Grandma, The Human Felt Board

Grandpa purchased a felt "sticker" book for Elsi.  For days, the only thing she wanted to stick them on was Grandma.  --They make quite a team!

Thanksgiving in McCall

The family spent Thanksgiving in McCall and thoroughly enjoyed the rest and relaxation.  We kept the meal as traditional as possible since it was Olivier's first official Thanksgiving and our local turkey was cooked to perfection.  It was probably the best I've ever had.
A wonderful time with the family.

Celebrating Leadership

Last Monday was the 26^th Annual YMCA Heritage Club Dinner.  The dinner is an event my mother was a part of since its conception.  It’s set up to honor and thank those who have given to the Y and the Boise community, both monetarily and with their services.  It’s a celebration to those who commit to a future; helping to make things better for generations to come.  The theme this year was “Celebrating a Legacy of Leadership” and the keynote speaker was Gary Mahn, an icon in the Boise Community.

Mom’s girlfriends, who have been and continue to be part of the Y and community called and asked her to come and bring me and Ab with her.  I admit I had my doubts that this was a good idea.  After treatment, it is at least ten days before Mom is up and about in any sense of a normal fashion.  She had been quite ill since the moment I arrived and I just didn’t see how sitting up all night would be anything but miserable for her.  But she was determined and told Ab and I she would need something new to wear since she’s lost a bit of weight (wink wink – she’s now a size petite 0 – I’d say that is more than ‘a bit’)

Monday came and she staged her day so she would be sure to get maximum fluids and rest.   At 4:30 we got ready and she put on her new duds.  She looked fabulous!  It was an overnight transition and when we arrived to the party she was completely in her element.  It was a wonderful gift for her to see everyone in a single place.  The smiles and hugs meant the world to her.

Unbeknownst to any of us, Mom was one of the people to be honored that night.  Gary Mahn gave a wonderful and heartwarming tribute to Mom and shared stories ofher years of service to the Y and community; the things she did years ago that have continued to make a tremendous difference today.  Abbie and I were aware of probably only half the things Gary shared and couldn’t be more proud (and in awe) of all that she has done. 

We were, of course, emotional messes and when everyone stood to applaud Mom, all eyes were on us and we had to laugh at how silly we looked.  Her girlfriends (who were all in on it and a big part of making this happen) were by her side and I could feel how special this made mom feel.  She has wonderful people in her life and for very good reason.  Beautiful hearts simply attract one another.

Thank you, Ladies, Jim and Gary for a very special night.

Bogus Team takes Mom Out

Mom's Bogus friends continue to amaze us.  They are always up to something.  Here, they have taken Mom to the Botanical Gardens with them.

Lunch at the office...

This fabulous group of people have Mom join them for lunch.

Labor Day

While most of us were celebrating Labor Day with a day off of work, Mom was working hard to feel OK during a visit to McCall. Although this round of treatment has been a bit easier than the last, it is still difficult. Mom spent the mornings lounging and getting her pain under control, had a surge of energy in the afternoons, but ended most evenings sick. In addition, her hair started falling out again this weekend. Bummer.

On the good side, we had several nice visits with friends old and new. Mom did some cooking and we all enjoyed more time at the beach. Elsinore was a sweetheart and took advantage of Grandma's morning lounging routine to retrieve book after book, asking "up", and cuddling in to listen to Grandma read aloud. Elsinore also very recently coined Grandma and Grandpa as "Maa Ma" and "Baa Pa" and practiced over and over again much to their delight.

The annual trip to the San Juan Islands is still up in the air, but Mom is determined and optimistic that they'll get to go.

At the beach in McCall

The family went to McCall for the weekend and enjoyed a quiet weekend with a bit of beach time with Elsinore.  Elsinore loved the water but Grandma and Grandpa loved watching her even more, I think.

The ride home was not an easy one.  There was an accident that caused a traffic jam and we had an additional 2.5 hours in the car.  Mom did great, although she went straight to bed afterwards.  Sitting in a single position isn't easy or fun for any of us, but it was especially tough on her and Elsinore (who passed the time with camp songs and peanuts ;)).

Thursday is Mom's next treatment.  We are all sending energy for this to be a much easier session than the last and don't doubt she'll power through!  

We love you Mom!!! 

Clear of Breast Cancer

Mom met with Dr. Dorn this week to talk about her mammogram results.  (Dr. Dorn is her Breast Cancer Radiation Oncologist).  He, and the entire staff in the radiology/oncology department at St. Luke's are incredibly special and kind people.  All of them greeted Mom with a friendly hello and a hug.  Dr. Dorn, himself, was so nice and happy that I couldn't believe he really was the doctor in such a difficult department.  What amazing and strong people.

