Adventures of the Nolan Family

I’m hanging in there with my goals!

I’m not back to where I was in the first few weeks of the New Year, but I’m hanging tough and not letting go.

Here’s a brief update:

1. Bake on Mondays 

Well, yes and no. Goal met thanks to Abbey.

I didn’t bake anything, but we had friends from CT staying with us and this amazing pie was made in my kitchen, so as far as I’m concerned, it counts!

The photo was taken before the pie went in the oven and it tasted even better than it looked. Great job, Abbey!

Amazing apple pie made by my Jr BFF Abbey

2. Sweets on Weekends ONLY

Starting today I’m going to do much better with this goal.  Sweets on weekends only!

No excuses, no exceptions.

3. Daily read one chapter from the book of Proverbs.

I need to be more faithful with this goal.

4. Listen to the whole Bible on my iPod.

So far I’ve completed:

NT: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans (x’s 2), 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1,2 & 3 John, Jude, Revelation

OT: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy,Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles (up to verse 12).

5. Exercise 3 times per week – NO excuses!

VICTORY!  I exercised 6 times last week – I can scarcely believe it.

This is just shy of a walking on water category miracle, so I’m guessing someone is praying for me. No way was I that faithful with my exercise on my own…NO WAY!

So, I’ll thank you, my faithful friend in prayer, and ask you to keep up the good work

I’ve been doing 30 minutes of a dumbbell workout DVD (Joyce Vedral – Building Better Bones) and then walking two miles wearing a weighted vest and holding light dumbbells.

We had a house filled with company last week and I still exercised each day.  Even I was amazed!

6. Lose 10 pounds this year.

One more pound to get back to where I was at the start of 2012.  Then I’ll start working on the ten for this goal, hopefully making up for some lost time.

7.  Memorize the Westminster Confession of Faith – Shorter Catechism

All glory to God, I’ve successfully memorized Q & A 1 – 51 and I’m stuck in the mud and spinning my wheels on 52.  Oh dear. Doesn’t look good.

I’m praying for an increase in faith that actually CAN memorize all 107 Q&A’s. I’m not so sure I believe I can do it.

Steve is doing GREAT in the healing department.  He’s getting stronger, feeling better and the surgery site is looking better every day.

Following our visit with friends from CT, Steve’s dad came into town for a few days. Here’s a photo we took this morning.

Visiting with Grandpa in NC

I hope you are enjoying your May in 2012 and that it is filled with God’s love, peace, grace, hope and joy!

~ Elisabeth

I have to admit that I’m confused about my New Year’ s goals.

Do I hang in there, even if it means limping across the finish line, or do I throw in the towel and admit defeat?

I’ve always been an “all or nothing” sort of person and I’m starting to realize that that is an aspect of my personality that will need to be compromised if I’m going to stick with any of my New Year’s Goals for the long term.

I’m trying to adopt the perspective of “good, better & best” instead, but it doesn’t come naturally to me at all. (e.g. It’s good if I exercise at all; it’s better if I wear my weighted vest; it’s best if I exercise wearing my weighted vest, holding dumbbells, taking calcium supplements and consuming large quantities of greens…)

Ode to the elusive best.  If I could only convince myself to the value of good.

I look back at the first few weeks of 2012 with envy for my former focus, progress and zeal.  Melanoma and broken ribs kicked in around mid-Feburary.

I think it was Charles Spurgeon who said that a Christian will get slammed to the deck countless times in our storm-tossed lives, but we’ll never be washed overboard.

I’m pretty sure that is supposed to be good news.  It’s just that I’m tired, storm-tossed and rather soggy.

Still, I have so VERY much to be thankful for! Let’s start with that and see where it goes.

Steve is doing GREAT!  He’s getting the zip back to his step, regaining his strength and his forehead is starting to mend.

Words can’t describe how grateful I am that the melanoma was found early and removed entirely!

That was such a crazy season in our lives.  I don’t even know what to make of it all. Looking back, it’s so strange to me that I had two separate episodes of broken ribs throughout the melanoma providence.  What strange timing.  What could it all mean?

We have a meal tray in our home that we use to love on the infirm.  Normally we need to dust it off prior to use.  In retrospect of the past few months, I don’t think the tray has been away once.

I think Daniel is the only Nolan who hasn’t had the meal tray delivered to his sickbed at some point in the last few weeks.

Boys are doing great!   The boys all had a variety of choir concerts and performances the past few weeks.  Thankfully they are all on the mend from whatever it was that went around the house, knocking the stuffing out of us one by one.

