Rachell Turns 24!

My birthday this year was quite entertaining!

My birthday was on Friday and I honestly had no clue what Brian was doing for me.  He wouldn't tell me anything and I stopped asking.  Normally I bug him over and over and over and over again to tell me what he has planned...but he always gives in.  He hasn't realized yet that I don't want him to actually tell me what the plan is - I just want to bug him about it.  But he always tells me!  Then I'm disappointed that I know about it.  So I decided that this year I wouldn't bug him about it and then it would be a surprise this year!

So - I was sitting at my Master's class the Wednesday before my birthday and I get an email.  It was a break in class, so like any normal person.  I looked at it.  This is what I saw.

So I knew that by the email he had bought me a kindle paperwhite.  Which is a freaking awesome gift for me because I love to read and its great for him because I won't have to use my ridiculously bright light at night when he is trying to sleep!  So I forward the email to Brian and he denies EVERY THING!  When I got home, he wouldn't tell me anything or give any indication that he had actually bought one!  He was so convincing  that I was feeling crazy and maybe I was so bored at class that I actually made up the email???? NO!  I had to stick to my guns and I knew he had it...but he wouldn't give it to me!  So this was my attitude for the next two days!

When I woke up on my birthday - he left me a note saying that since I had ruined the surprise, I then had to search for my gift.  He only told me that it was in our bedroom.  Thank goodness that he narrowed it down to the 2nd floor...otherwise it would have taken me forever!

I found the kindle right away in one of his shoeboxes.  Easy. And I told him so....he replied that I would never find the case because he hid it too good. 

I was sitting on the bed when I read his text and was thinking where was the best hiding spot.....hmmmm.....30 seconds later I sent him this picture. 

He chose a pretty good place - behind the artwork!  But since he told me it would be "impossible" to find....I found it right way.  He wasn't too happy.  But I loved my gift!  He knows me so well.

The following night we went out to dinner with friends and family and then played games at Dave and Busters.  It was a great weekend!

Welcome to Summer!

To celebrate the start of summer and the end of the school year, my family decided to go on a Kayak Trip on the Buffalo National River in AR. 

We had always talked about wanting to try out kayaking...so my parents took the initiative and bought kayaks and we decided to go!

We went over to their house and dry-loaded the kayaks with all the camping materials to make sure we could fit everything and then we tried them out on the pond behind my parents house. 

I was worried because I have the WORST balance and I was afraid I would tip over every 2 seconds...but....Everything went great and we were super excited to try it out on the river! 

So we left out early (we left Johnathan and Ashley at home because Ashley was 8 months pregnant!) and headed down to the river.  We bought our fishing licenses and got on the river.

I was right....I flipped within a few minutes. Then as my Dad tried to avoid me - he flipped too.  So we spend the first hour of our trip dumping water out of the kayaks.....hahaha

But we eventually got the hang of it and it was a freaking blast!

The scenery was beautiful and it was amazing!  I found out quick that if I lead the way and just went down the rapids - I had a much better chance of not tipping over than if I tried to follow someone else's path.  But that doesn't mean we didn't flip.  It happened about 8 more times over our whole group...me more than anyone else.  I knew balance would be an issue! :)  We almost killed my parents chihuahua a few times...but the little puppy ended up holding his own!  Way to go little guy!

We camped out two nights and had some freaking good food!  Props to my mom for planning some delicious meals!

 On the third day....Brian got a text from my brother, Johnathan, saying "Ashley is in labor.  Come home now!"

Well - the service on the river sucks!  And we didn't know if he was joking or if he was being serious.  We finally got a hold of him and she was in labor!  Of course the little one chose prime time to meet us all!  So we started booking it!  We were paddling quick trying to reach our take out point faster in order to leave for home that night instead of the next day.  We thought she would be in labor for a while and then we would be able to make the four hour drive home in time to be there to support them. 

We made it to the take out point and had to wait on them to deliver the vehicles but we were finally on our way home!  Too bad little munchin decided not to wait for us to drive back...little River was born!

She is so stinking cute!  She is now the highlight of our family and we love her! 

Welcome to the family little one!  Way to end our trip with a bang!

Needless to say - it was a wonderful kick off to my summer.

Bedroom Remodel

In February, we finally finished our second big remodel in our house! 

When we first moved into our house, we moved our bedroom into the master bedroom on the main floor.  But, we did have a second level of our house that was dedicated to another master bedroom with its own bathroom and small closets.  So for the first 10 months or so while we did the basement remodel, the upstairs was just an empty room.

The door straight ahead in the previous picture lead to the attic space.  The doors in the wall on the left above were the small closets.  There is a bathroom opposite the attic that you cannot see (we seem to have lost some pictures).....

