My Dad

Irvin Albert "Tiny" Quick
April 7, 1934 - November 6, 2012

Irvin "Tiny" Quick, 78, of Casper, Wyoming passed away on Tuesday November 6, 2012 surrounded by his loving family. 

Visitation will be held Thursday, November 8, 2012 at Newcomer

 Funeral Home Chapel from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Services will be held at Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery Friday, November 9, 2012 at 1:00PM with a reception to follow at Fraternal Order of Eagles (306 North Durbin Street) in Casper.

Tiny was born in Tekamah, Nebraska on April 7, 1934 to James Reed and Mabel (Barger) Quick where he was raised with three brothers and a sister.

In February of 1953 he joined the army to serve his country as a Parachute Instructor. Tiny earned a Parachute Badge, a National Defense Service Medal as well as a Good Conduct Medal. Tiny was honorably discharged in March 1955, but remained a dedicated patriot to his country throughout the remainder of his life.

Military Service has been and continues to be a pillar in the Quick Family. James Reed (Tiny's father) served in Belgium during World War II where he earned a Purple Heart.
All three of of Tiny's brothers, many of his nephews, as well as Tiny's youngest son and two of his grandsons carry on the family's dedication to their country through military service. Tiny was a proud soldier and our flag flew high everywhere he lived.

Tiny was a lifetime member of The American Legion, Samuel Mares Post #8 in Douglas, Wyoming. He served as Post Commander several times. District #2 Commander, Several Department Committees and Department Vice Commander. Tiny was the only Department Commander to serve a one and half year term. From there, he continued his service with the Legion as Alternate National Executive Committeeman and National Executive Committeeman. In addition he was also a member of the Sons of the American Legion.

Tiny loved many sports especially baseball, football and Nascar. He also enjoyed his personal time hunting, fishing, and camping; but his family will tell you his true passion was woodworking. He created furniture and wood projects treasured by his wife, children and grandchildren. Tiny donated many of his items to Legion Charities as well.

Tiny was preceded in death by both his parents, infant son Bobby and his brother Jim.

Tiny is survived by his wife of 54 1/2 years, Genene (Misfeldt) of Casper Wyoming; five children, Pam (Ronnie) Jackson of Rock Springs, WY; Jeff (Sandy) Quick of Leith, ND; Bill of Casper, WY; Marcy (Cleo) Cheney of Newnan, GA; and Scott (Shannon) Quick of Douglas, WY; twelve grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchilren. As well as siblings: Mal (Margaret) Quick of Wheatland, MO; Vince (Carol) Quick of Tekamah, NE; and sister Nondas Vitols of Blair, NE.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Wyoming American Legion Boys State Program Care of :
PDC Nels Lofgren (Treas)
385 Conrad Street
Buffalo, WY 82834

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree.

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea.

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night.

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight.

Then God combined these qualities,

There was nothing more to add.

His masterpiece was now complete,

He lovingly called him Dad.

Mid~Terms

Last week marked the mid term for this semester of school...SERIOUSLY, that time flew by. I won't even try and lie and tell you that it's been easy. In fact, the first 2 weeks of school, I was so stressed out wondering what the heck I had just gotten myself into. I was so far outside my comfort zone that my stomach was in knots and I lost almost 5 pounds that first week. And then I thought, okay if I can lose a few pounds in this process, maybe this will be worth it after all, LOL;) Sadly, the 5 pounds found their way back to me in the weeks since.

Cleo has been working in Arkansas since the week after I started school and he only gets to come home every other weekend. This gives me the house all to myself and plenty of quiet time to study and complete assignments. BUT, I hate being home alone. I need someone to talk to and complain to or even just someone to give me positive reinforcement or tell me I'm overreacting to a situation and to calm down. Don't get me wrong, Cleo and I talk multiple times daily and he is VERY supportive, but it's just not the same as having him home with me. Judging by me reaction to the first couple weeks of school, I'm almost positive he's glad he wasn't home, haha!!! We hope he will be done in the next couple weeks and home for good...should be home just in time to watch me stress over studying for finals...Lucky Guy;)

