Tuesday June 30

John had an eventful day! This morning, physical therapists put him back in the chair. This thing is pretty fancy and starts off as a gurney so they just slide him onto it and then they adjust it until he is sitting upright. Up until today, John needed some pillows around his head and was unable to hold his head up straight without assistance. But today, he was holding his head up and eating lots of goodies. He was so alert while he was sitting up that Holly got permission to wheel him outside! This chair has a seatbelt and swivel wheels which makes it really maneuverable. They sat outside together and Holly said he seemed to really enjoy it. They were under the overhang by the ambulance entrance and there are some woods back there so she figures John was probably trying to spot some wildlife.

When I went to hang out with John this afternoon, Holly mentioned that he had moved his hands and one of his feet earlier in the day when she asked him to. So far, he has been unable to do that on command. When I got there and it was just him and me I was sitting in a chair close to his bed and talking to him and I said, "John, high five me", and he moved his hand in an effort to comply! I had some tears well up and told him how proud I was of him trying so hard to communicate, eat and come back to us.

Later this afternoon, John's mother Paulette arrived with some homemade food for John. She is an amazing cook and has been cooking and putting together a variety of ingredients to bring to him. Today she had made homemade vegetable soup (her green beans are John's favorite!) and a fruit smoothie and John seemed excited to see her. The hospital staff is heartened to see John eating soft foods and drinking lots and figure if anything will help his kidneys shift into high gear, this is the right recipe! Evidently, while IV fluids help, the body really reacts well to swallowing fluids and processing them that way. Also, they let us know that John sometimes tries to talk to them as well which is a good thing. At some point, hopefully we will get to a place of understanding each other's communication but in the meantime, I think there is no doubt that John knows he is loved and extremely well-cared for and most importantly he is safe. Hopefully, he will begin to feel more and more comfortable in our safe place and he will be able to leave his and join us again. That will be an amazing and miraculous reunion!

Monday June 29

The above picture was taken over the Easter weekend. John's brother Hudd (on the left) is known for his amazing steaks. Well, I had been hearing about these steaks for the past decade but for some reason I was either out of town, had a scheduling conflict or possibly not invited for this culinary event until that glorious day in April when the phone rang and I won the lottery! Well, the steak lottery that is, and I got invited to have the world-renowned, steak by Hudd. I must say that it was everything I had dreamed about and more. The seasoning was perfect, it was juicy and cooked to perfection. I tried in vain to ply Hudd with beer or begging to obtain his secret recipe, but it was to no avail! I think the above photo clearly shows John trying to steal the magic recipe from his brother but it also shows a typical time of the two of them hanging out and enjoying each other's company. Tonight, Hudd was at the hospital with John and he gave the report that John ate some soup, ice chips, some diet coke and probably a couple of things I don't remember. It wasn't Hudd's steak and it wasn't a backyard bar-b-que, but the Harris brothers were together and enjoying each other as usual.

Earlier today, Holly brought John some sherbet, mashed potatoes and soda and although he was receiving dialysis, this did not seem to curb his apetite. We simply cannot wait for the time when John is able to lift that fork or spoon on his own, but in the meantime, we are really happy that he is enjoying some of the treats presented to him.

Sunday June 28

Sometimes in our lives things get cluttered. We worry about work or our house or cars or finances and we begin to focus on things which seem paramount to our existence. Then something happens which brings us to present or makes us realize that the things we felt so important even the day before aren't so prominent and really aren't all that significant in the big picture. I get to come home at night and enjoy a quiet meal or perhaps work on tasks that need to be accomplished but always have my phone handy just in case I need to be contacted. I'm not sure I did this before and I am old enough to remember the days before cellular telephones and somehow we made it work. I am remembering the first frantic phone call from Holly when she told me that, "They are doing CPR on John and you need to come now", and I remember asking her where to go and her telling me a hospital on Huffmeister and 290 and somehow knowing where to guide my car. I am grateful for the technology and her ability to contact me so quickly and felt again reassured when I received a similar phone call the next morning. Now, I don't do anything without my phone in my pocket and no longer put it to silence mode or even vibrate mode for fear that I might miss a phone call or a distress signal. I am not looking for flares or smoke signals but at the same time, I don't rest easy and know that at any time I might need to get in my car and get to John and Holly fast or respond like an EMS unit and I am ready to do so.

