Game of Tag ~ 2008

Looking back at this time last year, I found this and thought it would be interesting to search my memory and heart to answer the following ~ what was 2008 like?!

An unexpected blessing ~ our home on Spruce sold in ten days for way more than we ever dreamed of asking! Thank you, God and Carol Lemon! We listed it on a whim, never dreaming it would become a reality!

Feeling important ~ After a wedding this summer, several things were made crystal clear and I am stronger for that. Remembering what I experienced in The Garden continues to give me confidence, strength and perseverance. My walk with the King is more precious and I know where I shall reside once I pass from this life~I don't feel important but I do feel very comforted.

Craziest thing I did ~ Gave away, gave away, gave away!!! When we moved out of Spruce, we gave away more than I ever dreamed we would do. Some good friends of ours have a booth at a local spot and what she didn't sell, she kept. What we didn't give away, we sold for a song and a dance. It felt so good to move with about as much as we had when we married!

Smartest thing I did ~ Decided to continue with my counseling sessions, realizing that you just don't take care of issues in a year and a half that are 50 years in the making~

Sentimental moment ~ the last dance in the kitchen with Johnny at Spruce and our first dance in the kitchen here in our apartment. I love you, my Johan.

Most enjoyable gift ~ While on a trip to see our Mississippi girls and babies, Leslie invited us to worship and it was one of the most moving and spirit-filled experiences. It is now an expected part of each visit.

Craziest purchase turnabout ~ When the house sold so quickly, we truly had NO idea what we would do. There was nothing on the market we liked as well as what we'd sold. We may build, we may stay, or we may move downtown.

Moments of maturity ~ This year has proven that no matter how much you try to love someone and protect someone, sometimes it just isn't enough.

Huge answers to prayer ~ Our daughters and their families are healthy, safe, and raising their babes to praise our Creator! The surgery and its recovery during October and November was much easier than we ever expected! I have been released from all the specialists and now only have to check in annually!

Consider yourself tagged! Please tell me about your 2008 or leave mea comment so I can visit your blog! Happy New Year!

Looking Back Through 2008

This idea came from Jenny's blog. The trouble I had was choosing which pictures to use. There were so many of our daughters and grandbabies that just.grab.my.heart! Here's a look at 2008 ~

The most significant change in 2008, to me,

was Noah's growth and maturity~

He's taller, there are more curls,

he got his first haircut,

and his confidence has grown~

We got snow in January!

and we were living at 204 Spruce,

our favorite house thus far!

We celebrated Christmas with our daughters
and their families in January,
the weekend it snowed! A white Christmas!

February brought my 53rd birthday!
March was quiet. Windy. Fun.
And I got one of my very favorite
snapshots of Jenny & her sons~
(I love the protective way Ian is
holding onto Noah's hand.) Leslie & Austin drove over to visit
and we had such fun. But then,
we always do. Austin spent the night
with Ian, and we pampered Leslie.
It was her birthday month!
The last weekend in April,
found us on a quick trip to Gatlinburg,
where we made the decision
to see what 204 Spruce was worth,
and if anyone was interested.
They were. Ten days later it sold.
And we moved into a new apartment complex,
as there wasn't anything on the market
that we liked as much as what we sold.
We moved in the first of July.
May was a time of welcoming spring,
with many sweet moments along the way.
And we packed.
And packed.
And traveled to Mississippi.
And packed.
And watched the grandbabies grow.
and packed and moved!
The first of July, John & I celebrated
25 years together.
It's still nice to be married
to my best friend. Jenny planned a gathering of our friends
to help us celebrate at Marchelle's
and it was such a nice evening.
Perfect. In August, Austin turned 5 years old
and we wondered how it was
that just the week before
we were driving over to welcome
his birth~
September brought Brandon's birthday
and hotter weather.
This was to have been the school year
I returned to my classroom.
I didn't. And it was a drastic,
and traumatic, difference.
Brett had a birthday in October,

and the weather finally,

finally, began to cool off!

I had one last surgery to correct problems

from the accident of 2006 and began to enjoy

early retirement from the work force.

Thanksgiving was celebrated at Jenny's home,

and it was also her birthday month!

After having so many holidays at our home

over the years, it was great to be treated

to a meal and not have to clean up afterwards!