The choir concerts were WONDERFUL!  I’m so grateful to the Lord for providing the opportunity for our sons to participate in the CHEA choirs.

Here’s a selection from King’s Kids (Daniel & Josh’s choir):

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WLLWYLNX

Stick with it until the bagpipes stop (verse three). BEAUTIFUL!

Here’s a selection from the Carolina Youth Chorale (Caleb’s choir):

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WLLWGGNX

The recordings from our pocket camera really don’t do the choirs justice at all.  The sounds they all produce in person are truly delightful and are awe inspiring!

I wish I could have a recording of the CYC singing Adoramus te, Christe from a professional studio, void of background noises and sounds –just the fullness of their voices working together to glorify God.

Come to think of it, I’d love a professional recording of Lux Aurumque while they are at it!

I’m looking forward to receiving the CD’s I’ve ordered of the concerts. Maybe my wish will come true!

Okay, enough stalling.  Here’s an update from my storm-tossed 2012 goals:

1. Bake on Mondays 

No baking this week. Not even slice and bake cookies.

I’ve been super sick with a respiratory infection. As of today (Friday) I’m on the mend.  Still congested but feeling a little better.

2. Sweets on Weekends ONLY

Um, no.  Sugar is so powerful.  Once you start, it’s so hard to stop.

3. Daily read one chapter from the book of Proverbs.

I’m still loving this goal. The hue from the light of God’s Word seems to change as I stick with it and hang-on-tight from season to season — pre-storm, during the storm and now post-storm.  I’m seeing, hearing and noticing things now that I hadn’t noticed before.

4. Listen to the whole Bible on my iPod.

So far I’ve completed:

NT: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans (x’s 2), 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1,2 & 3 John, Jude, Revelation

OT: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy,Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles (up to verse 12).

5. Exercise 3 times per week – NO excuses!

No exercising.  I really need to for my bones or I’ll be suffering again.

6. Lose 10 pounds this year.

I don’t know where I am with this goal.  Right now I don’t care.

7.  Memorize the Westminster Confession of Faith – Shorter Catechism

All glory to God, I’ve successfully memorized Q & A 51.

I’m working on # 52 but dragging like someone abandoned in the desert wilderness without water.

Well, that’s about it for this update.

May love, joy, peace, hope, grace, and every good thing from Jesus, be yours.

Steve’s stitches came out on Monday!

Steve is back to work and on the mend — he has been an amazing trooper through all of this!  He’s my hero.

Although initially severe, the bruising and swelling have subsided. That second surgery was pretty rough. Bouncing back from the second surgery was more difficult than the first.

Now we’re just trying to reestablish a routine and get back in the swing of things. I’ve been playing a ton of catchup and making progress.

Although the boys have a lingering cough, everyone is on the mend.  Thankfully, Steve never caught the cold/cough that went around the house.

Steve’s step-dad is coming into town tonight for the boys’ CHEA Choir Spring Concert tomorrow! We’re all so excited to have him with us for the special event. I’ll post some photos in a few days.

I’ve managed to go a few weeks without breaking any bones, so now I need to work on strengthening them.

I’m striving to get my New Year’s Goals back up and running.

1. Bake on Mondays 

No baking on Monday this week, but I did bake a batch of oatmeal, walnut, raisin cookies on Sunday.

2. Sweets on Weekends ONLY

Well, not so much. I need to clean up my act.

3. Daily read one chapter from the book of Proverbs.

I’m still loving this goal but I need to be more faithful on a daily basis.

4. Listen to the whole Bible on my iPod.

So far I’ve completed:

NT: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans (x’s 2), 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1,2 & 3 John, Jude, Revelation

OT: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth & first 5 chapters of 1 Samuel.

5. Exercise 3 times per week – NO excuses!

Goal not met, but I have been  jumping rope daily.  I read an article that jumping rope is good for bone strengthening. I’m just doing 50 jumps to start.

I really need to start using my dumbbells and go back to walking/jogging. I’m still so tired from everything that has gone on the past few months.

6. Lose 10 pounds this year.

I’m sorry to say I’m back to square one.  But at least I’m getting back into the swing of things. Hopefully it will come off as quickly as it started to initially in 2012.

7.  Memorize the Westminster Confession of Faith – Shorter Catechism

All glory to God, I’ve successfully memorized Q & A 1 – 51.

Right now I’ll just work on a question or two a week.  If the pace ever picks up, great! If not, at least something is better than nothing.

Well, that’s about it for this update. Hopefully next week’s update will be better.

I hope your 17th week in 2012 is filled with God’s love, peace, grace, hope and joy!

