Totally Tubular

I love my brave, funny, sweet husband so much! This is quite a journey he's on, but he's handling better than you could ever believe!



Today was another hard day with bursts of greatness. He goes from doing very well to being in terrible pain. Instead of moaning or yelling or verbally complaining, he sits there and tries to control it. His body has started to shake uncontrollably when he gets too uncomfortable. It is something awful to watch. Twice today he has gotten bad shakes on his walk. I was nervous he was going to fall. Nope. He powered through both times. When he gets back in bed, the nurses will give him shots of morphine to try and take the edge off. Sorry, I'm not painting a very positive picture.

Today they removed his catheter and his chest tubes. Before removing his THREE chest tubes, the nurse said it would be a sting. HA! That was one whopper of a lie! I guess they have to tell that lie so that the patients do not tense up too much and make the removal more difficult. Two of the tubes go up from just below his ribs and curve up around his heart. I just asked the nurse how far. He told me they are in there about TEN INCHES. Their job is to remove extra fluid and air so that his lungs can expand. The third tube only (hee hee) goes up about five inches. Removal of the tubes is a two nurse job. They tell the patient to breathe out and then they pull and pull. The pain was off the chart. The good news is that he is now more comfortable. Go figure!



It just became 2009. I watched my cell phone to get the official call that it was midnight and then planted a big kiss on Max's sleeping lips. I felt bad that it caused a big shock and woke him up. He just smiled at me and wished me a happy new year. He is so sweet! I heard the nurses out in the hall preparing themselves for a toast to the new year. (Sure hope that was grape juice they were drinking!) ;) While I'm speaking of nurses, I think they are incredible people with such big hearts and great talents! We literally see Max's doctor for 5 minutes a day. (Not saying that is bad, just pointing out that the nurses are there through it all!) I remember being amazed at just how much they do during my four child bearing experiences. Again, I find myself in awe of the nursing profession. Thank you so much, nurses, for your thankless job and long hours. You are the best! Max's nurse, Dwayne, that he has tonight and last night has probably answered ten thousand questions I had. He's been fun to talk to. He let me know his wife has a blog, so I spent some time checking out her gorgeous photography and their beautiful daughter.

I lost about four paragraphs I typed just now when I lost my connection, but I think I had better go to bed instead of recreating. Just know that I was trying to upload a really cute picture of Max. I'll try again tomorrow(Jan. 1)--you need to see this.

Mom--thanks for letting me borrow your lap top. Please tell the kids how much we miss and love them. Trish, Dena, Misha, Nancy, and Mom--thanks for showing the kids such a good time while Max and I have a long "date" at Presbyterian Hospital. Everyone else, thank you thank you! Your love, prayers and support are making such a big difference.

Happy and healthy New Year!

Day Two in the Hospital

Misha Posting:

Hi all -- Since Michelle is at the hospital tonight with Max, she asked if I would post an update for everyone. I don't think I can be as cute and funny as she is, but at least you will have the information. . .

Max had an uneventful night, but contrary to what the nurses told her, Max actually DID ask for Michelle when he woke up, and of course he was disappointed when he couldn't see her. I'm sure he understood, but when she arrived this morning, he just kept saying how happy he was to see her and telling her how beautiful she was and how he had missed her. Sweet! Needless to say, tonight she won't be leaving his side. I don't think she left it today either. There is a window seat in his hospital room that has a cushion seat, or she will just sleep in the chair beside him, but she'll be there.

He had a pretty rough day with a lot of pain. The worst thing was that he kept vomiting (from the pain meds and/or the anesthesia). He had to hug a pillow to his chest while vomiting, I guess to keep his chest from popping open. I can only imagine how painful this must have been, not only for Max but for Michelle watching him do it. Yikes. They are continually adjusting his anti-nausea medicines to try to control the vomiting. I think the nausea/vomiting is better this evening, as he was eating graham crackers and applesauce.

They also gave him several breathing treatments during the day after which they made him cough. He said the pain during the coughing and vomiting was a 10 on a scale of 1-10. Michelle says Max is being very brave and strong when dealing with all the pain.

