Saving lives...

I just found out this morning that I saved a life. Really - I literally saved a life. I am so moved by this, I still can hardly believe it's true.

For those that do not know, I work for a home health company. We provide skilled care to folks who have a difficult time getting out of the home; intermittent visits provided to help keep them out of the hospital. I'm in the office full-time, Monday-Friday, and take call every other week in the evenings. Well this last Friday night, movie night with the hubby was interrupted by a frantic call of one of our patients.

I could hear her panting on the phone, hardly able to breathe or get any words out. She wanted to speak with her nurse (who was not on call with me), complaining that she couldn't breathe. I told her that I would have the on call RN call her immediately, and that she should hang up her phone. After hanging up the phone, I realized that I should not have even hung up on her. I should have told her to call 911 immediately. Regretfully, I contacted the on call nurse, who did not answer her phone right away. Called again - went to voice mail a second time. Without hesitation, I called back the client and told her she needed to call 911 immediately. She didn't want to, stating that if she did, the EMS would want to take her to the hospital. I explained to her that our nurse couldn't help her with her breathing, and that the EMS would be able to evaluate her and get her help immediately. She handed the phone to her friend/caregiver. I instructed the gentleman to hang up the phone, call 911 right away. He agreed. I also instructed him to call me after the EMS arrived to inform me what occurred; if I didn't hear from him in an hour, I'd call them back.

An hour later, I received a call that the EMS had taken this cute little lady to the hospital. I was relieved, knowing that she would get the help she needed. The next day, I informed our liaison that the client was taken in via EMS the previous night, and could she check on her.

I didn't really put much thought into this little lady following Monday morning, when I reported to the clinicians the events of Friday night. There was some concern of course, knowing that she had actually been admitted to the hospital and was in the ICU. But work is busy, so I just sorta let it go....

...until this morning when I spoke with her home health nurse...

The nurse informed me that she has since spoken with the friend/caregiver that I spoke with last Friday night. He wanted to be sure the nurse thanked "whoever it was that made us call 911." Apparently, she coded in the ambulance on the way to the hospital (in layman's terms, her heart and lungs stopped). They had to resuscitate her in the ambulance and intubate her (put a tube down her throat to help her breathe). Had they waited for a nurse to call back, or come evaluate her at home....or not call 911, she may have coded at home - without anyone medical professionals to bring her back. She is alive today because of what I instructed her to do!

This new information was a shock to me and totally caught me off guard this morning. I about cried my eyes out! It was a huge reminder that God sure knows how to put people in just the right place at just the right time. Supporting evidence to me that I am an important part of this company, regardless of how little I feel sometimes. My place in this season IS important right now, even if it doesn't FEEL that way to me daily.

Pretty big stuff...

Summer Bible Study

I decided to be a part of a bible study this summer with the Living Proof Ministries online group led by Beth Moore. If you've ever done a study by Ms. Moore, you know that she is extremely gifted and blessed. She has a heart for teaching the bible, especially to women of all ages. I have always enjoyed both her books and her studies. I can't seem to get enough of her...

Every other summer or so, she encourages her "siestas" to get together throughout the country for a summer bible study. Typically, this study is written by one of her fellow bible teaching sisters. This summer, she has selected Gideon: Your Weakness. God's Strength. by Priscilla Shirer. Every other week, Beth posts a video devotional for all the gals to watch and meditate on. Ideally, women would get together to watch this and discuss the study. This is really an amazing community - even those who may be doing the study on their own can feel like they are a part of a large group of women. Their online blog allows you to "check in" and share while checking out all the other gals doing the study. It's really neat! In my case, I am just doing the study with my girlfriend, Aly. She is currently in another state on vacation (lucky girl!!), so we are working on the daily studies individually, then checking in on each other via email. I am hoping that when she returns we can get together to watch Beth's bi-weekly videos and have some great discussion.

