Homeward Bound Adventure from Colorado

While we were in Colorado (from Wednesday night to Sunday morning) it snowed Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday afternoon we checked the weather out on Hannah's phone to make sure that we weren't going to get bad weather on Sunday, when we were planning to leave. It said a 30% chance of less than 1" accumulation. We checked it a couple of times throughout the afternoon and it said the same thing - so, we figured we were good to go.

Boy, were we ever wrong!! We got up at 3:30am on Sunday morning and left my mom's around 4 am. When we left there was already about 4" of snow on the ground at my mom's. We got about 10 miles or so outside town (we take Hwy 24 from Colorado Springs to Limon and then get on I-70) and it was still very dark out and snowing very hard. We could hardly see the road so we decided that it was stupid for us to try to do this in the dark. So, we decided to turn around and go back to my mom's and leave when it got light out.

We left again around 7 am and we got to the last road off Hwy 24 that leads into Colorado Springs and they had closed the Hwy. We called the highway patrol to see if Hwy 94 was closed and they said that it wasn't but that it was under the same conditions as Hwy 24 and if we chose to go that way we were traveling at our own risk. We decided that we probably shouldn't do that so we went back to my mom's.

We called the highway patrol around 10 am to see if they had opened Hwy 24 back up and they had so we left AGAIN!! The roads were very icy and the wind was blowing very hard and the further we got the worse it got. We were in white out conditions at times and the wind was blowing us all over the icy road. There were times when Mark almost couldn't keep the car on the road. We got to Calhan, which is about 1/2 way between Colo Spgs and Limon and I told Mark that there was a hotel there in town and that we were stopping. We were being stupid to continue in the white out conditions. He agreed. So, we pulled into the hotel parking lot (you have to go down a hill from the highway) and due to the whiteout conditions he couldn't see that there was a 1 1/2 foot drift where you would pull in under the awning and drove straight into it and got the car stuck. It took us an hour to get the car unstuck and then we had to hike through a few more snow drifts to get to our room because we couldn't get the car to where our room was.

Poor Mark, he was soaked from the waist down and we had no clean clothes since we didn't plan to be there an extra day. So, we hauled the dirty clothes bag to the room so we could all have dry clothes and our pj's.

Around 2:30 pm or so, Mark looked out the window and it had finally stopped snowing and the traffic was moving on the highway. Mark said that we could leave if I wanted to. I told him that I was done trying to get out for the day. We didn't know what the roads were like and we only had about 2 hrs of daylight left to drive and I didn't want to drive all night (remember, we'd been up since 3:30 am). So around 3:30 pm we went down the street to Subway and I told everyone we were each ordering foot longs so that we could eat half for lunch and half for dinner later. So, that's what we did. We also bought some dice (the Subway is in a gas station) so we could play dice. So, we watched TV and played dice all evening.

We left the next morning at around 6:15 am and finished driving to Limon. Roads were still icy in spots but not really too bad. Of course, we got about 5-10 miles outside of Limon and there wasn't a drop of snow anywhere - go figure. All we had to do is get to Limon but we couldn't.

Anyway, we got home Monday afternoon - safe and sound!! And this is definitely not an adventure that I care to repeat ever!! :o)

Thanksgiving

Well, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We went to Colorado to visit my family out there. This is the first time that my 2 sisters and my brother have all been together in 7 years. We tried it last year but that is when Hannah ended up in the hospital and we couldn't go. We had a really nice time. We actually did Thanksgiving on Friday because my youngest sister, Carla, is a nurse and she had to work Thanksgiving Day.

So, on Thanksgiving Day we went to my mom's church (the one I grew up in) and they had a Thanksgiving dinner there for some homeless families who are trying to get back on their feet. A few people from the church cooked the meal (Mark went down and helped) and people from the church attended along with a couple of homeless families. It was also my birthday on Thursday and my mom made me a birthday cake (I knew about the cake but didn't realize that it was my birthday cake) and they all sang happy birthday to me too. I was not very happy that she embarassed me, but hey, that's what mom's are for I guess.

