Dad Just Couldn't Wait

It's hard to believe that we're a few days away from Christmas. It's been like we went into some sort of time warp when Dad left us 3 months ago. It still seems like he should be here even though we all know he's gone. In my mind, it seems like it should still be September. The Christmas lights and decorations are a vivid reminder that time has moved on. It's been a blur getting to this time of the season. One thing is for certain, Mom has definitely kept herself busy.

A few weeks after Dad passed away, Mom went to spend a couple of weeks in Victoria with my sister Vicki and her family. Vicki's daughter, Anitra, and her family live in the same neighborhood. So, with each visit, there is a guarantee that there will be a lot of time spent with Mom and her great-grandkids.

The youngest, Mason, was born nearly a year ago while Dad was in in-patient physical rehabilitation in the Woodlands. His birth was a major motivator for Dad to complete his recovery program for his broken hip. Dad couldn't travel until his rehabilitation was over. The only way it would completely end was for Dad to be independent enough to walk with a walker and perform basic tasks by himself. Dad was plenty motivated. He would often say that Mason would be half-grown before he would get to see him. By mid February, Dad got the OK and he and Mom were off to Victoria for a two-week stay. There were a lot of pictures of Dad and Mason taken during that time.

Since Dad passed away, Mom has been to Victoria twice. On her first visit, she stayed with my sister while my brother-in-law was out of town. "Your daddy wouldn't want her to be there at home, by herself," she said. Then, on Mom's last visit, she was enlisted to read and visit with patients in an in-patient rehab facility there. That opportunity is available for her any time she goes to Victoria for a visit.

Prior to Dad's passing, he and I were making plans to be part of the Lone Star Honor Flight's Final Flight, a road trip to the Museum for the Pacific War, in Fredericksburg, Texas on December 7, Pearl Harbor Day. He and I went on Lone Star Honor Flight 5 to Washington in 2010, so it was only fitting to make this trip. Originally, when he was notified  of the trip, he said that Mom couldn't go. In the weeks prior to his passing, Dad talked fondly of his trip to Washington and was looking forward to the trip to Fredericksburg. But, as we know now, it was not to be.

 

 

On Veterans Day this year, I took Mom to the Montgomery Junior High Veterans Program. The school has put on this program for many years. Both Mom and Dad attended last year's program. At this year's program, they were promoting the road trip to Fredericksburg and they had expanded the trip to allow spouses to attend along with Veterans. So, Mom and I made plans to go in Dad's place.

 

 

The trip itself consisted of some 130 Veterans, 80 spouses and 110 guardians on 6 buses. We departed from the Montgomery High School Athletic Complex around 6:15 AM. The temperatures were in the 30s. Mom and I commented to each other about how Dad would have responded to the cold. "He probably would have decided not to go," Mom said. "Well, he did go to that playoff game in Conroe last year when it was so cold," I told her. (We had to get extra blankets to cover him with and I gave him my over-sized hoodie to wear with everything else he had on. He was a good sport about it, but there's no doubt that he would have preferred to be indoors.) Mom and I wore buttons with one of Dad's pictures from his flight a year and a half ago. We were going in his place, since he couldn't wait to go with us.

Tidbits

It's hard to believe it's been 2 weeks since Dad passed away. Everything happened SO fast. Time has been relentless since. I wanted to write while everything was happening, but everything seemed to be spinning and I couldn't concentrate. I've been wanting to write about the various moments that make up what memories I have of the last two weeks before I forget them forever. I couldn't really wait any longer. So, good, bad or ugly...here they are...

I wrote previously about taking Dad to the hospital. Those few minutes were some of the most terrifying of my entire life. Looking back, I'm really grateful that I could be there with him in those closing minutes of his life. I sort of feel like Forest Gump when he tells about the passing of his friend, Bubba Blue...had I known that would be our last car ride together, I would have come up with something better to say or just something comforting to say while we were on our way to the hospital. But, I didn't. I did get to tell him it was no trouble to take him where he needed to go as we were getting in the car. I guess as far as that is concerned, I'll have to be content that I was with him at the end.

