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Discourse of pelvic nodes stool be smoothly nonsegregated into IMRT-based communicating policy

Discourse of pelvic nodes stool be smoothly nonsegregated into IMRT-based communicating policy

Management of pelvic nodes personalized past incorporation of patrol nodes (SN) containerful be without even trying joint into an IMRT-based conduct procedure, according to the imaginative cram conducted close to a assembly of researchers from T-bingen and Muenchen in Deutschland. The end capacity impression seems to perfectly command conceal singular pelvic nodes, which is indicated through the non-appearance of whatsoever nodal reappearance contained by cinque geezerhood of reinforcement.

The results of the con are to be presented at the 5th Denizen Multidisciplinary Encounter representing Urological Individual (EMUC) on 15-17 Nov 2013 in Marceille, Author.

“Radioactivity direction with long-term-androgen neediness has horizontal 1 facts as communication chance on the side of outrageous gamble prostatic human patients,” commented prompt inventor of the swot Dr. Arndt-Christian M-ller of the Eberhard-Karls-Universit-t T-bingen.

“Nevertheless, present is a exchange with look at to unwholesomeness and effect as regards the involvement of pelvic nodes into the contamination portals. With extraordinary conformal techniques much as IMRT in favour of actinotherapy of pelvic lymph nodes, goal size contouring becomes tremendously vital. Present-day are pattern node energy aim volumes, still the discrete lymph waste of contrary patients is not enchanted into statement.”

According to the researchers, these latest details on discrete numbering of custodian nodes into the pelvic measure dispersal end volumes with strength softened radiotherapy (IMRT) put that unwholesomeness with late discourse techniques is inadequate.

“With notice to ability, the non-existence of some nodal reply in the cavity indicates that the watch symptom supported 1 aggregate notion accurately covers singular pelvic lymph sewerage,” understood M-ller.

With regard to the imperil contour therein succession, much as tall endanger characterised in unified ordinal by way of Gleason register 8-10, end result ambit were leastways equivalent to accessible information of the unaltered action interval. Ergo, that picket node-based approximate justifies additional opinion including coeval dose-escalation strategies to prostatic in a improved approaching run.

“First, we concur that intervention of pelvic nodes personalized beside grouping of SN is workable with IMRT. In the second place, the non-appearance of whatever nodal pelvic response contained by pentad life of addition indicates effectuality of that personalized conduct abstraction, summarised M-ller.

“We keep in view an rehabilitation of Protein rule and with thirster bolstering and higher serene in sequence a animation advantage in behalf of patients with single 1 of 1 lymph nodes”.

According to the authors, the results of the lucubrate could be followed up via auxiliary estimate of dose-escalated IMRT to endocrine +/- SN-guided pelvic IMRT or communicating condition aft SN-biopsy with IMRT of prostate-only representing symptom anti patients and IMRT of prostatic +/- SN-guided IMRT in event of artificial pelvic nodes.

Copyright 2002 © Health News


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Princess Ramona, Beloved of Beasts

To purchase, click on book cover!

A very hungry creature is troubling the kingdom. A very grumpy king is locking up all suspicious critters, the tall and the small, while a tender-hearted and determined princess is setting them free.

The fire-breathing culprit is captured in friendship’s embrace and begins to change his ways but not before a knight comes stalking the beast, looking for his first dragonish trophy. Will the princess be able to save the dragon from the knight? And if the villagers’ flocks and crops are off-limits, how does one feed a large, rambunctious dragon?

A narrated, intricately illustrated read-aloud digital book optimized for the Retina iPad.

8 thoughts on “Princess Ramona, Beloved of Beasts

  1. Ruth Ingulsrud narrates her own story perfectly. The rich language, complemented by the lush illustrations of Thérèse Larsson, will appeal to grown-ups and intrigue young readers.

    • Hi JonJon, Good question. I am working on another story that is set in the arctic in Canada where the polar bears live. I’m not done yet, though. Your question has given me more motivation to keep working on it.

  2. Wow Ruth! So proud of you! The description here has sold me, and I am not even a kid. I would love to check a copy of this out from you sometime soon!

    • Hi Kay, We have a larger format hardcover copy (handmade) of this book in our library now to be checked out. Hope to see you at school soon. We are on Winter Break till Wednesday, Feb. 21.

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You Need These Tips To Succeed In Internet Marketing

More and more people are realizing the potential in online business, and that makes Website marketing a topic of increasing importance. One problem is that many people how to use the Internet for marketing, but since you searched and found this article, you are on your way to figuring it out. The information in this article can help you begin making extra income with Online marketing.

Build an email list as a pertinent resource. Include a sign-up page on your website, or ask for your customers’ email when they complete a purchase. Later, you can incorporate this information to market to your customers, as well as send them promotional materials or inquire about customer feedback.

Get feedback at every stage. This is important if you want to be successful because your potential customers expectations may not match yours. Use clients, peers and objective family members to critique your site and give feedback. Make sure you listen to what is said and make appropriate changes as necessary.

Make it easy for others to link their websites to yours by using a linking button. If you find website owners who have similar ideas as you, they will be happy to share links to your website.

Web Design

You should spend enough time to at least learn a little about web design. You can look up a lot of information online about learning HTML, CSS or other things that go into web design. Try and dedicate 30 minutes a day and in a few weeks you should know some good basics to apply to your webpage.

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Internet marketing isn’t just about advertising. It is about solving problems with the best solutions. Every day, you will have to solve problems in your business and help others as well. If you help other people with their issues, then they will purchase your products and tell others about it, that is what you want.

Incorporate a website banner which contains your mission statement or slogan, or possibly both. This helps to make the web site more professional and communicate your intentions to your visitors. Do this if you want to highlight the service that you offer.

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Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as a

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as a typical therapy have already been found in EGFR-mutated adenocarcinoma of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) individuals lately. the main indexed literature data source PubMed by looking the keywords such as for example EGFR mutation, Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and Non-adenocarcinoma. solid course=”kwd-title” Keywords: EGFR mutation, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, non-adenocarcinoma Launch The occurrence and mortality of lung cancers accounted for an extremely large percentage in malignant tumor on a worldwide range. Non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC) makes up about about 85% of most lung malignancies, and about 70% of sufferers with NSCLC are mainly diagnosed at past due stage, which leads to poor prognosis.1 Within the last 10 years, the breakthrough of epidermal development aspect receptor (EGFR) as well as the remarkable efficiency of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in sufferers with EGFR mutations produced a noticable change in the procedure ways of adenocarcinoma and gradually opened the period of NSCLC precise molecular focus on therapy.2,3 EGFR mutations had been significantly connected with nationality, gender, cigarette smoking history, and histology type.4 EGFR mutation price in mainland Chinese language NSCLC individuals was 36.2%C50.2%, significantly greater than that of other histological types.5,6 There have been seven Stage III randomized clinical research reviews during 2010C2014, which compared EGFR TKIs and chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC individuals. One thousand 1000 forty-nine individuals with EGFR mutations enrolled, which adenocarcinoma individuals accounted for 95.9% and non-adenocarcinoma patients accounted 915720-21-7 IC50 for 4.1%.7 Current clinical research of EGFR mutations mainly concentrated on lung adenocarcinoma, as well as the clinical pathology elements of EGFR 915720-21-7 IC50 mutations as well as the relationship with TKI treatment study of non-adenocarcinoma had 915720-21-7 IC50 been both inadequate. Effectiveness evaluation of TKIs in EGFR-mutated non-adenocarcinomas In today’s retrospective reviews, non-adenocarcinoma NSCLC included squamous cell carcinoma, adenosquamous cell carcinoma, large-cell lung carcinoma, sarcomatoid carcinoma, pleomorphic carcinoma, plus some additional uncommon types. A meta-analysis in 2014 included 5,442 individuals from 21 research.8 The entire EGFR mutation price was 37.5% (2,039/5,442). Individuals with adenocarcinoma experienced an increased mutation price than people that have non-adenocarcinoma (50.2% vs 17.0%, em P /em 0.001). A retrospective evaluation in 2016 examined 597 non-adenocarcinoma NSCLC individuals,9 as well as the EGFR mutation price was 12.9%. Cho et al reported 1,255 individuals with advanced NSCLC who approved gefitinib at Samsung INFIRMARY between January 2007 and July 2010.10 A complete of 77.7% (209/269) of adenocarcinoma individuals with EGFR mutation achieved complete or partial response to EGFR TKIs, as well as the median improvement free success (mPFS) of these was 11.27 months, as the response rate of non-adenocarcinoma individuals harboring EGFR mutation was 50% (6/12), as well as the mPFS of these was 3.67 months. The progression-free success (PFS) between both of these groups was considerably different ( em P /em 0.001). In non-adenocarcinoma, different histology types may accept different effectiveness (Desk 1). Desk 1 Effectiveness of TKIs in EGFR-mutated non-adenocarcinoma thead th valign=”best” align=”remaining” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ Writer /th th valign=”best” align=”remaining” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ Total instances /th th valign=”best” align=”remaining” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ TKIs /th th valign=”best” align=”remaining” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ Response price (%) /th th valign=”best” align=”remaining” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ PFS (weeks) /th /thead Shukuya et al1620 (ASC =2, SCC =16, LCLC =1, pleomorphic carcinoma =1)G35.03.1Cho et al1012 (ASC =3, SCC =8, others =1)G, E50.03.67Zeng et al176 (ASC =3, SCC =3)G, E100.09.2Xu et al951 (ASC=15, SCC=26, LCLC=10)G, E, I39.2SCC =3.98, ASC =8.08, LCLC =4.40 Open up in another Snap23 window Abbreviations: ASC, adenosquamous cell carcinoma; EGFR, epidermal development element receptor; E, erlotinib; G, gefitinib; I, icotinibwen; LCLC, large-cell lung carcinoma; PFS, progression-free success; SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; TKIs, tyrosine kinase inhibitors. As we realize, exon 19 deletion (del19) and an exon 21 L858R (L858R) mutation will be the two most common EGRF mutations taking place in NSCLC. Liu et al reported a meta-analysis in 2016, regarding to which advanced NSCLC sufferers, who acquired a del19, may acquire higher general response price, PFS, and general success after using TKIs weighed against the main one who acquired an L858R mutation.11 However, until now, there is absolutely no literature which has reported the difference between del19 and L858R after EGFR-TKIs treatment in non-adenocarcinoma lung cancers sufferers. Hence, inside our review, we simply talked about the EGRF mutation as a standard concept instead of.


