Well the night is even better….66 degrees and a little breeze. I have no glass of wine, jug, keg, or anything else….just my writing partner Puddy out here on the porch. Unfortunately, my pain is still killing me, so tomorrow I will call my doctor. Advil, Naproxen, rest……nothing is working and I am miserable. Hopefully they will have the answers there.

Amanda went back to work today, much to my disappointment. She came home and laid down, because she was “seeing spots,” and that upset me a great deal. Migraines are serious business and she gets very severe ones. Maybe we can get a couples appointment for tomorrow! And of course I want to get my problems fixed before government takes over health care, after all I have seen “Logan’s Run,” and I believe I have a few more useful years in me.

But for now I will just end this entry and sit back and watch the stars. It is a beautiful night and a blessed one as well. God made a lot of marvelous things…..tonight I will just sit back and take them in!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Thanks for checking in!

Tom+

Amanda spent most of the day asleep, and we also had Ben here because our babysitter was under the weather too. It would have been fine had I been fine, but I apparently have pulled a muscle in my chest, so wrestling with a 23 month old is not a very effective way to avoid pain. I did wrestle him anyway mind you, but I was not nearly as successful as I had hoped to be.

But it is now just after 10pm and Ben is asleep. It hurts to lift the glass of wine the cat and I are having out on the porch (it’s actually just mine), and if my left arm were coordinated at all (remember my left elbow has been surgically rebuilt, and not to full function either) I would have tried it from that side. But wine is to drink, not to wear (some people should learn that) so I am toughing it out through the pain.

But the night is beautiful. It is about 60, there is a nice breeze, and if I turn off the ceiling fan I can hear Puddy eating the bug she caught a few minutes ago (I will leave it on). I just enjoy being out here. The Lord calls us to rest, and though I never can on Sundays because I am a priest, I take time here and there, like tonight out on the porch with the cat.

It looks like Amanda will be going back to work tomorrow and Ben back to the sitter. If I am able, I hope to get a few things done that I have had to put off taking care of them. If not I will take an extended rest. I am just happy to see Amanda feeling better. It worries me that she gets these headaches, and this past one scared me quite a bit. I just hope she never has one again!! Keep her in your prayers!

AND, on another note, Flo went home today from the hospital!!! Praise God!

Okay, enough for tonight. I am going to try and finish this glass with two hands!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless. Thanks for checking in!

Tom+

Today I spent a great deal of time in the ER with Amanda who got a major migraine headache while at work in Indianapolis this morning. I went to pick her up, and though we had an appointment for her at our doctor’s office, we were not even able to make it home. A stop at the Clarian North ER defined our day. But after a few IV meds, a CT scan, some shots, and even some morphine, Amanda was released for me to take home and put to bed.

I feel so badly for her when she gets these headaches. She is clearly miserable, and nothing ever helps. She has tried about every prophylactic migraine medicine in existence, yet none seems to help. I will say that today was her first ever shot of morphine, and unlike any other time, her pain level dropped considerably. She also ate before she went to bed here at the house which was different too. Normally she cannot eat, nor does she want anything to do with being awake. Today she was in the land of the living for a good while before heading to bed only semi-grouchy. I liked it. Though I have never had it before, they have my permission to shoot her up with it at every headache that comes her way. We are all happier when she is not miserable!!

Anyway, she is asleep and hopefully going to be fine. Ben and I went and got her meds at the pharmacy, so if she needs them they are here. Hopefully not though. Sleep should do her wonders.

Keep her in your prayers! We all appreciate it here in the Tirman home!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless! I am letting out the dogs and heading to bed myself!

Tom+

My plans to get to bed early tonight have been set aside! It is just before 11, and Ben and Amanda went to bed. Generally when Ben has to stay up late (tonight to attend a graduation open house) he generally outlasts his mom. Tonight that was the case. I made her get up from sleeping on the couch and Ben and I put her to bed. I then say, “okay, let’s go to YOUR BED,” which causes him to run to my bed and climb into my spot. The good news is that he goes to bed there quickly, the bad news is (for him) that he will be mowing and shoveling snow at a much younger age than Stephanie and Scott!

My youngest sister, Anna, graduates from Cathedral High School this year. Her open house was yesterday, and had our team not been in the final four, we would have been there. She is an amazing young woman, and will be heading to my Alma Mater Butler. My brother Michael (who I know as Mike but will call him anything he wants because he is about a foot taller than me) will be a Junior there as Anna starts. Fortunately for both of them, I in the great Tirman tradition, never set the bar too high there….unless consecutive semesters on “academic probation” counts. I will ask my dad, but I don’t think it does. It is just great to see them both there because it is such a great school.

Well I am off to bed before I turn into a pumpkin as m grandma would say. Puddy and I got to type this out on the porch, 45 degrees and all, but it does me good. I unwind here the best, and today has been too long! I needed it.

I hope your day was truly blessed! Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

Well it is finally over. Our delay last night was just too much to overcome and it left our girls frustrated and flat today as we took the field against Culver. We had lost to Culver earlier in the year, and though we gave it our all, in the end the Eagles were victorious. They went on later in the day to beat Park Tudor for the State Title too.

We played a second game for 3rd or 4th place, but with the rain from last night it meant we had to play it back to back with the Culver loss. And considering it was against Zionsville, the team which was unbeaten in Indiana until we played them last week, there was no way they were going easy on us! The Final Four is not for the faint hearted!! Zionsville took their revenge upon us.

