We made it through Lent!

Happy EASTER!!

It is such a blessing to be celebrating Easter and man, what a gorgeous weekend we had here in the 'burgh! It was like a little taste of Heaven if you ask me!

So, a few weeks ago, Mark arrived home from work and was getting his drink ready for dinner and he mumbled "when is Lent going to be over?" I thought he said "when is life going to be over?!" After we cleared up this little misunderstanding and had a good laugh about how much sacrificing really takes out of you, I assured him that there was an end in sight! Mark gave up a few of his most beloved things this Lent and he was really craving some Iced Tea when that remark was made, and while we both do our best to not gripe about how hard it is, this incident was a good lesson for Samantha to witness as she had a tough morning a day or two later.

Lent is tough for us to encourage with Samantha because she changes houses every week and the way we observe Lent is surely different than at her Mom's house. And prior to this year, I really didn't believe that she was mature enough to handle sacrificing something without constant guidance. So this year, she gave up cereal, her preferred breakfast food here at our house and surely a sacrifice for her. Well, about 25 or so days in, I found her at the breakfast table with an almost completely eaten bowl of cereal in front of her. Apparently, the temptation of her favorite cereal in the cupboard had been too much and she decided to eat it. Unfortunately, she tried to cover up her decision with a lie. After a few minutes of talking, she confessed to just wanting cereal and it being "too hard"! I assured her too, that it was supposed to be hard and that her sacrifice needs to be united with Jesus' suffering and that she could offer it up for those who are suffering much more than her (namely her cousin Emeric and his parents).

We had just one other time the devil tempted her to give in and not stay true to her sacrifice, but all in all, I think she really learned some good lessons this Lent. I am hoping that as the years go by, she will grow in holiness and seek out times to suffer willingly so that she can draw closer to God (or while praying for someone else to draw closer).

Personally, I find Lent to be even harder with little ones underfoot. There is less quiet time, and I am the type that NEEDS quiet time to get some good praying in. I rose a bit earlier in the morning so that I could read the readings for the day and a short reflection offered on the app on my phone. This was so fruitful, although sometimes didn't feel like it was enough. I loved staying connected to the Mass even if I couldn't get there everyday. And it NEVER ceases to amaze me how many time Jesus is prophesied in the Old Testament and yet they STILL didn't get that it was Him, when He came! So many were blinded by sin and their own desires and thoughts of how God should be, they couldn't see Him right in front of their faces! I find that this is what Lent is good for. We are so caught up in ourselves and how we think things should be that we don't see Jesus right in front of us, calling us by name as He did to Mary Magdalene at the tomb on Easter morning!

I am very much looking forward to Lents in the future. I love to teach the kids about the Catholic faith. I want it integrated into their everything, their everyday. Their very being. We tried very hard to talk with Juls about what Lent was for and what Easter is all about and she got the gist of it. But the amazing thing is how much Miriam hears and takes in. The other night she was looking at a book and she saw Jesus and she said "Jesus. Jesus Die."

I'll post pictures of Easter Weekend later on...Have a blessed week!

2 years... Miss You Dad

Tomorrow, April 16th marks 2 years since my Dad's passing.

This date has been looming in my mind since I turned the calendar 2 weeks ago.

Two years. Has it really been that long? Is it really only that long. Some days it feels like just yesterday I got the text message that my Dad had been taken to the hospital (again) and some days, I think "so much has happened since you've gone away, man, you've miss so much."

I go back to April 15th, 2012 in my mind often. It was a warm day, not like today when it was snowing. No, Juls and I were playing outside and I snapped this picture of her.

I was marveling at the little girl she was growing into and saying goodbye to the baby I once knew. Especially since I had a new baby growing inside of me. 

I was 11 weeks along and we had just told my family the week before at Easter in Maryland. 

