I am grateful!

I could say that I am a little upset that I wasn't invited to participate in the building's pot-luck luncheon today but I'm really not. Two of us were excluded so at least I wasn't alone.

I am grateful because I didn't have to bring in food, which involves time and money. I am also grateful because that meant that I didn't have to socialize with a bunch of people that I don't know.

Thanks again! (Seriously!)

Gratitude

Things haven't been very smooth lately. I seem to be dropping just about anything and everything that could make a mess usually right before I need to be walking out the door. Things are breaking (husbands included) that cost more that just a couple of bucks. I am reminded on a daily basis that I am no longer "in the know" when it comes to technology and youth. (I just found out what Rock Band was and said, "Oh, they were playing with that on Good Morning America the other day"). My best friend, for over 16 years, just had her cervix scraped and biopsied because of abnormal cells and Mother Nature's gift has been knocking at my door for the past 2 weeks thanks to several changes in my birth control. Eeyore is making a daily appearance in my life; we have coffee together every morning in the car.

Things really need to change, beginning with my attitude. Jeremy and I had a long discussion yesterday on having a positive outlook and attitude. It is something we both need to work on, especially during these tough times.

I was reading a favorite magazine this afternoon and came across an article on gratitude. I am typing some parts word for word and skipping other parts. For the full article, pick up this month's Real Simple.

"4 Benefits of Giving Thanks" by Nykia Spradley and Lesley Aiderman
1. IT HELPS YOU FEEL IN CONTROL - In a recent study, people who wrote a letter acknowledging their gratitude once a week felt more autonomous than did those who did not....Why? It suggests they started to take credit for the good things in their own lives.
2. IT IMPROVES YOUR HEALTH - People who keep gratitude journals tend to exercise an average of 33% more each week and sleep a half hour more each night. These people also report more energy and vitality.
3. IT HELPS YOU COPE BETTER WITH TRAUMA - Painful memories are less likely to surface - and are less intense when they do - in those who are regularly grateful. If you're focused on what's good in your life at present, you're better able to neutralize negative emotions from the past.
4. IT BOLSTERS SELF-WORTH AND SELF-ESTEEM - If you count your blessings, then instead of becoming negative at the first sign of difficulty, you can concentrate on the things you value most.

Numbers 3 and 4 are the ones that hit home for me the most. I really have been trying to find the positive, but with recent events it has become harder.

What am I grateful for today?
- I am grateful that my father-in-law put new brakes on my car, paid for said brakes, and
cleaned the tree sap off of my windshield.
- I am grateful that my car passed inspection.
- I am grateful that my husband successfully bathed today without much help from me.
- I am grateful that dinner turned out as planned.
- I am grateful that I had the courage to stand up to my boss and tell him that I was upset
with him and what needed to be done to fix it.

Sunday Drives

Yesterday was beautiful Fall day. So beautiful, that we had to get out of the apartment and go for a little Sunday drive.

One week already?!?!?

I can't believe that it has been a week since I last posted about what has been going on!

On Monday we went to see Dr. Broudy. They took his splint off, Dr. Broudy looked at it for about a second and said that his surgery would be the next day. Great!

Tuesday was his surgery at Forbes. It was a long, exhausting day but he did really well so that is all that matters. He started to have a lot of bleeding once we got home and the tape on his splint didn't hold very well. So, I used all of our bandage tape and then switched to DUCT tape in my attempt to cover the bleeding areas with bandages and to tape his splint back on.

Wednesday, Mom and Dad came out so I could go to work. Since I didn't have any room in my freezer Mom couldn't cook to relieve her stress so she cleaned and did our laundry again. I can't begin to say how grateful I am for her doing all of that! However, she ripped apart our one air purifier and then couldn't get it back together again, broke the vacuum cleaner, and somehow ordered a movie from On Demand. I really don't care because dinner was made when I got home and I knew that Jeremy was in great hands.

Thursday, Mom fixed the vacuum cleaner somehow and Dad decorated our tree for us for Fall. It is beautiful!


Mom also made a pot of potato corn soup for dinner. It was really good. Jeremy had another appointment with Dr. Broudy in the afternoon. We were in his office for over 2 hours! Grrr.... You would think that they would have some type of provisions for their patients as far as elevating is concerned when they know you are going to be sitting there for a long period of time. They didn't, so Mom grabbed one of the garbage cans and Jeremy was able to elevate using that. Dr. Broudy said that the cankle is looking good and it was time for a cast. Getting it on was an adventure but Jeremy now has a pretty blue cast.


He will have that on until Nov. 10 when he will get his stitches out and then another cast put on. We are hoping that they can do sometype of Black and Gold casting...we will see! I think it will all depend on the mood of our nurse that day :) Before his next appointment, Jeremy wants to get his picture taken with his truck since the cast and truck are so close in color. It is sick and I just love it!

Thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Friday, 10/17

Mom and Dad came out for support and to help me get things in order as far as the apartment is concerned. Mom brought some food, cooked, did our laundry (the best gift ever!) and even cleaned.

I was able to get Jeremy an appointment at 2:15 with Dr. Broudy, a surgeon with Orthopedic Associates of Pittsburgh. The staff was super nice and they were fast too. They pulled up his x-rays and decided that we need to go back on Monday to get more films done. Most likely, he will need surgery, which will take place on Tuesday at Forbes Regional. They put another temporary cast on him and instructed us to elevate practically non-stop and to ice as directed so that the swelling will be down by Monday.

Mom went to Giant Eagle with me to get some groceries and to get Jeremy's new prescription. That was such a fiasco! I have to keep remembering to pray when I get frustrated with these things....

"Lord, keep one hand on my shoulder and the other hand over my mouth.
Amen!"