So after the first couple weeks, Stella (AKA..Me) found her groove and developed some decent study practices. I was most concerned about my Comp class...those of you who know me, have no doubt heard me refer to myself as "technologically challenged" more than once. I almost dropped the class after week 2, thinking maybe I would just take it next semester when I won't have so many classes and I would have more time to focus on it. I'm so glad I didn't ... my mid-term grade was an A! I am so surprised, but I actually really love this class. I think because it's instant gratification when I can see that I'm doing something correctly and also a lot of the assignments are submitted and graded instantly, so no need to wait a week to get your grades. I also have an A in English and Intro to Health Care, and as near as I can figure I also have an A in Medical Terminology, although he told us last night he doesn't have them figured yet. I expect a lot out of myself and hope to end up with A's in all 4 classes at the end of the semester.

I have found school to be much more rewarding than I had anticipated. I have made a few friends and enjoy being in classes with both younger students, and those closer to my age. I appreciate so much the struggles that others are going through. I watch in awe as these young, and often times single Moms, struggle to keep up with jobs and kids and school. And the older students who have lost jobs and find themselves having to learn new skills to find employment. I love the diversity of the faculty and students and opportunity to meet new people. 

So, with only about 5-6 weeks left in this semester (Yay for a whole week off at Thanksgiving!) I can actually start to breathe...the end of this semester is in sight! Hopefully, I will be bragging on my next post about the straight A's I got...OH SNAP, I probably just jinxed myself;)

It's For REAL!!!

Looking at my blog today, I realize that I've really neglected it:(  So much so, that I had no clue the Blogger layout had changed so drastically and I wasn't even sure how to do a new post, LOL!  After careful...erhh, somewhat trash talking to my computer...I figured it out.  I sure hope my Intro to Computers Class will be helpful in the future for just such occasions.

SOOO...I guess this is really happening...I'm officially a college student!  Ok, so technically it won't be official until I step foot in my first class on Aug. 13th, BUT I have my class schedule...Books and Tuition are paid (YIKES!!) and I even bought a few "starter supplies".  I really have no clue what I may actually need, so I asked Sara (my daughter) because she just finished school in January.  She told me to get  pen, pencil, paper and highlighters and that should get me started.  I really wasn't planning to use a backpack or book bag as I thought I was just a little too old for that, but after seeing the books and realizing on Tuesdays I will have 3 back-to-back-to back classes with only a 10 minute break in between, I thought better of that.

I will only have 1 class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-11:15am so those days should be easy peesy.  On Tuesdays my brain will seriously be in overload mode...3 classes starting at 3:15pm and not ending until 9:40pm.    On Thursdays I will also only have 1 class, from 5:30-7:30pm so this day should be easy as well.  I had no choice but to take night classes on Tuesday & Thursday or else I would have to drive to another campus...I really had no interest in doing that.  I'm actually kind of glad now that I don't have any early classes as I'm so not a morning person anymore:)  Next semester I will only need one class and a lab and can finish the last 2 classes in the Summer session next year.  SO...by this time next year, I hope to be educated, graduated and most importantly employed!

I am getting very excited to start (and finish!) but have to admit that I'm just a little nervous too.  I'm not nervous to be the "oldest" kid in class, but nervous that I won't have good study habits.  I mean it has been a really long time since I've taken a class.  When I was in High School, things came easy to me and I never really had to study to get good grades...imagine if I had studied a bit more, I may not be in the boat I'm in now..LOL:)  High school, for me, was more of a social game and this time around I'm not going to school to make friends (although you can never have too many friends, right?).  Funny how my Mom telling me "When you're older, you'll realize lifes' not always fun and games" is now all I can hear in my head.  Although this is not a game, I do hope it will be fun.

 My books, starter supplies and the backpack I bought 10 years ago to use on a Medical Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic....boy, did that come in handy!

West Georgia Tech in Newnan is not a big campus at all, but I asked for a map so that I could plot my route to and from class and the shortest distance to each, haha:)  I was a little nervous about having such a late class on Tuesday nights and going to the parking lot after dark, but I was reassured there is plenty of security, cameras and ample lighting in the main parking lot.  I was advised though to always walk in a group or at least in pairs to my car...no worries, you don't need to tell me twice!

