The Blizzard...the day after

The snow has stopped and it's pretty and sunny outside today. John's workplace is closed and so is the library so we're enjoying another unexpected day at home! He went out to shovel the driveway and took some pictures of the drifts...some in the backyard are six feet deep! It's very pretty...I'm glad I don't have to be out in it today! Happy Valentine's Day!

It's getting even deeper!

We have 11 inches of snow and it's still coming down and the wind is really fierce! I'm so glad we're both at home and staying warm!

Higher drifts...3 hours later

Photos of the storm from our living room

Wild Weather!

We're having a real blizzard today! I got a call at 7 a.m. from my boss saying the library is closed. We're having some wild weather. Our county is under a snow emergency. We're supposed to get up to a foot of snow and with the wind blowing, the roads are really bad. John was able to get to work...it's just a mile drive. When he came home for lunch he said the driveway is almost drifted closed. I called out to Mom's and Ruth is pretty much stuck there until the weather improves. Fortunately, none of us have lost power so we're staying in and keeping nice and warm. There's no one on the roads...even the snow plows are waiting until the wind dies down. That's winter in Indiana!

Blizzard in Winchester

Walking Her Home

Mark Schultz sang a song at the concert that always makes me cry. I told him how it touched my life when I spoke with him after the concert. Since my parents have been married nearly 60 years and Mom is dying of brain cancer, his song is especially poignant to me. My Dad is lovingly caring for Mom and still loves her like he did when they met more than 60 years ago. After all those years and seven children...their love is still strong. Here are the lyrics to Mark's song. You can hear it on his website too.




Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call

Her dad said son
Have her home on time
And promise me you’ll never leave her side
He took her to a show in town
And he was ten feet off the ground

(Chorus)
He was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled it stole the breath right out of him
Down that old road
With the stars up above
He remembers where he was the night he fell in love
He was walking her home

Ten more years and a waiting room
At half past one
And the doctor said come in and meet your son

His knees went weak
When he saw his wife
She was smiling as she said he’s got your eyes

And as she slept he held her tight
His mind went back to that first night

(Chorus)

He walked her through the best days of her life
Sixty years together and he never left her side

A nursing home
At eighty-five
And the doctor said it could be her last night
And the nurse said Oh
Should we tell him now
Or should he wait until the morning to find out

But when they checked her room that night
He was laying by her side

Oh he was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled when he said this is not the end
And just for a while they were eighteen
And she was still more beautiful to him than anything
He was walking her home
He was walking her home

Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call

Our room at the Marriott

Mark Schultz live!

My handsome husband!

Me and Mark Schultz!

We had a wonderful weekend!

We had a wonderful weekend! We just got back home...trying to beat the snow storm that's headed our way. They're predicting anywhere from 8 to 15 inches here tonight and tomorrow. We stopped in Portland on our way home and stocked up on food and water. Our weekend was so much fun. We arrived at the Ft. Wayne Marriott around 2:30 yesterday. Our room was very nice! We had plenty of time to get ready and then headed down to the Marquis Ballroom. We had our photo taken by a professional and they had a set-up that printed them out right away, so we got it by the end of the evening. We had a great meal. Chicken with mushroom sauce, salad, fresh green beans, rice, rolls and wedding cake! It was really a beautiful setting with 5 couples at each table. We met a really nice young couple from Holland, Michigan who sat beside us. They have 4 kids and were enjoying the night away...they stayed at the Marriott too. The concert was great...we were just 2 tables away from Mark Schultz so we had a great seat. He was very personal and funny as he always is. He sang several songs, then took a break. Then two pastors led us in a renewal of our vows. It was so sweet...John cried when he said his vows. Then they played a beautiful song and everyone danced right there by their banquet tables. Mark came back in for several more songs. Afterwards we got his autograph and my picture with him! I told him that my parents were living his song, "Walking Her Home" and he was so sweet about it. We got back to our room around 9 so it was really a wonderful evening! We were on the concierge level so we went into that lounge for our breakfast. It was amazing! They had everything you could possibly want for breakfast except maybe hot eggs. They did have boiled eggs, all kinds of pastries, fresh fruit, meats, juices, coffee, etc. No one else was there when we were so we had a nice breakfast by ourselves! It was such a great time...we really needed the time away and it couldn't have gone better.

