Merry Christmas!

December 23rd would have been my Dad's 64th birthday. My family came over for dinner to remember all of the wonderful times! I can't believe my Dad has been gone for almost 8 years. It feels like only yesterday. I love the traditions we have created to celebrate his memory.

Cole & I both worked Christmas Eve. After work, we went to church with Grandma Case & then headed over to Grandma & Grandpa Hickman's to celebrate Christmas with Cole's family. We had a wonderful meal, opened gifts, & enjoyed each other's company. We spent Christmas Day with my family. We met at my parent's house at 11am for breakfast & gifts. At 3pm, we went to Grandma Lu's & Pa Tony's for Christmas dinner & more gifts. We had a wonderful Christmas together!

A few pictures from Christmas Day...
Cole & me
Sommer wii snowboarding

My Sisters (Sommer, Jenna, & me)

December...

This past week I had the stomach flu. It couldn't have come at a worse time. Sunday Kyle & Heidi got married & Monday was my 26th birthday. I still made it to the wedding, but didn't get to do much celebrating on my birthday. Last night, Britt & Michael took Cole & me out to dinner for a late birthday celebration. We enjoyed great pizza at Grimaldi's!

Here are some pictures of our house...

Construction Week 11 - The flooring is in!

The granite is in!

We were able to extend our contingency period until December 23rd. We have had 3 showings this last week. Hopefully, we can get our condo rented soon!

We missed Makayla's Birthday Party last week, but got to watch her open her present last night. She is so cute & just loved her new toy!


Makayla playing

Construction Week 8

I was in the neighborhood, so I stopped by to see the progress on our new home. The house is really coming along! Close of Escrow is scheduled for 1/14/10. Cole & I are still having trouble selling or renting our condo in Tempe. We are looking into different options & hoping we can move into this beautiful new home in January!

Construction Week 8...

Our kitchen...I love cherry wood!

Patch tore his ACL

Patch has kept us busy this last week. Last Tuesday Patch started limping. He had been doing so well with the Meloxicam, so we were confused as to why he was limping again. I called the Vet that night & I started giving Patch Tramadol for pain. Wednesday, Patch was still limping, but was unable to put any pressure on his right leg. I knew something was wrong & wasn't convinced it was arthritis. Cole took Patch to the Vet Thursday evening & he informed us that Patch tore his ACL. I took Patch to the Surgeon Friday morning & Patch had a TPLO repair that afternoon. The Surgeon believes the ligament was slowly taring over time & said he probably just landed wrong. Patch was playing hard on Monday night & skipped the last few steps on his way down the stairs. That's most likely when he tore his ACL.

The surgery was $3,400. Pet insurance would have come in handy. We are thankful to be able to make interest free payments over the next 12 months. Patch spent the night at the hospital & Cole picked him up Saturday morning. Patch is doing as well as can be expected. We are controlling his pain & making all efforts to expedite his recovery. We will be going back to the Surgeon at Day 10 to get the staples removed. Patch is to have limited activity for the next 2 months. I purchased a gate at Petco & Brittney loaned us her stair gate. Patch is confined to the family room without access to the couch, door, or stairs. Cole has been sleeping downstairs with Patch to keep an eye on him & to keep him company. It is so hard seeing Patch hurt. I can't wait until he is back to normal!

Patch recovering from surgery...

Our family room, aka Patch's Den...

Construction - Week 4

Cole & I stopped by our new house yesterday to see how the construction is coming along. We were amazed to see how much has been done in just 4 weeks! They will be doing the stucco soon. We still have not sold our condo, but have listed the condo for rent as well. Hopefully, we will get some action in December when the ASU fall semester ends. The pressure is definitely on!

Our house, front view

Thursday, I was off for the afternoon. It was a much needed relaxing afternoon! I stopped at Cold Stone for some pumpkin ice cream, watch some tivo, took an afternoon nap, made stuffed peppers for dinner, & did some shopping.

Friday, was a long day. I worked my regular shift & then went to the Annual Memorial Service. Rakhi, Ashley, & I stopped at Sam's Cafe for a bite to eat before heading to the service. The service turned out very nice & it was nice to see the families I have worked with. The evening reminded me of how special every child is & how it is so important to never take a second for granted. Health & life are so precious! After the service, I joined my family at Spinato's Pizza. My godmother, Mary, is in town for the weekend. It was nice to see her & spend time with the family!

Saturday, Cole & I ran some errands, stopped by our new house, went to church with my family, ate dinner at Streets of New York, & Sommer slept over. It is always nice to spend quality time with Sommer...never a dull moment with her around!

This Week's Happenings

Saturday was a relaxing day. Cole & I got a few things done around the house, relaxed a bit, & went to Pita Jungle for dinner. It was nice to have a chill Saturday. They seem to be hard to come by these days.

Sunday we both worked. After work we went to Russ & Beth's for family dinner. We had hamburgers & hot dogs on the patio and were able to celebrate Beth's birthday.

I worked later hours today, so Cole & I decided to go out for dinner. We went to Streets of New York for pizza. It was wonderful as usual.

Tomorrow I will be working a half day. I am looking forward to having the afternoon off. It has been a long week.

Friday night is the hospital's annual memorial service. I will be working the registration table & plan to attend the service. I have lost quit a few patients this year, so this year's service will be especially meaningful. I look forward to seeing all of the wonderful families.

A Busy Week

Monday was a nice relaxing day off. Cole & I went to BJ's Brewery for dinner & did some shopping at Chandler Fashion Center. I was able to find a dress & shoes for Kyle & Heidi's wedding!

Tuesday afternoon, I saw my Pulmonologist. I was still under the weather & Dr. Santana wanted to get a chest x-ray. Apparently, I was developing post-viral pneumonia. Good thing I saw the doctor! I started a new antibiotic & hope to be feeling better soon!

Wednesday night, I had dinner at Pita Jungle in Phoenix with the PCH girls. Lisa was in town & I got to meet baby Paige!

