Lots has happened since my last post! Lots of meetings, work as usual, a trip to Washington, DC...but the biggest news is that Carli and Jeremy are expecting in June! This is such a blessing since she wasn't sure that she could conceive after going through chemo. They are due on June 9, perfect timing as I finish school the beginning of June. They live right down the street from us, so it will be fun to be close.

She has been really sick, very fatigued...can't blame her as those are the genes that she was given! Thankfully now she is in class and not clinical.

Our Thanksgiving holiday went by in a blur! We had our Thanksgiving worship and sale on Thanksgiving morning, and then went to Ted's dads home. Yummy food and Kenna (who is 2 1/2) for entertainment! Tara had to work...16 hours...so we didn't have her until Friday. Then Friday evening was the Kohler Thanksgiving which is filled with food and fun. I am still putting things away and cleaning up from that one! There were 33 here, I think.

Grace and Tara were here until today, Monday. Grace was up ALL night Saturday night and we couldn't figure out what was the problem. She finally fell asleep on Tara's chest in the recliner after some Tylenol. Well...Sunday morning her right ear started draining. Poor kid had another ear infection. Thank the Lord Tara had another refill on ear drops at CVS, and we got those filled, got some Ibuprofen, and Sunday night was much more restful!

A wonderful weekend...filled with blessings too numerous to count. I sometimes wonder why we were chosen to live here and not some third world country...so thankful for our abundance...

September absolutely flew by as we were busy celebrating! Ted's dad, Cletus, celebrated his 90th birthday with almost 2 weeks of family and fun. We had such a good time first with Gene and family, then with Randy, Dar and Alicia. We took Cletus to an Indian's game (Thome hit a home run for him...nice, huh?) and did lots of eating and visiting.

Last weekend we went to Buck Creek State Park, hoping for a nice weekend of hiking and sailing....well...we got a nice weekend of cold, rainy weather and being inside. It was nice to not have to do anything but watch the game on Saturday (but the outcome of the game was very disappointing)and it finally cleared enough to make a fire and roast hotdogs and make s'mores. Then we braved the lake on Sunday for some very chilly sailing. Grace actually took a nap in the cuddy with her life jacket on...what a kid! She really didn't know what was going on, but was so good in the boat. With so much attention from each of us, she behaved by being the center of attention :)

Looks like I'm turning this into a monthly blog! Time flies...

School has started, Kelsie is a working girl, Carli is doing a clinical in pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic, Tara is still without a functioning Thyroid, Grace is growing up and fits into some of the clothes she had previously grown out of, and I wish that was my problem!!

My nephew was to go home today! I haven't heard whether or not it really happened, but Ted and I visited with him on Saturday. He looked great, albeit very thin. We went down for the OSU game and then Tara and Grace went with us to visit. We figured that Grace would be comic relief in otherwise boring surroundings!

Between school and church involvement I haven't had much time for anything...but am definitely not complaining. I love the September weather (when it's sunny) but am bummed that water sports have come to an end. The water is just too cold for me! I'm sure that Jeremy will still get in...ah, youth.

Next week is Ted's Dad's 90th birthday! What a feat. This week his brother and family from NJ are visiting. Our house will be quite full with his nephew's 4 little ones! Will be good to see them. Then next week his brother and wife from Hawaii will be here to help us celebrate Cletus's actual birthday. Lots of celebrating will be goin' on! We are taking him to the Indian's game on his actual b-day...should be fun.

Pray for Carli...the doctor thinks that her Thyroid is enlarged, so she is having an ultrasound on Wednesday. Let's hope that this is nothing to worry about. She and Tara really do not need to have that in common!!

Grace is growing up so fast...talking...running...thinking she's the center of the universe...(When she's here, she IS)...it is so much more fun with grandchildren! Not that I didn't have fun with my own girls, but this is way more relaxing! As you can see, she LOVES tomatoes from the garden!!

Hilton Head Island

We had a great time on vacation to Hilton Head Island, SC. Tara had finished her treatments and could not ride in the same car as Grace, but Grace did fine in the "zoom zoom" with grandma and grandpa and sometimes Kelsie to keep her occupied. It was very hot, but we enjoyed the beach most of all. The pool water was even too warm to be refreshing! We just hung out, ate at our favorite restaurants, and basically did as much relaxing as you can do with a 15 month old along! We drove all night on the way home, mostly so that we would be traveling when Grace was sleeping.

It is quiet now without Grace. But Kelsie is now here, so she keeps our lives interesting! So far she seems to really enjoy her new job with CAMO, and has put in many extra hours her first week.

School has started for me, and now it seems like we really never had a summer! It's amazing how fast those few weeks go. I get sick just thinking of the beginning of the school year as it is so very hectic.

My nephew, Mark, is doing better. He has been moved to a rehab facility and now will be working hard doing PT. he has a long road ahead of him, and we would still appreciate your prayers.

Today would have been Tara's anniversary. It is so hard to watch your kids go through these terrible trials, but I just have to have faith that all things will work out for the best. Am not always happy with the arrangement with Grace and Todd, but I have to keep my personal opinions to myself, which I am not always very good at doing. Those of you who know me well are chuckling right now :)

We are having a great time on Hilton Head Island. Grace did really well on the drive down and we are hoping for the same on the trip home! It is very hot and humid, but not too bad on the beach.

