"What Have You Been Doing Lately?"

(by Relient K) What Have You Been Doing Lately? - The First Three Gears (2000-2003)



I've been doing a few things lately, so this is a somewhat scattered post...

First of all, my mom ended up in the hospital on her birthday (Friday) ~ so not a way to celebrate! She had several blood clots in her leg & was in quite a bit of pain from the swelling. They had to put a central line into her chest, because her veins are too small to administer enough blood thinner through a regular IV. Because of her MS, her doctor is wanting her to do some rehab before she goes home (probably by the end of the week). She is in good spirits & is doing much better. We are incredibly thankful for a wonderful new doctor.

I got super great news a couple of weeks ago, but [at the risk of jinxing it] I didn't want to post about it! Now that it has officially happened, I'm excited to say that my baby brother now resides about 10 minutes away from me!!!!! I know that I've mentioned visiting him with my dad, but I don't think I've actually told you where. On one of his birthdays, I mentioned that he wasn't in a great place. If you saw the picture I posted from one of our visits, you may have figured out that he's in prison. I wasn't trying to hide that fact ~ it's just a long, sad story. Anyways, since he was first incarcerated, I have been trying to get him into the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI), and it has finally happened! The IFI is a Christian prison program with a dramatic reduction in recidivism rate for those who graduate. The chaplain of my brother's unit goes to my church, and we have many church members that are involved in ministry there. I'm so excited that these people will have a chance to speak into my brother's life, and I'm even more excited that he's so close to me now! It used to be an entire day trip to see him in Beeville: a 3 hour drive there, with a wait of up to an hour or so before our 2-hour visit, then another 3 hour drive back. My poor dad would drive an hour to pick me up on the way, & then of course another hour home each time. We went to see Aaron right down the road on Saturday, and as we were driving through my neighborhood on the way home, I looked at the clock & realized we would just be getting to Beeville if we still had to drive there! I think that's pretty awesome! Since it was such a long ordeal before [& costly ~ have you seen those gas prices?!], we were only able to see him once a month. He is entitled to four visits a month, and I guarantee we'll be taking them now! Because of the closer proximity, my brother Kerry will also be able to visit him more often. His schedule makes it difficult to take a whole day, but now it'll only take a few hours! I know I'm rambling, but there are so many good things about this!! I'm just a little excited! :D

OK, one last totally irrelevant item: at my mister's work Christmas party, I met the wife of one of his co-workers. She is a Tupperware consultant and a cancer survivor! She brought up the idea of doing a fundraiser to help with my mister's medical expenses. Though I can accept help when offered, I have a hard time asking for help. So it has taken me almost three months to actually go for it! But I figure if a friend can get a quality product AND the purchase actually helps us out, then we both win! So with that being said, if you or someone you know would like to help us pay off some medical bills, check out my mister's Tupperware Fundraiser Page! Feel free to share the link with your friends. If you would like to help even more, I can make you an official "Seller" where you can create an account & send out fundraising emails to your friends and family. Just leave a comment or click the "Email Me" button to let me know! {No pressure, though!}

I hope y'all have a wonderful day!!

Amy

Comments

Amy, it sounds like a lot of things are going right in your life. I am truly glad to hear of it! Have a great week!
Zion said…
I was wondering where you've been :) I am glad to see such positive updates and YES those gas prices are outrageous.
RR Mama said…
Wonderful things are happening! So happy to see it and thank you for sharing it with us.
Anonymous said…
wow, lots of family "stuff" going on - but grateful it's all turning out good. :) i'll be praying for your mom and brother!
Oh no... on her birthday! She will have to celebrate when she gets home! :) So happy that your brother so close now! The Christian prison program sounds amazing... and a blessing that he got into it! Love the Tupperware idea... need to take a look! ♥
Maggie said…
Hi Amy! I just stumbled across your blog but I really like it - your song of the day concept is really creative! :) I hope your mom is ok, blood clots can be so scary! Take care! :)

Popular Posts