Rychener Adventures

We're Moving...

2011-02-27T20:44:00.006-05:00

Our blog that is... we're moving over to WordPress...

Please come visit our blog's new home at: http://rycheneradventures.wordpress.com

Super Bowl Fun...

2011-02-06T23:04:00.002-05:00

Smiles of victory

Fourth down nerves....

Me and my Papa

Half time show

Chris' birthday cookie

Snow Dog

2011-02-06T23:03:00.003-05:00

Daisy absolutely LOVES being outside in the snow - she would stay out there for hours running the fence line if we let her!

Willa

2011-02-06T23:00:00.002-05:00

Mama and me = happy

Auntie Julie and me = not so happy!!

Florida Fun...Part 2

2011-01-18T20:41:00.006-05:00

What a bunch of characters!

Beneath the Castle glow

The fab four

Hear we go...Oh yeah

Julie did they have drive-ins when you were young? Oh yeah that was a long time ago.

I can't believe Julie made us wear jeans

hmm...which one is the ape?

Why did I wear shorts? It's freezing!

Look our scores are waaayy lower than Julie's...how did she beat us?!

Florida Fun...

2011-01-18T20:36:00.005-05:00

hmm...these are tiny, guess I should have gotten crab legs!

Who would wear these hats in public anyway?

This hat would be a chick magnet

The Happiest Place on Earth

Willa

2011-01-18T20:18:00.004-05:00

I didn't get to see my Auntie Julie for almost a whole week! Boy...I sure did miss her...but she brought me home a new monkey to go in my jungle themed nursery!! It's the same size as me!!

Willa Koop Rosene

2011-01-06T16:51:00.003-05:00

So snuggly

My daddy is already wrapped around my finger

My daddy has BIG hands!

I love my Aunt Julie

My daddy is always holding me...yep I'm spoiled

This little sweat pea has only been a part of our family for a couple days, but boy does she already have everyone wrapped around her finger....she's a keeper! Willa - "Will, Desire, Protection" and Koop - in memory of her uncle Steve "Koop".

It's a GIRL!!!

2011-01-04T03:42:00.002-05:00

Baby Rosene has finally made her appearance!! 2:30am this morning...and we are all tired! Kara did soooo well and was in labor about 7 hours. This cutie doesn't have a name yet, but she weighed in at 7lbs 15oz and 20 3/4 inches long.

December Happenings......

2010-12-30T20:35:00.006-05:00

Star Wars Pancakes!

Isa and I - Christmas at Gma Pam's

Grandma and Me

The big fella - loves to take pics

A belly contest! Mike doing his best to push his out as far as possible (not a good idea after a big Christmas meal!)

I thought we were on the Naughty List?

Presents for Pretty Girls....

What 39 year old man doesn't want an AT AT Walker for Christmas?!

Yes, I am reading Decision Points!

Did Santa leave us anything?!

Just like all kids, Daisy loves to help open presents

The House

2010-12-03T11:26:00.005-05:00

Our happy little house!

Our bedroom

This is Daisy's room/library

Our guest room, a taste of the islands!

Our Kitchen

A month ago we moved into our new home and I must say we have settled in nicely...our bedroom furniture came yesterday along with a new kitchen table, it was so nice to sleep in a bed last night and not a mattress on the floor!

The First Snowfall!

2010-12-03T11:21:00.002-05:00

Just like most children, Daisy especially enjoyed playing in the first snowfall of the year. She was racing all around the backyard...not so easy to catch a picture of a running dog!

What's Next?!

2010-10-23T20:11:00.003-04:00

Well....we bought a house! We are scheduled to have the keys and start moving in on Friday, November 5th.... fun times! I can't wait to get everything out of storage and start unboxing...it will be like Christmas and seem like all new stuff - we haven't seen a majority of our belongings since April! It is a good thing we finally found a house as all of our winter clothing items are somewhere in the storage unit and they are starting to be needed!! We would have shared a pic of the house with you, BUT seems like my hubby got pics all throughout the inside and back of the house but failed to get a picture of the front....so I guess you will all just have to wait!

Florida - Oct 2010

2010-10-23T19:55:00.005-04:00

A ghoulish good time!

Why yes, we had our own custom pumpkin shirts..

We treated dad to a Sugar Ray Concert at Epcot

What a bunch of characters!

Isn't he sooo cute?!

Ah yes, the legendary Brat and Kraut in Germany at Epcot

The boys were having fun with these hair visors

Considering dad is quite thin on top this pic seems hilarious to me

We went to Cocoa Beach for the day

Our haunted carriage ride

No caption necessary for this one, right?!

The Headless Horseman riding down Main Street

Both sporting Gator shirts...we got so tired of hearing "Go Gators!" by the end of the day..

Mmmm...don't even ask what dad's sugar level was on this trip!

Our Best Buddy

2010-10-23T19:49:00.002-04:00

One month ago today we had to say goodbye to our best buddy, Eddie.... he truly was one great dog and he is missed by us TREMENDOUSLY....

Mom's Deck & Pergola Project

2010-09-05T15:50:00.018-04:00

This summer, Mom asked us to redo the back deck... so while she was in Alaska we decided to surprise her and start phase 1 of the project... the new pergola top... it just so happened that we picked the hottest week of the summer to do this work.

I had to post some pictures since Josh didn't think Julie and I had the skills to do this project.

The tear down process begins... we needed to get rid of the old sagging 2x4's and lattice that dad had installed so long ago. I didn't get to be as destructive as I wanted because we were going to need to keep the 4x4 posts since they were cemented into the foundation. Julie's mom and dad showed up to supervise our first night's efforts.

Looking a little bare now... we managed to get all the old boards down without any major damage to the house or any trips to the emergency room... and who says miracles don't still happen.

The first new board goes up... I don't even want to guess how long that took us to manage.

We're cooking now... After installing all 6 of the new 2x6 support pieces we started installing the cross members. Each had to be marked to make sure the cuts would line up. Jay's table saw and dado blade set was a lifesaver. After every board dropped into place Julie and I would look at each other and say "I can't believe that worked again."

The second series of 2x6 boards is now in place... time for the top layer.

Here's where it got really tight. Julie had to do most of the final assembly on the top layer as I couldn't squeeze my shoulders through the interlocking 2x6's we had just installed.

Once we got all the 2x2's screwed onto the top layer we put the final touch one by cutting each of the end caps.

The pergola is finally complete... now we just have to deal with the decaying railing... we decided to wait for Mom to get home to start that phase.

Phase 2 starts with the removal of the old railing.

New railing posts are installed around the edge of the deck.

The new support beams go up around the sides.

Next comes the 2x6 railing cap along the top of the railing.

I hate math... what does that have to do with a deck you ask?... I kept screwing up the calculations to get the ballisters installed with proper spacing. Good thing screwdrivers have reverse.

The deck is now complete and I have announced that I am going on strike and not going to start the other pergola over the patio until spring.

Grandma Clair had to stop over when we were all done to give her final seal of approval.

New Adventures

2010-07-25T09:35:00.003-04:00

After 13+ years at Sonit we felt that God was calling us elsewhere... I'm going to be taking a position with Sara's Garden. It was very hard to do and I am going to miss the amazing friends I've made at Sonit but we're extremely excited where this next chapter in our life takes us.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.8

A Little Bit of Everything...Hawaii

2010-07-06T21:21:00.007-04:00

Sunset from our balcony

Where we off to next?!

Punchbowl Cemetary

My Dad tells me we have relation burried here -but I falled to get the name so we didn't find the stone.

We made it to the Top! BARELY!

View into the crater on the way up

Tunnel into the Diamond Head Crater

The trail on the way back down

View of the City from the top of Diamond Head

The Blow Holes-I could never get the timing right for a pic!

How many different Pineapples are there Matt?!

Acting Silly....

2010-07-06T20:52:00.005-04:00

We were always in search of some good eats and usually we acted a little goofy when we found it!!

Chocolate Covered Pineapple?!

