Thankful Thursday #241!

"I will give Him the key to the house of David -
the highest position in the royal court.
When He opens doors,
no one will be able to close them;
when He closes doors,
no one will be able to open them."
❤ Isaiah 22:22

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  Daily FaceTime calls lately with the Mini Miss K, who turned 13 and started Junior High this month!  She's my very favorite teenage girl on the planet - vibrant and funny and full of detailed stories! ❤  This = us accidentally matching in our black and leopard (me in PJs and her in her cute outfit of the day - photo by Mom - I didn't make her stand up this time. lol)

2.  Jaceman (8th grade) and Kyndal (7th grade) having a good first day back at CHA yesterday!  We discussed their schedules in detail whilst I snacked on chocolate-covered strawberries sent by the Texas Mueckes (also thankful for that)!

3.  The Bible App reading plans and prayers, which I've finally chosen to dive back into the last couple days!  That and worship music - CeCe Winans' Be Still and Know for the win - a fitting comfort through my week-long Alaska cruise and my week-long hospital stay with Mom!  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

4.  Rach recording Kyndal's volleyball games so that Mom and I can screen-mirror it and watch them from home!!  (I've pretty much moved into my parents' house for the next month or so to help care for Mom as she recovers - grateful to be close enough to do that and go back and forth as needed.)

5.  Mom getting into the Silverstein Burn Center at Integris - (it's a very big deal and God opening that door is a major praise report for us!!)  After loads of unreturned or unfruitful calls to OU and her Primary Care Dr, I took Mom to the Integris ER on Tuesday afternoon (two people in the know had suggested that as the best option to get a referral for the wound care clinic).  The ER was incredibly well run - the least wait time we've had and the longest ANY doctor has talked with us since her wreck!  They gave her morphine through an IV to cut the pain, addressed our questions and thoroughly checked her wound vac dressing (the at-home nurse did a very rough job on that on Monday), their nurse taught me how to care for it at home if needed, and Dr. Keuchel gave us a long-awaited referral to the Burn and Wound Care Center!  We've heard fantastic things about Dr. Lentz and their pain management options (including IV pain meds, nitrous oxide, moderate sedation, etc.)  She has her first appointment tomorrow, and we are hopeful and grateful to be connected with them!  Shoutout to Stephanie Lorg, Kristie Scears, and ChatGPT for helping us toward that path! =)

6.  Supportive friends and family who have brought meals, snacks, blankets, etc. during this time... including the wonderful Wilson family, the Wallaces and Lemieuxs, Mrs. Garner, Kristie, Stephanie, Linda Rutherford, Charlene, the Myricks, the Texas Mueckes, the Whitakers, the SF office staff, and probably more that I'm forgetting!  Also thankful for everyone who has been praying with and for us - things are calming and stabilizing a bit this week, and we are very grateful!

7.  Kyndal Faith having a really good 13th Birthday, even in the midst of a chaotic and difficult week!

God is good and faithful, and there are things to be thankful for in every season!
And now, back to transcript work!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Sunday Refresh

You know the scene from the first Inside Out where Joy draws a circle around Sadness and tells her to stay put, then Riley struggles silently trying to hold it together and keep every emotion under control... then when Joy finally lets Sadness have the controls for a minute (causing Riley to feel everything and cry), Riley finally receives the support she needs and is able to feel real joy in that too!?  

This weekend has been a lot like that.

When I accidentally made a 4AM phone call to a random woman while researching and trying to get info about the Silverstein Burn Center for Mom's treatment, I knew I was not quite okay.  I decided to entrust Mom to God and Dad for that morning and go to LifeGroup -- (she actually got sick and threw up, but everyone survived and nothing catastrophic went wrong).  After finally letting myself feel everything from the past week and crying pretty hard on the phone call with Chet (a trusted friend who listened well and responded with decisive compassionate action), I immediately felt better and more aware that I needed to be taking better care of myself.  Talking with the LG girls immediately after that was helpful and encouraging.  I went home and grabbed some workout clothes before heading back to Mom and Dad's for the night - I took a short walk/jog and listened to some music for the first time in a long while - both really nice and cathartic, even in the crazy summer heat.  Movement is medicine. =)  I texted with Tiffany and Kristin and took Kristin up on her offer to bring me a Coke icee (yum!) - it was good to see her and the boys for a minute, even though I failed to get a photo with them!  I had a good conversation with Mom about all of this, took some time to blog (always a processing outlet), and slept a bit more than usual this morning.  I enlisted Kristie's support (Mom's nurse friend who is coming to be with her tomorrow); and Rach talked with a CHA mom who has connections with the Integris Burn Center, and we all feel hopeful about that for better pain management for Mom moving forward - (prayers appreciated).

