Presidents Day Weekend 2011

Ryan and I headed out on Friday to Salt Lake to spend the weekend with my parents.  We got there and learned that my dad's doctors switched him to plan B treatment.  For more information on that new treatment you can go here, so basically my dad was drug free this weekend and did not have to get any shots so we took full advantage.

Saturday we loaded up in the car and drove up to Immigration Canyon and had breakfast at Ruth's diner.  It has been featured on Diners Drive in and Dives and you can check out the clip here.  I had been there before with my parents last July when it was BBQ night and it is so good.  So this time we checked out the breakfast they are known for and it was just as good. 

Ryan had there famous biscuits and gravy

YUM!

Then we headed over to IKEA,  Ryan had never been before and probably never wants to go back but I was on a mission.  We need a new coffee table,  the one I have is an ottoman covered in fabric and while I love it I have no storage space and it just isn't practical right now.   I really want the coffee table that matches all my other wood furniture in my living room from Pottery Barn but it's $700 and that's just not going to happen right now,  so IKEA for $99.99 to the rescue.  We spent a few hours in IKEA and I ended up getting more than I needed as always but man I love that store.  We brought the Jetta not the Tahoe up to Salt Lake and so we couldn't fit the coffee table in the trunk without taking the box apart so we had to set it up first thing when we got home before we lost any pieces.

Here it is.  Don't mind the messy couch I hadn't had a chance to clean up yet from getting home!

It matches the other wood furniture pretty well and once I get some baskets and candles and maybe a vase it will work out perfect!

Saturday night we went out to dinner and a movie with Walt and Lexie, who we are going to New York with in a few weeks.  We had a great time with them and are so excited to hang out again in a few weeks.  We wish we lived closer so we could see each other more.

Sunday we chilled with my parents, it rained and snowed most of the day my mom made homemade Zuppa Toscano from Olive Garden and it was so good! Oh and we watched Amazing Race. I love that show!

Monday we left around 11am to go and meet Ryan's brother Jared and Darci and the kids for lunch before heading back home.  I felt bad I cried pretty much from the time we said goodbye to my parents until we pulled into the parking lot I am sure I looked lovely. :) I dried my eyes and and we had a great lunch with them, the kids are getting so big we are hoping they are able to come to Vegas this summer to swim and hang out.  I feel bad sometimes because Ryan sees my family all the time, probably much more than he wants to and I wish his brothers and sisters lived closer so we could see them more.  I hope my brothers never move far away. It's strange sometimes being married to someone and only having met their siblings a few times because they live so far away, I am used to being the cousin or Aunt that all the kids love but because I have only met Ryan's nephews and nieces a few times they don't really know me and are shy around me.  Hopefully someday they will like me and realize I give lots of gifts LOL.  We are hoping to see all of them this summer for a few days at least and just be able to hang out and catch up, I love Ryan's family and hope I get a chance to get to know them better and have them get to know me better.

To end my weekend I left my debit card at the restaurant in American Fork and didn't realize it until Beaver when I stopped for gas.  Now I have to wait a week before my bank will send me another one..ugh.

Trying to just stay positive this week, its a hard feeling to explain not being with my parents when I know they need the support.  My brothers are going up to see them this weekend and I'll be going back up next weekend before we head to New York.

I am so lucky to have such a supportive husband who stands by me and loves me and let's me do what I need to do for my family.  He's the best!

Until next time...

We survived 6 months!!

We have officially survived 6 months of marriage and it happened to fall on V-Day!

They say your first year of marriage is the hardest.  I don't think I believe that.  I think your first year of marriage with kids is the hardest that's when life gets real, Right now it's just us and the dogs and we aren't really tied down to anything. Once you have kids,  that's all over :)  I think living together has been an adjustment for both of us, but I think our relationship has gotten stronger through marriage.  When you are dating you let your life go to shambles because you don't get to see that person all the time and so when you are with them you are in this little bubble.  Now we see each other every day and while we still focus on each other, we can watch a movie together AND fold clothes at the same time :)  

This Valentines Day we decided to be low key,  we are going to New York on the 12th of March over Ryan's spring break.  We are using that as our big celebration for our 6 month anniversary,  so for Valentine's we decided no presents and just a chill night of sushi dinner. The sushi was great and the company even better :)

