If you want to make God laugh, than tell Him your plans - Part II & more "daddy" updates!!!

So I wasn't trying to "bargain" with God today...where my father is concerned. I like the post title so much I had to continue it through today!!! It is a "true" one!!!  Today my dad had to be at the hospital by 7:30 for check in.  I'm telling you, I slept so bad last night. I woke up at least 10 times while my dad was quiet as a mouse.  Lack of sleep wasn't caused by worry. Instead it was the Oregon summer heat...very hot and humid. I should have left my window open last night :) This post is extra long today.I included lots of photos There was just so much cool stuff that happened today...another day where I noticed God is definitely at work!!! Thanks for indulging my penchant for "type-chatter" today!! Y'all are great!!!

This is just a small portion of the vast walkway of the hospital. This is my father sitting in the huge waiting area.  This wing of the hospital was built within the last 10 years or so. It's very modern and spacious. I did lighten the photo up a bit from the original.  It was actually this way in the waiting area. For some reason, my camera darkened it up a bit. So I fixed that :) Oh did ask the nurse for permission to take photos inside the hospital FIRST.  She said it was okay!!!

The morning time is never very busy..at least it wasn't this morning.   A male nurse came out before 8 a.m. to get my father!!! He was really friendly and had a nice smile. My dad warmed up to that immediately. So did I :) I told the nurse to make sure my dad is a "good patient" :)

He came out what seemed like just a few minutes later.  They gave him an injection of "nuclear radiation stuff" in his hand, then put a cotton ball and tape over it.  He told me later that he wanted to stay on the table. The nurse smiled and said "No, we have other patients to take care of"..So my dad waited outside with me.  He was told to go eat something again. So we went down to the cafeteria for some breakfast. My dad had some scrambled eggs and biscuits with sausage gravy. Yummy!!!!

He loved it so much downstairs...that we sat there for awhile.  He was content to sit there and read a Christian book.  Nothing fancy...just wanted to simply read. My dad was a very happy daddy :) :)  About 8:23 a.m. we headed back up to the main waiting area so then nurse could take my dad for some picture scanning of his heart.

An artist was hired to paint all of these different murals throughout the hospital. Every painting reflects life here in Southern Oregon. This was the one in the waiting area where my dad and I sat.  The artist painted this entire mural from start to finish in 9 days!!!!  All of the things in this painting have meaning to the people who live here!!

My dad was finished around 9 a.m.  I showed him the mural.  He thought it was cool.  I asked him how it went. He said it went well. They put him on this low-lying table and then it & my daddy slid into a scanning machine that took about 35 pictures of his heart from left to right. He thought the table should have one of those "lift" functions like a chair lift. That would make it easier to get up off the table. That was his only complaint ..and it wasn't even a complaint. It was more of a comment :) :) He said that the nurse who did the actual imaging today was much nicer than the nurse who took the images yesterday.


The little stream of water that feeds the beautiful man-made waterfall.  When I lived in Germany years ago, there were little streams like this in the streets...dating back to the Middle Ages..called "Bächle".  They were designed as a way of preventing fires from jumping from one building to the next..in case there was a fire. Also a way of carrying waste material away from the city.

Let's back up to before my dad went to check in at the front desk.  We left early so that I could get some coffee and maybe some breakfast.  I passed on the breakfast..and actually had that after my dad's appointment was finished. I did treat my dad to more breakfast afterwards as well :) :) :)

We arrived at the hospital earlier than we had planned. So I went around snapping photos of more cool stuff on the hospital campus.  This waterfall was really nice. My dad came along with me.  I walked around the campus quite a bit. He just followed me and it was really cute.  He was giving me advice on what photos to take. That was nice because it showed me that he cared about what I was doing!!!

This is the waterfall as seen from the front side. This is what I saw on the passenger side of the car as my dad and I drove into the hospital parking nlot.  I thought it as really nice and very creative.

I forgot to mention a couple of things that happened yesterday.  My dad had to first check in at the waiting area near the gift shop. That's where everyone goes first, before heading elsewhere. We just sat there. All of a sudden this nurse comes out and calls "Heather...Heather (insert my last name here)".  I was surprised because she called my name (first and last) but this lady with blonde curly hair stood up.  My dad and I thought that was really wild. I've met quite a few other women named "Heather"...but none who also shared the same last name.

My dad and I turned and looked at each other in amazement.  When the nurse called my dad's name, we went to the check-in area to have some paperwork filled out.  My dad asked the intake person about the name.  When I told her that I also have the same name, she replied "You're kidding, right?"...Not at all.  It turns out my "doppelgänger" spells her last name with just one letter different.  That's wild.  What was even crazier was that there was also a person with my dad's same first and last name...and again just one letter different in the last name.  The intake lady reassured us that they verify each patient's identity with birthdate before accessing patient records.

