Recent Photos

Kylie

There have been a few times where the shutter of the camera went off recently. Not all of them are in this album, but it is worth sharing. Some are things that "just happened" around the house, and some are from events or visitors that came. Hope you enjoy!

Also, if you are looking for something else to do, you might check out Karl's blog.

Christmas 2010

Kylie, Nádya, Karl, and Hendrick on Christmas 2010

We had a simple, but enjoyable Christmas with Nádya's family. We had lunch Christmas day instead of the usual Brazilian tradition of celebrating at midnight after Christmas Eve; mostly because the kids would not have made it that long into the night.

Lunch was a marinated turkey, rice, beans, and a fruit salad. All of which were spectacular. Especially the turkey gravy. Dessert was a chocolate bunt cake filled with passion fruit mousse. I would still like another piece of that.

Kylie got a bike for Christmas.

Kylie giving her great-grandmother a checkup with her new Dr. set.

More pictures can be found at our Picasa Web Album.

More Pictures of Hendrick

In the post about Hendrick´s Arrival, I mentioned that "He has his mother's toes." Someone emailed me asking for pictures. So the other day I took some, and put them in our photo album. The album is called Hendrick Hands and Feet, and despite the name, has some photos of Kylie, Nádya, and Karl in it as well.


We have all been fighting a cold of late, even though it is summer here (which means temperatures are about 40° C (104° F) every day). All that to say that not much has changed since the last post, except that we are working on getting well, and Hendrick and Kylie are growing.

Another Update On My Mother's Health

One year 19 days ago I posted about my mother's health. The gist of the story was that she was doing well considering her approximately 14 year battle with the disease. (I may be a little off on the date, but it is close.) She has had a hard battle with pain, though, this year. Some of the side-effects of a medicine that rebuilds bone which was depleted by all the chemotherapy she has gone through caused a very painful condition in her jaw.

This time the news is not so good. Recent scans have revealed a cancer spot just above her tailbone.

The doctors are right on top of this, they are treating her with radiation once each day for the next ten business days.

Pray for her.

[I will write, possibly as soon as tomorrow, about our new apartment and my new job. Sorry it has been so long since we sent out an update; we have been sort of busy. :) ]

Our First Two Months In the USA

Much has happened in the last two months. So much, that I have had a hard time getting to the computer on a regular basis to update. This post should catch you all up a little—at least as far as the photos that are available.

Not all the photos are titled or tagged as well as I would like, but there are so many that it would be a monumental task to do all that, then you would never see them.

The first set of photos is a slideshow that Nádya took most of the pictures. It is from her first few days here in Vancouver, Washington (the Vancouver in the USA, and the older of the two Vancouvers). Click here for the slideshow.

From Dinner at Nathan and Melissa's

One of the first things we did was have dinner as a family a night or two after we landed. Kylie was, of course, the star of the show. :) See link under the picture for more pictures from that night.

From In Idaho With Karl's Parents

We then drove to Idaho with my parents to spend some time with them, and see some of my extended family. This is where we discovered that Kylie had an ear infection in each ear, and that we were done with traveling for a good long while. (Well, done in the sense that we did not want to travel any more for a while. We still had some driving to do.) [slideshow]

From Beach Trip

We then took a family trip to Pacific City on the Oregon Coast with my parents, brothers, and their wives. It was a fun time to spend together just being a family. [slideshow]

From Mother's Day

We spent Nádya's first mother's day with Ryan's wife's (Amy) family. It was nice to have a place that sort of felt like family to go (it ended up feeling very much like we were at home there by the end of the day.). [slideshow]

The next big event was Nádya's sister's wedding. We did not think we could afford to go, so had written it off. However, a very generous person in Patrick's family was kind enough to pay our airfares there and back, so we took to the sky once again.

From Silver Springs

We were able to spend the week before the wedding with Nyna and Patrick (and his family). While there we did some tourist things, and the coolest was Silver Springs. One of Patrick's brothers works there, so we got free admission, but it would have been worth the price. That was a really fun day, and we got some beautiful pictures. [slideshow]

From Patrick and Nyna's Wedding

Nyna and Patrick's wedding was beautiful, and it was great to be there. Our photos of the event even turned out pretty well. [slideshow]

Kylie At The Six Month Mark

From Kylie's 6th Month

On the 16th of January we had our usual monthly celebration of Kylie's birth. As we get closer to heading to the United States these parties become a little more precious to us, as the family gathers together and celebrates.

