Big Day, Big Stuff

Monday was a BIG day around here.  Tommy completed and sent in his first official college application.  His first choice continues to be Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.  How many times do you think we have told people "Yes, Ohio University, no NOT Ohio State.  It is 1 hour 45 minutes SOUTH of Columbus and Ohio State."  We are still praying over the direction for Tommy's future.  He is planning on completing the "Common Application" as well which includes many schools,  Iowa State, Ohio State, Northwestern University in St Paul and many many more all in ONE application.

Ohio University HAS the major he wants and seems to truly CARE about their students and looks at college as the beginning of a career not just 4 years of school and then...best wishes.  Tommy has ALWAYS always ALWAYS wanted to work for Nike.  Or do something like a Nike.  He LOVES marketing and LOVES the thrill of sports, sports apparel and shoes.  Did I mention the kid LOVES shoes?  I mean LOVES Nike shoes....

SO as he clicked SUBMIT on his application I gulped and said a prayer.  "Dear Lord, please guide this son of ours.  Please guide him to where YOU want him to be.  Help us to be content in whatever that answer is.  Most of all Lord, we want him to LOVE YOU and to have YOU first in his life.  If his heart TRULY follows you, all will be well.  Amen."

BIG stuff people...BIG stuff.

 Summer visit with Dad

 Fall visit with Mom

SUBMIT

Up Late

It has been quite the weekend around here...Max was hit with the stomach flu on Friday, our furnace went out as well....that is another story.  We ended up getting a new furnace installed on Saturday, GULP Merry Christmas to us, and then I awoke in the night with the stomach flu on Saturday/Sunday...Jack is the latest to be hit with it as well.  Drew had it in Ohio on his Buckeye weekend with Dad...not so fun.

But THIS was fun...it was a little "game: on Facebook and it made me smile.    It took your top used words in statuses and put them in a collage.  You can tell what I talk about a lot.

In the meantime I have lost DAYS and HOURS of editing time.  Hence why I am up late and hence why I need to sign off on the blog  am actually blogging now.  It is crunch time for editing pictures.  I am looking forward to having it behind me for this season.  I needed a break

Scott and Drew are still in Ohio and will be until late this week when they will hit the state up north for the Ohio State vs. Michigan game in Ann Arbor.  A belated 16th birthday gift for Drew.  (Tommy did Cedar Point Amusement Park as his big 16th birthday hurrah)

In the meantime I am barely holding down the fort, as evidenced in the beginning of this post...tomorrow is the last day of school for the week.  The house is a mess, the laundry is piled up, there is not ONE Christmas decoration in site and I have about 12 more sessions to complete in the next 2 days which will NOT be an easy feat.

Just keeping it real tonight as I am up late removing acne off of senior's faces...happy editing.  

Fringe Benefit

There are some side perks of being the Secondary Yearbook Adviser at the school your kiddos go to...

Here is one...

I pulled off their digital files of their school pics...

 Fresh hair cut the day before...maybe a little too short for me.  Handsome...

 Senior had to take one for his school ID.  Won't use in the yearbook.  But loved his smile regardless

 Drew wears an Ohio State shirt every single year...well not in his K picture and he is STILL mad at me over that.  

And this little guy looks as cute as can be, he picked out his entire outfit...tie and all.  Hard to see the tie here but in the printed pics you can see it.  LOVE his expression

Road Trip to Illinois

Tommy and his buddy Sam opted to take a road trip to the University of Illinois.  Sam is a huge Illinois fan, and of course the Buckeyes were playing them.  Sam had never been to a game before, Tommy thought it his job to take him.

So they left on Friday afternoon, stayed in a hotel in Bloomington and headed into the game on Saturday morning.  All.  By.  Themselves.  Sigh, growing up huh?!

and then he found this one on the ESPN website, look in the upper right hand corner.

The Buckeyes won and they headed home after the game.  They had a great time.  

