said the feeling was unbelievable. His adrenaline was in overdrive. He said being catapulted off the ship was really cool, and that the force of being shot off was much more extreme than he expected. He had a great time out there with his buddies/classmates. He couldn't tell me enough how fun it was. Above is a picture of them on the back of the ship sporting their 'staches. And of course here's a close-up of Mike's mustache for your enjoyment. Unfortunately, it's so blonde that you can't appreciate the utter hilarity through this picture.


Another tradition is for the spouses to create a congratulatory sign/banner to hang when their husband CQs. Here's the one I painted and displayed the day Mike came home.

Mike in front of the USS Stennis while it was still docked. It traveled nearly 100 miles off the coast before Mike and his classmates landed on it.


Hanging out on the ship between flights. They also slept one night on the carrier. Mike said he can't imagine having to live on one.

He qualified in this jet.


Looking down the carrier's runway.

This is the mechanism that catapults the jet. It connects to the front of the plane and pulls it down the runway.

This lighting device is what the pilots look at while they're landing to determine if they are too high or too low before hitting the deck.

Relaxing oceanside after all the hard work is done!

Mike has a handful of Air Combat Maneuvering flights left before he'll (hopefully) graduate on May 30. There will be a big winging ceremony on base and lots of parties to follow. We are very excited to get done here and move on to the next phase. I can't wait to share the news of where we'll be moving next. We should know sometime before May 30.

Mother's Day

Since Mike was gone on Mother's Day, the Tuckers invited Abby Kate and I to spend the day at their pastor's home for a horse-ridin'-gun-shootin'-fishin'-good time. The called it their redneck holiday. All the kids had a great time playing in the dirt and petting the horses while the mommies attempted some target practice. (I did not hit any targets, by the way... unless the random trees I hit were considered good shots. ha, ha)

We had a fun time, and I was glad we got to spend the holiday with our friends. Especially in Mike's absence. Thanks, Sommer and Chad, for inviting us!


I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter. She has brought endless joy to my life and I love her so, so much!

Daddy Flies

Yep, that's Mike in there!

Even though Mike has been flying these super fast jets for a year now, Abby Kate and I just got our first look at him in action on Friday. The squadron held a family day where all the wives got to take a ride out to the middle of the GIANT runway and be literally feet away from where our husbands did their "bouncing." Abby Kate and I were outfitted with earplugs and I had my camera ready. I was told Mike would be flying jet 1-0-0. We watched awhile before the guys got into the air and into their pattern. It wasn't long before 1-0-0 came storming out of the sky and down onto the runway for a quick tap and then back up so fast I'm surprised I aimed my camera successfully. The noise was tremendous. Abby Kate DID NOT like it at first. But the more I explained that Daddy was flying that plane, the more she got into it. She kept saying "Daddy fwies," while pointing to the planes. She even talked on the radio to him saying, "I wubbee" [I love you] - except we found out later we were talking to the wrong pilot. :)

It was so awesome to see Mike fly. It was cool to see his pilot friends and classmates in the jets among his as well. He did very well, which made me feel so much better about him actually landing on the carrier next week. I was so proud of him... he looks dang good in the jet, too! However once you get up close you see the huge, furry mustache he's been growing (a tradition of the pilots that are preparing for their initial carrier qualification). Mustaches look fine on some people, but it doesn't fit Mike one bit and catches me off guard every time I look at his face. I crack up at it. Abby Kate pokes it and says "nassy, NASSY!" [nasty, NASTY!]. haha. He has managed to avoid my camera thus far, but I'll do my best to get a close up of it before he leaves Friday for the boat.

Back to Work

Great news! Dad went back to work today. He's just doing a half day and not trying to push it too much. I know all of his c0-workers are happy to have him back. (Thanks again to all of you for your prayers, cards and visits to the hospital.) I am so happy he's back to work and feeling a bit more normal with every passing day.

He is feeling pretty good and has been walking up and down their street (hills included). I'm so proud of you, Dad! You're doing SO good!

Sailing On Very Soon

It feels like it's come upon us so fast, but here we are again, nearing the end of another phase of Mike's flight training. He's been in Advanced Flight Training here in Meridian since last May. He's hoping to wrap it up here by the end of the month. I say "wrap it up" like it's a quick and easy process, but that is of course not the case.