Early in the day, they had him sit up and dangle his legs over the edge of the bed. Then, around 6 p.m., he actually got up out of bed and walked a lap and a half around the hospital floor! I should mention that Max has been a perfect patient (of course). He is very cooperative and does everything the nurses ask. There is a particularly nice nurse, Cheryl, who really appreciates him being so good. Because she likes him, she gave him a second gown to wear during his walk so as not to give undue thrills to the female heart patients who are trying to recover. :) The nurses were cheering him on during this walk, saying "slow down," "put on the brakes," and "you're smokin!" I'm so impressed that he is already up and walking.

Undoubtedly the highlight of his day was when Juju brought all four kids to the hospital for a visit! They were super happy to see their daddy.

Anyway, it seems that all is going as it should. There is a small concern this evening for some pericarditis (inflammation of the thin membrane that surrounds the heart). Max is much more comfortable in a sitting position. I'm assuming this is routine after heart surgery, but like anything else it will need to be treated and monitored.

Michelle said to thank everyone again for the prayers, thoughts, calls, blog comments (I read them to her), babysitting, dinners, and anything else I have forgotten. They truly appreciate everyone and all you have done!

Surgery Day

Today started with a bang--a 6:45 AM wake up call wondering why Max wasn't already at the hospital. This was their mistake, not ours, but they still wanted us to get to the hospital as quickly as we could. Max really hates being rushed, especially when stressed. We planned on an easy morning with family bonding an a relaxed drive over. Instead, we had six crazy and stressed people trying to get dressed and out the door in a flash. We did pretty well, I'd say. I think we arrived at the hospital around 7:30, maybe 7:45.

I took quite a few pictures of the morning but I am quickly losing steam. Before the pictures, I'd like to express just how much all of you with your comments, our family, and friends mean to us! There were so many people who stopped by to pray, offer support, bring food, call, or leave messages on the blog. We are blessed beyond belief. Thank you so very, very much! I am so happy to have today almost over with happy news.

This picture was taken with Dr. Levy right before leaving the prep room. The man seriously has the BEST bedside manner on the planet! Here he is listening to a slightly loopy Max before he was whisked off to surgery. Bob, one of the pastors from our church, was in the room with me. Dr. Levy gathered us together before leaving the room and said, "I think we should get together and have some words." Pray we did! It meant a lot to me that Dr. Levy was willing to have our pastor pray to Jesus knowing that he was Jewish. (Sam, cool or what?!) He is great that way. What a guy caring enough to help us feel comforted. Dr. Levy's 36 year old partner died this past week while traveling at the airport in Houston with his family. He is unsure the cause of death right now. Paramedics tried for an hour and a half to revive him. I think his partner's wife called Dr. Levy for help while he was in surgery with a patient so that he could assist them. I know there wasn't much he could do from far away, but he tried what he could on the phone. He told us on Friday that he was really sad and now he's angry. They were close friends--their wives carpooled, hung out, etc. Why I shared this random story you ask? I thought there might be a good deal of you who would like to pray for Dr. Levy and his partner's family and friends. I also respect him for going through with Max's surgery. He had to miss his funeral in North Carolina because of his obligations here, but will attend his memorial to be held in Albuquerque in the coming month.
The nurse on the left is Paige. That precious lady called me every hour to update me on Max's surgery. It really meant a lot hearing how well things were going. The man on the right is the anesthesiologist who told me he'd take great care of my husband. He didn't lie and I'm so grateful to him and the whole team who worked so hard for a successful outcome.

If you do not want to see Max in the hospital bed, stop here. I asked him before he went in if he was OK with me showing him in all his glory to keep you all updated. He told me that he trusted me to show tasteful, non-drooling pictures. Why does he want to ruin all my fun? (I kid!)

Brooke (our nine year old daughter) and I got to go in and see him for a while. He was heavily sedated because they were trying to control his blood pressure and warm him back up. The nurse told me he was 34 degrees, colder than they'd like. I spent the rest of the afternoon fretting about him being near freezing temperature. Later while talking to the nurse on the phone, I realized we were talking in different languages. She was Celsius and I was Fahrenheit. I know, I know--silly me! What can I say? I was stressed.

She explained to me that they really do not like the family hanging out the first day. She said it is much harder on them and the patients. She said Max would be sedated for at least six hours, probably longer, and that it would be best if I came back in the morning to see him. It was really hard to leave when I saw him looking so helpless.

I talked to his night nurse about two hours ago. She told me that he is doing beautifully well. His blood pressure is good and he is making plenty of urine. Yea--urine! It's the simple things in life. She told me that they would be easing up on his sedation, possibly removing his breathing tube around midnight. I also asked her if she thought I should stay away. She told me that patients do much better if their loved ones are not around. She said they can see the stress on faces and that causes them more stress. She told me the best thing I could do was stay home while they get him settled and remove the tubes.

