The Big Day

She is home.  

It is really strange even as I write this.

We have been looking forward to it for so long.  

 So many good and fabulous people came to show their support.  And we were so excited to see her pull up into the driveway.

 My mom was so happy to see my dad after three weeks in Texas.  

 And then, instead of using her wheelchair, she chose to walk.

And it wasn't easy.

And there were so many eyes on her

But, she slowly did it.

One foot in front of the other

 And this right here is true love.

Thank you to all of those people who came and showed support and love to our sister.

This meant so much to our whole family.

And now we start a new phase

But, we are over the moon to have her home

Update to the Update....

Looks like it'll be closer to 5:00

5:00

See ya then

UPDATE......

Their flight is scheduled to land 35 minutes earlier than the original landing time.  So now we think their home arrival time will be more like 4:30ish.  We'll post on the blog if there are any changes between now and then.

Goodbye..... Hello

Kori is coming home TODAY at 5:00ish

If you are in St. George...

Please join our family in welcoming her home

Our Texas Family sent her off in complete style

But, that is NOT surprising

Everyone enjoyed a lovely dinner out on the veranda and Tiffany invited

James Blackshear,

a professional country western singer to come serenade Kori.

Dad said he was VERY good

Kori said he was good looking and as sweet as could be

And NOW they are on a plane flying toward St. George

We will be ready....

After 36 Days....She is OUT!!!

Kori's last day at MD Anderson went something like this...

Kori's new chair, that is too hot to handle right now, has a platform for her foot to rest on.

But, her left foot is a bit unruly and unbeknownst to her, slides off of the front.

And before she realizes that this has occurred, she slams it into things really hard.

And then she has to report to the nurses that she thinks she may have broken her foot.

So the nurses ice it up

 So that she can go have it X-rayed.

 I swear on my life, all she needs right now is a broken foot.

But, luckily for her, the X-ray showed that it was only severely bruised and incredibly swollen.

When she got back to her room, Dad was helping her get back into her bed and he had his right hand under her leg for support and the tip of his finger was visible on the far side only he didn't realize that it was his finger and he started panicking and in a very hysterical tone he blurted out,

"OH NO!!!  You've got a growth on the side of your leg..."

~Poor Guy....  he's losing it, I tell you~

Whoo Hoo.  Normal clothes, elevating and icing the bruised and battered foot, packed up and ready to go HOME....still texting.....

Darling Tiffany made cookie boxes for the nurses to say Thank You for taking such good care of Kori.  I swear, I don't know what we will do without TNT.  

And then they busted her out of that place and took her to the

Bauer Mansion.

I bet she has never felt so good in all of her life.

Tonight she will not sleep in a hospital bed.

She is wearing real clothing

She is in the care of Scott and Tami and Russ and Dad (of course).

She did it. 

She is really out of there.

And she is on her way home to us.

Update on ETA.....Their flight has changed and consequently Kori, Russ and Dad won't be arriving in St. George until approximately 5:00 p.m.  (or thereabouts).

Four Wheelin'

The following description of Thursday, May 28th is straight out of Jim's mouth...

Well... actually he typed a text to Mom and then she put it on a group message

and I could not write it better and also I am lazy and so...  here it is

"Today I have spent the day actually being Kori's therapist. 

In Occupational Therapy,  I helped her get from the bed to her chair,  from her chair to the potty" 

(Okay, wait..... I must digress for a moment and express that I LOVE that he used the word potty)

And then he added that this was SIMPLY an exercise.  There was actually no potty usage.  

Then he helped her back to the chair and then back to the bed.

"Then we moved on to Physical Therapy where she was fitted for a Permobil Power Wheelchair.  They gave her a loaner to practice with and she turned the 8th floor into a bowling alley.  First she knocked down everything in her path, then she ran over my foot and trapped me against the wall in the elevator.  And I suppose I had it coming after yesterday's injury.

 I helped her walk two laps.

