I can always count on Tim Hawkins for a laugh

Blogging again. Part 2.

The first week we were back, we spent w/ my dad & Nancy in Yoncalla. It was a great time to relax & get acclamated to the new time zone. 3 hours difference sure does...make a difference!

The girls hung out in the shop a lot. I rested my body a bit. I had been feeling under the weather for a few months. I actually noticed a lump in my stomach a month earlier & the nerves of not knowing what it was...was wearing on me.

Within a few days we were in our rental. Ross & I decided to wait to buy. We don't want to get stuck in something until we know where we want to live.

About 5 days after moving in I had a Dr. appt. They discovered that my uterus was enlarged quite a bit. It was the equivalent of someone's who is 16-18 weeks pregnant. Yikes. The Dr. scheduled some bloodwork & an ultrasound right away. There were 2 possible problems. It could be a fibroid tumor or a sarcoma tumor. 1 is an easy fix. 1 is not. I went back in after 2 weeks & it had grown even more. My uterus was now 18-20 weeks prego looking.

A week later the ultrasound showed it was a fibroid tumor. They would still test it once it was out, but it looked like an easy fix. There were 2 of them. 1 the size of a roma tomato. The other the size of a palm sized basketball. The only way to get rid of them was a hysterectomy.

Of course I'm freaking at this point. I don't want to go through menopause at 32. The Dr. was pretty confident that he could save at least 1 ovary. 1 looked pretty damaged because of the size & position of the tumors, but the other looked great. Whew.

3 weeks later I had the hysterectomy. They had to do a vertical incision vs. the horizontal so healing would take a bit longer, but all went well.

After the whole mess was out, it was the size of a basketball. I feel so much better w/ it all out! Recovery has been pretty simple. The girls have been super helpful. Ross has been so accomodating & the best news was that it contained no cancer. Hooray.

I'll be back in a few days to share more. Love you all for sticking around.

Peace & hair grease.

Blogging again. Part 1.

OMW - it's been forever since I've blogged. Not that stuff hasn't been happening. My life has been so chaotic. I probably could've USED the blogging outlet. I just never made the time.

Well that's all gonna change...at least for today. So here's what's been happening in my life since Spring.

Part 1.

At the end of March, Ross came to Indiana & we were able to sign papers for our house closing. The new owners had asked for a 45 day close, so I had plenty of time to box up a ton of stuff. With 4 feet of snow outside, what else was there to do right?

We had arranged for our pickup to be hauled out by semi & our furniture & such would be hauled out by semi seperately.

With the help of awesome friends we loaded the whole house in less than 4 hours...and it was 3100 square feet! The semi truck driver was ecstatic that he could get a head start about 7 hours earlier than planned! We said our goodbyes to neighbors & headed to a hotel.

We spent a few days just enjoying time w/ Ross. He left Dec. 4th & we were able to see him for a week over Christmas & a weekend over Valentine's day. Talk about a hard 4 months! I have a whole new respect for shoveling snow. I was outside shoveling one day for 3 hours. And that was just for the morning routine. I did another 1.5 in the evening!

So we spent a few days together at a hotel until we flew out a few days later. Once we landed in Portland we were able to enjoy lunch w/ the totally awesome Clayville Clan. Jenni, Brian & their handsome boys.

It was a hectic few days, but also comforting to know we were back home.

So there's part 1. I'll try & add more tomorrow. Sorry for the lack of writing, but after each installment you'll understand why I've been absent from the blogosphere. Love you interpeeps.

I love Tony Campolo

I'm sure some of you have already seen / heard this story. Tony Campolo tells a story about some ladies he met in Hawaii. It brings me to tears every time I hear it. Thought I'd share.



No more country club churches. Amen.

Hide n Seek

The other day Campbell wanted to play hide n seek. I despise hide n seek. Mainly because I can't win. There are only a few spots that a grown up can hide in our house. A closet, behind an open door, under the table or behind a curtain.

Those are all great places EXCEPT...the dog. She doesn't leave my side. If I'm hiding behind the curtain, she's standing in front of the curtain. She's like a stinking alarm screaming "SHE'S RIGHT HERE. LOOK OVER HERE. RUFF RUFF. HURRY UP. I'M TIRED OF STANDING HERE."

But the other day was different. At about 1 o'clock I was feeling pretty sweaty after a day of packing. I wanted a shower. By myself. Alone. I only need 10 minutes. Hmmm...

So I asked Campbell if she wanted to play hide n seek. "OF COURSE!" she said.

I asked her to count to 20. As soon as she covered her eyes. I ran upstairs, shut the bathroom door & jumped in the shower. After about 5 minutes or so I hear her run upstairs. She opens the bathroom door & walks passed. (Sh...she didn't see me). Never mind the shower's running...she didn't figure it out. She doesn't even think or realize that I'm in there. I? Am a genius.

She leaves. A few minutes later returns & says "mom are you in there? I found you!"

She thinks she won. But we all know who the REAL winner is? I got 15 whole minutes. Alone. Ahhh...

I love Daft Punk

I'm on a youtube kick. This video is awesome. Wait a little bit for the hands to start jiving!