Tommy Teague ~ beloved pastor/treasured friend

Early Thursday, June 23, we received news that Tommy had unexpectedly passed from this life to eternity, on his 58th birthday while in Israel leading a group from our church on a tour of the Holy Land.

As our pastor and friend for the last 13 years, we shared in many life-changing events. Two of the three Teague children were the same age as our boys. Our Ryan and their Jonathan were both born Aug 13, 1980; while their Julie and our Aaron were best buds from 8th grade on --going off to college together and remaining close to this day.

We have vivid memories of Tommy and Rita being with us at Harris Hospital Trauma ICU as we awaited word on Aaron's condition following his tragic accident; then returning at midnight after getting the youth off to camp earlier that evening, in order to spend some time alone with us, praying over us and seeing to our needs. Their encouragement and support throughout Aaron's lengthy recovery was invaluable.

Tommy was an incredible mentor/spiritual adviser for Aaron throughout his high school and college years and especially over the last few years as life handed him some pretty hard blows. Aaron never doubted that Tommy loved him unconditionally and was only a phone call away.

Though Ryan was already headed off to college when Tommy came as our pastor; Tommy became a rock to him as well. Throughout the last few years in particular, they formed a bond as Tommy made himself available to help Ryan navigate the seas of change taking place in his life. He also provided support in joyous times by being Ryan and Stacee's premarital counselor and officiant at their wedding.

Tommy was at my side when doctor's called me in to that dreaded family conference room to inform me that, despite all their efforts, my sweet husband would not survive the trauma his body had endured over the last month. I remember many hospital visits from Tommy and Rita as they remained close at hand praying fervently that God would preserve Ron's life as, over many months, battle was waged! From that time to the present, they have been a constant source of encouragement and strength as we have learned to live in a new normal.

We had the honor of working on staff with Tommy at Children's Camp for many years and he and Rita even entrusted us with the furtherance of each of their daughters' spiritual growth as we served them in various areas of the the youth department, as well as tried to help flesh out faith together through Senior Bible Study.

Tommy loved His Lord and was passionate about sharing this love. He counted it a great joy to take groups to Israel to walk the roads Jesus had walked and I think it is so appropriate that he went to sleep after a day spent traveling these same paths and woke up in Heaven to walk the streets of Glory with Him.

We count it a great honor to have done life together...to have known and loved and to have been known and loved by this precious man! Thank you, Tommy, for your steadfast, faithful legacy of love, compassion, integrity, humility, and your unfailing passion for those things the Father is passionate about. We are but one of many who recount stories of your faithfulness to the people God entrusted to your care.

Please pray for Tommy's family: wife, Rita; daughters Julie and Joy; son, Jonathan, and wife Michelle; along with his three precious granddaughters.

We also ask you to pray for his extended family, friends and our church family. This has come as a tremendous shock to so many people. And, as you can imagine, the fact that his death took place in a foreign country has greatly complicated things causing the family to have to wade through alot of red tape in making of arrangements; compounding their grief. They are hoping his body will be home in the States on Monday allowing the funeral to take place on Thursday.

We love you, Tommy; you are already greatly missed!

10 years

"I am trusting You, O Lord, saying, 'You are my God!' My future is in Your hands." Psalm 31:14-15a



"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

San Francisco ~

What a great vacation! Worth every minute of detailed preparation for travel with my high medical needs guy. Staying at Embassy Suites is always such a treat. Having the two rooms allows Ron to get the sleep he needs, while allowing me to be up and about in the living area without disturbing him. It also gives us the added room we need for all his medical supplies; as well as a refrigerator for TPN storage. Ron did well; a couple of rough nights and one yakking episode but otherwise well. Fortunately, though we had a lot we wanted to do, we were on no timetable, making it easy to accommodate whatever pace he needed.

