Here we are again, another start to another school year in Reno. It has been a pretty calm and quiet summer. Definitely didn't get a whole lot done at home but at least everyone is doing well and we are all healthy this year (knock on wood). I need to spend more time writing on this blog and updating it with pictures. I wish I was more like that. I see all of my friends and their families with updated blogs so you can see a 'snapshot' of their daily lives. Even though many miles separate us, I still get to see how they are doing and watch their families grow.
My family is still the same: my wonderful husband Brian, my sister Jessie and my cat Belle. The four of us have a great time and truly get along really well. I can't ask for too much more. And we have wonderful friends that visit and hang out with us at home. I am hoping that next spring Brian and I can get a patio/deck done before the summer so I can enjoy my back yard. Right now it is just a jungle of weeds. I really need to work on that and get that tamed down. Will have to get a patio and a lawn put in and some plants and rock and be done with it! We have only been there for 9 years! Projects require money and we never really have any of that just lying around.
Anyways, as we head into fall, I will try my best to take more pictures and try to stop and smell the roses during my weekends.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
My baby kitty Belle
So I thought I would post a few pictures of my cat Belle online. She is a pretty black cat with a few white spots of white on her chest and her belly. She is very smart, which sometimes mean she can be a pain in the ass! She rules the house with steel set of claws (which we have to trim pretty regularly).
The first one is her in Brian's arms. She is not happy and trying to get out of there.
The second one is her trying to cool off in the sink. It must be nice during the summer with the cool ceramic on her furry coat....
And the last one is a regular kitty expression of 'What are you looking at?'.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Another year come and gone....
So here I sit in my office, a year ago just gone in a blink. Last year at this time, Jessie was just filing for unemployment and no one knew of the tumor in her spine that would make 2009 one of the worst years for me. Not only did she lose her job (but thank God she kept her COBRA insurance) but within months we would find the tumor in her spine! We just got back from a 12 day cruise with some girlfriends to Mexico. Things were great; we were laughing and having fun.
This time last year I was starting to worry about the budget issues. No one had answers about their job, potential layoffs, salary cuts, etc. And to think that even a year later, I am still stressed out and worried about more budget cuts and lost jobs. Today it sounds like the State government have been able to find ways to cuts some of the expenses and I won't be losing too much more from my salary. It has been a hard year (from last March) and it can only get better in my mind.
Money around the house is going to get tight in the next few months as we figure out what is going to happen to us all. Brian is still with UPS although he is still just part time. It has been a blessing for him to be part time since he is at home with Jessie during the day to take care of her by making her lunch and simple things around the house. He also has taken her to appointments which is helpful too. He said that UPS might be cutting down on hours, which is not a good thing but at least he has his job and his benefits. That is always the optomistic side of this whole thing. Jessie is still looking for a job and fighting for her unemployment. Hopefully by the end of March she will see if her appeal for unemployment went through. I don't see why it wouldn't but I am not the decision maker with that. She keeps plugging away, looking for a job and I hope that something great comes up. She deserves an awesome job considering all of the craziness she has gone through.
This week Jessie has a follow up MRI and then it is off to Dr Morgan to see what is going on with the tumor. We feel that it will be good news since she has been doing so well! Have to keep the happy and positive thoughts going!
This time last year I was starting to worry about the budget issues. No one had answers about their job, potential layoffs, salary cuts, etc. And to think that even a year later, I am still stressed out and worried about more budget cuts and lost jobs. Today it sounds like the State government have been able to find ways to cuts some of the expenses and I won't be losing too much more from my salary. It has been a hard year (from last March) and it can only get better in my mind.
Money around the house is going to get tight in the next few months as we figure out what is going to happen to us all. Brian is still with UPS although he is still just part time. It has been a blessing for him to be part time since he is at home with Jessie during the day to take care of her by making her lunch and simple things around the house. He also has taken her to appointments which is helpful too. He said that UPS might be cutting down on hours, which is not a good thing but at least he has his job and his benefits. That is always the optomistic side of this whole thing. Jessie is still looking for a job and fighting for her unemployment. Hopefully by the end of March she will see if her appeal for unemployment went through. I don't see why it wouldn't but I am not the decision maker with that. She keeps plugging away, looking for a job and I hope that something great comes up. She deserves an awesome job considering all of the craziness she has gone through.
