tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68043501583075002912024-03-05T05:11:15.404-05:00Gentges ZooAn interesting mix of chaos and quiet all wrapped up in one happy family!! Mostly chaos.John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-78915696169870218162012-06-28T14:44:00.000-04:002012-06-30T13:51:05.325-04:00Joshua Update - Take a Long Breath Before Reading!!Well hello!! We are enjoying our summer and taking many opportunities to relax and enjoy life! We hope you're doing the same!!!<br />
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I thought it would be time to write about Joshua and where we are with him. I am sorry for not keeping everyone up to date. Sometimes we just like to do life without talking about medical junk everyday! <br />
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The first new thing is that he started oxygen therapy this spring. Oxygen is the best vasodilator there is so we're hoping it helps keep things open for him and helps to make him feel better overall. It was strange for me to have the oxygen tanks and concentrator in our house. It seemed to make it more "real" that we have medical needs in our house. Now the sound of the concentrator relaxes me!! In the beginning he was wearing it everyday and night but then he started having his nose bleeds again. :-( The O2 is humidified but it still dries him out. Now he wears a saline gel in his nostrils and that seems to help most of the time.<br />
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The next new thing is that his legs have been getting tired while working his job at Publix and his veins have been quite large and bulging. So just this month he has started wearing compression stockings to work to hopefully help with that! The first time he tried to get them on I hear yelling across the house, "MOM!!! Help me!!!" Can I just say it was quite the experience helping to put "stockings" on my son!! Those suckers do not have any give so it was very difficult!! They are not stretchy like pantyhose!! Needless to say, he put a hole in them before I even got there!! Sheesh!! I'm happy to say he can now put those on all by himself!!! Whew! They do make his legs look like prosthetic's though!<br />
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The most current news is that he may be having surgery soon. We saw a sleep specialist regarding options for CPAP therapy. Joshua has not been successful with CPAP. He takes it off at night while sleeping, when he would even wear it. Since he is a stomach sleeper and mouth breather, it made it very hard for him to sleep. So... we met with the sleep doctor and she was quite concerned with the structure of his jaw. She said the lower jaw is set too far back which is probably what is causing the obstructing at night. She thinks that when the jaw and muscles and tissues relax when sleeping, they are collapsing his wind pipe. His most recent sleep study had 144 episodes where he stops breathing at night! This is also why he can't stay awake if he's not standing or moving. He stood up thru the entire visit just so he wouldn't fall asleep! My poor boy!! So... she referred us to a maxillofacial surgeon!! <br />
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WHEW! Are you still reading??? <br />
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Well... we met with the surgeon this week and he recommends surgery to correct the jaw placement and braces to align his teeth! I am so thankful we did not follow the recommendation of our old orthodontist who wanted to pull teeth from the upper jaw and match it to the lower jaw!! (See... me being a pain in the butt pays off sometimes!!!) We've always known he has an overbite but I never thought it was more than a cosmetic issue. <br />
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We are waiting for the doctors to all talk to each other and then see if his cardiologist says he is able to have surgery at all. We were told last year that he was not a surgical candidate when they wanted to take out the tonsils. He has since told us that he thinks Joshua is stable enough to look into that again. I wonder if it makes a difference that it's jaw surgery and not just tonsils? They would probably do both at the same time. When I asked the surgeon if he's ever done this surgery on a patient with PAH, he said no. Then I asked if he was confident that his anesthesiology team was capable of doing this he said he would be meeting with them to discuss it. I let him know that I need him to wake up afterwards!!! I'm willing to bet that he does too!! :-)<br />
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Now... the last news is that in order for Joshua to have this surgery, he will need to gain between 10-20 pounds in the next few months!! I have been pleased that he has maintained his weight (at a whopping 113 pounds) for the last year. However, this surgery has an average weight loss of 15-20 pounds so he cannot afford to lose that without gaining it first! <br />
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So.... if you think about us, please pray that upcoming decisions we have to make will be the RIGHT one's, that things will move easily with insurance and information exchanged between doctors, and that we can plump that boy up!!!!! I am pretty sure it's going to be a family affair!!! <br />
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Thanks for reading!!!!!! Have a joy-filled day!!!! <br /> John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-74079247502937994202012-04-17T11:12:00.004-04:002012-04-17T11:15:57.581-04:00I know, I know...I am so sorry that I have neglected my blog lately... or for the last year!!! New updates are on their way!!!!! Stay tuned...... time to go run the Mom taxi!!! <br /><br />For now... here's Jack going for a ride in the taxi!! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PzHF7vClVhotzeP2OQmjql-HQbEAYno6l8JQ9ozEHVC3dtC1_OnLTd80GKP_ufk4VWd5BfMrHOTeqEpRGyo1E90hdEFR7LZBqGvBhAO6XWcrGmWQElV7hzG5SuAbdu5MTidn-BfYCf4/s1600/camera+314.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PzHF7vClVhotzeP2OQmjql-HQbEAYno6l8JQ9ozEHVC3dtC1_OnLTd80GKP_ufk4VWd5BfMrHOTeqEpRGyo1E90hdEFR7LZBqGvBhAO6XWcrGmWQElV7hzG5SuAbdu5MTidn-BfYCf4/s320/camera+314.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732388380140695314" border="0" /></a>John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-7685600043114598582011-06-15T11:02:00.007-04:002011-06-24T18:00:46.639-04:00Life Lately (Part 2)It's hard when someone moves away. We have had friends move away before, but thankfully, they have moved back!!!<br /><br />We had very good friends move away this year in January. We love the Abel family very much and we were sad to see them leave. Our whole family got along well with their whole family!! Not only is Kelly a good friend to me but her daughter is one of Micayla's best friends.<br /><br />Kelly and I weren't sure how much more we could take of our daughters being sad over missing each other. We try to be sympathetic and understanding but at the same time telling them that they need to stop being so down and that they have to move on with life. I kept telling Micayla that Ashley didn't die and to stop acting like it!<br /><br />So..... after several months of missing them, we were able to go visit them, in Michigan!! Alex, Micayla and I flew to Michigan and spent 11 great days there with them!!<br /><br />We went to Splash Village in Frankenmuth, MI. It is an INDOOR water park! It was lots of fun!! Two of the slides go outside the building and then back in. And they were fast... and in the dark since they were complete tubes!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 503px; height: 333px;" alt="http://americajr.com/pictures/DSC02898.JPG" src="http://americajr.com/pictures/DSC02898.JPG" /><br /><br /></div>Afterwards, we went next door to Bronner's Christmas store. It's the largest Christmas store in the world with year round displays!! It was crazy. If you can think of it, they probably have an ornament for it!!