I had told my Mom and Dad a few weeks prior and my Dad was so proud of himself for keeping it a secret! Although, apparently he told one of his sisters with whom he wrote letters and she wrote back how excited she was for him and my mom. Thankfully Mom screened (and hid) the letter before it was left out in the open on the dining room table!

Juls and I came back inside and I began folding laundry when my phone buzzed. It was my sister Donna, saying that Dad was acting strange and they were taking him to the hospital to run some tests.

See, Dad had been battling liver cancer since November of 2008. He had 4 special treatments done and they had extended his life by 3 years longer than the doc originally gave him, which was 6 months. In that time, he was able to see his last 3 kids get married, meet and know Juliana (so well that she has vivid memories of him and still to this day talks about him), celebrate 43 years of marriage to my mom and know that I was expecting another baby. Not to mention all the wonderful day in and day out happenings that come with being a Dad to 6 kids!

But, we all knew he was fighting a losing battle and on March 22, 2012 (my parent's 43 wedding anniversary) we were told, the doctors had done all they could do and my Dad was no longer strong enough to undergo another chemo treatment. He was given, at max, 6 months to live. We all thought it would be more like 3 months. None of us imagined it would be less than 3 weeks. 

When they got to the first hospital, the closest one to my parent's house but not Georgetown where all his doctors were, he was pretty out of it and from what I was told, he fell asleep and never really woke back up. They were trying for hours to get him transferred and finally around 11pm, he was taken my helicopter to Gtown and admitted to the ICU. 

My family is a joking family. So I texted my brother and said "speedy delivery of John E. "Jack"! " (his name was John but went by Jack and the way I typed it above was how it was written on his business cards).

We joked about that all week. 

All the while I was debating on if I should drive down or not and of course in hindsight I wish I would have, but at 11 weeks pregnant it wasn't gonna happen. I fall asleep driving, especially at night. Thankfully my hubby had some sense in his head.

Dad had been in and out of hospitals for years and we didn't know if this was so serious. It wasn't until around midnight that I got the text that said  "You should come down." And I cried. 

After the least restful night of sleep, I was up at 5:30, took a quick shower and was out of the house at 6am. Before I left, all I told Mark was, "I don't want to be alone and be told he's gone!" So, I called my brother Joseph to tell him I was leaving and I told him that exact same thing.

My drive was uneventful and very reflective. I arrived around 10am...

I found my sisters and they told me Dad had passed away around 7am. 

My brother kept his promise. 

My 2 other sisters from out of state flew in and arrived not long after me. 

We all got to say goodbye as a family, all 8 of us, for one last time. 

So, a funny story...

My Dad passed around 7am. Almost immediately after he passed there was a page for a nurse over the intercom "Mary Perry, please come to room ***"

My mom and siblings that were in the room were like, "WHAT!?!"

Mary Perry was my Dad's mom's name.

There was still a doctor in the room at this time and he was like, "Mary Perry? There's no nurse named Mary Perry on this floor!"

My family knew that Dad was telling them he was already closer to his Mom than he had been in 20 years! 

Dad died Monday April 16th, 2012. Less than one month before his 70th Birthday. 

The 7 of us spent a whole week together. All of our spouses and kids  

came to support us and Dad's viewing and funeral were beautiful. My Dad was super involved in the City of College Park and for that reason, he was given a police escort from the Church to the cemetery. Shutting down a major section of 295, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway for over a half hour! 

Yet another speedy delivery of John E. "Jack"!

We miss you dad. We love you and not a day goes by that you aren't in our thoughts, our prayers and our hearts. 

A prayer request

There are quite a few ladies that read this that I consider great pray warriors and so many of you graciously prayed for Mark earlier this year.

I ask you to offer up my nephew Emeric in your prayers please.

 I think I have mentioned him before awhile back. His Mom and Dad are my Bro-in-law (Mark's brother) and his wife (who is one of my closest friends in pgh). They found out last summer that Emeric has Tay-Sachs. They began working with Children's and he underwent a stem-cell transplant to help slow and/or reverse the Tay-Sachs. That was back in October. All went well there. Unfortunately, he contracted a very serious virus shortly before Christmas and he has been battling it ever since. This virus is deadly, particularly because he underwent Chemo before his transplant and his whole slate got wiped clean.