There wasn't anything particularly special about this one—well, the cake was spectacular. But that is always the case. Kylie is getting to the point where she has a bit of involvement in the parties, which makes them more fun. I am not sure that she understands that the parties are for her, but she certianly warms right up to having lots of people around. At least until it is just past her bedtime...

There are a great many more images in our web album, should you wish to see more. Which reminds me: If you have questions about a particular photo in the web albums feel free to use the comment form below the photo.

There are a couple more entries coming soon. :)

Kylie: Five Months

From Kylie's 5th Month

On the 16th we had another little party for Kylie turning another month older. At first I balked at the idea of having these every month, but now I have come to cherish them. They serve as a reminder of how quickly the time goes by—besides it is a good photo opportunity, and her Grandma and Grandpa (and other family) in the USA like to see the photos.

The party was fun. The cake was purchased this month, and nearly everyone was disappointed in the quality of the cake (the chocolate on top was real good...).

A couple of days later, we took Kylie to her monthly checkup. She is doing really well. She weighed 7.5 Kilograms, and is 65 centimeters long.* The doctor was impressed with some of the things she has been doing, and told us to keep up the good work.

Kylie is a joy. Even though I have no experience with other babies, I would call her an "easy baby." As long as she gets her food and sleep on time she is quite content. She laughs often, and is beginning to explore the world around her. She even had her first instant message conversation the other day!

[For many more pictures from the party—and some from after—click the link below the photo.]

*Oh, I suppose I have to translate that: 16.53467 pounds, and 25.590551 inches

What Is Happening?

The last month, or so, has been full of news. All of which I want to share, but have not had the time to put it all into written word as of yet. Part of that is because of the emotions involved, and part because I have been so busy running to and fro to various doctors. Following is my attempt to explain summarize it all.

Patrick Visits

My good friend Patrick Borter came to visit his fiancé, Nyna (who also happens to be my sister-in-law). It was really good to see him, especially since he had some adventures getting here.
We really enjoyed having them to our house a couple of times, and just kind of hanging out together. When we did make it to Nádya's parent's house on a couple of occasions it was quite fun for the whole family to be together (Well, nearly the whole family. Jr. still lives to far away—in Parauapebas—to come visit for things like this. We missed him.) for a short time.
Patrick and Nyna are awaiting their fiancé visa, and the last time they were together was in September of last year.
What photos we have of the visit are here.

The Move

We have moved. We are once again living with Nádya's parents. It was not exactly our first choice, but with Nádya returning to work, and me going under the knife soon (keep reading for more info on that), we were running out of options for child-care.
Also, amerInglês has lost a lot of students in the last few months; mostly due to financial difficulties. So the student's financial difficulties became ours.
It is kind of comical, when one steps back from the situation, looking at us trying to fit the stuff from our house into our room. Ha! We might get the 3-D jigsaw figured out someday. More on this later.

Health

Some members of my family in the States has had some pretty serious health problems of late. Here are a couple, followed by my own situation.

Grandpa

My 93-year-old grandfather recently fell—I have not heard why, but my guess is that he was pushing the limits of his abilities. ;) He likes do live that way. Anyway, as a result of the fall he ended up with a blood-clot in his lower leg, and is in the hospital.
Grandpa is an old farmer; he does not go to the hospital for something minor (like cutting off part of a digit, or splitting his head open after falling off a ladder). He is an “It's only a flesh wound!” type of guy.

Rebecca (Karl's Cousin)

Rebecca was in the hospital for a few days (maybe a week—I lost track because of so many other things going on) because her platelets were so low. The diagnosis is “Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.” Which is medical speak for “blood problems of an unknown cause.” (Okay, so that might not be an exact translation, but that is what it means to me.)
She is on the mend at home now (since last Thursday), but still does not have much energy, and is on chemotherapy treatments. Her platelet counts have been measured at six—when the low end of normal is 140-150.