Today, John continues to do the things we have hoped for. He ate an entire container of Jello and is drinking quite regularly from a straw and forming some words. Holly spent the majority of the morning with John and then went to worship at her church. She then returned to the rehabilitation center and spent more time with John and his mom in his room. In the meantime, Honeygal and I went to the store and bought mine and Holly's favorite meal, snow crab, and brought it home to cook and Holly returned home later in the evening. I noticed that she also cannot be far from her phone and the possibility of triage of events which might occur if needed. She cannot relax and feel comfortable coming home without leaving a barrage of instructions for family members and staff and it helps when she gets updates from both parties.

It seemed so apparent to me today and previously that the reality that what our daily lives has been, inexorably and infinitely changed on June 2, 2009. It's hard to imagine that we rapidly approach the four week mark because I must say that it seems so much longer in some ways and also unbelievable that it's only been a month in other ways. Today, we were able to reflect on the past several weeks events and although it must seem unbelievable to those of you reading this who know John, it is equally unbelievable to us. We strive for understanding and for acceptance in this situation and hold our phones close as a way to try to have control over the uncontrollable.

I made a huge mistake today while at Holly's house which I feel compelled to confess. Holly and I were sitting in their front yard on the tailgate of her truck and I noticed that the flag pole which I mentioned previously here on the blog was leaning. Well, in my fervor to try to fix it I actually snapped it at the base which then caused me to fall flat on my butt in the wet grass and then do a sort of stop, drop and roll maneuver to get out of the way of the falling pole! I should mention that the pole is aluminum and probably wouldn't have hurt but I guess my reactions got the best of me. I must also say that this caused Holly to laugh so hard I thought she might cry or worse but it was that laugh that leaves you unable to speak or even form complete sentences and was completely warranted! I broke flag protocol because the United States flag actually did land on my foot and probably the ground too but I promise I jumped up and grabbed it as quickly as possible. Turns out that John felt obliged to bury it in about 40 inches of concrete...thank you to neighbors Johnathon and Jeff for digging out the quickcrete and fixing the lawn! Johnathon's tennis shoes will never be the same but it was a pure cause and he was fast to offer a hand to take care of the problem.

Tomorrow begins a new week of a fury of doctors and therapists coming in to see John. He will probably undergo dialysis but considering it has been a couple of days since his last session and the fact that he is now drinking more on his own, we hope that his kidneys will start doing more on their own. We are hoping that soon John might be released from ICU which might indicate a level of stability that we have not seen so far. He has been extremely susceptible to infection and other problems throughout but we hope that he will continue to progress in strength medically and physically and so far we have seen nothing to contradict this. We remain guarded, cell phones handy and know that each and every person out there who knows and loves John is hoping and praying unabashedly for his full recovery and we are doing the same.

Saturday June 27

The amount of time Holly has spent with John coupled with her constant coaxing has really paid off. Today, John began drinking from a straw consistently and even ate some ice chips early this morning. She had me on speaker phone as she got him to do this for the first time and we cheered! I told him that I loved him over the phone and he said something which could not be construed as anything but I love you too. Holly was standing next to him too so I didn't imagine it. There are times when we question ourselves...did he really just say that or is he trying to say this. We hope that we are getting it right most of the time. Holly also has been working with him to show reaffirmation of his answers by closing his eyes for, "No" or looking a certain way to let her know that he understands what she is asking him. I must tell you that these steps, minute though they may seem, give us perseverance and keep us constantly trying to figure out how to tackle the next challenge. Therapists continue to work with him as well but it is obvious that Holly being there day in and day out and being so close to John for so many years has enabled her to communicate with him on a whole different dimension. It is really amazing to see in person. This afternoon she went to Church's chicken and picked him up some mashed potatoes which he enjoyed three large bites of. Sometimes he takes a moment to begin chewing but when he does you cannot help but smile big!

We know that his brain was without oxygen and although we don't know how long, we have seen signs of the fact that he is trying to come back to us. Sometimes I feel that I am repetitious when I say these things but there have times when we get frustrated with his progress and about that time he does something fantastic. We have no basis for comparison in this regard except for our day-to-day observations and the fact that we see huge progress from even a week ago. None of us has been in this situation or known someone who has been through what John has. Our friends tell us of people they know and miraculous recovery and we wait with baited breath for the same to happen for John but the thing is...it already is. The daily things that he does and the fact that his eyes are clear as day teach us the level of patience we need. His movements and at times his voice speak to us and tell us to wait for him. We feel him and although it is obvious that this will be a long, slow journey...it's John's journey and we are grateful to be a part of it. And we will wait for him.

