Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Doctor appointments

Mark had his 6-month follow-up with Dr. Dutta, the urologist, today. The blood tests show that he continues to be cancer-free. Dr. Dutta says he is on a normal progression of healing following the surgery. It can take 18-24 months for complete healing - a slow process, but we are so grateful that Mark is healthy and does not need to worry about the cancer.

Then we went to our family physician and finally got our H1-N1 vaccines. I also had blood drawn as a follow-up to my Vitamin D testing the doctor did with me earlier in the year. A blood test in August showed that my Vitamin D levels were low, so I went on 3 months of prescription-level Vitamin D. Today's follow-up blood test will show whether I can get my Vitamin D with just an over-the-counter vitamin, or whether I'll need the prescription strength.

I am so grateful for good medical care! I worry about our young families with crummy insurance.

I sent our Christmas letter to the print shop a few minutes ago, and will pick up copies later this afternoon. I'm hoping to get them in the mail in 2009 - guess I'd better hurry up!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

3" of Snow!

Today was supposed to have a high around 40 and a low around 34, but it never got above freezing all day. We were forecast for rain, but it turned out to be snow instead - 3" of it, which is a pretty good dump for Oregon City to get all in one afternoon.

Traffic was a mess this afternoon - no one was ready for the snow. Mike Koponick left work early, and it still took him 3 hours to go 15 miles. David and Holly were over in Oregon City, and they got stuck, had to put chains on in the snow to get home.

Everyone is safe and sound now. Julia and Maddy have had the stomach flu today, but they seem to be on the mend. So glad to hear that you got a new listing. Good for you to be on floor duty! We are cozy and happy here on Laurel Lane.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Good memories

Here are some favorite photos from our trip. We loved spending Christmas with you! Thank you SOOOOO much for all you did to make us welcome and comfortable. We can't wait until we can come back again.

Ice skaters on Rocky Lake.

Charlie Brown Christmas tree, with Maleena's stocking below.

Christmas morning

Cute couple

Working in the shop.

Goofy card game.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

New Links

I added two new links to the blog:
The "Dream Dictionary" down at the bottom.
Mike Koponick's blog - he writes some insightful things, including a recent post about his stomach surgery. It's with the other family blogs.

We are having a wonderful time with you and Dad! Thank you so much for all that you are doing to make us so very welcome.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Home for a day

Had a great trip home yesterday. Arora was good as gold - it was so nice to turn her over to her mommy and daddy last night! Lots of errands and projects to work on today. We plan to leave by 8:00 am, hopefully arrive in Colville by 4:00 pm. We'll be in touch along the way. Can't wait to see you!

Here's Arora in the airport, watching a movie (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom) on my computer.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Safe and Sound in Provo

We arrived in Provo after an uneventful trip from Rexburg. Got here about 5:30 yesterday afternoon. Bryan and Katie fixed us dinner and we had a fun evening together, enjoying all the kids. Olivia is 3 1/2 months old now, and such a little doll. I can't post photos from my computer till I get home, but I'll post some then. She was laughing at Uncle Chris playing peek-a-boo with her.

Arora is having a good time with Abbi and Charlie. She is happier with me than I thought she would be; we didn't even have any big problems with sleep last night. David and Holly spent the night in a motel in Ontario, Oregon last night, and they called this morning to say that they are getting underway for the rest of the drive. They should get in around 5:00 today. It will be nice for Holly to have time tomorrow to get some things organized before Arora arrives. They'll pick us up at the airport at 7:30 pm tomorrow.

I sure do miss Mark, but I am having such a nice time with these young families. Looking forward to seeing you THIS WEEK!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

In the Airport

I'll be boarding in about 10 minutes for the flight to Salt Lake. Kendra and Chris & kids will meet me at the airport - we'll arrive in Rexburg about 11:00 tonight if the roads are good.

David says that they've really been working with Arora to get more familiar with me. Now when they say, "Grandma Kathy," she says "Airplane!" Oh, I hope it goes well!

Four graduates! Eric heard for sure that his dissertation was approved! Chris finished his last paper! And David and Holly will walk the stage tomorrow night. I am so proud of these kids. What amazing accomplishments.

I went in to Mark's class to tell him goodbye at 11:00 this morning. He gave me a little hug around my shoulders, and one of his students said, "She's your wife?" Ha ha! I spoke to them in Spanish, told them I was Señora Haynie and that I teach English, and they were really funny about it. I'll miss him, being away for 4 days.

Do call Julia & check in with her about her root canal. The infection was worse than they thought - it may be what's been making her so sick. I hope! Mike has his stomach surgery tomorrow, so Mark is taking a day of family sick leave to watch Maddy.

