Sea World Orlando

On our third Orlando day, after T's conference was over, we slept in a bit due to our late night at Disney and then went to Sea World. When we had first planned this trip, hands down the girls voted to go to this park, so it was important that we followed through. It was their first time there and Em especially was quite excited to go. She's our animal lover!

Because we arrived a bit late, we didn't get to do everything, but light crowds helped in our scramble to see as many things as the girls were interested in. After doing a little research, we opted on using our Southwest Rapid Rewards card to get 20% off admission. We chose that over the Fun Card, where you buy a day and get the rest of the year free because we just didn't see ourselves using that particular ticket in the next year. I would LOVE to, but right now that is not in any of our plans.

After getting through the gate with our map, which they print daily with showtimes, we opted to head over to Shamu Stadium for the Believe show. What an incredible show! I know I've been to Sea World before, but I was amazed by the size and strength of those killer whales. I was also amazed by the trainers, who allowed themselves to be propelled underwater and launched into the air by these beasts. I have to say, the show got a bit corny at the end, but it was certainly a treat to see those whales. And the soak zone? Let's just say the whales utitlized every last inch of it. Do not sit there if you do not want to leave completely soaked!

After that, we went down to the kiddie area and the girls rode the jellyfish ride, had their picture taken with a polar bear and killer whale characters and rode the shamu roller coaster. It was the first time we let them ride a ride at an amusement park by themselves, so it was quite strange. I love riding rides, but they really wanted to go alone, so we let them. They did really well and loved it!

That particular day, K came to join us around lunch time. We ate at the Hospitality Deli, where you can get an incredible deli sandwich AND they give you free beer. I have a feeling that 20 years ago when I went to Sea World it was not owned by Annheiser Busch, as I do not remember this building, the beer or the stable with those Clydesdale horses. Just a feeling, but I"m pretty sure none of that was even there.

After lunch, we decided to head over to the dolphin show. This was a real treat. It was a full scale dolphin show set to music and included the trainers, many dolphins, acrobats, bird handlers and beautiful tropical birds that flew around the stadium. It was a beautiful show and we were glad not to have missed it.

From there, we had a make a few choices as we were running out of time. The girls really wanted to feed the dolphins so we started in that direction and found ourselves at the Sting Ray pool. T bought some feeder fish and we all watched in amazement as he fed them. The girls were pretty reluctant to try. Kt put her hand in with a fish - brave child - but backed out at the last minute. You have to put the fish between your fingers, put your hand on the sand (a bit too low for the girls) and the Ray swims up and grabs it out of your hand. We were able to get some cool pictures and the girls figured out they could pet the rays while T fed them. When it was my turn, all the fish were gone! Oh, darn!;-)

A few steps behind us, we arrived at just the right time to feed the dolphins, which was easily the highlight of our trip. T waited in a long line - although I heard Christmastime was worse! - for more fish. He and the girls found a spot to feed and found a spot to take some really awesome pictures. Before this experience, Em would continually say that she wanted to "swim" with the dolphins. Now, I think she was quite happy with just feeding them. They are fiesty little creatures, one having completely soaked me when I reached down to touch him. They are extremely playful, friendly and smart. I know if we ever return, the girls will choose to spend a majority of the day with the dolphins!

With only an hour left in the park, the girls opted not to ride the Atlantis ride. I think Em was too short anyway. We visited the Sea Turtles, Manatees and Alligators. The girls got their cotton candy they'd been whining for all day and we went on our way. We'll save the rides for next time, and the Pet show and the penguins. We were sorry we missed the penguins, but the dolphins made up for it. In all, a wonderful day!

Blog Hopping

So, I was next blogging and found this really cool testimony. I hope this guy doesn't mind me linking to this story, but it's so amazing. It makes me wonder the impact that the internet will have on these next generations much like radio did in this story.

Who Put Sushi in My Peanut Butter?

Who would have thought? Salmonella poisoning from peanut butter?? Well, I just threw away our two opened jars of Peter Pan peanut butter with the numbers 2111 on top! And who in our house eats peanut butter? Well, Em is pretty much addicted to it. And yes, she was the one with that week long "stomach flu" before we left for Florida. I also eat it, but only if my stomach is queasy. And it was, after cleaning up so much stomach flu, so I'd also had some peanut butter the day before we left... when I got sick on the plane. I don't know what I had, but that peanut butter is G-O-N-E GONE!

Happy Birthday, Aunt J!

Today, my sister-in-law turns.... I can't say, but it's a big one, I think! Unfortunately, I haven't made it out yet to get her a card, so it will be a little late. Aunt J is my brother's wife. They were high school sweethearts, in fact she's been a part of our family since before T and I met! Of course they waited much longer to get married. Hopefully, she has some better weather than we all had for Valentine's Day!

Happy #% Birthday!!
LOL!

Pirate and Princess Party Addendum

I thought it worth mentioning, the girls, upon receiving their odd pin set, pulled the set apart and put a pin in each of their bags. The girls and I then went on Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride in Adventureland, where Em accidentally left her pouch on the ride. The ride attendants gave us a bag, but the pin was not in it. On our way out that evening, I checked in the Emporium to purchase another pin for her. When I explained what had happened and they replied with the fact that those pins are not available for purchase, they marched me over to the "Town Hall", where after explaining our little mishap, they disappeared into the back and reappeared with a new pin set for us. I have to say, this is one of the things I do like about Disney! A child is never to leave in tears!!

Disney's Pirate and Princess Party

On our second evening in Orlando, we had prepurchased tickets to a new event at Disney World, the Pirate and Princess Party. While it sounded intriguing, very few people knew anything about it, so we went on a whim. It was a bit pricey and risky, considering weather might have made it a complete washout! Lucky for us, while it was cool that evening, the skies were clear and the day had been quite warm.

I ordered the tickets online and decided to pick them up on will call. Never having received the email confirmation they claimed they would send, I easily called Disney ticket reps for the confirmation number and then tried to figure out where I'd pick these things up. Another stroke of luck - on our Disney excursion to the Tri-circle-D Ranch, there was a ticket window with no one there. They were able to print out my tickets for me! We had planned on checking at the Wilderness Lodge as well.

Tickets in hand, the four of us returned that evening to the Magic Kingdom for the PPP. Because of the conference, we were unable to test the information given to K that people with PPP tickets can actually enter the park between 4-4:30 in the afternoon - that would have been really nice, but I didn't find that out until we'd returned home to wait for T, and then we had to drop of L at the airport, so we arrived at Disney that evening around 7:30, when all the PPP stuff began.

As we exited our car, it became increasingly clear to all of us that we'd forgotten one very important item - our costumes!! Apparently, you are supposed to dress up as a pirate or a princess for this event. I'm not sure how that major detail missed our attention, but we were obviously out of place in our plain clothes, and THAT was even in the parking lot!! I was happy to point out to my husband that I am not the "Disney Freak" that he thinks I am. We were completely surrounded by them, and I think he conferred with my assessment!

Note to anyone who attends this - don't take the ferry!! Take the monorail! The monorails run constantly, the ferries... well, the first one pulled out as we were walking down the ramp with about 10 people on it, the second one pulled in, unloaded then announced it was going out of service for the evening. The next one arrived with about 15 people to unload and then 15 of us got on. I guess everyone else had gotten the message, meanwhile, we missed 1/2 an hour of the party! We arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 8:15!!

Upon arriving we were given a small pouch - small being the key word. It was faux velvet, 4 inch square pouch, for collecting our "treasure". Along with that, we picked up a "treasure map" which indicated which rides would remain open, where the photo stops would be and X marks the spot treasure spots. There was a parade time and a fireworks show, viewable from all over the park. The entrance to the park was transformed to a smokey, colorfully lit, red carpet entry. Inside, in various areas, there were groupings of dancers, jesters, pirates, you name it. While it still looked like Main Street, you could feel the difference.