Friday, June 26

The following is a true story bearing a striking resemblance to events occurring on or around June 25, 1993. Please note that any relation of characters to true people is absolutely intended however the recall of events is limited until John has the full ability to reply and/or refute information! I am quite sure that he will have additions to portrayal of events and I cannot wait to hear them!

To preface the story below, there is some information you need to know. Holly and John and I went to middle and high school together. John was a grade below us, so while we knew of him at the time, we didn't actually "know" him. Linette also went to school with us and she was friends with John then, and after high school, and she and Holly were friends but in separate circles if that makes sense.

So, as fate would have it, Linette and Jim decide to marry and John and Holly were both invited to the rehearsal dinner and wedding and re-met and began dating and the rest is history! Today marks Linette and Jim's 16th wedding anniversary and the 16th year of Holly and John being together. John and Holly would later marry on November 1, 1997.

The story goes that as John was driving to the wedding he was passed by a vehicle (speeding of course) driven by a cute redhead. He tried to speed up to her to get a better look and soon realized that not only were they headed to the same destination, it was Holly Moynahan from high school. Holly was equally surprised and delighted by the striking man John had become. At that time, it had been about 6 years since high school and they hadn’t seen each other or even lived in the same city.

So later, they left the wedding and drove to Boerne, Texas to Holly's parent’s house. The next morning when I asked who's silver ford probe was parked in front of the house (a bit askew and fairly far from the curb) Holly replied, “John Harris”, with a smile. My only response was, "THE John Harris"?? The short, pesky kid who was cute but taunted and joked all the time with his year older fellow schoolmates? And about that time, not short, non pesky, buff, 6'2" John walked into the room and I too was floored by his change in appearance. We must have graduated and moved on and then the kid shot up and he seemed huge and larger than life to me!

Of course, the teasing hasn’t stopped and all of us have a story of something he has said which made us laugh to the point of crying. I can’t wait to hear his distinctive laugh again and I look forward to 16 more years and more of being his sis-in-law.

Rather than trying to badly recapitulate the email that Linette sent me yesterday, I am just posting it here:

Just thought I'd share the attached pictures. The first is one of my favorites of Holly & John; the second is a picture that Holly took at my 40th birthday party on Feb 21 . In true "John" fashion, he gave me a "50th" birthday card to poke fun at my OLD AGE! But, he also wrote a sentimental note inside about our friendship. We are like the brother/sister that neither of us had! He said he was looking forward to spending our 50th, 60th, 70th, and 80th birthdays together. I pray that's in God's plan. Back in April John sent me the attached video (see below). The video really moved me and so I kept it. I've been re-playing it in my mind ever since I saw John in the ICU. I believe in my heart that John is going to FINISH STRONG. He's a fighter and his FAITH will prevail--especially with the love of his life and her twin sister right beside him every step of the way!!!

Please rub John's head for me and give each other a hug!

Linette



I wanted to make a note that we have added a section to the right for donations. Some have asked about giving money, blood donations, etc. so hopefully this will streamline that process.

I would be remiss in not mentioning the love and support Kara Siegel has provided to our family and especially me during this time. This blog is my first attempt and without her daily help and her extensive computer skills, there is no telling how or if this blog would get done.

Thursday June 25

The top photo is of John (cool John, that is) at his nephew RayRay's baseball game. Below that is a picture of niece Sydney, Holly, RayRay and John at RayRay's birthday party.

I had the awesome opportunity to spend some time with John today at the hospital and it was an eventful day. Early this morning, John received some physical therapy which included putting him into a chair. Seeing him sit upright was really great and his eyes were wide with excitement when they put him in this position. Soon after, the surgical team came in and took him to place his dialysis port in a different area. This is a really good thing because the the original port was appearing blocked and might have been part of the reason he was needing dialysis so frequently. Additionally, John's hemoglobin dropped a bit so they will also be giving a unit of blood back to him from a generous donor. Hopefully this will strengthen him and also boost his immune system.

Susan left a huge batch of candy with me with explicit instructions to place it in John's room. She has been in a similar situation and said that the candy jar brought all kinds of attention to her loved one and made staff ever-present in his room. We have already seen the effects of this and the entire ICU area knows about this new development and has been taking advantage of it. She also brought some European lip balm which smells like fresh oranges and is helping to keep John's lips soft and supple! We are consistently amazed with the creative ideas people present who might have been in a similar situations or simply care so much.