Thanks to those of you who responded to my request for suggested things to do while in San Francisco; I think we did just about ALL of them!

amazing audio tour of Alcatraz

strolling the quaint streets of Sausalito

trip to Muir Woods to see the giant redwoods



watch the sea lions just off Pier 39 and browse the shops there
pedicab along Fisherman’s Wharf
several trips down Lombard (crookedest) street

Kodak moment in front of the Painted Ladies
ride the cable cars (while singing Rice-A-Roni song, of course!)
yummy splurge at Scoma’s restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf
Sunset Cruise on the Bay featuring close-up look at Golden Gate Bridge


visit several vineyards in Napa Valley
Rubicon Estates Vineyard

Oh boy...

...it's a boy!!!!!

We got the call today, as we were on the course at Pebble Beach! Evidently our "proud" little one showed off, sonogram shows 100% that it's a boy!!! Our little guy's due date is October 31 and everything is measuring as it should.

Very proud Mama and Daddy (and Grammie and Papa!). Papa was so excited, he had to buy his grandson his first golf ball while at his dream course, so sweet!




Can't wait to welcome our new little guy to the family. And Papa can't wait to introduce him to his favorite game!

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him." Psalm 127:3

Whew! Nothing like spontaniety!

It's been wild and woolly around here! Don't worry, not medically; Ron's been fairly stable the last 6 weeks or so! Good thing, since end of school year is always super busy; and this year was no exception!

Between semester exams, preparing work for summer school, a great family celebration of Grandma Nordell's 92nd birthday, graduation parties, wedding showers, etc., I feel I hardly saw my hubby the last week or so of school, except when I fell into bed at night!

In the midst of the fray, our 32nd anniversary came and went...I worked late, had a doctor appt after work, our department hosted a graduation party for two of our students but finally made it home just in time to give my sweetie a kiss and wish him a happy anniversary! Woo hoo!!!

Hallelujah summer officially began for me Sunday, May 30!

The big news around here is, we are always on the look out to do something special for our anniversary, and that opportunity arrived about 10 days ago. American Airlines had been celebrating their 30 year anniversary (just babies compared to us, haha!) and were running different specials each day...I happened upon the day they were having a GREAT discount on all vacation packages using frequent flier miles.

So....we are leaving bright and early Sunday (yes, tomorrow!) morning for San Francisco! We are super, super excited! God promises to work all things together for good, and one good thing that has come out of Ron's extensive medical bills is the miles we keep earning! Our airfare, hotel and car rental have ALL been covered by miles, thus far the cost to us has been a total of $85! The rest of the trip will be financed by the unexpected escrow overage check we recently received, as well as an anonymous gift Ron found in his Bible last month...thanks anonymous; what a blessing you are!!!

This entire week has been spent making all the necessary medical arrangements needed for travel for Ron. We have names of hospitals to contact in case of emergency, along with detailed, concise medical history synopsis in case we were to need to go to hospital, as well as name and number of one of Dr. A's med school classmates in Berkley (just across the bay from where we are staying); all medical paperwork in place for airline travel and to be able to pass security and the wheelchair ready to go. We typically have TPN and daily medical supplies shipped when we travel, however our insurance no longer covers this and the cost was going to be $200 (it HAS to be kept refrigerated and weighs around 40 lbs...UGH!); therefore, we have chosen to have it checked in along with our luggage. A major hassle when we get to San Francisco, but we won't have to worry about bringing it back since all the supplies will be used up by then. Praise God, Aaron will be taking us to the airport so he'll do all the luggage and box wrangling when we check in! Thanks, Aaron!!!

We will check our e-mail daily so if you have any fun ideas of things to do....e-mail them to us!!!

We'll take things pretty easy. With the exception of our one booked excursion, we will do things that we can mostly drive around and see. Anything else we have to assure wheelchair accessibility.

The one thing we have booked is a "Jail and Sail"; 90 minute audio walking tour (well walking for me, riding in wheelchair for Ron!) of Alcatraz and then a sunset cruise of the bay.

