All in White for the Ward Party

Ed and I dressed as Colonel Sanders and Mr. Clean for the ward party Friday night. We won the best couples costume contest and got 6 tickets to the Utah jazz. We realize there were far better costumes there than ours, but we think we got the cancer sympathy vote. We'll take it!

It was fun seeing the James' beautiful home and wandering around their grounds.

We especially loved the Hobbit house built into the hillside and accessed through a secret door in the theater room.

I loved seeing all the creativity people had in their costumes. Tricia looked fantastic as Ruth Bader Ginsburg!  It was a great party and I hear we left before it really got cooking. People stayed late and did karaoke with a live band. We've got some great talent in the neighborhood!

I'm enjoying life now and feeling good. My blood is stable, but platelets still low at 33. I'll start treatment again when they get to 50. Next labs are on Wednesday!

Backyard Safari and Cornbelly's Maze

Brittany brought the girls over Thursday and we hid some stuffed animals around the back yard and took them on a Safari. (Can you see the lion on the left?)

They girls had a lot of fun finding the animals. Some of them were a little tricky, but we rounded them all up and took them down to the playpen for feeding time.

After they fed the animals they took a "nap" with them in the playpen. Then, they practiced climbing in and out of the playpen. It wasn't particularly safe, but it was very entertaining for us as well as them!

We also enjoyed eating pluerries, a fruit made from plums and cherries. They were delicious. I bought them at a farm stand and had never heard of them before.

Friday we went to Cornbellies at Thanksgiving point. It was a corn maze and much, much, much more!

There were so many things to do there that you could spend an entire day there.

We took the short corn maze route especially for children. It had occasional spinners to tell you what to do as you walked through it. They kids (and adults) had a good time with that!

We finished up at the giant blow up pillow. The kids were sad to leave and I wonder if Cornbellies will be the only maze they ever want to go to again. There are lots of other mazes here, but this was the absolute best!

Relief Society Shoe Party and labs

We got home in time for me to go to Relief Society last night. Everyone brought new children's shoes to donate to children going into foster care. 

We also brought shoes that told something about ourselves. We heard some very interesting stories, including Kathy Palmer's admission of guilt in regards to a very coveted pair of green hosiery! She is a very nice person, and you would never suspect she has a dark history!

I had labs this morning. Platelets are up to 33. I guess no treatment plan yet. On the bright side, my blood work is still stable and I feel good. Even my fingers are feeling less numb and tingly. Hopefully, we'll be able to resume treatment soon.

Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and Utah--in two days!

We made it to Crystal's house at 5 p.m. on Monday. This required us to leave Dubuque at 5:30 a.m. It as a 12 1/2 hour drive, with an hour time change. We were so happy Crystal was making us supper when we arrived!

We had had Nebraska Runza sandwiches for lunch, which was an interesting bread filled with ground beef and cabbage. It was fun trying something new.

Verlene joined us for dinner, making it feel just like last year's Thanksgiving! We had a yummy taco soup with chicken instead of ground beef.

Later we tried to guess what the new mystery flavored Oreo is. We have no idea. Maybe Teddy Grahams cereal. Or Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal?  We are not going to win the guessing contest!

Yesterday we enjoyed the ride over the mountains back to Denver. The aspens are turning yellow, and there was a lot of pretty color on the drive.

We stopped at Brittany's house to pick up the dog and to get hugs from Mabel and Clementine, who missed us terribly! They were sorry to see the dog go, but Brittany was not!

Milo's Blessing Day

We went to church with Amanda and Nolan today, where Milo was blessed by grandpa. Hugo and Milo got matching outfits for the occasion.

In the afternoon it stopped raining long enough for us to run over to the beautiful Dubuque Arboretum.

There is still so much in bloom. These hosta rectifolia were our favorites.

The bridge and the koi pond were particularly beautiful.

Ed and I felt like we were back in Maryland with the humidity here in Iowa. Fortunately, the rain had cooled everything off, and we enjoyed wandering through the trails of the arboretum.

We lived on the edge and had Hugo hold Milo for this shot in front of the koi pond. Milo looks like he knows this isn't safe, but Hugo loved it and didn't want to let go!

Grandpa had one more task to do before we leave tomorrow--mount a TV. Hugo had his own drill and helped Grandpa (sort of).

