The End of a Saga...

As promised, this posting will end the constant posts related to our adventures in hospital stays and related matters. Fear not. I will obviously share doctor visits as they pop up, but at this point, I will turn my focus on my blog back to it's original  focus...which I can't really define at this moment.

Last night was a humbling experience. Through the love and concern of many wonderful people in the community, an amazing event took place. My wife and I weren't too privy to much of what was planned before hand (which is totally fine), but we were humbled and overwhelmed at the wonderful turn out of people who came to show their support. My wife and I are frustrated with ourselves as we had hoped to take TONS of pictures to document the event. What I ended up with was a few random pictures I snapped as things were being cleaned up. So if anyone took pictures, we would love to have copies.

The evening started with a yummy dinner of pulled beef, salad, pickles, chips, and water. From there games were set up for the kids. Tickets were required to play. There was a water balloon launcher, fishing pond, bean bag toss, snow cones, cotton candy, and more. There was also a bake sale, a "store", jewelry, and a raffle for some pretty amazing prizes (thanks again to those who donated such wonderful gifts to be raffled). There was even a DJ (Thanks Troy) playing some groovy music to keep things pumped up and going.

I loved standing back and watching people visit with my wife. After all we have been through I am just so thankful to have her by my side in a standing position. Unless you have been in a position where you have nearly lost your spouse, you can't really understand... and frankly, I hope you never have too.

Another bonus of this event was that we got to see several close friends that we don't see often anymore. When we first pulled up I was so excited to see my dear friend Tanie Worthen and her son. They had driven all the way from Ferron to see us and support us. I enjoyed visiting with her and hearing all about her trip she has planned for this fall.

My sister surprised us and showed up. It was good to visit with her and her family. I love that they live so close. It was nice to see my brother's family as well. My sister-in-law kidnapped the baby for the three hours. I am grateful that she has been such a life saver with the baby over the past few months.

We were also able to see our dear friends Sharree and Ricky Jensen. They live too far away and are about to move even further away... :(
But rather than dwell on the sadness of the situation, we were so thankful to spend a couple hours visiting and remembering our "college days" together (we all attended CEU at the same time). We are so thankful that they went WAY out of their way to visit us and support us. (Thanks again for buying us the painting... :) We love it and will think about you all every time we see it).

It was a good three hours. My heart is still full from the outpouring of love and support. We haven't been given a final tally (and that is fine), but the time and work that won't be added in to that total is priceless. I am scared to name names because I know I will miss or forget someone, but I have to say thank you to a few people. Thanks so much Heather and Greg, Kristin and Scott,  Jenni and Burke, Annie and Dale, Christina and Troy, Cindy and Kim, Melinda, Stan and Teri, and many, many more. If I missed you, please know you are just as loved (it's just late and my memory is much less vivid since the hospital).

As I reflect of the past how many ever days it has been, I can see so many lessons that we have learned. I can only hope that we remember them. We are looking forward to opportunities to serve others, for we know that we have plenty of service to offer back.

As a side note:

1) Talked to Dr. Brady's office again. They are "seeing what they can do". I told them their bill was the lowest  priority at this point. I told them I wanted to account frozen with no interest and no collections or I WILL have a lawyer on them.

2) I let Dr. Gagon know we missed him at the dinner. He said that he felt it would be too awkward but wanted our address to send some money (which is funny to me since our address is on his files). I don't expect anything from him, but I guess we will see. He wrote off what little we still owed him and that is better than nothing. I know, I know. I have been chastised by several people for not retaining a lawyer and going after him. At this point it isn't something we feel we want to do. If in the future we choose to, then it will still be an option.

So, I will sign off this post and work to put this adventure behind us. My wife is getting stronger every day and that is the most important thing to me. I love you babe.

Later...

To The Doctor We Go.... Again...

Oh what fun making trips to Provo is...

Well, I guess we DO get to see lots of our friends and that really IS fun. But driving up every other week for some doctor appointment isn't what I would call "fun". After all, my two youngest sons spend the whole trip trying not to barf and the oldest three is back are fighting and bickering and hitting each other. Ah, the joys of six children. What were we thinking???? (and I agree with you sitting there at your computer saying, "And he wouldn't have it any other way!" I wouldn't. But this stage in the game is a bit much for me).

We decided to make the trip up and back in one day. We were tired of packing for multiple days, and despite what everyone says, our family wears quickly on people and we still wanted to have friends when this experience is all over with.

We were up and going yesterday morning by 6:30am and we STILL didn't get out the door until after 8:15. I was highly annoyed because we had a lot to do before we ever made it to the doctor. With traffic and having to stop in Price for an unexpected potty stop (dang kids), we made it to my cousins house in Pleasant Grove about 15 minutes before we had to be leaving to go to the dr. appointment. I thought that was a bit embarrassing- "Hey we are here, now here is our kids and we will be back sometime this afternoon..." They were super good sports about it and very mellow. I was grateful that they were willing to keep the boys. (Thanks Phil and Melissa- you two were lifesavers).

This dr. appointment was in Orem in the Physicians Plaza next to Timpanogos Regional Medical Center. It was pretty easy to find. The purpose of this particular visit was to learn more about how my wife's hysterectomy would affect her and to ensure that she was healing properly. I won't share much of what was discussed as it is personal in nature, but we did learn that she will be on estrogen for the rest of her life. We asked why she needed it if she wasn't showing any menopausal symptoms. He gave lots of really good reasons. So... she has a sample to try which is a gel she just rubs on her arm every day. Pretty low key and easy. We will see how well it works and then go from there. It was a good visit and I think my wife left feeling much better about things.

After the appointment, we headed back to my cousin's house. We had called to see if the boys had killed off my cousin yet and offered to take him and his family to lunch. He just laughed and I said that I would talk to him about it when we got back to his house. Just as we were getting their house he called and said that everyone had eaten and that we were to turn around and go and eat. We argued, but he was certain they would be okay.

Our apartment we had when we lived in Pleasant Grove was just down the street from there so we did a drive by. it still looks the same. It is where we lived with my oldest son when he was just 2 years old. Crazy stuff. We took a picture of it, but I don't feel like uploading it. Takes forever to upload pictures to Blogger anymore, hence the reason I don't do many of them... lol.

Because we were in PG and would be driving by their house, my wife and I decided to do a quick visit to the Perry household (Kelly Perry is the one who came to the hospital to do my wife's nails and visit). They hopped in the van and we went to a fairly quick lunch considering we had my two-year old who took FOREVER to eat. We dropped the Perry's off and raced back to my cousin's house. Unfortunately, just as we arrived back, my cousin's wife had to leave to take some kids swimming. Well, unfortunate for us because we wanted to visit and fortunate for her because she got to escape my children. They were truly on one. Fighting, hitting, jumping off the furniture. It was mortifying. My cousin was totally cool about it, but I was ready to head out ASAP simply because I felt like we were unpleasant to be around.

After we left my cousin's house we headed to Sam's Club to pick up my new glasses. I was excited that they had come in. I mean, I ordered them on Monday after all. Here is a side view. The side bars are way chunky compared to what I would normally wear. Below is a front view (excuse the ugly mug wearing them... lol. Just look at the glasses). I like them, which is good, because I will be wearing these for about 2 year or more before I replace them if I stay on my current plan. However, my wife and I have discussed looking into vision insurance with all the kids we have. Probably a good idea. We will have to see what our money situation will be once everything has settled. I need to ask the district what options I have (if any) through them as well.

