Hawaii Day 6 - July 16th

On this morning we got to go on a submarine ride. We were under water for about 45 minutes and went as deep as 119 feet. We saw all kinds of fish and some sea turtles. During the winter months there are Humped Back Whales that swim in these waters. We were curious to see how the girls handled being cooped up in the submarine and under water, but it didn't even phase them. I think there was so much stuff to look at that they were too distracted to get scared. The submarine company has sunk four artificial habitats over the past 18 years to attract the fish to these waters. The neat thing is that these are public waters and people are allowed to scuba dive here as well. It is amazing to think how clear the water is to be 100 feet under water and still be able to see 40-50 yards in front of you.

For lunch we stopped at Burger King for a Whopper with pineapple. Just kidding. Hawaii's Burger King serves the same stuff as Nebraska's Burger King. Then it was off to the beach. (Except for Jeff who was fighting a head cold and needed some extra rest.) Jeff did feel good enough to go to the beach after his nap and everyone really enjoyed the great weather in the afternoon.

Our evening consisted of walking down to the International Market Place where we ate supper at Coconut Willie's. After supper we strolled the market for bargains. The market place is about a block in length and as wide as a four lane highway. Kerstin and McKinsey found their grass skirts and sarongs. One of the shops even had a couple of cockatiels they let us hold. The evening flew by quickly and it was time to head back to the hotel and go to bed.

Click here for pictures

Watering the Yard...

...with water balloons. Later in the evening, when it was still 100 degrees, we had some of the neighborhood kids (and their parents) over for another round of water balloon fights. After we ran out of water balloons it was time to turn on the sprinkler and eat pop cycles. Everyone got cooled down, and the yard got watered. What a deal.

Hawaii Day 5 - July 15th

Today is another one of our "free days", so we went to Pearl Harbor to see the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Bowfin submarine attraction. (Click here for the pictures.) We knew we would have to get an early start if we wanted to beat the crowds and see as much as we could. The gates to the Arizona Memorial don't open until 7:30am, so we figured if we got there by 7:00am we would be in pretty good shape. As you can see by one of the pictures, there were about 300 other people with the same idea. By the time the gates opened, the line had circled around in to a spiral shape on the "front lawn" area. On a side note, ever since 9/11, security is very tight there: no bags of any kind allowed. Just you, your wallet, and your camera. Part of the Arizona Memorial experience is a 15 minute video presentation on the history of Pearl Harbor, the Memorial, and the museum. By the time we got in we were in the 4th group to see the video (shown in a small movie theater). From there they take you by ferry to the Memorial. It is a very moving experience. You are asked to remain silent and thoughtful from the time you enter the movie theater, while you are on the Memorial, until you are returned to museum area. Most people respect this request. We spent about 3 1/2 hours at the USS Arizona. From there we went next door to the USS Bowfin submarine exhibit.

The USS Bowfin is a WWII submarine that is now de-commissioned and used tourist attraction. It was incredible to actually go aboard and in this submarine. There is a self -guided tour that uses an audio player and headphones to guide you around the submarine and explain what you are looking at. It is hard to imagine what it must have been like spending months at a time on a submarine like this. After touring the submarine, we walked around the other submarine exhibits on the property. As you can see by the pictures, there is a "conning tower" taken from another sub, periscopes, and torpedoes to look at. After lunch, we went through the submarine museum which covered everything from the invention of the submarine, right up to modern day subs.

We had planned to go to the beach for the rest of the afternoon, but with weather was overcast and we needed naps. The girls did spend a little bit of time in the hotel pool. After resting up (and cleaning up), we walked down the street to Chili's for supper. We know this violates Uncle Jay's rule of: never eat at any place that you can at home. However, we like Chili's and it sounded good to us.

Water Balloon Fight

The girls have been talking smack about a water balloon fight for a couple of weeks. So, we finally loaded them up. We only had a small round one early this afternoon (parents vs kids). But the girls are going to try and recruit some help from some of the neighbor kids later for the big finale. We'll let you know how it turns out.

