Nothing Hurt But My Pride

Today in NWA, we've been getting our fair share of a torrential downpour that just adds to the already bloated flood levels of area lakes & streams. Of course when it's this wet, everything stays wet and slick.

I found this out the hard way...literally.

I realized that my Sequoia was at the point it needed it's normal servicing so I thought today's just as good as any day to bring it in, especially with it raining. My outdoor activities were already going to be postponed 'til later in the week so I drove over to the local Toyota dealer.

They motioned me into their covered "drop-off" area and I was greeted by several of the attendants there who've come to recognize me. Plenty of smiles and waves and I pulled up to my "drop off" point. The head guy came out to find out what I needed done and he began to check off things on his clipboard.

As I opened my door and grabbed my phone & iPod, I stepped out onto the floor. Apparently, this floor is not made of concrete or anything that "grabs" the bottom of a slick tennis shoe.

No, this floor is coated with a fine waxy surface that obviously remains extremely slick during wet days...which I found out almost immediately.

As my foot hit the floor, it quickly slipped out from underneath me and I watched in slow motion as my book and iPod flew into the air and my legs collapsed under me. I landed (hard) in a heap just inches away from the truck's running boards, which nearly clipped me in the back of the head.

Almost immediately, the attendant dropped his clipboard and wrapped his arms around me to help me up.

"Are you OK" he asked extremely concerned.

"Yeah, I think so" I muttered. "Nothing hurt but my pride."

"Are you sure" he asked again, probably nervous I was going to start chiming off about litigation and free oil changes just for starters.

"Yeah, I'm OK" I repeated as I rubbed my backside and dusted myself off. "I think I'm fine...really."

"OK...if you're sure..." he replied quite pensively.

I walked over to the waiting area where the throbbing of my sudden landing began to ebb from the bottom of my...well...bottom toward my spine and eventually stopped at the base of my skull. It wasn't anything too severe but it really was sore.

Good thing I'm a fan of Panera's bagels, huh? I think the extra padding underneath helped cushion the blow.

The Toyota manager came over about 5 minutes later with a look of concern etched deeply across his face. I suppose he was bracing himself for a possible tirade about unsafe conditions for patrons of his dealership.

He said he'd just been informed of my little spill and he wanted to be sure I was OK. I reassured him I was and realized that my "Panera bagel" line was going to be my patent answer to anyone who asked. It seemed cute, funny and disguised any legitimate pain I might have been in.

He told me that if I was hurt or needed anything to not hesitate to let him know. I wondered what he'd say if I told him a new silver 2008 Toyota Sequoia 4x4 would help ease the pain. Common sense said to keep it to myself...which I listened to.

After about 20 minutes, they called me to let me know my Sequoia was finished and I could pick up the keys at the desk. Of course, one more time, another attendant asked me if I was OK and if there was anything I needed. I reassured him I was fine and went to the well one more time with my "Panera bagel" line.

I think he only laughed to be polite and to get me out of the dealership before I changed my mind.

Jennifer laughed when I told her about it but I knew she didn't have to be polite about anything. Still, she did offer me a bit of consolation and said the line every doctor tells their patients...

"Go home, take some Tylenol and take it easy."

Hey, at least she didn't say it was a "viral thing".

The Blue Angels In Florida

On my birthday a few weeks ago, while we were in Destin for our spring break, we were able to make it to watch the Blue Angels practice at the Naval Station there in Pensacola. Talk about a real thrill! To watch these planes buzz overhead like tiny blue mosquitoes and to surprise you with a sudden burst of their jets was incredible!

It was a pretty cold morning with the temps around 50 or so but with the bay nearby and the breeze coming off of it, I have to believe the windchills were closer to 40-45. As you can see below, we were not dressed as warmly as we should've been.

While we were waiting for the Angels to appear, we went inside a larger plane once used to transport all kinds of equipment and people for past Blue Angels shows across the world. You could still smell the odor of motor oils and gasoline as this fuselage was surely used to haul some massive pieces of machinery through the air.

As we heard the crowd begin to applaud and cheer, we rushed to as close as we could get to see the Angels taxi down the runway and begin to take off in succession. I tried to get as many pictures as I could of them flying overhead and doing their stunts but they were incredibly fast and I wasn't able to get a good shot most of the time.

