With a Willing Heart...

You never realize how much someone does for you until the can't do it anymore. With Drew down I realize just how much he did for us! I have always known that I have it a lot better than a lot of people, but, my goodness, he works his booty off! No wonder he is always exhausted! Right now I have to do almost everything for him. With his good shoulder hurt and his other shoulder and arm not very useful it makes it difficult for him to do even the simplest of tasks. I'm not complaining, at all. I just know that I have to step up my game and work that much harder. I always feel a little guilty during our time off in the summer because I rest so much, so now I won't have a chance to feel guilty! I don't mind helping him. I WANT to help him. I am so thankful that he didn't have a head injury or a more debilitating injury. I will do everything I need to do and teach the kids how to help me. Yes, they will be helping. They are going to have to step up, also. It will be good for us to have to work together through all of this. They will probably have a new appreciation for the amount of work it takes to keep a home and family running. I'm not saying it is going to be easy or things won't get difficult during our journey. I am saying that I am thankful and appreciate even more how much Drew takes care of us and does for us. Now it is our turn to take care of him.

What about the other guy?

So many people have asked me about the driver that hit Drew. The driver, D, was great through this whole thing. Right after he ran into Drew he stopped to help. Drew had a washcloth in his hand that he was running with. After he realized his head was bleeding he tried to apply pressure with the washcloth. His shoulder was hurting so bad that he couldn't do it. The driver held it for him. D is also the one who called 911. When I got there he was standing off to the side but was obviously concerned. After I brought Drew's wallet back to him D was kneeling down by Drew trying to assist. When the paramedics were ready to leave for the hospital the police weren't there yet. The fire truck had just arrived. D said he would stay and wait for the police. The paramedics had already written down all his information, so we left. Before I drove away D walked over to my car and with tears in his eyes told me how sorry he was that this happened. He asked what Drew's name was and patted my arm and said sorry again. A couple of hours after we arrived at the ER one of the nurses said there was someone on the phone asking to talk to family. I got on the phone and it was D. He just wanted me to know that he was praying for us and hoped that Drew was okay. Later on that evening Drew and I were talking about how bad D must feel. I said that he had probably been worried sick all day. We decided to drive over to his house so Drew could talk to him. We had his address from the information the paramedics took. Drew knocked on his door and when he answered you could see the relief wash over him. D shook his hand (very carefully) and thanked Drew for coming over. I'm sure that allowed him to relax a little bit. Although Drew doesn't always show it he is a sensitive guy. He knew D wouldn't be able to sleep that night and just wanted to put him at ease. I'm proud of Drew for how he is handling this whole situation. He could me angry and mad, but he is choosing to make the best of it. Being angry won't make him hurt any less. Being mad won't make it go away. All we can do is be thankful that Drew wasn't killed and try our best to be thankful in everything.

What you may not know...

Drew was in a serious accident when he was 18. He almost lost his left arm. He did lose two fingers (well, one and a bit!) on his left hand. He has very limited use of that arm and hand. Unless ou have known Drew a while or are very observant you would never notice his "disability." He's not handicapped, he's handicapable! Drew has taught himself how to use his arm to its full potential. He doesn't use his arm as an excuse. He is the hardest working person I know. Yes, he has run across things that are difficult to do with one good arm, but it doesn't stop him. He usually just says, "It really sucks to have one arm," and then finds a way to do whatever he was trying to do in the first place. He could change diapers like nobody's business! I have always told him not to hurt his right hand or arm because, "I'm not wiping your butt!" Of course, I was only joking but secretly hoping it would never a come to that! Well, after the accident today I am going to have to do something I never thoughtnid have to do! Drew was hit on his left side and landed on his right side. Sooooooooooo, it is his RIGHT shoulder that is separated and fractured. Yep, that's the good side. It looks like we are going to take our relationship to a whole new level! Seriously, though, I will do it and I will do it with a happy heart because this situation could have ended so differently. I am thankful that he wasn't hurt more seriously than he was. Drew is truly my rock and I would be completely lost without him. I may have to do some things that make me uncomfortable, but I will be thankful while I am doing them!

What happened?!?

