And So It Goes

Last night I calmed an entire set of hoodlums who were really good kids in disguise, I picked up my Honey Baked Ham from a Baskin Robbins and I invited Bruce Willis over for Christmas, ending the conversation with him with "Don't worry. My kids won't pepper you with a million questions. They have no idea who you are because we don't have tv. I can't speak for the rest of the family though." Oh, and Bruce said yes.

Either I've moved to Hollywood over the weekend, the weekend was more intense than I thought or else that Wok Roasted Chicken we had for dinner was making me way more creative in my dreams than normal.

I'm going for the last one. But man, it sure hit the spot after this weekend and all the "festivities" involved.

First, thank you again for your prayers. You have no idea what a comfort they were to the entire family. Not once was I sitting in the waiting room, writhing with fear or stress. It was very good.

So here's the run-down since last we've talked.

• As the family was tootling around town on Thursday night, we ran into several friends at the farmer's market. One of them offered to keep The Girl that night and all day Friday so that she wouldn't be bored out of her gourd at the hospital the next day. The Girl quickly thanked the family for letting her avoid that entire prospect.
• We all went to bed Thursday night to sleep only to find out on Friday that none of us really did.
• We finally got up around 4 AM to get ready for the hour drive to the hospital. The heart institute that Ron was going to use just "happens" to be one of the top three heart hospitals in the country. (That God is so good.)
• We arrived at 6 AM for check-in. We found out later that Ron's surgery wouldn't be until 10:30(ish).
• At least 3 nurses came in and asked many of the same questions over and over again.
• We did lots and lots of waiting.
• We discovered that there is such a thing as "hospital time". If a nurse says, "In about 30 minutes...", then you can bet your bottom dollar it will be at least an hour. (It was a nurse who told us about "hospital time." She would know since she's actually there all the time.)
• While we were waiting for the procedure to start, we also discovered that Larry, one of our good friends, was also in this hospital. He was rushed in the day before with heart issues. Finding nothing, our friends thought the hospital was going to send Larry home after a night of observation. But no, by his wife Kareen returned, Larry had a pacemaker installed. Surprise! We hated to see Larry there, but we were thrilled to visit with them after not seeing them in so long. We've also promised to come up for a Ucher night. (I bet they whip our tails. It's been soooo long since we've played.)
• Ron's surgery finally happened. It took three hours and he did have to have a quadrupal bypass. Avon, Ron's wife, did remarkable well for all the situation. I could see her lips moving in prayer often and I know she was being bathed in prayers from friends around the world.
• The hard part of the entire event came after the very successful surgery. Ron was having a hard time coming off the anesthesia. An hour recovery time turned into 8 hours with a heart that wouldn't get the proper rhythm. Every time Avon walked back to Ron's room, there were several doctors and nurses hovering over Ron. I think it was then that her nerves started to feel the effects of the day. But she was a trooper!
• Some friends came by to visit Ron and Avon. That's such a wonder comfort to not only know that others are praying, but that some would take the time to drive an hour to sit and hold hands for a few minutes or for hours. Kareen was in and out all day giving Avon hugs and telling us that Larry was demanding updates on his good friend Ron. (They were both elders at church. They've really gotten to know each other throughout the years.)
• We convinced Avon to finally leave for a little bit for a spot of dinner. That poor woman needed some nourishment. IHOP never tasted so good.
• Around 10:30 PM the doctors said that Ron was finally in a great position. His heart was doing much better and that he would get the much needed good night's sleep. We finally felt comfortable enough to go home. We were all exhausted after that 20 hour day, longer if you factor in the fact that none of us really slept the night before.
• Avon and Alan (Mr. Right's brother) went to the hospital. We stayed home to get The Girl, to pick up The Boy from camp and to do a lot of things for Ron and Avon around the house: mow, clean bathrooms, vacuum, laundry, cook meals. We knew that Avon would have enough to do without needing to worry about that aspect of life when Ron came home.
• Sunday we finished up some tasks that Avon needed done and then we visited with Ron and other family members for the afternoon. Then we headed home and had much needed Chinese food. There's something about Chinese food that just says relax to us. So we did.

So that's the run down. We're back to the scheduled program around here. Last we talked to Avon, Ron had a GREAT night. He was sitting up in his chair and taking his prescribed walk. The kids are set to be Grandma's and Grandpa's helpers over the next couple of weeks, and we all feel really good about the way God handled everything. We had all decided that even if God had taken Ron home this weekend, He was still very good. And He is.

Since I'm way out of the loop, would y'all please tell me something that's going on with y'all? I especially want to hear about She Speaks if you attended. I couldn't be jealous during the weekend, so I'll take the time to be jealous now when you tell me about the wonderful time you had with all the our blogging friends. :o)