Memorial Weekend Update

Well we have been pretty eventful since the last time I posted. Thursday afternoon we had crazy weather here. There were a bunch of tornados that touched down, the largest in Jon's home town of Windsor where his parents still live. There was massive destruction there but thankfully Jon's parents were safe and their house and vehicles only received minimal damage compared to a large majority of the town. A friend just emailed me this picture of the tornado before it hit. Isn't it amazing?

Needless to say we spent a large part of the day on tornado warning and in the basement with the kids. Most of the schools in the area were on lock down and preparing for the worst. Thank goodness there wasn't one here in Loveland.

That pretty much screwed the day for preparation to go camping so we had to cram all the rest of the shopping and packing into Thursday night and Friday morning. Mom and dad had met us up in Laramie to go with us but after we got on the forest service road they decided to turn around and come home since it started to rain and the road was in pretty bad shape for my dad to be driving a car on. It ended up raining and snowing on and off most of the time we were up there but we still had a great time. We had a few glitches with the camper the first time we had it out. The fridge was giving us some issues on and off and the carbon monoxide detector went off on us on Friday night. After we aired it out a bit everything was fine. This is what we went to bed to on Friday night.

Good thing for a warm camper! Or so I thought until we woke up freezing on Saturday morning. Turns out the indicator on the propane tanks we thought were full was broken and they were both empty. After we got a new one though everything was back up and running. Jon had taken the TV out of the bedroom to put in the camper so we still enjoyed a few movies while we were up there....now that is what I call camping. I hung out in the camper for a good part of the weekend keeping warm and reading both Twilight and New Moon the first and second book in the series by Stephanie Meyer. I couldn't put them down and have already started the 3rd book, Eclipse. The kids were perfectly content to be playing outside in the cold and taking turns riding the ATVs on Saturday while it was snowing then raining then drizzling.

Sunday actually stayed sunny but was still chilly. We had a pretty nice ride on the ATVs for most of the day before it started sprinkling again. Here are some snap shots.

Monday we woke up to rain and snow again and headed out late morning as soon as we got everything together. It was a fun trip and I really enjoyed my books and just relaxing with the family.

Tuesday I went in to get my hair cut and colored again and brought Olivia with me. We both got a cut. She wanted to cut her hair as short as mine and I told her no way. We finally agreed on to the shoulders so she can still put it up in a pony. What a cutie!

Since we have been back I have been playing catch up with laundry and now working a bunch. We are getting ready to have our relay for life garage sale on Saturday and I think Jon is going to take the kids up camping again this weekend....we will see. I put the rest of our weekend pictures on picasa. Enjoy.

Getting ready for the weekend

I got this card this week from Dianne a friend I met that is also battling breast cancer from California. She loves to make cards and just sent me this one, how funny is this?!?

I LOVE IT!! Thanks Dianne, you will be here soon too! It has been so nice here this week. In the 80s everyday. Then today came along it is still dark outside at 10:15 in the morning. Raining, overcast and not yet to 60. Gotta love that changing Colorado weather.

I went to a Relay for Life meeting on Tuesday night and think that the new location they are doing this year is going to be awesome. It will be at The Ranch behind the Budweiser Event Center. They have a close place to park the camper near our team campsite around the track which will hopefully be a shorter trek then last year. We are also doing with with Fort Collins and it should be much larger and hopefully more fun. At least we will have better bathroom facilities! I am really looking forward to doing it and it seems like we have a great group to do it.

We ended up raising $106 from our Baskin Robbins fundraiser on top of the "tips". So we made over $200 for Relay. Great job team! We are still planning on having our garage sale next Saturday on May 31st and would still appreciate any donations that you are willing to make to our sale to raise money for American Cancer Society and Relay for Life. Contact me if you have anything you want to donate to our sale.

Wendy, Annette, and Julie (I think was helping also) finished the quilt for our contribution to the silent auction and relay. It is made out of that super soft material. Look how beautiful it is. Great job ladies! You Rock!

