8-30-17

Mom was very tired all morning and her appetite wasn't as good as yesterday. The wheezy breathing seems worse but the swelling in her legs & hand is better. They plan to do another diuretic and respiratory treatment today. I took the 2:40pm flight from Des Moines to Phoenix. So hard to say good-bye but am glad I had these 2 days with mom. Nancy will be with her the rest of today and between my brothers & sisters-in-law nearby she has someone with her each day. #thankful4family

Mom & I made a short little video before I left. I wish I had recorded her saying the 23rd Psalm. She knows it by heart and it will touch your heart to hear her say it. Brings such peace.

PS: I made it back home & heard from Nancy that mom had a little bit of vomiting this evening. Ugh. That isn't good. After her respiratory treatment she seems to be breathing better. That is good. Prayers that her stomach cooperates going forward.

8-29-17

Well, it's great to see my mom but difficult too. I spent the day with her at Methodist hospital in Des Moines and stayed the night in her room. Some things are better...like not vomiting. That's a big one as we really don't want mom to go through a stomach surgery. Today she tolerated a liquid & soft food diet. She is very tired, weak & for the last day has needed supplemental oxygen (that's new). Later in the day they gave her a diuretic to help with the swelling in her legs, arms and some fluid in her lungs (caused by hydration overload). Prayers for mom that she has continued improvement with her stomach, that she can breathe easy on her own, that swelling goes down & her strength improves. My mom, despite being tested, moved around, woken up numerous times, poked & prodded remains sweet & kind to all the wonderful nurses & doctors. She is my special & very loving mom.

8-28-17

On this day 18 years ago we said "I DO."

So happy we tied the knot!

Celebrating with our parents, family & 2 best friends.

Our wedding in Lake Tahoe was so fun!

In our book...the perfect day.

But wow...we look so young!

Happy 18th Wedding Anniversary to us!

Always so thankful that my both my parents were there to share our wedding weekend together. 

I'm flying back to Iowa today to spend a couple days with my mom. She is still in the Des Moines hospital struggling with stomach issues. At 90 years old these setbacks are extremely hard. We pray there is treatment to control the illness & allow her to regain strength & health. Glad for family who are with her daily. Please keep my mom in your prayers. I'll be back on the blog in a few days.

8-27-17

Team Vitesse mountain biking at Brown's Ranch.

Had to stop for a photo of this interesting Saguaro.

Brown's Ranch has miles of winding trails around boulders & cacti. Such a pretty area with great views of surrounding Phoenix mountains.

Fun to join our team for this Scottsdale adventure.

8-26-17

Me & my Lifetime Fitness riders.

Great to have Bob on our Saturday morning ride through Ahwatukee. Fun workout with a cool group of cyclists.

8-25-17

Bob & I have a HOKA problem.

Our new Hoka hiking boots arrived today. Add these 2 pairs to the Hokas I'm wearing and my other 4 pairs in the closet. If you think I have too many Hokas... Bob has 9 pairs in addition to his new arrival today. In our defense...these Hokas are 3/4 ankle boots & water proof (our other Hokas are low mesh trail shoes). We will need these sturdier Hokas for hiking Kilimanjaro in October. We start our 8 day trek on 10/22 to the highest peak in Africa (19,341 ft)! 

More explanation to our 14 pairs of Hokas: We LOVE them for our daily walks, trail runs and 14er hiking. 2 years ago they changed the shoe model we liked so when Bob sees the old model in our size on E-bay...he buys them. :-) I hate it when shoes change when they were perfect before. Now we need to break in our new HOKAS.

8-24-17

Welcome to the Mini Mansion. Harley would like to show you the new tile.

We really like it!

The 12x24" tile has a wood look with cream, tan & grey colors. The Driftwood grout turned out awesome too. 

In addition to the new tile we painted the interior. The soft grey walls (a trendy color right now) helps to update the overall look. I'm happy we endured this messy summer project. This weekend we'll be painting the master bedroom & 2nd bedroom. Almost ready for our seasonal renters. Thanks for the tour, Harley! :-)

8-23-17

Saturday; road biking.

Sunday; mountain biking.

Monday; Bob's work night.

Tuesday; my root canal day.

PS: I'm feeling good today but please keep my mom in your prayers. She's been in a Des Moines hospital with stomach issues. Surgery is usually done to correct this problem but surgery would be too hard on my mom at 90 yrs old. The hospital is using medication while they monitor mom's eating, pain & strength. Thankful for loving family with mom each day. Hoping she can get out of the hospital feeling better soon. I also hope to get back to Iowa next week to see mom.

8-22-17

Harley having a serious conversation with Bob. About what I wonder? 

Ok...maybe root canals aren't terrifying but I spent a few hours in the dentist chair today getting a root canal & it wasn't fun.

Hahaha.

Glad my root canal is behind me now.

8-21-17

The Great Solar Eclipse day is here... August 21, 2017.

It was a teachable moment for Harley. ;-) We found that the kitchen colander was a superb viewing device. The crescent moon shapes made for a neat design on our patio.

In San Jose our nieces with parents, M & Rod were having a little eclipse party of their own. They win the award for the most stylish eclipse glasses! #rockstars

In Idaho Pat & Bob were participating in the BIG party! They along with their friends got to enjoy full totality when the moon passed in front of the sun. Check out their blog if you'd like to read more about their eclipse day: www.havefordwilltravel.blogspot.com 

Here are all the folks in their group. Nice pic!

PS: Did anyone else play the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart (Sun)" song today?

Tippy waiting for the next blog update from Pat & Bob. She likes keeping track of her parents while they're away. :-)

8-20-17

Put your best foot forward!

Happy Sunday. :-)

8-19-17

Beautiful bucks dining at dusk.

These pics are from a couple weeks ago.

We came across 5 of these guys in Buena Vista.

Their antlers were all velvety. I didn't realize deer antlers were soft & fuzzy like that. I guess they harden up later in the season before they shed them. The deer will also spend time later rubbing & scratching off the velvet finish.

Aren't they pretty?!

Majestic too.

And curious.

Another pic from Buena Vista; SEVEN hummingbirds zooming in for evening drinks! Must be yummy.

8-18-17

Bob is in this photo. Do you see him?

Look in the sky, just right of middle & above the low white cloud (click on photo to enlarge). He is in that airplane. Now do you see him waving out the window? ;-)

Bob is off on another work trip. After I dropped him off at the airport I went to Scottsdale to run 4 miles along the canal. Bob texted me when his plane was next to take off on the runway. Pretty fun!

PS: Photo resolution isn't as good after downloading to the blog so not sure you'll be able to see Bob's plane.

8-17-17

Pat & Bob along with many of their Model A friends are off on another adventure! This time it's to Idaho to view the Solar Eclipse. We'll be following along on their blog to catch each day's shennigans. Have fun & safe travels!

8-16-17

"What kind of dog am I?"

#gooddog

Mailing in Canine DNA test for Harley. She wants to know. :-)

Thanks, M, Rod, Ro & Ree for sending us the canine DNA test (Bob's birthday gift). Any guesses on Harley's results? We've called her a Cattle Dog & Border Collie mix for 12 years.

8-15-17

Happy birthday to my guy!

Since the day we met life has been a beautiful adventure!

I'm so thankful for you!

I LOVE YOU!

Excited for you to get home today so we can celebrate your 48th!

XOXO