Ian made the placecards

and stole another piece of my heart~

Alaina turned three, and more beautiful~Stacey celebrated a birthday!
My mom had her 79th birthday,on the same day Ian turned five~John and I are healthy & happy,and I can't wait to see what 2009 will bring!

We're Home!

and we had the most relaxing time! It was overcast and cloudy most of the time, but as Johnny said years ago "a rainy day in the Smokies beats a sunny day in Alabama". We love our time in the Gatlinburg area and this trip was just as nice. My brother, Nelson, and his wife took her parents and they will all return tomorrow. One night we got together to play dominoes and eat ribs. I fell asleep listening to John and Brewer arguing over keeping score. {I do NOT play dominoes with Johnny Hood. He is too competitive for me. Besides, he always wins.}

It's been three weeks now since the surgery and I'm healing well. The binder aggravates me but I only have to wear it three more weeks! I still tire easily. Taking naps helps and I don't mind snuggling down for one! Thank you for your prayers! Hopefully, this will be the last medical procedure to correct a mistake made two years ago.

Thank you, too, for those of you that read Jenny's page and have prayed for my mother. She suffered a slight stroke Sunday and is presently in rehab. We saw her this afternoon and she's doing much better. She was growing tired by the time we left. They plan to have her up and in therapy early tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers as she struggles to recover. She's a strong woman and I'll be glad to see her return home.

I can't wait to visit everyone and see what you've been up to! I've been to Jen's page and loved reading her 'Seen and Heard'. Hope to see some updates on other sites as well! We forgot to take the camera, bummer!, so there are no pics of our trip. But, I Googled one!

Just a Funny~

So, Leslie called tonight and she was so happy to hear me sounding stronger and better than I have since the accident! Jenny came by after bible study with Brandon and the boys and they both said the same thing! Yay, I'm getting back to me. Now for the 'joke's on you' deal.

Leslie asked what pain med they sent home with me and I replied, as I did here on the last post, what it was. She sounded puzzled, so I got up and read to her what the label said. Well, there is a dash and four letters AFTER the Oxiwhatever, which makes all the difference in the world. The reason I feel the same relief with Xtra Strength Tylenol is that the pain meds are on the same level!! argh, and here I've been thinking "wow, these make me sleep so good". Leslie assured me they will help me feel a bit better and yes I am probably sleeping better but it's most likely because I'm up and about more now than I was.

The power of the mind. A powerful agent. Of course, I'd love for him to ask me if I need another prescription for pain tomorrow. {wink, wink} Kristi!! What can I ask for that will be stronger??!!

Tomorrow morning the staples come out and then I think I'll come home for a nice long nap. John's nuclear stress test is tomorrow afternoon and although they don't think his problem lies with the cardio factor, they want to rule it out. Please keep him in your prayers. His family is riddled with heart problems and he is the only one to have avoided it. We want to keep it that way~

And aren't you just loving this weather?! We'll be in Gatlinburg the second week of November and found out this afternoon that my brother will be there then as well!! He and his wife are taking her parents up there, so we'll have lots of fun tramping around the town and taking in the views. I'll take pics to share!! Enjoy your Thursday and I do hope you find many moments to laugh out loud!

Jennifer! I love you, too, and know you'll have the cutest little cowboy on the block this weekend!!

Hey! I've taken two of those lovely little pills called oxycodone and am feeling well enough to sit here. I hate whiners and the past two days have found me whining! Poor John.

One of my girlfriends came today bringing chicken noodle soup and commented, upon seeing me at the door, "you look horrible". That was all it took to get my head under the faucet, washed, dried and curled. A bit of make up, some time outside on the porch, some silliness from her and I began to feel as good as I did Saturday. Dr. Foxhall's nurse called this afternoon stressing to take it S-L-O-W. And I hate doing that.

But for the sake of taking care of his surgical work, and the sanity of John, I will. We were told, several times by the intern and enough by the surgeon, that there was some major problems encountered and he had to do more than he expected. He still isn't sure why the first surgery back in '06 went the way it did, but it's all patched up and fixed up now. I've lost several major muscle bands, but that gives me an excuse for the ab scrunches not working! {wink, wink}

For all of you that came, brought food, called, emailed, prayed, left comments, checked on Johnny and or Jenny, or in any way showed you cared about us, we thank you from the bottom of our heart. Know that I feel the same about you.

