Saturday, December 4, 2010

Joyful holiday

I just want to say a big THANK YOU to our many family member (both old and new) for a most joyful thanksgiving. Each of my kids and their husbands/boyfriend, the entire Schuld family, even the turkey helped to make this a most memorable holiday.


It may be because this was our first thanksgiving in Arizona, or because everyone had to get so cozy and stuff into our tiny little place, (or maybe it was the detailed agenda LOL) but there is no way to top the gathering this year.

Thank you to all.


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Friday, November 19, 2010

Neck treatment #3

Like a lot of other people I have dealt with chronic neck pain for a long time...this week I received the third in a series of treatments.."Radio Frequency Oblation" as it is called is used to eliminate the pain transmitted by nerve pain at the joints..



The technique "burns" the tiny branch nerve between the joints of the spine. Things grows back in 12-18 months but in the mean time it can't transmit the pain signals. The catch is you have to repeat the procedure in 18 months If the pain returns.

Prior to this week I had received about 40% relief from the procedures done on C2-C6...that's why I returned Monday to do the third round.. T1-4 left side. So far the report is good...but I promised to wait a few more days to declare one way or the other...stay tuned.

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Monday, November 15, 2010

Holiday Plans

The immediate family will all be together for the Thanksgiving holidays ...nothing new, right? But what IS new is the location...Sunny Phoenix Arizona!





So here are the plans that mom and I have put together for the weekend...I hope you like them...we had to come up with an agenda that we think would work for most of us...it looks like it will be a lot of fun! What do YOU think?

Wednesday
12-1am ....Pickup CJ, Andy, Danielle, Adam at airport

Thursday
AM
Breakfast bagels and muffins
Pickup Jamie and Jeremy at airport
Pickup Joe at Hacienda
Dinner at Schulds
PM
Grandma memorial at home
Broccoli soup and shrimp

Friday
hot breakfast
Drive to Sedona
Walk main street
Tlaquepaque village
Pizza at the Hideaway
Red rock fantasy light show
Drive home

Saturday
Shower - women 10am
Shooting - men
Dinner out at Rustlers Rooste
Festival of lights
Drop off CJ & Andy 1240am flight



Sunday
Church
Hike or visit Aunt Gina
Drop off Danielle and Adam 1215am flight




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Location:E Cheyenne Dr,Phoenix,United States

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Another trip to NJ

This week I had another trip to NJ for work. This is the second trip since moving. I'm not complaining since I get to see family and friends while taking care of business.

Besides work assignments I have visited grandpa Longo, had dinner with Harry and Chris. Thursday I plan to meet with Ed for breakfast, Fran for lunch and end the day with my own Mom for dinner at the skylark diner in Edison


...sounds like a lot of meal companions, huh?

I believe this is God's provision, since I have really missed family and friends most of all in AZ...as long a I keep having to travel it will not feel like I am away from you all!


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Location:Somerville,United States

Monday, November 1, 2010

A Serious Diversion

Grandma Longo has taken a very serious turn in her health. All of us know her as a spitfire, a real fighter...go, go, go. We love her for that ...that's why it is so hard to believe that she is Ill...seriously Ill.

It doesn't pay for me to elaborate on the details...heavens knows you get enough of that kind of thing here. Suffice it to say that if the antibiotics don't kick in in the next 24 hours it will be a very bad sign. Mom is out in NJ with her sibs as they are taking it all very seriously.

How can we say anything meaningful at this point except to ask you once again to pray that the Lord's will be done...and that he will turn this awful situation into something good. After all, that is his specialty.

My tribute is to say we love you, grandma. That's it.



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Thursday, October 21, 2010

iheaven


No I am not hooked on Apple …I don’t drink the Kool-Aid and I can see deficiencies because of it.


The iPad was a substitute for a second laptop (my dear wife hates it when I come home and need to use the computer that she has had all day to use (smile). So it was a choice between a cheap windows pc (plenty of past experience is why I didn’t go for this one), a new Mac at $1100 or an iPad for $500. I took the plunge knowing full well that there would be a learning curve and that there would be some things I couldn’t do, but at least it would afford some break from wresting away the Mac from my dear wife.



It was a good decision…I use the machine for about 5-10 mins to check my email and do a blog post or a quick browse, then turn it off. It gets about 9-10 hours of battery life so I never have to worry about it being charged. I also have started to download books (now that I don’t have a house to maintain I actually have time to read). It is a great device for all of these things – I love the touch experience with the big screen. Cropping pictures and browsing the web are simple tasks. I like throwing it in my bag when traveling and being able to read the entire flight while listening to my music library. I can download games (but I haven’t yet) to remain occupied at the airport, etc.