Tara is still tired and has a sore throat, but feeling better. She can now be around Grace without worry. HOpefully this will take care of her thyroid woes.

We received good news about Mark. He is now off of the ventilator and has been moved to a stepdown room. He is eating a little bit and it is so wonderful that they are now talking recovery!! He has a long way to go, but we are just thankful that he is still alive.

Love being with our girls...enjoying every moment...

A lot has happened since my last post. I had fun teaching CPR, we saw "Jersey Boys" and really enjoyed it, I was sick with some weird virus, we had a delightful dinner with the Roshongs, Rachel (my fourth daughter) came to visit from DC, we had some of our ceilings painted and now the kitchen, had lunch with 2 of my favorite ladies from church, had Carli's class over for a day of lake enjoyment, did a day of online inservice that was a big waste of our time, had another wedding today...congratulations to Joanne and Andrew!

Now...the serious part...my nephew Mark is in critical condition at Riverside Methodist in Columbus. He started with pancreatitis, which is bad enough, and then his spleen ruptured. At first they only gave him a 20% chance of making it. They left his abdomen open d/t swelling, and he has lots of tubes and is on the vent. They went back and looked in his abdomen yesterday and also gave him a trach. Today Gilda said that he was trying to mouth words...this is the first that he has been awake in almost a week. He has now been in the hospital almost 2 weeks. Please pray that he can make a full recovery. He has a 12 year old daughter...

And, if that wasn't enough, Tara is going to have her thyroid treatment on Tuesday. Thankfully she can do the radioactive iodine and not have to go through surgery. She will get the iodine and then she can't be around anyone for at least 5 days. Which means we get Grace next week! Some folks get sick after they get the iodine, but I am hoping that Tara doesn't. She also can't work, so will be at home hopefully getting some things done that she really wants to do. She can't have anyone go with her to the treatment because they can't be in the car with her...all of these things that I never thought of. I just hope that this takes care of everything once and for all. She has been not feeling well and dealing with this for months. Very hard for her being a single mom. (their divorce was final the beginning of the month).

Good news for Kelsie! She came home from camp in one piece. AND....she got a job!! She interviewed for a new position at CAMO...a marketing job...just what she wanted! She will be on a trial basis at first, but hopefully will be able to help them with their marketing and fund raising. We are so excited for her! She will live at home for the time being...so no empty nest for us :) It is really good to have her back as we haven't seen much of her in the past 2 years.

And...looks like Carli and Jeremy might be moving into an apartment here at the lake. It would save them on rent and it is larger and has room for Molly to run. Can't believe that we might have 2 of the girls so close. Will be nice for Jeremy to be here when Carli does her clinical rotation in Houston next winter. They still go to Salem and he plays in the band. That will save them some extra gas money, too.

We also get to go to Hilton Head the first week in March. All 3 girls plus Ted and Grace :) Jeremy doesn't get any vacation yet, but might join us the end of the week. Doesn't get any better than that...

Then, I start back to work. I am not ready for school to start again as the fall is terrible. But, I love what I do, and I have a great job sharing partner...so I just have to suck it up and get over it!!

Please pray for Mark and for Tara in the coming week....

OK, so I've been admonished by my youngest for not keeping up to date on this blog. Time just flies by too quickly!

Kelsie is at Camp Friedenswald and enjoying "The Peaceful Woods". She will need a well deserved rest when she gets home the end of the month! Carli is still in school and studying hard...sometimes by the pool, but still studying! Tara is working hard not only at work but in trying to keep up with a 14 month old!!

Ted and I traveled to Spain for 2 weeks in June. Wonderful trip. I didn't really know much about Spain and therefore did not have any expectations. I liked it more that I thought that I would. It was friendly, clean, beautiful...and of course, we had to bring a flamenco dress home for Grace! Too bad she wouldn't hold the fan and the castanets for the photo!! We went with good friends, Mark and Jackie, and had an enjoyable time.

Then this past weekend we "flew" (not really, we drove) to Baltimore for Everett deVries' wedding. What fun to see that family again and see Everett actually get married! It is so funny to see kids that are still young in my mind's eye do grown-up things.

Can't believe that the summer is flying by so quickly. Before you know it, school will be starting. I can't even think about that now...there is too much to do in the meantime!!

Another checkup...

Carli had another checkup today with Dr. Stallings and it was OK!!!! So thankful that she passed another 6 month milestone!!! She is feeling good and still enjoying PT school. Jeremy also likes his job--things are looking up for the Brauns!

Grace is also feeling better after an URI, ear infection and Roseola. Poor kid. Tara works all of Memorial Day weekend, so Grace will be with Todd. Boo.

Kelsie comes home Friday afternoon and leaves for camp on Monday morning. Will be nice to have her home, albeit a very short time. But...she will be completely done with undergrad! yea!!

Kelsie's Graduation

Congratulations, Kelsie!!!!!!!!

