HAPPY EASTER!!



I made my annual voyage to the beach for Easter Sunrise photo shoot. 

Unfortunately, I was absent my Best Friend. Brian is in Illinois with my mom for radiation.

While the sunset was pretty it doesn't compare to the ones we have seen the last two years when we were able to go to the beach together. Brian will be home soon and maybe we can go together to get better sunrise pictures.

 

A yummy Mac n' Cheese with a kick recipe

There is a story that goes along with this recipe but I will keep it short. Brian and I ordered dinner from Famous Daves BBQ in IL when we were there this last time. As one of my sides I ordered Mac N' Cheese and thought I would get a standard Mac n' Cheese. I was wrong.. and at first I was disappointed but it turned out to be the best Mac n' Cheese I've had in a long time. When we got home I had to try it and so here is my version of this spicy goodness.

Ingredients

1 Package creamy Kraft Mac N' Cheese
1 8 oz. brick of sharp cheddar cheese grated
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped jalepeno slices
1/2 cup half n half


Prepare Mac N' Cheese according to package directions adding the corn to the pasta as it cooks. Once prepared return to medium heat and add 1/2 cup of half n half. Let cook for 5 minutes until pasta is heated through out. Add chopped jalepeno and grated cheddar and stir until well blended.

This can also be turned into a casserole by adding diced chicken and sprinkling french fried onions or panko bread crumbs over the top and baking for 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I have made this as a side dish and a casserole. I totally love it both ways. I think adding a little of the juice from the jalepeno's will add just a little more kick...

Enjoy!

Second trip of 2011...

Well we are home again, back from our second trip to Illinois for 2011. It was an ok trip without any hospital stays. Though, Brian did stay in the hospital almost the entire week prior to the trip.


Brian had a CT scan which shows tumors in his Sacrum. I had never heard of this body part so I of course had to Google it. Apparently this is part of the pelvic region of the bone structure. Brian’s groin and hip pain is caused from these tumors.


Brian had the same chemo on Thursday February 17, 2011. The Dr. had the Carboplatin administered over 2 hours rather than one so that maybe Brian would not have the same reaction. Unfortunately, Brian did have the same reaction but not quite as severe. He was able to go back to the hotel room and get the pain under control. We will be talking to the Dr. about this further next visit in March.

We also saw the Radiation Oncologist while in Illinois. He actually showed me the films of Brian’s tumors and I can now look at them and kind of know what I am looking for when scanning a disk. I am by no means a diagnostician when it comes to looking at these films. Anyway, Brian is going to be scheduled for 15 rounds of radiation to his Sacrum to help get rid of the pain. We will go from there.

Tumor counts keep going up. We are not sure how many are in his liver, but they have grown since September last year. The largest tumor is 4.5 centimeters. He has the tumor on the right side of his skull that has been radiated and seems stable. He also has one on the left side of his skull that has begun to bother him. He has tumors in his ribs both on the right and left side. There are tumors in his upper and lower spine and a large tumor in his left femur. Some of the tumors in his spine are growing toward his spinal cord where others are not. This is one of the things I learned from looking at the scans with the Radiation Oncologist. We really liked Dr. Chang, he took time to look at the scans and show us/me what we were looking at.

Anyway, this is our update for February. We are looking forward to our trip to Texas the first week of March. This will be an actual vacation before Brian goes and starts his next round of chemo and the 3 weeks of radiation.


Thanks to everyone for the prayers and well wishes. We really do appreciate you all.

Update on Brian

Update on Brian: The bone scan revealed a new tumor in his leg. The Dr. decided that since this cancer is not behaving like a typical carcinoid cancer and is moving much faster than the diagnosis suggests and he is going to be more aggressive with the chemo. The new chemo was started today and we would be scheduled to come back in 3-4 weeks for the next treatment.




Unfortunately Brian's body did not accept this treatment well and he is being admitted to the hospital here. He reacted to the chemo with excruciating pain from the neck to the tailbone and was having chest pain. The Dr.'s are keeping him overnight to monitor the pain and pain meds to make sure that is manageble so he can go home. So, our trip home has been postponed and we do not know if he will be continuing this chemo next month. I hope to be able to talk to the Dr. tomorrow to get answers to that question.


As for the new tumor in his leg; Brian is at risk of breaking a hip or his left femur because the tumor has weakened the bones. So when we get back to Florida there will be additional radiation in his future.

January... What does the new year bring?

Well its January and everyone is busy looking at the credit card bills, their waistlines and setting New Year resolusitons. I somehow managed to lose 10 pounds in December, managed not to create more debt, and have yet to make a New Year resolution. I'm hoping now that I don't find the 10 pounds in January. I think if I were making a New Year resolution it would be to communicate better and to finish things I start. Having follow through might just help to relieve some of my stress...


