Magnolia Tree in Bloom

Monday, April 12, 2010 – Kellee had an ultra-sound this morning and it appears there was nothing there!  At least nothing of concern. Once again the news was everything looks good at first glance, but the person who had to give it the final reading was in surgery and would read it later. Kellee was supposed to get a call in the afternoon with the official word. However, no call came – so we wait a bit more. We also have not received a call from ACS Hope Lodge to verify if we will be able to stay there next week. Application for admission is by physician referral only after a treatment plan has been developed. We filled out the paperwork last Thursday when we were there and they were going to turn it in for us.  Hopefully we will get a call before too much of the week goes by, so we will have time to make other arrangements, if needed. Please pray there will be an opening for us there! The full official name of the Hope Lodge in Iowa City  is – The Russell and Ann Gerdin American Cancer Society Hope Lodge.

Another prayer request would be for my work computer, I am hoping to be able to take my laptop from work and hook up to our network and to do most of my job while in Iowa City. However, I have been having difficulty being able to sign in and I will really need to be able to do so to work, otherwise there will be things I will not be able to accomplish. The latest fix tried today, did not work! Please pray IT can help me figure it out before the end of the week.

Today, my friend & hunting buddy John  came over and fixed Kory’s car, so it is ready to go up to Ames on Thursday. It was a pretty simple fix and I probably should have been able to figure it out. John definitely has a gift and he enjoys serving by helping people in this way. We really appreciate his assistance on our vehicles!

Tonight Kellee went to Systematic Theology class @ TRC and then the band, Sons & Heirs, is scheduled to practice after class.  (Have you been voting for S &H at Cornerstone?) The band is looking forward to Thursday and the Battle of the Bands at VEISHEA.  I went to the Barefoot Warriors men’s prayer and then came home to update the blog.

When Heidi left for her trip, one of the things she realized she would probably miss would be the blooming of our magnolia tree. As is usually the case in most things, she was right; today it was just starting to bloom nicely. It is not quite in full bloom, but getting close. It is so nice to see the grass getting green, leaves starting to show on trees, etc. Thank the Lord for Spring, the yearly reminder of  God’s goodness and how He brings life from death! To mark the occasion, Kellee agreed to let me take his picture by the tree to post so Heidi can see it from Florida and anyone else interested can also see the bloomin’ tree.

Kellee by the tree

Sunday – Road Trip

Sunday, April 11, 2010 – Kellee left extra early this morning for The Bridge, he had to set up and get ready for the service. He led worship this morning with Matt T. it was just the two of them as rest of the  band was given a break. It gave an opportunity to use some of the music loops Kellee has been working on, it apparently went really well.

I went to the 9:30 service @ TRC  and then left for Ames. Kory had called earlier in the week saying he was having additional electrical issues with his car and he really didn’t want to drive it with the dash lights and the right turn signal not working. So I agreed to drive up the van and leave it there for him to use and I would try to get it fixed. Kory didn’t want me there before noon, being a college boy he needs his sleep. (Turns out Heidi had already called him @ 11:00) When I pulled into the Freddy Court, Kory met me out by his car. He told that one of his suite mates had been in the car messing with the controls so that may be why the dash lights were not working, perhaps they had just been turned off by the dial being moved but he hadn’t checked it yet.  “Hmm”, I thought, “It would be nice if that is the issue, easy to correct – and silly me – why didn’t I think of  having him check that when talking to him on the phone? Did I really need to make the trip?” No matter the turn signal needs to be fixed anyway. We went to eat at Jimmy Johns since the lines at Panera and Hickory Park were too long. It was really good to spend some time with Kory and have him share some of what was going on in his world and to find out what he still needs to do to prep for studying overseas in the fall. After checking out Best Buy and Borders, we went back to his place so I could pick up his car. He told me I would need to gas his car up to be able to make it back to Pella, imagine that!?! (If I can get the turn signal fixed by next Thursday, I can have one of the members of Sons & Heirs to drive Kory’s car back to Ames/ISU and bring the van back. Sons & Heirs plays in a battle of the bands contest at VEISHA on Thursday. If you are going to VEISHA, check them out!)  I made it back to Pella in time to watch the end of The Masters with Kellee, which basically meant I could still take a late Sunday afternoon nap!

