I need to go to the ocean
And maybe the sea needs me back
I need to walk on sandy footing
Where stronger steps have tracked
To see the power of the waves
And feel a current where nothing stays
I need to go to the ocean
And hear song of something more
To see the line of a horizon
And heal the wounds that still are sore
To feel my feet begin to sink
Beneath a world made for leaving
And my lids begin to close
Over eyes meant for seeing…
Read MoreOne year today since the Fontan. A year full of pink lips, Jiu Jitsu classes, lemonade stands, and lots and lots of ordinary days, which sparkle the brightest. We prepared for this surgery since well before Sunley was born, and that lead up didn't wear off immediately. We chose the surgical path for our unborn baby a month before she was born, knowing that we could get 3 or 4 years in and then have a failed Fontan. It’s a huge leap of faith that we made with the guidance of the most experienced doctors in the country. And it was either that (surgeries) or let her go. And I have to say, even if her Fontan had failed and she had passed away, I would still have been glad we made this choice. That’s a very deep and extensive topic that I won’t hash out right now. The whole experience changed my life in so many amazing ways. The enemy tried to shake me up and even break me, but what he didn’t know is that I’m a freaking glow stick…
Read MoreLook what He has done. Last month, we took the whole family on a trip to Houston specifically so the kids could be part of the delivery of the check from last year’s first annual fundraiser. Thanks to all of our selfless donors and lemonade stand hosts, we were able to write a check to the Fontan Go program for…
Read MoreAny time I have a period of silence on the blog, you can guess I'm in a period of "stretching" in some form. It's been a weird few months. We've had great highs and great lows. Over the past year, we watched 9 heart buddies pass away, all under the age of six. But we've also seen great victories, and in between all of that, had many moments of normalcy for our…
Read Morehard time getting things done this week. Ruger is over whatever virus(es) had him so sick, but unfortunately his asthma medication is causing a lot of problems — So we are working on figuring all of that out, and it has been very stressful (that sentence is packed with a lot of backstory and stress that I won’t get into). I woke up Monday with total laryngitis, so we decided that I should stay home while Derek took Sunley to her Houston check up…
Read MoreI’ve lost track of the exact timing of everything, but for the past 2 weeks, our 3 youngest kiddos have been dealing with some kind of respiratory virus. Davis got over it pretty quickly, and mostly just had a runny nose. Sunley almost had to go to the hospital for low saturations and difficulty breathing, but she came through it without hospital support. Ruger has had a very hard time…
Read MoreI think about the story of Jairus in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8 pretty often. I see it differently now than I did years ago. I’ve done the whole pleading-with-God-for-the-life-of-my-daughter thing. I know the type of yearning and begging that arises out of the deepest depths of a parent’s soul. Physically, it feels like it begins in your gut — it’s nauseating, actually. I know the simultaneous faith and frustration: Knowing Jesus could heal her if you could only…
Read More"How is Sunley doing?" I never know how much information to give when people ask. Do they want a short answer? The whole schpiel?…
Read MoreI have our final number! I am so beyond humbled and grateful to announce that our first year as a nonprofit raised…
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