I still wanted to do something cute for Ryan, I got this idea from my mom to HEART ATTACK him (who by the way was the BEST mom when is came to doing cute things for us for holidays I hope I can be half as cute as she was) , she did this to me and my brothers for Valentine's when we were growing up.  We would wake up to glitter hearts and cut out hearts all over our room :) I skipped the glitter because I didn't want to clean it up and I couldn't do it at night because he wakes up before me but when he got home from work this is what he saw:

I know the bathroom isn't the most romantic place but that's his bathroom and his space and I wanted it to be someplace where he was surprised.  And he was :)

My mom and dad are leaving to go back up to Salt Lake on Wednesday and Ryan and I are following them up on Friday to spend the weekend with them since we both have Monday off.  Besides dinner with the Sorensons and a stop at IKEA for a new coffee table, I am looking forward to just spending time with my family and getting my dad ready to DOMINATE his 2nd harvest!!

I am so grateful for all the love I have in my life,  my Heavenly Father has definitely blessed me.

Next time will probably be coming at ya from SLC, where I am hoping its warmer this time!

Quick Update

We not only got to 5 million we got to 5.7 million!!!! 

That last day of collection Dad collected almost 1.4 million cells :)  We definitely have enough for the 1st transplant and we will get enough for a 2nd transplant should we ever need it (hopefully not though)  when he goes back up on the 18th.  Ryan and I will be going up that weekend too!

Mom and Dad are home and other than being mad because the house is going to be messed up again things are going good,  we had dinner with them Tuesday night and then Dad went to work yesterday and so did Mom.

My plans are to be up in SLC from the 18th-21st of Feb,  from the 3rd-6th of March and then again from the 24-27th of March.  My brothers will be going up end of Feb and my Aunt Janet and maybe my mom's friend Pat will be coming to visit my mom in March while I am in NY.  I am not happy that it will be almost a month in March when I will not be able to see them, but we have had this trip planned for a long time thinking he would have been out of the hospital by then.  At least I know people are going to be there with her so she wont be all by herself, the days can be long and lonely. 

Ryan and I are just plugging along,  he studies alot and I've been busy at work so once again our only free time together is on the weekends.  We tend to want to just veg and see movies because we are so busy during the week, I love it.  This next Monday we will celebrate our 6 month anniversary and Valentines day.  The time has gone by so fast and I am so lucky to have him,  I love him with all my heart!

Oh and we are 1 month away from our trip to New York City and Philadelphia.  We leave on the 12th and go to New York first and meet up with our friends Walt and Lexie where will will spend 3 1/2 days in NYC and then take the train up to Philly and re-visit Ryan's mission days we come home on the 19th!  Walt is actually a old mission companion of Ryan's and him and his wife went back to Philly last year so that's why they are only going to NYC :) He is excited to show me Philly and I am excited to show him NYC!  Its going to be a great trip we are so excited!  

Until next time Happy Valentines Day to all!!

Fickle Stem Cells..

First let me start by saying how freaking amazing my dad is, he seriously is the best dad and friend a girl could ever ask for.  I have been procrastinating for months on getting a flu shot (which I need for after he has his chemo and has no immune system) because I am scared of needles and here my dad is with a picc line and has been giving himself shots for the last 6 months!  He's my hero,  and not just for that obviously but the way he handles pain and needles makes me love and admire him even more. 

Secondly, stem cells are a fickle thing.  The way it was explained to us is my dad would take some medicine and it would boost his stem cells and then we would do a collection for a few days and would get 10-15 million cells.  BUT My dad's cells are being stingy....it could be because of the 8 months of treatment, it could be because his body is just tired.  They just don't know and said this happens to some people.  So after this week is over he will probably have collected around 5-6 million,  we need at least 10 to be able to save some for a 2nd transplant if needed.  They can't just keep giving him the shots and doing collections for 2 weeks straight so what the new plan probably will be is he will stop collection this weekend,  then he will have to take 2-3 weeks off to let his body rest (luckily he will be on no meds that whole time) and then go back to SLC and do a 2nd harvest to collect the remaining 5-6 million he needs.  So looks like our schedule will be pushed back a few weeks.  but as I keep reminding my parents SLOW and STEADY wins the race.  It doesn't matter if we have to do 2 collections,  all that matters is we get the 10-15 million cells that will save my dad's life!!   