That's it...in a nutshell...I'm a West Georgia Tech Golden Knight!!!  Hopefully, my next blog post about school will be filled with interesting stories and most importantly passing grades:):):)  Wish me luck Peeps

Wyoming Trip

Cleo and I were able to fly to Casper, WY last week to visit with my family.  We flew out of Atlanta on Saturday morning...Cleo almost had a "melt down" at the airport...BUT,  we made the flight and arrived in Casper around 1:30 in the afternoon;)  It was kind of cold (by Georgia standards!) and windy but it wouldn't be Wyoming without the wind, right??  My parents picked us up at the airport and we then met up with my sister and her hubby and both my brothers and their wives and had a nice, relaxing lunch at a local sports bar/restaurant.  It was nice to catch up with everyone.  We all went to Mom and Dads afterwards and had a really great time.  Cleo and I were a bit tired and went to bed around 10:00 (midnight to us, but yeah we wussed out!).

Sunday morning everyone (sans Shannon...yup, I ratted on ya girl, lol!) came back to Mom and Dads and my brother in law Ron cooked breakfast for everyone.  He brought his big ole grill all the way from Rock Springs for just this occasion...Show Off, HAHA!!  But seriously, it was delish and very filling.  We just chilled the rest of the day and then went to Jeff and Sandys' house Sunday night for a BBQ.  Jeff grilled the strangest looking ribs I've ever seen...they were super thin, with no fat (which was awesome..I HATE fat on meat!) and marinated in a concoction Sandy made...they were pretty dang good.

Monday...Memorial Day...Ron cooked breakfast AGAIN (I was a good girl today and ate my yogurt instead, LOL).  I got to see my 3 nieces and my great niece and nephew, but for some reason I didn't get any pictures of the family while we were all together:(  It could be that I was running my mouth non-stop and was focusing on creating the memories, not capturing them:)  I did get some random pics which I will post at the end of this blog, but there is none of Pam and Ron, or Shannon or my nieces...DANG it!

Tuesday...finally a nice day...little to no wind and warm temps.  Said goodbye to Pam and Ron as they headed back to Rock Springs.  So glad they were able to come hang with us for the long weekend.  It was a  perfect day for Scott to take us to Glendo Lake and out fishing on his boat.  My nephew Brandon had just finished working and met us in Douglas..it was so great to see him!  Again, Shannon dogged us (LOL, you are seriously never gonna live it down!) So it was just me and "the boys"...Scott, Cleo and Brandon.  Scott rigged up his pole for Cleo, Branden had his own and Scott ended up fishing with Shannons' pink, sparkly pole.  It was the funniest sight to see him with that pole and when I went to take his pic with that pole, somehow he managed to hide it...it figures he was the only one to catch anything the entire afternoon.  It's true...Shannons' blingy fishing pole ROCKS!  I got more pics this day than any of the other days...probably because the boys were fishing and I wasn't...I don't do well when I'm made to be quiet or still, so I played with the camera.  After losing my last phone to a "water accident", I was trying to be so careful not to lose this one in the lake.  It was a great day on Glendo Lake....a big thanks to Scott for taking us out.

That night, Cleo and I took my parents to dinner.  It was nice to have a little time alone with just the 4 of us.  After dinner, we drove around a little to see all the changes to Casper since we were last there and then headed to Menards to pick up some shingle oil for Dads' fence.  Cleo was going to put it on for my Dad on Wednesday, but they didn't carry it...sorry Dad:(  We went back to the house and just relaxed and visited some more.

Wednesday, I met up with a friend from high school who happened to be in the states (she lives in New Zealand),  We hadn't seen each other in more years than I care to mention and we had such a great time catching up over lunch.  Our poor waitress thought we would never order lunch...but she was pretty patient with us and just let us enjoy our visit.  I forgot pictures...AGAIN...as I was running my mouth (imagine that!!).  Thank you Charissa for the wonderul visit and you just never know, one day we may show up on your doorstep in NZ!  Cleo ran a few errands while I was at lunch and then just hung out in Dads' shop with him. My niece, Jessica came up late in the afternoon and took me out for a Mocha Mud at Metro Coffee Shop.  She got me hooked on them when I was there last year.  It was nice to spend a little quality time with her and chat about life.  That evening, we went to watch my great nephew Ashtons' baseball game.  It was so fun watching him play and the smile on his face when he saw us in the stands was priceless.  It took me back to the days of watching Jarod play ball...I miss those days.  This was our last night in Casper and we tried to relish every last moment of it.