At the moment, Mike is flying in the skies over the Naval Base learning to 'bounce.' Bounce off an aircraft carrier, that is. They practice here on the ground for a couple weeks before leaving on May 9 for San Diego to land on a boat in the ocean [shiver up my spine]. After he lands successfully a few times (and gets catapulted off the boat a few times - think Top Gun) he'll then "get his wings of gold" as they say.

I am super excited to get the call that Mike has completed the boat landing thing. He'll be in the jet all by himself when doing it for the first time, so I'll be very nervous back here in MS. To get a better idea of what it looks like, here's a video of the students that have gone before him... I can't believe my husband will be doing this, but I'm so proud of all that he's accomplished!



If all goes well, he'll have a winging ceremony at the end of May. And then it's just like before: we'll be told what jet he'll be flying (this time it's for the rest of his military commitment) and then we'll be told where we're going to be living next. This could be lots of different places. I won't go into all the possibilities here. I'll just tell you it'll be either east coast or west coast. We are hoping for east and have requested it.

So, lots of stuff happening in our lives over the next month. We are looking forward to the next move!

Sunday Update

Dad mowed his lawn yesterday. A couple months ago, that wouldn't be blog-worthy news - but considering what he's been through, it's the best news I've heard all day! He's up, he's out, he's doing great! I can't say he's back to full strength, but he's doing very, very well.

After having tubes and wires and IVs for so long, he'll be glad to say goodbye to the last thing left... his feeding tube, which comes out Tuesday. He's down 35 lbs and still doesn't have much of an appetite. Some of his teeth are numb and he says his taste buds just aren't the same. He'll most likely be headed to work on May 1. He's hoping to have enough energy for at least a 1/2 day.

Thanks again for all of the blog comments cards, phone calls, gifts and e-mails you've sent to me and my family. And most of all, for your prayers. Thank you, thank you.

Eighteen Months

I can't believe our little Abby Kate is a year and a half old. Although our lives before her are distant memories, I still feel like she's getting too big, too fast. She continues to surprise us every day with what she knows. She is a sponge, soaking up every word and action that she hears and sees. Just today around 11 a.m., she came up to me and said "I'm hungry." I'd never heard her say "hungry" before. It just came out without me teaching it to her just like so many other words lately. It is so cute.

However, I'm starting to get nervous about what inappropriate things she'll say without knowing any better. For example, one day she was at the hospital with me in KY. As we sat in the waiting room, she waved to EVERYONE that came by. As you can imagine, being in the Plastics Clinic you see all sorts of things. One man sat down next to us and was very friendly to Abby Kate. He had some sort of large growth on his cheek. AK pointed straight to it and said "ear!" Thankfully, it came out "Eeee!" Heat filled my face, but then he just laughed and said, "Don't you just wish you knew what they were saying at that age?" Relieved, I let out my breath and replied, "Yep, sure do!" ha, ha. Not looking forward to any future moments like those. :)

Speaking of hospitals, Dad is still at Baptist East. We're hoping he'll get to come home tomorrow. He's doing pretty good and hopes to get back to work (at least a half day) very soon. I just have to ask those of you that work with him... once he comes back, if he becomes short of breath or weak at any point, please call 911 (even if he's says no!). You can blame it on his very concerned daughter.

A Second Homecoming

Dad is coming home from the hospital (again) today! He's feeling good and looking good and is ready to enjoy the beautiful weather Kentucky is having right now. Dad, I wish I could be there with balloons and banners this time, too. But you know how much I love you! And I'll be seeing you soon. Make sure you take it easy and don't push yourself.

WELCOME HOME, DAD!!!!

Doing Better

After a very scary couple of days, Dad is feeling better. When I left the hospital yesterday to come back home to MS, he was sitting up in his chair, enjoying his first meal of "real" food. The doctors are trying to regulate his blood thinner medication so he can go home. We think that might be another couple of days. He'll be glad to get back home and off this roller coaster ride of health. I know he'll be as scared as we are of another blood clot going to his heart, but the filter is in place to block 99 percent, and he'll be on coumanin (the blood thinner) for many years.

He feels good except that now he's having pain in his right knee. They took an X-ray today. We'll find out what's going on with that soon. He may have twisted it when he fell.

I have thanked God so many times for sparing his life that the prayer runs through my head over and over and over. Thank you for yours.

Here's a picture of Abby Kate and William playing in the "Carnes' waiting room." It was very comfortable and our family pretty much took it over for the last week.