Karl

For a couple of months I have been experiencing some abdominal pain. At first I thought it was nothing, but when it persisted I decided to go to the doctor. I don't know how much of the time since my first appointment we have spent traipsing around town going to one doctor and another, then to the insurance company to authorize exams. But it has been more than enough.
Long story short: I have a gall-stone, and need to have surgery to get it out.
That means that I will be in the hospital for at least a day, and who knows how many days of recuperation. We are waiting for MediPlan (our health insurer) to approve the operation, so I don't know when this will happen, but probably this week sometime. The doctor wanted to do it today, but MediPlan is dragging its feet.
We will try to let you know when we know more.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: steps back | financial difficulties | short time | fiancé visa | Patrick Borter | Our Activities | Our Story | serious health | child care | been so busy | good friend | jigsaw | Life In Brazil | returning to work | health problems | Living Outside the US | pushing the limits

Dia das Crianças (Children's Day)

There was a day that I remember asking my mother, “Mom, why isn't there a children's day? I mean, there is a Mother's Day, and a Father's Day—so why not a children's day?” Her response did not satisfy me much; it was something along the lines of “Because kids have birthdays, Halloween, and Christmas.”

Here kids get their own day. This year it landed on the twelfth of October. It seems to usually involve presents (read: toys), and some sort of party, depending on the family. There are also activities put on by the city, and other companies. In fact, the place where Nádya works paid for games and lunch at the mall for their employees and their families.

Kylie was a bit small for the arcade games, bumper cars, and other rides that they have in the children's play area of the mall. So we spent a lot of time just hanging out and watching other people's kids have fun (which wasn't as boring as this sentence might make it sound). We then had lunch at McDonald's.

I suppose if you like McDonald's food in the States, then you would like it here. I am not a fan. But hey, it was free. So I can't complain to much!

Anyway, it was a fun day using the mall as a short respite from the 100˚F or more heat we have been having.

Here is the album of photos we got from the day:

Dia das Crianças (Children's Day)

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: Dia das Crianças, Life In Brazil, Living Outside the US, Our Activities

Almost Three Months

Kylie is almost three months old, and besides, today is Children's Day here in Brazil. What is more, we are totally enthralled with this new addition to our family. Hence the slideshow above.

The photos are from her two-month party up to now (Unless you are reading this long after the posting date—then it may have been updated.).

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: Kylie

Family Outing: Romea's Birthday

We went to a pizza place to celebrate Romea's (She is Yluscka's mom.) birthday the other night. After the pizza we went to get some of the best ice cream in town at a place called Pura Fruta—which was conveniently one door down from the pizza restaurant.

Here are some pictures of the event:







There are a few more pictures in our Family Album.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: pura fruta, pizza place, pizza restaurant, Our Activities, family, mom, ice cream

Two Months With Kylie

Sunday marked two months of Kylie's existence outside the womb. So we did the logical thing; we had another party. The cake was great, but I am not sure Kylie was to interested in it. She slept almost the entire time as you can see from the pictures above.

She has been growing a lot: In fact, Monday, when Nádya took her to the doctor, the doctor was surprised at some of the things she saw. For example, she has grown eleven centimeters (4.33 inches)—she (the doctor) said that the normal growth for a three-month-old is fifteen centimeters. Kylie has been smiling since before we even left the maternity ward, the doctor was surprised that she was smiling so frequently now.

Kylie is a joy to be around. She is particularly happy after a good night's sleep and some breakfast. Her cooing, squirming, and screaming (happy screams) have brought the profound joy only a parent can know on a number of occasions.

She loves taking baths. When we put her in the water she wants to swim. She usually cries when we take her out of the water.

I could go on oozing like a new parent proudly telling about their child (nice analogy, huh... :D), but I don't want to bore you to much.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: type application, picasaweb, Our Story, slideshow, kylie

Video: Kylie At Play

This morning Nádya took some video of Kylie playing and happily cooing. It is adorable. It is about an eleven megabyte (11 MB) download in Quicktime format, so you will need the Quicktime player to view it.

Some other really cool things happened this week too, but I have put them in another post: See "With Grace For The Children" .

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: megabyte, cooing, kylie, cool things, quicktime format, quicktime player, Our Activities

Fighters

If you missed a post or two recently, you may have not have seen the post that says my mom has cancer. I also have a close friend (Pat) who has cancer. My mom has finished radiation, and is continuing chemotherapy. Pat is recovering from surgery, and heading into radiation and chemotherapy.

Allan and I are wearing the yellow bracelets to remind us to pray for them. They are from Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong Foundation.

