Heartbreaker

Wow...for those of you who didn't get to watch the game tonight (the KU/NU game, that is), you missed an exciting one! Our quarterback Adam Barmann threw 3 INTs and had one fumble in the first half (the fumble was at our goal line and one interception was in the end zone), but our Jayhawks didn't give up! We were only down by 14 at half time, and our offensive line and run defense really stepped it up in the second half. We came back to tie the game in the final seconds, but unfortunately couldn't score to match Nebraska in O.T. If only, if only, if only we hadn't had so many turnovers or given up 3 long bombs for touchdowns, we could have actually won in Lincoln, which hasn't happened since several years before I was born. What a bummer. At least we made it respectable, but how heartbreaking that our only two losses on the year were both in overtime games! Oh well, at least our program seems to be heading in the right direction--and at least our coach could eat your coach!

For the hot-off-the-presses story from the Lawrence Journal-World, click here.

Laughter=Medicine

Last night, Chad and I went to the weekly meeting of our "Journey Group" from church. Over the last year or so, we've been so blessed by this wonderful group of friends! We have so much fun at our weekly gatherings, where we usually spend about an hour doing a group Bible study (right now we're working on John Calvin: Sovereign Hope) and at least another hour socializing and laughing our heads off. Last night we were sharing about our best/worst Halloween costumes as children, and we were in hysterics hearing about how our friend Beth's dad was a slavedriver when it came to trick-or-treating. He would map out routes to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the candy acquisition of his children, only allowing costumes which provided the kids with superior maneuverability. Beth says that several years she remembers crying from exhaustion while her dad forged ahead on their candy gathering mission. Apparently the hard work paid off in the end though, as the kids would gather enough candy (sometimes over 10 pounds each) to last them well into the next summer.

I am so thankful for the laughter we shared last night with these wonderful friends. It was the first time since Steeler's death that Chad and I had been really social and the first time we'd laughed really hard. It felt really good. :)

Gibby

Someday soon I'll finally get to a synopsis of day three of my walk, but today I had to share an amazing story about a friend of ours. Yesterday at the UCLA Medical Center, our little 4-year-old friend Gibson Huston underwent brain surgery. Not just any brain surgery--Gibson had a hemispherectomy, which is a removal of one hemisphere of the brain. In Gibson's case, a portion of his left hemisphere was completely removed, and the remaining portion was completely disconnected so that it will no longer be functional. This dramatic and extensive surgery was necessary because Gibson has suffered from severe seizures since he was 3 years old, despite being on several anti-seizure medications. His seizures are caused by a very rare brain abnormality called hemimegalencephaly (H.M.E.), which more or less means that one half of his brain is much larger than the other. His H.M.E. is caused by a rare genetic disorder.

His parents, our friends Saasha and Dan (Saasha is my good friend Heather's sister), researched many options, but finally made the decision that would be best for Gibby's future well being. If the seizures were left to continue, Gibson would start to lose his cognitive abilities, since each seizure he has causes minor brain damage. While he will have some minor physical impairments after surgery, children who have a hemispherectomy early in life usually go on to lead very normal lives, since the remaining half of their brain learns and absorbs the functions of the half that was removed. The human body is so amazing and complex is absolutely astounds me!

Gibson's surgery lasted all day yesterday, and he was wheeled into the pediatric intensive care just before midnight. The surgery went just as planned and expected, but Gibson will have at least 4-5 days of recovery before he is allowed to leave the hospital. If you'd like to read more about Gibson, you can check out an article from the Lawrence Journal-World a few weeks ago, or you can go to Gibson's Caring Bridge site where you can read the details of his story and get updates from his family.

Hang in there Hustons! You're in our prayers!

Menu Makers

Tonight I went to Menu Makers for the first time with my friend Lindsay in Topeka. For those of you haven't heard of Menu Makers, it's kind of hard to describe. There are different Menu Maker type franchises in different cities, but for this particular one in Topeka (which is officially called Menu Makers USA) you go to Chef Alli's demo kitchen in the Factory Direct Appliance store, where Alli and her staff have 12 different recipes with all the ingredients right there for you. All you do is mix them up and throw them together--they provide all the baggies and pans to take them home in. At the end of the evening (it's supposed to take two hours, but I took 2 1/2 since it was my first time and I was rather slow) you have up to 12 different meals all ready for the freezer. You just take them out when you don't feel like preparing anything, throw them in the oven or on the grill, throw together a side dish, and voila--dinner is served. After we actually eat some, I'll let you know if the recipes are any good! :)

One More Amazing Detail

Someday soon, I promise that every post won't be about Steeler, but there was one more thing that I just noticed that is too amazing not to share. I was looking at our website, which I don't update very often, pondering how I was going to change the site to reflect Steeler's passing. On the front page I'd written how Steeler and Celtic came to live with us on September 20, 1997. Steeler died on September 20, 2006. I think this amazing coincidence is just more proof that he was an amazing dog.