I spent the morning splitting wood. I do that now. My hands have open blisters to prove it. Also, what takes sap off? Asking for a friend 🙋🏼♀️ I will say, though, I’m really enjoying it. I have never appreciated campfires the way I do now 😍🔥
Once I had done my job, I grabbed some ice cold water and made use of our fire pit.
THIS is my element. My natural habitat. Beside a fire, crocheting, in the rain. Note how much wood is already burned 😆
☺️ Bliss.
Meanwhile, Brady is barely ten feet away, working on yet another project to make things run a little smoother over here. It’s always SO good for my heart to see him still capable of creating beautiful things with his skills.
Today I mainly want to share with you that I put Wavys hair in a ponytail for the first time since we shaved her head last September. At first, it pulled a little and she started to cry. But the second I let go, she lit UP!!! 😍
She laughed and laughed, and has had it in for hours since I put it in. She is SO happy!
She is a new woman 💜
To clarify, she has not pulled her hair out since September either, so we’ve been growing it back out 🙂 it’s short and shaggy but she has SO much hair!!
Brady had his sixth MRI yesterday. With that, plus two CT scans, I imagine soon he’ll glow in the dark! Yet another fun bonus of all the junk we’ve done through in the last seven months or so! Woohoo!
Cher willingly, lovingly, offered to watch the kids, and we planned out our morning to get a couple “cancery” things done. Bloodwork, pick up meds, MRI, etc. Its kind of a long story, but everything went to poop when he checked in for his MRI fifteen minutes early, around 9:45, only to learn his scan was actually at 10:00PM! That was kind of a huge letdown, only for the reason of kind of having to psych ourselves up for it, and then knowing we actually have to do that again, later! Ugh. What a debacle.
Aaaaanyway, the MRI did happen. It gets darker earlier these days! Yikes! I didn’t think it happened this soon!
I came prepared to kill time, with some true crime downloaded on my phone and some crocheting in my hand.
Some of Bradys MRIs are a half hour. Some are two hours. Its impossible to know.
This one went for about an hour and a half. It was 11:45 when I heard he was coming back out!! Thank you Lord!
So, it happened. Brady figures six MRIs should earn him a free coffee or sandwich or something. Where is the MRI punch card?! That should absolutely exist.
I guess I should add in here that this MRI is to assess the situation post-radiation. It was booked by his radiation oncologist when he finished that treatment in May.
We pray that we only go onward and upward from here!
You are brave because you keep going with a positive attitude, even though you know there are more challenges today than there were last year.
You are brave because you choose to rely on God for answers instead of trying to control the outcome of all your situations.
You are brave because you push yourself to learn new things, even when it scares you.
Because you don’t know what the end game is, but you keep looking up and forward, despite all the roadblocks and detours.
You follow through with everything you say, even when it’s easier to let things go and walk away.
You make unpopular and difficult decisions because you know they will produce the best outcomes.
You are brave because you have learned to speak up for yourself and maintain healthy boundaries.
Because you choose to believe that your opinions matter and your time is valuable. Because it is.
I know it has been a ridiculously disappointing day, my sweet best friend. But know that you are doing such an amazing job just being yourself. I love you so much.
Today was a big day of colouring for the kids. I think Rowan and Laela specifically were making cards for Dekker’s upcoming birthday, but Wavy got in on it, and I have to say, her picture was EASILY the best!!
Why, do you ask?
Not just because she’s super cute, or the youngest, or anything else stereotypical.
Its because her picture comes complete with a booger in the top corner.
Can you see it?
She was SO excited, and presented her picture to us in the living room with great pride. And all I could do was laugh at her booger.
After almost two years being in COVID purgatory, I got some news. So, I have this professor that I really love because she is SO smart and pushes me very hard. Her name is Professor Sidloski. She was the very last class I had before COVID struck. I was able to finish that English class, and then I got into her Linguistics class at the beginning of this year.
