The Long Weekend, So Far...

Well, Friday, my mom and dad came to L'ville and picked Davey up from school. They heard from Logan (the kiddo Davey knows from preschool whose mom drives Davey to school some days) and his older brother that Davey read a scripture passage on the St. Margaret Mary daily broadcast. I am so proud. Apparently, it is uncommon to have a kindergartener reading on the broadcast!

That night after dinner, we all went to bowl at Incredible Dave's. While we were there, I asked our server if a manager was available. I told her that we had been there with a very large group of people one evening nearly 3 weeks ago and the circumstances that led us to be there. I asked if I could talk to someone about using the name for our Light the Night team. She asked the owner, Dave, and came back a bit later to tell me that we could not, that it was a "trademark issue". For Heaven's sake! I am not wanting to make any money off this, just raise money for a charity!! So, we have now decided that we will not be returning to their establishment. I am not sure whether to write a letter, go back to make my feelings known to the owner, or some other method of protest. Hmmm....

We have had several invitations to have socialization over the weekend. Thank you, friends!! We are very blessed to have you! I had a great conversation today with a friend that I taught with at Hightower Elementary in Plano. We laughed, we cried, we made a pact to call each other more frequently and begin with, "I have 10 minutes, how many do you have? Five, OK, we'll talk for 5." See, often we don't call people because we don't have as much time to talk as we would LIKE to talk, but a little is better than none, and if we start with our time limit, no one's feelings are hurt and we can still keep on our bedtime, dinner or school schedule. She is so wise!!

If you have been following the TV fairy subplot in our lives, you will know that we now need a new entertainment center. I went to two stores with the boys (and my mom and dad to corral them and keep them off the furniture). I found something nice at the first place and something "so me" at the second. I went back while Max was napping (and our awesome neighbor, Jo, came over to keep watch) and put money down on the entertainment center. I NEVER finance things, so to pay this off over a year, interest free, is different for me.

Tomorrow we are going to hang out at the pool and have a cookout with several families from church who have been unbelievably supportive! Should be fun!!

Enjoy your day off tomorrow and hug your loved ones hard!!

P.S. Tena (AKA the "Blog Fairy") posted the photo of the three of us from our zoo trip in June. Thanks, T!!

I Need a Long Weekend!

I know I have only been back to work for a couple weeks, but I am WORN OUT!! The boys didn't want to go to bed tonight and I am beat!

I have great classes with which to work this year, so that is a blessing.

Yesterday was a whirlwind! I got the 3 of us ready for the day, got Davey off to school, dropped Max off and went to the school I was scheduled for. A little later, I get a call from my awesome boss, asking if I was scheduled for meetings. I replied, "I don't think so." But, upon further review of my calendar, I was. So, off I went to a different school, attended a meeting, went to the resource center to make some materials for a teacher (gas is too expensive to drive back to my schools and this was a worthwhile activity), then went to our staff meeting. After that was over, I rushed to collect Max, then Davey, drove thru Wendy's (well, not DROVE THRU, but you know what I mean), drove to the soccer field and we had a picnic before Davey's practice. He had more fun than last week, which was great. After practice, we headed home for bath, stories and sleep. We were on schedule and I was reading to Max, when the phone rang. I decided that Max's bedtime stories were more important than a phone call, but Davey thought otherwise. He answered it and brought me the phone. It was my hairdresser (and friend) telling me that she was in my driveway with something for me. I expected that she had brought a little goodie bag or something. When I went to get a haircut Tuesday afternoon, I had told her that our main TV had gone kaput that morning and that I would need to be buying one soon. I was ordering one through my brother. So, she ended up bringing me a 32 inch LCD TV last night! The boys were thrilled! My mom jokes that the "TV Fairy" came to visit us.

All this reminds me of the movie "Pay It Forward". People are being so caring, generous and amazing! I feel the Spirit through my family and friends EVERY DAY!

Last thought... I did register with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to have a team for the walk. If you want to donate, volunteer or join the team, check out the website.

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnKentucky/2277_davidswife

Enjoy a long weekend and God bless you all!!

"The time will come when your mouth will be full of laughing, and cries of joy will come from your lips."
-Job 8:21

Step by Step

We are getting the hang of this kindergarten thing. I did drop off through the car rider line today. Davey just hopped out and went in the door, like he had been doing this forever. He prefers to buy lunch must days, but not on taco or chili day. That day, he wants a PB and J.

This morning, which was the first day of preschool for Jefferson County's Head Start and financially need-based classes, so it was a but hectic, I got a call from the St. Margaret Mary counselor. My first thought was a bit of panic, but she immediately told me that everything was fine, that Davey is "perfect". She just wanted to let me know that she and Mrs. Flechler had some thoughts that they wanted to run by me. They wanted to know how Davey seemed to be doing, since they have only known him for a week. On the way home today, I asked Davey if he missed Daddy. He said, "No, because Daddy is always with me." I asked if he wished he could talk to Daddy. Again, "No, I talk to Daddy sometimes." I asked when and he told me, "Sometimes at night." Why does my kid seem so much more together than I am!?!? Kids are amazing, aren't they? I must say, mine seems especially amazing! (Not that I am biased! Feel free to tell me how great my boys are, though!)

