A Day in the Country

Family Fun Day

2012-02-06T11:35:00.000-05:00

When we first left Wyoming and moved East, we lived in a burb of Charlotte, NC. We were pretty overwhelmed being from "the sticks" and then suddenly living in the burbs of a city with a larger population than the whole state of Wyoming! Since we didn't know too many people, we decided to do Family Fun Day at least once a month. I think at first Jarod and Sara were ok with this because they didn't know too many people either, but I'm sure as they started making friends and getting involved in school activities, they dreaded our weekend Family Fun Days! We had some really great times...we toured an abandoned gold mine, we drove around the beautiful country roads and found cotton fields. That was a pretty fun day, wouldn't you agree Sara? Sara and I wanted to get out and pick some cotton...we'd never ever seen cotton fields, let alone picked it...so we convinced Cleo to stop the car and let us out. Cleo and Jarod were nervous for us, ok maybe they were more concerned about themselves, what with all the stories we'd heard about "Southern pride" and protecting ones' crops. So Sara and I got out of the car, ran through the fields and yes, we did pick some cotton. Well, sure enough as we were in the middle of the field, the landowner slowly approached our car in an old pickup truck and you could all but see the shotgun tucked away right next to him on the seat of that old truck. Cleo and Jarod were livid...yelling at us to hurry up. We ran back to the car, as fast as Sara and I could run, but not before we had a handful of cotton and we sped off leaving behind a trail of dust! I had such grand ideas about the cute, crafty things we could make with that cotton, but as you guessed, that never happened, LOL! One of the most "epic" FFDs' we had was our trip to the "zoo" in Asheville. Cleo loves zoos and he really wanted to go to one, so he suggested we drive to the zoo in Asheville. I said "do you know where it is?" he said "no, but we'll stop when we get there and ask directions"...so with that we loaded into the car and headed for Asheville to see the zoo. It was a pretty drive, we'd never been to Asheville and we (Cleo and I, not so much Jarod & Sara) looked forward to a fun family day. We got to Asheville and drove around looking for signs that might lead us to the zoo...nothing, no signs at all, so I finally convinced Cleo to stop at the Chamber of Commerce and we can surely find a brochure for the zoo. We found lots of brochures for things to do and see in the Asheville area, but no zoo. I finally asked someone (much to Cleos' dislike...what man likes to ask for help??) and wouldn't you know, there is NO zoo in Asheville...it's in Asheboro, NC...SERIOUSLY??? We ended up at the Nature Center, which had a few animals, but it wasn't exactly a zoo. The kids were not amused, at all!!! We drove back home through Chimney Rock, which is a super windy road but had lots of really fun stores and a really good little place to eat...did I mention Sara gets car sick?? Umm yeah, she did not enjoy this route home...not one bit. We asked Cleo on the ride home why he thought the zoo was in Asheville...his answer, "Asheville just sounds like the kind of place a zoo would be"...that was before our look it up on Google days:)

Keeping all that in mind and all the fun times we had back in the day, Cleo and I decided this past Saturday we'd have a FFD with just the two of us. We normally like to be at home on the weekends, out in the yard or the woods behind the house, but the weather man said the high would be about 59 and it would be rainy most of the day. We ended up in McDonough, or maybe it was Hampton I'm still not really sure but the Atlanta Motor Speedway was in sight so we were in the vicinity. We found an Academy Sports store, which was Cleos' goal all along, and spent several hours there. The place was packed...packed like it was a closeout sale or something! Maybe all those people thought it was going to rain too...I don't know but there was a lot of people in that store. Cleo wanted to buy a pair of girly, camo rain boots for me...he had seen them in the online ad...so we headed for the shoe section first. It was a "madhouse" and Cleo was not amused at all that the herd didn't part when he walked down the aisle:) I took the buggy and headed the other direction...I did not want any part of what I thought would be a "scene"! I decided to head back after several minutes when I hadn't seen, or more importantly heard from Cleo. He was pissed...pissed because he couldn't find the exact boots he'd seen online and he really wanted me to have those boots (Bless his heart...yup, one of my favorite endearing Southern slang terms). He did mange to find a camo jacket and 2 cute shirts, with camo trim that he bought for me, and a few things he "needed" before leaving the store. He is obsessed with buying me things that are camo...I need to find a way to camo a diamond into this obsession...oh wait, that would be a lump of coal, yeah no I'm good...I don't know what I'd even do with a lump of coal except maybe wait a million years or so for it to turn into a diamond;)

We ended up eating a nice late lunch in Fayetteville at a place called Franks @ the Old Mill...it was AMAZING! We'd driven by this place many times and heard great things about it, but had never stopped. It was worth the whole trip. We will definitely be going there again.

So, my short story made long, the weather man was WRONG, it never did rain and it got up to 72 degrees...a perfect day to be outside, in the yard or the woods but in keeping with our FFD traditions, it was a fantastic day spent with my sweet hubby. I hope we have many, many more adventures and stories to tell on our FFDs to come.

Resisting Change!!!

2012-01-23T12:05:00.000-05:00

Yeah, the title says it all...I don't know why I resist technology, or learning more about electronic things. You would think I don't like change but I don't think that's always the case, in fact I embrace "change of scenery (love to travel), change of seasons (love watching trees & flowers come back to life) and I love switching it up when it comes to trying new recipes (not necessarily making them, but ordering a "new" dish in a restuarant, haha!). BUT, and that's a big BUT...I do seem to lack the necessary skills to learn new technology at the same pace as the general population.

First case in point...when we moved to NC almost 16 years ago and opened a new checking/savings account, the bank (First Union at the time who then got bought out by Wachovia and are now Wells Fargo...see they have no problem with change!)...anywhoo, they issued us these funny things called ATM cards. I resisted, no refused to use it for years (literally years) because I thought for sure if you stuck this card into an ATM machine or tried to use it at a store instead of cash or a check that surely someone could easily steal your identity. LOL, while that's probably more true now than it was back then (the part about stealing identity), it sure is much easier than always making sure you have cash on hand, not to mention most places won't take checks anymore. Shortly after starting to use this thing called an ATM card, people started calling it a debit card...sheesh, I just got used to the ATM wordage, now they're changing to a debit card, keep up Marcy! I was then notified via email, that you could start paying your bills online, wait what?? Seriously, you expect me to figure that out? Ha, that one was pretty easy and now I am seriously annoyed if I have to actually write out a check and put a stamp on the envelope to actually mail a bill in. I don't like relying on the Postal service to get anything where it needs to be in a decent amount of time (another blog post in itself!).

Second case in point...Learning to text! I remember distinctly telling me kids that I thought this was very "impersonal" and I would NEVER do it...lesson learned, never say NEVER. I love texting, sometimes you just have something quick to say and you just don't wanna get into a whole conversation.

Third case in point...Doing away with a home phone, going strictly to cell phones. Again, this one took me years. It really was a "no-brainer", but until I understood the concept that I could still have internet (wireless internet, again a new concept for me!) without having a home phone line I didn't think it was possible to have one without the other. Wow, saving $$ there...ok, so we broke down and bought Cleo a personal cell and bundled that with my cellular plan, so not really saving $$, but one less bill to pay online, haha! Probably the biggest advantage to NOT having a home phone is the lack of telemarketing calls...oh I hope I didn't just jinx myself and they get hold of my cell phone #.

Fourth case in point...Learning to change my blog background, all by myself:) I have had a blog for quite a few years and although I managed to figure out how to upload pics to it and do new posts frequently, the one thing that eluded me was how to change the background. So, from the time I started it until about 4-5 months ago, every time I wanted a new background (see, I do like change!) I would, at first call then after learning to text, I would get ahold of Sara and tell her which one I wanted, then she would log into my blog and change it for me and Voila a pretty new background. Sara says I'm a "big girl" now and I think I've already changed it 3 times since Christmas. Practice makes perfect!

Fifth case in point...A stand mixer (KitchenAide), this thing is awesome!! My sisters-in-law all have one and they all make the best bread...I was always envious and they kept telling me to just get a mixer and it would be a piece of cake (yup, it will mix those too!). I made 2 (count 'em, 2!) loaves of bread last week and they were so yummy. I made cookies (with a recipe found on Pinterest, another interesting new find) yesterday and am looking for more recipes to try out. Ok, so Cleo may be getting more out of this new gadget than me but it's been fun cooking and baking again and it just looks good on my counter:)

Sixth (and for now the last) case in point...Learning to navigate the world of my Ipad2. Now, I have to admit I kept telling Cleo that I didn't need one, but if he wanted one to go ahead and get it. Bless his heart, he bought me one anyway and he is still using his old laptop, what a sweetheart! Lets just say I LOVE IT!!! I had the Geek Squad set it up for me at Best Buy...I didn't want to use the warranty before the thing was less than 24 hours out of the box, LOL! I downloaded Pandora and absolutely LOVE listening to music while reading or doing housework. I have yet to do the IBooks, I think I still prefer to hold a book, turn the pages and coming back to the book a day or two later and actually seeing how deep into it the bookmark is. I finally started doing Pinterest after resisting for a really long time the urging of others to join. I'm still not 100% sure how the whole Pinterest thing works..as soon as I accepted the invite, it immediately said I was following like 75 people and their boards/pins...yikes, how did that happen?? I'm actually assuming that since you sign in using your facebook account, you are automatically following all your fb friends that are on there. I promise I'm not stalking you people, I'm just learning how to look through the thousands of things this site has to offer. If you don't want me to follow you, you'll have to delete me because I sure as heck don't know how to delete you;). My friend Lauren popped in last night for a few minutes and she showed me a couple game apps to install...Words with Friends and Dice with Friends...ADDICTING! You play with friends online and the games can last hours, or even days. I know, the majority of you reading this already knew that tidbit of info, but I was up until after midnight last night playing and waiting "my turn" not knowing you could actually just put the thing down and come right back to it the next day...LOL, thanks Lauren:-)

I am a slow-learner with technology, I vow to do better, but keeping it real...that probably won't happen anytime soon. It's not so much that I don't like change (I do, I really, really do!) I think I'm just stubborn...yeah I know, that won't come as a huge surprise to most!! But, It is what It is...and that, my friends, won't change!

Don't Blink

2012-01-15T10:43:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I'm officially a day late for this blog entry...BUT yesterday was a BIG day and we were out running around and having fun, so here I am officially one day late for a milestone anniversary. They always say the first year is the hardest and other than a few minor setbacks, it really wasn't that bad. Seems like just yesterday and it really is hard to believe it's already been a year...CRAZY!!

Yesterday, January 14, 2012 was the one year anniversary of Cleos' successful kidney transplant...YAY!!! He is doing so good, feels great, looks great and all indications are that he's on the right track to a long and healthy future with a very strong kidney. He's a rock star (well, not officially but in my world he is!). He has learned to live life to the fullest, every single day and not take his health for granted. He goes in on Tuesday for his one year appt and we're hoping at that time Piedmont will start alternating visits with his local nephrologist on an every 3 month basis instead of the every month (sans the last appt which was 2 months) he has been doing. HUGE step ahead in the right direction...never thought we'd see the day...DON'T BLINK!

I will also go in on Tuesday for my one year post-donation appt. It's really just for bloodwork and a necessary formality for statistical purposes. I will go again at the 2 year mark and then I'm officially done...DON"T BLINK!

In the year since Cleos' surgery, we've gained a beautiful new daughter in law (Mikell, Kyles' wife) and a sweet new grandson (Dachu, Cori & Brandons' son). Crazy how fast life just moves on, with or without you...DON'T BLINK!

We certainly don't live a glamorous lifestyle, but we do try to live each day to the fullest, enjoy every single little moment and most importantly show our Love to family and friends. We never mind talking about the transplant to people who ask legitimate questions...our way of giving back and helping to spread the word about Living Donation.

In the words of Kenny Chesney "In this here today, gone tomorrow world we're living in" you better do it, say it, show it and live it because you just never know how many tomorrows we have left. Live, Love and Laugh my sweet family and friends.

Besides, if you blink you might just have one of these fall on your head and knock that good sense right outta ya, LOL!

Happy 2012

Merry Christmas

2011-12-14T16:19:00.000-05:00

I have received many Christmas cards and pictures already this year and yet, once again, I didn't get any out! I know, I'm a slacker...I have no excuse, I just did not do it...it's just that simple.
2011 has been a challenging but really good year for the Cheney family. Let me see if I can break it down by the months...here goes:

JANUARY: Cleo and I went into surgery on the 14th...myself to donate a kidney, Cleo to receive it. It was a successful surgery from the get go and we were both home & healing by the 18th. We had wonderful family who came and cared for us for 2 weeks until I could drive again and lots & lots of friends who brought us food for weeks on end. We did a lot of napping, daytime tv watching, and walking which really helped the healing process

FEBRUARY & MARCH: These 2 months were mostly healing time...miles and miles of walking and starting to do small projects around the house, garage, shed, etc. Gearing up for spring and baseball season and Cleo looking forward to going back to work. Cleo was also able to enjoy turkey hunting, which thankfully doesn't require a lot of physical strength.

APRIL: Cleo returned to work...slowly at first, but after less than 2 weeks he was pretty much back to a regular schedule. He is feeling great, has lots of energy and doctors are very pleased with his progress. Went to a couple Braves games and watched even more on tv (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE baseball season!)

MAY: The transplant doctors reluctantly give permission for Cleo to fly and we head to Utah for our oldest sons' wedding. We are happy to welcome Mikell into our family and wish Kyle and her many, many years of happiness together. I flew to Wyoming to spend a week with my parents. Dad is having a lot of health issues and I'm grateful I could spend a little time with he and my Mom. Got to see my sister and both of my brothers as well as my 3 beautiful nieces,so that was an added bonus. Went to several more Braves games (did I mention I LOVE baseball??) continued walking and started doing yardwork. Love being outside, especially before it gets really hot here in Georgia.

JUNE, JULY & AUGUST: Lots of baseball, lots & lots of yardwork (only now it's starting to get really hot) bbqs with friends and enjoying getting back into a normal routine. But most importantly, we welcomed our latest grandchild...Dachu Lee on August 31st. He is super cute and completes Cori and Brandons' little family perfectly. Cleo starts feeling crappy and the Dr determines that he has contracted the CMV virus...not uncommom for transplant patients...and he is put on anti-virals and antibiotics.

SEPTEMBER: Drs say it's ok to fly and the virus counts are not dangerous, so we pack up and fly to Houston to spend Labor Day weekend with Tommy & Cindy (Cleos' brother). We got to see 2 of their kids and some of their grandkids too, which was a bonus. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed saying goodbye to the end of summer and the start of Fall and with that comes hunting. Cleo started bow hunting for deer. Thankfully he can do it in our own back yard so he's able to spend many hours down in the woods. He loves hunting as much as I love baseball so we are both happiest during these seasons!

OCTOBER: Not such a great month...the CMV virus took a toll on Cleo and the combination of that and the meds to treat it, wiped out his white blood count. He became really sick, really fast and ended up in the hospital for 5 days! Piedmont Transplant Team is top notch...they had him home and on the mend in no time. He only missed 3 days of work...what a trooper! I was able to spend a weekend at the lake with some dear friends and another weekend in Florida with my best friend Tammy. The rest of the month was spent watching my beloved Braves season come to an end...so sad, but seeing the Brewers go to the post season was equally as satisfying. We'll get 'em this coming year...go NL!!! And Cleo was finally feeling better and able to resume hunting.

NOVEMBER: We celebrated Jarods' 30th birthday (as well as he and Lindseys' 5th wedding anniversary) in Asheville, NC. It was a really great party and an awesome way to celebrate 30 years of life, 5 years of marriage and being Cancer Free!!! You Rock, J-Rod!!! The 2nd weekend of the month, we flew to Utah and met up with Cleos' siblings, their spouses and his parents to celebrate his Mom & Dads' 60th wedding anniversary. Park City was absolutely gorgeous, the snow fell to make for a beautiful back drop and we ate and laughed and shared so many memories and created even more with the family. It was a really fun weekend and one that we will all cherish for many years to come. Before heading back to GA, Cleo and I were able to see Sara and her family and Cori and her family for a really short visit. We sure do miss the kids, but we really miss the grandkids...they are each so unique and sweet in their own ways. And although it's hard to not have them close, it makes us appreciate the time we get with them even more. We finished off the month celebrating Thanksgiving with Jarod and Lindsey. And Cleo continues to hunt...still no kill!

DECEMBER: Always such a busy month...decorating the house, finishing the Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, mailing packages, baking and Christmas parties and for most, doing Christmas cards! As you can tell by this post, I skipped the last thing on that list and opted to do a "techno" Christmas card. I vow to do better next year and actually mail a Christmas card, but for this year (and for lack of an excuse) this will have to suffice :-) If I've forgotten anything, it doesn't mean it wasn't important or special, it just means sometimes I forget things, LOL.

So, as 2011 comes to a screeching halt, Cleo is still hunting (yep, still no kill!) and I'm already looking forward to baseball season and warmer weather. We hope to see lots of you in 2012 but most especially:

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY 2012!!!

One Day visit with the kids/grandkids...way too short!

2011-11-16T18:05:00.000-05:00

After our weekend trip to Park City to celebrate Cleos' parents 60th anniversary, we headed to Salt Lake to spend one day & night with our kids and grandkids. It was way too short of a visit and we didn't get to see Kyle, Mikell or Brayden, but I'm glad we got to see the rest. It was so fun to see our newest grandson Dachu, who is an absolute doll, looks just like his Daddy and is adored by his Mommy and big sisters.

Launa...she is still just as beautiful as ever. She has the biggest heart and she's perfectly content being off by herself drawing or playing quietly. She is a great big sister and is a big help to both her parents.

Teiha...she is spit fire. She is very smart and excels in a lot of subjects, doing algebra already and she's only in 1st grade! She is also a great big sister and loves to help with her little sister and brother.

Ellie...she is a mess!!! This little girl is so cute, always walks around with a smile on her face, but makes you wonder what she's up to ;) She is a very happy little girl and plays really good with her cousin Kenleigh.

Dachu...he is the cutest little man! Just now starting to smile and laugh and he thinks he's bigger than he is and trys to sit up when he's laying on your lap (he's not even 3 months old). He is a little fussy, but his Mommy says that's getting better. He completes Cori and Brandons' family and they all make for a beautiful family.

