Caleb's First Haircut of 2012

I have not cut Caleb's hair since November 2011.  This is about a guy who normally has me cut his hair every two weeks!  So, being that I have told Caleb (I don't know how many times) that he will feel better if he gets a haircut, he finally felt good enough to agree...meaning, he felt good enough to have his feet hang for a half hr and then take a shower to get the hair off him.  He is definitely feeling better.  You can see it in his face and hear it in his voice and laugh!  :)

A pic when we got home from the hospital

(to document his beard..although I can't figure out how to rotate it)

Before (today)

After (5 minutes ago)

Caleb is feeling much better...although we have a long ways to go.  He is attempting to stand as he goes from the couch to the wheelchair (which he has been successful to stand for almost ten seconds).  He also attempted a step today which was shaky, but kind of worked.  So, we are literally going about this one step at a time.

And now, the timer is about to go off to say dinner is ready.  In other words, we are feeling like we are back into our routine....about to go feed Caleb his fish, rice, and veggies!  Awe, its so good to be home....



Back to "normal" life....

WE ARE HOME!!!!  Oh I cannot tell you how thankful I am that we are back to our own place and able to just relax, heal, and get back into "normal" life.  Last week was exhausting, on every kind of level.  I think it will take quite a while to actually feel like we are back to our "normal" selves again.

Although Caleb did not complete all of the goals we had for him before he was discharged, the doctors felt that he no longer needed their medical supervision.  He did get off all IV pain meds.  Although we still are waiting to get a true diagnosis, and it will still be a while before Caleb can walk.  Regardless, we are just oh so thankful to be home.

And I am already back to work.  In fact, I just got home to find him asleep on the couch.  And now to start cleaning!  I have two goals this week when I am home....clean hard and rest hard!  I figure that I need to make this place look like a warm and clean house again, versus the way it has been looking like a hospital room/bachelor pad lately!  And later this week I hope to cash in on my friend's amazing gift of getting me house cleaning!!! How amazing is that?!?! :)  And, like I said, I want to rest hard.  I just want to enjoy having my husband at home.  It is oh so amazing to just be able to watch a movie together in our own living room.

To kinda give you an idea of how his feet have been looking, I am going to post a few pictures.  I am just warning you that they are NASTY.   It looks like he has leprosy or something...but in reality, it is the vasculitis.  Sorry in advance for the icky pictures, but I want to document them, and also family members in Texas want to see them.  These are pictures from the hospital, before they sent him home.  They look horrible.  But at least they are now normal sized feet, and they are normal temperature.

This one was actually earlier in the week, at the hospital.

The day before we left the hospital.

The day before we left the hospital.



The day we we left.



And he is on the mend.  After a restful nights sleep at home last night, I can say his feet look even considerably better today!  One day at a time.  His goal is to be able to walk on his birthday, on April 5th.  Ahhhh, I will cry of happiness the day he does! 

Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support!  We are literally overwhelmed by it!  Today, while at work, I had to try to hold myself together when I thought of how many people are loving us and supporting us and helping out right now!  We are so blessed....

So, even though he is home, and even though he seems to be healing up, please don't stop praying! 

Please pray that Caleb doesn't have any setbacks and that he doesn't relapse.  And also, please pray for rest.

All to say, we are sooooo glad to be home.... There isn't any other place like it.

Another Day at the Hospital

My amazing friend Liz, and her husband Mike, sent us a sweet Valentine's Day package a couple weeks ago when we had yet to go to the hospital.  But, it was perfect timing, because in it she included a CD mix with lots of wonderful music on it.  So, in my usual style, I have been listening to one song on repeat over and over.  But this song in particular has really touched my heart and encouraged me.  I remember listening to it a few years after mom died, while I was still grieving pretty good.  The words really speak to me again, but in a new and deep way, as we are spending days here at the hospital.  I encourage you to look it up online and listen to it....

