Five Questions

"Baxter" has tagged me with Five Questions. Here's my best shot.

What is your most cherished memory as a child? This isn't any one particular thing, but I remember early summer evenings--when it hadn't gotten warm enought to turn on the AC, we would open our bedroom windows at night and run the "attic fan (some people call them "whole house" fans). The droaning hum, the cool breeze coming through the windows and sometimes the smell of fresh-mown hay was a great way to fall asleep.

What is the most interesting thing you have ever done? I'm not sure how "interesting" this is, but I have (twice) ridden Oklahoma Freewheel, an annual week-long cross-state bicycle ride that happens each June. It's 400 to 450 miles, starting just across the Texas-Oklahoma state line and ending in Kansas. Approximately 1000 riders attend each year. We stayed overnight in small towns along the way, sleeping in tents, usually set up around the local high school. Two-thousand-eight is the 30th Anniversary...I should get my bike out and do it again. (I haven't ridden in years!)

If you could have or do one seemingly impossible thing, what would it be? I would give my wife "good health"; she suffers (almost daily) from headaches that seem to allude a doctor's diagnosis. She also has Interstitial Cystitis; learn more about it here. It can be quite painful, although right now she takes medication to "control" it--there is no cure. On top of the headaches, and IC, she also has high blood pressure and was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. I just wish she could feel good...even if for just one day.

What is the most meaningful gift you have ever received? God gave me my "most meaningful gift": my wife. Like a lot of men, I don't show or tell her enough how much she means to me. I can't imagine my life without her. We've been married 27+ years.

What is the most difficult thing you have ever had to do? When our oldest son was five weeks old he almost died. His pediatrician misdiagnosed the fact that he had pyloric stinosis,, resulting in rapid weight loss and dehydration from nearly constant "projectile vomiting." Once his condition was correctly diagnosed, we had to wait almost two days while they fed him intrevenously to get him stablized and hydrated. Once that happened, doctors were able to perform the necessary surgery to correct the condition. The hardest thing was actually two-fold: (1) watching my wife sit by the clear "incubator" looking bed where Ryon lay, praying that he would be well enough for surgery and (2) realizing how much I had become attached to this little boy that had only been in our lives a mere five weeks. Extra tough for my wife: her first Mother's Day was spent in the PICU praying for the life of her little boy. (PS: God is good. Ryon is 19 years old and EATS! CONSTANTLY!!!)