Tonight, Cole & I meet friends at Caffe Boa on Mill. Amy is in town from Washington & we celebrated Vicki's birthday. It was great to see the Goble's & the West's. It is always nice to see old friends!

I only have one day off this weekend & will be working the next six days. It is going to be a long week! Hoping to get some chores done early, so we can enjoy our Saturday!

Another New Car...

Saturday we traded in Cole's Accord. Cole's lease was coming to an end. His car had some damage, but it ended up being best to get him into a new lease. Cole will be driving a Civic for the next 3 years. It's a nice new car.

Today I toured Cardon Children's Medical Center. This new tower located at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa will open November 2nd. It was nice to see old co-workers & see how the hospital I once worked at is expanding. I love the new hospital. There is a really cool Forever Free Zone for hospital events!

This evening I met some old friends for dinner at Murphy's Law in downtown Chandler. It was nice to see the girls & catch up!

I will be off tomorrow since I will be working next Sunday. I am looking forward to one more day off. I could get used to 3 day weekends! Not much planned for tomorrow. Just a dentist appointment. I hope to relax & get rid of this respiratory infection!

Taste of San Tan

I made it back to work on Thursday & survived the last two days. I am feeling much better, but still have a nasty respiratory infection. Beware of the swine flu! Most of the kids on my floor have it & they are pretty sick!

Tonight Cole & I went to the Taste of San Tan with Britt & Michael. The Culinary Event was held at the San Tan Village Mall & benefited Save the Family. There was lots of great food & we had a great time! While we were in the neighborhood, we had to stop by & see the latest developments on the new house.

Construction Week 2: The Frame

We are a little anxious about selling our condo. I looked on the MSL last night & there haven't been any sales in our neighborhood since summer & some of our neighbors are getting desperate. There are condos listed way too low! It's not only going to make it harder to sell our condo, it's dropping the property value! Well, it is what it is. We are doing everything we can to sell our condo at a good rate. Thanks for the Open House signs Britt! If we have to wait a little longer than expected to make the move, it will be okay. I am confident that God has a plan for us.

Sick

I have been sick! On Saturday, I felt like I was getting a cold. On Sunday, I woke up with a full blown flu! Fever (102), cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, vomiting, & respiratory symptoms. I was miserable! I'm pretty sure I have H1N1. I got the regular flu shot a couple weeks ago & half of my kids had Influenza A last week. Just my luck! My Pulmonologist called in an antiviral, z-pack, & prednisone Sunday night. I stayed home Monday with low grade fevers, still feeling miserable. I stayed home again today, still not feeling so hot. The fever is gone, but I still have a nasty respiratory infection. I am hoping I will be feeling better tomorrow & back to work!

On a better note, last Monday I went over to Meg's house to teach her infant massage. It was lots of fun & Meg says Rory is really loving the massage! On Thursday, Cole & I joined the family at Texas Road House to celebrate Pa Tony's 75th Birthday! We had a great time & were happy we could be there to celebrate such a special birthday! On Saturday, I traded in my Accord for a CR-V! My lease is up in January & I needed new brakes so we thought it was a good time to start looking into new lease options. We got a great deal & I really love my CR-V! After spending the afternoon at the car dealership, we went to Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake.

My new ride:

Construction started on our house last week & our condo will be shown again today! We are starting to get a little nervous about selling the condo, but are hopeful that all will work out.

Week 1: Our Slab:
We meet with Shasta Pools on Saturday to get pricing for our pool design. The pool is more expensive than we anticipated! I spoke with the Accountant at Shasta Pools & we can't start financing until the house closes. The bad news is that the best loans out there right now are 5 year loans at 10% interest which will be super expensive! We are hoping that we can refinance or get a second mortgage after close. If not, we will need to start saving for this pool!

Shasta Pools

Monday & Tuesday evening I had appointments after work. Thursday, we tried a new pizza place for dinner. Yo Pauly's in Scottsdale. The pizza was okay, but definitely not what I expected so on Friday we had to have some good pizza! We went to Streets of New York for dinner & had our usual, the Four Cheese Formaggio. It was great!

This morning we ran a few errands before our appointment with Shasta Pools. We spent most of the day designing our pool. Our plans include a pebble tech play pool with a spa & a fire pit. We are really excited about it! We have another appointment next week to go over pricing. After our appointment, we stopped at Sonic for a quick bite to eat & then went to a tux rental place for Cole to get fitted for Kyle's wedding. Just a little over two months until the big day!

Shawnette & Justin purchased a home in our new neighborhood today. They will be six houses down. We will be blessed to have so many wonderful neighbors!

I have to work tomorrow, but will be going over to Marsie tomorrow for dinner & to dye her hair. It will be nice to see Marsie! These one day weekends are hard, but I am looking forward to a three day weekend next week!

Jessica & Aurthur's Wedding

Here are a few pictures from the wedding...

The girls. We love our Aunt Kim!

Cole & me

We had to get a picture in front of this water fountain. Ashley Manor is so beautiful!

It's Been a Busy Week

Tuesday, Jenna, Dave, & I went over to Shawnette & Justin's rental to help them move in. Pat drove down to help them move. On the way down, they picked up the cutest stray puppy. With all of the help, it only took us a couple of hours to unload the U-Haul. On Friday night, we all got together at Dos Gringos in Chandler to see Pat before he left on Saturday. It was great to see him!

Wednesday, we went to the Design Center & picked out everything for our new house. Due to the market & the contingency offer, we weren't able to get everything we wanted. However, I think we did a good job picking. We tried to pick the structural things that will be difficult to do later. I see lots of work in our future (paint, ceiling fans, blinds, etc). We enjoyed dinner at Ajo Al's that evening.

Thursday was Casey's birthday. Cole's family got together on Sunday to celebrate. Unfortunately, we had to miss the celebration due to attending a wedding. Cole stopped by Casey's new place for a couple of hours to give her a birthday present.

