Where have I been? Why haven’t there been more posts? I have been right here at home deep in the normal, hectic routine of being a working mom with 3 active sons. Work, shuttling kids here and there, laundry, dr appointments…all that stuff we moms get to do. I have also been trying to make an effort to get to bed at a more reasonable time. In the past most of my writing has taken place late, late into the night. I think that has been the biggest change and I have been in bed a few nights by 11:00 and that is a huge improvement!

The past 2 days Mikko and I have been at the Journey and Discovery clinics at the U of M. When we walked into the waiting room of the Journey Clinic I saw Jenelle and Lilah Kelley. What a small world. Little Lilah is just so adorable. She was there to get labs and to begin the process of collecting stem cells. Lilah is going to kick neuroblastoma just like John! I wish I’d more time to visit with Jenelle. Maybe we can meet up sometime.

Mikko and I met with Dr. Smith at the Journey Clinic for Mikko’s 1 year post stem cell transplant. She was excited to see him and said all his labs were normal, he looked great, we could start the process of immunizations over, and she’d see us in another year. Great visit, good news and we were out the door….until the Child life specialist grabbed us.

She had 2 tickets for tonight’s Wild game that we could have, but she needed to know right then and there if it would work. Jon is in Duluth for work, I promised Michael I would take him to the college fair, Mikko had 5 more hours of testing on that same day… I passed and you know what hit the fan! I had one ticked off 7 year old! He was crying, saying mean things…he couldn’t understand why Michael had to go to a college fair when he isn’t even going to college for 2 years. I got him on the elevator and the tantrum continued. The elevator would stop, someone would get on, he’d stop, person would get off, Mikko would start up again….we went through this process all the way down! I felt really bad, but he had missed 2 days of school last week with a fever, he was missing 2 days this week and I just didn’t think he needed a late Wednesday night on top of it. To distract Mikko we hit the new playground by the Journey clinic donated by John Sullivan of the Minnesota Vikings. It worked, he blew off some steam and then we headed across the street to the Journey Clinic. It is there that the neruopsych testing took place yesterday and today. Long story short… Mikko tested fine and his cognitive development is on track for his age. The doctor reminded me how very lucky we are considering all the harsh treatment he’s been through and that he’s seen many neuroblastoma patients with a different outcome. The doctor did make a strange comment to me in regards to John playing hockey, “Protect his head.”, he said to me. Huh? I don’t think he likes the fact that he plays hockey. He told me he’s little and I need to be careful. I just said thank you, but I was thinking, ” He skates with little kids, he’s more likely to hit his head fighting with Jeffrey in my living room, than out on the ice…we are in the business of living life and getting the most out of each day”…just a thank you and out the door to get home in time for hockey practice. It’s great for strengthening his ankles. 🙂

John is in such a good place with his health… a great place! The other night I was reading back on his Caringbridge site of when he was in the hospital for the stem cell transplant. What difficult days… so glad they are behind us. I’m still working on not letting the fear of relapse take away from NED right now, but at times this is very difficult.  In the last 2 weeks I’ve learned of 2 children relapsing. Each with different cancers and neither neuroblastoma. When I hear news like this, my heart sinks and frankly it just totally ticks me off!

Abby – AML Leukemia – Tomorrow 9/26 is a year from when she was first diagnosed. I don’t know Abby or her family well, but I met them, like so many others, in the playroom on the 7th floor at children’s. Abby is friends with Alannah who has Neuroblastoma like John. Abby started treatment again on 9/23/13. Prayers to Abby and her family.

Josh – Ewing Sarcoma – Diagnosed 12/11  Cancer free 11/12   Just relapsed this week. This one hit me hard.  When Michael came home from work at DQ and told me, I felt like someone had hit me in the stomach. Josh is the most positive, nicest young man….just breaks my heart that they have to go through this again. He’ll kick it again! It’s curable, he’s tough and his great attitude will see him through. Not to mention that he has amazing parents and a great younger brother.