I just called her again. She verified that he was still OK and that he should be alert around midnight. So sad to be missing him wake up. She said again that she didn't want me around and not to feel guilty because he won't remember much any way.

I guess I'll go hug my pillow and pray grateful prayers for today. Sleep well, my hubby. We miss you terribly.

He Made It!!

Thanks to God, Max made it through surgery just fine.  I'll post more in a bit.  It is my sister and brother-in-law's last night in town, and I want to spend some time with them.

Just real quick--he's still sedated, but his nurse assures me he is doing beautifully.  I'll take that for now.  

I'll be back later.  

AHHHHHH!!

Just got a 6:45 AM call asking why Max wasn't at the hospital.  Apparently, they moved up his surgery but forgot to tell the patient.  We're rushing to get ready now.  Pray earlier!  Love ya

Snap! Crackle! Pop!

So tomorrow (Monday) is the big, rib splitting day.  

He is slated for surgery at 1 PM at Presbyterian Hospital.  If you're the praying type, please say a ginormous one for my sweet Maxie.  I'm hoping to have my sister post for me tomorrow to update everyone on how things went.  

Thanks again for all your love, support and prayers!  

Saturday Special

We headed out to Galloping Grace this afternoon with my sister and brother-in-law to show them how things have changed since their last visit.  They were impressed with all that got accomplished from the last big work day in September.  

It is pretty sad not seeing any horses there.  It was way too cold for the women folk to venture out of the car.  We wisely bonded in my vehicle until the men had had their fill of the biting wind. It is times like those that I feel validated not having children come out in the winter--what torture!  

Hank had a blast running all around.  I'd show you a picture of his fun if I had taken any pictures and if I were able to upload them.  I'm currently having problems with my computers.  My PC mouse is unresponsive ???, and I haven't been able to upload any pictures from the Mac to the blog in the last couple weeks.  What's a girl to do?

Max had a pretty lousy day.  He is really sore in his leg from yesterday's procedure.  To add insult to injury, he got a pretty painful migraine.  When he gets them, he usually takes about six Motrin to dull the pain a bit.  This time he wasn't able to do that.  He was given instructions not to take any Motrin or similar products prior to the surgery.  I'm sad that one of his last two days before the real pain starts wasn't very fun for him at all.  I'm praying tomorrow (Sunday) is a better day.

Geez, I just reread what I wrote above.  I sound like a real whiner.  Sorry about that.  I think I'll list five happy things to show you I can be positive.  Really, I can!

1.  My kids are enjoying playing games and spending time with my sissy and bro-in-law.  It is so wonderful having them in town.  I so very much wish they could move to Albuquerque and bond with us often.  Chicago is just too far away. 
   
2. Grant, my three year old, was such a good boy at the movie tonight.  I was super proud of  him.
   
3. We had such a nice Christmas.  We are some mighty blessed people.  
   
4. Hank is really turning out to be a great, great dog.  We never let him in the house, but have    started to do so quite a bit in the last three weeks.  So far (knock, knock) he is accident free     and calm.  We didn't want him in originally because Max never had dogs inside as a child.  "     "Dogs belong outside."  I must admit that I started to really agree with him the more I saw         Hank roll around in the horse manure.  Plus, he is not a barker.  We didn't want to ruin the       great thing we had going in his bark-less behavior. We have since decided that we love him and want to be able to spend time with him without going outside and freezing.  It's working for us and we're happy about it.  
   
5. We have had so many people let us know that they have been and will be praying for Max on Monday.  That really means the world to us and makes me tear up each time I hear it. Thank you, thank you!  
   

 

I hope all of you are having a fantabulous weekend.  

My Brave Hubby

Was Max ever lucky today! He got a brand new pair of socks with rubber grippers!And, he got to go on a fun ride. If that wasn't lucky enough, he stayed well hydrated throughout his whole experience. I wish I could show you the new mohawk he is sporting, but that wouldn't be appropriate on this squeaky clean family blog.

