FSAF #3 A day in Papago Park

Today V and I went to the Desert Botanical Garden with Alanna. The garden was cool as always, even though there were no special exhibits going on. We walked around, checked out plants, stopped to feed V on a shady bench, got to go in some Tohono O'odham dwellings (they were a native american tribe indigenious to this area). Ground some mesquite beans, then hit the gift shop while V took a nap. I got a pretty cool book detailing all the edible plants in the southwest, so as long as I bring it or memorize it we'll be all set if we get stranded in the wilderness! After that we decided to go climb up to the Hole in the rock at Papago Park. Hung out up in the hole for a while, then climbed down and hung out in the shade under a ramada. Here's some pics, CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS FOR LARGER IMAGES!!!!!!

it's time for a break

I have been really bad about keeping up with the blog over the past couple weeks, so I apologize for that. Things have just been a little overwhelming lately…

Work is going just fine for both of us as there is never a lack of work to do. Every day is different and not all days are perfect, but we both really like where we are at (for now!) and it’s just really great to have jobs that we like. The economy over the past few years has been a little scary, so we definitely count ourselves as blessed!

The baby is alive and well and I've felt him kicking a time or two over the past week. One of the times I realized it was a real baby kick and not just gas was last Saturday. We were all sitting around on the patio listening to my dad play his guitar and I think our little Baby McG was dancing along with him. It was weird…but really really cute. :-) So that's exciting!

And our beagle, Lucy, is seemingly healthy - which, if you know ANYTHING about our dog, being healthy is a miracle!! And Joe and I were just looking at old Lucy pictures last night and we fell in love with her all over again. Here is one of our favorites. :-)

So it actually seems like things are going really well and I shouldn’t be overwhelmed. But I am.

I started my statistics and measurements course which is definitely interesting, but it’s hard for me. So much is involved in answering each question, mostly because I don’t know what is going on and have to spend hours just learning about one concept. And it’s just really difficult. I’m doing okay in the class (so far), but it’s still a little stressful. (Maybe I should stop blogging and get back to it?)

Also, we recently found out that a really good friend of ours from back East was in a very serious car accident last week. He was hospitalized immediately and has been there ever since where he has been in critical condition. He had no scratches anywhere except for his head and they immediately had to treat him for brain swelling and placed him in a medically-induced coma to help treat it. They have been waking him every two hours to check on his progress and/or complications and because of the brain swelling, they had to remove part of his skull to allow room for the brain to swell. His left arm and leg have not been responding much at all. Every time they would wake him to check his responses he has reacted severely to the tubes they placed in his throat for food and breathing. This week so far, we have found out that they did a tracheotomy for his breathing and placed a tube in his stomach for feeding. This way, the the tubes are no longer in his throat. The hemicraniectomy, tracheotomy and gastral tube procedures have been very successful so far, so now they are just waiting for his recovery and to see how things progress from here. And over the past couple days he has actually made some really good strides in responsiveness. We are very hopeful for him because he is an extremely strong young man and it seems like things are definitely getting better, slowly but surely. But it’s just very hard being so far away and not knowing what to expect. So him and his family have not strayed far from my mind over the past week. I think about them constantly, actually.

Also…and I hope he doesn’t kill me for putting this out there…but Joe had his yearly biopsy and ultrasounds a few weeks ago. One of the things they noticed in the ultrasound was that his renal artery (which connects the kidney to the major artery blood supply) was looking constricted and causing the kidney to possibly not get as much blood as it should be getting. So they want him to have a renal angioplasty to fix it. Anytime he has to go to the hospital I…well…I just don’t like it one bit! But I want him to stay healthy for as long as humanly possible…so that’s been on my mind a lot, too.

Now...I don’t complain to anyone at ALL (unless you are Joe or my family), so please don’t take this as complaining. There’s just a lot going on in my little world. So, if you have a second, just send some positive thoughts out into the universe. Lord knows, I’ll be doing the same…

the eggo is preggo

Dear Family and Friends,

The start of the New Year always brings new hope for a year filled with much happiness, excitement and...of course...fulfilling all of your New Year's Resolutions! This year, among my most important resolutions are:

• Be healthy and exercise 5 days a week,
• Take more classes towards my master's degree program,
• Be more assertive at work,
• Save more money and do less unnecessary spending, and
• Stop biting my nails (Yes, this is embarrassing, but last year I lasted from January until August. So I can do it!!)

