Blast from the Past & Random Roadside Adventures

Glad Tidings, Bethany Bible College, Bethany College, Bethany University...it's been called all of these things. (Now it's unfortunately called "closed" but that's another story.) This is the school my great Uncle Duke attended, it's where my parents met and where I spent many summer camps. I can even call myself among the school's alumni. Barely. I spent one semester attending Bethany.

It was the Fall of 1989 and my first time living away from home. I had the time of my life (with the exception of a certain 7.1 earthquake) until I ran out of money. Still, in those four months, I made some terrific friends. I haven't seen any of them in more than twenty years. So I was thrilled when I got a Facebook message from my friend, Becky. She and I lived on the same floor at Bethany. Her vacation plans fell through and she was in St. Louis with a few days to spare before driving home to California.

It just so happened her visit fell on Britt's days off so he willingly watched the girls while we took off for some fun and to catch up on two decades of life! Becky is interested in history (family history brought her this way in the first place). So we decided to tour Branson's Shepherd of the Hills Homestead which tells much of this area's history.

This is the writing desk used by Harold Bell Wright who wrote Shepherd of the Hills. The only book which has sold more copies is the Bible. He also wrote That Printer of Udell's. After reading that book, Ronald Reagan decided to become a Christian. Shepherd of the Hills is really responsible for originally bringing tourists to Branson. For more about the homestead and Harold Bell Wright, visit www.oldmatt.com. 

Writing Desk used by Harold Bell Wright

Harold Bell Wright

 We were going to watch the live outdoor drama based on the story but it was rained out.

Also at the Shepherd of the Hills Homestead is Inspiration Tower. On the top of this tower is the ZipRider. Yes, we zipped off the top of Inspiration Tower. So much fun!

Then we went to College of the Ozarks for a quick tour. (Of course we had to visit a college!) This is one of the few colleges in the country where students work for their tuition. If only I'd known about this when I was looking for schools. Students don't run out of money here. And everything is the highest quality.

 We decided to explore a little. It was more fun to think we were breaking the rules. But later we found out visitors are actually allowed to use this elevator and run around the basement playing the piano. Oh well.

 Then it was dinner at the college's fine dining restaurant.

Afterward we went to one of my favorite shows, The Haygoods.

Becky bought a teddy bear for Allyson which she had all of the performers sign. Oh, and then she was able to get her picture taken with them!

After the show we went down to the Landing to see the Fountains and walk around.

So we thought our night was over. But it was really just beginning. On the way home we saw a car in the ditch. We decided to pull over and see if everyone was okay. What a shock to find a young couple who had just gotten married that day. The bride was still in her wedding dress! Her new husband had fallen asleep on the way to their hotel in Branson.

Soon we were joined by a group of bikers and one or two other people who stopped to help. Immediately they went to work trying to get the car going again. (They had run over a "Keep Off Median" sign.) 

Of course, my major contribution was documenting this entire thing because, let's face it, down the road they're going to want to show these pictures to their kids.

 Pretty soon a volunteer fireman came by. When those bikers saw the siren they took off in a flash. (One of the girls said she didn't need any more trouble with the law.)

The car was running again but not well. Becky and I decided to follow the couple back to Branson to make sure they made it to their hotel safely. Well, on the way they were pulled over by the highway patrol. This is a picture of the patrol car's lights in our side mirror. (We didn't want to be obnoxious and get out of the car to take pictures.)

After hearing the lecture about "leaving the scene of an accident" (because of the broken road sign...duh) he let them go. We finally left them safe and sound in their hotel. When I got home and complained to Britt about the officer his first words were, "Well, you know, that's leaving the scene of an accident." Argh.

A day or two later we visited Lamberts and saw this license plate on the wall. We thought of this poor groom.

The rest of our visit was pretty tame. The girls loved Becky who spoiled them with little gifts. Here Nicole is trying to break open a geode Becky bought for her (Nicole loves rocks).

 And no smashed fingers, believe it or not!

 There's nothing better than reconnecting with old friends. And watching them be a kid with your kids. 

Big Day for Nicole!

Two major milestones for Nicole today. She learned how to ride a bike without training wheels and she lost her first front tooth!

Nicole wanted to do something fun as a family tonight. Since the weather was nice Britt and I decided to teach her how to ride her bike without training wheels. We realize some kids learn how to do this sooner but Nicole hadn't even asked about it until recently and, given how easily she learned, we think this was the perfect time for her.

Because we live on a pretty steep hill we went to the Greenway Trail which goes through our neighborhood.

Allyson wanted to get in on the bike riding fun so Daddy gave her a turn. She wasn't quite big enough for the pedals yet.

But she was happy riding on Daddy's shoulders. (I was on a bike so I could keep up with Nicole when she was riding.)

Here's some video of Nicole learning to ride and her reactions after the fact.

(If reading this from facebook, scroll to bottom and click on "view original post" to watch video)

As soon as we walked in the door from our bike ride Nicole started messing with her loose front tooth. It was so loose she decided to try and pull it out.

 

We celebrated by treating the girls to some ice cream.

We're a little concerned about Allyson who kept begging for ketchup and mustard on her ice cream (vanilla with strawberries). I finally gave in and figured she'd be so grossed out that would be the end of it. She liked it. I'm not kidding.

That night Nicole wrote a note to the tooth fairy asking if she could keep her front tooth.

The tooth fairy not only let her keep the tooth, she left her a silver dollar and a new book: Junie B Jones, Toothless Wonder. The funny part is they've been reading this book in her class about a first grade girl who loses her front tooth. At school Nicole got to share all about her big day and the class "clapped and snapped" for her.