The big downside was the lack of flash, which I really need for a website that I manage our finances with. I also would have liked a front facing camera for Skype with my daughter in Brazil…she is in the states now so the need is not present, but will be in the future…I am thinking of hooking my TV up for that since it will provide a bigger screen. So I am learning to adapt to the new world at home and so far I like it...and no mor fighting since me dear wife hates it...but that's another blog.


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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Forecast

You are not going to believe this...


Sunny
Hi 81° RealFeel® 80°
Day

SSW at 7 mph
Gusts: 13 mph
Plenty of sunshine
Max UV Index: 5 (moderate)
Thunderstorm Probability: 2%
Amount of Precipitation: 0.00 in
Amount of Rain: 0.00 in
Amount of Snow: 0.0 in
Amount of Ice: 0.00 in
Hours of Precipitation: 0 hrs
Hours of Rain: 0 hrs
Clear
Lo 61° RealFeel® 61°

Our weather actually dropped below 90 degrees! To make matters worse, the forecast is for below 90 until march. Now that doesn't mean we won't see plenty of sun, and more days in the 80s...
If you don't believe just take a look.

http://www.accuweather.com/us/az/phoenix/85001/city-weather-forecast.asp





Eat your heart out NJ ...there has to be some reward for the 115 degree summers!

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Saturday, October 16, 2010

Changes to the move blog

I am making a few changes effective after this post:

...I am removing the automatic email feature...this way you won't get bombarded with emails anymore...this also means you will have to check the blog...put it on your follow list or reader or just check it when you have time

...I have already removed the security from the site...it is now completely open to the Internet....this should make it easier for you to link to the page and see current posts.

Thanks for following.

Calvary Reunion

The men of Calvary reunited in an outstanding weekend at LBI last weekend. What an awesome get together!



The event was organized by Paul C and Bob G and was attended by Ron G, Tim N, Eric L, Dave I and myself...I feel extremely fortunate in that the date was selected around when I had a business trip to NJ.

The weather was great, the food was terrific, and it was great to see everyone. We cooked bacon and eggs with French toast for breakfast, went to the beach midday and barbecued ribs for dinner --- all in all we had a great guy time. But the best part of the weekend was the time we spent sharing our hearts...this is the kind of retreat that I adore.

God blessed the weekend immensely both physically and spiritually. I have only praise and thanksgiving for all the enjoyment, refreshment and encouragement received.


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How funny? Tim funny

We went out to see Tim Hawkins at Cornerstone Christian Church this evening...this guy is the one who does the song "these are the things you DONT say to your wife" (check it out on you tube).




Tim is really funny and needless to say we had a blast. Another good reason to have family visit.



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Location:E Cheyenne Dr,Phoenix,United States

Friday, October 15, 2010

Welcome home, CJ!

Christa Joy has come home to AZ for fall break...we are absolutely delighted to see her and to enjoy some family time together; our first chance to do so since the move.

And she is also looking forward to a few days of nice weather (we hope) and at least a partial break from schoolwork -- after all that's what "break" means, doesn't it? Let's have some fun!

God is soooo good!



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Location:E Cheyenne Dr,Phoenix,United States

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Rejoice over little

We are thankful that issues with Joe remained steady and uneventful over my (bruce) trip to NJ. This is to my fathers glory, as we have little to do with this. Many thanks to vickie's dear friend Lynn for spending the weekend with her...this was an incredible blessing!!

In fact, the labs now show Joe with a clean bill of health. He still isn't himself but at least we haven't had to take another trip to the hospital.

We have to learn to rejoice over little things, you know.


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Location:E Cheyenne Dr,Phoenix,United States

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Back in NJ

I'm having the privilege of going back to NJ for a business meeting this week...it is great to see friends and family. It has only been two months but with all we have gone through, both good and bad, it seems like a lot longer.


The agenda has been pretty full with work meetings on Thursday and Friday and breakfast, lunch and dinner with friends and family all week. The real highlight was to see Stephanie and Jeyson, since I haven't seen them in two years (not counting Skype of course). We had dinner at one of our old haunts... Franks pizza in manville.


The week will conclude with a Friday evening and Saturday trip to LBI to meet with Calvary friends from various eras...that is if Joe behaves long enough for me to finish my trip out. Vickie's dear friend Lynn was so good to travel out to AZ to keep Vickie company while I am hanging out with the guys. Heading home Sunday evening to 90+ weather.


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Location:Us Highway 202 N,Somerville,United States

Monday, October 4, 2010

Home sweet home

We had Joe over for his first visit to our new house over the weekend...we picked him up after church (we went to a place that was very close to his place, but that is another story).






