You'd Look Hotter in a Helmet.

hehehe
What do you suppose those 2 turtles are doing in there?!?
MORE cute mutant animals... click

Good Evening Everyone;
Casey has had a pretty rough 24 hours, but is holding her own. She is hopefully sleeping right now as I haven't heard from her for a while.
She has posted a blog about her "Baaaaaad Day". Click
Perhaps a bit of overdoing it- That, and being cooped up (and unfed) for so long. Please leave her a comment.
While I was up there this afternoon she had told me that if she could have ordered a hug from room service she would have.

We did get outside for a bit...
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Even with the new snows.
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hehehe
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She was 'here' too!
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Rough day or not, she can still smile! ;-) ...attagirl!
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Looking around the campus, and all over town, one sees these...
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Literally, millions of bricks as far as the eye can see...
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One can even spy teeny tiny mop~heads growing out of the buildings.
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I have NO idea what they are (for).
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Back to the bricks...
... While Greg and I waited (endlessly) to be able to see Casey after her surgery, we wandered about the hospital. Poor guy was starving so we went up to the cafeteria (which was closed)...
I snapped this picture...
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And I posed the question:
How many bricks are there in Minneapolis?
Greg had NO idea!
wth?  
(Shhh.........  -me neither).
How does one go about finding the answer? I still need to know!!! (I'll give you a quarter if you answer that for me).
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The snow came the other day. Not enough to stop the mopeds, and motorcycles that are still running about down the roads.
And yes, these bike racks are used every day, every single shift too. I know, because I am there for every single shift, (just not for the duration of them).

This bicycle hadn't gone anywhere for 2 full shifts after the snow...
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Maybe the snow grips weren't working.

Maybe the brakes?
So we have all heard, ad-nauseum, about the Toyota recall. Then today came the warning NOT to drive the cars until they are repaired.
That makes no sense to me...
... I mean how the heck are you supposed to get your car to the dang dealer if you can't drive it?
I hear too they will be recalling the Prius' also. Hmmm...
My advice? Go buy a bike, a horse, or a Buick.

The next pictures bike owner clearly has his head on straight...
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I love this!
And this bike is in a different spot every day.

Wonder if he will take it to work tomorrow. Weather claims we are in for a storm. .
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I have pictures from today yet to get onto my little laptop... Will do that shortly, but wanted to keep you all up to date with Casey's "shtuff".
Please do go to her blog and leave her a note, (three notes would be even better)!
For those of you that get this by email, here is the link:
www.edbdkcn.multiply.com/journal/item/134
Should be clickable for you.

I'd better close for now
I hope all is well in your little corner of the world?
Have a "wunnaful" rest of the evening!
My love to all.

XOXO
Me

Happy February! (Better and Better)!

♫  ~Casey Face, You've got the cutest little Casey Face~  ♫
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Good Afternoon!
These were her stats yesterday...
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See what I mean about "Better and Better"?
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When I got to the hospital yesterday morning, Casey was sitting in her chair.
Lo and behold, her Foley (catheter) was removed too! (This only makes her move faster)!
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Holding fast to the pillow that keeps a bit of pressure on her healing tummy.
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My sister Barbara called, and we all had a very nice chat. Hard for Casey to talk with her NG tube down her throat.
My nephew Dixon was here last week for an interview at the University. He is in med school, and is interviewing for where he will do his internship. Barbara said he actually liked Minneapolis! Imagine that, a boy from Alabama. Good for him! Dixon is only a few months older than Casey.
After we hung up, CaseyAnne wanted to walk some more...
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So walk we did!
I swear she goes faster than I do!
(Note the cart and the window behind her; they might be important later). ;-)
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She got a peek out the window.
Bright and sunshiny skies!
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Then she wanted to race the lady with the janitorial cart... hehehe   j/k
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She got a bit tired so we went back to her room and just talked.
Greg came up about 11 or so. (This too improved her spirits immensely).
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So darn sweet together!.
Greg had to get back for work, and left for Green Bay about 3:30.

