Happy Halloween!

Too tired to post all the details tonight, but I thought you would all enjoy Joe's pumpkin carving! Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!

(yes, that is a ribcage with one rib missing-
he may have lost his rib, but he still has his sense of humor!)

Night all-
C

59th Annual Arizona Treasure Hunt

We competed in "The Magic of the Hunt" on Saturday. Some of you may be wondering just what the Treasure Hunt is, and the best way I can describe it is this... you and a team of five other people drive and run around the desert at night solving puzzles. Each puzzle (called clues) you solve sends you to another location where you must again run around, find and solve the clue. At the end of the night, you are judged based off of how many clues you solved, how many 'hints' you needed to solve the clues (they are called emergency envelopes) and how much time it took you. There are usually 26 clues total and you have approximately 5 hours to solve as many as you can. Yeah, it's nerdy... but it is a LOT of fun! Go here if you are really interested and you can read more about this year's hunt. Here are the archives where you can see the puzzles from the hunt going back to the year 2000.

Joe and I, according to our best 'remembering', started competing in the TH in 1997. The team at that time was usually made up of his Aunt Suze, his dad, and a couple of our friends. The team has changed a lot over the years- I think we've roped most of our friends into being part of our team at one point or another. For the last few years, the core of our team has been fairly consistent- Joe and I, Joe's brother Jason and his wife Paige, and Joe's brother Mike and his wife Vanessa. I seem to be the member who is most often missing- I was on bed rest before each one of the kids were born, I missed one year when I was working as a principal and was just too tired, and I missed last year due to Julia performing with her choir. We have a small crew of 'back-up' folks who have willingly stepped in and filled any holes in our team in the years that we've had them.

(Two members of our team... Joe's brother Mike and his wife Vanessa... and Julia and Colin's new cousin Cora was along for the ride... she'll be here with all of us in March!)

Joe's family has been participating in the Treasure Hunt since the very beginning... in 1952 Joe's Grandmother and Grandfather came in 3rd place. In 1979 his Aunt and Uncle came in 1st place (very bad... you'll see why in a moment...) and our team has come in 2nd place three times... 2002, 2006 and 2008. Which means our team has WON the TH three times. You may be wondering how we 'won' when we came in second. You see, second place is the 'winning' position in the TH because the FIRST place team has to serve on the committee to put on the TH for the next THREE years. Second place is wonderful. Second place is where you ALWAYS want to be.

(Here is Joe, ready for the hunt, sporting his 2008 blue shirt- they give you these when you come in 2nd place)

Joe looks forward to the TH all year long. This is his 'thing'. He really enjoys the whole nature of the hunt- the research ahead of time, the physical nature of searching for clues in the desert, the navigation through the streets of Scottsdale, and the actual brainpower of solving clues. We have done this long enough that we really pretty much have it down to a 'science' of just what needs to be done pre-hunt, what we need the night of the hunt... and our record keeper Paige provides us with great reminders to keep us on track from year to year. We were worried that Joe wouldn't be able to participate this year, but... he was there! He wasn't able to do the same amount of running and finding of clues that he has done in the past, but he was still able to participate, which was all that really mattered.

We didn't do very well this year... came in 16th place... however, Joe believes there is an error in the scoring and has contacted the TH committee to let them know of his concerns. If our stats/standing get updated, I will let you know! :)

So... if after you've read this post you are interested in forming a TH team of your own, let us know! We'd be more than happy to meet with you and give you some hints and help you prepare. TH information usually comes out in August/ September and you have to register as soon as possible because they only take 78 teams total. Fair warning... check out the picture below. This is Joe's brother Jason and his friend Josh. Josh put together a rookie team this year and this is how he felt at the end of the hunt.... :)


Night all...
C

The UPS and downs of Coumadin

Joe has been taking coumadin since he before he left the hospital. Coumadin is basically rat poison. It 'thins' your blood, making it harder for the blood to clot if it encounters a damaged area in a vein or artery. (this is my medical degree from Google talking here...) Anyway, the goal for coumadin is to arrive at what they call the 'theraputic' level, which is between 2.0 and 3.0. The absorption of coumadin in the blood can be impacted by your diet. Dark green leafy vegetables prohibit your body from absorbing the drug. The doctor recommended that Joe not STOP eating green leafy vegetables, but instead to eat about the same level every day. Joe is required to go for weekly blood tests until he can show that he is consistently staying at a theraputic level. Joe, obviously, would like to not have to go every week and get his blood drawn, so he would like to get at that therapeutic level ASAP- then his blood checks can be every other week or even once a month.

