Austin has the All Clear From Lyme

Austin had his doctor appointment today to follow up on his Lyme Menengitis. They found no problems or complications so it looks like the antibiotic was given quick enough and was effective! Praise the Lord! He has finished Soccor and is ready to sign up for Basketball.

Update on Matt

Matt went for his doctor appointment on Friday and they would not sew the wound because of the continuous ooze coming from the infected area. They told him it would be a few weeks before they would be able to close it. He is scheduled for a consult from a doctor in Hershey to see if they agree with his doctor about removing a 4 inch section on his leg. They say he has a cyst that needs to be removed. He is still in alot of pain and now the other leg is getting more of a workout and is now becoming painful. The Hershey appointment is November 8th but they are insisting he come back to his regular doctor every 2 days for a recheck. All of this is okay except we are getting a little concerned about what is going to happen with our insurance. We are only covered for a limited number of visits per year and the hospital coverage I believe is only if he's admitted and they kept him in the Emergency Room for 2 days and never admitted him. I guess we will soon find out. So far the weather has been so rainy, Matt would not have been able to do much roofing this past week. Thanks for all your prayers and emails of Get Wells.

Fundraisers. Ugh!

I just have to say I am not a big fan of the fundraisers where the children have to ask everyone they know to order something. Our school is doing one of those right now and I understand the need to raise funds to keep our SAFE EYES program for our computer lab and there are several other projects going that need money to continue. With three children all asking people it is getting embarassing. They had an early bird contest and all three wanted to win but 2 of them came up short of orders for the first deadline. Their Uncle Jamie came through for them. He ordered several calendars and then called some of his trucker buddies and told them they needed to buy a calendar to help out his nephews and I believe he has sold most of what he's ordered so far. He ordered 10 items! They now need to sell 5 more items each to earn another prize so they are at it again. When you have parents like us who don't work in a factory or office where we could get orders for them, it becomes quite difficult. Thanks to those of you who did order and if you haven't ordered yet and would like to help the children out please go to www.christiancollection.com and check out what they are selling and email us an order to laurielc@ptd.net and we will be so greatful! All orders must be placed by October 31st and the money is due when the items are delivered around Thanksgiving. Hopefully the spring fundraiser will consist of some other type and we won't be bugging people to buy things they probably could do without.

On the Mend

Matt appears to be on the mend. He still is in pain and walks with a limp. He has had infection in his leg so bad that there is a hole. Not that you wanted to know that but there is. They think they will be able to sew it shut on Friday if it continues to drain and looks good by then. We are optimistic and hoping the worst is now over.

Duh!

I just discovered I did not buy Austin a new scope for his bow but in fact I bought him a new grunt call for hunting. Matt thought it was pretty amazing I was able to get something like that and asked me how I knew what to get. I told him it was easy. Austin was standing right next to me pointing to it. I didn't even know what I was looking at. Now we have deer calls all through the house and it is driving me crazy.

Happy Birthday Austin!

Austin turns 12 today. He had a soccor game last night that was an away game and they didn't return until after 9pm to the school. I stopped by Walmart on the way home and asked him to pick out a treat to take to his class the next day for his birthday and he wasn't really interested. He said it wasn't any big deal. He finally picked Swill Rolls (one of his favorites) and when I asked him if there was any particular present he wanted he asked for camaflouge duct tape. (I don't know if that is spelled right) Can you imagine that being a child's wish for a birthday gift? I did buy it for him along with a new sight for his bow. With Matt unable to get around just yet it is highly unlikely they will be going on their hunting trip. Today is packed with things to do. Tuesdays I am the librarian at Austin's school, then it's off to doctor appointments for Matt and Katlyn and hopefully we'll have some answers.

One thing that happened yesterday boosted Matt's spirits a bit. He had a roof off and there was call for rain today so he was very concerned about getting that roof in the dry. He has a man that helps him out from time to time but he is not very dependable and doesn't have a phone. Matt wasn't sure if the roof was going to get taken care of so he called another roofing company (Gibbles) and asked the owner if he would go by and check on his roof at the end of the day. The man said he would and when Matt told him to bill us he said absolutely not! He said that's what friends are for. Thanks Russ! That meant alot.