After we picked up my glasses and gassed up at the Sam's gas station (talk about cheap fuel- wow!) we headed to Springville to pay a visit to the Mannings. Shockingly they opened their door when we knocked. We wondered if they would close all the blinds and pretend to be gone... lol. we went in and visited for about an hour before deciding to head to Denny's for dinner. I won't even go into detail over that. The kids were decent and it was nice to simply visit with our friends. We headed out from Denny's. My oldest daughter had decided to stay in town so she could hang out with a friend and go swimming. She had spent the night before we left at her friends house and then ALL day. Stacy assured me it was okay but we still wanted to get home.

We made it home around 10:30pm and picked up my daughter and headed to our house (just around the corner). We found all was well and it didn't take long to get everyone in the house, in their PJ's, and sleeping- including me...

Today (Friday) has found me busy, busy, busy. I wasn't up and going very early, but once up I have cleaned both bathroom, swept and mopped the kitchen, watered the garden, took the kids to lunch at the school, got the baby fed, changed and down for a nap, and vacuumed. I still need to mow and water the front lawn, but I will have to wait until my wife returns from her trip to Grand Junction with her friends. They went for a "girl's day". I am glad she went. She needed to escape this jungle. Well, I best go and check on the garden- I am sure that by now I have created the next great flood. Noah might come sailing by any minute.

Oh, one last thought. We got a second bill from Dr. Brady in Price. I tried to call, but his billing assistant is out of the office until Monday. I am waiting to inform them that because of the surgery HE HELPED WITH my wife spent 24 days in the ICU and 3 more days in the regular ward. We have made several trips back to Provo for various appointments, including another ER visit. That I am currently in the midst of paying off major medical bills and deciding on legal action against those involved. So, when I get everything else paid off and have made final decision about legal action I will get around to paying their bill. I can't wait to hear what he/ his billing lady says to that. I will let you know.

Later...

P.S. The whole medical saga will end on Monday with the benefit dinner that is being held for our family Thanks to everyone who has donated, contributed, or helped in any way. We are truly grateful and humbled). After that, I will no longer be tagging these posts in the series. We are ready to move on. It will be months before my wife is back to full strength and ability, but the time has come to focus my posting on other things- so yeah for us all. No more depressing posts about medical stuff, just about teaching...lol.

The Dr. Said...

Day we left the hospital.
THIS is Dr. Lichti- Her Life Saver!

Well, Monday we had a appointment with Dr. Lichti. He is the surgeon who saved my wife's life. You know, the one that did 5 operations on her abdomen.

However, before I share what he told us, I need to give the details of how we ended up in his posh office.

Let's see... we left on Sunday right after sacrament meeting to head to Springville.Thanks to our good friends the Mannings, we had a place to stay so we didn't have to leave really early (plus we would get to visit). Mr. Z had left earlier Sunday morning. We sure enjoyed him staying at our house for a few days. He had many places he could visit to choose from and he chose to stay with us. Must be that my kids are very entertaining. lol. Ayways, we left by 12:30pm and arrived at the Mannings around 3pm. It was so nice to let the kids play while we visited and ate and visited and ate. I must say, Becky makes a mean mint brownie! YUMMY! :) We visited for quite a while after the kids went to bed before we all decided to hit the hay.

The whole house was up and going by 7:30am. Mannings had swimming lessons (and Becky had tutoring at the school) and we needed to get to my wife's doctors appointment. We loaded up the herd and headed out. Having never visited his office we wanted to leave ourselves enough time to find it. It wasn't too hard to find, but it wasn't a piece of cake either. It was one building among MANY in a ritzy business park in Northern Provo.

We got registered and paperwork filled out. It wasn't long before they called my wife back. We took the baby and my youngest son even though the sign by the door says that the patient only is allowed in the back. I wasn't going to let my wife go in there alone. We had lots of questions and she wanted me to be there with her.

Dr. Lichti's assistant came in after 20 minutes of waiting. He asked a few questions and looked on the computer. We told him that we had been to the ER and that a CT Scan had been done. He didn't have it in his file so he requested it and then went to go and examine it. When he returned (another 20 minutes later) he had Dr. Lichti with him. Both of them examined the incisions. Dr. Licti was very pleased with how well they were healing. He checked her abdomen and asked lots of questions. Then it was our turn.

-We asked about lifting. The answer was NOTHING heavier than the baby until he approves it.
-We asked about her UTI- he prescribed two more weeks of antibiotics and set up an appointment with an urologist.
-We asked what the next steps were- We are going back in three more weeks for another follow-up appointment.
-We asked about the drain holes still hurting- he said they might hurt for a long time.
-We asked about the numbness- he said that she may stay numb around the incision from 6 months to a year and the main incision may never have feeling in it.
-We asked about a timeline for returning to "normal"- he said to take it slow and know that it could be several months before she begins to feel at full speed and then several more before she is fully healed.

After the Q & A session, we knew it was time to head out. We made the appointments for three weeks and headed out.

Since it was also my son's birthday (he turned FOUR) we had planned to eat at Pizza Pie Cafe. However, we weren't really hungry since we had had a later breakfast. We went to Sam's and did a little shopping. While we were there, I decided to have my eyes examined and purchase new glasses. I am excited to have new glasses. The frames are going to look pretty cool. They are thicker than I would normally buy. I will have to share a picture when they finally arrive. (Update: Sam's just called and said my glasses are ready to pick-up- WAHOO!!!!!!).

Pizza Pie Cafe in Provo

After shopping, we headed back to the Mannings  for bit. We actually ended up waiting until Becky made it home from her school meetings to go. The kids were "starving" which was good because I didn't want to pay a bunch of money for the kids to eat one slice of pizza and be full. lol. The Pizza Pie Cafe is a pretty good place to eat. Reasonable price and decent tasting pizza, pasta, and salad. The kids loved it and actually ate really well. After dinner we headed home.

The Yummy Buffet

We stopped in Price to pick up my oldest son who had been staying with my sister in Orangeville. He was ready to come home (though he REALLY enjoyed staying for the week). We were ready to have him home. We had missed him terribly. With our complete little family in the van, we journeyed homeward. It was SO nice to be home after the drive with kids whining and complaining. We stopped at my parent's house to say hello and pick up some DVD's my kids had left with them. We wanted to say hello as well because they were leaving early the next morning for a few days for a reunion.

We got everything unloaded and in the house. It was about 9:30pm before everyone and everything was cleaned up and settled in. Phew. That ended Monday.

Tuesday was spent working in my classroom. I was able to finish almost all of the cleaning. It has been so liberating to de-junk my classroom. My donate table is growing forever larger and I so THANKFUL that the items will be finding a new home. When everything is done and my room is "themed up" and decorated I will post some pictures like I did last year. What I need is some good famous Star Wars lines that fit a learning theme. Like last year was "Let the Adventure Begin...". I need something good like that. Any suggestions? Post a comment and let me know.

Anyways, Tuesday evening ended in a huge rain shower. It was so nice to have the moisture. After it stopped, we loaded up the car and delivered the last of the dishes from the wonderful people who continued to feed us. (We are now back to "normal" in the sense that we are taking care of our own food- Yea- progress in the journey back to "normal"). We ended the night by watching Perry Mason and I Love Lucy. Those are great shows.

