Corona and Cash

COVID-19, the Wuhan Flu, Chinese Chough, Corona Virus - THEY ALL CAN SUCK IT!

As you are all aware, this life altering virus has wreaked havoc across the entire planet-and we are doing everything in our power to protect our little boy from its long fingers. Aside from his obvious limitations, Cash also had RSV twice as a baby and is susceptible to long bouts with respiratory illness, so we are being extra careful with him. The only person outside of his immediate family to see him since early March is his "new" nurse Mary. I use quotes around "new" because I don't believe I have introduced you to Mary before but let me tell you, since our move to Boerne she has been a godsend. We are so very lucky to have her and Cash of course is smitten. This week makes a full year since she joined us.

Aside from the virus and all that stress we have a new teen driver in the house! Whoa nelly that's thrown us for a loop! Now, she hasn't been able to drive much due to shelter-in-place rules but it has been nice prior to that when Savy was able to take Cash to school or go run an errand for us. So far so good with respect to Savy's driving skills, although we did install a little gadget called a Bouncie to track her every move while she's out on the road. (Great product btw).

Let's see, Kim and I both started new jobs. Kimberleys was a bit of a lateral move but did put her on payroll W2 which hasn't been the case in almost 20 years! Big change from being self-employed for sure, but it had too great of benefits to pass up. The job is worth having for the insurance alone. I on the other hand jumped into something completely new and joined Texas Ranch Sales as an Associate Agent late last summer. Both experiences have been rewarding if not difficult to launch with the advent of the virus. Hopefully we can begin to maximize our new positions in the coming months. If you'd like to visit my website you can do so at www.SellingRanches.com Tell a friend!

That's about all I've got, oh and Cash still weighs 43 lbs, but getting taller every day. Thanks for checking in yall, be safe prayers to all those hurting during this economic catastrophe. God bless yall!

New Home - New Boy

How y'all doin? Thought I'd update those interested about the latest goings on around here.

• Sold the ranch 3/26/18 
• Moved to Boerne 
• Both kids moved to Boerne ISD schools 

(Savy-Champion HS, 9th   Cash-Cibilo Creek Elementary, 1st)

The move has been spectacular and as much as I hated to give up the beauty and peace of the ranch-Boerne has treated us very well. We still have 7 acres so we can all have some elbow room and at some point we will add a fishing pond and a small vineyard, but enough about the house and the move-let's talk kiddos!

Savy-As usual she has rebounded well from the loss of friends and new surroundings. She had about 8 weeks to end finish the school year at Boerne and I think that time gave her just enough of a chance to meet some friends before summer. Over the summer she decided to pick up golf and wanted to try out for the golf team. Surprised the hell out of me but hey, I wasn't looking forward to another goat raising so we supported her 100%. Turns out the girl is kind of a natural, picked it up pretty quickly, played in some tourneys and miraculously made the golf team with just 2 months of experience. She's not competitive yet, but maybe by the Spring tournaments she will have a chance to tangle on the course. All in all, Savy has adjusted very well and we couldnt be happier with the direction she is headed as a young lady. Almost forgot, she is on a health professions track in HS, and right now says she wants to be an Orthodontist. We shall see.

Cash-Always the man of the hour, $ never misses an opportunity to remind us he should be the focus of all our attention. After ending Kinder with only a rare "bad" day, we were lucky enough to have Mrs. Schillingburg fill in as a summer caretaker for most of the time. She had just been hired by Boerne ISD and we are forever thankful for her help in his transition.

I may be getting ahead of myself however; back in February Cash began to tell us his head hurt, but it seemed to be mentioned mostly when he was in trouble so we didnt take it too seriously at first. After a month of this we began getting him tests. MRI's CatScans etc. The doctors didnt find anything, so we just wrote it off as him using this head hurt thing as a way to explain away his behavior. Sometime in early July, Mrs. S called Kim telling her about $ having a weird look on his face and kind of spacing out in Target. It really freaked her out. Not being there, we didn't think too much about it as he has done this sort of thing in the past. Since we didn't seem overly concerned, she took it in stride. About 2 weeks later during a staycation in Austin, Mrs S tells us Cash had broken out in hives, they took him to the local urgent care clinic and started some meds, but all in all he was still acting fine. We got home the next day and although the hives were still visible, it seemed the meds were doing their job.