This is the talented doctor who performed Max's catheter exam. He is not Max's surgeon, but rather the cath doc. He determined that Max's aneurysm is definitely over 5 cm. He said it is between 5 and 5.5 cm so surgery is a necessity. The best news of the day was that the aneurysm does not go up the aortic arch as far as they originally thought. Max's surgeon said this was fantastic because it makes the surgery much less complicated. Hopefully, having to cool Max's BIG HEAD will no longer be necessary. Instead of dropping his body temp down to 18* C and chilling him until his brain flat lines, they will just put him on bypass and repair a section of his aorta and replace the aortic valve. We're trusting the doctors that this is a good thing.

In typical Max fashion, he had to add a little dramatics to the day. After the doctor performed the procedure, he left the room. Not long after he exited Max experienced intense pain in his leg. Apparently the plug they put in his femoral artery did not hold and he began bleeding into the leg. The nurse immediately applied pressure, and then they put on a suction clamp thingy to try and stop the bleeding. This meant Max had to stay on bed rest for 6 straight hours where he was not allowed to move his leg at all. (Let the record state I kindly allowed him to pick what we watched on t.v.)

He was sent home with the instructions not to drive for three days so that the artery will not open back up. I told Max that means he will not drive for six weeks since his surgery is on Monday. Also he's not allowed to lift anything over ten pounds. That's an easy one--he has that restriction now.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. If you wouldn't mind praying more, we really can't afford for Max to catch Grant's cold. If that happens, the surgery will be called off.

We'll keep you all up to date.

Merry Christmas

Thanks so much to all you comment(ors) out there! What fun for me to see new names in the mix. I know it sounds silly, but I love hearing from all of you. Anyone ever heard of the book The Five Love Languages? In it, the author talks about how we all give and receive love in different ways. Max and I could care less whether or not we receive presents. Actually, Max usually gets all stressed out (in a funny way) if I buy him something for Christmas. He thinks I have suddenly changed the rules and now require gifts. Why in the world would I do that to myself? We both love the saying, "I didn't get you anything for your birthday, but you'll thank me when my birthday rolls around."

I must admit words of affirmation (or any words in this case of me begging for comments) keeps me going. I was in a terrible slump a few months back when I got an email from a man named Randy telling me he appreciated the blog and was going back and reading past posts. Randy, did you know what a difference you made to my outlook on blogging? Thanks friend.

Keeping a blog on Galloping Grace is an interesting beast. Quite often I have amazingly wonderful things to report. In fact, I have so many back stories I could do if I was more organized or disciplined. There are times, though, that I feel guilty not having true ranch stories on here. I always wonder if I'm crossing the line blabbing on about our personal life when you might have checked in to see what child rode which horse. I have even entertained the idea of starting a personal blog where I talk about anything that goes on, ranch themed or not. I then pinch myself in the cheek and move on.

On that note, I'll have to let you know how Max's catheter exam goes tomorrow (Dec. 26.) :) I plan to work on my Christmas cards as I wait for there is no time like the present.


Merry Christmas! Hope your day was filled with happy times and thankful hearts.

All I Want For Christmas

is to know who reads this blog!!!!

Could you, would you, won't you please let me know who reads this? Sitemeter tells me that there are over a hundred visits a day from people in towns I never knew existed, but only a small percentage of readers comment. If you read this post, would you leave a brief comment saying your name and where you live and anything else you might have on your mind? Wouldn't that be the easiest kind of present to give? Feed my soul--satisfy my curiosity! Don't even worry about creating any sort of account. I would love it if you just click the anonymous section and then type your message in the box.

Here are a few ideas to get you started in case you would like to get a little more elaborate in your comments:

• Michelle, I think you're starting to lose it.
• Do you really crave attention this badly?
• Santa--love him or hate him?
• Michelle, what will you possibly talk about for the next few months with no horses and no pumpkins or trees to sell?
• Did Hank drop off the face of the earth?
• Will there be pictures of Max in his hospital gown wearing a cowboy hat?
• Did you know your posts might make more sense if you tried writing them earlier in the day?
• Where in the world did you find so many amazing friends?

I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, and well wishes. I hope your holiday is fun, memorable, holy, and bright!

God bless you all!

This And That

Well, so much for making it up to all of you by improving the quality of my posts! I was just going to show pictures from the fun snow day we had at Galloping Grace last week, but I cannot get any pictures to upload.

Without pictures, I have a hard time organizing my thoughts. I think I'll just list some things going on and let you do with that information as you see fit.

