Experiencing a New Normal

So, for Christmas we (Jon's siblings, spouses, Jon & I) all went in to buy Daytona 500 tickets for Don and Glenda.  I was so excited for them to open up their present when we celebrated!  I knew they would be excited and would enjoy their time in Florida.  However, since Don had not been feeling well and at the time weren't exactly sure what was going on with Don - they decided that they weren't going to be able to use the tickets.  No one else wanted to use them, so Jon asked me if I would like to go.  Well, if you don't know me very well - I really like NASCAR!  The one friend I had thought of inviting (who loves NASCAR as much as me) was busy, so I decided it would be fun to take Anthony.  He is my sport fan!  In fact when Anthony was four he could tell you what driver drove what car.  I don't know, he might get that from me!  I called up my favorite travel agent and she booked our flight, hotel and car!  The countdown began.  Let me tell you this wasn't

So this winter my father-in-law really hasn't felt well (this would have been before Christmas).  He was diagnosed with internal shingles.  The poor guy was in a lot of pain and really not sleeping well.  He decided that he was tired of experiencing this pain and asked the doctor that if there were no tests to see if this really was shingles - let's do some other tests to rule things out.  So the first thing that was ordered was a CT scan.  This scan showed a spot on his lung, so the doctor referred them onto a lung doctor (I can't remember what they are called?)  This doctor decided to order a scope to figure out what this was.  Well, the scope showed up nothing (which we thought was great news) but she decided to order a needle biopsy.  The results of this biopsy show that he has cancer.  My in-laws were kind enough to stop by our house to tell me (Jon was gone on another snowmobile trip).  I held it together while they were here and really tried to stay positive about it

Well....I started this blog to share my heart, so why not make a confession too!  Hi, my name is Tami and I'm addicted to Super Mario Bros!  I have to admit that this addiction started many years ago when the first Nintendo came out.  I would play for hours after school.  My sister always hated to play with me.  You see back then it was a two player game - Mario & Luigi.  However, Mario usually had to die in order for Luigi to have his turn.  And you guessed it - I was Mario - so my sister rarely got the chance to play.  Let me tell you they have improved the game tremendously since I was a kid.  Four players can play at once (which can sometimes be bad), you can quick save the world you were in to come back and play later, if you die - you come back in a bubble and as long as someone pops you - you come back to life!!  Oh the list goes on and on!  Jon made the mistake and bought me this game for Christmas one year.  I would find myself playing the game even after the kids were

  So this past weekend we had the privilege of keeping my niece. My sister had to be gone, my brother-in-law was calving and they were looking for a place for their 6 month old daughter to stay. You see my sister never (I should say hardly ever) leaves her - so I was extremely excited when they asked me to keep her for the whole entire weekend!! It's been awhile since I've watched a baby - my baby is now 5! I tell you what... it wasn't too hard to get back into it again. We really enjoyed our time with Hannah. She was so easy to take care of - in fact there were times you hardly even knew she was there. She even slept through both nights. We (both Jon and I) had some good bonding and snuggle time with her too! I was amazed at how well the boys interacted with her. I knew had TJ been here he would have loved on her like no tomorrow - but didn't really anticipate the other boys being like that - but they did. It was fun having a baby in the house again!! I

No, that's not a typo.  Jon, the boys and I were invited to a ValenLIME Dance on Friday night (the 15th).  The invitation stated there would be music, food and games.  It told us of the time, location and to wear lime green.  It also said the following,                                       "It's been a year since our classmate and friend TJ began his fight...                                        We want to honor his memory and love for music and laughter...                                        Come enjoy the evening with the 5th grade class."  Two of TJ's dear friends wanted to have a Valentine's Day dance/party, but wanted to honor the memory of their friend at the same time - hence the name "ValenLIME".  Jon and I were so touched that they thought of this all on their own AND that they wanted our presence there!  Earlier that day, one of the mom's who was hosting this event stopped by our house with a gift.  They had made lime green sh

Ok, before I tell you anything, I know what you are thinking....goodness do these people ever stay home?!  Well, we normally don't take this many vacations in such a quick time frame.  However, last year at TJ's benefit we were given a free trip from Channel Seed.  At the time we didn't know when or where we would be going.  We were eventually told the trip would be Feb. 1-7 in Costa Rica.  I was slightly disappointed on the timing - you see Will's birthday is Feb. 3.  I could hardly stand the thought of being gone on his special day.  However, we got things all worked out and I do believe he probably celebrated more without us than he would have with us!!  The boys stayed at my sisters during Will's birthday and I understand he got the royal treatment!!  Thank you again De Jong family for making Will's day so extra special! Now on to Costa Rica!  I do have to admit the first day we arrived I wasn't quite sure about the place and actually wanted to go home

  My sweet TJ a week after his biopsy!     As I previously blogged about and as many of you know we just passed the one year anniversary of the day this whole journey began.  February 6th was the day of TJ's first MRI - the day we learned he had abnormalities on his brain.  And February 10th marked the day our lives would be changed forever.  I remember the day as if it just happened.  TJ was in  good spirits that morning before his biopsy.  He was shooting his dart gun, laughing and being TJ.  I remember walking down the halls, riding the elevator all the while listening to David Crowder on his IPod.  And then it was time for him to go through those big double doors without us.  I remember the wait - visiting with our parents, sleeping in the chairs of the waiting room - anticipating the doctor coming to tell us the news.  I can hear the dr. just as plain as day as if he were standing over my shoulders right this very minute telling me the most devastating news I have ev

For those of you who don't know my husband very well, let me share a bit of information about him.  He LOVES snowmobiling (I think that is an understatement actually)!!  Every year he along with some buddies of his go out west to snowmobile.  He looks forward to this trip ALL year!  Sometimes, depending on snowfall and the time of year, they will go on more than one trip.  Before he left for this trip, he purchased a helmet camera - he actually video tapes himself riding.  Not exactly sure this was a smart investment - now I will actually see how he rides, where he rides and all other details that I might not have known before.  However, now I can understand what he is talking about when he is telling his stories! I actually should have Jon write this post since I really don't know all the exact details.  I do know they were gone about a week and stayed in Walden, Colorado, but I don't believe they limited their riding to just this location.  I know these trips are good f