Things Are Looking Up

I posted earlier this week about Joe's accident and how he was doing at that point (see that post here). Later that day (Monday), a decision was made that he would need surgery for his fractured ribs. The place that did this kind of surgery was a few hours away at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (just an hour or hour and a half from our former home in the Twin Cities!). This was good news that he could get help along his healing process after he had a few setbacks last weekend (pneumonia, internal bleeding, and infection). 

He was still in a lot of pain so I was very hopeful this surgery could be a very good turning point for him. I believe they took him there via ambulance from the hospital he was at in Des Moines and he checked in and was set for surgery the following day (Wednesday). 

My step sister Tisha has been amazing with having to be the great communicator to keep all of us up to speed with how he's doing, so I looked forward to her updates to see how surgery went, and was very close to Joe in prayer all week. I also was praying through Phil 4:6 (below) to lift up my anxiousness and I really felt amazing peace while he was in surgery. About halfway through the projected 3-4 hour surgery, they let Tisha (who is there with Joe along with a few of Joe's brothers) know it would take a bit longer than expected. I took comfort in the fact that they were doing a very thorough job to help heal his injuries, and they were also being sure everything in that area was looking ok as well.

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Praise the Lord, surgery went well, took about 5 and 1/2 hours I believe and they ended up putting in 10 plates (very small ones) to connect each fractured rib to the next to give his ribs better structure to help them heal the right way. His were pretty darn fractured, especially on his left side. Yesterday (the day after surgery), he was coming out of the sedation a bit more and could talk and be a little more responsive, but was still in pain (after that surgery alone, I'd think a person would be in a lot of pain!) and vitals seemed to be looking better. 

Joe and my beautiful step-niece Kristen (Tisha's daughter) when they visited us in Texas over Spring Break in March, 2011 

I find comfort knowing he has family close with him, he's in the best of the best medical care at the Mayo Clinic, and hopefully will really lay low resting, not pushing himself too much in this slow yet steady recovery.

KCCI wrote a story Wednesday night that was really touching about his impact on the Hispanic community in Des Moines and told his story too, along with some interviews KCCI did with Joe years back which was neat to see too (click here for the KCCI video). 

Video clip of the KCCI story post-surgery

One very positive thing to come out of this accident is the pouring in of love and support for Joe, even hearing stories of young men encouraged by watching Joe to becoming an officer themselves. Like I said similarly in my last post, it's truly one of those "It's a Wonderful Life" type moments to see the impact you have on those around you. He's a great blessing to many people and now he really can see/feel that tangibly. 

The Des Moines Police also set up a fund to help the family with expenses traveling to be with Joe in Rochester (click here for details). 

Joe still has a long road to recovery, but things have hopefully turned a corner and are on a path to healing. Please continue to keep him in your prayers for the phenomena to go away, for his ribs to heal well, and for doctors to find a good balance for his pain levels. Also that he can get good rest for his ribs and lungs. And for the family as they are emotionally and physically exhausted. 

Here's a song I literally had on repeat all day many days this week (Healer by Kari Jobe - try clicking here to see the video if it doesn't show up):

Thank you all for your love, support and prayers!

In other random updates, we're getting closer to what we believe to be Baby Indy's due date. I posted a few months ago about how she was in heat and it was a tough week for the rest of us, well we've come to realize she has puppies in there now. She's had some unsuccessful pregnancies in the past (with her previous owner), so we're thinking positive thoughts for her and doing what we can to help her and prepare for her delivery.

Left: 4 or so weeks ago, Right: 1 week ago

She likes to cuddle and get warmed up after her baths - I like the cuddle time with her too :)

Sleepy girl

Here's Indy's "delivery room" my mom and dad put together. She seems to like it! 

Full belly girl trying to be comfortable. I took a video on Instagram (you can find it here) of the movements you can see going on in her belly. I feel them quite often now when I'm sitting with her.

I'm always on the lookout for cute photos of our nephew, Hank. He seriously melts my heart. Such a sweet little guy and growing so fast! I also love his onesie;)

I've been enjoying my frozen smoothies on these warm summer mornings. It's the best! Nick has been making them for me most mornings:) and he adds: frozen banana, frozen peaches, frozen mangoes, oats, almond milk, cinnamon, carrots, celery, and sometimes peanut butter. Delish. 