 Ashton...Yup, I was cheering for the Yankees!

 Brandon and Cleo...fishing Glendo Lake

 Scott...he just would not let me get a pic of him with the pink bling pole!

 I wasn't really fishing, just holding the pole for Cleo.  That would be his big ole finger at the top of the picture, lol.

 The beautiful sunset...Wyoming is so beautiful.

 Just a little Wyoming wildlife...

 My oldest brother Jeff and I...he had just stopped by on his way home from work.

 The BEST parents a girl could ever ask for (and a pic of Moms beautiful flowers!)...Love you both so much.

It was a very nice, relaxing visit...we had lots of laughs and good times and even though I didn't capture all the memories with pictures, they are etched in my brain for all time.  Thank you to my siblings and their spouses for spending your holiday weekend with us and a huge thank you to my Mom and Dad for the hospitality.  We love you so much and are hoping that you will be able to come out this Fall to Georgia.

Time Flies...

Just realized it's been a couple months since I've updated the blog!  Whew, time sure flies when you're having fun, or doing lots of yardwork, or just pretty much living your life:)  Cleo and I love this time of year..Braves baseball games and time to start doing yardwork and making things look all pretty for all the gawkers driving by.  It's so fun to be outside and getting fresh air and exercise while actually accomplishing something.

We got new neighbors last Fall and they are really great people.  It's really funny because Danny (new neighbor) and Cleo seem to have this "unspoken competition" going on about whos yard is greener, has less weeds, who gets their fertilizer on first, etc, etc, etc.  They help each other cut down dead trees, borrow tools from each other and just generally get along really good.  Most of you know that Cleo isn't a really big "People Person", so this is a big step for him...LOL:):):)  It's nice to have them next door and really nice that they care as much about their yard as we do ours and it's really nice to have friends for neighbors:)

We put up a pergola on the back porch and stained the concrete.  We bought some new patio furniture and it's so nice to sit out there in the afternoon and evenings and have some shade.  That was our big project for this year and I'm glad it's done before the weather starts getting really hot & humid.  Next year, we'd like to terrace the backyard and make a large flower/shrub/bush garden with stairs going up into the back woods.  We've put in a few azalea bushes and hibiscus which add a little color to the yard, but that will probably be it this year...the rest will wait until after the project next year.  It really has become the hobby we both love and can do together...yardwork, hmm who knew??  If you'd have told me 10 years ago this would happen I'd have certainly bet against that:)  All of which brings me to the next subject:  Cleos' health.

We saw his Nephrologist today for the first time since right before his transplant.  It's now been 15 months since the transplant and he will alternate visits every 3 months for the next year between the Transplant team and his Nephrologist.  We certainly LOVE the Piedmont Transplant Team, but we also really Love his Nephrologist, Dr. Khan.  She is awesome and happens to be here in Newnan, which is just so much more convenient than going up to Atlanta.  His labs all looked good and she's very pleased with how stable he is and that there haven't been any rejection episodes and really nothing adverse since his CMV scare last Fall. He continues to have lots of energy and feels wonderful.  We are both so thankful for such wonderful doctors and all their staff...say what you will about big corporations buying out practices, hospitals etc., and I know many who don't care for Piedmont and their practices, but we have had nothing but really great experiences with them.  We are excited that the Newnan hospital is now a Piedmont Hospital and are very excited for the new, state of the art hospital which will be opening here in just a couple weeks.  They have a 10 year plan in place to bring many more top notch physicians and services to our area which will do so much to boost our local economy.  We are believers in Piedmont!!!!

We look forward to lots more baseball...and yardwork, but check with me in July or August about the yardwork, my guess is we'll be hating in by then, LOL;)  Happy Spring Y'all

Family Fun Day

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!!!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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...

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!!!

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

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.