When I hear of relapse….it can send me into a panic and my thoughts can beat me up . I truly want to practice what I want to live and believe…”Each day is a gift…. live it to its fullest…one day at a time…Keep on keeping on”. If I could truly believe what I say, maybe my hair would stop falling out at the alarming rate it has been for the past several months and maybe, just maybe I’d find the will power to not seek comfort in chips, Hershey bars and all that crap. Maybe if my stupid foot would heal and quit hurting  I could move this sedentary body! BooHoo…I need to quit it! I have tons of things to be thankful for. We are BLESSED!

I was told last night when I got home from the doctor by my dear husband to NEVER turn WILD tickets down! Lesson learned.

Love, Hope & Blessings,

Shelly

Didn’t make the 11:00 deadline to slumber tonight! I’m hungry too!

John was announced as a Hope Kid and cancer survivor.

What a night! Thank you to Hope Kids and The Minnesota Wild for making yet another memorable night for our family.

It was a race home from school and work to get out the door and up to the Excel Energy Center to get there in time for practice. When we did get there we were met by Rachel from the Wild and several other people from the Wild. They took us down to the ice where we put on John’ s skates for a few practice runs. Splat! Down went John, but he shook it off and took another practice run. He was given instructions and then we had time to walk around before reporting back down to the locker room at 6:30.

John was introduced from the player’s bench and then he went back into the locker room to wait for the time to go out and skate the Wild flag. I left him there and went to wait for him where he would skate off the ice. Jon and Jeffrey were in their seats on the glass. I was a little bummed that I couldn’t get closer for better pictures, but we should be able to get pictures through the Wild. It was wonderful to watch John on the ice. He looked so little! He skated around one net and then up and to center ice where he “planted” the flag. Then the teams came out and skated around! John received some “knuckles” during this time. He stood in line with the referees on either side of him during the National Anthem and then skated off of the ice.

John loved his seats on the glass right next to the Blue Jacket’s penalty box! He took plenty of pictures of the player that landed in there. Afterwards John, Jeffrey and Jon got a tour of the Wild Locker room from Torrey Mitchell (Thanks to his sweet wife!) and they were all pretty excited about that!

Rachel then walked with us to our parking ramp. We have met her before when our family was invited to go to a game last year and sit in a suite and at the Wild About Children’s Event. I told her we’ve done it all….games, suites, riding the zamboni, flag bearer…all that’s left now is playing in a game!

Every time we have had the privilege of doing something special because of the Minnesota Wild, we have felt like VIPs from start to finish.

Thank you Minnesota WIld! Thank you Hope Kids for thinking of John for this fantastic opportunity!

Love, Hope and Blessings,

Shelly

Syd loves to hang out in John’s bedroom.

Birthday Surprises

New Clubs!

Cha…ching!

YES! It’s Mankind!

Happy BIrthday John Boy!

Fore!

Nervous before the candle blowing out

7 years old today! Birthdays are a HUGE deal around our home. Each and every day is a gift and a blessing..always have been, but cancer made us realize it so much more. Our youngest is 7! Our youngest is healthy! Our youngest is fully of trouble and we are so thankful for it every single day!

I love being across the hall from John every day at school. What a treat to see him proudly walking the halls in his birthday hat! I also was able to sneak across the hall and take a picture of him working in his classroom on his birthday! 🙂 I didn’t ask him, but at lunch instead of saying hi and going into the staff lounge, I sat down and ate with my birthday boy and that was ok with him (Once he got over my class waving over to us.)!

This evening it was a family gathering with Dominos Pizza and a DQ Oreo Blizzard ice cream cake decorated by Vicki Jelly (Thanks!). Grandpa and Grandma Prinsen weren’t here because Grandpa is dealing with a nasty cold, but Grandma Judy, Grandpa Bill, Uncle Tim and Jill were here.

