Christmas 2010

I've been trying for 2 days to upload pictures so I can do this blog update, but for some reason they aren't loading. So, I will just do this update and put the pictures on FB!!

Sara, Zach and Kenleigh flew out from Utah this year and spent Christmas with us. It was so magical to have a little one around...she really did "light up our world"! There's just something about the innocence of little ones to remind us what this season is really all about. We really enjoyed having all 3 of them here for a week.

Cleo and I went to Christmas Eve candlelight service at 11 pm and then it was time for "Santa" to arrive with his gifts. It's been a lot of years since he's left anything, other than stocking stuffers, at this house...lol!! So on Christmas morning we woke and enjoyed watching Kenleigh with her gifts from Santa. We then ate homemade french toast and bacon, looked in our stockings and waited for Jarod and Lindsey to arrive. They got here around 11:30 (it started snowing as soon as they arrived!) and we opened gifts. I think everyone did pretty well, and Kenleigh couldn't have cared less about opening gifts. She was perfectly content to play with my old cell phone..haha! We had a nice ham dinner and then just relaxed. Jarod and Lindsey decided to leave early as the snow had kind of turned to freezing rain and the roads were starting to get slick...they wanted to get home before dark. Cleo, Zach, Sara and I played games for hours after Kenleigh went to bed. It was lots of fun and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

On Monday, we met Jarod and Lindsey in ATL and all went to the Georgia Aquarium. It was lots of fun. Kenleigh did pretty dang good and I think she enjoyed it, but I'm pretty sure the grown ups enjoyed it more :) When we got home, Grandpa decked Kenleigh out in all her camo so they could explore a little. I'm not gonna lie, she was pretty dang cute and she loved it (she wouldn't let her Mommy take it off for quite awhile after coming inside). It was pretty cold outside and there was still a little snow so they didn't get to go into the woods for very long, but she LOVES being outside and she really loves her Grandpa so the combination was perfect. That evening, we just chilled and Sara got them all packed to head home. Cleo took them to the airport early Tuesday morning--I hate that part--and they arrived safely in SLC later that morning.

Thank you Zach, Sara and Kenleigh for making the long trip out and making this Christmas extra special for Dad and I. We love you tons and can't wait to see y'all again soon.

Hope everyone had a magical Christmas and that you'll have a happy and healthy 2011.

Thanksgiving...and so much more!

Thanksgiving ... a special time of year to give thanks for all that we have been given. This year, for us, we have MUCH to be thankful for! It has been a rough year for our family, but along with the hard times we have been given so much. We are so thankful for Jarods' life and for all the wonderful doctors, nurses and support staff who helped him and Lindsey through the hardest thing they've ever dealt with. We pray daily for his continued good health and a long, happy life with his beautiful wife.

Another blessing we have received this year is that we've found a healthy kidney for Cleo and on January 14th he will receive that new kidney! I have to say the process wasn't without a few ups and downs, and we are very thankful for the family who were willing to be tested. There really are angels who walk on this earth and Matt, Tami and Camille are but a few of them...for wanting to give Cleo that gift, we love you with all our hearts! And for all the others who wanted to be tested but weren't given the opportunity...we appreciate your unselfishness as well.

I always knew that when the time came, I would be tested for possible kidney donation to Cleo, but I NEVER dreamed in a million years that I would be the one to give him that gift. You see, I love this man more than life and to be able to give him renewed health, well that pretty much takes my breath away! I am looking forward to spending forever with this man and cherish each moment that we have together and now am very hopeful we will have many, many more years together here on this earth.

We are looking forward to this most wonderful time of the year...spending time with family and celebrating our Saviors' birth. We pray that each of you will do the same.

The next few months won't be without challenges for us, but with the love & support of family & friends we are confident it will all be good.

