Many Dimensions.

Ever meet those people in life that have so many dimensions to them. It's an adventure when you encounter those types of people. They can be a mystery. An inspiration. A puzzle to solve. Or they can give you a peace - knowing you will never get bored digging into them. They can read kids bedtime stories and rip apart a motor in the same day. I've discovered this about my beloved husband. We've been together more twelve years and yet I'm faced with finding out new things about him on a daily basis...maybe it's me taking the time to really know him or maybe it's him evolving into a new person. I think it's a little of both. I wanted to share some of the reasons why I love this man...I thought Father's Day would be the perfect time.



1. He eats my spaghetti, even though he HATES spaghetti.

2. He's overprotective of his people. He's a warrior and defender.

3. He wears great jeans and wears them well, I might add.

4. He's not afraid to sip a Starbucks mocha while playing in grease with a snowmobile motor.

5. He loves music as much as I do. All types of music...but will let me listen to "my" music in the van.

6. He cleans up the dog messes.

7. He lives what he believes not what he feels. I'm still learning from him.

8. He loves our kids as much as I do and even stands up for them when I'm being unreasonable.



9. He's always willing to go the extra mile at school and home.

10. He looks through my scrapbooks and appears to be interested in what I have accomplished.

11. He drives a 16 year old "hot-rod" to help pay the bills.

12. He just made the Deans List at GRCC for the second semester in a row.

13. He is not afraid to cry with me or cry in public.

14. He loves to laugh.

15. He rubs my feet.

16. He is my SOLID ROCK.

17. He's content to stay home with me on the weekends...and actually prefers it.

18. He cuddles up with me at night. No matter what the day held or what words flew through the air between us. As Sara Groves said in her song..."He rolls to the middle."

19. He respects and loves his mom.

20. He's just like his dad (and I love his dad!).

21. He's a GREAT friend to many...but a dad and husband first.

22. He understands me. Even my short-comings.

23. He never points the finger at anyone instead he tries to see things from their perspective.

24. He's got a contagious smile.

25. He's not afraid to drive a mini-van.

26. He's wiser than his years.

27. He loves my mom - and 3 weeks after her passing, he is helping to keep her memory alive.

28. He tries to understand the hurt I feel from so tragically losing my mother, he holds me every night still when I cry.

29. He watched TLC with me...

30. He makes me his number 1 priority when I'm sick.

31. He plays Barbies with Aleigha, Chess with Dawson and Baseball with Cole (sometimes all in the same day!)

32. He will make the bed for me if I get too busy or forget. Not because he needs it made, but because he knows that I need it made.

33. He doesn't get mad when I nibble off his plate.

34. He still thinks he is 16 at times.

35. He listens to me when I just need to get words aired out.

36. He completes me. (I know that is so cliche from Jerry Macguire, but it's true)

37. He is always teaching me something new about myself by the way he handles himself.

38. He has especially taught me to do the right thing even if it's the hard thing to do.

39. He's a furnace. When I'm freezing, I just need to cuddle up to him.

40. He has always been my biggest fan, even when the fan club was one.

41. He will watch a chick flick with me when I need something light.

42. He never says never.

43. He's my husband. My gift from God. A gift that I no longer take for granted

2 weeks...

Most everyone already knows...for some reason I feel the need to record the events here, the place where I can always come to reflect. Tonight I'm reflecting on 2 weeks ago. 2 weeks ago I made the toughest decision I hope I ever have to make in my lifetime. 2 weeks ago, I choose to remove my 57 year old mother from life support. 2weeks ago her heart stopped beating, and my heart - well it broke. 2 weeks later as I reflect upon that day I realize my heart is still broken and my life will never be the same.

The events that lead me to that position 2 weeks ago, are tragic, unfair, accidental and unimaginable. On Thurs. May 27 my mom came to my house. She was healthy, happy and so excited to see Aleigha graduate preschool. We ate Cake, laughed, cried and celebrated the milestone together.



On Friday May 28, while at a camp ground with some of her friends...My mom fell. Down only 4 steps. She suffered from a broken rib, 4 broken vertebrae, a skull fracture and tragically a 6mm midline shift in her brain. (The right side was smashed into the left side) She had extreme bleeding on the brain, elevated pressure in her head, and as a result suffered from several strokes in the days following the accident. Ultimately, she was left with brain damage on both the right and left hemisphere of her brain along with damage to the frontal lobe. Two neuro surgeons, and two intensive care doctors told me if she survived - the remainder of her life would be spent in a vegatative state. 48 hours after hearing that, we removed all "machines". 28 minutes later, her heart stopped. I held her hand, kissed her face, laid on her chest, told her how much she meant to me. Kissed her some more, practically crawled in her bed while her body shut down and she went to be with our Lord.

I didn't get to say goodbye.
I didn't get to see her smile one more time.
I didn't get to hear her laugh.
I didn't get one more chance to tell her how much she meant to me.
I didn't get to hear her say she loved me, or tell her how much I loved her.

I didn't fully grasp what happened, I still don't.

I really, really don't like what happened 2 weeks ago...

RIP MOM!!

BURRY: Denise (Hudson) Burry, age 57, of Rockford, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 and went home to be with the Lord. Denise was a bus driver for Grand Rapids Public Schools for 20 years. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Rosalie Hudson. She will be lovingly remembered by her daughter, Kendra (Brian) DeYoung; grandchildren, Kennedy, Dawson, Cole, Aleigha, Blake; brothers, Allan (Diana) Hudson, Roger (Lynn) Hudson. Memorial services will be held 11:00am Monday at Matthysse-Kuiper-DeGraaf Funeral Home, (Grandville) 4145 Chicago Dr., with Rev. Jim Mannes officiating. Those who wish may make memorial contributions to Kent County Humane Society. Relatives and friends may meet the family Monday from 10-11 am at the funeral home prior to the service.

Kidney...

I vowed to catch up here, and holding true I thought I would give a quick re-cap of what we did this week. Kidney JUNK. I've had some chronic kidney issue's over the last year. Significant stones, infections, stones, surgery, more stones and more infections. So when I started getting the flank back pain again a few weeks back, I figured I was passing another stone. I have been trying to nurse myself back to health, and fight off the stone at home. Well Monday it all proved to be too much for me; I had been vomiting for days, had so much pain, endured a few sleepless nights - and frankly seen way too much blood in my urine for WAY to many days. Spoke with the Doctor and went to the ER on Monday night. Thought I may need a round of IV antibiotics and figured I should have the stone thing figured out. Turns out I needed all the above and it was REALLY a good thing that I went in when I did. I was in complete kidney failure on the left side, I had/have 2 stones obstructing all urine from filtering through that kidney. I was in complete left kidney failure by Monday night, and by Wed I was in surgery. All ventricles in my kidney were dilated, the kidney was shutting down and very infected. I had a left percutaneous nephrostomy tube surgically placed into the kidney. I can't have the surgery for the stones until my kidney recovers and all infection drains out. When I left the hospital on Friday night the urologist felt that my kidney was functioning at about 30% and believes that I have upwards of an 80% chance of keeping my kidney. For now I'm home with the ones I love, along with morphine, antibiotics, and this new lovely drain. I have a few surgeries ahead, but think that I'm lucky to be where I'm at. Thanks for checking in with us, and hopefully I will continue to have good news to post!!

Spring Pictures...

Last week, our neighbor and friend held an open-house for "Easter" pictures. He had baby chics and an adorable bunny for the kiddo's to hold. If you are looking for photo's, check out his website. He does great work! Thanks Ryan.