The Scariest Day of my Life

Most of you know of the events that took place earlier this week, but of course I feel the need to document it for my own memory's sake here on the blog.  I've added a few details that I left out when I originally posted the update on FB.

April 15, 2014

Some of you are aware of what happened this afternoon but most are not, so I am writing this from my hospital bed in ICU at Vanderbilt to let you know.

This afternoon I picked Kyndall up from pre-school and headed across the street to Dairy Queen for our weekly ice cream treat before dance class.  It was just the two of us.  As soon as I got out of the car I knew something wasn't right so we went straight to the bathroom at DQ, where I realized that I had once again lost a GREAT deal of blood.  The blood loss continued to the point that I had no choice but to lay down on the bathroom floor to keep myself from passing out.  I don't remember much, but I do remember sweet Kyndall laying down next to me on the floor as I went in and out of consciousness.  I continued to bleed and the more I did the faster I was losing consciousness.  I stood up several times to try and clean up the blood (in my mind I still thought I was going to clean up the bathroom and go on with my day), but each time I immediately began to get weak and had to lay back down.  When I finally decided I needed to call for help, I couldn't get to my phone.  I asked Kyndall if she could reach it but she couldn't because it was hanging on the back of the door in my purse.  I stood up to try and retrieve it and ended up passing out from a standing position, straight onto the tile bathroom floor.  I hit my head on the wall as I fell and then I blacked out.  When I woke up, Kyndall was telling me that I hit my head and that I fell on her.  But, I had in fact gotten my phone so as soon as I was able I called Matthew.  All I remember is seeing all of the blood all over the bathroom and wondering how I was going to clean it all up.  There was so much blood.

Matthew arrived, along with my friend LaShon, who works at the church which was just across the street.  LaShon took Kyndall away.  She had already seen way too much.  An ambulance was called and I was taken to Jackson General Hospital where I continued to pass out even after being under the care of the EMTs and nurses.  I was declared orthostatic, which basically means I could not stand up without losing consciousness.  There were MULTIPLE attempts to start an IV and they all ended with screams, tears and lots of bruises.  My veins were so dehydrated and collapsed that they had no choice but to use an ultrasound machine just to locate a vein in my arm.  They even mentioned putting an IV in my neck if they continued to have trouble starting one in my arms.  TERROR set in!

Finally, after nearly an hour, a vein was located and an IV was started.  The decision was made to promptly give me a blood transfusion because my labs reflected extremely low blood counts.  My sweet friend Jenny was working and took such great care of me.  It was such a GOD thing that she was on the schedule for that day.  

I had never had a blood transfusion until that day so the thought of it made me very emotional and I got a little (ok, a lot!) worked up over it.  They assured me I would be ok and that it was absolutely necessary to get my blood counts back up.  I don't know why, but the thought of having someone else's blood in my body just gave me the creeps.  But then again, I will soon have someone else's ORGAN in my body.....so what's the difference??  Jenny told me to think of it as an appetizer for my transplant.  She always makes me laugh!  

 Once they started the transfusion they told me they had contacted my doctors at Vanderbilt and that they wanted me transported to their ICU by way of helicopter as soon as possible.  WHAT?!  That's when I knew things were serious.  I cried again and begged them to just let me go by way of ambulance but they weren't budging.  I was critical and didn't even realize it.

During my transfusion when things were finally calm, we called my parents to let them know what was going on.  My Mom and sister had just left Jackson that very same morning and were ONE HOUR from being home in Tallahassee when they got the call!  They literally picked up my Dad and turned right around and headed back to Tennessee!  I felt so awful for them!  

My sweet friend and "second Mama" Mrs. Katherine Dement showed up in the ER and kept me company while I waited to be taken to Vanderbilt.  It was a great surprise and between Jenny and Mrs. Katherine, they kept me laughing and smiling during an otherwise very scary time!  What would I do without my wonderful friends??

As is typical for me, I began making lists in my head and on paper.  Although my bags had been packed for weeks, this wasn't the way I expected to end up in the hospital so there were some loose ends that needed tying up.  My car was still at Dairy Queen.  Kyndall needed extra clothes and shoes for her stay with LaShon.  The dogs needed to be let out.  I needed my bags, plus a few other things like my daily medications.  I had wet towels and sheets in the washing machine.  Kyndall needed an Easter basket for her school party on Thursday.  The details were unending and I was a little frantic because I really didn't know how long I would be gone or if they might even keep me until my liver offer came.  Matthew was such a great help and got all of it taken care of once I was taken away.