This routine check had nothing to do with the ovarian cancer, although Dr. Dorn did acknowledge the difficult year Mom has had with that.  But since the appointment was around her breast cancer he kept the conversation light and positive by letting Mom know the breast cancer is officially gone.  They laughed, acknowledging it was the least of her worries, but, for me,  it really is great news and I feel good about reporting it.

Kelli's 41st

Mom and Dad joined Kelli's 41st Birthday BBQ.  It was a gorgeous evening.  And as cute as Mom and Dad are, I felt this picture was a lot cuter.  Nora & Ryan Nyquist meet Elsinore Korol.

family fun

the wave

Once a month the family gets together for a picnic.  This time we went to Nampa to Fern and Gary's house.  Ival and Joe made an amazing lamb and the rest of the family came together and cooked up other Basque favorites, just for fun.  Mom was able to eat and enjoy the meal and she so appreciated the time she had with everyone. 

Grandma's Up

Grandma had a full day today of playing, eating and making chicken stock so we can have delicious chicken noodle soup next time I bring a cold back from Giraffe Laugh.  It was a really good day.

Little by Little

One of the many amazing things about Mom is how she can rally for an event.  After an incredibly difficult 4 days, she was still able to doll up for Dad's birthday BBQ and enjoy a small dinner with some great people.  The pain did come on again during dinner but she did the right thing and went back to lay down.  The day after proved to be a bit better than the 4 previous which is a good sign that she's on the upswing. 

power of babies

pam and lindsey mattson

twin hair styles

Mom started the new treatments on Friday and it hit her harder than most of the previous.  She spent the weekend in bed with a lot of nausia.  The pain has increased substantially do to the tumors in her liver and she's still trying to understand how to get a handle on that with the number of medications they have perscribed.  As always she is powering through though and finding the energy to be a gracious host.  She was able to join us for dinner last night to visit with Lynette and Lindsey and she thoroughly enjoyed it.  Who doesn't love holding something as adorable as that?  Today, is about rest and relaxation before we host another dinner, tonight, for Dad's birthday.   We'll keep you posted on how it goes.

A night out with the parents

Bruce and Pam took her parents, Marv and JoAnn, out to dinner. They went to the recently rebuilt Barbacoa and reported having a delicous dinner and a very fun evening.

Bruce's Supercub

My Dad recently finished flying the required solo hours in his gorgeous new supercub. This means he is cleared to take passengers. During her first ride, my Mom said she started crying before the wheels left the ground, she was so filled with joy and excitement for my Dad.

Hawaii

Mom's Aprons at Work

Our friends, Isa and Vincent, got married yesterday and had the reception at their "new" home.  They have spent the past 2 years remodeling their casa that was originally built in the 1800s.    While everyone was enjoying drinks on the patio, Isa and I did a little prep in the kitchen together.

Pam turns 60

I arrived in Boise late afternoon on May 12th; Mom's birthday.  The driveway was filled with cars, which surprised me and Scott.  Turned out that the Bogus Basin crew had surprised Mom by showing up with the biggest cake ever made.  They are always doing such wonderful things for Mom and I doubt they know how much it means to all of us.  It was great to arrive to so many happy faces, and see Mom already celebrating.

The evening was calm, with a small family dinner.  The big surprise was that Dad will be taking her to Hawaii. It is the first time for them both and I know she's excited because she went straight out and bought 3 swimsuits. --Getting there is half the fun.

The following day, we celebrated Elsinore's first birthday with friends and then that same weekend we had another Birthday celebration for Mom, that included her entire family.  We had the party out at Jodi and Ival's new property.  They have set up a sheep herders tent so they can sleep out there when they want some peace.  They offered it up for Mom and Dad that night and Ival even had an outhouse ordered.  It was a raining day and evening, which somehow made the party more adventurous and fun but really made the camping experience special for Mom and Dad.  The fresh air and sound of rain on the tent seemed to give Mom one of the best nights sleep she has had in a long time.  It was a very special gift.

Prior to the big day, Mom had had a month of fatigue and colds.  She also had a fluid that was filling the outside of her lungs and the doctors had to drain it.  It's a painful procedure and we all hated that she had to go through it.  The fluid will continue to come back but when I spoke with her yesterday she noted that it is moving a lot slower.  It doesn't sound like they will have to do anything before her trip to Hawaii.  (Yes!).  If it does fill up, they may have to consider surgery this time.  If that happens, I'll be sure to post the details.  

Every day is a new day of challenges for Mom but she takes it with the same grace and gratitude for the good stuff that she always has.  I think she really enjoyed her weekend of turning 60 and I know she will have a wonderful and relaxing time in Hawaii. 

In the party dress Grandma gave her

Party Party Party