Kenleigh...she has most definately got the "red-head personality". She is such a smart, independent little girl. She talks like she's 4 (just barely 2 now) and can navigate an IPhone like no little kid I've ever seen. She is so cute and lights up a room with her personality.

So, that's the highlights of our grandkids...the kids were all doing well also. They all looked really good, happy & healthy. It was by far one of the shortest visits on record, but we're grateful for that time with them. Someday, we will all get together again for more than a day...but this just makes us appreciate and cherish the moments we get together.

Love you all so much

60th Anniversary Celebration~Park City, UT

2011-11-16T17:22:00.000-05:00

Cleos' parents will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary next month...what an accomplishment!!! To help them celebrate, Cleo and I along with his brother & sister in law that flew in from Houston, and his two sisters and their spouses who all live in Idaho and drove down with his parents, rented a condo in Park City UT for the weekend. We all arrived on Friday afternoon and quickly got settled into the condo before relaxing and catching up for a couple hours. We decided to just grab a quick bite at a local Mexican restaurant that night and then went back and hung out in front of the fire. It was so warm and cozy in the condo and it was starting to get really cold and snowy outside.

We stayed up late laughing, snacking and just really having a lot of fun. Cleo and I and Tom and Cindy were all pretty tired because we'd been up since like 3am EST to catch our flights...but we "sucked it up" and once we got our second wind, we were good. It was pretty chill and lots of fun. Once bedtime rolled around, we went to our chosen (or should I say assigned?) bedrooms...got settled (in our case there was some bed swapping going on, LOL!) and snuggled in for the night. You just never know exactly what kind of sleeping accomodations you will get in a condo rental in a ski resort town and ours was no exception. There was one main bedroom .. of course for Mom & Dad Cheney..then upstairs there were 2 more bedrooms, one with a queen bed, the other with 2 sets of double bunkbeds and then on the 3rd floor (or attic, really!) there was another set of bunkbeds and 2 single beds. Somehow, Cleo and I ended up in the attic and Brent and Sue ended up downstairs on the couches...but it all worked out and we really did have quite a few laughs just over the sleeping arrangements. It wouldn't be a family function without a little "dysfunction"...am I right:???

On Saturday we just ate breakfast at the condo and then us girls went to the Outlet Mall to do a little shopping. It WAS NOT exactly shopping weather, but we did it anyhow. It was so cold and snowing and blowing but we were able to get a wheelchair for Mom Cheney and all they wanted for collateral were Tamis' drivers license and her library card...seriously??? Not sure what the library card was all about, but we got the wheelchair and it was free! After shopping we went back to the condo, met up with the guys and headed to downtown Park City. It is such a cool little ski resort town, nestled right into the mountains and you can see all the ski runs and chair lifts right from the center of town...if you haven't been, you should go sometime it is that gorgeous!!! We walked around some of the shops and then headed to Bandits Grill & Bar for lunch. It was pretty empty because the peak season hasn't really started yet, so we pretty much had the restaurant to ourselves, which was nice. Our waitress was Liesel from South Africa and she was AWESOME! She took a lot of teasing from my hubby but she was really a good sport and even brought a super huge, wickedly amazing chocolate and ice cream dessert for Mom & Dad in celebration of their anniversary. It was a good meal and we all enjoyed it very much. We then headed back to the condo and just hung out the rest of the afternoon. There was a little football watching (it really wouldn't be a Saturday without college football, right?) a few caught a little nap...guess who? and the rest just sat by the fire and chit-chatted.

For dinner, Sue & Brent and Tami & Eric bought steaks and we grilled at the condo. They went all out with baked potatoes, salad, cooked carrots, rolls and steak...it was YUMMY. I just now realized we didn't get dessert...sad:( Just kidding, y'all did an awesome job on dinner...THANKS. After dinner everyone sat around the table and listened to Cleo and Patsy tell their story...about how they met, fell in love, married and started their lives together. All 4 of the kids then started in on all their childhood memories....you know the "do you remember?" and "remember that time when, etc"....it was really fun to hear a lot of those stories and I know that Cleo and Patsy really enjoyed the flooding of memories at that table. Slowly, Brent, Cindy and I nudged ourselves away (Eric had to leave b4 dinner to head back to ID) and cleared the table and Brent even did the dishes. Now that might be an every day occurrence at he and Sues' house, but I was impressed! The 3 of us then just kind of sat in the living room and let the family of 6 reminisce about the "good ole days"...we wanted to give them their space and some time alone. After a couple hours of that we all sat together and talked some more about the importance of keeping family ties alive and the logistics involved in that when you all have your own families. It's not always easy, but we sure try to keep the homefires burning.

Bedtime, night #2: Ask my husband...he is still that naughty little boy who is the last one to bed, always wreaking havoc and playing pranks on someone. Lets just say...he shouldn't be allowed a smartphone with access to questionable apps!!! I'm just gonna leave it at that...use your imaginations :)

Sunday morning was checkout time. We all kinda woke up at the same time, so once we were showered and ready, we still had a little time for visiting and saying goodbye. It was a great weekend, filled with lots of laughter, lots of reminiscing and also new memories, great food, great company, lots of snow to provide a beautiful backdrop and most importantly, quality time with the family. Some of our kids and grandkids felt a little left out, but it was only so that Cleo and Patsy could enjoy time with their 4 kids, uninterrupted and we certainly did not mean to hurt any feelings.

Here are just a few pictures of the weekend, I can't possibly post them all but again just want to say thank you to all of Cleos' siblings and their spouses for coming together and making this such a memorable 60th Anniversary celebration for their parents. We love you Cleo and Patsy

Girl Time

2011-11-02T14:56:00.000-04:00

The last two weekends have been jam packed with GIRL TIME!!! The past 18-24 months have been a blur and filled with sadness, stress and the unknown and little to no alone time with my girlfriends. Although I am a firm believer that we are never given more than we can handle, I do believe The BIG GUY does test our patience at times:) We all need to have a little girl time, without the men in our lives. Time to just chill, play games, shop, gossip (I know, not nice right??) eat and just hang out in our jammies if that's what we want to do.

I was able to go to Lake Martin with Libby and Lauren 2 weekends ago to their amazingly beautiful lakehouse. It was beyond gorgeous...peaceful, calming and very relaxing. They taught me to play Hand & Foot, a seriously fun and way addicting card game. We ate, played cards until late at night, put puzzles together (Libby kept telling me that as we age, we need to keep our minds sharp by doing puzzles, etc..LOL!) It was such a great time with fabulous friends and just what the Dr. ordered.

This is the view of the lake from the outdoor porch...Unfortunately all the pics I took from my cell phone were "lost in translation" when I transferred the info from my defective phone to the replacement phone when I returned home:( I did steal this one from Libbys' FB photos, and you can just imagine this view with the Fall colors...AMAZING!!! I really had a great time and look forward to many more fun times with the Carlsons.

This past weekend, I flew to Tampa, FL and spent 4 days with my friend Tammy Mountain. We used to do everything together when we lived there and I miss her dearly, but it was really fun catching up with her and again, having quality time with the girls.

We started the weekend with a quick pedicure, then lunch and the last showing of THE HELP. I read the book and was really looking forward to the movie. We then headed back to Tammys' to watch the final game of the World Series...don't ask, she wasn't thrilled to watch this but since she's such a good friend and she knows I LOVE baseball, she did indulge me:) On Saturday we shopped, a LOT stopped over to see her kids and granddaughter, then went to dinner with another sweet friend Tami Bellows. We caught up, ate a great meal and had some great laughs. We then went back to Tammys' did some decorating & rearranging of pictures, then watched The Lincoln Lawyer.

Sunday, we shopped (AGAIN!) and I was able to finish my last Christmas gift for my grandkids, ate a fabulous late lunch and then just chilled at her house. We talked and laughed and just caught up on everything. Monday (Halloween) we shopped (do you notice a theme here??) ate a really good late lunch then went to see her granddaughter b4 she went trick or treating, then back to Tammys' to watch Something Borrowed.

I did also see my Sinus Dr while in Tampa and had a great check-up! I was nervous as it had been almost 2 years since I'd seen him, but he said everything looked great and come back in a year...I was thrilled.

These are 2 of my BEST friends ... we have shared many, many great times and laughs together and I miss them both so much. Loved seeing them and spending time catching up.

I don't even know what to say about this pic T Bellows...however, there was a large green grasshopper thingy on the concrete beside her, LOL. She is a HOOT!!!

This is T Mountain and I at her sons' house on Halloween. Neither of us love having our pictures taken, thus the sunglasses on me and the scowl on her face, LOL.

So, as you can tell I am blessed with some pretty amazing girlfriends. Thanks to y'all for everything and mostly for just always being there for me. I look forward to many, many more good times ahead. I also should give a shout out to my amazing hubby for recognizing when I need "girl time" and encouraging me to do fun things, he is awesome and I love him so much.

"RUT" Day

2011-10-10T14:23:00.002-04:00

It's almost here~Rut Day~a day that I dread every October 15th since 1996! For those of you not from the West or those who have no hunters in their family or for those of you who just really don't give a dang, October 15th (lovingly referred to as Rut Day in our home!) is the day Elk season opens back home in Wyoming. Cleo used to live for this day, plan his vacations around this day and basically look forward to it the whole year long. He would always be gone for a week, camp out with his brother and his Dad, sometimes with my Dad and Mom, brothers and brothers in law, occasionally with friends...using horses to get into the back country and to carry out the elk. Real Wyoming, roughing it type hunting. Cleo LOVES to hunt and elk hunting is the ultimate for a boy from Idaho. Quality time with family, outdoor adventures and of course the thrill of the hunt. He would come home after this week long hunt stinky (no showers in the wilderness, eww!!) with loads of laundry and dirty camp equipment, but the look on his face and in his eyes made it all worth while...I miss those days for him.

Since leaving Wyoming in 1996, Cleo has only been able to go home once for elk season...sad, huh?? I wish he could go every year. Basically for at least a week leading up to "Rut Day" he kinda starts moping around & gets that sad look in his eyes. Thankfully, he has a little sanctuary of his own at our place here in Ga so at least he can be in the woods and hunt deer. I know it doesn't take the place of elk hunting in Wyoming, but it helps.

Do I understand it?? Not exactly...I mean I don't have a hobby that I'm that passionate about, unless you count baseball but since I don't actually play the sport and am just an avid fan it's different because we go to lots of games and can ALWAYS watch it on tv. There are things that I love to do, but for the most part I can do them whenever I want and it's just different. But I do sympathize for him.

This year, on Rut Day we have a fall festival/birthday party with friends at 2:00 and then our neighborhood bbq at 6:00, so hopefully this October 15th his mind will be preoccupied with other things...and if not, at least I'm sharing his "grief" with friends...LOL!

If you know Cleo at all...this blog will make total sense, if not sorry you wasted a couple minutes reading it, LOL!:)

Happy RUT DAY people...

Playing Catch Up!

2011-09-08T15:34:00.002-04:00

As I was catching up on everyone elses' blogs, I realized mine hadn't been updated in nearly 2 months! Summer seems to have gotten the best of me and I guess I just didn't "get 'er done". So as I'm trying to remember anything memorable that's happened since I last blogged, I'm drawing a blank...but, in our world that isn't necessarily a bad thing ;-)

Cleo is now nearly 2 months further in the post transplant process...doing pretty well until a couple weeks ago when he caught the CMV virus :( It nearly drained his energy because of the fever, but now that he's on the anti-virals (will be for 12 weeks total) he is rebounding nicely. It was caught early and the Transplant team says it most likely won't affect the kidney and his labs indicate that as well, thankfully. This is really very common as the majority of the population has been exposed to this virus, thus making it more likely a recipient can/will contract the virus after transplant. Piedmont Transplant has protocols in place for just about every scenario and this was no exception, so we both feel relieved that once the virus runs its course, he will once again be running circles around me...lol!

We were able to go to Houston over the Labor Day weekend and spend some time with Tommy and Cindy (Cleos' bro & SIL). Matt, Ashley and their kids as well as Audrey and her kids were also there making for lots of fun. Reflecting on the weekend, pretty much every memory involves food---and making new memories---and food---and fun---and, well you get the idea, we ate a LOT, but it was sure yummy!! We sure love spending time with the other Cheneys'...thanks for the hospitality y'all and of course all the food!!! I didn't get any pictures~don't have a decent camera anymore and always forget to use my cellphone camera until its past the point of being picturesque..haha! It was a really nice getaway and I'm glad we were able to go.

Now that fall is right around the corner, I'm looking forward to mowing less, reading more and doing some projects inside the house (don't tell Cleo, he doesn't know about them yet!). I expect to see less of Cleo as I'm pretty sure bow season opens this weekend and even on his worst day, he'd pretty much rather be hunting than anything else. I LOVe that he has a hobby that he's passionate about.

Hoping y'all have a wonderful fall...

Milestones...

2011-07-19T13:35:00.002-04:00

Today, Cleo and I both went to Piedmont for our 6 month Post-Transplant appts. I know, it's really hard to believe it's already been 6 months (actually was on 7/14). This was my first visit since my 2 wk post-op and all my bloodwork was perfect. I am doing GREAT and go back in Jan. for a 1 yr. post donation and again at 2 yr for the same thing. They do this to gather statistical information and keep data on living donors.

Although they didn't have Cleos' bloodwork back before we left, he too is doing GREAT!!! He feels so good and his energy levels are wearing me out...LOL:) The biggest changes with this being his 6 month visit are:

He stopped the Valcyte (anti-viral medication)
He stopped the Bactrim (antibiotic)
He now only has to see the Transplant team every 2 months

He will always need to have his blood drawn monthly to make sure the medication levels are correct...they can and do need to be changed periodically. But just knowing that he now sees the Nurse Practitioner instead of the Transplant Nephrologist just makes us feel like he really is doing so good, otherwise he would still be seeing the Dr, most likely with complications. I guess he will continue to see them for the first year and then at some point, they will alternate visits between them and his local nephrologist and then always see them on his anniversary month. What an amazing place Piedmont is...it will always hold a special place in our hearts. Not only is this where Cleo had his transplant, but where Jarod went through his cancer treatments last year...they are The BEST!!!

So that's it ... in a nutshell! Glad this wasn't a long post, because that would mean I had too much to explain and most likely that wouldn't be good news..HAHA!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

2011-07-12T09:47:00.005-04:00

July 13, 1988...The beginning of our story. Well, it really began in January 1988 when Cleo and I were set up on a blind date by mutual friends. We went on a double date with Kurt and Keri to a pizza joint in Rock Springs, WY. I knew then (I really did!) that I would marry this man. Cleo, well it took him a while to come around (not long, as you can see we were married 6 months after that first date!). We were, and still are to an extent, polar opposites. He LOVES the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping...Me, well I'd rather be in a hotel with room service and bathroom facilites, but I think this is why we've made it work. We both love what we love and respect that we have different interests...although the longer we're married, the more we have found we really do have in common. When we met, Cleo had a 7 yr old son, a 5 yr old daughter and a 3 yr old daughter...I had a 6 yr old son, so we had an instant family. It wasn't always easy, and we didn't have a lot of money but I think we all have some pretty good memories of those days...I'm sure the kids would tell you there were some hairy times too (what kid wouldn't?), but after 23 years all 4 of our kids have grown into amazing adults...all are married to wonderful spouses and we have 5 awesome grandkids! Who would've thought??? There were many skeptics back then...I mean the odds were pretty much stacked against us, but here we are and I believe there will be MANY, MANY more wonderful years ahead of us!
Our Wedding day...in a chapel in Las Vegas, NV. We went to the Courthouse the night before to get our marriage license. It looked and smelled more like an inner city police precinct! We filled out the license, in pencil (yup, the exact same kind you would use to fill out a golf score card!) stood in line and when it was our turn, the clerk asked to see our drivers' licenses', she briefly glanced at them (heck they could've belonged to Elvis & Priscilla and she wouldn't have seen the difference..lol!) no blood tests required, and next thing you know we were holding our official License. The next day, we were picked up at our hotel by a sweet stretch limo. Our driver, Bruno, took us for an "eye-opening" tour of the back streets of Vegas before finally taking us to the chapel. It really was a beautiful chapel and decorated very tastefully, not a "dive" as I kind of expected...I was pleasantly surprised! A woman "minister" appears and starts the ceremony and quickly stops, asking "who/where is your witness?" Oh dear, we didn't think of that, we hadn't asked any family or friends to go with us, so Cleo quickly runs out to the limo and grabs Bruno telling him we need him to be our "witness". After a brief ceremony, we were pronounced Man and Wife by this woman who proclaimed her faith to be something like 10 words long...you know "The Church of the Holy Name of blah, blah, blah"!!! To this day, we sometimes wonder if we were really legally married, but after all this time I guess it was legit...LOL:):):) We enjoyed a night in Vegas, with Cleo begging me to go back to the room, to which I quickly responded "I'm winning, we have the rest of our lives for that!"...and left the next day for a week long honeymoon in California. It was amazing and every day since has been an adventure.

So, here we are 23 years later and I could not be more in Love with this man. He is my everything and I would not want to be on this journey with anyone else. I love you Cleo Kevin Cheney and look forward to many, many more years with you. Years filled with fun and adventure and good times and more Love than ever!!!

Kyle and Mikells' Wedding

2011-06-01T09:28:00.018-04:00

May 14, 2011: Kyle and Mikell Cheney Wedding Day

We looked forward to this day for a long time and are so happy for both Kyle and Mikell on their wedding. We pray they will have a very long and happy life together :)

Although it was a really quick weekend trip to SLC (only about 48 hours total!) it was so worth it to watch our oldest son marry the woman of his dreams :) Mikell is just absolutely the perfect woman for Kyle...we hope she understands what she just signed up for...just kidding :) But seriously they are so good together, have so many common interests and goals and we couldn't be happier for them both.

