Pool Table and Organ

Here are the pics! We have already put many hours into the pool table. Ty has picked up playing the organ as quickly as he seems to pick up all instruments! I think my grandma would be so proud!

Fond Memories

Walked through my grandma's house for probably one of the last times. Boy lots of history and memories there! I wish I could have been in a position to buy that house, but wasn't meant to be. We are getting the pool table! Yay! It is being moved today. I think we will really enjoy it. Then I did get suckered into my reminiscing and said I'd take the organ also. Oh my! Not quite sure where it will go, but I did enjoy going through all the music books she had. Found the songs she and I used to play together. For example "The Old Grey Mare" and "Grandfather's Clock" :-) I know it will make her happy for me to have the organ. Hopefully I'll get pics up soon of the new old stuff!

Part 2 of Hermann Hill

There are just too many pictures to post from our trip. But here are a few more... They include parts of our walk when we explored Hermann & a view from our room. The goal is the one we chose - "Soul Mates" - we rang it once for every year we've been together. It was one of several gongs in the Forest of Gongs.






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Follow up

My sisters and I had a wonderful time when they were here. I loved having them stay at my house. Then the next night we went and hung out at our dad's house. Great times - got to cherish everyone of the moments!

Sisters!

Can't wait for Friday. My sisters are coming to stay with me!!!!! It will be the first time that the 3 of us have gotten to go out together in forever! Then they are going to spend the night. The kids will be so excited, too. Not sure of their plans Sat. night, but they will have to head back to NE on Sunday.

Great nights!

I know I should really post part 2 of our get-away, but I haven't downloaded pics yet, so I will jump ahead to what went on this weekend and then hopefully soon get got up with the other :-)

Saturday got to spend some time with some amazing gals! One of my friends is going through a divorce, but she is amazingly strong! I so admire her strength in the face of what she has had to deal with. I can't even imagine. We had a get together at her house and I think there was some healing going on there!!! Also got to meet someone new - had lots of fun getting to know her as well.

Tonight Todd and I (and some friends) participated in a Texas Hold em tourney that was a charity for autism awareness. We had a fabulous time at this event. They earned a good chunk of money for the organization. Again, got to meet some great people (Even had a former Chief's player at my table - Bill Moss). Then to just add sugar to the whole evening, my hubby got 2nd place in the tourney and brought home some $$!!! Yay, honey! (made up for all what I donated, hehehe).

Well, all in all - a terrific weekend!

Our Trip - part 1

Our trip to Hermann, MO was wonderful. We took our time with everything we did. It felt good to have no set plans and just be. Our drive down was relaxing and uneventful. We reached Hermann around 2 pm. Since it was too early to check in at our BnB, we checked out Hermannhof winery. It was a fun place to start. Bought a couple bottle of wine to enjoy later. Actually one of my favorite wines I decided is the Hermannhof 2006 Vignoles. After we finished there, we checked out the Village Cottages, which is run by the same people who run the Inn we were staying at. We got some great shots overlooking the river. Nice views. The cottages would be nice to stay in if you were going to be there for a bit longer or if you went with a group. For our purposes, I am really glad we stayed at the Inn. By then it was time to go check into our place. WOW! Hermann Hill Inn and Vineyard is a beautiful place built into the bluffs. It has probably one of the best views I have ever seen from a place I have stayed. The rolling vineyards were gorgeous. Everything looked like a postcard - that is how unreal the whole scenery was - too wonderful for words! Our room was the Virginia Seedling Room. It was on the upper level looking over the vineyards toward the east. We had a king-sized bed, gas fireplace, a spa-like bathroom with a two-person jacuzzi tub with a view to die for, a shower with dual shower heads, and our own private balcony! Waiting in the room for us was a basket made up with a bottle of wine, two wineglasses, apples, cheese, summer sausage, and chocolates! What a beginning! I think by then I had taken about 100 pictures - LOL!

Just a Teaser....

Yes, this is just a quick example of the gorgeous views from our room at the B'n'B in Hermann, MO. When I get more time, I'll put up more shots!

Today's the Day!

Yay! As soon as we are done packing, we are on our way...... Lots of pictures to come later!

Rainy Night

Can't wait for this evening. Hubby, kids, and I are going to relax and watch several movies. Got some pizza, stuff for chocolate chip cookies, and 3 movies - been awhile since we've had a night like this. Gotta make the most of the rainy night!