Right after we left the hospital, Joe's coumadin was at 2.1. We thought this was great news (Joe especially, because this meant he got to discontinue the shots...) A week later, his coumadin had dropped to 1.9. The doctor upped his dosage to 6 milligrams on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and 5 milligrams on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This week his coumadin dropped again to 1.6 milligrams. So now Joe is taking 6 milligrams every day.

Here's the thing... Joe hasn't changed ANYTHING about his eating habits. If anything, he is eating less green leafy vegetables than he was when he first came home. So... we can't really figure out why the level is dropping... for now, he is stuck with weekly blood checks (he he, that's a pun!).

We have found out that the doctor is planning the vein 'repair' procedure for sometime in January. Joe's medical insurance is changing DRASTICALLY in January, so he has asked the doctor if there is any possible way for him to do the surgery in December. We'll see. Once that procedure is done Joe will only need to take the coumadin for three more months and then this entire experience will be OVER....

Have a wonderful weekend all!
C

FuredyBeard (TM)

Okay, so this post got started with some friends that Joe and I regularly talk to on Twitter. They pointed out while Joe was in the hospital that he had grown FuredyBeard (TM). You have to understand just how FAST and how THICK Joe's beard grows in... give the man 3 or 4 days and you have a NICE beard. This would be good if Joe liked the feeling of a beard (he doesn't) or if I liked beards (which I don't).

Joe has grown his beard in several times during our marriage- one of the most memorable times for me was right after Julia was born- he took 4 weeks of work to stay home with Julia and I... and grew a beard that whole time. I have pictures of Joe holding Julia and he looks like Abe Lincoln. I did notice that this time the beard had a LITTLE more gray in it... that's what kids will do to ya!

Anyway, when going through the pictures, I thought I would post the with beard/ without beard photos. Which do you prefer?

With FuredyBeard (TM)?
(bonus, you can check out his cool scar in this photo...)

Without FuredyBeard (TM)?

Enquiring minds want to know!

Night all...
C

Fall Break

So... the majority of the Fall Break plans that we had originally (cruise, day long trip to the Zoo, hiking, bike riding) had to be scrapped due to recent events, but the HUGE upside was that Joe got to spend the entire Fall Break with us when he normally would have been at work.

I set out to make the week fun for everyone... I knew we needed fun things that didn't require TOO much energy, take TOO long, or required TOO much travel in the car. So... here's what we ended up with....

We went and saw Toy Story I and II in 3D. This was lots of fun... and as long as Daddy had his pillow, he was fine! We never thought we'd make it through both movies, but we did! Here we are sporting our true fashion accessories....

We went and had dinner at Benihana. The kids had never been there before... they thought it was lots of fun! Colin even ate some chicken. :)
The kids really enjoy doing 'science' with Joe. Here they are trying out oobleck in a speaker (especially painted for the occasion) to see if they can make it 'dance'. It didn't work, but they sure had a good time trying (and they made a really nice mess as well!)

One of the days, we gave Daddy a break and went to As You Wish to paint pottery with Nana. Here's Nana and her kids...

Thanks to Grandma Paulette, Joe and I even got to go out on a date... here we are NOT sharing our popcorn. We saw Couples Retreat- it was cute and very light (just what the doctor ordered). Then we went to Red Lobster and had ENDLESS SHRIMP... can you say YUMMY?Great Auntie Suze helped out one day and took Julia and Colin for a day long excursion to the World Wildlife Zoo. Looks like they all three had a FABULOUS time. This gave me a chance to get some things done around the house, and gave Joe a chance to get some much needed rest.


More science later in the week... here's the Diet Coke and Mentos 'experiment'. Julia also learned how to burn leaves with a magnifying glass (sorry I didn't capture that on film). So, when you hear about a fire in our neighborhood....


We ended the week on Sunday night by eating at one of our favorite restaurants, Mi Amigos. It is a family tradition to stand on the rocks outside the restaurant... so I couldn't miss this shot!
And of course we did a lot of things that aren't shown here... I cleaned and organized the kitchen and the den, and prepped Julia's room for the remodel that is about to happen. Joe slept and rested a lot. The kids played outside in the backyard and walked down to the park several times.

And most importantly, we laughed and played together as a family. Which made it an AWESOME Fall Break... even if it didn't go quite as planned.