Wednesday (Today) has been very productive. Other than the fact that I didn't get up until 8am, I have been able to get a lot of the "To Do's" on my list done. I even finished cleaning out every cupboard, drawer, and filing cabinet. I feel "cleansed"- lol. We headed home midst a rain shower, again- LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! I would have finished this earlier, but apparently I needed a nap- lol.

Tonight is filled with absolutely nothing. What a blessed thought.

Tomorrow morning we have to be up at the crack of dawn and gone. We are planning on stopping by my cousin's house in Pleasant Grove before heading to our appointment. Then we will stop back by after the appointment and visit for a while before heading back over to the Mannings' house for a visit. We are NOT spending the night again as we don't want to impose on anyone and our kids seem to do better in their own "beds" (which is currently the couches and mats in the living room).

Well, my middle son thinks he needs ice from the Chat and Chew (aka Chow Hound) so I best sign off and take him. Plus I need to run to the store and get some moo juice.

So, I will let you know about our next Dr. saga on Friday. :)

Later...

Our Baby Girl (and Other News)

 We have been trying to get a good picture of our baby smiling. I love this picture because it is almost a mischievous smile. She has been such a joy to have in our home. She is pretty mellow and really only gets fussy if she is hungry or needs a bum change. She is even sleeping through most of the night.

So, wahoo! The kids have sure enjoyed having her home. The two little boys sure love her. They are forever giving her hugs and kisses and they fight over who gets to hold her. My older daughter loves her little sister- A LOT! She is so cute with her too and is such a big helper. She is very willing to her help feed, tend, change, or just love her baby sister.

In school news I have finished all but TWO of my storage cabinets and then I can move on to my desk with the cleaning. Once all of that is done, I am going to starting diving in to the new CORE for math and really search out what I need to be teaching. I love that time the most- when I get to start figuring out how and what I plan to teach.

Each year I try to approach the first few weeks in a new way. This keeps it fun and exciting for me AND the kids. My son has convinced me to go with a Star Wars theme this year. It should be pretty fun. I have some good ideas and will start updating my Wiki to reflect the new theme. THAT will be a project that will take much longer than I care to deal with right now.

Dear Photograph,
I am glad that even though the background
changed, the people have stayed close.

In medical news there is really isn't any. My wife seems to be improving still every day. She has her first dr. appointment on Monday in Provo with Dr. Lichti. We are hoping it will be quick and painless. It is also our son's birthday (Mr. M) and so we have a few fun things planned to do. We will be staying with our close friends Colter and Becky in Springville. We are looking forward to spending time time with their family and a grateful they are allowing us to stay in their home.

The last few days have been nice. The weather has been a little cooler (only in the high 80's to low 90's) and a little humid. But, it is all good. Mr. Z surprised us with a "stay"-cation and has been here since yesterday. It is always fun my the Z-meister shows up. The kids all love to have him here and my wife and I enjoy his witty humor.

He shared a pretty cool website with us yesterday. Dear Photograph. Check it out. The picture on the right is MY attempt at it. I won't be submitting it to the site, but my note is under my picture. It was fun to try out. It is much more difficult to accomplish than one might think. I have several others that I took but didn't feel like sharing any of those right now.

It has been a pretty busy day already. I was up at 7am this morning feeding the baby. From there I watered they yard and garden, weeded the roses, and then vacuumed the house. Next in the day came Bountiful Baskets (which I had somehow mis-linked on Face Book to some random cookie gift basket site- sorry about that). It was fun. Mr. Z and Ms. D even came and helped out today- with our regulars, thanks Kristin, Cindy, (and everyone else). I enjoy doing the baskets as much to visit with friends as to get an excellent deal on fresh produce. Next order date is a week from Monday (same day as our benefit dinner). If you haven't tried it out yet, give it a whirl.

The rest of the day is going to be spent relaxing, having a BBQ, and spending time with some friends.

Summer is turning out to be pretty good after all...

Later...

Moving Forward

I can't believe that it has been two days since I last wrote. Much has happened.

I have made huge progress in my classroom. I really need to take some pictures to show off my amazingness. However, without the before picture, it wouldn't be as impressive, so whatever. I have tossed out about half a dumpster so far, have set out a huge pile for donation, donated tons of my teacher books to the school's professional library, and have removed multiple pieces of furniture from my room. It really is looking pretty good. I still have a file cabinet to go through and my poster drawers to clean up, but I really think that I have gone through every other cupboard I own. I am working hard to stick to the rule: "If I haven't used it in the past 3 years it is gone". 

In medical related news, we got a bill from the Price ER doctor today, which I promptly paid. After all, he IS the one who figured out what was wrong with my wife. Of course the lady doing the payments charged $1 more than the bill was for. I noticed when I went to my back account and saw the pending charge. I promptly called back and asked why I was charged the extra dollar. She mumbled a bit and then voided the first charge and set up correctly. Hope the billing office doesn't skim on everyone like that. That could make someone a lot of illegal money. I almost let it go through to see what they would say and do, but I didn't want to deal with them later.

I also got a letter from the insurance stating they need "more info" from the hospital before they can process the claim. I was on the phone pronto because I will be danged if I am going to stuck with the quarter million dollar bill from UVRMC. Yes, you read that right. The bill was nearly a quarter million dollars. And THAT was just the hospital bill. I am anxious to see just how much is covered. I hope A LOT!

Today I also received a phone call from the Utah State Office of Education. Normally, that probably wouldn't be a very good thing, but in this case it is pretty neat news. I was informed that my application to be in the UPPAC (Utah Professional Practice Advisory Commission) was accepted. It is a state superintendent appointed position. I will be serving for 3 years in the appointment. I have meetings once a month in Salt Lake and then other meetings as needed for legal hearing for teachers who get in trouble. I will let you know more of the specifics of the job when I get done with my orientation meeting sometime before August 12th. That is my first meeting. While I don't get paid for being on the commission, I do get mileage reimbursement, meals, and lodging. So, what ever. Oh, and they do pay for my sub during the school year as well. I will sure look good on my resume for "someday". So that is pretty exciting news.

Well, we have a BBQ with my parents and the Roberstons here in a few minutes. I am excited. I love BBQ and it will be nice to relax and visit. Hopefully we won't melt in the soggy heat. 

Later...

Happy Fourth of July (The Counting Ends...)

Dear, dear readers.

I have decided to stop the counting. I know that it is getting to be a bit much for you and for me.

My wife woke up in pretty bad shape today as well. It has been eating away at me that she isn't improving as quickly as I had hoped. Add to that the stress of worrying about being a leech and you have one pretty messed up person...ME!

We had hoped to hear from the hospital concerning her culture, and when we didn't hear this morning she started calling. That ended in near tears for her because no one would help her and most of the departments were closed due to the holiday. I was being a good husband this morning and cleaned both bathrooms and vacuumed the house, did a load of the baby's laundry, and cleaned up the kitchen. When I got done I asked her what was wrong and she told me no one would help her. Well, I took care of that. It took two calls and we had a person who needed to talk to her to verify her info and release the information to her.

She does indeed have a UTI. Even MORE frustrating is that the hospital knew on SATURDAY, just no one called to tell us. We would have called sooner, but we were assured we would receive a call. Anyways, once we knew she had an infection, a trip to Price was the focus of the day. We finished our patriotic breakfast and quickly got ready for the day. We wanted to make it a quick trip up and back so we could help my parents put together a yard toy my mom had purchased.

