tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627011089297437902024-02-19T17:27:53.961-08:00DAN AND MELDAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-33448957746528425832012-01-31T19:19:00.001-08:002012-01-31T19:58:37.778-08:00I Normally Don't Do This...... But I had to make an exception after what I came home to today.<br /><br />Let me explain. Lately I've been noticing all of the very romantic shout-outs to significant others. While an occasional expression of love is nice and sometimes completely warranted, it does tend to go a little overboard. Between facebook and blogs I get to read about lots of bouquets of flowers, perfect dates, candlelit homemade dinners... blah, blah, blah. Don't get me wrong, I love love. I guess I just love love that's understated on the internet. And I've tried really hard not to be one of those bloggers.<br /><br />If you share this same frustration, please stop reading now. We will return to our regular programming on our next blog posting.<br /><br />That being said, let me tell you about what I came home to tonight.<br /><br />Our place was clean (obviously the first thing I notice). The unruly trash can was taken care of, laundry done, kitchen clean... and not just clean but cooking some food, too! Chicken quesadillas. Then I look at the table and see these...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHJ7vfcuwwTDg4XfwZAE27Tp5ZSl8SZSljbCCvamfbeV6G7AFJnloNMyRpu38BRNbG531aoPlY1kPcmUaa6jv3GFQHHgAPX4hIaFOxk-ihEAXqKzOR4asfSMnNDiuoTCTGZ8Dm4S9-8Qr/s1600/IMG070.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHJ7vfcuwwTDg4XfwZAE27Tp5ZSl8SZSljbCCvamfbeV6G7AFJnloNMyRpu38BRNbG531aoPlY1kPcmUaa6jv3GFQHHgAPX4hIaFOxk-ihEAXqKzOR4asfSMnNDiuoTCTGZ8Dm4S9-8Qr/s320/IMG070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704004703783377282" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Two lemons reading "Rise Above est. 2007". This is a reference few will understand. Before we were married Dan came over to my apartment one afternoon and gave an impromptu motivational talk to me and my roommates. It became infamously dubbed "The Rise Above Speech". It was a really funny pep talk that had us all laughing... and also actually had us really excited about life (He has a way of doing that). He talked about making lemonade out of lemons and how great it was to be in school and how we have to "rise above" the dreary parts of school, winter, etc...<br /><br />I actually found a picture from five years ago on a road trip we all took to California. Dan is holding the original lemon that he used for the speech. Ha!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7K76ln3csqKI0ohUe_pMx9GTwZ2_Y7xcxUVwhHptHjbtxPtb0Y-pfYo4xBujTc3oyK9RIlVpxv79Yxv6srowXBLIpM7UObVnPFml6uyW0cYEl2LIp_mBPloD1dDkwqJhZD20syrKKSRT/s1600/Rise+above.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7K76ln3csqKI0ohUe_pMx9GTwZ2_Y7xcxUVwhHptHjbtxPtb0Y-pfYo4xBujTc3oyK9RIlVpxv79Yxv6srowXBLIpM7UObVnPFml6uyW0cYEl2LIp_mBPloD1dDkwqJhZD20syrKKSRT/s320/Rise+above.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704011409625216210" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So I guess Dan looked back at journals and found that the rise above speech happened to be on January 31, 2007. Exactly five years ago today.<br /><br />Seriously cute.<br /><br />Then, I found a card. A thank you card. Here's part of it:<br />"When I first gave the rise above speech 5 years ago, I never imagined that you would be the one who would literally help me rise above my greatest challenge yet. Thanks for being by my side and helping me rise above cancer. I couldn't have done it without you."<br /><br />Oh... my... gosh.<br />Now do you see why I had to make an exception to my mushy rule?<br /><br />He's the best.DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-13261147866286419502012-01-15T12:06:00.000-08:002012-01-15T12:32:07.462-08:00The "Did I Mention" PostSo did I mention that Dan had clear scans last week? <br /><br />And did I also mention that the doctor seemed to think the nodules look smaller?! This is great news because he hasn't been doing any treatment. If they truly were cancer, there's no logical reason they should be getting smaller. Except for the fact that Heavenly Father loves us and is looking out for us. <br /><br />Did I mention that there was a film crew following us to this appointment? That was cool. Dan won that "search for incredible friends & family" contest... or I guess the official title was just "search for incredible", but you and I both know the truth. So because he won, it means that a film crew came to film us for a couple days so they can make a short (5-7 minute) film to be played at Sundance. It was actually really cool. I'm not too keen on being on camera, so the first day was really awkward. But as we got to know them better and they got to know us better, it was actually really fun. they were incredibly respectful, especially at our appointment to find out the results of the scan. I'm grateful they were there to capture that moment, because it is such a big part of our life. <br /><br />Did I mention that Dan had a clear scan? Oh, I think I really did. I am just so excited I thought I'd say it again.<br /><br />Did I mention that we happen to live in a place with incredible sunsets? Too bad the camera couldn't fully capture it. It was awesome. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyj9_GPY13ykhSybRihRWebCKdhUM_VHAWBomJLRFiFoTkLOTHgt0fTJphhrNrJHgcth3C3bng_sVZ9aI3vyIXLdwT1T-sj-8KLokbhYoMB_dTq1-nglrDxp3J5KmvVOUKhe72locru6AV/s1600/IMG032.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyj9_GPY13ykhSybRihRWebCKdhUM_VHAWBomJLRFiFoTkLOTHgt0fTJphhrNrJHgcth3C3bng_sVZ9aI3vyIXLdwT1T-sj-8KLokbhYoMB_dTq1-nglrDxp3J5KmvVOUKhe72locru6AV/s320/IMG032.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697954951345828770" /></a><br />One of the camera guys took this. They were all from the UK and were amazed at the mountains and snow. Things that I sometimes take for granted.<br /><br />Some of the crew<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_68SspA4Ck8vnaRYcy6SVwCOQiIAC909D4o5H6o290GMtxzLrx-p4uvgfMh-IYTrVxoJVmT91YKMkZzlO0DAp3F3G-_-KTYfhBN8jxOp-Sat9pctbIU0L_MnTbIlebVhu-aApDVfl2B6/s1600/IMG029.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_68SspA4Ck8vnaRYcy6SVwCOQiIAC909D4o5H6o290GMtxzLrx-p4uvgfMh-IYTrVxoJVmT91YKMkZzlO0DAp3F3G-_-KTYfhBN8jxOp-Sat9pctbIU0L_MnTbIlebVhu-aApDVfl2B6/s320/IMG029.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697957666804765554" /></a><br /><br />This is the director. His name is Asif Kapadia. Kind of a big deal I guess. More importantly, an EXTREMELY nice person.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXtOKir7NjcS3Ho12V05f5J1ADyE6F0koWI_Iuk9QupwLCbxwWfZ8jDd-415mfUOQaJrOfkOMBh8EszIWMzu8ILJdsmsnbg5KIH7TVFhKKKfsJI_mN1-EFtaMc31-NI-ihdAWI_2hn-YH/s1600/IMG033.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXtOKir7NjcS3Ho12V05f5J1ADyE6F0koWI_Iuk9QupwLCbxwWfZ8jDd-415mfUOQaJrOfkOMBh8EszIWMzu8ILJdsmsnbg5KIH7TVFhKKKfsJI_mN1-EFtaMc31-NI-ihdAWI_2hn-YH/s320/IMG033.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697958163996243330" /></a><br /><br />Did I mention how much I want to thank everyone for voting? This is an awesome experience and I am so happy we are blessed with it. It's crazy to think of all the good that has come from something as "bad" as cancer. <br /><br />We'll try to keep you updated with Sundance. It's this weekend. Should be fun!<br /><br />Did I mention that Dan and I just finished making our coffee table? This is the before...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogIXKoWBQNhs2Y8nxDxHgpa30g_WZof9PbvLT5036Gztvv3UWVTYFHVazXaxPJku2oy7PYqakXJJHcPOPtQ3Y_9pILRR_Dc-NWwoM72UFuQM9i6zkYQxWQgJVXHXoPOBBBd35d21en_uv/s1600/IMG022.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogIXKoWBQNhs2Y8nxDxHgpa30g_WZof9PbvLT5036Gztvv3UWVTYFHVazXaxPJku2oy7PYqakXJJHcPOPtQ3Y_9pILRR_Dc-NWwoM72UFuQM9i6zkYQxWQgJVXHXoPOBBBd35d21en_uv/s320/IMG022.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697958404712431506" /></a><br /><br />And then the after!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yEc98l8aQiwKQqBDOGUJD9u4JNjXlJnl1qO7VMm-0ZuvTKsgPcGTOGdrOJ-aG72PykZ0sWc0bSbnvC08kBa0KMhNaIVFK49FPf75pjTFYxcy2tjVql0RGPkeSgooy5_AHkLEyooJotbf/s1600/IMG027.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yEc98l8aQiwKQqBDOGUJD9u4JNjXlJnl1qO7VMm-0ZuvTKsgPcGTOGdrOJ-aG72PykZ0sWc0bSbnvC08kBa0KMhNaIVFK49FPf75pjTFYxcy2tjVql0RGPkeSgooy5_AHkLEyooJotbf/s320/IMG027.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697958763875005122" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WPXBKv7yG_b3ClqYtr5TE1QLZ3OVt_RCAm5OriulJK1AI3lIE5RbY7U4mPIXLel2azL2XIEZj00j7mMGR0jsM4N6d7YmRLjTRTDwCPcJqnZHZt6BhMbkbq4K3DGKbkkPSZ-ExiydneTp/s1600/IMG028.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WPXBKv7yG_b3ClqYtr5TE1QLZ3OVt_RCAm5OriulJK1AI3lIE5RbY7U4mPIXLel2azL2XIEZj00j7mMGR0jsM4N6d7YmRLjTRTDwCPcJqnZHZt6BhMbkbq4K3DGKbkkPSZ-ExiydneTp/s320/IMG028.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697959050441137122" /></a><br /><br />We painted it then put wallpaper on top.<br /><br />Did I mention how cool it is that Dan likes this kind of stuff? I totally lucked out.DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-25836187547717433242011-09-21T17:01:00.000-07:002011-09-21T17:54:46.047-07:00Some ThoughtsI just found out that a good friend I work with has cancer again. We will call her Kim. She ='s in her early 30's and is not married and has not yet had kids. She's battled cervical cancer for about 7 years on and off. The bad part is the more she fights it, the less likely it is that she will be able to have kids. <br /><br />It got my wheels turning. <br /><br />First, my heart always twinges at the "C" word. Anytime anyone talks about cancer I am glued in. It's this crazy family you never want to be a part of, but once you are, you end up finding the best and most inspiring people. <br /><br />Second, watching Kim's devastation as she expressed the fears of never conceiving children. I guess this is a fear a lot of us younger cancer "patients" share (I use that term loosely, because Dan has the disease -- but it <span style="font-style:italic;">feels</span> like we both do). I step back and I have two thoughts, tremendous sympathy for her and her struggle, and gratitude that my situation is different. I am so grateful that my "plumbing" is okay. It is so much harder when a woman struggles with post-cancer infertility than when a man does. I hope and pray that she will be okay.<br /><br />Dan and I have our own road ahead. Sometimes it looks really bleak and sad. Sometimes it looks as though it's the worst thing I could possibly think of. Then Heavenly Father gently reminds me that I still have so much to be grateful for. There are so many options for us, and so much hope. I am grateful today for Kim giving me a "it could be so much worse" talk today. She was so frank with me and I appreciated her perspective on how I have been blessed in my situation. She was just the reminder I needed. <br /><br />Please don't take this as a "Feel Sorry for Dan and Mel Moment". Rather, it is a great reminder to me to be thankful for the MANY hopeful and happy aspects that make up the FANTASTIC life Dan and I have. We truly are so happy.DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-7664871954448012862011-08-21T09:31:00.000-07:002011-08-21T11:39:10.537-07:00Goodbye Summer!It's been a while since I've posted... time flies when you're having fun! Summer time always seems to fly by. I never thought that I would be living my adult life in terms of the school year, but that is what Dan and I find ourselves doing. School starts for him on Tues. It has been a great summer, and then a mad dash trying to get everything ready. This is the first time Dan has officially started the year teaching on the first day of school. He has always come in mid-year, so he is excited to start like a "real teacher".
