Ty Updates

On the 30th of November, I took Ty down to the UofU to meet with 2 doctors who specialize in autoimmune diseases. We were with them for over an hour, going over medical history and what not. They said that she has alot of the symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome but that we would need to get lab work and an eye test done to confirm. When that appointment was over, we headed to Primary Children's to get the lab work done. 6 vials! Sheesh!

A couple of days later we went to the eye doctor to have a Schirmer's test done. It is a little strip of paper that measures your tear production. Well, that was normal... she filled up the little strip just fine. Only thing we learned from that visit was that she has a cataract in her right eye, but she wont need to do anything about it for another 50-60 years.

Last week the PA for the Immunology department called and said all her lab work came back normal. She does not have any autoimmune diseases or immune deficencies. Well, that's great... but what is causing all this? She didnt know and said to follow up with our ENT.

I had planned on calling Dr Muntz this week to see what else he is thinking... but ends up I have to call him today b/c my little girl came home from school yesterday with a big lump on the left side of her neck. Almost 2 months to the date of her last lymph node infection. Of course by the time I knew about it yesterday it was too late and the office was closed so I have to call this morning.

She is miserable... neither of us slept last night. She was just screaming in pain... can't chew anything so had a problem with her Tylenol. We were up for hours until I got her into the tub to help relax her and then to bed... 2 hrs before my alarm went off for the day.

I am frustrated... I am tired... I am sick of seeing my daughter go through this. I trust that God has a plan for her... that this will someday make sense, but me and my impatient nature want answers... or atleast comfort. Its hard to be a mom and see your child like this and not be able to do anything.

Christmas Survey

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
• A gift certificate for a pedicure and massage
• The biggest CrockPot you can find
• A new coffee travel coffee mug
• A carrier for my bible
• Watch bracelets

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
Oh goodness… I can’t think of anything handmade. My family isn’t very crafty. LOL

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
I made a quilt for my parents one year, thanks to the help of my ex-mother in law.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
Probably Cabbage Patch Dolls… or Rainbow Bright Dolls… then again I did like my Light Bright.

5. What items are on your kid's wish list this year?
Webkiz, board games, clothes, new TVs.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
Green Bean Casserole

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
I made Christmas cards last weekend, that’s about all the crafting I do.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
Not sure I really have one… Fred Claus makes me laugh.

9. Favorite holiday song?
Silent Night

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
It’s all about being with family… going to the parade and seeing the Christmas Village in Ogden. Hanging out at my parents or with my in-laws. Going to church and/or doing a service project for the community. For me, its not all about the gifts and decorations. I want to remember the real reason for the season and want my kids to be the same way.

Drew-ism!

On Friday, Drew and I were driving around, running errands. We were on our way to pick up Ty from a play date with her girlfriend and Drew said, “Where are we going next?” and I replied, “Where we go every Friday, the Genesis Project”. He looked at me with a thoughtful look and says, “Ya know, we go there a lot. I bet God thinks it’s a waste of gas!” It took all I had NOT to burst out laughing. “No, buddy… I’m sure that God likes when we go to church… it’s not a waste of gas”. Then yesterday after church, Drew says, “Are you going to bible study tomorrow?” so my reply was “Are you sure God wouldn’t think that was a waste of gas?” and we both just laughed and laughed. Too funny.

A Giving Story

Next Saturday, we are giving the homeless and less fortunate a chance to come in and shower, get new clothes, get haircuts, and have a warm meal. Yesterday, Ty and I went to hand out invitations with my sister throughout Grant and 12th st, to the houses and apartments.

It was a chilly day and we were bundled up. We started at the apartment buildings and went door to do and personally invited those who answered to come and left the fliers in the doors for those who didn’t. We were just about done with the apartment complex when we knocked on a door and a little girl and her mom answered. We invited them to come, gave them the flier, and started to walk away. She asked us for more information so we went back and talked to her a little more. She told me that her daughter can't go outside b/c she doesn’t have a coat and it's too cold out. Next thing I know, my daughter takes her coat off and hands it to the little girl. She told her that she has another one at home, so she could have that one. The little girl snuggled up inside of it and the mom got tears in her eyes. She kept asking us “are you sure?” and we kept saying yes. I gave the mom a hug and we walked on.

Poor Ty was standing there in a beanie and gloves with a T-Shirt on, but luckily I had another one of my coats in the car so we made due until we were done… but I can’t tell you how proud I was of her. My 9 yr old was filled with the Spirit and became selfless and caring to someone less fortunate, just as Jesus would do.

We talked about it in the car on the way home and she said that she knew the little girl needed it more than she did… and even though it was dirty, it was warm. She said she hopes that family goes to our event next week because they need some help. She gets it… she realizes that not everyone has what we have and she is willing to share her things with others. What an amazing feeling!

Good news!

The ENT nurse called me yesterday. She said that the pathology report shows a benign reactive lymph node, but no signs of cancer. Phew! No cancer!

When the doctor called back and I asked him what that means he said there was lymph node swelling due to infection. The culture report he got back yesterday morning showed that nothing grew in 6 days from the cultures they took. However when they called back last night, something did show up as Gram Positive Cocci. They are going to continue to test on it to figure out what kind of infection it is and to see what medication it is susceptible to.

I asked him where do we go from here… no cancer, but we really don’t have any answers. He said he is going to get us in with the Immunology department to be tested for Auto Immune Diseases. Something is causing the reoccurring infections and they are the next step to finding out what it is.

Thanks for everyone’s prayers and support. Praise God!

Surgery Update

Ty had surgery on Tuesday. She did very well with little bleeding. They did an open biopsy on the left and a needle biopsy on the right. They were able to get alot of samples that they sent off to pathology and to be cultured.

The Dr just called... no final report yet on the biopsy, but no organisms growing from culture so far. They will call me when they know more. Honestly, I was hoping something would grow so we can know what’s causing the reoccurring infection. She is a little sore when she sneezes or coughs, but is doing good overall. She went back to school yesterday.

Keep praying for some kind of answer!

Swollen Again, Update

The doctor called me last night. He said there is some concern regarding Ty’s MRI results. There is a cluster of lymph nodes that are enlarged back deep behind her saliva gland on the left side. He said that is pushing her saliva gland and that is causing the infection. He said we would skip all the scary words that that radiologist wrote on the report and we will schedule an open biopsy to remove the lymph nodes as well as the lymph glands. I guess where it is, is deep under the facial and shoulder nerve. She is going to have an incision on her neckline but when it’s all done and healed it will blend into the crease. I asked him if the problem on the right side was all lymph nodes or did her saliva gland look diseased when he took it out. He said that there was definitely scar tissue on the right parotid gland and he removed the lymph nodes that were around that then. I guess I have a lot of questions for him. What is causing the enlarged lymph nodes/glands? Why is she constantly having infections? What can we do to prevent this in the future? I know they are testing for cancer, but if that isn’t it, what could this be? They have her on a very strong dose of antibiotics for now and they are going to call me today to schedule her surgery. Hopefully its something we can do pretty quick… the waiting is the worst part. I get very anxious not knowing. If they give me a diagnosis I can deal with it…making plans to do whatever is needed. The sitting around in wonder is the hard part for me.

Swollen Again...

On Monday afternoon at 4:11 (Yes, I know the exact time b/c the Drs office closes at 4pm and I realized that I just barely missed them) my daughter calls me from her dad’s house saying that her neck is swollen on BOTH sides and she is in a lot of pain.

Freaking great. I hung up and wanted to cry. I hate to see my little girl in pain. I hate the agony that she goes through. Just makes me feel so helpless as a mother.

She came home later that evening and I gave her Tylenol, got her in the tub, got her some sour candy to suck on and eventually got her off to bed… She didn’t sleep well that night. Nor did I. I could hear her whimpering from her bedroom. At 430am she came in to ask if she could get in the tub to see if that would help her feel better. At 6am I went in her room to wake her up, gave her some Tylenol, wrote a note to the school saying that she would need Tylenol at lunch. I had the Dr write a note at the beginning of the year saying she could have some when she had a saliva gland infection. If we stay on the Tylenol, she does ok… if she missed a dose after 4hrs its all down hill and takes a lot to get her feeling better again.

