A Fresh Start

Many of you may have already seen my post from Facebook, but for those of you that haven't, yesterday was an exciting day for us!  My wonderful husband went back to school after taking the last several months off and he started a new job!  I couldn't let him walk out the door without taking his first-day-of-school picture!

He's such a good sport!

When Eli was admitted to the hospital Logan was about a month into the semester and he knew right away he wanted to devote as much of his time as possible to being with Eli so he dropped his classes but continued to work.  We both knew he'd have a difficult time focusing in school and I definitely didn't want him to have that extra stress on top of everything else.  I didn't doubt for one second that he would go back to school when things settled down.  Logan typically takes a full summer as well but wasn't able to take any classes during the summer either so I know he was pretty excited to get back into it this semester.  I'm so proud of him for keeping such a positive attitude despite having to push things back a whole year.  

The other half of the news is probably the most exciting!  After working in the auto industry for several years, Logan found a job in the medical field.  This is a huge blessing for us for several reasons.  #1, he wants to go to PA school so he finally has a job in that field.  #2, he was sure he'd have to work weekends and holidays but this family practice is a clinic so he works Monday-Friday and no holidays.  Happy day!  Logan has worked on the weekend since high school so he couldn't be more excited to have a Monday-Friday, 8-5 job doing something he loves.  He will be working part time as an MA and already loved his first day!

I can't believe it's already the end of August!  I love the summer heat so much but can't help but be excited about September approaching for many reasons.  Football season is right around the corner, basketball season is right after that, and of course, the holidays.  Who doesn't love the holidays?  Before we get into all of that, Logan and I are taking one last little getaway down to Sand Hollow with some friends over Labor Day weekend.  It should be a good time!

I have to give a quick shout out to one of my wonderful sister-in-laws.  I mentioned to her that I wanted to use a wall in our apartment for a collage of some pictures of Eli so she came over that night and put it all together, including the "E"!

Thank you, Krystal, for being so talented!  It turned out better than I hoped for!

**For those of you that read my post about the hero party that Logan and I went to, you may remember that KSL was there.  Check out THIS blog for the KSL story that aired on Sunday as well as another really neat video they put together of the balloon launch.  This family is incredible and has taught Logan and I so much.**  

Newport

Mine and Logan's summer travels took another stop this past week.  My family, all 21 of us, went to Newport Beach and had a great time!  It doesn't happen often that we all get together at the same time, especially with one of my brothers and his family living in Minnesota.  We went on this same trip a couple years ago and had a ton of fun so we've been looking forward to going again for quite a while.  We spent a couple days in Disneyland/California Adventure and the rest of the week hanging out at the pool and on the beach.  Rather than bore you with too many words, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

We love the condos we stay in!  They are right by the beach, a short drive to Disneyland and offer this fantastic view from our balcony:

For those of you that aren't familiar with Big Thunder Ranch in Disneyland, it's an all-you-can-eat BBQ restaurant that most of us tried for the first time.  Prepare to be messy when you're finished eating!

Goofy's Kitchen is always a good time, especially for the kiddos!  The 7:00am reservation is a bit early but is definitely worth it!  Unfortunately 3 people weren't able to make it for the picture.

I could take pictures of this little peanut all day long!

There aren't many better ways to entertain the kids than spending the day at the beach!

Logan practically lived in the ice-cold water boogie boarding!  He talked me into joining him for a mere few minutes each day.

We love Crystal Cove Beach!  (And most importantly, the Shake Shack!)

Two of our favorite rides!
(I promise I wasn't really that scared on Splash Mountain)

Hangin' out by the fire

We had such a fun week and are so sad it's over!  Many thanks to my parents for such a fabulous vacation!

A Hero Party!

One of the fabulous families we met while in the hospital had a hero party for their son this morning and Logan and I were lucky enough to be a part of it!  His parents promised him a party because he was so brave when he donated his bone marrow to his older sister.  This party was a great way to honor Lisy and Tyler's true super hero as well as an opportunity to raise awareness for bone marrow donors and recipients.  

A bobble head of the Fish's son was created and attached to a giant weather balloon along with 4 GoPro cameras and a GPS.  The balloon was let go and sometime later today will land shortly after exploding once it reaches a certain height in the atmosphere.  KSL was there to cover the story and spotlight this amazing family that has done so much for the bone marrow and SCID communities.  

I love that the bobble head is wearing the same shirt as the real-life super hero in the picture below.

Each person in this picture has somehow been impacted by SCID and/or a bone marrow transplant or donation.  This is such a neat group of people we're blessed to know!

The amazing Fish family who put on this awesome party
(The two kiddos in front are the bone marrow donor and recipient and the little gal in the pink cape has also had a bone marrow transplant)

Getting ready for lift off!

Thank you, Lisy and Tyler, for letting us join in the festivities!

For those of you not already on the Bone Marrow Registry, take a look at THIS website (www.bethematch.org) for more information and consider joining.  A small sacrifice on our part could be such a blessing and miracle in someone else's life!