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<br />His health is good. He has bounced back wonderfully, and we are so grateful and happy with life right now. Once again, we live in 3 month cycles. As we await scans every three months, we have a chance to breathe and enjoy healthy life.
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<br />Here are some things we've been up to!
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM2zI09BMHXR9b-U6CKZtqADrIB8LPA5u8Gc4piY2e-hW2HSJsGg6R3hkVnv8QLERNiEgiErNA6ZVYNl0WvH1XsetUjZJ5wJ-atI6y1370Dsj7_3jnmMk020WqPS8PLpDLz70TKtyXIZj/s1600/jetski.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM2zI09BMHXR9b-U6CKZtqADrIB8LPA5u8Gc4piY2e-hW2HSJsGg6R3hkVnv8QLERNiEgiErNA6ZVYNl0WvH1XsetUjZJ5wJ-atI6y1370Dsj7_3jnmMk020WqPS8PLpDLz70TKtyXIZj/s320/jetski.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643369132311625266" border="0"></a>
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<br />4th of July in our matching shirts. Dan loves to match! Match, match, match... he wants to do it all the time. Did you catch that sarcasm? He HATES matching, so I'm always grateful when he lets me :)
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCnX96_r_i_V7YwAK2NBs39ovNUHEecb_vvsopH5cb_ZWVB126B8OOs7gLiIqS0t7y1q33GeR0mL8UD6mLZ4OciM53POc1HBX2wYnU1Z8TZmsIuGvheQsWSw7GyJAkv0xaszSjZIifSr2/s1600/CIMG0725.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCnX96_r_i_V7YwAK2NBs39ovNUHEecb_vvsopH5cb_ZWVB126B8OOs7gLiIqS0t7y1q33GeR0mL8UD6mLZ4OciM53POc1HBX2wYnU1Z8TZmsIuGvheQsWSw7GyJAkv0xaszSjZIifSr2/s320/CIMG0725.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643365684263725330" border="0"></a>
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<br />For my birthday this year he took me on a shopping spree. Amazing! The best part is he shopped with me!
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<br />Then we went to the American Idol concert.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRCdDi6LqVg5BVRuufNKVTvLWV5RDiseKqvuI-2tDsCMg8rMSYbscNdMbQW-w9dJnwDP6J0x7z6fFO2GLsHNUjxD-ngb31tFIbef3dFZM-3JMHgQSe_PH4QuNW3xP_LRXhApJqaLDg5Ru/s1600/CIMG0744.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRCdDi6LqVg5BVRuufNKVTvLWV5RDiseKqvuI-2tDsCMg8rMSYbscNdMbQW-w9dJnwDP6J0x7z6fFO2GLsHNUjxD-ngb31tFIbef3dFZM-3JMHgQSe_PH4QuNW3xP_LRXhApJqaLDg5Ru/s320/CIMG0744.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643366724895469202" border="0"></a>
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<br />Our two favorites, Scotty (of course!) and Casey
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwfg0QvCpr4xiyR-pbwGB13vW4am_oW5sT36wWEfOMmIKHZv-nydXOdW2mrPKdUFMTJ0y6eR6efQgotJ7Wj2w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_k4q18MZtnihKhdvhNTn5amUfOgm0kipg6AMRXZBgg0VoUkcbfRYdTZZ5g2SGWHa5GZ0MDNr7chYqgXZ9oOnOM1N7mEMlqB80DSSp8SetGz1NDTntdk5i5SxJua8cEXzVqS8le_0l7J7/s1600/IMG_2754.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_k4q18MZtnihKhdvhNTn5amUfOgm0kipg6AMRXZBgg0VoUkcbfRYdTZZ5g2SGWHa5GZ0MDNr7chYqgXZ9oOnOM1N7mEMlqB80DSSp8SetGz1NDTntdk5i5SxJua8cEXzVqS8le_0l7J7/s320/IMG_2754.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643368246278313922" border="0"></a>
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<br />Goodbye Summer! See you next year!
<br />DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-37238861566175106682011-06-07T18:42:00.000-07:002011-06-07T21:16:40.427-07:00ConclusionsWell, I thought that it's about time that I give an update. We seem to be concluding this treatment. It's good news. I'm so happy that healthy life is once again in front of us. <br /><br />Dan is done with chemotherapy! Woo hoo! So the next step is to take care of those two nodules. We were originally thinking of doing lung surgery like we have done in the past. This is when the surgeon makes about an 8 inch incision between his ribs in the back and feels through his lungs, taking out anything that feels suspicious. To be frank, this is just going in and hacking away at his lungs. This was a great method when he had 45+ nodules, but now that there is only two, we have decided on a different procedure. It's called radio frequency ablation (RFA). RFA is an outpatient procedure (another big woo hoo!) in which the surgeon basically sticks a needle into the two nodules and heats up the tip. This will cook the tumor and kill any remaining cancer that may still be there. This is a great thing because it saves a lot of precious lung tissue. You can only hack away so much! <br /><br />We are excited about this procedure and the fact that Dan is pretty much a perfect candidate for it. This means that there is only one minor outpatient procedure to go and then we are home free! They will then watch him with scans every three months and we will pray and pray ... and pray that it never comes back. <br /><br />I haven't really felt motivated to blog much about chemo. Sorry for those of you who love Dan and live far... I promise he has been and is currently doing well.<br /><br /><br /><br />Dan has had three bouts with cancer. I feel like I have learned something very distinct each time. I have had experiences that have helped me to come to different conclusions. I think I can sum up the three conclusions I came to with each occurrence of cancer in three sentences:<br /><br />Faith if He doesn't.<br />Faith that He can. <br />Hope that He will.<br /><br />All three have been very important in my progression through this experience. First, having the faith that things will be okay even if God doesn't heal Dan. Second, having the faith that it's totally within His power to heal Dan. And third, working to develop the hope that He will heal Dan and we will live a long life together. <br /><br />Here's to many, many more birthdays. Happy Birthday, Dan! I love you! (This is him with his birthday cake yesterday)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMqO4M0dWrfOrHLDbu8kfwY3RHKTPmZYDbWOF00wOHvCZgR1F2qSlCVsm2jSFcjcKPvpkm5Ehbrp1jQAV788gs_rt78MlSWPQHU_ny1tLSccj3ats8e0kwMEe4sjM9aMf9qfMTTcm-aU-/s1600/CIMG0690.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMqO4M0dWrfOrHLDbu8kfwY3RHKTPmZYDbWOF00wOHvCZgR1F2qSlCVsm2jSFcjcKPvpkm5Ehbrp1jQAV788gs_rt78MlSWPQHU_ny1tLSccj3ats8e0kwMEe4sjM9aMf9qfMTTcm-aU-/s320/CIMG0690.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615675486081827314" /></a>DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-70103166162133267072011-05-10T16:16:00.000-07:002011-05-10T16:28:53.949-07:00Transfusion TimeDan is tired.<br /><br />Very tired.<br /><br />So worn out that he has to take a break on his way to the bathroom. Now for some of you who have not been to our house let me assure you that our apartment does not warrant that response. It takes roughly fifteen steps to get from the couch to the bathroom.<br /><br />No, it cannot be blamed on our huge apartment. Its more likely that it is caused by Dan's low blood counts. He has so little red blood cells that his doctor has decided to give him not one, but two units of blood. I did some quick math ... (ok it wasn't quick at all... It took a few google searches and the use of a calculator app) to figure out that they are giving him about ten percent of the blood volume that he is supposed to have right now. Please leave me a comment with the correct amount if I have made a huge miscalculation! But suffice it to say that he is really low right now. <br /><br />I'm sure that this is going to make him feel so much better! He probably won't be melted into the couch anymore and could possibly be back to normal by the weekend... Well a relative normal, at least! <br /><br />Now go and thank your bone marrow for doing such a good job making your blood and supplying you with energy and a healthy immune system :)DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-74342744909601673472011-04-21T17:55:00.001-07:002011-04-22T12:35:50.724-07:00cool<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705371074/Huntsmans-pledge-another-41-million-to-Huntsman-Cancer-Institute-donation-fills-patient-with-hope.html?pg=1">Click Here</a>DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-64875162621448460832011-04-19T20:43:00.000-07:002011-04-19T21:37:17.454-07:00Picture UpdateWith all of these gloomy postings lately I though I would spice things up a little bit. After all, our life isn't ALL about cancer. Quite the opposite I think. It is important to take care of Dan's health the best we can, but when he's feeling good we party... well, sorta :)<br /><br />Dan at his sister Mallory's wedding in Denver<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqTatwe5uD_MeUmMLEek1VmhyiOGIFY6KEYI-6OO7H0Yi9oBOpkxYANxp6zbjfdKv3wijk9mIp63I_h8u2biWwQ_Ue3ptW224jpHWrebPbLIkh-D_ab1hFdEK1NCBFtXdN1bOD0JcN6Hk/s1600/IMG_0936.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqTatwe5uD_MeUmMLEek1VmhyiOGIFY6KEYI-6OO7H0Yi9oBOpkxYANxp6zbjfdKv3wijk9mIp63I_h8u2biWwQ_Ue3ptW224jpHWrebPbLIkh-D_ab1hFdEK1NCBFtXdN1bOD0JcN6Hk/s320/IMG_0936.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597507315445908738" border="0" /></a><br />Jeff and Mal. Welcome to the family Jeff!! (I've never seen so many googly eyes as I did between these two during their wedding. Love it)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuHpRIM_hxm2XPLjR1OlWiz_jcojnvr08x_RsELk1pTZlYIxWQB3bItIwzfA8VME7TPw6_M1dPvXeis8ocTiUZUhu4rcYCYhvlI_7xe0wjolKuLsFQ6mLwegRWPmrfum8EgVD5fY_Ldgx/s1600/IMG_0967-1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuHpRIM_hxm2XPLjR1OlWiz_jcojnvr08x_RsELk1pTZlYIxWQB3bItIwzfA8VME7TPw6_M1dPvXeis8ocTiUZUhu4rcYCYhvlI_7xe0wjolKuLsFQ6mLwegRWPmrfum8EgVD5fY_Ldgx/s320/IMG_0967-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597507761082570226" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQsIfJfsSyHkFRk5ivkoivWidw0g6xYOcs5cKebrMvckl5P-ecHyTBiMqok4EvK0j7EwXFF2ruLGiO8RMcNcFBBO4bvKPemAXGnToVUtW-W7A-xBSv_QL1gxm3UnKOeK96kTDrv_1XPnh/s1600/IMG_1058.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQsIfJfsSyHkFRk5ivkoivWidw0g6xYOcs5cKebrMvckl5P-ecHyTBiMqok4EvK0j7EwXFF2ruLGiO8RMcNcFBBO4bvKPemAXGnToVUtW-W7A-xBSv_QL1gxm3UnKOeK96kTDrv_1XPnh/s320/IMG_1058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597509857680678146" border="0" /></a><br />Mal was so sweet to let her brother leave her reception early to go to BYU's second basketball game in the NCAA Tournament.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dymKh-KeWns51Dn6fLv8ThTG9n-f_ieG9rUdA8XhiTA1fi75OcXQuSYyR8m9Pu3owDz8ByIIBh8zE8o_RgrkA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlpLzffNKRcvj5WsUN5q1nxH03cUViQ3VgMPdKiqP1VWHBuYQno_qvZHiRz0Oh89yh3yOHjdC552ZjyJzs9il1-pdPEADkxt5nrXYPiimBMgdlg-6CFv8bjY2eJVIcaBR1O5Ip3pehT7F/s1600/CIMG0599.