A New Way to Blog?

Tues
October 26, 2010

I am going to try a different approach to blogging. I am going to write about each day, that is days with something to write about. Maybe this way I can keep up with my blogging. Sometimes it has been so long that it becomes a little over whelming to try and blog a week & a half in one blog. So here goes...

We went to see Ian Anderson formerly of Jethro Tull. His group was incredible and very accomplished musicians. The first hour was spent playing Celtic folk songs & instrumentals. The second half, he played songs from his Jethro Tull period. He has an incredible lead guitarist who is classically trained. He is also an accomplished flamenco guitarist and performed an incredible flamenco piece. As for Ian, he is quite the showman. You would never guess that he has been in the music industry for 40 years. Most older rock guys have a raspy old voice, but he sounds just like he did 40 years ago. It was a fabulous show in an incredible theater. (Sorry no photos were allowed.) If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of his concerts, be sure and go.



Wednesday
October 27, 2010

Went to see Dr. Kareem today. He was so pleased with my status. The only thing he wants me to do is go to the clinic twice a week for spa treatments to help control my ascites (bowling ball belly.) He even let me choose the days I want to go. I told him I wanted Tues & Thurs so I could work out on Mon, Weds, & Friday. He was shocked. He said "You actually want to go workout!" Then he explained that they are trying to get their patients to exercise all the time and they just refuse. I think he was very impressed. One big brownie point for me.


While we were waiting to go see the doctor, we met a guy and his mom from Tennessee. He is a visceral transplant and has been waiting for 2 years at UPMC. Well, Steve & I got up and went to go to lunch and when we got back they had received "the call!" and was going in for his transplant. It was very exciting and he is in our prayers.


We received permission from Dr. Kareem to go to Lorain, Ohio. That is where my father grew up. He still has aunts (very elderly) there and they are very excited to see us. They are having a memorial mass for my dad Friday, then going out to spread some of his ashes on his parents graves. We are looking forward to the road trip.


So until next blog session, God bless all and put John in your prayers for a successful transplant & easy recovery.


Saturday
October 30

We did not make it to Ohio. My dad's Aunt Dolly was going out of time after the mass. She was very excited about us coming but wanted us to stay with her so we could visit. We are going to try to go next week. I will write about that later.


Thursday we went and worked out after a 30 min walk on the river trail. The work out went well; I felt really strong and pushed myself to the max. I felt pretty good afterwards, just a little shaky. We drove over to the Pretzel Factory and bought a cinnamon-sugar pretzel. They are great and absolutely no salt. When we got home I took a long and deep nap, I was wiped out. That will teach me that I still have limits. The rest of the day I spent on the couch watching total garbage all day.

Friday we went to Macys and bought Steve's birthday present and guess what... I used my own money. I demanded an allowance each month. Since Steve is ALWAYS with me when I shop; I hear "Do you really need that?" "That is an unathorized purchase." "Wait until next pay period." It is not like I am a shopaholic, but when I see something I need or really want, I don't need a bunch of chatter about it. So, now I have my own money to spend as I want. It isn't much but it does add up quickly. Steve has rarely denied me anything I want, but I don't need the rehetoric that goes along with it.

For Steve's birthday we bought tickets to the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He has never been, can you imagine that? My dad used to take us about every 3 to 4 years. I have loved circus' since I was little and used to read every book I could get my hands on. When we lived in Tampa, Florida the winter camp was located in Sarasota. They also had a museum that was dedicated to Barnum & Baily. The last time I went was at the Arco Arena with my mom & dad, sister, Jane & Laura. It was fabulous.

I will write all about it next week.

Saturday morning we went and worked out. I took it very easy and ony did 2 sets of 15 reps. I felt much better afterwards.

We went to the movies and saw "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." It was long and boring, don't waste your money. Steve liked the end but I found it unbelievable.