It looked like he might be on the up swing a week or so ago, but as of yesterday he was experiencing some seizure like episodes and that is something totally new that they'd not had before. He is very weak, tired, and my MIL just told be yesterday that the doctors thought he'd be long gone by now. Actually, they thought he might live a max of 3 weeks when he first contracted the virus. He is, at this point, a medical miracle since he has been battling the virus for over 3 months. His T-cells have yet to grow back and they truly have no idea how he is still alive.

Please pray. For healing for Emeric and strength and peace for Jonathan and Michele.

Thank you all.

7 Quick Takes - Hello February!!

Linking up with the lovely Jen for the first time in A LONG time! :)

1

HELLO FEBRUARY!! 

January was a hard month. It has been particularly cold here in the 'burgh which means I can't take the girls out (below freezing at least 25 out of the 31 days) and every one is getting cabin fever!! Thank goodness we got Juls a new bike for Christmas and our house in big enough that she can ride it around. 

There were also some health scares for my husband and a miscarriage for me. 

I have never been so happy to flip the calendar! 

And happy to report, he is going to be FINE!

2

I did get to end the month on a high note. I was able to escape the bitter cold and take a SOLO weekend trip to Naples, Florida to celebrate my friend Jen's 29th Birthday! 

It was super fantastic to be with my dear friend of almost 10 years on this most special day for her. 

We got all dolled up on Friday night, had a few beverages*, did some dancing and had a splendid time. 

*We went from a wine loft to a bar around 9:30. They had a cover charge and as Martha was paying the cover charge and all 3 other girls are walking into the bar, the bouncer stops and cards me! Me, the oldest in the group! I looked at him and said, really? Me? I'm 29! He laughed, looked at my ID and said, 23 at the oldest!

He was forgiven!

Enjoy a few pics of the warmth and sunny goodness that SWFL is:

I want to go back...

3

Earlier this week, Mark and I went on a tour of a possible new school for Samantha. 

See, her mom and step-dad moved in September about a half hour away...3 or 4 school districts away depending on how you drive there.

We haven't been super happy with her current school (academically) which is extremely frustrating given that it's a private Catholic school we are paying decent money for. 

This school we toured was a public school in a wonderful school district but again, a half hour away with no busing available from our house. Meaning, we would be driving 2 hours a day, every other week, just to get her to and from school. 

::sigh:: 

It's a little much if you ask me and I am not even sure this is the best route to take. Public school that is.

Sam's only ever been in a small Catholic school and if we are talking number of students, this new school is 10 times the size of her current school! 

Plus, I really feel strongly about Catholic education for as long as it's possible. 

I have no desire to home school but I really want the faith to be integrated into their schooling, especially when Confirmation is just a few short years away. 

We are going to tour another Catholic school that's almost exactly half way between our house and her Mom's. I am really hoping it can work out. It has busing to both our area and her Mom's...It just seems like such a good compromise. 

Prayers for us. This is a hard decision to make. We want the best for Samantha but we also have to keep our other kids and Mark's career in mind.

4

Speaking of school, I registered Miss Juliana for preschool next year! Unfortunately, with her having a late October birthday she will be in the 3 year old class. I am having hard time with this because Juls is a wickedly smart girl. I have been told numerous times by many people how advanced she is for someone her age. Whether it be speaking, physical ability, or any other milestone. Juls did it above the curve. But, I did some research and talked with some people and they suggested putting her into the 3 year old and see how she does. Then, if I think she is ready, test her into Kindergarten early but if she doesn't pass the test, at least she won't be repeating the 4 year old class. 

I also found a Ready-K program (at the same Catholic school we are going to tour for Samantha) that would be a great fit for Juls. 

