Got back to the house after a couple of days in Yazoo City. It was a nice time with family. The journey to Yazoo City on Christmas day is another story for another day. Some pretty unique experiences but funny memories. We’ll leave it at that.
Mr. Shurley (Patty’s dad) will have another P.E.T. scan to see the progress of the chemo on Thursday then will be looking to head back down for a bit around the 20th of the month or so.
We plan to work on putting things back in the new cabinets and try to get some bit of order to things before we began the installation of the wood flooring next week.
Hope you had a merry Christmas!
John

Hi friends. It proved to be a very difficult night last night. Patty went with her dad to shop in Dothan while the kitchen was being finished and I stayed here for that. Everything turned out so well and we appreciate your prayers.
Patty shopped for several gifts including my mom’s.
This ended up be very difficult for her. We spent the better part of the night with tears and no sleep. We would appreciate your prayers as we get through this time in our lives and particularly for Patty and her dad.
Tomorrow we will drive to Yazoo City to take her dad back home and have Christmas dinner with my side of the family on Sunday night. Then, Lord willing, Patty and I will head back to Enterprise on Monday.

Have a Blessed Christmas!
John

Whew, well things are beginning to take shape a bit anyway. The guys finished the installation of the stone kitchen floor today by grouting. Tomorrow morning we are to mop it with water and vinegar early.
Sometime in the morning we will be hearing from the cabinet and counter guys to hopefully finish up the kitchen. Everything’s been wreck since late October and it’s good to see things coming together.
The visit with Patty’s dad has been good. We’ve enjoyed our time and with his level of patience, the construction hasn’t seemed to bother him at all. We even did a little fishing today at a friends house and although it was a bit too windy to do much good, the time out was nice.
We appreciate your prayers as we continue to get things back to some sense of normalcy before heading to Yazoo City on Christmas day.
Blessings,
John

Ahhhhh, it was a success and a sweet, albeit, an emotional dinner being the first without Ms Shurley. Needless to say, the preparation was quite adventurous without cabinets, countertops, and kitchen sink. Even washing the turkey prior to the brine was a sight. Imagine me, a non parent, bathing a slippery, hyper, 3 year old and you pretty much have the picture. It will provide laughter for some time to come. Then you’ve got Patty coming in behind me with bleach, pine sol, and gloves and………..Look Out! Pretty funny.
Patty did really well until the meal was done. Pretty emotional time. She’s doing fine now and we are tag teaming in the clean up department while Troy University is playing their bowl game. Remember, Troy is about 30 minutes from us and a number of our friends are fans or alums!
Thanks for the prayers as we continue the necessary, unfortunately, construction of the kitchen, and the healing from the loss of Ms Shurley.
Blessings,
John

Praise the Lord this is not a matter of life or death or an issue of eternal significance but boy oh boy is it a nusance!
Here’s the story…
We were hoping the new cabinets and countertops would be put in place yesterday. Well, the countertops were not ready so everything was set up for today. The guys showed up early and got to work tearing out the old, water damaged cabinets. When the end of the cabinet next to the pantry was removed, there it was……mold. A healthy or should I say a very unhealthy crop. Construction came to a screeching halt as we began to explore, make phone calls, and plan the next course of action. Bleach came into play as did the loss of the largest cabinet…the pantry. I’ve submitted pictures to our insurance and we are praying for some help but whether we get it or not doesn’t matter, this is a serious issue that must be eradicated.
The cabinet guys took the measurements and will have the new pantry ready for installation on Wed. PROBLEM! The flooring guys were to install the kitchen floor on Mon and Tues but have had to move to Tues and Wed. So………..they will do their thing and the cabinet guys will complete their work, prayerfully, on Thursday.
Patty is having some difficulty with it all. Her dad is here, her brother is coming in from ATL tomorrow and we are having Christmas dinner tomorrow night. NO SINK AND EATING WITH PLASTIC ON PAPER PLATES but we’re moving forward. Remember, of course, Patty’s mom is not with us either so your prayers are very much appreciated.

Blessings,
John

Hi friends. Guess I owe you an apology, AGAIN! Lots going on here has kept me from getting on here to update you on anything.
The flooring and cabinet issues continue but hopefully, prayerfully, will come to an end by Jan 9 or so. Here’s the schedule as it is right now.
I’m expecting the cabinet/countertop guys this morning some time. They asked that I “reserve” today and tomorrow on the schedule in the event there is a hang up somewhere. On Monday the kitchen flooring guys will be in to do their work. Pray this works out. I’m weary of a “torn up” house with things out of place. It’s been this way since the leak back in October.
Patty is heading back home in a turn-around trip to Yazoo City. She is picking up her dad and bringing him here. We will have Christmas with her brother (who is driving down from ATL on Saturday). We’ll do this on Saturday and he will head back on Sunday. Mr Shurley will stay with us until we all drive back to Yazoo City on Christmas Day. We are looking forward to the visit and time together.
Pray for the construction!
Blessings,
John

Hi friends and thanks for checking in. So sorry I haven’t kept you up with everything. Not doing a lot of decorating this year. It’s about to kill Patty, she loves this season so. We still have concrete in the majority of the house but have settled on the wood flooring we want. The same friend that helped with the installation of our wood laminate flooring in 2009 has insisted that he wants to help put in the new wood floor but will be unable to get here until Jan 5th. So, we are going to get the new cabinet and countertop (damage from water leak) work done next week and follow that with the new kitchen flooring. A bit inconvenient with the time of year and all but at least we are home and can have it done.
Patty plans to drive to Yazoo City the first of next week to pick up her dad and bring him down here for a visit. Looking forward to that!
Keep checking in and I’ll try and keep you updated!
Blessings,
John

Well, Patty returns home tomorrow, Lord willing. She has had a few extra days to help her dad with everything and he is doing well. He had another chemo treatment today and the blood test showed great progress in his treatment of lymphoma. They’ve had a long talk today and both feel good about this next step in life. Of course, we will be stopping in Yazoo regularly as we travel.
Pray for Patty as she travels. She is looking so very forward to being home and being with her church family and friends.
One more rehearsal for me with the Living Christmas Tree presentation and then the first presentation on Sunday night!
Blessings,
John