Open up Jay

Aahh Fresh Pineapple

Pineapple Dole Whip Float

I'm ready for my closeup!

STOP!!! RED AND WHITE TRUCK... ahh Malasaldas (little fried sugary bites of heaven!)

Mmmm I was parched!

The Shack!

Beach Side Bar

Hawaii....Part 1 - Military

2010-07-06T20:23:00.006-04:00

Really no words can describe the visit to Pearl Harbor.... Somber

So Many Lost.....but Never Forgotten

The Flag will Forever Fly over the Arizona

The Battle Ship USS Missouri

The Missouri Guns Looking out onto the USS Arizona

The Spot where the War came to an end on the USS Missouri

The USS Ronald Regan happened to come into Port while we were there for the RIMPAC Games

Shore Patrols by the Choppers

Anniversary Fun

2010-06-24T07:53:00.004-04:00

Well.... since a lot of you all have seen this in person, I figured it was time to spill the beans to the rest of you. The desire to get a tattoo has been around for me for a long time, but I was always a little worried of the pain involved and worried about what people would think. I started toying with the idea with a little more determination to actually get one back on my birthday (May 1st)...but of course we couldn't get in anywhere to do it...unbeknownst to us a LOT of people are getting tattoos these days. I waited a week or so and then finally stopped by the tattoo shop in Wauseon and made an appointment. It would be almost a month till I could get in because he was that booked up! I made the appointment for the night of June 8th (Matt would have killed me if he couldn't go along to watch). The night before our 9th wedding anniversary - we headed out to the tattoo shop! Did it hurt?! YES.... duh! It was done in about a hour. Then the next day it just felt like a sunburn, it has healed up great and in a short time. The location of my tattoo allows me to be able to show it or keep it covered up...which is nice. I mostly get one of 2 reactions when people see it - 1. That's Awesome or 2. Why would you do that to your body!?

Alaskan Adventure

2010-06-02T21:44:00.012-04:00

OK, we have a measly 1,600 photos from the trip to Alaska... I have 30 of them posted on Facebook. Megan, please logon and show those to Jay since he won't get his own account.

Apparently, no one believes that we took these photos so we might have an issue printing them out at Wal-Mart if the photo warden is working.

The boat excursion down in Seward was just breath taking... every time we'd see something amazing we'd say that we'd be happy if that was all we saw for the rest of the day and then we'd see something even better. I just loved this shot of the shoreline with the mountain range in the background.

This was the mamma humpback whale. The pilot was trying to be careful with the baby calf in the water so we never swung around behind for that "money" tail shot.

Here is a shot of Holgate glacier as we were entering the bay. This is a tidewater glacier that breaks off into the water as it moves.

The sounds that come from the glacier as it calves and falls into the bay are amazing too...

Julie wanted to scoop these little guys up and take them home with her.

Mamma bear was just across the creek from us grazing when we took this shot.

James, our guide, estimated that this "little" guy was probably on his own for the first time. We caught him clamming on the beach and he decided to move in closer to check us out.

We saw this big boy from the safety of the tour bus on the ride through Denali. I got scolded by the driver for hanging out the window too far.

You may not believe it but you should feel lucky to see a photo of my Johanan actually looking at the camera and smiling... he fought me the whole time with that.

I took on the dynamic duo in a cut-throat game of memory cards. I'm pretty sure I won but somehow ended up with the fewest cards.

Getting ready to ride the train at Pioneer Park again... I'm not sure who was more excited... Johanan or Julie.

Johanan, look at the camera... c'mon Johanan... look over here...

No caption is really needed for this...

I had to do all the work...

I've got a pointy head...

Waiting on deck just before the riverboat cruise.

Julie wouldn't let me post the other photo of her with her tongue out.

All bundled up on the 8 hour boat tour... by the end Julie was ready to be back on solid ground.

Dinner with Julie... "Duck" I'm cracking into these bad boys.

Seward was gorgeous... we took a little stroll one night after Julie finished spraying me with her crab leg dinner.

Julie rode shotgun on the flight out to Silver Salmon Creek to see the bears. She was ok till Gabe pulled a tight spin to show us some whales below.

Believe it or not, I was a little overdressed for the flight up to the glacier. I thought it was going to be a lot colder but with the sun reflecting off of the snow it was actually beautiful weather. You have absolutely no depth perception inside the Ruth Amphitheater because of the size it is.

I had to see how chilly the water was... yup... pretty freakin' cold.

On the train from Fairbanks to Denali. It's a great way to see the surroundings.

Julie got the most gold (and the most help... other than Sophia). I think I dumped most of my gold out. It sure is harder than it looks.

Grrrrrrrrrr.....

I just had to post this one... check out the front porch. Now that's some ingenuity.

Sophia and Anuie at the Pipeline.

I was surprised to hear that about 50% of the pipeline is underground... I would have thought with all the permafrost that more of it would have to be above the ground.

What a week...

2010-05-16T22:07:00.002-04:00

This week is going to be a big one!! I am starting my last week of work at Sonit... WOW. I have been there 11+ years, so it will be weird for sure to walk out of there on my last day. Then on Friday we fly out to our wonderful adventure in ALASKA! Whooo hooo!! We can't even begin to tell you how excited we are about this trip! We can't wait to share pictures with you all when we get back.

Sad Puppy

2010-05-16T22:05:00.003-04:00

Mama do you really have to go to Alaska?

Youth Group Fun

2010-05-16T21:49:00.004-04:00

Tonight we had a surprise diaper party for two couples who are fellow youth leaders with us, both of these ladies are due in June and we can't wait to meet these new little ones! It was a blast and we sent them home with a good stash of diapers.

The kids had to do a baby diapering relay

Then we made them race to finish drinking from sippy cups

And to really make it fun we dumped nasty baby food into diapers and they had to eat it out of the diapers!! Hilarious...it was just food! but sooo many dry heavers!

Our beautiful pregnant ladies!

My diaper cake creation!

Birthday Fiesta!

2010-05-16T21:43:00.004-04:00

Ok, I know I am a little late in posting this...but here are a couple of pictures from my birthday fiesta meal that Pam had for me. I am 34... boooo! I woke up Saturday morning and told Matt - lets all go get tattoos for my birthday! ...but no one could get me in...and then I chickened out!

A Tim McGraw Weekend...

2010-04-25T14:30:00.006-04:00

Last fall/winter we had a contest at work and every week a couple of songs were emailed out to all the staff and you had to guess whose favorite song and artist matched up to which employee...well at the end of the contest I had won and actually only missed a few. My reward? Two tickets to see my favorite artist in concert!! So yesterday we headed up to The Palace in Auburn Hills to see the show. It was Love and Theft, Lady Antebellum, and Tim McGraw.... 4 hours of GREAT music. It was an awesome show! Here are some pics....

This one is for the Ladies

Waiting for the Show!

Lady Antebellum

Just as Good Live as on CD

Awesome new group!

Tuggin' my heart...

2010-04-08T13:39:00.002-04:00

Since I first heard this song from Carrie Underwood a few weeks ago - I think I have played, and played, and played it.... of course a verse from it hits a little closer to home in the last week. Its a beautiful song - find it and listen to it in its entirety.. "Temporary Home"

Here is a snippet that gets me every time...

Old man, hospital bed
The room is filled with people he loves
And he whispers don't cry for me
I'll see you all someday
He looks up and says "I can see God's face"

This is my temporary Home
It's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through
This was just a stop, on the way To where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know this was
My temporary home.

What a week!

2010-04-05T08:28:00.002-04:00

What a long week we had. Last week was so full - I feel like I could take a few days and just sleep.

We knew ahead of time that last week was going to be jam packed - but what we didn't count on was having to say goodbye to my Grandpa Vogelbacher.

Wednesday - A lot of Wednesday was spent making calls back and forth to each other to keep everyone posted of what was going on (while I was trying to pack and move things) one of the times that I called my brother Jim (from NC) he said " I can't talk right now I'm in an accident" - so we hung up and I waited (impatiently) for news. Turns out that while he was trying to get things in order so that he could leave to drive up here - he was rear ended!

