Sunflowers and Sunbeams

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I haven't blogged much this week. Since there have been many thunderstorms this week, I haven't been able to get on a lot. Anyway.

This week my father took me outside to take some pictures of Alison's sunflowers. Included are 3 photos of sunflowers, plus some other shots I got of other summer-time flowers in our yard.

Mom has been very busy this week. Tuesday we all went to a produce stand to get peaches-and we ended up with 8 half-bushel boxes of them. That was Mom's birthday present, as her birthday was Wednesday. Mom has just about been peeling peaches 24/7 to freeze them and make them into jam, which I tasted today. Very good! All things considered, Mom started peeling peaches Tuesday and finished at 11:30 last night!!!

Yesterday Mom, Dad and I all had dental check-ups. But for me, I had an additional medical appointment: my first post-op surgery visit. Thankfully, the doctor said everything was healing up perfect. And when the doctor's happy, I'm happy! I got a new cast too. This time, instead of a lemonade-colored cast, I chose bright yellow. I really like it. The yellow was named, "Sunbeam Yellow"! :)

But, like all doctor visits, this one didn't come without its fair share of pain. I had had a pin put into my foot (see previous article for photo) and Dr. Bruce said it was ready to come out. So he took it out. But it hurt A LOT! Also I had sutchers (sp.?) to come out too, and that hurt a lot too. Oh well. At least I'm through it now! I go back for more of a pain-free visit to Dr. Bruce in 3 weeks, hopefully to get a walking cast! ;)

Well, I guess I'd better go before the storm hits! Bye! Happy Sabbath!

Photobug

Think 4:8! In 2008!

Guess what? Today, out of all the days of the year, Mom and I got to see Tommy Newberry, a life-coach and bases his encouraging off of Philippians 4:8, which talks about all the good things you should think about.

Well, today Mr. Newberry came to our church! So for 2-5pm, (break, seminar, and book signing) Mom and I went to our church to hear him speak. Included are pictures of him with me and Mom, plus a photo of my cast that Mr. Newberry signed.

Photobug

Mr. Newberry and Mom.
Tommy Newberry's signature on my cast. Previously, Mom had written on my cast, "Think 4:8 in 2008".

One Down, Three to Go!

One down, 3 to go! Today It has been exactly 1 week since my surgery of July 11. In just 3 weeks, I'll be able to walk!!!!!!!!

Really, it is amazing how well I am doing. God has blessed me in abundance.

Last night Pastor Paul Carlson and his wife Becky came over for supper. They are really nice people, and it was a pleasure to have them over. We had a lot of fun, talking about a variety of subjects. Pastor Carlson is the Associate Pastor for our church, the McDonald Road Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Check out our church's website here.

Earlier in the afternoon, my good friend Ben, (the one from the TN Trio) came over to play and just plain talk.

He came over at about 1:30 and for an hour we watched a video Dad had checked out from the library, called Air Force One. As its name implies, the film was about the presidential airplane. It is really cool! I think when I grow up I want to buy one of those planes like Air Force One......;~)

After we finished watching Air Force One, we came downstairs, (yes, I can come downstairs with help, though awkwardly...) and played computer games. We played Polar Golfer, (a favorite for both of us!) Polar Bowler, (we both got really good scores!) and also Divine Destiny (again, a really cool Bible game in which you search a house for treasure boxes and answer questions.).

Well, I guess that's all for now. Included with this post is a picture of Pastor Carlson and his wife.

Photobug

P.S.-the other day I caught Punky napping in my wheelchair, and I was fortunate enough to catch a photo. (See below.) Enjoy! ;)

Funny Bike Horns

Hi All!

Recovery has been going well as usual, though last night I stayed up for an hour or two because my cast itched TERRIBLE. So I read in my "the Open Gates" book, which is about Cyrus conquering Babylon. It is a really good book!

But to the title of this article. Today, after I had finished my quiet time and was coming out to breakfast, I was wheeling myself. Well, I've already told you about my bike horn.

There is a half-wall thought separates the living room from the hallway, so I wheeled out, ducked down behind the half-wall, and squeaked that horn for all that I was worth!

