Blog of Bick

Roy and Gavin

2006-10-14T16:55:00.000-04:00

95%

2006-10-09T04:55:00.000-04:00

At some point, possibly tomorrow BUT no promises, I have a bunch of recent photos and a video to put up here. We've been reasonably busy lately just with daily life and such.

The couple of weekends (minus last weekend) my dad and I have been driving up to my brother's house to fix some things. It's been a fun time between the 3 of us and my brother and I have learned a lot from my dad regarding construction. It's also nice to just be up there with family. Last weekend was even better as my mother, Amy, and Roy all made the trip up as well.

School is going pretty well. Oh yeah, did I mention that I'm taking some classes? Yeah, I'm enrolled at the University of Maine Augusta. Human Biology and American Government. I'm waiting for transcripts to come through and the process to play out before I'm actually "accepted" into a program. Until then, I won't really know how the rest of my undergrad work will pan out. I'm hoping that my fastest course of action will be through an Interdisciplinary degree in which case credits from WOLBI and LU will potentially transfer AND apply moreso than if I enrolled in a specific program of study. If not then I'm probably going to either tough out the English program or maybe even perhaps Political Science. I really just want to get done w/ undergrad asap and move on to University of Maine Orono for grad work in English. That's really the main goal that I have.

Roy has had a doctor's visit since I posted last. He's doing very well developmentally. He scored in the 95% for both weight and height (14 lbs, 25 inches) for his age. He's been getting better and better with basic motor skills. He's discovered his fingers and thumb AND how to get them in his mouth. He's also become insanely verbal over the last month. Boy do I ever love that! He and I sit and have conversations on a daily basis! He LOVES his mom and dad!

Seriously, What a Ham

2006-09-18T20:26:00.000-04:00

PHOT-ABULOUS

2006-08-18T02:03:00.000-04:00

Will take some time soon to write up an entry. Got some new things cookin'.

Home

2006-07-21T21:19:00.000-04:00

Home. July 21, 2006.

The last few days have brought incredible progress with Jeffrey Roy Bickford, III. Since the 18th, we've just patiently waited for little Roy to adjust to his medicine, begin feeding well, blood tests to return, and for his primary Dr. to return for his re-evaluation. Today all of this finally came to a head and Roy was discharged late this morning! We were INCREDIBLY excited to receive this kind of news! It was totally unexpected; that we'd be able to bring him home this soon! So, thank the Lord!

Durring our time at the hospital, we were able to really settle in with the environment as well as accept the circumstances as more than just a time for us to learn from God. We knew full well that this was an extremely wonderful opportunity to enourage other parents whose children were also in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit. We were able to indentify with their pain and fears as precisely as possible. People encourage and support one another through hardship by saying the right things at the right time. But there is a HUGE difference between people who have actually experienced that same hardship and those who haven't. Those who haven't experienced the particular hardship say things because they're the right things to say, and I firmly believe that people usually mean exactly what they say in those moments. There's nothing wrong with that and it's perfectly fine and good. However, when you know that the person offering that encouragement/support is doing so because they've experienced the same thing or nearly so, there's just a greater degree of genuity to their words and actions. I don't know why I'm going to such great lengths to explain this when it's all clearly spelled out in II Corinthians:

2Cr 1:3	Blessed {be} the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2Cr 1:4	who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2Cr 1:6	But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;
2Cr 1:7	and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are {sharers} of our comfort.

While we were at the hospital we spent some time talking with several different parents whose children were also being cared for in the NICU. One family will forever stand out from the rest and I doubt will ever leave my conscience. I believe it was our second night at Maine Med. when a couple gave birth to 24 week old twins. For the "pregnancy-unaware," that ain't long at all. Roy was born 8 lbs. 6 oz. These little boys were born 1 1/4 lb. We were introduced to this family through the grandparents one evening who were observing Amy and I with Roy. They were clearly burdened by the entire ordeal with their little grandchildren, but extremely hopeful for the best. I made it my mission when speaking with them at every encounter to let them know that THE CREATOR of those little tykes was the care taker above all that mankind can do for itself. The Lord God is the sustainer of all life. We commited to praying for them, that God would have mercy on their lives and that the future would be one of fulfilled hope. We understood the fear, compassion, and utter heartbreak of such a situation and they knew it. We later met the proud yet fearful parents. Again, all four of us first time parents and understanding that we both knew the hardship one another faced. But, praise God, Amy and I exuded nothing but hope in the Lord for both situations. This is not to gloat but simply to testify of the wonderful work of faith GOD HAD DONE in both of our lives and that God was given glory in such dire circumstances.

Upon hearing our good news this a.m. about being discharged, we wasted little time to get back to the Ronald McDonald House to clean our room and check out. As we rounded the corner from the NICU, our eyes fell upon the lamentations of the two grandparents among other family members. The grandfather approached me but couldn't finish his trek before falling to peices, letting me know that they had lost one of the twins and that they were going to say goodbye. What do you say to something like that? The grandmother looked to us with tearful eyes and said, "We still have one, though. We still have one." This scene had only confirmed my worst fear for this family. Ealier in the morning, as Amy and I sat and had breakfast we saw the parents. This time instead of conversation all they did was exchange quiet looks; the mother visibly upset as the father looked at me with his upper lip tucked.

I still haven't made sense of all of this; why, upon hearing such great news for ourselves, God had placed this sobering scene before our eyes. It did help us realize that a child truly is a gift from the Lord, as Psalm 127 proclaims. We will never take our gift for granted and will go on to testify of His grace, mercy, and love. For this family (I don't know whether or not they've been reconciled to God) all I could do was hope and intercede for them; that this tragedy would not result in anger, bitterness, hatred, and doubt. But that it would influence them to faith, somehow. I'm not sure how, but somehow. It's so hard for me to make sense of it. But, that makes sense.

Job 1:21-22

... "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

____________________________________________________

12:03 a.m., July 22, 2006

We're home with a crying baby. What a joy! Our first evening together at home has been incredibly surreal. We're just plain happy. Forever thankful.