I heard the helicopter land at Jackson General and shortly after that they transferred me to a stretcher and began a second transfusion.  I was loaded up and ready to fly!  I said goodbye to Matthew, Jenny and Mrs. Katherine and off I went.  It was a weird feeling, being separated from Matthew and knowing I wouldn't see him again for several hours.  I had never flown in a helicopter before and I never imagined this would be how I experienced it for the first time.  The flight nurses were absolute angels.  We joked and laughed  and they covered me with warm blankets to control the tremors that my body was experiencing from the loss of blood.  I didn't know it at the time, but the female flight nurse actually asked Matthew for his number at some point and later that night long after they had dropped me off, she texted him and asked him how I was doing.  That's what I call going above and beyond the call of duty!  God is so gracious to always give me the most sensitive, caring nurses and doctors.

The helicopter was so much smaller than I ever imagined.  I really don't know how a person much bigger than myself could have possibly fit in there.  It was cozy to say the least!  I couldn't talk to the flight nurses during the ride because it was too loud.  My hands were strapped down, which made me a little nervous.  They began another blood transfusion during the flight and it was finished by the time we arrived at Vandy.

It was a bumpy but gorgeous ride.  The moon was full and bright and the city of Jackson looked so peaceful from above.  It was about 9:00 pm by this time so the twinkling lights below were so pretty.  Once I no longer recognized where we were I laid back and tried to relax.  For the first time all day I felt God's peace just wash over me.  It was so comforting, like nothing I had ever felt.  In the midst of serious chaos and pure terror, I was calm.  That can only be attributed to the peace that passes all understanding which comes from the Lord Himself.  I had no idea what to expect, but I just felt like whatever it was, I was ok with it.

I could see the neon lights of Nashville from far away and I knew we had to be getting close.  A few minutes later I began to recognize landmarks and I saw the bright white sign on top of the hospital that read VANDERBILT and I felt like I was coming home.  What normally takes 2 hours by car only took us 40 minutes by air.  We landed on top of the hospital and the bitterly cold night air took my breath away as they carried me out of the helicopter.  There was a police escort standing at the door to the hospital and the flight nurses said that was very unusual.  I joked and told them they must not have realized they were actually caring for Carrie Underwood all along.  =)  They got a good laugh out of it.  I still don't know why I received a police escort into the ICU, but perhaps it had something to do with the "royal treatment" that I always receive due to my standing on the transplant list....??  I really don't know.

When I got to my room I was immediately surrounded by many nurses and doctors, all working frantically to take vital sings and get me into a bed.  My clothes and hands were covered in dried blood so the sweet nurses helped me change and get cleaned up.

My vital signs were stable and I was resting comfortably.  They told me I would likely need another transfusion, as my blood counts were still critically low.  My liver team was made aware of what was going on and were working hard to establish an action plan.  

It takes a lot to really scare me and even more to convince me to go to the hospital.  But today, for the first time in my life I was truly scared.  I had never seen so much blood or felt so weak.  I really, truly thought that I was dying and that Kyndall was going to see it happen right in front of her innocent little 3 year old eyes.  I remember praying for God to just help me stand up.  I remember pressing my flushed face against the cold tile floor, desperately hoping that the coolness of that dirty floor would somehow keep me awake.  My feet were propped up on the sink, in hopes that the blood would rush back to my head.  I remember Kyndall telling me to "get up off the dirty floor" and I recall her crying because she just wanted to get some ice cream and go to dance class.  I pray that everything she saw and felt is already a distant memory.

I have asked Kyndall what she remembers about that day and sadly, she recalls it very well.  She tells me that I had a boo boo that was bleeding and that the blood was red.  She tells me it was a lot of blood and it was all over the bathroom.  She still says that I fell on top of her and that I hit my head.  I know for sure that I did in fact hit my head because I have an extremely tender spot on the right side, just above my ear.  She only talks about all of this when asked and doesn't seem to be too affected by it.  I surely hope it will soon escape her.

Matthew arrived at Vanderbilt later that night and our parents arrived in the wee hours of the morning.  I tried to sleep but I couldn't turn my mind off.  Plus, there were nurses buzzing all around me throughout the night, constantly taking my vitals and checking on me.  Turns out being in ICU is a pretty big deal!

