Christy Erin (Lyman) Lowe

Happy Birthday Christy!!!

The big 28 today!!!

We love you!!!!

Daughters are like flowers, they fill the world with beauty, and sometimes attract pests. ~ Author Unknown

Wall to Wall Family!!!

Last week Norm and I went to Costco to get a couple of things, like orange juice and bacon. While there, we decided we wanted to get one of their yummy, and cheap hot dogs. We were looking at the tv's as we walked in cause that is the first thing you see when you walk in. Well, guess what.......needless to say, that turned out to be a very expensive hot dog!!!


We bought a big screen tv!!!!! Norm and I have never done anything like that before, in 38 years of being married!!!! So, when we got it home, we got some people to help us set it up and have really enjoyed it. Our son and his family didn't know about it, so we decided to have dinner and a movie night last night, and surprise them!!!! Boy, was it ever a surprise!!!! It is not normal for us to do anything like this and our children are still trying to figure out what happened!!!


Anyway, last night, we had burritos, Spanish rice and just before we sat down for the movie (A Night in the Museum) we made a "soda run".


While watching the movie, I looked around and this is what I saw:


There is no cooler sight to see than one's whole family gathered together in one place. Even if did have to bribe them with a big tv....we were all together. All of the grandkids and all of the kids....in-laws and out-laws!!!!


There were times when something like this would have totally driven me nuts, but, it was a real treasure to have them all here and making themselves at home. The kids were wonderful and the adults were awesome as usual. When it came time for everyone to leave, it was sad but I am hoping we can do it again....real soon. I will even cook again!


Norm and I have seen a lot of changes since he has been ill. As most of you know, we nearly lost him about four times during his nine week stay in the hospital. Priorities change and all of us, seem to see things in a different light. How wonderful family is and how blessed we are to have them all. Each and every one of them.

Thank you to Roger, Christy and Katie for helping us to set it up and thank you to Jake, Ty, Kurtis, Austin, EmberLee, Bridger and little Theron, for coming to enjoy it with us. I love you all!!!! Thank you for all of your support during these past 10 months. Dad and I never could have done it without any of you.

To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.

Not Forgotten

The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.

'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq

'After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago 'His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.

'Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied,wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.

'Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said,'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of thepassengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.

'Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it.'


Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.

Let us never forget those who have fought for our freedoms.

Well, I don't know!!!

Yea, Yea, I know!!! I needed to update a long time ago!!!! Things are pretty good with the Lyman Family. Again, in my absence we have had a lot of good things happen. I guess I have just been too wrapped up in my own little world. ( my house is trashed, my sewing room is trashed, the laundry is a mile high, cardiac rehab, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning....I could go on and on). It wasn't until I looked at my daughter in law's blog, and another blog of a friend, and saw how much has happened in their lives, while I was out in la-la land. I love blogging and I love reading my friends blogs. There is no real explanation that I can think of for all of this except that I just "zoned out". Now, I am going to try to "zone in"!!!

While I was "out" our newest little bundle of joy was blessed on Nov. 2nd. This is Theron Scout Lyman. What an amazing experience it was to witness that. He was given a wonderful blessing by his father. Not only was it an amazing day because I was able to witness the power of righteous Priesthood, but my heart was filled with gratitude that my whole family was worthy to attend, and that all of the Priesthood in our family was worthy to be there to participate. As everyone gathered to bless this little one, I thought about the fact that I have a husband, a son, and a son-in-law that are worthy Priesthood holders. How thankful I am. It really was a good day. Family and friends were there and it was wonderful to have so many to give support to Therons parents, brothers and sisters, but to him too!!

The weather has been a little windy and cold lately so Norm has been spending a lot of time trying to keep the lawn "vacuumed". This is what it looked like before he started. We have 29 trees in our yard. They are so pretty this time of year, and we love the privacy they give our back yard in the spring and summer, but they are really a "pain" this time of year. What a mess. One year, before we had a riding mower to suck the leaves up, we raked them all in a pile and let the kids play in them.

Here is another picture after the clean up began...just to show how thick the leaves were.

