A Date with Mom!!!

Since the kids are on Fall Break this week I decided to take them out for the day on a "Date with Mom". First we went to Sea Life Aquarium at Arizona Mills Mall. IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!!!!

                                    Starfish tank..

                                  And our favorite part....you could touch them!

                             Cassidy and Will LOVED the starfish tank~

                   And I thought the sea cucumbers felt pretty weird!

 The kids also loved the bubbles they had everywhere so you felt like you were in the aquarium.

 This is true education! 

        ........and these huge things were really huge and creepy!!

                  Three kids in a bubble!

                                      Kids and fish...............

 Sarah's favorite sea animal..... jellyfish!!!

                                   ..........they are crazy looking!

                                   Will didn't mind at all that he soaked his shirt

     It was all I had dreamed it would be to spend the day with the kids. Exhausting, and wonderful!!!

Mr. Gallbladder, I wouldn't be sad to see you go!!!

Yes, Mr. Gallbladder, I wouldn't be sad at all if they took you out and sent you somewhere far, far away...... Like Antartica!!!
   You see, over the past month I have been to the ER a couple of times in SEVERE pain, thinking something was going on with the cancer in my body. After much testing and many co-pays of 100.00 a piece, the ultrasound tech let me know that the pain was coming because of my gallbladder. ARRRGGGG! I don't even need a galbladder, especially not one chock full of gallstones!!!
  So, I have decided that you need to hit the road Gally! I just haven't decided when, since it depends on my new chemo meds and the approval of my doctor. But, mark my words, you won't see 2012!!!
     P.S. A note to my surgeon: While you are taking my gallbladder out, can you just go ahead and take all the other useless organs out as well? Such as my appendix, and tonsils, and anything else that seems a bit useless and redundant!! Thanks!
     P.P.S Can you tell that I am having a gallstone attack as I write this.....much anger in me there is!!

Cancer update..

These "cancer updates" are never my favorite because a lot of times I have to give you  bad news. And this is exactly the case today, sorry.  I had a PET scan and MRI this past weekend and learned some not so great news... the tumors are growing and spreading. The study trial is no longer working for me, so I have been "kicked off" the trial.  We have a list of options ahead of us in this battle, and after talking with Morgan extensively, we are probably going to have to go with the medicine Eribulin next. It is a new chemo med that has had good results. Soooooooo, there you have it. It is ALWAYS a set-back when a medicine doesn't work, but we are always hoping there is something around the corner that is even better.

Birthdays and butterflies and food...oh my!

First of all, I had a birthday.....shout hooray!! 33, here I come!!!! Birthdays are kind of fun, because I am always very grateful for another year in mortality! Hooray for life!

I also love my birthday because October Conference is always right after my birthday and I get to spend the whole weekend in jammies listening to amazing speakers! Oh how I love General Conference!

 For lunch, we met at Joe's Farmhouse Grill. Yummmmmy! My sister Alisha and my mom and I.

                      And even my dad was able to make it since he had the day off. Wahoo!

 Oh, and there was cake!!! Oh baby, ice cream cake!! Thank you Morgan!

                                                     yummy!!! Maybe you should break it down a bit Will!

 Then, on Sunday we followed our tradition of making pot stickers on Conference weekend. This time we even had an assembly line created by Sarah.

 We made over 200 today, so it was good that we had company coming for dinner.

 And, we had a visitor this weekend....Dot!!! Warren (Morgan's brother), thought she was pretty awesome.

 Warren said that he had to see how heavy she was.  He was quite impressed! I think she is about 70lbs now!

 and...............it was time to let the butterflies go! Sarah has been taking care of her pet butterflies since they were mere worms from the mailbox. And today, it was time to let them free!

 Sarah is very good with all animals, and the butterflies all loved her! (In fact, most of them didn't want to leave and kept coming back)

 Hello, I am a butterfly!!! My tongue is called a probiscus! (Sarah told me that fact)

And here are some of our wonderful guests today... the Christensen family. They were a ton of fun and we enjoy Sunday dinner guests. We also had Warren and my parents over trying to help eat all the wonderful Japanese food. sooooooo yummmmmy!!!

Me in the Spotlight!!!

