Friends....Golden New Ones

Somedays just bring you joy...new joy....new friends....these are some of those blessings. My Gary connected with Ridgerunners' and purchased a plane. The company is awesome and the folks that run it are too. On our daughters' birthday December 14th, they delivered his "baby"....arrival at 4:30 pm...frame intact...ready for his hours of placing "fabric"...we totally connected and just knew we were friends that had alot in common right from the start! They had to get on the road to deliver another frame in NC and then head to the Biltmore .... they never made it to their destination. After the delivery of the 2nd frame it was getting late and he promised her that he would stop and they would sleep, "just a little bit later"...she snuggled down to sleep in the truck, seat belt in place. He drove on and was about to stop off at a motel on Rt 40, but he didn't make it. He drove off the road and the rest is history. God directed him after the accident to get "help" for his wife as soon as he could. He got himself up to the Interstate, but no one would stop to help him, even when he went across the road and back, waving his arm. He crawled back down the ravine to check on her and looked inside what was left of the truck, where she was trapped and spotted his cell phone. He dialed 911. God intervened and connected his cell phone to the area 911; it was programed for Boise, Idaho, their home, so, that was the first of many kind acts by God in their lives.
God blessed and brought them help and she was taken to Carolina Medical in Charlotte, NC; the "best" trauma hospital in the country. She has had a difficult time since that time. She had all but 2 of her ribs broken, a punctured lung, bleeding liver, bleeding brain, and as it turned out a broken back and broken left foot. She was on a ventilator for over a week, trached and then weaned. She is now on regular food; and doing PT. She is in a turtle shell brace since her back surgery last week and her left foot found broken when they tried to stand her up recently is in a soft shoe cast. She walked around some plastic bowling pins yesterday 2 times and picked them up off the floor also. She does suffer from dizziness yet and is slow on her feet, but she can walk and eat and communicate with her family. She smiled yesterday when we brought her a signature quilt to collect all her new friends and support staff autographs there and old friends and family when she returns home.
They are working on flying her home when she can sit up over 4 hours without increased pain. Her husband broke all his ribs on the right side and his story of how he crawled up a 50 foot ravine to get her help and returned to her to keep her responsive until the rescue got there, is truly another miracle. The flight nurse on board , just happened to be a Top 10 flight nurse, and knew exactly what she needed.
God blessed her with a devoted husband, a wonderful family and now an amazing journey of continued healing.
We went to see them yesterday and after her PT workout she wanted to get some fresh air before getting back in bed. She is amazing!!
Gary and I just began our journey with them and count it a sheer blessing to have them in our lives now and in eternity. God is so very good. Rejoice in your blessings daily! We were so glad to go see them yesterday before we head to our "new" to us home in Bloomington, Indiana. Quilted Blessings, Love, Karen

Friends....Golden Ones

Somedays just start right! Today I found a very special picture I want to share....my best friend and her family. She is blessed with 14 grandkids and I see some married grandkids already. We had so much fun growing up together. Her Aunt was my Moms' best friend growing up too, so we had so much in common due to that connection. As we grew up and got married (both to our High School sweethearrts), our families grew and seeing each other grew less. But, in our 20's we both found the Lord and then refound each other. In the early 90's she was in a terrible accident driving through the country in Illinois to a baby shower at their church. She was life flighted to Chicago and was in a coma for several weeks. She home schooled her 4 kids, was an excellent seamstress and always knew how to have fun. After she was able to come home, through many injuries and problems, she has continued to strive to be strong and gain strength in her life and living. She is amazing. She told me on the phone a couple years ago that God let her live so she could see all "these grandkids, Karen!".... God bless our brave friend in her journey! God Bless Rex, what a soul=mate who truly has been a faithful husband, Dad and Gramps. They just look so good together!!
Pray for us as we pack and move our things to Indiana, amazing how God provides, we have a house already to rent and jobs....be so good to be back nearer to family too.
Quilted Blessings! Karen

Travels of........Us

We have so enjoyed the time we have spent in Virginia. The mountains are breathtaking and always changing. We enjoyed the fall colors and then the rain even taking the leaves off the trees was fantastic. We found a great restaurant in Bedford, Virginia called Lynchburg Station; awesome food served in the old train station there. Night drives on the Blue Ridge when dear would appear at the side of the road on a steep curve...quietly standing there with the fall leaves falling down. I did not have my camera but that memory will always be implanted in our hearts of the Blue Ridge. God is calling us back to Indiana to live near our son and his family as he faces a giant in his life, kidney disease. God is in control of his journey as He is ours. God Bless you as you serve our living God daily. It is all that matters, really in this life....the way we handle His Love and His people that He has so meticulously put into our lives and journey.