911

Parenting is not for cowards! At the same time, being a parent automatically sets you up for some of the scariest moments life can offer. We had one of those moments Friday. This post will provide every last detail for our concerned family in California and so the girls can gawk at the gash when they're older.

(Warning: There are some kind of gory pictures in this post so don't read if you're not up for it.)

It was around 5:30. Britt was working, I was starting to cook dinner and the girls were playing together and having the best time. I remember thinking I should make a post to Facebook about how much I loved the sound of the two of them laughing. Allyson was rolled up in her favorite blanket and Nicole was dragging her by pulling the blanket slowly around the house. There are wood floors in the kitchen and entryway. Allyson may have asked Nicole to go faster (not sure on this). I do know Nicole whipped her around the fridge as she headed into the entry.

Unfortunately, this corner got in the way. I turned just in time to see it happen but not to stop it. Allyson's head slammed hard into the corner.

Bad attempt at humor

I only saw her hands go up to her head. I was horrified when I turned her over and saw blood pooling all over her face. The gash, between her eyes, was incredibly deep. Because of the amount of blood and it being a head injury I decided to call 911. Unfortunately, we no longer have a land line and I couldn't find my cell phone! (We'll be getting the land line back now.) I started hollering to Nicole, asking her where my phone was and the poor thing lost it, crying and saying, "I don't know! I'm so scared! I'm so scared!" I immediately got a grip on myself, found my phone in my back pocket (I know...idiot), called 911 and told Nicole her baby sister was going to be okay. She then began sobbing, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Poor thing. As this is happening and I'm holding my bleeding baby who is just moaning, the 911 operator can't hear me at first and doesn't have my address because... no land line. (Did I mention we'll be getting one of those again?)

Still, the paramedics were here in about three or four minutes! I could hear the siren as I was running to find my shoes and the operator was telling me not to move Allyson and I was thinking, "Crap... I'm holding her and running around like a crazy person." 

The ambulance arrived shortly afterward. Miraculously, a rural ambulance department was on a call in our area that was cancelled and were nearby when they were asked to come on this call. 

At this point Allyson was incredibly lethargic. The paramedic asked me if this was normal for her. Uh... not at all!!  Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped enough that I was able to take Allyson to the hospital myself instead of in the ambulance. But, just as I was getting her in the car, I saw a patrol car parked across the street and a sheriff's deputy walking toward me.

He said whenever there's a 911 call involving a minor they have to check [that it's not an abuse case].

He could tell this was simply an accident so just took our names and pictures of Allyson's injury, promising that he would not be sending DFS to do an investigation. I was thinking, "do whatever you want but let me get this kid to the hospital!"

Sheriff's "investigation"

Finally, we were off to the emergency room. The drive to St. John's hospital goes right by Bass Pro shops. Papa Davis started a little game during his visit last month where, every time a boat is seen someone cries out, "BOAT!" I knew Allyson was going to be fine as we drove by Bass Pro and from the back seat I hear this little voice say "Boat."

Daddy was waiting at the emergency entrance. There aren't many perks to police work but I was so thankful he was on duty and in his uniform (even though it probably made me look like a criminal). First responders "get it" and tend to take care of each other when they can. We still had to wait a long time but were given every possible accommodation.  

Dad helping get Allyson's height

Even with a gash between her eyes, Allyson manages to smile! (Notice the blood on her shirt.)

 Everyone at the hospital was great. They talked with Nicole who enjoyed the attention. They gave her things to color...

... and Allyson was given this little stuffed animal. They didn't know dogs are her favorite and she latched onto this thing like it was her long, lost best friend. She named him, "Ruff Ruff."

Allyson's energy was back and she was beginning to act like herself again!

Daddy even helped entertain by making a latex glove puppet.

When we arrived they asked if we wanted to put her under while they sewed her up or just hold her down. I didn't know how to make the decision as there were downsides to both. But I called my friend Karen, a nurse anesthetist and a person I would entrust with the lives of my children. She advised me to have her put under and promised me she would be fine. She advised me about the medication they would likely use and reassured me that it would be best for Allyson (especially when working on her face).

 It was a little bit of irony that the drug they used on Allyson is called  "Special K" on the street. Britt arrests people for using this stuff and here he is giving it to his own kid!

I'm so thankful for Karen because, while I'm glad we did the anesthesia, watching my little girl under sedation was really, really hard. Mainly because she began gurgling and making sounds as if she wasn't breathing right. Then, the CO2 alarm sounded and I began to get frightened. Fortunately, it was a battery issue with the machine! Her eyes remained open the entire time but she was clearly not "there." I kept my hand under her neck to help with the airway a bit (or maybe the doctor was just trying to give me something to do since he had a nurse right there.).

Waking up took a long, long time. Her first, slurred and exaggerated word we could understand was "Ruff," meaning she wanted her new little dog. :) She would wake for a moment and fall back asleep for quite a while and we just held and comforted her.

Our nurse stayed with us the entire time. We found out she attends the same church and she even helped Nicole with her Bible Quiz questions!

It was after midnight when we left the hospital. Allyson was definitely not too traumatized. In fact, I almost fell over when she described her hospital experience as "super fun." (Are you kidding me?!)

 Allyson slept with mom (and Ruff Ruff) and Daddy stayed with Nicole. We sent Nicole to school late and she got to tell the story to her first grade class. As for Allyson, she woke up like always although she took a good, long look in the mirror and said, "I got owie on the wall and the doctor fixed it!" 

Mom woke up tired from not being able to sleep but so thankful. This could have been so much worse. I really don't take for granted that we have two beautiful, healthy girls. I know not everyone has that incredible blessing. So we'll take the bumps and bruises - and cuts -  that come our way, thankful for the scars that tell the story of how God helped us through each and every one.