Thursday - My Grandpa passed away early Thursday morning (3:30am). So I made the phone calls to my brothers and then tried (unsuccessfully) to get some sleep. We headed to work around 8 and I tried to find flights for Jim to fly home - when I called him he said "its already taken care of" - The wonderful Church he attends stepped forward and bought him a plane ticket home. Praise the Lord for their kindness. So I made arrangements with him on when to pick him up and tried to get some work done at Sonit before I had to leave. After we picked Jim up and we spent the rest of the night prepping for our move day.

Friday - Up at 6am to get ready for furniture moving at 7. We spent the morning moving as much as we could (We mostly just had some big furniture pieces to move and then some small odds and ends) Then we got cleaned up quick and spent from 2 on at the funeral home for the visitation.

Saturday - Up at the crack of dawn again to get done whatever I could before we had to leave at 930 for the funeral. After we got back home we loaded up the dogs and one more load of stuff and headed to Archbold to spend our first night at Pam's. We got to relax a bit a watch a movie. Today was an emotional day for me, although I did my best to hide it, it didn't always work.

Sunday - We went to church and saw a wonderful Easter drama and then had some good eatin' at Gma Clair's..... and then you guessed it more moving. We went back out to the cabin to take the last big load of stuff that was going to my dads and took it there and left the trailer. We then headed back to the cabin to empty the fridge and freezer.

I am so thankful that we had the majority of our stuff already moved before this past week - I can't imagine what it would have been like if we would have had to move everything! The odds and ends that were left and moved was bad enough!

This week - we will continue to put things away and settle into a routine. Poor Daisy.... she hasn't quite adjusted yet, she stays hidden in our bedroom mostly...although I did tell Pam - you should probably actually appreciate this time when she is afraid of you and not bugging you! =)

Until next time - enjoy the beautiful spring!

Vacation Pics..... finally!

2010-03-22T19:22:00.004-04:00

The main Mouse

Taking a break in front of the Castle

Smiling now on the teacups....before we got it spinning out of control...then not so good!

Grandma LOVED her chocolate soda's!

Taking Grandma on a tour of the "World"

Yeah you can decide who is Tweedle dee and Tweedle dum

On the beach in Daytona

Lunching at the Daytona Motor Speedway

Grandma at bike week

We had a wonderful time with Mom and Grandma in Florida - cripes it sure was fun, what a riot! Lots and lots of laughs...what a blessing.

Fun times at Uncle Mike's and Auntie Kara's

2010-03-18T12:39:00.002-04:00

While we were in Florida Daisy got to spend some quality time with her Aunt and Uncle! She was pretty spoiled by the time we got home and she sure misses her cousin Sebastian who loved to play with her. (Eddie does he best to try and ignore her plea's to play). I think she would have been perfectly happy to stay there... but lucky for us this sweetie is back to being our girl.

(Vacation pics to follow..... one of these days!)

Speaking of Christmas

2010-01-31T21:47:00.005-05:00

I failed to do a blog post earlier (because we are the worst bloggers ever!!) that we were surprised and blessed on Christmas Eve by my brother and his family when they showed up on our door step direct from North Carolina. No one had any idea that they were coming so they caught us all by surprise. It's a Christmas Miracle Pa! (spoken like Half Pint from Little House on the Prairie) Fun times for sure!! Two little girls from NC who hardly ever get a chance to experience snow had quite a time sledding in our back yard and doing snow angels (and you are never to old to plop down and do a snow angel yourself!...trust me I know)

Take note of this one folks - I think this is the ONLY picture in existence of Parents and Kids together... in our whole lifetime!

Again another first and only complete family photo in existence. (Of course Mike's kids and our kids are missing from the photo - but could you imagine trying to squeeze in 4 dogs?! We were lucky enough to get the people to sit still!) hehehehe

Motown Showdown...

2010-01-31T21:12:00.003-05:00

For Christmas this year I got Matt 2 front row tickets to the touring Cirque du Soleil show Alegria....so this weekend we are headed up to Detroit to see the show!! We may just have to stop by the ole slot machines after the show and try lady luck! Apparantly we need to brush up on our casino skills in case we take Ruth "The Slot Shark" Clair out to Vegas later this year to see Abby!

Our kids.... oh how they are growing.

2010-01-31T20:56:00.004-05:00

I know you are all dying to see updated photos of our kids! (well at least Josh said so) Enjoy!!

Honoring Grandpa Clair

2009-12-23T20:21:00.008-05:00

For the 2nd time in 4 weeks we had to say goodbye to a beloved grandparent... Unfortunately, Josh and Abby were not able to make it back for the funeral so Grandma asked us to record part of it to be sure they'd get a chance to see it.

Grandma said that it was always Grandpa's wish to have a military service... below is a video of the presentation of the flag with the gun salute and taps.

Baptism

2009-12-13T12:44:00.002-05:00

Today was my baptism! The baptismal heater was broken so the water was quite brisk to say the least!!

A trip to Disney.... Again. =)

2009-12-12T21:22:00.006-05:00

Mmmm good... My brat and kraut in Germany - it's a must every visit

Cinderella Castle - so pretty

I love the toy soldiers

The rain had got the best of us - so we went a little crazy

Oh yea... the hot light was on at Krispy Kreme!

This is just a taste of how packed it was after the big parade and fireworks at the Magic Kingdom - Crazy!!

The Castle is so beautiful when its covered with lights...It was a bit chilly this night.

We were fortunate enough to get to hear Steven Curtis Chapman tell the Christmas story during the Candlelight Processional at Epcot

Merry Christmas from Minnie!

The Osbourne Lights

The big cheese Mickey Mouse at Fantasmic

As always we had a wonderful trip down to my second home...it was a little chilly, but lots of fun. Another great mother daughter trip!

Recent stuff....

2009-12-12T16:29:00.002-05:00

Here Daisy is anxiously waiting for Matt to get done with hanging the ornaments so that she can start rearranging them! If you see our tree in person - you'll note that the bottom is quite void of ornaments!

Mike just loves family time - especially pictures!

Dad carving up the birds... One from the oven and one fried!

The boys hard at work on our fried turkey

Just for Greg....

2009-12-12T16:08:00.003-05:00

Greg, this post is just for you...it's a video from Hollywood Studios...the Osborne Spectacle of Lights...The Dancing Lights... sorry I missed it when they danced to TSO!

Vacation Pics to Follow!!

No...No...NO

2009-11-10T19:29:00.003-05:00

That seems to be the just of our vocabulary since our new arrival entered our house. A more appropriate name for her would have been Chomper... lets say she's like a shark and explores with her mouth! She hasn't chewed up anything - just a bite and run kinda girl. That aside we can't wait to rush home at the end of the day to see this sweetie. Here are a couple of pics of my family on a lazy Sunday afternoon...

Newest Member of the Family!

2009-11-04T18:09:00.006-05:00

We decided to adopt... another coon dog. We'd like to introduce everyone to Daisy, the newest member of our family. Grandma Pam and Grandma Joyce are so thrilled that they have a new granddoggie. We don't want any of you to be fighting over who gets to keep her when we go away. Her big brother Eddie is just a little bit jealous. He won't even stay in the same room with her... and when we put them together he won't even look at her.

Even better....

2009-10-19T19:57:00.002-04:00

So to continue on our story from our plane ride home from vacation.....today I recieved a letter from NWA/Delta - apologizing for the disruption of our scheduled flights and as a show of good standing/customer service - Delta has deposited 10,000 miles into my frequent flier account! Ha! Funny thing is only I got a letter...Matt didn't. (maybe his is in the mail??) Even funnier is they didn't disrupt OUR flight - we got on it at the last minute! duh!

Back from Vacation!!

