Me: We're going to get something to eat and then we will finish up. I'm starting to get shaky.
A: Well, I'm getting shaky for ice cream!
9 years ago
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Pictures from the weekend
Sunday morning in the hospital. He doesn't look too bad, does he?
The front fork broke completely. The spring you see should not be hanging out like that! In fact on an intact motorcycle, you shouldn't see that particular spring at all!
Front view of the motorcycle. Amazing that what you see in this picture is really the worst of the visible damage.
Praise God for this exhaust! According to a man who witnessed the accident, Michael's motorcycle originally started to go down toward the right side of the bike. He said that something hit the ground and pushed the motorcycle back into an upright position, preventing Michael from sliding or tumbling with the bike.
Another view of the front.
Once again, we just praise God for the miracle He has given our family. We can not thank Him enough for allowing Michael to continue to live with us on this earth for a while longer.
The front fork broke completely. The spring you see should not be hanging out like that! In fact on an intact motorcycle, you shouldn't see that particular spring at all!
Front view of the motorcycle. Amazing that what you see in this picture is really the worst of the visible damage.
Praise God for this exhaust! According to a man who witnessed the accident, Michael's motorcycle originally started to go down toward the right side of the bike. He said that something hit the ground and pushed the motorcycle back into an upright position, preventing Michael from sliding or tumbling with the bike. 
Another view of the front.
Once again, we just praise God for the miracle He has given our family. We can not thank Him enough for allowing Michael to continue to live with us on this earth for a while longer.
The more we learn about the accident and the more we think of what could have happened, we just praise God even more for the blessing of what He did allow to happen.
Monday, April 20, 2009
wear a full face helmet
The excitement just never seems to stop around here!
Saturday morning, N went to a birthday party for one of her close friends. After that, all the girls packed up and went to the skating rink for another birthday party. We were invited to stay at the skating rink for yet another birthday party, but we declined.
Michael got a call from a friend and they took off on their motorcycles for an afternoon ride. Bill had been in Virginia for a few months and was glad to finally be back home with his family (and his motorcycle).
The girls and I arrived home from the 2ND party around 4:30 in the afternoon. After 5 and a half hours of partying, I was wiped out and did not want to go anywhere.
Instead I received a phone call from Michael as we walked in the door. He had been in an accident and was waiting for an ambulance. But, he also told me he was okay and not to worry. I asked if he was joking. He told me that he was serious.
But I still was not sure. You see, shortly after we got our truck, I hit a bird. The poor bird died and we were okay. But, I told Michael we'd had a small accident. There was a scratch or two in the paint on the bumper, but nothing serious. So, I wondered if this was his was of getting me back. He had just bought a new motorcycle a month ago.
Turns out that Michael really was hurt. I waited for an hour for Michael to call to tell me which hospital he had been taken to. There are 2 very close by and then 2 a little further away that handle more serious injuries. I finally called and found out he was at the closest hospital to the accident and that several of the Coast Guard guys had already shown up. I dropped the girls off with Bill's wife and headed for the hospital, 30 minutes away.
The Coasties who had been in the ER with Michael were all waiting in the lobby when I arrived because the ER staff were doing chest x-rays. I stood out in the lobby with them and was reassured that I would not find a mangled Michael laying in a hospital bed. At that point, the general thought was that Michael's injuries were a sore shoulder and a few scratches on his arm.
After a little while, I went into the room with Michael. The nurses were joking and laughing with Michael as they cleaned up his arm. My first thought was that it appeared he'd met a cat who didn't like being held.
Around 7 pm, Michael was taken to Radiology for CT scans of his neck and chest. They did the scan on his neck, but did not do the scan of his chest. When they found out that Michael has had a mild allergic reaction to shrimp and an allergic reaction to Benedryl, they brought him back to the ER room to wait for his doctor's opinion. For the CT scan for his chest, Michael needed to be given a contrast dye which contains iodine. An iodine allergy is common in people who are allergic to shrimp. The standard treatment for a reaction to the contrast is a dose of Benedryl.
Finally, the decision was made to inject 2 small doses of Benedryl into Michael's IV and see if he had a reaction. When no reaction occurred, Michael was taken back to Radiology and then back to the ER room. The thought has crossed my mind that perhaps there was no reaction because a different antihistamine was administered shortly before the decision was made on the Benedryl.