Also, from the end of 2009 through the end of 2010, I lost a net total of 35 pounds and am so grateful for that! One of my TOP resolutions for 2011 was actually going to be - lose 35 more pounds!! However, that may not be a realistic goal for this year, and here's why:


Joe and I are having a baby!!

Yep. You read that right. I'm pregnant! So...not only will I NOT be losing 35 more pounds, I will probably be gaining most of it back. But I wanted you to know the REAL reason for the weight gain so you don't think I'm just chowing down on Oreo's all the time. :-)

I love you all and will keep in touch with updates and pictures as much as I can. And keep your fingers and toes crossed for us! We feel so blessed by this and are hoping that everything continues to go well.

XOXO,
Theresa (and Joe and Lucy)

PS - Our scanner is ill or something, so I apologize for the not-so-nicely-scanned scanned image.

tidings of comfort and joy

It's been awhile since our last post. Sorry 'bout that. When we first started our blog we posted pretty regularly with updates about Lucy, Joe's health, life, etc. Everything was interesting. But I've been totally out of the blogging circuit over the past year or so and just can't seem to post regularly. Perhaps it's because I feel that nothing I have to say is very interesting. Perhaps it's because nothing IS interesting. But I'll be making a point to blog more in the coming year. 2011 hasn't begun yet, but I can already tell it's full of excitement! As this year is coming to a close, here is our holiday wish for you:

From the wonderful Southwest, we write this letter
in hopes that you are having a happy holiday season
so far. We know that we don't see you all quite as
often as we would like to (or quite as often as we
should) but you are in our thoughts and prayers this
holiday season and always.

And, as 2010 is coming to a close (isn't it scary
how quickly time flies?), we are reminded of all of
the blessings we have that we sometimes take for
granted.

We are blessed with health, jobs, and a roof over our
heads. We are blessed with freedoms many people
long for. We are blessed with the hope for a better
tomorrow. We are blessed with seriously the most
perfect beagle in the universe! :-) We are blessed
with amazing family and friends like you. We are
blessed with love and happiness. We are blessed
with each other.

There are so many things to be thankful for and we
hope all hopes that your holidays and coming year
are filled with countless more blessings of peace,
happiness, hope, joy, and neverending love...

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Blessings,
Theresa, Joe, and Lucy

life

The mother of a friend passed away suddenly last week. Without warning, she was just gone. Young, beautiful and healthy, she was a wife, sister, friend, mother, grandmother. Gone.

I seriously can not imagine.

At all!

Joe and I went to her memorial service tonight and we were blown away by how beautiful it was. I’ve known my friend since grade school and did lose touch for awhile, so there are countless memories of her and her mother that I am completely unaware of. But I can tell you now that one of my memories of her is that she was so incredibly loved. You should have seen all the people there to celebrate her life! It was amazing. And another memory is that she created one of the most awesome families on the planet. Listening to the words of her loved ones tonight, I am saddened that I don't have more memories of her than I do.

And my heart breaks for those she left behind, for the memories that will take place without her, for the grandchildren she will never see grow up into beautiful adults. But it is clear how rich and full her life has been and it is evident that her presence still shines in all of them...and always will.

God's plan (or whomever your "higher power" may be) is always a mystery. Always. And a sudden event like this reminds me how important...how FRAGILE, but also how IMPORTANT life is. And it reminds me that we should always make known to our friends, family, and loved ones how much we care for them and love them. Cherish every single moment and every single memory that you have...for you never know when that next hug or that next smile or that next shared laugh will be your last.

I send my continued thoughts, love and prayers to my friend and her family during this time. And I send my love and peace to you all...

reflections

The past week and a half have been kind of a blur for me. A lot has happened, both good and bad, but most of all...growth. A lot of growth in myself, growth with family and friends and, especially, growth with Joe. One thing I've learned in the past week and a half is that life throws you curve balls without even a moment's notice, you just have to learn how to catch them.

Today I am thankful for:

1. Family - Especially Mom, Dad and Alanna. You are my most favorite people in the whole entire world.
   
2. Alanna - I am so thankful that your trip in the South Pacific was safe and that you are finally home!
3. Friends - You know who you are. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have you in my life as my lucky stars and rocks of support. I learn more from each of you every day.
   
