Friday Fun.

Oh, my goodness! What does that HUGE generator

have to do with "Friday Fun"? Holy Smoke! Our new

home is getting power on Monday . . . Of course, I

could not wait one more second to begin painting

our garages. So a good part of the day involved

renting one of these babies that I had to haul with

Mike's huge truck! Sam and Luke were laughing

all the way to the house as I was towing this

huge generator to operate the airless paint

sprayer. Let's just say when I pulled into the

cul-de-sac with this baby, EVERYONE new that

I meant BUSINESS!!

Yep, Sam, Luke, and I spent a great majority

of the day with this guy. Unfortunately, the

gun kept getting stopped up and we did have

a few minor glitches . . . Here's to another

day of painting TOMORROW!

I am so grateful for my wonderful boys and

all of their help and support! It is KILLING

Mike that he is not the one painting and

dealing with all of the trials involved in

finishing the new house. Although I must

say, we do not hesitate to call him and give

him and EAR FULL when things are not

going our way!!!

Action.

Yesiree! We are getting there!! Today we passed

our framing inspection and the guys are

busy, busy, busy insulating downstairs.

We hope to get the insulation inspection

tomorrow morning and then the crew can

come in and sheetrock!! It will not take them

long to sheet rock downstairs. Hopefully, they

will begin taping on Sunday or Monday and

texturing early in the week.

The boys and I will be busy little beavers painting

our garages this weekend. A friend of Mike's from

YESCO is going to bring an airless over this afternoon

and give us a little demonstration on how to use it.

(I do not think that a magic fairy comes with it,

darn it!) We will paint the garages and then on

to the upstairs as soon as the guys are done

texturing!!

We are excited about our be.a.uuuuutiful back

patio cover!! We cannot wait until we are in

our new home and can sit outside!!!

We.are.getting.excited!

Pumpkin Time.

When we were driving by the Club in Somersett

today, we noticed these pumpkins! This was

an exciting reminder that fall is just around

the corner. A lover of all things fall, I so

cannot wait to celebrate the new season

with cooler temperatures, family traditions,

and new adventures.

I must say, that I cannot believe that

2011 has gone by this fast. The boys are

excited to play fall golf. Hitting the links

in the fall is there most favorite time of

year to play golf. We are also getting

excited for all of the fun holiday happenings

that start taking place as soon as the

pumpkins are out.

Home.Sweet.Home.

Luke was taking a bazillion pictures when we

landed last night! I do not think that we

were ever so glad to get home as we

where then. Holy.cow! We missed our

crew and main support system gobs while

we were at the Mayo Clinic for what

seemed six years.

Here are a few things that we

determined we love the very most

about being home:

*LAUGHTER!

*Hugs.

*Smiles.

*Daily lowdown.

*Dogs that love us

unconditionally.

*Doing dishes.

*Getting the mail.

*Running errands.

*HUGS . . . I really

mean that!!

*Doing laundry.

*Sleeping in our

own beds.

*Taking long

showers in our own

showers.

*Using BIG bars

of soap.

*Seeing the ones

you love most in the

entire world . . .

The list goes on and on!

Needless to say, we were thrilled

to get home and wished that

we could have made the plane

get here faster!

We are so not looking forward

to heading out again in a

month, but know that it is the

very, very best thing for one

of our very most favorite people.

Being home, priceless.

Friendly Wishes.

Where in the WORLD would we

be without our amazing family and

friends?!? We have had so many

wonderful well wishes, prayers, and

great thoughts headed our way.

I.can.tell.you without all of this, we

would NOT have made it this far.

We feel so blessed and thankful

as we approach this new

journey and adventure!!

BEST NEWS: We are headed to

see the wonderfully amazing

Dr. Hammer at the University

of Michigan Hospital on

October 25.

Track 3. Check.

The deed is done. Track 3 complete.

Part of the Track 3 experience involves

making a poster containing the information

about our dissertations.

My dissertation is entitled: Changing the

Tide, Rescuing Sinking Schools: Leadership

Traits, Qualities, Characteristics, and

Strategies of Transformational Elementary

School Principals.

I am super de duper excited to

take my comps and begin my

dissertation process.

Peace out, Jacksonville.

There's No Place Like Home.

Tomorrow at 9:00a.m. PST, I will be

clicking my heals together, hopping

on the fastest shuttle to the airport,

and trying to catch the earliest flight

to Phoenix. On Monday, Mike, Luke,

and I will make our little pitstop at

the Mayo Clinic to checkout and have

Mike's staples removed so that he can

go through airport security and we

will be on our way HOME!!!

