Hello Family & Friends! Here’s the latest from the Montana Bowlers!
March ended with a call from my sister in law in Vegas telling me that my Dad was in the hospital. Turns out he had a stone in his pituitary gland. I knew that you could get a gall stone or a kidney stone, but never a pituitary stone. After a battery of tests and waiting around for the specialists to get around to talking to him, they decided to treat him with strong antibiotics and medicine for the pain. Another part of the doctor’s instructions was for my Dad to suck on either lemons or sour candy to get the saliva glands to flush out the stone. Since then, I’ve been to the doctor myself and learned that you can also get tonsil stones. Who knew?
April 1st, I had the opportunity of sleeping in PAST 6:40 AM, but my internal clock had other ideas! April Fool’s on me I guess! Oh well, at least I didn’t have to jump out of bed right away and get myself and everyone else ready for school. Some days, it’s good enough to be able to stay in your pajamas all morning.
April 2nd, Aubree flew to Vegas to spend spring break. She helped her Aunt Maria prepare for baby number 6. Aubree really enjoyed spending time with her Aunt Maria and helping out. This also puts her closer to earning her honor bee in the young women’s program at our church. Everyone was surprised at how grown up she has become over the last year and a half and she got to have bragging rights from holding her brand new cousin before the rest of us.
April 4th, found out the Rivards, friends of ours from New Hampshire, moved to Utah! Is everyone migrating out west? We stayed with them for several weeks before making our move to California in 2005. Scott and I loved their place in Deerfield, NH and wish that we could buy it from them. Cute home on 5 acres with a huge barn and plenty of room for gardening and such. Ahhhhhh!
April 6th, this is the conversation I had with Jason with regards to raking the backyard. Something he had been putting off all week:
Me: Jason have you raked those leaves in the backyard?
Jason: I'm going right now! (Walks out the back door, slamming it behind him......then walks back in. Looks at me and says...."I forgot my shoes."
April 7th, new nephew Thomas Wendell Bowler was born! Aubree took great pleasure in making the announcement to us over the phone. It occurred to Scott and I that we could very well become grandparents within the next 5 or 6 years! Where does the time go?
April 8th, Only took me 15 minutes to renew car registration once I found the right building that is. You see, here in Missoula you do NOT register your car at the DMV. You go to the court house, OF COURSE. Ah well, at least it’s done.
April 11th, Aubree came home after spending spring break in Vegas. I’m glad she had such a good experience, but was very thankful to have my family all under one roof once again.
April 15th, Caroline received an award at school for being continuously safe. I’m guessing they must have an overabundance of reckless students at her school and she was able to be a standout by NOT seriously injuring herself during spelling tests. Anyone can get straight A’s. But it takes REAL talent not to impale yourself while using a sharpened pencil. Way to go Caroline!!
April 16th, Aubree auditioned as a vocal soloist for district and made superior! The only soloist from her high school choir to do so. Now she has the stress of preparing to audition for state. No problem. I keep plenty of chocolate on hand for such emergencies.
April 17th, a friend of ours in our church spoke in sacrament meeting. Told a story about a skinny kid that he knew in his youth. His friends and he decided that it would be fun to talk this kid into squeezing his body into a rather deep and narrow hole in the ground, promising him that they would pull him out. Insisting that they just wanted to see if he could actually fit in it. Well he did fit and they commenced to bury this kid up around his neck and tease him. Tickling his face, lowering loogies over his head and face, (yes, this is how you spell loogie. I looked it up myself on the internet) and such. Well this kid, shocker of all shockers, got really angry and wanted to pound his friends into oblivion. His friends not wanting to get pummeled took off. I’m guessing they eventually came back and dug the kid out. The point of our friend’s story was to not let others lead us into holes or traps that we can’t get ourselves out of. However, I was sitting there and thinking to myself, “No wonder he thinks Richard is a good kid!” Richard may lose his temper, yell, name call and make empty threats at the drop of a hat. But he’s never buried anyone. I’m feeling pretty good as a parent right now. I have one child who doesn’t bury people and another who comes home from school every day without serious injuries!
April 17th, Scott left for an overnight trip to Denver. Since I see no point in cooking a real meal if he’s not home, the kids and I …..hmmmm…..I can’t remember what we had for dinner. I just know that I didn’t cook and no one went hungry. All is well.
April 19th, I went to the ear nose and throat doctor. I’ve been having issues with my throat for a while. After looking in my ears, nose and throat with a mini flashlight, he informed me that he would need to run a camera through my nose and down my throat. I took a deep breath and said okie dokie. He then sprayed my nose with an anesthetic to numb my throat so that the procedure wouldn’t be so uncomfortable. What he didn’t tell me was that the spray would drip onto the back of my tongue. This had the taste of what I can only describe as earwax flavored mouthwash. If chocolate and ice cream had this same flavor, I’d be back to my wedding day dress size no time! The doctor couldn’t see far enough into my esophagus and made an appointment for me to go in for a swallowing test. He believed I had something called Zenker’s Diverticulum. It’s a condition where you have a pouch in your esophagus and it can make life and eating VERY annoying and troublesome. Turns out, I don’t have ZD, but something called a Schatzki’s Ring, which is where the esophagus narrows and makes you feel like your choking. So May will be filled with more tests, more specialists and swallowing therapy. Could this have been caused because I never learned to swallow properly?
April 23, I taught Caroline her first piano lesson. She has really taken off too! To the point of teaching herself songs that I haven’t yet taught her. Now if I can just get my piano tuned.
April 25th, Took Richard to his doctor’s appointment. It’s obvious to everyone here that he has lost weight. But even Richard was surprised to learn that he has lost 67 lbs. within the past 6 months. For years, the medications he was on had the side effect of weight gain and constant hunger. Then he was diagnosed with ADD and the side effect from the medication for this is decreased appetite. Richard had a really rough time for a while, but is doing so much better and seems much happier. It’s hard to believe that in just another month or so he will be graduating from high school. That next school year, Jason will join Aubree at high school. And that I’ll only have kids in TWO schools next year.
We got news that Scott’s Dad and his wife Athena, along with his brother Brian will be coming to Montana for Richard’s graduation. My Dad is also flying out for the occasion and Scott’s sister and her fiancé are planning on attending as well. We’re all looking forward to having family here with us to celebrate.
Scott has inherited a new job at work. I’m not sure what the title is. I just know that it is a huge project and that he has to spend long hours at the office and travel out of town more often. We’re not complaining though because it IS a job. Spending nearly a year unemployed has made us both very thankful that we both have jobs.
Well I hope all is well with all of you! Please keep in touch and if you’re every in our neck of the woods, feel free to stop by!
Love,
Becky
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