I found out this morning from my cousin that my aunt who had Huntington's disease is rapidly declining and has been given a few months left to live. I was so sad to hear that she is doing so poorly. According to my cousin she can't chew, swallow, walk, and doesn't want to have visitors any longer. My cousins lost their father at a young age and are now going to be losing their mother shortly. Please keep them in your prayers during this difficult time. I love you guys!

We picked up the camper yesterday and are in the process of cleaning and getting everything packed and ready to go for tomorrow. We are so excited! I have so much left to do but can't wait to get up there for the weekend and just relax and spend time with the kids. No Internet access so I can't even be tempted to get online and work. Darn! I am hoping to start reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. My sister, mom, and many friends are all raving about the series so I figured while I don't have anything that I HAVE to do up there it would be a good time to start. I guess they have made a movie that is coming out in December. Here is a movie trailer for it. Looks pretty good.
Wish us luck with no problems having the trailer out for the first time. Hope everyone has a fun Memorial Day weekend!

Hello to the 80's!

As in the weather. It was actually a nice day today. Finally May weather. Well it has been non stop all week. Busy, busy. Monday I spent most the day getting ready for our Relay for Life fundraiser at Baskin Robbins. I went over to my friend Wendy's house and we made signs to hold up with Annette and Julie. They turned out really nice.

They also are making a quilt for our silent auction contribution, and it looks great so far.

I also had to go to physical therapy in the afternoon. Things are still looking up there. Just need to keep up with my stretching and exercises. We were at Baskin Robbins from 5 to 9 on Monday night and had a decent turn out and lots of help.

We had some girls from church volunteer to stand and hold signs, which was so nice since it rained and then snowed on Monday night. Stupid weather! We still had a good turn out for cold weather. Here are some fun pictures of all of us holding signs outside and freezing our butts off, and also of us helping scoop ice cream. I have to say that scooping ice cream is not as easy as I once thought that it was. That takes some serious arm and pec muscles. Wow. Wendy also made us some really cute pink shirts that say Cancer Sucks across them. I think we will wear them to Relay. We haven't gotten the final numbers from Baskin Robbins but we made $110 in tips and cash donations. I was really pleased with how well we did.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were all really busy with work for me and Jon was working days this week so he leaves early and gets home late. But it was nice to be able to have him here at night to snuggle up with. Most of my shows had their season finales this week. Survivor, The Bachelor, CSI, and Without a Trace. My DVR is going to be getting a nice break this summer.

As you probably noticed I have given my blog a face lift as well. Downloading some free digital scrapbook software and following some easy step by step instructions I really like the new look. The websites I used are at the bottom of my blog on a links list. Wow, this could get addicting. It also took me a lot of time to figure out changing some dimensions so my posts were wider, like they were before. I think it is more reader friendly. Whatcha think??

Friday my work had a company BBQ doing fundraising for a homeless charity here and they were kind enough to let me set up a table to sell the pizza cards for Relay. It went great and I was able to sell 12 pizza cards and also got some cash donations. Everyone was very generous! Jon and I were able to go spend some time together last night. We did some shopping and went to see Maid Of Honor. It was the "ultimate chick flick" according to Jon but we both enjoyed it. Who doesn't like Patrick Dempsey? Cute movie. We picked out some bedding for Olivia's new room downstairs (to be finished in 2010). ha! Hopefully we will have our basement done sooner rather than later.

Today Jon was on call and the kids and I went to my parent's house. Olivia and Alex stayed and "helped" my mom plant some things in her garden and Cody came with me to pick out some paint for Olivia's room and our front bathroom. My walls are all so boring, so I am starting with our bathroom. I started painting this afternoon and only got one wall done before my arm and chest hurt so bad I couldn't finish. I suppose it will be yet another project that will be on my honey do list. I do have to have help with most of the rest of it since I am not sure how to paint around some of the hardware and the toilet. Jon left at 7am this morning and he still isn't home and it is after 10pm. I bet he is so tired! I know I am....so I am off to bed!

Baskin Robbins Tonight

Well tonight is the night! Please make plans to stop by with your family and friends to buy some ice cream and support our fundraising efforts for Relay For Life benefiting the American Cancer Society. The location is in the Orchard’s Center here in Loveland off 287 by King Soopers. Baskin Robbins has agreed to donate a % of their sales from 5 to 9 this evening to our Relay team. Please forward this on to all your local friends who might be willing to stop by!

