Hello Again

Well hello again.

I really wanted to continue posting here but life got in the way.

I think I'll go the same route I did with my last blog post.

Ashlyn is doing amazingly well with school as she transitioned into the middle school this school year.  She has a solid group of friends and is enjoying her time spent with those friends at school.  Her work load is quite a bit more this year but she seems to be taking that on with no issues.  She will be 13 this year and she is now taller than me and definitely has that teenage attitude.

She begins softball this month.  She has expressed interest in sports for some time now but we always missed deadlines.  This year, we got her in just in time and she's really looking forward to playing.  She also is still pursuing the drums.  She just has a snare for now but she would eventually love to learn to play a full drum set.  She's also a part of the choir.  So many activities.

Bryan will be 11 this year.  He is still not a big fan of school and especially hates homework.  He broke his arm in three places last June, the worst breaks you can possibly have.  He had a cast on for the entire summer and it took many months for him to fully recover but he seems pretty much back to normal now. He still can't twist his arm certain ways or put too much pressure on it, but overall, he's doing well.

He is still playing the violin and I believe that has helped his recovery.  He is starting baseball this month.  He never seemed interested in sports but this year he was adamant that he wanted to try baseball.  He's not great with authority or rules but hopefully this will help.

Davis will by 8 in May.  My little baby bear is not a baby bear anymore.  He's still very wild and so much fun most of the time.  He's still very encouraging and supportive.  He's always the cheerleader.  He likes school but not homework and he's a very social little guy.

He will also be playing baseball this year.  I'm not sure how that will go as he is very easily distracted but maybe baseball will help him with focus.  He's not interested in any musical instruments yet and I'm not sure he ever will be.  He just seems like a sports kid.

Even though the kids have been quite sick, they have had a good Winter.  They have all recently really taken a liking to skating so we have been going to the local skating rink more often.  They went on their annual Poconos trip in February and had a great time.

I got a puppy!  It took me quite a few years after my Katie girl died to finally feel ready for a new puppy.  I had been looking for about a year, always finding a cute puppy and then talking myself out of it.  Too much work, too much time required, logistically challenged with my living situation.

In September of last year, I had been looking again when I found the cutest brindle French Bulldog, which has been my buckets list dog.  When I got the ok from my boss to bring a dog to work, that sealed the deal.  I went and picked her up that weekend. 

Meet Harley Finn!  I got her at 8 weeks old (left photo) back in September and she is not almost 8 months old (right photo).  She has been so much fun.  She can be really wild but she also loves to cuddle and spends most of her day snoozing on my chair. 

She was originally going to be named Poppy but when I got her, she just didn't seem like a Poppy.  My husband suggested Harley and I didn't love it at first but it fits her perfectly.  Her middle name is actually the name of our seeder trucks at work so that's why she's Harley Finn.

She has given me a lot of joy and also a lot of anxiety.  In December, we had to make a trip to the emergency vet due to excessive vomiting.  Turns out she had blood in her abdomen.  We never really found the exact cause of the issue but she's been ok ever since.  She's been to the vet more times than I can count as precaution for whatever this was and has cost me quite a bit of money so I'm thankful I got pet insurance.

My job is going well even though it makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes.  I have begun to work out again, taking it slow but hoping to get back to a place where I feel healthy and strong.  I've changed my diet again and am strict gluten free, low carb.  I'm hoping this helps me shed a few pounds but also just makes me feel better in general.

My husband I, while still technically separated, are trying to work things out.  It's going to take a lot of work on both parts but I think we are both in the right place and want to make it work.

My sister has cancer.  She has had it for over a year now.  She was diagnosed in February/March of last year with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.  She had it all over her body and it even caused her to fracture a hip.  She had to have a hip replacement before she could start any chemo.

This all started out as what we thought was a sinus infection.  She got a lot of chemo but had very few side effects.  She was back and forth between Jefferson in Philly and Tower Health here at home and now her care is here.  She was told the cancer was gone but she had refused a spinal tap and bone marrow biopsy so we think the cancer was still hanging around because she relapsed and it was in her brain this time. 

She has been getting aggressive chemo that has really taken it's toll on her.  She had her last round a few weeks ago so now she has to go through all of the scans and testing to see if it's really gone.  I'm really hoping that the tests all come back clear.  She can't get any more of this chemo so her option are pretty limited.  She can get a stem cell transplant but he has been reading about all of the risks, side effects and outcome and she doesn't like the numbers.

This has been really awful for her so I'm really hoping she's at the end of it.  My parents Florida house will be done soon and they are looking to move in September so I know she will just love to be able to sit in the Florida sun and feel healthy.

My Uncle died.  Almost exactly a year after his mother died.  It was sudden and terrible.  I won't go into details as they aren't my details to share but I was at the hospital with him when he died.  He was surrounded by people who loved him.

It was the most humbling experience I think I've ever had in my life, to be with someone as they take their last breath.  Most people would fine it horrible but I didn't.  Yes the machines and tubes and the vision of it all was a lot.  But I just felt so honored to be there with him.

And on that somber note, I will end this blog post.  If you're reading this, I hope you're doing well, feeling healthy and I appreciate you.