Anyway, I wanted to let everyone know that Brian and I are headed to Illinois on the 18th and will be back home on the 21st. Maggie will be staying with Charlie while we are out of town and we are very greatful to her for being here. This trip comes 3 months after our last trip so there will be new scans and hopefully very good news.


Brian is doing well and enjoying his chair a lot. It helps him to be part of the family rather than being stuck in the bedroom in bed all the time. I really think it was the best purchase of 2010.


Happy New Year to everyone. We love and miss you lots.


BS!

What December Brings

December has brought Joy and Happiness to our family along with a few obstacles. But before I go into December I want to remember the Joy's of November. As usual I am behind in blogging... Somethings will never change!


On November 20th we gained a Niece and a Nephew. We want to welcome you both, Justin and Dailynn, to the family though you have been part of the family for quite some time.



December Obstacles first... On December 14th Brian was admitted to the hospital with Pneumonia. It was a mild case and he was out of the hospital by Friday afternoon. We are very happy to have him home again.

December Happiness... We will officially be celebrating Brian's 42nd birthday on Tuesday. However, the festivities began on Friday when I bought him a much needed recliner with built in heat and massage. He will no longer have to go off to the bedroom by himself in the dark when he needs to lay down. He can be in the living room with everyone else enjoying our company. He won't be cold in it for sure and it has a cubby that holds ice packs for cold drinks.

December Joy... On December 15th we welcomed Riley and Reagan Koehler to our ever growing family. They are beautiful and I cannot wait to see them and the rest of the Koehler family in February!!  Maybe more than the Koehler's can join.




AND since I probably won't post again for another month I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR early.


Love you all!!

In Loving Memory

Frances Dee Nelson April 21, 1961 ~ October 28, 2010

 

 

As I sit here typing this up it occurs to me that I don't have that many memories of Dee. At least not until about 7 years ago. I'm not sure if it is because he was so much older than me or if maybe my mind is just blank right now. I miss him and I wish our relationship had been better through out the years.

Memories I have of Dee...

I remember he was there when I was born. Actually, I don't remember that, but I do remember hearing him tell me about it. He was 15 and apparently as anxious as a father to be. He was very proud to have a new little sister.

I remember him staying up all night and creating a solar system for one of my science projects in school. It was enormous! I had to have help carrying it.  I wish I could remember what grade he got me for it.

I remember when the majority of these pictures were taken. Mom and I had planned a trip to Oregon in August/September 2003 to see Dee and Katrina. We hadn't seen them for a few years and our relationship was mending. We had such a great week driving up and down the coast and seeing how much their lives had changed. I am so grateful that when his life came together he and Katrina had found a place to call home where they could be safe and happy together. 

Honesty this week has some of the best memories I have of my brother. One of the nights we were there we walked out to the ocean from the camp grounds where they lived and worked. The wind was blowing so hard and it was really cold. Dee was determined he was going to light a fire for me on the beach. There was no way you could light anything in that wind. It took a while but he finally gave up. It was funny to watch him try though.

Another night we sat inside their house watching Pink Floyd concerts and listening to Robin Williams and George Carlin do stand up. We had brought some comedy CD's with us for the drive to Oregon and listened to them while driving up and down the coast that week. He loved to laugh and his laugh was distinctive. When he was laughing you knew it was him and that he was enjoying himself.

 

 

 

He was just like Grandpa. He loved to build things. These are some of the places he spent the last 10 years of his life building. They are part of the legacy he leaves. As long as these buildings remain we will have a part of who he was and what he loved.







 













Mom took these pictures when Katrina was putting salve on his sores. In true Dee fashion he had to give the camera at least one bird so why not two or three.

Mom tells the story of this picture better than I. Could be because she was there to take the picture. Since she's not here I'll have to do it.

You see the little blue horns sticking out from behind his head??? Well, that is a butterfly Kat had on the wall. You can't tell that from this picture though. All Mom could see were the wings sticking out like horns. She just had to get a picture. It was part of the sense of humor that both Mom and Dee shared.

When Mom called to tell us that Dee was being placed on Hospice we decided we would rather celebrate his life while he was there than to go out after. These are pictures of our last visit. We are so grateful to have been able to spend just a little more time with Dee before he passed. Brian and Dee had only met once before this visit.

























Rest In Peace Dear Brother

I am inviting anyone who knew Dee to share their memories with us by posting a comment to this post.

I will be printing these and giving them to his wife who took such great care of him both before and after he became sick.

Their love for each other lives on forever.