• The tree stand is such a sad sight to drive by now. I miss seeing the gingerbread house, lights, and trees.
• Max had a conversation with the tree farmer who supplied us with our trees. From how he tells it, a tree stand like ours in Phoenix (he has thirty stands he owns!) was selling at least a hundred trees a day this past week. Impressive numbers! We know we could have made a whole lot more money had we ordered more trees as we got close to selling out. We definitely have a better idea of what to expect for next year.
• My wonderful sister Erin and fun brother-in-law, Christian, made it to ABQ safely from Chicago. We're so grateful they didn't have any problems traveling and that they are here for a visit!!
• Patrick and Rosslyn, caring GG volunteers, continue to check on the trees out a the ranch every week. Guys, thank you so much for caring and helping like you do!
• Thanks to the couple doing community service hours at the ranch. They are scooping poop in the horse pen. This is such a good thing--since opening the Christmas Corral, we haven't done much of that at all. It's great how God works. I was feeling bad that the horse pen was a mess and he sends two people willing to do whatever we need done.
• Trish, thanks for going to the feed store and getting senior feed and such for Black, Buck, and Flame. You are awesome!
• Now that all the horses are off our land, the officer who cited us will do a re inspection. If he feels confident that we are no longer out of compliance by having horses on our property without a house, he will drop the charges and Max will not have to appear in court on January 2. This is a good thing--Max will still be in the hospital January 2.

Check back to see what I really want for Christmas from all of you! Hope you are having one very fantastic day!

Keith's Remarkable Poem

Keith said he'd write a post, and by golly he did! I had no idea it would be such a masterpiece and that he'd stay up until after 1 in the morning on a work night to do it! This blogging business can be real sleep depriving. Keith, you are one great sport and good friend!

Keith's poem:


Oh Christmas tree, what a beautiful sight
the Douglas, Grand and Nobles delight.
Row by row they line the stands
that Max had fashioned with his own hands.

Children running around playing, what fun
while the adults were busy getting work done.
Never a frown would you see at the lot
because "Pure Joy" for the employees was the plot.

Ebenezer "Tim" after 7:00 was funny
Barb, his wife, disposition always sunny.
Melissa, the daughter, was glad to be there
unless there were man problems in the air.

Renee definitely made the time fly
her sense of humor was never dry.
Dena, my wife, was always there to stay
Parker and Spencer were just there to play.

Tyler, the eldest of my three sons
carrying trees to the patrons, by the ton.
Rebekah, another volunteer was there much
trying and giving and pushing and such.

Roy, another Wade brother was sent
Fresh cut, trim branches, or a wreath for a present.
Beth, Roy's wife always there for chuckle
when the work got hard, she did not buckle.

The work was difficult, but that did not matter
Even St. Nick, from the North Pole heard the clatter.
I must admit, I'm glad there's no snow
The wind however it did blow.

The aching bones and muscles it made
were soothed by all the warm tidings paid.
I guess what I'm really trying to say
for this much enjoyment, I gladly would pay.

Max and Michelle to you I must say thanks
for the memories and the propane tanks.
I'll never forget our time at that space
Next year, same time and same place.

I hope that you enjoy my poem half as much as I enjoyed my time at the Christmas Tree Corral this year. For those of you that did not have the opportunity to go this year, please come out next year, and you will understand.

Michelle, I hope that you sleep well tonight, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you my perspective on the this fabulous undertaking, and leap of faith that you and your husband undertook.

Thanks,

Keith


Keith--thank you so much for your kind words and fun poem. Your talents are far reaching, my friend!

Waiting On A Man

I'm sitting at my computer waiting on a guest post from my friend, Keith. He and his wife Dena left our House about a half hour ago. He so graciously accepted my offer for HIM to do the post tonight. He has three more minutes before I throw in the towel on posting until Monday sometime.

Three minutes are way up. I think there stands a chance that he won't necessarily get back to me tonight. Do you think he never intended to? Could it be that he didn't?

I apologize for my blog being so lame as of late. Monday is the start of a new week. I'll try and be better--really I will. I hope you've noticed that I haven't been complaining near as frequently about the late hours I've been keeping. Hopefully that gives me a little pass tonight. For tonight, oh faithful friends, my eyes would much rather be closed that open.

I owe you.

Equineless

I would show you pictures of a wonderful deed in the making, but Mr. Max forgot to use the camera I so lovingly shoved in his face as he left for the ranch this morn. Big bummer!