So....Gideon. An interesting character in a very small portion of the Old Testament. Only 3 chapters to be exact! This study, as noted in the title, is to help us discover how God can use our weaknesses to glorify Him and do His work. I am really excited about it. I just finished week 1 yesterday morning, and already am feeling quite convicted. It's just that I am in a season of my life where I am somewhat in a "holding pattern"....kinda doing the same old every day, just waiting for something exciting to happen. I am concerned that I am missing out on what God has in store for me because I am not hearing Him speak to me; or that I mistake His nudging for something else. One reason for doing this study is so I can discover what His purpose is for me during this season of my life. I don't know that I know what that is....and if I am willing to accept that purpose. I want to be able to....so we shall see.

Stay tuned for more from Gideon....

What is going on?!!?

SO.....I've been gone for a while. Not really gone, just a little absent from the blogger world. No real reason for the break - I think I just got busy with life. Life is still busy, but I'd like to do a better job of capturing and storing it. To be honest, I've done a really poor job of chronicling my life over the past 3 years or so, and I'd like to change that. I just want a venue to capture my life. Trust me, I am well aware of the option of using Facebook as the window into my world, but I'm really not enjoying that form of social media right now. Or ever, really. There is just too much crap for me to weed through in order to utilize it for what I want - sharing myself with family, friends, and vice versa. Plus, I think that Facebook allows us all to create theses ideas in our heads about others (good or bad!), and that is so not cool! I'd just rather not even have to deal with sorting out those emotions!

At any rate, I'd like to start this up again, so if you are reading this, thanks! I'm really not trying to sell to a certain audience, so watch out. I may offend (but probably not....as you may soon find out, I really dislike conflict and try to avoid it at all costs), and will always be honest.

I am not going to try and give the play-by-play of the last 3 years....so as not to bore anyone. Besides, I don't know if I can even remember much of what has happened!!

Oh yeah, there was this:

I married the man who truly is the answer to many of my prayers and dreams on April 29, 2010. It was a magical day. We are still on our honeymoon 3 years later....

Getting married also meant I became a home owner! We really haven't done much with the house yet. Greg has planted a boatload of trees and shrubs (= green!!). House renovations and upgrades are due later this year....


Greg and I have been on many adventures over the last few years (although not as many as we'd like, of course!). We also purchased this:

And Greg did this (for those of you non-jeep/off-road-vehicle people, he put on a 6.5" lift kit and 34" tires; it was kind of a big deal):

We'll be taking that thing out later this year to test drive it in the Colorado Rockies. Can't wait!

Outside of those couple of things, life had just been life. Still working with the same company, still a part of a great group of folks at our church. Oh yeah, and that whole broid thing from a few years ago....it's all cleared up. I'm healed and healthy.

I'll try and recapture certain moments here and there when I am able. Should be sharing some more pictures soon as well.

Guess what?

I'm coming back! I know, it's been a while. A very long while.....

Stay tuned...

It's a "broid"!

Greg and I didn't tell a lot of people, but a couple of months ago, a visit with my GYN determined that there was something growing inside of me. We knew we weren't pregnant, but I had been experiencing some symptoms that warranted this visit. She ordered an ultrasound, which revealed that my uterus was twice the size it was supposed to be, and there was a fibroid tumor somewhere inside of it (Greg kept referring to it as a "Broid"). I was then referred to a GYN specialist. He recommended that I have the fibroid remove, stating that he could do it laporascopically. So that's what we did, earlier this week. I had laporascopic surgery to have the fibroid removed.

What is a fibroid tumor? Its a benign growth and actually pretty common among women, usually later in life. It is unknown what causes them, but it is thought their growth is fueled by hormones. They can be found inside or outside the uterus, or growing within the muscular uterine wall. Some women have small fibroids, which will grow during pregnancy, but then shrink back down afterwards. In my case, I had quite a large fibroid, estimated to be 12 cm in diameter, that was growing inside of the uterine wall. Because of it's size, the concern was that if I were to become pregnant, the fetus would be fighting for space with the fibroid. It was also an unsafe size fibroid for my smaller frame. Some of the symptoms I was experiencing from the fibroid included severe cramping during my periods, as well has heavy bleeding and large blood clots. Also, because it was so large, the fibroid caused me to urinate frequently. Essentially, I was told that my uterus was at the same size/stage as someone who was 4 months pregnant.

