Long Overdue Home Update!

  Our contractor showed up!!!

Our favorite two guys came and worked so hard on the house.  Then they wrapped it tightly in a tarp and took a break during this rainy/windy week!  

We are so excited that next week looks like great weather.  We are thankful to get so much done so quickly!  

Once the new dormer is built and the new addition dried in, we will work on the layout of the rooms.  We already have plans but can change them to take advantage of all of the room!

We also have this huge dumpster right out the back door!  This is the second one!  It's a great time to keep cleaning out the basement and other rooms in the house!

Will said he loved the new roof color we chose!  Actually, the tarp has done a great job keeping everything pretty dry!

It's so exciting to see the size of the addition - looks bigger than I expected!

The back porch has been dismantled.  We are getting all new beams to hold up everything upstairs!  So now I can get the pretty porch ceiling I was hoping to get when we redid the porch!  It will be put back together - just prettier and stronger!

I told little Blakely that Grammie is getting her a nice big bath tub to play in when she visits!  She's already one month old and growing and already has the sweetest little disposition!

While planning for the front porch - Pete, Sam, and I have some plans - I found this set at HomeGoods!  It's the perfect table for the front porch for a place to read my Bible study or eat dinner!  It's a woven plastic, so it wipes off so easily!  I love the Serena & Lily look, so this set is perfect!

We ordered three faucets and two tubs last night to get ready for the new bathrooms.  I have too many Pinterest pages, and I need to get my thoughts and ideas BACK together.  I have notes that I made, but I don't want to forget anything that I had planned - early on!

That's all for now!  Hopefully, I will update a lot soon!

Hopefully the EXCITING NEWS will be on here next week!

 We have run into more unanticipated unbelievable delays.  But we can see God working.  And we are thankful He cares even about our house stuff!  So we really hope to have a HUGE update in the next week or so!!!

Exciting News Coming Soon...I hope!!!!

 I hope to update this blog very soon - in the next month or so! - with some good information!  Cannot wait!!!

 Merry Christmas!  I'll post our Christmas card here for those I missed!  I really need to update my list!

I used this scripture passage in the past but felt it was fitting again this year.  As I get older, time is getting shorter.  The ONLY thing that matters in my life is sharing Jesus, pointing to Him, and praying those who don't know Him will come to know Him.  Of course family is important.  Jobs are important.  Responsibilities are important.  However, time drainers and material things are not.  As my brother says about "stuff" - Less is more!  Casting away all of the things that don't matter gives more time for the most important.

  

We just cannot know how good God is until we realize how bad we are.  All of us.  Every one.  I'm so thankful He saved a wretch like me!

May you know the JOY of Christmas as we celebrate, worship, and adore the Savior of the World ~ Jesus Christ ~ the One who loves us most!

Praying for everyone who reads this blog!

Here is a little bit of what happened (and what did not!) in 2024:

Pete's mom Sarah died February 6, 2024, at our home.  She probably had a stroke while in respite (the few days Hospice cares for patients to give caregivers a break) at the Hospice House.  The last time I saw her interact with anyone was when the nice men came to pick her up in an ambulance to take her.  Usually Pete drove her, but she'd had some sort of episode a few days earlier; and he thought the transportation Hospice offered would be better.  One man spoke to her, and she smiled at him.  When she came back, she was not responsive and never was again.  We knew she had been getting worse, and the nurses had already planned some different things.  We already had a hospital bed, and we kept her at home from the Tuesday she returned until the next Tuesday, when she died.  Family and friends were able to visit during that time.  We had lots of people come by to pray for her ~ and us.  It's a bit of a blur, but we remember lots of prayers and lots of kindness.  The Hospice nurse who answered the middle of the night call could not have been kinder or more respectful.  It was the same for the men from the funeral home who came at 2:00 am.  Sam was a huge help during that time also.  Sarah lived with us for almost six years.  It was a grueling battle for her (and us) with dementia.  We appreciate all of those who helped and prayed during that time.  We had a memorial time at the house Pop built in Floyd for both Pop and Sarah.  Even though Pop had a funeral in 2018, I did not truly believe Pete and I could mourn him until after Sarah died.  It's hard to explain, but we included both of them with lots of pictures and memory books. 

At Easter, Pete started a church in Abingdon.  We had a praise team and lots of family and friends - even from Boone, NC, and Nashville, TN, to come and support it.  But it did not take off, so we closed it.  Again, we were thankful to all who helped and supported the efforts.  We hope that what he did do was used to bring someone to the Lord.  We were able to go back to East Bristol where Pete is now the pastor.  Again, we are thankful for that!

