Discharged from BAMC!

Ronnie was discharged from the Hospital on the rainy Wednesday of December 28. It was a long day of running around but he was ever so grateful to be out.

a little behind...

Those who know me know that I LOVE writing to people. I love being able to encourage someone and brighten their day with a little note or card. The past seven weeks I have felt the same encouragement from so many who have written me letters, comments, e-mails, texts, and even through phone calls. I am beyond thankful for that. There is no possible way that I can respond to the at least 400 combined notes that Ronnie and I have received. It is overwhelming in a good way. I want so badly to let each individual know that THEY were a part of this recovery through the blessing of Christ. But alas I cannot. So here I am, 7 weeks later, beginning to type away at the few notes that I can accomplish tonight.

Update: 12/12/10 Near Death Experience... Again.

After a week of progress including walking, eating, feeding tube removal, and dismissal from ICU, Ronnie had a really scary day today.

Ronnie had a big scare today after an adverse reaction to a drug given to him through his IV. while we are still unsure exactly what happened or what caused it, but we do know it was a near death experience. The doctors were able to undo his reaction and stabilize him after finding out what his body was reacting to. Ronnie says he would rather be on fire than feel the pain that came with today's trauma. He repeatedly praised God for his "second" (or maybe third) chance at life. Please pray for peace as he is now experiencing some anxiety and fear of the medications.

On another note, Ronnie's next surgery is scheduled for Friday and they will be fusing his pinky. He is a little uneasy about the thought of not being able to use his pinky in the same way again, but what keeps him positive is the RELEASE DATE he was given today! They are hoping to have him out of the hospital by DECEMBER 20th, if all goes well, though he will still need lots of therapy.

Update: 12/6/10

The last few days have been filled with good news and bad news all rolled into one. On Friday it was discovered that Ronnie had two blood clots in his lungs. While pulmonary embolisms are potentially life threatening, Ronnie is in stable condition and being treated with a therapeutic level of cumadin and heprin drips. So far, his symptoms have been decreasing though the clots could take a while to dissociate.

On Saturday, fluid was found in Ronnie's lungs though no one was sure if it was blood or not. They expected to need to take him into surgery early Monday and put in a chest tube and perhaps a filter for the blood clots. However, on Sunday the x-rays showed that the fluid was being absorbed on its own and that perhaps an invasive surgery was not necessary. Thanks God!

Through it all, Ronnie seems to be in high spirits and making continual progress. he has started walking again this past week and has been going to the Burn Unit gym to "work out" each day. He has also slowly been starting to eat more which is HUGE. Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Thank YOU.

So I just wanted to take another minute and say how AMAZING our god is. In steps of provision he has sent complete strangers and casual acquaintances into my life to grant me vehicles, gifts, housing, hugs, monetary donations, and most importantly prayers all purely out of love. In addition my school (IUPUI), teachers and advisers have helped me rearrange my schedule not only for this semester's homework, tests, and even finals, but also for next semester's classes and my acceptance into the Clinical Lab Science program in the fall. I'm amazed.

I do not for one second want to overlook the friends and family who have supported both Ronnie and I through this new challenge of life either. Without them, I would be lost.

So as I prepare for the next step in mine and Ronnie's life, I am more than encouraged that God is in EVERY detail.

Update: 11/30/10 Good news and bad news.

Today's update from his parents...

Today started out a little shaky for Ronnie. After his wound care the physical therapist put him on the moveo table. He did great, but was exhausted. Then Ron and I brought him some bbq brisket to eat for lunch. He really liked that and ate one piece. About an hour later they came to stretch his right side. He tends to lean to the right side so the new skin there is not stretched out... so they have to roll him on his left side and stretch his right arm above his head to stretch the skin on his side out. VERY PAINFUL!! Of course that was not much fun for him. When they sat him back up, he wanted a drink of boost and choked and subsequently threw up. This was pretty traumatic for him so they let him rest for awhile. About 4:30 they were able to get him up to walk and pivot into his chair! He did great with that.

The not so good news is that his skin grafts on his right palm and forearm did not take at all and will have to be regrafted soon.
How to pray for Ronnie:
*pray that he will be able to eat more food so that he can have his feeding tube removed.
*Pray that he will be able to understand the need to push himself through the pain of therapy.

