Not to worry children...no cuts, no broken bones...just embarrassed to be out in public today...and we're off to have Bob's CT scan...so guess I'll use my sunglasses :)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
UH OH
Yesterday I was careless and it resulted in this.
Not to worry children...no cuts, no broken bones...just embarrassed to be out in public today...and we're off to have Bob's CT scan...so guess I'll use my sunglasses :)
Not to worry children...no cuts, no broken bones...just embarrassed to be out in public today...and we're off to have Bob's CT scan...so guess I'll use my sunglasses :)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow
Laura Beth, Tori and Cody
A Chord of Three
First Baptist Church,
Canton, Tx. 2008
Saturday, October 24, 2009
A Very Good Day
After receiving "the news" from the "radiation oncologist" we left to keep our appointment with the "medical oncologist". Bob had his lab work done and then Dr. Gupta reviewed the info Dr. Engleman had shared with him (they are in the same offices at Texas Oncology)....
We got back home about a half hour before the Home Health nurse arrived...I had just enough time to feed him...as soon as Rachel left Bob took a nap and I ran to the nearby Kroger. ..it was Bobby's birthday, I prepared spaghetti, we took it to their house and visited for about an hour....first time we've been out in the evening in months.
We got back home about a half hour before the Home Health nurse arrived...I had just enough time to feed him...as soon as Rachel left Bob took a nap and I ran to the nearby Kroger. ..it was Bobby's birthday, I prepared spaghetti, we took it to their house and visited for about an hour....first time we've been out in the evening in months.
The Phone Call.............
He had just steped out of the shower... sitting on his bathroom chair ...I was drying him off....he was cold...the phone rang...I threw a towel around his sholders ...running from the room I said "it may be the doctor"...it was.
"good news...looks like we got it all...he's cancer free"
it;looks like
he continued.."there's one lymph node in the neck we want to check further...probably just scar tissue...we'll do a CT Scan next week and if it lights up we'll just remove it." ....(if it lights up?)
Now this part is even more strange...I returned to the bathroom and relayed the message to Bobby...all he did was put his arms around me to comfort me as I shed tears (of course) into his neck.
He said nothing.
"Aren't you relieved?"...
a mild "I guess so."...
"you guess so?"
"hadn't you considered the possibility of the treatment not being successful?"
"not really...it's hard for me to get excited about anything .. there's so much wrong with me."
Not to be a downer ... or diminish the joy we all feel now...but
I was so sad for him. He's right...there is still much healing to be done...much ground to cover in the months ahead...and he is still suffering (silently)..
God will see us through this as he has done the last four months. I anxiously await the day when he smiles again.
"good news...looks like we got it all...he's cancer free"
it;looks like
"The originalsite is clean"..
he continued.."there's one lymph node in the neck we want to check further...probably just scar tissue...we'll do a CT Scan next week and if it lights up we'll just remove it." ....(if it lights up?)
Now this part is even more strange...I returned to the bathroom and relayed the message to Bobby...all he did was put his arms around me to comfort me as I shed tears (of course) into his neck.
He said nothing.
"Aren't you relieved?"...
a mild "I guess so."...
"you guess so?"
"hadn't you considered the possibility of the treatment not being successful?"
"not really...it's hard for me to get excited about anything .. there's so much wrong with me."
Not to be a downer ... or diminish the joy we all feel now...but
I was so sad for him. He's right...there is still much healing to be done...much ground to cover in the months ahead...and he is still suffering (silently)..
God will see us through this as he has done the last four months. I anxiously await the day when he smiles again.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
"with a banjo on my knee"
Yes Indeed!!! 'goin' to Alabama...
Not for a measly 3 or 4 day visit...but to take up residence!
Bob's long time wish for "a little cabin in the woods" is coming true. Plans are underway to start construction...
It will look something like this...with the porch extended to cover the entire front of the house...(appx. 28 ft.)
It will not be logs (too expensive) and it will now have a metal roof....but it will have wonderfully vaulted ceilings and a wall full of windows that stretch from floor to celing..It's small (just over 900 sq.ft.) but adequate: our present apartment is just over 700 sq.ft...so we're movin' up!
This is the house it will be behind.
This is where it will be built.... in the wooded area in the backgroung...
some trees will have to come down
Here are some of our "views"
There are also, occasionally, deer and water mocasins :)
Here is the family we will be spending our time with.
We hope to move between Christmas and New Years...The cabin will not be finished by then so we will stay in "the big house" 'til it is ready.
