Making Strides

I'm working on getting things together with this .. and I'm happy to report that I've already seen some involvement with it and a lot of interest from my friends.

Thank you Amy for passing the word around...I hope it encourages people to sign up and walk.
Thanks Shannon for being the first one - EVERY TIME- to commit and want to do your part.

I know it's in May and it seems far away but before we know it, it'll be here.
This year is flying by... nonstop, no layovers!


I'm really looking forward to making this a success.

Delayed Reaction

I can't believe I'm just now remembering that we went to Sesame Street Live!

It was 3 weeks ago but it was so much fun! --
Of course I was welling up with tears when it first started, because it seems everything that I end up doing for the first time with my niece, that's a real Kodak memory, I usually cry. What a sap I am! Just like when we went to Johnson's Farm last summer and Maya was picking blueberries. It's an inside joke with me and my sister now, but we both had a good tear-jerking that day! It all started when I said that I'd hoped I'd "have that memory forever"... and it was all downhill from there!

Back to Sesame Street Live with Elmo:
It was a really great time - I enjoyed and so did Maya and my sister. I was really captivated by the performance of all the Sesame Street characters... there were so many kids at this I was overwhelmed by little people! lol

Some kids started to get a little antsy after a while because they'd sat long enough and were ready to go, so that was cute to watch too. A couple kids were really into it at some points would run toward the stage! I had mentioned to my sister how funny it was that there were actually guards sitting on chairs at the stage... and I'd remarked that it was somewhat like a concert.. only that I'd hoped no kids would rush the stage and start a mosh pit to the tune of Rubber Ducky~

Making Strides

I just created a team on the Making Strides site... For Cystic Fibrosis.
Please join me, and sign up to be walker, or prayerfully consider making a donation.

As you've read before, I've been keeping up with this blog:
(http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/) and one of the latest posts Nate made was about the Making Strides Walk. I'm always looking for a way to raise awareness, whether through literature or "walks" like this one.

I want to do my part for CF this way. I've created the team name under 65 More Roses... in honor of Tricia, who I don't even know personally, but feel as if I do.
(Please note: I'm awaiting permission from Nate, before I confirm that as the team name... so it may in fact change. If you're registered as a walker, you will be notified of the name change.)


I hope to get a lot of involvement from all my friends and family. I tried this with the Leukemia and Lymphoma walk last year and only got literally ONE registered walker who actually showed up and/or raised money. A bit discouraging but I'm not one to give up.

Here is the link to my page:

http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/dsp_DonationPage.cfm?walkid=5464&idUser=232456

Update on Dad

I was WAY surprised but thrilled to learn that my dad is going back to work on Monday!
I spoke with him last Friday - he was heading out to go bowling! I didn't realize he was in as good a shape as he apparently is. He has resumed bowling on his league and is really anxious to get back to work. For several reasons I imagine.

So that's great news!!

Still unclear on what the deal is with the blockage they found in his stomach but I trust that the cardiologist and his PCP are dilligent in getting that resolved.

So, that's that latest on Dad - Thanks for all the continued prayers.

Prayers

Added to my long list of people & things to pray for....

Nate, Gwyneth, Tricia - Yes, I'm obsessed with the blog like the rest of the world. LOL
Cody - My favorite furriest "person" in the world (DX with diabetes)
Princess - (my furry niece who I've yet to meet, but who is very sick)
John - co-worker with terminal cancer. One of the nicest, happiest people I have ever met. Just a wonderful being.
My Niece - (as always) but please say some extras for her.. Her surgery is the Monday after Easter.

• Nate, Gwyneth, Tricia - Yes, I'm obsessed with the blog like the rest of the world. LOL
  
• Cody - My favorite furriest "person" in the world (DX with diabetes)
  
• Princess - (my furry niece who I've yet to meet, but who is very sick)
  
• John - co-worker with terminal cancer. One of the nicest, happiest people I have ever met. Just a wonderful being.
  
• My Niece - (as always) but please say some extras for her.. Her surgery is the Monday after Easter.
  

Cody Update

Well,the lab results are back and apparently my furry nephew has diabetes. He had all the symptoms now that we think about it,...so there's no denying it, but I wish the doctor was wrong I guess.
They think it's Stage II, and they're almost positive that none of his organs were affected by it. So I pray to God that is the case. My sister goes to the vet tomorrow to get the results and more detailed specifics in person... Doc says he'll probably have to get insulin. Eeek!! I can't imagine having to do that every day... Poor Cody. Hopefully we can do better with his diet and cut out a lot of the junk he already eats, which includes a majority of "people food" and TONS of treats each day. I know he'll be ok... I'm just a little sad that we found this out.