Hawaii Day 4 - July 14th

On the fourth day we were scheduled to take a two hour lunch cruise. On board the cruise ship there were all kinds of activities: hulu lessons, ukelele lessons, lei making, bamboo fish craft, and a buffet lunch. Before the cruise left at 11:30am, we had some time to walk around the Aloha Tower market place where the ship was docked. The girls fed the fish (and the birds) by the pier. The two hours went by pretty quick and it was time to "disembark".

After a short rest period, it was off to the beach for some more fun in the sun. After a long and tiring day, we decided to stay in for the evening and order pizza for supper. We needed a little down time to get caught up after being on the go for four days. Fortunately, the hotel room tv got the Disney channel.

Click here for the day four pictures.
Click here for the hula video.

Hawaii Day 3 - July 13th

Today is the Sea Life Park outing. (Click here for today's pictures.) The girls started the day off with breakfast on the hotel room balcony. We packed up and made the 30 minute drive to Sea Life Park. There were lots of neat things to see and do at the park, but the highlight of the day was "swimming with dolphins". McKinsey was old enough to go in by herself, but Kerstin needed an adult to go in with her. Kerstin's mom drew the short straw and got to stay out of the dolphin pool and take pictures. After about three safety briefings, we finally got to get in to the water. There were two other groups in the pool. Each group had its own dolphin to interact with. Ours was Nani (pronounced 'non-ee'). The trainer would have Nani swim back and forth in front of us so we could pet her back and stomach. We played fetch, gave the hand signals for jump and speak, and kissed and shook fins with her. We spent about 30 minutes in the water with Nani. (Here is a link to a video of Kerstin kissing and shaking fins with Nani.) After spending 5-6 hours at the park, we were all pretty worn out. We made the drive back to the hotel and took a nap.

After our nap we walked down to the Seaside Bar and Grill for supper. They served up some good food, and that explained why they had plenty of business there.

Hawaii Day 2 - July 12th

After sleeping in, we strolled down to the boulevard that runs along in front of the beach. Our goal for the morning was to get acclimated to our surrounding (and find some breakfast). Not wanting to get too adventurous our first time out, we found a Burger King for breakfast. After breakfast (which was really brunch), we stopped by an ABC Store (which is a convenience/souvenir shop) for some supplies. (The ABC Stores are kind of an island joke because there is at least one of them on every block in the Waikiki Beach area.) We grabbed a map, got our bearings, fired up the rental car, and headed for the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

Today was one of our free days (a day that did not have any activities planned for us by the Make-A-Wish people.) Even though Hawaii is a US state, navigating is not that easy because every street name has several "k's", "a's", and "o's" in it. (Or so it seemed to us main-landers.) But we made it, and the Dole Plantation was a great way to fill the afternoon. We were amazed at how many people were there, and how many of them arrived in limo's. The giant maze was fun (and hot). There are six stands in the maze with templates in them. The objective is to find all the stands and mark the templates on your maze card. The fastest all six have been found is four minutes. We spent 15 minutes going in circles without finding anything except heat exhaustion. We finally gave up and got a map from the entrance booth. Even with the map it still took some effort to find the stands.

After the maze we cooled off with a "cool" treat: pineapple sherbert and a pineapple smoothie. Next we were off to ride the Pineapple Express. This was a little train the went through the plantation with audio narration. We were very interested to learn that pineapples take 18-24 months to grow, and they are grown on a plant close to the ground.

We still had a little time before supper so we decided to drive around the north side of the island on the way home. Looking at the map it was only about 40-50 miles to take this alternate route back to the hotel. Of course, the speed limit varied from 25 to 40 mph the whole way so it took a little longer than expected. That was ok though, because we were able to stop at Waimea Bay Beach Park along the way and the girls donned their swim suits and played in the sand/surf.

