14 Years

Andy and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary this week. This week was a good sample of how our marriage has been with lots of ups and a some major downs.

Monday morning we took Beverly to the burn unit. Unfortunately they told us she needed a debridement. To prevent trauma and unnecessary pain, they put her under to perform the procedure. While in the initial wound clinic, they have child specialists that go to the patients that are minors and explain the procedure and answer any questions the child may have to help them with any fears they may have. Beverly’s initial fear was getting a shot. After getting the treatment plan from the surgeon the child specialist came back in and said, “So the good news is, there won’t be a shot!” Beverly’s response was, “Surgery is so much worse.” We all had a little giggle at that, because she wasn’t wrong. She was very brave, but was tired of waiting so long to be seen. She was tired, hungry, and thirsty and had to just wait till they were ready for her. After a long while she said, “I just don’t feel like anyone cares about me.” I didn’t understand her initially and showed her how many of her friends and family members had texted me saying they were praying for her and thinking about her, but she clarified what she meant when she replied, “Why haven’t they pulled me back then?” I pointed around me at all the other curtains hiding other patients and showed her that the hospital was very busy and they’d pull us back as soon as they could. Doctor’s hospital is the largest burn center in the United States. Being such, they have top of the line procedures and equipment to treat burn victims as well as some of the best trauma surgeons. As horrible as it was to see Beverly go through this, I have seen so many tender mercies, having the top burn unit in the nation being next door was definitely one of them. In addition to that, our friends, once again stepped up and showed their love and support through gifts for Bev, a meal for our family, and getting our kids to or from school when we weren’t home to do so. I feel like my friends have had to work in overtime just being my friend lately, but I’m so grateful for them. If anything, it is showing me that when Andy is deployed, I will have the support system I need. I am again and again brought to tears by the kindness and generosity of our loved ones and friends. Beverly’s teacher popped by on Friday to see her, but Andy and I were out celebrating our anniversary so we missed her, but it was so wonderful that she took the time and effort to see Beverly. Beverly has really been missing school. When I picked up work on Thursday and brought it home she said, “Yay! School work!” She and her friend Afton spend a lot of time playing pretend school after they get home from real school. I’m glad that they enjoy it so much and I hope that continues.

For the most part, Beverly has sat on the couch in the living room, not moving around much. She started feeling a little bit better on Thursday evening and made us all nervous because she started running after her brothers. She is on doctor prescribed bedrest because of the cadaver skin bandage they used to help her own skin do its job to grow back. Sitting still is challenging for our little runner. That being said, I’m surprised how well she’s been still, a clear indicator that she’s not quite herself. On Saturday, she thought she felt good enough to go to a friend’s birthday party, but she spent most of the party complaining about being uncomfortable or in pain, so we left a little bit early. When we got home she fell fast asleep. I think she tried to do too much too soon.

So that was the major downer, but we’ve had some great things happen this week too! Max received the “Student of the quarter” award at his middle school. Below is the video Andy filmed of the administrator singing his praises.

We got to celebrate him at his favorite restaurant Izumi’s with his grandparents from Texas. I went to a meeting with his teachers earlier that day and they had nothing but good things to say about Max. I am so proud of him. It hasn’t been an easy road to get him where he is at. He works hard and studies even harder. He has a lot of self-initiative and a generous supply of healthy curiosity.

Wednesday we got a bit of a scare because he didn’t get home from school on time. Some high schooler was throwing ice around the bus and ended up hitting the bus driver in the back of the head. They’re having a real hard time getting bus drivers… no wonder! It is so sad that the rest of the kids on the bus had to suffer the consequences of this high school student’s choice. Not only did they not get home on time, but the police officers thought it would be a good idea to cuss out the kids who were left on the bus after they had already removed the perpetrator.

But on another good note, Andy and I had a wonderful time celebrating our anniversary. Andy’s parents were generous enough to watch our kids so we could go out. We went to a local restaurant, one of our favorite places to celebrate at- Cork and Flame and then we went to a dance that someone in our stake decided to throw. We finished off the night crashing in a cozy bed at the Marriott. Saturday we got to spend the morning with Andy’s parents before they went off to a concert in Atlanta. They helped us finish up our planting and showed me some tips for caring for some of my struggling plants. They are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to vegetation. We finished the day with some house chores including painting the pillars on our front porch. They turned out great!

Beverly is recovering ok. We’ll find out more tomorrow. I kind of feel like there is a lot of unknowns, but if the surgeon was right, she should be back to herself within another week.