Since we just got yet another one yesterday, I thought I would share some of the funny (and actually kind of sad) wrong # phone calls Sam and I've received. There's a thing to be said about moving twice in the past 2 1/2 years with new home phone numbers at two different locations.
Phone call #1 - In Louisville (while I'm pregnant), a black man keeps calling our house phone (in a string of late night phone calls/voicemails left) b/c "I" gave him my number at the club "some time ago" and he wants to meet up. I tell the guy he's got the wrong number, and I'm pregnant and not the person he's thinking of, so please quit calling our place, especially at midnight -- and he's like "C'mon baby, you weren't pregnant 6 months ago when you were hitting on me and giving me your number." It seriously took like three times of answering this guys calls (and about 6 more messages on our home voicemail) for him to realize he no longer had Sierra's number... Sorry buddy!
Phone call #2 - This one was terrible! Sam actually got the message on his cell phone, and it was an older lady in Florida leaving a message for a relative that she had just found out she had a few months to live and wanted to patch up their arguement before she dies! (and no, we weren't being punk'd... this was actually true) Sam, plays the message for me, and is like "We need to call her back and let her know she dialed the wrong number." So Sam calls the lady back, and at first this poor lady thinks it's her relative just making an excuse not to talk to her! Luckily, we finally convinced her we weren't the people she was looking for! I sincerely hope things turned out ok for that lady.
Phone call #3 - At our new home in Tennessee, we have received COUNTLESS phone calls for Amanda Seaton. She even (at the beginning of this school year when she obviously did not have this phone number any longer) gave the elementary school our house number for her child! The poor child must get in trouble or sick a lot, because I've talked to the school two or three times about how I can't pick up this kid, because I'm no relation, and no, Amanda Seaton doesn't live here!
Phone call #4 - I never keep up with checking our house voicemails, and on Christmas Eve Amanda Seaton may have struck again. Three days after the fact, I learn that Copper Cellar had called to confirm our reservation of five for Christmas Day. Well, once again, NOT US!
Phone call #5 - Sam went back to work yesterday for the first time since taking chemo. He left his cell phone at the house, and it goes off like every 5 minutes for about a half hour. So I call him at work and tell him this unsaved number keeps calling his cell phone. He looks it up on white pages and it's a Plasma lab in Knoxville. Thinking maybe somehow this has to do with bloodwork he has to have done, he calls the number back. Some random person (probably a college kid) kept dialing the wrong number to try and have Sam pick him up after he donated plasma. (Sam just has a generic answering service on his phone, so the poor kid probably just thinks his friend wouldn't answer!)
FB Msg #1 - Ok, so this isn't actually a phone call, but this is the most hilarious fb msg I've ever received. In the midst of receiving all these strange phone calls in Louisville, a lady messages me on facebook and tells me she thinks she might be my husband's long lost sister he never met. Her father had been involved in an affair so his "real" family never knew about her and now she's trying to track down her siblings. Well, first of all, besides not knowing Sam's dad's name, in her picture she actually looked like she may be the same age as Sam's parents. So, it would be kind of impossible for Sam's dad to have a child the same age as himself! She just thought it had be us, b/c she hadn't been able to find that many "Crass's." Well, good luck with your search lady, but your long lost sibling is not my husband!
Anyways, I'm sure everyone has a wrong number story or two, but it just seemed like Sam and I've had so many memorable ones the past couple years, I had to pass a few along. =) Happy New Year's Eve to everyone!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
More Sammy News
So, lets see, I've had some questions about Sammy's treatment, so I thought I would answer those and give an update on how he is doing! =) Sam started taking campath (or alemtuzumab) last Monday and was given an infusion for five days. Each day he had to start by taking various over the counter and prescription medicines in the morning, and then Monday through Wednesday he was given an infusion for an hour of steroids. After that first hour, he would then be given chemo for another four hours. On Thursday and Friday he was only given chemo with no steroids beforehand. Below are some of the questions I've been asked about his treatment:
1) Will he lose his hair? Nope! There are different kinds and different strengths of chemo. While campath is a very strong chemotherapy treatment it doesn't cause people to lose their hair when being used for MS.