For those of you who don’t know what linguistics is, the course goes through 14 years of grammar in about 3 months. We went through morphology, which is the break down of words like prefixes and suffixes and learned every meaning and how to write it out using symbols. Then we did the Reed Kellog Diagram where every word in each sentence has a form and function and you have to prove it using a diagram. Believe it or not, many words function differently in each sentence so you really have to know your stuff.
I met with her before the final because I got 54% on my first exam. The quizzes went up to 70s, then 80s, but I was so nervous for the final. I organized a morning meeting at the College and she bought me breakfast so I didnt have to wear my mask, which was cute. She went through three very complex diagrams with me and sent me on my way. Well, the same day of the final, she emailed me to tell me I got 92% on the final. That was SO TOUGH. BUT I DID IT. She is the type of prof where you feel extra special when she is pleased with you. She is a pretty strict lady. Very fun too. I am unsure how she has that balance down so good.
I emailed her last week to ask if she knew classes were in person, and I wanted to take a third class of hers called “Writing for Academic Success”. Well.. she emailed me back today and THIS IS SUCH GOOD NEWS!!!!!!
Any class that says WEB is online, and everything else is…. IN PERSON!!!!!!!!!!! My prof also expressed she loves hearing from students, especially me. So my tires are INFLATED! ALL THE WAY! She gave me the info for the class and told me she would love me to take another one of her classes. So I think I will. IN PERSON!!!!
I know this is Hailey’s blog and I am writing about myself, but honestly, if it wasn’t for Hailey, I couldn’t do school as well as I do. She is SUCH a consistent support in my life. She and Brady help me a lot and celebrate my victories with me. It’s really nice to have people who are so excited for me. The 92% is absolutely shared with Hailey because she extra supports my English classes that I find so difficult. Which is funny, because my mom is an English teacher. Didn’t pass down…that’s okay!
I am going to end this rambly blog on this note:
Do not EVER settle in your life for sub par people who don’t stick with you through the hard things or celebrate your victories with you. Get yourself a Hailey. They’re pretty neat.
Before you start reading this story, please hear me. I’m not a big jerk to customer service people. I am ALL for the benefit of the doubt, and I’m a pretty polite person. But with this guy, I can’t not laugh at him a little. Sometimes you can just tell that someone clearly just doesn’t know, and rather than sticking to their guns, they should really ask someone else. My goodness.
On Sunday night, Brady and I were watching Netflix before bed when our show completely cut out. It stopped, and sat “buffering” at 99% for a long time. This happens from time to time. We refreshed the page, but nothing worked. We restarted the laptop, to no avail. I even went downstairs and completely disconnected the router for a few minutes, giving everything a full reboot. But alas, the internet SUCKED. Our speed tests would hardly even load, much less result in good numbers. So Brady called Sasktel.
And was connected to the WORST customer service rep ever.
Brady explained our issue, and the rep’s immediate response was that we had named our network something funny, and clearly, that was making everything unhappy. He was convinced that we needed to rename our network and that it would solve everything. Ridiculous. Brady argued that we have had our “funny” wifi name for five years, and this was an abrupt stop, not something that’s been worsening over time.
Talk to a wall.
The rep went on to say the real issue was all of the devices we had on our network. He said we needed to take everything off of wifi to get an accurate speed test. He refused to consider the fact that this was a complete stop out of nowhere, and something had clearly gone wrong. He had a serious bone to pick with our apple TV for some reason, even though it was off. So we turned off everything.
Finally, the guy was satisfied that we had turned everything off, and lo and behold, the internet still sucked.
We ended up giving up, hanging up, and calling back in hopes of getting someone else.
We got. The same. Guy.
Ugh.
He said judgementally “I really think its that funny name. I’m going to change it.”
So our network “I Believe Wi Can Fi” was changed to “I Believe Fi Can Fi2,” because apparently that is so different and less funny.
No dice.