Night all...
C

Joe's Progress

Just wanted to do a quick post about Joe's progress in the last week:

*He is done with in-home physical therapy. The range of motion in his arm is GREATLY improved. He is still struggling a little bit with his neck- and his neck is what seems to get tired easily- but overall he has made AMAZING progress. Even his doctor was shocked at his last appointment with how much movement has returned to the arm. ;)

*He continues with his coumadin. We are currently playing the 'adust the meds' until they are just right game. His level dropped below 'theraputic' this week, so now he's taking 6 milligrams on Sun., Tues., Thurs., and Sat.- 5 milligrams on the other days. His medical alert bracelet arrived, so he is sporting some fine bling that shares this information with the world. We have noticed that he has a series of new 'little' bruises that he just doesn't know where they came from... this is a side effect of the blood thinner and will likely continue until he stops taking the meds. He will need weekly blood work until he gets his levels adjusted, and then will be tested once a month. Our understanding of this process is that he should just about get the levels figured out about the time that he doesn't need to take the medicine anymore.

*The surgeon is scheduling his next procedure for either late December or early January. (We are pushing for late December as Joe's medical insurance is changing DRASTICALLY starting January 1st, and so we'd like to get it done before that happens). For this procedure, they will insert a catheter into his arm and use that to run the dye through his veins again, while taking live x-rays. This will allow them to decide if the vein needs repair and what type of repair it needs. If it needs repair they will do it during this procedure.

*He has been cleared to drive and to go back to work- in moderation. He has done some work from home during the past week- read e-mail and tried to get caught up again. The doctor has cautioned him that he is still recovering and he should be careful not to get TOO tired or try to do too much. Joe has found if he does too much his body kinda 'shuts down' and he gets really tired.... so I think his body is trying hard to take care of him.

*He shaved off the FuredyBeard(TM). I am SO glad... :)

*Emotionally, I think we are all starting to recover and be able to think about other things. The kids have lost that scared look in their eyes, and Joe is feeling better and better each day. We are all trying to spend some time every day counting our blessings... and trust me.... we have a LOT of blessings with regard to this situation.

Okay, will post more later today about Fall Break and some of the fun things that we've done despite our no travel, no strenuous exercise limitations. :)

Sleep... Or Lack There Of...

Sooo.... I'm not sleeping really well. It's not that I'm having a hard time falling asleep... I can do that with my same 'as soon as the head hits the pillow' ability that I've had most of my life.

No, it's more like staying asleep that is the issue. I know that part of it has to do with a series of nightmares that I'm having (Trust me, if it's something bad, and something that could really happen to my family, it's been in my dreams lately. We've been robbed, we've been in a car accident, someone kidnapped my kids, etc., etc) And what's odd is that after I wake up I am able to go back to sleep (not typical for me), so it seems like it shouldn't be affecting me too much. But it is. I'm tired. I'd like to have a REALLY good night's sleep. One without bad dreams or waking up at least 15 times during the night. I've even tried some of the methods from the past- get really tired before going to bed, take a bath before bed, Tylenol PM before bed- but none of the old tricks have worked.

Any suggestions out there in cyber-space? I would sure appreciate them.
Here's to another night... let's cross our fingers that tonight is better! :)
C

Nesting Follow Up

So, I found this on a friend's blog the other day... and I really liked what it said. My friend happens to be a member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, and this actually comes from their scripture. It is how I am feeling right now:

"Organize yourselves; Prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."
(Doctrine and Covenants 88:119)

With all of the chaos of lately, I am taking this opportunity to regroup, to establish my house, to pause and strengthen my faith. Although I do not share the same faith as the person who posted this, it still really spoke to me...

Okay, off to organize a little more. Then off to Target... we are in need of some new storage bins! :)
C

Nesting

Not sure if it is all of the recent events, or just my normal fall routine, but I am seriously nesting. I just cleaned out my kitchen cabinets (all but the pantry... and I'll be tackling that big boy tomorrow morning!) I think I might be trying to have control over something in my life... and I've decided that my cupboards and closets will be that thing!

Joe and I worked on the den for a little while today (this is the WORST room in our house, and a lot of it is Joe's stuff, so I don't usually work in there alone) but he got tired pretty quickly, so my guess is that we'll work on that room a little bit at a time all week.

The kids have been put on notice that EVERYTHING is coming out of their rooms and being gone through before they go back to school in a week.

Good news is that I am creating a sense of order in my house, which will be good in the upcoming holiday season. Bad news is that I'm driving my family crazy! :)

Joe update: Doing GREAT! I am amazed at how much better he is feeling... how much more stamina he has, how much better the range of motion in his arm is getting. Very exciting news that he is making such great progess. He was up almost all day today- we went to the movies, did a bit of cleaning and he played with the kids.... but now he is tired... so we are off to watch another movie and get some sleep!