One day later, around 8:30 am, it happened. Kimberley had just left for the office while I was on the phone with my dad, I was feeding $ donut holes and he says "No". I look at him, don't think much of it and continue chatting with my dad. Then he tries to get down off the couch and in so doing says "No, I'm fine" and I look over at him. I ask, "Do you need help bubba?" He replies, "No" and proceeds to slide down off the couch to the floor. I'm still talking to my dad and then I realize Cash was laying on his side on the floor and not moving. I ask if he is ok, but no response. Then I roll him over, no response. So I'm still a little confused at this point and give him one more chance to respond, so I give him a little tickle, and that's when I realize-still nothing. Now I panic. I tell my dad bye, pick Cash up and check to see if he was choking-but nothing is in his mouth. I listen for breathing and its shallow. Cash is lifeless and I pick him up, call Kim and have her come back home(she had barely made it out of the neighborhood). I run outside to meet Kim, and within seconds she pulls up to me running down the street with Cash. She calls 911, we plan on meeting them at the Urgent Care about 2 miles away, we arrive and they check his vitals and put him on oxygen. 3 minutes later the ambulance arrives just as Cash begins to come to. I run next door to the pharmacy my friend owns and ask for aspirin-scared I'm going to stroke out or have a heart attack. 5 minutes later he's buckled up in the ambulance and away he and Kimberley go to Methodist Childrens Hospital.

At this point I know this is going to be an overnight at least, so I head home to pack, get Savy home from the golf course and drive to the hospital. Savy is understandably upset. We arrive to a happy little boy and a stressed out mommy, but all in all it seems things are under control. A doctor whose name I cannot pronounce says some things I can barely understand and leaves. He comes back maybe 20 minutes later and all I understand is he is going into surgery for shunt failure. This is what we were afraid of.

Anyhow, fast forward about 3 hours and this is what you get.

Now I don't mean to belittle brain surgery, but I'm tellin ya the boy was pretty much back to his old self in a matter of a few hours. An incredible about face, and one we are so thankful for. He made it easy. Other than some complaints about all the wires and tape on his body he was really good. Momma stayed with him for 2 nights before he was released. Kims dad and my parents had come up during surgery and stayed with us for moral support and shuttling Savy around. If surgery was required-this was the way to do it, with the outcome you hope for, the support you need and a patient who makes all the trouble worth it. I am still shocked at his recovery. 

Since the surgery Cash seems to be in a better mood. He healed well, the hives finally stopped and we are glad that the shunt revision was a success. His appetitie is better and there have been no more complaints about his head hurting. Here is a pic of him about 2-3 weeks after surgery.

So that was our summer. After surgery we just made sure he healed. We healed. School has started again and both kids are doing great. Savy is running for class representative as an unknown because thats how she rolls. Cash has his very first class project due tomorrow on America. He even has to present it. 

Kimberley-Works hard and loves her family

Me-I slack on blog updates. Kimberley and I went to Cabo in late June. I caught a nice marlin. 

We've had a few whiskeys and just started Whole 30 last week. Yuck

Peace and Love Y'all!

Franek out

The Big #5

There was a time I wasn't sure we would be able to celebrate birthdays for Cash. I mean this in both a literal and figurative sense. This may sound dramatic, but I can assure you this was a possibility.

However, we celebrate! We celebrate a warrior who has beaten the odds. We celebrate a family that arose from the ashes of despair, and we celebrate all the little things that we took for granted before this little miracle joined us in this world.

A named this blog "My Son Will Keep Shining". At the time I started this blog it was purely a hope, a wish, a prayer. I come to you today to confirm he has done just that and he does it so well. We still have our down days, but he always seems to find a way to pick us all up and carry him on his shoulders when we need it most. A perfectly warm, bright and brilliant ray of light-Cashton Wyatt Franek is winning and he chose to bring us along on this journey. We are humbled.

