Day 2 - Bucket List

Sorry I am posting a day late. Yesterday we took the Road to Hana. Well there is a reason people brag "I survived the Road to Hana". I however did NOT survive the Road to Hana. I got sick. Very embarrasing haveing to have John pull to the side of the road so I can empty my gut. Then I still had to get back down since there is only one way there and one way back...aughhhh. When we got back I just crashed. I didn't even get to look at pictures till this morning.

Anyway...it was, believe it or not, worth every turn. Here is where the Bucket List comes in. If you have a Bucket List or a list like it I would like to suggest you add another item to it. I never really thought anything about this until I did it and I feel blessed to have experienced it. Here it is...walk through a bamboo forest barefoot. Sounds simple I know, but so truely amazing! It was not just beautiful but serene and exciting all the same. It was our first stop on the Road to Hana. We were driving along with the ocean on one side and a bamboo forest on the other and then all of a sudden there were several cars just parked along the side of the road. So we pulled over too. You just walk right in....no signs, you just go. Inside the forest are multiple paths and you just start walking. We crossed a couple of streams, climbed several rock formations and just kept going. I was not prepared since I was wearing flip flops which were fine until I got them wet. Then they were slick and I had to jump a small stream. The girls coming the other way were barefoot so I took off my shoes and had a whole lot better traction. I decided to just keep them off where I could. It was the most interesting feeling. Kindof like walking on moist moss, squishy like the Bronco turf, and cool like grass first thing in the morning. After walking for a while we came upon a small water fall. Hans climbed around to it so I could get a picture. I stayed where it was dry since I had the camera, extra lens, wallet and phones. Anyway, I left the forest thinking that I had just experienced the time of my life....until...

After driving on a little further we pull off at "twin falls". It was pretty impressive from the road. Two falls on top of eachother, each with it's own pool. Hans, John, and I walked up to the top of the first fall which was pretty cool. Then before we know it John is gone. Hans and I start looking around and find him well on his way to the next fall. Let me remind you I am in flip flops! So, up we go. Again my flops get wet and I have to hike it on bare feet. To be honest, I had more grip than those with tennies....plus no matter what shoes you wear, once they are wet those rocks are SLICK! It was fun to try and find the rock paths to take up to the high fall and before I knew it we were there. It was AMAZING!!! Just beautiful. In no time at all Hans and I stripped down to our suits and off we went. That water was cold, and the air not much warmer on that side of the island. We got to the base of the fall and Hans asked me if I wanted to go under it. Heck yeah! I am not going to come this far and not stand under the waterfall. It was so unreal. The first thing that suprised me was how much wind comes off the fall. It is powerful. The next thing was just how hard that water was falling. You can't stay there too long before it starts to hurt. Even the mist of it hurts after a while. Anyway, we stayed there and played in the water for a while before hiking back down. At that point the whole trip to Hawaii became complete. I remember swimming back thanking God for giving me the courage to get on that dumb plane. This is not something I would have missed for the world.

After that I started to get hungry....no food to be found...then I got sick...the rest is history. So that was day two. My friends add those two things to your Bucket Lists....you will not be sorry!

Maui or Bust

Well we made it. We are here in the beautiful state of Hawaii. It really feels like another country in some ways.

However, first I would like to address the issue of my fear of flying. For those who committed themselves to pray for me, thank you. God is good. On Saturday afternoon we took off to Seattle. It was a pretty uneventful flight. The weather was beautiful and there was very little turbulence. We spent the night there and at 8:00 we left Seattle for Hawaii. It would be a six hour flight. Half an hour before we left I took two sleeping pills. I was already pretty tired from several sleepless nights so I thought for sure it would work great. When we got to the airport the best seats we could get were two window seats one behind the other. We took those thinking that we could trade. However, both rows had couples in them. So, we asked if they would sit at the windows and we took the two isles. We were sitting with two sisters and their husbands. They were very nice people and before I knew it we were in the air and on our way. An hour later, I was still wide awake. Hans told me to relax and wait and see. I took a short nap but not a very good one. So, I took another pill, this time I slept for two hours on and off. The crazy thing was, I was totally relaxed. Not loopy, not tired, just chilled. The flight was great. We had a little turbulence but the pilot got permission to go to the west of it and then it was smooth until we came in on approach. So, thank you thank you thank you for your prayers.

When we arrived, Uncle John was waiting in baggage for us with beautiful leis. The plan was to stop for lunch and then explore the airport side of the island. However, the car had other ideas and we were slightly delayed. I am attaching a picture of Hans waiting at the car for John to get some water for the radiator. Anyway, once we were up and running we went straight to Johns. He took us to the beach and we spent the rest of the evening visiting.

This morning Hans and I were up at 6 Hawaii time. We decided to head for the beach and have a nice morning walk. It was beautiful. After breakfast we decided that surfing was out of the question due to the choppy water. So we started to pull together our snorkeling gear. That took a while. After trying on numerous sets of snorkels, masks, and fins we were on our way.