There is much to do here also...first and foremost, Bob has to get well enough to travel."Praise God from whom all blessings flow"
Not for a measly 3 or 4 day visit...but to take up residence!
Bob's long time wish for "a little cabin in the woods" is coming true. Plans are underway to start construction...
It will look something like this...with the porch extended to cover the entire front of the house...(appx. 28 ft.)
It will not be logs (too expensive) and it will now have a metal roof....but it will have wonderfully vaulted ceilings and a wall full of windows that stretch from floor to celing..It's small (just over 900 sq.ft.) but adequate: our present apartment is just over 700 sq.ft...so we're movin' up!
This is the house it will be behind.
This is where it will be built.... in the wooded area in the backgroung...
some trees will have to come down
Here are some of our "views"
There are also, occasionally, deer and water mocasins :)
Here is the family we will be spending our time with.
We hope to move between Christmas and New Years...The cabin will not be finished by then so we will stay in "the big house" 'til it is ready.
There is much to do here also...first and foremost, Bob has to get well enough to travel."Praise God from whom all blessings flow"
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Stolen Picture
....couldn't resist!...here's Thomas, David and Cooper
special assistance from barb
special assistance from barb
Thomas's first halloween
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Box
In the corner of our living room is a lovely bookcase that my daughter Laura gave me a few years ago. She had one at her house and I admired it...so...the next thing I knew she had one for me.
A couple of the shelves hold some of my old, favorite books...including 10 original Nancy Drew mysteries.
BUT ON THE BOTTOM SHELF IS THE BOX
It ia very special to me because it is where I keep 40 or so letters that Bob wrote me when he was in Germany in 1951-52.
Also inside the box is a newspaper clipping from years ago...an article written by Bob Greene, a nationally syndicated columnist for the Chicago Tribune and best-selling author. It has been said that he wrote for people hungry for moral clarity, for nostalgia, for a softer world.
It's a long article but well worth the read:
"Scenes from a (LOST OR LOVING) marriage:
There may be many scenarios that typify the lives of men and women who have been married for a long time, but I saw what I think was the classic case the other afternoon.
This was at O'Hare Airport, in the Delta Airlines terminal. A bunch of us were sitting waiting to board our flights, when all of a sudden a man in his 50's walked up to a ladies' restroom.
The man opened the door of the ladies' room. Then he shouted inside:
"Lenore? Are you in there?"
There was no reply from inside the restroom. Those of us in the gate area were by now staring at the man.
"Lenore!" he yelled into the ladies' room. "Are you in there?"
An embarrassed cry came out of the ladies' room: "Yes, I am."
Well, what are you doing?" the man yelled. "They're boarding our flight!"
"I'll be right out," the woman called.
People in the gate area were laughing out loud by this point. The man walked back to whatever boarding area he had come from. And a minute or so later, an embarrassed-looking woman, also in her 50's emerged from the ladies' room. Presumable she was Lenore.
NOW ...ONE THING ABOUT THIS WAS CERTAIN:
All the people who saw it told the story that night whereever they were having dinner. I know I did. I have seen a lot of things in my life, but I had never seen a man shouting into a ladies' restroom.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was just the ultimate example of how people who have been married forever sometimes treat each other. There is probably no other woman in the world whom that man would dare to interrupt while she was in the ladies' room: with Lenore, it was clearly second nature.
You see less dramatic examples of this all the time:
The man and woman who, eating dinner in a restaurant, go for 60 full minutes without exchanging three sentences.
The woman in the restaurant who, when the waiter asks what she would like to eat, orders meals for both herself and her husband.
The man and woman sitting in a public place who wordlessly exchange different sections of the newspaper when they are finished reading.
The woman who automatically reaches up to adjust the back of her husband's suit collar when it isn't even sticking up.
The man who climbs into the passenger seat of the car when his wife picks him up, and adjusts the radio before kissing her hello.
The woman who says"Well, it's getting late for us" the moment she decides she would like to leave a party.
The man who says "No" when the hostess at a party asks his wife if she would like a refill of her drink.
The woman who raises her eyebrows in silent apology to the room when her husband tells a stupid off-color joke.
The man who hits the channel-changer button on his television set's remote-control unit while his wife is still watching a program.
Some of these things might seem like pure thoughtlessness, and others may seem like dreary habit, but they're something more than that;
they're the way that married people too often routinely begin to treat each other after years and years of living together. To an outside observer each instance might seem to be an example of love gone wrong, or blood run chilly, but I don't think that's always true; alas, romance may die while love remains, and just because couples don't behave like teenagers on their first date doesn't mean that their marriages are in trouble.
