The WHOLE story...

Here is the story, in it’s entirety that I typed up to send out to family so they’d know what is going on and how to pray. The idea was that I would only have to tell the story once, but as soon as everyone read the email, they immediately called and I had to tell it again anyway. :o)

We go see the Oral Surgeon who specializes in jaws on Monday. It is our prayer that he can just set it, and wire it and be done. We are praying that surgery is NOT required, but we’ll know more on Monday.

So here is the story if you want to read it…

It has been a fun filled few days here at our house. Sometimes it feels like someone has hit the fast forward button and you find yourself sitting at an ER on a Friday at midnight, about to be transferred to an even bigger ER via ambulance, to get your teenager’s jaw wired shut. When did this happen? How’d I get here? I was just minding my own business, doing laundry and then zoom, here we are.

B had a motorcycle accident on Thursday afternoon. I won’t bore you with all the motocross jargon like high siding and head shake and whoop te doos. In layman’s terms, he crashed. The handlebar came up and caught him in the jaw under his helmet. He was in some pain and by the time they got home that evening he was a bit swollen, but not too bad.

The next morning he woke up and was quite swollen. Shockingly so. He was thinking maybe he had knocked one of his permanent teeth loose. I thought I’d better call his orthodontist and see if there was anything we needed to do to make sure that tooth stayed in place. Well all people who work on teeth and jaws do not work on Friday apparently. I spent the better part of the day trying to locate his ortho. When I finally did, he said to meet him at his office, he’d open up for us and have it X-rayed. He was afraid, with all that swelling, of a broken jaw. I was not worried about that. Surely he’d be in much more pain if his jaw was broken.

The ortho X-rayed him and while we were waiting for the X-ray to come out, he examined him. He said B was a classic case of a broken jaw and was certain that is what the X-ray would show. His midline was off (Yeah, I did not know what that meant either).

When the X-ray came out the ortho became more concerned. The jaw was indeed broken, but he was more concerned about something else. Apparently there is an artery that runs under the jaw and he was afraid he had nicked or broken that artery open and that all that swelling could be blood build up. YUCK! He was also concerned about some other things that showed up on his X-ray higher up in the jaw joint/skull area.

He said his X-ray did not show enough and told us we needed to go to our local ER and they would probably do a CAT scan to check for a bleed and or a brain injury. YIKES! I came in here thinking he may have knocked a permanent tooth loose!

So off we go to the ER at 7pm on a Friday night. OH JOY! Amazingly they got him in pretty fast and got him scanned. In case you were wondering, the boy does have a brain in his head, I saw it myself.

Now the waiting began, we had to wait for the radiologist to read it, then for him to relay the findings to the DR. Once this was done they decided to give B some SUPER-antibiotics because the scan showed some air pockets in his jaw near the break. This means that he did probably knock that tooth enough to let air down there. That is dangerous because that is where the infection will set in and cause all kinds of problems. However the swelling was not blood, the artery was intact, and they could find no other swelling or brain injury. It was just a broken jaw, and a lot of soft tissue swelling. (Just, don’t you love that!? Who says just a broken jaw?)

As he was getting his IV antibiotics the Dr came in and gave us the bad news. He needs to have his jaw weird shut and they only have one specialist who “does” jaws and he is not on call tonight and he cannot be located. We have to be transferred, via ambulance ($$$$$$) to PARKLAND AT MINDNIGHT ON A FRIDAY!!!! (For those of you not from around here, Parkland is the major trauma center right smack in the middle of Downtown Dallas, very far away from our house, and at that time of night was probably full of gun shot wounds and stabbing victims.) Needless to say this was NOT happy news. While my husband argued with the ER docks about the need for an ambulance transport (thank you all frivolous lawsuits that make these kinds of policies happen) B and I mentally prepared ourselves for Parkland at Midnight. (Parkland at Midnight, that should be a TV show)

As we were getting ready to go, and had made all the arrangements for someone to go to our house and keep G, E, and A because we knew it would be an all nighter, the Dr came in with some GOOD news finally.