Pictures will be up sometime. I just got a new camera and I'm trying to figure out where the software "hides" all of these pictures on my computer. Sorry for the wait. :o(

July 18th, 2006

2006-07-18T23:50:00.000-04:00

Some of you are at least aware of the problems that baby Roy has endured. His parents have also endured an incredible day of shock, faith, and love for each other and our little boy, Roy.

I'm writing this from a computer located at the Ronald McDonald House in Portland, ME; just 2-3 blocks from the main entrance to Maine Medical Center where our newborn son resides in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for the time being. We plan to stay here for the durration of Roy's stay in the hospital, so my ability to update and communicate over the phone may be limited. Most of our time has been spent either with our son or our immediate family members, so don't be offended if I don't answer my phone or return calls right away.

This isn't just a mere update as I so often use this blog to do. I'm going to recount the events of today as they have unfolded as an additional means of "therapy" to just sort of recap for myself and evaluate all that Amy and I have experienced today. This has been a landmark event in our lives.

Neither of us have slept for very long at all today and our diet has been at a minimum. My point is that coherence may be lacking, but that would be a fitting testament of the turmoil that has been July 18th, 2006.

I can safely say that this has been the HARDEST experience of our lives that either of us have had to endure. We have discovered that there is just something so incredibly unique about the love that a parent has for their own child. I've determined that this love has got to be (even if it is at its minimal capacity) somewhat like the love that God has for all of humanity.

All of these events occured on Tuesday, July 18th, 2006; the day that our family was to be discharged from the hospital and to begin our lives together in our own home.

2:00 a.m. -

My wife woke up to go to the bathroom. We had just settled Roy down to sleep only an hour earlier. I had been fast asleep ever since then for the total of one hour. Amy noticed Roy fussing a bit in his bassinet. When she took a closer look, she noticed a definite, rhythmic twitching happening with Roy's left arm as well as his head. This apparently lasted for no more than approximately one minute. Amy called in the nurse and they determined to wait and see if it happened again. While the nurse was still present in the room, Roy went into another one of these seizures; this time his left leg included in the twitching. The nurse immediately wheeled him into the nursery for further observation and called for our pediatrition (Dr. Kamerer, spelling I am not sure of... we'll refer to him as Dr. K.) to come in.

3:00 a.m. -

Amy wakes me from sleep; of which I have had two hours of at this time. She informs me that she's headed to the nursery where Roy has been for the last hour. In my glazed stupor of sleep, I ask why and she tells me about his seizures. The full implication of this has not set in as I crawl out of bed to accompany my wife and see what's going on. My wife's calmness (which later I've determined to be a state of shock that I soon would share in) would prove to be deceiving. Roy had been hooked up to several monitors and was fast asleep. The nurse recounted all that had happened. Still in a glazed stupor, nothing was setting in.

3:30 a.m. -

Dr. K. arrives at the hospital. Now, over the past 48 hours time has not meant anything to us other than a mere means to count the hours between feedings and diaper changes. Our world has been existing soley upon whole numbers and not much else. That stopped upon Dr. K's arrival as I soon realized that a pediatrician being called into the hospital at 3:30 a.m. was probably not a normal standard protocall for something less than serious. My assumption as correct. Dr. K ordered several blood tests to be run as well as for Roy to be given medication (Phxxx Baritrol orsomething like that... my tired mind can't exactly recall the name). This medicine prevents the occurance of seizures. Dr. K informs us of the tests that he plans to administer and that he will call the NICU at Maine Med. in Portland for other advice. He mentioned the distinct possibility of Roy being sent there this morning. It is at this time that Amy and I realize that something has gone horribly awry. I notice Amy breaking down emotionally and I simply cannot ignore the very same tug on my own heart. I believe that we were mostly still in a state of shock and disbelief that we were experiencing this. I believe that because when we went back to our room we discussed what we would do: try to get some sleep until Dr. K came to update us on test results and NICU's reccomendation so that if we had to drive to Maine Med., we would be prepared to do so. We neither slept nor drove ourselves to Portland, a 1.5 hour treck from Augusta.

Over the next 1.5 hours I found it impossible to gather my wits about me. To give Amy a chance to rest I spent most of my time pacing in the hall or sitting in the bathroom simply grieving and praying. I had never been more pained in the entirety of my life.

5:00 a.m. -

Dr. K enters our room to update us. I believe we were able to catch about an hour of restless sleep between sessions of outright sobbing. Dr. K informs us that all of the tests that he is able to administer at this hospital in Augusta came back negative and that the pediactric team from Barbara Bush Children's Hospital located in the same building as NICU were on their way. The meltdown that occured between us is one that I have never experienced before in my life. Worry was far from our minds. It wasn't a case of self-pity either. Our greatest pain was that our son's health was in jeopardy and that there was absolutely nothing we could do aside from support each other with words of Truth and the most desperate prayer of our lives.

We placed sobful phone calls to the usual suspects (parents, friends in far off lands) asking for prayer support and logistical support. We were in no shape to be driving. There was no getting a hold of ourselves. We soon found out that we needed the incredible emotional support that can be offered by few: our families have been incredible.

I found a place to be alone and to simply cry out to God, "Help us God, Help us please!" All I could do was repeat the verse from Job "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord." I know that God had not taken as He had with Job. But to us the first 40+ hours with our son was filled with nothing but complete joy. It was the biggest high of our lives. Just complete elated. My next blog entry was to go into more detail about that time. I know it isn't lost and that eventually we will be able to reflect back onto that time without experiencing great sorrow. The mean time is a mere shadow; a test of our faith... an opportunity for our faith to grow.

The next 20 minutes would offer me the greatest challenge that I had never expected to face in my first 48 hours as a father. I could continue to sob in my fearful shock and grief by my lonesome or I could go and stand beside my son regardless of his condition that I had longed to never have to face. I realize now that my decision was more than that. My decision was one of love in it's rawest sense. My weakness' and waivering faith had to be shoved aside. Apart from God's sovereign enablement, His gracious and merciful intervention; I don't know where this kind of strength could have came from. I can't attribute our strength as mother and father to anything or anyone else other than 'I AM.'

