I woke up today thinking about where we were and what we were doing a year ago today. So I opened up the calendar on my laptop and saw where right about this time last year we were about to board a flight to take us to Seattle, to board a ship that would take us to Alaska.
We were part of a music cruise with some other country artists (a lot of them are heroes of ours) and we all spent seven days traveling by ship up the Western coastline, playing concerts, and stopping in ports in Alaska and Canada… and then working our way back down to the harbor in Seattle. Joey and I and our three girls made the trip together when Indy was only about five months old, and Joey was less than a month out of her first Cancer surgery. Joey’s mama even got to come with us to help take care of Indy while we were performing. It was a wonderful family adventure that none of us will ever forget. This is a video I made from clips I took on our trip last year.
Needless to say, our July this year looks a little different than last. And though Joey’s mama is again with us helping take care of Indy… it’s for different reasons.
But this time there is also an adventure that none of our family will ever forget.
Joey got up and walked again today. She made four laps around the ICU on her walker and she celebrated by getting to have her first cup of ice water (they removed her NG tube today… so she hasn’t been able to have anything to eat or drink since last Tuesday night), so she was so excited! Next up… vegetable broth, and jello… and then hopefully soon she’ll get to eat some real food in the next day or two. Her strength is coming back and though it hurt… she even laughed a couple of times today. It was so beautiful to see her smile again. I love her so much and am so proud of her.
She’s recovering well and who knows, maybe we’ll get to go home a day or two early (no one has said that… it’s just my wishful thinking).
God willing, we’re going to be part of another “Country’s Family Reunion” music cruise to the Caribbean in late January of 2016. I sure hope Joey is fully recovered by then and we’re all able to again as a family. It will be not long after all of Joey’s chemo and radiation finishes up and I’m pretty sure some time on a beach chair in the sun will be a dream come true for her, and all of us.
