Update after weekend with my dad

We had a great weekend visiting my dad and step-mom this weekend. His spirits are high and he was so happy to see us. We also got a chance to see my brother, his wife and my nephew. Overall it was a great visit and we also got to catch up with other friends of ours in the area.

Before we came into town the incision for my dad's brain surgery was a little bit infected but it seemed to be getting better with antibiotics, etc.. When we were leaving it looked like his infection had gotten worse. They checked with their doctor and they were told to go back to the hospital to get it checked out. They were in the hospital all day yesterday, had some tests done and my dad was readmitted to the hospital (not a joy for him since he had thought he was done with hospitals for now after being there for 2.5 weeks for his surgery). They decided late last night to do a surgery to reopen a portion of the incision to clean out the infection.

At the point that I am writing this blog my dad is at the hospital waiting for the surgery. His spirits are down a bit right now but he is trying to stay positive. He hasn't been able to eat since midnight since they don't know when the surgery will be and he has to fast for it.

Please keep us all in your prayers.

Update on my Dad - not what we were hoping

We just found out today the diagnosis for my dad once they took the tumor out of his brain. He has stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme which is pretty serious. His spirits are up and he has been in alot of prayer and meditation since the surgery. We are going up to visit him this weekend.

I really don't know what to think at this point - it is all such a shock and hasn't really sunk in yet exactly what is happening - especially since he looks healthy enough. I'm going to continue to do research about it so that I understand exactly what is going on. He will start radiation as soon as they can get him in and then figure out what else to do after that.

This is a pretty advanced cancer and very aggressive. My dad is undaunted by the diagnosis and is putting alot of trust in his body's ability to heal, the power of prayer and of course advanced medical treatment. A positive mental attitude is the one thing he has control over and has been shown to have a positive impact on the healing process. For those who are interested, he has a blog about his experience.

And as you know my brother also has cancer. His is stage 3 oligodendroglioma and he has gone through radiation and has just started chemotherapy. It is a really hard time for him and his wife Christina and new son Aidan but they are working on staying positive.

So please send prayers in our family's direction. For any who may be wondering, these tumors are not supposed to be hereditary - and should not be a concern for my sister or myself. However the doctor did mention that it wouldn't hurt to see a genetic counselor to see if we should get screened.

Well that is all for now. I will continue to keep this blog updated as things progress. Send positive thoughts and prayers our direction!

Update after so much time

It has been awhile since I've blogged (I've been too addicted to myspace and now facebook (much better than myspace) to remember to get back on here)

Here is our most recent news: I have just started a full time job at Chase Bank (3rd largest bank in the US, 4th largest in the world) I really enjoy my job as a Personal Banker (the people in the bank who have the offices and open up checking accounts etc) and am looking forward to where my career may take me.

Karida is in childcare/daycare full time and is really enjoying it. It was a big transition at first (the biggest being getting out of the house by a specific time each morning!) but she is definitly thriving (She is an extrovert so enjoys the constant interaction with other kids, etc..) And it has been a big transition for me to be back at work full time. But I have to say, after being a stay at home mom, work is a breeze (even though its new and pretty stressful to meet my sales goals!)...

We just celebrated our 9 year anniversary and we are doing well! We are looking forward to planning a big 10 year celebration (I think we are going to try a cruise or something)

My brother (David) was diagnosed with cancer after they found a brain tumor earlier this year. He is doing as well as can be expected - he just finished radiation a few weeks ago and starts his first round of chemo tommorrow (he'll be doing chemo for a year). His son (Aidan) is now 5 months old (this is a picture of him in July) and is the happiest baby ever (what a gift!!) and his wife (Christina) is a great support for him.

My dad was also in the hospital recently for a brain tumor (how crazy is life)! They removed it and are now waiting for the pathology report to find out if it is cancerous or not. They are saying that this is not a hereditary issue - but it is too coincidental with my brother's problem... He will find out this coming Wednesday what the pathology report shows so please send your prayers his way!! He has a blog about his experience http://www.factbasedspiritguidedpath.blogspot.com

My mom now lives 1.5 hours away from us (Indianapolis) and is doing well - she lives and works (Borders corporate sales) downtown and loves walking to work, etc.. My sister (Leah) lives in Washington DC, has just graduated from massage school and is currently the education manager for the "Bodies" exhibit at the science museum there (plasticized humans that shows each muscle, organ, etc... - pretty fascinating)

My recent addiction has been facebook - I've found so many old friends on it and have found it a great way to stay in connection. So sometimes you'll see updates here and sometimes you may have to catch up with me at facebook (sign up there if you haven't already so that we can continue to stay connected)

My two favorite people!

