DAY 222, 223, & 224

The weekend has been a good one...sorry I haven't posted. On Friday, Brad and Lynann Stewart were going to bring the kids to me, but I was so worried about the roads that the kids had to wait until Saturday, and my dad brought them. Brad and Lynann of course had no problems getting here on Friday, but I just couldn't handle worrying about them. My Dad hasn't seen Rick in 2 weeks and couldn't believe how much better he looks and is doing. Sometimes it's hard for me to gauge just exactly how much Rick improves when I see him every day. The kids and I went to the Texas Tech Lady Raiders game on Saturday night. We got to see Brad and Lynann and Ryan and Lacey Rankin...their kids performed at halftime with the PIPS group...we really enjoyed the game and the company. Joanna Elliott and her beau Jeff came by this afternoon, but unfortunately Rick was napping and didn't get to visit...they were, however, provided plenty of entertainment from the kids. I met my mom in Dickens at 4:00 and they've headed back to Seymour to make another week.

God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:7

Love,
Crystal

DAY 221

Rick was really interested in the blog last night and wanted to look at the pictures. He didn't recognize Dr. Carlile in the picture from Baylor, and he pointed to the title 220 days. I told him it has been 220 days since his accident and he said, "that's a long time". And I explained to him that it's really not a long time for a brain injury. The neuro doc told us in the beginning that for every 7 days the body heals, it's equivalent to 1 day of healing for the brain. So, if you look at it that way, it really hasn't been that long. I pulled up all the pics I've taken and he looked at all of them, but doesn't remember any of it.

This morning he got upset again before I got there, but got over it. He told me he just needed to go to the bathroom and couldn't get someone to take him...they just couldn't understand what he was saying. He ate breakfast and then did speech homework. He did not want to work on the arm bike today and told us that his left shoulder was hurting. I think it's really sore from all the working out, plus there is a little seperation at the joint. So, Randy did some e-stim on it and he actually asked for some Tylenol. During PT he was supposed to walk on the treadmill, but still seemed to be in a lot of pain, and couldn't really concentrate enough to walk. After that, he was wore out, and fell asleep. It didn't really matter because the weather was so bad that TLC let all the therapists go home at noon, and Rick got to take a 2 hour nap. This afternoon we watched "Open Range" and ate popcorn which he throroughly enjoyed. I left early to make sure I could make it to L&L's before the roads got bad, and I'm sure it will be late before I make it there in the morning.

"I've seen faith that moves a mountain, hope that doesn't ever end even when the sky is falling, I've seen miracles just happen, silent prayers get answered, broken hearts become brand new....that's what faith can do" ~Kutless

God Bless,
Crystal

DAY 220

Found out again today what a small world it is. After checking on Rick first thing this morning, I headed to Total Body Collision to have my car looked at. I still haven't gotten the hood latch fixed from December. Anyway, this guy at Total Body Collision is a friend of Laura's. He asks me if we're kin to any Kieschnick's in Vernon and I said...all of them. His name is Jason Strong and he went to Tech with Clint...crazy, huh? The other thing is the new OT here is Jay Hart's daughter-in-law...her name is Nika and she's been working with Rick some and after looking at Rick's pictures she thought we might know Jay and Linda.

Rick's day was good. He got a little upset while I was gone because he needed something, but noone could tell what he was trying to say. I know that's got to be frustrating. He was fine when I got back. In OT he worked on putting on his "cowboy shirt"...the blue wrangler snap shirt. He did really good getting it snapped. In one of the group sessions they played a game called "Buzz Word". The first buzz word was "old"...so every answer had the word old in it. Rick knew the following ones and the others in the group didn't:
The name of a movie about a boy and his dog-----Old Yellar
The name of the card game where the queen left does not have a match----Old Maid
The name of the geyser at Yellowstone National Park----Old Faithful

I was pretty impressed. He ate supper, had a shower, and is now looking over my shoulder as I type this blog...he's really interested in what I have to say about him. He just now told me to tell y'all that he says, "hi". His friend Dylan that is a patient here, too showed Rick the pink zebra striped socks he was wearing today. Rick looked at him and said, "I wish I had 2 pair of 'em"...and hopefully y'all already know the punch line to that joke!