Oddly enough, when we arrived at the Conroe Regional Hospital ER, I saw somebody at the entrance I'd not seen in months. If you attend the Vineyard Church of Conroe, you'll remember the name "Becca-Boo." For those who didn't have the privilege, Becca-Boo attended our church for a while. She was baptized during one of our services, which was really neat. I wasn't there that Sunday, but I would have given anything to have seen her go under the water. She is better known for saying some of the most awkward or inappropriate things at the most awkward times during our church services. She once sat with me and my parents at our church's 1st Sunday Lunches. I got up to get my folks some coffee and when I got back to the table, my parents were straight-faced and slightly blushed. Becca-Boo was just being herself, just laughing and talking. They told me later that she told them a joke that neither of them would repeat. That's how she was. I've not seen the lady in don't know when. But, when I drove up to the ER with Dad two weeks ago, there she was...sitting in a wheel chair, waiting for a ride and smoking a cigarette. She heard me when I got out of the car, asking for help to get Dad inside."Y'all help this man!" I don't believe in coincidences. I don't understand why Becca-Boo was there that night. She didn't do anything signficant, that I can tell, except maybe to get a laugh out of me.

Once Dad had been pronounced dead, Mom and I were invited into the room where the doctors and technicians had been working to revive him. I haven't been around many bodies in my life and I often avoid viewings and wakes. It was awkward at first when we walked in the room, but after a while it was clear that we were going to have to wait there, with Dad - in state . Eventually, we got a call from the funeral director from the funeral home in Malakoff who would make the arrangements for Dad's funeral. He told me that a local undertaker was coming to take care of Dad's body for the night. I thought he would be there within a few minutes. Those few minutes turned into a couple of hours. Fortunately, Mom & Dad's pastor from Conroe, Lloyd Maddoux was there with us, along with our friends, Raymond & Bobby McDonald and Frank Jackson. They definitely helped us pass the time. When the undertaker finally arrived, he asked if we wanted to take a few moments with Dad's body before he took it and left. Bobby & Raymond had already left for the night. Pastor Maddoux said a prayer with us and left, too. Frank led Mom & me in a prayer and sang the song "Surely The Presence of the Lord is in This Place" with us. I'll never hear that song the same way again. For a moment, that emergency room became a chapel. The feeling I felt in that moment is something I hope I never forget.

Dad was a cowboy. He wore cowboy boots and hats as long as I can remember, but had to stop wearing boots within the last several years because he had trouble walking in them. But, everything he had was western, in one way or another. So, when we were getting things together, what would portray that part of his personality? I popped off at one point that if Dad had his say, he'd prefer to just be buried in a pine box. But, when we walked in the parlor at Tomlinson Funeral Home, there was this stained wood casket that had "cowboy" all over it. We picked it and felt better about it the more we looked at and discussed it. Then, as the icing on the cake, we decided that we wouldn't put flowers on the casket. Instead, we wanted to put his cowboy hat, propped up on his Bible. Then, we propped up the old cane that Dad liked to use on the side of the casket. It was painted by my daughter Anna with aqua on the shaft and brown on the handle. The paint would peel and flake off and wasn't a lot to look at. What's more, Dad had all kinds of canes given to him since he began having difficulty when walking. But, he would prefer THAT cane over all of them every time. The arrangement, the wood casket, the cowboy hat, Bible and the cane, were just "him."

If there was anything that Dad was adamant about, it was that he did NOT want his funeral to be held in a funeral chapel. ABSOLUTELY NOT! His funeral would be in a church. The fine people at Malakoff First Assembly of God were more than happy to fulfill our request. In fact, Pastor Tommy Hayes said "well, if you're going to have the funeral there, you might as well have the visitation there, too." It made sense really, Malakoff First Assembly was the other place where Dad spent most of his time over the past 25 years. Once he retired, in 1986, Malakoff First Assembly was the beneficiary of Dad's free time. He didn't have any hobbies necessarily. He would just go to the church. He mowed the church yard. He helped with work that needed to be done. He was one of the 12 Disciples in an Easter production once. He was also a shepherd in the living nativity during the Christmas Holidays. It was only fitting that Dad would lie in state in the only church he ever belonged to.

