August 28 2008 continued

This is possibly the most adorable little space I have ever seen in a home!

Our lives are no longer anywhere nearly as varied and entertaining now as they were in our Cibecue days. However it still seems appropriate to do an occasional update. We especially need to do some calendaring. So we'll start with that.

New Zealand/Australia Cruise We leave from Salt Lake October 22 and return November 8.
Thanksgiving/Arkansas Leave Salt Lake Nov 18 and return Dec 2
Ethan's baptism February 14 - not sure exactly when we'll depart and return
Memorial Day 2009 Phoenix/ABA Conference
Ryan Nye wedding In Idaho Sept 12 and 13

Medical Issues hopefully are almost resolved. Dad is scheduled for a colonoscopy Sept 3 and he needs to go back to the eye doctor (not Kevin) in Salt Lake, but we haven't made an appointment to do that yet.

My knee is very good today, I guess. I've been taking the pain pills pretty regularly so really don't know if there's much discomfort or not. It currently feels better than it's felt in two years, but I suppose the pain killer really gets credit for that. I keep trying to think of reasons for Dad to leave the house because he's a pain in the neck nurse. I really can't just sit in the recliner all day. I have to report to him every potty break. He has, however, improved his status dramatically as movie chooser. We watched 2 netflix videos he ordered yesterday and I couldn't ridicule either one. One was "Fractured" with Anthony Hopkins and the other was "Calendar Girls." I lectured all day about how neither one sounded like a very appropriate choice then enjoyed them both. Very embarrassing.

I think I told most everyone that yesterday we had a little drama getting started. Last Thursday when they did all the pre-op stuff it included an EKG. When we checked into the surgical center yesterday they told us there was something abnormal on that EKG so Dr. Nash (the new internist) wanted a full echocardiogram before surgery. Yikes! That took almost an hour and we don't even dare ask what it cost. But we both considered that perhaps I had more serious problems than my knee. So it was kind of tense. When finished and back to the surgical center the anesthesiologist came in and said he had called Dr. Heiner and got a copy of an EKG I had about 3 years ago. It looked just like this one, so it's apparently just how my heart is and I really hadn't needed the Echocardiogram. Oh, well, at least we know my heart is nice and healthy. It was an interesting and informative experience, just not the best time for it. After that everything seemed to go according to plan and like I said I really feel good today. I was delighted that I didn't have to have crutches and can get around the house very nicely, including the stairs, at least when I don't let Dad know where I'm going.

Dad is still looking for the right medication for his arthritis. Dr. Walker put him back on Methotrexate a couple of weeks ago and he feels better. Dr. Walker wants him to start Remikad injections next month. This would be something he does in the doctor's office once every two months and it takes 2 hours each time. The medicine is delivered via IV and costs $1500 a session. Fortunately we got our insurance worked out at least for the next few months. Dad is somewhat ambivalent about this step. If he feels better on Methotrexate he may ask to postpone the Remikad for a few months. Not sure what Dr. Walker will think about that. The Inflammation factor in his blood is still very high.

We are so enjoying getting settled. The weather in Logan is beautiful, starting to get comfortably cool in the evenings but still warm and sunny during the day. The house is very comfortable. And every time we walk past our adorable hall pictures our hearts just get happy.

We love you all and will sincerely make an effort to be a little more consistent in our postings.