Slip Slidin' Away

"Are you crazy, Woman?" I believe were the exact words of my friend (who shall remain nameless) over the phone as I was driving us home from Pittsburgh yesterday. Well, do you really want me to answer that? If you ask any of the husbands of us Murdock women, no doubt you would receive the answer "absolutely." So, despite winter storm warnings and snow falling profusely, we packed up and headed to Pittsburgh for Mom & Dad's appointments. Mom had asked Heidi about conditions in Pittsburgh before we left, so give us a little credit. It was raining there. Surprisingly the weather people were fairly accurate on this one and the rain changed to snow. The up side is that other people cancelled their appointments and we were able to see the doctor fairly quickly. The drive home took us twice as long and I think I averaged 30mph. As if the white roads with no lines visible is not enough to deal with, there are a lot of crazy people out there. God's hand was surely upon us. And as is typical, while the females in the car were stressed and white knuckled, the males (Dad & Matthew) took a nap. I know, I know, we are not supposed to worry and I need to listen to Todd's sermon on that again, but I still think they took "resting in the Lord" a little to the extreme.
A huge "THANK YOU" to our neighbor Mr. Carl for plowing us out so we could make this wonderful journey, and for plowing again so we could get back in.

What's Up Doc

Dad had his check up today and received the news that he needs to exercise his left arm and hand more. Mom also saw her doctor today and yes the feeding tube was removed! Yeah! Pray that the site heals up nicely and also for a little healthy weight gain. Yes I did say weight gain- I know we do not often get the request to pray for a gain. Mom will see the oncologist tomorrow in Greenville and we will then know more about the timing of the chemo. They want her to have about 2 weeks for her feeding tube site to heal first before we start the chemotherapy. Jenyl is driving them home right now so pray also for a safe trip home during this weather.

The Passing of the Baton

Heidi and I actually passed each other on the turnpike somewhere between Pittsburgh and Cranberry on Saturday. She is back with her family and all those puppies, much to the relief of Scott. Under her care Mother divorced the feeding bag and equipment, boxed it up, and bid it good riddance. Her appetite is good but often after she eats she feels uncomfortable and crampy as her digestive system is being put back to work. She continues the process of resuming normal activities but as expected, tires easily. For the first time since surgery, Mom and Dad attended the Sunday morning service at church. They enjoyed being reunited with their church family and renewing their fellowship.

Saturday's Update

Mom and Dad have had a good week. Mom's one wound continues to heal nicely and her diet is progressing well, she is feeling a little stronger each day. She even made a cherry pie this week which we enjoyed thoroughly. I am headed back to Ligonier and Jenyl is on her way here today. Mom and Dad both have doctor's appointment's this next Wednesday and I will be meeting up with them again in Pittsburgh. We are hoping that Mom's feeding tube will be removed and that we will be finding out about when her chemo will be started. Dad is getting a checkup at the stroke clinic. Please continue to pray for their continued recovery and for safety as we travel. Thank you all for your continued prayers and acts of kindness.

Oh What Fellowship, O What Joy Divine....

Alison left to go back to Baltimore and I will be here with Mom and Dad this week. Jenyl and Alison have done a fabulous job with Mom's wounds and they are healing nicely. We have had some wonderful adventures since I arrived. Mom wanted to try and go to the 4 pm bible study at the church today and we were able to accomplish that. It was great for her and Dad to be able to fellowship once again with their church family. Bill Hallier was over yesterday and went out to the barn with Dad to help him get some stuff done out there... I think Dad just wanted to have some guy time in the barn and get away from us women for a while! Thanks Bill. Our next adventure will just seem a little crazy unless you are a Steeler fan... you will then understand the undertaking. Upon turning the TV on to catch a little Steeler action we realized there is still too much snow on the dish to get a local signal... this dish being located higher on the roof than the other, I of course decided we must try so began the trek out to the garage to get the ladder, then out to the barn to get the long handled push broom then trek across the back yard to the side of the house and attempt to get high enough to knock of some snow. Did I mention it is now dark outside! Needless to say I am a little vertically challanged even on the ladder so while I managed to knock alot of snow off the roof onto my head I did not get enough off the dish to pull in a picture. Sigh...trek back through the snow and return the ladder and thaw out. I am bugging Scott on the cell phone to get the game highlights. GO Steelers!

Puppy Update

The puppies are growing. They are now mobile and walking and are barking. We find it quite amusing when they are trying to sound ferocious with their little puppy barks. 4 of the 10 (2 girls and 2 boys) have found homes. In the mean time we are all enjoying them.

