Our Weekend!

We have had a great few days.

I was in Ellensburg one day last week and drove down a street to find these lovely flowers.  I love this wild flower look and wanted to stop and take a picture.

So I turned right at the end of the block to pull in and take a picture of the flowers.  What a cute surprise!  I parked right in front of Mater.

I got a picture of him too, (I thought my grand kids would love to see him).  The flowers were fun to see, but the photos just don't show the beauty that I really saw.

I do appreciate how some people try to make their part of the world a beautiful place to be.  This look is so much more lovely than weeds and garbage.


BrittanyJo came home for the weekend.  She and I were going to head to Longview to get her patriarchal blessing.  My parents volunteered to come our way which saved her the extra travel and allowed her to be with her siblings and nieces and nephews here.  (I have awesome parents!)  

It is a wonderful thing to have a father that is a patriarch and can give these beautiful blessings to his grandchildren.


We stopped at the cemetery on the way home from church on Sunday.  My parents wanted to see the headstone.   Auger and Akleigh often like to ride home with us after church and they love to stop there too.  We saw another bunny today, but it was pretty quick at getting out of our way.

Auger read everything on the headstone as his Grandpa Rodeback pointed out each word, name, and date.  

We happened to be there when David and Shawna came too.

Oh!  Auger saw his name too, as he read his Grandpa Keith's name on their headstone.  

Our house was filled with family and noise and fun and love Sunday evening.

BJo is back to Rexburg and my parents are back in Longview and it's just the three of us again, but it was a great weekend.  (Missing them already!)

A bit of farm life over the weekend - Auger was with his dad checking the circle in the Timothy. Thomas (while up on the circle) got a picture of Auger standing in that field, trying to find his way around.  Our crops are growing, and so are our children and grandchildren.

Oh, almost forgot - I wanted to share this photo too.  While in Ellensburg getting my hair done I saw this picture hanging on the wall.  It brought a smile to my heart.  These 12 Man signs and flags often do bring a smile to my heart because they bring back fond memories of fun times in Seattle.

Being Home ...

It's time for a new post isn't it?!?!?  I've been wanting to post something for awhile now, and just haven't done it.  Today is the day ..., and it's a long one.  I should do short posts more often, but it just didn't happen that way this time. 

I think things are beginning to feel a bit more "normal" around here.  It's kind of a new normal, but it's becoming a more comfortable place.  All of our stuff from Seattle is put away, but there is still much to do because I'm still focusing on things that need deep cleaned and organized.  I've been trying to do that for a few years now, so that is certainly normal for me.

I have accomplished a few things on the list, like cleaning the pantry and food storage areas.  That makes me feel good.  My biggest accomplishment last week was that I cleaned the pump house.  WOW!  I haven't done that in a long time, so that feels good.

I went to Moses Lake for the first time in over 6 months.  Another WOW!  It felt a bit strange, especially because I was alone.  I haven't done that much lately.  Just in case I was feeling a bit like I was missing Seattle, someone along the highway hung a 12th man flag from their home to make me feel better.  I assure you that I do feel at home, but as much as I don't miss Seattle, that flag did make me smile.   I went to pick up some medication for Terry.  I stopped at a few stores just to see if I could find something I'd like to buy and nothing seemed to call my name, except for the movie Frozen. 

 

 

(We'll be watching that tonight. I love the good in that movie and the family love that prevails. It's Fun!) 

 

I spent more on the medication than on other things combined that day.  That is a good thing too, because if I'm trying to clean and organize this place it's good not to bring other things in to the clutter.  I do feel like I'm having a hard time letting things go though.  I'm trying to create a Goodwill or yard sale box and it's not as easy as I hoped.  I need to be able to let go of things easier.  How do I do that? 

Medical needs are still number one around here, but they are also taking a back seat to other things.  That sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it.  I guess I just mean to say that it's getting easier trying to combine it all - in daily tasks and in my head. We are getting Terry's hydration (4 hour infusion) done daily and his medicines are getting taken regularly as well.  Some days it still feels tricky with some of the scheduling, but it's working okay.  It's nice to only have one appointment a week for a few weeks before starting the daily chemo treatments again.  Terry is feeling a little less nauseated now after being off chemo for a week.  We hope it lasts.  He still doesn't have a lot of energy, and wishes for more.  Oh!  The BK virus (urine infection) is gone - that is definitely a good thing.   He would love to be out with the guys more, but has only been able to spend a couple hours a few days with them and feels pretty wiped out afterward.  It's still good to be home and a part of the support system.