It was brought to my attention that my previous post did not have a picture of my darling hubby and so I decided to write a post all about him and my other favorite person (Karida)!

Hooman is my wonderful husband of almost 9 years (wow!) and we've known each other for 15 years (wow!wow!) - and while we have had our ups and downs we are going strong and are in as much love with each other as ever. He is my complement, my opposite piece (peace) that makes my quiet, serious nature whole with his outgoing, funloving attitude. His practical jokes, incessant interest in sports and cars (opposite my interest in books and documentaries), love of games (of any sort), and passion for helping people live healthier, are a few of the things that make him Hooman.

Above all, and the reason I married him, are his amazing qualities as a father. He is wonderfully kind, deep-hearted and involved as a father. His favorite thing is to spend time with his darling daughter Karida. She of course has him wrapped around her finger and he loves every moment of it!! And he loves children of any age and relates to them instantly - I guess that has to do with the fact that there is still a bit of a child in him too!

In all the trials that life has thrown at us through the years we have learned the true value of what is important. We have learned not to stress about the small stuff and remember that no matter what happens all is well even if the only thing we have left is each other!

Karida is our wonderful, spunky amazing daughter. (This is where I get to brag a bit) She is amazingly articulate for a child her age, is very perceptive about all that is around her and makes connections that I never would have thought of. She loves life and it shows in her very expressive face. She can be a handful given the qualities I have just listed, but she is also at the core very sweet and caring. I truly feel blessed to have her as my daughter!

From the moment I could feel her move in my womb to the dream I had of her before she was born, I knew that she would be energetic and ready to conquer the world! When she was born I could not remember what my life had been like before her - it seemed meaningless in comparison to being blessed to help raise this beautiful child!

Family update

This has been a time of many changes - many for the good.

We (Hooman, Karida and I) have just moved to a new place closer to Hooman's work and much larger than our old home. It has a full size kitchen (not the size of a bathroom like in our old house) and it has a garage - for those who know Hooman's passion for cars (and fixing them) you will know how important this is!! And most importantly a back porch and our own lawn (Karida is so excited!!) We have now lived in the Dayton area for a year (can't believe its gone by so quick) and have really felt like it has been a great move - we have many great friends near us and not too far from our families (3 hours max)

We are excited by the arrival of our first nephew (and Karida's first cousin) on March 18 (Aidan Xavier). And now that his father and my brother (Dave) is out of the hospital and recovering from his surgery we are even more grateful. Dave, Christina (the wonderful mommy) and Aidan all live in Cleveland - and we hope to visit as much as we can as Aidan grows. Karida can't stop talking about "my cousin Aidan"! This is a picture of me with my nephew (not a new baby of my own - see end of message for info on that topic)

Karida will be 3 in June and she is growing so quickly. She is very articulate, energetic and has a great sense of humor. It is amazing how much she is talking and now the connections she is making between different concepts that she has learned. She was a little rough with a book she was playing with and broke one of the "pop ups". I told her we needed to put the book away because it was broken now. She told me that we needed to put batteries in it to fix it (one of her toys a few months back was "fixed" when we put batteries in it)!

Hooman's business is going well as he continually improves his Chiropractic skills and his ability to explain the philosophy and importance of Chiropractic to his patients. His patients really appreciate his work and many of them see dramatic results! He is treating more children which is great as well. I'm working with him at his office a few days a week-its fun to work with him. I have also been teaching college courses at a local 2 year college - through this I have found that I really love teaching (adults especially) and am looking to pursue higher education to become a professor at some point in the future (either business or international relations (or both?))

To answer the pressing question: No more little ones on the way yet... But we hope to continue to grow our family when Hooman's business becomes more self-subsitent... Will keep you posted on this one!!

That is all for now - Bye