Less than 1 month? I hope so!

So, I was trying to update my blog template to one that is called I (heart) Spring. The computer won't let me do it. I hope that this isn't a sign that Spring is going to continue to stay away! It is less than 1 months away... right? The weather here in Nebraska is kind of questionable... still. We had some crazy snowstorm last night. It wasn't so bad, but it still took Jeff and Josh over and hour and a half to get home from school/work. Yikes!

Things are going well here. I am still staying semi-busy with work. Jeff is staying busy as well.

Josh is doing pretty well. He had not been feeling well for a couple of weeks, and had quit eating and drinking almost entirely (a bite or two and a sip, here and there). I finally took him to the doctor last Friday, and it turns out that he is having GI issues. So, for the next month, he is on a dairy free diet. This is no fun for a little guy who loves his milk. He is also having to drink prune juice mixed with Miralax. There are many tears every morning, but things seem to be moving better, so I think we will switch out the juice that we are mixing it with. Josh is going to be getting a retainer. We start the process next Thursday with "Smurfs". I had always heard of them being called spacers, but whatever. Then March 15th he gets his retainer. We are hoping that after a couple of months, both of his top teeth will be in front of his lower teeth! They assured us that this would be achieved quite easily! We ended up going to a different orthodontist after the original one had him bite on a popsicle stick for two hours a day for 3 months. We went back in and they said two more months. Um, that is a little crazy to ask a 7-year-old to do that for almost 6 months. So, the new ortho agreed that was crazy. Retainer it is!

Our sweet (and totally crazy) girl Bella is doing good. She might beg to differ after spending months in the garage because of the cold temps. She is enjoying any time she gets outside at this point, and is looking forward to Spring, and warmer temps... aren't we all? She is turning 1 next Monday. How exciting! We haven't made any big plans for her big day yet, but hopefully we can find her a fun, indestructable toy! She had ruined everything we have given her EXCEPT her Kong. She ruins other toys made by KONG, but not the actual KONG. Hopefully the snow will melt and she can run and play all day on her birthday. Or, maybe an afternoon at doggy daycare with some friends is in order.

My dad has started his radiation therapy. He seems to be feeling okay most of the time, although he says that his stomach starts getting upset. Also, for any readers out there, my stepmom's brother Gus was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that has spread to the liver. Any prayers you can send his way, and the way of his family are greatly appreciated. He has a wife and two daughters.

I'm So Over It!

So, here I sit at 12:15 in the morning. It is not unusual for me to stay up late, however, tonight I am wide awake because Jeff is leaving in the morning for a week. That in itself is fine. What I am not happy about is the fact that we are in the middle of a snow storm. I really pushed for Jeff to leave this afternoon, but he couldn't talk his boss into it. So, this morning (Sunday) in about 3 hours (3:15 am), he will head out to Lincoln to meet his boss. And then from there, the two of them will trek over to Omaha. I am already dreading the morning and sitting around anxiously waiting for him to call and let me know that he made it. I am stressing about it already. Stupid snow. So, that is what I am over... SNOW! And WINTER! Let it be Spring already!

So, other than the stress of that, things are going well here. Yesterday (still seems like today to me,) was Jeff's birthday. I wish that I could say that we did something exciting, but we didn't. We went to Lincoln in the morning and ran some errands. We ate birthday lunch at Taco John's and had birthday churros for dessert. We headed back to town for mass this afternoon, and then had our favorite for supper... One Eyed Dog. Love that place. And Jeff got his supper for free because it was his birthday week. Cool.

Josh is doing well. He is still really enjoying school. Friday night we attended the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby for his pack. Jeff really enjoyed making Josh's car. For anyone reading, that is right up his alley. Josh didn't care at all. The top 5 cars advanced to regionals. Josh came in 6th. Oh well! There is always next year. This was Jeff and Josh's first go round, so I am sure that Jeff will do some extensive research between now and then. One of the older boys decorated and designed his car to look like an iPod touch on wheels. It even had a jack for the earplugs. It was really neat.

