Goodbye 2016!

Some are saying that this has been a horrible year, and I'm tempted to agree with them. However, there have been many wonderful times. Keri and I have had some good times and some laughs. I know that those will be fewer in 2017. We have crammed as much into 2016 as we could possibly cram. Yesterday we went to see the trumpeter swans. Keri had such a good time. We went to the new place where she could walk right up on them and we went to the original place. It was a good way to end this year.

This morning, I took Keri to breakfast at Waffle House. It may be one our last trips out to eat. She was talking all the time and relatively loud. I finally got her through breakfast and we came back home. She talked most of the day. We were supposed to go to a New Year's party at Gene and Beckie's but I wasn't sure we could. Keri calmed down by late afternoon, so we went. I think she had a great visit, but we left around 9:00. Certainly not the New Year's we have celebrated in past years.

Surprise Post!

Last Sunday was a rough day. Keri continues to digress and getting to Church is never easy. There are even some Sundays that we don't make it to morning worship and go straight to class. We did make it this past Sunday. I was surprised to read about us in this post. There were many comments and many people recognized who she was talking about. I sent her a private message thanking her for her kind, kind words. It gives me something to live up to.

Cheryl Taylor White

December 21 at 8:45pm · Searcy ·

I am not going mention names...but I want to tell you a story. Sunday morning, we got there late..and I did NOT get to sit in my usual pew!!! So the 4 of us squeezed in a row and sat behind a couple. They are not old..I repeat...they are NOT old...but something has happened to her and she is not quite herself. He helped her stand when everyone stood. He helped her sit down. He broke off the communion cracker...he handed her the little cup. We sang some new songs...but when "The Old Rugged Cross" began, she looked at him and smiled...she sang...she knew this one..it was familiar. He smiled back. During the sermon, she got tired...and leaned over on his shoulder. His shoulder was steady and strong. The events happening in the pew in front of me were more of a sermon than can even be preached. It was commitment. It was unconditional. It was "I'm not going to leave you even if something happens to you." It was..."I'm going to be here even if other people our age are off travelling or finding new hobbies or hanging out with friends." It was...for better or worse..and this was worse. It was "I will love you if you don't know the words or can no longer remember to break the cracker." It was love. It was awfully cold outside..but those 2 warmed my heart. What a blessing to witness. I'm so thankful I did not get my usual seat....

Twas the night before Christmas...

It's 8:15 on a Christmas Eve and I've just gotten Keri in bed. The stockings are hung (actually I can't find mine or Allowat's, but I have Keri's and Ian's ready to go. I have the stocking stuffers ready to insert and the gifts ready to put under the tree. It's going to be a "Santa delivered" process as opposed to a wrap and display for weeks. It will be a calm and nice Christmas morning. Unfortunately, Ian knows most of what he is getting and Keri has mainly cloths and "useful" stuff. I do have her the Belleek annual bell, a tradition we started before we were even married.

I am watching an Ophra Winfry interview of Michelle Obama. She is such a gracious lady. I think the Obamas have done a good job. They are intelligent and articulate. I honestly fear for the next few years. I have no intention of publicly criticizing the Trumps but I am really worried about what will happen to us as a country, and to Keri and I as aging, middle class adults with a degenerative disability.

Ian has gotten into the shop at ASU to work on some Christmas projects. He didn't get a lot done, but maybe he can finish a cup for his mom. I so want this to be a nice Christmas that Ian and I will remember with no regrets.

Silver Dollar City

The Tullos Family with Ian's new camera and a timer

It is Christmas Eve and I am sitting her by the tree waiting for Ian to get up and/or Keri to call. It has been an amazing week. Wednesday, we went to Silver Dollar City for our yearly "lights" trip. I wasn't sure we could do it this year, but Keri was so excited when I mentioned it. We always stay at the Cardinal Hills Cottages about a mile from SDC. They are little self-contained cottages that are decorated up for Christmas. We rented a wheelchair and headed out. I underestimated the strength it would take to push Keri up the hills and to hold on to her when we went down. We didn't get to ride the train or see the Living Nativity because of the crowds, but we saw the lights and A Dickin's Christmas. We were there from 1:00 until 9:30 and had a funnel cake, hot chocolate, and hot apple cinnamon bread. I'm afraid it may be our last trip, but I tried not to think about that.

Last night we had the Thompson Family Christmas (although Nannie is now gone). It was a fun evening. We stayed until 11:00. Keri was quiet and just watched. Jeff's wife, Tasha, helped her open her gifts. We will open our gifts here at the house Christmas morning, then we will go up to my mothers for several days.

I'm so trying to get the Christmas Spirit!

Wednesday Rambles

Anna and Renata with David Shackleford

This photo was posted on Facebook recently. I just had to capture it. Anna and Renata worked at the Villa when we lived in Scandicci, Italy. They were very special to us and took such good care of everything. We later had the opportunity to host them when they visited the States. In 2007, when we stayed at the Villa for several days at Christmas, we went to visit Renata at her flat. She hosted us for lunch and sent us off with a gift bag of Italian Christmas treats. I've always thought of Renata as Ian's Italian Nonnie.

This afternoon, we are headed off to Silver Dollar City for our annual Christmas light trip. I'm not sure how this will go, but we plan to give it our best shot. I will rent a wheelchair at SDC and we will go at a slow rate. Keri can get up and explore if she wants to, and we can get inside and get warm when we need to. Ian is going with us so we plan to make the most of our trip. Who knows what the future holds. Friday night we have Christmas with the Garners and then Christmas Day, we will drive to my Mom's for several days. I sure hope everything remains calm because my nerves are completely frayed!

Blogger is still a problem on Apple products and it is impossible to post on my iPhone or iPad. I so wish I could post on a day-to-day basis as events occur. As it is, I try to post on my Mac as often as I can. It takes a great amount of time, even on the Mac, but I will keep going. I suspect that Blogger is no longer updating because Google is no longer supporting it. I really need to print it all off, just in case.

"I'm Not Dead Yet!"

The Communication Sciences and Disorders office is looking festive. I think it has a great classic look and I'm glad we were able to find such a fabulous Santa. The poinsettias were purchased from Aiden Moore as part of a fundraiser to go with the Harding Academy Chorus to Carnegie Hall in NYC. I so wish Ian could have been a part of that. Even if he had stayed at the Academy, I don't think he would have been included in all of that. Our experience with the HA Chorus Tour when he was entering the 10th grade convinced me that there were forces working to make life as difficult for him (and for us) as it could get. I'm sure it will all work out in the long run, and he has had some wonderful opportunities that he wouldn't have had at the Academy. I can't believe I transitioned back to our experiences at HA. I find that they are never far from my thoughts. The counselor that Ian saw kept saying to let it go, but I seem unable to.

Keri is continuing to digress, and this last weekend seemed to be a milestone. We have always communicated relatively well and I can usually guess what she is wanting to say after awhile. Saturday morning she woke up constantly repeating phrases like, "I can do it." and "I'm not dead yet." When I respond, she always seems surprised. I'm also having to help with any movement. I'm desperate to keep her at home as long as I can, but I worry all the time about my ability to do so. I mentioned to my mom on Sunday that the current cost of a facility for Keri is $5,000 per month and asked if she might be able to help if/when the time came. I didn't get the response I had hoped for. I wanted just an assurance that she would help if needed, but she just commented about the unbelievable cost. She didn't say "no" and I truly believe she will help if needed, but it is so overwhelming. I'm living day-to-day, and I'm afraid I'm not doing it well.