Tomorrow morning, Monday the 12th – Kellee  has “THE” ultra-sound, pray the test brings up no surprises!

Here’s another reminder to help out Sons & Heirs. They are trying to play this year at Cornerstone in the New Band Showcase, so the next time you are on the Internet, go to http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/ and vote for Sons & Heirs. You will be asked to set up an account and when they ask you for your cell number, I found you can leave that blank and still get assigned an account. Then you can log on, Click on New Band Showcase 2010 – Vote Now. Then click on Listen & Vote. scroll down to find Sons and Heirs and vote. Can vote once a day if you want. You can also check out more of their music at http://www.myspace.com/sonsandheirsmusic or http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000111840004#!/sonsandheirsmusic?ref=ts.

Another God thing…Heidi’s Trip

Friday, April 9, 2010 – Today Heidi left with her mom for a one week vacation in Florida. They drove to Kansas City today, staying with Rosie & Charlie (Heidi’s aunt & uncle in KC) and they fly out tomorrow. Stroud’s in KCMO is on the menu for them tonight, What is Stroud’s you ask? Only the best pan-fried chicken on earth! Let me you I am more jealous of that than any other part of their trip! Their flight stops in St. Louis, where sister Tami will get on the plane and they are headed to Ft. Myers Beach, FL. Before I go any further, I know what some of you might be thinking…how can Heidi go on vacation at a time like this? Well, the three girls have been trying to plan a vacation for the last couple years and this trip was planned at Christmas and booked in January. So for this trip to have already been scheduled and it happens to fall right smack dab between when we find out the treatment plan and when treatment is scheduled to begin, is nothing short of a God thing! For the last month, Heidi has been talking about canceling out of the trip, even though Kellee told her she must go no matter what. So for her to go is a blessing. She gets to do one of her favorite things, sit on a beach and read. Besides the last month has been a bit stressful and she can use a break. She took her laptop so she can keep up on the blog, email and Facebook, and she even has a cell phone. Yes, she is one techno-savvy gal! I am not much of a beach kind of guy, because if I am out in the sun for very long at all, I burn like a roadside flare! Besides, I got to deer hunting in December and January, so I have already had my outing with the guys, so now it is Heidi’s turn. (Not to go out with the guys, but with the girls.)  Pray she has a restful and fun trip.

A couple other things from today; Kellee was able to get an ultra-sound of his private area scheduled for this coming Monday in Pella at the Harmeling Imaging Center. We are grateful we could avoid an extra trip to Iowa City. Even though the trip is only 1.5 hours, it is just long enough to be annoying.  Let me clarify one thing from yesterday’s post. I have been told some people were confused and thought our other sons needed to have ultra-sound tests as well. That is not the case. When I used the term “The Boys”  yesterday I was writing about a certain area of the anatomy where Kellee would need to have an ultra-sound, it is a slang term for a certain part of the male body. Most men would have picked up on that right away. Just so everyone knows, our other two sons, Kerry and Kory are NOT having any tests, they are all hunky-dunky!

Tonight Kellee and I grilled some burgers and pork loins for sandwiches. I am having a cookout tomorrow night for Kerry and some of his college buddies (Deer steaks) and I suggested to Kellee, I should probably practice grilling tonight so I would be ready for Saturday. We went to HyVee’s meat department. (Yes Kellee went out, wore a hat on his head.) They have started to carry a Dutch spiced beef hamburger mixed with Gouda cheese.  We picked up two of those burgers and they also had some BBQ spice rubbed loins, so we got some of those too! So we grilled them up. For a side we warmed up some twice baked potatoes G-ma had left for us. Even though I don’t eat beef, I had a couple bites of one of the burgers, not bad. We pigged out, it was good. We were so full we skipped dessert! We both then loosened our pants and dozed in front of the TV while we watched Everybody Loves Raymond.