Hi ya'll.. wanted to check in and say hello.. I am still not allowed
to be up and around and sitting without my legs elevated.. but I
wanted to let you know my kids and I were still alive, kicking,and
fighting.

As you all know.. or don't know I have not been well for some time..
differing illnesses have been plaguing me for well over a year.. I
had surgery on my back in March.. hoping to get at least that part of
my health back on track.. and I did so well with my interbody fusion
and bone graft surgery.. I was recovering nicely.. feeling great..
even walked a 3.1 mile walkathon without my walker.. a few days later
things got kind of ugly.. I wound up with a very large blood clot in
my right leg.. spent four days in the hospital.. getting blood
thinner regulated in my system.. went home with a home health nurse
checking in on me everyday for four days.. then all seemed to be
getting back to normal.. two weeks later I suffered another set back
with EXTREME swelling of my right leg.. it tripled in size and I went
in to the hospital.. but they sent me home saying it was "normal"
even though I had not had ANY swelling from the surgery or the
bloodclot at all up until that day.. anyways.. later that night I
felt a deep heavy pain in my chest and everything started spinning
and I all but passed out.. they took me back to the hospital again..
and did chest x-rays and a cat scan and an ecg on my heart.. I had a
Pulmonary Embolism in my right lung.. so after they watched me
briefly to be sure I wasn't going to die immediately from the PE.. oh
joy.. that was plenty scary I assure you.. then they surgically
installed a filter in my vena cave in case any more of the leg clot
gets lose and decides to take a scenic view of my lungs, heart, or
brain..I spent ten days in the hospital hooked up to monitors and
trapped in a bed.. FLAT ON MY BACK for six days.. then I could
elevate for the next two days.. then on the last two days I was in
the hospital they let me ambulate.. I walked 650ft twice on the first
day I was allowed out of bed.. and then the next day I upped it to
750ft.. then upped it to 900ft.. but at walking 900 ft I became very
winded and tired and the pain was great.. so I was told to stick to
750ft twice a day for the time being.... I am home now.. and happy to
be there alive... with a prayer and a little luck I will come out of
all this safe,well and happy.. after all I am getting married in
December.. was getting married in July.. but had to postpone due to
all the problems with my health.

Kirby (sotos) is great.. she finished off the year with a pass to the
fifth grade in her self contained classroom, they say her strengths
are her memory and her burgeoning reading skills. while she is ten
and a half yrs old her skills put her at age 5-8 in differing areas.
though she does look like she is fourteen at least. We are looking
forward to a fun summer, she will be taking belly dance lessons, and
drumming lessons... and spending the summer participating in the
summer library reading program which she absolutly loves. As for her
brother he has been accepted into a very nice acting camp for
summer.. he is very excited about this.. he will also continue his
martial arts classes as well.. he pretty much gains a belt every
summer.

I was really hoping we would be making it to Anaheim with everyone..
but it would appear that is not going to happen, the doctors do not
feel I can fly at this time, or make the seven hr drive to get
there.. so I hope everyone enjoys it.. and I hope to see lots of
pictures and hear many great stories of how much fun it was!!

I hope this finds everyone else well.. and I will do my best to get
back to posting.. but in the beginning will be slow.. I have to take
it easy on how often/long I sit in one place for too long.