Technology and the holidays

So Alli and I are out shopping together for an adopt-a-family gift she and Nika are contributing to in religious education class. The family creates a short wish list for Christmas, including essentials and special gifts they can't provide for themselves.

After we settle on some gifts, Alli mentions that she has her own wish list for the holidays. Her list is detailed enough that I can't commit it to memory, so she mentions she has it written on her iPod Touch. So I'm thinking it would be great if she emails it to me. Since her iPod requires a WiFi connection, and the store we're at doesn't offer one, I enable the WiFi hotspot on my smart phone. Her iPod connects, she emails the document, and voila her list is now on my phone.

Sure, the geek in me appreciates the technology. Not only was the solution quick (less than 30 seconds), it worked as designed. And yes, while it might appear my daughter is spoiled (I suppose she is to a degree), it's worth mentioning she bought her iPod with her own, hard-earned money.

That said, it still hit me ... my, how fortunate we are to have such luxuries.

Short (but great) visits

A wise brother once told me, and I've always agreed, that a short visit is better than none. This week we had three of them.

First, a visit with my surgeon, Dr. Cameron. The reason? We wanted to determine if the size of my aortic root, which is where the aortic artery attaches to the heart, hadn't changed in the last six months. It had dilated somewhat between my 2008 surgery and a June 2009 checkup, and after fooling a few since then, hadn't actually changed since. The result? No measurable change in over 1 year. Great! The more determinations like this, the better. We'll see him, and his great office staff, again next autumn. Hopefully it'll be another 10 minute conversation like this one!

Second this week was a fun get-together among the four youngest in my immediate family. I have to say I truly appreciate the humor each one weaves into everyday life -- I think I'm guilty of being the serious one too often! Here's a picture of the four of us.

Third, Eddie and I visited Johns Hopkins University on Saturday morning for an engineering and sciences open house. Eddie's only a high school sophomore and far from thinking seriously about what to study in college and where, so it was a relaxed, exploratory visit. Many nice Hopkins students answered our questions, and by skipping the afternoon what-it's-like-to-live-here sessions, we were back in time for him to attend his homecoming game. Perfect!

Short times, but great times, indeed.

December photos

Merry Christmas, everyone! I've uploaded some recent photos to my Flickr page.

Winter Concerts, 2009

Our girls' orchestra and chorus concerts were these past two Mondays. Listen to Green Sleeves and Carol of the Bells!

A Fall to look forward to

Like many autumns past, our calendar is filling up with some great things. Ann Marie is doing quite well in her new job as teachers' secretary at an elementary school of about 700 students. She works afternoons Monday through Friday, and only on a handful of days when the kids are off. My work is as challenging and fun as ever, with a production release coming up soon. The kids have started in school and are enjoying friends and activities such as cross country, helping with kids in special education, and participating in youth events through church. We're meeting in Richmond with my brothers' families later this month, and in October I'm attending a sibling reunion in New Jersey. On weekends and evenings we're doing some cleanup and fixing around the house, and with time that remains we're getting as much mountain biking in as weather and daylight permit. Oh, and as I write this Eddie is about halfway through his 2 day go-karting class (one our required preparations for driving :-)

That all of these things are possible despite my planned heart procedure in October makes me smile. It's truly a blessing that I feel well enough now to continue working and playing, and that medicine has advanced so much that a quick recovery should be possible. Sure, there's a small chance that an unexpected complication could occur, meaning open heart surgery and another long recovery, but in this case I like Ann Marie's philosophy of "plan for the best, deal with the worst".

That said, on with the details. The procedure is a minimally-invasive balloon dilation of the pulmonary artery. This means a catheter is inserted through my inner thigh and up to the narrowed area of the artery. The doctor then inflates a balloon to expand the artery and determines if it looks like it will stay that way. If not, he then inserts a stainless steel stent, a metal tube of thin wire that ensures a permanent fixed diameter.

The procedure is scheduled for Friday, October 9th, at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Richard Ringel, an interventional cardiologist who specializes in catheter procedures such as this, will be leading the small team. Anesthesia will keep me awake but only marginally aware of my surroundings. One of two surgeons, Dr. Duke Cameron or his partner, will be nearby in case surgery becomes necessary. I'll go in at 7am for prep and should be in my room resting by noon, hopefully up and walking around not long afterward. I can have visitors, so if you're thinking of stopping please do! Just be sure to coordinate with Ann Marie.