Then, here is another one two hours later!!!! Those stupid leaves come down like snow where there is the slightest breeze!!! But, oh well, we love them anyway.

I love this time of year. The trees are beautiful, and the grass is green and pretty. The pretty flowers that people plant in their yards are on their way out, but they will be back. It is the beginning of the time of year when you don't see your neighbors anymore because when they get home from work, it is too cold to go out!!! But, I still love the fall season.

Here is what Norm and I woke up to this morning!!!! I love the snow!!!! My daughter hates it, but it is so pretty. Yes, cold, but I just stay in the house and watch it!!!!

Do ya think it may be time to put our deck furniture away??? I think by the time it stopped snowing, there was about three inches!!!! But, it sure was pretty.

Then, last but not least, was that beautiful blue winter sky to finish off the day.

These past couple of weeks have been a time of thought and "re-grouping" for me. I have been so worried about the outcome of the election, and so many other things that seem to have just taken over my life. I looked at those beautiful colors in the trees right in my own back yard and thought how lucky I am. Again, I am not sure why the trees would bring that thought to mind, but maybe it was just "someone" telling me it was time to get out of my "blue funk" and enjoy the many blessings that have been given to me instead of just letting life pass me by.

Yes, friends and family, I am still here, still kicking and gonna keep going.

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see. John Burroughs

P.S. I forgot to tell you another reason that Sunday, Nov. 2nd was an awesome day..... My oldest grandson, Kurtis Cole Buckley, was able to pass us the Sacrament!!!! He did such a good job. I tried to get him to look at me cause he can't keep a straight face....but, he wouldn't look. We are all very proud of him. He has more on his mind and in his life than most grown ups have and is doing a very good job of dealing with it. He is trying very hard to do the right thing, and I want him to know that I love him and that I am here for him anytime. No questions asked.

P.P.S. I am hoping his mother gets sick of seeing these same old pictures and sends me some new ones. She takes wonderful pictures and has a ton of them, but hogs them all!!!

Here she is!!!!

Lookie What I See!!!!

These are the beautiful Wasatch Mountains that I can see from my front door!!! Guess what....winter is coming!!! So far it isn't that cold, but I don't think it will be long. Time to "batten down the hatches", get a good book and start a pot of beans!!!!

The whole thing is coming so fast. Norm and I are still nursing what tomatoes, and cucumbers that we have left. Now, the hard part comes, cause we have to get the garden all torn out and roto-tilled for the spring.

We are doing a little changing around this next spring so we have three old gnarly rose bushes to dig out and a Honeysuckle that wants to take over the neighborhood!!!! But, we will get it done.

Norm is doing really well now. He gets a ton better each day. I can see so many changes from day to day but he can't see them. We talk a lot about how things used to be when he first came home. I had to be in the very same room with him, every second, except when he was sleeping, and then, we had a baby monitor so he could just call me. He could not get out of bed by himself, and everything was just so difficult. It is amazing to look back and see how far he has come.

He moved a great big rock pile we had back by our garden in the back yard. It has been there for years and we have talked about moving it but just didn't have the motivation. He wasn't really fast at it, but he did it. I haven't been out by the shop to see where he put it!!! Maybe I don't want to!!! He is really having fun being able to do things. We bought a little trailer to pull behind the lawn mower. It wasn't really expensive and boy has it ever been a life saver!!! It even dumps!!!!

I just can't get enough of looking at him and knowing how close we were to loosing him so many different times. He is amazing. My bishop says "He's a miracle". He truly is. I don't know anyone that has fought that hard. I asked him yesterday, if he was ever sorry he had the surgery done and he said, "well, I would be dead if I hadn't".

Norm continues to loose weight. I guess it is alright, but it kind of scares me. He is a lot thinner, but I guess healthy enough to keep the doctors happy. We are still fighting that awful cough. His new doctor thinks he is allergic to one of the heart meds that he cannot go off of, so, now he uses two different inhalers. They seem to be helping a little and the doctor keeps telling us that when asthma flares up, it takes it a while to settle down. I think it is....I really do. Norm gets pretty discouraged sometimes, but I think all in all he is getting control of it.

