Get Well Soon!

PAD Sucks!!

About 30% of patients with heart disease have PAD or peripheral arterial disease which is blockage of the arteries in the legs. As you all know, my father, Donny, has heart disease. Well, he also has PAD. Ironically, I sell a device that cleans out the plaque that causes the blockage in these arteries. This device is called the SilverHawk and it was used on my dad yesterday. He had been experiencing pain in his thighs, calves and feet. He is doing great and already home. Dad is a little sore but is getting around just fine. The cardiologist, Dr. Borno, also had to put a stent in his renal artery, which is the artery that runs off the aorta into the kidney. Keep him in your prayers, please as he is so tired of getting worked on all the time. Maybe this will be the end of it for a long while.




This is an illustration of the SilverHawk device inside an artery. The blade exposes after the doc turns it on and it shaves off the plaque and then stores it in the nosecone. It's pretty amazing! I have been selling these for fourteen months and I never get tired of being in a case. The results are usually amazing and the patient feels better almost immediately.



This is not my dad's angiogram but I decided to put some before and after pictures so you could see what actually happens to the arteries. This is a picture of a patient's blocked superficial femoral artery. Notice how the bloodflow stops in the middle of the pictures. This blockage causes pain and can eventually cause non-healing ulcers and sores that will lead to amputation. Unfortunately, many diabetics have lost their legs due to this very thing. They have so much blockage due to their disease and they don't catch it in time to save their legs. So depressing...hope you aren't bummed reading this blog. It's about awareness, ya know?



This is the picture taken of this patient's artery once the SilverHawk procedure had been performed. Notice the straight-line flow to the rest of the leg. Pretty cool, huh? So, to make things less-depressing...there are technologies that can help these patients and luckily, I work for a company who owns one of these awesome technologies. I love my job!!



I know, this is yucky. This is the actual plaque that comes out of these patient's arteries. Plaque is caused by high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and other very unhealthy things. This is not my dad's plaque. I took this picture after one of the cases I was in on recently.



Lastly, this is an illustration of the arteries of the legs and also a picture of what a blocked artery looks like. My dad had blockage in both legs and has had them both fixed. Yesterday, he had his SFA and posterior tibial of his right leg fixed. Pretty nifty, huh?

GET WELL SOON, DAD!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

SNOW DAY!! School Closed!

Kellyn was so excited to learn she had no school today. Apparently, classes in Amarillo rarely get cancelled...sometimes just postponed for an hour or two. BUT, I guess last night's storm was bad enough to close down schools in Amarillo and Canyon. Blaze was also happy he didn't have to go to the babysitter! Hays is at work, poor guy BUT he did promise the kids they can play in the snow when he gets home. I will share pics of that soon. Stay warm, people!!

Breathless!!

These pictures leave me just that...breathless! I know I am their mother for goodness sake but surely it's okay for me to blog about how beautiful they are, right? I cannot believe my children are growing up before my very eyes. It's really very sad and depressing. I know I shouldn't dwell on the things that I don't have control over but jeez, can someone please slow it all down just a little. It seems like just yesterday Kellyn had her pretty little curls and her sweet two-year old face...now she's eight! Not just five or six but eight!! Ten years from now, she's a woman. WoW! Is it just me, or is she just gorgeous? Love me longer, Kellyn Paige Davies...please don't fall in to one of those teenager traps and hate your mother with all of your heart and soul. I love you more than you'll ever know. Blazeman...this guy is already three. Seems like a month ago he was lying in NICU just waiting to get well so I could come and take him to his new house. He is something else! Thank goodness the Lord had other plans for me as I was not going to have another child. I cannot imagine one day in this life without his smile and sweet voice and yes, even his tantrums. I am such a lucky mother!! My kids are great blessings!! Thanks to Allyson Wall for these great, unbelievable pictures. She caught my kids in all their glory...from Blaze's stubborness to his crying to Kellyn's poses and her thoughtful gazes. These turned out just amazing and I couldn't be happier. You guys will have to wait on the other pics as I haven't finished editing them. Hope you enjoy them half as much as we have.

Feastin' at the Johnston's

SHOULD I SAY MORE?

Thanksgiving Day with the Davies'

Thanksgiving with the Davies was spent at Joe and Kelly's house. Although we weren't there for more than two hours, it was really nice to see everyone. Kara's baby, Olivia, looks just like Kara did when she was a baby. I have never seen a baby look as much like her mommy as this beautiful child. Noel was there with Sloan and Tucker. They are such good kids and so cute. Mamia is doing great and is very happy at Kelly's. Again, thank you, Lord for family!!

