Karwoski Life

February 22nd!?!? Where has the time gone?? There has been so much going on, it’s been hard finding time to sit down and write. Things have been going pretty well for Matt and me. Here’s the latest: The House Situation: Well, we toured several plans and found one that we both felt would meet most of our needs. While we were looking at houses, and considering our options, we had another one thrown in the midst. Over his many years in the cabinet business, Matt’s dad George has made a lot of contacts…some of whom have become good friends. Well, one of them, Ralph (who just happens to be a homebuilder), heard about our plans to build a house and offered to help us out. We met with him this past Monday to talk through things. We showed him the plans we were interested in, and right away he started marking them up with ways to improve upon them. He wants to increase the size of the house, widen the garage, engineer the floor so there would be no steps going in either door, make the master b...

Well, another busy weekend has come and gone and we are cozied up tonight, waiting for the next round of snow that is supposedly coming our way. Who really knows how much we will or won’t get this time!? It’s hard to believe that we’re nearly half way through the month of February already! There has been a lot of ‘love’ talk going around, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner; commercials for jewelry, romantic dinners, special sales (nothing says ‘I love you’ quite like a new couch), love stories on TV…etc, etc. Valentine’s Day has never been one of my favorite holidays…it is just so commercial anymore and I hate the thought of your loved one buying you a gift because Hallmark says you should…it can be so insincere at times. But last Friday, we were privy to a shining example of what the holiday should be all about. We were surrounded by a group of people celebrating love and Valentine’s Day with the utmost sincerity and warmth. We were invited to attend our church’s annual ...

Well, it’s been another busy couple of weeks; it’s hard to know where to start! Keeping us most busy is the fact that we’ve been mulling over ideas about moving. We’ve just been talking lately about simplifying things…and making them easier for us both. We’ve been pretty happy in our house here in Des Moines, but over the past several months we’ve discovered how certain things, which we once considered minor inconveniences, have become increasingly difficult for us to deal with. Having a family room in the basement makes it hard for Matt to get down there and relax when he’s home alone. Having a detached garage means we have to walk down the driveway in the rain, snow, and wind. Having to take the dogs out the side door means I have to stand in the back yard in my bathrobe when it’s -5 degrees outside. All of these things have got us thinking about trying to find a house where we can shorten the list of inconveniences and make life easier and more enjoyable for us. I think we are both ...

Isn’t it strange how music can leave a lasting impression on you? You might hear a song, part of a song, or even just a phrase from a song and suddenly you are transported to another time and place. A memory so real that you find yourself engulfed in whatever emotions you were feeling at the time. I popped in a cd today that I haven’t listened to in a while…it was one I had bought right before vacation last year. There are several songs on this cd that are pretty mellow and suited to a mellow/reflective mood. I used to listen to this cd and 3 specific songs while driving home from the nursing home after a long day tending to Matt and his very early days of rehab. I would listen to these songs and often cry…thinking of how drastically our lives had changed, how long and dark the road ahead of me seemed. I listen to this song and I am driving home, the streetlights streaming in through the sunroof…Matt’s sunroof. I am alone, late at night, staring ahead at the road in front of me...

There is SO much to update everyone on!!! Bear with me while I sort it out! Medical/Rehab News: I finally heard from the dr in Iowa City who is treating Matt’s AVM/AVF (the jury is still out on the exact diagnosis)…we discussed some of our questions on the treatment plan and here is what he said: · When they performed the initial embolization, they were unable to get these tiny ‘feeder’ vessels. These small vessels have since grown larger and he now feels ‘reasonably’ sure that he can successfully embolize these vessels. By reasonably, he thinks about 50% sure. · There is no real sense of urgency to perform the embolization. The fact that these vessels have increased in size is not a bad thing…it doesn’t mean they are more likely to rupture or anything. · He explained that there was a small aneurysm on one vessel, which he thinks is probably what caused the initial hemorrhage. When they did the embolization this summer, they successfully blocked the vessels with the aneurysm…which woul...

Well, it has been another crazy couple of days…where to start!? Friday – We both got to spend some time with friends! Matt had several guys over to hang out, watch movies, and eat pizza. He was pretty tickled that they were all able to make it! He even called up two of them to invite them over and talked to them on the phone…which was a big deal for Matt! He said they had fun, just hanging out while I had dinner with a couple of girlfriends for some much needed catch up time! It was a good night for us both! Saturday – Matt wasn’t feeling the best, started to come down with a nasty cold. So, we stayed in most of the day. We watched a few movies and generally took it pretty easy. Sunday – Matt was feeling a little bit better and agreed to go shopping with me after church! We headed out to the mall, ate some lunch, and shopped around for a few hours. He didn’t complain too much when I dragged him around the various stores and departments he would normally NEVER be seen in! After...

The following is our 2006 Christmas Letter. I wanted to share it with everyone who reads the blog: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well, it’s been a big year of change in this Karwoski household…a year of unimaginable changes. As most of you know, in September of 2005 (just 5 days after the fishing picture below was taken) Matt suffered a brain hemorrhage…sending us down an amazing path that we could never have prepared ourselves for. The details of which have been chronicled on our blog: http://mekarwoski.blogspot.com/ I won’t add much more about that, but to say that we have been faced with insurmountable challenges…and we have survived. As we approach the holiday season, we can’t help but stop and think about all that we have to be thankful for…so this Christmas letter is simply going to be a list of things we give thanks for this year: • The beautiful, beautiful love and support of our families • The amazing strength and resilience of the human spirit • The unbreakable bond ...