John loved all his gifts, but right in the middle of opening them we received a call to top all the gifts! John was invited by Hope Kids to skate the Wild flag in tomorrow night at the preseason game of the Wild against the Blue Jackets!!!! Holy Cow! We are so excited and grateful for this wonderful, memory making opportunity! He will need to show up early to practice what he is supposed to do. Huge worries from John about falling..we’ve been busy reassuring him that would be ok..just pick yourself up and keep on skating.

When I look back and John’s birthday picture from last year…it seems like forever ago and just like yesterday. He has been through so much, fought so hard…my feisty, feisty little boy. You have shown all of us what true courage looks like and I am so proud to be your mom. You have taught me to live each day to the fullest, love with all my heart, and you have shown me just how strong I can be. I too have a “fight” in me I didn’t know was there. It is your birthday my darling little boy, but you see…you are the gift. The most precious gift to your dad, your brothers (I need to remind them of this at times. :)) , your grandparents, your uncles and aunts….a gift to everyone that loves you. You have taught us all more than you could ever imagine.  From one of our favorite books that you and I mishmash the words to all the time…. I love you as deep as the deepest ocean, as tall as the tallest mountain, to the moon and back a million gazillion times.

Happy Birthday John Joseph!

Happy BIrthday John Boy!

Love, Hope and Blessings,

Shelly

Getting ready to toss the syringes!

Mikko is all tucked in for the night and just like all past birthday eves of the boys, I shared his birth -day story. When I reminded him last night that we would be doing that tonight he said, “I bet that was the best year ever!” I told him it was a great year, tied with 2 of my other favorite years….1997 & 2000. I told him all 3 of my guys were in a 3 way tie. He was less than impressed.

I also reminded him how this birthday will be so different than last year. When he turned 6 he was still receiving chemo therapy, weak, bald and he was a just few days away from an almost 1 month stay for his stem cell transplant. What a difference a year makes! Our family has SO much to be thankful for!

The pictures of the bag of medication and syringes… On Thursday evening my neat an orderly (Maybe…just maybe a little OCD…) eldest child looked at the mess on top of the little counter by the fridge and said, ” The only thing over here are my sunglasses (as he picked them up), I want this cleaned up by the next time I come home.” My response was, “Whatever”. He was lucky I wasn’t in a fighting mood. Anyways…Friday evening it was quiet around here and I cleaned that little counter top off for the kid and then I decided to tackle the cabinet full of Mikko’s medication, syringes, and such. When I showed them to Mikko and I told him I was going to throw them out, he asked if he could. What a great idea! I said of course, we took the pictures and then he hesitated before throwing  them. (The medication and needles I need to take somewhere. He threw the plastic medicine syringes.)

Mikko: I took all my medicine with these.

ME: Yep, you did.

Mikko: What if I need these?

Me: You don’t

Mikko: What if I need these?

Me: If you need medicine we will get you pills. You swallow pills now. We can always get more.

Mikko: (Mostly to himself) What if it comes back……I can get more….it’s not going to come back.

And then he dumped it all into the garbage can.

It was a sweet and sad moment all twisted together. The poor kid has the same fears I do. It is scary getting rid of the medical “things”…I don’t want to jinx us! It was also a reminder that this almost 7 year old little boy has worries and concerns that are very “heavy” and obviously weigh on his mind. I want to tell him it will never come back, that the battle is done…but I can’t. I know we all have a lot to learn about living life post treatment and not living in fear.

