A perfect night

Tonight was such a perfect night.  Mike and I picked up a little Frazier Fir Christmas tree this afternoon at a lot that boasted they had a tree in the White House this year.  Keegan and Amy brought it in and set it up before supper. After supper, we found a spot for the tree, put on the lights and decorations and then celebrated an early Christmas with Keegan and Amy since she'll be headed home in a few days. (She's done with exams for this semester!  Yea!)  Keegan always likes to guess, so he had figured out one gift we were giving them (a game "Ticket to Ride"), but we also had a sort of engagement/Christmas gift also and that was a surprise. (I love good surprises!) So I have to give you a little background regarding the 2nd gift.

Several years ago when I was the secretary for Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Pastor Cook and his wife gave me a really nice mug from a NC pottery, Nichols Pottery. It quickly became my favorite mug. Well, Keegan liked my mug too and would tease that if it was missing one day, I'd know where to find it...with him at college.  Some time later, I found a similar mug at a little shop in Southern Pines that carried Nichols Pottery and bought one for Keegan.  Then Amy comes along and she really likes Keegan's mug!  So eventually, Keegan gives Amy a mug like his. Remember the day Mike and I made a trip to the zoo?  Well, actually the destination was Nichols Pottery and Mike and I bought K&A 2 plates and 2 bowls to match their mugs.  So it was fun to see their surprise and joy over their first place setting of dishes. I told them if they wanted, we could build on it - wedding registry, or they just had a set for the 2 of them until they found something they liked better.  Both were thrilled with the dishes and excited about starting to build a set. Mike keeps wanting to go back to the zoo and Nichols is only 15 minutes away from there. :-)

Then K&A taught us how to play Ticket to Ride, thankfully a simple game to learn and was fun.  Mike won with Amy and I close on his heels and Keegan just a few paces behind us (mostly because he "helped" Mike). I even baked some cookies today - first time in a long time. Now I'm sitting here, enjoying our little lit tree, the manger scene and other bits of Christmas decor scattered around our little apartment.  Ed was really the impetus behind getting any of the Christmas stuff out in the first place.  Saturday he took Mike shopping for my Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers, and then came back and pulled out the Christmas boxes, and strung lights on the patio. Last night, he helped us finish recovering the dining room chairs.  Mike, Catherine, and I had started last week, but ran into a few snags. While they were shopping on Saturday, I enjoyed a ladies luncheon with Keegan's church.

Today we saw Dr. Schwartz, a plastic surgeon.  Once again, the wound is quickly closing on the top, but that pocket is stubbornly not closing underneath. So Dr. Schwartz wants to pull the tissue together and insert a drain, but before he would schedule the surgery, he said we must have an airflow pressure relief mattress for Mike to sleep on since Mike does not stay on his side to sleep. He's always been a back sleeper and even tho he'll start on his side, he quickly is on his back.  Paperwork and phone calls were started today to get insurance approval and I'm hoping that we can get an overlay instead of having to get an entire bed in here.  A representative is supposed to call me tomorrow so we can discuss the options.  The results of the culture came back and Mike has MRSA. Both Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Schwartz agreed that it is pointless to treat the MRSA until the wound is closed. I don't understand it completely, but Mike is not having any symptoms of infection - redness, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. and as long as the wound is open there will be bacteria. The priority is to get the wound closed and then they'll treat the MRSA. Mike is more hyper than he was over Thanksgiving, but I am hopeful that when this wound is finally healed and the MRSA treated, maybe then we can work on reducing some of his medications and hopefully he'll settle down a bit. Maybe even be able to get involved in the Gateway Clubhouse or something else specifically for & with other TBI survivors.  We have not heard from the eligibility committee yet.  I called yesterday but the supervisor wasn't in.

 We are reading in 2 Peter now so I'll close with this.  2 Peter 1:3-9 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."   May we all work at possessing "these qualities in increasing measure" so we will be effective and productive in our "knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ". I think I'm getting a crash course in all of the above on this adventure and hope I'll come through on the other side much more effective and productive and in love with my Lord and my husband.

Well, Mike is up roaming around and agitated, so I better close this and see if I can get him back to bed. Love you and love to hear from you!

Our little Christmas tree in Raleigh Apt.

Christmas with Keegan & Amy

Starting their Nichol's pottery set.