Another Update on Dad

I have started a website with caring bridge for Dad. The address is www.caringbridge.org/visit/harolddotson. I am heading to KY as soon as a load of clothes gets dried. I will have friends update that site often with what is going on. Please continue to pray!

"Happiest Moment Of The Game"

While attending our first home football game at MSU this year they announced the promotional event below. I couldn't help but add a "Happiest Moment Of The Game" picture from the 2007 egg bowl. My son and his girlfriend sat and made this poster Thanksgiving night. It was right after Ole Miss got in trouble for some of the players stealing pillows and radios from hotels. Hope you enjoy the picture as much as we enjoyed that game.

Sonic "Happiest Moment Of The Game"

Welcome to the Sonic "Happiest Moment of the Game", brought to you by Sonic.

Each week during the 2008 Mississippi State football season, Sonic wants Bulldog fans to submit their best fan photos from the game (no action shots of the game itself, please), with the winner to receive a gift certificate from Sonic. Here's how it works:

1) Fans are asked to e-mail their "Happiest Moment of the Game" fan photo (limit one photo per person) to marketing@athletics.msstate.edu by 6 p.m. CT each Sunday following an MSU football game. In the e-mail, please include your name and best phone number to contact you (should your fan photo be the voted as the winner). Photos should be sent in standard .jpg format.
2) The top three fan photos will be selected and posted on this page by 6 p.m. CT Monday for voting.
3) Fans can then vote for their favorite photo until 9 a.m. CT Wednesday, with the winner to be posted by Noon that day. Winners will receive a prize courtesy of Sonic and the MSU Athletic Department.

OH BTW how bout them DAWGS winning 34-10!!!

An Update On My Dad

First off, I am not wanting a pity party. I seriously doubt many people read my blog since I very seldom have feedback LOL. So this post is for people who have inquired about Dad and to help me through the hurting process. The past couple of days have been really hard for me. It all started on Wednesday (my birthday) when I spoke to my Mom. She said, "let me see if Dad is strong enough to wish you a happy birthday." He got on the phone and said something along the line I better wish you a Happy Birthday as I may not be there for your next one. Dad has been in the hospital 27 nights of the last 43 that is more then half. Alright I passed that part of math LOL. So here you go on the update. It will be long and I apologize in advance.
On August 21st Dad was released from the hospital after an 8 day stay. He had been on antibiotics and they felt he was strong enough to go home. When he got home he continued to run fever. On Tuesday August 26th the fever was still hanging on. Mom put a call into the Dr. and they wanted to see him within the hour. Once they got there they decided to start chemo. He did ok through the chemo sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday he had a reaction in which they counteracted it with Benadryl and was able to continue the chemo. After that session he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. So he has been in the hospital since August 28th.
We arrived there on Friday night August 29th and David (my brother) informed me Dad looked real bad and that he would not be surprised if he did not come home. That night they gave him 2 more pints of blood. Saturday the Dr. came in and said we have good news and bad news. The bad news is that there is bacteria in the blood. The good news is that we know which antibiotics to give. When I saw him Saturday his color looked good but he obviously had no energy and looked really weak.
They have decided to do chemo 1 week and he will be off 3 weeks. They did a biopsy of a spot on his lung, they said that was not a concern as the leukemia was there main concern. They will do chest x-rays daily at this point. He is still running fever and they called a disease specialist to come in yesterday. So you can see things are really hectic now. Mom refuses to leave him alone at night and I know she is really tired.
Now is my time to vent on my feelings so you can know how to pray for me. My prayer has been that Dad will live long enough to allow Paul to get stronger so he can be with me. The main prayer to is that he does not suffer and when the time comes he will die peacefully, I would prefer it happen in his sleep. I pray for my children as they have yet to really experience death, and that God will make me strong to help them through this time. As I sit and read this paragraph I noticed my prayer request was that God will let him live long to allow Paul to get stronger and now that Paul is stronger dad is getting weaker. I spoke to Paul about this last night and he reminded me to pray as Jesus prayed, “Thy will be done.” This is hard to say a part of me is stubborn. I pray that when the time comes that I can let go. I know I can let go as I will have to BUT I pray I will be OK. Does that make sense?
Thanks for allowing me to vent and for your continued prayers. Have a great BULLDOG weekend!!!

