What's Up, Goofballs?: February 2008

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

A doozy!

When I was pregnant with Trey (back in the 1800's ;) and my sinuses swelled a bit with pregnancy, I started using Ocean Nasal Spray at the recommendation of my obstetrician to help keep my sinuses clear. A few squirts of this saline water in each nostril at the beginning of my shower followed by a big blow out at the end of my shower allowed me to breathe freely all day.

I began to notice that when Dave, Ryan, and Drew were bringing home colds, they skipped over me and I concluded that keeping all the mucous out of my nasal and sinus passages was helping to keep me healthy. As such, I've used this great product ever since. In the past 14 years, I've been the healthiest one in the family with a only two or three extremely brief sniffles. This was in great contrast to the numerous colds leading to bronchitis that I had been prone to prior to using the Ocean Nasal Spray. I'm a lifelong convert.

But alas, even my clean nose couldn't protect me from an evil chest virus that has been flying around the metropolitan area. It took a direct hit at my lungs and started last Wednesday night with a vengeance ... pain in the middle of my chest, extraordinary weakness and dizziness, and a cough to kill. I got out of bed finally on Monday afternoon and am starting to return to full speed. I understand that the cough with this one lingers for weeks, but I am thankful to be back in the ranks of the functioning. It was nice that we had Lost season 3 to watch while I was down and out :)

What a doozy!

Friday, February 22, 2008

My uncle is going to be okay :)

I talked with Keri who explained what happened with Uncle Dennis.

This past Sunday, he went for a walk by Lake Havasu where they winter. His wife Leslie and daughter Jeni were with him. About 3 miles into the walk he had cardiac arrest. This is much more severe than a heart attack in that the heart stops beating, breathing stops, and the person goes unconscious. So Uncle Dennis goes into cardiac arrest and falls to the ground -- there were no early warning symptoms or signs, just 'kabamm' and he was down.

Jeni & Leslie call 911 and start CPR. A motorist sees what is happening, stops briefly, drives to a hotel and gets their defibrillator and brings it back. The machine verifies no pulse and allows itself to be used to shock Dennis. CPR. Another shock. The paramedics arrive. CPR. A shock from their machine. Ambulance to hospital.

They were able to save Dennis' life but he was in a coma on on a repspirator the first day. By Tuesday morning his condition had sufficiently stabilized to allow for the heart procedure to be performed. I believe that the 3 stents were placed via veins and arteries, not from a full-on chest opening. One artery was 99% clogged.

When Dennis came to, his short-term memory was gone and he kept asking about where he was, and who people were, and what was going on, and he wanted to go home. Fairly quickly (in days) improvements were seen. The doc says that he'll likely never remember the few days before and after the cardiac arrest, but his short-term memory of current events is coming back on line. He's mastered remembering breakfast, but may not remember who called from the day before.

When I talked with Keri on Thursday, she sounded great. She was so thankful to have her daddy back from the brink of death just a little bit worse for the wear. My Aunt Cris (Dennis' x-wife) is so happy for the girls that their daddy is okay (and happy for Dennis, too ;) Keri also said that where Dennis was when he had the cardiac arrest was the most fortunate of all places because he could have been where he usually is either in their RV at the park (no defibrillator) or on their boat (no defibrillator). Such a God-thing, such a very very big God-thing.

The other thing Aunt Crissy reminded us was to:
Live, Love, Laugh, Hug, Golf, Exercise, Play Bridge, BE HEALTHY!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Good Morning ...

We had a great birthday party for the Daytona 500 :) It was soo good to see Robyn & Darold as we don't get together enough in the winter (at all!).

There was food, food, food galore - I made pulled pork sandwiches by crock-potting a couple of pork tenderloins from Sams for 24 hours with a bottle of honey barbecue sauce. They were wonderful. The meat was pretty tough until about the 18 hour mark, so not an undertaking without a chunk of time! I was surprised I had to cook it all night, but so thankful it finally came out great. We also had baked beans and brownies, and a fruit salad with mango, blackberries, and small green grapes. Appetizers included shrimp, specialty cheeses and crackers, Jules guacamole with blue chips, and potatoes-au-bratin from John (brautin because they had brats in them :) I made a french vanilla layer cake with white frosting for Robyn's birthday and it was wonderful. Every surface in the kitchen was filled with food and drink!

More special that the eatings were family & friends ... Darold & Robyn. Dave and I, Trey, Sean and Lars. Harp, Julie, Sam & Bailey. Jules & Hannah. Henry, Susan, Caitlin & Bridget. John & Michelle. Ryan & Josh. Ryan Newmann won the Daytona and it was a fun race. We all watched America's Funniest Videos afterward (which is a show that is always better with a crowd.) We finished up pretty early so everyone could ready to go skiing today. So much fun to be had, so little time.