While searching for somewhere to eat supper, we stumbled on a little out of the way restaurant called the Island Shack. It was basically an old mettle storage shed with no doors and used mixed and matched restaurant furniture. The kitchen was an old utility van backed up the back door of the place. The restaurant was surrounded by tents and shacks. Every thing on the menu was either grilled, steamed, or boiled. The whole place had a hippie-ish feel to it. When we walked in the place Jeff recognized the music that was playing as Jack Johnson (currently of the Curious George movie soundtrack fame). He asked one of the employees about it, and it turns out that Jack Johnson is one of the neighbors. Pretty cool! The place looked a little shady at first, but the food was delicious and the people were great. It turns out that all the people that work there are surfers that follow the surf circuit, and work at the restaurant for room and board. Livin' the dream! Click here to enjoy the pictures.

It was dark by the time we got back to the hotel and we were wiped out. Time to get some sleep and get ready for Sea Life Park tomorrow.

Hawaii Pictures

We have finally sorted out the almost 900 digital photos we took in Hawaii and are ready to start posting them. We decided to post just one day's photos at a time, and a brief synopsis of the day's activities. So, without further adieu, here are the first day's pictures. Click here

Day 1 - July 11th
Travel Day
The limo picked us up at the house at 11:30am. The girls had their stuff packed and ready to go by 11:00am, so they sat on the front porch for about 30 minutes watching with great anticipation for the limo. During the hour ride to the airport in Omaha, the girls watched a DVD while Jeff and Annie went over the game plan for the next seven days.

Lori H and her two sons met us at the airport and gave us a nice send off. Both of our planes (Omaha to Phoenix and Phoenix to Honolulu) were both on time, and all of our luggage made to the island as well. It was 8pm local time in Honolulu when we arrived, which means it was 1am Lincoln time. We were met in the Honolulu airport by Bev our lei greeter. She helped us find our luggage and rental car. Hunger set in and we happened to find a McDonald's on the way to the hotel. By the time we ate and checked in to our hotel, it was about 3:30am Lincoln time. It didn't take long to fall asleep :)

Kerstin's Home

Kerstin and her family made it home yesterday. (And so did all their luggage.) Everyone is doing fine, but the "jet lag" hit a little harder than expected. The family didn't get up today until about 10:30am. We have been busy catching up on being gone for the last week, but we promise to post pictures as soon as possible.

Oh, and Kerstin finally got the pesky loose tooth out (bottom middle). Just hours before leaving Hawaii, she finally wiggled it enough so that her mom could pull it out with out much effort. So we had a visit from the Tooth Fairy last night. Apparently the going rate for the "first" tooth is four quarters and one Sacagawea dollar coin for a grand total of $2.00.

Last Day in Hawaii

Today is our last day in Hawaii. While we have all had a good time, we are ready to get back home to see everyone. Our flight leaves at 10:55pm tonight. Until then we are going to do a little more souvenir shopping, and go to the beach one more time. Be sure to check back soon to see more pictures of Kerstin's trip. Thanks again to all the Make-A-Wish people, friends, and family who make this wish a reality. God bless and Take care.

The Luau

Kerstin and her family got to attend a luau last night. There were lots of crafts and activities to do. Kerstin and her sister even got to get up on stage and hula.

Some Beach Time

The girls haven't got to spend as much time at the beach as they would like, but they got in a few hours today. The weather was perfect for it.

Diver Down

Kerstin and the family got to go submarining today. We went down as far as 110 feet and saw all kinds of sea life. The submarine tour lasted about 45 minutes and was a lot of fun.

Pearl Harbor

We spent the day at Pearl Harbor and have lots of pictures of it. In this one the girls are standing in front of one of the anchors from the USS Arizona. (The other anchor is back in Phoenix.) In addition to visiting the USS Arizona Memorial, we also toured the USS Bowfin (submarine) exhibit and museum. (We will be posting lots of pictures in the near future.)

Kerstin's health continues to be good, which was a concern to us with all the stress that goes along with traveling. She seems to be full of energy at the end of the day, which is more than we can say for mom and dad.

