Flagstaff was HEAVEN!!

I don't need to write too much today, because the pictures tell the story quite well. Going up to Flagstaff for a little "break" was just what we all needed!!! Kids and parents alike were refreshed and recharged! Will even turned to me while we were sitting on the couch at the Fox's and said, "I think we should just pick this house. This is our house now!" Well said Will!

Will loved the dress-up clothes and being outside. Here he is a "bat" flying around on the tramp.
Sarah loved finding slugs with Caleb and Aaron. They found and accidently "loved" a lot of slugs to death......
Can you find the bunny hidden in the flower garden??? Susan's flowers were gorgeous and actually, Kevin (their 18-year-old son) is the one who planted all the Dahlia's. He has even won a blue ribbon for his efforts.

This is such a great representation of Cassidy's and Lund's relationship. I was taking a picture of Cassidy all dressed up, and Lund jumped from behind and tried to tease her...

She didn't even miss a beat and just reached over and pinched him, while still posing for the picture!

Cassidy is the "maid" to Jenna (Aaron's daughter)

Here we are gathered for morning prayer!! Can you think of a more powerful feeling than being in the presence of all of these wonderful Spirits?

The grandkids knew where all the good toys were and they soon found the "Barbie cupboard". thanks for sharing all the secrets of the toys with my kiddos!

Cassidy was enamored by the flowers as well and grabbed my camera and took lots of pictures. This was my favorite.

And, oh my goodness, there was a BRAND NEW baby there!! Adalynn was only 2 days old!!! And the cutest little thing!! And Aaron's wife KellyAnne was there and she looked AMAZING! You would have never guessed she just had a baby a mere two days prior. Paul's wife, Robyn, was ready to have a baby any minute as well..

then, I tried to pose the boys for a photo op by the beautiful aspen trees. Just watch the series of pictures. Will was being sooo goofy!!

Oh well, I tried!

Then we went for a hike on one of my favorite trails. We used to go there often when we lived in Flagstaff and it was wrought with memories! Morgan showed the kids the cattails...

And then he demonstrated how you can use the cattails for tinder when making a fire. They were entralled and had to repeat the process countless times. Very fun for all of you who haven't had the chance.... the "down" feeling fluff is very fun to play with (and get in your sisters hair).

And I was reminising here because this used to be my "running trail". When we lived in Flagstaff, I used to run on this trail, and I even ran 8 miles once (my all-time high), and when I got to the end, I told Morgan to drive over and pick me up...... I was finished!! I don't think that I could even crawl 8 miles today...

Flagstaff was beautiful and the weather was spectacular!!!!

Look how green it is here due to all the monsoon rains ......

Oh, and we can't forget to find critters!! Sarah found countless grasshoppers ....

And Will wanted to take home EVERY rock and stick he found. I finally told him that he could only keep what he could hold. That limited his collection considerably...

And then Lund found a snake.......

It wasn't too big, so we weren't too worried. We did make him let it go in the forrest, even though he wanted to smuggle it home in his pocket.

And Cassidy decided to conquer her fear of heights and enjoyed a good climb...

Way to go Cassidy.. As she claimed, "Johnson women are Strong!"

Then the food!!!!!! Morgan and Andy Fox got together around the BBQ and made some award winning BBQ ribs............

..................Yummmmmmm..............

Jana dug in and loved EVERY bite!!!!!! She is soooo adorable!!! The kids just loved playing dress up, and computer games with Jana, and Sarah and Jana played "animals" for hours!!

Thank you Fox family for a weekend we won't soon forget~~~

Results

We are currently on the road to Flagstaff to take a break from "real life" for a day. The only problem is... everyone seems to have the SAME idea!! The drive has already taken 3 1/2 hrs and we aren't there yet. There are lines and lines of cars all trying to escape the Valley for a bit of a reprieve.

Onto the results.... I am sure most of you already know since I sent out a mass text yesterday. But, I will reiterate it all here in my blog..........

Morgan and I went in and met with my radiologist and she informed us that there were some enlarged lymphnodes deep in my chest and some spots on my right lung. She wasn't sure what to do.... we debated which course to take, but decided to talk to my Oncologist first. He was all about jumping on it immediately and he was stumped as well. After much discussion, we have figured out that it is either pnuemonia, Valley Fever, or more cancer. We have a bunch of tests this next week, and then I will meet with my Oncologist on Thursday and we will discuss whether he is going to do a biopsy with a long needle into the right lung or if he is going to have to knock me out and go down my throat to the right lung.