Several hours passed and we were finally told the extent of Michael's injuries. The ER doctor said that Michael had cracked ribs 2-6 and had a 1st degree separation of his collar bone from his shoulder. The surgeon came in a few minutes later and told us that Michael had cracked ribs 2-5, had a 1st degree separation and had a small pneumothorax, a pocket of air in the chest cavity caused by a puncture of the lung. The concern was that the pneumothorax would grow resulting in a collapsed lung and an extended hospital stay. So, Michael was admitted to the hospital shortly before midnight.
Around 1:15 am, we left the ER for a room upstairs. The nurses were wonderful and brought both of us dinner shortly before 2 in the morning. After making sure we were settled and Michael's vital signs were good, they left us for the rest of the night. Of course, if they checked on us later, I was sleeping and unaware. I woke just after 5am and dozed until about 6:30.
I left to get some clean clothes, check on the girls and tell our church family what was going on. When I returned to the hospital, Michael had already been taken for another round of x-rays to determine if there was more air in his chest than there had been the night before.
While we waited for those results, we had several phone calls and after church was over, we had several visitors. In between visitors, the surgeon stopped by to let us know that it appeared the puncture had sealed as there was no additional air in Michael's chest.
Michael was released from the hospital shortly after 2 pm and we made it home with no incidents. Just after I got Michael settled in a chair, the doorbell rang. Allyson, Bill's wife, had brought the girls over for some clean clothes and was taking them to a Bible Quizzing rewards party. We spoke for a while and after they left, I left to fill the prescription for Michael's pain meds.
While I was at the pharmacy, I saw our associate pastor. He told me to let Michael know that there are better ways to get attention! I agreed.
Sunday ended after attending the evening service, where A fell asleep in my arms. I got the girls home, fed and put to bed. I went to bed about 10 minutes later. Michael was using the computer in the living room and tried later to sleep in our bed. Eventually, he gave up and returned to the living room chair.
Today, he has been in quite a bit more pain than yesterday. I am not sure if it is all related to the accident or if some is related to sleeping in a chair that is not designed for sleeping.
At any rate, we can not praise God enough or thank Him enough for sparing Michael's life and allowing him to walk out of the hospital Sunday afternoon. We have cried and prayed almost non-stop for 2 days, just marveling at the miracle that God has granted our family.
Michael claims that he has learned a few lessons from this. #1- ALWAYS wear a full face helmet when riding a motorcycle, no matter how stupid it looks. Michael credits first God and then his helmet for saving his face from serious injury. #2- The nurses offered to add a little ink to the scratches on Michael arm as they were joking around on Saturday night. Michael has decided that he will not be getting a tattoo like he had been considering. Besides, the tattoo shop that he had a gift certificate to recently closed down. And finally, #3- don't assume that you know what other drivers on the road are going to do. Always plan for the worst possible thing they can do and be pleasantly surprised when they don't do it.
I thank you for the prayers, phone calls and offers of help that we have received over the weekend and today.
Saturday morning, N went to a birthday party for one of her close friends. After that, all the girls packed up and went to the skating rink for another birthday party. We were invited to stay at the skating rink for yet another birthday party, but we declined.
Michael got a call from a friend and they took off on their motorcycles for an afternoon ride. Bill had been in Virginia for a few months and was glad to finally be back home with his family (and his motorcycle).
The girls and I arrived home from the 2ND party around 4:30 in the afternoon. After 5 and a half hours of partying, I was wiped out and did not want to go anywhere.
Instead I received a phone call from Michael as we walked in the door. He had been in an accident and was waiting for an ambulance. But, he also told me he was okay and not to worry. I asked if he was joking. He told me that he was serious.
But I still was not sure. You see, shortly after we got our truck, I hit a bird. The poor bird died and we were okay. But, I told Michael we'd had a small accident. There was a scratch or two in the paint on the bumper, but nothing serious. So, I wondered if this was his was of getting me back. He had just bought a new motorcycle a month ago.
Turns out that Michael really was hurt. I waited for an hour for Michael to call to tell me which hospital he had been taken to. There are 2 very close by and then 2 a little further away that handle more serious injuries. I finally called and found out he was at the closest hospital to the accident and that several of the Coast Guard guys had already shown up. I dropped the girls off with Bill's wife and headed for the hospital, 30 minutes away.
