Hello Everyone! Yet again, I have been lurking – but haven’t left many comments! I was keeping up with everybody even though I was on vacation! So, sorry about that!!!!
Let me first update you on Michael. Our family truly thanks you for your continued prayers – we have certainly felt them. God is a God of miracles and that continues to be evident to me in this entire situation. I went to visit Michael in the Rehab Unit this past Sunday and he is doing much better. They are to meet with the team of specialists (neurologists) today to talk about how rehab is going and what to expect next. He has been there for one week now (a new hospital) and seems to be doing very well with it. It is pretty neat because he has a “sitter” who is always with him – 24 hours a day. Obviously it isn’t the same person, but the same few people rotate. They do not leave his side. It is pretty cool. Monday – Friday, he has rehab from 8 – 3 in 30 minute intervals. They are working with him on both physical and neurological therapy. When I saw him on Sunday, it is very much like he has “woken up” from the last time I saw him. He is very much “alive and awake”….I would liken it to talking to someone like “Rainman”. He just talks continuously and moves a lot and just has a ton of nervous energy. It is like his brain is moving really fast and he is doing his best to keep up with it. The best way that I can describe it is if you imagine that inside your head you have a bunch of vaults. Each vault contains specific information that you need to function – but it has to stay inside that vault. It is like his information is all over the place and he is trying to put it all away where it belongs but he can’t get the keys fast enough. You can tell that it is all still “there”…but he can’t get it all right. He just keeps asking you to tell him that he isn’t crazy – but I am sure he feels like he is crazy. And then people come to visit him and just sit there and stare at him….that would make anyone crazy! But I knelt down and got right into his face so I could look right into his eyes and we talked. He was telling me what a miracle he is and I told him that this means that God isn’t done with him yet and that I can’t wait to see all that God has in store for him. He agreed with me. He quoted scripture to me…” I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He keeps saying…”Let’s start from the beginning…” and he will recap what he has been told happened to him. So, it was GREAT to see him and talk to him….but he definitely has a long road ahead of him. They have told his parents to expect at least 6 months to a year before he will be somewhat normal again. And they still haven’t told us what “permanent brain damage” means. I guess the reason behind that is…they did say that it really depends on how smart he was before as to how much he will recover. He was extremely intelligent…so hopefully that is good news! He did get a letter from his scholarship committee telling him to not worry about his scholarship – that it will be there for him as soon as he is able to return to school. That made his day! So…please continue to pray and I will update you as I know more. His mom is not doing so great. She is severely diabetic and has an ulcer on her foot. She is going to have to go to the doctor this week because it continues to get worse. But GOD IS GOOD! Michael will tell you that himself!!!!
Now, for an update on our vacation! We had a wonderful time! It was a LONG drive there and a LONG drive home, but we had a great time!!! The kids LOVED the ocean – or should I say that Isaac loved playing in the waves of the ocean and Faith Anne loved playing in the sand! Gracie just took everything in – but didn’t like the feel of her feet in the sand! We left on Sunday and drove to somewhere in South Carolina. Then we got up on Monday and drove (via a scenic route, I think) to North Myrtle Beach! We finally found the place we needed and got our hotel voucher. So, we headed off to our hotel – which actually turned out to be condos!!! So, we were in this gorgeous condo building that over-looked a marina. They messed up our reservation (go figure) and so Mom and Dad got bumped up to a two-bedroom condo! It was very nice!!! Ours had a bedroom with a king-size bed, a bathroom, a full kitchen, a living/dining area and a balcony (oh, and a washer/dryer!!!). Their condo had a bedroom with 2 full-size beds and an attached bathroom, a full (BIG) Kitchen, a living/dining room area, a master bedroom with a king-size bed and a master bath and a balcony (and a washer/dryer!!!). It was very, very nice!!!! We were impressed!
So, the first night, Scott ran and got us subs from Subway and then we headed to the beach! It was like 2 miles from where we were staying, so we drove and parked right on the beach and walked out. I got Isaac and Faith Anne’s initial reactions on video-tape. It was pretty cool. Faith Anne immediately began playing in the sand and Isaac walked right out into the waves. We kinda thought he would be scared and we would have to work with him…but we were dead wrong. He wasn’t the least bit scared…..which scared me. I would have liked for him to have a healthy fear of the water, but he wasn’t scared of the big waves….he just loved it! So, we stayed there for a bit and then went back to the pool at the hotel. We went to Wal-Mart (what vacation is complete without at least one trip to Wal-Mart?!?!) and got groceries. I did a million loads of laundry while we were there. I just hated all the sand being in everything, so I washed all of our stuff a million times! It was so nice to have the washer/dryer!!!
