Another month has passed!

I didn't realize that it had been a month since the last post. It's amazing how time has flown, but how March 20th feels like it was just yesterday! At the beginning of August Adam got to spend 11 days with his beautiful little two year old! Sadie was a blessing and a bright light to have around. She's getting so big! Also in the last month, Adam has started working 4 hours a day at Depuy and it seems like his energy level is getting better each day! He's continued to have therapy (Speech therapy) a few days a week. He took a written exam for driving earlier this month and passed with flying colors. Last week he went back to his orthopaedic surgeon and he released him from his brace (wooohooo!). That was two weeks earlier than what was originally decided! This week he'll start occupational therapy with the orthopaedic people to get that shoulder moving again! We went to see an eye doctor in Indy a few weeks ago, she said that he had an injury to the optic nerve in the cortex of his brain. This has messed up some of his peripheral vision, but Dr. Lazoff seems to think that with some time it may get better! He constantly reminds us that Adam really is only 5 months post injury and while he is doing great, we have to remember that his recovery can take a year to two years to completely recover. We continue to appreciate all the prayers and support that we've had. Thanks especially to some co-workers of Adam's (I believe it's Dan and Dave) who have helped us by picking him up for work. Also thanks to DeWayne who continues to help us get Adam to therapy from time to time! We really couldn't have done or continue to do this without your help! Thanks again from the bottom of our hearts!
And a call for more prayer: One of my best friends from college is pregnant and this week found out they were having a boy. At the same time, they found out that he has a very severe heart defect that can only be fixed after delivery. Please pray for Stacy, David, Ella and baby Landin Callahan as they begin this journey and start to see specialists. This year has been full of miracles in our family and I know that with prayer, God will provide. So please pray for a miracle for the Callahan family! Thanks!

On a beautiful Thursday evening...

Hi all! It's been a while but I wanted to send a quick update on how Adam is doing since his surgery last week. His surgery on his left shoulder went wonderful last week. Dr. Wright told me he couldn't be more pleased! They went in and anchored his ligament back to his shoulder with anchors and suture. His will give him the posterior support he needs so that he doesn't dislocate his shoulder. He has a brace that he wears now and will have to wear for 6 weeks. For those of you that have seen it, you know what it looks like, and those of you that haven't...well it completely limits the movement/use of his left arm. But 6 weeks is nothing compared to the journey he has already been through! This is just the icing (not very good icing, but nonetheless) on the cake! He saw Dr. Wright today for his post-op appointment and he said that things look great and they took his stitches out and he will be able to start therapy for his shoulder again in 3 weeks.
Sunday there was a 5k walk/run for our cousin Danelle and her family following the early (really early) birth of their triplets. It was warm and we all figured that he'd walk as much as he could then walk back...Adam finished the entire 5k!!! AMAZING! Great job Adam!!! Keep up the hard work!
And on this beautiful Thursday evening, he was re-united with his baby girl, Sadie! Such an awesome time to have her back home and in our presence! What a true blessing she really is. We all missed her, but I don't think we all realized how much until she was home!!!
Thanks to all for the continued prayers for Adam and our family! Everyday I'm still amazed at the wonderful support the community has given. It's also amazing how many people will see him in public and come up and talk to him/our family and just let us know how good it is to see him up and moving! Thank you to all the family, friends, community members and strangers that helped get him to where he is!!! There is no doubt in my mind that God had quite a few angels with him that night!!!
And there is your quick update! Night all!
Here's a pic of Adam during the walk and of his contraption!

Another day, another week!

Time is flying and boy are we having fun! Adam is doing well. He had a big test this past week and passed 5 of the 7 areas that they tested him in. Dr. Goff said that this is great for four months post accident. The two areas in which he has deficients, she said that those are areas in which he will improve and won't be "missing" forever. She said that it may take up to a year to gain some of that stuff back. But for being only four months post head trauma he's doing great. She recommended that he start working a few more hours a day. However, his energy level right now is really LOW. He's had more bad days than good, where he feels blah and is just exhausted. It's normal they say, so he just keeps trucking along. He'll have surgery this week on his shoulder to repair that. I think that once that's done, maybe he'll start feeling a bit better! Please say some special prayers for him this week, for the surgeon working on him and for all the nurses/techs involved! Lucky for him, he's having it done where I work, and while I'm pretty bias, I know they will take GREAT care of him!!!