Our little ER’s specialist had called in and after being apprised of the situation, said we could go home and did not need to go to Parkland. He said as long as B adheres to a strict liquid only diet this weekend, he can see him in his office on Mon morning. At that point he’ll decide if surgery is required before he gets it wired shut, for at least 4 weeks!

So there you have it. B is not in a lot of pain surprisingly, but he is quite unhappy at this turn of events. He might have to miss church camp which is in 2 weeks, and he will miss out on a lot of food, and I’m telling you right now, that boy lives for nothing if not to eat. And he’s skinny!

I’m hoping the next 4 weeks will fly by in fast forward like the last 2 days did.

Holy Schmoly!

The boy has to have his jaw wired shut!

He does not have a brain injury.

The artery running under his jaw is intact.

He does indeed have a brain in his head, I saw it myself on the computer image of the CAT scan.

We did not have to be transferred to a bigger hospital via ambulance, at great cost, because the specialist in our little hospital finally called in.

He must be on a strict liquid diet all weekend.

He will have his jaw wired shut on Monday.

HOLY SCHMOLY, BATMAN! WIRED SHUT!

Broken Jaw?!?!?!?!?

Well, I did manage to swallow my parenting pride and call the orthodontist and confess that my 16 year old son was indeed riding a motorcycle, and wrecked...and is now a swollen mess.

I called but no answer. Then I called my dentist...no answer. I forgot that those who deal in teeth and jaws do not work on Fridays.

So I had to call my pediatrician and confess my poor parenting. The nurse said that this is the kind of thing they are referring to when they say "if you have an emergency please call...." and I needed to call. So I called.

I spoke with the ortho's wife and she gave me his cell. She was a lovely lady and not at all grumpy with me for interrupting her day. (nor did she chide me for being a bad parent)

The ortho is out of town, but can meet me at his other office about 45 min from my house, around 4:30 this afternoon. He said yes, it did need to be x-rayd today, not Monday, and with all that swelling, he quite possible has broken his jaw.

OH, MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!! I'm usually pretty good at coming up with the worst case senerio, I can really be a glass half empty, Eoyre kinda girl, and even I did not think about a BROKEN JAW!!!

I'll let you know...

He took one to the chin!

Well, I knew it was inevitable that at some point one of my guys was going to hurt themselves on their motorbikes. They’ve been riding them since they could walk almost, but no one has ever hurt themselves. Okay, my husband has broken some ribs, but the boys have not so much as bruised themselves.

They went riding yesterday and my oldest son came home looking like he’d been in a bar fight and took one to the jaw! He is terribly swollen on the right side of his face and has lots of scratches there. I’m not sure what happened, nether is he, something about the wheel of the bike hitting an unexpected rut in the ground and the tire turned a way he was not expecting, consequently so did the handlebars, and one of the handlebars hit him square in the jaw, under his helmet. It was at just the perfect angle to get him in the jaw, under his helmet, with great force. Poor guy. He is quite miserable. He can’t eat and he is in quite a bit of pain.

We are a bit worried about his back tooth. He thinks it’s loose. It is so swollen right now that it is hard to see, but he thinks he felt it move and it hurts when he drinks, which I think means some of the root is exposed. UGH!

I’m not sure if I should call his ortho or not. I don’t think there is anything they can do until the swelling goes down. I don’t really want to call. I know I’m going to get that disapproving look from them that by son was on a motorcycle.

Please pray with me that he does not loose his tooth and feels better soon!

Just in case you were wondering…he WAS NOT doing that!!! He is really a careful boy and this is his first major wreck ever.

BTW, does anyone know if there is anything you can do for a damaged tooth to help it decide to not come out?

Jason Bourne is my hero.