Turkey Day 2006

Kellyn and Blaze clownin' around on the couch at Grammie's. I wasn't very good at taking pictures this year. Maybe it was because it didn't quite feel like Thanksgiving since Hays wasn't there or maybe it was because I was just lazy from the tryptophan. Whatever the reason I am regretting it now as Thanksgiving is always one of my favorite holidays!

I just had to take this picture! My favorite food at the annual feast is giblet gravy. Well, there aren't too many people who really LOVE this stuff as much as me...especially not Grammie. She buys her gravy every year because she refuses to make it. It doesn't stop there, every year and I mean every single year, Toya forgets to warm up the gravy. We usually end up waiting on the gravy or it may even have a lump of ice floating around in it. I told her I was taking a picture of the gravy and I was going to write about it in my blog. I love you, Toya and thank you very much for the awesome dinner.

It was important I take a picture of the beautiful set up at Toya's house. After that last "dig" I thought I should "blog" about how hard she works on not only the Thanksgiving feast but also the presentation.

The kids tried to pull the wishbone but it was too wet. I think I was asleep when it finally dried up enough to pull so I have to inform you I have no idea who got the wish. Sorry!!

THATCHgiving!

Hence the title, it was certainly a much different Thanksgiving now that we have a new baby to "ooooh and aaaaah" over!! What a beautiful baby Pat and Averi have brought into this crazy world!! He is so little and so sweet and so perfect and so sleepy and so "Lewisy!" We really did enjoy having Thatcher around...Blaze was not so sure but said, "He's so cute, Momma!" Lord, thank You for Thatcher Finley...we are definitely blessed beyond belief.

My Christmas Wish List

Would someone please give Hays this link to my Blogger? I don't want it to be obvious or anything! I know, I know...my tastes aren't exactly cheap but I don't want all of them. What am I saying? Of course I want all of them...I just don't expect them all. BUT, Hays would so be the hero if he did get me all of them!! Thought you guys might like to see what is on my wish list for Christmas. I will let you know if I get any of them. Cross your fingers for me!!



An IMac G5 is so on the top of my wish list! Isn't she a beauty? This computer doesn't even have a tower...everything is right inside the monitor. I have never owned a Mac but these days there isn't anything you can't do with an Apple computer. If he is going to get me one of these, he better get online quick. Wishful thinking!!



I know, I already have a digital camera BUT I really want a GOOD digital camera. They just take such crisp, amazing pictures.



I don't think I will get this as Hays hates to sleep with music. I have the worst alarm clock in the world and I really would use this. We have surround sound in our house but we certainly don't sleep with it on and I would love to have my music playing at night. Won't hold my breath for this one either.



I want some earrings to match my necklace Hays got me last year. I really want other things more so I am trying not to make too big of a deal about this. So spoiled!



I shouldn't even put this tv on my wishlist as we will be getting one for our bedroom anyhow. We have nowhere to put a console now that we are getting new furniture. What is wrong with America? What is so wrong with plopping the television right on top of the dresser?



Oh, I would so love one of these babies BUT I put it at the bottom of my wishlist because I certainly don't expect one unless he goes to NY sometime soon. Just don't tell me if that's what he does!!

Welcome Little One

Thatcher Finely was born on November 4th. It's high time he got a special blog from me. Since I am back at this again, you will see many more pictures of this little guy. Isn't he awesome? Averi and Pat are very proud parents. He weighed 8lbs and 6oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. We have been waiting for you for what seems like forever, Mr. Thatcher. So glad you are here.

Pumpkins Galore!

There is a pumpkin stand right beside our house. The kids kept begging me to stop so on Halloween day, I finally did. I am so glad I did stop as it made for some really great pictures. Kellyn is just like her mom, Ms. Poser herself and Blaze...well, he is just a mess. We took Kellyn's good friend, Emerson, along with us. Each of the kids got to pick out their own pumpkin and wouldn't you know, they all chose a itty bitty pumpkin. Fine by me as it was Halloween and we didn't have any time to carve them.

Halloween '06

As if you couldn't tell by the pictures, Kellyn was a clown and Blaze was a boxer for Halloween. They both had a great time trick or treating with our friend's kids. It was our first Halloween in Amarillo and it felt really weird not seeing our family but we managed and had a great time anyhow.