<br /><br />One day we spent at Dan's parents house on Loon Lake. The kids had a great time swimming in the lake. It's the first time my kids have swam in lake water that they remember. They weren't too fond of the mucky feel of the bottom but it didn't stop them from having fun! Here is a pic I took sitting on the deck.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStSUSfjn7e4row4O6wZA9S8ZPPzGyx_4KJOW_lqHQ-keB3zz6_VE-miQwUcUcQB_QbrLinsMNDsXjZ2SfG7t_Ld7bpkcknom6FPJbDY1806rx2S6_LeYau2GdoUCuS8L9UZRxn09CJHU/s1600/loon+lake.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStSUSfjn7e4row4O6wZA9S8ZPPzGyx_4KJOW_lqHQ-keB3zz6_VE-miQwUcUcQB_QbrLinsMNDsXjZ2SfG7t_Ld7bpkcknom6FPJbDY1806rx2S6_LeYau2GdoUCuS8L9UZRxn09CJHU/s320/loon+lake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618469107664933858" border="0" /></a>We had so much fun there, even on the days we just stayed at home! Very relaxing!!<br /><br />Thanks Dan and Kel for such a great time with you guys!! We feel right at home in your home!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-6393012979515999742011-06-15T10:44:00.005-04:002011-06-15T11:02:18.216-04:00Life Lately (Part 1)I've been bad about updating the blog lately. Lots of life going on. It's good but doesn't allow for my mind to be able to put a post together!! (There will be more to come on what we've been up to.)<br /><br />John has started a new job!! After many, many, many L O N G months of not being happy at his job, he accepted a position with a company that handles large losses in the commercial side of the disaster restoration business. We are very happy for his new job! The only downside to it is this... he travels up to 75% of the time. Actually, lately it feels like he travels 100% of the time, but I'm not complaining, yet.<br /><br />He left on a plane May 5th for Paducah, KY. He was assigned to be a Project Manager/Supervisor over a shift at the Harrah's Casino and Hotel in Metropolis, IL. The Ohio river deposited very large amounts of water, mud and yuck into the hotel there as well as the parking lots around the hotel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURbr2MOTW6V30M4tOSfGwYl0cWK4DFU568UEm3IdsdLJPStJt0hKwB28saxCZm2RsjabNWoNYL6gF7dbAyhzuBBUJ7ayOKdgTaK5Hv6fZvKaU1JneCRxGUzmnF-5aixCC44ZuGpeK3LM/s1600/Harrah%2527s+Casino.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURbr2MOTW6V30M4tOSfGwYl0cWK4DFU568UEm3IdsdLJPStJt0hKwB28saxCZm2RsjabNWoNYL6gF7dbAyhzuBBUJ7ayOKdgTaK5Hv6fZvKaU1JneCRxGUzmnF-5aixCC44ZuGpeK3LM/s320/Harrah%2527s+Casino.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618459802956272754" border="0" /></a><br />He was assigned to be the night shift manager after receiving a promotion after only 10 days. They work 13-15+ hours a day, and around the clock. He has not had a day off since May 5th. <br /><br />He was able to get Brandon and two other guys who have worked for him here in Jax, a job out there as well. I sure hope those boys are saving their money!!! <br /><br />It's all very crazy to me, but he is very happy to be working for a company that values and appreciates him. <br /><br />After completing the Harrah's in Metropolis, he was sent to the Harrah's in Tunica, MS. <br /><br />He comes home this weekend. Only for a week but I can't wait.John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-50940464812534125492011-04-24T17:26:00.006-04:002011-04-24T22:14:46.811-04:00Easter SundayToday is Easter Sunday!! I'm thankful to know it didn't end on Friday and that Jesus rose from the dead.<br /><br />It was even better today to have family celebrate with us. John's parents are here. Everything's better with a Grandma and Grandpa!!<br /><br />Today was also special because Alex was able to lead worship with the band on one song. I love seeing that boy sing!!!<br /><br />You can see it by clicking on the link below... He is singing "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k0kiofc-30&feature=player_embedded"></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k0kiofc-30&feature=player_embedded">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k0kiofc-30&feature=player_embedded</a><br /><br />Hope you all had a great day today!!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-39055826865845982772011-04-18T20:00:00.005-04:002011-04-18T20:09:49.256-04:00American History Wax MuseumWe just completed our 2nd year in the Unfailing Homeschoolers Wax Museum. The kids choose who they would like to showcase depending on the assignment. This year we were to do someone in American history.<br /><br />The kids had to write a monologue to recite each time their "start" button was pushed. This brought their character to life. They also had to make a backdrop and an information board.<br /><br />Alex decided he wanted to be John D. Rockefeller...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kicZlWJO8D3ZOY-E_iN7vMKVJXsqdNih4t8xcbwogNa5RbiTru4IqTDxuFMbVeVw5fgi1CRtL3UbXl7xufJOzlIO3Lfkdyuled37sn1aVt-tZqpVgqrSOHSJ8ct3x_T83th_Kh5SY6s/s1600/Alex.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kicZlWJO8D3ZOY-E_iN7vMKVJXsqdNih4t8xcbwogNa5RbiTru4IqTDxuFMbVeVw5fgi1CRtL3UbXl7xufJOzlIO3Lfkdyuled37sn1aVt-tZqpVgqrSOHSJ8ct3x_T83th_Kh5SY6s/s320/Alex.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597078597403172002" border="0" /></a><br />Micayla chose to be Elizabeth Dole....<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOSIz_5Tw_h0YEASc90j0u8cLJhRPC96DtBRlzOCIIvpIQxlRPG3dw7bdau97ywpkOsHnskBwp1B5WNULrhx6yGcSBzue6_LjddWlr-h6Uyo0zTWIeWdlsmo2_C6rFg7tlQytQKenfxs/s1600/Micayla.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOSIz_5Tw_h0YEASc90j0u8cLJhRPC96DtBRlzOCIIvpIQxlRPG3dw7bdau97ywpkOsHnskBwp1B5WNULrhx6yGcSBzue6_LjddWlr-h6Uyo0zTWIeWdlsmo2_C6rFg7tlQytQKenfxs/s320/Micayla.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597078940983273666" border="0" /></a>They did a great job! It's always a lot of work but well worth it. <br /><br />The guests bring their loose change to donate in each person's containers after the "figures" are done speaking. <br /><br />This year the proceeds were given to Wolfson Children's Hospital NICU. They raised just over $500. YAY!!!!! <br /><br />We were very proud of all the kids who participated. I always learn so much about people I've never heard of!!! <br /><br />Wonder who we'll be next year??John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-40713285746960699092011-04-03T19:00:00.008-04:002011-04-03T19:12:03.811-04:00Garden 2011I've always wanted to plant a garden. I had no idea how to and was sure nothing would grow. Well... today John built us a raised bed box and we planted one!!! He knows way more about this garden stuff.<br /><br />First we had to decide where to put it and turn over the soil... no one really enjoyed this part!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSj5VJJqeBT-9vpIv4U-t7y5uULUN-8x9vPOUXw-B_rUA7CJ4Rj-AV64mImZWsr3XkZ3qIWEltpvIBiPwDfmE_kX2ooaKVjRNauIsNpm7l02Hf8U3SJQq_A0R7yx-ZryyfAt2aJr3HK6g/s1600/Turning+the+Ground.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSj5VJJqeBT-9vpIv4U-t7y5uULUN-8x9vPOUXw-B_rUA7CJ4Rj-AV64mImZWsr3XkZ3qIWEltpvIBiPwDfmE_kX2ooaKVjRNauIsNpm7l02Hf8U3SJQq_A0R7yx-ZryyfAt2aJr3HK6g/s320/Turning+the+Ground.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591496904586466882" border="0" /></a>Then we had to pick all the grass, rocks and roots out...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4b3iI4U8uO322V_1ImY6GxB4UMIPX1kB-uVJ6U1gqeiqucHUIK8tiMOFYZW83OuaqYBRmKRsLv9mzJzXoz1il5GMqRm4vKF9GYc476bATqsAUpEh3Oq_OmK4I0xAIkAAOsobhh44o4A/s1600/Picking+Grass.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4b3iI4U8uO322V_1ImY6GxB4UMIPX1kB-uVJ6U1gqeiqucHUIK8tiMOFYZW83OuaqYBRmKRsLv9mzJzXoz1il5GMqRm4vKF9GYc476bATqsAUpEh3Oq_OmK4I0xAIkAAOsobhh44o4A/s320/Picking+Grass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591497419982927122" border="0" /></a><br />Alex and Micayla helped too and they are really excited about growing their own food. Next we added garden soil and some secret sauce...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8AnSkh1W0qXG3IEVFEYF-TD1ub-6H2X_LmyTuZFDfhP8UTWb_d5LlnmrR8KM3oYxoBEkGyaLzSWYqVD1G9n04dUWtwF8KotoUAM_nIdf1VRWRTkol_41zbv25OQ-EGKVPUWIoAQV958/s1600/family+time.