A few pictures from Tuesday........

What would I do without these two?  They kept me smiling even through my tears as I waited to be flown to Vanderbilt.  In this picture I'm receiving my first ever blood transfusion.

Strapped down and getting ready to be loaded onto the helicopter

As word got around of what had happened, a dear sweet friend of mine started circulating this picture on Facebook, asking everyone to set it as their profile picture in my honor.  Pink and green are my favorite colors and of course AAKH are my initials.  I was (and still am!) so touched each time I sign onto FB and see the sea of pink and green all over my screen!  I definitely felt the love!  It's funny how something so simple can make a person feel so special.

The next morning I received a sweet surprise from my friends Dale and Michele Elliot back home in Tallahassee!  Once again, they remembered my love of pink and green!

Wednesday morning I received a third blood transfusion because my hemoglobin was still critically low.  Even though I felt fine and was able to stand and walk by this point, I was still far from being completely out of the woods!

My parents, my in-laws and my sister and brother-in-law all arrived around mid-morning and I was so glad to see them!  I had quite the entourage and thankfully the nurses were very sweet to bend the ICU rules and allow all of them to hang out in my room together.  Though the rules clearly state only TWO visitors at a time, at one point I had 11 people in my room!  It was a party in there!  =)

I had several visitors that day, beginning with my sweet friend Anna Panisiak.  My brain was clearly not working properly because I failed to get a picture with my beautiful friend.  She came bearing a goodie bag full of all my favorite things---from candy to magazines to cute fuzzy socks and my favorite Bath and Body scents.  She thought of it all!  It was a great surprise and such a comfort to see another familiar face.

Another surprise came just a little while later when Kyndall's teacher Mrs. Lila showed up!  Our family loves Mrs. Lila so much and we are so thankful for the way that she loves our Kyndall.  

Another delivery!  This one from our friend Misty who lives in Georgia.  I couldn't wait for Kyndall to see the giant bunny balloon!  My hospital room was by far the happiest, cheeriest room on the ICU floor!

In the afternoon a few of the doctors from the liver team came in to talk to me again.  They explained to me and my family what they believed to be the cause of all the bleeding.  By looking at CT scans from past procedures, they noticed a very large "juicy" (their words) vein that had formed in my abdomen, around the area of my liver.  Basically, when your liver is so badly scarred and damaged like mine it can no longer function in the ways necessary to transfer blood to and from the heart.  So, my body forms tiny blood vessels called varices to try and get the blood where it needs to go by bypassing the liver.  As liver disease progresses, these can become very dangerous due to the increasing pressure that is put on them.  In my case, there were many varices noted, but one much more significant than the others.  The ultimate cure for all of this is a liver transplant.  Once a new liver is in place, all of this will resolve on its own.  But until then, something had to be done.  So, the doctors explained the decision that they had made to fix this.  I would undergo a procedure in which a tiny line was run through my side, down through my liver and directly into the varix that was causing the problems.  Tiny metal coils would be put in place which would embolize the blood vessel, which basically means it would no longer work.  The metal coils stay in my body forever and will even be seen on future scans.  Pretty amazing!  The doctors felt pretty confident that this would resolve the internal bleeding issues and buy me some time until my transplant.  The procedure was scheduled for the following day, Thursday.

A few of the liver docs explaining the procedure to me

The doctors ordered an ultrasound of my abdomen that day, with images of my liver, spleen, kidneys, etc.  I'm not sure exactly sure what they found but I joked with the tech that she better not find any babies in there!!!

One of the greatest highlights of my day on Wednesday was FINALLY getting permission to eat!!  I hadn't been allowed to have any food or liquids up to that point, which meant it had been about 36 hours since my last meal.  I put in my request for chicken fingers, fries and a sweet tea and my Mom and sister retrieved it for me from the cafeteria downstairs!  Hospital food never tasted so good!  I enjoyed it while it lasted because when midnight rolled around I would once again be forbidden to consume anything, in preparation for my embolizing procedure the next afternoon.  I may or may not have eaten nearly that entire bowl of Star Bursts after I finished my chicken fingers and fries.

Hanging out with the best brother-in-law in the world!