Today I'm getting ready for Bible Study here at my house. I've started a Monday study with some girlfriends in my neighborhood to walk through the whole bible. We have a new believer and I offered to do this because when I came to know the Lord, the biggest mystery to me was the bible and how it is put together and what it means / covers. We've been having a great time in the study as well as knitting our hearts and lives together. Today we are movoing on from the Pentateuch (which is the first five books of the Old Testament, sometimes called the Books of Moses) to the 12 history books of the OT (Joshua thru Esther). We'll focus on Joshua today ... after Moses brought the jews out of slavery in Egypt and they wandered for 40 years, then Joshua took the jews into the Promised Land. The book of Joshua is about the conquest, division, and settlement of the land and as Joshua nears the end of his life, he transfers leadership to the judges.

Busy season is pushing along well and hard ... a lot more work for the year-end filings to do in the next 2 weeks. Fortunately, when busy season ends I as also scheduled to get my skiing privileges back as this is when my meniscus is anticipated to have healed.

I'm continuing to pray for and love on my friends with infirmities and challenges ... there are a number of them so my prayer life has been quite full. I am also praying specifically for the sale of our motorhome to a buyer that has been expressing great interest over the past two weeks... oh Lord, please let that happen.

Ryan & Drew are grown up and away at college and that is still such a strange thing after you have your kids your life for years and years and years ... I'm still incredibly thankful for the younger boys and our lives with them at home. Four kids is quite an undertaking, but it is a blessed one. Dave is happy & healthy and my daily prayers include thanks for him and his love. He's continuing to work out a lot and to take care of our home and every need. He's so cute in regularly bringing me popsicles as I slave over my computer.

Okay, so that's a pretty complete update :) I hope it finds you have a full and wonderful day that includes time with your creator father as well as fun and love with your family and/or friends. We are blessed beyond measure and one of my greatest follies is to take for granted the comfort and joys that we have.

Hugs and love, Sherrie

Here is a great line from today's Carolyn Hax whose opinion column I enjoy: "Jealousy is like anger. In rare flare-ups, it warns us of others. When it's chronic, it warns of ourselves." I wonder what other emotions we could analyze like that?

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Ladies & Gentlemen ... Start Your Engines!

Tomorrow is the Daytona 500 & when we celebrate Robyns' birthday!

Here's the finish line from last year - yes that's my #29 Kevin Harvick :)

It's sad the damage that's been done ...

EPA to start pumping out water to avoid looming disaster

posted by: Jeffrey Wolf , Web Producer

written by: Jace Larson , Investigative Reporter

and Deborah Sherman , Investigative Reporter

created: 2/15/2008 6:08:46 PM

Last updated: 2/15/2008 8:10:31 PM

Click to enlarge

Contaminated water from old mine near Leadville

LEADVILLE – The EPA says it will begin pumping water trapped inside a mountain within seven to 10 days in an attempt to prevent a catastrophe that could kill hundreds.

The move will significantly reduce the risk of a blowout at an old mine drainage tunnel, according to Lake County Commissioner Ken Olsen.

This concern was first raised publicly by 9Wants to Know on Wednesday.

Lake County Commissioners met via telephone with state and federal agencies on Friday. All agreed that pumping water out of the mountain was the fastest way to reduce danger to residents and the environment.

THE REST OF THE STORY IS IN THE COMMENT ...

Friday, February 15, 2008

Praying for Medical Challenges ...

I have been doing a lot of praying for a lot of dear friends
with health issues ... what a tough time!

Melissa was struck this past Tuesday with Bells Palsy, so the left half of her face doesn't move much since its nerve is paralyzed. The latest medical opinions indicate that although it strikes rarely it does tend to come about in people under a great deal of stress and who have herpes simplex. We are praying for complete recovery AND in days rather than months.

Colleen has had a severe reaction to the anti-fungal drug that she has been prescribed for the fungus that has invaded her lungs last year ... so on top of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergilloiss she now also has is dealing with the inttraconazole anti-fungal medication which broke down her liver enzymes and messed with the chemical balance in her body (blood sugars are too high and other things are too low). We are praying for her liver to recover and for the effectiveness of a future course of treatment.

Michelle went in for a "fairly simple" outpatient repair to her meniscus in her right knee and one week later is still on high levels of pain meds for the intense pain & swelling. She is unable to put any weight on the joint although she "should" be walking around by now. We are praying for a diagnosis and correction of the damage that occurred during surgery.

Angie (as per my longer post below) is recovering for a very badly botched hysterectomy with intense damage to her bladder as it was torn open. We are praying for full healing of her bladder and hysterectomy site.

