Have a wonderful new year celebration!
May your new year be filled with love, peace, and joy!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
CHRISTMAS!
Christmas was wonderful!
I can't believe that I'm unable to find other words to say about it -(maybe it's because I'm still in the middle of the fun) - it really was great, we enjoyed it all, and look forward to this next week without school.
We enjoyed our Hebdon family gathering, and are sharing photos at this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ElaineHebdon/HebdonHoliday2008?feat=directlink
(I wish I had better photos)
We hope your Christmas was great too!
I can't believe that I'm unable to find other words to say about it -(maybe it's because I'm still in the middle of the fun) - it really was great, we enjoyed it all, and look forward to this next week without school.
We enjoyed our Hebdon family gathering, and are sharing photos at this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ElaineHebdon/HebdonHoliday2008?feat=directlink
(I wish I had better photos)
We hope your Christmas was great too!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Christmas Angel
We attended a play last night. The high school drama club is performing it, and Chase is one of the characters - Russell. It was so fun to see the kids enjoying it and to have them involved in a good cause. It added much to the season in many ways and sometimes during the weeks of rehearsal I wished we didn't have that one more thing to hassle with, but it was rewarding to see it performed the first night, and we look forward to attending it again today at 3:00 and I think 6:00. Good Job guys!Find more photos at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ElaineHebdon/ChristmasAngelPlay?feat=directlink
How Did It Go?
Many have wondered how the treatments have been going for Terry this week. Well, we are happy to have no more daily traveling for awhile:) Terry doesn't seem to be into blogging like I am (Elaine), so I get to tell it how I see it. I should ask him, but he is asleep. The hardest part might have been the first day when they couldn't put the mid line (or whatever it's called) into one arm, so had to try on the other arm. I know that was the hardest part for me to handle. Or, maybe it was when he couldn't sleep one night, or when he was so tired the next evening from not sleeping the night before. Then again, maybe it was the end of the week when he seemed to be feeling the effects accumulate and was just feeling icky. Over all, it was a good week. Each treatment took only an hour or so - maybe an hour and a half by the time it was all said and done, except for the first one when they put the line in his arm, and Wednesday's treatment when we had to wait longer to get into the infusion room than it takes to get that infusion. He had no pain or major discomfort, no throwing up, no back pain or trembling, no exhaustion thru the week, and was generally well thru it all (I am comparing this treatment to the past treatments, which were not so pleasant at all). The wonderful thing is that the lymph nodes are already shrinking. So amazing! It's awesome to feel and see the improvement, even after the first treatment. I reached over and put my hand on his neck the first night and was sure that I felt a difference. I would never believe it if I didn't feel it myself. When I noticed it I wonder if I was making it up because I was wanting it for him so bad. But, then the next day it was even a little better. It wasn't major changes, probably no one else could tell, but it was noticeable changes for us, and we hope that it just keeps on happening that way. He is done for the week and will have three weeks off before starting up again. He will have lab work and a doctor visit before beginning his next round on January 12th. We will report again after that visit.
Monday, December 15, 2008
WHAT HAPPENED?
Much has happened this past week, and without time to post each separately. Sorry it is such a long post. (I can't just leave it out!)
HEALTH:
Terry had a doctor visit Monday, a CAT scan Tuesday, and another doctor visit Wednesday. The report is that he starts a new chemo treatment Monday the 15th of Dec. This set of treatments is called fludarabine, will be given once a day for five days in a row, every 4 weeks, for about 6 rotations. They say that this should be easier on him than the last chemo he had, so we are anxious to find out if that is the case. Each treatment should take no more than an hour, where the last kind took him anywhere from 9 hours to about 5 hours each. We will have to drive every day for this kind, and that isn't too exciting if there is snow. These treatments can be done in Wenatchee or in Moses Lake, depending upon our request and their availability at the time. Moses Lake is more limited, with only 3 chairs, but Wenatchee has at least 18. Nothing new about the stem cell transplant, except that we plan to have a consultation set up for sometime this spring.
WOW!
Elaine got her hair cut. Not too newsworthy, because the style didn't change too much, but it is quite a change since she got about 12 inches taken off. It still lays slightly over or at the shoulder, and used to be to her waist.