Well, time to get Rick in bed. Thanks for your continued support and encouragement...please keep praying for Rick.

Love,
Rick and Crystal

DAY 219

In PT this morning Rick walked on the treadmill. He walked better than I've ever seen him walk before. His left leg hardly scissored at all and his steps were so good. He can see himself in the mirror when he's walking on the treadmill, and he really concentrates and watches himself walking. He took at total of 213 steps with a break about halfway through. In ST, Meredith wanted to get him outside of the office. He talks really good in an environment without any distraction, but outside of that office he doesn't do as well. So, today she brought him to his room, with the radio playing, his pictures, me and another therapist there to provide some distraction. He handled it pretty good. He loves to tell people about the pictures he has, especially the ones that Marilyn Cheatham took of him at the Remuda Sale at Pitchfork in '08. He worked on dressing in OT, had a case managment group meeting, did the standing frame for an hour, and then played a game of Scattegories. I helped during Scattegories, but he came up with a couple of good answers. During Rick's case management group on of the PT's was taking a group over to the park to play kick ball, but needed one more person. So, I volunteered to go play. It was really a lot of fun...but I can tell I've done nothing for 7 months.

We had visits today from Ginger Elliott, and Mary Lou and Jennifer. Ginger came by at lunch and of course understands so many things that Rick is experiencing. It was great to see Ginger and catch up on the goings on in Guthrie. Mary Lou and Jennifer came by this evening and gave Rick a hard time. Rick kissed Mary Lou on the cheek before she left...the food here is good, but it's not as good as hers! We miss everyone in Guthrie so much.

Well, I'm about to put Rick to bed and head to L&L's...hoping they have some Aleve I can bum from them...my knees are letting me know they didn't have as much fun playing kick ball as I did!

Love,
Crystal

DAY 217 & 218

So many people were moved by my post on Saturday. I can tell you it was an awesome experience. Sometimes God answers your prayers in the neatest ways. I was only praying to make it through the meal without any major problems, and not only did He make that happen, He made sure that we saw Him...His timing was perfect. I wanted to make it out of Cracker Barrel without crying from fear. I left crying from the kindness shown that was overwhelming...who knew Jesus would be hanging out at the Cracker Barrel? Cade said, "Mama, are those happy tears or sad tears?" Happy, Cade...happy.

The kids left yesterday and even though it's not as hard to say goodbye as it used to be, it's still not easy. We had a visit at lunch today from the Shipps...Doris Ann, Jeff and Coley. If you haven't seen Coley in awhile you will be shocked...he has to be 6 foot at least, and he brought a bag of candy which Rick was happy to see.

Therapy was pretty average today. His mobility and sitting balance are really getting good. We'll probably make another adjustment to the baclofen pump. But we'll go up in smaller increments than we did the last time. There are 2 other patients and 1 therapist here that have baclofen pumps. They are very interesting to talk to.

Looking forward to another great week...hope you have one, too.

