HEAD LIKE A HOLE

I returned home from camp on Saturday evening at about 8:30pm. Chris and the kids came to pick me up at Denay's house and I was so excited to see them. We stayed up late talking about everything they did that week with their dad and I kept Chris up with stories of camp. Needless to say the following day at church was pretty long. I was so emotionally and physically exhausted. On Monday morning we were to take Chris to Bismarck for a doctors appointment. Our friends the Palmers offered to watch the kids for us. It was hard to say goodbye to them again but something was telling me that I had too. Which I found out later why. About a month ago Chris had gone to the dermatologist to check out a sore that he had had on his forehead for almost a year that would not heal. They did a biopsy and discovered that he had carcinoma (a form of skin cancer). His appointment in Bismarck was to have it removed. We had to get up at 6am to be there at 9am. We did not leave the clinic until around 1pm. Which made me very grateful that we did not have the kids. So thank you Palmers!!!!! The nurses and the doctor were very nice to both of us. They explained the steps of the procedure and then took me to a lounge with recliners, food and drink. After about 15 mins. Chris walked in with orangish yellow stuff all over his face (beta dyne) oh how I wished I would have had a camera. Anyway we were to wait there until they examined what they had cut out to make sure that they had gotten all of it. Which they had not so Chris had to get cut in some more. They then came to get me once they knew that they had gotten it all. When they took off the gauze where he had been cut his wound was now the size of a silver dollar and it went as deep as the thin layer of muscle that you have over your skull. I have never had a very good stomach for things like that so as soon as I could I needed to sit down. As I was sitting there Dr. Appert was explaining the options that we had to reconstruct his face as best as possible. He gave us three options. One being to stitch the way that your forehead lines go the only downfall to this is that it would raise his right eyebrow to about the middle of his forehead. Choice 2 being to graft skin from somewhere else, which would leave a burn looking mark there instead. Choice 3 cut from the top of the hairline down to the top of the right eyebrow and down to the corner of the right eye which would give the Doc enough skin to stitch things up so that with in a year or so Chris would look the same except for a faint scar. The recovery time would take longer and Chris' eye would swell shut and be bruised for a couple of days or a week. He chose choice 3 of course and we left the clinic with a bag full of dressings for the week and a prescription for Tylenol with codeine and some antibiotics. We then got something to eat and Chris discovered that he really did not like the feeling of chewing which has lead to a week of a soft food diet. He is feeling much better now that it is day 6 and we are off to Bismarck again to hopefully have his stitches removed.


Doesn't he look lovely!!! And no, I do not beat him!

Camp

GIRLS CAMP 2008

AROUND THE WORLD IN 5 DAYS

'O The Places You Will Go'

Camp always comes and goes so quickly. I was so excited to take the girls to camp this year. When I was a young woman and went to camp I had the opportunity to go to a high adventure camp almost every year that I went and I remember how rewarding it felt to accomplish some of the tasks that the camp would require. I really wanted the girls to experience that for themselves. We were able to attend a boy scout camp in Minnesota called Camp Wilderness, which offered so many activities. Low and High ropes, climbing towers on land and water, canoes, swimming, archery, shooting real 22's and so much more. We did have to drive aways but to me it was so worth it. We had a great time it was fun to see all the girls pulling together and making new friendships. I tried to go around and experience all the activities myself this year and let me tell you the High ropes course was amazing. We did hit some rough spots with rain almost every day and some wet tents and beds along with a tornado warning and we did have to take a couple of girls home due to death in their family and illness but over all camp was amazing. Knowing that this would be my last year with these girls was harder than I thought it would be. Testimony night was wonderful. The quarter master that runs the scout camp had decided to come to our testimony meeting and he actually stood to talk to the girls saying how he had been watching them all week and that he was so impressed with the courage and self worth that he saw in them. He said that he did not know much about our church but after hearing these girls bare their souls and knowing that we were raising girls that are so confident and amazing made him want to seek out more information in our faith. What a testament that we were where we should have been this year. These girls never cease to amaze me! They carry a love for the Lord that is so real. I have to tell you that a part of me was excited that I would not have to plan camp for next year,but oh how I will miss it. What can I say camp was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!