He was sleepy for most of the day and has been having a high heart rate after feeding which happened today also. We just relaxed at home and Joe joined us for dinner which was just plain great (we ate the pasta and meatballs which he didn't partake in, of course). It was so nice to be able to just sit around with him...it would have been better if he was feeling good, but we'll take however we can get it at this point.

Towards the end of the afternoon we had a call from the nurse to let us know that his labs had come in and he still has an infection (more correctly this is again) since it is not the same bug.






Doctors say that if you kill the germs with antibiotics you end up killing all the germs, good and bad. That makes it possible for new bad things to grow since there is nothing to fight it off. So this becomes a game of germs...which is joe's biggest issue these days as we all know.


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Saturday, October 2, 2010

Something to get around in

One thing we left behind when we came to AZ was our second car..we had been offered a loaner from our gracious hosts and gladly accepted. The Toyota Camry I drove for 10 years had served us well but wasn't worth the price of shipping here. So we found it a new home and set our sights on a new Mini Cooper when our loaner needed to be returned. The deal was sealed for the Mini in our minds (well, at least mine).

But when shopping began there was some initial sticker shock to the price of a new Mini...then ensued the usual husband-wife dialog. Fortunately wisdom prevailed because in the end I think we actually did a lot better thanks to guidance from Consumer Reports. When the review for the Mini resulted in a less than positive report for reliability the cause for reconsideration became obvious...fortunately the article instead pointed to used alternative vehicles that had high reliability ratings...and MUCH lower sticker prices.

Hence the choice was made..now before I tell you what it is you have to understand that this WAS a very practical alternative...mind you the goal was still to get a FUN car and a CONVERTIBLE. So when the choices were presented they weren't undesirable at all...





Doesn't this look like a convertible? So we are still on track. We also needed it to be fun. So that means small as well. Of course if you are going to cut on price you have to give up something...so we gave up two of the seats.





I bet have guessed that this is not your grandmother's Model T, huh. But it does fit the bill for fun to drive (it's an automatic with something called paddle-shifting as optional, too). And with 300 days of sun a year we will have plenty of top-down drive time.

So here it is...


Not too hard to take, right? A 2007 Mazda Miata MX-5. A bargain by any accounts, and extremely practical for a 3.6 mile commute to work (it's good on gas, too). I think we are in for a little fun in the midst of all this chaos of our move. Unfortunately trunk space is limited. So when you visit we have to pick you up at the airport in our "Mini"van instead ;)



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Location:E Cheyenne Dr,Phoenix,United States

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

No news... is that good news?

Joe made it through a day with out incident...now isn't that good? Not really, but it may be good enough for now. We are happy to have an uneventful day at this point.

Really we need to get his processes and procedures straightened out...then he can rejoin civilization. Hopefully this won't take more that a week. In the mean time the staff has called what he is doing "reverse isolation" perceiving that we are attempting to keep him from getting what others have (rather than the other way around). But we don't want to de-socialize Joe, we only want the staff to wear protection that can be removed between patients...not that big a request...we hope. Pray we can get this point across.




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Location:E Cheyenne Dr,Phoenix,United States

Monday, September 27, 2010

Made it out


Joe was discharged from the hospital around 4pm. We were able to stop in to see him and he is back in the isolation room he left from on Friday. We expect him to stay there a few days while we sort out what the staff does to keep germs out. We have also been assigned a contact person to help us with hacienda issues.

Now what? Wouldn't It be nice if he could settle down for a while and just be Joe? This would be a real blessing!



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Location:E Cheyenne Dr,Phoenix,United States

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sitting in the ICU

Joe is resting comfortably after a few days here at St Joes. They take very good care of him. All his vital signs are fine. He is getting his regular feedings. The only down side to being here is that he can't get up out of bed, so he sleeps all the time.

Looks like he will be discharged to hacienda, where we expect them to put him back into his private isolation room until we can get him safely fitted with a roommate and clean processes to prevent another infection as best as any place could.




Thanks for all your prayers, texts and calls. We love you all.


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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Some Good News

When I got to the hospital to visit Joe today the doctor and nurse had some good news...his temperature has returned to normal (praise the Lord) and all other signs are that he is not infected ...labs are still to come so we might still grow something that needs to be treated...

What does this mean? Well Joe is an unpredictable guy...and we serve an unpredictable God too. When we pray and we see a turn around, should we not attribute that to the grace of God? Of course we should. Listen to Jesus on this:

Matthew 7:9-11 (NLT)


"You parents-if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? [10] Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! [11] So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

At this point they are talking about sending him home in a day or two...Praise the Lord!

