A Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

We've had as many as four people in the apartment before, but this weekend we had 13 people, and oh how we filled it, and oh how we loved the visit!

Gregory and Thomas and their families slept in a nearby hotel and Skyler, Connor, BrittanyJo, and Anthony stayed the night with us.

We took many photos, so I'll share a few here:
We met here together each day and ate and visited ...

and blew bubbles...

drew with side walk chalk...

"grew" sponge dinosaurs...

and opened several gifts:

We had so many birthdays that we sang "Happy birthday's to us!" What a silly song that sounded like, but still a fun thing for our memories to come. We sang to us all, but we didn't all get gifts this weekend.

Anthony's birthday is Wednesday, so we opened his gifts first.

Brayden's birthday is the following Wednesday, so we opened his next.

BrittanyJo's birthday is the 29th, so we opened hers next.

There were other gifts, but those photos might be on other cameras (but that isn't bad). It was, of course, also Mother's Day, and there were some awesome Mother's Day gifts, in addition to the awesome visit from family. One was a very cool apron, made by BrittanyJo and Adena. Elaine is wearing it here while preparing chicken for lunch.

And here is an awesome frame full of family photos.

It was a great weekend of celebration.

We also spent some time at the motel pool Saturday evening.

Tawny and Brayden loved jumping in.

Auger didn't want to get out!

So much fun!

Terry tossed pennies in for Anthony and BrittanyJo to get off the bottom of the pool.


Early Sunday morning Terry had a blood draw so those of us here at the apartment walked to the clinic and met those who stayed in the motel.

We took everyone up to the 6th floor to see the great view from the waiting room there.

We eventually had to say good-bye :(

We had 13 in the apartment, but there are 17 of us all in all. We were crowded, but we would have stuffed more in if it were possible. But, we know life is full of opportunities and responsibilities that makes it impossible to do what we want all of the time.

We missed Michael, but we know he is where he is supposed to be, so that makes things a lot better. We had a wonderful visit with him on the phone tonight, a call we look forward to for several months. He sounds good and is good! He loves the food, loves the people, and loves the work, and is presently in Omuta. He is doing well.

We missed Chase, who stayed home to attend a prom, and to participate in a tennis meet. He drove his grandparents to church today and spent the afternoon with them and some other great relatives :).

We also missed Brandon and Megan, but enjoyed a phone visit with him too. They are doing well and enjoying life in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

It's a bit late to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day, but we do hope that you had a great day and may you have a life full of joy.

Today was a day much like any other here for us the last few weeks; we went to a blood draw and then to a clinic appointment. Things are going as expected and experts are taking good care of Terry. We continue to feel that we are in good hands.
Terry's blood counts remain low and we learned that they will probably bounce around for a few more days still before they start heading upward again. So, we play more of the waiting game, and that's okay! The waiting game is going pretty good as we know it presently.
We did have a great mail day and thank the thoughtful senders for their thoughts and prayers and generosity. You're awesome! Thanks!

Terry is doing well!

We took a quick trip to the clinic for fluids and supplies, came back to the apartment and started Terry's fluids, and then had some visitors this afternoon.
My mom and dad came for the afternoon and we had a nice visit. I completed their photo albums and they were able to take them home with them.
It was nice to see them and have them visit us here.
It made for a great day! Thanks mom and dad! We love you!

A quick look at today:
- early blood draw.
- IV / hydration, all day (or so it seemed), but he is done for the day! Yeah!!!
- can take 2 fewer cyclosporine pills each morning and evening (so he's down to only 3 of the icky pills each dose).
- Becky brought us things from home. (Thanks so much! What a service to take time out of your busy schedule to think of us and help us out! We love you and hope you have a good week and an even better next week :)
- sorted and read the mail, paid some bills.
- did some online searching and even some creating.

Still to come:
- trying to solve a broken car problem the guys have at home.
- watching a movie tonight /don't know which one yet.

Labs and clinic visits today:
- Add one more medicine for blood pressure. (Common for transplant patients.)
- Stop using the mouth rinse for thrush. (Because it's better.)
- Add a second liter of hydration today and tomorrow, making 2 liters each day - wow! Started that late in the afternoon due to the clinic visits this morning, so we'll be hydrating till late tonight.
- Cyclosporine levels are high - caused some potassium increase, eat foods containing low levels of potassium, come in next day for blood draw to determine dosage of cyclosporine meds thereafter.
- Got new supplies and med refills.