I am doing well. I am working what I would consider pretty much full-time at this point. I am still doing medical transcription for my uncle. It is extremely interesting. I started another client about 6 weeks ago. This client is kind of two-pronged. They have both transcription and editing documents that were done with voice recognition software. I started wht voice recognition software editing in December and was able to get my feet wet with that. It was a challenge at first (that makes it sound like it isn't anymore... it still is), as it was a new specialty, radiology. It really is a whole new animal for me. I went to Yankton to train on the actual transcription portion at the beginning of January. It has been a real learning experience, but the lady who trained me sent me a note on Friday to say thanks and that I am doing a great job. That is always nice to hear. So, I am really enjoying the fast paced world of medical transcription. It doesn't pay as well as my old jobs in KC, but, I get to work at home. I can work in my pajamas (and I do most days!) In fact, this week, I didn't leave the house except to take Josh to school on Tuesday and Wednesday. Finally Friday I got to bust out of here.

Jeff is keeping super busy with work as usual. He did a bunch of training with some guys from KC, Wyoming and the Mechanical Integrity guys from across the street from his office. This week he is going to Houston for a seminar (I think that is what he said it is.) Hopefully he will enjoy much nicer weather than we have here! I think that I will be calling the neighbor to see if he will dig me out tomorrow. I hate that! I wouldn't feel so bad about it if we knew them better. Oh well.

My dad and Pauline are doing okay. My dad goes to the doctor on February 3rd to find out when he will start his radiation treatments. He will go five days a week for 6 weeks. I pray that this will be the answer to our prayers and that he will be healed. Cancer sucks. On another cancer sucks note, my sister-in-law Tara's dad has been diagnosed with lung cancer. I am not sure what the most recent news is, but he has had surgery, and I believe that they are waiting to see what his treatment plan will be. This is a very scary time for Tara and her family, and I am sure that any extra prayers sent her family's way would be greatly appreciated.

Kara, David, Taly and Niko are fairing well (I think). They live in Tucson, and were thankfully nowhere near the tragic shootings that took place two weeks ago. Kara is coming to SD in March. Hopefully we will be able to get together with them while they are home. Niko is turning 1 on February 22nd and Taly will be 4 on April 9th. So much fun!

Well, I should go get to bed.

December and Wedding

Happy New Year to my three or so readers... lol! I hope that anyone who reads this had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. A lot has happened since my last post. I started part of my new job. I am working at editing transcription for a radiology group. I am really enjoying it, and learning a lot! It is a completely different animal than plastic surgery! Everyday I learn something new. I think that between the two jobs, I am really cleaning the cobwebs out of my brain! It is a good feeling!

I had the great joy of going to my sister's wedding during the month of December. While I did have a fantastic time, it wasn't without some drama! Poor Pauline got sick the first night that we were there, and we ended up having to call the ambulance. Thankfully, it was just a really bad case of the flu, and about 36 hours later, she was good to go. I had bothered Kara a lot about having the rehearsal dinner on Thursday, but it really worked out well. If it had been Friday, Pauline would not have been able to go. So, with Pauline down for the count, I got to spend Friday with Lois, Kara, Dad, Natalya and Niko. What a good time. It would have been better if we weren't stuck in the hotel room the entire time, but oh well! I also got to experience my first In & Out burger. My friend Kim (and many others I am sure) have been telling me about this place FOREVER. It was good, but I don't know if it was all that everyone cracked it up to be! I think 5 Guys is equally as good, if not better. I also got to experience Tucson only 1 week before Christmas. While I appreciated getting away from the cold Nebraska weather, I didn't really love fighting with all the people trying to do their Christmas shopping. While I realized that Tucson was only 1 hour from Mexico, I did not realize that everyone drives up to Tucson FROM Mexico to get their Christmas shopping done. Let's just say that it was... CRAZY!

With Pauline feeling better, Kara, Pauline, Miroslava, Clariza and I headed to the salon on Saturday morning. Other than the whole ambulance thing, this was my least favorite, by far! My experience was awful. The lady who did my makeup was awesome, and I liked that. However, the old dude that did my hair, did not understand at all what I wanted for my hair. Even after we told him that I didn't like it and he re-did it, it was STILL awful. Do you remember the scene in Steel Magnolias after Shelby's funeral, where Sally Fields is talking to all the women. She asks to see a mirror and starts crying and says, "Shelby was right. It DOES look like a brown football helmet!" I had that moment and even referenced the movie while I was sobbing with Kara and Pauline on our way to do errands. Thankfully I am perfectly capable of salvaging my own hair! And Kara looked AMAZING! I don't think I have ever seen someone look so beautiful.