I got a call around 1130 with her crying. She said the school lost her Tylenol. They have the note but cant find the medicine. I had to go get her, brought her home to give her Tylenol and she took a nap on the couch when I finished out my day working from home. We went to get more Tylenol to give the school a new box, which they are now guarding with their lives. LOL

I spoke with the nurse at PCMC Tuesday morning as well. I explained what was going on and what the Dr said to do when this happened next. After some calling around, she found us an 8pm appointment at the hospital to go in and get an MRI done. He wanted the scan while her neck was swollen so he can see exactly what is going on. Not only in her saliva glands, but in her lymph nodes as he feels that this could be more than what we originally thought.

Today is Thursday… and I am waiting on them to call in a prescription of antibiotics, waiting for the results of the MRI, praying for an answer. She is doing better today; the swelling is still there but no worse than yesterday. She is smiling a bit more. She can’t really eat a lot b/c she can’t get her mouth open and that frustrates her but she knows she is going to be ok. We trust the doctor to make the right decisions and to care for her, but even more so we trust that the Lord is going to take care of her. In the car this morning she says “Mom, can we pray that God makes me feel just a little better?”. That’s my sweet girl.

Thankful for grandparents

I am so thankful for my family… my mom and Rob who are amazing parents and grandparents. They give so much to our family and love everyone equally, regardless if you are their own child or not. My mother in law is a wonderful woman. She is going through a lot right now with putting my FIL in a nursing home, but she is so strong. She has jumped into our lives full force. She loves my kids as if they were Bryan’s own. I am also thankful for Nate’s parents. Nate lives with them so when he has the kids they get to stay with their grandparents, which they think is so cool. They help out so much, picking the kids up from daycare and what not. Each of them play such a role in my children's lives and I am so thankful for them.

When I was born, one grandma had already passed away. I was so close with my mom’s parents when I was little. We went to their house instead of daycare. They volunteered at school and were just amazing people. My Nannie died when I was 10 and my grandpa died a few years later. I wasn’t very close with my Gido, my dad’s dad, as he lived in Chicago but he did come out for my wedding to Nate and then passed away shortly after.

I pray that my kids get to experience a lot of their life having their wonderful grandparents around. Love to you all!

Swine Boy

Last Thursday, I came down with a cold. Sneezing, runny nose, headache… that type of thing. Friday night, Ty is the same way. Saturday we laid around for the most of the day… By Saturday afternoon Ty was feeling better and Bryan took the kids over to his mom’s and I stayed home and slept. Sunday I was feeling better, just not 100%. Ty was coughing, but that was it for her. Sunday night, Drew came in and said his head hurt. Monday morning, he had a snotty nose and was coughing too. During this whole time, no one had a fever and everything I read said that you cant have the Swine Flu if you don’t have a fever so Bryan and I made the decision to just treat symptoms and if anyone had a fever (him included) we were off to the doctor. Monday night, Bryan comes home and has a headache and is congested. So now we have a house of sickies, although by then Ty and I were doing so much better.

Tuesday morning Drew was still snotty and coughing, but no fever so I gave him some cold medicine and sent him to school. That afternoon I went to get him from daycare and he was laying on the couch moaning. They said they didn’t call me b/c they knew I would be there soon, but that he was not feeling well. Of course not, he was burning up! I had them get me a thermometer and he was 102.5. His eyes were red and tearing and he was pale. Before I even got out of the daycare building I was already on the phone with the Dr’s office. They didn’t have any appointments but walk-ins started in 30 mins so we ran home to change and went over there.

When we came in, there were two people ahead of us. A boy younger than Drew with a mask on and a teenage girl with a mask on. All were coughing with teary red eyes. The doctor saw us pretty quickly. She talked to us, checked him out, and said “Yup, he’s got the Swine Flu”. She said that they aren’t doing the test b/c there is a 70% false negative and it’s a cost that the clinic has to eat b/c insurance doesn’t pay for it. She mentioned that people she knows are showing up negative when she knows are positive, like a little boy who has 3 little brothers at home who are positive. She said that the main thing to do is treat the symptoms… cold medicine, Tylenol, Motrin, etc. She said that there is a shortage of kids Tamiflu but due to his seizure problems, she recommends we call around and find it b/c we cant let his fever get too high so he has a seizure. She said that once his fever is gone and he doesn’t need any fever reducing medicine for 24 hrs he can go back to school.

We stopped at Walgreen’s on the way home. People looked at him all funny b/c he had a mask on. The pharmacy said they didn’t have any kids Tamiflu but they checked in their system and they had it in SLC and Bryan was in SLC visiting Taylor so I paid for it there and had them call it in there and Bryan grabbed it on his way home.

I gave Drew his Tylenol around 630 and got him in his PJs and off to bed… I went back in at 930 like the pharmacist said to do and switched it for Motrin and gave him the Tamiflu but when I went to wake him up, I noticed he was drenched in sweat. His fever broke already! I got him changed and took his temperature, normal. Hmmm weird.

The next morning he was up before I was…. Just playing in his room. I took his temp, normal. I stayed home with him yesterday and he every time I took his temp it was normal. He didn’t need any Tylenol or Motrin yesterday, just kept giving him cold medicine for his snotty nose and cough and his Tamiflu. The doctor told me if he was 24 hrs without a fever he could go back to school… so when he was 30 hrs past fever this morning at 6, I got him ready for daycare/school and off he went. He is going to have a lingering cough for a while. Some people who had it said theirs stayed up to a month… so we will deal with that. I am just glad we got on top of this as quickly as we did and he made a speedy recovery!

As for me and my house... we will serve the Lord

One thing I want to start out by saying is the Genesis Project hardly ever asks for money. If they do, it’s for someone specific who needs a bill paid or food for their table, but not b/c the church needs it. With that being said, we are going through a season of change where the building isn’t big enough and the city wants the land for other things. We have been in talks for months now about the Gold’s Gym on 12th street. It would be a better fit, more exposure; still in Ogden… the list of reasons why this would be a good move for us seems to be endless. The pastors have some things in the works and wanted to let the core group of “members” (and I use that term loosely b/c we don’t keep track of membership) to know what is going on and ask for help and I was one of those people they invited to meet with last week.

Without going into a lot of detail, we were all sent home to pray about what amount we could give weekly to help us get to our goal. There is no set amount they are asking for; they want us to give what we can. So after this meeting, I went home and I talked Ty about it and we prayed and she said “Mom, let’s give them my allowance for this month”.

So she wrote up a note that says “Pastor Matt… here is my allowance for you to use for the new church. Love Ty Erwin”.

She stuck it in an envelope and took it with us on Friday night to worship. When she saw Pastor Matt, she ran up front to give it to him.

On Sunday, we were at church with my sister, Heather, and it was time for Offering. Normally one of the leaders (not the pastor) gets up, tells a story, says a prayer, and passes around the bucket. This time, Pastor Matt got up and told a story about how on Friday night a little girl (who was in the congregation this morning and is now hiding on her mom’s lap) came up to him with an envelop. He went on to say that when he first opened it, $10 fell out. Then he read the letter and got tears in his eyes. He said he was overwhelmed with pride for this little girl to help out our church. As we are sitting there, I am crying b/c I am so proud of her as well.

I believe that everything we do is b/c it’s in God’s plan. If it’s not His Will, it won’t happen. If we are meant to move into this new building, its b/c he wants us there. I just feel so blessed to have an amazing place to worship. Somewhere I feel the spirit and I walk out feeling so much better about life. This is a place my kids beg to go every week. Ogden is definitely a better place for having the Genesis Project and the amazing pastoral team it does. If you haven’t been and are searching for more out of life, stop by. You won’t regret it! www.genesisutah.com

Our 1st Anniversary

Yesterday was Bryan and my 1st anniversary. It’s amazing to me that a year has gone by already… time flies when you are having fun! Bryan is an amazing man. He is loving and kind. He stepped up and has become (another) dad to my children. He treats them as if they were his own. He does homework with them, takes them to their games, lets them paint his finger nails, what a guy! He fits in perfectly with my family… he can be as obnoxious and silly as they are! He is not only my husband, he is my friend. He is such a source of support to me. He loves me unconditionally. In the whole time we have been together I think we have gotten into a disagreement once. We talk a lot… about everything and I think that is a big part as to why we get along so well. We have great communication. We understand what is important to each other and respect that. I am so blessed to be married to this man.