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8AnSkh1W0qXG3IEVFEYF-TD1ub-6H2X_LmyTuZFDfhP8UTWb_d5LlnmrR8KM3oYxoBEkGyaLzSWYqVD1G9n04dUWtwF8KotoUAM_nIdf1VRWRTkol_41zbv25OQ-EGKVPUWIoAQV958/s320/family+time.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591497210811814562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Love him!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHoR-QF0QEgC_2EY6Z8akQaMs9Pr4rVt3SqC50O4Gii1YnNWKJ6KG487K3gBMZ3gJzlBHPsfLhlLEf2Z7KdBLrU9btES7oroIhaxPB6pnJyFmzEBJ6XUzJ8P25wtePqu89TaANlKyRY4/s1600/daddy+in+the+dirt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHoR-QF0QEgC_2EY6Z8akQaMs9Pr4rVt3SqC50O4Gii1YnNWKJ6KG487K3gBMZ3gJzlBHPsfLhlLEf2Z7KdBLrU9btES7oroIhaxPB6pnJyFmzEBJ6XUzJ8P25wtePqu89TaANlKyRY4/s320/daddy+in+the+dirt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591497658423418114" border="0" /></a><br />We planted tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow peppers, green beans, carrots and strawberries.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmq-sqkSdY8qu7qdfFjyKrpTefgCGIhfpIE-1P0MNRiIQdmT8emDna5AjsGJ3vMsTnik0YYjqcgldQERsPQrzxg6vBTHr_u5I1PzxxhWAKKbM1qOgNfKBraOhCVdfF0XSn91RKKn-MsuM/s1600/garden.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmq-sqkSdY8qu7qdfFjyKrpTefgCGIhfpIE-1P0MNRiIQdmT8emDna5AjsGJ3vMsTnik0YYjqcgldQERsPQrzxg6vBTHr_u5I1PzxxhWAKKbM1qOgNfKBraOhCVdfF0XSn91RKKn-MsuM/s320/garden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591497836666449250" border="0" /></a><br />I can't wait to see what comes up!!! Fifty days to our first harvest!!!!! <br /><br />Stay tuned for updates!<br /><br />The secret sauce....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxkZDU6KgaEgQPGJ_xCycNTubIMJdlreRXUfBM2RRlOE8iMroQ2q7HdRKthacOzobo01M8DfQag1X7B30dEu7Q8I7BbrLcGOYwuPtB-EG7oL93YHMOBvldu7HqUy19wUVqN1iRhwWgYQ/s1600/secret+sauce.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxkZDU6KgaEgQPGJ_xCycNTubIMJdlreRXUfBM2RRlOE8iMroQ2q7HdRKthacOzobo01M8DfQag1X7B30dEu7Q8I7BbrLcGOYwuPtB-EG7oL93YHMOBvldu7HqUy19wUVqN1iRhwWgYQ/s320/secret+sauce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591497966088580770" border="0" /></a>John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-63328278585871578542011-03-23T17:29:00.004-04:002011-03-23T18:09:33.490-04:0015That's how many years ago it's been since I married my love! We are so excited to be celebrating our 15 years of marriage today!!!! <br /><br />I am extremely thankful for our marriage. We've had our share of ups and downs and it hasn't always been easy. BUT... it has totally been such a blessing to grow and mature with someone who loves me unconditionally. Seriously... he really loves me unconditionally! <br /><br />And I'd do it all over again, no questions. I love this man more today than I did the day I said "I do." <br /><br />I am thankful for him. When I was dating I didn't really know what kind of man I wanted to marry. I just wanted to be loved. <br /><br />I will be forever grateful to God that he gave me a hard working man, a man who loves God, and a wonderful father to our children, all things I value so much and didn't even know how much I would or should. I know he will always take care of us until his last breath. Even though he has chronic pain, he gets up every day and goes to work. I pray Micayla will be blessed to marry someone just like him. <br /><br />I am thankful that John loved me back when I wasn't so lovable. He has been quite long-suffering, patient and forgiving with me. I'm not really proud of who I've always been but am so thankful for God's mercy and grace, and a husband who loves Him and in return, could love me through some of my yuck. It was painful at times, but can't things that are worth fighting for be painful at times??<br /><br />I love how much we've grown up together. We've learned to love God together, parent together, enjoy our uniqueness with each other, and learn to have meaningful friendships together. <br /><br />Happy Anniversary baby!! I can't wait to celebrate 50 years with you! I love you with my whole heart and know we'll be together forever! I wouldn't want to do this life with anyone else!!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqh6T8okdyMmWbEEm6NUCTcYYVrRNDAwD3BdbEJBrzDJZpN98Zr8ht5DWPhW4mRhTgUYUWJQ5LqQJKM3zOcilyf0wNNiw5Hv4ooAjMupURi-5verfcbGtDRo_0wWHhvWKkv1CDc1xoTMQ/s1600/John+and+I+snow.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqh6T8okdyMmWbEEm6NUCTcYYVrRNDAwD3BdbEJBrzDJZpN98Zr8ht5DWPhW4mRhTgUYUWJQ5LqQJKM3zOcilyf0wNNiw5Hv4ooAjMupURi-5verfcbGtDRo_0wWHhvWKkv1CDc1xoTMQ/s320/John+and+I+snow.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587400871409957298" /></a>John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-64236123882602342452011-01-27T08:24:00.003-05:002011-01-27T08:31:27.345-05:00Our New Family MemberMeet Jack...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMY9Bs84kie8_MVfqakzOMSA4eYMWBUqU0ViDB50dY5nEAYolRn-SbwLagGhvI-g4Wx9dDa472r2t2yQiX2OYgcSPGF7ynkm5bq9Fc87auLoYsIQMqxy-8RNPxyruWXsHKlrFS642wF0g/s1600/Puppy+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMY9Bs84kie8_MVfqakzOMSA4eYMWBUqU0ViDB50dY5nEAYolRn-SbwLagGhvI-g4Wx9dDa472r2t2yQiX2OYgcSPGF7ynkm5bq9Fc87auLoYsIQMqxy-8RNPxyruWXsHKlrFS642wF0g/s320/Puppy+008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566856452200681042" /></a><br /><br />He's been so much fun! He does this a lot right now. I'm not a big fan of pets on furniture and I wasn't thrilled that John put him on the couch, but we're gonna let that slide... for now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQO4pyl4vZmi34m_DORsVxchS3oco0yfTHVtlHAc_zGHBvNRorX9abGaiVKkTcCXuIvIZ6ESaISFy02lCTQ3GDcjna8BgIvjOypGX87o9oIWycZ7DEOh6PI1g3fbxKBJRggA5Cx3xHbM/s1600/sleepy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQO4pyl4vZmi34m_DORsVxchS3oco0yfTHVtlHAc_zGHBvNRorX9abGaiVKkTcCXuIvIZ6ESaISFy02lCTQ3GDcjna8BgIvjOypGX87o9oIWycZ7DEOh6PI1g3fbxKBJRggA5Cx3xHbM/s320/sleepy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566856455479606274" /></a><br /><br />Not sure how big he's gonna be but I'm guessing big. He's been super sweet and we are loving him!!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-55479507485127998112011-01-06T19:02:00.002-05:002011-01-06T19:06:21.439-05:00Christmas 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcneLzI2OZxBdD8J-Ss8VSn5t6HbVFp2OBFUwJlaAazXRsrhMrETFd1i8cz9elAOHkmXtH96zZXEavHvnlVo7LS6tGUF35ZyOPeAQsxaJbXvQ6n17fe3hZmMhj6Gpd-mSo_EH6wKVLCcw/s1600/CMas+in+MO+2010+061.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcneLzI2OZxBdD8J-Ss8VSn5t6HbVFp2OBFUwJlaAazXRsrhMrETFd1i8cz9elAOHkmXtH96zZXEavHvnlVo7LS6tGUF35ZyOPeAQsxaJbXvQ6n17fe3hZmMhj6Gpd-mSo_EH6wKVLCcw/s320/CMas+in+MO+2010+061.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559228261272088258" /></a>John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-30747170074364348252010-12-04T12:05:00.005-05:002010-12-04T12:15:36.093-05:00Can she really be 11?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eoA4hzq6yM5ri0mUmMYswcDeZleK0UftAyIZ2zMFmV_HSm8XwMGdizNDEhYf5ieuV_U-3F38hUF1_XZm5M3jb2pTYpY6-D7E_Zznsrr0Caw_OmlGrzW_l_jxa06QG2L6otSSR9yBzHM/s1600/cake1.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eoA4hzq6yM5ri0mUmMYswcDeZleK0UftAyIZ2zMFmV_HSm8XwMGdizNDEhYf5ieuV_U-3F38hUF1_XZm5M3jb2pTYpY6-D7E_Zznsrr0Caw_OmlGrzW_l_jxa06QG2L6otSSR9yBzHM/s320/cake1.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546874900036944370" /></a><br />I can't believe it's already been 11 years. Seems to go faster and faster each year. <br /><br />Some pics from her day... a SPA day at the house with some friends. Thank you Mom and Julie for staying and helping. Not sure I would've survived all those nails, toes and hairstyles!! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4pg8uol6h7E9DdtyBrOaAwubMSkuNBWv7DXQ4jw1Bv4SWFQN-QJvWsHNLV600OApPwtFQznv7n1p2BjVJ0ojCW0A7ZkaTzltk7NINYXZvmPud7JA14ScNfZevFiBHNC3NPghet5rUgg/s1600/girls+toes.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4pg8uol6h7E9DdtyBrOaAwubMSkuNBWv7DXQ4jw1Bv4SWFQN-QJvWsHNLV600OApPwtFQznv7n1p2BjVJ0ojCW0A7ZkaTzltk7NINYXZvmPud7JA14ScNfZevFiBHNC3NPghet5rUgg/s320/girls+toes.