Okay, so I'm finding it painful to sit here any longer. Even with the pills. Have a great evening, hope you slept well, and that the morning dawns on a bright and beautiful Tuesday for us all~

this is johnny, Nancy is fine but in pain. Thank you for your prayers.


Bless his heart. He so hated doing this for me {smile, smile} but it does hurt and I have no interest in sitting here trying to find a comfortable spot. For now, just keep praying and I'll try and get back asap. Thanks for being there~

So tomorrow morning is it. Surgery.

Hopefully, the last one for a long

long

time.

When I Googled an image for this post,

they were gross.

Gross,

gross,

GROSS!

So you get another dose of Maxine.

Because she makes me smile.

and pray for us. Poor Johnny is running to the little boys room more than I'm leaving the room for the little girls room. Guess we know who's more nervous about Tuesday's dawning.

What, Pain? Nah

I.Hate.Pain.

and I am such a wiener

when it comes to hurting.

I don't do drama. I just don't do pain.

During the 77 day stay in ICU,

I received massive amounts of medication

for various things, among them

pain.

So with the upcoming surgery,

I've wondered if there is anything

that will cover the pain expected.

Any medication that will top the morphine,

that doesn't work anymore.

I've decided that I don't just want this

I want

THIS!!

Just pack it in the Bronco and bring it on home!

I'll let you know if I get my wish~

Happy Birthday, Bear!

Happy 50th birthday, Paddington Bear!

Michael Bond recalls in his own words how Paddington first came into being:"I bought a small toy bear on Christmas Eve 1956. I saw it left on a shelf in a London store and felt sorry for it. I took it home as a present for my wife Brenda and named it Paddington as we were living near Paddington Station at the time. I wrote some stories about the bear, more for fun than with the idea of having them published. After ten days I found that I had a book on my hands. It wasn’t written specifically for children, but I think I put into it the kind things I liked reading about when I was young."

Michael Bond sent the book to his agent, who liked it and after sending to to several publishers it was accepted. The publishers commissioned an illustrator and the very first Paddington book "A Bear Called Paddington" was published on 13th October 1958.In 1965, after writing several Paddington titles Michael Bond retired from his job in order to write full time. The Paddington books have sold more than thirty-five million copies worldwide and have been translated into over forty languages.

On another note, a surgery date has been set to repair this incisional hernia! WhooHoo! Next week!! We would appreciate your prayers, as John is still a bit nervous over all this. I'm fine with it and know in my heart that all will be okay. I survived those 77 days in 2006 and I will survive this. With one exception, I will awake after recovery and it will be the same day that I was put to sleep on! I am so ready for this to be over and for recovery to commence. I'll keep you posted!

Lunch Bunch, MeetNEat! UPDATED!!

Okay Lunch Bunch!!! and this includes everyone that blogs and wants to drive to Montgomery to meet other blogging buddies!! The poll is showing a preference for every other month, so~

We will meet on the ODD numbered months. How about that?! It will always be at 11 am on the first SECOND Saturday. So, first SECOND Saturdays. 11 am. ODD numbered months. This means we WILL meet the first SECOND Saturday in November!!! Yay, and yes, I'm grinning.

I did NOT want to wait until after Christmas to see you again and I knew everyone would be too busy and have too many excuses for the Saturdays in December. If you can come, great! If not, then you know you can count on the first SECOND Saturday of January. We will post a place to meet prior to each gathering. In fact, Lunch Bunch, it would be nice if you could post the information on your site.

Let's plan to go back to Eastside Grille and we will set, at that time, a place for the January MeetNEat. If you were there, put it on your calendar now. If you weren't able to come, then I sure hope you'll plan to make it a date!

Thank you for your kind words, prayers, and support in reference to the death of young Skylar Norton. I thought of her mother so often today, this being the first day that they weren't surrounded by family and friends. I'm sure it's been a hard one.

My appointment with the cardiologist went well, and I had an echogram as well. He feels that everything looks as good as it can, considering the damage done during the accident trauma. So. I see the surgeon next Monday and a surgery date will be set! The sooner, the better! I'm ready to get it over and begin the recovery process!! I'll keep you posted!

Just A Little Update

Just an update ~ my surgeon cancelled today's appointment on the reasoning that he wants me cleared by my cardiologist before setting a surgery date. I see that doctor October 7th and upon clearance from him, will see the surgeon and set a date to get this incision hernia repaired. If you've ever had a hernia repaired, please, do NOT comment on anything negative {big smile here} as I read too much online last night about the difficulty of this surgery and it's lengthy recovery period. I have decided I am going to be an exception to the norm and I don't need naysayers clouding my vision {wink, wink} I promise to keep you updated, as I will be calling you as prayer warriors.