Tomorrow we are going to church at the little church we have been going to. They have just wrapped us in their family and pray for us. Last week they had a guest pastor. He is retired and from the "old school." He was wonderful and had everyone stand in front of the podium and said a prayer over each one. (There were not very many folks, so it didn't take very long) I really felt the presence of the Lord in his sermon & prayer.

Well, that is all for now. Things are going well for us and we feel truly blessed by your prayers, good thoughts & wishes. Please pray for John and the sucess of his transplant.

God be with you & your needs,
Steve & Steph

It's been a while...

Monday Morning
October 25, 2010


I know it has been a while, but it is because we have been doing well and have been busy. It seems as if there are not enough hours in the day.

We have managed to stay out of the hospital, except for bloodwork and doctor apt every other week. We are getting to know Dr. Kareem a little better and he us. We really like him even though he is a tough doctor and a control freak. I have just decided that I better do what he tells me and stop whining. One of the nurses heard me complain about an order and boy did she let me have it. She told us that if we don't mind the rules, Dr. Kareem comes unglued and starts screaming at you..."Are you STUPID?!! Do YOU want to DIE?!" It was kinda comical, but she was as serious as superman. I certainly don't want my surgeon mad at me before the surgery any more than I want the waitress mad at me before she brings my food. So needless to say we are behaving ourselves these days.

We have been in clinic for the past three days. Within 4 days my weight went from 122lbs to 130lbs. So I am here getting a "spa" treatment. My weight is down to 121lbs as of this morning so things are working. The only problem is it is hard to make plans cause you never know what is going to happen from day to day.

We have been going to the gym and working out for 3 days a week. We work with a trainer once a week. He makes Steve sore afterwards but not me. I know that I am working out to the max because the last 3 reps are challenging. Steve swears I am starting to look like a weight lifter. But today a nurse described my legs as "skinny get away sticks." I don't think she knew that I heard her comment. Oh well, when all this is over I only hope I weigh the same as I weighed before getting sick.

So, what have we been doing? Errands, shopping, we even went to the movies and saw "Secretariat", it is fabulous, even if your not a horse lover. It is one of those "feel good" movies and what makes it even better is that it is true. He was the last horse to win the Triple Crown and he doesn't even go lame or die. Please go see it.

The theater is within walking distance from our apartment and it is beautiful. It has 14 theaters with comfy seats and a huge snack bar, plus a cafe with pastries, sandwich's, and fancy coffees. Of course all that costs a small fortune. We just sneak our own in and unfortunately I can't have popcorn.

We have tickets to go see Ian Anderson, the leader of Jethro Tull from the sixties. He is a tremendous flutist and guitarist. It is being held in the Carnegie Library in that incredible theater from 1890's. I will have to get in there and get some photos. I know we don't have any thing close to this in Northern California, maybe the Grumman's theater in LA.

We adopted a little orange tabby kitten, his name is Glenn and presently he has a terrible cold so we are taking him back to the rescue shelter. I should not really be exposed to any germs, so Steve confined him to the back bedroom. He is not very happy back there, but Steve goes and visits him, plays, pets and talks to him. Glenn is so sweet and loving, but since he has not been feeling well he only plays for a few minutes then is ready for a nap. So we will see whether we get to keep him or not.

This blog has been long enough for even the most devoted folks,(my sister Jane). Oh! one more thing, we celebrated our 26Th anniversary. We were going out to dinner but my increase in fluid
did not let that happen. Steve bought me a beautiful porcelain cat that he saw when we were at Mayo and a beautiful sweet card. I gave him a kiss and fixed pulled pork sandwiches with macaroni salad(his favorite). Then we stayed home and watched a movie.