We lost our Lucy Girl.  And I still cry sometimes when I exit the interstate and don't see her white fluffy self in our yard.  She was struggling, and we knew we did not have long.  So we spent most of her last days doting on her but also allowing her to find her special spots in the yard or on the porch or in the house to rest.  She died in her favorite spot in the kitchen right next to the treat box.  She was such a good girl and such a blessing to our family.  I remember praying for a special dog, and she was it.  She woke me up countless times to a seizure or low blood sugar.  She was the first to comfort someone who was sick or hurt.

All of the sudden, Sadie seemed so old and sad.  It was awful!  She would even go and sit on Lucy's grave site.  So we adopted Jack ~ another Golden Retriever this summer.  He is so different from but also so much like Lucy in some ways.  So we don't feel like we replaced her.  Jack has been so good for Sadie - and the rest of us.  

No one questioned his name.  He's named after Laura Ingalls' dog on Little House on the Prairie.  He is now as tall as Sadie.

What we have not gotten done is our house.  Pete almost has the tile backsplash done in the kitchen.  After Christmas, I am going to find someone to finish it and grout it.  Then the kitchen will be 98% done!

We've waited patiently (so patiently) for over two years for the shed dormer upstairs ~ adding two bathrooms and a laundry room.  We have almost broken down the bedrooms and covered everything in plastic.  But then something happens, and the date gets pushed out...again.  So we are hoping to get that done in the spring.  It's looking like Sam and I may have to demo, and Pete will instruct us on how to put it back together!  For something that was supposed to be done before we moved in, we have been patiently waiting.  After all of that, we can continue to work on the front porch and hang the wallpaper in the front entry!  Maybe this will be the year to get it done.

Pete did finish the back porch, and it makes a huge difference in the house.  The glassed in porch smelled so musty, and taking it back to an open porch looks so much more like this house.  Pete and Sam also started a fence on one side of the house, so Jack and Sadie can play for an hour or two at a time outside.  They literally moved all of the living room furniture around one time playing!

I hope this explains why my other blog is so far behind!  I hope to have something to add soon ~ at least the porch and fence!  

Pete took me to New England this past fall.  I've always wanted to go.  Even though we were in Boston and Cape Cod and not Maine, I still felt like I was in the middle of a Murder, She Wrote episode!  We took the ferry to Nantucket one day and walked by the infamous bookstore several times ~ only to see it on the news a couple of weeks later.  I met an Iroquois Indian who said he was one of four on the island.  He told me I needed to find the other three, but I told him that I probably wouldn't if they looked like him - light hair and blue eyes.  He also has a home near Charlotte, so we had an interesting conversation even though I was not sure why he stopped to talk to me - I'd lost Pete for a few minutes.  It was probably because the locals were so friendly.  We were amazed at all of the houses and buildings, the cleanliness and neatness of the grocery stores and gas stations, the beauty of the beach, and just the differences from the south.  We stayed at an old inn and had the pool right down the stairs from our room, so I was able to do PT for my leg every day at least once!  We were able to walk to the beach.  We had the best seafood we bought already cooked at a grocery store and liked it so much we had it three nights in a row!  It was also on sale which was another plus!  I cannot wait to go back!  Pete was afraid I'd pick out a house and want to stay.  But I'll be happy just to visit again!

As we wind up 2024, we look back and see major changes in our family and our lives.  We hope to be able to serve God more and more in 2025 and spend even more time with the ones we love!

Merry Christmas!!!

Living with a person with dementia - some ways to help

 I've thought about writing a post about living with someone with dementia and some ways to help (or not help!).  I have lived with someone with dementia for way over five years, and I have some things that may be useful to someone else.  These are things that have happened or not happened, but I hope they will help someone else in the same situation!

Helpful ways to help those taking care of dementia patients:

Check on them - write a text or email or call or mail something.  When distant family used to call (even infrequently), it helped keep the patient busy for a few precious minutes.  Or it helped brighten the day of the caregiver.  Just try to take the time to reach out.

Pass along when someone else checks on them or the patient.  It makes them feel not quite so alone.  It makes them feel like someone cares.

Send the patient something, even if they don't know it.  Pajamas, cozy socks, a zip up hoodie, a coloring book or magazine, a book with lots of pictures, or a snuggly blanket.  Some things can keep the patient busy and help things stay calm.  Others keep the patient neater and cleaner and saves money for the caregivers.  My aunt got my mother-in-law the softest hooded full zip sweatshirt.  It works so well, because she's always so cold and fits right over her clothes or pajamas.  Friends have gotten the softest socks.  My brother and sister-in-law gave a soft blanket to go with the ones my sister had gotten.  It all helps in all kinds of ways.

