My Dad's Accident

Thank you to all of our friends and family who have been praying for my dad's speedy recovery. I have to tell you that, despite what he looks like, he's doing so well. Really, he is. It is an amazing miracle of God that Dad had only trauma to his face. It could have been so, so much worse.

Sunday evening, after a day of playing golf and having dinner, my dad was driving down Hwy. 108 (Huckabay highway, for those of you who know the area; he was about 5 miles outside of town) after dark in his Lincoln Town Car. Thank goodness Dad's a huge man that wants/needs a huge car!!

Dad said he didn't see the horse until he was right on it. The horse was dark in color, standing directly in Dad's lane, rear-end toward my dad. Dad didn't hit the horse head-on because the horse was standing slightly at an angle on Dad's front left. We think that's why the airbag didn't deploy. We are not sure what created all the trauma on Dad's face, but I personally don't think it was the steering wheel. It was in pristine condition in the photos Angie got of the car. The driver's side of the roof of Dad's car is crushed in and I wonder if Dad's head wasn't in a position of looking up about the time the horse came down on that area. We just don't know. Wish I had a connection with an accident reconstruction person!

We don't know how long it was before someone found Dad or where his car was. I believe for some reason (been told maybe? Not sure) that Dad's car stayed on the road. The DPS officer who worked the scene is a friend of mine from my days at the Holiday Inn, where they all drink coffee, but because he was on nights, so I wasn't able to touch base with him. I hope to do so at some point.

They took Dad to the S'ville hospital where they got Dad stable, then put him on an ambulance (not Care-Flight, as the S'ville paper reported. DUH!!!) to Harris Methodist-FW where he proceeded to get sick due to motion sickness. Dad said he was glad he was transported via an ambulance, because he knew he wasn't that bad off. A girl who was a client of Dad's many years ago sat with him at the hospital in S'ville and held his hand until he left. She had just been getting off work when they brought him in and, since no one was with him, said she couldn't leave him. Dad said he remembers her holding his hand really, really tight. I love a small town! Where else does stuff like that happen? She also called the hospital in FW to check on Dad.

Dad's accident happened almost a full 13 hours before any of his family knew. Evidently someone at the hospital finally said "Hmmmm, wonder if this guy has any family?" Why no one in S'ville did that, I'll never know. Anyhow, Dad was able to get the nurse Amy's phone number (older sister for those of you who don't know) in Houston and his brother's number in Weatherford. Once Amy got the call, she had Katie go up. All we knew was that he was in the trauma ICU and unable to speak. Katie had no idea what she was walking into when she got there, poor thing. And of course, that hosptial is a compound so it was hard to know where to go.

She and Amy both thought Dad was unrecognizable. For me, his hair gave him away! And believe me, I had prepared for the worst. His face was (and still is) extremely swollen, with a huge gash on his right cheek. His eyes are black, his lips were busted up and repaired, lots of dried blood, etc. However, when you consider how lucky he is.... We've all heard of people who died hitting deer, much less a full-grown, ropin' horse. Since Dad's accident, we've heard horror stories about decapations, loss of life, etc. Dad's own doctor said this is an unusual case because with this much head trauma, usually there's also a broken neck or some kind of chest trauma. Dad had NONE of that. Truly, that's a miracle. When I think of what I saw when I worked for State Farm, I cringe knowing how easily things could have gone the other way.

Dad was able to go home from the hospital today. The doctor (who all of us daughters like, despite the fact he's a t-sip!) said that, because the only reason they were waiting for surgery was Dad's swelling, there was no reason for him to stay at the hospital. Yesterday they started Dad on pain pills as opposed to morphine, and Dad's pain stayed under control. Honestly, his pain hasn't been an issue. He's uncomfortable, he has pain, but he's not in horrible pain. They've got some great medicines out there!

So, after I left DFW today, Amy was able to take Dad home until next Wednesday, when he'll return for surgery. Amy is staying for a few days, then Katie will come and take over, with Angie being there off and on. They'll all be there for the surgery. Please pray for them. My dad isn't the best patient and isn't very good at patience! But I told him to "Be reasonable" which is advice he has told me in the past, and I know he's going to do his best.

After surgery, the surgeon told the sisters that Dad will be able to take care of himself, for the most part. His jaw will be wired shut and his diet will be liquids, but beyond that, he's really healthy. And really blessed. And we know that God really isn't done with him yet!