And last but never least, Chet Lee and Karli Marie made the trip from Tulsa to come see us!!  This pic = us at the Agua Fresca stand in Midwest City.  It brings me lots of joy that the guy posed with us! ❤

My walk/jog and Mom and Dad's old house

Ashley with the neck fan sneaking some pics at LifeGroup!  I really do own other shirts, but this was the main nicer shirt that I brought to Mom and Dad's, so it's in loads of photos from the past 3 days.  Alaska already feels very long ago.

Making vegetable beef soup in Mom's crockpot for our dinner tonight!  They also brought everything to make ahead and freeze easy meals for sheet-pan chicken fajitas and beef tacos!  It was good for my soul to see them and hang out and smell good food cooking in the kitchen...

Tate and Parker stayed with Bill and Melissa (how adorable are they in this pic!?)

But Miss Paige Evelyn made the trip with her parents! =)

Chet was excited about seeing the Agua Fresca stand on their way in, so we made a short trip to visit them (Karli got strawberries & cream; I got pineapple; Chet got pineapple and coconut).  Rachael was at the house watching Paige, and she and Dad were both there to help Mom if needed.  It was a short drive, but very refreshing!

On our way there, we drove by 9121 so I could show them the house where I grew up (& rant about just how badly the people who moved in after us ruined that house and yard). lol  And on our way back, we stopped for them to see Dad's office, which Chet said had an old school vibe that was great and very fitting for Dad!

The bluest eyes. ❤

Mom on a short walk getting a pic with the Wilsons!

Paige looking tired; me feeling that with her!

Tman stopping by to see Mom and catch up with Chet and Karli!

Some leftover bday cake to celebrate Kyndal Faith! lol

The Wilsons and the bedazzled Wilson basketball!  Simple things like this bring me stupid amounts of joy! =)

It was really good to see them and feel supported with some healthier and higher protein homemade meal options for Mom as she recovers!

Rach stopped by with J&K after their weekend at Josh's, and Tman and Carter stopped by around the same time (7:30ish) before grabbing dinner together... I know it made Mom happy to see them all together having fun.  She mentioned somewhere in there that she felt better than she had all week.  I felt the same way getting to catch up with Kristin and the Wilsons for a bit - just a sense of normalcy and support and joy in the midst of a heavy and chaotic week.

The fam again - must change shirts ASAP. lol

Flowers Carter Lee brought for Mamaw!

Kyndal somehow beat all 3 of her older brothers playing basketball, and it was definitely talked about for a few minutes amongst the siblings.  I made this collage for FB...

Kyndal:  "OMG yes, that's the best post EVER!  Two boys crying, one boy jealous, and one girl happy and victorious!" lolol  She's hilarious and fun and admirably confident, and I just love it!

So in closing on this memorable week where I've had so much to process and write about, three cheers for authenticity!  Let yourself feel what you need to feel and talk/write about it... and let other people support you!! 

Make the calls when you need some extra support and connection - maybe the other person will get a lot out of it too!

Praying for a more peaceful week ahead - goodnight!!

❤ ❤ ❤

Thirteen!

The one and only Kyndal Faith turned 13 on Friday!  ❤

Above = her FaceTiming to show me the new necklace from her Dad! ❤

Throwback to her day of birth 13 years ago on 8-14-13!!

 Bday cake for K-Faith and friends!

Crystalled basketball and chalkboard by Rachael! ❤

Her party started at Main Event - she invited her "squad" core group of friends, Colin, Ellery, and Storey!

Party decor by Rachael, Kyndal, me, and (because she couldn't help herself) Mom!

Kyndal blew most of these balloons up herself - totally worth it! =)

The fab four!

Kyndal disapproved of the way Rach was arranging the candles, so she took over! lol

May all her wishes (that line up with God's best plan for her) come true!! ❤

Table pic because she worked hard on the decor over here too!

Party #2 with her Rise VB teammates at the YFAC gym, followed by cake at her Dad's house on Saturday!

Kyndal, Aniston, Addie, and Tatum! ❤

Aiden, Kyndal, and Liam (her step-brothers at her Dad's house)

She FaceTimed with Mom and I last night to show us various gifts from her friends... 
"Then I got this $20 bill, and this $10 bill..." (holding them up for us) lolol

Love her!!!  She's the absolute best, and I'm so glad she had two really fun parties with her family and friends!  Crazy that she is already a teenager.  Praying she has a great year ahead!