Casey loves her own pillows- She had asked would I bring them up for her?
Of course!
I brought them when I returned in the afternoon.



 
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This morning as I got my things together to go visit her again, I caught sight of this poor little beastie~dog...
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Punk wanted to go too. So hard to ignore those eyes, but she will wait until Casey's central line is gone. (I am not taking any chances).

I found Casey sitting, freshly cleaned, NG tube removed, say YAY!, and BUG~BITTEN!
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Bug bit? wth? 
See the welt on her lower jawline? Not sure where it came from, (but I do know that nobody but Casey would have a bug bite her on the 1st of February either).
Still giggling.

Her nurse came in and gave her some benadryl.

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Nurse Brooke, with Casey.
(Miss Brooke giggled when I turned the camera on). hehehe


Now NO FREAKING OUT with the next picture. It is Casey's tummy.
I don't know why it looks so dark in the photo.
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The dark makes it look worse than it really is, though it is quite bruised. (At least I don't think it was that dark)...
The shiny skin is only the glue. Her wound is not weeping or leaking.
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Again, she wanted to walk- (and had already been down to the gift shop to get herself a book, a bookmark, and a bracelet).

So off we went.

Now remember that window that had beckoned to her on Sunday?

Poor kid couldn't take it any more and was off... .
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...and running (away).
There was NO stopping her! hehehe  (Still laughing at her wheels)!
I dragged her back inside... (Not an easy task, mind you).

On Friday when I had gone up to see Casey, I used the valet parking services both times.
Saturday and Sunday the valet is closed, so I just parked in that turnabout on those days, thankful for the disabled permission I have.

Anyway, when they returned my car to me on Friday, the radio was on to some weird station, the windows were up/open (not how I left them in +4° temps), and the heat was shut off and turned to the A/C, blasting with the climate control set to 60°.
wth?  Dirty little rat bastards...
* Having had a problem or two last December/January with these same yahoos, I was quite miffed about that, and wanted their boss to know.  But first I needed them to park my car today.
As I readied to hand over my keys today, I got in the kids face and I said, "you tell your boys to leave my damned car alone, or next time I will call the police."
This I might add, was stated in my very best Harley~Bitch voice.
The valet dude dutifully apologized, and took my keys.

Still peeved about it, Casey and I took a little walk down by Deb. (Deb is the nice receptionist that I always get a nice smile from, and a bit of conversation too, when I walk in. She has always asked about Casey and how she is doing).
She was quite happy to see Casey up and about too!

When I told her about what had happened, she went right to work trying to find out who the parking superintendent is, and how I could get hold of him.

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Casey hamming it up for the camera!
Don'tcha just love those dimples?
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I'd better close for now. I did laundry upstairs today, and think I am caught up.  AND, I have a very hungry dog.

Hope all is well with everyone! Know that I try to get around to your pages, but I do get interrupted every now and then. (Mostly by my back and necessary posture adjustments). 
My mouth is fine. My head is still buggie.
(On 2nd thought, maybe I shouldn't use the word "bug" right now). hehehe

XOXO
Me

A Sniff and a Whiff

Good Morning Everyone;
I have been up for a few hours already- Just reading, and a few notes in my inbox too.

I was up to the hospital yesterday by 6AM.
Casey was asleep after a very restless night...


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  Not wanting to use the flash...
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After checking her stats, I sat in the chair, read in my book, and rested a while.
Just watching her breathe too-  Times like this, the rise and fall of her body is nothing short of a miracle to me.
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These are good readings, especially given the fact that she just had her 5th major surgery in little over a year.
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I even napped a bit after sneaking in so early.
Then heard this little sound... "Mom?"

Yes. She was awake. YAY!
She'd had a tough night, but was happier and made more comfortable with the adjusted pain meds on her machine.

Unlike last year, her kidneys seem to be working better.
Her red blood count was a bit low yesterday- Will reserve comment on that until after I see todays counts.
Her WBC was high- Still only 1/3rd of what it was following her TP/AIT though, so that is good.

