Chrissy's Obituary

This was in today's Frederick News Post newspaper. Click the image for a large view.

Final Arrangements

The following are the arrangements that have been made for my wife Chris.

Calling hours will be at the Keeney and Basford Funeral Home on FRIDAY September, 14 from 2 to 4 PM and from 7 to 9 PM.

Catholic Mass (everyone is welcome) service will be at St. John the Evangelist Church on SATURDAY September, 15 at 10 AM.

Both of these locations are in downtown Frederick, MD

If you are coming from out of town and wish to stay over you can use the Hampton Inn Hotel listed below. I have called the hotel and they are offering us a special rate.

If you are flying in I would recommend BWI in Baltimore. It is much easier to get here from there. Approximately a 50 minute drive. You need to simply find and get onto Interstate 70 West from the Baltimore beltway (695), then exit number 56 is for Frederick.

At this point, nothing has been set up for after the burial service at the cemetery on Saturday. If something does get arranged I will resend that information separately. Otherwise we will notify everyone at the service of any plans.

If you go the blog http://chris-dewitt-updates.blogspot.com/ I have posted some maps that you can print off to help you find everything.

Thank you to everyone for the emails you have sent to me. I have read each and everyone but unfortunately don’t have the time to respond….. YET.

I was notified late yesterday about a special trust fund that COMSTAR and a local lawyer have setup for people to make donations. They’ve asked me to let people know about this fund. It is being administered by the law offices of STERN & THORNTON, P.A. and the trustee is there as well. It is set up strictly for the educational future of Alex, Tyler and Michael. In the obituary tomorrow it will read “In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Chris DeWitt Children’s Trust Fund c/o Douglas Thornton Trustee, STERN & THORNTON, P.A. 127 West Patrick Street, Frederick, Maryland 21701”

We are doing okay right now. Alex is here and is keeping our family together. She has helped me with many of the arrangements, from cemetery plot, clothing, etc. Just a wonderful help to me. Tomorrow…. Flowers and meet with the church.

~ Charlie

Funeral Home information (FRIDAY):

Keeney and Basford Funeral Home
106 East Church Street
Frederick, MD 21701
301.662.2171
http://www.keeneybasford.com/
Map location: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=106+E+Church+St,+Frederick,+MD+21701,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title

Hotel information is:

You can call the hotel directly and ask for the DeWitt Family Rate which is $99.00 per night.

You can use the internet site to reserve a room and then just ask for the rate when you check in.

Hampton Inn- Frederick-Fort Detrick, MD
1565 Opossumtown Pike
Frederick, MD 21702
1-301-696-1565 as for Reba Beaver
1-800-HAMPTON
Reservations Online: http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=FDRHSHX

Map location: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1565+Opossumtown+Pike&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS177__215&um=1&sa=N&tab=wl

Church Service Information is (SATURDAY):

St. John the Evangelist
118 East Second Street
Frederick, MD 21701
Phone: 301.662.8288
http://www.stjohn-frederick.org/
Map location: http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=st+johns&near=Frederick,+MD&fb=1&ll=39.42479,-77.412071&spn=0.16363,0.270882&z=12&iwloc=I&om=1

Cemetary Information is (SATURDAY)::

Mount Olivet Cemetary
Frederick, MD
http://www.mountolivetcemeteryinc.com/
Map location: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Mt.+Olivet+cemetary&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS177__215&um=1&sa=N&tab=wl

The DeWitt House Information is:

9512 Bridgewater Ct. East
Frederick, MD 21701
301.662.5453 house
240.285.7251 cell phone
Map location: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=9512+Bridgewater+Ct+E,+Frederick,+MD+21701,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title&aq=t

Maps of Frederick and Services

This is a map of the Frederick area showing where services and such are being held. Click the map for a larger image. It will show the hotel and the location of our house.


This map is a zoom in showing only the funeral home, church, and cemetery. Again click the map for a larger image.

This is a map of the Frederick area showing where services and such are being held. Click the map for a larger image.

Chris is now at PEACE...

Over the years I have written many emails regarding Chris’s battle with breast cancer. None of them has prepared me for the email you are about to read.