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Frida Custom Fine Jewellery

Where jewellery becomes art

Frida is an exceptional boutique dedicated to impeccably-crafted fine jewellery and a commitment to beauty, quality and design. From innovative contemporary styles to tradition with directional modernity, the emphasis is always craftsmanship and artistry. We welcome you to join us in a warm atmosphere conducive to great conversation, laughter and, of course, fabulous jewellery.

Contact Info

1477 Lower Water Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 3Z4

Phone: 902-492-2947

Store Hours

Tuesday, Wednesday: 10am – 6pm
Thursday, Friday: 10am – 8pm
Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Other times by appointment

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Senior Golf Day

View of the greens for one of the holes on the course at Blackhawk Golf Club in Pflugerville, Texas

Senior Golf Day at Blackhawk
Each Wednesday | $24 Per Player

Come join the fun and fellowship at our Wednesday Senior Golf Day! This is your chance to get together with a great group of senior golfers, enjoy some friendly competition and play two great golf courses. Bring your own foursome, or we will pair you up. Open to Senior players age 60 and above. For individual or group signup, just give us a call! Wednesday check-in is at 8:30 am, with a 9 am shotgun start.

Format is Individual Stroke Play. Entry fee includes:

  • Green Fee
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  • Prize Fund
  • Draft Beer

Optional $5 Skins Game — plus add an optional $5 meal upgrade! Sign up today and enjoy a great day of golf!

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RAMSEY, N.J.: Comport, a leading disaster recovery provider of cloud storage solutions and business applications, recently held a dialog on four essential business tasks that can be aided significantly by cloud storage
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Corporate Executive New Year Diaries 2011, Delhi, India

Make a lasting impression… put your company name where it will be remembered.

Exalon Promotion are designed to make life easier. The perfect combination of high quality, design and functionality combined with everyday practicality ensures that your business gifts will be a success and appreciated long after they are received – keeping your company uppermost in your customers’ thoughts.

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This is crazy, but they have wi-fi (2 hours for free) at this Texas highway reststop between Temple and Austin. Crazy I say but I love it!

So far the trip has been nice. I feel like I’m crossing some kind of time warp because spring is about 2 weeks further along here than it is in Oklahoma. And I’ve already seen a fair number of bluebonnets along the highway which is cool.


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Quadro GV100 Redefines ESRI Performance and Capabilities

Posted by PNY Pro on Thu, Aug 02, 2018 @ 01:58 PM

At the recent ESRI User Conference, the world’s premier GIS event in San Diego, ESRI users discovered why the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 is the perfect way to bring their GIS data to life. Attendees learned how ESRI takes advantage of Quadro GPU-accelerated deep learning on the ArchGis platform to streamline the creation of 3D content for mapping and analytics.

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Rainy day

I could probably write several long chapters about how much I don't like winter and how much I despise walking in the rain. But I'll stop and quietly dream about the warm summer days.

Our dogs seem to take after us and avoid the rain as much as they can.

Jake goes out of his way to hide inside the house when we ask him to go for a potty break outside. It's just too bad that he's so big and we always find him. We keep repeating "Jake, go outside!" and he keeps avoiding his obligation. He goes outside and makes a quick u-turn when he realizes it's cold and wet.

Abbey tolerates the rain, when we put a rain coat on her. While Pete goes for the more dramatic approach. He won't step a foot in the water, he looks like a leaping frog jumping over the puddles on our walks. And when it rains he drags his heals and squints his little eyes.

Today the weather has been crazy, one minute sunny the next minute heavy rain. While I was walking Oliver, he couldn't care less about the rain and was very optimistic about seeing squirrels. While I was trying to be optimistic about having one walk without the rain today.

On my second walk, we almost made it home dry. If only Pete was walking a little bit faster. He seems to slow down when you dress him up.

When we were five minutes away for home, the sky turned black...I didn't need to see a forecast to know that it was going to be heavy rain again. Sure enough! Within a couple of minutes we were soaking wet, Pete looked like a drown rat and didn't want to walk. I had to pick him up and Abbey was glad to speed up.

While I was getting grumpy about the rain, I looked at the Pete in my arms. Water was running off his face and looked like he just had a bath. I noticed he was paddling with his front paws. Poor guy probably thought he was in the water and had to swim to get home. Oh yes, it's always a good storm when your dog has to paddle home :)

You can visit our Facebook page for more photos:

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Christmas Cheer ♥♥♥

Even though we're not very big on Christmas decorations at home, we look forward to walking through our neighborhood to checking out the Christmas lights. We live close to Willow Glen and they're very festive and big on the Christmas Cheer.

I've been planning on expanding my daily walks to explore downtown San Jose. I used to look at the Christmas decorations from the light rail when I was passing through, but never had the chance to see them close up. They have the most beautiful Christmas in the Park decoration.

I only wished I had checked if dogs were allowed to walk through the park. I just assumed that since it's in the public place and they don't have any restriction in this park normally that we would be okay. Sadly they had signs on every corner and entrance to the park 'no dogs allowed', so we were peering in from the outskirts of the park and making a googly eyes at the beautiful decoration.

I didn't think the dogs would get kick out of this, but it's something that I wanted to see and visit for many years. But usually when I'm done walking dogs, I don't feel like going out for another walk by myself. Today I walked close 10 miles (between all of our dogs), but it was worth it. Pete and Abbey had a great time watching all the Christmas decoration, it was Christmas Cheer overload - moving decorations, music and lights. I think Abbey would have loved to take the Clockmakers Shop home, she stood there watching in amazement. She still gets mesmerized when she hears a rooster and she loves bubbles, so you can imagine her surprise when she saw her two favorite things all at once.

I thought we would have a quiet afternoon browsing downtown San Jose, I forgot about the little kids that don't yet go to school. So we had to negotiate lots people who wanted to check out the Christmas decorations also. Abbey and Pete don't know how to act casual and lay low...when I asked Abbey and Pete to sit in front of the big Christmas tree to have their photo taken; Pete thought the ground was too cold to sit on so perched himself on top of Abbey. People thought it was adorable and wanted to take photos of them and meet them.

They loved all the attention :)

Saturday, September 8, 2012

All grown up

It's been almost three years since we adopted Abbey from the San Martin Animal Shelter. Abbey our first dog has given us a great learning opportunity in to what it's like to own and care for a dog. I still can't believe we didn't return her back to the shelter. She was too smart, even at four months old, and knew how to manipulate us from the day one we got her home.

You can read about her first year with us at this blog 'One year since we adopted Abbey...the first six months'. We'll be forever in debt to Our Pack, they helped us so much in our first year with Abbey, including weekly training classes, socialization for Abbey, and tips on how to raise her to be a good dog. Not that Abbey was ever a bad dog, but we did a great job spoiling her and as every spoiled child she behaved like a brat. We had to learn how to give her tough love, and teach her that nothing in life is for free. She had to sit and wait for something instead of grabbing it from our hands or sit and wait to be invited to sit with us on a sofa instead of just jumping all over us and pulling on our clothes (fun times!).

Our second year with Abbey became even more fun when we adopted Jake. We found Jake residing at the Hayward Animal Shelter. We had a blast watching these two crazy teenagers falling in love and bonding with each other. You can read more about Jake's adoption at  And than there was Jake..... It was almost like they had an inside joke and they would spontaneously goof around together.

We're now into our third year with Abbey and Jake, we've watched them grow older and mature into a well behaved dogs. We wanted to keep socializing our dogs with other dogs and also help other dogs to find a home. So we started to foster dogs for Our Pack. Fostering, gives us an opportunity to socialize Abbey and Jake with a new dog every few months. Our dogs have welcomed every foster that has come through our house, they've shown them how to have a good time and how to live within our house, including where to sleep, what do you with toys, what you can chew on and how to play with other dogs. Over the last year we've fostered four or possibly five dogs if you include Petey, who we adopted after a few weeks of fostering :o).

Maddie -Penny - Chevy

Penny, Chevy and Lenny all came from Our Pack. We love fostering for Our Pack as they know our dogs really well and always make sure every foster dog will fit into our family. We also love that whenever we come across a new behavior we can always call Our Pack and ask for help or guidance. We learn so much from each foster dog and are getting more experienced as a dog owners. At the same time Abbey, Jake and Petey get a new buddy to play with.

