Amy Gleason

Couch to 5k Week 6 Day 1!

2012-02-02T05:42:00.000-08:00

I Sooooooo did not want to get out of bed this morning, but I did anyway. Knocked out week 6 day 1! Moving on up. Can't believe how far I have come.

Food
Breakfast - shake
Lunch - turkey "tart" - yum!
Dinner- turkey and swiss and veggies -tried brussel sprouts again and still don't like them. :(
Granola bar and popcorn as snacks

Briana Workout

2012-02-01T05:41:00.000-08:00

This morning, I worked out with Briana. She had me do all of these series of pushups. Evil but great.

Breakfast - eggs
Lunch - turkey with black and refried beans with salad
Dinner - shake

two snack bars

Couch to 5k - Week 5 Day 3!

2012-01-31T05:39:00.000-08:00

This morning, I did couch to 5k week 5 day 3! I am making progress!!!

Breakfast, eggs
Lunch, eggs with rice and green peas - YUM!
Dinner - Shake
Two snack bars

Gasparilla 5k for Team Morgan

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

I have been working hard to get the Team Morgan event ready to go! Morgan is going to walk to gasparilla 5k with a bunch of her friends walking it with her! The shirts have been ordered and the printing will be done next week.

I am working to find more sponsors to advertise on the back of the shirt so that all of the shirt "sales" goes to Cure JM. I think it will be so powerful to have a group of green Team Morgan shirts walking together! I know it will mean a lot to Morgan.

Several others are running the 5k and/or the half marathon the next day. Should be a great time for a great cause! I am so hopeful that one day Juvenile Dermatomyositis will be cured, but in the meantime we can help fund that important research, raise awareness to help kids get diagnosed faster, and provide support for families struggling with it.

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/amy-gleason-1/teammorgan

Planning for a Doctor's Appointment

2012-01-30T07:59:00.000-08:00

I attended the e-patient Dave bootcamp last week, and one of the things that really struck me is his asking if you plan for your visits at the doctor. His point was that you wouldn't schedule an appointment with any other type of professional without an agenda or plan. While I do tend to do this to some degree, it was a big area that hit me that I could certainly do better.

Some ideas of things to plan.

1. Make sure you bring a current list of medications, problems, and allergies
2. Document any problems you are having with as much detail as you can, but summarize it in a table format if possible (date, symptom, comments/triggers, what you tried to do about it)
3. Write out any questions you know you want answered ahead of time
4. If you have found any information on the internet that you want to discuss, summarize it (bring the details or the links to the full thing)
5. Bring any test results that you think are relevant - don't assume they have seen them if they were done somewhere else

If your doctor is tech savy, you might email this information ahead of time so that they can be on the same page as you are before the visit. It is also helpful to document what happened at the visit from your perspective, and you should always get a copy of your note, results, etc for your records.

Remember, the best that you can summarize the data, the more likely they will look at it. If you show up with 50 pages of text, they are NOT going to sit and read it at your visit. Many patients get frustrated because they feel ignored when they bring in a huge thick file. Give them the high points in a table or spreadsheet or at least a bulleted list.

I am going to try to be better about this myself, and I will update on my progress! Please let me know about your eperiences too!

Patients empowering patients

2011-12-27T19:18:00.000-08:00

As we go into a new phase of treatment, I am constantly reminded of how valuable the patient network is. I asked another parent for a recommendation of a pediatric endocrinologist. While we were talking, he said, "let me share our experience with you so that hopefully you can avoid it." I listened very carefully as I have learned the power of what other patients or parents know. Even though he had some critical things to say about the doctor, he also said some very positive things. So, it wasn't about the doctor at all which I think is part of the fear that doctors have. They don't want to be trashed for situations that the patient didn't like but were necessary. Instead, this father told me two things to watch out for and to expect at the visit. In fact, he said, now you at least know if those don't happen to ask why. Ahhh....patient connectivity is so very valuable. Now, if we can just make it easier to connect.

Sophie getting into the Christmas spirit

2011-12-11T17:38:00.001-08:00

She looks soo pitiful!

Adorable Sophie

2011-12-08T17:47:00.001-08:00

Sophie knows how to get food - she brings the bowl to us in her mouth. :)

Hospitals

2011-12-01T16:20:00.001-08:00

It has been a long time since I have worked in a hospital, but it never ceases to make me shake my head when Morgan is admitted. The entire process is so spelled out that it is almost exactly the same every time we go - the good and the bad are equally as repeated.

First of all, let me say that we LOVE our hospital, docs, nurses, IV team, lab techs, food service staff, and all in between. This is NOT about THIS hospital. It is about hospitals in general and the crazy time lapse it is when you enter one.

Today, we got a call that we had a bed so we headed to check in. There is nobody in the waiting area to get admitted. We sit there and wait for about 5 minutes until another person walked in to be admitted. THEN, someone comes out to get us. We have to sign the same pages we signed the last 12 times she was admitted. I tell her to save the paper as we have all of the consents and information forms and don't need more. We get a room.

We wander to the room and there is no bed. SHOCKER. This happens almost every time we come. They called us 4 hours ago, and we called in to let them know what time we would arrive. Yet, they were surprised we were "already here" as the tech said. Too funny. Also, the patient who was here before us still had his name outside the room. Interesting. That one was new.

So, we go sit on the couch while the tech gets the bed. He takes her blood pressure, temp, weight, height, etc. He makes her laugh which was nice. Her nurse comes in and does her assessment. Thankfully, they have gotten a bit more modern in that her medications now stay in the system between her admissions. Previously, they had to enter them one by one every single time we came. But, thankfully this is MUCH better.

Her doctor stops by and asks if she is on methotrexate. So much for the meds list staying in. He tells me that he is asking because for some reason methotrexate isn't suppported in the application (it is Cerner). He says that it blows up the system so they have to write paper orders for methotrexate. Surely, not every hospital using Cerner has to do this? Man, I hope not.

He says that he forgot his beeper so he has to leave but he will see her tomorrow. About 3 hours after arrival (admission if for two infusions that run overnight), the IV team comes in and draws blood and starts the IV. Now, we are sitting here waiting on pharmacy. I simply don't get how an order for a routine admission that has been scheduled for 3 weeks takes so long to process. I know how annoying it is to wait for the pharmacy when it is something more urgent, and it doesn't seem to be any different for urgent or routine. There must be a way to improve the speed of that process so that patients get treated faster.

I will continue later as the night goes on....:)

Healthcare, Patients, and Consumers

2011-11-17T20:12:00.001-08:00

Over the last 6 days, I have been battling a health issue - something wrong with my kidney. I cannot help but realize how SLOWLY this process works. I have been in extreme pain, and it has had far reaching effects on my life and my family.

First, I went to the ER on Saturday. I was told to follow up with a urologist. I called my existing urologist and 8 others and couldn't be seen until Wednesday. I was having trouble keeping the pain in control and I was starting to really worry. Without another option, I went back to the ER where I was told again to see a urologist. At least Wednesday wasn't far away at that point. Shouldn't' it be easier to get an appointment for situations like this?

Then, I see the urologist who orders a nuclear renal scan. When he spoke with the ER doc on Monday, couldn't we have set this up to have done BEFORE the office visit?

They hand me a prescription for the scan and recommend the hospital radiology department that is closest to my house. I call them and they say they can do it December 5th. REALLY? That is 19 days away.

I call another hospital that is farther than my house. She says they can do it a 6 days from now which is my 40th birthday and the day I fly to Tennessee. I beg to have it done that day. She says not possible. I offered to pay her $100 if she could get me an appointment that same day. It didn't work, but I did get an appointment the next day. Better but still a long time. When you add in the time for it to be read and the time for the doctor to then get the reading and the time for the doc to then call me, it is a really long process. Couldn't we allow patients to pay extra to speed up this process similar to how I can pay an after hours fee for other services?

The bottom line is that I have been to the ER twice, a primary care doc once, a specialist once, had a CT scan, two ultrasounds, and a nuclear scan, and 6 days after I started having severe pain, i am not a single bit better off than I was when it began. Yes, I have pain medicine that makes me be able to tolerate it, but it puts me to sleep and I can't drive when I am taking it. The time that it takes to accomplish this continues to add to the bill as nobody is as concerned about making me well as I am. The rest just seem to pass me on to the next person without any responsibility of SOLVING the problem.

I have seen a lot of debates lately about whether we should call people patents or consumers in healthcare. At this point, I think patient is the only word that can be used - especially since you have to have a lot of patience to get anywhere. I have been thinking about Morgan's day of diagnosis when I found out that we couldn't get a specialist appointment for over 3 months. There simply has to be a better, faster, more efficient way, especially in severe situations.

Thankful Day 17

2011-11-17T20:10:00.001-08:00

Today, I am thankful for medicine. As much as I have been frustrated by the SLOW process of healthcare (blog coming soon), I had an incredibly fancy test today to measure how my kidneys are working. It was completely fascinating to understand how they were measuring the input and output. We have some amazingly smart people in this world. Also, I was humbled today by the person administering the test who has survived ovarian cancer, had a kidney stone that was 4cm (fist sized), and who is having open heart surgery now. She was such a positive caring sprit, and I am thankful for her.

Also, I am thankful to have met Dan Hutchens. He died very young last night, and he will be missed. I don't understand how that happens to such a young guy, but my thoughts and prayers are with his family tonight.

Thankfulness Day 16

2011-11-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Today, I am thankful for ice cream. Morgan and I had a rough day, and she asked if we could go get some ice cream. As we sat together and ate it, it seemed like everything would be ok. I cherish those moments.

Thankfulness Day 15

2011-11-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today, I am thankful for my brother Mark and his spirit. Mark is always there for everyone he loves. It is so nice to have him to talk to when things are good, bad, and all in the middle. It is also fantastic to know that if I call mark and say, "is there any way that you can....", the answer is almost always YES. THANK YOU MARK!!! Love you.

Thankfulness Day 14

2011-11-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

Today, I wasn't feeling well, and I am very thankful for the support of Mike and Morgan. They both came with me to the ER for the second time in three days. Mike drove us there and got food for he and Morgan while Morgan held my hand when I got an IV and helped me get the IV to the bathroom and back. They were both so loving and stood up for me when I was not able to speak for myself. I love you both dearly. THANK YOU!

Thankfulness - Day 13

2011-11-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

Today, I was thankful of sleep. I got to sleep in today which was magical. It is a rare day where we get to sleep in and relax. I was feeling badly all day with this kidney thing, but with the meds I slept. Ahhh....nothing like sleeping in and being in your own bed.

Gimme My Damn Data

2011-11-13T09:17:00.001-08:00

To quote e-patient Dave, "Give me my damn data." Around midnight or so yesterday the 11th, I starting having pain in my right kidney. Since i have an extensive history of kidney stones, I knew what that likely meant. However, this time seemed a bit different. Maybe an infection or something? The pain became unbearable around 7pm, so we went to the ER. I had pain medicine to take but this seemed just enough different than my "normal" kidney stone past, I felt like I should get it checked out. My kidney is VERY tender to touch. I don't remember ever feeling this before. I am almost in tears just from sitting in a chair and having the chair barely touch that area. Additionally, my right side is physically swollen where the kidney is. That isn't typical for me either.

So, off we go to St. Joseph's North - the newest ER and one close to me. It was a fabulous ER from a design perspective. Very nicely done. My nurse, Tiffany, was awesome. They ordered a CT, urine, and blood tests. I had some Toradol via IV and some Zofran. It helped for an hour or so and then the pain started getting worse. I think Tiffany must have gone on break as we couldn't get ANY help for almost an hour. My pain was getting worse and worse and worse and my IV was dry. My daughter pushed the call button three times and went into the provider hallway to get help. It was an excruciating hour. When she came back, she administered the morphine that was ordered an hour before. The CT scan showed stones in kidney but no stone in ureter. However, it showed inflammation in the ureter. The doc said that I may have just passed a nasty stone and the inflammation may be causing pain that feels similar to a stone. I asked for a copy of my blood work, urine, and CT scan, and I was told that I couldn't have it. I would have to wait until Medical Records on Monday.

Today, I am still in extreme pain and even with the toradol, percocet, and zofran, the pain is pretty significant. I keep sitting here wondering what the results all showed. I wish I had the CT report, the blood work, and the urinalysis report.

Recently, I found the Society for Participatory Medicine (SPM), and I loved all that they are doing. Managing Morgan's care with her Dermatomyositis can be a full time job just trying to keep her health information recorded and organized. I feel strongly in the e-patient movement and enabling patients to be partners in their healthcare and having choices in the treatments that they receive. Now, this kidney stone event has just added to my love for this movement. GIVE ME MY DAMN DATA!

Day 12 of Thankfulness

2011-11-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Today, I am thankful for pain medication. Today has been a day of a LOT of pain medicine. At around midnight as the new day began, I was in a hot tub at a party. My back started to hurt where my kidney is. Since I have a history of many kidney stones, I immediately had that ugh feeling. So, I was very thankful for pain meds for my head (tequila) and for my kidneys (dumb stone). As a by product, they also helped with the realization that my poor vols football team is DREADFUL.

Day 11 of Thankfulness

2011-11-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

Today, I am very thankful for the veterans who fought for our freedom and for the veterans who make stands to protect our freedom. I am so proud to be an American and I appreciate all of the sacrifices each and every veteran made/makes for all the rest of us.

I am also thankful today for the fact that my daughter wanted to be with me so badly on 11/11/11 at 11:11 that she passed up going somewhere with her friends so that we could spend alone time together at that specific moment. What an amazingly sweet idea. I LOVE YOU MORGAN!!!

Day 10 of Thankfulness

2011-11-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

I am thankful to have a wonderful home where we have great times as a family. I love the open layout of the house which keeps everyone closer than our old house where kids seemed so far away when they were upstairs. We love the screened in porch "room" the best as we get to be outside without all the annoying bugs. :)

Day 9 of Thankfulness

2011-11-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

This is probably cheating since i already listed family, but I am so incredibly thankful to have my parents as my parents. I truly cannot imagine better parents. Of course, when I was 16, 17, and 18, I didn't quite have that opinion and I am pretty sure they wanted to disown me a few times. :) Man, I hope that Morgan is a bit better of a teen. :)

But, the important thing (as my other says) is that they have been such incredible role models for me and they have ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS made sure that I knew they were on my side. When I think back on my life, no matter what the situation was, I always call my parents and talk about it. They listen, try not to judge, and offer advice or assistance or sympathy or just listen. They also know that i might not do whatever it is that they are suggesting and that is ok. They allowed us all to make mistakes without holding it over our heads for the rest of our lives like I see happen with friends parents.

Also, they are so amazingly generous that they have always tried to make sure we had things even if it meant they went without. I certainly didn't always understand that as a kid, but I do now. They have taken us to amazing travel places so that we could experience them, and it has been incredible to get to see such amazing places. However, the BEST part of any of those trips (hands down) is that we spent such time together as a family. It has provided all of us with such a foundation that we can all rely on when times are good and bad.