Because we had entered so late, we went ahead and found a seat in front of the bakery, grabbed a bit of dinner, and waited for the parade, which began at 8:30. The parade was short, had all the princesses and their princes on floats and then the pirates arrived. The Jack Sparrow in the parade was eerily the twin the Johnny Depp! Well, not in real life, but it looked like Johnny had joined the parade for the evening.

After the parade, we followed our map to Adventureland, passing by some really awesome photo stops. We completely missed the point of this evening, I'm sorry to say! Having never attended a Disney special event evening, we really had no idea that the photostops and the rides are the focal point of the evening. We were going for the "treasure"! As we turned into Adventureland, the girls received a pin set. Very skimpy here, Disney. As all four of us paid for and went to this party, we should have all received this pin!! It seemed as though they were only giving this out to children. It was a 2 identical pin set together - the girls got one to share. Very strange. Nothing for mom and dad, who had to pay more to attend! Needless to say, this set our expectations very high for the "treasure" aspect of this evening. Sorry to say, we were sorely disappointed!

For the rest of the evening, we hit every single treasure stop, which were marked by large spherical paper lanterns that had been placed atop of street lights. At each stop, we would walk through a roped off line, the end of which either a pirate or princess attendant would put some Hershey's chocolates or a plastic bead necklace in our pouch. (For a minute there, I thought we'd taken a wrong turn and ended up at Hershey Park!) It took us about 4 of these spots to realize that was it for the treasures!

We went on a couple rides, but had also passed some thinking we would never make it to all the treasure stops if we went on every ride. Big mistake! We passed up Pirates of the Caribbean with NO LINE for Hershey's kisses. Hmmm.... oh, and you could get a small bag of raisins at each stop if you wanted those instead. Kt started getting those for our hostess, K, stating, "Like mom always says, we paid for it so we might as well take it!" Don't you love it when they are old enough to "get it"!

As we entered Liberty Square, the fireworks show began. We choose a bench that faced the castle and waited, only to find that the fireworks show actually took place behind us! And all around us! It was a great show, had a pirate and princess story to go along it, and at one point had fireworks all around adventureland and frontierland! This show was definitely a highlight of our evening, and we were glad that they resolved the issue of the disappearing castle.

After realizing our error in thinking the treasures would be Disney related goodies, we started spending more of our time on the rides. We hit Small World, the Carousel, Buzz Lightyear until we finally quit out of pure exhaustion. We chose a photostop in front of the castle, with the belief that we were getting one photo for free included in the package. While that has been the case with other events, it was sadly not the case for this one. We could have filled up a photo card with unique pictures only set up for this evening, but we didn't! Instead, we had tiny overflowing bags of Hershey's treasures and plastic necklaces.

Our advice to anyone wanting to give this party a try: 1. Take advantage of every photostop and ride that is open. There is rarely a time like this when you have the park practically to yourself with no lines! 2. Buy your kids a bag of Hershey's chocolates and dollar store jewels and pass by the lines at the treasure stops! 3. Don't miss the parade or the fireworks show - they make the evening magical.

While this evening was not at all what we expected, I am glad we went. I think Disney could easily make this evening more magical by varying the treasures. My kids LOVE the Disney golden coin chocolates that Disney sells - I'm not sure why they didn't use those, except it was cheaper for them to use Hershey. We also had an eager little one who ran up to the first cast member she saw holding gold. It was not a treasure stop, but that cast member had two plastic gold "coins" that she plopped in the girl's bags - the only ones we saw that night. You would have thought they were real gold!! The girls treasured them all night as much more valuable than chocolate! Also, treat the parents like they really did pay $20 more each to attend this event - give them pins!

We finally left this event at midnight, just 1/2 an hour before it was over. We were wiped out, but knew we had a day at Sea World ahead of us. This time we took the monorail back to the parking lot, mostly because we were all freezing, but also because we didn't want a deja vu!

Pictures: 1. The girls and I on a nearly empty ferry to the Magic Kingdom. 2. A Cast Member was kindly taking pictures at the entrance. Unfortunately, the family before us refused to move! 3. Cinderella and Prince Charming in the Enchanted Adventures parade 4. A pirate ship in the parade 5. A "photo stop" you can see set up to the right of our picture. The girls were trying to mimic the minnie and mickey topiaries.

The Power of Love

Here's a great read for Valentine's Day, if you like the science of sex of love. I thought this was an interesting study, and the reverse at the end left me laughing out loud!! Love is more than an emotion and there's scientific proof of that. When I read that the pain of rejection is a real, physical pain it made me ever so grateful that we will never be rejected by the One who matters most. Thank you, Jesus!

Dangerous Mixture

As I sit here, still in bed (hehe), I am listening to the scratch of sleet on my windows, the sound of my girls playing with their doggies, home from school on this treacherous day. The forecast is grim, calling for more sleet and freezing rain, extending our winter weather until 1pm when high winds will follow. I'm feeling like I've gone from one extreme to another in such a short time. A vacation of sunshine to real life cold and snow.

On days like this, I sometimes try to imagine what it might have been like 100 or 200 years ago. I'm freezing, but back then what did they do? No electric, no gas heat, no cars.... did they wear 10 pairs of socks and all the clothes in their drawers? for days on end?? Did whole families cuddle up close together by the fire? How did kids with asthma manage? OK, so that last question is a little weird, but seriously, Kt can't deal with an indoor fire! So many questions that just make me so thankful that I was born in 1970!

Day Two: Disney Exploration!

I guess if I want to be a true Disney Freak I need to relocate to the Orlando area. At least this runs through my mind each time we visit our friends. As we sat around the day before, my friend said to me, "I was thinking, if you'd like, we could head over to the Wilderness Lodge tomorrow, take a 20 minute nature hike and visit the Tri-circle-D Ranch, where they do pony rides and we can visit the stables. That is, if you are all up for a hike!" Up for a hike? After sitting around in sub-freezing temperatures for months, we are totally up for a sunny, warm hike!

We all set off for a Disney adventure the next morning. I'd never heard of the Tri-circle-D Ranch, so I was excited to see this. If you've never been to Disney World or are planning to be in the Orlando area but not going to any of the Disney Parks, I'd highly recommend this little excursion. We drove to the Wilderness Lodge, discovered the pool that we were planning to stick our toes in was being renovated, and headed on our way to the Ranch. After a short paved hike, we arrived. We visited the stables, saw some beautiful horses and also Cinderella's white ponies. Em had fun stamping her foot like they were doing in protest of getting all gussied up for a wedding that day.

We then had our first Disney disappointment as we discovered the petting zoo and pony rides were closed, due to reopen the very next day!! Boy did we miss that one! We had a couple unhappy pony riders with us, so we now know next time to call first. At this location, there is also a restaurant, a trading post, a playground and some personal watercraft rentals. When I was a kid and my family camped at WDW, I believe this was where all the action was! It all looks so different now.

We decided to take a short boat launch to the Magic Kingdom, where we then hopped on the resort monorail, hopped off at the Contemporary Resort (I'd never been in there, very interesting), Em caught a glimpse of Cinderella's slipper and we changed into shorts, then walked out to the pool - wish we'd brought our suits!, then hopped a boat launch back to the Wilderness Lodge. I didn't know this, but if you look at the back of the Wilderness Lodge from the boat, you will see the image of a bear face. I tried to get a picture, but it turned out a bit fuzzy.

Once we returned to the Lodge, the girls ran around the wading pool in their shorts. They were then joined by a couple ducks!! who also joined us under our picnic table. Yes, it is certainly the wilderness! We enjoyed a short, late lunch before heading home to get ready for the Pirate and Princess Party that evening. Truthfully, a Disney vacation just at one of their resorts is enough to keep anyone occupied. No park visits necessary!

Valentine's Day Fun

Here are some fun, snow day activities to try out:

Your Candy Heart Says "Hug Me"

A total sweetheart, you always have a lot of love to give out. Your heart is open to where ever love takes you! Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a surprise romantic evening that you've planned out Your flirting style: lots of listening and talking What turns you off: fighting and conflict Why you're hot: you're fearless about falling in love

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

You Are A Realistic Romantic

It's easy for you to get swept away by romance... But you've done a pretty good job keeping perspective. You're still taken in by love poems and sunsets You just don't fall for every dreamy pick up line!