Dad was a church board member for a long time. When I was born in 1968, he had been on the church board AT LEAST 10 years. When a person is on a church board that long, they get to know a lot of preachers. Dad knew a LOT of preachers. His son-in-law, CE Smith is a preacher. Billy Paul Cain, our neighbor of several years, is a preacher. His grandson, Johnny, is a preacher. Tommy Hayes said tried to count the preachers that Dad served on the board. There were 7 in my lifetime alone. So, it was only fitting to have 4 of his most current pastors represented at the service.

Lloyd Maddoux, Mom & Dad's pastor from Conroe was present; Ken Jones, who was in Malakoff for 12 or so years, was present; Tommy was present and Gaylord Brown, who is currently serving in Malawi as a missionary, sent in a letter to be read during the service in his absence. During the service, Tommy opened and closed in prayer and made a few comments. Dad apparently had spoken to him at some critical junctions in his life and Tommy recalled them to those present. Ken Jones read the obituary and made a few comments. He likened Dad to a pillar. That's what he was in that little church. Lloyd Maddoux spoke of the past year and half that Dad and Mom had attended his church. He said he and Dad talked about squirrel hunting and that they were talking about going hunting nearly every time they saw each other. Pastor Maddoux read Gaylord Brown's letter, which referenced talks that he and Dad had, when Dad told him things he hadn't told anyone else. CE preached the sermon and told several stories of his recollections of life as Dad's son-in-law. John Miller led the congregational singing, which included the songs "He is Here," "Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place," and "Holy Ground" along with the hymns "Living By Faith" and "When We All Get To Heaven." I spoke to Mom afterward and we agreed, the service was just what Dad would have liked - beginning to end.

A few months ago, at the urging of my wife, I sat down with Mom and Dad to discuss their wishes for their funerals. Dad told me that he wanted to be buried in Carter Cemetary, an old, small cemetery near a little community called Walnut Springs, where he grew up, just south of Canton, TX. Dad's first wife, Faye, is buried there. So are his parents and grand-parents, his brother, Conis and his wife, Eunice, as well as other aunts, uncles, cousins and various distant relatives.

It's been years since any of our family had been to the cemetery.  Everyone remembered the place, but no one really remembered how to get to it. It is about 30 miles from Malakoff, so we decided to have lunch before everyone went to the cemetery. When it came time to leave, the procession took off and my family and I were bringing up the rear. Before we arrived to the first turn off, I started getting phone calls...first, from my brother, then my sister, then my neice, and my nephew. "Where is this place?!" Everyone was lost. Surprisingly, I drove right to the cemetery without getting lost. After several phone calls, I gave the rest of the family directions and they were able to finally make it. We finally had the graveside service and everyone said their goodbyes and left. As we were getting things ready to leave, I couldn't help but think that with all the confusion in trying to find the old cemetery, Dad must have been looking down and laughing at all the confusion. It was all so appropriate and fitting. It was exactly what he would have liked.

A Moment in Time

**Caution...this entry might be a bit too graphic for some to read.**
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We didn't see it coming. None of us did.

When I went to my parents' apartment Tuesday night, I had no idea I would be spending my final moments with my father, Haynes Cecil Knox.

Jessie came to our house and told me to go check on Haynes. He said he was "feeling funny in his chest, arms and back." Those symptoms are never good ones. I was thinking we were in for a long night. I had no idea what was in store.

"OK. I need to change clothes first." I went to my room and changed clothes. Jessie went to the apartment and came back with her blood pressure machine. Jessica went to the apartment to get a couple of pizzas from her grandparents' freezer.