Two Weeks!

In two weeks Todd and I will be at the B & B in Hermann, MO. Can't wait to get a few days away to relax together. Hopefully let loose some of the stress for him from work and me from dealing with my health stuff..... Check this out - where we will be staying.... Hermann Hill ...looks like paradise to me!

Few more pics

Can't leave out the guys!

American Idol Concert

We had an awesome time! It was the kids' first "big" concert. The Sprint Center is a great venue. Anyhow, we got there as they opened the doors, bought out souvenirs, played some guitar hero, and bought some snacks. Then we settled in to watch the concert. We weren't sure what to expect, but they started with Chikeze (#10), then went to the #9 person and so on. Each person got to sing 3 songs. Then after 5 had gone, those 5 did a group song. Then intermission. Morgan said something funny - when we were on our way to the restroom during intermission I asked her how she was liking the show. She said she was having a great time, but something must be wrong with her ears. She said she couldn't hear herself - LOL. I explained the "problem" to her. :-) After intermission we heard the last five go. David Archuleta got to sing 4 songs, and David Cook sang 5! He was fantastic. He started out in a Chiefs jersey! He said several of the songs I wanted to hear, such as Billie Jean, Hello etc. The finaly was a song with all the top 10. They sang Don't Stop the Music. Unfortunately, the music did stop... The show was wonderful and a great crowd. The lights, background stuff, the big screens, and how the singers would sometimes come up through the stage all made for a spectacular show.
We ran into a few people we know while there. We had a chance to talk for a bit after the concert. The night was gorgeous, so we took a walk to check out the Power & Light District. It was packed! Can't wait to go down there without the kids and get a better look around. We then went over where the singers were coming out to do autographs. What a zoo, but fun all the same. We got pics & autographs from Kristi Lee Cook, Brooke White, Jason Castro, David Archuleta, and David Cook. My pics of David Cook aren't the best - when he came by us, I realized I had run out of memory in the camera. So I quickly erased some earlier pics - by then he was already on the move. Oh well, it was great to just meet him and say hello.
I am so glad we decided to do this for the kids. It was a great way to start the Labor Day weekend.

Change of Plans

Well, just when I think we have it all figured out, the plans change! We visited with the neurosurgeon on Thursday. We thought we were going to get a surgery date for sometime in Sept. since my rheumatologist said he felt comfortable with weaning me off two of my chemo drugs. His thought was that I would wean off one of them for about two weeks, then the other for about a week - check my status and then have surgery. The neurosurgeon wasn't comfortable with that. She wants me to be in remission without the drugs as a maintenance. So, she said she would consult with the rheumatologist. Today I got the call. They have decided they are going to wean me off the prednisone and both chemo drugs. Then check how I do before proceeding with surgery. I can't go back on the chemo after the surgery. At least not until I heal. That is one of the reasons the surgeon wanted to make sure I was really in remission - not just in remission with the drugs helping me out. My body has to be strong enough to handle the surgery and allowed to heal without getting a flare with the vasculitis. The first drug we are weaning is the prednisone. It will take about 2 months of tapering before I am completely off of it. Then I need to see how my body reacts for another month, then meet with the rheumatologist to come up with the plan of how to get off the first chemo drug. That may take several months. Then we will work on tapering off the other one. IF I stay in remission after that then they will schedule surgery. So instead of Sept. we are looking at possibly next spring or summer. While I understand the need to wait, we are disappointed. We had hoped to finally get this behind us and not feel like our lives were on hold still. The tumor has increased in size but I still show no neurological symptoms. If I do start showing any symptoms, the surgeon said all bets are off and we go in right away to remove the tumor.
We did discuss what the surgery will involve. Kind of scary (and I won't tell you the gory part - lol). The tumor has now wrapped around my carotid artery, it is also intertwined with the nerves on the right side of my face and behind the eye, and it is now also resting next to my brain stem (yes, this is not good). Therefore, she will be only taking out part of the tumor that she can safely take out without damaging my nerves, etc. Hopefully then that will be all. I will have titanium plates in my head after the surgery (just think when I get to spar again, the kicks to the head might not hurt now :-} The part of the tumor that is removed will have to be biopsied. She said she is not convinced now that it is 100% dermoid. If anything show up as not benign, then I will have to undergo some MAJOR surgery that would also involve reconstruction of my face. So we are praying that everything will come back as benign. If it is all benign, then we will have to continue to monitor the part that is left for pretty much forever. If the parts left behind in those critical areas start to grow or become larger again, then we will have to do to the major surgery. So, again we pray this doesn't happen!
When I asked her how long I will be in the hospital for the surgery, she said most patients are in for 72 hours. However, she said with my vasculitis I am "complicated". Therefore, I will probably have to stay in the hospital for about a week. Then for recovery time at home - she said that no driving whatsoever for at least a month and that to resume normal activity will depend on how my body heals and what happens due to my vasculitis.

