"Is There A Doctor In The House?"

Good evening my family.  It has been two weeks since the last blog.  Trust me I had nothing positive to write last Sunday so I was kind enough to spare you that week.

As most of you know Steve was pretty sick for two weeks.  In our almost 38 years of marriage I have never seen him this sick.  Two visits to the doctor and countless phone calls to Dr. Lupov.....the medical professional agreed that he had the virus from hell.   I almost took him up on his request to let him climb on the roof and jump just to end his misery. But  I told him that he would only break his leg and still have the virus.  But today I can report he is feeling much better and now looking forward to going to Texas on Thursday to hang with his brothers.

I will tell you that one evening when he was rather down we made a list of gratitude's.  We realize we have so many.  1) we are lucky to have good health care and good insurance 2)  we are lucky to have a warm and dry and comfortable house to be sick in 3) we are so grateful for our kids and their families...your calls and your thoughts just kept us going 4) and most of all for eachother.  That when one of us is so sick and down the other will be there.   

Our Thanksgiving was a very quiet one.  We were suppose to go to Alicia's house.  With Steve sick we decided to just stay home.  My very dear and wonderful friend Janet VonHolt had celebrated Thanksgiving with her family the day before.  So I called her to see if she had any leftover pumpkin pie (Steve's request)  I went over to get it and she had prepared an entire Thanksgiving take-out meal for us.  Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, fresh bread, cranberries and pumpkin pie.  It was delicious!!

It seems like this nasty bug has hit just about everyone in our family  Mackenzie had a terrible cold about a week ago and is just now getting over that.  Kim and Oliver were sick with the flu last week.  Mindy and Hattie were sick last weekend.  Baby Eve went to the emergency room with croupe last Sunday.  Garrett was sick yesterday and Brandon is battling some kind of infection.  I believe the only name not mentioned here is Ivan.  Leave it to the Bulgarian to be the healthy one!!

Enough talk about germs!!  The great news in the Fishers/Smith house is that Eve is crawling around everywhere.  She is crawling...pulling herself up on furniture and trying to make it up the stairs.  She is one very busy baby.  Brandon has put a great video on his website showing her starting to crawl.

The Lupov's are doing really well.  They are continuing to plan for their trip this summer.  Over Christmas they will have to share their destination plans.  It looks simple amazing.  They are now in a "get in shape for hiking" mode.  They both have registered for the Mini Marathon in May.  So their training has started.  The travel brochure for Switzerland states that the hikes they are taking are considered very difficult!! I guess they will have to come to the hills of Swartz Ridge and walk up and down with their backpacks on to get in shape!

From Texas we have heard that Garrett did survive his backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountains.  It was Garrett, another adult and I believe 10 boys (jr. high age).  It was wonderful, hard, amazing, difficult, beautiful and scary.  He said it was the hardest thing that he has every done.  But everyone that went including him and the other adult leader loved it.  I know at Christmas Garrett will share more stories and pictures of the adventure.  I am just so glad they made it off the mountain!

I talked to Garrett tonight and they have decorated their Christmas tree.  It has turned cold in Dallas with a chance of freezing temps.  So they have a fire going in their fireplace sitting by the tree. Hattie is just getting very excited about Christmas and coming to Indiana.  She wants to see Oliver and baby Eve!

 I know that with all the holiday hustle and bustle it is just hard to  find time to slow down and just enjoy the season.  Enjoy why we even celebrate Christmas.  As you decorate your trees or wrap those gifts.  As you sip some wine and enjoy the fires just remember that we were given the most precious gift of all.  A baby boy named Jesus.
                                                     God truly blessed us.

Gators, Golf and Get-a-ways

It is Sunday evening and Steve and I have returned from a weeks vacation in Hilton Head.  It was a great week.  The weather was perfect every day.  We walked the beach, rode our bikes all over the island (one day we rode 32 miles), played golf and ate most meals out.  We took an hour boat ride to Savannah and toured the historic district.  Our friends Wayne and Toni Myer were also in Hilton Head the same week (not planned) so we got together with them a couple of times.  It was a good week...except for the fact that I had a terrible cold the entire time! 

                                                                  beautiful Oak tree in Savannah

My greatest golf shot was...over a pond...bounce off an alligator's tail and land three feet from gators mouth.  I let the gator keep the ball!

                                                                          
We then headed home on Saturday stopping by the Smoky Mountains.  We took a short hike and just enjoyed the beauty of the mountains.

                                                                    
                                       So that is the news from the Ridge...now for the family.

Last Thursday the Lupov's had a celebration.  Mackenzie signed her contract with SIMG for three years.  Grandpa took the Lupov's, Jochim's, and Dicken's out for a celebration dinner at the Irish Lion.  Congratulations to Mackenzie and Ivan.

Also, Mackenzie and Ivan have started planning their vacation for next year.  It sounds simple amazing.  They will be traveling to Switzerland in July.  Hiking in the Swiss Alps.  After that they will go to Bulgaria  to visit with Ivan's mom.  Mackenzie you will have to share your travel plans with all of us so that we can see where you will be going.

This coming Friday Garrett will be leaving the wild inner city life for the wild mountain life.  He is going to take some guys backpacking in the Smoky Mountains.  I believe they will be hiking and camping for two nights.  Let's all say a prayer for Garrett and those boys.  Last I heard the nights were getting down to about 28 degrees in the mountains!!

That is all of the news for now from the Ridge.  Have a wonderful week and know that you are all loved!!