Blue's Choice

Paul is moving to Oregon!

Hey everyone, just to let you know, I accepted a job with the Crater Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America and we will be living in Bend, Oregon. I start November 1st. My family is hoping to move up at Christmas time. It is a beautiful community with Ponderosa Pine trees, 300 miles of trails, a ski resort 20 minutes away and a river that runs through the town. Everyone has kayaks, skies, snowmobiles and bikes! Just my kind of town. It has an REI store and a Columbia outlet store! Everyone is welcome to come visit.

From Tom's Wedding: Greenwich, Connecticut

Ain't Nature Pretty?

Mom, THANKS so much for paying for the reunion site! Carol thanks for the planning! Thanks everyone for the great family reuinion!! It was so fun to see everyone. Next time I will be playing volleyball and hiking and floating down the river with you all!

Paul and Scott - beautiful rainbows!!! I haven't ever seen a rainbow in Hong Kong. Isn't that weird?!

After the usual rush to finish shopping and packing, Jenni took us to the airport and dropped us off. It was sad to leave her there and get on the plane with only two kids. But here we are, back in Hong Kong. This life is sooooooo different from Utah, I think I am two people (oh, maybe I'm schizophrenic). Today the air is clear and I can see islands way on the horizon past at least 15 huge container ships going in both directions. The sky is blue, but not the clear blue of Utah. And the humidity is a killer! Today I will crutch down to physiotherapy and spend an hour trying to regain some muscle and movement in my ankle and calf. Then as long as I'm in that part of the compound, I will go to the grocery store and buy nonperishable things that can be delivered to my apartment. And then I will go to the swimming pool to try to work on some endurance training. Then I will crutch back home. I'm not feeling sorry for myself, I'm just happy that I'm on the mend in such a beautiful place! My goal is to be hiking the hills by November!

Tom's and Kelsey's Wedding Site

See the site over in the links section for all kinds of good information, including gift registry, photo, news, etc.

double rainbow to match Paul's

Sunset from the deck

Different views, different ways of seeing, each interesting in its own right. But they're especially interesting in tandem, I think. If you know they were taken within a minute of each other, you view each one a little differently, in a context you wouldn't have had otherwise.

Maybe it's a little like what happens at a family reunion, where for a moment you get to see a bit of the world through Paul's eyes, then a bit through Jill's, and so on. Makes life more interesting.

Rainbow in Arizona

This is a picture of a double rainbow. I saw it driving home yesterday. We just hit I-40 going west and this was on our left. Everyone, but me, were asleep, so they didn't see it. The colors were just out of this world.

THANKS

THANK YOU CAROL.

THANK YOU MOM.

THANK YOU ALL.

WHAT A GREAT TIME IT WAS!

Directions to Echo Basin

YAHOO!!! The Family Reunion is right around the corner!! In case you coulnd't find the directions or map, here they are.

For map click "Echo Basin Ranch in Mancos, Colorado"

Directions to Echo Basin Ranch


From DURANGO - Go 27 Miles west on Hwy 160 until the large Blue and White Echo Basin Sign on your left. Turn RIGHT on Echo Basin Road. Drive another 3.5 miles to Ranch entrance.

From CORTEZ - Go 15 miles East on 160. After passing through Mancos drive another 2.5 miles east until you see the Large Blue and White Echo Basin Ranch sign. Turn LEFT on Echo Basin Road. Drive 3.5 miles to Ranch entrance.

From ALBUQUERQUE - Take I-25 North to Bernalillo. Go West on US 550 through Cuba to Durango. Follow directions above from Durango.

See you soon big baboon! See you later alligator!!

family reunion

Abbott Family Reunion,

Sorry it took so long to respond, but I finally responded!
Be aware that my home is 30 minutes from Echo Basin and is available to anyone if needed.

The cabins are furnished with sheets, pillows and bedspread. Functioning kitchen with fridge, stove and oven and I will bring a roaster oven. The cabins also have towels, but I am bringing my own.
1,1/2 bath per cabin
1/2 bath/A-Frame

You need to bring
towels/soap/shampoo/ect.
inner tubes
balls/volleyball,soccer
treats/favorite drinks excluding water from cabin
swimming suits (pool by cabins)
mountain bikes
4/wheelers
games
fishing gear
lawn chairs?
whatever else tickles your fancy!

Skelton Placement that may be tweeked when needed. I haven't listed all kids.
We will find places for everyone to sleep. If your child is not listed, you might think about bringing a sleeping bag. The two queens beds are in one room and may be used to accomodate kids.