2009-10-05T20:46:00.010-04:00

We had a great time down in sunny, hot florida! Of course we didn't want to fly back to Ohio today - but to make it a little more easy to swallow - check out this story.... We got to the airport way ahead of time (couldn't think of anything else to do) when we did the check in at the kiosk NWA said our flight was over sold and looking for volunteers and so starts the glimmer in my eye of stretching out our vacation another day. We decided to wait until we got to our gate and talk to a NWA rep to find out exactly the terms of the bump, compensation and all that. When we got to our gate area we noticed a flight bound for Detroit leaving in 10 minutes and also about that time happened to hear an announcement that if anyone is in the terminal early for flight 429 (our flight) that there is a plane getting ready to depart with plenty of seats available, so Matt went up to the counter to inquire about getting on that flight. In less then 5 minutes we were handed two new boarding passes (exit row seats all to ourselves) and then the rep said " Oh yeah and here are your 2 vouchers for $300 each for taking a bump on your original flight" - Matt and I looked and each other and high fived it saying "SCORE!!" So NWA paid us $600 to get home 2 hours earlier and to enjoy exit row seating!! Gotta love that ;-)

So here are some pics from our trip!

Waiting to ride Toy Story Mania for the 4th time!

My two favorites guys!

Waiting for Toy Story Mania Again!

Bekah - we know you love kissing pics ;-)

Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios - my fav!

What a crew

You really made it your own....

An $8 sundae - but oh so good to the last spoonful!

Trick or Treat

Ready for a fun night!

Spooky....

Magic Kingdom Hallowishes Fireworks

Yes, those are our trick or treat bags full of candy!!

ps... to all our Buckeye Friends.... still Buckeyes...but.... Oh yes its great to be a Florida Gator!

Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?

2009-09-08T11:00:00.002-04:00

To commit suicide apparently... it must have been depressed.

We rode the motorcycle up to "Harold's Place" in Brooklyn, Michigan for breakfast yesterday morning.

We weren't on the road for more than 2 miles when a rooster darted across the road right into the front tire of my bike. Feathers exploded everywhere and the bird went spinning off to the side.

Kurt and Alice were right behind me and he thought I hit a big stick...

Quick Trip to Chicago

2009-08-23T20:22:00.008-04:00

Chris spent the weekend with us and in celebration of his last weekend of summer -before school starts - we decided to surprise him with a last minute overnight trip to Chicago. We picked up Matt from work and headed west Friday night and spent the night outside of the city. On Saturday we got up and headed into the city for the day. We couldn't have asked for better weather - it was actually a tad chilly. Of course we had to have lunch at our favorite pizzeria! We also set off on a journey to find Super Dawg Drive In -which was featured on the Food Channel's Top 10 Best Hot Dog Places...

Looky, Looky... Mikey is 40!

2009-07-08T09:40:00.006-04:00

Our little Bootros is 40 today... here are some of our favorite photos of him (fortunately for him, the scanner is broke or we would have been able to post some of his famous Tim McGraw mullet shots.

Do we really need a caption for this one? Nice belly shirt dude.

Stylin' on a motorcycle trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Refusing to smile (surprised?) in a photo with his lovely bride, Kara.

Yeah, I can feel the love here. Don't look so thrilled Mike.

Sweet work attire.

A dent in the lobster population....

2009-07-05T18:20:00.005-04:00

We just got back from our trip to Bar Harbor, Maine (Acadia National Park)... all unpacked, stuff put away, and laundry in the wash - so its time to kick back in the recliner! We had a great time out East despite the rainy, foggy, and chilly weather. We also did our very best to put a hurtin' on the lobster population. Enjoy the pics below!

It's our favorite time of year.....

2009-06-21T15:46:00.002-04:00

It is almost here -our trip to Bar Harbor, Maine. This Thursday night we leave for 10 days away to the "downeast" coast of Maine. This is the first year that we are renting a cabin and staying a full week and not just doing a long weekend. Maine quickly became one of our favorite destinations when we were on our first trip out there five years ago (we rode the motorcycle out there in 2004)- we vowed then and there that we would make it our tradition to visit there every year. It's our special place. It is so beautiful and peaceful....and the Lobsta' - is oh so good.

Mmmm Yummy

2009-06-07T20:45:00.003-04:00

On Saturday night I treated my husband to a wonderful dinner at Mancy's steakhouse in Toledo. (well in the end I really just made the reservation and he paid!) To say the least we were stuffed when we left. The meal was wonderful. We decided to forego the whole anniversary gift thing - since really there is nothing that either one of us is in need of other than the company of the other! aww so romantic.. So yeah this Tuesday (June 9) we will be celebrating our eight years of marriage. Let's hope this year is a little more laid back than the last year!

Your Brain is Normal.....

2009-06-04T12:18:00.002-04:00

...and I have medical proof. I went back to the neurologist on Monday for my followup appointment and she was very happy to tell me that my brain is normal. I asked if I could get that in writing to show the skeptics! She did say however - there is no medical explanation to why all of a sudden on Good Friday I was experiencing these horrible pains in my head. It could be a fluke, a one time thing or they may come back - its really hard to say. The medication that I am on is very effective in treating it - so its not like we are at a loss for what to do if it should happen again. She does have me on a regimine to slowy wean off the medication to see what happens. I had already started decreasing my dosage before I saw her and so far so good. I pray it stays that way.

What's New?!

2009-05-07T08:54:00.003-04:00

Well it has been a while since we posted so here is the short list on what's new...

- Matt is DONE with chemo!! Praise God. It was a long long road but he completed the journey and I am so proud of him. At times it took a swift kick in the butt to keep him going! =) but it was all out of my love for him- right Matt?
- We had a little get together with some friends recently to celebrate the end of our chemo journey - Good food, Good times and Great friends!
- Tomorrow (May 7) Matt has a surgery procedure to take out his port that was installed in his chest for chemo. He cannot wait to say goodbye to that!
- Tomorrow I also have some tests...I have a MRI and MRA of my brain scheduled. I haven't really shared much about this - but I have been having a little issue/something going on in my brain that started on Good Friday. I like to tell people the issue is that I am just so extremely intelligent that my skull can't handle my brain any longer! (I don't get many people to buy into that, surprisingly) I can tell you that I have already had a CT scan and there is no growth, tumor, ect. I was told by my neurologist that the MRI/MRA probably won't show anything either - but that will be a good thing...kinda? Although I would like to know what is causing these sharp pains in my head. So far its been all regulated by a medication.
- We have been spending lots of time - hugging, holding, and giggling with all the visiting nephews and nieces!
- Spring is here! Matt and I have started walking in preparation for our annual Maine trip and hiking in Acadia National Park (can't wait!!)
- I (Julie) started working part time. So I get to enjoy doing things around the house on Wednesdays and Fridays!

So there is our "short" list!! Until next time....Happy Spring!!

The end of the journey is near!

2009-04-19T21:16:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow (April 20) Matt will begin chemo session number 12 of 12 - so this 8 month journey that we have been on is finally coming to an end.. Can we get a collective AMEN to that! What a blessing that you all have been -family and friends. You have stood beside us through this and we are eternally grateful. We love you all and just want to say thanks a million times over.

You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.
Psalm 73:24 NLT

Vacation Pics Continued.....

2009-04-19T20:40:00.011-04:00

Barbados Port

Bay of St Lucia

St Lucia

Train in St Kitts

Beautiful St Kitts

St Kitts

We LOVED Antigua

Beautiful Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico (can't remember what the statue was for!)

Matt zip lining thru St Lucia

This was the CUTEST little boy - I wanted to bring him home for my souvenier!

Jaco Falls in Dominica

View of Dominica Port

Harbor in Antigua

We were so lucky to get to see all of these beautiful places and also so very lucky to get to spend this time with mom. Normally once a year we (mom and I) have a Mother/Daughter trip - but this year we decided to let Matt barge in on the fun! ;-) We got to see 6 new places in all (we had previously visited Barbados in '07) Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Dominica, St Lucia, Antigua, and St Kitts.

Pictures..... FINALLY!!