Then we moved on to the stairwell and they asked her to climb two stairs and of course, she climbed three.  Always the competitor. And she spent the rest of the day practicing with her chair and perfecting her 360s."

Tiffany was her partner in crime today.  

And here are some more photos of her new wheels.
Dad says it's the fanciest chair he's ever seen.  It reclines, it tilts, it goes up and down, has various speeds, it has a horn, the foot rests move up and down and is comfy as shown.

(Okay...  wait, it has a horn?)  

Totally Rad

Saying Goodbye to MD Anderson

We have an official release date.  

Kori is coming home on Sunday May 31st...

Arriving home at 3:30 or 4:00

We are so excited 

Today she spent the day preparing to say good-bye

I am not sure how she will say good-bye to these fabulous people.

It will not be easy

We really don't know how to say thank you enough to Tim, Tiffany, Tami, Teri, Tara and then the Non-Ts, Scott, Nick and Steve, not to mention the wonderful Norman's, Craig, Tussy and Cricket for taking such good care of our parents during their stay in Houston and for their continuing visits to Kori.

What is she going to do without them?
They are our family now.

Dad broke her out again
and all was going well...
But, see that bench there?
That big, heavy, wooden bench there on the right?
Keep in mind the bench is located outside...  in Texas...
So naturally, it needs to be a certain weight to avoid blowing away in one of their many, dare I say, daily weathers catastrophes...

She sends Mom this text...

So....  Funny....
I think he was just making sure that she wasn't faking her injuries.

But, here is what I love most about this little story
Her personality is back.  Her sense of humor is back. AND look at that typing...  Perfection!

So much has happened in Houston.
Many things we planned for and expected.
SO MANY things we did not.

There were some good things.... new friends, great food, experiencing a new city, Dr. Rao,  98% of the tumor removed, storms and more storms, cute nurses that put Miss before your name,  accents and good ole fashioned Texas BBQ.

There were some bad things, that we will turn into good.

But the bottom line is
MD Anderson is the best
Dr. Rao is the best
Our new friends are the best
And I think we all feel that as hard as it has been to be so far away, we will never have to question...  "would things have been different if only we had gone to Houston?"

She went to the best.
And she was brave.

Thank You, Texas for taking care of our girl

Everything is bigger in Texas

Houston got a little rain this past weekend.  

I have never had the pleasure of being in Houston. 

I really don't foresee ever going there.  

I am sure it is a lovely city.

But, my perception of Houston is

if it is not one thing it's another.

Dad said whenever you hear a Texan say things are bigger in Texas,  you need to believe them.

Remember how just last night I reported that Kori was coming home on Saturday

Well........

The rains came down and the floods came up

The nurse shift change didn't happen because half the nurses couldn't get to work.  

Breakfast couldn't be served because food couldn't be delivered to the hospital.

Poor Kori had to eat cold cereal.

So, Dad walked over to McDonalds and so did 100 other people.

The city was on high alert and was told to stay indoors, but when the man feels like eating hotcakes....

he stops at nothing and risks it all. 

Then Dad asked the nurse if he could take Kori outside.

And she said "sure as long as you promise to come back"

SHOOT!  Plan foiled.

She practiced her left leg lifts

And enjoyed a cool breeze on her face. 

Later in the day

Dad was helping Kori order lunch and on the menu were

"SF Cookies" 

and he said MMMM....... I bet that stands for San Fransisco.  San Fransisco Cookies sound good.

Turns out they were Sugar Free Cookies

And they were NOT good

Not good at all.

Cold cereal and Sugar Free Cookies 

What a lousy day

The coming home date still remains to be unknown.

The therapists were supposed to meet today and officially set a release date but half the employees couldn't make it into work.  So we will try again Thursday.