After a couple hours of pictures, the wedding went off without a hitch. Kara and David are married... AGAIN! And the party started. We stayed until a little after 10 (11 our time) and then headed back to the hotel. Lois and I wanted to finish off our wine (that is a story for another time!)

JOB!

I.GOT.A.JOB!!! I have been mostly unemployed since the move from KC, with a side gig doing medical transcription for my fabulous uncle. Today, I got a contract transcription job editing for a radiology group. The company that I will be working for has doctors and clinics and transcriptionist in the U.S. and overseas. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the radiology company that I will be working for is in... YANKTON! What are the odds?!? Needless to say, I am over the moon.

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7 Years Old

I can't believe it, but my little boy is 7! That's right. Josh turned 7 yesterday. Sadly, he had to spend the majority of his waking hours at school, but we made the most of it. He got to open his big present, a bb gun, on Sunday. He loves it, and I must admit, so do I! BB gun might be making the Christmas list for me this year! I don't know if I have ever posted it on here, but Josh is a weather fanatic. He loves all things weather. His favorite dot com (what he calls a website) is weather.com. I found out that the dad of one of the kiddos in 1A is a meteorologist at a tv station in Lincoln. He said that we should definitely bring Josh in. What a great experience! We had so much fun. We got to learn about the weather, watch them tape the 5 o'clock news, and Jeff and Kevin even talked some Husker football.

I will post pictures from Josh's b-day later. But, just to reiterate, what a fantastic day, with my fantastic boy. I am so very thankful that I was chosen to be his mom.

Katie

DROID

I got a new phone! what's more, is that I am now able to blog from my phone. Not much new going on here. Josh is liking school. He told me that math is so much better than recess... really? I guess that is a good thing!

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Too Long!

Has it really been over three months since I last updated my blog? That is crazy! What I find funny about it, is that I get annoyed when the blogs that I follow don't update every couple of days. Hypocrite. Oh well. The last time I updated, Josh had three weeks left of kindergarten. Now, he has 6 days left of summer vacation. So, here is a recap of our summer and some pictures.

May - We FINALLY got a new dog! Bella is a (now) 5-1/2 month old black lab. She is adorable and so sweet, but full of all that puppy energy that we hadn't experienced with Tommy for MANY years. So, it is very different. She is very much a hunting dog to. She loves to fetch, although she doesn't always do so well with bringing the ball back. She also caught her first bird, a dove, just last week. Gross. I think that Jeff may have to resume hunting now that we have her. We all love her to bits. She was just what we needed. Josh finished kindergarten. My dad was informed that his cancer has returned. :(

June - Josh learned to ride his bike WITHOUT training wheels. He is so proud and just loves riding around. I wish we had more pavement for him to ride around on, but he rides on the rocks and grass too. Doesn't seem like there was much more in June... there probably was. That is a reason to update more often.

July - Well, the drama of the month was me getting burned by an artillery firework. No fun. The good news was that the burn was small, and healed entirely in about 3 weeks. So, I am now rocking an even shorter hairdo than before. Josh and I went to Yankton for the Relay for Life. It was so stinking hot, but always a very moving tribute to loved ones (mom and Carolyn) who have lost their battles, and for my dad who continues to fight. It was a quick trip, as I went home the next day, but Josh stayed with Papa, Pauline, Grandma and Grandpa for about 5 days? I was so glad when he got home. I just miss the little guy so much. We were also able to go to Kansas City one weekend to see my good friend Jenny Rohret get married. We are so happy that she found Scott. Congratulations to Jenny, Scott and Miss Elizabeth. We were able to see my bff's Kara and Carrie and their families while we were down there, so it was a packed trip. We were there less than a day!