TRAVEL / COLLEGE / COUNSEL / FAMILY:
We left for Rexburg after school Thursday, spent the night in Ontario, and went the rest of the way Friday. Friday night we attended BYU-I graduation. It was very satisfying to have our children there among the graduates. Megan - Political Science, and Brandon - Construction Management/Architecture? Megan is done, Brandon will continue until Spring. The ceremony was beautiful, not in decor, but in Spirit. Such wonderful advice was given, I had to write it down. I'll share just a bit here, cause it's important for us all, and I want to remember it.
President Clark - 1. Do not let the world get into your heart, pay a full tithe and a generous fast offerings..., 2. Always accept and always magnify callings, and always volunteer (be the first to say "Here am I, send me!")...., 3. Keep the Spirit with you, don't drive it away.... You have a marvelous destiny.
President Uchtdorf - Don't be guided by your fears, be guided by the Lord. 1. Draw near unto Him. You need Him, He wants to help you..., 2. Continue learning, by study and by faith..., 3. Organize yourselves and prepare every needful thing. Establish a house of order.... Establish divine priorities. Never compromise your devotion to the Lord. Eliminate all unessential. You sow what you reap. Make your life an eternal success story. You have the potential to raise a righteous, eternal posterity. You can do this. GO FORWARD AND BE GOOD!
I really enjoyed the graduation and the goodness that we felt there.
Equally satisfying was the fact that we saw family. Of course, we saw Brandon and Megan. Gregory and Adena and their kids came too, so we enjoyed being with them for a short while before they move to Blythe, California the end of this month. We were able to meet more of Megan's family and see her parents again. And, we got to visit with Bryan and Sherri and their children for about an hour before heading home. Family is where it's at! Another thing they said at graduation was - don't focus on money, family is most important! We agree!
We left Rexburg Saturday afternoon because of the snow storms, but got out of the snow about a couple hours or so out of Idaho Falls. We had good roads then the rest of the day, and stopped at Mountain Home for the night. It snowed that night and we had snowy roads all the way to our home, taking us about and hour and a half longer than normal to get here, but we had no problems of our own, though we saw a few other vehicles with some issues. It was a great visit, and we are glad we were able to go, but we are happy to be in the comfort and warmth and safety of our own home.
PATRIARCHS:
Elaine's father has been released from the Stake Presidency in Longview, and is now called as the Stake Patriarch. This has brought with it a great feeling, one almost of rejoicing. It is so satisfying to know that our father / grandfather is worthy and willing to accept such a responsibility. We know that our Heavenly Father loves him and trusts him to fulfil this calling well. We too, know that he will. This call makes us want to be a bit better, and someone that he can be pleased to call his daughter, his son, his grandchild. We are certainly pleased to call him our father / grandfather. We do not want to tarnish his name. We love him. We hope to rise to the occasion, and we ask for forgiveness for our weaknesses and short comings.
Now, equally important is our mother / grandmother who is at his side and supporting him in this new responsibility, just as she has been for over 50 years now. Much will be required of her with this calling, and we know that she will be an angel at his side, still.
GREETINGS:
We are loving the Christmas greetings that have been sent our way. We are finding a few more family and friends with blogs and are enjoying checking in on them occasionally. Blogging is awesome! It is one of my favorite ways to send and receive greetings, even if it is somewhat limited in audience. I don't require much for an audience :) It's probably best to have only a few :) And, it only has to be viewed by those who want to view it. Our newsletter this year was quite simple and not so informative of what happened for the year, but we have been blogging for most of the year now and hope that others can keep updated thru that venue. We do enjoy sending Christmas greetings, and hope that our newsletter did or does accomplish that.
FRIENDS:
We were happy to attend Jake and Portia's ward last week for Conner's blessing. We are so excited for their family. We went to their house for lunch after church and found a pleasant surprise. As we were all introducing ourselves a familiar name was said, one that is not very common, so it tugged on Elaine's heart and reminded her of a good friend in school - all twelve or thirteen years of school. It was the same name, and surprise - even the same person - Dee Dee was there with her husband and couple children. What a welcome reunion it was. She is still a wonderful person (of course), and she has a great family. We hope that life continues to treat them well.