The shark picture…..Mikko and I headed up to Minneapolis for his scheduled appointment for the DFMO study with his first morning urine (Was with me at school. I’m not telling where!) . He will go once a month for the next 2 years (if he remains NED). It was a longer visit than I expected. The lab was packed with screaming kids and angry adults. I turned the corner and I believe I said, “Wow”, out loud. It made for some awesome people watching, but also a really long wait. When it was his turn for blood draw he didn’t make a peep. Back upstairs to see Dr. Walrus where he spent a good deal of time visiting with us and examining(I hold my breath the entire time he is feeling under Mikko’s arms, his tummy and groing…praying he feels nothing out of the ordinary.) Mikko. We were sent on our way after scheduling physical therapy with the next visit. When Mikko and I were having dinner in the cafeteria (to avoid the 5 o’clock traffic) I looked over his “counts” sheets. I noticed that his platelet and red blood cells went down some, still in the normal range, but down (side effect of DFMO), his white blood cells were up as was his BUN count. Nothing was said about it at the clinic, so obviously it is not a concern, but I hated to see it. I’m interested to see what next month brings.  The Shark:   We passed the pharmacy window and Mikko hit the brakes. No, no, no no….but…but…but    Do you want it for your birthday? No, no, no   Do you want to buy it with your own money? Yes       He really did want it! As you can see he got it and yes with his own money.

Tomorrow is a WWE wrestling themed party! When I kissed Mikko goodnight I said, ” You know honey, 7 is a lucky number.” His response, “That’s an old saying mom.” The kid refuses to cut me any slack!

Love, Hope and Blessings,

Shelly

(I’m not proof reading tonight!)

Jeffrey, Jill, John, Me and Grandpa at the Team John sign on the walk path.

Miss Minnesota, John and her skinny, skinny legs!

Thanks to your donations I was the 3rd top individual fundraiser!

John found Jeff on the walk. He is one of our favorite physical therapists.

I got myself a pirate!

John and Gumdrop

Skipping rocks with Uncle Tim

Thank you, Thank you for your donations! Thanks to your generosity we raised $2, 225 for childhood cancer research and clinical trials!! Way to go Team John!!

On Friday when I got home from work there was a message from Cindy, John’s nurse at Children’s Specialty Clinic. She was calling to see if I would be willing to share John’s story on Saturday at the CureSearch walk opening ceremony. She told me she knew it was short notice….I didn’t need to say yes….     Ugh..For a moment I considered ignoring the message. I never got it right? Then I thought to myself John never had any choice in any of what he’s gone through. I’ll do it. I called Cindy back and she got me in contact with the person I needed to talk to. No one ever said, but obviously someone either backed our or something came up at the last minute.

Late notice yes, but that was probably a good thing with the first week of school. I would have been nervous about it all week. Late last night I worked on writing John’s story of survival, revising, practicing out in the garage in the mirror framed in hockey sticks, revising and finally going to bed around 2. Once again I worried about doing “right” by everyone.

Dad and Jill (We have 2 “Jills” in our extended family. When I mention Jill,Mikko will ask which one and if it’s the Jill that was with us today I say, “Uncle Tim’s Honey Bunny Jill) arrived bright and early and then we were on our way to St. Paul.

We checked in, I went for a short walk to get my thoughts together and then we went to the opening ceremony. Miss Minnesota was there and she spoke a bit and Dr. Perkins from Children’s Hospital Minneapolis spoke. She talked of Jane that had passed away shortly before this event last year and how she loved to make duct tape wallets (I had seen her work on these in the playroom at the hospital.) Jane’s mother continued with the duct tape wallets and over $13,000 had been made for CureSearch by selling them! Then it was time for John and me. We got through it and I think it went well. John received 2 rounds of applause during my short talk. He definitely didn’t mind that! Next they called for walkers that were present in memory of a child that had lost his/her battle to cancer to come up and get a balloon. The balloons were released as the DJ played Clouds by Zach Sobiech. That was a touching ,tough moment. Lastly before the walk began the survivors were called to the stage to receive their survivor medals. Another “moment”….

Then we were off for the walk. It was hot, hot, hot and that was an extra long 2.2  miles! Maybe it felt that way because we were clumped together for a while…who knows….but it was hot! We thought we heard there were going to be water stations…nope. It was a long, long way for John and he became a little unpleasant until I put him on my back. We walked a good portion of the walk like this. He would get down in the shady parts. Towards the end John had really had it and he threw his water bottle and then gave it a couple of good kicks. It was probably too much for him as he hasn’t done that much exercise at once. After one such fit I told him to knock it off…he’d just been up on stage….everyone knew who he was. He didn’t care, but we made it to the end and with a little water and shade his temperament greatly improved.