This weekend was his benefit. Once again, Whitley County is an amazing place to call home for many reasons, but today it's for the amazing support they've shown to Adam. We even had some out of towners from Chesterton, IN that made the trip to see and support Adam. To all of you who came, gave, in whatever capacity you supported, THANK YOU! You will never know how truly appreciative we all are that you have helped take care of Adam and our family throughout this WHOLE experience. Still to this day, I tear up when I think of the many people who have shown such support and love to our family. You honestly will never know how thankful we are. We can say thank you over and over again, but please know, it is something we will never be able to say enough! Attached are some great pictures from Saturday! Thanks to everyone! And a special thanks to the Committee Members: Greg & Ann Fahl, Bob & Tammy Gettinger, Mark & Meg Mynhier, Mike & Julie McEvoy, and Kim & Roxanne Reiff and the Elkhorn Ranch!

A few inquiries

Another week is upon us and I've had an inquiry or two about Adam's upcoming benefit...so I'd like to post the information for you so that if you are interested you can make it.

Saturday July 24 1:00pm to 10:00pm or ? Come out for a day in the country.
Featuring food, drink, and live entertainment. We'll be roasting hogs and serving up iron kettle chili, hot dogs, and bonfires. Entertainment by Tennessee Rebels, Lude Entertainment, Bob Gettinger and Coda. Bring your lawn chair and set a spell or dance the night away.
Admission by advance ticket purchase only. Just 500 tickets available; so don't delay. Adults $20, Children under 12: $5 each at the gate.
Where? The Elkhorn Ranch (near Larwill) From Col. City take US 30 to 1 mile west of Larwill to Binkley Rd (Countryside Antiques) turn right/North, go 1 mile, watch for signs.
Tickets available at Big G's and Orizon Real Estate in Col. City, Crossroads Bank in So. Whitley and Col. City or contact Kim Reiff, Mark Mynhier, Greg Fahl or call 260-248-6558.

Lots of information there, but it should be a fun day to get out and support Adam.

Adam continues to heal. His energy really comes and goes. Lately it's been gone quite a bit, but he continues to surge forward. Dr. Lazoff says that it's normal with head injuries and could take 6-8 months for it to steady out. So in the mean time, he's (Dr. Lazoff) is going to continue to keep him on his current work schedule and have him do some more OT/PT to keep up his range of motion with his arm and build up some endurance in PT to help with his energy levels. They also drew some blood today to make sure that it's not a metabolic problem and is just the result of hitting his head "REALLY HARD!" He will see Dr. Lazoff at the beginning of August to re-evaluate things. I can say this about him...he's a trooper! He continues to go, go, go! But they said today, it's time to take it easy a little! I think he's just ready to feel "normal" again...then again, what is normal?! Surgery for his arm has been scheduled, so that's just another bump in the road.

Please continue to keep him in your prayers as he continues to heal. It's crazy because he looks so good when you see him, but as a nurse I know that on the outside you can look great and your body is still healing on the inside. And for him, this is the case! Thanks everyone!

4 months ago...

Time really does fly when you are having fun! I'm not sure the "fun" we started 16 weeks ago today was the "fun" that Adam or any of us would have asked for, but especially Adam, he's taken it stride by stride and remains positive about it!
For the time being, he remains "out of therapy." He was to meet with Dr. Lazoff this week, but he (Dr. Lazoff) got stuck in Texas so Adam will see him on Tuesday and that appointment will determine if he needs further therapy at this point. Like before, it will also determine if he gets to up his hours at work, but so far, he's doing good at work!
Yesterday he met with Dr. Wright (his shoulder doc). He determined that Adam's shoulder is quote "A MESS" unquote. So shoulder surgery will be scheduled for sometime in July. From what I gather (I wasn't able to be at the appointment due to work) they will be doing a shoulder scope and will go in and anchor one of his posterior shoulder ligaments back to his glenoid! So basically they will re-attach a ligament to the back of his shoulder joint! Dr. Wright says that by doing this, it should fix all the pain he's been having. It'll also cut back on the arthritis he'll eventually get (probably when he's in his 60's), but if they don't fix it, the arthritis will come much sooner!
So that's where things stand! He's doing great! He continues to have a great outlook on things! He knows his limits and isn't afraid to let you know when he's tired or when enough is enough! I'm pretty sure he's enjoying being back at work too! We would have never thought that 4 months ago he'd be this far progressed! And I'm sure that the many of you that gathered with us around his bedside and in the waiting area 4 months this morning wouldn't have thought so either. But with that said, we are thankful to a wonderful God and to wonderful family and friends that kept and continue to keep him in their prayers! I'll continue to keep you posted, and one of these days I'll get you a recent photo of him on the blog. He looks WONDERFUL! Thanks for your continued prayers! You all have been so WONDERFUL and supportive and we can't say thanks enough!!