Wow! Yesterday was ROUGH!

Instead of being at the kind & gentle Surgery Center in Plainville like we were a few weeks back, yesterday’s surgery was in a mega hospital. And I’m talking MEGA!

The Carolinas Medical Center – Charlotte has over thirty operating rooms with an additional ten sites on the campus where surgery is performed.  All surgeries go to the same post-op whether the patient endured brain surgery, organ transplants or any other surgery you might imagine.  The only exception being open-heart surgery.

Surreal is the only word to describe it all, from the waiting room to the Post Op.

We arrived at 9 a.m. with a surgery start time of 11 a.m. – by 11:30 a.m. we realized that wasn’t going to happen. There were delays in the operating room that caused things to back up considerably.

Steve’s surgery finally started at 3 p.m. and lasted an hour.

We were on our way home around 7 p.m..

Thankfully the procedure wasn’t as complicated as it could have been depending on the conditions the plastic surgeon found once he started.

Basically, Steve has a sideways letter “H” on his forehead with the short/middle part of the “H” being where the center of the excision was.

I tell him the H stands for HANDSOME!

There’s considerable swelling and bruising as can be imagined, but that should clear up in a few weeks, but getting worse in a week or so.

The great news is that the hard part is over and now it’s all about healing.

Poor Steve didn’t get any breakfast, lunch or dinner yesterday until after 8 p.m., and although we asked for it, he wasn’t given anti-nausea medication before we left the hospital.

That was a super-bad combo and it made it a rough way to end a difficult and long day.

Fortunately I had anti-nausea medication in the house from the surgery a few weeks ago and that helped him a lot.  I wish they had given him a tablet before we left.  I regret not taking the bottle with me to the hospital.

Hind sight is always 20/20.

As of 9 a.m. this morning (Wednesday) Steve is fed, showered, medicated and back in bed all nice and fresh and ready to rest. His color and appetite are great!

On Monday he’ll visit the plastic surgeon’s office to have the stitches removed.

Caleb is feeling much better and responding well to the antibiotics.  My guess is that it is a serious sinus infection that came on fast and furious. So far everyone else is staying well.

I learned from a local/county newspaper that other GPS units were stolen in our neighborhood the same night as mine.  There was another GPS stolen on our very block!

I have to say this fact makes me feel a little bit better for some reason.  Not because misery loves company, but rather because I don’t feel like it’s so personal anymore.  The same thing happened to a variety of families in our neighborhood that same night.

At least our car wasn’t vandalized or damaged. The other Saratoga Blvd. GPS-less resident endured vehicle damage.

I’m also glad the criminals didn’t use the garage remote on the visor to gain access to our home while we slept soundly.

Well, I think that’s all the news that’s fit to print.

Thank you for praying for us during this crazy season in our lives.

Elisabeth

Steve’s surgery to repair the melanoma removal site is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday, April 17) starting at 11 a.m. and should last for about 2 1/2 hours.

We’ll be at a different location than the last time, though.  That Surgery Center in Plainville was SO nice!

This time we’ll be in the outpatient section of a hospital in Charlotte. I believe it’s called CMC.

We should be home by dinnertime and I’ll try and post something tomorrow night to let you all know how he did.

Caleb is sick.  Fever, bad headache and cough.  I’m thinking it might be a sinus infection.  We have him quarantined in hopes of keeping any wayward germs away from Steve. I’m praying it’s an isolated case and it doesn’t go around the house.

Someone stole my GPS right from our own driveway this week! Can you imagine? It was a really old one that was easy to use and I just recently updated the maps, too.  Do you know how many addresses I had stored in that thing?

I didn’t bake anything today, but I’m trying really hard to get back into the swing of things with all my other New Year’s goals.

I think we finished up the last of the holiday sweets/treats over the weekend, so that should help some.

I finally came out on the other side of the book of Deuteronomy!  I made it — Phew!

No real exercising, but I’m committing to 10 minutes a day of anything (walking, biking around the block…). Just anything to get moving after so many weeks of letting my ribs heal.

I’m on Q & A 51 of the SC : ) and just taking things one day at a time.

I think that’s it!

Thank you for praying for Steve and his surgery tomorrow.

Elisabeth

Steve’s melanoma removal surgery went great last Thursday!  He’s recovering well and had minimal pain, swelling or discomfort.

We’re happy to share the great news that instead of a week to ten days for the pathology report to return, we heard last night from the doctor’s office that all the margins are clear! Steve is cancer free!

The report is showing that the melanoma tumor was in situ (surface, contained, stage 0) all along.  If you have to have a run in with melanoma, this is the situation you want to have.