The next day, Scott got up and went to play golf while the rest of us headed to the beach. We got there at 9:15 and didn’t leave until almost 4:00 or so! We had a GREAT time!!!! Faith Anne played in the sand the entire time. It was so funny when the tide would come up and get her wet. She would get mad…almost as if someone had splashed her instead of the tide coming in. She yelled at the water the first few times….then she would just say, “OH Water!!!” She was so cute. When we were getting ready to eat lunch, she wanted the sand wiped off her hands. So Mom would wipe her hands off and then she would put it back in the sand…this went on about 5 times! She didn’t realize what it was doing…too funny! Finally I just told Mom to let her eat a little sand with her bologna sandwich! Isaac, Dad and I had fun riding the waves on boogey boards! That was a blast!!! Gracie did well….she took a few cat-naps in her play-pen and was really pretty good for us all day. The tide kept coming in and eventually we had to keep backing up and backing up. At one point, Gracie’s playpen almost got washed away! It was funny. Scott met us there when he got done playing golf…but we didn’t stay much longer after he got there. The sun takes a lot out of you! But boy, did we have a good time! We left there and went back to the pool at the hotel….this was a great way to get all the sand and salt-water off of you before you go to your room. They had showers there.
Oh…one funny thing. I had Faith Anne pee in the ocean…..believe me, that was a better alternative than the public restrooms they had there! Anyways, so the first time, it was awkward for her…but then she did ok with it. Well, we got back to the hotel and she said…I have to pee and she just did! She was standing on the concrete. I about DIED!!! Luckily no one was around so we got her cleaned up and cleaned up the concrete……but I guess that is the problem with telling a 3 year old it is okay to do it one place but not the other! LOL Aside from that, she did so great with the potty!!! She had a dry pull-up every night….and no accidents on the trip. It has just clicked with her for some reason!!!! Thank the Lord for that!!!!
So, back to the re-cap….we all got cleaned up and Mom and Dad took the kids to dinner and to an Alligator Park…oh yeah, Scott saw an alligator on the golf course! Yikers! Anyways, so they took the kids and Scott and I got to go on a date! We went to dinner at Logan’s (yummm) and although we can eat at Logan’s here….Scott had never been to one and it sounded good. So, we ate there and then went and found a private access area to the beach and walked on the beach collecting shells. It was a lot of fun. Then we went and did a little shopping and got ice cream before we headed back to help with the kids. We actually beat them back to the hotel because I was worried and felt bad about leaving my parents alone with them the whole time, but they were fine.
So the next day we had to go listen to the time-share deal for 3 hours. It wasn’t that bad really and we got to tour this gorgeous resort! While we were on the 15th floor, we saw dolphins! It was very cool! There was a shrimp boat and they were following it and just jumping! It was a beautiful site to see! We got done with that and got a bite to eat and then relaxed for a bit….went to walk on the beach some more, got dinner and then the boys went and played putt-putt while the girls went to Myrtle Beach to check out the sites down there. We found this awesome place called “Broadway at the Beach” and it is a HUGE outdoor mall all around a lagoon and they have amusement parks and shopping and all kinds of neat things to see and do. Bummer that we found it so late, but we had a great time. Faith Anne made a doll! They had this thing connected to the Build-a-Bear place where you can make your own doll. It was very neat. She got to pick out her personality (stickers), put her heart in her, take her to the salon to dry, curl and fix her hair – and put on make-up. Then she picked out her clothes and accessories and made her a birth certificate. It was very cool. I honestly don’t know who had more fun, me or Faith Anne!
The next morning we got up and headed home. Mom and Dad stayed a few more days, but we headed back. The kids did great….but I was still very ready to be home and out of the van! We had a great vacation….and I can’t wait to go back to Myrtle Beach again! I highly recommend it to anyone for a good vacation spot!!!!