There are a few other posts that I have not emailed out, so you may want to check the front page to see what else I have been writing. :)

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: bracelets, mom, cancer, chemotherapy, lance armstrong, radiation, livestrong, heading, friend, friends, friends and family, photo

My Mom's Cancer

I have thought of a million ways to put off this post, and while it is not like I am required to tell you or anything, I want to.
My mom's cancer has returned.

For those of you who have known me for some time this next part may be a review, but there are new people around, so you can skip down a bit if you wish.1 My mother's name is Marilyn.

When I was in high school my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Surgery was the first line of defense, followed shortly by chemotherapy. The next year we found out the cancer had traveled to her bones, (which is called metastatic bone disease).

We prayed. She fought. The drugs did horrid things to her—but also to her cancer. The insurance company had a study going on bone marrow transplant, and she got to be a subject. They took marrow out of her ilium, the big bony area below the waist, and preserved it. Then took her to the brink of death with chemotherapy, and after that was done, replaced the marrow.

At the time, statistics gave a 1 or 2% chance of living two more years. That was 14 years ago.

My mother has been on chemotherapy most of this time, and some sense of normalcy has come about in our family life. Until recently.

She has been feeling a lot of pain, so she mentioned it to the doctor. He did his scanning thing and said the cancer has returned. Radiation is the planned treatment, which will start soon. She is on some heavy pain medication as well.

There is no indication of the cancer's involvement with soft tissues (organs, etc.).

I am not sure, in some ways, what to do with this emotionally speaking. I am in a land far, far away. My parents have recently moved to Idaho to be closer to my mom's family. It all puts us in a strange position. Nádya has not met my family, but is very much looking forward to that.

But we have things we must take care of here before we can go there. A trip to visit is not in the deck of cards, let alone the hand we have been dealt. Somehow that is okay, though. I want to go visit—I want to move there. But our first child is on the way (more on that very soon), and we cannot just decide to go there. There is a process.

Mom has responded to various treatments in the past, and our hope is that current treatment plans will get the cancer under control. We would appreciate your prayers. I will try to keep you updated on this.
[Update: My dear mother has helped me out with factual details, and so we have updated the post accordingly. She also notes,

We all know I have stage IV cancer, which is the last stage of breast cancer, and that I’ve lived long past what most women have been able to do. We need to count our blessings in that, and to ask the Lord for his will to be done.

Thank you for the help mom!]
_____________

1. I am also open to correction of the history here. I may not have all the details correct. A lot of this happened within a time of my life that made it difficult to process everything, as well as natural emotional defenses kicking in.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: breast cancer chemotherapy, brink of death, deck of cards, experimental treatment, Family, horrid, kind of sad, Life, Living Outside the US, metastatic bone disease, million ways, mom, normalcy, pain medication, strange position, went to the doctor

Rainy Season

Written 10:30 AM on Monday the 12th of February.

The weather has taken a turn. It might be better, but I am not sure. It is cooler, but much more humid. Everything starts to mold that is wet, and if something has the ability to hold water it is at the very least damp. It has rained nearly every day the past week-and-a-half. With the first big rain of the season we got 40% of the month's normal rainfall overnight. The next day I saw a television show where a city official was interviewed. He was asked what could be done about a problem of people being swept down manholes, through the sewer, and into the river. His answer was essentially, "Blah blah blah, there is no problem. Blah blah blah." This after they played a clip of a man who barely escaped with his life.

Allan and Herika and Yluscka spent the weekend with us last weekend (starting the 2nd of Feb.). That was fun and exciting. We talked, ate, talked some more, cleaned house, ate some more. Oh, and I had classes, too. (Speaking of which, I should do an update on that soon...)

Yesterday, I had a little surprise. We went to Nadya's parents' house for lunch, which was not a surprise. After that we went to a couple of houses to look at dogs. So, we have a pooch now. It is a month-old female. It misses its mommy, and whines when I am not close by. No name yet... we are working on that.

Ironically, Nadya was the one that wanted this dog, and I said "no" for now (I had a list of reasons; one was money, but this dog was free.). Now that we have the dog, she is a bit jealous.

Here is a bit of "inspired" poetry by me, just for you:

Doggie do, doggie doo
What to do with doggie doo
It smells real bad on my shoe
At least it is not a doggie that goes moo

Technorati Tags: Brazil, Family, family, family and friends, family gatherings, family members, Life, Life In Brazil, Our Activities, Our Story, dog, puppy, weather

On The Way

I am extremely excited to announce that we are pregnant!

