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Colin

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Friday, December 12 ,2008

Merry Christmas month everyone!

A whirlwind of a week has left us ….well…..a bit weary! How about you?  We’ve had a performance to attend nearly every night this week.  Colin’s Jazz Choir, Panache performed at Zoolights, School and Crestview this week.  He is loving this!  Chloe’s Winter performance was last night at her school and Ron’s Jazz Express big band had a concert last weekend and also this Sunday they are performing at our Church.  Whew!

 Panache sounded great at Zoolights and seemed very relaxed.  Microphones helped!  Chloe fell in love with Samudra, the new baby elephant at our Zoo.  He is a ‘mama’s boy’.  Maybe elephants are instinctively this way in the wild as well.  He literally moves with his mama and stays underneath her! 

One evening last week, after Colin’s choir performed, we found ourselves walking in Multnomah Village.  Santa Claus was out and about that very same evening.  Colin, the true holiday boy(he starts celebrating in July) was shy and just shook Santa’s hand.  On the other hand….Santa asked Chloe, “What do YOU want for Christmas?”  SHE WAS READY FOR THIS.

“I want a Goat, A Pig, A Dog or a Camera!”.  Santa did a double-take.  (Yes he did) and replied, “Wait a minute…..what doesn’t belong here?”  …..”OH, he continued…maybe you need a camera to take a picture of the Goat, the Pig and the Dog!”   You are silly he said and shook her hair up!  She giggled , delighted that she unleashed her desire to …Santa!  WOO HOO!

There you have it.  She wants a Goat.  Are you kiddin me? 

 Colin has a letter for Santa but hasn’t yet given it to me to mail.  He told Chloe not to ask for so much.(oh wise one)

Times are tough.  All our business’s are effected this year by the economy.  None of us are immune to losing our job or knowing someone that has or will.

And yet, as I sat listening to the Fourth graders sing and teach us about Christmas traditions around the world last night , I couln’t help but think ….even way back in the last chair, last row. …..how incredibly grateful I was to be THERE at that moment…instead of somewehre else.  Chloe had a narrative which she memorized and delivered last night with confidence and a giggle. 

Also, upon going through some Christmas cards saved from last year, I came upon one from Grandpa Nick that he sent me.  He signed it ‘Love always, Old Nick…Santa Clause”.  For many years , Nick did play the role of Santa for children….not just mine. 

And so I dedicate this blog to Nick Watts today.  Thanks from the World!!!

After all, its not just anyone who can sign a card, “Santa Clause” ….and mean it.(Colin has been wearing your old Santa hat at some of his performances…..and so the beat goes on)

Peace out,

Dana

Cont’d…….

Chloe wrote a blog and then it got eaten up in blogworld somehow. 

Guess some of you are safe for one more night….she revealed which family members snore, which ones drown her while swimming, who annoys and what we did tonight.

Stay tuned…..

mama

December 3, 2008

All is well here.  Chloe expressed a wish to write the blog tonight, but didn’t show up for the cause.  Go figure!

She and Colin were away the past week visiting family in the Eugene area while Grandma Lee and Grandpa Sam were here from Colorado.   ‘Tis good to see what is going on with others and the everyday lives they lead.  Aunt Tami’s Church  had quite a bit to teach Colin and Chloe.  They had fun acting out what they saw/heard there.

 Getting back into the swing of school and Colin’s enormous choir schedule the next couple of weeks has us running.  Oh ….she has returned and wants to say something….Chloe….g’head….say what you need to say.

dana

Tuesday, Nov 18th.

Chloeisms abound all around.  Dana and Chloe were discussing a recent show about relationships, and the question came up, “What would you like as a quality in someone you will marry?”   

Before I give you her answer I need to preface it with a little background.  You all know that Chloe met her first TV celebrity, Dave Ramsey.  Well, in one of the Financial Peace University lessons Dave tells of his sister who was a goat roper.  That’s the girl version of a calf roper in a rodeo.  Well, in order to train for her event they bought a goat and named it Practice.  Ol’ Practice was roped and tied so many times that he lost his will to go on.  He would almost stop and lie down in the spot he was usually jerked to a stop by the girls’ rope.   

Back to Chloe.  “What would you like as a quality in someone you will marry?”   Her answer?….  “I’m gonna marry someone who has a goat.”  She’d really like Practice so she could help him get his will back, but since that’s not going to happen she’d be just as happy with one that she could help grow into a unicorn or something equivalent.  Ya gotta love her thought process. 