 The first thing we did was add a floor to the attic space that will be come the walk in closet (we covered up the old closets)

Then came walls, insulation, electrical and drywall.

Then Brian handmade the shelving for the closet.  He cut out everything and assembled it according to the plans we developed together.  

This is the after picture with it all finished, painted and closet rods are in.  The picture is from my side - so Brian also has this set up on his side as well. 

 

A few months later.......

Brian built the drawers for the built-ins.  (there are handles on them now!)

This is the view from standing in front of the bathroom facing the closet.  Notice how the old closets are gone and covered up.  Brian did make the sliding door apparatus.  It was a PAIN but they are super cool and we love them.  We feel that it makes the room feel more open. 

The view of the finished bed (like the accent wall??) and the bathroom that also has the sliding door. 

 This is the finished bathroom.  There used to be two entry ways (lost the picture) but it was really awkward and stupid.  So I re-tiled the whole bathroom and repainted.  We changed the vanity top/fixtures and added the shower curtain instead of the glass doors.  The glass doors were only 5' tall, so Brian was adamant to change them because he would get decapitated every time he took a shower if he didn't. :)

It was a lot more work than we were planning - but we LOVE it!  It's our little oasis and I'm so glad we waited to move up there until it was done the way we wanted it to be. The last step was the air conditioner addition.  Since the room is basically surrounded by attic space...it was HOT up there...so we got a portable air conditioner to add in there.  5000x more comfortable now.

Overall, it was completely worth it.  Especially since we did the majority of it the two weeks before Brian spent a week in the hospital for his lung. Yeah - he's an overachiever! Super proud of everything he made though, it looks and functions amazing!

Off to the Races...as the DRIVER!

In the past 7 months that Brian has worked for Burns and McDonnell, we have really benefited from the great job.  But there also comes quite a few perks as well....one that has especially stood out is when his company provided us the opportunity to drive on the new track at the Kansas City Speedway!

The email told him when to show up and we would just sit in line and then be able to drive on the speedway for a few laps.   We were only supposed to go 45 mph...so we debated if it was worth going - but we went anyway.

-------------------------------  Round One --------------------------------

We went up the first weekend and Brian was stoked! (I admit it - so was I)

 When we got to the front of the line...he was jumpy excited....and the guy noticed that Brian almost had a flat tire!!!!!!! UGH!!!! It was too dangerous to drive on the track so we over to NTB across the road and got the tire patched...but by the time they finished - it was too late to be able to drive on the track...so we drove all the way home.

------------------------------------- Round Two! ------------------------------------

The next weekend; we tried again.  And this time - we were successful!  We ended up going through the line four times...and the 45 mph was NOT enforced!  So Brian got up to 97mph!  It was a freaking blast!!!

 We were shocked how much of an incline it was! It was a super fun night (sorry, the videos wouldn't upload)!  Totally worth the drive to the Legends twice

Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!

So...its been a while. As I am creating and updating my craft blog, I realize that I have neglected my personal blog.  My last update was MARCH!  Holy freaking crap - time flies!

First update - the aquarium visit!

Sometime this past school year Brian and I decided to take a day off of work to have a date day.  Since it was about 4 months ago...I don't remember everything we did - but we did get to go to the new aquarium at Crown Center!  We had been wanting to go for a while, and we needed some time together and a break from the work world - so we went. 

Here is some of our pictures....

This little guy was really friendly!  He kept coming up on the side and splashing everywhere!

This guy was CREEPY and HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Totally not a fan.  He is gross. Ew. Nasty. 

Overall, it was a really great day and we had a lot of fun together!

The best part of the day was after the aquarium, we were at crown center and I was trying to convince Brian to go to Lego Land that was just next door!  While at the aquarium, they had little legos in the water (like the little fishy below) and it really inspired me to go!

Brian didn't want to go - he said we would be the only adults there and he wouldn't budge.  I wanted to show him pics of what stuff we would be able to see there, so I pulled up the website to show him the pictures....and there was a statement saying "Persons over the age of 18, must be accompanied by a child."...or something like that. So not only would we be the only people there with out kids - they wouldn't even let us in unless we did have kids!  Ugh.  I had to tell Brian he was right...dumb.

It was still a fun day together!

Fun Times

Oh buddy....what whirlwind life has been lately. 

First off,  Brian has been cleared with a full bill of health!!! YEAH!!! He has had his followup with the surgeon and the pulmonologist and they both cleared him of any fluid left in his chest cavity! We were very thrilled. 

School has been going great.  I started a new educational system with my freshmen (check it out here) and it has been so successful!! I am a huge fan of how it is working out and it has not only made my life easier with less grading to do at home, but i really feel like I have been working more with my kids and they are comprehending more than just the normal set up of a classroom.  If you are interested in what I do in my classroom, keep an eye on that blog for updates. 