We went to the closing ceremony were we learned that $80,000 had been raised with this walk!!! While Jill, Jeffrey and I were at the closing ceremony, John and Grandpa Bob were in the pavilion getting John’s face painted like a pirate. When we met up with them they were headed to get a balloon from Gumdrop the clown. Well, gumdrop was in high demand…the wait was forever in line. I’m talking a good half hour! The kid wasn’t budging…he was waiting in line. We finally get to the car, place the sword balloon in the back (Pirate face…sword balloon), started the car and “POP”.)….the dang balloon popped, John started to bawl and Grandpa was out the door to get him a new one before I could stop him. Are you kidding me? Another wait…we were seriously one of the last groups to finally leave and I’m pretty sure Jill will never ride with us again.

Jill and I were making mental notes for next year.  1. Recruit way more people to join Team John     2. Bring all those people to the walk! (Thanks for coming Lisa!) 3. Bring water on the walk (Duh….I know)  4. Have a picnic afterwards or order pizza like another team did. 5.Bring something for John like a scooter for the walk.

It was a privilege to be a part of this day and I’m so glad we were a part of it. Thank you again for your generous donations!!

The sword balloon…..John, Grandpa and Jeffrey sat in grandpa’s back seat on the way home while I drove. John decided to make that annoying squeaky sound by rubbing the balloon. It must have been like fingernails on a chalkboard to Jeffrey because he was going insane and there my dad had to sit in the middle of it….all…the ….way…home! He too will probably never ride with us again!

Later in the afternoon we went over to Jill’s friends place in Prescott and enjoyed a fun afternoon on the water. There was a jet ski there and Jill gave John a few rides and he loved it! She gave me a ride…and she didn’t drive nearly as cautiously with me! I’ve learned a few new things about Jill in the past two weeks. 1. If you take her up north by hell or high water you better get her a real campfire to roast her marshmallows over  2. She seems to be able to throw caution to the wind all in the name of fun…ok…that may be a slight exaggeration…but there was absolutely no fear for her on that jet ski!! At one time when I was riding with her and sitting behind her…I just leaned forward, bear hugged her and hung on!

Jon wasn’t with us at the walk this morning as he and Tim were at their Aunt Sandy’s funeral. Sandy passed away this past week from cancer. They said her service was very nice and they saw several of their aunts, uncles and cousins. My heart breaks for Sandy’s children especially right now.  Not only was Sandy fighting cancer, but there father, Jon’s Uncle Jimmy is too. How can that be? Have I ever told you I HATE CANCER?!

Tomorrow Jon, Jeffrey, Tim and I are golfing in a special tournament. I will tell you more about it later. I’m excited to see the people that will be there, but I’m not looking forward to golfing. I haven’t swung a club since before John was born and I stunk then! Jon wanted me to go swing at wiffle balls tonight. I passed because really…what good was that going to do.

I just may drop from all the exercise I participated in this weekend walking (longest I’ve went since injuring my foot), swimming (included in that would be jumping, attempting to climb up a 2 rung ladder to heave my out of shape body onto a swim platform…this is very difficult to do with zero upper body strength, but obviously amusing from the comments I was receiving from the beach.) and now golf. At least it’s a best ball scramble thing and they won’t be using any of my balls!

I need to get this old weary body to bed. It was a day packed with meaning, emotion, a few fits, and lots of fun!

Thank you again for supporting Team John in the CureSearch Walk ….be it by donations or positive thoughts. You guys rock!!