Matthew's parents left and headed to Jackson to relieve LaShon from taking care of Kyndall.  I am so very thankful for her help during all of this!  Ironically, Matthew just hired LaShon's husband James as an employee last week, so James was also very helpful in retrieving my car from the DQ (where I will never show my face again!!) as well as passing Kyndall's overnight bags off to LaShon.  It's just amazing the way God was weaving the details of this dramatic event together, even last week before it ever happened.  I am also very thankful to our sweet friend Pam who went over to our house several times and let our fur babies out and give them some love.

LaShon sent me this picture and clearly she was having fun with Kyndall!  LaShon has three boys, so I have a feeling she loved the pig tails as much as Kyndall did!

Kyndall and Jackson, passed OUT in LaShon's car later that afternoon!  I love this one!

Pam sent this picture of Cam when she went over to let him out

At 5:00 Wednesday afternoon the doctors came in and declared that I was officially released from the ICU and would be moved to a room in the critical care tower.  PRAISE!  I was still under strict care, but they believed at this point it was no longer necessary for me to be in the ICU.  My new digs were not quite as fancy as the ones in ICU, with a much smaller room which proved interesting for accommodating my entourage of cheerleaders!

I also took this opportunity to change into my own PJs, freshen up my make up (yes, I know) and just make myself feel better with a little pampering.

How many IVs do you spy??  That would be THREE!

Back home, Nonie was very good about sending me pictures of my sweet girl which reassured me that she was happy and well taken care of.  I was missing her so bad!!

Excited to be with Nonie and Poppie!

I had two more visitors that day---First, my sister's friend Emily who flew all the way to Nashville from Jacksonville, FL.  She literally flew in around 7:00 pm and had to fly out the next morning by 7:00 am.  WOW!  What a special and meaningful sacrifice that was for her to book a last minute flight, hotel, rental care, etc. all just to be there to support not only my sister but also my entire family.  We love you Emily and are so thankful for your willingness to drop everything just to show your support for us!

Lastly, around 10:30 pm the chaplain from Matthew's company made a visit to my room.  He was passing through Nashville on his way back to Jackson and asked if he could come by and pray with us.  I never turn down an opportunity for prayer so I said "absolutely!"  He was so gracious and brought both Matthew and I great comfort with his heartfelt prayer.  I am so glad my husband works for a company that is deeply rooted in Christian values.

At 6:30 am on Thursday morning I was told I would be receiving several bags of fresh frozen plasma blood products in order to prepare my body for the embolizing procedure.  Because of the risk of bleeding during the operation, they were still working hard to get my labs and blood counts to a certain point where it would be safe to go in and start manipulating things.  I received a second bag of plasma at 7:30 am, a third bag at 9:00 am and a fourth bag at 11:30 am.  They actually wanted a fifth bag infused but they ran out of time before my procedure had to begin and they felt pretty safe with what I had been given.  

Receiving my FFP infusions (fresh frozen plasma)

I would like to take this opportunity to mention my new platform, which is blood donation.  Everyone knows I'm a huge advocate for organ donation but through this experience I learned that blood donors are just as important as organ donors!  If you're able to give blood, please consider doing so.  It literally saved my life and it could very well save yours someday!  

Just before I was taken back for my procedure, the team came in and gave me the news that I was now #1 on the liver transplant list for my blood type!!!  I couldn't believe my ears.  Feelings of unexplainable excitement as well as complete fear rushed over me all at the same time.  Suddenly I felt that this was all getting very real, very fast.  I wondered if I would even go home?  Maybe my liver offer would come before I was even released from the hospital?!  Either way, we were all very thankful.  To celebrate being #1, my sister and Michael got me a little surprise from the gift shop.  

Two of my greatest loves---the color pink and Vanderbilt University Medical Center

More happy pictures to make my heart smile from back home in Jackson.  Nonie and Kyndall had a girls day at the nail salon after school!

Getting spoiled with Easter goodies!

Fun with Poppie

Making a bunny cake with Nonie 

At 1:30 pm on Thursday they took me to the radiology department for my procedure.  I normally don't get too nervous about such things, but for some reason I was just very uneasy about this one.  The risk of bleeding just scared me so badly.  I wasn't afraid of pain or the incision, but just all of the "what ifs" and things that could go wrong, given my fragile state.  As is typical, the nurses and doctors who performed the procedure were wonderful and put my mind at ease.  Well, actually it was probably the versed that put me at ease but I remained calm, nonetheless!  =)  They made a very small incision on my right side and with the help of ultrasound, they guided the needle and the coils through my liver and into the verix.  The entire procedure took about 2 hours I believe.