As for today - HAPPY EASTER every one!  I hope everyone is enjoying a day filled with fun with your families.  We on the other hand are being productive today.  (ish) Brian is doing work around the house - which he hasn't done in over a month!  I finished up my last post in my master's current master's class and am doing chores while updating both of my blogs.  We did bring in the holiday with some great fun with friends. 

Friday I was able to have lunch with Brian and his work buddies and I finally got to see his office!  Holy crap, my husband is a grown up dude!  He has a cubicle (with no personality!) and he works in a huge building that has its own cafeteria, gym and heath center! Its nuts.  But it was cool to see him in his daily environment.

Then we had some old friends come over and hang out friday night.  This pretty much summarizes the night. 

Oh - and going on a walk with the puppies at midnight and Jack getting loose and then watching/laughing at Brian while he chased the get away puppy.  No worries, we got him back safe and sound.

So that led to Saturday where we slept on the couch and were complete and utter BUMS all day!  It was fabulous. 

Saturday night we went over to Taryn & Andrew's for our mostly-sometimes-depends-on-the-season-weekly game night.  We played Quelf.  Now, if you have never played this game - you need to.  It is so freaking hilarious and we almost die laughing everytime.  Basically - this is what to expect. 

Yes - that is a piece of paper taped to my forehead and that is aluminum foil over my hand.  Its entertaining to say the least.

Well Andrew went to bed a like a normal person and we stayed up and started talking about educational technology...transitioned into educational reform....transitioned into politics......transitioned into religion.....transitioned back to politics.....transitioned into personal beliefs....transitioned into what is wrong with society...(this is where I couldn't keep my eyes open any more and fell asleep on the couch)...but Taryn and Brian kept talking and needless to say - we didn't get home until 6:30 this morning.  So we slept - until 2pm when we finally got out of bed to face the world. 

Everyone wish us luck in our coming days to help us get back on a normal sleep schedule and to have a great coming week.  I hope every one else has a great day with family and that sets you up for a fantastic and productive week as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Update and THANK YOU!!!

So Brian and I are finally home from the hospital! We were discharged yesterday morning and were home just after noon. It was incredibly nice to be home!

The puppies obviously missed us, they were very hyper to see us, which is really odd because they normally don't freak out over us; just strangers. We had to hold them back from Brian because of his wounds from surgery but ally was quite determined to get some full body contact with him. (See picture below)

As for an update on Brian, he is doing pretty good. To catch you up..he did have surgery on Tuesday morning. They gave him an epideral for the pain before surgery and then he went in. They put him under anesthesia and tried to use the scope but it wasn't enough so they had to do the thorocotomy to get out the fluid. Then they "power-washed" (doctors exact words) his chest cavity to clean it out...then put 3 chest tubes in to drain all the excess fluid. The surgery took about 3hrs and then we still didnt see him for another 3 hrs because they were waiting for him to wake from anesthesia and trying to get the pain under control in the recovery room. When we finally saw him I was very relieved, it was nerve racking waiting!!! He got to keep the epideral in until Friday and he also got the chest tubes taken out too. So he was tube free on Friday and in good spirits. The only issues we had were managing the pain and the nausea caused by the pain meds.

He is still very sore and it's hard to move around but the pain meds they prescribed help. Before we left yesterday (was it really only yesterday?!?!?) they changed his dressing to a clear one that he could take off in 48hrs, they said by then it would be closed enough for showers/soap/water wouldn't cause any damage...but with the clear, that meant I could see his wounds. Now....don't get me wrong; I am not a squeamish person. Heck, I dissect cats in A&P and have no issues! But when it comes to Brian, I get all grossed out by the smallest cut that causes him any pain. So when I went to wash him down with the washcloths I saw the damage and was instantly freaked. He has a 5inch line on his shoulder blade from the thorocotomy...but he also had 3 HOLES (yes, literally HOLES, as in I CAN SEE INSIDE MY HUSBAND HOLES) in his side from the chest tubes. Of course I freak out and his first reaction is "I wanna see!!" So he went over to the mirror and was like "ewww" ya, don't have to tell me twice. And to make it worse, I had to change the dressing tonight and actually wash the nastiness. He better freaking love me for the gross things I do for him! Ha.

But this blog is not just for an update on Mr. Sickly...it is to thank everyone for the love and support that we received during out stint in the hospital.

First off, hats off to the people who came to the rooms and visited us, kept our bellies full of real food, spirits lifted and boredom levels low!

Mom and Dad, i cannot thank you enough. you have been there through the whole process and keeping me positive. You gave up your week off from school to hang out with me and keep my anxiety levels down. thanks for making me smile even when i felt like crying when he was under the needle. i love you mostest. I know Brian was grateful too because without you, he would have died from malnutrition from not eating nasty hospital food.