My parents also worked very very hard. They taught us all that hard work is a very important personality trait. All three of their kids are extremely hard workers and I think that is a direct lesson from our parents.

On top of it all, I think they really taught us how to treat people. My parents have a great respect for people. We were taught that respect early on and you can see it in all of our lives.

I could probably go on and on and on and on about my parents as they truly are the most incredible people I know. THANKS MOM AND DAD!!! I love you so much.

Day 8 of Thankfulness

2011-11-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

I am so very thankful for CureJM! When my daughter was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis, we were lost until we found CureJM. They are an amazing group who do incredible things educating on JM and advance the chances of a cure daily by funding direct research.

Day 7 of Thankfulness

2011-11-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful to be living in the computer age and to get to watch technology advance so quickly. I love being part of this experience and getting to go from using a commodore 64 to having such amazing things as amazing choices on TV, unlimited access to content on the web, microwaves, iPhones, iPads, computers that do so many more amazing things every day, iTunes, "apps for that" and so much more. I think about all of the changes in my 40 years (ALMOST), and I am excited about what is to come. I can't even imagine what my kids will create since they have grown up with this mindset.

Day 6 of Thankfulness

2011-11-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

I am so very thankful for the Wesley Chapel Tri Team. I have accomplished so many goals and gained so many new friends from this group. But even more importantly, they kick my butt if I don't show up. I love that about them.

The ATM Ate my Card

2011-11-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

I rushed through a Bank of America ATM yesterday as I realized Morgan didn't have $20 for the carnival she was going to. Instead of crossing the street and going to my bank, I took the "easy" way and used the Bank of America that was right there. About 2 hours later, I look for my Debit card and it is gone. I retrace my steps through Publix and think it must be somewhere. Then, with that feeling in the pit of my stomach I realize that I left it in the Bank of America machine.

So, Wachovia figured this out years ago and gave you your card back BEFORE it gave you money and a receipt. I guess Bank of America hasn't figured this out. I am so used to getting the receipt and moving on, that I didn't even think about this different machine. Shame on me.

Thankfully, some nice person called it in as lost immediately so it was all ok. Whew. Score one for the good guys.

Day 5 of Thankfulness

2011-11-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

As I continue the month of thankfulness...

I am thankful to have always had a job that paid the bills - sometimes barely! But I have always made it. I have gotten to do some amazing things in my career, and I feel lucky and blessed to have gotten to know so many amazing people and to do some many things to help people.

Day 4 of Thankfulness!

2011-11-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Day four of thankfulness

4. I am thankful to have some very special friends. You know, the kind who are there for you when you are your best and who celebrate that but also the kind that are there when you are your worst and who pick you up and kick you in the butt to get you back on track. I don't know how I would have survived the last year of my life without my great friends (and family of course!).

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

2011-11-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

I have seen people posting every day about things they are thankful for. I am a bit behind, but it sounds like a good thing to do.

So...I guess I have three to catch up on...

1. I am so very thankful for my incredible family. I have such a fantastic family in my parents and brothers who have been fantastic to me as I have grown up. I have a fantastic family now with my wonderful husband Mike and all four amazing kids. I have a great new family of "in-laws" who gave Morgan cousins - lots of them! I am so very thankful for ALL of them.
2. I am so thankful for having the chance to be a mom and a step-mom. I didn't think I would be able to have a child myself, and Morgan has been my miracle child all the way through and then some. We have been through good and bad times, but I am so thankful to have her! On the other hand, being a step-mom has also been an amazing experience with three amazing kids. It is amazing the different relationships you have with different kids, and it is so very fun and amazing to watch them grow.
3. I am very thankful for my husband Mike! He has been such an amazing friend to me and has been so supportive of me and of Morgan. He is a great dad to all the kids, and I know he loves them all very much. I am sure these crazy career changes have been hard on him, especially when the travel tables reversed and I was traveling more than him! I am so lucky that we met at good ol Medic back in the day. :)

Ok, those were probably the easy ones! :) Whew...only 27 more to go!

New Beginnings

2011-11-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten how refreshing change can be. I tend to agonize over big decisions carefully weighing all the options and making excessive lists of positives and negatives of each option. In the end though, I think I always end up going with my gut. Sometimes, that works. Sometimes, not so much. I hope this one is right because it certainly feels right!!!! The buzz I have felt today (no I haven't been drinking this time) has been electric. Something is amazing about creating new things from scratch. I truly love it!

What a whirlwind of a few years with three aquisitions within a 3 year period...a bit too many. I have thought of writing a book on what I learned through all these acquisitions. I certainly learned some things that work well and some things that SHOULD NOT BE DONE - EVER! :) It is funny what acquisitions do to people. The first two were SO close to me that it was difficult to see everything happening at the time. The second one I felt much more prepared for, but still looking back it wasn't so clear. However, the third one was a little farther removed, and it was so very interesting to watch how people handle it. Sometimes, I saw others make the same mistakes I had made in the past, and I thought, "wow I won't ever do that again." Other times, I got to share experiences with others and help them figure out ways to deal with situations in a positive way and that felt really good.

It had been such a hard fall last year when the product that was my baby was not going forward. It had such amazing potential, and I felt much like I do with my kids when they don't get a shot at something or something doesn't go their way. But, it could do such great things! But, don't you see this amazing thing? Seriously, you don't get this? I understood the business decision and why, but it still hurt. Then, I had new teams and we really came together. I really felt great progress being made, and I enjoyed them all. We had fun, and we worked hard. So, this made it hard to make a decision. I find over and over in my life and career that the people are really what make all the difference. Part of my challenge with the software issue wasn't the software, but it was having to tell the team that it wasn't going forward. Worrying about the team and not wanting to lose the great team we had. I also didn't want to let me newer teams down.

In the end though, we have to do what we think is best for us. I really enjoyed my time at all of these companies - weird that with them all combined I had actually worked for the same company since 1997 even though I left in 2005 and ended up back through the acquisitions. A ton of great people there, and I have so many friends there. But, when an opportunity of a lifetime comes around and has the opportunity to make a huge difference on the lives of your child and other people like her, you just have to go for it. Otherwise, you might always wonder....what if. So, new beginnings, new challenges...here I come!!!

And, I actually have ZERO business travel booked at this time which is really, really nice. Ahhh...bed....I missed you. :)

One Year Later - Pepsi Refresh Grant

2011-09-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it has been a year. I was in Orlando for a conference and ran around the Gaylord Palms hotel begging people to text in a vote. I found a dialysis company who was having a large meeting there, and they had me on stage telling everyone to text. Then, they were texting their coworkers and friends to tell them to text. Probably getting the drunk people in the bars to text as the funniest! Many just handed me their phone and let me do it. It was a long month of begging, pleading, and hoping, and WE DID IT! CURE JM WON!!!!!

Since then, we have gotten a lot more experience with JM and Cure JM. I hate JM - it is an awful disease that is life changing. It changes your family, friends, your schedule, the activities you do, your financial situation, your hopes, your dreams, your goals, and your emotional well being. I am so sorry that these kids have to go through this dreadful disease. Some days, I just ask, "Why Morgan?" It is so hard to watch someone you love suffer so much.

The one good thing that has come of it is Cure JM. I hate that everyone is struggling with it, but Cure JM is an INCREDIBLE organization run by INCREDIBLE people. They have inspired me and helped me more than I can count. I proudly wear my bracelet every day and wear my shirts as often as possible I tell anyone who will listen about JM and about Cure JM. I am so very proud to be associated with it.

If you have a friend or family member dealing with something like JM, I have some tips/thoughts to share from our experience and from talking to other moms of kids with JM..

1. No question is stupid. Ask your friend/family member how it is going. Most likely, it is always on their mind or close to it.

2. Invite the sick kid and/or the family to activities. Many times, you feel all alone or different than others. You and your family are now different and left out of things. Invite them to activities. Even if you think they can't do it physically or won't be able to go, ask anyway. They will appreciate the invite regardless.

3. Listen. Many times they just need someone to vent to. It is frustrating, scary, and aggravating.

4. If you have the ability, ask how you can help. There are so many things to remember and to do from doctors appts, to refill pickups, to tests, to tracking information. Many families really struggle to meet all of these needs.

5. Don't assume everything is good if the person is looking OK. Many times the pain and issues are not as noticeable. I think it is actually easier when people can SEE something wrong as they get it. This is a big one that I hear often from other moms.

My perspective on life has changed incredibly. I am really trying to focus on what matters and to let everything else go. I am not great at it yet, but I am getting better. On a sillier note, I am not a completely switched Diet Pepsi drinker as I still love my Diet Coke, but I do drink Diet Pepsi more than half the time now. I also make sure to tell people about what a great thing Pepsi does with the refresh grant project. GO PEPSI!!!!!!! Way to make the world a better place.

As for Morgan, she is more stable than this time last year, but she has had incredible pain with her joints. She still gets her two infusions and month and still takes 16 pills a day. Here's to hoping for a better year this year. I still can't believe she is 13!!!

For those of you who are interested, here are some of the advances made in JM research - thanks to everyone who has supported Morgan, our family, and Cure JM over the last year.

To read some of the latest advances made in JM research - thanks to you! - click on links following:

Dr. Rider - "Genetic & Environmental Studies" - http://www.curejm.com/research/genes_environ_research.pdf

Drs. Katz, Rider, etal. - "Parents' perception of self-advocacy of children with myositis: an anonymous online survey" - http://www.ped-rheum.com/content/9/1/10

Drs. Niewold, Pachman et al - "Familial Aggregation of Autoimmune Disease in Juvenile Dermatomyositis" - http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/5/e1239.abstract

To read about what is currently being researched at Dr. Pachman's lab in Chicago - http://www.childrensmrc.org/pachman/ - You get a GOLD STAR if you understand it all!! ;-)

Here is my post from last year so that you can relive the excitement! :)

I am thrilled to report that Cure JM finished the voting in the Pepsi Refresh challenge!!!
This is the first time I have relied on social networking for something important, and today I am amazed by two things.

1. Pepsi- I am amazed that they do this. It takes not only the investment but the resources to create and maintain the voting site. I have always been a Diet Coke lover, but I am officially a Diet Pepsi drinker now. :)

2. The power of networking, especially social networking. It is incredible that tweets, texts, emails, facebook, and phone calls got enough votes to win. Remembering that only about 5,000 kids have this in the US, there was not a huge group of parents to push this. It is amazing that the passion of these parents did it. We are all definitely stronger as part of a community that has a network. Simply amazing...I am a BELIEVER!

Thanks to all my friends and family who helped vote and who listened to me ramble on and on about this. $250,000 is a Huge step in the right direction. Thanks also to Pepsi!!!

One day, we will find a CURE for Juvenile Dermatomyositis!!!!!

1st day of school

2011-08-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

Kids with Guard at London Tower

2011-08-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

Kids at Royal Calvary

2011-08-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

Early Morning Cure JM Crew

2011-07-29T06:13:00.001-07:00

I have lost my mind here...5am to run (jolk) 13.1 miles. I would do it every day if Morgan could have a cure for JM!

Amy and Morgan at Cure JM Conference

2011-07-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

JM Kids in Seattle - CURE JM!

2011-07-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

Morgan in Seattle With Balloons!

2011-07-29T06:03:00.000-07:00

Morgan helping out in the kids room

Morgan in Seattle

2011-07-29T05:59:00.001-07:00

Oh to be my dog

2011-07-28T15:09:00.001-07:00

What a rough life she has...:)

Hello World

2011-07-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

I have been a bad, bad blogger. I could list a million excuses, but I won't. :)

Work has been crazy busy as usual. I was reflecting on all of the acquitions recently. It really is very interesting to watch different cultures join and to watch how different people handle it. I took a behavioral interviewing class recently, and I think acquisitions could make some great interview questions to see how people reacted to diffrent things. I think it takes a year to even start to have the cultures blend together. We are coming up on a year. :)

I also recently was around several of the "Bond" crew. I really do enjoy the company of that group of people and miss the ones I don't get to see or talk to as much these days.

As for Morgan, we went to the Cure JM conference in Seattle in June. We learned a lot and met a lot of families who are also struggling with these Juvenile Dermatomyositis monster. It was great to see Morgan bond with a few of the kids - there was one even from Abu Dhabi! I hate that our family was thrust into this JM world, but I am so very thankful to have such a fabulous support group!

Morgan is at horse camp this week, and she gets to call home every night between 8 and 9. It is so great to hear her voice. She is really having a fantastic time. Unfortunately, her joints are really giving her fits, but she is not letting it ruin her time. I am so proud of the way she has grown over the last year. She is riding horses once a week. She is still on 16 pills and two infusion sessions a month, but she is doing much better than this time last year. It was hard to even think about her going to camp last year compared to this year. We had NO idea what this whole thing was about, and she hadn't gone tot the specialist or anything. Her head hurt so badly that she couldn't even enjoy camp and she just wanted to lie down all day. :( What a difference a year makes. I can't believe she will be in eighth grade! She is doing 2 classes of virtual school and 4 of in school this year.

Chris is starting college in less than a month! OMG where did the time go? Hard to believe the 7 year old I met when Mike and I were dating is now going to college. I know that the other three will be there before I know it. I am thankful that we have such a good time hanging out as a family, and it is so fun to watch them grow up. Can't wait to hear about his dorm experiences! :) His dorm has 8 guys in two person suites and they share a bathroom and study area. Seems like a neat set up.

Michael has become quite the orchestra guy and is doing great. He has been in a two week program the last few weeks and has really seemed to enjoy it. He has actually started asking more for a viola than for video games. Michael is reading all the Harry Potter books again. Speaking of, we all went to the midnight showing of hte last Harry Potter movie. I am not really a HP fan, but the kids wanted to go. Michael, Katie, and I held 11 seats for over 2 hours before everyone else got there. Mark came to the movie too, and he kept making me giggle as he related the characters to people we know.

Katie is really looking forward to her first year of high school. Sometimes I see her out of the corner of my eye and it is hard to register that it is really Katie. She is a delight to talk and is really coming into her own. She is quite the shopper and loves to go shopping any chance she gets. She and Chris got into a debate the other day about whether Obama's policies were right or wrong because the dollar is weaker than the euro. It was so odd to hear them talking about it. :)

Mike is traveling less than he used to which is nice. I am still traveling quite a bit, so our schedules are rather complicated to decipher. Thankfully, Outlook helps us keep the overlaps straight. I have really enjoyed the summer and I am dreading school starting back. :( It goes way too quickly. We do have our big London and Paris trip coming up. I am so excited and will definitely post updates here.

Well, that pretty much catches me up for a bit. I did the half marathon in Seattle (I jolked it), but I have been pretty mucha slacker in the weight and exercise category. I am in the process of changing that and will be back stronger than ever soon. :)

Morgan with the huge salmon at Pike's Fish Market

2011-06-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Awesome Tip Jar

2011-06-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Lettuce from the garden!