This weekend we had a great time with the family… It was the start of the change of weekends for Taylor. He will now be with us when my kids are home, which will be good all around. Bryan went to get him on Friday from SLC and they came home and surprised me by going to Friday night worship with us at the GP. It was such a blessing to have them there. Saturday was crazy busy with soccer games, hair cuts, trips to SLC, and the Weber State Football. On Sunday, the kids got up early and made us breakfast. We had French toast, eggs, bacon, and pears. They made us an Anniversary card that is now hanging on the fridge. I made Bryan a card and got him some cologne. He got me a card (which I cried when I read) a Darius Rucker CD, and a beautiful diamond heart necklace. After that Ty and I went to church then we had Drew’s birthday party at my mom’s and then we took the kids to Kobe Japanese Restaurant for dinner. They got a kick out of the guy cooking in front of us. It was a great weekend and a celebration of not just Bryan and my marriage; it was a celebration of us being a family.

I love you honey. Thanks for an amazing year :)

Oatmeal or Hot Milk?

Last weekend Bryan and I went to Moab to celebrate his birthday and our early-anniversary. We had won a 2 night stay and a sunset jet boat tour and dinner when we were down for Raft for the Cure in their silent auction so we had to take advantage of that before October.

We had a great time together... went to dinner at my friend Randy's resteraunt, went to the Hole in the Rock house/giftshop/zoo, and went on a really fun jet boat tour through Canyonlands.

Saturday morning, we went to breakfast. I wasnt really hungry so I ordered oatmeal, coffee, and a side of sausage. The girl who took my order wasnt from here, had a Russian accent. She just kept repeating to me what sounded like "Hot meal". Uh, sure... oatmeal is hot... maybe they call it "hot meal" where she is from. Then I asked her for some brown sugar and her eyes get all big and she says "You want brown sugar for your hot meal?" Uh, yes please. She told me she wasnt sure if she could do that but would ask.

Little while later she comes back with my coffee and lays down a glass of (hot) milk and a bowl of brown sugar and walks away. I look at Bryan and said "I normally have cold milk with my oatmeal, but ok"... and we wait for the rest of the food. Out comes his meal and my sausage and she walks away.

Then it hits me... she thought I said "HOT MILK" when I said "OATMEAL" and I start laughing hysterically. I call her back over and say "I need some OATTTT MEAL to go with my brown sugar" and she points at my hot milk and says "Hot Milk"... "no, OOOOAAATT Meal". Then you could see the light turn out "Oh! You want OOOOOOAAAAT MEAAAAAL". She starts laughing... rewrites it on the bill and goes and gets me a huge bowl of oatmeal.

Bryan says from now on, oatmeal is now going to be referred as "Hot Milk" at our house!

All About Ty

Wednesday night, Ty tried out for a competition basketball team in West Haven. This team is called the Utah Heat and its coached by Eliot Reynolds, former WSU women's coach. You could tell all week she was excited and nervous. When the coach had all the kids gather around him, he introduced himself and asked who was nervous and Ty's hand shot up! He told her to not be nervous, just go out and have fun. He split the 4th grade girls and boys off into a group of their own while all the older kids went with other coaches.

Ty worked her butt off! She was focused, didnt screw around, and had fun while she was out there. She was so funny... she made a basket during one of her drills and it was when the coach wasnt looking so she ran right up and told him she made it!

She was so happy to have the support she did... Bryan, Drew, Aunt Heather, and I were there cheering her on.

We got word last night that she made the team. Practices start in 2 weeks and the season runs through Dec. Yay for Ty!

Yesterday we went back to PCMC to meet with her ENT. First a resident came in to talk to her, see what was going on, etc. It was a different one from who we saw a couple weeks ago. He kinda looked at her, joked with her, and then said he had to get "the boss".

Dr Muntz came in and we talked. He said it could be 1 of 2 things... that the saliva gland (the little bit thats left) is still working and b/c there isnt enough of it, its causing infection. The other thing is that it could be lymph nodes and not the gland. He is confused b/c where she swelled up was in 2 places and it is evidence of both things, gland and nodes.

A couple months back when Ty was in a car accident she had to have an MRI done. He wants to get a copy of that to see if he can see that area of her head/neck to determine whats going on in there without surgery. If it doesnt show what he wants, then we will go back down there and get another MRI with contrast done. Depending on the results, she may have to have another saliva gland surgery to remove the remaining gland. If its the lymph nodes, he said that they could be upset still from the surgery and he would like to just treat her with antibiotics 2-3 more times before surgically removing them.

Ty told me last night that she trusts Dr Muntz and whatever he says we need to do, we will do. I agree with her 100%. He shared with me that he is frustrated b/c he fully expected the surgery in Feb to take care of this problem. He doesnt want her quality of life to deteriorate b/c of this. He doesnt want her to miss school anymore... especially where this last flare up lasted her almost a week in pain, 5 days is a long time to miss if school was in session so he said that we need to move quickly and really think about whats going to be best in the long run.

My job today is to track down the MRI and get it off to him so I can call him next week and see what our next steps are. Keep her in your prayers!

Erwin-Williams Updates

I have been terrible about blogging lately… I have been busy at work, busy at nights, there just hasn’t been time!

Here are a couple of updates:

The Raptors are almost done with their season… it’s been fun. I love the people we sit around, they are family to us. We got our seats again for next year, but that wont change that fact that some tears will be shed at the last game. I want to blame it only on Ty, but sometimes I get weepy too! LOL

Bryan and I are going on our first “alone” vacation. Everywhere we have been has been with kids… and this weekend we are going to Vegas for a soccer tournament; however no kids will be staying with us. I am so excited!!!

Next weekend we are going to Moab, again just the two of us! Yay! His birthday is September 11 and I have a gift certificate for a hotel that has to be used before the end of the year so we are going to spend the weekend in Moab and do a sunset jet boat tour with cowboy dinner. Moab is one of my fav places and I am excited to hang out there with my honey and celebrate his birthday and our anniversary. We are coming up on our year … and it’s been an amazing year. Parts of me feel like it’s been so much longer than that b/c we just fit together so well. It’s been a great ride and I look forward for many (well… 19!!) more years to come!

The following weekend (our actual anniversary) we have all the kids so I am thinking we will take them out to dinner and celebrate being a family. Taylor has been on opposite weekends this whole time so rarely did the kids get to be together. Starting this month he will be switched so everytime we have him, it will be when my kids are home. They need that... how can they be siblings if they never see each other?

The kids started school last week… they both are enjoying it. Ty has her first little crush and he likes her back… Drew is following some girl around the playground, “but I don’t like her mom, she’s a girl”. LOL- here we go! (


Ty was asked last week to try out for a competitive basketball team that is going to be coached by a former WSU women’s coach. The tryouts are tonight… she is a little nervous but very excited. She loves basketball!! Good luck sis!

and the wait continues...

I ended up taking Ty down to PCMC yesterday. I couldnt get a hold of her dr and ended up having them page the resident on call. I didnt know what else to do and was at my wits end.

The Dr I spoke with was very nice... said that was odd for her to swell up and wanted her to be seen but the ENT dr's werent in clinic. He told me to bring her down to the ER and we'd meet him there.

On the way down our regular Dr's nurse called me and said he called her and told her some different things to do and I told her that we were already heading down there and we were meeting with the resident. She called the Dr back and he said that was a good idea. Right when I got off the phone with her, the resident called back and said he spoke with Dr Muntz and he wanted us to meet the resident in the clinic so we didnt have the wait or the expense. Sounds good to me!

Within 5 minutes of us getting there the Dr came in... looked at her, had her do some facial excersises, etc. He said that the little bit (less than 25%) they had to leave due to where is sat with the nerves didnt shrivel up and die, but instead is trying to work and now has an infection. He wants her on meds for 10 days and then back to see the surgeon in 2 wks and we will see then what he wants to do.