Bobby Cox Tribute

As most of you know that follow my blog...I am a HUGE Braves fan!. I'm not sure if I love the Braves because of Bobby Cox (the manager) or if I love Bobby Cox because he manages the Braves, but either way, well you get the picture. Many have asked me why I love the Braves so much since I grew up in Wyoming...they assume I would be a Colorado Rockies fan. But when I grew up Colorado didn't have the Rockies and one of the few stations we got on the tv was TBS, which happened to carry most of the Braves games. In our house growing up, if you wanted any quality time with my Dad, you learned to love sports. He still loves football the best (I think), but he always loved baseball too, so I learned to love the game. Then Jarod started playing tball at the age of 5 and shortly after that, Cleo started coaching him and I was the Little League secretary for quite a few years, so our summers were always spent at the ball fields. To this day, I love nothing more than watching a baseball game.

This year, because of the generosity of our friends the Carlsons mostly, we were able to enjoy quite a few Braves games and most recently this past Saturday we were able to go to the game and see the tribute to retiring manager Bobby Cox. It was a beautiful day and awesome weather for the festivities, but much to my dislike, we did not win the ball game. We did win on Sunday and due to the Padres losing the Braves have made the playoffs for the first time since 2005...YAY!!! I can't say thanks enough to you Libby and Jack for the tickets and mostly for your friendship...y'all ROCK!!

Bobby Cox will be sorely missed next season, but hopefully we can get some post season wins to send him off with a Bang (can they make it all they way?? who knows, but I'm gonna sit back and enjoy the ride!). He has the most ejections in Major League history and some would say that means he's just a hot head...I say it's because he ALWAYS has his players backs. He believes in them and knows how to get the most out of each of them. He knows how to make them achieve their full potential, he NEVER tolerates being late, he always expects you to play hard and give it your all and treats the rookies just like the veterans. I know a lot of people in this world who could learn a lesson or two about life from this guy.
They had #6 in front of both dugouts in Coxs' honor

Cleo and I...we arrived pretty early so got to watch them set everything up and just soak it all in!

Some of the coaching staff getting ready for the tribute

Hank Aaron was on the stage to present the painting of Bobby to him...pretty cool! A lot of former Braves players were in the seats in front of the stage as well as family members of Bobby. Chipper Jones sat on the stage next to Bobby and his wife Pam.

It was standing room only and the biggest crowd in Turner Field History...man was it loud!

Hero...I'm not really sure what constitutes a hero, but in my book the man is quite simply Amazing. I'm sure gonna miss going to the games next season and not seeing him in the dugout or on the field yelling at the umpires, but life goes on and so will the Braves. I just hope this year is the start of something really spectacular for the Braves.

Kenleighs' 1st Birthday

Cleo and I flew to SLC last Friday (9/27) for Kenleighs' first birthday party and so that Cleo could meet our newest granddaughter Ellie. It was a really quick trip, we only stayed until Monday morning, but it was so fun. And, best of all, I didn't get sick this trip..YAY!!! The last 3 times I've been to SLC, I've ended up pretty sick so I wasn't really looking forward to going just for that reason. Maybe because we only stayed for less than 72 hours, the Gods were good to me!!!

Sara and K picked us up at the airport Friday around 10:30 am and we grabbed a quick bite then went to her house and took naps! Cori and the girls came over that afternoon as did Kyle and Brayden for a quick visit. We went to bed pretty early that night as we'd been up for about 21-22 hours! Saturday I helped Sara make Ks' birthday cake and cupcakes for the party on Sunday. Cori, Brandon and the girls came over in the afternoon and then we all met Kyle, Mikell and Brayden for dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant. We had a good time with all the kids and grandkids...wishing Jarod and Lindsey would've been there ...but hopefully we will all be together next spring at Kyles' wedding!

On Sunday Sara and I ran a few errands to pick up the last few things for the birthday party and then we headed to the park to set up for the party. Ks' cake turned out SO CUTE...Sara did a great job decorating it. Kenleigh wasn't too sure what to do with it when they put it in front of her, but she got the hang of it after they dipped her fingers into the icing! It was a nice day, little windy and cooler, but a nice day for the kids to play outside.