The due date is sometime in late July, and we are very excited. Its humbling to think that our creator has endowed us with this wonderful gift.

Reactions from various family members (both families):

• Carmélia (Nádya's mother): She did not believe it until she saw the paper from the test. She then promptly began to cry, and said congratulations. A little later, she said that she thinks its a boy, and has begun to call him Caleb. I still get confused when she refers to "him" by name. [Nyna's reaction was much the same.]
• Júnior (Nádya's brother) is in town for medical reasons. I wish you could have seen the expression on his face when we told him that he is going to be an uncle. It was like he had won the lottery, or something. He was quite overjoyed.
• We called my family Thanksgiving day to let them know. I was on the speakerphone, so I know a lot of people heard at once, but I am not sure exactly who all was there (this was right before we told Nádya's family). When I told them, I heard a collective gasp (!?!). Then the phone acted up, and I missed a couple of words my dad said. I then heard my mom reply, "And that means you are going to be a grandpa." [Happy birthday again, mom!]

Many of you are now wondering, no doubt, how this will affect our plans to get to the US. This has not really affected our plans to much. Since the due date is in July, we are thinking October might be a good time to move. That would give us some time to be with family here, and to get used to having a third personality in our family (It makes me giddy to say that!). It also lines up with the end of the year for the English course.

I hope you all had as good a Thanksgiving as we did. I will post more about what we did for Thanksgiving later today, or tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: acted, caleb, collective gasp, due date, family members, good time, grandpa, happy birthday, i am excited, Life In Brazil, medical reasons, mom, no doubt, Our Activities, Our Story, overjoyed, personality, promptly, said congratulations, she saw, she thinks, thanksgiving day, time to move, won the lottery

Thanksgiving In Brazil

Some have asked me what Thanksgiving is like here in Brazil. The answer is: Hot, just like any other day. According to Weather.com, it will be 97º F for a high, and 79º F for a low tomorrow.

There are plenty of holidays here, compared to the US. There is even a State holiday on the day the Piauí was founded. But there is no Thanksgiving. No turkey. None of my grandma's delicious mashed potatoes, or my aunt's amazing pecan pie (the pumpkin is good, too).
I miss this time of year there. The brisk fall days, the family gatherings, the excellent food, the rain–wait, don't miss that to much.
I suppose that I should have planned ahead this year, and put together a feast. That would have been fun, but a lot of work. I am not sure what we will do, but probably not much. I am okay with that, too. I can be thankful without turkey and gravy.
So, since I won't be with the family around the dinner table, here are some things I am thankful for:

• My wife.
• Her family.
• My family.
• Friends.
• I have work this year!
• It is much cooler here than it was last year this time.
• The internet (so I can communicate with friends and family).

The list could go on, but I will leave it there. I have a ton of things to be thankful for.
In honor of Thanksgiving, here is a little entertainment (If you are on a dial-up connection, that link might not be much fun.) to get you in the mood of being thankful.

Technorati Tags: being thankful, brisk fall, dial up connection, dinner table, family and friends, family friends, family gatherings, feast, friends and family, grandma, gravy, holidays, Life In Brazil, Living Outside the US, Love, mashed potatoes, pecan pie, pumpkin, rain, thanksgiving, time of year, turkey, weather

Five Days Short Of A Month

I apologize for it being so long since I updated. Not really much has happened, though. I guess in some ways that is not entirely true, but what I am trying to say is that no major changes have taken place.

Work:
We expect to know more on Tuesday regarding work for Nádya. We are fairly certain that will work out in our favor. As for me, I am teaching English using the course at called Spoken English Learned Quickly. I have one class per week. The students are so far impressing me at how fast they are picking things up (they are all adults my age or older).

As for my working at CVRD, the chances are not as good as they were. The guy we talked to evidently got transferred to another location, so we are going to be exploring other options.

I also have work in August teaching English at a school in the nearby city of Carajás. Its not full time, but it is a foot in the door.

Living Situation:
It is not ideal. We are making the best of it, and learning a lot about relationships with others. Pray with us that we can afford a place to call home soon.

