This Blog Has Been Temporarily Interrupted By...LIFE

The best thing I have to say about this holiday season is that we survived...barely!

In early December I visited several doctors about a visual loss that I have suffered in my left eye. After 11 vials worth of blood tests, an MRI, a Carotid duplex scan, a couple of EEGs, and an Echo cardiogram with bubble test - it was determined that I have a possible vitamin B12 deficiency!!! There was nothing in my brain as my kids were saying so it was good to hear that it was not life threatening. So now all we have to do is give me my B12 shots, try to figure out why my body does not absorb B12 and pray my eyesight returns to normal. The doctors have differing opinions about weather or not my vision will return so I am just going to pray.

I received the results of all my tests on Christmas Eve which was also the day we found out that my Father in Law was in the hospital with some heart problems - his defibrillator had zapped him in the middle of the night. The news was that he would be home in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, they did not send him home for Christmas so my MIL and FIL spent their first Christmas morning in 53 years apart. My FIL remained in the hospital after Christmas so G and I got in the car and headed to Tucson to spend the day with him. They were keeping him in the ICU which concerned us and there seemed to be very little communication with doctors and that proved to be frustrating. We enjoyed our visit and headed home Friday night. Saturday we were told by the family that he was doing even better than Friday. By Sunday after church our phone was ringing telling us that he would not live through the day. We packed up the kids and some clothes and headed out. We left the kids with some cousins and grandparents and drove the longest drive ever across Tucson to the hospital. We went into the ICU and were surprised to find my FIL talking to us and making jokes about how he was going to charge admission to all the people parading through his room! Based on his extremely low blood pressure and lack of appetite we started preparing ourselves for the probability that he was not going to make it home. The days that followed are a blur of long days and nights at the hospital, visits to hospice facilities, a trip back home for more medical tests for me and to get more clothes - and lots of tears.

My FIL, Morgan, passed away on New Year's Eve morning around 5:45. He had had G's sister call G at about 5:00 that morning so that he could tell him how much he loved him and how proud he was of him. He even sounded pretty good on the phone so the call 45 minutes later to tell us he had passed away was a bit of a surprise. The human will is an amazing thing. I don't think I can make it through a post yet about what a wonderful man he was so that will follow soon.

Morgan - you will be missed and never forgotten by the family that you devoted yourself to. We love you...

Our last family photo taken in October - minus one nephew that was at a band competition.