It's been a while

Once again, time is flying like crazy around here! I've had many people mention that they haven't seen anything on the blog for a while, so I thought I'd get on to update! Adam is doing extremely well. His therapists have all been very pleased with his recovery and progress. They commented that most of the time those that have been to Shepherd's come back way more advanced than those that haven't. So we definitely believe that we made the right decision by sending him to Shepherd's Center! Even though it was hard! We're glad we did. For the last 3 weeks Adam has been going to therapy 3 days a week. He has taken tests that were given to him in Atlanta and passed them with flying colors!

He had a CT scan on his shoulder last week, and we're waiting to find out what they will do with his shoulder. He'll meet with his doctor next week to find out what the plans are.

He saw his dentist, Dr. Zollinger, a few weeks ago and they think he may have messed up some muscles on his left jaw and may have the early signs of TMJ, so he uses a heating pad on his jaw every night and that seems to be helping.

As far as therapy, he's done until Wednesday when he meets with Dr. Lazoff. Once he sees him we'll know if he needs further therapy or if he's done. He also started back to work this week. They have limited him to a certain amount of hours each day, but when he goes back to Dr. Lazoff on Wednesday they will re-evaluate if he can add more hours to his work days! He said it was good to be back today! I think he really enjoyed being back into somewhat of a routine!

Adam still gets tired easily, but not nearly as bad as before! So he's getting there! I think for the most part, he's sleeping better at night too. He was able to ride in the Old Settler's Day parade this past weekend. He's back to joining us at Bdubs and going to hang out with friends. Really, at the end of the day, he's doing very well! We never thought he'd be this far along in his recovery at this point, but we are so grateful for his progress! We're 15 weeks post accident at this point (well on Saturday that is)! I can honestly say that even though life seems back to "normal", I really don't know if life will be "normal" again. The days and weeks seem to pass quicker than before, but we'll take each day we get and keep running with it!

Thank you for your continued prayers for Adam and our family! We truly appreciate every single one of them!

3 months ago yesterday...

Three months ago today, we were sitting at Parkview hospital in the waiting room of the STICU waiting on Adam to wake up, respond, or breath on his own. Who would have ever thought that 3 months later Adam would be the walking, talking, breathing miracle he is! For those of you that have gotten to see or spend time with Adam since he's been back, you know what I'm talking about. God heard the prayers of many on that Saturday three months ago, and answered them! We would have never thought three months ago that we would see him doing the things he's doing today! And because of that, I will always consider him a walking, talking, breathing miracle that happened right before my eyes!

This week was VERY busy for Adam! He took EVERY stride with a positive, open attitude! He was tired by the end of the week, but kept going! He had PT and ST on Tuesday. They both said that they'd probably work with him for 3-4 weeks anywhere from 2-3 times a week, and then they'd probably be done with him. They said that Shepherds Center did a great job getting him where he's at! Wednesday he met with his Ortho doc regarding his shoulder. Dr. Wright seems to think that he has a torn ligament on the back of his scapula and wants to do some more radiology tests first, but then he's thinking that Adam will need to have a shoulder scope done to see whats going on with his shoulder. The doc said that he could very easily dislocate his shoulder if this ligament was torn...and he said that's pretty painful! Then on Thursday Adam had more PT, OT, and ST. On Friday he met with his eye doctor to make sure his eyes are fine after his accident. They said his eyes looked good, however, he had them dilated, so they will perform a peripheral vision test in a few weeks to make sure that was not affected by the accident.