Renew Your Vows Concert

Hospice care

My mother has been getting weaker each day and is now experiencing some neurological deficits on her left side. She has difficulty speaking and cannot seem to use her left hand very efficiently. I stayed out there Thursday night and all day Friday until the evening. We had some good talks...she's really worrying about how her death will happen. Her brother died of a brain tumor and he had lost his sight and ability to speak so she's really afraid of that happening. We really don't know what to tell her...I'm just trying to reassure her of our love and of the love of Christ. I know He is with her and I want her to find comfort in her faith. She's so weak she can barely walk with a walker. She isn't eating much at all. Dad finally agreed to begin hospice care now. They can offer so many more services and are skilled at helping the patient and the family deal with approaching death. I know that sounds really cold and clinical...but I've come to accept that Mom is going to die and I want to do all I can to make it as peaceful and comfortable for her as I can. John and I are going away overnight Sunday if all is well here at home. We're going to a "Renew Your Vows" concert and banquet where Mark Schultz will be singing! It's a formal affair so John is wearing a tux and I'm wearing the gown I wore to Joel's wedding. We're really looking forward to the time away. Molly and Myron gave us the money for this for Christmas! We're both really looking forward to it. We're staying at the Marriott Sunday night after the concert. The concert and banquet are being held in the Ft. Wayne Marriott ballroom. I hope to get some good photos to put on my blog next week.

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Super Bowl Bound!

Wow...January's half gone...

I've been so busy lately...I haven't blogged. The situation with my Mom is about the same. She is still taking Temodar therapy...5 days of the drug...then 23 days off. She didn't have a lot of side effects last time. She's still very weak and won't eat much. I haven't been out there for over a week because John was sick all last week. He was having excruciating pain in his jaw clear back to his ear. The doctors were baffled and thought it might be Bell's Palsy or trigeminal neuralgia. They treated him with prednisone, neurotan and vicodin. They helped dull the pain but we still didn't know what was causing it. After a week they ordered a CT scan and it was normal so Dr. Frankenfield put him on a strong antibiotic as a last resort. The next day his upper gum had a huge swollen spot on it that subsequently burst and started draining pus. He went back to the doctor today and they've decided it was an abscess of something...not sure what! He's feeling 100% better and is only taking the steroid and antibiotic. What an ordeal for him! It was really scary not knowing what was causing the pain. I'm so grateful to all our friends and family who were praying for him!
Molly, Myron and Betsy are coming to visit this Friday and are staying a week! It will be so great to see them again. We've been hearing from Joel that Wendy is doing well in the first trimester of her pregnancy and has only been sick once that we've heard. She's flying to Disneyland tomorrow with a group from her church for a Children's Ministry Seminar! So Joel will be "batching it" with the puppies. He's pretty happy about the Colts victory too! That's about all the news for now.

Mom

I talked to Dad tonight and he said Mom is even weaker today. She has difficulty even getting out of the chair now and can't make it out of the room to use the bathroom. He said she was so lethargic that they had to shake her to get her to respond today. He's really worried. He isn't sure if it's the tumor or the chemotherapy making her so weak. He had the nurse check on her today and the dr. called in an antibiotic prescription for her bronchitis. I'm afraid if she gets any weaker we may have to hospitalize her.

I haven't posted for awhile...life has been hectic since Christmas has passed. I have some great news! Joel and Wendy are expecting a baby in September! We're so happy for them! They'll make such wonderful parents...they both love the Lord and are committed to Him and to each other. I'm so thankful that the Lord brought Godly spouses to my children.
I talked to all the "kids" this weekend and they are all doing well. Myron has accepted a promotion at Gospel Light and is travelling to California next week to learn more about his new responsibilities. He and Molly are coming home to see us in a couple weeks...I'll get to see Betsy again! Joel and Wendy are doing well...she hasn't had any morning sickness yet...I hope she doesn't at all! Joel was given an excellent evaluation for his actuarial work and received a nice raise. Wendy is starting back to her teaching jobs at LCC and MSU. They keep so busy! I wish we could see them more often!
John and I spent Saturday evening and Sunday with Dad and Mom. She started back on the chemotherapy medication. She has to take 5 days of a large dose of Temodar and then be off of it for 23 days...then begin again. She seems to be tolerating it fairly well although she does seem to have bronchitis and that has caused her some problems. We had her sleep in her recliner last evening to help her to breathe better. Our biggest concern right now is her lack of appetite. She's lost over 40 pounds and is very weak. It's difficult for her to even stand up to walk to the bathroom using a walker. We keep trying to offer her foods we know she loves but she has no desire to eat at all. If she gets much weaker, it will be difficult for her to get out of bed. She seems to be having a little trouble with her vision too. She sees things that aren't there and we aren't sure if it's an eye problem or something neurological. She still seems sharp in her thinking at times and then at other times, is very confused. The course of this illness is such an unknown...we really don't know what to expect. We're so thankful she was able to enjoy Christmas with the family.