So, now it is back to work and reality….bummer! No more time off for quite a while! Isaac started football conditioning last night. He has it every night this week for 2 hours. That is lots of fun (dripping with sarcasm). We will see if he can do this! It is so hot and they run them for the entire time. I feel bad for him, but he needs the exercise! So do I, for that matter!!
Dad bought us a swing-set for our backyard. He got a great deal from someone who was getting rid of it…it looks to be in great condition and it was probably at least $1000 when they bought it….so he got it for much cheaper, but had to take it down and move it to our house. He took it down yesterday and is putting it together today. The kids are very excited about that. They told them at Christmas that they were going to buy them one, but we hadn’t found a good deal like this until now! So, that is exciting!!!
Gracie is doing pretty well with sleeping. She actually slept through the night every night (except the first one) on vacation! That was heavenly! She didn’t sleep well once we got home, but did sleep through the night last night. I think the lights we had in their room were too bright for her…so I tried something else last night and that seemed to work. We will see!!!! She is crawling all over the place and getting into EVERYTHING! It is so much fun to see her explore…but a little aggravating too! We have to work on baby-proofing everything!
I guess that is about it for now. I am sure there is so much more to tell you…but I have to work sometime today! You all have a great day and love ya!
Let me first update you on Michael. Our family truly thanks you for your continued prayers – we have certainly felt them. God is a God of miracles and that continues to be evident to me in this entire situation. I went to visit Michael in the Rehab Unit this past Sunday and he is doing much better. They are to meet with the team of specialists (neurologists) today to talk about how rehab is going and what to expect next. He has been there for one week now (a new hospital) and seems to be doing very well with it. It is pretty neat because he has a “sitter” who is always with him – 24 hours a day. Obviously it isn’t the same person, but the same few people rotate. They do not leave his side. It is pretty cool. Monday – Friday, he has rehab from 8 – 3 in 30 minute intervals. They are working with him on both physical and neurological therapy. When I saw him on Sunday, it is very much like he has “woken up” from the last time I saw him. He is very much “alive and awake”….I would liken it to talking to someone like “Rainman”. He just talks continuously and moves a lot and just has a ton of nervous energy. It is like his brain is moving really fast and he is doing his best to keep up with it. The best way that I can describe it is if you imagine that inside your head you have a bunch of vaults. Each vault contains specific information that you need to function – but it has to stay inside that vault. It is like his information is all over the place and he is trying to put it all away where it belongs but he can’t get the keys fast enough. You can tell that it is all still “there”…but he can’t get it all right. He just keeps asking you to tell him that he isn’t crazy – but I am sure he feels like he is crazy. And then people come to visit him and just sit there and stare at him….that would make anyone crazy! But I knelt down and got right into his face so I could look right into his eyes and we talked. He was telling me what a miracle he is and I told him that this means that God isn’t done with him yet and that I can’t wait to see all that God has in store for him. He agreed with me. He quoted scripture to me…” I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He keeps saying…”Let’s start from the beginning…” and he will recap what he has been told happened to him. So, it was GREAT to see him and talk to him….but he definitely has a long road ahead of him. They have told his parents to expect at least 6 months to a year before he will be somewhat normal again. And they still haven’t told us what “permanent brain damage” means. I guess the reason behind that is…they did say that it really depends on how smart he was before as to how much he will recover. He was extremely intelligent…so hopefully that is good news! He did get a letter from his scholarship committee telling him to not worry about his scholarship – that it will be there for him as soon as he is able to return to school. That made his day! So…please continue to pray and I will update you as I know more. His mom is not doing so great. She is severely diabetic and has an ulcer on her foot. She is going to have to go to the doctor this week because it continues to get worse. But GOD IS GOOD! Michael will tell you that himself!!!!
Now, for an update on our vacation! We had a wonderful time! It was a LONG drive there and a LONG drive home, but we had a great time!!! The kids LOVED the ocean – or should I say that Isaac loved playing in the waves of the ocean and Faith Anne loved playing in the sand! Gracie just took everything in – but didn’t like the feel of her feet in the sand! We left on Sunday and drove to somewhere in South Carolina. Then we got up on Monday and drove (via a scenic route, I think) to North Myrtle Beach! We finally found the place we needed and got our hotel voucher. So, we headed off to our hotel – which actually turned out to be condos!!! So, we were in this gorgeous condo building that over-looked a marina. They messed up our reservation (go figure) and so Mom and Dad got bumped up to a two-bedroom condo! It was very nice!!! Ours had a bedroom with a king-size bed, a bathroom, a full kitchen, a living/dining area and a balcony (oh, and a washer/dryer!!!). Their condo had a bedroom with 2 full-size beds and an attached bathroom, a full (BIG) Kitchen, a living/dining room area, a master bedroom with a king-size bed and a master bath and a balcony (and a washer/dryer!!!). It was very, very nice!!!! We were impressed!