He spent the majority of the week having Sadie. She was with him everyday but Tuesday this week. We were able to have an early birthday celebration with her and our family and friends this week. She was so stinkin' cute and I know she will be missed by many family and friends while she is away. It's hard on us all, but I know God has bigger plans and He will work it out. It's just too bad that it had to be this way! A few of my best friends were their with their little girls and both of them had been asking for Sadie earlier in the week, those girls had a blast playing in the yard! Friday night we went to Carrie and Brandon Crawford's house for dinner and some fun. We had a great time relaxing and enjoying the evening. Sadie had a wonderful time with their girls, Maddie and Maylee!

And because I'm late on getting this out, on Saturday Adam spent the morning with Sadie and then decided he wanted to relax for the afternoon. We left him to do that and then he spent the evening hanging out with Rodney at his house.

Today Adam got to sleep in and really rest up! He said he slept great! This afternoon he went to Ryan's house and spent some time with him .

Thank you to all our family and friends who made it out to celebrate an early birthday of a very special little girl in our lives. You all have been so wonderful and helpful through this whole process and we appreciate all that you have done for Adam and our family. Another special thank you to Diane, Adam's case manager. She has been absolutely wonderful to work with and fortunately has a great sense of humor! You need that if you are going to work with Adam! He lets everyone know that if he can laugh about this, so can we! Please keep sending those prayers for Adam's continued recovery. Also pray for our Miss Sadie Cakes as she's away from all of her family. We pray that she is safe and continues to know that we love her and miss her. And lastly, please pray for Gemma, she is a fighter and continues to fight for her life at such a young age, but God does work miracles as evidenced in the past 3 months!

Below are some awesome pictures of a wonderful week with Miss Sadie!

Good News Monday!

Adam spent the weekend with Sadie. We played and played and played some more! She has more energy than the energizer bunny! But nonetheless we love her more than words can express! She's a joy to have around and fills our hearts with so much love! Adam had to take a few breaks here and there while having Sadie, but he rested when Sadie rested!

After having Sadie for the weekend, last night we went to Bdubs for our normal sibling outing! How awesome it felt to walk back into Bdubs after so long without Adam! Made me so proud to see him up and walking and being himself! One thing is for sure, he didn't loose his sense of humor through all this! Just another reason I'm so very proud of him!

Today he had his first of MANY appointments this week! Today was his occupational therapy evaluation. He blew them away! They said he looks great and is functioning very well for his injuries. They said that they would probably meet with him twice a week for 2-3 weeks and then he'd be done! Absolutely incredible to know he's this far along after only 11 weeks! God sure did look out for him!

Adam has a lot ahead of him this week! Lots of appointments to get him started in his therapy here in Fort Wayne. He's got appointments every day but Thursday I believe...so busy busy busy he will be!

And lastly, thank you to all of you who continue to follow the blog and keep us in your prayers! Thank you doesn't even begin to describe how grateful we are to you all!

For those of you that have followed the last couple of posts, my cousin Danelle and her husband Jason lost two of their triplets this past week. Elliott and Gabriel went to be with the Lord. Continue to pray for them as they continue to fight for their little girl Gemma's life. So far she is stable and holding her own. Thanks ahead of time for your prayers!

Pictures to follow later this week!

How time flies!

It's absolutely amazing how time flies! It's crazy! Saturday (tomorrow) will be 11 weeks since the accident! WOW! Those of you that know Adam and have seen him since he's been back know how well he looks and acts with it only having been 11 weeks ago! He's an amazing person that's for sure! I can't say that he's ever acted as though it's unachievable to get back to his norm! He's been very determined and continues to be that way! I think this will only benefit him more and more!

Thursday was kind of a lay low day for him, he went to the bank and then picked up Sadie and spent the afternoon with her playing! She was a ham by the time I got off work! She's really growing up!

Today, he met Keith for lunch at Pizza Hut and then him and dad went to Fort Wayne to do a bit of shopping! Then later this evening he went to a Tin Caps game with his friend Ashley. He called earlier about 9:15pm and said that he was getting a little tired. I asked if he wanted us to come get him and he said not yet. Told me he'd call when he was ready! We're awaiting his arrival soon!

Sadie spent the evening with Mamaw and Papaw tonight. She even carried on a pretty good conversation with me on the phone on my way home from work. Adam will have Sadie all weekend until late afternoon on Sunday!