Her blood sugars were off the chart high (for her)- They had given her insulin on Friday night, and again yesterday morning...

Dr. Sutherland had previously mentioned that he wanted to give her islet cells a break after this surgery. Yet when I asked the nurse about giving her insulin in her IV, the nurse said they "didn't want it to drop too fast, or Casey would really be sick!"

I asked Dr. Sutherland about it all, repeating what the nurse had told me. He wants it in her IV, and left the room saying "that nurse is wrong"...
Guess his notes were misread and not understood.
* Casey's islet cells are very important to him. (Not to mention how very important they are to Casey).
Maybe today her blood sugars will be better managed.

I came back to the hotel and rested a bit; going back up then about noon.

Casey was awake, and showed me her new (old) scar.

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No Velcro yet. hehehe
They used glue this time too.
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She was allowed to eat...
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Ok, so it's only ice chips, but better than nothing at all ...
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Since you can not keep this girl down for long, she was up and moseying about.
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The bed fairies came in and changed her linens while she was out.
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Her nurse, Michelle, (a real sweetie), was 'spotting' her while she walked.
They stopped to be weighed.
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Casey weighed in at 116.5

This is the most she has ever weighed, with the exception of before they removed her megacolon.
So I am a bit concerned that this might be more water weight/retention- She is receiving 150ml/hour of potassium chloride. Will have to check her output when I get up there this morning.
Perhaps her kidneys do need a bit more time after all.

I ordered a pizza for supper last night. (Nothing like homemade, but yummy just the same). Made even better with real tomatoes on it.
Oh, and I'd had a garden salad too!

I'd just taken a pill for my back (and my mouth) before this arrived, and I'd wanted that to work before I chowed down.

So, Punk had to wait and be content with a sniff and a whiff or two.
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As she peeks over the bed toward the table...
hehehe

Hope everyone is having a grand weekend.
More later, I'm sure.

XOXO
Anne

CaseyAnne 1-29-2010 Surgery Update

Hi Everyone...
Up since one. And I need another nap, but will do that at the hospital.
Casey came through her surgeries 'good', is well, and is "resting comfortably". (Oh, I've grown to hate those two words together)! Grrr...

It was a very long day-
The surgery did not last as long as was planned. Her nurse called me at noon! But then she was in PACU for an eternity.
Having arrived to the hospital at 5:30AM, and with Casey not being to her own room until after 6PM.

I could not get on to Multiply last night when I finally got back to the hotel; so an update will be coming later today.




"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."
J. Garland


I thank you again for all of your positive thoughts, prayers and energies.

My apologies too, for not being able to call anyone that was expecting my call...
...Some yahoo forgot to charge the darn thing.   
hehehe

Heading back to the hospital shortly...
Punk must eat first, then get outside for a bit.

XOXO,
Me

PS
Although Casey feels worse, my back is killing me, my head is rough, (thankfully it is not a migraine), and now I have an added toothache as well.
What the hey?!?
Methinks it is going to be one of those "Morton Salt" days...
 

Gritter, could you please call Beth and let her know that Casey is OK?

TripAdvisor's 2010 Top 10 Dirtiest Hotels

http://www.tripadvisor.com/DirtyHotels
Good grossness!  These are really bad!
And probably not the best thing to be reading whilst I am living in a hotel room for the next 3 weeks.  hehehe

XOXO
Me

Click the links below, then read the reviews, if you dare.

************

Dirtiest Hotels --- United States

(based on TripAdvisor traveler reviews)

• 1. Heritage Marina Hotel, San Francisco, California
  
  
• 2. Days Inn Eureka/Six Flags, Eureka, Missouri
  
  
• 3. Tropicana Resort Hotel, Virginia Beach, Virginia
  
  
• 4. Super 8 Virginia Beach/At the Ocean, Virginia Beach, Virginia
  
  
• 5. Quality Inn, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
  
  
• 6. New York Inn, New York City, New York
  
  
• 7. Parisian Hotel & Suites, Miami Beach, Florida
  
  
• 8. Capistrano Seaside Inn, Capistrano Beach, California
  
  
• 9. Desert Lodge, Palm Springs, California
  
  
• 10. Continental Oceanfront Hotel South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida

*** See more filthy hotels, worldwide

• Asia
  
  
• Canada
  
  
• Europe
  
  
• France
  
  
• Italy
  
  
• United Kingdom

************

You've seen the worst. Now see the best.