Way to go, Houston

Love ya Lots

Making Plans

So, last night at 9:00 pm, I was finally getting around to collecting my clothes that I had washed 8 hours earlier out of the dryer.  And I needed both hands to carry my gigantic pile of clothing.   So, I tucked my phone in the waistband of my shorts and I guess I accidentally faced timed Kori.  I don't know how I did that with my navel.  I can hardly do it with my fingers.  But, the next thing I knew my phone was making that face time ring and I was frantically trying to put my pile down, so I could stop the call.  Hoping the call wasn't being made to my boss or someone else equally horrifying.

Luckily for our whole family,  it was Kori.  And she answered.  Even though it was 10:00 her time.   What a nice girl.  I'm sure I woke her up.

 Such an overwhelmingly flattering photo of both of us.  But, it's all I've got.  I am so sorry, Kor.

Her voice sounded different than usual.  It sounded like it does when she has strep throat.  But it sounded strong.  And she seemed so happy to talk to us.  And even though she yawned like 5 times, she was as sweet as she could be and talked to each one of my kids, including Ryker who was so excited to tell her several facts about his Thomas the Train engine and he told her to come look in his room at his train table.   "Come on, Koko.  Come in my room and see my train."

She told us that she is getting released on Saturday.  I feel terrible because this is the same day as our wedding.  I really hope that she will fly into Vegas and stay the night there to recover from the flight and come home Sunday, so that we will be able to be there to welcome her home properly.  Of course a perfect storm of life events would collide.  That is just how it is in our family.  We are so excited to have her home.  This is such great news.  She will heal 10 times faster with her whole family around her, I am sure.

On Sunday, she had several visitors.  Tami's kids Nick and Tara and Tara's husband Steve came to the hospital to visit.  Tara and Steve live in Provo and they hate it as much as Kori did when she lived there and so Kori said that they MUST come down to St. George for a visit.  And she is very serious about that.   And really hopes that they will come.   Additionally, Dad and Kori had the Sacrament brought in to them and one of the boys that administered it was a boy who was from St. George and went to Snow Canyon High School and he knew Garrett.  What are the chances?   It is a small world for sure.

We talked about the Bauer's and the Cashs' and how our family has been so blessed by knowing them and Kori and my Dad don't know what they are going to do when they don't get to see them every day.  And eat their incredibly amazing food.  And we talked about how many people there are in this world that we may NEVER meet and the vast number of people that could effect and change our lives and make them better just by knowing them, but our life paths may never cross and that is so sad.  On the other hand,  we now know them and we can follow each other on social media and send Christmas Cards.  New friends are so fun

       Let the countdown begin....    

5 more days

Saturday

Dr. Rao came in early this morning and picked up Kori's left arm and asked her to push and she did and he could feel it.  He said that she keeps surprising him every time he comes in.   And of course she does.  Doesn't he know who he's dealing with here?   

Then my mom got a text from Tiffany today with this picture attached and she said that everyone was singing "put one foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking out the door".    I can only imagine how wonderful it must feel to have such fabulous support.  

In other news...

Is it me or is she using a step ladder to get around now?

That looks so.... uncomplicated compared to the other one. 

Where are the wheels that her foot gets tangled in?

Where is the strap that holds her arm?

My uneducated guess is this girl got an

upgraded room and a downgraded walker. 

Saturday is a special day

Remember???

Today seemed like it may have been a low key day.  

EXCEPT that, and I'm not sure why,  Kori got an upgrade and was moved to a Master Suite.  She certainly deserves it.  She is without a doubt the kindest patient in the hospital,  I'm sure.  Her favorite nurse returned today, after being off for several days.  She rushed in and told Kori she needed to give her a hug, she missed her, and then said that Kori is her VERY FAVORITE patient.  Well DUH!!!!

 She received flowers from the Whittakers.  Who are our long time friends from Corona

She received flowers from her in-laws, Paul and Joan Brooks.   

It must feel really good to get little surprises like these on long hospital days.  It's nice to know that people are thinking about you.

And Tami and her sister, Teri came to visit and of course, brought food.  

Mom said we are having a Family Reunion later this summer with our new family members from Texas.  