Tonight I say "Thank you" to Adam: thanks for never giving up, for being so determined and positive. You have given your all, plus some and you are truly an amazing person. Some people would have given up, but you've been pushed down and gotten back up and have overcome some not so good odds. Hold your head high as you start therapy on Monday. As always give them h*ll and show them what you are made of! It's truly an honor to call you my brother! Love you!

One step back

Adam has had a pretty exciting week so far! Sunday after having Sadie, he napped then went to Ryan Conley's house for a cookout! He said he hasn't laughed so hard in a long time. He must have had quite a lot of fun during his "man time."

On Monday he spent the day at Jake's house having a Memorial Day cookout. They also went and put flowers on Grandma and Grandpa Schrader's graves at the cemetery.

On Tuesday he spent the afternoon at his doctors appointment. His appointment was scheduled for 1pm and they finally got in around 2:30-3pm. He said that he got to show Diane his true colors of joking around! I'm sure she got to finally see the "real" Adam! When he finally met with his doctor, he said that his doctor was good. He jokes around and seemed to really connect with Adam. The doctor said that he has many patients with the same injuries as Adam, and none of them are as good as Adam! Absolutely amazing! God is good isn't He?!

Today was a long and disappointing day for Adam. But he's determined to fight to get where he needs to be and I think that will keep him focused on continuing to improve! Keep fighting bro...we'll show them!!! Keep praying for him. Today I believe was a big blow in what has so far been an uphill recovery. But I knew from the beginning, we'd take 2 steps forward and at some point some steps back...today we took a few steps back, but I know that God has plans that none of us know about, and He's in control and knows what He's doing! Thank you to Rhiannon and Dewayne for enduring a long day with us!

Thanks also to Shannon and Joey Herron for the food that they took over to Adam's tonight! It's much appreciated and helps out! We are honored to have such wonderful friends! Thank you again!

Keep praying for Adam and his recovery! Also please say some prayers tonight for Baby A (no name yet), Elliot Lucas, and Gemma Monae Ridge. These are our cousin Danelle and Jason Ridge's triplets that were born today in their 23rd week of gestation. They are fighting for their lives, but are at this time doing ok. Please pray also for Danelle, Jason and their son Marcus as they begin a long journey to get these babies healthy! Pray also for Carla and the rest of the family and friends that will be making journey's to South Bend.

Below is the picture I promised you earlier this week! It's of Adam and Sadie after church on Sunday!

Today has already been a busy day for Adam! We've been up and went to church with Sadie and Papaw! It was absolutely wonderful to see the faces of those who have kept Adam in their prayers this whole time. Thank you Pastor Steve for your encouragement and words this morning. God really did perform a miracle through all this!

Adam has been pretty busy since he's been home. He had Sadie Wednesday night for a while. Thursday he had meetings and spent most of the day in Fort Wayne with Mom and Dad. On Friday he was able to go over to Depuy and spent about 4 hours with his boss and co-workers. When he returned back to CC he wanted to stop by the jail. So that he did. I finally returned home about 8:30 Friday night and got to see him! He looks great! I think you can hardly see his scar from the surgery unless you are looking for it!

Yesterday was the 10 week mark! I can't hardly believe it! I was able to spend the day with Adam and Sadie. Last night Abbie and Joe Bailey welcomed us over (along with Dad) for a cookout. We had a good time visiting with friends! Thank you Abbie and Joe for mowing his yard while he was away, for bringing him food, for your prayers and for your friendship! You both are a true blessing! Sadie had a great time running around with the other kids last night! I don't think she was ready for bed when we laid her down! She spent the night and didn't make a peep until 6:30 this morning, then she was ready to go, yelling "Daddy where are you!"

Rodney and his wife also came by last night with their little girl! I think Adam enjoyed the extra company! I'm sure he's sick of all of us already!! Ha!

This afternoon Ryan is picking Adam up and he'll go over to their house for a cookout. Again...new faces!

He really is doing wonderful considering where he was 10 weeks ago. He does get tired pretty easy, but knows when to say enough is enough. When Sadie lays down, so does he!

Thank you all AGAIN for your constant prayers, he still has a road ahead of him, but has/is making such great strides! This week will be filled with appointments with the doctors that will follow him now that he's back! And maybe we'll have to make a sibling outing to Bdubs!!! Have a great Sunday all! Pictures to follow after bit!

Home at last!