There was a very informal rehearsal at a local park on Friday night with a bbq after. We were able to visit with family a lot on that night and just enjoy a really beautiful night with loved ones. I didn't get any pictures, but luckily Mikells' family did and were gracious enough to share them with us. I have posted a few from the picnic and some from the wedding. Looking back, I'm really sad that we didn't ask for a family picture with all our kids and grandkids, but it's so chaotic when you're at a family wedding and you just forget about details like that :(
24 more hours and this will all be over...
Now PLEASE take this serious and listen to me...LOL!!!
We were just trying to do what we were told
Uncle Brent, Scotty and Ashley (was so good to meet you finally Ashley!)
Launa, Cori, Teiha, Uncle Eric, Cleo, Brenda, Sara holding Kenleigh, Uncle Brent, Scott and Ashley
Grandpa Cheney, Kimmy, Aunt Tami, Cori, Grandma Cheney, Uncle Eric and Cleo...oh and Baby Sam in the stroller of course!
Take a deep breath Kyle...he was so nervous and we were grateful he didn't pass out before the ceremony started!
Mikell and her Dad...she was an absolutely gorgeous bride
Ok, so some of the pictures posted out of order and of course I couldn't figure out how to switch them...anyhow, the happy couple walking down the aisle after the ceremony as Mr. & Mrs. Cleo Kyle Cheney
Back of the gown...really beautiful!
The wedding party
Mikell and the grooms' party...Brayden (Kyles' son) was such a cute little ring bearerKyle with the bridal party
Mikell and her parents
The only picture of Cleo and I with the happy couple (Did I mention I HATE having my picture taken???) it's always like an out of body experience for me
Dad and Son...how handsomeMr and Mrs Kyle Cheney...CONGRATULATIONS to you both!!!! We love you and only wish that we could see you more often.

Live for Today...

2011-04-12T14:22:00.004-04:00

Today, I had the extreme pleasure of being invited to celebrate "Donate Life Month" with a nice lunch and presentation at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. While Cleo and I were both invited, he was unable to attend because he just returned to work a couple weeks ago and couldn't take the afternoon off.

The MC of the event was Dr. Welchel (Cleos' transplant surgeon) and as is his "norm" he showed up in a white lab coat and his signature cowboy boots...the man even operates in them. He is a very down to earth, laid back man with a gentle soul. He likes to crack jokes and you just want to hug him whenever you're around him. He has been at Piedmont for a very long time and is responsible for helping the hospital grow their living donor program and bringing kidney and liver transplant surgeries to the hospital and making it among the top 10-15 transplant hospitals in the country.

The first guest speakers were Steven and Maryanne Abbate who lost their son in a tragic car accident 5 years ago. His story inspired the movie (released last month) The 5th Quarter. They are from the Atlanta area and they shared their very emotional story about the call that no parent ever wants to receive, the gut wrenching news that their son was declared brain dead and then about their familys' choice to donate his organs. Because of Lukes' gift, 5 lives were saved. They were able to meet the young Mom who rec'd his heart and just recently found out that 2 of the other recipients rec'd their organs at Piedmont Hospital, but they have yet to learn their identity or to meet them. Their story was hard to hear (as a parent especially) and there wasn't a dry eye in the auditorium. They have established a Foundation in Lukes' memory to raise awareness of wreckless teenage driving as well as the need for organ donation. Visit their website for more on their story: www.lukeabbate5thquarter.org

The 2nd speaker was a local radio personality, Melissa Carter from Q100, who received a kidney from her cousin 10 years ago. She shared her story of being a young 29 year old who went to the dr. for a bad case of flu, was given a container for a urine sample, and then told that she was in kidney failure (completely unrelated to why she went to the dr!). She was on dialysis for about a year and a half, then rec'd her transplant at the age of 31, which was 10 years ago. She said the day she was told about her kidney failure, she threw out her cigarettes and hasn't had one since...good for her!!! She talked about living donors being super heroes and that recipients are very much aware of the gift they've been given and want to live their lives in such a way to honor their donors (whether deceased or living). She rec'd her transplant at Piedmont and spoke very highly of the Transplant team, who we know from personal experience are the BEST!!!

It was really special to hear from people who have been on both sides of the organ donation spectrum and who so freely shared their experiences with an audience full of strangers. I shed some tears at both stories, but as I was driving home on I-85 South through Atlanta traffic (for those of you who've been in this traffic, you know what I'm talking about!) I found myself crying to the point where I thought I would need to pull over. I was able to get it together after a few fingers and horns from passing cars...YIKES...and made it home safely. Once in the safety of our home, I seriously lost it. I'm talking full on hysterically crying and I'm thinking to myself "what is your problem?" and then I realized that over the course of the past 13 months, through Jarods' cancer diagnosis and treatment to finding out that Cleo was put on the UNOS transplant list in late summer, that I haven't truly processed it all. Yes, I've shed lots of tears but I would always pull myself together so that others wouldn't see me falling apart or see me as being weak. I know this sounds silly, but my blog is where I am able to journal all my feelings, good or bad and my daughter Sara has been telling me for over a year that one day I would need to truly process all my feelings, and I guess today was that day. I am truly grateful for all that we have and for living in a day and time when medical science can do the things that bring new life to so many people. Our lives have changed so much over the course of the past 13 months and no matter what happens tomorrow, we have today!

On Thursday, it will be 3 months since Cleos' successful kidney transplant. He is doing SO good and as I mentioned earlier, he went back to work a couple of weeks ago. He is enjoying turkey hunting and yes, even yard work!!! He has so much energy and he actually told me last night as he was roaming around the yard after he got home from work, that I "made him like this". Now I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult (just kidding), but it makes my heart sing to see him so healthy once again. Jarod went to the dr. last month and rec'd a great report from his oncologist and will be considered in remission end of May/fist of June. We are so very blessed as a family to have them both around and healthy this year.

I plan to live my life with no regrets from here on out...be happy, not worry so much about the small stuff, and if I do leave this earth, make sure that I leave having made it better for someone else :)

Two Month Post-Transplant

2011-03-14T10:06:00.003-04:00

Today, it has been 2 months since Cleos' successful kidney transplant. Oh, what a difference a few weeks make in recovery time! Cleos' doctors are really pleased with his recovery and how well he is doing overall. His bloodwork is starting to level out and they haven't changed dosages on the meds for a couple weeks now. We are both feeling so good and have lots more energy every single day. We are both able to do pretty much what we want, except lift over 10 pounds for another couple weeks and he is still to avoid large crowds and obviously sick people. Cleo will meet with his boss later this week to discuss plans for him to return to work in the next couple weeks and he is looking forward to that and getting back into a normal routine.

We have been walking every day unless it's raining and have found new routes that include some wooded areas, so it feels more like hiking than walking. The change of scenery is nice and we really enjoy doing it together. Neither of us have ever been runners or even joggers, but we do walk at a pretty good pace and it's just good to get fresh air and activity. We've started doing things outside now that the weather is getting nicer, but we're glad the grass is still dormant and won't need mowing for at least a couple more weeks :)

It's pretty funny, but Cleo was saying to me the other day that most days he can't even force himself to take a nap now! In the weeks leading up to the transplant, it was nothing for him to take 4-5 naps a day...and I'm talking full on, can't get a rouse out of him naps! I am so grateful that his new kidney is working so well and giving him "new life".

Although Cleo has never asked "why me" or dwelled on the crappy hand life delt him in the 18 years since he was diagnosed with Goodpastures' Syndrome, that 6 month nightmare and the lasting kidney damage it caused sort of robbed him of the prime years of his life. While most people who know him didn't ever realize the change, we both did. Although he's no longer a young 35 year old man, we feel blessed that he now has the energy and stamina that was missing for so many years and we plan to take full advantage of that. The drs have told him not to fly for awhile, but have given reluctant permission for us to fly to SLC in May for our son Kyles' wedding and we are very much looking forward to seeing our family then. Any other travel will have to wait for awhile, but we've become pretty patient and know that the day will come when we can also do that.

Life is really good and we look forward to spring and baseball season and summer and hot, humid days and good times with family and friends and on & on & on~~~

One Month Post Transplant

2011-02-14T09:39:00.003-05:00

It has been one month today since Cleos' successful kidney transplant surgery. Although I don't typically subscribe to the whole "Valentines Day" hoopla---kinda think you should just show your love all year round---I thought today would be appropriate to say "I LOVE YOU" Mr. Cleo Cheney! I'm pretty sure he already knows this because we never go to bed without saying that to each other, but nonetheless, I've said it for the world to hear.

We are both feeling really good and getting most of our energy back. Cleo definately has more than he did before the surgery, which is another sign the kidney is doing it's job. I still tend to get a little tired in the evening, but guess it's just my bodys' way of telling me it's had enough for the day! We go back to Piedmont this Wednesday to get Cleos' stent removed and he will also have bloodwork and see the Dr. So far, they are quite pleased with everything and we all continue to be optimistic this will last for a really, really long time and that Cleo will stay healthy. Now that the weather is warming up some, we are walking and up to at least 1.5 miles a day...it feels so good to get fresh air!

I just wanted to share one quick story from the day of surgery...so I'm in pre-op and I'm a very hard stick, whether it be just for blood or starting an iv, and about the 3rd person to come in and try was a young girl probably in her mid 20's. She asked me who I was donating a kidney to and I told her my husband. She replied "I've not met anyone yet that I would do that for". I thought to myself that she'd probably just been dumped and was a little jaded so didn't really give it another thought. Then after her unsuccessful attempt at starting an iv, another nurse came to give it a try. She was probably in her mid to late 50's and she asked me the same question. When I told her my husband she perked right up and said "I was married once for 6 months, it's not for me and there isn't a person in this world I would give an organ to". I was shocked to say the least...I mean really there is not even a family member that you love enough to give this amazing gift to?? I guess it takes all kinds to make this crazy world, but just so we're clear...I was and still am honored to have given this gift to my sweetheart. I wish those 2 ladies happiness and hope someday, somehow their hearts will be softened.

Happy One Month Kidney Anniversary Cleo...I love you with all my heart (and kidney!)

Post Transplant Update

2011-01-30T09:58:00.004-05:00

It's been just a little over 2 weeks since Cleos' successful Kidney transplant and we are living, breathing proof that Science, sprinkled with little miracles do exist!!! I can't even begin to tell you how grateful we are to the entire Transplant staff at Piedmont Hospital...they are all Rock Stars in our book! We feel so blessed to be living in a day and time when things such as this are possible and to live so near a city with an amazing transplant center.

Cleo is getting stronger each and every day. His energy level is much better than before surgery and his color is great. He said he didn't realize he looked bad until people started telling him how awesome he looks now. He is still having slight headaches, which have diminished from migraines and continue to get better as they are able to lower the levels of anti-rejection meds. He is also having pretty bad tremors, another side effect from the meds, but hopefully they will get better as well with the lower dosages of meds. His staples (17 in all!) are starting to really bother him, but they are holding firm to not taking them out until 3 weeks! He was able to wear jeans by wk 1, but they now bother the staples too much so he's back to sweats until they come out! He will have the stent removed on Feb 7th.

I'm feeling pretty good. I pulled some muscles in the right abdomen right after surgery and it was pretty painful. I don't tolerate pain meds well so have been on just tylenol since day 2 after surgery and so I just thought I needed to endure the pain. Dr. Wolfe saw me at about 10 days post op and gave me muscle relaxers and within 12-24 hours I was a different person. I now only take them at night before bed and feel pretty good during the day. I was released to drive on Friday and since we are now "flying solo" that feels great!

Jarod and Lindsey were absolutely a "Godsend" leading up to and during our surgeries. Logistically speaking, we could not have done this surgery without them here. They were with us before, during and after the surgeries and took great care of us. They made sure we both got home safely, had all Cleos' prescriptions and did several airport runs to pick up family for us. I understand they were really good to update family and friends with emails and I know that meant a lot to the family. They will also be here for us in the next several weeks and months should we need anything. We love you both so much and appreciate all you've done for us.

Ashley (Cleos' niece) came out ftom Texas to be with us for the first week after surgery. She was AWESOME to have around. I think she got the worst week but she never complained and was a huge help to us. We loved having her here and appreciate Matt giving her up for a week to come help out. Tom and Cindy (Cleos' brother & sis in law) came from Texas for week two and I think it was nice for Cleo to have another guy around. They were also a huge help to us...driving us to ATL twice (once in a terrible rainstorm that had me in a panic!) and cooking for us and just being a support for us. We love you all and can't ever say Thank you enough for helping us and being a great support for us.

We know that our other kids and family would've been here in a heartbeat and we love you all more than words. Your support, encouragement and prayers made all the difference in the world to us both. It's very hard at times to live so far from our family, but we always know that no matter what, they're always there for us. This is one of the emblems to help support and promote Organ Donation...a cause very dear to our hearts.

This picture makes me cringe (I look hideous!). This was about 12 hours after surgery and I was able to walk down the hall to Cleos' room.

This picture was taken Sat night (day after surgery). I had a rough day...reaction to pain meds and then vomiting, so Cleo was able to come down to my room and hang out! He had such a smile on his face that whole weekend and I wondered if he was having any pain at all...lol! I think it was a combination of steroids and true elation at the success of the surgery.

Cleo will definately be "incognito" for awhile as they want him to stay away from large crowds for awhile (especially during flu season), so other than our daily walks and visits to the Transplant Clinic, he will be homebound. Good thing it's winter and not hunting season...LOL!!!

I will try and keep the blog updated as best I can in the weeks and months to follow. Love y'all.

Transplant Surgery

2011-01-12T10:27:00.002-05:00

The day is almost here...Kidney Transplant Time...Friday the 14th at 7:30 am! We have known for awhile that this day would come and we look forward, with great relief, to Cleo getting his new, healthy kidney. Of course with any surgery, there can be risks, but we both have a very peaceful and calm feeling about this surgery and have a lot of faith in the surgical team at Piedmont. They are among the top hospitals in the country and above the national average in successful kidney transplants. Cleo will be admitted tomorrow and have a central line inserted as well as lots of pre-op tests. I have my pre-op at the Transplant Clinic tomorrow, but then don't have to be at the hospital until Friday at 5:00 am...ugh (I'm not a morning person!).

We are so blessed to have such a large, supportive family who will help us both through our recovery process. We love you all so much and appreciate, more than words can express, your prayers and love for us. This wouldn't really be possible without each of you. We are also grateful to have many wonderful friends, especially here in the Newnan area, who will help us through the next couple weeks and months.

Cleo...I love you more than I can ever express in words and look forward to Forever and Always with you.

I've put just a few of my favorite pictures of Cleo on this post and I hope that he will be hunting, fishing and playing on a beach in Mexico (or somewhere else tropical) very soon.

Turkey shot in the woods behind our house

Fishing at Mexico Beach, FL

Beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico...Pretty sure there was a little hottie to the right of him..LOL!!

First day of our Puerto Vallarta trip...2008

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T16:24:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-11-30T14:28:00.002-05:00

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

2010-10-04T23:40:00.004-04:00

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

2010-09-05T11:09:00.003-04:00

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...

2010-08-13T13:37:00.002-04:00

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!!!

2010-07-27T13:06:00.002-04:00

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!!!

2010-07-07T14:57:00.003-04:00

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...

2010-06-19T09:43:00.002-04:00

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!!!!

2010-05-24T15:29:00.002-04:00

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

2010-05-15T09:20:00.003-04:00

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...

2010-04-19T14:12:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-11T09:19:00.004-04:00

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.

2010-03-25T03:03:00.002-04:00

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

2010-03-25T02:43:00.004-04:00

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!!

LiveStrong...

2010-03-16T01:27:00.002-04:00

It is 1:30 Tuesday morning and I just couldn't sleep so thought it a good time to sit and reflect on the past couple days in our life. As most of you know by now, our son Jarod was diagnosed with testicular cancer this past Thursday. On Friday Cleo and I were able to meet Jarod and Lindsey and go with them to meet with the surgeon and oncologist who will be treating him. They have found a small tumor in the right testicle that has spread to some of the surrounding lymph nodes. Although they feel it is in the early stages it is aggressive due to the fact it has spread already. They recommended surgery ASAP followed by 3-4 rounds of chemotherapy. We were all in agreement that this was a good plan.

Jarod and Lindsey have had so much to process in such a short time but they are both such strong individuals and they have such a positive outlook. Although this will be a hard battle, it is one that can and will be won with the love and support of their many friends and our wonderful family. We have all felt your prayers these last few days and know they will continue.

So Monday afternoon was the day...Cleo and I, Lindseys' mother Janice and Jarods good friend Chad were all able to be at the hospital with Jarod and Lindsey. Their minister came and led us in a prayer before Jarod was taken back which made us all feel very peaceful. Jarod did wonderful right up until they were ready to take him to the o.r. and he got pretty nervous, but he has never had a surgery before or gone under anesthesia so that was to be expected. The surgeon and anesthesiologist reassured him that all would be good and they promised to give him good drugs...which did make him smile :)

They removed his right testis and tube but did not touch the lymph nodes as they feel the chemo is a more aggressive way to treat them. They said the tumor was small but definately malignant and they have sent the pathology slides to Indiana University for a second opinion. This is the hospital which treated Lance Armstrong so we feel pretty confident they are top notch. Jarod was able to go home and although he is in quite a bit of pain, his spirits are good and we all know he will get more rest there than at the hospital. He will go back to the hospital Friday morning for insertion of a port-a-cath which is how his chemo will be administered. He had an appt. Monday (22nd) with the oncologist to go over the final path and get his chemo schedule...but he is tentatively scheduled to begin on the 29th. They will know for sure after they receive the final results which chemo drugs will be used, but it looks like he will have 3 kinds and be on a 3 week cycle...wk #1 will be Monday thru Friday 8 hrs a day of treatment...wks #2 & #3 will be only Mondays with a short 1 hour infusion and that will complete cyle 1. He will need 3 to 4 cycles depending on how he responds to treatment. This will be grueling for him but he knows this is what has to happen to cure him.

Jarods doctors are all really wonderful and we all feel very confident in their abilities. The support staff, i.e. nurses, office staff, etc. have all been really great to, not only Jarod, but to the whole family and this can only make this process easier for Jarod and Lindsey.

Once again, thank you to all for your prayers, phone calls and emails over the past couple days. It is so reassuring to know that we all have someone to lean on when we need it. Between Lindsey and I, we will try to keep our blogs updated as things progress so keep checking back.

Meeting Miss Ellie...

2010-03-06T10:56:00.004-05:00

I recently spent a week in Salt Lake City meeting our newest granddaughter Ellie Quinn. Of course I'm prejudice, but she really is BEAUTIFUL!!! She seems to be a pretty good baby but Cori is nursing so I couldn't be of much help to her...she is a Mamas' girl. Her 2 big sisters LOVE her so much and are always wanting to hold her and play with her...sometimes a bit too much but it is so sweet to watch them interact with her. I thought Teiha might be bent out of shape a little with not being the "baby" anymore, but she's just so excited to be the Big Sister that nothing else seems to really matter.