Once we were finished outside watching the Angels fly overhead, we went into the NAS museum and saw all kinds of planes, helicopters and flight simulators. The kids were even able to sit inside an old Blue Angel cockpit.

Soon, however, it came to be time to leave and go eat some lunch. We were less than an hour away from our condo on the beach so we thought we'd grab some food at one of the restaurants next door to our room and not make ourselves eat at the Burger King right off base. I was pretty excited to find this great little restaurant next to our condo that looked out into the ocean and provided a sandy playground for the kids to play on while we waited for our food.

Here you can see them wading on the beach and drawing in the sand.

Next, here's a pic of Jacob being eaten by a shark.

Finally, here's a pic of Kaitlyn being shoved into the shark's mouth by her caring little brother.

We learned a few different things on this trip. One is that just because your school district may call it "spring break" doesn't mean the weather or seasons know that it's supposed to be spring-like. It was pretty cold down in Florida that time of year so next time, we may wait to visit the panhandle until late April or even mid-May. Thankfully, we did consider bringing warmer sweatshirts and jackets although mine ended up wrapped around Kaitlyn much of the time.

I Am Jacob...Hear Me Roar!

Friday the kids were out of school for parent teacher conferences and I had a few errands to run. One of the things we needed was a new vacuum. I have no idea how we have gone through 2 pretty pricey vacuums within the past 2 years, especially since it's our cleaning lady who uses it more than we do, but somehow, we need vacuum #3.

BTW, the cleaning lady pleads her innocence with not breaking the latest one and I actually believe her. The thing had only been used a few times but seems to not be getting any kind of power at all. So, off to the dump as I begin another project the kids like to call "spring cleaning".

Back to Friday.

We'd decided not to spend more than about $50 for the next vacuum since there's a good chance it'll be broken by next Thursday (LOL) so off I went in search of the one. I was glad to find one at Target for about $80 but it came with a $20 Target gift card so basically I was able to stay close to budget.

As the kids and I got home, I had to do a little cleaning up. I heard Jacob in the hallway playing with his Iron Man figure near the unopened vacuum box when all of a sudden, he let out a frustrated cry.

"Ah man...the stoopid thing is stuck inside the box!" he bellowed.

It seemed as if part of Iron Man's armor had fallen into the still unopened box and he couldn't get it out. I was at a point where I couldn't help him at that precise moment so I told him to be patient a few minutes then I'd help him.

That was not going to fit into his agenda apparently. About 20 seconds later, I heard some pretty intense 5 year old grunting and straining and then something that sounded like cardboard box being ripped apart.

Seeing as how there was only one cardboard box near where he was, I knew immediately what he was doing.

I was taking too long (in his mind) so he took matters into his own hands, literally, and started to rip the box apart, almost becoming successful in his efforts.

Take a look.



Note to self: watch what we feed the boy for breakfast. We may need to cut back on the creatnine and protein pills. LOL

A Special Prayer Request

A few weeks ago I told you about a precious little boy named Isaac who'd been diagnosed with a very aggressive and rare form of leukemia. Below is an email from his mother Mysty that will give you all the details on what is going to happen in the next few weeks.

Please, please keep them in your prayers daily and lift them up to the Lord.

****

It is definitely time for an update.

Isaac has been home from the hospital for 2 whole weeks! It has been absolutely wonderful having all our family together at home!

Isaac made it through his second round of chemo with flying colors! He is such a tough little guy! Honestly...his strength and courage baffles me.

Isaac has been in and out of the Vanderbilt Clinic over the last 2 weeks having MANY tests run. The doctors had to check all his major organs for any damage do to the chemotherapy he has been undergoing and they also had to run all kinds of tests on his blood. Isaac also had another spinal tap with chemo injected directly into his spine and another bone marrow biopsy. We met with the doctors last Tuesday to receive all the results.

PRAISE THE LORD!!!! Isaac is still in remission and all his tests results came back normal. Because of this GREAT news, we are able to move on to his Cord Blood Transplant.