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546875649850217794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQUz5J430n2-WKIJvecO1M4X-JZD59MIvKL94Gieia27SQHrKIV-J45rWuZ63YnYEM14oil5l_O_18tveVOpmaeQeD3hzFScn7R_2vv72vEZfprb9QqNiDnM6B9D1IOAq9zhNFTeaRgw/s1600/girls+nails.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQUz5J430n2-WKIJvecO1M4X-JZD59MIvKL94Gieia27SQHrKIV-J45rWuZ63YnYEM14oil5l_O_18tveVOpmaeQeD3hzFScn7R_2vv72vEZfprb9QqNiDnM6B9D1IOAq9zhNFTeaRgw/s320/girls+nails.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546875645760929618" /></a><br /><br />It was a fun day and she had a great time. She has some really sweet friends!!!! They each brought their American Girl dolls too and it was a lot of GIRL fun!! Good thing we sent the boys away for the day! <br /><br />Love you baby girl. You're such a huge blessing in my life!!!! We're so thankful God blessed us with you!!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-50711768474804034792010-11-02T16:37:00.005-04:002010-11-02T17:11:09.631-04:00Goodbye Mick<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDbld1WCthsZlzhUnhil7TAvo2Z6OIB2NHnD3a6RpGDa5Ixu2CUpp_xfsPdMnqoHWkgxSB8Wy4TNi0ohSgxtR3dbK2qBT5B4jtFB08GZddcMBZXI6wu5WvHew6igLw4THIp94nu01sxA/s1600/Mick+2010.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDbld1WCthsZlzhUnhil7TAvo2Z6OIB2NHnD3a6RpGDa5Ixu2CUpp_xfsPdMnqoHWkgxSB8Wy4TNi0ohSgxtR3dbK2qBT5B4jtFB08GZddcMBZXI6wu5WvHew6igLw4THIp94nu01sxA/s320/Mick+2010.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535058823215475362" /></a><br /><br />It's been a hard 24 hours. Our best furry friend and companion died yesterday. It was a horrible day. Mick was the best dog ever. I know we all say that about our pets but he truly was the best dog for our family. He was passive and obedient. We only used a leash so other people wouldn't freak out. His size was rather impressive and intimidating to those who didn't know him. I think that was one of the many things I really liked about him. He was a protector for our kids. He was a best friend to our kids. <br /><br />I woke up and at first sight of him I knew something was wrong. He was very round and bloated. Now I know Mick was a large dog, but this was way different than normal. He wouldn't lay down and kept retching and drooling. I could tell he was very uncomfortable. <br /><br />My sister came over and offered to help get him to the vet. She is always there for the yucky days of my life!! Thank you God for her. <br /><br />We took him to the vet where they confirmed with xrays that his stomach had flipped. It was also about three times the size it should be. <br /><br />We had to make the worst decision ever. We had to say goodbye to our beloved pet. <br /><br />After all the family had gathered, we said our goodbyes. It was absolutely horrible. Much worse than I ever thought it would be. <br /><br />We stayed with him til he was gone. I just couldn't leave him. <br /><br />It seems strange to me at times that I could be so attached to a dog. But he wasn't just a dog, he was MY dog. He loved me and could show it. He was such a HUGE part of our family, both in size and in our hearts. I think since we are home all day with him everyday, it makes it even harder to accept the absence. <br /><br />We miss him terribly. We miss him singing happy birthday with us, chasing the squirrels, bringing presents to us when we walk in the door (whatever he could find on the floor, a pencil, paper, toy, shoe, etc.), going to get the mail with us, allowing the kids to use him as a pillow, sleeping with the kids with his head on a a pillow too, gladly cleaning up the cooking messes on the kitchen floor, waiting patiently for the "leftovers" at the table, listening to all of the kids secrets, and just giving out tons and tons of love and companionship. <br /><br />We miss him.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzagcRH77siTDpWChVpitETaOmDSNeRG4XyMoJGRuQKrKz8hdGuulf_XI0TWbYmBzUVFGARdBMLC2lGkCPAu8zokMC8D5j3iITmo9Fe5PQp7BFM29qWuDwcAevvegljkXMH8QtM8ukuo/s1600/Pictures+to+Sort+from+Camera+396.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzagcRH77siTDpWChVpitETaOmDSNeRG4XyMoJGRuQKrKz8hdGuulf_XI0TWbYmBzUVFGARdBMLC2lGkCPAu8zokMC8D5j3iITmo9Fe5PQp7BFM29qWuDwcAevvegljkXMH8QtM8ukuo/s320/Pictures+to+Sort+from+Camera+396.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535055461461123042" /></a>John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-51678356167368649872010-10-27T10:56:00.001-04:002010-10-27T10:56:12.605-04:00Family UpdateCan it really be that fall actually began in October in Florida?? I have been so excited that the temps have finally dropped and it's been actually COOL already! Usually we're still sweating and running the A/C in October. I hope these fabulous temps stay here. I so enjoy the cool crisp air and being able to wear my jeans and long sleeves!! We're still running the A/C here and there but nothing like we usually do this time of year!<br /><br />We are in the full swing of school and really enjoying it. I've picked up a new curriculum this year for our Language Arts called Total Language Plus. It's been great for us and the kids really love it! Right now we are reading Caddie Woodlawn. It's a cute story about a girl who is allowed to run around outside and play with her brothers instead of being trained to be a "lady" and learn alongside her mother and sisters indoors. It appeals to both my boy and girl so it works well!<br /><br />Joshua is still plugging along at school. It's been hard for me to not really "know" how he's doing or having dialogue with any of his teachers. He says he's doing fine. I just hope he's remembering everything. He seems to enjoy it so far. We're still trying to work out transportation for him. It's been hard for him having to rely on his parents or Aunt for a ride. He is learning how to ride his bike 2 miles to the bus stop and take the city bus where he wants to go. I'll be honest... it makes me a NERVOUS WRECK! I don't want to let him do this but I know he needs to do it for himself so off he goes! Wow... it's hard letting them go!!! Joshua trusts everyone and takes it all at face value. I just don't want him getting taken advantage of or hurt. The doctors have said they want to see what he can do physically. So far, he can ride his bike much farther than he can walk.<br /><br />Alex and Micayla are doing great. They are both playing the piano and Alex is singing in a band and playing soccer. He is quite the soccer player. He loves it and has so much passion for it! He plays midfield and keeper. He is a great goalie but has been enjoying playing out on the field too! He's not afraid to go after the ball and get right in there! Micayla has become quite the pianist and will be playing in February for Federation. I can't wait!! They are both doing great with school and I love it that if they don't get an A on everything, they get very upset! Hope that continues!!!<br /><br />John started a new job 3 months ago. We are thankful for the job but it's been an adjustment for him. He is walking into a company that needs to make a lot of changes with their employees. The best way to describe it would be (in his words), the lunatics are running the asylum. It amazes him that a grown man can be so disrespectful and lazy and still expect to be paid for it! We'll see how it goes. He will be taking another class and test for his fourth certification in the disaster business. Pray he does well!!<br /><br />I've been busy teaching my children, being their taxi, teaching piano and violin still, and trying to do the little things I love to do. Church, friends, crochet, baking and quilting. It's crazy but I wouldn't change it.<br /><br />Please hug your family tight! If you haven't singed up to be a donor yet, please do that too!! Go to www.donatelife.net and sign up! It's quick and easy! We thank you!!<br /><br />Blessings!!!