2009-04-19T20:05:00.005-04:00

Me as we dock in St Thomas

Matt and I in Antigua at a Fort

On the train ride in St Kitts

Waiting to Dock in Dominica

Antigua again - but it was a good pic =)

Towel Art - mom couldn't wait to get back to the room every night to see it!

Mom and I in St Kitts

Mom and I awaiting a fun filled day

Our Ship the Carnival Victory

Ok - so those are the pictures of us at various places...

Ohio Weather Welcomes Us Home

2009-03-31T17:42:00.006-04:00

We're back from our trip to the sunny, beautiful, non-Ohio weather of the Caribbean. We'll try and get photos posted as soon as we can. We've got a ton to sort through.

In a nutshell, we had a great time, ate FAR TOO MUCH food (I can already hear Mom typing away about dieting ASAP), got really brown (and red), and enjoyed visiting all those beautiful islands... by the way, it was all you can eat lobster (and we took full advantage).

Yeah Mom, I did a zip line excursion through the rain forest in St. Lucia... you can start worrying about all the terrible things that could have happened to me. =)

Stay tuned...

Ahoy Matey!

2009-03-21T15:35:00.004-04:00

We're leaving on a cruise for the (hopefully) sunny weather of the Caribbean. We most likely won't be able to call or email (so please don't worry mom).

We head out from San Juan, Puerto Rico and will then be at a different island every day for the next seven days (St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, Barbados, and back to Puerto Rico).

We plan on trying to double our body weight on all-you-can-eat lobster (at least Julie promised it's all you can eat).

Souvenier requests must be received by midnight Saturday in order to ensure receipt. =)

Big Bang

2009-03-19T09:23:00.003-04:00

Ok, I am telling you that if you are not watching Big Bang Theory on TV - you are missing out on some hilarious moments. Case in point this past Monday - now I usually don't "laugh" at tv and Matt will vouch for that - but I fine myself laughing out loud quite a bit over this show. The funny thing is when it first came out - I thought it was stupid and didn't even want to watch it. Now it is one of those shows that I make sure to watch. So join in the fun - CBS on Monday nights at 8! The premise of the show is 4 nerdy guys who are super smart but have little to no social skills - and of course they have 1 cute girl who lives across the hall.

For now though you MUST see the episode from this last Monday - especially toward the end of the episode... so google it, youtube it, or whatever you gotta do to see it... the episode was called "The Working Song Nanocluster"

Woot Woot

2009-02-18T20:20:00.004-05:00

Its time to mark another chemo session off of the calendar!! Matt is down to three sessions to go! It feels so nice to be able to say only 3 left.... but calendar wise we are looking at finishing up possibly the week after Easter. Right now they have moved his "rest" weeks out to 2 weeks instead of the 1 that he had in the beginning rounds - so that is why it is getting stretched out a bit. Matt has been having trouble getting his white counts back up to where they need to be after treatment so hence the longer rest periods. They don't want to push it and have him end up in the hospital again...and neither do we! We just need to pray that those counts recover faster and we can just push thru faster =)

Bittersweet

2009-02-16T09:22:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we got to go along with 6 of our Junior/Senior Youths and 2 other adults on a trip to a ski resort called Bittersweet up near Kalamazoo Michigan. It was a really fun day that started of with a bang! (Alyssa face planting into the snow and ice) She was a great sport about it and just laughed it off... I think anyone else would have called it quits after that but not "Bloodbath Alyssa" - she's all about going big or going home, no guts no glory!! (be sure to click on the 2nd pic to check out the damage!) Matt was able to make a few runs down the mountain so that made him very happy... going down those few times helped to remind us both how out of shape we are (at least he had the chemo excuse to fall back on! I had nothing!) We spent most of our day sitting in the sunshine and just watching the kids come zooming down the hills - it was a beautiful day. Lots of laughs.

18 Years Old Today

2009-02-04T16:28:00.006-05:00

My little brother is all grown up! Chris is having his 18th birthday today..... its hard to believe that time has gone by so fast!! When Chris was little - we were like peas and carrots! Best Buds. Happy Birthday Bubba - I Love You!

ps.... please don't kill me over these pics! =)

#8

2009-01-29T16:54:00.000-05:00

Chemo Session Number 8 is over!!! Hip Hip Hooray!

Today....

2009-01-26T12:26:00.000-05:00

Hello all..today Matt starts chemo session number 8 of 12 - so we have a few prayer requests =)

- Pray for Encouragement and Strength for Matt!
- Pray for minimal side affects on the rest of this journey
- Pray against any more delays (we need to push thru and get this behind us)
- Pray a special blessing for our youth friends who brought Matt much joy last week!
- Join us in celebrating that Matt has finished 7 rounds! (and 8 after this week)

"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world" John 16:33

This is my verse for you today Matt. I love you.

A Clean Shave

2009-01-22T18:46:00.000-05:00

Since I had to shave my head because all my hair was falling out from chemo, a bunch of the guys from youth group wanted to do the same... sooooo... this week we had a head shaving party. We had a ton of fun!

Matt is home.

2009-01-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

Hello to everyone in the cyber world. Just a quick note to say that Matt came home from the hospital yesterday and is now resting at home. It was wonderful to sleep in my own bed last night! Thank you for all your prayers!

update on matt....

2009-01-03T17:04:00.000-05:00

I made a quick trip home to take a shower and get clothes (i say quick even though its about 3 hours round trip!) Matt was transfered to Toledo Hospital last night -i'll sum it up by specialized care and drs... at this point they don't feel as though there is a real obstruction like the first diagnosis...now the specialist feels that this in all bacteria related and that he has a bad infection -so at this point antiboitics is the route we are taking - no more mention of surgery at present time. There is also no word on how long he will be in the hospital.... thanks for your prayers - you can keep more up to date on the family blogs because i have and will be pretty much staying with matt round the clock now that i have more clothes.
http://moseradventures.blogspot.com/
http://rychenerfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/

hmmm...

2009-01-01T19:40:00.000-05:00

Well 2009 didn't start off to well... Please pray for Matt today - he is really having a rough day and has been miserable all day. Pray that this would pass and he would be re-energized and encouraged to keep going. I love you Matt!

Farewell 2008....

2008-12-31T16:21:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to say - WOW what a year 2008 was for us.... but we are continuing to push forward.

-Matt just finished up chemo round #7 (of 12) - I know he doesn't believe me when I tell him - but I am so proud of him. It has not been an easy journey for Matt, but he continues on (with my prodding!) He doesn't look forward to wednesdays (actually any day) of chemo week because that is usually the worse day for him -but I kinda like wednesday afternoons because we get to say goodbye to another round! The end is getting closer and within our reach with every session.

We Love You Family & Friends and Wish You All a Wonderful 2009!

Surprising My Brother and his Family

2008-12-21T21:33:00.001-05:00

My Brother Jim

My Niece Amy

The Fam...

Saying Goodbye

Giggles with Uncle Matt

More Photos...

2008-12-21T21:28:00.000-05:00

Chocolate Carousel

Life Size Gingerbread House

Hollywood Studios Light Festival

More Photos...

2008-12-21T21:22:00.001-05:00

Animal Kingdom Safari

Castle Fireworks...

Vacation Recap via Photos!

2008-12-21T20:50:00.001-05:00

Character Fun...

Sea World Fun...

Merry Christmas

2008-12-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

Well we are spending our last night in Orlando tonight - we will be flying back to the cold north tomorrow =( We had a great time and we will be sure to post more pictures once we get home. See you all real soon.

We lost Barrett today... =(

2008-12-06T14:41:00.000-05:00

Barrett's heart finally gave out on her... she passed away early this afternoon. She came up to me and nosed my arm that she wanted to go outside to go to the bathroom. She never made it back in... collapsing just outside the door.

We've had a lot of dogs growning up... but I never had one with as much personality and life as Barrett. I'm really going to miss her. She was definitely one of a kind.

