archive fall 2k4

7-10-04 - Sorry this update is so late! We have been enjoying life. Beth is feeling great and doing well. I am noticing that she is becoming more active and her muscle tone is starting to return. Beth is enjoying her summer but she is bored alot. I'm getting ready to leave for work right now so I can't post the new pictures I have but will try to get to it when I get home tonight. We had a great Fourth of July with the neighborhood party at our house this year. We rented one of those jump houses and the kids had a blast. It rained on and off all day, but no matter. When it rained the kids would just throw on their swim suits and that made it all the more fun for them. I think I will make another picture page for the new stuff so those of you with dial up service don't have to wait all day for the page to load. Thanks for checking in!

7-12-04 - Happy Birthday to Jenni !!! Beth and I made her dinner and Beth made the cake all by herself. You man remember the mention of a young man named Maurice or "Mo". He was the same age as Beth and diagnosed only two days after Beth. We have become close via email and websites with Mo and his family. We started the journey into brain tumor land together. Sadly, Mo passed away in the company of his family. Please pray for Mo's family. Beth had a pretty hard time with it. I think it is due to the fact that she considered Mo her friend and also because it has really made her question her own mortality, given the similarity of both their circumstances starting out. On a lighter note, we went to see "Anchor Man" today. I have to advise everyone to take a pass on this one. There was alot more adult content than I thought. Basically one of the poorer Will Ferell movies that I have seen. Beth is doing great and we are laying around with puffed out stomachs after Jenni's requested birthday dinner of homemade chicken and dumplings. The couch is calling my name...............

7-26-04 - Beth attended the 2004 Relay for Life in Clarkston on Saturday. She was asked to lead the first lap of the walk with two other survivors. She also helped light the torch to kick things off. It really is a special time and a very fun time as well. Everyone there is united, in that they have, had or know someone who has or had cancer. There is an unspoken admiration and understanding for one another. During the balloon release I was watching all the balloons go up, trying to keep my eye on Beth's. I couldn't help but think of a verse in, believe it or not, a Barry Manilow song. "I made it through the rain and found myself respected by the others who got rained on too...and made it through.". I am so proud of Beth. I posted some of the pictures on the newest pics page. Also included are a couple of pictures from a picnic on the water that we had with Grandma Bert and Grandpa Howard. Two very special people in all our lives. We had a picnic on their pontoon boat. We stopped to swim at an island in the lake and later stopped to frolic on a sandbar for awhile. A very fun day. Beth is feeling great and still has the occasional throw up session when we eat out. I guess she will always have to deal with it according to the doctor. Most of the time it is fine and when she does throw up....he belly feels instantly better and she commences eating when she returns from the bathroom. It's part of our new normal. It is so nice to be living a sosmewhat normal life again. Please don't take yours for granted!

7-29-04 - Beth returned to K-Farms today for her first official riding lesson on her favorite horse Boblo since December 2002. I was a wreck trying to get poor Bob tacked up. I had forgotten almost everything I learned. But we got through it and tossed Beth up on top. Beth was a bit apprehensive at first because there were a bunch of flies biting Bob and he would stop abruptly and throw his head down trying to bite and itch. This made Beth very uncomfortable and she was unsure if she wanted to continue. I told her I would walk next to her so she decided to give it a go. It wasn't long before she was trotting and didn't need me anymore. Her trainer, Donna Caston, is one of the best. She is strict but I don't think I would feel comfortable if she wasn't. She didn't push Beth but was definitely teaching and correcting when needed. Beth was happy to see her stable buddy Jackie who rode with her for a little while. Afterward Beth sprayed her horse down and we walked a bit to cool him down. I had forgotten what a close time it is at the barn for Beth and I. A very wholesome experience! Beth was very proud of herself after her lesson. I took her to the local A&W which still has the drive-in and the car hops. We were definitely celebrating. Beth rides english which involves posting. Basically this is pumping up and down in rythm with the horse and it is hard on the legs. Beth will sure be feeling it tomorrow! But by next Thursday she will be ready to rumble again. Thanks to Donna and Jackie at K-Farms for treating us so well! I have posted some pics from Beth's riding lesson on the newest pics page....so check them out.