I have told this story many times today, but I want to blog about it so I don't forget the details. This morning Drew went jogging. He has been jogging a few times a week all summer. (Yea, Drew!!!) He had been gone about 45 minutes and I got up to use the restroom. When I got back in bed I looked at my phone and noticed two missed calls from Drew. I knew instantly that something was wrong. I tried to call back a couple of times and got his voicemail. A little panic set in. Finally, I got through but I couldn't hear his voice. I did hear some muffled voices and some movement. I immediately thought he had been attacked. Why someone would attack a big guy I had no idea. I called his name several times and he didn't answer. I stopped to listen to the voices and heard a man's voice say, "I didn't see him and I hit him." That's when I sprang out of bed and ran to my car. I know his route and started to drive it. I turned the corner and saw an ambulance. As I got closer it looked like Drew was laying under a truck. I didn't have my contacts in, so I couldn't see very well! Heck, I didn't have shoes or a bra on, either! I was quite a sight, I'm sure! As I pulled up to the scene I saw that Drew was in the street but resting against the median. I threw the car into park, jumped out and went to him. There was a big pool of blood on the street and he had blood all over his head and arm. I freaked out just a little bit (again.) he looked at me and said he was okay. He said his shoulder hurt and he had a cut on his head. He calmed me down. I am not very good in emergency situations~ obviously! I've been in many emergency situations and I haven't gotten any better. Anyway, I asked what he needed me to do and he wanted me to get his wallet. I went home to get it and decided to follow the ambulance to the hospital. I drove his wallet back to him and went home again to get dresses and tell the kids to wait for Gram to come stay with them. They could stay by themselves with Bryson in charge, but I felt like they needed an adult with them in case they needed some reassurance. I put some clothes on, put my contacts in and drove back to the ambulance. I followed them to the hospital. Drew's brother, David, met me there and Pily showed up, too. Then it was just a waiting game. Drew had an X-ray and ct scan. He has a third degree separation in his shoulder and a fracture somewhere in there. He had to get 5 stitches in his head, but doesn't have a concussion. His knee is sore, and getting more sore, but he is alive. Praise God. Things could have turned out so differently. While following the ambulance I couldn't even think of what to pray. God knew what my heart was trying to say. Plus, there were so many people praying for him and us I knew we were covered! Yes, I posted this on Facebook. Some people may scoff at that, but sometimes you need support. Facebook was that support for me today. I appreciate everyone who covered Drew in prayer today. I could have been planning a funeral today instead of dealing with insurance companies and doctors. Actually, Drew has been dealing with all of that. He wants to stay busy. He is pretty rattled by the whole event, as you can imagine. There are several funny things that happened within this story today, but I will try to share those at a later time. I'm emotionally drained and think I am being summoned to dooty duty! :0)

Fun Friday

Today we had another fun day. Drew and I woke up early and went for a walk in our neighborhood. We walked for an hour and a half while the kids got to sleep late. In fact, Jackson was still sleeping when we got home at 8:30. It was fun talking and spending time together. When we got home we started getting things ready for lunch. Addison left around 11:00 to spend some time with Drew's mom (Gram). I miss her so much when she is gone! I love hanging out with her and miss her constant banter and questions! Anyway, I had invited several friends over for lunch so we had to get busy. Drew basically did everything I was just the assistant! It's better that way for everyone involved! My friends came over and we ate. Bryson and Jackson entertained their kids while we talked. It was a fun, laid back time. That's exactly how I like it. After they left, we finished cleaning up and we watched the radar. A thunderstorm was headed right for us, but broke up at the last minute. We got a few sprinkles and that was it! After we realized we weren't going to get caught in the rain we left for the Fort Worth Food Park. We weren't hungry, but the Bacon Wagon was scheduled to be there and I wanted to go. Traffic was so heavy today that it took us about an hour to get to the food park. By then, everyone was hungry again! Drew, Bryson and I had yummy bacon sandwiches. Jackson has a couple of meatball sliders and ended up eating part of my sandwich. After he tasted mine he was sorry he didn't order from the Bacon Wagon. Sometimes mom knows best! Believe me, when it comes to bacon you should NEVER choose something else! After that we came home and played a game of Clue. Drew won, but he is sneaky! Now Whale Wars is on (that is why I am blogging!) and we are relaxing in bed. What a great Friday! Next Friday we are planning on doing something we haven't done in a few years! Stay tuned!

This Week...