Now...many people have asked, "why is Isaac getting a Cord Blood Transplant if he is in remission and doing so well?" Here is the shortest answer to this question:

Isaac has a very aggressive form of Leukemia, AML M-7. Less than 1% are diagnosed each year. It multiplies rapidly. Isaac going into remission after only one round of chemotherapy is basically unheard of...we like to call it what it is, a MIRACLE!!!! The chances of Isaac's leukemia coming back is 80% without a transplant. With the transplant the chances of it coming back are 30%. If Isaac were to NOT have the transplant and the cancer came back...the chances of getting him back into remission are highly unlikely. So...we see this as Isaac's best chance for survival.

Isaac is going back into the hospital tomorrow, Weds. April 2nd. We started giving him an anti-seizure medication today and he will begin his prep treatment for transplant tomorrow. Tbere is eight days of prep, one day of rest and on the 10th day he receives his cord blood transplant. The prep treatment includes:

Busolfan days 1-4 - chemotherapy to wipe out his bone marrow. Most common side effect is seizures, hence the reason he is receiving anti seizure meds the day before he starts this chemo.

Citoxin days 5-8 - chemotherapy to wipe out his bone marrow. Most common sides effects are vomiting, diarrhea, mouth sores, diaper rash, bottom break down and damage to the kidneys & bladder. They will pump him full of fluids to help flush his kidneys and make him pee a lot so there is minimal damage to his bladder. We will change his diapers every hour or more during the day and every 2 hours at night. They will also give him meds for the vomiting and diarrhea.

ATG/Horse Serum days 5-8 - this is anti-human antibodies from a horse used to suppress his immune system. Side effects include: mouth sores, diarrhea, vomiting, chills/trimmers, and high fever. There is nothing they can do to prevent these things from happening.

The doctors do all this to prepare Isaac's body to accept the transplant. Without all of this his body would reject it. Now, there is a chance his body may still reject it , but we are praying and believing for the best.

Isaac will then have one day of rest. On day 10 Isaac receives his Cord Blood Transplant. The cord blood goes in through Isaac's central line and is complete within about 10-15 minutes.

Isaac will be in the hospital 4-6 weeks after the transplant. The doctors say the first 3 weeks are crucial. Isaac is at extreme risk for infection and organ failure. If either of these things were to occur, the doctors can do nothing to help him. They will do all they can to prevent infection and organ failure, but there is the risk...so we covet your prayers over Isaac.

As Isaac's mother, I am terrified. Only God chooses whether Isaac lives or dies. We dedicated him to God and in His hands is where we must leave him.

Kansas City Cheer Trip Revisted

This past week concluded Kaitlyn's competitive cheer competitions for the year. She'll try out again in a few months to get ready for next year but let me just say...

whew.

I'm done traveling for a while...that is, unless my wife wants to kidnap me and whisk me away to some secluded tropical paradise. THEN, I'm all about another trip. However, in the case of family getaways, I'm OK with staying here for awhile. Since the last weekend in February, we've been out of town or home sick w/the flu. To say I'm kinda looking forward to just relaxing this weekend and getting back to church is a severe understatement.

And yet, before anyone thinks I don't like going away with the fam, nothing could be farther from the truth. It's always great to get away as a family but even those family "quality times" need to re-charge themselves if you know what I mean.

So, back to this weekend. We wrapped up Kate's cheer schedule with a jaunt up to KC for a 2 day event downtown. We were so fortunate to be able to stay at my grandparents' house on Friday night which not only saved us some money and a hotel stay but more importantly, we got a chance to visit with 2 very dear, special people to our hearts. Even though we were only going to be able to stay there for about 12 hours, it was an incredible visit and one of those "moments" where it would've just been great to hide the car keys and stay at GG & Bapa's house the whole weekend.

The kids had a ball too. They got to sleep on some big, fluffy sofas and they were tickled to be out in the living room / family room by themselves. Jennifer and I got to stay in their king-size bed which was SO comfortable and soft. I think I was asleep within about 24 seconds.

We got up on Saturday morning to one of GG's famous biscuit & gravy breakfasts, something we all were looking forward to. However, time flew by way too quickly and it was soon time to leave for KC, which was still about 90 minutes away. As we drove away and watched GG & Bapa wave to us, I heard a soft whimper behind my seat.

