This Halloween was a pretty good one. Both boys were able to make the trek around the neighborhood and neither one complained about being tired. :) No even slinging 25 pounds of candy seemed to slow them down.
I walked the first hour and Mark (yeah he made it home! Woo Hoo)walked the second hour while I handed out candy. Amazingly I was the cool lady... Ha Ha Ha... I handed out candy to everyone... My only request to the older ones was that they sing a song. Yep, any song they could think of. I heard Happy Birthday in English and Spanish, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and several other songs. The older kids just smiled and broke out into song. They loved it. The younger ones even sang if they heard the older ones sing... I love Halloween!
This year was the best!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Phase Two...
Today it truly hit me about what it is going totake to be a Bone Marrow Donor. 5.5 Million people join the Bone MArrow list. 1 in 200 ever makes preliminary matching to a recipient. 1 in 12 matches 5 or the 6 genetics markers of the patient needing the transplant.
I am scared as nothing in my life seems settled. I know this is important and I have been praying. Praying that this is all in God's hands, and if it is meant to be it will be. I am a bit scared of pain. Who isn't? But when I find myself in fear, I ask myself what would I feel if a doctor told me the donor back out because she was scared. There will be another one, and we will not give up. Then I realize the importance of this if it is meant to be.
Prayers are still definiately needed for me and a sick person. Please pray that no matter what... Good things come from this. : )
I am scared as nothing in my life seems settled. I know this is important and I have been praying. Praying that this is all in God's hands, and if it is meant to be it will be. I am a bit scared of pain. Who isn't? But when I find myself in fear, I ask myself what would I feel if a doctor told me the donor back out because she was scared. There will be another one, and we will not give up. Then I realize the importance of this if it is meant to be.
Prayers are still definiately needed for me and a sick person. Please pray that no matter what... Good things come from this. : )
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
God Has Given Me a Blessing
If you are thinking I was pregnant... NO WAY! While that too would be a blessing, you need your hubby home for that one! :)
Yesterday I was doing my typical Monday routine when I got a call from Georgetown University Hospital. The man on the other end of the phone was very formal and very militarily oriented. I was really concerned. He asked me if I was still interested in being a Bone Marrow Donor. "Of course!" I said. And then he said that was good because I matched a potential recipient.
I have to admit, I am in shock like it isn't really real. I knew a family that needed a bone marrow transplant which is why I became a donor, but it is very hard to find a match randomly. Many donors usually come from siblings, and not total strangers. But apparently I preliminarily match someone in need of a transplant. Wow!
What does this mean? It means next week I will go to a clinic on post and have a blood draw. The blood will be screened to make sure I don't have anything I could give to the recipient and to make sure we are indeed a close enough match. If everything in clear, then I will undergo an extensive physical to make sure that this procedure will not harm me in any way. Then... I will donate to the recipient.
Bone Marrow can be harvested in 2 ways. The traditional way is of course where they use an epidural to numb me from the waist down and use a drill to extract 4 oz of marrow from my hip bone. The second method is a little less invasive where they will give me hormone injections for 5 days and then I will donate via a platelet method where they will extract blood from one arm and put back in the other.
This is all very overwhelming to me. It still isn't sinking in and I don't have everything worked out just yet. The recipient is not in Texas, so I would have to go to them since I am the healthy one, so who will take care of the boys if Mark is gone? So... I'm starting now to find out how this is going to work. Pray for me and the person in need.
I am blessed!
http://www.dodmarrow.org/
National Bone Marrow Registry
Yesterday I was doing my typical Monday routine when I got a call from Georgetown University Hospital. The man on the other end of the phone was very formal and very militarily oriented. I was really concerned. He asked me if I was still interested in being a Bone Marrow Donor. "Of course!" I said. And then he said that was good because I matched a potential recipient.
I have to admit, I am in shock like it isn't really real. I knew a family that needed a bone marrow transplant which is why I became a donor, but it is very hard to find a match randomly. Many donors usually come from siblings, and not total strangers. But apparently I preliminarily match someone in need of a transplant. Wow!
What does this mean? It means next week I will go to a clinic on post and have a blood draw. The blood will be screened to make sure I don't have anything I could give to the recipient and to make sure we are indeed a close enough match. If everything in clear, then I will undergo an extensive physical to make sure that this procedure will not harm me in any way. Then... I will donate to the recipient.
Bone Marrow can be harvested in 2 ways. The traditional way is of course where they use an epidural to numb me from the waist down and use a drill to extract 4 oz of marrow from my hip bone. The second method is a little less invasive where they will give me hormone injections for 5 days and then I will donate via a platelet method where they will extract blood from one arm and put back in the other.