Current Happenings in our Corner of the World

2008-12-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

1. Our little boy is all grown up and married. Kurt and Alice got married this past Saturday and we had a wonderful time!
2. Today is a chemo day - yuck! However it IS number 6 -so we are halfway there - right Matt?
3. Did I mention yet how I already don't like the snowy, slick, and cold weather? Don't get me wrong I think snow is beautiful - but only when you plan on staying home for the day!
4. Chris is on the varsity basketball team - so I imagine some of our Fridays and Saturdays will be spent with Superfan (aka - my dad) watching High School B-ball

...Seriously - that about sums up what is going on here in Ohio

4 Down... 8 to Go.

2008-11-08T10:39:00.000-05:00

So I just finished up my 4th bi-weekly session of chemo... only 8 more to go. It sure seems like it should fly by but I've got to admit that there are days that I can't bear the thought of dealing with it for even one more day.

I'm going to be starting treatments in the hyperbaric chamber at Sara's Garden on Monday after work to try and boost my immune system (and hopefully my energy). I feel like the guy on the Hairclub for Men commercial... "I'm not just a board member... I'm also a customer." =) I'm not sure that I believed this process would have such a dramatic effect on my energy to do the simplest things... just going out to dinner requires an immediate nap to recover from.

Fall Fun...

2008-10-29T14:20:00.001-04:00

Whooo Hooo!! Guess what was on tv last night!!

Down with Sparty

2008-10-21T12:49:00.000-04:00

We headed up to East Lansing last weekend for the Ohio State / Michigan State game... it was a little chilly in the morning and then turned into the most beautiful fall October day would could have hoped for.

Here's a shot of Kara kicking all of our tails in ladderball. I really stunk at this game.

Mike "the grillmaster" Rosene enjoying the fruits of his work.

It was a little brisk at first but by noon we had shed our coats and hats.

TBDBITL making their appearence in the stadium.

The incomparable Script Ohio... even the MSU fans around us were quite impressed by this.

Julie and I relaxing before the game.

I hope Kara doesn't kill me because she has her eyes closed.

Hanging out at the end of the game as the MSU fans flock for the gates.

Here we are watching the team and band sing Carmen Ohio following the game.

Mom's New Pool Boy

2008-10-21T12:36:00.001-04:00

Mom was nice enough to watch Eddie and Barrett for us while we went up to East Lansing for the OSU game last weekend. Eddie somehow managed to fall into the empty pool behind the house (we're placing bets that Barrett pushed him in).

Many thanks to Sandy Wyse for coming down and helping Mom rescue Eddie from the pool. He is so thanksful for the boost out.

That now makes a clean sweep of all our our dogs ending up in the pool at some point and needing to be rescued. I still wish I had footage of Mom trying to rescue the sinking stone Bosco from the pool a few years ago.

Reflexions from Insomnia

2008-10-13T11:07:00.001-04:00

OK, so I've been up in the middle of the night for the last three nights (way out of character for me). Each time my mind has been on the same topic... the upcoming election. Since I can't get it out of my brain, I'll write it down.

Here’s my thing… It may sound absolutely crazy and off the wall but hear me out…

As absurd as it may sound, it don’t believe that the biggest issue facing America is the economy… or health care… or the war in Iraq. I feel like the biggest issue in America is the fact that we’ve pushed God aside. This nation is no longer one nation under God… It’s one nation under all the gods that we need to be tolerant and acceptable of and honor equally. The country was founded on faith in the one true God… its laws… its principals… its beliefs… and was tremendously blessed by God. To thank him, over the years our leaders, decision makers and activist groups have gradually and systematically been removing God from everything we can… and God is finally saying “OK, have it your way.”

It is impossible for me to believe that the US is any less evil and corrupt in our actions (abortion, homosexuality, etc.) than societies like Sodom and Gomorrah, Rome, Pompeii… and look at what happened to them. At some point, if that is the case and this behavior continues, God’s blessings would (and probably have already) stop and he will remove his hand of protection over us. I don’t believe that the economic plan for any candidate is going to work and be blessed to turn this economy around without that. I believe that that we need to elect leaders that will turn this around and get back to where we were at the inception of this nation.

So for me, to boil it down to something so absurd and simple… I’ve been praying for the next leader of our nation to be the man of God that both of these candidates claim to be… and as far as my vote, I’m asking for the peace of mind and discernment to know who that is.

Now, having said that, here is why I am having such a hard time with the Obama/Biden ticket. I have heard both men claim to be Christians and state that they personally do not believe that issues like abortion or homosexuality are right… but they have then turned right around and said that even though that is their belief, they would never dream of imposing those beliefs on others and believe they should have the right to choose for themselves whether that is acceptable or not. I don’t believe that there should be a speed limit and I should be able to drive as fast as I want on whatever road I want… but someone has decided that it is not acceptable… or safe… or legal… so they have imposed that law on me… because it’s what leaders are supposed to do. I want (and believe we NEED) a leader(s) that will begin to take a stand for issues like this.

I know Bush claims to be a Christian as well… but I believe there are places that he has sold out to appear as politically correct as possible, specifically in dealing with the acceptance and equality of all religions (see Ten Commandments for this error). =)

Chemo - Round 2

2008-10-10T21:41:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the late update... round two of chemo was very similar to round one with some nifty new side effects.

They had warned us about neuropathy in my fingers and toes... well, after leaving treatment on Monday we stopped by Taco Bell to grab some dinner (It just sounded good at the time). When Julie handed me my cold cup of lemonade it felt as though I had just grabbed an electric fence. I thought I was being electrocuted. I could feel the currents going up my fingers. I had to quickly hand the cup back to her.

The following morning I had the same feeling in my toes when I walked across the cold bathroom tile with no socks on. Needless to say, I've been wearing gloves every morning to drive to work to grip the steering wheel and have had to start sitting my water and juice out on the counter instead of the refridgerator and drink it at room temperature... ummm yummy!

Wednesday seems to be the worst day of the week for me as each week now I've missed work completely that day and spent much of my day in the bathroom on my knees praying in front of the toilet. =)

Sitting here on Friday night I feel pretty good. I was able to go to work every day other than Wednesday and as of now just have some slight feelings of nausea lingering around. Two down... ten to go.

Rare Political Rant

2008-10-10T12:37:00.000-04:00

OK, I've got to rant a bit about something that seems to just have me so frustrated right now... If anyone feels differently than me about this I'd love to hear about it and look at it from someone else's viewpoint.

Driving back from a meeting in Toledo today, I was listening to K-Love and they had somebody on there doing a political anaysis of the upcoming election. They were saying that from what their research shows, Christian voters are appearing to side more with Obama 60% to 40% because they see him as "more sympathetic to religion."

Now, don't hear me wrong... I'm not at judging Obama for his religious views and convictions... only God knows what is in his heart. However, I've listened to him during his debate at Saddleback Church and heard him quote scripture and tell of all the profound influence that Christianity has had in his life... and then have heard him two breaths later make comments that issues like abortion and same sex marriages are "above his pay grade."

What pay grade are you running for, Senator Obama? I thought it was for one that was responsible for shaping our views as a nation. Why should I vote for you when you can't give me a definitive answer on where you stand... since you change the answer at your next rally that has a different audience.

Why in the world should I as a Christian believe that Senator Obama is going to be "more sympathetic to religion" after he is elected... just because he quoted some Bible verses at a debate? Who is to say that was another item that was just on show for the night because of his audience?

I may not see eye to eye with McCain on everything either but at least with him I feel like the answer he is giving is his word.

Matthew 5:37. Instead, let your message be 'Yes' for 'Yes' and 'No' for 'No.' Anything more than that comes from the evil one."

Mouth Watering Memories

2008-10-06T18:16:00.000-04:00

Sorry Drew... but you missed quite the spread for this week's OSU / Wisconsin game... compliments of Chef Boy RC (Chris' new self proclaimed chef name). I'm sure Jay would have liked it too but he never comes to see us anymore.

Chris (and Julie of course) made chili, bean dip, buffalo chicken dip, tequilla lime chicken wings, chips and salsa and chocolate oat bars (and they were especially chocolaty)!

