Happy Thanksgiving

2012 has been a very difficult year for our family in a number of ways, but we still have so many reasons to be thankful during this Thanksgiving holiday.

It was difficult watching Glen suffer through his esophageal cancer surgery, the weeks of recovery, and then through 6 rounds of chemo to fight the lymphoma.  However, we are praying that with good results from his PET scan and a good follow-up visit with the esophagus cancer surgeon, he will regain his strength and be able to manage his cancer with maintenance doses of chemo.  He is a man that I admire very much and I am so thankful to have him as my father-in-law.  We look forward to spending many more holidays with him.

It was difficult watching Peggy suffer through her back problems while Glen was recovering from his surgery and starting chemo.  However, she has now recovered and been able to travel to Jackson for events for her grandchildren and went on her annual Christmas shopping trip with Jennifer, Christy, Judy, and Caryn for her birthday.  She is such a blessing to our family and is responsible for so many holiday memories and traditions that we will always treasure.  I am so thankful to have her as my mother-in-law.

It was difficult to hear that Courtney would need to have her heart valve replaced.  However, with new technologies that were available, the doctor was able to replace the valve through a catheterization process that did not require open heart surgery.  As a result, she only spent 1 night in the hospital, only missed 3 days of school, and was back bowling 1 week after the procedure.  It is such a joy to watch her participating in a team sport in high school and having so much fun.  I am so thankful that the efforts I have made to raise money for the American Heart Association have helped fund the research that has directly affected Courtney's life.

It was difficult to watch Kelsey struggle with her decision of where to go to school this year.  However, in the end it has been a real blessing for her.  She decided to transfer from Western Kentucky University to Union University, as well as change her major from Musical Theater to Nursing.  She has made new friends and is enjoying being at Union.  Since Phillip is a youth minister at a church in Jackson, Kelsey is able to live off campus with them and is only 3 miles from campus.  She is adjusting to having 3 small kids in the same house with her and finding the right mixture of studying on campus and at home.  She is also singing with a praise band at church and enjoys being a part of their youth group.  She also just started working at Macy's in the mall in Jackson.  She has had troubles with her shoulder for quite awhile and recently discovered she will need surgery to correct the problem.  Fortunately the surgeon is a friend of Phillip and Christy and was able to work her in for surgery in December.  She will be recovering through Christmas and while she has classes through her J term.  Prayers for her during this time are definitely appreciated.  I am very thankful to have her at a Christian school, being involved in a local church, and for Christy and Phillip allowing her to live with them.  I am very fortunate to have them as my brother and sister-in-law.

It was very difficult losing my job back in May.  I had known for awhile that it would happen, but I have no doubt the timing was in God's plan.  Since I was not working, Jennifer was able to go to McMinnville and help Peggy and Glen during his recovery and while Peggy was down due to her back problems.  I was also able to spend more time with Kelsey and Courtney.  In fact, Courtney and I bowled about 5 days a week for most of the summer during the Kids Bowl Free program.  I will admit it has been harder finding a job than I had anticipated, but I also know that God has a plan for me and I have to be patient and continue to seek His guidance to find my next job.  I am very thankful to have a loving wife, a supportive family, and faith that God will see us through this.

I am also very thankful to have friends and family like those of you who read this blog faithfully.  I thank you for your prayer support and pray that God blesses you and your family during the holiday season.

Wednesday, November 14th

Glen is in the 2nd week of his 6th round of chemo and is doing okay other than being tired and weak.  Once he finishes this round of chemo, he will have a PET scan on November 29th to see how effective the chemo has been at fighting the lymphoma.  He will also see the doctor who did his esophagus surgery on December 13th for a follow-up.

I am taking a training class this week trying to add a certification to help polish up my resume.  I am still looking for a job, but know that God has a plan for me and will show me the right job once He is ready.

Courtney had another bowling match today for McGavock against East Literature.  She had her highest series of the year (293 - 94, 103, 96) and won 2 of her 3 games,  losing the last game by only 2 pins.  She has one more regular season game and then the district tournament.  We are still bowling in a Family Fun league on Sunday nights and we just finished the 1st half of that league.

Jennifer is leaving tomorrow for her annual Christmas shopping trip with her Mom, sister, aunt, and cousin.  Kelsey is coming in Friday night and Saturday I am taking her and Courtney to see "White Christmas" at TPAC.  This is very special for Courtney since she saw Kelsey portray Judy Haynes in the Keeton Theatre's version of this musical a couple of years ago.

Please continue to keep us all in your prayers.

Thursday, November 8th

We had a great time in Jackson this past weekend.  We got there early Saturday morning and the kids shopped at Target for things to fill their Christmas shoeboxes, then we all (including Peggy & Glen) went to the movie theater and saw "Chasing Mavericks".  The movie was very good, but had some emotional scenes that caused some of us to get "misty-eyed" or flat out cry.  :-)

After the movie, most everyone went to the Flea Market, while Courtney, Glen, and I went back to the house and watched the end of the UT game and got some rest.  Later in the afternoon, we went to Longhorn's to celebrate Tanner's birthday and opened gifts when we got back home.

Sunday morning we all went to church and celebrated with Kelsey as she was baptized by her uncle Phillip.

After church, we ate lunch and started preparing for Kelsey's birthday party.  She had several of her friends from Union come over and several from the church youth group.  They roasted hot dogs, ate snacks, made smores, watched movies on an outdoor screen in the backyard, and played many games outside.  Glen and Peggy headed back to McMinnville after lunch and we headed back to Hermitage shortly after we ate supper, since Courtney has to get up at 5:30 for school.

