First off I would quickly like to thank all of my readers! I like to joke that only I and my mother read my blogs, but just this blog page has recently hit 25,000 + views! Although I have had this page for the longest, and it has for sure been my place to vent -it has also become like a picture filled journal for me. I hope you enjoy the ride even half as much as I did and do, when I look back at the pages. I also have two other blog pages---the one I am most focusing on at the moment takes us on an Exploring & picture filled journey of Arizona. And will also feature a new blog post tonight--if I indeed consume enough caffeine. Please check it out and share the links at : http://exarizonagobensonbobcats.blogspot.com/
**"I can't believe it's been almost a year since we all died in 2012!"**
**What I love most about my home is who I share it with!"**
**"364 days until Christmas and already so many people have there decorations up!"**
**"I found I wrap presents like a blind chimp on meth."**----We agreed to delay the main part of our present opening until mommy gets out of the hospital this year-so that we can open them as a family. But I am very sure that our living room will soon look like a Toys R Us store threw up!
**"I feel sorry for kids with lesbian parents--they get caught in the endless loop of go ask your mother!"**
More great and or deep quotes can be found in almost every blog post for this page!!
Collect them all!
As I said above this blog page has been running itself for three years now and has become almost like a live journal for me. My family and I have gone through a lot of changes and done a lot of traveling in those three years. We have been together eight years now, and have gone through all kinds of Christmas Eve's and days. From our first awkward Christmas together to crummy holidaze spent states apart. The worse years were always the years we had to spend apart. The best in a long time was last year, I had been stuck in the cold in Wyoming, and flew back home to Bellingham before Christmas to the kids and my than girl friend. We soon after got married. Each of the last few years is described in much more detail in my past blogs, if you care to do a search. Through the years we have also come up with some great traditions. Like I always pick a special tree ornament for each of our kiddos each year. And we also find a dated ornament each year--a harder task than it might seem. This year we also did a family Christmas card, although because of mommy being sick and other such "fun" most family members will not see for awhile still.
This is the un-edited version
For the first time in years, we started December with a nice amount of cash and got to spoil our selves just a little bit, without going into debt. Or so it seemed. Right before April went into the hospital, we decided it was best that she quit her job, so we are now very close to a $0 in family income.
We also had to skip some traditions this year. Like the famed Margarita bucket! You can buy pre mixed buckets of the ingredients, add the booze and than place them in the freezer for most of a day. We buy one of these and than enjoy on Christmas Eve as my wife and I attempt to play Santa. This started years ago, the first year my parents meet my wife and kids. We were not sure how the day would go, and decided booze couldn't hurt. Although we bought the bucket, this year is the first year in about 5 years we have not drank it. All and all this may well be our most memorable Christmas yet.
This year my lovely wife ended up in the hospital for the holidaze. As her grandmother says, she does have bad timing. On Monday night we went to the local hospital --thinking we would be out some what soon, and she would feel better or would be very annoyed. It is a small town, and maybe not the best hospital in the scale of many that we have visited along the way. Early Tuesday morning they were sending her to a Tucson hospital by ambulance.
**Ok so here is the cliff notes of what April is in the hospital for: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication that stems from diabetes. If you don’t have enough insulin to help your body process sugars (glucose), your body will start burning fat to fuel itself. As a result, acids called ketone bodies build up in the body. If left untreated, these ketones bodies poison your body. DKA can occur if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, but it’s considered rare in those with type 2. DKA can also appear if you are at risk for diabetes but have not received a formal diagnosis. It can be the first sign of type 1 diabetes.**
Long story that is still going on, short--- on Christmas Eve we opened on gift each and than agreed to open the rest when mommy got home. On Christmas day I found someone to watch the kiddos---a very hard task on any holiday. Especially when the mother-in-law is not an option! And surprised April by not only showing up at the hospital, but by choosing to stay the night with the love of my life. Yes the love of my life, and April are the same person to any of those that are new here. I brought her stocking from Santa and one gift to open.
Some were along the line I forgot how fun hospitals were. Minus the fun of course. And I believe we got exactly 0 hours of sleep! But we were together. Above is a picture of April from this afternoon. When she was feeling much betterer, hooked up to almost no wires, and about to transfer into a room out of ICU with an actual working potty and shower! She had also just found out in the picture, that she could squeeze one Mc Griddle into her new strict diet on the day she finally leaves the hospital~! Before I had sent an extra pitiful picture of her to much of the family. At that point she had an IV in both arms and was more than not loving life. I will spare her by not adding that picture to this post.
I will go into the whole hospital experience and Exploring in a future blog post. I do have several pictures of course because well I don't sit well. I do have a few more to share tonight though.
Even the cactus were ready for Santa's visit -all around the hospital and Tucson!
Disguise a potty in her room---closed position...
open!
Although we found this beyond kool and any van owners dream, I could not drag myself to stand in the middle of the room and actually use it.
Just out her window, this orange tree.
Inside the huge chapel
More pictures to come in a future Exploring blog.
I would lastly like to thank the family members who really do care about April and her health.
I have practically worn out my thumbs
trying to keep everyone updated with how she has been doing these last few days.
And as always a few of the family members are so worried about themselves and not being the
focus of every ones attention
that they got banished from any updates from me.
The great mother in law--by passed all of our wishes and has tried to call the hospital many times---I say tried because the nurses have been instructed not to tell her anything more than that April is in stable condition. Aprils new nurses now tell her mom that no one by that name is even in the hospital. The nurses idea--not ours, but we like it! ;)
Anyways--A huge thank you to those friends and family
that truly care!
And to all of the prayers and support coming in from all across the country.
Your prayers really are helping!!