Veteran's Day

Land of the free, because of the brave! Grateful for Veterans. Thankful for my Dad and for my Great Uncle Harold Lee who we never knew but our Max carries his name. Unposed photo from Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Service 2012.  ‪#‎maxharold‬

Tommy's Minnesota Weekend

Tommy had planned to spend the long weekend in Minnesota last week with my parents.  His plan was to head up with his good buddy Alec on Friday morning, since we didn't have school.  Well then Dad had his heart attack and I said "NO WAY are you heading there with ALL that has just happened, they BOTH need rest. "  Well, I was over ruled.  Dad insisted on Tommy and Alec still coming.  Mom was so excited she also insisted.  So off they went at 6:30 am on Friday.  They made a stop at the Mall of America along the way to get some shoes...clown shoes if you ask me but according to Tommy they are cool shoes.  :)  I think when you put size 14 shoes on someone 6'5" 160 most shoes look like clown shoes.  shhh...I didn't just say that.

Here are the shoes, you can give your own opinion of them.  Alas, he does work and should be saving all of his money for college and has the money for them. Ahem.

They had a great weekend.  Mom made cookies, they went out to dinner, to breakfast with Mike, Cara and Charlie, went to Lifetime there, helped Mom with hauling a few things that Dad isn't allowed to do right now, had burgers at the infamous Lion's Tap.  Saturday night they had pizza and watched a lot of football.  In particular the Ohio State vs Minnesota game.

Sunday they went to church, brunch and headed back home.  They all had a great time.

What I love the MOST about it all is that Tommy chose to do this on his long weekend.  He called my Mom on his own, and asked her a couple of weeks ago if she would like some visitors.  Mom and Dad have POURED their hearts and love into their Grandchildren, I love watching them be rewarded for the energy and love.  I have seen it in all 9 of their grandchildren, they truly LOVE to be with their Grandparents.  They feel their love.  My parents have done a beautiful job building a legacy into the boys.

Jack's Buckeye Weekend

Jack and Scott had a LONG weekend in Ohio.  They headed out Tuesday after I returned from Minnesota.   Thank goodness for shorter days and conference week.  They got in around 2 am.  Up bright at early on Wednesday and they started to work.  They raked leaves, and more leaves, and then Jack hauled the leaves with the Kubota.  They also chopped stalks, Jack got to drive the tractor alone for the very first time.  He loved it although he did determine it to get a little boring after a few hours in the cab of the tractor. 

Aunt Kathy came out to see them, and she joined them for a few holes of golf even at the local Lyon's Den Golf course.  Grandma Shisler spoiled them with cookies, pot roast, lasagna and apple pie.  

Friday afternoon they headed to Columbus, had dinner at the Shisler favorite "Eddie Georges" with the Townsleys.  Traditions run strong on Buckeye weekends.

Saturday was game day, but since the game was an evening game they didn't race down.  They did get some tailgating in, as usual, and visited with some friends along the way.  It was the big 50th birthday celebration for Brutus, so we didn't think there would be any chance of actually seeing him in person...but alas, Scott proved us wrong and they found him not once, but twice.  And the Buckeye won too!  That always makes the weekend even better.  

Another great Buckeye weekend down in the books.  SO many memories are made on these weekends alone.  Treasured times.  I am so grateful Scott does this with the boys.  Building a legacy.  

 driving the tractor for the first time...

I am not sure which farmer is more tired here?

 They brought donuts to Jane Townsley, Jane LOVES donuts.  (so does Daisy)

 

With a Grateful Heart

It is with a very grateful heart that I post about the last few days and what we have gone through.

Saturday night I got a call at 11:30 from my Mom, I knew something had to be wrong.  She never calls me after 10:20 pm  EVER.  She is in bed.  Ends up Dad was in the ER with what they told him was a mild heart attack.  I could barely breathe or talk, I passed the phone to Scott.