It’s such a pleasure to be able to write about something other than medical news even though that is what brought us all together.  Just a thought, but, wouldn’t it be great to be able to stay together and lose the medical needs…   

Be well and have a wonderful Thanksgiving Season.  We will! 

Blessings,

Ron, Dana, Colin and Chloe

Friday November 14, 2008 The Sun Is Shining Bright Today

Bring it on!  More of this November Sun!  Woo-hoo!  There, now that is out of my system we can move on to the latest newsworthy items.

Chloe’s Make-a-wish dream to meet Harry Potter /Cast and JK Rowling has come to a standstill.  Seems the cast is filming and under contract till December 2010. This interprets to them not being able to ‘meet’ a wish person/talk publicly.  All filming/big premiere is happening in the UK which is a remote journey for a Make a Wisher to travel to.(Wishes are granted in the U.S typically…I refuse to say only)  Chloe will be reinterviewd for yet another wish.    She wants a puppy but see’s that as an ‘easier’ wish to accomplish on our own.  I think she’s leaning toward an adventure.  It still looks like it will be Harry Potter related.  She just isnt willing to give up.  Isn’t that NOT a surprise?

She HAS mentioned wanting to meet Barack Obama in the White House BECAUSE he read Harry Potter with his daughter(s) .  Chloe heard about this and a  notion for a possible wish began to bubble within her.It would have surprised me, this wish except for a moment I witnessed.  She arrived home from school a coupla weeks ago….only to Yell at the top of her lungs to someone across the street “GO BARACK” and slam the door when her ‘opponent’ tried to yell a support of HIS choosing.  She just wouldn’t listen.  SLAM.  The door shook the house and she giggled with elation.  Obviously, she was tickled with her public display of ‘speech’ freedom.

I did mention this to the Make-a-Wish manager and he told me a little tidbit.  During election night, just before his acceptance speech, Barack Obama did grant a wish to someone.  Chloe smiled when she heard this.

Birthdays are aplenty around here lately.  Ron’s granddaughter Violet turned one on Halloween and then November 10…a NEW granddaughter made her entrance.  Megan Cassidy!  My Aunt Louise turned 92 this week in Georgia.  Chloe and I called and sang Happy Birthday.  Grandma Lee has a birthday Nov 20 and will be here before THANKSGIVING for a visit.  Ron’s Birthday is Nov 21 and a potluck with friends will be on the agenda.  Ivey turns 8 Thanksgiving (yep, she was born on the very day so we just celebrate it as such)  The last day of November is a day I enjoy as my own birthday.  Thank goodness we are all here.   I know there are more Nov birthdays I may have left out….forgive me.  Oh and one is imminent.  Our neighbors are soon to be first time parents.  WE CAN”T WAIT !!

Ok, that’s the light side of life.  Now for the darker side.  I suppose because of the ‘fit’ I pitched regarding Chloe’s MRI surprise(a contrast MRI meaning a needle poke and her case it was 3, very painful ones…the bruises were not pretty)…the Hospital copied EVERY diagnostic test on disc as well as paper copied and sent them to me.

Chloe had a chance to ‘view’ her body in contrast last weekend in detail.  She looked at her barium x-rays, the weighted feeding tube in her stomach, to her first MRI which spotted the culprit tumor to the last MRI which indeed showed us what is left.  It appears to be about 50%.    The paperwork informs us the tumor was once 15x15mm and is now approx 8×9 mm and felt to be stable.  From my perspective which is only reading dental x-rays , It appears as if one side of the tumor was reduced by 1/2.  I suppose it is related to the view of the scan.  I’m thinking the part which was not reduced was to close to the actual brainstem;perhaps even wrapped behind it.

Odd to read about Chloe having a “Craniotomy”.   She was absolutely fascinated to see what we’ve been telling her.  Now she has a visual tool.  Last night she laughingly said “Fred is dead….well he can stay as long as he wants but he can’t grow but…he is kinda cute!…no really…he is.

  Colin wanted to see the ‘tumor’ too.  “IT”, after all moved into his world as well.  He keeps a positive outlook on ALL experiences.

