Today is the first day in nearly a week that I didn’t wake up groaning, sniffing, reaching for my Kleenex and moaning all the way to bathroom! YAHOO! I decided last night that I would stay home from church today, just in case. I got some extra sleep and I think I’m finally over the hump of this nasty cold!! Today it is also SUNNY out this morning! Oh sunshine, where have you been? I woke up yesterday to SNOW, so my pitiful grumbly walk to the bathroom was littered with a few ‘come on’s?’ and ‘are you kidding me’s?’. Waking up this morning to sunshine and much milder temperatures today really helped lift my spirits. Yesterday I noticed that my Japanese maple seedling that I over-wintered in the garage has made it! BUDS! 
So surely, Spring has to be here right!?
Yesterday I went out and found some art for the house. I had read about this artist Rodney White who likes to paint things which look like old advertising signs with positive sayings on them. I was tickled to see they had a few at Target and so I picked up a few for the dining room and the front entry.
I’m pretty excited about them! My first semi-real art purchase! HA! I’ve slowly been putting more things out and on the walls and the house is really starting to feel like our home. 
I have this big picture from my Grandparents, it is a photo that someone had taken of Jesse Lake years ago and they had framed. Jesse Lake was where my Grandparents had once owned and run a resort in Minnesota. We vacationed there for years, at the resort, and then later in the cabin they built next to the resort. I’ve always admired the photo at their house and last summer when Grandma moved to an apartment, she gave it to me. I love it, and will cherish it always. I hung it up in our bedroom where I can walk by it often and smile remembering all the wonderful times spent there with my family.
I talked to Matt last night and tried to give him a little pick me up with an unexpected phone call. Matt is terribly homesick right now. I wanted to try and help him refocus his energy on taking in the experience he is having now and remembering why he is going through it. It’s easy to just feel like you’re ‘getting through’ this time apart, counting down the days until it’s over. But, I think it would be better if he could spend his time fully engaged in the experience. I told him to try and remember how badly he wanted to go there, and to remember the purpose for this trip…that everything here will be waiting for him when he gets home, but right now this is where he needs to be. I fully believe that God intended Matt to have this experience…too many things just ‘coincidentally’ fell in to place, allowing Matt to have this opportunity. To me, it simply cannot be denied…he is where he is supposed to be. As hard as it is to be apart, I know that it will be worth it. So, that being said, I was hoping I could start up a little e-mail campaign with all of us back home reading this blog and thinking of Matt. Sundays are the longest days for Matt, he only has his herbal soaks…and the rest of the day can drag on. I think we should all try our hardest to send Matt e-mails on Saturday’s (before 6 PM, if possible), so that when he gets up on Sundays to read his e-mail he finds tons of messages. I think reading all our words of love, support, and encouragement will really touch his heart and lift his spirits…giving him the extra something he needs to keep moving forward with a positive attitude. I’m not going to tell Matt about my e-mail campaign, he doesn’t need to know…I just think it would be wonderful if we could all just shower him with e-mails, especially on the weekends when he has more down time. So, if you think about it, please do send him messages. He’s still using his yahoo account: matthewkarwoski@yahoo.com
In other news, he’s had a little bug as well. His temperature was a little high on Saturday, so they have given him a couple IV’s and have been watching him. He said he felt fine, but did seem to have a little lack of appetite, which we all know is NOT like Matt! So, hopefully he’ll get over that little bug soon too.
All of his treatments are going well – pretty much status quo. I also wanted to remind him that just because he hasn’t noticed any other changes right now, that doesn’t mean things aren’t changing. I know that what they are doing each day is building upon what they’ve done the previous day…and so. I also know that the things they trigger there will continue to heal over time, even after he gets home. I’ve been in touch with another couple who traveled to China last year and they are still noticing small things now, a year later. Ruth also said that it was about six months after she got home from China that she really felt stable with her balance. So, we all have to remember that this treatment (like all others) takes time as well. Little things are happening in his body that will continue to work themselves out over time. And we can’t forget the changes that he’s experienced already after only having been there a number of weeks. Remember that he had therapy here for over 2 years…and in a matter of weeks in China there are noticeable differences. That is amazing! He could not have gotten this treatment here…so who knows if he ever would have gotten to experience these changes!? Not that I want in any way to downplay the therapy he had here…he had WONDERFUL therapy here with loving, caring, and skilled therapists who brought him to where he is today. He could not have traveled to China if it were not for them. We would not be where we are today, if it were not for them. I’m just so happy that Matt is able to build upon the work they’ve done with him and take it a step further. We have been nothing but fortunate with therapists, therapies, opportunities, and my wonderful insurance who paid for most of it. God has been so good to us…placing so many wonderful people in our lives. I’d name names…but I’d hate to leave anyone out. Please, just know that we are so grateful for each of you…from the earliest days of therapy back at the nursing home, through inpatient rehab, then outpatient rehab, and the days out at Timber Creek. We have been so lucky to have known you all…and we can’t wait to see you all again when Matt comes home!!!!!!!
