Ohio

I really liked Ohio, at least the way we drove!  Wide open spaces, thousands of acres of farmland dotted with the dang cutest farm houses.  I always knew I was a farmer at heart!  I'd live in one of those farmhouses in a heartbeat.

Kirtland Temple

We ended up going to church at the Perry Ward near Kirtland because that were our ward boundaries that day.  I was so impressed with those people.  So many people came and talked to us.  The first words from several people were "Did you just move in??"  We felt so warm and welcomed.  We ended up staying for all three meeting, much to the children's chagrin.  What was cool was that even some kids and young women our kids ages came to introduce themselves before sacrament meeting, so that took away a great deal of "awkward" for them.

They said the doors have always been green.

I found out after church that a family in the ward had invited us over for dessert at 7:00.  I thought that was SO COOL!  Stephanie gave me her address and told me that they had three horses in the front yard, their house was down a long driveway.  Their backyard (just the lawn part) must be a whole acre, based on how many houses Utah crams into small spaces.  They had a forest of well established trees beyond that, a huge pond, a pig pen far enough from all that, that you can't smell them (at least I couldn't!).  There was a big barn for chickens and a cow pasture.  I felt like I could stay there forever!  Thank you Stephanie and Mike for your generosity in having us come!

While in Kirtland, we visited the Kirtland Temple and all the other Church sites around there.  The Community of Christ church owns and maintains the temple there.  Even though the feeling there was totally different than you find at our Church sites, I felt the Spirit confirm to me that Joseph Smith did have visions and receive revelations in the temple.  I felt grateful for that!  We also visited the Newel Whitney home, store, the ashery and the saw mill.  Establishing a community was quite an undertaking, and Newel Whitney, the successful business owner that he was, had a huge part in making it happen.

On the way out of town, we visited an Amish community on the recommendation of our new friends.  We stopped at an Amish store for cheese, treats and lunch!  That was really fun!  Going places like that makes me wonder about them, what they believe, how they live, etc.  Apparently Monday is wash day, because there were a lot of clothes on clothes lines!  It's the only time I've been an obnoxious tourist--trying to get a good picture of clotheslines!  I admire the simplicity of their lives, being self-sufficient for the most part.

Another cool place we went was Geneva on the Lake (Erie).  Mat went there as a kid with his family. He remembered playing miniature golf there and wanted to do it again.  We walked and walked until we found it.  We played a round and kept track of scores, but never added them up.  No doubt, our golfer Dad got the lowest score!


















We walked out to the shore of the lake gathered up more rocks on the beach.  They are so cool!  Perfectly smooth and flat, in all different colors.  Makes me wonder how long they've been in the lake getting beat up by waves knocking off the rough edges to become perfectly smooth like that.  Sounds like a parable!  Ohio is a beautiful place, and I loved exploring we got to do there.

Minnesota and Wisconsin

We drove straight through Minnesota with nothing important to report.  The only thing we did in Wisconsin is notice the signs in "Madison", because . . . Madison! We also made a quick stop at the Spam Museum in Austin.  I got the impression that Austin is a big hub for Hormel, it's probably the town's biggest employer.  Spam has been around for a really long time, pre World War 2.  They had lots of fun displays about the history and stuff.  And of course, there was a gift shop where you could buy a case of spam with 1 can of every kind they have (18 different kinds), and every other imaginable thing with the word "Spam" on it.

We saw our first fireflies in Wisconsin and Ohio, coolest thing ever! It's impossible to video or take a picture because they come out--or you just don't see them--until after dark. They turn on for a second or two before they turn off again, then repeat.  Coolest thing ever!  😊

This is what they look like

Wyoming and South Dakota

This will sound like an awful lot like a travel log!  I hope you enjoy seeing what we've done and where we've been.  We haven't had reliable wifi until yesterday when we checked in near Kirkland, but it's not a secure connection, so I don't really want to use it much.  The problem with unreliable wifi is my pictures are taking forever to upload to my laptop, so I'll have to add those later.

