Pray

Not much has changed these last few days. Dad is not sleeping well, although he is sleeping a lot during the day. He has hardly eaten anything in three days and when he does eat or drink, it usually doesn't stay down. Because he isn't eating, he hasn't been taking his medication. He fell in the kitchen tonight while I was on the phone with mom. She called me back and he is ok but frustrated.

Mom's work is having a family bowling party tomorrow and they are hoping to go for about an hour to personally thank them for all of their support. This all depends on how dad is feeling. Aunt Charlene and her husband Chuck have offered to help mom and dad get there.

Steve has inquired into a chair lift that he saw on Craig's list. I don't know what the status of it is but I believe the cost was $300 and it is designed for a minivan. We'll keep you posted on that.

Dad's 67th birthday is next Saturday, April 4th. I hesitate putting their address on this blog but if you want to send him a card, leave a comment with an email address and we will get the address to you.

Pray for strength, an appetite, good rest and healing. With gratitude....

Update

So much happened this weekend and I can get a little detailed so I apologize if this gets lengthy.

We had to put family pictures on hold Saturday as my brother Greg had to be taken to the ER with a very bad ear ache. Turns out he had a very severe infection in one ear and the start in the other. While they were gone, we did get pictures of the grand kids as you have seen posted. By the time they got back, no one was in the mood for pictures. We did get together on Sunday morning to finish the task. Dad just really wanted to get these pictures because we don't know when we will all be together again. I will post a few. The girls have several pictures on their facebook if you want to look there. The Douglass' had to head back over the mountain so we said our goodbyes.
Dad was very excited about some big NASCAR race that was on Sunday. I believe he slept through most of it, unfortunately. The family decided to go to dinner at Macaroni Grill and apparently the service was not very good and dad got very tired. He came home and went to bed.
On Monday, mom and dad took Greg and his family to the Oregon coast. They left at 9:00 and didn't get home until 8:00. They went to the Aquarium in Newport and forgot that it was spring break. They had to wait in a long line outside in the rain for tickets. The aquarium employees wouldn't let dad wait inside but finally would let him wait under the small eaves. Mom said it was a good day but very long and exhausting. It was worth it though to create some memories with Greg, Jennifer and Tyler.
Dad has slept since coming home. He did get up to have some breakfast and take some medication but mom said he has slept ALL day. The trip to the beach really took a lot of his energy and now he needs to recoup. He also woke up to say goodbye to Greg's family. They left at 2:00 to catch their flight in Seattle that leaves at 11:00 pm. It was a great visit and mom and dad are so thankful for those who contributed to the purchase of the plane tickets for Greg, Jennifer and Tyler. They not only got to meet Jennifer and Tyler, but they got to know them and spend quality/quantity time with them. Again, mom's awesome employer gave her the time off to be with family the whole time they were here. It was very hard to say goodbye; tears were shed by all (except Tyler who doesn't really understand what is going on). Dad told Greg he didn't know if he would ever see him again and Greg said he would, he just needed to think positive. I think we have all been hit with a hard reality this weekend. Isn't it great that God is bigger than reality!!!

The Fund

I wanted to give some detail about the fund established for mom and dad. Some of you may be wondering what the account at Washington Mutual is for. There is a need to add a lift on the family van so that mom can transport her and dad without help. Mom has degenerative arthritis and about 9 months ago it settled in her knees. She cannot walk but just a few steps so she now gets around in a wheelchair. Due to dad's shortness of breath, both of them are currently using a wheelchair and/or an automatic chair to get around. Mom is not able to put weight on her knees and so she is not able to lift either, let alone both, of these chairs into the van. I don't know what the exact cost will be but as you can imagine, it will cost a pretty penny.

If there are extra funds after the lift is purchased and installed, we will look at other needs mom and dad have. I know that God gave them (through a generous man and a craigs list add) a free motorized chair but they are paying a monthly rental for mom's wheelchair among many other needs. God continues to provide through many wonderful family and friends and mom's very generous employer. She really does work for the best company in Oregon. I'm jealous!!!

If you have contributed to this fund, thank you!! I do not know whom has given or how much has been given. Please consider this a formal thank you; I do not know how else to send one to you. We are deeply grateful!