Update: 11/29/10

An update posted by Ronnie's parents...

Yesterday (Monday) Ronnie made a few big strides in his progress! He has not been able to eat like they want him to eat. He has struggled with nausea and swallowing. They had me run to McDonalds to get him a cheeseburger tonight!! He ate al...l of the m...eat and cheese. As a reward they allowed him to drink a very small amount of water. (he told me he would just about kill for a drink of water!) He really needs to do better with his eating. Pray that he will be able to eat more calories than he has so far. For PT they had him get up in a Moveo tilt bed. It has platforms for his feet and allows him to do "squats" with his legs to build up his leg muscles. Then they sat him up in a real chair (for the first time) for about 5 hours. The best news was that he stood up and took a few shuffle steps from the chair to his bed today! Ronnie's first steps!! Needless to say he was exhausted by the end of the day and was ready to sleep for the night. Thanks for all your prayers! We couldn't make it without them!

11/25/10 Thanksgiving

Ronnie had a nice little thanksgiving meal for lunch. He didn't have a huge appetite, but tried a little bit of everything. He is recovering well from his surgery, too. They opened up his bandages around his donor sites to allow them to air out a bit. He was nervous about the whole thing as he was already in incredible pain. They knocked him out with some heavy drugs to do the procedure and allow him to rest pain free while the sites dry out. Pray Ronnie will be well rested and pain free when they bring him off the drugs tomorrow.

On a thanksgiving note: I am so thankful for my family and friends who have been more than amazing, for my fiance who is willing to push himself beyond what I can imagine, and a God who has shown his protection and provision in mighty and miraculous ways. Happy Thanksgiving to all; don't take for granted what you have. Each day is a blessing and each life is a miracle.

11/24/10 The Surgery.

The Dr. said everything went well in the 5.5 hr surgery. Most of his spots are filled in now and his hand has been completely covered with his own skin. Also, some of his donor sites have taken and did not need recovered. The skin will later slough off with his own new skin formed under, but for now, no new patching. Still no decision on his pinky at this point. Dr. hopes ronnie will be out of ICU in 5-7 days and may only need to be in the hospital for a few more weeks! Pray he is out by xmas!

Update: 11/23/10

Today was a much better day for Ronnie. They did a swallow study on him. It was very interesting to watch. They put a camera in his nose to see how his epiglottis and vocal cords are functioning while eating and drinking. One of his vocal cords is not quite closing as much as it should, causing the other to move more to close off his airway. Although the speech therapist said that it is better. She did clear him to drink liquids without thickener and eat regular food. No more food from a blender. Yea! It's just the little things that are exciting. They tried to have him sit on the side of the tilt table to see how his blood pressure did. He stayed for about 15 minutes then it dropped again so they laid him back down to stabilize it. So he did not stand up, but all in all he did great. Tomorrow will be surgery around 10 a.m. They will concentrate on the right hand and places on his side and chest, and a few other patches that the grafts did not take. Thanks for lifting Ronnie up in prayer.

Just another day, Just another miracle

So, I had to share this one....

As I mentioned yesterday, I rented a car for a day but then returned it and was given a company car to use for the remainder of the week free of charge. If this was not a miracle enough, God did even more. When I returned my car after less than 24 hours of having it, I was given a receipt. I glanced at it and asked the clerk, "so this is what I owe? $169?" He glanced over and mumbled, "guess so," and off I went without another thought. Last night, as I was reflecting on my day, I got to thinking, "That was awfully expensive for one day..." So I checked the receipt. I was surprised to find that it said -$169 but there was no total on the receipt. So I called the company. I explained what had happened and the clerk told me where to find the total. When I told her there was no total, she promptly looked it up in the system. She was baffled. There was no total.

"Did you have bad customer service?" she asked me.
"No," I replied, "in fact, he gave me a free upgrade...."
"I'm showing here that you got a free car..."

Turns out, in order to give me the free upgrade, the guy credited my bill the upgrade amount times 11 days... the amount of time I was supposed to have the car. I asked the lady what I needed to do to fix the problem and she replied that she could fix it on the spot, but quite honestly didnt want to. She spoke with her manager who agreed. They kept the bill the way it was... free. All-in-all, three complete strangers, knowing nothing of my current situation, blessed me in a way they will never even realize. It was just another day and just another miracle that touched my heart and blessed my life. Thanks, God.