Little Miss Ellie is the sweetest baby...she is so quiet and just chills most of the time. There were times we forgot who had her because she is so quiet! She is a very happy baby and of course all the girls just love their Grandpa, as he does them. It was fun to be around Brayden and get to know him a little better as well.

Thanks to Sara and Zach for their hospitality...and to Cori and Kyle for spending time with us too. We sure do love and miss y'all so much and wish we could get together more, but it just makes the times we do more special. I apologize for not getting better pics...my camera is about ready for the landfill and I had to steal some from Saras' FB...not many of the indoor ones turned out at all. Guess I need a new camera...hint, hint Cleo ;)

Good thing this is the last "monthly" pic Sara needs of K...she doesn't enjoy sitting still!!

Is that not the Cutest Cake???

One of the many gifts...think K enjoyed the paper more than the opening of the gifts.

Cleo holding Ellie, and Cori...

Grandpa and Kenleigh...she really did Love being with him!

Grandpa and his girlies...they just Love him

Kyle, Brayden and Mikell...the camera can't be blamed for this shot, it was the photographer (i.e., ME) note to self...don't take pics into the sun!

Teiha, Cori, Ellie, Launa and Brandon

Sara, Kenleigh and Zach...again the photographer took pics into the sun...what can I say??

Nana, Grandpa, Teiha, Kenleigh, Brayden, Ellie and Launa...hard to get 5 kids all to look at the camera at the same time!!

Transplant Time...

Well, as most of you know, Cleo has chronic kidney disease due to a rare disease he had years ago and we were told 2 yrs ago that he was getting close to needing a new kidney. We found out on Wednesday that his latest lab values have dropped low enough to put him on the transplant list (pending ins. approval). He has gone through all the req'd tests for transplant eligibility and is healthy in every other aspect, so that's a good thing. He still doesn't feel any different, just tired but he's pretty much always felt that way :) His kidneys are still functioning and he does not require dialysis, so the goal would be to get a kidney transplant before that happens.

There are 2 reasons to go ahead and list him...#1 so that we can start the donor kidney testing for anyone who might be interested in that...#2 so that he can build up time on the transplant list so that if we don't find a suitable donor he has time to move up the list.

We are so blessed to have such a big family and a great network of loving friends and I believe that when the time is right, the right match will be found and Cleo will live a long and healthy life. Many of our family and friends have expressed an interest in being tested for possible donation, so for those of you interested here is that information. You need to contact Leanne Whitehead who is the Living Donor Coordinator @ Piedmont Hopsital in Atlanta 404-605-4605. There is a short phone interview and she can give you any other details.

Please understand that Cleo and I are not asking any of you to do this, but are strictly keeping our family and friends updated on his status, and giving donor info to those who have expressed an interest.

We love & appreciate each of you...Cleo & Marcy

He Really is THE BEST!!!

I just have to give a "shout out" to my wonderful hubby...Cleo. He really is THE BEST hubby ever. He works so hard (well, he works every day..LOL!!) in this stinkin' hot heat here in Georgia, then comes home to find that I've bought all new hardware for the kitchen cupboards (22 knobs & 8 drawer pulls)...and then proceeds to put them all on before he even showered or ate dinner!!! I know, right??? When we built our house and moved in , I specifically told the builder NOT to put any knobs or drawer pulls on the kitchen cupboards...thought they looked sleeker and cleaner without. Well, here we are 2 1/2 yrs later and now I want hardware on the cupboards & drawers. It seems that opening them without hardware tends to scratch the wood over time when your fingernails constantly scratch the wood.

He really is such a great husband and also my BEST friend and I would be so lost without him...plus, he's pretty cheap labor!!!

I have such a hard time making "Big Decisions", but I do know that marrying him was the BEST
decision I've ever made. I sure do love you Cleo Cheney and look forward to growing really old with you

HOME...at last!!!

