The pic you see here is one taken abour 5 years ago on a trip to my sons home in Philadelphia , Pa.

Just wanted you all to know that our trip over to Virgina Mason Transplant Center in Seattle  on Jan 17-20th was canceled due to very extreme weather in Seattle , we will be resceduled sometime this month . The weather was not only bad , snow ,ice , closed Mt. passes , but on one of the days we were to be there they had unforseen ice storm that even closed the airport for more than a few hrs stranding over 32,000 people .

We know we would have been stranded as well , trying to get to the hospital in unfanthomable conditions  The staff at the hosital were to have been surely behind or absent altogether , due to the conditions  . This would have been extremely tolling on Bob , heathwise as well as mentaly .

You know I was thinking again about those 4 days the other day , and I came to the conclusion that it was not Bob’s time yet to make that visit , thus we were stopped from going . God raised His mighty hand and the wind blew , the snow came and we were halted . In the 5 days following that tuesday Jan 17th , we alone recieved over 26 inches of snowfall here in Leavenworth . That tuesday Jan17th  was a reminder of three years ago to the day that Bob was  being transported to Harborview Hospital , in critial condition suffering a massive stroke . Even tho I was ready to go , nearly packed , and getting things together ,I was at peace , not worrying or thinking too much of that very same day 3 years before , The Lord had other plans for us , to keep us safely nestled in our little home , just watching the beautiful snow fall instead of driving in it  and enduring extremely difficut circumstances while we were there .

I was talking to my dear friend Jordan and he and I agree , Bob was not quite ready yet to make such a big trip and needed a little more time .

As I write this part I am humbley in tears, very emotional day for me today , as a little bit of Hope drifted into our lives yesterday.

It was my birthday a week or so ago , and Bob always gets me something for that day ,even if just a beautiful card and my favorite candy bar , always popping up behind me and saying Happy Birthday Sweetie.

This year was different , he drifed in and out of sleep for many days before and after my b-day , sometimes remembering as I showed him all the beautiful cards and gifts I recieved , but he did not seem to really understand .

Then on Thursday this past week , Bob had a really hard time at dialysis , the tech-nurse had a really hard time inserting the needles , took over 30 min and he came home beaten down .How that must hurt , in and out with the needles for 30 minutes , in the same place . It hurts me to think of it . I feel for my Bobby , how hard this is and how much more courage he has than me.

Then yesterday , I felt I could come to work for a few hours while he rested at home . It was about 1:30 PM , the door opened at our little shop and there was Bob , he told me he had walked down , he stopped and rested at a few hotels along the way..He walked though the icey patches  and cold tempetures  ( about 20 degrees yesterday)  putting one foot in front of another . He came over to where I was sitting and pulled something out of his pocket, a gift , he said . He had stopped at  starbucks , my favorite place for a hot drink , and proceeded to fill my card up with a months supply of drinks . he said at he kissed my cheek ” Happy Birthday Sweetie ” .

It has affected me greatly  today , as I think of what that took , how hard it was for him to do that , a man that can barely walk around the grocery store  a few times a month . He had to walk about 5 long blocks to get to our shop from our home.

I looked at that act yesterday and I told Bob , maybe now is the time God will begin to heal you , I pray for that everyday < I pray that God will touch Bob with His mighty hand and heal him completely , whole and new . We have seen a miracle in Bob’s life once , and I fully prepare to see another in God’s timing .

Well as I sign off today < my prayer is that all will experience this kind of Love in their life , the kind of Love that is selfless and enduring through whatever Life brings.

 God Bless All < Peggy and Bob

1 Chronicles 16:11

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Good Morning all ,

Well, here we are at the gateway to another path on the journey we travel .

Bob is sceduled to go for a complete evaluation for a Kidney Transplant next week . We will have to travel to one of Seattle’s finest Transplant Hospitals , Virginia Mason Hospital to get this done .

The travel alone will be such a challange for Bob , whom does not leave the house except to go to and from Dialysis 3 times a week. We will stay for three nights in a hotel near the hosptial for convience sake .Bob will have to see several doctors on two seperate days . This will include class room time as well . To some this may seem an easy task, for Bob this will be a burdan , he cannot remember things for more than 5 minutes at time and still has difficulty understanding due to the aphasa he has from the stroke he suffered 3 years ago to the day,that  we are to be in  a Seattle Hospital once again.

He has  Chronic pain and that alone seperates him from other dialysis patients . I will be Bob’s side as much as they will allow , holding his hand , telling him it will all be well , telling him how JESUS  our LORD  will be at our side as well, holding us both up and getting us through whatever we need to get through.  Bob will also have to have outpatient Dialysis while there , the third day after 5 hrs of appointments we will travel to a dialysis center and  be there until 6:00 pm or so .

I will not drive this time , a very good friend  has offered to take us over , from there transportation will be provided for us .

I am asking for prayers for strength for Bob and for myself as well  , sleep for both of us, and for me to be able to retain and record all the information we will here there including the classroom material.( not my strong suit ) This is the time I wish I had a secretary available , he , he .

We have HOPE in this trip , HOPE,that Bob’s health will allow him to be able to have a lifesaving kidney transplant , HOPE , that Bob could return to some of the activites he so loved , maybe even riding his HARLEY once again . Thats a reach , but with GOD ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE .

Dialsyis is not working well for Bob , we all know that , for some it is works wonderfully for some not , Bob is one of those .  

Ending up here , just want to say ” I wonder what the Lord has for us to do at Virgina Mason Hosptial > we will be there a long time , I can only imagine what God has prepared for us to accomplish while we are there , looking so forward to that part as well . God will work through us as He always does , who knows what stories I will have to tell when we get back

Thank you all for your continuing prayers for both Bob and I > we feel them each and every day .