On December 14, 2011, we were told by a doctor to begin planning 24/7 nursing care. We were told he would never breathe, eat, walk or communicate. Within 24 hours of being home he was eating on his own. A year later we removed the supplemental oxygen and he has never gone back except when he had a bad respiratory infection almost two years ago.

Walking is proving to be the biggest hurdle, but his mobility is not in question. He can scoot with the best of em! He will roll, army crawl and even stand with minimal assistance these days. Progress is being made daily and for the first time in 5 years we had not one but two physical therapists tell us they see a future with him walking. Assistance will most likely be required, but at this pace of improvement, they see a future where Cash will be on his own two legs, placing one in front of the other getting where he wants to go. This has always been the end game for us, and we know that with continued prayer, hard work and a little luck he will get there!

Communication is, well, um-not a problem. The boy won't shut up! His vocabulary grows daily. I'd guess he learns somewhere between 4-6 words per week, and each month his diction becomes more and more clear. He is not afraid to try saying 2+ syllable words and he is becoming less "self-centered" when talking to others.

Cash genuinely cares for others feelings, apologizing when necessary and demonstrating empathy for his loved ones. Socially he is a rock star; he is friendly, outgoing and has learned to share. He makes friends and can high five like a boss! This kid is a phenom as far as I am concerned and I believe those who truly know him would agree. I shake my head in disbelief at the growth we have seen, it has been nothing short of incredible.

So here we are, birthday #5, it will be a happy day.

Thank you for keeping up with our little miracle and God bless each of you.
(Cashtons birthday is Nov 3, I'm a hair early)


The Franeks

Momma. revisited

I made an entry during September of 2012 about Kimberley and her experience dealing with a newborn who has CP. I was going to post a new entry about yesterdays big doctor visit but after re-reading the post titled "My Wife-His Mother" I've decided to provide an update with regards to it. I hope you enjoy.

You can revisit the old blog entry here, I encourage you to give it another look.
http://prayersforcash.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-wifehis-mother.html


The damned measuring stick keeps getting adjusted. It may be one of the most difficult parts to understand your child's growth. I mean even for a parent of a "normally developing" child, isn't this a pain in the butt? One year at school your kid excels in every way-seemingly without a drop of sweat they breeze through the year with straight A's, a couple 3 pointers and lots of spiritual growth; then the next year you look at them at some point and ask, "Who are you?" "What the hell happened to last years kid?" No? Well, heck I guess it's just me then. There are times when Savy is on a roll, kickin' butt, then all of a sudden BOOM, she just can't get her crap together. We all have our ups and downs I suppose, but typically we kinda know what our children are capable of from one day to the next with rare surprises.

Por ejemplo, Savy tells me she's going to do the high jump in track for school. Now I aint sayin' she can't, but the girl is knee high to a grasshopper on a good day in heels. The typical jumper is long and leggy, tall even and above all else-a real athlete. Savy likes to wear cheerleader uniforms with a bow in her hair. She looks darn good to. She loves football, which doesn't hurt seeing as she will spend 75% of her cheer career watching the game, but she doesn't have to run or hurl herself over a bar taller than her head. Feel me?

Ok,, back to what I was saying, the measuring stick can stick it. One day we see Cash running in his gate trainer across the room, smiling and opening doors and the next day he won't pull his knees up under him to learn to crawl. Meanwhile we have to get him to do his best and hopefully get him mobile. There's a job to do but you never know when your days work is over.

Kimberley, has a long measuring stick, as discussed in the previously mentioned blog entry,
She is methodical, engineer'ish in approach, practical and reliable. She is a rock. Nope, she is a cave. She is made of rock, but has little secret passage ways, caverns and a small opening out front to keep all those twisting tunnels safe. She keeps us all safe. Steady, firm and reliable.

Every couple in a lasting and healthy relationship experiences the handing off of the reins at certain times, taking turns righting the ship and maneuvering the choppy waters of life. Today, I pass the torch.

We will use your measuring stick Kimberley. I will travel your narrows and discover what you will reveal to me, because I know you will keep us safe. You are our children's enveloping arms and I know you know what is best. You are steadfast, deliberate and thoughtful, and I thank you.

I'm going to catch my breath. Still a long ride ahead, and if I've learned anything in this life it's that just as you hit dry land, there's always a rough landing.

