A New Home for Zach's Family

Zach and Andrea have spent the last week or so getting prepared to move and Saturday was the big day. The little ones spent the day with their other grandma while Jeff, Josh, and I, along with a half dozen church friends helped get them moved. We had a beautiful day and plenty of hands, so it only took about an hour or so.

They have been living in a small 2-bedroom apartment downtown above one of the businesses. While it's not been a bad place to live, the duplex they are now in will give them so much more room, especially with a new baby coming...and it even has yard space! Andrea is most excited about having her washer and dryer again.

Physical Therapy

For the last 2 1/2 years I have had pain in my right hip. My oncologist didn't really offer much advise and I just figured that it was a side effect of chemo. In April, I finally went to a family practitioner who did x-rays and thought it might be tendinitis/bursitis. She recommended physical therapy. Over the summer, the pain really started to get in the way of daily activities and so last month I decided it was finally time to take care of it.

Come to find out, I had a rotation of the right pelvis, possibly caused by a fall on the ice (yes, 2 1/2 years ago) in which I landed flat on my behind. Over the past month, I have had traction, stretching, strengthening, and massage. My therapist tells me that in all his years of doing therapy, he has never seen such a tight hip flexor as what I have.

I don't really want to take the time to drive to and from Ames twice a week, spend more than an hour at each session, and do exercises once or twice a day at home. I do it though and I'm starting to notice improvement. I am glad to finally have some answers and to know that it isn't just old age and just have to live with it!! I am incredibly thankful for medical personnel and health insurance.

Soon-To-Be Grandbaby #3

In case you didn't already know, I will be a grandma again. Zach and Andrea are expecting a baby on January 7, 2010. According to the ultra sound, it will be a little girl. This picture was taken in August. It amazes me how clear the picture is. Notice her little hand just above her head!

Campfire with Family

While in Michigan visiting my parents, I was excited to be able to have a campfire in my parent's backyard. I get warm fuzzies whenever I smell a campfire or fireplace burning. Growing up, my family used to go camping all the time. Part of our camping experience was having a fire every night. Sometimes we cooked dinner over the fire, other times it was just popcorn or s'mores.

Now that I'm an adult, I've decided that camping is not my thing. I guess I'm too pampered. I like my electric and plumbing! I do, however, love a fire in the evening; just sitting around talking about life. Maybe someday I'll build a fire pit in my own backyard.

Grandma Smith

Jeff and I are on a short vacation over Labor Day weekend. We drove up to Michigan to visit my parents and sister. On our way through Chicago, we stopped to visit my grandma. Grandma Smith turned 90 this spring. It amazes me how young she is yet. She lives alone in a senior apartment. While she eats her meals with another lady in her building and one of her grand daughters comes and does the heavier cleaning every couple of weeks, she still is very independent. We took her out to lunch Friday and she has no problem climbing up into our Yukon. I hope that when I am 90, I can be just as young as she is.