"Hey, Pop!"

"Hey, Doll!"

Back in our house, "it probably just needs batteries." I got a couple of batteries and PRESTO! We went out and I proceeded to take Haynes' blood pressure. After 3 tries, it appeared on the higher side of normal for Haynes, but not drastically abnormal.

"I think we should still go to the hospital, Dad."

"I don't want to go. I don't want to go and be there for some 3 or 4 days." I didn't realize it then, but he was giving me a clue. He knew the signs, as well as how he felt. This was going to be "it."

"Maybe. Maybe not. We need to get this checked out." Haynes conceded and started getting himself together. I grabbed a couple of sandwiches to eat while he got ready.

Once he was ready, he started getting in the wheelchair. I turned and moved his walker out of the way and did something I never would do...I folded it up and placed it in a corner out of the way in the apartment. As I did, I got a sense that I would not be getting the walker back out of the corner. I didn't take time to reflect on that thought, though. I just took Haynes to the car to get him loaded up.

As we were getting ready to get in the car, Haynes spoke the last words I would hear him speak in this life: "Joel, I appreciate you doing this. I just hate to be a bother."

I responded "Dad, this is no bother. I want to make sure you're OK."

With that, he started climbing into the car. As he did, he struggled to get in his seat. I help him in the rest of the way and closed the door. I loaded the wheelchair and we were on our way.

Right now, Conroe has to be one of THE most difficult towns to navigate in the north Houston area thanks to a LOT of construction around I-45. More recently, old Hwy 75 or Frazier Street, has been quite rough due to a re-surfacing project. I took Frazier so we could avoid traffic and sudden stops along I-45 but forgot about the uneven lanes and jarring bumps and holes in the road's surface. In spite of my attempts to avoid them, it seemed that Haynes felt every bump along the way. He was constantly shifting and adjusting himself in the seat. It was with great relief that we finally got off Frazier and turned toward the freeway and the hospital.

Haynes was still shifting in his seat when we came to the red light just before the freeway. I was looking up at the red light and saw out of the corner of my eye a quick, jerking motion. I turned to see my hero gripping the car handle with one hand and clutching his chest with the other. His head was leaned back and his eyes began to roll back in his head. I wouldn't realize until several hours later that at this point, at the red light at Gladstell and the northbound feeder of I-45, Haynes had departed this life for the next.

In the days since, I've gone back over the events that happened around 7:15 PM on September 13th. I've come to believe that Haynes had an idea of what was happening to him. When I think about how he's had to struggle to do everything - from putting on his clothes, to getting in and out of a chair or their car to just walking across the floor to grab a bite to eat or prepare for bed, it is easy to find comfort in knowing that at that moment, in that place, the struggle was finally over.

She Never Meets A Stranger...Really!

Jessie has been talking about needing to exercise ever since she and Haynes moved here a year and a half ago. Mom's determination to remain active has been troublesome at times. 

A few weeks after they moved to Conroe, Jessie decided that she wanted to go for a walk and explore the neighborhood. Unfortunately, she wasn't too familiar with the neighborhood and got turned around within a couple of blocks away from our house. It didn't help that she had taken off about 30 minutes before dark, either. So, there she was, about a half-mile from our house, lost and in the dark. It just so happened that a "nice young couple" drove by and noticed that she looked confused. They stopped and asked her if they could give her a ride. They brought her home just as we were starting to search for her. She's gotten more familiar with the neighborhood since and before it started getting so hot, she would get out and walk nearly every evening.

Since March of this year, my family and I have started going to the local community recreation center to work out. Jessie wanted to see what the "Rec Center" was all about and went with us to take a "test drive" in the workout room. She decided to get her own membership and start going with us to exercise. Tonight was her first night.

It's often been said about Jessie that she's never met a stranger. Well, tonight it was literally proved true. Jessie finished her work out and was waiting for my wife and I to finish up. She struck up a conversation with a lady working out on a machine close by. In the course of conversation, they discovered they shared the same birthday. But, the fascinating part was that as they continued talking, Mom mentioned that she and Haynes had moved to Conroe from Malakoff, Texas. 