What the pictures would show you had he taken any was Max's father arriving at Galloping Grace to pick up the remaining horses to take them to the family cattle ranch for the winter while Max recovers from his surgery. (Gotta love that long sentence.) His dad drove over an hour to make it to GG and then had to go 2 1/2 hours to the family ranch. What a sweet, helpful father! Pop--thank you so very much doing that for us! (Tom and Carla, thanks for allowing Pop to use your horse trailer!)

Another picture might have shown Max's older brother Roy showing up to lend a hand. Roy is an extremely helpful big bro! Just a few days ago Roy went to GG to pick up Flame, the older Arabian donated to GG this summer. Max had real concerns about Flame tolerating the elements, so Roy and Beth graciously agreed to let him stay at their place where they can attempt to manage his weight. Roy and Beth--you do so much for us. We hope you know just hhow grafelu we are! (I left this last line of spelling errors to show you the fine work I do while sleeping and posting. I typed it while drifting off to sleep.)

Still another photo op would have been our neighbors, Mike and Steph and Marvin and family coming over for the big event. I've seen many of you comment on this fact, but I just wanted to say just how amazingly blessed we really are by all our friends and family.

Thank you volunteers. We are now officially a horseless horse ranch. (Say that ten times fast.) Next step--enjoying Christmas and then heart surgery for Max.

Happy weekend.

Shining Bright

The other night I mentioned something about some "light" elves. Have any of you ever experienced a light elf before? If not, allow me to explain.

A light elf family, as we were blessed to learn, is a unit of kind souls who make it their mission to spread holiday cheer to other who are not able or unwilling to do it themselves.

These elves find love in their hearts to head to stores to buy lights and then hang them on other people's houses who might be working at Christmas Corrals or awaiting heart surgery. They show up at the home when no one is around and then take care of business with no fan fare.

Lisa and Brian--you are thoughtful and wonderful and you made our children so very, very happy! Every time I drive up the street and see those multi colored perfect bulbs, I am reminded of what special friends we have. Thank you so very much. We love you extra!

Jessie Bug

You don't need to hear from me when you see a face that cute!  

I'm going to bed---just because you all said so.  

Elf Gone Wild

One of Santa's craziest elves made a visit to the Christmas Corral this weekend and was she ever fun! I even caught her flirting with Santa.... and playing in the corn! Because she's been such a hard worker this year, Santa let her ride one of his reindeer. I think she enjoyed it!

Ms. Bonnie, thanks so much for popping in and spreading Christmas cheer! She plans on using some of these pictures for her annual Christmas card to her friends and family--what a nut!

Remembering RJ

A very special friend passed away this morning. RJ Harper was an amazingly happy, precious person. He would instantly light up a room with his huge laugh, toothless grin, and kind words. Branding at our family cattle ranch will never be the same. Honestly, he was one of my very favorite people to take pictures of--such a character! Absolutely everyone loved RJ. He was an especially big hit with all the children. The above picture was taken at shipping (where calves are sold and then loaded on a semi) a few years back. That's his wife, Reba. Wouldn't it figure that a great guy like RJ would find an awesome woman like Reba!

I am working on the slide show for his funeral on Friday. I have had the pleasure of looking through hundreds of pictures of this one-of-a-kind man. Please pray that I can create a show that does justice to this great person and is what Reba wants and needs.

Happy trails, our precious friend. You are already missed.

Winter Wonderful

Not only are our neighbors the most wonderful neighbors in all the history of having neighbors and being neighbors and knowing neighbors, they get me! They really, truly get me! The following images were taken by Steph on HER CELL PHONE so that I could have record of the event. How totally wonderful and amazing is that?!

Looks warm, huh? I can only imagine considering I wasn't there. This is a picture of Mike and I'm thinking Mikey walking Black and Buck from Galloping Grace to their property. Why? Well, most of the horses are being taken to our family ranch for the winter while Max recovers from heart surgery. Truth be told, I think the horses dig being free to roam large pastures and run wild. Mike and Steph wanted to keep Black and Buck near them because of their arthritis. The cold can be most unkind to their old joints. They also agreed to keep our problem child, Poncho, the crazy miniature horse. This awesome family spent most of Saturday and Sunday preparing pens so that they could accommodate the trio. They had to remove panels from our property and haul them over to theirs. And no, we weren't there to help them. Last winter Buck was having a hard time walking on either front leg. It was painful and sad to watch. We thought he would have to be put to sleep. Instead, the vet said he would most benefit from having light exercise like being ridden by young children. We got a kick out of that considering we had plenty of young children wanting to do some light exercise on a horse. Black is one tough dude. He is around 29 years old and has a long, physical life. He has roped a ton of calves and done his fair share of cattle drives. Steph is a caring person with a soft spot in her heart for Black. She figured he deserves a cushy winter. Who are we to deny him such pleasures? Steph told me that the meeting between Buck and Black and her horse Reno was a pretty smooth one. Reno puffed up and made a little noise. Black just looked at him with indifference and Buck just stared. Mike, Steph, Mikey and Jonathan--thank you so very much for all of your help and your humongous hearts! We love you guys.