UGH! Let me tell you, yesterday was a DAY! Of course having raging PMS did not help. (I’m sorry, if you a guy and your reading this you might want to just stop now because none of it will make any sense to you)

There were all these people around me…all day…and they had, you know, needs, and voices, saying things that started with “Mommy can I…?” and “Honey, could you please…? and I thought my head was going to explode.

So I did what I had to do to survive the day, put the girls to bed early and let the boys watch more Myth Busters, because as you know it’s been playing on a continues loop in my house for a while now, and I went upstairs and SHUT THE DOOR!

My husband was working late last night on a very important shut-down, or turn-off or something, I think it was manufactured because he could see the writing on the wall and he is not a dumb guy. But back to me, I went upstairs and ate pizza and drank Coke Zero (even though I’d already had some and it was after the 4pm caffeine shut-off time) and then I ate Hagan Das ice cream. While I was doing this, I was watching all the Jason Bourne movies in preparation for the next one coming out in late July early August.

Usually, I like a good sappy chick flick, but when I have PMS nothing makes me feel better than seeing Jason Bourne beat people up and get the girl, of course they kill off the girl in the 2nd movie which SO does not happen in the books, but who reads anymore, I guess.

Okay, I seem to be rambling just a bit here. I think I need to go back upstairs and watch some more Beat ‘em up movies, then I’ll feel better. Is it exactly one month till the next Jason Bourne movie? Hummm, excellent timing.

Jericho

Today we’re going to continue the very important topic of TV. I’ve had some great news. When I heard it I squealed. Really, there was squealing.

Back in May, two of my favorite shows were canceled; Veronica Mars and Jericho. I was distraught. Whatever was I going to do with those two hours a week that I had been devoting to Veronica and the little town of Jericho Ks? (If you say, do more laundry like my husband did; well…just be glad I can’t hear you through the screen.)

So here is the news, prepare yourself…Jericho has been given another chance! YIPPEE, I am so glad to hear this. At the end of the first season, the town was in the midst of an all out battle for their survival with the neighboring town of New Burne. I could not believe they would just leave us hanging like that. Do they have no pity on us? Well apparently they do because they are giving it another shot. But, if more people don’t watch it this fall, it will be gone forever. If you've never seen it now is the time. Starting this summer, they'll rebroadcast the entire first season in preparation for the new shows in the fall

So, hear my plea people…WATCH JERICHO, Starting July 6th on Fridays at 9:00PM ET/PT, PLEASE PLEASE WATCH!


You’ll just have to overlook the fact that they have mountains off in the distance and anyone who knows her corn knows that there are no mountains in KS. There is barely a hill. So, while I love the show, and I am committed, let’s try for a bit more realism this time folks. Kansas is flat, with very few trees and absolutely NO mountains.



Wahoo, Toto, Jericho is not dead!

HOV, TV, DVR; Oh how I love acronyms!

*******PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT*******

If you plan on driving 40mph, please DO NOT get on the HOV lane. The HOV lane is intended for people who desire to speed, and are serious about reaching their destination in a timely manor. You must be willing to be at or exceeding the speed limit to enjoy the benefits of the HOV lane.

I hate to keep harping on this, but really people, 40? There was a car going so slow today it was holding up the CITY BUS!

Now back to your regularly scheduled post.

*******PUBLIC SERVICE ANOUNCEMENT*******

Today we’re going to talk about TV, Satellite TV to be more specific. My family has finally entered the modern age of Television. We have satellite TV WITH A DVR!!! This is quite possible the coolest thing since sliced bread. I get to watch TV whenever I jolly well please. I don’t have to wait until Veronica Mars comes on at 8pm on Tuesday to watch. (a very inconvenient time for me.) I can just tell my little TiVo friend and he saves it for me. Then I can watch it at midnight if I so desire. This idea is revolutionary for me. TV on MY time, YIPPEE!

