My Dad

I wanted to share a little about my wonderful dad. First, some awesome pictures.

My mom and dad in 1965. Aren't they hot stuff?! My mom has had some seriously wicked hairstyles in her lifetime, but that is another post entirely.

Holding my older brother Jeff. Good looking much?

In a kiss sandwich with me and Suz

Being silly with Sam. He has to be the funnest grandpa out there.

My dad has showed Jake support many, many times by coming to school concerts, church talks, and by helping him build the winning Rain Gutter Regatta boat and an unbelievably sleek Pinewood Derby car for Scouts. (Where are those pictures?) I can't honestly be more grateful for how he has been there for him.

Always doing fun things with the family. He LOVES those grandkids.

It is such a privilege to have my dad as my father. He has a beautiful testimony of our Savior and shares it. He is brilliant. He has such a generous heart and he has blessed so many in so many ways. He loves his family and is committed to his family. He always wanted to give his family the very best and has. He has taught me about integrity and that living a righteous life is what brings the greatest joy possible. He has loved my son like he was his father and was a constant companion for him for so many years. He bonded with him in a way that even his own father didn't. He gave him so many hours of his time, of his life. He taught him about science, math, life, being a strong person, and being there for those you love.

I am so thankful for a dad who blessed me with so many amazing opportunities in my life that have broadened me so much, and that he saw the importance of family vacations. We have made some amazing memories that way. A dad like this is priceless and precious beyond words. A dad like this is loved beyond words to describe. Thank you Dad, for everything.

It is hard to post about this, but if you would say a prayer for my dad, I would really appreciate it. He starts two medications tomorrow for the multiple myeloma he was diagnosed with this fall. One of the drugs he will be taking is a chemo drug, and one is a very high dose steroid. We are very worried about how the side effects will affect him. I am grateful for the advancements in medicine that will hopefully help him fight this thing hard and have many good years left.

Christmas and my dad

We had the most amazing Christmas. It was just SOOO good to be with family and all the people I love so much. Being with all the kids every day just fills me up like nothing else does, and my family members all bring something to our family equation that I love. Here are some of the fun pictures (thanks to Tiff for the best ones!):



Elise loved the big kids

The kids' favorite thing was to lie on the floor in a row and take turns having this gorgeous baby sit on their backs!


Jake climbing the pole

Sword fighting - all the kids against Pa - what a good sport!



All of this was made more exquisite because of some news we got in the last couple months. My dad has cancer. He has had immune system problems his whole life and things were getting so much worse with not being able to fight anything off and then keeping it colds/sinus infections for months, that he insisted on more immune system testing. I'm glad he did. They showed that his IgG was way too high, and the other immunoglobulins were all very low. That is indicative of a rare cancer called multiple myeloma. This was confirmed with test after test. He needs to start treatment right away, and the treatment for this is extremely aggressive. He will do a 96 hour full-time heavy duty chemo cocktail the first time and then they will give him six weeks to recover, and then do it all over again. He will have stem cell transplants of his own stem cells to start fresh and hopefully build a new immune system. Then he will be on chemo drugs for about 1-2 years after the initial 5 months of heavy chemo. He is in very strong health otherwise and is quite proud of his low cholesterol and 117% lung capacity! Because of this, the doctors have high hopes that he could live for years after this treatment, and this helps us to cope with the fear of what is coming with the chemo.

I love my dad so much. "Beyond amazing" doesn't even describe him. He has been the greatest second dad Jake could ever have. He has given us so much I could never list it all. Most of all, family and the gospel are first priorities for him, and he and my wonderful mom have built our family on these precepts which have made all the difference in my life.

Birthdays and Family

Hey Blogworld!

Well, I'm not too sure what I think about blogging yet. Of course I love to read other people's blogs, but do I have anything interesting enough to say!? Lol - well, I figured it is a good way to stay in touch with people and also to get memories and happenings out of my mind and on to somewhere more lasting. So I am giving it a shot!


The happenings in August: My 36th birthday. OK, umm what? Where did all that time go? And did I really just lose over 10 years of my life in bed for a good part of it??? Bleahchhh Oh well - I just know Heavenly Father has big plans for me so I can make up for lost time.


Also, we have family visiting from out of town. My brother Eric and his wife Tiff are here for about a week. It is so good to have them back for a bit. They are such a cute couple. And my sister JoAnna is here with her two awesome kids. It is so good to see them all. I feel alive when they come because we do so much and actually have fun every day. It is very different from my normal day to day life of resting/going to dr. appointments, etc!

I swear I love kids so much. These two are amazing kids and so is my other nephew Andrew. (I'll be sharing pics of him soon.) It is a blast when they come and I wish I could spend every minute with them. Their personalities are so fun and it is a delight to watch them grow and change. Except when they do it in another state! I can't believe Sam will be going to 1st grade next year and little Mr. Andrew starts Kindergarten!!! Sarah will be in pre-school. I asked her if any of her friends were going there with her and she said "no, but there will be other people there." And then she thought for a second and with a thoughtful and unsure expression said... "I think?" Like at least I think there will be other kids there! And even funnier is the fact that she knows that her best friend WILL be going with her. Hahaha