Update on Valerie

Saturday, June 27, was spent with Valerie. Linda, Sylvia and I spent the day with her. We really did nothing but just be with her. We watched an old movie "North by Northwest." Valerie was very weak and very tender. I was not prepared for the way she looked and how weak she was. She still has a couple of more test to do this week and another appointment with the oncologist.

Craig is also gone this week. He is attending Bonnie and Larry's 50th wedding anniversary in Moab and then off fishing with Dennis and Kirtly. I hope he has a restful and enjoyable week.

Sisters Are the Best

After our wonderful weekend as sisters, Valerie began not feeling well. Diane left on June 15 and on June 16, Val made a trip to the emergency room. The CT scan showed a growth on her liver and so on June 18, Valerie had a liver biopsy. On Monday, June 22, Valerie was told that the mass on the liver was cancerous. First they got the phone call from the Dr. in the morning which told them about the cancer and then they went to a Dr. appointment later in the day. The Dr. told she and Greg that he believes the cancer did not originate in the liver but has moved there from another source. (How they can tell that is beyond me.) I have to assume that they can tell some of these things from the biopsy. The next step is to try to determine where the cancer is, other than the liver. Today they are doing an endoscopy which is a scope that goes down through the mouth and looks around. Tomorrow they will do a detailed MRI to try to gather more information. The Dr. believes that the cancer is in the intestines, or pancreas or stomach. They have to gather more information before they know the treatment and the prognosis.

Sylvia went to the appointment on June 23 with them because Valerie knew she wouldn’t understand it all. When I talked to Sylvia last night, she said when the Dr. told them the news, every bit of color drained from Valerie. Sylvia thought she was going to pass out at first. They had to have her lie down because she was so shocked. Sylvia said that Greg and Val had not even entertained the thought that it could be this serious. She has told her children and they are having a hard time. I can only imagine!! The endoscopy did not fine any cancer in the stomach or upper intestimes.

On June 24, she had an MRI and on June 25 she had a colonoscopy. I talked to her on Wednesday, June 24 and it was so good to hear her voice. She sounded weak but is trying to stay optimistic. On Thursday, June 25, Valerie was diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma. It is cancer of the bile ducts. There are only 1-2 cases per 100,000 in theWestern world. On Friday, June 26, she will have an appointment with the oncologist to get all the results and determine the course of action. Linda and I plan on going over to see Val on Saturday.

As family and sisters, we are all in shock. It was just a little over a week ago that we were all together as sisters and had a great time. I can’t even begin to put my thoughts into words. Craig and I have talked about how fast life can change. It also forces me to put things into perspective. Family is everything! My children and my grandchildren mean the world to me. Please remember Valerie and Greg in your prayers. She is going to need a lot of positive thoughts and a lot of prayer. I love you all.

Today is Mycol's birthday. I cannot believe she is 11. Where has the time gone. Mycol is such a talented and beautiful grandchild. There are so many times that I wish I lived closer so I could take her to lunch or a movie. From the moment she was born, she has been a gift from heaven to our family. The picture with Mycol and myself is one of my favorite. I just love looking into her eyes. She truly is our little princess. I love you dearly Mycol.

Today is Mindi and Arnold's third anniversary. Congratulations to you both. I can't imagine life without Arnold or Reese. My life is richly blessed because of my family. I love you all!!

Sisters Time Together

On Friday, June 12, all of my sisters were together to share time together. My sister Diane was here from Oregon and Joeleen from Salt Lake City. We gathered together that morning at my home to make doughnuts. We did this in memory of mom. Every summer for years, my mom would make doughnuts during the summer when her brother Earl and his family came from California. We all remember doughnuts scattered all around the house. It was a great time and great memories. I found the recipe in mom's recipe box. We weren't even sure it would work or not but we gave it a try. About 8 dozen doughnuts later, we decided there were a few tweaks to make in the recipe but it did work. We all took turns rolling out dough, cutting, and frying. We dipped some in sugar, and iced the others. We had such a fun day together. Craig came home about 3:00 in the afternoon and we barbequed teriaki chicken, potatoes, and everyone brought salads. We sat around and visited and really enjoyed the day together. Joeleen and Gene had to leave around 5:00 for Utah.

On Saturday, Craig and I drove to Val's home. The men went golfing and the ladies went to the "Titanic" exhibit. Linda had to serve in the temple that afternoon so she didn't go with us. We all had a good time. The museum gave everyone a name to take through the exhibit and then find out at the end whether they lived or died. Sylvia's person was a first class passenger and did not survive. Val, Sylvia and my person were third class and none of them survived either. We went back to Val's home and met up with the guys later that afternoon. We then went to dinner at Olive Garden and to Mary and Bruce's 60th wedding anniversary celebration. We had a great time together.

On Sunday, Diane and Howard went to church with Linda. We all met at Val's for a barbeque. We visited for awhile and then the sisters played Apples to Apples. It was a wonderful three days. I didn't get a weekend and nothing got done around the house but it was worth it. Diane and Howard left on Monday morning. I am so grateful that I was able to have them all at my home on Friday. And I am very thankful that I have my sisters. I am richly blessed by my heritage.