If You Want Me To

by Ginny Owens

The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I dont know the reason why you brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I will go through the valley
If You want me to

CHORUS:
Now I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise
You're not through with me yet
So if all of these trials bring me closer to You
I will go through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my own
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'll never go alone

So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley
If You want me to

This is really my heart as we go about our days.  And for today, we have much we are thankful for, and much we are still praying about.  But through it all, we are at rest cause we are going through it with the nearness of God with us.

We are soooo thankful that we seem to be finding a treatment for the heat and flare-ups that Caleb has been experiencing over the course of the last few months.  Therefore, for the first time in weeks/months, we see much normal colored skin on Caleb's feet.  The painful, hot condition that literally feels like his feet are the oven is controlled!  This is a HUGE answer to prayer, because until that happened, we knew we would remain here at the hospital and the pain would remain.  Because of this new treatment, it looks like we will be here only a couple more days instead of weeks!!!

However, we do have a few more prayer requests over the course of the next few days....

1. That the meds do not mess with Caleb's mind/emotions.  Last night he was hallucinating.  (Telling me he wouldn't be a little boy anymore and needed to grow a tail....I dont know whether to laugh or cry when I write that!)  And he seems like his speech is slow and he seems a little more down.  In his words, he just feels off.  These meds are helping so much that we really dont want to take him off them.  But this has kinda changed our mood here at the hospital a little bit.

2.  He is experiencing some random numbness in different parts of his body and we are unsure why at this point....we will be talking to his neurologist about this later today.  Please pray that the numbness goes away.

3.  A correct diagnosis.  They are still getting results back from different diagnostic testing we have done and it looks like we have a diagnosis coming soon.

4.  That his pain subsides.  While on narcotics he was down to a level 6 pain.  With the new drugs, there isn't the heated flare-up, but he is still in a 7.5 level pain.  They aren't putting him back on this because they could make his nerve pain in his feet worse.

5.  I may attempt to go back to work tomorrow or Monday......ahhhhh.  Please pray that I am emotionally able to do it.  I think I am going to be going back into society a little different of a person....but that is good.  Thankful, vulnerable, compassionate I hope.  And I hope to encourage those around me as I go.

We are hopeful we will have him home on Sunday or Monday....so a week at the hospital is much less than we thought it would be, so we are thankful!!! (Please make sure you say thank you to the Lord for that huge answer to prayer!)  But we have such a long way to go.  We had a physical therapist come in today.  We were able to maneuver him onto a wheelchair and dangle is feet.  We attempted to get him to stand with a walker, but that was unsuccessful.  So its a slow process, but we keep going.

In the meantime, it looks like his men's group from church (that is kind of a ministry training group of a few guys) will be coming up here to meet at the hospital tomorrow.  That should really encourage Caleb.  They are some of his best friends. 

We both want to thank you for all the love and support we are receiving!!  It is seriously overwhelming!! But the thing that means the most, and is most effective, is the prayer...so keep it coming please!!  I think I am going to want one big worship service (which I will sob at, I am sure!) when this is all over!!  ALL the healing is coming from God going ahead of us and guiding us as we go.  We sure love Him, and are thankful He is good and loves us too.

Switch of Treatment

We are definitely navigating our way through this whole ordeal, one step at a time.  But with each step and turn we seem to be learning more and more. 

Yesterday was a day of rest, biopsies, and an MRI.  But over all, spirits were high.  The fact that we were able to get Caleb to a steady level 6 pain for the most part was encouraging.  And for me...well, it is amazing how going home for a couple hours for a warm shower and stopping by Five Guys for a hamburger made me like a different person! It was just the pick-me-up that I needed.

Last night, as we were going to sleep, we were discussing the goals that the doctor has given us to be able to be discharged from the hospital in the future. 

1. A diagnosis 
2. Get off IV meds (only on oral meds)
3. Be able to walk to the bathroom from his bed  (about four feet).

Well, with all the tests we are just waiting for all these doctors to put it all together.  So the diagnosis is out of our hands...but they seem to be getting closer.  Getting off IV meds last night seemed like it would take days...he hasn't got below a level 6 pain while using the highest form of narcotic available.  And walking...well, he hasn't even stood up on his own in weeks so that seemed overwhelming.  We discussed maybe he would be moved to a rehab floor after the initial medical attention he needed subsided...and possibly be here for a long time still.

