Robert Grant Miller

Robert Grant Miller (the best Grandpa to ever live) was born on February 23, 1922 and passed away at 89 years old this past Friday, March 25 at 9:03 a.m.  March 25 just happened to be my Grandmother (his wife of 62 1/2 years) birthday!  He was able to tell Grandma "Happy Birthday" that morning, and then passed away with my mom, Grandma, Aunt Sarah, and Uncle Bob at his home. 
     I was so happy I had made the decision to drive to Berne with Brylee the Wednesday before Grandpa passed.  I got to talk with grandpa briefly on Wednesday and Thursday night (just for like 5 minutes, because he wasn't feeling well, and it wore him out if visitors stayed over 5 minutes he was so weak).  He made sure to tell me how much he loved me, and wanted me to let Sam know that he loved him too.
     Sam flew into Fort Wayne, Indiana on Saturday, and then we had the viewing on Monday with the funeral Tuesday morning.  One of the things set out at the viewing was the UT hat Sam got Grandpa two years ago for Chrismas.
     I hadn't ever known this, but Grandpa had written a story about his life a few years ago, and the part I thought was SOOO SWEET was when he talks about "a beautiful, young blonde named Louise" that lived across the street from the farm he grew up on.  He said "...the best thing I ever did was to court her, and we were married September 5, 1948."
Anyways, Grandpa and Grandma's marriage was such a good example of a loving, devoted relationship, and Grandpa is one of the best Christians I have ever met.  I know we will all miss him, but I'm happy for him that at 88 years old last summer he was still riding his bike, mowing the yard, etc..  It wasn't until the last few months of his life, when the cancer had spread, that he ever had any health problems.  So anyways, when I get sad about his passing, I just think about him riding his bike in heaven =) and how healthy he is again!
In the picture below, Grandpa is walking on the beach with Brylee on a vacation at Hilton Head South Carolina last October.  A month after returning from this trip is when we found out Grandpa's cancer had spread and that it was terminal.
 

 Grandpa and Grandma Miller with Brylee at 2 months old when we went to Berne for Swiss Days.

 Grandpa and Grandma Miller... He LOVED a yearly trip to Hilton Head with family =)

Grandpa with Brylee on her first halloween

The Warrior Dash!!!!!!

Ever heard of this?  Well, guess what?  2011 will be the FIRST YEAR they have one in TN!  It's a race that encourages costumes and has obstacles like the junkyard dash, arachnophobia, a blazing wall of fire, etc...
A race with obstacles?  Sounds like my college steeple chase days, only more fun =)  For those of you that don't know what steeple chase is, here's a pic from my senior year right before I jump into some chilly water...

Do you know running this up north in Indiana they sometimes had to put de-icer spray in the water pit b/c it would freeze over?  Think it wasn't cold that day?  The girl's face in the water in front of me, says it all!  Anyways, the steeple chase is a 2 mile race that you jump five barriers each lap, one per lap is over water. 

Which brings me back to the Warrior Dash.  While I would be scared to do one in Florida or Louisiana (they have them running through swamps), the one in TN doesn't look too bad!  Sam was like, "But you could run into a copperhead or other snake in the junkyard"... Oh Sammy, that is why you NEVER SIGN UP FOR THE FIRST HEAT!  There's like 8 different starts 1/2 hour apart... wait till a few have gone through, then all scary bugs/animals have  A) already bitten someone else  or  B) been scared away by the first 500 competitors going through =). 

Anyways, I always get a little bit nostalgic about running when I'm pregnant.  Because I see all the other people I ran with in college qualifying for the Boston Marathon, still running 5 minute something miles, etc.. and then I miss having abs/buns/legs of steel, haha.  So my due date is August 10 and I'm not allowed to work out for six weeks, so I'm trying to decide if I could run this year's Warrior Dash on Sept. 17 (I'll be honest it probably is not going to happen). 

But for those of you not currently prego and interested in running, here's the website.  For my Indiana/Ohio people, there is one in Ohio in June!
http://www.warriordash.com/register2011_tennessee.php

SuGaR, sUgAr!

So, there's no sugar in cake, right? =) 
P.S. I plan to start updating this blog twice a week (at the very least), b/c I have so much to catch up on (aka. we're having ANOTHER BABY!!!!!!!!!! =), vacation pics, Brylee updates, etc...).   Now, that I'm out of that first trimester phase I feel great and don't need so much sleep anymore...so blogspot I will quit neglecting you =). 