Most of you already know about Jarods' latest surgery, but for those of you not on FB, here's a brief summary. Jarod, Lindsey and I flew to Indianapolis on June 29. After settling into the Embassy Suites (right in downtown Indy), we changed clothes, freshened up and walked to St. Elmos for a wonderful "last supper" as Jarod put it. This restaurant was amazing and I would highly recommend it if you're ever in Indy. We were all under the impression Jarod wouldn't be able to eat much on Wed. night before surgery, so wanted to make sure he got a good meal. The city is really cool, very clean and where we stayed was within 1.5 miles of the hospital and there was pretty much everything you would need within just a few blocks of the hotel.

On Wednesday, we walked to the canal and enjoyed the scenery. We ended up eating lunch right on the canal in a cute little restaurant before walking over to the IU campus to meet with Dr. Beck at 2:00. We met with him (surgeon) and he explained in detail what the RPLND surgery would entail as well as drawing a diagram to show us. We all liked him a lot and felt that Jarod was in very capable hands. The surgery was on Thursday morning and went pretty well. After the surgery, but before Jarod was awake from anesthesia, the anesthesiologist gave him an intrathecal epidural which was to help with the pain for the first 12 hours. It took her 4 tries to get it into the spine, so needless to say when it wore off, not only was he in a lot of post surgical pain, but his back was really sore from that...poor guy. Lindseys' Mom arrived about an hour before surgery was over and stayed at the hospital with us the rest of the day. Jarod was finally put into a room about 6:00 that night. It was decided that I would stay at the hospital with Jarod as Lindsey wasn't sure she could handle seeing him in pain. So after staying with him for a short time, Linds and her Mom headed back to the hotel to get some much needed rest. Jarod wasn't in a private room the first night, so I headed down the hallway to find a bathroom to change into shorts and a tshirt so that I could settle in for the night. The cleaning crew "caught me with my pants down" as my niece would say...but it gave me a good laugh! Not sure they knew what the heck was going on. It was a really long night as Jarods' epidural wore off and he was in a lot of pain...needless to say, there was no sleep that night.

Janice (Lindseys' Mom) brought Linds to the hospital Fri am and took me back to the hotel to get some rest. I had just settled into bed and was almost asleep and all of a sudden the smoke alarms started going off...so after figuring out what it was, I called the front desk and they said someone would come right up...15 minutes later and no help arrived and the damn thing was going off again. I called the front desk and was frantic at this point wondering if there really was a fire...they said someone came up to check but since I had the Do Not Disturb Sign on the door, they didn't come in...REALLY, I mean come on people. So anyhow they finally came to the room, figured out the battery was low on the smoke alarm and changed it for me. I had gone back to bed at this point and again, just as I was drifting off, I heard a ringing (thought I'd turned the ringer on my phone off) and thinking it may be an emergency at the hospital and not having my contacts in to see caller ID, I answered the phone. I'm pretty sure it was Tom (Cleos' brother) but I don't remember much about that conversation...LOL...just remember Tom, paybacks are HELL!!!

Jarod was moved to a private room on Friday and it was decided that I would just continue to stay with him during the nights. I feel pretty comfortable in a hospital setting after working in the medical field for so long and Lindsey really needed to try to get rest. She has a long haul ahead once they get home. On Saturday, Jarod really wanted to watch Chris pitch (he plays for the Brewers), but we kept telling him that it was on the MLB channel and the hospital only had basic cable. Well, he was convinced that if I got up on a chair and "messed with" the cables that he would be able to get that channel (man IV pain meds are good stuff..haha) so at this point we would've done anything for the kid, so I pulled a chair over near the tv and proceeded to "fix the cable"...Linds and I were laughing so hard and Jarod was oblivious! Well, after about 10 minutes we finally convinced Jarod that he would not be able to watch Chris play...he was so disappointed.