6:30 a.m. -

Arrangements had been made. My mother (who works at the hospital in Augusta as a case worker) had already arrived and would drive us to Portland. She also knows just about everyone that works at Maine General Augusta and is very familiar with all of the procedures involved in moving patients from one place to another. Amy's mother and father would be meeting us in Portland.

The team of pediatricians from BBCH/NICU had arrived with their specialized peidiactric ambulance. Amy and I had our final moments with Roy before he was to be examined and prepared for the journey to Portland. The pain that these momories bring is still at this moment (I just realized) just as vivid as can be. My words to Roy: "I love you. God is taking care of you."

This is the last time I can recall having looked at a clock and observing the time until we arrived at the Ronald McDonald House at around 1:10 p.m. in order to check in and to get some sleep. I'll attempt to account for all that happened before then as best as I can.

From the moment we said our goodbyes to Roy we entered a whirlwind of standardized briefings from the pedi. team as well as paperwork. I remember nothing other than signing my name on several documents releasing my son to the care of lots of different people.

Amy completed the discharge process from the hospital and the next thing I can remember is loading our stuff and ourselves in my mother's van. The drive down was torture. We wanted nothing more than to be with our son. We were tired, hungry, and in the most desperate state of being we can remember. Thankfully my mom realized that we probably had not been eating well. I knew I was incredibly hungry, but I only ate because I knew I had to. No other desire existed in me other than to reach the bedside of my son. At the same time, this desire was accompanied by the same grief I'm sure I've mentioned too many times by now. We were helpless apart from the grace of God.

We finally arrived at NICU and were briefed by several different people. I don't remember the names of the umpteen different people who we've conversed with. I'm pretty sure that none of them expected that we would, either. At any rate, we were finally able to join Roy. Just to be able to touch his hand provided such incredible comfort and a bit of peace to our longing hearts. We calmed down enough to be able to sit and talk with our caseworker after we had done so with the nurse. They still had many tests to administer to Roy; none of which they reccomended we stay for. Our caseworker gave us the run down on the ins and outs of the NICU standards, who was going to be taking care of Roy, and that she had reserved a room for us here at the Ronald McDonald House (which is essentially free). In the midst of our tiredness and grief we were able to attribute all of this as having been provided for us by God. Oh how He has taken care of our family. The care that they provide at NICU is just surreal to me. Several different specialists had and would soon be attending to him as well as some of the most caring nurses I've ever met.

Once they had finished performing a spinal tap on Roy we were able to spend a little bit more time with him and then decided it best that we check in to the RMH to get some sleep. My brother, sister-in-law (and 4 mos. old nephew), and father were all on planning on arriving at 5:00 p.m.

We got about 3 hours of sleep and then walked back to NICU to be w/ Roy as well as to meet with the specialists in order to recieve their initial assessments taken from a sonogram, blood work, EEG, spinal tap, and MRI. Essentially, this is what they had determined: Roy had most likely suffered from a small stroke (hemorage in the brain) in utero. The timing of it is vague, though at minimum they believe it was at least several weaks before birth and maybe a month +. Though it is irreversible damage to the brain, they assured us of their optimism and encrouragement that this had happened in utero and not durring the process of labor/birth. This is good because the brain has the inredible ability to re-wire itself, especially durring these early developmental stages of life. It also means that this is something that has happened a while ago and not recently, so everything we've known/seen of him thus far is exactly how/who he is (a big relief). The hemorage only affected a very small portion of the right frontal lobe in an area believed to only be responsible for motor skills relevant to the left side of the body (which explains the twitching on the left side durring the seizures). They still have more tests to run as well as a more detailed examination of the MRI, but they're pretty sure that the body had already cleansed itself of the hemorage and at this point there is no need for any kind of surgery. They also assured us that Roy wasn't facing a life or death situation. If everything continues to go well with Roy and that they're able to rule out every other possible problem, they expect to be able to discharge Roy sometime at the end of the week. As far as the effects of the stroke, they're uncertain. Basically time will tell. They say that seizures won't necessarily last beyond the 1st 12 mos if even that long; but they could also last longer. We'll be giving him a daily dosage of that same medicine (phxxxxx barbitol or whatever it's called) so that should keep him from having any more seizures. They think if there are long term effects, they'll be manifest in a weakness of motor skills on his left size and not much else (if anything else, I just can't remember exactly). By the end of the night tonight we were able to finally hold him (incredible tears of joy) and Amy will be able to attempt to resume feeding beginning tomorrow. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord!

So, our plan for now is to stay here as long as Roy stays. Some family has spent the night in a hotel and more visitors will follow from church, I'm sure. We're thankful for all the intercession that you all have made on our behalf. God has been incredibly glorified through all of this; many of you have played a part in that. Thank you for the unity of the Body that you have all taken part in. At this point I'm incredibly tired and have a long week or so ahead of me. I just want to tie one thing together --

Our love that we've found present in our relationship to Roy is much like the love that God has for the human race. We were alienated from our newborn son just as humanity had been alienated from God due to sin. The passion, grief, sorrow, and love that was manifested in that separation from Roy fails in comparison to that of God in his separation from all of mankind. But the "feel" of all of that gives us a greater understanding of God's love for His creation. Our answer was to drive to where our son is. God's answer was to sacrifice His Son, Jesus Christ, in order to pay the penalty that must be paid to forgive sin. Our son's condition doesn't prevent us from still being his parents or from being with him. Mankinds condition of sin (separation from God due to falling short of the standard of absolute perfection (holiness) is one that can only be remedied by faith (trust, belief, forsaking life apart from God) in Jesus Christ; who was ressurected and lives for all of eternity. We serve a living God.

I appologize for any minotiny, mispellings, and gramatical error. I'm tired, extremely emotional still, and just plain weary. Thank you for your continued intercession on our behalf. "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

Psalm 127

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved {even in his} sleep.
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 128

How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways.
When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine Within your house, Your children like olive plants Around your table.
Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the LORD.
he LORD bless you from Zion, And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
Indeed, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel!