2011-06-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Garden Two Weeks Later

2011-05-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

Sad

2011-05-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

This is what I rely on now to remember where I park

Children's Memorial

2011-05-09T12:21:00.001-07:00

On our way out of the hospital in Chicago. Will know more in a week or so after test results.

On the way to Chicago

2011-05-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Morgan and I had a rocky start to the day but we recovered somewhere around the security line. :) For someone who has broken five bones, she seems to have forgotten how hard it is to limp around. We made it to the plane though. :)

Mike and Morgan Gardening

2011-05-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

They built a garden with lettuce, carrots, cantaloupe, and tomatoes! Can't wait to get some fruits and veggies!

Only in an Airport

2011-05-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

I don't think this could be successful anywhere other than an airport. PB&J only? Really?

Medal from St. Anthony's

2011-05-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Forgot to post the picture of my
Medal from the St. Anthony's tri. The swim was a bit shortened to 1000ish yards but they added quite a run to it to get to transition. It was a blast though and I talked to Nick from NY and Brenda from Orlando on the run! Loved it!!

Normal foot

2011-05-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the other foot for comparison.

My ankle :(

2011-05-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Fell on my ankle in Chicago on Tuesday. It hurts and is swollen. :(

Before Locks of Love

2011-04-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

Morgan before she cuts TEN inches off!

Comfy Bed

2011-04-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Sophie thinks this bed is hers I think. I am not so sure Chris would agree. :)

Morgan and Sophie in the Pool

2011-04-24T05:02:00.000-07:00

Morgan wanted Sophie to be an avid swimmer day 1. :) I bought a stationary swim trainer and it is awesome. It loops around a little pole and you strap it to your feet (you can see the black straps in the picture). I enjoyed it today and can't wait to use it more.

Sophie's first entry into the pool

2011-04-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

She does not understand why the people are in water and she isn't so sure about it. We did get her onto the first step for a while!

getwell:)network

2011-04-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

This is the opening screen for get well network. We love it! You can pick the theater to watch movies or tv, the hospital to learn about hospital or treatments, and the food place to get menus and food info. The roller coaster gets you to games. All of this on a big screen in the room with a keyboard and built in mouse!

View from the room

2011-04-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Morgan is getting her treatment at all children's hospital. We have this amazing view from her room. Her iv is in the right arm after a miss in the left hand. :( Lab draw was quick. Waiting on meds to get here from pharmacy.

Morgan with Braids

2011-04-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

Morgan still sporting the braids from the horse show. Love it!

Flowers in the yard

2011-04-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

We have had some debate on the type of flowers these are, but we love them! They are blooming in the front and the back.

Morgan and Chance

2011-04-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

This is Morgan with Chance, her buddy today in the horse show.

Morgan Rocks It

2011-04-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Morgan rocked the horse show today! She brought home four first place ribbons and was the grand champion. :) It was great to see her smile!

Matthew Paints

2011-04-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today, Matthew came and painted two bathrooms and chris's room/my office. He has done a lot of painting at the house. I wasn't sure about this blue and was nervous about how it would look compared to the little sample, but I like it. Mike said it is Carolina blue for sure. I guess it is, but I like to think it is sky blue. :) thanks Matthew!

View of the moon from the couch out back

2011-04-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

Lying next to the pool, looking at the moon and stars, enjoying the lights....love the new house

Memories

2011-04-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

Happy hour last night at Sawmill Taproom in Raleigh. I dropped my phone taking this picture and cracked the back of the iPhone. Bummer. That was BEFORE happy hour!

It was great to see the old Misys crew and unreal to think that we are all at the same company again. Thanks for coming!

Birds, really?

2011-04-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

I checked into the Embassy Suites in Raleigh, and apparently they are known for having this bird in the lobby (and more sometimes). Odd. The sign says, I bite.

Alligator Season

2011-04-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today was a werid day. It started out as a typical stressful day. The kids have FCAT testing (florida state test) this week and today was day 2 of Reading. Work was crazy an to add to it the internet was going down, I couldn't print or fax, my presentation wasn't finished, and I had to finish packing for my trip. I survived somehow and made it to the airport with a few minutes to spare. It was weird landing in Raleigh after so long. The C terminal is much nicer than I remember. The North Hills area is unbelievable compared to when I lived here. Almost weird - we ate at a french restuarant for dinner. Not what I remember of Raleigh. :)

It is alligator season in Florida. Here is a picture from one of the lakes by our house. This is the picture of the day. :)

Back to Blogging

2011-04-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, I guess I needed to let something go during so much stress, so blogging was it. However, I have really missed it. So, I am going to pledge to hit 30 days in a row of blogging to get back on track. :)

We just moved into a new house so it has been pretty hectic. We are getting closer to being settled and we are starting to have some box-free rooms. I am ready to have it over, be able to park in the garage (both cars for the first time in 6 years!), have pictures hung, and have all the phones working! :) We are really liking the new house though.

I have seen a friend doing a picture of the day on Facebook, and I really enjoy it. So, I am going to start a picture of the day as it might give me something to blog about on days that I am stuck. :) Today's picture is an ode to my old closet. This room was about 12X12. I have to say that I took it for granted after a while, and I am missing it as I try to find places for 9,000 pieces of luggage, shoes, old pictures, etc. We never had a problem storing anything in the old closet. :) Bye awesome closet...I will miss you.

A day it pays to have Delta Platinun

2011-03-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

Wow..2 people in priority and all of those in regular

One of those days

2011-03-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

Today was just a frustrating day - you know, the kind you wish you hadn't gotten out of bed for?

My morning started off really hectic with work and then WHAM.,..Morgan didn't feel well. Stupid IV yesterday gave her a pretty bad headache. Grrrr...

Then, I have been trying to get a receipt from the Intercontinental in India for over a month so that I can get the policy enforcers off my back and out of my email. I am sure there is a dartboard with my picture on it somewhere in an accounting department. :) Who knew it could be so hard to get one lousy hotel receipt??? I have called India, emailed India, and then today I gave up and called the United States Intercontinental "Customer Care" (excuse me while I choke ont that. The lady said they can message them to send me a receipt. I explained that I had tried that and wondered if she had more power than my request. She says that she will call them for me. I wait on hold for a long time, and then she says that they will be emailing it now. HOORAY!!! Except...I was dumnb and let her off the phone. No receipt every came. Wah, Wah, Wah, Wahhhhhh....So, a few hours later, I called back again. This lady was NOT helpful at all and basically argued with me about it and said it would take 48 hours. I asked if the case had my information and she said no. Then, she says she is sending the message to them. When I asked if she needed my information, she said no. Nice...I have a feeling the receipt won't be coming today either. Of course, if this were HILTON, the receipt would already be online ready for me to get it at a moment's notice. That might just be the best selling point for Hilon as a business traveler yet. Intercontinental just got removed from my travel hotel list. Maybe I will get a receipt by the end of the month so that the poor nice receipt lady can get her receipt and process my expense report.

Then, Morgan says that she hurt her foot again. AGAIN? How can you hurt your foot when it is already in a full boot??? Really? Really? She goes to school anyway, but when I pick her up she says it is really hurting. I took her to the doc, but he said there was no new break. Thank goodness for small favors. At least the stress fracture is healing nicely.

I also had to go to the bank to wire money to India. This is yet another thing I have never had to do in all of my professional travel. There was some issue because of an airline ticket that was booked in India and for some reason they didn't get to use my card. So, I had to go to the bank to wire money there. Of course, it has to be a special branch and special times. Fun...What is my drama with India today? I told Krishan that he was going to have to fly to India to beat some people up for me if it didn't get better today. Hee Hee...

Then, Morgan and I had a knock down drag out fight tonight. I am really ready for her to get hormones under control and to be off these dumb IV steroids. It is just hard and the attitude is just overwhelming.

I didn't get to go to my tri group either. BUMMER. Oh well, tomorrow is a new day.

Catfish the Movie

2011-03-07T21:02:00.000-08:00

We watched the movie Catfish as a family over the weekend. It was recommended to me by a work colleague at HIMSS. It was the oddest movie ever. I was so nervous the whole time wondering what in the world was going to happen. It was very good, but man there are some WEIRD people out there. Glad that we watched it with the kids. Hopefully it will make them think a little about online "friends."

Really, Soap Waste?

2011-02-02T05:42:00.000-08:00

I had no idea that soap waste was such an issue. My hotel had this soap to "reduce soap waste" because the center is rarely used. Very odd...

Day 1 - India

2011-01-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Today, we woke up at the Intercontinental by the Mumbai airport. I slept really well (Ambien rocks!). We had breakfast at the hotel (Indian pancake like thing was really good). Our driver, Bhau, was there to get us around 11. Since it was dark when we drove in, it was much different in the daylight. We rode through Mumbai, and it made me so sad to see such poverty. No matter how much you see it, it is still so shocking and so sad. Kids living under tarps on the side of the road, trash everywhere. So sad. It is a beautiful country and we saw some beautiful views on the drive.

When we arrived in Pune, we went shopping first! I felt like my mom. :) Seriously, it was really nice to get some things for the family before we were so busy. I bought the girls some cashmere scarfs, and the boys some silk ties. I also looked at some beautiful silk rugs and loved them. I think those would look soooo awesome in our new house! I am tempted but decide I should talk to Mike first. I did buy some more scarves and a bed cover that is made of silk. It is really pretty.

We finally got to the Westin in Pune around 6 pm. The Westin is a fabulous hotel. It is very pretty and has all the electronic gadgets and such. The lobby was nice but it wasn't quite as pretty as the Mumbai airport Intercontinental. We got checked in, got our luggage, and decided to eat dinner. We didn't have any rupees left after shopping, so we had to tip our driver some US dollars. I also tipped the guy dollars for my luggage. I later found out that 10 rupees is a good tip for bringing bags which is about a quarter. So, I am sure those people really liked me.

We ate at an Indian restuarant in the hote. It was really nice. We had kingfisher beer (an Indian beer that was totally YUM!) and I had prawns for dinner with some rice. It had a little spice but not too much. It was perfect.

We then went to the bar and had a couple of drinks. The bartender was super cool and he taught me how to say several Hindi words. I had fun learning them. He also made us a special drink, but I forgot the name of it. It was really good. I slept well again - love that Ambien!

Flight to India

2011-01-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

I got to the airport with about an hour and 10 minutes until the flight (after I parked and got to the check in). I went to the sky cap first, and he said he couldn't check me in because there was some restriction. He said to go inside. I went to the kiosk area and got in line. They can't help me either....I need full servcie. I get in the Platinum/First Class line. I am waiting for quite a while (about 20 minutes and I have already spent 30 minutes total at this point trying to check in). I have 40 mins before my flight now. I am next in line but the people there are NOT moving. The "non-platinum line" that was long now has one person in it. Crap! I should have taken the long line. Finally, one of the stations open and as I am walking there, this condescending man in a red jacket tells that guy to stop working the line I am in because there is a large group. First of all, I am in the platinum/first class line because I fly Delta all the time. Secondly, I was the only one in that line so why wouldn't you help me first and THEN help the group? I had been waiting a long time, and the guy even told Mr Mean Red Coat Guy that. He told him to do it anyway. I tried to be funny and nice about it all and asked him if he was really going to do that to me. He said yes but that I would be next. 25 minutes later, I FINALLY got someone. MAN!!!!!!! The only reason I got someone is because I got Mr. Mean Red Jacket Guy to get me someone. Geez....

I get to security and it isn't too bad, but it isn't open either. I go into the body scanner and my sequins on my shirt cause it to go off. I get frisked (man, I think she wanted to date me). I get to the gate and they are already boarding first class. A little too close for me even though I still had time.

I sit next to a really nice woman, and we chat the whole way to Atlanta. She was going to Calcutta so it was kind of funny. She goes a lot to India.

In Atlanta, I have about 2 hours. I go to the Sky Club because I have some calls and because I am SOO hungry. I get some hummus and pretzels, and I am happy. The call was something that I shouldn't have even been involved in, and once I finished it, boarding time was close. Surj said he was at the airport but not yet to the gate. I made my way to the gate and Surj said he was on the tram. I boarded and started to get settled when Surj got on the plane. We were sitting one row apart. We asked this guy to switch with us, and he reluctantly did. The seats are those ultra cool "lie flat" seats in business class. I am excited to try them as I haven't ever been in them.

I brought crackers and powerbars in case I needed them, but instead they stuffed us the whole way here. Here is a sample of part of the menu for ONE flight.

I tried to sleep on the first leg after the dinner, but I didn’t sleep much. I got a few little naps but nothing significant. It was actually kind of hot on the plane. People who know me will tell you that if I thought it was hot, then it must have been really hot. Mike would have hated it.

We land in Amsterdam, and it is morning there. We wander through the airport, and then we decide to find the Sky Club. We walk and walk and walk down these weird hallways that seem like you must be going the wrong way, and all of the sudden, we find it! We go in for a bit and chill, and then we head back to the gate as they start boarding about an hour before the flight (Crazy to me). I had a bit of trouble too with the lie flat seats. They are nice to change it up, but I actually think a good recline might be a bit more comfy. The issue is that your legs are really lower than your body so it seems like you are going to slide off the chair. Whoever came up with the term “lie flat” has a different definition of “flat” than I do. However, they were still nice to have and I thought they were really comfy when reclining. I also watched the movie, “Easy A.” It was very cute.

We go through the pre-flight security screening, and it is pretty smooth. Soon, they board. Surj and I sat together again, but a man had to move again for us to do so. This time, we were in the middle section of 2 seats. I didn’t think I would really like it, but it was actually nice because we both had an aisle. We had fantastic food again, and I had some chicken dish. Then, I fell asleep. Actually, I didn’t even make it all the way through dinner. And I slept HARD. I thought these seats were a little more comfy, but I am not sure as they seemed the same. I didn’t notice the leg slant as much for sure. Regardless, I slept well. When I woke up, I watched “Grown ups.” It was fantastic. I loved it. By the time it was over, I had just enough time to finish my book, “Bitter is the New Black.” It was very cute and witty.

We landed in Mumbai, and I had a few flashbacks to my last time here as a transit passenger. I was SO happy to be a normal passenger and not a transit. I didn’t have to sit in that silly room or anything! Surj’s luggage came pretty fast, but mine did not. It was actually pretty slow. BUT, I was just thrilled to get it!

We walked outside and saw the car waiting for us. Thankfully, it said Surj because my name showed as Mr. Army Gleason. Too funny.

It is now Saturday night around midnight (going into Sunday). We ride to the Intercontinental Mumbai, and it was very close to the airport. We checked in, cashed in some dollars for some rupees, and I went to bed! I slept incredibly well before meeting Surj at breakfast around 10.

