Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Friday, December 18, 2009

A Christmas Party For Jesus

You won't want to miss church this Sunday! We have some fun stuff planned because it is the Sunday before Christmas. I will be interested to get your feedback afterwards to hear your thoughts and perspective. For some reason, Christmas sermons/services have always been a little bit stressful for me. On one hand, people expect to hear something that is Christmas oriented but on the other hand it's not like they haven't heard the Christmas story before. So this Sunday we will definitely try something totally different and also very relevant to our lives. See you then!

PS - don't forget to come back here and share your thoughts after the service.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Christmas Survey

I was curious about how much people spend on average for the people on the Christmas list so I setup a poll (it's on the right margin). It's totally anonymous so help me satisfy my curiosity and answer the question. Thanks.

Life Change

During a recent conversation with a friend, the topic of life change came up. Basically the conversation centered around how do you change who you are? For example how can you change from being an angry person to a kind person? Or a lazy person to a disciplined person? Or a person that loses their temper to one who is patient? Now I don't for one second think that what I will share in this post is the complete or final answer. In fact if I really knew a simple solution I would be making lots more money that I do currently :) and as a side note I would be a much better person. But I do believe that the Bible gives some great insight on how we change who we are. First we have to realize that life habits are developed over long periods of time, so if you have been in the habit of losing your temper for the past 10 years don't think that somehow you are going to break the habit in 1 day. Real life change takes time and lots of patience. So give yourself both. Second, I truly believe that real meaningful life change can only happen through the power of God working in agreement with our own desire for change. It is a partnership. Not either, or but both, and. Lastly, we can harness the power of the mind and it's ability to focus, to empower us for change. Simply put: where you focus your thoughts will dictate your desires, and your desires will always dictact your actions. This is why I believe in starting each day by spending time with God in His Word and in prayer. Not that reading the Bible and praying in some way magically changes you. Instead, I believe that when I focus my thoughts on what is good and important (God, my relationship with my wife, my children, my ministry, etc....) then those thoughts produce desires that become actions. We all focus our thoughts somewhere, the important question is where. The old saying is true, "What you think about, is what you are."

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Don't Forget

Church Volunteer Christmas Party
Saturday, December 12 at 5:00pm


Getting Ready For Christmas


Christmas Season is here and it sure feels like it. My kids got a huge kick out of seeing all the snow on the hills Monday morning. After more than 25+ years of living in the East Bay, I had never seen anything like I what I experienced on a drive over to Stockton for a meeting last Monday. It looked like a winter wonderland driving over the hill from Livermore to Tracy.
This week has been filled with planning and preparing for Christmas. Hopefully we will finish up all of our Christmas shopping this week (this is the best we’ve ever done). On Monday night we made a gingerbread house with the kids. Although Ethan’s interest in building the house quickly faded and all he wanted to do was eat the decorations. We got our Christmas pictures finished and Christmas cards ordered from Costco (on a side note: Have I ever mentioned how much I love Costco ).


Here are just a few quick thoughts that I hope will help you this week:


1. Don’t forget about Jesus in the busyness of Christmas – if you don’t make time each day to celebrate his birth, it will never happen

2. Spend time doing things with your family and children – don’t buy this culture’s philosophy of Christmas…buy…buy…buy

3. Make your motto: Presence not Presents

4. Give your spouse and kids a big hug and kiss every morning and every evening – it will make your day better

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

For all my friends and family who read this blog, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!
Here are some very wise words of advice - DON'T EAT TOO MUCH!!!



Here is a picture of my kids deciding to use chalk as makeup. Alanna told me they were movie stars :)










I finally got some Christmas lights up around the house. Now you might be thinking to yourself, "Wow, Josh is really on top of things." But don't be deceived. You see the real story is that I bought these lights three years ago, but this is the first time I have ever taken them out of the box. Now doesn't that make you feel better that you aren't the only one who procrastinates?


I found a new recipe that is guaranteed to take five years off your lifespan :). It's called "Deep Fried Stuffing." Basically you take sausage, enclose it in turkey stuffing, deep fry it, and then dip it in gravy. It really, really tastes good.
Having this woman in my arms, definitely makes this a Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for my wonderful wife of almost 10 years. She fills my life with so many wonderful things that if I took the time to list them all, I would never finish this post. But I will suffice to say, Cecil is definitely on the top of my Thanksgiving list!