So surely, Spring has to be here right!? Yesterday I went out and found some art for the house. I had read about this artist Rodney White who likes to paint things which look like old advertising signs with positive sayings on them. I was tickled to see they had a few at Target and so I picked up a few for the dining room and the front entry.
I’m pretty excited about them! My first semi-real art purchase! HA! I’ve slowly been putting more things out and on the walls and the house is really starting to feel like our home. 
I have this big picture from my Grandparents, it is a photo that someone had taken of Jesse Lake years ago and they had framed. Jesse Lake was where my Grandparents had once owned and run a resort in Minnesota. We vacationed there for years, at the resort, and then later in the cabin they built next to the resort. I’ve always admired the photo at their house and last summer when Grandma moved to an apartment, she gave it to me. I love it, and will cherish it always. I hung it up in our bedroom where I can walk by it often and smile remembering all the wonderful times spent there with my family. I talked to Matt last night and tried to give him a little pick me up with an unexpected phone call. Matt is terribly homesick right now. I wanted to try and help him refocus his energy on taking in the experience he is having now and remembering why he is going through it. It’s easy to just feel like you’re ‘getting through’ this time apart, counting down the days until it’s over. But, I think it would be better if he could spend his time fully engaged in the experience. I told him to try and remember how badly he wanted to go there, and to remember the purpose for this trip…that everything here will be waiting for him when he gets home, but right now this is where he needs to be. I fully believe that God intended Matt to have this experience…too many things just ‘coincidentally’ fell in to place, allowing Matt to have this opportunity. To me, it simply cannot be denied…he is where he is supposed to be. As hard as it is to be apart, I know that it will be worth it. So, that being said, I was hoping I could start up a little e-mail campaign with all of us back home reading this blog and thinking of Matt. Sundays are the longest days for Matt, he only has his herbal soaks…and the rest of the day can drag on. I think we should all try our hardest to send Matt e-mails on Saturday’s (before 6 PM, if possible), so that when he gets up on Sundays to read his e-mail he finds tons of messages. I think reading all our words of love, support, and encouragement will really touch his heart and lift his spirits…giving him the extra something he needs to keep moving forward with a positive attitude. I’m not going to tell Matt about my e-mail campaign, he doesn’t need to know…I just think it would be wonderful if we could all just shower him with e-mails, especially on the weekends when he has more down time. So, if you think about it, please do send him messages. He’s still using his yahoo account: matthewkarwoski@yahoo.com
In other news, he’s had a little bug as well. His temperature was a little high on Saturday, so they have given him a couple IV’s and have been watching him. He said he felt fine, but did seem to have a little lack of appetite, which we all know is NOT like Matt! So, hopefully he’ll get over that little bug soon too.
All of his treatments are going well – pretty much status quo. I also wanted to remind him that just because he hasn’t noticed any other changes right now, that doesn’t mean things aren’t changing. I know that what they are doing each day is building upon what they’ve done the previous day…and so. I also know that the things they trigger there will continue to heal over time, even after he gets home. I’ve been in touch with another couple who traveled to China last year and they are still noticing small things now, a year later. Ruth also said that it was about six months after she got home from China that she really felt stable with her balance. So, we all have to remember that this treatment (like all others) takes time as well. Little things are happening in his body that will continue to work themselves out over time. And we can’t forget the changes that he’s experienced already after only having been there a number of weeks. Remember that he had therapy here for over 2 years…and in a matter of weeks in China there are noticeable differences. That is amazing! He could not have gotten this treatment here…so who knows if he ever would have gotten to experience these changes!? Not that I want in any way to downplay the therapy he had here…he had WONDERFUL therapy here with loving, caring, and skilled therapists who brought him to where he is today. He could not have traveled to China if it were not for them. We would not be where we are today, if it were not for them. I’m just so happy that Matt is able to build upon the work they’ve done with him and take it a step further. We have been nothing but fortunate with therapists, therapies, opportunities, and my wonderful insurance who paid for most of it. God has been so good to us…placing so many wonderful people in our lives. I’d name names…but I’d hate to leave anyone out. Please, just know that we are so grateful for each of you…from the earliest days of therapy back at the nursing home, through inpatient rehab, then outpatient rehab, and the days out at Timber Creek. We have been so lucky to have known you all…and we can’t wait to see you all again when Matt comes home!!!!!!!
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