Night all.
C

Bummer

Tomorrow I was supposed to be doing this....

Instead, I will be at work trying to balance a grant budget and Joe will be at home.

Bummer.

Even worse is that we still had to pay 50% of the total cost even though we don't get to go.

Bigger bummer.
Night all....
C

How I REALLY Know Joe is Feeling Better....

Life is slowly but surely returning to normal.

Home health care nurse came on Tuesday... and after checking on Joe... decided that she didn't need to come back! (don't get me wrong... she was very nice... but it is even nicer for my husband NOT to need regular nursing care!)

Doctor called on Tuesday... Coumadin level is 2.1... so no more SHOTS! Yeah!! Levels will need to be tested weekly to ensure that the dosage remains between 2.0 and 3.0- the theraputic level for Joe.

Physical therapist came on Tuesday and on Wednesday... she is helping Joe feel much better. Joe is having lots of issues with stiffness in his neck and shoulders- mostly caused by the odd way he needs to hold his body to ensure that he doesn't move the areas that are painful. PT is helping to release the stiffness and start to move the arm and shoulder. Joe will have physical therapy three times a week here at the house until he has more movement and less pain.

Joe really is doing better- staying awake longer- moving around the house more. The doctor and physical therapist have encouraged him to walk more (they want to make sure that he doesn't develop pneomonia as a result of just not moving much). On Tuesday, he saved up all of his energy so that we could go to the costume store with the kiddos to check out some Halloween costumes. He quickly found a spot to sit down (in the middle of the aisle) but it was nice for the kids to have him be part of their costume selection. It was great for us to get out as a family and do something fun as well!

Here's everybody's favorite patient... I think he IS starting to look better (note he can finally wear a regular shirt now that all the tubes/drains/IVs are out).

Here's a Halloween preview of Cleopatra and Jango Fett...

And finally, I know that Joe is feeling better BECAUSE... he's decided that I should dress up as a nurse for Halloween and here's the costume he picked out! :)

Night all...

C

Slow Progress... But we HAVE THE RIB!!

Today was a LONG day.... Joe had blood work done (spent an HOUR and a HALF waiting for that), then went to the doctor and got his drain removed (YEAH!). No word on the blood work yet, so we continue the dreaded shots for another day. Hopefully by tomorrow we will know more about his levels and will be able to stop the daily torture.

Joe is for sure off work for the next week and a half- maybe longer. I should be able to go back to work at the end of this week. Doctor says it will be months before Joe gets complete feeling back in his shoulder, but that range of motion does seem better already.

After all of that was done (and we got some food because we were starving) we headed back to the hospital to get the RIB. Let's just say it was a bit of a let down... One- you are not supposed to take it out of the liquid it is stored in. Two, it is tiny. Seriously. Tiny. Not quite what Joe had in mind I don't think! But, we have it. What we are going to do with it now... I'm not quite sure. But, it is back in Joe's possession. :) (I know, I know... SOME of you want pictures. I think I will post all the pics on Shutterfly- rather than posting them here. Some folks have sensitive stomachs you know! I will let you all know how to access those once I have them posted!)

Finished the day with a lovely pot roast dinner cooked by none other than the fabulous Nana. Let's just say I haven't seen a dinner get gobbled up like that one in awhile!!

Tomorrow brings home health care, physical therapy, and my wonderful cleaning ladies. So.. on that note, I should go pick up a bit so the cleaning ladies can at least FIND the floor in order to clean it.

That's all folks. And on that note... I am going to stop e-mailing everybody now when I post. I will keep posting, so if you are curious... stop on by. Hopefully soon we'll have some different stuff to talk about now that life is beginning to resemble normalcy once again. :)

Night all-
C

A Man and His Dog

Uneventful weekend here, which was greatly needed! Joe slept a lot, got visits from the home health care nurse and the physical therapist, did some exercises, got his shots twice a day (which he did NOT enjoy) and took a (much needed!) shower. He has even graduated to going up the stairs and sleeping in our bed instead of on the couch.

Kids had a good weekend. Saturday was a long day with Daddy resting and Momma trying to hold down the fort, but we still found time to read, do some homework and build a pillow fort in the living room. Sunday was an AWESOME day for the kids... Uncle Andrew came and took them for the afternoon. They saw a movie, had lunch at the Olive Garden and even went to the bookstore! Colin came home with a much prized Pokemon book, and Julia got a Wimpy Kid book. Uncle Andrew is my hero today, as this time gave me a chance to do some housework and take a much needed/desired nap. Thanks Uncle Andrew!!

