A smiling blogging come back……

This is my first post of this year. Actually I thought I’d stopped blogging for good…. even though I think about my blogging friends often and wish you well. I am starting to feel better which is a good thing but it means that I am up getting some work done and not sitting at the computer as much.  However, I’ve decided I will post from time to time…. and tonight is one of those times. I just have to share my smiles with you tonight because I am bursting with them.

#1 …Healthy Smiles

It was a year ago today that I was rushed to emergency and then spent over 3 weeks in the hospital with severe sepsis, acute renal failure, 7 strep abscesses on my liver, organ dysfunction and then developed a 17-inch blood clot.

I’ve been told by several doctors that any one of those ailments could have…and should have…. killed me. They’ve said it is amazing that I am alive.

Here I am last Saturday, doing well and enjoying life with my sweet hubby. WHAT A DIFFERENCED A YEAR MAKES! I still have the blood clot & I don’t have a lot of energy but all in all I am doing great.  Of course we know that this is not because I was “lucky”….. I am alive because I was blessed and prayers for healing have been answered.  I am so thankful.

# 2….. Valentine’s Smiles

Last year I could hardly function in February and didn’t even have the energy to send my annual Valentine love boxes to my sweet grandchildren. This year I did. I had a great time writing  each one a poem, a letter and making them a Valentine….all 14 of my grands and each of their parents got some “love” from me.  What fun.

I’ve also enjoyed having sweet Valentine meals with dear friends…. and I’m having a belated Valentine Tea luncheon with more friends this coming week. I can’t wait.

My Sweetheart sent me these pretty flowers and I tried to make his day special too. This is our 50th year of being Valentines. That is such a blessing.

Johnny and his dad, Dathan arrived late Fri. night and spent the weekend with us.

They were here for a gymnastic meet but I got to share Valentine love with them. It was so nice having them with us. That brings me to the last reason I’m bursting with smiles…

#3…. Smiles for Johnny

If you were reading my blog in August, you know how sad we were when our grandson, Johnny tore his rotator cuff and ligament and could not continue on the national team…

…because…. he had to have shoulder surgery. He was devastated to have to take off  5 months from training for painful therapy and to let his shoulder heal. …..well….

Johnny is back and doing well.

Actually…. he is doing GREAT.  I’m so proud of this sweet boy.

This picture is blurry but it makes me smile to see how excited he was after doing great on p-bars.

He competed in all 6 events Sat. night and came in 1st in some of them. Actually…. we thought he was the first place overall champion because up until the last rotation he was ranked in 1st place. WE WERE THRILLED!!!

Then the judges realized that another gymnast’s scores had been entered into the computer wrong. When they corrected the error the other boy squeezed into 1st place and bumped Johnny down to 2nd place. We were disappointed but he still came home with some 1st place medals…. and 2nd place overall is very good….and…

His USA Gymnastic team came in 1st place in the team competition.

I felt so blessed that we could be there to watch Johnny compete Sat. night. I missed it last year because I was in the hospital.

Johnny will be going back to the Olympic training center in Colorado to train soon. He got an email from them in Dec. inviting him to come back and train with the National team. He was so happy to be invited back.

He also has signed to attend Illinois University after he graduates from high school this June. They offered him a full- ride scholarship… tuition, books, housing…food and a tutor. We are smiling about that too.

With all these things to smile about you can see why I just had to post a “smiles” blog tonight. I was afraid that I might burst with so many smiles inside me if I didn’t let some out!

Thanks for sharing my smiles with me. I hope that you have much to smile about too.

I probably won’t post very often but I will be thinking of you with hugs.

A to Z in blogland.....My Varied Valentines

Yesterday I was undecided about which letter U to do but today there is no question in my mind! 

  Today I have my all time favorite letter V to blog about.

V is definitely for Valentine’s

Please note that I did not say Valentine’s Day…. no, no, no…because to me Valentine’s is so special I celebrate it the whole month.

Normally my whole month of February is filled with Valentine fun. 
This year February was not as fun for me as usual....I had a "varied Valentine's" but I still love Valentine's and all it represents.
 
This year I was not feeling well so I did not get a lot of my Valentine activities done. I had my gall bladder out in January and did not know I had a bile leak that was filling me up with a sepsis infection. I was getting sicker and weaker each day and did not know why. 

 I got all of my Valentine supplies together. I bought candy & goodies and my friend Jan added to my stash by giving me a whole bag of her Valentine supplies.

Valentine Goody bags I made last year

I intended to make up my Valentine goody bags for my family, friends and neighbors like I do every year.

I also intended to make pretty Valentines 

I made 20 Valentines like these last year but not this year

and write a personal letter of love to my family and special friends.
I had all of the supplies but I didn't make anything this year. I kept thinking I would feel better the next day and do it then....but I never did.

However, I did set my Valentine’s tables.

This year I went totally pink.  (My hubby said it looked like there was an explosion in a Pepto Mismo factory.)

I’m glad my sweetheart puts up with all my fancy decorating. I just love it and he sweetly tolerates it. (He would just as soon eat in front of the T.V. on paper plates.)

My friend Louann and I have a  tradition of feeding the missionaries that are serving in our ward (Congregation ) a special Valentine dinner.

 One night we fed the Sister missionaries at my house.

We know that these young people are away from their families for 1 1/2 to 2 years. We try to give them some of the Valentine love they would get from their mothers if they were at home. Click here to find out more about our missionary program.

 The next night we fed the Elder missionaries at Louann's house.

I enjoyed doing this with Louann but I felt like I was made of lead and could hardly move.
 I only had 4 days left before Valentine's Day but I still could not find the energy to make my cards and goody bags.
I had extra time to get them done because I was expecting company on the 14th.

My grandson, Johnny was coming for a gymnastics meet near us.  I didn't have to mail all my Valentines to Utah because I knew I could send them home with Johnny. The family would forgive me for being a few days late.

This was the first meet since Johnny made the USA National team that I would get to see him compete.  He and his dad, Dathan,  flew down from Utah. We were suppose to go with them to his meet here and then drive them to LasVegas the next week to meet the rest of the family and attend another big meet there.
But it didn't work out that way for me.

I kept getting sicker and sicker each day after we had the missionary dinners. By the time Johnny & Dathan arrived on Valentine's Day I was too sick to do anything but go to bed. I couldn't even fix a nice meal for them much less go to the gymnastics meet.

Johnny put on a mini show just for me before they left for his competition.

I was so sad to stay at home but I just could not attend. John would not leave me alone so I made him miss the competition too. That made me feel extra bad but both Johnny and my John tried to make me feel better.

While Dathan and Johnny were gone, the rash I had got worse and worse until it covered my whole body. I was violently ill. John took me to emergency where I was admitted with severe sepsis and organ dysfunction. So much for all my happy Valentine weekend plans.... but I was alive. I could have died if I hadn't gone to the hospital when I did. I was in the hospital over 3 weeks.

I was bright red from the sepsis rash... kind of like a Valentine

Instead of making a nice dinner for my family that weekend, I had to settle for visiting with them in the hospital. It was not the way I wanted to celebrate Valentine's weekend..... but I did feel lots of love from my family and friends

Meanwhile, all of the candy and Valentine supplies are still sitting on my craft table. Can you give out Valentine goodies for Mother's Day or 4th of July???

As you can see my Valentine's month did not turn out the way I expected.... it totally varied from the normal way I celebrate this holiday of love....but I still love Valentine's day/month.... I will look forward to celebrating it next year.... and just be thankful I made it through this year.

I hope you had a nice Valentine's and felt loved.

Hugs, Grammy Lura