Love,
Crystal

DAY 216

A SATURDAY OUTING TO CRACKER BARREL

Today TLC wanted to take the patients to Cracker Barrel for lunch. I asked Rick if he wanted to go, and he was very adamant...yes, he wanted to go. He wanted to eat a steak and baked potato. We've been on outings before, but I knew this one would be different. When we went to the Tech Museum and to Main Event, our group was pretty much the only people there. I knew Cracker Barrel would be packed on a Saturday, plus eating for Rick is one of the harder things...he still chews very slow, needs help keeping his face & clothes clean, and sometimes needs help manipulating his fork. So, I prayed for this outing to be successful and mainly for Rick to enjoy himself. Manuevering the wheelchair through the Cracker Barrel store and into the restaurant was a bit tricky, but not too bad. We had a lot of people staring and even the kids noticed it...this made me uncomfortable. We were seated as a family, not with the TLC group...that's just how it worked out. We ordered and tried to act as "normal" as possible. Rick did fantastic with feeding himself, I only had to help out a few times and did so as discreetly as possible. Cade sat next to Rick and helped out, too. When it was time to go, I breathed a sigh of relief. The kids went to the restroom so I moved over by Rick and was talking to him when an older couple motioned me over to their table. The man said, "Can I please have your ticket...I'd like to pay for your meal." I was astonished, and caught of guard. "No sir", I said, "you don't have to do that." And he said, "but I want to...I noticed throughtout your meal how caring and loving your family is to him, and I want to buy your meal". I started crying...I was really overwhelmed...guess we weren't as discreet as I thought. I brought Rick over to him, explaining what had happened, and Rick took off his hat, and said, "thank you". I only caught the first names of the couple Marian and Anita. Marian explained that his previous wife had Alzheimers and he had spent years caring for her before she passed away. He said to me, "be sure to take care of yourself" He was so kind. As we moved on, Riley accidently bumped into someones chair, they were quick to apologize for being in the way and then as Riley stood on the porch waiting to go, a woman came over to her and said, "Is that your dad?" And Riley said, "yes ma'am". And she said, "well, you and your family take such good care of him, and I just love it...be sure to always always take care of your parents." The love of God, through the kindness of strangers, shined brightly today.

God Bless You All...and a special blessing to Marian and Anita

Love,
Crystal

DAY 215

Rick just keeps ginnin' right along. He went on an outing again today to the Tech Museum. It had some pretty interesting things, but also some things that didn't interest him at all. When we got back to TLC they started the weekly "community meeting". I left to go meet my Dad and get the kids. When I got back Rick had been voted as "Client of the Week". The patients and the therapists vote each week on which patient they think has had the best week, this week it was Rick.

Devin and Clint Kieschnick came to visit today. Rick was happy to see them, and had to arm wrestle Clint before he left! Tanner also stopped by for a few minutes and Rick reminded him of his prior promise of budlight.

We are now back at L&L's and the kids are playing with the dogs and begging to play the Wii, but I think it's bedtime! Good night and God Bless.

Love,
Crystal

DAY 214

Another successful day. We had our trip to UMC for the video stroboscopy. The speech pathologist there is named Sheila, and she was so nice, and so helpful, and so full of good advice. The process was pretty interesting. We had to get Rick's head and neck in just the right position for this camera on the end of a wand to go back far enough and take pictures of his vocal chords. Sheila said the chords themselves look really good and said it looks like it's more of a breath support issue, and strength...he needs to strengthen everything! This morning in ST he had "beautiful voicing" according to Meredith. They carried on a conversation for 30 minutes with great articulation and great voice. I was able to understand most of what he said today, too. When we got back from UMC he was supposed to be in the standing frame, and he said, "I'm glad I missed it." There was actually time for him to do it, so I bribed him with a brownie and a Dr. Pepper. Laura, his PT, started PT homework today. So, now he has speech homework and pt homework...I can guarantee you he's done more hw here than he's ever done in all his life!

Hope y'all have a great night.

Love,
Crystal

DAY 212 & 213

7 MONTHS AGO TODAY OUR LIVES WERE CHANGED FOREVER...NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTCOME, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A "BEFORE" AND AN "AFTER".

YOU CAN KNOW ABOUT JESUS, BUT NOT KNOW JESUS...YOU CAN HAVE HIM IN YOUR HAND BUT NOT IN YOUR HEART....THERE'S A DIFFERENCE.


Jesus approached and breaking the silence said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days to the very close and consummation of the age. Matthew 28: 18-20

In my bible Joyce Meyer explains these verses like this: Have you ever wondered about your purpose in life? Know that you have been called by God to teach others about Who He is and what it means to follow Him. God gave you the authority to do so, and he has promised to not leave you on your own, but to be with you always. Ask God to show you where He wants you to go-to someone in your office, in your neighborhood, perhaps even in your own family-so that you can help others follow Him, too.