Are You Romantic or Realistic?

Happy Valentine's Day!
Enjoy!

Frozen Valentine's Day

We have awoken to a snow day of love! It's too bad I've quickly returned to a state of hibernation upon my return from sunny Florida. I guess Valentine's Day around here will be a bit of a bust. In this house, we will all be home today as we have yet to be plowed out of our neighborhood!

We have little food in the house, not nearly enough chocolate for a day like today and it has basically been snowing or sleeting since about 3 hours after we landed in Maryland. What is the message God is sending me here? Go back?? OK!

2008 and Who is to Blame

This is a great editorial on the explanations the Democratic senators who are presidential hopefuls ought to give about their support of the Iraq war. It's unfortunate that so many Americans have little memory of the events leading up to the invasion of Iraq and the warnings that it would be a long haul. While Bush has fulfilled his resolve to see this to the end over a desire to win a popularity contest, his opponents have taken the opportunity to mudsling over helping with a solution. They will cry that we have military men who are ill equipped or too small in numbers but they won't fund their gear or send backup... it's really quite hypocritical. So, who will they blame once they've pulled everyone out, put a Democrat in the executive office and we have another 9/11? Creatures of habit.... it'll be Bush's fault, I'm quite sure! Of course, he'll be pulling weeds in Crawford and Cindy Sheehan won't have a camp to protest at anymore. Will she storm the White House? (OK, now I'm just rambling. I'll stop here before she visits my homestead!)

Creativity

You MUST read these notes from the student T took along to Humana. This workshop alone makes me wish I had been there.

Day One: Florida Sun!

I'm going to post about our trip in different parts so that I can process it all and so you can skip the days you are not interested in! We arrived last Tuesday evening after a short, yet unfortunate flight for me. I became ill in flight, saw my share of the inside of that tiny airplane restroom and had a bit of a deja vu experience from our trip two years ago, when I had to fly with the stomach flu. Lucky for me, this particular ailment was shortlived!

We began our journey with T checking in our bags at the BWI skycab, where a middle eastern man tried to leave his bags outside with T - no kidding!! Can you just picture my husband exclaiming very loudly, "NO, YOU MUST TAKE YOUR LUGGAGE WITH YOU!!!" all the while with the loudspeakers stating clearly, "Do not leave your baggage unattended or accept baggage from someone you do not know." I'm cracking up just remembering the incident.

Once we arrived and met up with L, we ran off to collect our rental car. When we were almost there, we realized that we had left one of OUR bags in the airport! No kidding!! T scrambled to retrieve it while Em kept asking, "What does that mean, blow up our bags?" It was quite a scene. We had to begin our vacation with some kind of paradoxical adventure!

We left from the airport on our way to our friend's house, K & M. K was my roommate in college and she met her husband, M, in England while on exchange. It's a wonder that God used our time at Gordon to build a bridge between these two men, our husbands, who we've managed to join at the hip for a great spiritual journey in friendship and passion towards the pursuit of God's will. Anyway, K I know from living with her is extremely thorough, detailed and I knew she made certain that we could get from point A, the airport, to point B, her house, before we arrived via email. That email was dismissed by my husband, who assured me he knew the way. The conversation as we pulled out of Orlando International Airport went something like this:

T: I think I just take the Beeline to 50 and we're there! Do you have those directions?

D: No. You told me you knew the way, not to bother printing them.

T: Hmm... Maybe I ought to call.

(Calls the Ms)

T: Hi, we're here. Do I just take the Beeline to 50?

K: I sent D directions. DO YOU NOT HAVE THEM?

T: Uh, no.

I'll stop right there, because of course I had to fill in the blank when we finally arrived, you know, the part about where he told me not to print them. We had a good laugh about it, but that was the start of our wonderful trip.

Our first day we awoke to a beautiful sunshiny day. The girls and I were home alone so we decided to take a walk in that beautiful sun, down to the park. It was perfect shorts and T-shirt weather, I even broke out my sunglasses. What fun!

There we were, sitting at the park, feeling like it was a nice summer day, when a jogger ran by. She was wearing the following: a hat, long Spandex pants, a long sleeved mock turtle neck sporty shirt and a fleece vest. Did I mention that she was running? I began to feel a bit self-conscious. Were we just warm because it was 13 degrees when we left MD and now it was about 72? Did I miss the cold weather approaching memo?? Anyway, I'm sure we glowed out there, our winter legs having not been exposed for months! It was clear, we were not from Florida!

Our first day was quite relaxing, we returned, had a bit of lunch, hung out with K for the afternoon, even walked down to her pool - no swimming. It was a really nice first day in Florida. Now, if I can just get T to load the pictures on here for me! Here are some he has posted - I guess he wants all the glory!

HCPS: Get With the Program

Despite the falling snow, slippery back roads and ice in the forecast, Howard County has chosen to ignore the Winter Weather Warning for the area. All surrounding counties are either closed or getting out early as ice is due to arrive after noon. I knew something was amiss when my husband was sent home early from work, as soon as he arrived, but I was putting my children on a school bus bound for a full day of school. I am hoping someone gets the message at the board of education because the thought of my children coming home in the middle of a ice storm frightens me!!

FINALLY! Whilst every other school system is releasing 2-3 hours early and announced that hours ago OR they aren't even in school, HC finally announced their 1.5 hour early release, just now at 11am. I don't think we've ever had less than a 3 hour early release. They better hope there are no bus accidents, or parents are going to be mighty upset!!

We're Back!

We have returned from our amazing Orlando vacation. Thanks to my husband for posting about my uncle. He passed away while we were in Florida and his memorial service is this Friday. Thank you all for your prayers for the family as it was a whirlwind occurrence. It all started just a couple weeks ago and it's very difficult to grasp such a sudden death. We are thankful that his passing was peaceful and swift.

Our trip was wonderful. I will post more about it later and in pieces so you can just read the parts you are interested in! We stayed with some awesome friends who are also Disney lovers. I felt right at home. If you ever have the chance to hang out with Floridians who know all the Disney secret passage ways, it's such a treat! I realize each time I visit that my knowledge of Disney World is miniscule!

It appears we have arrived home just in time for a snowstorm! YIKES! As I'm writing, we are in complete body temperature shock. We've gone from sunny skies and 70's to freezing cold, snowing as I type 30's. I can feel the depression starting to sink in. Why in the world did I come back here???

On a funny note, Em insisted on going to school for the last hour. She is so funny! T didn't want to take her, but she cried and got her way. Now both the girls are hoping for a snow day. Go figure! Me? I'm just hoping to get some good sleep, some hot chocolate and waiting for the next sunny day... whenever that may be!

Uncle Dave

We got word last night that Uncle Dave passed away at 7.30 pm EST yesterday. Thanks in advance for praying for our family - Aunt M, his daughters A and L.

Knock on Wood!

So far, this day has been eerily quiet! The girls are at school, T is upstairs working his 1/2 day, the dryer is running it's final load and I'm getting ready to go finish up cleaning. I'm packed, for the most part, and our ride is coming at 3. Wow! Prayer works, or at least God has planned for us to head off to Florida today!!

So, we are doing this:


And this:
And finally, this:

And being as it's 10 degrees here today, won't take much to make us happy!! (Well, a tornado might be a problem!)

Basically, it's now Florida or Bust in this house!

