An Anxious Time

I'll start this newsletter with some news I wish I didn't have to report. Aunt Mar is currently a patient at NorthCrest Medical Center in Springfield. She has been losing blood since Wednesday but had not told anyone about it until yesterday. Mom and I took her to the ER and they admitted her to the hospital from there. She was given 2 units of blood last night. The doctor decided to give her an Upper and Lower GI tomorrow to check out her digestive tract and determine why she is losing blood. In preparing her for this test she is getting medication to flush her whole system. She is already weak and is in for a strenuous night tonight. We will really appreciate your prayers and I will keep you informed about her as things progress.

While Aunt Mar's health is our primary concern right now I will briefly catch you up on things with us.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. We continued celebrating our anniversary Monday through Wednesday with a two day get away to Nashville--without kids! While in Nashville we caught Harry Potter (on an IMAX screen) and The Terminal (very, very good), went bowling, visited the Parthenon, visited the Upper Room, and went shopping. We also ate at several restaurants including the Aquarium Restaurant in Opry Mills and the 101st Airborne near the Nashville Airport. The highlight for me was the Norman Rockwell exhibit at Opryland Hotel.

AT THE PARK. After returning from our trip we took the kids back to Nashville for a day at the park. They had a blast playing in the fountains at the Tennessee Bicentennial Mall.

TRASH AND TREASURES. Cross Plains had its annual yard sale this weekend. The town was packed with people. The Cross Plains Heritage Commission takes advantage of the event as a fundraiser so I worked that some.

(Just to show you Aunt Mar's level of determination, after three days of losing blood she still made two pies and delivered them to Cross Plains for the Heritage Commission bake sale. Someone somewhere is enjoying a fudge pie oblivious to the condition of the cook.)

A NICE VISIT. We enjoyed a visit from Brian and Melissa Whaley this weekend. They spent the night here while on their way home from a convention in Birmingham. Brian was one of my roommates in Korea. We had not seen them in 5 years and it was really nice to catch up. Keep them in your prayers as they are beginning the process of adopting a child from India.

Joe

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An Update on Aunt Mar

Monday, June 28, 2004

Aunt Mar has had her upper and lower GI this afternoon and is back in her room resting comfortably. They have narrowed her bleeding problem down to her small intestine. They just don't know where or how many places along that 22 foot stretch of tissue the bleeding is coming from. She is getting more blood tonight and will have a red cell scan tomorrow to nail down those details.

Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob have driven in and we are all glad they are here.

Joe

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Another Update on Aunt Mar

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Aunt Mar had a much better night last night and has stopped passing blood since my last report to you and she is in good spirits. She was gone this morning for about 2 hours for the red cell scan and then they came back and got her later in the day to take more pictures of an area of interest. The last we heard from the doctor he still wanted to study those pictures more but he did say that he had seen no signs of cancer. We were left with the impression that there would be more tests tomorrow.

One of the nicest things is that Judy Bradley (my cousin) is coming and taking the night shift with Aunt Mar. Judy, your ministry to Aunt Mar makes you an angel in my eyes.

Thank you for all your prayers.

Joe

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A Last Update on Aunt Mar

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Aunt Mar is doing very well considering how she was on Saturday. She had her first solid food today at lunch. The doctor told us that the test they ran was inconclusive, that they were going to keep her a couple of days more, and to report back to the hospital in a couple of weeks for another test. Unless things change I'll let this be the last update. We appreciate you prayers and I thank you for putting up with my unsolicited emails.

Joe

Company, VBS, and Our 10th Anniversary

I apologize for the delay in getting out this newsletter. It has been sort of a low priority for the last 12 days. Here are the high points since you last heard from us.

CLEAN UP. Well, we are no different than anyone else. Any time company is due to arrive our house gets an overhaul. This has actually been a good thing. Not only have a few neglected corners been cleaned out but we also have several boxes of things to donate to a local charity.

I also got the chance to borrow a tractor and field mower so I could mow some fields around the house. The grass was chest high in most places. I really enjoyed watching the purple martins flying around the field. It is amazing to see them do their aerobatic tricks while catching flying insects for a quick snack.