Leonard (Lenny) and Petey
The last three years have been a blast and we're so thankful to Our Pack for their support.

Thank you Our Pack for having our backs and teaching us to be the responsible dog owners.

Our Pack dogs by Alzbeta&Nigel
Our Pack Fans, a photo by Alzbeta&Nigel on Flickr.
For more adventures about dogs you can visit 'Sharing a Life' on Facebook page.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

You never know what you'll find standing below the higway

Whenever we drive home on the I-280 I always admire this house located just below the highway on Lincoln Avenue. It looks a picture perfect house with white picket fence and beautiful garden. I found myself dreaming, trying to imagine what the area used to look like before they built the highway and the recycling center across the street. It must have had a great view at one time, possible overlooking a farm or an orchard.

I tried walking there once or twice in the past with our dogs and all I remember that right after this beautiful house there's another house with two large dogs that would bark at us profusely as we approached their house through a wired fence. So we didn't spend much time hanging around.

Roberto-Sunol Adobe historical landmark # 898 from 1836

Today we deviated from our usual morning walk. As I wanted to withdraw some money from an ATM machine. I then made my to to downtown Willow Glen, on the way, I stumbled upon my favorite white house, we stood there for a while admiring the house. I then noticed a memorial plaque which explained the history of the house.

"This historic adobe was built in 1836 by a native Californian, Roberto Balermino, on Rancho de los Coches, which was officially granted to him by Governor Micheltorena in 1844. The one-story dwelling was enlarged in 1847 by the new owner, Antonio Suñol, the second story and balcony were added in 1853 by Captain Stefano Splivalo. "

It's quite an interesting discovery as this house is a historical landmark from 1836, #898: Roberto-Sunol Adobe. For more details about the Roberto-Sunol Adobe you can visit this website:

It's hard to believe that in 1853 somebody purchased the house and 55 acres for mere $3000. I'm glad that the city decided against demolishing this historical landmark and build the highway around it. Today the building serves as Law Offices.

After our mini adventure we walked through downtown Willow Glen stopping at our local coffee shop on the way home. Lenny and Petey enjoy hanging outside the coffee shop and love the all the attention that they receive from people passing by. It only takes a couple of minutes for them to settle down and find their comfortable spot. We don't pick Petey up he has to make do, just like our other dogs. Although, he usually takes advantage of the other big dog and sleeps on their back...not a daft dog ;o)

One compliment caught me off guard, when a ladies voice said 'What well behaved dogs these are!' and then I turned around I saw a policewoman in uniform. I stuttered a reply: 'Yes, they're.' I'm a dork around cops and always get nervous; even though I've never been arrested or even inside a police station.

What a fun day; I can't wait to see what else we come across on our daily walks through our neighborhood.

Arrivederci, until our next adventure...

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Everybody is called Pete

When we bought the baby gates we really liked the cat door and thought it would be useful for our cats. Except our dogs were able to wiggle their way threw, that was back in December 2010. I guess we didn't realize that there's a weight limit 55lbs and over ;o)

Lenny is around 20 months old and is not as wide as Abbey, so he can still make it through. Last time we weight him, he was 51.5 lbs.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Urban walk downtown Willow Glen

A sculpture called Portal in Bramhall Park by Keith Bush by Alzbeta&Nigel

Lenny's favorite walk is downtown Willow Glen, where he gets to meet lots of new friends.

Lenny is always confident that people will fall in love with him and want to pet him. I must admit that he really is very good at stopping people in his way. When he sees somebody that he'd like to meet, he
tries his best to walk towards them or he just sits down and waits for them to come to him. At times we have to make sure he doesn't apply this technique to bicyclist coming our way or unsuspecting people that could trip over him. But nine out of ten times this works great for Lenny; people are happy to say hi to him.

Today when we were walking by local gym, he used his charm on the whole gym staff and they all came outside to pet this handsome boy. He was a happy camper going from one person to the next. At the same time Petey was trying his best to avoid being stepped on by Lenny; it's hard to be so little sometime when your buddy is an elephant ;o)

Both Abbey and Lenny are shameless flirts and love to meet people, they're great at starting conversations with random strangers. They would be perfect for a single gal, looking for a new guy or the other way round ;o). Good thing is that Lenny is available for adoption from Our Pack and you can have your own flirty dog to walk downtown and meet new people. Lenny is the perfect companion if you just want to browse downtown or sit outside a coffee shop and just watch the world go by.

Recently, we've noticed several new shops opening in the downtown area of Willow Glen, this includes a new chocolate shop, the "Crepevine", "The Table" restaurant, and a new Unleashed by Petco. It's awesome to see the town buzzing with new businesses this year.

We also noticed an upcoming event Taste For Trees, Willow Glen Wine Walk 2012

A little further on and we saw an artist working on his mural,we stopped and admired his work for a while. I can't wait to see it finished, it's going to be beautiful.

There's a surprise behind each corner of Willow Glen. For more adventures of our dogs, you can check our facebook page.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Finders, keepers

DSCN0097 by Alzbeta&Nigel
DSCN0097, a photo by Alzbeta&Nigel on Flickr.
Our foster dog Leonard, is very easy going and fun loving dog. He finds joy in simplest things and is always happy to share with our dogs.

Lenny loves laundry days, all of the sudden the ordinary cloth or sock become a great tag toy. I don't ever remember Abbey or Jake ever having such an imaginative mind as Lenny.

Penny, one of our previous foster dogs, used to collect shoes.

DSCN6670 by Alzbeta&Nigel
DSCN6670, a photo by Alzbeta&Nigel on Flickr.

Living with dogs, we had to learn to put things away and out of their reach. So I guess we should thank them helping us go minimalist in our house.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Lenny hiking with HikeABull at the Palo Alto Baylands

Palo Alto Baylands was just as exciting for Lenny as his first time there. Lenny had so much fun watching the ducks and geese and tracking various scents...well mainly duck poop.  When I asked Lenny if he was snacking on the way; he gave me the most innocent look ;o)

Being the beginner HikeABull member, Lenny was feeling a little bit like Goldilocks. He was trying to find his spot in the pack. Middle wasn't quite right, at the back it was too lonely and at the front of the pack it was just right.

We love HikeABull structure, there's no dog to dog meeting during the hike. It helps to teach our dogs boundaries. They're learning to stay calm around other dogs and that they don't need to play every time they see another dog.

When we came home, Lenny found the nearest bed and fell asleep for the rest of the evening. The hike wasn't long or difficult but there was lots of stimulation. I'm sure he was still dreaming about his duck friends - he sounded like a water cooler dispenser (barking in his dream) and his feet were twitching.

HikeABull @ Palo Alto Baylands by Alzbeta&Nigel

If somebody is interested, Lenny is single handsome dog and is available for adoption from Our Pack, Inc.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Snuggle buddies

Snuggle buddies by Alzbeta&Nigel
Snuggle buddies, a photo by Alzbeta&Nigel on Flickr.
It looks like our foster dog Lenny is adjusting great to our house routine.

In the morning we go for a nice long walk stroll around our neighborhood. After everybody finished their walks, we let all the dogs out in the garden for the play time. Make their breakfast, congratulate ourselves on job well done and watch the dogs lounging around taking their naps.

Lenny or Petey are usually the last one to give up on the fun time and cruise around the living room bagging Jake and Abbey for one more play. I love to watch their crazy stuff, muzzle punch the other dog and run away, in hope that they will motivate them to play. The other favorite game is, I got your foot what you gone do about it.  And all of the sudden they realize they're tired and crush wherever they're.

I remember the time when Abbey and Jake the young snappers and in threw lots of wild parties in our house. We used to wonder if they would ever stop playing. These day they play a little bit and sleep a lot.  It's amazing how changes in to two years.

For more information about our foster dog Leonard, visit Our Pack website.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Cowboy Petey walking with Leonard

Petey and Lenny make an interesting pair walking in our neighborhood. Quite often I see people smiling at them and giving them compliments.

Both of them flirt with people shamelessly and love all the attention. Even our short walks end up longer with all the stops :)

Leonard is available for adoption from Our Pack

5370672016_71493db65e_b by Alzbeta&Nigel
5370672016_71493db65e_b, a photo by Alzbeta&Nigel on Flickr.

Forever Sweethearts, Abbey & Jake... Testing Flickr blogger sharing

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Coming out the closet...

Most of my friends know about my addiction to the dog collars, but I've always kept it a secret exactly how many collars our dogs have.

It all started when we adopted Abbey. We searched all the pet stores and dog boutiques in our area and every city we visited. We wanted a cute collar that would reflect our pup's personality and was also practical. Abbey always was and still is a bubbly girl who loves to meet people, but often she would blend in the crowd with her black coat.

When we found the first martingale collar that wasn't boring, we were excited and happy for Abbey to have something cute. The downside of Abbey being a short hair dog, is that the collar was rough on her skin and over the time it was leaving marks on her neck.

By chance we saw Sirius Republic commenting on Our Pack Facebook post. We followed Sirius Republic to their facebook website, we were pleasantly surprised by Jennifer's hard work and her beautiful collars.

