Biggest loser, you in?

Hey everyone. A friend of mine is having a biggest loser contest. Not a lot of people have signed on. I know a lot of us want to change something and that something being weight. So let's do it together. Cassidy has set this up and I want to help bring in more participants. Come on it'll be fun. She is even offering prizes!!

Go here

and here

and all the info is there.

-S

Dove self esteem compaign

Enjoy

-S

Something you have to see to believe..

Yes a giant wagon slide. It's in Downtown Spokane. One of my childhood memories. We went and played after Joe's appointment.

Joseph and Speckles cuddling... yea, he won't admit it most of the time but he likes our kitty.


And this one is just funny, she is yawning, not trying to kill Joe. lol

-S

Questions one would ask themselves about ...

Adoption

For couples considering adoption, there is a lot to think about! If you and your spouse are wondering if adoption is right for you, ask yourself the following questions, we did:

1. Do you and your spouse have similar feelings about adoption?
   

2. Are you and your spouse excited about the prospect of becoming parents through adoption?

3. Are you realistic about the joys, heartaches, struggles, and rewards that can accompany parenthood?

4. Are you ready to let go of the idea of having children through pregnancy?

5. Do you understand that adoption will not cure the pain of infertility?

6. Do you and your spouse have a solid, healthy relationship?

7. Are you ready to be a parent to a child who doesn’t have biological ties to you?

8. Can you provide a loving atmosphere in which a child may thrive?

9. Are you prepared to deal with a child’s questions and possible feelings of loss?
   

10. Are you prepared for the rigors of the adoption process?

11. Are you prepared for the possibility that adoption can result in conflicting, complicated emotions?

If you answered yes to all of the above questions, then chances are good that adoption is the right path for you!*

There are a lot of options when it comes to adoption (domestic or international, foster-to-adopt, agency adoption or private attorney adoption, trans-racial adoption, infant adoption, adoption of older children, etc.); these questions were just meant as a stepping stone to help you to decide whether or not to begin your adoption journey!

[*The above questions are from this page on ItsAboutLove.org]

Oh you poor neglected blog,

I'm so sorry. It must have slipped my mind, you wanted my attention, you needed me to update you. I failed so miserably, please let me explain.

• I started work. Two jobs in fact. I am a paid accompanist at my Alma Mater. By definition "performer paid to play", I'm a professional. Woah. Ya, that is cool. I love it & I love working with Mr. H or Coach (lol) I starting teaching Piano Lessons at the Tri- City Acamedy of Ballet and Music. I only have 4 students, my boss tells me to be patient he'll fill my schedule, but I am happy to start out small.
• I broke my tooth. My #3 molar (I learned that at the dentist, it's one of the main chewing molars) I was walking in Costco, and a huge chunk came out. Luckily my family's dentist excepted me as an emergency patient. I almost lost it in the office when he told me I needed a crown and that my tooth is basically falling apart (due to a failing filling- not rotten though, phew) I have a temporary now, permanent coming in a couple weeks.
• The same day my tooth broke I got my 1st ticket. Yup, true story. I figured that I was pulled over for a missing mirror (another story another time, but it's gone and he can't ticket me for it) so he decided to ticket me for running a red light. It was green!! The ticket was for $124. NOT cool. I had a passenger though, and she is willing to be a witness when I go to court and contest it. Because $124 is a lot of money to pay for something I honestly didn't do!

So dear sweet neglected blog, I hope you understand, I didn't mean to let you go so long. Do forgive me, won't you? I know your readers will, won't you?

-S

For the love of a Neurologist...

haha. Good title, eh?

We LOVE Joseph's new neurologist... Monday was his first visit to his new doc. Here's how the day went:
*Woke up early, left a little late, took Mom with us (to make sure we could find the place- she knows Spokane better) Put the pedal to the metal walked up to the check in desk exactly when they asked us to be there-couldn't have timed it better. lol. We had barely finished the health history when he was called back. The nurse was nice, she took his vitals and also got the info to contact Dr. Vincent- his old neurologist (she needed this because even though we formally requested his medical records over one month before his appointment, we haven't recieved it!! Grr.)
*Anyway Dr Cooke came back really quickly. He got a really detailed history, and he took tons of notes. He spent the next hour or so testing everything (Joseph's reflexes, nerves, balance, vision, hearing, strength resistance and others I couldn't figure out) He was very hands on, and a little old school, he had to see it, test it and write it down. Although he was a little old school testing he is extremely knowledgeable and "in the know" when it comes to medications and treatments for MS. He talked to us about different types of treatment, what he reccommends and he entertained questions about things we have researched.
* He reccommends that Joseph start on Rebif, and get an MRI of his brain and spine (He hasn't ever had a spine MRI) Dr. Cooke also wants Joe to see their Physical therapist once (then we can follow up with more if needed locally)
* Overall I don't think that Dr. Cooke and his staff could be any better or earned any more brownie points- they are spectacular!!

** MRI Follow up** MRI's are REALLY expensive so I did some calling around and MSAA has a program to help MS patients pay for MRI's, it looks like we qualify to have his MRI's paid for completely. So we are currently working on getting all that paperwork done.

** Medication** Rebif is a medication administered 3 times weekly by shot. We've read through the packet, watched the DVD, and everything else, we think it's a good way to go. We feel good about it. And since he can't go on it until after his MRI's there is still time. Good News: Rebif has a program to help patients pay for it, at most we'll pay $50/month, or nothing

***To sum up*** Dr. Cooke & Staff = Amazing!! It's worth the $50 gas (1 tank for the 260-ish mile roundtrip, then the tank filled up again in town), $20 food & $25 co-pay for 2 hours with Dr. Cooke. When compared to what we used to do, pay the same for a 30 min. drive and 15 minutes with his old neurologist. Can you say Score??

-J&S