Updates

My dad went in for his surgery (stent/stents) this past Monday ..
He was at the hospital a long time waiting to be taken back for his procedure. Waiting is such a nasty word! :)
There was an emergency they had to take before him, which is totally understandable. (and I hope that person fared well with his/her surgery).
Long story short, when he did get back to have it done, they (doctor) found that he has a blockage (blood clot) of some sort in his stomach. My sister (RN) says that it is most likely what's called an Aortic Aneurysm. The end result: they can not do the procedure because of the blockage. From what I understand he'll continue to take the blood thinners in hopes of clearing that out, at which time they can go in and put the stent in. The good news is that the doctor told my dad that his arteries are "re-routing" themselves. Almost "repairing" themselves..????? Is that nothing short of a miracle? I think so. For anyone who is keeping up and trying to follow me with my dad's progress, I'm sorry that my details/info are sometimes vague. It's so much clearer when you're actually standing in the room listening to the doctor while he's telling you specifics & details. I'm getting most of this secondhand so I post what I can remember and explain that which I'm capable of. Please continue to pray for my dad. I believe that prayer is very powerful and yes, I speak from experience. I was really stressing the other day when I heard about my dad's newest feat, and I felt like I was really starting to crumble... feeling so overwhelmed with his state of health these days, and what seems to be so "all of a sudden" and so much to take in. Fortunately, besides my sister and Jeff, I have some great friends who more than go out of their way to provide me the support I so often require! :) Thank you Carol & Shannon for truly being there for me. I appreciate your friendship in these times, and ALWAYS.

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In other (cardiac) news. My sister's father in law (Joe) is home from the hospital and on the mend. He's in good spirits and recuperating nicely. Continued prayers for him as well.

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Hope everyone is having a great week - I hope to update again this week before SUNDAY, like I usually have to opt for.

I almost forgot - Cody (my furry nephew) is headed to the Vet today to get checked out.. Hopefully he just has a minor UTI or something.. He's been having some incontinence issues (which, with the exception of an accident or two) is very unlike him..especially in the excess that it's been. I hardly post pics of my niece because I'm neurotic about that, but here's a shot of Cody when he was still a puppy... He looks fake!

Another ride on the rollercoaster anyone?

Wow! So many things can happen in such a short amount of time. If I blogged every day like I wish I could commit to, I would have a lot of posts on here.

On Friday, my sister's Father-in-law (yes, she's soon to be divorced but I don't like to say "former" father-in-law or "soon-to-be-ex" father-in-law)had by pass surgery. It was supposed to be Quadruple and ended up being 5 instead. What do call that? I guess, Quintuple ByPass. I have to check into that and revise if necessary.
Anyway, from what my sister tells me, he's recovering nicely. Still in the hospital and will be for some time I expect. He's breathing on his own, which I know is always a plus and some evidence that your body is reacting well to the procedure, considering the trauma your body has just endured physically. I find it so ironic that only in January my own dad was going through this. I've had some ill-will towards Joe (father in law) as a result of some hard feelings or whatever which naturally involved my sister.. and I found myself, this weekend, praying for him and asking God to watch over him. I've asked Him to forgive me for those thoughts and feelings I had about this man and instead to bless him. I hope that Joe comes out of the hospital with a new lease on life and lives a long and prosperous life.

As for my dad,{see previous posts to bring you up to this point}, he is going in on Monday to have another stent put in. It seems that the PAD (peripheral atery disease) is really affecting his left leg. He was or is losing circulation to his feet and because of this, naturally, the blood flow is not getting to them. Which can lead to other things. I also learned, while talking with him about the surgery, that he has COPD. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which I knew very little or nothing about until now. It's amazing how much you just don't know about diseases/conditions that you hear of every day, until you actually are or know someone who is afflicted with such. I've started to really worry about my dad now. Not that I didn't when it all happened or even before.. but I just feel like everything's going wrong with him. Not just now going wrong, I suppose it's all been going wrong. I'm praying so much when I go to bed at night, I feel like I should go earlier just to get through my prayers of people I'm praying for. (chuckle) It was pleasing to see that my dad was in good spirits and half-joking about some of the idea of the next surgery and showing me the "neat" little gadget that he uses for the COPD each day.
I have to wonder if that's how he's dealing with it: by joking and being light hearted about everything. If that works for him, then so be it. I'd rather not see him upset about things and fretting over it, even though every part of me knows that inside he must be scared shitless.
So, just some more things that really make you sit back and thank God for another day.

Hot Fudge "Sunday"

Yep, it must be Sunday. That seems like the only time I get to blog anymore.
The laptop is still on the mend.. or not on the mend? I'm at work and it's so quiet right now. The phones are calm, (knocking on wood and typing at the same time!). My work week has started (yuck) but I'm off on Tuesday. I decided I needed a day off, too bad it's midweek and then I have to come in on Wednesday but nonetheless I'm taking it! I saw that it's going to rain on Tuesday which kinda stinks but then again, a rainy day off from work is better than a Sunny day at work~ No? We have a vacation freeze from March 5th to the 18. Which is funny because I'm off the day before it starts and then 2 days after it's lifted! I didn't know that employers could do that but ok.
I'm a bit irritated with work and the things that are going on here. I can't even begin to start telling the long OR short of it.. because it's not able to be summarized really. Let's just say that ETHICS comes to mind, and ROMPER ROOM does too.

My sister found out that my niece DOES need to get tubes for her ears. :(
She's had so many ear infections already just in this year.. and several last year. So the docs determined that the tubes is definitely something she needs. I know my sister is on the edge of her seat and really upset about it, but in the end, it's going to be a plus for my Baby M because she really needs this. It will prevent future ear infections and we know what comes with those: PAIN. I know she'll be fine but I have no idea what it's like to be a mommy and fear for your child. You don't ever want them in pain, or to hurt physically OR emotionally. Heck, I'm just her aunt and I have such a bond with her, so I can imagine what my sister feels like.
So, that said; I ask that you pray for my niece, that her surgery goes well and that this turns out to be a fruitful procedure.

Still working on finding a new song for my page.. It takes a lot of thought for me.
I'm such a perfectionist.