Jeffrey Roy Bickford, III

2006-07-16T18:25:00.000-04:00

Just absolutely incredible. Just home for a quick refresh from the hospital.

Amy's labor began at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 15. Around 5:45 p.m. the same day, we left the apt. for the hospital. At 8:01 a.m. Sunday, July 16th; Jeffrey Roy Bickford, III made his grand entrance into our world!

Thank you, God.

Jeffrey Roy Bickford, Jr.

(nephew/cousin, Gavin Wellington Bickford, basically sums up how we all feel right now and exactly what we hope to be doing sometime soon... but, who knows).

Briefly

2006-07-14T14:11:00.000-04:00

I started working at L.L. Bean again on July 3rd. My hope (prayer) is that God provides something closer to home (L.L.B. is 1hr/1dir commute, obviously not bad but I'd just rather not) and with health benefits.
Amy's body started to progress towards labor (nothing major, just the normal bit: baby moving down, efacement, etc etc) but things have basically just halted. Both are doing fine, so the Dr. is in no rush to induce. We'll just wait for now. I told my son, though, that he has a decision to make: either come out now or else they're going in and taking him out. :o)
I've done a lot of fishing lately, mostly with my dad. We are fishing machines. A picture will follow. Nothing big big, yet. But soon, I hope. Still, these sized fish provide plenty of meat in the freezer and are a blast to catch on light tackle.
I imagine that the next update will include pictures if Jeffrey Roy Bickford, III.
That is all.

Time For Some Updationism

2006-06-22T12:38:00.000-04:00

It's been over a month now, so I guess I need do document some happenings and thoughts here. Hey, I'll try to do so with a photographic journal. Let's see what happens.

We celebrated our 3rd Wedding Anniversary on May 31st

I've done my fair share of fishing in the last few months. Stripers started to run early this year and the big ones ought to be settling in by now (haven't been in over a week, ghasp).

I don't have pictures, but we were graced by a few hours of time spent with Maria, Luke, and Luke's brother, Matt recently. They are soon to be the remainder of our group of tight-knit friends there in Lynchburg. Everyeone else has either moved or is planning to move away by the end of the summer. So, you know guys... <cough>maine<cough>maine<cough>mai<cough>ne<cough>.

Our church put on a sweet baby shower for Amy. Of course, I don't have any pictures of that either because for some reason, fathers-to-be aren't allowed to attend these digs. Meh. This photo-blog is failing already. But it was sweet and God really really really blessed is in huge ways through the shower. Diapers-a-plenty; clothes-a-plenty. Insane.

We spent a fair amount of time in Pemaquid recently while my parents vacationed there. Here are some sweet pictures.

Cousin Hilary with daughter Lilly.

Lovely wife and child, wading in some cool (read: freeeeezing) waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Man I've missed the coast!!!

Brother Josh with son, Gavin; at the cottage.

Mom with Lilly at the Pemaquid cottage.

Well, that's all for now. Dad just came over to help me finish some stuff here in the apt.

In closing:

Psalm 127:2-5 Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whos quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Behold, My Family (They come in a unique, portable design!! How sweet is that?!?!)

2006-05-07T21:59:00.000-04:00

Amy and a fence

Hey, what more could a guy need in life? Anyway.

Ten more weeks (approximately) and we'll be face to face with our little one. Can't wait!

Still looking for work. Still chipping away at the apartment. Oddly enough, still greeting people for the first time. It's not like we just got here last week. What the heck have we been doing? Hhmmm.

2006-05-07T21:58:00.000-04:00

Amy and some stranger.

Just kidding. This is Amy's youngest sister, Allison (my favorite sister-in-law.... ok, j/k... I don't play favorites... ok, sometimes I do... j/k, I don't really).

Update

2006-05-03T14:20:00.000-04:00

Not that there is anything incredibly exciting or "news-worthy" happening in our lives right now, but I just haven't written here in a while. So, the biggest update since my last entry (our trip to Maine and the entrance of our nephew, Gavin, into the... well, more like the exit from... eh, anyway) is that exactly 46 days have passed by since we've been "living" in Maine. Exciting, isn't it?

I finally dug my camera out of The Pile (emphasis intentional) that is our belongings. So, sometime I might get around to posting some pictures of grand ol' Whitefield, ME. And yeah, maybe my pregnant wife IF she complies. Hey, listen to this: everyone needs to change their perspectives about pregnant women. Specifically, I'm referring to that whole "oh wow you're getting bigger every time I see you" thing. Yeah, you women who were formally with child know exactly what I'm talking about. To the point: my wife isn't getting bigger. My unborn son, however, is growing at enormous rates. Just some food for thought.

Anyway.

Sorry for the bland entry, but hopefully it will appease my readers. I..thiiink I can use the plural form of "reader".

I think.

2006-03-22T17:11:00.001-05:00

Get used to this, bub!

2006-03-22T17:11:00.000-05:00

Priorities

2006-03-22T17:10:00.001-05:00

Gavin Wellington Bickford

2006-03-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

Uncle Jeff

Photogs

2006-03-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been

2006-03-21T19:05:00.000-05:00

We made it. We live in the state of Maine once again. I was finally able to set my computer up on the internet yesterday. Where should I begin? Time for another paraphrased montage of the last 6 days.

Thursday - went to pick up the mini-van which we had planned on renting for our move. Telephone rep. assured me that the van would have "stow-n-go" seating throughout (seats fold into floor). Van did NOT have "stow-n-go" seating. I returned van. All car-rental agencies in Lynchburg share the same cars at the same location at the airport. I call around in Roanoke looking for vans. There are none. So, I bite the bullet and check out the prices for a small, 10 foot Uhaul or Budget truck. Y. I. K. E. S. Double the price of the van. Ouch. No choice at this point so I bite a second bullet (more like a mortar) and follow through with the rental of a 10 foot truck. I'm finally able to give people the que to head on over to help us out.

Turns out the Uhaul guy knew my wife from having worked with her before and he was sympathetic towards our situation and gave us a 30% discount and threw in the insurance on top of that. W.O.W.