We love red on Abbey and we fell in love with the Sirius Republic Red Leopard print collar. Abbey was a star in her collar and got noticed by people. She was like a walking advertisement Sirius Republic collars. Soon lots of our buddies from training class and friends discovered what beautiful collar Jennifer makes. Good word spreads fast ;-)

As Abbey was growing up and we adopted our second dog, we soon purchased our second batch of collars. Abbey and Jake had matching Red and Blue Leopard collars.

I was always amazed by the quality and durability of these collars, our dogs put them to the test when they were young.

The only thing that would make these collars perfect, if they repel the mud these guys like to roll in. I'd also like a sofa that would be slobber day in the future perhaps ;o)

Blue Paisley and Purple Bloom collars

When we bought Abbey and jake their first leather collar by Paco. We matched it with the Sirius Republic collar. As we were worried if they pulled on the leather collar, they would stretch them out of shape.

1" chain martingale

Jennifer was very kind and let us choose a fabric for our dogs' collar so we would have one of a kind collars. My advice is, never go shopping for fabric with your friends. You'll always buy more than you need.

When we ordered  a custom collars for each of our own dogs, we also had a custom made collar for our foster dog. It was embroided  with "Adopt Me" to let people know our handsome foster dog was available for adoption on our daily walks.

We've since used the "Adopt Me" collars on our other foster dogs. I only wished we didn't make it light blue as it's hard to keep clean.

It would be hard to say which one is my favorite collar. But I like the collar which was made in support of our favorite dog rescue, Our Pack. I like their slogan "Don't Judge Learn". Many people are intimidated by Jake's look and his size. But he's the gentlest boy I know, it's so easy to hurt his feeling and his favorite thing is to be a lap dog.

These is our latest addition to our collection. Little bit of tropical print for our laid back pack. Aloha!

It's coming close to three years since we started shopping with Sirius Republic and we couldn't be a happier.

We still have all the collars that we've purchased over the years, some are looking worn and used but still as strong as they were when we received them.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Our Weekend Adventures...

I love weekends, but they go by way to quickly for my liking. Weekends give both of us some time to hang out with our dogs together. Normally I'm home alone with the dogs while Nigel is working. Saturday morning is usually taken up by hiking with HikeABull or close friends. Sunday is training day with "Our Pack" . Although Jake and Abbey are well trained you can never get enough training or break the consistency. The other aspect of taking the dogs to training is that we get to meet and hangout with an awesome group of people, who have helped with our development to become responsible dog owners.

HikeABull at Joseph D. Grant County Park
It's through the Our Pack training group that we first learned that there were local dog hiking groups, later on we joined the HikeABull group. We started hiking when Abbey was around six months old. At this time Abbey was a rambunctious puppy, full of life and ready to play with any dog or person. Abbey couldn't resist meeting other dogs. Hiking within a group provided an environment in which Abbey could learn that it was okay to be around other dogs without the need to meet all of them.

Exploratory hike at Loch Lomond Recreation  Area
Unfortunately, not long after we started hiking, Abbey suffered a knee injury that stopped us hiking with the group for several months. Abbey did eventually recover from her injury, which allowed us to start hiking again. During the time we weren't able to hike with adopted Jake.

Hiking with a group of well managed dogs is so beneficial to Jake and Abbey. For Abbey it allows her to further develop her manners around other dogs. She's so much better these days then when we first started hiking, she no longer tries to rush up to the other dogs. Although, she still tries to steal the occasional sniff and kiss from dogs that walk along side her. Jake lacks confidence but in a pack he's the most confident, happy dog around. He loves walking with other dogs but unlike Abbey is less inclined to meet and greet them. While walking with the group he holds his head high and proud.

HikeABull at Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve
After regularly attending hikes organized by Lark for several months, we felt the need to pay something forward for the work that Lark had been doing for quite some time and so offered our services as hike organizers. We've been organizing hikes now for around nine months without too many problems. The biggest problem we face is Jake and Abbey are so tightly bonded that it's sometime hard for us to be separated in the group. When we're out hiking with HikeABull, we like to have an organizer at the front and back to ensure all members return safely. If Jake and Abbey go out sight they will either start pulling towards each other to catch up or simple put the brakes on so the other one can catch up.

Exploratory hike at Mt. Madonna
Another difficulty is making hikes enjoyable and interesting. We don't like to use the same hikes repeatedly, so we're also on the lookout for new places to go. Tracy, the forth HikeABull organizer has a great knowledge of the county and national parks and is an excellent map reader. Frequently, the organizers together with a small group of members will go out mid week searching for new hikes that would be suitable for a larger group. Sometimes the exploratory hikes are successful and other times they're not. We have to take quite a few things in to account when searching for new hikes, including, difficulty, parking, making sure dogs are permitted and that the park is strictly on-leash only. We also need to think about how busy the trails will be at the weekend and whether we're going to be sharing the trail with mountain bikers or horse riders.

Exploratory hike Butano State Park
All in all HikeABull has been unbelievable helpful in both Abbey's and Jake's development. We've also used HikeABull to help with our foster dogs as it's an excellent way to socialize dogs in a safe and friendly environment. We have such an amazing group of people within HikeABull that the hikes are always over way too soon.

~Nigel and Alzbeta

Abbey and Kelly on their exploratory hike at Almaden QuickSilver County Park. We found a secret trail .

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Introducing Penny Foster Dog

This post is a little overdue, but we thought it was about time that we introduced our latest foster dog 'Penny' foster dog.

Penny was originally called Breeze, but as she was starting out a new life with us we gave her a new name. And going with our tradition of using our favorite TV characters as inspiration, we came up with Penny who appears on 'The Big Bang Theory'.

Since Penny arrived she's been attending the Our Pack training class, her she is today in front of Chubby, and Harley (a Pug and French Bulldog).

Penny has also started hiking with us and HikeABull, her she is with Abbey on an Elderbull walk.

Although Penny is much happier chilling out in the garden on a warm day with her foster brother and sister.

Penny is a city girl and likes nothing better than to stroll down the high street window shopping, and hanging out at coffee shops.

And what could be better after all that walking (and sleeping)....a personal cat massage...

You can check out all the adventures Penny has on her very own Facebook page

If anyone out there is interested in giving Penny a permanent home she is available from Our Pack Inc.

American Shelter Dog

When we're out walking, most people call our dogs pit bulls. I don't mind them being called pit bulls, however, I no longer find this an accurate description. To me, the two dogs above are very different, in both appearance and temperament. Abbey (the black dog on the right) is tall and leggy (confident yet very excitable) and Jake (the dog on the left) is shorter and has a more stocky build (he's also very shy of strangers).

Earlier this year, we performed DNA testing on our two dogs. When Jake's DNA results came back we were pretty excited and were pleased that we got at least one of his breeds right - American Staffordshire Terrier. His second breed is American Bulldog.

Jake's DNA results

When Abbey's DNA results arrived, you could say we were a little surprised. We thought she was a American Pit Bull Terrier mix. So when we looked at her DNA, we couldn't believe our eyes! I could believe she had some Doberman Pinscher in her as she has long legs, sleek body and long nose. But I failed to see Cocker Spaniel in her at all.

Abbey's DNA

It is said that only a small percentage, about 5 or 10% accounts for their look. You could chose to believe the DNA result or not. But Abbey's DNA results show that it's extremely difficult to guess the breed based on looks alone. I looked at Abbey's DNA and thought to myself, eight breeds! What kind of the dog are you? Are you a Doberman or Cocker Spaniel? In the end I came back to the same conclusion as before, she's a good dog.

Even though I have a rough idea of the breeds that make up Jake and Abbey, I'm still aware that in public they'll be judged simply by their looks and not whether their a good dog or bad dog. So whenever we're out in public we always make sure our dogs are well behaved in public.


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Saturday, February 14, 2009

Hey, Goat!

Oh wow, it's been a long time since I've had anything to add to the Roadside Animal collection. Jake and I discovered this group last weekend when we went out to do some bird watching. It would have been a successful day if all we saw were these goats but we also saw bald eagles, geese, ducks (several different varieties) , swans, a red-tail hawk, a small unidentified hawk, woodpeckers, and some very cool looking draft horses.  It was a great afternoon.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

I'm Hooked On You

I've really enjoyed working with the new stamps from The Rubber Café. This set, hooked on you, wasn't my favorite at first, but it quickly grew on me and now I want to use it all the time. Perfect for the little fisherman in your life.

I had a great time making these little treat cards with my class this last Saturday. With a 2 ¾" x 8 ½" sheet of paper, I scored at 2 ½", 3", 5 ½" & 6". I punched a shape for the hole at one end, folded that end inside and then taped it down. These are perfect for a tiny valentine treat, a quick thank you, or just to say HI. I would have loved to have used heart candy inside…but I couldn't seem to find them in the stores when I made this project.
I hope you enjoy and have a great week!

Ann Kranitz said...

O my goodness, what a great little treat!!! Love what you did here.

TesaB said...

Cute as could be, and what a lovely treat bag!!!

patty said...

wonderful and what a lovely stamp!!!!!


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Monday, May 12, 2014

May Creative Cafe' Kit of the Month -Cupcake Gate Fold

Hi Everyone!  I'm here today to share my first project with you featuring our May Kit- How Sweet it is!

It's a sweet card made with a simple gate fold.  Featuring the stamp set included in your kit- Make Life Sweet.  I used the cupcakes from the set to overlap at the card opening.