4. Lucy - My little ball of beagle fur. I am thankful for your hugs, your yawns, your kisses, your stretching, your cockroaches, your zoomies, your growls, your cuddles, the way you smell, the way you run up to us when we get home like we are the most important people in your universe. I love everything about you!
   
5. Work - In these tough economic times, I am so thankful to be working for a solid company that has much interest and support of their employees. Without this job I would not be able to camp, travel, pay rent, pay bills, buy groceries, etc. I am so thankful to have this job.
   
6. Health - I am thankful to be alive. This summer has been pretty rough (especially with regards to heat), but my health is something I definitely need to stop taking for granted and try to preserve. I'm starting to get into the swing of the gym again and, once the weather cools off, we'll be able to go for rides and hikes again.
   
7. Jen - I am so thankful that you gave one of your kidneys to Joe. It is the most amazing gift a person could ever receive. Sadly, words really can't even express gratitude for a gift like that.
   
8. Recreation - I am thankful to have the opportunity to do things like camp, sight see, swim, relax, read, spend time with family, etc. The joy I get from these simplest of things makes the weekends so precious to me.
   
9. (last, but not least) Joe - No matter how flawed you are at times and no matter how perfect you are at times, what amazes me most is how much more I grow to love you each and every day.

to move or not to move, that is the question...

As I mentioned in the last post, my buddy Heidi and her husband Mike bought Joe and I a trip out to Eugene, Oregon for a couple days. Our time there was so short and packed with running around trying to see and do as much as possible - it was quite the whirlwind trip. But it was so unexpectedly wonderful and seriously one of the coolest gifts. I wish we were still there!

Here are some of our snapshots:

Trying to avoid contracting the swine flu.


Heidi, Collin, and Mike.


Moss covering every inch of a tree.


Joe standing beside a really small tree.

Heceta Head.


lighthouse at Heceta Head.

View the rest of our pictures from Oregon HERE in our online photo gallery!!

For quite some time now, I have wanted to travel up through the Pacific Northwest. I don't really know why - maybe just because of the fact that the weather is quite opposite that of Phoenix. Whatever the reasons were, our time spent there blew my mind - we were able to spend some really nice quality time with Heidi and Mike, went on some quick hikes, visited Veneta, went to the Saturday Market in Eugene, got rained on, traveled out to the coast, enjoyed the fresh ocean air, poked around looking at anenomes, climbed rocks, relaxed, fell asleep to the sound of rain, played with cutie-pie Collin, drove around town, and even saw Portland (even if only for about an hour).

It was just plain awesome.

And a real wake up call for us in terms of figuring out where we want to settle down to start a family. I still have a huge soft spot for New England - the family, the people, my previous employer who I still keep in contact with. But one interesting thing is that the Pacific Northwest, we found, actually reminds us a LOT of New England (just tending to be not as frigid in the winter time and a little greener because of all the rain). On the other hand, there might be an opportunity for us to consider in Illinois with my friend, Anna, and her family. But at the end of the day, I also have a huge soft spot for Arizona - the family, my history here, and the multitude of things that we have yet to explore here.

So this is the question - with Joe and I having explored different parts of the country and narrowing down our choices as to where we want to "set up shop", how do you select one knowing that there will be things that we will miss so dearly, and knowing that our decision affects others as well? We feel like we are being pulled in a few different directions, so how do settle on one, especially when the feelings of family and friends are involved? And how do you know which decision is the right one? This is a decision that we will definitely not be taking lightly, that's for sure.

oregon...here we come!!

Joe and I are just a few hours away from heading to the airport to fly out to Oregon to visit friends, Heidi and Mike, and their family in Oregon.

They live in a town called Veneta and I think it's about halfway up the state and about an hour from the coast. They actually live fairly close to Euguene, and Allegiant Air flies directly from Mesa to Eugene. We've never been to Oregon and up until last year I didn't even realize that Mesa had an airport! So I'm really looking forward to this new adventure!!

Plus it will be really good to visit with Heidi. Both her and Mike are unbelievably sweet and actually bought our trip out there as a wedding gift. Can you BELIEVE that?? I really can't say enough how awesome of a gift this is!!