Reality Sets In

2011-01-07T00:54:00.000-08:00

The week after vacation is always hard. This one was no different. I started to get back into reality, unpack, do laundry, pay bills, what there is no lido deck? Where is my drink of the day? Ugh, I have to diet again? Man...where is that lottery when you need it? :)

This week was supposed to be the week I am going to India. However, there are some concerns in the group due to some news stories. So, on Tuesday, the trip is canceled and rescheduled for Feb. I went to my tri group on Tuesday night, and it was great to see everyone and some new faces! If only my knee would stop paining, life would be grand. Unfortunately, I am STILL not running which is freaking me out.

Wednesday, Morgan had horse lessons. We found out that the banquet is Saturday. Wow! We can all go since I am going to be home and we have the kids. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Thursday, I am just starting to get caught up on email and to get back in the swing when Surj calls. He changed his mind and we should got to India - TOMORROW! Seriously? India in less than 24 hours? Wow! I start getting into overdrive and planning. Laundry, check. Dry cleaning, oops, too late. Plans for Morgan when Mike is out of town, check. Packing, check. Banquet - oh crap...Mike says he can take her, check. Thanks to Krishan, I brought a small carry on suitcase with some spare clothes and some other necessities. This also allows me to take a small bag to Baroda when I go instead of lugging everytihng. Perfect! It was also comforting in case my luggage was lost. Krishan gave me lots of advice which was greatly appreciated. Mike and Morgan were both a huge help in getting me ready.

We had been trying to get into a house to see it all week, but the owner had been sick. When I told Stacey that I was going to India after all, she called back and arranged for us to see it that evening. WE LOVED IT! Of course, it had to be at 6pm the night before I leave for India, but we loved it. So, we started working on an offer. Stacey pulled together the paperwork, Morgan went to spend the night at a friend's house, and I got ready for my trip.

At 9 the next morning, we signed the offer paperwork at Starbucks before I rushed off to get Morgan. She had her outpatient infusion today, and I wanted to at least be there for her IV to get started. Thankfully, Mike was in town and could be with her.

We got to All Children's Specialty center on near Fletcher, and we were there early. I had already pre-registered so that we could go quickly. Unfortunately, she wanted to verify all that I already pre-registered. Then, she wanted to convince me to fill out some financial paperwork. Since I haven't gotten my HSA card yet for my new insurance, she let me pay a smaller portion of the deductible until I get the card. It was nice but she was making it take forever. I tell her that I am flying to India and could we please hurry. She pages the nurse and says that she is almost done and that the nurse will be here soon. At 11:20, I ask if there is any way to hurry because I am leaving for India. They go to check and let us know that the nurse is finishing a procedure. About 15 minutes later, I check again. This manager type lady comes over and tells us that it is impossible to have her IV in by 11:45. GRRRRRR. However, this fabulous nurse came and got Morgan started. She said that she could get some of the information quickly and then could do the rest. She got her IV in on the first try and was super nice. I was so appreciative! I got to be there for the hand squeezing and then I was off to the airport! India, here I come!

Off the Ship and HOME!

2011-01-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

Today, we got up around 7:30 and went to our final breakfast on the ship. We never made it to the dining hall, so we went there today. YUM for eggs benedict. Glad I didn't know that before today since I am sure I have gained 10 lbs anyway. :) They let us hang out there for a while. We were group 17 to get off the ship since we don't hvae a flight or anything. We got off around 10:30. Not too bad. We were home by noon. Security and customs was a piece of cake and went smoothly. All of our bags were waiting. Porter was awesome and got them all to the car. Perfect.

We spent the rest of the day unpacking and settling back in. I returned a few things (like the dress I bought for formal night that had a broken zipper before I could even wear it) at the mall. I checked for a 26.2 magnet, but there weren't any. I will have to order one. Mike, Katie, Chris, and Michael came to meet me at Cantina Laredo for a last meal out before our big diet starts on Tuesday (Family Biggest Loser Challenge). Morgan stayed home as she wasn't feeling well and got Red Robin take out from me on my way home.

We then Umi'd with Mike and Tracy for a while and chilled out. It was nice to not be rushed for anytihng since we have off tomorrow. Love having that day as I always feel so rushed back to work after vacation. This was PERFECT!

Day 7 - At Sea - Last Day on Ship

2011-01-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

Today, the girls cabin slept very late. We didn't even move until 10. It was HEAVENLY! Mike came over about 10 and wanted to see if we were up. Katie started showering and MoMo and I relaxed until 11. We finally all got moving around 11:30. We decided to check out the scavenger hunt that was described as the Day Long Scavenger Hunt.

Michael, Katie, Morgan, Mike, and I went down to Legends Cafe to see what it was about. Chris, who got in rather late or early depending on how you look at it, was still snoozing. As we got there, Freddy, the mascot came by.

They gave us a paper that had all of these activities. You either had to bring something back or take a picture of it depending on the event. The group can split up but some of the things had to be together.

Task 1 - Enter the slot tournament and get a souvenir. Oh darn. We HAVE to go to the casino? Really? Oh well...all for the team. :) I haven't ever entered a slot tournament, so it was a new experience. Mike and I got our $20 tickets and signed up for a machine. Round 2 had machines 2 and 4 open. Mike took 2 and I took 4.

After we pushed the little button for our 200 credits, Mike and I were both in the 1500 range, and the highest in our group was 6600. The highest ended up being 12000. We didn't make the finals but we got a ticket to come back for the wild card at 2:40.

Next on the list was the chicken dance and chef's hat. We had to go to the Lido deck and get a chef's hat and then get a chef to do the chicken dance with us. We ate first, MAN that pizza is GOOD! I asked for a hat, and finally this nice man came out and said to follow him. We got the hat and then we did the chicken dance while Mike took pictures.

We decided to drop off the hat and the ticket from the slot tournament in the room so that we wouldn't lose them. When we went in, there was our new towel animal hanging - a monkey! It scared us half to death as it was hanging by the door.

Next, we had to go to the art show. We had to get a number and any pieces of free art we got were worth 1 point. We looked at several paintings and pictures that were really nice. There was a beautiful American flag one that I loved. It was part of some contest so they couldn't tell me the price, but I am sure it was a lot. We saw a bunch of pictures we dubbed the "Grams and Papa Collection" as they looked just like the pictures Grams and Papa send. We had to get a picture of a team member with the number. Since Mike did the slot picture and I did the chicken dance picture and Katie is in Circle C, MoMo is it. :) Plus, she was loving this Dumbo picture that was $550 "drastically reduced."

Next up is ice carving. We had to get a group shot with the ice carving. The artist was amazing. He did the whole thing in 11 minutes. We guessed along the way of what it was. A fish I thought. Morgan thougth it was a cruise ship. Mike and Katie were too far from us to give us what they thought (it was very crowded and we had to squeeze in to see).

Beginning

Love this shot - Ice Flying (Morgan took this!)

Finished

Group Shot with Ice

Next on the list was the Groove for St. Jude. This is a charity dance event to benefit St. Jude's children's hospital. Since I have a newfound special love for children's hospitals, I supported the cause and bought tshirts and a bear. It said on the form that a $10 got you 25 points. Awesome!

Wow, they weren't kidding with day long scavenger hunt. Whew...Next up was trivia. It was celebrity trivia. You get a point for each celebrity on board (cruise directors, entertainers, etc) or double credit if it is on your groove for st. jude shirt! So, we were running around trying to get people to sign the shirt. It was harder to find those entertainers than you might think!

We arrived late to celebrity trivia by 1 minute, and they were already on #10. Oops. Mike was a rockstar at it though and probably would have been in top 3 if we had been there for the whole thing. Some were obvious but others were pretty hard. We got two more signatures there. :)

Mike and Morgan said I was a little obsessed by the signatures. Ok, I might have been, but we ended up with 10. 20 points!

Next up was high tea. We had to get a picture of our team members drinking tea like the queen. Morgan and Katie weren't too thrilled by the tea. I am not a big tea drinker either, but it was pretty good. I tried Mike's orange and spice one and thought I might puke. The treats were slow to come but they were pretty tasty when they arrived. We got a point for every uneaten treat that we brought. We brought 5 and snuck them out in a napkin.I felt like Grams. :) Although, Mike did the dirty deed and smuggled them out. :) We also laughed hysterically as this guy came up and grabbed a tea thing and snatched it. They guy said, "Can I help you?" He said, "We have only been waiting 15 minutes. No problem, we will make our own." We totally thought about Uncle Mark and giggled. He is known for making his own drinks at restaurants if they are too slow.

Mike driking his tea

Katie holding her tea (she didn't want to sip it)

Me drinking my tea with my Groove shirt on my shoulder)

Morgan making faces at the tea (definitely didn't want to drink it)

Team shot at tea

Tea was the last activity, so Mike and Morgan went back to the room to get our stuff. Katie went to Circle C with the promise of being back by 5 (the entire team had to be there). I went to find more signatures but didn't have any luck. At a few minutes before 5, we met up and Buttercup went to score the competition. We bought 3 shirts which counted as 75 points, so that really helped. The second place team had 16 uneaten treats and we only had 5. We had 10 signatures and they had 8. We were declared the winners with 153 points, and we all got a trophy - also known as a ship on sticks.

We relaxed for a whil, and then we packed. Man, we have a lot of stuff. We rushed off to the PG comedy show. We saw Al, and he was really funny. The audience was pretty weird and he ended up talking about orangeville, canada and pennsytucky (he asked where people were from and some guy said "Pennsyltucky - they are two different states!). It was pretty funny. The comedian just riped him a new one. We were laughing so hard.

Waiting for dinner

Michael with Raynaldo and Rubin

Next, we went to our last dinner in the dining room. I had steak, Morgan had steak, Michael had pasta, Katie had chicken, Chris had salmon, Mike had steak. It was good, but Carnival should really do a better job with the food timing. They bring the food out with the warming lid on it and sometimes it sits there for a LONG time. Our soup was cold and the dinner was mildly warm. However, it was still good and we had a good time. We said our farewells to the Raynaldo and Ruben. Sad...we will miss them.

Their farewell dance was very cute. I will try to upload the video later. Tried twice but it keeps bombing out.

After dinner, Mike and I went to two comedians. The kids went to say goodbye to their Circle C friends. Morgan was in bed by 11, and Katie was already in bed when we got back around 12. The two comedians were really good. The second one, Al, was the same one we saw earlier. He was so funny that Mike and I were crying. He asked this guy where he was from and the guys spelled Buffalo. He just railed on him after that and kept coming back to it. Also, this other guy said "Stupid" when a couple said they were newly married. Somehow, he turned him into a serial killer by the time it was over, and it was hysterical. Great job on the comedians. Fun time on the ship. Sad to get off but have had a great time.

Overall, I would rate Holland America as the better experience, but we had a good time on Carnival. I liked the comedy shows on Carnival as I didn't really care too much for the Holland America ones. HA had two pub crawls

Day 6 - Cozumel - New Year's Eve!

2010-12-31T23:12:00.000-08:00

View of Nachi Cocum

Morgan on Beach

Today, we had a private tour on a private beach in Cozumel. It was nice to not be rushed in the morning. We went up to the lido for a quick breakfast - cereal for the girls and I had a bagel. We left the ship around 9 ship time (8 Mexico time), and we walked through the port area to the area where the cabs where. I think Katie asked where we were going 18 times. I kept telling her that we were going to the cabs. She kept saying that she didn't think it was the right way. We finally found them. Whew...

Katie and Michael

We got a van quickly for the 6 of us and headed to Nachi Cocum. It is a place that only takes 100 guests a day where you have included food and drink at a beach club. Basically, when you get there, they take your picture and you get shown to your little palapa shade with chairs.

Morgan Relaxing in Shade

We got Morgan into the shade and got settled as the sports guy came around. Chris and Mike have a dive at 10 Mexico time (it is 9:15 now). The boat comes and picks them up at the dock. I had a really hard time understanding him, and I was really wanting Mike and Chris to talk to the guy in Spanish. Instead, they let me flounder with him in his broken English and the heavy accent that I couldn't understand. We finally understood that he was saying that they would try to get the dive shop to pick them up but if not they would have to walk two piers down.

Beautiful View

Morgan, Katie, Michael, and I are going snorkeling at 11 Mexico time. The boys head off and we order drinks. It was unlimited drinks including alcohol. What a bargain. Too bad I am hungover from my little binge yesterday. I start with a banana daiquiri thinking it will help. The kids all get virgin daiquiris. Morgan tried several flavors before finding one she liked (strawberry with sprite). Michael got pina coladas, and Katie got strawberry daiquiris.

Kids getting in the water and shrieking

Michael and Katie braved the cool water while Morgan and I chilled in the chairs. Judging by Katie's screaming, I didn't think I wanted to go in and I was wondering what snorkeling would be like. Michael was thrilled by all of the coral that you could just pick up in the shallow water and on the beach.

Family Relaxing at Beach

At 11, they got us for our snorkeling. We had paid our bills for scuba, snorkeling, and the beach. All of the prices seemed reasonable to me and matched what we were told ahead of time. We got in the glass bottom boat and went out a few minutes. Then, the guide led us through the water. We saw several angel fish, barracuda, puffer fish, a sting ray (the guide made it swim), big schools of fish (the guide swam down and forced them apart and it was cool to watch them go back together), zebra fish, and lots of other cool stuff. The coral in Roatan was way prettier and the dive was much nicer in Roatan. However, there were very cool fish and a lot of them in Cozumel. The coral was typical of Mexico. Reef then sand then reef then sand. But, it was really fun and relaxing floating on the top and looking at the coral.

Michael Chillin in the Hammock

After snorkeling, we went back to our rough life on the beach. Morgan and I read. Katie and Michael relaxed in the chairs. We ordered lunch. We had appetizers that ranged from nachos to french fries, to chicken wings. We ate chips and salsa waiting on the boys to come back from scuba. It was after 1 and I was starting to get a little worried about the boys when I saw the boat pull up. Whew. The kids kept ordering more and more virgin drinks. I bet they were regretting the all inclusive price about now. :)

Katie Snoozing

For lunch, I had fish tacos, Mike had enchiladas, Michael and Morgan had grouper, Katie and Chris had burritos. It was pretty good. Morgan and I read more while everyone else slept. It was pretty funny. Michael went into the hammock for a while. I think everyone enjoyed it a lot. We got a cab back to the ship for a reasonable $30. Morgan was nodding off the whole way back to the port. It was so cute to watch her nod and then realize she was sleeping and JOLT back awake.

Carnival Ships in Port (Legend was ours and the one in front)

We shopped at the port a bit and bought some souvenirs. Then, we got back on the ship. We rested, napped, and relaxed until it was time to get dressed for formal night. It is New Year's Eve! We all got dressed in our formal wear and went to get pictures made before dinner. We did two different stations to get different backgrounds. At the second one, we also got just the kids. I will have to scan in the pictures because they turned out really well. We even decided to get canvas versions of them to hang on the wall.