Love, Hope and Blessings,

Shelly

First bike ride since the fall of 2011?! Really?! How does that happen? We put the bike up and away during treatment and those low platelet counts. Mikko has felt great all summer, but the bike still stayed put. He was busy swimming…and I put it off because I wasn’t going to be able to run alongside him as he became reacquainted with bike riding. Well you know the saying, “It’s like riding a bike…”. Jon got Mikko’s bike out, chicken mom went in the house, and off Mikko went a little wobbly at first and then he got the hang of it. When I emerged from the house Mikko asked me, “Do you want to see a trick mom?”. No thank you! We made it back into the house safely.(Well, I did accidentally peg him in the back of the head with a ball when I was attempting to throw him out in a one on one game of kickball, but he shook that off.)

First day of school for Michael (Junior) & Jeffrey (8th) grade.

Saturday will be here before we know it and that is the day of the CureSearch Walk. I am so thankful for the donations that Team John has received! We are now right at the $2,000 mark. I think a great amount for our first year of fundraising for this foundation.

When I walk on Saturday I will of course be thinking of my warrior son and all he has endured. I will also be thinking of the children we know from the 7th floor of Children’s Minneapolis that continue their fights against childhood cancer (Sienna, Alannah , Braden and Emma to name a few), and those that are now angels (Brady, Kayleen, Jane). And Christopher…Christopher passed away this morning from relapsed Neuroblastoma. (Remember when we were in Michigan, Christopher and his family were in Michigan ….)

When I learned about Christopher this afternoon a heaviness washed over me and my anger and disgust with this horrible, relentless disease…kind of kicked my ass for the rest of the day. It’s that uncomfortable line we cancer parents walk. Feeling horrible for this family that has fought and fought and fought for years…..Feelings of fear, “That could be my son.”….Feelings of guilt that our almost 7 year old is doing so well  and other children are being taken(I know this sounds stupid, but I really think other cancer parents will “get” that comment.) With each innocent child lost to cancer, it is a reminder, almost as stunning or surprising as a slap in the face, that lives can change in an instant.

2 more days until the CureSearch walk. There’s still time to make donations…. to help kids have a fighting chance. (After Saturday you will get a long break from my saying, donate, donate, donate!)

http://rpx.me/1/-B9o

Love, Hope and Blessings,

Shelly

The first day of first grade! What a wonderful milestone for our guy! Mikko was so excited about school and he even went to bed at a reasonable time last night! This picture is of the two of us after Jon dropped Mikko off at school this morning. We are right across the hall from each other. How cool is that?! I was informed at bedtime last night that I am allowed to kiss him and hug him only on the first and last days of school. That will be tough, but I agreed to it!

The fact that we are here living in this “normalcy” of school and life is totally amazing to us. Last year at this time we were preparing Mikko for his stem cell transplant. Last year at this time we didn’t know if he would ever go to school during kindergarten. Last year at this time I was scared to death we were going to lose him to stupid stage IV neuroblastoma.

Now we are here and there is always that underlying fear of the what-ifs that will be with me forever. The fear that makes me want to raise awareness for childhood cancer, for funding, for treatments, for research. The fear that makes me continue to point you in the direction of my CureSearch walk page. Only 4 more days until the walk! Fear from what I learn about other children with stage IV high risk neuroblastoma and their horrible struggle with relapse and others that have lost their battles.

Below is a link on a little girl that I have followed for quite a while. It was difficult for me to watch…to hear the words said aloud that I already know, but this is the ugly truth about this horrible, horrible cancer!

http://nesn.com/2013/08/eight-year-old-brooke-mulford-doesnt-let-diagnosis-hamper-her-positive-attitude-continues-to-appreciate-life/

Mikko is currently on a clinical trial, DFMO, in hopes of preventing relapse.

http://rpx.me/1/-B9o

In other news: George is home! Mikko was happy to see him in the mail!

Looking Good George!

This was John in Nov. of 2012.Looking at John now, you can almost forget the hell he’s been through. Here’s George after John’s first radiation treatment. What a loyal and faithful friend. We are so grateful you found your way home!