Cabin 1
Queen: Mom
Queen: Jill/Mike
2 Queens: Kevin/Jen
bunkbed: Paul/Nancy

Cabin 2
Q : Maren/Brandon
Q : Jeff/Carole
2 Q: Lisa/Tim
BB : Christy/Carol

Cabin 3
Q : Jed/Angela
Q : Scott/Lyn
2Q : Joe/Tracy
BB : Nat/Simon

A-Frame #8
Queen: Dustin
Queen: Derrik
Bunk : Tim/Ben
Bunk : Brian/Christian

A-Frame #9
Queen: Nikki/Jana
Queen: Abbie/Cllie
Bunk : Lizzy/Carrie
Bunk : Jenni/Caitlin

Meals/I listed only the core family: spread the meals to accomodate others in family.
We have the cabins scheduled from Wednesday noon through Saturday noon.

Wednesday 23th
Lunch Scott
Dinner Carol

Thursday 24th
Breakfast Christy
Lunch Jeff
Dinner Jill

Friday 25th
Breakfast Jeff/Mom
Lunch Christy
Dinner PAUL (correction)

Saturday 26th
Breakfast Scotts
Lunch Paul

Mom Hot Chocolate and cups
S'mores
Paul Marshmellows
Jill Chocolate
Carol Graham Crackers

Carol Plates, napkins, silverware, cups

Paul/Jeff/Scott. . .maybe you could come up with an activity for the young kids?

Please respond if you see something I have left out.

Information about Echo Basin including map
Pictures are always nicer than reality. Echo Basin is older, but I think it will be just what the Abbotts ordered!

echobasinranch@gmail.com

Details about the reunion?

Carol,

what should we be bringing with us? Sheets? Sleeping bags?

What are the accommodations like? Cooking facilities?

How will we share the food?

Will we all fit?

Anything that will help us prepare will be much appreciated.

Scott

What a beautiful evening it was!

7:05 solstice morning and Palmer penstemons in the first light

The finished product

And one length of trex left over, despite my crazy calculation that had clear-thinking Brandon wondering if I had lost my marbles. 

Back Problem? Surgeon as Therapist

Raindrops on roses....

It is very early morning and I can't sleep because there is such a violent thunder storm raging outside our window. I can't get the Sound of Music song, "Raindrops on Roses" about a thunder storm out of my head. My kids never came into my room so we could sing and dance together. Oh well.

It is crazy living on the 24th floor during a thunderstorm. We are in the middle of it! The lightning is right outside our window with the thunder following just milliseconds later. Now that I am up, I can see the lighting not only lighting up the apartment, but the jagged lines from the clouds up above to the ocean down below us. The barges must be safely docked because I don't hear their deep horns which I usually hear during a storm. I guess maybe the rain was too loud, because I just heard one. And another. It would be scary to be out on the water in this storm.

Tony is supposed to be flying to Taiwan this morning. He left in a taxi earlier than I got up. I hope he makes it!

A couple of days ago, Ben was praying and said, "we appreciate the rain, but we have had enough, so let it rain in Utah!" It has been raining for weeks now with no end in sight. It is the rainy/monsoon season. I'm glad we will be leaving the rain to come to Utah for the summer.

Tom's Getting Married

Tom and Kelsey Merrow have been partners for several years. Musical partners as well. Here they're singing a duet in a gig at Sardi's Restaurant in NYC. They make beautiful music. If you want to hear some of it, look at these two web sites:

http://www.bigbangbigband.com/live/

and

http://www.kelseyjillette.com/live/

The wedding's in September.

Congratulations!

Let Us Connect

Scott we thank you for reminding us how important it is to connect to our family. We all live in our own little worlds only to look up once in a while. This blog has awakened my desire to share with you all. The little I know about your lives, I treasure. What an awesome opportunity we have to learn more about each other and how to maneuver through blog country (a new one for me).
Our family met in Denver for Memorial Day to catch up with each other's happenings and then bring Abbie's STUFF home from school. Dustin, living in Denver and working at CED, Jed living in Parachutte, Co. came with Angela, Zane 5 years old, Zoey 9 months, Abbie after 1 year at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS). Tyler of course stayed at Seymour Airforce Base in North Carolinga (what a bummer).
We went to the Rockies (baseball) game against the New York Mets. They lost big time, but it was fun to be part of the crowd. It always surprises me the value we put with our sports in our country and the amount of money we throw into them. As I watched and knew how much money we spent, I realized we could solve world issues with that money. Just the money given to the players alone could solve world hunger. I too am a big fan of different sports, so I suppose I am part of the problem. Could we as a country change our focus and make a difference in our world?
Denver has a great aquariam we visited which allowed each of us to be kid all over again in a fantasy world for a few hours. The most exciting spot was the hurricane room. Dustin, Abbie and Zane stood in the front until it squirted water directly at them. Zane grabbed Dustin and pulled him to the side. Laughter is what clears the head and allows us pause in the moment.
Spending time with loved ones is what life is all about, being safe.

Happy Birthday John

Wish you were still here.