After some more tests and getting him settled into a room my brother was there to spend the night, and Mom headed home.  Scott and Dad wanted me to wait to go until morning and not drive in the night.  Mike promised to text me in the night with any changes, so I tried to rest.  I talked to my Dad before I went to sleep...he was alert and sounded tired, but okay.  Scott assured me it would be okay, he was in the hospital which was the best place he could be at this moment.

Headed to mpls on Sunday...it was determined that he needed an angiogram, which they don't do on Sundays unless it's a major emergency.  Talked with Dr's and took turns sitting with Dad.  All 3 of us kids were there by now, along with my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Dean.

To make a long story short Dad needed a stent put in his right coronary artery...it had become 95% blocked due to the heart attack.  They were able to place it on Monday afternoon! We are so grateful for the Doctors who are so brilliant to know how to do these things.  For the brilliant people who designed stents!  MOST OF ALL so very grateful for the big GOD we serve who through ALL of these people and things healed my Dad!

With no family history of heart disease, a Dad who has worked out 5 days a week for almost all of my life, who has low cholesterol, normal blood pressure...this was all a shock to us.  But wow are we forever grateful.

To say it has been a stressful few days may be an understatement...I am always so thankful for my parents but this is YET another reminder to be grateful every single day.  And to never let a day go by and not share your love with each other.  I posted a letter from my Dad to me last week, I am blessed.  So very blessed to have parents who love me like they do, and who share that with me.

My heart is ever so grateful for the gift of my Dad....and just when I think I couldn't love him any more...I do.  I have been blessed with the best.

Our elevator trip down for the angiogram, all smiles.  This was the 2nd trip down, the first was more teary.  But then when we got to the doors, they had an emergency case come in so we had to go back upstairs and this was 4 hours later.  By then we were trying to keep it together better. And Dad had an entourage of 7 of us along plus the transporters. 

before the stent....his artery

...and after....

some much needed rest for the two of them, zoomed in you can see Dad is touching Mom's foot.  This is a picture of love to me....52 years of marriage...and a lot of ups and downs.  But love and their faith holds them together every single time.  

And wow...just like that he is feeling better, smiling and eating a heart healthy dinner. 

I Get to Be the One

This song was posted on Facebook today by a friend who is adopting her 3rd baby from across the ocean.  I loved hearing this song and reading these lyrics.

There is SO much joy in being a Mom.  Despite a night of not a lot of sleep due to a little 5 year old who couldn't get close enough to me..I get to be the one.  I get to be his Mama.  I get to be the Mama to an 18 year old who is asking about taking a road trips to visit his Grandparents this weekend, I get to be the one to watch these boys grow into men. I get to be the one that sees their sad days, and I get to be the one to cheer them on at their events.  I get to be the ONE they call Mom.

Growing up all I ever wanted to be was a wife and a Mom!  Truly.  That is what I wanted from the first day I can remember.  Playing with my baby dolls...watching my parents, watching my Mom...I wanted that.  And I am SO grateful today, maybe more than other days, that I GET to be the one!

I took this last night...as I snuggled him to sleep.

Hope you can watch this with the following link...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmW0th017tw&feature=youtu.be

JJ HELLER LYRICS
"I Get To Be The One"

Well hello,
Little baby.
Your eyes have never seen the sun
You should know
Little baby
That I am the lucky one

I get to be the one to hold your hand
I get to be the one.
Through birthdays and broken bones
I'll be there to watch you grow
I get to be the one.

Don't feel alone now,
Little baby.
Do you hear me singing you a song
I can't wait to show you
Little baby
How to crawl
How to walk
And how to run

I get to be the one to hold your hand
I get to be the one.
Through birthdays and broken bones
I'll be there to watch you grow
I get to be the one.

How does someone so small
Hold my heart so tightly
I don't even know you
I love you completely

I get to be the one to hold your hand
I get to be the one.
Through birthdays and broken bones
I'll be there to watch you grow
I get to be the one to hold your hand
I get to be the one.
Through birthdays and broken bones
I'll be there to watch you grow
I get to be the one.