2) Why would Sam sign up for this since no one could tell he had MS? It was definitely a controversial decision (and a hard decision to make) that Sam would get this chemo treatment. There were definitely people that thought he shouldn't do an experimental treatment, especially since his MS is not noticable to anyone on a day to day basis. MS is a very unpredictable disease though. There are people with MS that go decades without any problems, and then there are people that deal with their MS every couple months or even every single day! Usually someone with a bad case of MS has to walk with a cane or is in a wheelchair, or possibly worse. The treatment that Sam received last week has been announced in European journals as a possible "cure" for MS, which until now has been thought to be a disease that has no cure. While the chemo treatment is still in the experimental phases, it has taken people that were completely bed ridden to now, that same person is winning European golf championships.
3) So why didn't we wait to see if Sam got really bad to try this treatment? Well, because in the past 15 years of research on this treatment, they've found it's a "cure" the earlier you do it. Every year we would have waited to have the treatment, the chance of it being a "cure" for Sam would have gone down. The treatment has not "cured" people that have had MS for a long time. It has sometimes still helped these people, but its not been a cure by any means.
4) If this treatment is a "cure" for MS, why any hesitation about it at all? Well, with any drug that isn't FDA approved, its not been around that long. When Sam and I were talking to the doctor, they were comparing the known side effects with around 150 - 180 people worldwide that have had this treatment. That's it. They're not comparing it to thousands or even hundreds. So they really can't know all the side effects someone can have from this treatment, because its not been used as a treatment on anyone over 15 years ago. That's why they call it a "cure," because some of the first people to take it haven't had problems for 15 years, but they don't know if it will last another 15 years or if it won't?
Also, there are serious complications that can come from this treatment, like death. There were two ways Sam could have died or had very serious complications last week just while receiving the infusion itself. They have had people whose lungs have collapsed and others who have had heart attacks or anaphylactic (allergic) reactions to the medication. That's one of the reasons he had to take so many pills before starting an infusion each day, because they've now come up with a combination of medicines they think should help people not have those side effects. We were concerned about Sam last week because Thursday night he started having very strong chest pains, so they had to check him out thoroughly before he could continue with his last day of treatment on Friday. Luckily, Sam ended up reacting very well to the chemo (thus far) and not having any of the short term side effects. Besides a bad headache and insomnia (and then the chest pains), he did much better last week than many people on this treatment do! So we were very thankful about that!
5) What are the potential longterm effects? This is the reason we would have opted not to do this treatment. Luckily, the majority of the known longterm effects are very treatable if caught early. Sam will have monthly blood tests indefinitely to check and make sure that he's not coming down with one of these diseases. Most of the diseases are autoimmune diseases like ITP or Graves disease, which if the normal person got this disease they would have it for life. Luckily (with the exception of Graves disease), if Sam gets one of these diseases and it is caught early (through his blood tests or external symptoms) he should get rid of the disease permanently in three months!
6) Can anyone with MS have this treatment? No, since its not FDA approved there are only certain doctors that can get insurance companies to pay for this treatment. We are VERY LUCKY that one of the only doctors in the USA being able to get this approved is in Knoxville. Also, Sam had to pass certain physical aspects... he couldn't have things like heart disease, cancer, or blood disorders. If you have those things you aren't eligible for this treatment.
Anyways, right now Sam has been feeling much better than expected. He has been getting cabin fever this week since he has to be a hermit right now. The main concern is him not being exposed to other people and the chance of catching any of these winter/flu/cold viruses going around. For him a small cough could turn into pneumonia/shingles, etc... His immune system is at zero, but should build back up pretty quickly! Thanks for the prayers!
1) Will he lose his hair? Nope! There are different kinds and different strengths of chemo. While campath is a very strong chemotherapy treatment it doesn't cause people to lose their hair when being used for MS.
2) Why would Sam sign up for this since no one could tell he had MS? It was definitely a controversial decision (and a hard decision to make) that Sam would get this chemo treatment. There were definitely people that thought he shouldn't do an experimental treatment, especially since his MS is not noticable to anyone on a day to day basis. MS is a very unpredictable disease though. There are people with MS that go decades without any problems, and then there are people that deal with their MS every couple months or even every single day! Usually someone with a bad case of MS has to walk with a cane or is in a wheelchair, or possibly worse. The treatment that Sam received last week has been announced in European journals as a possible "cure" for MS, which until now has been thought to be a disease that has no cure. While the chemo treatment is still in the experimental phases, it has taken people that were completely bed ridden to now, that same person is winning European golf championships.
