Just checking in. Here's what's gone on for the last week:
Joanne's folks are off on an adventure to visit dear Cousin Francis in Memphis. I think she is 96 and still sharp as a tack. Talked to them yesterday and they were in Hot Springs Arkansas. They get back this weekend.
Joanne got her foot x-ray yesterday. There is some concern that she either has some ligament issues or perhaps a small hairline fracture in a couple of her toes. Her bone density is really low having spent so much time in a cast. The doctor should look at the x-ray in the next couple of days and will get back to us. Hoping for an answer that is actionable because her toes really hurt!
Splurged yesterday and got Joanne a mani-pedi. She told me I might want to bring a long something to read as it might take a little while. It ended up taking two hours! But she felt pampered and very pleased so it was worth it. Took a couple of us to work on her left hand as it wants to curl in on itself but the nail tech was very patient and we got 'er done!
We had a stray cat adopt Emma this week. Emma named her Leslie--I have no idea why. But anytime your kid names an animal you're in trouble. Leslie has hung around for the last week and she is scaring our baby bunnies so we carted her off today to the Buddy Center (Dumb Friends League) in Castle Rock. She is a very sweet cat but...
...we have to protect our bunnie family that lives under our deck. They have been with us since we bought the house and we really treat them like pets even though they aren't domesticated. We feed them some veggie scraps and name them and generally enjoy having them as neighbors. Couldn't have a cat around messing with their turf!
Went to estes Park last week with my mom and dad and Bethany. They rented us a house just outside of town that was perfect! Dad, Beth and I got to go on a beautiful hike. The last half mile was snow field. I did OK on the way up but came down on my rear! Slipped, fell and got snow up my shorts where generally you don't want snow to be! After I stopped and stood up I did a very interesting dance to get the snow out of my pants! But still the weather and the scenery were amazing!
Emma and I got to go fishing. Day one: no luck. Day two: we landed a small trout. But that's all it takes to satisfy Emma and results in a win for her in her battle against the little trout on what she has claimed as "our fishing spot." Joanne and Beth sat by the river and enjoyed the great outdoors and cheered us on. It was so beautiful and I know Joanne enjoyed being out and about, especially in such a beautiful spot. Hoping to get some more time up there this summer but they are re-doing the roads in Rocky Mountain National Park and traffic, even on a slow day, was a nightmare! This summer is going ot be a hot mess for visitors.
Got our initial financial aid offer from Denver Christian. Not good. I have exchanged some emails and we are going to see if there is something more the school can do. In the meantime we are trying to talk to the girls about other options but it would be heart-breaking not to be a DC family any more. That school has been amazing for our family and we love it dearly. I will keep you posted on what happens next as a number of you have expressed interest in helping out (for which we are deeply grateful and humbled).
Sister Kristen was supposed to have a garage sale last Saturday but wouldn't you know it: we woke up to rain and temperatures in the low 50s! Not good garage saleing weather! So she is going to give it another shot in the next few weeks--maybe even this weekend. I'll post on that if it's going to happen that soon.
Emma has her awards ceremony tomorrow at school--she is getting the Presidential Academics Award for maintaining a high GPA all year. She will be thrilled! It's a secret so no one tip her off. I am pretty sure she doesn't read the blog so we're OK on this end.
Audrey has Middle School graduation on Friday and I will be speaking. I am going to talk about all the things I wish someone would have told me when I was 13. THe list is LONG but I think I have narrowed it down to a few categories. Feel free to leave a comment about what you wish someone had told you at 13.
Then it's SUMMER BREAK! I am so excited for the girls to be home this summer. Last summer was a weird one because Joanne was just home from the hospital and we were still reeling and trying to figure out life. But things are more stable now than they were then so we should be able to provide a better experience for them including daily trips to the neighborhood pool!
Whew! I guess that's about it.
Prayer requests:
1. Pray that we can find some relief for Joanne's poor toes. Anyone who has ever broken a toe knows how painful it can be to get around and that's what Joanne lives with 24/7. So getting and answer and a solution would be a big deal.
2. Pray that DC comes through with the financial aid we need to keep the girls there.
3. Pray for safety for Joanne's folks as they make their way back across the country. So glad they got to have an adventure and now just need them to have a safe return!
Toben