COMPANY FROM FLORIDA. Cousins Jim, Dianna, Alex and Chris Cotter arrived from Florida on Friday and stayed with us until Wednesday morning. They took their time driving up here, stopping in Helen, GA, and Chattanooga, TN. While here we all went out to eat at the Catfish House, enjoyed swimming at the YMCA, breakfast at Pauline's, a picnic in Aunt Mar's yard, VBS, and played around the house. On Saturday we even set up a sprinkler in the back yard for the kids. This evolved into putting the hose at the top of the slide on the swing set to create a water slide. Once the ground at the foot of the slide got muddy the kids came off the slide and kept on skimming across the ground for several feet. This experience proved the following equation to be true: boys + mud = fun squared. Jenna, while not horrified at the scene before her, never really understood what was so fun about the mud.

SONGAMES 2004. Our Vacation Bible School had an Olympics theme this year and all the kids seemed to really enjoy it. If I remember correctly we had an average attendance of 167 (including VBS workers). SonGames 2004 started on Sunday night and ran through Thursday night with a family night last night. Vicki taught 2nd grade and I produced music videos from video footage and digital pictures taken each night. These videos were shown to the kids in the opening worship rally each night. For me the biggest blessing from VBS is watching how our church family "Teams Up" to work together and make VBS happen.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY. Yesterday was our 10th anniversary. It does not seem like we have been married that long. Due to all the activities of the week Vicki and I will be celebrating the event in a special way next week but we did mark the day with some fun. Yesterday morning we drove over to Steve Freeland's pond with Jenna and Ben and went fishing (finally using the 2 fishing pole we bought while we were engaged--Vicki can't hold this over my head any more). We only caught one blue gill but had a lot of fun hanging out together. Vicki had what appeared to be a large catfish but her line broke during the fight to reel it in so we have a "one that got away" story we can embellish over the years (this actually happened to her twice). After leaving the pond we picked Nate up from Pauline's and went out to eat at Fisher's Farm Market.

I gave Vicki her anniversary present while we were in the van ready to leave from Fisher's. She got a wrap with 6 diamonds to go around her engagement ring. Our van parked in Fisher's parking lot in Milldale, TN, with three talkative kids in the back is not the most romantic place to give your bride her special present. But since she wanted to get her ring on THE day and we had to leave from there to start getting ready for VBS family night that's what happened. At one point Vicki jokingly said to the kids, "Be quiet so Daddy can give me my ring!" I feel blessed that I have a wife who can be a good sport about the situation.

Joe

Wall Paper and Concrete

Last week I reported that we were expecting severe weather. We have had several noisy storms move through but fortunately no tornadic activity. The weather is a bit calmer now and temperatures are starting to climb. And we are gearing up for company from Florida (Jim, Dianna, Alex, and Chris) and Vacation Bible School.

A BIG SHOW OFF. I forgot to report that we went to see Uncle Paul last weekend. While we were there he said, "Come on out here to the back porch. I want to show you something." When we stepped out the back door there sat a brand new Kubota mower. We got the full tour. I think he was happiest about the fact that it cuts 60 inches of grass at a time. I don't see Uncle Paul on the road as much as I did this time last year and he is on oxygen almost all the time now. But I find it amazing that he still mows his yard at the age of 91. I hope I am able to do that 54 years from now.

FLY PAPER BOY. For those of you who have not seen our house we have a Classic Winnie the Pooh wall paper border up in the nursery. It is the self adhesive kind (like a crack and peel name tag or label) and is hung about four feet above the floor. Nate found a spot where it was starting to peel up near his bed one morning. I know this because his cries of distress brought me to his room. There I discover him with his hands and feet all stuck to a three foot section of the border that he ripped from the wall. It was a very effective straight jacket on him.

HARD AS A ROCK. That is what Pauline's new cement driveway is. It was poured on Tuesday and Wednesday and Vicki and I sealed it Saturday. The fellow who poured it said, "It's only about 2200-2400 square feet. Won't take you but two hours to seal it." Two hours my foot! It took us five hours. Jenna and Ben have a nice, smooth place to ride their bikes. Vicki is talking about a basketball goal now.

ANOTHER SHOW ON TV. I have turned in another episode for Spiritual Outdoor Adventures. This one features three adventures: a moose hunt in Newfoundland, a bison hunt on the Crow Reservation in southern Montana, and a small hunter's cabin that was build in Arkansas in two days. It airs later this month but I'm not sure what weekend yet.

A PRAYER REQUEST. Please pray for Sherri Traughber and her daughter, Casey Moore. Sherri is the secretary at my office. She and Casey are leaving today for a 10 day mission trip to Romania. This will be Sherri's third trip to Romania and Casey's first.

Joe