But today, well, we were awakened by a new specialist who deals with pain management.  Upon looking at his red, hot feet and consulting with Caleb, she concluded he has much small nerve pain and damage.  It explains why he has not been able to wear any shoes or socks for months, and why even a sheet over his toes would be excruciating.  She believes the narcotics are doing more harm then good on these nerves and that they are not made to treat pain of nerves.  So we have completely taken the IV drip out, eliminated all narcotics, and started an aggressive treatment plan for nerve pain.  She said by tomorrow his pain level should be improved.  We so hopeful about this, we went from thinking we will be here for at least another week or two, to perhaps days!  So we pray.

Also, we had an occupational therapist come in already today to work with him.  For days, Caleb has not been able to even dangle his feet over the side of the bed from pain of the pressure in his feet.  Well, he finally was able to! For five minutes he dangled, and then put on his own shorts.  So that is a start!

The thing I think that makes us most excited, is for the first time in a long time, the inflammation is down in his feet enough that we see small signs of veins beginning to appear!  They still look a complete mess, but we are on the right track we believe!

So we keep on going...one step at a time.  (No pun intended!!!) :)

Trip to the Hospital

Well, we are here the hospital.  The last couple days here have been pretty eventful, but we finally have a morning where we feel like we have a break.  Caleb has been reading his Bible (finally able to focus being that he has less pain today) and we just enjoyed our hospital food quality breakfast together.  Caleb is still his optimistic self....right before we ate he made the comment, "Hey its like we are on vacation! We get our own room service, people waiting on us, and even a room with a view!"  Oh Caleb....finding the positive in everything.  He hasn't changed that much, even with pain!  I keep telling the staff that he is this nice all the time, even not on meds. 

So......Monday we ended up getting him admitted being that he daily seemed to be getting worse and worse.  The all time low was when he had 13+ hours of being in level 8-10 pain without relief.  I don't think it is possible to explain what it is like to see your tough husband moaning, hitting his head against his chair, and pulling at his hair due to such intense pain for hours upon hours.  So, all the doctors finally agreed that he needed to be admitted.

The first reason was that they planned to do an angiogram.  But in order to do it, he needed to be in a more controlled place for meds because he was unable ice his feet for 6 hours.  At that point, the most he would go was three hours. 

Well, the first thing the doctor did when we got here was take away Caleb's pain control of ice.  This had been a concern we had discussed with doctors before....if soaking his feet in ice water was setting him back.  But to that point, no doctor knew if he should stop or not.  Well, lets just say that the result was horrific when we took the ice away. They described it as when you are out in snow and then come in and put your hands under hot water...well, his pain was that times a hundred, plus the arthritic flare-up pain.  Poor guy! They gave him Ativan, Hydrocodone, and Morphine for the pain (as well as Vicatin he came in on)...and he was still shaking uncontrollably and at a level 10.  So they gave him the most potent drug diluadid.  Scary thing was 15 minutes later he was in pain again.  So, they hesitantly gave him more.  The concern is it suppresses your respiratory system and you can forget to breathe. 

Luckily, our friends Steph and Greg Williams showed up with Chipotle and extra things we would need for our stay.  They helped me keep Caleb awake for the next couple hours.  It was scary and humorous to see Caleb during this time.  He wouldn't finish thoughts, he would shovel food on his chest instead of mouth, and crack witty jokes.  I think the funniest thing is when he told us he wanted us all to have a sing-a-long! 

Finally we got him controlled, the Williams left, and my night was about to begin.  They put him on a drip that he controlled giving himself the IV dilaudid.  But since the pain wasn't manageable yet, although he finally slept, they had me waking him up every 6 minutes for over an hour to get the drugs built up in his system.   The next hour after that was awful cause the alarm started going off every 10 minutes saying his oxygen levels was in the 80s and so I would wake up him and try to get him to breathe.  He was beyond out of it.  He made no sense.