God is SO Good

I am back down in Texas again with Ronnie. I can not tell you how good it feels to be able to hold his hand again. We had so much to talk about when I got in last night and he fought through his tiredness to make sure we had the time. We talked for a couple hours!

Today was a good day too but, just as yesterday, Ronnie has been very drowsy. He dozes in and our throughout the day no matter what he is doing. They got him up on his tilt table and slowly inclined him until he was standing. While his blood pressure did drop a little, he did a great job and managed to stay up for about half an hour. Afterward, they put him into his chair. I fed him his dinner a little bit ago too. He is on a puree diet, but it is kind of funny because they mash up all his food, then put it into molds to make it look like the food again! We got a kick out of that. Anyways, he managed to force down some mashed potatoes, some soup, and juice, but cleverly avoided the "meat." He did a great job on dinner. His nurse said it is the most he has eaten in quite some time!

I also wanted to take a minute and tell everyone how AWESOME God is. He has brought so many strangers into my life, each who have touched my life in the way only an angel could do. I was gifted plane tickets round trip from Indiana to San Antonio through an army affiliated organization. And while housing seemed out of the question, the day before my trip, a room opened up in the Powless house here on base across from the hospital! And on top of it all, the day I got into San Antonio, some amazing new friends connected me with a company car (a little Toyota Prius hybrid) to use for the remainder of my trip! But these are only a few of the "angels" that have touched my life recently. there are so many others...
*My work managers and co-workers who have granted me time off whenever needed
*Hospital volunteers who talk to and pray for me
*Friends who have sent notes and cards to me and Ronnie
*Military personnel who have made calls and gotten information for me
*Senators who have visited and encouraged Ronnie
*Family who have loved me and supported me to the ends of the earth
*Teachers who have graciously moved tests and assignments for me
*Advisers and department heads working with me on my school schedules to make them flexible
*And so, so many others...

It is almost overwhelming how incredible the body of Christ has been. Thank you Lord God for showing me your hand.

I left my heart in TX... but not for long!

Yesterday was not a bad day for me neither. I had a showing at the condo in the early afternoon and, thanks to a lot of help from Cori, the condo was perfectly in order for the affair. During the time in which I was to be kicked out of my house, I went shopping with Mom and Cori. Isn't that a wonderful alternative?!? I thought so. Afterward, we went out to Qdoba for lunch. What a great afternoon. It was nice to be able to relax and let loose a little bit.

After classes and a late night at work, I came home and packed until the wee morning hours. I cant wait to leave for Texas tomorrow! I miss my army boy.

Update: 11/17/10

Wednesday was a full but very good day for Ronnie. Below are the posts from his mom.

He had a short wound care today since they did a huge one yesterday morning. Then PT was in to keep all his joints bending to prevent tightness. They had him sit on the edge of the bed today too! Pastor Johnston flew all the way from Tulsa just to visit Ronnie! He recited Psalm 121(since paper is not allowed in the room) The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your shade at your right hand!... Very encouraging words for Ronnie and all of us! We were so encouraged by his visit! On the heels of Pastor's visit, Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell came to visit. He was burned at the Pentagon on Sept. 11th. He was able to encourage Ronnie about the future! It has been a tiring, but blessed day for Ronnie and us! Thank you for your continued prayers.

We had such a great visit with Ronnie tonight! He was very talkative and so much more alert! He said he wished he hadn't been doped up when Pastor Johnston visited! Medically Ronnie is doing great! He had a chest x-ray that showed some ...patchy areas still, but his lungs are stable. His skin grafts are adhering very well. Of the skin grafts that are his own skin (auto-grafts) 97% are "taking" leaving about 3% to be re-grafted. 5-7% of his burn is still cadaver and will have to be grafted with his own skin. So all in all about 10% of his burn is left to be re-grafted! He is not healing as fast as they would like, but they are still very pleased with his progress. His liver enzymes levels have been high due to a medication he has been taking, so they have cut back on that medication. They are still giving him zophran every 6 hours for nausea. The speech therapist suspects that his vocal chords have become "paralyzed". With therapy the damaged vocal chord may function normally in time. Ronnie's temperature has been normal for the last 5 days after surgery! (high risk time for infection) Ronnie is dealing with so many issues... continue to pray for him to have strength to work his way through this ordeal. They are concerned with the fact that he lays so stiff and doesn't want to move around much. He is starting to acquire some pressure sores! But... overall they are so pleased with his progress and disposition!! Sorry about the long update, but there are so many issues to report! We love you all and thank you for lifting Ronnie up in prayer!!

