Counting Blessings (and Inches) for 2014

As the holidays wind down here on Hott Mountain and the lemon cookies have disappeared, I wanted to share with you a startling discovery.  With 2013 coming to a close, I was searching for a picture in my files and found it within this post.  Since it's original publication, let me just say this now 48-year-old-grey-haired-hott-mama-of-four is celebrating 24 new inches of Hott fun for 2014!
Here is where I found the picture and am reposting it in part because it still makes me giggle.  You'll find the picture at the end:

Burning the Christmas Cookies... Again!

"My woeful attempt to portray Julia Child at Christmas time is normally met with some traumatic experience either on the part of me or my family.  Although I do enjoy experimenting a little in the kitchen and am grateful to my loyal subjects for their willingness to sometimes act as my guinea pigs, one would think the simple tasks of Christmas Cookies would be met without incident.  Here's what happened one day when my phone rang:

Me:  "Ahlooo-oh!"  (That's my best Julia impression!  I'm really good at it!  Just ask Dan!...  I do it all the time!)
Caller:  "Uh, hello?  Mrs. Hott?"
Me:  "Whooo?  Oh, you mean me?  Yes, speeeeaking!"  (It's my Julia Child again!  I'm still not used to being called Mrs. Hott.  That name is reserved for Dan's 89 (now 92) year old mother.  I really do forget it's me after 14 (actually 17) years.)
Caller:  "This is Morgan County 911 Emergency calling.  Is everything alright?  We got a call from one of your neighbors."
Now, I can hear a fire whistle zooming up our hill.
Me:  "My neighbors?  Are they okay?"  (I am confused.  All the Hotts are fine, present, and accounted for.)
Caller:  "Yes mam.  They are fine.  But they have called to report a fire."
Me:  "Fire. Really?!!!  Where"
Caller:  "Well, at your residence!  We have received a report of billowing smoke emitting from your home."
Me:  "Smoke... where?  Are you serious?  Can you see me at my house?  How do you know there is smoke?"  -- Like 911 has some magic eye;  I really thought they were looking at me talking on the phone via satellite or something.
Caller:  "Yes.  Emergency services should be there any second."
Me:  Finally realizing what in the world was going on, "Oh, oh, oh!   Smoke!?  Oh no.... that's just me.  I was burning the Christmas cookies,... again."

Oh!  I.am.going.to.make.those.neighbors eat these cookies!  They called the Fire Department on me!  Yikes!  When they showed up, I had to give them the only good batch I had.  Talk about feeling like a fool!  There was NO fire!  The only smoke coming from the Hott house was a tray of Christmas cookies I stuck out on the back porch.  Well, they nearly did go up in flames before I got them out of the oven.  But the house wasn't on fire, for goodness sakes.  You probably don't believe me; so, I'll show you a picture:

Doesn't that look yummy?  You see, Julia Child (although I love her) I am not!  And for some unknown reason, I manage to ruin 90% of everything I bake and/or cook.  Although I am kidding about 911 and the fire truck, I seriously DID have to set out quite a few trays of smoking cookies on the back porch after my kitchen was engulfed in smoke and our house alarm went off.  Even the cats won't touch them.

Now, I look at that tray of burned cookies and I am reminded of all the dishes I've burned; crazy things I've done and silly mistakes I've made both in the kitchen and over the years.  And you know what?  It's just cookies.  Each crispy chunk of carbon reminds me of a disappointment I've had over the year 2010 (original post); another mess in the kitchen; mountains of laundry; numerous trips to the grocery store; boo boos needing band aids; noses to wipe; miles of trips to town for school events; more gas for the car; midnight runs to the ER when Levi fell out of bed; mountains of bills waiting to be paid; medical needs that never quit; to mouths to feed again and again."

But like I said, they're just burned cookies.  Let's count blessings! Here are mine!
     Christmas 2010                                                                          Christmas 2013

Just like the Hott family, our blessings grow every year.... just.look.at.them...at least 24 inches combined.   2013 brought us new adventures, wedding dates, career move for Caity, an economics masters degree from AU for Brian, race ribbons for Violet our athlete, Rubik's twisty puzzle records for Isaac, and well.... Levi continues his constant stream of comedy and now music!

Happy New Year from the Hott Family!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

I send all my troubles (a.k.a burned cookies) to God.  He doesn't mind!

What Is Your "D" Day?

D-Day.

No, I'm not referring to the day of the climactic battle of World War II,  June 6, 1944, which certainly changed the course of events for our world, didn't it?  It was the day the Allies invaded Normandy from England.  In fact, Dan's uncle is one of the remaining soldiers to be a part of his historical event, a time of unmatched significance in his as well as other's lives around the globe.

D-Day.  Here, the Army determined the first use for "D" in D-Day. "The Army has said that it is “simply an alliteration, as in H-Hour.”  Others say the first D in the word also stands for
“day,” the term a code designation.  The French maintain the D means “disembarkation,” still others say “debarkation,” and the more poetic insist D-Day is short for “day of decision.”  For me, I have yet another meaning for the term "D-Day."

Diagnosis Day.  Do you remember the day you were diagnosed?  Was it a day to change your life forever?  Just as D-Day on June 6th was a turning point, Diagnosis Day represents the day that changed my life,...

forever.