Thanks again for checking in on Kerstin.

Swimming With Dolphins

Kerstin went to Sea Life Park today where we got to see all kinds of fun stuff. The highlight was swimming with the dolphins. Kerstin, her sister, and her dad got spend 30 minutes in the water with "Nani" (a three year old female dolphin). They got to pet her, shake hands (fins), play fetch with a ball, and kiss her. It was definitely a special experience.

Checking Back on the Previous Posts

Just FYI, we are planning to go back and add links to all the Hawaii posts where you can see a lot more pictures. For now, we wanted to get a few single pictures up on the site. Once we get a chance to sit down, sort through all the pictures, and get them uploaded we'll let you know. Thanks and God bless.

Pineapples Everywhere

We started the day off with a little stroll around our hotel's neighborhood, then drove up to the Dole Pineapple Plantation. They have the world's largest maze there where you can go through and find six different stencils to put on a scorecard. We spent a lot of time wondering around there. After that, we enjoyed some great pineapple ice cream treats and took a ride on the Pineapple Express to see more of the plantation. From there we decided to take the drive around the north side of the island to get back to our hotel in Wikiki. We found a great little shack of a restaurant to eat at on the way. It was dark by the time we got back to the hotel and everyone was ready for bed.

Arriving In Honolulu

It was a long day of traveling, but we finally made it. We were greeted at the airport by Bev (one of the Kenui Lei Greeters). The lei's smelled as great as they looked.

Ride'n In Style

The limo was right on time. The girls even got to watch a DVD on the way to the airport. A person could really get used to being spoiled like this.

Kerstin's wiggly bottom tooth has been bothering her for weeks. So tonight her Dad suggested (jokingly) that we try the old string and door knob method of removing it. She actually agreed to it! Unfortunately we were unsuccessful (twice). The tooth is shaped like a cone and we couldn't get the string to tighten down on it. We told her not to worry about the Tooth Fairy finding her in Hawaii if it comes out there.

Make-A-Wish Send Off Dinner

The Make-A-Wish people held a send off dinner for Kerstin this evening. Kerstin got to chose the place (Valentino's) and she got to invite a few friends and family. Kerstin's grandparents from Colorado even made the trip. Jane and Penny from Make-A-Wish gave Kerstin her itinerary and a bag full of goodies to use on the trip. We are definitely getting excited now that we have gotten the itinerary and have seen all the great stuff they have planned for us to do while we are there. (To see more pictures of the dinner, click on the title "Make-A-Wish Send Off Dinner".) We just wanted to thank everyone from Make-A-Wish, and all of our friends and family who continue to bless our lives.

4th of July!

Happy Independence Day! We hope everyone had a great, but safe, day! We were blessed with a visit from Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Joann. They can stay for a couple of days! We spent most of the day swimming and hanging out by the pool. We went back home to grill porkchops for supper. Grandpa and the girls did a great job! It was such a beautiful day! After supper we went over to the park to light our parachutes (we made the mistake of lighting them at home last night - some poor parachuter is in his new tree home). The girls had a blast chasing down the parachutes! We lit a few more in the evening and saved some for when it got darker. Unfortunately, Jeff is on duty today, but we had some firework fun with Dad last night!

It has been a while since we have updated (no news is good news!). Kerstin continues to feel great! She did wake up ravenous yesterday morning, ate two bowls of Cheerios, and then slept for 3 more hours! We had Vacation Bible School last week which kept us all busy, but very happy! Kerstin gets to visit Dr. G. on Thursday. We hope for more good news!

Have a blessed week!

TNT BBQ

Last night Kerstin and her family attended a Team in Training BBQ. We had a great time meeting lots of new athletes and honored patients (and seeing some familiar faces). The food was great and we had beautiful weather for it. Thanks again to Ryan and Sheri for hosting, and big thanks to all the athletes and what they do to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. (Click the title for more pictures.)