The man who doesn't say a word to his wife at dinner might know very well that he would fall apart totally if he were to lose her.
The woman who announces that she and her husband are leaving the party without consulting her husband might say silent prayers each night, thanking heaven that the two of them are still together.
What seems like lack of consideration may be merely comfortable to the husband and wife involved;
what seems tiresome beyond belief to younger lovers in the throes of new passion may be an island of peace to the husband and wife who have known each other's every thought for decades.
Not to be too mellow; a lot of long-term marriages are rotten, and some of the signs of bad marriage can be the very things that also symbolize two people who are completely at ease with each other. You can never guess how someone else's marriage is faring, no matter how well you think you know the two people.
But after we were all finished lauging at the man who yelled into the ladies' restroom, and after I had told the story at dinner that night, something occured to me:
Very few people make it through enough years with a man or a woman that they could dare do something like that and know instinctively that they would be able to get away with it. The man might have been shouting "Lenore!! Are you in there?
But, who knows? Translated, that might come out as "Lenore! I love you!"
A couple of the shelves hold some of my old, favorite books...including 10 original Nancy Drew mysteries.
BUT ON THE BOTTOM SHELF IS THE BOX
It ia very special to me because it is where I keep 40 or so letters that Bob wrote me when he was in Germany in 1951-52.
Also inside the box is a newspaper clipping from years ago...an article written by Bob Greene, a nationally syndicated columnist for the Chicago Tribune and best-selling author. It has been said that he wrote for people hungry for moral clarity, for nostalgia, for a softer world.
It's a long article but well worth the read:
"Scenes from a (LOST OR LOVING) marriage:
There may be many scenarios that typify the lives of men and women who have been married for a long time, but I saw what I think was the classic case the other afternoon.
This was at O'Hare Airport, in the Delta Airlines terminal. A bunch of us were sitting waiting to board our flights, when all of a sudden a man in his 50's walked up to a ladies' restroom.
The man opened the door of the ladies' room. Then he shouted inside:
"Lenore? Are you in there?"
There was no reply from inside the restroom. Those of us in the gate area were by now staring at the man.
"Lenore!" he yelled into the ladies' room. "Are you in there?"
An embarrassed cry came out of the ladies' room: "Yes, I am."
Well, what are you doing?" the man yelled. "They're boarding our flight!"
"I'll be right out," the woman called.
People in the gate area were laughing out loud by this point. The man walked back to whatever boarding area he had come from. And a minute or so later, an embarrassed-looking woman, also in her 50's emerged from the ladies' room. Presumable she was Lenore.
NOW ...ONE THING ABOUT THIS WAS CERTAIN:
All the people who saw it told the story that night whereever they were having dinner. I know I did. I have seen a lot of things in my life, but I had never seen a man shouting into a ladies' restroom.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was just the ultimate example of how people who have been married forever sometimes treat each other. There is probably no other woman in the world whom that man would dare to interrupt while she was in the ladies' room: with Lenore, it was clearly second nature.
You see less dramatic examples of this all the time:
The man and woman who, eating dinner in a restaurant, go for 60 full minutes without exchanging three sentences.
The woman in the restaurant who, when the waiter asks what she would like to eat, orders meals for both herself and her husband.
The man and woman sitting in a public place who wordlessly exchange different sections of the newspaper when they are finished reading.
The woman who automatically reaches up to adjust the back of her husband's suit collar when it isn't even sticking up.
The man who climbs into the passenger seat of the car when his wife picks him up, and adjusts the radio before kissing her hello.
The woman who says"Well, it's getting late for us" the moment she decides she would like to leave a party.
The man who says "No" when the hostess at a party asks his wife if she would like a refill of her drink.
The woman who raises her eyebrows in silent apology to the room when her husband tells a stupid off-color joke.
The man who hits the channel-changer button on his television set's remote-control unit while his wife is still watching a program.
Some of these things might seem like pure thoughtlessness, and others may seem like dreary habit, but they're something more than that;
they're the way that married people too often routinely begin to treat each other after years and years of living together. To an outside observer each instance might seem to be an example of love gone wrong, or blood run chilly, but I don't think that's always true; alas, romance may die while love remains, and just because couples don't behave like teenagers on their first date doesn't mean that their marriages are in trouble.
The man who doesn't say a word to his wife at dinner might know very well that he would fall apart totally if he were to lose her.
