Chrysan_the_Mum's Xanga

Happy Birthday, Jordan!

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:40:15 GMT

Jordan turns 18 today, so everybody go over there and wish him a happy birthday!

You made it to 18, son! There were plenty of times when I didn't think you would, but here you are. What an odd feeling...there are no minors in this household. My youngest is a legal adult. I am so proud of you, Jordan. From the moment I laid eyes on you 18 years ago you have been a blessing to me. I won't embarrass you by gushing memories here, but just know that they are all tucked away in my heart. You have grown to be a fine young man, strong, thoughtful, and compassionate. You know how to hang on tenaciously to finish a project, like your EDH video and your Eagle rank, in spite of difficulties and setbacks. You are a delight to be around. It's been 18 wonderful years so far, and I look forward to what comes next as you continue to find your place in the world. Hold on tightly to God, and He will direct your path. I love you forever, I'll like you for always.

Here is a song that I heard long before you were born, and as I watched you as a youngster these words often came to mind as a prayer. "Half past three" - Not just 3 1/2 years old, but how many times was I awake with you at 3:30 in the morning? Even now...

HALF PAST THREE
Lyrics by Stormie Omartian
Music by Michael Omartian

Only half past three,
And yet you've got a way of taking self control from me.
Only half past three,
Who know at four-and-twenty where you'll be.
Sitting on a mountain top,
Or at a poor man's table.
Leading sheep from anywhere,
As far as you are able.
I want you to know love the way that I never knew it.
I don't want you to travel life the way that I've been through it.

Oh Lord, don't let me ruin things with faults and weak displays.

Don't let me make a monster from a perfect piece of clay.

It would be so easy to do.

Unless you take what's inside me,

And replace it all with you.

Only half past three,

A curly headed shadow that is never out of mind.

Only half past three,

With eyes that want to trust that you are kind.

What else do I ever see,

Preparing him for solo flight.

But all the possibilities,

For good, for bad, for love, for fright.

I don't want him to ache inside the way I did for years.

I don't want him to have to shed more than his share of tears.

Oh Lord, help me teach him all that You have taught me.

Show me how to guide his footsteps and when to set him free.

Give him a time to know you,

And a place inside your kingdom,

For when his time is through.

Sometimes I think Oh Lord, It's getting very late for me.
But the sun is just about to rise on half past three.

I've Been Tagged

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:04:49 GMT

...by Dani!

1. What time is it? 11:52 a.m.

2. What are you most afraid of? Spiders. And disappointing people.

3. Have you ever seen a ghost? I thought I did once, but it was just my brother in the hallway.

4. Where were you born? Corvallis, OR

5. Ever been to Alaska? Yes, lived there for 3 1/2 years. It's cold.

6. Ever been toilet papering? No.

7. Croutons or Bacon bits? Yes!

8. Favorite day of the week? Monday

9. Favorite restaurant? Stanley & Seafort's, Tacoma, WA. Best prime rib, blackened fish, and cheesecake on the planet.

10. Favorite Flower? In a bouquet, Carnations. To grow in my garden, Roses.

11. Favorite sport to watch? Baseball, best viewed live. I'm not much for watching any sports on TV.

12. Favorite Drink? Milk...I'm a country girl. Although I'm currently on a Pepsi Jazz kick.

13. Favorite Ice cream? Where do I begin? Vanilla bean, with huckleberries and chocolate syrup. At Baskin Robbins, it would be Peanut Butter and Chocolate. In a carton, probably Moose Tracks or anything chocolate with chunks of goodies.

14. Disney or Warner Brothers? Warner Brothers, no contest. Bugs Bunny rules.

15. Favorite fast food restaurant? I like all junk food - Taco Bell, Carl's Jr., Jack in the Box, In-n-Out. Burger King is good but the King on their commercials is just too creepy.

16. What color is your bedroom carpet? Light grey

17. How many times did you fail your driver's test? I think I did once, when we moved to Washington or Alaska

18. What do you do most often when you are bored? Bored? I don't have time to be bored. However, when I sneak a little time (like now) to do something fun, I read or socialize on the computer.

