Great Guests

We have really enjoyed some special visitors lately.

1) My great in-laws, Steve and Gloria Thompson, drove up from Jacksonville for a few days to help us get settled before they hit the road in their new home on wheels. Thanks for coming Papa and Granny!


2) Betsy flew out from Minnesota.  We had so much fun eating out and relaxing! Specials highs included a Nutella Milkshake from Flip Burger Boutique, Avacado Eggrolls from Taquera Tsunamis and Crispy California Rolls from Kuroshio. Yes....we ate VERY well.



3) As Betsy flew home to Rochester, Heather was on her way out.  These cute girls could have high-fived in the sky. ;-) Heather and I took a fun road trip through the mountains of North Carolina to spend a couple of days with one of our favorite people, Kristen Milligan.  We had a blast visiting together and working on digital scrapbooks. We also attended Passion City Church and indulged in some avocado egg rolls, nutella milkshakes and yummy Smashburgers.  (I'm a pig!)

4) A few days after Heather left, my twin sister Judy and her four kids drove up from Jacksonville. Despite fighting a stomach illness, I really enjoyed their visit.  We cheered Cael on in two baseball games, went skating, and enjoyed playing and hanging out in the new house.  Kassie particularly enjoyed spending time with Lacey and those two became close buddies. So cute!

Not bad for four weeks in a new home! Who's next?

Love the New House

    

 

Several weeks ago we moved into our brand new home.  I love it!  Really. I love it so much!

There are so many spots in the home where I feel so cozy, productive or relaxed.

I love sitting at my new desk (just off the kitchen) and working on my computer, or bills, or IOH stuff.

I love sitting at the HUGE kitchen island and reading mail or email.

I love working at the stove or sink and watching the kids or the TV or the beautiful view out back.

I love sitting on the back deck and hearing the creek and the birds and the crickets.

I love sitting on the front porch and looking down the street filled with kids playing and good neighbors.

 

I love sitting in my cozy bed and watching my favorite TV shows or movies or reading my bible or writing in the kids' journals, or watching the tops of the trees sway out all the windows.

I love the laundry room right next to all the bedrooms.

I love the bright sunny bathroom and the big soaking tub (which I haven't actually used yet)!

I love the pretty color that is called grey but often looks blue.

I love the big red barn that I can see out my master bathroom window.

I love the mirrors I found at Home Goods, Big Lots and Hobby Lobby in each bathroom.

I really do love the new house so much.

Come visit!

Overwhelmed

I thought I was doing fine...

I am.

I think.

Yes, there is a lot going on right now.

Building and moving into a new house in a couple of weeks.

Planning and organizing an Inheritance of Hope Legacy Retreat for 16 families in Disney World next weekend.

Starting the adoption process for the African siblings that God has already prepared to join our family.

The problem is I am not overwhelmed because of all these big things going on.  I realized today I have not been spending ANY time in God's word and very little time in prayer.

I KNOW these things are crucial in feeling peace.  I KNOW these things are crucial in sustaining an abundant life. I KNOW my life is better and smoother and more fun when I spend time with my Creator, my Sustainer, my Father, my Comforter, my Guide, my Best Friend.

I'm gonna quit blogging now and read what He has to say to me tonight and then I am going to talk to Him a bit.

Out.

Elizabeth's Horse Camp

My oldest, 9 year old Elizabeth, has always loved horses.  She even chose to have a horse-themed birthday party when she turned six years old.  

Despite her love for horses, she has never actually ridden a full-size horse.  Well, this summer Adam and I decided she was old enough to handle the responsibility and danger associated with this sport so we signed her up for a week long horse camp at our local equestrian center.  Her Granny and Aunt Erica hooked her up with some sweet cowgirl boots and trendy new bedazzled t-shirt.

As we drove to camp on the first morning I asked if she was nervous. 

"No, I'm not nervous at all.  But I am imagining that it is going to be a small place with one little horse that we all have to share.  That way I won't be disappointed."

  

Who does that? Sets their expectations low so they won't be disappointed.  (Her dad! Her dad! Her dad!)

It's so funny to me because I cannot relate to that life strategy.  I tend to expect great things and then sometimes I am disappointed. But Elizabeth and Adam both share this strategy of setting their expectations low so they can instead be pleasantly surprised.

Well pleasantly surprised she was!!!!

We pulled up to a huge barn with 32 horses!!!  Each girl got their own horse to care for and ride. 

When I picked her up after Day #1 I learned that they not only rode their horse by themselves but they also went on a 3 mile trail ride and even started trotting.  Day #1!?!?!?  She was so excited!!!  Even someone like me with high expectations would have been happy with this day. 