It's so hard to express the gratitude we feel towards these ladies who are serving our sister and who aren't letting a day go by without visiting her and lifting her spirits.  They are on earth angels for sure.  And Kami and I can't wait until we can meet them in person.  

Kori...  I am sure you heard this already,  but St. Geezy had an earthquake today.

It was super wimpy, nothing like the ones in California. 

Remember that night when we had that really big earthquake and it woke us up and Dad was yelling at us to get out of our beds and stand in the doorways until it was finished?   And he was the only one who really did it because the rest of us just stayed in our beds.  

Remember how Dad called all of our boyfriends, Kevin no matter what their names were... they were all Kevin?  

Remember that night a tarantula was crawling across our family room floor and  how you and Dad caught it and made him our pet?  And you used to let him crawl all over you?  And we named him Spooky? And we kept him in a five-gallon Sparkletts bottle?

Remember how Mom wouldn't let us say words describing bodily functions and instead made up cutesy little girl words for them and we actually had to say those words in place of the words every other kid in the world was using when speaking of the unmentionables.  And remember how we lost friends over it?

Remember how you and Kami used to play basketball in front of people and get all sweaty?

Remember when your hamster somehow got out of his cage and somehow got up into your bed and crawled on your neck in the middle of the night and you freaked your freak out and threw him across the room at the wall......

RIP Herbie.

Remember when you threw up in Grandma Lou's Buick?  

And Mom just put you in the gutter until the car was completely restored to like new condition

Oh man...  what a tragedy that was

Remember that time Dad rolled your fingers up in the window unknowingly and kept winding and winding with all of his might because he couldn't figure out why there was a little gap in the window?  And you were writhing in pain and couldn't speak.

Remember when you ate one bite of candy from each of the 250 boxes of the See's Candy from the Ward Fund Raiser and Mom and Dad had to pay back the ward hundreds of dollars 

Remember we had to sing at every stake baptism?

Remember Dad's piece of crap orange Honda Civic that we named Beemish?

Remember how many cassette tapes we had?

Remember when Dad would take us to his store on Christmas Day and let us eat as much frosting from the bakery as we wanted? 

Remember when we worked at the Hot Dog Stand?

And DIAL-A-BURGER.  OMG!!  Remember that horrible place?

Remember backwards skating at California Skate?  You were the champion of backwards skating.

Remember we had mullets in 1984?

Remember how we ALL used to get ready in Mom and Dad's bathroom together as a family?

That was weird.  But it didn't seem weird then.

Remember how we had to learn how to drive in a Volkswagon Vanagan?  Stick shift!!!

Remember Mom's Orange Terry Cloth Track suit with the rainbow rope belt that she wore EVERYWHERE?

Remember that time Dad took us skiing in Utah and we were from California, so we wore jeans and ugly sweaters instead of ski pants and parkas.  And everyone on the mountain knew we didn't have a clue how to ski.  But we left absolutely no one wondering EVERY TIME we tried to get off of the ski lift.   And remember how they had to shut the lift down 13 separate times while they cleared us off the exit ramp.

Remember how we took a NIGHT Biology class at BYU with Carl Whittaker and we'd stay for 30  minutes of the 2 hours and then go to the creamery and make him take notes for us?   And how we passed with C minuses and were THRILLED.

Remember that night we went roller skating around the Provo Temple and got going too fast down that hill and you stopped yourself by running into a chain link fence?  If I remember right, there was a lot of blood.

Remember we lived at Branbury Park?  What were we thinking?

Remember when we were trying to drive home from BYU and my car broke down on the side of the road 8 times and we didn't have cel phones back then so we had to rely on creepy, perverted truck drivers to help us and we finally made Dad drive to Las Vegas and pick us up?

Remember hiking on the back side of Catalina Island with Bronwyn and Shannon Horton?

And buffalo and wild boar?

Remember how Mom was a lifeguard at the city pool so we could swim all summer long for free???  Mom....  a lifeguard.....  she did anything to make us happy.

WOW!!!  Sorry everyone for the tangent.