Heavy Hearts

When you will someone to get better with all your heart and mind and prayer... when they progress and start to feel confident in their recovery... when you see them take bigger steps and bigger breaths... when you see them laugh and smile... when you know in your heart they're getting better... that's when another crisis seems to tear your heart into, leaving you nothing but an overwhelming sense of defeat and helplessness.

Dad woke up early Wednesday morning feeling short of breath, sweating and panicking. He had had panic attacks during his previous stay in the hospital and we thought that's what was happening. We called the doctors and set up an appointment for that afternoon. I left with Abby Kate to go back home to MS as planned around noon.

As I was driving down I-65 South, Mom was getting ready to take Dad to the doctor. She was helping him to the door to the garage and opened the car door as Dad felt he was going to have trouble walking even a few steps. He stepped down the two stairs to get into the garage and then passed out. My dad is 6'1 and 230 lbs. My mom is 5'1 and 100 pounds. You can imagine the effort it took for her to keep him from hitting his newly constructed face on the concrete or the open car door. Mom ran to the neighbor. He wasn't home, so she called my uncle who lives nearby. By the time he got there, Dad was conscious again. Uncle Dennis and Mom got Dad into the car and Mom drove him to the hospital. By this time he was very, very pale and really struggling to breathe. The doctors tended to him immediately and ran several tests. The doctor's initial thought was a blood clot.

Mom called with the news of his distress as I was approaching the suburbs of Nashville. I didn't know what to do so I stopped at a Shell station and was going to wait to hear the test results. But I couldn't stand waiting there not knowing what was happening, so I jumped on I-65 North and headed back.

I arrived two hours later to find out the doctors had discovered two massive blood clots that had passed through his heart. They now reside in each of his lungs. Unbelieving that he could have survived such large clots, the docs put him on oxygen and gave him blood thinner. They did a scan to see if he had any more blood clots in his leg. He had many. He had surgery this morning to have a filter inserted in a main artery in his stomach in effort to block those clots from going to his heart.

He's looking and feeling better now, but we are in a waiting period of 72 hours before he's no longer critical. Then it'll be two weeks before the doctors will feel like he's in the clear. He will have to be in the hospital for at least five days and will then have to go to rehab all over again.

He was doing so, so well and now this. It is so frustrating and heartbreaking to watch him progress so far only to fall so much farther back.

Please, please pray for him, my mom and my family. We are again optimistic, but scared.

Another Great Surprise

We took Dad back down to the hospital this morning so they could downsize his trachea tube. We were delighted when they said they'd be able to take it out entirely instead of putting a smaller one in. This was such a relief for Dad (and us)! He now has a hole in his throat, but only has to wear a bandage over it for a few days and it will close up on its own very quickly.

He now only has the feeding tube left. That will come out in two more weeks.

He ate mashed potatoes with gravy today, but he says it's hard to eat because he can't feel his front teeth and can't open his mouth wider than an inch or so. As a result of all this, he's losing a lot of weight. He's lost about 35 pounds so far. He looks great, but it can't be healthy to lose that much so fast!

Abby Kate and I will be headed back home in the morning. We are excited to see Mike! We only have a couple more months left in Meridian (thank goodness!) before we'll be moving to (hopefully) North Carolina.

More to come on Dad, plus pictures!

One Painful Step Forward

Dad came home Friday! We greeted him with a few guests, some smoothies, banners and balloons. He's has done so well at home. He still gets tired pretty easy, but he's been sleeping well and walking around the house - up and down the stairs - with no trouble at all.

He had been drinking milkshakes and smoothies and soup through straws for the past couple of weeks. Today he was supposed to get the wires in his mouth changed to rubber bands. But when we took him to the clinic this morning, they ended up taking the wiring out completely!!! While he's so happy to have them out, he wasn't prepared for how painful it would be. They numbed his mouth, but told him it would still hurt pretty bad as they pulled the wires out of his gums. He's back home now and sleeping after taking his pain medication. I'm hoping he'll wake up feeling much better and even be able to enjoy his first non-liquid meal in weeks! (He's still on a 'soft' diet, however... mashed potatoes, meatloaf, soup, etc. But I know he's looking forward to it!)

We go back to the doctor tomorrow so they can downsize his trachea tube. Then he'll have it completely out by the end of the month. I've taken a few pictures, so as soon as I get back home later this week, I'll post them here so you can see how great he looks!