I'll stay overnight and should be released in the morning. I'll rest over the weekend, eat well, watch some good movies, and walk as much as possible. I should be back to work Monday, maybe a little sore but ready for a full week.

In the weeks that follow I'll increase exercise and see how I feel. If my strength and endurance are where they need to be, I plan to take some time off work, get in some serious mountain biking before the winter comes, and do a weekend or two away with the family. After all, that's what the Fall is all about!

Still waiting, but traveling

We're still in a holding pattern waiting for the busy experts who'll help decide what's next. This includes my surgeon, who recently performed surgeries on each of the three days that were supposed to be the start of his family vacation.

In the meantime I've been feeling pretty much the same, but exploring my limits a little. I tried running for drills at Ultimate practice, but that was a bit much. Swimming and mountain biking have come easier, though, which is great. I'm especially psyched about mountain biking as I'm really enjoying the bike I bought last year, the miles of great trails near home, and my sometimes riding partner, Nika!

Also good news that, after reviewing things, my surgeon is OK with me traveling. My work schedule permitting, we'll be heading to Cleveland this month for parties on both sides of the family. Should be fun!

If you have to cancel a trip, it's nice to have great destinations near home

Great trip to DC today. See some photos.

White House Tour

You gotta like a friend that takes the better part of his Sunday to show you where he works. And even more so when it's a day our kids (and us) will remember for a lifetime. The pictures, and the stories behind them, are here.

Photo Updates

Been posting some photos now and then to my Flickr page, including some recent gymnastics shots. Fun stuff.

A week of concerts

What a week! It started with a chorus concert with Veronika, and then two orchestra concerts with Allison on cello and Eddie on violin. Listen to Clap Your Hands (Nika), Celtic Dance (Alli), and Palladio (Eddie) and remember -- they certainly didn't get their musical talents from me!

Rehab is done, Christmas is nearly here!

I finished cardiac rehab this week, running my last mile on the treadmill to the tune of 'Rocky' (coincidence, but a good one). Learned a few things about EKG's and exercising along the way, and definitely regained a good bit of my endurance each week, but mostly glad to have my afternoons back.

Uploaded some pics to my Flickr account today. Having fun getting ready for Christmas!

Is no news good news?

Well, I guess it depends on who you're talking about. Me, I'm pretty good. I've been feeling a little better each day, able to walk more (2-3 miles per day), and generally without pain until I sneeze, cough, or laugh too hard :) Sure, I get dizzy sometimes standing up too quick, and get winded walking up hills I never noticed before surgery. I do wish there were some real specific metrics I could measure up against to prove I was on track, but alas I must admit recovery doesn't work that way. If nothing else, I've had incredible weather to recover in since the day Ann Marie drove me home from the hospital. Almost four weeks now of sunshine and cool, dry weather. Not bad. Other than some tests this week, the next real milestone for me is a visit to my surgeon two weeks from today.

Other than me, though, there's a few other people that need taking care of.

My mom has been recovering well from surgery to address colon cancer, something she learned she had just days after my surgery. That she'd made the two & a half hour trip to see me in the hospital was amazing as, unknown to her, her illness was sapping most of her energy. Thanks to her husband Bill, my siblings, and her neighbors taking great care of her, she's in great spirits at home, and just yesterday celebrated her 80th birthday. I'm looking forward to seeing her in person when I'm able!

Back at home, one of our kids has been sick since last Thursday, and after ruling out strep and tonsillitis, our pediatricians have given a diagnosis of -- get this -- mono. Hey, isn't that just supposed to happen to teenagers? Turns out kids as young as four can get this virus, and the good news is the younger you are the less amount of time it affects you. And while it's no fun having mono, I guess it's not so bad when your Mom and Dad are both home with you!

Last, our friend's son Peter has been having a rough Fall. It's a longer story than I could cover here, but please send your warm wishes for good days at school, fun trips to the track in his "race runner" (think wheelchair for running), great episodes of Sponge Bob, fun video games, and restful nights.