Speaking of great kids (here I go again, bragging on my Davey), I got a call from a friend on Saturday, telling me that there were some boys on the playground on Friday, chasing some of the girls, including her daughter. She told me that Davey told the boys to stop and that it wasn't nice. Apparently, I am raising a knight-in-shining-armour wannabe.

Lest you think I have forgotten that I have 2 boys, Max, in his own, not so quiet way, is bringing me joy, too. He cam always be counted on to make me slow down at night-night time for extended cuddles in the glider, just when I am trying to rush things. Also, this morning, for the 3rd time in 2 weeks, he was dry when waking up and actually peed in the little potty. When I said, "Daddy would be so proud!", Davey chimes in, "Daddy saw it, Mommy."

Well, those are the adventures here. I am continuing to try to get a handle on time and money management in light of our "new normal".

Wishing you all peace and love!

New role...

Well, I am now full into my role as kindergarten mommy. We have been going full force since yesterday at 6:15 am. I dropped Max off, continued on to St Margaret Mary to do the first day thing. My only tears were a result of David not being there to see the event (but Davey reminded me, as he does often these days, that "Daddy sees EVERYTHING we do!") and a few over the momentiousness of the occasion. I stayed until the teacher assistant said, "You do know there is a reception for you all in the Hospitality Room..." We all know that means, "Parents move along before you start making the kids cry."

Davey was excited to go to kinder and even more excited to see me after school. We went to get ice cream after school and then off to the sporting goods store to get soccer "gear". They had a deal if you got the shin guards, socks, ball, cleats and a cinch sack, you'd save $20, I think. Davey's practice was at 6, so we had to eat early and hot foot it to the field. Practices will be Wed. evenings and the first game is on Sept. 6.

Today's school adventures began with an announcement that he didn't want to ride with Logan , then, by 5 min later, he had changed it again. I mad HIM call and ask if he could change his mind again. He rode with them and had a great time. Today, he went to the YMCA after school and re connected with a couple of pre- K friends. He did not want to leave.

At 6 tonight, I (again) left my children with the Chitwoods while I went to the New Parent Kindergarten open house. I tried not to be one of the "my child is the most brilliant kid you have seen in years"

OK, Ambien is makinh me type funkee stuff. Gotta go night night very sooooon.

This is peanut butter signing off and missing my jelly immensely.

Life as we know it

Life as we have known has had to change, but we are doing ok!

Davey and I went to "Meet the Teacher" today. His teacher, Mrs. Flechler (like Fleckler), has won several Teacher of the Year awards for the Archdiocese and comes HIGHLY recommended. She is known to be very perceptive to kids' emotional needs, so that will be very good. There are several kids in the class whom we know from Vacation Bible School. One buddy of Davey's from preschool lives close by and his mom has offered to pick Davey up for school each morning as long as we need to. I am so grateful for that!!

I am going to go to work tomorrow. The Early Childhood department is having a meeting in the morning with our new Director. I think that would be the least shocking way to get back into work is with a large meeting, instead of trying to choose a school to visit. Then, Wednesday, I will drop Max off, go to Davey's first day, go to "Tea and Tissues" with the other kindergarten moms and dads, and then off to a school. That is the plan... I will have to see how it works out.

Tonight, the boys and I went to the Chitwoods' house for kids to play and spaghetti (is there any better comfort food than pasta!?!?). Now, Davey and I are watching the Olympics (our pre-bedtime routine) and then to bed we will both go!

Thank you all again, those of you that came to the funeral home, the funeral, the evening at "Incredible Dave's" and those of you that were with us in spirit! The outpouring of support has been amazing and overwhelming!

Also, please do not forget to send/email/employ a local carrier pigeon to get the stories/ memories of David to Tena . She needs them by Halloween, please.

Survivors!!

As the obituary said, Davey, Max and I are the survivors, I believe in more ways than one. The hardest time is at night. I can almost pretend that things are somewhat normal until after the boys are in bed and I allow myself to slow down a bit. I want to thank everyone for the love and support through all this and I pray that it won't let up for a while. After this past week, I am now going to try to put life back together/ keep life together for the sake of me and these boys. I was always planning to do the walk and, now, we will just change the color of the balloon we will carry. I will continue to blog as I continue through this process because it seems to be therapeutic. I appreciate all of you more than I can express!

Jen (and the boys)

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future."
~Jeremiah 29:11

Light the Night

Mark your calendars for the Light the Night Walk on 10/4/08.