As you know she came home from the hospital yesterday around 2PM. We were excited to have the opportunity to have her home. Some people from work came by to visit with her and we were all glad to see them. At approximately 6:30 AM today (September 11) Chris’s 3 year long battle with this dreaded disease came to an abrupt halt. I wish that there was some other way that I could present this to you, but I can’t think of any. She was at peace, and not in pain. I was by her side all evening as were her brothers and sisters.

We stayed with her and made sure she was comfortable the entire night. I brought pictures of the kids into the room and put them by the bed hoping that she would somehow be able to see them. There were flowers, which she loved, there as well. I talked to her about a great deal of things, but mostly told her over and over again how much I loved her.

She has not been able to wear her wedding band since her 1^st chemo treatment 3 years ago. Last night I found her ring, and was able to slide it onto her ring finger! I said my wedding vows to her again. When she took her final breath there was both extreme sorrow and some sense of relief that flew through me. It was indescribable.

She is in a much better place now and I look forward to the day of someday joining her to be by her side again.

At this point no details are set but we should have them shortly. I will send them in another email. Please pray for my family in hopes to ease the pain that doesn’t seem to subside.

Peace be with all of you,

Charlie

Chris comes home....

Dear Friends & Family,

Right now I am sitting at the bedside of my beautiful wife as I type this. As you know she has been in the hospital for 1 week after being admitted on Labor Day. It has been a very stressful and hectic week trying to shuffle work, school, and everything else in between. I could not have made it this far without the help of my family and some very special neighbors.

The liver tumors that Chris has been battling for 3 long years have finally found a way to defeat all of the chemo and procedures that we’ve thrown at them. The latest CT scan showed a significant progression of the disease in her liver. The team of Doctors here at Johns Hopkins have consulted and week informed us that there is nothing else that can be done to help prevent the cancer. Chris’ liver is beginning to shut down and very soon she will succumb to effects of her disease.

It has taken me awhile to sit down and send out this notice to everyone because we had to ensure that our boys and Alex, along with all of our family were told first. Chris wanted to make sure that we told them ourselves. Tyler and Michael came in on Friday and Alex came in on Saturday. Chris and I both spoke with them and told them the news and then told them what needs to be done as we go forward in our lives without her. They are strong children, but at the same time love and adore their mother very much. The news was quite hard on them.

Currently Chris is very tired and has a hard time staying awake. She has been on oral pain medication for about 4 days now and that has made it much easier for her to sleep. She can sit up but cannot move very far at all without assistance. She is comfortable and that is what is important at this point.

Today the Frederick Hospice is coming to deliver some equipment to our house (bed, table, oxygen). We are leaving the hospital sometime today in an ambulance transport and bringing Chris home. The Hospice will then take over her care at that point. We think that it is very important for her to be home during her final days so that both she and I can be with friends and family during this time.

I have had many wonderful offers of love and support during the last week. In fact, that same love and support has been coming for 3 long years. September 18^th, 2004 was the day that Chris and I were given this horrible news and from that day forward we have been blessed with all the love and care that we could ever need. This is an incredibly difficult time for me and I promise that I will lean on you for help and guidance. We could not have made it this far without your help and I’m sure that I’ll need your help just as much in the coming days, months, and years to come.

Please keep my family in your prayers, and ask God to watch over us and guide us in the right direction.

God bless all of us!

Charlie
Frederick, MD
charliedewitt@comcast.net
http://chris-dewitt-updates.blogspot.com/
240-285-7251 cell phone

Late night update.

I know everyone is so very interested in how Chris is doing. I know how important the blog is to you and will try very hard to keep it updated. Today (Thursday) was a much better day. Her pain levels have lowered a lot. She still has trouble standing and walking but is able to do so with much less pain. That is good.

She had some x-rays, and ultrasound this morning. I stayed home this morning to see the boys off to school. I then caught up on some things around the house and for work. I picked Ty up at school and took him to golf practice and then came to the hospital around 4pm. Jenny brought Chris's Mom and Dad to the hospital today to see her.

When I arrived they were getting ready to take her to get the tube inserted into her abdomen so that the fluid can be easily drained off if it starts to accumulate again. They had to sedate her for the procedure and there was the recovery room thing to deal with. It went well and I got to sit with Jenny, Mom and Dad for awhile. They left and I went back to see her in recovery.

