We took our tree down on New Year’s Day (just so you don’t think we are those people who still have lights up in May), but since I haven’t been able to get my pics off the camera, this post is a little late. This is a good way to store Christmas ornaments. We have a small tree, which translates to small ornaments. I’m sure I didn’t invent this idea, but I thought I’d share since it was a new idea to me. The ornaments also look really pretty in the egg cartons.
Corey: Remember when you told me I had to get rid of this picture in the bathroom? You said it reminded you of the old wallpaper that we got rid of and that wallpaper was ugly and this picture reminded you of it?
Below is the replacement picture. I used a page from my 2008 wall calendar and I think it’s really cute (girl term). Hope you approve.
Keith left for China on Christmas morning. He is with Justin enjoying everything they can in 2 1/2 weeks. They have visited Justin’s family and friends and seen many beautiful sites, as many as they could cram into that time period. The above picture is Keith at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, which was built for the Olympics (as any fan of the 2008 Olympics would already know). If you weren’t a fan, check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_National_Stadium.
Keith: Dad and I are glad you enjoyed yourself and even happier that you’re ready to come home. We have all missed you. Molly has probably missed you and Justin most of all, though. I’ve made her a new reversible flannel blanket for her basket. As soon as I can get the pics off my camera, I’ll post a picture of her so you can see how she made herself at home again at our house.
The little black and white beauty is Corey and Danielle’s new kitten. Look at those gorgeous green eyes! When you hold this kitten, she looks into your eyes like she’s looking into your soul. She has the most beautiful eyes. She is laying with her proud new big brother, Stripes. Stripes is about 1 1/2 years old now. The kitten is eight weeks old. I’ll post a little update when the little beauty gets a name.
Ok, so here’s the deal………..if you know me, you know some of the qualities I value in people. I value trust and friendship and honesty and kindness and gentle souls. I value people who care about people and people with a giving spirit and people who call or e-mail just to say “hey, how’s it going” and not to say “I think about you all the time and just never get around to calling, but now that you’re on the phone, can you (fill in the blank) for me”.
I value peace. I remember when I was a teenager and we were having the usual Christmas Eve party at my parents’ house and somebody asked “What do you want for Christmas” and I said “world peace.” Somebody roared with laughter (I won’t name names but I do remember who it was and they were also a teenager so maybe they didn’t get it then – I think/hope they do now). I do wish for world peace but I don’t think it’s attainable – people are people and we are all just too different.
I value pet-lovers and people who care about the elderly. I always say that if you don’t love and care for pets and the elderly, you’re not my kind of person.
So…………if you think you know me, you know all or most of that about me. You also know how very much a gift I received today means to me. It’s a necklace and my Mom gave it to me today, New Year’s Day. I love the word on the necklace and hope anybody who reads this has it and gives it and encounters it every day. (A better picture will be posted soon – my camera is unwilling to free the pictures today for some reason – Joan, I’m blaming you for that!!!).
Mark is doing well after his surgery. He is walking very slowly. He is supposed to walk no more than two blocks per day. If he were to walk our block, since we live in the country, he would be walking 4.5 miles per block, so nine miles per day, just for reference. He is also not to lift anything over 5-8 lbs., which is making him crazy because he wants to be useful and he feels helpless. That’s frustrating but I tell him there’s a reward in the end (good health!). He gets his stitches out on January 9 and that will provide some relief as the stitches are pulling and creating more discomfort in his back (back incision is stitched and is five inches long). His front incision is glued and healing beautifully (seven inches long).
Our weather has been beautiful (relatively speaking, for winter – it’s been in the thirties to fifties) so we’ve been able to walk outside. Today it is snow again and heavy wind and will be in the twenties or lower for at least the next week, so he’ll be walking in the house again for now.
Who better to wish you Merry Christmas than our sweet little girls, Carrie and Chloe. We wish you all as much love and joy in 2009 as these two share with each other and with us every day.
So from all of us (Mark, Teri, Carrie and Chloe)………..to all of you (our wonderful kids – all four of you – our family and friends who have e-mailed, called and shared your concern, good wishes and friendship through Mark’s hospitalization and recuperation, and throughout the year)………..from all of us to all of you…………….
Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2009!!
P.S. I had to add the bonus picture of our little Buddha Belly Chloe in the picture below – it’s from last year but it’s priceless.
This link http://tinyurl.com/98a8uv will take you to the pictures from the ice storm we had while Mark was in the hospital. The pictures have captions and I think an ice storm is pretty much self-explanatory. The wind chill at one point was -39. Today’s temperature is -4 with a wind chill of -12.
The first day of the storm we lost power. Mark was still in the hospital but his hospital did not lose power – it is a little over an hour away from home. The power went out at about 3:00 a.m. and I didn’t wake up until 4:00 a.m. so it was already starting to get cold in the house. It was 62 degrees in the house so I lit a bunch of our bigger candles and votives. I also took four dinner plates, covered them with foil and filled them each with tea lights. It took me fifteen minutes to light them all but I remember when the kids were little and they were snowed in with my parents, my parents had lit candles to keep a little heat in the house and it really does help. It was 62 in the house when I lit the candles and it was still 62 in the house when the power was restored several hours later.
December 21, 2008
Mark came home from the hospital yesterday at 4:00 p.m. This picture is him still in the hospital, obviously because I don’t have IV’s and oxygen hooked up to him here at home.
It was shocking that they sent him home already as the doctor had previously said he would go home on the 22nd and now he was coming home on the 20th. He didn’t think he was ready – he had only walked part of his hallway one time on the 19th. He was nauseous and in incredible pain. He had cried when they moved him from the bed to the chair the first time on the 19th. The nurses told him he could stay all day yesterday – just because he was released didn’t mean he had to leave right that minute. They also said if he wasn’t up to it, he could stay another day or more. We decided that there was nothing they could do for him that I couldn’t do for him. We did stay the day so he could get in another session of physical therapy (this time he walked the whole block of his unit). He felt much better after that walk. They also had to give him two more IV bags of antibiotics. He slept most of the day – that’s really all he’s done for the whole four days so far is sleep.
Last night he slept on the sofa and I slept there with him. He had his pain meds every four hours and Keith called at 1:00 a.m. – his phone accidentally called us – so we stayed up from 1:00-3:00 watching tv and he had about 1/4 cup of homemade soup that Dad had made. Thanks Dad – it was his first real food in four days because he naturally has no appetite.
Today he will get a shower and I have to get to change his dressings (arghhhhh – weak stomach). I’ve already seen the incision on his back – that one doesn’t hurt him. The one on the front is where his pain is terrible – I can’t wait until the shower is over and he gets to settle back down. He doesn’t have any pain when he’s not moving. He took a little walk this morning already – around the house as we’re still in the midst of a lovely winter storm – and he said it felt good to walk.
Check back for more updates and for some of the most beautiful pictures of an ice storm I’ve ever seen – if there is such a thing as a beautiful ice storm. It is beautiful when you’re safe in your home and you know all of your family and friends are safe.
June 25 was our 25th wedding anniversary. I’m late in publishing this post because I just never got around to scanning this picture to insert but here it is – finally.
You could say it was our silver (25 years) AND our golden (25 on the 25th) anniversary. It kind of got lost in everything because we were so busy planning and preparing for Mom and Dad’s 50TH ANNIVERSARY!!! This is my favorite picture from our wedding. Anybody who knows us knows that we don’t like those posed, portrait studio photos – we like real-life pictures – those are the ones that depict things the way they really are. That’s probably why I love this one. Everybody thought it looked like Mark was ready to do harm to me with the knife.
I love you Mark Alan – you are my forever.
Love, Teresa Marie