Drew, we were wondering if our adopted uncle Moser was missing us at all... did he want us to come down to Columbus and see him some Saturday this fall?

On the Radio...

2008-10-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

I heard a statement on the radio this morning and thought I would pass it on.... The person calling in said - "we need to let God be our stearing wheel and not our spare tire" ..... interesting/so true...think about it.

Prayer....

2008-09-23T16:54:00.000-04:00

The first day of chemo yesterday was relatively uneventful. Please pray that it continues that way!

One specific prayer request - Please pray against HICCUPS! Matt has been fighting hiccups all day today on and off -we all know that hiccups can be annoying and painful if they last. I did a google search this afternoon and it seems that the one chemo drug he gets has an "undocumented but common" side affect of causing hiccups.

.....and of course continue to pray against nausea.

Stuff.... and Clarification...

2008-09-22T10:58:00.000-04:00

Today is Matt's first day of chemo... and I woke up today just dreading the day (because of all the unknown's, the possible side affects, and I just want Matt to be pain free) - but almost immediately after thinking to myself how much I dreaded the day - the very next thing that ran through my brain was - This is the day the Lord has made -Let us rejoice and be glad in it (Pslam 118:24)- How True!! Thank you God for that reminder today.

After going to church yesterday and talking to some people we realized that there may be some need for clarification on some posts that we made earlier so that there is no more confusion

Just to recap Matt's last month

1 - Matt was diagnosed with Colon Cancer
2 - 2 areas of the colon/intestines and part of the stomach wall were removed
3 - the tumor was removed - it was indeed malignant
4 - the tumor had breached the wall of the Colon -leading to more testing
5 - the tissue/lymph nodes that were around the area of the tumor - tested negative for cancer (meaning that the cancer looks to have been contained in the tumor itself and has not travelled to any other part of Matt's body)
6 - because the tumor breached the wall that is the reason for the Chemo
7 - Chemo is 3 days a week - every other week - for six months (12 cycles)

Frankenstein is Home

2008-09-19T21:02:00.000-04:00

Well, after spending over 4 hours today waiting in the surgery prep area I finally had my port installed... My neck and chest are pretty sore and I feel like Frankenstein with this thing in my chest but other than that I feel pretty good. I would take a picture of it and post it but I don't want to make Kendahl Bear feel sick. =)

My mom forgot that I was having surgery today and I had a lot of fun giving her a hard time about it this evening (I love you Mom!). She swears I never told her... if she reads this she'll kill me so let's see if she reads our blog or not. =)

I start chemo on Monday so if you feel like praying for me, pray that I won't get nauseous (along with all the other "possible" side affects I got to hear about) and that I'll be able to continue working through this whole six month process.

Reflections of Cali

2008-09-19T20:21:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend out in LA (other than the oppressively embarrassing showing by Ohio State).

Ben will be happy to know we hung out with Towmater.

Lightning McQueen wanted Ben to know he said hello.

We stopped by Monstropolis and hung out with Mike Wazowski after work.

Yeah, and who was calling who Grumpy before the trip?

My new aviator hat... Josh, you can borrow it if you want.

Julie challenged me to a drag race... I won.

Julie getting ready to make a run with the Toontown Fire Department.

Julie let me drive since I was doing such a good job controlling my road rage in traffic.

Don't say anything... Julie's a little self conscious about her bug eyes.

Hanging out in a tree house at Disney.

Chilling on the beach in Santa Monica.

Here's a shot of the Santa Monica Pier.

Great seats... terrible game. Good times.

Not a bad pregame... but it was no TBDBITL!

California Dreamin'

2008-09-09T14:17:00.000-04:00

Another vacation?! Two days from now we will be on our way to Detroit to catch a plane to sunny California for 4 wonderful and fun-filled days.

On the agenda:
Disneyland for Friday
Ohio State vs USC football for Saturday (GO BUCKS!)
Disney California Adventure for Sunday
Who knows what we will get into for Monday

When we planned 2 back to back vacations a couple of months ago - we had no idea what would be going on in our lives (obviously) - but I cannot begin tell you how the timing turned out to be perfect -and giving us the ability to just get away and enjoy.

Now - come on Buckeyes -Get your Game on! The only way I want to be with someone named Grumpy is if he is in a dwarf costume at Disneyland!

Photos of Maine

2008-09-04T13:37:00.001-04:00

Here are some photos from our last trip to Maine. Instead of spending our entire time in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, we stayed about an hour south in Belfast and spent our time going various places and taking in sites we had not had time for in the past. Of course... in case you're wondering we did indeed have lobster for every single dinner.

Here is a shot of the view from our hotel balcony in Belfast, Maine.

This is a photo of the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge. Notice the windows in the peak of the tower. That is an observatory that we (and by we I mean Matt... someone else was glued to the ground below) went up in to get a view of the Penobscot Narrows River valley. The old bridge is still there right beside the new one... it is the one that we went across on the motorcycle on our first trip to Maine that Julie about had a heart attack on as we could feel it swaying back and forth as we crossed it. They will eventually take the old bridge down but they have not had the budget to do so yet.

This is a photo of Fort Knox... no, not the one where the government keeps its gold... this Fort Knox was established in 1844 to protect the Penobscot River valley against a possible future British naval incursion.

Here is a shot taken within the walls of Fort Knox. It is one of the best preserved fortifications on the New England seacoast.

Here is a photo of Fort Knox taken across the river in the town of Bucksport, Maine. You can see the Penobscot Narrows Bridge in the background.

Here is a photo of some Navy ship sitting in the bay in Camden, Maine. We thought it was a destroyer at first until we saw the cranes on the deck.

Here is a shot of some of the homes in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. It was a beautiful little town.

Here is another photo of Boothbay Harbor.

I've always been infatuated with Bath, Maine ever since we went to the christening of the USS Oscar Austin when Lauren's husband Ray was its Weapons Officer. Here is a shot of Bath Iron Works showing some of the new navy destroyers being built.

Pass the Butter!

2008-09-03T15:36:00.000-04:00

OK, we just got back from Maine... we'll try and get some photos up for ya'll to see real soon. In the meantime, here is a recap of our meeting with the oncologist this afternoon.

They want to begin chemotherapy as soon as possible. Even though the lymph nodes they tested were negative for cancer, they claim that because there was perforation (the tumor came through the wall of the colon) there is a 50% chance that it will return. The therapy they want me to undergo is supposed to reduce that risk to 30%.

I will have treatment 3 days a week... every 2 weeks... for 6 months. They want to install a port in my chest for the treatment immediately. I told them that we would wait until after next weekend when we get back from L.A. (following OSU's win over USC). =)

Julie and I would like to thank everyone for all the prayers and support we've received... we're truly blessed by you.

Rejoice

2008-08-26T14:54:00.000-04:00

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.

We just got back from the Dr. for Matt's followup appointment. He was able to get those staples out! Woo whoo.

We got the pathology reports back- during surgery they removed lymph nodes for testing. All 37 lymph nodes that they tested came back NEGATIVE for cancer!!!

So it was contained all to the area that was removed.

We have an appt next week with an Oncologist to start the discovery phase of what is needed for chemo.

but - until then - we will be relaxing in the Maine sunshine, eating lobster, and praising GOD.

Where are the Updates?!

2008-08-22T14:29:00.000-04:00

Ok -I know its been 2 days since I put an update out here! But there isn't a whole lot going on now. I am back to being the working girl - the bread winner! Ha! I asked Matt last night - since he is now the stay at home spouse - would dinner be on the table every night when I get home?! Ha Ha - Just kidding!

He is still recouping very nicely. He had his first real shower yesterday and what a treat that was for him.... and we snuck out of the house last night around 8:30 to go up to Dairy Queen for an ice cream treat. We are such rebels!

Matt is doing more and more walking to get his legs back motoring and building up more stamina and energy. Lucky for him he has had a handful of visitors to keep him occupied and out of trouble while I am at work.

Thank you for your continued prayers for his healing and our strength.

