40th Anniversary

Carol & I took off after work on Thursday, 02 December and drove to Cannon Beach, OR. We've always wanted to check out Tolavona Inn, so I made reservations and it was great! We celebrated our anniversary early because Carol's children's choir had rehearsal on Saturday and they were singing in both services on Sunday. We had the pool and sauna to ourselves. We had dinner at Mo's (Dad, Mom, and Aunt Nancy will remember Mo's). I took these pictures from our 3rd floor balcony. It was 42 degrees and a slight wind - not bad for December!

At Lynette's house

We had a great time in Phoenix during the Thanksgiving holiday. The flights were on time and Mom Peters was a real trooper - especially going through the airports! We flew on Thanksgiving Day and returned to Portland on Saturday afternoon. We rented a little Nissan and drove to Lynette's house. Lynette and Frank had dinner ready when we arrived. I can't believe how big Caleb and Joshua are! Lynette - thanks for the bowling games, pictures, and dinner. He also had a short visit with Chris and her sister Teresa. They were in town to be with their Dad in one of the hospitals in Phoenix.

Last night we went to Grande Ronde, OR and heard REO Speedwagon. What a concert! Earplugs were required (thanks Carol!). We took some good friends with us...Brad and Lisa Claybaugh. We stopped in Wilsonville for a little dinner. The concert was at 8:00p.m. We got home about 11:30p.m. Lisa caught a guitar pick (what a lucky!). Brad and I were amazed at the guitars they had...old and new...all sizes, shapes, manufacturers, and colors. No more concerts for us until the new year...too much going on.

Sounds like Dad's back injury is healing up nicely. He's still sore, but it beats the other options!

He's not supposed to lift more than 10 pounds. He said he's been doing alot of reading! We'll write more soon!

I wanted to share a picture of the barometer/temp/humidity plaque that Mark Dentel made for us. We finally found a place for it! As you can tell, the detail is awesome and the anchor on top makes it really special - after all, we are a Navy family. Mark and Laurie are good friends that live in Dallas, OR. Mark works with me at Patterson Dental as a seasoned service technician. Thanks again, Mark!
My Dad is doing lots better. He stayed in the hospital for a couple of days. But, you can't keep a good man down - he's home and taking it easy for a while. I haven't heard about repairing the cracked vertebrae yet...I'll pass on the info ASAP.
Yesterday I picked up leaves prior to the downpour. Then Carol and I took Millie and Mom Peters to lunch, both are doing fairly well. A few aches and pains, but we ALL have those! Then we took off for church. We have a Saturday evening service that's the same as the two services on Sunday. NASCAR race today at Martinsville - go Jeff Gordon!

Dad is in the Hospital

Just a quick note to everyone - I received a call from my Mom tonight telling me that Dad was in the hospital with a back injury. He fractured vertebrae #L1. A CAT scan and MRI have been taken and injury confirmed. Dad's in alot of pain , even with I.V. morphine. He fell backwards while working at home, cutting wood for the wood stove. I called him (at the hospital) and he's in good spirits. He's at the Cheyenne Medical Center (307-634-2273) Room 4225 - Al Wegner.

Keep him in your thoughts and prayers, some decisions on disc repair need to be made in the near future.

Carol & I got up early and headed West to Forest Grove, OR. Every summer Pacific University holds Concours D'Elagance (sp?). This car show is unique - it's held oudoors, on the lawns of the university. And is not limited to the "old favorites" that are restored, but modifies and custom cars too. I'll show just a few so everone gets an idea of what's showing. What a great Auto wekend - Carol was a real sport, lots of walking around the campus! Can't wait for nesxt year!

After Denver

Carol & I talked Jim & Vonnie Lash into going to the Sunset Raceway in Banks, OR on Saturday night. Greg Biffle was signing autographs...so...there ya go! Thank you Greg - what a great guy!

Our friends Curt, Larry, and Roxanne saved us some top row seats. When the sun set, the temperture took a nose dive and the wind picked up. Not a typical summer evening! But, we sure had a great time!