I went to Mayo Clinic this morning as usual to get my chemo. I was in "my room" minding my own business, when one of the doctors came in. (Can you tell how often I am there? I have my own room. he he he)
 Anyhow,  I looked up from my "Monk" episode and set down my scrapbooking project. Dr. Norfelt, who is in charge of the experimental study that I am in wanted me to do an interview with chanel 12 News. I had already recieved a call from an ASU student that wanted to interview me for his documentary about the "drug shortage". Truthfully though, I don't know much about the drug shortage, so I declined.  But today they promised to not ask too many questions that don't really concern me and they promised to do the interview before my Benadryl, which makes me loopy and incoherent, so I took a chance and did it. It was actually pretty fun. I always think it is funny though that they interview you for an hour or so, and then only use a line or two. I guess that is why they call it "editing".  
 Oh well, for good or bad, here it is......

p.s. thank you so much Heather Wilson for finding the link.


http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.azcentral.com%2Fvideo%2F%23%2FFDA%253A%2BCancer%2Bdrug%2Bshortage%2Bin%2BU.S.%2F1191117602001&h=XAQCor4M0AQBmzC6LB9ugKhRtOQ9Wt-XupDX2z8Uekg7h_w

Silver City get-a-way sans the children!!!

Last week, Morgan and I had the WONDERFUL opportunity to get away in the middle of the week..... ALL BY OURSELVES!!! It took a bit of planning and some amazing grandparents helping out, but it all worked out beautifully.

Morgan had to go to Silver City, New Mexico for work, and I always tell him that I will come sometime. Well, sometime finally came and it was fun to see the different copper mines that he works with. We stayed at a beautiful, quaint bed and breakfast and that was a first for me. At a hotel, your lucky if you get a piece of toast and a yogurt in the morning. Not at a bed and breakfast! Each morning the owner prepared a three-course breakfast for us... It was AMAZING!!

 Morgan and I enjoyed walking the "old downtown" in Silver City.

 It was just very cathartic to walk and talk with Morgan for hours when he didn't have to be at the mines.

 We walked into the town visitor's center, and kaboom! A huge ball of copper donated by his company. It was pretty cool. Morgan explained to me how they made it and stuff, but I have since forgotten. (darn chemo brain!)

 We saw a lot of beautiful things, but the most important thing was being together. We had a 5-hour drive there and back and we enjoyed talking for the entire drive. I brought along a family history project I am working on currently and read the "family letters" to him for hours. We reminisced on our life while in college and having his first job and the kids being little. It was soooo much fun, and it really made us realize that we are so blessed to be where we are today. We must have a loving Father in Heaven that watches out for us all along the path and can see how it all comes together in the end.

One day when Morgan was at the mine all day long I went for a drive around and outside of the town.... and look what I found!!! THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE!!! It was very anti-climatic. In fact, I even got out and dragged my foot in the dirt to create some sort of line. Come on people, you need to have a "divide line" or something. Oh well, now I have seen the continental divide. (Not on my top ten for sure!)

Look carefully, can you see the "continental divide"? Yeah, not so much...

Gramma has a birthday, shout hooray!

I am a litle belated with this blog post, but it was too cute to resist! Two Sundays ago, we celebrated Gramma Karen's birthday with a Sunday dinner with family. It was tons of fun!

 Sarah greeted everyone at the front walk and said "Welcome to Gramma Karen's 65th birthday. would you like a mustache or a yellow necklace?" (She tried to say it like Ruth Johnson did when she greeted everyone at the 25th wedding anniversary years ago!! Too funny!)
Why the mustaches and necklaces?
 Well, Grandma loves the color yellow and she loves it when the grandboys wear fake mustaches...It was really fun!!

 Oh my goodness!! Ellie looks sooooooooo cute in a mustache!!!!! he he he

 And Uncle Buck fits in nicely with a Stache!!!

 And the birthday girl arrives!!! She said that you can't smile while wearing a mustache, or it will fall off............    And the beautiful balloon hat was made by Cassidy.

 We had burgers and then some yummy carrot cake. Gramma is getting ready to blow out her candles..

And......... she did it!! Morgan looks pretty mad though! he he he (He says that is just his "resting face")

We had a great time and can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays together as a family.