I am actually kind of nervous to be flying with the swine flu going around (they have actually closed a school here for a whole week because of the pandemic). And I was actually beginning to think that we weren't going to find face masks anywhere because we literally went store to store the other night in search of them, but they were all sold out. Joe then had the brilliant idea to go to Home Depot after work yesterday and found a bunch of them there. So we're all set. Still kind of scared of germs, though. I definitely don't want to get this swine flu thing-a-ma-jigger. But Joe is so more susceptible than I am because of the immuno-suppressants he is on. His immune system is so low because of the medications that he REALLY needs to be careful!! So we've got the masks and I have refilled our hand sanitizer bottle to bring with us (yes...the bottle is under 3 ounces).

Also, it always breaks my heart to be away from Lucy. It may sound like I'm just whining. But I really love that dog. I love coming home to her after work and seeing her happy and excited to play with me. I love when she rolls on her back and does the cockroach. I love how loud she is when she yawns. I love how cuddly and sweet she is in the mornings and how rambunctious and playful she is in the afternoons. She's just a gem. Shamefully, I even cried when we dropped her off before our trip to Hawaii. This time, she will only be there for 5 days/4 nights, so it's not quite as long. I'm still going to miss her, though.

Besides all of the nervousness about flying and leaving our puppy behind for a few days, we are SO EXCITED to be going to Oregon. Oregon has been on my "to do" list for quite some time and I am so excited to see my friend and her family. I am just so grateful that they are sending us out there for a few days. It will definitely be a nice break from routine. Not only will it be mid-60s during the day and COLD at night, but it will be GREEN and hopefully (fingers-crossed) my allergies will have a little break from flaring up.

Wish everyone would come with us!! But, don't worry....we'll take lots of pictures.

we've been busy...

Which is why we haven't posted in a while (not that I post that much...). Guests started arriving Monday February 16th, and everything went into fast forward. Wednesday Anna (muchacha) and T started to make the cake. Thursday I went and tried on my tuxedo to make sure everything fit correctly, met up with all my groomsmen and some family there. Later in the afternoon I went and got a haircut, then we went down to Theresa's parents house for an excellent dinner with family and friends. Following the dinner everybody in the wedding went to Holy Spirit in Tempe for the rehearsal. I was sweating profusely I was so nervous. Friday morning everybody met up at the Kolberg's again, and the girls went to do their spa thing while I took all the guys to Dave and Busters for some lunch and games. After we had spent enough money we headed back to Theresa's parents house for another great dinner with family and friends. After that T and I had to split up and go to seperate hotels for the night. I went to the Hawthorne Suites in Tempe where most of my family was staying, and Theresa went to the Fiesta Inn where a lot of her family and friends were staying. I probably wouldn't have slept at all without a sleeping pill that night, and even after taking one I only slept about 6 hours. Saturday morning I had breakfast at the hotel with the fam, then went to run some last minute errands. First stop was Target (I needed black dress socks!), then Starbucks, then back to the hotel to check out (forgot my hiking boots there, they still haven't turned up). Went to a drug store and got nail clippers (gotta have the nails neat in case the photographer wanted those "both our rings together" pictures. Had lunch with Ray (stress doesn't seem to effect my appetite) and headed over to the church. Briefly considered running to Mexico (just kidding !!!!). I waited anxiously in the Sacristy, peeking out the door as the church filled up. The ceremony went off with only a small hitch (apparently fingers get swollen and make it hard to get rings on), that most people didn't even notice, and everything went beautifully! After about 3.5 billion photos we made our way over to the reception. Everything was perfect, we had great meal, danced more than we ever had before, 2 million more photos, hours spent talking to friends and relatives and then it was all over way too soon, but it was the one of happiest days of my life. The hotel hooked us up with the Presidential Suite that was nicer than I thought it would be. Sunday morning we slept in, then headed over to pick up our precious little puppy, then went to Theresa's parents house once more to hang out with family, and open presents (we are working on the thank you notes now, they may take a while because people were too generous). Monday the real world made a brief appearance when my truck wouldn't start, but we didn't let that ruin our day, we just loaded up the car and took off ! I'll let T tell you all about our camping trip in a later post because I need to go to bed !

the countdown is ON!!!

