Who Let the Dog Out??

Almost every night, we take Harley for a walk....

tonight, at the very beginning of our walk, we found a loose dog. It had a collar and tags on. Whenever we see a lose dog, we do everything possible to get them and take them back to their owners...we just can't leave them... I have lost a dog and I know I wish that people hadn't been afraid to approach him (he was a huge dog..fortunately, we found him!).

Anyhow, we were able to get the dog (a beagle) pretty close to us because he was interested in Harley. He didn't get too close and if you stepped toward him, even slowly, he would back up. He was very skiddish. In all the times we have tried to help lost dogs, this is the first time I was a little scared. His skiddish behavior made me nervous as I was afraid he might bite one of us if we did grab him.

Anyhow, Aaron was able to finally catch him and when he grabbed the collar, the dog put his head back and grabbed onto Aaron's hand, biting him. Of course, Aaron let go of the collar and he was loose again. He barely broke the skin, but it still made me nervous.

Even after the dog bit Aaron, we still couldn't just leave him there. We are just huge dog lovers and we hate to leave a lost dog. So we tried enticing him again and this time he was even more hesitant to get close since Aaron had already caught him once.

Finally, the dog was getting really interested in Harley and began barking at her, in a playful manner and Harley barked back. Well, a short while after there barking a girl comes out and has some cheese in her hand. It was her dog. I guess it had gotten out. She thanked us and we were on our way.

I am just glad we were able to "find" the dogs home...and well, that the owner heard the dog barking and came out! But, I am sad at the same time since Aaron was bit...but like I said, the dog barely broke skin...but even so, it is still scary. We came home and cleaned it all up and we wil keep our eye on it just to make sure it's OK.

But yea...that is our exciting story for the day!

UPDATE!! UPDATE!! MOM!!!

The lymph node came back NEGATIVE!! The cancer has NOT spread and they removed all of the tumor...so it is all gone! Woohoo!!

She started her first round of radiation today and will be done on Friday. On Friday they will also remove the balloon!

After that, on Monday, she has a follow-up appt to check her incisions from the surgery and everything and she will meet with the oncologist to go over maintenance appointments..like how many mammograms a month, etc.

So...WOOHOO!! The cancer is GONE!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for all the thoughts, prayers and dust. I truly means the world to me and my family.

Cleaning out the Closet.

Our closet was a MESS!! Here are some before pictures...


See!! Now you can understand my need to clean and organize this mess of a closet! The first step was gutting it...here is what happened when we gutted it...


Now the mess is in the living room! LoL! No worries though, it all found its way back into the closet or in a goodwill bag or trash can! Here is a shot of Aaron (my little handy man!) working on putting in the racks/shelves....


Now...check out the after photos!! Presenting our new and improved closet...

Jennifer's Baptism

Today Jennifer was baptized at St. Joseph's Church. It was a really beautiful ceremony and I am so glad that I was able to be there for it. Here are some pictures from the day...
Jennifer with Mommy, Daddy and her God Parents.
She was so tired....I was holding her and she was sitting up and then all of a sudden she starts to lean over (like to lie down) and so I put my hand our for her so she would have a little hand pillow...LoL! She is too cute for words!
Sleepy Beauty!

Harley and Tucker

After a much too long separation due to kennel cough, Harley and Tucker are inseparable! They are just too cute! Here are a couple of pictures of the cuties...
Tucker is seriously sleeping under Harley like that!! Her head is resting on the top of his!
She is so pretty!
Tucker passed out on Aaron (his favorite pillow!)
Grrr....LoL! You gotta love Tucker's teeth!

Spring Cleaning

It may be a late start, but that is what Aaron and I are doing this weekend!

We are going to gut and clean the entire backyard in preparation for this summer when we build a deck. Our backyard is a disgusting mess; it is completely useless...such a waste of beautiful space! Harley is going to LOVE when we put the deck out there...she loves to sun bathe!

We also are going to gut and clean out our downstairs closet and put in an organizational system with shelves and baskets. This just needs to be done! We have such little storage space so we need to make the best of what space we do have. Here is a picture of what we are going for...

Ours won't be this big, because our closet isn't that large, but you get the general idea.

Oh and he already installed one of those pull out garbage can thingy's for under the sink...I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!! It slides out so nicely and the garbage can is actually bigger than our old one, so we won't have to empty it quite as often. It looks great!

It is kind of exciting to finally get everything super tidy and organized!!

Here's Your Sign

Aaron and I took a trip to the mall today and there were a couple of things I had to take a picture of...as I felt it was blog worthy....

First:

We saw this mannequin...
Aaron says, "see, that is what happens when you use the tanning beds too much!....or maybe if you eat too many carrots!" LoL!