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-37976867636289586322010-10-20T12:05:00.003-04:002010-10-20T12:14:57.981-04:00Update on UF VisitAfter many hours of waiting, we had our appointments with Joshua's cardiologist and pulmonologist. We usually don't have to wait hours like we did this time. We understand it happens but it sure is no fun. Although, we have a great social worker who gave us meal vouchers which paid for lunch at Subway downstairs while we were waiting for the doctors!! Thanks Mary!! <br /><br />The main topic this visit was compliance. Joshua has to decide whether or not he wants to continue treatment. That may sound shocking to you but it is where we are right now. I/We cannot want it for him. He has to want it for himself! He is frustrated with taking meds and all of it really. There are days when I wonder if he's just given up. The medicine is very, very, very expensive and if he's not going to take it then we don't need to be getting it. Thank God his insurance pays for it but it's still not right to get it and not take it. <br /><br />We've had some long talks. Basically, I think he has gotten hung up on the word TERMINAL. Sure, I was hung up on it too for a while. That's a tough pill to swallow. But... I've joined several PH support groups and I really honestly feel like he could live well into his 40's or 50's IF HE TAKES HIS MEDICINE. We're all going to die and none of us know when that will happen so we need to live life to the fullest!! <br /><br />So... we're on a new plan in our house to help Joshua start gaining more independence and forming a plan for himself. <br /><br />Please pray this goes well and he can see the positives for this medical regimen. <br /><br />Hope you're all enjoying the lovely fall weather! It's actually cooling down here a little too, finally!! <br /><br />Love ya!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-70034506553868653802010-10-06T08:28:00.003-04:002010-10-06T08:51:45.703-04:00UF TomorrowTomorrow morning we leave bright and early for our first UF trip in a few months. The last two appointments have been here in Jacksonville but this month we head back down to Gainesville. He has his normal appointment which includes his 6 minute walk, labs, echo, ekg and then we meet with his cardiologist. After that we will see his pulmonologist. We haven't seen her in several months so I'm happy we'll be doing that this trip. It's an all day affair but I'm glad we'll get it all done in one day versus two or three when we're in Jax.<br /><br />Although I think he seems more tired, Joshua is doing okay. He hasn't been taking his medicine like he needs to and it's driving me crazy. We've finally gotten him to what seems like the easiest regimen. All of his pills are down to once a day (we changed the meds in order to have the dosage only be one time a day instead of two or three times. It's a lot of paperwork and red tape to get him approved for the new meds.) He still takes his inhaled medicine (the micro nebulized med) four times a day but that's it. <br /><br />I am trying to transition him to being responsible for his medical care and it's really really hard. At some point he has to decide he's going to take his medical needs seriously. He wants to wait until he FEELS sick. I've told him, again, that if we wait until then, we cannot reverse the damage done. We caught this early (as far as the doctors think), so he isn't feeling much different than he always has, but he's also been on meds for over a year. He doesn't seem to understand that if he stops taking the meds, he will get worse and then he really won't like what he'll need to do if he has a central line, or worse. <br /><br />So.... please pray for us tomorrow if you think about it. I am hoping to have a serious heart to heart with the doctors tomorrow about all of this. It's always hard for me to do that because then they get in Josh's face about the seriousness of it, (which I know he needs), but then that upsets him. UGH!! Please pray they can stress all of it again, (repetition is necessary here), but that he receives it well. <br /><br />I'm still praying God completely delivers him from all of this. I am praying for a complete miraculous healing. I know Joshua would use it to bring Him glory!! <br /><br />I hope you're enjoying your fall weather, wherever you are!!!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-33989804945784804922010-09-03T10:53:00.002-04:002010-09-03T11:18:00.068-04:00It's That Time AgainIt's time for us to start school again!! We will officially start school Sept 7th. I am still a believer in not starting school until after Labor Day! I am hoping to be on a better schedule this year with the kids. I think the shock of everything with Josh has settled and homeschool can move back to the front burner. <br /><br />A few months ago, when I was tucking Micayla in we were talking about school and I casually mentioned that maybe I should put them back in public school. She said, "No, Mom, why??" I said I didn't think we were doing enough. She then said, "Mom, how many 4th graders can tell you what Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension is?" Enough said. We may not have had the best academic year but they sure got a great medical education this year!!! Where is that on the standardized tests?? <br /><br />Anyway, Joshua started school this week!! It was a major fiasco but we got it done!! Just in case you didn't know... When you have a government agency paying for something, it doesn't always happen on the time schedule you need it to!!!!! We're not complaining, we are very thankful for Voc Rehab, but it sure can be a pain with all the paperwork and red tape. <br /><br />He was enrolled in classes two weeks ago (4 of them). When we went to get his books, we found out that the college had not received payment from Voc Rehab so they dropped him from all of his classes!!! YIKES!!! Imagine our surprise at that moment. <br /><br />So after many phone calls, we found out his plan had not officially been approved yet. UGH. We called everyday for a week. (Can you say squeaky wheel??)<br /><br />The school told us we could enroll in classes up until they started, which was Monday, Aug 30th. Well, his plan finally got approved Monday afternoon. We went there Tuesday morning so he could sign everything. We left there and went straight to the school. Got there around 1:00pm. He started his first college class at 2:00pm. WHEW!!! We sat outside and went over his new schedule (only 3 classes) and got him re-acclimated to the campus and which buildings were where and off he went!!! <br /><br />So, please pray for him to stay focused on school and get his work done, without John or I having to stay on top of him! That's my desire!!! <br /><br />I'm looking forward to all of us getting back to a schedule. Yes, I actually said that, scary I know. <br /><br />Hope you all have a great year!!! <br /><br />Blessings to you!! I'll leave you with this... one of my new favorite quotes... <br /><br />"Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter." ~~Francis ChanJohn and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-87014068482686713962010-08-11T16:33:00.003-04:002010-08-11T16:58:56.534-04:00Uh Oh... Look Out!!!!Well.... the time has finally come... Joshua received his driving permit today!!! YIKES!!!! <br /><br />It's been a long time coming but as we all know, the timing is just right!<br /><br />John has been pushing Joshua this summer to study for his drivers license. I have never been super sure about this so I haven't said too much about it. Driving offers a whole new set of responsibilities as well as distractions so it hasn't been on the top of my priority list to put him behind the wheel of a car, much less my car!! Up until the last 6 months or so, Joshua has not been interested in getting his permit, but it's amazing what can happen when your Dad is breathing down your neck!! <br /><br />So... today Alex and I took Joshua to take his test to get a permit. The first thing they do, after going over the 100 pieces of information they require you to bring, is give him the vision test. "Please read the 12 characters in row 5 Joshua." Joshua proceeds to read only 8 characters. The man kindly asks him to read the last 4. Joshua reads the 8 characters again. The man says, "you're only reading the first 8." Joshua then says "there are only 8." <br /><br />UH - OH. I'm standing there wondering what is happening and thinking we're going down fast! <br /><br />He asks Alex to look into his machine and see if there are 12 characters and Alex said there were. Joshua looks again and can only see 8. I'm standing there thinking... "maybe he's not supposed to drive!!" The man has me look and tell him what I see and I see 12 characters. Hmmmm.....