No More Training Wheels

Kerstin reached another mile stone today: no more training wheels. We have tried a couple of times this summer without success. She didn't really even want to try today, but we "convinced" her to. Her mom had to hold her up the first couple of attempts, then dad took over. After five feet of holding on to her, he let go and Kerstin didn't even realize it. For about 30 yards all Kerstin could say was, "I can't do it, I can't do it." Her dad who was walking three feet to her side finally said, "But you are doing it." After that there was no stopping her. (Except for one minor crash.) We can finally get rid of her junky little "training" bike and she can ride her new bike full time now. (Click on the title "No More Training Wheels" for more pictures.)

Father's Day

Kerstin and her family participated in the Father's Day Trail Trek. There was a 5, 12, and 24 mile routes. 5 miles was good enough for us this year. After the ride there was a picnic and fun stuff to do at Antelope park. (For more pictures click on the title "Father's Day".)

Update

Just thought we had better give an update. Kerstin actually is fighting a cough/cold this week. She woke up Tuesday morning sounding "croupy". We had a nice visit to her pediatrician who assured us it is just a virus. The cough is hanging on, but she is hanging in there. I can tell that it has made her a bit more tired than usual.

We have been busy with swim team for McKinsey and swimming lessons for Kerstin started this week. We LOVE the pool!

Today we had a lot of fun things to do. We started off by getting to go see the new movie "Cars" courtesy of our insurance agent. Thanks, Chuck! What a fun movie! We also brought some things to a garage sale at a friend's house where the girls had fun selling treats. Next, we drove to Omaha for a Team in Training event. The Tahoe century bike riders got together for their pool and picture party. (The picture above is from that event today - Kerstin swam quite a bit, but found some time to "hang out" next to the pool and make our friend Darren play silly games :) It was fun to see the riders and coaches again. We also got to meet the other honored patient, Rachel and her family. What wonderful people! Coach Mike made an awesome video of the event. We continue to be amazed and inspired by all the wonderful people out there who work so hard to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society! We know that they are really making a difference for kids like Kerstin. (Click the title "Update" for more TNT party pictures.)

Thanks for checking on us! Have a Happy Father's Day all of you Dad's out there tomorrow!!! Annie

Survivors Night at the Zoo

Kerstin, McKinsey and Annie went to the Lincoln Zoo for a Cancer Survivors Celebration last night. We had a nice time seeing all the new exhibits and animals. McKinsey was especially interested in the monkeys! They had pizza, brownies, and prizes, too! It was nice to see so many people and hear about the progress in Cancer research. We have already made plans to attend next year! (Click on the title "Survivors Night at the Zoo" for more pictures.)

Fun with J and J

We have sure been enjoying our summer so far! McKinsey started swim team at the Raquet Club this week. All three girls (Mom included) have enjoyed many fun days at their outdoor pool! Today we had fun bringing our friends Joshua and Jonah (and their Mom :) to the pool with us. Swimming is always more fun with friends! We even went to Eileens for a delicious cookie afterward!

Kerstin continues to feel great! She made it through her Atra week just fine. We pray that she will continue to feel good through the weekend! Thanks so much for checking on us and leaving such encouraging messages. We appreciate all of you! Happy Summer!

Saltdogs Game

Monday night was LEA night (Lincoln Education Association) at the Saltdogs game. Kerstin and her sister had a good time, even though they didn't see much of the game. (Click on the title "Saltdogs Game" for pictures.)

CureSearch Walk

Yesterday we took part in the CureSearch walk in Omaha. Kerstin's team raised just over $1200. The organizers announced that $50,000 had been raised for this event by all the teams. That's awesome! We want to thank everyone who donated to CureSearch. Just FYI, approximately 94-96% of all funds raised go directly to pediatric cancer research. The picture is of team Kerstin (click on the title for more pictures of the walk).

Caps for a Cure Day!