Tuesday he has a followup appointment to get his staples removed (doesn't that sound like fun!)- and then Thursday we are headed to Bar Harbor Maine (5 days) for some rest, relaxation, and lobsta' eatin' - Dr's orders (well ok - he didn't really order it but we already had this vacation scheduled/paid for before all this happened - and we did get the green light from him that it was still ok to go!) - so if Matt is feeling up to it we are going to press ahead and still go -so that we can both just unwind and be together.

Have a wonderful weekend!

HOORAY!!! Guess who came home today!!

2008-08-20T14:57:00.000-04:00

Yes Lord! Can you believe it - Matt is home!! He is already taking a nap - but hey - I guess its ok if he slacks off for a few days! ;-)

I never would have guessed going into this last Friday that I would be bringing him home already on Wednesday. I cannot tell you how proud I am of him and his determination to get better.

Ok...well now that I don't have to spend 13 hours at the hospital today - I think that nap idea sounds pretty good. Nighty Night.

Day 5....

2008-08-19T22:07:00.000-04:00

Not much to say about today - just more improvements - lets list them out!
1. Goodbye to IV's today - wooo whooo
2. A day without pain meds
3. Hooray for naps!
4. Regular food tray tomorrow
5. ummm lets just say things are "working" their way through! (a big accomplishment) ;-)
6. Ta - Da - Tomorrow may be the last day at the Hospital!! (keep your fingers crossed!)

Update on Day 4

2008-08-18T21:43:00.000-04:00

As I get ready to write this tonight I hear the lyrics - I'm walking yes sir-re I'm a walking. Matt had another wonderful day. I am just so excited over his progress every day and his determination to do more than he did the day before. We were able to walk the halls at least three times today - which might not seem like much but when your belly has a eight or so inch incision in it and you've been in bed 3 days its a big accomplishment. He also spent a lot of time today up sitting in his chair. The only bad part of the day is when they switched his pain med to vicodin.... Lets just say we don't have to worry about Matt becoming an addict. He did not like the far out feeling that it gave him, so about 7 hours later when he wanted more pain meds they switched him to a darveset (sp?) - that went a little better but it put him right to sleep. I was glad though because he needed some rest. He doesn't sleep much at night because hello its not a Holiday Inn Express. He said that they seem to come in and need something from him every hour - so its not really all that restfull, so yep I was glad he got that hour nap before dinner time. He got to have "clear" liquids (jello, broth and popsicles) all day today for three meals and tomorrow they will switch him to all liquids (like cream of wheat, tomoto and cream soups, puddings and ice creams) and then most likely the next day on to real foods.

He is doing so well and we are so thankful for all the continued prayers.

Day 3......

2008-08-17T21:58:00.000-04:00

Wow - what a difference in Matt today. Its like night and day. This morning when I walked into his room around 7am -his eyes were open and he said "hey there". He looked sooooo good today!! Praise the Lord! He basically only had pain medication a couple times today. He went from 4am to 2pm before asking for more and then he requested more around 8pm. Today he was able to get up out of his bed twice and even went for a very short walk! He also spent most of the day with the head part of his bed raised up in a sitting like position - so that when he does get out of bed he is not so dizzy. The super good news is that tonight he got to have the drain tube out of his nose that snaked down to his stomach. It was beginning to really bug him and he was elated to get it out. They also removed his catheter (sp?) today. His special treat tonight was a double orange popsicle...ahh the little things in life that can make someone so happy.

I started reading a book to Matt today that my mom had picked up for him. Its the new book by Ohio State Football Coach -Jim Tressel and its called the Winners Manual (i think) ... anyway I think a person would expect it to be all about football - but we just barely read 10 pages in it and it is just a wonderful book on the aspect of winning the game of life and evaluating your personal relationship with God. I can't wait to read more!

It was a wonderful day and I was so encouraged by Matt's progress today - as I sit here tonight by myself - I already can't wait to get back to the hospital to see him. It is so hard to leave him there at night.

God is good - all the time! I am so thankful for what he has done so far and for all that he will continue to do on the road ahead of us.

Good night all!

Day 2.....

2008-08-16T23:56:00.000-04:00

Today was a super busy day. Today was the 5th annual Poker Run for Sara's Garden - so I was Matt for the day helping to facilitate all the poker run specifics.

Day 2 for Matt went a lot like day one.... he still has quite a bit of pain and is being medicated pretty regularly for it. He was able to get up and sit out of bed today. Which was good - but it was definately not the highlight of his day - tomorrow they will continue to keep getting him to sit up and perhaps even go for a short walk. The Dr. said this morning the best thing for his speedy recovery is to not baby it along - no doubt its going to hurt when he gets moving, but the more he does it the less it should hurt each time.

So thats the update for today! Good night all!

Morphine Please!

2008-08-15T20:38:00.000-04:00

Update on Matt....

Well the surgery is over and Matt is doing well - he's in quite a bit of pain - obviously. He's in and out quite a bit - pretty sleepy - which is good because then he doesn't feel the pain! The surgeon said the surgery went well and he felt he was able to remove everything that needed to be removed. Now - lets keep on praying and get that boy on his way to a super speedy recovery-sound good?! Amen!

Health Update

2008-08-12T16:00:00.000-04:00

This past week has been a rollercoaster of emotions... We'll try and keep everyone updated as to what has been going on... and what is upcoming.

Last week Julie and I learned that I have cancer in my colon... 2 tumors to be exact located in the Sigmoid colon. If you'd like an anatomy lesson on what that means check out Wikipedia.com. =)

Believe it or not, from my personal standpoint, it's been much easier to deal with this since it's actually happening to me compared to what I went through when Dad was going through his final bouts with cancer.

Right now, I'm scheduled to have surgury at 9:00 on Friday, August 15th at the Fulton County Health Center. They are planning on removing 8-10 inches of my colon and then reattaching it together. I was told that I would be in the hospital 8-10 days and potentially off of work for a month. If all goes well, they do not expect that I will need to have a colostomy bag... but one may be temorarily required depending on how everything goes back together.

Based on how the surgury and healing process goes, I will probably need to have a port installed in my chest for chemotherapy that would begin sometime in the fall.

Julie and I both appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. We're so very thankful for all the support we've received.

The following lyrics to the current Sanctus Real song that has been playing on the radio have really struck a chord with all that has been going on....

Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly)

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
All I can do is surrender

[Chorus]
Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

[Chorus]

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to to release all my held back tears

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Something heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out

Hocking Hills Getaway

2008-07-25T11:46:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we went down to Hocking Hills in southeast Ohio for a weekend of relaxation and hiking. We rented a little cabin in the woods that had its own pool table and hot tub. It was awesome.

The hiking day didn't start off too well... poor Alice got car sick (ala Jay in the Smokey Mountains) and tossed her cookies a couple of times. Julie gave her a Dramamine in between hikes and that just made her high. She was swerving all over the place on her way back to the car. She was a real trooper though and stuck it out the entire day.

We felt so sorry for Alice because of what she went through that during our campfire outside the cabin that night we took it upon ourselves to take turns tossing stones into the woods when she wasn't looking. We completely freaked her out that there was a bear or a cougar stalking us and she was a nervous wreck by the time we finally let her in on our group secret... a mere 2 hours later! Yeah, we're a bunch of Steves.

Photos of our first hike to Ash Cave... it's amazing that this is in Ohio since we're so used to the flat fields. We saw a snake on the hike that had to be 4-5 feet long as it just crossed the path. I'm so proud of Julie and Kara for their calm reactions.

Kurt saved the day for holding up this tree from falling on us. =)

This was a photo on our second hike to Old Man's Cave... somebody actually called this place home for a number of years.

The happy group in its way to Old Man's Cave.

Notice Julie isn't standing out on this rock jutting out over this open expanse. She was hugging the treeline a safe distance back with Mike and Kara. Notice the people below...

Here's a shot of the group... you gotta love the Gorillapod.

Here's a shot of Julie in Ash Cave...