Friday we had our meal at my Grandma's then. It was my sister, Tina, and her 2 daughters, Shannon and Krystal. Krystal's friend, Sarah. My sister, Carla and her husband, Michael and their three children, Arianna, Melieah and Treyven. My mom and Grandma. Mark, Hannah, Sarah and I. My brother, Kevin and his wife, Deb. My cousin, Jami and her three kids, Kaela, Cody and Morgan. We had a lot of fun.

Saturday we all met up at Fargo's Pizza Parlor for lunch. This time my cousin Jami's husband, Brandon came along. We had a blast there too.

I'll post pictures later. Now for a post about our adventure trying to get home from Colorado.

Sarah made State Honor Choir

Sarah's music teacher sent in an audition CD of Sarah singing to the Kansas Choral Directors Statewide Honor Treble Choir and she and another classmate made the choir. They were the only freshmen from our school to try out and they both made it. We are pretty excited for her!! Their concert will be in February at the end of the month. It will be in Wichita so we will have to go for that (hopefully).

Week from heck!!

I had a week from heck!! On Tuesday last week I got a flat tire on my way to work. I was three miles from work when it went flat. The bad part is that I work out in the middle of no where. I called work and asked for one of the guys to come get me. I started to change my tire to put the donut on while I waited. I had the jack out and was just getting it placed under the car when two guys from a construction company turned onto the road and they stopped and backed up and asked if I wanted some help. I said that I could change the tire but that it would be really great if they could help. So, I jacked the car up and one of the guys undid the lug nuts and took the tire off and put my donut on and then I lowered the car. Then I was on my way!! I ruined the tire so I had to buy a new tire!! After I was on my way to work I was about a mile from work and almost hit a deer that ran in front of me. On my way home that night after Mark and I cleaned out at the plant I almost hit a coyote. I really should have just stayed home that day!!

Then on Friday we took my car to Kansas City as we had to go to Hannah's school for her annual IEP review. It was an awesome review!! She is doing so good in school and living in the dorm this year and everyone had really good things to say!! Well, on the way back from KC we stopped in Topeka for dinner and to go to Goodwill (Sarah needed some things yet for her costume for the high school's musical that is this week). Well, we smelled antifreeze when we stopped at a stop light. I thought it was the truck next to us but when we stopped at Goodwill I smelled it again. Sure enough, when we came out the car was leaking antifreeze and water. We babied the car home stopping every so often to put water into the radiator. We thought it was the water pump. Well, we turned it into the shop today and it was just a hose but our mechanic had to take out the intake manifold (whatever that is) to put it on. So, it wasn't as bad as we thought, but still this is after a major ($2,000) repair on our truck in September.

On Saturday I had a craft show and it closed at 4 p.m. Mark called me on my cell phone and asked if I was getting ready to pack it up and then he asked me if I wanted some more bad news. Of course, I told him no but I was sure he was going to tell me anyway!! He said that my washing machine quit working!! Great!! So, I got to buy a new washing machine yesterday. Of course, they didn't have it in stock and had to order it so I get to go a week to 10 days without a washer!! UGH!! Calgon, take me away!!!

My MIL

My MIL will probably get to come home tomorrow from the hospital. She was able to eat food today and was doing well. We'll hope she has a good night and that she will be able to go home for sure. They tested 20+ lymph nodes and none of them came back positive for cancer. That is awesome news!! Thanks to everyone for their prayers. Please pray for continued healing.

Hannah and goal ball

Hannah has made the traveling goal ball team at her school. She was very excited today when she found out. She will go to Missouri this next weekend for their first meet.

Here is what goal ball is because I don't think that I can explain it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goalball

Good luck, Hannah!!