We blasted off last Monday (July 2nd) and got as far as Martins Cove.  They have a missionary campsite where there are spots for their big rigs, and another area for families and Trek groups.  We noticed early on in Wyoming that the wind is constantly blowing.  After we got the trailer set up and everyone settled, Brooklyn pulled out one of our kites and tried to fly it in the close to 40 mph gusts.  It would swirl around and crash into the ground, but I figured out how to pull it just right to keep it in the air (mostly).  She took it back from me and did fine until she let out more string.  She lost her grip on the handle and that kite took off wildly!  It was hilarious to watch all the girls chase after it and try to grab it.  The string got caught in one old mostly dead cottonwood tree, the kite got caught in the next one.  There was no way to retrieve the string, but we did retrieve the kite by standing on top of our Honda Pilot with Mat standing on his tippy toes breaking dead branches until it came down.

We brought a little portable vacuum because a broom can only go so far.  In Wyoming, we learned real fast the value of zipping up the canvas correctly.  The bugs there are ones I've never seen before and were quite skilled in finding our tiny openings.  The vacuum came in handy for catching them off guard.


We went through the visitors center and saw Devils Gate (which I learned the pioneers didn't travel through, it was just a landmark.  There's a river that runs through it!)  Those companies endured so much.  We usually only hear about the Willey and Martin companies, but there were two wagon trains behind them.  Willey and Martin companies were devastated because they had so little protection from the elements.  They have a plaque there that lists the names of everyone in those four companies and have marked those that died.  Considering what they went through, I was kind of surprised there weren't more that died.  But many of those that lived suffered the effects of exposure, amputation, and loss of loved ones for the rest of their lives.  It's a sobering but spiritual place.  You can definitely feel the Spirit there.

The drive into northern Wyoming and southern South Dakota was fantastic.  The grasses and trees turned from brown to green, we haven't seen a single brown blade of grass since!  Our next stop was to Mount Rushmore, we arrived kind of late on the 3rd.  As we traveled into the area, we could see dark clouds not to far away.  A storm was obviously on it's way.  It started to sprinkle as we put the trailer up.


We had read online that they do fireworks on the 3rd and 4th.  What they really do is a patriotic program on the 3rd and light the guys up in the evening.  Just with flood lights, not with fireworks.  😂 Just part of the adventure of a trip like this!  You just roll with it.  After we ate dinner and we finally got to Mount Rushmore, the guys were already lit up and people were pouring out to the parking lot.  And then the heavens opened and big, saturating raindrops came down in sheets.  There was lightning everywhere, sheet lightning and bolt lightening.  Thunder boomed all around us - for 2 ½ hours.  I've never seen anything quite like it!  After we got back to our campsite, it started to hail, marble-sized hail.  We thought for sure it was denting our car and trailer (it didn't).

Trying to act Presidential!  What do you think?

We went back to Rushmore on the 4th.  It really is a sight to see!  Before we got there I had this troubling question in my head about why someone would be allowed to chew up a mountain like that.  You know, in this day of environmental activism and political correctness.  The project was started in the late 1920's, so that explains it.  The process was quite fascinating, as is why those particular four presidents were chosen.  I recommend you check it out if you've never been there!

On our way toward Wisconsin, we stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.  I'd say it's cool enough to just see pictures online and not make the effort to get off the freeway.  It's basically what you see on the outside, and a gift shop.

And so it begins ...

I averted near disaster tonight when traveling down I-84 from Morgan.  Suddenly there was a mattress in my lane and all I (and half a dozen other cars) could do was run over it.  Thankfully the car behind me was paying attention and didn't run into me because I slammed on the brakes.  I learned from a UHP trooper a few years ago that the best thing is to slam straight into whatever is in the road, and not try to swerve around it.  That was after running into a tool box in the fast lane in Bountiful.  She said I did exactly the right thing.  People!  Secure your loads!