<br /><br />At this point, Joshua is getting mad, which I'm sure Alex and I are the only one's who can tell. Mad for Joshua is like most of us when we're slightly frustrated. <br /><br />So, the man gives us a green form to take to our eye doctor and have him verify his prescription and answer a handful of questions about Joshua's eyes and how they will affect him driving. However, he still allowed Joshua to take the written test. So... off Josh went to take the test on their computer. Meanwhile the man tells me that you can be blind in one eye and still drive. Whew... he may make it!<br /><br />We waited outside for him. When we came back in,about 20 mins later, he was finished and giving me a thumbs up as I walked towards him!!!! <br /><br />Of course, we left the DMV and drove straight to the eye doc. I was not going to make him wait after that!! So... we waited at the eye doc for him to get to the green form in between patients and we were off... back to the DMV!<br /><br />So..... now the practice begins!!! <br /><br />Please pray that God gives us T O N S of patience and safety!!! <br /><br />Way to go Josh!!! Super proud of you!!!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-43481090856158784152010-08-07T14:09:00.004-04:002010-08-07T14:44:12.919-04:00UF VisitWell... we had our doctor visit with UF this week. I haven't posted a lot lately. Trying to enjoy our summer and relax before school starts. <br /><br />Joshua is doing well. We are switching up some of his meds. We were able to switch one of his meds to only once a day, (from twice a day), and am still working on getting another one moved to once a day, from three times a day. Hopefully this will help with compliance. He really hates taking the meds so anything to help will be great. <br /><br />He has been more fatigued lately. Not sure if that is from it being summer and just laziness or from something else. He tends to fall asleep just about anywhere and can fall asleep quickly regardless of what is going on in the room. He has been staying up later and such, but still getting to sleep in so I'm not sure. I'm just keeping my eye on it for now along with the doctors. <br /><br />We don't have to return to the doctor for two months this time so that is always nice to have a break! We will also see his pulmonologist at our next visit as well. <br /><br />Thank you for all your continued prayers for my boy!!! It's been a year hasn't it!?!? <br /><br />Enjoy the rest of your summer! I hope you're staying cool!!! Heat index has been 105-115 the last few weeks. I'm done with summer!!! <br /><br />Blessings to you!!!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-59959040054280570012010-07-29T08:50:00.005-04:002010-07-29T19:17:15.889-04:00Beauty from AshesIt seems like over the last several months, maybe the last year, things have been either on a downward slide or just stagnant. We've had many things we've had to digest and it's been a long road. Lots of appointments, job changes, etc. Most of you know what I'm talking about. Finding out your son has a rare, terminal disease is not something to digest easily or over a quick period of time. <br /><br />We have had the tremendous blessing of having wonderful doctors, nurses, and social workers, a fantastic PH clinic, and insurance that has covered just about all of his medical expenses. His meds are quite expensive and we are so thankful for his insurance!<br /><br />One appointment we've been having over the last 5 months, requiring many phone calls and hours and hours of waiting, is with Vocational Rehabilitation. They help people with disabilities get set up for success and transitioning to adulthood. They do everything from helping with a job search, career counseling, providing life skills, tutoring, and also helping with tuition costs, etc. We've been on a waiting list for quite some time waiting to hear what they are going to be able to do for Joshua. Each time I call I get told "it's in Tallahassee."<br /><br />We were able to meet with them this week. YAY!! We found out they are going to be able to help Joshua by paying 100% of his tuition and books at any public school in Florida! John and I could barely contain our excitement! For once, this horrible disease has a benefit for Joshua! Because of this causing him to be labeled "disabled", it has now put him in this position to receive this HUGE blessing! <br /><br />We are so happy for Joshua. He even said he feels like he can do this now with all the help he was told he would have from VR! They will provide a math tutor for him, (his very least favorite subject) and help him find a job, in his field, upon graduation and anything else he needs to help him reach his goals. <br /><br />Thank you Lord for providing this HUGE blessing to us. We will continue to thank Him for all He is doing and will continue to do with Josh. <br /><br />All of this just reminds me that we are not in control. We have choices to make, yes. But we don't have total control of what happens. I'm so thankful today. I am very happy that Joshua will not have to worry about money while he is going through school at FSCJ for his ASL degree. This will allow him to focus on his academics!! Pray he does that!!! I think he will. <br /><br />It's amazing that through all the "ashes" of this last year, and all the changes Joshua has had to deal with, it feels like there is finally something beautiful from it all. <br /><br />Continue to pray for a cure for PAH! I believe we might see it one day! And if you've not signed up to be an organ donor, please do so. Thank you!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-28661123421424590722010-07-21T22:44:00.002-04:002010-07-21T22:47:46.271-04:00Still HereNo, we haven't gone away on some wonderful month long, (or two), vacation or fallen off the face of the earth. We've just been taking it easy this summer. With all we had going on with May, we're taking one day at a time, no plan, not much structure (to the dismay of our youngest... God thought it would be funny to give me a daughter opposite of me in that area.) Please forgive me if you've been checking in here and still get the same picture each time.<br /><br />Hope you all are having a great summer! We are really doing well, other than the hamster drama in our house! Who thought it would be a good idea to get TWO of them??? Hmmm.... I'll blog more about that later! <br /><br />Enjoy your summer and hug your family tight!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-79271346398119228672010-06-17T17:31:00.013-04:002010-06-17T18:09:44.829-04:00Mama and Daughter Get Away!!!!!The beautiful Hampton Inn on the Harbor at Amelia Island!!! Beautiful! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmCtQnVgYlMuISetmIkk_HD29tVS3mmJmdz-9bQrVbNFThiFN1s6pw33GO2VnV03YkMKMetJTORWrbe6i3mVwgp9pBvLh05EVtD1boTawPaTcvVcP_WNDL7c0NCatMIVClR_elq9JrcU/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmCtQnVgYlMuISetmIkk_HD29tVS3mmJmdz-9bQrVbNFThiFN1s6pw33GO2VnV03YkMKMetJTORWrbe6i3mVwgp9pBvLh05EVtD1boTawPaTcvVcP_WNDL7c0NCatMIVClR_elq9JrcU/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483859427218827186" /></a><br /><br />We walked over to the marina to see the water and boats...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwt6V3z8Bwxebd3tdlCAiBCiG47h6cPWjxG3kADagfmnY4Udn8qxWA3BNXHLmrzKqAmDa2t0G8jz-dPkpxsVhviDyttYMoUUh7qPf5ThyphenhyphenLtx1rx-8tLErL60CfOoZHafTBXUpw_O0kh8/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwt6V3z8Bwxebd3tdlCAiBCiG47h6cPWjxG3kADagfmnY4Udn8qxWA3BNXHLmrzKqAmDa2t0G8jz-dPkpxsVhviDyttYMoUUh7qPf5ThyphenhyphenLtx1rx-8tLErL60CfOoZHafTBXUpw_O0kh8/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+006.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483859437997204018" /></a><br /><br />but we also saw this!!!!! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtPWyNlpOvU3q6ju3uY6NhHyT_EhLE7s4e4Tkw0Cl1G2CJS6eUmznm2PSYR7RIG82rpK0vUWJTt1I9aIXE-_2X6nmNpuJfrebQMKyego21KUGmyQhvEyk0ohLLZcTj18fLRgicryOED0/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtPWyNlpOvU3q6ju3uY6NhHyT_EhLE7s4e4Tkw0Cl1G2CJS6eUmznm2PSYR7RIG82rpK0vUWJTt1I9aIXE-_2X6nmNpuJfrebQMKyego21KUGmyQhvEyk0ohLLZcTj18fLRgicryOED0/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483859443821588370" /></a><br /><br />We named this cute little sea otter Amelia. We don't really know the gender but Micayla wanted to name it so it's a she! <br /><br />We also saw this along with jumping fish! I couldn't get a pic of the fish... they were too fast, most likely running away from whatever wanted to eat them! But I was able to get a picture of this baby jelly fish. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDne6HxQTje-2lIkpft5wzDaB6QPCVLuHGv1Ga0ocx2fjx0Onl7zQS6f0QPY89LJaoALgidaaslzkJrYhKXT5dAac8FKo-bJ-KGhtNBMICj_ctp9UmBVChibrxLV79KDRoxwJeiEAGeZs/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+026.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDne6HxQTje-2lIkpft5wzDaB6QPCVLuHGv1Ga0ocx2fjx0Onl7zQS6f0QPY89LJaoALgidaaslzkJrYhKXT5dAac8FKo-bJ-KGhtNBMICj_ctp9UmBVChibrxLV79KDRoxwJeiEAGeZs/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+026.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483867584145017362" /></a><br /><br />Then we did some shopping in the historic district. It's so pretty and was just perfect for us to wander around. The hotel is right on the corner so we could walk where we went. Amelia Island hosts a shrimp festival every year and these little guys were all over. Micayla loved them so we had to take pics with them! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji12NxbtP7OvOTHmwEx-Mv6m3ScaM0pdld8tc4NibVDS81AsZhf5npDZajsSzQjalAj9BPi8dNC0okvhSITrVvmiwPyceHclAhaaiY913fjw01TJ7gvWMcHOvtoAB7Nll63PQlVnXpALo/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji12NxbtP7OvOTHmwEx-Mv6m3ScaM0pdld8tc4NibVDS81AsZhf5npDZajsSzQjalAj9BPi8dNC0okvhSITrVvmiwPyceHclAhaaiY913fjw01TJ7gvWMcHOvtoAB7Nll63PQlVnXpALo/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483861887677094514" /></a><br /><br />Then we did this... <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-tuVqVO6_faPd0d2kLNAa1uv0pVQbNm7KStYr30TDoY3R87plROIHpS9k3iTnXdOkS50sCejVXiBtorQxTMnWLnc3kKMSjDD23VGN0gUlmjAa2pHyj4DH-VeJL5ik4HMl-XxQXtmfC0/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+012.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-tuVqVO6_faPd0d2kLNAa1uv0pVQbNm7KStYr30TDoY3R87plROIHpS9k3iTnXdOkS50sCejVXiBtorQxTMnWLnc3kKMSjDD23VGN0gUlmjAa2pHyj4DH-VeJL5ik4HMl-XxQXtmfC0/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483862596797343010" /></a><br /><br />We had a great evening... we ate at the Marina Restaurant. It was yummy. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6E59LsPean2p8c18KJmUk1XSaK3FApGMr8pxN-gOKudoYDphwhBUXgL84o7jFia5rx6OTzfj2PeAQjEhKLSktwoq5vtaiNo4d6a6lYD0iTojZAGOVU8RjXRMVDKokDZuBIQMDsp96Sqk/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+027.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6E59LsPean2p8c18KJmUk1XSaK3FApGMr8pxN-gOKudoYDphwhBUXgL84o7jFia5rx6OTzfj2PeAQjEhKLSktwoq5vtaiNo4d6a6lYD0iTojZAGOVU8RjXRMVDKokDZuBIQMDsp96Sqk/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+027.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483864246710618866" /></a><br /><br />Then we went back to our room and popped popcorn and had M&M's. We spent a couple hours having girl talk. We mainly spoke about different changes she'll experience over the next few years and how to deal with them. It's such a fun time and I just want to prepare her for the next part of growing up!! <br /><br />The next morning we got ready to go SHOPPING!! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLLVkKU6Qh9-B8E58DdWXfxR9clkmuHjN-04RQ_81dK2RMLUwGUfnJvZFwcIv_wf7MxCIJhvhkyKqPRcH5yaCbIPn9uC9qOQljGj-YHGAshVo4fLshnE9jox_gijnBgVnIZ6OvCxoDWo/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLLVkKU6Qh9-B8E58DdWXfxR9clkmuHjN-04RQ_81dK2RMLUwGUfnJvZFwcIv_wf7MxCIJhvhkyKqPRcH5yaCbIPn9uC9qOQljGj-YHGAshVo4fLshnE9jox_gijnBgVnIZ6OvCxoDWo/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483863439538740082" /></a><br /><br />We painted our nails and headed out... gotta have pretty toes!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizay-w54tBorxFm51WSzudjKFZe_GnSMPA_Ra-Ba3gKW00QHCPWl1dPEhOi9qYVeZ-A3ZkAeODikz_xnYKIKfAhsHvLJVKP3Jz7KU4FRtfOwWXe9bx8-a3YiQoYo-v9AqQmXUX1QKqJf0/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizay-w54tBorxFm51WSzudjKFZe_GnSMPA_Ra-Ba3gKW00QHCPWl1dPEhOi9qYVeZ-A3ZkAeODikz_xnYKIKfAhsHvLJVKP3Jz7KU4FRtfOwWXe9bx8-a3YiQoYo-v9AqQmXUX1QKqJf0/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+025.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483864842672962050" /></a><br /><br />We saw more of these... <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjageSJPi7dMt8ptB-YGz59uwbBa41H1-qDHghZXbnClo-LAOpowY9lsNZVr-OK4OQrJvHe9VxifAGW9lUyTYScciaW5YAunaKuK03qSNgjGpWvFsbA71Mtp1ORChPx1IOVO2ak-uOpbjw/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+037.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjageSJPi7dMt8ptB-YGz59uwbBa41H1-qDHghZXbnClo-LAOpowY9lsNZVr-OK4OQrJvHe9VxifAGW9lUyTYScciaW5YAunaKuK03qSNgjGpWvFsbA71Mtp1ORChPx1IOVO2ak-uOpbjw/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+037.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483865781270292290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4rl1jjxyAoUiEiHF5k_gBNYfX30PKUKZimubEOa-p5brLEr1XNHzFF5UC-Xm7dic6yHao3unIbUIl-dZfZJvyVhChIvWtJ0QV6GIcf7fhf_zVcce7JOqgrTqDk0yOJjKL7fFX6hZ034/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+028.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4rl1jjxyAoUiEiHF5k_gBNYfX30PKUKZimubEOa-p5brLEr1XNHzFF5UC-Xm7dic6yHao3unIbUIl-dZfZJvyVhChIvWtJ0QV6GIcf7fhf_zVcce7JOqgrTqDk0yOJjKL7fFX6hZ034/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+028.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483865777868452514" /></a><br /><br />I told her she could choose one thing to buy. So after much shopping and deliberation... she chose this. I love it! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3W6rebLBMnhudLRiz0kgGURy5rqY0uVCSgCKwz1IaPXjsQVMFjJ_IIpeGe859pnttNoqNF3M8DNaIN7q83iMpD9ncntyJuPlPPW89wiKCLsCYI5z4YnYRgTyZ0ivmPTJnpUrD5jrtGf4/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+042.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3W6rebLBMnhudLRiz0kgGURy5rqY0uVCSgCKwz1IaPXjsQVMFjJ_IIpeGe859pnttNoqNF3M8DNaIN7q83iMpD9ncntyJuPlPPW89wiKCLsCYI5z4YnYRgTyZ0ivmPTJnpUrD5jrtGf4/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+042.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483866779958861698" /></a><br /><br />We saw one more of these on our way out of town after having a yummy lunch at Karibou Cafe. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipb9tCFe2rxWlLP-_M7FrnSgMaMMEJzfGQd6IcfwpzkB1UB1UEiKRLU3V_8IoptNJlJHc8hasuiQNW_RHEIuRYLSN1sEO37-eSFE78gZl0SQWIu-yHBI0UDQa1CEX7VXFL-PTV3sBehU8/s1600/Micayla+and+Mom+night+038.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipb9tCFe2rxWlLP-_M7FrnSgMaMMEJzfGQd6IcfwpzkB1UB1UEiKRLU3V_8IoptNJlJHc8hasuiQNW_RHEIuRYLSN1sEO37-eSFE78gZl0SQWIu-yHBI0UDQa1CEX7VXFL-PTV3sBehU8/s320/Micayla+and+Mom+night+038.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483867265029719506" /></a><br /><br /><br />I must say thank you to my Mom for making this trip possible for us. I love that she travels and accumulates lots of hotel points and doesn't mind sharing!!! Thanks MOM!!!! We love you and had a great time!!!John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-21219186915320854112010-06-02T17:02:00.003-04:002010-06-02T17:08:15.388-04:00The Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2t9ZAVSxXrN2UH7c9MsrYq8da0PIvBbGdak3IvsfnxVlFYmaFsaJgqKIaHiWloRMvHbzsTAgzPBDligVk2e0761CgtLf_iexppDnyilv_Y7Jv40DqfJbHltiaQeVQFxT6sO-XALyWONg/s1600/Josh+Graduation+055.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2t9ZAVSxXrN2UH7c9MsrYq8da0PIvBbGdak3IvsfnxVlFYmaFsaJgqKIaHiWloRMvHbzsTAgzPBDligVk2e0761CgtLf_iexppDnyilv_Y7Jv40DqfJbHltiaQeVQFxT6sO-XALyWONg/s320/Josh+Graduation+055.