My sister was able to come down from Rock Springs for 2 days and hang out with us which was really fun. I sure miss her a lot and wish we lived closer, but I will take what I can get when I can get it. She spoiled the girls rotten...as usual...and we all had a good time together. On Thursday Sara was able to take off work and we went to meet Brooke and Michelle (Cleos' nieces') and have lunch with them...it was so fun to see them again. Brookes' little guy Luke is about 8 1/2 months old and he was completely infatuated with Kenleigh who is 6 months old. He wanted to hug and "kiss" her and all she wanted to do was play with his zipper...it was so cute!! Thanks Brooke and Michelle for meeting us...it was good to see you.

All in all it was a great week except, once again, I caught the "CRUD" about half way thru the week. Went to the dr. when I got home and was put on steroids, an inhaler and cough syrup with codeine (amazing stuff!). I'm not really sure what it is about SLC...maybe the poor air quality...but everytime I go I get sick and not just the sniffles sick, but full blown, kick your butt sick...it really is annoying.

Anyhow, thanks to my girls for a great week. I love you both so much and wish we were closer and could do these things more often but...It is what it is....and makes me appreciate our times together so much more. Was fun to see Kyle and Mikell also on Friday night..just wish we could've spent a little more time together.
She is changing so much in just her few short weeks here!!

Sound asleep...their couch makes such a great backdrop for pictures!

Me and My Girls...Love them so much

Sara, Kenleigh and Nana

Luke and Kenleigh...kissing cousins

Launa and Teiha playing hairdresser...they really are close sisters and besides the occasional argument, get along great!!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-16T15:39:00.002-05:00

I decided I needed to blog again as I've kinda been out of practice lately and since it is a New Year, what better title for the blog?? It seems that a lot of people sit down each January and set goals or make resolutions, something I've never really done, so in trying to "keep up with the Joneses" I've decided to give this a whirl this year. So here goes:::

Top 10 List:

10. Show random acts of kindness to total strangers
9. Make a new friend (maybe more than 1!)
8. Help raise money for a good cause
7. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily
6. Eliminate people/things that cause undue stress in my life (legally, of course!)
5. Go hunting with Cleo---only with a bow :)
4. Sit on a beach and watch the sunset
3. Learn to eat AND like deer meat (this one will require lots of work!)
2. Conquer my fear of dark places

And the #1 thing I want to do this year is---LAUGH MORE---it makes people wonder what you're up to or really ticks them off, either way, that in itself will make me laugh more!!!

I know this is a pretty random post and there's no really deep, philosophical goals but I think it's a do-able list of things to work on. I hope that y'all have a crazy-fun 2010!!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T16:27:00.004-05:00

Well, another Christmas has come and gone...I swear 2009 just flew by!!! My parents were able to fly out on 12/17 and so we really enjoyed spending Christmas with them. Jarod and Lindsey came down Christmas Eve day and we all went to 5:00 candlelight church services then came home to enjoy Cleos' homemade cheese soup, shrimp cocktails and misc. goodies. We then opened one present each (which has always been a family tradition of ours) and then it was off to bed to wait for the BIG GUY to make an appearance. And an appearance he did make...we were spoiled (well at least me!) and enjoyed opening presents with the family. Jarod cooked a prime rib on the outdoor cooker, which was really yummy, and then he and Lindsey headed back up to the city to have Christmas night with her family. It was a really great Christmas and we are so thankful that my parents were able to be here with us to enjoy it. The only thing that would've made it better was having our other kids and grandkids home with us---maybe next year (hint, hint!!).

So today, I drove my parents up to Jarods so they could spend the day/night with him and Lindsey. I came home and decided to finish taking my Christmas decorations down---the tree came down on Saturday because it had been up for 5 wks. and was getting pretty dry! I love Christmas, but when it's over--it's over and I like my house to be clean and clutter free again. I have the downstairs completely done and am waiting on Cleo to get home and help me put everything in the attic then I can finish cleaning the upstairs.

2009 was REALLY good to Cleo and I. Cleos' kidneys are hanging in there and still not at the transplant stage yet and he continues to feel great. We are looking forward to a new granddaughter sometime in February and getting to see family in May when we head to Wyoming. We pray that 2010 will bring much happiness and good health to each and everyone of our family and friends.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T13:52:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family this year. Cleo and I drove up to North Carolina (near Winston-Salem) on Wed. afternoon to spend Thanksgiving with his niece Stacie and her family. His sister Tami and her husband and youngest daughter Kylie flew out from Idaho and so it was really nice to get to see them all. Tami and Eric cooked a super yummy traditional turkey dinner complete with her wonderful homemade rolls and 3 different kind of pies...Cleo and I were in heaven!! They went to a lot of work and we really appreciated it all. We stayed up pretty late Wed. night catching up and then ate and relaxed on Thanksgiving Day. We did go for a walk (before dinner--not sure why we didn't go after!) around the neighborhood and that allowed us to not feel as guilty eating so much for dinner :) Thanks Stacie for inviting us..we sure do love y'all.

We had to leave on Friday morning and head back to Georgia because Cleos' brother Tom was headed our way on Saturday afternoon. He had been in Florida with his wife and their 3 kids and all their grandkids at DisneyWorld and they decided to drive back to Texas thru Georgia...yes, I know it's out of the way...that's what made it so special for us. Anyhow, they arrived on Sat. around 4:00 and their daughter Amber and her family came too. They (Ambers family) only stayed for dinner and then headed out as they needed to be back in Oklahoma on Sunday. We thought that was super sweet for them to stop by as well. Thanks Amber and Wayne...we sure love you guys!! Cleo and Tommy went out and checked out all of Cleos' hunting spots behind the house and by his job at the PTC airport on Sunday and Cindy and I went shopping. Cleo put a pork butt on the spit/grill Sunday late afternoon and it turned out yummy. After dinner we watched 4 Christmases and ate popcorn and chocolate. We sure do miss having Tom and Cindy close as we used to do tons of things with them when we all lived in Wyoming. We love you guys and want to say thank you for coming our way...we're headed your way next!!

It was just a really great 5 day weekend for us and we just want our family (all of our family) to know how much we love you and how thankful we are for you in our lives. We are also blessed with wonderful friends and not a day goes by that we don't give thanks for ALL our blessings. We hope that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well and that this Christmas season will bring good health, happiness and prosperity to each of you.
Cleo had his belt attached to Elizas' scooter so she wouldn't get away...Eric pushing Addie in stroller

Uncle Kevin (Cleo) and Eliza napping

Kylie, Tami and Eric relaxing after dinner

Tami and Cleo

Cleo, Royal, Wayne, Mitchell, Amber, Spencer and Marcy

Cleo and Tommy

Cleo, Marcy, Cindy and Tommy

Texas Nativity that Audrey made for Cleo and I...how stinkin' cute is it???

What's Cookin???

2009-11-10T13:36:00.003-05:00

Well, in my house it's anybodys' guess anymore!! We had to buy a new grill a few months back and although Cleo does most of the grilling at our house I have been known to grill as well. Our old grill was a gas grill but you could also use charcoal which we did most of the time. So a while back I decided to cook some ribs on the grill...how hard can it be right? I put them on this new rib rack I bought and was so excited to have ribs when Cleo got home from work...but, as you can see by the picture below things didn't turn out so well!! Really, that's an understatement...they completely burned in less than 10 minutes. I'm talkin' when I went to pull them off the racks, they totally disintegrated in my fingertips. I checked and I had the gas on low so I'm not sure what happened. Then last week I decided to try some veggie kabobs and fish on the grill. It was almost the same story...black veggies (not edible) and the fish was pretty crispy as well, although it was edible.

I used to pride myself on being a decent cook but lately this has not only been happening on the grill, but in the kitchen as well. I seem to overcook, burn or just simply ruin the most basic things. Maybe this is secretly my way of getting Cleo to start doing the cooking...LOL...we all know that won't happen!!! Anyhow, I hope this is just a "slump" and things will get back to normal soon..,but if anyone has suggestions on how to improve my cooking skills...DO TELL.

FASHION FAUX PAS!!!

2009-10-27T14:42:00.002-04:00

I'm sure you are wondering what in the world this blog is about...bet you can't guess??? As it turns out, my daughter Sara has a sick and twisted sense of humor and along with her Dad they thought I needed to share this story with y'all so here goes...

I warn you this could be a long story as I'm kinda known for not being able to tell a short story--you just gotta get all the facts in there and set the mood, right?? So anyhow 2 weeks ago yesterday I was on the phone with my best friend Tammy, Cleo had just left to go hunting for the evening and all was well. As I was talking I started to have this really strange upper abdominal pain and thinking it would just pass I kept talking. About 10-15 minutes later it got pretty intense so I told Tammy I needed to hang up the phone. The pain got really intense, I started to get really sweaty and generally just hurting pretty bad. I decided to try to take a cold shower to see if this would help but by the time I got my clothes off I was getting really light headed so I layed on my bed. The pain got really intense and started to move into my chest so of course I panicked thinking I was having a heart attack. My neighbor wasn't home and I knew that I couldn't drive myself to the ER so I called Cleo and told him I was calling 911. By this time I was having a full blown asthma attack brought on by the panic and the intense pain. The Coweta county firefighters and the EMT crew arrived really quick (did I mention I was in the nude???)They worked really quickly to get my breathing under control but they were unable to establish an IV line so they were unable to give me the good drugs. Once again I must mention I HAD NO CLOTHES ON!!!---Sara are ya havin a little deja vue???(inside joke). By this time it was decided to give up on the IV and just get me to the hospital. One of the firefighters was so sweet and asked me if I had a robe he could put on me...after pointing to the bathroom (unable to talk at this point) he grabbed my cute little yellow terry cloth robe and put it on me. He then asked if I had slippers (which I do but they don't match!) well he couldn't locate them so just grabbed pink flip flops! So here is the fashion faux pas...a yellow robe with pink flip flops...SERIOUSLY???

Cleo had been in touch with the 911 operator this whole time and actually beat the ambulance to the ER. After blood tests, EKG and ultrasound it was determined it was my gallbladder that was seriously inflammed so they admitted me and the next morning I was off to surgery to remove the gallbladder. Now I gave birth naturally, without epidural and that pain didn't compare to this...but the good news is I healed really quick and feel great now. After 2 days in the hospital I was allowed to go home...lets face it with this flu season, the last place I wanna be is in the hospital with all those germs.

I have seen the Coweta County Firefighters around town lots...in restaurants, stores, etc. and have always said how young and good looking they are---seriously, they could definately make a calendar (if ya know what I mean). The EMT's weren't bad looking either---young and athletic and yet somehow knowing they all saw me without clothes makes me wish they were older and maybe not so easy on the eyes!!! So the moral to this story is: unless you wanna have your own fashion faux pas, i.e. fashion blunder---get a robe with matching slippers or better yet just keep your clothes on!!!

SCORPION...EWWW!!!!!!

2009-10-10T11:19:00.003-04:00

So I have learned in my 21+ years of marriage to Cleo that I am in charge of killing spiders in our house. He is so skittish when he sees one and rather than kill it...he either tells me to or just ignores it. I am not usually afraid of them just kinda creeped out by them, but I'd much rather kill them than know they are in our house. So this morning as I walked downstairs past the front door, something caught my eye and as I looked closer I realized it was a small scorpion!!! Of course I yell for Cleo to come look and of course he doesn't budge so I ran to the kitchen, got a small container and lid and headed back to pick it up. As I was doing so, I realized it was still alive!!! and so I had to kinda squish the head to stop it and scrape it into the container because of course first thing Monday morning my "bug man" will be gettting a call from me and I need proof to show him. I'm not sure why the picture turned out so blurry, but you get the idea. Anyhow, thought this was an appropriate post for Halloween month.

P.S. Cleo and I got our flu shots and a pneumo vaccine yesterday and my arm is KILLING me! Did they put kerosene in one of those vaccines or am I just a wuss??? Just thought I'd add that little bit of info to generate some sympathy because I'm sure not getting any from Cleo :(

Meeting Miss Kenleigh

2009-09-27T12:02:00.003-04:00

I just got home from a week in SLC to meet our newest granddaughter...Miss Kenleigh Mae. I must tell you, she is AMAZING!!! She is so sweet and lovable and already has a super cute personality. She does have her days and nights somewhat mixed up, but then again, how is she to know the difference when it's been all the same for the previous 9 months. In time, I'm sure she'll get it right...or at the very least, keep her Mama and Daddy on their toes. I loved every minute of getting to know her and feed her and hold her and love on her and just simply watching her every movement. Sara and Zach are the cutest first time parents and are already doing a great job with her. It's already hard for them to be away from her for even the shortest time...but once again, in time, that will change too and they will be begging someone to take her..haha!! and I will be the first in line to do so.

I enjoyed hanging out with Sara and talking all day and night about everything and nothing and laughing and sometimes getting teary eyed. I love you Sara Mae and miss being able to do those things with you more often but I'm always just a phone call away. Zach, you are such a great husband and father and thank you for letting me invade your space for a week. You're the BEST!

On Saturday, Cleos' nieces Brooke and Michelle came over and we went to lunch. It was really fun to see little Luke and Kenleigh side by side and also to get to see Morgan and Sage again. We had a great time at lunch and enjoyed catching up with them. I took my camera with to lunch and totally forgot to have the waiter take pics so I only got a couple at Saras' house of them. Cori was able to stop by briefly after she got off work with Launa and Teiha so they were able to see their cousins as well. Thanks to you Brooke and Michelle for stopping by...it was fun.

On Monday, my parents and sister came from Wyoming to meet Kenleigh for the first time as well. It was fun to see them but it was a short visit. My pictures of them didn't turn out so well, but it was really great to see Kenleigh with her great grandparents and great aunt. Thanks to y'all as well for driving all the way for just a few short hours...love ya tons.

I think Cleo was glad to see me come home, but yesterday he told me I was getting on his nerves and he was ready for me to go again!!! Gosh, I was only home for 3 days and he's already tired of me...HOW RUDE!!! Just kidding...it's always fun for me to take little trips but I love coming home and it's nice to feel needed at home.

Nana and Kenleigh Mae....don't ya think she looks like me???

Meet the Parents...they are so cute

Kenleighs' "Let me think about it" pose

Morgan and Sage...how cute are they??

Brooke and Luke...he looks just like the other 3 and Brooke told me her and Jeff had one mold and used it all 4 times. Super cute little man!!

Pig Roast...YUMMY!!!

2009-09-07T10:42:00.003-04:00

Jarod and Lindsey came down yesterday afternoon for a pig roast...and I gotta tell ya it was really YUMMY!!! Seriously, I was a bit nervous to eat the pig that Cleo killed last weekend. I mean, a wild pig...come on now that's just wrong. Considering where they live and what they eat how good could it be? Well, I was WRONG, it was really good and come to find out they are fed corn along with their regular diet (of who knows what?). We had to buy a new grill a couple weeks ago and we got the spit attachment and Cleo grilled it slow (about 4-5 hrs) and basted it with bbq sauce. He also grilled corn on the cob and it was the best. Doesn't this look too good???

Just call him Emeril...he did such a good job that I now think he can take over the cooking duties full time at our house. He was very glad that I liked the pig as he now thinks he will be able to go on another pig hunt...silly guy! Jarod and Lindsey spent the night and we really just had a very relaxing time with them. Thanks for coming down guyz!!! Hope y'all are having a great Labor Day.

Pig Hunt & Yard Project

2009-09-02T10:24:00.004-04:00

This past weekend Cleo was able to go on a wild pig hunt with a couple guys he works with. They got up early Sunday morning and headed over to Dublin Georgia and hunted all day. Cleo shot his pig pretty early and then he just "chilled" while the other people hunted theirs. He said it was a hoot and he would definately do it again. We're excited to try it and see if it's any good. We just had to buy a new grill so we got the spit attachment for it and we're gonna grill up one of the roasts this weekend when Jarod and Lindsey come down. I'll let ya know how it taste!!! The gang with their bounty...and yes, that's a girl on the end!!!

Cleo and a couple other hunters

Not a huge pig (maybe 75-80 lbs.) but he was sure proud of it :~)_

Also last week we had our last (well maybe) yard project for this year done. Cleo cut down the clump of trees to the right of the house as they were looking pretty sickly and then we had a guy come in and grind the stump and then we laid sod. It looks pretty nice and will be much easier to mow without having to go around that mess! We then had concrete curbing put around the 2 little trees in the front yard as well as the flower beds...we took out all the old red mulch and replaced it with chocolate mulch which looks much nicer and goes better with the brick on the house. We had the little area that was in the front porch (small flower bed) removed and concrete laid there as well...as soon as that cures for a couple weeks the guy will come back and lay a texture over the porch and put some color in it. We now have a much bigger entry and it will be nice when it's all done. I bought 4 solar lamps and lined the porch with them and they really look pretty...especially at night when they're lit up.

Grinding the stump

The new patch of sod...will look nice next year when it blends with the other grass

Concrete curbing...the color matches the brick on our house and looks great!

Front flower bed...I purposely didn't take pics of the front porch as I will do that when it's done in a few weeks. We're pretty sure this will be the last project for this year...but then again, we always manage to find something else we want done!!! I think we need to give the wallet a rest for now :~)

Kenleigh Mae Howarth

2009-08-30T08:58:00.003-04:00

She's here!!!! Sara and Zach had little Kenleigh Mae last night at 6:33. She weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long with red hair. She is gorgeous and both her and Mommy are doing great. We are so happy for both Sara and Zach and know they will be amazing parents...little Kenleigh is a very lucky girl. We can't wait to see her in person and give her lots of loves. I will update as I get more pictures of her.

Lifes Good

2009-08-21T09:03:00.003-04:00

Life is good at the Cheney homestead...this was the scene in the backyard on Wednesday afternoon. This sweet little fawn was following her Mamas' lead and checking out the corn feeder. I couldn't get any closer to take the picture or I would've scared her off. There are 2 doe and 2 fawns that regularly come to the feeder around 4:00 each afternoon. The turkeys are also starting to show up again...their babies are growing fast this year. Cleo and I love sitting on the hunting porch and watching the wildlife that play in the yard.