8-15-04 - Hi everyone! Sorry this update has taken so long to post. Beth has just been busy enjoying life. She has been feeling great with the occasional nausea if she doesn't eat soon enough. Sometimes she will start eating and start feeling a little sick. It is so normal to us....can't remember not dealing with it. I had to laugh....Beth, Mikey and I were in the Wendys eating lunch a couple of weeks ago. Beth started feeling a little sick and excused herself to the bathroom. A minute later the whole dining room was filled with the most gut wrenching sounds of Beth throwing up. The layout of the place just seemed to magnify it. People stopped eating and looked at each other with strange faces. Because it is so normal for us, Mikey and I just looked at each other and started snickering. I know that everyone in the place thought I was a horrible parent.....but they just don't understand. So then Beth emerges from the bathroom with all eyes upon her. She smiles as she approaches our booth and sits down. She then resumes eating her hamburger, much to the dismay of the other patrons. I could do nothing but smile, smile, smile. Beth attended a Math Camp at the local community education building a few weeks ago. She actually wanted to do it.....she misses school so much. Beth, who doesn't dress girly at all, was stopped a kid in her class as she tried to enter the girls bathroom. He told her that she was mistaken and should use the boys bathroom. He didn't believe her when she said she was a girl. With the short hair and butch clothes.....I guess it's an easy mistake. Happens all the time. At restaurants the waitress will call her "little guy" or "buddy", thinking she is a boy. It doesn't even phase Beth.....she says she understands and doesn't mind. Beth's english riding is going well. She is getting more and more comfortable riding again. The muscles in ther legs are building again and getting stronger all the time. I found a recipe on the internet to make "horse muffins". So Beth and I collected the ingredients and baked up a batch for her horse. He LOVED them! So that was kind of a fun thing. The next MRI scans will be September 18th and 19th. These are her routine three month scans. Her next neuropsych appointment is on September 23rd. Beth is going to a movie with her friend Sam who lives just down the street. They are going to the mall to see A Cinderella Story. Sounds cute. Anyway...that's about it for now. Take care everyone.

9-2-04 - Hi guys! This is Beth writing. We went to Little Mary's last week.It is a hospitality house for people with illnesses.There was a very nice family there. They had four daughters. One of them was my age. We hit it off right away! They had a marshmallow roast every night. Then on the last night we all had dinner together. We even met the founders of Little Mary's! That was really cool!The day we left the girl that was my age gave me some braclets. she said" that she wore them to church". I thought that was thoughtfull so I gave her one of my game boy games. Our room made us feel like we were really up north! It was decorated like the woods.Little Mary's was great!! Then we drove our new van to Traverse City to Great Wolf Lodge. It was a lot of fun there! They had five indoor water slides. They had two that started inside, went outside, and then ended inside! I went on all of them! All more than once! The next day we drove half way home and half way we stopped at a Best Western. I thought it would be really nice but it wasn't.That night we went to the restaurant in the hotel. It was really expensive!!! It did have a movie theater, bowling, and a putt putt course on site though. We went to the movies that night and saw Without A Paddle. It was really funny!!!! I loved it! The next day we drove to Kettering Collage in Flint. We went to see my cousin Alex. His room was really cool! I loved it there. I won't mind staying at a collage when I am older! Then we went back home. It was a great trip. Yesterday we went to Carl Richter( my new school). All the 6th graders are going to one school instead of us going to the middle school.That will be so fun having a bunch of kids my age. No one older! We went to pick up my class schedule and to try out my locker. It was really cool there! I met all my teachers too. They were all very nice! Then today we went out to the barn for riding lessons but every one was at a horse show. No one told us about the horse show so we just let Bob graze in the feild. I took my friend Sam with me and she really liked it! My Dad and I even made our own horse treats with mollasses and strawberry apple sauce. Horses love strawberry apple sauce! Then we dropped Sam off at her house and went home. That brings me where I am now.I am feeling really good and had a good couple of weeks! Talk to you later and take care!