My Aunt Kim & Kathy flew in Friday night for Jessica & Aurthur's Wedding. We met the rest of the Atwood family at the Fairfield Marriott near Ashley Manor. It was nice to catch up with everyone. Aunt Kim & Kathy spent the night at our place. On Saturday, the girls treated us to breakfast at Wildflower. We dropped Kathy off at the hotel & Aunt Kim spent the day with Cole & me. We showed Aunt Kim our future home site, did some shopping at the San Tan Village, ate lunch at Grimaldi's, & hung out at Jenna's pool. We had a great day! Aunt Kim & Kathy got a room at the hotel Saturday & Sunday night. The wedding was Sunday night at the Castle at Ashley Manor. Ashley Manor is just beautiful inside & out! We had a great time at the wedding & as always I loved seeing my Aunt Kim!

This will be a busy week at work. Rakhi is in Greece all week & Ashley is in Texas until Wednesday. I wish I was on vacation :)

This week

Tuesday evening I went to my friend Megan's house to meet baby Rory. Rory was born on Thursday, September 3rd. Mom & baby are doing great! Rory is such a beautiful baby. I just love her!

Wednesday I meet some Child Life friends at Oregano's in Phoenix for dinner. An old co-worker, Lisa Albert, was in town. It was great to see Lisa. It has been way to long. We had a great dinner & were able to catch up.

I had to work Saturday, but was able to enjoy the evening. After work, we went to Marsie's house for a wine tasting party. Everyone brings two bottles of the same wine & a food that goes with the wine. We had a great time! After the party, we picked Sommer up for a sleep over.

This afternoon I took Sommer & my mom to see the model home of our new house & to check out our lot. No pictures to share as they have not broke ground yet. My mom & Sommer really liked the model. The trip to Gilbert wouldn't have been complete without seeing Britt & Makayla! They met us at the model home & then Britt showed my mom & Sommer her house.

This evening Cole went on a bike ride in honor of an old friend who recently died from cancer. I met Cole & the group at Four Peaks in Tempe for dinner. We had a very tasty Ruben. Mmm

Had a Blast in Cali!

We had a wonderful trip! We stayed on the beach in Santa Monica & spent some time in Hollywood & Beverly Hills. The long weekend was fun & relaxing. Often we come home from trips needing a vacation from the vacation, but this time we came home refreshed!

Friday, we checked out Santa Monica. The pier, the beach, & the 3rd Street Promenade. We had lunch at the Ivy & loved it! We had dinner at Mariasol on the pier & enjoyed the ocean view.

We spent Saturday in Beverly Hills & Hollywood. We started the day with breakfast at Cafe Crepe in Santa Monica. The crepes were amazing! In Beverly Hills, we checked out Rodeo Drive & drove around the beautiful neighborhoods. Loved the houses! In Hollywood, we walked the Walk of Fame & saw the Kodak & Chinese Theaters. We took the scenic route back to Santa Monica. We took Sunset down to the Pacific Coast Highway. Had sushi for dinner!

We spent Sunday at the beach. We went to Cafe Crepe for breakfast & back to the Ivy for dinner. Love both these places :) Enjoyed a nice relaxing day.

Today, we had one last breakfast at Cafe Crepe. We're going to miss it! After checking out, we drove up the coast to Malibu to explore. We made our way back to Santa Monica & walked to Venice Beach before heading to the airport. Enjoyed another relaxing day. Wishing we could have stayed longer!

A few pics...

Breakfast at Cafe Crepes
Rodeo Drive

Santa Monica Beach

A shot from the patio

A Lot To Be Thankful For!

Today is our 3rd Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe it has already been 3 years. Time sure goes by fast. We went to Grimaldi's in Scottsdale for dinner & are going to Cali this weekend to celebrate! We will be staying in a hotel on the beach in Santa Monica for 4 days & plan to spend some time in Hollywood & Beverly Hills! We are flying to LAX Friday morning. Looking forward to the long weekend together!

Saturday we purchased a house in Gilbert! We are building a house in my friend Brittney's neighborhood. We are excited to be neighbors! The house is located just off the 202 on Higley & Germann, near the San Tan Village Mall. It is a drive from PCH, but we are excited to have a beautiful new house. The tentative close date is December 29th. We were surprised that the house will only take four months to build. We will be meeting with the Design Center & Shasta Pools within the next couple of weeks! The house is a Taylor Morrison Home located in the Stratland Estates - Legacy Collection. Our home is the Vintage Model. 1 Story, 2,450 sq feet, 4 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath, 2 Car Garage, Great Room, & Media Room. All of the bedrooms have walk in closets, the kitchen is huge with a walk in pantry, & we love the open floor plan. The neighborhood has wonderful mountain views of the San Tan & Red Mountain Mountains! We are very excited!

Our Lot!
The Park! This is our view from the front yard!

Britt's House. Our house will look very similar to this.

This past week has been busy. I activated my Real Estate License, got Pre-qualified for a loan, purchased a house, & listed our other two houses! Our two Tempe homes are on the market! The Tempe House is listed for $230,000 & the Tempe Condo is listed for $290,000. Tell all of your friends about our beautiful houses for sale. Call 480-220-8363 for more info :)

This Week's Happenings

The first part of the week was a bit stressful. A friend is in a difficult place right now, so Cole & I spent lots of time trying to help her get things back on track. We are hoping she will get things worked out soon.

Cole & I went to Pita Jungle for dinner on Thursday night. I was craving Hummus & Tabuli! We had the best laugh at Pita Jungle. Our waitress was ass backwards! She brought me a Diet Pepsi when we were done eating, asked us if we were ready for the check when she brought the Pepsi, brought two small to go boxes for a ton of food, brought a large to go box for the small bit left over, asked Cole if he wanted another beer after we paid our bill, asked me if I wanted my Pepsi to go & didn't even use the full Pepsi I already had. We couldn't help but laugh. It was quit comical & made our night!