We were able to attend church meetings again Sunday and it was a lovely day.  By the end of Sacrament meeting the spirit was touching my heart and soul very strongly.  I was feeling grateful to be there for the third Sunday in a row since we moved back home.  Sunday School and Relief Society were also great meetings and by the end of RS my heart was overflowing with gratitude for the opportunity to be there and to feel of the spirit that was ever present that day, (and missed so many Sundays in Seattle - it was good to feel it).  If it's like the first transplant, it will take me a while to feel like I've picked up where I left off (spiritually), but it's good to feel it happening already.  I am so grateful for the gospel, for leaders and teachers and friends and family who teach and testify and serve to bless lives.  I feel blessed!  I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and for His Son, our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

I neglected to post about this last week - on our way home from Church last Sunday we were able to help a friend replace a flat tire. We were in our church clothes and they got a bit dirty, but we all agreed that it felt so good to be helpful and give of ourselves to help another. 

It wasn't long before a friend showed up to help us help another.  Serving and giving is a great thing in life. What a blessing it is to all involved. (BJO got these photos with her phone - maybe I need a new phone so I can take photos like this too. But then again, I don't need to be learning about a new phone right now.)

Being involved and  serving leads me to our missionary sons, Elders Connor and Chase...
We have received Chase's release date - June 25th - only three months from now.  We can tell with his letters that he is finishing strong.  He loves the area he is in and the people there.  We can feel that his testimony continues to be strengthened as he continues to serve.  He read the Book of Mormon from beginning to end through the month of January and is currently reading the Old Testament with plans to have it completed before he is released.

Connor is doing great as well.  He is just over his one year mark (end of Jan.) and is going strong.  He too is strengthening his testimony as he helps others.  He is training a new missionary that is older than he is and it's feeling a bit odd for him, but he loves the work and is anxiously engaged in a good cause.

It's been great to have the kids stop in on occasion and we love the hugs and attention from the grandkids.  It is awesome to see them at church across the way and get the sweet smiles and waves filled with love and then the hugs that follow.  We had family over Sunday evening and it was fun to be with them.

 

We look forward to more gatherings and visits from other family members through the next few months. We'll try to remember to get photos and post about those great moments yet to come.  Life is getting busier and busier with the upcoming events this year.  I hope I don't crash ..., but then ..., if I do it won't be the first time and I know from past experience that I will get up and dust myself off and get going again.  Much like little children that fall to the floor and jump up and go some more.  It happens all the time doesn't it! 

BrittanyJo has been helping with the little girls basketball each weekend and Anthony has begun tennis.  I'm hoping for some good weather to be outside and cleaning this week - it needs it.  But there is still enough to do in the house if not. 

Life is happening around us ... and LIFE IS GOOD!



A Report!

Good news - boxes are no longer stacked in the family room, and my stuff room is re-organized (as good as it can get before I finish scrapbooking and find a place for a few things being stuffed in there until they have a place of their own).

The pantries are re-organized, but the kitchen counter is still cluttered with medical supplies and I have not yet determined where I'm going to store them.  One thing I know for sure, is that I don't like them on the kitchen counter.   I'll get that figured out this week if things go well. 

There are a few boxes left to take care of in our bedroom, including a suit case I need to finish unpacking.  I have a lot of organizing to do in many other areas of the house, but I am excited for the challenge and look forward to each completion.

I had to take a break from the cleaning and organizing to figure out our tax info, and that seemed a bit challenging trying to find records.  When I am at home I have a place for those papers, but at Seattle things got a bit confusing ..., and bringing them home was even worse.   The good thing is that those things are now put in their proper place.  It just seemed a bit un-nerving to me at the time, trying to find the things I needed in the piles of things to put away.

Life is supposed to be getting normal for me, but this new normal is still a bit off and I hope to find it soon.  Day to day life is happening here.  I'm finding it tricky to get used to all this again.  Wow! 

Medicine changes are happening, which makes timing a bit easier, but we are still hydrating daily.  It is nice to have our 5 days of Vidaza infusions complete now.  No more trips to Wenatchee this week!   That ought to help our transition into our home life become a bit smoother.  Our next appointment is Tuesday.  We will have a weekly appointment to see the doctor and get blood work done.