It was like the guy finally realized it wasn’t actually our fault that stuff wasn’t working right. So he rebooted our router on his end. No dice. He reprogrammed the lines. No dice. He cracked a joke to Brady, saying “We’re really trying everything, hey?” Brady didn’t laugh.
He finally resigned and said we probably needed a new router. Which we had been saying absolutely since the moment this all began. He said he would send someone out on Friday. It was Sunday. We said no, thank you, we’ll take it in ourselves and get it replaced.
So we did that yesterday, and while the wifi was a little patchy, seemingly getting settled, it works pretty well now.
Watch out, though. We named it something funny again. So I fully expect it to crash and burn 🙄
Thank you, friends, for all the love and warmth yesterday. I will be honest and tell you that I don’t feel a ton of peace at this particular time of my life. In some ways, and in the most important ways, I have. I have peace with God. Truly. And above all else, that is most important. I do not, however, feel peace in the very other way. I feel discomfort, struggle, and stress. I feel like I’m changing into a worse person, and I’m fighting so hard not to. I don’t have a whole lot of recreational fight left in me to put towards that, and I’m nervous it’s all going to come to a head. I still have some thoughts to process. I’ll try and talk more about it when I’ve figured it out a little more.
Yesterday was beautiful and brutal. I was SO celebrated and loved. My mom and Cher came out to the lake to join the fun. Brady worked hard to take all the punches the kids threw on his own. We ate a delicious supper of my choosing. We rested on the beach and had hardly any agenda.
There was struggle though. The kids were in bad shape from the get go and it just never improved. They fought, disobeyed, and complained about what we did around every corner. It was so discouraging. For Brady and I both. He had made an evening plan for us that we finally had to decide to bail on because the kids just weren’t having it. It was really too bad. Definitely discouraging.
Our supper was delicious!
And I got beautiful gifts 🙂 sparkle balls, thick cozy socks, a beautiful canister for I don’t know what yet, a new swim top that fits perfectly, and money to go buy myself some fancy pants new crochet hooks! I’m SO excited!
I have so so much to be thankful for. The blog yesterday was unreal. FILLED with love for me, complements, and care for my family. I felt treasured and loved all day.
The evening wrapped up with cards and fire as we enjoyed our new site lights.
Thank you to everyone who made it such a beautiful day for my heart. I may have struggled a little, butwon’t forget you beautiful people who put into me in the ways you did. Thank you!
Happy Birthday, Hailey! This is the first year you have not written a blog on your birthday, and I thought it was really special that I had creative freedom for this post, so I went with it.
First of all, I want to say, I am SO happy to have somehow been adopted by you and your family, despite our night and day differences. The past three and a half years of knowing you have had a depth of loyalty and love I never knew could exist between friends.
Even among the most heart shattering events of this year, you have remained the most loyal person I’ve ever known. Watching you grow into this immensely strong, capable woman through your darkest fears and navigate your new role has been an honour to watch unfold.
Yet, there are still so many things that haven’t changed! And I wanted to quickly remind you of them.
You are the only person I’ve ever known who can do awkward SO smoothly. No one ever feels stupid when they talk to you because you are so conscious of your words. You can turn anything weird into something charming and fun.
You make sarcasm humorous and innocent in a world that uses it for bitterness. It is the most refreshing thing to talk to you everyday. You are always coming up with new ways to laugh and share your light.
You still underestimate yourself when it comes to your talents, but that’s okay! I think your voice is so precious and beautiful. You are starting to sing more again and it makes the house brighter. You have been crocheting like a mad man, and making truly creative and beautiful pieces.
You are still you. Even with all the big scary changes and the unknowns ahead. You are still God’s masterpiece. You are still an award winning wife and mother who would die for her family.
Now, a few others wanted to pass along some words of love for you on your special day. You have been through SO much this year and there are many people who care about you and want you to know how loved and precious you are. So, find a washroom to hide in with your coffee because there are some long, beautiful moments ahead!