Leaving my room, headed down to the radiology operating room.  I loved my transporter!  His happiness was infectious, which is something I love!  He ended up being my transporter again the day I was discharged and he remembered me.  =)

Still out of it from the anesthesia but back in my room following the procedure.....

When I woke up in my room a while later, I was in a lot of pain.  My entire right side was tender and with each breath it felt like a knife was going directly into my rib cage.  I begged for pain medicine and they gave it to me.  When the pain subsided and I was able to talk and listen, the nurse attending to me said that as far as he knew everything went well and the procedure was successful.  I was still anxious to hear from my doctor, though.

Now that the procedure was behind me I was cleared to eat once again.  I have no idea why but I requested the exact same meal from the time before.  Chicken fingers and fries.  I'm a creature of habit I suppose!

At 6:30 that night my own personal liver doctor, Dr. Scanga (whom I adore!) came in to visit me.  I was giddy!  Although I grew to love the liver team, there is nothing like talking with your own doctor who directly cares for you on a weekly, or in my case daily basis.  He's one of those doctors who has great bedside manners and just really seems to care.  He didn't have to come by and see me but he did.  He read me the procedure notes from earlier in the day and said that as far as he could tell everything went according to plan.  We talked about my #1 placement on the transplant list and he reminded me that it can be temporary, but that I will definitely remain in the top two since my MELD score is very competitive.  Every single hour things are changing.  Other transplant patients are getting sicker, which could bump them ahead of me.  Others are receiving their livers, which would move me up.  It's never definite until you get the call.  But the excitement (and fear) remained no matter the actual number.  Just being in the top 5 is a big deal.

Dr. Scanga!!!  He's the best!

My faithful husband who never left my side and slept in my room every single night.  What would I do without him?  We will be celebrating 6 years of marriage in less than a week and I'm so thankful that he has stuck by my side on this crazy adventure!  I love you Matthew!

More happiness flooded my room when these gorgeous flowers (pink and green of course!!) were delivered to my hospital room.  They were from Pam and I could not get enough of them.  They are just so ME!  We love you, Pam!!

How could I not smile when I looked around my hospital room? 

Sweet Easter goodies from my in-laws

Friday morning I was blessed with another sweet visitor, this time a precious soul which I have never even met in person.  Ginny is the sister of my good friend Corinna.  (Stick with me.....) Corinna was my clinical instructor in dental hygiene school.  Corinna lives in Tallahassee but Ginny and her family live in Nashville.  Last year when I had my surgery Corinna put me in touch with Ginny through Facebook.  As it turns out, Ginny was good friends with and attended the same church as the surgeon who would be performing my colectomy.  Are you still with me??  ANYWAY......I had never met Ginny but felt like I knew her just through all of the connections.  Just more proof that God is so into the details!  I was so excited when she came bouncing into my hospital room early Friday morning!!  She sat and visited with me and Matthew for a while and also came bearing sweet gifts, even one for Kyndall.  My heart was so touched by the generosity of a perfect stranger who showed love to me and my family during our time of need.  

After Ginny left I had one last visitor, my friend Amanda whom I have known since middle school.  Amanda lives in Nashville and although I don't get to see her often, she has been very sweet to always visit me during my hospital stays.  Once again, I was showered with more goodies, all of which were my very favorite things!  I loved seeing Amanda and catching up as well as reminiscing about the good ole days!

I was told that I still needed one more blood transfusion because for some unknown reason my blood counts had dropped again overnight.  They gave me another bag of blood and told me if I tolerated it alright I would be released!!  It was no longer just Good Friday.....it was GREAT Friday!!  

Receiving my last blood transfusion before being released!

As expected, the transfusion went just fine and I was on my way out of that place!  But not before having to go through the awful experience of having all those IVs taken out.  That surgical tape is no joke!  The pain from having that stuff ripped off my skin ranks up there with labor pains in my book!  It's the worst!

No, I'm not laughing in this picture

So happy to be on my way home!!!  Easter weekend with my family awaited me!

So long, Vandy!  Next time I see you I'll be getting my new liver!

The first order of business after being released from four days in the hospital was getting my Coke Icee fix.  Several people offered to bring me one during my stay, but my doctors and nurses didn't quite agree with that idea.  But now I'M in charge and I say I've earned it!  =)

The moment I had been waiting for----Seeing my sweet baby girl run into the driveway exclaiming "MOMMY!!!"  She greeted me with a big hug, lots of kisses and several surprises including a welcome home sign, some artwork and a bunny cake!  It felt so good to hug her and hear her little voice.  