The woman who announces that she and her husband are leaving the party without consulting her husband might say silent prayers each night, thanking heaven that the two of them are still together.
What seems like lack of consideration may be merely comfortable to the husband and wife involved;
what seems tiresome beyond belief to younger lovers in the throes of new passion may be an island of peace to the husband and wife who have known each other's every thought for decades.
Not to be too mellow; a lot of long-term marriages are rotten, and some of the signs of bad marriage can be the very things that also symbolize two people who are completely at ease with each other. You can never guess how someone else's marriage is faring, no matter how well you think you know the two people.
But after we were all finished lauging at the man who yelled into the ladies' restroom, and after I had told the story at dinner that night, something occured to me:
Very few people make it through enough years with a man or a woman that they could dare do something like that and know instinctively that they would be able to get away with it. The man might have been shouting "Lenore!! Are you in there?
But, who knows? Translated, that might come out as "Lenore! I love you!"
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
McCoy struggles, but Longhorns beat Sooners 16-13
Texas, still a second-half team, does enough to shake Sooners
Sunday, October 18, 2009
— Like nearly everything else on these grounds at the State Fair, things were twisting and turning upside down, careening out of control and racing at top speed. Finally, the ride came to a stop and everything settled down exactly where it started out before all the commotion.
But in the end, the results were pretty much the same as before:
Sam Bradford's still hurt, this time maybe for good.
Move over Alabama. Texas' defense will put a hurting on you.
The sloppy performance did little for McCoy's chances of winning the Heisman Trophy and it won't earn much respect for a team that slipped a spot in last week's poll. But what matters most to McCoy and the Longhorns (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) is remaining in line to play for the national championship — and, well, it always feels good to beat their rivals from across the Red River, especially in front of 96,009, the largest crowd in the 104-game history of this series
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Red River Shootout
Texas-OU Weekend is here!!! It's gonna be a nice day for the game...played at the Cotton Bowl every year on this October weekend....the last day of the Texas State Fair.
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium. This has been the site of some of college football's most exciting match-ups, thanks to the dynamically talented teams that come out of the University of Texas.
Darell Royal
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium. This has been the site of some of college football's most exciting match-ups, thanks to the dynamically talented teams that come out of the University of Texas.
Darell Royal
Friday, October 16, 2009
Todays agenda
Thirty pounds lighter than five months ago....that's Bob, not me (tho I'm the only one in this duo that needs to lose weight)...
Today we made another, of many, trips over to Baylor, Plano to see one of Bob's doctors. His cough has worsened, he has had headaches, and dizziness when he stands up (tho this is not something new.) The good news is he has no infection and no pneumonia...the bad news is the cough is caused by all the drainage and secretions that he has and most likely won't become a thing of the past until his trech opening heals and closes completely...and as soon as he is able to swallow again the secretions should diminish....at least, that's the plan! The dizziness when he stands is probably because his blood pressure drops (or lowers...can't remember which) when he gets up...as he spends about 95% of each day lying or sitting down.
I had to reschedule the MRI that he was suppose to have today because of his constant coughing....it's on again for next Wednesday.
Today we made another, of many, trips over to Baylor, Plano to see one of Bob's doctors. His cough has worsened, he has had headaches, and dizziness when he stands up (tho this is not something new.) The good news is he has no infection and no pneumonia...the bad news is the cough is caused by all the drainage and secretions that he has and most likely won't become a thing of the past until his trech opening heals and closes completely...and as soon as he is able to swallow again the secretions should diminish....at least, that's the plan! The dizziness when he stands is probably because his blood pressure drops (or lowers...can't remember which) when he gets up...as he spends about 95% of each day lying or sitting down.
I had to reschedule the MRI that he was suppose to have today because of his constant coughing....it's on again for next Wednesday.
Another restless night
Tick….
Tick….
Tick….
Tick.
The numbers on the clock are blurry
I can’t quite make out the time
Not that it matters how late it is
I’ll wait for the sky to shine
There’s a beat pounding in my head
And though I don’t know the cause
I can hum along with it endlessly
It doesn’t skip, stutter or pause
My mind’s feeling fuzzy, yet hyper
I hope it will eventually shut down
Because the darkness seems to be creeping in
And the silence has turned into sound
The beat in my head has moved to my body
I listen to it synchronize with the clock
I’m excited, jittery, but too groggy to move
So I hum along, “Tick-tock.”