Let’s start at the very beginning of our lovely Hailey, shall we? Who else knows better than Jeanne? __________
Happy Birthday, Hailey …. sweet daughter of mine …. my dream come true! July 30th, 1988 was an excellent day for me. You, my darling Hailey Jeanne were born. So many people were anticipating your birth and you were sure taking your time. 🙂 So finally I made a sign to announce your birth before hand, and left a few blank spaces to be filled in after your arrival. I think it was a least 6 weeks after I got home with you, that we finally had a day when we didn’t have someone over to celebrate you. We were all so happy to meet you and be part of your life.nYou were in no hurry to leave the safety of your mommy’s womb, but I’ll tell you, my girl, I sure was eager to meet you face to face.
And then…. There. You. Were…. my tiny little girl…… bellowing your heart out, your body changing from a very intense colour of blue into a robust bright red. Your cord had been wrapped around your tiny body but we had that out of the way in no time at all. They put you in my arms, my beautiful baby, with your black hair and those gorgeous dark eyes.
My heart was so very full!
I was so so happy to be your mommy! What could be better than that? Well Hailey, getting to know you, being your mommy and then your mom, and witnessing your whole life has increased this fullness of joy in my heart abundantly, if that’s even possible. As a child your heart was light and you’d flit around, (walking was to hum-drum for you:-) ) with a song in your heart and on your lips; literally. So beautiful! This song in your heart has never had a finale. The music has kept playing, even through some of your darkest times of life. Even when anguish and pain have been heavy in and around you, you’ve carried on, with a hope and confidence in God. You continue to sing; opening your heart and your arms to anyone who needs a soft place to land or someone to talk to or be with. You have always and still have such a generous love for others.That love is a true reflection of the divine and awesome love that God has for everyone.
You are exquisite, Hailey.
Today, as I write this birthday message to you, I am so honoured to call you my daughter and my friend! Thank you for this “ultimate gift’ that only a child can give to their parent. It’s been such an amazing blessing for me to have been able to witness your journey in detail and in colour. You’ve kept me close to your heart and shared your living and your great love, with me, your whole life. I am so grateful to God and to you for this immeasurable blessing.
These days, you include me in your own family, with your own husband, children and friends. You welcome me, seemingly without hesitation, with open arms, into your home, into your celebrations and even into your difficult times.
Thank you , with all my heart, for loving me and including me, the way that you do!
May God bless you with:
lots of laughter
a continued song in your heart… forever
a continuing strong and vibrant relationship with your husband, your daughters and sons
good health
and the desires of your heart
Psalm 20:1-5
In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
May He send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
May He remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
May He grant your heart’s desires
and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.
I have always loved you, Hailey, since I knew you were in the making. 🙂
And I will always love you, sweetheart!
Your Mom
________
My sweet friend, I hope your birthday is amazing like you are
You are such an inspiration to me.. and to many. You are so strong and faithful. God just knew how much you would love and bless your family. Your children have an amazing example to follow. You’re kindness and goodness is just the medicine Brady needs right now. God has such a great plan for your family. I’m so grateful to have met you and call you my friend. Love you, sweet Hailey. Happy birthday!! -Amy __________
Hailey, I love you so much. You are a very special cousin to me! I have many cherished memories of time spent together as kids. Now you are an amazing mom and wife, and someone I’m glad to call friend. I am so in awe of the way you continue to show up to life each day, no matter how hard that may be. You are in my thoughts every single day. I hope that you feel special and loved today on your birthday. I love you! Love, Elise. __________
A Dramatic Reading for Hailey’s Birthday
(adapted from a movie particularly meaningful to the birthday girl)
Oh, man. I am so wired.
More so than usual?
Way more.
I made a model of centennial last night complete with guests.
I stayed up all night.
I’ve got the entire thing
planned out, every detail.
you didn’t sleep?
you should have slept.
I’m a freak, aren’t I?