So, the first night, Scott ran and got us subs from Subway and then we headed to the beach! It was like 2 miles from where we were staying, so we drove and parked right on the beach and walked out. I got Isaac and Faith Anne’s initial reactions on video-tape. It was pretty cool. Faith Anne immediately began playing in the sand and Isaac walked right out into the waves. We kinda thought he would be scared and we would have to work with him…but we were dead wrong. He wasn’t the least bit scared…..which scared me. I would have liked for him to have a healthy fear of the water, but he wasn’t scared of the big waves….he just loved it! So, we stayed there for a bit and then went back to the pool at the hotel. We went to Wal-Mart (what vacation is complete without at least one trip to Wal-Mart?!?!) and got groceries. I did a million loads of laundry while we were there. I just hated all the sand being in everything, so I washed all of our stuff a million times! It was so nice to have the washer/dryer!!!
The next day, Scott got up and went to play golf while the rest of us headed to the beach. We got there at 9:15 and didn’t leave until almost 4:00 or so! We had a GREAT time!!!! Faith Anne played in the sand the entire time. It was so funny when the tide would come up and get her wet. She would get mad…almost as if someone had splashed her instead of the tide coming in. She yelled at the water the first few times….then she would just say, “OH Water!!!” She was so cute. When we were getting ready to eat lunch, she wanted the sand wiped off her hands. So Mom would wipe her hands off and then she would put it back in the sand…this went on about 5 times! She didn’t realize what it was doing…too funny! Finally I just told Mom to let her eat a little sand with her bologna sandwich! Isaac, Dad and I had fun riding the waves on boogey boards! That was a blast!!! Gracie did well….she took a few cat-naps in her play-pen and was really pretty good for us all day. The tide kept coming in and eventually we had to keep backing up and backing up. At one point, Gracie’s playpen almost got washed away! It was funny. Scott met us there when he got done playing golf…but we didn’t stay much longer after he got there. The sun takes a lot out of you! But boy, did we have a good time! We left there and went back to the pool at the hotel….this was a great way to get all the sand and salt-water off of you before you go to your room. They had showers there.
Oh…one funny thing. I had Faith Anne pee in the ocean…..believe me, that was a better alternative than the public restrooms they had there! Anyways, so the first time, it was awkward for her…but then she did ok with it. Well, we got back to the hotel and she said…I have to pee and she just did! She was standing on the concrete. I about DIED!!! Luckily no one was around so we got her cleaned up and cleaned up the concrete……but I guess that is the problem with telling a 3 year old it is okay to do it one place but not the other! LOL Aside from that, she did so great with the potty!!! She had a dry pull-up every night….and no accidents on the trip. It has just clicked with her for some reason!!!! Thank the Lord for that!!!!
So, back to the re-cap….we all got cleaned up and Mom and Dad took the kids to dinner and to an Alligator Park…oh yeah, Scott saw an alligator on the golf course! Yikers! Anyways, so they took the kids and Scott and I got to go on a date! We went to dinner at Logan’s (yummm) and although we can eat at Logan’s here….Scott had never been to one and it sounded good. So, we ate there and then went and found a private access area to the beach and walked on the beach collecting shells. It was a lot of fun. Then we went and did a little shopping and got ice cream before we headed back to help with the kids. We actually beat them back to the hotel because I was worried and felt bad about leaving my parents alone with them the whole time, but they were fine.