Glen started his 6th round of chemo on Tuesday and is doing well thus far.  Jennifer went to McMinnville on Wednesday morning to help Peggy do some major grocery shopping, then spent the night and most of today with them.

Courtney bowled in her first match for McGavock since her heart valve was replaced 2 weeks ago.  She bowled well, but lost all 3 matches against Hunter's Lane.  She bowled 99 & 93 the first 2 games, but lost to her opponent who bowled 120 & 110.  You could tell she was a little tired the last game and a little frustrated and lost to a different girl 71 - 61.  She was glad to be back bowling though and is looking forward to bowling with me again Sunday night in our Family Fun league.

Thank you for your interest in our family and for your continued prayer support for us and Glen and Peggy.

Saturday, November 3rd

We are heading to Christy's (Jennifer's sister) house in Jackson early this morning to celebrate our nephew Tanner's 12th birthday.  We will also be spending the night and going to church Sunday morning, where Kelsey will be joining their church and be baptized.  Then Sunday afternoon, Kelsey is having a birthday party as well.  She turned 20 on October 27th.

Glen and Peggy went down on Friday and will be staying til Sunday also.

Wednesday, October 31st - Halloween

Courtney went back to school on Monday and had a good day.  Her class went out in the community to do work Monday, but she mostly watched and was tired by the end of the day.  The doctor's orders were no heavy lifting until Wednesday, but said she could try bowling if she felt like it.  I picked her up from school and took her to her bowling match, but she said that she did not feel like bowling because she was tired and a little sore.  If you know Courtney at all, you know she has a high tolerance for pain and she loves bowling, so if she did not want to bowl, I knew she was really tired and/or sore.  The ironic thing is that Maplewood usually has 5 girls like we do, but they were missing one Monday also, so for the first time we had the same amount of girls as the team we were playing.  The girls did a great job, with Courtney cheering them on, and they won their first match of the year 15 - 6.  YEAH!!!!  We play them again in Hermitage next month, so hopefully we can win again with 5 vs 5 girls.  :-)

Courtney had a good day at school on Tuesday and we stopped by the HUMC Pumpkin Patch on the way home and got a couple of pumpkins.  I had a Career Transition Support Group meeting in Hendersonville, so they cleaned out one of the pumpkins and Jennifer carved a picture of Woody from Toy Story while I was gone.  Courtney was still a little sore last night, but not as much as Monday.

Courtney had another good day at school today (Wednesday) and did not complain of much soreness at all when she got home.  We put the pumpkins outside on the porch and awaited the few kids that we normally get.  We are in a rather small neighborhood with not many kids.  We ended up having less than 10 come by and Courtney was in bed at a normal time (9:10 PM).  Getting up at 5:30 every morning to have her at school by 6:50 has been hard getting used to.  If she feels up to it, we may try bowling tomorrow to make up for the games she missed Sunday night in our league.

Thank you for your continued prayer support.

Courtney Update - Sunday, October 28th

We had a great weekend.  Courtney and I played a lot of Wii on Friday.  Courtney went to bed a little early and slept in on Saturday morning.  My mom, aunt, sister, and niece came over from Sweetwater on Saturday.  Courtney and Madison had fun playing all afternoon.  The rest of us watched the UT - South Carolina game while catching up and we ate a late lunch before they headed back home around 4:00.

Jennifer's mom and Kelsey came in Saturday morning and went to TPAC with Jennifer to see "Anything Goes".  It was Kelsey's 20th birthday and she got an unexpected special surprise at TPAC.  Her favorite guest instructor at WKU last year, who taught tap and worked with her in their first production, was in the cast.  He is an understudy for 3 different parts and Saturday he actually got to perform as a lead character.  There were several musical theatre students from WKU there as well and Kelsey got to visit with them and meet her instructor after the play.

Kelsey had her favorite meal from Cinco de Mayo and had a friend come over to watch a movie with her and then watched a movie with Courtney while they went to sleep.  Jennifer's mom spent the night with us also.

Sunday morning Jennifer made us pancakes for breakfast and then I left for the Titans game.  Kelsey and Jenn's mom left for Jackson to get back in time for the Fall Festival at church.  They are driving back tomorrow for Kelsey's doctor appt and a chance for her to vote, then Kelsey will be going back to Jackson and Peggy will head back to McMinnville.

Courtney and I have been bowling in a Family Fun league on Sunday nights, but she did not bowl tonight, she just watched.  We are calling her doctor tomorrow to see if she can bowl in her McGavock match tomorrow afternoon. 

Thank you again for your continued prayer support.  It is really appreciated and no doubt had an influence on how well the procedure and her recovery went over the last few days.

Courtney Update - Friday, October 26th

9:30 AM - Courtney did very well the rest of the day yesterday.  We played Wii, found some new games on her iPad and played for awhile, she watched videos, and listened to music and wrote the lyrics downs in her notebook.  She ate a good supper and was ready for bed pretty early.  Jenn and I picked up supper from O'Charley's and just stayed on the couch the rest of the night watching TV.  She went to bed while I planned on watching the end of the football game and World Series.  I woke up on the couch about 2 AM and decided to go get in bed.  LOL  We all slept in this morning, in fact they are still in bed as I write this.  :-) 

Looking forward to a great day and great weekend ahead of us.  :-)