I can’t begin to express how happy, thankful, relieved and how grateful we are to God!

Steve’s plastic surgery to close and repair the opening is currently scheduled for April 19th.  We’re hoping to make it a little sooner so that he can get on the road to healing and recovery.

Thank you to everyone for your love, prayers, encouragement, treats, meals and practical help.  We have been so blessed by the Body of Christ through this entire ordeal.

My ribs are on the mend!  I turned a corner in the rib healing department over the weekend. At this point I only have minimal discomfort that is manageable with OTC pain relievers.

I’ll not be ice skating or anything like it any time soon! I can’t believe I did something so dumb.

The last two weeks I’ve taken a break from all my New Year’s Goals.  I’m fried extra-crispy and needed to let myself off the hook.  I’ll resume in a week or two depending on how Steve’s next surgery goes and how well he bounces back. It’s also assuming I don’t break any more ribs!

In God’s love & grace,

Steve & Elisabeth

Steve did great at the Pineville Medical Plaza Surgery Center today! Wow, what a nice facility and wonderful staff.  I don’t think we could have been treated any better.

We arrived at 6:30 a.m. and the surgery started at 8:30 a.m. on the button.  It lasted an hour.  I had Steve at home and in bed by noon.

The doctor removed a circle from Steve’s forehead about the size of a half-dollar and about a half inch deep.  A patch of sorts was sewn in its place until the pathology report comes back in a week to ten business days.

If all the margins are clear of cancer cells we get the OK to proceed with the plastic surgery to close up the incision. If not, there’s another plan.

I’m so grateful to everyone for their prayers, love, support, meals and encouragement.

Have a wonderful Easter!

Sorry folks…I have nothing for this week’s New Year’s Goal update!  Again, I say nothing.

I did get to listen to the entire book of Proverbs while rebuilding the Crisis Pregnancy Center’s website over the weekend (www.TheCrisisPregnancyCenterCT.org) but other than that, I can’t say I met a single one of my goals.

Forget about Baking Monday for today.  My ribs are still killing me! Broken ribs hurts more than childbirth and that’s a fact.

Thankfully we have a game plan for treating Steve’s melanoma and hopefully very soon we’ll be able to close this challenging and stressful chapter in our lives.

This Thursday, April 5th, I’ll take Steve to a surgery center at 6:30 a.m.  The procedure will take about an hour and will be under general anesthetic.  The oncologist will leave the wide excision open until the pathology report comes back that all the margins are clear and free of cancer.  It could take a week to ten days for the pathology report, so the plastic surgery is tentatively scheduled for April 19th to close the incision.

That’s it.

We’re so grateful for all the the prayers that have been said for us.  Right now we’re praying for the surgery, speedy healing and for a clear-margin pathology report. Also, we’d be thrilled if the melanoma was only on the surface.  If it’s deeper, he will need to have lymph nodes biopsied.

If you would like to be added to the email distribution list for any updates concerning Steve, send an email to: update-subscribe@nolanfamily.org   and you’ll automatically be added to the distribution list.

I’ll try and send out an email following the surgery.

Thank you, everyone, for your love, support, encouragement and most of all prayers.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Holy Week and Easter!

In His love & grace,

Steve & Elisabeth

1. Bake on Mondays 

Slice & Bake Monday

I took a bad fall while ice skating last Friday and unfortunately broke a few ribs.  I’m down for the count and not up to baking this fine Monday. The boys came to the rescue and whipped up a batch of slice & bake cookies.

House smells good, kids are happy–goal achieved (with a little help from my friends)!

2. Sweets on Weekends ONLY

Um, yeah…no.

Goal not achieved and I need to get my act together. I’m on some sort of chocolate free-for-all.

3. Daily read one chapter from the book of Proverbs.

Switching back to the ESV.

4. Listen to the whole Bible on my iPod.

So far I’ve completed:

NT: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans (x’s 2), 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, 1 & 2 Peter, 1,2 & 3 John, Jude, Revelation.

OT: Genesis,  Exodus, Leviticus & Numbers

I had serious issues with my iPod Nano last week.  Steve had to rebuild the whole thing for me once he came back from Minnesota. Thankfully he was able to fix it.

Goal achieved.

5. Exercise 3 times per week – NO excuses!

I didn’t actually do any traditional exercising last week, but I dug deep holes to plant three big bushes, put down 50 lbs of lawn fertilizer (using a cup!) and I hung four sets of blinds.  I’m sure this was good exercise because I was sore from head to toe.

