Pictures of the heart

Here is the picture they showed us of his heart. The diamond shape area is where they put the stents. and as you can see it was 100% blocked and now 0% blocked and 70% blocked and now 0% blocked.

They did an ecocardiogram (sp?) on his heart yesterday to determine the damage to decide if they would put more stents in or do bypass surgery. The good news is the damage to his heart is mild. They say a good heart is around 55% and his is at about 50% and that that could be from the heart attack itself or the trauma of the stents and will get better on its own over time. But its obvious that he has to have something done to take care of the other blockages. And the Doctors recommendation would be that he is not a candidate for more stents and that he should have bypass surgery because of how many stents he would have to have and the danger of reconstriction etc.. Now they just have to decide how many bypasses 2 or 3.

So in two weeks he will meet with the Cardiologist again to decide when the surgery will take place and to have a check-up from this little trauma. But he is coming home today!!!!!

Great news! But we are going to have to bar him from the office as he is not suppose to go to work for the rest of the week!!!!! He said he was going to work tomorrow! Funny! I don't think so!!!!

My Dad had a heart attack

Sunday morning about 5:45 am I heard a crash downstairs. So I ran down and found my dad on the floor. Alan took him to the emergency room to Harris SW Hospital. We wondered if his blood sugar was out of wack and that was what caused his passing out. He told me all week he just hadn't felt right. I kept asking him if we needed to get him in and of course he would say no. He had just had a physical with his PCP and was told that he was in good health, so that was the basis he was going on.

At the hospital they also had a cardiologist come and looked at him as his right shoulder to his elbow hurt. I know it is usually your left arm, but I guess with Dad it was his right. And they were worried about his heart rate, as it was not normal. They did an ekg. They determined that he had a mild heart attack. (Later the Dr. said that his pain in his right shoulder had nothing to do with the heart attack, but once they put the stents in the pain was gone. So my Dad believes it was a sign and I tend to agree, no matter what the doctor said.)

They found out he had a blood clot blocking his artery so that the blood can't get to his heart and decided that he needed a stent put in. They couldn't do that surgery at the hospital we were at so they life flighted him to Harris Methodist Hosp. downtown and originally they hoped to wait until Monday to do the surgery, but when they got him to Harris downtown, they did an angiogram and decided that they couldn't wait until Monday to put in the stents so they did it right then. They ended up putting 2 in instead of the 1 they originally thought. He is doing well.

They brought pictures in to show us of his heart and it shows that all of his arteries are 70% - 90% blocked and that he needs to consider bypass surgery. To which he said I'm not doing that right now because I'm getting married in June!

Only my dad!

Luncheon girls 2

Last month we started having a lunch for the older women in our ward so that we could all have a chance to get to know each other better and get out during the day and take a break! It has turned out to be something that everyone is starting to look forward to. And every time we get together the question is always ask...."Where are we going next month!"

This month (month 2) we went to Mimi's Cafe. The atmosphere was great and the food was Delicious! Our leader Sis. C was out of town but she made sure all the arrangements were made before she left! I call that dedication! Love it!

Trying to decide what to order......

because it all sounds so good.....

my Chicken pot pie.....oh, sooooo good!

Like I said it was all sooooo good! Quiche, salad and fruit. And the bread, rolls and muffins were gigantic and probably what I liked the best!

Good times!

Safe Haven of Tarrant County

March 4, 2010 for our RS Qtrly Activity we did several service projects to celebrate the birthday of the organization of Relief Society. One of the service projects was collecting items for the Safe Haven of Tarrant County. This is a place for battered women and their children, and when they leave this place to make a new start for themselves they are given a basket (I'm assuming a laundry basket because of the list of items they say that they give them) full of items to help them get started. It includes bedding, towels, kitchen supplies, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies etc. We told the sisters what the home said that they needed and then told them if they wanted to donate any of these items they could bring them to the activity! I was wow'd and amazed at all that every one brought! When the items were taken to the Safe Haven place, the woman that we had been talking with was in a meeting so her assistant came out to help bring in what we brought so that wasn't as much fun....but still the assistant said, "oh, wow, there's a lot of stuff here!" So that was neat! Here are some pictures of taking the items to Safe Haven of Tarrant County.

San Antonio Temple for spring break....