God's providence sighting #1 -- NO WAY would we have been able to fit all of our stuff in a min-van with stow-n-go seating. No. Way. So, we thanked God. Also the discount was a huge relief and made it a much easier pill to swallow.

Mid-packing I get a phone call from my accountant. Turns out that after all is said and done, I'll end up paying about 1/8 or so of the taxes that we had originally estimated.

God's providence sighting # 2 -- Money was freed up before we even knew it to handle the cost of the truck if we needed to.

Cleaning/packing finally finishes up at about 11pm or so. Luke and Maria Hayden win the die-hard-packer/cleaner award for the 3rd straight move. Congrats, guys!

Friday -- Wake up and get Panera breakfast for myself, Amy, and mom-in-law. We all finish cleaning the apartment and finally close the door behind us for the last time at about 9:15a or so. We say our goodbyes to our landlords and head off to the accountant's office to pick up the prepared work. One last stop to visit Derrick, Christ, and Sydney and we're on the highway at about 10:15a.

The plan was to drive as far as Newtown, PA where Amy's grandparents, aunts, and uncles live. We made so-so time up there, but it was actually exactly what we had estimated (10 hours). Not bad for a Friday, St. Patrick's day, and driving through D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia all in the same day. D.C. was the usual mess and is why that trip takes 10 hours on a weekday. Anyway. Uneventful trip. And then...

We finally get off I95 to head to Amy's aunt and uncle's. We're less than a mile away from their house.

B - A - M ! ! ! ! !

The deer loses the battle. But, the truck doesn't walk away unscathed. Grill is smashed to pieces, the radiator is bent, and a signal lamp is hanging off to the side. All I wanted to do was sleep, but had to sit on the phone w/ Uhaul customer reps for nearly an hr. They were just kids (so it sounded) and didn't really care much about their job. Whatever. They tell me to take it to a uhaul place in the a.m. to have it checked out. Visit. Sleep.

Saturday- wake up and head to Uhaul place. Dude behind counter shrugs shoulders, steps out to look at the truck, turns to me and asks, "Do you want to take it the rest of the way like that?" I insta-reply "Yes" and off we go in search of duct tape to keep the signal lamp inside the front end of the truck.

The rest of the trip goes pretty normal. I catch a rock in the windshield later on and am reminded how thankful I was that God had arranged all that he did with that Uhaul truck. Remember, I wasn't going to buy the insurance. We thanked God.

Somewhere along the trip I call my brother. Stephanie was beginning to have contractions.

We crossed the Maine border at about 4:30p. No sooner had we done that then I got a phone call from my brother - "We're at the hospital and Steph is 4 mins apart." OhhhhhK. Looks like we're not done driving.

So, we book it to Whitefield to drop off the truck, take about an hour to unload the car, shower, eat, etc and we're back on the road for another 1.5 hour drive to Bangor to go meet my first ever nephew, Gavin. We were bushed, but there was a new baby so who cares. Slept at Josh's that night and bummed around the next day w/ Josh and Dad. Good times.

So anyway. It's been a hectic past week or so, but we're finally getting settled into our new, temporary home here at my parents'. Things are coming along.

Total miles traveled - 919

Total hours driving - 21.5

Total gallons of gas - 2 bazillion

Total $ spent on gas - 10 bazillion

"Distance has a way...

2006-03-14T05:12:00.000-05:00

...of making love, understandable."

OHHHHK. Just saw that I saved this one as a draft in progress. My bad. I will post this as it captures...captures...well, it captures. So, anyway. Currently working on a trip report that documents the last 6 days. Don't worry, it's going to be done "montage" style. So, quick, pithy, hopefully entertaining read.

________________________________________________________

The walls are now bare. The usually cleared floors are occupied mostly by masses of cardboard. Clutter invades as cleaning begins.

In other news, my son is doing an excellent job of taking over his mother's abdomen.

I need to get an oil change, possibly get an allignment, and get more boxes. Thankfully our apartment was furnished so we aren't moving large pieces of furniture. Regardless, we've managed to accumulate mass amounts of who knows what. I rented a mini-van. We're beginning to wonder if it will be enough. I'm hopeful.

"Rolling Stone, Gathers No Moss...

2006-03-09T04:04:00.000-05:00

But leave a trail of busted stuff."

Well the time for us to find our way back home is nigh. One week from today and we will begin our pilgrimage north-ward. My unborn son will travel through more states than I ever did until I was 15 years old.

It is a very sad time for me. I hope that my family doesn't misunderstand this. It's just that I've grown very accustomed to this location. I love our friends who live here dearly. And... I like the weather here. BUT. Weather, shm-eather. I'm confident that this is the BEST decision for my wife and child. We're not really bound to anything down here and family support is priceless when expanding your own family. I'm saddened by the changes; by the probable dissolovement of good friendships. BUT. I'm looking foward to being a father. I'm looking foward to ministry opportunities. I'm looking foward to whatever else God has perched on the horizon.

This is a first for me. The first time that I've dealt with any majorly large change such as this one while being married. I have to remind myself all the time, "Dude, you've got your wife with you 100%. It's not like you're in this alone. It's not like you're going to be completely lonely and miserable. PLUS, you're having a kid!"

Anyway. I think it's best for me to not think about this anymore and to let it just happen.

That is all.

Well, It's A....

2006-03-01T02:33:00.000-05:00

Rhymes with...toy!!!

20 Weeks

2006-02-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

Well, momma's 20 weeks along now. She's feeling little "flutters" and no, it's not something she ate!

In other news we're starting to mail stuff up to Maine, so the exodus has begun. Full completion is estimated to be sometime in middle March.

Other than the fact that there is a human being knit together in my wife's womb, life is pretty docile.

Floored

2006-02-07T16:27:00.000-05:00

I cannot even believe how awesome our Dr's visit was. We saw our little child for the very first time. Amazingly, we found out that he/she is actually 18 weeks along!!! He/she was moving around soooo much. There's a nose, legs, etc etc. In three weeks we'll be going back for a more detailed ultrasound and then we'll know if it's a boy or a girl. So, right now baby's 10.xx centemeters tall. That was crazy to find out cuz it was exactly the size that we were seeing on the computer screen. Healthy heart beat, healthy everything!