So, for now, we are not getting worried until we hear otherwise. We are hoping for Valley Fever or pneumonia. Weird thing to be hoping for, but better than the third choice.

I will keep everyone posted via this blog or a text when I know anything.

soooooo.... that is all for now....

Soon I will send fun pictures of us in Flagstaff visiting the Fox family. Thanks for letting us crash there Fox's!

Radioactive Pee and other such awesomeness!!

Well, the PET scan is officially over! And I have learned some important things in the process....

1. Even though you tell Sarah a million times that "PET scan" has nothing to do with animals, she will insist that it somehow has to do with adorable puppies and kitties, and why does she have to go to school when I am having all this fun?

2. Don't even TRY to get the technicians to tell you ANYTHING about the results of the test! There are even signs posted frequently that read, "Our Technicians Do NOT have the results to your PET scan, you have to ask your Dr!" I guess they got tired of people grabbing their collars and throwing them against the wall madly screaming, "How long do I have to live?! I know you can see the results right there on your screen, man!"

3. Radioactive pee is a real thing! They make you go pee after you sit in the "hot" room for an hour. They don't just let you use any old bathroom either, you have to use the one with the radioactive sign on the door, reminding you that you are part mutant, or maybe part superhero like Spiderman. (I am still waiting for my superpowers to emerge...so far all I have to show for it is a Super Strength Headache... does that count as a super power?)

4. Sitting there reclined in the Lazy Boy with a heated blanket on top of me brought back very fond memories of my very own Lazy Boy and my very own heated blanket lovingly packed away somewhere in the Phoenix area in a storage unit that we have no access or knowledge about. I love you Lazy Boy!!!! ..... I still think of you often!!!........ I will never forget you!! No matter how long they try to seperate us to destroy our love!!...........It only makes me love you more!!

5. I have the coolest husband around!! I, of course, already knew this, but sometimes it is very nice to be reminded of such things. He INSISTS that he needs to be with me when I get the results of the test on Thursday, so he has taken the day off! He claims he is going to take me to PF Changs and order me a coveted "lettuce wrap" and we will hear the news together. He also gave me a wonderful blessing of comfort, peace, and love. I am truly the luckiest woman in the world!!!! He even fasted for me at work all day as I scarffed food at 1pm after my "medical fast". He claims that it is purely selfish on his part, that he isn't thinking about me at all, only about himself and how much he loves and needs me around. What a selfish man!!!!

5 1/2. What were they thinking when they built the Medical Imaging facility in the same strip mall as the Sweet Shop, the largest candy store in the state? I think they were thinking that fasting crazies would come directily over there right after being released and spend all their life savings on candy that is so awesome you can only find it if you chase down an ice cream man. Maybe it was good thinking on their part! I now have a HUGE bag of coveted candy handpicked by yours truly hidden above the stove. That reminds me that maybe I need a piece right now...maybe an Andes mint variety that they don't even sell at stores.....oh yes, I have some awesome candy!

6. I truly love you all!! Whether I get to watch you from this side of the veil or the other, I will still love you all!!! (I do this in jest because Morgan HATES when I mention watching over him from the "other side of the veil")

7. ..............................is my pee safe now????.............................

My little artist...and the other hidden talents around here..