I want apoligize for not having posted any news since Adam's arrival home. It's been a crazy few days as we all adjust to having him home. I just simply haven't had the moment to reflect on his blog. We are all taking turns staying with Adam until he is able to stay alone.

I did get a few shots of him arriving off the plane in FW. Adam, his Dad and Diane from Workman's Comp arrived almost before we did. Jake and I made a mad dash to meet the party as they hit gound.

Russ, Tony, and another wonderful fellow (who's name I didn't know) met the group as they landed with a banner "Welcome home Adam". All of us were reduced to tears!

Since their landing, we've all been busy. Shepherd's asked that we keep 24/7 on Adam a few days until he is settled at home. We are to gradually allow him time alone, which I'm sure he is ready for as we wish him also to be. He's been followed by someone 24/7 for so long, I'm sure it is frustrating for him.

We are all taking turns staying at Adam's house, he's had visits with Sadie, Grandpa Lemmon, and Rodney and his family. Jody Morrissey and Jana Reeg stopped Friday night to say Hi and welcome him home, all much enjoyed and appreciated.

Adam continue's to improve, but tires easily. Nap times are usually in the afternoon. I'm sure he'd welcome the familiar faces of all of his friends and fellow co-workers, drop by and see him...

I'll attempt to get to get the pictures of his landing posted soon when I catch my breath... I about died today mowing his yard by push mower! I'm used to riders, so this was a new experience, but it's done and I have to say it didn't look to bad!

Lots of hugs and well wishes to all of you, have a good weekend!
Mom

Almost time!

In a little over 3 hours, the men will be home! Jake and I are busy moving his clean laundry, dog (we simply can't forget the dog!), and truck over to his house. We will then head over to FW to grab a sandwich and then head to the airport to wait!

Mike called about 3:30pm and they were at the airport waiting. He said Adam was tired, but trying to take a catnap while waiting. Their flight takes off at 7:30pm so they had a long wait ahead.

I think today was one of the longer days I have had. I'm sure Adam has had more than I have, but it will sure be nice to have everyone home. Thanks to everyone who kept me busy today and making the day seem shorter. :)

I'm taking the camera along to get shots of their arrival and will post them tomorrow.

Count down begins!

There hasn't been much news from Atlanta, but I do know from reading Adam's facebook page that he has been counting the days. I believe we are now close to counting the hours instead! Tomorrow (Tuesday) night is the big night, so in less than 24 hrs the men will be home.

Plans are in place to have his buddy "Luke" at home waiting on him and Wednesday he has a date with "Miss Sadie". I'm sure it will be a pleasant surprise for her to finally see her Daddy in person, rather than over Skype.

Adam went today for his last full day of therapy. Tuesday morning he, his Dad, and DeWayne will meet at 9 am at Shepherd's for his release interview. After the interview he is done, no more therapy for the day, and they can start to prepare to come home. Actually, I think they are preparing today! When I talked to Mike this morning he was doing their laundry and attempting to pack some of his stuff.

Mike said it's been really warm in Atlanta, but the humidity is the worst part of it. The flowers that had been replanted at the hotel, have started to bloom again and are really pretty. He wanted to know how the weather here is and if there was anything new going on? I told him we have finally hit some warm and humid weather ourselves and that CC had been fairly quiet as far as I knew.

I will keep you posted on their arrival back to Indiana. Pray that they have a safe journey home. Thanks again everyone and God Bless!

Wednesday's News from Atlanta

Hello all, Mom stepping in for Carrie. As you can see I'm having issue's with placing the photo's. I thought they'd land at the bottom of the post, NOT, but at least I got them to upload!

I talked to Carrie earlier today and she was off work and headed on her way to her vacation spot. She told me where, but I've forgotten already the smaller details, but I do know she said she'd text me when she lands late tonight. Maybe I need to check myself in for some of Adam's "memory" therapy.

Okay, the news from Atlanta today! We had a request from one of the county employee's, April Waugh, RN of a shot of the "Cupcake Factory". Well April, he found it and hopefully I'll figure out how to also include the photo's from today which included that shot (see above, I wrote this first then attached the photo's, the photo's landed where they wanted too!). Mike said they just about missed the shop while looking for it. If you want more details about whether he went in or not, or sampled any cupcakes, YOU'LL have to ask him... LOL

The guys also found the Krispy Kreme donut shop, the original one for Atlanta. Mike's quote, "Mmm Mmm good!" and "Adam sure liked them!" Not surprising, this family is big on a few things, chocolate, ice cream, and donuts.