With some coaxing from Holly, John was able to eat some applesauce and pudding today. She puts it on his tongue and soon after he closes his mouth and swallows. I know this seems like a simple thing but he is really enjoying the different flavors and every mouthful seems to feel like a surprise to him. She plans to bring a Big Red soda to him tomorrow (high on his list of favorite drinks) and he seems to enjoy the texture and variety of drinks and foods he is given. Once again, it seems simple but to see him close his mouth and swallow seemed unimaginable less than a week ago.

Not to get too preachy here but some really valuable information has come to us in this process which I really feel compelled to share the following links (Click on the organization in grey for the link):

The American Heart Association provides training (locally wherever you are) in CPR and cardiac problem recognition:

American Heart Association

We know that the time we spend with John currently is largely because of Holly's quick response coordinated with CPR including rescue breathing and chest compressions. There are also many stores, malls, and other places of gathering which have the AED devices which are explained on this site and you can receive training with them too. Holly had annual CPR training as a flight attendant and it is apparent that these skills kicked in when John needed it. She also received help from Monica who quickly called EMS and started compressions. It is hard to imagine having to perform CPR on a loved one but this gives them the opportunity for survival.

The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Bank supplies area hospitals and trauma centers with a quality assured, type-specific blood supply. It turns out that each day, they must collect 1,000 units to serve the Houston area alone, and each donation can help up to three people who need it:

Give Blood

There are also blood centers in every major city and most hospitals will accept blood donations.

Wednesday June 24 evening

Tonight, as I was driving home, I noticed that the moon was just a sliver. It could be perceived as a smiley face or upside down slight semi circle but it reminded me of the time we were all in Galveston together and it looked the same. I remember remarking to John later in the evening as he was cooking the most amazing dinner how pretty the moon was and he agreed. Some people think that a full, bright moon is pretty but to us that night there was something spectacular in the lack thereof. There is a picture below of that trip and we went to watch John and his niece, Sydney, kayak in the surf. I think it is pretty great that in the picture, there are so many seagulls around John waiting for some food as if they know how generous he is when it comes to feeding the animals! Also, he and Sydney really had a great time and I've included the picture above of them after they paddled in. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk to John's brother and he remarked that he felt selfish and I agreed that we want more chances to kayak, fish or just spend time with John and we hope that we are on the right path to make that happen. Sometimes the simple things bring us to present and make us realize that we should stop waiting and just do.

Today, Holly took the second (and oldest) of the three Boston Terriers, Harley to the hospital to see John. Harley is a bit more hyperactive and as such, they allowed him to walk around the room. I must say that John's room has a sliding glass door so it wasn't as if he was free but soon, the primary care physician came in. Holly was talking to the doctor and Harley slipped out and made it down to the nurses station! They were relieved that he didn't run into somebodies room but it's a decent jaunt down to the nurses station. Holly figured out he was missing in action and gathered him up but I'm sure the little guy was just trying to check up on the nursing staff and bark them into shape and make sure they knew just how much John is loved. And the good news is that they were happy to see him too!

John had dialysis today and although it was busy, he did love some soda Holly gave him and instead of trying to get him to say Holly, they started with, "Hol", and he said it twice while she and Honeygal were there. Tomorrow, I will be able to spend some time with John and give Holly some well-needed respite time. As far as updates, what we can say is that the primary care physician showed great surprise at John's progress as Holly demonstrated the ability to give him something to drink and to give her a kiss. While their job is to anticipate the worst, it is our job to show them who John is and what he is capable of until they get to know him for themselves.

Wednesday June 24 Midday

A few more pictures:







The above is a Christmas (hence the festive sweaters) photo of Holly and John's beloved Boston Terriers!

Some photos...

These are some miscellaneous family pictures...
Top...John, Holly, their niece Sydney their nephew RayRay and Hudd
Middle...John, Holly, and Tanya (Hudd's girlfriend)
Bottom...well, pretty sure you know these two!!

Tuesday June 23

This photo was taken this morning as Holly arrived at the hospital for operation sneak Haley in! I must say that the staff had approved it but we still tried to keep it a bit of a secret that we were bringing her in. After all, some people (who aren't friends of ours!) think dogs are dirty so we tried to keep it under wraps (literally!).