(A five minute sketch drawn by Lund)
I have decided that sometimes in life your children will amaze you. This is one of "those" times. Lund, the child who won't write clearly enough for his teacher to read it, the kid who just brought home a report card that said, "he would get straight A's if he did his work", yeah, that kid..... is quite the artist! He will beg his dad, who is an awesome artist as well, to give him lessons on shading, and sketching and anything else his dad will teach him. The picture I have up top is one he drew in a darkened room when he was "supposed" to be sleeping the other night. This talent of drawing just eludes me. I have NEVER been able to draw and I fear my mother and father wasted all the money they spent sending me to ASU art classes as a child. Just like the wasted money on Jazz/Tap, Karate, and Modeling classes. He he!!! Although,the sports did pay off in the end.... because I even received athletic scholarships to college, that I turned down. (I know, what was I thinkin'???? Well, I wasn't thinkin' cuz I was only 17, nobody thinks then). Wow, I REALLY steered off track.......
Anyhow, my children sometimes amaze me with the things they do.....
Just as Lund has amazed me with his artistry, Cassidy has amazed me recently with her bravery. She is in a new place, new school, new everything and on Friday she decided she wanted to try out for the school-wide talent show. Her middle school is 5-8th, so it was a big deal. I signed the permission slip and even had an amazing opportunity to witness her bravery since I help out in her classroom on Fridays.
She bravely volunteered to go first, and then she went up to the big grand piano, and played a song from memory that she wrote two years ago. Mind you, our piano has been in storage for the past four months, so she has had no opportunity to practice or have lessons. But, she bravely listened as the music teacher told her that "she needed to keep working on her skills and maybe try out again next year." And even though there were tears running down her cheek, she did it. I was soooo proud of her. And she continued to listen and not complain as the next girl ran up to the piano and played an amazing piece from memory that was WAY beyond Cassidy's abilities. She congradulated the girl when the music teacher got excited and asked her to be in the show. That is true bravery!!! I would have NEVER been that brave at that age!! I chose to hide behind a glove or a basketball and find my way through life where I felt comfortable, on the field, or on the court. Much less nerve-wracking!
Sarah amazes me so many times as well. Her gift to the world at this time is kindness.... She has it in droves!! She will buy something she really, really, wants, (This past week it was Silly Bandz, the rubberband bracelets that are in the shape of animals.), and then she will take them to school and give them all away to everyone and anyone around her. She will give away her favorite stuffed animals, just because someone says they wish they had one like that. And she is soooo great at helping others. I love volunteering in her class, because I get to witness this first hand every Monday.
Will has his gifts as well... right now his gift is to look amazingly cute while being naughty!!! I am sure his talents and abilities will develop as well..... in time............. For now the fact that he gives me LOTS of kisses and tells me that he loves me keeps me going. Oh, and of course his new favorite thing to do is to "blow a hug". In the same fashion as "blowing a kiss", he will cross his arms across his chest and then blow in my direction. I love when I get hugs blown at me... how wonderful!!!!

Easy Come, Easy Go..... But oh, so fun!!!

We were anticipating a move into our house next Wednesday........... But, I think we have all heard this story before... (Weren't we supposed to move in on July 11th?). Anyhow, this time we were really excited and even got the kids excited for the impending move. But alas, one last crack was found in the back wall of the house and that had to be fixed.... so.... no Wednesday action. We are actually very, very close, but it looks like September 1st now.
Anyhow, the kids were not very excited about the recent let down and so we decided to go and have some fun. We gave the kids a lot of choices... IMAX theater, ice skating, Amazing Jake's Indoor playland, Sunsplash, etc.... So we had a vote... and they still couldn't decide! Then Morgan casually suggested the idea of giving the kids the amount of money we would have spent on the family activity. Well, pretty much we had a unanimous decision after that... They all wanted their cash!!!! So, we looked at each other and said, "why not?"
We headed over to the bank and the kids got to chose how they wanted their money... one dollar bills, pennies.... you get the idea..

And here we are with our free Dum-Dum suckers and our mula!!! Will loved his one dollar bills, Lund chose 4 fives, and the girls chose one dollar bills as well. What you can't hear going on is Will patting his money saying...."Muuuuuuuuhaaaaaahaaaaaaaa!" He repeated this same crazy endearment for about 10 minutes straight.

Look what else we found out today... Will can floss his teeth with a sucker stick. What does that say about the gaps in his teeth?? Hum....

Lund got a really nice sketch book with his mula...

Cassidy opted for some awesomely HUGE candied apples from Costco. And she purchased a ticket to a Disney concert in September for only 10.00..

Sarah also bought candied apples, but as you can see, she wasn't so excited about her purchase... Oh man, after you lick off all the sugar, there is healthy food hiding under there!!!!

Will decided to buy monster trucks from Costco. Then he took the decorative pillows that I bought with my money and he used them as a track! What a goof!

The other purchase Sarah made was a few stuffed animals she found in a pack in the dog toy section of Costco. This picture is my favorite because the little bear is giving the big bear a HUGE hug!!!! She is soooo cute with her animals.

Sidenote: The big bear was a gift that Morgan gave me on the last day of radiation treatments. The kids always fight over who gets to play with my Bosom Buddy!

*I think we had quite the adventure and it was probably just as great of a day as it could have been!!!! (That last part sounds like a Lund Johnson quote!)

Not Good at taking Tests...