I think that about sums it up for now. Please pray for my doctors to have the wisdom they need to treat me effectively, pray for me not to flare up while tapering off my drugs (if I do flare that will cause the surgery to be pushed back further & I might have to go back to infusions rather than the pill form of drugs), pray for the best case scenario with the removal of the tumor, and please pray for my family and I to continue to have strength to positively deal with the situation. Our God is an AWESOME God, and I know he has a plan for me and my family.

Busy Saturday

Saturday we got to head over to Melanie's and Jill's for a old neighborhood party. Linda/Jerry and Beth/Mike were even there! Their house is beautiful. It has some pretty awesome features. Like Carlie's hidden closet, the loft area, the extra kitchen, and the deck/pool area. The kids had fun swimming and playing. The rest of us enjoyed catching up with each other. Of course there was tons of great food to go along with the conversation and laughs. I hope to get some pics to post from Nancy. After that gathering we went to Lee's Summit because Kelly is back! It was great to see him and I am sure his family is loving him being back home safely. Didn't win at the cards last night, but it really wasn't my focus, so that's okay...

More Lake Pictures!

These show a bit of the lake as we sped along - can't say I had much control over the camera as I tried to take some shots. Oh well, you get the idea! The one of Todd and I shows us at the end if the day heading back to the docks. You probably can tell I got a bit of sun.... Got the raccoon eyes when I took off the shades - LOL

The Lake!

Yay! The weather was gorgeous today at the lake. We went to Smithville lake where Beau keeps his boat. The set up was awesome! You could live out there with the accommodations some of them had! Anyhow, after we got loaded up, we headed out in Beau's Presumed Innocent. We ended up in a cove area and tied up with a bunch of other people who he normally hangs out with up there. I think we eventually had about 8 boats all together. We just hung out on the water and the kids had a blast swimming around. The water was perfect! I tried to take some pics, but it was so hard to see what I was aiming at, so I didn't take very many. Here are a few: Starting at the top - the kids loved floating around on that big air mattress like thing. It was a hoot when we pulled Nicole on it when we left the docks to get to the cove. It was a handy sucker to lay out on in the water. Then the next couple of pics show some of the people we were hanging out with. The music was blaring, the water was perfect temp., and got to laugh and relax all day! Even the dogs got in the action! Last pic shows Todd and Beau talking about something important, I'm sure. =)

A Night Out On The Town

Todd has been working some long hours lately at work. He has been able to fix a bunch of different issues and so his bosses gave him two $100 Night On The Town certificates. Todd wanted to use one with just the two of us, and the other for us and the kids. So tonight we did the family night and took the kids to Dave and Busters! We had a great dinner and then played for about 4 hours!!! Morgan liked the games where you won tickets (Deal or No Deal, Spin to Win, Skee Ball, Gone Fishin, etc). Tyler liked the car racing and shooting games. Todd liked the Daytona 500 car racing game also. There was another one where you pulled a helmet down over your head to see the screen. You stay standing up and you are able to rotate all around to see the planes and such coming in that you are to shoot down. I liked the car games the best also. I really enjoyed Need for Speed/Fast and Furious. The games were linked so you could race with each other and the seats took you for a ride as you raced. FUN! The place is like a big arcade place for adults (kids have to be there with someone 25 yrs or older.) They had good food and a fun variety of drinks. It was a beautiful night outside, so afterwards we walked around Legends a bit and then headed home. Best thing about the night besides having so much fun together was the fact that it was "free"! Now we need to plan for the other certificate for just the two of us to have a night on the town!

Now we just need to keep our fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow so we can go to the lake and ride in Beau's boat!

Samosas!