We were out the door and on the road by 10:30am. As we were nearing Price, we decided to visit my sister in Orangeville after we finished shopping. We wanted to spend some time with her and her family since we haven't been there in quite some time. So we wouldn't be heading back, nor building lawn toys.

We got everything we needed at the store (including my son's "coloring thing" he wanted for his birthday) and headed to KFC for lunch. That was okay, but it was TOO greasy. The kids enjoyed the food though and after about 45 minutes we were able to get back on the road and head to my sister's house.

Can I just say PEACEFUL. It was most excellent to have the kids enjoying playing with the cousins while the adults visited.We did that for a couple of hours...okay, okay. I admit. I took at short 45 minute or so nap. That was nice. After all, I was up most of the night with our youngest son. He didn't sleep well. When he WAS sleeping, it seems the baby was hungary. So, I was dealing with that as well.

I love being busy and useful- yeah! After my slacker-nap, we (my wife, baby, sister, and brother-in-law) all drove up to the Joe's Valley dam and saw the overflow in action. WOW! That is amazing. It was such a wonderful drive in the mountains. Made me want to move there.

After our trip to the dam, we made a run to the store. My oldest son begged to stay until Sunday. So we will meet my sister on Sunday and pick him up as we head up North for one of two doctors appointments. We decided to have a BBQ with my sister's family before we headed home to enjoy the fireworks out at my brother's in-laws house. They had some pretty amazing stuff. It was quite enjoyable.

We finally made it home around 10:45pm and got everything unloaded and put away. I have been struggling to stay awake, so I am going to end this. I have several things I want to say, but know that I won't be able to stay awake. So, I will try to address those tomorrow.

Have a great day... and Happy Independence Day! Thanks to all those who have and do serve this great county! We are thankful for you and appreciate you.

Later...

Days #42 & 43- Work and Guilt

 Saturday, Day 42.
Talk about a productive day!

I was up at 7:30am and and watering the yard and garden. I told my wife that it was nice to have the watering done before the time I had been getting up the past few days. I am not sure what is wrong with me. I don't go to bed super late (at least not later than I have in the past) and I still can't get up before 9am with out it being a major event. I hope that I can keep it up.

After I got the yard all watered, I headed over to the school. I felt good about it since my wife was feeling a bit better and my daughter was going to be staying to help her with anything she might need. It was nice to clean up things and go through all my "stuff" that I had in boxes and tubs. I found things I thought I had lost (which I promptly put in the donate pile since I hadn't been using them) and I found things I couldn't believe that I had kept (which I also either threw away or put on the donate pile).

I feel like I really made some headway in the battle of  "Clean the Room". My wife walked over to have lunch and then she was able to just relax and visit with Ms. D for a few minutes while I finished with the small stuff I still needed to go through.

We headed out and went to ACE to get some of the sale items we had marked out on the ad. (Funny side story. We went in on Wednesday to get the items and had out cart loaded. We got to the front and was informed the sale didn't start until Friday. So, we felt a bit embarrassed and said we would be back). After ACE we went to the church to copy programs and then we went to the store to get some food items that were on sale.

The rest of the evening was spent enjoying our children and watching random TV shows. My oldest son and my next youngest son arrived back from the races with grandma and grandpa Hughes just before midnight. They had a great time and I appreciate my parents for being willing to take them.

So, that was Saturday.



Sunday, Day 43.

I was awake at 6:20am because of my early morning church meetings. I felt pretty good, but my wife was not feeling good at all. I really thing she has a UTI. We have her on cranberry pills and juice and are waiting for news from the hospital on the results of her culture.

Church was okay. I noticed a dear friend was sad and I was worried for him/her. I was also worried that it was because of myself or my family. I have felt a huge load of guilt lately about all that has happened with my wife and all the help we are receiving. I know I have covered this many times, but it bears discussing again.

I look around me and I know, though no one would ever say it, that people are getting sick and tired of hearing about the Hughes family, of bringing us meals (which will end this week- and we STILL can't say thank you enough for everyone's thoughtfulness) of the money, time, effort, and service that has been extended. It is overwhelming and causes serious guilt. I know, I know, I know. Be thankful for what we are given. Are we taking too much? Are we asking for more help than we should? Are we ruining friendships because we are stretching a willingness to help too far?

We hope not, and we have never meant to hurt anyone. It is a strange position we are in. We need help in some areas, yet we feel like we are starting to get back in the swing of parenting and the overwhelming needs of six children. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all everyone has done.

Friday was a strange day for us. We had intended to get up and head home. When our friend offered lunch we agreed knowing that we needed to eat. I guess we should have headed home after that. After all, we had asked friends to watch our children at a HUGE inconvenience to them and their families. But we didn't, and while we enjoyed visiting with friends, we should have been driving home to resume our responsibility as parents.

With so few true friends out there, we hope that we haven't ruined any friendships beyond repair. We love you all and are grateful for all that you have done.

As for the rest of the evening:

We just enjoyed a wonderful meal that was thoughtfully provided by members in the ward and I am working to revive my poor heat beaten garden with some soothing, cool water. We are hoping to go for a walk this evening and possibly drive around and return dishes to those who have brought meals.

Tomorrow should be a great day- Fourth of July.

Have a great evening...

Later...

Day #41- Instant Replay?!?

July 1st. Wow. Where is my summer going? I can't describe how nice it is to be home on this wonderful day. But I wish I was better able to get things done at school I need to do. But I refuse to leave my wife alone still. She is much more important than anything else I have to do.

So, to recap, I had to end that last post last night (June 30th) because we had to head to the ER in Provo. My wife had been feeling ill all day and started to feel achy all over, had a temperature, was restless, and the incision ached. Our home health nurse told us to go immediately to the ER in Provo. So, we put that plan into action pronto.

After I signed off, it was craziness in the house. I quickly made several calls and had people here ready to help with the kids in less than 5 minutes. I also had a friend over to help give a priesthood blessing before we headed out.

It only took three trips back in the house before I thought we had everything we needed. We still didn't (I forgot my computer bag for example), but oh well. We headed out on the two hour drive to the Provo ER. We tried to let everyone know what was going on while we were traveling. Sorry if we left someone out. We were a little pre-occupied.

We arrived at the UVRMC ER around midnight and got her registered and in. I was amazed we didn't even have to wait. I don't know if it was because there wasn't really anyone else there OR if they pulled up her medical chart and decided to admit her pronto. Either way, within 10 minutes of walking through the door, she was in an exam room in her little hospital gown laying in the bed waiting. Talk about NIGHTMARE Deja Vu. Fast forward 20 more minutes and we have an IV, a medical history, and a decision to do a CT Scan with contrast to check for infection in her abdomen.

It was 1:20am when she started drinking the CT liquid. She had to drink a small amount every 10 minutes and then wait an additional 20 minutes before they could take her to the CT Scanning room. I was struggling so hard to stay awake. I kept almost falling off the little chair they had set up for me. It was quite nerve wracking to sit and wait for the doctor to return and present the results. I couldn't decide if the long wait was a sign that they were doing a close inspection from previous CT Scans or if they were making preparations to get her ready for another surgery. Between that and fighting to stay awake it was a VERY long early morning. It was around 4:30am when the doctor came in apologizing for the delay. He said that the radiologist took longer to look at it than he thought.

He told us that there were no visible abscesses. He said that the incisions were looking really good and that the fluid around them was shrinking as well. So that was good.