Cole & I are enjoying our Saturday! Wildflower for breakfast, house hunting, lunch at the Olive Garden, & saw the movie Julie & Julia. We went house hunting in Chandler. There are two neighborhoods in Fulton Ranch that we really love with two floor plans that are perfect for us. The next step will be figuring out if we can move in this market. I liked Julie & Julia. It was cute & funny! Cole wasn't as excited about it & thought it was a little long.

Tomorrow, Cole will be working. I wanted to go to Slide Rock State Park tomorrow, but there is rain in the forecast. I'll have to go another weekend! I will be meeting my friend Marsie for coffee & pedicures. Not a bad alternative :)

An Eventful Week

I was very busy this week! Monday evening, I went to dinner with the CF team at the biltmore. We are improving our CF center & our coach was in town. We ate at Sam's Cafe. The food was good & it was nice to spend some time with everyone outside of work.

Tuesday was Sommer's 15th Birthday. Happy Birthday Sommer! For her birthday, I took her to the Joanas Brothers concert. The music was good & we had fun together. I could have done without all of the little girl's screaming :)

Sommer & me at the Concert...

Wednesday I had a dermatology appointment after work. I had a weird rash on my chest & was able to get a topical cream. It's helping already!

Thursday was my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! Thursday evening, I had some lab work done because I have been bruising easily. I will get the results sometime this week. I also got my hair cut & colored. I now have long side bangs!

Friday was Kyle's Birthday. Happy Birthday Kyle!

Janelle, DJ, & Melissa are in town this weekend. Melissa brought her boyfriend Zeke with her. He's a really nice guy! Friday night we had a pool party to celebrate my Mom & Sommer's birthdays. We all had a lot of fun!

Saturday, Cole & I drove around the valley checking out locations we may want to buy a house. We love our condo, but are ready for a house again. Not sure when this will happen, but we like the Desrt Ridge & Ahwatukee areas. Saturday night we met my family at Dos Gringos for some Mexican food. The food was good & we enjoyed each others company!

We will be heading over to my parents house this afternoon for some more poolside fun!

The Weekend

Cole & I went to Pita Jungle for dinner on Friday night. It was delicious as usual!

Patch had his stitches removed Saturday morning. He was more anxious than usually, but survived the visit & is healing wonderfully!

Saturday afternoon we went to my parent's house to see Shawnette & Justin. We hung out by the pool, had dinner, & enjoyed each others company! It was nice to see Shawnette & meet Justin! They are newly engaged, relocating to Arizona, & planning on purchasing their first home! Justin wants to be a firefighter & there are lots of great schools here in Arizona. It will be nice to see more of them!

This morning I meet some friends for coffee (Marsie, Mindy, & Erin) and then we saw The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl. It was a good movie, cute & funny! It was fun to hang out with the girls.

I thought we were going to Marion & Warren's for dinner, but it turns out we will be enjoying the evening at home. Maybe church tonight. It will be nice to have some down time before the week starts. I have a busy week ahead with something scheduled every night this week!

53 years!!!

Tuesday was Grandma Lu & Pa Tony's 53rd Wedding Anniversary! On Wednesday, we went to Arribas in Ahwatukee for dinner, to celebrate! As always it was nice to see the family & the food was great! Mexican pizza & sopapillas...umm. It is wonderful to see a couple celebrate 53 years of marriage! What a great example for us!

Shawnette (my god sister) & her boyfriend, Justin are in town. They are planning to move to Phoenix at the end of the year & are here house hunting. We are planning to get together this weekend. We haven't seen Shawnette in a while & are looking forward to meeting Justin! It should be another wonderful weekend!

This Week's Happenings

Patch is recovering from surgery. He has not been licking his stitches, so we haven't needed to use the cone! We are very thankful - the biopsy results were negative! Other than looking a little silly with his butt shaved, no one would know he had surgery last week. He's back to normal - rambunctious as usually!

I am attending a 5 week children's grief workshop. We meet from 3-4:30pm for 5 Fridays. This week was week 2. We are reading the book When Children Grieve. So far just basic grief info, but important reminders & insightful discussions. I'm hoping to acquire some helpful grief interventions!

People never seize to amaze me. Cole's debit & credit cards were stolen yesterday & they were used! We cancelled both cards last night, so they didn't have much time. However, they spent $30 at Walmart & $120 at Best Buy. We are hoping nothing else shows up & we don't have to pay for these charges!

Brittney, Michael, & Makayla come over for dinner tonight. We had shish kabobs on the BBQ & a yummy ice cream pie! Makayla was scared of Patch tonight. She would cry if he got too close. Poor thing! By the end of the evening, both Makayla & Patch were more comfortable :)

Britt & Makayla (7 months old). Makayla had to take a bath when she got here. She made a little mess in the car on the way here!

Makayla playing with a spoon!

We had a great night. Makayla & Patch kept us entertained!

Party Time

Today was an eventful day. I went to my friend Megan's baby shower this afternoon. It was nice to see Meg's new place & fun to watch her open all of her gifts. I can't wait for Rory to arrive! Meg's due date is 9/9/09!

After the baby shower, Cole & I headed over to Cole's parent's house for Kyle's surprise going away party. Kyle will be leaving for medical school on Wednesday. He will be in Florida until mid-November. Then he will be home until the first of the year, but will be busy getting married! Kyle & Heidi will go to Dominica in January for the next section of his program. We will miss Kyle while he is away! For his going away present, we purchased a 2 year domain name http://www.youmeandabananatree.com/ & set up a blog for him. The name was Heidi's idea :) We are hoping this will help us keep in touch while he is away. Kyle's surprise party was a big success!

