It's That Time of Year

Yes, it is flu and cold season again. So far our family has stayed amazingly healthy; we’ve only had a couple of colds between us. I’m not sure how considering our exposure to people at church (including all those runny little noses in the nursery) and my exposure to people at the grocery store. Believe me, I get coughed on, sneezed on, and breathed on constantly while I work, not to mention touching all that dirty money. Jeff and I are both pretty good about washing hands and using hand sanitizer, but it isn’t fool-proof. Jeff is just getting over some sinus problems and today I’ve had a horrible headache and a stomach that says, “You’d better not eat anything!” I just hope that we don’t get the horrible stomach virus that is going around and that our flu shots protect us from getting any of those viruses.

College Visits

As graduation nears for Josh, our family is doing a lot of talking about colleges. Josh has looked at many over the last few years and has found a number that has interested him. He has decided to major in Athletic Training (or some similar major) which further narrows his college selection. Yesterday, we went to visit Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, about 2 ½ hours east of here. It is a really nice private college with a football team and a great academic program. We were all pretty impressed with what we saw, but I’m not sure that it is what Josh is looking for. Next week, he will be visiting Iowa State University with a group of friends. If he likes it Jeff and I will go back with him.

It's STILL not over!!!

I went back to see the surgeon today for a recheck after my biopsy 6 weeks ago. Apparently when a biopsy comes back as negative that still doesn’t mean that there is no cancer. The doctor explained that a negative needle biopsy is only 80% accurate. The lump is still there, although the doctor thinks that it feels slightly smaller. I am scheduled to have another ultrasound in 4 weeks. At that time they will try to get a better idea if the lump has changed in size. Once again, I’m waiting...

Surprise Visitor

I was totally surprised yesterday at work when I looked up from my till and there stood an old friend. Taunya Todd was a member of our church up in Minnesota. She is from this area and came down to visit family. She stopped in at the store unexpectedly on Saturday. I only got to chat for a few minutes, though. We were hoping to see her today at church but the blizzard warning kept her from coming. We have tentative plans to meet for lunch tomorrow. I sure hope it works out. It will be nice to catch up. We have made Boone our home and we have many friends here, but I still really miss my church family up in Hawley.

E.R. Visit

I had to take Zach to the ER last night for his asthma. This was the second time this week that he has had a flare-up that seemed to come out of nowhere. The first time it was triggered by a co-worker bringing a rabbit to the day care. He made it home from work and we got it stopped with a nebulizer treatment. But last night he was just fine when we went to bed. At 1:30 a.m. he woke us up. He had already done a treatment and was no better. Honestly, I don't know how he made it up the steps; his breathing was so labored. I took him to Boone ER instead of our regular hospital in Ames. I don't think he would have made it... It really scares me to think about the day Zach moves out. Anyhow, we came home after a couple of hours and he seems to be doing better this morning.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!! This hasn't been a normal Valentine's Day for Jeff and I. We are so busy, especially today. We did work at church at the same time this morning for a couple of hours, otherwise, I just got home from work (8:00 p.m.) and now Jeff is at a board meeting. We knew today was going to be crazy. But after 20 years of marriage, I don't need Valentine's Day to know that my husband loves me. Jeff is a wonderful husband who does special things for me throughout the year "just because". I am truly blessed to have Jeff as my Valentine!

Holes in My Head!

Jeff decided to get me a gift card to have my ears pierced for Christmas this year. I had them pierced two different times as a teenager and let them grow shut both times. I apparently have a sensitivity to the nickel that is in most earrings and infection has always been a problem in the past. Over the years I have thought about getting my ears re-pierced but didn't because I was afraid of more problems. I almost did a couple of years ago when I went with Zach to get his ear pierced, but I got to feeling a little woozy after watching him get his done! I really hate needles or the thought of anything that will hurt.

Last year during my cancer treatments, I really wished that I had pierced ears; just something to make me feel a little more feminine when I was walking around bald. So, thanks to Jeff, on New Year's Day I got a couple more holes in my head! I've just been wearing earrings (other than the studs) for a couple of days and this morning I laughed when I realized that I was asking my SON for advice on caring for my ears!

Happy Training

I just finished a 16 hour customer service training for work. No, this isn't so that I can work at the customer service desk. Every employee at Hy-Vee must take this training. Our company's motto is, "Where there's a helpful smile in every aisle!" If you live in Iowa, you can't hear this phrase without singing it! Awesome service is what we strive for. The customer is our boss, they are the reason we have a job. If we work hard to keep them coming back, we have job security. So many of the principles that we learned in class are basic principles that work in everyday life.

My Nursery Kids!

I may not be teaching right now, but I still get to be with kids each week. I'm the nursery coordinator at church. I work in the nursery every Sunday during 1st service and Sunday School and I schedule workers to take turns providing care during the 2nd service. Depending on the service, we can have anywhere from 2 - 10 kids at a time. This picture was taken during Sunday School; we just had three on Sunday. Doing scheduling is my least favorite part of the job. Seeing the same kids each week and watching as they grow and learn over the months is my favorite part of the job.