He presented several scenarios:

1) He could treat her as if she had an infection, but he didn't want to do that because he didn't want to overuse the anti-biotics.

2) He could treat her as if she had a UTI and give her the anti-bitoics for that.

3) He could write the prescription for the UTI anti-biotic and then we could fill it if the culture returns positive.

4) He said that they could do nothing and discharge her. (This was NOT an option for us and we made that clear).

We explained that we lived 2 hours away and wanted the "plan" that would best serve us.

We decided that he would do a culture for the UTI and we would take a prescription for  the anti-biotic and fill it if needed. That seemed to work for all the parties involved.

When we finally left the ER it was 5am. We were exhausted. We knew that we wouldn't make it home safely, although I will admit it was VERY tempting to attempt. We ended up at Mr. Z's house. We didn't hardly move until almost 11am. We got ready for the day and got ready to head home when we were offered lunch and a movie. We decided that we would accept. After returning to Mr. Z's  home, we visited for a bit and then headed out to come home.

We made it home around 7pm and headed right over to my brother's to get my kids. My daughter was at bible school still, so we visited for a bit before heading out to pick her up. With the herd in the van, we returned to our home. AGAIN! Yea.

This evening has been spent simply spending time with my babies.

Oh, I guess I should share that Dr. G called my house this morning. My daughter told him that we had to take my wife back to the hospital. lol. He had also called and left a message on my cell-phone but most of it was static, so I am not sure what happened there. I can't really explain the feelings of having that man on the other end of the phone. I am not going to give a transcript of the call, but I will say that I didn't raise my voice in anger, I didn't feel angry anymore towards him, and I was able to communicate our frustrations and concerns. I could tell he was very sorry, very worried about my wife, and very willing to help in any way possible. He shared many ideas of what he had in mind and we discussed several options. I made it clear to him that we would not be suing him, that we didn't hate him, and that we planned to simply pick up the pieces and move on in our lives. We also told him that we would be finding a new doctor as we felt it would be awkward and there was a trust issue, but that maybe someday in the future we would think about returning to him. I expressed my anger over what his nurse had told my wife and expressed how inappropriate her comment was. I think I was able to share everything that I wanted to share. So, that is that.

It is VERY late and I am VERY tired. Tomorrow is another day with more stories waiting to be discovered and shared. Until then...

Later...

Day(s) #39 & 40- Work and Play...and A Trip to the ER. AGAIN!!!!

 Wednesday, Day 39 of our adventure. I plan to continue this style of posting until after our visit to both her doctors up North in mid-July. I figure at that point we will know what is going on and then we can resume "normal" completely. I do want to include the Family Fun Event Benefit Dinner that some wonderful ladies in town are putting together for us. It will be on July 18th in the Green River City Park. It starts at 5:30pm and goes until 8:30pm. From what we know there will be a dinner, auction, ball game, and lots of games for kids to play (carnival style, I believe). We are grateful for all who are working to set it up, and look forward to being there to thank everyone in person for all their help, love, and support. We hope to see you there too! :)

Wednesday started off with having my oldest son at the church by 8:00am. He had a cub scout event that he needed to be at. I wish I could have gone with him, but I needed to be home so I could watch the baby while my wife went for a walk with some friends. She had a great time and I enjoyed spending time with my little herd. I watered the front lawn and flower beds as well as the garden. It was nice to be up and going early as we have still been sleeping until 9am. I guess it is because the kids are all sleeping in longer as well. I guess that is what summer is all about. My son came home shortly after that as well.

After all of that happened, I was able to head to the school and begin the "Clean Sweep" event in my room. I started by emptying out my closet and two of my cupboards. I was able to get one closet cleaned out. My goal is to discard anything that I haven't used in the past two years. This includes teaching resources, materials, and supplies. I hope to get at least two dumpsters full out of my room this summer. I have a donate table that teachers can go through to see if there is anything that they can use in their classrooms before I toss it out. It has been nice to do so far and I think the final product will be great.

We stayed at the school (my wife had walked over with the kids for the free lunch program and then stayed to help) until about 3pm. We headed home so that we could relax for a while.

We dropped the kids off at bible school at 5pm, ate dinner around 6pm (thanks SO much again for all the help) and then went to my parents house to visit. With only my two little ones, it was a nice, quiet visit. When bible school ended, I went and picked up the kids and we finished watching America's Got Talent (whatever!) and The Voice! Finale before heading home and ending a good productive day.




Day 40- June 30th. It is hard to believe that it has been 40 days since this whole series of events began. My plan was to get get up early and head to the school and work. That didn't happen. We awoke to thunder and lightning. It was AWESOME! I loved hearing the rain, and it made the day nice and cool. I taught a voice lesson around 10:30. We sent two of our boys with my parents to the races in Price and then we had lunch and enjoyed several visitors. I love when people stop by to see my wife. It really brightens her day, something she can really use.

I dropped the two other kids off at vacation bible school. I promised them that after they finished we would all get some ice cream at the Chow Hound. When I returned home, I noticed that my wife wasn't feeling very good. I couldn't tell if it was the heat of the house, the flu, or, heaven forbid, an infection. We went to pick up the kids from bible school and headed to get ice cream. My wife ordered items, but didn't eat any of it. That began to freak me out. I knew this game and I wasn't going to have it.

We left and came home and I called home health. The nurse told us to go immediately to the ER in Provo. So, I am going to sign off so we can do that...

Later...

Day #38- Yard Work

Tuesdays...

Tuesday kind of got the short end of the stick. Most people loathe Mondays,  Tuesdays are hated because they are still at the beginning of the week, and then everyone starts to like the other days more and more until Saturday is the KING/QUEEN of days (didn't want to be sexist- my M.A. program taught me to avoid that!)

 Despite my best intentions, I STILL didn't get out of bed until almost 9am. This has got to stop. I was awake at 7am making a bottle for the baby. After I handed it over, I got everything ready for a shower and then laid down to feed the baby for "a minute" while my wife used the restroom, and the next thing I know it is almost 9am and my parents are at the door. My mom is an amazing lady. She had been very dedicated to making sure our yard looks nice. Between her and our neighbors the Hales (Thanks again you awesome people for helping out so much) our yard looked better than when we were here to take care of it. lol.

I did get up and shower however. Which, in retrospect was kinda dumb, because I went right to work in the already 90+ degree temperature. Yesterday I was able to get 4 load of laundry done, clean both bathrooms, and vacuum the house. This morning my goal was to trim the trees in the yard so they looked more "tree-ish" and less "shrub-ish". What with the help of my son, who happened to come home just as the other kids had headed out with Mrs. McFarlane (for story time, lunch at the school, and playing in the water at the park)- we were able to get everything cleaned up in about a hours worth of time. That was AFTER I had hauled off a HUGE load of old weathered cardboard boxes that we had been putting the back of my old green truck. I won't be doing THAT anymore (putting boxes in the back of the truck, that is).

After the branches were cut and hauled to the dump I turned my attention to the pop can mess in our backyard. We had been given several large bags of cans from an elderly neighbor last fall and the winter was not kind to the bags. So, in the last several days of heat and high wind, cans were becoming a decoration all over the back yard by our shed. I made a second bin and then separated out all the aluminum foil that had been added to the cans by our dear sweet neighbor lady. When that was done, the kids arrived home from their adventure- all happy and wet (thanks Cindy). Everyone got showered and we proceeded to have a lazy day. And it has been nice.