Team Alison

Yesterday Heidi, Jenyl, and I went to Mom's appointment with her. Jenyl went home to MD and I brought Mom back to Greenville. So Team Jenyl gets a few weeks off and Team Alison takes over for the week. Mom had her two drain tubes removed. They were shockingly long. I think the trip and the appointment combined to wear her out a bit. Dad and I braved the weather for about an hour today to run some errands. One of our new neighbors plowed the drive for us. And a little elf left a pot of soup on the stove while we were gone. Thank you all. The dish is covered with snow so we have no TV and are watching the birds.for entertainment....

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

The Lord has used several people this past week to bless us with their giving of themselves. We want to thank Evie and her daughter, Hannah, for coming over and dusting. We also want to thank Wendy for cleaning the floors, and Todd for his spiritual guidance and continued words of encouragement as Mom still faces chemo and her battle with cancer. Then there is Costello, who picked Dad up and cooked him breakfast. He has also supplied us with soups, cookies, fudge and cinnamon rolls. Our neighbor, Richard, drove me, Caleb and Matthew over to Walmart in his Jeep on snow covered roads (refer to the picture I posted) so Caleb wouldn't get Walmart withdrawl. You all have given of yourselves and your time. Thank you also to those who have sent cards, posted comments on our blog, and especially, lifted our family up in prayer. We are very grateful.

Mom continues to be more active and once again the home care nurse is pleased with her recovery. Her doctor's appointment is tomorrow which we are all anxiously awaiting the removal of tubes and body piercings. Please remember us as we are traveling to Pittsburgh and then me as I continue on to Maryland, and as Alison is traveling in from Baltimore and will be taking over Mom & Dad's care.

I have to show a picture of the road especially if anyone in Maryland is reading this....and yes there were plenty of people driving by. This view is looking toward town, or if you ask Caleb, toward Walmart.

Snow is Falling, Snow on Snow.......

Well, for starters, the boys and I shoveled the driveway yesterday afternoon. And then there was today. This is round two for the driveway and the snow is still falling. The top picture was when we were done but for some unknown reason the computer decided it was going to rearrange the pictures from the way I entered them. Mom took this last one from her nice warm chair by the fireplace and in front of the picture window.

The 21 (staple) Gun Salute

Mom had another visit from a home care nurse the other day. She continues to improve a little each day. Her voice is also slowly getting better. As you can imagine, she strongly desires to be disconnected from the drainage tubes and the feeding pump that is her constant companion. She wants FOOD, REAL FOOD. Who can blame her. She hasn't had it since Dec. 15th. She has an appointment on Monday in Pittsburgh so we are hoping that she can get rid of some of the baggage she is carrying around. She still does experience occasional discomfort and has difficulty falling asleep. In case anyone was wondering, Mom has 21 staples across her abdomen. That's the latest news.

Wonder Woman was here and Our Sunday Best

A special "Thank You" to Heidi who came in to take over while I went to a wedding on Saturday. Not only did she give me the day off, but she took Dad out grocery shopping, cooked up two different pots of soup, made a roast so I wouldn't have to cook the next day, did up Dad's medications for the week, changed his site for the pump, plus cooked dinner that night. Oh yeah, she also took care of Mom. Thank you again, Heidi. (Can I get you to come to Baltimore?)
A couple of the things that I think Mom & Dad miss are singing in the choir and the fellowship that they share with the people at Crossroads. Since we couldn't attend church this past Sunday, I played a tape that Fred & Barb Heathcote gave Mom of one of the hymn sings that was held here. I gave Mom a hymnal and she sang along. Then we listened to one of Todd's sermons that the church sent us. Thank you for these gifts. They missed the fellowship but they were able to be spiritually fed.

Life in Greenville

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

As it often happens when dealing with recovery, you have your good days and you have your bad days. Mom didn't sleep well last night despite our best efforts. The lack of a good night's sleep seems to be one of the biggest strains on her. She also had another minor setback. On the upside, the home care nurse came for a visit this morning and Mom's incision is healing nicely and her lab work continues to improve.

Comings and Goings and Other News

We actually wanted to add this picture of Tommy and Matthew with the last post but it didn't quite happen. Anyway, these were two sticks that didn't make it to the burn pile and the boys had a little fun with them after the snow came. Alison and her kids, Samantha and Tommy, left for Baltimore around noon. So they are on the road. Heidi is coming in tonight after work to help out since I have a wedding on Mark's side of the family tomorrow in Grove City. Mom was having trouble sleeping and so we took her off her Lipton tea and we are going herbal. She also started walking on the treadmill to build up her strength and endurance. She did a total of 16 minutes yesterday and has 10 minutes in already today, which is more than I can say. She is doing great. Her blood results from Tuesday were much improved. She has enjoyed a massage from Becky and a visit with words of encouragement from Pastor Todd. Things will be tougher for me now that I will have to accomplish alone what both Alison and I were getting done before together. We continue to covet your prayers and thank you for them.