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlpLzffNKRcvj5WsUN5q1nxH03cUViQ3VgMPdKiqP1VWHBuYQno_qvZHiRz0Oh89yh3yOHjdC552ZjyJzs9il1-pdPEADkxt5nrXYPiimBMgdlg-6CFv8bjY2eJVIcaBR1O5Ip3pehT7F/s320/CIMG0599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597508777838671650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Let me just say, everybody needs to go see the Justin Bieber movie. Preferably with sisters and nieces... screaming nieces.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhj7ZJpwN3rd4sAAVsM0PCFNHCWfq8XdZaqK9ZhLc-8hF-ynW2gDHXQAWfOKAx4f1N2HHOARQ0JMo-7TBTJAro8eoGWLB6tTTAUusPn7OyGlwpt1Ip94GsQhI-9DdeWPb34ERz5FBs1xO/s1600/CIMG0581.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhj7ZJpwN3rd4sAAVsM0PCFNHCWfq8XdZaqK9ZhLc-8hF-ynW2gDHXQAWfOKAx4f1N2HHOARQ0JMo-7TBTJAro8eoGWLB6tTTAUusPn7OyGlwpt1Ip94GsQhI-9DdeWPb34ERz5FBs1xO/s320/CIMG0581.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597508167738325890" border="0" /></a><br />Oh, and don't forget to bring his #1 Fan...(my sister)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqBaWN-7ES3rCVrBex4gCDeXFgrNoB6QoFtupxfDy8dgY7fw3MG1NG7099L0FjCb80ErEZWdO7sGi4T3kgvxC1QmsNdk5iCRj80l79PBwNGTW_LA90KePdy9sNMRfMngGRbZaKAFIV76a/s1600/CIMG0584.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqBaWN-7ES3rCVrBex4gCDeXFgrNoB6QoFtupxfDy8dgY7fw3MG1NG7099L0FjCb80ErEZWdO7sGi4T3kgvxC1QmsNdk5iCRj80l79PBwNGTW_LA90KePdy9sNMRfMngGRbZaKAFIV76a/s320/CIMG0584.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597507973466706402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span>I don't think this requires any introduction. Picture in your mind the best steak you've ever had and multiply it by ten. That's somewhere in the ball park of Ruths Chris. Unfortunately, you can also multiply the price by ten, too.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66_uL2dWJGF3YcavCIC5zxVVTJtjm0IAvpROJhBN8QlM1as0LDQ7taJtM7o7PqtpgoauRSdRPmu_dN6_pqDeDjHCzomx1Au2ydQ3vc4nGBhUqnDPKWpt1VhSEqyMiXRAVO775NdMDFNW1/s1600/CIMG0588.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66_uL2dWJGF3YcavCIC5zxVVTJtjm0IAvpROJhBN8QlM1as0LDQ7taJtM7o7PqtpgoauRSdRPmu_dN6_pqDeDjHCzomx1Au2ydQ3vc4nGBhUqnDPKWpt1VhSEqyMiXRAVO775NdMDFNW1/s320/CIMG0588.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597511035584710626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now do you see why I say life is good? It really is.DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-50571965807976265252011-04-06T20:26:00.000-07:002011-04-06T20:45:35.344-07:00So it seems we are through the woods... at least for this first cycle.<br /><br />Dan spent five days in the hospital and then came home to recover. This is when we watch his counts carefully (by getting blood draws every couple of days), and take the necessary precautions depending on how they look.<br /><br />He did very well with the nausea as soon as he got home. He struggles with the "worn out" feeling. He gets off the couch, walks down the hall, and gets in bed, and his heart is pounding. He feels like he has just run a mile. I guess those red blood cells of ours are important!<br /><br />Yesterday Dan had to get a platelet transfusion. Other than an allergic reaction that kinda slowed things down, all went well. His blood is now clotting normally (which is comforting).<br /><br />I know that we have been through this many times before, but it still amazes me that Dan's body is able to come back from this! It seems that there are too many things that take such a big hit. I am also amazed at our bodies in general. I guess it takes watching a body that DOESN'T work for me to appreciate when they DO work.<br /><br />I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner. I guess lately I have found that this feels strangely normal. Or familiar... maybe that is a better word. I have not had the desire to write, because I don't feel like there is anything to write about! But I know that there are many people who love Dan and want to know how he is doing. Thank you so much for that. It means more than you know.<br /><br />I will try to be better next cycle! But for now, please know we are doing well and Dan is almost feeling normal again.<br /><br />Oh, PS... Dan's hair started falling out today, so he shaved his head. My bald husband is back! I'm so excited... I forgot how good he looks bald.DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-8776874529296790592011-03-11T16:33:00.000-08:002011-03-11T16:37:15.026-08:00Dan just posted this on our other blog (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/danielhedlund). So I guess there will be more updates to come :) We love you all.<br /><br />"Wow. I got away with not needing to update this blog for a solid seven months...not bad, right?<br /><br />Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.<br /><br />On my most recent set of scans, they saw that two of the nodules have grown in size which means that the cancer isn't quite done with me yet. So I'll be starting chemotherapy on the 23rd of this month (which will officially be my 17th round of chemo) and after three or so months treatments I'll have another lung surgery (which will be my eighth surgery). Then we get to start this whole remission song and dance over again (though I've come to learn that remission is kind of loose term).<br /><br />My first reaction to the news was, "I'm tired." I think that after three years of chemo treatments, surgeries, and doctors appointments, I was just tired. I wanted a break. Now that I've finally started my career and settled down I was ready to be "done". <br /><br />But since the news, I've had time to think and digest a lot of things. I went back and read "My Story" on this Website and found the following statement: <br /><br />"We know this will be a difficult time, but with the support of family, friends, and lots of help from the Lord, we know this will be a positive experience and we'll learn so much during the course of it."<br /><br />That's the understatement of the century. It's too bad I can't make those kind of predictions this March in my bracket. If there's one thing that I KNOW, it's that not only have we been blessed during the past three years, but we've come out <em>ahead</em> of where we would have otherwise been. What I mean by that is that we learned things and gained experience and grew in ways that would have been totally impossible to do through our own efforts.<br /><br />As horrible as one would thing things have been the past year, I can look at the collective experience and say that it's been overwhelmingly positive. And I don't think that's just me trying to "look on the bright side of things". Had you all experienced what I've experienced and felt what I've felt, you would say the same thing without hesitation. <br /><br />I feel so blessed to have gone through the things I've gone through and I've reached a point where I can say I'd do it again given the choice. If going through cancer was the only way to get to where I am today, then I'd do it again without looking back. <br /><br />So with all those things in mind, please don't feel sorry for me or bad for me that I have to go through this again. In a strange sort of way, I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for me this time. What lessons He'll teach me. How He'll stretch me and school me. And most of all, what He will turn me in to. <br /><br />Where I see myself going and who I see myself becoming are very different from where God sees me going and who He sees me becoming. But each step of the way, I can see that where He has taken me is a much better place than I ever thought of for myself. It reminds me of a great C.S. Lewis quote:<br /><br />"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." <br /><br />I love you all. Thank you for your continued support and prayers."DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-12335106834927825782011-02-16T14:48:00.001-08:002011-02-16T14:54:33.072-08:00You've just been<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqRaRJ4dQPzAOXW-injTtfi6hy6_XhfRTnA3CVB4p2yXLIUsL-vc92-PaYyT0D0ZzR3hhqLN9iuu9BHcAmqrMKQo6WU9lJFCEA_hY5kXawmAxlqb5i5TU7zUbxx0nimVyfeYKa2NQ7Pw2/s1600/BYU-Jimmer-Fredette-CD-02%255B4%255D.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqRaRJ4dQPzAOXW-injTtfi6hy6_XhfRTnA3CVB4p2yXLIUsL-vc92-PaYyT0D0ZzR3hhqLN9iuu9BHcAmqrMKQo6WU9lJFCEA_hY5kXawmAxlqb5i5TU7zUbxx0nimVyfeYKa2NQ7Pw2/s320/BYU-Jimmer-Fredette-CD-02%255B4%255D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574423428721983170" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >JIMMERED.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">No need to thank me.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Love,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Daniel</span><br /></div>DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-45313776715532668942011-01-30T21:36:00.000-08:002011-01-30T21:42:09.330-08:00I'm so happy that this is behind us<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqd5ITS4X-CXojNtnUlzFgje7GQvHENCZ03LQFcvk_beaIMegHVP4OnBojl2rh4Qqg9DV1Z57DazIpTLhoFJvDTrdz2pV4iR0yjBbSfXP8L1sTI63ARQZIHiNXj0lHJ3o1k7JXktp85j0/s1600/CIMG0559.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqd5ITS4X-CXojNtnUlzFgje7GQvHENCZ03LQFcvk_beaIMegHVP4OnBojl2rh4Qqg9DV1Z57DazIpTLhoFJvDTrdz2pV4iR0yjBbSfXP8L1sTI63ARQZIHiNXj0lHJ3o1k7JXktp85j0/s320/CIMG0559.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568220231074685154" border="0" /></a>It's been about 3 1/2 weeks since I took this picture. It seems like 3 1/2 months. It's crazy how life can just pick up again so quickly after a major surgery like this. Someone must really be looking out for us.<br /><br />I'm grateful today for health. And for happiness. Cheesy? Maybe. But we are sure healthy and happy.<br /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Owner/Pictures/2010-12-31/CIMG0559.JPG" alt="" />DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-91135458900605844602011-01-04T12:08:00.001-08:002011-01-04T13:01:02.174-08:00Christmas... (and other fun stuff)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGlhVV-ihVnydO4ukQ7AVJkzB1FrkFPayskuJobO_PjY6RArhuINKQ2Obck6vwRliRhbtiEQ9EHtmet9KGu1MP6eFcj0t0vg5lHiRRfTVPaXHmApHcyH_4zG853Ny9ezurNUblxQPJyQ1/s1600/CIMG0555.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZHZtn48O7dCFq8LwvNNYkaA2qTJ-9qJGrP3n_JEvb3dUQ6B5KK59ShSOttjALUz79oGoUtEVBkkgkvg8-hts09mRczAMlogNq0UcR8Em2ZC2e8IEL0-pTGSjMlrOBaZDvLerx4mwmB6J/s1600/CIMG0471.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZHZtn48O7dCFq8LwvNNYkaA2qTJ-9qJGrP3n_JEvb3dUQ6B5KK59ShSOttjALUz79oGoUtEVBkkgkvg8-hts09mRczAMlogNq0UcR8Em2ZC2e8IEL0-pTGSjMlrOBaZDvLerx4mwmB6J/s320/CIMG0471.