Orca Island

We were up with the sun again this morning and were on the road heading to Orca Island by 7:00 am. The drive to Anacortes Washington was lovely. Actually the little town of Anacortes was a charming sea coast town. The ferry cost $75.00 for all of us to cross over to the island. It was fun to drive the car onto the ferry and it was quite easy. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but it was very well organized and the car organization flow was incredible. The ferry ride to Orca Island was gorgeous, however, we were disappointed with the island itself. We could drive around the island, but the evergreen trees were so tall that you could not see Puget Sound or any of the bays. We wanted to look for Orca Whales along the coast, but the coastline was so high and covered with trees that there was no place that you could sit and watch the lovely coastline. The tide was low while we were there and so there were not any beaches that were clean and suitable. We looked into staying overnight in one of the bed and breakfasts, but the cost was very high (Over $300). We were very glad that we didn’t stay there as the Bed and Breakfasts were not “that nice”.

On Orca Island there was a drive up to Mount Constitution. Once you hiked to the summit of the Mountain the view of Mount Baker was breath taking. It was well worth the climb. We even got Mom up the Mountain. The picture taking opportunities were everywhere.
We drove on to Bellingham WA to spend the night. Nothing very exciting about Bellingham except the hotel was very nice and the breakfast was very, very good.

Vacation begins

Yeah. Vacation has started. We boarded the airplane and headed for Seattle Washington. Seattle is quite the eclectic city. Everywhere you look there is modern art! From the Seattle Space Needle to the SAM Olympic Park. The Space needle was interesting to see and we walked around the Seattle center for a long time. There was a music/Sci Fi building that was wierd. There was no rhyme or reason to the architecture. However, the colors were beautiful and psychidelic. .



We also went to the SAM Olympic Sculpture Park. Once again...I just can't understand modern art. Someone took a washing machine, a dishwasher and a desk - threw it out in a weedy field and called it art. There was a concrete bench, a plastic green chair and a plastic box. It was entitled "A Bench, a Chair and a Box". BUT, people were looking at the stuff and it has been called "art" since the World's Fair in 1962.

Stephen's parents are moving slowly, but they are having a wonderful time. Seattle is very hilly and Mom's knees are complaining loudly. Stephen is doing very well. I'm no doctor, but I think he is doing so well because the temperature out here is about 70 degrees. It is cool, not humid and he can breathe much better. He has not been wearing out like he did at home when it was 90 degrees with 85% humidity. Steve has tolerated the city tours, etc...but he really "turns on" when we look to the east and he sees the mountains. So much so that the second day we were in Seattle, he saw Mt Ranier in the background, and he packed us all in the car and drove 3 hours just to see it!

By the way, the car that Alamo gave us to drive is a great big Grand Marquis. We affectionately call it "the big boat". It is very comfortable to ride in - but it has been a little daunting to drive it amongst the little tiny mountain roads and the big city freeways.

The great sadness

My head remains positive and hopeful and my heart carries this...great sadness. One moment you have the world by the tail and in a twinkling of an eye something happens to your health and this sadness settles in and encompasses you. Wishing things could be like they used to be...hoping that things will improve... yet feeling discouragement with every turn.

Today I heard the report from the doctor about Steve's blood and my stomach aches, my heart starts pounding in my chest and this...great sadness...overwhelms me. I call the children just to "talk", but the sadness doesn't go away. I called my Mom - Mom can always make me feel better when I'm hurting, but that...great sadness...still consumes me when I hang up the phone. There are no tears, just this overwhelming sadness -- that is the only way I can describe it.

The Hemotologist said today that Stephen's blood tests didn't show any cancer, or bone marrow blood disorder. That is good news and he released Steve.

Steve also had an appointment with the Cardiologist that wasn't quite so positive. Dr Ritchie is very concerned that Steve is throwing blood clots, (as Steve reported severe pain and burning on more than one occasion in the middle of the night). Dr Ritchie wants Steve to go back to Heart Rehabilitation as Stephen is experiencing upper back and chest pain just from standing in the pulpit for a 20 minute sermon. Dr Ritchie also suggested that stress only exaerbates his heart issues. Steve is to slow down. Steve already has resigned from his extra-curricular activities. His doctor even scolded him today for being "in denial" of his very serious heart issues. More testing and blood work has been ordered, so the saga (and anxiety) continues...

It is such a hard decision as to what to do... His family wants him to retire, slow way down and enjoy his wife, children, grandchildren. But Stephen has this "drive" to be effective in this world. He has a drive to make something of himself. He has this drive to preach Christ to the world. He would die on the vine if he "retired" with no purpose in life at age 57. AND, I know even if he would slow way down, that would not solve our blood and heart problems. They will remain... So I just carry this..great sadness...

What else could go wrong?

We were hoping that this year was going to be a wonderful year, heart attack issues over, but we are still dealing with issues that throw us for a loop. This last week we got a call from Dr Ritchie's office telling us they were setting Steve up with a Blood specialist as he seems to have too much hemoglobin in his blood. Hemoglobin makes blood thick, and he can't have thick blood with the four new stents that were just put in.

We met with the blood specialist on Wednesday. Dr Seekri is doing more tests on Stephen's blood to find out why he is producing so much hemoglobin. After meeting with the doctor, I'm not so upset as I was when we heard that Steve now had another problem. The doctor didn't think whatever was going on with Steve's blood was life-threatening...so we wait for the outcome of his latest testing. He has another appointment next week. He also has another appointment with Dr Ritchie this next week.

I think we're improving

It has been a wonderful day of worship. Today was the "Wonderful Day of Methodist Music"...and did we have a great service. Stephen started the whole thing off by announcing that Stephanie was going to have her first baby by singing...I think I'm gonna throw-up...I think I'm gonna throw-up....I think I'm gonna throw-up....my hands and praise the Lord! You can imagine the glorious worship after a song like that! Ha. ha. (No, actually it was an incredible worship service)

We are throwing our hands up and praising the Lord...Steve was feeling so much better today. In Sunday School he admitted that this is the first time he has served communion for a long time that his chest, jaw and back didn't hurt him. Not only did he feel better today, his legs have been itching, hurting, with a horrible rash and when I went to put medicine on them this afternoon we noticed that they are clearing up and he claims they do not itch anymore! We actually were able to laugh today and perhaps life will take on some semblance of normalcy.

We are monitoring Stephen closely for the next 3 weeks trying to see if his work ethic, stress levels, and anxiety is what is causing his bypass failures... or if this setback was only a mechanical failure. I think we have decided that Stephen is going to resign from much of his extra work load and just concentrate on the local church that we are serving. That has relieved me some.

It just gets prettier and prettier

Yes...I actually took this bumblebee picture myself!

Stephen came home from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. Wednesday night was sleepless for him. When the open heart surgery was done, he was placed on a blood thinner - they were not able to ween him off of the blood thinner before surgery yesterday, thus the blood wouldn't clot after the surgery. He had 15 pounds of pressure on his hip all night long!

He was pretty exhausted, so I just let him sleep today. The doctor wants Steve to work hard, exercise and get back to work so he can see how much daily life/work and stress affects the success/failure of the heart function. Hopefully this was just a mechanical failure and it has nothing to do with overworking! So, today I am letting him rest. Tomorrow I will put him back to work!