Colin has amazing news.  He was nominated for and accepted for Allstate Choir in Eugene.  It will be held January 16.This is quite an honor.  He is very excited and wants to attend so I’ve taken a notion to ask him ways to work towards making his own money to help fund this amazing adventure.  This is a way to make this of TRUE and lasting value.  He’s thinking it over and will get back to me.  This honor also happened for his Dad when I think he was 16 as a highschooler.  Colin has a really beautiful voice.  White Christmas is a song he likes to sing…..even in July.

Peace out(stolen from my co-worker…I just love this saying.)

dana

Tuesday, Nov 4th:

Here’s a follow-up on Saturday with Dave Ramsey. 

The way this all came about was interesting.  Since I sold enough tickets for the event, Dana and I were upgraded to VIP seating.  Knowing how much she wanted to be able to speak with Dave, I asked my contact person, Tammy Kornberg, if I could trade the two VIP tickets for one Platinum ticket for Dana.  That would get her in to the pre-event dinner and meeting with Dave.  Tammy asked if she was that big of a D.R. fan, to which I said, “You wouldn’t believe it.”  Here’s where some misunderstanding occurred. 

Tammy, thinking I meant ‘Chloe, not Dana,’ called back and said she spoke with Dave and he wanted to meet the Three of us backstage during the break.  Chloe wasn’t even going at this point but I said yes for her.  When we asked if she’d like the chance to meet Dave Ramsey it was all over.  We couldn’t back out then!  ‘Giddy as a schoolgirl’ is a phrase I probably didn’t really understand before seeing her reaction.  So I bought a single VIP ticket and our plans were set. 

During the first part of the event Chloe couldn’t sit still.  She was laughing and very focused on the talk at hand.  If you haven’t seen Dave’s live event you have to imagine Robin Williams on Sugar.   

Then the break came and so did a couple of Dana’s friends… to talk.  Well, we were supposed to meet Tammy some ten minutes after the break.  This would give Dave some time to himself.  While Dana talked to her friends I watched my watch and Chloe danced around, even though she and Dana had taken a quick trip to the restroom a few minutes earlier. 

Tammy showed up so I dragged the two of them off.  Just like some important people, Tammy brought us past the guards and railings to the backstage area.  Too bad it was a little dark but it was going to work just fine.  Heather, Dave’s direct assistant, gave us our directions and we waited for HIM to show up.  Chloe jumped around and was as excited as she could get.  Tammy was a fine hostess as we waited. 

Finally the door opened and out came Dave, with a shopping bag in his hand.  He went straight to Chloe, stooped down and introduced himself.  He gave her the bag and said, “This is something we’d like for you to have.”  It was a complete Junior Financial Peace University Kit.   

The two them were focused directly on each other in a very special meeting.  After a few minutes Dave stood and introduced himself to Dana and me.  Dana was able to give him her special thanks for the Financial Peace University.  Without her getting her finances in line, she would not have been able to spend the time with Chloe at the hospital, without completely destroying herself financially.   

After a couple autographs, and a hug for Chloe, he was off to return to the stage and we were escorted back to our seats like royalty.  Dave Ramsey has our highest respect.  This is something that will stick with Chloe the rest of her life.  And, although she likes to say she shook the hand of a ten millionaire, I believe it is Dave who shook the hand of, a future, ten millionaire. 

Blessings,

Ron

November 4, 2008 Presidental Election!!!!! WOOO HOOO!!!

Hi again,

It’s now 9:21 pm.  Barack Obama has won the election and his daughters will move into the White House with a puppy!!!

On Saturday I met Dave Ramsey!!!!!  He’s AWESOME!!  I liked him, a lot. He asked me , “ARe you married yet?” and I told him, “Not quite, but soon”.  At the very end of his event here, he mentioned that he met ME backstage.  It was cool.

Mama told me that the peoples from Make a wish called and wanted Mama to interview me about my wish.  It sounds like they are working on my Harry Potter dream….I want to meet the whole cast and JK Rowling.

I’ll talk to ya later, goodnight.

Chloe

Monday November 3, 2008

Chloe had an amazing, exciting event occur this weekend!  I want to give her the opportunity to share it her way first before I spill any beans.

And another, big , BIG thing is happening that she has yet to know……..

Plus, the little baby I wrote about, “Prana” was released from Legacy Emanuel just 2 days ago.  Thanks for thinking of her too!

Stay tuned,

Dana