So the next day we had to go listen to the time-share deal for 3 hours. It wasn’t that bad really and we got to tour this gorgeous resort! While we were on the 15th floor, we saw dolphins! It was very cool! There was a shrimp boat and they were following it and just jumping! It was a beautiful site to see! We got done with that and got a bite to eat and then relaxed for a bit….went to walk on the beach some more, got dinner and then the boys went and played putt-putt while the girls went to Myrtle Beach to check out the sites down there. We found this awesome place called “Broadway at the Beach” and it is a HUGE outdoor mall all around a lagoon and they have amusement parks and shopping and all kinds of neat things to see and do. Bummer that we found it so late, but we had a great time. Faith Anne made a doll! They had this thing connected to the Build-a-Bear place where you can make your own doll. It was very neat. She got to pick out her personality (stickers), put her heart in her, take her to the salon to dry, curl and fix her hair – and put on make-up. Then she picked out her clothes and accessories and made her a birth certificate. It was very cool. I honestly don’t know who had more fun, me or Faith Anne!
The next morning we got up and headed home. Mom and Dad stayed a few more days, but we headed back. The kids did great….but I was still very ready to be home and out of the van! We had a great vacation….and I can’t wait to go back to Myrtle Beach again! I highly recommend it to anyone for a good vacation spot!!!!
So, now it is back to work and reality….bummer! No more time off for quite a while! Isaac started football conditioning last night. He has it every night this week for 2 hours. That is lots of fun (dripping with sarcasm). We will see if he can do this! It is so hot and they run them for the entire time. I feel bad for him, but he needs the exercise! So do I, for that matter!!
Dad bought us a swing-set for our backyard. He got a great deal from someone who was getting rid of it…it looks to be in great condition and it was probably at least $1000 when they bought it….so he got it for much cheaper, but had to take it down and move it to our house. He took it down yesterday and is putting it together today. The kids are very excited about that. They told them at Christmas that they were going to buy them one, but we hadn’t found a good deal like this until now! So, that is exciting!!!
Gracie is doing pretty well with sleeping. She actually slept through the night every night (except the first one) on vacation! That was heavenly! She didn’t sleep well once we got home, but did sleep through the night last night. I think the lights we had in their room were too bright for her…so I tried something else last night and that seemed to work. We will see!!!! She is crawling all over the place and getting into EVERYTHING! It is so much fun to see her explore…but a little aggravating too! We have to work on baby-proofing everything!
I guess that is about it for now. I am sure there is so much more to tell you…but I have to work sometime today! You all have a great day and love ya!
5 comments:
Well, that settles it. You have to move to the beach for Gracie to fall asleep. Works for me, when are we goin'?
Sounds like the vacation was very nice. How nice that your parents went and you and Scott got a date. I love the pictures and was laughing at the sand sandwich story...I mean, it DOES have 'sand' in the name!
Praise the Lord for Michael. How wonderful that he is doing so well. I've never heard of someone staying with them 24/7. Why is that? And those scholarship people...AWESOME!
Lots of Love!
I'm so glad you posted! Sounds like you had a great vacation and I love the pictures!
Isaac will be such a good football player! He's definitely built for it!
That's wonderful about Michael! I hope he continues to recover! Love ya!
Kelley - He has a 24/7 sitter because he needs 24 hour care. They monitor him and talk to him and really are more of a friend. He gets frustrated easily and the sitter monitors how many visitors he has and if he gets over-stimulated, etc. Also, Michael has taken off running - not that he was trying to run away, but he just wanted to run (lots of pent up energy), so the sitter really has to make sure that he stays where he is supposed to be and that he doesn't over-do it. It is pretty neat. Michael has come up with nick-names for his sitters - it helps to remind him of who they are. Kinda neat!
So jealous of you vacation. But I know we are going next year and just can't wait...I'll get to see all the kids reactions just like you did. Tony could care less if we went now. So now you guys can say you've had a
"romantic walk on the beach"...
Makes me worry about Isaac with conditioning...it's supposed to be in the 90's the rest of the week...
Just WOW about Michael. That's all I can really say now.
Sorry you had to come back to reality. Love ya!!
We went to Broadway on the Beach, but it was just in the beginning stages then...Sounds MUCH cooler than when I went there!! AWESOME!! :)
I miss the beach...
Anyways...glad ya'll had a good time, and WOW about Michael...Like he says, no matter the extent of his brain damage, he is a walking miracle...it's a miracle he survived that evening in the first place...God's just showing off, now!! hehehe j/k Praise His Name!! :)
Anyways, talk to ya later...Jodi brought up a great idea for a "half-way" trip...Dave & Busters!! :) You did such a great job of coordinating WOF, I nominate you to coordinate this, too!! :)LOL (again, j/k, if you don't want to...)
Love ya!! :)
Post a Comment