To begin, I cut my card base from Kraft cardstock at 5 1/2 x 8 1/2" -
I scored in at 2 1/8" from each end.  Folding in each side so the ends meet in the middle I used my bone folder to get a nice sharp fold.

Now I'm ready to decorate my card.  I cut pieces to fit on each flap of the outside, and using patterned paper I placed that just on the inside and finished by adding a stamped and fussy cut cupcake.  I also stamped the phrase let them eat cupcakes' -  to finish the inside.

 I stamped colored and fussy cut out 3 more cupcakes, 2 were the same, to allow for a more balanced look

 I applied them to the front openings with the first and third cupcakes adhered on the lower half of the card and only from the bottom half of the cupcake so card can still open.  The middle cupcake is adhered to the top half of the card - again just adhering the top portion of the cupcake.  See my photo above.

 To finish I stamped and punched out the phrase Happy Birthay!  and adhered it over the ribbon I had tied in a simple square not around the lower flap of the card.   I also added some word stickers and pearl gems to each cupcake both embellishments included in your kit.
These cupcakes and other images from the stamp set are so much fun to color and embellish!  I used my Wink of Stella glitter pens a lot on all my 'sweet' confections, it just seemed to make them look all the more sugary!
Paper: The Rubber Cafe' - Creative Cafe' Kit of the month for May- How Sweet it is!- Melissa Frances 6x6 pad
Embellishments: Ribbon; Pearls; Word Stickers all from the kit
Tools:  Scor-Pal

Kristine Reynolds said...

Love the inside patterned paper!

Mary-Ann Maldonado said...

Love how the cupcakes need to fold into each other to close. Cute idea.

Gloria Stengel said...

Great way to use the cupcakes!


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Thursday, September 8, 2011

My Miracle Birth

I've apparently never been much of a blogger. You can see that the majority of the posts are by Trevor and my last post was in 2009. I guess I never felt like I had anything worth posting to the world. Besides, I'm not much of a talker, I'd much rather listen. But with the recent turn of events in our life, I'm thinking maybe I can share a little about our experience. It's a very personal one and something that is so near and dear to my heart, so part of me hesitates to post such a personal experience to the whole world. So much has happened in the past month that I'd like to remember and recount. I know that blog posts are usually in a sequential and chronological order, but I think I'll just share things as they come to me. However it's probably important that I at least start with what happened. Half of the following account was written on Saturday, August 6th. The rest I completed today.  This is obviously a really long and detailed post, perhaps more for myself (especially since the first half was just a journal entry) than others, but I'd like to share it.

I have felt such an array of emotions in the past day and a half that I don’t even know where to begin, but I want this part of my life to always be remembered, or at least have a record of its reality. How it feels and what the turn of events have been and are. I don’t know where to begin and I feel so emotionally drained that I can’t begin to try to recount what has happened but I want the details to be recorded before they get fuzzy.

On Wednesday I went to book club with my friends in Provo. A friend had asked if my mid-wife had been doing “non-stress tests.” I said no, but looked up what it was exactly. Essentially it is monitoring baby’s heart and movements to make sure baby is okay. On Tuesday I had had a prenatal and his heart was great and he was kicking around so much that night at dinner. Trevor and I want to Café Rio to celebrate 41 weeks. (I’m crying now thinking that was the last time Luke was with me). I even thanked him out loud for being such a good mover and helping mommy not worry and know that he was okay still. People had started inquiring about being induced, but I felt there was no reason to. Healthy baby, healthy mom we’re just gonna keep going. Wednesday night when I got home from book club I laid on the couch waiting for movements. I wasn’t really getting any. I thought maybe I was being hypersensitive/paranoid because of people’s concerns.

Thursday I was feeling more concerned. I had a list of tons of things to do but I was quite immobilized. I called Sherri and she said that babies sometimes rest up a lot before delivery so birth could just be coming soon. I don’t remember if it was before or after I spoke with Sherri but I had a moment where I just broke down. I was just so scared that he wasn’t okay. I wandered through the house trying to do things like put away the laundry and tidy up and I just cried. It was pretty uncontrollable. So many thoughts raced through my head and I even spoke so many of them out loud. I thought about not having the baby as part of our life and I wondered what I would do with my life since I have been planning to be a stay at home mom. As I cried, I pleaded out loud with Heavenly Father and with the baby to just move so I knew that he was okay. There was nothing. I don’t remember if I slept or sat for a while on the couch unable to do much of anything. I wanted so bad to just have someone check me for a heart rate so I knew he was okay. I thought about driving to Sherri’s or to another midwife’s that lives in Payson. For whatever reason I didn’t head over to have her or anyone else check me. I drank some juice and waited to feel movements. I think it was then that I went into denial that everything was “okay.” I thought maybe I had felt him move and realized I couldn’t just fret about it because there was stuff to be done. I needed to go to the church and take care of my visiting teaching stuff and get ready for friends coming over for dinner. So I tried to put my worries aside and just go to work.

The next day Trevor asked if I had felt the baby move. I replied “yes, in my sleep.” I hadn’t felt him move, but I was trying to be optimistic that he was okay. Maybe optimistic isn’t the right word. I think denial is probably what it was. Of course he was okay. He’s been a healthy, striving baby this whole time and of course I’m going to deliver a healthy, happy baby shortly. So I had called Sherri and planned to come see her. For me, it was to put my mind at ease and she wanted to talk about things we should start doing to see if we could get labor happening.

Trevor and I got to Sherri’s around 2:30. We started by having her check my dilation. It was only at 1cm but she thought I was 70-80% effaced. She thought that if we put some borage oil on my cervix that we would surely get things going. I wasn’t feeling quite ready for that because there were some last minute things I wanted to finish up before baby came. I knew that I needed to hear Luke’s heart to put my mind at ease about not really feeling movements. She got out the Doppler and checked, and checked, and checked. I thought surely she’ll get it. And she thought she had something for a second so maybe it was just not coming. I knew it had to be there. He had to be okay still. Or at least that’s what I told myself.

She looked at me with big concerned eyes and said “This isn’t good you guys.”

But how could something really be wrong? Just on Tuesday we were chatting at my appointment and my friend/neighbor had asked what type of complications she’s dealt with. Sherri replied, “Heavenly Father blesses me with easy births.”

This comment was like insurance, right? Sherri get’s easy births. So mine will be easy. I’m with Sherri and I’m healthy and strong and we’re just going to have a great delivery.

So she goes to call a doctor to see if we can get an ultra sound right away. At this point the denial starts to wear off and the reality is sinking in. I know I was crying and I just kept saying I’m sorry to Trevor. I was afraid I had done something wrong by not going in sooner. I was just crying and concerned and all the feelings that I had had the day before were coming back: fear, concern, worry about what other’s would think, concern about our future, anxiety. I don’t even know if those words accurately describe it. Trevor reassured me that I hadn’t done anything wrong and that nothing was my fault. I felt so responsible though for the life of our son because he was inside of me and I’ve been the one making sure I’m healthy so he can grow big and strong and the one calling most of the shots about the prenatal care and birth options.

The mood had changed to quite a sullen one as the reality of everything was settling in.

The doctor’s office was located at the American Fork Central Utah Clinic. When we got there I inquired if they were connected with the Central Utah Clinic in Provo. Fortunately they were so I told them I should already be in the system. I was so relieved that I didn’t have to sit and fill out paper work before they would see me. There was no way that I would be able to sit and do that then.

When they called us back, I numbly followed the lady back to the ultra sound room. As I lay on the table I barely had my eyes open as she did the ultra sound. I knew she wasn’t finding a heartbeat and I just cried. It broke my heart to know the truth of what was happening. She simply said, “I’ll go get the doctor,” and left us there.

It’s all quite foggy to me, but I know that we went into a room to sit and wait to see the doctor. I know that Trevor was by my side. I don’t know what the doctor came in and said to us. So many times within the next 24 hours people would be saying something and I wouldn’t be hearing them. My thoughts were elsewhere. We concluded that we would go to the hospital so I could be induced and deliver the baby. The doctor asked if we needed to go home and get anything. What could we possibly need? We just went right to the hospital. Luckily the doctor had delivering rights at the Mt. Timpanogos hospital because that’s the one that is in our insurance network so we were able to go there.

When we arrived I decided I should call my mom before we went inside. I briefly gave her the news and it was obviously quite upsetting to her. The conversation was brief and we went into the hospital.

The nurses staff was so cheerful and excited to great us, until Sherri informed them that we were Dr. Parker’s induction that had just been called in and arranged. They inquired if I had been to the hospital before and fortunately I had. All they needed from me was my ID and insurance info. Again I was so relieved that we did not have to sit around and fill out paper work. I couldn’t have done it. Not then. I just need to move forward with things.

Before long I was in a room, gowned up, with an IV in me and ready to have the Pitocin started.

On August 8th I wrote, "It's getting hard to go back and type about everything. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve verbally told the story so much or if just with time passing details are leaving me. Which is why I want to capture them before they are lost."

It's now an entire month later and I am just finishing writing about Luke's birth story. Some details, I'm sure have slipped away by now, but better late than never.