We hope to drive down Highway 1 to Pebble Beach one day; maybe drive to Napa another day; and Muir woods and Sausalito another day. We'll play each day by ear, seeing how Ron is doing that day. We'll spend mid-morning to afternoon doing the tourist thing and then spend our evenings back at the hotel chillin'. Of course Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings will be spent cheering on our Mavericks!

Please pray for safe travel, as well as a medically uneventful vacation. We could really use a low-stress time of refreshment! It's always a huge step out of my comfort zone to be so far away from our fabulous doctors, hospital and our support group. But I also know how important it is that we put our trust in God, not man. He is with us wherever we are, not just here. And He will supply whatever needs we may have, even in California!!! I have to choose to "be anxious for nothing". It's also imperative that Ron have some semblance of "normal" enjoyment of life and things to look forward to. But I tell ya, it's hard to step out in faith sometimes...even when it's to do fun things!!!

Look forward to sharing great things with you from our visit to Northern California. Will think of you often as we enjoy highs of 60 each day!

Where the rubber meets the road...

After much prayer, discussion, consultation, agony, and many other emotions we have come to realize it is time to shut down Nordell Equipment Service Co. (NESCO). We have actively been trying to sell the company for the past couple of years to no success. We have had three promising possibilities, but unfortunately all have fallen through. The business has had a major decline over the past eighteen months and the value of the company, on paper, does not look attractive enough to have a serious buyer. Larry, my employee, decided to leave this past January. The calls that have been coming in since that time have been diverted to other companies so there has been no income to pay bills, except for the existing outstanding accounts. These are now exhausted for the most part.

Financially, the business is in good order as far as vendors and day to day expenses are concerned. However, in 2006 we took out a rather large SBA loan in the anticipation of expanding the business. At the time, this seemed to be the direction God was leading. Little did we know that a year later we would have our world change drastically with my illness. We are trying to make the right decisions based on God's direction on how to handle this situation. Bankruptcy appears to be our best, and possibly the only, option at this point since the business has not sold. Unfortunately, because of SBA laws requiring personal guarantees, this means not only filing bankruptcy for the busines, but personal bankruptcy as well.

The hardest part of all of this is the fact that we are holding our own in the personal finance area. It's a stretch, but God is faithful and always provides for our every need. All of our credit cards are paid off so the only outstanding debt we have is past and present (and most likely future) medical bills, along with our home mortgage. Though we have lived in our home for 25+ years, we have had to refinance on a couple of occassions.

We ask for your prayers as we seek His wisdom; yearning to hear His voice on what to do next.
I read in my bible today that trials will either turn you away from God or cause you to grow closer to Him. We choose to adhere to the latter and are trusting that this is NOT a negative but will become a positive as tomorrow brings a new beginning to something greater than we can imagine or hope for. I only wish the process was not so darn hard.

We realize this is alot of very personal information; and opening up in this intimate of a way is extremely difficult. However, we've felt from the beginning God has called us to be completely transparent in all things. We expected that in this stage of life we'd be doting on our grandkids (which we do!) and looking forward to future retirement...yet once again we're reminded that God's ways are not our ways.

Please don't hesitate to say what's on your mind; your thoughts and ideas are cherished and appreciated and will help us in making these difficult decisions.

With much love,
Ron

The best laid plans of mice and men...

Oh, how we appreciate the persistent advocacy of Ron's doctors, as well as their willingness to think outside the box.

Just a couple of days after j-tube procedure, Ron hit a bit of a snafu. Due to the presence of the j-tube within the g-tube, g-tube is now narrowed, causing the risk of clogging to go up significantly. And clogged g-tube leads to yakking. And so the vicious cycle begins...again.

Three time daily water feeding through j-tube was going well; however, he was never able to advance to nutritional feed because of the recurrence of yakking due to clogged tube. After a couple of weeks of this daily (and sometimes twice daily) yakking, we realized it was time to take a step back and reassess.

The original plan was to try to place g-tube for drainage and venting purposes in order to allow relief from reflux and yakking. Somewhere along the line it seems focus shifted from g-tube for decompression to j-tube for feeding. We were definitely not opposed to j-tube feeding; however, it became apparent we need to get back to priority of finding solution to yakking issue.