A more complete version of the article on Ronnie. I'm actually in this one....
Tulsa World

Update: 11/16/10 11pm

Ronnie had a full day today. They checked his grafts this morning and everything seen to be looking good. The estimate is that about 97% of his grafts are now in his own skin! Ronnie was also able to get up in his chair for a few hours and they let him sit by a window for a little while and relax. He will be seeing a speech therapist in the mornings to try to work some more on his swallowing and also with a slightly damaged vocal chord. Pray his throat will continue to heal from all the tubes and that the remainder of the tubes (especially the feeding tube) will be able to come out soon.

Article on Ronnie

There was an article printed in the Tulsa Times this morning. Special thanks to his uncle, Robert Lindsey for making that one possible. The following is a link to the article though I have been informed that this is NOT the full version as the full version also speaks of his recent leave to Indy just over a month ago. Enjoy!

Owasso Soldier Recovering from Critical Burns

Update: 11/16/10 1pm

Sorry I have not updated this over the weekend except for the surgery post. It has been a crazy week back in Indy. I had a grand total of 3 tests, a paper, and a quiz on thursday and another test yesterday. PTL~ All went EXTREMELY better than expected and my grades have not suffered at all from my lack of interest in school the past couple of weeks. In other news, my house also looks like it has been in survival mode... yikes.

As for Ronnie, he is doing INCREDIBLE. They left him sedated and with the ventilator tube all day Saturday so that he could rest and recoup easier. They took him off the vents on sunday but left him mostly sedated so he could sleep pain free. Yesterday was a good day for him. He was cleared to consume pudding-like/thick liquids after they removed one of his two feeding tubes. He has been fever free since Saturday which is a huge praise. Also, they have not seen any traces of the blood bacteria he tested for a couple weeks ago. They believe the infection is gone! Now that he is awake and coherent, they are confident that all is going well.

The doctors and nurses planned to change his bandages today and see how his grafts are coming along. The hope is to also get him up in his chair for a few hours. Pray that all goes smoothly and with minimal pain and that his grafts are taking well and will continue to heal.

It is expected that Ronnie should be able to undergo another surgery in about a week and a half. Pray for courage and strength.

Thank you!

Update: 11/12/10 4pm Surgery #2

From Brenda: Ronnie did well during surgery, but a 2 1/2 hour surgery turned into a 4 hour surgery. All of his burns are now excised, and covered. His right hand and a few spots on his chest are still cadaver skin and will have to be grafted again at a later surgery. They have put wires in his pinky and ring finger (right hand) to hold it still and keep it from bending. They are still determine the viability of these fingers. They will keep watching them. He will be intubated until tomorrow barring any set backs. They felt they needed another central line for increased fluids, while they were putting this into the juggler vein, they accidentally put it in his carotid artery. He bled a lot but they were able to control it. Now there will be a balancing between wanting to have the blood clot, yet not wanting to cause problems with the clot in his leg. The bronchoscope went well and they were able to get a culture. They said his lungs did look good and it was not necessary to treat his lungs therapeutically with the bronchoscope. The Doctor did say that his lungs have not looked good since he was admitted, but they can change from day to day. Ronnie will probably have 2-3 more surgeries and then some more smaller reconstructive and functional cosmetic surgeries later. They are estimating 3-4 more weeks in the ICU.

I feel so in over my head. How am I ever going to do this?

Update: 11/10/10 10:30pm

Collection of updates from today....

(9am) "Ronnie ran a fever over 103 last night. They changed his central line and use the tip to culture. He threw up again at 6:00, but it was not as much as last night. ( it wasn't contents from his feeding tube!) Unfortunately his oxygen levels dropped so they increased his levels! We love you all and thank you for caring for Ronnie and us!"