❤ ❤ ❤

Homecoming!

In the aftermath of our OU Hospital stay, Dad greeted us with Mom's walker as we got to their front door.  She did really well getting in and out of my car, then she went straight to her recliner, immediately reporting that it was "so much better" than her hospital chair.  YAY!

Pic around 9 PM that night after Rach picked Jace up from football practice - Kyndal had been blowing up lots of balloons for her Thunder-themed party the next day! ❤

Mom changed out of her hospital gown and settled in to rest for a bit while I rushed home to shower and grab an overnight bag, then pick up her prescriptions before the Parrishes met us here for dinner (we got Rib Crib; they got Taco Casa - no one was doing any cooking work that night).  Here's our family dinner pic (Jace was at football practice from 6-8).

A cake for the Miss K's birthday eve with the fam!

Dad and Jace chatting about football over dessert

It was very good to be back home, and we both slept much better without the ever-present hospital soundtrack in the background!

Since then, Mom has had visits from the Myricks, Kristie, Mrs. Garner, the Whitakers, and the Wilson fam!  Mrs. Garner praying for her: "Lord, we thank You for the angels that were her seatbelt, and we thank you that she'll be wearing her seatbelt from today forward." lol #Amen

Katie offered to take LifeGroup back this weekend, which was perfect.  Chet Lee returned my call right as I pulled into Katie's driveway.  My time feels so limited, and I was mildly upset that I hadn't been able to talk with him on the 30-minute drive there.  A few seconds into our convo, he asked me if everything was okay, and even I was caught off guard by how quickly and intensely I started crying! lol

Big picture - Mom is doing very well, and we're glad to be home!  That's the general script, and it is true but incomplete.  The closeup view for those who really care is different.  We had a scary moment on Friday where an unknown random arm movement caused her broken rib to move in just such a way that made it very hard for her to breathe.  It was so sudden and jarring, and hearing her take ragged breaths while trying to walk to her chair with only me there for support was hard.  She recovered pretty quickly once she was seated, and we both marveled at what on earth was that!?  Not too long afterward, she initiated a pretty intense "If I die..." kind of conversation (again with just me there).  I'll keep those details private, and I 1000% want to honor her wishes and am ready for deeper conversations like that whenever others want or need to have them!  I also understand the emotional pendulum swing, especially after being in a near-fatal car accident and being in the hospital for a week and hearing varied difficult news about her health status.  Since she's been back here, she moves from feeling pretty strong and overdoing it (trying to help decorate or clean for Kyndal's party) to feeling some hopelessness/anxiousness about the potential for recovery from such a major wound.  Praying with hope and expectation for those emotions to stabilize back out soon (for Mom and for myself), for strength and joy and good support as she continues to recover, and for legitimate pain management help! ❤

So anyway, discussing all of the above, I cried for a bit on the phone call with Chet Lee.  He handled it well and was quiet and kind and supportive -- ((in a later convo, he said, "Well, I've been trained to just stop and listen and give it some space..." I thought that was fantastic and wondered if it came from Bold or something.  I said "Oh, by who?"  And he said "...you!" lolol  I've laughed about that a few times since.  He and Karli made a trip to see us today, and it was great - more on that later tonight!))  Mmkay, so Ashley arrived late for LifeGroup and saw me crying pretty hard in my car, immediately running to open the door and hug me. lol  I went in soon afterward, and ended up talking with them (more calmly) about the whole situation - the pressure of caregiving, the sleep deprivation, the intense high and low emotions, and the added sadness/pressure that comes with realizing Dad's capacity to help here is more limited now.  We listened to Louie Giglio's Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table sermon, and it held lots of encouraging gems.  It was also just good for me to be there and feel that support - Natalie quietly grabbed my hand when I sat down and she could tell I'd been crying.  And my sharing started others down a similar path, so it was a pretty good and deep talk that morning!

We had a new woman join us who has a cute baby named Esther! ❤

Other than that, we've enjoyed our nightly FaceTime calls from Jace and Kyndal - hearing about his football scrimmages (he officially decided to stay at CHA for his 8th grade year, and we are thankful for God's protection there).

And the Miss K - always entertaining and ready with extra-detailed stories - perhaps she gets that from me! lol

More on her birthday next post!

❤ ❤ ❤