This week: - I became super depressed when I stepped on the scale and it showed a GAIN of 1 pound. I KNOW not to get on that stupid thing and I did it anyway. Lesson learned. It has taken me until today to climb out of the hole of darkness that I buried myself in. I would like to meet anyone who can cut herself down with negativity and self-destructive talk better than I can. I LOVE encouraging other people when they are down, but I just can't seem to encourage myself. Advice is easy to give but difficult to follow. - We FINALLY took Addie shopping for her birthday. We have been pretty busy and just haven't taken the time to do it. She did remind me one day last week that she has been VERY patient, though! It was fun shopping with her. Drew and I took her and left the boys at home. Everyone was happier that way! - I got some new running shoes. I took them out for a run on Tuesday and they felt good! I ended up going 8.5 miles and it was okay. I say okay because I have been having trouble with my back/hip. At first I thought it was my hip joint, but now I think it is a nerve in my back that is causing the pain. The pain runs down my leg all the way to my ankle and foot. It really hurts with each step, but I just grit my teeth and keep going. Running is suppose to hurt, right? My left knee has been bothering me from time to time, too, but I'm used to that pain. I've lived with that pain for most of my life, so it's not gong to stop me now. I just pop some Naproxen and keep going. I'm sure I will have to pay the price for all of this one day! - We bought school clothes for the kids. It's still hard to believe that Addie will be starting Kindergarten. Wasn't she just born??? She is so ready to be in school and I am excited to see how much she will learn this first year. - I got my iPad back from being repaired. Addie sat on it several weeks ago and cracked the screen! I'm so glad I bought the protection plan. I NEVER buy those things, but I did this time. I knew the kids would be using it, so I got it "just in case!" I'm glad I trusted my instincts this time! - I decided to clean the blinds this week. I planned on it just taking an hour or so because I was going to use Drew's shop vac to do it. Man, oh, man, was I mistaken! Once I got started with that thing I just couldn't stop! We have SO MUCH dust in our house! We dust every week, but we don't do the blinds and high things very often. (um, as in maybe once since we have lived here for over five years!) I worked for over three hours and never made it to the kids' rooms. That will have to wait for another day. I did that AFTER running 8.5 miles, so by the time I stopped I was completely worn out! - We went to see Ice Age today. There is a new theater by us and this is our second movie to see there. This is a big deal because Drew usually doesn't go to the movies unless he gets free tickets or we go to the dollar show! He's been really good about stepping out of his little box this summer. (It's just a little pathetic that going yo a REGULAR movie is stepping out of the box! We are pretty boring people, I will admit!) - We are waiting to watch Dallas tonight. It's crazy, but we look forward to Wednesday nights so we can watch that show together! - I am listening to an audiobook that I can't get enough of! It is called Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. I usually listen when I run or ride my bike, but I have listened to it out a the pool or just sitting Round the house. I travel back to the late 1700's and early 1800's when I listen. I love books that I get immersed in. I feel like I am part of the book and I just LOVE that. I am "saving" the end of the book for my bike ride tomorrow! I am just going to ride until it is over. I can't wait! Then, I will probably listen to it again so I can pick up some things I'm sure I missed! Love it! That's about all we have done this week! I'll be back soon!

Fun Friday

Today Drew and I had the BEST time!  I have always heard people say that you have to make time together to keep your marriage strong.  I have always believed that, but we haven't always made the time.  Now that Bryson is older and can be our babysitter it is so much easier! 

I have been getting bored with working out.  I have needed a change for a while and just haven't really done it.  I did teach boot camp for four weeks in June so that was a little different, but I still need to change it up.  I am still going to the gym on Mondays and Wednesdays to take a body pump class.  Tuesday I went to a track and ran/walked and did bleachers. I have also started riding my bike about once a week and listening to an audio book and that has been fun.  Yesterday I rode 20 miles!  I don't want to be a slave to the gym this summer, so I have been trying to change it up.  Drew has been running and riding his bike, too!  I am so proud of him and the hard work he is putting into getting healthy.  He is an inspiration! 

Anyway, we were talking about this the other day and we decided to do something together on Fridays.  Today was our first Friday to exercise together.  We went to the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge.  We packed a backpack full of water, Gatorade, sunflower seeds and granola.  We got a map and started hiking.  We hiked for over 2 hours!  We saw deer, birds, gar, perch, a snake, prairie dogs, racoons and lots of spiders and bugs.  We did our best to clear out all the spider webs, too!  Oh my goodness, there were a lot of spider webs!  Drew got most of them because he walked in front of me.  He carried a stick to try to break them up before he walked through them, but that didn't work so well!  We stopped along the way to eat some granola and drink our Gatorade.  Drew called it our "hippie" date!  We had a great time talking, listening and just walking in silence.  It was so much fun to be together.  Toward the end of our hike we went to the visitor's center and looked around a little bit.  (I needed to use the restroom, too, so I finally got to go there!)  We decided that that would be a great place to show the kids and will definitely go back in the future.  His legs are starting to itch, so I'm sure we will have to double up on the bug spray next time!

On the way home, we called the kids and told them to get ready to go swimming.  We stayed at the pool for a couple of hours playing and splashing around.  Then we put a movie on and took a nap.  I don't think the kids napped, but that's okay because we were the ones who needed it!

After our naps we went to a food park to eat dinner.  Everyone got to get whatever they wanted, so everyone was happy.  We finished our meals with cupcakes and snowcones.  What could be better?!

I am looking forward to more Fun Fridays with Drew.  I LOVE spending time with him.  It reminds me of when we were first married and it was just the two of us.  We love our kids tremendously, but it is good for the two of us to spend time alone together!