A Lifetime of Love

I planning on taking full advantage of the boys being at science camp this morning. I am hosting some friends of mine for Bible study on Wednesday morning, so today is the perfect opportunity to clean my house while the boys aren't here. I plan to begin upstairs with the bedrooms and full baths, then work my way downstairs to the half bath, kitchen, dining, and living rooms. I have 2 1/2 hours to finish. Ready! Set! Go!

It’s been a busy week for us. Monday night we promised the boys we’d take them bike riding in our church parking lot on Tuesday because Th wanted to learn to ride without training wheels and our neighborhood is too hilly. However, the worst storm we’ve had in months hit Tuesday night, forcing us to retreat to our house. We have been in a drought for a year and the night we want to do something fun for the kids, it doesn’t just rain, it storms! The storm was so bad that lightening struck TJ’s building at work, causing him to be extremely busy on Wednesday and work a 12-hour shift. We couldn’t go bike riding Wednesday because we go to church on Wednesday nights, so we finally made it there last night. Of course, it was overcast and threatened to rain the entire time we were there, but nevertheless the kids had fun and Th learned to ride his bike sans training wheels. Speaking of Th, I am so proud of him. We did the same thing last fall, and he was just so afraid of falling that he would...

TJ surprised me on Saturday by arranging to have a sitter come and stay with the kids while we went out to dinner for our anniversary. Although we didn’t make it to the Cheesecake Factory or the Melting Pot, we did try a restaurant that we had never been to before called Harry & Jean’s. It was very good, and although a little expensive, it had a quiet atmosphere and excellent food. We debated on going to watch a movie, but since neither of us knew what was playing, we decided to order our dessert to go, headed to Wal-Mart and bought “Radio” from the $5 bin, and came home to enjoy a peaceful evening. . . once we got the kids settled. They were really excited all day because a sitter was coming over. We got home shortly after 9pm, so it wasn’t terribly late for them to still be awake. When TJ and I got closer to our house, he asked me if he should park in the garage (he feared the opening garage door would wake up the kids). I chuckled and told him to go ahead because I knew the boys...

I guess the day my dad had to call 9-1-1 he was napping on the couch since it was raining outside. Erin came in and woke him up and said she thought he had better call for help. Well, he jumped off the couch, ran into the kitchen, and poured a glass of orange juice. He brought it back into the living room where Erin was sitting and told her to drink it, and that he wasn’t going to call until she did. She told him she didn’t really feel like drinking orange juice, but he insisted, so she did. When she was finished, he asked her if she was feeling any better, and when she wasn’t, he then called. She was a little confused as to why he did that, so I explained that my uncle (my dad’s twin) is a diabetic and has been since he was a child. My dad’s brain is programmed to give him orange juice to help bring his blood sugar back up, and it was probably just his first reaction, especially since he was asleep. His mind wasn’t really processing everything she was saying, and he just knows to give...

Erin was released from the ER last night. She was told she over-exerted herself yesterday which made her heart rate drop too low. I don't know exactly what tests the doctors did, but the last I spoke to my mom, Erin was having a chest x-ray taken. I'm not sure why; I think to check and see if her lungs were collapsing again. I spoke to Erin this morning and she sounded fairly good. Of course her voice was weak, but Paul was there and my mom was home from work today for the holiday. She said her biggest challenge was wanting to care for Kaylee and not being able to, especially when it came to nursing. She is not used to having to depend on others for so much help, especially since Paul has been gone since March. On the other hand, Erin told me a funny story that happened to my dad today, so at least her spirits were up and she was able to laugh (if you know my dad, you know how "accident" prone he is). As far as I know, Paul has to report back to NC this upcoming Thurs...

My sis was released from the hospital Tuesday evening (with no diagnosis and instructions to follow up with the dermatologist and rheumatologist next week). She is staying at my mom’s house where there is more space and less people so she can rest and recuperate. I spoke to her yesterday morning and the plan for the day was for Paul to take Kaylee to his parent’s apartment (30 minutes away) for the day so Erin could nap without worrying how Paul is doing with Kaylee. Paul and Kaylee left around noon, and my mom came home from work at 3pm so she was only “alone” for 3 hours (she was never alone because my dad and brother were there working on the deck outside). I called again this morning to check on her and she still sounded weak but the plan for today was the same as yesterday, with the exception of my brother being gone at Boy Scout camp until Sunday, and my dad stuck inside because it was raining (can’t build a deck in the rain!). That was about 9:30am. At 3:45pm my mom phoned to te...

Today is my 9 year anniversary. Happy Anniversary, TJ ! I received the sweetest card and hand-written note from him. Here is a little excerpt from the note: You have given me 3 1/2 children and I am truly thankful. God placed us in California on that day when we met for a reason, He had a plan for us and we are still learning what that plan is. I thank God for you and my children and how fortunate I really am. Are those not the most heartfelt words you have ever read? TJ is not the mushy type, so for him to write this to me, it really means a lot. We did not exchange gifts because we are planning to make a major purchase sometime in the near future, and that will be our gift to each other (and our kids). However, I would still like to go out for dinner (thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions and recommendations- I appreciate it!) and that's always a nice break. So often we hire a sitter to come but it'...