Rollercoaster!!

Our lives have been a true rollercoaster. There have been numerous trips to UVA and several trips to ERs because of Al's pain. The UVA Pain Management center was a true waste of time. Bottom line is that she is having lap surgery on Wednesday, April 29th at UVA. We are convinced now that all of this involves the bladder and she has had a MEAN bought with thrush because of sensitivity to certain antibiotics. I am not one to exagerate, but it has been really %$#@ for her.

I helped Alicia with a Mother/Daughter retreat out at Camp Keehukee the other night. It was fun to see all the little girls and reflect on times of bonfires, somores, and sing a longs!

Jeffrey just won the title of ROADEO Champion for school bus drivers for the City of Newport News. Now he goes on to the next level! Yep, he might win the state title this year!

Don't think we'll get to go to his show at DONK'S since Al's surgery is on Wednesday and the show is Saturday.

Much is happening and we'll have to play it by ear. Drew graduates on May 10th with a family barbecue the following weekend. John has a wedding to perform in Richmond the end of the month.

In WORKCAMP NEWS:

I have quite a few more houses to assess. Debra Bailey's husband Kurt, has kidney stones. Erica Balmer Hanchey sent me a photo of her pregnant at 24 weeks! The photo is of our new warehouse space for workcamp. It's the old boathouse on Willcox Lake! Yep, Bob D and Jerry G can fish in between runs!

Easter & Hope

Today is Easter. JR delivered an wonderful sermon, then communion. Then he jumped into our old bunny suit to help the little ones look for eggs. Al & Drew walked about two blocks from her apartment in Richmond and went to Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal to their early service. Then, on to the Murphys for a big family Easter dinner. Al continues to push herself. I pray.

We head to UVA again this Friday to meet with an endocrinologist /surgeon. Then back again the following Monday. I truly believe all of this is going to be good. We are supposed to go to a baby shower for Leigh Barksdale the Sunday in between the visits, but I think we may just have to bow out of that one.

Jeffrey is gearing up for his big show at DONK's the first weekend in May. Looking forward to it and seeing the revitalized theater.

Workcamp is like a steamroller. Preparing, typing, etc. I go to finalize the tshirt order this week. There is a lot of shuffling going on so some churches may be pleasantly surprised with a few more slots for kids on their wait lists.

I must exhibit self discipline this week by going to the YMCA. Alicia & family are in NC with her parents.

John and I started the movie DOUBT yesterday and will finish it today.

Our dear friend ANITA CLARK passed away earlier this week from breast cancer. Billy, her husband, has been doing workshops for new workcampers ever since 1985 when we made our first trip to W VA. The family visitation was at Immanuel Baptist Church because of the expected crowd. She fought long and hard. We will keep Billy busy this summer.

Catching Up Again

This is the design for the tshirts this summer. I think it's really creative!
Allie has had a few good days and now having a few rough days. Back to UVA on April 17th & April 20th.
The pollen is killing us!
Found out that my cousin Tim is coming to visit the first week in JULY! Can't wait. He will be able to get a glimpse of the kaos of workcamp. His birthday is JULY 5th so we'll celebrate on the 4th!
Found a used elliptical on Craig's list and Bob S., Kent and I delivered it on Sunday afternoon. Whew it was a blister to get up a flight of stairs! Now if Al can just get well enough to use it.
Our Simba (14 yr old cat) never returned home last week. We miss her a lot. I imagine that she went off to an "elephant graveyard" somewhere. She was John's sidekick, so he misses her so much.
I wove crosses out of crown palms for this past Sunday. Drew and Al came to church and then we all ate together at church for the first Sunday of the month. JR's sermon was terrific. It was called the DIVINE BAILOUT.
I tallied the SMOKE DETECTOR BLITZ stats. We knocked on about 185 doors. About 100 folks let us in to change batteries, check batteries and we installed 40 + smoke detectors. # of lives saved = priceless
Scrambling to get my taxes together. I've been a bit distracted and now am hussling to meet with H&R Block on Wednesday. Yikes, that's tomorow!