Mom's Checkup today

The surgeon walked into the room with the x-rays and said "it's looking perfect, you're healing quickly, excellent progress."

So Mom has no restrictions other than she shouldn't do heavy lifting.

She can walk as far as she wants and can.

She can drive.

She can sit as long as she wants.

She left the spinal center beaming!

And for your viewing pleasure, a scan of the pins and brace he put in her back.

Finally, a photo from this evening that promises a good decade ahead:

Mom on Memorial Day

On her kitchen table lies a signup sheet from the ward. Three slots a day for people who will take her for a walk, one a day for dinner.

Next to it is her dictionary and the day's crossword puzzle from the DesNews. She's got it completely filled in except for a long word with almost all the letters already there: "bodi_ _ rippe_" The clue says something about romance novels. Bodiceripper, I say. Never heard of that, says the world's most prolific reader.

What would you like me to write about you in the blog? I ask.

Write that I'm getting stronger and feeling good, she answers. And that I like getting phone calls and visits.

Mom's first night alone

Carol left this morning after breakfast and a walk. I stir-fried chicken and vegetables for Mom's lunch (she showed me the proper way to do it, Carol). We did a brisk walk and Mom is moving more securely and feels good being in tennis shoes instead of slippers.

She'll eat Lyn's quiche leftovers tonight and sleep alone for the first time since the operation. She insists that although Jill helped her several times over several nights, Carol and I just slept through the night and she doesn't need anyone, thank you very much.

Neighbors keep looking in, and although I'll be nervous, I think she'll do okay.

Tuesday at Mom's

Pictures of Carol's handiwork; and a picture with Lyn, who baked the quiche for dinner.

Isn't Mom looking good?

Carol to the rescue

Mom and I set out on an evening walk just as Carol arrived, stiff from the long drive after closing her classroom for the summer. She'll be with Mom till Wednesday, following Jill's stay. And, at the rate Mom is progressing, she's likely to need less and less care. She can do most things for herself, taking care not to bend, lift, or twist. And she's looking more alert and happy day by day.

Friday afternoon

Friday afternoon, just back from a walk around the entire block with Mom. First time she’s walked even half this far. We stopped to talk with any number of neighbors, all of whom were solicitous. When we got home, Mom changed into a t-shirt and went straight to bed.

 

That was our second walk of the day, and we’ll walk again before supper. It seems to me like Mom is getting stronger and more secure with what she’s able to do. She reads a lot, has a lot of visitors, does the crossword puzzle.

Mom's looking good

May 15, about 8 p.m.

After a good long week, Jill went home this morning. When I talked with her last night I asked her how the day went.

Crappy, she said.

Ask her for details.

When I got here this afternoon, Mom was up and talking with her neighbor who spent the day with her. She looked much more alert and happy than when I last saw her. She walked three times today outside, the last time with the physical therapist who came about 5 p.m. After dinner, she talked with Christy and Carol on the phone and is now reading in her room.

Seems like a good end to a good day after a much more difficult one. Thank you Jill!

Mom on the day after Mother's Day

Jill, who is staying with Mom, reports this morning that after a rough day yesterday -- discomfort and pain and discouragement -- Mom is feeling some better today. It may have something to do with the fine soup Jill cooked from scratch, or the fine Mother's Day meal Jill cooked, or simply the fact that Jill is there to answer the bell Mom rings from her bed and to get her up and about, doing the activities that will help her heal.

Home from surgery

Mom is recovering well and she gained some fan fair at the hospital. Comment from the nurses was that she was a great patient. She is learning how to do the log roll into bed so she doesn't twist and how to sit on chairs and slide into her car. The doctor said she can be quite active and not to baby herself too much. She can walk as much as possible and can shower but not bathe. She is learning how to manuvere without bending, twisting, and lifting untill she gets a little stonger. It should't take too long and she can walk as much as she feels like doing. She can go up and down stairs. Scott installed a removeable shower head in her bath and a sitting stool bench which was suggested by the ocupational therapist and also added heith to her throne by putting a nice tall seat on top of her old one. He also got her a reading lamp to put over her bed. She is set to go and I will be with her until Thursday and Carol will come after that. She will be up and going before we know it! Jill

Mom has smoked her last cigarette

At least part of the problem with Mom's back was spinal stenosis (a narrowing). Here's a link to a site that describes the problem and has illustrations: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.burtonreport.com/images/Spinal%2520Canal01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.burtonreport.com/InfSpine/AnatLatSpinalSten.htm&h=271&w=456&sz=50&hl=en&start=57&um=1&tbnid=mipXUDkDX-KqmM:&tbnh=76&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dposterior%2Blateral%2Bspine%2Bfusion%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Both of these show normal spines, with open spaces for the nerves. The x-ray the surgeon showed me had the whole thing squished together, putting pressure on the nerves, which caused the pain.




