Sunday, August 2, 2008

Well, I bet you all thought we flew the coop and took an extended vacation!
(We can only wish on that one). Anyway, our computer died the day we left for Ed and Teri's and we were finally able to get hold of our computer genius and before he could get here, the monitor went out too. So I hopped off to one of my favorite shopping hang-outs (D.I.) and picked up a monitor for five dollars, which was the right price, brought it home, hooked it up and our genius appeared today and pronounced the old computer "dead". Sooo, luckily, my brother Jay had given us his old computer a few weeks ago and it was in the basement on "stand-by", so we brought it up and BINGO, we were in business again. Except for the fact that I will have to re-enter all the data we lost from the old hard drive and a few major/minor things, I guess this too will pass and we are grateful to be blogging the old blog again today!

Dennis had his treatment last Wednesday....that is the half-way mark! YAY!
Next time he will have the dreaded 7 hour infusions, which means we will be spending a lot of time at the Huntsman Center...about 9 to 10 hours each time. Then he will still have to go up the next day for his booster shot. This time he says that he feels better than two weeks ago, but he is really, really tired and has been nauseated a lot. However, today he got up and went to his assigned Stake ward and then picked me up and we made it through our three hour block. We were both tired when we got home and Dennis was feeling pretty touchy in the tummy area. He's still a trooper and hanging in there with that good old positive attitude. He is a great example to all of us! Love that man!

The Andersen family arrived last Wed. shortly after Dennis got home. I had been really sick all day from a medicine the Dr. started me on. (Too high a dosage to start with and I was a gooney looney bird) Anyway, Dennis had to drive himself up and back from the infusion because I was out of it. I slept all day and that night I came back to the real world in time to visit with the Andersen's before they went to bed. Trevor is in Alaska fishing, so Barb brought her sister, Nanette to go with her, and her mother, Cindy, to stay and watch the two little ones with me. We had a fun time, and I was able to clean out my closet and send Cindy home with a bunch of my clothes that looked a lot cuter on her than me, and she was tickled to get a new wardrobe! So, we killed two birds with 3 garbage bags of clothing for her!

Barb's treatment went well, but now she is starting "weekly" treatments and then her booster shot the next day. They are going to try having an infusion in Rexburg and see how that goes. If so, then they will probably go there for two or three and to our house for one or two.

We're all anxious for the next four infusions to pass quickly so that they can have their "body scans" and determine where the cancer is or isn't.

We're praying for a lot of "isn't's", but we know who has the final say and it isn't us! So, keep those two sweet people in your prayers because,

WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!

It was so fun to be in Idaho. The kids treat us so well and going to the fair and watching Brooke come in first place in horse showmanship was really a lot more fun than watching her fall off her horse in the next event, but she wasn't hurt (except her pride). The third event was English riding which she's never done, but she looked so cute in her little outfit and she came in third place overall which I think is pretty darn

terrific for a first time try. She says now she is a "real cowgirl" because you have to fall off your horse at least once in competition. (and that she did). The Snow Shak kept Ed and Teri busy and we were glad we were there to help with the kids a little bit. We celebrated Benson's B/D and he was excited with all the new stuff and we were glad! All in all it was just good to get away and be with our loved ones!

We got home in time to say "goodbye" to Todd, as he was leaving for Korea to go help them build their new composite towers that Todd was in charge of and it 's been long enough now, that he will be home on Tues. and two weeks flew by like that! Good news on one of his inventions:

He has been asked to do a presentation at the Pentagon in August on the military satellite dish and case that he and his friend invented. Looks like they are really interested and Todd could come out with lotsa "something or other" if they all want to buy his product (and it looks like they want to) it will be fun to have someone "Famous" in our family, we'll keep you posted on the end results.

All in all we're doing fine. Just wish all the $20,000 bills on Dennis would stop coming in the mail, and wish that the Insurance would decide to pay 'every last penny" (ha ha) of the cost, but if wishes were fishes.....and we know that would never happen, so we are just ever so grateful for the blessings we have been given and for the trials too. I'm sure there is much for us to learn from this experience.

Thanks again to all of you for your love and support and prayers. Keep remembering that WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES and surely it will happen.

Hope the picture of Dennis, Barbara and the kids turns up at the bottom of this blog, believe me I've tried to get it over here from there, we'll know in a minute if I've learned the eternal question of how to post pictures on this thing.

Until tomorrow, or some day soon, Goodbye, goodnight and be good!

The Queen Updater and Kojack!

(Scroll to the end of the page to see the "picture")