I LOVE THE FORSYTHIA IN BLOOM

Again, no photos. I don't like blogging without photos but I am too pooped to go dig around for the camera to upload! So, I'll be methodical about what has been happening the past 8 days.
Al's birthday came and went. Of course, she was ill, but mustered to shuffled in the mall for new PJs. That always makes u feel better.
What am I typing! The big news is that we went to Charlottesville to meet with the OBGYN team at UVA. Drove up late Sunday afternoon. By 9pm she was in such excruciating pain, I took her to the emergency room. Long story short, she has been walking around with a truly BAD urinary tract infection. They scanned her gall bladder and kidneys just in case, but it was a combo of th endomytriosis and UTI that was causing her to go downhill. We went to a 24 hr CVS, picked up drugs and back in the hotel room by 4am.
The appointment with the OBGYNs was at 8:45am. Another long story short, they just laid out all the options, all of which we had heard before. Allie has opted not to take ANY MORE LUPRON or other hormone shots. They are just awful; too awful to describe. She has an appointment back at UVA on APRIL 17th with a endocrinologist/surgeon and they will set a date for another laproscopy. She has an appointment on APRIL 20 to the pain management center. She is now regrouping. Boy, this girl has grit!
Today I visited a woman on Mars Street that had no walls in some of her rooms. And she said she was blessed.
We are blessed to find out that Bob Doenges does NOT have cancer, but some sort of infection....more info to come.
JR plowed our little patch for a small garden. I went back to the YMCA today with Alicia and we started our regimen again. It's been a little while.....and Al is going to try to do an hour in the pool with us when she is home during the week.
I refuse to let the gnawing pitter patter of little irritations and jumping through hoops get me down!
The forsythia and daffodils are in bloom. It's gonna be good.

Lots of Changes!

Lots of happenings. I hope to have a photo soon to post with this blog!
Long story short, Al and I traveled to UVA Hospital ER. She was seen and put into their computer system. That allowed the OBGYM specialist to view records. She has an appointment with them in 8 days!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday was the WORKCAMP SMOKE DETECTOR BLITZ & CHILI LUNCH! How fun! We covered probably 8 streets in Petersburg going door to door checking batteries and installing smoke detectors. The Pburg Fire Dept shadowed us and brought extra detectors. Daniel and the Scudders did a bang up job of lunch at Wesley UMC. We shared bday cake and fun with Al too. She and Drew were able to come to lunch.
Our VCU RAMS gave it their best shot in basketball, and the game was down to the wire! UCLA 63 VCU 62
And finally, SUN, SUN, SUN! It's been so dark and grey for so long!

Remember Mississippi & Galveston

This is an old photo from Mississippi last year, but I want folks to remember that there are families and communities still in need from Hurricane Katrina & Hurricane Ike. Pete Adler just got back from being in Galveston with a team and he said that no one is even interested in promoting it in the media etc.
It's rainy here today. It was a Tabernacle Sunday and just about everyone was there.
Al is having harsh reactions to her Lupron shot. Still working at getting her into UVA Med Center.
I am in the middle of the first wave of WORKCAMP 2009 applications. Fun, but grueling!
Bob Scudder is officially out of the Army and is retired. Alicia and Ellen picked him up at the airport last nite. He flew in from Germany. Ben is home on spring break from VMI. Drew heads back to Hampden-Sydney tomorrow.
The VCU basketball team won their conference, so today they will announce who is the next school they play.
I ramble on about all of these things, but my mind is on Al and getting her OK.

I Do Not Like Spring Forward!

The snow is gone and now the temps are in the high 70s today! Everyone I know is walking around in a fog!
The church congregation yesterday was slim pickins. Lots of folks absent; one with back surgery, one with pneumonia, one fell on the ice and has a cast on his leg and one, well, she just isn't doing well. Nuff said.
I took JR to Richmond early this morning to meet with his neurologist....all is good....the tingling in his hands and arms isn't from his neck, just aging nerves in his arms.
Went to look at four houses for this summer. Some really interesting folks for our teens to get to know! One I will just call "The Teddy Bear Lady"!
Al's shot was late being mailed so it won't be at the physicians office until tomorrow. She is going to try to go to a FLOGGING MOLLY concert on Broad Street tonight. Hope she can do it!
I'm watching Simba catch field mice and little blue lizards in the woods behind our bedroom window.
Lovin the Toyota van.
JR met with a couple yesterday that he is going to marry in May. They are friends Drew's. The wedding is going to be in Celebration Park near Woodlake.
This is spring break week. VCU is one game away from heading to the NCAA championships. Sorry VT!
Saw Sister James Regina today. All of the sisters are leaving St Joseph's and being split up into different services. Sister Lucille will be going to St Catherine's in Emmittsburg, MD. Sister JR going to Emmittsburg to a school there. Sister Patricia is being sent to Jacksonville, FL. Petersburg will not be the same. The Sisters of Charity have had a presence here for over 150 years.
I must leave to go to my favorite place----Walmart----NOT!