Sun Rays So Pretty

View from Cozumel Port

Morgan and Michael were disappointed that there wasn't any lobster for dinner. I had prime rib and so did Mike. Morgan and Chris had salmon. Katie had chicken, and Michael had pasta I think. They all split at the end of dinner to go to Circle C. The big debate was whether to change clothes or not because the schedule says formal but last time the kids weren't dressed up. They decided to change. Chris did go to O2 dressed up though. Mike and I went to the lobby bar and told the kids that we would be there if they wanted to meet us.

Mike Being Silly

Morgan with her fancy water (with a cherry!)

Mike didn't want to dance because he was all dressed up. I kept trying to get him to go back and change. We had drinks at the bar and then got our champagne that was part of the wine package we got earlier in the week. We were all ready. We got one last Malibu Bay Breeze while we waited. The dance floor was packed, and the music was fun. Then, the countdown began. Morgan showed up about 11:45. Katie said she came about 5 til, but we didn't know that and didn't see her. At midnight, they dropped balloons from the lido deck all the way down the atrium. It was pretty cool. They had a contest where you could put your name in a balloon and if you caught yours, you won a cruise for 2! It was pretty funny watching everyone bat them around and pop them. A girl about Morgan's age won!

Balloons on the way down

Balloons as they are falling

Balloons Getting Closer

View of Bar

2010 was a good year in many ways. I accomplished fitness goals that I never dreamed possible. From my first half marathon to my first Olympic triathlon, to my first half ironman, to my first full marathon, it was quite a year. Unfortunately, it was also a year of health challenges. I am proud of the way Morgan and our entire family has rallied after her diagnosis, and I am hopeful that Cure JM can help fund a cure. We did our part by raising money through the second half of the year with a finale of the Jacksonville Bank Marathon fundraiser where we raised over $8K for Cure JM! I am very, very thankful for my fantastic family and my wonderful friends. 2010 would have been a harder year than it was if it hadn't been for both.

We are proclaiming 2011 to be the year of health and house since we are hopeful Morgan will get better and our whole family will get healthier too. We also want to get a new house, so that will have its own journey as well. So, here is to health and house! Happy New Year! 2011 - Bring it on!

Day 5 - Belize

2010-12-30T22:29:00.000-08:00

Today, we had to get up and get off the ship as early as possible. We are doing a "double" tour with a private tour company. I woke up and the room was freezing. Grrr... I guess one of the girls turned it down really far. I get out of bed and almost fall on my face as there were towels on the floor right between the bed and the wall. I didn't see them in the dark. Owww...my knee is still paining. Double grrr....Then, I see our pre-order breakfast form on the floor. Triple grrr...I guess it fell off the night before. I turn the temp up before I turn into an ice pop, and Katie is great about ordering breakfast to see if it can get there in time. Whew...it could. They send cereal. Breakfast of champions.

We get ready in record time and Mike and the boys head to the Follies lounge to get a number. We are not on a Carnival cruise so they punish you by not letting you get on the tenders right away. We asked if there was any way to get off early. No dice. I wanted to try to sneak into a carnival group, but Mike didn't think that was a good idea. So, we waited. Finally, we got to go with the 1's (we were the first 2's). We ended up getting off the tender about 8:45 (docked at 8). Not too bad since it is about a 20 minute tender. We found out that we had two extra people on our trip - one from Chicago and one from St. Louis. We thought we were going to be just the six of us, but they were nice people and I didn't mind.

We follow the instructions to go to terminal 1 (we came in at 2), and as we walk out the door we see the sign for us. Perfect! We had a tour with NCQ Adventures to go Ziplining and Cave Tubing. It was about an hour and 15 minute drive to the spot. Our tour guide Nacho was fantastic. He told us stories on the way there about the history of Belize, the history of cruise ships in Belize, the telephone company monopoly, the hurricane in 1961 that moved the capital, etc. It was very informative and entertaining. The roads were not too bad in the beginning, but the last few miles were AWFUL. I couldn't believe that they didn't fix those roads since the cave tubing and ziplining are two of the biggest cruise excursions from what we could tell. It was very uncomfortable to be banged around so much, but it was only for a few miles.

When we stopped, we all got some bug spray on, put our belongings away except for a camera, etc. We were so lucky to be some of the first people there. I had read reviews that NCQ always gets you there earlier than the other tours, and Nacho didn't disappoint. We went right in, got fitted for our helmet and other ziplining gear, and we were off! No waiting for us!

We had a guide for the first two stops, but then they got so busy that they went to an "assembly line" pattern. At that point there were guides at each stop to help but you didn't keep the same ones the whole time.

First, we did the chicken run. I was pretty anxious but also excited. I think Morgan was also a little anxious. Nobody else seemed to be too anxious. You would stand next to the line, and the guide would tell you to jump up. As you jumped, they hooked you in. Then, you sat down in the straps that went under your but and behind you and started moving. You held to the front with one hand, and then your other hand went behind you on the cable. They went on and on about not applying too much brake and to keep your hand behind you but in an open position unless braking. Also, do not squeeze the cable but press with your hand. It was a bit confusing as to how much to apply the brake and what to do if something happens was not discussed. Oh well...I guess I just have to be brave. Chris went first, then Michael, then Morgan, then Katie, then Mike. The chicken run was run but a little scary as I really didn't know what to do. Next we went up these really high stone steps. The lady with us said that we were doing our "buns of steel" workout. It wasn't too bad, but I was sweating at the top. Then, we did two 500 feet lines, a 750 foot line, two 500's again, and then a short but steep finishing line. At one of them, I didn't make it as my hand came off the cable and I freaked and grabbed on. That made me stop too early, and I had to pull myself in. Oops.

Our guide explaining the process

Another time, I didn't break enough and the guy was gesturing for me to brake harder. I didn't do very well figuring all of that out I guess. The kids did great, and so did Mike. At the end, I didn't get to see it, but Nacho said that Morgan came flying in and did a flip at the end. They told me to brake the whole time in because it is steep and shorter, but Morgan said nobody told her. So, she didn't brake at all. She went flying in and the guy had to catch her.

Chris showing that he is ready to go

My heart was pumping really well when we left, and I was definitely sweating. Hope that counts as a workout since I have been a slug since the marathon (trying to let my knee get well). The scenery was beautiful, and I actually would have liked to go twice. The first time I was nervous and didn't get to really look around. After knowing what each line was like, I think it would have been fun to do it again.

Michael and Morgan Ready to go

Michael getting hooked in

Videos (sorry Katie and Mike, they made me move before I could get any more!)

After the ziplining, we noticed the line was REALLY long. There was no equipment hanging where it was full when we got there. Those people were all having to wait as each person came off to get their equipment. I was SO glad that Nacho got us there so early! We took off shirts and shorts and put on water shoes. We got a tube, a helmet with a light, and a life jacket. Our guide was Rick, and he was really good. He has been doing these trips as a guide for 12 years. He does about 4 trips a day. He has abs of steel and I could see why after the trip.

View from van

Boys in Van

Girls in van

We first walked about 35 - 40 minutes through the woods. We saw chicklet trees, mahogany trees, termite nests, and beautiful rain forests. My knee was paining for a lot of us, so Morgan, Mike and I took it easy in the back. Katie and I had the "tube" incident on the early part of the walk, but then we made up along the way. Gotta love teen drama. When we got to the water, it was about 72 degrees - chilly but refreshing. We didn't get all the way wet. Just your legs walking in get wet and then your butt as it sticks through the tube. He didn't tie us up, but instead we formed two lines where the person behind you puts their legs under your armpits and you hold on to the tube next to you. It was a bit uncomfortable, but it wasn't too bad. We went through the cave and saw the beautiful patterns on the rocks and it was amazing to imagine how the water did that over time. It was dark, so the light on the helmet was helpful. I leaned my head back on Katie's tube most of the time and she had her legs under my arms. Morgan was to my left, and I held onto the tube there. I think using rope to keep everyone together would be nice, but it wasn't that big of a deal. The trip was about 45 minutes or so down the river with about 25 of it in the cave. It was very scenic and we did see some iguanas. At the very end, he let us "break the line" and float on our own. It was so nice to be able to relax the muscles and just enjoy. It also felt good to get out of the tube and to get rinsed off in the water.

After tubing, we had a very short walk back where we dropped off the gear and then went to eat lunch. The restaurant was a buffet and was included in the price. The food was ok - nothing spectacular but not bad. They had hamburgers and baked chicken, several salads - pasta, fruit, cole slaw, and vegetable salad, rice and beans, french fries, plantains, and some fish fried in a cornmeal pouch thing (very yummy). There was water, tea, and lemonade included in the price, and you could also buy beer (Belkin the beer of Belize was really good) or Coke (no diet). This was at the Jaguar Paw Restaurant that is right outside of the cave. After lunch, we went to look at our pictures. The picture desk is not very efficient. They had lines and chaos. We did get them to look for ours and we bought one of each so that we can remember our journey. It was a lot of fun! On the way back, Nacho entertained us with riddles. When we got back to port, we shopped a little bit. I had given Nacho a tip for his excellent service, and he actually came to find us in the shops later to make sure that it wasn't an accidental overpayment. How nice! It was meant as a tip though, so we said thanks and good bye. Mike and Chris got some hot sauces, and Mike tasted the cashew wine. I was going to try it, but after Mike said that it tasted like old corona and oil mixed together, I decided that didn't sound very good. :) Morgan, Katie and I bought sensible souvenirs like a mahogany carved turtle, a small bracelet, and wood carved jewelry boxes. We also got a magnet for the fridge. Tradition - gotta love it.

We went back to the ship and rushed to the slide since it would close at 5. We were back around 4 so we had time. The slide was fun, but I got major salt water up my nose at the end. Checked that box. Next! We were getting ready to sail, so we went to the cabin to watch and to have a drink. We had dinner reservations at the Golden Fleece Steakhouse at 8:30. So, we kicked around, relaxed, had a few beers, then a few more, then a few more. Oops. I think I am drunk. Well, dinner should be fun!

We got ready for dinner and headed up for our 8:30 reservation. I was weaving and it wasn't because of the ship. I accidentally knocked over a vacuum hose and tripped Morgan and Mike. Oh man...this is going to be ugly.

The food was really good. I had escargots (too many of them - I think these are meant to be eaten in very small quantities). Since Morgan didn't like appetizers, we ordered escargot for her. I had a bisque soup that was really good. I had the steak and lobster for dinner. Michael had the rib eye which was pretty spicy. I think everyone enjoyed their steak. We had wine, but I don't remember what kind. Oops. I do know the guys next to us were drinking Silver Oak. Yum. After dinner, Mike and I sat on the deck and the kids went to the kids clubs. Morgan was back early and I was in bed early. Mike apparently went to the casino after I went night night. Fun day...I know I must be getting old since it took me 5 days on a cruise ship to get a good hard buzz going...

People gathered by the street

Blackbeard Tavern

A shop with a boy Michael's age working

Selling Carvings

Nacho told us that when people ask where we went on our cruise to say, "I be gone to Belize." When they ask how it was, we are to say, "It was unbelizable." LOL We did have a fantastic day.

Day 4 - Isla Roatan

2010-12-29T23:42:00.000-08:00

Mike and Misael

This morning, we arrived to Isla Roatan earlier than we were originally scheduled since we didn't stop in Cayman. We werent' the first off the ship, but we got off around 8 or so. We weren't sure if our driver would be there yet for West End Divers, so we called the dive shop. We couldn't find a pay phone, so we used our cell. Wonder what that bill will be? :) Anyway, they said that he was already there waiting for us but that we have to leave the port area and walk a couple of blocks to get to him.

We walk through the "fake town" as Morgan called it. The port was recently built by Carnival, and the buildings are very cute and new. It definitely doesn't match the rest of the country, but it was nice. They have a ski lift to the beach from the port. It is kind of cute, but it was $57 for all of us to ride over and back so we skipped it.

We walked out of the port and went left as instructed. We had to go up and down a few hills and then we saw all of the people waiting. This guy was standing there with a sign for Mike Gleason. Woo hoo! We found it! Our driver was Misael. He ROCKED! If you need a driver in Roatan for the day, his cell is 011-504-9912-0027. I highly recommend him. He was courteous, safe on the roads, a great guide, and patient with us, our schedule, and the kids.

We piled in the minivan and headed to the West End. It was an interesting ride. Roatan is definitely divided between a upper class and a lower class. Some of the houses made you want to cry when you think of a person actually living there, and others are incredibly beautiful with a fantastic view of the water. The roads are narrow, and Misael told us that there are no speed limits and no stoplights. Interesting...

Kids at Shark Bite

Fam at Shark Bite

Chair at Shark Bite

As we got to the west end, the road was dirt and very, very narrow. There were little shops, restaurants, and apartments all there next to the beautiful water.

West End Divers was right there in the middle, and Mel was there to greet us. She was awesome. She squeezed Mike, Chris, and I onto a boat that was about to leave, and she got Katie, Morgan, and Michael ready to do their instruction for their first dive ever. Mike Chris, and I were on a boat with 5 or 6 other people, and they were from all over the US. Nice people. Chris buddied with Heida. Mike and I buddied together. I noticed that we were the only people without a wetsuit. uh oh...hope I don't freeze! Virgillia was our divemaster. She was awesome! We saw all kinds of stuff - huge grouper, a turtle, an eel, and lots of beautiful coral and other fish! Some beautiful angel fish and some blue flurescent coral. We also saw a puffer that was puffing! Very fun dive. We went about 60 feet and we were down for about 50 minutes including our safety stop. I think stopping smoking and all this exercise paid off on the dive! I ended up with 1800 psi of air when most where around 1000 or less. :) I used to be an AIR HOG and would always be one of the first to get low. No more! :) I really enjoyed this dive. It had been a long time since I had gone for scuba.

When we came back, the kids were in the shallow end learning the basics - buddy breathing, clearing your mask, etc. Laura was their instructor, and she was very patient! She was great with the kids, and they all liked her a lot. We went back to the shop to warm up a bit and to get something to drink before going on the boat. The water was really nice but it was cold when I got out with the wind! The kids had watched some video about scuba diving and the dangers that can happen. Morgan was especially freaked by the video. I told her that she isn't going deep enough to worry about it today and to relax and breathe and she would be fine.

We all got on the boat with our divemaster, Ray. Then, Morgan, Katie, and Michael got on with Laura. I was nervous that one of them would freak out. Our group went in first and went around for about 15 minutes until the kids came in. I was so happy when I saw all of them below the surface and signaling that they were ok. They all did FANTASTIC! I was so proud of them all. We had a great dive and saw lots of beautiful coral and some cool fish. No turtles though...the girls would have loved that. I think it was a huge success and they all said they want to get certified. Too cool!

We got back to the dive shop and dried off, tipped the staff, thanked them for a special day, and went to eat! Misael was there waiting for us, and Mel settled out our bill. She was awesome! Thanks Mel for a FABULOUS day! We highly recommend West End Divers if you are in Roatan, Honduras!

