OK, so I cannot give Robin any grief about posting

So, it has been longer than I thought since I posted. Lots going on: Heather's travels, kids swimming lessons, dealing with training new hires and the rest of my department. And of course toys.

Heather turned around and bought me a silver Nano. And I like it more than I thought I would. The smaller capacity makes me change up my music more often which is good for my runs. But now, let me introduce the newest member.

Isn't the box just pretty?

Hel-lo. Can we say crave-worthy? Do I like it? Yes. Do I like it more than a Blackberry (my other option)? Yes and no, actually. I love the way it works. It is just simple. I find that I probably will only use the iPod function when I take a break and am walking outside or the tunnels at work or when waiting at the doctors office. When I am out on a run, I will still either use the Nano or shuffle.

About the runs. I have taken up running again to help set patterns for my self and the kids as I reclaim my closet. I have actually gotten back to running a 12-minute mile. So I can get 2 - 2.5 miles in just over a 1/2-hour jaunt. I drove a path that I recently ran through our neighborhood and it was just under 2.5 miles and I ran it in just about 35 minutes (those darn hills). So go me!

So at church we are starting a discipleship program call "The Way of the Master." I have to tell you, we had the introduction last week and I think this is going to be really good. So Thursday night as Reid and I were driving home from swimming lessons, I was listening to American Family Radio. At 7 PM there is a radio program that is call Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah and the topic was Courage When Fear Dominates You. I didn't hear the first part but am going to go back and do so. But what I heard was very interesting. He was talking about how when you are putting your fears ahead of trusting that God has your back you are actually engaging in idolatry. That was really interesting and I intend to go back and listen to the two sessions. Very very interesting perspective. Let me know your thoughts after listening.

So I am reclaiming my closet...

Sometime shortly after my birthday I decided that I have finally had it. I Had been saying that I am not going to be 40 and be this heavy; 256 to be exact (I can admit it). Then I realized that is 5 years to cop out which really means that it would never happen. I then changed to I will not be 36 and continue. Short term meant big motivitation.

So back in January, I signed up for WeightWatchers online. As of Friday (2/15) I was down to 243--15 pounds and 5 weeks--and can wear my 42-waist pants again. There are a few pairs that need a couple more pounds to be comfortable. But still progress is there.

In other news, Heather has been travelling to D.C. for her new job which has left me with extra time with the kiddos. During this time, Reid started going to bed with out me having to sit next to her bed for an hour and fight her to go to sleep. Heather A. can appriciate what we were dealing with since she witnessed it first hands several times. But for Heather's Valentine's Day present, I gave it to her before she left. Wanna know what it was? Do ya?

Yes, an iPod Nano. And yes, it is pink. This version of the Nano can play videos so I also bought the movie "What Women Want" for her to watch on the airplane without having to get out her laptop. She in turn, got me a silver one. So that makes a total of 6: my 20 Gig iPod (earlier than what is pictured), Heather's blue mini which is now Jackson's, Jackson's silver and my purple Shuffle, and then the 2 Nano's. OK so we like our iPods. But my purple Shuffle may have to go back to the Apple Store again because it either won't stay connected to iTunes or won't eject and this time I'm gonna ask to have it replaced. I want the red one but my credit card rewards did not have those.

My job at work is taking some interesting turns and so I have to make a few decisions on what to do because of a few other things that look like they could take place. More to come on that. But this week I will be starting training sessions that are 3 full days this week and a day-and-a-half next. But it was almost $900; sure hope it is worth it since it was charged to my department.

Other than that, not much is happening.

I'm a winner!

Oh, but I am. See what showed up on my walkway Tuesday?

I was reading Renee Pearson's blog (she wrote this and this) and she was doing a Twelve Days of the Season Giveaway of things out of her scrapbook studio. Well she gets to Day 12. I think how cool would that be. That's $150 I would not have to spend (unless I move to an iMac sooner that anticipated then I'd be buying the Mac version). So I post a comment. Late the next day I was looking at her blog again and she had posted the winner. Needless to say, I was stoked. I'm sure Renee was given this by Adobe, but who am I to complain. It is a sealed box; not like she installed in and then decided to give it away. BRAND NEW. Why is this cool? Because for those that don't know, I do dabble with the digital side of scrapbook pages and other things (cards, etc.; the card example is the Christmas card that we never got out this year)

I also have had my 2007 performance review (supervisors have to get them done before January 31). Things went well and my review was better than I expected. Next month our potential bonus is announced, and because of my review, and whatever the outcome is I will have an additional 20% added. Nice. Then they just allocated stock to employees who participate in a savings plan and they matched $15.90 in stock for every dollar I contributed. Nicer. So a banner week. For those that know of me through Heather A and my wife Heather C. may not know that I work for ConocoPhillips. That's right; I work for Big Oil and no I don't get a discount on my gas. You can see my bill for the months of October through December with all the trips to Winfield (see the wife's blog for the ugly details) as proof.