Send a simple gift to the caregiver(s).  A manicure or pedicure for the caregiver.  Or favorite candy or a book.  Something as a treat if there are children - like a gift card to a favorite store or restaurant.  Just something to show care or appreciation by the way of a small, simple gift.

Offer to sit for an hour or two while the caregiver runs errands or has a quick lunch with friends or family.  Some times of day are easier to manage, and usually caregivers are happy to schedule some time during those times.

Offer to come and stay a day where the patient lives to let the caregivers have a day to spend together working on a project, visiting a child, or just taking a break.  The patient will be in familiar surroundings, so it's easier for everyone.  

Try to work holidays or visits around what is easiest for the caregivers who work their lives around the patient.  See how these times can be made easier and less stressful.  And since the caregivers are used to working things out themselves, don't expect them to ask.

Check on the patient's needs every once in a while to see if they need any items you can easily get for them.  Hygiene items or things like extra bibs or other supplies mean a lot to the caregivers.

Remember that caregivers have little time for themselves, so think of ways to give them some extra time - even if it's just a couple of hours.

Try to make the drive.  Caregivers seem to go overboard to accommodate everyone else.  See if there are ways to help them by coming to them every so often or finding the easiest places to meet.  Patients will get to the point where they cannot ride in the car, so it would be good to go ahead and plan accordingly.

If you are truly concerned about the days or the week a loved one has had, be the one to call and check on them.  See if the caregiver needs any extra help during extra stressful times.  Be prepared to change plans and check on the loved one in person if possible.

In some cases, hiring someone to come and clean the caregiver's house would be a huge help - even if it's just a couple of rooms or the refrigerator.  Or take their car to be serviced or washed.  Every day errands get pushed back with limited time to do them.

Merry Christmas 2022!!!

 Merry Christmas 2022!!!

Merry Christmas 2022!  We are excited about the season of Christmas ~ celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The scripture we chose for our Christmas card is not the "normal" Christmas scripture, but it's such a reminder of what we are and are not and what HE is!  And what He's done!  And that's what Christmas is all about!

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." 

I Timothy 1:15-17

What am I and am I not?  I am not perfect.  I am not worthy.  I am a sinner, the worst of them all, and need a savior.

THE BEST NEWS?????  That Savior came down on Christmas in the lowliest of places for you and for me.  

Don't determine to follow Jesus because of someone like me.  Remember, I'm the worst of the worst.  But I hope you will pursue knowing Jesus, because of who He is.  He came for us all.  Not all will accept Him.  Not everyone realizes they need a savior.  But we all need Him.  And He came!

That's what Christmas is ALL about!  Jesus Christ - our Lord and Savior!

(A picture of a shepherd boy in Bethlehem I took in February 2020!)

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As an update for our family ~ because we seem to be all over the place ~ so I'm sharing the following!

Last January, we got to celebrate Christmas with Peter and Julianna who flew in from Colorado and even got snowed in with us for a day or two!  We had the best time playing games and watching movies and just hanging out!  Peter, Julianna, Will, and I even went to TJ Maxx and the mall!  It was so fun to be with them!

Will and Laiken were engaged, and we celebrated their wedding on September 24!  We are so blessed to now have TWO daughters!

Sensing my need to visit my little Colorado people again, Pete made reservations for us and Sam to fly to see them in November.  We had a great visit with them!

We played at Top Golf in Colorado and had so much fun, so we celebrated Andrew's birthday a little early with a trip to Top Golf in Charlotte!  

In the middle of all of that, Sam started his senior year of high school!  My baby!  He is so helpful and fun and intuitive and smart and has a memory better than mine!

We also got a brand new great nephew five months ago, Maddox, who joined his greatest big sister Emma who turned three in October.  They are certainly the best, and we love seeing them and spending time with them.  Emma is a real encourager, laugh creator, and all around great little person to be around!  And Maddox is the smiliest and sweetest baby ever!  We appreciate that Laura and Ethan share them with all of us!

We lost some precious people this year.  One of my first "big" bosses died and brought together lots of people from the olden days in Admissions ~ while we traded texts back and forth with updates and when we traveled to his funeral to support his family.  

We also lost my pastor's wife, Louise Thrasher.  She has always been in my life.  The Thrashers have been through all of the ups and downs with me (and millions of others).  We know she is with Jesus.  She spent her last days and weeks talking to people about Jesus and praising and worshipping Him.  In fact, the night before she died, she was at a Worship Night in the Train Station in Bristol.  We miss her, but I think I will always see her smiling face and hear her encouraging words until I see her again.  And that's a gift, because she always encouraged me in a way that only one who had Jesus shining through her could.