He's requested Brad Pitt's or Tom Cruise's face. I'll keep you posted on that!

Hostess With The Mostess

This week is going to be a crazy one. Well, if you look at my calendar, there isn't much going on between now and Friday. Except for Bible study, one little meal/gift delivery to some neighbors, and exercise. But once I hit Friday, life is going to be NUTS!!!

Friday night, we are going out to eat with Jenelle and Rich. Jenelle is my hair stylist and I love her. Not only do I like the way my hair looks, but she's just a neat person. And despite the fact we have a lot not in common, we have some other things in common that told me, early on in our stylist/client relationship, we should be friends. Rich is in the National Guard, so we have the military in common. Their kids are the same age difference apart as ours, just a couple of years behind, with a girl first, then boy. Both couples consider themselves foodies and wine-o's, which meant we always talk about our newest restaurant endeavors. At some point, the girls decided the guys must be included in our relationship so we started getting our families together. Friday night, we are going to Anson's, which is the Gordon's newest favorite restaurant without the kids.

Then Saturday, I become the "hostess with the mostess." That morning, I host my Lia Sophia jewelry party. I am doing a brunch because I love brunch foods: quiche, muffins/sweet breads, coffee, pomosas and mimosas! I don't know how many of my friends will be here, but I've invited quite a few. Should be fun!

That evening, our dear friends, Jennifer and Jason Karnes, and their kids, Braden, Landry, and Tripp, will arrive for a week-long visit. I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting for this week to arrive. Jennifer and Tripp came last fall for a visit and, while they were here, it just reminded me that their whole family would love the lowcountry. Since both the adult Karnes' work, we had to make their visit during a time they could both have an extended amount of time off. No weekend trip would work for the whole brood! Thus, the Thanksgiving week trip was hatched.

I won't rehash why we love the Karnes so much. You've all seen/read/heard those stories before. Suffice to say, Jen and I have been through a lot together. Hey, we're working on a 25+ year friendship! And once the guys were added, the friendship deepened, as did our kids' arrivals. I have to say: is there anything sweeter than married friends where everyone (including kids) likes/loves each other?

I've already been preparing for the Karnes' arrival. The turkey is in the freezer and I have a couple of meals stocked there, too. I've already sent them what our Thanksgiving meal usually looks like and they said it looked complete. I'll be doing little things between now and Saturday to get the house ready, as well as other cooking. I think I might be living up to the title Jen and Jason gave me long ago: "Martha," as in Stewart. We probably won't have Martha-esque placecards, but we will have everything else!!

Halloween!

Look, it's Cleopatra and Buzz Lightyear on our porch!!!!


We had a great Halloween this year! Some of you might know that, last year, after we trick-or-treated in our neighborhood, we came home and had NO trick or treaters. It was extremely disappointing. So this year, we were bound and determined not to let that happen!

We ended up going to my friend, Jenny's house. Jenny and I know each other from the gym, where she regularly does very mean things to me via a cycling class that I adore. She lives on the golf course adjacent to our subdivision, so we didn't have to go far. My other friend from the gym, Kristie, and her family were there, too.

After a few slices of pizza (looking back on it now, I don't think my kids had ANY dinner that night. OOPS!), we headed out to get some candy. The kids were all troopers and had such a fun time. After about 15 or so houses in the immediate area, we headed back to Jenny's house, where we handed out candy. We were able to see quite a few of Grace's classmates and our kids had a lot of fun with the Johnson and Dennis kids. Here are all the kiddos, except Jenny's youngest, Mackenzie, who was having no part of getting in this group shot!
Jasen and I had a really good time visiting with Jenny's father-in-law, Walter, who is a Marine Corps. veteran and now a chaplain for the sheriff's department up in Fort Mill, SC. Also, Kristie's hubby, Jamie was a HOOT. He's a Carolina redneck and fondly reminded us of all the TX rednecks we call friends. One day, we hope to meet Jenny's hubby, Walt, who was working that weekend at the Charlotte airport.

All in all, a great time was had by all.

Redneck Jamie and Iraqi Jasen. Can you tell they are enjoying each other??

Me, Kristie, and Jenny laughing at something the boys said to us. And that would be a green jawbreaker in my mouth.