We're also really excited to welcome our third granddaughter into the world...should be in the next 2 weeks or so. I think Sara is quite anxious to get her here and have the pregnancy behind her. I know that she will be a sweet little princess and will have her Grandpa wrapped around her little finger immediately (just like the other 2!). Cori also found out that she and Brandon will be having another little girl in Feb. (their 3rd). We are super excited for that as well...guess the Good Lord knows how much Cleo loves his girls and felt it only appropriate to bless him with a few more!!!

We're going to the Braves game with Jarod and Lindsey tonight (that dang rain better hold off!!!). We haven't been to a game since their home opener so are really looking forward to this one. I absolutely love the Braves...win or lose...they have always been my favorite team and always will be. Gotta love Bobby Cox, a man who minces no words and says it like it is!!

Hope y'all have a great weekend...

Guys Getaway

2009-08-05T14:17:00.003-04:00

The first weekend that I was gone to New York, Cleo went on a fishing trip to Mexico Beach, Florida with a bunch of guys he works with. I think he said it was like a 4-5 hour drive down there on Friday night and then they had to get up super early Sat. morning for a 2 hour boat ride out to the fishing area. They fished all day and then had a 2 hour boat ride back and then back home to Georgia...Whew, makes me tired thinking about all that. He had a great time and they caught lots of fish. The crew on the boat gutted and cleaned all the fish and then filleted them all for ya, so all Cleo had to do when he got home was divide it into freezer bags. We have a ton of fish in the freezer now and are looking forward to grilling some this weekend...YUMMY!!! This is Cleo with the Amberjack he caught. He said it took 20-25 minutes to reel them in and his arms were pretty sore the next morning. What a hoot....

Red snapper and grouper caught and ready to clean.

The "Massana Gang" with all their catch. I'm really glad Cleo was able to go so he didn't have to sit home and miss me too much...hahaha! Hopefully, they will make this an annual event and he can go again next year.

Girls Getaway

2009-08-05T13:50:00.004-04:00

I just got home on Monday night from a 10 day trip to New York State with my best friend Tammy. I only had 4 dull days after Cori, Brandon and the girls left to get my house back into order, do the yardwork and get packed for this trip...but I made it!!! We had been planning this for several months and I was really looking forward to some relaxing time with my best friend because no matter where we go or what we do, we always have a good time. So she had flown in 5 days before me and spent some time with her son and his family...she picked me up at the airport in Rochester on 7/24 and we headed down to the southern tier to be with her mom and sisters and spend the weekend at the Canal Fest (an annual arts/crafts festival) which was actually near Buffalo somewhere. It was really a fun time, but I only found one thing to buy :(
Apparently the economy kept a lot of vendors from participating this year, but we still managed to have a good time. Then on Sunday night we headed back up to Rochester to spend the week at her sons' house. They just bought their first home and Tammy and I helped them to do some decorating.

On Wednesday, Tammy and I headed up to Niagara Falls, Canada to shop, eat and play for a night. I had been there once before about 7 years ago but it was in October and super cold and rainy so I didn't enjoy it much. This time the weather was much nicer although it did rain that afternoon but only for about 2 hours and then cleared up and was gorgeous the rest of the time. We had a really great time and I really miss hanging out with Tammy so it was great to just catch up and hang out.
This was the fireworks from our hotel balcony. About 3 nights a week during the summer months they have fireworks down at the falls, but we decided to watch from our balcony instead. It was really gorgeous!

This was actually a live person!!! I know..he looks just like a statue, but he was most definately human. He was just selling the beads you see hanging from his hands...weird, huh???

This looks like a ferris wheel, but it's actually called the SkyWheel and those cages are enclosed and like a glass elevator box and you can see the entire falls from above...pretty cool and it was right across the street from our hotel and we could see it from our balcony...it was really pretty all lit up at night.

During the 2 hour rainstorm the afternoon we got there, we decided to go over to the casino and see if we could win anything...NOT!!! It didn't take me long to lose my money but Tammy won a little and so I just sat and watched her (as well as the people...love to people watch!) until she finally lost her money too. It was a great way to kill a few hours. This was Tammy playing the Wheel of Fortune slots.

Beautiful view of the Big Falls from the Canada side. They took my breath away and were so much prettier than I remember them being the last time I was there.

This is a night view of the smaller Falls from the Canada side.

The boat you see is called the Maid of the Mist and will take you right up to the Falls. We didn't do it because I didn't feel like getting super wet and then having to drive for an hour and a half to get back to Tammys' sons house. If it hadn't been rainy the first day, we probably would've done it, but maybe next time.

Not a great picture of me (wind blown hairdo!) but Tammy looks good.

We had a really good time, but I'm glad to be home again. I think Cleo really missed me because he told me 10 days was way too long for me to be gone...AWW, so nice to be loved and missed! Thanks to you Tammy for the great trip and can't wait to plan another one.

Good Things Must Come To an End...

2009-07-22T09:33:00.003-04:00

I'm a little late posting on the 3rd week of our grandkids visit to Georgia...so here goes. The girls were really interested to see where Grandpa works so one afternoon I took them out to his job and they were able to "play" on the big equipment with their Grandpa whom they idolize. Teiha wasn't intimidated by the size of the equipment at all and once Launa was up on the first one and safe on her Grandpas' lap, she wasn't either. They had lots of fun and got to "operate" a big tractor, a bulldozer and a backhoe. They came home nice and dirty but happy! Grandpa and his girls...

Teiha on the tractor with Grandpa

Launa on the backhoe with Grandpa

Teiha doing her beauty queen wave...guess she thought she was in a parade or something!!

Launa on the bulldozer with Grandpa. This was one of the last things we did with the girls before their last weekend (before Cori and Brandon came). On the last weekend, we took them up to Atlanta and they stayed with Jarod and Lindsey for 2 nights. They totally spoiled them as well and had a great time with them. I don't have pictures of that weekend but it sounds like they had a great time with their Uncle Jarod and Aunt Lindsey. They were here for 2 days short of 3 weeks before thier parents came out and for only being 4 and 6, they did amazingly well. They kinda started getting homesick (really just missing their parents) a couple days before Cori and B got here but they were really fun to have and we sure enjoyed spending time with them.

On Sunday the 12th Cori and Brandon flew in for a week...and once they got here Launa and Teiha were different kids (i.e. monsters!!!) No seriously, for the first 2 days they were so beasty we could hardly stand it, but then my Mom said that's how we always were as kids...as soon as our parents showed up we were monsters, so I guess that's just how it goes. They really are sweet, funny, and bright little girls and even though they had their moments, they were awesome to have around. We really enjoyed having Cori and Brandon here for a week as well. It's the most time we've ever spent around Brandon and we got to know his personality a lot better. We hope y'all had a good time and wish we could've done more while you were here but it just makes us look forward to many more visits in the future. We had a bbq on their last day here with Jarod and Lindsey and it was a gorgeous day and we had lots of fun in the backyard. Of course we made Jarod cook ribs and Cori and B made stuffed mushrooms which were amazing (love it when the kids come and cook!). We really enjoyed spending time with everyone and wish Sara, Zach, Kyle and Mikell could've been here as well...maybe someday!!

Brandon was kicking a ball for the girls to chase and it got stuck in this tree

Brandon climbing the tree to get it out...took him a good 10 minutes to get it loose, but the girls sure thought he was a HERO when it finally came down.

Lindsey, Brandon and Teiha playing cornhole

Launa playing with Georgia....Launa absolutely loved Jarods' dog and I'm sure Georgia was really worn out after spending the day with the kids!

We couldn't wait til dark to do s'mores in the backyard firepit...Don't ya just love Georgia eyeing the s'mores makings in my hand???

Thanks again Cori and Brandon for letting the girls come out and spend time with us and also for your week visit with us. We love y'all and can't wait to see you again...

Week 2...

2009-07-08T15:53:00.003-04:00

So it's now been 2 weeks since the girls came home with us and we've had lots of adventures. They don't really know how to act with a yard and room to play outside without traffic or sharing a playground with other kids...but they're learning! They don't even need toys to entertain them as they find many things in the woods to make up games. The first picture is pine cones and leaves that they made into the "Cheney Family" from the reunion. Although they couldn't remember all their relatives, they did do all of our immediate family and it was so cute to see who got hair, who didn't, who was chunky (Sara --because of Kenleigh only!) and who was napping (Grandpa-haha). They played this for hours last Friday morning after breakfast before they got dressed. This was Grandpa (and me...just not in the picture, always taking them) taking them for a walk in the woods and down to the little creek. They got to take off shoes and socks and wade in the creek but for some reason those pics didn't turn out.

Grandpa helped them get into this huge tree (sorry it's a little blurry...I really need a new camera!). They were a little scared at first, but once they were in it, they thought it was pretty cool.

Follow the leader...they sure love their Grandpa.

On the 4th of July in downtown Newnan they had a street festival with a few little rides for the kids which they really loved. It was so hot and we were all sweating so bad, but we lasted about 3-4 hours. We went with some friends of ours and then had lunch at the Red Neck Cafe which is always a treat.

They had face painting and the girls were so excited to be butterflies. I thought it turned out super cute and it lasted quite a while...well, until we got home and they started messing around then it was time for Grandma to wash it off so it wouldn't get on the furniture or their clothes.

And finally, yesterday (Tuesday) the girls and I all had a "mental meltdown" all at the same time. Let me just say that Launa and Teiha were REALLY happy to see their Grandpa come home from work and they spent several hours outside with him. I had to take a walk after dinner and by the time I got home all was good again. I guess that much estrogen in one house for 2 weeks will add up even when 2 of the girls are under the age of 7!!! Anyhow, when we got up this morning, we decided what better way to make it up than to go get pedicures and do a little shopping...cause that's what we girls do best is pamper ourselves. I couldn't find any clothes for myself, but the girls each got a cute little summer dress and flip flops.

Luana got purple sparkly nail polish with a flower on each big toe...once again the camera didn't do it justice.

Tieha got orange sparkly with flowers on each big toe...sorry for the blurry picture. Can you tell that I need a new camera or have I mentioned that before??? HEHEHE!!

Anyhow that sums up our week 2. We are taking the girls to Jarod and Lindseys on Friday and they are staying with them until Sunday afternoon. Cori and Brandon fly in late on Sunday night and will be here all next week. The girlies are ready to see their Mom and Dad and I'm sure that feeling is mutual for Cori and Brandon.

Sunday Sadness

2009-07-05T13:33:00.003-04:00

We had a little drama at the Cheney homestead this weekend...so let me see if I can explain it to you. So when we got home from the Cheney reunion a couple weeks ago, Cleo was showing the girls around the place when they came upon a small bird nest with 4 little eggs in it. It was in a wooden basket that was on his "hunting porch". Grandpa explained the process of laying eggs and how the Mama Bird cares for them until they hatch and that you can't touch them and every night they would go out and check on the eggs to see if they had hatched yet. Yesterday (the 4th) we had been downtown enjoying the festivities all afternoon and when we came home the girls rested for a bit and then went outside to play. Unknown to Cleo and I, they "checked on" the birds nest all by themselves and little by little last night the details of their escapade became clear to us both. They had gone out to the porch, Launa climbed up on the milkcan while Teiha kept a look out, and then Launa reached in grabbed 3 of the eggs and proceeded to crush them in her hands. Now, I'm pretty sure they were just curious to see what the little birds looked like and didn't really mean to kill them, but nonetheless they did kill them! They then proceeded to hide the evidence behind a big tree in the woods---funny girls!!! Well it was after dark last night when all this came out so Cleo couldn't really go check on things so first thing this morning he went out and sure enough...there was only 1 little egg left. He calmly came into the house, herded the girls up, and had a really long "talk" with them about how wrong this was and how sad the Mama Bird must be to discover 3 of her babies were dead. For those of you who really know Cleo, you know how much he loves nature and all animals and he saw this is a perfect opportunity to give the girls a much needed Life Lesson. They were punished by having to sit seperately for 1/2 hour and be quiet, which wasn't easy for them. They truly seemed to be sorry for their deeds and after punishment time was over, Grandpa took them outside to give the baby birds a proper burial.
This is the lone surviving bird egg...sure hope the Mama Bird won't abandon this one

Teiha and launa covering the grave

Thie girls saying a prayer over the grave

The "headstone" that Cleo made for the grave.

I wasn't out there when the burial took place, but Cleo said it was pretty cute. Their little prayer was really sweet and they seemed very sorry to have killed them and most likely will never do this again. I just wanted to share this touching story with y'all and hope that the girls learned a valuable lesson this weekend.

Week 1....

2009-07-02T09:56:00.005-04:00

Cleo and I have been having so much fun this past 9 days with our 2 sweet (not sure that's the appropriate adjective!) granddaughters. They keep us on our toes and keep us laughing for sure. All my instincts are still there...just the reflexes are a bit slow but I'm loving every minute of it. I think Cleo is happy to go to work during the day and then get all the attention at night. Launa is definately a Grandpas' girl and Teiha is my little shadow and follows me everywhere...literally everywhere, i.e. the bathroom, the laundry room, the kitchen, everywhere! This is Launa on the couch yesterday...she has come down with a pretty nasty cold and isn't feeling too good and about 5:00 yesterday she fell asleep on the couch...so sweet.

Teiha, Launa and Grandma drawing on the driveway with sidewalk chalk

Grandpa is drawing an outline of Launa for her to color in

This is Teihas' body outline and she's getting ready to color it in

We went to the Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain on Saturday. You drive thru the park in your own vehicle and feed the animals. Launa was feeding this deer...she wasn't really scared for them to lick her, but Teiha would have nothing to do with that and just threw the food out the window onto the ground. They thought it was pretty fun

Both girls looking down at a pig...they were so cute but yet so ugly and they really made the girls laugh.

This is our "Redneck Swimming Pool". We turned the hottub down so the girls could use as a swimming pool, but we made the mistake of letting them run around in the grass and then get back in and the water turned pretty nasty so we had to drain it and we still haven't filled it back up. I did take them over to my friends to swim in her pool the other day and that seemed to work out much better :)

Every evening around 8:30-9:00 the little toads make their way to our back patio and Launa is fascinated by them so she makes Grandpa take her out there so she can catch them. She is really good at it and just loves to chase them, catch them, hold them softly and then let them go free. Teiha, once again, won't have anything to do with touching them but loves to locate them and make her sister catch them.

Last night while Launa was taking a nap on the couch, Cleo took Teiha for a walk into the woods and she found some turkey feathers. When they got home they played Pocahontas...it was so cute to watch them play and she obviously thought she was hot stuff.

This is Grandpa and Teiha with their feathers in their hair. She loved having Grandpa to herself for a little bit while her Sissy slept.

This kind of sums up our first 9 days with the girls. Who knows what the next week and a half will bring...but I'll be sure to post more pics for their Mommy and Daddy to see. The girls really miss them but they are being very good and don't really seem to mind being here without them. We are excited for Cori and Brandon to come on the 12th and spend a week here with us as well.

Bates Motel???

2009-06-26T10:40:00.004-04:00

So at the Cheney Reunion this past weekend most everyone camped but since we had to fly to get there and had no camping gear, we stayed in a hotel. First a little background info...Suzan researched the accomodations on the internet and sent me the link. There was one that was an "apartment style" that could sleep up to 8 people and so our family decided this would be perfect for us and we could all stay in the same place, save a little money and have some quality bonding time. The pictures on the internet made it look so cute and cozy even though it was a little old....yeah right!!! Sue and I went and checked in...she got her room...we got ours and she did talk them down $20 so that was good...but I'm beginning to wonder if they should've paid us to stay there! Our son in law Zach is NOT a camper at all, but after seeing the room, he said he would rather camp so that just goes to show ya exactly how bad the room was...sorry Zach!! This was the ceiling...I think they were going for a cloud scene

Electrical outlet beside our bed...pretty sure it broke a few fire codes

The main (and only) bathroom

Does this look safe to you?

Entry way....probably the nicest part of the whole deal!!

Cori, Sara and Zach outside the hotel/apartment or whatever it really is

This wheelchair was inside one of the closets and it was just really creepy. If you look close enough at the crumbling wallpaper I'm pretty sure you can see an "aura" of something...

Once again, my camera had a mind of it's own...but then again it could've been the man in the wheelchair casting his evil around (aka Uncle Brent).

We laughed so hard at this hotel/apartment and had a good time despite the conditions. Sue and Brents room was much smaller than ours, but had just as many flaws. I really think the owners should renovate or possibly condemn these rooms because the next occupants might not have such a sense of humor! But seriously Sue you did a great job for what you had to work with. We sure love you guys and wish we could've spent more time together. Hope y'all enjoy the pictures and get a good laugh from them

Cheney Reunion

2009-06-26T10:29:00.003-04:00

This past weekend was the Cheney family reunion at Lava Hot Springs in Idaho. We had a lot of fun and the little kids enjoyed getting to know each other. They had lots of fun swimming in the pool and going on the water slides there, but I didn't get any pictures of that. My camera has a mind of its own and chooses which pictures it wants to take or which ones turn out, not me! This is our granddaughter Teiha (on the left) and her cousin Sage. Teiha really loved her and wanted to smother her with attention...too cute!

Saturday morning after breakfast the kids were playing red light, green light. There were so many little girls and hardly any little boys, but the boys hung in there with all that estrogen flowing and had fun too.

Morgan playing in the water faucet.

Grandma Cheney looking over the flock. It was kind of a short reunion this year, but it did start raining on Saturday after lunch, so I guess it's just as well that we all planned to leave early. Hope you enjoyed all the family Grandma and Grandpa Cheney. We sure love you guys.

Staying Steady!

2009-06-16T15:05:00.002-04:00

Just got home from Cleos' 3 month dr. visit (nephrologist) and everything is staying steady...YAY!! His GFR is still 22 which is the same as it was in March so that's really good. He won't go on the active transplant list until it dips to 20. All his other labs were normal as well---even his cholesterol so we must be doing something right. The only thing that was even slightly up was his sugar...do ya think it could be the 3 snack size butterfingers he has every night after dinner??? The dr. wasn't at all concerned about it and said he looked great. His weight was down 3 pounds so guess all in all it was a great dr. visit. We feel so blessed that his health is good and when the time comes for the transplant we are ready. Still have lots of family and even some friends who are willing to be tested when that time comes, so we feel he won't have to wait long for a new kidney.

