One of my favorite holiday movies is “Christmas Vacation.” So many good one- liners. The scene with Russ helping his Dad, Clark, put up the outdoor lights is eerily familiar. I am not sure if I volunteered or was volun-told to help Dad put up the outdoor lights but I did. (I do not remember…

I’ve had several people ask me why I stopped contributing to the blog. They say Liz isn’t taking this journey on her own. That some people NEED to hear about how it affects the family. To be honest, I’ve started about 20 blog posts over the past several months and I haven’t been able to…

I can count on two fingers the amount of birthday parties I had as a kid. One when I was 7 and one when I was 12 (also because we were moving that year so it was two-fold as a going away party.) But we did not celebrate much. Valentine’s Day did not procure us…

My Dad would take my two older sisters and me to Saunoris nursery on Harlem Avenue to find a Christmas tree. We would bundle up and head out in our conversion van. The trees would be leaning against a post, angled to keep the trees mostly upright. Layers and layers of trees. My Dad would…

I think one of my favorite hymns is “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Not just because of the words but because it transports me back to my Dad’s church as a little girl. Back to when life wasn’t hard or stressful or complicated or messy. (Except if you think dressing up for church in tights and…

I think everyone knows from Chris’ updates that surgery went well. I got wheeled back to the coldest operating room. My teeth were chattering. It smelled like metal and antiseptic. They transferred me to the operating room bed and the last thing I remember was looking at the red numbers on the clock: 6.58am. Next…

I should have put out an update much earlier today, I apologize. But I actually worked today! And I thought Liz herself might actually post a blog, but she actually relaxed! Liz is in the biggest hospital room I’ve ever seen – it could fit a 20 person banquet table and chairs, with room to…

Liz has been sleeping off and on for most of the day. It’s hard to rest with someone walking in every 15 minutes for something. Vitals, blood draws, medication, inventory checks, changing the garbage liners…I bet someone could make a lot of money creating a system at hospitals where all these room visits were coordinated…

Our girl is off the surgical unit and in her inpatient room. She opened her eyes a few times and I got a smile, but now she’s resting. The hardest part is behind us…