We’re Not in Kansas Anymore!

Run!
Well, we fought the good fight and when we got knocked down this last round, we decided to run back home as fast as we could.  We packed as soon as we got the bad news.  But, we had the weekend to kill before we even knew if Fred could reschedule his crown to a sooner appointment.  So, we headed down to Brush Creek and the Kaufman Memorial to say goodbye.   It was sweltering and very humid.  The walk was a little tougher than usual. 

The Dragon Boat Races were going on at Bush Creek.



Kaufman Memorial:  hydrangeas were in bloom and goslings have grown.

45 Madison leasing office:  Vanessa, Flo, and Amy.

We said good-bye to our 45 Madison family.  (So sad Kimberly was missing for the photos.)  We are beyond thankful for this extremely friendly and accommodating bunch.  If you EVER need housing in KCMO, I recommend 45 Madison.  They will hook you up!   Fred managed to get his crown rescheduled from Thursday to Tuesday.  Yay!  We had our bags packed and the car loaded up so we could leave straight from the appointment.  Back in March, we travelled through Arizona, New Mexico, the panhandle of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas to Missouri on our way out.   We decided to change it up coming home from Missouri:  Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, to California. 

 

Good for the Soul
Fred’s sister and brother live in the Denver area so we spent two nights there.  The first night we were zombies, so I’m really happy we decided to stay another night.  We got to spend a day in Boulder where Fred spent his college years.  Fred's sister, Abby, did all the driving.  Yay!  We took in the blue skies; DRY heat; galleries; high end hotel; and food.  Then more food --  dinner outside Denver, when everyone got off work.  It was great for all of us to be with family again!

Boulder Pearl Street Mall, galleries, and St. Julien Hotel.

Family dinner at Bonefish Grill.

 

Ten Roses Dragon Tree totem, Chrisanne & Fred, Grady, and "locals."

On to Beulah Valley.  Fred’s college friend and roommate, Chrisanne, lives in Beulah Valley just outside of Pueblo, Colorado.  He and Chrisanne talk all the time, but they have not seen each other since I surprised him on his 50^th. So we had to take a slight detour from Denver and spend the next day and evening in Beulah with Chrisanne. 


She is a jack of many trades and is a caretaker of several homes in Beulah.  We could have stayed at her place, but she lined it up with a homeowner for us to stay in a really good sized cabin for the night.  Sweet!  Lucky for us there were also pets for us to love on:  a snaggle-toothed rat terrier named Grady and a friendly cat named Taz.  Also kind of glad we did not stay at Chris' place.  I say this only because when she brought us by to check her place out, a bear had full on ripped the pad-locked door off her storage shed during the day -- in the short time she had left to guide us into the valley.  [Uh, no thank you.]

The next day was about 12 hours on the road from Beulah, Colorado to St. George, Utah.  I had never driven this route.  Between the pass over Rockies and the drive through rock formations in Utah, I don’t think I have seen so much beauty in one day ... and with such contrast.

Monarch Pass over the Rockies was greens, blues, whites, with cool crisp air.

The drive into St. George was colored in ochres, lavenders and blues with dry blow torch heat.  We felt like we were scouting locations for the next Star Trek movie.

The last night in St. George was great.  We had a nice room, a good meal, and we were refreshed for the final leg. 

Us: "Yay!" ... Dogs: "Meh."
When we got home, we were expecting some fabulous greeting from our pups -- crying and perhaps a mauling.  Instead, they were freshly bathed and full of kisses, but not overly excited at all.  It was such a letdown, but confirmed that Angie, Bita, and Lawrence spoiled them just the right amount.  Our friends, Bita and Lawrence were at the house waiting for us with some food and a gift.  Meghan surprised us by coming over too, so we had many hands to help us unload the car.  Thank you, thank you, thank you! Saturday night we slept great with a full belly and a pile of hot dog on the bed. 

What’s Next?
Summer session started this week and I am bummed I lost that contract and am not able to teach.   Because I did not expect to be home, I had to cancel the contract when they opened on-line enrollment a few weeks ago. The good news is that I will have tons more time on my hands and can actually socialize at night and on the weekends this summer!  I’m already picking out the summer concerts and events I want to enjoy with Fred and friends.




As of the Monday before we left, Nebraska had not heard back from the good folks at KUMed transplant center regarding Fred’s records.  They had requested records the prior Wednesday. No returned call and no records.  Nebraska cannot schedule an evaluation until they receive the records and we are now looking at August!  We were hoping that our final request of the transplant team (that they expedite requests from other centers) had not fallen on deaf ears.  So, when Nebraska told us they had not received the records, Fred ran down to the hospital at KUMed and requested hard copies of everything, including CDs of all imaging.  We now have a pile that we can copy and submit to anyone who may need them.  The hospital was great, but the transplant program really let us down.  We no longer need to rely on this team and that is a relief. 

We had a brief conversation with the prior director of Liver Transplantation from KUMed (the one who called us out in the first place, but left in March). He was very helpful and gave us a few other programs to try -- ones that he knew were on the aggressive side,  as far as risk taking.

We still have loads of work to catch up on at the house.  We have a leak in the water filter in the kitchen.  The yard needs some TLC and it is way too hot.  We also need to get my car detailed inside and out, as it is covered with dust and apparently a critter was bringing in leaves and nesting in the engine.  Good grief!


Nebraska has now received Fred's records and is scheduled to discuss Fred 's case from a cancer-perspective this coming Monday.  (Then they will discuss the issue of possible transplant.)  We meet with UCLA tomorrow to assess their wait list, etc.   I also need to regroup and get records rolling to other centers on our radar  -- Methodist University (in Memphis), Ocshner (in New Orleans), and  Indiana University (in Indianapolis).   I will post again with Plan B as it evolves.  For now, good-bye and thank you for staying with us on this crazy ride.