Speaking of Winfield. So we were there just after Christmas (Dec 29and 30) to do the Christmas thing with Heather's grandma and Dad. Ever since Gary really became ill, I have watched Heather struggle with doing what she and her brother believe is right and the his girlfriend doing whatever she pleases despite Heather and Kemper's requests. The move was awful because of her. I had the idea to take a day off and drive up there to have a talk with Gary and the girlfriend about the current state of affairs. Didn't but thought about it. Well, Gary and I went to get dinner Saturday night. So we are talking and on the way back he makes a comment and I the opportunity to say something go. He says something else. I let it go again. Well, those who know me know that I cannot leave a third opportunity alone. So I simply tell Gary my side of what I see going on and how I be live this is affecting Heather and I am not going to let the girlfriend mistreat Heather and her authority with Kemper. I wasn't nasty, just honest. I think he was surprised about a couple of things because he really didn't know about what happened in the background when he moved. I later started a conversation with Heather of "Don't be mad" (probably was not the smartest move but oh well) telling her what happened in the car. I apologised and say I know it was not my business but I wasn't going to stand by and let her be mistreated. I think Heather was on one hand kind of mad at me but she said that she was glad I did because I don't think it was a conversation the she could have with Gary easily. But she told me not to expect much to change. Well, from what I can tell, I think the things that Gary can control, things are better. So, if she was a little mad I think it was worth it.

So, that is the current state at our house.

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

Total rant...

Why is it that people find it totally OK to clip their fingernails at work? I mean, It is one thing if your tear off part of a nail and have to trim the rest off. I understant that, but all ten fingers?

For the love of Pete! There are other places to do such a thing! It doesn't even bother me so much at home. But the thought of someone else's DNS flying about the air near my desk with their dirt on it just sends me over the edge. It's not like they vacuum these offices (if they do, i can't tell).

The funny thing about this is that at my last job, there was someone else that did that and it totally drove me nuts then, too.

OK. Rant over

So what we have been up to this weekend?

We have been busy little bees this weekend. We have spread out decorating the house over 2 weekends. So here is what happened last weekend:

So we set up the tree in the den and the moved on to the mantle hanging our Pottery Barn stockings. Then moved on to set up out "forest" in the dining room (just need some "snow" to complete it).

On our tree this year (and last), we bought a bunch of Making Memories frames and plaques (with a Christmas Tree shape) and we printed pictures from the year and put them on the frames. Finished the tree out with red ornament balls and red beaded garland. See the close ups:

In other fun, we drove down to Tulsa to go to Rhema Bible College to see all of the Christmas lights. Reid was beside herself. There is just a lot to walk around and see. Here are a few:

The lights to this bridgeway are timed and change with music.

So today we put up lights on the house. We promised Jackson that we would this year since we ran out of time last year. He was itching to help. Then he decided that playing in the leaves would be more fun than helping Dad with the lights (since he couldn't get the lights clipped on).

So, that is what we have done. Any one else?

There is still nothing like Mom

So Jackson asks me for a hug. He says that he likes my hugs. But then he says he likes Mom's hugs; they're comfortable.

I agree.

A little behind

OK. So I have been a little out of pocket. We have had to deal with Heather's dad and it has just gotten out of hand.

Some images of the last month:






So we have been in Winfield every other weekend for the last month-and-a-half. Heather's dad is not doing well. So it has been crazy because he was so out of it that she and Kemper (her brother) put him in a nursing home 1) because it was too much for Sue (his girlfriend) to do by herself and 2) because Sue was too much for Heather and Kemper. The whole discussion was they will do the home for 6 weeks and then re-eval. Long story short; Sue let a scenario occur even though she had been told what the plan was and didn' go along with Kemper and Heather and we wound up moving her dad.

So during October, Heather A and Price came down to go to the Pumpkin Patch. They all had a ball, as ususal. And of course there were wall-to-wall toys in our den. Price and Reid enjoy thenselves. And they both love to chase Jackson down.

The last picture is what Heather took to Jackson's school for his Halloween party. It is Ritz with peanut butter inbetween and pretzels for the legs. The eyes are raisins and have just a little peanut butter on it to hold them on.

Improving Conditions

Again, fromHeather's blog:

The most important thing - Jackson is a new kid! I was looking at him today at lunch and noticed a brightness in his eyes. It is the only way I know to describe it. It sounds weird, but his eyes sparkled and I couldn't get over how much better he looked in his face. The rest of his body looks great too. He still has some redness and eczema on his legs, feet and hands, but he has cleared up everywhere else. The other change - he doesn't itch constantly. We sat through dinner last night for almost 45 minutes and he never scratched once. It has been a long time since that has been a reality for him.
The doctors decreased his soak/seal to twice a day this morning and eliminated one of the steriod creams. We met with the social worker again this morning and he taught Jackson some breathing techiques to use when he is itching and feeling bad. He taught Jackson one technique yesterday that Jackson is already putting into practice. He taught Jackson to put something (stress ball, stuffed animal, etc.) in each hand when he felt the urge to scratch. Wednesday a.m. we were working on his homework and he said, "Mom, I need my baby alligator (beanie baby)." I told him that we weren't playing, we were doing homework. He replied, "But, I need it. I am going to itch." So, he did homework with his pencil in one hand and baby alligator in the other. He never scratched. Way to go, Buddy!
The social worker also talked to me about working with the school district on a 504 Plan for Jackson. It is essentially a plan that acknowledges Jackson's health issues as a disability and requires the school district to accommodate Jackson when he needs support during times of illness. That support might be - allowing him to hold his two stress balls/stuffed animals to prevent scratching, giving him time out to do his breathing exercises, or giving him more time to complete work when he is having an episode of allergies/asthma/eczema. We will be working with the school counselor, his teacher and the social worker on that when we get home.
In some ways, today, I feel like we have let Jackson down in the last year. The solution to his major problem - eczema - is discipline to keep the skin hydrated, sealed and medicated when necessary. We haven't done his lotion after every bath. We tended to wait until he was in a flare to treat it. This trip, I have learned, the key is to keep up the routine, even when his skin looks good.
We finished all of our daily appts. at the hospital today at noon and had the afternoon off. We headed for the Denver National History Museum. Jackson loved it, especially the Space Odyssey exhibit. He wants to go back tomorrow. Tonight, we hit the pool, worked on more homework and we have now rented Meet the Robinsons. We have had a little relaxation time and that has helped our moods, immensely.
We are planning to come home Sunday. I expect the allergy/skin docs to release us Friday. The social worker wants to meet with us Monday and Tuesday, for one hour each day. But, the cost to change our flight and extend our stay is more than we are willing to pay in exchange for two hours of treatment. We will followup with a behavioral specialist when we get home. Plus, we are ready to get home and Damon and Reid are ready for us to come home. (BTW, yes we are)

God's Blessings

This is taken from Heather's blog posts.

2 Plane tickets to Denver - $512
Being stuck in isolation and ignored by the nursing staff for hours- $Lots of money charged to our insurance company
Seeing God's painted sunset over the Rocky Mountains - Beyond Priceless
Jackson and I arrived in Denver yesterday afternoon, made it through the airport, to the rental car and to the hospital, all in good time. We were cruisding. We met with four doctors Monday afternoon and they determined Jackson needed to go into the Day Program, rather than the outpatient program, meaning we would spend all day at the hospital rather than just come in for appts. They also determined he needed to be admitted for one night to start the intensive soak and seal therapy on his skin, give him some medication to sleep, and monitor his oxygen levels for the night. Not a big deal. We did that the last time we were here. We also had to be isolated due to Jackson having MRSA bacteria on his skin. This bacteria is not a danger to people with normal immune systems, but it is a deadly to others with compromised immune systems - ie people in hospitals. We were prepared for isolation - came prepared with lots of entertainment.
The doctors have been great and were very good getting us the meds we needed, getting him set up to start the soak/seal, answering questions, etc. Then, there was the nursing staff. Let's just make this story short - the nursing staff has not only been lacking, but pretty much nonexistent. Our night nurse was fantastic, but during the day, we are largely ignored in our little kingdom at the end of the hall. If Jackson needs something (food, towels, meds), I have to call and ask. What is our schedule for each day - we get to guess. Tuesday morning, I lost it. I was tired - didn't sleep well in the hospital room. I was frustrated from the lack of information about what we were supposed to do that day. I was tired of calling and asking for everything. And, I was getting tired of being ignored. We hadn't seen a nurse in over 2 hours, Jackson's breakfast was MIA, and Damon and I were on the phone still trying to hash out the insurance coverage (it's still not all covered). I was done and I had my little mommy breakdown - first to Damon and then to one of the staff members. And, the response, I had a nurse come in and pretty much explain to me that I was pretty much overreacting. I love being talked down to! And, I was yelled twice - once for not giving Jackson his medicine on time and a second time for not coming out of the room with gown/mask/gloves on. Guess what...you have to tell me to put that stuff on and SHOW ME WHERE IT IS!
The rest of Tuesday didn't improve much, from the nursing care aspect. But, the good thing is Jackson is responding to the treatment and already looks much, much better. He also got through the worst testing - the skin scratch tests - and he did great. We also met the social worker, who was able to give us some tips on helping Jackson cope with the itching and the stresses of being chronically ill.
Tonight, we were able to check in to the hotel and get out of the hospital. That is a huge help. We hit the Super Target across the street, ate some dinner, and came back to the room. Jackson did his third soak/seal of the day and he is asleep. Tonight, I did bring out some of the get well cards I brought from people at church. He loved those! He just smiled and kept asking me to open another. I have more, but am spacing them out over the week.
Damon and I were talking tonight about...is this all worth it. Yes, I think it is. Jackson was able to get through dinner tonight without scratching; that is improvement. He also looks much, much better and by Thursday, I think his skin will be completely clear for the first time in over a year. I have also had a chance to refresh my knowledge of the soak/seal method, which is the single-most effective treatment for him. I also think our time with the social worker, tomorrow, will give Jackson some addtional coping skills.
More adventures tomorrow....