I thought it would be funny, though Mom didn't like it, as it scared her. I really, honestly didn't mean to scare her. So I have determined there will be no repeat performances of the bike-horn scare when Mom's around. :-)

The picture accompanying this article is a picture taken by my P.T. on the day of my surgery, last Friday.

Tomorrow our associate pastor of our church is coming for a visit, which will be really great to break the monotonous tone of the past few days.

In a couple days I will post some of my photos from camp.

Photobug

Bike Horns, Freedom, and a Few Loose Screws...

Well, hello Monday! As far as my recovery is going, it's going great!

Yesterday brought a HUGE improvement. During my surgery I had a breathing tube down my mouth, my voice is really hoarse. (neigh!) Well, anyway, when I'm sleeping/reading in my room with my door closed and I need help, Mom and Dad can't hear me. So yesterday afternoon Mom went to Wal-Mart and got me a wonderful device-a bike horn!! So whenever I need help I'll squeeze that horn and Mom or Dad will come to my aid. Kinda like that "nurse call" button at hospitals! ;) So now with that bike horn I feel a lot more freedom.

Today I finished one of the Bible books my P.T. bought me last Thursday-it's entitled "Fire in the Gates". It is #3 in a series of 5 books on Old Testament history. "Fire in the Gates" is about the prophet Jeremiah, his scribe Baruch, and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The series is written by retired pastor Thurman C. Petty, Jr. You can buy and/or look at "Fire in the Gates" (or any of the other 4 books in the series here, or read the whole Gates series plus more of Mr. Petty's books here FREE online! ;)

Anyway, I have read the whole Gates series and give all the books a 5-star rating. But my personal favorites are Siege at the Gates, (book #1) and The Open Gates (book #5).

O.K, O.K...enough book ratings for now. As for that "few loose screws" part of my post title, I do have some screws in my foot. The short one in the left is (I think) a titanium screw which is meant to stay there. The other long screw is a pin which is holding together my foot until everything heals up.There's also a few fingers (not mine!) that are in the photo. I know I'm going to be in a wheelchair for a month, then in a walking cast for who knows how long. We'll see.

I guess that's all I have to say for now! I will post tomorrow, or the day after. Something like that.

Photobug ;)

Sad and Happy all at Once

Left to right: my 4-year-old sister, me, my P.T. Donna, and my service dog Lauren. Left to right: Alison, me, Mom, Lauren, and Dad Left to Right, the Tennessee Trio: TN Girl, TN Photobug, (me), and Wild Pilot

__________

Hi all!

qw

I wanted y'all to know that things are still going great for me in my recovery of last Friday's surgery.

Yesterday (Sabbath) I stayed home from church because I had had surgery the day before. I spent the morning e-mailing and blogging to let people know how well I was doing. In the afternoon the whole troop (my P.T. Donna, plus me and my family went on a walk on our road. It was a lot of fun. It was wonderful to get into the great outdoors again, even if I was just being pushed in a wheelchair.

qw

In the evening my best friends Wild Pilot and TN Girl came over with their family for an evening of fun and laughter. Donna treated everyone. My friends and I form a club named the "Tennessee Trio", so the Trio played Bibleopoly, and worked on our recording project. The Trio is working on recording a book by Eric. B. Hare entitled "Dr. Rabbit". "Dr. Rabbit" tells of Mr. and Mrs. Hare's missionary adventures in Burma starting in 1913. Recording was a lot of fun!!!!!!!!!! :-D

Anyway, as always, the Trio's meeting was a blast. I think we will be getting together in a few weeks or so.

qw

Today kinda started on a sad note, though. My fabulous, wonderful and amazing P.T. Donna W. left for Texas around 10:00am today. But thankfully we will be able to keep in contact with her by phone calls, and quill pens and ink. ;)

qw

Photobug

Surgery went GREAT!!!!!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to thank you so much for your prayers for me yesterday with my surgery. The surgery went fantastic. I didn't get sick from the anesthesia, (yeaaa!!!!!!!!!) and was able to go home the same day as the surgery, (yesterday.) My P.T. was able to come out for the weekend was was terrific, so she was able to come to the hospital with my mom. We got up yesterday at 3:45am yesterday, (ouch) and left for the hospital (ParkRidge) 4:10am, arriving at the hospital at 4:45. I entered surgery about 8:00am. Everything went as well as possible. I got my wheelchair and was home about 1:20pm. What a day! In respect to my last surgery, I'm doing great! ;)