It was about 5:30 or 6pm when the Pitocin was started. They started at 4 units and planed to increase it 4 units every half hour. I didn't like being in the hospital gown and the first nurse (who had left by 6) tried to have me laying down with a monitor on me. I wasn't comfortable so I ditched the monitor for a while and just sat on the bed. This is where the details get fuzzy. At some point my mom and step-dad, Chris, came down. My mom was going to our house in Payson to get some things for us. The hospital had told us that they would have a photographer come and take some pictures so my mom got some stuff for that. It seemed so petty and even vain that I requested my mom to bring my makeup for me, but I knew it would be our only family picture and I wanted to like it. She also brought different shirts for Trevor and me, a little collared onesie that had been a shower gift for Luke, a baby blue blanket (also a shower gift), and the quilt that I had made for Luke.

I wasn't really feeling any contractions so the Pitocin kept getting increased (it eventually was increased to the maximum, 20 units, without concern since we weren't monitoring the baby). We didn't know how long labor would be and being a first-time mom we anticipated it being quite long. We decided I should try to sleep and get some rest for what might be a long night ahead. At some point I sent a text message, summarizing what had happened, to my friends Ashley and Jenny. It read:

I wasn't feeling kicks so I went to see Sherri. She couldn't get a heart beat so we went to get an ultrasound. Our little Luke has gone to heaven. I could use the prayers of friends for a speedy and easy delivery. I'm being induced at the hospital. I don't want any texts or phone calls for now, but want my friends to know why we won't be announcing his birth. You can share this info with anyone you think would want to know.

It was hard to text the words "our little Luke has gone to heaven" I hated writing that because it was true. It broke my heart that that was the reality of our situation.

I tried to sleep but never fell asleep. Each time I was about to dose off, I was interrupted with either a  phone call or someone coming in the room (nurse, Trevor, Sherri, my mom, Dr. Parker). At some point the doctor suggested breaking my water. I didn't know what to do so I called Sherri. I still wanted to try to rest now and thought we could hold off on that. The doctor had another patient (not a birthing mother and I think at the American Fork hospital) to tend to so he would be leaving for a while. At some point the monitor was back on me (perhaps while I was trying to sleep) and it showed what I wasn't feeling -- contractions about every minute and a half.

Trevor had left. He called his mom to notify her of the situation and possibly attempted to get some food (I don't think he could eat though). While he was gone he also got me a beautiful bouquet of flowers with some cheerful gerber daisies. Trevor couldn't have been more perfect during the birth.

When Sherri got back I decided that the doctor could break my water. I don't know what time this was. I would look at the clock every now and then, but I wasn't registering what time it was. According to Sherri, he broke my water around 9:30pm. Before the doctor left I think he came in to check on me. He and Sherri were chatting and this is definitely one of the times that people were talking, but I was not hearing what they were saying. It was kind of bothering me and I wanted the doctor to leave. He was a perfectly nice man (more like a nice grandpa), but for some reason I didn't really want him around. Contractions were finally starting to get to the point that I could feel them. I think I got up to use the restroom and this ended their conversation and the doctor left.

Up until this point that most uncomfortable thing was the stupid IV in my wrist. I don't know if the first nurse hadn't done a very good job putting it it, or if IV's are always that uncomfortable but it hurt and felt really disabling. I felt like I couldn't move or do anything with my right hand without it hurting. I remember complaining about this and then apologizing for complaining. (I've never been a fan of complaining or complainers, so I guess I felt bad for being one.) Tarah, the nurse, tried to adjust it for me, but nothing really helped.

Once the contractions were stronger I wasn't able to sit on the bed like I had done the previous hours. I had to move through them. I would work through the contractions by almost dancing through them. I was usually moving my hips side to side or moving while sitting on a yoga aka "birthing" ball. At one point I was coming out of the restroom and was walking toward the bed when a contraction hit. I really danced through that one as I recall standing there with one leg in arabesque (aa-rah-besk) and had one hand supporting me on the ball.
I was like this except my leg wasn't nearly as high and it was in attitude, my hand was on the ball, and I was attached to an IV pole.
The whole time Trevor and Sherri were by my side and were so responsive to what ever I would ask them to do. The nurse, Tarah, and the nurses aid, Makel, were also wonderful and so great at doing whatever I asked. I was so grateful for such attentive assistants during the whole process.

As the contractions got stronger I started to doubt how much I'd be able to continue. Not as much physically, but emotionally. I told Sherri and Trevor this and considered having an epidural. I knew that labor could be tough and I had geared up for it since I had planned on having a natural birth. But some of what makes enduring it is knowing that you will soon get to meet your baby and hold him in your arms. I wasn't going to get to have that. Without that I didn't think I would be able to endure.

At this point Sherri pointed out the beautiful bath tub in our room and the nurse was on her way to check my dilation. We discovered that I was already 5 or 6cm. This was hopeful and I decided I would try laboring in the tub for a while.

I loved the tub. It totally took the edge off of the contractions. While I was in the tub my contractions got more powerful. My mom had brought my iPod from our house and so I tried to listen to some hypnobabies tracks to relax (perhaps more on that on another post). It was kind of helping. I was starting to feel shaky during contractions and having a really hard time relaxing. Sherri would have her hand either on my head or shoulder and would tell me to relax. This physical and verbal command really helped me to try and relax during the contractions. I remember telling Sherri "thank you" after she would do that. I really wanted to communicate to her that what she was doing was helping.

I don't remember how long I was in the tub, but Sherri thinks it was only about 15 minutes. My dilation was checked again and I was already at a 10! (They only told me 8cm so as to not get my hopes up, but I was already at a 10.) I remember feeling like I could push and I was told to get out of the tub. I didn't want to, but I obeyed. I don't know if it's hospital policy or what. I think I remember asking "do I have to," but I got out. I decided to "go to the bathroom" one last time before getting on the bed. I knew I probably didn't have to go but felt that way because of the baby's head coming down.

As we headed to the bed (I usually had an assistant to help move my IV pole) I told them that the IV pole needed to be on the right side of the bed because I was going to be on my hands and knees. I sure wasn't going to be laying on my back! (I don't know how woman can push babies out like that but I think that's the most common position to deliver a baby in a hospital) There was no way I could just lay down at this point. I couldn't even lay down earlier when the contractions were just starting to get strong. So I did as I had done the whole time and just moved through the contractions. Rocking back and forth and occasionally stretching into a "cobra" position and down into a "child pose." In between contractions Trevor was ready with water. I was so thirsty at this point. I'm pretty sure it's hospital policy to not eat or drink during labor, but I didn't care and no one was going to stop me.
                                                        Laboring Positions

With each contraction I prayed that it would be the last. I didn't know how much longer I could take it and I just wanted it to be over. My pushing was intermixed with some sobbing, but that couldn't last for more than a sob or two before it was time to push again. Tarah was by my side and said "if you push just a little more he'll come out." Thank you, Tarah, what an angel, she offered the encouragement I needed to get Luke out. So at the stroke of midnight on August 6th, Luke Ray Fitzgerald was born.

Our Baby Luke
It's kind of a strange thing, to be born, but not have any life in you. Not the type of birth anyone should have. Well at least I think it's not what anyone should have, but God obviously thinks differently. I know this was His will. I guess it's not what anyone expects or plans on -- especially not me, but that was how it happened.

It wasn't until he was born that our question of "what happened?" was answered. His umbilical chord was tied in a knot. What they call a "true knot," because it wasn't tangled around him at all but was just tied like a knot. It can only be assumed that the knot occurred earlier in the pregnancy when Luke was small enough to move around a lot in my uterus and that it tightened as he lowered down into a birthing position.

"True Knot"
According to info I've found online, it occurs in 1% of pregnancies, but doesn't always end in fetal demise.
I was too weak and shaky to lay down on the bed right away, but soon I was able to. The nurses cleaned up Luke and tended to him. I still had to birth the placenta. I don't remember if they let me hold Luke before or after this. Birthing the placenta was the worst part of the whole birthing experience. By this point I was mentally done -- I had gotten the baby out, I had done my job -- and the IV had ripped out of my wrist so my contractions stopped without the Pitocin being cranked into my system. They tried to give me a shot of Pitocin in my leg, but it didn't get the contractions going again. So Dr. Parker had to manually remove the placenta. I was able to get him to wait a little while to see if my body would do it on its own. No luck. Then I told him to wait a few more minutes while I tried to listen to my iPod and zone out so he could do it. Sherri stood by my side (Trevor was sitting in a chair holding Luke) and I held her hand as the doctor removed my placenta. He did not have little hands! I don't think I've ever experienced anything more painful than that. I was so relieved to have that over with. I swear, never again will my body stop at that point! My bleeding was almost considered a hemorrhage but it eventually stopped.

The sweet nurse helped me get cleaned up and I was able to hold Luke for a little bit. I was so weak it was hard to hold him. Soon the photographer came in and dressed Luke in his onesie and took the only pictures that we will have of our precious son.

What a miracle birth, all things considered, the actual birthing couldn't have gone much better. I know that my friends' prayers were answered and I was able to have the "speedy and easy delivery" that I had requested in my text to my friends. I was grateful for that. During the labor the nurses and Sherri and Trevor would tell me that I was doing great and, possibly as conceited as it may have sounded, I replied "I know!" It really was astounding how marvelously my body handled the process. And supposedly contractions caused by Pitocin are a lot stronger than natural contractions (I don't really know). Physically, nothing about birth was ever really that painful (except for the whole placenta ordeal!). And I know that I haven't just forgotten with time, I felt that way right after the whole experience. I am so thankful for the strength I was given. Was it just a tender mercy and miracle for Luke's birth? Or will I always be so capable to deliver babies? I don't know yet, but I am so grateful that it was so easy. What a miracle. If you were someone that prayed for me, thank you. I know your faith allowed the prayer to be answered.