19. Bedtime? 10 - 11 p.m.

20. Favorite TV show? See 18. However, if and when I do sit down to watch whatever someone else has on the TV, it's usually M*A*S*H, old Star Trek re-runs or old Twilight Zone re-runs.

21. What are you listening to right now? Rain tapping against the study window, the washing machine in the laundry room, and Jordan in the next room humming "Singing in the Rain". All very comfortable, homey, soothing sounds.

22. What are your favorite colors? Yellow, blue, green.

23. Do you have any pets? We are owned by a dog and a cat.

24. Which came first the chicken or the egg? Chicken

25. What would you like to accomplish before you die? Just once to be "caught up". Other than that, the list is too long. No wonder I'm never caught up!

26. Favorite instrument? To listen to, piano. To perform, voice.

27. Favorite band or musical artist? Pablo Cruise

28. Favorite school subject? History

29. Favorite thing to eat? Dark Chocolate in all its glorious forms

30. Ever been hunting? I've gone along for the walk, but although I am delighted to eat whatever game someone else shoots, I couldn't pull the trigger myself.

31. Favorite movie? That Thing You Do

32. Who's your favorite classical composer? Tough choice. I'll go with Schubert...or maybe Vivaldi...or...

I tag Alyssa, Jordan, Kent, Karoline, and Mom.

Getting Back on the Horse

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 01:46:57 GMT

This morning I watched my son get back into a car and drive away to class for the first time since his accident in early November. (I know he drove the new (used) car home on Saturday, but I wasn't there to see it.) As I watched I felt an unexpected sinking in my stomach, the same as I did the first time he rode his bicycle to the store without me. When Jordan reads this he'll say, "Aw, Mom." Exactly. It's a Mom thing. And it always will be. God go with you, my son.

My Firstborn Turns 20

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 17:38:05 GMT

Yesterday Alyssa turned 20 years old. She is no longer a teenager.

My precious daughter, although you have been wished happy birthday in person and by phone, mail and internet in many places and by many people, I couldn't let it slide on my blog. Happy birthday to the most wonderful daughter a mother could ask for. And I mean that. I was filled with wonder when I first laid eyes on you, and I still am. You are such a blessing to me. God is good.

Love,
Mum

Announcing...

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 01:45:57 GMT

The happy engagement of Alyssa to Kent. As Jane Austen would say, "it's a good match." There is much joy in the household, and we look forward to gaining not only a son, but a whole wonderful family of Will in-laws!

So he's like, totally right!

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 11:12:43 GMT

Recently an article appeared in the Wall Street Journal about the need
for people to speak correctly. Here are some comments about the article
that appeared in the paper on 12/13/06:

Joseph Epstein's "An Online Journal Fights for Clear, Expressive
English" was right on the mark. (L.S. from Illinois)

So Joseph Epstein's like, we oughta have a focus group to save the
English language from, you know, going down the tubes, because we all
know that bad English really sucks. Wow, I mean, this dude is so
totally cool in saying we don't talk right. So I'm like, we need to
speak more clearly, but then society's like, never mind, do your own
thing, whatever. If a person speaks correctly they sound more educated,
but then other people go, like, you are some sort of snob or bigot.
(R.E.G. from New Jersey)

Yup

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:57:03 GMT

Neither rain, nor...

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 15:08:46 GMT

Dateline: Saturday, December 9 - High drama as the project comes to a close after 6 months, numerous workdays and countless hours of planning, hundreds of dollars worth of donated supplies from companies, and near nervous breakdown by somebody's mother (initials WK). It all came down to this day, and guess what...yeah, it RAINED. Jordan had the gravel delivered Friday and a guy came with a little front loader to move loads along the trail. Saturday the boys raced the weather to spread 25 yards of gravel along 200 feet of pathway.

Jordan supervising on crutches this time

Are we having fun yet? Spreading extra gravel over the parking lot.

Lunch break. It was pouring down rain and the boys took what shelter they could under the eaves of the observatory.

A soggy and bedraggled me spreading wildflower seed over the mud. Someday it will be beautiful.