The plane's about to board - got to go - love you!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

This Will Make You Laugh


If you haven't already checked it out, you should go to David's "Funny Clean Videos" blog and check out the video of herding cats. I think you and Dad will appreciate it on a number of levels. One, you had cats for so long; two, you live in a ranching culture; and three, I imagine that pulling a real estate deal together is kind of like herding cats sometimes.

The week is going well, except that there isn't enough time. Cub scouts this afternoon, and then Mark and I went to the temple tonight. Tomorrow is my last night at home to finish up some Christmas projects before I get packed to fly out on Thursday. Hard to believe that Christmas is only 10 days away!


We've had a good rain here - it got up into the low 50s this evening. Sure is nice to have it a little warmer. As we were driving home from the temple this evening, the car headlights were all so pretty reflected on the wet roads.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

At home with Polly and the kids

We had such a nice time with Polly. Boy, did we work hard! I wish I had taken a "before" picture, but here is an "after" picture of her making waffles with the kids on Sunday morning.

The house is small but new, with very nice landlord-neighbors living next door. It will be wonderful for them once Eric arrives at the end of the week. If you click on the photo, you can see it bigger. Katie has a darling new short haircut. Laurie Last, Chris's mom, cut her hair while Polly & Eric were loading the truck, and hair was long enough to be donated to Locks of Love. Polly & Katie love the new haircut - so much easier to take care of!

On the way home, we stopped off at Multnomah Falls to enjoy the ice show. I-84 was well sanded and mostly free of ice by the time we drove through around 1:00 pm, but the parking lot at Multnomah Falls was really slick - like a skating rink! We didn't notice it driving because of the 4-wheel drive and studded snow tires, but it was tough to walk over to the lodge to take a picture. The build-up of ice around the falls was spectacular.

Now I need to get my lesson plan ready for tomorrow. Hope you have a great week!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Surprising News from Kendra

No, she's not pregnant.

Kendra called last night to say that they are re-thinking their plans for Chris to complete his Masters in Library Science program. I don't remember the university--I think it's in the midwest--but they have satellite programs all over at different universities. Chris has been planning to attend the one in Salt Lake, and is all signed up for it to begin in January.

They got to thinking about where they want to end up when he graduates, and they do not want to live in Utah long-term. They realized that if he does all of his masters work and internships there, that is where he is most likely to be hired. They would rather end up in the Northwest.

So, he has permission to switch to the satellite program housed at PSU in the spring! They are already looking online at apartments in the Clackamas area, so he can ride the MAX train to PSU. He has to take 3 entry-level classes in Salt Lake this term, and then he will be able to switch and take the rest of his classes here. They will move in April or May.

Wow - another one of the kids back in the Northwest in just a few months. Hard to believe! It will be wonderful to have them nearby.

Little Miss O


I snagged this photo off her mama's blog. That's her at Thanksgiving with her great-grandma Brimhall. Reminds me of her mama at that age. I hope it will work for you to be able to see them when they come in April.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Polly update

Talked with Polly last night. She and Rebecca drove from Woodinville to Granger in the morning, arrived before noon. Power had been out, but came back on just before their arrival. She really likes the house - bigger than their apartment, new, and nice. A crew from the ward arrived to help off-load the truck about 4:30; the power went out again just before they arrived (3rd time in 2 days for Granger). The neighbor/landlord has a generator, so they hooked that up to a light to illuminate the back of the truck. A good crew showed up and the unloading went quickly - they used flashlights in the house.

By 8:30 the power was back on and the house was warming up. Rebecca had just been fed and was happy, so Polly was going to tackle the job of organizing all the stuff. She and Rebecca will sleep at the home of a ward member, 2 doors down, a couple about our age. She hopes to continue unpacking all day today, then drive back to Woodinville first thing Thursday morning to pick up Katie and Seth. She will turn around and drive back Thursday afternoon; snow is forecast for Snoqualmie Pass by Thursday evening, and she wants to get herself and the kids settled before the weather hits.

She is very upbeat and happy to be in her house. I am sure proud of her - she's a brave girl!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Oh, boy

First day of the new term - first period class at 8:00 am this morning.
38 students! 24 of them boys! Oh, boy.

This will be an interesting term! I'll have to bring in some boy-type essays, and give them some good, active topics.

Turned in the PSU essay on time this afternoon, and spent a peaceful evening at home.

Polly and Rebecca will drive to Granger early tomorrow morning to unload the truck. She will leave Katie and Seth with Liz & Dave Carlson. She has some people coming from the ward to help unload. I wish it wasn't so COLD for them to be doing this work, especially with a baby along, but Polly says she will be fine. She bought a warm snowsuit for Rebecca, and there is a retired couple two doors down that belong to the church, who can help with the baby. Brrr!

It never got above 29 degrees here today, and I know it was colder for you. Kendra and Katie have LOTS of snow!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Engaged!