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558431792961166850" border="0" /></a>Christmas was great this year!! I loved it.<br /><br />It started off with caroling at Dad's rehab facility.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_7wQo0LS39uggARGe8zGSu0ZsRl_9WFK5aQsy0IYi_bUKmOBbHzzBuZLnNIW5uNnd1kN-FdL8cTdKem1jekQFQa_whUmifINZn5W9UwCYkVEip85E4MbNfxb8-wC7VZJ7vrYX2naEMzn/s1600/CIMG0476.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_7wQo0LS39uggARGe8zGSu0ZsRl_9WFK5aQsy0IYi_bUKmOBbHzzBuZLnNIW5uNnd1kN-FdL8cTdKem1jekQFQa_whUmifINZn5W9UwCYkVEip85E4MbNfxb8-wC7VZJ7vrYX2naEMzn/s320/CIMG0476.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558432276731524402" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwg-ICvuwY8YNnJD5bl6HVXd3BBD8P7lA9hl3P2Xc-j89SWN47iLc1XqETdGbqJnyGOGPn9BUxGxLd58VY2X-UkfTAQWLe95uf2mUIXMyIwPi5LHibCzCq9Xjrowp75hgda3z0gqmwh1f/s1600/CIMG0480.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwg-ICvuwY8YNnJD5bl6HVXd3BBD8P7lA9hl3P2Xc-j89SWN47iLc1XqETdGbqJnyGOGPn9BUxGxLd58VY2X-UkfTAQWLe95uf2mUIXMyIwPi5LHibCzCq9Xjrowp75hgda3z0gqmwh1f/s320/CIMG0480.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558431308038278130" border="0" /></a>Then back to mom and dad's to exchange gifts<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNLj_EJ4NifOpEJNLElK_Et33epMMHdjI45WokQdr8OouNU4SWpfUWP5GCceK3h5w5S48HUl-wLI9Sy34_6iFbbrQplhs6UIfy8zrQlgQhjMvBDnCqlhtjy-lBWhO3y_vFnn_CzQh1cA5/s1600/CIMG0472.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNLj_EJ4NifOpEJNLElK_Et33epMMHdjI45WokQdr8OouNU4SWpfUWP5GCceK3h5w5S48HUl-wLI9Sy34_6iFbbrQplhs6UIfy8zrQlgQhjMvBDnCqlhtjy-lBWhO3y_vFnn_CzQh1cA5/s320/CIMG0472.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558432492888073778" border="0" /></a><br />The two injured boys...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63jwHibaYCbEfKTwdySjMbi5gYL_G0us5p_qzeIMkB18jglOog2bggWFOrCf1xUCp9HARwXMXX5aLk4Ua5-Nvl3ev1TDgbO-o6dr-f8iro3CGS2dVB2qMwQNbxclm1JKZ_YGghh7Oo88U/s1600/CIMG0463.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63jwHibaYCbEfKTwdySjMbi5gYL_G0us5p_qzeIMkB18jglOog2bggWFOrCf1xUCp9HARwXMXX5aLk4Ua5-Nvl3ev1TDgbO-o6dr-f8iro3CGS2dVB2qMwQNbxclm1JKZ_YGghh7Oo88U/s320/CIMG0463.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558431502187284450" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And then it was off to Kansas!!<br />This was Christmas Eve with our Santa shirts. (Dan is such a good sport)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjb7iwcK-oJozwFzibg6-ZWo3PJsgua8NX1eQURWgJbrtUBHvLsmyTBFZZUBTqRVPlEVs5vRrIBtFfNMZzW380Frym06_nyz7_133nrxJDbDZrEo95rTQ4znZUyapEv0mbpfrPcAep_NP/s1600/CIMG0494.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjb7iwcK-oJozwFzibg6-ZWo3PJsgua8NX1eQURWgJbrtUBHvLsmyTBFZZUBTqRVPlEVs5vRrIBtFfNMZzW380Frym06_nyz7_133nrxJDbDZrEo95rTQ4znZUyapEv0mbpfrPcAep_NP/s320/CIMG0494.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558432977377943682" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oNsSsuRaQzlqOSQGIkv6h0CHTwwx6UzNtFeU1Zbzbn3_MJsDAw8sxg7PcTygLqmjIXD1qi-8Q4VqhyphenhyphenIGPtbrqFj2y9gifWAySshQyBHATMD3bJPfFowxrIX8WT1vb_2b-kAuMg6HndGK/s1600/CIMG0504.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oNsSsuRaQzlqOSQGIkv6h0CHTwwx6UzNtFeU1Zbzbn3_MJsDAw8sxg7PcTygLqmjIXD1qi-8Q4VqhyphenhyphenIGPtbrqFj2y9gifWAySshQyBHATMD3bJPfFowxrIX8WT1vb_2b-kAuMg6HndGK/s320/CIMG0504.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558433308406376562" border="0" /></a><br />Christmas morning was so much fun! We loved watching Mady open up her presents. This is her opening her dress up box.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoyLkBBcr7iAKG9Fva6QBsuE0BmNys1fgCvR1HZWIWHoBMQngCLRiFRc7lEkp58idixh7RPAOE_8q2mHgHpIuY9f979GxbRyfZ23YZlUVTZeXFbap0_57rb_EU-SzKghyY9Qla4kxqFcY/s1600/CIMG0512.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoyLkBBcr7iAKG9Fva6QBsuE0BmNys1fgCvR1HZWIWHoBMQngCLRiFRc7lEkp58idixh7RPAOE_8q2mHgHpIuY9f979GxbRyfZ23YZlUVTZeXFbap0_57rb_EU-SzKghyY9Qla4kxqFcY/s320/CIMG0512.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558433545052472562" border="0" /></a><br />She loved the shoes...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhV1VS9mIij9qXTiOtsgjOZfkN2ZcsnTYYsdXKmi8JzSWwgDdc3Pp6u9RV7oyyBBNA_4HQw26t9_52ssa0_C5bkDUKQq-5qpbsv5gGqtoQ29YIsJHZtcvmrfNeOmJwneE3VgrpFjqwJ19/s1600/CIMG0514.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhV1VS9mIij9qXTiOtsgjOZfkN2ZcsnTYYsdXKmi8JzSWwgDdc3Pp6u9RV7oyyBBNA_4HQw26t9_52ssa0_C5bkDUKQq-5qpbsv5gGqtoQ29YIsJHZtcvmrfNeOmJwneE3VgrpFjqwJ19/s320/CIMG0514.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558433918361348354" border="0" /></a>... and playing in her new tent with Uncle Dan.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q9e8riqXyaCLG0iCIR63BmtHUUz3QHelj1Ouog0_z9doMS2UYv26dhJgU96UCbIFg6CRKzYxOimSj4RTs-0hyKeZDlXVfKzibpNUDPpwGqqqCBT0pZMr_MhEdVRuveg4iasBZMXpkO8y/s1600/CIMG0529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q9e8riqXyaCLG0iCIR63BmtHUUz3QHelj1Ouog0_z9doMS2UYv26dhJgU96UCbIFg6CRKzYxOimSj4RTs-0hyKeZDlXVfKzibpNUDPpwGqqqCBT0pZMr_MhEdVRuveg4iasBZMXpkO8y/s320/CIMG0529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558434199589455490" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Then suddenly it was time to ring in the New Year. Dan surprised me with tickets to "Eve" and a stay at the Radisson downtown. It's an event that Salt Lake City puts on to celebrate New Years Eve. There were tons of events to go to and shows to see. We saw lots of local bands, went to improve comedy, and saw a U2 laser show. It was SUCH a fun night!! The best New Years EVER!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqwIhYbAdmR0ZM8X8vy1ikHqEct7pY3Tf2sXDAGxhEAJpNVbfxgwFqks8BmAmkQHgNVEykSJF15QThK4-wHlQz4gT5jPMRNpyxMp6DejnaHKVc5MX_voIWkKDPj80O0NKG4H57Of4Xey2/s1600/CIMG0545.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqwIhYbAdmR0ZM8X8vy1ikHqEct7pY3Tf2sXDAGxhEAJpNVbfxgwFqks8BmAmkQHgNVEykSJF15QThK4-wHlQz4gT5jPMRNpyxMp6DejnaHKVc5MX_voIWkKDPj80O0NKG4H57Of4Xey2/s320/CIMG0545.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558434378047838306" border="0" /></a><br />Our favorite part was the "ballroom". It was a big dance where they had 2,011 beach balls. We felt like kids... this was the best McDonald's ball pit ever!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsO5fofVqmlHL8vP27LN2dClVGLcM_XnednHPZOoWX2cGOkJY4GqMx1BiwUITUfDwfT3bQqAObgA_DxwGNZOtyjn9efxG5RditD-arGrQE1vXIf8FkFevl_ibdVMm9CBFT16lVhn-pNbdq/s1600/CIMG0544.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsO5fofVqmlHL8vP27LN2dClVGLcM_XnednHPZOoWX2cGOkJY4GqMx1BiwUITUfDwfT3bQqAObgA_DxwGNZOtyjn9efxG5RditD-arGrQE1vXIf8FkFevl_ibdVMm9CBFT16lVhn-pNbdq/s320/CIMG0544.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558434999463221410" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzZvafg_EDbaJvCwrPJ60zHkJEAqaslkUgQwEYw51KWP9ZLd6wsfz664LyhbxwBQnDXdO4AoFuUPsBZMdgM9w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br />The famous midnight kiss. Though, it was really the "I'm freezing, it's literally 3 degrees outside, what on earth are we doing?" kiss. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGlhVV-ihVnydO4ukQ7AVJkzB1FrkFPayskuJobO_PjY6RArhuINKQ2Obck6vwRliRhbtiEQ9EHtmet9KGu1MP6eFcj0t0vg5lHiRRfTVPaXHmApHcyH_4zG853Ny9ezurNUblxQPJyQ1/s1600/CIMG0555.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGlhVV-ihVnydO4ukQ7AVJkzB1FrkFPayskuJobO_PjY6RArhuINKQ2Obck6vwRliRhbtiEQ9EHtmet9KGu1MP6eFcj0t0vg5lHiRRfTVPaXHmApHcyH_4zG853Ny9ezurNUblxQPJyQ1/s320/CIMG0555.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558435620913001634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Lovely, Lovely Holidays!!!!<br /><br />oh, and P.S. - Dan's plan to get the holiday weight gain off again? Surgery tomorrow.<br /><br />Just kidding, it's not a surgery to lose weight (but he will admit he doesn't mind that side effect:) It's a surgery to repair the broken plate in his leg. Since it's still not growing in, they will once again pack some bone from his hip in there to try to stimulate growth. We are so hoping that this will fix it and he will be able to have a functioning femur. I hate surgery days, but we know that he is receiving exceptional care from his doctors and from above.<br /><br />Hope you all had a great Christmas!!DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-2256100808300753752010-11-29T13:44:00.000-08:002010-11-29T15:08:47.786-08:00Gratitude Is In the Air!November has got to be one of my favorites... in fact is comes in a VERY close second to December. (Which is a big deal considering I am a Southwick woman... we take our Decembers VERY seriously:)<br /><br />I love it because gratitude flows so easily through all of us. I have an unusually long list this year.<br /><br />First and foremost:<br />My healthy husband. He has not had treatment now for three months. Since the miraculous news of the pathology report from the nodules taken from his lungs, we have breathed a sigh of relief and our world no longer revolves around chemotherapy, surgery and doctors appointments. We still have the lingering thoughts and usual worries about the next scan, but it does not take away from the miracle we have seen.<br />Here are some pictures of us lately enjoying Dan's health:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijN9Op2VYpuhgMbtKLEm8Xp_Rl_E2qbJwKCCyM9vn4v3qtVzUwnPEQYxBQDgSDFrTK6tqbwSfwM1eWOGNfrytiJNPQBtLX68Z339bJ2yxYHKNW-wP7Ick-nIySq7UVKKuHH9KG0t0PGDC/s1600/021.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijN9Op2VYpuhgMbtKLEm8Xp_Rl_E2qbJwKCCyM9vn4v3qtVzUwnPEQYxBQDgSDFrTK6tqbwSfwM1eWOGNfrytiJNPQBtLX68Z339bJ2yxYHKNW-wP7Ick-nIySq7UVKKuHH9KG0t0PGDC/s320/021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545108813253459986" border="0" /></a>(Disneyland)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhs31PY0DNxTB0L4n902ZJRFloQ05mYUJnH3QpWp-yasbH-lmKy1AnCzU8HcaNiE0Lb7TQ-tB1CIaV1sw5VB_SQm0HehuVJy-4cj9QKRwxe4mFhM0zZ796QdlOMt1BvAaJ_u5UX0y0wEs/s1600/CIMG0402.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhs31PY0DNxTB0L4n902ZJRFloQ05mYUJnH3QpWp-yasbH-lmKy1AnCzU8HcaNiE0Lb7TQ-tB1CIaV1sw5VB_SQm0HehuVJy-4cj9QKRwxe4mFhM0zZ796QdlOMt1BvAaJ_u5UX0y0wEs/s320/CIMG0402.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545104082711921058" border="0" /></a>(carving pumpkins with the Riches)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-LBTaQyc4P60nVojRdTswke50njltRGDO2oMdHvfMbUSpERyrYTwPq_hkQ-gfyRrk6YnGI1Q0cMJib-CRQJixKGhpMk7C6OJFuvo9gDt6XeVMwdvUtO2n0rwHxX5dwHZfoTWhbG8NCUe/s1600/CIMG0415.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-LBTaQyc4P60nVojRdTswke50njltRGDO2oMdHvfMbUSpERyrYTwPq_hkQ-gfyRrk6YnGI1Q0cMJib-CRQJixKGhpMk7C6OJFuvo9gDt6XeVMwdvUtO2n0rwHxX5dwHZfoTWhbG8NCUe/s320/CIMG0415.