Sunday after church we went to our friends' house and had the delectable samosas! For those of you who have never had these treasures - yum!! My favorite are the spinach, bacon, tomato, feta cheese, and pine nut ones. For sweet, I love the dark chocolate with cherries. When I am in the mood for spicy-- the meat ones can't be beat! Samosas take some time to put together, but more than worth it!

Lottsa fun!

Good times tonight! Went to listen to some music tonight. Fun band. Got to dance a bit! Also fun "talking" with brother and sisters!

Whew!

Glad I got plenty of sleep last night. Today was a hit the ground running day. Weird thing though was even with all the extra sleep I got, I still felt fuzzy. Maybe allergies? After running the kids here and there, I went to tkd. Led the tiny tigers and then rested until XMA. Led that - luckily we have gotten to a step where I don't have to do the moves as much as give the students tips on what to do to make it look better. Then black belt class - did JB stuff. Gonna be sore tomorrow. Fun doing "sparring" with those! Makes the weapon feel like a real weapon when you spar someone with it! Also, found out my instructor passed his rank test at Worlds so he now is a 4th degree - Woot! His daughter passed her test and now is a 3rd degree!!

On another note, found out a good friend of mine and her hubby got the house they put a bid on! So excited for them - plus they will live even closer!!!!!

Lazy Sunday

Gotta love them. After about 4 hours of sleep I got up to go to Church. Great service. Then we went to pick up the kids since they stayed with their grandparents last night. After a yummy lunch at Rancho Grande, we headed home. Then it was nap time! Yes, I took a long, lazy Sunday afternoon nap. Now we are all just sitting around being lazy, watching movies. One thing we did get done is get Ty his new instrument. Yikes! Expensive, even on payment plan, but it should last him through high school I hope.

Side note: Some of my friends have gotten their results from testing at Worlds. Congrats to them! Awesome job!

Dark Knight

What a night! First - party at the Fox and Hound- free pool and food! Got to see some friends from the good "ole" days. Then we went to a late night showing of the Dark Knight. Wow! Pretty intense movie. The joker was played to perfection. Convinced me he was a bad dude!

Night Out

Boy time flies! Did realize how long since I updated. Oh well. Tonight got to go out with my friend, Karen. We went to see Wanted and then out to dinner. It had been a long time since we'd been out together. Lots of fun and catching up to do! Movie was pretty decent, food and drinks were yummy, and the conversation was priceless...

Been having some ups and downs with health lately. Monday I taught all the classes and then went up to lead day classes the next day. After that I went into a neighborhood to put vip's out on doors. I was wiped out! However I knew I had to teach the 5:30 class, but thought I could survive because some one would be there to teach by six. NOPE! I ended up teaching the next class and 1/2 of another before someone else came that could instruct. I had to stay to deal with a some parents and such, but finally had to go because I was afraid I wouldn't make it on the drive home, I was so tired and my body hurt so bad. I was pretty worthless on Wed. I hate that my body is still not up to par. I used to be able to work full-time, train full-time, take care of the kids and keep up with the house without missing a beat. Now that is impossible. Hard to be patient sometimes. Maybe after my brain surgery and recovery, things will improve.?.... I did see the neurologist on Monday as a follow up to an appt for my headaches about 6 weeks ago. Headaches have improved, but started having some new symptoms - my face starts tingling like when you get pins and needles from your hands/feet "falling" asleep. They are checking my blood for a few things. Said it could be something called hyperventilation syndrome (to go with everything else) or I could possibly be having some small strokes, or it could be my vasculitis. Oh well. It isn't painful, just annoying.

Got some other things on my mind that I can't really post about yet, but could be a big decision on our part. I know it will work out the way it is supposed to, but definitely needs some thought....

Testing

Had another testing at the tkd school. I was nervous because I didn't do as well as I envisioned I could have done at Worlds. Been having some trouble with my balance and still get gassed pretty easy. BUT - I did a pretty darn good job at testing. I made it through the repeat round kicks without trouble and hit the crescent, rev. hook, round kick combo without losing my balance! My midterm scores will still be low since I can't spar, but I know I did a good job! I did something to my back - pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve or something because I have been in pain since testing, so I need to take it easy for a bit.

We went and saw Get Smart last night. Fun movie. Kids enjoyed it just as much as we did. I actually liked it better than I thought I would. Still are several movies out that I want to see, but it is so darn expensive. I definitely like renting from Red Box for $1 instead. We recently watched Definitely, Maybe. Cute movie!