Yesterday he was putting his shoes on and said that he thought his feet had lost weight!!!! I said" that kinda happens when your heart is working right and fluid doesn't pool around your ankles". He really is doing well.

I am seeing a few emotional "issues" but, I suppose that will come with time. It is sad to see how he is treated by some of the people around us, but they are the ones that are loosing out. I am just glad he is well and home. None of us knew if we would ever be able to say "Oh, Dad's out in the shop!!!" again. As we speak, that is where he is!!!

So, we are fine. I have had the "24 hour crud" today and had to cancel my sewing class, but I think I am on the mend. Rarely do I ever get sick, so when I am sick I am pretty much of a baby. Gotta have a certain kind of Popsicles. I was on the deck eating one today thinking that I used to eat this kind when I was a kid, and here I am at almost 60, still eating them. Orange and grape and cherry are the best, and if you can't have those, root beer will do. Don't like those weird blue ones tho!!!!

Conference was awesome this year. It was kind of a "back to basics' conference I thought. Such good council. So much strength . All during the conference, I keep thinking about how lucky we are and how much Heavenly Father does for us. During this whole thing with Norm, I have just felt "carried" through it. My family, his family and our Heavenly Father just took over. I just had the small stuff to deal with.

So the Lyman family is foraging forward. Last night when I was at Roberts, I saw one of the guys who took a lot of Norms chest ex-rays and it just brought everything back about how wonderful those people are there. I really miss some of them. Someday, I think I would like to take an afternoon and go down there to see some of them. They were always there for us.

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward

My Son

I was doing something on my blog the other day and was looking at the pictures of my son, Jake, being a nut at work and thought about what a neat guy he is. I talk to Ty every day and Christy every day, but I don't get that many opportunities to talk to Jake. I don't get the opportunity very often, to tell him how very much his father and I love him and how proud we are of him.

Jake is one of the kindest, loving men I know. He loves life and he loves his family without hesitation. He works hard to provide for his family and never complains. He works hard at work, and is loved there by many. Jake keeps things "light" at work and it is a very close group of people. The doctors love him because he makes them all laugh, but at the same time, he is very skilled, and very dependable, so they all want him to work with them.

One of the things I have always loved about Jake is his amazing ability to forgive and forget. He has always been sensitive to others, and sometimes when he was in school, he put up with some cruel treatment, but always "loved his enemies". I should be able to forgive like him!!! (Workin' on it!)

Jacob has always been a joy to his father and I, and we are truly blessed to have him in our lives. He has always been a wonderful person. I have called him my "free spirit" and he truly is. Jake is Jake and what a treasure he is.


I went to Jake's work to say hello to him, because we were at the hospital anyway. He happened to be out of a room at the time and was right at the surgical nurses desk. He was able to visit for a moment then I had to go. After I had gone through the big doors that separate the surgical area from the rest of the hospital, Jake stuck his head out and called "Mom" as I was walking down the hall. There was a man wearing scrubs walking down the hall at the same time I was, and asked me "did he just call you mom????" I said "yes he did". The man said, "Did Jake call you mom???". I said that he did and that he was my son. The man said "Oh, I am so sorry!!!!" I had no idea that the man was a very well known doctor in the area and just loves Jake. This doctor knows Jake hates country western music, so keeps a special playlist on his Ipod. When Jake is scrubbed in and can't do anything about it, the doctor has someone put "Jake's music" on so they can listen during surgery!!! This same doctor calls him "Jackie".

That is my son. He is loved by so many of the people that he works with and they respect his dedication to his job and his skill. He is loved by many friends and neighbors alike, because he is always willing to help them and do what he can.

Jacob has struggled with many things, but has always come out on top of whatever the problem is. He is awesome!!!!

I want "Boo" to know how much I love him. His father and I recognize how special he is and how lucky we are that he chose to come to our family. We are grateful for him and what he has added to our lives. I would not trade him for anything.

We love you very much Jake.