I'm sure you have noticed that Joe and I have been a little lacksadaisical on our blogging over the past month or so. Please accept our apologies. We have had so much going on lately and definitely should have been blogging about it. We've been working, planning, meeting with DJs and MCs, meeting with the church wedding coordinator and musicians, hiking, camping, making seating arrangements, designing programs, getting kidney biopsies, etc.

[by the way...that last part was just Joe]

In addition, the next week or so may be a little crazy, too, because......Joe and I are gettin' hitched in exactly 7 days from today. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? Time just flies by like you wouldn't believe, huh? We were talking about this last night, actually. When you're going through anything, it always seems like it will take such a long time to get through. But once it's past, you look back on it and realize that time just flew right on by. For example:

When we knew that Joe had to get a new kidney and that he would be on dialysis for a while, that time went by SO SLOWLY! And then the transplant day itself was crazy - realizing that it was all actually happening. He was actually getting a new organ! And right after the surgery, wondering if his body would accept or reject it, if there would be any complications, etc. It was all physically and mentally draining. But now, he's going on 4 months and 1 week with no complications whatsoever! Jen and the Mayo Clinic really worked a miracle!

And when Joe proposed last April we knew that we had almost a whole year before our big day. But now it's only 1 week away.

Time just flies by.

This weekend we will be cleaning like mad people, putting programs together (I am making them myself and really hope they turn out okay), getting a trial run of hair and makeup (this will be me only), as well as getting some last minute shopping done. Other than that, we are pretty much DONE and it is so exciting!!! I am excited to marry Joe because he's my favorite person! I'm excited to see all of my family and to meet Joe's friends and family I haven't met! I'm excited to spend time with friends, to see all of our family friends, and just have a good time! I'm so excited!!!

Thank you all for being there for us every step of the way...

wedding update

Doing the invitations was a very interesting process.

Turns out that I don't have very good reading comprehension because I read up on exactly how to formally address wedding invitations and even explained the process to Joe and Alanna....and then threw caution to the wind only to realize about 20 invitations into it, that I had been doing them all incorrectly. They looked fine, of course...but were incorrect, nonetheless (according to wedding invitation etiquette).

To those who receive the erroneous invites, you will probably know who you are. And I take full responsibility and admit that Joe and Alanna did everything perfectly. Enough said.

The whole process was a lot of fun, though. And it made me realize how much there still is to do!! My mom, sister and I went to meet with the florist earlier in the week, so that's underway (and I'm SO EXCITED to see what she puts together with our flower choices!!!!). But there are still some things left undone. Once Christmas comes and goes (as it always seems to do so quickly!), then we'll be getting more in gear for the preparations.




I am really looking forward to seeing all the friends and family who are able to join us for our special day. It will be so much fun!!!

1 day, 9 hrs, 1 min, 30 scds, 29 scds, 28 scds...

FIRSTLY:

Here's a little PR for my friend, Lindsay.

Besides being an amazing woman (who has the most wonderful friends and family!!!)...she is having twins this December. Identical twins. And she's also (fairly) newly married! What an exciting year, huh??

Her tale has been rather taxing and there have definitely been some scary moments during her pregnancy, but all is well for her, she is looking beautiful as ever, and she has an awesome support network and a husband who will, without a doubt, be the best father to these special little girls! Thank you, Lindsay, for letting me be part of your journey to parenthood!



LASTLY (but definitely NOT leastly):

This is Joe before his transplant (he is reading some mail in this picture because I interrupted him to snap this photo).

If I had a picture of Jen right now, I'd put that up, too...but I don't. I'll take some pictures over the next week, though, and will keep you all posted on everything that's going on.

I can't believe how quickly time has passed. And, while I know that this is major surgery for both Joe and his sister, I know that the outcome will be wondrous.

There is this booklet that Joe picked up once when he was at the Mayo Clinic for testing and it tells a bunch of different stories of people who have had transplants of all kinds - even the story about an artificial heart transplant that lasted for 13 days before the woman was able to get an actual heart transplanted in her. AMAZING!! These folks at the Mayo Clinic are first class and I'm just so happy that, of all places, Joe and Jen are in their hands.

Once again, I'll keep everyone posted as soon as I have details (and as soon as I'm able to actually sit down at the computer). So until then...hats off to Joe, Jen and the doctors. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.