"Where?" the lady asked.

"Malakoff, Texas." Jessie replied.

"Well, I grew up in Malakoff, Texas and in Trinidad." She proceeded to tell of her family who lived in the Malakoff, Trinidad and Cross Roads area. She spoke of her grandparents who lived in Trinidad as well as her parents who are buried in the Trinidad Cemetery. She talked about attending the "Old Rock School" as a child, before she and her family moved to the Houston area for her dad's work. She said that she and her family have attended homecoming festivities in both Malakoff and Trinidad for years and only stopped going when less and less of their family were still in the area.

I couldn't believe it. But, then again, what did expect? The woman never meets a stranger!

To Victoria and Back

Haynes & Jessie spent the last 2 weeks in Victoria with my sister, Vicki, and her family. It's probably their longest stay away from home since the two have been married. They got to spend a lot of quality time with my sister and her family (mainly with their 3 great-grand kids). I picked them up in Victoria today. They were ready to come home. I'm not sure if they had too much fun with the kiddos or if they missed us and the dogs. Probably a little of both...

Trying to Keep Up

When I started this blog, I was expecting to write about stuff going on with Haynes & Jessie a lot more regularly than I have. The truth is, between keeping up with their activities and those of my kids, there's always a lot of things going on at any given time. They've gotten past the medical issues they had as a result of their respective falls.With the exception of the removal of a growth removed from Dad's arm in May, there have been no other doctors' office visits except for check-ups. BTW, the growth was benign, but, it was rather freaky looking. It's a good thing he went ahead and had it removed.

We first started talking to Haynes & Jessie about moving to Conroe with us nearly 8 years ago. At that time the kids were small and weren't attending public school. In those days, it seemed the kids were going to Malakoff at least once a month for a least a week at a time. But our kids started public school in 2005 and their visits to Malakoff began to be fewer and fewer. We started talking to them again about moving down in 2009 and one of the bigger selling points was that they could attend our kids' school activities as often as they wanted. Mom had her wreck just a matter of weeks after we had them down to discuss the move and that got everything in motion.

Haynes & Jessie moved a year ago in January and were in Conroe for the kids' spring semester of school, which was just in time for concerts and contests. However, in the last 3 months, there have been enough activities to possibly give them more than they bargained for.

In April, they got to return to Malakoff for LaVerne Perkins' birthday party. While they were in town, they got to visit one of their best friends, Sybil "Sister" Cook, who eventually passed away a few weeks later. They got to return to Malakoff for her funeral, which was more like attending a home coming celebration. They got to see friends they hadn't seen in years.

Danelle graduated from Southwestern Assemblies of God University a few weeks later and Haynes & Jessie got to ride up with Danelle and her sister, Janeen, to prepare for all the festivities. Haynes took a spill while getting in bed, the first night out of town, and hurt his thumb, but nothing more. He found out later that he had separated the thumb, but at least it wasn't broken. He still enjoys giving a firm handshake. It's taken a while, but his grip is improving again. On the way home, Haynes & Jessie stopped by to visit Haynes' sister, Cheno, in Flower Mound so he could experience some tough love from his beloved sister. It's alway nice to visit her - if anything but for the stories she has has on Dad from when they were kids. This time, she told about Dad getting his head stuck in the spokes of an old covered wagon. There was something about a mule and being thrown into that compromised position. It's a wonder that he or his siblings ever lived to see adulthood with some of the things they did as kids!

May is birthday month for Haynes & Jessie. This year was a milestone. Haynes turned 90 years old on May 19th and Jessie turned 82 on the 15th. Their grand daughters, Jessica and Bryleigh, also had birthdays in May , on the 15th and 17th, respectively. We had a special party for Haynes and Jessie in Longview on May 21st and got family together who hadn't seen each other in many years. The itinerary for that weekend was a killer and they endured it like champs.