Happy to see Daddy too!  And as expected, she quickly claimed the bunny balloon for herself!

Opening her gift from Mrs. Ginny

Although I probably should have rested for the remainder of the evening, I found myself running around with a great sense of urgency to get my bags repacked and ready to go again.  I washed all of the laundry that I had used from my hospital bag and reorganized all of my things and sat them in a nice row in my bedroom, where they will remain until I get my call.  I compare it to the feeling of "nesting" when you're pregnant.  I just have this urgency to get everything back into perfect order so that things run smoothly when we are called.  It would be so perfect if it happened this weekend while all of our family is here and how special would it be to receive a true Easter miracle?  But then again the thoughts of that happening send me into full blown panic, as I am definitely NOT ready for this.  I don't think I'll ever be ready.  Being in the hospital for four days gave me a SMALL taste of what it will be like but it doesn't even hold a candle to what I will experience following my transplant.  Six weeks sounds much scarier than four days.

Mom, Dad, Michael, Kelly and my in-laws all went to dinner last night and I stayed home with Kyndall to spend some time with her.  I was too tired to go and just wanted some down time with my girl.  Matthew went into work for a few hours to wrap up some things after being out nearly all week.  

Today my sister and Michael left and headed back to Florida.  The rest of us took Kyndall to "The Great Egg Drop" which was so much fun!!  I think the entire town of Medina was there!  A local church sponsored the event in which several THOUSAND (I heard 13,000) eggs were dropped from a helicopter onto the ground for the kids to find.  Well, more like pick up.  There was no hunting involved!  Kyndall thought it was so cool to see the helicopter flying over dropping those eggs and she especially got excited when I told her that Mommy had just flown in one of those.  I'll post pictures tomorrow in a separate entry.  

We spent the rest of the day running lots of errands as well as preparing for an Easter dinner tomorrow after church.  I was pretty bummed a few months ago when I was told I wouldn't be able to travel home for Easter, as this is my favorite holiday of the year.  So, I'm pretty excited that my family ended up here and we will still have a "somewhat normal" Easter celebration.  It still won't be like spending it at Grandma's house as I've done for the last 31 years but it will be special anyway.

I can't even begin to say thank you to all who reached out to us this past week.  I am so overwhelmed by the number of messages, calls, visitors, deliveries, etc. and I don't even know how to express my sincere gratitude.  Somehow the words "thank you" just don't seem like enough.  From those that helped with the details of taking care of our daughter, our animals and our home to those who simply sent me encouraging messages by way of Facebook---you all worked as a team to get us through this and I know that it's probably just a taste of what's to come.  We are so blessed and so thankful to have the love and support that we do.  Someday, I hope to be a blessing to others the way that you have all been to me.  This whole experience has made me so much more sensitive and aware of the importance of reaching beyond ourselves and doing for others what you would want done for you.  Sometimes without even being asked!  Lord, give me the gift of hospitality and mercy and the spirit of sensitivity so that I might be a blessing to those who may someday need me.  

Mostly though, I want to thank my incredible family who dropped everything on a moment's notice and came straight to Tennessee to be by my side.  Work schedules, social schedules and all obligations were put on hold on my behalf.  Each of them played an important role last week and they deserve recognition for all they did.  My in-laws took such great care of Kyndall and our house and our dogs in our absence.  My parents sat with me every single day at the hospital, from morning until night, helping me with whatever I needed.  My Mom and sister kept everyone updated and filtered through the thousands (literally) of messages on my behalf that were coming in.  Kelly kept a very accurate diary of all my visitors, gifts, daily events and even what was said word for word each time the doctors came in to talk to us.  My Dad kept us laughing with his witty sense of humor and Michael proved to be the "go boy", fetching whatever we needed as soon as we needed it.  And of course Matthew was there every moment of every day, putting up with my demands and even biting his tongue when my temper would get the best of me and I wasn't very nice.  He also gets credit for helping to clean up the Dairy Queen bathroom.  Bless him!

This will definitely be an Easter to remember, as I am reminded of the great sacrifice that Jesus paid on my behalf in order to give me this wonderful, perfect life that I live!  How can I possibly complain??

All my love to my faithful friends and family!  You will never know your worth!

XOXOXO