How can it be December already? With just days left until Christmas arrives, I confess that I am not ready for Christmas to be here this soon. Wasn't Fall and Thanksgiving just here "yesterday"? Well, it feels that way at least, and while we now have some snow, and the Christmas songs are playing, and it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas outside, I have not gotten "nary" a piece of Christmas decor up.  I am debating whether I want to try to lug all the boxes from our storage for a couple of weeks display before lugging them back again.  Anyone else facing the same decor struggle? 

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for my husband, Dan, as we walk through this season of recovery after his heart attack. Every prayer and every generous gift to our family is appreciated so much, more than we can possibly express! I'm thankful to report that Dan is feeling stronger every day. He has to remain off work for two months before the cardiologist will decide about his return to work. He will begin a cardiac rehab program next week to help him regain his strength. I also want to share that we are very close to meeting Baby Clara; it will most likely be sometime this week that we will get to meet her! 

Fall in North Idaho along the Kootenai River

The month of November is always a rather "gray" month in our neck of the woods.  The leaves have mostly fallen, and the sun disappears behind the rain and fog that hangs around.  We need the rain, of course, and the gray days just help us begin to look with anticipation for the day when the snow will fall and brighten the world. But even with all the gray, there are still bright spots of color when the sun does come out. 

Time stopped for us - literally - on Saturday morning, October 18th.  Dan and I were taking our usual Saturday morning walk together. It was a frosty morning, about 22 degrees. We passed a neighbor whom we often see when we walk, and greeted him with a "Good Morning".  Just minutes later, Dan said the frosty air was hurting his lungs and that he couldn't walk any farther. He has mentioned this before when walking, and we didn't think this was odd.  But, we turned around to go home when he said he was experiencing some gas pains, and wanted to wait for me to go home and get the pickup, and bring him home. After arriving home, he continued to complain of gas pains and wanted to go to bed. I noted he was clammy and very sweaty, and realized this could be a heart attack. I immediately called 911 and told them I was concerned he was having a heart attack. I gave him 3 aspirin with a tiny bit of water while we waited for EMS to arrive.  Dan was still conscious and speaking, and the aspirin eased his pain. EMS arrived and determined he was in serious heart distress, and transported him emergently to the local heart hospital. 

It was a very frosty, foggy Saturday morning when our lives changed forever