Jill is with Mom today in the hospital, after a whole day and long night there with her. She reports that Mom is feeling good and has walked up and down the hall and up stairs and had breakfast and is basically feeling much better than yesterday after the fresh surgery (done between 7:30 and 9 a.m.) and after effects of the anesthesia made her very uncomfortable.

If you want to look up the surgery, it's called "posterior lateral fusion of lumbar 4-5." The surgeon also fused two higher vertebrae that were on their way to ruin. Here's a link to the general surgery (which includes a note about how fusing in more than one place can be troublesome -- hope the surgeon knew what he was doing):

http://www.spine-health.com/Treatment/Back-Surgery/Surgery-Overview/Lumbar-Surgery/Lumbar-Spinal-Fusion-Surgery.html

And here's the smoking reference:

• Smoking cessation. It is generally advisable to quit smoking prior to a spinal fusion surgery, as nicotine is a direct toxin to bone graft and will prevent the bone from forming.

• Limited motion. Bone forms better if motion is limited, so patients are advised to avoid bending, lifting, and twisting for three months after spinal fusion surgery.

The occupational therapist, Florentina, was investigating Mom's possibilities and capabilities and the motions she routinely performs. She asked how, when Mom stood in front of her stove, to heat water for tea, for instance, how she had to turn.

I don't drink tea, Mom answered.

Browsing across the front yard this morning

Finally!!

Wow, this was really difficult to find out how to blog in Hong Kong. The site kept coming up in Chinese since everyone who lives in Hong Kong must speak and read Chinese!! I'm still trying to figure out (with translators - Jenni, Lizzi, Ben, and Tony) how to put a picture on the blog. After I get it all figured out, I will be a better contributor!

Love you all,

Christy

Negro Volcano in Nicaragua

Hey everyone, this is one of the volcanos we saw when we went to pick up Bryan from his mission. Nancy, Keri and I went down to Nicaragua to pick up Bryan last October. We (See Keri and Bryan in the picture) hiked up to the top and slid down on a board. See the anteater we saw near the top!

Now that I know I can do this, I am in! Love you all. Paul

Why do they call them "glacier lilies"?

Lyn took this photo yesterday, the 24th of April, in our yard. And the blue flowers are native forget-me-nots or Wasatch bluebells, we're not sure. We're trying to nurture native plants that don't need watering, and these are our earliest bloomers after the little pink spring beauties.

Mom's back

Just talked to Mom (Sunday night), and I gather that you all talked with her over the weekend as well. I tried to explain, after she said she had gone to church today, that it's going to church that is hurting her back and that studies show that churchgoing is bad for the back; but she wouldn't listen to me. I showed her this figure and pointed out that problems with the transverse process are a direct result of the transsubstantiation that goes on when the bread and water are blessed. Again, she just laughed.

As I'm sure she told all of you, she's worried about being alone if she has to have an operation. I explained that some combination of Jill and Carol and I could surely care for her, and there are grandchildren around as well.

So, we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Nevada on Lyn's Birthday

Sore Back

My back hurts. I guess I'll have injections to help with the pain instead of surgery. Dr. Jeff suggested this. I guess I am an animal. He usually knows exactly what I need to do, so I will listen to his advise. I am doing exercises to strengthen my back, and Jeff suggested a medicine ball to do more while I watch TV. See you all at the family reunion in July. I love you very, very much. Love Mom

Family Reunion: Echo Basin

Is that Jeff on the horse? Must be old pictures!


Hi everyone,
Mom and I have booked our family reunion and put down money to rent 3 deluxe cabins at Echo Basin, located between Mancos and Durango, Colorado. Our reunion will be from Wednesday July 23 through Saturday July 26. Think about how much money you can give to mom to offset her cost of the reunion. She has generously given money to all of us to have this reunion. We hope you will put these dates on your calendar and see us there in July. Call or write to me if you have questions or concerns.
Echo Basin Dude Ranch has been around for a while and is rustic to say the least. Updates have been on-going, and I think this will be perfect for us.
Here is a website about Echo Basin and the surrounding attractions we might enjoy.

Let me know what you think!

Carol

http://www.echobasin.com/

Sunset: April 2

Look at these guns!!! Dustin, Abbie and Jed thinking they are all that!

4TH OF JULY watching the fireworks in Cortez,

Colorado. Oh, to look as young as Abbie, now those were the days.

San Antonio Abbie poses with Steve Erkle. . . better known as the new graduate of boot camp. (Tyler) -2007-

Pretty sunset tonight

First Day of Spring in Woodland Hills

New Snow and the Snow Dog

Here are a few of the exotic species I get to work with.

This is a Galapagos Tortoise that was hit by a car.

A cheetah with kidney failure.

A tapir that had pneumonia.

It is fun to see some of these animals up close.  They are so beautiful.

UFO