Life

The few of you who read my blog know that I haven't posted anything in about 2 months! Wow! I would like to apologize...its not like I have had anything else going on!

Since October 3rd (my last post) things have been a little crazy, so this update may come in a few installments. The weekend I went with my parents to the Miss. St./ LSU game my Mom told me about a cyst she had in her brain. At that point we thought it was this little tiny thing that was just there, like it had always been.  October 8th we learned different.  That little tiny cyst was actually the size of a ping pong ball and the doctor said it had to be removed. My Mom was going to have BRAIN SURGERY.

I didn't even know what to do.  I couldn't do anything from Columbia but I wanted to. It was shocking. Pretty quickly I moved from shock to doing everything I could to not stop and think about it. I went home to Knoxville for a long weekend filled with friends then back to Columbia.  The next weekend Mom would come to visit me and then we would go to Charleston for the weekend. This trip had been planned since I moved in August and it was really good for the both of us that it was still able to happen.

It was pretty cold and wet all weekend but we still had a great time! We visited Fort Sumter, where the civil war began, and of course I loved.  An island out in the middle of Charleston Harbor filled with original artifacts! Can it get too much cooler, I think not!
We also went to Middleton Place, which is gorgeous and I can't wait to go back in the spring.

We parted ways Sunday and I got things together in Columbia to return to Knoxville for a week.  Blake's Mom lives close so she came to watch the kids when I left for the surgery.

Meanwhile, at the house, the kids were pretty good. We had talked a little about Mom and that she was sick and that I had to go home when they "fix her head" which sounds funny to say but that's how they understand.  Paxton was very busy finishing up his flag football and they were all really excited about Halloween! Paxton was a gorilla (kinda scary I should say), Remi was Spiderman and Ivy was Tinkerbell.  They had a great time and are still talking about it today, and what they are going to be next year.

Tuesday, October 27th I drove home.  The Sunday before there was a rockslide on the TN/NC  line which meant I had to find an alternate route.  Stupid rockslide! My new route added at least an hour to my drive, and the really bad new is that they do not expect to have it repaired until February!!!! It stinks, alot.  So I eventually got home and enjoyed watching TV and talking to Mom a little.  The next morning was the surgery.  Mom's twin sister, Karen, got there a little later and then it was time to go to bed.  I don't know if any of us got much sleep that night, you can't help but think about the worst in that time, and that can really make you toss and turn.

Mom had to be at the hospital at 6:30am the morning of the surgery.  We got up and went with her.  At about 7am we said goodbye to her and I don't know when or if we'll ever see the same Sharon we all know and love again.  That was a long day, needless to say.  Not just because we got up early, time crept along that day. There were two options in the surgery, getting the cyst out through an endoscopy, which is much less invasive, and a craniotomy.  They called and told us the endoscopy wasn't going to work at about 10:30am and they were starting the craniotomy, which is taking a piece of her skull out to get to the cyst.  That was a major blow to us and in that moment we knew how different things really were going to be.  But we didn't quite know how.
I am fortunate to have the support of great godly friends who were really there for me that day.  They talked me down when needed.  I am blessed to have my friend Susie who came all the way out to the hospital to pick me up and take me to lunch that day, and talk about stuff other than the surgery.  Mom is thankful that I have her too.