Busy Summer

biCan't believe it has been over three months since I last updated my blog. If you look back, I used to update it every few days.  It's not that I don't have plenty of interesting things going on to share, but I guess I'm just too busy to take a few minutes more often to write them down here.  For that, I apologize.  So, time to get you all caught up.

In May 2012...

Clinicals had just wrapped up... and we were preparing for final exam week... followed by about three weeks off of school.... but Josh was still in school til June.

Me in my scrubs

 My mom had been having trouble with the air conditioner in her car, so my sister sold it for her and my mom and I picked her out a new (used) car.  She really liked it alot.

My mom in her new (used) car

but just 8 days later (days before Mother's Day)... some city workers didn't notice my mom turning onto a street, and they slammed right into her driver's side!  My mom was very blessed, though, that she was not injured.

The city of Schertz workers in that white truck hit my mom's new car on the driver's side

nobody could get the driver's side door to open, so my mom had to climb out the passenger's side

 Early the next week, we were able to get my mom into a rental car while the city and their insurance folks worked on getting my mom's car repaired.  But that took well over a month!



Josh participated in Special Olympics Track and Field and got two gold medals!

 James helped put on his company's Truck Rodeo.. Josh, Steff, Logan and I stopped off after church that day to have lunch with them.  (we didn't take any pictures of the event this year)


Josh and the youth at our church raised money for camp by holding fundraisers like this car wash.

Workin' at the Car Wash!

Josh got bit by mosquitoes one night, and decided to put some cream on the bites.  We bought something called blue star ointment.  Minutes later, we discovered Josh is highly allergic to something in that ointment.

Learned the hard way Josh is allergic to this stuff

that ointment caused big whelps all over his arms and legs

ouch! big, feverish whelps!

James decided he needed a project around the house, so he put in a beautiful tile back splash in the kitchen.

 

 And of course, we spent time (usually on the weekends) with my grandson, Logan (who is 2 and a half now)

Josh and Logan

We even took Logan, along with my Mom and Amanda to the Austin zoo for a visit.

In June 2012......

As I started back for summer classes, Josh got a break from school.... and he went with his nurses on the beginning of his summer vacation trips..... first to Callendar Lake in East Texas

Nurse Francisco "Cisco" Ramos and Josh

Josh and his group of nurses, Shirley, Francisco and Nancy

"Pump my gas, Josh"

And Josh got some driving lessons.... he did pretty good, too!

Shirley's uncle, Chris and Josh

Nurse Shirley and Josh

Josh and his nurses next traveled to Corpus Christi, and while there, they visited a beauty school. Josh wanted his hair spiked and to have some blue put in the tips (like he'd had done before - with a little hair gel that barely showed up in his dark hair).  Well, they didn't quite understand what he meant, and they had run out of blue hair dye.  He looked so disappointed, they told him they did have some other colors.  So, he picked out his second favorite color - red.  And boy, did he get his hair dyed red!!!  Check it out:

After the hair dye job, Josh and buddies went and hung out on the beach and sight seeing... so much summer fun~!

For father's day, we decided to take my dad's cremated remains and spread them at a place that was very close to his heart, Lake Corpus Christi.

My dad's final resting place - Lake Corpus Christi, TX

Josh and me after spreading my dad's ashes

My mom and Josh at Lake Corpus Christi

My sister, Amanda at Lake Corpus Christi

We also decided to have some fun in Corpus over father's day weekend..  We found that the Circus was in town, and my mom, sister and I decided to go see it.

Here is a video someone else took from the same circus when it traveled to Miami... looked alot like this, though in Corpus:

And if we're near water, you know we're gonna try our luck at fishing....

James and I marked our 18th wedding anniversary in June.

And my mom, Josh and I participated in our church's Vacation Bible School.

In July 2012.....

I spent most of the month taking my summer classes, even started an online health course to ensure I was taking a full load (to qualify for my financial aid)... but we had visitors and lots of activity at home, too.

My Uncle Donny, Aunt Mardi and cousin, Chelsea came to visit for July 4th week.

We watched fireworks in New Braunfels



 then we went back when the park wasn't quite so busy... to take the kids for a ride on the train

We visited a mission in San Antonio... very beautiful     

 

Chelsea, Josh and Nurse Brad went with the youth from our church to watch a Missions baseball game

Chelsea, Josh and his nurses went to church youth camp at Alto Frio... it was Josh's first time to get to go to church camp... and he was so very excited!

We had an addition to the family, so to speak.... a kitten showed up on our doorstep and stuck around... James was playing with it and somebody asked him "What did you name him?" and he replied "not mine"... We all said that was a sad name for a cat :)  We're still trying to agree on his name... but anyway, he is a cutie

The grandson of the couple I used to take care of got married this month, and the family asked me to come help take the couple to the wedding.  I did and took this picture of the family all together following the service

In August 2012....

I wrapped up my summer classes and we went on an actual family vacation.... to the Tyler, TX area.
We stayed with friends and nurses.  Here we are wearing our party hats for game night.

 James and I slept in a borrowed motor home.  It was really nice!

 

 We did some fishing... of course we took the nurses out with us, so they could watch over Josh's medical needs.

and the guys even got to go out with a local fishing guide who also happens to be a reporter for a local paper called the Frankston Citizen.  The guide/reporter's name is Jim Beggerly. He said he was going to write a story on Josh for their paper. It should be coming out later this week.  Anyway, he took the guys out to catch some catfish at Lake Palestine.

We also visited a freshwater fish hatchery in Athens, TX.... very cool.

In Tyler, we went to the Caldwell Zoo.....

the Rose Garden....

The America Freedom Museum....

and Tyler State Park..

and we are now less than a week away from the start of our fall semester in school for both Josh and me.  This is the beginning of my second and final year of respiratory school!!