(1pm) "After looking at Ronnie's chest x-rays, they do feel like he aspirated last night. They are watching this but feel like the antibiotics he is on have it under control; will know for sure in about 24 hours. His stats are not quite as good and he is back on oxygen, but overall he is still doing well. They believe the nausea is due to some of the antibiotics he is on and will be changing some of those today to help alleviate the nausea. He is scheduled for surgery on Friday for more grafting."

(9pm) Ronnie is winding down after a long day. They have cut back on all but two of his medications to see if it helps his nausea. Only time will tell. They also changed out his nasogastric tube for a smaller one that the dr hopes will cause less nausea and irritation. Pray for a good night's rest so he can master tomorrow.

Update: 11/9/10 late!

Just got home back in indy. But somehow, I left half of my heart in Texas. How am I going to do this?

Ronnie started eating real food today! He was really excited but felt a little too full from all the other stuff to eat a lot of it at once. Next step is getting that tube out! Pray he is able to sustain a 10,000 calorie diet by himself ...so the tube is not needed. Also, as stated yesterday, his pneumonia has cleared up! It was verified this afternoon! PTL! We were so encouraged by his progress this past weekend. He is no longer heavily sedated, is completely coherent, pneumonia free, talking, eating, and doing incredible with his therapy despite little set backs here and there. So proud of him.

From Ronnie's mom a little bit ago: Ronnie had another set back tonight. He was nauseous and threw up. They think he may have aspirated and did a chest x-ray immediately. However, they will not be able to determine anything until they x-ray him tomorrow. We will keep you posted! Thanks for your prayers for Ronnie and us!!

Please join our "like" page on facebook to follow updates and post your prayers and comments. Thanks!

Praying for Ronnie McCulley, wounded in Afghanistan

Update: 11/8/10 10:30pm

Today was a day filled with milestones. Ronnie passed his swallow test and is able to have high protein drinks as well as ice. Tube should be coming out next! He was also taken off his oxygen and his levels are staying at 100% with normal air! He was able to sit up in his chair even after a nauseating first try. They were also able to remove all his staples and burn coverings so he is ready for new grafts. He is exhausted tonight but satisfied with the day. Pray he sleeps well b/c they are changing his "sleepy-med" dosage so it wont lower his bp. Thank you all for your prayers, notes, and constant encouragement. We couldn't do it without you!

Update: 11/7/10 9pm

It was a rough day for him. He had a fever twice and a blood transfusion to help him feel a little stronger. His burns are looking "perfect," though there is concern that he may loose all or part of one or two fingers on his right hand. Pray for the fear that is bound to come with the waiting. Also, there are numerous decisions to be made, so pray for wisdom and peace.

Update: 11/6/10 11:30am (TX time)

bear with me, my thoughts are kind of everywhere today....

yesterday was quite an emotional day. Mom and I flew standby to San Antonio to be with Ronnie. We made it in around 2pm and were able to get our rental car and hotel with no problems.

Before we knew it we were in the burn ward gowning up from head to toe to go see Ronnie. He was very excited to see us and smiled and held my hand. The combination of emotions, sweltering heat, mask, and not eating made me have my first true moment of "I'm going to pass out..." My vision blurred, my legs went weak, and my hearing went hollow and I had to step out and sit down. Within a few minutes the nurses said I was getting my color back and let me talk to him from the door. then, when I proved I was able, they let me gown up and go back in for a couple minutes.

It was good to be able to talk with the doctors and therapists too. They asked me questions about his deployment and medical history and seemed excited that I understood most of the medical terminology and diagnosis. The assured us that there was a long recovery road ahead of us, but that he is strong and doing well. We know he will have good days and bad, but we have to just look at today. They also discussed some of the possibilities for Ronnie including a medical extension that could allow him to stay in Brooke Army Med Center and get the therapy he needs for an extended period of time.

After getting a quick dinner, Mom and I headed back to the hospital. I felt a lot better the next time around and was able to stay in the room without feeling faint. Ronnie's fever broke and we were able to talk to him for quite a while. His voice is soft and raspy and hard to understand. The poor boy would do anything for a glass of water too but is not able to swallow well enough to have one. Also, he seems to be confusing/blending event from his deployment, imagination, and hospital all into one big story and is frustrated that no one "understands" or believes him. We assured him that though things hurt, he is safe and very loved.