3) So why didn't we wait to see if Sam got really bad to try this treatment? Well, because in the past 15 years of research on this treatment, they've found it's a "cure" the earlier you do it. Every year we would have waited to have the treatment, the chance of it being a "cure" for Sam would have gone down. The treatment has not "cured" people that have had MS for a long time. It has sometimes still helped these people, but its not been a cure by any means.
4) If this treatment is a "cure" for MS, why any hesitation about it at all? Well, with any drug that isn't FDA approved, its not been around that long. When Sam and I were talking to the doctor, they were comparing the known side effects with around 150 - 180 people worldwide that have had this treatment. That's it. They're not comparing it to thousands or even hundreds. So they really can't know all the side effects someone can have from this treatment, because its not been used as a treatment on anyone over 15 years ago. That's why they call it a "cure," because some of the first people to take it haven't had problems for 15 years, but they don't know if it will last another 15 years or if it won't?
Also, there are serious complications that can come from this treatment, like death. There were two ways Sam could have died or had very serious complications last week just while receiving the infusion itself. They have had people whose lungs have collapsed and others who have had heart attacks or anaphylactic (allergic) reactions to the medication. That's one of the reasons he had to take so many pills before starting an infusion each day, because they've now come up with a combination of medicines they think should help people not have those side effects. We were concerned about Sam last week because Thursday night he started having very strong chest pains, so they had to check him out thoroughly before he could continue with his last day of treatment on Friday. Luckily, Sam ended up reacting very well to the chemo (thus far) and not having any of the short term side effects. Besides a bad headache and insomnia (and then the chest pains), he did much better last week than many people on this treatment do! So we were very thankful about that!
5) What are the potential longterm effects? This is the reason we would have opted not to do this treatment. Luckily, the majority of the known longterm effects are very treatable if caught early. Sam will have monthly blood tests indefinitely to check and make sure that he's not coming down with one of these diseases. Most of the diseases are autoimmune diseases like ITP or Graves disease, which if the normal person got this disease they would have it for life. Luckily (with the exception of Graves disease), if Sam gets one of these diseases and it is caught early (through his blood tests or external symptoms) he should get rid of the disease permanently in three months!
6) Can anyone with MS have this treatment? No, since its not FDA approved there are only certain doctors that can get insurance companies to pay for this treatment. We are VERY LUCKY that one of the only doctors in the USA being able to get this approved is in Knoxville. Also, Sam had to pass certain physical aspects... he couldn't have things like heart disease, cancer, or blood disorders. If you have those things you aren't eligible for this treatment.
Anyways, right now Sam has been feeling much better than expected. He has been getting cabin fever this week since he has to be a hermit right now. The main concern is him not being exposed to other people and the chance of catching any of these winter/flu/cold viruses going around. For him a small cough could turn into pneumonia/shingles, etc... His immune system is at zero, but should build back up pretty quickly! Thanks for the prayers!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Do you want 50 FREE Christmas Cards from Shutterfly?
This is just one of the reasons I LOVE shutterfly, because of offers like this! They have a huge selection of Christmas photo cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards , I was very impressed! Last year was my first year making a Christmas card for our family (we had Brylee, so I thought it would be cute to send one out =) ). This year, it's an extremely hard decision because of all the options Shutterfly has to pick from!
I thought this card was hilarious, because my 18 month old is MAINLY sweet, but can be a little bit of both =).
I thought this card was hilarious, because my 18 month old is MAINLY sweet, but can be a little bit of both =).
I thought this card was adorable, and would be good with a family picture of Brylee, Sam, & I.
And seriously, how cute is this one?
All of these cards are adorable, but I may decide on a completely different card because they have a lot of cute options!
Christmas cards aren't the only type of cards Shutterfly has a nice selection of. They also have birthday cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery. I sent out personalized birthday cards to Brylee's 1st birthday last year, and they turned out so cute =).