Shortly after running into the orange mannequins we came across this cute little fire truck shopping cart/stroller for the kids to enjoy. Here it is...
Cute huh?!?!

Now check out this picture (this is on the back of the stroller)...
Now....just in case you can't read that...here is a close-up...
DUH!!!....All I can think to say to that is, "Here's your sign"

Mom Update!!

The doctor called back and they can still use the balloon! They are going to use a different entrance into the balloon so that it is far enough away. So she only has to do the radiation for 5 days instead of 5 weeks.

BTW...we find out late Monday if the cancer has spread...fingers crossed that it hasn't and that it is completely gone!

Thank you everyone for your continued support, thoughts and prayers.

Continued Prayers Needed

My mom went in for her follow-up appt (post surgery) and the balloon they put into her breast (where they will put the radiation) may be too close to her skin. Right now it is measuring 3mm away and they would like it to be 5-7mm away. If it is too close, it can cause her skin to burn when they do radiation.

So if it is too close, they will remove the balloons and tubes and they will have to do full radiation. Which is 5 weeks instead of 5 days. And increases her chance of getting lymphodema in her arm...because she will have to undergo more radiation.

So we need good placement balloon dust, thoughts and prayers. We will find out later this afternoon what is going on for sure.

Potential Career Change

First, I love teaching. It is a great job and I love children. But, really...the pay isn't very substantial.

This Sunday, technically, I am a college graduate with a degree in Sport Management with a specialization in Fitness and Wellness. In July I start my masters program in Exercise Science and Health Promotion with a specialization in Rehabilitative Sciences. I have taken a TON of science courses including many biology courses, chemistry courses, and anatomy and physiology.

When I was in high school I always thought about becoming a physical therapist or even an occupational therapist. Today, I decided to research this career path and I became EXTREMELY interested. The average income in San Jose is about $75,000 annually and it is in my field of education. I have had a lot of experience in rehabilitating individuals through personal training over the years and this physical therapy goes even further into my field of interest. I feel like it would be a challenging and mentally stimulating career that wouldn't become stagnant. And...it would provide for my family financially without working ridiculous hours! Aaron actually has shown some interest in taking this career path as well! So you never know, one day you may have to make a stop into "Avrech Physical Therapy"

I not saying I am quitting teaching...but it is a possibility that I may change my career path in the future. I am going to do some further research. Right now I know I have to further my education to even make this an option so we will see. I still need to obtain my masters, potentially earn a doctorate (not required but looks good) and I need to pass a licensing exam.


Here is just some information on physical therapist and what they do...

On a typical day a physical therapist will:

• examine patients’ medical histories;
• test and measure the patients’ strength, range of motion, balance and coordination, posture, muscle performance, respiration, and motor function;
• determine patients’ ability to be independent and reintegrate into the community or workplace after injury or illness;
• develop treatment plans describing a treatment strategy, its purpose, and its anticipated outcome

Back from Surgery

The surgery went well. The removed the extra tissue, and the lymph node to see if it has spread. They put in the balloon and the tube that is attached so they can start radiation next week.

The doctor said the lymph node looked pretty good but he can't be 100% sure. We will find out late Monday if it has spread or not.

Thank you everyone fore keeping my mom in your thoughts and prayers.

Update: My Mom

For those of you that wanted an update....

Last week, my entire family went to see the surgeon with my mom to discuss the options as far as treatment goes for my mom's breast cancer.

The consultation went really well. He answered all our questions and seemed very optimistic. He said my mom's cancer is not an aggressive cancer and her tumor was small (1.8mm). Her hormone levels were favorable, so the cancer was not caused or increased in size due to hormones so that is good. He said her chance of cure is 95%!

Also, he didn't seem very concerned about the lymphodema. If you are just catching up on this story, this is a condition my mom was born with and it makes it near impossible to fight infection. She has lymphodema in her legs and I think maybe that is why it is not a huge concern. The cancer is in her breast, not near her legs, so it should be okay.

Yesterday, my mom and sister went to the oncologist to further discuss what she should do. My mom decided to do the balloon treatment. In this treatment, they put a water filled balloon into her breast, where the lump was, and for 5 days in a row, they directly insert the radiation into the balloon. This surgery is tomorrow!

So my mom's surgery is tomorrow, and on top of inserting the balloon, they are going to take a little more tissue out where the lump was just to make sure they got it all and some. And they are also going to remove one of the glands in her armpit to make sure the cancer has not spread.