Now that's a big family!

Photo from this summer's family reunion & my Mom's 80th birthday celebration.

Great times

It's always been important to me to work very hard at things we must do in life to make time for the things we want to do. Work hard, play hard, I guess you could say. This comes mostly from my parents and siblings, who I've watched put endless energy into the things they love. It also comes from time I lost as a kid in front of the television, watching game shows and bad sitcoms. What I wouldn't give to get those hours back to put to better use!

It should come as no surprise that during the summer there was plenty of "must do's" before my scheduled surgery on September 24th. Ann Marie and I have been tackling them together, dealing with the hospital administration and health & disability insurance companies, getting our finances in order, creating my living will, fixing things around the house and with the cars, setting up a second computer at home, buying comfortable post-surgery clothes, and even setting aside blood for surgery.

So what I made sure of when I wrote each "to do" list, was to mix in the fun stuff. And I'm happy to say we've just about got it all done. I've got to say, that feels great, not to mention how blessed we feel to have had the time, and good health, to do so!

Here's a taste of the high points:

• In July we enjoyed our first official "staycation", which meant doing day trips from home instead of traveling for vacation. The kids said they loved it cuz we'd be able to re-visit the fun places we found -- what a great perspective! Finding fossils on a beach, riding and piloting a schooner on the Chesapeake Bay, paddling kayaks in Annapolis, watching the 4th of July parade and fireworks in our Nation's capitol, have some great battles in bumper boats & laser tag, kids competing in Maryland track & field event, and swimming in some great water parks. Wow.
  
• Also in July we celebrated my Mom's 80th birthday with a reunion. A great photo slideshow tribute, some Euchre, swimming, outdoor games, and plenty of visiting with the ~60 or so that made it!
• We've also done some biking, both on nearby mountain bikes trails and into DC on the Capitol Crescent trail. After a few too many falls I decided to replace the pedals that lock my feet down to traditional pedals, albeit with good traction. Sure, I might eventually learn to ride with my feet locked down, but something tells me now's not the time to be injured doing so!
• Ann Marie and I had a wonderful weekend away near the Virginia / West Virginia / Maryland border, taking a day trip down Skyline Drive in idyllic convertible weather, and stopping at the place where we were engaged almost 17 years ago! Staying on 400+ acres made us feel like we really got away.
• We made a few visits to nearby Silver Spring for church, a movie at a great theatre, shopping, and lunch.
• Ann Marie, sister Susan, and kids travelled to Cleveland to visit family and friends.
• I drove to New Jersey to spend time with great friends from years past, and even had the luck to see my Mom, sisters Patty and Carolyn & families, and brother Bill.
  
• I continued to Lime Rock Park in northwest Connecticut for vintage auto races featuring Ferrari, Bugatti, Lotus, Porsche, and other classics. Perfect weather, camping for 3 nights, and great roads to & from made for a wonderful trip. And in an effort to make the most of my time, I worked each night from about 4 until 10pm -- it sure helped having a laptop and wireless Internet at a nearby restaurant :-)
  

So, two weeks to go and still more to do. Sure, the chores are a bit of an uphill climb, but honestly I wouldn't trade these good times for anything!

Feeling fine, except ...

As springtime progressed this year, I expected that I might not feel my best in the months leading up to September. Minus feeling a bit more tired now & then, having a little discomfort before getting on a diuretic, and over-analyzing the beat of my heart that hasn't changed in 41 years, I actually feel pretty darn good. This is great, I couldn't ask for more.

But what I didn't expect in 2008 was that my 12 year old son (and his friend) would handily beat me in a running race for the very first time! No, it had nothing to do with my heart condition - it was a ~25 yard sprint that is well within my limits. I had my sneakers on and was ready to go ... but darned if that kid isn't super fast these days! Actually, he's always been fast, as have our girls. In fact if we were to sit down to calculate their scale speed, we'd find they've been faster than me all along :-)

And kudos to our kids for finishing so well in a recent county track-and-field day. Despite being on the younger end of their age groups and competing with kids on track teams, they were awesome. With finishing in the top end of 50 and 100 meter dashes, and surprising the judges with 2 golds and a silver in the standing long jump, I think this Dad better sit back and watch from now on :)