This week Jessie has a follow up MRI and then it is off to Dr Morgan to see what is going on with the tumor. We feel that it will be good news since she has been doing so well! Have to keep the happy and positive thoughts going!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sushi, snow, King Tut and Persuasion
Ah, what a weekend! Jessie finished her last appointment of radiation this past Friday! Yeah! Those 28 days went by pretty fast. And she is getting stronger every day! She walks more around the house and it seems that things are starting to pick up now! Mom leaves this coming weekend and I don't know how I would have handled everything with her here. We may have our disagreements and discussions, but it is all out of love that we have come together to help Jessie and each other out.
As a celebration of Jessie finishing radiation, we went to sushi with some good friends. There was Lacey, Jessie's nurse whenever she comes out the visit. Lacey has helped us so much in the past few months that words will never explain the gratitude and friendship that we have with her. If she EVER needed anything, we will be there just like she has been there for us! Mom came, of course. Brian, my husband, joined us, although not for sushi ;) Brian has gone to sushi with us before and tried a few pieces and it just wasn't for him. Hey, at least he made the attempt. When Brian comes with us he gets the box lunch, which is teriyaki beef or chicken with rice, tempura and sushi (I eat the sushi!). Our friends Michon and Jason were also there. It was nice that they were able to come and visit with us and share in our happy occasion. It was their first time at Ijji and I think they liked it! It was a great time for everyone!
After sushi and a quick trip to Target we went home and watched the rain pour down. Needless to say that it turned to snow over night on Saturday. We woke up to about 16" of snow! Brian went out there and shoveled the driveway and wiped the snow off the cars. It was the wet, heavy snow so he wasn't really happy. He also had to dig his Bug out from the side driveway so that took some time. I tried to get Kitty Belle to go out in the snow but she didn't want anything to do with the snow. I guess she learned from the last time that it is wet and cold!
Sunday night Brian and I were watching about King Tut and are going to make plans to go to San Fran next month to catch the exhibit there before it leaves. It would be a once in a lifetime thing for me to check it out so we need to go. Then I made Brian watch the last 1 1/2 hours of the PBS movie "Persuasion" from Jane Austen. Needless to say, Brian was not a fan. He said, "I can make this movie ending a 15 minute show. Why does it take 9o minutes to deal with this angst and miscommunication?". I guess he didn't read Jane Austen in his English classes. I said that is just the way it is. So then Brian did his interpretation of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 while I watched the show. I enjoy his humor, must be why I married him?!?!
Anyways, that was the weekend. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well! Until next time..... Joan :)
As a celebration of Jessie finishing radiation, we went to sushi with some good friends. There was Lacey, Jessie's nurse whenever she comes out the visit. Lacey has helped us so much in the past few months that words will never explain the gratitude and friendship that we have with her. If she EVER needed anything, we will be there just like she has been there for us! Mom came, of course. Brian, my husband, joined us, although not for sushi ;) Brian has gone to sushi with us before and tried a few pieces and it just wasn't for him. Hey, at least he made the attempt. When Brian comes with us he gets the box lunch, which is teriyaki beef or chicken with rice, tempura and sushi (I eat the sushi!). Our friends Michon and Jason were also there. It was nice that they were able to come and visit with us and share in our happy occasion. It was their first time at Ijji and I think they liked it! It was a great time for everyone!
After sushi and a quick trip to Target we went home and watched the rain pour down. Needless to say that it turned to snow over night on Saturday. We woke up to about 16" of snow! Brian went out there and shoveled the driveway and wiped the snow off the cars. It was the wet, heavy snow so he wasn't really happy. He also had to dig his Bug out from the side driveway so that took some time. I tried to get Kitty Belle to go out in the snow but she didn't want anything to do with the snow. I guess she learned from the last time that it is wet and cold!
