Fall is my favorite season.

This is one of our trees. I missed getting it at it's most brilliant color but still pretty.

I missed fall the most in Arizona.

Popeye Syndrome

Popeye Syndrome and Rambodosis were my personal favorite mix-ups for Rhabdomyolysis. I guess according to one Cross-Fit trainer, it is caused by simple, repetitive movements-push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc. Well that is the workout that the guys did. Something like run a mile, 100 push-ups, 200 pull-ups, 300 squats, run a mile. (I get mixed up which one is which exercise but needless to say it was repetitive and the pull-ups did him in.) One doctor said that the use of ibuprofen(for his back) contributed to it as well. Now he isn't allowed to use ibuprofen or tylenol. Anyway, they seem to be making it work for Bob at the Fire Academy but the other guys still get to be blasted while Bob is only allowed to watch. He said it is almost harder to watch them. Yesterday, they were rapelling and his did wish he could have joined them for that training.


Here I am between visits to the hospital. Updates via text messages. I love it. The kids and I went to Chin-Chin, the closest thing to Panda Express. Not as cheap or quick, yet tasty.

Friday morning in this picture. The kids really didn't enjoy seeing Bob in the hospital. They loved playing with the bed and all the gadgets. This was Bob's first experience being a patient and he doesn't want to repeat it. This hospital made us appreciate private rooms.

His arms swelled up and it felt like his skin was going to start gushing if it was poked. By the time he left the hospital, he was so full of fluids he said that his back even jiggled. He gained ten pounds while in the hospital.

This was the first night, Thursday. (Still haven't figured out how to put the pictures in the order I want them.)

This was Monday, the crazy workout day. Here are the blisters, that were from the original injury. I thought it was amazing the difference in this picture and the one in the hospital. Look how little his forearms are here and how big they were in the hospital.

We are almost back to this. Still a little puffy around the knuckles. He will see the kidney doctor today. He still has waves of nausea, which David Larsen said he had for a year and a half. Usually, just in the morning.

I never imagined that I would ever hear Bob ask me, "Did you see how clear my urine is?" Nice. It could be worse I am sure.

I am thankful that they did catch it so quickly. I know that there is a reason behind this and I praise God for His guidance and comfort through it all.

Thanks for your prayers, texts, phone calls and love! I love our church family.

Ancient Egyptian Honey Cakes Anyone?

For school this year we are studying World History. Right now we are just finishing the time period of the Egyptians. Our Sonlight Curriculum uses Historical Fiction to supplement their text book. One of the main characters couldn't wait to have Honey Cakes at the major Festival to celebrate the flooding of the Nile. Keep in mind his main diet included raw onions, lentils and bread. We read that they only used honey to sweeten things. In the Sonlight Cooks cookbook there was a recipe so we thought we would try it out. Usually, when cooking, I only let one of them help at a time because it can be crazy but this time I just supervised. The kids each did their part.
Travis, the organizer, is telling Cody which ones to dip in the Honey Syrup. The ones in the front were still hot.

Travis is stirring the honey syrup.

Meleah is taking pictures.

Cody is doing the measuring. A good lesson in fractions.

Travis decides he would rather read the directions than measure. Some of the words were unfamiliar. "Mom, we need grat-ed clawv-es." Grated cloves.


The finished product.

Ancient Honey Cakes.

I have a whole container of them. They are sickeningly sweet. Bob could only eat half of one. The kids liked them. They were kind of like a sweet granola bar dipped in cinnamon honey syrup. It was fun to make them. The kids did a great job, even cleaned up-being directed by mom. They can help in the kitchen without ending up with a mess all over the place.

Week three of the Academy

Bob is in pretty rough shape. They have been running-crazy running, all the Fire training stuff, pulling hoses, raising ladders, doing the Cross-Fit workouts(If you don't know what that is: 200 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, enough pull-ups to create all the blisters you see below, run so far, kettle bell swings-the ones that created the last back injury- and other stuff I am sure. Then the next day is something like row for a distance of 200-400 meters as fast as you can plus a bunch of other stuff. It changes everyday.)

You know Bob, he doesn't complain. Karen Bell says that she hasn't seen him smile for two months now. He can't straighten his arms. His muscles are all tightened up and so the best he can do is look like a gorilla. His hands hurt and so he has to pick stuff up differently. Then he has to face the fact that he doesn't have time to mow the grass because he has tests to study for and papers to write and a sermon to prepare and his wife does it.(I should have the boys mow, that might go over better.) In a nutshell, he is having a rough time.

Here is where they have been running. Bob compares it to Squaw Peak. Listen to all the names. This trail is located in the Devil's Kitchen area, the trail is called Serpent's Trail, and they run up to Hell's Gate. Sounds like fun. The first week they ran up really quick. The second week Bob said he started out to fast, trying to keep up, and they get back to the bottom and they start up the SECOND time. He was dry heaving and didn't do so well. He said the instructor said something like, the first week we ran up once, the second week we ran up twice, so what do you think we will do the third week?

This is when he reminds himself of why he is doing this. Could we live on his retirement? Etc. I think that it is harder than he even thought. Yet, the 20 something guy is having just as difficult a time as Bob. They had to help each other into their turnout gear the other day.

Keep praying. Seven more weeks to go. (One guy told him that it takes six weeks for your Cardiovascular system to catch up-they aren't going to worry about that, I guess.)