Heaven

Em has been trying to wrap her mind around what's going on with my uncle. She's so confused. We went out to LA this past summer and she met my aunt and uncle for the first time she remembers. They'd seen her before at my brother's wedding, but for her they were new. She really enjoyed hanging out with them, catching rolly poleys in their backyard, going through my aunts huge shell collection, hiking down to the beach with them. She has been quite concerned about my uncle and keeps asking about him

Tonight she asked me how his "head surgery" went today. I forgot that as my day was updated, hers was not. I explained to her that it was time for Uncle Dave to go to heaven. Honestly, I don't know that's where he'll go - that is for God to determine, but I felt for her, right now, it was easiest to tell her that. She then went into her thoughts on heaven, that people will be waiting for him up there, it will be fun. Then she asked me this: Can we dream about earth up in heaven? I assured her that when we are in heaven, the last place we want to dream about is earth! And I told her the reason we don't know what it's like in heaven is because we'd only want to be there if we really knew!! and that would make life here so unpleasant!

Her mind is just reeling with all that is happening. Tomorrow we fly to Florida and she was hoping we might run into Uncle Dave while we're there, to see him one last time. I told her Florida is a bit far from LA! She was not satisfied, wanting to know how many states would separate us from seeing Uncle Dave. I guess she has some questions for him!

Here's one of my all time favorite hymns. I've probably posted it before somewhere, but I like this one for times like these.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

This hymn has an amazing story behind it. You can read about it and Horatio Spafford here.

Peace! and sweet dreams of heaven to each of you!

My Uncle

News from the West Coast is that my uncle has been taken off the surgery roster for today. So far, no one has spoken with my aunt about why, but she said that his condition has greatly deteriorated over the past 24 hours. Please continue to pray for their family. My aunt has stayed with him through the night, I know she is exhausted. And my cousins will be at the hospital soon I'm sure. Thank you!

UPDATE: My cousin just emailed. Still no word on why they are not proceeding with the surgery, but the general consensus is that he is just not healthy enough at this time. He is in the hospital for a bacterial infection that is not going away and just last night they had to drain his lung of fluid. He does not have pneumonia yet, but that is a possibility. It is about 8:30 am out there so hopefully they will hear from a doctor soon.

UPDATE #2: I spoke with my cousin about an hour ago. With great sadness yet a sense of relief, they have decided against surgery for my uncle. After consulting with the doctor, it appears that with this aggression of this tumor and his infection, my uncle has very little chance of surviving long after. The doctor who consulted with them has 30 years of experience, and in his 30 years he said that the prognosis for this type of tumor has not changed!! It is an unfortunately lethal tumor, giving people little hope of life. I think we all agree that living for a few months with limited functionality and the knowledge that you will soon pass is difficult to imagine.

Thank you for your prayers - and continued support. They are moving him into a hospice type room and I will let you all know as time passes where everything stands.

One Last Funny

I just realized I left off the funniest memory because it was part of email message (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, check a few posts down!). J originally emailed me one of our most hysterical moments. She lived in a beautiful Victorian home right next to the church on the hill that I attended. In the downstairs, there were French doors between all the rooms. OK, probably not all of them, but at least in the living room, where there was a baby grand piano. We NEVER played in that room, only played the piano. Imagine our horror (or complete delight!), when one day I decided to try out my newly mastered "round-off", which for those of you who have no recollection whatsoever of elementary school gymnastics, is a cartwheel when you land on two feet. As I came down for my "perfect" landing, I hit the edge of the sofa, was knocked off balance and in attempting to catch myself ended up walking (more like jogging) out the living room backwards, banging right into one of those french doors. I was so scared, I just laughed myself silly.

Now, that was her memory. Mine back to her was of a time when we were goofing off up in the third floor. That floor contained two of her brother's bedrooms, an old bathroom with a window into a large playroom/hobby room/game room. Her brothers would leave their RISK game set up in there all the time. I'm quite certain we messed it up more times than they cared to admit!

In that room were the two mattresses that we used as our indoor trampoline. They were safely placed in the little alcove formed by the spire of Victorian homes, the ones surrounded by windows. We are so lucky we didn't jump right out that third story window! while practicing our flips - no kidding!

On this particular day, we were not dancing to "Freak Out", messing up RISK or even playing on the trampoline. We were shooting each other into the air. It was quite fun, for a time. One of us would lay on the ground with our feet in the air, the other would trustingly lay down on the other's feet and be launched up into the air for a split second flight. It was all fun and games until up in the air I went, down on my back I landed and had the air completely knocked out of me. It was literally my first brush with death! I was positively convinced right there on the ground that I was in fact dying. Fortunately, I was wrong.

One More

Prayer request, that is! It seems that now our puppy is sick. Yes, the one with almost no kidney function. This could be a big problem for us as we are preparing to be out of town. Our vet told us that anything, like getting sick, could set things in motion for her go into failure. I'm starting to see a pattern here with the illness in the family thing.

Walk Down Memory Lane

Yesterday, I got an email from my very best childhood friend. I've written about some of our escapades and adventures before, but not as much as I could. She wrote to me from out west to ask for more memories. Not to make more, but to remind her of more, as her daughter who is 6 wants to know. She sent me a few to spur me on, and as I sat down to write her a very long list, I was seriously laughing out loud. Let me show you my list, and I promise to someday expand on a few:

- that snow fort your brothers built where they were building that really ugly house
- rolling big balls of snow down the church hill, then trying to push them up for a snowman - they always ended up sitting somewhere in the middle of that hill!
- Mischief Night - that's a LONG list
- Prank calling your dad from my house and him (pretending??) not to know it was us
- Batman and Robin and the occasional Catwoman in your block trunk (*her mother still has this trunk with the batmobile controls we wrote on them!)
- Me getting locked in your bathroom... very embarrassing!
- that dumbwaiter in your closet - I just remember it, but I can't seem to remember why!
- me sticking that screwdriver in your lamp without a lightbulb and nearly burning your whole house down (it was still plugged in AND on)
- the summer you had killer bees in your front porch (we both agreed they were like 3 inches long!)
- singing "supercalifragilisticexpialadocious" over and over and being able to say that backwards (I can't do that anymore - how sad!)

- your Wonder Woman outfit that your brothers made out of a coffee can - I'm still a little bitter they didn't make me a set (LOL)
- Baby Bear visiting every night I slept over (I think your mom or you should write the Adventures of Baby Bear!)
- that Friday the 13th Tim stepped on my suitcase with a mirror in it and his big, bulky cast broke it, then how when you moved he had all that bad luck - spider bite, eye infection.. can't remember them all, but we traced it all back to that mirror!!
- doing forward rolls down the church hill - nuts!
- eating cherry tomatoes for a snack outside your house
- your father's prized garden, with those eggplants, which I still do not like!
- me sliding from the third floor down to the kitchen on my butt without being able to stop myself!
- dancing to a little am/fm radio in the third floor - the song, I believe, was "Freak Out!" or maybe it was "The Hustle"?
- driving up to UCONN to visit Paul and your brothers having the flip sign with all those funny messages that you would show people
- that one rooster on your wallpaper - was it that he had no eye??
- pepperidge farm bread, ketchup and baloney
- me pouting on your picnic table because I wanted to go home but I couldn't!
- when you were a Cheerio box for halloween and fell down the little hill by church and couldn't get up
- being afraid of Mark's parakeet
- all that honeysuckle in your backyard - yum!
- walking down to the "drug store" (is that not the funniest name??) and being scared of that german shepard that could jump over that really high fence (that was really about 2.5 feet tall!)
- your brothers playing frisbee football all over the neighborhood

I am still laughing. There are so many more than this. You see, I was the first child in my family, with an annoying little sister and brother. My friend, J, was the youngest of 5 children. All her siblings were brothers. We have so many wonderful memories. It's funny that mine are all of being at her house, hers were from my house! How goofy!

One thing I don't think I've ever mentioned on here is that her mother is an author. I don't believe she published anything before they moved to Virginia (very traumatic event in our lives!), but she writes books that my daughter absolutely loves. Last night, I was mentioning to Kt that my best friend's mom is Patricia Hermes. With the most disgusted look she could muster up, she exclaimed to me, "You mean, YOU HAVE PLAYED AT AN AUTHOR'S HOUSE?" I couldn't resist writing this to J, who replied, "Tell her that for many years you were an author's sixth child!" Boy was she right. I practically lived at their house! Kt holds her mom, and all authors for that matter, in such high esteem. To me, she was just a second mom.

