Shocked!

I can't believe y'all are still out there!  I was so surprised to get comments after my last post.  So happy to hear from ya!

I thought I would share some pictures of our babies.  We reduced our numbers after the Husband got sick.  He wanted it to be more manageable for both of us but especially me if he couldn't get out there.  So we sold some of our best cows, kept some pets and young ones we thought would be good producers. Got rid of mean ones too.  He didn't want me out there with them. He worries too much about me!

Hello 2016

So it's been forever since I have blogged. Facebook has been the killer of my blog. It's just to easy to post daily on it. Don't even know if anyone will see this but thought I'd throw it out there.

So what's new at Crazy M?

We sold our place last October. The husband wanted to downsize so we had less to worry about. Plus he had "build wife a house" on his bucket list. We found the perfect piece of land and bought it in February. Now we have just started the house. Not the best time of year due to all the rain so it's a slow go. Can't wait for it to be done!

Hubby is doing well. He still has a few health issues but nothing we can't handle. In fact, he ran a 5K for me last week! I have a broke foot so he stepped up for me. We had raised a lot of money for a cancer foundation so we didn't feel right not participating. I was so proud of him but he paid the price for several days afterward.

All the animals are doing well.

Well gotta run for now! Will try to come back soon.

Eye of the Tiger

Wow, I haven't posted in FOREVER! But I needed to get on here and update everyone that has supported us on our journey.  When I first learned of the husband's diagnosis, I felt useless.  Really, there was nothing I could do to help.  That's when I turned to running.  I mentioned on a previous post a quote I read in a book about coping with cancer.  It stated "See yourself becoming a Cancerville athlete and going the distance for your loved one."  Being the literal gal I am, I really wanted to go the distance.  So I became a Multiple Myeloma Endurance Athlete for MMRF, pledged to make at least $1500 and entered the Fort Worth Marathon.  This past Sunday was the race.

On Saturday, we headed to Fort Worth to meet our friends, Gary and Shirley.  They came to cheer me on, how sweet was that!  We went out for some carb loading that evening then turned in early.

I laid out all my race gear that night so I would be ready first thing in the morning.

It seems the older I get, the more "gear" I need.  There is a lot of taping, compression and extras going in to preparing for the race.  Hmmmm.

After a restful night, it was race day!!  I was actually really ready for it.  Most of my race days are filled with a little anxiety but this time I was really calm.  No nervousness or anxiety like normal.  I just knew I was going to have a great run.

We made our way to LaGrave Field, the sight of the race.  It was a crisp morning but I couldn't have asked for better weather.  It was like all the stars aligned for this race to be perfect.

The husband, Gary and Shirley managed to make their way to various spots along the race.  I was so grateful our friends had came to be with the husband while I was racing.  They managed to get him up and down the course (they were very familiar with the area).  I loved hearing them cheer me on.  It was like having your own paparazzi.  I would come around a bend and there the husband would stand yelling my name.  

I had fun throughout the race.  The guys in front of me in this picture remarked how awesome the husband was to be there.  One said his wife was still in bed, 3 hours away.  They didn't have anyone but themselves at the race.  Yes, I am truly blessed.

Around the 10 mile mark, I noticed a guy having some difficulty.  I had spoken with him earlier in the race and he mentioned some injury issues he was trying to overcome.  He was disappointed he couldn't compete at the level he once did.  I assured him he was still doing great and was actually rocking the race.  Later I when I came upon him, he was struggling.  He stated he would like to use my intervals to get him to the finish.  So I stuck with him till the end.  We crossed the finish line together.  Despite my aversion to hugging, the guy hugged me after we finished, thanking me for helping him complete the race.

An even bigger bonus was the hug the hubby gave me.  He was so incredibly proud of me.  Just as proud as I have been of him throughout this year's journey.  My partner in life has been so strong and I only hoped to reflect that strength in my race.  He is my inspiration.

Our, after I got off the ground, post race picture.  ;)

He was wearing his MMRF supporter shirt under his denim shirt.  He was the best supporter a girl could ask for!

My medal, which is also a belt buckle.  How cool is that!

We ended up raising $2165 for multiple myeloma research!!  Yes, we have the most awesome family and friends!