9-6-04 - Beth starts sixth grade tomorrow! She is so excited and is really looking forward to it. Mikey also starts school tomorrow. He will be a big kindergartener. He has bugged me constantly all summer long to play with friends and says that he doesn't have many. Boy is that about to change in a big way. Say a little prayer and wish them both luck on their first day. Daddy gets his mornings free now...WooHoo!!!!! So it's back to the gym in the mornings for me to work on my girlish figure......hehehe. Beth is feeling great and loving life! Thanks for stopping by.

9-18-04 - Hi everyone! Beth is starting to get used to the routine of middle school. Her bus comes at about 6:45 A.M. so she has to get up at 6 A.M. to be ready. What a change from elementary! Once or twice a week we let her sleep in an extra hour or so and she misses first and second hour. These are a writing class and music / choir. Because Beth is on the 504 plan she can have as many absences / tardys as she needs as long as she learns the material. Beth is loving school and making new friends as well as continuing friendships from last year. She is a study / reading monster and insists on getting projects done in one night that aren't due for a week. She must get that from Jenni !! We just got back from Detroit Childrens Hospital where Beth had her brain MRI. We will return tomorrow for her spinal MRI. We should have some results early in the week....I will post as soon as we get them. Beth is feeling fantastic and is loving doing normal things. Take Care!

9-20-04 - The MRI scans went well. We had to wait a bit on Saturday but we were a half hour early on Sunday and they got us right in. I called medical records this morning and they said that the report was in the computer already for Beth's brain MRI. I called the oncology department and left a message indicating this to our nurse and requested her to check and call me with the information. No call yet. I will the info as soon as I get it. I hate this waiting.....I can't think about anything else until I know.

10-07-04 - Hi everybody! Sorry I haven't changed the page over to the new webspace yet. I ran into a few snags and decided to walk away from it for a bit. Beth is doing very well. She is attending full days of school and riding the bus both ways most days. She is getting great grades and hasn't had very many nausea issues at all. She is done with her english riding lessons for the year because she is pretty sensitive to the cold now and doesn't want to be miserable. Plus, I am off weekends now and Jenni works late and couldn't take Beth anyway......so it worked out for the best! When did life get so normal again?

10-08-04 - Well you've probably noticed that I have finally managed to transfer this site to the new webspace. No more annoying banner....Yeah!!!!!! The linked pic and archive pages are still on the free site and have the banners....I will work on that later. Now all of you guys who are sneaking peeks of this page at work won't get busted with that crazy ringing banner.....you know who I'm talking about.......GUY!!!!! Heh heh. Anyway....Beth is doing just great. She received her mid-marking period progress report today. Four A's and one B+. I am told that the B+ is in a class that several received D's or lower. We are so proud of our girl! Her face was beaming when she showed me the report. Beth is feeling great and loving life again. Your continued prayers are always needed and appreciated.

10-25-04 - Hi everyone! We have been having a great fall / Halloween season. Beth, Mikey and I went to the pumpkin patch on Saturday. They picked out their Halloween jack-o-latern pumpkins and had cider, donuts and caramel apples. Afterwards both enjoyed the giant hay pyramid and petting zoo. We then proceeded home to carve pumpkins, after which we baked the seeds. Beth is feeling fantastic and doing well in school. Jen had the first meeting / appointment at the endocrinologist with Beth on Thursday. She said it was very unorganized and it frustrated her. The sounds like the doctor wants to put Beth on growth hormone soon but the oncologist says that they usually wait two years post treatment for that. I think we feel more comfortable waiting a bit if possible. All of these chemicals really bother me! Anyway....we are moving on to the next phase of the journey with the long term quality of life stuff.......so prayers are very appreciated to help us make the right decisions for Beth. I have added another picture page and I posted a few new pictures there of our fall excursion. Until next time...............................................