March...new beginnings

We are excited to announce the completion of Brad's radiation as of Wednesday, February 27. Of course, we couldn't get through the week without some nasty weather conditions on Tuesday, making our drive to Ft. Collins extra scary.  We began the week with dinner after treatment at Beth and Fred's house, a great time with two of our favorite couples.  His very last treatment was uneventful, but celebrated with a single serving cake, with "Happy Day" written on it.   These pictures of the machine and mask are from that night.

With a good outcome, which we'll know by the end of the month, no more radiation
treatments will be given.  Brad wasn't sorry to say goodbye to the mask!  Our next step will
be to get a new chemo protocol from Dr. Nye at University Hospital.

Our next big piece of news involves the possibility of the Taylor family relocating to Ogalala, Nebraska, where Meredith interviewed for a new position at the hospital there. Fortunately, it's only about a three hour drive from here.  They will know something more definitively by next week, when she gets an official offer.  We are saddened by this new turn of events, but know that they must do what is best for their own family.  (Selfishly, the rest of us will miss them, especially Corbin who has a special bond with Elijah, and Emma who will be missed by Rory, as well as the girls).  The entire family will miss Meredith's awesome Sunday desserts!  (I am still hoping that McKee hospital comes through with an offer...)

It' s been a busy weekend.  Brad and Curt are both exhausted from the travel/work schedule this week.  It would sure be nice if they had some work a little closer to home, but we certainly are grateful that they have work.  Amie and Meredith both ran Saturday in preparation for their upcoming races, with Amie running 15 miles to train for a marathon.  Spencer had a garage sale Friday as Carrie had "suggested" that he clear their garage so that it would allow her to park her car in it.  As of this post, I believe her car is still in the driveway! I played Grandma's Taxi Friday, picking up and dropping off kids for school and attempted to gather supplies for a craft project/baby shower gift, which I was able to complete (with a whole lot of difficulty) just prior to the shower on Saturday, with my craft room looking a little like Spencer's garage!  Saturday, we (all eight of the adults) went to Denver to the Chop House restaurant to celebrate not only Brad's treatment ending, but also Curt's 36th birthday.  We had a great time and a fabulous dinner!  It's been many years since we were all able to go out together!

 

Gabi got a horse and "staple" for her doll

Sunday brought a really nice, nearly Spring day, warm enough to have the windows open for a few hours.  We did make a huge recipe of Brad's potato soup with ham, some winter salad with pears and apples and Meredith's chocolate/caramel cake.  The kids were in and out and SO wound up...very noisy!

Chef Grayson- loves pots and pans!

The cellphone triplets

 

Happy birthday, Emma

As the week comes to a close, (and it's been a busy one) we are pleased to announce that we now have TWO teenage grandchildren, and both are amazing!  Emma is 13 today, and lucky to have her birthday fall on Presidents Day, a day with no school.  She had a party last night at her house with some of her friends and the last text I got from Meredith  said how "interesting" it was to have seven 13 year olds there...I am sure!  (Ah, to be a fly on the wall!...or maybe, not!)
We celebrated with dinner here on Saturday night, and her choice of entree?  Chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, of course.  After dinner, the kids and the Moms went downstairs, the kids to play (?), and the Moms to finish the latest jigsaw puzzle. 
We also celebrate the fact that Brad has completed 25 of his 33 radiation treatments.  It was somewhat of a challenge this week, as the scheduling/operation of the machine had some problems, making for late nights. And, on one of those nights it snowed just enough to make the drive home really treacherous.  Friday night ended with dinner in Ft. Collins with our friends Bill and Marilyn- an enjoyable evening.  He started some rehab Friday as well, and will see the therapist once a week in an attempt to "rewire" some of the areas that were affected by his surgery, such as reading, spelling and word retrieval. She gave us some good ideas to help with that.
Curt and Amie left for a short trip to Las Vegas yesterday for a much needed get away.  They will meet up with Heather and Matt and I feel confident that they are having a wonderful time, and getting lots of rest.....
Sunday was spent laundering all of the towels for the cleanup of the toilet overflow into the basement on Saturday, and getting the piles of dished done from the "noodle extravaganza".  We then went to see a movie (our first since October) with Carrie, Spencer and the kids, "Life of Pi". ( Note: this movie was not appropriate for 4 and 6 year olds, and their Dad had to leave 20 minutes into the movie, ending up at Chucky Cheese).

innovative way to go down stairs

Gabi & Corbin got into the scotch tape,
but were quiet for several minutes

Rory & Elijah played minecraft

Grayson with trains (genetic?)