Jarod has had a hard time with pain control and is still not able to keep anything but mostly liquids down, but he was released on Monday. We heard from the dr. on Tuesday morning that both tumors were benign, necrotic tissue...no more chemo!!!! If you read Lindseys' blog (jarodandlindsey.blogspot.com) there are many more details about the surgery, etc. so I'm not going to repeat all that---you can read for yourselves.

I flew home Tuesday night and after sleeping for 12 straight hours last night, I'm trying to play catch up with laundry, unpacking, paying bills, etc. before picking Jarod and Lindsey up at the airport tomorrow afternoon. I know they are both very anxious to get home and for Jarod to feel better. His healing process may take awhile, but at least he is cancer free and the chemo is behind him. We are so grateful as a family for all your prayers, thoughts and concerns over these past 4 months. Jarod and Linds aren't done with this process yet, but the end is in sight now.
Lindsey and Jarod sitting on a bench by the canal

Mama and Jarod on the canal

View looking down the canal...it was so pretty!

A cool mural under a bridge on the canal

Spoke Too Soon...

So, as is pretty typical for me, I have spoken just a bit too soon about Jarod being "out of the woods". He had his follow up CT scans this week and the results came back with some abnormal lymph nodes in his lower abdomen...DAMN!!! His oncologist, Dr. Filip, has reviewed the results with Dr. Einhorn (Indiana Univ) and because of the rare type of germ cell tumor that Jarod had and the precise nature of removing these lymph nodes, they both feel he needs to head to Indiana Univ to have a urology surgeon who specializes in germ cell tumors remove them. We are headed up on June 29, will have a consult with Dr. Einhorn and the surgeon on June 30th and then he's scheduled for surgery on July 1st.

There is a chance they are benign...but the only way to know is to remove them. He will be in the hospital for about 4 days and can fly home 36-48 hours after he's discharged and do the follow up care back here in Atlanta. My head can't even begin to wrap around the idea of them being cancerous and the whole chemo regiman again, so I'm choosing to believe they are all benign and it's just a setback. But, nonetheless, your prayers would be greatly appreciated once again for Jarod and his beautiful wife Lindsey.

I will try, once again, to update the blog as things progress as most of our family is back west and it's just a good way to let everyone know what's going on. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers.

Looks Like We (Jarod) Made It!!!!

Ok, so technically Jarod did all the hard work, but we really all did make it through the last 2 1/2 months of hell. Jarod had his last chemo treatment this morning...YAY...and now it's time to heal (both literally & figuratively). He will go back to see the oncologist in about 2 1/2 weeks at which time they will schedule his follow up CT scans, schedule removal of his port and give them the protocol for his particular follow-up regiman for the next 2-5 years.

We, as a family, are so grateful for Dr. Filip, Nurse Kim, Nurse Tina, Nurse Robin and the entire staff at Atlanta Hem/Onc for the wonderful care they gave to not only Jarod, but our whole family. They are ANGELS and there was never a day or time when they didn't go above and beyond for Jarod. They have made this journey a little easier, especially for Jarod and Lindsey, and for that I am so thankful. We are also extremely grateful to all our wonderful family and friends for all the well wishes & prayers sent Jarods' way. He will continue to heal in the months ahead and he and Lindsey will figure out where the next path will lead them to. Life will never be the same for them after this experience...it will be better because of it and he will do all this CANCER FREE!!!

Jarod and Mama 5/24/10...last day of chemo!!!

Jarod and Nurse Kim...she truly is an Angel!!!

Lindsey and Jarod...last day of chemo 5/24/10

Jarod, Lindsey and Mama...last day of chemo 5/24/10.

We decided to celebrate with lunch at Front Page News after Jarods' short chemo today and while Jarod and I were putting money in the meter (yeah, it took 2 of us to figure it out!) Lindsey was walking onto the sidewalk and all of a sudden says, "Did a bird just crap in my hair?" Sure enough, it did!!! We laughed (Jarod and I) til I thought my sides would split and she was gagging and practically running to the restaurant to wash her hair out in the bathroom sink! Anyhow, supposedly that's good luck so before we got back to their house we stopped and bought lotto tickets...I think today might just be our lucky day!!!