Barbara, my Dad, and myself decided that while Barbara was on spring break we wanted to go through a temple that we have not been through before, so it was between the Houston Temple and the San Antonio Temple. The San Antonio temple won out this time because Deborah, Barbara's sister ended up not being able to go with us and Houston is the one that we were going to see with her. Dad voted that we go to San Antonio so that we could stop in Lockhart and visit my Aunt LouRae (my dad's sister) and Uncle Lynn and so that they could met Barbara and then have them join us in a session at the Temple as well. I do not know what the Houston Temple is like.....but I am so glad we went to the San Antonio Temple. I have never seen such a beautiful temple inside! It really is stunning! Stain glass everywhere. A waterfall, fountain in the main entrance all the details are just amazing. It was gorgeous! I am really glad I got to see this temple and next time my children come home, I am definitely going to try to get them down there to see how amazing it is!



While in Lockhart, my Aunt and Uncle took us to lunch to a Texas Landmark barbecue place called Krewz Market. It has been in all the magazines as one of the top barbecue places and has been around since 1900. When you walk in your mouth just waters from the smell of barbecued meat! Then when you order, they hand it to you in brown butcher paper and only give you napkins and knives. You cut off what you want to eat and eat with your fingers.....very interesting experience....really good meat.....and now I can say I have been there done that. And even on a Thursday, during the daytime, in the small town of Lockhart, there was a long line we had to wait in to be served!



It was a beautiful day, with lots of laughter, good stories, good memories, family and the Temple! It was a break I definitely needed.

Alan teased me and asked if I was a 3rd wheel and did I invite myself along with Barbara and Dad.....to which I informed him that Barbara and Deborah and I had this planned and then I saw my Dad looking so forlorn like "you mean you are going somewhere without me?" and so I invited him along. So technically, my Dad was the 3rd wheel. Funny!

BYU Intramural Flag Football

My son-in-law is part of a BYU Intramural Flag Football team with people he works with on campus. And since Allison has her new camera and is practicing her techniques she has been taking pictures of their games. Here are just a few of her photos. And if you would like to see more here is her blog to go and check them out!

http://johnandallisonrex.blogspot.com/

A few days later.......

Now everything is opening up.............ahhhhh, it's so beautiful! Love you Dear!

Just because.....

Some of the most romantic gifts are things that my husband does "just because"! Not because its my birthday, or our anniversary, etc. etc. But when the flower delivery guy comes to the office with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and says these are for Lois! My heart melts! Alan didn't have a reason to send them it was just because.....

Allison the photographer.....

Allison has found a new passion/hobby! She got a new fancy camera and just took her first pictures of her BYU Voice Teacher's baby boy! I think she has an eye for it. Anyway, I'm always a proud mom! Here are a couple of the ones I liked (of course I liked them all but I just picked a few).....

As you may remember it is her voice teacher that took Allison's headshots for Theatre, her engagement pictures, and her Bridals. So it was a huge compliment to Allison when after she saw the pictures she asked Allison to help her take pictures at a double wedding this summer!

She also, has found a great way to love Football, like her husband does, she took pictures of his game (he is on a intramural team at BYU), which I can't wait to see and will put those up soon as well. So now she can go to his games and take pictures and practice techniques!

Birthday dinner with family....

Aileen's and my Dad's birthday are two days apart. So we wanted to have a family dinner where we could celebrate both birthdays with the family! We met at Red Robin in Arlington and had a blast! I really appreciate that my family always try to be to these gatherings and it was the first time we were all together since Dad & Barbara became engaged. So we really had 3 things to celebrate together and it was a lot of fun! Here is the photographic proof!


Opening Presents while waiting for our dinner


Loving being with my Aunt Elizabeth


Opening Aunt Elizabeth's present

a sample of the tops my parents gave me


Opening Grandma Brown's card with a check!!!

My Mom and me!


My Dad and Logan

Uncle George, Logan and my Dad

The waiters and waitresses singing Happy Birthday to me

I was so excited!!!


Oh, and they were singing to my Grandpa too!

My Cousins and me!

Grandpa and his grandsons!

Me in my new outfit from Aunt Elizabeth on Sunday!

Fitting....

I opened my fortune cookie today at lunch and it said "You will live a long life". With all that has been happening in the last few days, I'm very grateful for that fortune and pray that it is true!

Sorry kiddo's you are going to be stuck with me for awhile! LOL!

life is too short......

Today, my daughter's Maid of Honor, (someone that we have always felt was another daughter), her brother was killed in a tragic car accident on I-30 this morning. It is just such a sad and hard loss for that family! Luckily they are a family of great faith, and so they know that their son/brother is better off where he is, but of course it is so incredibly hard for the people left behind. I think with being a mother myself, this would be so difficult as everyone knows parents are not suppose to outlive their children.