Well, well, well..... The day I have been waiting for is coming next week. THE FINAL PET SCAN!
What is a PET scan? Well, I will give you the short version.....
You show up at the Imaging place and they take you back to a "special room", with a lovely lead door. This room is very misleading, because the first thing you see... pretty much the only thing you see in the room, is a very comfy looking Lazy Boy. Wow, a nap does sound good about now.... I think I will take a little seat here in this comfy chair. Wait, here comes a guy with a lead box with a handle. I wonder what he is going to do. Oh, look... he is taking out a HUGE syringe in a lead casing. And this lovely "radiation" needle is now going in my arm... hummmm
Then he tells me, "Here, put this heated blanket on and take a nap, I will be back to get you in an hour." Then he runs for his life and tells Morgan to follow suit as I am now "HOT" (My husband says I am always HOT!)
Anyway, you stare at your arm wondering what poison is now coursing through your veins... but then the comfy chair takes you into its huge arms and gives you a hug....sleep just seems to come unaided.
A knock at the lead door and they lead you out of the bomb shelter into a room with a cylindrical machine. They lay you on a table and run the machine over your body and whhaaaaalllaaaaa, you life is forever changed! This lovely machine can tell you how much cancer exists in your body and can therefore predict your future, so to speak.
Why am I nervous? Well, I really shouldn't be due to the fact that I have already had my tumor surgically removed, any remaining cancer killed with chemo, and then killed again with radiation. Nothing to be afraid about, right???!!!
Well, I don't have a very good track record with test taking.... so my nerves are a bit shot at the moment. ......pray for me, K? Love ya!

The Phoenix Zoo after dark = one HOT evening of fun!

Last night the family headed over to the Phoenix Zoo to go to the Prowl and Play after dark. It was lots of fun..... but it sure was a scorcher!!! Even though it was held from 6:30pm-9:30pm, it was still 110 degrees when we got there and 105 when we left!! Whose idea was this ANYWAY??!! Oh, yea, it was mine! My lucky family was easy bait due to one main factor....... RADIO DISNEY WAS GOING TO BE THERE!!!!! They are BIG Radio Disney fans and they were hoping that maybe Justin Beber would be there as a surprise or something...... oh darn, we must have missed him!! A tear!
It was an awesome evening of fun.... but we gave up early due to heat and losing children.......often! And we ended up at a Water N' Ice, downing 44oz of water or more apiece. (And yes, for all of you wondering, we had 3 water bottles at the zoo in my backpack as well.)
Just hanging out before we started walking and getting REALLY hot!

And, of course, when Radio Disney wanted some parent volunteers from the audience to try to win a prize, I took one for the team!! Don't I look excited.... I totally was..... until they told me what I had to do....

It was a Dance competition!! I CANNOT dance!!! But I can ham it up in the name of the children.... so I went with that....

See, you can tell I am a Johnson from this picture..... I must be related to that one guy who loves drama and directs pageants!!!

But it all paid off when I won an awesome shirt and lanyard!! The kids now fight over who gets to wear it as a "night shirt" each night!!

The kids each won a few prizes as well.... Will was excited for his Toy Story 3 stickers...

I was REALLY surprised at who got into the dancing the most......Lund!! Man, that kid can groove!!

The kids sure were super excited about their favorite station!! Sarah is here picking up her prize from the DJ.

............But the person who was the MOST excited about their prize.............Cassidy!!!! She is OBSESSED with Camp Rock 2 and her notebook prize was and still is a prized possession. She takes it EVERYWHERE!!

..............see, she still has it here......................

The kids did love the elephants, and I have to admit... They were super cute!! Morgan enjoyed telling the kids all about the time that he was fortunate enough to actually ride an elephant at the Thatcher carnival event when he was about Will's age. Fun family history!

...............................no one can resist an opportunity to stick their heads through a hole in a tree.............no one!

............this picture reminds me of Stephen Kings, The Shining!! "Here's Johnny!"

......................guess who still had her notebook???!!!

Here is Will discovering the difference in size between his hand and the hand of a gorilla

We went inside a monkey enclosure and the kids thought they were soooo adorable!!

.........................yea, they are pretty cute monkeys!!

After that, we couldn't stand the heat any longer!! We headed to the nearest splash pad at the zoo..... Will looks like an animal, but at least he is finally cool!

They also LOVED the kids drumming area!!!

......And as we left the Zoo, they handed out some Gecko fans. Have you seen my children????