Anyway, just a brief update. Things are totally normal, baby's healthy, momma's healthy. Thank God for hearing our prayers.

Oh yeah, and the due date is July 11th.

Just click on the pictures and a larger view will pop up for you.

There and Back Again

2006-01-10T20:40:00.000-05:00

Well, the holiday has come and gone. The Bickfords have come and gone from the great state of California. John Melcon and Kelly Melcon were single and now are not. My oh my!

That picture is obviously Christmas morning. WOW do I look like I always do when I first wake up!

First of all let me post some breaking news before I post a full Christmas/California trip report. We're planning to move back to Maine. If not in the next few months then definitely after our baby climbs out of my wife's abdomen. :o) Sorry, that might not settle well with others. Call it creativity on my part.

So Christmas was a great day for the 3 of us. Got up and read the Gospel of Luke to my unborn child (and my wife listened in). We then proceeded to open gifts (thank you family!!). It was a lot of fun and really our first and last Christmas by ourselves I'm sure. I loved having a Christmas tree in the apt. this year! It was so fragrant and mellow looking with the white lights. I might just put those things up year round (the white lights).

After gifts I made Amy quiche lorraine. It came out pretty darn good, and not just according to me. After a little down time we went out for a drive near the mountains. It was a rainy, overcast day so it was alright. Not much else the rest of the day which was nice.

AND THEN...

...our grand trip to California. We drove up to D.C. Tuesday night (man did I leave too much for us to do on Tuesday) right after I picked up my freshly taylored suit (yikes). There, we stayed at the Holiday Inn where it was cheaper to leave our car there with their special room rate for doing such. Our flight was at 7:20a or something like that so I thought it wise to just be there the night before. It worked out nicely and we saved a good bit of money on parking (the hotel has a shuttle to and from the airport).

Flight to Long Beach was LOOOOONG but it was not too bad otherwise. jetBlue has satelite television for every seat so that helped pass the time. So we land in CA at 10:30 or so, get the rental and hit the free-way... going in the wrong direction. Nice. So what should've been a 20-30 minute drive to meet up with John at In N Out took close to an hour. Yikes. The freeway system was a piece of cake once I got my bearings and memorized the map.

Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to just write a day-by-day report with brief phrases... should be shorter and more enjoyable this way.

Wednesday - fly to Long Beach, get car, find free-way, get lost, get found, meet John and Seth at In N Out in Buena Park, meet Kelly and others for the very first time, go to Kelly's and help with wedding things, count lots of Jordanian almonds, eat famous Lotstein spaghetti, drive to John's in Sunland (1 hr. drive from Kelly's) which is actually Los Angeles, sleep a lot.

Thursday - follow John back to Buena Park at about 10am, go straight to church where wedding is, move lots of things all day, set up reception hall, meet lots of new people, chat lots with groomsmen (all cool guys, mostly married), rehearsal time: laugh a lot, learned that I'm supposed to worship John, laugh a ton more (groomsmen are a hilrious bunch), go to dinner at Knotts Berry Farm, eat chicken dinner, back to Kelly's for coffee etc., sit and talk with Dayton about retail markets (he does real estate stuff for Target), drive back to Sunland, drive to John's apt. for groomsmen gathering in hot tub where secretive groomsmen initiations take place (not really... but sort of), prayed for John, somehow don't pass out in hot tub while praying for John.

Friday - the BIG day for John, follow John to Buena Park at about 11am (wedding starts at 4pm), help with final arrangements of reception hall, practice reading the Bible for my big part in the wedding, Dan arrives and he and I some how apprehend the keys to Kelly's car where John's honeymoon luggage is located, we then drive to Target... well, not really... we drive hoping to find a Target, find Target, buy "items," return to church 10 minutes before picture taking, infiltrate John's luggage, looked natural, got dressed in suit, had pictures taken, wedding time: escort people to seats, walk down aisle and fully manage to not screw up the simplest part of the wedding (nice), fully manage to not miss my que to read the Bible, fully manage to say "...will be reading from Ephesians Chapter 5, verses 22 AND 33" instead of "...verses 22 through 33," recover, read the Bible, score. Stand and stare at person's head in front of me for the next 20 minutes, watch John get married to Kelly (!!!!!), party time, eat seriously good food, dance with my wife for a few songs, end of recpetion. Tear down entire reception hall and move everything back the way it was. Midnight and we drive back to Sunland. Sadness sets in as Melcon's leave us for rest of trip :'( Sleep a lot.

Saturday - found Kinkos, used internet for .50/minute, searched for movie theaters, drove around a flooded North Hollywood (what a dump it is) looking for movie theater, discovered that google seriously needs to qualify it's results, left the dump that is North Hollywood, stormed Burbank instead, ate at In N Out, and watched King Kong (raining, yuck) bought groceries at Vons and paid a lot cuz we are not Vons Members.

Sunday - listend to Mac preach, schmoozed w/ the film industry over lunch and then later on at his house... this requires explanation: one of the other Groomsmen is married into this family, so we hooked up. Daddy-in-law is a sound engineer for Disney Films and also is party of the Film Academy... anyway, great, loving family; part of Mac's church, took us in all afternoon, bought us lunch, took us back to their house and played games... good times... in all seriousness, this family was fantastic and loved us abundtantly to have done all that they did for us. Never expected our Sunday to be like that.
then we listend to Mac preach at night.

Monday - for some reason I'm drawing a blank. The only thing I remember is possibly In N Out and definitely storming Burbank again at night only to go home cuz Burbank totally stormed us (rain)... for some reason I think that that was Sunday night though... oh well. Oh wait... that's right... I remember. We drive to Burbank hoping to watch Munich, no luck (sold out by the time I found parking which took over .5 hour), see Fun With Dick and Jane instead (very bad weather so far... what else to do?), eat at Elephant Bar Restaurant, good food.