Day 2-4 continued to improve as she learned how to post (going up and down in the saddle), trot, gallop and jump!

On Day #5 all the parents were invited to the horse show where the girls were able to present their horses in the ring while riding for us and performing their skills.

Elizabeth did a great job!!She certainly enjoyed the week and is already looking forward to the next time she gets to hop in the saddle.  

Living for His Glory

This past week has been...miraculous, scary, overwhelming, joyous, luxurious, difficult, and wonderful!


When I entered the college cafeteria in 1996 to share a vial of my blood with the National Bone Marrow Registry, I never would have dreamed that I would get a call on Christmas Eve 2010 that I am a match for a 64 year old man with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. It was exciting to know I might be able to help save another person's life.


Over the next 6 months I had some blood work and some medical testing to further confirm our match and then a transplant date was set, and postponed,and set and postponed again.  I know God's timing is perfect and I trusted that these delays were part of His plan.  Yet, I also worried that my recipient was getting sicker and this transplant might never happen.  Not so!


Last Sunday, July 3rd I received my first figlastrim injection to help increase my body's production of peripheral stem cells (bone marrow producing cells). These shots are to be given for five days prior to the donation.  The first night I experienced some mild bone pain, nothing too notable.


The next day I experienced some nausea and an intense headache.  My collection was scheduled to take place at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL and I had intended to drive myself and my kids there on Day #2.  It is a 6 hour drive from Atlanta.  With these new symptoms and my anxiety regarding making the drive alone, my sweet husband decided to drive us down and then rent a car and drive back home.  This was his 4th of July holiday and he drove 12 hours to get us safely to Jacksonville!  There have been many times in our marriage when I have felt exceedingly blessed to have Adam as my husband and this day certainly ranked high among those times.  He takes such good care of me! I love him so much!


I continued with the shots each day and the symptoms certainly got worse (as they should).  I felt achey...kind of like the flu except instead of having muscle aches it was more in the bones.  The headache lingered with the decreased appetite and nausea.


The 4th night was a rough one and I was thankful to have my mother-in-law keeping me company in the hotel next to Mayo.  I experienced these "gripper" pains in my sternum and pelvis.  They never lasted more than 10 seconds but it was like someone was grabbing and squeezing my bones.  I had to hold on to the wall and take a deep breath until in past.  So strange! I also drenched my clothes with night sweats.  I think my body was just really confused.

Looking a little loopy...not one of my finer photos!

 On day 5, I reported to the Apheresis unit at Mayo Clinic to be hooked up for a 5 hour collection.  They put a needle in one arm to pull out my blood and then it ran through an apheresis machine to collect the peripheral stem cells and then another tube returned my blood back into my other arm.  They gave me some ativan to relax my veins. It worked okay for about an hour, but my veins are not large and they were "vibrating" quite a bit.  I couldn't feel it but the machine kept alarming and the nurses kept talking about a central line. Yup! After an hour of collection they took out the IVs and sent me down to radiology for a central line placement.


They got me back on the machine with the blood flowing well from my jugular vein...4 hours.  I felt kinda weird...probably a combination of the ativan, the effects of the shots, the blood being pulled from my body and returned or the calcium deficiency.  A new symptom.  They told me that I might feel some tingling in my fingertips and lips from the calcium that was being taken through this process.  Apparently, the calcium drip that they were supplementing me with in the IV was not quite enough because about 4 hours into the donation my thumbs started curling into my palms, my fingers curved around them, my wrist curled up and my forearm pulled up and toward my body.  I couldn't control these strange contractions.  If someone uncoiled my hand it would just curl back up as soon as it was released.  It wasn't painful but it was very strange.  Needless to say, they increased my IV calcium.


The transplant center requested 7 million cells from me and I was able to produce 6 million on day one.  Yea!  Because of the central line I had to be admitted to the hospital to spend the night.  My hand contractions diminished to numbness and tingling and then finally went away around 2 am.  My sweet nurse changed my sheets around 3 am due to another bout with night sweats.  I changed my PJs three times!!!  Thanks mom and dad for bringing me several options!! (My mom and dad ended up spending the night in my hotel room next to Mayo so they could be close by for Day 2 collection.)


Day 2 collection started about 7:30am and was much easier than day one due to the fancy contraption coming out of my neck.   The nurses hooked me up and hung extra calcium and I was good to go.  I ended up collecting a total of 9.18 million cells for my match.  YIPEE!


I was able to write an anonymous note to my recipient.  This is what I wrote:

Dear Stem Cell Sharer,

I received a call on Christmas Eve that I am a match with you and since then you and your family have been in my prayers.  I am so thankful I have been given the opportunity to share this special gift with you. 

