Great Group

When Chris and I went to see Michael Buble in concert, we thought the opening band, Naturally 7, was just as entertaining. Here are a couple of videos you should check out.

I think it's amazing that the music you here is from their voices. No instruments. Crazy! I'd love to see them again.

Great White Hunters

The boys, ALL my boys, have been hunting this season. None have actually done the hunting. Mostly they go with Chris and sit next to him for a while. However, Logan was with Chris when he got an 11 point and a doe(during the same hunt), and Brayden was there when he got another doe. Cade hasn't gotten a deer yet, but has been squirrel hunting. He seems to really like that.

As you can see, Logan took it very seriously. Actually, he had a good time and did pretty well. He only said he was bored once!

Here's Brayden with his doe. He thought hunting was great. When he got home, he gave me a detailed account of the hunt. So I'm sure he will grow up to love hunting as much as Chris does.

Halloween

Sorry. I'm behind on keeping everyone updated. So here are the boys on Halloween. We went to our church's Fall festival a few days before Halloween and the boys got to trick or treat there. There were lots of games and sweets for them, so they had a ball. Then on Halloween we went to the local park where they had a "Trail of Treats." It was really cold and there were so many people there, but the boys got lots of candy and had a good time.

Health Update

I have no idea what is going on with my health. I have been feeling pretty well lately. I still have to take a short rest in the afternoons, and I am not going to run a marathon anytime soon. In August of 2007, I started getting really fatigued. Not just tired, but fatigued where I had to sit down for a couple of hours after only being up and around for a couple of hours. Then I started getting weaker to the point where I had a hard time lifting a gallon of milk. I couldn't walk for very long and then I started noticing slurred speech. I went to doctors and they didn't know what was going on. Fortunately, toward November I started feeling better. I never got back to my old self, but I could function and felt pretty good. Then, this past August it all came back only much worse. Chris grew very concerned and, since I started back to school this year, it was really taking a toll. In addition to all the old symptoms, it became harder to breathe and swallow. It never got to the point that I thought I needed hospitalization, it was just as if I was breathing through a straw. The doctors I'm seeing now have prescribed a medication that helps and for the past week or so, I haven't had to take it. Weird, right?

I'm supposed to have another appoinment with the neurologist on Dec. 3rd for a nerve conduction study. So we'll see what he has to say. He says that from his exam and my symptoms, he feels that what I have is myasthenia gravis. I've done some research on it and fortunately, it's a manageable disorder. For those interested, I found that the information found at www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/myasthenia_gravis/myasthenia_gravis.htm is very helpful. Also, the Mayo Clinic has some good info. That site is: www.mayoclinic.com/health/myasthenia-gravis/DS00375.

So for now, we'll see what happens.

Birthday Party

Brayden turned six a few days ago, and with everything going on, it snuck up on me. We had a small family party when our parents were out last weekend, but I wanted Brayden to have a party with friends. I just didn't want to have to do everything that comes with a party. So we had it at the local pizza place that is kind of like Chuck E. Cheese's. The kids had a great time. So here are a few pics:

There were A LOT of kids there. They ate lots of pizza, drank lots of soda, and had cake too. I'm sure they ran in circles once they got home! And here comes the wish....


One last picture, Brayden looks like he's in pain to me, when he has to smile for a picture. Have a look-

Fun Weekend

Last weekend, we had family in for a visit and Cade's baptism. My mom and little brother and Chris' parents all came in to see us. Chris has a friend who let us use his cabin with a pond nearby for them to stay in. It was so fun! The boys got in some good fishing in the pond. The fish wouldn't let the bobbers stay on the water for more than 20 seconds! It was just fish after fish after fish.

I think Logan had a better time catching the minnows, but this is a nice one. Cade just wanted to play football with my brother. Brayden is becoming quite the little angler. He can set the hook and real them in fast. This time they mostly caught bluegill, though they kept hoping for some bass.

After fishing for a while and some really good barbecue, we headed to church for Cade's baptism. Everything turned out really well and it was such a wonderful experience. It was something I don't think I'll ever forget. You could tell Cade just took everything in. I'm so glad our family was able to share in that with Cade. Here's just a couple of pics from that.

And here are the boys dressed up.

So handsome!

My Current Favorite Book

So my current favorite book is Persuasion, by Jane Austen. I know, I know. If I'm going to read Jane Austen, my favorite should be Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility. But I like Persuasion because the plot appeals to me in a way the others don't. The main character, Anne, is a good person, has sad things happen to her, yet she goes on with her life and tries to be useful and kind. If I were stomped on all the time by my family, I don't think I could be so patient as this character seems to be. She gets down and probably depressed, but she keeps going and has a happily ever after.

The thing I like about Austen's books is that the characters are so real. When reading something of hers, you think of someone you know who is like that particular character. Haven't we all me a Mrs. Bennet? Maybe you're a Marianne, or an Elizabeth. There's no gothic drama or intense passages. I lose patience with some of the more dramatic literature of that time, because some of it gets ridiculous. Austen just describes life as it was. I also like how she shows the favorable outcomes of someone adhering to one's own personal standards. And she shows what happens when one throws morals and standards out the window. In the case of Anne in Persuasion, she follows what she feels is right and is unhappy for a long time. But eventually everything turns around when Wentworth comes to value Anne's quiet strength of purpose and belief. I hope to be like that.