Our "Month" Away From Blogging

Hard to believe a month has gone by since my last entry. We have been on one hell of a roller coaster ride. Some awesome moments and some not so great moments.

Leaving off from my last post on Ashley's garage sale. She had a great turn out. I think she figured she sold $2,200 worth of items ($350 of that was our items which will go nicely towards our trip to Florida in December for Christmas). She claims the sale put a dent in the amount of stuff we had for sale.

Once the weather started to warm up, we were able to plant flowers and get the outside ready for summer. We've had a couple bon-fires, set the pool up and Jake has been busy playing with the neighbor kids. He's at the stage now the moment we get home from work/daycare, he's out the door wanting to find his friends. I have to remind myself that neighborhood friendships are long lasting and memories are being made to last a life time.

We made the trip to Starbuck for our nephew Sam's graduation party on June 15th then drove to Monte aftewards to spend the evening with my parents/sister. On our way back home on Father's Day, we stopped by Ashley/Trevor's spending a few hours there.

Now let the roller coaster begin ....

On June 3rd, my brother Jon was scheduled for surgery to remove his stomach due to cancer. Once in surgery, it was more extensive than initially thought. The cancer had spread to parts of Jon's colon and lymph nodes. The surgeon was able to remove not only the stomach, but parts of the colon along with the lymph nodes. Within the next few days, Jon had gotten up and walked a little, he was talking, joking around, ate his first meal (1/2 slice of toast, cup of apple juice). But by Friday morning into the evening, Jon had taken a turn for the worse. He was airlifted from Glenwood to St Cloud on Saturday June 8th. Pneumonia had set in and he was having a hard time breathing.

Once the doctors in St Cloud got a better look at Jon's lungs, they found that he had aspirated while having the tube put in for the respirator causing his "fingers" in his lung to plug with mucus. They were able to "unplug" it allowing Jon to breathe easier. Jon also had high potassium levels and his kidneys were starting to shut down. But with the grace of God, those levels came down and he was outputting his liquids again so dialysis wouldn't be performed that night. I think we counted well over 40 friends and family in the waiting room that Saturday afternoon. Each and every one of us had a moment with Jon reminding him how much he is loved and how many of us are praying for him to get better. It sure was a day that I would never like to relive.

Two in a half weeks later, Jon has been moved out of ICU to the next level down. He's stable, but has been through so much. He did have dialysis a few times, he's been in and out of OR to have his midsection flushed out and checked to for leakage. We are glad he's awake and some what knows what is going on. Right now, we need him to rest but his body isn't allowing him too with the meds he's on. His wife Kim has been by his side from day one and we are so grateful for that. We have learned to take "One Day At A Time"! Jon is a fighter and we have no doubt he won't stop fighting. If you feel like following Jon's journey please join us on his caring bridge website.

Also a benefit to help with hospital/living expenses is being held on August 17th at the VFW in Montevideo. Come join the fun - Hog Roast & Silient Auction.