Revisiting my Blog

Well, for not posting anymore than I do, I sure do love changing the design and color of everything.

So you are probably wondering...what ever happened to that nice family? ...Rest assured, we are all doing fine. 

Quick updates for those who don't know.  My latest MRI was Clear and my head looks "stable" for now.  (Of course, that may depend on who you ask!)  My neurologist seems pleased and I'm content with that!

Nathan has sprouted up and is now a few inches taller than me.  I knew that day was coming, but it came all too soon for me.  Of course at 13, he's still aiming to be taller than his dad!  He may just get there.  He is playing Basketball with 4 of his homeschool friends on a church league.  He's loving it and is really looking forward to the games starting next week.

Nathan after a MSU game!

Nicole has also sprouted up.  She's not as tall as me yet, but we can wear the same size shoe.  So, I'm guessing she will pass me too.  But that's ok!  She loves being outside, playing with friends and Simon.


Nicole enjoying a Birthday Mani/Pedi!



Simon has been such a great part of our family.  He is really a great dog and we all love to spoil him.  The kids would accuse me of being the worst, but he's worth it!

Of course we continue to be busy with Murray State Athletic events, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  Not much else too intersting to report.  Just taking one day at a time!





Spoiled Simon taking over the couch!



Snow, snow and more snow

Well, it's not the blizzard conditions that others have experienced, but we sure have had our share of snow this year.  We had snow on Christmas even!  Nicole has enjoyed every minute of the winter wonderland!  Simon hasn't minded it too much either!

I hope all our friends in Texas and Oklahoma have thawed out and hope the rest of you thaw soon!  I'm sure none of us will mind if spring comes a little earlier this year!

Stay warm!!

Happy New Year 2011

Ok, it's now 2011.  So far the new year has been good.  We spent Christmas at home this year.  It's the first time in a LONG time that we have not traveled anywhere for Christmas.  Allen had 2 weeks off from work with only a few games to attend, so we got some good quality time with him.

After Christmas we spent a day in Nashville doing a little shopping, had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and went to see the Dallas stars play hockey against the Predators.  The Stars won so we had a great time!

Over the New Year's holiday the kids and I drove up to KC to spend a few days with Allen's family and we are currently in Arkansas visiting my family. 

With the exception of a trifle cold, we have all been well.  My health is good and I am so thankful for that.  I will see my neurologist in May which will be the 2 year anniversary of my brain surgery.  God has been so good!

The kids are still doing really well in school.  Nathan is doing the Abeka DVD program and really likes it.  It has freed up more time for me to work with Nicole and that has been good.  We are fortunate to have the ability to homeschool and do all the fun things it affords when we travel with Allen.  We are hoping for another NCAA tournament appearance and will be anxious to see where that may take us.  So far we have hit both coasts, maybe this year we could get something in the middle! 

Well, we wish you all a Happy New Year and pray you will experience God and His blessings in a special way this year!

We're Still Here!

I know, I know...it's been forever since I have updated my blog.  Life happens and things don't always get done.  We are all doing fine and staying healthy. 

Let's see, since Christmas (if I can remember) a lot has gone on.  Our Basketball team made the NCAA tournament and we traveled to San Jose, CA for the games.  We beat Vanderbilt on a last second shot in the first round and went completely crazy about that.  We were also a last second shot away from beating Butler in the second round, but couldn't get the shot off.  It was a great game anyway, and Butler went on to play Duke in the championship game.  So, all in all, not a bad showing. 

While in California, we did take the kids up to San Francisco to see the sights and we had a good visit. 
School and end of the year events at the University kept us busy for the rest of the school year.

In May, I had my 1 year check up with my Neurosurgeon.  All was well and I was given a thumbs up so to speak.  I won't have to repeat my MRI or see him again for a whole year!  Praise to God on that!!

This summer the kids took swimming lessons and the kids and I tried our hand at tennis.  Our women's tennis coach worked with us to teach us the basics of the game.  She was wonderful and very patient and we all had a good time and got some exercise.

