in her words

Well, it’s official — we’re home owners!  We closed on the house 2 weeks ago, and we’re so anxious to make this house a home.  We’re realizing that it will definitely take some time to get the walls painted and furniture in place, but it will happen, in time :)

We’ve at least made the house livable with a new refrigerator, washer/dryer, and blinds.  They all look great, and we are so grateful for our families who got these for us as house warming gifts.  The hardest part for me will be the decorating.  I know I’m a graphic designer, but designing a website is a lot different than designing a room!  We’ve gone to every furniture store we can think of and I think we’re close to deciding on a couch and club chairs for the living room.

The fun part for me will be choosing paint colors.  I already know I want to do wallpaper in the master bedroom, and possibly some faux painting in my office.  I’ll wait until we get furniture to decide on the final colors, though.  It’s easier to change paint than it is to change fabric!  In time everything will come together, but for now, we’re taking one room at a time.

We just received news that Mom has finally been given permission to get out of bed!  I can only imagine what a relief it must be for her to stand on her feet for the first time in almost a week!  A Physical Therapist will be visiting her room momentarily to ensure her leg is ready to walk on again, and, once she gives her the go ahead, she can come home!

Mom’s sister, who is a nurse in Knoxville, is on her way down to the hospital.  She was planning on spending the day with her, but, once doctors sign the release papers, she will be bringing her back home instead!

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support.  This has been a miraculous journey!  God has done amazing things!

I know there are many friends and family out there who would like to know how my mom is doing. I figured it was time to dust off the old blog in order to get an update out.

A few weeks ago, Mom began complaining of cramps in her left leg.  She noticed a bit of swelling, but definitely nothing substantial.  When the symptoms didn’t subside a few weeks later, she went to see our family doctor.  As soon as Mom described her symptoms to the doctor, he sent her to the hospital for an ultrasound.  She arrived at St. Josephs shortly after, and received an ultrasound of her left leg.  After seeing the the readings, the ultrasound tech advised mom to “walk very slowly to a wheelchair, and a doctor will be right with you.”  Not the most positive reaction…

Once she was seen by a doctor she was told she had several, deep clots up and down her leg (Deep Vein Thrombosis), and one of the clots was “squiggling”.  This means the clot was loose and could possibly break off if they didn’t get her treated quickly.  For precautionary measures, he ordered a CT scan of her chest and abdomen to make sure the clot hadn’t already broken off and traveled to a major organ.  He also ordered an immediate regimen of Heparin, Coumadin (both blood thinners), and 100% bed rest for 3-5 days.

The next day the CT scan was given, and the results, again, were not very positive.  The clot had, in fact, broken off and traveled to both her lungs (bilateral pulmonary embolism).  It’s an absolute miracle she hadn’t experienced ANY complications from this.  Conditions like this can very often be fatal.  Mom definitely had a guardian angel on her side!  The doctor assured us the treatment she was currently on will help her body absorb both the clots in her leg and lungs.  She was told she may need to remain at the hospital a little longer than expected.

Mentally and physically, Mom feels 100% well, but we are very aware that this could have resulted in more serious complications.  Although the doctors aren’t 100% sure why the DVT developed so extensively in her leg, we are so grateful it was caught early enough to reverse!  We know she will be on a regimen on Coumadin for at least a year to ensure the clots don’t return.  She will also get frequent blood tests to track the INR of her blood (degree of thinness).  We hope she’ll be out of the hospital by the end of the week, and I know she can’t WAIT to get up and walk around!

We are all so thankful for everyone’s prayers and support.  I know God was on Mom’s side this weekend, and we are counting our blessings for His amazing grace!

I know I have been majorly lacking in my blogging lately – and if I kept anyone on the edge of their seat, I am so very sorry :).  To make up for it, I wanted to post a catch-up entry about the most wonderful time of the year.

First off, I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family to spend Christmas with.  It truly is the highlight of the year when I get to spend a week with the whole family together.  Now that Katie is at Auburn, it’s always nice to have her home for more than a weekend.  My mom always does all she can to make Christmas magical, even though Kate and I are both beyond our childhood years.

This year we went to the 5:00 Christmas Eve service at church and followed up with our traditional fondue dinner with the Hartmans.  Fondue has to be one of my favorite meals ever.  I look forward to it every year.  After dinner we got to open our one, Christmas Eve gift – and we couldn’t have picked a better present… a Wii!  We played all night until it was time for bed.

Nothing beats Christmas morning.  The typical family is up by 7am ready to rip open presents… but not at our house.  If you know our family, you can guess that we all sleep in until about 9am, go down to the kitchen, get our coffee and/or mimosas, and work our way over to the Christmas tree by 10am.  Stockings come first… that takes about an hour (we draw Christmas out as loooong as possible).  Then we break for some breakfast.  It’s not until about noon that we start on the presents, and could last for hours :).

This year Christmas was especially memorable because Chase was able to come over for Christmas dinner!  All my favorite people were under one roof.  He also got me a beautiful watch that I’m so thankful for!  Finally, I can’t leave out some even bigger news… my friend Brittney got engaged, and my other friends Megan and Casey bought a house together right before Christmas!  I’m so happy for everyone.  Hopefully 2009 will be just as wonderful as 2008 :)

Cheers!

I love that the Fall weather is officially here!  Now that it’s October, I can start bringing out the Fall decor, the cold-weather clothes, and all those spiced sented things!  Why is it that the change of seasons brings such a feeling of new-beginnings and rejuvination?  Just when you feel like you need a change in your life, the seasons change and you’re ready to take on the world.  So, happy October!  I wish everyone the best as the Holiday season begins to approach. :)