A couple weekends ago, me and McKinley went to Spokane to visit my friend Belinda and her family. We met in Sedona at a BC retreat last summer. We bonded pretty fast, she's like the 3rd twin, the one that got separated at birth! We are so much alike, it's crazy. She even has red hair! She has a daughter just younger than McKinley, and they were instant buddies too. It was great to get up to see them. That same weekend Mat went on his choir tour (Isaac went with him), Brooklyn stayed home (at the Kumps, might as well be home, she is there all the time!)
I
love road trips. I couldn't get the AUX in the car to work, so I plugged in my headphones, and McKinley plugged in hers. She watched movies on my laptop and was content as could be. We are planning another "epic" summer road trip, this time to the west. Lake Tahoe, Sequoia NP, San Fran, Redwoods, up the Cali, Oregon, and Washington coast to Bellingham, Buchart Garden in Vancouver, BC, Spokane (to visit Belinda and fam), Priest Lake/Coeur d' Alene, Glacier NP, Teton and Yellowstone NP, and a thousand places in between. Epic! We'll have at least 2 kids with us, I'm not sure what the plans are for the grown-ups this summer.
McKinley desperately wants a dog. If I'm honest, I'd admit that I've been thinking about it for a long time. Despite poop clean up, one breed really appeals to me. I have at least 2 kids who could really benefit from "doggie therapy". I have done a ton of research about breeds, temperament, hypoallergenic options, etc. and found what I think would be perfect for our family. This little guy is a Havanese, and he's literally perfect.
This is not our dog, just a picture I found online!
 |
Seriously, how could you say
"no" to that face! |
The problem is, Havanese
are perfect. You won't find them in a shelter (I've looked everywhere), and only from breeders on KSL. We have a breeder that lives less than a mile from us, I've known them for many years and trust them. But the price tag seems impossible for us, when we've got a basement to finish and we're already stretched thin. So, therein lies my dilemma. I think it would be such a great thing for the kids to have a little creature to bond with, especially because the future is a little uncertain for us So, what to do? I don't know.
The kids would be shocked if they knew I was thinking about a dog - please don't say anything to them!
I had my CT scan yesterday, got the results today. I didn't talk to the doctor because I wasn't too worried about it, but I see her Friday, so I'll see if I've interpreted the radiologist's report correctly. Things are still looking good! It seems I often learn a little more with each scan, depending on who is reading it. It says,
A small area of sclerosis in the left posterior 12th rib is unchanged. Vague sclerosis in the left iliac bone and scattered punctate (tiny holes) areas of sclerosis in the lumbar spine and pelvic bones are unchanged. Having spots on my lumbar spine and pelvic bones is news to me! At least they are watching things closely and know what's going on.
Huntsman has been a great blessing to me, they have so much support in all areas of patient care. I am still doing acupuncture regularly, which I never thought I would love, but I sure love it! The social workers, the dietitians, the exercise room and experts, every type of patient support is available there. Every Tuesday they have art therapy. I had a couple of hours between my scan and the ECG, so I went up where the art was and worked on digitizing the photos from our early marriage. I just took pictures of the pictures, which is so much easier than scanning them. The trickiest part is getting the picture square with your phone, but shadows and light reflection dictate how successful that part is. Now I'm editing those pictures to get them ready for books. Yippee!
My long-term goals are to digitize everything that isn't yet (photos) and create digital scrapbooks from those pictures. I also want to write my personal history and include pictures I've scanned from my baby books and beyond. I've started that already and have made good progress on my life before my mission. The third thing I want to do is create memory books of our ancestors, from the stories and information found on Family Search. The other two things need to be done before I take that on, but I really want to do that too so kids and grandkids and their kids know where they came from.
I thank y'all for your continued love and support! We're surrounded by the greatest bunch of people in the world. I couldn't do any of this without you. Things are "slow" right now, but I always know if that changes, we'll have our army of supporters at the ready.
We Love You!
