108825552310044377

I just messed up big time. I’m here at the hospital today and I just received my first page. The nurse from the ED called and said that there was a family in the waiting room and that their father/husband just passed away. She made it sound like the family already knew….well, they didn’t and I assumed they did. So… when I got to the room I asked if they needed anything and they were totally dumbfounded. After I told them which I shouldn’t have told them… and after I apologized… they said that they “already knew” and just needed the doctor to come and talk to them. So, I went to try and find the doctor…. we crossed paths… and finally, the end they decided they really didn’t need anyone from pastoral care (they were Christians… even in the 3 minutes I was with them… I could tell!).

What a morning!!!

108817696928852388

A cool quote I just found:

“Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human
being. Each of us owes our deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.”-Albert Schweitzer

Nothing else too exciting to report… Well, except for the fact that my mom is coming home today after only 1 week in the hospital. I can’t believe that. One whole week. For two new organs. AMAZING. I’m flying home next week.

And, for anyone who cares, the cool guy from Westminster has never called. Oh well. Nonetheless, I’m glad that I met him.

Bye for now.

108783092463682097

My mom’s surgery on Friday was 10 hours long. She was finished by 3pm CST.

Both the heart surgeon and the kidney surgeon are happy with how the surgeries went and how the recovery is going. My mom is throwing up a lot right now..but that’s to be expected. It takes awhile for your body to get used to downing 30 pills every day (thankfully, this tapers down…. I’m only taking 10 in the morning and 4 at night now).

They want to discharge her this Thursday, which just seems so soon. I’ll be flying home on June 30 and staying through the holiday to help her.

I still can’t believe that she received 2 organs w/ only a week’s wait on the transplant list. AMAZING.

I’m thankful for all my friends who have called and been supportive. It’s nice to be loved at times like this.

Still no call from cool guy from last Saturday night. Kinda bummed. But, it’s probably not the right time anyway.

108756256730839254

I never like phone calls early in the morning (or late at night). You know the ones I mean. The ones that wake you from a sleep and then the calls were so powerful you can’t fall back asleep for the rest of the evening.

I had one of these calls last night. My mom called me at 4am and it sounded like she was crying. Her and dad were on their way to the hospital. A heart and kidney were found for her. As I type the she is going into her 2nd hour of surgery. I’m thinking the whole thing will probably take at least 8 hours.

Here I am, worrying about if a boy will call me and God had something much more powerful in play for me for this week. (to have full disclosure here…I still really hope he calls…he hasn’t yet though and I haven’t been sitting by the phone waiting either… I’ve been at Baja Fresh eating shrimp tacos!).

My mom was just put on the organ donation list last Thursday. In ONE WEEK new organs were found for her. That’s unheard of… That’s God.

More later. Tons to do today. I need to find a flight home, tonight was my night on call at the hospital for pastoral care–have to cancel that, get some time off work… etc.

108730821258115567

The joys of single life…. sometime surprise even me.

This past weekend I was invited to a film festival at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, PA. A friend of mine from 10th Presbyterian is a student there (actually, I think she just graduated). Anyway, all of last week the seminary did a week long film festival: showing popular movies and then discussing them in a Christian context. I wasn’t able to go at all during the week, but was able to go over the weekend. About 8 of us went to see “Lost in Translation” on Friday night. And, on Saturday evening, I went back and saw “Mystic River.”

Long story short, because of my anal retentiveness when it comes to all things dealing with being on time … I’m usually very early for events, activities, etc… I struck up a conversation with a student there (I got to the auditorium in the school around 6.30.. I was the only one there that early besides him) He was one of the people who thought up the film festival. Anyway, we had a little conversation on Friday evening b/c I was so darn early for the 7pm showing. And, then when I went back on Saturday evening, the same thing happened. I was early. We talked. Then we talked some more after the movie ended. And then we talked even more out by my car. We talked until it just got too cold out to talk anymore.

Blah, blah, blah… the whole time we were talking on Saturday evening, I kept hoping he would ask to do something …. and, wouldn’t you know it.. he did.

Now here’s the kicker. I don’t know if he’ll call. He said he would, but I’m sooo not experienced in the “will he or won’t he” game. And, to be honest, I really hope he does. REALLY hope he does. But on the other hand, I’m just excited knowing that he exists and that he was a nice guy who was interesting, intelligent, & funny. And, for one small moment in time, he was interested in what I had to say and he was enjoying my conversation. It was a nice feeling.

And, wouldn’t you know it… I don’t know enough about him to actually try and contact him. So, I can’t even if I wanted to. Which I think is a perfect God thing when it comes to surrendering your wants to what God really thinks you need.

So, I’m trying to just not sit by the phone and wait. Granted, last night was pretty hard. But, I think it will get easier.

Anyway, that’s it. I hope I made at least 2 people out there in the world smile w/ my little experience. :O)

Gotta get to work.

Oh… finally CONGRATULATIONS to Michelle Brasch on her recent engagement. Very cool.