Charlene, thank you for risking the bad weather and staying in a hotel to be with us. I know Brian was incredibly grateful for you giving up your time to be there. You helped keep conversation positive and not focused on the "what-ifs" we really appreciate it.

Dave, thank you for coming up to visit. Even though it was short your cookies and card brought a sense of normalcy to the crazy week. :) I know Brian was excited because he told be about 500 times that you were planning on coming. The small gesture meant a lot.

A special thanks to Johnathan and Ashley for not only bringing us food at the hospital, visiting with him after the surgery, but most of all for staying at our place and watching our dogs. You are absolutely amazing and we are so grateful. Thank you for saving us money and keeping the dogs stress level manageable while we were gone. You have also fed us the past few nights and not having to worry about grocery shopping has made our lives so much easier.

To Mother Nature for allowing me to have snow days for Tuesday-Friday and allowing me the stress free environment to focus on my husband and not have to worry about what is happening at school. Also, thanks to Cassie Miller for helping me with sub plans Monday when we went to the emergency room. I really appreciate it.

Also to the countless friends and family who have showed their support via phone calls, texts and on Facebook. I couldn't possibly name you all but I hope you know that each "like" or "comment" really helped keep our spirits up. I promise I read them all to Brian so that he knew just how much he is loved.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now, time to get back to some sense of normalcy and a regular life. I hope everyone has a good week and know that our gratefulness of your efforts to show your love and support can never be expressed by a simple "thank you"

The Full Story

I know a lot of family has been following Brian's sickness on Facebook and I wanted to let everyone know the whole story about what is happening from the beginning.

It started about a month ago when Brian had the flu. We didn't take him to the doctor because we thought it was just a virus he had to ride out. He was home sick from work Monday-Thursday and went to work on Friday. Friday he came home and was completely drained and it was hard to breathe, this continued into Saturday. We decided it was time to take him to urgent care. At urgent care they did a chest X-ray and diagnosed him with a severe case of pneumonia. They gave him a z-pack, steroids, antibiotic shot and a breathing machine. He felt better but after all the meds were gone he still had back pain and trouble breathing (this was about 2 weeks after the appt with urgent care).

He had already scheduled a general yearly check up with his primary care physician (PCP) just over a week ago. Told him about the recurring symptoms and they did a CT scan. Then they called us the Monday after (last Monday) really early and told us to come in ASAP to review the results of the CT scan. The said they found fluid in is right lung but they were stumped because he wasn't "sick" with a fever or any other symptoms. Along with the fluid in his lung, they found enlarged lymph nodes and an enlarged spleen which told the doctors that there was some kind of inflammation but they didn't know what was causing the reaction. They took lots of blood to test and had him do another CT, but this time with contrast. They also set us up with an appt with a pulmonologist for Thursday.

The appt Thursday got postponed due to the winter storm to Friday...when we met with the doctor we actually got to see the CT an found out that it was not fluid in his lung, but actually fluid in between the linings of his lung and his chest cavity. A lot of fluid. This is what was causing him to have difficultly breathing because it wouldn't allow his right lung to expand fully. She was also stumped because he wasn't "sick" like he should have been. She finally put a name to the fluid, it's called an empiema. It normally happens with the elderly and when they come in to get diagnosed they are practically on their deathbed...and Brian was odd because he felt fine. Her and his PCP said that if his oxygen levels were lower or if he had a fever they would have admitted him to the hospital right then...but since he was fine he got to stay home but we had to watch him carefully for changes. Assuming nothing changed, we had an appt scheduled with the cardio thoracic surgeon Monday (today) at 3:30

Then he changed Sunday night, he was very fatigued and spiked a fever so we brought him to the emergency room to be safe. The ER looked him over and admitted him to the hospital. By the time we got in our room upstairs and out of the ER, it was about 3am this morning. Then he got the run down of questions, nurses, more questions, IV's of fluids and antibiotics, more nurses and more people checking him out. He's been pretty good all day and we finally got to meet with the surgeon About an hour ago (he has been doing a valve replacement all day)

The surgeon has scheduled surgery for 8:30 tomorrow morning. He plans on trying to get out the fluid as minimally evasive as possible by starting with a scope but he is highly doubtful it will work since the fluid has been in for 3 weeks and is probably very stringy and thick. So if the scope doesn't work, they will open him up for a thorocotomy (the same surgery they do to remove part of a lung) and will have to scrape out the gunk. So depending on how the surgery goes, that will determine how long he is in the hospital. They said to expect being here for the rest of the week.

Well, that's all we know for now...please everyone keep him in your positive thoughts for a good surgery and a healthy recovery. I will try to keep Facebook updated as we know more.

Thanks to all who have given us support during this we truly appreciate all the help and love.