We went to the Shark Bite for pizza after the dive. I guess we should have been more adventurous, but we were all starving and it was recommended. Misael came with us. The place was decorated really nicely, and the pizza was SOOOOOO delicious! We got two pepporoni ones for the kids and then we tried the mediterraean and shrimp slices. Misael was so nice to have eating with us, and he was fun to talk to. We also had beer from Honduras. Salva Vita, which means Life Saver! It was really good.

After lunch, we had planned to quickly stop at the monkey farm and then go for quick shopping. However, the monkey place was full. Misael was so great and instead he found a guy who had a monkey so that the girls could see one! His name was Douglas (his real name) or Dollar (when he is working). He was SOOOOOOO cute. Morgan, Katie, and Michael all played with him, and we took pictures. It was $2 a picture and well worth it. The only bad thing was that the monkey bit Morgan's thumb as we were leaving. He was sitting in her hand and didn't want her to leave. He was so affectionate and hugged each of them and curled up on them.

Road by West End Divers

Other side of road by West End Divers

Morgan with Douglas

Katie With Douglas

Whole Family With Douglas

Douglas curled up giving love

Michael with Douglas

Katie with Douglas

Next, we did a quick shopping trip. I got a key holder that has a pretty view of the water and some info about Honduras. Morgan got a couple of things too - two small vase like things and a parrot picture. Katie got a small wooden piece. Michael got a duck carving. It was fun!

In front of Legend

We ended up back at the ship where we debated whether to ride the ski lift, to go to Fat Tuesdays for a drink, or to go back to the ship. The ship won! We got back on board and dropped our stuff in the room before going up to do the water slide. I couldn't believe we had made it to day 4 without the slide, but I guess it had been so cold the first few days that it wasn't worth it. Unfotunately, by the time we found a table and put our stuff down and walked to the slide, it was CLOSED. Like at the minute we walked up. Ugh. It closes at 5! Oh well...

Mike and I got a drink and sat in the adult only hot tub. Morgan went back to the room to nap. Katie and Michael got ready for Circle C. Chris went to find his O2 friends.

We didn't do a show before dinner. We just hung out on the deck and watched us sail before geting ready for dinner. Morgan also went up to deck 9 to take pictures of the sunset. Man was it beautiful!!! She did a great job of pictures!

After dinner, we just hung out on the deck and then went to bed. The kids went to Circle C and O2. Morgan went to bed early as she was really tired. We also found out that Carnival doesn't have cheese and crackers on room service. What a sad sad thing this was. We LOVED that on Holland America. It was sad. Minus one for Carnival.

On deck relaxing....

Day 3 - Supposed to be Cayman But Instead Had Day at Sea

2010-12-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

Today, we got up early to our breakfast being delivered only to find out that we won't be stopping in Cayman after all. :( The water is too rough to tender in, so we are missing it and just going on to Roatan. The sad thing is that we made it all the way there just to not go. Mike and I were really sad as we wanted to show the kids the stingrays, and I was sad as I wanted a picture of my kids with the turtles like the one that Grams and Papa have of Mike, Mark, and I as kids. Oh well...not the end of the world. Although, Katie, in typical teen drama starts with the "we probably won't be able to go to any of the places..blah...blah...blah..." Man, teen girls are so dramatic. The hormones were high in the girls cabin. :)

We hung around for the morning, and then Morgan, Katie, Mike, and I went to lunch and then to bingo. Michael and Chris were off at the kids areas. I think they enjoyed the kids clubs more becuase they played a lot of video games, but Katie also liked Circle C. Morgan didn't like that they didn't do what was on the schedule and instead played too many video games. :)

Anyway, back to bingo. We bought 4 cards at $20 a piece - love that pricing on a cruise! We also bought 4 pull tab things that were a bust before bingo started. The bingo cards were for 10 games, and althougth we stood many times as having one number left nobody won. Bummer.

After the bingo, they had a "Be a game show star" trivia game. Mike allowed Morgan and I to sign him up (he was ok as long as it was trivia and not something embarrassing). To our surprise, he was the very first one called!!! There were three rounds, and Mike won round 1! He did very well! It was a lot of songs like the plop, plop, fizz, fizz commercial and the sound that opens the Bulls or Monday Night Foodball. Mike blew the other people away. He won a trophy! Way to go Mike!

We watched rounds 2 and 3 and laughed as the cruise director Weee Jimmy made lots of jokes about a slinky, about cracker jacks, and alka seltzer. In the final round, the winners from each round played each other. At one point, Mike was winning 900 to 400. Then, the middle guy started catching up. But, they accidentally gave him double points twice. Someone in the crowd noticed the two double points and we tried to tell them. However, the only fixed one of them. So it should have been 900 to 800 but it was 900 to 900. Mike missed a question that was Mony, Mony. This game is tight! Then, it was a disney movie so we knew Mike would get it. But #2 middle guy pressed the buzzer wayyy early and he got it. Bummer. We know Mike is the champion though. :) We bought the video so that we can enjoy it for years to come.

After the game show, we watched the Polar Express movie in the showroom. Morgan and I were disappointed that they didn't have popcorn like on Holland America. Bummer. However, the movie is always good and we had fun watching it. Mike and I did sneak out to go to the rum cake tasting before heading back. Yum!

We hung out for a bit before getting ready for dinner. It is soooooo nice to have a balcony, especially on the back. We love sitting out and watching the wake. It is calming and mesmorizing. So beautiful.

We went to the comedy show for kids before dinner. It was really good. He had three men come up from the audience and he had them turn into motown singers - two white guys and a black guy. He was hysterical with giving them wigs and songs to dance to.

Then, we went to dinner. Each night the waiters come and do a dance or a song. They did Amore! tonight and it was really cute. Reynauldo and Rubin are awesome! Rubin is quite the dancer and is entertaining to watch! Raynaldo is the clown of the two.

After dinner, the kids went to the Circle C club and Club O2 (older teens). Mike and I played craps for a while, but the table never got hot. He then played blackjack while I listened to the music guy. He was pretty good until the crazy girls started singing with him! It was a fun day on ship even though we didn't get to go to Cayman.

Day 2 - At Sea

2010-12-27T23:07:00.000-08:00

Today, Katie wanted to get up early to primp for the Circle C. I convinced her to sleep in because most days we will have to get up early for shore excursions. We slept until 10. Heaven. Then, we went to breakfast on the lido deck. After breakfast, the girls went back to the room to shower and the boys wandered around the ship since they had already showered. Katie took the longest shower in the world, and I was afraid that there wouldn't be any water, or at least any hot water, left. Thankfully, there was. The girls finished and headed to Circle C, and I finally got into the shower around 12:30. The cabin steward had already knocked twice, so I knew I was needing to hurry. I straightened up the room, and got ready. Mike and Michael went to a cooking show. They got to watch them make a spinach salad, a beef dish, and a cheesecake. Then, they got to eat them. They were happy. I found Mike around 1:30, and we were going to a wine tasting at 2.

The wine tasting was a food and wine pairing. We did one on the Holland America cruise that we really liked, so we were game for another. It wasn't very crowded, and it started with a pitch for the Golden Fleece steak restaurant which is a $30 up charge for dinner. It worked and we signed up. Then, we tried five wines - one sparkling, one Riesling, one chardonnay, one red that I can't remember, and one Cabernet. I liked them all and loved to see how the food changed the taste. We had strawberries and orange marmalade with the sparkling, salmon unseasoned and then seasoned with the Riesling, salmon and a blueberry with the chardonnay, a cheese and steak with the red, and streak and cheese with the cab. Very Yummy. I also had a little buzz when we left. It was just right.

We met a couple from the DC area at the tasting, and the husband had to meet someone for something. So, the wine came with us for another drink After that, we needed pizza. Did I mention that the pizza is to die for? We had pizza and a little ice cream. Then, I needed a NAP! We took an hour or so nap and then it was time for formal night. We all got dressed and then went to see a comedian (PG how). He was good. You could tell he was struggling with the PG thing, but he did a good routine about little brothers and about greyhound buses.

Next, we went to dinner. I ran back to the room to get MoMo some Advil, and the cabin steward was there. I asked if he could remake our towel animal as he was messed up. So, he made us two (and the girls were happy). dinner was fantastic, and it was so much better without the boat tipping from one way to the next. I had shrimp and lobster and so did Mike and Morgan. Katie had prime rib, Michael had duck, and Chris had fish. I think everyone was happy with their choices. Carnival so far gets an F- in customizing plates (swap this side for that one or bring only the meat and no sides). The food is really good though once you have what you want. The deserts are out of this world. Our family is doing a biggest loser challenge starting Jan 4th, and we are going to need it after this week!!
After dinner, the kids went to Circle C and then Mike and I went to a comedy show. It was definitely R rated. It was hysterical! Then, I realized that I still had the girls room keys. Uh oh. So, e went to Circle C but they weren't there. We found them in Mike's room watching TV. We got changed into our PJ's and prepared for Grand Cayman. I got the tour money ready and our printout, packed the backpack, etc. Then, I typed out Day 1. Good night Day 2!

Day 1 - Boarding the Ship

2010-12-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

Port from deck

We all got up around 9 which was nice as we didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn. I took Sophie to Tori and Marcus since they will be watching her for us while we are gone. She was so funny. She used to go over there a lot, but it has been a while now. Lily growled at her from in the cage, and Sophie hid behind my legs and pawed at the door like let's get out of here! She was fine one Lily was out of the cage and they could play.

I bought $130 of suntan lotion, Advil, Pepcid, bug spray, etc on a last minute buying binge, and then I rushed home. Mike and the boys had already loaded up the truck. Wow, I can't believe that I just typed truck in my own blog. Wow. I have been in denial about Mike buying a truck for a while.

We drove to the cruise port which was about a 35 minute drive, and as we are about halfway, Morgan says, "pull over!" Mike does an emergency stop, and she is sick in the grass. Great. She started the morning with a really bad headache,and I was worried when she first woke up. She feels better after that, and she had taken her meds before we leftk, so we assume it is that or the headache and move on. We were there just on time for boarding. We valet parked the car, and it was SOOOO cold for Tampa. It was in the low 40's and getting colder. It was really windy (30mph winds at the valet stand but it was so worth it to get out of the cold faster. We went inside to security, and Mike was the random selection. As we waited, Chris was telling me that they do that to them at school now - random security searches, Wow, times have changed for sure.

We waited in the check in line where Morgan asked me why were couldn't go tot he platinum line. I told her that only works on Delta for me and that we would have to go on a LOT of cruises for that! I try to get Mike and the boys to go to their own check in person, but the Carnival staff made us go together. It didn't take too long, but the key cards for the boys both said Michael with no middle initial. So, they had to figure out which was which. We then get our picture made for the port arrival and departure, and I looked like a terrorist. Morgan is upset about her picture but I explain that nobody will see it except the people checking us in and out in port. We then get our first family picture taken.

We can't get into our rooms until 1:30, and it is about 1 now. We went to the Lido deck to get food. We got lucky to get a table, and the pizza was a hit - especially when we find out it is 24 hours a day. They also have ice cream 24 hours a day and daiquiris for kids!

Then, we went to our cabins. The girls were shocked at the size of the bathroom, but I didn't think it was that bad for a ship. Morgan was spoiled by Grams and Papa's suite last time, so I think the whole thing was a shock to her.

Boys on deck sailing from Tampa

The boys luggage came quickly, but ours didn't. We went to the lido deck to meet the cruise critic crew, but we weren't there long because it was time for the lifeboat drill. We didn't have to bring our lifejackets. They gave us a safety briefing, and then we were done. Painless. Much easier than Holland America actually.

Kids at Lifeboat Drill

Mike took Chris to Club O2 while I took K, M, and M to Circle C which is for 12 - 14 year olds. It looks like fun. They met some kids from Kansas City and Tennessee. Off to a good start. Morgan isn't feeling well though. Finally, the girls luggage arrived! Yipee! We unpacked and then went to dinner at 8:15. Our waiters are Reynauldo and ruban - the two R's. They are really good. We like them. The captain had come on earlier and announced that it was going to be rough tonight because the winds were 40-60mph. He didn't lie. Dinner was brutal. Moving all over the place. The poor waitstaff was really struggling. We all took dramamine just in case. Morgan still isn't feeling well. I had steak for dinner as did most of the table. I had a fantastic tomato soup beforehand. After dinner, when we are all stuffed, they bring in the desert menu. OMG...they have chocolate melting cake and it is on the menu every night. It is delicious! Think of a chocolate cake with hot fudge in it with a side of vanilla ice cream. YUM...Michael and Mike got creme brulee. It was good too.

Michael and Morgan enjoying desert!

Mike and Chris enjoying desert

Katie and Chocolate Melting Cake

Morgan playing with "Raynauldo" the mouse

After dinner, the kids went to their kid stuff, and Mike and I wandered around. We went briefly to a piano bar and to karoke but then Mike said he wasn't feeling well either. We just decided to go back to the room for advil. Then, all I wanted to do was climb in bed in my pjs. So we did. The girls came in around 12:30, and poor Morgan had gotten sick in the enchanted forest. She wasn't feeling well at all. I hope tomorrow she feels a lot better.

Sailing from Tampa

Girls as we sail under Skyway bridge leaving Tampa

Christmas!

2010-12-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous, simple Christmas this year. Since we are crusing as our present, we did very little on the Christmas front. We got a tiny 4 ft tree from Walgreens and 3 boxes of little ornaments - 15 minute tree. It was awesome! We did put out some lights out front. Very low key...easy and quicky!

On Christmas Eve, we went to Orlando to eat a pre-Christmas meal with Melonie (in town from Boston), Mark, Heidi, Bailey, Sopie, and Mitchell (in from South Florida), and Alice and Marion. It was a really nice dinner at David's Restaurant at the Omni Hotel. Mark's clan was going to Universal. We thought we might make it to join them on Christmas, but we had higher aspirations than what happened. On the way back from Orlando, we stopped at a Methodist Church in Brandon. It was nice to get in a Christmas Eve service. It was not my favorite church, but it was still nice to go and I enjoyed it.

On Christmas, Morgan surprised us by waking up early. The past few years she has slept in. There were few presents so it was quick! Morgan got an American Girl dresser for her American Girl doll (it is being retired and it was the only piece of the set she didn't have), a jewelry stand, and a robe. She also got a coupon for sewing lessons that will start in January, and she got a coupon for some credit toward room decorating once we find a new house.

Mike got a new waller from Morgan and a heart that Morgan stitched I Love You on. I got a beautiful Brighton necklace and a heart with I Love You stitched on it. Very thoughtful and nice!

Uncle Mark gave Morgan a necklace that he bought from the Cure JM party! Double points - one for a great present and two for supporting Cure JM!

We received our present from Uncle Mike early - it was a Cisco Umi. It is a telepresence video conferencing unit that goes on top of your HD TV. It is like you have never seen before! After we opened presents, we got on Umi with Uncle Mike and Tracy. It was so nice to feel like we were in the same room! We really had an awesome time catching up and we were on there for about two hours. Umi is awesome. I took a video but then I realized that they were both in bathrobes. So, I will do a more detailed Umi review later. Howver, I will say that if you have family that lives far away, it is really awesome!