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545104718517194274" border="0" /></a>(Halloween Costumes. We were a nerd and a bully... don't read into that too much. We do not endorse domestic violence :)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9-lqBq53-WtsixfA0EtIAKxHpS2Dz_yth1wLWZ5Kk4aHcaCy40CDdaUqGMVNWGibJVqDSZy1OtWcTM06BxemDOWOUTmPFjnm6bvS8n85GIsbR1DtPIsAbQlKVyNsGoFEe-kiV0wxZRjs/s1600/CIMG0450.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9-lqBq53-WtsixfA0EtIAKxHpS2Dz_yth1wLWZ5Kk4aHcaCy40CDdaUqGMVNWGibJVqDSZy1OtWcTM06BxemDOWOUTmPFjnm6bvS8n85GIsbR1DtPIsAbQlKVyNsGoFEe-kiV0wxZRjs/s320/CIMG0450.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545106491814501138" border="0" /></a>(Dan at Denny's demonstrating his claw skills that won him this stuffed animal.)<br /></div><br />Second:<br />Dan got a job!! And a GREAT job, too! He is now teaching seminary at Northridge High School in Layton, UT. If you don't know what seminary is, it's a class that high school kids can elect to take (though it operates independently from the high school) to study the principles found in the scriptures. Dan teaches <a href="http://mormon.org/faith/">these things</a> to high schoolers day in and day out... and he loves it!! We feel very lucky because this career path is surprisingly competitive. We couldn't be happier with the job and the Spirit it has brought into our lives.<br /><br />Third:<br />The above mentioned blessing required us to move. Luckily, we found a great little place pretty quickly. We love our little townhome! I'll try to post pictures later... we're still getting settled. We like Layton so far. We feel so lucky to live next to my sister and her wonderful family!<br /><br />Fourth:<br />My new washer and dryer! We braved the 15 degree weather for four and a half hours and got our washer and dryer for half off!! Yay!! It's supposed to be delivered tomorrow. I can't wait. This was me and Dan's first time attempting to brave the Black Friday crowds and it was actually pretty fun. This is the "cold crew", consisting of me, Dan and Dallin.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaDaVVWy8n1DVspADMgBViXhHOOeyIMQCj6lglFWtvTEdlpppEmfMfeq7-yXcozAZs4nwcrFwFLpYtz7jYhDPgSivsosnaDEdJXSH3hqh9PI0GCLOV9TRi-tWtdqyzFShyphenhyphenhdGspUPSyLN/s1600/CIMG0442.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaDaVVWy8n1DVspADMgBViXhHOOeyIMQCj6lglFWtvTEdlpppEmfMfeq7-yXcozAZs4nwcrFwFLpYtz7jYhDPgSivsosnaDEdJXSH3hqh9PI0GCLOV9TRi-tWtdqyzFShyphenhyphenhdGspUPSyLN/s320/CIMG0442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545104903207145042" border="0" /></a>We bundled up and took turns waiting in line, then warming up in the car with the heater. We found different ways to stay warm:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxzcV8xgh-IjAP_uk0Tmgvu4U2Y_ZiVsB6zmo6bxt-A_ZEntupIRjulm-LO6WNvmvDfnTje3hbrkzuNyE1nv3PPPe9-ybiEmWVIa9hOIV2tYfr9_Xa6n68K-a5jh9RMtJwl1I-N0ZsvLH/s1600/CIMG0445.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxzcV8xgh-IjAP_uk0Tmgvu4U2Y_ZiVsB6zmo6bxt-A_ZEntupIRjulm-LO6WNvmvDfnTje3hbrkzuNyE1nv3PPPe9-ybiEmWVIa9hOIV2tYfr9_Xa6n68K-a5jh9RMtJwl1I-N0ZsvLH/s320/CIMG0445.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545105864405403634" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLf7u1f_L_uJnFvdtQSlltRidzZBk4u4XHqCb5roSfFkcSkIOVIYJcgF4xG-eS0yl-bFx-6hxJHma1r5dBdP2oy3pkW40k9w8MP5rx0e9AwmaFRkyHryWJ8ooe7X3fbOtw3dhRLvcb4hF/s1600/1-08+027.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77jYAXRMy5KT12gatouwtFwsb9ENZajW-X9P8CkjlXAhbjXfCLsBAo5bpBwD-k-PW08KWmo-thBPrhcBBO3biJd83j1EHIfYdkZZ7RJDcMxNdxaBOuWoGnGpryppQad9VYfdw2Lv3zoP0/s1600/CIMG0443.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77jYAXRMy5KT12gatouwtFwsb9ENZajW-X9P8CkjlXAhbjXfCLsBAo5bpBwD-k-PW08KWmo-thBPrhcBBO3biJd83j1EHIfYdkZZ7RJDcMxNdxaBOuWoGnGpryppQad9VYfdw2Lv3zoP0/s320/CIMG0443.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545106077204897378" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWVhA9WXmjaXdivaZh1OGdC2qdmalbeyKpuro1nCCUAq1VtjeSwcWQXAvA-T_KiPkF9SdBJy3anIhxxa9l8w0NOQWrsyACVe3Tyvu9i3DfUgdIg_RFNnDqViGDev7acwRf6Z0AlWWBbuS/s1600/CIMG0447.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWVhA9WXmjaXdivaZh1OGdC2qdmalbeyKpuro1nCCUAq1VtjeSwcWQXAvA-T_KiPkF9SdBJy3anIhxxa9l8w0NOQWrsyACVe3Tyvu9i3DfUgdIg_RFNnDqViGDev7acwRf6Z0AlWWBbuS/s320/CIMG0447.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545106268506836226" border="0" /></a><br />Last, but definitely not least:<br />Family. I get so happy every time I think about my family. I could not ask for a more supportive, wonderful, fun and loving family. I know those are generic words to use, but I mean every one of them. I love love my family! We had such a fun Thanksgiving season with the Southwick side, and we can't WAIT for Christmas with the Hedlunds! Grammy's cinnamon rolls, here we come!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrmUL97PCpbSe1odMGvCCXJZK3WWuMDF6CLoyQbQ50SV_4uoModhhg-xclR7J__mIlX0AMddiL0KF__nTB63AMINXZyBIAZXPTe8yx8FTIkImIMqJJWYseVs6lXgSY6caPuYBY4czfU1x/s1600/CIMG0045.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrmUL97PCpbSe1odMGvCCXJZK3WWuMDF6CLoyQbQ50SV_4uoModhhg-xclR7J__mIlX0AMddiL0KF__nTB63AMINXZyBIAZXPTe8yx8FTIkImIMqJJWYseVs6lXgSY6caPuYBY4czfU1x/s320/CIMG0045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545111366802436994" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGA5km9SDCdxoba9w0n9kxp3mc6gKt2V6pejj4Wzmo4wpbSfbdD0G93lpLq77mk4VvQDUQFZ2u4jI20phmcsch1QCrBkMKVU5HEIL840KPkxKo9-oUkLXgc-pQN_IZZYaooK3zvMTK3O2f/s1600/006+-+Copy.JPG"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKNcv0nObwa7DmmsRmc7sgeu-yhTMfmttnW4wDOK7JDDGh2niyymJftQPOEGB5eCMMp_-Kh6I7IKDOpJ2nVywVCWHn-y2wOnJEVorfz_cCGIo1RVSNOZu0pl-yqpl4l4M0pzRVlJ-CVY6/s1600/CIMG0092.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKNcv0nObwa7DmmsRmc7sgeu-yhTMfmttnW4wDOK7JDDGh2niyymJftQPOEGB5eCMMp_-Kh6I7IKDOpJ2nVywVCWHn-y2wOnJEVorfz_cCGIo1RVSNOZu0pl-yqpl4l4M0pzRVlJ-CVY6/s320/CIMG0092.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545109768417065090" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7maTxSQ34fIlgM-cWN2kUA14ZkooaZbimn8lQVoPnlrVxwGOxLC_WWXM8Ym_bM17Vq_Cz664O8A6Iso4_HDfzarMI4hyktimnJPGS-4r6aogBfOvGsHNXFlK97SHT72Ycu67NDfm1uia8/s1600/CIMG0104.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7maTxSQ34fIlgM-cWN2kUA14ZkooaZbimn8lQVoPnlrVxwGOxLC_WWXM8Ym_bM17Vq_Cz664O8A6Iso4_HDfzarMI4hyktimnJPGS-4r6aogBfOvGsHNXFlK97SHT72Ycu67NDfm1uia8/s320/CIMG0104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545110472363141106" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_BZpGn_smShK9M8GE7GzXRirCjGGUwpOpMA45aiiY-JM2Y8wDo_IERODwlTky9LyU9eBd3Vo3v5i-t3OdpO2lQ7wIVNre8scOcPa5TkyY6jR3QR3stIEHug8lcz6VtJOrkZESz3KVZSb/s1600/CIMG0103.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_BZpGn_smShK9M8GE7GzXRirCjGGUwpOpMA45aiiY-JM2Y8wDo_IERODwlTky9LyU9eBd3Vo3v5i-t3OdpO2lQ7wIVNre8scOcPa5TkyY6jR3QR3stIEHug8lcz6VtJOrkZESz3KVZSb/s320/CIMG0103.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545111483577925858" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8opYai5MRUDEds1JQKAhVNAF7RiBccxA1DKsuE5lYSl7O5LZt7W7cHHfMOWafsc_i-4SigqMEC80joMpsYF4DLC3PhNHhyphenhyphenH7AhoeQ5NZ8Rqo-27fkutGNuGi658ely8aOvzyzNaKwqSD/s1600/CIMG0124.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8opYai5MRUDEds1JQKAhVNAF7RiBccxA1DKsuE5lYSl7O5LZt7W7cHHfMOWafsc_i-4SigqMEC80joMpsYF4DLC3PhNHhyphenhyphenH7AhoeQ5NZ8Rqo-27fkutGNuGi658ely8aOvzyzNaKwqSD/s320/CIMG0124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545111742747514386" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuOMXoLvSHmXlig4I6hH5nctI1pUIILGgqFwMfQSRiv8zHWqhnC2fZGyKt3Lm5XJs0Hg6sQxMwzDsu5RXpHNLuSYvRc7xepmy_rcN8eLhyphenhyphenqWbOwZ7jmL-S2oYw8pteJtRX0CK5ecjYuQ4/s1600/visitors.jpg"><br /></a>DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-33105124405065995432010-10-24T11:04:00.000-07:002010-10-24T13:06:38.506-07:00"What the heck just happened?"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNu6bFAPRdXa7_hzL6iNkSUvznbvVDxjo9nZi29EJV3hts2JfXWdjOEQpYritR_gnVks6hVmB0u41H0-dCXB-slUo4SHu43sHwW2AWg_CHo0SKcvqGenhAWZeIhkWQoE-2NQ4Gk5rRjwN/s1600/CIMG0271.JPG"><br /></a><br />That's what I woke up saying this morning.<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: normal;" align="left"><span style=""> First, let me preface this with... I have the best husband ever. Now let me tell you what he did.<br /><br />About three w<span style="font-size:100%;">eeks ago he started talking about this awesome date we were about to go on. He told me that he wanted to thank me for the past three years. He said that although I might not know, he has noticed everything I have done while he has been sick. I always tell him that it was a</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:78%;">small</span><span style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span>price to pay for being the luckiest wife in the world.<br /></span><br />So on the day of the date he tells me that we are going to do something at Thanksgiving Point that requires tickets. In order to keep it a secret, he had my mom buy them so we had to go to my mom's house to pick up the tickets. When I walk in the door I walked into a surprise luau. My family is all there and our good friends from Hawaii (who were there for general conference) to celebrate. Dan knows how much I love Hawaii so he told me that because he couldn't take me to Hawaii, he'd bring Hawaii to me! I thought it was the best, most random surprise party I'd ever had. I thought this was the big surprise and was loving it.... that is until Dan pulled out the big guns.<br /><br />During dinner he quiets everyone down to read a poem he wrote. It was really sweet and basically just thanked me for taking care of him while he was sick. It had this line in there over and over: "how can i thank you for all you've done?". The last line answered the question with a surprise vacation to Hawaii! I freaked out! Then I looked at the date for the tickets and they said next week! We were leaving in </span><span style="font-size:18pt;">7</span><span style=""> </span><span style="font-size:18pt;">days</span><span style="">! Then I really freaked out.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: normal;" align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTI775jsZErTTNdrg-rB-318d81cP52gf_QDQG1r2jmpf8ID4wdzEt2xHJk5uCuqxMVaxfTW6wy5rHM7NKlougELkY9i49LBngrQLYqkTW71kS6jVmTMvLCiolra_xlHTpdbuKHIQFJJO-/s1600/CIMG0368.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTI775jsZErTTNdrg-rB-318d81cP52gf_QDQG1r2jmpf8ID4wdzEt2xHJk5uCuqxMVaxfTW6wy5rHM7NKlougELkY9i49LBngrQLYqkTW71kS6jVmTMvLCiolra_xlHTpdbuKHIQFJJO-/s320/CIMG0368.