I've also included a picture of Adam (taken today) and one of Adam with his case manager at Shepherd's, her name is Kendra. Kendra was responsible for Adam while there and was his sounding board if he had any concerns or issue's with anything pertaining to his stay at Shepherds, including therapy and things of that nature. Kendra also worked closely with his therapists and was responsible for helping make the decision to allow Adam to move to outpatient therapy and stay with his Dad at the hotel. As we all know she most likely had her hands full (just kidding Adam). We'd like to "thank" Kendra and all the staff at Shepherd's for a job well done and making it possible for Adam to return home as quickly as possible. They are a wonderful group of people, their love for their jobs was quite evident, and their results most remarkable.

Mike let me know that his schedule was already filling up back home. It sounds like he'll get back and hit the ground running. I'm sure he's as ready as Adam is to get back home.

He said it was 56 degrees and cool tonight. Ha, ha, we've been 56 or below how many days/nights now? I've even turned the heat back on a few nights to take the chill and humidity out of the house. We can only "wish" that we could get just as tad bit as warm as Atlanta might be! Bring some sunshine and warmth home with you boys!

On a personal note, I'd like to share something with all of you that have followed Adam's blog. My niece and her husband, Danelle (Schmitt) and Jason Ridge (son Marcus), are expecting triplets. Danelle is presently hospitalized in South Bend and may be there for some time. Grandma & Grandpa Lemmon and I travelled to South Bend today to visit with Danelle and my sis Carla. Please include their family in your prayers if you would, that Danelle and the triplets stay safe and healthy until their arrival. Carla has given me so much support (as did ALL my siblings) through all that we've gone thru with Adam even though she had her own daughter Danelle to worry about! Mom, Dad, Carla & family, to the families of Steve & Brenda, Steph & James, Joel & Shannon, "Thank You"............ Love you all!

To all our friends and the WC Community all of you have heard the "Thank You" from Carrie. However, we can't express enough how much everyone's support and prayers have helped us, so this one is from Mike and I, "Thank You"...... God Bless you ALL!

Time

Adam asked tonight what my theme was going to be tonight for the blog! I told him I hadn't really thought about it. But as I pondered it and reflected on what Adam and I talked about, I think the theme is time...can you all believe that on Saturday morning it'll be 9 weeks. That's a long TIME! Or so it feels! Adam is ready to come home. I said to him tonight, it's just TIME! So some of you know and some don't, but tonight I share with everyone, Adam will return into Fort Wayne sometime after 9pm on May 25th. They don't know their exact flight times yet, but it's official! He'll be home before we all know it!

Adam will have a treadmill test this week to conclude his physical therapy down there. He has to jog on the treadmill for 5 minutes. I think this will allow them to see how he does with jogging a longer period of time and keeping his balance. They have explained that he will have to do some therapy here at home once he gets back, but he just wants to be back!

What a journey this has been. Not something we ever want to go through again, nor would we want anyone else to have to go through this either, but nonetheless, a journey! I'm sad to say that I won't be able to welcome Adam home! I'm off on a vacation I planned back in December, but the good news is, I'll come back refreshed ready to keep Adam on his toes! :-) The blog will be handled by Dad or Mom while I'm gone! Enjoy their outlook on things! Tonight I leave you with some pictures from the County Employee's Wellness walk Sunday!



And one from this weekend with Derek, Jaime, Joey and Gale

And one from the hot tub!

A long weekend

Adam had a long weekend with a lot of visitors. On Friday after another day of therapy, Derek and Jaime Ness took Adam and Dad to an Atlanta Braves game. I hear that there were fireworks afterwards! Then on Saturday, Joey and his dad, Gale, were there. When I talked to Adam on Saturday they were hitting up Bruster's, the super wonderful ice cream place they have in Atlanta! Adam said they walked around the park where the hotel is and just hung out. Tonight I called him around 8 and he had just woke up! Said that they got up early to eat breakfast with Joey and Gale before they headed back to Indiana and after they left, Adam took a nap. It was much needed since it was around 7 hours long! I just hope he sleeps tonight!

