Snow Day

Northern Virginia was hit with a day of snow, and Jesse and I managed to get outside and enjoy it. It's very fun living in an area that experiences seasons...well at least I think so. Jesse is always saying, "It's too cold!"

New Medication, New Hope

Due to our concern for Jesse's health and condition, we've decided to try a new medication in hopes it will help him regain strength and fix his illness. Humira is similar to Remicaide, but he administers injections rather than going to a clinic for infusions. It became clear the Remicaide wasn't working after Jesse had to come off steroids. He had considerable weight loss and continued to weaken and feel worse as each day passed. God has led us to a wonderful doctor here. They are experienced and their communication with us has been impressive. Last night was Jesse's first induction to the new medication. His four shots in a row weren't fun, but he amazes me with his perseverence. Perhaps the cherry pie I bought him as a consolation treat helped a bit. :)
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We really are hopeful this drug works so we don't have to consider surgery. Jesse and I both know God has reasons for everything, and we hope we learn from this experience what He would have us learn.

Catching Up

It's a cloudy day outside and our new little home says, "stay home and rest!" So, here I am, "resting." As a recap of all the time I was away from the computer...allow some photos to take you through our little adventures...I say little almost sarcastically. Ha!

The adventure began with me driving home from Virginia after Christmas. I drove our thousands of presents up to Jay and Brenda's house to spend Christmas with Jesse at their home. With little time to do much, Jesse and I spent most of the time sleeping in, resting, and playing games with the Storms. This is me on the drive home...
When I arrived home, I had a couple days to get everything packed up and ready to go. This was my living room half way through the packing phase.

Some great friends came and helped me move everything into the moving truck. Our friend, Lynn Walter, was a huge help, and I really couldn't have done the moving without his advice and coordination skills. Let's just say by the time moving phase one came, my mind was mush. Dad flew in on Dec 30th to help me drive up north. We celebrated the next day, his birthday, by going to the pier in Daytona Beach and watching the fisherman and surfers. We had a wonderful time spending the day together.

The next day we began our trek north. With Bentley and Kolby (our two parakeets) in the front seat with us, we quickly realized we had to hold their cage down to keep them from rocking back and forth the whole time. It was quite humorous--every time we stopped for food or gas, the birds immediately fell asleep, relieved to finally rest! When we arrived in Virginia, we had another adventure...I lost my father in the greater parts of DC!!! Needless to say, we finally reunited; now I have a greater appreciation for cell phones (my dad doesn't own one). The Storms family helped us move in, and again, we couldn't have done that without them either. If it weren't for them, it would've taken us two days to get everything unpacked.

The next "little" adventure came when Mom (who flew in on the 4th...happy birthday, Holly!) and I made a trip to the grocery store. While we were gone, Dad was awoken from his nap to a loud beeping noise. It came about that the apartment above ours had a water main break. Water, water, water is all I can say. We moved to a new apartment four days later after they realized our apartment was in need of major fixing.

Here's our carpet in the old apartment being dried...
They cut a hole in the kitchen ceiling to attempt to dry it out. By the time we returned from our first hotel night stay, the ceiling had sagged in considerably...

Once we had everything moved into the second apartment, we began to make it a home. Dad, Mom, and I painted. They did most of the work, and did a great job.

We picked out some great fabrics from none other than WalMart and got to work on some pillows and a cover for a bench. Yes, the photos show Mom doing all the work, but Dad and I helped too!!! One night, all three of us sat in front of the TV and hand sewed all the pillows shut. It was a silly sight.

After moving two times, painting, sewing, and unpacking, we were all in need of a break. Dad had a craving for Dunkin Donuts. This craving didn't disappear for the rest of the time they were here...

Jay, Brenda, Josh, Erin, and Nathan went with the three of us to DC for a day. We went to the Archives building, the American History Museum, and the Post Office.

Jesse graduated on January 14th. His parents flew in the day before so all of us went out to the ceremony and celebrated his completion. He looked very professional and extremely happy to be done! I threw him a small graduation party...

We took Jesse's folks out to Sushi so they could try it for the first time. Their Tuna and Avocado roll was a hit!

We went to Avatar with my parents...a great movie if you have plenty of eye drops and Advil available!

Once Jesse was home, we did a lot of lounging around and resting. Mom and I played our share of Boggle. And something miraculous occurred. I beat her...twice! She's only lost to the game once many many years ago...and somehow I beat her! I guess I have to wear her out more often!

This is a hallway in the National Art Museum...very cool light show.

And here is me on the step of the museum....wondering how in the world did we ever move to DC????

Settling In

I don't have any pictures to show yet...haven't made time to download them onto the computer yet. They're coming soon though!
We are settled into our new apartment, and Jesse is home! He graduated from the academy and will return to work next week. He gets one week off to spend with me and our families. Our parents are here to celebrate his graduation, so it's been fun spending time with them.

Due to some unexpected events, we've switched to a new apartment. Here is our new address.

6100 Lincolnia Rd
Apt 409
Alexandria, VA 22312

Will post more soon.