Our New Toy

Well after seven years and multiple "re-boots", our computer finally quit on us last weekend. We had been thinking about getting a new laptop for a while now, but couldn't justify it with "nothing major" being wrong with our existing computer. Well when we couldn't even get Windows to load, we decided the time had come to go shopping! After a few hours at Best Buy (BORING!!!), we came home last Monday with a new Sony Vaio laptop!

It's a pretty sweet machine! One of our favorite features is the Blue-Ray player. Let me tell you, even I can see & hear a difference with the Blue-Rays! So, between our BlackBerrys and our new computer, we've become pretty high-tech over the last month! Yikes!

Since the laptop is wireless, we haven't been using it in our "office". We're thinking we may downsize the desk and pretty much eliminate the need for an entire room to be dedicated to the office. What we'll fill it with...who knows?

Oh and the best news...yesterday, Craig was somehow able to get the old computer to load and move our files over to the new one. I was most worried about our pictures and wedding slideshow...everything moved fine! Yay!

A Productive Weekend

We spent the weekend doing normal new homeowner type stuff. After a relaxing dinner out on Friday with some friends, we spent the majority of the rest of the weekend "working". I spent almost all of Saturday deep cleaning the kitchen...fun, fun! I cleaned out all the appliances, the counters, and the floor. I hadn't done the appliances since we moved in August, so it was definitely over due. I still need to do the refrigerator drawers because they were really full of food, so I decided to wait until we were running low on groceries and take care of that part then. Everything else got cleaned: oven, microwave, sink, etc.

Craig spent Saturday in the yard, and what a nice day to spend outside! We had planted the magnolia tree last week, so he started off the day running to Lowe's to pick up some mulch to go around it and other things we needed. After he put the mulch out, he sprayed some weeds and decided to mow. After all of that we showered and decided to grill some chicken for cesar salads. We finally got out of the house for a drive and some ice cream Saturday night!

On Sunday, we invited Craig's parents down to Lincoln for lunch. We grilled steaks for lunch...Craig did a great job! After lunch and the latest show and tell at the house, we headed back to Lowe's to look at some replacement plants for areas Craig had cleaned up on Saturday. We started looking for two plants, and came home with ten! We got two azalea bushes, two rhododendron bushes, four Asiatic lily plants, and a butterfly bushes. Everything was planted by 6p.m., and we finished the weekend with dinner in the backyard with friends!

So...most boring post ever, but we both felt good about the progress this weekend. Yep! That's right, we're boring, old, married, homeowners now! Woo-Hoo!

Time for a Change

So, I decided to change things up a bit with the blog layout. I'm still really new to this, so it was just a matter of adding pictures & changing some colors. I like how it looks now, and it fits us better! I also changed the name of the blog...since we are within a month of our 8 year mark I thought we needed something different.

In other news, my Uncle Jack is still struggling. We found out this week that his doctors don't think the chemo helped at all and his leukemia is as bad s it was (or worse) a month ago. His doctor says he has all the signs of the "end" except an infection. Whenever he gets an infection, it will kill him. His doctor is recommending hospice care (no more blood transfusions, antibiotics, blood test...just pain management). Jack has been really agitated all week, so everyone has been talking to him and trying to explain things to him. It is apparent that he knows what's happening. He has asked his nurses to give him as much pain medication as he can have as often as he can have it. He's pretty much slept since Tuesday night. The whole situation is taking a toll on everyone...especially my parents. There is nothing anyone can do at this point, but wait. As bad as it sounds, I think everyone is kinda hoping that he'll just fall asleep one of these nights (sooner rather and later) and not wake up.

Also, it's Chip's (my brother's) senior prom tomorrow. He's really excited. He picked out this super cool tux and some of his classmates and him rented a limo. Part of me really wants to go up and see him all dressed up, but the other part knows that I'll drive 3 hours roundtrip and only get to see him for a few minutes. It's times like these that I hate how far away Lincoln is from home...even though it could be a lot worse.

We planted our first tree this week...correction, Craig planted our first tree this week. We got a Dr. Merrill Magnolia tree...actually, it's more like a big shrub, but they call it a tree. I'm really hoping it will bloom soon and that the transplant didn't ruin the buds. I'm excited to see it in full bloom some day! We are also anxiously waiting for the City of Lincoln to give us back the rest of our back yard. We are supposed to be getting sod any day now, but I think they may have messed up (again) and thought we wanted seed. Either way, we are ready for it to be done and move on with our plans. We have 3 other trees picked out to go back there, assuming we are compensated for the 4 trees they tore down. Also, we have seedlings growing in our basement for the garden we want to plant in the backyard. All of this is waiting on the city's progress. Awesome! I have a bad feeling we'll be growing tomato plants in the basement for a while.

Izzy had fun "helping" Craig dig the hole for the tree. She was a mess...covered in mud & water. She loves to play outside with him! It's quite entertainig to watch from the deck! I'm really looking forward to summer nights spent in the backyard grilling and hanging out!

Graduation is only a couple weeks away! Yikes, I've got some shopping to do, it's going to be here before we know it! Those two weekends should be a lot of fun. It's too bad that Craig will miss Jessica's graduation because his cousin Collin is also graduating that day out in Hays Center, NE! We're going with the whole "divide & conquer" system for that weekend in order to cover all our bases!