I tried to look for my "namesake" later that day but couldn't find her. It would have been fun to get a photo of us together...both with the same first and last names.  Now if the middle name was the same, that would have been really crazy. "Intake lady" said that she's seen patients with the exact names and birthdates before...glad that didn't happen here. My dad's "namesake" was younger than him. My "namesake"...just judging by looking at her face was slightly older than me :)

The sprinkler had just been shut off and there were still water drops on the flowers. I thought it would be neat to capture some of that on film. This was by far the my "favorite" white rose!!!

Two other things happened yesterday as well.  One of them was the emergency alarm going off throughout the entire hospital. People weren't alarmed...but they were curious about what was going on. Now this is what I heard on the hospital intercom "Housekeeping to Floor 3.  Patients and visitors please stay in your current location"..It wasn't anything serious. The little 12-year old boy that I met yesterday (along with his mother), asked the nurse at the desk why the alarm went off. She said that it was just a hospital fire drill and that those happen all the time.  Probably...but who knows. Anyway, that was the most "drama" of the time spent at the hospital. I told my dad about it afterwards.


Here are some more beauties. I love the way the water clings to the petals. I love color and these colors are so rich!!!

My dad doesn't have health insurance and he had to fill out some paperwork. The short story version is that this entire procedure will be covered by the hospital.  That was a real answer to prayer. Neither of us has health insurance. We do what we can to stay healthy. My dad would have had the "heart imaging" procedures done anyway...and we would've worked out a payment schedule. Fortunately my dad qualified to have the entire bill written off because he's unemployed and doesn't have health insurance. So that again, was a real answer to prayer!!



A close up of one of the white flowers. it has a slightly pale yellow center. I like seeing all the details in the flower!!!

Okay, back to today.  There's a quote from Coach John Wooden that goes something like this "You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you".  I really liked that quote and decided I was going to do that for someone at the hospital today. I don't have lots of money, but "doing something nice" for someone doesn't have to involve that. It truly is the thought/action that is the most important.

I spent much of the time talking to a lady who was getting the exact same procedure done as my dad. She looked scared.  I didn't ask her about her fear directly...but rather, I just started talking to her. I gave her a smile and asked her name.   She'd had a few stints (spelled correctly?) put in her heart some months back and she was experiencing some pain again. "Nice lady" was worried because she hadn't been able to work for the last month. As it turns out, she works in housekeeping at the very same hospital. A few hospital co-workers came by to talk to her!!! "Nice lady" didn't have anyone to wait with her either...just like the old lady from yesterday.  We talked about her family, good Christian fiction, and food.  I offered to buy her something to read because she was going to be there for awhile.  "Nice lady" declined the offer. We had a nice chat. I made sure to call her by name and thank her for talking with me. It truly was a lovely conversation.
It was my way of putting Coach John Wooden's quote into practice...or as another friend put it "practicing random acts of kindness"...for no other reason than because you have the "resources" and because you "can"... You don't ever have to wait for an opportunity to do something nice for someone. Make your own opportunity and just go out there and do it...and be surprised at the blessing that comes out of that!!!

Below are some more photos I took of the flora around the hospital campus. There truly is quite a bit to look at, if you watch for it :) :) :)


These sure are pretty. The way the flowers are clumped together sort of reminds me of cauliflower in a strange way :) :) Yellow is a really cheery color. You can't be sad when you see yellow!!!

These buds are teeny tiny. I got as close as I could without getting stung by the bees. God takes care of even the smallest of details :) :) :)


This flower is so pretty. Does anyone know if it's a type of wild rose? I love it because it looks like it's made out of crepe paper. The insides...doesn't it remind you a little of a fuzzy bee? Such a pretty pink with a yellow center!!!


These were in the hospital foyer. I love bright colors and soft colors too. This just caught my attention.

This last photo was taken at the mall. It's random, but I just had to post this. Read the rest of this and you'll understand why!!!


The message says it all...:) :) :)

After my father was done at the hospital, we went to the mall. The visit was over by 9 a.m. this morning...and the mall didn't open till 10 a.m. The mall's doors are open as early as 6 a.m. for people who go there to get coffee, or walk around the inside of the mall. There's a buildt in track with mile markers and everything. It's actually pretty neat...and literally a cool place to get some exercise during the hot summer months!!!


As we were leaving, we see this banana yellow car drive by. My dad says "Heather, look...That's so cool" True that!!! We waited till the driver got out of the car. I asked him if it would be okay to take a picture of his car. We really loved what it said on the side of the car. The car owner said "yes" and here is the result :) :) :) It's different...I love it...and the message is clear in two very simple words!!!!

I've "type-chattered" a LOT today!!! Hope you don't mind. Please let me know if it's too much writing and too many photos. I use an extra large font so it's easy on everone's eyes in terms of readability :) :)

I bought "Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii" today while at the mall. I am fascinated by Hawaii's past history. My dad and I visited our local Christian bookstore. I love a good historical romance that weaves in elements of the Gospel. So good and uplifting, even after the book is done. I had to "cheat read" the ending, otherwise the suspense would have  been too much. I'll let you know how it turns out.

That's the news from Oregon.  Love, hugs and greetings, Heather :) :) :)