I love you.

    

He Is Perfectly And Wonderfully Made

It has been a while. Lots to cover, so lets get to it.

One of my many NY resolutions was to write more, and I've been waiting for a prompt; today, I got it in spades. 

7:12am - I'm holding Cash, waiting for the girls to gather their things before heading off to school, when he points to Kimberleys elliptical machine and says "Me want! Cash go!" I replied, "Sorry bubba but that is for adults." Again he demands to use it and I say, "Cash you have to stand and walk on it, maybe another time." 

Then he says what I have dreaded ever hearing him say. 

"Me legs sick. Doc doc fix."

A punch to my gut is an understatement, I literally wanted to take him to my bed, wrap my arms around him all day and cry. I know it, everyone else knows it, the kids at school certainly don't forget to mention it-but now, he knows it. 

This revelation probably came well before this exchange, but nevertheless, it was verbalized for the first time from son to father and it hurt. Cue sad music. Seriously though, it affected me more than I even thought it would, and it didn't help that the tone he uttered those few words sounded concerned. He knows. 

I have no misconceptions about the physical shortcomings my son has-but there is just something about the notion that his little head has thoughts about them. When most children will be concerned about how long recess is, he is struggling with comprehending why he doesn't get to walk. For a parent, it defines the reality that your baby is growing up, and that he has emotion and concern about something most of us take for granted. 

In the past Cash has said "Me walk", but his request was for you to carry him. Recently he says "Dadda carry Cash." I should've realized this understanding was becoming clear in his mind. At some point it was going to happen but I guess you can never really prepare for the shoe to drop-even though it is falling to the ground right in front of you.

Immediately after this exchange with Cash, Savy and Kim come walking up with all the necessary bags and coats for the day and whisk Cash away to the warming car, but Savy sees my face and as she is just about to step out the door looks back and asks, "Daddy are you crying?" "No I'm fine baby, have a great day!" I say as I hold back a welling tear. I didn't think anyone noticed. I took a couple deep breathes and went about my day, recounting this event every hour or so, wondering about the future. 

Then the questions start 

"Will he ever...?" 

"Are we doing enough?" 

"How much should we push him?" 

"What do I say to him?"

"I should talk to Kim."

"Are these therapists at school trying?"

"I need to ask Savy how she is doing."

"Why are there still Thanksgiving decorations up at the guest house?"

"Should I play this insane Powerball?"

"Will he always have to use a walking device?"

"This dog sheds wayyyy too much."

"It can always be worse."

"This sucks."

"What am I cooking for dinner?"

"Who is picking the kids up from school?"

The last question was answered via text from Kimberley- I am on deck. She thanked me in advance. 

"I should go grocery shopping."

"Will they ever get my bike fixed, and should I call them?"

"If I could burn that fucking wheelchair I would."

"If Cash went to TX State, how the hell would he get around that hilly campus? A&M is flat..STOP!"

Seriously this is how my brain works, and every one of these thoughts popped into my head today. I'm not sure if it is all that unique, but I swear I am never not answering a question I asked myself, so how many questions does Cash have?

1:45pm- I do the grocery thing, I have dinner and the college question answered in my head, and Duke is white. I chose the espresso wood floors, not him. 

2:58pm- I call in Cash' medicines. Nothing crazy, just the typical allergy stuff, but it gets me rethinking this morning. I feel myself getting all "negative nelly" and refuse to allow it, so I think happy thoughts, like Cash running through the quad in San Marcos to get a girls number. I'm golden. 

3:11-I hit the jackpot, going in through the outdoor, I land the one and only handicap space at Cash' school. Thats right, I am about to skip the entire line of cars and by doing so save me upwards of 15 minutes waiting to pick up Cash Money. Clouds part, the birds sing. Winning!

3:20- I see the first little rug rats exit the building, so I hop out and go wait at the front for my lil munchkin. 