No, you’re just very… focused.
Exactly. So what do you think
of my mom’s red halter?
For your interview today?
It’s a little slutty.
Let me rephrase. What do you think
Brad’ll think of my mom’s red halter?
I think Brad has
better taste than that.
Really? Okay, see you in a minute.
Got milk?
Thanks a lot. You’re a lifesaver.
You’re welcome.
Sorry about that.
It’s goat’s milk.
Uh-huh.
Dad, bring home the milk.
-fin-
Cheers to 33 years of sisterhood, and to the next 33! Love you Hailey!
❤️Caity
__________
Happy birthday Hailey! You were the sweetest little girl way back when my Mom babysat you. You stole my heart back then and I feel blessed to have kept in contact with you, catered your wedding and now as you raise your own beautiful children. You have been such an inspiration to me as a loving, supportive wife and mother. I pray that God will bless you with joy, good health and all your dreams come true! Love you girl!
-Jocelyn _________
Happy Haileyday! What a marvelous creation God concocted the day He came up with YOU.
I don’t know if you know how much and how often I’ve marveled at your exceptional parenting. Probably not, because I tend to rave about you to your Mom or to my sisters and seldom to you! I’ve often wished I’d had you as a friend to observe when I was learning to be a parent. Your kids are your resume.
And recently, I’ve been just as impressed with your wife-ing. You are a wise, rational, compassionate woman in spite of the fit- and-spurts, spits-and-furts emotional blender you’ve been in. Your struggle with the physical repercussions of high stress is surprising only in how far you’ve gone and how capable you’ve remained in the midst of it all. I’m sad my own health keeps me at a distance, but I have to say, I’m grateful beyond words to have you in my life and to be a small part of your life.
If you knew how pleasing you are to the Lord, you’d just get annoyingly conceited, so just as well you don’t. But I hope, as a birthday gift, you get a fresh glimmer of how He sees you — that would have to give you immeasurable pleasure, strengthening, courage and affirmation. I’m praying that He leads you into deeper discernment, to take every thought captive in obedience to Him, and to focus on the Lord, and whatever else is true, honest pure, lovely, of virtue, praiseworthy.
I love you, dear Hailey. 💜💛🧡Willa
__________
Happy Birthday to our beautiful ‘next dork neighbor’ you are such a strong, loving, and thoughtful person, we’re wishing you all the happiness (and that you never run out of yarn mid project ) in the year ahead!!
Love, the Starkells
__________
Hailey, your friendship has been an unexpected and very sweet gift to me. Praying for strength & endurance for each moment of this crazy hard/amazingly blessed journey you are on with your family (and with your own health). I’m learning that it’s okay not to be okay…God wants to hear our sad and our happy. -Donalda
__________
Hailey you are an amazing lady! Always looking on the bright side, caring about everybody you love, you give so much to your family & friends. I know you and your family have been going though so much these last couple years, through it all you’ve shown that being kind to others, even when it’s the hardest, is something you’ll never stop doing. It shows so much to your personality. Teaching your children the same values really adds beauty to this world. I hope you know that’s exactly what you do. You are a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul, as result you add beautiful things to this world that will keep on being beautiful for years to come! I’m so happy to have met you, Keep being exactly YOU!
Lots of love Carlinna
__________
Hailey, happy birthday! Life has changed a lot for you in this last trip around the sun, there’s no denying it. You’ve faced some serious challenges and there are undoubtedly more to come. We’d like to spend a bunch of time now telling you how awesome you are (because it’s true!), and how great you are doing (which is entirely the case!), but we’re learning that we’re not nearly as awesome as we thought we were, and that, behind closed doors especially, we don’t always do that great. So what we want to share with you is a different thing we’re learning: that the hard times are special opportunities to trust God, even if you have next to zero legitimate faith to offer. Take it from us firstborns, who love to be in control of things: God insists he can handle things, and anytime we take him at his word, he does handle them, not often in a way that is easy necessarily, but in a good way that brings glory to him and unmistakably shows that he is truly a good, trustworthy, loving father. We would hope this for you and yours, more than anything; to be a part of God’s story – and you are! It’s happening to you right now. And we can’t think of a better birthday present – not the trials and struggles and tragedies of your life, of course, but the fact that, as you walk, you’re bringing glory to him. And no matter how many times you might trip or wander off in the wrong direction, his love for you stays the same.