Anyways, two weeks ago I made another cake!  A friend of mine, and a former co-worker msg'd me and asked if I could make a zebra cake for her open house.  I was a little nervous, b/c I've not made a zebra cake before, but I was super happy w/ how it turned out! Here's a few pics she took at the party =).  Hope everyone has a great V-day wknd!

CLOSE but No Cigar

Unfortunately, Sam and I found out yesterday we are HGTV rejects!  Lol, let me explain. 
     The beginning of November, I received an email from one of my friends that works for a production company that makes shows for HGTV.  HGTV had just signed on for a new show that will begin airing in June called "Run My Makeover" and she thought Sam and I would be good candidates for the show.  So she put me in contact with the producer, and I was given a 20 + question application to fill out about Sam and myself, the space in the house we'd like made over, etc..
We had to pick three spaces and explain why we needed them done.  We have a 2,000 sq. ft. unfinished basement, so it was very easy for me to pick three spaces, and as you can tell by the pictures, they definitely need makeovers! =)

Space #1 - This is our main area of the basement and the spot we were really hoping they would pick! If they finished it out, I bet I would have gotten a fireplace in here... if my husband finishes it out, I don't think my fireplace is going to happen =).

Space #2 - This is the "front room" as you enter our basement... I thought this would make a good space for Brylee's toys, or if they could knock out the wall between the big room and this room, put our air hockey and fusball tables in here, etc...

 Space #3 - A media room

So, after I filled out the application (and dreamed big about what I'd love to see done with the spaces), within two days I got great news!  We had made it to the second round of the application process, and the producer wanted to come meet with us in person and take video of Sam and I on camera and our space.  We set up a meeting for the beginning of the next week. (My friend that works there, told me this was a big deal and that a lot of people don't make it to round 2!)
     Well, that weekend I decided to head to Washington, DC to visit my younger sister since she was doing an internship there.  In the course of the weekend, I COMPLETELY lost my voice.  I mean, not even a whisper!  What are the odds!?!?!  So, I had to email the producer back, and she really wanted to meet with us soon, so we pushed the meeting back from Tuesday to Thursday.  I went to the doctor on Tuesday for my voice, and he told me just not to talk for the next 48 hours!  Not talking was the only way I could have a chance at my voice being back!
     So Thursday arrives, and I try to talk... I sounded like a man (had the whole, low husky thing going on), but it was much louder than a whisper so I was thankful for that! But the producer comes and stays for a couple of hours, interviews us, asks us about the spaces, etc..  And we get MORE GOOD NEWS!  If they pick us for the show, they are definitely going to do the big, main room! 
     Just a side not about the show, if you get chosen you are 100% agreeing that you have no say in how they decorate your room.  HGTV will post a thing about you online, and people on the web will vote on what they would like to see done.  So everything from paint colors, flooring, decorations, etc... is voted on by America.  In Sam and my case, you have seen the space... ANYTHING they would have chosen to do would have been an improvement, and also, FREE! =)  So we figured if we didn't like the paint color/carpet or something we could just change it out afterwards. 
     Anyways, at the end of our meeting with the producer, she told us that she was going to edit our tape, and turn us in to the HGTV execs.  So great news again, we had made it to the LAST and FINAL stage of the process!  BUT it was completely up to the HGTV head honchos, she and the production company would no longer have any say.  And they also would not receive any explanation as to why certain people were/weren't chosen.  It might range from they had too many basements to do, I could remind someone of an ex-gf, they don't like your shirt, or the project was too expensive for the show's budget.  It could be ANY REASON AT ALL, and all she would hear back is a yes or a no, and it would probably be within 4 to 6 weeks. 
     So Sam and I were thinking we would know something around Christmas... we didn't!  We FINALLY heard back yesterday and we weren't chosen.  We were disappointed, but Sam is already making plans to try his handyman skills (haha, his skills kind of scare me... I affectionately refer to him as "Tim the Toolman Taylor").  I, on the other hand, am still mourning the loss of my fireplace! =)

Wrong Number??? Oh the Random phone calls in life!

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!

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!

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 =).

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/naughty-or-nice-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93496&fc=1

I thought this card was adorable, and would be good with a family picture of Brylee, Sam, & I.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/oh-what-fun-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93496&fc=1

 And seriously, how cute is this one?

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/glitter-glamour-joy-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93496&fc=1

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/