I ABSOLUTELY had to attend this

residency and am glad that it is

over. I truly feel as though I am

on a roller coaster . . . I really do

want off!! Anyhow, here is to "one

more sleep night" and then I will

be back with some of my crew

tomorrow . . .

P.S. The next time that I complain

about the 105* degree DRY heat,

please kick me and remind me of the

100+ humidity here in Florida!!

Track 3 Friends.

Fun, fun, fun with my Track 3 buddies . . . God has

been so wonderful to bless me with a great

bunch of Capella friends. I am one blessed lady

to have such a great group of girls who like

to laugh and giggle and make the most of

any situation. I am totally convinced that

it is important to dwell on the positive, be

adventurous, and keep the faith.

I am counting down the hours until I

return to Phoenix and reclaim my crew.

. . . 36 hours and counting!!!

Track 3.

While my heart longs to be with my dear

sweet family, in order to complete my

PhD program, I must attend my Track 3

Residency this weekend in Jacksonville,

Florida. My mind and spirit are most

definitely other places. I have had this

scheduled for nearly a year and am not

able to take my comprehensive exams

next month without attending this

part of my program. So, we all felt that

it was the best decision to continue

with the plans to attend Track 3 this

weekend.

Mercy. I will be counting the hours

until I can jump in two planes and

head back to Phoenix. Mike will

finish up with the docs at the Mayo

Clinic on Monday and then Mike,

Luke, and I will jump in two more

planes and head back to our

crew in Reno.

We.cannot.wait.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin?!?

"They" say that laugher is the best

medicine and I must say that I ascribe

to this theory. After Luke and I discussed

this with Mike's surgeons, we all agree that

Mike's belly looks exactly like the picture

of the jack-o-lantern in this photo.

Seriously, we take these moments as

they come and welcome and embrace

them wholeheartedly. There probably

is little excuse to poke fun at a 31"

incision, but just the same we love

levity and enjoy making the most

out of this experience as well as

others in our lives.

We're Outta Here.

We are SO done looking at

this . . .

and these . . .

and this!

Mike is getting released from

the hospital today and we are

heading back to the hotel for

a few days of much needed

R&R before I head to Jacksonville

for my residency and Mike,

Luke, and I head back to Reno

next week!!!

Monday, September 19, 2011 Little Adventure.

When Luke and I were walking from the

hospital to the hotel at 1:00a.m., we

encountered a whole pack of coyotes

who did not look near this friendly.

The pack was guarding the front of

the hospital. Luke and I quickly

walked to the front doors of the

hospital, which were LOCKED.

Of course, my Boy Scout was thinking

and quickly took us to the emergency

room entrance. The nurse informed

us that it is totally unsafe to walk

outside and night! The security guard

came and drove us to the hotel and

began to tell us stories of javalinas,

rattlesnakes, and other animals

that do not take a liking to those

who choose to walk outside in

the Phoenix, Arizona desert at night!

Onward and Upward.

Okay, so I know that he is TOTALLY

not smiling, but we are UP, shaved,

washed up, and walking for brief

periods during the day! That's

my man . . . a great attitude raring

to go.

The biggest praise story of my entire

life goes something like this:

*As a doctoral student, I must attend

three residencies. I attended my first

residency in Jacksonville, Florida

at the beginning of my doctoral journey.

Mind you that 2,500 people attend

these residencies. The rooms are packed

with a bazillion people crazy enough to be

working on their doctorates.

*We were name tags at our residencies.

A woman that I had never met before

was calling my name across the

CROWDED room. She asked if I was

"The Jill" from the courses that we

had been taking. I quickly became

friends with Kris from MICHIGAN as

she had married her high school

sweetheart, had three children, and

is an amazing CHRISTian. We had tons

in common!

*Fast forward to two years later, I am

in the Mayo Clinic with my husband

who receives a very difficult diagnosis

from the doctors and oncologists at

the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona.

*Being proactive, after a day of trying

to come to grips with the difficult

news, I begin "gently" Googling

adrenal gland cancer treatment options.

(Adrenal gland cancer extremely

rare 1 in 1,000,000.) Therefore the

knowledge is VERY limited regarding

treatment options to effectively

beat adrenal gland cancer.

*As I Googled, God showed me

this information of THE doctor

who specializes in adrenal gland

cancer in the United States. His

name is Dr. Hammer and is located

at the University of MICHIGAN.