We've had some good times.

Good Night

See you soon!!!!!

Prayer Changes Things...

Mom called me on my way to work and we were discussing Kori's left arm.

Russ had filled me in on the details of her gimpy arm yesterday.

He explained it like this...

"You know how you lift someone's arm up and say...  Let your arm fall and don't try and stop it.  And the arm falls, but no matter how hard you try to just let it fall, there is still some muscle involvement there.  Well, in Kori's case, her arm just falls like it weighs 500 pounds.  There is literally NO control at all."

Mom said...  "I think we need to start praying specifically for her arm.  Her leg is much more mobile than her arm, it's still not perfect, but it's better.  However, her arm is another story."

About two hours later Dad sent a text 

Dad:  SHE MOVED HER...

Mom:  She moved her what?

 Dad:   ARM!!

And then he called and he was crying and he was so excited.  

And Mom says to me

Prayer changes things....  Just sayin'

Today, Kori got to go to the salon and get her hair washed for real.

Kori said the stylist was sweet and asked if she should braid her hair to get it out of her face

Ahhhhhh......   there she is

This is the Kori I know.

What a cute braid

And finally,  a cute nurse came in to Kori's room today and asked her about her 

26.2 stickers that she has displayed in her room.  She didn't know what they were.

 Kori explained that they were Marathon Stickers and that a marathon is an event where you run for 26.2 miles.

The nurse asked her if she'd ever run one.

Kori said...  "yep, three of them."

The nurse said

"Girl, you're crazy.  I hate to walk."

And Kori said

"I'm going to run another one and when I do, I'll send you a picture of me with my medal."

Goals.

Steak, Break outs and Straight Talk

Today was a busy day in St. George and another good day in Houston.

First, I have to report on the bad news.

Kori's release date really IS June 2nd now.

I am officially the most sad person in the family, for very selfish reasons.

And I can feel sad about the new release date and I don't have to feel guilty about being sad about it because the reason for her delay in getting to come home to us when she is supposed to has nothing to do with her health and everything to do with her INSURANCE.  I wonder if that stupid insurance company even cares that she is going to miss our wedding?  I know they DON'T.  If this was MY blog, I'd swear right now.  But, this is a no swear blog....  

so FIDDLESTICKS... 

I. am. not. happy. at. all.

 Today Kori received a humongous card from her co-workers at Dixie Regional.

This took some time, I am sure to gather so many signatures.  

I know that this meant the world to her.

 Then they ventured up to the Penthouse and joined TNT for a delicious Steak Salad with asparagus and julienne apples luncheon.  Look at how happy Dad is surrounded by all of his "ladies".

Please tell me Tiffany is using a "selfie stick". 

Kori calls this adventurous time with Dad her "break-out session."  And she happily reported today that her feet were spared from any traveling injuries

MEANWHILE BACK AT HOME

We had a high school graduation.

Don't worry Kori,

Garrett slept through both musical numbers and shifted in his seat 210 times

And then we celebrated the big day at Red Robin

We were missing Grant and Kami and Brent.

There was a family there that knew Russ.  And they asked him where Grant was and he said

"I don't know.  If I was the Mom, I would know, but I'm the Dad, so I'm not sure."

I am so glad that we got together because half way through dinner, Russ came down and sat by us and I was able to have a good "tell me the truth".....  "I can handle it" conversation with him.  And it was so great for me to hear. 

Those of us here in Utah have only second hand information.  We aren't there.  We don't get to see her and know for sure what is really going on.  

I say this because...

The day of the surgery, when the original prognosis of Kori came...  my mom called and told Kami, but told Kami not to tell me.  My family traditionally tends to spare me of certain tidbits of information.  I don't know why.  I don't know why it's presumed that every one else can handle stuff, but that I can't.  That would imply that I am some sort of spaz that needs to be protected. 