Thanks to everyone who has helped us out in any way the last 7 months. Sometimes you think, "all I have is $20 to send, or just my favorite bible verse, or a nice card, or a letter that starts out , "you don't know me, but"....or you've cooked dinner for my family, said a kind word to my kids, visited at the hospital, offered your home to me, and faithfully prayed for Rick. These things add up and have made all the difference to us. The body of Christ is a wonderful thing.

Love,
Crystal

DAY 211

The kids got to go to some therapy sessions this morning with Rick. In theraputic recreation, we played a board game together, and I thought it was very thoughtful of Sarah to think of an activity we could do as a family. Adam (my brother) got here and we went to lunch at 11:00 to give Rick some one on one time with his ST. At lunch Chance and Terri O'Neal came by and Rick was glad to see them. Chance was able to get a big smile out of Rick talking about the Ft Worth Ranch Rodeo and Horse Show in 2007...let's just say Rick lined out the guard at the Burnett entrance to the grounds and noone from the 6666's had another problem out of him! Tongue River had some tough luck this year at the ranch rodeo, but there's always next year...time for a little break from the ranch rodeo circuit anyway. Glad everyone made it home in one piece.

While Rick stood in the standing frame I showed him another e-mail from Brenda...again "People of Wal-mart" and there was one picture that I thought, "here it is...he's gonna laugh", but it was just a lot of air...he was laughing alright, just couldn't hear it. But, he got everyone in the gym's attention "laughing so hard". BTW, Brenda, it's the one about the dandelions and tulips!

Adam and the kids left at 1:30...it was hard to say goodbye, but it is not near as hard as it was when we were at Pate. Rick had his team meeting this afternoon. Each therapist went over their evaluations of Rick, and everyone had great things to say about him, and all the potential they see in him. They did not give me an estimated discharge date...said it all depends on Rick. I actually like that and just like I've learned, every head injury is different and no 2 people will have the same prognosis or outcome. Everyone also said they could tell he is a hard worker and he's always willing to work. He tends to lose his focus after about 30 minutes but can be easily redirected. He needs to build his strength and endurance. I believe it will happen, it's just a matter of time.

It's 7:15 and Rick is in bed asleep. I'm going to leave early...you don't get a whole lot of sleep when you sleep in a queen size bed with Riley and Cade!

Love you all,
Crystal

DAY 210

A pretty lazy Sunday for Rick. Darrell, Lauri and Rachel came to visit and took us to lunch. After Rick took his nap we had a really good visit with them. He smiled a lot and was happy to see them. When they got ready to go Darrell said, "you better stand up and give me a hug." So, Rick stood with minimum assistance from us and hugged Darrell and Lauri.

Funny for the day:
This morning Rick starts trying to tell me something. All I can make out is "I need to have a" and the rest is all mumbled and I can't understand. So I said, "you'll have to spell the rest" so he spells "s-e-r-i-o-u-s m-o-m-e-n-t" and I'm like "oh no, what wrong...what do we need to talk about". And he says again, "I need to have a serious moment...pretty soon" So, I said "what kind of serious moment?" And he holds up 2 fingers which is his signal for when he needs to go to the bathroom. We all just cracked up...to me this is another sign from God that Rick is going to be okay. Praise the Lord for good signs!

Other progress Rick has made in the last couple of weeks: he has graduated to nectar thick liquids which is just one step below regular thin liquids, he can blow his nose (seriously, he couldn't blow his nose before), and he can snort. I know...some things are more thrilling than others.

Thanks again to all you prayer warriors who continue to pray for us...may God give a special blessing to you.

Love,
Crystal

DAY 208 & 209

The trip to Main Event yesterday went pretty good. Rick played pool. He stood for one shot, but sat in his chair for the rest of the shots. I will really be glad when his new chair comes in, he'll be able to get around in it by himself alot better than the one he is in. Sometimes going out in public with Rick in a wheelchair can be pretty intimidating, and you would be surprised at the places we go that don't have their handicap doors turned on...they have them, they're just not turned on...very frustrating. Anyway, Main Event was fun and I think he enjoyed getting out of the building. The kids arrived with Linda, Kay, and Janice around 4:15 and Rick was glad to see them. One of the patients loaned us his Lonesome Dove movie, so Rick and Riley sat on the couch watching it and Cade and I played Battleship...Rick was really in his element.