All to soon, we were saying goodnight and promising to return tomorrow. Which we plan to do in just a couple hours. Today Ronnie is supposed to get a bath, a little bit of physical and speech therapy, and hopefully will be sat up in his chair to make him more alert and help his lungs. Needless to say, Ronnie will probably be exhausted and could end the day with a fever, but will hopefully be all the better for it.

Thank you all for your prayers and for bearing with me in this scatterbrained update... it's kind of just where my head is at today.

Update: 11/4/10 8pm

Brenda just called has several items for prayer. Ronnie has water on his right lung which they don't want to drain because they would have to go through the burn area and that could cause infection. Please pray that the fluid will go... away naturally. Second item of prayer: Ronnie is having alot of agitation . They are not sure what is causing this--possibly nightmares or post traumatic stress - he will be having some testing to help them select the drugs he will need. Learning to swallow is a big deal - pray that this will go well. He has had a speech therapist to help today. ROn and Brenda appreciate you all and your prayers.

Update: 11/2/10 10:30pm

Ronnie was doing really well today. He is off the vents and talking in a raspy voice. I was able to talk to him for a minute of the phone when he first had the tubes removed. I cried for joy. Please pray that his body will be able to fight off the infections that are likely to attack. After his long day, he was worn out and running a 103 fever. Pray for continued strength.

Update: 11/2/10 3:30pm

Ronnie's tubes are about to be taken out because he has been uncomfortable and moving around a lot. Sounds like he is a little more coherent but still quite sedated. They checked his grafts today and everything looked good. They were able to cover 25-27% of his burns with his own skin (this is a correction from earlier posts). Cant wait to see him on Friday!

Update: 10/30/10 4:30pm

Ronnie is off the Ventilator. They had to help him get his breathing started, but he is now breathing on his own. They hope to take the tubes out soon.



Below is the link to Ronnie's facebook prayer group...

Pray for Ronnie McCulley wounded in action Afghanistan

Update: 10/30/10 2pm

Ronnie is out of surgery now. He did well and received 2 units of blood. The Dr. excised everything except for his right hand. They got skin grafts from the back of his neck, his back, and his left leg. His skin grafts only covered 5% of his burns and the other burns are covered with cadaver skin.

My Fallen Soldier

I know I havent really given a good update on here about what has been going on so I will try to do so briefly. Ronnie was only back in Afghanistan for about 2 weeks, and only back at his home base for less than 2 days, when the incident happened. He hadnt called in a couple days and I sensed something was wrong, but I couldnt bring myself to look at the casualty report that gets sent to his email after battles. I left my first class of the morning on Tuesday , October 26 to find that I had several texts from his family and a voicemail. I knew it wasnt good.

Ronnie was wounded in a "combat operation" possibly just outside the FOB walls. He sustained burns over 51% of his body. He was later re-evaluated and current estimates are at about 40%. Most of the burns are concentrated on his right side and on his legs and torso, but his right hand has sustained massive injury.

Within a day he was flown to a military hospital in Germany and his family was able to meet up with him there.

So far he has remained sedated with both a ventilator and feeding tube. The following is an update from his mom this morning...

Ronnie arrived in San Antonio Brook Army Medical Center BAMC around midnight last night. He did well on the flight, but has developed pneumonia in his right lung. The Dr. said this was normal and are treating him. He also has a blood clot in his le...ft leg developed that while in Germany. Ronnie will undergo his first major surgery in about 4 hours (around 8:00am)
They will do his first major debreeding and grafting. The Dr. estimates about 3-4 surgeries. The Dr. estimates 40% burn area needing grafting.
If anyone is interested in visiting Ronnie...Please call Ron or me to schedule the best time for Ronnie. We don't want to over stimulate him and give him more than he can process. They estimate that for every 1% of the burn= 1-2 days in ICU, but they said because of his age they think it should only be 1 day per 1%. I will give an update after surgery!

Needless to say it has been a long hard road this past week. I will try to do a little better about putting little snippets up here as I get them.

For now, I plan to travel to San Antonio, TX next Friday morning and stay through Wednesday.

Please be praying for my sweet soldier.