Nick enjoyed some quality pool time one evening this week. I was the spectator and was impressed!

Today's Pinspiration: love on the ones you love: 

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A Challenging Week

As some of you have seen, it's been a hard week for our family with the turn of events the week before last with my step dad, Joe. 

Taken last Christmas

To catch you up to speed, Joe was in an accident the Saturday before last as an off-duty officer (he's a Lieutenant in the Police Department) and a truck pinned him between the truck and wall, which caused two collapsed lungs, 13 broken ribs, and a kidney injury (here is an initial article about the accident, and here is a very touching video of a story the local news did about him two days later). He was in the ICU for a day to stabilize him and was moved to a regular room for the rest of last week where he made slow and steady progress and gained a great local following rooting for him. I equate it to be like the book/movie The 5 People You Meet in Heaven or It's a Wonderful Life (one of my all time favorite movies). We've all gotten to see just how great of an impact he's had on his community. I've been able to talk with him a few times since the accident and he said it has been very humbling to see all of the support and prayers come flooding in. I think it's encouraged all of us really.

Moving up to this past Friday (6 days since the incident), they removed his chest tubes (that had been helping his lungs) and he made good physical progress walking the hospital floor (reported in an update here). Saturday is where a few troubles started to arise with pneumonia, infection, and some internal bleeding (though not necessarily active internal bleeding). They got right on it with treatments (I won't go into too much detail here), yet Sunday (yesterday), things had progressed a bit more and they moved him back into the ICU to move forward with some additional treatments he needed.

Today, he's improving in some areas, but still has some areas of concern the doctors are taking care of, and they're determining next steps depending on his progress. It's been hard being far away (Iowa to Texas), yet I know if I were there in person, I couldn't heal him myself anyway;), and I know he has a great team (of family, doctors, and the community) helping him. 

Thank you to all of you that have been keeping him in your prayers. Please continue them as there will still be a long road to recovery. Also keep our family in your prayers as so many have been spending so much time at the hospital, and I imagine are quite exhausted in many ways. Joe is a strong tough guy, we just need to help him regain strength during this time when he needs it. It's also a time we can all appreciate him - and for that matter, appreciate all those we care about. It has been a reminder just how quickly things can change, and how precious life is. 

While he remains in the hospital, cards can be sent to him using this link the hospital provides. 

I'll have other "regular life" updates to write about at some point, but wanted to get this update as I know some of you have been wondering how he's doing. 

Pinspiration:

One of my very favorite verses:

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BLTs, Puppy Cuddles, Etc.

 My mom's house in many ways is a pool centered house. You can see it from the front door, from the kitchen, living room, and her bedroom. This is the view from the couch. So lovely. 

 Tongue-out baby Indy, as usual:)

We Made BLTs this week. I don't know the last time I had one (it's been years!) and it was SO delicious. Every summer needs a BLT. Or multiple BLTs. 

 I added mayo to each piece of toasted bread, a thick slice of tomato, big pieces of iceburg lettuce, and some thick Texas bacon. Then I squished it to eat it ;)

My mouth is watering now, wanting another one of these. I shared this photo on Instagram and tagged Udi's Gluten Free Bread and got a like and comment the next day! I think things like that are pretty fun. 



Similar story: I follow Lisa Leonard on Instagram and one time I commented on her photo (that showed a beautiful spring day with sandals and I commented that it was snowing currently in Minneapolis (ha! This winter was so rough), and she liked my photo I posted of it and started following me. I was so excited! Yes, I took a screen shot of it when it happened;)

Then not even an hour later, one of my BFFs texted me, "How did you get Lisa Leonard to follow you?!" Ha, for someone else to notice was even more fun! Lisa has liked a few of my photos since then which is always neat:) She has well over 11,000 followers so I always think it's neat to connect with someone like that! A bit nerdy, I know. I love her jewelry too. 

 As you can probably guess, I got more cuddle time with the "puppies" as I call them, though neither of them are really puppies anymore.. This is Boo being sweet (and wanting his belly rubbed). 

Boo cuddles again and Indy beside him. 