So what's next?  Well, I will be running the Miracle Match Half Marathon at the end of January.  It benefits the bone marrow registry which is a life saver to many that have blood cancer.  My training continues!!

Awesomesauce

The husband had his 3 month checkup today. We met with Dr Conde for the last time. She is leaving the clinic to care for some family members. :( we will miss her.  But she shared some awesome news with us before she left. All the husband's tests look perfect!! No indication of multiple myeloma or any new plasmocytomas!! Everything looks great! She scheduled us for another checkup in 4 months. If he  is still clear at that point, she suggests tests every 6 months for the next two years. Woot, woot!!

Now, bring on our vacation!!

The Happenings

Life seems pretty quiet right now at Crazy M.  Our bull CMR 201 won second last week in a competition in Colorado.  That was awesome!  We hope to continue to move up in the overall standings.  We were 6th, don't know how much that finish will move us up.

We scheduled a vacation!! We'll be headed out on our anniversary to Wyoming.  I am SUPER excited.  The husband let me pick the destination and I have longed to explore the Grand Teton National Park.  Can't wait to photograph the wildlife and scenery!  The husband is ready to fish.  We're kinda flying by the seat of our pants but that makes it more exciting!

Looks like when we return from our vacation, the husband will be returning to Waco to work.  He has decided he prefers a laid back less stressful work environment.  So he'll be leaving the management world and taking a much less stressful position with Dr. Pepper.  I support whatever he thinks is best for him.  Only seems fair as he's always supported my life choices.

My training has officially begun for the November half marathon that I'm running to raise money for multiple myeloma research.  The doc cleared me to run this past Monday.  I started another blog to keep all my training over there.  If you'd like to follow along, here is the link.

http://runningwithpurpose2014.blogspot.com/


Medical Update: The husband's three month check up is scheduled for the end of the month.

Hello Out There

I know I haven't been on here in awhile. Seems like we are getting back to "normal" since the husband finished treatment. Routine is back to work/home/work/home. That pretty much sums up the week. Nothing too exciting which is good!

The husband was experiencing pain in his hip.  We visited Dr McHottie, the bone doc, a few weeks back.  He said it appeared the pain was associated with the torn labrum that we found on his last MRI.  To make sure it was the labrum and not nerve damage, he injected his hip joint with steriods.  If it eased the pain, then it is the labrum.  If not, then it's most likely nerve damage.  Luckily, it did ease a lot of the pain!!  So, the husband will most likely have a scope procedure to fix the labrum in a few months.  Dr. McHottie wants to wait at least 3 months from his radiation so the body can heal.

No other doctor appointments till the end of July when he goes in for his scans and blood work.  We did get a letter the other day stating his newest medical oncologist, Dr. Conde, is leaving.  They sure don't stay long around here!  So we will have to see who he gets next.

I actually went to the doctor a few weeks back. Having issues with my heel, nothing new.  Had some inflammation due to running so I've been in a boot for two weeks.  Have one more week than back to running! My sports medicine doctor's first question when he saw me was "Are you in training?" Then it was "When is your next race?"  Yep, he knows me well.  I told him to get me fixed fast because I have the half marathon in November.  I've been raising money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and I have to run!!  If you'd like to donate, I'm still working on reaching my goal.  Here's the link:
http://www.active.com/donate/2014mmrfYOR/YORKMyers

I will walk the half marathon if I have to but regardless, I will be completing 13.1 miles for the husband that day!

Crazy M Ranch news, we have a bull doing pretty awesome in futurities right now.  We went to Guthrie, OK on the 14th.  CMR 201 split 11/12th place out of 180 bulls. We're very proud of how well he's doing with all the competition out there.  He will be bucking in Colorado over the July 4th holiday.  Send good vibes!

Well, that's it for now.  Hope everyone else is doing well!

Another Chapter Closed

After several reschedules, we finally met up with Dr Nguyen to review the latest hip MRI post radiation. He advised it looked good. Of course, it still shows a lesion on his bone. Now it is just an empty space, sans the plasmocytoma. We hope new bone growth fills it in. It's a wait and see game. One new thing did show on this MRI, a acetabular labral tear, which basically is the cartilage and connective tissue around the hip socket. We think this may explain the hip pain the husband has been experiencing. His pain seemed more mechanical than cancer related. So we will be headed to see Dr Ward in a few weeks to have him look at the hip socket and tear. Figure out where we go from here.  Plus, being a bone cancer specialist and working with patients with plasmocytoma, we hope he can really explain what is to be expected.