When we got back to the room she was finally able to eat dinner. She had not eaten all day while waiting for the procedure. Her appetite is really good and she is pretty fond of the health shakes.

I spent 3 more hours sitting and talking with her. She is really much better than she was on tuesday. It is really great!

Tonight, thanks to some very special people, I am spending the night in a hotel in downtown Baltimore. This will allow me to get some extra sleep and still be at the hospital early tomorrow morning! Thanks very much to you guys. You know who you are! Oh yeah, the boys are staying at a neighbors house for a weekday sleepover thus allowing me to stay her. Thanks there too. Thanks, thanks, thanks... to each and everyone of you out there reading this and helping us out.

We found out today that Chris is not allowed to have flowers in her room. It is an oncology rule. She received a couple orders today and they truly brightened her room for a while. I will take them home tomorrow where she can see them when she gets home.

No indication when yet. But if she keeps getting stronger like she is today, hopefully it won't be too long.

Good night from Bal'more.

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Day 2 Finally Home!

I'm home finally. Chris is comfortable and sleeping well. She is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow morning early. She was very talkative this evening and showed no signs of confusion today at all.

We are grateful to each and every one of you that have continued to show us your love and support. At this point, we don't know what the next steps are going to be. The primary goal is to stop the pain. There are options and we are weighing them all carefully before making a decision to move forward with a treatment or another procedure.

Her Mom and Dad are coming up to see her tomorrow. I'm going to stay home in the AM and catch up on some things before going up in the afternoon. We don't have an estimate on when she'll be coming home just yet but will let you know as soon as we find out. Hopefully soon!

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Day 2

I have a few minutes and thought I’d bring you up to date on Chris.

Chris's sisterJenny came to the hospital this afternoon to visit with Chris and give me a little break. I'm beat. I’m in the lobby now and will be going back up soon. Chris is about the same right now as yesterday. They are doing a procedure to drain all the fluid out of her belly that has built up. It involves a big needle and is called paracentisis. Tomorrow they will put in a drain so that we can drain it ourselves if it fills up again. It most likely will.

The team of Dr.’s are still doing tests to determine the best plan of attack. The CT scan yesterday did show numerous tumors in her liver that are obviously causing it to not function properly. Right now we’re trying to get her comfortable. Dr. Emens will be up later to discuss in more detail all of the findings.

That’s it for now. I wish I could tell you more but right now that’s where we’re at…

1st Day in the Hospital at Johns Hopkins

This has been a busy day to say the least. 10 to 12 Doctors have come in to examine Chris and order tests. Right now she is not doing well. About the same as Saturday which was not a good day. Her liver is not functioning properly. Her bilirubin is very high (not good) which causes the jaundice in her eyes and skin. Her belly filled with fluid. They put 5 liters in since she arrived and some of it just passes through the liver and into her belly region. No lie, she looks like she is 7 months pregnant.

She is in a great deal of pain and is on morphine. Small doses, but enough to take the edge off. She had a CT scan today and is still scheduled for an MRI today.

Doctors are ordering all sorts of tests to get a better picture of exactly what is happening. Lots of assumptions but they need the tests to plan an attack. I won’t list all the possibilities but there are many.

I don’t have internet access in her room but there is some in the lobby. I am sitting in a chair right now looking at her. It is so difficult to see her in this condition and to not be able to help her. She is in very good hands. The nurses have been great and the doctors too. One of the nurses that was working the clinical trial came by to visit her today and her oncologist, Dr. Emens, came by as well. Everyone is aware she is here and working hard to get her better. The nurse that she had today ordered a “sitter” to come in this evening to be with her all night long. They stay in the room just in case she needs anything during the night. During the day I’m here and there is a lot more activity but at night they wanted someone with her all night.

Home life is another story. This really, really turns us on end. Just not being there with the boys is really hard. They are doing good but I wish that I could be there with them too. I need to be here 1^st though. This morning I woke up about 6:20 to see Tyler off to school. Well he was still in bed! I got him up and out the door in time to catch the bus. I laid down around 6:45 for a few minutes. I had to get Mike up at 7 for his bus at 7:30. Well at 7:25 he was tapping me on the leg telling me he was leaving! He got up at 7, made his lunch, got breakfast and got himself together all by himself. Not bad for just 11. I was pretty proud of him.