This is my family photo from our Thanksgiving get together. Starting from left to right: Me, Grandma Mabel, Alanna, Cecil, Ethan, my Mom Kathy, my nephew Jeremy, my Dad Wade, niece Lilly, my brother Jeremy, my sister-in-law Mary, and niece Bella. We had a great time at my parent's house in Vacaville.
Here is my Thanksgiving prayer for all of you: May God bless you with family and friends along the journey that will allow you to enjoy your achievements and successes. May you remember that only two things matter in life - God's Kingdom and relationships - and may you live your life accordingly...Blessings.

Happy 65th Birthday To My Father-In-Law


This past Sunday we had a small birthday celebration for my father-in-law, Cecilio. I am really blessed to have such wonderful in-laws. They have been so supportive of our marriage, helping with the kids, and just being wonderful people.

Some Final Pictures From The Hospital

I finally got around to looking through our photos from the final two days at the hospital. Here are a few of the better ones. As you can tell from the pictures, Ethan was very excited to go home. On Friday, when I told him that we were officially discharged and could leave, he quickly asked me to put him in the wheelchair. While I packed, he sat there and made up some wonderful songs about the joys of going home, seeing his sister, taking a nap, and leaving the hospital. Cecil and I have been amazed at how well he is doing. It's almost as if he never had surgery. Our pickest struggle now is trying to continually explain to him that he cannot run up and down the stairs, play baseball, or rough house with his sister or me. 






Thanks again for all your prayers!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

We Are Home!

Well…the entire process is over. The surgery went perfectly and Ethan was moved out of the ICU after only one day. Then on Thursday, they removed all the final wires and tubes so that they could monitor him until discharge on Friday. On Friday he was discharged around 1:30pm. His doctors have been impressed by how quickly he has recovered. Cecil and I are worn out and very tired, but it’s a good tired since we know it’s over. Thanks again for all your prayers, emails, and phone calls. It is wonderful to know how many people care. When I'm a little more rested I will post some pictures of the last three days.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

2nd Day - Out of the ICU



Today has been very busy. At about 5:00am this morning, Ethan was moved to a different section of the ICU to get ready to move upstairs. To prepare for the move, his nurses had to take out 3 of the 5 IV's. To say the least that made the morning and early afternoon very stressful. At about 4pm, his nurse wheeled him up to his new room on the 3rd floor. In his new room, Cecil and I are both allowed to sleep and eat in the room. After last night, we both could use some sleep.


Ethan is doing some light eating and drinking (crackers, jello, juice, and water). Tonight his nurse inspired him to eat by providing chocolate ice cream. Because he isn't having enough fluids, they are still giving him fluids through the IV. With all of the trauma of having his IV’s removed, Ethan has a phobia of nurses touching him. So tonight, I took his blood pressure and temperature to keep him from freaking out. Later on he asked me if he could sit on my lap. It took a little bit of work maneuvering all the tubes and wires, but we managed. Hopefully after a good night of sleep he will be a little more relaxed.

Thanks again for all your prayers, comments, and emails. They are encouraging to read and I share them with Cecil throughout the day.


 

Monday, November 16, 2009

Post Operation Pictures



Things are starting to calm down. They pulled out his oxygen tube and a few of the sensors. Ethan is finally wake for an extended period of time. Right now he's watching the movie Cars and he is providing us with narration, which is a good sign. He finally got to have a little bit of water and he is now waiting to have some apple juice once they bring it to the room. Our plan tonight is to do shifts. While one of us stays awake in the room the other one will try and get some rest in the parent's lounge.




Recovery

We were finally able to come in the room and see Ethan. I don't think anything could have prepared us for all the tubes, IV's, and wires that were sticking out of his body. I believe they said he has six IV's on various spots of his body, there are at least eight drips going into the IV's, and then of course all the monitoring devices. And that's on top of the chest drainage tube, catheter, and temporary pace maker wires sticking out of the center of his chest.We are starting to grow accustomed to the constant beeps and buzzes that seem to be ongoing.