Ok...I'll stop, totally random I know. I think that's the point of blogs though. You can be as random as you want!

A Sick Husband

So, Craig has been sick since last Thursday. He never gets sick, so when he is it's bad. He's had a severe sore throat...developed a bad cough...had a few fevers...and gotten some headaches. I finally talked him into going to the urgent care clinic on Sunday. They tested him for strep throat...negative. Then, they gave him the old "you've got a virus...you need to rest and drink lots of fluids routine". Well, he's not getting any better after a few days of extra rest. In fact it's getting worse. He's at my normal doctor now, so we'll see if he can resolve anything.

The thing is, I feel like I've been pretty good to Craig since he's been sick. You know getting him medicine, making him soup, etc. Now, I get sick (usually with migraines) far more often than Craig, and when I do I don't think he's as nice to me. Why is that? I've discussed this with a few other females, so find the same thing happens with their men. Is sympathy for sickness a gender specific thing?

Grrr!

I'm beyond disappointed. I have been working on a case for 9 months...9 months...since July. I finally got everything finished with the life insurance companies. I delivered everything I had promised to in the beginning. Then, I come to find out this morning, the client has suddenly changed his mind and decided to go elsewhere. There were times throughout this process I was literally banging my head against the wall. We had a good company, the lowest premium, and he still went elsewhere. This industry is really starting to put me in a bad mood! (I realize most of you have no idea what I'm talking about...I needed to vent.)

In other news, graduation is rapidly approaching for both of my siblings. Chip is busy finishing out the year...right now he's at the beginning of track season. He also has Prom coming up in a couple weeks! Jessica is busy student teaching and looking for a job. She's getting a little discouraged, but I know something will work out soon! Any school would be lucky to have her!

My uncle Jack was scheduled to come home from UNMC yesterday. But, Tuesday night he developed a fever, which got up to 102 degrees and continued all day yesterday. His nurse told my dad he didn't have a very good day yesterday. He even told Mom to stay home and not come visit because he felt so bad. It is likely that he has developed some sort of infection...this is very bad because the chemo has wiped out his immune system. Now, we'll just have to go day-by-day to see if he can come home.

Craig woke up with a sore throat this morning. Mine has been a little scratchy the past couple days too. I hope we aren't getting sick! I finally feel like I'm over my 2 week long neck pain that triggered migraines about every day...I would seriously hate to set sick again!

Well, this is fairly random...that's about all I have to tell you about right now!

More Bad Stuff

It's getting to the point whenever I check in at home, there is more bad news. This morning was a perfect example. First of all, my great uncle (the one diagnosed with leukemia last week) is having trouble with his PIC line this morning. He is pretty nervous, so he has asked my dad to come down while they are trying to figure out what the problem is. Yesterday, he finished his chemotherapy, so we now have to wait 2-3 weeks to find out if it worked. He has now completely lost his appetite and is very fatigued!


I also found out this morning that Jessica's (my sister) boyfriend Nick's dog Divot was hit by a car yesterday morning. Whoever did it didn't even stop and say anything!!! One of Divot's legs is banged up pretty bad and he won't walk on it. He sounds pretty miserable. I don't know what I would do if something like that happened to Izzy. It's so sad! I can't believe that nobody said anything...especially in a small town like Tekamah!


So that was the main "bad news" from home. Yesterday, there was an article in the Lincoln Journal Star. Click here to check out the article. One of my coworkers has a "connection" to this family, so she is organizing the bake sale for the Carnival fundraiser they are having for RJ & his family on April 5th. Most of us at work have volunteered to put our baking "skills" to good work and provide some items for the bake sale. It was a no-brainer to me to want to help, especially with the most recent cancer battle in our family in full throttle. We know how expensive medical treatment is, so if I can do a small part help I'm in. Maybe it will make a difference!

Here we go again!

In the last 7 years, I have had 3 family members diagnosed with some form of leukemia. The first was my aunt, Janna. She was diagnosed when she had her baby girl, Kayla, back in 2004. She had a stem-cell transplant and has recovered quite well. She still has the daily battles, but she is cancer-free!

The second was my great aunt, Suzanne. It took them a long time to diagnose her and once they did, she didn't last too long. The leukemia had progressed very quickly, and the treatment was too much for her. She was in her 70s at the time, so her body just couldn't handle the treatment.

The latest came just this week for my great uncle, Jack. He has been diagnosed with Acute Leukemia. He is 83 years old. They are now analyzing his bone marrow to determine exactly what they are dealing with and the best course of treatment. He is scheduled to check into UNMC in Omaha on Friday for an extended stay. We are hoping that the treatment they prescribe will be something he can handle and hopefully give him some more time without suffering too much.

At 25, it's very sad for me to have this much first-hand experience with leukemia. They said that leukemia is not hereditary, but I'm beginning to wonder. My grandpa died of it when he was in his early 50s, and now both his siblings...Suzanne & Jack have had it. Three out of three siblings...a coincidence? I must say the pessimistic side of me is wondering when my time (and my immediate family's time) will come to face this battle. There go the irrational fears again! Time for a gut check!