Quick Visit

On 11 July Carol & Mom Peters and I took off for Denver, CO. We flew Frontier Airlines - GREAT flight, and they really helped Mom get around the airports. We rented a car and drove to Orv & Nancy Dyer's house. Mom was going to stay with them and Carol and I left for Cheyenne after a Super dinner! We arrived at the Mariott Fairfield in Cheyenne around 11:00p.m. The next couple of days were spent gathering stuff for the anniversary party for Mom & Dad Wegner (60th). And crusin' around Cheyenne. It was great to see everyone, and I think Mom & Dad were surprized how many people came to wish them well. Hope everyone had a good time - thanks to all for your help and your gift for Mom & Dad.

Working Weekend

Today I get to go to DEQ and have my van checked for emissions. Then on to NAPA and get all the stuff I need to change the oil. We have to take good care of her 'cause she'a pair for. Next weekend we're headed for Denver & Cheyenne. We're taking Mom (or she's taking us) to Denver by plane and Carol & I will rent a car and drive to Cheyenne. We get to see the Dyer's in Denver on Sunday P.M., then head North. If you haven't seen Kelly's new baby yet, you can see Savannah at www.douglasgirls4.blogspot.com

I cannot believe it's the middle of June already! We celebrated Maddy's birthday last week - she's a BIG 8 years old. Mom Peters, Kelly & the girls, & Carol & I had ice cream and cake - mmmm. All of the girls are growing way too fast.

After work on Monday, I took Carol & Payton to Canon Beach to watch the sunset. It was kinda overcast and windy - 53 degrees. Will post more soon.

I attended Cerec Training in Charlotte, NC last week. The class was great , but the weather was just like Oregon's - WET. After our last day of training I visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Very nice facility! Lots of history and hands on demonstrations. The movie introduces you to what you're about to experience - the screen is 60 feet wide. It's like I-Max. The displays are well thought out and usually in chronological order.

When I got home on Saturday, Carol and I mowed the grass and did yard work in between rain drops at Mom's old place. Everything is out of the house and the place is really clean inside. Carol & Mom spent alot of time cleaning before I left for Charlotte. Closing on the house should be tomorrow or Thursday.

Mom's apartment is really lookin' cute. She bought a love seat (or small sofa) and Carol & I picked it up for her last Monday. Pictures are up, and I still need to hang a few things, but it's coming along great! I will try to get some pictures soon.

Continuing on the "house" project, we ordered a medium sized dumpster and had it delivered to Mom Peters' place. All of the wood stuff, garden stuff, and garage stuff that wasn't hazardous waste went into the dumpster - Carol & I filled it up in one evening! Guess I should have gotten a bigger one :) That was Thursday...on Saturday we worked on hazardous waste - made a trip to Portland. Then we made a trip to the dump (stuff that wouldn't fit into the dumpster). We delivered a dresser and mirror to some friends in Beaverton. That old Ford van sure came in handy! We returned to the house in the late afternoon and Carol did some cleaning inside and I mowed the front and back yard. Sunday (Mother's Day), I washed the van and cleaned the inside - then we picked up Mom and drove to Canon Beach and had lunch at Mo's! It was cooler there, but windy and clear.

Mom Peters' address is 19295 NW Cornell Road Apt #116, Hillsboro, OR 97124.

Same phone number as before. I'll write more soon...going to Canyonville, OR this weekend to hook up with our friends Jim & Vonnie :)

Remember when I told everyone that Mom's house went on the market 15 April? Well, it sold on 23 April - Thanks to Sheila Done and friends! Closing is around May 27th. Nancy Dyer flew in from Denver on April 28th and we put her to work packing up glassware, books, etc. On May 1st we met Kelly & Etienne at Mom's place and we started dismantling everything! Between Etienne's truck and my van we made one BIG load and started setting things up for Mom at her new place. We started in the bedroom and living room - we just placed things where we thought they might go. Then the girls discussed where everything should go :) Cable TV and telephone lines were connected and activated. Carol and Nancy cleaned the new place prior to moving furniture in. Sunday we started organizing and putting things away - we had lunch at Mom's new place (it was good - cherry cobbler!). Then, I went back to the house and did some yard work.