Life is too short to hang on to grudges or hurts. It's too short to worry about things that are not really that important. And Life is definitely too short to not let people you care about, know that you love them.

If you follow this blog, please know that you are loved by me! Because I know if you follow this blog, you are a dear, dear friend or family. If you follow this blog, and I have hurt you or offended you in anyway, please know that that was never my intent and I beg for your forgiveness. I repent daily for any wrongs I may have done to anyone....but I feel a little better putting it out there, as I probably don't even know that I have hurt someone deeply and if you can get this message through my blog, then I will feel blessed! Normally just a general statement like this would not be the way that I would feel comfortable doing this.....but today I have been reminded..........Life is too short for me to not to try and correct any wrongs I may have done.

My prayers are with this precious family!!! I know that he knows he was deeply loved by all of you.

A RS Night of Service

My joy with being the 2nd counselor of our Ward's RS Presidency is that I get to be apart of and plan wonderful classes and activities for our RS sisters! Last Thursday we had a Qtrly Activity called "Service with a Smile". It was to celebrate the birthday of the organization of Relief Society and what better way to celebrate than with service projects!

We had several parts to the night, and I'm learning a lot of things as I go along....one being I cannot be the one responsible for pictures! I need to assign that out, because I get pulled away and caught up in getting things rolling, then it's over and I think "Oh no, I didn't take pictures" and if I do take pictures, they are great......but I feel that the most important things that I would have really liked to have pictures of, I don't get. So we will make due, once again, with what I did take pictures of.....(remember, I forgot to take pictures at all of the mini journals class, so sad!)

We started with a speaker, M, who did a fabulous job outlining the Purpose of RS, from the January Ensign, but mainly focusing on Service. She had a fantastic object lesson that I doubt anyone that was there will ever forget, about belonging to this great Organization called Relief Society.

Then we had a short little video from the Church Website that talks about the legacy of RS and the legacy of service.

Then we broke out into our Service project groups. Everyone was to write their testimony for us to send to the Missionaries that are serving from our Ward in other places and countries, that will not only lift the missionaries up (I'm sure), but might also give them another tool to use when teaching an investigator and if they feel inclined give our testimony to the investigator, or with a Book of Mormon, however they choose to use them.

Another group was making pillows for heart surgery patients at the Hospital that one of our sisters in our Ward works at. So we had 5 sewing machines working diligently and 5 sisters cutting fabric and 1 or 2 ironing! And they turned out FANTASTIC! It was a lot of fun.

Another group was making frames for the Cooks Children's Hospital for the children at their summer camps to decorate! We had so many sisters lined up on both sides of the table gluing and visiting and enjoying each others company while making these frames. It was GREAT, in fact I was jealous that I couldn't be at all the places to be apart of the fun!

The one that really blew me away (and this is the one I'm sadest about that I don't have pictures) is we collected items for the Safe Haven home of Tarrant County. This is a place for battered women and when they leave they receive a basket of items to start out their new home/living place with. So they provided us with a list of items including a wide variety of items from toothpaste and toothbrushes, to kitchen towels, sheets and bedding, cleaning supplies, etc... and you should have seen the parade of pillows, towels, sheets, cleaning supplies, toiletries, paper towels, T.P. etc... that our tables were loaded up with! It was very humbling and very exciting to see everyone want to help these women! It was AWESOME!

Then we had the Bishop share a few thoughts with us. I tied everything together with a Quote from Pres. Faust that says that there is so much in this world that we live in that is not holy and we are faced with it every day.....but that we need to strive and stand in Holy Places. Then I talked about how when we give service of any kind, V.T., helping a homeless person or a stranger, or someone in our own Ward or family we are standing on holy ground. That we don't have to be at the Temple to be on holy ground. Every day that we decided to keep our covenants and live the Gospel and follow the Savior's example we are standing on holy ground.... or something along those lines.

Then we had two beautiful sisters sing a song that I have only recently heard that I have fallen in love with called "I will stand" which of course the chorus talks about how "I will stand on holy Ground". It was the perfect ending to the evening.

Then we had birthday cake and punch and visited and no one was in a hurry to leave and that was the best part to me....that everyone wanted to stay!

There are always so many hands that make something this wonderful happen, but I really want to thank my committee of 1 now.....for all her help and support!

6 months ago today......

