Heart Rock

Dena and I were lucky enough to get to meet Matt Hammitt, the lead singer for Christian rock band Sanctus Real, back in May.  Matt and his wife, Sarah, found out that their son would have HLHS like Tucker early on in their pregnancy.  When Matt and his band came to Dallas in May, some friends of ours connected us with him so that we could answer his questions and give him support in this CHD journey.  We also got to see him in August when Sanctus Real was in town again.

The group on the tour bus with Matt

We have maintained contact with Matt through Bowen's hospitalization.  Tucker & Bowen not only share their heart defect, HLHS, they also share a birthday.  Bowen was born on September 9, 2010, exactly one year after Tucker.

Matt Hammitt

Through this friendship, we have found that Matt and his band are amazing musicians and songwriters.  Sanctus Real has quickly become one of our favorite bands and most listened to CDs in the car.  One of the amazing things is that their newest CD, Pieces of a Real Heart, is full of songs about suffering in Christ, about the heart, and about the love of a family...but all of the songs were written before they even knew that they were pregnant with Bowen.  Needless to say, the music on that CD has come to mean a lot to us and we make every effort to see Sanctus Real when they are nearby.

The Afters

Leeland

Friday night was one of those nights when they were in the Dallas area with their "Hungry for Love" tour, with Leeland and The Afters.  We got the opportunity to hang out with Matt backstage for about an hour before the concert.  A big group of our heart friends were able to come too, so it was a real blessing to get to spend time sharing our stories with each other.  Matt had a lot to share because Bowen had just gone home for the first time this week.  The good times were enhanced by Leeland Mooring working on some new music at the piano in the background.

Matt singing

The concert was awesome and we were introduced to the very talented band, The Afters, and Leeland put on a great show too.  Sanctus Real was amazing as usual and the crowd really got into it, especially after Matt shared Bowen's story.

Sanctus Real

After the concert, Matt invited us to hang out for a little bit with him on the tour bus.  We shared some more stories, offered some advice, had a few laughs, and then we needed to let Matt get some rest.  We found out some of Matt's plans to raise awareness for CHDs and we talked a little about planning a get together for all of us.  It is always great to get to share our experiences and have good times with the people who have/are going through similar things as we have gone through.

We continue to be blessed by the friendships that we have gained as a result of Tucker's heart defect.  God is definitely at work in our lives and we are happy to be used as a way for him to bless others.  Also, we are thankful for the music that God has brought into our lives...if you don't know Sanctus Real, you should definitely check them out.

Take a few minutes and go to www.bowensheart.com to read about his story and their experiences.  Matt is not only a great songwriter, he blesses me daily with his insights into the Bible and how it relates to the suffering associated with having a heart baby.

I'm going to leave you with a line from one of Sanctus Real's songs, that has become somewhat of an anthem for me in the last few months:
"I don't have every answer in life, but I'm trusting You one day at a time."

Trent

Last Lap

Me & Dena at Nationwide race

For those of you who don't know, Dena and I are huge NASCAR fans.  It all started when Dena's dad invited me to spend the weekend with him camping and attending a race.  I was never a really a fan before that, but a weekend at the track had me hooked.  The racing is great, but I enjoy the relaxation and camping just as much.  After my experience, I wanted Dena to go and she liked it too.

Needless to say, we became fast fans and have had season tickets and a camping spot at Texas Motor Speedway for the last four years.  Twice a year we haul our pop-up camper out to the track and spend 3-4 days camping, watching races, and spending time together...it's kind of our getaway time.

This past weekend was the fall Texas race and it just happens to be our last trip to the track for a while.  We have decided to take a few years off because we want to use the money we spend to pay off some bills and because it is hard to leave Tucker for 3-4 days.  We hope to return once we are out of debt and Tucker can come with us and enjoy it.  We will definitely miss our time there, but we know that we will get back there in a year or two.

All that being said, we wanted to make the most of our weekend together at TMS...and it couldn't have been much better.  It was quite cold at night in the camper, but the weather during the day was absolutely perfect!  The racing was great and we were treated to probably the best race TMS has ever had on Sunday.  We got to hang out with some friends, visit, eat good food, and have some quiet time for just me and Dena.

My favorite driver, Kyle Busch

Kenny Wallace, he drove a car with Tucker's name on it!

 

James, me, & Dena at the Sprint Cup race

Dena's favorite driver, Denny Hamlin, won the race!

We can't wait until we get to return!

Trent

Halloween...A little late!

We had a great time with Tucker this Halloween!

Tucker at daycare party

It was obviously more fun this year than last year, especially since he actually knows what is going on.  The entire weekend was very busy.  Tucker had a party at daycare on Friday, we had a party at the hospital on Saturday morning, we had to take our camper to the race track for the upcoming race weekend, we had a party at my cousin's house on Saturday night, and then church and the Fall Festival on Sunday.

Tucker & Daddy at hospital party

Tucker & Mommy at church Fall Festival

We had a great time with our friends and family.  It was a lot of fun to show off Tucker in his dragon costume.  We also took the opportunity to take some pictures of Tucker in the pumpkin patch at the Dallas Arboretum.

Enjoy the pictures from our great weekend!

Tucker at the pumpkin patch

Tucker & Daddy

Such a ham!

The family

can you tell that he was getting tired???

playing with Daddy

Sharing a flower with Mommy

The family at Fall Festival

Trent