We talked to Alex today so she knows exactly what’s going on. She knows that it is important for her to focus on school and that she should not worry about her mom. She should think of her often, but not worry.

Chris is in room 5D-11 in the Weinberg building at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

I don’t really know what else I can tell you right now. If you have any questions you can send me an email if you like. I can answer those pretty quickly late at night.

Please keep us in your prayers.

1st Day in the Hospital at Johns Hopkins

This has been a busy day to say the least. 10 to 12 Doctors have come in to examine Chris and order tests. Right now she is not doing well. About the same as Saturday which was not a good day. Her liver is not functioning properly. Her bilirubin is very high (not good) which causes the jaundice in her eyes and skin. Her belly filled with fluid. They put 5 liters in since she arrived and some of it just passes through the liver and into her belly region. No lie, she looks like she is 7 months pregnant.

She is in a great deal of pain and is on morphine. Small doses, but enough to take the edge off. She had a CT scan today and is still scheduled for an MRI today.

Doctors are ordering all sorts of tests to get a better picture of exactly what is happening. Lots of assumptions but they need the tests to plan an attack. I won’t list all the possibilities but there are many.

I don’t have internet access in her room but there is some in the lobby. I am sitting in a chair right now looking at her. It is so difficult to see her in this condition and to not be able to help her. She is in very good hands. The nurses have been great and the doctors too. One of the nurses that was working the clinical trial came by to visit her today and her oncologist, Dr. Emens, came by as well. Everyone is aware she is here and working hard to get her better. The nurse that she had today ordered a “sitter” to come in this evening to be with her all night long. They stay in the room just in case she needs anything during the night. During the day I’m here and there is a lot more activity but at night they wanted someone with her all night.

Home life is another story. This really, really turns us on end. Just not being there with the boys is really hard. They are doing good but I wish that I could be there with them too. I need to be here 1^st though. This morning I woke up about 6:20 to see Tyler off to school. Well he was still in bed! I got him up and out the door in time to catch the bus. I laid down around 6:45 for a few minutes. I had to get Mike up at 7 for his bus at 7:30. Well at 7:25 he was tapping me on the leg telling me he was leaving! He got up at 7, made his lunch, got breakfast and got himself together all by himself. Not bad for just 11. I was pretty proud of him.

We talked to Alex today so she knows exactly what’s going on. She knows that it is important for her to focus on school and that she should not worry about her mom. She should think of her often, but not worry.

Chris is in room 5D-11 in the Weinberg building at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

I don’t really know what else I can tell you right now. If you have any questions you can send me an email if you like. I can answer those pretty quickly late at night.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Admitted to Hospital

We are leaving to go to John's Hopkins. I spoke with them tonight and they want her in there. Leaving soon. More for you later. Thought you'd like a quick update...

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Sunday - Beautiful day outside, a little better inside.

Last night I went to sleep around 1am after an exhausting day. Chris got up 3 times in the night. She needs help getting out of bed and to the bathroom. We got up around 6:30 this morning. She actually got up and came downstairs for awhile.

Jenny came back today and stayed with Chris all afternoon. Gave me a chance to do some things for work and get outside for a little bit. What a wonderful day it was.They sat in the family room all day so Chris was not in bed most of the day. Very tiring for her but certainly signs of improvement.

Chris was doing somewhat better. Walking, slowly and painfully, but walking. She did fall down once on the stairway landing. She get's around with a walker upstairs. She is eating some more and drinking some more. Not a lot but enough to get a little energy back. No vomiting since Thursday so that's progress.

Jenny left around 6 right before we ate dinner. Tyler is at the movies and Michael is outside
playing. Chris went back upstairs and fell asleep immediately.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. She has an appointment with her oncologist on
Wednesday.

Some help for Charlie

This morning Chris's Mom and Dad came over. This gave Tyler and I a chance to get out of the house for a little while. We went to Home Depot for a couple things and went to the lacrosse shed to do some clean up. On the way home we stopped for a quick lunch. That was nice to get away with him.

Chris and her mom talked a lot while I was gone. She is still not doing well and in fact is almost back to her the level she was at on Thursday. Her mouth is dry and she is suffering from a great deal of pain. It is killing me to see her this way. She is trying to eat some and drink but is not making enough progress. She needs a lot of liquids to replenish herself and she's not even close.