Today he took a 3 hour nap and was feeling good when Jean, Melanie, and Renee and their kids came by. Rick had lots to smile about, and tried to visit, although I wasn't very good at interpretting tonight. He kissed baby Carson on the forehead and kissed Rebecca on the hand and Jean right square on the mouth! Don't be jealous Curtis!

I'm still amazed at the support that we continue to receive...from strangers, friends and family. We have received so many incredible cards and letters and they are so uplifting...I can't even tell you how it makes me feel. We are so blessed.

Still livin' on faith.

Love,
Crystal

DAY 207

My blog won't have much to say today...yesterday caught up with Rick and he was tired all day. So tired that he skipped lunch and took a 2 hour nap! When I woke him up from his nap he was so groggy...he looked at me like I was speaking Japanese to him! He finally came around about 4:00, and felt good enough at supper to laugh at Steve's jokes...and one of these days we're are going to hear his giggle, but now he's in the shower and will be ready for bed as soon as he's out. Today affirms for me just how much Rick worked yesterday. Besides all of his conversating, he had some pretty physical workouts yesterday. The OT tech worked with him yesterday with a weighted dowel rod. Randy wanted Rick to pull and see how hard Rick could pull...so he says "give it all you got", uh-oh...that was the wrong thing to say, Rick dug in and pulled so hard that he pulled Randy right out of his seat. So then they made a game of it. Rick said today that his left arm and shoulder were hurting, and that doesn't surprise me, that's the most he's ever used his left arm.

We are supposed to go on an outing tomorrow to Main Event. I'm anxious to see how that goes. And the kids well be here tomorrow, yea!

Goodnight and God Bless,
Crystal

DAY 206

It's really fun to post the blog when Rick has had a good day. He did so many great things today, I don't even know where to start.

First thing we had case management. This is where we talk to our social worker about anything and everything. Rick's social worker is a wonderful Christian woman and she really started our day off right. She asked Rick what his goals are, and he said "I want to be able to take care of myself and my family". So that got me all teared up. Then she said, "have you made any new friends here?", and he reached for his pen that he always carries in his shirt pocket...of course it wasn't there. She let him borrow a pen and he wrote down the first and last names of 2 guys here. I was completely and totally shocked. Then she said, "Is there anything that we need to fix or do for you?" And he said, "my room is cold", and "when do I get to go home?" He had conversations like this all day. In OT he baked brownies. First, to open the box he reached in his pants pocket looking for his pocketknife that of course wasn't there either! Then when they got through making the brownies he asked Emily if he could lick the bowl! It was so funny...I just love him...he's always cracking me up. And let me tell you, he did enjoy licking the bowl. We got a visit from Phil Fox and Monte Hollar...they had him smiling all through lunch talking about chappin' people at the mare barn and halter breaking colts. As much as Rick hates halter breaking colts, he'd give anything to be tugging on one right now. Blane came to see us right before bed, and even though Rick was tired, he was really happy to see him, too.

Before he went to sleep, he was laying in bed and I said, "Rick you better go to sleep." And he shook his head no. I said, "why" and he said, "what time are Cade and Riley going to be here?" He misunderstood them on the phone earlier...he thought they were coming tonight and he was going to wait up for them! He's asleep now and I'm heading to L&L's Bed and Breakfast and Supper and Entertainment. Hope y'all have great night.

Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Love,
Crystal

p.s. I posted the visitation hours and address. They really only want folks visiting at lunch time and after five, but anytime on the weekends is fine.

DAY 205

Another successful day for Rick. I'm so proud of him, he's put together 7 great days in a row. He was a little tired today and took a 2 hour nap, but I thought he did really good. I didn't sit in on the speech session today, but Meredith said he did fabulous. He walked on the treadmill in PT for about 10 minutes...his steps weren't as good as they can be, but that's the longest he's walked in a long time. In theraputic recreation therapy, he played bingo, but it was math bingo. So he had to answer math questions before he could put a bingo chip down. But, the questions were worded like this, "what is 2 plus 1 plus 1" and he had a really hard time with that. If it was broken down then he would get the right answer. After supper we looked at an e-mail that Brenda Duckworth sent me...Images from Walmart...Rick was really cracked up over that...thought for a second I was actually going to hear him laugh.

