Before getting to my Top 10 Blog Posts of 2025, I want to say how amazed I am that this blog continues to get the views that it does, especially since so many people say that blogging is becoming outdated. (This year alone my blog received over 81,000 views!) Videos and podcasts are all the rage these days, but I have always been a bit old school. One reason I keep up with my blog is that it offers a creative outlet and doing it helps me feel less stressed. It also reminds me that this is one project that I started and have continued. (I love to start new projects but have a hard time keeping them going or finishing them. I will try to work on that this year!) Yet one more reason is because I want to give God glory for all that He has done in my life and use the gift that He has given me to hopefully be a blessing and an encouragement to others. In 2025, here were my most-viewed blogs: 10. Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month: Reflecting On Our Journey So Far Fai...
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One Year Ago: My Trip to Mayo
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Today I thought it was quite fitting that on my one-year anniversary of my new pacemaker, I was wearing a 24-hour Holter monitor! It's not because I'm having any issues with my pacemaker. Instead, I'm just preparing for my upcoming cardiology appointment next month.
Thankfully, my cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN comes here to Bismarck, so I don't have to make the 1,000-mile round trip again! By the way, isn't amazing how small these Holter monitors are nowadays? I remember having to wear much larger ones that could not be hidden very easily, plus it was hard to sleep being attached to a big clunky machine. Last night, I hardly even knew this little one was there!
I got my original pacemaker in August of 1999 but because the lead was getting old, my cardiology team wanted me to get a new one. It was last year on this day that I was recovering from the procedure. It still bends my mind how God took care of every single detail and that I had found enough people to look after Faith for the five days (and four nights) that I was gone.
I am still incredibly grateful for all those who stepped up to look
after her. I'm also thankful my sister was able to take me to Rochester. Faith
still talks about it like it just recently happened. She often mentions
that her aunt and little cousin stayed with her a couple of nights and
how patient she had to be.
She also talks about how our friend Mandi looked after her, and she even had her kids and husband come over to visit.
I don't know what I would have done without her as she came every
morning to relieve the overnight staff and get Faith out of bed. She
even sent me a picture of Faith every day!
Faith had loads of fun while I was gone!
Faith told me when Grandma and Grandpa were here, Grandpa did his
crossword puzzle and then took a nap. (I think it's cute which details stick in her mind!) There was also the respite care
staff who stayed over a couple of nights and also a few other friends
who helped out. She will truly never forget it. Most of all though, I
think she is proud of herself for getting through that time and being so
mature. It helped that I got to talk to Faith every day and even did a
couple of video chats with her, which she loved.
Even though
it was for a medical procedure, my sister and I made the best of it and
had plenty of laughs along the way. Especially when on the way home our
sister was heading back from a work trip and we managed to catch up to her on
the Interstate, which you can see in the video below!
The double rainbow we spotted just as we crossed into Minnesota
After driving in the dark (and rain) through the Cities, we were thankful to reach our comfy hotel room.
Our hotel was conveniently located just across the street from where I would be having my procedure. This is also where I had my last open-heart surgery in 1999 and my original pacemaker implantation.
Taking the shuttle from our hotel to the downtown campus for a day of medical tests.
Hanging around waiting for the last appointment of the day.
My sister even was able to get some work done!
After a long day, we were able to eat at our favorite restaurant in Rochester!
Me after my procedure...I was just a tad groggy!
Grateful that things went so well!
After a night in the hospital and an extra day recovering, we were ready to hit the road again!
Who is that ahead of us on the Interstate? Let's find out!
Tired but happy sisters reunited in Bismarck!
Grandma is there too, and Faith is super excited to have us all there!
Hopefully it will be a while before I need to go to Mayo again for a medical procedure. If I do though, I know God will provide and Faith will be well looked after!
It's hard to believe that Faith is 19 years old and has never had a major illness or extended hospital stay since she was in the NICU. The only other time she had to stay in the hospital was when she had her g-tube placed when she was two years old. That is, until now. And to think it all started with her having a simple outpatient procedure that had nothing to do with the reason she was hospitalized. Day 1: Thursday - the Procedure Faith and I got up extremely early as she had to be at the clinic for her outpatient procedure. The procedure was a lumbar puncture in order to do a test dose of medication called baclofen, which would help reduce high muscle tone and spasticity. If the results were good, and it helped her muscles relax, we would have the option (in the future) of inserting a baclofen pump so that she could receive the medication continuously via a catheter in her spine. I stressed the importance of giving her anti-nausea medication before the procedure be...
Last Wednesday I had my yearly doctor exam and when she said I should get my tetanus shot updated, I didn't think twice about it. The nurse said my arm would be sore for a couple of days, gave me a handout and stuck the needle in my arm. The next day my arm was sore and although I found it a little harder to pick up and carry Faith, I was glad the pain wasn't going to last long. Boy was I wrong! But not only was my arm sore, my whole body was. I felt achy and extremely tired. According to a medical site on the Internet, these were mild side effects of the Tetanus shot. If these were only mild side effects, I would really hate to have them at a moderate or severe level. My arm is still red and sore on day 2 after my tetanus shot. On Friday, two days after getting the shot I felt so tired that I took a four-hour nap after getting Faith off to school. Then on Saturday I took a three-hour nap up until 7 o'clock, but still felt tired and was able to go back to sleep around 10. ...
Before getting to my Top 10 Blog Posts of 2025, I want to say how amazed I am that this blog continues to get the views that it does, especially since so many people say that blogging is becoming outdated. (This year alone my blog received over 81,000 views!) Videos and podcasts are all the rage these days, but I have always been a bit old school. One reason I keep up with my blog is that it offers a creative outlet and doing it helps me feel less stressed. It also reminds me that this is one project that I started and have continued. (I love to start new projects but have a hard time keeping them going or finishing them. I will try to work on that this year!) Yet one more reason is because I want to give God glory for all that He has done in my life and use the gift that He has given me to hopefully be a blessing and an encouragement to others. In 2025, here were my most-viewed blogs: 10. Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month: Reflecting On Our Journey So Far Fai...
Faith and I barely made it through Christmas before she got hit hard with the flu bug. (Which is why this blog post is a bit delayed!) Leading up to the night of the 25th, we were enjoying lots of music, goodies, and family time. One event that has become a tradition for us is going to the Nutcracker ballet. This year's performance marked the 8th one in a row that we have attended! We love everything about the Nutcracker - the music, the costumes, the different scenes, the talented dancers, seeing some of our friends onstage, and the seasonal excitement in the atmosphere! Ready to go to the Nutcracker! Of course, the week after the Nutcracker always proves to be a busy one, as it is one week before Christmas! Faith had her usual therapies and while she was at her day program, I would do all of my running around. During one of the gift shopping excursions, I ran into my brother Todd! We had lots of fun catching up, right there at Fleet Farm! My little bro and I hanging out at...
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