This morning, Tuesday June 16, Val called me to tell me she had to go to the emergency room last night. She has not felt well for awhile and on Monday she really didn't feel good. They did a CAT scan on her stomach because she keeps having pains. They found a mass on her liver. She will have a liver biopsy either Tuesday or Wednesday. She feels like they won't find anything but asked that we all pray for her. As we visited, I told her that Joeleen had beat the odds and so would she. I am worried about her and have a prayer in my heart. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Brady, Erika and Crew tried out a canoe. I love this picture because Crew looks as content as can be. If we lived closer we could have gone with them in our canoe that we hardly ever use. Maybe one day!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naqX9iYE0V0
The attached video is one of my favorites. If we could all treat each other this way, the world would be such a better place.

When Brady was a little boy, he loved playing in the water. His love for playing in water continued to his mission when he sent home pictures of playing in puddles while it was raining. The picutre he sent home was of him, white shirt, pants rolled up, shoes off, walking through the puddle. Well, he is passing this love of puddles and rainstorms to his son. I think the picture speaks for itself. He and Erika are also passing along their love of the outdoors and camping. I am thrilled to see them having so much fun as a family. Thanks for letting me steal some of your pictures from your blog.

As you can see, Kit has won over Reese. She may not like many men, but Kit has won. He has always been such a great uncle to the kids. Whatever the age, he finds a way to connect. Right now he is unemployed so he has been helping Mindi by tending Reese.

Kit came up to Idaho for Memorial Day weekend. He and Craig went fishing and brought back some nice fish. Joeleen was here for the weekend, so we had a couple of dinners together. Kit hung out with his aunts and was very patient. On Monday, after visiting graves and lunch at Val's, he and Craig came home and dug out some dead quackies. They worked pretty hard and we were so grateful Kit was there to help. The next weekend, I had to help Craig with the last tree stump. I then realized how much I appreciate Kit and his willingness to help. Thanks Kit for all you do.

Beautiful Children

I just want to say what darling grandaughters I have. Reese is fitting right in with the girls as you can see in the pictures. I thought Reese was growing up fast until I look at Mycol and Riley. It is then that I realize how much they are growing up. Riley is now 13, an official teenager. Mycol will be 11 the end of June. I can't believe how fast the time is going. I love you all. Sure wish I could have been there for a day in the mall. And just so you know, I figured out how to upload pictures all by myself. Maybe there is hope for this grandma to be a little technical wise after all.

My Beautiful Daugher Jennifer

On May 21, Jennifer celebrated her 37th birthday. It was a hard day for her and for me. I can't believe that she is 37. It seems that I should be the one turning 37. She is an amazing daughter. She can cook anything, and will try anything. She makes her own lotion and is now into making her own bagels and yogurt. She has more energy than anyone I know. As a little girl, she would always wake up happy in the morning. I am very different than that so I always appreciated her happy disposition. She had her moments as a teenager, but didn't we all. I have watched her blossom into such a great wife and mother. She is always busy. She transports kids to events, helps neighbors, creats a beautiful home, has patience with the rest of the family, and is basically a great person. When Kit seriously cut his leg at work, Jen took him in and nursed him back to health until he could come home for awhile. When Mindi was moving from Salt Lake to Orem, Jen took her in until she could move into her apartment. I can never repay or express how much she has done for the family.

We have also been blessed with a wonderful son-in-law Steve. Logan, Riley and Mycol and great grandchildren. I love getting texts from my grandaughters too. All in all, they are a wonderful family.

Jen can bring a smile to my face when I talk to her on the phone. She is generous and kind to all of us. She has housed Craig and I so many times as we visit Utah. Our lives have been so blessed to have her as a daughter. Today, I give honor to our first born. I am proud to be her mother. I love you Jen, with all my heart.

Mini-Vacation to Colorado

I have found that I am not very good at creating a regular post. So I will try to catch up. In May we traveled to Fort Collins, Colorado for Erika's master's graduation. I want to just say how very proud we are of Erika and Brady. They have worked hard so both of them could go to school. Erika, we love you and are very proud of you. We picked up Brady, Erika and Crew and drove to Alamossa, Colorado for the big walk. We had an absolutely wonderful time with them. Crew, Erika and I rode in the back of our car. Crew is a great traveller. Our little mini vacation included stopping in Colorado Springs for a couple of days on our way back. We went to Cheyene Mountain Zoo for a day, ate dinner at an authentic German restaurant, visited Garden of the Gods, toured the Wind Caves and played Hearts in the evening. We attended church in our old Academy ward but the difference is that it does not include the Air Force Academy and it isn't in the same building. So, needless to say, it has changed. We went to the Air Foce Academy to show Erika where Brady was born. We walked through Arnold Hall and the chapel. When we arrived home in Ft. Collins, we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It was my birthday so I got to choose. The restaurant was great. They had a guy who did balloon figures so we got one for Crew. Of course, we got Melman (sp) the giraffe for him. It was so fun to be with them all. Mother's Day and my birthday were kind of special because of our trip. I love being with family on holidays. We will make another trip to Colorado when Erika has Kennedy Taylor in August. Then next year we will travel to Colorado for Brady's graduation. I am hoping all the kids will be able to go and we can all be together.