Tuesday Update

It's been four weeks today since Dad had his accident. I know it feels like even longer to him since he's been through so much. He is now most likely to come home on Friday morning. He is feeling great... the PT even had him dribbling and passing a basketball yesterday! He did very well as you might imagine. He should be dunking soon. ha, ha.

AK and I will now be heading home Thursday to be there to greet him at home Friday morning.

Thanks again for your continued prayers and support!

Saturday Update

Dad moved to a rehab center last night via ambulance. I think it's somewhere on Hurstbourne Lane. I talked to him on the phone this morning and he's feeling good. He didn't require oxygen at all last night and his levels stayed at 97 percent! He's getting pretty tired of his mouth being wired shut, but the doctors said he may be able to get it unwired in a couple more weeks and go to rubber bands. As it looks right now, he'll be at the rehab center until Wednesday. Abby Kate and I will be heading to KY on Wednesday to welcome him home and help out for a few days as he gets settled.

Friday Update

Great news: Dad gets to leave the hospital today! Right now, Mom is still trying to find a suitable rehab place. Turns out Dad is doing too well for acute rehab, so she must find some place besides a nursing home where he can have at least a week's worth of physical therapy. He's having to leave in an IV for the now prolonged need for his antibiotics and he still needs a health professional to care for his trachea tube.

He should be home after another week!

Please pray for Mom. She is very stressed trying to find a place for him and hasn't had much sleep in the past three weeks.

Mike's doing very well. He's parked on the couch for a few days, but he's healing fast. Abby Kate is keeping him entertained with her books and baby dolls.

Thursday Updates

MIKE

Mike started having abdominal pains late Tuesday after a night formation flight. He thought it was nothing until the pain didn't cease all night. Wednesday morning I cancelled the play date that was scheduled to be at our house that morning and took Mike to see the flight doctor on base. They sent him to the hospital for a CT scan which showed he had appendicitis. They scheduled an immediate appendectomy. While we waited a few hours for the surgery, Mike's pain kept increasing and all he wanted was to be put under anesthetic as quickly as possible. Once they finally drugged him up and took him back, the surgery was done laparoscopically within an hour. (Meaning they used a telescopic rod lens system which required three tiny incisions instead of one large incision. A much less invasive surgery.)

Afterward, he was feeling "6,000 times better" as he would say. He's doing well now and is back home and just a little sore as you might expect. He should be flying again within the next two weeks (hopefully).

Thanks so much for all the support from so many people here in Meridian, especially to Sarah for keeping Abby Kate last night while I stayed with Mike at the hospital. I owe you!

DAD

Dad is feeling better and better. I talked to him on the phone today and he said he might be getting out of the hospital tomorrow or the next day!!!! They're talking of sending him to rehab, but the time frame is still unknown. He has been enjoying milkshakes, soup and juice for the last two days. I think his first "meal" was cream of potato soup, a vanilla milkshake and grape juice. He said it tasted great! He still has the size 6 trachea tube in. The latest word is that he'll have the size 6 in while he's in rehab. Then they'll downsize it again before he goes home. They'll remove it completely a couple weeks after that.

I can tell by his voice he is feeling so, so much better. Thanks again for all of your prayers. He is well on his way to full recovery!

It's kind of ironic... my two favorite men, both in the hospital... each telling me to tell the other he was thinking of him and hoping he would get well soon.

Back to the Hospital

As if my family hadn't seen enough of the inside of hospitals, now Mike has been admitted for appendicitis. Enough already! He had surgery this evening and is doing fine. I just came back home quickly to let Junah out and I'm off to stay at the hospital with Mike tonight.

More details to come tomorrow.

Also, Dad's doing great. More details tomorrow on him as well.

Goodnight,
Casey

Tuesday Update

My dad spoke to me today. Clear and strong and full of breath! My heart leaped with gladness and relief. If you try to speak with your teeth tightly closed, that's exactly how he sounds. I could understand him perfectly, even on a cell phone!

He is doing really well today. They had him swallow water for the first time this afternoon and x-rayed him while he did it to ensure that it worked well with the trachea tube. It worked perfectly and now - even as I type this - he is perusing a menu as he will get to drink his dinner tonight. Hallelujah! The menu offers orange juice, apple juice, prune juice, tomato juice, coffee, sodas, milkshakes, oatmeal, a variety of soups, etc. It doesn't sound very appetizing, but to a man who hasn't eaten anything for three weeks... well, even prune juice probably sounds good!