Ok, just a couple of prayer requests, praises, & lots of thank yous. My second cousin, Beth, Chris's sister, has cancer of the colon and after surgery they found more cancer behind her uterus. She is going to have some serious chemotherapy plus she does not really feel good about her doctor. We wish her well thru prayer. Much praise for our good health and ability to go out and about. We want to thank all of you who read our blog and then comment. I appreciate your comments and words of encouragement. Thank you to my granddaughter, Ruby for all of the beautiful works of art she sent. Many thanks for all of you for reading my blog, remember we love comments. Once again a huge THANK YOU to Lon & Dianne for your incredible gift and for the beautiful apron (yes, I love aprons & wear them always). May God bless you special.

Well, that is all for now and I will once again try to blog more often.
May God Bless You All,
Steph & Steve

The Dawsons Oct 2010

October 2010 The Dawsons













Daddy, Ruby & Bodhi hanging out.
















Heather & Ruby spending a day at the pumpkin patch. Ruby dressed for the occasion; crown and all.



Laughing out loud for mommy.




















"I love my big sister. She is so amazing."

Photos Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Just a few of the photos from Carnegie Museum.

These are some of the smaller animals. Above is a photo of Rob and a prehistoric turtle.

Where does the day go?

Thursday,
October 14, 2010

Praise to God

What can I say other than everything is going pretty darn great. We have been so busy just feeling good and enjoying the fall weather in Pittsburgh. God is so awesome to us and we are so blessed to have this time to enjoy.





Rob arrived Friday, Oct 8Th about 3pm. We had four glorious days with him. It was so relaxing and pleasant. Poor guy, he was exhausted after dealing with a 2mos baby and demanding 3 yr old who adores her daddy. (I can just imagine how tired Heather must be!) He was able to catch up on his sleep, but we kept him busy during the day. He cooked for us which was fabulous. We ate on his cooking for 3 meals and still did not get our fill. What a treat!

Rob's great cooking still did not keep us from taking him to the wonderful restaurants that Steve & I have discovered. Then on his last evening we went to a restaurant called "Mitchell's Fish Market" which is owned by "Ruth Chris' Steak House." It was delightful, the fish was awesome, the service was outstanding, and the prices not to bad. We plan on going back on our anniversary.

We showed Rob some of Pittsburgh's sights and mostly the architecture. On Sunday, we went to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Art. The science section had the most incredible display of prehistoric animals and plants. The museum is famous for its dinosaur and prehistoric laboratory that have world class scientists that travel all over the world and then bring fossils & bones back to work on. The displays are well done and it is so interesting. They also have videos that explain about the different periods and the theories of the distinction of the dinosaurs and plants. It is all very interesting.

I have a very basic and uneducated theory that God was playing with the development of the prehistoric period. Then decided that He needed us to make His creation perfect so He caused the demise of the early dinosaurs. Then created other animals before He created us. I know that this is probably an immature and naive thought process, but it is hard to deny the facts of evolution. The museum was very firm on not suggesting any evolution or religious beliefs, it just told about the life and development of prehistoric animals. Besides He may of created the dinosaurs for our consumption of oil. You think? We know that He has His purposes and reasons and we are not told about His plan except what is written by Him. If you can enlighten me on this theory please do so. I would love to be informed.

The art museum was beyond anything I have ever seen. It had art from all periods, styles, and cultures. The religious art was something else. It tells the story of Jesus and his disciples and the many books of the New Testament. It did not matter what culture or church the art represented it was all truly holy. I attempted to take photos, but with the lighting, they did not come out very well. There is absolutely nothing like being up close and personal with the paintings and sculptures. We hope to go back as 3hrs and 45mins was not enough time.

We had a doc's appointment on Wednesday and I am officially on the list. As the list stands Oct 8, there are only 3 other people on the list with me. The doc did not give us much encouragement about when or how long we will be waiting. One thing they told us was that we can go to visit Rob and Heather as long as we have a way to get home withing 4 hours. I am ready. I want to see the kids so bad. Other than that he was thrilled at how good I am doing and that my bloodwork is actually very normal.

I am feeling great and am anxious to go and do. My weight has been stable at 120-122 pounds even though I eat all day long. We have a long list of places to visit and we are beginning to enjoy Pittsburgh.