Happy Birthday ..... To Me

Well as you guessed today is my birthday. Let me take you back a few years to the setting and a cute story. My parents were living in the moutains of Eastern, KY. They were married for 3 years when they had their first child and she was stillborn. They were devastated and dad swore he did not want anymore after the loss. I am glad that 3 years later they decided to have another one. Of course I was that other one. When I was born I weighed 10 lbs and 7 ounces a big - little girl. Mom had big babies and it passed on to me as all 3 of mine weighed more then I weighed. Well anyways during the birthing process I was smashed in the chest and had to be placed in a special area in the nursery. There are two thoughts that come to mind. Imagine the fear my parents went through during this time (after losing their first child) and looking at things now my chest definitely did not have any damage LOL. Well the cute story since Mom stayed in the hospital for almost a week Dad would go work in the coal mines during the day and come visit her at night. YES I was born a Coal Miner's Daughter (Loretta Lynn must have had me in mind when she wrote that song). One night he came to visit and he ask well did anything happen etc... She said, "they came by today for the name on the birth certificate" and Dad said, "well what did you say." She said I named her, "Dender Lynn." Dad said, "you named her Dender Lynn?" I can see him thinking now he said, "Chris (my Mom)I will be back I need to step out for a second." He walked down to the nurses station and said, "I have no idea what my wife was thinking when she gave you the name Dender Lynn but our little girl's name is Karen Elizabeth." I wonder if that is why I stay so confused today? With my Dad being in the hospital today with pneumonia and leukemia I wonder if his mind goes back to many years (HA HA thought I was gonna tell you huh?) ago when he was there for the birth of his little girl. I know my parents will never read this BUT I am so thankful that God blessed them and gave them me and that he has blessed me with them!

An Elsie Funny

Elsie is one of my best friends. We drive to school together 4 days a week. When it gets cooler we hope to start walking to school, from her house of course. Well yesterday after school I dropped by to see her and as we were sitting there the electricity went off. I said,"Elsie I think your electricity just went off". She said, "no joke, you have to be the brightest crayon in the box". No sooner then she said that she turned around to open a can of refried beans and both of us started laughing at the same time BECAUSE without electricity she could not use her electric can opener. There's no hope for the two of us together so we have come to the conclusion since there are not many people like us that we no doubt have to be from the 4 pack of crayons that they give out to kids at Applebees. You all have a great one afterall, TGIF!!!!!!!!

You've come along way baby...............

to get to where you are today! These are pictures of my daughter Anna-Beth. The one with pigtails, holding a lunch box and getting out of a car was taking her first day of Kindergarden. The second one was taken this past Monday (8-11) her first day of 10th grade. Where have the years gone?? I am so proud of you AB and love you so much!

Forrest Gump and Karen Mock ...............

have something in common. Before I even go there let me explain that this post is truly for fun and don't think I am gripping. Since Paul's bypass surgery we have been so health conscious. Paul has lost a total of 20 pounds and I have lost 4. The kids are not very happy with the eating choices but what's the old saying deal with it! We have been so blessed with the outpouring of the community whether it is the athletic department on campus, neighbors or friends. So please don't look at this post as a complaint it just reminds me of how much Bubba Blue from the movie Forrest Gump and I have in common. The meals people have brought over are delicious. I have always enjoyed a good burger and a steak would put a smile on my face anyday. NOW it is chicken, fish and Chicken and chicken. Did I mention chicken? When I think of repeated meals of chicken I think of Bubba Blue when he quoted, " Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it." Well when I think of our past meals for the week there is stir fry chicken, honey baked chicken, drunken chicken, chicken salad, and awesome baked chicken from an assistant Trainer and his wife. Dinner tomorrow night is smoked chicken and Tuesday night it is Roasted Chicken. So you see the similarities? Just as Bubba knew how to prepare shrimp before long I will know everyway to prepare chicken LOL. I am not complaining it just amazes me of different ways you can cook chicken. So when I hear someone talk of chicken I can't help but smile, as I know we maybe having that soon. If you have any good chicken recipes sent them my way. Cluck Cluck catch ya later!

Update on "our" lives....

I am sure that alot of you know that Friday July, 25, 2008 started the beginning of an unplanned roller coaster ride. To start it off, yet hopefully be brief I will attempt to fill you in on "our" lives. Friday July, 25, 2008 my Dad was admitted in the hospital with what we thought was pneumonia. That very same night Paul had indigestion and heart pains. The indigestion seemed to go away but the chest pains remained. So at 12:00 am Saturday morning I took him to the Emergency room. He was admitted at 3:30 am and at 4:54 am I received a phone call that they were taking him to Tupelo. When I made it to Tupelo that morning he was in icu and had already had a heart catherization and they placed 2 stents in. Later we found out from the Dr. he would have to have quadruple bypass surgery. In the meantime my Dad's leukemia decides to kick in so I leave Paul in the hospital with the kids at the house and I head to Illinois/Kentucky to be with him and Mom. Dad was scheduled to undergo four pints of blood transfusion. He made it through 3 and 1/2 and had a reaction and the Dr. stopped the procedure. It was amazing to watch the color and personality come back through the procedure. I am just so thankful that he made it through 3 and 1/2 versus 1. This was a very risky procedure, one in which they ask the family to come in and later I was told if he would not have had it he would have died in 2 weeks. He is home resting now. Mom says he has no energy and request prayer as they meet with the cancer Doctor tomorrow (8-7). One of my friends has sorta prepared me that we maybe on borrowed time BUT to be thankful nothing took place while I had Paul in the hospital waiting for surgery. Well anyways Paul had his surgery on 8-1 and came home yesterday (8-5). My heart goes out to him as I know this whole procedure and recovery is tough on him (and me). I know with football going on and two a days this was tough on him not being there BUT this is one of those times he has to take care of himself for once. We have been so touched by the phone calls, cards, flowers, plants and just people asking us how things are going. I thought it was neat that he received flowers from some sec schools such as the University of Florida, University of Georgia, Ole Miss and Mississippi State University. Anyone who knows Paul knows he is the best! Why he puts up with me heaven only knows. Please continue to pray for him and pray for strength for me. His parents will be with us until Saturday and they have been so helpful. So sorry for the depressing blog but I wanted you to know where we've been and what is going on in "our" lives.

