Has It Been Four Years?

This is Mike.

So I was able to retrieve access to the account after these many years. It looks as if the last post we made was in 2013. Yikes! Why so long? So much has happened. Not all to the best but in the will of God.

In April of 2014 our sons moved from Rumney, NH to Denver, Colorado. They were living in our home there while we were residing in Bristol, NH at the apartment of the church I was leading (we moved there the previous October). We put signs on the home in an attempt to sell it mid-way through 2014 after we did some cleaning out. And then we moved back there in late September. We were sensing that the Lord was moving us to Florida to help family with my aging parents. In November, Kathy’s mother – Ruth Savage, passed away at 96 years old. Her Dad passed away in 2006. Earlier in the year, I went back to work part time at the Tilton Walmart in anticipation of a Florida move where I would have no income since I was employed by the church. By February 2015 we had an offer on our home and we moved mid-April 2015. I was able to easily transfer to the closest Walmart here in the Poinciana section of Kissimmee.

In the near two years we’ve been here … both of my parents – Pete (87 yrs) and Kathy (83 yrs) passed away. Dad in June 2015, Mom in September 2016. Kathy has tried to acclimate to living in this area but it’s been tough for her. Driving is difficult as the traffic is very very busy and fast. The roads don’t make sense to her and as a result she doesn’t drive on her own. She has driven some with me but rarely. In Bristol and Rumney she would walk outdoors and get around fairly well. She tries to get out around this community but the heat and contour of the sidewalk make it difficult at times. For about six months, she was walking the Kissimmee Bridge which goes over John Young Parkway and was doing quite well. She managed even in the extreme heat of July and August. A cooling breeze always seemed to accompany us on the walk. We even saw a couple of otters in the water that was by the bridge! That made Kat really happy. After her being diagnosed with pre-diabetes, Kathy has maintained her blood sugar with diet. She’s lost 50 pounds. But her muscle tone in her leg has weakened, but a new home exerciser we just set up seems to be helping with that. Here is the video link of that exerciser:

 https://www.facebook.com/mptremblay/videos/10212315305500629/

We taken a lot of road trips around the state exploring the peninsula. After almost 2 years here we’ve come to love St Augustine, Tarpon Springs, Flagler, Vero Beach and Melbourne. Soon we plan to drive the Florida Key Highway.

The highlight for us both was two-fold. First in September of 2015, we flew to Denver to see our boys – Tim, Pete and grandson, Brent. That was wonderful to see their home and surroundings. Then this past December, my sister Deb treated us to a delightful presentation of the Nutcracker Ballet in West Palm Beach.

Now, let me remind you — this April is the 10th anniversary of Kathy’s stroke. We hope to keep you better updated in the weeks ahead.

6 YRS AGO TODAY

Kathy at her mountain Ebenezer. 6yrs ago today her life changed forever. She is more in tune with her Savior!

not every day is a victory day

a week ago i set out to vac my grandsons bedroom. the vac and i had a very large battle, a lot of yanking and cursing on my part. lets just say the vac almost won.  after a very huge silent tantrum i sat in my chair for about 20 min. ontime out .i sat quiet asthe angry heat built up in my brain i’m sure mike saw the steam streaming out my ears. he knew something was wrong so he came over and broke the silence with a hug, just what i needed. i am so blessed to have a man who reads me so well. the hug broke the dam and hot angry tears staeted to flow. after that i got up and finished the job. so why all the fuss. i am a real perfectionist when it comes to cleaning i want things just so but sometimes the effort to do this is so difficult and when i don’t measure up to my own standard the frustation is overwhelming. so what really happened here? i took my eyes off jesus. i forgot that he is my source of stength and that he has declared that i can do all things through christ jesus cuz he is mt strength. phil.4 13 that is a daily reinforcement for me.after this episode i was very restless for the next 2 days. i felt like god had moved away. i ssked him what was wrong. he reminded me of that verse . in my frustration i had let the destroyer steal away gods promise and peace. so i asked god  my good shepherd to restore my soul and set me on the right path. psalm 23 and peace quickly returned. i am thankful god didn’t allow me to get hung up in this valley of dark shadows. the shadows only movre in when we move away from the light.there is no where i can go that god can’t find me psalm139. read it sometime and see how much god loves you even when you have a tantrum. there is nothing we can do to separate ourselves from the love of god. Romans 8 38.praise god for the precious covering of  the blood of Jesus. because of his sacrificeholygod can always look on us with deep love and compassion. so another lesson learned be still and let god love you through the hard time and give you peace. don’t be so hard on yourself just do the best you can. in the wise words of dori the fish  keep on swimming. i say that a lot and it really does help. lol to my friends. kat