Sunday night Brian and I were watching about King Tut and are going to make plans to go to San Fran next month to catch the exhibit there before it leaves. It would be a once in a lifetime thing for me to check it out so we need to go. Then I made Brian watch the last 1 1/2 hours of the PBS movie "Persuasion" from Jane Austen. Needless to say, Brian was not a fan. He said, "I can make this movie ending a 15 minute show. Why does it take 9o minutes to deal with this angst and miscommunication?". I guess he didn't read Jane Austen in his English classes. I said that is just the way it is. So then Brian did his interpretation of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 while I watched the show. I enjoy his humor, must be why I married him?!?!
Anyways, that was the weekend. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well! Until next time..... Joan :)
Friday, February 12, 2010
Twinkle toes
So Jessie has not been able to wiggle her toes or really move her feet since her surgery back in November. Due to the inflammation of the surgery and the pressure on her spine from the tumor, she just can't tell her feet and toes to do what she wants to do.
I guess you kind of forget how amazing and complicated the human body really is. So many of us take for granted the fact that to make our toes move, we just move them. We don't have to sit there, stare at our bare feet and concentrate just to have the slights movement or twitch come from our feet. But that is exactly what Jessie has been doing for the past 3 1/2 months since the surgery.
Our mom came up to help with transporting Jessie around town for her daily radiation appointments. But Mom has also become a top notch at-home physical therapist! Every day (morning and at night) she gets Jessie set up in her room for about 30 minutes of therapy. Jessie's therapy appointments have been postponed until she has finished her radiation since her insurance right now only will cover 20 visits a calendar year (we can appeal later to get more PT). But anyways, Mom has her therapy diagrams taped to Jessie's bedroom wall and then she follows the diagrams and makes sure Jessie does the required amount of reps.
For the past 3 weeks, it has been religious that Mom and Jessie are doing the physical therapy and would you believe, Wednesday night Jessie was able to wiggle the toes on her right foot! She hasn't been able to do that since the surgery! Little things like that shows her progress and it just makes us so happy and excited. The theraphy, along with her daily steroids, must be helping to alleviate some of the pressure in her spinal cord. Plus I believe that the radiation will get rid of the tumor so maybe this is just the first signs of her healing!
So now Jessie has her twinkle toes back on the right foot. Hopefully her left foot will follow. Sometimes I watch Jessie laying in bed and it makes me think of that scene in "Kill Bill" when Uma Thurman's character has been in a coma for a while and wakes up and can't walk. She sits there and focuses on her toes and says, "Move big toe" and wills her body to wake and to work again. Hmmm.....maybe Jessie needs a spiffy yellow motorcycle jumpsuit for her birthday to complete the look :) So here is to hoping the next two weeks with Mom will bring more progress and many more milestones (and miracles) for Jessie!
I guess you kind of forget how amazing and complicated the human body really is. So many of us take for granted the fact that to make our toes move, we just move them. We don't have to sit there, stare at our bare feet and concentrate just to have the slights movement or twitch come from our feet. But that is exactly what Jessie has been doing for the past 3 1/2 months since the surgery.
Our mom came up to help with transporting Jessie around town for her daily radiation appointments. But Mom has also become a top notch at-home physical therapist! Every day (morning and at night) she gets Jessie set up in her room for about 30 minutes of therapy. Jessie's therapy appointments have been postponed until she has finished her radiation since her insurance right now only will cover 20 visits a calendar year (we can appeal later to get more PT). But anyways, Mom has her therapy diagrams taped to Jessie's bedroom wall and then she follows the diagrams and makes sure Jessie does the required amount of reps.
For the past 3 weeks, it has been religious that Mom and Jessie are doing the physical therapy and would you believe, Wednesday night Jessie was able to wiggle the toes on her right foot! She hasn't been able to do that since the surgery! Little things like that shows her progress and it just makes us so happy and excited. The theraphy, along with her daily steroids, must be helping to alleviate some of the pressure in her spinal cord. Plus I believe that the radiation will get rid of the tumor so maybe this is just the first signs of her healing!