In April, we sold our house of 15 years ~ right after renovating many things I had wanted to do over the years!  We didn't close until June, so we continued to pare down and give away and sell and throw away lots of stuff.  That sure lightened the load!  We moved into an apartment in Vilas and are so thankful for the friends renting it to us ~ me, Pete, Sam, Sarah, and, of course, Sadie and Lucy!  It has a beautiful view on a hill that will keep me from work on snow days!

We started looking at homes and lots in Bristol and Abingdon in the spring.  I really wanted a home on Valley Street in Abingdon, so I could walk downtown.  Or I would have settled for a house on Solar Street in Bristol that had the most amazing windows in the kitchen and the prettiest staircase.  Or the pretty blue house near my old church that had a window seat and a few fireplaces!  I thought he'd agree on the house my dad's principal lived in, when he was a child.  But Pete was scared of my choices and the enormous work he could see involved.  We decided to build and even picked out a lot.  But the cost of building right now is so high.  While we were going back and forth, a house we had seen online continued to drop in price; and so we went to see it with Tracy - my high school friend and running teammate ~ and a most patient, helpful, and fast to get back to you realtor.  The in between story is very long.  Really, it is.  The longest closing in the history of house closings!  But we both decided the location, the home and its potential, and just the general feel of the place made it a home we both happily agreed upon!  It's close to Boone being right at Exit 19.  

So we are renovating and planning to move in the spring after Sam graduates.  It's getting a new kitchen, new bathrooms, paint, and some updating on plumbing and electrical during all of that.  We will update the outside some too!  If it looks familiar, you've seen it as you exit I-81 North at 19.  I've always thought it was the cutest little house!  If you can still find it on realtor.com, there are some great aerial pictures!  It's on Maringo Road in Abingdon.  

We are thankful and excited to move closer to family, but we will miss our friends in Boone!  We'll only be a little over an hour away and hope to have a garage full of bikes, so we can have people visit and ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail!

Pete is still hoping to find a church to pastor.  He will be ministering and pastoring in some capacity!  We are just praying about where!  Since we left our last church, two years ago, we have visited and attended some good churches; and he's ready to get back to preaching and pastoring.  He still has all of his cleaning jobs now and has to spend most of his other time with his mom.

Sarah (Pete's mom) has lived with us for almost five years ~ since soon after Pop died.  Her dementia gets worse every few months, it seems.  She does not know who we are or what goes on.  Some days are calmer, and some are very busy keeping up with her.  We have a sitter who helps occasionally, and Andrew can still help some for short amounts of time.  Hospice respite has been a huge help - giving us 4-5 days of a break each month for the past few months.  We appreciate the little breaks we have here and there.  We were able to take Sam to Charleston for a few days over spring break, and she stayed with Charlie.  Meg kept her when we went to Colorado in November.  We are thankful for these breaks and know firsthand how caregiving can completely wear you out and wear you down - especially when it's in your own home!  We appreciate all of the prayers prayed for our family!

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We pray this Christmas season brings you closer to Jesus ~ the one and only Savior of the World.  He is our Light and our Salvation.  Our Hope.  Our Joy.  Our Peace.

Love,

Wendi

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12

A Long Overdue Update!

 After I broke my leg, things came to a standstill of sorts!  I felt behind in absolutely everything, but I also felt God's hand on me keeping me from getting too agitated with all my limitations!

We flew to Colorado in June for Peter and Julianna's wedding.  I was treated differently at the different airports, and I appreciated those at the airports and on the flights who asked how they could help.  I was able to get to my seat by holding onto seats - with gloves!  Dwayne and Whitney drove out to meet us, so they were our tour guides.  We spent some quality time with Julianna and Peter and her family.  The wedding was beautiful, and we are so happy Julianna is officially in our family!  They came home in August and had a celebration at Sky Retreat.  It was beautiful too, and more family got to see them dressed up in their wedding clothes!

I was cut off from physical therapy at the very beginning of August - no tapering, no plan.  Just cut off!  The hospital and my insurance did not do well there.  I was still using a walker.  I used Youtube to figure out how to walk with crutches and then a cane.  I am still using a cane.  I go to the pool to swim and do PT three times a week.  I still am making a little progress, but I am anxious to ditch the cane and walk on the Greenway with my friends!

We got to celebrate Christmas with Peter and Julianna at their visit in January.  We got snowed in and played Monopoly and watched movies.  And ate.  And they all walked in the snow.  It was over too soon, but we will see them again soon!

Andrew's Duke video came out today, and we are taken back to 2018 and all of the time leading up to that.  It was not an easy time, and it's wonderful to see him sharing in that way of his - to help others.

You can find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7fsZWWXNFU

"I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." Psalm 9:1