Some light elves visited our house this weekend and a zany elf visited our Christmas Corral. I'll have to tell you about them soon.

Stay warm and have fun.

Early Enders

Isn't it amazing that we are pretty much finished selling Christmas trees? Last night when we officially closed for the last time, we only had 20 trees left. That's really not bad considering we started with 500! Being that it was our first year, we're pretty happy with how things went. We had considered buying trees if the original 500 sold well, but that idea changed once we found out Max couldn't lift trees and would soon be having surgery. God willing, there's always next year.

Today Brooke, Garrett and I went to clean things up. We didn't get there until after 3:30 PM. By 5, there were only 12 trees left. I was surprised that people still wanted to stop with the measly amount of trees on the lot. I was selling them cheap--half price or lower. It was fun business making them so happy with the good deals. Usually, I have all my well meaning friends and family members getting mad at me for selling things low, offering discounts, etc. Not today! I made the price and there wasn't a soul there to stop me! :) The very last customer got the best deal---free! The credit card machine was flashing something I've never seen. I called Max to see if he knew what to do. He didn't and I was through caring (too cold!) That lady left with a huge grin on her face and a grand fir stuffed in the back of her SUV.

I have sooo many pictures of the Christmas Corral. I'm sure I could make it well into the summer with all the different families that stopped in to say hi or buy a tree. I also want to talk about all the volunteers in depth. Brace yourselves for an onslaught of festive fun!

Thanks for reading and have yourself a merry little week!

Closed Corral

It's all over but the crying!

What an amazing experience! I'll explain more when I can muster the energy.

Thanks for checking in.

Stockings

Max's mom is talented and generous! During pumpkin stand time, she made several pillow cases and trick or treat bags for us to sell. Now that it's Christmas time, we are selling stockings and Christmas pillow cases. She also made a Halloween quilt and now a Christmas quilt for us to raffle. Grandma Donna, thank you so much for your donations to our stands. We appreciate all you do for us. We love you.

All Kinds Of Kindness

Thought you might enjoy reading an email we received today from Patrick, a GG volunteer.

Hi Max, As you already know Rosslyn and I were at the ranch today, as Carri told you. We did not water today because the earth around the trees was still wet from the recent snow/rain. We did put fertilizer stakes around the ten big trees as well as the four new trees near the round corral and the shed. That should do them for a couple of years for added minerals etc. Unless it rains between now and next Monday or Tuesday, we will water next week. Rosslyn and I helped Carri clean out/haul away the bad hay, so its ready for new fresh hay in there. We plan on coming over to the Christmas tree lot in the next few days and we'll talk then. May God bless you and your family Max. Patrick

Are they wonderful or what?

A snippet from Carri's email later in the day:

Got Ash (Flame) fed, Black checked, moved moldy hay, swept up the slippery, wet hay drippings, and rode Snuff.

We are mighty blessed, I tell you! The friends we have made since starting this youth ranch are some of the most incredible people. We thank God for putting all of you in our lives. :) We also thank God for our old friends. Below is an example why.

Chase and Trish attended Chase's work Christmas party last Saturday evening. Were we ever surprised to have them call after leaving the party to say they got something for Max and they'd be right over. For Max at the Christmas party? We couldn't wait to see what special something they had in store. Would you just look at those beauties! Max's very own pair of dingos in such a fabulous color. I think they looked especially lovely with Max's white socks. To hear Chase and Trish tell the story, they had to do a whole lot of trading to bring those gems home. Apparently, they were one of the most popular gifts of the evening. They are so perfect with Max's straw hat. Some how Chase knew that. He just did.