Her sister Jenny came by around 5 or so. She hasn't seen her in awhile so it was really nice for her to sit and chat. Jenny is a home health care nurse and has a good handle on all this. While we all agree that she needs to replenish the fluids in Chris we don't want to take her back to the hospital unless we have to. That may come tomorrow if she doesn't show improvement over the next 12 hours or so. We/She just can't do it here at home as quickly as it is needed. The GOOD news is that Chris has not thrown up since 12:00 noon on thursday. So that still is progress I suppose.

While Jenny was here she told the boys and I to get out and have dinner. With Alex gone it's just the 3 of us a lot when Chris is not well. We went to Waffle House for breakfast/dinner as they put it. It was nice to sit and relax with them. This has been extremely tough on the boys too. They help out a lot! Yesterday and today was laundry day and they helped fold, sort, and put away about 8 loads of laundry! I couldn't do it without them.

Jenny left and said she'd be back tomorrow and give us some more time together. It's a wonderful weekend weatherwise and we need to try and get out and do something.

I'm tired, but I'm also really worried. 3 years of fighting cancer and Chris has only felt sick 1 or 2 times. She's missed a handful of days at work. Now, she's been out for almost 2 weeks straight and is really physically and mentally unstable. Work has ALWAYS been great for Chris. She loves her job and most importantly loves the people she works with. It's a great place. When she is there she is part of the family and they all look after her. Now she's away from them and she is feeling the separation.

I'll keep you posted as best as I can. Please put and extra prayer in the prayer box tomorrow morning when you go to church. We could use it.

G'night.

Day after E-Room

Well today was a long day as well. Chrissy slept most of the day. She was finally fully awake later in the afternoon. She did not get a lot to drink and eat but she did manage to keep down an egg sandwich. She has not thrown up since noon yesterday. Her mouth is not dry and that is a better indication.

Again I can't say thanks enough to all the emails and calls today. We received flowers from a couple of people and I must say they liven up the house for sure. 1 arrangement came from the Board of Directors of the Lacrosse Club that I'm on. These folks are some of the most caring people I've found! Thanks guys! Check us out at www.spireslacrosse.com If you like the website let me know. If you don't like it tell the webmaster!

Trying to stay upbeat!

Chris to the Emergency Room

From: Charles DeWitt [mailto:Charles.DeWitt@Vysym.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 10:21 PM
Subject: Chris visits the Emergency Room

Hello to all our friends and family!

Today I had to take Chris to the emergency room here in Frederick.

It has been 7 weeks since Chris went back into Hopkins for her 2^nd chemoembolization. The week following the procedure was pretty rough but we were able to take a quick vacation and got some good R&R. After the 3^rd week she was feeling well enough to go back to work. She was tired but was able to nap on occasion. Everything was headed in the right direction.

2 weeks ago though things have turned for the worse. Her temperature continued to stay up around 100 and she started not feeling well because of the fever. Long story short she has become severely dehydrated. This was causing her to be nauseous and that caused her to not be able to keep food or liquids down. Kind of a catch-22. She tried to eat and get hydrated but her body wouldn’t let her.

She spoke with her oncologist last Thursday and she ordered some bloodwork and a chest x-ray. After that day she continued to get worse. She literally has been in bed for about 5 days now. Today, at the direction of her oncologist, I took her to the emergency room. They gave her 3 very large bags of IV solution which should rehydrate her body pretty quickly. This in turn should stop her from being nauseous and that will allow her to eat and drink again. Sounds good on paper but we’ll wait and see what the results are. She also received some drugs to help keep the nausea away.

We have a meeting with her oncologist next week. We’ll be learning what to do next then. A follow-up MRI is scheduled for mid-September and then we follow-up with the doctor who did the chemoembolization. We are really hoping that all of this hard work is worth it.

Also, on top of all of this Chris’ lower back is causing her a great deal of pain. So much so that she can barely walk. Riding in the car and going over bumps hurts as well. We’re hoping that this is caused from being cooped up in bed for so long. They did several spinal x-rays today and they were negative. She needs to feel better before we can address her back. Hopefully, it is related to her dehydration.