Son, you outgrew my lap, but never my heart. ~Author Unknown

P.S. He does wonderful impressions too!!! Just let him know it is your birthday!!!!!!

How Long Has It Been????

So, I am not hiding out anymore. I never really was, just not with it. I am so ashamed that I have not posted for a while, because I really have some good news. On Sept. 5th, another sweet little spirit came into our lives.

Theron Scout Lyman.

Again, I was given the opportunity to see this sweet little one come into this world and what a special thing that was.

Theron is the last baby for this family and I can't help but thing he is just going to "sum up" the Lyman Family. He may be the last but he is not going to be the least!!! I can't wait to see what is in this little one's future, but, I will wait!!! I really want to enjoy him while he is little too. He is going to be valiant, I just know it. He is going to have to be to deal with three older brothers and a sister that has the world by the tail and runs with it!!!

His birth was not without problems but, thanks to awesome nurses and our favorite mid-wife, he came to us in good health and just bears watching for a little while. His checkups have been fine and the doctors are pleased with his progress.

Mom had a little of a hard time this time, but as usual, she just "cowboyed up" and made it through. She is so strong. I don't know if I could have done it. We are very proud of her. When I was first getting to know my daughter in law, she told me that her mom had passed away and that she was not looking for another mom. I totally understood that, because her mom's death had been fairly recent then, and she had been pretty close to her. As time has gone by, I still understand that she is not looking for another mother, but have told her many times that she will just have to deal with the fact that she is just like one of my kids to me. She is an awesome person, and has been so understanding as to the fact that I just have not been with her much, during this last pregnancy. Perhaps someday, I will be back "in the groove" again.

I am so grateful to my children for making me a grandmother. I didn't like the sound of that much, when I first heard it, but I wouldn't have it any other way at this point. These great children are our future and I pray that I will be able to make a difference in their lives.

If your baby is "beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time," you're the grandma. ~Teresa Bloomingdale

(I have to say that I have a friend that I work with at the temple and we have a running joke about who has the cutest grandkids. I always win!!!!)

Teenage Mutant Ninja-Cucumbers!!!!!

My heck, someone snuck my cucumbers some growth hormone!!!! Soon, they are going to grow right up into my house and eat me!!!! How huge is this?????

I have been giving some cucumbers to my neighbors and noticed that the vines were not producing as well as they had been. So, I had to tell my friends that I had no cucumbers right now. I left them alone for a couple of days because I thought maybe the few that were still on the vines would grow enough so that I could give them each at least one. I went out to pick yesterday and this is what I got!!!!!!!!!

My son loves dill pickles so I thought I would put one in a jar and pickle it for him, but I don't know of a jar big enough!!!! No Miracle Grow for these guys!!!!

My neighbors will love me today!!!! If I can't get rid of them, I am going to go up and down the street and stuff them in mailboxes!!!! Can you believe this????

Chad, our neighbor came over and helped Norm cut a branch out of one of our trees, because it was hanging too low, and guess who has been working on cutting it up and putting it away!!! YUP, you guessed it!!!!!!

Every day I look at him and think that just 6 months ago, he was near death a number of times. Actually, his surgery was Feb. 26, so that was 6 months, 13 days, and five hours ago!!! He has come a long way and is still going. He gets tired awful easy, but it is no wonder!!!!!

We are going to make an appointment with his doctor and ask for a referral to a pulmonologist to try to find out the reason for all of the coughing and junk in his lungs and throat. Hopefully we will get some answers because he has dealt with this problem since he has been out of the hospital, and that was April 29th.

Nothing else much has happened. No baby yet!!! Ty and Jake called me on Friday night and said to keep my phone handy, but, no luck. Any day now!!!! We are all on baby watch!!!!

I was talking to Christy on the phone yesterday, and she said that Katie threw her first fit!!! Now, can you imagine this sweet little one throwing a fit???? Christy must have been wrong, because I just can't imagine it!!!! She would never do that!!!!!