Check out the 2010 Travelers' Choice Awards – the world's best places to stay as chosen by our members.

* photos stolen from website

One Ticket. Wrong purse. No Valium.

ZZZZZZTPH!   Static! Picture and quote from here:  CLICK
"That static discharge was really no big deal to you or the door knob but WHOA it was a big deal to the small bacteria on that door knob!"


Thus far I have zapped the dog, the daughter, and myself- Countless times!
Happily I have also killed millions of bacteria doing so!
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Good Morning Everyone;
My two little charges are asleep... once more. (Casey brought Punk out about an hour ago, and they both came in more than a bit chilled).
Not sure what the temp is- (I miss my indoor/outdoor thermometer).  I just know it is cold enough.

Back to our westbound trip- the on again off again bad roads, and a few near misses with respect to the ice on the roads.

This is Hudson, WI- It is just before you cross over into Minnesota.

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If I remember correctly it was 23° at that point. The roads were clearly frozen over.
Traffic heading west was slowed to a crawl; the oncoming lights traveling a bit faster as those lanes had been salted.
We saw 3 salt trucks/road plows heading east. (With not a trace of salt on our lanes).

Storms like this, and at the sundown part of the day, can bring a few photo ops...

This taken off I-94 as the sun breaks through the cloud cover...

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Casey took this picture.  And I would have enjoyed it more if my hands would not have been gripping the wheel so hard. hehehe
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Again, we are here, and that is what counts!

Casey has been a godsend caring for Punk and taking her out for me.
She also loves Punks toys...
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And teases the poor dog mercilessly.

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She also brushes Punk and plays with her...

But one should never brush a dog in jogging attire...
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One seems to grow hair on their chest by doing so!
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Not to mention what it does to the legs!
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Methinks a razor is called for?!  hehehe
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Perpetually shedding or not, there is always love.
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 Sealed with a smooch!
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...and a hug!!
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(I was playing around with the edit feature at Picnik.com)
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Casey had her presurgical appointment yesterday. All went well for her.
(Unfortunately the same cannot be said for me).

As we waited for the nurses and such, I was treated to a royal attack of anxiety. Fighting with this for a while, I finally told Casey to call me, that I was going back to the hotel. It was that unrelenting and terrible.

I would pick her up when she was done.

After commandeering a seat in the ladies room for what seemed like an eternity, I hailed George... (George is the man with the electric golf cart that speeds happily on his way to collect those of us who prefer not to be walking a mile or two each way).
Ok. It's not a mile or two. It just feels like it.

Having gotten all the way back to the car, I felt a bit better. Punk had stayed behind at the hotel, due to the freezing weather; and I was not going to let her freeze to death while she waited patiently for us to return to the car.

I started the car and gave it a moment to warm up...
It was at that point that I remembered handing the parking ramp ticket to Casey when we'd pulled in.

*sigh*

Now I had a choice of paying $30.00 for not having a ticket, or going all the way back to the Transplant Clinic to retrieve said ticket.
I chose neither.
Instead choosing to do a few relaxation therapies while I waited in the car.
Don't think for one minute that I will again forget to take my diazepam (Valium), before heading out of here tomorrow. That was most awful...

We have to be at the hospital by 5:30 tomorrow morning. Happy that Greg will be here by then to get her there in case the anxiety becomes another real issue for me at that point.

Her surgery is scheduled to begin at 7:30. It will take approximately 11 or 12 hours.

Special thanks for everyone that is keeping Casey in your thoughts and prayers. Your love, and these actions, mean the world to us all.

As we wait...