They grow up so fast!

5

And Miss Miriam is 15 months old already!

WHAT???

How did this happen?

She is just sweet as pie but man is she stubborn! If she does not want to do something or really wants a particular item or food, she will LET. You. KNOW!

We went for her check up this morning and she is just a wee-bit smaller than Juls was which is great because that means all the summer clothing will fit! :) She is a bit of a chatterbox but isn't a fan of repeating new words. She will just stare at you if you ask her to say something but then out of nowhere, she'll throw a pillow on the floor and say "Sleep" clear as day! 

Each kid is different and one of most enduring parts of Miriam is her cuddliness.

She loves to sit on your lap and chill out with you. She'll hold your finger and 7 out of 10 times she will fall asleep on you. 

Juli never did that. EVER!

Her favorite places to play are in my kitchen cabinets and on top of the kids table. 

Safety first!

Also a fan of walking around with her head covered...

6

I have been on a reading kick (one and only benefit to cold days and nights...) and I have fallen in love with the author Lynn Austin! 

She writes Christian Historical Fiction. There is often a romance or two in the story but given that it's Christian, it never crosses that awkward "maybe I shouldn't be reading this!" line. 

 I would HIGHLY recommend  The Refiner's Fire Series  (the first book is free for Kindle readers! )and I also loved Until We Reach Home! Eve's Daughter's was good but it didn't shine a great light on a Catholic priest, so...

Currently reading Hidden Places and so far, so good! 

Check out your local library for the books and ebooks! FREE BOOKS! Who doesn't love Free things!

7

So, this is totally random but I got 9 hours of good sleep last night. This is not common for many reasons but I was wiped last night. Was in bed at 9:45pm and slept til 7. And ya know, getting up at 7am isn't so bad when you are properly rested. I text Mark and told him I felt like a whole new woman! It's crazy! 

Going to really try to get more nights of sleep like that. I think everyone in my life will thank me! 

Happy Friday Ya'll. Anyone in the South is welcome to send warmth up North! 

Benign

The biopsy is done. Just spoke with the surgeon. They were able to test in the operating room and it's sarcoidosis. Any and all inflammation of lymphnodes is benign. 

No cancer. 

Praise God. 

Hope

First let me thank you all for your prayers, emails and kind words. I am so grateful to have such wonderful women in my life.

Mark went and met with the surgeon this past Friday. This appointment was a meet and greet, let the surgeon have a first hand look at all the scans and set up the biopsy. Well, I wasn't able to attend because I was in FLORIDA (more on that later) and I was super nervous b/c I felt like I should be there but Mark was having none of the idea of me cancelling my trip. He was like "you need this trip more than you need to be at this appointment." And he's right on both accounts. The appointment went extremely well. The nurses treated him like their own son and the surgeon had some positive news also. I mentioned that there are 3 possible outcomes and the surgeon is fairly certain that it's the best one of the 3 - sarcoidosis. The only way to prove this is with a biopsy. Plus, he's said he's been wrong before and with Mark only being 31 and having his whole life ahead of him, he is not taking any chances.

The biopsy is taking place tomorrow (Thursday) morning. Not sure of the time just yet but I'm sure it will be at o'dark-thirty! It's a fairly routine outpatient procedure and should only take about an hour. And he should be up and around by Friday. Then we wait for the results. They could be anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks. ::Sigh::

Let me tell you though, after Mark heard how positive the surgeon was and confident in what he saw, Mark's whole demeanor changed. I could hear it instantly in his voice in the message he left as he was leaving the office. It as if all this weight of worry has been lifted off of him. He's had more energy in the past few days then he's had in a month. Now, I am still worried and am cautious of him over working himself but it's so refreshing to have him almost back to his normal self.

Please pray and I'll do my best to keep this updated.