The whole thing is odd... I still dont ever hear of this and of course it's my daughter who has the problem... so I guess nothing should suprise me. I am wondering if he is going to want to go back in and remove the remainder of the gland, but I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Breast Cancer Night at the Raptors

Longtime Ogden Raptor fan raising money to fight cancer costs
By Roy Burton
Standard-Examiner staff

OGDEN -- Kathy Gallegos opened her home to the Ogden Raptors. Now the Raptors are opening their home to her.
Gallegos and a group of fellow cancer patients are raising money to cover medical expenses and related costs by asking for donations for tickets to the Raptors game on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Lindquist Field.
The Raptors will take on the Helena Brewers at 7 p.m. that night, but the fight against cancer continues every day.
Gallegos, a 51-year-old breast cancer patient from Layton, had a bilateral masectomy last November and began chemotherapy in January. She completed chemo July 1 and began radiation treatments this week.
Gallegos and her husband Mike, longtime Raptors fans and season-ticket holders, hosted Ogden players in their home in 2004 and 2005, including Ramon Troncoso, now a relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"We've sponsored players, we've sold food from our family restaurant, from (Manuel's) El Burrito, at the Raptors' stadium for one season and we've since then become tailgating fans," Kathy Gallegos said, and they continue to hold tailgate parties at Lindquist Field before Saturday games.
Wednesday's fundraiser will benefit Gallegos and four other families she knows through her employment at the Internal Revenue Service. The group is asking for a $5 donation for each general admission ticket and is starting a foundation called Saving Second Base: Cancer Relief for the Ogden Valley Patients to provide stop-gap assistance until other foundations can step in with help. Donations can be made by calling Kathy at (801) 814-6710 or Mike at (801) 814-6709.

"Some of us have good jobs, we think we have good insurance, but it doesn't cover sometimes everyday living expenses like your lights and your gas," Gallegos said.
The fundraiser allows them to get money immediately into patients' hands "so they can maybe keep the lights on," Gallegos said. "There are other places that you can go to get financial help, but it doesn't seem to come fast enough. It's more like a trickledown."
The event came out of an offer from Raptors team president Dave Baggott to Gallegos.
"Dave came up to me and said that he understood that there are extra costs that go along with cancer treatments," Gallegos said. Baggott offered the tickets and promised he could have them printed in three days. "It was shocking for me to have somebody that's only known me as a fan come up to me and say, 'This is what I have available, I understand that you're not the only one and there's other people out there that need help.'"
Baggott said the Raptors are happy to help.
"We gave them a night at the ballpark, printed up 5,000 tickets and gave it to them to sell at whatever value they want and we have asked for nothing in return," Baggott said. "Hopefully they'll sell them all, raise some money and be in the ballpark to do some awareness for breast cancer. It was the right thing to do."
Cancer patients fight through stacks of paperwork and bureaucracy and have lots of ugly conversations with health care providers, even as they fight the disease, Gallegos said. "What I mean by ugly is, it's like pay now or else we don't treat you. Even though I have a good health insurance and I have a good job. You'd be amazed at how important is for that dollar to come before you get your care. We just want to put some hope someplace, that not everybody in the world is like that."

Reader Comments:
I think this is wonderful. I am proud to be a season ticket holder for the Raptors when I see the owner and team giving back to the community.

My mom has battled breast cancer twice now... has gone through a lumpectomy and mastectomy, has done chemo and radiation... Thankfully, now her hair is coming back and she is on the mend. I can only wish the same for all the others who are going through this.

I hope this fundraiser has a GREAT turnout and the city of Ogden can help support those who are going through this terrible disease.

Good luck and God Bless, Kathy.
Lisa Williams

Huh?

I got a phone call on Saturday morning that started out "Mom, my lump is back on my neck."

This was a call from my 9 yr old who was spending the weekend at her dad's. Immediatly I think she means the left saliva gland has an infection b/c 6 months ago we had the right gland removed. I start rattling off things she needs to do, warm compress... tylenol, decongestant, etc. "Mom, did you hear me? My lump is back... how can I have a lump where there is no gland???" HUH??? Oh, she meant on the right side. Uh, well... I dont know. I told her to keep doing those things and I'd look at it when she got home Sunday night and if needed, I'll call the Dr on Monday morning.

I didnt hear back from them all weekend and honestly I forgot about it. When I went to pick her up last night, she was so swollen. She said the swelling was getting worse but nothing was coming out through the duct (although I am not sure if she has a duct anymore). We drew a line around it so I would know if its getting bigger or not, gave her some medicine, and but her to bed... only to hear her moaning all night. Poor thing.

This morning she woke up and had a hissy fit from hell. She did this "I'm in pain and your not helping" dance around the kitchen. I felt terrible... all I could do was give her more Tylenol and pray.

I am going to call the ENT at Primary Children's first thing this morning... this doesnt make sense to me. Did they not get all the gland during surgery? Does it grow back? What can we do?

Keep little Ty in your prayers... I hate to see her like this and I know she is so frustrated b/c she thought she didnt have to deal with it anymore.

Here's your post, Amy!

Amy reminded me today that I havent blogged in a month. It's not for lack of things to share, I just dont have enough time in my days!

I went to Moab with the "Mamas" at the end of July... just got home from Family Camp at Luther Heights with the kids... spent many a night at the Raptors games... Gonna go to Vegas and Moab in September.

I just need to dedicate some time to share all my stories and pictures... maybe this weekend (don't hold your breath just in case!)

Scavenger Hunt

We are doing a photo scavenger hunt at work. They gave us a list of items that we have to find and take pictures with. Things such as laying in the gutter on 25th St, standing in the fountain in front of the Federal Building, and eating an ice cream at Farr’s… and a big point one is being handcuffed in the back of a police car. I can honestly say I haven’t had a run in with the police before (knock on wood!), so this is new to me. Remember, last year was my 1st speeding ticket.

So Jenn and I set off in search of finding Ogden’s finest at lunch yesterday. We approached one police man and he said he couldn’t help, but called someone else who would. That guy said that he was on a “mission” with his boss and took my number. About 20 mins later he called and met us outside. He handcuffed Jenn and I together and put us in the back of his car and took the picture for us. We talked him into not helping anyone else, even though another team was begging him so they could get the points. LOL

He told us he is also a motorcycle cop and on our list it say “picture with biker, 5 extra points to kiss the biker on the cheek, and 5 more points to be sitting on the back of his bike in the picture” so he said he’d be back later this week to help us some more. After he left, I realized we would get another 20 points for a picture in a jail cell. I wonder if he could help us with that one too??

What a great weekend!

I got a 4 day weekend for my birthday… Ok, I got one day off for my birthday, one day off for Independence Day, and then my normal weekend; however we celebrated all weekend long. I will have to update this when I get home to post some pictures of our fun.

Thursday, my 31st birthday:
My mother-in-law had surgery to repair her broken arm. We spent a lot of the day at the hospital. Things went well and hopefully she is on the mend. The kids went with Nate so Bryan and I went to dinner at Iggy’s with my parents and then shopping after.

Friday:
I went to get pampered. I got my nails done and a very cute pedicure. Bryan waited at home for the window tinters and Comcast to come. Then we went to Layton to get his ears gauged, or the start of his ears being gauged. No worries… they are going to be tiny, although last night he told Ty when they are done she can put his fist through them. Not sure if she believes him or not! LOL!

Then we went to SLC to stay in a hotel for the night. The room we had was beautiful (Thanks Liesl!) and my parents got a room too. We started our evening in the hotel bar and the bartender gave us some yummy appetizers on the house. Then a quick walk down to PF Chang’s where we met my friends and then to the piano bar. Thanks to Blake and Heather for the TrueBlood Season 1 and to Jenn for the gift certificate for a massage!

Saturday, July 4th:
We got home from SLC about 10am and forgot about the North Ogden Parade. We couldn’t get home so had to park at Blake’s and Bryan hopped the fence and walked home to get our chairs so we could head up to Snow Basin. It’s a family tradition. A BBQ and the Kap Brothers. It ended up being a very nice time.

My MIL’s birthday is the 4th so we went to their house for a BBQ dinner and chocolate cake shots. Yum! We ended up staying over at my BIL’s house that night ( there were A LOT of chocolate cake shots going on).

Sunday:
I dropped Wrigley-pigley off to get her hair cut. Boy, did she need it. She is a new dog now. I went to church for the first time in 3 weeks. I had a great time in CA and in Moab, but I really missed going to worship. It was a beautiful way to spend my morning. When I got home, Bryan took me to the movies. We saw “ My Sister’s Keeper”. I read the book, Jodie Picolut is one of my favorite authors. The movie was good… but very sad. I think anything cancer related hits me hard. Seeing those bald chemo heads reminded me so much of what my mom went through the past year. By the end of the movie, I had tears streaming down my face however I was not as bad as the hysterical lady in front of us who was snorting and gagging and all sorts of worked up. After the movie, Bryan and I went to TGIFridays for dinner.

At 7pm we met Nate to get the kids and stopped at Zeppe’s. The kids had a great weekend. They spend a lot of time with their aunts/uncles/cousins.