Some pretty amazing things have happened today and I couldn't hardly wait to get home and get to typing.

This morning, when I arrived at the hospital, John's eyes were wide open and at times he seemed like he was trying to mouth words. I told him that I knew that he was trying to talk to us and started asking him to say words. I would say, "John, say Melanie", and he seemed to mumble something similar to my name. I really thought I was imagining this but then his mom asked him to say mom and he gave a big yawn and on his exhale, said mom as if these tasks were too easy and I have to tell you that Paulette and I looked at each other in disbelief while at the same time fighting tears and chills. We tried a few more words and the consistency was not perfect but he impressed us with saying Hudd (his brother Raymond's nickname). Of course, when Hudd arrived he would do no such thing but then Hudd and Paulette stepped out of the room I said, "John, say Hudd" and sure enough, clear as day, he did. Unfortunately he did not repeat this behavior when I went running out to get Hudd to show him. This would be typical of John teasing us so I think there is some indication that his fiesty and funny personality is very much in there. I must say that while his responses are delayed at times and sometimes require more than one prompt, it is truly a privelege to see him trying to form words. He follows our voices with a great deal of frequency (too much so to think it a coincidence) and sometimes gives us a smile when we ask him to. He also loves to give Holly and his mom kisses and will pucker up with little or no prompting.

We were elated with this progress and while it may not seem like much, it is light years ahead of where he was even a few days ago.

I just received a message from Holly that he is taking sips of water from a cup and swallowing within 3 seconds. This is also miraculous because so far, his swallowing has been intermittent at best thus necessitating the feeding tube and IV fluids. In the past few days, the treatment team showed Holly how to use a straw to put droplets of water on his tongue and try to get him to swallow but up until tonight he has been unable to do so.

Each of these events brings us such joy and such happiness. I am trying to write this with guarded enthusiasm but I also have strived to be blatantly honest here and by golly when something good happens, I want those who love him to know all about it.

Tuesday June 23

There have been a lot of questions about what a Honeygal is or looks like so I felt obliged to post this picture of me and her taken at Christmas time! If you look closely you can see her halo! She has been so fantastic to all of us and we just would be lost right now without her! Her name is actually Carolyn but Honeygal is the name that her sister (our mom, Annette) gave her when she was born and it stuck.

Tuesday June 23

I received this photo from John's friend Edward Raine and it came with a great story about John being fun to work with! I would like to mention that if you happen to have a photo of John that merits posting, please email it to me!

Monday June 22

I've recently (last night!) learned to add pictures to the blog so i will be adding as many as possible from now on. I think it's really important to visually remind ourselves daily of the virile, life loving, passionate person John is and I have been able to find some photos which I think illustrate these aspects of his personality. The above photo was taken the weekend before he had his heart attack. His brother, Raymond is on the left and their mom, Paulette is in the middle. I didn't know that John's color is orange but then again, I haven't seen him in many colors that don't favor him! He even looks good in whichever hospital gown he might me donning on a given day.

There haven't been many substantive changes in John's condition. He does have his eyes open and seems to respond to voices somewhat but not on command. He also brings his hands up toward his torso and sometimes does the same with his feet and his head. A hundred physicians could evaluate John and give a hundred diagnosis but the bottom line is, when it comes to the brain there are no certainties. We look at this as a positive and hope that his brain is staying in his "safe place" for as long as necessary. His kidneys continue to falter in that they are consisitently unable to remove the necessary amount of impurifications from his blood to not require dialysis. For John, the dialysis provides a necessary and life sustaining force which does not cause pain and is done at his bedside.

Holly has negotiated with hospital staff and it looks like John might be receiving a special canine visitor soon. Each night when Holly gets home the dogs run to her and smell her and they know she has been with John and you can just see the envy in their eyes. Holly and John have three Boston Terriers, Haley, Harley and Gracie and I'm pretty sure each of them is chomping at the bit to give John some licks. The other picture above was taken the same day as the one aforementioned one and is of them with Paulette's Boston, Chanel (like the perfume!) I should mention that there are few family events occurring which do not require a veritable portfolio of dog pictures as well as people photos...they are our family members and they are treated as such.