We are fighting cancer one dollar at a time!!

New Look

The more blogs I frequent the more I think mine is boring. I got this background through my friend Alyssa's links but have added the link to this page on the side bar of my blog on the blogs I frequent. If anyone else has a link to free neat backgrounds let me know. I am not crazy about this one but it was the one I liked the most. Whatcha think?
Also I had to say how excited I am about our Disneyland Trip in October. I got an email saying Orbitz was having a big sale on round trip airfare on select round trip tickets from Denver through October. I have been watching the fare for awhile and last I checked it was $245. I bought our tickets yesterday for $138 a piece! Nice! That saved me a few hundred bucks when buying tickets for 5. We are so excited to be going and planning to go.
I also was excited today to get an email about Bath and Body having their anti bacterial soaps on sale 5 for $10. They only run this sale a few times a year so I love stocking up on these. They are nice to have on hand for last minute gifts. Who doesn't love yummy smelling soaps, especially when they are 2 bucks a piece?!? I love saving money. Oh and getting money. We got our "stimulus" check today. Good thing so I can pay for those airline tickets! Ha!
I have been looking for a jewelry amoire for my mother's Day present but haven't been able to find one I love. I saw them at Target a few weeks ago and they had them online, but not in the store. I found an OK one at American Furniture that was on clearance but I don't love it. Anyone have one they love and where did you find it??

Buddy Check 9, buddy

Hi out there to all my blog readers. If you know me you know you will be hearing about buddy check 9 on the 9th of every month. Buddy check 9 is a reminder to do your monthly self breast exam. EARLY DETECTION IS KEY! I also learned at our most recent relay meeting this week that the most preventable cancer is.....colon cancer. Encourage everyone you know that is "that age" to get their colonoscopy. This is the only cancer that they can remove by detecting the "pre cancerous" polyps and removing them. I am sure it is not a fun thing to do but again....early detection saves lives! Here is our monthly message from buddy check 9 go to gal Kim Christiansen:

Hello Everyone!
This is perfect timing for our monthly Buddy Check reminder, since Mother's Day is this weekend. This is our opportunity to express our love and gratitude to our mothers and grandmothers. It is also a time to reflect on the gift of family and friends.
Today I'm enclosing the story of two friends, two buddies in the breast cancer battle. Just this week they shared their story with me.
Jane and Peggy have been best friends for 24 years. In September 2007, they celebrated the marriage of Jane's son. Peggy says Jane looked stunning at the wedding and demonstrated an amazing spirit on such a special day, especially because it came two months after she had surgery for breast cancer. In a twist of fate, months later, Peggy was diagnosed with breast cancer too. Her surgery was just a couple of months ago. Peggy is now undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
In 24 years of friendship, Peggy and Jane have raised children, survived divorce and job changes and enjoyed many blessings and challenges. Together they plan to embrace their new challenge, surviving breast cancer. Peggy's message adds, "We understand and appreciate the concept of what it means to have a Buddy. Our paths to discovering cancer and our plans for treatment are very different, but we have never been more unified. Through faith in God and each other, we live every day with purpose, passion and a great deal of laughter and we hope to be role models for other women."
We all hope to have a friendship like Peggy and Jane do, and we wish them health and happiness.
Please tell someone you care about to do a breast self exam.