Friday & Saturday

Patch's surgery went well & he came home Friday evening. As expected he was tired when we got home. He didn't even make it into the living room.
He's so cute! Poor guy.
Patch's new tail. The tail ended up being a more complicated procedure than we anticipated. They usually cut the tail at a joint, but cutting at the usually spot would have either been too high up or too low, not providing the desired result. The vet ended up having to use a special tool to fix the tail. It hurts me just looking at it! I'm sure that after the stitches come out & the hair grows back, it will look & feel much better :)

Here is a picture of where the mole was removed. The mole was sent for a biopsy. The vet doesn't seem too worried. Apparently, growth on the paws or mouth is more risky. I pray that the results come back negative!

Last night, Cole & I went to The Parlor for dinner with Kyle, Heidi, & their friends to celebrate their engagement!!! The Parlor is near the Biltmore in Phoenix & has wonderful pizza! We will definately be come back soon. My mom watched Patch for us. She is the best!

Patch wasn't ready to use the stairs last night, so Cole slept on the couch to keep an eye on him. Patch was feeling a little better today. He even made it upstairs with us this evening. He is suppose to wear a cone to keep him for licking his incisions. Cole bought him an extra comfortable cone from Petco, but we haven't used it yet. He hasn't been licking & I can't bring myself to force him to wear it. I'm thinking we'll have to use it when I go to work on Monday. Poor Patchy-Pooh! I can't wait until he gets his stitches out. 2 weeks & counting :)

Cole & I saw WICKED this afternoon at Gammage. The show was wonderful! It reminds me of watching the Wizard of Oz as a child. In elementary school, I dressed up as Dorothy for Halloween one year :) Fun times! The Phantom of the Opera is next on my list...

Opthamologist Visit

I got something in my eye Tuesday night & it hurt all day Wednesday. I tried visine, saline, & tap water. Nothing helped! Luckily, whatever was in there came out last night. My eye still looked pretty bad this morning. My vision was a little blurry & my head hurt, so I decided to keep the opthamologist appointment. Besides, it was hard to find an opthamologist that takes medical rather than vision insurance. I called 3 offices before I found a facility that would take my medical insurance. I ended up going to Horizon Eye Specialists & Lasik Center in Scottsdale. This place was recommended by my co-worker Jenni. I saw Dr. Christian at 10am which worked out great because I worked 11-7:30 today, to attend an evening bedside volunteer meeting. The opthamologist was amused by how I asked questions about everything he was doing. Hey, I only have two eyes! As I thought, there was nothing left in my eye, but I do have an abrasion. The opthamologist gave me a prescription for some eye antibiotics, so I don't get an infection. He also have me some Blink eye drops (artificial tears). Apparently, the visine, saline, & tap water weren't the best idea :)

Patch will be having surgery tomorrow. Poor guy! I pray that everything goes well & that Patch has a speedy recovery. Saturday, Cole & I will be seeing Wicked. I am super excited! It will be a great show! Sunday, I am going to my friend Megan's baby shower. Oh, how I love baby showers! Cole & I had fun picking out the gift last weekend :) Sunday afternoon Cole & I will be going to a surprise party. Shh!

I almost forgot! Kyle & Heidi got engaged today!!! Funny story...as Cole tells it :) Kyle dressed up & surprised Heidi at home. He placed tape on the peephole, so Heidi wouldn't see him or the flowers. Heidi didn't open the door since she couldn't see who it was. She actually tried calling her parents & then called Kyle because she was concerned that she couldn't see who was there. Kyle ended up letting himself in. Cute story...it makes me smile! Last I heard the tentative wedding date is Sunday, December 6th. Cole & I are excited for Kyle & Heidi!

Patch is Scheduled for Surgery

We went to Starbucks Saturday morning, ran some errands, & brought Patch to the vet. Patch will be having surgery this coming Friday. The vet will be removing the skin tag & part of his tail. I wish he didn't have to have surgery, but feel like the surgery will really help him. Over the past few months, Patch has had lots of trouble with his tail. The skin under the tail is so raw! I do my best to keep it clean, but it has to hurt him. The vet isn't too concerned about the skin tag, but it has been growing & bothering Patch. I pray that the surgery goes well with no complications & that Patch recovers quickly.

Cole & I went to my parent's house Saturday afternoon for some poolside fun & dinner. It was great to enjoy the water & the fam! Sommer slept over last night. Cole is at work today. I am getting stuff done around the house & enjoying some time to myself. I got a pedicure this afternoon. It was wonderful! Cole should be home soon. We plan to go to church at 5:30 & enjoy a nice evening at home. Looking forward to a nice week.

Weekly Highlights

Monday, Cole & I met my friend Ruth & her boyfriend Ryan for happy hour at San Felipe's in Tempe. Ruth & I have been friends since 4th grade. We haven't seen each other in years. It's sad how we get so wrapped up in our own lives. Monday was the first time I met Ryan. Ryan is a nice guy! The funny thing is that Cole & Ryan know each other. They worked together for a short time at STG. It was so nice seeing Ruth! We picked up right were we left off! Cole can't believe Ruth & I haven't seen each other in so long. He's says we're so alike it's scary :) I am going to make sure I stay in touch with Ruth. She is a great friend & I have missed her!

I made it to Yoga on Tuesday night & to the gym on Wednesday night. I'm hoping to get back into it! I bought tickets to WICKED this week! Cole & I are looking forward to the show next weekend!

Tonight, Cole & I went to Streets of New York for dinner. We love the Four Cheese Formaggio. It's always a special treat! Nothing planned for this weekend. Just taking Patch to the vet tomorrow morning. He has a skin tag on his leg that seems to be growing. I hope that he's okay!

Saturday

The 1st Annual Trach Education Fair was great! The Cohen Conference Room at PCH was full of vendors. About 20 families/100 people attended. Not bad for the 1st year! Deb (Trach Social Worker) & I shared a table. The focus was on the entire family. We provided info on preventing care giver burnout, supporting the siblings, & relaxation techniques. We even raffled off a facial & restaurant gift cards! Dudley the Dinosaur (the PCH mascot) & Face Painting were a big hit with the kids! Thank you Theresa & Larry for all of your help! We had complimentary chair massages, which I had to take advantage of. It sure felt good! Breakfast & Lunch were provided. Lots of yummy food! We put on a great event!