3:23- I'm looking for Cash, his wheelchair, his teacher-anything familiar through the crowds and then-I see him! He is in a new gait trainer, one I have never seen before and his sweet teacher is guiding him as he walks through the front doors right to my feet. I just won the Powerball of my life and all the "Will he's?" I could ever ask have been answered. No, not a definitive yes he will walk, but hope. More importantly, that big smile and Caribbean blue eyes were beaming as he said "Me walk! Dadda! Cash walk outside!" His teacher (Mrs. Flink-who is friggin' awesome and deserves all the praise any teacher could ask for-and prayers) says that he has been in his gait trainer for 15 minutes and walked from his classroom to pickup really well. He moved his legs, pushed and got where he knew he had to be. 

It was a miracle. Not the walking, as he has been in a gait trainer many many times-though this may be the longest and seems to be the most productive time in it, but the timing of it. I needed this. He needed this. It was fitting that this little exchange and question we had this morning (and that I had allowed to negatively consume my day) was answered. I would not have normally picked Cash up, but God knew I needed to. He had Kim ask if I could get the kids so that I could witness this little boy be proud of himself and his accomplishment. I got to do it. God gave this moment to me, specifically. There is no other explanation.

3:27pm- I call Kimberley and tell her the good news-

Me:"Hey babe you are not going to believe who walked out of school to meet me in his gait trainer..." 

Cash:"ME!!!"

Kimberley:"HaHaHa! Awe thats so awesome Cash!"

^^^That is literally word for word how it went down. He was so excited to tell his mommy. Who could blame him. He was beaming, and so was I. 

I pick up Savy, tell her Cash' accomplishment and in her usual sweet voice she congratulates him with an added kiss on the cheek. 

9:15pm- Everyone is snoring but me. Typical. I turn on E;60, a series focused on the world of sports and the feel good stories about folks in that business. I DVR it. 

Tonight was a compilation, 3 stories of triumph. The first was about Ernie Johnson, the second about a dog that retrieves bats and the third about a little boy named Liam.

I'm going to review 2 of these stories. I fast forwarded through the golden-retriever vignette. Ernie was first, but I'll get back to him, let's meet Liam. Liam is a hockey fan, has downs-syndrome and beat Leukemia. Total tear jerker and the kid is amazing in so many ways. Certainly a tough little man, cute as a button and a smile that you can't help but want to see more of. He is basically a Bruins mascot and you may have seen him in a viral video about the "Fist-bump Kid". If not, here it is. Fist Bump Kid A beautiful story.

As great as Liam is however, the story that really got me was about Ernie Johnson. The son of a legendary sports announcer, he makes a name for himself-arguably even bigger than his pops. Meanwhile adopts 2 children, has 2 others, beats cancer, loses his dad and then finds out that his first adopted son who had multiple health issues as a small child has been diagnosed with a form of Muscular Dystrophy. The film follows Ernie through his daily routine with his son Michael, how he almost died, is now on a breathing machine and basically illustrates the hardship this family is dealing with while loving this 27 yr old son. Their strength, Michael's love for his dad and the happy nature with which they carry on their daily lives is inspiring. 

But what really got me way down in the feels was one line; one simple line that comes from a man who has experienced every type of loss and pain one could experience.

"He was perfectly and wonderfully made." 

Thank you Ernie, you just made this dads life more clear. 

You can find Ernie's story here.

God bless, everyone. 

Matthew

He's Got Legs

First off, I would be remiss to not mention that I dig me some ZZ Top.

So bubba has grown lots since I last posted. Everything from his hair to his legs are getting longer. We are due a haircut for sure, but those skinny legs are starting to find a purpose. Cash was fitted for AFO's(Ankle Foot Orthotics) a couple weeks ago and he gets them tomorrow! We are pretty excited to get these "magic shoes" on him and see what they can do in shaping his feet and legs as well as assist in his standing.

Last week Cash jumped in his jumper for the first time. A legitimate repetition and extension of both legs with the intention of movement. That's how I define it anyhow. Before last week his jumps were not really intentional or repetitive. So, we are excited! He has found his legs in the jumper as well as on the ground, scooting on his back from one side of the area rug to the other. He has also mastered rolling from left to right as well, which gives him good mobility when reaching for something. I liken it to an alligators "death roll". (Not really but you get the idea).