A Neat Project & A Busy Day

Check out this idea for creating art! I found it at a new blog I'm stalking and just love it!! It's done with paint samples and after reading about it, I intend to hit the Sherwin Williams here in town. Oops, you did NOT just read this and you will NOT be going there to ask first. Right?! Project: Domestic Bliss, check it out. But of course, finish my post first!

By the way, I love blog hopping and would love for you to visit the 'NEWbies'. There are two {over on the left} that I added this week and I think you'll enjoy them. If you like arts and crafts, begin with The Feathered Nest and use Dawn's site as a jump off point to visit other sites with that theme. If home decor is your cup of tea, then visit Kimba at A Soft Place to Land or Susie at Bienvenue. Just be careful, this is an addictive pasttime. You just can't visit one. One always leads to another which leads to another. And that one opens the door to yet another. See where this is headed?

Here at our home, it was a busy day! And guess what!! I bought groceries! The first time. in. two. months!! Two months of eating out and really enjoying that, BUT I was hungry for a home that smelled like food, like roast, and fresh squash, and biscuits, and brownies. And now. it. does. Got the groceries put up {and we will NOT tell Johnny how much it cost to replenish two months of not buying anything}, got the roast on, baked three chicken breasts with a mediterranean seasoning, got that squash cooking with a sweet onion and some butter, added nuts to the brownie mix, and while that was cooking

I mopped the kitchen floor {it's a small area} and kept two loads of wash going. Rearranged our tiny little foyer, added a rug {guess who will be soooo glad when the outside construction work if finished!!} and even managed to read the newest People magazine while eating a deli sandwich. Am I a super woman or what? By the way, the umpteen pictures of the newest additions to the Jolie-Pitt family are precious. I'm such a sucker for celebrity and royalty articles. So sue me.

Now, if I were a really neat blogger there would be snapshots of the groceries on the counter, as well as snaps of the cut up squash, etc etc etc. Well, I was tired and just glad I had the energy to do what I did. I can remember less than a year ago, I couldn't even buy groceries without Jenny or Johnny. Hmm, I can remember not even caring if groceries were bought, much less if anything was cooked. Which reminds me that two years ago, there was a feeding tube through my nose. Wow, makes me glad my feet are hurting right now because I've been on them all day long {insert a huge smile here and a prayer of thanksgiving}.

The mirror hasn't gotten hung yet, but with Johnny on vacation you will see pictures soon. He has a 'honeydo' list and promises to get it all accomplished. So stay tuned, stay cool, and stay focused. And if you can't stay focused, then at least have some really neat and productive day dreams.

Faith, Friends, & Food!

I did it! and I think I'm proud of myself. But then part of me wants to kick my rear and say, "what in the world did you do that for!"

I have an issue with getting a surgical hernia repaired. It came about from surgery necessary after the accident. This April 21st will be my two year anniversary and I'm still squeamish about being put to sleep and having to go through a lengthy recovery period! Again!! However, our new surgeon, Dr. Foxhall, came highly recommended and we feel that what happened once surely can't happen again. Right?! It took much courage to even call and make today's appointment, and not break it! It took even more to agree to have it done sooner instead of later!

After a lengthy poking around, questioning, more poking, he backed off and asked, "okay, how soon can we do this?" I was like, 'well, how long can I put it off?' and he was like, 'well, it will only get worse'. So, I jumped in with both feet and it will be done as soon as his child graduates from high school. That's right, he said he'd rather not do it in May as there is so much going on with having a senior in the house. My brother, Nelson, has a daughter getting married in May so that works for me, too. I suggested October, Dr. Foxhall suggested June. Guess who won that one?!

As soon as they call with the date, I'll be sure and post it because I believe prayer is what brought me back the last time and will get me through this time. One of my bestest, bestest friends went with me to listen and take notes should I forget something (this short term memory problem is getting better, but not much). Afterwards, Deborah and I went to eat at a new place Jenny told me about. It's a Mexican restaurant across the parking lot from Books-A-Million. Very colorful, very clean, and the staff was almost obnoxious coming by sooooo OFTEN to see if we needed anything. Try it out, I think you'll like it, too!