With the daily yakking came sleepless nights due to severe reflux, gagging, etc.; and so the slippery slope of regression begins. He wouldn't mind having the added benefit of feedings through j-tube but, again, relief from reflux and yakking enabling him to get some sleep needs to be the priority.

So where does that leave us now?

Options:
1. Remove J-tube
2. Retain J-tube within G-tube and attempt to add another G-tube strictly for decompression/drainage
3. Keep current G-tube for decompression/drainage but consider another J-tube (to be placed surgically) for feeding tube


Option 1 seemed to be the way to go for now. Get back to the basics...get the yakking under control. Therefore, as of Wednesday, the hubby is now j-tube-less!

When he went in to IR (early!) Wednesday morning, Dr. D told him "this is going to hurt me alot more than it hurts you!" I'm sure this is true for each of his doctors with all the time, research and mental anguish they've spent in coming up with a viable option and then several attempts to make it work. It's frustrating for everyone that despite their best efforts to make things better; things just didn't pan out.

So, we'll take a step back, take a deep breath; and remember "For My thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8

Here's to days (and nights) free of yakking! Day three of no yakking, thus far!

Love, Christie

Spring Break Events

It's been a busy, busy week with rounds two and three of our Spring Break Presby-palooza on Monday and Wednesday respectively.

Monday's study revealed Ron's duodenum (first section of intestine just past stomach) collapses into itself when he's lying flat on his back, keeping things from passing from the stomach into his intestines. It will then periodically "burst open" releasing everything. Thus, one of the reasons insertion of j-tube was unsuccessful Friday. This is also a HUGE contributor to his nightly reflux.


Dr. D also said study showed he still had quite a bit of dye in his system from Friday's procedure and encouraged him to drink alot of water over the next couple of days to help flush out. Unfortunately, Wednesday's procedure also involved introducing more dye.

The high amounts of dye he was subjected to over a five day period really did a number on his system, thereby causing a need to stay close to home the remainder of the week; while also heightening the possibility of dehydration. Hopefully, by Monday it should all be behind him (sorry, just couldn't help myself!)

Wednesday's procedure was a success! Dr. D was confident it would go smoothly after having had a bird's eye view of how his digestive system works and said it would take 20-30 minutes...at most an hour. I was getting a little concerned once we reached the 2 hour mark and he was still in; then again, I should have expected it with my unique guy. . The j-tube insertion from stomach to duodenum did go smoothly; weaving his way through the rest of the duodenum and jejunum to get past the functionally blocked section was quite a challenge, since his does not take the normal path. The longest j-tube they have was b-a-r-e-l-y long enough to reach the area needed.

Recovery was a breeze, since he was awake throughout the entire procedure, and we were home by early afternoon. We're hoping for another added benefit - now that the j-tube is in place, it should help to keep the duodenum open (as opposed to collapsing into itself when he's sleeping), thus keeping the reflux at bay.

What now?

He is to inject 12 oz of water 3 times a day via j-tube for the next week to see how his body intestines tolerate. He is also to keep oral intake of food to a minimum since the j-tube is threaded through the g-tube (a tube within a tube); the g-tube will be more likely to clog thereby causing yakking. So far things are going ok. The tube feed (water) causes some cramping; he's had a couple of yakking episodes and one episode of tubing coming apart (that was a lovely mess to start St. Patrick's Day...what a way to go green!)

We are so very thankful both of these procedures were able to be performed as outpatient. Nothing beats sleeping in your own bed at night; and napping in your own recliner during the day!

We kept things pretty low-key the rest of the week, with the highlight of Spring Break being keeping our girls while both mommy and daddy worked Friday.