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531703605371631106" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="">So, needless to say the last 2 weeks have been crazy, and that is why I woke up this morning saying "What the heck just happened". Being surprised like that was incredible, Hawaii was amazing. Life is so good!!<br /><br />Here are some pictures.<br /><br />This is us looking out over Makapuu:</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0N4MHc5Ede1HXK2vWycA_ZQJOvORV9A4TP3EdXXlZ8rqTb6yHb9_6ErDM74NgpwplbdI-3wiR6_7lHZud2DkTdu7SV4hK2II-GJyoJEN8Ab_FyMOyHmfgwgCzE_RUFFhaFJNaXtEKhPvn/s1600/CIMG0323.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0N4MHc5Ede1HXK2vWycA_ZQJOvORV9A4TP3EdXXlZ8rqTb6yHb9_6ErDM74NgpwplbdI-3wiR6_7lHZud2DkTdu7SV4hK2II-GJyoJEN8Ab_FyMOyHmfgwgCzE_RUFFhaFJNaXtEKhPvn/s320/CIMG0323.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531701969651919250" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: normal;" align="left"><span style="">There's no real reason to put this picture up except for that Dan looks really cute in it :)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: normal;" align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LCIhweO1CO4vjEO9y9kS45bv3Egef9dSVHhVkcDWCQn4OAHXom0iPW6VcUTCRuabzaxygqad33Aa6xvdPpuZ7mFeh1X9grMMaJUqsm4YzxNQroUaMkBzfrz_5K87P0mXBY76HZL7P3KT/s1600/CIMG0332.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LCIhweO1CO4vjEO9y9kS45bv3Egef9dSVHhVkcDWCQn4OAHXom0iPW6VcUTCRuabzaxygqad33Aa6xvdPpuZ7mFeh1X9grMMaJUqsm4YzxNQroUaMkBzfrz_5K87P0mXBY76HZL7P3KT/s320/CIMG0332.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531702326756977218" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=""><br />This is right before we got in trouble for getting too close to the sea turtles. There were SO many!</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEwRqpH69AJZLT08t-Ct6ky_YdCcvB08_OtKe7_UvfxcwwJQHD_AxHlQWW2Dz1QqHWZhA1pPs944sxYuO7icJ4MFmuY3z23izBubliNVTwjX8FryEOSeX-2Dw3svz1mHoyLHUEePBlGyy/s1600/CIMG0310.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEwRqpH69AJZLT08t-Ct6ky_YdCcvB08_OtKe7_UvfxcwwJQHD_AxHlQWW2Dz1QqHWZhA1pPs944sxYuO7icJ4MFmuY3z23izBubliNVTwjX8FryEOSeX-2Dw3svz1mHoyLHUEePBlGyy/s320/CIMG0310.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531701673630209186" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: normal;" align="left"><span style=""><br />Ask Dan what happens when you put a whole pot of rice down a garbage disposal. Rice + Garbage Disposal = An unhappy Joy because there's no leftover rice for fried rice. AND, a clogged up sink. Sorry John and Nancy!! But at least the plumber is your new best friend, right?</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0KDnEG1DgbEYae0K-HhBwoof6_OIIVLdsmLyTg5ncPiXxcaAQzp66IENwQMjm4TfYPirTbl9WgI5zhEpZX1Eggs2YoSCxfbtLQaIlIy1BDKf0sr7IHy3ihDI9irnGFl5esmWjiPjiCdg/s1600/CIMG0281.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0KDnEG1DgbEYae0K-HhBwoof6_OIIVLdsmLyTg5ncPiXxcaAQzp66IENwQMjm4TfYPirTbl9WgI5zhEpZX1Eggs2YoSCxfbtLQaIlIy1BDKf0sr7IHy3ihDI9irnGFl5esmWjiPjiCdg/s320/CIMG0281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531701499495649330" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: normal;" align="left"><span style="">We LOVED our convertible. Sure, it screamed "I'm a tourist", but it was totally worth it. We had the top down all week and it was probably one of the best parts about the whole trip!</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNmwNuBBbPVy_Ke9B3DD1ePKcTHxocX9FVgi7XQGTX1nXfSYQKKanDq_NmoFPmq_Hbz_WCOGmLanqwqh6xGtvMnertiGgOdFylBRFLb_9-8ChwHs0Aj4U3T93BqjJFqrFMXAvNgva30GS/s1600/CIMG0326.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNmwNuBBbPVy_Ke9B3DD1ePKcTHxocX9FVgi7XQGTX1nXfSYQKKanDq_NmoFPmq_Hbz_WCOGmLanqwqh6xGtvMnertiGgOdFylBRFLb_9-8ChwHs0Aj4U3T93BqjJFqrFMXAvNgva30GS/s320/CIMG0326.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531702165728757730" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDD1n0xv3Qix3ZSO_dFmBsa-99cZXV2Wc8Fu-d-aqJyEe80pQ131GEbt-AAZcBiShabHyMhWeGSwVYU7u0Zc3k7ZGvuSUKSxokJu-F9wCHpyfjAweBmp7i25EtOX5iTmTI1Zu-J4TpOkt/s1600/CIMG0346.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDD1n0xv3Qix3ZSO_dFmBsa-99cZXV2Wc8Fu-d-aqJyEe80pQ131GEbt-AAZcBiShabHyMhWeGSwVYU7u0Zc3k7ZGvuSUKSxokJu-F9wCHpyfjAweBmp7i25EtOX5iTmTI1Zu-J4TpOkt/s320/CIMG0346.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531702563195706594" border="0" /></a><span style=""><br />This is our favorite beach. It's called Cockroach Cove and sometimes you are the only people on the beach! Ugly name, beautiful beach.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaxCWFoZ-y6cXnK8VwhTh3i7xF-Clu2NaH1qip0eqE8DizTNZGhMeNUy3tIpkOXvYiLvmzH0hPRI2qG88KQiXws3CVnrOHdMssG5I77TbTHo6Avz0qLSTz9_PA-Xrf5TPFxMDZNxhou-M/s1600/CIMG0270.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaxCWFoZ-y6cXnK8VwhTh3i7xF-Clu2NaH1qip0eqE8DizTNZGhMeNUy3tIpkOXvYiLvmzH0hPRI2qG88KQiXws3CVnrOHdMssG5I77TbTHo6Avz0qLSTz9_PA-Xrf5TPFxMDZNxhou-M/s320/CIMG0270.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531701027719861618" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNu6bFAPRdXa7_hzL6iNkSUvznbvVDxjo9nZi29EJV3hts2JfXWdjOEQpYritR_gnVks6hVmB0u41H0-dCXB-slUo4SHu43sHwW2AWg_CHo0SKcvqGenhAWZeIhkWQoE-2NQ4Gk5rRjwN/s1600/CIMG0271.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNu6bFAPRdXa7_hzL6iNkSUvznbvVDxjo9nZi29EJV3hts2JfXWdjOEQpYritR_gnVks6hVmB0u41H0-dCXB-slUo4SHu43sHwW2AWg_CHo0SKcvqGenhAWZeIhkWQoE-2NQ4Gk5rRjwN/s320/CIMG0271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531706387332389810" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">The resort we stayed at in Ko Olina. Gorgeous!<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2QPn1x25dl-hkUHwYZGv5p00tWQMPhCJgzBuvstsSqF5yKVOW1Jmxb8bxEmPzUt4m5dlzjK12SVGaYu24XF_Jw3KwEMId9t70gEx1G9ePV6lZ_FDOgsJUTn36ifMrtiTgBKpogqVnOIE/s1600/CIMG0355.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2QPn1x25dl-hkUHwYZGv5p00tWQMPhCJgzBuvstsSqF5yKVOW1Jmxb8bxEmPzUt4m5dlzjK12SVGaYu24XF_Jw3KwEMId9t70gEx1G9ePV6lZ_FDOgsJUTn36ifMrtiTgBKpogqVnOIE/s320/CIMG0355.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531703329090869378" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOH_wjz07Bz2L5UXG_eJll4AMXcw4bGqkh3U3B2lE8paq7bGtnXIWXX8LL8F5rUYxRz3u_p070zwdQqgc3i_g_5acVg2GR0wllU7xDjXI1BnTnqIgBgreuYD8_mm-Ybf6ZQIpl6cwjmiW/s1600/CIMG0365.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOH_wjz07Bz2L5UXG_eJll4AMXcw4bGqkh3U3B2lE8paq7bGtnXIWXX8LL8F5rUYxRz3u_p070zwdQqgc3i_g_5acVg2GR0wllU7xDjXI1BnTnqIgBgreuYD8_mm-Ybf6ZQIpl6cwjmiW/s320/CIMG0365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531703486070114882" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtyTQm7htRxMFLWgKmP39jpJWZaXCXwTyvtJtrscLzavJAb3nMheWQz28nzSVUJp-G-O9GWeV85GA-hbvYBf_9xXJv-UsG4GbnRpvHJ9mXG6HAyWo_5U6pzuE501r5iIw3OQkKSpB5k8d/s1600/CIMG0359.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtyTQm7htRxMFLWgKmP39jpJWZaXCXwTyvtJtrscLzavJAb3nMheWQz28nzSVUJp-G-O9GWeV85GA-hbvYBf_9xXJv-UsG4GbnRpvHJ9mXG6HAyWo_5U6pzuE501r5iIw3OQkKSpB5k8d/s320/CIMG0359.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531703829487554226" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is us at the luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We weren't going to go there this trip, but just decided that we had to. It's way too much fun! Thanks John and Nancy!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxhm0WEmf7BI1IHj3za2xecGiCqDrjSMTfIPkkpySiivuyTka4zUIXDElvlCKyYSa4RyFjuPXzhpgl9GdBnpZ88NuWae2rqd09PHyHmjeDla0qicSYge6ePLMQIbl6cGdvCof5vGAq-Wt/s1600/CIMG0383.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxhm0WEmf7BI1IHj3za2xecGiCqDrjSMTfIPkkpySiivuyTka4zUIXDElvlCKyYSa4RyFjuPXzhpgl9GdBnpZ88NuWae2rqd09PHyHmjeDla0qicSYge6ePLMQIbl6cGdvCof5vGAq-Wt/s320/CIMG0383.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531703973628040146" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We have the best friends ever!!! Thanks Joy and Kristen for taking off time from work to hang out with us. And thanks Drew for coming to the beach with us :)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD4uPqCGPsuQi6QmZQlOpo4Tp6kGdVitnw79QRfaGd9FOTsA96iSJ0H04TEARshA-1IdZKO5RAfF9Iv8TNB4r__wu4QVY-xKqC18KjMKYwcG2F0WEqpCfOIKrKxtGWKUw2XC1Yd1pmyCb/s1600/CIMG0398.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD4uPqCGPsuQi6QmZQlOpo4Tp6kGdVitnw79QRfaGd9FOTsA96iSJ0H04TEARshA-1IdZKO5RAfF9Iv8TNB4r__wu4QVY-xKqC18KjMKYwcG2F0WEqpCfOIKrKxtGWKUw2XC1Yd1pmyCb/s320/CIMG0398.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531704504828893986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">THANK YOU</span> Mom and Dad. This was the best graduation present ever! We had so much fun!!!!DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-66210232668970102472010-09-08T15:07:00.000-07:002010-09-08T16:54:45.747-07:00Look Ma, No Hands!!.... says Daniel.<br /><br /><br />We have an announcement! After 2 1/2 years of walking with some sort of assistance (via crutches or a cane) ... Dan is now walking like a big boy again!<br /><br />I realize most blog postings about walking center around 9-12 month old babies, but for us this is a big feat. Here's proof:<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwTWYbWieroaErWgJDjnuJTroUrOjpnW1HvbbiPLhzWDOx4dJqaD106HQ9aPdFPAMdXX4By7thb7MJVsgsRTA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Furthermore, I no longer have to carry, drinks, trays, grocery bags, his cell phone, etc. It is a big day! Watch closely in the video and you can see Dan has forgotten some of the things that come along with walking. Such as, swinging BOTH arms. I guess when you are used to using a cane it must feel weird to swing your arm again, but I had to inform Dan that it LOOKS even weirder than it FEELS.<br /><br />We are also happy to announce the end of Dan's treatment. After lots of prayerful consideration, we feel very confident that this is the time to stop treatment and start getting on with life. I already posted about the great news of the last lung surgery. His doctors feel very confident that the chemo did it's job... while we feel very confident that we have seen a miracle from above. So we are pretty well covered on both ends of the spectrum :)<br /><br />So, from here on out, they will follow Dan's lungs with scans to monitor any growth. He is also "testing" out his leg to see if the added stress of walking can cause it to fully grow into the grafted femur. We are anxious to see if it will grow in before the plate breaks from the added weight without the cane. Please keep your fingers crossed, as Dan wishes to put surgeries behind him.