But for a team that was not ever expected to be there, we held our heads high. It was a great honor. Three of our players were elected to second team All State, Stephanie Tirman, Alyssa Jarvis, and Bobbi Mills. And all three of them were elected to the Tournament Team as well, meaning that they were among the best of the Final Four. It was quite an honor for a team just beginning to make our mark.

Six seniors played their last game with us today, and they will be sorely missed….including our goalie. But we have a strong team coming up, and we just may be there again next year.

As for me, it has been such a privilege to coach such a fine group of girls. We are adding three Assistant Coaches for the next season, so watch out Indiana. We are not done wit you yet!

Fourth in Indiana…..not bad!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless. I need some sleep for sure!!

Tom+

Yes, we went to the Final Four, but our game was postponed due to lightening finally at a little after 10 pm. We had played 5 minutes and the score was 1-1. Tomorrow at 12:30 we start it over again……0-0.

Needless to say I am wiped out! It is midnight and I am typing in bed. Say a prayer for me, because all this makes things seem chaotic to me and that leads to fogginess. And I really NEED clarity tomorrow for the games. Sadly, we will not have the advantage of playing just once tomorrow, like we should have. And that is going to make it harder for the girls. But if it has to happen that way, I cannot think of a better group of girls to have playing.

Okay, enough for me. More storms are coming and I need to rest.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

At practice today we worked on a few things, but as we head into the Final Four, there is not much you can do to adjust. At this point you go with what got you here, and to be honest, all that stuff is pretty darn good.

After practice Scotty, Ben and I went to the playoffs for our boy’s team, and though we lost, it was encouraging to see about half of our women’s team in the stands. Character is important in sports, and we have a lot of it on the women’s team that’s for sure. I am certain the boy’s appreciated the support too.

Tomorrow everything comes together and in the end we hope to be victorious! Keep us in your prayers! It is a big time for them. It is a big time for the town as well!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

I am sure happy today was today and not any other day this week, because sometimes my brain shuts down and I just need to sleep (my grandma warned me of this post-stroke) and today was such a day. Fortunately we had no games, and it was raining, so no practice. I had gone to bed at 10 pm the night before and just couldn’t get up till around 3, and only because I had to.

These zombie-like states don’t happen all that often, and fortunately for me, when they have they have always been during down-times like today. (at least that is what I remember) I am not cognizant of any during times I had a lot going on, but I suppose my staff might tell you different. In truth, I have been worried about this happening for a few weeks. I have really had to struggle these past few weeks in terms of my concentration. My focus has been hard to manage, and all I really had to hang my hopes on were my chiseled good looks, my Mensa mind, and my tanned 6’4″ frame. Yep, foggy and still quite delusional…….

But is is almost 9 and I have been up since 3. I am tired still, but an early bedtime may help to get me back on track. I have a big weekend ahead with the girls, and I want to make sure I am there as their coach and not Napoleon Bonaparte. Time will tell and sleep will help. Who in the world would have ever thought that one stupid blood clot could make me crazier than what being married to Amanda already has? (It’s a joke honey……most people think you are crazy. I am the one who married up!)

Anyway, it is a short but successful day for me! More rain is coming and hopefully it will help me to sleep.

Thanks for checking in my friends! Goodnight and God Bless.

Tom+

Yep, we did it. Tonight we upset Indiana’s only undefeated team 11 to 9, and we did it on their home field too! In doing so, we earned a trip to the Final Four to be played this Friday and Saturday at Park Tudor High School in Indianapolis.

Though we struggled a bit in the first half, I had no doubt in my mind that they were capable of winning. They seemed all depressed at halftime, but we made some adjustments and made it happen. I was so proud of them. I have always believed they were the best team in the league, and we are on our way to proving it!

Anyway, it has been a long, stressful, but WONDERFUL DAY! Onto the Final Four we go!!

Thanks for checking in! Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

Today I was able to visit one of my favorite parishioners and one of the most loyal and dedicated followers of this blog…Flo Kinworthy. Flo was admitted to Clarian North Hospital yesterday with fluid around her heart, and today I got the privilege of competing with doctors and nurses for her time! Flo looked great, and is in a great hospital getting great care! (Ben was born in the same hospital!) And we expect her home soon!

One of the things you should know about Flo is that her eyesight is failing. She cannot see well enough to read my blog. So each night her daughter Jo (also a parishioner) reads the blog to her! Flo always comments, as she did today, how she feels like she knows our family from reading it. And in truth, she really does, not just because she reads the blog, but because she cares to be a part of our life. I really only started blogging regularly as a discipline following my stroke. But Flo knew me far before I started blogging, and she and Jo are dedicated Christians and friends. Keep her in your prayers!

Ironically, Flo had just purchased a couple of chairs for the new Narthex of St. Patrick’s. I did mention to her she ought not to buy any more chairs, because every time she does, she ends up in the hospital! She did promise no more chairs, but has a few other pieces she wants to get. And in truth, she will. She is a wonderful woman with a lot of miles left! Deacon Dan and Merry Ann will bring her Communion tomorrow, and I will see her a few more times this week. She will probably be surprised to read about herself, but she is special to us, and we are glad she is in the right place and getting better!

Keep it up Flo! We love you and are looking forward to your healthy return!! Keep her in your prayers!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+