Fortunately, we had a great surgeon. He was successful in removing the fibroid, although it was more work than he anticipated. The fibroid's size was over 13 cm, measuring in at 1.5 lbs. We expected a 1.5-2 hour surgery, but it was 4. I lost some blood (1.75 pints), but did not need a blood transfusion. My anesthetist was also great, as I had absolutely no nausea after the surgery. He also did a great job knocking me out while keeping me awake; apparently I joked around with everyone in pre-op, but I have no recollection of this!

I was in the hospital for one night only. Greg has been a wonderful caretaker, attending to my every need. He is even keeping ice cream stocked in the freezer! I'll be on leave from work for the rest of the week, and for sure through the next. I am due to see the doctor the following week. In three months, I will have an ultrasound to see how the uterus is healing and if there is any new fibroid growth. Since I have had fibroids already, I am at a risk for developing them again. We, of course, are hoping this isn't the case, at least not until after we are able to expand our family. But we will just take things day by day.

We are very thankful for so many things. Although this has been an unfortunate experience, we are happy it happened at a time before we planned on having children. I now have plenty of time to heal before we start trying to get pregnant. Also, God lead us to the right people at the right time. Both my GYN and Surgeon were fantastic, and I am looking forward to working with them more in the future. Many people prayed for me the days leading up to my surgery and during the procedure, all which were heard and felt. Our church small group has brought us meals to help keep us nourished as I currently cannot cook. Thank you to all who have been so supportive, encouraging and prayerful for us! We are so blessed.....

The daily drive....

I have a significant drive to and from work each day. It's usually around 35-45 minutes one way, depending on traffic, construction and whether or not a train is running during rush hour. Now that the days are getting shorter, I get to watch the sun set after driving over the mountains and descending to the road leading to our home. Almost every single day it is a beautiful sight. I tried to capture it with my poor-excuse-for-a-camera-on-my-phone, but it didn't quite do justice.



Sure does make the long commute worthwhile, don't you think?

Another Wedding!

We had a fantastic time visiting with family and friends last weekend in Illinois/Missouri. While Greg was finishing up a business trip in Boston, I had the opportunity to visit with some friends and former co-workers in the St Louis area. It was so nice to be away from work for a few days, and enjoy the start of fall in the Midwest!

We were in the area to celebrate the marriage of Greg's long-time friend from high school, Andy. He met his beautiful bride shortly before Greg and I started dating. So just as they were able to watch our relationship blossom and bloom, we were able to do the same with Andy and Sarah. I have been fortunate in getting to know both of them, and truly believe these two are meant to be. Almost two years ago, we did a trip with them to the Grand Canyon, and we are hoping to do more trips with them in the future.

The setting was a beautiful almost-fall day in Missouri. Wine country, no less. The ceremony was the backyard of the parents of the bride, with tall beautiful trees surrounding the area. As the ceremony ended, the clouds moved in to provide the much needed relief from the sun, and cool down the crowd. We enjoyed music, laughter and food later in the evening at the local hall. Here are some pictures of the day:

Funny story....one of the groomsmen was very late to the wedding. So an usher stepped up to the plate and filled in. Furthermore, only the best man attended the rehearsal the night before. End result: the boys were all in the wrong places! Greg (pictured far right), was supposed to be the third guy in from the left.

Their dog was the ring bearer, tuxedo vest and all...

To my Arizona friends: This is what a real tree looks like!

Group pictures of the wedding party took place up the road from where Sarah grew up. Behind you can see the beautiful valley filled with trees. Soon it will be bursting with color.

A photo opportunity with the groom.

Andy and his family have a very strong Polish heritage. One of the family traditions for weddings involves shots of Vodka followed by sucking on a lemon and smoking cigars. In lieu of the dollar dance, shots and cigars were sold at the entrance of the reception hall. Note: neither Greg nor I partook in this family tradition!

Right from Austria, vodka with the family name:

Cutting of the (extremely delicious) wedding cake! Pretty sure I had three pieces that night.

Last picture of the evening....

Congratulations to Andy and Sarah! Thank you for allowing us to share in your beautiful day! We pray that God blesses your marriage!