 Anywho...... Consequently,  I constantly think I am being left out of the loop and am only getting half the information.  I knew Russ wouldn't lie to me and so I asked him to give it to me straight.  And he did.  And he told me all the things I wanted to hear.  Everything good.  And it made me happy.  

He told me a fabulous personal story and I almost wrote it, but I didn't get his permission to do so and so I can't...  but it was such a sweet story and we got teary and I love that he told it to me.

Then in the middle of our conversation, Kori sent him a good night text that said

"But for now, rest well and dream of large women"

(Which is a quote from Princess Bride)

And he laughed out loud and said...

See how okay she is?  She's quoting a movie from 25 years ago.

His response to her...

"As you wish"

This was a good day.

What is your legacy...

Have you ever thought of your legacy?  Those gifts and personality traits that you will pass down to others or leave behind you that define who you are as a person.  What do you want people to say about you?  She is a great cook.  She is a fantastic mother.  He works hard for his family.  They are so in love.  I think sometimes we get so caught up in the day to day grind, that we forget to mold and shape our legacy.  We hear stories of our pioneer ancestors or our forefathers and mothers and their stories are amazing.  Stories of strength and determination.  Stories of greatness, conversion, sacrifice and will.  How will we be remembered?  (My mom was scatterbrained and didn't know where we were half the time).  That is the path I am on these days.

I think the biggest part of molding our legacy is showing others what we are made of in the midst of adversity.  Oftentimes, our trials, or the way we handle our trials is more a testimony to other people who are helplessly watching us either up close or from a distance.  Or to those people who are watching out of the corners of their eye to see what we are going to do next.  Knowing that the real test is not merely enduring the trial, but the way in which we endure it.

The coolest part or scariest (depending on how you look at it) is that you NEVER know who is watching you.  You never know who you might be inspiring.  You may never know who you may touch by your quiet example.  The true measure of a man is how he behaves when he thinks no one is watching.  What do we do in the quiet and private moments of our lives?  Do we make choices that make us better?  Better today than we were yesterday?  But, not as good as we are going to be tomorrow.  Or do we waste them?  Resolving to start being awesome sometime next week, when we aren't so busy.

I say...  why not start today?  Start with small and simple things.   Do one thing every day that makes us better.  One thing that might inspire someone who needs inspiration.  I say it's time to start following our passions,  helping someone who is fighting their own battle that may be known or unknown.   It's time to be nice.  And kind.  And compassionate.   It's time to believe in something greater than ourselves.  It's time to endure.  To succeed.  To fight.  To grow.  To inspire.  And to learn.  So that when others speak of us, they do so with pride, with genuine admiration, respect and most of all with appreciation.  Because we took the time to not just be ordinary, mediocre and mundane.  We took the time to make a difference.  To be happy with ourselves.  We took the time to shape our legacy.

We are on one hand so sad that this is part of Kori's legacy, but on the other hand look at how she is handling it and showing us what she is truly made of.  I loved her before, but I cannot express with adequate words my love for her today.

Today Kori went on many adventures.  

Dad took her up to the observation deck again to visit the "Cancer Eating Dragon".  He crashed her feet into several walls.  But, she didn't mind too much because she doesn't have feeling in several of her toes.  They explored the hospital.  Most likely went down some halls they weren't supposed to.  And talked to lots of strangers.

Dad says this is Kori's wing of the hospital.  It's very pretty.  He said it's about 1/2 of the hospital

He also took a picture of the city.  The white roof on the right is the Astrodome and the white roof on the left is the stadium where the Texans play.

And he completely wore her out.  We are so happy to report that the swelling in her face is nearly gone and her black eye is very nearly a thing of the past.

Someone somewhere has changed her release date to June 2nd.  Dr. Rao's reaction to this new revelation was "WHAT????"  And as we speak, he is fighting to get her original date re-instated.  He thinks she is ready and he is in fact, HER DOCTOR....  So, we are waiting patiently for the final word.  Of course, we would never want her to come home before she is totally ready.  But, dang it!!  If she misses our wedding, I will be so sad!!

