UP'S AND DOWN'S

The last three weeks have been those of being up and being down. Three weeks ago tomorrow, Harvey had a nuclear stress test. We anticipated something to be wrong but wasn't ready for the news. Upon completion of the stress test, we found out that there was some vague signs of a problem and the best way to find out what was going on, was to do a heart cath. So as usual, we moved quickly to find out. The heart cath was done on Wednesday morning and we had good and somewhat bad news. The good news was that there was no damage to his heart and that all the larger arteries were clear of blockage. The somewhat bad but not drastic news was that they found three small arteries 80% blocked that could not be corrected by a balloon or stints. Only medication would help-The good news is that there are medicines now available to help the problem. Harvey has healed well over the last few weeks and is handling his medicines well. We actually took a short walk at White Oak Creek on Sunday. Praise God.

Another really good "up" is the fact that while going through the heart issues, we had arranged to have new carpet put in the house. We didn't want to cancel it so for days, I moved stuff out of rooms, closets and the hall way to make room for the change. You see, I wanted to get it in the house before Labor Day to make things not only nice for us but so that our family could enjoy it as well. CR along with the carpet guys helped move the furniture to make life easier for us. It did look nice, with that new smell and feel to it. Again Praise God for family and friends.

What can one say when the family comes home for a long weekend. The excitment of seeing the family from KY after 4 months was so awesome. Seeing Skip, Sarah, Ben and little Jonathan, topped off with having CR hang out with us, made the weekend one of the best. Not only did we visit with other family members on Saturday but the guys actually had doves to kill that day and they killed around 50. Let me assure you, that in itself was fantastic--we have been waiting on those birds for years.

Then there was the great help I had in the kitchen, helping with laundry, fixing cabinets, organizing things, etc. You get the idea--it was all wonderful. There was the special time we grownups had together and the special times we had with Ben and Jonathan. I want forget about the "sprinkler" fun we all had. Two grownups running through the sprinkler water just like Ben. All trying to catch water in our mouth from the sprinkler and all not carrying if we got wet or not. Just for fun. You see Ben taught us that it is ok be be childlike, to act silly and to have fun doing it.

There was little Jonathan wanting to crawl but couldn't get there yet with his handsome smile, playful ways and great personality. To show him how to crawl, Ben would crawl through his tunnel while John was on the floor hoping he would follow. Maybe in November--Ben !!!!

Then there was the Birthday cake, ice cream, presents and more fun. Skip had his birthday on the 28th of August and CR is to have his on Sept 12. The strawberry cake, having family together to celebrate and the interaction with everyone made the afternoon a fun filled time.

You see, the down part was big and very important but the ups' were in abundance and helped ease the stress of the previous week. I know that I am very thankful for Harvey, Skip, Sarah, CR, Ben and Jonathan. While also being thankful for our extended family and wonderful friends.

That is what life is all about because without them life would seem very empty. God has already blessed us in ways that we could never expect.