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Location:E Cheyenne Dr,Phoenix,United States

Friday, September 24, 2010

Re-entry

Joe was admitted back into the surgical ICU at St Joseph's hospital in Phoenix this afternoon. The staff recognized us (no kidding...it was only a week ago that we left her...and Joe's not exactly easy to forget!). Anyway he is doing ok...they have started another course of the IV antibiotics while they wait for the cultures in 2-3 days. God help us please, to see the big picture in all of this.




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Back at st Joes

Joe is back at the ER this am with a high temperature (99 is high for him). He will be admitted to the ICU again (arg!) Besides the temp he looks fine but his skin is very warm. We always appreciate your prayers but especially at these times...we will post again this evening or if anything changes...love you all.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Thank God

In a surprise turn of events...Joe made it out of the hospital today!

From what looked like a turn for the worse last night, today looked much brighter.

The day started with difficulty as we were having trouble getting a hold of the doctor...my first call the nurses were exchanging report, the second the nurse had gone down for coffee, the third got through, and we asked for the attending...he never called back. So I headed to the hospital.

Within a short while the doctor came into the room to talk. She explained that the xray looked better today, and that Joe was responding to the antibiotic. This is a HUGE change from yesterday...thank God.

Actually, that is the theme of this blog...it came to me later that it really is clear that this is an answer to prayer. God heard our cries and spared Joe for one more day, one more week, one more year...who knows...we just have to be thankful to our gracious heavenly father!



Tuesday, September 14, 2010

More meds

The report on Joe is mixed...one one hand he looks pretty good. He seems relaxed and comfortable, and his heart rate and blood pressure are really fine...o2 sats aren't bad either.

On the other hand, the medical report is less encouraging...the chest xray looks worse than yesterday and the infectious disease doctor said that the bug that Joe has is very very resistant to antibiotics. This means that there are very few medicines that can be used to fight it.




If you are wondering if this is serious, we are wondering the same thing. Emotionally we are upset because it feels like Joe is in a very tough spot. But in truth we really don't know if his body will respond to the medicines that he is getting...only God knows and only time will tell.

Please keep praying for God to provide comfort and peace for Joe and for the rest of the family, especially Mom at this time. She is doing ok but could use some encouragement in this time. We expected Joe would be going home by Tuesday or Wednesday but now the docs are saying he will be there for at least 2-3 more days. Patience!




Sunday, September 12, 2010

Status quo plus

The situation with Joe is unchanged. He has three antibiotics that are being given IV to treat the infections in his urine and blood. He is resting comfortably and has opened his eyes every time it talk to him. The attending Dr said he also has some pneumonia in his lungs but this is not unusual when he spends time lying in bed.

The plan is to start a pic line and continue iv medications for a week or two at hacienda after 2-3 more days at the ICU.

We are praying about one issue which you can join us in...the hospital, while it is a good one, treats respiratory issues in a way that causes a lot of up and down cycles that can be avoided with continuous monitoring. We would also like to see them put him back to the settings he came in with before sending him back.


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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Second trip... this time for a stay

Well, Joseph was admitted to St. Joseph's hospital in Phoenix this evening.

Just to catch up on the events this week...he went home after visiting the ER on Monday, but things still weren't quite right. As it turns out the infection he was diagnosed with and treated for continued to plague him, and after a day the facility picked up an extremely low temperature (even for Joe) this AM so they sent him back this afternoon. They decided to step up the antibiotics to IV. On top of that his blood pressure dropped enough to admit him.



So now he is in the surgical ICU, and being watched carefully. He is very comfortable and looks quite good as we headed home after another long day. In summary, he has a rash (more like blotchy skin) on his legs, low blood pressure and low temp, but really he looks good and is in good care which makes us very happy.

The truth is, this is really the longest stint Joe has had without an infection (4 months). God had decided to spare us the repeated monthly infections that we were having so that we could move down here and get settled...HE is gracious!



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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Joe and the therapy dog

So many of these posts have been about hardship and difficulty that I wanted to post one good one ...this is a picture taken at hacienda in the activity room. Joe has a regular visitor who comes in to see him and the other residents. What is really interesting about this picture is the other person who is in the picture (smiling no less).







Update from the ER

We spent the last 4 hours in the er and have had excellent attention...the nurse and the dr did all the right labs and determined that joe DOES have a UTI infection so mom was right and the lab was wrong .

His med has been changed and the plan is to send him back to the facility to keep an eye on him for the next few days. He may also have strep since there is a strange rash on his legs to boot.

Joe is awake now and his HR is up a bit...we asked to stay a bit longer before departure but now it has stabilized so we are on our way back to Hacienda.

