Celebrating Our 17th Wedding Anniversary a Bit Differently This Year

We met through eHarmony in April of 2005 and married just 2 months later! 

 

 June 26, 2005 at 3:00 in the afternoon!

It was a beautiful day - both then and in our memories.

We thought Louis Dean was doing better on Saturday but it was early Sunday morning when he stumbled to the camper door and said he wanted to go home.

When I saw EARLY Sunday morning - it really was!

Sherry and I were about to suit up and check on the bees along about 7:30.

By the way, the bees are not thriving! 3 hives are simply surviving and we have honey harvest hopes for only one super in one hive! We will be lucky to get a full gallon of honey this year!

By 10:00 we were heading home.

Dean was teaching a Karate class at 10:30 at the ranch but, since the students were driving in from the DFW area, he arranged to teach there instead of here so he went on to Dallas while Sherry did the critter chores and I packed up and loaded the van. I didn't know I could do that!

By this time Louis Dean was getting chills and the only thing I could find for cover inside the truck was a pair of overalls. 

You might be a redneck if you wrap the legs of a pair of overalls around your neck like a blanket!

Sherry made really good time and we only stopped once for a potty break.

Summer and Jesse were at the ER waiting for us when we arrived.

Tan, a friend of Summer's, works there in Irving but lives in Rowlett.

Rayne has grown up with his children so he is a good family friend.

While there had been a line previously, by the time we arrived, we walked right in and went right back to an exam room. Summer had brought Sonic drinks and snacks so we were all set, and good thing, too!

The attending doctor came in and they started running some tests to determine how to treat Louis Dean.

I heard him say, "I know you, Doctor Sheffield! You treated me the last time I was here."

Really??? I said, "What? Did you come here without me one time?" I thought NO WAY that happened.

But it did!!

It happened on our last Sibling Trip which was in February 2018 when Louis Dean came down with the flu and Stephanie (our beloved next door neighbor) marched herself over to our house and took him up to the ER!

They checked him out and he was negative for Covid, flu and the likes.

Then they took blood and urine samples and ran more tests.

He was VERY dehydrated and was put on an IV right off the bat.

But they couldn't let him drink anything until some of the tests results were back.

This is his look of pure bliss when they finally brought him some ice chips!

Bottom line - it was heat exhaustion that took him down.....and he has pneumonia in his right lung.

The left lung is clear. So he was admitted to the hospital and by 6:00 we were in a room.

I am so fortunate to have such a great support group.

While he was being admitted, I was asked what kind of support we had.

At first I thought she meant financially so I told her we were retired.

No, not that.

OH! 

We are so very blessed because we have a huge support group!

Children, siblings, friends, neighbors, family and extended family....

and beyond that - all the prayers of so many friends like you who are reading my words right now.

Summer and Jesse did not leave until Louis Dean was all settled in.

And I sat in the quiet of the room, I looked out the window and it was raining!!

Not everyone got rain but it was here in our section of Irving.

What a blessing!

I didn't have to water after I went home that night!

I stayed until 10:00 and I have to say it was so hard to leave him.

At this point he was a little confused and was calmer when I was right there beside him.

I drove home so thankful for the Baylor Angels taking care of my husband and praising God that his timing is so perfect!

As soon as I got home, I went about 'putting things to right' as I call it.

I used to say I would 'get even.' But that didn't sound right.

What I mean is that when I come in the door, I have to put things away and deal with whatever I have brought in and getting everything back in order.

I emptied my purse and carryall, started a load of laundry, made coffee for the next morning and then proceeded to put up all the things we had brought home with us from the ranch.

Sherry had unloaded the truck for us after dropping us off at the hospital AND she had put a lot of stuff away! Win! WIN!!

What we do without them???

It was about midnight when I ate a salad I'd brought form the ranch and had a glass of wine before taking a shower and washing my hair.

I went to bed and fell right to sleep.

But mornings come early!!

My alarm went off at 6:00 and I didn't get up to the hospital until 8:00.

I didn't know that the front doors aren't open until 9:00! I thought I'd have to walk around back to the ER entrance until a guy came up and waved his badge or something at it and the door slid back!

I asked, "How did you DO that?" and he said, "MAGIC!"

It was a black and white day for me!

I needed a big bag to bring a fuzzy blanket up her among other things so it worked out perfectly that my bags matched my outfit!

I am really and truly a Bag Lady!

It's been a good day.

Both of our favorite neighbors came to visit this morning and both were bearing goodie bags!

We have been working our way through them all day!

Tamara brought this mini flower bouquet and every nurse and staff that have come in since has commented on it! Flowers from her garden and the vase is a recycled scented reed holder. 

The golden leaf is so pretty!

Can you see the comb?

Who but Stephanie would think of that!!

Indeed! I combed Louis Dean's hair and he looked like he felt better just having that done!

He's taken a few bites of yogurt and nibbled on some snacks and I had a nice salad lunch and made a couple of big containers of iced tea!

 When the ladies came up, Louis Dean lit up like a Christmas tree!!

He is still a charmer no matter how sick he may be!

I've been eating a lot it seems!

Salad from Stephanie and this was after I ate most of the bacon/cheeseburger from Louis Dean's tray.

He an only eat a little at a time.

The hospital food is exceptional here and I'm already looking forward to dinner.

He did manage to get a treat this afternoon!

Who knew how happy a popsicle would make him?? 

Last night I pack a roller bag with my laptop, needlework, books, a fuzzy warm blanket....

and a Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin spray hand sanitizer along with a Crisp Linen Air Freshener.

While it may look like a hospital room, it sure doesn't smell like one! 

Plus I brought a small bottle of Happy perfume for me.

Amber came up this evening for a nice long visit.

Here she is showing Granddad the GET WELL video the kids made!!

Logan sent this clever card with a sweet message inside and Kailey sent a note sealed tight in an envelope! We couldn't wait to see what she said!

Trystan made one, too, but it didn't get here with her Mommy so she made a video of her reading it.

All in all, Louis Dean was greatly cheered by his visitors today.

He has been making some good progress.

All the tests are back and he's on antibiotics for the pneumonia.

The heat exhaustion has caused severe dehydration resulting in body chills, aches and diarrhea.

I'm writing this journal entry right before I leave the hospital for the night and he is in much better shape now than he was at 8:00 this morning.

He still needs help getting out of bed and has to hold onto something to stand up.

But he's going in the right direction.

That being said, one of the sweet nurses checked him a little earlier tonight and said, "You are doing good!" He said, "Then why do I FEEL so bad??"

At one point today, he did say he knew he had made a breakthrough and would be getting well.

For awhile there he didn't think he would ever ever feel good again.

The latest news on Nita is that she is 'trending up' and I like that term.

It's baby steps and our heart is filled with hope for Nita to recover and gratitude for all those who are praying for her.

Goodnight and God Bless You!