My memory from childhood is so, so vivid. It is a child's perception of what happened, so I'm quite certain it's somewhat flawed, but it's wonderful. Many times I've wished that my own children could experience what I did as a child, but what I really hope for them is that they can create memories that flashback in color, clear sound and bring a huge smile to their faces. I guess looking back over my list, there are a few things I might leave out!

So, if you read this, thanks, J, for that trip down memory lane. I hope to do that again sometime - soon!

No News is Good News

At least I'm hoping. My mom told me that as long as my uncle remained stable today, we would not hear anything. It's been very quiet. On a lighter note, I got some cleaning done - specifically Em's room. She, of course, couldn't live with it. Her nice clean room now looks like the Crayola Art Store! She promised me she would clean it up tomorrow (but I'm sending her to school, so long as she doesn't get sick tonight!). Her criteria for clean: "If I can dance in my room, then it's clean. Right?" At this point, I'll settle for dancing. I just don't have the energy to argue about it!

For tomorrow, one day until Florida - I hope! I can hardly believe we are almost ready to go. As I was finishing up curlers in Em's hair, getting ready to do the same with Kt, I was overwhelmed by a sense of thankfulness for 2 healthy children (I mean, no debilitating illnesses - minus the "minor" ones, like, well, stomach flu!), a home, plenty of food, 2 beautiful children. God has been so gracious with us, it almost makes me shudder. Instead, I'll enjoy it!

Tomorrow, 5:30 am PST - please pray.

Super Bowl Sunday

Here we are, Super Bowl Sunday. We were invited to our friend's house for an incredible party in their newly finished basement with a pool table and theater room. That would have been super fun, except that Em was sick again this morning!! Will it ever end?? Kt is getting worried now, asking me today if she can go to Florida with dad while I stay here with Em. Always thinking about others, that one!

I guess it's more cleaning, laundry and packing for me. Hopefully my house will be beautiful when we leave Tuesday... if we leave!

Prayer Warriors Needed - ASAP!

I'll start by saying that I believe we've passed a corner with little Em - it's has been nearly 24 hours and two meals that she's been fine. Hallelujah!! Thanks so much for your prayers. Now if we can keep Katie healthy I think we'll be OK.

I received an email from my cousin this morning about my uncle and I can just say that prayer is needed!! It appears from what they've seen and have been told that he has a very, very aggressive tumor, the effects of which are increasing daily. Since her last visit on Monday, his condition has deteriorated to the point where he is no longer to get himself up, is becoming less responsive and this has become an extremely physical challenge for the family. She is spending nights at her parent's to help with his care so that my aunt is not alone.

Please pray for the following things:

1. That they might be blessed with some at home help before the surgery. 179 pounds of dead weight, even with all the love in your heart, is going to become an unbearable load for them.

2. For a peace about decisions that will need to be made post surgery. This week has been an eye-opener for everyone, and the chances are great that life after surgery will require more than just coming home.

3. For the heart of my uncle, which in the past has been turned away from God but more recently has been softened towards Him. Pray for reconciliation.

4. For his wife, who is doing an amazing job taking care of and loving her husband. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to do what she is doing, and her children will always remember her for that - I know!

5. For my cousins, who have some difficult days ahead, for clarity of mind, for more precious moments with their dad. One lives close and is able to help - prayer for her strength, heart and resolve in helping her mom. For the other who lives farther away - for a peace about not being close enough to help, carrying out her own daily responsibilities as a wife, mother and teacher while all this is happening many miles away.

6. Pray for Aunt Denise and family and friends, whose hands on constant care and attention are invaluable for this family at this time. She sounds amazing - I wish we'd met her when we were out this summer!

7. Finally, pray that the surgery is successful, that my uncle's quality of life will improve in tremendous ways and that he will outlive the prognosis. He has a very strong will to live, many things he has left that he wants to see and I know he wants to tease his sisters more - he just can't get enough of that!!

We cannot thank you enough for your prayers already. Going through an experience like this can be so discouraging, but prayer can lift even the most hopeless of souls!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

UPDATE (5pm EST): Thanks for your prayers, which I think led directly to what happened this morning. My aunt and cousin were unable to wake up my uncle. After determining he was not responding and based on other concerns, they phoned the EMT's. He's now resting at the hospital and will likely remain there until his surgery on Wednesday. He had a fever of 103 and is now on IV antibiotics and anti-seizure medicine. He will have round the clock care at a hospital near my aunt. While it's slightly inconvenient, this alleviates the need for at home care.

While at the hospital today they have also learned that due to the surgeon being on vacation, my uncle's medical records/tests had already been sent to the doctor at UCLA with whom they had an appointment early next week. She is the one who recommended the surgery. The surgeon will be back this week and can review the records, but chances are he will concur and the surgery will proceed as planned.

My uncle has been awake at various times and they have been in to visit with him for short amounts of time. This is a big relief for us all! As a last request, pray for safe travels for my cousin who is driving down from the San Francisco area tonight, and for her husband and two boys who I believe are staying home! (not sure, but that's what I'm assuming.)

UPDATE 2 (6:30 pm EST): My uncle's surgery has now been moved up to Monday due to his condition. Please pray that all will transpire according to God's will. Thank you so much!

The Life and Times of a Sick Child

Poor Em! Still sick, but she has not lost her desire for entertainment!! I found her upstairs watching the BBC, which she quickly informed me was PBSKids that I had put on for her when I left this morning! EEK! I hope nothing too graphic happened today! I switched the channel to Animal Planet, which has been the favorite channel in this house for years.

In tonight's episode of I have no idea what, Steve Irwin was wandering around a jungle. Em, who to my knowledge had never seen this episode, began to narrate it for me. She began by telling me that the orangutans in the show were gorillas, she then asked me if monkeys lay eggs and ended the scene with the proclamation that foxes hunt raccoons, but they DO NOT eat them! It is difficult to keep a straight face, especially with Steve Irwin in the background talking about a pregnant orangutan's plump breasts in a whoop of glee!

I have to admit that I'm not a huge television fan, but my kids are. We don't have any specific guidelines for watching or not watching TV, although we have used the threat of no TV and it works well. I guess not being regular viewers has actually let to the very typical action of our children turning off the TV on their own and finding something better to do. But when they are sick, even BBC gets left on!

Emily continued on during the commercial about the many possibilities of how she might have gotten the stomach flu. It could have been at Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, where we celebrated good report cards the night before she became ill, it might have been at the birthday party she attended (most likely - since half her class is out with this!), but she is quite certain she picked up this bug out on the playground. You see, she fell 4 times and one of those times, she had her mouth open. The mind of a 6 year old! She also told me the first morning after being quite ill that was a little worried she might have the bird flu - thanks to dad for the knowledge of that! Lucky for her we are well stocked and it's not the bird flu!

The good news in all this is that she is eating, drinking, talking, throwing up like it's just an ordinary day. A little more lying around, but all in all, she's a really good patient. It's a bit deceptive for mom and dad, as we continually think she is better and then boom! But once I finish this little post, I'm heading back up for more on the life and times of Em!

Prayer Request!

Em is still sick and today T called the doctor. They said it's been lasting up to a week! EEK!! If Kt get this, we are sunk!! Our flight is Tuesday at 6pm - less than a week away. We need some serious prayer for this one. Last time we flew Southwest, I had the stomach flu and the airline refused to change my ticket unless I paid, and it was NOT CHEAP. I believe it was in the $500 range. There is no way we could do that, especially after our whole sewer fiasco.

I'm French?

That is funny. Since I have a little extra time, I thought I'd throw one of these in. We are considering taking our kids abroad this summer, but I'm doubting it will be France... unless... DisneylandParis anyone?

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated. You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's Your Inner European?

Ready Early!

