I've had many, many kind emails and comments over the past few months asking about my Dad and his recovery. We traveled last week to spend Thanksgiving with my Dad. It was the first time I've seen him out of the hospital since July and he's doing great. He's using a portable "left ventricle assist device," more commonly referred to as an LVAD. He's getting around great with the device and is slowly building up more and more muscle strength every day. He can do all of the regular daily activities that you or I do, he just does it with the the LVAD unit.
I'm incredibly thankful I also was able to spend some time with my sister and my nephew Chris as well!
We spent a few hours hanging out on the porch with Dad. (Notice the very appropriate"Beatles" cup on the table!) The weather was absolutely beautiful on Thanksgiving day and it was unseasonably warm, especially in the sunlight.
It was good to see my Dad wearing his signature Carolina-blue ballcap again! (GO HEELS!) We noshed on some baby carrots, pepperoni sticks, and Dad and Michael enjoyed cheese and crackers while the bird was finishing up in the oven.
See that there kitteh on Betty's lap? That kitteh is around 22 years old! My sister brought him home when she was in elementary school! You can also see some of the equipment my Dad uses in the above photo. He is wearing the LVAD controller at the front, and the battery packs are on both sides of his belt.
Betty's classic ruby red cranberry sauce. It was delicious with the turkey. I wish I had gotten a photograph of our entire meal, but we served: turkey, two types of dressing (gluten-free included!), baked sweet potatoes, a spinach/artichoke casserole, cranberry cobbler along with Betty's cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gluten-free gravy. Now that I think about it... we may have been lacking in the green veggies department... lol!
The star dessert was this lower sugar "Almond Joy Impossible" pie. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it (I'm sure the chocolate chips which melted along the bottom layer had nothing to do with it!) We also made a Cheryl's vegan pumpkin pie and my chocolate chip cookies -- both of which were also big hits!
On Sunday I noticed this beautiful rose on Betty's rosebush. I'm sure it's probably the last of the summer roses and it was absolutely stunning in the midst of brown and orange fallen leaves and a chill in the air. I hope your Thanksgiving was just as lovely!