HEALTH:
Terry had a doctor visit Monday, a CAT scan Tuesday, and another doctor visit Wednesday. The report is that he starts a new chemo treatment Monday the 15th of Dec. This set of treatments is called fludarabine, will be given once a day for five days in a row, every 4 weeks, for about 6 rotations. They say that this should be easier on him than the last chemo he had, so we are anxious to find out if that is the case. Each treatment should take no more than an hour, where the last kind took him anywhere from 9 hours to about 5 hours each. We will have to drive every day for this kind, and that isn't too exciting if there is snow. These treatments can be done in Wenatchee or in Moses Lake, depending upon our request and their availability at the time. Moses Lake is more limited, with only 3 chairs, but Wenatchee has at least 18. Nothing new about the stem cell transplant, except that we plan to have a consultation set up for sometime this spring.
WOW!
Elaine got her hair cut. Not too newsworthy, because the style didn't change too much, but it is quite a change since she got about 12 inches taken off. It still lays slightly over or at the shoulder, and used to be to her waist.
TRAVEL / COLLEGE / COUNSEL / FAMILY:
We left for Rexburg after school Thursday, spent the night in Ontario, and went the rest of the way Friday. Friday night we attended BYU-I graduation. It was very satisfying to have our children there among the graduates. Megan - Political Science, and Brandon - Construction Management/Architecture? Megan is done, Brandon will continue until Spring. The ceremony was beautiful, not in decor, but in Spirit. Such wonderful advice was given, I had to write it down. I'll share just a bit here, cause it's important for us all, and I want to remember it.
President Clark - 1. Do not let the world get into your heart, pay a full tithe and a generous fast offerings..., 2. Always accept and always magnify callings, and always volunteer (be the first to say "Here am I, send me!")...., 3. Keep the Spirit with you, don't drive it away.... You have a marvelous destiny.
President Uchtdorf - Don't be guided by your fears, be guided by the Lord. 1. Draw near unto Him. You need Him, He wants to help you..., 2. Continue learning, by study and by faith..., 3. Organize yourselves and prepare every needful thing. Establish a house of order.... Establish divine priorities. Never compromise your devotion to the Lord. Eliminate all unessential. You sow what you reap. Make your life an eternal success story. You have the potential to raise a righteous, eternal posterity. You can do this. GO FORWARD AND BE GOOD!
I really enjoyed the graduation and the goodness that we felt there.
Equally satisfying was the fact that we saw family. Of course, we saw Brandon and Megan. Gregory and Adena and their kids came too, so we enjoyed being with them for a short while before they move to Blythe, California the end of this month. We were able to meet more of Megan's family and see her parents again. And, we got to visit with Bryan and Sherri and their children for about an hour before heading home. Family is where it's at! Another thing they said at graduation was - don't focus on money, family is most important! We agree!
We left Rexburg Saturday afternoon because of the snow storms, but got out of the snow about a couple hours or so out of Idaho Falls. We had good roads then the rest of the day, and stopped at Mountain Home for the night. It snowed that night and we had snowy roads all the way to our home, taking us about and hour and a half longer than normal to get here, but we had no problems of our own, though we saw a few other vehicles with some issues. It was a great visit, and we are glad we were able to go, but we are happy to be in the comfort and warmth and safety of our own home.
PATRIARCHS:
Elaine's father has been released from the Stake Presidency in Longview, and is now called as the Stake Patriarch. This has brought with it a great feeling, one almost of rejoicing. It is so satisfying to know that our father / grandfather is worthy and willing to accept such a responsibility. We know that our Heavenly Father loves him and trusts him to fulfil this calling well. We too, know that he will. This call makes us want to be a bit better, and someone that he can be pleased to call his daughter, his son, his grandchild. We are certainly pleased to call him our father / grandfather. We do not want to tarnish his name. We love him. We hope to rise to the occasion, and we ask for forgiveness for our weaknesses and short comings.
Now, equally important is our mother / grandmother who is at his side and supporting him in this new responsibility, just as she has been for over 50 years now. Much will be required of her with this calling, and we know that she will be an angel at his side, still.