Although he doesn't look it in this picture...he was VERY happy today was his last treatment. He's looking forward to not being bloated from all the steroids, not having bones/joints ache til he feels like crying, not being nauseous and just looking forward to Life. God I love this kid...

Mothers Day 2010

So this post isn't just about Mothers' Day, but also about family and what a great support system they always are for us. My sister, Pam, was able to fly out from Wyoming for a week and spend some time with us. She is my only sister and we NEVER get to spend enough time together but we always know each of us is there for the other, especially in tough times. I was SO happy she was able to come and to see Jarod and Lindsey and just "hang out" with me for a week.

We had a great Mothers Day weekend with Jarod and Lindsey spending the entire weekend (as well as Georgia Pooch) down here in Newnan. Jarod was feeling pretty good coming off the end of his 2nd cycle of chemo. He and Cleo just hung out on Saturday while Pam, Lindsey and I went shopping. Lindsey got her cartilage (ouch!) in her ear pierced and we just walked around Ashley Park and then to Old Navy. It was fun to hang out with the girls. That night, Cleo cooked turkey tenders, mashed potatos and gravy (technically I did that part!) and rolls for dinner. It was so yummy...there's just something about fresh turkey and the way Cleo cooks it is so yummy! On Mothers' Day, Cleo and Jarod got up early and went turkey hunting...no luck this time. It was such a beautiful day and we were able to be outside all day, playing some cornhole and enjoying the sunshine...especially Pam who came from a temp of 29 in Wyoming the morning she flew here!!! Jarod cooked Gouda stuffed pork chops on the grill that were absolutely fabulous!!! It was so nice to spend Mothers' Day with those I love the most...just wish my other kids could've been here :(

On Tuesday, Pam and I got up early and drove to Atlanta and took Jarod to chemo. This was the start of his third (and hopefully last) cycle of chemo. We spent the night and took him again on Wednesday. He didn't do too bad, but by the time we left Wed. night and started to head back to Newnan he was feeling pretty crappy. He had a bad night Wed and again on Thursday so they gave him IV ativan both Thursday and Friday to try to sedate him and allow him to sleep through the nausea. Cleo was able to be with him on Friday and even though there's nothing any of us can really do for him at least he's never alone and I think that helps. We will know for sure next week, after his blood levels come back and Dr. Filip confers with Dr. Einhorn @ Indiana Univ, if he will only require the 3 cycles or possibly need a 4th. Lindsey has been having her own struggles with her oral surgery...she had the stitches out on Wed and there's still infection so she's on another 10 day round of antibiotics...I know the stress of all this isn't helping and I pray that she will get over her infection soon.

I have always LOVED being a Mama, but this year was more special because I realize just how precious life is and you should always embrace life and show and tell those you love how much they mean to you...not just on Mothers' Day, but every day and live your lives to the fullest. I will always strive to be an inspiration to my kids and laugh more and love even more if that's possible...

Pam and Marcy...May 2010

Pam and Marcy...May 2010

Lindsey getting her ear pierced...ouch!!!

Jarod and Mama on Mothers' Day 2010

Aunt Pam, Jarod and Lindsey...Mothers Day 2010

Lindsey and Jarod...Mothers' Day 2010

Pam and Marcy playing cornhole...

Jarod and Lindsey playing cornhole...

Jarod grilling stuffed pork chops.

As you can see, Cleo wasn't in any of these pics...guess he was the official photographer this weekend..haha! I guarantee you, he was there and supervising us all :)

My Wish...

This song by Rascal Flatts...My Wish...is the song that Jarod and I danced to at his wedding to Lindsey in November 2006. The words are more powerful to me now than ever and I just wanted to share one verse.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

Jarod...you are so strong and although my heart aches every moment of every day for the struggles you are facing right now...I know that this too shall pass and ALL those dreams Will come true.