A BIG - THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this move easy for Mom! Nancy, Kelly, Etienne, & Carol (the coordinator) you all did a great job in a very short amount of time. Thanks to Orv for letting us borrow Nancy for the week! Mom's phone number stayed the same. I'll make sure her address is available to everyone ASAP. More news soon.

Another very busy week...lots of news. First, Happy Birthday to Grace Douglas (3 years old)!

We had a great time at Kelly & Etienne's house last Sunday! (Gracie's birthday is actually on Monday the 19th). We picked up Mom Peters and had cake and ice cream! Grace opened her presents and Payton helped her. Second, Mom's house sold today! There was an offer and a counter - offer. So now, we start the packing and moving. Mom has a really nice place at Rock Creek. I'll post a web site as soon as possible so a visual tour is available. Mom will be moving around the 29th or 30th of this month.

We've been really busy the past week or so. Mom Peters has decided to get into a smaller place with less mainenance. Carol toured the area with Mom and came up with Rock Creek Retirement Community. Her house was listed on the market April 15th with Century 21 - thanks to Shiela Done! Nobody can be in the house when it's being shown - so Carol picks up Mom after work and comes over to our house on the weekend. I've been working on the yard along with Etienne. Tomorrow we're back at it - grass and box up stuff in the garage / shed. I'll post more pictures soon.

Next weekend we start moving non-essentials to the appartment.

Bringing Mom Home

Today was good news for Mom Peters, she got to go home! We picked her up from the hospital tonight around 8:30 pm. We took her home and got her settled into her own bed. She's walking great, but has to be careful of the incision site. They gave her a support belt to wear when she is getting up or moving around. Carol is staying at Mom's for a night or two just to see if she can move around okay. We don't want her to fall after all of this! Kelly & Carol cleaned the house for Mom today (washed the linen, etc. too). Thanks to everyone for the e-mails and phone calls - what an encouragement. Progress report soon!

Happy Easter 2010

Etienne, Kelly and girls came over for Easter dinner today. We had plenty to eat and lots to be thankful for! The girls found all of their Easter eggs that Grammy hid. Then we all went to the hospital to visit Mom Peters. She's doing really well. She off of the liquids and onto almost anything she wants to eat. The surgical site is sore, but she's handling that very well. The staff has her up and walking about 2 or 3 times a day. I think that Physical Therapy will begin tomorrow. We'll be going back up to her room this evening and we'll check on progress.

It's Friday evening and we just got back from the hospital. Mom Peters had surgery this afternoon and her doctor was very happy with the way things went. Her tumor was removed, and the slight kink in her intestine was straightened, and her overies were removed (should have been done with a historectomy years ago). The doctor also stated he was certain that the tumor was cancer free - but, the lab will give results in a couple of days. Mom was kinda fuzzy after surgery, but she's back in her bed (room 842 at the hospital) and very comfortable. She fell asleep while we were there. A BIG Thank you to everyone who was praying for Mom! We'll give an update tomorrow.

This is day #7 for Mom Peters' visit in the hospital. Lots of developments - a CAT scan was performed on Monday, we found out the "scar tissue" theory was a tumor, the doctors told Carol and Mom that they had two (2) choices - (1) do nothing and starve to death (2) have the operation to remove the tumor. Starting tonight, Mom is getting nutrients from an I.V. Friday April 2nd Mom will have surgery done at St. Vincent. Thank you all for the phone calls and prayers! Mom's attitude and expectations are high due to your encouragement. More to come on Friday!