I was sitting in Church writing out my tithing check when I realized the Date, and realized that today was the 6 month anniversary of my mother's death. Interestingly enough I had already bought some cute pinwheels and some flowers to put on her grave last week even before I realized that today would be a milestone. I just happened (and I know there wasn't anything 'just happened' about it) to be standing in line at a store getting some items for a RS activity I was having Thursday night and I saw the pinwheels and I thought I should get one for each of my girls to put on my mom's grave.....so I did (I'm so grateful that both of my parents taught me to follow those promptings from the spirit when you have them) and so when today happened and and the shocking truth hit me, I was able to after church take Aileen to the cemetery and put the flowers and pinwheels on her grave..... and it did make me feel better! Then we sat and watched the pinwheels blow in the wind and thought of many memories of my mother. It was a beautiful Sabbath!

ROAD TRIP.....

Friday, was Aileen's and my ROAD TRIP to Dallas!

That afternoon I picked Aileen up early from her Adult Day Care but 1st brought cookies for everyone to celebrate Aileen's b-day.

Then as everyone knows you have to get a drink for the road.....we stopped at a 7-11 and I pointed to all the pictures of the different flavors of Slurpee's and asked which Aileen would like to have......and she pointed to the blue Mountain Dew (I do believe that was in honor of going to see and spend time with Aunt Elizabeth as diet Mountain Dew is Elizabeth's drink of choice!)

My hair dresser that I have been going to recently is in Dallas -- and last week when I got my color and trim, the last of my perm was cut off! She scheduled me for the following Friday for a perm and I knew that I would not want to be without one for long....its too hard to fix my hair when there is no perm!

Elizabeth, my sister, was also getting her hair fixed that day so she said that she would take care of Aileen for me while I was getting my hair done. Hence the Road trip..... Well, Aileen loved it. She got to go shopping at Target with Aunt Elizabeth and push the cart, then they went to Wendy's and had dinner. When she brought Aileen back to the Salon, she was very happy.

(yeah, I know that doesn't look happy, but for Aileen that is happy! You just have to know how to read autism! Which is why when she really does smile and giggle and laugh it is so beautiful...rare but beautiful!)

When we got home and Alan came out to help me get everything into the house, he asked Aileen if she had had a good time shopping with Aunt Elizabeth and she started giggling! Laughing out loud! It's always so cute when that happens. So it was a special trip and a special time spent with her Aunt Elizabeth!

My Dad is Engaged!!!! I know, crazy right?

But it is true! And I am very excited and happy for him! This is the email he sent to all of his children, and his brothers and sisters on Tuesday 3-2-10:

"Barbara has accepted my proposal of marriage and engagement ring. We are both so very happy. We plan on getting married in the Dallas Texas Temple Saturday June 19, 2010 with an afternoon reception at the stake center the same day.

Barbara is such a magnificent person. Very kind and thoughtful, extremely beautiful, very spiritual and for some reason can find it within her heart to fall in love with me. Maybe because she teaches 3 & 4 year old emotionally disturbed and autistic children she figures she can handle me as well.

Anyway we are both so very excited and cannot wait for school to get out so we can move forward with our marriage. Our hope is you can share in our happiness. Barbara’s two son’s and sisters are very excited and have welcomed me into their family with open arms.

We will be visiting Edward and his family the weekend of April 24th and would like for those living in Utah get a chance to meet her sometime while we are there.

Much Love

Dad / Dean"

So, within a years time, there will have been so many changes in my life, its almost hard to believe sometimes. But I have been richly blessed with all of those changes. It was a year ago in March that Allison announced "I'm Engaged!!!" so it has been a very full year!

It's her day!!!!!

Yep! Today is Aileen's day. She was born 25 yrs ago, weighing 2.5 lbs and born at not quite 28 weeks. She was very sick and they had to keep her sedated so that she wouldn't fight the respirator. They hadn't done that with my 1st preemie baby and so it was scary. In fact sometimes I wonder if they shouldn't have done that and that is what caused her disability because they didn't do that with my 3rd preemie baby either......but she was very still when I would go stay with her in ICU. I remember Alan giving me a blessing promising that I would be able to raise Aileen and the joy I felt with that promise from my Heavenly Father, and it has been a complete Joy! If she was not part of our family we, but mainly me, would have missed out on so many lessons in life, blessings, and the knowledge of what unconditional love feels like to receive and to give! I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father sent her to me! Happy Birthday Aileen Brown!