The rest of the day we finished packing. I thought I was actually ready, but not so much. Took a lot of the day.

We did laugh hysterically at this that came with Morgan's jewelry holder. It is "assembly instructions" but it came pre-assembled. It says, "You will see a whole piece Heart Jewelry Tree holder. please carefully put it on the smooth surface." Really? Put it on a smooth surface? That is all they could come up with? We are prety sure this could be on the show "Outsourced".

Merry Christmas ALL!

Home from Hospital

2010-12-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

Morgan had her infusion last night, and all went well. We like uneventful trips to the hospital. This is what I woke up to this morning. Still can't complain about the view from the hospital. If you have to sleep on a hospital couch and have to be at a hospital, at least there is a view. :)

They always do such a good job of keeping the holiday spirit going. Today, they brough gingerbread houses around. Morgan enjoyed it.

The Day After

2010-12-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

Wow. All I can say is Wow. My knee is paining. Ouch. Every time I sit down, my legs get all tight again and I can't walk. Stairs are brutal. Ouch. I saw this You Tube video today and cracked up. It is exactly how I feel. Morgan had her infusion today, and Morgan and I laughed hysterically about my hobble through the hospital.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-hCuYjvw2I&feature=related

RACE DAY - Jacksonville Bank Marathon! DONE!

2010-12-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

This morning, the alarm went off at 5am. MAN, that came early! We were up and moving by 5:10 (Mike was up and moving way before me!), and I called and got Morgan and Rachel up. It took me a while to retape my knee and to put on the knee brace before the compression tights. We ate a quick breakfast at 5:30 (I had peanut butter crackers - breakfast of champions!), and then we got on the buses to go to the race around 5:50. We missed one bus as it was full, and we waited in the cold for the next one. It was pretty chilly and it was misting rain. Lovely. I also got a sharpie from the front desk to fix my number. They accidentally gave me someone else's number so I changed the 7 in 607 to 608 which was what my number really was. I thought a few times about how much easier running is to get ready for than triathlons!

We got to the start and went into the school gym. I was organizing my stuff when Holly said we should go potty. There were REAL bathrooms! Yipee! When we came back, Heather was going to check a bag, so Mike took mine and went with her. I found out that the race people had the right number for me, so I got that number and pinned it on. We took some pictures as a group and then put our hands in a circle and yelled Cure JM! I also used the stick roller on my leg.

We walked to the start line, and I wasn't even anxious. I took 4 Advil at 5:30. My knee was still hurting. Hmmm...oh well....I guess I will just walk the half if my knee is hurting. No big deal. I can do another marathon another time.

We line up and there is a man dressed as a gingerbread man. Cute. Morgan and Rachel cheer us on as we start. The first mile, Travis and I jogged a minute, walked a minute, jogged a minute, walked a minute, etc. The ortho told me to do that to warm up slowly. It was COLD outside and I wasn't warming. I thought Travis might have a heart attack when he saw that it took us 15 minutes to go the first mile. I reassured him that we walked a lot. My knee was hurting. Not a good sign. By mile 2, my knee felt some better. Hmmm... what does this mean? By mile 3, it was hurting pretty badly and we passed the start line again. About this point, there was a group of women who were "beepers" according to some other guy who ran for a while with us. The beepers are interval run/walkers like us, but they had short intervals. Also, their beep was LOUD! I was very confused as there were way too many beeps! We talked to a few people, and this one guy said that he didn't want to do a marathon because it takes months to recover! Travis didn't like that. However, the guy also said that it takes a week and a half before he can walk normally after a half. Hmmm...I haven't ever had THAT before either.

We get to mile 5 and we are off of the main road. We did pass a Hooters where I really wanted to stop for a beer. We see Courtney who passes and says, "sub 2!" It takes me a minute to realize that she means she will finish the half in less than 2 hours! We did the loop around miles 6 - 8.This is the stretch where I am continuously telling Travis that we need to do the half. We should not do the full. I am injured. My knee hurts. We haven't trained enough. We could be done soon. Any other thing you can think of, I probably said it! He was not hearing any of it. He said, "I didn't come all the way to Jacksonville to do a half." "If we are doing the half, you better speed up a lot because this is our marathon pace." "We are not going to be a red finishing with the blues!!" (the red on the tag meant you were a full marathoner and the blue meant half). About this point, Travis is talking about all of his body parts that have no feeling. It is pretty cold. However, my chest is pretty warm. My toes are very cold though. I am thinking there is no way I can do the full with my knee, so about mile 7 I popped 4 more Advil. We see Stacey and Aleida somewhere around 8. I tell them that we are going for the full. Oh man, only a short distance to change his mind! By mile 8, where you had to decide where to go, the Advil was helping and somehow I let Travis convince me to go straight for the marathon route instead of turning.

About mile 9 or so, I had to pee soooo bad (and more but I will spare you the details). I have never gone to the bathroom under the interstate (the porta potty was directly underneath it). It was interesting. When I stepped out of the porta potty, my knee completely locked up. I couldn't even walk on it. OMG it was mean. I had to hold onto Travis to try to even walk. It finally started to loosen up. WOW. Pain. I kept thinking of Chris and his stories about people who say, "Why is my knee paining?" Yes, paining is not good. About a quarter of a mile later, there is a motorcycle cop next to us. He says, "are you two doing the full marathon?" We say yes. He says, "you are going the wrong way." REALLY??????? No way....We had to turn around and go back. Of course, we ran RIGHT PAST this cop when we went the wrong way, and I so wish he would have said something THEN. This put us .56 off course. It may not sound like a lot, but adding on distance to 26.2 miles that you aren't really ready for is not fun. Also, it was just mentally brutal. We would see on the garmin that we hit a mile marker, like mile 11. But, then the road marker for 11 would be in over a half mile from that point. It was really hard to mentally keep swallowing each and every mile. Somewhere around here, I tell Travis that I am not very happy with him. He says, "I have not been happy with you for weeks since you got me into this mess. So get in line and you have a few weeks before you catch up!" Too funny. At about mile 12, there is a police car behind us. We are the end of the marathoners. Man...Travis is not dealing with this well, but I could care less. I didn't even plan on doing this today. I was injured. I was fine with the half. Why are we doing the full? Travis, are you nuts? I must have asked that a million times, but then I keep reminding myself that I went along with it so I am just as nuts. Around mile 10, there was a cool cop who Travis asked which way we should go for Waffle House. He pointed in the race direction and laughed. I looked forward to seeing him again and used it as a reference point as we ran. At mile 13, I am seriously wondering if we can make it. We see Dana around this point and she yells to us. WOO HOO! She is looking awesome and inspires me.

At this point, we are passing lots of people who are on their way back. I am so jealous. There are a LOT of people who cheer for us. Doing great they said. Way to go! they said. Keep it up you can do it! They said. Then, this one person (i can't remember for some reason if it was a male or female, but she/he said, "Good work. It takes a lot of guts to be out here that long." Travis says that someone should just cut off his penis now. I thought I was going to choke I started laughing so hard. I had to remind him AGAIN that he was running slowly for ME and to support ME and not because he was a slow runner. He said that I needed to keep telling him that.

Around mile 14, we shortened our run interval to 4 minutes instead of 5. We also took some extra walks here and there. The houses were beautiful. Around this point, we have no more people passing on the other side. It is just us, and the police car behind us. Travis says that the lights are starting to make him nauseated. Uh oh. I remind him that we could be finished if he hadn't pushed us this way. He says that Trevor was the one who made the decision to keep going (his alter ego is Trevor like mine is Trixie). I laugh. We are struggling. I am not sure if we are struggling more because of where we are or because we know how far we have to go. Also, at every single mile, I have to say, we have run 15. but the real 15 is another half mile. We have run 16, but the real 16 is another half mile. That is maddening. How could we possibly make it longer??????

At mile 16, we have crossed Travis' longest run ever. Humbling. He keeps saying, "perhaps we didn't train enough." He does NOT like being the last people. At ALL. I really don't care. I just want to do this thing. I keep telling him that we are giving Morgan hope and showing her that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. We are raising money for a great cause. We are inspiring others. We are doing something I never thought I could do. I started thinking about how 3 and a half years ago I was a hard core smoker. A year and a half ago, I couldn't run a minute without my heart rate going above 180 and feeling like I might die. The body can do a lot. The mind can do a lot. I have grown a lot and I am proud. Even though my knee is really paining. We settle into 3 and a half minute run intervals with 2 minute walk intervals. This worked for us. it took a minute for me to stop cussing at my knee and to stop thinking about how much it hurt. By then, I only had 2 and a half more minutes to run. Around mile 17, the cop says that we will stop having road support at some point. He was really nice. The water stations are starting to be abandoned. Uh oh. We are all alone. Around this time, we came across another runner. We were right near him for about 3 miles, He would pass and then we would pass. He would pass and then we would pass. It was nice to know that there was someone else near us. We saw a few others who were still out there too. Somewhere along here, the police asks if we want to finish or if we want someone to come get us. I am mortified. We are finishing this now! We have come way too far to stop now.

We hit mile 18. This was the longest I had run. 8.2 more miles to go. I think that we only have 3 more miles to where the Waffle House cop was. We pass a water stop that has people. They fill up a water bottle for us. Nice. We keep going. We start picking out landmarks. Run to that mailbox. Run to that stop sign. I turn on music at some point, and that really helps. I start singing which I am sure was annoying to Travis.

Around mile 20, we are in awe. 20 miles. Of course, we are really at mile 20.56...grrrrr...My shoe comes untied. I can't tie it. I stick my foot on a mailbox and Travis ties it. His hands are shaking. It was funny except it wasn't. We keep going. We are sticking to our 3.5 minute runs. Almost exactly each time. I am proud of us. Travis pushes us to 4 a few times. I start to worry that we won't make it before the finish line closes. As we get in between 21 and 22, we come across the turn where the half marathon/full marathon split. There is no sign. Which way do we go? No police. No people. No sign. It is very depressing. We start going and I am calling Mike. He doesn't answer but calls me back. He asks someone and they say that we go the same way as the people who did the half. We turn around. Then, we see our buddy the ambulance. Forgot to say that there was an ambulance following us like the police car (the police has long since left us but the ambulance was close).The ambulance tells us that we are going the wrong way - AGAIN! It is NOT the same way as the half. UGH. We keep going. Only we could make it this much longer. Really. Unbelievable. I am mad at this point. It has only been 5 hours. Why would they not have signs? This is not nice. Travis tells me to save my energy. I tell him that the anger is fueling me right now and to be quiet. :) Ok, Trixie might be out now. Then, for the 20th time, I had to say that we COULD be done and drinking beer by now if he had let me turn at mile 8. LOL. I think this is also the point where I started texting Holly and Jenn to tell them to remind me to never do this again. :)

I was so happy to see mile 22. Ok, I think to myself. We can do this! Morgan is texting me and asking me to tell her when we hit mile 24. At mile 22, we can see the light to turn back on the main road. WOO HOO! We turn on the main road (there was a nice cop there who asked about the people behind us and wanted to know if that guy we were with earlier was still there. We say yes). Soon, we see Courtney. She came back for us. :) I lost my rhythm of run/walk at this point. I needed that to stay focused. I am falling apart. I just keep having to walk. I am struggling. My knee is really hurting. But, I am so close. How much farther is it? I was so confused with our stupid .8 or so extra that I kept getting confused on where we were. I know it seems simple to subtract .8, but it really wasn't that simple at the time. :) At mile 24, I text Morgan as she wanted me to do. At mile 25.5, I fall. There was this weird ramp-like curb, and then there was an acorn thing my foot went over. DOWN. I tried to catch myself, but it was too late. Almost slow motion...I fell. FLAT on my knee. The hurt one. The one I am trying to keep. :( I hit my hand. My phone went flying. I am down. And it hurts. OWWWWWWWWWW. Courtney gets her phone out to call someone. I tell them that I have to get up. They lift me up - one on each side. I never would have gotten up without them. It hurts like a mother. I keep saying that we need to hurry and that Travis should go ahead. He says he won't leave me. I tell him that I want to be sure his at least counts. He says he is not leaving me and that if it doesn't count, then it doesn't count. I am pretty sure that this is the definition of friendship. Travis and I have been through a lot together with the whole work thing, and this was a bonding experience on top of that. I am not sure I can make it the mile we have left. And, we are running out of time. I so want it to count after all of that. We push, but I keep having to walk. It hurts. My balance is off. I keep stumbling on those dumb acorns. I keep looking at my watch and counting down until the time limit. Courtney tells me to stop looking at my watch. I almost snap (maybe I did even) but I was thinking if I didn't say it, "Listen, I am going to look at my ******* watch if I want to." I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO very happy when I see some man pointing to where we turn in. Courtney says that it isn't much of the track you have to run and then we are done. She tells us to save our strength so we can run the track. I realize then that the man is DOUG! I thought it was a worker but it was DOUG with MORGAN and RACHEL! WOOO HOOOO!!!! The field was a bit uneven and gravel-covered. I don't want to fall again. I keep looking at my bleeding hand from my fall. Ouch....ET phone home. :) Carmen and Stacey appear too. I have quite the entourage running me in. I love my daughter, her friend, my RBFF Carmen, and my training partner Stacey! I love Doug. I love everyone who is associated with the finish line at that moment. THEN, I see that it is a LONG way around the track. More than half. Ugh. I just wanted to cut across the field like Morgan did. :) I start screaming at Carmen and Stacey - I hate ****** track! It was pretty funny and I even giggled after I said it. Travis said, let's finish together. So we grabbed hands and ran it in together. I was so happy to be done. AND IT COUNTED!!!!!! I got my medal and the piece of pizza that the group saved for us. I got lots of hugs and pictures. It was awesome.

Here is the finish line video courtesy of Morgan. It meant SO much to have her there with me at the end.

THANK YOU TRAVIS! Thanks for making me do it. :) Thanks for being such a great running partner. Thanks for believing in me when I didn't. Even though it was horribly long, cold, and difficult, I had fun during a lot of it thanks to you.

Thanks so much to Holly and Jenn and my whole Tri group for always being there and for pushing me. You are both good cops in my book. :) Jennifer, you are a rock! I can't believe you ran that thing with your back hurting!! What an inspiration you are!

Thanks RBFF Carmen for always being so cheerful and supportive, and thanks Stacey for being there so consistently all this time.

Thanks so much to all of the people who donated to Cure JM on our behalf. I am humbled to have raised over $8000 for Cure JM. Maybe this will help find a cure. Thanks Cure JM for giving us hope.

Mike, I know you have thought I am crazy doing all of these races, but I am so happy you did this one with me! CONGRATS on your first half!!! You rock! :) I am so proud of you!

Also, congrats to the other first timers - Mark, Lisa, and Lydia on their first half marathons! Way to go!!! You rock! Congrats to Dana and Julie on their first full marathon! Congrats to Carmen on her personal record!!!