So much more happened in the following hours and in the following weeks, but this post is sufficient, for now, to at least capture what happened. As I read and reread what I have written I realize it may seem deprived of all the emotions that may be involved in the death of a child. I think I'm still trying to distinguish those myself and will perhaps be able to, one day, capture those feelings into words. For anyone still reading, may you know that I am at peace with things. Perhaps I will write more about my feelings another day, but for now I am glad to have written and shared the details surrounding Luke's birth.

Sources for the pictures:

  1. I love you. It broke my heart as I started reading your post and realized where it was headed. Somehow I didn't realize that you were just a month behind me. I'm so, so sorry. Knowing the Lord's plan helps, but it doesn't erase the pain. I can only imagine, but having had three babies myself my imagination is pretty vivid and it makes me feel so sad to think of it. I'm so glad that things went as well as they did - sounds like you handled labor like a champ! Well done. The pictures of Luke are beautiful. Even though you won't have the responsibility to raise him in this life, you helped give him a physical body and that is a wonderful thing. Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful baby boy. I'm so sorry that Heavenly Father had to reclaim him so soon! Just wish I could give you a big, long hug. So consider yourself hugged. You're awesome.

  2. Love you Shelly! You are a strong women!!!

  3. Thank you for posting this - I've been wanting to ask you about the experience but I know you've probably told it a lot of times and I didn't want to ask you to tell it that one more time.
    I had tears reading the whole thing. You are so so so so strong! There was a still-birth my last day in the hospital and nurse was very shaken and she said that they never get over that, every single one is such a sad event.
    I'm so grateful you're such a strong person. Aren't you so excited that someday you'll get to meet little Luke and get to know him as you would have. I'm so glad we are given that chance and have that bond of eternal families.
    It was great seeing you at book club yesterday!

  4. This is wonderfully written. I appreciate you sharing the story. Love and pray for you!

    My sweet friend Katie, who is also a dancer, delivered her stillborn son last November. She writes about it here She is open and willing to talk if you ever want to.

  5. Shelley, dear. Thank you for sharing this story. Your strength amazes me. Love you!

  6. You don't know me but I am a friend of Andrea Egbert. Thank you for sharing your experience about your darling Luke. I lost my Porter at 31 weeks last November. My blog is:
    My thoughts about my experience are there. I am so sorry for all that has happened. I know that Heavenly Father loves us and is taking care of our boys. If you need to talk, I am here.

  7. I saw your link to this on facebook and I have to tell you that you are an incredible woman. I admire your strength and your faith through this heart breaking experience. You amaze me.

  8. You are such a strong woman. An example of faith and strength to those around you. Thank you so much for sharing your precious story. I love you and pray for your continual strength.

  9. Thank you so much for sharing, Shelley. I attempted a hypnobabies birth, too, and the pitocin pressure waves tore me to pieces and I finally couldn't do it anymore and got an epidural. I commend you for birthing naturally - no small feat! Little Luke is so precious in those pictures. I'm so glad you have them. I did - and do - pray for you. Stay strong. The Lord will carry you through this. Love you.

  10. a beautiful story.
    Something I remember you telling me was about you telling your body to stop bleeding post birth--that would be a nice addition to your story too. You are one strong women--physically and mentally!
    Much love and prayers to you today and in the coming months.

  11. Shelley, thank you so much for sharing your story. We love you!

  12. Shelley... I feel like a horrible friend that I didn't know about any of this until now. I saw your picture on your facebook and your baby just looks so beautiful. You are amazing. And you have a wonderful little person waiting for you up in heaven. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. You are incredible. What a hard thing to be going through. I know it must be one of the hardest things anyone could ever deal with... and you are in my prayers. Love you lots.

  13. Shelley, I love you and am keeping you and your family in my thoughts and prayers! Thank you for your example of faith and courage!

  14. I read this before, but didn't know how to comment. I read it through again just now and wanted to say that this beautiful story woven with hints of tragedy is such a great reminder of how God's plan is not one within our control and when we understand the bigger picture, all will one day make sense. The parallel to you're not understanding why his heart had stopped until after seeing the knot just moved me to tears. Thanks so much Shelley for being such an inspiring woman. Through such great strength you truly inspire the rest of us. :)

  15. Hi Shelley,

    My name is Katherine Harris and Trevor served his mission in my hometown, Minneapolis. I met him once and fed him out there and he was super kind to me and gave me a ride from the SLC airport to Provo before I did a summer semester at BYU. While I've never met you, you and Trevor have been in my thoughts and prayers since learning about your beautiful baby boy Luke.

    Your strength and beauty are evident in your words and clearly you are a loved daughter of our Heavenly Father. Thank you for sharing your story.


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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Google Chromecast: Great for Youtube and Netflix but not Ready for Prime Time

I was drawn to Google's latest consumer product, ChromeCast.  A $35 device that looks like a USB flash drive plugs into any TV with an HDMI input and allows you to easily stream internet content to your living room.  It doesn't come with a remote. Instead you use your phone, tablet or laptop for setup and control.  The short story is that I'm already using it all the time but feel that it hasn't quite lived up to its hype. While the advertising implies that it works from your iOS device, its useless on my iPhone and iPad for anything other than YouTube and Netflix videos. However this functionality alone makes it worthwhile for me. ChromeCast is definitely in the discussion if you don't have AppleTV or Roku.  The low cost and ultra-portability make it a no brainer if you have young kids or watch a ton of YouTube videos.

Here's a Google video showcasing their new product:

My three kids have grown up in the on-demand era; the majority of their TV consumption is based on recorded shows, streaming services like Amazon and Netflix and an ever increasing amount of online videos.  We enforce parental control by not allowing them to surf online unsupervised.  So before ChromeCast, the three of them would frequently huddle around a monitor in my study where I would select videos.  The other option was watching on the living room TV using our DirecTV receiver or DVD player, both of which have the ability to stream online content.  Neither solution was great; getting four chairs in my study was difficult and watching in the living room wasn't much better. It is slow and painfully inefficient to use a standard remote control as a keyboard and I couldn't queue up videos. The result was a poor browsing experience, especially with a three year old who likes switching videos every minute.

ChromeCast has solved both problems for me.  I can use my phone, tablet or laptop to search for YouTube videos and queue them up.  Worth noting that once you "cast" a video to your TV, the device you are using is freed up and the content is streamed directly to your TV.  So at that point you can turn it off, leave the room or continue to search without any disruption of what is playing. It supports HD so the picture is really fantastic even on a big screen TV if you have a cable internet connection.

Setup is pretty easy with a slick way to install and select your WiFi connection, but maybe a bit too slick for its own good.  It failed the first time because I used my iPad 1 and halfway through it decided that it wasn't compatible with iOS 5. Should have taken a developer a minute to put that check up front.  On my second attempt with my iPad 3 it worked perfectly.  Here'a video that shows the process.

Unlike any recent electronic device, it's dirt cheap at $35. For once you don't have to game plan how to convince your spouse. An Apple TV or Roku is $100 and both currently have more functionality and you can click here for a comparison.  However, its only a matter of time until ChromeCast can stream your local content and has wider device compatibility. If you are a Hulu customer and don't want to pay for Hulu Plus; a Chromecast and a laptop can let you stream your regular Hulu content to your TV.

Google and other companies are also actively working to increase ChromeCast compatibility. By the end of the year we should see many more services supported. It's also small and portable.  I'm definitely taking it on trips and will be adding it to the list of questions to ask a hotel. "Do you have WiFi?  Is there a pool? Do your TVs have an HDMI input??"

Chromecast advertising implied that one could broadcast any content you can view by using a Chrome browser.  That is true for laptops, desktops and Android phones.  However, on my iOS device Google still hasn't released plugins for the iOS version of Chrome.  It also only supports iOS 6 and later; so I am unable to use my iPad or iPhone 3 with the device.  There is a Chromecast app in the App Store but it only lets you install the Chromecast. So, say I want to share Facebook photos on my living room TV, my only option would be to use my laptop. Beyond the limited iOS compatibility, the other cons are that you can't use it like an Apple TV to share your photos, videos and music.  There is no support of iOS 5 or earlier; I have no idea why they wouldn't support iOS 5 devices.  There is no technical reason to exclude iOS 5 devices.  If they want to be an Apple killer they have to do simple things like this.

In summary the ChromeCast is definitely in the discussion if you don't have AppleTV or Roku.  The low cost and ultra-portability make it a no brainer if you have young kids or watch a ton of YouTube videos.  Most TVs made in the last ten years have an HDMI input; if you don't have one then its time to get a new TV. If YouTube and Netflix content is not a current priority then there is no compelling need to get one and give time to mature.

You can pick up a ChromeCast at Amazon or other retailer. At $35 it will definitely make for a killer Christmas present!