Mom attended the walk/run today for County Employee's. This years walk/run was dedicated to Adam. Once again, we are blow away by the amount of support YOU ALL have given Adam. You all are amazing people and I pray that God bless you as much as all of you have blessed us! Thank you!

Tonight I leave you with a quote that has been on Adam's facebook page for a while, but it's a quote that in the early days of Adam's accident that someone pointed out to me....and I think it pretty much sums up why he chose to serve our community!

"Make a place in your heart for those who put service above self; For they understand that freedom requires a sacrifice that the protected will never know."

Thank you to the many that protect us on a regular basis. Thank you to those that protected Adam the night of his accident. You will never know how much your sacrifice meant to us that night.

More good news!

Got a good text from Adam last night letting us know that he will be home the night before his scheduled day to be released! He had asked me about whether he should ask, I told him the worst she could say is no, and he asked and she said "yes, that's a good idea." So his day for coming home is coming up!!! WOOHOO! Today he said that he had some stuff to look up on the computer and had to do it within a certain amount of time. He passed! He said that his therapists have been working on multitasking and he is doing wonderful with that as well. He played Catch Phrase today and he said that he was really speaking up and answering things. He notices that other have deficits that he wouldn't have noticed weeks ago. The therapist said his memory is doing great! He said that at the beginning of his session today that she gave him three things to remember. And then they worked on other things and at the end, they asked him to tell them the three things he was supposed to remember....HE DID! I remember way back when at Parkview when he first started therapy and he couldn't remember much at all with his short term memory! He has to remember them over the weekend too and report back to her on Monday with those phrases that he's supposed to remember. God is good! He knew there was a little girl down here who needed her Daddy! He also went up on the amount of weight that he's using for his therapy with his shoulder. It still bothers him, but not as much as before! Like I said before, God is good! It'll be 8 weeks on Saturday since this all began! I still remember vividly when Dad woke me up to tell me Adam had been in an accident. I don't know if that memory will ever get less vivid, but for one thing I am glad...that God brought him out of this on a positive note. I know it's not all completely over yet, but I feel like progress has been made! This situation has made me re-evaluate the things that are important to me. And besides God, my family is number one. Always has been, but forever will be! If I can get the paparrazi to get me some pictures this weekend, we'll be all set! Derek and Jaime Ness will be there tomorrow to see Adam and then Joey and Gail Herron will be down there late tomorrow night for the weekend! New faces for Adam and I'm so excited for them to see him and see how well he's doing!

Rehab day like 400!!! Not really!

Talked with Adam tonight and will share a bit from him about his therapy today. He said that he had to do a bunch of balance exercises this afternoon on the balance ball. He also had some kind of exercise where the walls and floors moved, so he had to concentrate on balancing during the movement. He said that he tried to concentrate on other things to get through this exercise, but his therapists said that he is doing VERY well! He had speech therapy with another rehab participant today and he said that that guy is way worse off than what Adam was. But he could pick up on what the guy was having problems with. That's great that he's picking up on this stuff! He said his shoulder works with much less pain than before, even though he still has some and his range of motion is way better than before. After talking with his therapists, he realizes how lucky he is to only have a few little issues to work on after having a brain injury like him. He really is a lucky ducky and the MAN upstairs was really watching over him! He's getting closer each and everyday to being home. I absolutely CANNOT wait! I know that it has to be much harder for him to "wait" but I can't either! Thank you all again, for all your support! You are all wonderful!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just got done talking with Adam and Dad. Dad said that he's seen major improvement in Adam just in the last week. He said that his short term memory is getting much, much better. They went to an aquarium today and dad said that he just tried to stand back and let Adam have his space and he does really well. Adam said that on Friday night, after he moved in with dad at the hotel, he had the best nights sleep since coming out of his coma. Then last night when we talked to Dad, Adam was in the hot tub at the hotel. Hopefully that might help his shoulder loosen up a bit and also help relax him before going to bed! He's still ready to come home, and I can't blame him. I'm so eager to see him as well and see for myself how well he's doing! We're just so very blessed with how well Adam is doing. I can't wait for him to be back with his Miss Sadie! He's already arranging his first evening home with her! Again, thank you so very much for all your support. I was mowing today and just kept thinking how awesome it was to see all the support for him last night. We live in a community that cares and it unbelievable how everyone comes together to care for their own. THANK YOU again, and again, and again!