A Pizza Revolution!

One of the very unique and wonderful characteristics about living in Aurora/Naperville (Lynn wanted me to mention this in our next posting) is that instead of having a Chinese restaurant or hamburger joint on every corner; here, we have pizza parlors in every strip mall and on every street corner. I might be exaggerating just a bit, but I don’t think I’m too far off, when I say I think we have around 50 pizza establishments within three (3) miles from where we live. I feel like I have been dropped with precision into a whole different world known as PIZZA HEAVEN! We don’t actually benefit though from the excessive bounty or pizza loot. Lynn over dosed on pizza when he worked at a pizza parlor in 1972, so he could easily go six months or longer without seeing or smelling a good slice of pizza.
-Shelly

Family Memories

Even though Memorial Day is a day in which we remember the sacrifice all the men and women in the armed services have done to make and keep our country free. Lynn and I wanted to take this holiday to ‘think’ and ‘remember’ our families. Here is one of the last gatherings we had with my dad when everyone (but my brother, Todd) was home for the Christmas holiday.



“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” Burton Hillis
-Shelly

A Wonderful Day! :)

We had a lovely Saturday spending a few hours of it with my niece, Cori, and her husband, Jeff. They live about 45 to 60 minutes north of us in Glenview (IL). We were all excited because Cori and Jeff had found out they were going to be parents to a baby boy. Seth Hwang Min Cheol Mohr is in Korea and is living with his foster parents. Here are a few pictures of our wonderful day.

Shelly

To the GREAT Women in our lives!

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.

-- Washington Irving (1783-1859)

Lynn and I have been blessed to not only have one angel of a mother to watch over us, but the Lord sent us two angels we have been honored on earth to call ‘mother’.

An 'illuminating' piece of information! :)

Aurora has some spectacular sunrises, which is one of the reasons I’m sure the founding fathers of the community decided to name the city after the Roman goddess, Aurora, goddess of the dawn. Another 'light' making fact is that in 1881 Aurora received national prominence when it was the first city in the United States to use electric lights to light up the city’s street; hence, Aurora adopted its slogan as the "City of Lights".

Thank Heavens for Water Towers!

One of my many shortcomings is that I am directionally challenged. Moving to Illinois has totally turned my internal compass upside down. I’m not sure if I’m going south or north, east or west. It doesn’t help when I am driving on a road and then the road’s name changes. In Utah I know which way I’m heading because of the mountains and when I was living in California I had several external landmarks that would aid as my directional compass. I want you to know that Illinois (and probably most of the other Midwestern states) have local landmarks that have helped me immensely. They are a city or town's water towers. These unique and special landmarks hover like a spaceship or hot air balloon over the skyline, through the tree limbs, and even housetops indicating a particular town, city or township. I have noticed that each city’s water towers are unique and special. I am posting a short slide show of Aurora’s water towers along with some of the water towers or towns that are close by Aurora. Thank heavens for water towers! To make sure I don’t get lost and find myself somewhere in Iowa, Lynn broke down and bought us a GPS. The GPS has opened my world to a whole new adventure and another way to travel through Illinois. No matter where we go we will always be able to find our way back home.

________________________________________________
Rosemont, IL had a water tower that resembled a rose, stem and all.

(I met my nieces Cori and Kim in Rosemont a few weeks ago) Rosemont has had the most elaborate and fantastic water tower yet.

Springtime in Naperville, IL

Today was a picture perfect day! To prove our point, here are just a few of the pictures we took of Naperville's riverwalk parkway and downtown Naperville. The warm weather brought out the two and four legged animals along with our webbed footed friends. :)
Even though we are in Aurora, Naperville is a hop, skip and a jump away from us.

Spring: Think Some New Thoughts

"...spring is just beginning, the robins are back, the crocus, daffodils and tulips are beginning to bloom and the leaves on the trees are just starting to emerge. New life is everywhere. Is there newness coming alive in you?

As we rake away the old leaves in the yard from last year or watch the street sweepers clean away the sand and salt of winter, take time for yourself to clean away old habits and thoughts that are keeping you from your potential. Spring forward now into the life you long to live.

Remind yourself of the dreams of your heart, write them down and start taking the small steps to bring about the major goals you desire."

Written by: Gretchen M. Stein, Ph.D.
Editor of The Sandpaper

Lynn and I are wishing you wonderful blessings and the new beginnings spring and summer offer us all.

Vacation Photos! :)

Here are some of the pictures Lynn and I took on our trips throughout the USA, Mexico, Canada, England, France & Spain. We are looking forward to more adventures in the future, but not just now!



