A LITTLE CATCHING UP

Sunday, July 15 -  It's been awhile since we posted on our blog. We thought we better send out an update. We are currently in our summer home in Canton, Ohio. Those of you who follow our blog regularly may recall that Marsha suffered a stroke on April 11, while visiting Paul's brother in Amelia Island, Florida. We extended our stay in that area so Marsha could attend physical, speech, and occupational therapies. Once released by the doctor, we took our time traveling to our summer home in Canton. We arrived here on May 11 and immediately visited doctors in this area. Marsha worked very hard on therapy and is currently doing home therapy as needed. Her writing and typing leave a lot to be desired, but she is still plugging away trying to improve those skills.  She still has some speech issues she would like to improve upon. For some strange reason, she has acquired an Italian accent. Paul finds it a little exotic, and Marsha, family and friends have humorously enjoyed having a little Italian gal around the house this summer.

One of the tests the doctor ordered for Marsha was  a 30-day heart monitor, She wore it from mid-June to the middle of July and will get the results at the end of the month. She doesn’t wish that 30 day misery on anyone. What a pain. And as funny as it sounds, Paul’s cardiologist had him wear one for 30 days also, due to his afib problem.  We go to different doctors and were wearing them for different reasons. Our appointments were on the same day, at the same hospital and back-to-back times. The gal that set us up said she never had a husband and wife wired up together. What a hoot. 

To complicate matters, Marsha's dad, who just celebrated his 90^th birthday this past November, has had some health issues of his own and has just recently moved into an assisted living facility. Thank God for Marsha, her brother and sister-in-law, Rick and Chris, dad has improved significantly and is comfortable in his new home. He wouldn't be where he is today without their dedicated and hard work. They continue their efforts with getting his house ready for sale and trying to satisfy the rest of the family. We do see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Carrie, dad, Kelly, Dave

We have really enjoyed spending time with our oldest daughter, Kelly, and husband, Dave. Kelly is pregnant with our first grand baby. She is due in late November. She and Dave tried for three years to get pregnant with negative results. They decided to try IVF. Thank God it took the very first time. Kelly’s pregnancy was confirmed the same day Marsha had her stroke. We are all so happy and can’t wait till the little one arrives.

Kelly and Dave are so excited!

Our daughter, Carrie, had a return flight to Houston this morning after visiting here in Canton for nearly a week. We had a great time with the entire family together.

A little fun playing bags

Marsha gets to enjoy all the fun.

She tried her hand at bags but is still a little weak.

We don’t know who looks more pregnant…Kelly or one of the boys.

And to add to the excitement, Kelly and Dave are in the middle of remodeling their kitchen, which Paul enjoys helping with. Kelly has taken a new teaching position in their home town of Chardon, Ohio. For the past six years, she was teaching in Parma, Ohio, nearly an hour drive from home. She looks forward to teaching at the nearby high school after her childcare leave.

We plan on remaining here in Ohio until after the Christmas holiday to spend time with our new grand baby and the rest of the family before traveling to Houston, Texas, to escape winter for several months. Hopefully, Paul can slow Marsha down a bit, but it has been a difficult struggle.

Hope this updates everyone on what we've been up to and what we plan for the immediate future. We want to thank everyone for the kind thoughts and prayers through this troubling time. Amazing how an event can change your life so quickly. The cause of Marsha's stroke remains a mystery to her and her doctors. She was in good health, exercised regularly, never smoked, wasn't over weight and lived a pretty healthy life. We hope and pray it was a “one-time” event and she will recover completely…..although Paul thinks he'll miss having that sweet Italian lady around the house.

We hope every one has a great rest of the summer.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you back soon.  Have a great day!