Last but not least, thanks to Morgan. I never would have even dreamed of this if it hadn't been for you believing in me. When I said I was going to do the half because I didn't think the full was in my cards, you said, "But you can do anything because you're my Mommy." My heart melted. I didn't want to let you down. I wanted you to believe that you really can do anything if you put your mind to it. I wanted you to believe in hope for a cure. So, here is to you Morgan. We will find a cure and beat this Dermatomyositis., You are so strong and brave and the light that keeps me going. Together, we will beat this!!!

Thanks for all of the support!!!

Morgan and Chelsea (both have Dermatomyositis) with Holly and Jennifer who gave them their medals after running in their honor. How very kind of you two to do that! Morgan really appreciated it and loves her medal. I am sure Chelsea does too!

Some pictures from the finish....

Morgan, Rachel, Dana

Carmen

Doug

Eric

Holly and Jennifer

Mark and Lisa

Mike

Stacey and Aleida

Amy and Travis

Mark sporting the medal!

And last but not least...my poor phone that slammed into the pavement....:(

Ok, one more...Julie wasn't able to run with us, but she did her own race last weekend in Charlotte sporting the Cure JM Morgan's Team shirt. Thanks Julie!

Day before Race

2010-12-18T22:45:00.000-08:00

Mike, Rachel, Morgan, and I went to Peterbrooke Chocolate in Jacksonville today. Oh My...YUMMMMM...we sampled the chocolate popcorn and the peppermint bark. Then, they had hot chocolate samples. Morgan was in heaven. We bought lots of stuff. In fact, the bill was more than our dinner at the steak place last night. YIKES!

Then, we went to the "swanky" St. John's Town Center mall. The girls got small Vera Bradly purses that they really liked. We did a little window shopping and headed back to the hotel. Then, we went to 1st Place Sports who sponsored the marathon. We picked up packets for Mark, Courtney, Travis, Lisa, and of course our own. Then, we shopped. I tried on these CW-X compression tights. It is supposed to be in the 30's at the race start and should get to the high 50's. Interesting. I have my long underwear that I used (with shorts on top) last year the few cold days that I ran, but these compression things seemed warm and like they might help my knee. I tried the long ones and the capri ones and couldn't decide what to wear. I finally bought both and figured I could return one. I tried them on for a while in the room and decided on the capri ones. The long ones gathered a bt behind the knee, and I thought that might make me crazy.

For dinner, we all went to Carraba's which is Holly and Jennifer's favorite pre-race meal. It was so good to see everyone, and especially I got to see Jim and to meet his friend Dana. She is super cool. Travis, Lisa, Courtney, and Mark all made it to dinner, and the rest of the Wesley Chapel Tri Team was there too. We had a huge table. Carmen, my RBFF, was there but we were on opposite ends of the table. :(

I had some dinner drama. I ordered Pasta Carraba's with sauce on the side. Holly and Jenn order it with no sauce, but I thougth I might want a little. The first one had sauce. The second one had pasta (COMPLETELTY plain) with a bowl of sauce, mushrooms, chicken, peas, etc. What????? I asked for the SAUCE on the side - not the whole dish! Yikes! I got a little Trixish on them, and the manager came. He fixed it and got me a new one. Whew. It was delicious once i got it, and the manager was really nice and cool about it all.

Back to the hotel to get ready for bed! BIG day tomorrow!

Atlanta to Tampa to Jacksonville

2010-12-17T22:25:00.000-08:00

My meeting was over today, and I flew to Tampa. My knee is still bothering me (or paining as Chris and I joke about), and I am getting more and more depressed about this race. I am wondering if I can even do the half. I do get a first class seat on the way home. Whew...

I drove home after picking up my latest pain relief medicine from the ortho (a gel to put on the knee and the lidocaine patches). I also got gas. I quickly ran through the house like a crazy woman, and I filled up a lot of containers with rock tape (kinesio tape), rock sauce (kind of like icy hot), icy hot, biofreeze, voltaren gel, flector patches, lidocaine patches, 6 new knee braces, ziploc bags, heating pads, ice packs, advil, and some other stuff I am not remembering. :) Man, it is expensive to have knee pain before a race! We also have the beautiful Cure JM shirts that say Morgan's Team on them and that have our incredible sponsors - Wesley Chapel Tri Team, Elite Sports Massage, Lifetime Family & Urgent Care, Stacey Handman - Remax, LifeDash, and Allscripts. THANK YOU for providing the shirts for us to run in to raise awareness and to raise money for Cure JM!!!

We also have a pink heart with the names of the Cure JM kids we have met virutally or in person. All of these kids have been very inspirational for me and my team. Morgan designed the shirts and she picked green because she had a dream where she was well and everyone was wearing green shirts. She originally wanted pink shirts, then blue, be settled for green because of the dream.

Mike, Morgan, and I headed to get Rachel (Morgan’s friend) and we headed north on 75. We had an uneventful drive except for almost hitting a deer on the back roads. We got to the hotel that evening, and we just checked in, unpacked, and ate at the hotel (Omaha Steaks). We then went in the hot tub and pool. It was really fun.

Today, we crossed the $8000 mark for fundraising!! i AM SOOOOO THANKFUL FOR EVERYONE WHO WAS KIND AND GENEROUS TO DONATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday in Atlanta

2010-12-16T22:21:00.000-08:00

Today, we had meetings all day and went pretty late. We went to J. Alexander's for dinner. Man, I love that place. There is one in Tampa, but it is far from me and I don't usually go there much. There is also one near my parents, but they don't like it much so we don't end up going there. I absolutely love the Prime Rib sandwich with the pencil thin fries. OMG it was good. Russ tried it but said he wasn't expecting a "slab of meat on a roll." LOL...that is a pretty good description, but I like it. Plus, they have that incredible spinach dip that I could eat for my entire meal.

We hung out talking about life, work, and stuff. I was pretty tired and happily climbed into my Hilton bed. I am seriously thinking about buying one of those Hilton beds.

Atlanta

2010-12-15T22:15:00.000-08:00

I flew to Atlanta today for a work meeting, and as I got to the airport, I found out that my flight was canceled. The check in desk said that I could go standby on a different flight, and I did get on that flight. However, I went from 3A (first class) to 31E (back of plane in the middle) - DOH. However, it is a short flight, so it was ok. Atlanta was getting ice, so they were cancelling flights.

Krishan and I met up at the aiport and rode MARTA to the office area. Julie and Nimon happend to be in class that day, so they came and picked us up. We had a fantastic dinner at Uncle Julios. This is my favorite place to eat in Atlanta now when I am there. Great mexican food. Yum. Their margaritas are awesome too! Julie just did her first marathon, and it was good (although a bit scary) to hear about it. I am doubtful that I am going to be able to run on Sunday, but I am going to give it until mile 8 to decide. I have been battling this stupid IT band knee pain for 3 weeks, and I never got to do my 20 mile training run. On top of that, I have hardly run in the last 3 weeks at all because of this dumb knee pain. I have gotten some prescription patches for inflammation and some other pain control patches, but they don't seem to be helping. I have bought 6 different knee braces, but none of them seem to be helping. I am so sad, but I think I will end up bagging the marathon and walking the half. I WILL do one in the future though. :)

I ended up going back to the Hilton and working late. It was SO good to be with Krishan, Julie, and Nimon. There is a bond that exists with all of us who went through the "old days" and it created relationships that are lasting and special.

Ortho Time

2010-12-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

I called an Ortho today as I am really worried about the race. He said it is most likely my IT band. I got some patches to put on it 24 hours a day until the race. Not sure if it is helping, but I am trying. Unfortunately, after the samples, the pharmacy said it would be $408. The doctor had given me a $30 coupon, but $378 still seemed a tad high. I got a partial fill and decided to go from there. Please knee, please....

Taper Run

2010-12-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

Today was supposed to be a taper run, but I didn't even make it 2 miles running before I had to start walking back. I am so discouraged. How am I ever going to do this marathon? I have been resting, only did elliptical this week one time. UGH!

20 Mile Run - BUST

2010-12-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

I was supposed to run 20 miles today. No such luck. I made it 7 and had to stop. :( My knee was really hurting. I was so bummed. I hope it heals before the big race. Mike did awesome and did 13 today! Way to go Mike! I am proud of you!

Thanksgiving in Hilton Head

2010-11-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

We drove to Hilton Head for Thanksgiving, and we had a fantastic time with the family. We didn't do much outside of the condo, which was fine with me! We played some games, relaxed, read, watched football, and ATE! Grams and Papa outdid themselves as always - YUM!

It was so nice to see Tracy even though it was only for a day. Also, we had Susab with us, and it was awesome to get to know her better. Michael, Katie, and Morgan had fun even though they are used to more action in Hilton Head! We saw Harry Potter and Tangled at the movies.

On Saturday, I did my first 18 mile run. Unfortunately, my knee started hurting ,and I stumbled on a tree root and hurt it. I really struggled to make it back the last 5 miles or so. I hope it gets better quickly! Mikie did 12 miles today! Way to go Mike! So proud of you!

We drove home on Sunday and didn't hit too much traffic. It was a fantastic family weekend! Happy Thanksgiving!

OMG Another Birthday

2010-11-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

Today, I have my last 30's birthday. I can't believe it. Seems like just yesterday that I had my last 20's birthday. Time flies.

MoMo had her infusion today, so we hung out together at the hospital. She was so sweet and started my birthday out with a cupcake at midnight with a candle. Mike was so sweet and got flowers and a gift card. I am a lucky girl and I am thankful for 39 wonderful years. I hope that the next ones continue to bring joy!

16 Mile Long Run

2010-11-20T22:13:00.000-08:00

Today, Travis and I ran our 16 mile long run at Flatwoods. It is amazing how mentally challenging it is to keep running that long. I made Travis tell me the birth stories of all four of his kids to keep my mind off of it. We had a good time, and I felt beter than last week's 15. Good sign. Next week is my 18 mile long run and I will be doing it solo.

Thanks Wachovia

2010-11-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

Today, I went to deposit checks in the ATM, and I just love the envelope-free ATMs there. I have blogged about them before, but they are pretty cool machines.

So, today, nothing exciting. Just depositing. Then, at the very end, the ATM tells me Happy Birthday with a little cake and candles. I tried to get a picture, but it disappeared RIGHT as I took it. :(

Nice touch Wachovia.

Healthcare Drama

2010-11-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

This was another one of those days that really makes me wonder about our healthcare system. The day started with me needing to get Morgan an appointment with her GI doctor. She was originally seen over an hour from our house. However, the group has an office about 15 minutes from our house. The original office had said we could transfer there with no problem. So, I called. They said that they would have to get her PAPER chart to the office first before they could make an appointment so there would be no way that she could be seen this week. WHAT? Coming from someone who does electronic medical records for a living, this was just frightening. First of all, forget EMR's for a minute. Haven't they ever heard of a FAX machine? Secondly, the part that was the most pitiful to me is that if she was a NEW patient, she could have gotten an appointment. Third, our health care system had better hope that it doesn't change because customer service like this will not work in a consumer-driven market. I relunctanlty agreed to go for the hour drive just to get her seen. Sigh.

Then, the home health agency finally found a nurse who could come do Morgan's home infusion. She is coming at 3:15, Victory. At 3:05, we receive a call saying that they had contracted the nursing portion out to another agency and they just found out that they aren't licensed in our county. Really? They say they are still working on a new solution and will let us know. At 4:45, they call to say tha the nurse should be heading our way in 2 - 4 hours. Nice. Around 7:30, he shows up. For an HOUR, he tries to stick Morgan. Misses twice. For the third time, he gets an ULTRASOUND machine and brings it in our house. He tries to stick Morgan using that as an aid. He still misses. He injects lidocaine so that she won't feel it. Oh man. He tries for what seemed like forever. Finally, he gave up. He then starts mumbling about a midline and says he is calling "someone more experienced." Oh my. It took every bit of my strength to not grab the needle from his hands to poke him in the eyes. The new nurse showed at a little before 10 (this is PM). She sticks Morgan ONE time and has it in . We hook up her med and away we go. Poor girl. She had a rough day of it. However, this was her 6th day of school in a row (counting Thursday because she would have gone if they had school).

Here's to finding a cure for Dermatomyositis so that she doesn't have to go through this treatment drama. If you would like to sponsor our team who is running and walking for a cure on December 19th, please go to http://www.firstgiving.com/curejmformorgan.

Creaking By

2010-11-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

I woke up and felt very stiff. I didn't really feel too badly, but every time I stretched I knew my joints were there. My left knee is bothering me some. As the day went on, my leg muscles got more sore. They aren't too bad, but I do feel them every time I stand up, sit down, and go up and down the stairs. Man, I love this marathon training thing. I am so very glad I thought of it. :)

15 Miles - DONE!

2010-11-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, Travis agreed to run with me. Of course, he showed up late. Carmen went ahead without me because it was her daughter's birthday and she wanted to get home. I knew that I needed company or I wouldn't make the 15 miles. Thankfully, he didn't bail. I wasn't sure he would really come.

About a mile into the run, he tells me that he hasn't run more than 9 miles and that was a couple of weeks ago. UGH...However, this is Travis who works out regularly and runs faster than me. I figure that he will pull through with 15 like he did when we did 11 at this same place. Since I run slowly, I felt like he would hang.

It was a pretty tough run for me. I felt bad much earlier than I did last week. Not sure why...maybe the temp as it was really chilly last week. Not really sure, but I was struggling early. I recovered but then struggled again around 12.5 and the last mile was really tough. I am not sure I really want to know what 26.2 feels like. I guess I will just keep going at this point and see what happens.

When we were between 13 and 14, this bicycling guy tells us that there is a rattlesnake up ahead. Uh....a what??????????? Isn't it winter? Aren't they supposed to be hibernating? Then, I SEE the freaking thing. It is ENORMOUS. It was right on the path. Of course, my bestie Travis just leaves me. Even this nice lady near us leaves me. I am terrified. I do not want to make the snake mad. Travis and lady went to the right of it, but that is the direction it is going. I finally force myself to go to the left of it (thinking surely it would take at least a milisecond longer for it to turn around and attack me) while travis is saying, "just sprint by it Amy." HA HA HA. First of all, there is no sprint in my legs. :) Secondly, aren't you not supposed to sprint when you don't want an animal to attack you? Hmm...anyway...I didn't like it at all. However, the endorphins did help me survive the rest of the run. :)

THANKS TRAVIS! I appreciate your company on the run! Looking forward to next Saturday and 16 - 17!

We went to dinner at Dickey's BBQ. It opened a while ago near us, but we haven't been. It was pretty good. I had a pulled pork sandwich. Been a long time since I had some good ole pulled pork.

Then, we went to see Life As We Know It. It is a story about a couple who dies and leaves custody to their two best friends who are not dating and who don't like each other. It is a very, very funny movie. We really enjoyed it.