During the consultation, the oncologist did a quick examination and felt her underarm and he said that it felt good and that he doesn't think it has spread but that he can't be 100% sure because sometimes they can be microscopic. He said he thinks there is about a 30% chance that it has spread.

Our family is feeling a bit more optimistic about this after talking to the doctors but we are not out of the woods yet. We need to get through this surgery, radiation and make sure it has not spread.

So, if you could...keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers.

14 Days!

Oh.My.Gosh! Only 2 weeks, yes 14 days until Aaron and I fly to Pennsylvania and begin our 18 day United Stated college graduation road trip!! I can't believe how close this trip is getting! We have been thinking about this for more than a year now and have been seriously planning for about 3 months now! This trip is going to be amazing...something that some people may never do and I am so grateful and excited that we are going to be able to experience such amazing moments...and experience them together.

Oh....yes, we are two weeks out and we still don't have a hotel booked for New York! The hotel prices are INSANE! I have seen some for $1500 a night! That is freaking ridiculous! We didn't have a hotel for Washington D.C. either but Aaron took care of that today. He used name your price on priceline.com and requested a 3 star hotel for $79 and his offer was accepted! We are staying at the Doubletree!! Aaron looked up the price of the hotel, as if he was going to book, and the normal price is $289!! Can you believe he got it for $79!?!?! Woohoo!

We may use priceline for New York as well, but I am going to talk to my best friend, Muna, first and see what she thinks since she lives there. She may know a secret, special spot!

Eeek!! We are getting so close!

Phone on the Fritz....AGAIN!

Last Friday, I think, I took my phone into Sprint because it gave me the white screen of death. I guess on cell phones, the screen goes white instead of blue like computers. Anyhow, so I got this screen of death, brought the phone in and they attempted but failed to fix it; so they gave me a new phone.

Woohoo!! New phone right? Well...I have had this one for not even a week and it is already giving me problems! When people call, it rings for like a millisecond and then stops. There is absolutely NO chance to even grab the phone, look to see who is calling, let alone answer it!

I can't believe how many problems this phone has had! Aaron has the same one and it hasn't had anywhere near the amount of problems mine have had! He has had a few quirks but that is it.

So, I guess I am going to have to take my phone in again if it doesn't stop! Ugh! So before you go out and buy a new phone from Sprint...let me give you this advice:

DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE!!

My Best Friend Today

Being sick is poopy! =(

Repairing Sally

Today I decided to take my classic mustang out for they day (a 67 convertible if you are wondering!) and it was such a nice day in that car!

But as I was driving, I was noticing that the brakes weren't 100% so I brought it into my dad's shop to have him check it out. He is actually the one who built the entire car for me; from ground up. He bought it when I was 13 and it was finished and ready for me to roll in when I was 17! I had the most awesome car for a high school student! Ok, off that tangent! So I took the car in and he checked out the brakes.

At first he was thinking that my brake booster may be bad, but before he did that, he checked the brake fluid. The brake fluid was a little low, but not horrible. After that, we bled the brakes. After my dad finished bleeding the rear right brake fluid, he let Aaron try the left rear so he could learn how to fix the car. My dad loves teaching Aaron these things and Aaron loves learning how to fix cars or anything really. Anyhow, Aaron is doing good and then I hear my dad say, "okay, now put the screw back on" and as Aaron is doing that I see my dad's face wrench as he says, "not so hard!" Well, it turns out that Aaron had a few too many oats behind his twist of the tool because he snapped the bleeding screw! Without the bleeding screw, we were screwed and stranded!

So, my dad called the parts department and asked them if they had one in stock and we weren't thinking they would because they don't usually carry parts for a 67 mustang, but they DID! So my dad ordered the part and they brought it out and my dad finished the left rear. And actually, as he was bleeding the brakes, he noticed that there was a leak in the brake system and it was only very noticeable since Aaron broke the bleeding screw! So, it wasn't actually bad that he broke the screw, because we needed to replace it anyhow. Anyway, my dad finished fixing it up, took it on a test drive and we drove off with the top down and the music bumpin!

Here are some pictures of my dad fixing the car, Aaron breaking parts, and me in the car!


Oh, and since we are talking about classic cars here...I HAVE to post a picture of my dads 69 Dodge Charger. He is still restoring it, so you have to really appreciate cars to understand what this car will look like when it is all done, but in case you have a hard time imagining it looking great...I will post a picture of a fully restored on as well!

Here is my dads 69 Charger...

Here is a fully restored 69 Charger....

So Hard...

I just got off the phone with my mom; it was the first time talking to her since I found out. She explained to me that she had a feeling that the lump was going to be cancerous (just a gut instinct) and that is why she tried to prepare my sister and I of the news (before we found out, she told us that even if it was cancerous that it was really small and that the treatment would just involve radiation and that it would be okay).