The Coasties who had been in the ER with Michael were all waiting in the lobby when I arrived because the ER staff were doing chest x-rays. I stood out in the lobby with them and was reassured that I would not find a mangled Michael laying in a hospital bed. At that point, the general thought was that Michael's injuries were a sore shoulder and a few scratches on his arm.
After a little while, I went into the room with Michael. The nurses were joking and laughing with Michael as they cleaned up his arm. My first thought was that it appeared he'd met a cat who didn't like being held.
Around 7 pm, Michael was taken to Radiology for CT scans of his neck and chest. They did the scan on his neck, but did not do the scan of his chest. When they found out that Michael has had a mild allergic reaction to shrimp and an allergic reaction to Benedryl, they brought him back to the ER room to wait for his doctor's opinion. For the CT scan for his chest, Michael needed to be given a contrast dye which contains iodine. An iodine allergy is common in people who are allergic to shrimp. The standard treatment for a reaction to the contrast is a dose of Benedryl.
Finally, the decision was made to inject 2 small doses of Benedryl into Michael's IV and see if he had a reaction. When no reaction occurred, Michael was taken back to Radiology and then back to the ER room. The thought has crossed my mind that perhaps there was no reaction because a different antihistamine was administered shortly before the decision was made on the Benedryl.
Several hours passed and we were finally told the extent of Michael's injuries. The ER doctor said that Michael had cracked ribs 2-6 and had a 1st degree separation of his collar bone from his shoulder. The surgeon came in a few minutes later and told us that Michael had cracked ribs 2-5, had a 1st degree separation and had a small pneumothorax, a pocket of air in the chest cavity caused by a puncture of the lung. The concern was that the pneumothorax would grow resulting in a collapsed lung and an extended hospital stay. So, Michael was admitted to the hospital shortly before midnight.
Around 1:15 am, we left the ER for a room upstairs. The nurses were wonderful and brought both of us dinner shortly before 2 in the morning. After making sure we were settled and Michael's vital signs were good, they left us for the rest of the night. Of course, if they checked on us later, I was sleeping and unaware. I woke just after 5am and dozed until about 6:30.
I left to get some clean clothes, check on the girls and tell our church family what was going on. When I returned to the hospital, Michael had already been taken for another round of x-rays to determine if there was more air in his chest than there had been the night before.
While we waited for those results, we had several phone calls and after church was over, we had several visitors. In between visitors, the surgeon stopped by to let us know that it appeared the puncture had sealed as there was no additional air in Michael's chest.
Michael was released from the hospital shortly after 2 pm and we made it home with no incidents. Just after I got Michael settled in a chair, the doorbell rang. Allyson, Bill's wife, had brought the girls over for some clean clothes and was taking them to a Bible Quizzing rewards party. We spoke for a while and after they left, I left to fill the prescription for Michael's pain meds.
While I was at the pharmacy, I saw our associate pastor. He told me to let Michael know that there are better ways to get attention! I agreed.
Sunday ended after attending the evening service, where A fell asleep in my arms. I got the girls home, fed and put to bed. I went to bed about 10 minutes later. Michael was using the computer in the living room and tried later to sleep in our bed. Eventually, he gave up and returned to the living room chair.
Today, he has been in quite a bit more pain than yesterday. I am not sure if it is all related to the accident or if some is related to sleeping in a chair that is not designed for sleeping.
At any rate, we can not praise God enough or thank Him enough for sparing Michael's life and allowing him to walk out of the hospital Sunday afternoon. We have cried and prayed almost non-stop for 2 days, just marveling at the miracle that God has granted our family.
Michael claims that he has learned a few lessons from this. #1- ALWAYS wear a full face helmet when riding a motorcycle, no matter how stupid it looks. Michael credits first God and then his helmet for saving his face from serious injury. #2- The nurses offered to add a little ink to the scratches on Michael arm as they were joking around on Saturday night. Michael has decided that he will not be getting a tattoo like he had been considering. Besides, the tattoo shop that he had a gift certificate to recently closed down. And finally, #3- don't assume that you know what other drivers on the road are going to do. Always plan for the worst possible thing they can do and be pleasantly surprised when they don't do it.
I thank you for the prayers, phone calls and offers of help that we have received over the weekend and today.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Any ideas on what these pictures have in common??
