2nd Anniversary!

The last 2 years have flown by! We looked at our wedding pictures, and it seems like not long ago. Last year we went to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, where we met up with Mama and Daddy. It was so much fun, and the leaves were changing. What a great 1st anniversary. This year we looked at cruises, maybe a Las Vegas trip, maybe just a weekend in Orlando. We just couldn't make up our minds. Our indecisiveness turned out to be a blessing. When we got the word that Uncle Richard was so sick, and I came for a visit in August, our minds were made up: 2nd anniversary would be a trip to Mississippi. This was the longest amount of time I have spent there since leaving in 1997. Our goal for this trip was FATTEN UNCLE RICHARD UP before his next chemo. Robert made wonderful bread, smoked gouda alfredo, pizza, and spaghetti. We opened the last bottle of our wedding wine that Scott (Robert's brother) made and toasted our anniversary, family, health, and trip. Uncle Richard looked wonderful!! He is working so hard to eat well and do everything the doctors are telling him. He has the best attitude!
We went to Tunica, Mississippi for our anniversary. We stayed at a beautiful casino, had a jacuzzi suite, and had a great time. The view of the Mississippi River from our 29th floor room was breathtaking! I was able to pick up some great Mississippi State stuff too. We got back in time to see Eddie and Justin, and watch most of GLEE! We went to the Canton Flea market while we were visiting. I saw some very creative things that have put me back in the artistic mood! I was able to get some cotton and hope to grow my own cotton plant here. They were picking and ginning cotton. I LOVE FALL!! We were able to visit the gin where Daddy works and watch the process. It is amazing to see how it all works.
We showed Uncle Richard Google Earth, which he loved! We "flew" all over the world, and made plans for future trips for him, which was not something he could have imagined possible 2 months ago. He will be getting his 4th chemo on Wednesday, and a scan soon after that to check the status of the internal tumors. We are hopeful that they are reacting the same way the skin tumors are!! The last night we were there Aunt Wilma planned a cookout for us. We aren't going to be able to make it for Thanksgiving, so this was our early Thanksgiving. It was so much fun!! Aunt Wilma made burgers, with lots of sides, sweet potato pie, brownies, YUMMM!! Uncle Richard's friend Country Jack visited and brought his guitar. He has the BEST stories, and wonderful songs!! It was such a special time!! I am so grateful for the time we spent our family and the hard work that went into the cookout!! GREAT TIMES!! It was hard to leave, but I feel so much better knowing Uncle Richard is doing so well!!
We stopped by Fairhope to see Marcus on our way back. I think we found the perfect town. I now know why Marcus has been trying to get me to visit for 8 years. I WILL live there!! It has the most adorable downtown area, is right on the bay, has flowers everywhere, houses with wrap-around porches and has to be perfection!!
We made it home at midnight, and I am still tired, so I may have to tweak this post as I get rested. Shannon

Backtracking.

I need to blog about my trip to Mississippi in August before I go on to the 2nd Anniversary post. I have had time to process and deal with the emotions of that visit, so here goes:

My Uncle Richard was sick, VERY sick for about a month. The doctors thought he had staph infection in his forehead, finger, and toe. They had him on strong antibiotics, put him through painful tests, and he kept getting worse. Then came the devastating news: He has cancer that has metastasized all over, and they aren't sure if it started in the skin, or lung, but things looked grim. As a hospice nurse, I knew what all of this meant. As a niece, I knew what I couldn't accept. The thought of my Uncle Richard, who is such a peaceful, loving, positive, and amazing man, suffering was more than I could handle. As fate would have it, I was able to get time off work and a flight 2 days later to Jackson, Mississippi to check on him. I was prepared to stay in the hospital with him and hopefully not be "one of THOSE family members." For those of you who don't know what that means, it is the family member who comes in from out of town and is pushy, demanding, and willing to show their ass at any moment if necessary to get what they want/need. I knew he was in GREAT hands with my aunts taking care of his every need, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the nurses and doctors were doing a wonderful job as well! They fell in love with him (not a shock! He is lovable and always hilariously funny, even in these circumstances! ) As I was landing, he was being discharged from the hospital. They had given him chemo to help with the pain and let him go home. When I saw him, he looked better than what I had expected. He had visible tumors on his head, fingers, toe, chest, and back, but that smile, laugh, and HUMOR were, as Daddy says, "salve for the soul." I stayed with him for the next 4 days, visiting, laughing, telling stories, trying to get him to eat as much as possible, and trying to get his pain under control. We talked a lot. I took lots of notes. The doctors had given him a 2 month-ish prognosis, dependent on how he responded to the chemo. When I left, we were fully aware that anything short of a miracle would make this be our last story telling, laughing, sharing visit. I had time off in October for our 2nd anniversary, and we hadn't decided where we would go. My wonderful husband agreed that Mississippi was the place to go, since this would be the end of the 2 month prognosis, and I had a deal with Uncle Richard that I would come when "it was time" and make sure he didn't have pain at the end of his life. Leaving was emotionally draining. I wanted to cry, fall out, lose it, but I kept my composure for all of those around me. This seemed the best thing to do. All of this "stuffing" of my emotions led to a "barfing on the plane" escapade that I will spare you of the details. Suffice it to say, don't eat a soft pretzel when really upset. It won't turn out as a shining moment on a bouncy plane full of kids pumped up about going to see Mickey at Disney!!
Dana and Joey came to visit Labor Day weekend. They also had a wonderful visit. By the time they visited, the chemo had "kicked in" and the tumors were almost completely gone!!! His pain was more manageable, his appetite was much better, and things were looking up!! Our miracle was in the works! He was losing his long curly hair and his beard was thinning, so he asked Joey to shave his head. This was the first time he had short hair as long as we have known him!
I couldn't wait for my visit in October. What a different visit it was going to be at this rate! By the time I would visit, Uncle Richard would have completed 3 chemo treatments, and tolerated each one really well.

(Sorry it took so long to write about this and about the way it is written. I needed this post to lead into my next post.) Shannon

How Time Flies!

Two years ago today I married one of the most understanding men on Earth!! Happy Anniversary! I will write more on the blog about our anniversary trip. Love, Shannon