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!