Our life has gotten back to "normal" with work. Archie has been traveling quite a bit with work the past few months. He has been "jet setting" all over- Lake Tahoe (a couple of times), Grand Cayman Islands and Steamboat. Unfortunately he has been working the whole time and he has not had time to play on these trips. The good news is that his clients want him to install Control 4 in their other homes. I think it is pretty amazing that he remembers all of the information for his job in regards to programming.
I have had some trips for fun. I went to Austin with my sisters and mom at the beginning of the month. I went to Louisiana during Mardi Gras with my friend Melissa for a weekend of fun. If you recall in January I went to Houston and La Grange to see two of my best friends. I think after the time at the hospital and at the house I was ready to get out of the house and travel a little bit even for a short time.
8 Years
On this day eight years ago I met Archie. We met at the Mardi Gras concert a Fair Park which is a concert with a bunch of different singers/bands. We were introduced because my best friend Bethany's brother is Archie's fraternity brother (did you follow that?). We were introduced and later Archie grabbed my hand and asked me to go listen to Kevin Fowler. We listened to music all night long together and then at the end of the night Archie invited me to lunch the next day. We went on a lunch date to Carrabas in Dallas. Archie and I met and were together ever since.
Sad News
I found out this weekend that one of the gentlemen that arrived in ICU just 3 days after Archie passed away. Mike Dickey was riding on his motorcycle when he was hit by a car. He had been in the hospital since September, which is over 150 days. Mike was battling pneumonia and just could not get rid of it. My heart goes out to his wife because she has been through so much. She is such a strong lady and was at his side after work and every weekend. She would call the hospital every morning to get a status update to decide if she would go to work or the hospital. She had to go back to work because of the long recovery plan he had with broken bones, infections and other challenges. Please pray for the Dickey family during this difficult time.
A Few Lessons Learned
Throughout the aneurysm time there were some lessons that I learned that I think I should make sure that I share. You might know or have done what I am suggesting but it doesn't hurt to repeat it just to make sure. I am very thankful that Archie and I can put some of these lessons into action together.
1. If someone says they have the worse headache they have ever had in their life, take them to the ER to get a CAT scan. The worse thing that could happen is that it is a migraine and you might have to pay the ER bill. I mean yes, the doctor can find an issue on the CAT scan but hopefully you get to the hospital in time. The scary statistic is that 50% of people with brain aneurysms do not make it to the hospital.
2. Regardless of your age, have you planned out a will and what you want done if something happens to you? This is one of the things we did not have planned out and I am thankful that we can figure it out now. I mean Archie is only 32, we had only been married 2 years when this happened. I thought we would figure out once we have kids, boy was I wrong. What if something happened to both of us? Stressful situations do not make difficult decisions easier I can promise you that. If a will is present then decisions will be made according to your wishes and it will make it easier for family members.
3. A medical Power of Attorney to give someone the power to make decisions for you: your spouse, significant other, parent, sibling, whoever knows what you want in regards to the medical world. There are a bunch of decisions that Archie and I had not discussed and there were times at the hospital that I was making decisions for him and signing releases because Archie was not mentally there. An example of one issues were people in ICU waiting room talking about their loved one's quality of life not being what it was and having to make the decision about whether or not to keep them alive. Another challenge that I encountered was trying to get copies of his medical records for insurance purposes when you do not have POA, it does not happen. You would think that being married solves this problem and gives you that ability to get whatever you want for your spouse. Well it does not and during this time Archie was having surgeries and procedures so he was not able to sign a POA until later on. We did finally get a POA signed for Archie and we were able to get the records needed but we now need to get one set up for me. Another thing we will be doing in the near future.
Hopefully this post will lead you to action if there was something listed above that you have not done. Have the discussion about what you want done if anything happens to you. I am so thankful that Archie is with me right now. I can take these lessons and put some of them into action. I can talk to Archie and let him know what my wishes are so that if something happens to me he knows what I want rather than guessing and hoping that his actions are what I want and vice versa. Do not end up in my situation where you are making decisions and hoping it is what the person wants. I know it is not a fun topic or something you want to think about but do it. You can always make changes later down the road but at least the foundation is there.
1. If someone says they have the worse headache they have ever had in their life, take them to the ER to get a CAT scan. The worse thing that could happen is that it is a migraine and you might have to pay the ER bill. I mean yes, the doctor can find an issue on the CAT scan but hopefully you get to the hospital in time. The scary statistic is that 50% of people with brain aneurysms do not make it to the hospital.
2. Regardless of your age, have you planned out a will and what you want done if something happens to you? This is one of the things we did not have planned out and I am thankful that we can figure it out now. I mean Archie is only 32, we had only been married 2 years when this happened. I thought we would figure out once we have kids, boy was I wrong. What if something happened to both of us? Stressful situations do not make difficult decisions easier I can promise you that. If a will is present then decisions will be made according to your wishes and it will make it easier for family members.
3. A medical Power of Attorney to give someone the power to make decisions for you: your spouse, significant other, parent, sibling, whoever knows what you want in regards to the medical world. There are a bunch of decisions that Archie and I had not discussed and there were times at the hospital that I was making decisions for him and signing releases because Archie was not mentally there. An example of one issues were people in ICU waiting room talking about their loved one's quality of life not being what it was and having to make the decision about whether or not to keep them alive. Another challenge that I encountered was trying to get copies of his medical records for insurance purposes when you do not have POA, it does not happen. You would think that being married solves this problem and gives you that ability to get whatever you want for your spouse. Well it does not and during this time Archie was having surgeries and procedures so he was not able to sign a POA until later on. We did finally get a POA signed for Archie and we were able to get the records needed but we now need to get one set up for me. Another thing we will be doing in the near future.