At 1:00 the heavens opened and poured on the boys but they persevered and finished the project. Here is the crew, tired, cold, and wet but very happy to be DONE. Of course the sun came out AFTER it was all over, and a faint rainbow brightened the sky. I'm not sure whether that was cruel irony or a benediction, but I'll go with the latter. Congratulations and well done, Jordan!

(Nice job hiding the crutches behind your back and trying to look normal. I'll never tell.)

Unstoppable

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 02:08:54 GMT

Time, tide, and Eagle projects wait for no man. Here Jordan is supervising the crew of scouts putting up iron railings around an historic spring on the property of the local Rotary Club public observatory. The real irony here is that the weekend before his accident he and the boys were working on the path you see behind him, grading and packing it to make it handicap accessible. Who knew that a few weeks later he would be needing that himself?

God willing, the project will be done by the middle of this month.

Update from Home

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 22:38:45 GMT

As most of you already know, Jordan was released from the hospital on Thursday, Nov. 16 and we've been home adjusting to wheelchair life ever since. So far last week Jordan and I visited two optometrists - one to check out his eyes and one to order new glasses, had a visit from the insurance agent, and spent a couple hours at the orthopedist. After Thanksgiving we go to the dentist to make sure Jordan's teeth aren't going to fall out of his head. In addition, I've been driving Jordan to his computer class at 7 a.m. every morning. It's too far to come home again, but that gives me a couple of hours to walk around the High School track and then get a little work done while sitting in the car. He has also gone back to Apologetics, Speech, Choir, and scout meetings. So, life is back to normal in a twisted, complicated, busier-than-ever sort of way.

The really, really good news is that on Friday the doctor told Jordan he could start bending his hip again. That means he can sit in normal chairs instead of the wheelchair all the time. This is a big improvement. I mean HUGE. You have no idea how hugely, bigly huge this improvement is. We are thrilled, since we thought he would be in the wheelchair for the full six to eight weeks. He still cannot put any weight on the leg until after he sees the doc again Dec. 29th, but at least he won't be in a wheelchair on Christmas!

Here are a few photo memories of that fateful week:

Poor "Jeffrey", all alone in the mud and the rain. We offer a public apology here to the man whose car Jordan struck. We know we weren't the only people affected by this whole mess, and are very grateful that no one else was seriously injured.

Here is the driver's seat...not a lot of room in there for a body. The doctor says Jordan's clavicle was probably broken by the seatbelt, but it's better than the alternative. We think the damage to Jordan's ear was caused by striking the spot where the seatbelt attaches to the bar between the front and back windows.

Jordan won't let me post the gruesome photos from his first day in the hospital, but here are a few not-so-gruesome ones.

E. T. phone home!

We had a lot of really wonderful visitors. I can't post pics of all of them, but first and foremost I would like to thank Steve and Debbie who rushed from their home in Portland to spend the day at Jordan's bedside until I could get there, so he wouldn't be alone. They visited several times during the week, helped us out-of-towners with some of the logistics, and welcomed Mom and Dad into their home as "hotel". There are no words...

Secondly, my parents who dropped everything they had planned and drove me to Portland, spent their days with me at the hospital or running errands, hunting down the car, giving me a break long enough to run down to the cafeteria and calling me back immediately when the doctor walked into the room as soon as I left , and mainly being my brain when I couldn't think anymore. I love you, Mom and Dad!

The Glasscocks, a totally awesome family who cheerfully tripled the legal room occupancy and brightened our day.

Jordan even had visitors from people who were just passing through Portland on business or personal trips. Thank you!

Here is a picture of the first day Jordan was able to leave the room in his wheelchair and guess where he wanted to go first? Yep, this is the computer center in the children's ward. He is waving hello to you all and probably IM'ing with several of you while writing a post for his blog. Notice his comfy reclining wheelchair. He had to stay reclined like that until this past Friday. I saw some amazing kids come through this hospital, and I prayed for each one of them while thanking God that we were only there temporarily, not for weeks or months or...a lifetime.

Here we are, the day before discharge, learning how to use all the equipment we would need at home. That's Janine with the walker; she was Jordan's uber-peppy physical therapist. Thanks, Janine!

Again, thank you to every one of you who called, prayed, and/or lent your support in any way. We appreciate it more than you can imagine, and your prayers are being answered wonderfully.