McKinley knew just what I needed tonight,
a sugar scrub foot massage!  She's a sweetheart!

I had chemo Friday, a week ahead of schedule.  That's because our schedule this week is taking us across the country!  We leave tomorrow on our epic road trip and I can't tell you how excited I am!  We've been planning this trip since August, it kind of felt like the day would never get here.  It's going to be the grandest adventure we've ever had!  All I know for sure is we're starting at Martins Cove and Mount Rushmore and then we head east.  I have a vague idea of a few things to see along the way but we want to "hurry" to get back east and spend the bulk of our time there.  Kirtland, Niagara Falls, Palmyra/Hill Cumorah, Vermont, the coast of Maine, Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Richmond, Springfield Illinois, Nauvoo, Independence, Kansas-hopefully we don't have to stop in Kansas 😜 (don't be offended-just referring to hundreds of miles of corn and soybeans), Denver area, etc. etc.  So much adventure waiting to happen!

I'll do my best to keep you all updated.  I'm not sure what the wifi situation will be in the campgrounds along the way.  But when I can, I'll post lots of pictures!

Such a slacker.

Not today, but recent!

I'm sorry because I know people want updates.  Today is McKinley's 9th birthday.  My laptop is currently unwilling to update my latest pictures for whatever reason.  Otherwise, I would post a few pictures here!  This morning she ate the traditional birthday breakfast  - Sugar Bombs - or cereal whose first ingredient is sugar.  She chose Froot Loops. Tonight, she chose Costa Vida for dinner.  Then we went to see Incredibles 2, which I thought was just as good as the first, and even had a reference to Sugar Bombs cereal!  McKinley is such a great girl.  She transitioned pretty quickly from a girly girl to a soccer playing tom boy this last year.  She loves to run, play with friends, chase chickens, watch Studio C, and snuggle with Mom.

I've been really busy with my landscaping, which keeps me distracted from the incessant itching.  It's been a good month, as far as that goes.  I've had a steady stream of consultations and designs.  I'm placing plants at two homes tomorrow. They plant them, or at least I don't plant them, although I can plant them-I have planted many a plant in someone else's yard over the years!  I'm finishing a design Wednesday morning and have a consultation Wednesday night and then I'm done with everything until August.  I can start to think about the trip we leave for on Monday!

My next chemo is Friday, my next scan is the first week in August.  I can't believe it's already time for that!  I'm grateful I won't have much time to worry about it.  Trekking across the country will be a great distraction.

Guys!  I still need to put a team together for the F2TF (Fight 2 the Finish) 5K.  I mentioned it a few weeks ago.  See my blog post titled "F2TF".  Please let me know if you're available July 28th and can come to the race!  You don't have to run . . . or even walk!  Just come hang out with us.  😊

Chocolate Dome-A Classic Chemo Brain Story

I think I'll start with today and work backwards.  I'm kind of far behind!

I had my support group up at Huntsman today.  It is always so great to see friends each month to cheer each other on, support and help other process through things.  Today was great and real at the same time.  Several women are dealing with progressed disease, chronic pain or just the emotions of dealing with it in the first place.  While we had a great discussion, I left feeling a little heart-broken for my friends who are suffering more than I am.

There is a caregiver support group every Wednesday at the same time as ours.  Mat went for the first time today because it was the first opportunity to go since I was diagnosed in September!  I think it was good for him, although he probably thinks he's "OK" and "he doesn't need to process".  He's a dude!  Doesn't think he needs to process things!  He came home with a list of 12 things to make sure he's doing everyday, which I thought was great.

I had a consultation scheduled for this afternoon, I was a little stressed about it.  This couple is from Greece and speak with a thick accent.  He's a heart surgeon, she's an architect.  After Ken (retail manager at J and J) introduced me to them, he said "Do whatever you have to do to take care of them.  They are friends of Jerry's".  Jerry is the guy that owns J and J.  NO PRESSURE!

