Pit Party!!

Lisa ready to tear it UP!

A few weeks ago Carmela told me she was ready to wax her armpit hair!  I was fired-up!  It was a mother/daughter moment I had been hoping for since she started growing mature hair two years ago.  Because my pits were also a mess, we called up Aunt Lisa and begged for help.  She was as jazzed as I was.  We rolled into her salon with the whole family (SoJo and Caleb as witnesses) and got busy.  I went first to show Carmela how awesome it is to slather hot wax in your pits and then rip it off with all the hair.  

My first arm went great, and the second pit was hysterical.  Since I can't lift my left arm, Adam was implored and gladly volunteered to help.  He held up the appendage as high as it could go - about 70 degrees; Lisa crawled under and slapped the wax up in there, then came around my head and ripped as I protected my atrophy with my right arm, and Adam guarded his privates.  I wish I had a video.  We were like Circ du Soleil, and with bit of contortion on Lisa's part, and the hair was out. 

So fresh and clean!

Next it was Carmela's turn.  I was electrified to photo document our hairy pits together, and she refused.  I was thrilled to be in the room with her and hold her hand, and she refused.

She thought I was nuts!  She kicked us all out and had her moment with Aunty Lisa.  Twenty minutes later she emerged with the freshest pits she has had in years, and she let me take a picture to prove it!  THANK YOU LISA!!  

Maybe we shouldn't have had SoJo as a witness.  We completely freaked her out.  She already plans to use a razor when the time comes, and I'll be happy to help her learn how to do that too.  

Packing Our Bags

I arrived in CA with a backpack.  No checked luggage.  All I had with me was over my shoulder.  The  rucksack contained what I had packed for my 5 day trip to Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls with my parents in November.

This is just the beginning...  

Adam and the kids rolled in with two checked bags.  Everything fit in one piece of luggage, but they decided to spread it out into two pieces.

This is what we are going back with.  Five checked bags, all maxed out on weight and five carry-ons.  Yikes!!  Get ready Madryn.  I hope we got your orders correct!  Nos Vemos PRONTO!!!! Besos!

Some of Our Favorite New Titles for the Blog!

Thank you Ainsley Seago for this fabulous gift!
If you need artwork done, I'll send you her info!

We Loved Your Suggestions!  Thank You!

The Gift of a Life

Jesus Took the Wheel

The Time is Now

A Year to Blog About

Sabbatical 2017-2018: When Anne's Skull Went Missing









Argentina Interrupted

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

Jesus Redux

Leache's Take II: Sabbatical, Mites and a New Shoulder

I Left My Skull in Buenos Aires - and other ballads from our sabbatical year

Thank You, YouCaring

Thank You Jeff Calbom for the photos!
If you need some portraits in So. Cal. I'll pass on his contact info!

The last two months have been quite an adventure for our family.  We are completely amazed and grateful for your love, prayers, and generosity.  We can not thank you enough for the kindness and support you have shown our family. 

The financial assistance was tremendous as we paid all of the hospital bills in Argentina out of pocket.  Your donations covered nearly half of our expenses.  That is HUGE.  I have greater joy than to stay alive and spread and share your love back with the world. 

Kids are hard at work at Charles Schwab, trying to make money to
pay mom's bills.  They are in the branch manager's office -
aka their godmother's office - Karen Jordan!  Love you!!

Our US heath insurance company, Kaiser, initially denied our requests for reimbursement. We understand that insurance companies are a business, and it is their job to try to get out of all financial responsibility.  We are following up, and we are hopeful that they will come through, and at a minimum, pay for my US coverage and brain surgery in June!  That one is in God’s hands. 

Yeah!  Reading time!

With this gift of life, our family is going on with our usual antics.  Our time together is a little sweeter.  Much to the kids’ dismay, I truly enjoy doing homework with them!  Even though they are on summer vacation, I relish reading, writing, exploring, mastering mathematics, and studying science with them!  My favorite times are curled up with Caleb reading on the couch, watching SoJo master a book she didn’t believe she could, and analyzing literature with Carmela – she just finished The Diary of Anne Frank and The Outsiders – both great conversation starters!!  Next she is reading Ender's Game.  Too much fun!  We laugh, bicker, eat, and pray together.  Life is good!