And yes, for the other 3 people out there who watch Veronica Mars, I know it has been canceled. DOGONNIT! Why oh why? The 4 of us were really enjoying that modern day Nancy Drew. But alas, all good things must come to an end. Even if they really don’t end, they just kinda stop because they did not expect to be canceled, but you know, I have a good imagination so I can conger up my own happily-ever-after scenario for our little Veronica and Logan. And just in case you were wondering, yes this is the Homeschooling on the Hilltop blog, you did not inadvertently stumble upon the blog of a 15 year old girl.

As for how this TiVo thing has changed my children’s lives…well, let me tell you. Myth Busters, Dirty Jobs, Man vs. Wild and How It’s Made seem to be playing on a loop constantly in my home. Frighteningly, I also purchased Backyard Ballistics for my boys last year, so between Myth Busters (if you haven’t seen it, it is basically grown men who act like 12 year old boys and blow things up) and the book, I am actually afraid to let my boys go outside because of all this new found knowledge of explosives. If you hear of a forest fire caused by two teen boys trying to see if you really can light a match with just the Texas sun and a magnifying glass, you’ll know who they are talking about.

The good thing is that if any of my kids do find themselves lost in…say Alaska, they know how to stay alive by eating live Salmon (one of the few fish you can eat raw, apparently) and starting a fire with a shoe string and a toothpick (oh, wait that was MacGyver)

There is an upside, all four of my children sit quietly all day staring at the black box and I have peace. HEHEHE got ya, I’m just kidding, they are not quiet even when they are staring at the black box. The upside is that all four have seen the great benefit in getting a VERY GOOD education so they can get VERY GOOD jobs and not the dirty variety that they portray on Dirty Jobs. God bless the people who are making a living cleaning up this world. We’d be neck deep in muck without ya!

You may now go about your day, I’m going to go turn on the TV and watch something that is not really being aired right now because I have that power.

For My Dad

I don’t live near my dad, so I can’t just pop over on Father’s Day and make him lunch or bake him some cookies, instead I thought I’d give him the gift of words.

My dad was not around a lot when I was a kid. He worked a lot and then he drank a lot. I don’t remember much from those years but I’m told he was not a very nice drunk.

Fast forward to today. I still don’t see my dad enough but this time it is due to distance. My dad has not had a drop to drink in over 25 years. He does not talk about it much, but I know it’s been at least that long.

Can you imagine giving up something you love FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE??? I don’t mean to sound trite, but I can’t even give up chocolate for a month. My dad gave up alcohol, for the rest of his life, because it was the right thing to do. He’s like that. He does things because they are the right thing to do.

I don’t know much about my dad’s life before I was born. I guess that is how kids are sometimes. We find it hard to imagine the world was spinning before we were a part of it. I don’t know what kind of man my dad was before I was around. I don’t know what drove him to drinking in the first place or what kind of childhood he had; he’s never told me. He is not the kind of man who blames others for his mistakes. He takes responsibility for them.

I don’t know if I ever told my dad I’m proud of him. Really, we just live our lives and go on about our days and do what needs to be done. But what better day to say…

I’m proud of you Dad. I don’t know much about what kind of young man you were, but I know what kind of man you are now, and I’m proud of you.

Accosting People or Evangelizing?

I have been thinking about evangelism lately. I think mostly due to the death of Mrs. Ruth Bell Graham. There is a movement in the Christian community right now that I’m not sure I like. I have thought a lot about it actually, but could not really put together my thoughts until recently. I think maybe it is because I am pitting this new evangelism against Billy Graham’s style.

This new evangelism style is to hit people with their sin so they see a need for a savior. It is used mostly in street evangelism I think. I am not a huge fan of street evangelism in general. I think I’d rather chew off my own arm than walk up to a total stranger and tell them anything, much less that they are dirty, rotten, sinners. But that is just me.

