Condition Update

I was intending on doing a one week update video

But I have been feeling pretty cruddy the last few days. My strength has been improving and I am up to walking 4 blocks! Each day presents new challenges. I just have to take it a step at a time. I am  now at the stage where my muscles, nerves, and bones are starting to wake up and really realize that they have been abruptly hammered, and sawed, and pulled at, and cut, and, and, and...

That has been part of the reason I have been on the DL. I have been trying to rest and enjoy this weather and take as many naps as I need. God has really been teaching me a lot since I have been off work. I have had plenty of time to think and gather my thoughts.

Though this recovery has been challenging, I am trying to make the most of it and do the best with what I have. I have been blessed with a great wife who has taken on a whole lot more than she should have to deal with, and for that I am blessed.

 I have a very beautiful nearly 3 year old daughter who has been helping her Daddy pick up things that are out of my reach since I can't bend. She is willing to run and get whatever is asked of her and for that I am blessed. I have also been so blessed for each of my other family members that have reached out to us in our time of need and to my many friends that have gone above and beyond the calling of just being called a friend. 

Though mine and my families journey ahead seems challenging and at times uncertain, I have been blessed to get to serve a great God who never lets us down, nor forsakes us, nor lets us go without. I don't think I could have asked for more. Thank you again for everyones prayers, support, concerns, and encouragements.

Thanks for making today a very special birthday!

5 Days post op...TURN the heat down please!

I am going to take a stab and say I am not going through menopause, because I am a male and too young anyways. And I am going to say that I am not septic (trust me, this is really bad and you don't want this. I have been in septic shock before, Google it) because my incision does not look infected, and I am on antibiotics, and my mental status is within reason because I am writing a post. 

That just leaves ONE thing..SIDE EFFECTS! You know, that paper that comes with your prescription that starts out with, "When taking this medication, you might experience...."and then they just list a whole bunch of random things that are like in 2 font and the only words that do stick out on the paper are...."Seizure, constipation, diarrhea, and DEATH." 

Oh, that medication sounds like a lot of fun, I want to take that! Who wants to have diarrhea? Oh, I do! Thankfully, with the handful of medications that I have had to take after my surgery, Seizures, diarrhea, and death have not been a problem..yet at least. 

I will say, if you ever have to take pain medicine after a surgery, just make sure you drink ALOT of WATER! I will leave it at that and let you figure out why. 

Anyway, one of the lovely side effects that I have gotten to experience during this fun little journey is sweating and increased body temperature. As if I am not already hot enough...KABAM, okay bad joke. 

Part of what happens when you take pain medication is that you blood vessels dilate (gets bigger) and blood flow increases, carrying the medicine to certain receptors, blah, blah blah.. in your body to trigger certain signals, therefore blocking the pain. 

Unfortunately, one of the side effects of your 

blood vessels dilating is....you sweat

It does not make it any better that I have to wear a back brace 24/7 that is like 2 feet tall, up and down my back! With the combination of sweating so much, walking some, and the other wonderful side effect of a decreased appetite...I am going to be a new man after all is said and done with.

You won't even recognize me! Since I am refusing to shave, (mainly because I don't feel like it) I will probably look just like Tom Hanks in "Cast Away". Then when it is time to go back to work, I will shave and really be a new person. I think it is time for me to wrap this up, my mind is getting loopy.  

Until tomorrow...Have a blessed day!

As an UPDATE...My wife broke me and I finally gave in and shaved :( At least I got to get it out of me when I was young and in college. Back then my hair was down to my shoulders and I had a huge beard. I just don't like to shave, okay, I said it! Honestly though, what guy really does?

Resting Today; Gods blessings come in mysterious ways

It's day 4 of my post op and I'm pretty sure I've done too much

I probably walked about 3/8 of a mile throughout the day. It does not seem like much, but when you can only take 6 inch steps, it amounts to a lot!

My sleeping pattern is getting a bit messed up because of my medicine, so last night was another night of an hour here and a few hours there of sleep. Pain wise, I am pretty well beat. I'm still feeling like I am getting stronger, but sometimes it's just plain hard to tough out the muscle pain.

 I'm going to rest today and sleep as much as I need to, so if you happen to call and I don't answer, just leave a message and I will get back with you when I feel up to it.

This is kind of off the subject, but yesterday there was a lady that came over to our house to pick up an item she had bought from us on Craigslist, and we got to talking about how God never fails to take care of us and provide. She went on to share about her experiences and trials she has faced in the past and reminded us of Matthew 6 in the Bible, which says:

  ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 

²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 

³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

It was such a blessing to be reminded of Gods word and that He will not fail us. After she shared these verses with us, she prayed for every aspect of our life and for a fast recovery. I think it was so cool because God used someone from a completely different city, not even close to Tulsa to be a blessing. 

God brought this lady to our Craigslist ad, and because she responded and came to our house to buy what we were selling, He was able to work through her to share his word. It was refreshing and very uplifting. 