Yesterday was another milestone. Our son, Christopher, had his high school graduation on the campus of Texas A&M University. Haynes & Jessie were there celebrating the milestone with us. It was a quite a day, but in the end, they were there and were a part of it.

In the next few months, our youngest daughter, Anna, will be preparing to attend high school, Chris will be leaving for college in Denton and Jessica will be attending summer school - among other activities and events we don't know about yet. Haynes & Jessie will be right there in the middle of it. All we have to do is just load them in the car. They'll be ready to go.

Can It Really Be March Already?

It's been several months already since I came up with the idea for this blog and no sooner than I did, life quickly got out of control.

Most of our family and friends know that Mom & Dad had one awful holiday season in 2010. Mom fell in the parking lot of her church one week before Thanksgiving and broke her right hip and wrist. No sooner had we gotten Mom home from the rehabilitation hospital in December, Dad took a spill of his own and broke his left hip. Our family spent both holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, in the same rehabilitation hospital. Nothing can be worse than being in one of those places during those holidays.

But, Mom & Dad improved and came home before the start of 2011. They both had in-home health coming several times per week on their arrival at home. Mom's therapy ended during the first couple of weeks in February. Dad is still getting therapy 2 to 3 times per week. Both have made remarkable recoveries, so much so that it almost seems like that the events of November and December never happened.

With their arrival at home, it was necessary to find new furniture for their apartment. They had been sleeping in a full-size bed since they moved in. But, after both of them broke a hip, it became necessary to get them separate twin beds. We also got them new chairs and other accommodations to help them get around the apartment a little easier.

There have been plenty of challenges for our family throughout the past few months. Now that both of my parents have gotten better, it's become necessary to keep tabs on them. They're both eager to prove that they are doing better. Sometimes their desire to do so cause them to attempt things that are dangerous and unwise.

Mom likes to go on walks and is having to learn that she needs to let someone know if she decides to go anywhere. She's gone walking a couple of times without telling anyone and both times has gotten lost and has been brought home by strangers. Somehow we can't seem to convince her that Conroe is a bit more dangerous than Malakoff will ever be. She also doesn't seem to understand how important it is for someone to know where she is - in the event of some kind of emergency. We have to continually remind her of this fact and it may yet take some time to convince her.

Dad does not like using a walker and wants to get back to walking with his cane. His therapists have told him and us that Dad will likely never be able to walk with anything but a walker, due to his issues with Parkinson's Disease and equilibrium. Yet, despite these issues, he insists that he is capable of being able to push our lawnmower and mow our entire yard. He also was told recently that he is in the beginning stages of Macular Degeneration, a condition that may well cost him his eyesight - should he live long enough for it to become more of a problem for him.

I'm a little surprised that I was able to surmise the past 4 1/2 months in these few paragraphs.There have been so many challenges and our family has struggled under the weight of the responsibility for them. But, here we are, on the other side of the adversity we experienced and we're enjoying life again. It's a testimony to the resilience and tenacity of these fine people. As is often said, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." In the case of my parents, Mom & Dad simply refuse to give up.

A Lot Can Happen In A Year

One year ago tonight I was in Malakoff, Texas getting things ready to go with my parents' move from Malakoff to their current apartment in Conroe. I had no idea how hectic and crazy that weekend would be. Christopher and I worked ridiculously hard that weekend. We could have used a whole other army of guys to go through everything in that house. We were both sore for weeks afterward. Once we got to Conroe, Mom told everybody who would listen how her life had become a whirlwind. Dad just seemed to take it all in stride. It's funny how quickly the time in between has passed. That weekend seems like just a few days ago.

In February, the only church that Mom & Dad attended while they lived in Malakoff gave them a grand send-off. That same month, they got to see their former pastors, Gaylord and Fredna Brown, who are now missionaries to Malawi, Africa and were able to attend their daughter, Shelby's wedding. Mom and Dad hadn't seen them since they left Malakoff in 2005.