Terry is feeling nauseated and icky, and lacking in energy/stamina.  Other than that, he is fine!  ;)

It was a no school day today so we took the kids to Wenatchee with us and did some much needed shopping for them.   We saw a couple 12 Flags in our travels today ..., reminding us of the sights and sounds of Seattle.   Anthony got some more driving time in, but the wind made it really tricky.  It not only blew us around, but it made visibility difficult (if not impossible) at times with the sand blowing across the road.  We made it home safely and were happy to be inside, away from the blistery day.  Ah, the comforts of life!   We are lucky!

We are BLESSED!


Well, I'm waiting up for BJo, so I think I'll find something constructive to do ....

SCCA sent us a box of supplies we have to put together and take to the clinic each week, so I guess that will be a good and quiet constructive activity for me till she gets home.

 

(the styrofoam boxes hold a vial)

 (one of everything!)

I will only do a few, because they take up more room when they are all put together - and then where would I store them all?  Oh Bother!

We're Back!

Ok, here is a quick run down of the day.  Quick, because we just got home from the clinic at 9:40pm.

4:00am - garbage is picked up just outside our window.  Makes a rooster sound like fun.  ;)

8:00am - visit with the oral doc who said there is "mild signs of GVHD" in Terry's mouth and on his lips.  As he explained things it was so interesting to see what he was talking about and to know that is what it is.  Not really visible unless you are looking for it.

9:15am - lab draw.

10:15am - Team clinic visit.  Didn't really learn anything new, except that the blood counts are lower today (every one of them), making it necessary to come back for a red blood cell transfusion today.

WBC = 0.90(L)
RBC = 2.61(L)
HCT = 25(L) below the magic number, making red cells necessary.
PLT = 45(L)
ANC = 0.42(C)

Creatinine is the lucky winner for the day at 0.98 - excellent for Terry. 

11:00am (we were late because our team visit didn't get done until 11:20 or so) - GI consult to discuss GVHD. 

We made it home for lunch at about 12:30

Emptied a few more boxes and organized a few more things.  Still 3 more boxes and organizing to go.
Received hydration supplies from Coram around 3:30, so we began hydration.

5:30pm - Red blood cells at infusion room.

Walked home in the dark of night.  I borrowed a blanket from the infusion room so I could wrap it around me since I didn't have my coat.  Oh Bother!  It wasn't too bad, except my ears are still cold.  ;)  I feel pretty lucky that it wasn't a terribly cold night.   Entered apartment about 9:40pm. 

PS - saw a car with a 12 flag out each front window and each back window had writing on it.  Drivers side said 12th Man and the passenger side said 12th Woman.  :) 

Good Night!  

Great Weekend!

Our weekend ...

We stopped at the mail box before we left the apartment, so we could put our address box change inside our box, and we found this lovely box of valentines to brighten our day. 

 

We enjoyed the grandchildren and they enjoyed being together.

And we loved our baby ... Boston Drew Hebdon.  (Both baby and mom are doing well.  That's always interesting though, that one can be doing fine when there are so many aches and pains involved.  It's perspective I guess.  State of mind as much as physical state.)

It was nice to be home for more than 24 hours this time, but it was still over too soon.  I get so happy to see my family and busy that I forget to take enough pictures, but I'm happy to have a couple.

Our drive back to Seattle was slow but not too eventful.  Before we got to Ellensburg we had seen wind, rain, snow, and anywhere from 50 to 35 degree weather, but the roads were fine if the wind didn't blow you around too badly.  Then just west of Easton the traffic began to slow down.  We weren't sure why, but we were creeping.  From there to the east of North Bend we had several miles of 1 mph driving, several 4 mph, and we even got up to 10 mph.  Eventually we were able to go 20 to 35 mph.  We were slower goers for quite awhile.  We stopped at North Bend for groceries and dinner - just fast food, but I was worried about how I was going to make dinner when everything was boxed up - it would have taken forever.  We made it back into the apartment at about 6:00pm.  Maybe a few minutes earlier???

It was filled with boxes, just the way we left it, but the beds were made, the heater was fixed and back together, the extra table and things sitting around that didn't belong had been taken out, the towels I brought from the other apartment were replaced with nicer towels (lucky us) and the shower curtains had been installed.  Oh, the lock on the door is now working too. 