It's amazing how God works in mysterious ways

 This lady was not a preacher, she was just a normal person that God used to share his word. To sum it up: God can use you no matter where you are in your life, and you never know who you will influence through it all. 

Day 3 Post Op

No video today
Give me credit, it was my first audition video

 I figured since I'm semi with it at the moment, I'd give a status update. Last night was rough, I was waking up literally every hour on the hour to get up and go to the bathroom. I am sure you all just love to hear about that, but it is what it is.

 When you have to wear a post op surgery back brace, 

you gotta go more often

 The good part is that I am getting my strength back in my legs and am able to get up and out of bed on my own. Getting back in bed is the hard part! I have to have my pillows under my legs and positioned a certain way, that is what the wife is for though :) I am just kidding, Amy has been an awesome caregiver and has done more than I could have ever asked. Hopefully one of these days I can send her off somewhere for a much needed vacation. 

I am pretty sure my pain meds are kicking right now because I am catching myself zoning out and then wondering why I am writing whatever I am writing. 

I better make this quick. Pain wise, I am still hurting about the same, even though I am still taking the same amount of pain medication, I have been able to spread them out a few more hours apart. I have to remind myself that I am only 3 days post op of a major back surgery and that it is okay to not try and tough out my pain. 

Actually, the more controlled your pain is, the faster your recovery time can be. So, all that to say, I got up this morning and headed outside for the first time since my operation to do some walking. 

I walked a total of 2 blocks, taking a grand total of 20 minutes! I am pretty happy with that because it was more than what I was able to do yesterday (which was just walking around the house).

Day 2 post op..blahhh

Wow, I look like one of those guys 

doing a ransom video

I am still here and alive, so I really can't complain

 I am still pretty sore from being sliced open, stitched from the inside, and then glued together with some type of glue. I will put my pain into perspective for you: Have you ever been shot in the back with a gun? Or been beaten with a baseball bat? That is pretty much how it feels. 

I can't say I have actually been shot or beaten with a baseball bat, but if I had been I would have to say that it's a pretty close description. Although, my brother did shoot me with a very high powered BB gun in the back when we were kids and I would have to say that hurt.

I have had so many random injuries over my lifetime it's sort of hard to just give a pain scale rating from 1-10. One being the least and 10 the worst. I typically can tough out most pain, so all that to say, my 5 would probably be the average persons 10. Also, 2 tidbits of advice if you ever have to have back surgery: Never let your pain get out of control, catch it before it gets unbearable. 

Most importantly!  NEVER, and I mean NEVER wear gym shorts to bed! I almost learned this the hard way last night. Right as I sat up, I just about slid right off the bed. Thankfully my wife was there to catch all 280lb of me. I'm sure her back hurts now. 

Take things slow during your recovery process 

Don't overdue it!

 I will probably do another update on Friday. Until then, Adios y Dios te bendiga! 

That would be, see you later and God bless you in Spanish!

 Thanks again to everyone who has prayed for us. 

I made it, I'm still alive! 1 Day Post-Op

All went well with my surgery!

I'm really sore in my back muscles
 Most all my lower body nerve pain is gone!

Surgery day was pretty rough. I had to get there at like 5am CST, so of course I could not eat or drink anything after midnight. Long story short, my morning surgery did not happen in the morning! I ended up not going to surgery until like one in the afternoon.

I was so freaking hungry, 
and what did they give me?

Beef broth! It sure tasted good though.

My Time Has Come

I can't avoid it any longer 

I just had my last supper and I'm preparing myself to be put down tomorrow morning. I have strained my mind so much, I now have a headache because I have been trying to think of a last minute snack before midnight. Scanning the pantry, I don't see anything good off the bat, same with the fridge.

Rats, everything good is down low and out of reach. Sounds silly, but we had to put the goods down low, rather than high, like you would for kids. We did it so I would not eat everything over the last month or so from being at home. My back injury and rather large back brace has really limited what I can do.

I came up with a solution to that...I call it my Grabber. You know those things they advertise on TV that the elderly use to grab those hard to reach cans of soup? Yeah, I have one of those. it's the Green and Blue one you get at Home Depot. It was the best $25 I have ever spent, and yes I actually spent $25 on it. I actually bought 2, one for me and one for my baby momma.

These were impulse buys years ago when we actually had money to blow. I'll tell you what, I am so glad I kept it. My birthday is coming up..hint hint on the 31st and whenever I feel up to it, I think we will have a party and host the first "Grabber Games". Kind of like the show Minute to Win It. I call myself "The Master Grabber'" and I can not be beat at what I can pick up: Dimes, pins, lent, etc. I have gotten so good that I can throw stuff in the air and catch it. My latest new skill, when I was at my job was "Grabbing on The Go". I would drive the golf cart at full speed and grab whatever lay in my path.