I got another referral today from Ken.  The last name is Skaggs.  Remember Skaggs Alphabeta?  Yes, it's that guy.  NO PRESSURE!

When I got home from group, Mat was already there.  I told him he should come to Kneaders with me to get a cookie or something so I could gear up for my appointment.  He declined because he had a cookie at Huntsman, and didn't want another one.  I said, "Fine!  I'll go by myself!" in a sarcastic manner.

See what I mean??!  Best. Treat. Ever!

When I got to Kneaders, I ordered a Chocolate Dome to go.  By the time I got there, I decided to go for the big guns.  Because, NO PRESSURE!  I knew it would be consumed before I left the parking lot, but I wasn't in the mood to sit in the dining room.  So they brought me the bag and I went to the car.  I threw my keys on the seat, opened the bag and saw there was no fork or napkin.  No fork or napkin??  How was I supposed to eat a "to-go" Chocolate Dome without a fork or napkin??  So I carried the to-go container in my left hand and walked in to get a fork and napkin, leaving my purse, phone, and keys on the seat.

As I approached my car again, I had a little panic attack because I realized I'd locked the keys in the car.  I saw a nice young women at the table outside and asked if I could use her cell phone to call my husband to come rescue me (all the while, holding my to-go container in the open palm of my left hand.  While balancing her phone and dialing with my right hand.)  I called Mat a couple of times.  No answer.  I called the home phone.  No answer.  I knew he was laying on the couch, that's where I'd just left him!  I called my neighbor Mary.  No answer.  I called Mat again.  He finally answered and I told him the predicament I was in.  So he left to come rescue me.  I thanked the nice girl for letting me use her phone and walked back toward the car.  I opened the container and began to eat the chocolate dome while I waited for Mat.  Because now I had a fork! And a napkin!

I literally ate almost the entire thing before I saw the keys through the clear container, hanging from my middle finger on my left hand.  I had them all along.  I realize now that poor girl was looking at me like I was crazy the entire time, like I was trying to fool her or something.  Or maybe she thought she was on some hidden camera show or something!  I'm kind of surprised she didn't just tell me the keys were on my finger.  Maybe she wanted to see just how far it would go, or maybe she was stunned speechless.

I laughed at myself as I got in the car, then called Mat to tell him what I had done.  I started laughing SO HARD that the tears flowed and my belly ached.  Sometimes, my best entertainment is myself.

We made it!

Little Pink - Sedona Edition

The Grand Canyon.  How have I lived all my life relatively close
to this and never got there?  It's way bigger than I ever imagined. 

We had such a great time in Sedona.  The non-profit, Little Pink Houses of Hope, have sponsored trips for breast cancer survivors and their families for years, but this was the first in Sedona.  I'm such a lame-o because I didn't take many pictures the whole week, but we had so much fun!  We were instructed to relax and recharge, and I did!  When we got there on Sunday (June 3rd) we met at a Methodist church.  There we met the volunteers that would help us all week.  When we walked in, one of the volunteers told me that I needed to go meet "that" family sitting at the table next to ours.  We were in the same kayaking group the next day and they had kids about the same ages as ours.

What happened next was magical.  I walked up to the Mom, Belinda, and introduced myself and told here we should be friends because we were in the same kayaking group.  So, clearly!  We talked a little about our diagnoses, our kids, and I met her husband.  We discovered that McKinley and her daughter Sophie were pretty close in age.  They clicked instantly too!  They live in Spokane, but Belinda is from Mississippi and has the coolest southern accent.  Her daughter Sarah talks like her Mom, she called me "Miss Kim" with the same southern accent all week.  We grew to love their family and will be lifelong friends, I'm sure of that!

The kids spent a lot of time out here!

We had plenty of room in this great house!