I know Heavenly Father has a plan for my dad and for my family and if we need these additional weeks there must be a reason.  I am confident that these extra few weeks will give my dad more time to gain strength and to get ready to DEFEAT this annoying disease. 

 I know my dad is going to get better, I know he will be healthy,  of this I have no doubt!

So these annoying hurdles that keep happening that are meant to frustrate us and maybe make us doubt ourselves,  they are not working Satan,  our eye is on the prize and nothing is going to stop us!

On another note I went to the orthodontist yesterday and got my "final" wires put in and my teeth hurt so bad about the only thing I can eat is yogurt. Maybe I will loose a few pounds :) Officially 30 months with braces.  I am so ready to get them off!! 

Until next time...keep praying people :)

Im back in LV for the Moment!

I wish I could say that I'm back in sunny Las Vegas where I left behind the cold and windy days of Salt Lake, but sadly I returned to COLD and WINDY here.  I'm freezing!

My  trip was definitely productive and even though I missed Ryan and the girls I am so glad I went and was able to spend 5 days with my parents and left there feeling they would be okay until I saw them next time.  (I did bawl almost the entire time I was waiting for my flight at the airport though, I must have looked LOVELY)

Something fun we got to do while in Salt Lake was go to the bridal expo with my cousin Kristalyn who is getting married March 26th and my Aunt Cara.   It was bridal overload.  I have always thought that being a wedding planner would be so much fun, I mean I had fun planning mine.  But this expo was crazy,  photographers,  food and cake vendors, announcements, dresses everywhere.  And I am so glad I was not the one planning my wedding because I ate everything the vendors had to offer,  if a bride's goal is to lose weight before the wedding (which Kristal does NOT need to to)  then don't go to the expo. I probably gained weight :)  We had alot of fun and Kristal found a photographer and announcements,  and later that night found her dress so mission accomplished :)

This week for my dad  is the actual stem cell harvesting, he received his PICC LINE (see picture below) yesterday and that is how they hook him up to the machine to funnel the blood in and out,  it also makes it so he doesn't have marks all over his veins like he is a drug addict so that's good.  We are told the stem cell collection is alot like when you give platelets which my dad has done before so I am hoping it is not that big of a deal for him.



My next trip back there is tentatively scheduled for the week of Feb 14th sometime whenever he gets admitted to the hospital to start the process of receiving his chemo and his stem cells back.  I wont go on Valentines though I'll save that date for me and Ryan.  February 14th also happens to be our 6 month anniversary.  It's gone by so fast.  Luckily this time I wont be away from Ryan too long because that weekend of Feb 18th happens to be Presidents Day weekend so Ry and Matt will come up and spend the weekend and then the three of us will drive home Monday.

It was sad leaving my parents, but it was nice to come home to Ryan and the girls.  They all missed me I think :)  Even though Ryan had no one to nag him and was able to watch whatever he wanted and went golfing LOL  Ryan had the house clean and he made me dinner.  It was awesome.

Tonight Matt is coming over to have dinner with us I'm making ribs, green beans and potatoes for the guys and helping Ryan move the dryer so we can fix the soap dispenser that is stuck in our washer.   Having stackable front loaders is great for space in your laundry room but a pain in the butt when something goes wrong and you have to UNstack them! Hopefully this is our first and only time having to do this until we move and take them with us.

Tomorrow we are going to the UNLV vs. UTAH game at the T&M,  this will be my first Rebel game this season which I am not happy about but we have just been so busy  we haven't been able to go until now.

This weekend I want to chill and have Ryan take me on a date to the movies. I'm not sure what movie yet, I still want to see Country Strong so maybe that.  Other than that I just want to do laundry, once the washer is fixed and I can actually load the soap, and just chill, maybe do a little baking. I'm in the mood to be domestic.

I'll be doing updates probably every other day about my dad,  he is trying to update as much as he can to.  He hates updating when nothing is happening :)

Much love to all!