Weather:
Its hot. Every day. 100º F is pretty normal with 27% humidity. It still gets down to about 70º F at night–which is cold when you are used to 100º F on a regular basis.

Other:
I am experiencing sort of a homesickness lately. Usually its not terribly acute, but it is there. Part of that is because I know that my parents are in the final stages of readying their house in Vancouver, WA for sale. They are moving to Idaho to be closer to family. I miss my brothers a lot, too.

I guess I really miss my roots; all the friends and acquaintances that I have made through the years. I miss my church especially as well.

[Note: If you are a friend of my parent's, and would like to have their new address email me or them.]

Summary of Karl's trip to the States

Whirlwind. It is sort of cliché, but that is how I felt the trip went by. So many people to see, and things to do, and so little time.

I said before I left that I would update while I was there. Unfortunately, I that plan was hampered by a lack of time, as well as an unhealthfully slow internet connection. So, I am doing an update now.

Instead of detailing everything that happened in my little-over-two-week-trip, I think I will overview the major events. Some of the details may be a little messed up, so if the one I mess up is one you know about, let me know. We will go in chronological order:

Wedding:

The primary reason I went was that my brother, Nathan, got married on the 20th. I arrived the 18th in the afternoon, and we had the bachelor party that night (I guess he wanted to be well-rested for the wedding, or some-such.).

The next day, I got to rest a little, as well as having the rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner that night. I recall being very tired, and was probably not a lot of fun to be around.

The food was very good. I do remember that!

Saturday the 20th of May, we did the picture thing before the wedding, and got the ceremony started at noon. I am pretty sure a woman would tell you all about the flowers (which were beautiful), the dress (which was also very chic, as they are saying here in Brazil), the other decorations, and, of course, the bride (I can only think of one more beautiful--mine). I am not a woman, though.

My tux was smelly. The last person that wore it had forgotten to use deodorant, or something. It also became apparent that the designer shoes I was wearing--well, the “designer” forgot the inside part of the shoe... they were pretty uncomfortable.

All of that, though, did not overshadow the very special time with friends and family, and seeing my bro get married. It was a beautiful time, and... Well, how about I quit talking, and show you some pictures. There are more, but these are the highlights. My dad took the pictures, so he is not in any of them for that reason (Just in case you felt left out, dad.).

More information about the photos can be found at our Flickr account (there is a link on the top right-hand side of this page).

Packing:
After the wedding, I rested a bit, and visited with some of the family was around. It was good to see them, as well as my church family on Sunday.

The rest of the week I spent packing my belongings better. My parents are moving, and I needed to get my things in order as much as possible, as they are storing them for me.

I did see a few friends during the week, which was wonderful. I am blessed to have wonderful friends, and very supportive ones, at that.

When I had all my boxes packed, I put them in a little truck my dad owns, and my brother, Ryan, and I headed to my parent's new home in Idaho. My mother's parent's live near there, as well as other family, so we visited them as well. Another great weekend.

Of course, it was quite a drive; essentially, two days of driving, and one day to visit and rest.

I knew I had to sell some things in order to make the finances work, as well as everything fitting in the storage space. So, undaunted by the impossibility of the tasks (well, “undaunted” might be exaggerated a little lot), I looked in the first places I could think of to sell. God blessed my efforts, and everything I had to sell sold within that week. With one exception, and it looks like my '71 Jimmy is going to sell as soon as we get the title stuff worked out.

The last weekend, I saw more friends, and visited my home church once more.

What's With This Job?
I got some emails after the last entry asking what the deal was with my new job. Sorry, I have not kept you very up-to-date on that.

Nádya's brother works at a company that he really likes, and gives him great benefits. So, he was able to hook us up with jobs there. Since we are in “hurry up and wait” mode, we decided to give it a shot.

As a result, it looks like we will be here another year, at the least. We are looking forward to having our own house, as well as me having a job. It would have been nice for both of us to visit together for this reason, but that did not work out, due to the huge wait time for visas to the US at the moment.

Yeah, I will miss my family, friends, and guitars for another year, but that is better than being away from my wife for any amount of time. We (at the moment, at least) plan to visit next year sometime. There are a million and six possiblities between here and there, though, so don't start making big plans yet. :D

Nádya Update:
She is feeling quite good today. Good enough to be pulling pranks and making jokes all day. As I have said before, we get the results of the biopsy on Tuesday.