It has been a long while since I have been in the deeps of the ocean. Pretty intimidating in itself. Then, as I am coming up to blow out my snorkel I spot something half out of the water, big, and gray. Yes, I freaked out a little. Shark was my first thought. Still I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I got Hans attention and showed him. Then just as he looked, the creature popped her head up. It was a massive seal. A sigh of relief until I realized that the surf was pushing us into her. While I know she wasn't interested in me, she is still a wild animal and I didn't want to get too close. Hans thought I was freaking out because I was afraid of her. To set the record straight, she was a very large seal and I didn't think that seals roamed alone. I didn't know if she had a baby with her which could have made her very dangerous. Also when I first saw her...she was within arms length to me and frankly I was looking for fish...not a full grown seal! Anyway, Hans got a picture of her but it looks like she is a lot further away than she was.

Then because of all that excitement I started to have a little bit of panic when I realized we were further out than we had planned. We had a very narrow passage through the reef and we were way north of it. So, we started back. Getting over the reef was difficult. I forgot how much endurance and strength it takes to snorkel in open water. Fighting against the current, going shallow over some nasty sharp reef and trying to keep ill fitting fins on (Hans). Several times we had to stop because Hans' fins kept coming off. Not easy to stop on 2 foot deep reef. Hans did get a bit scraped up. Anyway, once we got to the shallows Hans and John spotted a shark (they think). I went on land and settled into a nice tanning session.

Next stop for the day will be going into town for groceries. Then we wait for the heat of the day to pass. Thanks for keeping us in prayer. We appreciate it.

Like it never happened!

"Like it never happened" that is what they told us. "Like she never needed a transplant and never had one." What an awesome God we serve! At Lillis one year post transplant appointments we were there for five full days of tests. Very full days and a few little issues...like some light graft vs host and skin issues. This time it was a snap. We had two mornings of appointments, the hardest being first. The blood draw was difficult. They took about 12 viles of blood from her little body. They had to poke her three times to get enough. This all happens after fasting for 8 hours. That meant no breakfast. Then because the draw was difficult and took longer than expected we were off to the next appointment before we could grab a bite to eat. Then, when we could finally get down to the deli, they were closed for an hour between breakfast and lunch. We would need to be in our next appointment before they re-open. So, she snacked a little and held up much better than Mommy. Hans took us to the Spaghetti Factory for lunch and that made it all better.

Tuesday went a little better. We had to go to Childrens Hospital (where Lilli's transplant was) for a couple of x-rays. The hospital looks NOTHING like it did five years ago and navigating all the new procedures was a little messy. However, we made it through. Lilli also had an eye appointment. The doctor told us she needs glasses. Not too surprising, Hans had glasses pretty young too and Anna has them also. Our eye doctor here had been keeping an eye on the situation and just didn't act as "aggressively". So, not a big surprise there.

On Wednesday we shopped in University Village most of the morning and then went to our final consult at 4. That's when they told us the amazing news. She not only looked amazing for a transplant kid but just amazing for any kid. They ran a large number of blood tests for everything it seems like and the only thing that was even remotely low was vitamin D which the doctor said is normal for kids in winter. We still need to keep an eye on her eyes, skin, and teeth but she said we are one of the few families that follows the whole "see the dentist twice a year and they eye doctor once a year" thing. So, unless Lilli has some major set back we don't have to return. They would like us to but it wouldn't be necessary unless a problem comes us. She said it was like the whole thing never happened!

For those of you who went through that journey with us...we KNOW it happened don't we. We remember the hundreds of syringes. The middle of the night meds, the hickman line cleaning. Lets not forget the monkey hair! Anyway, five years now and God has shown us once again...He is here...He is in control...His plan is perfect. And just to keep us focused on Him, He left us with the cp to remind us how much He loves and cares for us.

It was an amazing week and we thank all of you for your prayers and support of Lilli and the big girls too. Thanks for loving on them while we were away.

5 years Post Transplant and counting

WoW!!! It is still hard for me to even look at baby pictures of Lilli without the waterfall of tears. I stand in awe of a Savior who saw fit to refine our famiy with the fire of medicine. It has not slipped by me that only because we live in this day and age, in this city, that we still have our Lillian. However, I MUST maintain that I KNOW it is only by HIS grace and intervetion that we do.

I can not begin to tell you how this amazing little girl has blessed so many lives. Not just her Momma but her entire family, her church family and even a few doctors and therapists. Most days now she just acts like a normal little spitfire girl. Then again, on some occations I see and hear God in her. Like yesterday, we were shopping and decided to go to Red Robin for Mac and Cheese. Right in the middle of lunch, she reached over to take my hand and said "Mommy I love you more". I felt the arms of God wrap around me and squeeze. Yes I do believe Lilli loves me, but I know that God loves me more.

Today is a day of celebration, for Lillians life but also for the family of God who loved us through our trials and loves us still. Thank you.