Making Lemonade

The last couple of days have been difficult ones for our family. Matt noticed an infected area on his leg on Saturday morning and by Saturday night it had probably tripled in size. His doctor sent him to Hershey Medical to have it check out and they cut it open to drain it and then sent him home with an antibiotic. On Sunday he stayed home from church and by afternoon it had again increased in size and was now quite painful. Upon confering with his doctor again they sent him back to Hershey and this time he was put on an IV antibiotic and a culture taken. They kept him overnight and when they made their morning rounds they were not satisfied with the his progress so they ordered another round of the antibiotic and kept him the rest of the day. In the afternoon an intern came in and told him he would be going home with an oral antibiotic and he would be having to change the bandage on the wound two times a day. They actually have his leg cut open with a flap and he has to stuff gauze in this to help it to drain. It is very painful he says. Anyway, they still do not have the results of the culture but I have noticed a change in the coloring and I think it's looking better tonight.

A friend from church, Cindi Fox, sent me a poem today and I liked the first line. She didn't even know what I was going through this week but I thought this was fitting.

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Roller Skating

Katlyn's best friend since Kindergarten has a birthday the day after Katlyn's and she wanted Katlyn to go roller skating with her today to celebrate her birthday. I let Katlyn go not thinking she really hasn't been before. Needless to say she will not be feeling like sitting down for a while. I guess she had many a fall. When I went to pick her up she wan't quite ready to go and had a question for me but was afraid to ask. I figured she wanted to stay longer but she wanted permission to ride with Mr. Marrie on his motorcycle. Now with a nic name of Mr. Magoo I hesitated for a moment but did let her go. She enjoyed it and I hope she's had her fill of motorcycle rides for many years. Matt does have a license to drive one but he hasn't owned one since we've been married. Katlyn and Megan always have fun when they get together.

Phillip has been making a mental note of all Katlyn has done this week of her birthday and says he gets to do all of those things too. Grandpa and Grandma took Katlyn out to breakfast today and Phillip got all bent out of shape. Never mind he has had trips to the donut store with Grandpa more than once and Grandpa lets him play on his computer but Katlyn probably never has. There is plenty of love to go around!

Happy Birthday Katlyn!

It is Katlyn's 10th birthday today. She is so excited. Her party will have to wait until next week due to revival at our church all week. Her day started out with going out to breakfast with her dad. This is a special treat all the kids love. She took a brownie treat to share with her class and we will have a cake tonight before church. He birthday wish was to get her own CD player and I think that will happen. I can't believe she is 10 already. Where has the time gone?

Finally Fall!

I feel like it is finally fall. It is a little crisp in the mornings. I love it when it begins to get cooler. My poor husband can wait.

Field Trip

We arrived back in town just in time for me to make it on Phillip's field trip to the Herr Farm. They gave a wonderful presentation of the Phil Haven Dairy Farm. We had a guided tour of the farm with lots of information. This was a kindergarten trip and they informed the kids of all the different products in which milk was present. On the following day I wasn't thinking too much about it I guess and sent chocolate pudding in for Phillip's snack thinking this was a good thing. His teacher made him bring it home as they are only allowed healthy snacks and not sweets. What did she give him in place of the pudding? Animal Crackers! Shame on me for sending something he was not allowed.

Going Away

We will be away from the blog for a few days. A friend's daughter just lost her 21 year old husband in a car accident Oct. 4th and we will be headed down for the funeral.

Pastor Appreciation Month

This is Pastor Appreciation Month and I must say I am very fortunate to have 4 of the best pastors around. They each have their unique way of ministering. Our lead pastor, Barry Arnold, has been faithful to call on us and pray with us and for us. Our Youth Pastor, Dwight Rine, has worked endlessly on the building project and has been there for countless activities always upbeat and ready to go. Our Spanish Pastor, Frank Vega, pours his heart into his church. He shows an attitude of love for people. The Mission Pastor, Robert Booth, works hard trying to reach the people downtown. I can't even beging to tell you all these men have accomplished but I will say they have made an impact on the city of Lebanon and continue to do so. That said . . .

The Pastor's Wives deserve Appreciation as well!!!! They work right alongside their husbands and are a vital part of their ministry. Take time this month to do something nice for your Pastor and his family. They have given so much to us. Give them a gift certificate, have them over for lunch, drop them a card, make them a meal, send them flowers, fill their car with gas, I'm sure you can think of plenty more. One of the best things we could do for them is be regular in our attendance to church and bring people with us.