A team is being formed to walk in memory of David and in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

How you can help:

• Walk with us and raise funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Make a monetary donation and/or raise funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Pray that our team meets our financial goal and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society continues to support people and families that have been effected as they search for better treatments and cures for blood diseases
• Check this blog often for updates

In addition, you can continue to send memories of David to me at worthycubed@yahoo.com or post them here. I am making a book for Jen and the boys so they can share in some of our memories of David. I'd like to have them all gathered in the next month or so but continue to send them when you think of them. I'll be able to add pages...

Thanks to all of you who have already sent pictures or stories about David. What a special man.

Thanks, too, for your continued support of Jen, the boys and their families. Please pray for continued strength and courage as they move along this unknown road.

** Tena

An Open Invitation

In order to continue celebrating our "Incredible Dave" and allow people some additional time to see Jen, the boys and the rest of the family, we would like to invite anyone who wishes to participate to visit Incredible Dave's at 5 pm on Wednesday, August 13th (9236 Westport Rd. - Rolling Hills Plaza - near the corner of Westport Rd. and Goose Creek Rd. - 502-426-4790). Their website is www.incredibledaves.com for more details on the food, fun and family atmosphere.

In addition, please send any funny stories, "David" anecdotes, pictures or anything else you would like to share to me at worthycubed@yahoo.com and include 'David' in the subject line or you may share them here as blog entries. I will compile them all into a book for the boys to read so they may continue to be able to remember David as he was with all of us and the boys will know how much their dad was appreciated for his sometimes sarcastic humor, quiet analysis, and calm (okay, not always) demeanor.

** Tena

Final arrangements for our friend David

This afternoon, Jen and her dad met with the funeral director to make final plans for David. I continue to marvel at Jen's strength and resilience. They had to pick out a casket, a vault, a registration book, discuss flowers and also write the obituary. It will be in the newspaper tomorrow. (The Bowling Green News - www.bgdailynews.com and The Louisville Courier Journal - http://www.legacy.com/louisville/obituaries.asp) As a matter of fact, the Louisville one is already up...

For those of you who are wondering, here are the details:

• The visitation will be 3-7 pm Tuesday, August 12th at Pearson-Ratterman Funeral Home (12900 Shelbyville Rd.) with a prayer service at 4 pm.
• The funeral to celebrate David's life will be at 10 am Wednesday, August 13th at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church (7813 Shelbyville Rd.). David will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetary following the funeral mass.

Monetary memorials can be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or to the boys' educational fund.

Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

** Tena

Peaceful

I am saddened to tell you that just after 5 pm this evening, David lost his fight. His parents had arrived at his bedside - as had his sister and, along with Jen, they all said their goodbyes. They removed the intubation tube and turned off the medications. The nurse gave David Morphine and Addavan (anti-anxiety med).

Soon after, he peacefully stopped breathing.

Arrangements are still being made. Please continue to pray for peace for Jen and the boys; pray for them learn to live a life they hadn't expected and remember that they will continue to need our love and support in the times ahead.

Here's something I'll leave you with today:

"God saw you getting tired
and a cure was not to be
so he put his arms around you
and whispered, 'come to me'
with tearful eyes we watched you
and saw you pass away
although we love you dearly
we could not make you stay
a golden heart stopped beating
hard working hands laid to rest
God broke our hearts to prove to us
he only takes the best"

("goodbye prayer" by broken_dreamer)

** Tena

No change

David's parents are on their way from Ft. Worth today.

Jen's brother, Chip and his wife, Sherri, and their son, JT, are also on their way by car from Waxahachie, Texas.

David remains at Jewish Hospital but has been moved to a larger, private room. He is responding to Jen when she talks to him but the ventilator and meds are keeping him alive. The doctors told Jen that within a few days (perhaps three), even the meds and the ventilator won't help.

Having heard that, last night, Jen told David that she loves him and that if/when he's ready to go, he needs to go. My heart is breaking at the thought of David losing this battle but it seems that the time is near.

Jen is continuing to be strong and courageous in this fight. The boys are doing fine so far. The family - Jen, her parents and the boys - were going to drive through some cemetaries this morning to find a nice, pretty place to lay David to rest.

Our prayers now are for David to be at peace, for Jen to know she's done everything the doctors recommended, and for everyone to continue to stay strong and committed to supporting all of them as the days grow short for David.

May the Lord Bless you, David. We miss you already.

** This is Tena, signing off.

Prayer Warriors, We Need You!

Can you imagine Uncle Sam pointing at you? (No, not for the army but for being a Prayer Warrior!)