It's been 36 degrees all night. I know that because I've been up at various time through the night - sick kids! While our hopes were all way up for a snow day, we quickly realized this morning that there is no snow outside, and I knew the temperature (because of my remote outdoor thermometer!) outside was not nearly cold enough anyway!!

So, we got up, showered, got dressed, even had a little breakfast and were all set to go. I sat down to check my email and there it was - School's Out Alert! It appears we all have a 2 hour delay. Of course, that's just one hour for me, but a nice break. Now we're all dressed up with no place to go! All except for Em, of course, who is still not feeling well upstairs. Please pray this passes before our trip on Tuesday!

10,000th Blog Visitor

Tonight, on this first day of February, I had my 10,000th blog visitor. For anyone who even reads this blog you will know that I've tried to post for each 1,000th visitor who it was if I even know. Tonight, it was once again my biggest fan, my husband! LOL He's probably going to ask me if he's won something - he's always giving out these books on his blog. Am I right? Well, I'm sure I can find a nice gift for him of his choosing - now that might mean trouble for me!!

Have a wonderful February everyone!

The Five Factor Personality Test

So, after my Strengthsfinders, I'm now moving on to a less detailed approach to interpreting my personality. Thanks, Deana!! I haven't done one of these in a while, so I guess it was time!

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is medium. You are generally broad minded when it come to new things. But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it. You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Another Update

Here's a post from my cousin, Alisa. Please pray for peace about the surgery based on what this second doctor says, or maybe even a better alternative. Also, for continued strength and the week ahead, as I'm sure it will be emotionally and physically draining!

I called my Mom last night to see how my Dad was doing. We talked for a bit and then my Dad got on the phone. He sounded great but was getting tired. I told my Dad that we have people all over the country sending their tremendous love and prayers and positive energy. My Dad said that he felt everyone's energy and he wanted me to please thank all of these amazing "prayer warriors".

Thank you Prayer Warriors!!

THANK YOU everyone for your amazing love and support during these challenging times. I am feeling all of your positive energy as well and it feels AWESOME! Thank You!!! We are all wishing for the BEST possible outcome and quality of life for my Dad. Please keep sending your positive energy and prayers. We are loving it!!

My Mom sounded exhausted but so strong!! She took my Dad to his primary care physician yesterday which was a great visit because my Dad got a referral to a neurosurgeon at UCLA Med Center. Her name is Dr. Linda Liau and she already called my Mom back and she is going to review my Dad's file and meet with them next week before my Dad's surgery on Feb 7th. I read a bit about Linda on the internet and it appears that she has done some "cutting edge" surgery so I feel great that we are getting a solid second opinion. Great news! We are all very happy about that!

At this time, a physical therapist is coming to the house to do some exercises with my Dad. My Mom will continue to work with my Dad on these exercises. Also, my Dad is taking some medications to reduce the swelling and prevent seizures. My Aunt Denise has been an amazing angel. She lost her husband 2 years ago and she works part-time so she has really been able to help my Mom a lot. Thank you Denise for your amazing support!

My Dad doesn't know that the first doctor gave him a finite time left on earth and we are still sending our positive energy for the best possible outcome. My Dad is strong and has tremendous will to live. Thanks again for all of your love and prayers!!

Sickness and Snow

These are the two things I have feared since we started talking about going to Florida this winter. Two years ago we flew to Florida in January. The night before we left, I had the worst stomach flu I have ever had. The airline refused to change my flight, which I decided to try to go on at the last minute. Of course, the fact that it was snowing outside at the time (I wasn't even sure we'd make it to the airport!), might have persuaded them to cancel the entire flight. Instead, it was delayed, deiced and up in the air, with one very sick person aboard!!

I have dreaded these two things for this trip. All week I have been watching the weather and we are expecting a major snowstorm tonight. I'm thankful it's not next Tuesday, although there's still plenty of time! Last night, Emily began throwing up. Now if we can just get that overwith before our trip, we might stand a chance of a snowless, sickless vacation!!

Deep in the Heart of Texas

It appears as though being a forgetful, busy, stuck in traffic, sick or irresponsible parent is about to become criminal and expensive in Texas!! That's right - a $500 fine and a criminal record if you miss that 15 minute block of time you have to discuss your precious child. Here's how it works. You are assigned a random block of time during which you are to show up early, wait for the person ahead of you to go way over their allotted time, then spend a rushed 5-10 minutes discussing your own child's progress, issues, concerns, only to be rushed out the door for the next parent who is chomping at the bit for his few minutes of undivided attention with a teacher. Should you fail to miss your time in Texas, you're in trouble. I wonder if they'll start fining teachers for going over those alloted minutes???

Really, the whole thing is just a bit overreaching - wouldn't you agree?

More about My Uncle...

I've gotten a couple emails today, but I'll just include in this post the funny, the amazing and the needs!!

First, the funny, from Alisa, my cousin:

There are some funny stories too that I need to try to remember.

One is that Dad has been a vegetarian forever yet my Mom found 2 cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew and 1 can of Beef Ravioli in the cupboard. We were laughing so much when we found that on Monday night. My Dad buys a lot of his own food but never anything with meat. We really think that he was probably forgetting a few little things like that over the last few weeks. Also, he never eats dairy products but in the hospital he was eating some cheese that my Aunt had brought for my Mom. I don't think he remembers some of these little things. And, my Mom and Aunt found it funny that my Dad was watching Fox News lately which he never ever watches.

I just have this sneaking suspicion that if my uncle knew about that Fox News part, he'd hit the ceiling!!

Now, the amazing, from "Aunt Denise", who is Marie's sister whose husband passed away suddenly last year. She (I'm taking it!) is in the medical profession, possibly a therapist, who works part time and has been at Dave and Marie's side from the start. What an amazing help, but here is what she had to say:

Your dad was soooo much better today. Not only was his speech better and voice strong but he was up to the bathroom on his own. He walked well without a walker or assistance. He was much more erect. Not favoring his right side. Sat upright at the table to eat.

Your mom is doing a phenomanal job. She is very patient with him but clear and direct, and when I was feeling pretty tired from the events of the past few days, she was animatedly helping him thru face exercises and actually making it look fun.

And now the need. Here is just brief picture of what life is like now for two people who are extremely independent, active and mobile:

After you left I heard a loud noise and knew Dave had fallen. He was on his back and he had hit his head on the metalbar of his office chair. He was ok. He had grabbed for the walker and it moved forward and he went down. I knew I was not calling the paramedics. So we tried several ways to get him up and after about 10-15 minutes I said we have to get help from that guardian angel. So I spoke forcefully to the angel and Dave got the idea to grab for the handle on his closet door and balance his other hand on the wooden chair I had set out. I pushed and he pulled and we got him up on the chair and then on his feet. I told him not to get up again unless he called me first so we could devise a plan together on how to best exit the recliner. Now we have a plan and he can get himself up and seems to be able to walk to the bathroom holding onto various items along the way for support. Thank GOD for that guardian angel. I am sure that will not be the only time we need his help.

That one is really from yesterday, but I thought it was a good example of what they are going through. I'm so glad to hear today that he has made tremendous improvements over the past 24 hours. In many ways, it's like recovering from a stroke.

Today was the pre-op appointment, so hopefully we'll hear more about that later. Much of what they are going through brings back memories of when my parents went through a similar experience with my dad's lymphoma. It's different, but many of the emotions are the same. Unless you have been through it, it is nearly impossible to explain!!

Thanks, once again, for your prayers!

More on My Uncle

Today I got a short email from my aunt. I'm mostly updating this for my family, but again, any prayer in their direction is greatly appreciated!

Our doctor is Melvin Snyder and if you mention his name to anyone you get raves. The PT yesterday said he was the best and that he also does neck and spinal cord surgery. He has a wonderful bedside manner so we are happy with him.

Dave had a good day yesterday. Many, many exercises and consulting with my friend who is guiding us through this. Even had Dave making a mural out of felt pens to have him use his right brain. His left side is weak so we are working on that. We want him "fat" and bulked up for the surgery.