I close this post today with this P.S. to my Mom!
I think it's quite appropriate.



 

Sophie & Emma chatting

Show me da love!

 You know how much I love holiday decorating!  This crafty idea gave me a reason to get rid of some playing cards that were missing  a few in each deck.  Just punch and string!









The week has been nice, having a couple of days off (Wednesday and Thursday).  I was able to play bridge with Ramona on Wednesday (yay, we took 1st place....) and then have a Mother- daughter shopping day with Meredith on Thursday, something we haven't done in a long time.  She and I went to Centera to get some birthday gifts for Emma (Feb. 18th she'll be an official teenager) and found a few bargains along the way.  We started off at the makeup counter at Macy's with a spend x$, get xxx$ worth of free stuff where we both took advantage of that deal.  Then it was on to Aripostle to load up on birthday gifts (also on sale) with a stop at a new Greek restaurant for lunch.  Although we thought we'd just split some appetizers, we ended up taking more food home with us than we ate.  After finding a few more bargains, including a couple of jackets for Gramma, we headed home.  Meredith and I cracked up at Gramma modeling her new stuff, changing shirts to match the jackets.  It was cute! On Friday, all of the kids were out of school for parent/teacher conferences, so Amie and I took them to a new childrens' museum in Ft. Collins (nothing like going to FC twice in one day!).  It was a great place and they had fun (unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I apologize for the cellphone pictures). 



The drummer boy

Gabi and Sophie in the tornado booth



 



The week has also marked the beginning of hair loss for Brad. It is somewhat unsettling, but just one more thing to get through.  With 20 treatments behind us, the countdown is on.
We finished the week by playing in a bridge tournament at the Budweiser Center.  It's a long day and I wasn't sure that Brad could make it, but 56 hands and 6 hours later, we finished.  Not our best effort, nor our worst and our partners, Bill and Marilyn were very patient!  I love that he was willing to make the effort!



Grandma, do I look like a rock star?

Gramma trying to explain how her"lift" chair works

February Love

We are so happy to celebrate the halfway mark of Brad's radiation treatments with the fact that he still feels great.  Other than a little fatigue, he is doing really well!  The most remarkable aspect of this was that we played bridge on Saturday, something that I didn't believe he would ever be able to do again.  Not only did he play well, but we placed third (out of 12 pairs!), much to my amazement!  For me, it was the most normal day we've had since late October.  The group was sure excited to have him back (lots of hugs) and even brought a cake!

 

This weekend, we celebrated Spencer's birthday with a Super Bowl party at their house.  As a top secret surprise, his Mom, sister and kids flew in Saturday night, and he truly was surprised...not an easy task to pull off! (Did I mention how much we enjoy being able to see them as often as we do, and getting our hair cuts/colored as an added attraction?)

 

 The Frost menu was their famous tacos, refried beans, rice, and all of the toppings, along with green chili, chili rellanos, guacamole and dessert provided by Meredith was a "light" chocolate - peanut butter cookie bar. Happy 37th to Spencer!

Elijah & Corbin, "army team"

Jack and Trent's team

Nothing like a hair appointment with 30 spectators!

The only injury of the day- a bloody lip!

Grayson & Emi

 

Attending the gala event were the Simmons regular 15, plus Nancy, Sarah, Emi, Trent, Gaby (Sarah's friend from Denver), Steve, Tracy, Jordan, Jackson, Alayna, Jason, Jessie, Sunni, and Hattie.  I must confess that I didn't watch any of the game as I was sitting in the kitchen listening to the shenanigans pulled by Carrie, Jessie and Tracy when we all lived in Bittersweet.  Seeing their girls (Gabi, Sunni and Alayna, along with Sophie) is a little " dejavuish"...same personalities as their mothers!  (Hopefully they won't be quite as "creative" as their Moms were!)

A third of the way there....