August - Not too much has happened this month. Josh goes back to school the 19th. The 18th I have a job interview at his school for a teacher's aide position. I am hopeful that it will work out, as that is what I wanted to do when we moved up here. We'll see. Fingers crossed! Jeff leaves that day for Wyoming for a couple of weeks. So, it will just be Josh and I. We are going to my dad and Pauline's that weekend because my sister, David, Natalya and Niko will be visiting from Arizona. I am so excited to see them!

Blogger is being a turd, so I will upload pics later!

Katie

May 2, 1995 and May 2, 2010

This day stinks. There is no other way about it. May 2, 1995. I remember sitting in the kitchen at my parent's home in Yankton, SD with my mom's best friend Carolyn Larsen. It is lost on me as to who else was there. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa? I don't remember. What I do remember is being super hungry... at 2am. My mom had been rushed to the hospital at approximately 9pm the night before. She had been battling cancer for just under a year (from diagnosis), but her struggle had been going on for about 18 months. We knew she wasn't going to beat the cancer, but we never would have thought that it would end early that morning. I was a senior in high school. I had spent the early evening of May 1st at a friends house addressing graduation invitations. At about 9, I got a call saying mom was really sick, and I needed to come home. The rest of what happened from 9 until about 2 is a blur. At about 2, Carolyn and I popped a Totino's Party Pizza in the oven. Not too much later, I remember seeing my dad and Pastor Bob drive into the driveway. Complete and utter devastation. My 12-year-old sister and I were now motherless. Even when you know it is the inevitable, it still sucks. I don't think we got very much sleep that night. I remember calling my best friend, Marie, at 7:30 to tell her. She was in the shower. She was on my doorstep, dripping wet by 7:45. I don't know to this day if she knows how much her friendship meant to me. The next few days were a blur of planning, family, tears and hugs. Fast forward to May 2, 2010... today. For some reason the anniversary of her death has hit me especially hard this year. Don't know why. I think it might be because, in 2 more years, she will have been gone more than half of my life. Let's face it, that is just sad. Not only that, but my "2nd Mom", Carolyn passed away from brain cancer almost three years ago. So, I was having a bit of a pity party for myself. I think once in awhile it is deserved. Anyway, I joined the Catholic Church April 3, 2010. I love our church. Our priests are awesome. But, I think what I like best, is the music on Sunday mornings. The music director at the church, Ellen Soukup, is AMAZING. A love of music is something that I shared with my Mom, Dad and sister. I have always been a huge fan of gospel music. Ellen is an amazing vocalist and pianist who can bring tears to my eyes during a regular church service... this did not bode well for today's service! We had received our weekly Catholic newspaper Friday a week and a half ago. On one of the inside pages, I saw a large picture of Ellen. It was announcing that she would be putting on a benefit concert for the Pius (Catholic High School) students wanting to attend World Youth Day in Spain in 2011. Obviously, with my love for Ellen's music, my interest was piqued. So, I read on. The concert was May 2nd, and it was honoring Mary, and our mothers here on Earth and those in Heaven. Well, it was almost more than I could bear, but Jeff, Josh and I went to the concert. It was amazing, and Ellen didn't disappoint. She was amazing. So, that is how I spent part of my day. Celebrating my mom's life. Also, I asked my friends on Facebook to leave memories of my mom. And they too didn't disappoint. Thanks to all my FB friends. Thanks to my family for putting up with my crazy the last week or so. Mom- I love you so much, and miss you more each day. I wish you could be here to see the women that Kara and I have become, and to see your grandchildren. I know you would be spoiling them like crazy. Love, Katie... PS- Take care of Tommy for Josh... he misses him... we all do. Katie

March and April 2010

Hey out there. So, what has been happening with us since my last post? Lots, I guess. My big news is that on April 3rd, I became a member of the Catholic church, after 7 months of weekly classes. It was a very exciting time, and I am excited that Jeff, Josh and I are all of the same faith now. I find that at the age of 32, I am finally to the point where I ENJOY going to church... took me long enough. On that same note, we enrolled Josh in the school at our church for the 2010-2011 school year, so he will be a St. John Jet. He is excited, but I am sure there is some anxiety about the switch.

Jeff is getting busy with travel at work again... we knew it would happen! He and I planted a garden (or most of it) in the last week and a half or so. We are trying to grow radishes, beets, peas, green beans, sweet corn, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, and we have yet to plant the zucchini and cucumbers... maybe this weekend. Jeff also got the yard mowed for the first time this year. He bought a sprayer since we have our fair share of crab grass, thistles, and dandelions.