Allen's parents sold their house in Rolla, MO and moved up to Kansas City.  We spent a few days up there to see the family and their new house.  We were really hoping to be there for the birth of Keith & Mindy's 3rd baby, but Kelsey Faith was on her own time table and didn't come while we were there.  We are anxious to see her in person.

In July, we traveled with Allen's parents and his Sister Judy and her family to Colorado.  We spent a week in Rocky Mountain National Park enjoying hiking, horseback riding and just hanging out in the mountains.  It gave us a much needed week of relief from the horrible heat wave we were having back home. 

Nathan attended Murray State's basketball camp the end of July.  He had a very busy week, but had a great time.  We rounded out our summer with a trip to a water park then hit the books again.

Football season is now officially started and that begins our busy season....I may not get a chance to update until after Christmas!  HA!  I will try and do better than that! 

Hopefully will get some pictures up soon too!

Merry Christmas!

Well Christmas is only 2 days away now and I wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. This has been quite a year and I'm looking forward to a less eventfull new year! (haha)

My recovery continues to go very well. I saw the neurosurgeon in November.  He said my MRI looked great and I won't have to have another for 6 months!  I'm gradually losing the puffiness from my face from all the medications I was on.  I have a way to go still, but it's much better than it was! I still can't get all my rings on my fingers, but that will come with time.

Nathan & Nicole are both growing like weeds! Nathan is almost as tall as me now and Nicole is trying hard to catch up. Nathan has grown up over night it seems since he got his braces. Nicole continues to enjoy her gymnastics class.

Our big news is that we got a dog about 2 weeks ago. For those of you who don't know, we no longer have Dakota. He was a good dog, but I could not have handled an 8 month old puppy while recovering from brain surgery. We found a lady who needed him as much as he needed her and they are a great pair. We hear occassionally from Dakota and he is doing great! Well, since Dakota left, Nicole especially has wanted another dog. So we went to the local animal shelter and found us one! His name is Simon and he is a lab/husky mix. He looks like a lab however. He is good natured, loves to play but is not overly energetic.  He also loves to cuddle which we all love! I think he has been a perfect addition to our family!   

I think that covers most of it for now. We hope you and your families have a WONDERFUL Christmas. We pray that the miracle of this season stays with you throught the upcoming year.  We are so blessed to have each of you in our lives and Jesus as our Saviour.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Pictures and Update

Well, I'm beginning to learn more about the new technology I have at my fingertips. I've finally uploaded some pictures using my new laptop!! Whoo-hoo!

Over the past couple of months we have accomplished 40 days of school, Nathan went with Allen and the football team to Ft. Campbell, we've been swimming with friends, football season has started and so has soccer and volleyball.

I've posted a couple of pictures of Nathan being soldier for the day, some of our new hummingbird feeder and Nicole in her new Chinese dress. Our assistant volleyball coach and his wife are from China and they always bring us great gifts back from their travel home.

We are all doing well. I'm still doing well and my recovery has been great. I will have another MRI the end of October/first part of November and see my neurosurgeon in November. I will keep you posted on how that goes.

Summer

WOW! This summer has gone by so fast it's been a blurr. And blurry in more ways than one! haha. The first couple weeks after my surgery were definitely a blurr!

Nathan has celebrated his 11th birthday and we have had fun with friends swimming, playing at the park and a full and exhausting day at the Water park.

We spent the 4th of July in Nashville and watched the fireworks from the bridge for about 5-10 minutes before the sky opened up and poured on us. We were totally soaked even with umbrellas before we made it back to our hotel. It will be a 4th to remember!

I saw my neuro-surgeon that same weekend and everything looked good he said. We did find out that my tumor was the fast growing kind, a grade II, so we will have an MRI in 6 months and keep a close eye on things. It may or may not grow back so in the mean time, we'll follow up with him and see how things go.

Again, I can't tell you all how much I have appreciated your prayers during this time. It has meant so much to me and Allen!

The kids and I will start back to school next week. The schools here are starting early and I want to have some days scheduled in for Dr. appointments and to make some football and basketball trips with Allen and finish in May.

I'd like to post some pictures, but we seem to be having some technical issues with our photo software. I'll post some when I can.