They start Vacation Bible School tonight at Elim Lutheran and they are looking forward to it. We have another week-long home stand at the Raptors starting tomorrow and I think we may go to Park City on Sunday. Summer is busy in the Erwin-Williams household, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Moab 2009

We just got home from what will be my first of three Moab trips this year. We went to Moab to do the Raft for the Cure event. It was a full day of rafting down the Colorado then a BBQ back on Main street with a silent auction and a concert. We had a blast!


I decided to take the family on a Hummer Tour up Hell's Revenge so I bought my parents their tickets for Mother's/Father's day this year. They all loved it!!





I dont have the rafting pictures yet (they were on a disposable camera). My mom was interviewed for their video so as soon as I find it, I'll try to link it. We had a great trip. Drew wanted to move there so he could live by the dinosaur prints. This will for sure make this an annual outing!

Take me out to the ballgame...

Last night was the opening game for the 2009 season of the Ogden Raptors. This will be our 3rd year of being season ticket holders. There is nothing quite like kicking back at the ball park, beer in hand, with a bunch of fun people sitting around you. In addition to the folks in our row and the row in front of us that we know, my sister and her boys and my friend Blake have all joined us this year. Section E is the place to be!!

Last night they called Drew’s name to run the bases with Oggie. He was so stinkin’ excited! He told me he was going to have super sonic fast feet and was going to beat him! Although Drew missed 1st and 2nd base and almost tripped Oggie over 3rd, he made it home first and got an Ogden Raptors hat that he wore all night.

They ended up losing to Orem, but fun was still had by all.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Amy asked about our perfect rainy days…

I love rain, especially at night. I love to have all the lights off and the blinds open to see the lightening show. It’s always nice when my hubby is home and we can snuggle in bed and watch movies. Drew isn’t a big fan of rain storms… so a lot of times he will come in and snuggle with me too. I also like to get in a bubble bath with candles and hear the rain. Warm food, like chili or a cup of tea, is always a rainy day craving.

I'm Tagging You!

Mary tagged me so I decided to put it up on my blog, since it needed something new! Here are the rules.


1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


Fact 1: I need coffee. Doesn't matter if its from home, a coffee shop, or like today, the gas station. I just have a very hard time starting my day without it.

Fact 2: I am addicted to FaceBook. Honestly, I am not sure how I survived 4 days without it while in CA. There are a few people I check in with frequently, but its that damn Bejeweled-whatever game.

Fact 3: I love going to church. I feel like something is lacking in my life when I don't go (like last weekend and again this weekend). I love seeing my children be so excited to be there. I love the people, the music, everything. I have found my happy place and it makes me happy to have that time to worship.


Fact 4: Bryan is a wonderful husband who loves me dearly. He is an amazing father, not just to Taylor but to Ty and Drew. I am so lucky and blessed to have him in our lives.


Fact 5: I have no patience. I want things done when I want them done. I hate to ask people over and over to do something. I am a planner and when it doesnt go my way, I get frustrated. I'm really hoping Bryan's patience will rub off on me.


Fact 6: I need my sleep. I can't stay awake to watch late shows or movies. If I am sitting around in the dark, I go to sleep. Doesnt matter if its my bed, the couch, a movie theater, or a car. I can make it until 930-10 (normally right up until my shows are done)if I am at home... but if I am out doing something, baseball games, bar, etc I am ok. Just dont ask me to sit around after 10pm or I'll be snoozing.

Fact 7: I enjoy my job. I love the company I work for and their values and morals. I love talking to new people every day. I am very blessed to have a job when so many people have lost theirs, but to actually enjoy it as well? That's great.



OK I am Tagging... Meagan, Megan, Amy, Kim, Kim, Monica, and Tina.

PSS: Things I have lost

This week I have decided to ask my PSS group to list out things they have lost... just for the sake of saying something!!

things i have lost:

A diamond earring I wore for my 8th grade graduation. Teeth. Sleep. Weight. My way when driving in Indianapolis when I was 16. All my grandparents. My luggage. Bets. My temper. My stomach after a night of drinking. My virtue, as it were. My contacts. Hope. My keys. My VHS copy of Top Gun. Friends. A chunk of my breast. My place in line. Momentum. The ability to watch horror movies. Receipts. My voice. My dad’s family. Phone numbers. My marbles.

My patience.

Random Ramblings

I thought it was time for an update. Not alot has been going on, just little things but they are worth mentioning,I thought!

I'll start with the biggest thing... as of this afternoon, I will now have a 1st grader and a 4th grader. How the hell did that happen? Even Ty yesterday said "Mom, do you remember when Drew was a baby? Well, now he reads". Yeah, don't rub it in.

*T-Ball. Drew is loving playing again. His uncle (Darren) is his coach and his cousin and BFF (Cannon) is on his team. They are so funny to watch. This team is for 3 yrs to Kindergarten I believe. Drew is one of the biggest kids out there. Next year he will move on to coach pitch. That will be interesting! LOL

*Softball. Ty started softball last week or the week before. The first practice she was terrified of batting. She even told me that she'd rather be in the field. I took her to the batting cages on 4th street and let her hit $6 worth. Ended up hitting 55 of 100. Not too shabby!

Since then she has been a machine! I think she's only struck out once since then in her games... last night she did awesome! Her cousin told her before the game if she gets to 2nd base, he'd buy her Skittles. Well, she got to 2nd base 4x. That's alot of Skittles!




*4-H. We havent been able to go to our meetings b/c of the sporting events, but we still have done our part to help with the garden. I cant wait for the seeds to start sprouting so I can see all our efforts. The kids are excited for it.

*Memorial Day. My ex had the kids for the weekend so Bryan and I went up to my parents condo in Park City. We only stayed a night and Bryan got sick, but it was still fun. I turned my parents on to chocolate cake shots. I have a feeling all our bbq's will now involve citron, frangelico, and a sugared lemon! LOL



*Vacations. In a couple of weeks will start our vacationing. California for Bryan's family reunion, Raft for the Cure in Moab, annual Moab Mamas trip in July, and then wrapping it all up with Bible Camp in the Sawtooth Mountains in August.

Good times... hope all is well. God bless!

Hiking

Last week we found out that Ascension Lutheran adopted a portion of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in North Ogden, so on Sunday after church we decided to take the kids up there to see how it was.

We hiked just about a mile in. It was a hot day, but parts of the trails were shaded and it was really nice. The kids had a great time. The kids want to come back every Sunday. Drew said this was the “best fun!”.

Mother's Day 2009

I had a GREAT Mother’s day.

It started off on Saturday when we went to Springville for my stepson’s soccer game. One of the soccer moms brought roses with ribbons wrapped around them for each of the player’s moms. I didn’t think anything about it when I didn’t get one. A few minutes later, Taylor’s mom came over and gave me one of her 2 roses. She said “You’re Taylor’s mom too” and thanked me for taking such good care of him when he is at my house. Wow… I was speechless.

On Sunday, I got my kids (they were with their dad for most of the weekend) and taking them to church with me and my sister, Heather. Drew was very snuggly and Ty kept drawing me Mother’s day notes during worship.

I got home and my house was spotless. Bryan got up and cleaned it all, mopped the floors, laundry, everything. It looked great. He got me some new PJ’s and some beautiful flowers.

We went over to my parent’s house for lunch. Almost all of my siblings and their families were there, along with Bryan’s family. My mom got me and my sister a gift certificate for a “spoiled brat” pedicure. Yay!

It was fun to eat, drink, and just hang out with everyone in the sunshine all day.

Race for the Cure and other Boob Updates

First off, I want to thank you for all your support for the Race for the Cure event that happened in SLC this past weekend. Over 18,000 people showed up, it was amazing!(I'll update with more pictures once I get them from my dad, my camera battery died after 2 pictures. Dang it!!)

As you all know, my mom has battled breast cancer twice in the past 4 years. I have seen her go through radiation, a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and more radiation. Even though her cancer was invasive, she caught it early and has a good prognosis.

Last week, my doctor called and told me I needed to go to Salt Lake City to get further testing because she had a concern about my mammogram I had in January. When I got to the hospital, the nurse actually found another lump other than the reason I was there. I had a mammogram and an ultrasound and they immediatly did a core needle biopsy.

I had about 32 hours of panic, worry, and concern before the radiologist called to tell me that my tumor was benign. Thank God!

My plea to you is to do monthly self exams, know your family history, and if you are old enough to start doing mammograms; do them. Ask for a digital MRI as well, since that is what caught my mom's when her mammogram said she was fine.

