What Happens in Vegas . . .

Jacob and I met up with Jim, Adam, and Richie in Las Vegas late Thursday night. The five of us have been having a blast here the past few days. On Saturday afternoon, we had tickets for "The Price is Right Live" show. Although none of us were beckoned to "come on down," we had a great time watching the chosen contestants play games and win prizes. Last night we went to see the Australian Bee Gees, an awesome "tribute band" who not only sounded like the real Brothers Gibb, but they looked like them as well. In between, we have been swimming, eating, drinking, shopping, etc. Oh, we have done a little gambling, too - Richie much more than the rest of us. Adam has to head back to Colorado tonight and Richie is off to Michigan Tuesday morning. Jim, Jacob, and I fly to Texas tomorrow afternoon, so our Easter break will continue at our Houston house.

We received a photo of our group in front of the Price is Right wheel. Notice anything amiss in this picture?

Richie and Jacob next to the Price is Right stage.

The view out of our hotel window - New York New York's roller coaster, Excalibur, the tip of Luxor's pyramid, and Mandalay Bay.

I love the dancing fountains outside of Bellagio. So pretty!

The boys posed with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

The bums around here are quite the characters. This guy's sign read, "Why Lie, Need Beer." A few years back, another Vegas hobo shouted at Adam, "I thought I told you to get a haircut." Street people are always so entertaining!

Back to Normal

I ventured back to the doctor's office recently to see how my hypothyroidism was doing. It had been seven weeks since I first started taking generic Synthroid in order to lower my extremely high thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level. I donated a vile of blood, then waited patiently while my numbers were evaluated. Much to my surprise, my TSH had returned to normal. The doctor recommended that I remain on my current dose of medication and have my blood rechecked in three months to make sure that I stay in the correct range. Strangely, I feel pretty much the same as I did when my TSH was super-high. After reading tons of information about under-active thyroids, however, I have discovered some minor symptoms that I could actually attribute to the disease. I suppose I can be thankful that I never felt the awful fatigue and some of the other nasty things that are so often associated with hypothyroidism. I just hope that the meds keep my thyroid regulated and that I again test normally when the end of June rolls around.

The Winter that Wasn't

The weather for much of March has been just crazy in Michigan. We broke many high temperature records, even reaching the mid-80s one day while the calendar said it was winter. It was so warm and sunny and beautiful last week that I have finally abandoned the idea that it might actually still snow this year. We kept the condo windows open for 7 or 8 days straight. Everyone dusted off their shorts and flip-flops, and the weather here seemed like March in southeast Texas. In fact, Detroit's temps were even higher than Houston's for a few days. I suppose if we can't have snow, it might as well be warm outside.

Ironically, now that it is officially spring, the temperatures have started to drop. Last night we dipped into the mid 30s and tonight the forecast calls for a low of 27 degrees. Jacob has not worn his winter coat yet in Michigan, although he did wear it during our ski trip in Colorado. I have not put on boots for over a year, and only needed gloves a few times in January. This was one of the strangest winters I can remember and, to be honest, I was disappointed - especially in the lack of snowfall. Unfortunately, this also meant that Jacob got very little driving experience on slippery roads. Maybe we will get a bit of ice or something this spring so he can practice in hazardous conditions with me in the car before we set him loose on his 16th birthday in December.

Whirlwind Weekend

Adam was on break from school last week and came to town from Colorado on Wednesday. Jim flew to Michigan from Texas late on Thursday night, and Adam graciously offered to pick him up from the airport. The two got back to the condo at exactly midnight and came clamoring up the stairs at 12:01 a.m. I missed seeing my husband on our 26th anniversary by only minutes. So close!

Jim, Adam, Jacob, and I spent the long weekend visiting with friends & family, and attending parties. Adam saw some of his old group on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday evening, all of us headed out to Char and Hollie's place for a St. Patrick's Day party with our "Bear" friends. Baby Marley made an appearance there and met some people for the very first time, including Adam. On Sunday, we gathered at Jean's house for the March birthday celebrations. In between, we managed to go out to dinner a couple of times, take some long walks, play tennis, shop, etc. Adam went back to Denver this afternoon and Jim flies down to Houston tomorrow morning. (Early in the morning - we are waking up at 3:55. Ugh!) It's back to work and school for everyone after some incredibly fun days!