A very well behaved little girl who was exhausted by the end of a very busy day! These are a few pictures from the BBQ benefit last week. A decided that she wanted to snuggle with me instead of taking a nap in her room. I took a 2 hour nap and took this picture about 2 hours after I got up.
A very well behaved little girl who was exhausted by the end of a very busy day! These are a few pictures from the BBQ benefit last week. A decided that she wanted to snuggle with me instead of taking a nap in her room. I took a 2 hour nap and took this picture about 2 hours after I got up.
Monday, April 6, 2009
100% Positive.......
that we are having.......
.......
........
....... a.........
BABY!
We had our "big" ultrasound today. This was our one and only opportunity to see if our little one would cooperate and show off the gender. Instead, we had a very uncooperative baby on our hands. Baby would not even move into a better position for the measurements that the tech needed to get. After about an hour of trying to get the baby to move, two ultrasound techs agreed.... we are having a baby!
.......
........
....... a.........
BABY!
We had our "big" ultrasound today. This was our one and only opportunity to see if our little one would cooperate and show off the gender. Instead, we had a very uncooperative baby on our hands. Baby would not even move into a better position for the measurements that the tech needed to get. After about an hour of trying to get the baby to move, two ultrasound techs agreed.... we are having a baby!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Conversations
Me: A, you need to take your thumb out of your mouth please.
A: But Mommy, my thumb needs to be in my mouth.
Me: Why?
A: Because my thumb is tired.
A: But Mommy, my thumb needs to be in my mouth.
Me: Why?
A: Because my thumb is tired.
What a day week!
Wow! Another week that has gone past amazingly fast! This week's project was supposed to be working on clearing some of the clutter out of the house. Instead, I ended up working on another benefit for the lady I mentioned earlier who needs the lung transplant.
Today was the climax for the week. The benefit was a BBQ dinner and we took orders from all over our town and the larger town nearby. In all, we had over 600 plates ordered that needed to be delivered. Not to mention all the plates we had to prepare in order to sell to people who happened to drive by and want a plate of Carolina BBQ. I believe we prepared well over 1,000 plates of food and when I left to take A home for a nap this afternoon, there were about 120-150 plates of food left to try to sell. Plus the jar that we had out for donations was almost completely full! God has just worked amazingly today!
The weather was supposed to be very bad today. You know how it is. Plan an outdoor event and just expect a 75% chance of thunderstorms... But instead, we were blessed with cool enough weather to be outside most of the day and still be comfortable. And we were blessed with sunshine!
The girls though... The girls were wonderful! I was able to leave A inside the building to play while I worked outside. There was only one small incident involving our youth pastor, but otherwise, A did beautifully! (our youth pastor accidentally knocked her underneath a table!) And last night for the final meeting, both N & A were content to play outside with each other while I worked on other things.
So, another long week, but an amazing time.
Today was the climax for the week. The benefit was a BBQ dinner and we took orders from all over our town and the larger town nearby. In all, we had over 600 plates ordered that needed to be delivered. Not to mention all the plates we had to prepare in order to sell to people who happened to drive by and want a plate of Carolina BBQ. I believe we prepared well over 1,000 plates of food and when I left to take A home for a nap this afternoon, there were about 120-150 plates of food left to try to sell. Plus the jar that we had out for donations was almost completely full! God has just worked amazingly today!
The weather was supposed to be very bad today. You know how it is. Plan an outdoor event and just expect a 75% chance of thunderstorms... But instead, we were blessed with cool enough weather to be outside most of the day and still be comfortable. And we were blessed with sunshine!
The girls though... The girls were wonderful! I was able to leave A inside the building to play while I worked outside. There was only one small incident involving our youth pastor, but otherwise, A did beautifully! (our youth pastor accidentally knocked her underneath a table!) And last night for the final meeting, both N & A were content to play outside with each other while I worked on other things.
So, another long week, but an amazing time.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Letter to the bank
Dear Sirs,
In view of what seems to be happening internationally with banks at the moment, I was wondering if you could advise me correctly...If one of my checks is returned marked "insufficient funds", how do I know whether that refers to me, or to you?
~seen on another site I frequently visit.
In view of what seems to be happening internationally with banks at the moment, I was wondering if you could advise me correctly...If one of my checks is returned marked "insufficient funds", how do I know whether that refers to me, or to you?
~seen on another site I frequently visit.
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