It is amazing to me, that she is a year old now. She is starting to walk, but not too much. She still crawls but it is good for her. I am told that crawling is good for hand-eye coordination and helps with reading. I am not sure how it helps with reading but I guess there has been research done on it and that is what they have come up with. So, the longer she crawls, (within reason), the better it is. Better for her mom and dad too, cause when she starts to really walk, she is going to be a terror!!!! But, a sweet one!!! We love you Katie!!!!

Our Christmas picture this year, is going to have a couple of additions!!!! How exciting.

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is bliss, taste it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

~~~~~ Mother Teresa, Catholic Nun, Missionary, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient

I'm Back

I'm not sure where I've been, but I'm back from wherever!!!! Nothing major has happened, but then I guess if I go back on the time, lots of neat things have happened.

On the 17th, our sweet little Katie had her first birthday. This year sure has gone by fast. I can't

believe that little one is a year old. How we have all enjoyed her. I love you Katie!!!!!

Yesterday, our little four year old wonder, EmberLee, started school!!! What a little fire-ball she is. When she comes into the room, everyone knows it!!! She too, is a joy and we all love her very much and are very proud of her. She was so brave today when she went to school all by herself.

It scares me, in a way, to see these little ones grow up so very fast. I think a lot too, about the fact that we sure are lucky that Grandpa is here to enjoy these happy times.

For a while, I didn't care to be called Grandma, but now, I couldn't be prouder. I love these kids and wouldn't trade them. Not a one!!!

Kurtis and Austin started school last week. Kurt is in Jr. High!!! How amazing is that???? When Jake and Ty first got married, these were little pipsqueaks and now they are in Jr. High and soon to be Jr. High. I hope they learn to enjoy their school years. It makes it a lot easier if you do!!! They are smart and have good parents so I think they will be fine....it is just a worry because the outside world is pretty scary.

Then, there is our Bridger, who is a crazy man!!!! I am not sure how he is going to do with none of his brothers and sisters home, for a couple of hours during the day, but hopefully he will nap some so mom can nap. I think they are both going to have to find something to do now that everyone but the two of them are gone!!!! Enjoy Ty!!

Last but not least is our new little addition, to be born any day. All is well with him and we eagerly await his arrival. His mother is pretty anxious too, as she is very tired, but off of bed rest, finally. This little one has been trying to come for about a month now, and the doctor wanted him to stay right where he was for as long as we could get him to, but, now, it is alright if he decides to come. Now, he probably won't want to.

Norm continues to do well. The last week or so, he has been really tired so we went in for an EKG. All is well and he is still in regular sinus rhythm. Boy, was that ever a relief.

There are only four visits to Cardiac Rehab left, that Medicare will cover but Chad (the rehab guru) is going to check and see if Dr. Walker will order some more visits and then check to see if we can get them covered by Medicare. If not, we can't do it, because it is so expensive.

We got the copy of the bill that the hospital sent to our insurance...for the two weeks Norm was in Rehab. My word, it was $60,000.00!!!! Can you believe that???? I don't know how people do it, that don't have any insurance! We are so fortunate.

I am doing better than I was a while ago. Guess I was having a bit of a pity-party. Sometimes it just gets to me, all that there is to do, and I don't get to play, at all. I feel guilty just thinking about doing something fun, when there are so many weeds and such dirty floors, and dishes in the sink and clothes in the dirty clothes basket. It is working out tho, and I am getting some stuff done...just haven't figured out quite how to get the playing into the picture yet!!!! My sewing machine is brand new and I haven't touched it in 6 months, so I think I better figure something out pretty soon. Christmas is right around the corner and I have about 13 pairs of pajama bottoms to make!!!!

The garden is pretty sad this year. I don't know what is wrong, but we aren't getting any tomatoes. We have been waiting a whole year for them and they are just not coming. Norm was so sick when it came time to put the garden in, that we were pretty late doing it and I think that is what the problem is. Although, I have heard from a lot of people, that the tomatoes are not doing well. Maybe it isn't me!!!