I'm so encouraged by what I see from Rick, and I'm really pleased with TLC...this is what I had envisioned when I thought about transitional rehab. The doctors and therapists have always told me that brain injuries make the best gains in their first year, and some gains their second year. We are almost to 7 months and I think Rick still has a lot of potential to make some great gains. Everyone agrees and can tell that he's a hard worker...that's that cowboy character coming out in him.

Love,
Crystal

DAY 203 & 204

We had to get up early this morning to get to the ENT appointment. Rick handled the ride over pretty good, but threw up on the way back. The appointment was pretty uneventful. Dr. Nguyen decided to do a videostroboscopy...yea, a big word for taking pictures of the vocal chords, and we'll do that on 1/21. He doesn't think that Rick is a candidate for botox right now. He was very encouraging because he said, "it's only been 6 months since the accident" and really thinks that it will come back. His nurse stayed in the room after he left and said that her husband had a stroke when he was 46 and she was devastated. It took a long time for him to walk and talk, but he finally did and with only 1/2 his brain functioning. She said that now, 10 years later, he still figures out new things. At that point I really needed to hear that. I was pretty flustered by the time we got to the office, our driver didn't know where we were going, and we were late to the appointment. Plus, I was hoping the doctor would do the scope and say, "aha! It's blah, blah, blah, and this is how we'll fix it", and of course that didnt' happen. Another angel in the right place at the right time. j

In PT he did butt scoots...not boot scoots, butt scoots down the mat and back. He got his momentum going and really did quite well. We didn't hear much voice in ST, and Emily just stretched him in OT.

We got to use the video phone this weekend. It was really neat and the kids thought it was the coolest thing ever. When Rick saw them on the screen he waved at them. We'll get to see them a little extra this coming weekend as they our out of school on Monday.

Well, Rick's had is shower and is in bed. I figure he'll be asleep by 7:30. I need to be heading to bed a little earlier myself. Hopefully Lyssa won't be watching scary movies tonight when I get to the house...I don't do scary!

Good night and God Bless,
Crystal

DAY 202

I'm posting a little earlier today than usual. Rick's watching football on the big screen tv. There's not much going on on the weekends. He will stand in the standing frame today and tomorrow, and then next weekend the therapists will have other assignments, but nothing that lasts for more than an hour. We got to talk to the kids on the video phone today. It was really funny. Rick could see the kids on the screen, and he would raise his hand up and wave at them. There was also a meeting today of the South Plains Brain Injury Association. They meet the 2nd Saturday of every month at TLC. Today they had a very interesting video about the brain and how it can be retrained. We only watched part of it, but it covered the training of the Navy Seals and how they have to retrain their brains not to panic in certain situations. I also met a lady whose husband was injured in 1991 and says her husband is still making progress after all these years...that is so encouraging. That brings me to a story I wanted to share about one of the patients at TLC. He was shot in the head 33 years ago when he was 20. Back then they knew nothing about brain injury. He recieved physical therapy for about a year, but after that he was pretty much on his own. He had to learn to live with a brain injury, plus live with the fact that the guy who shot him only recieved 10 years probation because "he didn't mean to shoot him in the head, he only meant to shoot his cowboy hat off his head". Can you imagine? Long story short, he met Dr. Wolcott who suggested a baclofen pump and more therapy. He had his pump put in in September and said that he could tell before he left the hospital that it was working. He had always walked really stiff, fell every day and had a lot of numbness in his left leg. After the pump he has feeling back, he's a lot looser, and doesn't hardly ever fall. The therapists are working with him, and 33 years later he is making progress...Praise The Lord! He has been a huge inspiration to me, and he often makes Rick smile...I like that even better!

Then your light will break forth like the dawn & your healing will quickly appear; then your rightousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Isaiah 58:8

Hope y'all have a great weekend.