I have been a stay-at-home mom for the past 10 years raising my daughter (10) and son (8).  It is the best job in the world!  I also volunteer full time for a non-profit that serves families with young children who have a parent with a life-threatening illness.  I love serving these families but I always wish I could give them more time with their loved ones or take away their illness.

Being a match for you is an answer to prayer for me! I am praying these cells will give you much more time with the ones you love and take away your illness. 

It has been a joy serving you through this donation.  Throughout this entire process I have recognized that my body is not my own, but it belongs to God.  He has brought us together in this medical miracle for which I am so grateful.  So many people are praying for you!

I wish you health and strength and peace and joy.  God bless you!

Love,

Your Donor

I was given a sterling silver heart charm as an appreciation for my donation.  I will wear it to remember this man and his family.  Through this process, however, I was given far more than a charm.  God gave me an amazing gift to share my life with someone.  It was an honor and a privilege and I would do it again tomorrow if it was required.  

At church last Sunday, right before I received my first shot, I was feeling a little anxious about the week ahead of me.  I kept reminding myself that my body is not my own and that it belongs to God and that He has called me to this purpose for this donation. During worship I was really hoping we would sing the song "Glory to God Forever" by Fee that says "Take my life and let it be, all for you and for your glory. Take my life and let it be yours."  That was the message that I wanted to cling to during this entire process.  That song always makes me raise my hands and really surrender my life to God.  

Well...we sang the first three songs but no "Glory to God Forever"...bummer!  Then after the sermon we usually sing 2 more songs...I was hopeful. We sung two but not "Glory to God Forever".

But...then...wait...we sang a third song!!!  

Do we usually sing three?  

I am pretty sure we only sing two songs as the end.  

Anyway, it WASN'T  "Glory to God Forever" but it was "Living for Your Glory" by Tim Hughes:

"Take my life let it be everything, all of me.  Here I am use me for your glory.  In everything I say and do, let me life honor you.  Here I am living for your glory."

Amen.  Thank you God for the gift of this song and for the peace that it brought me this week.  These words truly encompass the entire reason for my participation in this transplant, and my work with Inheritance of Hope and my daily life as Jill Thompson.  It is my heart's desire to live for His glory.  

Thanks for loving me and supporting me through this journey.  I am back home safely and feeling well and recovered. Please continue to pray for my stem cell sharer and his family.  I will be receiving updates on his health and status and he can write to me if he wants to later on.  I will keep you all posted as I hear new information.  

Here are a few photos of the process.  If you are at all quesy with medical equipment please do not scroll down to the last photo.  I am SO thankful I did not know what a central line catheter looked like before it was removed from my jugular vein.  I had no idea it was so large and long.  OK....so the last picture is that one.  Viewer discretion is advised. 

One last note before the photos...Many of you have been asking about how you can join the bone marrow registry.  It is very easy now.  All you have to do it is visit BeTheMatch.org and click on "Join the Registry".  They will send you a kit in the mail and you will swab the inside of your cheek and mail it back.  That's it!  It is pretty statistically rare to ever be a match for someone but certainly the more people in the database the better the chances to save more lives.  I encourage you to do it!

Living for His glory,

Jill

The OR tech was kind enough to take this shot for me before bandaging my line.

Probably one of my lower moments. 

Day one is done, I'm tired and both arms are tingling.

Day two...everything is flowing well. Central line is removed below. No wonder I felt so weird. Bleh!

Rest in the Shade

I spend a lot of my time these days out at a baseball field cheering on my seven year old son and his all-star team, the Stingrays. I enjoy watching them play and cheering them on.  One thing I do NOT enjoy is the unbearable heat that comes with June in Atlanta, GA.  There is certainly a reason people have nicknamed this great city "HOTlanta."

I am actually NOT complaining about the heat.  It is fine.  I have great perspective after living in Minnesota for 7 years. Truly I would rather sweat than freeze any day of the week.  However, in the same way it is essential to take cover indoors when the Minnesota temperature plummets below zero in January, it is equally as essential to take cover in shade when you are out in the 100 degree temperatures of June in North Georgia.

The Stingray parents have wised up to this survival strategy and invested in some large canopies to shade our bleachers.  It is AMAZING the amount of relief one can experience by simply taking refuge under the shade of one of these canopies.  Granted it is still hot and humid but there is great comfort when the sun is not directly shining down on you.