Also, every single year I make a family calendar (which I'm behind on this year, because our calendar always expires at the end of November instead of December!). I guess its because the first year I made the calendar it was October and I thought "We really need a calendar." So our family calendars have ended up going from November through November. Which if you want to make a calendar in the middle of the year, or on a random month, Shutterfly is perfect for that as well, because they let you choose your calendar start date! =) I also like all of the design options. If you want to check out shutterfly calenders yourself go here http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars
And finally if you are interested in receiving 50 free Christmas cards from Shutterfly, here is the link with the directions for how to get your own =) http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/
Thursday, December 2, 2010
An Overview from Sammy
Well, as many of our friends and family know, Sammy started chemo on Monday. Here's a quick overview (written by Sammy, it it were by me it would not be brief!) of what has taken place since his MS diagnosis about 18 months ago. Additions by me are in parenthesis =).
In April of 2009 I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and in May of 2009 I began taking Rebif injections. Rebif is a interferon beta-1a subcutaneous injection that comes as a solution to inject subcutaneously (under the skin) three times a week. Basically, it is like injecting your body with the flu so your immune system attacks it instead of attacking your central nervous system. During my follow up MRI in September of 2009, the doctors noticed that the Rebif wasn't working like it was supposed to. At this time the doctor suggested I start taking a once a month IV drug called Tysabri. However, I decided not to take this drug due to the fact it had an FDA "black box" label. The drug has also been associated with PML(a deadly brain virus) and that wasn't a risk I was wanting to take at that time.
I then began looking at other multiple sclerosis doctors to get a second opinion. I was lucky enough to get an appointment at the medical center in Houston, TX next to MD Anderson (The same doctor's office that country singer Clay Walker goes to for his MS). The doctors there advised me not to start the Tysabri infusions (for reasons we knew, and for reasons we didn't know!), but to take a week of IV steroids and continue with the Rebif injections. They also advised me it would be beneficial to try an experimental drug called alemtuzumab. However, they would need special permission from my insurance, because this drug wasn't FDA approved for treating MS and had only been approved for treating leukemia. My insurance at this time was Aetna. So we began the approval process in November of 2009 and Aetna rejected the possibility of me getting alemtuzumab in January of this year. (At the time the doctors in Texas told us that the only doctor in the country that was able to get this medicine approved by insurance was in Knoxville, TN!)
In May of this year we moved from Louisville, KY back to Knoxville, TN. During this transition I talked with the doctors in Texas about the doctor in Knoxville that could get alemtuzumab approved. Dr. Sybil Wray has been such a blessing! She is actually part of the ten year trial that has been working with Cambridge on getting the alemtuzumab FDA approved for MS, which is expected to happen in March of 2011. She was able to get the treatment approved through Cigna in one week at the beginning of October. I began daily IV infusions this week on Monday, Nov. 29. These infusions will basically shut down my immune system and allow it to reboot itself. They are hoping that the T and B cells grow back without any memory of the disease and will not continue to attack my CNS.
For more on the chemo treatment Sammy is taking:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alemtuzumab
I'll write an update tomorrow on Sammy's treatment has gone this week! Thanks for all the prayers =).
In April of 2009 I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and in May of 2009 I began taking Rebif injections. Rebif is a interferon beta-1a subcutaneous injection that comes as a solution to inject subcutaneously (under the skin) three times a week. Basically, it is like injecting your body with the flu so your immune system attacks it instead of attacking your central nervous system. During my follow up MRI in September of 2009, the doctors noticed that the Rebif wasn't working like it was supposed to. At this time the doctor suggested I start taking a once a month IV drug called Tysabri. However, I decided not to take this drug due to the fact it had an FDA "black box" label. The drug has also been associated with PML(a deadly brain virus) and that wasn't a risk I was wanting to take at that time.