In March, with the help of friends here in Conroe, we found them a new primary care physician, a nice young lady who likes to be called "Letty." She was the first "lady doctor" Dad had ever been to. On the first visit, Letty thoroughly examined both Mom & Dad and eventually referred Mom to a heart specialist. After a series of tests, the specialist referred Mom to another specialist in the field of arrhythmia and pacemakers. By the end of the month, Mom had her own pacemaker. It took her a while to get acclimated to the pacemaker, but once she did, she was acting more like herself since her wreck in 2009.

During the month of May, Dad got to take a trip along with 101 other World War II Veterans to Washington D.C. as part of the Lone Star Honor Flight organization out of Montgomery, Texas. A teacher at Montgomery Junior High learned that Dad was one of the "Battered Bastards of Bastogne" and insisted on Dad going on what would be the 5th and last Lone Star flight. On the day of the flight, it was all a grand spectacle. 3 charter buses received a full police escort from Conroe, TX to Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The Texas Honor Guard, motorcyclists who are also veterans themselves, also accompanied the motorcade down I-45. Inside the airports, airport employees and travelers stepped aside applauded the veterans as they passed through the halls. Upon our arrival in Washington, there was another escort, to and from the Washington Mall. Current servicemen stopped the aged veterans to salute them as they passed through the various monuments along the Washington Mall and to find out what branch of service they had served. I was so proud for all of them and for my dad. Each of the veterans seem to stand a little taller on the trip home. Dad still wears the commemorative hat he was given for the trip. It's been a conversation starter ever since. Not long after the flight, there was a gathering of participants of Lone Star Honor Flights 4 & 5. Each veteran received a plaque with a Congressional Citation for their service to their country during World War II.

In August, my folks got to experience the mayhem of the start of school with 3 teenagers. It was hard for Mom & Dad to keep up where everybody was or where they were going. Band practices. Choir practices. Pep Rallies. Football games. It seemed like something was going on every night. I tell them what was happening and ask if they wanted to come along. They always did. This was what I was peddling when I asked them about moving to Conroe with us in 2009. They were in the big middle of it all and doing their best to take it in stride. I'm sure it wasn't quite this busy back in Malakoff and they didn't mind one bit.

Football season was a long one for Montgomery this year. They advance to the state 4A Division 1 Quarter-finals. Mom & Dad attended a few games. Dad joined me and Christopher for possibly the coldest game of the year, the Bi-District Playoff Game in Conroe. Temperatures dropped into the 30's by game time with a stiff northerly wind. Had Dad known that it would have been that cold, he probably would not have agreed to go. At one point, he said it reminded him of Bastogne, only he wasn't hiding in a hole in the ground.

November was also a month of closure for everyone. The house in Malakoff had been on the market since June and in November we had a cash offer. None of us had ever sold a house, though. And we discovered that there were a lot of loose ends that needed to be tied up before the house could sell. But, with the help of a motivated buyer and closing agent, everything came together. We were able to finally breathe a sigh of relief - just in time to get ready for the holidays.

Mom & Dad were looking forward to the birth of their 11th grandchild in December and visiting my sister and her family in Victoria. However, a week before Thanksgiving, Mom suffered a fall and broke her wrist and hip. The hip wasn't a bad break and Mom began to get up and around shortly after her surgery. Her wrist was another story. So, when Mom went to the in-patient rehab, their doctor gave orders for Dad to accompany her so he wouldn't be by himself at home. Dad didn't get to stay as long as Mom did and eventually split his time between the rehab and in Victoria. Just 4 days after both Mom and Dad had finally returned home, Dad fell and broke his hip, 2 weeks before Christmas. So much for all our plans. We spent both holidays in a hospital room. What a way to celebrate a holiday! But, we made the most of it.

So, one year later, everyone is healthy again and life is getting back to normal. So much has happened over the last year. It's really cool that we got to be together through all of it.