We are leaving Thursday morning and heading to SLC for the Cheney family reunion. It's at Lava Hot Springs in Idaho this year and it should be lots of fun. We are really excited to see our kids/grandkids/kids-in-law and to meet Kyles' girlfriend Mikell. We are also looking forward to catching up with all the other "Cheneys" who will be there. Such a fun family and it will be fun for all the little grandkids to play together. We will be bringing our 2 granddaughters home with us for 3 weeks and then Cori and Brandon will come out for a week...so we get to have them for 4 weeks total and are super excited for that!! Grandpa has lots of fun things planned for their visit and we will be adding a new addition or two (keep ya posted on that surprise!) while they are here.

Thanks again for all the prayers for Cleos' health. We sure do love y'all.

Just another beautiful weekend...

2009-06-07T13:49:00.003-04:00

I know it seems that some of you in the blogging world are getting a little tired of blogging, I on the other hand, never seem to tire of blogging...or reading blogs...or blog stalking! It would seem to some that our life is an open book and I just hope that y'all enjoy the read.

We have had an absolutely gorgeous weekend here and we'd much rather be outside doing something in our yard than sitting in the house. We have a couple spots in our grass that aren't looking so good, so I had a brilliant idea to go to the new house up the road where they had just laid sod and pick up some of their scraps. So Cleo hooked up the wagon for me and off I went up the street.
Nothing runs like a Deere...

And off I go.....but in the end, the scraps weren't super healthy and Cleo decided we would be better off going and buying a few plugs. So into the woods the scraps went and that was the end of that idea (sounded like a good way to save a few bucks to me!). Since the wagon was already hooked up, I headed off to look for rocks for the firepit area. I found some pretty good ones that were being used in a manmade culvert to divert water on a back road...OOPS!!! I didn't take that many and I'm sure they'll never miss them, nor will it cause any flooding. I brought them home, unloaded them and Cleo put them around the firepit he had dug a while back. I think it turned out pretty nice and I will continue to "pick up" a few every once in a while to build it up a bit more.

This is what it looks like now...it will be so much fun to roast hotdogs and s'mores on when our granddaughters come to visit.

This is the whole firepit area, with some large stumps as seating. We hope to build or buy a picnic bench soon so that we can enjoy cooking around the campfire and eating in the woods. The grass that Cleo planted about a month ago is starting to really fill in the area and now you can walk around without getting muddy or walking on stumps everywhere.

We really enjoy our "country living" and know that it may sound boring to some...but, IT IS WHAT IT IS and we LOVE IT!!!

Saras' Visit

2009-05-23T08:50:00.003-04:00

Last weekend Sara Mae came for the weekend. We had so much fun with her and it was really good to see her. She is such a cute little pregnant woman and little Miss Kenleigh is keeping her on her toes :) She flew in on Friday afternoon and I picked her up at the airport. She had requested fried chicken and fried potatoes for dinner (much to her Dads' liking!) so we just sat around and ate and visited that night. On Saturday morning her and I went and finished her baby registry at Babies R Us...which was so much fun. I just love buying for babies, especially when they're our granddaughters!!! She had a pretty good start on it already, but was unsure about some things which she might need so we were able to get that all taken care of. Thanks for letting me help you Sara. That night we went out to a Mexican Restaurant in Peachtree City and ate dinner...YUMMY!! then came home and chilled. Cleo decided to put together his new yard wagon when we got home and so Sara and I decided to take it for a spin..... "I'm a big girl now"

Cleo and Sara checking out the new wagon...we did get it together right...thanks to Sara reading the directions (something her Dad doesn't often do!).

Then on Sunday, we went up to Jarod and Lindseys' house. Lindsey had a marketing event at a really nice salon in Smyrna to promote her new business "Gracious Living" so Cleo stayed with Jarod while Sara and I went and checked that out. We treated Sara to a pedicure and I got a manicure (Mothers' Day gift from Jarod & Lindsey...thanks guys). It was a really nice event and Lindsey had a good turnout. We wish her all the best with her new business. After that was over, Jarod grilled filet mignon for us and it was TOO GOOD!! We sat around and visited for a little while then went back home as Saras' flight left at 6:30 am Monday morning and her and her Dad needed their sleep (of course I slept in..haha!)

Sara getting her pedicure...really nice salon!!

The gang at Jarod and Lindseys' house.

Thank you Sara for coming to visit us and hope the next time Zach can come with you. We love you so much and can't wait to see you in June for the reunion. You are going to be an amazing Mom and we're very excited to meet Miss Kenleigh.

Sara might have a different "spin" on this visit and could probably be much more humorous about some of the little details I left out...so I will leave that up to her to blog or not :~)

Cleos' "Hunting" Porch

2009-05-12T13:26:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to share with y'all Cleos' latest project. He had decided he wanted to build a porch/deck off of the shed so that he could sit (really nap!) in the shade. Our concrete patio is in the direct sunlight all day so we really did need a shaded area to relax on. So he drew up the plans, we headed to Home Depot, got all the supplies and he had a friend come over 2 weekends ago and help him get the frame square. After that, it was just him and I to do the rest. Although he tells everyone that I helped, I mostly supervised him! but I did come up with a few good suggestions (his words, not mine) and actually did run the power drill once. We got a lot of rain the first weekend so we ended up finishing it this past Saturday. It is so much fun to do things together and we're both pretty proud of how it turned out. He still has to shingle the roof and we won't be able to paint or stain it for a year due to the fact that we got treated wood and I guess it has to "cure" for a year before it can be painted. Leveling the ground for the footings

Of course...this sneaky little snake had to show up first thing!!! I still hate snakes and am pretty scared of them, but I'm trying to deal with it and not be such a wimp.

Cleo and Randal setting the footings.

Measure twice, cut once (Dad you would be proud of him!)

Getting the roof on.

The railings going up. They are a little higher on the sides and lower in the front so you can really see into the woods.

The finished product...Isn't it just too cute??? He needs to fill in around the deck with dirt and then we're gonna put a stone walkway leading up to it with some nice plants all around it. He says I can't "cutsey" it up too much because after all it's a hunting porch...but we'll see who wins that argument. We will eventually get some outdoor furniture to put on it, but for now it's just really cozy and very relaxing to sit on.

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-10T08:50:00.002-04:00

"Becoming a Mom might not be so difficult, but BEING a Mom is the most important job a woman can have". This is a quote that I read in our local Newnan paper one day this week and I thought it was very profound. I have truly been blessed with the BEST Mom in the world...she taught me so much about life and love and the value of being a good Mom. I love her so much and wish I could be with her to celebrate this day, but since I can't, please know how much I love you Mom and appreciate everything you have done for me and taught me over the past 46 1/2 years. I continue to learn from you each and every day.

I also want to wish all the other "Moms" in my life a very happy Mothers' Day. I am inspired every day by you all. We can all learn lessons from strong, independent and loving Moms everywhere. Being a Mom is the greatest gift ever given to me and I don't take it lightly...I will always strive to be the best Mom to each of my kids and their spouses. I pray that our Heavenly Father will bless each of you on this very special day.

I'm such a bad person!!!!

2009-04-30T12:05:00.002-04:00

Okay so this is kinda a funny story that I just had to share and get opinions on. Ever since we moved to the southeast 13 years ago, we've always had a "bug man" who comes every 6-8 weeks to spray the inside and outside for bugs. Now, for those of you who've never been to this area, I'm telling you that there are some pretty ominous looking critters that crawl around and I just don't want them in my house. I have ALWAYS had the BEST "bug man" and they really just love their jobs...I mean come on, you'd have to love your job to crawl around and kill bugs for a living. So anyway, my bug guy hasn't been here since the end of January and I was getting a little concerned since the weather is getting warmer and things are starting to crawl around again. I got an email saying that he would be here last Wed (8 days ago) and he never showed up. So I waited until this Monday and I called and left him a nice voicemail saying that I really needed him to come out ASAP. No response, so on Tuesday I called the office and left another voicemail, not quite as polite this time but still friendly...and still nothing. So this morning I emailed them and said that I was more than happy to find another company that would come out and within 30 minutes of sending that email someone finally called me. Now, here's the clincher, my "bug man" died yesterday morning!!! Apparently he had been in the hospital in ICU for a week and then died yesterday so the company was scrambling to find people to cover his route. I feel like such a nasty person, but seriously don't you think they could've at least sent out a group email to all his customers letting them know the circumstances and that they were doing their best to cover his route??? Long story (not so short!) they sent someone out right away and he was the nicest man and he did our bug service. He said they would do their best to find a replacement as soon as possible and there shouldn't be any further interruption in our future service.

Now my question to y'all is: Am I a bad person or could I have handled it better??? What would you have done???

Easter Weekend 2009

2009-04-13T10:33:00.003-04:00

So this is a picture of our beautiful Easter table. Our daughter in law, Lindsey, is really good at doing arrangements, table settings and just about anything else and she had asked if she could set the table at our house for Easter dinner. Of course I said yes...one less thing for me to do...so she started with the beautiful table cloth the Cleo bought when he was in Northern Ireland many years ago. I think I've used it less than a dozen times since we've been married, but it really is beautiful and makes a great Easter theme because of the colors in it. She then put my china on the table (which is kinda funny since we had fried chicken!) and then just went thru my buffet looking for other things to add to the table. I had decided to eat at the breakfast table instead of the dining room table since it was just the 4 of us and this way we could see the tv and keep up with the Masters Golf tournament :) It all turned out really pretty...thanks a ton Lindsey.

Cleo had requested fried chicken, baked mac-n-cheese and biscuits for Easter dinner so we totally opted for "non-traditional" this year. It was sooo yummy and totally fat & cholesterol free..hahaha!! Lindsey brought angel food cake with strawberries and whip cream for dessert and the whole day was wonderful. We all just relaxed after dinner and finished watching the Masters Tournament...I really love golf and this years' tournament was exciting.

Cleo brought home this skid steer on Friday to finish up leveling the woods behind the house.

It rained (freakin' Monsoon!) on Friday night so it was pretty wet on Saturday when he started out but the sun finally came out and the wind blew a little so it helped dry it out some. He was pretty much able to finish leveling. Now we just need to get some grass seed and straw and seed that area back there. It will really be nice when it's all done.

On Friday night, we met Jarod and Lindsey up in Atlanta and went to the Braves home opener at Turner Field. The game started at 7:30 and I was so excited because although we've been to lots of games, we've never been to a season opener. So I told Cleo we needed to leave at 6:00 (usually a 40 minute drive) so we could have at least 45 minutes to walk around and do a little shopping at the stadium...Yeah right, 2 1/2 hours later we finally pulled into the main parking lot at the stadium just in time for the rain to start and by the time we got from the car to the front gate, it was in the 3rd inning and they decided to do a rain-delay! Well, the tickets we had were awesome seats (right behind home plate) but they also allowed us to get into the 755 Club so we all went up there and sat and ate dinner and waited for the rain delay to end. You cannot even imagine the rain that fell on that field, there were parts of it that looked like they were under a foot of water and we kept thinking there's no way they can restart this game, but 2 hours after the rains started they were able to restart the game. We were totally amazed at the drainage on that field and you couldn't even tell it had rained when the game restarted. We were excited to finally see them play...the game went into extrat innings and the Braves finally won at the end of the 10th and we got home at 2:15 am!!! How exciting is that for the home opener??? Gotta love them Braves.

Well, this turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. Hope y'all had a wonderful Easter and thanks for checking in on us...

Boys & Their Toys!

2009-04-05T11:25:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I'm guessing there aren't too many of you out there who can truly say their husband brought home this big of a toy to play with...am I right??? Cleo had been telling me that there was a piece of equipment he wanted to borrow from work to dig up the tree stumps in the woods immediately surrounding our yard, but honestly, I had no clue it would be this big!!! On Friday night after work this is what pulled into our yard---imagine the look on my face and more importantly, the look on Cleos' to have this "toy" to play with over the weekend.

So he got to work early Saturday morning and spent about 8-9 hours digging up tree stumps and then making piles of debris and then removing those piles of debris into the woods. I'm pretty sure he was in his glory all day sitting on that piece of equipment. It's a good thing he spent so much time out there yesterday as it was pretty muddy already with all the rain we've had over the last couple weeks and it's starting to rain this morning. He did get the backhoe stuck slightly a couple times yesterday but nothing too serious.

This was the first stump to come up...

This was several hours into the project...sleeves rolled up and gloves on!! Down to business now!

One of the many piles of debris...and while it looks as if he just made a mess, there was a method to his madness. He now needs to get a skid steer (not sure what that is either!) and he says he can level it all out and "dress it up" so that he can then put seed down. There will be a firepit in the middle so we can enjoy nights roasting marshmallows or making smores and while we still have lots of work to do, we are enjoying it all very much.

I am very grateful for a husband who loves to "play" with big toys and who loves doing fun things to our property. We still have many plans but a little at a time.....

Let's Talk Turkey...

2009-03-30T10:28:00.003-04:00

Okay, so on any given day while Cleo is at work, this is what our yard and the woods surrounding it look like...full of turkeys. And yet as soon as he gets home, camos up and heads into the woods to hunt turkey they amazingly disappear! Turkey season officially opened on March 21st and Cleo has diligently tried to call in a turkey and kill one without resorting to sitting on the back porch and just shooting one at the feeder. Several weeks before the season opened, we headed to the sporting goods' store, got him a turkey call thingamajig and he has been practicing (in the house while I'm trying to read or watch tv!) his turkey calls. He has read up on the internet and had coffee at the local waffle house with several old locals and tried to get all the ins and outs of successfully calling in a turkey and yesterday late in the afternoon it all paid off for him. He was like a little kid who shot something for the first time with his new BB gun when he came walking onto the back porch with his prize over his shoulder and a really big grin on his face...PRICELESS!! I was so excited for him...and we both figured that since he's been feeding them corn all winter it was only fair that he kill at least one of them. He said it was such a rush to call one in and actually get a shot at it.

Cleos' first turkey kill of the 2009 season

This wasn't the biggest Tom we have seen, but he was pretty good size. He had beautiful feathers.

So now that he's figured it out, I'm sure he will be out every night after work and on the weekends trying to do it again and get another one. He doesn't hunt just to kill anything but more for the sport of it. He has gotten pretty "soft" in his old age and he would never just go wild and kill something...but if he could get a really big Tom with a long beard, he would like to have it mounted to add to his "man cave" furnishings.

It is so cool to see him have so much fun right outside our own backdoor. He truly is in heaven our here......

Sue & Brent

2009-03-23T09:57:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we were lucky enough to have Sue and Brent (Cleos' sister & brother in law)come and visit with us. They had been on a bike tour through the back country of GA, TN & NC with some friends and extended their stay by a night so they could come and see us. They got here Friday afternoon and Cleo got home from work shortly after. We visited for a while and then Jarod came down and went to dinner with us--Lindsey had to work late and wasn't able to come with him. We went to eat at a cute little diner in downtown Newnan called the Redneck Gourmet. It's obviously nothing fancy, but they have great food and the atmosphere is fun. Sue got to experience a southern treat and ordered fried pickles as an appetizer. The whole table enjoyed them. After dinner we went back to the house and Jarod left shortly after to head back home. We stayed up until well after midnight talking and laughing and just enjoying being around each other.

Sue and Brent...y'all are the BEST!!! We love you both so much and just appreciate you coming to see us and our new home. Even though we don't get together often enough, we can always just pick up where we left off and feel comfortable with each other. It's fun to spend time with family and not feel obligated to "entertain" or do anything special. We can't wait for the reunion this summer and to see the rest of the family. Thanks again for rearranging your schedule and coming down---thanks also for dinner and really glad you enjoyed the fried pickles!

Aren't they just the cutest sister and brother ever???

Happy Birthday Lindsey!!!

2009-03-07T08:04:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Lindseys' birthday (our beautiful daughter in law) so to help her celebrate, Cleo and I went up to Atlanta last night and took her and Jarod out to dinner at our favorite Mexican Restaurant "Los Bravos". We eat up there whenever we get a chance and this was a perfect opportunity to enjoy good food and good company. Jarod had told me a while back that Lindsey was always stealing his cozy made for him by Grandma Cheney years ago, so I thought it was time she got her own. Now, I wish I could say that I made this beautiful pink NC State cozy for her but that would just be a lie!!! My good friend Alison made it for me and she did a beautiful job and Lindsey loved it. It has the NC State logo all over it in pink and then pink flannel on the reverse side so it will be nice and cozy and I don't think Jarod will be stealing this one from her...what with it being pink and all (what a plan, huh??).

This is a close up of the material...isn't it cute??

I ordered cupcakes from a great bakery here in Newnan called Sweet Sensations, but we were all so full after dinner that we didn't eat one. I hope that you enjoy them Lindsey and let me know if they're any good.

And then of course there's Georgia (Jarod and Lindseys' golden retriever). She is pretty much a "princess dog" and loves attention and she does like to pose for a picture so of course I couldn't leave her out of this blog. She is a sweet dog and a really good "practice in parenting" for Jarod and Lindsey.

Cleo and I hope that you have a wonderful birthday weekend Lindsey and hope that you enjoy your surprise today that Jarod has planned for you. We had a great time with y'all last night and we love you very much.

Blog Fog..........

2009-02-25T09:47:00.002-05:00

It seems that I'm in a state of "blog fog" lately and don't really have anything of interest to write about. Apparently, I"m ready for the weather to warm up (and stay there) so that I can get outside and get some much needed fresh air. I"m just much happier when I can be outside and working in the yard and feeling the sunshine warm my skin. I'm not really sure how I ever managed a "Wyoming winter" and I think that I was really born a southern girl and seem to function much better in this climate. Now, my parents may disagree with that...but "It is what it is!" and I just love spring and summer here in Georgia.

So, to kick off the warm weather season (or pretend to anyway) Cleo and I are headed to Florida tomorrow for a long weekend with friends. The weather is gorgeous there right now and although I don't miss living in Florida at all, I do miss this time of year there. I have a dr. appt on Friday (decided to keep my sinus dr. there---he's great!) and we are gonna stay with our great friends The Mountains. They are the best and we miss them dearly so we're gonna play as much as possible in the 3 days we're there. We're planning to go to the dog track in St. Petersburg on Saturday night and that's always a hoot. It's pretty cheap entertainment and we always have great fun when we're with Tammy and Mike. It will re-energize me and prep me for spring in Georgia.

As I said, "I'm in a blog fog" and this is pretty much all I have to write about at this time. Maybe after we get home from Florida, I will have something of more interest to blog about. Stay tuned.....