Positivity.... Is that a word?

I am so lucky that I get to post on the blog during these days.  I am really liking these days.  These days are so much easier to report on.  I like that every day is better than the last.  And there is noticeable progress.

I thought of a story today about Kori.  Another one to show the type of person that she is.  In October, my husband and I planned a trip to New York.  It was on my bucket list.  But the closer we came to leaving, the more agitated I became.  I was so afraid that my plane was going to crash and my little babies wouldn't have parents.  I knew my big kids could survive that, but not my babies.  My husband and I drafted up a will, which was one of the hardest things I have ever done and we pondered and prayed who we would leave them to.  Who would love them as much as we do? Who would take the best care of them?  I cried for four days.  For some reason, I can't remember, we got together with the family a couple of days before our trip and I expressed my agony and I could hardly say the words, it was so painful.  And Kori turned to me and in the most compassionate voice I have ever heard, like an angel, she said...

"Kaci, I will take your kids.  I will take them and I will love them like my own.  And I will put them in dance and music classes and I will make sure that Ryker plays every sport there is."

My heart calmed down immediately.  And I was so comforted.  I didn't feel nervous for one minute on my trip....  Not for the future of my children at least.  I even had the thought.... sadly, they most likely may have been better off in Kori's care.  She is one of the greatest people I know.  I am so blessed to have her for my sister.

Just in case you were wondering what her mind set is these days:  here is a conversation between she and my mom.

Kori:  Hi Mom.  I just finished showering.  And I dressed myself all by myself.  I am completely worn out.

Mom:  Awesome!!  I mean really....  it hasn't even been 3 weeks since your surgery and stroke and look what you're doing!!  Amazing!  And you should be tired.

Kori:  Imagine what I will be doing in three more weeks.  I am determined to be back home, being independent.

Mom:  I can't wait to see that!!   I love watching miracles happen.

Kori:  Oh,  I will impress you.  I promise.

That is the power of positive thinking at its finest.  Positivity,  I'll call it.  She has always been a positive thinker, a logical thinker and an optimist.  An inspiration.  And why wouldn't she be now?  When WE all need it the most.  All of us, who unfortunately were NOT blessed with that gift.  Like I said...  we are so lucky to have her for our sister.

Today she had a delicious lunch (on the observation deck again) with her besties, Tami and Tiffany, or TNT as my dad calls them.  Looks like it was a super fun time.  I am not sure what that Dragon Creature is, but it is matching the headband real nicely.  I also like that that black eye is almost gone.

And I like that these days are good.

ONE MORE WEEK!!

Sunday is a day of rest

Today was a restful, easy day.  No therapies today (hip hip hooray).  Dad and Kori had an early morning discussion about how unfair it is that all of the hospital visits have happened to Kori.  She said "nothing ever happens to Kaci or Kami."  Well, that is because Kaci and Kami are not daredevils.  And we don't try new adventures or jump off of houseboats or ride bikes that are too big for us or swan dive head first off of couches onto tile floors etc.  

 I heard there was quite a storm in Texas today.  So, Dad and Russ broke Kori out of her room and they went on an adventure to the 24th floor which is where the observation deck is so that she could watch.  She really enjoyed the rain pounding against the glass.  And she said that it made her feel like she is a part of the world again.  I've had the thought before that she probably feels out of touch, but it really hit me today that she hasn't seen the world for two weeks.  

Dad told me that they were talking to a couple of older Texan Women and they said

"Where are y'all from?  Y'all have accents.

Now that's funny

Then there was this game and the Houston Rockets were playing, so she put on her headband and watched game 7.  We kinda wanted the Clippers to win but... "when in Houston".  Look at that cute nurse... She is on the edge of her rocker.

Meanwhile back in St. George.  Kori's kids were enjoying the Sabbath Day.  These are the busiest children on the planet.   Nana said as long as she keeps offering them food, they keep staying at her house.  

Kami returns home tomorrow, so I think she will take over the posts.