Today we go to Dave's physician for a pre-op.He won''t believe the change in him. But hs still has his sense of humor. Hope to get him out and walking if the weather is nice. Otherwise we'll just walk the house.

Love the prayers! God bless. Marie

Thanks, again!

My Uncle

Here are a couple posts I am copying and pasting from myspace that my cousin wrote. Again, please keep this family in your prayers. I can remember getting devastating news over and over about my dad. It's just not the kind of news you want to hear:

My Dad Update
Category: Life

My mom started noticing my Dad's weird behaviors on Friday and Saturday - Jan 26th/27th. My mom said that my Dad couldn't figure out which day of the week it was. He was getting dressed for Church on Friday. He seemed disoriented several times and he told my mom that he was confused about certain things. On Saturday, he thought that he had a massage appt at 10am and his massage therapist said his appt wasn't until Wednesday. His massage therapist said that he could come back at noon on Saturday. My Dad never showed up. At 4:30, my Dad calls my Mom from the library to say that the car had been towed by AAA because it wouldn't start but he couldn't remember where it was towed or where he ate lunch on Saturday. My Mom went to pick him up at the library. Later, my Mom found the car at the local drugstore. He had become completely disoriented. My Dad had several interactions with other people including his massage therapist on Saturday and they all agreed that he was confused and disoriented.

My Mom decided to take him to the ER at Torrance Memorial Hospital. We weren't sure if he had a stroke or dementia or alzheimers or other concerns. The doctors immediately started running some tests on my Dad including x-rays, MRI, CT scan and other exams for stroke, etc. Within 2 hours, the doctor told my Mom and Dad that my Dad had a massive brain tumor in the frontal lobe of his brain and the treatments may include surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy.

The doctors gave my Dad some steroids to reduce the pressure on his brain from this massive brain tumor. Fortunately, this must have worked really well.

I visited my Dad at the hospital today (Sunday) for almost 4 hours and he was in very good spirits and mostly seemed like "himself". He was making a ton of jokes and seemed very sharp. I only noticed a few differences with his memory and mannerisms. They are still completing some scans today so we expect to hear the recommendations for treatment tomorrow. They doctors are also checking to see if there is any cancer on his lungs or if the tumor is contained in his brain. My Dad had salivary gland 10+ years ago and this tumor could potentially be related to his cancer from years ago.

Please keep my Dad in your thoughts and prayers. This will be an especially difficult time for my Mom and Dad. Fortunately, my Mom is a very strong woman and a tremendous help to my father. I will, of course, be there for both of them as well. I should have more information tomorrow.

And this, today:

Diagnosis and Treatment
Category: Life

I just returned from visiting my Dad, Mom and Aunt. I have had a whirlwind of emotions in the last 48 hours. Very tough day for me.....

I will try to relay the story as best as I can..... The doctor explained to my Mom and Aunt today that my Dad's brain tumor is cancer (not related at all to his previous cancer from 10 years ago) and has "legs" and they will only be able to remove 50-60% of the tumor. The surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday. It seems that my Dad will have to have 24 hour care as he has some problems walking and can't fully take care of himself at this time. He won't be able to drive anymore. Without surgery, he may only have a few months to live. With surgery, my Dad's quality of life will improve and he may survive for another year or so.... Radiation may also be an option after the surgery. The doctors will assess this after the surgery. Evidently, chemotherapy "tablets" will be inserted into his brain during the surgery but the doctor does not recommend any other chemo treatments.

When I visited my Dad today, he was very tired (could be from many things including medications and his tumor of course) but he is able to have short conversations and answer questions. He doesn't remember time very well. He told his doctor that he had cancer 1 year ago (really it was 10). He doesn't remember which day it is or which day he did certain things, etc.

On a positive note, my Dad lived a FULL life. Now, he is 67. After he recovered from cancer 10 years ago, he retired early and truly enjoyed life including his many walks on the beach and lunches overlooking the water plus his many many travel adventures with my mother.

Your positive energy and prayers are appreciated! I will try to keep you updated on the progress and any new information....

Wishing everyone a BEAUTIFUL day!!!

Love, Alisa

For those who do not know, my uncle is a christian boarding school, Wheaton College, Fuller Seminary educated man who discovered during a seminary class that he really didn't believe in many aspects of the Bible, including that Jesus is the only way to heaven. He is quite open to spiritual discussion (loves debate!), visited Erwin McManus' Mosaic church in LA with us this past summer and was just beginning to wrap his mind around the idea that church is just not what it used to be 40 years ago. T really connected with him while we were out there, even visiting his universal church with him - very interesting experience. Of course we'll pray for healing, for a miracle, but more important clarity of mind for the truth that has been presented. God has been gracious with my uncle.

A Small Miracle

I have noticed the past couple of weeks Em has been more interested in reading (finally!). She has been able to plow through about half of her 50 or so sight words without any problem. Up until this point, she has been extremely reluctant to read and I have been wearily reluctant to push her. Kt was a late reader as well and now she is a top reader in third grade, so it is easier the second time around, still a little worrisome, but a lot less stressful.

Today I picked up a couple books, including a Puppy Mudge book by Cynthia Rylant. Her Henry and Mudge books are adorable, but these Puppy Mudge books are clearly for earlier readers. I was hoping the fact that the book is about a puppy would spark some interest and I was dead on. Em picked up that book and with almost no help from mommy read it from cover to cover for me. About half way through she looked at me, smiled and proclaimed, "I'm a pretty good reader!" And she was.

I'm hoping we are turning a new leaf, a hairpin corner... but I remember those days. One day we can read, the next day the word "it" looks like "so"! I'm just more happy that she felt successful today and with a puppy book as her encouragement. I think I'll have to save that book!

The Skinny on Cupcakes!

Looks like someone at the Washington Post has been listening to my ramblings about the "No Cupcakes" policy at schools. If we can't send in cupcakes to celebrate a birthday, why can our children buy cookies and ice cream in the cafeteria EVERY SINGLE DAY? Why is their recess time only 20 minutes out of 6.5 hours in school?? What is it going to take for schools to change the daily routine instead of infringing on the infrequent celebration of a special child? I don't know, but hopefully the WP will have more impact on future decisions because, well, no one is listening to this tiny little voice!

To Know the Future

After a fun and adventurous 9 days in L.A. this past summer, we had one last morning to fill before our flight back home. We didn't have a lot of time on our hands, but enough for one last excursion to the ocean. As a child, I had some vivid memories of seeing starfish and abalone in the rocky tidepools along the LA shoreline, so we headed out for Abalone Cove, based on some not so reliable 20 year old memories!

After a short drive, we pulled off into a dusty parking lot, paid the man at the gatehouse who was leaning over a sign that read, "No Refunds". I thought that was kind of funny, and fishy (no pun intended!), but we went ahead with our final plans, quite certain that we were providing our children and ourselves with a memorable experience. As we began our descent down the cliffs, I was beginning to get that suspicious, nauseating feeling that this was not at all what I had remembered from my last visit to L.A. I remembered paved paths, railings, crowds of people, a clear view of the tidepools below in all their splendor. Unlike those memories, here I was, babystepping down a dirty, dusty path, cacti on either side of my path daring me to slip and become a human pin cushion. There was no view of what lie below, only overgrown bushes, steep drops that chilled me to the bone, even in 90 degree temps. I was worried about falling myself, but also about my children. Where were those safety railings, the paved paths that we ran down as children??

As we neared the bottom, the ocean came into view. I was relieved at the sight of the water, the lone lifeguard hut below and the knowledge that we would soon be safely on solid ground. The anticipation of seeing starfish, sea anemones, snails and various other tidepool life made the harrowing descent a bit less wretched. My girls were also becoming much more excited. Aside from the lack of people, they were not at all suspecting of our location. They were quite sure that we were right where we were supposed to be.

All my suspicions were finally realized when we were nearly all the way down to the bottom. We reached a small road (one I wondered why we didn't use to get down in the first place!), where just above our heads we saw this sign:

I knew instantly that had I know I would meet that sign, I never would have chosen this as our very last destination in California. Distance and respect? I could only hope they would do the same for us!