One of my favorite things I look forward to over Spring Break is planting flowers. With everything else going on, as well as finances being as they are, I didn't think I'd have the opportunity. However, we were blessed with an unexpected financial gift by some sweet friends which allowed us to pick up some flowers, potting soil and mulch today. I've been one dirty, sweaty, happy camper as I've pulled out the old, dead stuff and planted beautiful, blooming hibiscus, Mexican heather, alyssum and a few others. Tomorrow afternoon, I plan to weed my rose bed and spread mulch, yippee!!!

There's just something therapeutic about working in the soil. As we were making our selections; I was thinking how many analogies there are in the Bible making comparisons of our lives/hearts to plants/planting/soil:

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit; while very branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15:1

"I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

The parable of the four soils: Luke 8:5-15 (selected):

"A farmer went out to sow his seeds. (The seed is the word of God) As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path (the ones who hear and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved)....Some fell on rock (those who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root...in the time of testing they fall away). Other seed fell among thorns (those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. Still other seed fell on good soil (those...who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop).

John 12:24
"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

1 Peter 1:23-24
"You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, all men are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever"

Thank you, Father, for speaking in ways that I may understand, and retain (some of the time!).

Happy Spring!
Christie

Going Deeper

Thanks everyone for your sweet words of encouragement and care!

Ron was in quite a bit of pain for the first 24 hours, but is doing much better today and actually felt up to eating a little.

I know my last email caused some concern, but I want to assure you we are doing well emotionally and spiritually; evidence you've been praying and God has been answering!

We'll be off again bright and early to Presbyterian for swallow study tomorrow. Please pray things go smoothly and it provides definitive direction.

You are much appreciated and loved!

Christie

God may allow our hearts to be broken so He can get deeper into them.

"For though He wounds, He binds and heals again. He will deliver you again and again, so that no evil can touch you." Job 5:18 & 19 The Living Bible

I Still Believe

Friday proved to be a l-o-n-g day at Presby. We had to arrive by 8, however procedure didn't get started until 11:30. Dr. D said it would take about 2 hours to replace the PICC, super-size the G-tube and get J-tube inserted and threaded down to optimal area of intestines.

2 hours passed; then 3 and then 4...and I'm trolling the vending machines for some powdered-sugar donuts; my go to food when I'm feeling anxious at Presby. Fortunately/unfortunately, there were none to be found.

Finally, I'm told he's finished and has been taken to recovery. A few minutes later Dr. D comes out to talk with me. He was disappointed to report that he was unable to place the J-tube. He was able to get it into the stomach, however when trying to thread j-tube out of stomach, down the intestines, he kept running into dead ends. He finally gave up at the 4 hour mark.

Ron spent a little time in recovery and was then sent back up to his room in the outpatient unit with plans to be discharged; which he was after a couple of hours of observation, instructions for nothing by mouth for the next 24 hours and a lollipop for the ride home (love those lolli's!).

So, what now?

It's well known that my hubby's anatomy is quite unique due to the numerous surgeries, procedures and complications he's experienced. His intestines are not in the same position as most of us; nor does it follow the normal back and forth loopy pattern. He has many sharp turns and angles, add in all the tethering and it becomes a twisty, turny roller coaster. Dr. D feels when Ron is lying flat on his back his intestines lay over on themselves; which would contribute to the severe reflux he experiences.

Plan is to do a swallow study on Monday morning (at Presby, of course). This will give them a better idea of the path to take. They will then try again to insert the j-tube on Wednesday.

It was a very quiet car ride home. We were both disappointed, discouraged and felt totally beaten down. And, I confess, I wanted to stomp my feet, throw a little hissy fit and scream "REALLY, God? Can't we catch one little break????"

I want to be able to pray "Your will be done" and mean it; but there are times when we just want things to be less complicated and go according to the plans we've made.

But, God....

I could stop right there; that's all I should need to remember...but, God!

Now there's nothing wrong with wanting something; praying for something to go a certain way. Jesus didn't necessarily want to wait so long to go to His friend, Lazarus, before He died. And Lazarus's sisters prayed for God to heal their brother. But God had a different plan in mind. One that went far beyond healing Lazarus's sickness. (John 11:1-45) The key is whether we are willing to give up what we want and submit to His plan. To be able to pray "Your will be done" and really mean it!