Thank God for good medical help in the US...for mother's intuition...and for the prayers of faithful friends.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Hospital time

Joe is heading to the hospital tonight after all the prayers. He is not terribly worse, just not heading in the right direction. The nursing home has done all they can do and he still needs some help...truth is we don't know what kind of help he needs. HR is elevated in bed and not much output...could still be a UTI or maybe viral. Please pray that he recovers quickly.

This life is filled with so many troubles...thankfully this is not all there is.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Update 1

Got a call this evening that two of the tests were negative (that's good) and Joe was able to stay up in his chair for longer this evening because his heart rate was staying low. It's hard to believe he doesn't have an infection but time will tell. Anyway we have to be thankful for the good news and keep praising God for each day!

lab Test Time

We suspect that the UTI infection may be back. It's been four months since Joe was hospitalized but he is showing signs if infection beyond the norm. Hacienda has been very cooperative and has taken labs and a chest xray to rule out the obvious. They also started him on a typical antibiotic at our request. Now we have to wait for the results ...hoping they come back before he has to go back into the hospital. Please keep him in your prayers...it may take several days before we see any more change so don't feel like you have to get an update right away...just pray and we will keep everyone posted. Thanks!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

House hunt


We have left you all in the dark for some time...only because it has been really tough settling in and getting ready to move at the same time.

Yep we have been here a month today, staying at Gina and Peter's lovely place in lovely Scottsdale. We have enjoyed it thoroughly...it's a great location on a golf course with a pool. Scottsdale, in case you don't know is an upscale community in the Phoenix valley area. And so as such there is plenty of shopping and restaurants, and things to do.

Things to do...now that's funny to think about, because we have done little except the essentials...getting Joe in and squared away is the all consuming issue, but finding a new place for ourselves has been next. The criteria has been to be close to Joe and work for me, and no..absolutely no work to maintain. We planned to rent for a year from the beginning, but we did not expect the rental market to be so aggressive. What with so many foreclosures, and college students coming into town the nice places were getting scooped quickly.

So we finally found one...funny it was one of the first places we heard about, but the landlord is in another state and he was having trouble getting us access. It is a townhouse in Ahwatukee (yep) We finally saw it last weekend and we were able to strike a deal with him quickly. We are now waiting for new carpet to be installed and our move in date is targeting sept 17.

So as much as we love scottsdale, we are looking forward to moving to the closer locale. It has plenty of tile and good access for joe's chair, and a nice patio and two one-car garages. Laundry is upstairs and there is a pool right around the corner. The most important feature is a room for Christa Joy, which will double as a guest room. When she is not here you all are very welcome (one at a time, please!!) We miss you all so very much!

Monday, August 9, 2010

There's no place like home


After one week in Arizona there are so many things to catch you up on...

But we must first apologize for not keeping everyone up to date on all the happenings. In our defense, it it almost impossible -- you all have been so loving to contact us that we have been virtually OVERWHELMED :) with calls, texts, emails...Actually this has been a great encouragement to us. Please don't stop thinking and praying for us.

To sum up, mostly our time is focused on getting Joe settled. The staff at the new facility has been very accommodating, but there are so many little issues to work through and many different teams to communicate with. Each day we are communicating what Joe's needs and our like are - it seems like two steps forward and one step back. Issues mostly surround the kind of care we have been able to provide at home (like keeping a schedule, drool management use of the varied items we brought to use including his clothes, splints, shower chair). We had also planned to take Joe out to home for the first weekend but later realized that we did not bring the portable suction machine so it wouldn't have been safe to travel. Some good, some disappointments, but again, Joe is safe and that is our first priority.

In addition we are trying to work through the items on our list that need to be done in the first 30-60 days. These initially took a back seat but now are gaining focus. Housing, Autos, church, work will be next...Let's first look at a list of what has happened in just one week:

Flights in from NJ to AZ (2)- uneventful, actually smooth. Thanks to the Schulds pickup of Vickie and hosting her was invaluable, and thanks to VZ the Air ambulance was totally awesome. No way we could have done the drive.

Taking Residence in Hacienda (Joe) - challenges persist but Joe is safe.

...and Scottsdale (B&V) - an awesome place for which we are very thankful, but far from Joe (30-40 mins drive)

DMV - Getting Drivers licenses at DMV was smooth and uneventful. Registering the cars - not so good yet - the van needed to get some paperwork from the bank to show the loan was paid off (from 9-years ago). This is in the works and we will try again. The Corolla needs to have paperwork for an emissions test that must be retrieved from NJ - this is still in the Q/A stage...the jury is still out on this one as well

Finding our way around - Gina's daily emails, Google Maps and Garmin are our heros. Finding supermarkets, highways, Khols (who can do without a pass by the clearance rack??), etc.