My wife did have a visit from home health today. It was supposed to be their last visit, however, my wife my be getting a yeast infection on her incision. Say What????? This is NOT allowed. So, the nurse cleaned her incision and said they would be back. Ummm... Ya, you will be back...

I was able to make lots of calls that needed to be called today. I called the insurance to clear up a notice I got about the insurance not paying a doctor until they had some medical report. I learned that if the doctor didn't submit the report then I would be responsible for the total amount. I promptly called the doctors office and asked them to submit the needed forms. They said they would. Then I called my life insurance and added the baby as a rider on my policy. I said the best call for last.

I called the doctors office of the doctor...I think we ALL know which doctor...and I was disappointed to learn that the office is closed until Thursday. Guess the excitement will have to wait until then- lol.

Oh well.

Well, it will be time to go and get the kids from Vacation Bible School here in a few minutes so I guess I best end this. Oh, we just had dinner and it was VERY Tasty! Again, thanks to everyone who continues to take good care of us.

I will keep you posted on the possible infection and "the call".

Later...

Day #37- Ahhhh... Monday

Monday, oh how we love thee (in the summertime) for you begin another week of goodness.

Today was a great day for my wife. She is getting much stronger everyday. She still can't stand for long periods of time, or even sit for that matter. However, she is up and doing as much as she can (and I will let her...lol) each day.

I am so thankful that we are starting to truly find our family routine again. As I look back over the two weeks we have been home, I can definitely see a difference in stress levels. I didn't really realize (although I am sure all of your did) how overwhelming it was to go from worrying about wife only, to worrying about my wife and trying to run a household of kids ages 2 months to 10 years old. I wouldn't have wanted to do anything else, and I am feeling much more in control now as well.

Today I played the "I will wait for HIM to call me" from his little doctor's office. He didn't. So, tomorrow I will call him. It has been interesting in that department. I have had several people from town ask if we are going to go back to him. Of course we ARE NOT GOING BACK TO HIM. Not only would that be awkward for him because of the evil looks I would give him the whole time we were there, but because deep-down I simply can't ever trust his patient care again. And, I think his nurse needs a lesson in being human and professional. True, she may have tired of my wife calling, but in no way should she have been rude like she was. If we had listened to her "advice" my wife wouldn't be around today.

Anyways...

It has been a busy day. We took the kids to Vacation Bible School. We know the pastor and his wife and we love to have our kids support this particular church activity. The kids like it too because they get to see some of their friends from school. Wahoo for Vacation Bible School.

We ended the evening at the Brady's for Family Home Evening. We brought the treats and they provided a fun, hands-on lesson. We were there quite late. The kids had a great time (Except for my oldest- he spent the day with a friend- Thanks Pam for letting him come over- and then had a sleep over as well) and it was nice to visit.

Well, with it being late, I need to head to bed.

Later...

Days 35 & 36- Days Gone By...

Day 35 = Saturday = Whatever...

Friday wasn't exactly what I would call a great day. It was another angry day. I had had it with everyone and didn't want to talk to anyone. I eventually ended up in my classroom and was able to stay there for quite a while working. That felt nice. Nice to be alone. Nice to feel productive. I sat for so long at the hospital having nothing to do but worry, that it was nice to have a different way to use my time. I also took a great nap in the afternoon, something that I rarely do, but decided that since I was still feeling exhausted from dealing with a crying baby at night and then trying to work outside during the day, was justified. Having had heat stroke in the past, I get overheated rather quickly and so I get drained pretty quickly when working outside in the summer.

I even went to bed at 10pm last night. Mostly because I didn't want to see or talk to anyone, but also because I was tired and wanted to get a good night's sleep. Having to be up early for church meetings was going to be near impossible with the lack of sleep I had been feeling. So, yea me for catching up on my sleep.

My wife had a good day. Home health came and said her incision and such looked really good. In fact they said it looked SO good they think they may only have to come one more time. We shall see. I don't want them to stop coming if they have any questions at all. Because I WON'T do this whole ordeal again.

The kids returned from camping with grandma and grandpa Millett in St. George. I guess they had fun. I haven't really taken the time to sit down and ask them about it. They came home with lots of treasures (including a tadpole which my daughter called Moe Bob Hughes), so if that is any indication of fun, then I am sure they had it.

Day 36  =  Sunday  =  Baby Blessing

I was up and going at 6:05am which in it self is a miracle. Of course I didn't deal with the baby at all last night. Having to be up early, I didn't even flinch when she cried (if she did at all). I guess I was more exhausted than I thought.

My meetings were meetings. They weren't great, they weren't bad. They did announce at church that some amazing sisters in our ward are putting together a benefit dinner and game night in the city park. I probably turned 6 shades of red while it was being announced. See, I sit on the stand during the first part of the meeting, and I could feel lots of eyes on me while the bishop went on and on about the event and encouraged everyone to attend. I am so humbled by the efforts of so many. We have been very blessed with all that is being done for our little herd. We probably really aren't so special as to warrant all of this attention, but it is very appreciated.

After meetings, we had several of our family members and friends over to be apart of blessing our sweet little baby girl. It is only a month later than we had hoped, but she is finally blessed. It was such a privilege to be able to do that. We also really appreciate all those who traveled to be apart of it.

The rest of the day has been spent in watering the garden and lawn, which the 100 degree temperature has caused to turn a little crispy. when that is done I plan to do NOTHING. 

 I love Sundays.

Days 31-34- Home (Sort Of...)

Happy Days are here again...

Well, sort of. It has been an interesting few days.

Here is a break down:

Wednesday: Was a great day. Mr. Z made it to our house just in time for a BBQ. Ms. D had signed up to bring our family dinner and wanted to do a BBQ with us. It turned out fantastic and the food was awesome. I think that good company makes the food taste better too! My mom was asked to attend as well because my dad was out of town.


 My wife seemed to have a decent day. As long as she take her pain meds, she functions really well. She is getting up and down a little better and she seems to be in good spirits. The evening was spent in signing along with Mr. Z as he played his guitar and making my kids giggle and laugh. It was a good day.


Thursday:
What a great day. Even though my herd was up late (Mr. Z had been up and "touring" the area for quite a while waiting for us to wake up) we still had a great breakfast and tour of the diversion dam and monument afterwards. Ms. D had agreed to come and sit with my wife while I gave the tour as I do not like to leave my wife unattended.

Our tour was cut short when my 4-year old decided he "had to go". I think Mr. Z enjoyed the driving around and seeing out little community. We might be remote and a little backwards here, but we have some amazing scenery and big hearted people. The day was perfect. L-A-Z-Y (Mr. Z's favorite).

Home health care stopped by today was well. The nurse commented that everything was looking pretty good. A little concern still over a part of the incision that had reopened a little bit, but it also seems to be closing over again. I am so thankful that Dr. Lichti required that home care be set up before we left. It has really helped me feel more at ease.

In the afternoon, grandma and grandpa Millett arrived to pick up my oldest three children. They are brave toasters to take all three to my mother-in-laws family reunion. My older children were very excited to go and I hope that they are having a good time (and behaving...lol). While the grands were here we ordered pizza and had an impromptu party. It was nice to kick back and visit and relax for a while.

In the evening I took Mr. Z, Ms. D, and my two little boys out to the geyser. And, while it didn't do much of anything at all (totally a bummer)  it was fun to be out there and see the river while it was so high and just enjoy the beauty of the area.