Needless to say this has been a really tough month! Alex went back to school (which was tough for us both) as did both of the boys. I’ve been busy running around trying to get everything ready for them and taking care of Chris of the same time. It hasn’t been easy but all the school shopping is done and lunches are getting made. Ty’s bus leaves at 6:30 so I got up this week to make sure he was getting himself ready. He’s in 9^th grade now! Michael is in 7^th grade and leaves around 7:20. It’s quiet around here in the morning now. I’ve got a lot of work to do for work so it’s been nice.

We received lots of support and I am extremely grateful to everyone. In fact just today, someone that Chris is friends with came by and dropped off a beautiful flower arrangement and a basket of fruit. It was just perfect timing! Don’t hesitate to call me or Chris if you want. She’s not feeling too well for visitors but hopefully that will change quick!

I continue to update the blog as much as possible. Please check there for more regular updates. I think there’s some recent pictures on there as well. I’m sorry for the “not so upbeat” news but I know that everyone wants to know what’s happening.

Thank you to each and every one of you!

Charlie
Frederick, MD

charliedewitt@comcast.net
http://chris-dewitt-updates.blogspot.com/
240-285-7251 cell phone

Not much to report...

Same old story. Chris STILL is not feeling well. She has been home from work since last Wednesday. And right now does not seem to be making progress. We are still awaiting results from last weeks blood work and x-ray. We'll know more tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone for keeping tabs on us. NO you are not bothering us. In fact I enjoy the conversation. Today's Chris's staff sent flowers to her to help cheer her up. COMSTAR once again has stepped up and a large number of people have donated money to help us with dinners. Last Friday Malorie brought by 8 dishes that were premade for us. This is a HUGE help. I can take stuff out and cook from frozen or just thaw some and cook.

It's getting harder and harder managing the house. The boys help out a lot but it just seems like sometimes we just can't keep up with all that needs to be done. I don't help. Just better time management I guess! :)

Again thanks to everyone who checks in on us and to those who keep checking the blog. Hit counts are up!

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Alex back in school

Well Saturday was move-in day for Alex back at Lycoming. She was excited to go back to school. Unfortunately, Chris was not able to make the trip to Williamsport. She continues to feel blah. Friday night she got sick before dinner and went to bed very early. Saturday she felt okay but not great. She's waiting to hear from the Dr. about her tests and has an appointment right after labor day. Instead Michael was the chosen one and he went with us.

While we were in Williamsport the Little League world series was going on. Saturday was the us and international championship games. You can always go to the games for free if you want to sit in the outfield on the hill. We were able to score 2 tix for Saturday's games AND for the championship game on Sunday. Since Alex was just finishing up her move Michael and I went to the game and she's going to go to today's game. The seats were fantastic! Right behind home plate and 11 rows up from the field. Just like watching in a regular little league park. It was a great time and great games.

Michael and I stopped and had dinner on the way home and then made it home around 9:30. A long day but nice. We're certainly going to miss Alex this year, but at the same time we're very proud of her and her accomplishments.

The pictures are from Alex. She went to the championship game on Sunday and what and exciting game it was.

Chrissy is unfortunately still in bed. Her back is really starting to hurt her a great deal. She can't sleep and is starting to get down.

Talking to the Dr. now....

Well it has been way too long of not feeling well and we've finally gotten ahold of Chris's oncologist. The delay has been on our end, each day thinking that we're only 1 day away from feeling better. Chris stayed home from work yesterday and today with the same symptoms. 100 fever, nausea and just not feeling well.

Today she went to get some bloodwork done, and went to get a chest x-ray taken. These results will go stat back to the Dr. and hopefully we'll hear something back quickly. She may be sick from something else for all we know. It has been 5 weeks and it's starting to take its toll on everyone, especially Chrissy.

COMSTAR has started the brigade of creating dinners for us again. I think Chris is tired of my cooking! She's thrown up twice if that's any indication! :)

This Saturday I have to take Alex back to college. We will miss her greatly but know that it is for the best. The boys start high school (Ty) and middle school (Mike) on MONDAY! Finally, summer is over. We had a good summer but really like having a routine.

I'll keep you posted as best as I can so please check back often!