I Love you my son....

Matt & Kaitlyn Visit Georgia

Matt (Cleos' nephew) and his daughter Kaitlyn came from Texas this past weekend for a quick visit. I picked them up at the airport Thursday night...what a fiasco...and we headed down to Newnan. Poor Kaitlyn was so exhausted but she was a good sport about the whole airplane trip and then another 30 minute car ride to the house. Friday morning Matt, Kaitlyn and I headed up to Atlanta to see Jarod. After visiting at his house for a little while, we went to lunch at a great BBQ place. Jarod came back down to Newnan with us and spent the night Friday (Linz had to work late so didn't come down until Sat. morning). Cleo got home from work late in the afternoon and took Matt down into the woods to show him our property and where they hunt. We just relaxed and ordered pizza that night.

Sat. morning they got up early and went turkey hunting over by the Peachtree City airport...no luck there so they went to breakfast and headed back to the house. When they pulled into the driveway, they saw turkeys in the woods behind the house so Jarod and Matt got out and "snuck up" on them and Jarod shot one!!! That's a whole other story for Jarod and Matt to tell so I'll just leave it at that..LOL!! Kaitlyn had fallen asleep at like 7:00 Friday night and didn't wake up until around 9:30 Sat. morning so her and I didn't get much time to hang out alone before the guys got home but it was still fun to have her by myself for a little while. She is such a good little girl and I just love having kids around...they light up my day!! Jarod and Matt went to town to get fixins' for turkey poppers and then to Dicks and Walmart...funny they got some shopping in over the weekend and I got NONE...bunch of skirts anyhow!!! Linz and I ended up running back to town later to exchange a Braves tshirt but that was the extent of our shopping :( We all just relaxed and watched the Masters and hung out on the patio that afternoon to enjoy the warm sunshine. Matt fixed turkey poppers with the fresh turkey breast meat and Jarod grilled filets...it was all super YUMMY. Cleo and I always love it when Jarod comes down because we know we won't have to cook :-) Anyhow, thanks you two for fixing a great supper. Jarod and Linz headed back to the city around 7:00 as Jarod was exhausted and we just chilled for the rest of the evening.

Cleo took Matt and Kaitlyn to the airport this morning and now the house is SOO quiet again! We miss them already but are so glad they got to come visit. Jarod and Matt were very close growing up in Wyoming and have always been more like brothers than cousins. Thanks Ashley for giving them up for a few days but next time you and Kyle need to come with!!

Jarod, Kaitlyn, Matt and Lindsey

Matt and Jarod...

Look at all them turkey poppers...too Good!!!

Marcy and Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn was "watering my grass" for me

Oops...guess this one made it twice and I don't know how to delete it!!!

Before the big hunt...I LOVE my boys!!!

The turkey kill...I just love the grins on their faces!!

We had a great weekend and I was so glad that Jarod was feeling good. He has another chemo tomorrow then has the rest of the week off before starting his second cycle. He will probably get weaker and feel a little crummier after the second cyle so it was a good time for Matt to visit. I will keep y'all posted on his progress, but so far he's doing pretty good.

Love to y'all...

Path Reports, Chemo Schedule, Etc.

This week started off with a visit to Jarods' oncologist for the path reports and to set up his chemo schedule. Although it hasn't been confirmed yet from Indiana University the path report from Piedmont showed it to be Embryonal Carcinoma and this is a pretty rare form of testicular cancer. Of the men who get Testicular CA, only 10% get this with only 3-4% being a pure embryonal carcinoma which is what Jarods' turned out to be. It doesn't change the treatment plan other than he will definately have to do 4 cycles of chemo rather than 3. The prognosis is still just as positive with a cure rate of 85-95% with surgery and chemo. This was caught so early and although it showed in some lymph nodes, this chemo is so effetive in treating this cancer that Dr. Filip expects the tumor markers to drop drastically within the first wk of chemo...Yay!!!