 We returned to the house and visited some more and watched M*A*S*H (on DVD). Ms. D headed home and rest of us headed to bed. It was a decent night as the baby slept pretty well. We had to run the Central Air for quite a while during the day as the Temperature reached around 106 degrees (phew...) and the house was still pretty warm. Made it hard to get to sleep. We did though.

Friday:
We awoke to find the Mr. Z had driven off in to the rising sun. It was fun to have him visit and we hope he will come again soon. We (my wife and three youngest children) had a breakfast of cold cereal and then had to hurry to make it to the clinic for the babies appointment. She has thrush and a possible eye infection. We got the meds we need to help her kick this crude once and for all (at least we hope so anyways...)

I took the two little boys to school lunch and had a chance to work in my classroom for a little bit. When I returned from the school I learned that Dr. Lichti's office had finally had the chance to get my wife's meds sent to Price so I could go and pick them up. My dad, being the amazing father he is, drove me (I had asked him to ride with me because I was tired and didn't want to fall asleep) and we had a great time visiting and discussing things.

When we returned I finished watering the yard (I had mowed, fertilized, and watered the front before we left for Price). We had dinner and then went to visit grandma and grandpa Hughes. It was nice to be there again. The last time we were there was to get a blessing for my wife over 4 weeks ago.

My brother called while we were visiting my parents to inform me he was going to come and "kidnap" the baby tomorrow and take her for a while...lol. We are happy to let them do that. Tomorrow is also bountiful baskets. I am in charge...blah. Anyways...

We returned home around 9:30pm and here we are. The two little boys are OUT and I am going to end this so I can be too.

My wife seems to be getting stronger everyday and it is nothing short of a miracle. We continue to be humbled by her quick recovery and are thankful for all the prayers being offered in her behalf. Not only that, but we are overwhelmed with gratitude to those who continue to bring meals and give of their resources.  Thank you. We love you and appreciate you.

Later...

Day #30- Home

So, Day 30 and a few positives to share.

Talked to the hospital in Price. I won't do a transcript of that experience, but they will be "getting back to me" tomorrow about being able to put my account on a freeze until we decide what we are going to do as far legal action is concerned. I don't think we will do anything as we don't really feel good about it, but it isn't out of the questions as bills are still piling in.

I did pay her ER room account in full today. After all, they did send us to UVRMC and real help.

Support from the community continues to pour in. My wife and I have been so humbled by all of it. I have truly learned the meaning of humility from this experience. It is something that I am striving to process and understand.

To my wonderful friend who worries that I am repressing my anger, I probably am. I work hard to keep an even temper (although is doesn't always work) and then find times when I am alone to process my anger. I don't scream, I don't cry (anymore), I simply think over things and let me anger burn. Then I feel a bit better and I am able to move on.

I think that as time passes and we find our groove as a family once again, that things will settle down and I can resume my "normal" life.

Well, it is late and I am tired. Not much to report today.

Thanks again for all that is being done. We appreciate it more than you can know...

Later...

Day #29- Home

I know... I know... I skipped a day. But I think you can forgive me. We were a little busy with settling in and such.

I hope you aren't sick of reading my blog yet, because I feel there will still be a lot to share with you as we work through recovery, both physically and emotionally, and all the bills that are sure to pile up. AND, you don't want to miss the transcript (as best I can remember) with my phone call to a certain Dr.'s office today. SO... on with the post!

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I did report on portions of it on Saturday's post that I finished on Sunday. Today (Monday) has been a pretty good day.  The whole family slept in. No one moved until around 8am when the phone rang. Good thing it did too...my day was disappearing and I had lots planned for today! We got the herd up and fed them breakfast. Jenni Simmons stopped by to go for a walk with my wife. They made all the way around the block- Wahoo- go Babe!

When my wife returned I handed off little missy and took all 5 older kids out back and we chopped the weeds (Okay, so at this point I realize that I should be better about taking pictures before and after) in the back yard and on the side. I tell you, the workforce that was taking care of our yard rocked it! The weeds were getting thick, but here in our town, if you aren't pulling the weeds everyday they become a forrest in no time. I have to say that considering the ages of my workforce things went pretty smoothly. It was while I was chopping weeds that I got the return phone call from the Dr.'s office. I had called and asked to speak to the doctor but was told that he was out of the office until next Monday. I then asked to talked to the billing department. The lady over billing did not answer so I left a message. I simply told her that I needed to have my account frozen until I talked with the doctor and then IF we paid it would be if we had any money left AFTER we took care of the the bill from being in the ICU for three weeks.

So, when the billing lady called back, I was wondering how it would go done. I kept my voice firm, but not rude (at least I didn't think I was). It went something like this:

Me: Hello?

Her: Is this John Hughes?

Me: Yes it is.

Her: Okay, ummm... I got your message and I need to clarify some information.

Me: Okay.

Her: So on your account I see you, your son *** and another son ***. And there is no balance. I do see that you have another account connected to yours. Ummm... is it for (my wife)?

Me: Yes. That is the one I am talking about. I want that account frozen until after I talk with Dr. ***** and we  figure out what is going to happen. We will have to decide if and when I will be paying the balance.

Her: Okay. We just sent a bill to you...

Me: I know. That is why I am calling.

Her: You did get the message that he is out of the office until Monday, correct?

Me: Yes I did. Would please have him call me when he returns?

Her: Yes. I will.

Me: Also, I need to ask about the $xxx I already paid on this account. It doesn't show the full $xxx payment on her account.

Her: Let me check... I will need to check a different view... Ok. I see that $xxx was applied to her balance and $xxx was applied to some new charges that are now on the account.

Me: Are those for ****** (my baby)?

Her: Yes.

Me: Okay. Well, again, I want the account frozen until I talk with the doctor.

Her: Okay.

Me: Have a nice day... (click)

So... I guess we will have to wait a week to see how this is all going to go down. My wife and I have talked a lot about what we want to do with regards to retaining a lawyer. We have both decided to wait and see what the full financial burden is clear and then make that decision. We have had lots of input from people, and we appreciate all your insight and thoughts. We will obviously keep you posted on what status of that decision.

The rest of the day was filled with chores, kids, and anger management practice.

Chores:
-Watered the garden and continued to water
-I washed the baby's dirty clothes
-Helped my wife get the new clothes for my youngest son out of the shed and washed
-Kept the house semi-cleaned up

Kids:
-Spent some good quality time with my littlest boy
-Enjoyed a walk with the family
-watched Gnomeo and Juliet (well, the first half anyways)

Anger Management:
-Had to really focus on the kids so I didn't yell all day long
-Feelings of anger that sit just below the surface and trying to repress said feelings
-Learning that my kids mean more than anything else and learning to apologize when I make a mistake

A big thanks to the McFarlane family for taking the kids to lunch at the school and then to the park to play. It was a nice break to have the house quiet for our babies nap for a little while. We also had Kathy Holyoak stop by for a quick hello. And Heather Parsons, amazing crafty queen that she is, brought us a plate of muffins (that made for a tasty lunch, by the way) with a Welcome Home banner and little paper house on top. It was very thoughtful.

After lunch my wife and I (and the baby) ran some errands and then we just hung out until dinner arrived. The Nolan Johnson family brought us a very tasty meal, a gift for the baby and a nice card for my wife and I (thanks for everything Johnson family...we love you people to pieces!).