Plus, let’s not forget the two hours of ice skating on Friday before the big wipe out.

Goal achieved.

6. Lose 10 pounds this year.

I’m sticking with the 5 down 5 to go story. It’s a good story…I like that story.

7.  Memorize the Westminster Confession of Faith – Shorter Catechism

All glory to God, I’ve successfully memorized Q & A 1 – 50.

I’ve got to stick with 51 – 55 for another week. A big part of me wants to put this goal on hold for a season, but Steve and the boys are encouraging me to stick with it.

Q. 51. What is forbidden in the second commandment?
A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshiping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in his word.

Q. 52. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God’s sovereignty over us, his propriety in us, and the zeal he hath to his own worship.

Q. 53. Which is the third commandment?
A. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Q. 54. What is required in the third commandment?
A. The third commandment requireth the holy and reverent use of God’s names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word and works.

Q. 55. What is forbidden in the third commandment?
A. The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning or abusing of anything whereby God maketh himself known.

Well, that’s about it for this update – twelve weeks down and forty to go.

I hope your 13th week in 2012 is filled with God’s love, peace, grace, hope and joy!

I love the writings of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, England’s best known preacher of the second half of the 19th century.

I’ve been reading his Morning & Evening devotional for many years and have compiled a list that I refer to as Spurgeon’s Greatest Hits.  One of these is the entry for May 16th (evening).

“And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye and your cattle, and your beasts.” –2 Kings 3:16,17

The armies of the three kings were famishing for want of water: God was about to send it, and in these words the prophet announced the coming blessing. Here was a case of human helplessness: not a drop of water could all the valiant men procure from the skies or find in the wells of earth. Thus often the people of the Lord are at their wits’ end; they see the vanity of the creature, and learn experimentally where their help is to be found. Still the people were to make a believing preparation for the divine blessing; they were to dig the trenches in which the precious liquid would be held. The church must by her varied agencies, efforts, and prayers, make herself ready to be blessed; she must make the pools, and the Lord will fill them. This must be done in faith, in the full assurance that the blessing is about to descend. By-and-by there was a singular bestowal of the needed boon. Not as in Elijah’s case did the shower pour from the clouds, but in a silent and mysterious manner the pools were filled. The Lord has His own sovereign modes of action: He is not tied to manner and time as we are, but doeth as He pleases among the sons of men. It is ours thankfully to receive from Him, and not to dictate to Him. We must also notice the remarkable abundance of the supply –there was enough for the need of all. And so it is in the gospel blessing; all the wants of the congregation and of the entire church shall be met by the divine power in answer to prayer; and above all this, victory shall be speedily given to the armies of the Lord.

What am I doing for Jesus? What trenches am I digging? O Lord, make me ready to receive the blessing which Thou art so willing to bestow.

http://www.ewordtoday.com/spurgeon/0516pm.htm

____________________________________________

Isn’t that great? I love this part -

“…they see the vanity of the creature, and learn experimentally where their help is to be found.”

and

“This must be done in faith, in the full assurance that the blessing is about to descend.”

I’ve been thinking about that entry while I’m literally digging ditches in our backyard.  It’s only 75 degrees out, but it feels much hotter in the blazing sun.

Digging Ditches

Last Friday was what we call “payday shopping” day, that semi-monthly event in which I restock the pantry, fridge and freezer.

Cheers of excitement greet me as I pull in with yet another SUV filled with a teenage boy’s most beloved, treasured, yet fleeting possession — aka food.

While at Costco in the middle of all this food shopping excitement I came upon 4 foot tall arborvitae bushes, lush and green for only $23.  What a bargain!

Quick, quick Josh and I rushed home, unloaded the most recent consumable booty acquisition and swapped out Josh for his six foot tall & super strong brother, Caleb.

Back to Costco!

Caleb and I were able to shove SIX of the four foot bushes into our Chevy Traverse and get them all home.

At the time I was confident that the hard part was over.  How difficult could it be to dig a few holes?

YIKES!  I thought Connecticut was rocky! I could keel over and I’m only done with two holes!

I knew our NC home was built on a cement slab, but no one told me the entire yard was one, too. It’s unbelievable!

Future privacy wall

We don’t have very much privacy in our new yard.  We hoped the 5 foot privacy fence would help, but the neighbor’s yard is built up higher than ours.  It’s been something difficult for us to adjust to. We’ll feed the bushes Miracle Grow and hope they turn into a nice thick green wall.

In the meantime it’s back to the chip, chip, chip and digging ditches.

I’m going to need an extra measure of faith to believe I can actually dig six holes!