Missing in Action...

Well, finally, I have resurfaced! It has been quite a year, and I guess I just got sucked into all the ups & downs of it all, and fell out of touch with all of you. For that, I am terribly sorry, but as dear friends as you are, I also know how much understanding there is and/or will be... even if I don't go into ALL the details of what all has happened or why. However, I will touch on a few of the primary events of this year...

Exactly one (1) week after my last entry here, we had a devestating tragedy happen in our family. My beloved brother-in-law, Kris, passed away at the tender age of 28 years old from complications of Meningitis. Losing him has been a HUGE trauma to our family... especially to my sister, and their children. We are still grieving for him, and continue to ask for your prayers. I also invite you to please visit the website I established for his memorial,.. http://hoops4kris.com/ .

Ashley had another MRI in February, and that came back with great results, however, her following MRI in July showed growth of the tumor on the right side. It's still a wait & see deal, but of course, the possibility of chemotherapy has come up again. Nothing iminent, but it remains lingering in the shadows. She is scheduled for another MRI. It should be the beginning of next week.

In June, Scott was still unemployed, and we were reaching the end of our grasp on the idea that everything was still going to be okay. Funny, though how those are the times when God decides to remind you of His omnipotent presence. We were thrown yet another generous bone, by both the idea, and the means to follow our dream of starting our own business. Yes, you heard me right,.. we have started our own company. Even I have a hard time believing it most of the time,.. what a feeling! We couldn't have gotten it off the ground without some serious help so we wish to thank everyone who have so generously donated their time in volunteering, as well as funding resources. We have been received very well within the community, and throughout the states of Oregon & Washington, and that feels so good! Of course, not everyone has been happy with our new venture, but that comes with being a competitor. We have been blessed to be doing well so far, and we are incredibly thankful for that. Our hopes are for our company to benefit not only all the agencies we take pride in serving, but to benefit our community, too. We invite you to check out what we're doing,.. even spread the news about us if you choose. http://ersinc-online.com/

Ashley's friend Shaylee, who also has NF, got to go on her Make-A-Wish vacation to Disneyland with her family in August, and what a wonderful trip they had! We got to see lots of pictures, and we are so happy for them! Congrats guys!

Ashley also got her Love Quilt! I want to take opportunity to say that receiving one of those quilts is a life-changing experience, and I do mean EXPERIENCE. To sit and touch each & every quilt square, and picture each of those wonderful ladies from all around the world, hand-sewing each square just for your child. There really is love in every stitch, and it is a wonder to behold. This is a gift to treasure forever.

In September, we started school again. It is a task, juggling school, and the company, but we're doing very well at it. Courtney is in 4th grade this year, Brittney is in 2nd grade, and Ashley is in Kindergarten. Last year was too rough on Ashley and she just couldn't absorb much of any of her lessons, but this year she is doing so much better! She's really enjoying learning, and is retaining everything beautifully. All of the girls are doing very well.

September was a pretty difficult month though. Getting used to a whole new schedule was one thing, but then all in one week, I got the rug pulled right out from under me. A cousin of mine, whom is dearer to me than anyone could ever know or understand (and even though I do not agree with many choices she has made in her life, I do love her), was sentenced to 11 years in prison. For personal reasons I choose not to exploit why or how she ended up there, only that I do not agree with it, and that it has been a devestation. The following morning, our uncle died, and just two (2) short days later, we got word that Scott's mom's cancer is active yet again. She was only off chemo for a few months this time, and her counts have been skyrocketing. This is a huge distress to our family... we are so worried, and ask you for your prayers in all these things. For those of you who don't know about her Scott's mom, this is her 4th round of chemo in 4 years since her diagnosis with ovarian cancer.

October brought a special meeting. Ashley got to meet Alice Heinz. A little girl who also has NF, and has been through so much more. Her tumors turned malignant, and she has a story that simply amazes everyone who hears it. We hope to share that with you soon. But, she is such an inspiration to us, and so it was a really big deal for us to get to meet her. Ashley immediately bonded with her. I'd like to invite you to share in the Heinz' story. They, too, have a blog here at heinzfamily4.blogspot.com .

It has truly been a roller-coaster of a year,.. again.

I am sorry that I went from weekly updates to not getting anything updated here on the site for 10 months,.. no excuses,.. just the complications of being overwhelmed, I guess. Without going into details, the other big thing that sort of sent me into a tail-spin, as well as solitude, has been a pretty rough spell in my marriage. We actually separated for a while, but things are much, much better now, I'm happy to say. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers... I believe all these things could take a toll on anyone.

I have big plans in the works for getting our foundation off the ground in 2006. Keep that in your prayers... it'll be a funding program to help other NF families in need as we were last year, and there just weren't any programs we fit into. I'm really excited at the idea of getting this off the ground. Be watching for news on it as it comes available! We will be planning fundraisers and seeking out sponsorships as well so if you know any companies who might be looking to get involved in something like this, please send them our way! We are really hoping that our new company will be of good resource for donations down the line, too. Very exciting prospects so keep those prayers UP!

For now, I'll close. I am going to really try to get back into a normal routine for posting updates. Time to pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back to advocating positive thinking! God bless you all,.. thank you for all your past, present & future help & prayers. I love you all.