No, He doesn't work according to what I want. But, He always works according to His eternal plan. And that plan, my friend, is P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

Please continue to keep my sweet guy in your prayers.

Much love,
Christie

As we were traveling home, this song came on and I felt it really spoke to our hearts. Yes,
believing is a choice.

Enjoy video link below.

I Still Believe - Jeremy Camp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4qPceadBMU


Scattered words and empty thoughts
seem to pour from my heart
I've never felt so torn before
seems I don't know where to start
but it's now that I feel Your grace falls like rain
from every fingertip, washing away my pain

'Cause I still believe in Your faithfulness
I still believe in Your truth
I still believe in Your holy word
even when I don't see, I still believe

Though the questions still fog up my mind
with promises I still seem to bear
even when answers slowly unwind
it's my heart I see You prepare
but its now that I feel Your grace fall like rain
from every finger tip, washing away my pain

Cause I still believe in Your faithfulness
I still believe in Your truth
I still believe in Your holy word
even when I don't see, I still believe

The only place I can go is into your arms
where I throw to you my feeble prayers
in brokenness I can see that this was your will for me
Help me to know You are near

'Cause I still believe in Your faithfulness
I still believe in Your truth
I still believe in Your holy word
even when I don't see, I still believe


'Cause I still believe
Well I still believe
I still believe
I still believe

Spring Break...Let the Fun Begin!!!

Ahhhhh....! I'm actually getting a head start on Spring Break by taking off tomorrow. Though it might make you jealous, I couldn't wait to share where I'm spending SB '11. Bright and early tomorrow morning, my sweetheart and I are headed out to ....Presbyterian!!!! Woohoo!!! What better way to spend a school break than with our friends at Presby??

Ron will have several procedures performed tomorrow and I'm so thankful I won't have to worry about missing any work next week as I tend to my guy.

Although the G-tube has been successful in keeping him from yakking, he's still unable to eat much without the tube getting clogged, so Dr. D will place a new, larger g-tube in the same location in hopes of alleviating this issue.

Dr. D willl also insert a new PICC line. Ron is having problems with his current PICC line -- one of the lines will not flush and the other has become very difficult to flush as well..not a good thing when your nutrition is dependent on IV access.

And last, but not least, he will be getting a J-tube (J- jejunal - which refers to a specific portion of your intestines). They will actually place a double lumen at the g-tube site. One of the tubes will be to drain the stomach; the other tube will be threaded down his intestines in order to give direct feeds. The intestines only receive nourishment from that which directly passes through them, unlike the rest of the body which can receive nourishment through artificial IV nutrition (TPN).

The goal is to get the bowel fed directly by placing the J-tube and hooking up liquid feeds directly to the intestines in order to get it "beefed up". Hopefully, as the lower portion gets "exercised" by this type of feeding, and that area becomes healthy, it will have a ripple effect with the upper portion of the intestines eventually getting healthier, as well.

Ron has a large section of bowel that is "functionally" blocked. It is not physically blocked, however, due to all the scar tissue, as well as nerve damage in that area, it acts as if there is a physical blockage. Dr. D will attempt to thread the J-tube down past this area to have the greatest chance of success.

He will continue to be hooked up to TPN at night and now add in the J-tube feed. He also has the option to take in food orally but is not dependent on oral foods being absorbed.

We are so very thankful for Dr. D, Dr. A and Dr. S. Their tenacity and persistance knows no bounds. They are always researching ways to get Ron healthier in order to ensure the best quality of life possible.

Enjoy your Spring Break. If we come to mind; please say a prayer on our behalf!

Much love,
Christie

"When you pass through the waters...they will not sweep over you." Isaiah 43:2

God does not open paths for us before we come to them, or provide help before help is needed. Yet when we are at our point of need, God's hand is outstretched.
J.R.M (not sure who this is, but love the quote!) Streams in the Desert