A True Hero

My family has some excellent news...my mom is in complete remission!!! I can't tell you how excited I am. My parents met with the doctors in SLC yesterday to find out the results from her bone marrow test. My stomach was in knots all day while I waited for a phone call. Of course we hoped and expected the results to be good, but there is always a chance for a problem. Luckily the doctors think she is doing remarkably well and there is absolutely no sign of leukemic cells or Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

My mom's journey to recovery still continues. She is still at risk for developing chronic graft vs. host disease and has a supressed immune system. She still must avoid crowds and contact with other people who may be sick. Once she makes it to 3 years from the transplant date wothout a relapse she will be considered cured. We strongly believe that she will survive this experience and live a long, long life.

Thank you to everyone that has expressed concern and kept us in your thoughts and prayers. My mom is a true hero to me for all that she has been through. Fighting for your life takes a strong will and determination. My mom endured it all without complaint and has been a wonderful example to everyone. 22 months ago she was initially diagnosed with acute leukemia and struck with disappointing odds. To be where she is today is truely a miracle.

This was taken when my mom came through Vegas on her way home about 3 weeks ago with Macie and Gus, my nephew.

Say What?

I'm still staying with my parents and am really getting a kick out of my 15 year old sister. This is a true conversation we had:

Miranda: Guess what! Josh took me driving around the neighborhood and I almost hit a deer and a bat. It was crazy!

Me: What kind of bat was it?

Miranda: What are you talking about? I don't know.

Me: You know, maybe it was a ding bat or something.

Miranda: Oh yeah, I think it looked like a ding bat to me.

Hilarious! This one happened yesterday:

Miranda: (in reference to her friend she wasn't allowed to go out with) Well, she's gonna be in Carson City.

Me: So what, you'll be in Genoa.

Miranda: No, I'll just be in Rome! (She was being an angry teenager at this point.)

Me: Well have you ever been incognito?

Miranda: What? No...wait where is that? Mom, where is Cognito?

I really crack myself up. Oh the life and times of a clueless teenager!

On the Road Again

In order to help my mom have an easier transition back into everyday life, Macie and I have staying with my parents since last Sunday. It's actually been a lot of fun to get out of the sweltering heat and be able to play outside. Macie has enjoyed all the wildlife in Genoa and is starting to learn what the different animals are called (at first all the deer were "doggies"). I'll post some pictures soon.

Lake Mead

One of the best places to go in Vegas to have fun in the summer heat is Lake Mead. Josh comes from a family that is very into boating. I have really grown to love it myself and look forward to every chance we get to go out on the water. Macie LOVES the lake as well. She likes to honk the horn, drive the wave runner, and ride on the tube. I can't believe how brave she is; I think she gets that from me! :)

Taking Dad out for a spin.

Swimming with Grandpa, Brent and Sierra.

Riding the tube with Mom and Sierra.

Surprise x 2

This past week has been a whirlwind of great surprises. First of all, my mom's doctors in Salt Lake released her to go home last Saturday. They worked everything out with her doctor in Reno and home health care to make sure she receives the medications and ivs that she needs. My dad flew to Salt Lake on Friday and drove her down to Vegas on Saturday. It was my mom's first time leaving Utah after 3 long months. What an exciting day for her! She looks great and it was so fun to have her in town to play with her grandkids.


Another wonderful surprise stemmed from a miserable situation for my sister. She was overdue with her baby and dying to have her out. But since she was late, my mom was here for the birth. Beautiful Sadie Roses Facer was born Monday afternoon. She weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 18.5 in long. I was also able to be there for the birth and it was so amazing.

My parents left on Tuesday with my younger siblings, Alex and Miranda, who lived with us for the entire summer break. They were so anxious to go home to Genoa and get back to their lives. It has been quite the rollercoaster this summer and they were excellent troopers. Mel and Kip also came home from the hospital on Tuesday and it's fun having a new baby in the house. Macie LOVES Sadie to death. She wants to hold and hug (more like squeeze) her all the time.

Now that everyone is gone it feels strange because we were used to having a house full with family and friends coming in and out all summer long. Macie misses all the people but it's nice to tone things down a bit. My rope was starting to get pretty short! Actually, I am thankful I've had the opportunity to visit my mom, have my siblings and other visitors with us, run the house, and welcome a new baby to the family. What else are families for but to take care of one another!

