Sweet Tommy

Last Thursday morning as I was just getting out of bed I received a call from my Dad with very bad news. Tommy, my 14 year old half brother, had been hit by a SUV while riding his bike home from school on Wednesday afternoon. I immediately burst into tears upon hearing the news and hearing my Dad say how serious it was. He was and still is in critical condition and I have been worried sick about him ever since I received the call that day. I didn't go to work on Thursday because I was so upset and I talked on the phone with my sister pretty much all day. We didn't know what to do, we felt helpless being so far away, wanting to be there, but knowing it was probably best to wait and see what happens. Both Cathy and I are still sick with worry, waiting for the next call or text from my Dad or someone else who can give us the latest update on Tommy.

That morning I didn't talk to my Dad very long, but he told me that things were very bad. Tommy was in critical condition and in intensive care. He was put into a medically induced coma right away.  My Dad said that when he first arrived in the ER were told to prepare for the worst....but he has now lived through almost 5 days. We are all trying to think positive and pray for a miracle for him. My Dad said all that matters is that he is still here and they are hoping that he is one of those miracles.

After we heard the news Cathy and I were online searching for any info we could on the accident. We found an article about the accident from the local news channel here and an article that mentioned Tommy an his high school on a local forum here. Later that night we found that someone has created a "Get Well Tom Mutz" page on Facebook. When we found it there was only about 14 people following the page and today there are over 600. There has been a real show of support from the community in Elk Grove and beyond. So many kids and friends wrote on the page, many saying they were praying for him and hoping he gets better, and many saying what a nice boy Tommy is. So many people are offering to donate or do something for the family that a friend of the family started a page to accept donations here. It was so nice to see all of the support and how many people are praying for him to get better.

So now it is Monday, I am at work, but my mind is thinking about Tommy. It sounds like it has been a rough few days for him, my Dad and Melissa (Tommy's Mom) and everyone who is there with him. They have been through some scary moments. My Dad is staying positive and they are happy to hear good news, even if it is something very small. Cathy and I plan to go out to see them sometime soon, my Dad just wants us to wait and see and hopefully things will calm down once everything gets under control.


Delilah and Tommy

 I still can't believe this has happened to Tommy. You always hear about horrible accidents like this and it is always sad, but you never fully understand what the family is going through until you experience it yourself. Even though I am not there I can only imagine what it is like to see him in such horrible shape. The whole experience so far has made me realize even more how fragile life is. You never think something like this will happen to you our your family. In one moment your life can be changed forever. Whatever happens with Tommy, it has forever changed my Dad, Melissa and Delilah's lives. We can only hope and pray that one day Tommy will recover fully and be the happy, sweet boy he once was.

Tomato Tomato

One of my favorite things this summer was making my own caprese salads (tomato, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil). I'll miss these! Love the colors.

Cheese Heads

Joe and his brother Andy got the chance to be on the sidelines for the Saints v. Packers game in Green Bay a couple weeks ago for the NFL kickoff game. Ben went too but he got a ticket instead and sat with his Aunt and Uncle instead of being on the sidelines. Andy is a huge Packers fan, but he had to pretend to be a Saints fan for this game. :-)
Their cousin Paul works for the Saints and he is able to get people to help him run photos to the players and coaches during the games when they travel. They had a blast... they got to be in the locker room with the team - thats right, lots of huge naked football players... awkward! (....wait, why didn't I go?...) and they were on the sidelines with the team for the whole game. We DVR'd the game and we caught a few glimpses of Joe from the shoulders down, but they never showed his face except for from super far away. Oh well!
Here are a few pics that Joe took. View all the pics HERE.

In-laws in Town

I don't really feel like writing, but it's been a while since I posted so I thought I would write something...
The end of the semester at school was a whirlwind, super busy tutoring tons of students the last few weeks. Glad it is finally over. I had a nice week

This past weekend, Joe's parents came to visit and we attended our first concert at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, IL....and it was a good one! We saw Tony Bennett! It was his 85th Birthday Celebration. Had to believe he is 85 years old the way he sings. It really is effortless for him and his voice still sounds great after all of these years. Unfortunately, we couldn't bring cameras so all I have is some grainy photos from my phone...even more reason to get an iPhone!

We had a nice time at Ravinia, Millennium Park and hanging out at various spots in Chicago with them.
The fun doesn't stop there! My Mom comes to visit us this weekend. Busy times ahead.

Here are some select photos from Joe's parents visit as well as my one and only super bright video of Tony Bennett singing one of my favorite songs. You can view all of the photos HERE as well.

things...

Things are going better already.
We have our 3rd counseling appointment today and even after 2 sessions I already feel much better. It's nice to talk to someone and have her help us understand why things are the way they are and help us work on issues in a healthy and open way. So far I've only cried once. 1 out of 2, woo-hoo!
I probably should have done this long ago... for myself and for us as a couple. Lord knows I have enough baggage and family issues to deal with for 5 people, let alone one person. It's nice to finally get it out there and be able to talk about it openly.
It's amazing how the way someone thinks and behaves is based on the way they were raised and how their family did things. I was very aware of it before, but I am even more aware now. When it comes down to it, there really is no "normal" family environment or no "right way" to raise children. There are definitely wrong ways, but its amazing how even the most normal things that happen as a child can shape a person. Everyone acts the way they do because of their own unique experience, whether its bad or good.

On another note, we have lots of visitors coming to see us very soon. Joe's parents are coming in a couple weeks, then my mom is coming the week after (labor day weekend), then Joe's brother's, Ben and Andy are probably coming for a Greenbay Packers Game, and then finally in December my sister is coming! Whew! I'm sure the time will go fast and soon enough it will be Fall (and then Winter) again. Crazy! Even though I love Fall, I am going to enjoy the great summer weather we are having this week, comfortable and nice. aaahhh.