Working with a Family

This is my last week of three weeks off. It could not have come at a better time, as this gout flare was one of the most painful and discouraging ones I’ve had probably since the first or second flare up. This flare lasted a total of five weeks, with three weeks being completely immobilized and unable to sleep or function. Luckily this last week of my break I gained enough strength back to do more chores around the house and actually get some things done.     The missionaries and our male group leader President Velarde came and helped me to dig out a section for our flower bed. It was a lot of work, and could not have been done without the help of those three. The grass had a tight root hold on the ground and we even found a giant   5 gallon sized concrete block under that we chipped away at until we were able to turn it on its side and bury it low enough that our vegetable roots would never reach. Afterwards we had refreshments of ice cream and cookies. I...

This week I completed my 28th year on this planet. We gathered as a family a couple times this week in celebration, and I saw some strength finally return to my bad knee. I'm slowly transitioning from crutches to my walking cane, able to put more weight down on my leg, and I can even bend my knee more than last week. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is the beginning of my 12 day holiday, so I thought it would be nice to go out and travel to make the most of the time off. My leg was starting to improve and I was able to drive short distances, so Rhea and I planned on surprising my parents and sister in Arkansas and joining them all there as they welcomed my sister and brother in law into their new home. I knew that Camille also had some big announcements regarding a new job and joining the military, and my parents only had a short time before my dad goes back on his ship.  Rhea and I got our business in order, ran the errands we needed to do before le...

This week started miserably and ended on a high note. Almost the entire week passed in a blur as I tossed and turned in bed rest, getting less than 2 hours of sleep each day, throwing off my sleeping schedule and really messing with my mind. The only strength in me was the strength of my fever and the severity of my pain. Sitting down, standing up, even laying down was all a chore and put me in extreme discomfort. Two nights I slept for less than one hour. Before this bed rest, I had hunkered down into full hibernation mode. I filled my 80 oz of water bottles, placed my urinal and pain relievers at my bedside, had my crutches handy, and from the week previous I already had my shower chair and shower handle set up in the bathtub. I had done all I could to make my trial as bearable as possible. Rhea was there with me the whole way to nurture and support. We'd gone through many gout flares together and we were as ready as ever for this one. She was remarkably patient and c...

This week was very testing for our family. I had to begin taking a lot of pain relievers and began a long bout with fevers and severe arthritis pain. Josiah began a high fever with coughing, colds, being unable to sleep, and needing to be held all day. On a good note, I started my new day shift. It was a very good transition. I was so happy to be able to sleep with and wake up on the same schedule with my family, and to even see more of and interact more with my wife and son when I wake up and after I get home before I go back to bed. I've been very grateful for the changes, and look forward to the future ahead. Since I got my glasses the end of January, my eyes have not adjusted. It's been very straining and I plan on getting my eyes reassessed whenever possible, hopefully the glasses store can do that for low to no cost, since I already paid so much for the glasses as well as for a set of sunglasses I still have yet to receive. Rhea's been working a lot on o...

This week definitely was Josiah's week. Everything we did this week  revolved around our newly toddlerized son. Josiah and mommy took many trips around the block in baby's new wagon he got for his birthday. He loves the wagon treks so much that he's been going out with mommy twice a day.  The wagon has a dumping feature which is cute for transporting toys and books from one house to the other, but a feature that we need to be cautious of if Josiah decides to lean back really fast while riding in it. We saw the potential dangers of this at his birthday party when one 9yo child was pulling Josiah around the hall, then suddenly decided to speed up and pull the handle higher, and tilting Josiah's wagon back. He fell. Luckily on carpet. From then on we decided to get him a helmet and protective gear and to watch our speed and the angle of the wagon. Josiah has always been an adventurer and loves to discover new places and meet new people and animals. He enjoys lo...