<br /><br />We are so grateful for this new lease on life. We have really seen a difference in the past few days. We have a new focus. A normal life focus. And the strange part is... normal life feels abnormal. But we'll take it. We have our Heavenly Father to thank for this miracle, and not a day goes by that we don't recognize that. He really does guide the direction of our lives in more ways than we know.DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-24172497865048264632010-08-24T18:43:00.000-07:002010-08-24T18:47:38.308-07:00The World's Shortest PostIt was all dead.<br /><br />Everything they took out of Dan's lungs were all 100% dead cancer cells!!<br /><br /><br />We've seen a miracle... and I mean a <span style="font-size:180%;">BIG</span> miracle!<br /><br /><br /><br />.DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-82664387377505416772010-08-12T16:12:00.000-07:002010-08-12T16:44:40.730-07:00Bored? Try This...So Dan and I were both in the office when Dan was writing an e-mail. I glanced over at the keyboard and suddenly felt very, very bad for it. Dan was hammering away on the keys like a woodpecker on a tree trunk. I suddenly realized that my dear husband is an incredibly fast typist and it was blowing my mind.<br /><br />But if you know anything about me, you know I'm competitive. I challenged him to a duel. I thought to myself "Self, you're a pretty fast typist. In elementary school, you always won the typing competitions... don't let Dan intimidate you". So we googled "typing speed tests" and found a good one.<br /><br /><br />This is Daniel's score:<br /><br /><a href="http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/" style="display: block; width: 300px; height: 100px; background: url("http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/img/badge1.png") no-repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; padding-top: 50px; padding-left: 60px; color: rgb(0, 153, 51); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; font-family: Times New Roman,Arial,serif; font-size: 40px;">99 words</a><br /><br /><br />This is my score:<br /><br /><a href="http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/" style="display: block; width: 300px; height: 100px; background: url("http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/img/badge1.png") no-repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; padding-top: 50px; padding-left: 60px; color: rgb(0, 153, 51); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; font-family: Times New Roman,Arial,serif; font-size: 40px;">50 words</a><br />Yikes.... ouch. I'm a little rusty. So bloggers, we now challenge you. Here is the link:<br /><br /><a href="http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/">Typing Test</a> <br /><br /><br />Oh, and by thy way, the second time I took the test I got this:<br /><br /><a href="http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/" style="display: block; width: 300px; height: 100px; background: url("http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/img/badge1.png") no-repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; padding-top: 50px; padding-left: 60px; color: rgb(0, 153, 51); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; font-family: Times New Roman,Arial,serif; font-size: 40px;">1039 words</a>(Although the second time, I figured out how to change my score in the HTML format before I posted it!)<br /><br /><br />P.S. - This blog posting took my approximately 4 1/2 minutes to type. That's gotta help me when I compete in the NCAA Women's Blogging Championships!DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-73804599665467316702010-08-07T10:50:00.001-07:002010-08-07T12:52:19.600-07:00Laughter: The Best MedicineHello everyone! Daniel here! Well, this is officially my second blog posting. It's not that I don't enjoy writing the minute details of my life and sharing them with the masses, but I've always thought of blogging as a "woman's sport". And by saying that, I mean no offense men who blog, just like I also mean no offense to men who play to softball or volleyball (even though they're clearly girl sports, too). I guess if I had to put blogging in a category, I'd put in the same one as scrap booking. Once again...no offense to men who enjoy scrap booking.<br /><br />Maybe they should make this a collegiate sport - Women's Blogging! The rules are simple: each team member has 20 minutes to create the best blog entry. They are judged on writing style, how cute the pictures of their kids are, how many times they make mention of their husband being the "best husband ever!" (pretty sure my wife would win that one), and they're also judged on how many comments they get on each blog posting. Let's make this happen, people! We could make the season stretch from June to September - since basketball and football are both in the off-season and the only thing on is baseball (which is horrible! Who has time to follow a sport where they play 160+ games a season?) Honestly, when I watch the Top 10 plays on Sports Center during these months, I want to shoot myself. Here's how it goes:<br /><br />10: Ground out to first<br />9: Double play<br />8: Soccer goal<br />7: Ground out to first<br />6: Barehanded catch/throw to first<br />5: Manager gets ejected for yelling at the ump<br />4: Ground out to first<br />3: Walk-off home run<br />2: Soccer goal<br />1: By this time, I'm usually crying and I can't hear the top play over my loud sobs. But if I could, I'm sure it would be a.....ground out to first! BARF!<br /><br />Anyways, I've gotten way off topic. The reason I'm writing this blog is because I wish to let everyone know how I'm doing after surgery. We've really appreciated all of your prayers and have found strength in your support. I'm honestly doing so well right now. I'm pretty much back to "normal life" (whatever that is) and I'm healing really well. And, although sometimes it feels like someone is kicking me in the ribs, the pain really isn't that bad most of the time. Strangers will come up to me in the streets and in the supermarket and say, "Daniel! We don't believe it! You're out and about already?!" to which I can only reply, "How did you know my name?" No, but honestly, if you were to ask me how I'm doing so well after the surgery, I would answer with one word: YouTube.<br /><br />If you were to take all of the technological inventions of the past 10 years (HD TV, iPods, iPhones, BlueRay, Facebook, etc), and asked me to only keep one...without hesitation, I would say, "YouTube."<br /><br />IT'S THE GREATEST INVENTION KNOWN TO MAN, PEOPLE!!!!!<br /><br />Nothing can make me laugh like a good YouTube video! And so I've decided to post the six funniest YouTube videos I've seen in the past week that have contributed to a healthier, happier Daniel.<br /><br />I tried to find some that you may not have seen before, but I apologize if you've seen any of these before. If you're like me - you won' t mind seeing them again!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >#6</span>.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1ZABV7AQdA&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1ZABV7AQdA&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >#5</span>.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wgrrQwLdME8&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wgrrQwLdME8&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >#4</span>.<br /><br />Okay...disclaimer on this one: I truly don't enjoy laughing at other people's misfortune, but there's just something funny about people falling down!<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aMS0O3kknvk&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aMS0O3kknvk&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >#3</span>.<br /><br />The funny part about this isn't his fall (though that's funny), it's that he tries to continue with the video after the fall!<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BEtIoGQxqQs&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BEtIoGQxqQs&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >#2</span>.<br />Be sure to watch the whole thing. It just keeps getting better!<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OQSNhk5ICTI&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OQSNhk5ICTI&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >#1</span>.<br /><br />Amazing.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1hvaeHllwtw&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1hvaeHllwtw&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />Well, that's it folks. Hopefully you've laughed as hard as I did at some of these videos! And if you have any funny YouTube videos that you think I might not have seen or that you just love, please send them on to me!DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-20260624972303960542010-07-31T16:26:00.000-07:002010-07-31T16:27:13.640-07:00This is kind of how Dan feels on percocet...<object style="background-image: url("http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/qR3rK0kZFkg/hqdefault.jpg");" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qR3rK0kZFkg&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qR3rK0kZFkg&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-161745522549473472010-07-31T09:43:00.000-07:002010-07-31T09:50:44.391-07:00We're home now!<br /><br />Lots of people have been asking about the pathology of the nodules they took out. As far as the Timpanogos Regional pathologists could find... there was no live cancer!!!! Dan wants to hold off celebrating until the Huntsman pathologists look at them. They have more experience with sarcoma than community pathologists so we will hold off celebrating until then.<br /><br />Dan is feeling better everyday. When he lays down he gets relief, but sitting up and standing up are a different story. He has been dealing with this spinal headache because of the CSF leak from his spine. This is slowly getting better, but the nausea and pain are almost unbearable if he's doing anything but laying down. Good thing we don't have any plans for the next couple of days :)<br /><br />So... does anyone have any good ideas for things Dan can do laying down? Maybe some of you mothers who were bedridden during pregnancy?<br /><br />We will continue to keep you posted on pathology and Dan's status. Love you all.DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-87290700412113769792010-07-27T07:53:00.000-07:002010-07-27T10:44:32.405-07:00BIG Picture: Great News .... Small Picture: The Jury's Still OutHello Everyone<br /><br />Things are looking good here at Timpanogos Regional. It has been up and down, but now we are definitely on an up.