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there." ~Barbara Bush

With such a short leave this time, Ronnie decided not to make the trip to Oklahoma. We were however graced with loving visits from many relatives all anxious to encourage and bless Ronnie and I. Ronnie's grandparents and family, as well as my grandparents, were all able to make the trip to see us for a short while. We had fun showing them all "our world" here in Indy and sharing memories with them. Ronnie was also able to tell them a little bit about Afghanistan and show them through pictures what his life has looked like the past few months.

But the love did not only flow from our immediate families. Many friends loved on and supported Ronnie and I in his time state-side. We were showered with prayers and gifts (both tangible and not) for which we can not even begin to express our thanks.

We feel truly blessed to be loved by our "family" whether biological or not. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your gifts, prayers, love, and warm welcome to Ronnie during his time here at home.

Night on the town

Ronnie and I were so blessed to enjoy a wonderful meal with our friends at Indy's famous St. Elmo's Steakhouse. The food was spectacular! We feasted on bread, soup, salad, and (of course) the most delicious porterhouse steaks in Indy. We are so thankful to have been able to spend an evening together with good food and good company.

Piece of Cake

The wedding plans have been coming along nicely since Ronnie has been here. He has spent a lot of time researching venues and vendors while I'm in class or studying. We got things narrowed down pretty well for not having a date yet. We were able to attend a bridal show last week and yesterday we went cake testing all around Southport and Greenwood. It was delicious! We got lots of great and unique ideas and got more than our fill of cake. Mmmmm!

Perspective

The last few months have been filled with worry and anxiety for me as I wait for the calls from Ronnie. But my worry is nothing compared to what he goes through.

Ronnie is fighting on the front lines in Afghanistan in a battle against an enemy who doesn't "play fair." Many men have died and we are truly blessed that Ronnie has not been added to their numbers. Ronnie repeatedly accredits God alone with his survival through the day. He has survived car bombs and explosions on several occasions and has had comparatively less significant injuries more times then he cares to discuss. I know that I only know a snippit of what goes on in the land beyond my imagination, but I guess I am thankful for that. I am just thankful to have my soldier alive and on his way home for a couple of weeks. I want to keep it all in perspective I guess.... remember that God has kept him safe in situations where death seemed inevitable.

While I realize that the physical and emotional scars of this deployment will be a part of our lives from this point forward, we know that God is the one that allows us to move forward and live a life of beauty despite the pain.

I am proud of my Army Man and pray that God will continue protect him. I feel incredibly blessed, as we all should, to have Ronnie.

LiFE

work, school, school, work, homework, school, school, work, work.....
Is this really my life??? When did this happen??? When did I grow up???
... and when does sleep come in?

Not that it's bad, it's just... busy. my messy house is a testimony to that....

Ronnie has officially begun his journey home! Though it will take him about 12 days to get here, he is relieved to be at least in the process. And I am relieved that he is not on the front lines. I cant wait to spend to two weeks with him starting on the 24th!!!

Continued Prayer

Please be praying for Ronnie. Things have been heating up in Afghanistan and many of the days are starting to look a lot like this....

picture taken by Ronnie

Busted

I have a confession. I had toast for dinner tonight. It could not be helped. There was NOTHING else to eat in my house. But before you judge me, know that I have now gone to the grocery and have replenished my food supply.
That is all.

Uncharted Waters

There are 2 days left of summer. Just 2. Hard to believe I start classes this Monday! But looking back on this past summer, I cannot help but realize how much things have changed and how much I have accomplished. I know that God has had his hand in each and every detail of my life this summer even when my life seems to be spinning faster than I can control. Here is a brief list of my summer:

1. Ronnie came home on May 15th and proposed to me that night. Magical.
2. Ronnie and I took a road trip to Oklahoma to visit his extended family and friends.
3. My sister Shelby graduated high school. Now I feel old.
3. In June, Ronnie began his year long deployment in Afghanistan. He has already seen many hardships and has scars to prove it.
4. I helped my family move into their beautiful new house in late June.
5. And so marked the beginning of my life in my own place. I've been busy decorating and organizing the condo since then. :)
6. I got my first "real job" as a hostess at Harry & Izzy's downtown. I love it.
7. I began summer courses as a transfer student at IUPUI.
8. I successfully completed a 12 page research paper on the war in Afghanistan.
9. I have been able to touch base with old friends from way-back-when and make new friends here in Indy.
10. Shelby left for Grove City College in Pennsylvania early this week to begin her new adventure as a high school grad.