Breast cancer strikes 1 in 8 women and I would hate to see anyone else go through this; however early detection saves lives.

PSS: Owie!

Amy asked "Tell us about your worst injury."

I have been very accident prone... but I think my worst injury was in 1998 playing AOL softball on 4th St. I was used to playing softball, I had played since I was 7, and had been on all star teams, but never had I played coed before.

I was on 1st base and my friend, Carlos, hit behind me. He is normally a powerhouse and can easily hit the ball over the fence. Well... this time he didn't so it meant I had to run. For those of you who know me, I hate to run. I am a klutz. As I rounded 3rd base everyone's yelling "get down, get down!" so I knew I had to slide.

I went to slide into home and the batter's box was kinda dug out from everyone kicking at it. When I went to slide, my right foot hit the plate at a weird angle and you heard "SNAP!". (In fact, someone was videoing it and you can hear it in the video.)

I don't remember a whole lot after that... other than being tired... I actually curled up in a ball on home plate.I went into shock. I remember my ex husband yelling at the umpire for not being able to drive his truck on the field to get me... so Nate, and my friends, Tyler and Carlos, carried me to the truck.

It was a miserable ride to the hospital and looking back at it now, it would have been better to call an ambulance. Every bump was excruciating. When the ER got me checked in, they gave me morphine for the pain. Bad idea, within minutes we found out I am allergic to morphine. Yikes!

I ended up breaking my ankle and my leg.I had to have emergency surgery to have plates and screws put it back together. Loads of fun. It took a few years for AOL to allow for another softball team... and because I am glutton for punishment, I was one of the first to sign up then too... when you love it, you love it!

Take a deep breath...

I need to keep reminding myself of that today... b/c I am stressed. I can feel it through my body.

Over the weekend Bryan's neck started hurting. He couldn't turn his head, couldn't move his arm etc. He thought he slept wrong. Saturday afternoon he noticed a bump under his ear. It was weird b/c it felt like Ty's saliva gland did when she had an infection, but his had a hard spot in the middle of it. I told him if he wasn't better by Monday to get it checked. The pain he had made me think he had an infection in his neck, not sore muscles.

I took him to the doctor last night... despite the grumbling on his part. Once the doctor got over the shock of his blood pressure, he looked at the real reason we were there. He had him do some tests, did some blood work, etc and said he has an infection in either the gland (saliva??) or lymph nodes. He is putting him on antibiotics and wants to see him in a week. If the symptoms get worse he needs to go back immediately b/c that area is so close to the lining of the brain and they worry about meningitis.

On the good side, he did agree to go back and get a full physical done. He knows things are out of wack, especially after saying "Yes" to just about everything on the family history list. Since I "leased" him for 20 years, I gotta get him healthy! LOL

This morning Ty woke up and the first thing out of her mouth is "Mom, I'm swollen". The left side (that still has the paroitid gland) is swollen. We just talked about it yesterday, saying how good she's doing and now it looks like we jinxed ourselves. I gave her some Motrin, OK'ed the daycare to give her Tylenol when she gets home from school, and have to call the Dr at Primary's to see if he will call in meds and see what he wants to do.

I guess you can tell by this post why my stress level is through the roof... I just need to take a moment, relax, take a deep breath, and pray. I hate seeing my family in pain or sick. I would much rather it be me... so I think that adds to it all.

:::Deep Breath:: It will all be ok.

10 years old, really?

I was reading through my frequently visited blogs yesterday morning and one of them was talking about this little girl in California. She is a student, a softball player, a normal little 10 yr old girl. Except she has breast cancer.

I remember when I had lumps removed when I was 18. I was told "It's nothing, you are too young for breast cancer". Or when I wanted a mammogram at 27 and 30, "You are too young to have this test done." I am 2 decades older than this little girl and I am being told I am too young... yet her little body that hasn't even developed yet has it.

This little girl is just barely older than my daughter... I couldn't imagine having to make life changing decisions for her... mastectomy or not, lumpectomy or not, chemo, radiation, etc. I had a hard enough time thinking about it with my mom without going hysterical.

My thoughts and prayers are with Hannah and her family.

If you want to read about Hannah, here is the link: www.ourlittlesweetpea.com

"It was scary and my head almost popped off"

On Friday night I got a phone call from my ex husband asking me for my address. When I asked why, he said that the Riverdale police needed it since the kids live with me. Ends up they got in a car accident on Riverdale Road. The short of it is that he rear-ended someone. I asked if the kids were OK and he said they were, but had seat belt marks on their necks. I asked if anyone hit their head, thinking about Drew's seizures and he said that Ty did but it wasn't bad. His girlfriend had to come get them and his car was towed. I spoke to the kids later that night and they said it was scary but they were OK.

The next day, Ty called me to tell me she was sore. She said her body hurt and she had a headache. I asked if we needed to take them to the Dr but their dad told me that they were OK.

When I got them back on Sunday evening Ty was complaining of a headache and felt like she was going to throw up. I made her a doctor appointment first thing in yesterday morning and we went in.

Because it was an auto accident, I had to claim it under his auto insurance and pay a $70 copay. Wasn't expecting that, but what can ya do?

The doctor started looking her over and made a face when he looked in her right ear. I thought maybe he saw something from her surgery or something. I wasn't expecting him to see anything. I thought I was just being a worry wart mom. Ends up, she had bleeding behind her ear drum due to trauma from the accident.

He rushed us off for an MRI. They had to call a place in South Ogden to see if they were comfortable doing it on a little kid or if we were off to Primary's. They said if she held still, we could do it there.

Off to the Imaging Center we went. Drew was a trooper... he sat there so nicely and didn't fuss or anything. I went in to the MRI room with Ty and just hung out at her feet for a while and sang to her. She had to have a helmet looking thing on her head to stabilize her and it had a mirror on it so she could look at me. She did a great job. Only time she wiggled is when I made a funny face at her and they had to redo that scan. Oops!

Ends up she does not have a subdural hematoma as he was concerned about. The bleeding he saw was a hemotypanum but the bleeding had stopped on its own. We are to watch her for any new symptoms as brain bleeds can take up to 2 weeks to show up, but he feels she will be fine and it may take a few days for the headache and nauseousness to go away. Thank God she is OK...

Drew said it was scary and the seat belt squeezed him so much he thought his head was going to pop off! LOL

PSS: What would your personal ad say?

Amy asked “What would your personal ad seeking someone else say? (you know, SWF seeking boyfriend, friend, etc.) In 200 words or less.”

Mine would probably read something like this:
Independent women with two kids seeks someone who is family minded, loving, over 6 foot tall (b/c wearing high heels is important!), outgoing, and funny. This person needs to be able to take care of themselves financially, be mature, and cute. This person needs to have a faith in God, willing to have fun, and like to snuggle. Being a baseball fan, a budlight drinker, and loving DMB is a plus. I do require good communication, honesty, and love… if you cannot give that, you need not apply.

Wow... I am glad I have Bryan so I dont have to worry about all that! LOL

It's a kidney rock!

Bryan is dealing with kidney stones… I have never had one before (knocking on wood!) so I don’t know what to expect. All I know is for the past 5 days or so he has been moving slower, holding his side, and moaning a lot.

The kids have been really cute through the whole thing. Ty hugs him so gently and spent some of her allowance on candy bars that she is for sure will make him feel better. Drew on the other hand wants to know why he swallowed a rock. Doesn’t he know he’s not supposed to put things like that in his mouth? I tried to explain it to him, but Drew told us last night “Since we are waiting for Bry-dad’s rock to come out his pee-pee, we should all stay home with him tomorrow” so I am not 100% sure what he is expecting! LOL Bryan said if we are all sitting at home for him to pass his stone, he is for sure going to work!!

But I think he appreciates the kids being so sweet about it. I just hope the dang thing passes soon, I don’t think I’ve had a good nights sleep in days! LOL

I am the puppet-master!

Drew came home with 2 tub socks and said he had to make puppets. When I asked him details he kept saying "I dunno" so I found the instruction sheet wadded up at the bottom of his bag. He is to make the littlest goat in "Billy Goat Gruff". I asked him why he has 2 socks, was one incase we messed up? No. He has to make another one for the morning class. Ok, do we make 2 goats? I dunno...

After an email to his teacher I find out that Drew was so excited about making puppets that he wanted to make 2 and the teacher needed a Dwarf for the morning classes skit.