Love,
Crystal

DAY 200 & 201

We had a great week @ TLC. This morning we got the baclofen pump refilled and it was a really simple process. After sterlizing the area, the nurse put the template over the pump to line up the "soft spot". The medicine that was left in the pump was discarded because it's not good to mix the old meds with the new meds. Then 40 cc of baclofen was put in, the pump recalibrated and that was that. I bet we were done in 10 minutes, but we missed most of morning therapy. On Friday afternoons half of the patients go on an outing and the other half stay in and have an "inning". Today we had an "inning" and the patients split into groups and had a "bake off". So, that means we spent 2 hours in the kitchen making oreo truffles. Next Friday we will get to go on an outing. We ended the day with a community meeting. The patients and therapists meet and get to brag on accomplishments of the week. Then they ask questions like, "if you could live anywhere where would it be?" When I asked Rick this question he said, "with you". I'm not sure if he thinks sucking up will get him out of all of this work, but he's sure giving it a good try! Sy and Kristi Olson came by to see us today. Rick smiled when he saw Kristi's baby bump. He showered and fell asleep at 7:30...he's tired, but it's a good tired.


The kids aren't getting to come this weekend. They are spending some time tonight with their babysitter, Katy. She took them to her house to mess around then out for supper and fun. Katy keeps my kids and my neices every afternoon and all the kids absolutely love her.

Well, guess I'll stick around here for a little while and then back to L&L's Bed and Breakfast and Supper and Entertainment...can't just call it L&L's Bed and Breakfast 'cuz they always have supper and entertainment, too!

I have a lot of stories about people here at TLC of inspiration, hope and God's work...and I'll be sharing those with y'all as we go. So many good things.

God Bless You All,
Crystal

DAY 199

Rick is smoked...he's been asleep since 7:00. He was a little out of sorts this morning when I got here. I was here at 8:00 and he was already in ST. He wasn't really participating very good so I talked to him for a minute and figured out that he was confused about what was going on. I gave him a pep talk and he finished the session pretty good. I've decided to get here a little earlier in the mornings to make sure he's okay before he starts therapy. He had a total of 6 hours of therapy today...2 hours were in group sessions that worked on memory and problem solving. I can't wait to hear what the therapists say after the evaluations are over. I just think he's done so well...couldn't be prouder of him. In PT Laura tested his balance. He stood on one side of the parallel bars and she let go of him and told him to stand. For some reason he started swaying from side to side...on purpose, almost like he wanted to see if he could do it. Then she had him march in place...he kept his balance really well. Then she told him to completely let go, but he wouldn't. She said, "is that too scary right now?" and he said "yes". Then he stood in the standing frame for 40 minutes...that is the longest he's ever stood and he handled it really well. OT was more evals and he worked some math problems...simple ones like the first grade level and he got about 75% of them right. Then more stretching and testing his range of motion in his arms. He goes for his first baclofen pump refill on Friday at 10 am.

Please say an extra prayer for my family tonight. My grandma Mildred had a stroke early this morning. She is stable and is in Wichita now. This is her 2nd stroke plus she fell a few years ago and had to have brain surgery. Please pray for comfort and strength for her children (9) grandchildren (19) and great grandchildren (9).

God's delays are not God's denials.

Love,
Crystal

DAY 198

Our first full day at TLC went really well. More evals in all therapies and I thought Rick did very good. He had 3 hours of therapy this morning and was really tired at lunch, but didn't get a break until 2:00. Then he had two more group therapy sessions this afternoon and was done. They served supper @ 5:00 and he ate well. Phillip and Lance came by to visit and Rick is now in the shower. I think he will sleep really good tonight...I hope to get out of here a little bit earlier and get a little more sleep than I have been...it's starting to catch up with me.

I'll post the address as soon as I know it exactly. It is at 4000 22nd Place, Building 66, 3rd floor, but I don't have the mailing address yet.

Good night!