These major health challenges of my friends makes me "grateful" for a much more minor health challenge I'm walking through ... I'm about 1/2 way through my recovery month which includes a complete loss of ski privileges due to injuring my left knee meniscus skiing - not an accident, just the twisting and turning of older knees that are anatomically very poorly designed to start with (my knee caps are flat on the backside and thus dislocate easily and have next to no stability). Ultrasound treatments, swimming 4 times a week, isometric exercises, and icing 3 times a day seem to be making progress. The hope is to avoid a cortisone shot or surgery. The issue really only has significance due to the missed time, memories, and lovin' on the slopes with my family & friends :(

Your prayers are so cherished!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Dave says that Google made a special valentine for us!

Happy Hearts to All You!!

DEAR ABBY: My 94-year-old mother, who lives in a nursing home,
has had so much fun making valentines for all her grandkids -- ages 17 to 46.

She sent a picture taken of herself in a bubble bath and wrote,
"I hope your day is as happy as I am here in this picture.
Proverbs 15:15, 'For the despondent, every day brings troubles;
for the happy heart, life is a continual feast!'
Happy Valentine's Day!"

I am so proud of her attitude.
-- KATHY IN KENNEWICK, WASH.

DEAR KATHY:
And well you should be.
Your mother sets an example we should all be fortunate enough to follow.
ABBY

My prayer is that your day will be filled with
choosing happiness and experiencing a feast of love and joy!

Lots of Skiing Pictures ...

I've posted lots of skiing and snowboarding pictures -
And there are some from days I haven't yet posted.

But when they are all posted,
I'm happy that one of the pix from our family will NOT be this one!

The story is in the comments ...

Happy Valentine's Day Friends :o)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Update on Dear Angie

Dear Friends & Family ~

I just spoke with our dear neighbor Angie and she sounds sweet and patient and precious as always, yet she is facing challenges as a result of her hysterectomy February 1st.

Angie on the left with Julie & Susan at the Bolder Boulder ...

Her gyn surgeon had not completely separated her uterus from her bladder and when he took the uterus out, he ripped her bladder open. His repair to the bladder was not effective and a urologist surgeon (Dr. Bell) was called in, made a large abdominal incision, and re-did the bladder repair. Angie's 39 staples were removed before she left for home on Monday, February 4. Although she's happy to be home, due to pain & discomfort, she is not sleeping well.

Yesterday Angie had her follow up appointments with both doctors. Her abdominal incision has opened up and the doctor washed it and sent her home. At the urologist, her urine tested clear of bacteria but it does have white blood cells. The urologist said the incision did not look good, that he had seen worse, and to follow the instructions (not that there were any) of the gyn since he had done the close. I've recommended to Angie that she take her temperature regularly to check for early signs of infection and that she call her insurance company first thing tomorrow for a reference to a specialist in wound care.

Thursday Angie will go back to the hospital for a dye test to determine if her bladder has healed and can contain urine. Her urologist will be there to read the x-rays and determine whether the catheter can be removed or if another surgery will be necessary.

Angie's husband and children are being wonderfully supportive. Her grown daughter and her mother are visiting from out of town and with her for a few weeks and taking care of the house and meals. She sounds thankful and appreciative for her family's love and for her mother's help in the home.

Please pray for Angie at this time ... for her full and complete healing, for her rest and strength, and for her sweet spirit. And if you have personal experience with anything that she is going through, please comment with your stories, suggestions, and encouragement.

In sadness and prayer,
........Sherrie

PS - Angie's dye test 2.14.08 showed no leaks and her catheter is out! Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!! Please pray for continued healing -- she's improving, but yet there is a long way to go...

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Your Faith & Love ~ Cause for Thanksgiving!

We ought always to thank God for you,

brothers and sisters, and rightly so,
because your faith is growing more and more,
and the love all of you have for one another
is increasing.

2 Thessalonians 1:3

Friday, February 08, 2008

Shifting Gears ...

Pouring, pouring, pouring ...

It crosses my mind that at times my life feels like an ongoing "pouring out"
(can you tell it's busy season?)

And that's when I know that I need take a break, and let the Lord pour in...

Lord, please refresh me as you pour your love & strength in. Amen.

PS ~ Dear Family, I love you SO much :)

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Willow Creek ~ An Awesome 2001 Weekend with Lori & Bart

In September of 2001, we shared an awesome weekend with our friends Lori & Bart at Willow Creek Ranch ... we camped, fished, hiked, built a tree house, went to Steamboat Springs, and truly enjoyed our time with these dear friends. Here are some great pics of this great weekend:

Our camp spot & boys ...
Drew, Ryan, Sean & Trey ...