Eating Out

Tonight we sort of had a mini Heber Valley Camp 'missionary reunion' at Chuck-A-Rama here in St. George. There were seven couples. We didn't know two of the couples as they didn't serve at the same time we did. We missed the Mowers, Felters and Claytons, all of whom live in St. George in the winter but couldn't be there tonight. We have some other 'favorite' missionary couples we would have liked to have seen as well. We had a good time reminiscing and eating. The other day we had lunch with Brent and Diane and dinner with Gary and Suzanne.

The Rawlinsons

The Carters

The McArthurs



The Glaziers

Our main social outlet is eating out. Not long ago there was an article in the newspaper about a couple of women who decided to meet and eat at a different restaurant each week. They didn't go to fast food or regular restaurant chains because they could do that on their own or had already experienced that kind of food. We thought that sounded interesting. The past little while we have eaten at a few eating establishments (some independent, some chains - and from Logan to Mesquite) that we hadn't tried before: Smokin' Blues Barbeque, Sil's, The Egg 'n' I, Rumba Island Grill, Sun River Club House, In 'n' Out Burgers, The Golden Jade, Pounders, Jimmy Johns, Pirate Island, Fargos, Casa Blanca Buffet and Yah-Poo! Recent repeats have been: Applebee's, Chuck-A-Rama, Texas Roadhouse, Sizzler, Olive Garden, Pancho and Lefty's, Fredrico's Pizza, Red Lobster, The Italian Place, Old Grist Mill, Bajios and some less notable places such as KFC, Del Taco, Arctic Circle, Carl's Jr., Subway, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Arby's, Burger King and Taco Time. At least with the big growth spurt south of the 'Y' in Logan, we do have a number of options close to us. We might as well close our kitchen.

Well, Andrew WAS home...

...but is back in the hospital. Andrew was sick and not doing well so he checked into the American Fork Hospital on Friday, March 5th. At least he is only a couple of minutes from home instead of a half hour away. After running a bunch of tests, Andrew was given a blood transfusion. His dad drove up from Arizona to be with him while Robin tends to the needs of the girls. Reed and I stopped in to see Andrew on Sunday on our way to St. George. He looked good, his spirits were high and he seemed quite well...very encouraging. The treatments he received must have perked him up. He ended up being able to go home. Unfortunately, that was very short-lived. Receiving total nourishment by port is a time-consuming effort and is very disruptive to sleep. This affects both Robin and Andrew. Due to these problems and others, Andrew is back in the hospital. Robin said he doesn't really want to go back home until he is eating normally.

Andrew is home

Andrew was released from the hospital in the late afternoon on Friday the 26th after spending 22 days there. We returned home that night. I wish we lived a little closer so we could drop in and help a little each day to alleviate some of the strain on Robin. We hated to 'abandon' them with so much going on. Thankfully, Robin and Andrew live in a very caring and helpful ward. Somehow we managed to cause Aubrey to gain a pound a week while she was under our care. At her 9 month check she was almost 23 pounds! She gained weight while her dad has lost between 30 and 40 pounds. Home health care is going in to assist with Andrew and Robin is using her nursing skills once again. Andrew still has a long road to a complete recovery. After his open abdomen closes in a couple of months he will have chemotherapy for two months or so. Once he gets his strength back after that, he will go back into surgery. We hope he will heal well, feel well, gain strength and be buoyed by the knowledge that so many are thinking of and praying for him.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Three Girls in the Tub!

This is how we begin our day...

Another week...

Some Primary children just came and decorated the Burkhardt's front door and brought a plate of cookies. Andrew is still in the hospital. It is not known how much longer he will have to stay. Yes, there has been one complication after another. This time it is fistulas. It seems he takes a step forward and at least 3/4's step backward. Andrew has a pic-line and cannot receive any food or drink orally. After spending 12 nights here in American Fork, we took Aubrey and Katelyn home with us for 6 nights, and we are back at it again in American Fork. This isn't easy on any of us. Keep praying!

Presidents Day Update

Jodi and Ty withdrew the offer they put on a home. The owner/builder was unwilling to deal. With so many homes on the market, they still have a lot of good choices. They are thinking about renting as well. They have to vacate the home they are in and be in the Oklahoma City area at the end of March.

We haven't seen Jory since his surgery but Candace reports he is doing pretty well. She says he can get up and around but has some pain...but that is nothing new. Candace said the incision is quite long but looked good and in a few more days he will get his stitches out. Candace has a horrible cold.

Now, about Andrew......It was originally anticipated that he would be home by now. If everything goes well from here on out, his homecoming should take place around Sunday, Feb. 21st. Healing might be slower because of the chemo he's had. Controlling the pain has been a big challenge. When the epidural was removed and he was given other pain medications, he became very nauseous. When he vomited he ripped the stitches on the inside. His wound was already infected. Supposedly that is a very common and expected occurance for abdominal surgery. Anyway, Andrew went back to surgery where his abdomen was re-opened. It remains wide open and packed with dressings or something. There is some kind of wound vac they are going to use that will close him back up and allow things to heal. At one time Robin said something about using sponges or a mesh fabric inside of him. He has to get off the epidural and IVs again. That seems to be a sticking point. Hopefully he won't hit any more bumps in the road. We all went to see Andrew on Sunday. The girls were most interested in using Andrew's walker and pushing the buttons on the bed rail to watch the bed go up and down. The new Intermountain Health Care Surgery Center in the 5300 South neighborhood in Murray is really nice. I just wish Andrew didn't have to go through this ordeal. We have been here for 11 nights and we're nearly out of our medications, our library books are due and there is a Wednesday doctor's appointment. We aren't sure what we are going to do yet. We might take the youngest two home for a bit. When we got here, Robin told me as a stress reliever there was a big bag of M&Ms (3 pounds or so) in the pantry. Because I had not been eating chocolate for a little over a month, I figured they wouldn't tempt me. I lost control and the bag is now empty. I consumed 90% of them by myself. Shame on me!