Shelly

Pictures of Aurora

Here are a few pictures of downtown Aurora. The Fox River runs through the middle of town as well as the historical district. Lynn and I live about four miles northeast of town.

Camille's (Disregard Time)

Lynn and I met up with Kimberly, Cassidy, Cori and Jeff, at Camille's Sidewalk Cafe (in Rosemont, IL) a few hours before Kim and Cassidy were scheduled to fly back to Idaho Falls. We filled our stomachs up with sandwiches of all kinds, tortilla chips and salsa! :)

Stent(less) FINALLY!

Yesterday I had my stent removed. (The stent was hollow and made out of rubber. It was about six or seven inches long with the width as round as a straight pin.) My body is finally free from all its foreign objects. The removal was about five minutes long, the preparatory work was about 15 or 20 minutes and of course my mental state of mind lasted much longer than the entire procedure. I have been calling this little object a stint; whereas, it is actually called a stent. For those of you, like myself, who are not familiar with a ureteric stent I have attached a picture of a stent and also a picture of how it is secured in the ureter tube by way of the kidney and bladder.
I think we are so lucky to be living in such a wonderful period of time when medical procedures like this can be completed and performed without too many problems.

Shelly

Foreign Objects!

Today, 3/27/08, the last foreign object will be removed from my body. The doctor will put my urethra asleep and then take a wire with pliers on the end and remove the 'stint' and also take pictures of my bladder while in there. The only question I had was 'How long will my urethra be asleep?' The entire procedure shouldn't last more than 20 minutes. I am nervous about having the doctor enter that region of my body again ... but, I am also well aware that I am now on the road to recovery and things will only go 'UP' from here.


Shelly

Our Town House (Not Our Furniture)

Property Owners

We are now officially property (we are not landowners since do not have that much land ... we are living in a townhouse community) owners in the Chicago suburbs!
//maps.yahoo.com/index.php#mvt=m&lat=41.760874&lon=-88.237404&mag=9&q1=458%20Conservatory%20Ln%2C%20Aurora%2C%20IL%2060502 fyi: Toggle the map to the middle bar and up a few more bars and then you will be able to see how far we are from downtown Chicago and other points of interest.

-Shelly

Happy St. Patrick's Day One and All!

St. Patrick's Day
is an enchanted time –
a day to begin
transforming winter's dreams
into summer's magic.
~Adrienne Cook

Homeowners in Chicagoland!

Monday (March 17th), on St. Patrick’s Day (the luck of the Irish!) Lynn and I will be closing on our townhouse. Like Cori, (Shelly's Niece) we will be homeowners in Chicagoland. We are about 45 to 60 minutes (depending on traffic) from Cori and downtown Chicago. According to our attorneys, the mortgage company, and our realtor, our money situation is all in order so all we need to do is take a deep breath, jump, and start swimming fast and furious. Medically speaking, I’m doing better. The stint will be removed on Mar. 27th … and I am hoping that by next month I will be up and at ‘em and pounding the unemployment pavement.

Ups and Downs

Every day has its share of ups and downs. The last few days have not been so good for me and Lynn has to keep reminding me that I need to be more patient with myself. I am feeling healthier in some ways (from my last surgery) and then there are other ways that I need to keep pacing myself so that I don’t wear myself out. I am so grateful that my surgery went as well as it did, but I desperately want to begin feeling better NOW! (I know .... patience, patience, patience ...)

Saturday is a Special Day!

I am continuing to heal and I am feeling healthier each and every day. I do tire quickly and I am still pretty sore. There are parts of me that are mending faster than other areas; for example, I have to think long and hard to create a sentence that makes any sense at all; whereas my stomach is craving all the items within and without the food pyramid. I can only be grateful that things are going smoothly this time around. I can’t wait until I am back to my somewhat “?” normal self. Lynn has been great through it all. I feel extremely lucky and blessed to have such a great husband, a fantastic family, and wonderful friends who continue to love and support Lynn and I in all our professional and personal endeavors. Thank you one and all!

With great appreciation and love,

Shelly

Thursday

The leash (catheter) is gone. Hallelujah!!!! The staples are also gone. Shelly is very tender, and tired today, and I think that she has tried to do too much. Still in comparison with the hysterecomy she is doing much better than she did with that at this time. We are thinking that if she is doing this well come Sunday she may be able to go to Church. At least she is hoping so. We will cross that bridge when we get to it. She is taking it one day at a time, which is what she should be doing.

Love you all