The medical oncologist also personally called the husband yesterday to advise there was no need to see her for 3 months. She would schedule him down the road and let us know. Yay!

So we said goodbye to Dr Nguyen yesterday. It was our last visit!

Now the next chapter begins and we're more than ready!

Follow Up

We spent the past weekend in Fredericksburg on our annual weekend getaway. This was the cabin we stayed in. Not our usual place, as it was booked, but it was okay. We enjoyed the peace and quiet.

This afternoon, the husband and I met with his new medical oncologist, Dr C. She went over his recent lab tests. Everything looked good and normal. No proteins! That's always great to hear. 

The appointment with the radiation oncologist had to be rescheduled for Friday afternoon. We will meet with him to go over the husband's recent MRI of his hip. Dr. C said it looked good but she would allow Dr Nguyen to go over it in detail with us. He will tell us what the next step will be in his treatment. Hopefully, it will just be check ups every three months. Fingers crossed!

So that's all we know currently regarding his follow up. Friday, we'll be headed to Stephenville for the Spring Fling bull competition. We have a few bulls competing both Friday and Saturday. Hope Crazy M Buckers have a good showing. 

Little Spunky is growing. She is ornery as ever. We cut her bottle back today and she was NOT happy.

And I will leave ya with this. Found it while waiting at the doc today. Kinda blurry but love the message.

Whoa Nelly!

Where did the time go? I haven't posted since the beginning of April! I guess that's a good thing if I have nothing to report. We've just been doing the normal routine around here. The husband got the pens completed. It's so nice to have swinging gates that actually work!! We also were able to watch Long Shot perform close to home a few weekends ago. A PBR Touring Pro came to town and he was entered in the bull classic. And guess what, he won! So we enjoyed seeing that. It's nice to watch a bull you raised do so well. The husband, his dad and friend went fishing yesterday. I was told he's now the "Catfish King". I don't know about all that but he did send me this picture.

The husband has tests all next week. Blood work, new scan, all that jazz. Then we'll head back on 4/30 to see how his cancer reacted to the treatment. It seems like it has taken FOREVER to get here. That's it for now. Sorry the post all runs together. I couldn't get it to work right for me. Peace out!

Progress

Not much new with the husband.  He had an appointment this past Monday with a pulmonary specialist because a teeny tiny nodule was found on his lung during one of the scans. Dr DeLaCasas is very thorough and sent the husband to get it looked at. So we met with Dr Henderson. First let me tell you she is a hoot! Not often does the husband say, man, I really like that doctor. She told us there was nothing to worry about regarding the nodule. Husband said he was sorry he didn't get to go back to her.  Yea, can't believe he said that either! I don't think he has anything else scheduled until his testing at the end of April.

Since the husband has been on leave from work, he's been a busy bee.  Despite all my efforts to make him rest, he would not comply. He has a monster to do list. And he sold some cows and calves which funded projects. That was like the perfect storm. The husband with time and money!  I think what we are most excited about are our new pens. We have actual swinging gates!!! It's still a work in progress but it's looking so good.

The load of panels/gates.

Removing old fence and pipe.

Spunky helping the guys. ;)

Progress

The alley

He also had the county install a longer culvert in our driveway. Will really help pulling in and out with a long trailer.  Tomorrow he has some gravel being delivered for the drive and mud holes.  See, he's been busy!  He over did it this past weekend though. Argh!

What else has been going on? OH! Ran another 5K this past Saturday. I won 1st in my age group and was the second overall female finisher! I was super excited. The husband was so proud of me. It was pretty awesome.

We've had more babies born. Will have to get good pictures to post soon.

Spunky Brewster is growing like a wild weed. :) She is a stinker.

I took this picture on our walk around the pasture. She turned a month old! 

I think that's about it. But I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

One last thing, I had a bunch of messages today after the Fort Hood shooting. I do still work on post but I actually left post early today. So I wasn't anywhere close when it occurred. Thankfully I didn't have to go thru another shooting on base. One was enough for me. Thanks to everyone that contacted me. I felt so loved. ;)