Kristen, Deb, & me

Last night Sommer slept over. Cole, Sommer, & I saw My Sister's Keeper. It was a very well made movie. The movie captured how childhood cancer effects the entire family. Sad stuff!

Today, has been a rough day. I started the day with a broken computer & nothing has gone right sense. I'm hoping the day turns around from here. Praying for a great week!

This week

Sunday afternoon, Cole & I grabbed a Chipotle burrito & headed to the movies. We got movie passes from Casey & had to put them to good use! We saw The Proposal at the Tempe Market Place. It was a cute movie!

Monday, I had 2 appointments & was able to meet Britt & Makayla for lunch at Jason's Deli near Chandler Fashion Center. It was nice to see Britt & Makayla is getting so big! It sure was great having 4 days off!

Tuesday night, Cole & I volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House at Phoenix Children's Hospital with some Child Life friends. We prepared & served hamburgers, apple pie, & Theresa's famous chicken dip. It was a post 4th of July celebration! Theresa & Larry did face painting with the kids. It was a fun time!

Tonight, Cole & I went to Pita Jungle for dinner. We love that place!

Tomorrow is the Trach Education Fair. It will be a wonderful event for our Airway families! I'm looking forward to it!

4th of July in Alpine

Cole & I drove up to Alpine, Arizona after work on Thursday afternoon. Alpine is about 1 hour northeast of Pinetop & 6 miles from the New Mexico border. It took us a little over 4 hours to get to Alpine. Cole's grandparents have a cabin in Alpine. Liz & Rachel drove down from Colorado & stayed with Marion & Warren. Cole's parents rented a house for all of us to stay in. When I say all of us - I mean Russ, Beth, Kyle, Heidi, Zach, Daniella, Casey, Cole, & me! The house was over 4,000 square feet & located in the middle of town. It was nice to have enough space for everyone. Thank you Russ & Beth!

Russ, Beth, & Cole enjoying the rental.
Heidi & Rachel checking out the animals. There were horses, cows, & lambs right in the back yard! At one point, one of the cows got out of the fence & we had to call the owner to get him back in.

Cole & I enjoying the cool weather! It rained every afternoon. I am not a big fan of rain, but it was a nice change & I had an umbrella!

Playing pictionary with the family. The game was lots of fun & ended up being a wonderful way to enjoy the rainy day.

Checking out the local tavern. It was just a short walk from our rental. Casey & I got coffee from the local shop & checked out the Lollipop Shop!

Beth, Rachel, & Daniella enjoying dinner at Marion & Warren's cabin. Marion & Warren were wonderful hosts. Thank you guys!

Enjoying smores on the campfire! What a yummy treat!

A family photo while we watched the 4th of July parade in town. Marion was taking this picture & Casey was on her way.

The parade. Happy 4th of July!

Daniella picking up some candy. During the parade, the people on the floats threw out candy to the crowd!

Marion & Warren at the Wild Animal Feast at a home in Tal-Wi-Wi. There was fresh Halibut from Alaska, wild turkey, beef brisket, & much more! Heidi made a wonderful berry truffle for dessert. All of the food was wonderful!

Cole, Casey, & I drove home after the feast. Cole is working today & Casey's summer school class starts Monday. We wish we could have stayed throughout the weekend, but enjoyed the time we had away. I don't go back to work until Tuesday, so I am enjoying my time at home!

Weekend Happenings

With Cole no longer having kidney stones & me having both weekend days off, this has been a great weekend! My Aunt Wendy, Uncle Sheldon, & Cousin Shelby are in town, so Cole & I spent Friday night at my parents house. Wendy made a wonderful meal on the barbecue. Shrimp, scallops, steak, & veggies! It was nice to see the fam!

Saturday morning Cole & I took Patch to the vet for his annual appointment. He hates the vet...he gets so nervous! He had a heart worm test & got 2 shots (Rabies & Distemper). He looks good, but I will need to put to some medicine on his butt daily to keep it clean & dry...got to love those Bulldog tails. I will also have to clean out his ears & give him ear drops once a week. Boy does he hate this...he was really upset with me yesterday!

Sommer slept over last night. We made whole made pizza & it turned out great! Thank you Anica & Ian for teaching us how to make pizza! Here are some pictures of the yummy pizza!

Cole is at work today. Sommer & I made waffles this morning. We used up the mango syrup. I'll have to have Jenna make some more for me. It was so good! Sommer & I will be heading over to my parents house this afternoon for some poolside fun! I am really looking forward to hanging out by the pool. Sadly, this will be my first time all summer! My Uncle Sheldon went back to Colorado, but Wendy & Shelby will be here another week. It will be nice to spend more time with them. Back to work tomorrow, but it will be a short week! I work Monday thru Thursday & then Cole & I will head up to Alpine for the weekend. Cole's parents rented a house so we will have some family fun!

Back to Work

We are pleased to report that Cole passed his stone yesterday. He is feeling better & made it to work today! We are thankful to have this behind us.

Shock Wave Lithotripsy

Just got home from St. Joe's. We spent the afternoon at the hospital. Cole had his Shock Wave Lithotripsy. The procedure went well. Dr. Cadoff says the stone looks like it was broken up. Cole's kidney is sore from the procedure & he will need to pass the pieces. Cole is bummed he can't go back to work tomorrow. We are hoping he will be feeling better in a couple days...finally!He will follow up with Dr. Cadoff in 1-2 weeks after having another KUB (xray). The next item of business will be figuring out how to stop future stones :)

Father's Day

Today is Father's Day & I am missing my Dad. It has been 7 years now since he passed away, but it doesn't seem to get any easier. I feel like it was only yesterday. I am very thankful that I had such a wonderful Father. Not all are so lucky. I cherish all the memories!

