Horizon in the Parade

Horizon Christian School had a couple of entries in Hood River parade today! The preschoolers rode in the back of a truck with their teachers.

Here are some K-12th grade students on the flatbed.

Friday the Fourth

We went to the Hood River Parade today. Candy is a huge attraction for the kids! The experienced ones all come with a bag ready to fill.

We saw many friends in and about. Here's Kathleen helping advertise her church's Adventure Camp.

Chelsea on the drums.

Caleb and Brennan whizzed by with their capes and scooters.

These cute bugs were at our house for dinner the other night. Great bikes Eli and Sam.

Other entries included llamas

patriotic children tossing candy

and even the Statue of Liberty!

Earthly Tents

Our bodies are not going to last. Several examples of this have been “in my face” the last six months. First, I had surgery and am surprised that my body is not bouncing back. I may always have some foot pain. It is certainly more manageable now, but still a pain. Then Bob had tightness in his chest and is diagnosed with coronary artery disease, and last week I visited with my dear Aunt who is fighting ALS. She has less than six months left in her battle. These are the verses that I read to her last week when Bob and I stopped by for a visit.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” II Corinthians 4: 16-5:1

Her “earthly tent” is being destroyed by this disease. She is wasting away in front of us. We all know that any day we could die, but sitting with someone whose days are numbered makes it tangible. Yesterday, as I was out deadheading roses, (she loves roses), I could only pray that God would give her peace and take away her pain. Looking over at my husband, who could easily have died a few weeks ago, makes me thankful for every day we have together.

Insurance Nightmare

Other people have ridiculous insurance nightmares, but I had never experienced an insurance company telling me that needed medicine prescribed by a specialist was not covered. After several calls to the doctor, numerous trips and discussions with the pharmacy and several cash buys, 5 pills at a time at $5.50 a pill, we received a four page document from our insurance company telling us how they knew better than our doctor what medicine Bob should be on to prevent further arterial blockage and therefore extend his life.

I was appalled.

The cardiologist, who specializes in heart disease and who looked at the amount of plaque in Bob’s heart prescribed a particular medicine and now the insurance company, who has not looked at Bob’s arteries, feels that a different medicine should be tried first. If it fails, then the other medicine can be tried. But we don't have a prescription for another medicine.

And, if it fails . . . how much do we risk on this? If it fails will Bob have another blockage? If it fails, will he have a heart attack? If it fails, will . . . . well, let’s not go there! We decided that our plan of attack would be to get the doctor to write a scathing letter to the insurance company and try to help them understand why this medicine is critical for Bob’s wellness.

Today, a different solution was found. The cardiologist chose a medicine that will accomplish the same objective and is on the approved list for the insurance company. Now, why didn’t he do that 14 days ago, when we first called him and told his office that we were being denied coverage? We spent over $80 in pills, because we didn’t have a prescription for an approved drug. I don’t really like this new world that we have entered.

What have I learned?

I guess I have learned to call the doctor's office everyday instead of every few days.
I know better what question to ask: Is there an equivalent drug that is covered by my insurance?

I am also thankful that we could afford to buy the drug prescribed for Bob while all this was sorted out.

Happy Birthday Bob

We are ever so thankful for living, breathing, heart beating, birthday Bob! We had a low key celebration this year. We skipped our annual frog hunt, because last year’s hunt wiped out all of the frogs for the whole summer. We have a few croakers serenading us already this spring, but they are not keeping us awake at night. If we need a reduction in population, we can have a special event mid summer.

Nose in the new book!

Good Bye Flowers

A week ago, I finished my job at the church and along with this gorgeous bouquet, I received "Congratulations" and "You'll Be Missed" balloons and a generous gift certificate for dinner out at Stonehedge Gardens. I am going to miss the Karola, Kim and Holly team. We had a great time and together really got things done! They may have to come over to my new office for arranging and color coordinating!

Friday Photos

The last Friday in May, Bob and I attended the Horizon Formal and I had the privilege of taking photos. Of the hundreds of photos that I took only a handful are without the gorgeous students and here are a few of those.

Mt Hood received eight more inches of snow last night. Is it summer yet?

The students had many pictures on this walking bridge!

a little atmosphere

Tuxedos strawberries were a favorite.