Your Deer Stand Or Mine?

Take a good look......yep! it was up on the Blue Ridge Trail....yep...it is a barrel with a seat in it....I am NOT kidding!!!... Have a good week!!

Baby Black Bear

We got out today to do some hiking. We have 20 some trails near Lexington, along with the Blue Ridge Hwy Trails and overlooks and the Appalachian Trail is also nearby. We are blessed. I do need good hiking shoes though I found out today. Our golden Shiloh blazed the trail for us. Gary would hear the planes going over and would say, next year we will fly over the Blue Ridge! He can not wait!! For today though, we started with Whetstone Ridge Trail...the old pioneers actually used the stone there to sharpen their knives and axes, is the story. It is a 8 mile hike up and back; we knew we would only hike an hour up and an hour back today. Just to get started,maybe a total of 6-8 miles today. We met a family on the way. She raved over Shiloh, saying that she had a Golden just her color and size growing up...going by the name of Bridget. So, her kids wanted to pet Shiloh and then we offered to take their family picture with the Vista in the back...they almost had Shi join them in the picture. We talked a bit and her friend had just moved back to Carmel, Indiana and she was wanting to take her kids to see them there. We laughed and said, we had just moved from 2 hours north of that area. Small World. We did enjoy our hike to the Utmost! Seeing Gods' creation and enjoying the views along the way. Driving back to Waynesboro to check out our old neighborhood, we stopped and had a huge meal of Haddock and trimmings at Cracker Barrel (hey!! we worked up an appetite on those mountain trails!)....a baby Black Bear!!lumped across the road in front of our VW; all by himself!! A first for us. Of course, I did not have my camera out to grab the moment! But it was pretty cool!! That was our Sunday. Orienting again tomorrow, so I better get our scrubs ready and head for bed soon; 5:30am comes early. Great sunrises though. So, we did have a great day.... exploring. Quilted Blessings!!! Kari

Catching Up!

Just a few pictures from our Cabin in Indiana. We had wonderful sunsets and sunrises as we got the cabin finished. Just the little touches here and there. The family that God provided to rent the cabin were a God-sent. They are now making plans to purchsase the property in the future, depending on the banks; as is everyone's delemia these days. We have moved to Virginia and really love the area. We were busy unpacking and such when we first got here along with our new jobs at the local hospital. So, today we actually got to go hiking. It was amazing. Enjoy the pictures. They speak for themselves. Quitled Blessings! Kari

Where oh where did the summer months go...oh where oh where could they be?.....

Where did the summer go? I bet there are alot of families wondering that right now....running to get school supplies after spending time finding clothes on sale for their kids first days at school. There is always a bit of anticipation in their pitter-pattering hearts before that fist eventful day of school. But, alas, it does not last long and soon the haggard looks of over-crammed minds for tests and essays to complete take over their little souls...the older ones focusing on their favorite sports or past times with friends along with school.
Even for us, we ask...Where did all the time go?...this summer....sweet Gary and I ask each other...ours went again into working on our cabin, finding work as nurses in Virginia, a rental in Virginia, and then having God give us renters for the Indiana cabin....then MOVING to Virginia in a tremendously HOT heat wave...but since it is called a heatwave I guess we can conclude it would be Hot....ok, it is late. I just thought I would catch our journey up a bit.
We did start our work at the local small hospital. It will be great to work in a community where people care about each other, and caring for those that are hurting right now with medical needs at the free clinic or nourishment at the food pantry. I will share pictures later, the upload is not working .......

God bless and Quilted Blessings, Kari