I want to say how appreciative we are of the respect and support you all have shown for Holly and the family during this time. Holly is able to spend concentrated, uninterrupted time with John without feeling stressed about returning calls and emails and I gather up information from her or other family members or personal observation and present it here. I continue to give you my word that as updates occur, they will appear here first! We have come to realize that we may need to wait a bit for John. Sort of like waiting on a delayed flight of someone you absolutely cannot wait to see. All I can say is that he can stay in his holding pattern as long as he needs to and we will sit patiently on the chairs in the airport near the luggage carousel. Anxious for what we might say or how tightly we will hug him when he comes through that gate from whatever fantastic jouney he might be on.

Sunday June 21

Today, we all felt a bit tearful and reminiscent about John and his current situation. While we wait for him to be better, we also remember all of the great things he has brought into our lives. Recently, when I graduated from The University of Houston with my Masters in Social Work, he and Holly were there and he and I took a picture together. He put his hand around my waist and squeezed me so hard and told me that he was proud of me and he told me that he cried when I traipsed down the aisle in the regalia. John would make funny faces during pictures and at times it was frustrating because we wanted the pictures to show how handsome he is but he seemed to know that the most important thing is that we were together and having fun. I remember wincing and telling him OWWWW like only a sister to a brother could do (like in this picture) and that is exactly how he wanted it. Sometimes he would cross his eyes or be the clown but I believe that he simply did not enjoy being the subject of pictures or of adoration. So, here is the picture I speak of taken May 16, 2009 which seems like such a long time ago. I saw this picture for the first time today and while it made me sad in one way it also made me laugh because of the side comments he made to me that day!

Now, he is the focus of our love and he is the center of attention and at some point he will probably balk at all the concentration on him but we are willing to accept any and all comments he might have about that and everything else. We miss talking to him and his amazing sense of humor and his laugh and we anxiously wait for the time when he comes back to us. I personally want to take another picture with him and will welcome his bruising grasp! The bottom line is that we miss our John but we also know that this is a lengthy process and we will wait as long as needed. He would do the same for us.

In the next few days, more physicians will evaluate and test him and he will receive therapy and care which will hopefully nurture him along in his healing process. We should also know more about what will happen with his new dialysis port and other mechanical things but in the meantime, please know that we feel every prayer and tear and know that John is receiving the most love and prayers and the best medical attention possible.

Saturday June 20

Sometimes, we try to reach for the appropriate analogy to use when talking about this situation with John. My favorite one lately is that this is more like an Ironman Triathlon than a hundred yard dash. I personally have not participated in a full triathlon but I can tell you that my feelings of wanting to complete a marathon at 40 years of age have subsided! We are past the initial sensation of waiting on the edge of our seats to rush out of the house for some emergency event but at the same time, we don't rest easy and times of actually feeling that sense of being able to take a deep breath or relax are rare. I am not sure that any words are appropriate to express the constant anguish, worry and downright frustration we feel at times. I must say that these plateaus are difficult on everyone and particularly Holly. She maintains a positive and faithful attitude and a love for John that is absolutely unparallelled. Obviously, this situation is not one that statistically any of us accessing this blog will ever realize with our spouse, but it has become our reality. We grapple with the meaning of this and cannot understand why such a great guy must go through this but at the same time, we are concentrated on his care and while he might not be quite as responsive as we would like, will maintain the constant vigil and really appreciate all of the kindness and words of support in all forms we receive on a daily basis.

John had dialysis today and the physicians would like to move his port for this procedure soon. Their feeling is that he might receive more effective treatment if this line was new. The port line that is currently being used is one that he has had since his hospital stay. We know that with his kidneys are not functioning properly, and because of this, his responses might be cloudy and we want to give him every chance to remove any residual toxicity in his blood.

I have to tell you about something great that happened during this process. Unbeknownst to us, John had rented a house in Galveston to celebrate Holly's (and mine because we are twins) 40th birthday in early July. By the way, Holly is 3 minutes older than me! He only told those on the periphery about this rental and it was quite a trick to figure out where the house was and it was absolutely the most thoughtful thing ever. I really hope that at some point we will take that trip to Galveston and John and I will fish and fry up the catch later but I still smile when I think about the level of thoughtfulness and love that John gave when he planned our special weekend. There have been so many times over the years when John has done things for us and I hope that he hears us when we talk and let him know that it is our turn to do for him. We are here to facilitate his 40th birthday on November 13 and I think we might just try to rent that same beach house. I would love the opportunity to feel the sand between our toes and the smell of the salty air together.