So now Jessie has her twinkle toes back on the right foot. Hopefully her left foot will follow. Sometimes I watch Jessie laying in bed and it makes me think of that scene in "Kill Bill" when Uma Thurman's character has been in a coma for a while and wakes up and can't walk. She sits there and focuses on her toes and says, "Move big toe" and wills her body to wake and to work again. Hmmm.....maybe Jessie needs a spiffy yellow motorcycle jumpsuit for her birthday to complete the look :) So here is to hoping the next two weeks with Mom will bring more progress and many more milestones (and miracles) for Jessie!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Week 1 and 2 of Radiation
So we have started the radiation for Jessie and so far things are going well. Brian and I worked out a transportation schedule to get Jess to and from the radiation appointments, which are at 1:30pm. Brian has been driving Jessie to the appointments in her Toyota Carolla as she would a somewhat difficult time getting in and out of the VW Bug.
So things are going well. Jessie doesn't seem to have any adverse effects at this time other than getting really tired. She twisted her ankle a few weeks ago so that has made it a bit hard to walk around the house. Jessie has had to stop doing some of the physical therapy just so she doesn't get too tired. It has become a catch 22 though...if she did the therapy she would gain some strength in her legs eventually but after working on her legs she gets really tired and it is harder for her to get out of bed or out of a chair to walk to the bathroom. So what can we do now? She gets enough working out walking around the house so we leave it at that.
Our mom will be here this coming Sunday and will be staying for about a month. That will help out so much in so many different ways. First and foremost Jessie will be comfortable and happy that mom is there to take care of her. Our mom is smart little Korean woman and she makes all sorts of things to make Jessie's life easier. Mom made a simple little pouch for Jessie's walker and it has been a Godsend for her. It holds her phone, medicine, and sometimes a soda can. So having Mom around to make things easier and more comfortable will be good for her. For me, it will put my mind more at ease to know Jessie is being watched over. Brian does a good job but he isn't awake in the mornings so if something happens it might be a while before Brian gets up to help.
I am hoping to get Jessie out for a sushi lunch with our friends in the next few weeks. It will be nice to get her out of the house and visit with people. A lot of our local friends have asked how she is doing and it would be nice for them to come out and have lunch with us and just have a good time.
Until next time.....take care and thank you for your continued prayers and happy thoughts!
So things are going well. Jessie doesn't seem to have any adverse effects at this time other than getting really tired. She twisted her ankle a few weeks ago so that has made it a bit hard to walk around the house. Jessie has had to stop doing some of the physical therapy just so she doesn't get too tired. It has become a catch 22 though...if she did the therapy she would gain some strength in her legs eventually but after working on her legs she gets really tired and it is harder for her to get out of bed or out of a chair to walk to the bathroom. So what can we do now? She gets enough working out walking around the house so we leave it at that.
Our mom will be here this coming Sunday and will be staying for about a month. That will help out so much in so many different ways. First and foremost Jessie will be comfortable and happy that mom is there to take care of her. Our mom is smart little Korean woman and she makes all sorts of things to make Jessie's life easier. Mom made a simple little pouch for Jessie's walker and it has been a Godsend for her. It holds her phone, medicine, and sometimes a soda can. So having Mom around to make things easier and more comfortable will be good for her. For me, it will put my mind more at ease to know Jessie is being watched over. Brian does a good job but he isn't awake in the mornings so if something happens it might be a while before Brian gets up to help.
I am hoping to get Jessie out for a sushi lunch with our friends in the next few weeks. It will be nice to get her out of the house and visit with people. A lot of our local friends have asked how she is doing and it would be nice for them to come out and have lunch with us and just have a good time.
Until next time.....take care and thank you for your continued prayers and happy thoughts!
Monday, January 4, 2010
New ramp to house
So here is the new ramp that Brian and his dad Kevin installed at the front door to the house for Jessie. It is amazing and I can't wait for Jessie to use her wheelchair to give it a try! Brian is going to pick up some paint at Home Depot later this week to match the house color and he will need to see about getting some sand to adhere to the ramp to give it some texture and prevent slipping. It was a wonderful Sunday and I am so ever grateful for his help! Brian and Kevin also install new hinges to Jessie's bathroom door so she can squeeze by easier with the walker. Now she really is a happy camper! Thanks for the hard work!~ Joan
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