 

 

 

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5 years @ the Masters feet

hi everyone. it’s now 5 yrs. post stroke for me  being left paralyzed on 1 side can present quite a challenge  it’s been quite a journey.praise god i never lost hope and gave up, there was a time i wanted to but my heavenly father taught me that he is my strength (2 cor.12:9-10) and that i can do all things through Him (phil. 4 13).  i can walk, talk cook clean, wrestle with my grandson and pretty much do anything i used to do . i’m 55 now but still think i’m 16. but what i really want you to know is that i have learned that when i am weak He is strong (2 cor.13:10) i love my heavenly father so much now cuz i know he is a faithful loving god. what happened to me He allowed for my good to benefit me(jer. 29:11) he taught me to be still and know him(psalm 46:10) i know the good shepherd he has restored my soul and set me on the right path i am at peace (psalm 23)  i call this phase of my life “lessons in the valleys” what has happened to me has brought me great joy cuz it has been an opportunity to grow closer to jesus and truly trust in the lord with all my heart  i have learned to endure hardships i am complete in jesus needing nothing (james 1:2) now thats real freedom there are no immovable mountains with my faith. i have been shaken but not defeated (psalm 125:1) Praise God.

 

What’s Been Happening?

Life goes on! No posts for a while. Winter has come and gone (altho it’s snowing right now after record heat last week), but Kat moves ahead!

She’s cooking more, reading lots and just amazing in all she does. She’s been teaching a Ladies Bible Class, Leaing our church’s kid’s group called KIDzone and singing with the Worship Team. She is on the move!

April is just ahead … our 36th anniversary is on the 2nd and both our son’s will be in their 30s and the grandson will turn 12 in October. Life flies by!

Check back … more updates to come …

What’s Been Happening?

Life goes on! No posts for a while. Winter has come and gone (altho it’s snowing right now after record heat last week), but Kat moves ahead!

She’s cooking more, reading lots and just amazing in all she does. She’s been teaching a Ladies Bible Class, Leaing our church’s kid’s group called KIDzone and singing with the Worship Team. She is on the move!

April is just ahead … our 36th anniversary is on the 2nd and both our son’s will be in their 30s and the grandson will turn 12 in October. Life flies by!

Check back … more updates to come …

Well … It’s been a while!

Since we last wrote …

We drove to Florida in July. Kathy got behind the wheel a number of times. She did experience an event in the Richmond, VA area. While driving, a truck passed that threw a rock onto the windshield creating quite a crack and chip (and it’s very near the driver sight of view). Moments later a large piece of debris was in her path on Rte 95s causing her to slow down significantly and move around it. It was a large piece of truck tire tread from an obvious blowout. We saw such sights up and down I-95 but usually not in the traffic lanes!

In Florida, we traveled a few times to Downtown Disney and Melbourne Beach. Someday, we’d like to make the south our home as the weather (even though extreme to what we’re used to in the dead of summer), is a much needed change from our harsh northern winters. We were in Florida helping Mike’s sister who is caregiver for the folks. She traveled to Europe so we became the caregivers. The trip home had us stop in SC, DC and Lancaster, PA. Mike took a medical leave of absence from work which paid for his time off thru his 160 hrs of sick time.

Mike returned to work in mid-August but gave his notice in September ( a long story ). The church (www.agfnh.net) is seeing God bless so Mike has been using that income and some small jobs along the way for support. He will need more permanent side work come mid-January.

So Kat is forging ahead. Her stamina and alertness are increasing. She has been away from PT since her dizzy spells last year. But she is ready to return to the pool. Weight loss thru healthy eating and movement is her current goals.

Thanks for your prayers and patience! Stay tuned for more updates. The next blog post will be a Bible study talk she wrote to give the AGF Ladies at their Christmas Tea tomorrow morning. She wrote it by hand, and I typed it so it’s a cut and paste document. It will be posted after she gives the talk within the next few days! You’ll need to check it out!

CHRISTmas Joy to All … It’s Because of Jesus! C U Soon!