108698533629915964

I took the day off today. I’m so thankful that I did because I was able to watch Ronald Reagan’s funeral. He really was a great man of faith and conviction. The current president’s speech was amazing. Maybe I’m the only one who likes this guy, I really don’t care. #43’s speech was exactly what it needed to be….touching, moving, funny, reverent. Every political pundit says that he tries to be more like Reagan than his own dad when it comes to his presidency and it really did show in his speech today. I also liked the former P.M. of Canada’s speech (Brian Mulrooney…spelling of last name is wrong).

Nothing else too exciting to write about. Just enjoying my day indoors and not working (although I’ll be going in tomorrow to work in some solitude).

Enjoy your weekend.

108689883036883774

The riderless horse.

It says so much. I think it was probably the most powerful image from yesterday’s processial towards the Capitol. Even more powerful than the casket of Ronald Reagan.

Reagan was so into his horses and his ranch. There always seemed to be a photo-op with him on his horse.

That image is still burned in my mind. I will miss his leadership and his vision for this country.

I read Michael Gallagher’s (spelling of last name??) blog earlier this week and he said that he had written him and even got something back.

I did to… I wrote a really short, silly letter…. the entire contents were “I think you are doing a really good job. And I really like your jelly beans also.” That was it. A few months later I got a letter in my mail box from The White House. Pretty cool for a 11 yr old!

Man… I’m such a Conservative Republican. I loved Reagan and feel the same re: Bush the younger.

I love my country. Just watching the people line up to show their respects to Reagan…. it gives me chills.

Must go…. I just needed a little break from student’s files.

Mom update: She was discharged from the hospital today… although now she is basically confined to the house. She is no longer allowed to drive… she’s on a medication where the doctors recommend that she doesn’t drive b/c the medicine can throw her heart out of rhythm and make her pass out (not a good thing while driving).

Ok…. there were some spelling mistakes in this post…. too much to do to really care about them now.

108661240773687290

Monday, Monday. Isn’t there a song which starts out “Monday, Monday.” I can’t think of the rest of the lyrics.

Friday night a bunch of us saw the new Harry Potter movie. I really liked it a lot. I think it was the best out of the three. As someone else said, it was the most realistic of the lot. It didn’t stick to the exact structure of the book, which was totally fine. The only thing… I went to a really, really late showing… didn’t get home until 1.30am. It was hard staying awake towards the end.

My mom is now in the hospital. Dad and her were driving down to Bloomington, IN to see my brother and his family. She was feeling really sick and they probably shouldn’t have gone on the trip at all. They ended up turning around and driving back home and heading straight for the ER. She sounded better on Sunday, just really tired. She is getting a PICC line today to deliver her medicine. The doctors said that they will stabilize her and then send her home. She has been put on the list for a heart & kidney transplant. We will see what happens from there.

I know all this stuff is in God’s hands.. exactly where it should be. I’m not really nervous or scared… I just feel like I’m in limbo a little bit… not knowing is a weird place to be in.

I went to the Storehouse church yesterday. I didn’t like it as much as the first time I went a couple of weeks ago. I will go back to 10th Pres next Sunday.

more later.

108637044489980398

ok… i’m fiddling w/ my template… i’m not sure i like the green…but it’s sorta different.

my profile is all the way at the bottom of the page…. i don’t know how to get it to the top right (like everyone elses).

eating lunch now. yum.

108635248948863520

Right now I’m on the phone with the insurance company from my previous job at Devry. I had a horrible cold last year and had to get a chest x-ray two different times in the same month… Well, the 2nd one has never been paid for and I’ve finally gotten my “FINAL NOTICE” bill after 7 months of non-payment.

Sooo… I called the hospital and they were totally useless. I got a little upset and told them that they were totally useless also. Not my best day (or minute). So, now I’m on the phone with Cigna and I’m holding so the woman can call PA-RAD the company that is supposed to be paying my bill. UGH. Insurance… I love it and I hate it.

Random useless information about myself: My entire hospital stay cost $473,000. Almost a half a million!!!! I can’t even begin to fathom that amount of money. My share… $500. I think I charged it to my Mastercard.

(hmmm… maybe I could be in one of those Mastercard commercials..)

Tonight few of us are going to see the new Harry Potter film. I think I’m going to like it better than the first two. I love the new director and I hear that the movie doesn’t follow the book exactly (which the previous two movies tried to follow the events in the book). I found myself getting bored during the 2nd movie b/c I already knew what was going to happen.

Tomorrow I’m going to come into work for a bit and then get home and take a watch back to the store. It’s very cool and wasn’t at all expensive (just a summer knock around type of watch) but I always seem to get a rash on my arm right where the band is if the band isn’t made of leather. This was a multi-color ribbon band but the lining of the band underneath was a fake suede-type material. This is the 3rd watch that has done this to me. UGH. Thankfully I kept the receipt knowing that this might happen (I wore it all night last night and the rash was there this morning).

Well, that’s about it from here…

Oh… I just got off the phone with the insurance person. She was nice and she PROMISED to call me back today re: my bill. I really hope she does.