<br /><br />Dr. K was able to find and remove 5 nodules. That's right... he only found FIVE! When you compare that to the 25 he took our the first time in this lung, then you can see we are definitely making some progress. Better still, the surgeon is pretty sure that only one of them was cancer. He thinks the rest of them might just be scar tissue from the last surgery. We don't want to get our hopes up too high for this, but it's hard not to be thrilled at the prospect. We will find out for sure when the pathology report comes in (probably about 3 days).<br /><br />Okay, so before you say to yourself "lung surgery? piece of cake!" .. let me tell you about yesterday.<br /><br />Dan decided to get an epidural. Now, he has already had 2 epidurals with both of his previous lung surgeries and they worked great. So, it was a no-brainer deciding to do it again. We are told that the epidural was placed correctly at the beginning of the surgery and the narcotics and numbing meds did great. But sometime during the surgery the epidural punctured the sack that holds the spinal cord. When the anesthesiologist gave Dan his dose of morphine through the epidural to get him through the first couple hours after surgery, it went straight to his spinal cord. So what does this mean? Dan got TEN TIMES the amount of morphine he was supposed to get. Dan stopped breathing so they gave him a syringe of narcan (a drug given to people who overdose on narcotics).<br /><br />Needless to say, he was a little bit out of it when we saw him. It was quite a show. He was awake, but not at all coherent. When this stage wore off he became extremely tired. But everytime he would drift off to sleep, he would stop breathing. The slow drip of narcan was doing it's best, but he was still extremely overdosed on morphine. For hours and hours yesterday we sat by his bedside watching his chest to make sure it was going up and down. Dan and I had a code. When he would stop breathing, I would squeeze his hand and he would know that he needed to take a breath. This was pretty exhausting for everyone, especially Dan.<br /><br />Eventually the morphine wore off enough so he could get some rest. Occasionally he still needs reminding, but he is now sleeping well on his own. On the plus side, he was in absolutely no pain yesterday! I'm pretty sure he's not going to feel pain for the next five years!!<br /><br />Thank you for your prayers. I know that there were angels around him yesterday to protect him from all of the scary things that could have happened. All of his previous surgeries went so perfectly, we were beginning to take that for granted. I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for hearing all of our prayers. They really worked: Dan is safe, the news of the nodules appears to be fantastic, all is well now.<br /><br />We love you all. Thank you, thank you for your love and concern.<br /><br />PS - Maybe later I'll post some of the funny things Dan said yesterday... I'd better get his permission first :)<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-70390843967612800062010-07-25T08:14:00.000-07:002010-07-25T08:32:50.835-07:00Here We Go!Surgery #6 is fast-approaching. I can already say that it is tomorrow! Tomorrow, July 26th Dan goes in for a right thoracotomy with metastesis resection. What does that mean? Basically the doctor will deflate his lung, cut him open below his shoulder blades, and spread apart his ribs so that the surgeon can feel every inch of his right lung and take out any cancer nodules that he feels. It's a pretty intense surgery. Dan will wake up with tubes coming out of every part of his body and looking something like this....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTexK97QBbos7BLtkdgoMsQzJX6d7m6TKZkfqPJ7kM3LgD1j9ho3RRG2NhNpjJcwPK5zR1GIUngynnkG8LzYZdlFmkxnQzMHj1JGu9MyVBSXX95noYpgg6Im8DvN7Z6zwgILY0nF6bCxQH/s1600/004+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTexK97QBbos7BLtkdgoMsQzJX6d7m6TKZkfqPJ7kM3LgD1j9ho3RRG2NhNpjJcwPK5zR1GIUngynnkG8LzYZdlFmkxnQzMHj1JGu9MyVBSXX95noYpgg6Im8DvN7Z6zwgILY0nF6bCxQH/s320/004+-+Copy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497865910663451762" border="0" /></a><br />With intense pain that requires an epidural, and probably extremely nauseous, with a cut that will eventually look like this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8nEbZ04yjO6PneQ3oIv_tlCxhzX55-UqulhDARa1djWl3w9KQX7mwYnKEkaWMeyTFx28tlTEqu4Ec0saOrHOYlpAIucr9-PXKBwiykArNB1AmOj3J_Gpaiqv3YZXGzpNDK5Gvtn5MVSo/s1600/HPIM0386+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8nEbZ04yjO6PneQ3oIv_tlCxhzX55-UqulhDARa1djWl3w9KQX7mwYnKEkaWMeyTFx28tlTEqu4Ec0saOrHOYlpAIucr9-PXKBwiykArNB1AmOj3J_Gpaiqv3YZXGzpNDK5Gvtn5MVSo/s320/HPIM0386+-+Copy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497866389319022258" border="0" /></a><br /><br />but he will have a CANCER FREE RIGHT LUNG! So in the end, it will be worth it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnveYghVNxLw7wYkm3yqB33gJpdg6XcnSia1xw9q1_tQrNV9fjO_I_FF9ju_4fQNCJOdtf6Ze7AbAwmTSO8oXndbGyEbCchZb1U7M1paDfnxA8BZiPaY99F10n5zKOiUjQwk4XweiOFgCL/s1600/HPIM0244.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnveYghVNxLw7wYkm3yqB33gJpdg6XcnSia1xw9q1_tQrNV9fjO_I_FF9ju_4fQNCJOdtf6Ze7AbAwmTSO8oXndbGyEbCchZb1U7M1paDfnxA8BZiPaY99F10n5zKOiUjQwk4XweiOFgCL/s320/HPIM0244.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497867113326847922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Dan is a stud. I've said that before, but it's so true. I asked him yesterday if he was scared. He said "I'm not scared, I'm ready". Wow. So many times I wish it was me going in for surgery and not him, but then I realize there is now way I could be as brave as him.<br /><br />So once again we ask for your prayers. I really do feel the power of all your prayers lifting us. Especially on surgery days. The comfort that comes is from Heavenly Father, and it's because you are asking Him on our behalf. I will never be able to say enough thank you's to you for that.DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-20389693069399773592010-06-21T09:44:00.000-07:002010-06-21T09:53:26.714-07:00Just downloaded pictures onto my computer, and thought I'd share some....<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkgG0iaqcM3v-OUKaT7qfrNi1GsRE_Fw3htojUNOez6-2R42dkFq9MY-29oZkp1MErykgECmNczFWyZhIJSUXIgxf5YeGIBk_3ig_FSy_PIYFrCHdNTfkycLFEzogm-VvsrLpFgKme_d_/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkgG0iaqcM3v-OUKaT7qfrNi1GsRE_Fw3htojUNOez6-2R42dkFq9MY-29oZkp1MErykgECmNczFWyZhIJSUXIgxf5YeGIBk_3ig_FSy_PIYFrCHdNTfkycLFEzogm-VvsrLpFgKme_d_/s320/IMG_2006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485270350271290082" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRRHGdEMsFwc_tjo-t8EvYrLgp6WpGwAoCZn7m2JSemcMsE6ru2rb_vITZMzeumMl9tKFTJawecWUEfL-OL3XFCCtdPmxBj-24HP6crdXisj84UvpQ-nd1LjutG8rQVNurIB3PWPDz4nH/s1600/IMG_2005.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRRHGdEMsFwc_tjo-t8EvYrLgp6WpGwAoCZn7m2JSemcMsE6ru2rb_vITZMzeumMl9tKFTJawecWUEfL-OL3XFCCtdPmxBj-24HP6crdXisj84UvpQ-nd1LjutG8rQVNurIB3PWPDz4nH/s320/IMG_2005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485270250422245234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8e6s0GE_dRaDGJmhpfYVxoEO1q9XrNS0WpNsIEZ1_VmTXH87vkRIOasqOjCZ6xAYB-W-p-ex3VOSPJddTAv2PzSbRTxFx1yidtaKaJs2IFE2DIxJOBP_0AlmQxnwVE5DgUc-lYcx3yUf/s1600/CIMG0038.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8e6s0GE_dRaDGJmhpfYVxoEO1q9XrNS0WpNsIEZ1_VmTXH87vkRIOasqOjCZ6xAYB-W-p-ex3VOSPJddTAv2PzSbRTxFx1yidtaKaJs2IFE2DIxJOBP_0AlmQxnwVE5DgUc-lYcx3yUf/s320/CIMG0038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485269861860426050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo997HX2Ayn9_kxAAQC3byRX5ZO9ZC-etKGC8nn5Fh9nQ2zivJkNzxclyiThpEp4czuEsSKTlU89WNusy6fHGnUyOi27Z1ZF8AthkXGJ5nJFCLFSTUUBsWslkX1K7Z3eKd2dBv8RnmgEwv/s1600/CIMG0028.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo997HX2Ayn9_kxAAQC3byRX5ZO9ZC-etKGC8nn5Fh9nQ2zivJkNzxclyiThpEp4czuEsSKTlU89WNusy6fHGnUyOi27Z1ZF8AthkXGJ5nJFCLFSTUUBsWslkX1K7Z3eKd2dBv8RnmgEwv/s320/CIMG0028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485269751325272642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfKyw0k-9OXlI3PawKVMjkvNUpQ3oN6ohvHOp_A3NICj0EWbRjk1UNc31RLrYNxjPNy3MWuy9hGY-A2U3xYL7l-1cQ9kdrKpnf7PC_lyxL_3r4nLtNu4fVdr1ZGdNMAjjAwuZn_fnSDOw/s1600/CIMG0025.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfKyw0k-9OXlI3PawKVMjkvNUpQ3oN6ohvHOp_A3NICj0EWbRjk1UNc31RLrYNxjPNy3MWuy9hGY-A2U3xYL7l-1cQ9kdrKpnf7PC_lyxL_3r4nLtNu4fVdr1ZGdNMAjjAwuZn_fnSDOw/s320/CIMG0025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485269572840394994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4B39SesD_X1QZnk6apbzXivD7_s0qRN2JSISpsDHXLbHzP0mQ_wFHbVBDRKDwA1UQiFvHQHqBOmdn0AE4KPlizZowmXdmXInuC4sExWsQjtHebkoKmK8BP_VfLKrl1esrst8CgiZP-UB/s1600/CIMG0023.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4B39SesD_X1QZnk6apbzXivD7_s0qRN2JSISpsDHXLbHzP0mQ_wFHbVBDRKDwA1UQiFvHQHqBOmdn0AE4KPlizZowmXdmXInuC4sExWsQjtHebkoKmK8BP_VfLKrl1esrst8CgiZP-UB/s320/CIMG0023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485269202658917010" border="0" /></a>Ps- Dan started this fire with flint and steel! That's my eagle scout! :)DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-862701108929743790.post-90108862766168234012010-05-11T19:37:00.000-07:002010-05-12T05:03:35.912-07:00Tender MerciesThis is kind of old news now, but I just wanted to let everyone know that we have received some GREAT news! Daniel's latest scans have shown that the nodule on his right lung (the biggest, scarriest one) has been reduced to about 1/3 of what it was!!<br /><br />This is <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">fantastic</span></span> and shows that the chemotherapy has been<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> working</span></span>. I know that the prayers and pleading to Heavenly Father have not been ignored.<br /><br />These "tender mercies" are all around us. They can be big things like <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">tumors</span></span> that shrink, but they are also small things like Dan <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">feeling well</span></span> enough to play the guitar for me. Big things like <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">peace</span></span> during cancer treatment, and small things like the <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">smell of rain</span></span> that's coming through my window right now. Things that make me smile, things that make me cry, things that make me laugh. All of them reminding me that I'm loved.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzD5cPj-r0CfzT42EUv8c6z9EEmvYMTgX2cSE_BOR8JAJOWWNZKwZIncj9XLYuhJz_I2DGbPmMb8nxFOHHPAQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>DAN AND MELhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16929354116457253824noreply@blogger.com4