My eyes burn from exhaustion
But my mind is starting to clear
I close my lids to try again
But the sunrise is drawing near
Suddenly my alarm starts to blare
And I jump out of my skin with fright
I turn it off and prepare for day
I welcome, yet hate the light
Another night I’ve completely wasted
The bags under my eyes are deep
Time to get up and to continue life
Oh how I only wish I could sleep!
by Cori
Tick….
Tick….
Tick.
The numbers on the clock are blurry
I can’t quite make out the time
Not that it matters how late it is
I’ll wait for the sky to shine
There’s a beat pounding in my head
And though I don’t know the cause
I can hum along with it endlessly
It doesn’t skip, stutter or pause
My mind’s feeling fuzzy, yet hyper
I hope it will eventually shut down
Because the darkness seems to be creeping in
And the silence has turned into sound
The beat in my head has moved to my body
I listen to it synchronize with the clock
I’m excited, jittery, but too groggy to move
So I hum along, “Tick-tock.”
My eyes burn from exhaustion
But my mind is starting to clear
I close my lids to try again
But the sunrise is drawing near
Suddenly my alarm starts to blare
And I jump out of my skin with fright
I turn it off and prepare for day
I welcome, yet hate the light
Another night I’ve completely wasted
The bags under my eyes are deep
Time to get up and to continue life
Oh how I only wish I could sleep!
by Cori
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Total Patient Care
TPC is the home health company that we use. In order to tell you about them I will post part of their "Statement of Values" mission statement.
"We are called to be a reflection of God's unconditional love to those we serve, with special concern for the sick and elderly. This mission inspires us to provide quality, compassionate care to our patients, supplementing and supporting the efforts of their families and caregivers. We believe that the highest standards of care should be delivered with dignity and respect for those in physical need.....the way we work is a reflection of who we are, and any good that we do is ultimately a reflection of the God we serve."
I'm thankful that our case worker at Kindred recommended TPC to us....and I pass on that recommendation to anyone in need of home health care.
This is Desirei Knight, our PT, assisting Bob in strengthening his lower body.
This is Lori Snook, SLP...she will be assisting Bob in learning to swallow again, as well as speech therapy.
Rachel is also an RN who visits weekly but as yet I have no picture of her.
May God bless them all.
"We are called to be a reflection of God's unconditional love to those we serve, with special concern for the sick and elderly. This mission inspires us to provide quality, compassionate care to our patients, supplementing and supporting the efforts of their families and caregivers. We believe that the highest standards of care should be delivered with dignity and respect for those in physical need.....the way we work is a reflection of who we are, and any good that we do is ultimately a reflection of the God we serve."
I'm thankful that our case worker at Kindred recommended TPC to us....and I pass on that recommendation to anyone in need of home health care.
This is Desirei Knight, our PT, assisting Bob in strengthening his lower body.
This is Lori Snook, SLP...she will be assisting Bob in learning to swallow again, as well as speech therapy.
Rachel is also an RN who visits weekly but as yet I have no picture of her.
May God bless them all.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
God's Greatest Gift
I journey in my mind today
to watch the years fly by,
Where are my little children?
The pictures that tell the story
of how they grew so fast,
Once little boys and girls with little plastic army men, coke caps and dolls to fill their days.
In an instant their world changed forever,
Their journey in life on a new path,
One filled with crayons, finger-paint and giggles.
Finding pleasure in everyday things,
the world looked brand new..
.jpg)
I never thought I could love my children more,
But on the day when they placed my grandchildren in my arms
I swear I did.
I realize what a gift we received.
My child's child,
Amazed as I kiss their soft cheeks.
I will reach for my childs hand,
to offer encouragement and support.
Yesterday's memories tucked away in my heart.
Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.
Amazed by the love I have for each of them.
A part of my soul they now pass on.
to watch the years fly by,
Where are my little children?
The pictures that tell the story
of how they grew so fast,
Once little boys and girls with little plastic army men, coke caps and dolls to fill their days.
In an instant their world changed forever,
Their journey in life on a new path,
One filled with crayons, finger-paint and giggles.
Finding pleasure in everyday things,
the world looked brand new..
.jpg)
I never thought I could love my children more,
But on the day when they placed my grandchildren in my arms
I swear I did.
I realize what a gift we received.
My child's child,
Amazed as I kiss their soft cheeks.
I will reach for my childs hand,
to offer encouragement and support.
Yesterday's memories tucked away in my heart.
Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.
Amazed by the love I have for each of them.
A part of my soul they now pass on.
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