So far Ethan is resting peacefully. If he continues to progress as they expect, they will begin to lower the amount of anesthesia and this will hopefully help him to begin breathing on his own. He will probably wake up sometime this evening at which time they will begin to pull out his breathing tube. We are a little fearful of how he will respond to all of the wires and IV's. Hopefully he will stay calm and be able to relax. Please keep us in prayer because it is very difficult to see Ethan in this condition. Of course we are so grateful the surgery went well but now we are just concerned about his pain level and his continued recovery.

Everything is okay!

Well, I can finally breath again...We just met with the surgeon, Dr. Reddy. He said everything went exactly as planned. They made a baffle from the tissue in the sack around his heart and used that to redirect the blood to the correct chamber of the heart. About 20 minutes after our meeting with Dr. Reddy, we met with the anesthesiologist and he said there were no complications with the anesthesia. In our conversation with him, he said that after they rolled Ethan out to the operating room, he told them he didn’t like their TV as much as the one that he was watching before, because it didn’t have his favorite cartoon, Curious George. So now we are waiting outside of the ICU for them to call us into his room. Cecil and I are doing well. We have had my parents here keeping us company which has been nice. Once we heard the good news, it was like a huge weight was lifted. Thank you all for your support, kind messages, and prayers! We are so grateful for our friends and family and all of the support we have received. Once I get some pictures, I will post them. Please keep praying for his continued recovery.

Just waiting....

Well, we are just waiting. We arrived at Stanford this morning at 7:00am. After meeting with the anesthesiologist, Ethan drank the medicine that got him relaxed. It was somewhat funny to hear him begin to slur his words and lose his sense of balance. After some tearful goodbyes, they carted Ethan off into the operating room.


This is the schedule for the day (give or take an hour):

9:00am prep for surgery

10:00am surgery should begin

11:00am our meeting with the surgeon and Ethan’s transfer to ICU

12:00pm we finally get to see Ethan

Thanks for all your prayers!
















Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Second Pre-Op


Yesterday, Ethan had his pre-op (for the second time). Cecil told me he did great. Since I have been away at a seminar in Chicago, I asked my Dad to help with the pre-op. As you can tell from the pictures, Ethan had fun hanging out with his Papa. The surgery is scheduled first thing on Monday morning at 7:00am. During the appointment, the surgical staff recommended “quarantining” the entire family because at this moment we are all healthy. So Cecil and I made the decision to pull Alanna out of the school until Monday and also to keep everyone home from any activities including church until Monday as well. Of course I am the exception to that because of needing to work and most importantly teach on Sunday. Please pray for all of us to stay healthy as we near the surgery date. We appreciate all of your prayers and thoughtful comments. I will be doing my best to keep you posted as we approach the surgery date.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy Birthday to My Wonderful Wife!



My wife celebrated her birthday on Wednesday this week and I celebrated my birthday today. This is the 10th birthday we have celebrated together since we got married and the 17th birthday since we first met in 9th grade. I have found that my wife is like a fine wine, she gets better with age (I know that's a cheesy line but it's true). In fact, my love for Cecil has continued to grow through our years of marriage. She isn't perfect, but she's closer to perfection than anyone else I know. And of course, anyone that can put up with me for all of these years deserves some serious extra credit. Cecil, thanks for so many wonderful memories. I love you with all my heart.



We had a great time out tonight for dinner and then a slice of Coco Kahlua Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!


PS - Special thanks to Lee & Carrie, we had a wonderful time at MacArthur Park Restaurant. Thanks for the recommendation.

Alanna's First Field Trip


All parents will understand exactly how I feel when I say, "Kids grow up so fast." Yesterday, Alanna had her first field trip to Joann's Farm in Livermore. It just seems like yesterday that Alanna was just learning to say, "Dada," or that Cecil was teaching her the alphabet. Today, as you can see from the pictures, she is becoming a vibrant, beautiful young lady. She is full of energy and life. We also got her first report card yesterday and we were so proud that she received all +'s. Of course it is kindergarten but still, I'm a Dad so I get to brag :)!