I know Max couldn't have loved them more. He was so grateful in fact, he refused to accept such a fine gift from his friend. Max insisted that Chase should be the one to keep them at his house in his closet. I feel fairly confident that Chase would happily let Max use them if the need ever arises.

Good friends...good times!

Santa's Signature

For all you readers of Cindy's blog, yes, this is basically the same post she did the other day. But in my defense, I also thought of doing this post. Really, I did! In fact, I was the one who rushed over to get her so she could get the picture of Santa signing her daughter's cast. (Cindy--back me up!) And no, I'm not going to link to her blog right now. Why would I want you to compare our pictures? :)

Not every little girl gets Santa to sign her cast. It might have something to do with Kelsey being so extra special! Just look at the darling expression on her face in the picture below. Isn't she the cutest? I LOVE this little muffin!
Thanks to Kelsey and family for helping out at the Christmas Corral. We sure got lucky the day you guys came out to ride horses at Galloping Grace. Thanks for giving back in such big ways.

To the other volunteers working this week so that we didn't have to--THANK YOU! I need to do about fifteen posts about how helpful you've been.

The Date Is Set

and it isn't this week.

Max's appointment with his cardiac surgeon was this afternoon. Dr. Levy wanted to have us in to answer any questions we might have. He also filled us in on what would take place during the surgery. All I can focus on now is that they chill his body down to 18* Celsius to stop ALL BRAIN ACTIVITY. Cool enough if I'm watching ER or the like. But imagining my husband's brain shut down, that gets me pretty nervous. Dr. Levy said, "What I worry about during that time is stroke." I don't even bite my nails but they should be pretty much gone by the time his surgery is complete!

Max needs to have his faulty valve replaced and a chunk of his aorta as well. The big decision he (and I) need to make is whether he gets a tissue (pig) valve or a mechanical. With a tissue valve, Max would not have to be on blood thinners. The problem--they wear down in 10-12 years if not sooner. At that time he would have to have it replaced again. As the technology stands now, they would have to reopen him to do the replacement. Dr. Levy said it's possible that by the time he would need it replaced, the technology might be advanced enough that they could just go in through his groin. If Max gets the mechanical valve, he will have to be on blood thinners for the rest of his life. Mechanical valves have a problem in that blood pools around them. Without blood thinners, he would be at risk for stroke or heart attack. Why we hesitate with this option is that he is very active. Max loves riding horses, flanking calves, roping, etc. It is plausible that he could still participate in these activities, but the risks would be higher.

Dr. Levy has an excellent bedside manner. He happily answered all our questions and then invited us in his office to look at some information on his computer. He even tolerated my camera in his face. Being that he's a busy surgeon, I decided not to ask him for a second one when this one didn't turn out.

Rest assured that his eyes do open more than that. (Very important if he's going to be fixing Max's heart.)

Dr. Levy had offered up surgery this week, but his schedule has suddenly filled up. Another doctor got sick and left his practice. Dr. Levy is one of the docs picking up the patients. There are people worse off than Max who need him. He tried to reassure us that Max's aorta would probably not rupture before his surgery date. But why or why did he feel the need to tell me about one of his patients who had an appointment to see him but didn't show up? When he called to find out about the patient, he learned that he died the day before from his aorta rupturing! Dr. Levy, I am way too unstable for such information.

Kim, one of Dr. Levy's secretaries, got right to work scheduling the big event. The very first available is December 29. It is what it is and we're trying to be good with it. Max is just happy to finally have a date. I'm happy to have a little more time getting things in order. December 26 he will have a catheter sent up his groin to take a peak at his heart. Max said he might be more nervous about that than the actual surgery.

Dr. Levy told Max to take things easy. He is not to strain or lift anything over TEN pounds! How did it go from fifty to ten just like that? I cringe thinking of all the heavy Christmas trees he was lugging around.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers, offers of help, etc. Again, we'll keep you posted.

A Day At The Ranch

Just a few pictures of a recent day at the ranch.
I love watching children leading around giant horses.
Trish is so great with the kiddos. Trish, thanks for all you do. The dirt in the above picture made me happy. Rebekah took Cheyenne for a few spins around the arena. A grandfather bonding with Cochise.
Round pen fun.

Dan, an amazing Galloping Grace volunteer--he has a heart of gold. We're so happy he and his wife are a part of our GG family. It just wouldn't be the same without them.
Darren hanging out on the porch.
And last, one super cute poop scooper.

Enjoy you day.