It was Jacob.

We asked him what was wrong and he muttered through his tears "I wanted to stay with GG & Bapa."

Your heart just breaks when you see your kid all torn up like that. But, to be honest, I have felt that exact way whenever I've left their home so many times it's hard to count. There's just something special about getting to stay at Grandma & Grandpa's house...

We made it to Kansas City in record time and got everyone to the cheer arena with about 15 minutes to spare before her team was to officially meet for a brief get-together. She wasn't to perform until about 1:30p so we were in great shape as far as time went so I decided to go ahead and check us in at the Marriott across the street.

It's always a good idea to have a "retreat" especially when you have a 5 year old that can be a little cantankerous at times.

Kaitlyn and her squad performed on time and did an amazing job! In fact, they had ZERO deductions (which is a big thing in cheer comps) and after a quick review of the scores, were told they were solidly in second place. There were even whispers they could even move into first place after Sunday's performance.

We all went back to the hotel room, excited and eager to chill out for a while. It came time to go eat dinner so we thought since we were in Kansas City, why not try some world-famous BBQ?

We need to thank Grandma Tricia for the inspiration to go eat at a place called "Jack Stack BBQ" because it...was...incredible.

Oh man. I think my stomach is still thanking me for the burnt ends and ribs I got.

We got to the restaurant right at 5pm and were immediately seated. We'd decided we needed an early dinner since Kaitlyn had a quick practice scheduled for 8pm later that night. The service at Jack Stack was great...friendly, quick and attentive...a great way to start the dining experience off.

The kids were a little more hungry than usual so we ordered an onion ring stack for an appetizer. I think it was less than 10 minutes when the waiter brought us out the rings. Talk about huge!! These things could've been substituted in a game of horseshoes!!

And then, within about 10 minutes of getting the onion rings, our order came out. Talk about food piled high! Jennifer had gotten a sampler platter of BBQ sausage, chicken, ribs and pork while I got the burnt ends (think a chunk pot roast but seared and smothered in sauce) and some beef ribs. The kids got their usual fare of either chicken or chicken tenders but seemed to find a way to munch off mom & dad's plate.

Somehow we managed to save a bit of room for dessert. Kaitlyn wanted a root beer float while Jennifer, Jacob and I shared a brownie sundae. This "brownie" was more like a small chocolate cake. It had to be about 6 inches in diameter, filled with large chocolate chips and covered with chocolate sauce. Then, for a spot of overkill, they lopped on a large glob of vanilla ice cream, all served in a giant bowl with 3 spoons.

I've never felt so euphoric and so gastric at the same time but I did that night. Imagine walking with a smile of being full but then a small wince of all that food sloshing around on the inside.

That was me. LOL

We made it back to the hotel in time for Jake and Jennifer to get their baths and pajamas on and settled in to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks. I agreed to take Kaitlyn to her practice but not before I stopped by Wal-Mart to get some supplies to decorate our hotel door with cheer
streamers and balloons.

Kate and I got back to the hotel around 10pm and did a little decorating as you can see here. Sadly though, the weight of the hooks and balloons caused everything to fall off during the night and we found it all in a heap outside our front door. Still, it was a lot of fun and some good "Daddy / daughter" time, especially on a Saturday night.

Sunday morning came and we got ready for the final performance. After some quick pointers from the coaches and some prayers from the parents, the girls went out and nailed yet another great routine. However, the team that was in first place garnered just enough points to remain there, beating Team Cheer by only 5 points. I know the girls were sad to hear this but they were very excited to end the season with a strong 2nd place finish and we're all very proud of them.

By 6:30pm, we had finished dinner and began the long journey down Highway 71 toward Fayetteville. I think I had a brick fastened to my shoe because we made it home in less than 3.5 hours, which seemed kinda fast for me.

But hey...I'm not complaining. We're home, we're safe and other than being a bit tired from all the traveling of late, we're all happy.

Not to mention...spring is almost here!!

Now then, if we could only get the leak in the dining room roof fixed, all would be well.