Updates

Jodi and Ty are having a GIRL. They have put an offer on a nice home near Oklahoma City. They won't be too far from the temple in Yukon. I talked to Owen (4) on the phone the other day. I asked him if he knew what is special about this coming Sunday (Valentine's Day). He said, "Yes, my dad gets to sit with us in church." Well, he was right...Ty was released from the bishopric last Sunday.

We have been in American Fork for a week. We don't know how much longer we will be here or when Andrew will be released from the hospital following surgery to remove his colon. I suppose he has got along as well as can be expected for what he has gone through. His main problem has been the lack of adequate pain management. He also has a wound infection. The doctors did surgical preparations for a possible reconnection of the the small intestine sometime in the future. Robin has spent all day each day (plus a couple of nights) at the hospital. Reed and I take care of the kids and house. Aubrey (8 months) is finally a 'keeper.' The changes in her are remarkable. She has had an ear infection, cold, and has been getting three more teeth. She weighs 20 pounds and wears our arms out. Katelyn is an adorable but a fiesty, sassy and opinionated 3 1/2 year old. She has an impish smile. She prefers her grandpa over her grandma. She goes to dance and preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She wants to be on the go all day long. Ashlyn (6) attends Kindergarten at a charter school. She has to educate her teacher on some of the finer points of things like the solar system, the details of Puxatawney Phil and Groundhog Day etc. I kept Ashlyn home from school one day because she had been throwing up. She had a meltdown over ruining her 100% attendance record at school. Ashlyn has names for all her hair bows. She wore 'Dorothy' today. I picked up a cold and have felt thoroughly rotten. We're getting too old for this.

We received some very sad and tragic news from home. A fifteen year old neighbor boy in our culdesac committed suicide. He had stayed home from school following a breakup with his girlfriend. His younger brother found him when he got home from school. His mother was at work, his younger sister hadn't got home from school yet, and his dad was in Germany on a business trip. His funeral is on Monday, President's Day.

Jory's ankle/leg never seemed to heal right from the accident he had last summer. He had persistent swelling and still had some pain. On Monday he went back into surgery to remove some of the hardware. The screws were probably too long and were irritating the muscle. Hopefully he will finally 'get back on his feet.' We felt a little helpless as we were already committed to helping here and couldn't be in two places at once.

Lots of reading

We've been having a tough time being home during January. Normally we take off on a few jaunts to get out of the snow and cold and to celebrate our wedding anniversary. (Jan. 25th) The temple has been closed for a month so we can't even go there for a break. Therefore, we have been doing lots of reading. Some of the authors Reed reads are Vince Flynn, Harlan Coben, Clive Cussler and James Rollins. We usually enjoy John Grisham and Dan Brown (we read his latest book). "The Help" by Kathryn Stocket was good. I recently finished "The Last Oracle" by James Rollins. I like a variety including Mormon fiction and Amish books. I heard about a book called, "Three Cups of Tea" but it was never available when I went to the library. A ward member received the book for Christmas and said I could borrow it. I went over to her house and rang the doorbell. Her husband answered the door and I asked if I could borrow three cups of tea. He got a strange look on his face and looked a little confused. Then I realized what I said. I started over saying, "Susan said I could I borrow her book titled "Three Cups of Tea." Very interesting read. I checked out the sequel, "Stones into Schools" at the Hyrum Library but haven't started that yet because the Providence Library called and said they had the book "Undaunted" by Gerald Lund that I had been waiting for. I've got to get cracking on that book. It has just over 800 pages! Kim told us about a used book store where all the books you can stuff in a grocery sack can be purchased for just $7. We checked it out but we were in a hurry so we didn't buy anything.

Riley

Today Riley was ordained a teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood by his father, Bryan.  We are proud of him! He already looks like a missionary.  Riley lives in Nibley, is a member of the College Ward, goes to church in Young Ward, and is in the Mendon Stake.  Go figure!

On February 5th...

Andrew will have surgery.
Jodi will have an ultrasound.

We are so pleased with Andrew's MRI and scans.  Prayers have been answered!  The tumors in his liver that were a major cause of concern are gone!  The drugs found their target. Andrew no longer has to have half of his liver removed.  We are so thankful for the good news. He will have colon surgery on Feb. 5th in Murray.  Three months of chemo is anticipated following surgery. We are remaining very hopeful for a cure!  We will probably be in American Fork for at least a week to help with Ashlyn, Katelyn and Aubrey. 

Also on February 5th we should find out  if our 19th grandchild is a girl or boy.  Having a girl would make 2 and 2 for Jodi.  Having a boy would even us out a little...10 girls and 9 boys.  Irregardless of which it is, we're not going to send the baby back. Either one is welcome.  We plan to be in Oklahoma to tend Owen, Miles and Olivia when the baby arrives at the end of May. The Hawkins family will be living in the Oklahoma City area by then, but the baby will be born in Tulsa.