Maleena and Max shared with us this evening that they plan to be married next September 25!
Please put the date on your calendar.

Whew!

I'm finished! (almost) with my 4000-word paper. Whew! What a job. I still don't have a good title for it, and there are a couple of rough patches to rub with a little bit of writing sandpaper, but I'm almost there. It's due under my professor's office door at PSU tomorrow evening - no later than 6:00 pm - and then I'm done with another writing class.

We've had a quiet day here. Went to church this morning, but skipped choir practice this afternoon, and the church Christmas broadcast this evening. I had homework to do, and Mark had a sinus headache from the cold wind. He's feeling better now, and I'm ready to put this project away and head for bed.

Tomorrow - new students! I wonder who they will be? I'm anxious to meet them.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Funny little Dutch girl



I'm so glad you played the hand-clapping game and sang songs with the grandkids. So much of children's experience today is electronic. Let's keep it real!

Update on kids, testing, temple work

Polly and the kids and Liz Carlson are almost to Seattle. They have to be there by 3:00 today because one of the Carlson girls has a dentist appt. The trip has gone well. Polly & the kids will go to Granger early next week when the moving truck arrives with her stuff. Members of her new ward will help her off-load. (I chuckle to myself imagining Polly & Katie unloading the truck! Ha! But no, they will have help.)

Kendra is back to going to classes, and she worked on a book last night. I'd say she's over the worst of her brief, bad illness.

David and Holly are in a whirl, finishing up the last 2 1/2 weeks of class. They will start packing soon, along with finishing up classes and taking classes. Whew!

Mike Koponick is counting down the days getting ready for his new job. He just has today and tomorrow on the old job, and he will start the new one on Monday. He is really ready to make this change. Julia continues to have good days and bad days. She is seeing a specialist in infectious diseases and another asthma specialist to try to get to the bottom of her long slog of feeling crummy.

"No news is good news" for David, Angela, Josh, Nathan, and Maleena.

The excitement in Oregon today is the "Civil War" football game between U of O and OSU. Go Ducks and Beavers!

My big testing sessions have gone well. Now I just have to get finals graded. I'm a little nervous about a meeting tomorrow morning at the middle school. I'm supposed to facilitate some curriculum development meetings for their intervention classes. The classes are in reading and writing, and they are not necessarily taught by English classes, so the curriculum has to be "user friendly." Some of the English teachers aren't so happy about that...hey, I'm just the messenger! We'll see how it goes.

Mark and I had such a very, very nice time at the temple last night. We did the baptisms for Uncle Bill & Aunt Pam Jenkins, Uncle Charlie Jenkins and his mother, Cam Mitchel's parents, and several others. There was a really good spirit. Who knows if our belief is true? Maybe they really are on the other side, anxious and waiting for us to do this work for them. Maybe not, but if that's the case, all I can say is that it was a very meaningful way to honor and pay tribute to two much-loved uncles and other family members. I felt close to those two uncles who I loved and admired while they were here, and it seemed that they felt close to me, too. Makes me a little teary just to remember it.

Tonight is my last PSU class. It should end early because the rest of the class members want to go watch the Civil War game on TV - fine with me - I'll get home a little earlier for once!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Polly making good progress

Talked with Polly a little bit ago. They have the moving truck almost loaded and she and Liz (mother-in-law) are cleaning the apartment. They are still on schedule to get into the car tomorrow and head north. Polly is in good spirits.

Took the cub scouts out this afternoon to distribute bags for the "Scouting for Food" service project. We'll go out again on Saturday morning to actually pick up the bags with food donations. Will it work to call me earlier or later on Saturday? All the cubs and families will be meeting here at our house at 9:00 a.m., so 8:30 gets a little busy.  We should be back by 11:00.

Today was a busy busy day at work, but I was able to do the things I needed to. I am caught up on grading as we head into finals. Still have lots to do tomorrow morning for last-minute preparations for the big writing test - we will be giving an online writing test to 200+ juniors in the afternoon, after finals, and I'm in charge.

Poor Kendra!

Kendra is having an awful day. Please keep her in your prayers.

Last night she had severe vomiting/diarrhea for several hours. They thought maybe food poisoning. Katie said that Kendra wasn't "ill" during the day yesterday - lots of perky energy as usual. It came on suddenly in the evening. After several hours she was still vomiting and in a lot of pain, so Chris took her to the emergency room. The last I heard about that was that they were taking her in for a CAT scan. I don't know any results of diagnosis of the vomiting, but she was able to go home during the night. This morning Bryan called to say that he was watching the kids, and Kendra was on her way to ER again. She got up to use the bathroom this morning, passed out, and hit her head and arm hard. Her arm is in a great deal of pain, especially near the elbow, so they took her in to get it checked to see if it is broken.

Poor Kendra! Please keep her in your prayers.