We were so glad we got to get to know Hugo and Milo a little better on this quick but fun trip.

Tomorrow we start our two day trek back to Utah. The nice part is we won't be towing a U-Haul and can go full speed ahead as we drive into the sunset!

Mississippi River Museum

Yesterday we went to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium with the Hautas. It has amazing displays of boats and fish along with history of the area.

They had a brand new river otter that was orphaned and adopted by the museum. It was super friendly with the children and fun to watch!

We enjoyed seeing the river and the steamboats that used to ply it.

Hugo and Amanda had a turn at paddling their own canoe.

They even got a chance to pet the stingrays!

In addition to all the fish and displays, the museum has an interactive play area with water and boats for the kids to enjoy.

Afterwards we had a little down time while Amanda made dinner. Hugo and I read books together on my tablet. He likes to hear each book at least 4 times before moving on to the next one!

Dinner was a huge success, with shrimp and cauliflower in pineapple halves.

Eating out of a pineapple made it feel like a party!

After the party we watched Field of Dreams, which was filmed near here. On our next visit we hope to fit in a trip to the filming location! I don't know how often we've used the phrase, "If you build it they will come!"

Downtown Dubuque

We went to the Carnegie-Stout Library this morning with Amanda and the boys. It was a beautiful facility built in 1901. They offer lots of programs for children and adults in a very unique setting!

After play time in the library we stopped at Habits across the street and bought some mini donuts. They were fantastic!

Hugo couldn't wait to dig in! He loved them as much as we did.

We came home for afternoon naps (the boys, not the adults). Hugo and Milo loved their new dinosaur and shark sleeping bags!

Ed went to work mounting towel racks in our bathroom and blinds in our guest room.

In the afternoon we stopped in to see the Heritage Center at the University of Dubuque where Nolan works.

It was fun seeing Nolan's office with his name plaque by the door!

We went to dinner at the Barrel House. It was fun seeing how much  Hugo loves to dip his food in blue cheese dressing. He also loves his mommy!

We took a late afternoon walk along the mighty Mississippi River.

We were hoping to watch this train cross the river, but gave up after about 45 minutes of listening to it huffing and chugging. They were changing crews and in no hurry to accommodate us!

Dubuque reminds us a lot of Duluth, Minnesota, where Amanda and Nolan met and married. They both have big bodies of water, bridges and old, attractive buildings. We look forward to another day of sight-seeing tomorrow!

First day in Iowa

We arrived in Dubuque, Iowa, yesterday at 5 p.m.,  just in time for dinner with Amanda and the boys. We also got to see their new house and Hugo's "big boy bed."

Grandpa had fun racing with Hugo in the basement.

He also coaxed a couple of giggles out of Milo!

When Nolan got home, he and Ed unloaded the sectional from the U-Haul trailer. I was glad not to help! It fit just perfect in Amanda and Nolan's new basement!

We were the first visitors to stay in the basement guest room. It was very comfortable and we loved having our own bathroom!

HIke, Nikki visit, trip to Iowa

We went for a 2.5 mile walk yesterday and really enjoyed the rabbit brush in full bloom! We were happy because Dr. Halwani gave us permission to go to Iowa to see Amanda and her family this week. Hopefully, when we get back my platelets will be high enough that I can start treatment again.

Amanda not only has a new (4 month old) baby, but a new house that we haven't seen. We're taking her our old sectional couch to put in her finished basement. It barely fit in the 5x8 foot U-Haul we rented.

Brittany brought the kids over to see us before we left. Mabel is getting good with the little purple dune buggy!

My niece, Nikki, dropped by all the way from Scotland. It was fun visiting with her. We hope to visit her in Scotland one of these days!

Our dog got bit by a spider or a snake and had a swollen chin and lymph node. As well as some bleeding and puss. Ed took her to the vet, who gave her antibiotics. Hopefully, she will eat them for Brittany. She has a tendency not to eat for a few days when we leave her. 

We drove 12 hours today, and are now happily resting up in our hotel in North Platte Nebraska.  I don't have to have labs this weeks, but we still have to remember my daily regimen of pills.  I'm feeling good and was happy to relax on our drive, as Ed drove the entire time!