Blessing’s to all , Peggy and Bob

Good Morning everyone ,

 Has been awhile since I posted about Bob’s progress on Diaylsis .

Dialysis for Bob is the hardest thing he has ever had to endure , like I have said in previous posts this man is one of the most couragous I have ever met . Raw courage , the kind you get when you are at the end of the rope and cannot hardly hang on any more . This is what it takes to endure dialysis for Bob. I am told for some it is not this way ,it is easier , they can work, play , carry on with their life . For Bob this is not the case , he is at the end of that rope , barely hanging on . The insertion of the needles continues to be a very uncomfortable part of the procedure , Bob’s fistula being one of the more difficult to use . Was not intended to be that way , that is just the way it matured over the months . The folks down at the clinic are doing everything they can to make this easier for him , they try so hard, but i believe when you sit a big active man down in a chair for four hours , three times a week ,  unable to move his left arm or hand , that alone is brutal. But it is what it is , Bob goes , even tho he does not want to most days , we will see what the new year will bring  for him , hopefully it may get easier , and he will feel better , in the mean time , we pray for comfort for him and for the pain to decrease .

The picture here is one taken several years ago at our little shop at Christmas time , such great memories .

 Blessing’s to all this Holiday Season

Good Morning everyone,

 It has been awhile since I have posted > time gets away from me. Bob is hanging in there , nothing easy for him with dialysis . Every step of this new life is difficult . He has just recently completed his first 90 days. They all told him he would be feeling better by now , but low , he is not much better . With that said , he is still with us and smiling and laughing once in awhile when he watchs a comedy movie . He prays that this will end one day soon for him , he is spent , he tells me  in his own words . His joy is that someday he will be with his Lord and Saviour , Jesus Christ . Forever out of pain, and walking the streets of gold .

In the meantime , he gets up every morning and puts one foot in front of another , getting through one more day >>>>>

Blessing’s Peggy

  Good Morning to all this day:

1 John 4:4

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

This bible verse is one I have heard my sweet Bobby recite over and over again all the nearly 16 years I have known him , it is one of the first scripture verses I memorized so long ago when we first met.

Bob is doing better, finaly we are seeing some improvement , he is not soo sick anymore and is getting used to going down to dialysis, not that he likes it any to keen, but things are going a little better , Still having trouble with the insertion of the needles , sometimes they go better than at other times . He still does not have any energy to speak of , but getting slightly better a day at time .

The kidney Dialsis diet is so different than other diets ,have to eat lots of protein , eggs , meat , fish , chicken , not much whole grains ,and really have to watch water consumption , including everything you eat that contains water ,such a fresh pears , which are plentiful here now , you would not believe how much water is in a fresh pear. On the dialysis diet you cannot consume more than 32 oz of water a day , not much for sure . That is tough for Bob as he takes pills throughout the day and has to take  a drop or two of water to help swallow the pills .

The crew down at dailysis are wonderful people , with a tough job, they are an amazing testimony to the health community .

It is fall here in NorthCentral Washington , a beautiful time of year , hope you all are enjoying it wherever you may be as well .

 Blessing’s < Peggy

     Bob about 5 years ago, looking up for the Lords return on a walk here in Leavenworth >>>He is still looking up every day >>> 

A very Joyful morning to all this Labor Day,

Was just thinking this morning of all the dangerous jobs that men and women in this country have worked to support their families throughout all of our history.

I wish to honor them all this Labor day !Would hope all out there would do the same , take a moment to thank all those fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers for their lives of hard work to take care of their familes . Thank You and May God Bless you all

Bob is going into his third month of Dialysis as I write this update , he is a brave and couageous man , my friend who is a nurse( not only a nurse but a Trauma nurse ,in a NCIU unit )  came to see us and told Bob he was braver than she was , very couragous ,I chimed in and said , yes , that goes for me too . We are certain we could not do dialysis .

There are days in the past week , that Bob has not wanted to go , he has called the center and talked to the  RN down there and ended up going , He seems to be the only one there that is still having troubles with the insertion of the needles , one day goes well , next day not so good .

As we have been early risers our whole life , Bob got the idea that if he was one of the first ones to get treated , it might go better for several reasons, one being the first ones , get the fresh nurses , the other reason is that he would get home before noon . So thanks be to God , they changed his time , now he leaves home at 6:00 am and starts dialysis by 7:00, a full hour and 15 minutes earlier that before . Still he waits to meet Jesus , he cannot wait to walk with the Lord and be free of this machine. He is tired, and patiently waiting to meet his Savior .

When he called the nurse the other day to tell her how much he enjoyed going at the eariler time , he told her , God works through People , and she said ” Yes ,He does .

 Blessing’s this day , Peggy

Isaiah 58:8

Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Good Morning to all ,

 Hope all are well this beautiful and joyful day the LORD  has made . Bob is doing well , his dialysis is finaly going well after a rocky start . Next on his adjenda is to reduce his hrs to 3 instead of 4 , after that he wants to pursue getting a kidney transplant if he meets all the criteria for that . An evaluation comes first , then visits to the transplant hospital if he is accepted into the program  . We are just taking one step at a time , guided by Gods mighty hand . This whole process takes lots of time .

Since Bob was feeling like he wouldn’t fall over when he stood up this week , he made up his mind he was going to try to go to water exercise at our local pool which is about 4 blocks from our condo . We made a list of everything he would need to go , and off he went . He walked to the pool , did about 30 minutes of lite exersice , took out local trolley home . What a huge effort he made to get that much done , and with God’s help he did it . It was a wonderful day in a chain of long days and nites , for the last 8 months .

He told everyone down at the pool (who were all so happy  to see him ) that he would be back .

God is so good , we trust in His ability to get us up and moving in the hardest circumstances . We are truly blessed

 have a good week , Blessing’s Peggy