I then began looking at other multiple sclerosis doctors to get a second opinion. I was lucky enough to get an appointment at the medical center in Houston, TX next to MD Anderson (The same doctor's office that country singer Clay Walker goes to for his MS). The doctors there advised me not to start the Tysabri infusions (for reasons we knew, and for reasons we didn't know!), but to take a week of IV steroids and continue with the Rebif injections. They also advised me it would be beneficial to try an experimental drug called alemtuzumab. However, they would need special permission from my insurance, because this drug wasn't FDA approved for treating MS and had only been approved for treating leukemia. My insurance at this time was Aetna. So we began the approval process in November of 2009 and Aetna rejected the possibility of me getting alemtuzumab in January of this year. (At the time the doctors in Texas told us that the only doctor in the country that was able to get this medicine approved by insurance was in Knoxville, TN!)
In May of this year we moved from Louisville, KY back to Knoxville, TN. During this transition I talked with the doctors in Texas about the doctor in Knoxville that could get alemtuzumab approved. Dr. Sybil Wray has been such a blessing! She is actually part of the ten year trial that has been working with Cambridge on getting the alemtuzumab FDA approved for MS, which is expected to happen in March of 2011. She was able to get the treatment approved through Cigna in one week at the beginning of October. I began daily IV infusions this week on Monday, Nov. 29. These infusions will basically shut down my immune system and allow it to reboot itself. They are hoping that the T and B cells grow back without any memory of the disease and will not continue to attack my CNS.
For more on the chemo treatment Sammy is taking:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alemtuzumab
I'll write an update tomorrow on Sammy's treatment has gone this week! Thanks for all the prayers =).
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Brylee Boo 16 - 18 Month Old Update
Night 1 - I get her bottle running and she keeps saying "no" she doesn't want it. But after about 1 minute, the bottle just looks too good to her (she only gets one at naptime and bedtime) so she takes it, and I put her to bed.
Night 2 - I get the bottle ready, and she wants it, so she takes off and runs to Sam's lap. Grabs the bottle and giraffe and sits on his lap, like I'm going to just let her stay there and not go to bed. Didn't work =)
Night 3 - Roy and Cathy were here to watch the football game. Brylee now tries the same tactic she tried with Sam on Roy and Cathy and plops inbetween them on the couch, and then grabs her bottle. Doesn't work for her, and I pick her up and take her to her bed. We always say a bedtime prayer, and then I tell her "I love you" and give her a kiss goodnight. After we did the prayer and I said "I love you", Brylee popped the bottle out of her mouth and said "Love you!" Then I gave her a kiss, and she took the bottle out of her mouth again and blew me a kiss. It was SO SWEET! The cutest bedtime we've had so far =).
Night 4 - So I guess Brylee had decided I just wasn't "getting it" that she didn't want to sleep in her bed. So I got the bottle ready, and she reached like she was going to take it, and then sprinted off down the hall. I thought this was going to be a chase again, but she came back for me (I guess I was going too slow) to make sure I was following her. She then proceeded into our bedroom, pulled back the covers, tucked herself in, laid her head on a pillow, held giraffe and then lifted her hands for the bottle. Lol, I felt like she was saying "mom, now do you get it? I want to sleep with you and daddy!" Anyways, she still went to sleep in her bed, b/c a few nights a week she wakes up and ends up in our bed anyways. So I figure she at least needs to start the night in her own spot =).
Brylee also was on six different planes this month! Here's a picture of her & Sammy playing in front of the Golden Gate in San Franciscio:
And here's a picture of Brylee and I in front of the Washington monument in DC
Other Brylee loves: dancing, raisins, cheese, dogs (she will bark at them loudly when she sees one), Little Gym (she is the "ball captain) b/c she goes so far as to "yell at kids" that aren't putting their balls away - the funny thing is, her first two weeks there, she was the child that cried when they put them away... now she LOVES to make sure they all get put back!, candy (when I let her have it), playing chase, playing with her car outside, helping me around the house (if I ask her to put something back, even if its a few rooms away, she'll do it =) ), repeating (a lot of her words come after I say something, her trying to say it), doing adult things (like trying to sweep like mommy does, watching me cook), coloring
And on Brylee's 17 month old "birthday" we decided to start the day off right, and took her to Target to pick out a 17 month b-day present. She doesn't always get a present every month, just the months Brylee and I start to get bored of her toy selection =). Here's her new drum ... batteries not required, earplugs, maybe =).