I don’t necessarily have a beef with the theology, just the methods these people employ. The idea is to basically ask people questions about their sin. Can they keep the ten commandments, have the they lusted, have the coveted, do they think they’re a good person, then hit them with the condemnation verses after they’ve admitted they do indeed sin according to the rule of law in The Book.

Here is my thing. Wouldn’t this just make you defensive? When any of us are hit with our own sin or wrongdoing, or mistakes, isn’t it human nature to justify ourselves?

I am not saying this is a right response; just that it is the natural one. So if that is true, aren’t you just shooting yourself in the foot if you are hitting people with their sin then telling them to turn to God? Won’t it just make them more defensive, not less?

This is a word picture my husband came up with to describe this type of evangelism. It is like you are taking Gods amazing grace, putting it in a bag and tying it to the end of a big stick. Then you walk around hitting people with it.

“Can you keep the whole law?” WHAM!

“Have you ever lusted?” WHAM!

“Have you ever told a lie” WHACK!

“Well, me too, so here is the good part, you can accept Gods grace and go to heaven. I just happen to have it right here on the end of this big stick I have been whacking you with and it is yours for the taking!”

Not very appealing is it? I personally ascribe to the idea that you can attract more bees with honey than vinegar.

I’ll tell you right now, from experience, that when you have made a glaringly bad choice (or two or five), and you deserve punishment, and instead you get grace; from other Christians and from the Almighty God you have wronged, it is a powerful thing. Nothing will bring a person to their knees faster than NOT getting what they deserve, but getting wrapped in God’s grace instead. Believe me; I know this to be true.

Let me tell you a story to show you what I mean.

My husband works in downtown Fort Worth. It is a large city and it has lots of homeless. He is often asked for money. I’d say he is approached for money at least 3 or 4 times a month. He has a policy; he does not give out cash. If he feels led, he’ll buy them food or gas. The latest ploy is to come up to a guy pumping gas and tell them a sob story about how you just need a few dollars to put in your tank to get you home. My husband usually replies by telling that person to go ahead and fill their gas tanks and he’ll go in and pay the cashier. 9 times out of 10 the guy either drives off or only can fit a few dollars in his tank because it is not actually empty like he has said.

One time a guy approached my husband at a gas station and asked him for cash. He said he needed the money for food. My husband was in a hurry and said no. They guy kept asking and was commenting on my husbands shiny new truck (the company’s truck) and nice work clothes and surely he had some change to spare. My husband said a final no and started to get in his truck. This man started cussing him out! Truly! All manner of curse words came flying out of that man’s mouth. He rained curses down on my husband because he would not give him money. Needless to say my husband was a bit miffed!

As he drove off, incensed at the gall of that man, he felt the tug of the Holy Spirit to buy that man some food. He argued for a while, but finally relented. He went to a fast food place and bought the biggest triple hamburger deal on the menu, then drove back to the gas station. He was sure the man would be gone by now and was none to happy with God for asking him to do this.

Well the man was still there and my husband got out of his car and took him the bag of food and the drink. The man stood, dumbfounded, with his mouth hanging open, speechless.

When he finally found his voice, he asked my husband why he would bring him food after he yelled at him. My husband’s reply? “I am Christian and God tells me that I am to love my enemies, do good to those who hate me, bless those who curse me, and pray for those who mistreat me.” (Luke 6:28) He handed the man his food, smiled and said, “I’ll be praying for God to reveal himself to you” then he turned around and walked back to his truck.

My husband said the man could barley speak but managed a whispered “thank you”.

I’m telling you right now that what my husband did for that man was ever-so-much more effective in pointing him to the cross, than pointing out to him his rottenness.

I hope I haven’t offended anyone; these are just my evangelistic ramblings.

Mrs. Graham

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Proverbs 31:28 - 31



Mrs. Graham, you will be dearly missed. You have set the example. You have shown us what the Proverbs 31 woman looks like in a day where there are very few trying to live up to her example.

Right now you are hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant” and I add a hearty AMEN!