Tired Body

Wow! I've been pushing myself in class and I can tell it. Right now I think every muscle or joint or whatnots HURT! Glad I have a day off tomorrow!

We're Back!

We had a great time in Little Rock. Some of the best things were playing tourist with the family the first day down there. We hit the Discovery Museum, River Market area, and went to a free movie in the park! Thursday night we went to Laurie's house. She lives in LR and invited a bunch of ladies over from her division to have dinner and hang out. Total blast! Friday night Todd and I went to the Peabody Rooftop Party - Yowza!!! Need I say more! Sat. night we got to go out with Michelle and her family for dinner and to go swimming. I wish they lived closer :-) Sunday night we went out with the Daniels to Famous Dave's for a post-World's Celebration.


Todd competed in top 10. He didn't place, but he did awesome in weapons and forms. None of us placed for the new season, but we did great! I actually got the worst scores I have ever gotten, but we know that would probably happen going in. Just stepping into the ring was a win. Plus I had so much support from all my friends and co-competitors! Like all vacations, it flew by so quickly! Guess we should start saving for next year...

We're Here!!!!

Made it to Little Rock with no problem! Had fun drive down. We stopped at Lambert's. Too much food! Did some wine tasting of St. James wine - about the only kind of wine I like. When we got to the Peabody, we saw some tkd friends wandered about a bit. Tomorrow we are going to do the touristy things and practice! Soon the fun will really start!

The Bucket List

We rented this tonight. I really enjoyed it. It did hit close to home at some points. When Morgan Freeman's character described what chemo treatments were like, he hit the nail on the head. Brought back some memories of my infusion treatments and how I felt the 3rd day after - hard to believe the stuff was saving me! Both of the men undergo brain surgery. I was told I wouldn't have to have my head shaved for it, like they did in the movie. Probably did that for the effect. The movie certainly had us laughing at moments and deep in thought at others. I think some of it got to the kids. Again, too close for home in some parts. Not sure what I would put on my bucket list. Maybe I should start one and start doing the things on it. I need to look for the book that was mentioned in the special features. Sounded interesting. I do know how I would answer the 2 questions asked in the movie. How would you answer them?

1. Have you found joy in your life?
2. Have you brought joy into others lives?

And everyone was...

Kung Fu fighting! I loved the movie - Kung Fu Panda. We had a great time with the kids today - shopping for clothes they desperately needed. Saw the movie and then ice cream at Sheridan's. Good day! Now it is time to get seriously thinking about Worlds. Can't believe we leave on Tuesday already! I also can't believe it has been a year since I competed. I hope I make it through my forms and weapons without making too huffing and puffing! Can't wait to have dinner Thursday night at Laurie's house. It will be great to get together with a bunch of TKD ppl from all over away from the tourney.

Some of the great food places...

We had a great time trying out a variety of restaurants and bars in Rochester. Good food and such for sure! Victoria's was a fabulous Italian place. Huge portions so you need to plan on splitting a meal and still be stuffed! Honker's was fun - had great seasoning to add to your food - we even bought a bottle of it to bring home. McGoonies was a great place to get fish n chips - they also have a comedy club there! Whistle Binkies on the Lake was an interesting place also. Had beach volleyball set up outside. Also had an enormous beer menu. It was in a book of about 15 pages of different beers they serve from all over! Todd really liked that place :-)! Good thing we did a lot of walking in Rochester with all the good eating!

KU Med

Had my first visit back with my drs. at KU Med today after Mayo. They were excited that I got to see Dr. Specks at Mayo and were pleased that everyone had the same idea on where we were with the Wegener's. Left feeling very optimistic that we might get to have the brain surgery set soon. Hate that I still need to be on prednisone because of the effects, but if it continues to help keep me in remission, then so be it!

Time for another photo from Mayo trip.... (While I still am very happy with the care I am getting at KU Med, the place pales in comparison with Mayo.)

The first picture is from the center of the "shopping plaza" area toward the Gonda Building. You can also see one of the skywalks that helps connect all the Mayo buildings. (They also have underground subway connections.) Pretty cool! The second picture is looking up at the Gonda building. It was amazing. The curve glass walls were gorgeous. Right now the building is 20 stories. It will eventually be 30 stories high. It is connected to the Mayo building and has a great view of the Plummer building (especially from the 18th floor where I had several appts.)