Interesting Days

Since our last update, Kathy has had some interesting events … some good, some not so good:

• Minor in/out surgery in January
• Concerns about Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar
• EKG tests and 24 heart monitor check
• A tough few months in February and March due to dizzy issues

The surgery went well and she has recovered as expected. The BP and sugar concerns have passed the test of acceptability. Both have been checked for a month and have come out to be in very acceptable ranges. Her heart tests all check out good. These tests were all performed due to dizzy spells she’d been having. The source is still exactly unknown but believed to be imbalances internally that can be helped with some physical therapy. It’s hard to explain but she goes through a series of head movements to regain proper balance within so as to eliminate the dizzy feelings. She’s yet to be treated for this but will be scheduled soon as she recently visited her neurologist about it. For the time being she is on a med that used used for folk with vertigo and the neurologist hopes the PT will allow for the meds to be soon suspended.

We recently celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary and spent an overnight  about an hr away. Kat was able to get into the jaccuzi and enjoy that as well as a short 5 day vacation with her boyfriend of many years. She also hosted with her sister and sister-in-law a wedding shower for her niece by decorating a beautiful cake for the event. One-handedness doesn’t get her to stop doing these amazing things.

So there’s the update — much overdo as always, but good things to report. Just a few weeks will be the 4th anniversary of the event that caused the need for this blog (4/29/2007). She is an amazing girl and does much on her own. This weekend she and other ladies from AGF (www.agfnh.net) will be going to a day conference for spiritual uplifting and inspiration. It’s a great time for her and the others as they connect and reconnect with Jesus. More updates to come — stay tuned!

THANKSGIVING … CHRISTMAS … NEW YEARS …

As we write it is snowing in N. NH again! Temps went down to -5 degrees and the woodstove was roaring. This reminds me of how Kat has forged foward dispite her disabilities. She works hard at home keeping the wood fire going (I’ve caught her with soot marks on her face when she wipes her face with her wood glove at times!); loading the diswasher; vaccing the carpet; sweeping the kitchen and making meals. Recently she made a batch of her favorite holiday treats which we all enjoyed! Oh, she also worked some on shoveling the porch. She’s been driving around even in snowy weather and using her gifts from God during worship gatherings.

We thank God for her progress. We also seek God for more healing as muscle tone is a daily battle she experiences. Even in her daily battles, she seeks God, praises Him and forges ahead!

This holiday season was full and fun for us both. She cooked the turkey this Thanksgiving, decorated the tree this Christmas and shopped for deals this new years! It’s been a month or more since she’s been to the pool and she’s anxious to get back. Sickness and other deterrants have kept her away.

We are grateful for friends and loved ones. Thanks for your support and encouragement. Thanks mostly for your prayers. The journey continues! Check back soon …

What’s Up?????

Here in NH we are in the midst of Motorcycle Weekend. Many bikes travel Rte 25 which we can see and hear fom our house. After work today and following some worship preps for Sunday, I took Kat for a meal out in Ashland. We traveled the long way home to check out the bikers. There’s a group of Soldiers for Jesus (of the Covenant Motorcycle Ministry) right here at Rumney Bible Conference and we are thrilled about what they do.

Kathy expressed her desire to be a biker so when we got home she looked online and found a few impressive looking ‘trikes’, some more her style than biker’s style. It was fun to look!

For the past few weeks, she’s been doing bike riding and swimming at the pool. She also planted some flowers which she watered tonight walking around with the hose hooked to her walker as she braved the terrain (a bit bumpy)! She also took our grandson, Brent out for a meal at our local diner. She’s doing quite well!

Her most recent accomplishment was a drive at dusk and in the rain. She did remarkably well. We had a second car at the garage and Kat drove me down (about 12 miles one way) to get it after I left work and shopped so we didn’t get back home until 9:30pm. On a sad note, she did experience another seizure on Memorial Day. After a few phone calls to the local emergency room and the Neurologist on duty at Dartmouth, she rested for a few hours until she admitted (and I felt similar) that she was scared … so we drove down to the ER in Plymouth. They found that her meds were at a very low level (4.1 and should have been 10) causing her to experience this. We’ve have had issues with this medication since March after we found the cost was higher than we could afford. The Neurologist put her on an older more affordable med but that resulted in a seizure in the hospital back in April, Easter Sunday while she was being treated for cellulitus. She was then given another medication at the hospital which was the low count they found in her blood test while in the ER. We have since switched back to the original med she had since Sept ’07 without any incident all the way to the switch just prior to the Easter ordeal. The cost has leveled but we plan to get her on med help. It will be three weeks since her last episode this coming Monday which we thank God. These incidents do a loop on her progress. She was just beginning to bend her knee while walking and then …

She’s bouncing back well, though! Thanks for your prayers and love. She journeys on! Check back.