Josh is enjoying what is left of Kindergarten. Next week we are going to be going on a field trip to the Lincoln Children's Museum. He is way more excited about this than I am... that is a lot of kindergarteners! We also got him signed up for T-ball. We were a little behind schedule, so he didn't get on a team in Eagle. We will be trekking to Waverly for the majority of his games, with one in Eagle. He will be on the blue team this year. We have a meeting on Sunday night to meet the team and discuss team names. I suggest to Josh the Bluejays. I told him to come up with some other ideas. So far, I have heard Blue Bulls (ummm... I think not), Blue Horses, Blue Dogs, Blue Cats... you get the idea. We'll see!

This coming Sunday, May 2nd, will mark the 15th anniversary of my mom's death. While I remember it like it was yesterday, it still seems so long ago. It has been harder than usual for me for some reason this year. Not sure why. The pianist/soloist from our church is putting on a concert this Sunday (May 2nd) at the church celebrating Moms and those who cared for us. This singer brings me to tears during a normal church service with her beautiful voice and piano skills. I can only imagine what the concert will do to me, as I will be thinking of my mom a lot that day anyway, and my Chuckie is never far from my mind either.

Well, I guess that is all for now.

Katie

Tucson Trip - Feb 2010 and New Nephews

Hillbilly Papa and Hillbilly Josh, sunning their extremely white bellies! Hopefully the neighbors weren't blinded!

Josh and Niko

Papa, Niko, Taly and Josh.

Well, it has been two and a half months since I did a blog update. I think that is bad, but know that there are only a couple people who check this thing out anyway, so who cares!

Since my last entry, we survived two more blizzards here in Nebraska, one of which kept everyone away from home for Christmas. So, we spent our first Christmas in Nebraska by ourselves. The snow started Tuesday, and we didn't leave the house until Saturday afternoon, and that was just to drive around and check out the snow... probably should have stayed home. The weather was so bad, that when we tried to make it to Lincoln for Christmas Mass, we got about one mile west of Eagle, and the roads were drifter shut, so it was a no go.

January brought us three more snow days, so Christmas vacation didn't end until January 11th! Crazy! Josh was ready to be back to school, so that was great for him. My sister and her fiancee David finally made things official on January 5th.

February has been an exciting month for our respective family's, and also sad for Pauline's family. On February 11th, Brad and Heather welcomed Lincoln James Hilfiker to the world. He weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces. We haven't seen him yet, but are hoping to tomorrow. I've seen a couple pictures, and Grandma Del Rae assures me that he is super cute, and a good eater. February 22nd, Kara and David welcomed Nikolas (Niko) Omar Ash to the world. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 7 ounces... she was only in labor for 5 1/2 hours, and actually complained that she felt like she was jipped out of the labor experience, because once she had the epidural, she slept until she pushed. That sounds like heaven to me!

Pauline's mom, Marge, fell and broke her hip and collar bone February 18th. Pauline drove up to North Dakota the following day. The injuries, along with her other medical problems proved to be too much to overcome, and she passed away on February 28th. I only met Pauline's mom once, but know that it is difficult to lose your mom.

Dad couldn't wait to get down to Arizona to cuddle his grandbabies, so Josh and I joined him on a whirlwind trip. We left Friday at 3pm, and got to Tucson Sunday about 1. Niko and Natalya were super cute, and it was great to see everyone, and see where Kara lives. The weather was nice other than the first day. We left Tuesday at noon, and got home Wednesday at 10 pm. If you counted, that is 5 1/2 days gone. Two down, two back, 1 1/2 there. We actually drove 16.5 hours on Wednesday. It was a really long day, and I don't think I will do that again. I am attaching some pictures.

Happy Holidays - - 2009

Season's Greetings! Well, as 2009 draws to a close, I thought I should blog one more time. I know I am bad about updating, but I don't think that many people read this thing, so I don't feel too bad!