Food - eating out mostly but we have had a meal or two in as well. Breakfast is at home, lunch is sandwiches and dinner is different every day. We took advantage of one dinner gift and ate at Rustlers Roost (thanks D&A) and of course we had to get to Oregano's (Vickie's favorite pizza restaurant of all time).

Pool - (x2) so it isn't all work I had to make a pilgrimage twice already...it's only 100 ft from the back of the house so I had hoped to get there more often, but I'll take what I can get. I even got a short run in (it was 99 out at the time but felt good)

Church - we took a recommendation from one family who has a summer place out here. It was very nice but far and though the staff was fairly excited the congregation was very mixed. Not what we are used to so we will keep trying on this one...this is a tough act to follow.


So we ask that you keep praying for us, there has been a large emotional aspect to this transition...and we need to seek God daily so that we are not wasting time on things he doesn't want us to be doing on our own. He is our shepherd and we need to hear his voice.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Up, Up and Away



Our day of travel has come...Mom arrived in Az safely with Joe's wheelchair earlier today, and Joe and Dad fly in the AM on one of these (a Leer 31A).

We expect the medical crew to arrive at 0700 Monday AM, and once Joe is comfortable on the equipment we will head to Morristown Airport to meet the flight crew for departure...I would guess around 8am takeoff???

To track the flight in near-real time you can go to www.flightaware.com -- just enter the tail number N32HH.

Please pray for a simple, safe flight and arrival at Hacienda.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Farewell ... Almost There


It's down to the last two days here in NJ. We'll miss this place...all the people we have been friends with for so many years. The only surprise is all the farewells we are having - some planned and some impromptu...like the one we had last night at Stewarts Root Beer and Polar Club. We had a blast.

Mom leaves tomorrow, and Joe and Dad leave Monday Am. Hang in there.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Inspection


The house inspector found a few issues that we were expecting, and the buyer has asked us to remedy them. #1 and #2 are significant and will require some prayer as to how or if to come to terms with this buyer.

The first is the deck, which Mom had known was built without a permit 30 years ago. We talked to the township and they told us that 1) the deck was built before Universal Construction Code existed and 2) they do not keep records back that far to say what the code would have been back then or whether a permit was even required, let alone filed for. They do not require a permit for house sale. the only remedy we see is to tear the deck down which would be a shame.

The second is a crack that runs along much of the back basement wall. This one was pointed out to us by the man we had take a look at the basement floor cracks. The floor is not a problem but apparently the wall is. The buyer has said that they are in the process of calling in a contractor/engineer to look at the wall and retain the right to request it be fixed. It can cost $4K-5K according to the original contractor and this is more than we had figured into the selling price when we accepted the lower than asking price.

Last there is a GFI outlet that is needed under Joe's bathroom sink. I think we can do this one.

Please pray with us that we will have wisdom to resolve in a Godly manner...we do not want to kill the deal but we do want to make sure that what we are agreeing to is going to be the right deal for us too.

Monday, June 28, 2010

AAA = Air Ambulance Approved



Joe's transportation to Phoenix has been approved! This is a tremendous blessing as it is very expensive and has been a big item on the planning list. This little jet will be used to take Joseph, an ambulance crew and possibly Dad and Mom. We are planning to travel Aug 2, so the arrangements are starting to come together. What a trip this will be (whew!)

On a different note, the home inspection also took place today and the appraisal is planned for Tuesday.

This is when it really starts to get busy...we don't have a weekend day left free without plans. This is when we especially need to keep our priorities straight - with spiritual and physical health moving back up on the priority list (let slip by mistake lately). Please pray for us as everything converges, that we keep our eyes on Jesus most of all!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Under Contract


The house sold quickly (6 days!) and now we are officially under contract with the buyer. Can it be possible that we will actually do this? Depends on inspection (Monday) and the appraisal (same day I think).

Still and outstanding issue needs to be resolved...how to get Joe out there. We have asked the insurance company to air-ambulance Joe -- we think it is the only safe way to get him there. Please pray that this will be approved - we should hear this week.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

It's On

The day finally came for the house to go onto the market. We had the photos taken yesterday...they look great take a look here...
http://emailrpt.gsmls.com/public/show_public_report_rpt.do?report=clientfull&Id=55493726_424378%20%20

There was a walk-through today and other agents from the same office as our agent (Melissa) came to see the house...comments were positive. Tomorrow there will be an open house for realtors and another for the public on Sunday. All indications are that we should have a lot of interest give the asking price and the way it looks. Keep praying...

Monday, May 31, 2010

Curb Alert!


Cleaning out the house has been a big chore...but we ARE making headway. So many items to part with, and so little time.