My Mother-in-law

My mother-in-law was diagnosed with colon cancer last week. She saw the surgeon on Monday and was told that they also found a spot on her liver and her lung. She went in for surgery on the colon yesterday. They had said that once she recovered from the colon surgery then she would have to have chemo for the spots on her liver and lung because they couldn't operate on the liver because it was too close to an artery that goes to her heart. Well, while in doing the colon surgery the doctor said that they couldn't find the spot on her liver. There was no cancer. So, she will not have to have chemo and they will deal with the spot on her lung after she has healed from the surgery. Sounds like she is doing pretty good today. They had her up and walking about. Glad she is doing well.

MRI results

Got the results back from my neck and brain MRI's. They are both normal. So, I asked the Dr. "now what?". She has scheduled me for an EMG and a nerve conduction velocity test. If you want to know what they do you can go here:

http://www.webmd.com/brain/electromyogram-emg-and-nerve-conduction-studies

It doesn't sound very pleasant but I guess we have to do what we have to do to figure out what is going on. The doctor basically said that if these 2 tests don't reveal anything then she doesn't know what to tell me. She says that she could refer me to KU Med Center in Kansas City to see if they might be able to offer some insight.


????? Not happy but glad that the MRI's came back okay ??? Don't really want to be a guinea pig either.

Report Cards

Well, we got report cards this last week. Sarah has all A+'s except she had one A. Hannah brought home 5 A's and 2 B's and 1 C. The C was in Orientation and Mobility (this is her class that teaches her how to get around as a blind person).

Sarah always gets A's and we are very proud of her. However, I have to congratulate Hannah on her Report Card as this is the best one she has had in a VERY long time and we are proud of her for her accomplishment this year. She has really matured and seems to be enjoying school this year.

Hard to believe that the first quarter of school is done!!

Sarah has been practicing for the high school's musical that will be in a couple of weeks. She will no more than get done with that and basketball practice will start on the 17th of November then they will have about a 1 week break after basketball and she is on to softball til the end of school. I have a feeling this year will fly by!!!

MRI's completed

I had both of my MRI's yesterday. One of the neck and one of the brain with and without dye. The tech said that they should have them read by the radiologist within four days and then I will get a copy of the report. I suppose that if they find anything I will hear from the doctor sometime next week.

I pray that they don't find anything and if they don't - then what?? Something has to be causing the "muscle spasms" and the weakness on my left side. I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime - I wait!!

I will update as soon as I hear something.

Sarah's Confirmation

Sarah was confirmed yesterday in church. She had to attend classes for 2 years to learn about communion, the creed, the 10 commandments and baptism.

Family picture after church.

Sarah with Pastor Bill.

Sarah being blessed by Pastor Bill.

The cake for the reception afterwards.

R. I. P. Zorro

I am very sad today because my beloved cat, Zorro, was hit by a car today. We think he got in under Mark's car when Mark left for work this morning. Of course, I am the one that found him this morning when I went to go start my car. He was laying at the end of the driveway right at the edge of the road and right behind where Mark parks his car. He was a very loving cat and he had a lot of personality. He will be greatly missed. Mark buried him in the back yard tonight after he got home from work.

This is Zorro as a baby (June 2006).

Zorro loved to lay on top of the computer tower while you were in the office. He would just hang out there while you surfed the net.

He love to go for rides on the baby gate that we have between the kitchen and the hallway (this is so the dogs don't eat the cat food and get into the litter box). If you opened the gate he would sit up there and you could swing the gate back and forth and he would hang on and enjoy the ride.

He loved to lay like this on the back of the couch too. He was a big, fluffy boy. He like to eat potato chips if you were eating them. If you didn't give him any he would try to get into the bag himself.

Machine is up and running!!!

Yeah!! I got the part for my machine yesterday evening. I didn't get to do anything with my machine last night though because I had a sorority meeting and was only home long enough to scarf down my supper, load the car with some stuff to take to the meeting and leave (about 20 minutes). Then I didn't get home until 9:30 pm. So, I put the part on this morning and got the machine going this evening. I have done a hooded towel hood and I am working on the big towel to the crab towel set. However, I have to leave for church choir practice in about 20 minutes so I don't know that I will get anything else done tonight.