Wow! We are overwhelmed by the wonderful support of the staff and students at Rousseau. Today was the last day of school, and Caps for a Cure Day! A huge number of students and staff wore hats and brought donations for CureSearch. We raised $477!!! That is so awesome! Thank you to all the wonderful Rousseau families for your generous support! Thanks also to our friends who helped collect the donations this morning. We were able to start the day by having donuts in our driveway before we all walked to school together. It was a fun Last Day of School.

Saturday is the Walk for CureSearch in Omaha. Our new total is now $1092!!! We surpassed our $800 goal. Let us know if you would like to join us for the walk. It should be a fun time!

Have a blessed day!

Family Fun

We are so excited to have family in town this weekend. Cousins Jeremy and Trevor are here for a soccer tournament along with Uncle Jay. Grandma Clarice and Papa Gene are here, too! We were able to see TJ play this afternoon at Abbott. We had a nice dinner out and then came home, and the kids played outside. They even climbed the tree in the front yard (with a little help!).

Kerstin continues to feel great! She had a little headache at bedtime tonight, but Motrin seemed to do the trick.

Our new CureSearch total is $485! We are over halfway to our goal! If you would still like to donate, you can donate on-line http://www.firstgiving.com/kerstinscuresearch. If you are a Rousseau family, you can donate on the last day of school. Bring a donation to school, and you can wear your favorite hat!

Thanks so much for checking on us. Please say an extra prayer for our friend, Abby, who is starting maintenance and is not feeling well right now. You can visit her at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbybridgewater. Tell her that Kerstin sent you!

Caps for a Cure

On Thursday, June 1st (the last day of school), Kerstin and McKinsey are sponsoring "Caps for a Cure." All students and staff at Rousseau will be encouraged to wear a hat to school and bring a small monetary donation. The girls made a bunch of posters which we hung up at school this morning. All the money raised will go to CureSearch, a national childhood cancer research organization. We are planning to participate in the CureSearch walk on June 3rd in Omaha. So far, as a family, we have raised $325 for CureSearch! If you would like to contribute to this worthy cause, you can mail a check to our home address or you can donate on-line at
http://www.firstgiving.com/kerstinscuresearch.

Thanks so much for checking on us! Kerstin continues to feel great! We are thankful for this wonderful blessing!

Children's Museum Field Trip

Kerstin and her class got to go on their last field trip yesterday. Annie got to go along. They spent a couple of hours at the Lincoln Children's Museum. The kids (and grown-ups, too) always find plenty to do there. Kerstin was taking money for the pizza I ordered in this picture.

Holmes Lake park was the setting for a picnic lunch. The kids ate quickly and had lots of time to play on the playground. Kerstin and her Mom had a great time! The weather was awesome!

Our new CureSearch total is $215!!! Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed. For more information, see last Thursday's post or go to www.firstgiving.com/kerstinscuresearch.

A good week!

We just wanted to let everyone know that this past Atra week was very good! Kerstin only had a couple of minor headaches this weekend. Last night she said, "I don't have a headache at all!!" She is also very proud of now being able to swallow her Mercaptapurine whole (we had been cutting it in half)!

Our CureSearch total is $150. If you would like to be a part of the Walk for CureSearch or donate to a great cause, see last Thursday's post for details.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers. We KNOW that it has made a huge difference! God's blessings to you!

Make-A-Wish Golf Tournament

Saturday was the Make-A-Wish Foundation golf tournament. Kerstin was one of two honored patients in attendance. The other child there was Alex Ford whose wish was granted this past winter. His wish was to play golf in Hawaii. The golf tournament was also used as a surprise party for Kerstin to let her know that her wish to learn how to hula dance in Hawaii has been granted. Kerstin and her family will be traveling to Hawaii on July 11th for one week of fun in the sun.

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the golf tournament and the sponsors: Lincoln Federal Bank, HiMark Golf Club and Bunkers Club House, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and all of the other businesses who are too many to list.

For more pictures of the golf tournament, click on the title "Make-A-Wish Golf Tournament"

Safety Fair

Annie took Kerstin and her sister to the South Pointe Safety Fair. They got to see their dad in action at one of the exhibits - the Lincoln Fire & Rescue Fire Safety House. This is a large camper that has been converted into a miniature house where the kids can learn to safely get out of a home that is on fire.