Once we got the drugs in his system, and oxygen going, I finally got to sleep from 4-6am.  Then our day of tests began.

To make a long story short(er), we are thankful his heart, arteries, and veins are all okay!  The ecocardiogram and angiogram both showed a clean bill of heath.  But that leads us to more questions as to where the vasculitis is coming from.   We have an amazing team of doctors, who we are hearing often are a renown group of people...rheumatologist, neurologists, radiologist, internal medicine, cardiologists, etc....

So for today we run more test, I am not sure what though.  And we continue to try to heal him up so he can hopefully regain some function and mobility soon.  And we definitely need continued pain management...Caleb's feet are in a constant state of being flared-up.  They say we should be here for days to come still.

My friend Crystal is coming later today to pick me up and bring me home to (finally!!) shower! Oh I can't wait!  I finally feel like he is stable enough to leave him here.  I will, of course, head back to be with him tonight. 

We cannot express how much support we are feeling right now!  The amazing amount of love and support is overwhelming! 

I will say that the most touching, encouraging, meaningful moment was on our way to admit Caleb.  He has been mentoring a guy that works for him and  who has been studying Scripture with Caleb over the course of the last few months.  He has been saying he has "commitment issues" with following Jesus, but he said he knew one day he would commit to following Jesus and want Caleb to baptise him after he could walk.  Well, this was the text Caleb got 5 minutes before being admitted...

"I'm at a point where prayer is an active part of my life...I pray for you everyday.  If it wasn't for you I would have forgot about the Lord and His love.  I'm ready to accept Jesus as my lord and savior and I ask everyday  He helps you.  You guys are the reason my hearts now open and feeling.  I can't wait until your better so we can study together and share in the Lord's love.  I needed Him in my heart and you showed me where to find Him again.  Once again thank you and I will be praying for you."

PRAISE JESUS!!!!  At a time when we needed to be reassured that He was working and with us the most, He gave us the most special and amazing gift! We have been praying for Caleb's buddy for months.  And this was so special.  So the moments when Caleb was in the most intolerable pain, I would get out his phone and read this to him. 

So, WOW, what a few days!  Glad they are over.  And we are hopeful we will get further healing and relief and answers in the days ahead.  Please, as you pray for us, thank God for what He has already done.  We are thankful and know that He is being gracious and loving to us.

And....P.S. I love Caleb so much.  It is amazing how times like this bring you so much closer.  He is one amazing man, and I am always in awe of how well he takes this.  He is blessing so many of the staff here, even in the midst of all that is going on.

Patience in Affliction

I remember, back on October 3rd, the sadness and disappointment I felt when Caleb reflared for the first time since the previous January.  The weekend before had been a celebration.  Things were going well from us....everything from talk of promotions at Caleb's job...to the fact that we were anticipating getting the "okay" from the dr. to try to have a family, being that Caleb had been off his meds long enough (which the meds had prevented us from doing so before).  I remember him being like a giddy little boy and I asked him about it.  He said in effect, "You know there are few times in my life that I have known with this assurance that we are exactly and completely in the place God wants us right now.  That just makes me jacked up!"

Well, a couple days later we would go to the dr and get the okay!  We were thrilled!  We planned a date night the following night to go see the movie "Courageous" that had just come out....which, appropriately, was on fatherhood.  But upon going into the theatre, the day after we were told we could start trying to have kids, Caleb mentioned that his hip was a little stiff.  That concerned me so much.  In fact, I couldn't relax during the movie cause that just didn't seem right to me. 

And I was right.....that hip began to flare.  By the next day he was in quite a bit of pain.  And so began the downhill spiral of his health that brings us where we are today.

There are just so many unknown in our life right now.  And we really are grieving.  The doctors still don't really know what is going on.  So that means, we really don't know how to dream about our future.  We are grieving the loss of Caleb's mobility.  Caleb is grieving the fact that who knows when (if) he will walk again.  I am grieving and so heartbroken seeing my husband in pain like I have never seen before.  Tears fall as I write all of this.