Love to all

XOXO
Me

The Definition of Gun Control

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

From Gritter, in my email...

Last Thursday Night Around Midnight, A Woman was Arrested, Jailed, And Charged With Manslaughter For Shooting A Man 6 Times In The Back

The Following Monday Morning, The Woman Was Called In Front Of The Arraignment Judge, Sworn In, And Asked To Explain Her Actions.

The Woman Replied, "I Was Standing At The Corner Bus Stop For About 15 Minutes, Waiting For The Bus To Take Me Home After Work.

I Am A Waitress At A Local Cafe....
I Was There Alone,
so I Had My Right Hand On My Pistol,
That Was In My Purse,
that Was Hung Over My Left Shoulder.

All Of A Sudden I Was Being Spun Around Hard To My Left.
As I Caught My Balance, I Saw A Man Running Away With My Purse.

I Looked Down At My Right Hand And I Saw That My Fingers Were still Wrapped Tightly Around My Pistol.

The Next Thing I Remember Is Saying Out Loud, "No Way Punk!  Your Not Stealing My Pay Check And Tips."

~ I Raised My Right Hand, Pointed My Pistol At The Man Running Away From Me With My Purse,

And I squeezed The Trigger Of My Pistol 6 Times!


When Asked By The Arraignment Judge, "Why Did You Shoot The Man 6 Times?


The Woman Replied Under Oath, "Because, When I Pulled The Trigger The 7th Time, It Only Went Click."

The Woman Was Acquitted Of All Charges, and Was Back At Work, At The Cafe, The Next Day!

Now that's Gun Control....

Rumor has it that this is a true story, out of Houston.
hehehe
Thank You Suzy Q.!

XOXO
Me

Happy Birthday Casey!

Good Morning All;
Yes, today is Casey's 23rd birthday. Time flies...

We have been celebrating Casey's birthday at The Olive Garden each year... I think she saw a commercial for it when she was about 5 and there's been no two ways around it ever since.
Only one year was postponed due to snow- About 5 years ago. So that's a fairly good non~percentage of cancellations.

You ask who came?  Take a peek below...
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Master Gabriel attached himself to the birthday girl, then charmed his way into everyone's hearts.
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Nephew Brandon, niece Brit, and sister Janet, wth Casey
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Good friends Chris Jaworski and Cheryl
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Friend Sarah, and son Andy
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Brandon with Tim, (Janet's husband)
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Ashley and Brandon,
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Jake Harkins, and his wife Jen too!
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Jesse Jasch and his kind and Sweet Shelley!
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Our special day would not have been complete without Kelli and Michelle
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Happy Hugo. Who had to leave wife Marsha at home due to illness.
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Greg, Master Gabriel, and our Birthday Girl
Gabriel was SO patient as he waited for his food! Such a wonderful young man- Mama Kristin has surely worked her magic, the love he has, the family is grand!
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Grampa Randy and Gabriel ~laughing at me taking pictures
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With our entrees came a choice of soup or salad. Cheryl chose soup.
She got about 4 bites of soup in this bowl too.
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Funny- And a bit shortchanged there. The picture does not do it justice.
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Our waitresses were more than capable; and awesome too!
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Ta~Da!

It was a grand birthday party!


We are in Minnesota-
We chose to leave a day early and drive through a bit of snow; than drive through worse weather today.



Lord knows this was bad enough- The roads 'turned' about 50 miles into the trip.
(And knuckles really DO turn white).  As soon as I would think to pull over for the day, the roads would clear; so on we went.
But the 280 miles or so passed, little by little. At times we were able to go 70mph, and at others we were lucky to do 40 or so. I could just feel the tension between my shoulders.

Being that the end always justifies the means, I am happy that we are here, safe and sound.
It is cold.  A few degrees (8) on the plus side of zero, with the wind chills being about 10 below zero.
Nasty.  (Canada's fault I'm sure). hehehe

Time to close for now and adjust my position a bit.

Hope you are all well, and warm.
Love to all

XOXO
Me