Good News!

2009-02-18T16:46:00.003-05:00

We heard from the transplant coordinator today and it was pretty good news. Cleos' GFR went up to 22 from 21 in December. You have to be at 20 or lower to be on the active transplant list, so this just buys him a little more time. He does have to have a stress test which they will schedule in the next couple weeks and he also has to see the urologist tomorrow for a prostate exam (how fun!) and these are both at the request of the insurance company. But other than those 2 things, everything else looked good. He will continue to be followed by his nephrologist and have blood drawn every 3 months to monitor the GFR. He goes back on March 9th for bloodwork and sees the dr. on the 16th so she will let us know if anything changes and be in constant contact with the transplant team in Atlanta.

We will continue to update as things change and to let y'all know when they will start testing potential donors. They aren't allowed to do that until he's on the active list otherwise the insurance won't pay for the testing and it's quite expensive so we can appreciate that.

We sure do have a wonderful family and network of friends who continue to pray for Cleos' health and well being. We do appreciate it even if we don't thank you individually. Love ya all...

Transplant Update

2009-01-29T16:12:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the "big day". Cleo met with the transplant team at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. Our day started very early...left the house at 5:20 am in order to be at the hospital promptly at 6:30. You never know what traffice will be like in Atlanta even that early in the morning, and we definately didn't want to be late. Anyhow, we made it in plenty of time and got started immediately. They had sent all the paperwork ahead of time, which cut down on a lot of time and then took him back to a room. There a nurse gathered the paperwork, gave him a name band and got the ball rolling. From there we went to the radiology dept. and they did an abdominal ultrasound...sent us to the cafeteria to get breakfast and whisked us to the education class which was a mass of organized information, literature, etc. explaining the whole transplant process. We went back to the clinic, where they drew at least 15 (yup, you read that right, 15!) vials of blood. After that we met with a social worker, a psychiatrist, one of the transplant surgeons, the head of the transplant dept. who is also a nephrologist, a dietician and were then introduced to the lady who will be Cleos' transplant coordinator. Now this may not seem so daunting to some, but we met with each of these professionals one at a time and they each had their own agenda. After that was done, they sent him back to radiology for a chest xray and then off to pulmonary for a PFT test. The whole process took 8 hours and we were both exhausted and ready to be home.

The whole goal of the transplant team is to find a suitable living donor so that when the time comes (and hopefully before Cleo goes on dialysis) the transplant can be done right away. The odds are so much better for organ longevity with a living donor and if he doesn't have to be on dialysis he will be stronger for the surgery. We must now wait for 3 weeks until the transplant committee meets again and they go over all the test results and evaluations done yesterday. According to the head of the transplant team, Cleo should be an excellent candidate and he feels very confidant that they will put him on the list at that time. Once we receive the call from our transplant coordinator letting us know their decision...then it's out of our hands. Any person wishing to be tested as a potential donor will then have to contact her personally expressing their desire to be tested. We cannot be involved in that for ethical reasons and the transplant team cannot contact a potential donor as that's considered "soliciting" and is illegal. Some of the initial tests could be done locally (where a donor may live) but if they were a blood match and the other tests looked good, then that person would have to come to Atlanta for 2 days of intense testing with the transplant team. The ONLY person who knows the outcome of the donor testing is the donor. We are not allowed to know unless that person wishes to tell us and the transplant team cannot divulge that info to us. If a match is found then the surgery would also be done here in Atlanta in adjoining operation rooms. They will test as many candidates as needed to find a match, but will only do one at a time due to the high cost of testing. Our insurance does pay for the donor testing and the Georgia Transplant Foundation could help with transportation costs for donors as well.

Cleo and I just want to say that we feel so blessed to have so many family and friends who have and continue to pray for his health and a positive outcome from this ordeal. This is all somewhat overwhelming to think that anyone would be willing to donate their kidney and go through this grueling process with us. It is not something that we would EVER ask any of you to do, nor could the gift ever be repayed, but since so many of you have expressed an interest in getting tested we wanted to pass this information on to you. As soon as we hear from the transplant team, I will update again and post the coordinators name and phone number.

Once again, we are extremely grateful for the gift of each of you in our lives. This road is much easier to travel with you by our sides. We love each of you.....

Megs' Visit

2009-01-26T18:03:00.003-05:00

We had a surprise visitor last night for dinner---Megs (Cleos' niece). She came to Atlanta for business and drove down here to see our house. We enjoyed a nice dinner with her and Jarod and Lindsey were able to come down as well to see her. We really enjoyed our visit (even though it was too short!). These "kids" have just grown into the greatest adults and are just a hoot to be around. We sure appreciate you stopping in to see us Megan and only wish you could've stayed longer. We love you and have a safe trip to Florida and New York.

Lindsey, Megan and Jarod

Uncle Kevin (aka Cleo), Megan and Marcy

Transplant Appt.

2009-01-12T10:52:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update to let y'all know that Cleo has an appt. with the Transplant Team at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta on Jan. 28th. He has to be there at 6:00 am and will be there all day. It's our understanding they will run a battery of tests that day, but we don't have any specifics right now. A nurse will be calling before that day to give us more information and we really hope to have answers to a lot of our questions at that appt. NOTHING has changed as far as his health---he is still feeling good and in stage 4, but inching closer to stage 5. I will update after that appt with more information.

Thank you to everyone for thinking of Cleo and praying for him. He will beat this thing and be around for many years to come. We sure love everyone of you!!!

Fun weekend with Extended Family

2009-01-06T12:42:00.004-05:00

Stacie, Whit and their 4 beautiful little girls came down this past weekend from NC to visit us and we had a wonderful time. It meant a lot to both Cleo and I that they would make that 6 hour drive (especially with 4 little ones!) and just "hang out" with us. We really didn't do much, except go bowling on Saturday afternoon which was a hoot. I did post some pics of that fun, but I purposely left out the pics of our scores!!! That's because little Eliza beat us all!!! We decided that the next time we go, the adults need the ramps and bumpers and maybe, just maybe, that would increase our scores as well!!!

Stacie and I were able to get away for about an hour that morning to run over to a little consignment store that I just love and we both found some incredible bargains. I think she ended up with an LL Bean (I think that was the brand) down vest for around $7 or $8 bucks and it looked like brand new. I found a pair of jeans and some cords that were also like brand new and looked as if they'd never been worn. I really love a bargain. And you know what they say, "one mans trash is another mans treasure". So true.

Once again, I just want to say "Thank You" to Stacie and Whit for making the trip down here. We love you guys and you have a beautiful family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

2009-01-01T11:05:00.003-05:00

Okay, so this might not be your "typical" ringing in the New Year blog, but I gotta say it was rather peaceful at the Cheney home last night! We did go to some friends for food and fun last night and made it all the way to midnight (maybe the first time to be awake in years!) and watched the ball drop in Times Square. It was a lot of fun to get together with good friends to ring in a new year. But, the best part of the whole night was when we got home and went to bed(get your minds out of the gutters!). You see, Cleo had developed a nasty habit of snoring so loud that it kept me awake---but the kicker was when he woke himself up. So, in Cleo fashion, he surfed the net and found this awesome RipSnore mouth guard and ordered it. I was leary at first thinking there's no way this will work and absolutely no way he'll keep it in all night. Well, much to my surprise...IT WORKS!!! No more snoring and he says he actually feels rested in the mornings again. Of course I'm a much happier camper now that I can sleep thru the night as well. So I guess we rang in the New Year in peace and lets just hope it stays peaceful all year long!

I also wanted to show this really cool sign that Jarod and Lindsey had made for Cleo for Christmas. He hung it the other day above the shed door and it looks really nice. He really loves our "little piece of heaven" out here in the beautiful Georgia country and loves tinkering in his yard and the woods behind. Thanks Jarod and Lindsey for the awesome gift!

I hope that each of you have a happy and healthy 2009. We are looking forward to the new year and all the blessings it will bring our way.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2008-12-28T10:28:00.003-05:00

This truly is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!! Cleo and I really had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending it with family and a few friends. We started it off on Christmas Eve with just Cleo and I having a "Thanksgiving feast" at his request. I made a turkey breast with stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy and rolls (nothing like a little starch!). We then went to a beautiful candlelight service at church that was truly magical. We came home and opened one gift from each other as has always been our tradition. On Christmas morning I was so surprised to find that Cleo had purchased an antique ladder that I had seen months ago but was told was for display purposes only. Well Cleo, being as thoughtful as ever, went in and sweet talked the lady who owns the shop. She originally told him that she wouldn't sell it but would look for another one for him. After weeks of looking, with no success, she called him up and said she remembered how much I loved that ladder and she wanted to make this Christmas special for me and that she would indeed sell it to him. Is that not the sweetest gesture ever??? I am just amazed at how much thought went into that gift and I think it made him just as happy to see my delight. I got him a double trail cam to put in the woods behind the house and a heavy duty spotlight. He was just like a kid in a candy store and couldn't wait to "play" with his new toys. The spotlight didn't work after charging all day and we had to take it back on the 26th, but found one that was even nicer, with a carrying case, so that was a pretty good deal. The trail cam works perfect and takes pretty good pictures so lets just hope now some wildlife will stumble into its path. Jarod and Lindsey came down on Christmas day around noon and we then opened gifts with them. They did way too much for us and we just really enjoyed spending the day/night with them and Georgia (the dog). We are so thankful to live close to family and only wish that our other kids lived as close. We enjoyed a really nice roast pork loin dinner with them and some friends who recently moved here from Miami. After our friends left that evening, we played Skip Bo with Jarod and Lindsey and had a really good time. I had never played that game before and now I want to go buy it! On Friday morning, Cleo and Jarod got up early and went hunting for a couple hours (no luck) and then I cooked pancakes and bacon for breakfast. It was just really a great Christmas---but honestly the greatest gift this year for Cleo and I both was being in our home and finally feeling settled. We feel blessed in ways too numerous to mention and I pray we can keep this magical feeling alive throughout the coming year.

This is my antique ladder with all my quilts displayed on it. I really LOVE IT!!!

This was how Cleo left it after I went to bed Christmas Eve. I was so surprised on Christmas morning---just like when I was a kid and couldn't wait to see what Santa had left.

Cleo playing with his spotlight and trailcams.

Jarod and Lindsey with Georgia. Jarod was going for the "Griswold" look this year---don't you just love his sweater?? He actually didn't think the sweater was tacky enough and it's now Lindseys' mission to find a gaudier (is that even a word?) one for next year. They are both great and we are lucky to have them so close. Thank you both for a wonderful Christmas!

I hope that each of you had a truly wonderful Christmas as well and that we'll all try and keep a little bit of that magic in our life all year long.

Cleos' Dr. Appt.

2008-12-17T12:14:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post to tell everyone that Cleo went to the dr. again yesterday and there wasn't a huge change. His creatinine went up just a bit and his GFR went down a bit which does indicate that there has been a little more kidney damage, but not enough to bump him from stage 4 to stage 5. His potassium and phosphorus levels continue to be normal as well as his blood pressure and there is no swelling or extreme fatigue, so those are all good signs. The dr. did give us somewhat of a timeframe. She felt like he would need to be on dialysis/prepare for transplant within a year, but of course there are no guarantees it will be that long or it could even be 2-3 years. It at least gives us plenty of time to prepare for the inevitable and we just continue to live our lives normal and take each day as it comes. Cleo has such an amazingly positive attitude which we hope will comfort our families (especially our kids) and as the dr. said...that's more than half the battle. She said to just live life and when the time comes, we are in good hands and know that it will all work out. We are once again very grateful for each of you and the prayers that continue to be said for us.

December Fun

2008-12-17T12:03:00.002-05:00

I really love this time of year! Everyone is so festive and happy and it also gives me a time to reflect on all the blessings bestowed upon our family. I also love decorating the Christmas tree (not so much the whole house--but it gets done!). Jarod and Lindsey surprised us with this beautiful Christmas tree they cut down up in Cashiers, NC. It actually sat in the garage for 2 days as Cleo and I both caught colds the last day in Mexico and we just didn't feel like putting it up, but once it was up, I had a lot of fun decorating it. Thanks Jarod and Lindsey for thinking of us. Sorry the picture is so blurry--but I retook it 3 times and that's just how it turned out!

This is a picture of the wall in our family room that I had painted this week. It turned out beautiful and really added to the character of the room and made the fireplace mantle stand out a bit more.

We also had the painter do the entire dining room as well (same color) and it turned out really good as well.

He also did the half wall beneath the kitchen bar area. I want to eventually have him do the breakfast nook and the entire kitchen the same color, but we needed some warranty work done on those walls from the nailpops, so until that is done, we didn't want to have it painted. I really wish I could do the painting myself, but after the fiasco with the trim around the shed, I don't think that would be such a good idea :~o The painter we hired had done several of the neighbors houses and did such a good job at a very reasonable price that we just decided that was the only way it would get done. Anyhow, that is what we've been up to this December and now we're just looking forward to spending Christmas with Jarod and Lindsey and some of our friends who recently moved up here from Miami. Hope y'all have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Fun in the Sun

2008-12-08T16:29:00.007-05:00

Cleo and I just returned late Saturday night from a week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We were celebrating our 20th anniversary which was in July, so this little towel display that was on our bed when we checked in was pretty appropriate. We had such a great time just hanging out on the beach, eating, walking on the beach, we even did boogie boards one day. That's not as easy as it looks and lets just say I "drank" more than a little salt water and lost my bathing suit once!!! I thought I was drowning, so I wasn't too worried about the bathing suit issue and was pretty concerned that I couldn't breathe for a second--but in the end, I got the suit back on and the salt out of my nose and all was well again. Cleo took a few pretty good licks also, and he also lost his trunks but got them back on before he exposed himself to the world!

One day we rented a jeep and drove about 45 minutes north of PV to a little seaside fishing village called Sayulita and another one just a few miles further called San Francisco. It was so cool driving through the mountains and seeing the "real Mexico" and not just the resort cities and beaches. It was a really neat little town and we ate a a great little restaurant right on the beach that cooks whatever they catch that day. It was some of the best shrimp I've ever eaten. We just walked around the town and shopped a little after that and then drove back to PV and into the city that night. We never could find a parking spot, so ended up just sight seeing from the jeep, but it was still pretty neat. We found out later that 2 cruise ships had docked that afternoon, so when that happens, the locals jack the prices up on everything so we really didn't miss anything by not getting to shop there.

All in all, it was a really great trip and very relaxing for us both. We both had a little eye opener Sat. night when we landed in Atlanta as it was only about 38 degrees and we had been enjoying temps in the 80's all week in Mexico. We also both woke up with colds the last morning there so we're glad to be home in our own beds if we have to be sick! Jarod and Lindsey surprised us Sunday afternoon and brought down a beautiful 8 ft. Christmas tree they had cut down at her Moms' place in NC, so hopefully tonight we'll both feel like putting it up and decorating it.

First day on the beach

This is the view from our balcony of one of the pools at the hotel

This is the view of the back of the hotel as you walk up from the beach

This is the beach at our hotel

Dinner picture

Fiesta night--these hats were really quite heavy!

Lunch at the beach in Sayulita--the biggest Pina Colada EVER!!

Walking on the beach at Sayulita

The fresh shrimp the locals caught in Sayulita---HUGE!

Now, doesn't this look just like Megan Porter?? Cleo and I were both just staring at her. Her name is Cassie and she was there with her 2 girlfriends from Wisconsin on a girls trip. They were the nicest people and we hung out with them a couple different times at the pool.

I even tried to take part in the dance lessons on the beach one afternoon. That's me on the far right--and as you can tell, Cleo only wanted to take pictures and not join in the festivities!!

This was the sunset on our last night there. We tried to take pictures of us on the beach with it, but the flash wouldn't go off on the camera, so you can't see our faces at all, only black silhouettes.

We are already trying to figure out where to go next. We definately want to go to Greece for our 25th anniversary but we'd like to go at least every year or every other year (if finances permit) to someplace tropical. We just love the beach and the ocean and if we could, we'd just travel all the time, but it's back to work now (for Cleo--haha!) to save up for that next trip.

I Love it!!

2008-11-13T09:16:00.002-05:00

Last night Cleo started our very first fire in the fireplace. Now, to most of you this shouldn't be such a big deal, but we were so excited. Kinda like little kids at Christmas almost. You see, it's been almost 13 years since we've had a wood burning fireplace and that was one of the most important things we wanted in this house when we built it. It's been since we lived in Wyoming since we've enjoyed the real warmth of burning wood in a fireplace and not just lighting the gas. We have had a couple of those in all our moves since leaving Wyoming, but it was just never the same feeling. It was in the 40's last evening as we were watching tv and it just felt like the right time to light one. Cleo has quite a bit of wood cut from clearing all the trees in the woods around the yard, but he didn't have much of it split so we only got to enjoy it for about 2 hours before we ran out of wood. We will try to work on that project later in the weekend so we can stockpile for the next time. I guess as I get older, it's really the little things in life that make me the happiest. The smile on Cleos' face and the warmth in our home are the two things that make me the happiest.

Holiday Tag...Thanks Sara!!!

2008-11-04T09:32:00.002-05:00

Okay, so this is my first time to be tagged as well. Thank you Sara, but I'm sure my answers/comments won't be near as funny to read as yours. But here goes anyway...

Top 3 Vacations:
1. Cancun
2. Myrtle Beach (when the kids were in school--too much fun!)
3. Canada (as a kid, my parents took me and my siblings there--aw, memories!)

Top 3 Favorite Flowers:
1. Lillies
2. Tulips
3. Roses

Top 3 Comfort Foods: Gotta agree with Sara--a girl shouldn't have to choose only 3!
1. Chocolate
2. My Moms' homemade chicken and noodles---YUMMY!
3. Chocolate---oh wait, did I already mention that one??
Contrary to my daughters blog, I do eat some things that aren't fried, although a good artery clogger is always good for the soul!

Top 3 Places to Shop:
1. Victorias' Secrets---that's right, it's nice to look good on the inside too!
2. Ann Taylor Loft---this one is tied with Lowes/Home Depot (I know, get a life, right?)
3. Bath & Body Works

Top 3 Opinions About Halloween:
1. Used to be one of my favorite, not so much anymore.
2. If I don't get any trick-or-treaters again next year, I'm boycotting!!!
3. Seriously, it means fall is officially here and I really love this time of year.