But we are clinging on to Romans 12:12.  I remember driving the day that Caleb flared, knowing we had no clue how bad it would get.  But I remember this verse going through my mind over and over again, and I remember sharing it with people.  "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."  I don't know if I ever told Caleb about it much.  And as time, and months, went on, to be honest I stopped thinking about the verse.  That is until one day, in January, Caleb decided to start memorizing it.  And now, since then, Caleb recites it to me (as well as many other verses he has been memorizing) as we go to bed, before we pray.

We want this verse to be true of our lives.  It is hard though.  We don't know how to hope sometimes.  And sometimes we feel like we don't even know how to pray anymore.  But we do....we are determined to persevere.  But I feel like we are in the season of being patient in affliction.  It has been so hard.....especially when I am up trying to calm my husband's painful body down, as he hits his head against the back of a chair and pulls his hair as he moans from pain....for hours upon hours.  It breaks my heart.  There are no words that express the heartbreak.

So we are praying for answers, healing, and peace.  Caleb told me the day before it got worse that he is praying he learns now the lessons that God intends to teach him so that he doesn't forget after we are out of this season.  I am so proud of Caleb's faithfulness through this...he is helping me.

I know there are so many people who are suffering now.  At my small church alone, I know of in particular two families whose family member have life threatening conditions.  I know of multiple friends who are grieving loss of dreams and relationships.  There is so much heartbreak.

But there is hope.  So somehow I am trying to trust and rest.

Paul said to the people in Philippi, that he learned the secret of being content in all situations and it was that he did all thing through Christ who strengthened him.  So with the little energy that we have, we are using it to trust Jesus and rely on His strength.  I don't think I have quite learned that lesson yet, although I think in the past I thought I knew all about it.

But we keep going.  And for today, we are thankful that the pain meds kicked in.  Caleb, for the first time in months, got over 7 hours of sleep last night (thanks to the pain meds)!  He is taking a nap already today in the other room...and it is is barely 9am!  So we are thankful for relief of pain.

And as we go in to yet more dr appts, and testing in the week ahead, we ask that you pray with us that we stay patient in this affliction...and that we are joyful in hope and learn what that means.

And we want to say "THANK YOU" so much to those who are staying faithful in prayer on our behalf.  God's timing isn't our timing....and this has not gone quite as we had hoped at this point....but we trust that all of our prayers are being heard and are effective.  So keep 'em coming!

Thanks to all of you who are surrounding us with love, prayers, support, and encouragement........

An Update on Caleb

So this year our Valentine's Day date consisted of a 3 hour doctors appt.  Oh man, it was such a long day.  And we are kinda left with more questions....

Considering my husband has only got worse and worse over the course of the last few months, and the fact that he has been on almost the max amount of methotrexate he could be, plus as much as 80mg prednisone!!, the concern has increased and we were off to get another specialist to look at him.  The doctor we saw yesterday is a renown Rheumatologist....brilliant guy who speaks and teaches all around the nation.  His conclusion...he has never seen anything like it and certain things just aren't lining up.  So, he got some other specialists to look at it...one being a man who educates current doctors and was the head of Rheumatology at the VA for over 30 years.  Together all these people have a century almost of knowledge....and the end conclusion, we don't know what is happening. 

So there has been a switch in meds, and more tests are ordered to be run.  This includes an echo cardiogram and angiogram because of some concern that the heart may be involved.  Although Caleb doesn't think so....we are determined to rule out (or in) whatever we need to. 

This morning we went to another appt, and this afternoon still another.  The appts continue....but we are praying that with all the brains working together, that we can figure this all out.

For those keeping up and praying for us, please pray that:
1. God is really magnified in our lives.
2. That we feel the peace and presence of God...how could we function without Him!?
3. That Caleb gets relief from the up to level 10 pain he gets to.
4. That the doctors have wisdom with what this is and we all get to agreement with how to treat it.
5. Wisdom with a lot of decisions we are making right now.
6. For a guy that Caleb is mentoring right now...he is really searching.  Caleb got him a Bible a few months ago and they have been doing Bible studies.  He told Caleb this week that he wants his feet to heal so that Caleb can baptise him.  I don't think anything would give Caleb more joy than that!