Tuesday - ate at In N Out, visited Universal Studios: took tram ride, got soaking wet due to the earthquake portion of the ride where large waves of water infultrate the rear, right-side of the tram... it was cold outside. leave tram, go to Abercrombie to buy new pants (didn't bring extras) walk back to car to change pants, warm and dry again... walk around the park some more and refrain from rides because they all say "Not for expecting mothers" Oh yeah, Amy's pregnant for about 3 months now :o) , drove around Bev. Hills looking for Cheesecake Factory, no luck, got lost, got beeped at A LOT (enterprise written on licence plate... they don't like tourists... whatever). Drove to what we thought was Passadeena loooking for a different Cheesecake Factory. No luck. Reason why: Passadeena wasn't Passadeena, it was Glendale. We retreat home, utterly dejected... we sleep it off.

Wednesday - Learned from the Glendale/Passadeena mistake, drive to Passadeena looking for Cheesecake Factory, realize the biggest mistake of all time in doing so -- Rose Bowl. HIgh-tale it out of Pass. after weaving our way around the zoo that was Pass. durring the Rose Bowl. Call my mom to figure otu where the Cheesecake Factory was in Bev. Hills. Drove to Bev. Hills, , ate at the Cheesecake Factory in Bev. Hills (the original), walked/shopped Bev. Hills, drove to Santa Monica, walked the pier, drove home (Melcon's House), got stuck on the 405 for a long time, finally hit the 210, duct-taped one of the wheels back onto my suitcase (it was big and heavy), book it to airport 210 to the 605 to the 405... no problem. Come this ---] [---- close to missing our flight, fly back to D.C.

I actually takled to my mom a ton on this trip as she was on vacation and looked stuff up for us on the internet whenever we needed (unless I forgot that it was past midnight on the east coast). Thanks a TON mom!

Wow... yeah, so that's it. Will post some Cali pics when I get them.

Our First Christmas In Lynchburg

2005-12-13T21:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight, in the good company of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Nat King Cole, we put up our very first Christmas tree as husband and wife. Quite special, especially for Amy. Our tree is from the great state of Maine/Nova Scotia (ok, so it's really from Nova Scotia, but it's the same soil, same air... Maine's a border state, I'll allow it). There's a group of people that come down every year from Maine to sell these things all month.

Some of you are aware that we have a unique opportunity before us. A family in Maine has asked if we would house-sit for them for a year while they're away over-seas. It's quite the offer and also quite the decision to make. It's definitely not a small one. I'm interested in hearing some feed-back from other people about this opportunity. It means some big changes for us (moving, school, etc) but it also meets us at a unique time in life, becoming parents and all. As of right now I just don't know what to do, so I'm all ears right now.

Return from Narnia

2005-12-09T04:42:00.000-05:00

Well we watched "The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" last night. A day earlier than it's official release, yes, but our church somehow booked a pre-screening of the film a day in advance. We didn't mind. I've already expounded upon some of my thoughts; just click on the link Thinking Out Loud to read them.

I will say that it was quite possibly the best cinematic experience that I've ever had before. We also met some new people which is always good.

So, unfortunately we aren't going to be able to make it to the land of Narnia before some time next year ;o) Until then, we're just going to have to settle with spending a week in Los Angeles, CA. I know, a shame, isn't it? We'll be flying from Washington D.C. on December 28th and returning on January 4th. Should be a good time and maybe our last time on the West Coast for quite some time... you know, since we're having a child and all (!!!!).

We still haven't been to the doctor's yet, so keep us in prayer about that. We think that she's at least 2 months along by now so it's time to start making regular visits.

Pro-creation

2005-12-02T04:36:00.000-05:00

We participated.

:)

Recovery

2005-10-08T04:20:00.000-04:00

Well, it has been a little while now. I apologize for such a delay in writing. I fell ill this last weekend and am just now getting over things. Started out as just a sinus thing but quickly developed into much more. I missed two days of work last week because of it and now our house is completely devoid of tissues. Poor Amy now has the sniffles. I hope she doesn't become as sick as I was with a fever and all. She usually doesn't go that far with things, but you never know. Just an opportunity to return the loving care that she provided for me!

There really isn't much to report about. I'm still in the process of recovering my thoughts; slowly returning to normalcy. Being sick basically takes me down and out of life all together. If you could see the span of my life on paper those times of sickness would look like this (.................................................); just big gaps of nothing. Oh well, I'm sure that's true of most people.

The big task for the next few months is to finalize the logistics for our big trip to California in December/January. As you can see from my list of "links," John Melcon is getting married and we're going! John was my room-mate at Word of Life and we became very dear friends there. He stood with me at the wedding. John's the fellow standing on my right in the pictures above. As you can see, we kind of struggled at first, but we got our act together in time. :o)

John is currently living in CA where he's an intern at a church while working on his graduate studies at the Masters College. I have been flirting with the idea of joining him in that endeavor (graduate studies) as soon as I finish up here in Lynchburg. It's not a fully developed scheme, but one that has passed through my mind on more than one occasion and at different times in my life in the last few years. There are other factors that make the idea seem even more positive, but I'll have to save those for later. I'm just thinking out loud right now, so don't take these things too seriously; I sure don't. :)

Alright, that's good for now. I'm posting a new link over there to your right. It will take you to my older blog which I plan on using as more of a detailed journal where I will more than likely just end up thinking out loud about LOTS and LOTS of things. I restrain myself here at this page for the sake of everyone who'd rather just read about the basics of what we're up to, where we're going, and all like that.

As I said before, that's good for now. Peeling myself from the keyboard now. I should get some sleep and continue on with my recovery.

Long Awaited

2005-09-23T22:35:00.000-04:00

Sorry to disappoint. This is just going to be a quick, single-minded update.

I am pleased to introduce to you, the newest addition to the Mary Kay team:

Amy Lee Bickford

So, yeah, she's VERY excited to finally have begun her career with Mary Kay. She's also anticipating the aspects of the business that will challenge her to new heights in life. I'm VERY proud of her and of course look foward to the growth of her business. She just signed up today, so a web address will be coming in the near future as well as other information that should prove helpful to anyone who may be interested in becoming a customer of my wife! In the meantime, those of you who know how to contact us are of course welcome to do so to get started right away with your Mary Kay shopping spree (wink, wink)!