Well done, sis. Here’s to another year following after him!
Very much love,
Simon and Grace
__________
Hailey Born. Happy stinkin birthday! I can’t begin to tell you how incredible you are. You’re a phenomenal wife and mom, even though I’m sure it doesn’t feel like it, but you truly are. I know nothing is perfect, but your kids and marriage are a testament of how incredible you are. You put your all into your family, and it doesn’t go unseen. You are so beautiful, Hailey, inside and out. I’m in awe of how strong you are, even when it doesn’t feel like it. You are so, so loved. -A friend
__________
Hailey- I find myself looking over the past year and planning for the next on my birthdays. This past year has been a doozy for you and your family! You have survived it and helped Brady and the kids survive and flourish. May the next year be full of joy and accomplishments! I love you! Rae
__________
….and of course I had to save the best for last…..
__________
Selfless love. That is what comes to mind when I think of Hailey. She is the most considerate, generous, selfless, patient person I’ve ever met. Instinctively, she’ll go out of her way to help people in distress, in pain, or even just discomfort. She’s thoughtful, ingenious, hardworking, and most of all, she loves her people. Endlessly. She will love and care for and comfort anyone who comes to her.
I genuinely consider myself to be the luckiest man in the world because she calls me her husband. We started out as kids and have grown up together and I have learned so, so much from her. She’s legit. Best ever. Top notch. She’s amazing and I adore her and I’m lucky to be in her life.
Hailey, I love you higher than I can jump! Further than I can run! I love you so much I can’t even stand it!
Hey this is Brady again! And I’ve got more good news!!
I got my new wheelchair!👨🦽
For those of you well versed in the ways of accessability, it’s a TiLite ZRA. I’m new to the accessability game but from what I understand it’s a highly sought after chair in this day and age.
Custom made, all titanium frame, sized exactly to my body dimensions and unpainted so scratches will be unnoticeable. Black anodized rims and accessories. 12 spoke wheels so there’s less chances of catching my fingers. Front suspension to minimize setting off my clonus. It’s all designed exactly around my needs. 🤗
The chair that I’ve been using up until now has a been a very well welcome upgrade from what I had in the hospital but I can tell where it’s limits are. It’s slightly too big for me, harder to fit through doorways. Fixed handles on the back would catch on door jambs and doors and make it harder to manoeuvre in tighter spaces. Slightly more weight made it just a bit harder for Hailey to lift into the van and up and down our stairs. Skinny, worn out tires often spun out when the rolling got tough.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a very welcome loaner from the hospital but it had its limits.
The TiLite has the advantage in all of those areas. It fits me perfectly, it’s lighter, it rolls smoother and longer, the fold down handles allow me to move in tighter spaces and best of all it’s mine! I have no issues adjusting it to exactly how I want. Anti-tippers gone, balance point on a knifes edge, footplate angled just so to prevent clonus. It’s perfect! Now I look for excuses just to be in my chair moving around. 😂
I had pulled out my tools and started adjusting my chair before the end of my first day with it. Consider me a wheelchair mechanic extraordinaire. 😎
The last thing I want to mention is the second set of tires that were provided with it.
They’re essentially mountain bike tires and they swap out in seconds. They work really well in rougher terrain like we have around our campsite. I’ve been excited to try them out here and today is the first chance I’ve had. They work great! They make the wheelchair an option at the lake. 😊
Overall I’m super stoked to have my own chair and for it to be as awesome as it is. I’m so excited to have it!