Anyway, I believe my pain medicine has gotten the best of me because I just totally rambled on about my Grabber. Oh, and I have acquired a walker! Starting to get some mad skills with that as well. I won't go into that though.

On to what I originally was going to tell you: My time has come. Tomorrow morning I am having my crazy insane back surgery. I'll be in the hospital for a few days and then there will be at least a 12 week recovery period.

Depending on how I am feeling 

I am tossing around the idea of doing short little progress videos to let everyone know how I am doing. I don't foresee me really trying to trade anything during the recovery, but you never know...If the offer was right I guess..No promises. Alright, I gotta go to bed.  I have to get up at 3:30 AM CST and be at the hospital at 5 for a 10AM surgery. Thank you ahead of time for all your prayers, concerns, and support.

Sad, but true

Too many families are in this situation  

Watch the video and you'll understand

 Many people fall into this debt pit 

 Many don't know how to get out. 

I can understand how easy it is to fall in this trap. Debt is a big issue in the United States and something really has to be done. Debt is depressing and holds you back from so much. 

Our story over the last few years has gone like this...

We finally get our emergency fund built up and then have some extra cash to pay off debt and then BAM!!! Some crazy thing happens that wipes out our emergency fund and takes any extra money that we were planning on using to pay off debt. If that wasn't fun enough some other crazy BAM in your face thing happens right after that, digging another hole...deeper and deeper.

 I can't tell you how many times that has happened to Amy and I. It makes you so frustrated. At least we had money saved that covered the initial BAM, thus saving you money in the long run.

Even though all this stuff happens, we need to remember the blessings that we have been given: like having had the money saved up. 

I will be honest here, getting in debt sucks, plain and simple. I hate having to say no to friends about going out to eat. I hate not getting to go on family vacations, or buy new clothes or shoes. I could go on and on, it stinks having to say no. You know what though? This is what separates your family from the guy in the video. 

A lot of people don't say no. They don't know how to, because they are afraid of what others will think if they know they really don't have any money. If you are ever going to get out of debt, you have to drop the Jones Syndrome. Just because your neighbor has whatever, does not mean you have to have it to! 

Especially....If you CAN'T AFFORD IT. 

Cut back the stuff you don't need

Stop eating out, shop on budget, go to Goodwill. How bad do you want to get out of debt? If you keep living like this guy in the video...I'm telling you with confidence, you won't have a choice as to where you shop or what you eat or don't eat.

It will come down to the fact that you HAVE to do such and such just to survive. I know that not everyones debt comes from being plain stupid. Stuff just happens (Trust me, that is every bit of our story, one thing after another, after another hits you hard) but you still have to face the fact that YOU ARE STILL IN DEBT! You need to figure out a plan to get out of debt, no matter how you got in debt. It's there and you can't avoid it, otherwise you will end up like this guy in this video.   

I'm Baaaaaaaack....New TMOOD Video, and Sunday Lane:Reckless One

I'm feeling a little better today

In less than a week, I will be on my back and probably not in the mood to be trying to think of stuff to write about. I honestly should have Amy put a password that I don't know on here to prevent me from posting something that I would regret writing due to the fact that I will be heavily medicated and in an altered state of mind. Although, it could be quite entertaining as to what imaginary friends and stories I come up with while on my pain medicine. 

Let's get down to the real business 

My brother-in-law Dani finished editing our short film that features The Trade Mobile. We had a lot more footage, but somehow the camera outsmarted us and deleted a fair share of it.  I think Dani did a great job and I look forward to more like it.

If this video doesn't make you laugh...Well...then...I don't know. I can't come up with anything. Just watch it! I hope you enjoy...

As many of you know, I like to feature talented people I meet or have grown up with over the years and I like to tell everyone how cool and great they are. 

With that said, I introduce to you Sunday Lane.

She has a unique voice that will lift you up

I grew up with Sunday and all of her brothers and sisters over the years, and have been very blessed to have know them.

Recently, Sundays' song "Reckless One" was featured on the season premier of One Tree Hill. 

Sunday is right up there with Ben Rector

Which means... 

Add this to your collection of music 

Sunday has the kind of voice that you would want to listen to when you are wanting to be inspired

Her songs make you want to find that perfect tree in the country side and lean against as your mind just escapes any worries or concerns. Her music video,"Won't go back down" will literally make you want to run through a field dancing and shouting, letting every worry slip away! 

Find a quiet place, sit back and relax, and close your eyes as you take in the sounds of Sundays voice,the piano, the keys, and percussion. You will come out feeling refreshed, I promise!

On pause

Due to a recent medical emergency, I'm taking some time off from blogging. Sorry for any delays in updating information and new stories.

I'm currently resting and and trying to stay comfortable as I prepare for an upcoming surgery and months of recovery. I will take things a day at a time and as I feel up to the task I will attempt to give an update as to how my project is going. Thank you again for understanding, as well as your thoughts and prayers.