As far as other big things, Brylee will sometimes run into the room when the phone rings and say "phone." And she spent about half an hour a few days ago, touching my teeth and saying "teeth." So she's learning her random words. =) While we were at Hilton Head a week ago, Brylee discovered sand which was SO CUTE!
And for Brylee's 16 month, she got her 15 month shots and developed 104 fever! Scared me to death, poor little thing. Here's a picture of her cuddling with me w/ just her little diaper on b/c she was so warm.
She also made her first art project =) at play group.
And then this is hilarious =) ... look at her little face in this picture! So she kept coming out of our pantry with "flour" all over her face, or so I thought! She was actually getting into an open bag of powdered sugar! She would go in there and get a taste when she thought she needed a sweet =).
Other things Brylee did this month: She was the flower girl in my dad's vow renewal (an entire blog post to come on that shortly), she still loves her ducky, says dada, etc... Brylee did get a big dolly we picked out for her16 month, creatively called "Dolly" = lol (I still haven't taken a pic of her with it!).
Monday, November 22, 2010
Swiss Days - The Year of the Yodeling Cobras
Anyways, this was our second year of heading to Indiana for Berne, Swiss Days (even though Sammy doesn't admit it, I think he's just as addicted to the Wisconsin cheese sticks as I am ... you can't find those anywhere in the south!). Just to prove my point, here's my evidence. Sammy, looking very festive in his Swiss shirt, with his 5th batch of the mozzarella sticks =).
Also, as the title reads, this was supposed to be the year of the "Yodeling Cobras." Except, the "Yodeling Cobras" were terrible! Ha, let me explain. My sisters, Steph and Katie were playing in the festival tennis tournament as doubles partners. I was running the 5k Swiss Days race (I do it yearly, except for last year, I was kind of a pansy with a new baby and no sleep!). Here's a picture of all three of us after just finishing our activities. We are all sweaty messes, but the guy in the picture with us, is our "biggest fan" from high school Fred. Fred is such a sweetheart and always cheered on the cross country and track teams (his granddaughter ran with us)...and then would cheer us on in other sports, life, etc..
So since us girls had Swiss Days events we were participating in...Sam and Zach (my sister Steph's husband), decided to participate in an event as well. So below is the cornhole team, The Yodeling Cobra's.
I would have taken a picture of them in action, BUT I went to set Brylee down in the stroller and they were already OUT! Sam and Zach try to say they played cornhole all-stars, lol, but really, I think they just need to join me in the Swiss Days race next year =).
So here are a few pictures from the rest of the trip:
If you want the full story of Brylee in the suitcase read this older post I wrote http://samandbrookecrass.blogspot.com/2010/07/cutest-thing-ever.html ... seriously, she was so sweet!
We got SUPER TIRED of driving around Cincy, the problem? WE STOPPED AT THREE HOTELS, all FULL! This is on a Wednesday night! So at the third hotel we stopped at, we asked to use their computer room, and we booked a hotel on priceline. We drive over to the hotel we booked on priceline, and they were FULL too! It took them 45 minutes to tell us they were full, so Sam and I were credited $50 (I have no idea why they picked $50 b/c it wasn't the price of the room we paid for) on our next hotel room. Since it took the hotel 45 minutes to tell us they were full, it was past 11:45 p.m., and apparently, websites don't let you book rooms for that evening past that time. The picture below is our little Brylee waiting patiently in the car while all this is going on =).
AND FINALLY! We may only be 1 1/2 hours from Berne, but we found a hotel room in Dayton, Ohio! Brylee is happy to be out of the vehicle too =).
We get to my mom's and Brylee LOVES the exercise ball.
Grandma Miller taking Brylee for a ride on her new bike.
Don't most kids just knock a stack over? Not Brylee... she loved taking them all down one by one. I guess it's the "not making a mess part?" If so, she is a neat freak like her father =).
The Berne Clock tower is finished =)! I like it.
Steph is playing a tennis match, so Mom, Sam, and I are busy feeding babies.
Brylee just turned 14 months old, so while we hold babies she's a big girl and feeds herself =).
Tara and I get to catch up! =)
Addy and Brylee at the tennis match
our little family ready for church
Cousins =)
Big family picture at the Chicken BBQ (minus Katie)
We're at the chicken BBQ and Sam comes over to tell me we need to leave so he can catch his flight on time. As soon as he's saying this, someone yells "Icecream is Ready." Sam takes off =)...homemade ice cream or catch a plane? Ice cream wins!