Sitting up alone still has some work, but he is very close. We can get up to a minute on occasion with him sitting up by himself, which gives us hope he will do it soon. The day I can sit him down with some toys to play with will be a miracle and a blessing. For us, the assumptions most parents make are lofty goals. Baby steps.

His smile is beautiful and refreshing. Every little millimeter of his smile adds fuel to keep pressing on. That toothy smile gives us renewed ambition to provide, love and persevere. We love him to pieces.

Savy started 4th grade yesterday and boy does he know it. Cash and Kimberley walked Savy to school the last two mornings, so he is starting to catch on to the routine. The best part of his day is when he sees her come running out of school at pick up time. He gets all excited and starts pumping those legs trying to run to her. It is a beautiful thing to see their relationship so strong. To be fair, Savy lights up as much as Cash does when she sees him. Kisses to and from each other are the standard greeting.

One other big milestone for Cash is the discontinued requirement to patch his right eye. This means the doc believes his left eye is strong and has good vision. The surgery he had worked like a charm; thank you Dr. Paysee. When we see old pictures of Cash, we always comment how glad we are that crossed eye is gone for good. It hurts me to think how many months his vision was double.

Cash has also been attending church nursery most Sundays. This is a really nice turn of events, and by all accounts both the ladies providing the care and Cash thoroughly enjoy the time. We are hoping to get him into a mothers day out program sometime in the near future. Once sitting up is mastered we will get him some much needed social interaction.

Sorry for the lack of updates, but life speeds by quickly. I know how many of you are interested in this life long race we are running and it still means the world to us that you care. Thank you, and I promise less time before the next post. God bless.   

So Long 2012

We officially survived our first year since the addition of Cash, and did so with flying colors I might add!

My last post was at the end of September, easily the longest stretch without a post. This is probably a good thing, as this blog is more a catharsis for me than anything. That being said, I must be handling and coping with my emotions better these days. Or maybe weve just been too busy for me to think? In either case, its been over 3 months since you last heard from me, so I am prepared to give an update on our hero and villain, as well as the cast of remaining characters in our play of life.

Hero=Cash
I could almost stop there. He is one. He always will be. He defines it, as far as I am concerned. What an amazing little boy he is. So full of laughter and smiles, surprises and curveballs. He continues his therapy 3-4 times per week and always makes his doctor appointments on time. Meanwhile he meets his therapy goals and throws in the occasional "Dadda" or "I bubba" for good measure. He is just now beginning to roll over unprompted, and weve found him on his back a number of times when he left him on his stomach. He hasnt started crawling, or rolling back to front, but his head control and sitting up is coming right along. Long road ahead, but he keeps putting the proverbial foot in front of the other. He makes me proud.

The oxygen is completely a non-concern at this point, though weve added weekly breathing treatments for the slight wheezing he has on occasion. His appetite is undoubtedly Franek. The boy could chew through a bamboo prison I kid you not. Oh, and while speaking of chewing, he has three teeth on the bottom! The tops are not quite there. Preemies are known for having "out of order" teeth ruptures. Stage 3 foods are the staple now with an occasional wafer/toast. The diapers are filling as quickly as his gut.

He has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. They speak to me like the blue waters of Roatan. Calm, yet with purpose; Cash can stare a hole through you. I literally get hypnotized at times. His disposition is first rate, and he has avoided any colds so far. RSV shots are on the docket to assist in that venture. His hair is coming in great on top, even long. The back, not so much. Until he sits up on his own, the back of his head will likely not grow much.

It is important to note that he is officially a world traveler! He has now visited two foreign countries and survived a cruise. Those who know us well can attest to the seriousness with which we take travel, so this was a blessing for him to not only join us, but enjoy and tolerate it well. One more blessing to count for sure.

Villain=CP
Its here, its not going anywhere, but it wont consume us anymore than it has. Our new normal includes this barnicle of antagonistic bullshit(Breathe Matthew). However, it does not and will not define Cash or us. Its kind of like having to take work with you on vacation. You know its there. You have to deal with it. How and when you deal with it is up to you, just do yourself a favor and get it done while most others are sleeping so not to disrupt the family time. Get it? Fortunately for us, we love our partners(therapists, nurses), so their visits arent always so clinical. We talk family, politics whatever. Taming the CP is the goal. You cannot kill it. There will never be a day that goes by that I won't think "My son has CP" or "Remember, Cash has a different race to run".