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Charlie in Florida

Today I am in hot and sunny Florida. I'm here for a sales presentation on tuesday. Chrissy is feeling tired but still doing okay. Tyler had golf practice today. He did not make the golf team at school but did make the practice team. Bottom line he can play in all the practices for free. Good deal for him and for us!

Today Chris's co-worker, Sally, made us white chicken chili! This is Michael's absolute favorite food and I'm sure he just loved it. Her office is starting to make some more dinners for us in the coming weeks. The last 4 weeks have been really tough for me to keep up with dinners and all the running around with the boys. this will help greatly.

Thank SALLY!!! I hope there is some left for me when I get home!....

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Crab Feast on Saturday

This past Saturday we went to our very close friend's house for his 23'rd annual crab feast. Danny and I have known each other for about 22 years now. He looks out for me and for that I'm always grateful. We had a great time. Chrissy was tired but was able to take a 2 hour nap to help her along. We saw a lot of good friends that we have not been able to see in awhile. The kids swam in the pool and we just had a good time. Thanks Danny and Brenda for 23 years of friendship!

We normally spend the night after the crab feast for various reasons, but this year since Chrissy wasn't up to par we left around 11 or so in order that she could be home if she wasn't feeling well.

Sunday was a rainy day. We have not had one of those in a long time. We slept in until almost 10!!!!! Then just sat around and did NOTHING!!! A little laundry and light picking up but that was it. Very nice day!

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Great day at the Battlefield

Thursday was a great afternoon. Chrissy and I took Rich and Jill to Gettysburg to tour the battlefield. Alex went to their hotel and stayed with their daughter Shannon. She took her shopping and had a great time with her.

Rich and Jill were able to tour the same locations that Rich and his son Ryan visited before. Chrissy has always liked Gettysburg but has not been there in awhile. She unfortunately was not feeling great and the heat was a little high but she still managed to get out a few times and see all the stuff she loves to look at. I took some pictures while we were there. You can look at them here. After you look at those pictures take a minute to look at the pictures that I took when Ryan came down to visit with us in November of 2005. Those are here. Ryan passed away from leukemia only about 7 months after this trip.
Here is his picture on a canon that we will forever remember. As you can see from his big smile, he really enjoyed the visit.

The other picture is of Rich and Jill standing at the same monument that Ryan and Rich stood at as well. Smiles all around!

OH YEAH. Chrissy has always loved the Wax Museum in Gettysburg. Ever since she was a little girl she has always remembered going there. Well we went there yesterday too! Check it out at their website. If you ever go this is a must see!

After, we came back home we went and gathered up the kids and went out to dinner to everyone's favorite restaurant, La Paz, mexican. Great friends, great family, great food, thanks God for a great day...

STILL not feeling great.

Well it's now been 4 weeks since Chris's procedure. She was feeling pretty well after about 2 or 3 weeks but the past week or so her fever keeps spiking around 100 to 101 and she gets an upset stomach.

She called the doctor's office yesterday and spoke with them today. They said that the symptoms she described were normal, but that they were generally not normal 4 weeks out. However, some patients do exhibit that behavior, so at this point she is to wait it out a few more days and then check back in early next week.

This weekend our very good friend Danny is having his annual crab feast. We are looking forward to going and hope that Chris is feeling well enough to attend.

Our other good friends from Rochester, Rich and Jill, have come down for the crab feast early. They stopped in Frederick and Chris and I are taking them to Gettysburg to tour the battlefield. Their son Ryan, who passed away last year, went there with my boys and I back in Oct/Nov of 2005. It was a very memorable trip for him, so we wanted to take Jill on that same trip as well.

It rained earlier today but looks like it will hold off for the rest of the day.

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Chris on Stage in Baker Park

Sunday in the Park

Chris continues to not feel very well. Saturday morning she again vomited after eating breakfast. She really just feels "blah" as she puts it. It really takes a lot out of all of us. She is eating noodle soup as her primary food. Sort of like being down with the flu.

Sunday she was up and about. I took the boys to go and play paintball. A small price to pay for the luxury of total quiet in the house for 6 hours!!! I cut the grass as we finally have gotten some rain! Alex finally came home from NJ after spending a few days up there.

Chris rested and was feeling well enough to go to the City of Frederick's Sunday Concert in the Park.