That's all for now. I've had a lot on my mind as of late, so some time I'll get around to sharing another hearty blog entry.

Our Return

2005-08-22T23:01:00.000-04:00

Jeffrey and Amy - UVA - Academical Village Lawn - July, 2004

Our visit with Amy's family in PA came to an end on Saturday. Our trip home, I believe, was accompanied by a multitude of returning college students. There were 2 additional hours added onto our venture home due to HEAVY traffic in Philadelphia and the worst of it in D.C. Such is life. No ammount of planning can change these things, so we made the most of it and cranked some Italian Opera! Try it some time while YOU are stuck in traffic. You'll understand then.

:o)

Thank you so much, Joan and Bill, for housing us! We are very appreciative of that! Spending time with a 91 year old man (Amy's grandfather) and his wife is priceless. The wisdom that both have imparted to us is so very precious and we are privileged to have recieved such a gift. Nan, thanks for lunch on the way home! It was wonderful!

Yesterday (Sunday), we were FINALLY blessed with the presence of our dear friends Brandon (stood w/ me in my wedding) and his wife Shannon! It has been several years since we had seen either of them! A large assembly gathered together around a table at the exquisite establishment here in the Burg known as, The Neighbor's Place. Po'Boy sandwiches were had by many! Fellowship continued for some of us later that evening at John Regner's place. Spades were broken, food was prepared, and baby Parker managed to cram numerous objects (all safe, mind you) in his mouth. What a day!

Today I returned to the normal, weekly grind. I think my body became soft with all of this time off. Ah well, I'm sure I'll shape up after this week. Tomorrow is Amy's turn to return to said grind.

So, what have I learned while updating this journal? To position my glass of water FAR away from the radius created by my extended arm. Twice... not once, but twice.

On the Road Again...

2005-08-16T21:26:00.000-04:00

Jeff, Amy, Josh, Steph - Camden Harbor (6-1-05)

No sooner have we driven to MD and back, it is time for us to drive to PA. We'll be there from tomorrow (Wed., August 17) until Sat., August 20. Just a quick visit with Amy's extended family who lives in PA as well as her immediate family who have been there in PA (drove from ME) since Monday (I believe). Looking foward to seeing Amy's dad. He wasn't in ME durring our last visit there, so we haven't seen him since Christmas.

Our time in MD, though short-lived, was excellent. It was a wonderful wedding! We are VERY happy for our friends: Jonah and Rachel Connor! Our trip up and down was extremely fun as well. We drove w/ Luke and Maria ; our fellow M.I.E's (Maine-ahs In Exile... well, Maria is by default). On the way back, we caravanned w/ our other good friends down here, John, (wife) Kristen (spelling??), and infant son, Parker (!!!). I'm glad we did because John and Kristen were dead tired for most of the trip home. John is Rachel's sister so he had been helping out a lot with the wedding. They had also traveled a TON that week. It was good that we were with them to help them drive so they could sleep. Poor Kristen had to be at work (she's a nurse) at 7 a.m. on Sunday. We didn't get back until 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. Poor momma :o(

PA will be a solo, Jeff and Amy trip. We'll be bringing back Amy's sister, Becky, though. She'll be staying with us for the following 1.5 weeks. Amy's quite excited! Not that I'm not excited, but you know how it is... If it were my brother coming to visit, it'd be different. That's just how things are. I love hanging out with Amy's sisters though, don't get me wrong. I think I'll stop digging my own grave now.

Cheers!

2005-08-15T23:59:00.000-04:00

Jeffrey and Amy at University of Virginia

Long Overdue

2005-08-15T23:18:00.000-04:00

I've discovered www.blogspot.com and found that it is MUCH more user friendly for people who just desire to read updates from us hassle-free. I didn't realize that Xanga required even visitors to create accounts in order to view other people's web logs. My appologies for that. You should find this MUCH easier to check. Simply bookmark the link (www.jeffreyandamy.blogspot.com) and you will be able to view our updates any time you want w/o having to log into an account of your own! For those who have already been able to view our "other" web log there is nothing new posted below. I've included our initial entry from the "other" web log for those who may not have bothered with Xanga (and I don't blame you).

What I really hope for is that updating this weblog will streamline most of my emailing that I haven't been doing for about the past month. Doesn't mean that I won't ever reply or write, but hopefully this will satiate most of you. My appologies to all of you who are waiting for replies. There are just so many to reply to that I kind of gave up. Hopefully you are all reading this now after you receieved the mass email I'm about to write.

So, update to those who I haven't spoken w/ for quite SOME time: I've been married for 2 years (to Amy). I live in Lynchburg, VA where I've attempted to finish my undergrad degree. I currently work for J. Crew at their distribution center here in the Burg. I've been there for two months now. Before then, I worked at McDonalds for just a little under 2 years; one of which I served as a "Swing Manager." I am very happy to be working at J. Crew ;o) Amy works as a waitress at Bob Evans Restuarant 3 days a week. Two to three of the remaining 4 days of the week she cleans, completes odd jobs, and/or yard/garden work for several clients with whom she has developed a consistant, occupational relationship with. I suppose you could call that a "small-business." The CPA that I go and visit with may tell me that it is indeed a "small-business" and thus we would have to complete the necessary tasks that accompany the operation of such a business. She has been doing very well. She is working with the two-year-olds at church about once or twice a month. I have been operating/learning how to operate the sound equipment and etc. there.
Anyway. That seems like a sufficient update for long-lost friends and family who have no earthly idea where we are or what it is that we do ;o)

Family: I love you and miss you all. Sorry I don't ever call or write often enough to be considered as "loving." If my perception about that is skewed, please let me know and relieve me of my guilt!

Upcoming trips: Maryland on the 13th of August for the wedding of Jonah Connor and Rachel Regner.

PA later on that next week to visit Amy's family in Newtown.
I think that this is probably a good start. I think I'll try to update this at least once a week or so.