Love,
Crystal

MOVING DAY

The move to TLC went off without a hitch. Rick did get a little nauseated, but never threw up. He had a good day with evaluations going on from PT, OT, & ST. He ate lunch with his ST while I filled out paperwork. When I went in to check on him, he was really mad. I asked what was wrong and the ST said, "Elijah took his plate, and he wasn't finished yet." So, I tell Rick it's okay, and he'll get another burger and I thought he was going to be okay, but then Elijah walked in. Rick's brake on his wheelchair wasn't on, and he started propelling himself towards Elijah. He was pointing his finger and hollering at him...I couldn't make out what he was saying except for 2 words...and they weren't nice! I had to put his brake on his chair so he would quit getting after him and then had to calm him down. I guess he was hungry 'cuz it took 10 minutes to divert his attention! And what a small world it is...Rick's OT is a boy from Vernon named Daniel Dean...he's around the same age as Lane Kieschnick. Rick did very well in all his evals...esp considering he was nauseas and po'd! They assign levels to each patient concerning level of supervision by the TA's (therapy assistance). Rick is a level 3 which means the TA has to be within arms reach of him both day and night. That means a TA will be sitting in Rick's room overnight...that was such a huge relief to me. TLC will take 2 weeks to eval him and then let me know how long they believe he will need to be there. Also, they require a list of visitors...if your not on the list, you can't get in. I almost started laughing when she said I had to write down the names of everyone who might visit...I told her that was impossible. So, since I will be there most of the time, they will call me for approval, but if you know your going to visit, let me know and I'll make sure your name is on the list.

I'm staying with Lyssa Elliott and Laura Bratton now. They live about 15 minutes from TLC. Lyssa called me months ago and offered they're home when we came to Lubbock. Just another of example of God sending you the people you need when you need them.

My first impression of TLC is way better than Pate was, and I hope that it continues to be that way...there's no office to push him into and leave him!

Keep praying...it's working!

Love,
Crystal

DAY 196

Had to say goodbye to the kids today...it was hard. My mom picked them up and they made it back to Seymour a little while ago. They still had some Christmas presents to open so at least they had something to look forward to. They are also looking forward to our move to TLC because TLC has a video phone that the kids can take home with them so when we call they can see us and we can see them...pretty neat perk!

Rick continues to show inititation today and it continues to amaze me. He initates conversation, he inititates trying to get out of his chair (had to start putting the seatbelt on him), intiates getting out of bed. I've waited 6 months for Rick to start a conversation with me and now he does...and often..I can't always make out what he's saying, but at least he's trying to say it. We had a visit from an old friend of Ricks, Larry Williams. It's been awhile since Rick has seen Larry, but when he walked in he said, "do you know who I am?" and Rick said "Larry Williams".

Rick's in the shower and about to go to bed...think I'll head that way myself.

God Bless,
Crystal

HELLO 2010

Rick started the new year off right. He has done amazing today. In speech Jeannie tried to find words for Rick to say that were related to his work. One of the words was "hock". And she asked him what was a hock...and he gets this little grin on his face and says, "shit". I died laughing, and Jeannie said, "really, am I missing something...I thought it was part of a horse!" Oh Rick! Then in PT he was standing in the parallel bars kicking a ball. He didn't kick the ball very hard one time, so he started walking after it to kick it again...just all on his own. Chel'C was behind him and it caught her off guard for a second, but she said, "hey, whatever you want to do, I'm game". He walked some more in the parallel bars and then we got the EVA walker and he walked around the gym. The steps with his right foot were outstanding...heel to toe perfect, and Chel'C didn't have to help as much on the left. He had group therapy this afternoon, and then we had a visit from Sammie and Stoney and the boys. Rick was so happy to see them. He just smiled and smiled and tried to visit with them. The best part about all of this is the initiation that Rick is showing. I have come to hate the word "initiate" because every therapist says, "he doesn't show initiation" and now, finally they can write in their notes, "shows initiation". Another huge hurdle for us to get over...praise the Lord!

Time to get Rick ready for bed. The kids have to head back to Seymour tomorrow and that is not going to be a good thing. Even with all the fussing and fighting I really enjoy having them around and they always motivate Rick.

Good night.

Love,
Crystal