Especially for Dennis and MaryAnn :)

Back to the 60's - Oh No!
And I don't mean the 1960's.

We took a little walk down to the office to pay our parking and get the box you/Dennis and MaryAnn, sent. Thank you! We will certainly enjoy!
After getting the box we went down to the lobby to get our mail. We had a letter from Brandon and Megan (thanks!) and a couple for someone who must have lived in this apartment before we came, so we took it back up to the office. After we left the office we went back to the stairs to come back to the apartment and started walking down the stairs ... um! ... we live up stairs from there. As I rounded the corner to head down another flight of stairs it dawned on me that I was going the wrong direction and Terry was traveling right along with me. Wow!
I don't know what was going on in my head to send me down instead of up, but we had a great laugh all the way back up those flights of stairs and to the apartment. I'm still laughing.

... I know, it must have rubbed off of the box! :)

This little senior moment has added some fun to our day. Maybe we just needed a good laugh. Thanks guys! We couldn't have done it without you.

This post will make sense mostly to Dennis and MaryAnn, others may struggle to find the humor. But, we had some fun senior moments with them while they were here, and they seem to be lingering.

OH! Maybe Dennis' cells are really kicking in!

All is Well!

I'm not sure what to write today.

Terry is doing well. We have discussed the fact that we expected worse than what he is experiencing and we are pleased that it is better than we thought. It is no picnic, but it is better than we thought.

Today is T-11, which is transplant day plus eleven days, so with 89 days to go we realize there is a long road still ahead and so much more to come. We hope we are ready!

We visited with the kids on the phone and on skype for awhile today. It is always fun to hear them and see that all is well.

I've mentioned a few things about the sights and sounds of Seattle in our past posts. Surely there will be more of that to come too. But it seems that today is just a simple do nothing day, with nothing much to say, except - All is Well!

God be with you till we meet again!

Our Adventure!

We decided to brave the roads today and drive to the clinic for our appointment and then go to the grocery store (and to a shoe store if I could talk Terry into it).

Well, we got to the car and it wouldn't start, so we walked to the clinic for his blood draw. When we got back Terry waited at the car in case someone would come by and he could have them help jump it, and I took the fluids we picked up at the pharmacy up to our refrigerator. By the time I got back down to the car he did have some help - many thanks to the kind lady! We have been so happy to ride with Dennis and MaryAnn while they were here and use the shuttle that we have left the car in the garage since we got here. It has been 19 days since we parked it there. That is a long time for us. I guess it just got tired of waiting and didn't want to go anymore.

We drove to Safeway where I did the shopping and Terry stayed in the car, leaving it running so we would have a way back. We also found a US Bank open and did some banking that we needed to do. We then found a place to purchase a battery and came back to the apartment. Terry began to work at replacing the battery and I began to carry groceries up to the apartment. I decided that I had indeed purchased too many groceries since it took me so many trips back and forth.

I helped Terry a little with the battery and by the time we were done and back to the apartment we both felt so exhausted that we sat to rest a bit.

We got a call from the clinic and learned that Terry has no fighting white blood cells, so he now needs a new medicine, starting tonight. So, I walked to the clinic for his meds, leaving Terry here, connected to his pump getting his fluids.

When I returned I told Terry that I had seen over 2 dozen boats on the lake, and looking out our window to see what we could see from our little view we saw the two sail boats that I mentioned in yesterday's post, so I got this picture from our deck.

That wonderful power pole is in perfect view isn't it!?!?!?

Terry suggested that I go up to the roof to get a better photo. I'd never been to the roof before, but had thought it would be a fun place to see.

I took the stairs just outside our door, and guess what? The door was locked and I couldn't get out onto the roof. So I went down a flight of stairs and walked around to a different set of stairs and then back up to the roof. That door worked!

This is the view I had when I walked out the door, onto the roof.

No wonder I couldn't get out the door on our side. That door does indeed go out to the roof, but it's not a patio roof, just the ugly roof top that the mechanics would want to get to.

Here is a view of the roof from the other direction. It isn't a large place, but it is the roof.

And this is the view of the ships on the lake from the roof.

I really don't want to climb any more stairs today and I don't want to walk to the clinic again. The clinic is uphill both ways. Really!

Oh, we never did make it to the shoe store. Maybe that will be an adventure for another day.