My Favorite Things Continued

How can I forget the day I've been waiting for all month long?!? Tonight High School Musical 2 debuts on the Disney Channel! I know, it's just a cheesy teenny bopper movie, but I LOVE IT! I thought the first one was good and I've really been looking forward to this one. I know I'm not alone here because I saw Cristin's post about the movie today too. And come on, Zack Efron is such a cutie!

My Favorite Things

The other night Josh and I were driving around and found a new place called Caffe Gelato. It just opened and is absolutely delicious. I had never tasted gelato before and was really impressed. All the flavors are so rich and the combinations are incredible. The sorbettos taste like fresh fruit. It is amazing! It's located in Boca Park; I highly recommend trying it out. It is a little pricey, but definitely worth it every once and a while. Last night we went back and they had even more new flavors. I can't wait to go again!

Another great thing about last night was the show So You Think You Can Dance. It is the only show I really watch now and it is SO GOOD! Last night was the finale and they brought back some of the best dances from the season. All of the top 4 contestants were incredible dancers so I really couldn't even guess as to who would win. Talk about some quality entertainment!

Driving Miss Macie

For family night this past week we went out riding 4-wheelers at Josh's parents' house. They live in S. Vegas, on Blue Diamond, where there are lots of tracks and room to ride around. This was Macie's second time riding a 4-wheeler and she loves it! As you can see, she likes to ride up front with her hands on the handle bars. She makes "vrooom, vrooom" and "weeee" sounds while she goes. I love her serious riding face; she's too cool to look at mom.

This larger thing is called a rhino. It's like an off-roading golf cart. Macie and I went on a really long ride through the desert on it with Grandpa behind the wheel. What I loved about it most is the great suspension because when we landed the big jumps it wasn't so jarring for Macie. Ok, I'm obviously joking about that part. All in all, it was a fun evening riding around with everyone and of course, getting dirty. Don't worry, Macie went straight to the tub.

Grandpa took Macie for a quick ride in the cul-de-sac while the other toys were getting out and warmed up. When they drive by me she's still too cool to give me a glance. I guess she has to concentrate on where she's going since she's driving.

Something To Talk About

Macie likes to talk and talk and talk. Sometimes she'll talk in her crib non-stop until I get her up in the morning. Other times she'll pick up her books and read them to herself. She does like to tell me stories when we're riding in the car too. Regardless, this little girl has a lot to say about something! I took this video when we were last visiting my mom. I know it's kind of long, but there are some really cute parts if you make it all the way through. Every once and a while she throws in a real word, but for the most part it's her own language. By the way, Macie's latest new word is "jammies". It's really cute but not in the video.

Breakthrough!

Today I did something that was very brave for me...let me just say that upfront. You will probably be shocked at what I am about to say, and I am ok with that. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera to back up my story.

This evening me, Josh, Macie, and my sister Miranda went on a walk to the park. We often walk to parks because they are at the end of the green belt by our house, but we NEVER stay and play. Yes, it's true. I steer clear of child play areas. I think they are disgusting and coated in who knows what. Even the sand/dirt grosses me out. I have a definite fear of germs and don't want Macie touching things and then putting her hands in her mouth. And it's not just about her; I refuse to touch anything as well.

When we got to the park Macie was really into watching what all the kids were doing. She started to venture and I stayed back letting Josh take her into the sandbox to ride the little animals on springs that bounce back and forth. Like I would voluntarily walk into the sand...yeah right! I cringed as she held on to the plastic animal that has been touched by who knows how many others kids with who knows what kinds of germs. However, I let her play and just watched. She went from animal to animal, then over to the slide area. She climed up the stairs, went across the bridges, and went down the slides. It was painful to watch. There was even a train to walk through and when I looked inside I told my sister that she could only go in if she made sure Macie didn't touch anything.

Macie had a great time and I realized while she played that I can count the times on 1 hand that Macie has been to the park to actually play. I do have to say that she was enrolled in Gymboree classes for a while that we went to several days a week. They have lots of toys, slides, climbing equipment, etc., BUT they clean everything daily. I've seen them wipe the toys down and spray everything with disenfectant. The whole park thing I am still getting used to. I did have a lady in my ward tell me that she saw Josh and Macie at the park one day playing around, eating the sand, and all that yucky stuff. I know she can do it and still survive, it's just my germ-o-phobia that I can't handle myself. I am getting better. We came home, washed our hands (I forgot to take hand sanitizer with us, so this was a priority), Macie got in the bath, and then went to bed. If Macie develops any sick symptoms I will blame it on the park and will have a hard time going back. I know I'm crazy, but that's the truth!