--Whiskey break--

Ok, back. Like I was saying, Cash's differnce is what makes him special. His being special is what gets me through the day. Its an odd position, but one that somehow remedies itself when you allow your head to run the full circle. Its when I stop half way around the bend that I get in trouble. Interestingly, right now anyhow, Cash doesnt seem to mind his foe. He laughs in its face, farts then rolls over and says "I bubba!" How can I get upset over that? I can't.

Heroine(s)=Savanah/Kimberley

I could almost always pair these two up, and even more so now as Savy grows up. She is her mother, no doubt. Not just in looks, but in mannerisms, thought process and attitude. Spittin' image for sure.
Both are amazing with Cash, but lets start with Sissy(Savy).

Sissy got her name by being the big sis. We call Cash, Bubba; Savy is called Sissy. I know what you are thinking, "Somebody likes Urban Cowboy". That was actually an after thought, but I'll take it. Great flick. Savy is doing very well in school, keeps her room decent and takes a shower at least 3 times a week with a little coaxing. I don't understand her avoidance of the shower, cuz as soon as she gets in she doesnt want to get out. Tolstoys War and Peace could be read faster. I'm not kidding, we have to kick her out after 30-40 minutes. We've listened in and have discovered she turns into the director for any given Disney production when she is in her aquatic office. I attribute 30% of our water bill and 15% of the electric bill to her thrice weekly cleaning sessions. We have seen a slight up tick lately in frequency of showering, so the average may be closer to 4 times weekly. Hopefully by the time she hits 5th grade we can count on a near daily occurence, however I am concerned for our pocketbook if that happens.

Speaking of clean, Kimberley maintains her squeaky clean image. Still chugging along growing her business while just as effectively keeping both myself and Savy in line. Her travel schedule has settled down a bit as of late, but for a couple months it seemed she was gone at least 8 days a month. Maybe thats just in my head and its actually 4 days, but in either case, I miss her when she's gone. We are working on that, diligently.

Sticking with the Greek Tragedy theme of the play references Electra=Finances

Speaking of trying to keep Kim off the road, weve recently made several financial decisions. I'll save you the minor details but the big ones include moving, trading in my truck for a small car and a spending freeze on non-essential items. I would encourage everyone reading to call your cell phone, cable, internet and insurance companies; I did, and managed to save $300 a month! These things add up. These changes along with the big stuff have had no affect on our happiness or convenience, but in total amount to tens of thousands a year. We now save more than we spend, which is an amazing feeling. In case you were wondering, we chose the Dave Ramsey method to do this, though I made a couple modifications to the program. Overall though, Dave is a great coach and his books "Total Money Makeover" and "Financial Peace" are easy to understand, direct and effective reads for those serious about a dramatic change in their financial life. We've literally saved as much in the last 6 months as we had the 3 yrs prior. It can be dramatic. The best part is, we can do more good with our savings and not feel so afraid to let more go to charity and the like. Its a great feeling. Enough with my preaching. Finances will have you kill yourself and your mother, if not careful.

__________________________For the first time ever, I just deleted 2 paragraphs of something I wanted to say but didnt. Maybe some day I will________________________________________

2012 sucked for the most part. It was a very tough year. I hope noone tries to tell me otherwise. Something like, "But look how beautiful Cash is, didn't 2012 end up great?" Blah blah blah. It sucked, and it sucked bad. I'm biting my tongue here. The first 5 months were miserable, and that followed two months of complete hell. I pray I never see another year even close to 2012, and my wish for all of you is that you never have to endure something similar. Some of you have, many of you will at some point. All I can say is, have your relationships prepared, have your heart in the right place and hold the fuck on.

I welcome 2013 with open arms, cuz if I can have 12 months close to what I've had the last 3, I'm gonna be sittin' pretty with my girls, my boy and a fruity drink on the beach somewhere.

Here's to hoping 13 is just a number! Cheers to each and everyone one of you. Happy life, happy wife, happy children, healthy bodies and tidy home. God bless you and talk to ya soon!

Pura Vida