In my last surgery, I felt just terrible for about 3 days. With this surgery, my foot hurts, but the rest of me feels just great and normal. I have a lemonade-colored cast on my foot up to the knee. So I can bend my knee! ;) Yesterday and today I feel kinda tired, but still feel pretty good. Yesterday I learned how to use the restroom, using my walker from the door of the bathroom. Also yesterday I read a new book that Donna, my P.T. from TX gave me. So she did such a kind thing and came up to TN to help me with my surgery. She came Thursday, and is leaving tomorrow.

On Thurs. Donna offered to take me to a bookstore (the ABC) to get some books for me to read during my recovery. So I showed Donna what I wanted. My want list included two really great Bible story books, a book about J.N. Andrews, Your Story Hour's Great Stories Vol. 8, and....(drum roll, please) a volume of the original youth magazine, the Youth's Instructor.(YI) This volume has the YI from 1852-1914! The YI was the original youths mag. started by James and Ellen White!!!! ;)

Anyway, to sum up this report, I'm doing great! Even though my foot hurts sometimes, I've been given some pain pills, so that helps a lot. Anyway, I don't know if I'll be on Blogger every day now, but I'm back now. But please keep praying for my recovery. I will be in a wheelchair for a month, then in a walking cast I don't know how long. But thanks SO much for praying for me. The surgery went great! Thanks so much for your continued prayers.

Photobug

It's a ZOO around here!!!

Hi Everyone!


Sorry for my absence in blogging. With camp, life, and my upcoming surgery :( , I haven't had much time to blog. But anyway, so much for that.

Today is my sister's birthday! We went to the Chattanooga Zoo this morning, and it was a lot of fun. We saw cougars, monkeys, chimps, birds, and all kinds of animals! It was a lot of fun. Alison especially enjoyed riding the merry-go-round the zoo had. There were all kinds of animals you could ride on, and she chose the polar bear. I took several pictures of her and Mom on the ride. The Carousel reminded me of the one at Greenfield Village. Altogether, I took 251 photos at the zoo. I will try to post some of my best shots on this blog when I get a chance.

We are going to do presents about 3:00pm, and the birthday meal at supper. I have given Alison a Slinky and a Pinwheel, and Grandma and Grandpa W. gave her an alphabet train puzzle with numbers from 1-20. More presents to come.

On another note, camp was great! I took 568 pictures at camp last week, and of course had TONS of fun. I made a candle, pounded out a metal punch of a horse, and slipped down an 150-foot water slide. I climbed a rock wall and experienced both swimming and canoeing. I will post camp photos sometime next week probably, though there's a chance I might do it this week.

The campfire programs were great. Especially Friday night's which talked about how Jesus will only help us when we ask him, he does not force his way in. It also showed how Jesus is so much more powerful than Satan, but how he was killed by his own people he had come to save. The play also showed Jesus coming alive from the grave, which was really awesome!

All I can say is that camp (and Friday night) was awesome, spectacular, great, amazing, wonderful and beyond words!

On Sabbath our cabin went to Fort Mountain, to see the amazing over-2000-feet-above-sea-level views. I took the photo included with this article, a self-portrait on Fort Mountain.

Besides all of the above about camp, my cabin, Mohawk, got Honor Cabin twice, AND got the VERY coveted prize of Honor Cabin of the Week! Like, only two cabins from the whole camp get that!

Okay, okay. I'm done talking about camp for now. But please pray for me this weekend and next week, as I'm having bone surgery on my right foot Friday.....:( Thankfully, my P.T. from TX is coming for the weekend, (YEAAAAA!!!!!!) to help us though. So please pray for me. I will try to post when I can.

Photobug