I am getting a lot of cucumbers. At least I was...they have slowed down a lot in the last several days. A while back, I went out to pick after a couple of days and got three plastic shopping bags full. So, I put them in the baby stroller and went up and down the street giving cucumbers to anyone who would take them!!!! It didn't take to long to get rid of them. They are really good.

Get a load of these hot peppers!!!! I have no idea what kind they are. Not what I thought I was getting tho!!!

We are not getting tomatoes for salsa, so couldn't decide what to do with all of these things. Last Thursday morning, I decided to chop them up and dehydrate them. Not thinking they were going to be hot, I didn't use gloves!!!! Not smart!!! My hands burned for two days!!!! But, I think they will be good in soup and stuff during winter.

Last Saturday, we went to the Bountiful Temple to witness the marriage of one of Norms nieces to her husband and then their children were sealed to them. How awesome that was. It was a beautiful temple and a beautiful ceremony. It was wonderful to see two people finally get a grasp on the temple and to know that this is finally an eternal family!!!!

We are still trying to save our Clancy's sight. He is getting a little better, and the veterinarian still holds out hope, so, I am in for the long haul if the end result will be that he can see again. I think he can see more than he could a week ago, but still not well. He is so lost. I feel really bad for him. But, we still hope we can reverse this and he can play once again.

So, all in all, life is good. Things are good, and continue to improve all of the time. I am so grateful to live in this free land and to enjoy the many blessings that we have each and every day. How much better can it get???? (Chocolate cheesecake maybe, but, I have had some of that too, so, I guess I have had it all!!!)

Life is a ticket to the greatest show on earth.

~Martin H. Fischer

Who is this????

Who is this guy all dressed up in a brand new Sunday suit and tie???? Don't look at the messy house, just the guy in the suit!!!!

We are going to have to get Norm all new clothes!!! Naturally, we won't be able to do it all at once, but nothing fits him. We had to get a new white shirt too, and he has lost one whole shirt size!!! And still loosing!!! Makes me sick!!!! His old clothes just hang on him and he said the other suit just felt like a big bag!!!! His sister Lurain bought him a shirt the other day and it was quite a bit smaller than the ones he was wearing before he had his surgery. It looks really good on him. The other ones are so big. We even had to get him new belts cause he had punched all of the holes he could in them and they still wouldn't keep his pants up!!!! So, Christmas will come early for Norm this year!!!!

There's nothing like new clothes to make you feel better tho. He felt a lot more comfortable. He looked so thin and frail in that other suit cause it was so big. This one fits much better and looks much better. And they had some kind of sale going on at Mr. Mac's and he got three new ties too!!!!

While we were there, I thought maybe he could use a new pair of shoes so I picked up a pair that I thought would look nice and they were $315.00!!!! Can you imagine a pair of shoes that expensive???? I put them down really quick. That's nearly more than the suit, shirt and ties all together!!!!

Gosh, we sure did have a scare tonight. After dinner, we had been invited to a friends house for ice cream. They live really close so we walked. While we were there, we heard a bunch of sirens go by and they seemed to be stopping fairly close. Someone said something about it being our house, but just jokingly. It had crossed my mind but I thought "Naaaaaaaa, it isn't!!!"

On our way home, we walked around the corner and there were all these flashing lights and trucks right by our house!!! I started walking really fast, because it really did look like our house. We didn't smell smoke or anything, but you don't think about stuff like that when you are so scared!!!! It made me sick to think about my dog locked in his cage, and not being able to see anything or to make his way out. As I got closer, I realized it was not our house. Apparently there had been a car accident right on the corner by my backyard neighbors house. The whole intersection was filled with firetrucks and ambulances. No one was hurt, but it sure scared us all.

There are tons of accidents on this corner, but apparently no one has been hurt bad enough for the "powers that be" to consider putting a light there. I wonder what it will take to get them to listen.

It takes 8,460 bolts to assemble an automobile, and one nut to scatter it all over the road. ~Author Unknown

OK!!!!! OK!!!!!!!!