Jarod, Lindsey, Janice (Lindseys' mother) and I all met with Dr. Filip and his nurse Kimberly and we all just felt such relief to hear this news. We were very concerned after reading on the internet, etc. and thinking because this was such a rare, aggressive cancer that this would change things...but very glad to hear it didn't. They are still waiting confirmation from Indiana Univ to confirm this diagnosis, but they don't feel their will be any conflict with Piedmonts' path report. Our daughter in law Lindsey has updated their blog as well (jarodandlindsey.blogspot.com) and she has put many other details into her blog so please feel free to read that for more details. She is great and Cleo and I are so greatful for her and her strength. Jarod is still in for a long and sometimes grueling 12 weeks of chemo starting the 29th, but he is young & strong and has a very positive attitude. Jarod also saw his surgeon for a post op appt. after the oncology appt. and he said everything looked good and that Jarod could start driving again. Jarod and Lindsey have lots and lots of friends as well as many family members praying for them and that has meant the world to us all.

Jarod and Lindsey are coming down here on Friday night for dinner and then Cleo and Jarod are going turkey hunting Sat. morning. I was concerned this might be too much for Jarod after surgery and all, but Cleo told me last night that basically all you do is sit in a spot, use your various turkey calls to try and "call one in" and that's pretty much it. Imagine that...I always thought it was kind of a strenuous thing to hunt, no matter what you were hunting! Guess the truth is out now and Cleo can no longer tell me how tired he is after a day of hunting...LOL!!! I am glad the kids will be able to come down and enjoy some "normal" activities before Jarod starts his chemo on Monday.

Once again, we are so blessed to have so many friends and family pulling for Jarod. Your prayers, phone calls, emails, cards and FB messages have not gone unnoticed and if I haven't had the chance to personally thank each of you that sent them to Cleo and I in particular, I'm sorry. It's been a crazy 2 weeks but we do appreciate you all very much!!!

Kenleigh Comes to Georgia

Sara and Kenleigh were able to fly out to Georgia on Sat the 20th to spend a few days with us. Sara really wanted to spend a little time with Jarod before he starts chemo and she also wanted Kenleigh to meet her Grandpa and Uncle Jarod. Lets just say...she was a big hit!! Both Grandpa and Uncle Jarod absolutely loved hanging out with her. She is at such a fun age and would just smile and laugh all the time. She was a little fussy a couple nights but as it turns out, she got 2 teeth buds coming through...such a big girl!!!

We were so happy they could come spend a little time with us but fear they will never fly out again due to the fact they spent the night in the Denver airport last night after what should've been just a short layover. Guess they had a typical spring blizzard there that pretty much shut down the airport. I felt so bad that Sara was stuck there all night with a baby, but sounds like she made the best of it and they did arrive safely in SLC yesterday afternoon.

Here are just a few pics of their visit...don't know why I didn't get any of Aunt Lindsey with Kenleigh...maybe Sara has some on her camera and if so, I will get them and post later.

Thanks for coming Sara...we sure do love you both so much. And a BIG thanks to Zach for giving up a weekend with y'all. He's the BEST!!!
Sara and Kenleigh Mae at Jarods' house

Mama, Jarod and Kenleigh with Georgia looking on...Kenleigh LOVED the dog!!!

Sara, Jarod and Kenleigh Mae

Uncle Jarod and Kenleigh...she is hanging on his shirt for dear life!

Grandpa, Nana and Kenleigh...looks like she was waving for the camera

Kenleigh knew the only way to get Grandpas'attention at night was to sit with him and play on his computer!

Bath time...looks like Nana needs to buy some bath toys for the poor little girl :-)

Kenleigh and Grandpa after he went turkey hunting. He was sad Sara didn't bring her camo outfit that he bought for her...LOL!!