Snow Camp

If someone asks you to cook for a bunch of High Schoolers at Snow Camp just say NOOOOO! Run, I say RUN as fast as you can in the opposite direction! JUST KIDDING, well sort of. This past weekend I accepted the invitation to do just that very thing. The planning and shopping went off without a hitch. Then we get to camp. Its past dinner, so before unpacking, I start a pot of Chili for the Chili Dogs. Now, I had asked the camp director over the phone about the facilities. Yes, he assured me the kitchen was well stocked, and it was...with not so very good tools. Granted as a Pampered Chef consultant for 6 years, I have a pretty great kitchen at home. However, I just assumed that every kitchen that has a stove and oven would have at least one decent pot. Then again, that is assuming the the oven and stove even work! So, after ten minutes I test the chili and it is still totally cold. So I taste it...what to my suprise, it tastes burnt. Now how can cold chili be burnt. Let me tell you. It happens when the pot is so poorly made that only the bottom inch of food gets cooked (burned) while the rest of the food chills away. Sadly this was just the beginning. I called my sweet Hannah who was coming up to camp the next day. I asked her to bring my Pampered Chef cookware and a couple of stones. That was a good start. Unfortunately if the oven doesn't heat it doesn't matter how good the cookware. Sunday's dinner was suppose to be Pulled Pork Sanwiches. Well, I put my pork shoulder in my roasting pan from home turn on the heat and 5 1/2 hours later the pork is still raw. The outside was cooked...almost to a crisp but 1/2 and inch in...raw! AUGHHHHH. No joke. These kids snacked all weekend. I was mortified. It has been a long while since I burnt a meal or undercooked one for that matter. When we left we passed on the stove/oven/cookware information to the camp director. He said we haven't been the first to complain about the stove...that would have been nice to tell me on the phone.

All the kitchen drama aside we did have a really great time. I had Hannah and Brittney in my room with Lillian. This put Lilli and I right in the middle of Senior Class Pranks! I have to say, the boys won this one (for the first time). The guys went down under the building into the crawl space right under our room. Long after lights out, they start making some pretty freaky noises. My brave Hannah FREAKED out!!! She spent the next half hour up on top of the top bunk rails telling the "rats" to go away. Brittney refused to stay on the lower bunk alone so she joined Hannah on top. I knew what was going to happen but the boys asked that I play along. Now, I did tell the girls that I knew what the boys were up to, but they asked me not to tell them because the boys had yet to pull off a decent prank. I don't think they expected me to play along though. Hans even got in on the action by checking under the beds for the girls. He did his best to assure them until he screamed like a little girl at the next noise. He too knew what was going on but decided to help the guys out.

The guys also took the girls toiletries and suspended them in a jell-o mold. Hannah says her deoterant still smells like strawberries. So, do you want to know what the girls did to the guys....we took all thier luggage, put them in plastic bags and threw them off the back deck where underware proceeded to freeze. The boys figured us out and caught us sneaking in the window. The good thing was that we had multiple teams working at the same time, so while one group was getting caught the other two teams were gathering from other rooms. As fun as it was, I still think the boys one (see the pictures for proof).

I am not sure if I will ever be asked to do meals again I do hope that this wasn't my last Snow Camp.

Holy Days

Hello Everyone!!!

I hope that this blog finds you happy, healthy, and walking in truth. Well, the holidays are behind us and a new year ahead.

Thanksgiving was a blast this year. We had such a good time over at Nanna's. Hans parents and sister and brother-in-law joined us along with Tamaras parents brother and her sister-in-law. We were quite the group. The food was awesome, there was family a plenty and quite a bit of funny going on. We indeed have so much to be thankful for. This November we even had a visit from Hans little sister, Bethany, and her family. It was great to have his side of the family together. We went to BSU and took some pictures on the blue turf, had some grub and then they were off to a wedding. Even a little time with them is awesome!

December brought a lot of activity. School seemed to really be busy and there were some state tests that had to be done. No to mention all the baking, cooking, decorating, etc., etc., etc.. We opened the Eliasen Boise Branch B & B several times for family passing through on thier way to visit more family.

Christmas Eve we were at Nanna's house for family gifts after the candle light service at church. Again, we had a lot of fun. Christmas morning was just Hans the girls and I which was very different. We normally have at least a couple of additional family members with us. We were watching Mary Anns two dogs over the holiday and Mocha decided at 4 am that she had waited long enough...she woke up Lilli who in turn woke up everyone else. The big girls were half asleep while opening presents. Lilli on the other hand was wide awake and enjoying every little thing. After the gifts were opened I went to work in the kitchen and the girls fired up the Wii to play thier new DDR2 game. Too funny to watch Hans and Lilli dancing.

Christmas break is almost over and the girls have a busy school week ahead. It is the final week of the semester and finals are due.

Well I think that pretty much brings us up to date. Thanks for the Christmas cards, pictures, and letters. We love hearing from you. If you haven't recieved ours yet don't feel bad. We haven't sent any out yet. We are switching to New Years letters instead and we will be getting them out this week. Enjoy and have a very happy New Year!!!