GREETINGS:
We are loving the Christmas greetings that have been sent our way. We are finding a few more family and friends with blogs and are enjoying checking in on them occasionally. Blogging is awesome! It is one of my favorite ways to send and receive greetings, even if it is somewhat limited in audience. I don't require much for an audience :) It's probably best to have only a few :) And, it only has to be viewed by those who want to view it. Our newsletter this year was quite simple and not so informative of what happened for the year, but we have been blogging for most of the year now and hope that others can keep updated thru that venue. We do enjoy sending Christmas greetings, and hope that our newsletter did or does accomplish that.
FRIENDS:
We were happy to attend Jake and Portia's ward last week for Conner's blessing. We are so excited for their family. We went to their house for lunch after church and found a pleasant surprise. As we were all introducing ourselves a familiar name was said, one that is not very common, so it tugged on Elaine's heart and reminded her of a good friend in school - all twelve or thirteen years of school. It was the same name, and surprise - even the same person - Dee Dee was there with her husband and couple children. What a welcome reunion it was. She is still a wonderful person (of course), and she has a great family. We hope that life continues to treat them well.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SKYLER! December 4th
Here he is with Santa, just over 2 weeks old.
Here he is almost 21 years later and he's not so tiny, but this guy is still bigger!
Remember, Skyler is not short as it may seem in this photo ;).
Here he is almost 21 years later and he's not so tiny, but this guy is still bigger!
Remember, Skyler is not short as it may seem in this photo ;).
Come What May, And Love It!
We love Elder Wirthlin's message from October General Conference, and will surely remember it for a very long time. We love his mother's advice and we want to remember it too - Come what may, and love it! We remember his previous message as he stood speaking as if nothing was wrong, but he was so shaky we thought he might tumble to the floor. We remember Elder Nelson came to his side and tenderly stood beside him to help steady him as he continued without hesitation. His voice was also shaky, and somewhat weak. It seemed that he had to almost force his words out because of his poor health, yet he spoke loud and clear as he testified of the truths he was sharing with us. He shared many other things with us that moment as we saw how he endured and how devoted he was to our Savior and His teachings. He was a man of faith. With his death comes a sadness for us, but also a joy knowing he is again with his beloved wife. I just finished reading a great Christmas memory of Elder Wirthlin, whom we will miss, and I want to share it here. Maybe you will enjoy it too.
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56193/Silent-night-Holy-night.html
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56193/Silent-night-Holy-night.html
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
CHRISTMAS!
I like what I read here and thought I'd share it with others, so I copied the link and pasted it here. It is titled "Managing Christmas instead of Christmas managing you". I've been creating lists for a long time now, but have had a hard time with my lists this fall, so this was a reminder to me of how much it really does help. It's more extensive than I might use, but it's worth reading.
http://ldslivingmagazine.com/articles/show/1791
I'd be curious to know how you liked it, or not:)
Have a Merry Christmas, and may that merriment begin now!
http://ldslivingmagazine.com/articles/show/1791
I'd be curious to know how you liked it, or not:)
Have a Merry Christmas, and may that merriment begin now!
Monday, December 1, 2008
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
We really enjoy Thanksgiving and especially when our harvest is complete, as it was this year. Throughout that holiday I look forward to Christmas with great anticipation. It all seems to fit together so well - being thankful, and Christ. It's so satisfying and peaceful!We have been enjoying Christmas music for a couple weeks now and it brings such a great feeling with it. With all this wonderful feeling inside, I still feel somewhat like a scrooge this year. I'm not sure I want to do the Santa thing. Santa stands for something wonderful and good, but I don't look forward to all the time and effort that Santa requires. I really want my children to get in on the giving end of the holiday and not focus on the receiving end so much. I love the lights and decorations, but this year I even want to keep that simple.
As I think about it, I realize that most of the music I listen to isn't about Santa or reindeers, it's about Jesus, His birth, peace, believing, gathering with family and friends, and keeping those wonderful feelings all year round. No wonder I love it. That is where the true peace comes, no matter what goes on around us. We are back to those two things again - being thankful and Christ.
I want to let the hustle and bustle of the season go and enjoy the peaceful part of Christmas and find the joy that comes from celebrating this holiday for the real reason we have it. So, I'll keep listening to the music, and I'll keep doing all I can to center our lives around Christ and His goodness, and being thankful.
Maybe I'm not a scrooge after all. We will have Christmas at our house. There is room for Him here! We need to make room for Him every day, all year, so that joy will never cease.
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