Thursday afternoon I received a call from Carol stating she was at Mom Peters house and had to call 911 because Mom developed severe stomach pains. I met carol at the Emergency Room at St. Vincent Hospital. Mom had been admitted and was in a temporary holding room. She was seen by a Dr., given pain meds, and shot up to x-ray dept. As far as they can tell, scar tissue from past surgeries has caused a partial blockage in her lower intestine. So, they moved her into a permanent room (by herself) and have been pumping her stomach for two days now. She has had no food or water to date. Tomorrow they will decide if surgery is required. The pain meds are confusing her memory and thought process, but today she has had no pain meds and seems to be in pretty good spirits. She said she wanted a shower and her hair curled as soon as possible!

The past weekend was monumental for Mom Peters. We had Dad's memorial at the Peters' house. And on Monday, March 15th, Carol helped set up Military Honor Guard at Willamette Memorial Cemetery. Carol, Mom Peters, Nancy Dyer and I drove over in the van. The Honor Guard was so good. Very precise. Very professional. They folded the flag in front of everyone and a three gun salute was offered. One soldier handed the folded flag to Mom and another gave Mom the casings from the riffle. Both of them offered condolences. This was the first time Mom had seen Dad Peters' vault.

Saturday, March 13th, Carol helped Mom Peters and Nancy Dyer hold a Memorial Open House at the Peters' house in Hillsboro, OR. Relatives, friends and neighbors visited with Mom and certainly comforted her! Mike & Sheila Done did an outstanding job of preparing food and beverages! Tomorrow we're going to the Willamette Memorial Cemetery and there will be military honors performed for Dad Peters. At the end of the ceremony, they will fold the American Flag and give it to Mom. And she will see the location of his vault for the first time.

Tuesday, March 26th Nancy flies back to Denver. It seems like she always knows when we need a little help...and she always volunteers. What a God-send!

This is a picture of Dad Peters doing what he enjoyed...working in the yard with his granddaughters.

Last weekend the girls brought their parents over to have dinner and ride bikes. Etienne bought Grace a new bike with training wheels - she concentrating on the next turn! And Madison keeps her bike here.

A BIG THANKS to Kelly and Etienne for their help at The Peters' house. It looks great inside and out! The winter left the yard and outside of the house a mess. Easter and Spring Break are coming up! I'll post more soon.

Carol made arrangements for us to stay in Newport, OR this weekend. The weather was good for the coast, in winter. It was 55 and light wind. This was a Sunday A.M. shot at Lincoln City. Kinda foggy and angry sea. Jim & Vonnie Lash gave us a gift card for the buffet in Grande Ronde - and we put that to some good use!!!(Thanks, you guys!) We came home via Tillamook just in time to watch the Daytona 500 :) Way to go - Jamie Mc Murray!!! Perfect weekend - now we're getting ready for the reality of a new week.

Hey, what a surprize to see Mike Dyer this past Tuesday evening! He flew in from Denver on business and we hooked up for dinner. You can't go wrong with Spaghetti Factory! Anyway, we caught up on family matters and work stuff - the visit was much too short. But, we'll take what we can get :) This was a long week at work and Carol & I are ready for the weekend! Hope everyone is doing well and has a safe Superbowl weekend.

PDX Car Show

After church today I met with Clay, Caleb, and Chad Nagel and we took the MAX downtown to the convention center - 2010 Portland Auto Show. We saw tons of cars, trucks and SUV's. None of which we could afford! But, it sure was fun to look! Great meal at China Bay too.

Well January is almost gone. Big birthday month for the family, Don, Dana, Kelly and me.

Carol and I ran down to Florence, OR for dinner and a movie (The Book of Eli). Then we spent the night in Newport. We stopped at Grande Ronde for breakfast (buffet), then headed home.

Great weekend...very relaxing...thank you Carol!

Mom Peters is doing pretty well. The house seems a little bigger as mom down-sizes and makes donations to Goodwill, etc. She went with Carol & me last week to see Signature Sound - Gospel Quartet from The Gaithers. We had a great time and met our friends Clay & Cindy Nagel at the concert. Today Etienne (Mike), Kelly, and I helped Mom at the house and did minor repairs and yard work - Kelly cleaned the house - Thank You guys! Hope everyone has a great weekend!