Well, I could go on but I will save some for next time. I have so many people to thank for your prayers, phone calls, emails and cards. Special, Special thanks to Mom & Jane & Barbara for getting our winter clothes and getting them in the mail. It is getting chilly here. Special prayers out to Steve's dad who has lost his eyesight in one eye. We pray that the disease does not affect the other eye. Praise to God for Aunt Betty's relief of the shingles and her celebration of her birthday. Thank you to Pam and Paul for sending the workbook to the Wednesday night bible study. Incredible thanks to Bud & Dianne for their most generous gift and the beautiful apron. The Lord must have put in her heart to make me the apron as I love aprons and am lost without them. Prayer to Anna Sue for healing and no more cardiac scares.

We are still praying for a church and church family that is fairly close by.

Many Thanks and Praises to our Lord for these wonderful days and health. I know He will be with me when things become challenging and I pray that I will remember these blessings.

Bless us all, Steve & Steph

ps. I was able to publish some photos, more coming tomorrow.

Yeah! We are back on!!!

Friday, October 8, 2010

God's Grace and healing are incredible. We are finally listed and now the big wait for the phone call. There are so many murders, motorcycle accidents & pedestrian run downs that if everyone was listed as a donor, we would already be transplanted.

We are so sorry that it has taken so long to get back up on the Internet. Believe me when I say it was frustrating and expensive in the long run. Without the details, it is easier to just call the experts, and cheaper in the long run. But here we are, in God's glory.

I am doing fabulous! I am finished with the clinic visits everyday and the antibiotics as well. We are now down to just 2 blood draws a week and one doctor visit every other Wednesday. We are having a ball and you would think we would be bored but not so.

We have been busy getting our nest ready and buying winter clothes. We found a REI store and LL Bean and were able to buy light winter jackets and snow boots. Steve loves his boots and I can't get them off of him. He would probably wear them to bed if I let him. To finish our wardrobe, Mom and Jane are supposed to go up to the home and get our snow coats and more winter shoes and hopefully sweaters.

We joined a 100+ year old library that has the original athletic club as well. I wrote about it in an earlier blog. They have a good personal trainer that is helping me with my workout. I am only able to workout for 30 minutes and with light weights. The machines are some of the best I have worked with and believe me I feel good when I am finished. The biggest plus is that my doc was extremely impressed that I wanted to do this and gladly signed all the papers. Anything to impress the boss and I am happy.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Rob arrived yesterday! Happy days for us. For Steve, Rob fixed his fax machine, and put a cabinet together (in 1/4Th the time it would of taken Steve). For me, he is cooking dinner (salt free) and just being here. We are planning on trying to get to the Carnegie Museum of Historic Science & Museum of Art this afternoon. It is supposed to be spectacular and have one of the greatest paleontologist exhibits in the world. We are very excited. As for the rest of the weekend... probably just relax and enjoy each other. He leaves for home on Tuesday morning, I am sure Heather will be exhausted and looking forward to his return. I am so thankful that I have such a generous daughter that allows Rob to come and see me. (Especially since their 5Th anniversary was Friday.)

Where do the days go? We wake every morning and say, "What in the world are we going to do today?" Then the day begins and before we know it, it is 8pm and the day is over. We are so very thankful that God has been so generous in His Grace and given this time and health to do so much. I try to remember to live every day like it is my last and to edify God in all I do. I hope this becomes a habit so that when I go through our challenging times, I am able to maintain the same attitude.

Please do not forget the prayers, I know that is what is sustaining us and has brought us God's Grace. We so believe in the power of prayer.

Steve wanted to make sure that everyone is aware that he has joined the volunteer fire department in our community. I am so glad that he has something to take his mind off of me and work. So far he is really enjoying it.

Thank you all for all your prayers and may God bless you as He has blessed us.
Steph & Steve

**Photos coming soon!