I even refer to normal every day events to what was happening for us "before" and "after" the D-Day.  Before was when we were raising a family, dreaming of our futures, never imagining having to live with "it".  After, we have rearranged everything from daily routines to even the structure of our home to accommodate the "d".

But you know what?  It.is.okay!  After "D-Day", we have come to cherish each day when God tells me "Excuse me, can I tell you something?"  He says, "you are as healthy as you are today.  This very moment. So, go out and celebrate what you have right now.  Enjoy My blessings.  Share it."

Although at times I struggle to thank God for everything, I will always remember the day a neurologist diagnosed Dan with Parkinson's Disease.  And like this picture, some days are a battle.

But, all days are a blessing.


Even "D-Day"... tomorrow.

May 16, 2008.

STANDING TALL

June 22, 2008
A beautiful sunny Sunday morning in Berkeley Springs just over 2 and ½ years ago found Dan and I standing in front of a congregation of approximately 200 people. As we began our walk down the aisle, we were about to renew our marriage vows, this time standing in front of large crowd, with several other couples standing next to us, all standing in front of God, our Heavenly Father. Pastor Andrew, in his typical “non” typical service, had invited couples to stand before the church and get married! I was soooo excited… especially about the honeymoon to follow!

Here’s the thing. Dan and I were already married; and, well… so was everyone else. You see, 12 years earlier, we actually secretly eloped and were married at the Court House on Christmas Eve, 1996. I’ll never forget my 6 foot tall hunk-honey of a husband-to-be… standing tall… next to me. He was every inch solid as a rock; my engineer; my problem solver; my fearless protector with farm-boy arms of steel, a chest as broad as Texas, and the cutest butt you ever did see! At barely 5 feet and 100 pounds, I was the luckiest girl ever. I still tingle every time Dan leans way down to kiss me, especially now as we just completed our wedding vows.

To be standing with Dan, 12 years later, at an alter in front of God and all the congregation was the sweetest thing ever, especially as he bent way down to kiss me, again. After spending 14 years together, as a family we had traveled together, built a house together, owned/operated a consulting engineering firm together, and increased our family to six together. Our lives were, well… perfect. We cherished each other and the lives we had created. Dan treasured me with abundant blessings and I was privileged to be Mrs. Daniel Hott.

I always feel truly blessed when I think about that day standing at the alter with my husband, Dan. You see, it was not even a month earlier that a neurologist gave us the news. Dan had Parkinson’s Disease. On this particular day, the second time we got married, Dan was almost a month into a dopamine study to confirm this diagnosis. He had been taking something called levadopa to see if his symptoms improved. Although his rigidity improved, as we renewed our vows, I held tight to a tremoring hand.

God had blessed us with so many things, including the surprise of babies, had he also blessed us with Parkinson’s Disease?

“To have and to hold, from this day forward,

for better, for worse, for richer,for poorer

in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

Since Parkinson’s Disease moved in with us in 2008, Dan has generally had limited physical progression of the disease. He has been able to find benefit from his meds, constantly tweeking and learning as the stinking symptoms creep up on him. Overall, one would say that he is managing the physical demands. Everyone even raves at how well Dan looks, standing at six feet with just a tiny drag to the left side of his body!

Until January 2011. Parkinson’s Disease has decided to rear it’s ugly head.

Starting with back pain nearly a month ago, Dan’s rigidity and distonia is now so severe that he has spent nearly two weeks incapacitated. Initially, he thought that perhaps he had sustained an injury that caused some sort of fracture or break in his hip. A very painful xray showed otherwise; a spine and hip that “looked good,” according to the Emergency Room doctor. We have since learned that early signs of Parkinson’s can include back pain or problems with the “L5” disc.

The distonia in Dan’s left leg has crippled him for several days now. The rigidity in his muscles are cramped so tightly that his entire left leg draws completely up to the point where it is bent. He is experiencing tingling and numbness in his extremities on his left side. From what I had anticipated with Parkinson’s, this degree of degeneration was not expected to happen until years down the road! At least it was supposed to wait for the kids to be grown ups. Instead, Parkinson’s has stolen Dan’s ability to do the simplest things, like walk and, well,… even stand.

Is this hard? You better believe it is! For the first time ever, I am the tallest Hott in the house! Do I like it? Well… no, not.at.all. I find it sometimes unbearable to “stand tall” and allow God to be in control of this crazy illness called Parkinson’s Disease, whatever it is. In Andrew’s sermon last week, he had to go on and on about the stories of Daniel in the Bible. Really now. Tell me God wasn’t reminding me that He will truly get us through this. .

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.

We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.

We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.

We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Although having to watch something like Parkinson’s literally knock down my Hott-honey-husband, we are still blessed every day. Parkinson’s Disease wouldn’t stop me from walking down the aisle with Dan again. He may not be standing at six feet because of stupid Parkinson’s Disease ever again, for all we know right now, and I may have to push him in a chair; but, you know what? I would still be privileged to recite those same marriage vows.

And that kiss would still tingle!

“Blessed is the man... who does not walk.” Psalm 1:1