Chatter Boxes

I returned home from Chicago on Saturday afternoon to a wonderful birthday surprise! My husband had recruited the help of some of our friends to get this house in order. I pulled up to the house and immediately knew that he had been hard at work.

The wood pile in the front yard was gone. The rock pile on the driveway was gone. The concrete/drywall chunks in the bathtubs were gone and the tubs sparkled! The drywall dust all over the floor upstairs was gone. The tools scattered here and there were gone. I saw my kitchen counter tops for the first time since they were installed.

I cannot express the relief I felt that so many things on our "to-do" list were finished. These people put in many hours of work and were no doubt very tired (I know the feeling). It was a great gift.

We are not officially moved in, although most of our belongings are. We have some electrical work to get done before we can get the official "permit to occupy" but that did not stop us from having a sleep over on Saturday night (don't tell the inspector).

Behold the beauty!











John got me a sleep number bed for my birthday! It's awesome. Get one!

A big thank you to....

Chad and Katie, Kindra, Thea, Spring, Forest, Alex, Darren, and of course John.

I spent a lovely week with some girlfriends in Chicago. We were celebrating two milestone birthdays! We played the typical tourist role well, even admist the snow and cold.

We dined on Chicago-style pizza TWICE! Here and here.

We shoped at bargain basement stores. Went to the zoo. Half of us saw Wicked (it's sold out for months so you have to win the chance to buy two tickets...one of us won, so only two of us got to go). Side note: if you get the chance to see this show, do!

A good time was had by all.

Happy 30th Birthday Girls!

Work continues on the house. I've been doing lots and lots of staining...base boards, trim, doors, and stair railing.


This can and I have been spending a lot of time together. Did I take pictures of all the things I've been using it on? Nope, of course not! Just the can. I'll try to get that next time.


Here's a semi-updated picture of the kitchen. The counter tops are still covered in cardboard. They are under there I promise!


John finished tiling the master bathroom shower last weekend so the plumber can finish up this week. This was his project. I told him just to pick out a tile that matched and stick them up there. Nothing fancy. But he got a shot of motivation (these are hard to come by these days) and created this masterpiece. I think it's beautiful and am looking forward to admiring it from that whirlpool tub someday.

The final coat of varnish went on the floors last week. The plumber should be done tomorrow. Then it's time for Mr. Inspector (insert villainous music here). The upstairs is nowhere near being done but it will be easy to finish once we are in the house.

There's the update. Thanks for still looking at our pictures.

We've come a long way from this:

My uncle Gary passed away this morning around 7:15 mountain time. He was surrounded by his family.

From an email from my aunt....(I added the description of names so you could know who was who).

"All that we long to become will find fulfillment in our first look at Jesus. . . ."

Our husband, father, and friend went home today to get his reward. He is suffering no longer, and is moving quickly through the VIP line in heaven, getting his "high-fives".

Thank you for your love, prayers and support through this time.

Marilynn (my aunt)
John and Ruby (Gary's parents)
Matt and Aimee, Karlee, Liz (my cousin, his wife, their daughters)
Ben and Brit (my cousin and his fiance)
Alex (my cousin)

You know those morale boosting projects that offices create to "Get to know your co-workers!"?

January was "What's new in the New Year!" We all brought pictures of things that were new...new babies, new houses, new cars, etc.

This month is "We love the 70's and 80's."

Here's my contribution. Just thought I'd share.

I'm not sleeping well these days. It's a problem that has been documented here before.

When I share this with other people I usually get a host of recommendations. I know people mean well when they say, "Have you tried [fill in the blank]?". The answer to that question is yes.

Yes, I've tried making the room dark. Yes, I've tried to read. Yes, I've tried a hot lavender bath while drinking sleepy time tea with Norah Jones playing in the background. Yes, I've tried benadryl and other more hefty sedatives...sometimes even a combination of both (with doctor's orders).

I'm working on other solutions and this post is not to solicit advice or sympathy. It's to confess my malicious intent on another human being.

John and I attended a free sleep disorder seminar through our local medical center last night. We were hoping for some answers or at least for some information from a medical professional. The place was packed, which might have something to do with the free dinner that was offered to attendees, but packed nonetheless.

After the lecture, the doctor took questions from the audience. Lots of people asked questions regarding their own sleep issues (snoring, restless leg syndrome, trouble breathing, insomnia, etc.). Let me tell you that we, the sleep deprived, are a desperate people. We're tired. We're cranky. We have a hard time thinking clearly. We want help.

Then it happened. A man in the opposite corner of the room (lucky for him) asked, "What about when you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow? Should I be concerned about that?" WHAT?!? The nerve!

I don't think he was trying to be cute and this is probably a very legitimate concern. But in a room full of people who can't sleep...it is in his best interest to ask that question in a one-on-one situation.

Grrr...on you Mr. Sleeper!

Because there are several people that have asked about this...I thought I'd post the information here. I won't give a lot of details in such a public forum but for those that know us...hopefully it's enough information.

My uncle has been admitted to the hospital in Arizona where he will have his scheduled surgery. They were quite worried about the flight after a few rough days at home, but have made it safely. He is scheduled for brain surgery on Friday, Feb. 8th.

Some specific prayer requests:

- Praise for an uneventful flight and admission to the hospital.
- Prayer for safe travel for the rest of the family that will join them in Arizona.
- Prayer for the surgery on Friday.
- Praise and continued prayer for my aunt. She says her strength in this situation is a perfect illustration of God's grace. He gifts us with what we need.

Thank you so much for your prayers and for asking about him. It means a lot that you, my friends, would remember a member of my family in this way. I will update when I know more.

Update on 2/6: A repeat MRI shows rapid increase in tumor size. His surgery has been moved up to Thursday at 11:00am and will be more extensive than first thought.

Update on 2/7: He is out of surgery. The final pathology will not be back until Monday. If he heals well, they will do another surgery to remove the tumor on the right. The word from the surgeon was not encouraging but not surprising either. They are "blessed" by your "faithful prayer support".

Update on 2/11: The diagnosis following the biopsy is a "glioblastoma" (brain tumor). The prognosis is not good. They meet with the medical team today to discuss treatment plans and numbers. They are hopeful that even if the treatment is not curative, God will be at work in the situation. Thank you for the continued prayers.

Update on 2/14: They were able to place a shunt that will help drain some fluid off of his brain. The plan is to do radiation and chemotherapy but it will not be a curative treatment. It will help him regain some function for the time he is here. They are hoping to be able to go home on Friday. Continue to pray for them, and specifically their kids (my cousins).