This retreat was a perfect balance of fun Sedona activities and down time with family.  Kayaking, including water fights, an off-road Pink Jeep (has nothing to do with breast cancer, it's jus a marketing thing) tour for caregivers, "survivor coffee" (we met at a coffee shop and talked for a long time-I was the only one that ordered hot chocolate), Family Game Night, writing workshop, Adults Night Out (kids went to a ceramic studio and got to use the wheel), an excursion to the Grand Canyon, AND they had a professional photographer to take pictures of all the families.  It truly was a rejuvenating week where we spent lots of time together and laughed and played.  Little Pink does it right, I tell you!  I found out at the survivor coffee from Jeanine, the founder of Little Pink, that they get 3000 applications a year from people who want to do this.  It's only been a few months since I applied, so I was shocked when I heard that!  How did they pick our application out of that many and get us on this retreat?  I think it's because we needed to be there.  We needed that time together in a beautiful place.  We needed to meet the people we did.  I am very grateful we got the opportunity!

Awesome Caregivers!

Part of the kids scavenger hunt,
they had to get a picture in a headdress!

Imitating Kokopelli

They had to find a genuine cowboy

Our Grand Canyon Adventure

The kids are surviving the hike and the heat

McKinley's buddy, Sophie Howes

Can't leave without taking pictures of flora!

Slacker!

I'm sitting here in the wee hours of the morning NOT sleeping. We've had so much going on, a glorious week in Sedona AZ with some of the greatest strangers who became amazing friends.  I do intend to share information and pictures from the trip, but tonight my mind is overwhelmed with one (OK, two) things.  I'm not sure I'm ready to get into one topic quite yet.  NO, we aren't getting divorced.  I just need to process through said topic and get it right in my head before it's out there for the whole world to see.

We're working on getting the condo ready to sell, and we're getting closer but it still takes so long to get all those little projects done.  I don't know where we'll go when we sell, we just about can't keep up with the market in our neighborhood that we love.  We've reminded ourselves over what should never have happened--selling the house we loved at a time when things were finally looking up for us financially.  And then ... Riverton kinda derailed the good stuff we had going for us.  More hours, much lower pay, kids running amuck. . . . ENOUGH OF THAT!  We needed to move back to Bountiful, and I haven't wanted to consider living anywhere but right where we are.  These are my people! My family! And I want to be close to them.  More on that later!

My real intent in writing tonight is just to vent a little bit.  The nerve itching in my skin seems to be affecting me more and more.  Itching is a side effect of my chemo, Herceptin and Perjeta. It's the worst in my neck, shoulders and left arm.  I started taking Gabapentin twice a day because it's supposed to help with nerve issues, and it has helped a little, but I'd say it's not keeping up.  I can take 3 pills a day, but there's a big warning on the bottle about it causing dizziness and fatigue, and I should be careful.  I take it at night and at breakfast.  So if I go up to the full dose and can't function during the day for the dizziness and fatigue?  What's the point?  That doesn't keep me as independent as possible.  I'm heading up to Huntsman Wednesday to talk to a pharmacist about all of this.  I need itching relief!

Some of the kids from the Sedona retreat, at the Grand Canyon!

Is it too much?

I've been so busy with landscaping and nurseries lately.  I feel like all my kids eat are quesadillas, tortilla chips and ice cream.  I don't get to the store consistently and usually have a good chunk of budgeted grocery money left at the end of the month.  By the time I get home, I just don't have it in me!  You know, that "mom guilt" thing?

One of the side effects of my drugs is decreased appetite, I've mentioned this before.  Sometimes, I just don't think to eat--I get clumsy, I trip over things or drop things.  Apparently you can see it in my face too, because people ask me if I'm OK.  Some days are just crazy busy and it's hard to slow down and take care of myself.  Despite having a water bottle with me constantly, I'm always dehydrated.

Yesterday I spent 2+ hours at the nursery pulling perennials for a job in Riverdale.  That was after spending almost 2 hours at the same nursery with someone I did a consultation for.  By the time I got lunch it was 5 p.m.  After inhaling a Sweeto Burrito, I dropped the plants at the house in Riverdale.  This morning, I went back to place everything out.  Thankfully, one of my favorite friends, Sarah, graciously came to help me.  (Just what she wanted to do on her first day of summer vacation!)

