Monday, December 4, 2017

Thankful Thanksgiving

November has passed, and it was a whirlwind of highs and lows. I will scratch the surface on everything...here we go!!!

I got offered an amazing opportunity to do weekly online fitness segments for CHANNEL 2 NEWS! I make video segments and they will posted on their click2Houston website! I will also be doing some TV airtime here and there!!! This is an exciting next step of my journey! So amazing! Hunter is probably my biggest fan, which I adore! He got the chance to present his first "published book." He could write about anything...and he chose to write about ME and American Ninja Warrior! He had me wear my ninja shirt to the presentation! He wrote a very detailed book about my journey, it is amazing the details he remembers! He was beaming...and so was I!


Hunter and I also did a competition together. I won FIRST place, which I was super excited about! And Hunter was the youngest competitor and still finished the course! There were many times that he was overwhelmed and "couldn't" do something. He even got tears in his eyes and told me he "couldn't do it!" And I said "your momma is raising fighters. Let's go...fight!" And that is what he did! Most kids finished in about 15 minutes...it took Hunter nearly 40 minutes but he finished! He finished with a smile and full of pride! When it was my turn on the adult course...I was on my last obstacle...the rope climb! I was getting tired from the 16 obstacles in a row!!!! Hunter could tell I was getting tired, so he jumped over the sideline and got on the course, jumped on the rope next to me and started climbing! He climbed next to me and said, "we don't quit mommy. Keep fighting!" So I made it to the top with my biggest fan by my side! That was a proud moment for me because of the life lessons learned through ninja!

Thanksgiving week!!! My brother, Chad has moved to Brownwood, Tx. So, we made the 4.5 hour drive and had a great visit. the kids had an amazing time! Outdoors the entire time. Hiking, feeding ducks, fishing, dirt bike riding, and old fashioned exploring! It was very cold at nights and beautiful during the day! They enjoyed the cousin time SO much!







 
It was a simple get away. We needed that to prepare us for what Thanksgiving day brought...I'll get to that later! Back to simplicity....we paid no attention to our phones or clocks. It was all about family and memories. Veronica and I even had a girls night out! We had some drinks and danced. We look forward to our next Brownwood visit!




 
Faith Ann had her first school picture!!! She wore my old dress, which was adorable! She kept telling her friends..."this was my mommy's dress!" Love this girl! And Hunter lost his other front tooth. So, he is rockin' the toothless smile! Trent is obsessed with all sports and is constantly punting the football!!! All of the above update is about our "highs" of the month! Now...on to the low...


Thanksgiving Day! We were back in Houston. Beau and Kate were hosting, which is a nice break for me since I host everything else! I was enjoying the day of quiet cooking in my pajamas. I talked to my dad that morning, he was looking forward to our 3:00 family gathering. He was calling to check on "his dressing" that I cook. It was my moms recipe, and he LOVES it! Well, we get to my brothers at 3:00....no dad. He's not answering his phone. 20 minutes pass. So, my brother went to his place to check on him! Beau called me in a panic to get there ASAP! Dad had fallen, in the splits face down. He was mostly unconscious! I got there and we called 911. Dad couldn't talk very well and was very confused! Hours later, we found he fractured his hip. His brain was okay. But we were facing a rough hospital stay! So, all the kids and our spouses ate our Thanksgiving meal while we were in the hospital! They tried to have a "normal Thanksgiving" for the kids, but everyone was very worried! So, I called a "Thanksgiving REDO" the next night! Once dad was stable in hospital...I picked up Southwells burgers for the entire family. We actually sat down around the table and had Thanksgiving round 2!
Thankfully, he was stable. Awake and regaining awareness. He was just very sore! Dad was already very frail and weak to begin with. So, this fall made him disabled! I devoted every waking moment to getting my dad home! Thankful for Scott and my friends that helped with the kids. I just needed to be present for dad. Patients always need a present advocate at hospitals or else things seem to fall apart! As days passed, he regained enough strength to go home. We set up 24 hour care for him because he can do nothing on his own! We even looked into Hospice at one point, because we just knew that this was the end of his long battle with kidney failure! His body is so so weak! But, he pulled through enough for us to give 24 hour care a shot. He still goes to dialysis 3 times a week. I have set up an ambulance to drive him because he can't get in a car. He stopped breathing the other day during dialysis. He had to get an emergency steroid shot and rushed back to hospital. Now, he's home again!
I'm telling you...this has been a hard hard journey for my dad. But for me too! Juggling so many things, so much uncharted territory! That is where we stand! Day by day. I go over everyday, hours a day just to make sure he is getting as much quality to his life as possible. Dad is at peace with passing when his time comes. Could be weeks or months?! Who knows! It's hard. It's bittersweet. It's in God's hands. I trust the plan. I am enjoying my days with him. To end on a high note...Happy 10th Birthday to Bentley! The most patient, loyal dog! Good bye November!


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