After dinner, we took a nice walk together as a family and then popped in our movie. We paused it half way through for an ice cream cone break (thanks again Johnson family) and then decided to finish the movie tomorrow so all the little ones who had crashed could finish it as well.

I guess that about wraps up our day. Kent Johnson did swing by to check on us and ask about dinner for tomorrow night. It is very overwhelming to have some many people still want to help out. I mean, aren't people just sick to death of hearing about and dealing with the John Hughes family yet? Apparently not, and thanks for that.

Well, I guess we will see what tomorrow brings us. But now it is VERY late (12:50am)  and I am exhausted.

Later...

Day #27- Medical Tower, Floor 6

Day 27- this is our notice that we have beat you! BWA HA HA HA!!!
In just a few short hours we will be heading out and you will no longer have power to hold us back.

Oh the joy. The excitement. The relief. The pure happiness that can only be found in the reverie of a true celebration.

>>>>>> Fast Forward 5 Hours <<<<<

Houston, the Eagle has landed! We have made the trek home and we are loving it. So to relive the last few hours here is how it went down:

After Dr. Lichti told us that we could leave, we immediately started to pack, organize, and just be happy. It was painful to wait the two hours for my father to arrive from Green River. He was sure a welcomed sight. We loaded up with bags and "stuff" that we had collected over the past month. My wife got to ride in a wheel chair (with a load on her  lay) and my father and I trailing balloons and other things galore. We got her loaded into the Tahoe and away we went.

I can't tell you how nice it was to feel liberated from the hospital, knowing that I wouldn't have to be back later in the evening or next day or hopefully EVER! We had to stop by the guest house to gather all my crap as well. I was also able to donate one night's stay that I had paid for along with my deposit for another family who was in need. If felt good to give back a little bit.

We stopped for lunch, a quick stop at Sam's for needed food items for my wife, and then one stop break in Price at Wal-Mart to fill my wife's prescriptions before making it home.

When we pulled up our kids were all waiting by the door with a little sign hanging that said Welcome Home. Inside was another large banner that Kristin had made that said Welcome Home. It felt nice to be welcomed. The kids were so cute. Cautious but excited. It was so wonderful to have my kids piled on my lap telling me all about the things they have done or are going to do still this summer.

The night ended with everyone sleeping where ever they crashed. Our littlest one did pretty good during the night, it was just poopy to have to get up early for church meetings so I really didn't get much sleep. That is okay, it is SUMMER! :)

Well, I will try to keep up updated on the recovery phase of this experience. I get to call the dr. office on Monday and discuss the bill I just got for the c-section. That will be fun. I let you know how it works out.

Later...

I AM HOME!!!

After three L-O-N-G days of teacher workshops, I am home! I do have to say that I enjoyed visiting my sister very much, but I am muy glad to be home with my little family. My wife finished the kitchen painting and IT LOOKS WONDERFUL! But, because she is the one who did all the work, I will let her post about it first (then I can just steal her post! Tee Hee).

Well, I can officially say that I am done with summer college classes for good. Next summer (I know this is wishful thinking) will be so nice because I won't have Math Endorsement Classes, I won't have Masters of Administration Classes...what will I do with all my time? Oh yes, that's right- WHAT EVER I WANT!!!!!! It is quite comical how our last class ended up on Wednesday (I guess that was yesterday). We were there and we made it through the first almost 2 hours. Just as the first group started to really get into their presentation, the power went out at the district office. Ms. D and I were there with Jarett and Teri because of CORE Academy. Ms. D called the professor and told her what had happened. She said to wait for 15 minutes, and if it didn't come back on to head home and she would send an e-mail later. Well, an hour later (we got talking to one of the district administrators) we all left and headed home. So, that was a nice- I never have to take summer college classes again in my whole entire life, ever, ever, ever- gift! Now, if only the paper fairy would sneak into my house tonight and write my paper. Ha Ha. Actually, it isn't too big a deal. I just need to finish reading the book first- 200 more pages to go! Wahoo!

I enjoyed the ride home from workshops today with Greg. We had a nice chat. We are both so busy, even though we teach next door to each other, that we rarely get to chat.

Well, as I have been gone for three days, I best get off here and get to helping with dinner!

Later...

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig!

Phew! We finally made it home today after an unexpected stay over at my sisters (thanks for letting us stay, sis). We made it to the place where my wife was to set up and sell her scrapped words. (By the way, this is a picture of her Logo. I like it ALOT!) She got setup. I stayed with her for a couple of hours as there really weren't many people that came. But the kids got fussy and hungry, so I took them and we left for the last two hours. Considering that the event was poorly advertised, she did REALLY well. Lauren, the lady whose house it was at, was a great hostess, and fun to visit with. I went shopping for a while too. I am so NOT into shopping on a December weekend without my wife. WOW! Kids were crazy, shoppers were crazy and packed tight into every store. Who says there a recession! Maybe they are just saying that so we will want to spend more money. Maybe it really IS a hoax! :)

I returned to the party and helped my wife load up her wares and we headed to our wood wholesalers to get the needed wood to fill the orders she had received. It was fun to be there and look at the new products that were being offered as well.

After getting what we needed, we headed to my sister's house in SLC. We had dinner and the ladies (wife and sister) decided to visit the store that is the root of all evil (Yes, I mean Wal-Mart). They were gone for almost 2 hours. By the time it was time to leave, my wife and I decided that in order to get home alive, we needed to get some sleep. We stayed the night, which required LOTS of phone calls on my part of cancel meetings and make arrangements for meetings that I would miss.

We left around noon today and got home after 3pm. Man, it feels great to be home. It was fun, and we will totally do it again next year if Lauren will advertise better and get more people to stop by! I am trying to talk my wife into creating a website for her words and frames and market them. But, as she says, she wants to have a life outside of those orders she is already doing, and I have to admit that while the extra money would be nice, I much prefer to have a wife and mother for my children. Well, until the next adventure.

Later...

Happy Birthday...To Me!

Well,
I am now officially 1 year older (and proud of it!) I have earned every aching muscle, every gray hair (and I have WAY more than I care to see everyday), and every other earned credit that goes with being my age.

My day has been fantastic. I had a great day at school. My wife showed up at the end of the day with cupcakes and a large sprite for me. What a fun and thoughtful thing for her to do. My students loved it. It was a nice break for us. We went outside and enjoyed a cupcake and four-square.

After school I came home, and this might sound funny, and enjoyed cleaning up the yard and taking the air-conditioners out and putting them away. I cleaned up a little of the garden, fixed the gutter, and plugged in the heat tape under the house. It was GREAT!

I came in the house to find my wife making one of my all time favorites- Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. Y-U-M-M-Y! My parents came and enjoyed dinner with us. We had a leisurely dinner. Afterwards, I got to open gifts (my wife came up with some great gifts. She gets mad at me because I tell I don't ever want anything.) My parents visited for a while longer (we did scripture study and prayer) and then they headed home.

The rest of the evening was spent in chatting with Mrs. E (Elysabeth Eldering) about school and writing, blogging, and buying tickets for Walking With Dinosaurs- The Live Show. We are going Sunday, January 18th. It is going to be SO cool. I am VERY excited. I will working out all the details with my sister about staying at her house and maybe even getting a ride to the event so we don't have to find parking. It's all good.

And now, I am tired and it is bed time. I have student council meeting in the morning at 7:30am. So,

Later...