So the way to do this BIG is via FREE stuff. First we sold all we could in the garage sale on Saturday, then we all of the leftovers out at the curb...then we posted the ad on Craig's list!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Approved




I received word today from my manager that I will be allowed to work remote from AZ in my current position. We are very grateful to God and to my organization for the support needed by our very special family.

I also want to thank you all for your love, prayers and concern.

Patience. It pays off.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Short Hospital Stay


I think we are on our 3rd hospitalization in 6 months. Joe just couldn't wait until Monday to have the PIC line put in, so we traveled to Phili on Sat AM and he was finally admitted around 8PM. Today he spiked a temp but after cooling him down and adding a broad spectrum antibiotic he is back to stable again.

Christa Joy and Andy made a visit today *since CJ is close to Phili* so they were able to scope out some oddities (like Joe not sitting straight in the bed and the lack of a diaper LOL). We really appreciate their effort.

The plan is to get the PIC line in at the hospital in Phili before sending him home...hopefully both will be accomplished on Monday.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Insurance and Joe status

Life is never simple...

We received word from the insurance co today that they will continue to provide 24/7 support through the end of July (a 1-month extension). Starting August 1 they will provide 16 hours / 7 days a week to continue through October (3 months). Before October they will be meeting to see how things are going before deciding what to do next. Mom and I will be praying and talking about what we should do next. But this is certainly a relief of sorts from the BIG LOOMING DEADLINE.


I think we should Praise the Lord for this for a few reasons:
1) We don't have a rush-rush with our two-month deadline (removed)
2) We get to stay at home for the full summer with Christa Joy (a major concern)

There are clearly concerns with the uncertainty. But let's just say whew and take a breather...and celebrate the positive.



To add to the challenge of the weekend, Joe has an infection that requires IV antibiotics. The arrangements are made for going to have a "PIC line" put in on Monday AM. Then we can bring him home to receive the IV therapy at home.

So keep praying that Joe will not get too sick from the infection over the weekend, otherwise we will have to take him to the hospital in Philadelphia and go in through the emergency room .

Oh, what joy being a child of the King...He can use us to show his Grace each and every day.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Visit to AZ



I'll be heading home tomorrow from a short trip to AZ where I have been with Gina and Peter for the long weekend, Thursday to Sunday. As you may know they have VERY GENEROUSLY offered to let us use their house in Scottsdale if we need it during the Summer when they aren't here (May-Sept).

We have been going through the house room-by-room talking about the little issues we might face if we have to live here. The process has been eye-opening to say the least - the home is fully furnished, and in a great location for shopping and exercise and sun (everywhere in AZ is great for sun!) Mom says if we don't HAVE to come we should at least come for a long vacation after all the stress this potential move has been.

The trip hasn't been all peaceful and relaxing -- as you may be aware Joe has had another infection that he is fighting which got me up at 5am this am (3 hour time difference from 8am ET). The Dr started him on an antibiotic that he has used effectively before for this same bug. However he has another bug also which requires IV antibiotics. We will have to wait and see if the symptoms improve...there has been a slight improvement already from 10am this morning. Keep praying.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

update call


Got a call from the insurance company today and they told us they are having a meeting to address our situation on April 30. More delays. More waiting. More patience. Lord help us!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Not this Job.


God in his divine timing has determined that the position I had applied for in the West Area was not for me. The manager called and was very complementary but had selected another candidate. While disappointing to some degree, I believe that God is in it since I would have had to tell him that I could not take it for some time anyway since I have to hear on the benefits for Joe. We are still waiting for that info at this time. Please keep praying for God's perfect answer.

Dad

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Expecting



No, not that kind of expecting for heaven's sake!

But wait...before you leave, this is the week when we are expecting to hear something about:

a) the job - it has been two weeks this tuesday since I had the interview (the hiring manager thought he would have thing all wrapped up by then

b) insurance - the insurance co said that they expected to have info back by this week (usually you should take that to mean the very end of the week). They didn't promise that they would have a final conclusion for sure...just that it was their goal to have a final resolution.

...but please...don't expect too much. We don't control the timing here. We are just waiting on God to show us the way. If he decides to give us our final direction or just some more information we are more than happy to receive it.

So some other facts about this week:

Travel
~I will be traveling to Chicago on Monday am, returning Tuesday midday
~I leave for AZ on Thursday early AM returning Sunday afternoon. Going out to find out all the details about their house in the event that we need to use it while they are away for the summer (also hope to get some sun at the pool - LOL).