My week has been pretty busy. The guy that does my job (and more) from the office was training this week so I had to work a bunch extra. Jon has also been working until the morning hours like 7 and 8 so has been asleep for most of the day. Back to feeling like a single mom for the week. I had my Relay for Life captains meeting on Tuesday and am gearing up for an exciting weekend in June. My team has our Baskin Robbins fundraising night this Monday from 5 to 9, so don't forget to stop by and get an ice cream with the family and support us! We are also trying to collect donations for our garage sale on May 31st. All proceeds for this will benefit American Caner Society. Also if anyone is interested in purchasing the Nick N' Willys cards let me know. They are 10 dollars and good for 10 LARGE pizzas. This is such a great deal and again benefits American Cancer Society. Give me a shout if you want one.
Yesterday I had my 6 week follow up with Dr. Brewster. She is overall happy with the results as am I, but the right side is still tighter, and a bit harder causing me to look a LITTLE bit smaller on that side. I had asked her about physical therapy helping this in time and she said most likely my muscle tightness will for sure improve but the damage from radiation with the scar tissue will only improve if she goes in there again and loosens up the scar tissue. She said she can also put a little bit bigger implant in that side so they are more symmetrical. All options of course would be paid for by insurance and she said I was welcome to do this whenever I wanted or not at all. I am glad to have the option, but need to really think about if I want to do that or not. For sure I am not going to be doing anything for awhile. I am just going to enjoy my summer and relax and feel NORMAL.
If you haven't supported Relay for Life yet there are lots of oppertunities to either just donate to me or my team online (follow the link on the side), or support one of our fundraising efforts of Baskin Robbins, Nick N Willys, or the garage sale. Help us support the great cause!

Where have I been for a week? #2

Yikes I am pretty well doing terrible at keeping my blog up to date in the last week. I know last week I was super busy with work and didn't have much free time to update but have been had really nothing to do with work the last few days so that has been a welcomed break. Jon has been working a bunch and I have been trying to play catch up with house work and things I haven't "gotten to" for awhile. Last week we had a few really nice days in the upper 70s and then the last part of the week was freezing and even snowed one day. Huh? Enough already. I thought it was May? Let's get to that 80 degree weather already! Olivia only has a month of school left so we are trying to figure out some fun things for everyone to do for the summer with the city like soccer, swimming, or dance. We will see what works out. I got to go on a girls night out with my friends on Friday which was a blast. We went to Olive Garden for Dinner and then out bowling. It is Mel's birthday this week so we made her wear this crown and sash all night. It was funny. Then of course we had WAY too much fun bowling. Alyssa lifts her arm up so high in the back when she bowls so we were all having fun with her. I can't even lift my arm back that high with nothing in it let alone with a 10 pound ball in it. So here is Alyssa doin' her thang....

Then here is Mel's version....

And here is Aislinn's version....I thought we were going to get kicked out for this :-) Oh wow!

She said she got the ball way up there and couldn't put it back down so it fell in front of here head. My goodness I am still laughing about it!

So I won the first game but then couldn't play anymore because it hurt my arm too much. Michelle was having shoulder problems so she bowled the whole game left handed and got 2nd place. Good job Michelle!

I uploaded the rest of the pictures on my picasa site.

Saturday we ran errands in the morning and picked up a few new house plants and bushes for the yard. Olivia went to her friend Isaac's birthday party in the afternoon and had fun jumping on his new tramp and playing on the swing set. She wants to know when we are getting a park in our back yard... We had Alyssa and Heath and Vernon and Kira over for dinner and games on Saturday. It was fun to do game night and we bar-b-qued burgers and brats. Tis the season for those fun get togethers.

I am also trying to get more Relay for Life stuff organized. I am pretty sure I recruited both Michelle and Melanie to be on our team and have had a few others sign up this weekend, so I am getting really excited. We are doing a fundraising night at Baskin Robbins here in Loveland in Orchard's Center on 287 and 29th on May 12th from 5 to 9pm so plan on stopping by with your family and friends to buy ice cream and support us. We are also trying to get together stuff to do a garage sale again at the end of the month. If you have anything you might be able to donate send me an email or give me a call. I will try to be better about updating my blog this week :-)

I have physical therapy again this afternoon and am feeling better everyday. I also have my one month follow up with my surgeon Dr. Brewster on Thursday. Hopefully all is going well and the scar tissue isn't building up too much around my right implant. I can tell it is definitely tighter than my right side. Although I am not complaining. I am perfectly happy with the results and realize it isn't ever going to be perfect. At least the technology exists to be able to have this kind of reconstruction. I am so grateful to be here today and be healthy! Last year at this time I was just starting radiation. Good bye and good riddance to that!