COMSTAR sponsored the band on this day and she was supposed to be there to introduce them and help set up a table. She did great and was able to sit at their table for a little bit and introduced the band!!! The weather was nice and we stayed for the entire concert. Very nice to get away for awhile.

Not feeling well

Well today is Friday and it has been a long week. Chris did pretty well at work most days and when she got home, although tired, she was feeling okay. Again, the small fever kept bugging her. Last night, though she felt bad and became sick after dinner. Yes, it was my cooking! She went to bed right after that and slept most of the night.

Today she is still feeling bad. So hopefully it will just be a matter of time. If she's not feeling okay by mid afternoon we're going to call the Dr.'s office to check in with him.

Alex is out of town. She's at the Jersey shore until this weekend. The boys, well they're tired of each other. Can't wait until school starts.

Tonight we were supposed to go to some friends house in southern MD to christen their new basement. Unfortunately, we won't be going. Everyone understands. We really hate it when we can't get together with friends and relatives because of the treatment, but we do know that everyone is thinking of us and wishing us well.

Alex's Lacrosse

Alex's college has recently redone their website. www.lycoming.edu They have also redone the sports website and now have pictures of the team. Here's a link to the women's lacrosse page.

This week she received a couple of invitations to play next summer on a team that is going to Australia, and another team that is going to London/Germany. She excited but knows the costs involved!

She leaves on the 25th to go back to school for her sophomore year.

Back from the Lake

PICTURES are now posted for those who wish to see them.

Alex and Tyler returned home late on Thursday evening. So Thursday night Michael, Chris and I went to the Honi Honi for Happy Hour(s). While there Marianne was able to watch our every move through their online webcams. I think she's a stalker!

Friday morning we cleaned up the house (pictured above) and left around noon. It was nice to be home but I can tell you that we'd rather be there !!!!! Many thanks to Bob and Barb for allowing us to use their house. It is just incredible.

Here's a picture of one right down the road from it as well. A little fixer upper! Chrissy really likes it!


Monday is back to work and back to the daily grind. Today is Tyler's 14'th Birthday! 14! So we'll be celebrating that I guess....

On the lake with a BIG boat.

Wednesday we went out and rented a pontoon boat to tool around on the lake. Well I rented a 24' boat which is fairly large but not too bad. When I got there for our 10 am shove off that boat was out of service and we instead got a free upgrade to the 28' Party Barge!!! It was huge and for just the 5 of us was more than we needed. We had a blast. That's me at the helm! That's boat talk I think for driver.

We went to visit the end of the lake where the dam was and then stopped for lunch on the barge, I mean boat. Tyler fished while we sat and enjoyed the beautiful day. After that we went tubing for a couple of hours. It is always a highlight of the week for us to get a boat. We gotten several different type over the years but the big pontoon boat is the way to go.


That evening we all went to the will o' the wisp and had a very special make your own pasta bowl dinner. You pick out the ingredients and they make it up for you right there in front of you. I had the pink sauce made with Vodka! It was excellent! It flames up to burn off the alcohol. But they add more if you ask nice!!!! :)

Afterwards we drove around to various locations near the lake just to look at the scenery.

Chris continues to get better each day. She still moves pretty slowly but much of the pain is going away. She still gets a low grade fever and really likes a nap each day (so do I)!

On the lake with a BIG boat.

Wednesday we went out and rented a pontoon boat to tool around on the lake. Well I rented a 24' boat which is fairly large but not too bad. When I got there for our 10 am shove off that boat was out of service and we instead got a free upgrade to the 28' Party Barge!!! It was huge and for just the 5 of us was more than we needed. We had a blast. That's me at the helm! That's boat talk I think for driver.

We went to visit the end of the lake where the dam was and then stopped for lunch on the barge, I mean boat. Tyler fished while we sat and enjoyed the beautiful day. After that we went tubing for a couple of hours. It is always a highlight of the week for us to get a boat. We gotten several different type over the years but the big pontoon boat is the way to go.

That evening we all went to the will o' the wisp and had a very special make your own pasta bowl dinner. You pick out the ingredients and they make it up for you right there in front of you. It was excellent! Afterwards we drove around to various locations near the lake just to look at the scenery.