Mamma Mia, ....................

here I go again. A couple years back Paul and I went to NYC to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. One of the first things I want to say is WE LOVE NYC. As we are looking at the billboards and such on time square we kept noticing the broadway play Mamma Mia being advertised. Well needless to say we did not go and see it and I regretted it for two years. This past March we made another trip to NYC and guess what I SAW MAMMA MIA. When the play started I turned to Paul and said I know I'm going to love it and you know what I LOVED IT!!! When I heard it was coming out in the movie theaters I could bearly wait.

This past Sunday one of my friends Elsie, her sister, step mother and I went to see it. I was like a kid walking into the theatre. As I walk in singing Dancing Queen, Elsie kept reminding me that I was embarassing her. The man sitting behind us jokingly ask "am I gonna have a problem here with you girls?" I told him at this point I may have to come sit with him as my friend says I am embarrassing her. Well to make a long story short I calmed down for a tad bit (till the movie started). It is hard to sit still when you have memories flooding back to your broadway play and when your enjoying a great flick. Now grant it this is a great chick flick but I saw men in there as well. I have read a few reviews and one person said well there were too many songs. I am thinking DUD it is a broadway musical what do you expect. I am thinking maybe they should have gone to that Batman movie. Now that I mentioned that Batman movie, as I was leaving the theatre I heard 2 young girls in front of me talking as they left the Mamma Mia show. One of them said you know that was so uplifting. The other one said I think I liked it mroe then I did the Batman movie. Of course my thoughts were WOO HOO you girls know your stuff!

I will close with a review I read on the internet concerning Mamma Mia. I would highly recommend you guys go see it! It is a very upbeat, fun great summer flick! Enjoy the review!

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna (Meryl Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends--practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski)--from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.

On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA's songs from Dancing Queen and S.O.S. to Money, Money, Money and Take a Chance on Me, 'Mamma Mia!' is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

Just wanted to pass information on .........

to new bloggers (sorta like myself). Not to long ago my son jokingly called me a facebook stalker. Before we even go there I have 3 children, I joined facebook a little over 2 years ago when my youngest son had a dear friend to die in a car crash. This is sorta when the stalking came in I used it as a means to see how he was doing. Anyways not to babble occassionally I will say something to one of the kids and that is when they joke with me about reading such and such on facebook. I have had a blog for a couple of years and you can probably count my posts on one hand. I started reading (stalking) different blogs from friends and thought man I can do this. I would love to look at the designs that they had as the backdrop and I could never find out where to get those. Well needless to say I found one through a blog and wanted to pass the site on to others like me. The website is www.pyzam.com. So check it out and tell them Karen sent you (LOL there is not a place to tell them that). Have a good one!

I'm so excited ..............

I got a new washing machine. Paul and Andrew just went and got it for me from Lowe's. Now I know your saying why does that excite you? Our washing machine has been on the brink for weeks. It would wash clothes and all BUT when it would hit the spin cycle it would spill water onto the floor. Now this is no big deal as I would grab beach towels and allow it to soak up the water. The towels would dry out on the clothes line and then I would start all over again. On top of that Lowe's was offering 10% off YEAH. Well we plugged it in and of course I started a load and it is so quiet you can bearly hear it running. I have informed Paul I can do laundry all night long and he should be able to sleep through it. So for the beach towels they are retired hummmmm wonder when I can retire?

Through life we run across

things we just don't understand. I know that no one will read this blog so I am basically going to use it as a diary of my feelings. I went home to Benton, KY this past weekend to surprise my parents especially my Dad for Father's Day. When I left there house I broke down and cried. It took me back to 1981 when I left their house as a newlywed. Part of me then had mixed emotions someone told my Mom at my wedding that she was losing her best friend. That I was moving so far away and things would never be the same. Well that was 27 years ago and things have never changed. When I left this past time I had the same feelings that I was leaving them and going so far away and things would never be the same. Times have changed in 27 years. I look at my parents health and it breaks my heart. My mom use to love to go shopping with me and this time she was not able to. Dad is losing weight he now weighs 150 lbs and stays so tired. His bout with lung cancer surgery and leukemia is taking his toll on him. It breaks my heart to see them go downhill and know I am so far away from them. My brother has not spoke to me in a year, sure wish I could make him grow up and realize now is the time to pull together versus drift further apart. Life does not seem fair! How does one cope with a situation like this? It hurts and does not seem fair! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!