Schedule

My favorite time of day, my favorite time of year. I just dropped the kids off at school, the wife is in bed and it is quiet in the house. And sitting on the porch on a beautiful fall morning with my coffee is just about perfect. Then the dump truck goes by, oh well. Which reminds me, I am going to call the city of Owasso today and see if they will put up some orange barrels, or cones, or signs in front of my house because I think the street we live on is the only street in Tulsa County that is not under some sort of construction! I remember laughing so hard I cried one day a few years ago. They were redoing the State Capitol building in Oklahoma City, and I don't know if it was a real contest or just something the paper was doing, but they were taking suggestions for what should go on top of the dome. One guy said and orange construction barrel! I am still laughing today.

Well we now have a schedule for next week. We leave on Tuesday the 5th. We don't have to be at the hospital until Thursday morning at 8:30. When the nurse called it took her twenty minutes to give Rebecca the schedule for that day. We literally have appointments from 9:00 that morning until 8:00 that night. I get to do everything from a counseling session, to blood work, to scans (yes I get to drink barium) to stress tests, and heart tests and on and on. Then we return to the hospital on Friday morning at 8:30 for my catheter. Let me pause right here for a minute. When I initially heard that word, I called everything off. Apparently it's not the kind of catheter I was thinking about. It's actually a port where they will always inject the treatments. Okay, so lets call it a port, not a catheter. Because, and I told Rebecca, if they try the catheter the way I am thinking I will run out of the hospital and will beat her back to Tulsa! There are just some things where I will draw the line. I have my standards. Then we will meet with the doctor and nurse later that day to go over the treatment plan and will have to be admitted in the hospital before 11:00 pm on Friday. Then the first round will begin. And yes Adam (a fellow Officer from Altus who commented on my last blog) I have been in touch with the Texas State FOP Vice-President who has been incredibly helpful. Again, we are still just amazed at the response and help we are getting from all over the country. Simply amazing.

We are doing good. My brother came to town this week and I am getting to spend some time with him which is always great. Yesterday was a good day. So far, today is a good day. We have a lot to do to get ready to leave but we are also trying to take some time for ourselves and not let it overwhelm us. It has been a wonderful lesson and reminder for me to focus on today, and not worry about tomorrow and things I cannot control. It's times like this that help me see that even when life is normal, I spend far too much time worrying about things tomorrow, or next week or even next year. I have today and I am grateful for that. We still have to do things to plan ahead, that is part of life, but I also don't have to allow those things to become a point of stress for me either. When I do, I miss out on things like helping the kids with their homework. (Yes I was helping with third grade math last night and was totally lost. Go ahead laugh, next time I will call one of you!) I have also realized that when I spend my time worrying or focused on things that I cannot control I can become absent from my own family, even in the same room. So, we enjoy today. Whatever happens in Houston, we will find out about when we get there. Suddenly the word balance comes to mind. No I haven't figured it out, but there is a lesson in that word for me.

Thank you again to each and everyone of you for you love and support. I cannot express how important each of you are to us in this journey. We will keep you posted as always.

Remember everyday to put one foot in front of the other, drink a lot of water, and don't forget to breath..............