*I immediately text my friend Kris

primarily to ask her if she knows

about the University of Michigan.

She responds that not only does

she know about the University

of Michigan in Ann Arbor, but that

they live 25 minutes from it, have a

spare room for our family, and extra

car and would love for us to come

there and live with them in order

that Mike could receive the treatments

that he needs.

*Still uncertain if this was the

right treatment for Mike, I

reserved totally jumping over

the edge with excitement,

which is difficult for me, until

we spoke with our oncologist.

Our oncologist told us that she

would be available all weekend.

I turned around and she was in

Mike's room five minutes after

I arrived this morning. She

jumped on my computer to see

the information regarding Dr. Hammer

and was so excited!! She said that

this was Mike's best hope and we

need to be there!!! He can begin

treatment in FOUR weeks.

*How AMAZING is our God!! How

can we, for one minute, even

fathom that He has not orchestrated

every moment of our lives, that He

is concerned and knows our each

and every thought.

(I bet you already guessed that

Dr. Hammer will be receiving a

call from me at 7:59a.m. tomorrow

morning and that I will be

buying mittens for Michigan!!!)

Luke and the Strawberries.

Mike, Bobby, Grandy, and I were able

to look at these bea-u-tiful chocolate-covered

strawberries for about a minute before

my little Luke, a self-proclaimed

strawberry and chocolate lover, dove

into them . . . ALL 24 of them . . .

within minutes!!

(We kept one box in the refrigerator,

but it took him only minutes to

discover that Justin had sent two

boxes of these beauties and not

just one!)

A memory for certain, as Luke

gobbled them up one after the

other lacking any guilt, as the rest

of us watched in amazement!

Our Path.

This is the path that Luke and I

follow every morning and each night

back and forth between the hotel

and the hospital.

It is really crazy how we get

so used to the same path!

It seems like I know this path

so well and would not deviate from

it as I am so certain to arrive at the

same destination each time that

I follow this same path.

Today I learned that our path

will be significantly different than

any path we have followed before . . .

It is now that I choose to be

strong and tread lightly on the footsteps

of those who have gone before me as

much remains uncertain.

Day Two.

Luke and I have totally become almost

permanent fixtures at the Mayo Clinic.

Mike was having a sterile procedure today

and they asked us to put on surgical

masks so that we would not contaminate

the procedure. Honestly, my sweet

Luke has been such a blessing and help

to me over the past ten days. I sincerely,

do.not.know.what.I.would.do.without.him.

He has such a fun sense of humor, yet

worries about me just the same. He

makes certain that I eat, laugh, and get

some rest. He is a trooper and truly

a wonderful companion. Luke has

added a wee bit of welcome levity

to this whole ordeal. I so know why

God gave him to me.

I.am.one.blessed.girl.

What a Difference a Day Makes.

Praise the Lord! One day after a looooooong

surgery, a 24" incision, and 16 hours

under anesthetic, Mike is doing amazing!!!!

The docs cannot believe how awesome

he is doing less than 17 hours after

surgery!!! He sat up for a while, took

TWO walks, and was able to talk on

the telephone!!! That is why I married

him . . . He is truly amazing!!!!

Our family is so thankful for all of the

outpouring of prayers and thoughts

sent our way. We are so grateful for

all of the phone calls, texts, and

sweet messages. We have truly felt

each.and.every.prayer.

We know that there is more to come

in this battle, but we are so very

grateful that God is in charge!!!

Onward.comrades!

Watching and Waiting.

I have spent way too much time

watching this board today.

Period.

Clear liquids and apple sauce and jello. Oh, my!

Reflecting on our whole Mayo

Clinic expedition that seems as

though it began months and months

ago, Mike truly has not had anything

to speak of to eat, with respect to

our first night here when he, Luke, and I

ate at Sweet Tomatoes. He was dying

for a Wiki Waki Salad from the Islands

when Grandy and Bobby were here

and that is when he had to have

his pancreas biopsies. After that, it

has seemed he has pulled one

stint after another and had to have

one surgery after another.

After much, ado, and in order to

celebrate before his BIG surgery

tomorrow . . . clear liquids, jello, and

applesauce have arrived. I think he

was so excited and happy that he

just sat there and looked at them

a bit before he imbibed. Anyhow,

he is one happy little camper now

that he can have little cups of

num-nums. He is truly fits the pic

of the hospital patient with a cup

of jello in one hand and blood clot

suphose on his legs.

. . . for better or for worse!