Paula and Chris - training for the Olympic Power Napping Team.

Paula loved spending time with the kids. Shortly after Chris was born, we had a long discussion - Paula felt she should be with him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I felt that she should take some time for herself.

It took some talking, but I finally convinced Paula that she should get out and about. Actually, it may be that I finally convinced her that I was capable of taking care of Chris for short periods of time (though I don't think she was 100% sure of that). After that, she spent at least a few hours away from home each weekend - often with her sister, Amy.

 

Paula & Boschka - training for the Olympic Power Napping Team.

Boschka was our second dog, and many of our friends thought we considered her to be our first child. I've got pictures somewhere of Paula dressing Boschka in different outfits, though I don't remember her ever specifically making clothes for the dog.

Paula with one of the kids - either Chris or Brian. The picture was taken in our first house, which was on Warren Drive in Columbus.

You know how some gifts can earn you BIG brownie points with the person who receives the gift? Welp, that rocking chair in the photo earned me about 20 zillion brownie points. Maybe more. Paula would sit in the chair and rock. Paula would sit in the chair and rock the kids. And Paula would sit in the chair and rock.

The rocking chair was one of the first things Paula gave up when her multiple sclerosis hit - she wasn't sure enough of her balance to be positive she could get in or out of the chair without falling.

Paula, Brian and Boschka.

This looks like Christmas Eve at the Replogles (Paula's mom and dad). I started spending Christmas Eve with the Replogles while Paula and I were dating. Paula and I continued to spend every Christmas Eve with her family until a few years after her parents moved to Florida.

Paula and Brian on the deck of our new home on Benning Drive.

Looks like Paula is pregnant with Sarah in this picture. The deck was our second major addition to the house. Paula insisted on having a place for our porch swing and she wanted someplace she could raise strawberries. So we built a deck 12' deep by 21' wide deck with raised garden beds around the sides. The raised garden beds let Paula plant, water, weed and harvest her strawberries without having to kneel on the ground, and the deck had some supports to hold the porch swing.

Paula and Brian

You notice how often Paula is holding a kid in these pictures? She spent a lot of quality time with the kids. Not just being in the same room with them, but talking with them, playing with them, and being an active part of their lives.

When we were engaged, Paula and I talked about how many kids we wanted to have (I wanted 2, she wanted 5), and when we should start having them. Paula wanted to have kids as soon as possible so we'd be able to "do things" with not only our kids, but our grand kids.

She compromised on the number of kids, but wouldn't budge on her plan to have our kids while we were fairly young. Turns out that was one of the best decisions we ever made.

Sarah and Paula playing miniature golf

Funny how things go full circle. Someplace around here I've got pictures of Paula in a wheelchair on a miniature golf course, and the kids are helping her swing her golf club.

Paula fishing in her parents' pond

This picture was probably taken about the time Paula started showing symptoms of MS. I can remember playing cards at Paula's parents' kitchen table and Paula having trouble holding her cards and also having trouble figuring out which card was which. We didn't know at the time that Paula had MS - just that something wasn't right.

From the look on her face, that might well be the second-best fish Paula ever caught (he says modestly).

Emerald Isle, North Carolina, a year or two after Paula was diagnosed with MS.

The good looking guy in the red hat and white pants is my dad, Linc Fish. The cute young lady is Sarah, and you can see my mom back behind Chris and Paula. And what are Chris and Paula looking at?

That's Brian buried in the sand, and our niece Katie looking on.

This was probably one of the last vacations we took before Paula started depending on a wheelchair.

<< Previous