 Cuddles with both puppies. Do you like my blanket-scarf? Ha, even in this Texas heat, I get chilly moments inside and was wearing a few blankets at this time... 

Me and Boo buddy. I also call him Boo-manchu or Boo-friend to name a few. :) 

One of my co-workers brought garden fresh tomatoes. They are one of my favorite foods.. in moderation since they give me canker sores. Love them with a little salt!  

On Thursday, we had a wild storm run through. Hail, crazy winds and all. It was short lived and very isolated to a short area, but it was weird seeing the storm clouds come through. I bet it's rained/stormed 3 times since I got here at the end of May. Locals were so thankful for rain since it's been SO dry! 

The storm had a light blinking on my way home, causing me to go about a mile in a half hour, then further on my commute home, traffic went from three lanes to two because of construction. Ugh. An hour and twenty minutes after leaving work, I arrived home. And went straight to bed for a nap.  

Another storm cloud overhead.  

My cousin sent me this headache idea (she gets terrible ones too). Anything is worth a try! Anyone else have helpful home remedies for headaches? 

Amber, my SIL, texted me this photo of Hank-man yesterday that melted my heart. Nick and I gave Hank that monkey for Christmas (far before he was born in April, but he was top of mind for all of us last Christmas!). She said he was fussy yesterday so she decided to try giving him a stuffed animal for the first time and game him our monkey. You can see his tear-glossy eyes and little arms gripping that monkey. Oh my melted heart! Can't wait to hold that cute boy next time we see them. It was also Amber's birthday yesterday:)

Today's Pinspiration:

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Fourth of July Fun

 

 Welcome, July! Here's my desk calendar's start to July. Sometimes this calendar can be a bit corny (it gives me and my coworkers a good laugh at times!), but I like many of the encouraging things it has. 

Mom put this hair clip in Indika's (aka "Baby" / "Baby Indy") hair and we all died laughing. She's such a good sport. 

Last weekend, I went to Pier 1 for a necklace I'd been eyeing for a month (found here online). I went there and found the beauty. I still really liked it, but the problem was that I saw this one (found online here) and liked it better! I love the bright color and style of it, so this pretty one won my heart in the end. 

The blue/turquoise gems (though they call them green online..) are shimmery too :) love it! 

 These two pups love being together. Boo is pretty protective over Baby Indy (too much sometimes) and last night, Baby Indy barked (which is very rare for her and made Nick and I laugh out loud for a while) until we brought Boo to go to sleep with her. Too darn funny. 

Boo and I had some cuddle time after work one night earlier this week. 

Nick cut up a fresh pineapple for us a few days ago - my favorite! So sweet and perfect for hot summer days. 

I tried these chips this week and was impressed! They are more expensive, but aren't greasy and have great flavor. 

My dad brought home this grill Wednesday (right in time for the 4th!) for Nick to put together. If you haven't put one together, you'd be surprised how many parts there are. This was quite the upgrade! In Texas, my parents pretty much grill out year round, so the grill gets a lot of use. 

For the 4th of July, we found an open park/grassy area to park - a lot more people came and filled up the area closer to the firework time. 

It was lovely quality time together. 

Mom and dad with the pups enjoying the beautiful evening. We had perfect weather!

I got to hold Baby Indy during the fireworks and she did a great job! Boo on the other hand... Mom was holding him and he freaked out when the fireworks started. It was fairly hilarious, he was flipping all around in his harness/leash, so mom took him into the car. He hid, ducked down in the backseat for most of it. Poor guy. He puts on a big front, but is quite the scaredy cat:)

Indy woke up with her classic tongue-out-of-the-mouth look. She doesn't have many front teeth (she had a rough earlier life before my mom got her) so I think her tongue easily falls out when she sleeps. It cracks us up! She is such a sweet cuddly dog. 

I had yesterday off work and we spent the day at the beach as I call it ;) We have to enjoy having a private pool in our backyard while Nick and I are here at mom and dad's during our transition. 

Sparkly beautiful water (note my new blog header!).

This blog I read had a giveaway this week for this swimsuit and I loooove it. So cute and classy, but too expensive for me:) If anyone knows of a cheaper similar suit, please let me know! 

Today's Pinspiration:

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