CureSearch Walk

Dear Friends and Family,

On June 3rd, our family will be participating in a walk to raise money specifically for childhood cancer research, and we need your help. Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death in children, killing more kids than AIDS, asthma, diabetes, and Cystic Fibrosis combined. There are 46 children under the age of 20 diagnosed with cancer everyday, and those numbers are rising.

Kerstin, and the many other kids like her, have become our inspiration for “Walking for CureSearch.” “In the Arms of Friends” is organizing this event which will be held at Village Point Shopping Center in Omaha. We hope that you can help us by sending a monetary donation so we can make sure that kids like Kerstin can survive this horrible disease, and that new treatments with fewer side effects are discovered. All the money raised in this event will go directly to CureSearch — the leading cancer research organization. Your donation will make a huge difference in the fight against this disease. For more information on CureSearch, you can go to www.curesearch.com on the internet. You can donate in a couple of ways. You can send a check to our address listed below made out to CureSearch. You can also donate on-line by going to www.firstgiving.com/kerstinscuresearch. All donations should be sent to us by June 3rd. We would also welcome anyone who would like to walk with us. We are so grateful for the support we have received in the past, and we thank you in advance for considering this cause that is near and dear to our hearts.

Jeff and Annie Leaf

4030 S. 30^th St.

Lincoln, NE 68502

Bike Rodeo

Rousseau Elementary held its annual bike rodeo today. Kerstin has been talking about it all week and was very excited to get to go. (She hopes to have the training wheels off some time this summer.) She is still pain free this week and we're keeping our fingers crossed.

TNT Info Meeting

Kerstin attended a Team in Training informational meeting tonight. There were a lot of potential athletes in attendence. It is great to see all the potential new members, and the TNT staff. Their passion for this cause is wonderful. If you are interested in Team in Training, you can go to http://www.teamintraining.org/hm_tnt for more information.

Mid-ATRA Week

It's Wednesday night of the ATRA week and all is well. The latest dosing schedule seems to be helping ward off the headaches (and other body aches). Keep the prayers coming.

TNT - Marathon

Patti, one of Annie's teaching colleagues, ran the Lincoln Half Marathon today. She ran as part of the Team in Training program, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with Kerstin as her honored patient. Patti has run the marathon in the past for a few other children, including her own daughter. Patti's daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was 7. Ashley is doing great now, and even has a daughter of her own! Patti came over to visit us this evening. She looked great for running 13 miles this morning! She generously gave her TNT medal and her visors that she designed for the race to Kerstin. Another medal! Kerstin thought that was pretty cool that someone would run so far just for her! We are once again deeply moved by the kindness and generosity of others! God has been so good to us. He has brought so many wonderful people into our lives and hearts. Thank you, Patti for being and inspiration to us!

Wedding

Annie's cousin, Steve, got married in Kearney this weekend. Grandma Clarice and Papa Gene picked up Annie and the girls (unfortunately Jeff had to stay in Lincoln to work) after school on Friday, and we stayed the night in Holdrege with Uncle Brian and Brenna. The girls had a great time playing together. They had plenty of time to jump on the trampoline and dance on Friday night and Saturday morning. We were even able to celebrate Brenna's 10th birthday! It was fun to see all of Annie's aunts, uncles and cousins at the wedding on Saturday. We stayed overnight at a hotel in Kearney. The girls and grown-ups all had a great time swimming in the pool. On Sunday morning we visited Uncle Richard and Aunt Kay (and Brenna's chick, Softie) at their home in Kearney. You can check out my sister's blog for a cute chick picture. See links at the top left of this site - McKinsey's corner. All in all, it was a fun, but exhausting weekend. Kerstin felt really great all weekend, but was quite tired on Sunday. She was able to sleep most of the way home. Thanks for checking on us and for your prayers!