Hopefully this post will lead you to action if there was something listed above that you have not done. Have the discussion about what you want done if anything happens to you. I am so thankful that Archie is with me right now. I can take these lessons and put some of them into action. I can talk to Archie and let him know what my wishes are so that if something happens to me he knows what I want rather than guessing and hoping that his actions are what I want and vice versa. Do not end up in my situation where you are making decisions and hoping it is what the person wants. I know it is not a fun topic or something you want to think about but do it. You can always make changes later down the road but at least the foundation is there.
"Normal"
Things are "normal" in the Stewart household right now. We are both back to work full-time. Life is a little slower in regards to me planning out every night of the week and the weekends. We are slowly starting to make plans. My trip the weekend before last was great! Archie went to watch football games with some of his friends while I was gone. This past weekend we met our friends Jennifer and Mark at the casino in Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon. We did lose some money but had a great time and camped out at the same table with the rotation of dealers that we liked. Sunday I caught up on my DVRed shows because I was busy last week and Archie watched football.
Changing Things Up
With the new year we are changing things up on the blog, we are migrating more away from Archie and more about us. Archie is doing amazing and there is really no more progress that is going to happen. He has been cleared by all doctors and does not have anymore visits. He is back to work full-time. He is Archie and is settling into life again. It is strange to reflect on everything we went through last year. I thank God all the time for all the blessings he gave us and for keeping Archie here.
Archie and I have been pretty low key. It is strange because we were normally busy all of the time and now we hardly have any plans but I am working on that. We have been watching a bunch of NCIS episodes starting with season one and we are already into the second season. We have also been renting a bunch of movies.
Next weekend I am leaving town to go visit two of my besties, Melissa and Melissa. One Melissa moved in August and I am going to see her cute new house. The other Melissa had a new baby that I cannot meet. It is a weekend for Archie and I to get a break from each other since we have been together non stop since September except for the week that he went to Lake Tahoe.
Archie and I have been pretty low key. It is strange because we were normally busy all of the time and now we hardly have any plans but I am working on that. We have been watching a bunch of NCIS episodes starting with season one and we are already into the second season. We have also been renting a bunch of movies.
Next weekend I am leaving town to go visit two of my besties, Melissa and Melissa. One Melissa moved in August and I am going to see her cute new house. The other Melissa had a new baby that I cannot meet. It is a weekend for Archie and I to get a break from each other since we have been together non stop since September except for the week that he went to Lake Tahoe.
Happy New Year
New Years Eve was a nice calm evening for us, the first time since we have been together. Normally we go to a concert, a Stars game or in other words out and about. This year due to Archie's sensitivity to noise and lack of plans we decided a night at the house was in order. We went to the mall that afternoon to get Archie some new jeans and get a little walking in. We went to see the new Mission Impossible movie in IMAX. The movie was good but I don't think the IMAX theatre is worth the extra $3 a ticket. I understand the screen is a lot bigger but not worth it. I am not a huge Tom Cruise fan but in this role he is really good at it. Afterwards we went to Macaroni Grill for dinner before we headed home. We then proceeded home to watch several episodes of NCIS, we found the first season of the show at the movie store so we are starting from the beginning. For some reason they don't show all of the episodes of NCIS in order on TNT during the week. We ended the show at 11 pm so we could try to see the New York New Years celebration before we went to bed. It was a good, calm night for us. I told Archie that next year I would like to go out and do something.
I am grateful that 2011 is over with and I know that 2012 will be a much better year for us. I know God would only give us what we can handle and we did handle what he gave us but it was a long road. Thankfully Archie got through all of the surgeries, infections and everything elses. There are still people that I met at the ICU waiting room that are still have loved ones in the hospital. Archie is so strong and I am glad that he was able to recuperate so well. We went through a bunch of stuff this year but it has only made us stronger as a couple in my eyes. Thank you to all of my family and friends that were there to give us support this year.
Thursday night we went to see the movie We Bought A Zoo. It was a good movie. Archie really like the movie a lot. My only issue is that in the movie the main character loses his wife and it got me thinking about what life would be like without Archie. I think about how six months ago that thought would not even have crossed my mind and I would have loved the movie.
I am grateful that 2011 is over with and I know that 2012 will be a much better year for us. I know God would only give us what we can handle and we did handle what he gave us but it was a long road. Thankfully Archie got through all of the surgeries, infections and everything elses. There are still people that I met at the ICU waiting room that are still have loved ones in the hospital. Archie is so strong and I am glad that he was able to recuperate so well. We went through a bunch of stuff this year but it has only made us stronger as a couple in my eyes. Thank you to all of my family and friends that were there to give us support this year.
Thursday night we went to see the movie We Bought A Zoo. It was a good movie. Archie really like the movie a lot. My only issue is that in the movie the main character loses his wife and it got me thinking about what life would be like without Archie. I think about how six months ago that thought would not even have crossed my mind and I would have loved the movie.
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