Thank you; Thank you; Thank you; Your love and support is a humbling gift.  We cannot thank you enough.  Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts.   

Figuring Out a New Normal

The atrophy is pronounced
above my left ear.

Sometimes at night as I am falling asleep, I gently explore my shaved head and carefully trace the exposed part of my brain.  The oblong circle passes above my left ear, half a centimeter from my left eye, and up and around and back to the tip of my ear.  If I leave my fingers on the gap I can feel blood pulsing through my brain.  It is weird.  I reflect and try to grasp when this become my new normal, and how long will this be my new normal?

I am still working out what my new normal is and how it will evolve through time.  Right now, there are so many things I can't do... drive, lift my left arm, run, yoga, get dressed easily, tie my shoes, manage my personal hygiene to the level I would like 😁  the list goes on...

I wonder if I will go back to running or if I will find another outlet for my energy.  I know my body will always display the evidence, but I wonder if my activities will enjoy a full recovery or if they will remain scarred and altered.  What will normal look like a year from now? 

For the last four years, my daily morning runs were not just a time for my physical body, but also my hour for prayer and mediation.  I have a litany of prayers I say each day, and 60 minutes was the perfect amount of time.  The prayers don't actually take that long, but when trying to keep my wandering mind focused, I always need an hour.  So although I don't remember it, chances are good that I was praying at the exact moment I was hit by the car driven by Jesus (sorry, I can't help it, it totally cracks me up every time I say it).  That thought brings me peace.

The last prayer in my litany is for my family, and near the end I ask God that we have the "Wisdom, the Strength, the Courage, and the Knowledge to know God's will and follow God's will every day of our lives."

I have to laugh because if this "New Normal" is God's will, it is not exactly what I had in mind when I said that prayer prior to getting hit.  I was hoping for something more along the lines of an exotic and interesting volunteer opportunity...  HA!

I to enjoy the blessings that I have.  I thank God that my brain under the thin piece of skin is intact and healthy.  I am grateful that I can walk.  I put my trust in God and find peace.

Going Back to SUMMER!!! And Brain Surgery....

We have our plane tickets back to Argentina, and we are ALL excited and ready to go!  Summertime and friends, here we come!  We fly out on January 14th, and we arrive at our new MITE FREE home on the 15th.

The kids can't wait to enjoy bunk beds in their room - they are already arguing over who gets what bed, and I am SO psyched to have a washing machine!!  No more hand washing clothes and no more over-priced laundry!!  Yeah!!!!!!  I have never been so excited about washing clothes in my life!!  It is awesome.

Our location is fabulous - a few houses away from our dear friend Stella, a block from Lula and 3 blocks from the beach.  Good times.  My mouth is already jonesing for mate!  

Our round trip tickets bring us back to the States on June 12th.  The kids will stay with family in Southern California, and Adam and I will go to Seattle where I hope to get my brain surgery asap.  Nothing is set in stone, so please send a prayer our way that this will all go smoothly, and if we have learned anything in the last 6 weeks, it is that navigating ANYTHING smoothly with our health insurance company Kaiser is impossible.  

The kids are really going to miss their cousin Joy!! 

I am planning to return to the classroom and Seattle Public Schools in mid-August, so I am passionate that I receive my cranioplasty as soon as possible.  If you ever want to freak yourself out - Google image search cranioplasty!!  Dang!!!  What in the world???  I want one of these??  Life is so crazy; I have to laugh!

A New Name for the Blog?

Happy New Year!!!  

Has this really been a Gift of a Year?  It is time to rethink the name of this blog as we turn from 2017 to 2018.  Our year sabbatical doesn't end until July 2018, but the blog is in need of some rebranding.

Here are some ideas ADAM came up with:

Regifting a Year - Any Takers?

The New Adventures of Zipperhead

Jesus Drives Like Shit

Any creative thoughts?  Please leave a comment.  We would love to read them and laugh - or take them seriously... If that is possible.