Months 9 & 10

 Wow! Time flies when your having summer fun! 

Months 9 & 10 held many milestones for the Neubert family. The end of 5th and 3rd grade, Easton's 9th birthday, cousin and family birthdays, 4th of July, Blake's week at Scout Camp, and Mike's birthday. We were able to spend time with both Mike's family in Alpena and my family in Hessel. It was nice to get away for a bit and enjoy time with loved ones. With the warmer weather we are beginning to see some friends and reconnect. This past year really stopped us in our tracks. As we were celebrating a friends birthday this July we saw a couple that had come to Mike's 40th birthday the year before. We hadn't seen them in exactly one year. Sorry we tried to become friends and then ghosted you for an entire year lol! It has been good to reconnect and come back to old connections as well. One of the bigger milestones was a title promotion for Mike at work. He earned the title as Vice President Relationship Manager. I am so proud of the amazing work that Mike does on a daily basis. He loves what he does and will talk your ear off if you give him the chance, just ask the nurses that took care of him when he was in the hospital! 

Mike was able to skip his June clinic check up but still had lab draws and stayed at a 0 rejection level. In July he had his check up and everything is looking great and we are expecting his lab draw to come back with a 0 again here soon. August 1st marks the day that Mike was admitted to the hospital. That night we were told how bad his heart had become. After running those first tests the PA drew a picture on the whiteboard showing a cliff and where Mike was on the edge of death. The X he drew was so close to the bottom of the cliff it was really unbelievable, as soon as he left the room I erased the drawing from the board...that drawing still haunts me today. That night as I drove home alone my car passed our house and ended in my parents driveway. As I collapsed into my moms arms crying a cry that I hope I will never have to feel again. The fears, the truths, the unkown of it all was so overwhelming. What came next was a whirlwind of tests, procedures, bad news, and 49 days in the hospital. We are so blessed that God allowed Mike to receive a new heart and be able to spend the rest of his life with us. We sat on the beach as a family a year after this horrible news was delivered and breathed a sigh of relief. As the memories flood back to us over this next month leading up to Mike's one year heart anniversary, we can't help but to feel all the feels again and remind ourselves of what happened. That's what anniversary's are for, a reminder of what happened and how we have grown since that time. Sometimes years are really tough and different from others, but it is the 365 individual chances to make those days better. 49 of those days last year were really hard, but they were also filled with love, those big Mike smiles, milestones, relationships, and a deep appreciation for life. Each day God gives us here on this Earth is an opportunity to shine for him, and I can say that even through the most painful days, Mike shown God's light so bright that you could see his hospital room glowing. I pray that when our boys are older they can reflect back on these days and see what an amazing man of God their daddy truly is.