She said, now her gut is telling her that the doctors removed it all and that it hasn't spread. She goes and gets this checked yearly and does self examinations monthly...So she is very positive, and that helps me a ton. Her gut was right the first time and I think it will be right this time too.

Now we just need to get her to the doctor to verify it hasn't spread...but right now they are full, but her doctor is doing everything he can to get her in asap. (probably mostly because of the lymphodema)

The one thing I didn't realize because I was in a panic was that though she has lymphodema and can't fight off infection well, the lymphodema is in her legs and no where else. So she can still fight infection normally from the waist up. So if it has spread, she can still fight off infection.

The other thing though that worries me, is that if it does spread and she needs radiation and chemo, is the possibility of getting lymphodema in her arm. Many times, breast cancer patients, after surgery develop lymphodema in their arm. It would be horrible, but it is much better than cancer.

Sorry this is so long, but it is the only way I can put all my thoughts and feelings out there. And for those of you who are going through this or have gone through this and have offered to help, I really appreciate it. I think I am somewhat still in denial about this whole thing, but I may take you up on your offers.

This is not the first time I have seen this happen to someone...my best friends mom battled breast cancer for a long time. She had a very severe case where it even spread to her bones. She went through radiation, chemo and more, and now she is cancer free and looks/feels amazing. I know it can be beat...and my mom's cancer as of now is nowhere near the stage my friends mom was in and hopefully never will be, but if we get to that point, I know that if anyone can beat it, my mom can. She is the strongest person I know...she has battled lymphodema her entire life and has never once complained or made excuses. I know she can do this if needed. It just sucks.

Need Prayers

My dad called me yesterday to update me about the lump the doctors took out of my mom's breast. I knew it was bad when my dad called rather than my mom...

She has breast cancer. I am devastated, my dad is devastated, my mom is trying to be strong, but I know she is scared. And I don't even think my sister knows yet.

It was considered a small lump 1.5cm. They removed the entire cancerous lump but now they have to check to see if it spread to her lymph nodes. That is the next step.

Of course we want for it to be all gone and not to have spread,but it is especially important for my mom because she has lymphodema. (lymphodema is a non-curable disease--she was born with it that affects the lymphatic system and makes it near impossible to fight infection). So for that reason and many more, we are praying that they got it all and it didn't spread.

So please, please, please pray for my mom. She is my best friend and I need her to be okay....This is absolutely the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with (and I am sure it is even harder for my mom as she is scared for herself and my dad and my sister and I and she is trying to be strong) and I am not really sure how to handle it all.

Thanksgiving in April

Since I have this week off due to spring break, I decided I would cook Aaron and I a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Today was the day I became a "domestic goddess" as Libby put it...LoL!

I decided for our Thanksgiving dinner I would make Turkey (duh), Candied yams, stuffing, homemade gravy (grandma's yummy recipe!) croissants, and cranberries. The only things I didn't truly make are the croissants (pillsbury) and the cranberries (canned jelly style cranberries)....everything else was homemade!

The thing I was most nervous to make was the candied yams. I had made everything else before but this was a first and it is my all time favorite Thanksgiving tradition. I called my grandma probably 100x this week to get her recipe but I am pretty sure she was out of ton so I was SOL. I found a ton of recipes on the internet but I knew a few things I wanted to do when I made them, so I kind of made my own recipe using a combination of recipes I found on the internet. They were pretty easy to make and oh.my.goodness...they were SOOOOO good! I was so proud of myself!

Everything really came out awesome, and in a timely fashion...and we are very excited about all the leftovers...YAY for Turkey sandwiches! Here are some pictures of our dinner...we busted out the fine china and everything!


Aaron is trying very hard to perfect the art of turkey carving....He tried! ;)
The table set up....I LOVE our fine china!
Not perfect but he really tried..and it was still SUPER yummy!
Stuffing...Mmmmm! (Our Waterford fine china in the background)
Super Scrumpious Candied Yams!! I promise there are yams in there...they are hiding under the marshmallows...Mmm...Marshmallows! =)
Croissants....yummy goodness!
Cranberries....Not homemade, but OH SO good!

She Fuels the Fever

The title really says it all. Jennifer is such a beautiful and sweet baby girl! It has been so great to be able to watch her grow up! And we can't wait to see her keep growing! It is crazy to think we will be able to see her walk, run, talk, etc. I am so excited for her milestones and watching her grow...I can't even imagine what it is like for Tony and Libby! I can't wait for Aaron and I to experience that type of love.

Here she is in all her cuteness! She is even cute when she cries!