Thursday, 10/16

I have taken over a big role in the company by tracking the covers for our weekly papers...4 positions each in 75 publications. Except for Jenn, our big big manager, no one knew how to do this part of my job. So, Jenn decided that it was time for me to train a few back-ups just in case anything should happen and so that I would be able to take days off of work from time to time. After about 4 weeks, I finally trained 3 colleagues on Thursday.

After the training, Becky (fellow assistant) and my boss, Curt, decided to go to one of the local restaurants for some lunch. We ordered and were sitting there discussing some ways to improve our department when my phone rang. I grabbed it and noticed that it was Jeremy. I ignored him since I figured he was just calling to see how my day was and because I didn't want to take a personal call in front of my boss, even if it was during my lunch break. A second later, my phone rang again. This time I answered it only to hear Jeremy breathing hard. He told me that he was in an accident at work. My heart dropped. I said to Curt that he needed to take me back to the office because Jeremy was in an accident, but Curt said that he wanted to wait until our food came out and we would get it to go. I didn't know what to say so I just walked out of the restaurant and talked to Jeremy on the phone until the ambulance arrived and he had to get off.

Apparently, Jeremy was changing the attachment on a machine like this.



His right leg was kicking out the pin that held the attachment on and his left leg was still inside where the seat is. His left leg accidentally kicked a lever that caused the boom arms to come down on top of his right ankle. He was positive that his ankle was crushed. Somehow, he was able to get the arm off of his leg and sit in the sit while screaming for help.

The paramedics weren't sure which hospital they were going to take him to so his boss said that he would call me when they told him. Curt and Becky finally came out of the restaurant and we left. When we got back to work I jumped in my car, programmed UPMC McKeesport into the GPS, and was on my way. I was 5 minutes away from the hospital when Tobin called to say that they still weren't sure which hospital they were taking him to. I went to McKeesport anyway, because I had a feeling, and got him pre-registered and waited for the ambulance to come. Thankfully, they didn't take him to Presby like they thought!

I was allowed to go straight back to the exam room with him. They got him switched over to the other bed and then I was able to get a look at his ankle. The nurses came, the doctor came, the x-ray techs came, and then the doctor came back to give us the news that his ankle was broken in 2 places. Technically, he has a fracture in both his tibia and fibula, not his "ankle" (pretty much where the arrows are pointing in this picture)


Thanks to the fact that this is a workman's compensation case, they were not able to give Jeremy ANY pain meds because he still had to take a drug test. A drug test which, by the way, was not able to be administered at the hospital due to the fact that Valley Crest's insurance wanted it sent to a specific lab. The wonderful nurses applied a temporary cast and sent us on our way.

We went and got the drug test done, dropped off his prescription at the store, got home and put him in bed, threw dinner in the oven, went back to the store for his pain meds, and finally got home around 6:30.

The day's events were sort of ironic. I trained people how to be me at work and 2 hours later, our lives turn upside down a bit. Great timing!

Lori (Drake) Gilbert (right)
10/11/69 - 10/09/08

We will miss you Lori!

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
-Mary Frye

16 Blessed Minutes

From Stacy's Blog -

Family and Friends
I sit with a lack of words...
Isaac Timothy Delisle was born and was with his precious mom and dad for 16 minutes and then Jesus welcomed him home.
Stacy and Spencer are able to be with him and hold him.The doctor said he was beautiful!!Stacy went through the surgery well. The doctor said that they both are full of great courage and strength.
More details will come when we get them.
Details about a memorial service will be coming soon. I will try to give updates as we get them.
Kirsten for Stacy and Spencer

He Will Carry Me - Prayer Request

Tomorrow, October 7, Stacy and Spencer will finally meet their son for the first time. They will, almost certainly, say goodbye to him just a short time later. You can read their full story here if you are interested. To put it simply, Isaac (their unborn son) will be born with Turner's or Down's syndrome (best case) or Trisomy 13 or 18 (worst case). With all of the testing that was done, the doctors are only giving Isaac a 10% chance of living after birth. I can't even imagine what they are going through. Here is a list that Stacy put together of their specific requests.
1. For a miracle... we know that it's not too late, and that God had the power to heal Isaac should that be His will. Please don't stop asking.
2. For His peace that surpasses understanding... there's a lot we don't understand about all of this; but we desire to rest in the peace of the truth of who God is.
3. For strength... just getting through our days at work has become a pretty laborious task.
4. For my body to continue to cooperate with this medicine and not go into labor prior to Oct 7.
5. For my fears to be calmed about having a c-section.
6. For the doctors, nurses, and hospital staff that will be working with us... that they may see Christ through our choices, through our love for Isaac, and through our love for each other.
7. For the doctors performing the c-section... that they would be able to navigate this more "complicated" procedure in a way that would be as pain-free as possible for Isaac and that wouldn't put my body or health in jeopardy in any way.
8. For Spencer... that God would strength and uphold him as he continues to comfort and support me.
9. For our parents and sibblings... they, too, are experiencing a loss.
10. For the details we're trying to work on regarding a burial service and a memorial service for Isaac... that the details would come together and they would both honor Isaac and bring glory to God.
11. For the details we're working on with our church regarding having a playground built in Isaac's honor.
12. For a good night's sleep each night, and particularly the night of October 6.
13. For God to carry us and make His presence very real to us in the weeks and months to come. 14. Please pray for peace today, tonight, and tomorrow; please pray that we'd be able to have joy in meeting Isaac even though we know that time will also be filled with sorrow.
Stacy also mentioned wanting to be able to fully be with Isaac while he is alive but she is afraid that it won't be possible because of the c-section.
We need to pray for this family. We need to pray for peace. We need to pray for understanding. We need to pray for the thousand of others going through this.

Vice-Presidential Debate

This is simply brilliant. Tina Fey was excellent! Queen Latifah was excellent!