When families come to a Legacy Retreat we want them to find some rest in the shade.  Clearly we cannot change their circumstances and many of them still have to "feel the heat" of their illnesses, side effects and burdens while on vacation.  However, we hope to provide a great shelter where they can find relief and rest.  For many of them this retreat truly is a means of survival as they find hope, encouragement, and new strength for their fights.  They also will find a community (or team) of fellow all-stars that know what the heat feels like who will be sitting next to them cheering with all their hearts.

I can't wait to open up our big Inheritance of Hope canopy next Saturday to 16 families from all over the country. Please pray that they find sweet rest, restoration, hope and community in the "shade" we strive to provide.

Bull in a China Shop

I live in Atlanta, Georgia.  Home of the Braves, high temperatures, and southern hospitality.

I love hospitality!  In fact, I think if you quiz my closest friends and relatives they would tell you that hospitality is in my blood.  I enjoy having guests in my home for dinner or for weeklong visits. It is a joy to feed them a meal (or meals), take care of their needs, and make them feel very welcome in my home.  It makes me smile just typing about it!

The other day I got to experience a hospitality unlike any I had ever experienced before.  I was invited into the home of a beautiful lady who loves to practice hospitality as much as me.  She welcomed me and 6 other ladies into her home for a brunch honoring her daughter's birthday.  Her daughter is a dear friend of mine and I was thrilled to have a brunch to celebrate her life.

Well....I don't think I was prepared.  Her mom had a beautifully-decorated home and an outfit that was perfectly accessorized and lovely. She added to her charm with a VERY slow southern drawl that can only be found in the deep south.  She exuded southern charm and hospitality.  I feel a great connection to this lady (minus the beautifully decorated home and perfectly accessorized outfit).  She wanted us to feel welcome.

We sat down to chat and she came around with a lovely tray with sparking crystal glasses filled to the perfect measure with orange juice.  Apparently this was our pre-brunch refreshment to partake while we visited briefly.  Then we followed her into the lovely dining room that was set with fine china, an elegant center piece, and new crystal glasses for our brunch beverage.

She delicately took our previous crystal and gently and politely guided us to our seats so she could "say grace" and serve us brunch. It was so beautiful.  So fancy. So elegant. So lovely. I felt so welcome.

I left that brunch feeling very cherished.  She has treated me in the best way she knew how.  She wrapped me in sweet southern words and filled my belly with scrumptuos southern food.

My version of hospitality is VERY different.

I welcome you into my mis-matched furniture home.

Invite you to help yourself to anything you would like to drink.

If you would like a pre-meal beverage it is most definitely not going to be served in crystal. In addition, whichever cup you choose  will remain yours for the entire event.

I prepare one of my best meals and, since I do not own fine china, I serve it on some pottery I acquired in Poland.

I almost NEVER have napkins, but instead often revert to a square off the paper towel roll. (I am pretty sure my sweet southern brunch hostess would fall over in horror at this lack of etiquette on my part.)

We both love people. We both love to serve. We offer hospitality from our hearts.  It is out of genuine love and service that we constantly open our doors to others (beautiful front door for her and usually back door or side garage door for me).

There is no doubt that people share their hearts in different ways.  Even though I will never host a brunch like my sweet southern brunch hostess, I certainly hope my guests feel as loved and cherished when they leave my home, as I did when I left hers.

I personally cannot wait to welcome 16 families from all over the country to experience Inheritance of Hope's incredible hospitality.  One of my favorite parts of my job as Legacy Retreat Coordinator is being the welcoming face and voice to these families and introducing them to our amazing team of volunteers and staff. There is no doubt they will all leave feeling so loved and cherished!

By the way, when my friend's mom prompted her to open her birthday cards at the table following our elegant brunch I inwardly began to chuckle.  You see, my taste in birthday card follows my playful, laid back, and generally fun sense of hospitality.  I knew my card would be like a bull in this china shop.

She opened the card from her mom which was a lovely poem adorned with some beautiful flowers and well-thought-out kind words. Then she opened a few more sensible, sweet cards from the other guests.
Then....she....opened....mine...."YOU ARE LOOKING FINE!!!!!......THAT IS ONE FINE PIECE OF HUMAN SPECIMEN..... I COULD JUST EAT YOU UP....YUM YUM YUM!!"


Did I mention it was a card that spoke?  Have you heard of hoops and yoyo? They have loud, annoying, crazy voices that usually repeat silly things a couple of times too many.

I don't know if I'll ever get another invitation by my friend's mom to return to her house.  I do, however, love the new picture in my mind of this beautiful woman showing love to others. (Additionally, I LOVE the picture in my mind of her sweet proper face when she heard my card that spoke yelled crazy things at her daughter.)