Top 3 Opinions About Thanksgiving:
1. I think Thanksgiving doesn't get the props it deserves---everyone is in such a rush for
Christmas to get here, that we forget what Thanksgiving is all about.
2. Of course it makes me stop and count all my blessings and think of family far away.
3. And last, but probably first, FOOD!!!!!!

Top 3 Opinions About Christmas:
1. First and foremost, the birth of Our Savior and how some don't recognize that, how sad.
2. A lot of us get caught up in the gift giving or receiving and not the true meaning of Xmas.
3. Imagining the look on my grandkids faces when they wake to see what Santa
left them! That is what makes me happy and also a prayer that some day I will see that
look in person. I know this one isn't really an opinion, but a wish---does that count?

Top 3 Things I look forward to during the week:
1. Drinking my morning coffee and reading the newspaper
2. Cleo coming home from work and telling me about his day
3. Bedtime---even though I'm not a great sleeper, but I love watching tv in bed and
snuggling with Cleo while he sleeps.

Top 3 Events Happening this week:
1. The drywaller came and did the second application to my living room ceiling! Yah
2. I'm gonna get up early on Sat. and go sit in a tree stand with Cleo---my first official
time to do that kind of hunting---I only pray that it won't be cold or I fear I'll chicken
out.
3. Dinner with friends on Saturday evening---assuming I don't fall out of the treestand on
Saturday morning!

Now, I tag Tami Erickson and Suzan Mendenhall as I don't have near the blog followers that you young people have and I'd just really like to see these 2 update their blogs!!! Just kidding, but seriously guyz--update your blogs! Love ya and hope you know I'm kidding.

What a Mess!!

2008-10-28T14:59:00.005-04:00

Does this look like a brand new living room to you? Well, it will by next week again I'm pretty sure! We have had a leak in the roof above the living room since the spring and the roofers have been out 4 times---and everytime they leave they say it's fixed. So we wait until we get another rain to see if the ceiling is wet and sure enough, everytime it's leaked again. So last week Cleo finally lost his patience and decided that he would call the warranty dept himself. Now, let me tell you that he lost his temper (not Cleo, right??) and he and the secretary got into a pretty heated shouting match and he basically told them if they didn't get it right this time, he would call an attorney. So last Wed. the roofers came out, ripped all the shingles off that part of the roof (which they never had done before--just patched without looking) and sure enough, they found 3 spots that were leaking. So they fixed them and reshingled the roof and told us to wait until after the weekend because it was supposed to rain and if after the rain it hadn't leaked again, to call the warranty dept. and schedule the drywallers to come out and fix the ceiling. Well, as you can see by this picture, they had to cut out a 2x6 foot section of the ceiling which they did yesterday and then they had another crew come back today and do the first drywall application. I guess that has to dry for a couple days and then they will come back and do the second application and then I have to schedule the painters to come out and paint!!! So I just got off the phone with the drywall company and they can't come back until Monday so I have to put up with this mess for the rest of the week. At least they got the hole covered which was pretty important as the temps dropped to freezing last night and there was a pretty good draft coming thru the attic. We had to move all the furniture (well, they did it for me) and take pictures down so nothing would get too messed up.

They did a pretty good job covering the furniture with plastic to keep all the drywall dust from coating it.

I'm sure this drywaller was thrilled when he heard my camera snapping pictures of him!!

You'd think this was a woman because of the ponytail, but it was actually a guy! Anyhow, we will be glad to get this mess cleaned up just in time for the builder to start working on our 10 month warranty work which should be in about 6 weeks. I just don't know why they can't coordinate their schedules a little better and get it all done in a matter of days, instead of weeks!!! I guess it just gives me another excuse not to go looking for a job just yet because who would supervise all this??? Anyhow, we really are enjoying our home and we know that every new home owner has issues when they build a house. I guess ours have been pretty minor compared to some of the nightmare stories we've heard over the years from friends who have built. This home is definately a keeper.

A Hunting We Will Go!!

2008-10-07T10:31:00.009-04:00

Well, I never thought I'd see this day! Cleo FINALLY convinced me to go hunting with him. I guess what finally pushed me over the edge was the fact that it's right in our backyard and I'm not stuck in the wilderness for hours without a bathroom! Cleo told me before he left for work yesterday morning that we would go when he got home from work last night, so to be prepared. Well in preparation for the big hunt, I didn't put on any lotion, body spray, hair spray, etc. so that the deer wouldn't pick up my scent (whatever!) but I did draw the line with the deodorant. I mean come on, if I use it the deer can smell it, if I don't use it they'll smell b.o. so you tell me what's worse?? I put on my cute camo pants (thanks Sara) and was ready to go at 5:00. I was a little disturbed that I didn't have a long sleeve shirt that matched my pants (I'll work on that) but it was still warm enough for short sleeves. So we headed down the trail behind the house to where Cleo and Jarod have a deer blind set up.

Cleo was leading the way. Doesn't he look good in camo????

This is just a look at the woods we had to walk thru. It's sooo thick down there and really kinda creepy---I was just thankful it was still daylight and I could see what I was walking thru.

This is the deer blind--I think it's so cute and would make a fun kids tent!! but I guess that's not what it's intended for. I am holding the crossbow, but there is ABSOLUTELY no way I could've pulled the trigger if a deer had come into the clearing. Maybe someday Cleo will convince me to do that, but until I can actually eat the dang deer meat and get "Bambi" out of my head that will never happen.

It looks like I'm really aiming for something, but it was just a great pose for a picture-HAHAHA.

I thought my camo pants blended in really well with the deer blind---now I just have to work on the shirt. I really have looked, but they just don't make cute hunting clothes for females. I know it shouldn't be about style, but a girls gotta look good, right???

You can't really tell, but this picture is of tracks. Cleo was trying to teach me how to track a deer and we came across these--they were actually raccoon tracks. We did stumble onto some deer poop and Cleo picked it up (GROSS!) and squeezed it to see if it was fresh. I was so grossed out and started to gag and then of course he was telling me that I needed to be quiet or I'd scare the deer off. Well, anyhow I didn't get a picture of him actually doing that, but you get the picture, right?

We had a really fun evening and I can't actually believe I went down in those woods with him. After seeing that snake earlier this summer, I swore I wouldn't go back down there, but I always feel safe with Cleo and I know that he'd never lead me directly into danger. We didn't see a thing but at least now I can say I've been hunting. I don't know if I'll ever go with him to the place where he has his treestand set up because it's over by where he works and not close to a bathroom, but stranger things have happened so stay tuned.

This Just Stinks!!!!!!!!

2008-09-19T13:35:00.003-04:00

Okay, so this is seriously such a funny story that I really felt I should share with y'all. So Cleo went hunting last weekend (opening weekend) and apparently he got into a bunch of chiggers. For those of you who have never had them, they're miserable to say the least. Anyhow, he probably has at least 100-150 bites all over his body. The only body part that seems to have been spared is his face. He was itching so bad that he had scabs and even bruises because he rubbed so hard. We read on the internet about them and it said that the more you itch, the worse they get because apparently they burrow in further or something like that and the poison gets in deeper. He had been using calamine lotion (left over from my poison ivy/oak episode!) but was still itching desperately. He was at work the other day and was talking to a lady who has lived here all her life and she told him about this lotion called SARNA, said it was the best thing ever for chiggers, poison oak, etc. and to go get some at the drugstore. So he stops at the drugstore on his way home from work--plops down $12 and buys the lotion. He's so excited to get home and shower and put this on thinking "this is gonna make me feel so much better". Well he got home, showered and had me come into the bathroom to get the lotion to all the spots he couldn't see or reach. Well, let me just tell you that as soon as I squirted the lotion onto my hands, I about gagged. It is loaded with campho and menthol and smells so antiseptic. You know, the smell that you always thought was bad perfume on the little old ladies, well it's not--I'm quite sure it's this lotion!! Apparently it's supposed to be really good for dry skin as well and that's probably why this lady knew so much about it. We were laughing so hard when I was rubbing it on him and I was calling him Ethel because now he smelled just like a little old lady. Well, the next morning I had to strip the bed and wash everything because I just couldn't get rid of the smell. I then took Febreze and sprayed everything that I couldn't throw in the washer. Our bedroom seriously smelled like an old folks home. But the funniest part of it all is that it didn't even work as good as the calamine lotion, so not only did he waste $12, but we both had to endure that horrible smell all night long.

Redneck Is as Redneck Does...

2008-09-13T09:02:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I was kinda "bribed" into doing this blog entry---you know who you are, HAHA :) Anyhow, here's a little background info. Last weekend I was on the phone to Sara and I told her how her Dad had set up a table in the backyard, put his crossbow on it and was sighting it in. As I was telling her this story and I was spying on him from the side of the house (with the camera) we were laughing so hard I thought I would wet myself. We both just thought it was too funny how "redneck" he has become and it was just one of those "you had to be there" moments. Anyhow, as I watched him shoot his crossbow, I thought to myself that it kinda looked like fun and so the next day I decided to ask him to teach me how to shoot it. The thing was seriously heavy and kinda hard to steady as you are standing, but after some practice shots I decided to stand, see if I could steady it and take aim. To my surprise (and Cleos' I'm sure!) I hit the target!! It was such a rush and I did it again and again. Each time, I hit the target even if not always in the center and I could see that Cleo was kinda proud that his wife was actually shooting a crossbow. I don't foresee myself ever actually hunting or killing any living thing but it was sure a lot of fun. Cleo was sighting in the crossbow at 10, 20 and 30 yards in the backyard.

Cleo has given my the nickname of "Annie Oakley"

This was my first shot!!!!!!!!!!! Pretty impressive, huh??

Cleo also taught me, a couple weeks ago, to shoot a gun. It was only a pellet gun but after I got the hang of holding the pistol and steadying it, I was able to hit that target as well. Guns have always been one of my 2 biggest fears and as I said in one of my previous blogs, I want to tackle those fears. Now, if any of you have any ideas on how to conquer the fear of snakes, please pass that info along to me.

So this is how the "Georgia Rednecks" kill time on the weekends. It may not be a glamorous life, but it's our life and we sure have a lot of fun living it!!! And to answer your question Sara, Dads' next journey won't be sheep hearding, but he has mentioned a couple goats!!!!!

You Might be a Redneck if.....

2008-09-01T12:40:00.006-04:00

You might be a redneck if you wear suspenders instead of a belt to hold up your trousers!!! Don't you just love the look on him?

We took this Labor Day literally and "labored" in the yard once again. Cleo and I went to LaGrange on Friday afternoon and picked up a chipper. He got busy that evening and started to chip up some of the trees he had cut down earlier this summer. I did help a little by dragging some of the limbs closer to the chipper for him. On Saturday, I "labored" thru the heat and went to an arts/crafts festival with a friend of mine while Cleo stayed home and finished the chipping. I thought it was a completely fair trade, especially when he told me that he had found another copperhead snake (could've been the same one from the "painting" incident) at the bottom of one of the wood piles along with a box turtle. The turtle took off for the woods as soon as he was uncovered, but the snake just kinda sat there, so needless to say, he was beheaded and put thru the chipper---I know, gross, huh? I was really glad I missed that whole thing. On Sunday morning, we started spreading the wood chips around the shed area. We finished it up this morning and it really looks pretty good. It's fun to see a project from start to finish.

This is the wood pile where the turltle and snake were found!!

This was my contribution to the project.

We went over to some friends house yesterday afternoon/evening for a bbq. They just moved here from south Florida (Cleo used to work with him at Kiewit). They have a pool in their backyard, but we just watched the kids swim. Their were 2 other couples there as well so we had lots of conversation and PLENTY of food as well. I really feel like I've done nothing but eat all summer! We are just going to spend the rest of today relaxing and then it's back to work for Cleo tomorrow after he was off most of last week due to the rains from Tropical Storm Fay. It rained for almost 6 days straight and they had 6 inches of rain on his job, so there really wasn't anything his crews could do. I hope each of you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

Update on Cleo

2008-08-25T20:03:00.003-04:00

Today we saw the nephrologist for Cleos' follow up appt. Everything went pretty well, with no real surprises. His GFR is now at 24 (up from 20!) so that has actually improved ever so slightly but he is still in stage 4 of kidney disease. Once that GFR drops to 15 he will be in full blown kidney failure so basically we need to try to preserve the remaining function for as long as possible and the only way we can do that now is with the proper diet. We are scheduled to see a nutritionist on Sept. 19 so they can help us with all those issues. He has already cut out salt and we're working on the protein (mostly red meat). That's really hard for a boy from Idaho who loves his meat and potatoes, but we'll get there!! Dr. Khan will be filling out the paperwork to get us in with the transplant team in Atlanta but she said that can take up to 2 months. At that appt. it will basically be 2 full days of testing and then he will be put on the "inactive" transplant list. He will not go on the "active" transplant list until his GFR is around 18 and that is when they will start doing the testing for any potential living donors. They will only test one donor at a time and at this time we're unsure who they decide to test first. It is a very lengthy process and quite expensive so that is why only 1 at a time. Since he could potentially not need a kidney for 6-12 months or even longer, it would be premature to test someone now and then have something change with their health and then find out they couldn't donate and have to start the process over with another donor. We will also be seeing someone with the dialysis team soon so they can go over the 2 different types of dialysis with us so when that time comes, we can make an informed decision of which would be better suited for Cleos' lifestyle. There's a good chance that when his GFR reaches 18 and we start the donor testing process that one will be found quickly and he will never actually reach 15 and need the dialysis, but rather get the transplant right away.

We continue to be very positive and are feeling totally comfortable with the dr. he's seeing. She is a "straight shooter" and tells it like it is without coming off as uncaring or rude. Her bedside manner is great and she has not once made us feel like we are taking up her precious time. Her staff seem to be very nice and helpful and the office doesn't feel depressing when you walk in which is something I'm very grateful for. Right now, I think the family seems to be more frustrated and feeling helpless than Cleo and I feel. Our kids are wonderful and just want their Dad to be healthy again, but he'll get there and he's still feeling really good right now so that' s just one more thing to be grateful for.

We are very thankful for all our family and friends and so appreciate all your prayers, calls and emails these past couple of weeks. We both feel the power of prayer works miracles and we hope that you will all continue to do that on Cleos' behalf. We sure do love each and every one of you and we will continue to keep you updated as things progress.

Family Time

2008-08-14T09:58:00.009-04:00

It's Thursday morning and I just dropped Grandpa and Grandma Cheney at the Atlanta airport. We had a good time with everyone and was really glad they were able to come out and see our new home and also to see that Cleo is doing fine and feeling good. Tom and Cindy left on Monday morning and we were sad to see them go, but had fun with them. We went to Calloway Gardens on Saturday and spent the day there and in Pine Mountain just walking around and browsing the antique shops, eating lunch at a cute little restaurant and then had a "BIG" ice cream before heading home. Jarod and Lindsey came out on Sunday afternoon and Jarod cooked his famous ribs for us. It was a pretty laid back afternoon and the food was, of course, yummy! On Monday, Tom and Cindy had to head back to Houston and Cleo had to work so I took Grandpa and Grandma out to see his job and then we did a little shopping. When we got home, Grandma was trying to help by getting some things out of the trunk of the car while I got the mail and Grandpa was getting things out of the car. Anyhow, she backed up and tripped on the small incline in the garage. I could see her falling---the mail flew from my hands---but by the time I could run up the driveway it was all over with and she had fallen on the concrete. She twisted her knee, landing on her "bum" and hurting her right wrist. She "toughed" it out that night and the next day, but by Wednesday she was hurting pretty good so while Cleo and his Dad were off to see Jarods' job I took Grandma to the urgent care. To our surprise, they wouldn't accept Medicare so we had to go to the emergency room. Two hours later and many xrays later, they put a soft/semi hard splint on her wrist and said they couldn't tell because of the swelling if there was a break or not. She is to follow up with an orthopedic dr in 5-7 days and have it re-xrayed after the swelling goes down. Nice way to end their trip, huh???

Calloway Gardens

The Gang at Calloway Gardens

What's wrong with this picture? Leave it to Tommy to find the easy way around...

Sunday afternoon in the backyard

We couldn't get all 8 of us in the picture at once, so had to do 2 takes. Tom and Cindy agreed to be the official photographers and give up their spots one at a time

The big cast.

I sure appreciate all you did for us while you were here Grandpa. He was so gracious and hung my windchimes for me on the back patio, cut a few weeds in the woods for Cleo and hung a picture for me in the breakfast room. He's pretty handy and I could put him to work...which is why I'm sure he was glad to leave!!!! Cleo and I are both glad you were all able to come spend a little time with us. We love you all and hope you get home safely. It's now time to "get back to normal" and quit eating so much. Why is it that when we're with family all we do is eat??? I'm off to Florida next week for my dr. appt and to spend a few days with my friend Tammy. Before you know it, summer will be over so we will take full advantage of what's left of it. Hope all is good with the rest of ya.....

What a Wonderful World...

2008-08-01T09:08:00.003-04:00

And I think to myself, What a Wonderful World. This is a line from my favorite song of all time by Louis Armstrong. As I awoke this morning these words came to me and I was reminded that indeed we do live in a wonderful world---surrounded by a very loving and supportive family and network of friends. We are blessed in ways too many to mention.

This week has been challenging, to say the least. On Tuesday Cleo and I went to a nephrologist (kidney specialist) to establish her as Cleos' physician in the event something ever came up with his kidneys. We were shocked (to say the least) to find out that he already required her attention. Bloodwork that was drawn in early June for another medical problem indicated that Cleo is in stage 4 of kindey disease. He is not very far from stage 5 with that being kidney failure!! In the next several weeks, he will be undergoing a battery of tests to determine what the next step will be but the dr. has prepared us for the very real possibility that when we go back on Aug. 25th to get the results of these tests that she will be putting him on a transplant list. Once he reaches kidney failure, he will be put on dialysis until a transplant can be done. The overwhelming support we've already had from family and friends leads us to the conclusion that a suitable kidney will be found in no time and his life will go on as planned.

We both have a "calm" about us and know in our hearts that everything will be fine. He is feeling great and has no symptoms at this time. He refuses to feel sorry for himself and would not want any of you to either. We will continue to live our lives normal and plan to do all the things we've always wanted and in our way. We love each of you and are so grateful for your presence in our lives. As the weeks and months go on, I will post updates. We won't be having any "pity parties" so don't look for any of that!!!