In other new #2: In the poorest possible parenting move ever……Jon, Mikko and Jeffrey are on their way to the Target Center tonight for the WWE event. First day of school was today for Mikko…tomorrow is Jeffrey’s first day. Who does that? I guess us. What does it say about me that I’m a little jealous that I decided not to go? It is our family’s dirty little secret. Shh! My knowledge in everything WWE did impress a first grader today. I noticed his WWE backpack and I had quite the conversation with him. I think he walked away a little stunned.

With the guys away, I’m heading up to school to do a little more organizing.

Oh! The RV trip was a success. We had a good time and now I’m rid of the guilt that would have burdened me had we not went. Mikko did inform me that next time we go in an RV it needs to be like the ones he sees on that tv show (Celebrity RVs). I informed him the next time he goes will be when he is a grown-up and takes his own family. I’m sticking to Sam’s house and my parent’s cabin!

Michael survived. We didn’t see much of him until the afternoon on all the days except the last. Monday morning at about 9:00 the RV door swung open and there he was. “I’m ready! Let’s go!”….he was read to head home.

Happy first week of school to all!

Love, Hope and Blessings,

Shelly

We have been having a very nice time here in Walker at Sam’s place. On Friday we headed down to the private beach for this neighborhood. What a beautiful day! The weather was perfect for playing on the beach, building sand castles, swimming and floating on the water. Of course there were the typical fires I needed to put out. Someone was throwing sand, someone was kicking sand, someone was holding someone else under the water for too long. Michael even decided it would be fun to run his mother down and tackle her in about a foot of water. Tackle! Jeffrey commented on how he couldn’t believe how hard I fell. Later in the afternoon Sam took the boys out knee boarding and I was left on the beach all by myself. Bliss! Not another person was on the beach. I almost didn’t know what to do with myself. Michael and Jeffrey had a fun time out on the water. Jeffrey and I decided to stay on the beach when everyone headed back up the road to Sam’s. We floated on our rafts and just hung out. We don’t get enough opportunities like that…to just be together. It just may have been my favorite part of my day.

Uncle Tim, Jill and Jill’s parents Roger and Sandy came up on Friday evening to add to the fun. That night, and all the rest of the nights, Michael slept in Sam’s house while the rest of us Gegens headed to the RV. It is just fine to sleep in there. Sydney is loving the RV. After she has went swimming and has ran around the yard she gets “kenneled” in there.:)

On Saturday the men all went golfing and once again we hit the beach. Jill, Sandy, Jeffrey, Jon and I spent the afternoon down there. Another beautiful day. Michael didn’t join us and I’m pretty sure he should feel rested up with all the sleep he’s getting in. He did finish the book he needed to read this summer for English, so that’s a good thing.

Last night all 11 of us headed down to the Legion for dinner. After dinner there was karaoke. Much to the dismay of Michael and Jeffrey, Jon and I decided we should sing a few songs. The kids hung in there pretty well. When a little concern was voiced I gave them both a, “Who cares? Nobody knows us here!”. Roger sang a few songs as well and for the record….he’s the only one that should have been singing. Roger has a very nice voice. The little DJ guy wasn’t any too friendly…but I don’t think he was expecting such a rowdy group so early in the evening. Something all of us will always remember and Tim won’t let us forget is the gal in the cowboy hat. Jon was singing Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Blues (I’m laughing as I type that!), Uncle Tim was dancing on the dance floor (the only person) and out of nowhere comes this cute cowboy hat wearing gal and she started dancing with Tim. Pretty exciting stuff! Lots of laughs, a little dancing and we were home by 10:30 and Michael and Jeffrey survived the night. Mikko thought it was great.

Today is a cooler, cloudy day. Jill and I went shopping in Walker for a while, Jon has the boys fishing on the dock, Michael may still be sleeping…

Today is September 1st and September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Only 6 more days to the CureSearch walk. Please consider making a donation.

Love, Hope and Blessings,
Shelly