I had to work today, but went to Dos Gringos after work to celebrate Father's Day with the family. The weather was great. It was nice to relax & enjoy each other's company. I am very thankful to have such a great step-dad!

Cole's parents are still in Europe. We wish Russ was here to celebrate Father's Day, but are happy he is having a blast in Europe! Happy Father's Day to all you Dads!

Kidney Stone Update

Cole's kidney stone still has not passed. He had a KUB (abdominal xray) at 8am to check for obstruction & an appointment with Dr. Cadoff (Urologist) at noon. Cole's stone is obstructing his kidney, so it will need to be lasered. However, they can't get him in until next Tuesday. That is a long time to wait! The laser should break up the stone into smaller pieces. The bad news is that he will still have to pass the smaller pieces! It is unlikely, but we are hoping Cole's stone passes on it's own, so he doesn't have to wait so long for relief. Cole will see Dr. Cadoff again tomorrow for a pre-op appointment & the laser procedure is scheduled for next Tuesday 4pm at St. Joe's in Phoenix.

My work has been really flexible with me leaving work to drive Cole to his appointments. I am very thankful for this! We'll keep you posted.

Happy Birthday Cole

Today is Cole's 26th Birthday. Unfortunately, he missed work & was in pain most of the day. I hope that he is feeling better soon & has a great year! Happy Birthday Cole!

With Cole home sick, I was forced to take it easy today. I stayed in my pajamas all day & didn't have to worry about make up. It was great & much needed! I was able to make breakfast...I used our new waffle iron & the mango syrup Jenna made. It was yummy! I worked on a project for work for a few hours this morning & spent the afternoon reading. I was finally able to finish the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Brittney gave it to me for my 23rd Birthday. It's sad it took me so long to read it. It really was a great book. I made pasta & Greek salad for dinner & Cole & I took Patch on a walk. The weather has been surprisingly nice for June in Arizona. A nice relaxing day - a true day of rest!

Oh, what a day...

I am so tired from a very busy day. Cole is recovering from kidney stones, so I ended up doing both his & my stuff around the house. When I went to do the pool, the storage room bolt lock would not work. I tired some DW40, but no luck. I ended up calling a locksmith who was able to fix the lock (for a pretty penny) so I could clean the pool this afternoon.

We did make it to Emily's 4th birthday. Emily has lots of friends. It was fun to watch all of them play! We got Emily a Create-A-Book for her birthday. The personalized books make the child the star of their very own hard bound storybook. They're pretty cool. My Aunt Julie gave me a couple when I was little. Not only did I love them, I still have them! Check out the website http://mycreateabook.com/

Tomorrow is Cole's 26th Birthday! I hope he is feeling better & able to enjoy himself after he gets off work. We will be going to Four Peaks Brewery here in Tempe for dinner & drinks.

ED Visit...

That's right...Cole & I spent the last 6 hours in the ED at Banner Desert. Cole started having kidney pain last night. Luckily, we had pain meds for him. Cole was feeling better this morning & went to work. He didn't make it all day at work. When I got home he was in a lot of pain & the pain meds were no longer working. We headed to Banner Desert & spent 6 hours in the ED. Cole had a CT scan & urine analysis. He also got an IV placed for pain medication & fluids. As we suspected Cole has kidney stone's again! However, the stone is 4mm this time. That double the size of the last stone he passed. When they get to 5mm they need to be surgically removed. Needless to say Cole is in for some pain! Ouch! The doctor gave Cole scripts for pain meds & flomax (used to open the urethra).

We learn that Cole has a Medullary sponge kidney (MSK). MSK is a birth defect of the tubules (tiny tubes inside the kidney). I was shocked that Cole has had so many kidney stones & CT scans, yet this is the first time we have heard of this disease. Cole will follow up with a Urologist on Monday. MSK is not curable. However, we are hoping the Urologist can help us come up with a game plan to reduce the number of kidney stone episodes & identify a way to avoid the ED. I hope Cole feels better soon!

Sunday with Britt

Cole & I both worked today. After I got off work, we headed to Brittney & Michael's house in Gilbert for spaghetti dinner. It has been a while since I've seen Britt. Makayla is already 5 months old. She is very active & so cute! It was great to see them. Brittney & I were trying to convince Cole that we should move into Brittney's neighborhood. How great would that be. It's a nice neighborhood & I am so ready for a house. Thanks for dinner guys!

Friday

I was off today & will be working the next 6 days. For some reason I scheduled myself to work 2 weekends in a row. I thought it would be nice to take my days off so I have two 3 day weekends. A nice idea in theory; however, that means in 17 days I will only have 2 days off. No wonder why I'm tired!

Today was a busy day. I had a follow up appointment this morning and then went to Katie's (a past co-worker & friend) home to teach her infant massage. Baby Jaxton really enjoyed the massage. Jaxton has been having some GI issues. I hope the infant massage will help Jaxton & his parents!

Tonight Cole & I babysat my friend Mindy's daughter Kendall. Kendall is 4 months old & I was her first babysitter. I am honored that Mindy felt comfortable leaving Kendall with me while her & Dustin went to Kaylee's dance recital. Cole & I had fun with Kendall tonight. Bath time was definitely the highlight. I wish I had a picture to share.

Quick Update

Today I had a follow up appointment with my gynecologist. I have PCOS symptoms, but do not meet the criteria for this diagnosis. I will be taking progesterone supplements since my levels were low on both blood tests. This should help with the cysts & the hormone levels. I will soon be a happy camper!

The Short Weekend

After working Saturday, Sommer slept over. We went to Macayos for dinner & watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I loved the movie. It may have been one of the best movies I have ever watched. Here is a picture of Sommer. It turned out great. She is a very pretty girl. She will be 15 in August. I can hardly believe it.

Today, I had lunch with my friend Marsie at California Pizza Kitchen and then we got pedicures. It was nice to see Marsie! We always have fun together. Tonight Cole & I went to his parent's house for dinner & then walked to Cookiez on Mill for some dessert. I enjoyed my Sunday, but wish I had another day off. One day weekends are always hard.

