He is Good

God and my Grandpa :)
We've definitely had answered prayers so far. It was a LONG day starting with a FIVE HOUR DELAY actually getting into surgery. (Nothing like waiting half of a day just to get to the actual waiting room) Grandpa at least got to rest a little during that time, but otherwise we just took turns having small visits with him in his room. He had a peace that was very comforting to the rest of us. They came to get him for surgery right before 4:00 so we all got to give hugs and say "see you soon" (a no-good-bye-rule was enforced) before we headed off to wait/sleep/eat/laugh/chat some more. My Grandma has been an absolute trooper the whole time. I can't fathom what it would be like to go through this with your husband of almost 62 years, but I'm sure its supposed to be done just like she did it. She didn't want to go home last night ("He wouldn't leave me, so I won't leave him") so I stayed at the hospital with her last night. Luckily, Grandma fell asleep before midnight and is still sleeping now at 7:30. I didn't do much for her, but its nice to take care of one that's taken care of me so many, many times.
Grandpa's nurse says he's starting to stir just a bit, so he may not be sedated much longer. He's not "out of the woods" yet but everything is looking good.
Thank you for your prayers. From the bottom of my Grandpa's heart.

Tomorrow is the Beginning

As you know, I'm in Iowa visiting with my family before my Grandpa Willy's (triple) bypass surgery. Grandpa will be at the hospital at 11 in the morning to start the process for his surgery. Right now some of us are watching a video from his doctor's appointment yesterday. If you know my Grandpa you know its not unusual that he had my Uncle Terry aim a video camera at the doctor during the visit. He explained that the surgery is of course a risk, but its the lesser of 2 evils as his blockage will most definitely cause a heart attack. There is a 5% chance of not making it through and a 5% chance of complications. Pretty good numbers in Papa's favor. His surgeon told him yesterday "I'll make a deal with you. You pray for me and I'll pray for you." So I'm asking you to please pray for Dr. Beggerly, along with Grandpa Willy. Apparently he's known as one of the best heart surgeons in the state, so that's reassuring in its own way.

Grandpa just got us all together to talk to us all. I don't remember him ever calling a "family meeting." I've also never seen my Grandpa choke back tears like I just did as he thanked us all for being here and basically told us that he loves us. He said he knew we'd all pray for him so I believe he knows he will come through this. He also thanked us all for the memories, so I also believe he understands the severity. If you know my family, you know my Grandpa fighting tears means the rest of us streaming tears. We are a group of Believers so we are believing tomorrow is the beginning of a healthier Grandpa. But we are also an emotionally attached family so we know what's on the line. And that's why you will find each one of us on our knees tonight. Please help us pray for peace for my Grandpa.

As a stated in an earlier post, my Grandpa is the strongest man I've ever known. And that's not an exaggeration by any means. My dad was the other one. I've already lost him and I believe losing Grandpa Willy will be the next hardest thing in my adult life. And I'm not ready.

Grandpa

I'm off to Iowa. We'll know today when Grandpa's surgery is. Please pray that everything goes well. Grandpa is the strongest man I've ever know so if anyone can make it through this, its him!  I'll keep you updated. 

A Better Shot

Busy and Buzzed

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while. We had a weekend filled with everything from baseball games to high school graduations and subsequent parties to spending time with relatives in town. And in between all of that, I've been trying to figure out the best plan to get home to Iowa to visit my Grandpa before he has a triple bypass this week. 

BUT TODAY Aunt Kirsten came for a visit and brought her clippers.  Kiefer's blonde hair just got a little trim. Reagan, on the other hand, got his first summer buzz. His crazy cowlicks really leave us no choice. :) 

 

He definitely looks like the big brother now. 

Too Scary

Okay, so I'm not sure what's happened to me. I used to watch scary movies. I "grew up" watching horror films. I may have closed my eyes during the very worst parts, but I could handle most of it. In high school, my favorite movie was "Scream." I saw it in the theater more than once (I think the only time that's happened), I owned it, I had it memorized. In college, anytime a scary movie came out, I always saw it. Fast forward to today. "Scream" was on tv. I watched part of it in the middle of the afternoon. And I had to turn the channel during the scary parts. I don't watch scary movies anymore. They're too scary. There was a preview of some looks-way-too-freaky-for-me Liv Tyler movie on tv today and I couldn't even watch the whole trailer. I don't know what's happened. I guess it's not a bad thing. Just weird. Thanks for listening. :)

(Somehow I can still handle reading thriller/crime novels. And some pretty graphic ones. Hmm)

Reagan Hearts Music

Just a little snapshot of Reagan enjoying music. He loves it all, but particularly when cute girls are singing :)  He danced, clapped and turned circles during the entire performance.