WHAT were we thinking, bringing our children to this desolate location?? With rattlesnakes, no less!!! We continued to make our way to the shore, only to find that this was clearly not what I had remembered. There was no sand, only a very rocky shoreline that was difficult to navigate. The lifeguard pointed us to the "tidepools", but one had to wonder why he had to look around a bit when asked where they were! We worked our way over to the barnacle ladden rocks piled up on shore, complete with about 10 snails total. It was quite a disappointment, but for kids always an adventure. As I sat on those rocks, protecting our belongings from the 5 other people who had ventured down that cliff, I peeked behind me. All that way down, and now we had to climb all the way back up. With rattlesnakes!!

I don't know why this picture came to my mind today, but I was reminded that in life there are so many unknowns. There are so many things that God could reveal to us about our future, but if we knew, would we go there? If we knew about the rattlesnakes, the rocks and the disappointment, would we miss out on the things He really wants us to see?? I know I would, because I'm the biggest wimp of all. I'll choose to stay at home any day of the week than to come up against a den of snakes. That's just my nature.

While we didn't see what we expected to see, I'm quite certain I lost an inch on my hips that day. I'm not sure if it was the hike, the heat or the worry! We found out upon returning that our intended destination was a beach called Royal Palms in San Pedro. Even now, as I'm checking online, I recognize it as the place in my childhood memories, and only another 10 minutes or so along the Pacific Coast Highway and we would have been there. Unfortunately, we were out of time. We needed to get to the airport, so our last stop was just going to have to remain Abalone Cove. Our destination was nothing fabulous or out of this world, but it was an adventure, a learning experience and we know next time, we'll try something different, hopefully without rattlesnakes! (I wonder if they give you a refund if you get a rattlesnake bite?)

Some Bad News

My mom just emailed me - my Uncle Dave (my mom's brother) from LA is in the hospital. Apparently, he's been acting a bit strange the past couple of days and tonight my aunt up and took him to the ER. They have detected a mass in his frontal lobe.

Years ago, my uncle had what they thought was a cyst behind one of his ears. Later, it turned out it was a malignant tumor and he underwent radiation treatments. He has since been "cancer free", but this does not really sound good.

Your prayers are much appreciated. I am very glad we went to LA this summer to spend time with my family out there. It was on a whim that we went - a whim that might have been heaven sent!

Call Me Heartless...

I'm sort of hoping that if we pull out of Iraq, thanks to our protesting celebrities, that the first terrorist attack happens somewhere in the Beverly Hill vacinity. Yup, I know, just an evil thought, but a price was paid so that these Americans have the freedom to protest and it involved military sacrifice. A very heavy price is being paid to keep terrorists off our shores, but instead of supporting those who are willingly serving us, we continue to see this. Of course, we all know that the terrorists have no interest in Hollywood, instead they will come here to DC. What will our friends do when they have no mall or Capital building at which to protest anymore??

FIOS

So, we did it! We had FIOS installed today. So far, it's been a learning experience, and it's had T running around inside and outside all day in our freezing temperatures!! Poor guy. The TV is awesome, although I'm sure that we will never know all the channels we have. There is no way to surf anymore, there are just too many shows to choose from!! The internet - well, it worked wonderfully, then it crashed, we then reverted back to the cable modem, which we haven't cancelled quite yet because T has a huge release tomorrow, good thing! Now we are back up after changing the outlet we plug all this into. So, now that I'm back online... we couldn't get the TV to work. Mom to the rescue - I figured it out (but don't ask me to tell you how OR repeat that trick!). I think we are going to enjoy this! Now, back to the laundry!

Food Allergy Parents: 4, Me: 0

It has happened again.... and this time, I actually said something. We are having our 4th kindergarten activity day, a Valentine's party. Last week, I received three notices about this party, one addressed to the room mom's (that's me and my neighbor), one about the party and another listing all the students. Today, I received two notices. One was addressed to the parents in our room about the party and the second was a small slip of paper announcing that kindergarten students are not allowed to bring in "candy" valentines. Period. The reason stated was food allergies.

Now, the Halloween activity day was a bit traumatic, as our jack-o-lantern magnets that Em and I made for her classmates were not even allowed passed out - no food involved. The Thanksgiving activity day - well, we skipped that one. For "Christmas", or Market Day, there was nothing food related other than the eggless, peanut free gingerbread cookies, which my daughter loved. For Valentine's Day, however, in all the previous notes sent in, I knew that there were activities planned, a sugar cookie and juice box for snack (parents of students with allergies were asked to send in an alternative treat) and Valentine's would be exchanged.

Maybe I'm naive, or just too trusting, but I went ahead and purchased two allergy safe treats - Kissables and Nerds - for the girls to give to their friends. Since we will be away the week before Valentine's Day I wanted to get these finished before we left so I didn't have to think about them when we returned. In fact, Em got started on her cards last night - fortunately, they are foam cards I bought to go with the treat, because....

that note. I mean, I'm sort of annoyed by this! I'll give them Halloween, no one needs extra candy. I'll even give them Thanksgiving and Christmas, but Valentine's Day??? Chocolate, conversation hearts, red dots... that's just a part of the holiday! If the real reason for this ban is food allergies, then why not send a list home of safe treats?? Mine was safe, and I'm sure other people can locate safe treats. In reality, though, I know that the complaint isn't really about allergies, it's about sugar, and the belief of some that children should never have it.

So, now I'm in a bind. I have one daughter who can bring her treat, one who can't, I have valentine treats that I can't save until next year (Yuck!!) and will have to find someone to unload them on. I don't feel like eating tons of boxes of Nerds!! While the food allergy issue does bother me (because most of the parents of children with food allergies have told me it's "no big deal"), I would have liked this decision made before they sent home 4 notices, none of which even address the issue of candy valentines. At this point, I think it's unfair to change that. Of course, for me, Valentine's day is in a little over a week. I'm sure most parents have not even thought about valentines and have not yet purchased anything.

And for real, if you ask parents of students with allergies to send in a safe cookie without batting an eye, then what's the big deal about the candy???

OK, Governor O'Malley

Repeal the death sentence in Maryland? Hmmm.... food for thought. I had no idea that was even a possibility (apparently no one did!). So, are we going to include a ban on abortion in that sanctity of life decision??

Vacation

We leave in one and a half weeks for Florida, and I cannot wait! This arctic cold air blast has me shivering in my shoes!! Of course, being neurotically pasted to weather.com's Orlando 10 day forecast, I noticed they have a wind chill warning there today and tonight! What?? Do people in Orlando even know what wind chilll is?? It can't possibly feel like ours!! Wind chill or not, I just cannot wait to get out of here!

Wacky Weather!

So, today I think I experience something I've never seen before - a sun snow shower! It was flurrying during my tutoring session, I left to run out to the store. As I was leaving the library I noticed to the west the sun was out, the sky was blue, but where I was it was dark and snowing!! I then drove into what looked like whiteout conditions, all with the sun shining on everyone's car. After the store, I came home to sunshine. Then it was blizzarding again, and now it is sunny again. Make up your mind, weather!

Sewer Update

I've got a few pictures I'll post later.... they found the culprit and fortunately, it's not under our driveway!! Yay! It was about 2 feet from our house and YES, it is a builder defect.... NO GLUE! The sewer pipe coming out of our house attached to our uptake(?) was not glued together, therefore creating a leak that attracted the bushes out front. Wait until I post a picture of the pipe.

We've got 4 plumbers and a backhoe out front. They are all in agreement that the pipe was never glued, not a speck of glue was found. So, thanks Ryland homes!! and inspector whoever from the county. Nice work, almost 20 years ago!! I'm going to recommend our neighbors get that $50/year insurance waiver for things like this, because chances are if it happened to us, it will happen to them.

I'm so happy - I can do laundry! (What is wrong with me!)