Thankful For Your Support & Prayers

I was thinking about this just this morning. The effect cold air has on Patrick - not our unique brand of humor 😆 There was a time back in 2005 when he could barely make it from the front door of Fred Meyer to our car, parked in the closest handicap spot to the front of the store. Collapse was a real fear, because I was either hugely pregnant or holding a newborn around that time. There would be no way for me to rescue my own husband and I would have to call for help. I still don't know why cold air was such a debilitating factor, so if anyone knows the specifics of that, please enlighten me. But I have waited for that to be the case over the last fourteen years and haven't seen it as bad as it was back then. Perhaps now with the declining health of his heart it will make a reappearance. We don't know what the future will bring. We don't know if Patrick will make it to the heart transplant, nor do we know if he will receive one and be around for another twenty years. But we do know our support network is vast, like a fishing net that covers the entire continent of North America and beyond. We feel your support - every prayer and every positive thought aimed in Patrick's direction. And we give thanks in our prayers every day for all of them, and for our friends and family. 💕

Bring It On

When Patrick was in the ICU they let him out to visit with the kids and I because children aren't allowed (for their protection). Samuel particularly liked Patrick's portable EKG wires 😆 I don't like to think that scenes like this will be a regular occurence over the coming years, but the truth is that they already kind of are... The kids and I have gone into the ER with him at 9pm and not gotten home until passed midnight. We've cancelled plans because Patrick was tired. He flew out in 2013 for several days to get a new pacemaker, and we dealt with the realities of his recovery when he got home. The way we deal with it is situations like this - taking photos of Patrick smiling. So what if he's wearing a hospital gown? So what if he has an IV in his arm? One of my FAVORITE photos is of him holding Laura when she was just a few minutes old. He's reaching for her cheek with a finger on a hand that still has an IV strapped to it, and you can see the top of his bypass incision where they had opened his chest. What matters is he was there, and we have photographic proof of the joy of the moment. So bring on the IVs. Bring on the procedures, medications, surgeries, and hospitalizations. If it means Patrick is still here, I will wield a camera like it's a third arm and document the story of our family so future generations can see what strength and love look like ❤

With A Heart The Size Of Big Bird's

I saved this a couple years ago when Patrick started his job caring for people with disabilities. That job is not easy, and it won't make you rich.

But Patrick has a secret that others could learn from - none of that matters if YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO. Patrick goes to work and says he's blessed to be able to hang out with "his people" every day. The rewards and blessings his job bestows on him outweighs ANYTHING other people might see as negatives.

The secret to being Big Bird on the Death Star? Knowing you can make people smile with just your presence ❤ Even Darth Vader is smiling under that mask.

Patrick's height might not match Big Bird's, but you can be certain their hearts are the same size 💕