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478285515584198834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXzEInfE8ykp2tl2XFChKQojCVtNruDs-X6CAVM0lxfLn93OorqSxjdd0wnVfUXCfQSza8QPU8vRTjFOTR9b8nTT1piJsiwd-6BzoxRn5Uk3uzedjriHNWx-UgvZhNvKgqgMFYmH0r4w/s1600/Josh+Graduation+056.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXzEInfE8ykp2tl2XFChKQojCVtNruDs-X6CAVM0lxfLn93OorqSxjdd0wnVfUXCfQSza8QPU8vRTjFOTR9b8nTT1piJsiwd-6BzoxRn5Uk3uzedjriHNWx-UgvZhNvKgqgMFYmH0r4w/s320/Josh+Graduation+056.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478285506708545074" /></a>John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-58448881542901021152010-05-31T21:19:00.004-04:002010-05-31T21:38:47.159-04:00No Words Needed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e8JxiEWe9SaBvbDDiIa_zQwuME5H4PBCzjR9GCO0faQWStrNkNHKUkJ95p0N1f7GXNDsXG0kmHe3_Iam5Vo7M3x-Nd-zTBFzKHV_C8Ukq3NJ7LlQ_3yQLPF7B_1xJYH-Tf68Bk6wrgM/s1600/Josh+Graduation+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5e8JxiEWe9SaBvbDDiIa_zQwuME5H4PBCzjR9GCO0faQWStrNkNHKUkJ95p0N1f7GXNDsXG0kmHe3_Iam5Vo7M3x-Nd-zTBFzKHV_C8Ukq3NJ7LlQ_3yQLPF7B_1xJYH-Tf68Bk6wrgM/s320/Josh+Graduation+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477610166420790978" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNWv_xgauKNXlsQ7MTlyDb1sitY46_DotU2Xr5WQpmGSV1H_4g4lofu7ubNgZAMnArzzvMXWK885wAzns4vtSPD1u0R-vLNHIAyRO3VtxInH-MqSSewM9oy5jirs5aC_GKJRqa4EaHqg/s1600/Josh+Graduation+007.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNWv_xgauKNXlsQ7MTlyDb1sitY46_DotU2Xr5WQpmGSV1H_4g4lofu7ubNgZAMnArzzvMXWK885wAzns4vtSPD1u0R-vLNHIAyRO3VtxInH-MqSSewM9oy5jirs5aC_GKJRqa4EaHqg/s320/Josh+Graduation+007.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477610172115579986" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4iU-nrmCRJaT4YKpS2a13SQqh_FfrP620DmlBDJA-r867hnpTxDnPuLzJ_QsD-rYJLipD0KKS2pTCEdOFtA2_HyZJTQ2MNd_oeuYXPvw8ClCD6IZm3Sfl5uY1H5_KPmos8VdrS4D0Bg/s1600/Josh+Graduation+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4iU-nrmCRJaT4YKpS2a13SQqh_FfrP620DmlBDJA-r867hnpTxDnPuLzJ_QsD-rYJLipD0KKS2pTCEdOFtA2_HyZJTQ2MNd_oeuYXPvw8ClCD6IZm3Sfl5uY1H5_KPmos8VdrS4D0Bg/s320/Josh+Graduation+008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477610184624232210" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOvr43PY6phMHT0zE6iNOkLKx2bnynQxdSIqk7vhlNWwqnKyW0Hw-9iDlnID8V_bSthoaetisj_dPz23QAyXhrl1Q1kyeeYo8NrVcVpDhNpMjccsO9Yw2Sh0IcveonB_dgo-m6kA8yxxA/s1600/Josh+Graduation+013.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOvr43PY6phMHT0zE6iNOkLKx2bnynQxdSIqk7vhlNWwqnKyW0Hw-9iDlnID8V_bSthoaetisj_dPz23QAyXhrl1Q1kyeeYo8NrVcVpDhNpMjccsO9Yw2Sh0IcveonB_dgo-m6kA8yxxA/s320/Josh+Graduation+013.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477613200124425330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJeYrOquc6NpE7KCtWC0e_kKNWPe-5HkE7ObqI1xD0Bf3NjQAUkpRDqNso2kamAIhyKUCGjIFifJiahK_MK0yBJuPi8dzzKVdcWUz0_gVPbe-1DpyvuaaPU9Nl9gHOaJSaxlJNVctPAs/s1600/Josh+Graduation+015.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJeYrOquc6NpE7KCtWC0e_kKNWPe-5HkE7ObqI1xD0Bf3NjQAUkpRDqNso2kamAIhyKUCGjIFifJiahK_MK0yBJuPi8dzzKVdcWUz0_gVPbe-1DpyvuaaPU9Nl9gHOaJSaxlJNVctPAs/s320/Josh+Graduation+015.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477613198499622466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8VjE1fCEzlT0FNQtLn2pf_NSQyBcgiVv2rNGBFoVzDAasPIbEjImzpV9XanlYoPFmkQpnljfv-Rp8Kthj1DnvZVguBF2dR0HlJMlIeK97VAJoDX9Xp2qMlQTkrxhwA-0M_OAr505Lz0/s1600/Josh+Graduation+018.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8VjE1fCEzlT0FNQtLn2pf_NSQyBcgiVv2rNGBFoVzDAasPIbEjImzpV9XanlYoPFmkQpnljfv-Rp8Kthj1DnvZVguBF2dR0HlJMlIeK97VAJoDX9Xp2qMlQTkrxhwA-0M_OAr505Lz0/s320/Josh+Graduation+018.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477613187655821282" /></a>John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-73095966761977325162010-05-24T08:33:00.002-04:002010-05-24T08:34:50.953-04:00Last Week Until This...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAMeLloc9FJvhz1tscPebh2E33tK72UVHZsbMTAVvSTrfD_mRmN_SMFVW_wpNin1hAypml4INVUjzRFyfcVkk06YTyNTaHolXiELdO5hupPlb6Y6v_2o0X14qcRcxjbjn4nyVHPVxbvQ/s1600/Senior+Pics+068.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAMeLloc9FJvhz1tscPebh2E33tK72UVHZsbMTAVvSTrfD_mRmN_SMFVW_wpNin1hAypml4INVUjzRFyfcVkk06YTyNTaHolXiELdO5hupPlb6Y6v_2o0X14qcRcxjbjn4nyVHPVxbvQ/s320/Senior+Pics+068.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474813965649159794" /></a>John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804350158307500291.post-83507879523244950432010-05-02T16:59:00.004-04:002010-05-02T17:19:29.168-04:00Update... UF Visit This WeekSo, it's been a lot lately. We have had a lot going on with the kids schedules and Joshua's trips to UF. <br /><br />We had our appt with Joshua's doctor regarding the results of the heart cath in addition to his regular monthly appt (6 min walk, labs, EKG, and ECHO.)<br /><br />It was an emotional visit for me. We discussed what things look like as far as the slight progression of the disease. He discussed there are 4 classes of PAH, 1 being the least advanced and 4 being the most advanced. Joshua is at a high 3 almost to 4. He told us there could be an argument for going to the next step with Joshua since his numbers from the cath were not great but he is optimistic that we don't need to do that just yet. The next step would be the continuous IV meds through a central line. After that happens, Joshua would most likely be placed on the transplant list. Of course he answered my many questions and I am just trying to stay hopeful that won't happen for a long time and if/when it does, that an organ would be available. This makes me sad just thinking about it since that means someone else would lose their loved one. <br /><br />Most of this conversation happened while Joshua was getting his ECHO so just John and I were in the room with the doctor. It was a lot to hear. I hate having these conversations about transplant like this is just a normal conversation. I never thought I'd be sitting in a doctor's office talking about this, but then again, who does? I've almost felt like Sally Field in the movie Steel Magnolia's during the cemetery scene where she loses it with her friends. From laughing to crying to yelling. That's how I've been feeling. It's hard. I know God is going to use this for good but it still is hard. <br /><br />Micayla had made a card for Dr. A that read:<br /><br />"Dear Dr. A., This is Joshua's little sister. Thank you for taking care of my big brother. I love him so, so, so much and I don't want to lose him. Love, Micayla". <br /><br />She had drawn very detailed pictures of all of Joshua's equipment. His CPAP machine, Tyvaso machine, an EKG monitor, blood pressure cuff, syringe, and pill box. It was very cute but makes me cry thinking about it. <br /><br />We gave it to him and he spoke with her about becoming a doctor and finding a cure for Joshua. He was impressed she knew what all the different things were for. John and I both had tears in our eyes. <br /><br />Once we were finished talking to Dr. A. he told us he would not be seeing us again. He has to go overseas to take care of his parents. Of course, I started crying. <br /><br />Lots of tears this visit. I know we will be in great hands with Dr. F. but it's a comfort thing. We've seen him every month, sometimes several times a month, for over a year. <br /><br />Anyway... that's all for now. I'll leave you with this picture we took after hearing he would be leaving. Thank you Dr. A. for taking such good care of our boy! We love you! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQE9LtDDZrPEa0hhfyzPJjsjvekHywIddrZtwdIn-OlHkdnDfo7JebwcTm1z9FaIMk_ukuV7nBKy4fwjmpc_hHx4cHOLkoAf5NN9Z_Ip4pJ18KqeWZ0mUaqAL8pHmOILXGO_FbeWPZHE/s1600/Dr.+A+and+Josh.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQE9LtDDZrPEa0hhfyzPJjsjvekHywIddrZtwdIn-OlHkdnDfo7JebwcTm1z9FaIMk_ukuV7nBKy4fwjmpc_hHx4cHOLkoAf5NN9Z_Ip4pJ18KqeWZ0mUaqAL8pHmOILXGO_FbeWPZHE/s320/Dr.+A+and+Josh.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466784005257127858" /></a>John and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246529680681814672noreply@blogger.com1