You realize you are more tired than you thought when....

Yeah, so yesterday all I wanted to do was shower!! You feel pretty scuzzy when you are just laying around. So JT and Ben, John and Judy were going to come visit us, and I figured I could slip away and go over to John's sister's house to grab a shower...seems very simple doesn't it? Leave it to me to make it complicated!!



I go to leave the parking ramp, and somehow take a wrong turn and end up with all the service vechicles and unable to just drive out. I make kind of a 'three point turn' taking out two cones. Embarrassed, and hoping no one saw, I sheepishly creep out of that area and head for the exit. I go to pay the lady, drop my money on the ground, and non-gracefully I slide out of the truck to pick up the money slamming my head into the door on the way up. Rubbing my head and feeling stupid tears begin to form, I hand the lady my money, again...and I take off for Dawn's.



It is so nice that she just lives a little ways east of Iowa City!! However, I decided to go west on the interstate instead of east. So, once I realized (almost instantly, but too late) what I had done, I had to get off at the next exit and turn around. After one illegal u-turn that I totally got away with, I was on my way, in the right direction. Shower, here I come!!!!



Now, I thought I had listened to Dawn when she told me how to get to her house, but ended up at a funeral home, and had to sit there and wait for her to come get me so I could follow her back to her house...seriously!! KIM!! HELLO!!



So I finally make it to Dawns, and I can't get John's passenger side truck door open, but I finally managed that...



Then, shortly after, I sank into a hot bubbly whirlpool tub...and it was great until all the sudden I think perhaps it was a little TOO hot because I started getting dizzy...haha!! I ended up taking three 'breaks', getting in, getting out, before I finally thought I was beginning to feel human. As I emerged from the bathroom, my nephew Blaine takes one look at me and screams and heads to the other room. Okay, so I was the color of Sebastian, the singing crab from The Little Mermaid...but I didn't think it was THAT bad til I caught a glimpse of myself...bwahahaha!! Nice...



Anyway, I let my skin go back to it's normal color before I put on my make up and did my hair...I headed out with instructions as to how to get back to the interstate...four wrong turns later, I was back on 80 on my way to the hospital...



Driving like some old blue haired woman who should have lost her license sometime in the 80's...I made my way back to Iowa City only to find that the friends I so desperately wanted to see had come and gone...not surprisingly...but still, just my luck!!

Finally at about 6pm, I was pretty sure I felt a sore throat coming on, so I took some NyQuil and knocked my ass out early.

I did get quite a bit of sleep, as well as you can do in a broken recliner chair...and was feeling a lot better this morning. We just had two visitors today, and I think that was actually a good thing. John's been getting up a lot today and is doing well, but his gown is flapping in the breeze leaving virtually nothing to the imagination!!

We are doing really well! The nurses are really impressed with how well he is getting up and getting around. He is using a walker which I hope we get to take home with us, but I have a feeling my big strong man will try to get out of it if he can. Our phones have been pretty quiet today, too, so we've been doing some dozing which has felt really good.

Thanks so much for all the emails and messages...it is so nice to get on here and kill time while John is napping...or as he is watching the game right now which I could give a shit less about...teehee. He is missing his big TV at home for the game. lol Feel free to email or message me or text and if I can I will get back to you. My phone doesn't always work in the hospital...but if I can there are places I can slip away when the opportunity presents itself, but I tend to not stray far from John just in case he needs me for something.

Keep the faith, and remember to hug your families, and turn a blind eye to those things that seem sooo annoying...one day that annoying stuff may be the stuff you miss the most!!

Love to all!

~Kimmie

Update

Okay everyone, here is what we know thus far.

The tumor is inoperable. The good cells and the bad cells are intertwined, and cannot be separated. What this means is that we will now have to look into radiation or chemotherapy to shrink the tumor. They did get a biopsy, but we will not have the results from that for ten to fourteen days. Using radiation is still used even if it isn't cancer. Optimistic little me still says it's not. :) This isn't exactly the news we wanted, but that doesn't make it bad news. I'm just calling it one step closer to the actual answer. One step closer to getting John back to his old self!!

Of course, prayers are still wanted, needed and appreciated!!

I hate hospitals. The sounds, the smells, the rules...I so appreciate being home when I'm stuck in a place like this. Usually I complain about being home too much, but right now I'd give anything to be there!! I want to hug my kids and tell them that everything is going to be fine. It is, you know. :) It has to be!!

Again, just take a minute to appreciate all that you have. Give thanks for all your blessings. I will keep in touch..

Kimmie

Life's Alterations

I know that John really doesn't want me to blog about this, but as so many people are asking, I just want to give the information. Plus, John doesn't read my blog. Teehee. (Be quiet, Judy!)

Our family has most recently been hit with a little more 'life altering' news. John has a tumor in his spine. We will be going for surgery in Iowa City on January 20th. It is a five hour surgery, and he will spend five (or so) days in the hospital. They have to biopsy the tumor. That, in a nutshell is all that we know.

So many of our amazing friends and family have been asking what they can do to help. I promise, if I come up with a job for you, I will tell you what it is, but for right now, the biggest thing any of you can do is pray for us. I know, it seems small...but it is bigger than any one of us. The power of prayer is amazing. I've seen it first hand many, many times, and I believe in it. We are truly, truly blessed to live in this amazing community, where so many people care and have offered help in so many ways. People bitch about small towns, but I say there is no other place I would want to be. A small town is like a family. Sure, we may all know too much about each other, and we may want to rip each other's heads off sometimes, but when things get rough, we rally. John and I have been truly humbled by the love we have been shown recently. Thank you, everyone, for caring and helping.

I have had a lot of people say, "Kim!! How much more can your famly handle??" I have thought a lot about this. JT and Ben with Stickler's Syndrome, Ben with JRA and spondylolythesis, JT near legally blind, Benny actually legally blind, Levi with Autism, and now John with a tumor. It is a lot for any one family. But the cool thing is we have hung tight AS a family. We love each other unconditionally, no matter what the problem. We understand each other. We can talk about the hard stuff and deal with it, TOGETHER. I don't know, I mean, I'm not diggin' the issues thrown at us, but talk about making you realize the strength of your family! Do you know that a lot of families faced with Autism alone crumble under the pressure?? It's true! There have been studies!! But not us. It would be easy to be really mad at God right now, but I think he's trying to prove to us what we have in each other. I think he's trying to step in and show us what we have, and to never take it for granted. And I think that is a pretty cool message. Intense, actually. Well, God, you nailed it. Message recieved! Now, let's stop this particular 'test' and give us an "A" so we can move on to live a long happy life together!!

If you read this blog today, please comment or message me. I need to hear from my friends! My friends have been such a huge part of my life, and I love making you all laugh and sharing silly stuff!! Laughter, well, it's coming a little slower these days, but I know hearing from you will help get my spirits back where they need to be in order to get through this new 'adventure' in our lives. Even if we barely know each other, give me a shout out. Also, hug your families. Each and every member. Make sure they know how much they mean to you. Nothing is promised.

Also, if you are a buddy of Johns and are concerned about him, I want you to give him a call. Just let him know that you are thinking of him...his cell is 515.310.0174. He works from 8-5 so maybe not then, but please just let him know that you care. He needs everyone in his corner in a big way right now. The more love coming his way, the more power he will have to get through this operation and get on his way to recovery.

If you just want to check on him at any time, my cell is 515.310.0271. During the day I do better with texts, but I will be glad to keep you all updated and give you any information that I have.

Thank you all, for your support and love. I hope I can always return it to you whenever you need it! Keep the prayers coming. We feel them.