We went to Walmart to buy things to decorate the socks. Some felt, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners and we are set. We plugged in the hot glue gun and got to work. I glued my fingers into the inside of the sock and then just straight on put a glob of hot glue on my finger. Yeah, that was fun. I am now missing skin and I think its infected. But... the puppets are done and Drew is happy with the end product so I guess it was worth it. LOL!




I guess I didnt get a picture of the Dwarf and I dont know where the goat's mouth went in these pictures... Oops! LOL

Ouch!

A couple weeks ago I slipped on some water/ice and twisted wrong and my back is killing. I mentioned it to the doctor when I took Drew in for some stuff and he gave me muscle relaxers but I can only take them at night b/c I cant keep my eyes open on them. I finally called the chiropractor yesterday and went in for an appointment today and my disc is buldging and my right hip is dislocated. Makes sense why I cant bend over, move fast, etc.

He said I am so swollen that he couldnt get things back in place... he wants me to come in twice tomorrow to see how I am doing. He thinks by the end of the week I will feel alot better.

Too bad I planned the Sunday school activity to be this Saturday at the ice skating rink... guess the Bry-dad will have to skate with the kids b/c I am going no where near the ice!!

The President and French Fries.

Last night the kids and I went to Champi's for dinner and the section we normally sit in was roped off and had a reserved sign up.

Drew says "I think that President Obama is coming here, that's why it's roped off".

Ty said "Why would President Obama come to Utah? He lives in the White House. If he did come to Utah, why would he come here for dinner?"

Drew replied,"because they have really good french fries. Duh!"

There ya go! Champi's has president-worthy french fries!

What would you do??

I am going to throw a question out there to see what kind of response I get from my faithful followers (ok... the whole 5 of you who read this!) LOL

If you heard that someone’s girlfriend was cheating on them… and that the person she is cheating with has an STD… would you tell that person or keep quiet about it?

Easter at the Zoo 2009

For as long as I can remember, my family has gone to the zoo on Easter. We pack up coolers with drinks and food, everyone meets at the front gates, and we spend a couple of hours together.

Yesterday it was a little chilly at times, but the sun was shining and we had a great time. My brother, Jeff, and his family were there and I havent seen them in almost a year so that was neat.

PSS: Life Situations

I am trying to think of a time in my youth that has shaped who I am today, as that was the PSS question for the week, but I can’t think of one specific time but a couple of things have stood out as I have thought about this question...

•I remember when I was little kids I went to school with made fun of my great-aunt’s hairdo. They would wear their hair in big beehives and I was so used to it, I didn’t think anything of it, but I remember being so hurt that people would say rude things about people b/c of how they looked. I think that has made me remember to not judge people by appearance.

•I remember when my grandpa got Alzheimer’s and my mom was his primary caregiver and had to make the decision to put him in an assisted living home for his own safety. It was hard to have him not remember us, but I was so close to him that I wouldn’t change anything b/c I cherish the memories that I remember.

•When my brother was going through his drug problems, I would get so angry at him and so scared for his choices but my mom always stayed strong and supportive. It was such a hard, terrible thing that my family went through but her love for him never waivered. I have learned so much from my mom and I hope that I can be half as good of a parent as she has been to us.

I think I learned a lot from my childhood and I am a better person for the experiences I had. I feel I am a loving, accepting, nonjudgmental person b/c of what I have dealt with. I am no means perfect, but feel that I am able to raise my children better based off what I have gone through.

Easter Egg Hunt

Last Sunday after service, we had an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids at church. Actually, we had two. The first one was indoors and it was "Resurrection Eggs". The kids had to team up and find a set of "Ressurection Eggs"... 12 specific things to do with Easter. For example, praying hands or a crown of thorns, or a leather strap.

While they were doing that, the junior high and high school kids went outside to hide the candy eggs. The kids had a great time and it was a beautiful day. Both Ty and Drew shared with the little kids to make sure everyone had enough eggs and candy. We sure love our church friends!

Swimming

Nothing quite like swimming in winter... so it's a nice thing to have Layton Surf & Swim nearby. A couple of weeks ago we went there with the church youth. It was fun to hang out with the mom's and watch the kids swim. They had a good time.

RIP Irish

(This is not a picture of Irish, just of her breed. I didnt have a picture of her available at the time of this post)

In 1997 my parents got a Dogue de Bordeaux puppy that they named Irish. This is an amazing dog. She is truly a gentle giant. I remember the day I brought Ty home from the hospital we stopped at my parents house on the way home and the minute we walked in the door, Irish felt she needed to protect her. If Ty made a noise, Irish was pacing between the baby and us to say "Hello... do something!".

These dogs are guard dogs... they are huge, like 140lbs and look scary but my dad trained her so well that she never was on a leash and would always listen to him. It was funny that she thought if you went on the grass you wanted to play and she would throw her body into you... often times knocking you down if you didnt expect it!

Irish is the granddaughter of the dog off "Turner and Hooch". Even though I would always "ewwwww!" when she would walk by me with drool or I would get upset with the dog hair, she was part of the family.

My dad had to make the hard decision to put her down yesterday... she was almost 12 and had hip problems and her quality of life was going down and he didnt want her to suffer. He said that was the hardest thing he's ever done.

Everyone is going to miss her and Drew knows she went to "Doggy Heaven" so wanted to know if she would be allowed in "People Heaven" when we get there so we can see her again. LOL

RIP Irish.

Cancerspot.org

Over the summer I found a blog online about a lady named Jacki and her journey with breast cancer. Alot of the quotes I put into my mom's scrapbook came from her site.

The other day she had a requests for what breast cancer looks like... I sent her a couple of pictures and a short story and it was published yesterday. You can view it from the link below:



http://cancerspot.org/?p=1930

Jacki, good luck with your cancer journey. Thank you for putting your story out there for others to learn from you. I wish you the best!

Ty's take on death...

I talked to Ty today to find out if she wanted to go to Chelsea's funeral with me. I left it completely up to her and she said she wants to go, so I will take her out of school Wednesday to go. She said "Momma, I didnt know her too good but she was nice when ever I saw her". Good enough reason for me.

Drew asked what a funeral was and Ty replied "Its when you go to say goodbye to someone who died... but its ok, we are only saying goodbye for a little while. We will see her again in heaven".

Amen.

I can't imagine...

On Saturday I got a phone call from my friend to tell me that an old coworker from AOL's daughter had passed away. Her daughter was 8 yrs old.It's so surreal, my daughter had just played with her about a month ago.

I am not close with this family yet I am so upset. I cant imagine what this family is going through.

From what I was told, she was diagnosed with mono on Friday and ended up passing away shortly after her diagnosis. It makes me think back to right after I had Drew and I got so sick... I had mono and it affected my heart, it deteriorated my muscle and there was talk of needing a heart transplant because of it. Makes me wonder if this was something similar. Either way, tonight there is a mother who is heart broken and although I believe that God has a plan for each of us, the death of a child is so hard to accept.

My prayers are with the Hadley family... and events like this make me want to hug my children a little longer. You never know...

Another Friday night at the GP.

Yesterday, Drew said "Momma... Fridays are my favorite days... they are when we go to the Genesis Project". That blew me away b/c my 6 yr old loves going to church that much. I feel so blessed to have found this new place to worship.

I took my kids and Bryan, met Blake and some people I go to church with at Ascension, and Jenny met us at GP and went to worship last night. Bryan is not a church goer, so I wasnt sure what he would think of it all. Its not your traditional church and I was hoping that that fact would help him.

The music came on and people got up and started clapping and the whole time I was looking at Bryan out of the corner of my eye and he was enjoying himself. The music was great, so I felt that was a given.

Pastor Matt got up to give a sermon and the whole time Bryan was nodding inagreement to what he was saying. It made my heart feel good.

When we were leaving, Bryan said it was very cool and that he would come back again. Yay!

I found this really cool video that I wanted to share...

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54367491Welcome to The Genesis Project


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GP- Bible Study

Last night I went with some gals from church to bible study. I am not a bible study type girl, but said I would go anyhow to see how it was. I think the only time I have been to bible study before was at Family Camp this past summer. It really wasnt my thing. I believe in the bible, but have a hard time reading it. I am open minded and figured I would give it a shot. If I didnt like it, I wouldnt go back again.

We went to the Genesis Project. I had my kids with me so I checked them into the Kid's Kingdom, got my "Carmel Thing" coffee drink, and sat down with my bible.