I have been getting a lot of flack (not you Anna!) about not posting for a while, from my family, so here I am but I do this with a disclaimer..........I have been in a perpetual bad mood for about two weeks now!!! There is no real reason that I can think of...just ticked off and cry at the drop of a hat. Stupid huh??? Just sick and tired of being sick and tired!!! It just seems to be a real struggle to have the desire to do anything. Now, enough of the "pity-party".

Things here are well. Like I said, I am having a little bit of trouble not going nuts, but other than that, I am fine.

Norm had a doctor visit yesterday and she is pretty pleased. His blood sugar is really good and she seemed really happy about the improvements he has made. The first thing she said when she came in the room was that he looked like a "new man". People look at me funny when I say that I can see improvements every single day. Really I can. She was happy about the fact that his legs aren't nearly so swollen because of water retention. Of course a lot of that has to do with the fact that his heart is working like it is supposed to and the fact that he is moving around a lot more.

He is making huge strides with Cardiac Rehab too. Yesterday he went 30 minutes on the treadmill without stopping. That is a first!!!

Usually I drop him off at the front door of the hospital, then go park the car, he has to go up one floor to the cardiac rehab unit. Chad (the guy that is over the unit) wants Norm to be using his oxygen when he exercises so he takes it up there with him, but doesn't use it on the way, so, his oxygen saturation is usually pretty low by the time he gets up there. It should be 90 or above. Before it has been in the mid to high 80's. The last few times it has been in the low 90's!!! That is really good. And while he is on the treadmill, they take his "sats" and they are in the mid 90's usually, soooooooooo, things are moving along.

His heart is still in a regular rhythm and it is not a "paced" rhythm and that is another plus. Before, the pacemaker was keeping his rhythm regulated, but now it is Norms heart that is keeping things running right. The "maze procedure" that was done on his heart when they were doing all of that other stuff, was to try to keep his heartbeat normal, but it didn't work at first. Dr. Mitchell told us that it may not work for several months because the heart has to have time to heal. Well, after three cardioversions, and the pacemaker, it looks like the "maze" is working. The "maze" requires that they actually cauterize the parts of the heart that are "firing" irregularly so that needs to heal and form scar tissue...that is my understanding anyway. So, now we are hoping the "maze" is working. Dr. Mitchell really wants to get Norm off Cumadin (rat poison) and you can't be in a-fib to do that. Dr. Walker (the cardiologist) said that maybe we can take him off of it in a few weeks!!!! That is such good news.

So, things really are improving all of the time. The doctor visits have slowed down a ton, so we are not running all of the time. That helps a lot and we have a little time to just do stuff.

My puppy is still not doing very well. We took him up to Salt Lake for a re-check and they say he is doing pretty well and think that we will be able to save his sight. I am glad that they can see that, because I sure can't. That's why we pay them the big bucks, I guess. He bumps into stuff and his eye is teary and itchy and all white. He has had to stay in his cage with a cone on his head now, for about two weeks. He is so sad. Last night when we were watching the Olympics I took him out of his cage and put him on my lap. He just stayed right there and slept. It has been really hard to sit and look at this week after week. I know, I know, he is just a dog, but he is my buddy. Always there, no conditions. He does not deserve this. (See, I told you I was having a "pity-party")

So, I am going to do whatever I can for him, and the doctors say that there is a good chance that his sight can be saved, so, I am going to stick with it, but I sure do hate it. I feel so bad for him. He just loves to dig and play, and those days are over, at least for a while. It would be nice to be able to explain to him that I am not being mean, that this is all to keep his eye safe and to let it heal. Soooo, ok, enough about my dog. Sorry.

Last week, when I had a particularly "poopy" day, I went out to sit on the front porch when it cooled off and this is what I saw:

Now, how does one continue in a bad mood when you see beauty like this??? I could have looked at this all night, but this transformation took only a matter of a couple of minutes. I know that I need to "cowboy up", but, that is going to take some work!!!!

Count the garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count your life with smiles and not the tears that roll.

~Author Unknown

Melt Down Alert!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Self-pity is our worst enemy, and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world.
- Helen Adams Keller

K, I'll feel better in a minute...maybe two!!!!