Things are going good in Eagle. Josh is loving kindergarten. He has lost his two middle teeth on the bottom. No progress yet on the top. He just realized last night that he has some molars coming in on the bottom. They don't seem to be bothering him to badly! He had three snow days, not last week, but the week before. It was a lot of fun spending time with him, but he was very ready to get back and see his friends.

Jeff is still enjoying working at DBI. He hasn't been out of town for over a month now. It has been really nice having him home. He has been attending physical therapy for three weeks, as he tore his rotator cuff. He physical therapist has suggested requesting an MRI, and seeing an orthopedic doctor, as he should be 50% better at this point, and has experienced no relief from the pain at all. Poor guy. He rarely complains about being sick or in pain, and this has been bothering for over two months. Hopefully after the holidays, he can get it squared away.

I am just keeping busy with the same old stuff. Taking care of Josh, and medical transcription class. I think that my brain has a hard time getting all the cobwebs out. It will get done eventually!

I travelled down to Kansas City this weekend to visit my friend Kara. She is going through a bit of a tough time, so I'm glad that I was able to go, and that Jeff was willing to hang with Josh for an entire weekend. The boys had a good time, but as usual, I came down with something while I was gone. Not feeling the greatest now, and I'm sure staying out way past my bed time didn't help! I also got to see my #1 Carrie (I have a lot of Carrie's) for the first time since we moved. I knew I missed her, but I didn't realize how much until we got to hang out. Good friends are hard to come by. I feel that I have been very blessed in that category!

We are looking forward to Christmas with our families this year, as last year we didn't have time to travel up home. It will be a quick trip, but we will get it all in (as long as the weather cooperates! Fingers crossed!)

Merry Christmas! I'll try to blog more next year!

Katie

Prayer Request - Ty Sichmeller

Hello, All! Just a quick request. Annette Sichmeller's (a friend from my days visiting my grandparents in Estelline, SD) 3-year-old son, Ty was diagnosed with ALL leukemia this week. Please send prayers up for not only Ty, but for Annette who is expecting baby number three sometime this month, and the rest of their family. Thanks!

Trip to KC, Swine Flu and Pneumonia... BOO!

Well, as you can tell in the post title, this has been a busy couple of weeks for us! We were fortunate to get to make a quick trip to KC (our first since moving five months ago!). We got to see lots of friends. Unfortunately, we were all sick the whole time we were there. Jeff and Josh had a sinus infection. I was diagnosed once we got home, with the H1N1 (Swine Flu) and Pneumonia in my upper left lobe. It was AWFUL! I can really only speak for myself, but I was down completely for a week. Yuck! We are all feeling much better now. I am doing a lot better, still just a little wheezing. Good times!

While in KC, we were fortunate to visit with Lonnie, Randy, Mitch, Jill, Addyson, Shannon, Sarah, Leslie, Cathy, Steven, Rob Vanbiber, Terracon friends, Jenny, Elizabeth, the Green's and the Gross's. We thank everyone for putting up with us and all of our germs! So far, I don't think anyone else has gotten sick!

Josh is still loving school. He is really excited, as next week all the kids are going on a Safari field trip. It will be his first. I got the opportunity to read to his class September 11th. It was a very fun experience. I also got to sample what school lunch was like... Fiestada... yummy (not!) We had our first parent/teacher conference with Miss Ottemann. It went very well, and she had nothing but great things to say about Josh. Awesome!

Jeff has been on the road a lot for work. He is on his way back from Colorado today. Heading to Canada this weekend, and then the following week, off to Vegas.

In other news, my dad and Pauline bought a new house in Yankton, and moved two weeks ago. They were fortunate, and the house that Kara and I grew up in sold quickly. Also, my little sis, Kara and niece Natalya came for a visit in August. It was so great to see both of them. Kara and David are expecting a baby boy at the end of February.

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Josh's first day of kindergarten. The excitement has been building for months. The buildup culminated this morning, upon arrival at the school at 8am. After a few minutes of walking around the playground looking lost (WAY too many kiddos!), Josh and I waited patiently with his new friend Connor for Miss Ottemann. I am anxious to pick him up this afternoon to see how he liked it.

Jeff and Josh... they look nothing alike! RIGHT!

Our Family.

Josh coming out the front door to go to school.
Josh with his big ol' backpack in our house.