Devastating News...

My dad took my mom to the emergency room on New Year's Eve. She had been sick for several weeks, coughing and sneezing for weeks. She had terrible pain in her back and ribs and just could not take it anymore. The initial diagnosis was bronchitis, but she was so dehydrated and her minerals were so low that her organs were on the verge of shutting down. I knew she felt lousy on Christmas Day, but she got worse instead of better. On the third day she was at the hospital, the doctor came in with heartbreaking news--she has Leukemia. Talking about having the wind knocked out of us, we are shocked. It has been the worst week of my life. She has declined chemo, the kind of cancer she had does not respond well and there is only a small chance that it would put the Leukemia in remission. She is going to come home in a few days and be happy at home. How long she has, only God knows. We will keep her comfortable and happy, and enjoy every day we are allowed to keep her with us. She has peace and contentment in her decision and all four of us kids, as well as my dad, are in full support of her decision. Our friends and family have rallied around us during this time, and for that we are most grateful. Please continue to keep my mom Mary and my dad Sonny in your daily prayers!

Christmas Part....5???

This was our final Christmas get-together of the season. Nikole and Barbara came over on Saturday Jan 1st for lunch and presents. I have never cooked a traditional New Year's Day meal (southern style, I guess) of collard greens and peas, so I just made spaghetti and garlic bread. My mom had been admitted to the hospital the night before (more on that later) so I was in such a hurry when I got back from seeing her I forgot to fix the salad. We had cheesecake for dessert, which is Nikole's favorite. We had a great time, and they managed to find a toy that the boys had been wanting--"Bakugan Dragonoid Colossus" (don't ask!). Nikole is off to college, so we have a plan to visit the NC coast sometime in April...