Tonight will be Brad's 11th treatment, with 22 left.  We again feel fortunate for so many reasons- the weather has been great for the drives to Ft. Collins, he has felt really good ( although the fatigue set in on Saturday), and we have the amazing support of our family and friends!  He and Curt continue to work, with a some big projects on the horizon, so we really pray that his (Brads) energy and (Curts) patience hold out.  Our week began with a very long night following his Monday radiation treatment (with the machine breaking down), but the remainder of the treatments went smoothly.  It seems to be the Monday thing....The kids brought dinner Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday which was unbelievably helpful as well as enjoyable, having someone else' cooking.

Great news this week for Meredith, with a call from McKee Hospital (Loveland) requesting an interview with her on Friday. She will have the opportunity to choose one of five positions if one is a good fit for her, and will go through a shadowing process to determine that.  Luckily, she has plenty of time to make that decision, so we know she will ultimately be happy with whatever is in her future.

The weekend was  filled with dancing!  Friday night was the Father/Daughter dance at the rec center, and it was Sophie's first time, although  Emma and Steven have gone several years in a row.  Saturday night was the annual hospital Gala, and Carrie and Spencer had a great time, as did all the couples!

 Carrie, Amie and I had planned on going to a scrapbooking crop on Saturday, but decided to have it at my house instead, saving time on getting everything loaded/unloaded, and money.  Unfortunately, Amie was sick Saturday, but Carrie and I got a lot of scrapbooking done.  Brad slept a good part of the day, probably out of boredom more than anything.

He and I went to Sam's early Sunday morning to pick up a pork loin for Sunday dinner.  Thankfully, the recipe  was written down!  It is one of the family favorites and went together fine with a little assistance from moi! Heather came from Denver Saturday night and surprised Curt and Amie with a night out to dinner while she babysat.  Such a thoughtful young woman!  She came and had dinner with us Sunday.  The kids played downstairs and, in the theme for the weekend, had a dance-a-thon.  Grayson ended the day with an exceptionally large bowl of ice cream!

Kisses for Grandpa

To & Fro- Week one, finished!

We officially survived the first week of chemo and radiation with our five visits to Ft. Collins every evening after work.
The first night was, thankfully, not an indicator of how the week would go, as we didn't get home until 9:00!  The actual treatment only takes about 15 minutes and the drive isn't bad as long as the weather stays decent.  He is feeling good, but we are told that at the end of 2 weeks, the fatigue will kick in.  He was able to work 4 days this week with Curt and did ok. I know that I am grateful having my job as a diversion right now, and I'm sure it is the same for Brad.  We ended the week with dinner after treatment with Beth and Fred McGregor.  It felt great to be out dining and conversing with friends!  She asked if I would play bridge with her on Saturday, and I was more than willing!  Wow, bridge 2 weeks in a row!!!! I may start remembering how to play again.  Friday morning, Grayson came for a visit and the weather was so nice that we went outside and he rode in the little car that we've had in the garage forever. Boy, did he love it! 

The Frost family arrived home Friday evening (thanks, Meredith for the picking them up at the airport!) and we had to wait until Saturday morning to hear about their trip. The kids came over for a visit (and to give Mom and Dad a short reprieve) and were FULL of stories about their adventure.  Non stop talking for the first half hour!  Great to hear their excitement!  Favorite memories?  Kissing and swimming with the dolphins was at the top of the list.  They snorkeled with sea turtles- Corbin loved the turtles, but didn't care for the salt water up his nose!







  Gabi wanted to "craft" with me and had her agenda ready.  We turned a shoebox into a princess apartment, complete with little lamps made from wine corks! (Of which I have a never ending supply!)

Saturday night, Amie and Curt went out to dinner and the kids came to have dinner with us. Brad made some cube steaks and mashed potatoes and gravy.  Grayson ate like I've never seen him eat before!  And  of course, Rory in his current growing spurt loved the food as well!  Sophie had a huge case of the giggles over most everything and her laugh is contagious!

Sunday dinner was fajitas(chicken and beef) which turned out to be a hit as well as a chili relleno casserole made from a recipe on Pinterest.  THAT was yummy!  Meredith brought some "turtle brownies" (caramel infused) which were right up on the top of the favorite list.  Rory said that if he could have a pan of those, a bag of sour cream chips, and a hammock to lie in, that would be heaven!