Keepin it real - Hardships

A friend of mine mentioned that she missed keeping up with my life on the blog. That surprised me because I feel like my life couldn't get anymore normal and the exciting times consist of little one's learning new words, saying off the wall things or family holidays. But, life has been a little different this past month and I feel like I need to put some of it on paper just so I remember how exciting "normal life" is.

Way back on Dec 22 my hubby woke up with a cough. No big thing. The littles were sick and I assumed he was the next unfortunate one to get the cold/cough they both had. Well, by the end of the day he was complaining of achy joints, chest pain, had started running a fever and was looking pretty terrible! A visit to the MedExpress on the 23 diagnosed him with Pneumonia. The radiologist called about a half hour after we left and said they saw something that seemed worse than just pneumonia and we should go to the ER for a CT scan. Praise the Lord for big families bc 2 of Mark's brothers were able to come stay with the girls while we went to the ER. They didn't have anything new to say and the ER doctor wrote him off as "your 31 with an otherwise clean bill of health" so why should you get a CT scan. We trusted him. Learned my lesson there.

It took over a week for Mark to get back to somewhat normal but even then, he still was complaining of chest pain, had a consistent cough and was over all weak. Many people said that pneumonia really takes it out of you and he'd be better in a week or two more. Well, the chest pain became so bad one night that he was seriously worried that he might be having a heart attack.

It was also during this time that we discovered I was pregnant. We were excited but nervous and surprised because we weren't trying (or avoiding for that matter). Once the idea settled in that we'd have another one and we were just thrilled, I miscarried. 

I urged him to call his pcp, who had cleared him of infection around new years day, and go get checked out again. Well, to the naked eye, he was fine. No physical problems to speak of. But, having just recovered from an infection in his lungs they ordered another xray. That xray confirmed that something was indeed off and he needed to go for a CT scan so that they could get a better look at his chest/lungs and all mid-chest internal organs. They called that day and said he needed to go that night for a follow up.
-remember that ME radiologist who said there was something off in the Xray and the ER doc who said he didn't need it? Yeah well, he should have had it! 

Urgency from doctors is never good.

Mark refused to let me go and was trying to tell me that everything was going to be fine. I acted like I believed him but my gut, oh my gut was telling me different!

He called on his way home and told me something, honestly I can't remember what was said but I could tell he was glazing over the meat of the diagnosis. He did mention that the pcp was not a specialist and he needed to see one...It was not until after the girls were in bed that night that he finally told me the "specialist" he was going to see was an Oncology doctor. I WAS going to that appointment. Which was today.

There's an excessive amount of lymphnodes in his chest and a small mass of tissue that shouldn't be there between his bronchial tubes. There are 3 outcomes at this point:  Sarcoidosis (not so bad), Lymphoma (bad), or another cancer metastasized in the lymph nodes (worse).

Sarcoidosi is an inflammatory disease that is found mostly in the lungs and is a small tissue mass that forms after an infection. It could be an acute problem is this turns out to be the case and he might have to deal with it for the rest of his life. Given Mark's history with lung problems, this is absolutely a possibility but given the excessive lymphnodes found, this is not the only possibility.

He will need to have a biopsy done asap to figure out if this is malignant or benign.


I haven't wanted to talk about this much because the outcome is unknown. I can't plan anything for more than tomorrow when so much is on the line. His life, my 31 year old husband's life, could be on the line. Nothing will make you stop and really reflect on what's REALLY important except the possibility of losing one of THE most important people in your life.

When I miscarried, I prayed to God to tell me why this baby was placed inside of me for such a short period of time and almost instantly I heard "servant" in my heart. I felt that this baby while it would have been a blessing, and in it's short life inside of me was a HUGE blessing, it was not the right time to welcome a new life. God knew what I am able to handle. I felt Him calling me to be His servant for someone in my life. Little did I know how quickly I would be called forward into that role. 

We are trying to keep a positive outlook. Pray for us. Mark is a very positive, silly person but I know he's nervous. Pray for us to accept God's will and to have all the grace we need to get through this hard time.