It was cold so we had to warm the place up.  I warmed myself up trying to unload boxes as quickly and efficiently as I could and finally dropped into bed at 10:10pm.  Things are not completely put away, but it's mostly my scrapbooking stuff that still needs arranged, and my just a few other things that shouldn't be too tricky.  Now we can find things we need.  That became quite the trick last night as we were working with meds and hydration.  (we took enough for while we were gone, but had to sort through for things we needed when we got back.)  I'll try to put photos of the apartment up soon.

For now, here is what we see as we sit at the table with the computer.

 
The Space Needle is a lovely view.  Too bad it wasn't our view thru the holiday and game days.  The other bright lights are cranes.  We do see a few of those.  I promise to get all the boxes and junk put away before I take another photo in here.

Just barely visible, if you know what it is, is a blue square in the right side of the window.  This photo is especially for Auger, and here is a close up. Can you tell what it is?  Fans are still alive and well in Seattle.

It was worth leaving boxes filled and heading home for a few days.  We'll see what the next weekend brings.  We have a busy week and we start early this morning, so I'm ending this post here.  I'll be back to post about the day later tonight. 

Have a good one!

Weekend Visit

We had a wonderful visit with the kids this weekend.  We went to the Woodland Park Zoo Saturday, we had an ice cream party (Auger and Akleigh earned by reading books), and we put a puzzle together.  I took a few photos and BJo took some photos so we have several to share.

Looking at the zebras ...

the elephant ...

 

 

playing in the cave ...

 

 

viewing the orangutan ...

 

 

On the way here the kids saw the 12th Man Flags everywhere, so on the way to the zoo Auger would yell it out when he saw one.  He was so excited to find each one, and we even saw a few in the zoo ... and we heard about it ;), and even encouraged it by showing him one if we saw it.  Fun times!

 

 

The puzzle we put together was a panoramic puzzle over 3 feet wide (less than a foot tall) ...

 

 

pretty birds on a branch ... 

 

 

We had a great visit and enjoyed being together ...

 

 

 

We didn't watch the big game Sunday, but on occasion throughout the game we would hear some yelling and celebrating going on around us, which made us wonder if there was a touch down or some other wonderful play being made by the Seahawks.

 

The town was all a buzz for several hours after the game ended. People yelling and carrying on, traffic picked up on the roads from one or two cars a minute to almost the normal full lanes everywhere and there was honking all around.  Pedestrians went from almost zero to several and each group was yelling and waving and encouraging cars to honk. We heard a few fireworks going off every once in awhile as well.    We thought that all of the noise subsided around 10:00pm, but at 10:30 we heard more fireworks.  Imagine the talk of the town the next day ....

PS
BJo showed me some photos Michael took while he and Elsie were here, so I added them to that post HERE - you wont wanna miss em!

Early Saturday ... Avoided Catastrophe

My sister sent me this photo wondering if we had seen the Space Needle like this. 

 

From Sea to shining Sea(hawks)!

Credit: Bennett Smith (a Seattleite living in NJ!)

 

 

We don't get out much at night and we have no view of it from our windows.  So, this morning I was curious and headed up the stairs to the roof to see what I could see.  Surely with the big game tomorrow it would be lit up, and I was curious to find out.

 

This is what I saw

 

 

Not quite as bright - the blue was not very noticeable.  Maybe from a different view point or time of night it would be better, but this was still fun to see.

 

 

Now, about the avoided catastrophe ...

 

Of course it was dark when I stepped out into the garden area.  I only stepped out a couple steps for the picture and was going to go back in.  But I felt like I might be a little unsteady and taking night shots are a bit blurry, especially if not steady, so I walked over to the far edge where there is a view finder to rest my camera on and take a better photo.

 

Half way there I walked around a planter (on my right) and my left foot came down on what felt like a pipe or board on the floor.  I couldn't see very well, but looked down to see if I could tell what I stepped on so I could be careful when I came back.

 

OH MY!

 

There was no floor!  Just the joists!  

 

I had luckily stepped right on one joist right in the middle area of my foot so I was stable and upright.  ;)    Had I not stepped on that joist I would have gone down and it wouldn't have been pretty.  It was dark enough that I couldn't see how far down I would have gone, but I would guess at least a foot or so.  I could have broken a leg or arm or rib or ....  Not sure how I would have landed or caught myself.  Maybe I'd be passed out and still up there instead of here writing this. Maybe I'd be laying there squealing like the lady next door.  (okay, maybe that's not funny, and I don't mean it in a mean way toward her, but sometimes we just have to smile at our misfortunes...)   Luckily I did tell Terry where I was going, so I'm sure it wouldn't have been too long before he came looking, and then if he couldn't see ....   Oh Bother!