  1. năm gần đây hắn thủy chung cũng không hề đụng tới, cũng không dám đụng.
    Năm xưa ánh mắt bình thản của Vương Lâm trước khi đi làm hắn cả đời khó quên.
    Chu Như thu hồi ánh mắt, nhìn về Thiết Nham khẽ mỉm cười giống như là bách hợp nở rộ:
    - Thiết Nham gia gia, ta đi nửa đường gặp Chu Tước tử Chu thúc thúc, ông ấy nói ta đi núi Chu Tước tu luyện. Ông ấy nói ở đó tốc độ tu luyện của ta sẽ nhanh hơn. Hôm nay, Như nhi xin chào từ biệt ngài.
    Thiết Nham hiểu được thân phận của Chu Như ở trên Chu Tước tinh có thể nói là cực kỳ đặc thù. Nóidong tam mu lậu cho thuê phòng trọ cho thuê phòng trọ nhạc sàn cực mạnh tư vấn pháp luật qua điện thoại công ty luật hà nội số điện thoại tư vấn luật dịch vụ thành lập doanh nghiệp nàng là công chúa nhỏ Chu Tước tinh cũng không đủ. Gần như tất cả những người quen biết Vương Lâm năm xưa hoặc sợ hãi hoặc cung kính, đều đối xử tốt với Chu Như.
    Thậm chí ở Tiên Di Tộc đối với Chu Như cũng cực kỳ khách khí. Tiên Di Tộc cấm bất kỳ tu sĩ nào bước vào, Chu gia là một trường hợp ngoại lệ cực hiếm.
    Ở trong những người bảo vệ này, còn có người đến từ Vân Thiên Tông.
    Thiết Nham trầm ngâm một chút, gật đầu hiền lành nói:


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Kayaking & Surfing with Advanced Outdoor Ed

This summer, from August 18-26, some of our Grade 12 students joined Mr. Britt and Ms. Harrigan on a Advanced Outdoor Education trip.

The group stayed in Ucluelet for one night before starting a four day sea kayak expedition around Vargas Island in Clayoquot Sound, northwest of Tofino.

The girls were entirely in charge of the trip, from leading to cooking. After the kayaking, there was a rest day followed by two days of surfing.

The Grade 12 students who joined the trip included Aria, Sophie, Olivia, Manpreet, Esther, Emma G., Adrienne and Bethany. Well done girls!

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Random Valley Front Yard of the Day

In my ongoing series of Random Valley Front Yards, I’ve been trying to express to everyone who reads LA Metblogs the joy I find in looking at all the different houses in suburbia. While to many cruising the streets of the Sam Fernando Valley looking at house after house seems like one of the levels of Hell, I confess I am absolutely fascinated by the way in which tract homes, initially indistinguishable from one another, transform over time as homeowner after homeowner places their personal touch on their own little postage stamp of Los Angeles. rvfyotd022709

Because the age of the house plays a large role in how differentiated from its neighbors it becomes, I usually find the older sets of tract homes, many built between 1940 and 1960, to display the greatest variety. But sometimes the very design of the home — from “birth” — makes it unique.

On and around Hollywood Way in Burbank, a set of early tract homes built with rustic brick fireplaces and unusually slanted front windows has been partially erased by later developments. The exposed brick of the fireplaces serves a greater-than-utilitarian role in giving the house the appearance of a Hobbit-ish residence, and on almost all the homes an angled front window slants skyward slightly, creating what I’m sure is a nightmare for anyone trying to hang curtains on the inside…

This particular home is off the main drag of Hollywood Way, and was the first I discovered not actually ON that main street. Unlike the homes on Hollywood Way (which are just north of the 134 fwy, if you want to find them), which appear smaller & more tightly spaced, this is a sprawling lot with a more generously-sized home. This makes me wonder if the original tract included smaller, more affordable homes along H’wood Way and larger, more-established family homes deeper into the residential streets. Or it’s possible this house was built much later, in a style that incorporated the most significant design elements of the original tract, but blew it up to a more accommodating size.

My favorite parts are the circular driveway which thematically mirrors the rounded arch of the carport, the round chimney and the rounded edges of the window panes in that front, sloping window. The dual little dormers are utterly rvfyotd022709detailcharming, and I love the rounded shingles on the upper section of the house, which make me vividly remember building my little Victorian dollhouse when I was 12 or so (I never finished the thing, but I bought rounded shingles for it). Brick & brick-red tiles are used as trim, on the peaks of the roof, the dormers, and around the uppermost half-moon window. You can barely glimpse the rear chimney, which is made of river rock, rounded stones that don’t show up on the front of the house at all. Was it a later addition? Does the house really have TWO fireplaces?! It is a decent-sized house but doesn’t seem big enough to warrant two fireplaces. Though I certainly would never mind extra fireplaces. If I even had one to begin with.

But I digress. My favorite details here are the sweet alyssum growing wild on the grassy sidewalk, the birdhouse, the tiny shelf under the three venting holes on the top of each dormer, giving that too the appearance of a birdhouse; and the birdbath in front of that odd front window. Maybe these folks enjoy the local birds. The house is in a nice, shady neighborhood with old oaks that line the street, creating a sylvan atmosphere that makes the house’s charming little “Seven Dwarves”-ish details even more congruent with the neighborhood.

More photos are here in my RVFYOTD Flickr set.

9 thoughts on “Random Valley Front Yard of the Day”

  1. I love that. I think that is right out of the “story book architecture” trend out of the late 50’s and very early 60’s.

  2. Very similar, LM, but larger in scale, to the quaint block of so-called Snow White cottages that line one side of Hollywood Way in Burbank just before you get to the Warner Bros. lot if traveling southbound on Hollywood Way. I miss the odd, eclectic residential architecture of L.A. Here in Vegas it’s all tract homes and the overwhelming style is American Southwest, very boring after seeing the 10,000th exterior.

  3. The storybook architecture style began in the early 40s, Fraz, and extended into the 50s, if my history is correct, spurred by the initial 1937 release of Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, which was a pop culture phenomenon at the time.

  4. Yeah, I guess that’s the tract I was referring to, Rodger. As the crow flies, this home is approx. 1/4 mile from them (with a fair bit of residential in between), and it has a few neighbors that also are built in this style or close to it, suggesting that even if they weren’t all built at the same time, they were all built to have this particular storybook appearance.

  5. Sounds like the area the realtors like to call “Toluca Lake adjacent.” It’s a very nice community and neighborhood.

  6. Thanks Roger, don’t doubt your dates though there were several houses in the story book style dating to the 60’s in Canoga Park area when I lived that way eons ago so either they were an attemped revival or totally random.

    Its still nice to see the anti-hoa kinda home.

  7. Ah, the famed Sam Fernando Valley.

    Yeah great post, always appreciate the random of which you choose. I also like the brick work, that with the Buck Rogers-esque front window. Style.

  8. I live very near those houses and love them! I’d love to go inside. Being short, I bet they are just the right size and I’d probably be able to get into the cabinets without a step stool!

  9. LM, I just love your writing.

    I wonder if the original fireplace was blocked off, and rather than renovate they built a new one? Or perhaps they just wanted one in the master bedroom as well.

Comments are closed.


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This is the blog of Morten W. Petersen, aka. morphex in various places. I blog about my life, and what I find interesting and/or important. This is a personal blog without any editor or a lot of oversight so treat it as such. :)

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So, I've read a bit about Aspergers today, and that seems to fit my way of being pretty well. I also see that Seroquel which I'm taking has had a good effect on Aspergers too.

But I see also on the net that you could be diagnosed with both Aspergers and Schizophrenia.

I mean, I hallucinated in November I think it was and saw a globe that spun above me (while I was lying in bed) which I could touch and it glowed of red almost in a magical, hedonic or evil way. I also for a second saw an item in our home as something else. Sometime after new year I thought some low-clicking noise (in a sense modem-transfer-noise) from the phone triggered something in me that gave me negative thoughts and .. "visions". I call them visions because they aren't hallucinations i.e. something that is like any object you see which seems real. They were more like.. what you can get if you play a game all day, you still see the game playing when you close your eyes, but it is also a bit more .. creative/uncontrolled/mixed together.

And that feeling of radiating angst or whatever out of my body was.. on a scale from 1-10 of fucked-upness.. A 9.5 I think.

[Permalink] [By morphex] [Health (Atom feed)] [18 Mar 13:50 Europe/Oslo]


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COMM/Digital Associate (Paid, Fall 2019) for Business Forward

Communications and Digital Associate (Paid, Fall 2019) for Business Forward

As a communications and digital intern, you will work closely with the digital director in every facet of digital media: copy writing, social media, data, and design. You will also work closely with the communications director to share the perspectives of business leaders at the national and local level. You’ll be trained on the latest best practices and play a crucial role in our communications efforts. You will also conduct background research and work with other departments as needed.
Here’s what you’ll be doing:
  • Drafting media advisories, press releases, and briefing materials
  • Writing and loading content for website and email
  • Maintaining our database using Blue State Digital Tools
  • Supporting research efforts
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  • Creating and updating press lists
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  • Helping implement digital campaigns
  • Drafting blogs for the Business Forward website
  • Drafting op-eds and other commentaries for publication in national and local outlets
  • Pitching news stories and op-eds
We have two positions available, and we are looking for candidates with strong analytic, research, and writing skills. Experience with basic HTML, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and/or InDesign is preferred. An understanding of social media is a plus. The internship is located in our Washington, D.C. office, and is expected to be full or part time for the 2019 fall semester. The internship is approximately 16 weeks long.
This internship can be done for college credit or paid hourly.
Send cover letters and resumes to to be considered. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
This internship is posted on CofC’s Handshake platform. Visit this site to learn about how you can apply for this internship:

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