Only 2 more weeks and you'll be "official"!! Then she's off to Camp Friedenswald for a summer of fun but hard work. No breaks in the work week until Sunday...then you start all over again on Monday!

I wish that she could be home a few days before she leaves, but I guess that I'll have to be satisfied with 1 or 2 days.

Great friends, Parent's Weekend and more...

Again, I want to say that I have the best friends in the world!

My "girls" from OWU days got together a few weekends ago, and, unbeknownst to me, planned an afternoon of helping Tara. I thought that we were going to go shopping or some other girlie thing....when, in reality, we were going to do service. The big surprise was getting to do this with a college friend that I hadn't seen since graduation some 30+ years ago. What a blessing! We cleaned and reorganized Tara's house while she was at work. With Jane's expert eye, her living room and dining room look like a new place! And Laurie, Cindy and Linda cleaned and reorganized the kitchen, porch and dining room. It is nice for Tara to feel a little like she is starting over. It looks great!! I can't thank them enough... Now, if I could only have miracles like that happen in my house :)

We had a great Easter...all three girls were here, including my 2 sisters. Wonderful.

Last weekend was Parent's Weekend at Grove City. The last after 11 years of having daughters there. Kelsie's sorority came in second at the All Campus Sing!! Very exciting...they were so cute!! May 14 she graduates...can't believe that our baby is graduating from COLLEGE!

Yesterday Carli and I went to Columbus--Carli's "vacation" from PT school...spring break. So, we went out to lunch, spent time at Easton and Ten Thousand Villages...and got cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory (I highly recommend the Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake). Grace was great, and loves having so much attention from her aunt and grandma!

What a week! We spent spring break at Hilton Head Island, SC. The weather was great and we enjoyed eating, shopping, bike riding and the beach. With Grace along, it wasn't terribly relaxing, but we did laugh a lot!

We got home Saturday afternoon, saw "Les Mis" in Cleveland that night, and then it was time on Sunday for the big party! Grace was so cute in her Grace shirt and tutu. She loved the cake (and so did we...thanks to Lynn Hackett..she makes the best cake in the world!). Was nice to have family and friends here to celebrate. 3 of Tara's college friends were here...including Lisa's husband who surprised her with an early return from Afghanistan!

Please keep Tara in your prayers...as I type this she is at an Urgent Care. She is really having problems with her Grave's Disease. She isn't sure that her terrible pain is from the disease, her meds, or something else. Any way you put it she is miserable. I am praying for a solution/treatment.

I'm a slacker...

That's what I'm told by my daughter. Guess it's time for an update.

Things have been rather crazy in the Gerber household. Kelsie is a senior and does things like call her dad (notice she didn't call me) and says "if you need me, I'm in New York City". Oh to be young and crazy again! She and a friend got $15 bus tickets and her friend's brother lives in NYC...what's there not to like about that?

Carli is doing her clinical at Wooster Community Hospital, so she and Jeremy have been staying here quite a bit to save on gas money. And mom's cooking probably isn't too hard to take, either! Actually, it's kind of nice to have more people to cook for again. It's so hard to cook for just 2. Jeremy starts a new job in Akron next week, so they might be staying apart for a while since their apartment would be much closer to Akron.

Tara has had a tough winter. She has had some health problems and so has Grace. Grace got tubes in her ears in February and seems to have lots of colds. But she still is one happy baby! She is getting ornery and loves to get into our cupboards and drawers. Time to baby proof the house :)

The opening day of the Dariette is always a good time...see photos above!!

Gary and Sally moved last weekend...exciting to have new neighbors! We had to go check out their new house...Grace liked it a lot. We had lunch together. Very fun!

It is so much fun now that Grace realizes who she knows! Jeremy was working on his upper body strength by swinging her around!

Tubes!

Grace's last meal before "fasting" for surgery. Yummy Italian dinner with Tara's friend Lisa.
Yes, honey, tomorrow is the big day!
Got some good medicine...now I'm ready to go!
All finished!!

Grace was a little trooper when she got tubes in her ears on February 1. We are so thankful that she didn't get sick, have any major drainage from her ears, or seem to be in any discomfort. She was a little "off" on Tuesday, but was her old self on Wednesday. The hardest part of the whole thing was trying to get to the car on Tuesday morning due to the ice! The sidewalk was like an ice rink, and it took us some time to chisel the ice from the car. Thank goodness there weren't many people on the road at 6:15 am.

We just hung out on Tuesday, and when I thought that I would be driving back home the weather got even worse. The ice in Columbus was absolutely amazing. So...I decided to stay (secretly hoping for a snow day). My great job share partner said that she would work for me Wednesday if I couldn't make it back. Thank God I didn't have to worry about school. It was good that I was there...right before we went to bed a sizable limb fell on the back of the house. What a noise it made! We both jumped...and went to check it out. Tara could hardly get off of the back deck to go look. It didn't appear to do any damage. Sleeping that night was fun, too, because of the ice hitting the windows and the roof.

Another thing to be thankful for was that we didn't lose power. We had a nice lunch and then I decided to head for home. The roads were slippery but not as much traffic as usual. After being with Grace (and Tara) for 2 days, I really miss her!