Last night, the neighborhood men assembled in the backyard at Jen and David's house. They put new timbers and new rubber mulch around the swingset. Jen described it as "Extreme Makeover, Playground Edition." They had pizza for dinner and did awesome work for Davey and Max. Thanks very much! The Albrights will enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the food, prayers, mail, calls and visits. What a blessing that Jen and the boys have been supported by so many and in so many ways. Jen's friend and former neighbor, Amy, has been with Jen all day today. She accompanied Jen to the hospital while David had some procedures - see notes below - and is still with her now. Bobbi (another neighbor/friend) is at the house with her this evening, keeping her company until her parents arrive. The City of Creekside seems to be one friendly, supportive place.

David was moved to Jewish Hospital so he could have some procedures today. He had a bronchoscopy and some 'lasering' to his tumor. There was much bleeding that they were able to cauterize. David was stable when the procedures were finished but the outlook for the future still isn't very good.

Our hope for tonight is that David is strong enough, stable enough to go back to Baptist East. So, Prayer Warriors - send those prayers!

** This is Tena again. I'm summarizing the events of the past couple of days and trying to keep everyone informed. Thank you for bearing with me as I try to get the facts straight.

I was right - it could be worse.

Please begin praying – if you’re so inclined.

Since Saturday, the situation with David has gone from – “when is he coming home??” to very grim. In the middle of the night on Friday, Jen got a call from the hospital. They informed her that the staff was going to put in a trache or intubate him. But regardless, he would be heavily sedated. This is due to his high respirations and low oxygenation. (He wasn’t breathing the correct amounts of oxygen and CO2.)

Jen was able to call her wonderful neighbors, the Fantes, to come over for awhile for some moral support. Then, another call from the hospital informed Jen to go ahead and bring Davey with her when she came. Max stayed with the Fantes and Jen and Davey headed off to see David at the hospital.

Her parents were on their way from Alvaton and Beth Huber came to the hospital and stayed all day. What a blessing that they all were so supportive.

The intubation and scope occurred at bedside and then the results were shared with Jen and Beth. Jen’s parents had taken Davey home by that time. The results of these were not good. It seems that the new tumor has eaten through his esophagus and it’s causing “communication between his esophagus and his trachea.” Basically, food/saliva can go into his lungs and air can go into his stomach.

At this time, the doctors are saying that the time to recover from the pneumonia and get his body strong enough to accept another chemo treatment may be beyond what the chemo treatment can do. It may not be able to get this new tumor and it’s activity stopped because the tumor has grown so large in such a short time.

We are hopeful for a miracle but Jen has begun to have conversations with Davey about the future – ‘Daddy will be an angel. He’ll be able to see you and you can talk to him at any time.’

What a blessing those two boys are and how much they will continue to remind us of the wonderful David Albright. Jen knows that these boys will live up to the names they have been given and will serve their father’s legacy well.

** Just so you know, this is Tena – writing with Jen – via telephone, Texas to Kentucky.

Things Could Be Worse...

11:45 PM- Just when I was feeling really down about all the machines David is on (OK, it is just 2, plus the feeding and IVs, but still) and feeling sorry for myself, Tena called tonight and told me about a woman who has had several miscarriages and just lost a baby at 22 weeks. It sometimes is good to be reminded that no matter how bad things seem, there is always someone whose situation seems worse. My conversation with Tena reminded me to count my many blessings!

Maybe I should back up a bit. The nurse from last night called me at 6:50 this morning to tell me that they had put David on a BiPAP machine. This is like a CPAP machine people use for sleep apnea, but air delivered through a mask can be set at one pressure for inhaling and another for exhaling. I went to see him today and it was hard to talk to him with the mask on, but we figured it out with notes, gestures, etc. He had a chest CT scan today, but I don't know what they were looking for or what they saw, at least not yet.

Tonight, the boys and I went out for Chinese food with my friend, Amy, and her 2 kids. They used to live down the street and we miss seeing them frequently. When Amy called to ask what she could do, I told her that I would like to go out, but I didn't feel up to going out with one me and two boys. After dinner, we came back here and we all played, even Josie came down to join in the fun.

12:47 AM- I just got of the phone with David's nurse tonight. They checked his blood gases to verify the O2 saturation levels. They looked good, so she was going to give him Ativan to help him get rest tonight. he also said that his blood pressure is looking good tonight. The doctors changed what they were giving him for low BP (today) and it is a milder drug. Then this evening, the dose was cut in half, so the medication may be discontinued tomorrow. I will see him tomorrow morning for a bit and then come home to get ready to go to "The Wiz" with Davey and my parents.

I am still looking a this as a bump in the road to work through and get past. In the time it takes to write a post, I often go from feeling down and full of self-pity to feeling more positive and hopeful. This blogging is rather like a diary (that other people read). Tonight, writing this kept me from disturbing the sleeping Huber family at 12:30 AM with a phone call surrounding my worries and fears over the BiPAP machine. I am sure they are glad I refrained from bugging them.

Wishing everyone a restful and blessed weekend!