This is all very overwhelming to me. It still isn't sinking in and I don't have everything worked out just yet. The recipient is not in Texas, so I would have to go to them since I am the healthy one, so who will take care of the boys if Mark is gone? So... I'm starting now to find out how this is going to work. Pray for me and the person in need.
I am blessed!
http://www.dodmarrow.org/
National Bone Marrow Registry
Friday, October 17, 2008
TDY and A Letter from Home
Well all MArk is gone TDY for the month of October, so I have been sooooo busy! :) Apologize for not posting more often. Between Cubscouts, soccer and FRG I am tapped out many nights... Loving it, but it's a full plate. How many days until 1 November? :)
We did receive a note from home. Hands down I miss our extended family in VA. My neighbors were the best, and by far they were my angels! Maggie, our little neighbor wrote the most fantastic letter to the boys. It's funny because it touched me. She talked about the new neighbors and how they weren't the same as C and B, and a sadness rolled up. I remember the three kids playing most of the day in the vines and trees. I have so many memories of them playing and feel a little sad because we just don't have that here in TX. I know... I know... We need to make new memories, but I miss you guys on the Coast! Remember that! I'm thankful for the blessings you have given us. We all miss you very much!
Yee Haw All!
We did receive a note from home. Hands down I miss our extended family in VA. My neighbors were the best, and by far they were my angels! Maggie, our little neighbor wrote the most fantastic letter to the boys. It's funny because it touched me. She talked about the new neighbors and how they weren't the same as C and B, and a sadness rolled up. I remember the three kids playing most of the day in the vines and trees. I have so many memories of them playing and feel a little sad because we just don't have that here in TX. I know... I know... We need to make new memories, but I miss you guys on the Coast! Remember that! I'm thankful for the blessings you have given us. We all miss you very much!
Yee Haw All!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Soccer
So, we wanted to make Connor more well rounded, and decided we would try him in soccer. I'm not sure if this is his sport, but here are the photos from our first practice. I'll download more once I have some more photos...
Hope you are all well! My hugs go to you all!
Shannon
Hope you are all well! My hugs go to you all!
Shannon
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Long overdue post...
Our lives have been crazy over the last few weeks... I am sooo sorry for not being better on here. I will try to schedule more time to maintain this blog because I'm sure I've lost my readers. :(
Last weekend, we did enjoy a day at the farm... Mark is gone for the month of October, so we opted to take the kids early to the pumpkin patch and have some fun. We did have a great time although a warm October (in the upper 80's) just doesn't seem like Fall to me. I like changing leaves and cooler temps. We are still in shorts here, but it appears the leaves are changing. I'm not sure if it's because the temps are cooler now or if it's because we haven't seen rain in over a month. Any how....
Here are the pictures from the farm. Hope you enjoy...
I did enjoy a couple of comments that day... Here is one conversation:
Daddy: B look at the horses
Braedan (petting the horse's nose): Yeah, but becareful petting him. He might be a little skiddish.
Later in the day:
Connor: I want to stuff a scarecrow
Daddy: Okay, let me get a ticket.
We work on the scarecrow and he's finished...
Connor: This thing smells... He is not sitting next to me on the ride home. (folds arms and walks away.)
Mom and Dad sit there wondering where we are going to put this huge straw thing.
Hope you enjoy the pictures... Love and prayers to each of you.
S
Last weekend, we did enjoy a day at the farm... Mark is gone for the month of October, so we opted to take the kids early to the pumpkin patch and have some fun. We did have a great time although a warm October (in the upper 80's) just doesn't seem like Fall to me. I like changing leaves and cooler temps. We are still in shorts here, but it appears the leaves are changing. I'm not sure if it's because the temps are cooler now or if it's because we haven't seen rain in over a month. Any how....
Here are the pictures from the farm. Hope you enjoy...
I did enjoy a couple of comments that day... Here is one conversation:
Daddy: B look at the horses
Braedan (petting the horse's nose): Yeah, but becareful petting him. He might be a little skiddish.
Later in the day:
Connor: I want to stuff a scarecrow
Daddy: Okay, let me get a ticket.
We work on the scarecrow and he's finished...
Connor: This thing smells... He is not sitting next to me on the ride home. (folds arms and walks away.)
Mom and Dad sit there wondering where we are going to put this huge straw thing.
Hope you enjoy the pictures... Love and prayers to each of you.
S
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