Gold Star Banquet

We attended the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools Gold Star Banquet tonight where Kerstin was one of many honorees. Kerstin's principal (shown on the left) nominated her for the award and wrote this on the nomination application: "Bravery is defined as extreme courage in the face of difficulty. Rousseau kindergartener Kerstin Leaf deserves a gold star for demonstrating such bravery. This bright-eyed five year old has shown fierce determination in her battle with leukemia. Despite her illness, Kerstin has been able to keep up on her kindergarten schoolwork, has passed all assessments with flying colors, and is back with her friends and classmates at Rousseau School. She has taught us all what it's like to live courageously." Kerstin received a medal and a certificate.

Also pictured is one of the outstanding para-professionals at Rousseau who was also honored at the banquet.

May Day

Kerstin, McKinsey, and Annie spent a rainy Sunday making May Day baskets. It was all worth it when the girls got to deliver the goodies this evening. They were ready for a speedy get-a-way on their scooters. They did get caught once, but not kissed! Ha!

Books and Beyond

Kerstin woke up this morning and declared that nothing was hurting! She felt just "perfect"! Praise God! We are so glad to have our joyful child back! She missed an awards assembly on Friday, so Mrs. Braun, the principal, came in to her class today to present her and another friend with their medals. Rousseau has this great program called Books and Beyond where the students read books and write them down. For the kindergarteners they have to record 15 books per sheet. Any student that filled at least 5 sheets in the 6 week period got a medal, a certificate, and a new book. Kerstin was thrilled to get her "first medal ever"!

Rough 24 Hours

The past 24 hours have been pretty rough. Starting Thursday Kerstin was complaining of a headache and some general body aches. The Tylenol and Motrin was taking the edge off, but not getting rid of the pain. Yesterday morning Kerstin was in a lot of pain. She finally got exhausted enough to sleep for a while in the afternoon, but that was just a temporary reprieve for her. By bed time last night she was writhing in pain from head to toe. This is the most uncomfortable we have ever seen her. It was bad enough that she would even hold her breath to give her just a few seconds of relief. So, after a late night phone conversation with the on-call doctor and a trip to one of the 24 hour pharmacies in town, we have some stronger pain medicine which as of this morning seems to be helping. Kerstin is still experiencing some arm pain, but she is feeling good enough to get up and move around without complete misery.

Life is full of peaks and valleys, and we are obviously going through one of our valleys right now. Even with all the pain we have never heard Kerstin say, "Why me?" Since the beginning of this journey we have tried to teach her that life is not fair and God has a special purpose for all of us. Kerstin knows that she is not alone on this journey and there are many other children on the same path. With the help and support of these other "cancer kids", family, and friends, she has adopted our "take it head on" attitude and takes every day in stride knowing that we do what we have to do to make forward progress.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers, and please keep all of the other "cancer kids" lifted up as well.

New Scooter

Kerstin has been saving her money for something special. Yesterday she found it: a new scooter.

Today she had her doctor's appointment with Dr. G. Labs were good: ANC up to 2412. This is her ATRA week and she didn't get a headache until yesterday. Today she woke up with neck/back/arm/leg pain. We are hoping it is just from all the scooter riding yesterday. Dr. G is still concerned about the headaches and may become concerned about the whole body aches if the scooter riding theory doesn't hold up. Everything else checked out ok.

We hope everyone else has had a good week. The weekend is just around the corner :)

Sister's Web Site

Kerstin's sister, McKinsey, has started her own web site now. The link is over on the left titled "McKinsey's Corner".

ATRA Sunday

Today is day one of ATRA week. We are hoping a consistent dose of phenergan will help prevent (or reduce) the headaches that Kerstin experiences during her ATRA weeks. We are also scheduled to see Dr. G in Lincoln on Thursday for counts and a checkup.

The last couple of days have been great for playing outside and the girls made the most of them. We even had an spur of the moment picnic yesterday in the park. (Sorry, no pictures.) We hope you all had a great weekend. Abby and Hanna, hang in there.