Survivors

Just a few survivors from the Wood, Bishop & Botkin Halloween Cookie Decorating Extravaganza.

Halloween Cookie Decorating Extravaganza

1st Place Photo

This photo won 1st place in the DIRECTV employee photo contest! HURRAY!! I have never entered any photo contests and to win my first one is so fantastic!! I like the fact it won because it appealed to an audience. It gives me a little more confidence to share my photography more and I definitely will start entering more contests...

Grandma's New Jewels

I promised a picture of Grandma with her beautiful gauze necklace provided by Dr. Garner, although I am sure Kim and I will be paying for it , and paying for it and paying for it. Doesn't she look beautiful with the matching pearl earrings? I personally think this necklace is a bit ostentatious and large. Kim looks so much more ravishing with understated diamond and gold baubles.

Grandma's hospital stay

Grandma has had less than a wonderful week. It all started Tuesday when she entered St. Luke's Meridian to have a partial thyroidectomy to remove the middle and right side of her thyroid. We checked in and Kim was settled and as ready for the surgery as she could be. The procedure itself took approximately 2 hours and went very well, according to Dr. Garner. When the staff brought her up to her room she was awake and itching to go home. NOT!! She was experiencing some pain and was very tired. Unfortunately the hospital was not quiet and medical personnel disturbed her just about every hour. How can a person get any rest with blood being drawn and blood pressures etc?? We were in a holding pattern waiting for calcium level updates. Wednesday morning we received the good word for the doc and Kim was able to come home.

Both of us felt good about the surgery knew that our lives would go back to normal. We didn't forget, in the hazy background of our minds, there was still a diagnosis pending. Still we felt good about everything and didn't expect any surprising news. Kim called me on Thursday letting me know that Dr. Garner had called and the news was not good. The nodes on the right side of her thyroid showed papillary carcinoma. Dr. Garner wanted to schedule a second surgery as quickly as possible to remove the rest of her thyroid. Friday afternoon, after a wonderful couple hours at the mall with Kendra, Eden and Bo, we were back on the second floor of the hospital waiting for surgery number two to begin.

The second surgery, again, took about two hours. Dr. Garner let me know everything had gone very smoothly and everything looked good. I think Kim was experiencing a little more pain this second time and was more tired. Who wouldn't be after 2 surgeries in 4 days. The wait for calcium levels commenced. Our one night stay morphed into a 2 night stay.....yes, I am writing this from room 510 sitting by the bedside of my beautiful bride. We will have to wait until 0600 tomorrow to see if she gets to come home.

Kim did have me bring my camera so I could snap a shot of the lovely gauze jewelry that Dr. Garner so generously provided. However, she has not let me snap that award winning photo yet. She keeps saying that her hair doesn't look good. Who is she kidding? She has her pearl earrings in and looks beautiful to me. I may have to snap a shot of her while she slumbers to share with our family and closest friends. Wait....I may want to rethink that idea. I don't know what repercussions may follow such a daring deed. After all, my lovely bride has been needle poked and prodded for most of the week. We will keep you posted on the further adventures of Grandma and Grandpa Wood's encounter with this nasty demon invader.

Grandpa and Grandma's little traveling companion

I know that it has been a little while since Kim and I returned from visiting Mom and Dad in Escalante but I wanted to share a couple of my favorite photos of our traveling companion. At first, when Kim and I talked about bringing Bo with us, I was a little apprehensive. I wasn't sure about how he would like the long stints in the car. But loving his personality and knowing what a wonderful little munchkin he is, my apprehension dissipated quickly. I actually was looking forward to having Bo all to ourselves and he having us. He is such a good little traveler. So much better than this adult. His laughter and jabbering floating from the back seat was music only little children can make. While at Great Grandpa's and Grandma Great's house he was so happy and playful. He even took a couple 4-wheeler rides with his great grandpa. Kendra and Barrett were so generous to loan out their youngest angel to brighten our trip. What a wonderful experience for all of us to be able to bond and get to know this warm, playful, loving spirit. I loved the story reading, the bouncing in the bed, the second long sitting on grandpa's lap and the sweet little voice calling out pa pa where are you? I wouldn't trade the experience we had with babe bo for anything.