Thanks for the all the comments and emails

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who are taking the time to read and respond to my blog. It's great to see the comments and get emails. One of the small blessings that we have experienced during this difficult time has been the outpouring of love and concern from so many of our friends and family.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Surgery Rescheduled

The new scheduled surgery date is Monday, November 16. Because of the length of delay, Ethan will need to go through pre-op again. The pre-op is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Postponing the Surgery

It can’t be said that we didn’t try hard. But regardless of our best efforts, Ethan is definitely sick. It first started early last week with a slight cough. By this Thursday it became a running rose. This afternoon it became a fever, watery eyes, and sneezing. So we are going to have to postpone the surgery. Once I have the new details I will be sure to update everyone. Please continue to pray that everyone in the family will get healthy. Also pray that we can get back on schedule. The last two weeks have been a combination of illness (for me) and then preparation for the surgery. All that to say…I have a ton of things to catch up on at the office.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Two days and counting


Well, the last few days have been very challenging. On Thursday morning, Alanna started coughing. So we kept her home from school. Later that day her symptoms got worse. By about midnight, her fever was 104.7. So I stayed up with her through the night to make sure she was okay. Thankfully her fever went down to 103 around 5am and I was able to get some rest. Of course that meant Cecil (who was still recovering from her own illness) had to take care of the household. Then on Friday night and this morning, Ethan began running a low fever (about 101). Thankfully it was gone by about 10am this morning.

Because of the upcoming surgery, we are trying to keep the entire family quarantined. So we have either stayed in the house or gone outside to the park. Today we were all very tired of being cramped up inside, so we went to the beach in Half Moon Bay. It was a beautiful day at the coast and the salty air seemed to help the kids.
Please pray for all of us to get well and especially that Ethan will be totally healthy by Monday morning. Both kids seemed to be doing better tonight before bed, but who knows what tomorrow holds. I still think everything will work out for Monday morning, but if there is one thing I've learned, it's that you never know what will happen tomorrow. Also, pray for Cecil and me. The closer the surgery gets the more nervous and anxious we are. Tonight, I just spent some time holding Ethan and praying silently before I put him to bed. The other night as I was putting him to bed, I told him how proud I was of how he handled the pre-op visit and how brave he was. His response was, "Dad, I really don't like those blood tests."

Sometimes I wonder how aware he is of what is going to happen. Those of you who know him, know that he is a very energetic boy, so I am praying that he will be able to be patient through his recovery. His favorite thing to do is "play wrestle and tackle with Daddy." Of course he won't be able to do that for about 2-3 months.
I'll give you another update tomorrow night. Thanks again for your prayers.

PS - feel free to post comments if you would like. I am somewhat curious to see if anyone is following my postings.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Ethan's Surgery Updates


With so many of you praying for Ethan, it was getting more and more difficult to continue emailing everyone, so I decided to post about his surgery. For those of you who aren't quite aware of what is going on you can check out the previous post.

Today was the pre-op. As you can see from the pictures, Stanford is being very cautious about the H1N1 virus. When we arrived at 7:30am we had to check in with security and they then directed us to a nurse's station where they checked Ethan's temperature and gave us masks to wear. Starting last Monday, Stanford has a new policy that no one under the age of 16 is allowed in the hospital unless they are the patient. Unfortunately this means Alanna will not be allowed to visit her brother, which is another reason I am going to post pictures so that she can stay connected.


Here is what happened during the day:

  1. Admitting - signed all the paperwork for the surgery
  2. Chest X-Ray
  3. Echo cardiogram - they did a thorough and complete check of his heart which took over one hour. The staff were so impressed with how great Ethan did that they gave him an extra special gift...a Luke Skywalker figurine!
  4. EKG
  5. Appointment with the surgical staff - our surgeon, Dr. Reddy, decided to push the surgery back to Monday since Ethan does have a minor cough and runny nose. (more on this later)
  6. Lab work - After today, Ethan hates anything remotely connected with blood tests.
  7. Donation of blood - I stopped by the Blood Donation Building to give another unit for the surgery.

So all in all the day went well. We are somewhat relieved that the surgery was pushed back to Monday. Cecil has been very sick and she continues to need R & R. Hopefully this gives our whole family time to heal up and get ready for Monday. The staff suggested that we isolate Ethan as much as possible. So we will not be attending church this weekend since we don't want to pick up any new illnesses.

Thanks again for your prayers, phone calls, and emails. It is always a blessing to know that we are so loved. I intend to continue posting updates and pictures all through next week so hopefully everyone can stay in touch with what is happening.