Family Skype
I will be home and I hope you are all going to join us for family Skype time Tuesday Eve. 7:30 ET

Prayer
Let's keep praying for each other; and trusting God to provide his wisdom and leadership to all of our situations

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Interview update

The job interview went as well as can be expected...rather formal, one hour, and overall no tremendous surprises. The manager is very nice and very easy to talk to. We exchanged questions and lots of information was shared. The trip was fine too, except that it was a lot of travel for a very little amount of meeting. It gave me lots of time to catch up on email and pray and think.

But I don't have a clue what the results will be. Tracy told me that there is a very large candidate pool, which means that he has plenty of talent to choose from to get the right person. For me that means lots of competition. I did not get the sense that I was "in" or "out" at all...just no real feel for it. He did say that they expect to have this all settled in two weeks, so that would be April 20th - I think there is a theme developing here on that week (LOL).

I am again forced to rely on the Lord...He has all the cards facing him, but he know what every one is from here to there. As I prayed on the way home I felt Him tell me to trust him. I was reassured that he will be with us right through this, and that he has the exact right thing in mind for us. So I will trust him, (not to mention he is the only game in town anyway ).

Friday, April 2, 2010

REGISTERED USERS ONLY

Someone pointed out to Mom that this is a PUBLIC blog...had me thinking that it would be better to privatize it. SO if you are seeing this you probably have signed up and are now a registered user...hoping this works!

Case manager update #2

Got another call from the insurance co today -- they told us that they had been meeting to discuss our case and that they have to gather some more information on NJ Medicaid before they can proceed. (If you recall Mom had received a call from a social worker and really just told her that we had fully investigated Medicaid and had determined that it would not meet our needs.)

Now they tell us they need to check out the Medicaid benefits themselves...mom thinks what the hear will sound more optimistic then it really is (meaning that they will say that they will provide 16 hours coverage, but we believe that the rates for that coverage are sub-par and that it would be very difficult to get nurses to work for those amounts.

Anyway, they said that they now plan to provide an answer to us on the week of April 19th :(. That is really starting to push the envelope on when we need to know by in order to make a move before June 30 if necessary. So what do we do with this?

In effect we are still in the WAIT MODE, but in the mean time we will begin to take non-commital steps such as the job interview (my travel is set for Tuesday AM - interview on Tuesday PM - return Wed and maybe getting rid of more junk.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

case manager update

The case manager called just to give us an update...she wanted to tell us that they were working on our case as a team (including the medical director) and will get back to us once they have a decision.

Now here is the confusing part...she said they will tell us either this Thursday April 1 or the week of April 12th. Yes, I know that is a big gap. I asked her about that and she said the medical director is committed for all next week in some training thing so we hope to hear this week of course.

Next step in the job trail

I made it to the next level in the process of the job in the West Area (the work location can be any of our offices in all the western states, including AZ).....the call came this afternoon from the hiring manager.. Tracy wants me to travel out to meet him at HIS office in Bellevue, WA. So I believe it will be Tuesday, next week...pending travel arrangements.

As an aside, my old boss came to the office for other meetings today and paid me a visit. She explained that she doesn't have any openings but if she did she said I would be a top candidate. She did mention that someone in her group is looking to get out...but he/she must find a job in order to create an opening.

Oh, well...timing is everything, and we are definitely looking for God's timing.



Sunday, March 28, 2010

call from the insurance co

Mom got a call from the social worker at the insurance co late this past week. The woman was very nice but basically wanted to tell us about the benefits of medicaid that Joseph would be eligible for. Since we had already explored these and knew that they would not give the amount of support needed for Joe and his needs we basically declined.

This is not news to us, as our decision was already made on this, just news to the insurance co. the decision is reasonable since the state would only pay for up to 16 hours of nursing care and at much lower rates, and on top of that the other needs that Joe has like medications would come out of that amount. So we believe we would be operating with much lower than 16 hours of actual coverage. If Joseph was not so severe as to need 24 hour monitoring this amount might be adequate.

We are praying that Joseph will receive the best available care, and that the transition would not wipe us out in the process...that is if one is going to happen at all!


job telephone interview

I had a phone interview on Thursday...this was for the job in the west. I had a really good call with the prospective supervisor - Tracy Smith. Tracy is a nice guy (yes I said guy)! I felt the interview went very very well. He also told me that he has a large pool of candidates.

If I make it to round two he will ask me to come to where he works in Bellevue, WA for an in-person interview. either way I should find out sometime this week coming up.

news on "the move"

Ru ready for brief blogging?

We already feel like there is no way to keep you all up to date on changes and news...so I am trying to see if it will be easier to bring you all the same news at the same time regarding our potential move.

Note - this is not to say the move is actually going to happen! Just that we will keep you ll up to date between Skype calls!

So i will post updates as we get them...nothing fancy...no pics, and no nonsense.

RU ready?