So now I try to tackle my house....ugh.  It looks like a bachelor pad.  For those of you who have stopped by....well, I again apologize! We have been sleeping in the living room for a week or two so Caleb can sleep in the recliner.  And I just don't have the energy.  Some doctors have considered hospitalization so I need to clean it when I have the time/energy just in case!!

In the meantime, Valentine's Day just kinda came and went.  So while in the car we decided that what we are experiencing is more true love, than commerical love, anyways....so from now on, sure, we will celebrate Valentine's Day (why not!!?!!)....but we will each surprise the other with a special non-Valentine's Day date on a normal day throughout the year.  Hmmmmm.....maybe that is how I can get my mind off this....now to start planning. :)

Thank you all of you who are praying.....it means so much to us.

An Expression of Love

We have to be one of the most blessed couples in the entire world.  We just feel so loved.

This morning, some friends from church gave up their time and energy and resources to come build us a ramp in front of our house! (Thank you Blaine, Christie, Curt, & Tracy!!)  It was absolutely incredibly and we are so humbled by their love and service to us!  I have been struggling to get Caleb out of the house each day.  Because we only have one stair in the backyard, we have been going out that door and around the yard, through the mud and grass, to get him to the car.  So this ramp is SUCH a HUGE blessing!!  When we learned they were putting in a temporary ramp, we had no clue it would be this incredible!! 

About the time they were finishing up the ramp, church was over and so even more people came over to say hi and encourage us!  In fact, Bryan our worship leader came and led worship, Zach shared some teaching, and they even brought us communion to take with them.  It brings tears to my eyes to know that they, and so many from our church, would love us enough to serve us this way! 

How in the world will we ever say thank you enough.....

We love you Hillside.....

Caleb's Poor Feet

A journey of Caleb's toes

(This is only for the eyes of those who truly love us, have been praying for us, and who have concern for my husband's health....otherwise you would have no desire to see the following horrific pictures. I have taken these pictures along the way to document progression for the doctors.)

Our toes on our honeymoon...nice, clean, and healthy :)

Caleb's toes earlier this week

(the dr. said they look 70-80% better on the outside, but inside he still has a long way to go!)

Caleb's feet when they are pretty inflamed

(the vasculitus is barely starting when this picture was taken)

The tips of his toes got really sore from all the flare-up heat & activitiy...although I wish I had taken a picture of it when it was really bad but didn't think of it til later

Notice the discoloration of his middle toe



This picture was taken at the very beginning of his flare-ups, but you can notice the intense red (heat) of the effected areas

I think this is the picture that best shows the average look of Caleb's toes these days

Our Food Adventure Continues...

I want to preface this blog with the fact that I do not make gourmet meals for Caleb every single day.  Although I do cook soooo much more than I ever have in life (which is actually quite a bit), these are some of our favorites, but not necessarily a daily thing.  Caleb isn't that spoiled, haha!  He is often eating black bean soup & corn chips or apples & peanut butter for meals.  :)

That being said.....when I asked Caleb how he is "liking" being on such a restricted diet, he said that it isn't that bad at all!  That did my heart good that my labor of love is not in vain.  :)

So some of our favorites....

Cajun Cod with veggies and rice

1 Tbsp gluten free flour (I use the Bob's Red Mill biscuit flour cause there is no potato starch)
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb cod filets
oil of choice (and I added dairy free butter to it)

I coated the cod in shake 'n bake fashion and put it on tin foil to bake.  Under the fish I put some coconut oil and melted butter to cook up into the fish...next time I will use a different oil than coconut; I wasn't a fan in this recipe.  Bake @ 400 for about 15 minutes.

Salmon with veggies and rice



What I will point out in this picture is mainly how I just throw different veggies in a meal, depending on what we have on hand.  I love using frozen mixed vegetables cause it is cheap and then add onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.  And then other favorites to add (depending on what we have) are zucchini or broccoli...and our favorite addition to any vegetable combo is avacado.  If Caleb could have nightshades, we would love colorful sweet peppers too.