Babysitting Miss Allison

Here are some pictures from our babysitting experience Friday night.

Allison is almost 4 months old. What a pretty girl!

Here is a picture of Cole playing with Allison. They had lots of fun together!


Here is a picture of Patch after he finally settled down.

Labs

After work, I stopped by Sonora Quest Laboratories at Banner Desert to get my blood drawn. Unfortanuately, I am becoming a regular. This location has been working great with my work schedule. They are open until 6pm & I have been lucky to have no wait. I was thankful to get the lab work for the Gynecologist & the Immunologist done at the same time today. One poke was definately the way to go! I am always amazed at how great phlebotomists are at drawing blood. It makes the experience so much better! I continue to pray for a clean bill of health.

Cole & I watched baby Allison tonight. She is almost 4 months old & is a cutie. Patch was a little iritating at first because he was so interested in our little guest. Luckly he eventually settled down so we could enjoy our time with Allison. I was really impressed with Cole. He was great with Allison. I will post pics tomorrow!

Pulmonologist

I finally saw a pulmonologist today. I went to the Arizona Center for Chest Disease & saw Dr. Santhana. My friend Kiran sees him for her Asthma & has been recommending him for a while. I was at the office for 2 hours. Dr. Santhana was running behind. It always amazes me how long doctor appointments take. Dr. Santhana was a very nice man. He decided to increased my Advair dosage & wants me to use a peak flow meter. Peak flow meters are used to measure how air flows from your lungs. The peak flow readings should help to manage my Asthma. I will go back for a follow-up appointment in a month. I'm hoping the medication change will help with my Asthma symptoms.

Memorial Day Weekend

We started the weekend by joining some friends from work at Four Peaks here in Tempe to celebrate Lindsey & Jake's upcoming wedding! The plan was to go to Four Peaks for drinks & appetizers followed by some extreme bowling. Being a Friday night in Tempe, it took 4 hours to get seated & served. After a long day at work, we all decided to take a rain check on the bowling. It was fun to hangout with friends from work!

Saturday night, Cole & I went over to Anica & Ian's house to learn how to make homemade pizza. Ian is a wonderful cook! We made 2 pizza's - 1 Hawaiian style & 1 pepperoni. They were both wonderful! We will definitely be making more pizza's at home. It is always fun to spend time with Anica & her family. Emily & Allison are so cute!

After Cole got home from work on Sunday, we went to my parents house to celebrate Jenna & Dave's birthdays. We had a BBQ & lots of fun! Happy Birthday Jenna & Dave!

No plans for Memorial Day. I am just thankful to have 1 more day at home. Cole just called & is coming home early. What a pleasant surprise! Happy Memorial Day!

Ultra Sound

I had a pelvic/gyno ultra sound today. The ultra sound technician found multiple cysts on both ovaries. When I got home, there was a message from my gyno office asking me to call the office regarding my lab results. I will call tomorrow for more information. There is a very good chance that I have polycystic overies. I'm a little bummed, but thankful for medicine.

Work is going much better this week. I was determined to have a good attitude this week despite last week's drama. I made it to the gym twice this week. Yoga was lots of fun on Tuesday. Last night I tried a modified Rachael Ray recipe. Turkey Burgers w/ Garlic-Black Pepper-Parmesan Sauce & Roasted Tomatoes w/ Basil & Balsamic Drizzle! It was yummy - a must try!

Off to bed. Looking forward to a 3 day weekend! Tomorrow's Friday!

Website

Cole & I built a website today for the Phoenix Area Child Life Networking Group. We have Annual Valley Child Life Conferences & I am on the planning committee. This year I was the Conference Chair. We plan to use the website for Online Registration & Valley Information. Check it out! http://www.azchildlife.org/

This Week's Happenings

Not too much going on this week. Cole has been under the weather the past few days. I hope he's feeling better soon! I went to the gynecologist on Wednesday because my periods have been out of control. Got some blood work & will be getting an ultra sound next week. Hopeful, that my periods will be under control soon!

Friday was a hard day for me at work. I was super busy all day, had some work drama in the afternoon, and a dead battery in 100 degree weather. You've got to be kidding me! I have trouble letting things go. I care so much & so strongly about my work. I often think it would be better if I didn't care so much. I keep telling myself that "tomorrow's another day," but can't stop wondering why life has to be so complicated. How can I simplify my life?

Not too much going on this weekend. I'm getting my hair done today & may rent Bride War's. Nothing like a chick flink to take my mind off things. Maybe try Golden Spoon. It's suppose to be the best Frozen Yogurt the world has ever known! May go to a friend's graduation party tonight & get a pedicure tomorrow. It should be a nice, relxing weekend. Just what the doctor ordered :)

This Week

Summer is here - we are now in the triple digits :)

Thursday I had my Allergist appointment. I have an immunodeficiency & got a pneumo vaccine that should help increase the antibodies in my blood. I will get labs done in 3-4 weeks to see where my levels are at & will be seeing a Pulmonologist later this month.

Thursday evening Cole & I joined my friend Megan & her boyfriend Michael at Voce in Scottsdale. Megan's brother & his band were playing. We loved Voce - the atmosphere was wonderful, the wine was great, the music was nice, & it's always fun to see Megan!

Tonight we celebrated Mother's day with my family. We all met at my Mom & Dave's house for dinner. I made a fat-free, sugar-free dessert. I got the recipe from my friend Marcella. It's yummy! We had dinner & played a few games of Sequence. I wish we could have stayed longer, but Cole has to work bright & early tomorrow.

Tomorrow night we will head over to Marion & Warren's (Cole's Grandparents) to celebrate Mother's Day with Cole's Family. Marion & Warren live in Gold Canyon. It's a way out, but very beautiful. It will be nice to see Cole's family.

We are very thankful to be blessed with so many wonderful mothers & grandmothers! Happy Mother's Day!!!