Brylee saying goodbye to Sam at the airport in Ft. Wayne... even with the ice cream diversion he did make his flight =)
Back at my mom's... Brylee kind of cuddling with Savannah
My mom and Maizy rode bike, while I pushed Brylee and ran
Brylee became such a good little walker the week we were there! I think it's because my mom's house has carpet
Pine Lake!!!
Brylee and Addy ready to swim =)
Brylee helping Aunt Katie lifeguard (this was my old job during summer breaks in college)
Brylee's first trip ever down the curly slide =)
Steph and Addy ready for their turn
Brylee and Addy in front of the bushes that spell "Pine Lake"
Kids play area (this is a new thing that they built since I worked there)
Black hole slide for Addy... she was not a fan!
If you look at the right corner of this picture, that's me on the zipline
And one of my favorites... the bobber. I remember playing in the park with other lifeguards after it had been closed down for a thunder storm. Yah, I'm sure I wouldn't do that now if it were thundering and lightening! =)
That night we had a get together with relatives at Mom and Jack's house, and then Brylee and I headed back to Tennessee to see Sammy. He was amazed at how much she started walking in the few days he had been gone! A great time in Indiana, hopefully we'll be back again next summer for more Swiss days fun =).
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Over the River and Through the Woods....
Well, I have found someone who takes more pictures than I do... my mother. That must be where I get it from (when Sammy first met me, he was like you take sooooo many pictures all the time, he has since gotten used to it =) ), but I think my mom has me beat =) ... she took over 200 of our 6 hour hike (don't worry, I didn't try to put all 200 on this blog =) ).
Anyways, my mom, Jack, and my sister Katie, came July 1 - July 6 (so yes, that means I am STILL catching up on posts to bring us up to October) to visit us in East Tennessee, and I was SO EXCITED for their visit! The first morning after their arrival, we got up bright and early (5:00 a.m.), to try and beat the heat and hike to the top of Mt. LeConte (the 3rd highest peak in the Smokies). I know the sign says 5 miles to the top, but it was actually 12 miles round trip! 6 up and 6 down.
What morning hike doesn't start with some "healthy" bacon and cheese McGriddles from McDonalds?
Katie and Jack
My sister Katie and I at the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center...we had to check and make sure we were going to the right trail
I'm crossing Bridge #1 of at least 5 on this hike
About 15 minutes in, and we already have a mini photo shoot =).. SISTERS
Probably around 7:30 a.m., the sun is actually starting to come through the trees
Heading into the cave
Another bridge...
Only 2.6 more miles to go... but this part is STRAIGHT UP... buns of steel workout is what it should be called =)
Gorgeous... and now we finally have beautiful views
A lodge .6 miles from the top... people can stay the night here and see the sunrise in the morning... Mom and Jack posing for a picture
Despite the warnings (with the ripped sign for added effect), we've come this far and will continue
My mom at the top... no good view, we're in the clouds, literally
Needless to say, we made it to the TOP and back down in under 5 hours (we had too, b/c Sam's dad had thought we couldn't do it =) ).
Then, while my family was here, we also went out on the lake. Brylee is ready to grab my sunglasses =)
This picture, and the one above it, got out of order... this is the cutie pie that was waiting for us when we got back from our long hike!
Jack and Sam look like they are having more fun than Jack and Mom
My mom would much rather sit and ride in the boat
Family pic =)
Lil Squirt and I took a turn
And then we added Sammy
And then our boat ran out of gas, so Kt tried to pull us....
This crew showed up to save us
Brylee in her 4th of July outfit from Grandma Sue
World's Fair Park festival, Sammy playing on the equipment... the lawn we got married on was replaced by the playground
Brylee and I hanging out in the shade on this 100 degree weather day
The rest of their time in Indiana, ended with us lighting some fireworks at our house (the cute ones - they are my fav, like the $5.00 one that turns into a Chinese house, etc..), walks, mom taking a photo shoot of Brylee, etc... I had a great time with them on their visit, and LOVE when I get to see them!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)