Ethan’s Journey

Posts

1/10/26

We went to the lab this morning. It was about an hour wait. I was grateful we are on an every 2 week lab visit instead of more frequently. Ethan and I were sort of people watching. More observing of behavior. I am curious why people act the way they do. As they were calling people back, some lady, named Judy, was sitting next to us. The lady calling out names had great projection in her voice. “Judy!” The lab lady called. There was no answer. She paused and looked around the waiting area. There was no movement. The name just hung in the air. “Is there a Judy in here?” She projected she looked everyone in the eye. Still no movement from Judy. Several seconds went by. “Judy are you here?” She said again. Radio silence. Then Judy pops out of her chair and hurriedly follows the lady back. So weird. Ethan was called up to the window because he has so many standing blood orders they assume he can’t possibly need them all drawn. He does! The lady at the window had...

1/9/26

I found this sign on my kitchen counter this morning. It said “caution, hoist in use” what the heck? This seems like a naughty sign. Why is this on my kitchen counter, buried under some mail? I did what anyone would do finding this sign. I hung it up. It isn’t a sign that should be buried in bills, it should be displayed and have family members asking questions. I put it on our bedroom door, just to see how things unfolded. Paul typically goes to bed later than I do, so he will probably see it and get a giggle after I am sleeping. That is the whole point. To make him laugh. We were supposed to go out to dinner with Paul’s family. The wind made them feel uneasy about driving. We are rescheduling. Avery and I went out to dinner instead. We both had big and yummy meals. Afterward we stopped at a store. We touched the soft blankets and looked around. We found some good treasures. It was a nice way to spend a Friday evening.

1/8/26

I decided I was looking at the bright side issue about Muddy paws all wrong. The bright side of this weather is that no one is inducing their own cardiac arrest by shoveling. Our walk way isn’t as deathly slippery currently. I still have muddy paws and underbellies to deal with. We will adapt. I should be thankful this is the worst of our hardships. I just needed to reframe this. I still may say bad words when the muddy paws come running in at full speed like a bat out of hell! Avery and I have been chatting about Minneapolis and the difficult situation unfolding there. I have my thoughts on it. Avery had her thoughts on it. Our thoughts overlap a little bit but they don’t mirror one another. Avery and I had a good chat, shared our different perspectives and our shared thoughts as well. It was magical. Work cruises along. I am enjoying staying home and cozy.

1/7/26

Carrie, I used your unhinged sign off “for further assistance, please go to Helen Waite.” I even went one step further and explained it “get it? Hell and wait?” Because I was afraid it would have been missed by my boss. I was a bit disappointed when she responded to my note, but not my unhinged sign off. I let her know. Luckily we have a great relationship and I know her week is busy. I will let it slide. Sarah came to spend the night tonight. We got take out and ate it on the couch in our Jammie’s. We then went and visited her dad…..in our Jammie’s. He was in his Jammie’s too. He is a cute man! He was showing us this cool new flashlight he has that is super bright….but it can also become even brighter if you narrow down the beam. It was so bright Ray Charles could see it. Ethan has to go to the lab on Saturday. I am going to go with him and stop at the gas station. He revealed that he didn’t know what to do with his winning lottery tickets. He has never “cashed” them ...

1/6/26

This is a reminder that sometimes things happen in the moment that we don’t understand. Then at some point there is clarity, sometimes years down the road. Ethan’s initial heart condition is what ultimately led us to discovering he needed a heart transplant. Therefore I am thankful now for his initial heart condition. In the moment, I was not. Today at work, I was frustrated with a scenario that impacted some people that may otherwise not have a voice. It was with a flawed system outside of my control. As I spoke outloud to only my dogs about my disgust and disapproval, I ultimately landed on “You can’t control everything, focus on where you can make a difference.” I wanted to come up with a solution that would help people but also put me in the driver’s seat. I strategically created a rant and put it in a place where people higher up the food chain would see. Years ago I worked with someone that was so incredibly frustrating. I often wondered why I had to suffer aroun...

1/5/26

Not a bad Monday. Work was fairly smooth.with minimal incidents. Wow! Did I just say that? Avery called me at 6 pm so that we could do our pre arranged work out. I am glad I have someone to hold me accountable. I was thinking that maybe I should just push it off until tomorrow. Such a lazy and rookie move. We went through our strength building routine. I ended with telling her I was going to take Moe for a walk around the field. It was super dark at this point. At times Moe would blend in with the snow and I would lose sight of him. But he was there. I also wasn’t wearing my glasses, so it gets a little fuzzy far away. Stupid aging taking my eye sight. Ethan and I chatted. He has to go to the lab this Saturday for more bloodwork. He is on an every two week schedule. They keep tweaking his rejection medications. Secretly, I like going with him so we can chat in the car. He doesn’t talk a lot, so that is one time I can get him to share things.