Movin' Along!!!!

Well, I don't know what to tell ya. Nothing really "happnen" happnen. But, like I have said before, that is a good thing.

It is hard to get anything done when it is this hot. Just sit around and exist. We do get some done when it is cooler in the mornings and then when it cools off later. The weeds are overtaking my yard, but, well, I guess they will just have to go for it, cause they are ahead of me now!!! Don't think I will ever catch up. Norm is out there whenever he can, sitting in his chair, pulling weeds around his beloved radishes....I told him tonight that with any luck, he would have the garden weeded by winter!!!! He didn't think that was funny. And, that is only one garden. You should see the weeds in the other one!!! Don't even want to think about that.

We went to Cardiac Rehab today, and took Katie with us. She loves it there and is so good. Of course, everyone loves her too. Who wouldn't???? She really does watch her grandpa, and waves to him all of the time. Today she came up to him and "tickled" him. I can't believe she is almost a year old. She is such a happy baby and soon is going to be keeping her mom and dad very busy. She is crawling now and is trying to walk. Oh my!!!! She is a busy little thing and very opinionated. I love to watch her when something or someone gets in her way!!! Watch out cause she will go right though. What a pleasure it has been to have her in our lives this past year. I am fortunate to have been able to see her be born. I will forever be grateful to my daughter and son in law for allowing me to be there. She is the third grandchild I have been privileged to see come into this world and what a choice experience that has been.

Anyway, Norm is making progress every day. I know that I say that a lot, but it is true. Usually when we go to Rehab, I drop him off at the door and go park the car. so, he gets up there to the second floor sooner than I do. Today when I got up there, they said that his oxygen sats were 88 and quickly went up to 91. That was so awesome. He is using less and less oxygen all of the time. Even when he was exercising, he had his oxygen turned down to 2, when before, he was using it at 6. This is real progress. The heat makes it harder for him to breath, but he is really doing well. I wonder what it will be like when it is cooler.

One thing tho....we are going to have to buy him a bunch of new clothes. His shirts just hang on him and he can't keep his pants up, they are so loose on him. He has his belt into the last hole and has even made a couple of new holes, but, he still can't get them to stay where they are supposed to be!!! His church suit just hangs on him too. His white shirts look awful cause they are so big, but his suit covers that up some.

He is doing fantastic. Every once in a while, I think about him lying in his bed, in a coma, and I remember thinking that he may never come home, he may not ever know us, and on and on and on......and now, he even argues with me!!! Never thought I would think that was so cool. He even drives by himself now. Not a lot, but he does some.

My little buddy Clancy is still not doing really well. Right now he is blind. We are hoping that it is something that will go away, but it is going to be a waiting game, to see if he ever sees again. The poor guy is so confused and scared cause he can't see anything and I keep bugging him about putting meds in his eye. The poor thing has his regular eye drops twice a day, for the rest of his life, now, temporarily, he has and additional ointment twice daily, another antibiotic drop four times a day, serum every two hours, and then, he takes two different pills twice a day. Of course that isn't so bad cause he loves cream cheese, and I can hide them in that. Perhaps it is a good thing he is a dog and doesn't know what is ahead of him. He just trusts.

He lives to dig. In fact when we moved here, we didn't know what we were going to do to keep him from "getting the critters" all over the yard. So, we picked out one of the flower beds in the back yard and gave it to him to dig in. He never has made holes anywhere else, unless we tell him "get the critter, right there!!!"

I don't think he will be able to dig anymore. If he does get his sight back, it won't be worth it for him to get dirt in his eye, and then another ulcer. Our pocketbook much less him, could take this again. I sure do miss him tho. He just lays in his cage with his little collar on, so he can't scratch his eye. I feel so bad for him. Norm and I are just praying that we don't have a real difficult decision to make in the near future. Don't know if I could do it. He has been my "best buddy" for a long time. This coming Oct. he will be 10 and I have had him since he was 6 weeks. Can't imagine him not being here. K, I'm not going there!!!!!

Once you choose hope, anything's possible.

~Christopher Reeve