 

I couldn't believe they didn't have that roped off or signs to help us know what was going on.  I'm heading to the office today to kindly suggest an addition of rope, tape, and or signs, because some of us do go to the roof in the dark of the night or morning hours.

 

I feel blessed to be safe and sound!  I do believe that Someone is watching out for us!

 

 

Oh, I forgot to show you the flag on the wall at the lab check in station.

 

 

We have seen it there before, but I either haven't had my camera or there were just too many people in the way.  Yesterday I had a clear shot for about one minute and then it began to buzz with people again.  I didn't even notice the banner on the counter when I took the photo, but there were people standing there just to the left of this view so I couldn't have seen more of it even if I tried.

 

We check in for labs at that counter.  The nurse then comes through the door and calls our name when he/she is ready for us.  We go through those doors into a large room with several stations set up for blood draw.  Maybe I can get a photo of that some weekend when there aren't too many people in there. 

 

 

Well, I don't have any medical news.  Just some sights and sounds from Seattle. 

 

I'm not sure if I'll post tonight or tomorrow because there won't be any more medical news until Tuesday, unless something unforeseen happens.  We aren't planning on that ..., and I think I'll not go to the roof in the dark again for awhile.

 

 

 

It's Friday!

Terry had a hard time sleeping so he worked on the puzzle while he was up last night.  We got it finished this morning before breakfast. 

It's really a pretty scene, but we were surprised at the many different colors that showed up throughout.  It kept us on our toes and surprised us on occasion when we found pieces that fit.

We went to the clinic for blood draw and a team visit, but when we showed up for our visit we learned that it was no longer needed.  We take that as good news since they didn't have anything to tell us.  Remember that the chemo infusion doesn't work fast enough to know if it is helping yet and the blood counts are lowering again because of medications, so we are kind of on hold for now. We'll see them Tuesday and see if there is any other news.  For now Terry is achy and exhausted (probably because of the low counts), we keep trying to walk and exercise to help him rebuild muscle and strength. 

We walked back and after lunch we walked down to find a bank that was supposed to be a few blocks away.  The internet was a bit slow at telling us that the spot the bank was in is now an empty lot waiting for construction.  (It doesn't have Bartell Drugs on the map and we know it is here.)  There is so much construction going on that they apparently can't keep up with it. It is everywhere, like in this photo here ...

 

Perhaps you noticed the 12 flag on the upper right corner of the building project????  We saw many of those and other signs of Seahawks everywhere.  We've heard about the rally going on down town today and we were warned to stay away or we might not make it back.   The talk of the town is the upcoming game.



 

 

 

This next flag might be hard to see, but it's kinda centered in the photo above the white flag.

 

And we do see a lot of those little cars all the time.  They are everywhere ... Car2Go.

I forgot to mention that we saw some flags on our walk yesterday.  Here is one ...

 

And we saw this pig.  It must be related to the pig we saw at Pike Market a few years ago.

We stopped at Bartell's along the way and got some reading glasses for Terry.  We found more signs that this is the Seahawks territory.  The 12th Man/Fan is definitely big around here.  Maybe we'd find it in stores at home too, but I guess I don't really pay attention to it, or maybe I'm not in the stores when these things are.

 

We have walked this route before, but today it was at lunch time and we saw all kinds of food trucks and stands selling lunch along the city sidewalks.   Those trucks are all in addition to the little cafes tucked in everywhere already.  We had eaten so we didn't stop at any of those places ... I think those food trucks are off limits for Terry at this point anyway.   

As I write this I hear the sirens close by again, which fits right in as we share about a few of the Sights and Sounds of Seattle.

There was still a lot of time left in the day when we got back to the apartment. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hydrating, infusing Ganciclovir, watching TV, putting our feet up, doing laundry, making cranberry bread (from the muffin mix we were given in our Christmas package) and scrapbooking.   It always seems strange when we can fill our day with walks and appointments and still have so much time left. Some days seem really long because it feels like we have spent so much time already doing the things we've done, but it's no time at all compared to what we do and are familiar with in our real world ..., back home.


We still have more time today ...
and we've even checked off publish a post on the blog.