Monthly Archives: July 2009

Thank you so much for the prayers for my dad. He went through an invasive test and they found that things weren’t running as they should in his heart. Instead of waiting to do the surgery the next day, the doctor installed a pace-maker right then. They warned him that they would need to keep him a couple days until his medicines were balanced. Then I got the call yesterday, that they were happy with his levels and sending him home! Thank you for praying with us on his behalf, God has blessed our family, yet again!

My dad is like a Christian version of James Bond. He flies planes, scuba dives, motorcycles, boats, horseback rides, ATVs, hunts, has a fascination for gadgets, and can fix pretty much anything……these are just his hobbies. He is also a retired surgeon, but keeps his license up to date so that he can travel to 3rd world countries on mission trips to help build things and offer his services.

He is not your average senior citizen. It has always been his goal to go out Living….not sitting in a room staring at the wall for years. I understand, but it gets scary when he engages in high risk activities and doesn’t let us know when he’s not okay. He is such a pillar of strength to all of his family. Always there, always ready for the next adventure.

I received a call yesterday that my dad ended up in the ER for his heart. He’s been admitted and they are running a bunch of tests. Apparently, it has been bothering him for awhile. He didn’t say anything while we were together on vacation, because he didn’t want us to worry. He didn’t make a big deal about it afterward, because he didn’t want to stress mom out as they traveled to see her brother and then made another stop for a few days, to visit with her mother (92yrs old). He finally spoke up on the way home, when he needed to rest and couldn’t keep driving. (My dad views aging/illness as a sign of weakness. He is ALWAYS, “fine”…..always.)

They are running tests and scolding him for going into the mountains and stressing his heart horseback riding, hiking, and ATVing, at high altitudes. (This is what he chose to do for his 75th birthday, a family reunion in the mountains.) They may have to put in a pace-maker. He says it’s not a big deal. (HELLO?!…..It’s your HEART!) I’m thinking it is a bigger deal than he will let on. We’re waiting for the test results and 2 more tests to be completed today.

Dad doesn’t like being a patient. He hates being “watched over” and not in control of his situation. He doesn’t want us to come home to be with him. Sigh. So we wait…And we pray…..And we realize that as frustrating as it is not to know what country he’s in, half the time, we look forward to hearing about his next big adventure when this is all behind him.

Please pray for mom’s peace of mind, dad to behave (doctors make the WORST patients), and wisdom for his doctors .

We’re back from our summer vacation. 10 days of extended-family togetherness in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. The cousins are getting so grown! No babies in the family anymore. (The youngest was around 6 or 7 years old.) Most of the “teen” cousins are now in their mid to late twenties…..when did THAT happen!? It was all very unsettling, makes ya think about time, age, and how fast everything seems to be going. Kind of reflective, I guess.

Everyone had fun. We went 4×4ing in the mountains. Hubby and Sarge climbed a mountain. All 3 kids got to try out a rope course. Sarge got to repel and rock climb. The Imp got to hand feed deer outside our cabin. We went to the ghost town to feed the chipmunks, prairie dogs, and squirrels. We were buzzed by hummingbirds. The Gremlin did some hiking up to abandoned mines and a glacier lake. Pictures will be coming soon.