The pastors sat at the front of the room, said a welcoming prayer, accepted prayer requests and then started talking about self-control. They explained different passages in the bible in a way that made sense to me. I had a good time and walked out with such a great feeling.

The kids had fun with their groups... Drew had no problem going by himself (which is odd, b/c I an now an unofficial Sunday school helper b/c he wont go to Sunday school without me and its been 2 yrs!) and they didnt want to leave when it was time to go. They wanted to make sure that they would be able to come back on Friday b/c they had so much fun.

I think the funniest part of the night is when Drew walked into the coffee shop area and saw a guy with a HUGE blue/green mohawk. Drew has a little mohawk so just stared at this guy in awe. Ty bumps him and says "stop staring" and the guy laughs and says "You think you will grow yours like mine??". Drew said "Are you sure this is church??? I think its crazy hair day instead" LOL!

Drew take on St Patrick's day

This morning Drew says "Does St Patrick's Day just last a day or all week? B/c I dont have enough green shirts for all week"

Then when I picked him up from school he said "I am not sure I like this day... leprechan's smell like garbage and make a mess. He turned chairs over in my classroom and left stuff everywhere".

Good thing he wore green b/c I think he would have had a fit if someone pinched him. Silly kid!

Interesting how life works out…

Years ago, my ex-husband and I hung out with a couple I’ll call B/H. I met B while working at AOL and we became friends quickly and we all would hang out every weekend… going to fireworks together, going to Wendover, just hanging out and playing cards and games. (I think Ty was less than a year old during this time, so we are talking about 7-8 yrs ago.)

For the life of me I cannot remember why we lost touch with this couple… I know something happened, but I really cannot remember what it was. Anyhow, I ran into H about 2 yrs ago at the restaurant she is a server at. She sat down at the table with my kids and my parents and proceeded to tell me all that had happened in her life… how she and B split up and how things had changed...That was the last time I heard from her.

A couple weeks ago my ex-husband asked if he could switch the weekends that he has the kids so it would coordinate better with the girl he was dating and her schedule with her kids. I told him that if he starts taking them as he should, and not just 1x a month, I would do that… in the end it would benefit me and Bryan b/c then we could work with his ex-wife regarding Taylor so maybe we could actually be on a schedule of either all kids or no kids on the weekends. He said he needed to talk to his girlfriend and he’d get back to me.

Next day he says “H wants to know if we can have the kids on Monday to take to dinner so they can meet”… I told him that was fine and didn’t think anything about it. Then he says “We are still working things out with B regarding weekends with the kids”…. Uh, ok. Coincidence that the girlfriend is the same name as an old friend and her ex-husband is the same name as the person that old friend was married to? Probably not… but I still didn’t say anything.

On Saturday, my ex text me and asked if he can have the kids Thursday as well so our kids can meet her kids. Then he said “Have you figured out who H is yet?” He said he wanted me to know ahead of time so I wasnt taken by suprise when I saw them together.

Uh, yeah. It’s a little weird… b/c part of me wonders if something happened between them all those years ago… but what’s in the past is behind us and I have moved on with my life. I want him to be happy, I want him to move on, I want him to play an active part in the kids’ lives and not only be there when it’s convenient for him.

I don’t want my kids to get hurt… so I hesitate for him to jump in so whole-heartedly involving them. He was dating a girl for like 3-4 yrs and the kids adored her and loved her daughter and Drew doesn’t understand what’s going on and is having a hard time with not having them around, but I told my ex my concern and he said things would be ok so maybe its more serious than I think. I dunno, his life is not my business; I just need to protect my kids. That’s my job.

All in all, I know she is a good person… the kids think she is nice, they are excited to meet her kids. I wish him the best… Good luck!

Race for the Cure

Komen Salt Lake City Race for the Cure®May 9, 2009


Dear Friends and Family,
I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to support the Komen Salt Lake City Race for the Cure® on May 09, 2009 in the fight against breast cancer. One in eight women will be stricken with breast cancer in her lifetime and the more we raise, the more the Salt Lake City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure can give back to fund vital breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs in our own community and support the national search for a cure.
Click here to visit my personal page and pledge your support.

Please join me in the fight by pledging in support of my participation in the Race or contributing generously to the Komen Salt Lake City Race for the Cure®. Your tax-deductible contribution will fund innovative outreach and awareness programs for medically underserved communities in the Salt Lake area and national breast cancer research. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause - you can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible contribution to the address listed below. Whatever you can give will help! I truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Thank you so much for your time and support in the fight against breast cancer! Every step counts!

Sincerely,
Lisa Williams

To sponsor my participation online, click here.

Be Blessed to be a Blessing.

For the past couple of weeks I kept hearing the name "Genesis Project" but I didnt know what it was. I asked a gal I know from church and she said its a non-denominational church in Ogden that has great music and an awesome coffee shop. Hmmm, two of my fav things!

I looked it up online and found they have a MySpace page with calendars of events and pictures and whatnot. Looked kind of fun, but not at all what I am used to in a traditional church setting. They have alot of activities and some of the people I go to church with on Sundays are going to their Friday night worship service. Michelle asked me if I wanted to go so I went with her and some others last night.

Its on 20th and Lincoln in Ogden. Its a big building that you wouldnt think is a church from the outside. When you walk in the front doors, its a big room with a stage up front and chairs and tables everywhere. Michelle went to save us seats and we went around the corner to another room and there is Rock Salt Coffee Shop. They had amazing lattes!

When worship started, there was a band that played first... guitars, drums, singing. It was fun to get up and sing and clap and whatnot. Then their youth pastor got up to give a sermon. He talked about seeing things as Jesus saw them and what would Jesus do if he was in our shoes. He told us to be blessed to be a blessing. (From what I was told, this was more of a serious sermon than they normally do on Friday nights but all in all I thought it was nice.)Then a band from Washington state came on stage and we stayed around for a little bit and went home about 930pm.

There was about 3 rows of people from my church there...some of the kids that my kids hang out with at Sunday school and 4-H. My kids are with their dad this weekend but I plan to take them back there next week. I think they would enjoy the music and if not, there is a kids area that does some fun activities that they can go to. Heck, Bryan said he may even go with us... he is up for a Chai tea and some music. This church is known to be "the church for those who dont go to church" so you never know! LOL

A funny Drew story

Yesterday I was reading about how Venus is only going to be viewable from Earth for the next little while then we wont be able to see it again in our lifetime.

I was driving the kids to school this morning and saw the Moon and it reminded me of that story, so I was telling the kids about how it's going to go away out of our view and Ty was asking questions like "does that mean its going to turn into a star like Pluto did?" and things that she learned in her science class.

Drew on the other hand got very quiet and I noticed tears in his eyes. I asked him what's wrong and he said "You told me Jesus was always going to be with us, what do you mean he is going away?". He thought I said JESUS when I said VENUS and was very upset!

I explained to him what I said... about the planet and that I didnt say Jesus. Took the rest of the car ride for him to think it over and said "Good mom, b/c I would be very sad if Jesus went away".

Big Love

There has been alot of hubbub this week regarding one of my favorite shows, Big Love.

There is talk of some temple secrets being revealed in the next episode. I have been reading comments on KSL and Standard.net and the people who are commenting are upset b/c they think its the Polygamists who are going in the temple in the show and people are going to have the wrong impression on the Mormon's stand on polygamy.

If they watched the show, they would know that the 1st sister wives' family is LDS and its the sister and brother in law who are temple-worthy... if thats not who does the endowment ceremony and/or gets excommunicated, I'll be very suprised... but thats what I get from the previews. (Not once have the Hendrickson's had anything to do with the temple... all ceremonies have taken place in their backyard)

*** 3/11/09 update: From what was released today, its the 1st wive who is going into the temple as the LDS church was notified of her polygmus ways and she has to make a decision of what beliefs to follow***

The LDS church made a comment today that they aren't going to boycott HBO and asked their members to be thoughtful... and HBO said they didnt mean to offend anyone, but they are still going to air the show b/c it would affect the storyline not to. The 2 big people involved are ok with it...

My feelings... nothing is going to change no matter how upset people get in their comments on these sites so if you dont like it, dont watch it. Its a fictional show. I love the show... I dont know (or care) how much is factual to current or past beliefs, I just find it a fun show that's based in Utah and has alot of twists and turns and is some good entertainment and not something you can not take it to heart.

Just my thoughts... not meant to offend anyone :)