In addition to all the "big" things that have happened this summer, there have been countless little events that have made this summer simply spectacular. With life heading in an uncharted direction, I am excited to see where this new school year takes me.

And then there was one...

Shelby left for Grove City College in Pennsylvania today. Cori has declared herself an only child for the first time in her life.
*sniff*

Kitten-Sitting!

Opie and I have had some quality time the past few days while the fam is out of town. It's been fun having someone to come home to. He gets all excited when I wake up or come home and follows me around the house. We've made up several new games like "get-the-window-stickers-off-the-mirror" and "attack-the-magnets-on-the-fridge."
And just to be fair, I will say that hammey is here too. He has been a cuddly little critter but not quite as interactive. :)

It's a scary world out there

I ended up working the crazy shift of Saturday night... I worked from 6pm to 12am at Harry & Izzy's during the annual Indianapolis Black Expo. I guess there have been problems with this event in the past so there were 4 to 5 cops on every corner and 2 in our restaurant "just in case." I was told there was an emergency plan "just in case" but that it had never been implemented.
Things ran fairly smoothly for most of the night.... I got all the server's names right, didn't drop anything, and the phone calls and people flow were relatively slow. Around 9:30pm however, things changed.
My manager Jenn, who was working as a Hostess with me, was assigning a table to a guest as I gathered up menus so I could walk the couple to their table. I glanced up to see a few people running south on Illinois St. I watched for a second before I saw a crowd of people start running. Before I knew it hundreds of people were running down the road. Within seconds, the crowd had the attention of both Jenn and I and the cop in our restaurant. The cop ran towards the door and turned to give me the 'cut throat' sign. I turned and repeated the sign to Jenn who promptly demanded, "What does that mean??" "I don't know!" I shrugged.
The managers on shift came running to the front and helped the cop lock the doors. We were on lockdown. The mob of people continued running down the road in confusion as the police tried to regain order, but the rumors had already started pouring in...
"Gun shots!"
"People shot!"
"In the mall"
"No! On the street!"
No one really knew what was going on. We all did our best to reassure guests that everything was under control, but no one could help but notice the lack of traffic on the blocked roads surrounding the restaurant. There were cops everywhere and crowds of people standing around the locked buildings. After about an hour or maybe more, people began to leave the restaurant via the mall as it was suggested that this was the safest alternative. Police escorts walked our restaurant staff to their cars. I called my dad [who had volunteered to drive me to work because of the events downtown]. After nearly an hour, Dad still couldn't make the normally 15 minute trip to pick me up. There were road blocks everywhere. On top of it all rumor had it that 9 people were shot, several less than a block from H&I's.
After some time, the police officer in H&I's decided to drive me a few blocks away to meet up with my dad. He buzzed through the police barricades and crowds of people still scattered about. I was ready to get out of the whole mess.
When all was said and done, 10 people were shot [none died] in downtown on Saturday night. The suspect of 9 of the shootings was brought into custody this afternoon, less than 42 hours after the events. All in all, it was quite an eventful night, but I never once felt afraid. The whole thing is scarier to look back on than it was to live. God, I'm sure, is the only reason for that.

See this story in the IndyStar by clicking below
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100719/NEWS02/7190325/Hard-questions-after-Downtown-shooting-chaos
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100719/NEWS02/100719021/Suspect-arrested-in-Indy-shootings

My Own Place!

There are pictures up now of my place. I think I'm finally about done unpacking and organizing. I think it's starting to feel homey. :)


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056667&id=1164330303&l=0b54185f5d

The New House!

What makes a house a home?

My parents bought a new house nearly two weeks ago. The evening the papers were signed, I started packing boxes. Mom went out of town for a week thereafter and Dad, the girls, and I packed the entire condo and moved it to the new house. The mess was horrific, but by the time Mom got home, they were ready to sleep at the new house. And me? I have the condo all to myself for now. I've been picking up new furniture and setting up my own little abode (with some help of course). I'm so excited to have a place of my own and to begin getting the things Ronnie and I will need to set up our house together. Ronnie has been excited to. He has been staying up-to-date on how things are coming along here even from Afghanistan and even sending me out to buy special touches for the condo from him. How sweet!