Diving off the High Platform

BREATHE!!
That's what I keep telling myself.

We have been so busy these last weeks. First Dutch's cousin Marvin came from Iowa just because, then our favorite son in law came from Kansas to hook us up with a Mac so we can video chat with them (I know..... they make cameras for the PC as well, it was just time for an upgrade and we talked ourselves right into this one), then my favorite sister Birgit came from Seattle. Great times were had with everyone, thankfully not at the same time.

I've already told you about some of this and I've talked about Dutch's "newest adventures" with his heart. This just means more trips to the hospital to keep tabs on him, but not as an inpatient, but like today, for tests and check-ups. It keeps me on my toes and from getting bored. (ha!!)

We are so thankful that Dutch is doing so well although his strength varies from day to day. The doctor told him he needs to walk, so he refuses the wheelchair and insists on walking. Good for him, actually!!! If you remember, he had some trauma to his groin after the last angioplasty and because of it's location, we are still trying to get that to heal completely. We have a wonderful home visiting nurse who comes to help me with his care
. When she was working on him recently, I said: hold still, I want to get a picture!!

As you can see, we got a PICTURE!!!
All in good fun of course and it was great to get a huge laugh out of it when I showed her the picture today.

On the store front, we are down to less than two weeks!! We can't even believe that. There are still so many details to consider and take care of and remember and I am so thankful that Dutch is still here and his mind is clear, so he can have a part in it. We have sold a lot of our cabinets already but still have all of our wonderful Plexiglas units left. The new owners can't use them and it is such a shame because they were custom built with much care and love. I have a sneaking suspicion that they might wind up in our garage. Many of the book shelves are going to a new book store and we are so happy about that. Now we still need to find good homes for the remaining ones. It is so very strange to walk around the store and see how empty it is. It seems like it was just yesterday when we moved in.
On the 30th the walls are coming down and I'm sending out word to anyone who would be willing to help unscrew a lot of screws.









And you wonder what diving off the high platform has to do with all of this? The other day, when I was on overwhelm, I thought this must be what it is like to dive off the high platform and hold your breath too soon and then run out of air before you even hit the water. But God is our refuge and our strength and He supplies me with all the air I need.
Aren't we blessed?

Counting Down, Praising God!

This past weekend we were blessed to have our favorite son-in-law here for a few days. He meant to stay just a couple of days but then talked himself into staying longer because he was able to score some Laker tickets from a friend. Bottom line is, now we have a brand new Apple computer installed to run alongside our ailing PC. There is a learning curve for me as we jump from our "old" programs to several upgrades later and all the changes that were made and I don't know yet. I find that I love to learn and this will be fun for me... in my spare time.

Dutch is feeling great these days. This morning he woke up and said: "I am such a miracle!!!" And so he is. We cherish each day and enjoy it to the hilt. The counting down in my header refers to our business, not Dutch's time here on earth. We are just a few weeks away from closing our store and turning it over to the new owners. We can't even begin to share with you the emotions we feel regarding closing the store, but we rejoice in what God has for us next and especially in how well Dutch is feeling right now.

So at the end of the day what is there left to say but PRAISE THE LORD!!