Sunday also brought the return of our beloved Ellie. Jason dropped her off Sunday afternoon. Paige, Jason and the kids did a FANTASTIC job taking care of our girl... she looks great. I swear, she's been off at the doggie spa or something... nails are trimmed, she's had a bath, and she is a very happy dog. Words cannot express how much it means to Joe and I that Ellie was well taken care of for the last week... there was just no way that I could have managed caring for Joe and Ellie at the same time. Thank you thank you thank you Jason and Paige!!

It does feel like the world is finally turning right side up again, now that I have all my loved ones at home. Here's a photo showing my two invalids. :)

Tomorrow brings bloodwork (pray that Joe's levels are up and we can discontinue the hated shots), and a visit to the doctor with the hope that they can remove the last remaining item attached to Joe's body- the drain (pray that the drain has done it's job and everything looks good enough to do this).

I think all of us are struggling with staying positive- which seems odd at this point in the journey- but I think we are all tired and all ready for life to return to 'normal'. Everybody in the family has taken their turn at a melt-down today.. here's hoping that things will be better tomorrow. I keep thinking how lucky we are- that this is a temporary thing, that there will be normal again, that we are all here together- and I can keep those thoughts going for awhile- but then I lose it again and get lost in all that isn't normal. I'm sure I'll wade through it eventually...

That's all for tonight folks. Have a good one.
C

There's No Place Like Home!

Joe is home! :) Yeah!!!

We had to leave his rib in the hospital though. Pathology has been very busy for the past few days and they haven't gotten a chance to clean it yet. They promised to do so this weekend and said we could pick it up on Monday when we go back over to Good Sam for Joe's doctor appointment.

Joe will have a home health care nurse visit tomorrow (and possibly Sunday) and the physical therapist will come to our house tomorrow as well. I am responsible for his shots and emptying his drain. Hopefully by Monday his coumadin level will be high enough that we can discontinue the shots and the drain will be empty enough that they will feel comfortable taking it out.

Until then we have a QUIET weekend planned at home. I've managed to plan a couple of fun outings for the kids that will give them a chance to do something outside of the house- but I think Joe and I are in for the next couple of days.

I rented some movies this afternoon... I think we are planning on lots of 'vegging'.

That's all for now. Joe is SO happy to be at home. He will be even happier when he can take a shower. Have a wonderful, restful, enjoyable weekend everyone!
C

Wedding Ring

When Joe went into surgery, they had him take off his wedding ring and give it to me...

I've given him my wedding rings a number of times- he's worn them each time I've had a baby and each time I've had surgery. He always actually wore them too... even though he might have looked a little funny with that diamond solitaire on his pinky finger... he would wear my rings until I was ready to wear them again.

But, I've never had or worn his wedding ring before. Until this week. And yes, I'm wearing it right now on my index finger. Seems like a simple thing, but it's amazing the power it has had. Just wearing his ring is like having a part of him with me. I've actually found it very soothing- especially when he was in surgery, or at night when I was here without him.

I am looking forward to giving it back to him though... to actually having him wear it instead of me... to not NEED to wear it anymore. Hopefully that will happen tomorrow.
He did have a good day today. We took several walks, and he promised to take a walk when his Aunt Suze came to visit him tonight. I've learned about the shots and the drain, so I am ready to care for him here at home. My dad and his step-dad came over to my house tonight to move furniture so that the reclining chair is in the same room as the tv. Looks like he and I will be sleeping in the reclining chair and on the couch for a few days until he's a little more stable. We've got the home health care and physical therapy scheduled. He's been weaning off the pain meds so he's a little more alert and ready to be home. My kids have gotten the 'we are going to really have to take care of Daddy' speech (and I spent the evening with them tonight, so I think they are feeling better and more connected.)

All that's left is to get him here... and to put the ring back on his finger.

As always, thanks for your help, prayers and support. I am in debt to so many folks right now. I don't think I ever knew or appreciated the sheer numbers of family and friends that we have surrounding us.

Love to you all. Will post tomorrow as soon as we are home!!
C

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow!

Joe is coming home tomorrow! The doctor met with us today, and is going to start the process.... yeah!

He is having a wonderful day today, feeling SO much better....

Physical therapy went well, nurses taught me how to inject him with his meds.... we are moving forward!

He is supposed to take a walk every couple of hours, so we've been wandering the halls in the hospital. He says that it is nice to see the hospital from an upright position, rather than laying flat on his back.

Talk to you all soon!
C