The hospital might seem like a second home to some of us now, but for the kids it still has novelty . They especially loved the outdoor play area and the escalators. They got to visit with their Grandpa for a few minutes before they headed back to the house. We all can’t wait for Grandpa to be home.

What better way to spend my day than sitting next to my dad and hearing his voice? Getting to take care of my father is a gift. I enjoy running errands in the hospital for him, interacting with the medical staff about his treatments, medications, and future plans. I like getting him coffee, making phone calls to family members, learning how to work the complicated hospital bed, because it means I have a father to do those things for. This week was hard, but it was incredibly rewarding.

Thank you for your continued prayers for my father’s recovery. He has been medically cleared, but we are waiting to see what the next step is concerning rehab. To Jesus be the glory!!

I’ve never been quite so happy to come to the end of a week as I am right now. This was a crazy one, but I’m so grateful it turned out the way it did. I’m looking forward to spending a few hours with Dad tomorrow. In the meantime I’m happy about sleep!

Tim brought me flowers this evening- hydrangeas, like I had in my wedding bouquet.

Thank you again for all of your prayers. Dad is eager to get up and moving, so he’s working hard to regain his strength. I’m thankful I get to be in this journey with him. ❤️❤️ Though this situation has been hard, I have treasured the time we have had together.

This was one great big ramble. Here’s to a good night sleep!

To Christ be all glory!

It’s late and we are all exhausted, but I wanted to update you all on my dad’s progress. When I got to the hospital they had him sitting in a chair, eating his lunch. He has improved so greatly over the past two days that by this evening he was transferred out of the ICU. He got put into a step down floor across the hall. His health has returned pretty much back to normal except that he lost a lot of muscle mass in his legs from being bedridden so long, so now he has to build that up in order to start walking and he has some large gaps in his memory from the past few weeks, but honestly that might be for the best. We are filling him slowly as we go along. He gets tired easily, which is to be expected and his voice is quiet because his throat is still recovering from the tubes. We are looking forward to what progress he makes tomorrow.

The ICU staff was incredible. Every nurse and doctor that we saw worked hard to save my dad’s life, while being honest and compassionate with us the whole time. We had some very hard conversations and decisions, but they encouraged us through them. They took the time to listen to us, explain everything they were doing in terms we could understand, and really took the cue from us on how they could improve his comfort. They went above and beyond the entire time we were there and it was obvious that fighting for their patients was something they loved to do every day.

Dad is in great spirits and was amazed at how many people have been praying for him. Considering the fact that we were heading to the hospital two days ago to say our goodbyes, we are in awe of God’s hand throughout the entire situation. We are so blessed and so incredibly grateful.

Thank you again for your continued prayers as our family rejoices over the miracle of my father’s speedy recovery!!

Today our family witnessed a miracle.

My father continued to respond well throughout the night. When I got to the hospital around 11am, he was awake, following commands, and interacting with my brother and I. Around 11:15 they decided to extubate and see how well he did breathing on his own. He did great! Before we knew it he was talking, smiling, and moving his limbs. Over the course of the day his speech improved, they removed his brain monitoring. He was cleared by doctor after doctor. His heart looks good. His brain looks good. All his organs look good. This evening he had a hearty meal, carried on a lot of conversations, and made jokes with the nurses and doctors. Tomorrow they hope to get him up and moving, which he is very eager to do, and Lord willing, move him from the ICU.

I recognize my father’s condition as an answer to prayer. Hundreds of people were lifting him up, praying for him, and us as well. We are thankful for the outpouring of love we have received and it is a wonderful reminder of the power of prayer and an example of a Christ focused body of believers in action.

Thank you again for all of your prayers. There are still milestones he will need to meet before they will move him from the ICU and eventually send him home, so please continue to pray for his ongoing healing.

To Christ be all the glory.

The events of this past week are too fresh and too raw for me discuss them here, but this morning we got the call to come to the hospital to say our goodbyes to my father. By the time we got there, they had moved him into the ICU and he was in critical, but stable condition on life support. They are running tests, trying to rule things out, but most of the day he remained unchanged.

Until this evening when he woke up briefly and followed simple commands. I cried from joy when I saw his eyes flash open. He is not out of the woods, not by a long shot, but this is progress and we praise Jesus for that.

I’m asking you to pray, because I know our Father in heaven listens to the petitions of his saints. Please lift up my dad to be completely restored.

Thank you to the many people that reached out to us today, from the family that took in our kids, to the people who came to see us all in the hospital, to the prayer warriors that were working overtime on our behalf. Thank you so much.

A friend from church offered to watch my kids this evening. I’ve had a cold for a few days and we’ve spent a lot of time at the hospital, so daily household chores have fallen to the wayside, so I jumped at the offer to get some time to go grocery shopping. I got everything that I needed and when I got back to her house she offered me some dinner. I hadn’t eaten most of the day, so I eagerly accepted. And there we sat at the island in her kitchen, while I completely unloaded all the concerns and trials of the past few weeks. I think I hit every stage of anger and grief as my words poured out. She listened to every word of it. She hugged me as I cried.

Days like today, I am extra thankful friendship.

Thank you for your continued prayers. They are much needed.

Have you ever had an experience in your life where you looked back and saw God working in a situation months or years in the making? I always love those moments when the picture becomes clear and everything comes into focus. You can see the plan. You can see the steps. In retrospect it all makes sense.

It isn’t often that I can look at the end of a day and have that same reaction, but today was one of those days. Today was hard. But when I look over the past twelve hours I can see how God set things in motion. I have tangible answers to prayers I prayed mere hours ago. I woke up this morning with a pit of anxiety in my stomach, but tonight I feel a very welcome peace.

Thank you for your continued prayers, dear friends.

The perks of being married to a wood finisher- custom colored bunk bed is in the works! Tim took the boys back into the shop for a few minutes today so that they could see the progress that he has made. I’m posting in black and white so I don’t ruin his reveal when it is complete! 🙂

Our little family would like to continue to ask you for prayers. I’m not at liberty to elaborate, but we are navigating some things that we weren’t expecting and we could use wisdom, patience, healing, and peace for all of us. Thank you!