My favorite Echinacea.
Pow Wow Wild Berry

We got to the site and had to do a little digging/moving of old perennials to make space for the new ones.  Honestly, I could not have done that by myself!  Sarah saved my life.  The lady was really nice, could see that I was (we were) tired and brought us water bottles and set up chairs in the shade of the garage.  Sarah didn't sit down, but I did!

By the time we were finished, it was lunch time.  I suggested we go to Sweeto Burrito because it was close and I could get there fast.  When we were ordering, I kind of leaned against the wall because I got a little light headed.  The cashier looked at me and said, "Are you OK?  Do you need some water??  I'm going to get you some water."  Was it that obvious?  Geez.  After we sat down, Sarah asked me if I was trying to do too much.  Coming from her, I knew it was a sincere question.  I'm not sure!

What would I do with myself if I wasn't doing the only thing I know how to do this time of year??  I don't want to just sit at home.  I need to contribute to our bottom line, especially to help cover the Epic Summer Road Trip! But even if there weren't a road trip this summer, not doing my thing would make me crazy.  So how do I find a balance?  I don't know that either. I used to be able to handle it, but cancer treatments have changed me some.  I can't function quite like I used to.  I get overwhelmed, my brain doesn't work like I'm use to.  It's frustrating but it's my reality and I'm trying to deal with that the best I can.

My friend Laura always did the best she could.  She just kept going like the Energizer bunny and did it for 17 years from her initial diagnosis.  She passed away this week, her funeral is on Saturday.  She made quite an impact on me, and I'm so grateful our paths crossed!  I'll love her forever.

Memorable Day, in more ways than one!

On Sunday we drove up to Huntsville, my beloved hometown.  I LOVED growing up there, loved the big open spaces, loved knowing how to play and enjoy the outdoors, etc.  The first place we went to was the house I remember most, 9005 E. 100 S.  It's on the road that leads to Causey Dam and Monte Cristo.  I about died when I saw a "For Sale" sign out front!  The house is obviously empty, so we walked through the yard which brought back so many memories!

That porch over-hang has been added since we lived there, but the
Russian olive tree and the crabapple tree left of the sidewalk
were there when we were.  The crabapple was planted in
memory of my littlest sister, Joanna, who was stillborn (1977).

The back porch, I remember distinctively sitting on the step
shelling peas we'd just picked from the huge garden my Dad planted.
We had a huge old apple tree on the left, where my Dad built a
two-level tree house for us.  We had a huge sandbox and a swing set
over there too.  We were making mud in the huge garden
(on the right, out of the picture) when my parents came home to tell us
about Joanna.  We sat on those stairs and they showed us a picture of her.
I wish I knew where that picture was today.

This is the back-backyard.  We had a huge field where we kept a
few animals off and on, including rabbits in a small barn that
isn't there anymore.  It wouldn't be a stretch to say that some of
them were for dinner sometimes!  Makes me gag, just thinking
of it.  We had 2 acres of unlimited possibilities for play.

Asking price?  A mere $436,000.  Man I wish this was real estate we still owned!  After going down memory lane, we went to the cemetery in Huntsville town, down at Cemetery Point which is surrounded on three sides by Pineview Dam.  I hadn't seen my brother Jeff's rock yet (I don't love to visit cemeteries).


















He died from Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.  The picture is based off of the one below.  He always wore shorts and always had a hat on.  I sure miss him!

My Mom was also buried there a year ago, almost exactly.  (pictures won't download for some reason)  I miss her too, it's hard not having your Mom around.

As for me, I'm good.  I feel good, I have energy to do what needs to be done, I'm doing my business and working at the nursery as much as I can.  We have a road trip to pay for, and I'm happy to contribute as much as I can.  The "itch" can still be an issue sometimes, but I think it's a little better with Gabapentin.  😊