However, the vegetable I would like to highlight is a little harder to see in picture above, so I have to add a picture of it before I cooked it with the other veggies.  My friend, Jan Bisenius, introduced me to it a week or so ago.  It cooks much like spinach, except it a little heartier.  You have to see how beautiful this vegetable is...I didn't want to cut it!  But, it is very obvious from the rich color that it is full of vitamins and nutrients. Rainbow Swiss Chard is my favorite!!

Okay, now I am motivated to go cook dinner for Caleb tonight.  Hmmmm....what to make tonight???  Hope there is something worth while in our fridge!!! haha!

Let's Walk 'n Roll!!

Today was absolutely one of the most perfect days we could have for being February in Oregon!  So being that Caleb has taken this week off work (to heal up and allow all the meds to be as effective as they can be) and being that I had the day off, we decided to talk a walk/roll in the sun.  It was so incredibly wonderful to get outside, breathe in the fresh air, and soak up a much vitamin D as we could!  Best part is that he got to sit back and enjoy the ride (minus the bumpy parts of the ride when the asphalt was pretty bad) and I got to get a workout in.  Haha...Caleb said it was like I was pushing a stroller with three 65 lb. triplets! LOL! Oh I love him!  And I love that we got to enjoy our afternoon together...the simple moments are often the best ever!!!

Covered In Prayer

As Caleb and I take off this morning, to have a variety of tests done on his body, I am thankful to know that people are praying for us.  My friend Megan sent out the following email to a number of friends that we know and this morning it gives me a lot of comfort knowing that people are standing by us in prayer.  And it blesses my heart to know I have a friend like Megan who will reach out and ask for this on our behalf....she is a blessing to me and a true friend.  Who would have thought, years ago when she stepped foot in the salon, that she would one day become one of the dearest people in my life!!  Thank you Megan!! And thank you, friends, for praying!!

Dear Friends,

After spending some time with Julie last week, I was reminded just how amazing she and Caleb are – individually and as a couple! I am so inspired by the way that they desire to honor and glorify God regardless of the circumstances. They are a great role model to me and to so many others with what a godly marriage can look like. They put each other first, and in tough times, they seek after the Lord together.   As most of you know, they have had to put “in sickness and in health” to the test early in their marriage as Caleb has been working through some rough medical conditions. There are still a lot of unknowns and recently his health has deteriorated further.

I know that Julie and Caleb would both REALLY appreciate our support, but I (and apparently many others) have been struggling to figure out how to be a blessing to this couple who, even in crazy times, are so self sufficient! Julie told me last week that what they honestly really desire is prayer, heartfelt cares and concerns lifted up to God on their behalf. She told me that when people say they are praying it makes her want to cry because that truly is the best thing they can do and there isn't anything that makes them feel more supported than to know they are being covered in prayer. She also mentioned that she and Caleb have really felt and seen a difference in the times that they have fasted for Caleb’s health.

 I want to ask if you would be willing to join me in praying and/or fasting (in whatever way you can) for this amazing couple - particularly over the next two weeks. Caleb had a pretty rough week last week and will be taking this coming week off of work. They are going in on Wednesday (Feb 1) to perform a variety of tests to determine exactly what has been causing all of the medical problems he is facing. Lord Willing, they will get the results and some answers back from those tests the following Tuesday (Feb 7). Please do not feel obligated to fast at all – if you do not feel comfortable, lifting them up in prayer is still so effective! A couple of us are planning to fast this Wednesday and then the following Monday. Feel free to join us on those days, all week, or even for just a meal depending on your personal abilities and circumstances.  I know this would mean a lot to them, because we believe prayer and fasting absolutely do make a difference! 

Also, we may or may not have a group prayer gathering in a week or two to pray over Caleb and Julie – some of that is dependent on his health and circumstances.  We can keep you updated, and feel free to respond to the group as well.

Blessings over each of you.  Megan