5 year anniversary : Hotel Laguna

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary this year with a "staycation".  We went to Laguna Beach for the weekend and stayed at a beautiful hotel on the beach.  We indulged in the sun, delicious food and being child free (courtesy of grandparents).  It was a great time to relax and unwind with everything our family had been through over the past few months. 

June 6, 2009

Grandma's Services

A church service was held in Orange County.  Uncle Jeff, Uncle Rich and Cousin Jimmy all spoke and had wonderful words to say as well as a few stories to share.  Some of which I had not heard before, but just reminded us all how beautiful of a woman she was.  The church service was followed by her burial at the Riverside National Cemetery.  All four of my grandparents are now buried there and my parents plan on being buried there as well.  We then gathered as a family at one of our favorite family restaurants; The Old Spaghetti Factory.

       

       SPEAKERS

                           

     
                                                         

          

               Visiting Aunt Melanie

       

          Cousin Jimmy with Michelle & Donna

   

Michael & Michelle

Long day of driving for Kaison

Kaison, Uncle Mike and Kirk

Visiting Cady Grandparents

Uncle Mike, Cousin Jimmy, Uncle Jeff, Kirk

Steve, Michael, Addison, Kristin, Uncle Rich, Aunt Patty, Pastor, Joyce, Jillian, Aunt Michelle, Ryan, Mary, Uncle Chris, Cousin Jimmy, Donna, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Maureen, Jaclyn, Bobby, Melissa, Kirk, Kaison.  (Woody is absent because he is recovering from recent lung transplant)

Goodbye...for now

On the morning of Sunday May 25, Grandma passed away peacefully.  She was surrounded by family and we all had a chance to say good bye.  She was 92 years old and lived a beautiful life.  She taught me many things in life, but always stressed the importance of being kind to everyone.  She was extremely outgoing and always up for an adventure. She could strike up a conversation with anyone.  She took great pride in raising her 4 daughters and was proud of what each of them had become and their successes in life.  Although she outlived my grandfather by almost 20 years, there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't talk about him or refer to him in some way.  They had a very loving marriage and I know how much she missed him.  I find great peace in knowing that they are reunited and looking down on us today. 

June 2013

FIRES

I was at my parent's house when we turned on the news and saw that there was a fire nearby. Actually, there were two fires; west and east and we were right in the middle of them.  More and more fires kept sparking up, so we were pretty much stuck at home for a few days.  We were afraid that if we left our home we wouldn't be allowed back in our neighborhood.  We were waiting for a mandatory evacuation, but luckily never got the call.  We made sure both our cars had a full tank of gas, and we each had a backpack packed.

Picture taken near my parent's house looking North (Camp Pendleton)

Picture taken near my parent's house looking South (Carlsbad)

Map of all the fires in the area

View from my neighborhood park

my house

my house

park

park

park

park

Mother's Day

We started Mother's Day off by visiting Grandma in San Juan Capistrano. We all gathered there in hopes to sit outside with her and enjoy each other's company.  Unfortunately, Grandma was very tired and weak, so we ended up taking turns spending time with her in her room while she rested.  We took lots of pictures, but I cannot find them.  My phone was having problems around this time, so I am hoping Jaclyn has copies on her camera for me.

Kirk, Kai and I stopped by a restaurant in San Clemente on our way home to have our own little Mother's Day celebration.  Luckily, Kirk had a few pictures that he took on his phone to capture my Second Mother's Day.

April showered us with lots of surprises.....both good & bad

Grandma came down with an infection, so this month I have been balancing taking care of my family and visiting her in Orange County as much as possible.  With Kaison's scheduled daily activities and naps it has been challenging but with help, we have been able to make it work.  She was hospitalized at Camp Pendleton on April 16.  After spending almost a week there she was then transferred to San Juan Capistrano.  

EASTER

                                      

Easter Pics

CHURCH

Moeller's & Cady's

Jaclyn & Melissa

Michael & Addison

Jill is pumped for the egg hunt to begin

Michael, Uncle Jeff, Donna, Ryan & Aunt Michelle

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Kristin, Mike & Annabelle at our church carnival

Grammy Moeller joined us for our church field trip to the Strawberry Fields in Carlsbad 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMMY MOELLER!!!!!!


MS WALK at Legoland

Lung Transplant!!!!

My Dad has been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.  He has been on oxygen since 2012.  It is unknown as to what causes it and there is no cure.  He was put on the list in January of 2014 as a qualified lung transplant recipient.

Here is the official definition: Pulmonary fibrosis occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. This thickened, stiff tissue makes it more difficult for your lungs to work properly. As pulmonary fibrosis worsens, you become progressively more short of breath. The scarring associated with pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by a multitude of factors. But in most cases, doctors can't pinpoint what's causing the problem. When a cause can't be found, the condition is termed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.  The lung damage caused by pulmonary fibrosis can't be repaired, but medications and therapies can sometimes help ease symptoms and improve quality of life. For some people, a lung transplant might be appropriate.

We were thrilled to get the call on April 29, 2014.  He had his transplant at UCSD.  It went well, as planned.  He was discharged and home in 2 weeks.  

Pre Surgery 

Post Surgery

The Battle Wound