Bundle of Joy

On February 10 - after 37 hours of labor (Yikes!) - Cobra's daughter, Marilyn, gave birth to a darling baby girl. I have been in such need of a baby fix lately that it was just wonderful to go to the hospital to meet precious Marley. Last Tuesday, Jacob had the day off of school so the two of us headed over to Cobra's house to spend some more time with the little peanut. Marley is simply adorable and, on top of everything else, she is a happy and content child, too. Now if only the nine twenty-and-thirty-somethings in our family would get a move on, we could all enjoy even more baby time. Meanwhile, Marilyn, thanks for letting us play with your Marley. She is such a beauty!

Grandpa Fatty snuggled with Marley at the hospital.

Marley waited patiently for Jacob to make some more silly noises for her.

Marley snoozed in her beautiful circular bassinet.

Blowin' in the Wind

It is always exciting for me to scope out all of the new wind farms popping up here and there when I travel across the country. On our recent road trip, most of the windmills that Jake and I saw between Michigan and Colorado were located in Iowa. There is one farm off I-80 near the city of Adair that boasts hundreds of turbines. While some people feel that these farms ruin the landscape, I personally find them to be aesthetically pleasing. Very charming, actually. Not to mention, they are pretty decent providers of renewable energy. Last year, wind power supplied almost 3% of the electricity in the U.S. Wouldn't it be awesome if every house had a little windmill on the roof? Energy crisis averted!

There are a lot of these turbine blades being transported along the freeways these days.

Jake and I drove up very close to this windmill. Contrary to what I had been told, the noise from the turbine was almost inaudible. We were next to the freeway and the sound of the traffic was far louder than the gentle swooshing of the windmill.

I wish I had taken a better shot of these turbines near Adair, IA.

Rocky Mountain High

Ten days ago, Jacob and I jumped into the CRV after school and set off to Colorado. We spent a few days with Adam at his apartment before heading up to the mountains to do some skiing and snowboarding. On Tuesday, our friend Tree flew to Denver from Michigan, another friend Dennis arrived from Oregon, and Jim winged in from Texas. The six of us made our way to a spacious rented condo at the Copper Mountain Resort. We skied - and Adam snowboarded - on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, encountering varied weather conditions that ranged from heavy snow & gusty winds to sunny skies & fresh powder. We all had a great time both on and off the slopes. Jacob and I drove back home over the weekend and were extremely lucky to encounter dry pavement for our entire road trip. Now if only some of that Colorado snow would make its way to the east - I'm still waiting for any sort of accumulation in southeast Michigan this winter.

Jim, Tree, Dennis, and Jake posed near some picturesque pines.

Dennis relaxed at an appropriately-placed picnic table.

The gang at 12,400 feet.

Jacob reluctantly stopped with me so Jim could snap a photo.

Dennis and Jim spent a lot of time in the condo kitchen cooking and cleaning.

Snowfall Shortfall

Winter in Michigan this year has been lame. Dull. Unexciting. Last year when Jacob and I spent much of January, February, and March in Texas, the snow was flying out of control in the Great Lake State. During the 2010-2011 winter, Detroit received 69.1 inches of the white stuff. This year we are lucky to be pushing the 20-inch mark. In addition, the temperatures have been above average, so each time it does snow, it quickly melts. Even though lots of people like this no-snow trend in the weather, I do not. (Nor do the ice fisherman or the southeast Michigan ski area operators or the organizers of our local cross-country ski-and-snowshoe event.) Jacob has not worn his winter coat at all yet this season - he just wears his thermal hoodie everywhere. I have only needed gloves a few times. Neither of us have donned our boots, which could be a problem if Jacob outgrows his brand, new winter boots without ever having put them on his feet! We are heading to Colorado over winter break from school, and, fortunately, the snow totals in the Rocky Mountains have been much more impressive than around here. Maybe when we return from our ski trip, Michigan will finally have a blizzard or something. We deserve at least one six-inch-or-greater snowfall this winter.

Hypothyroidism

I went to the doctor last week for a check-up. I typically only go when I run out of blood pressure & cholesterol medications and need refills. The week prior to my appointment, I visited the lab to give endless viles of blood for my annual complete blood work-up. My numbers were all good, with the exception of one thing. My thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) result was way out of range. Normally the number should be between .4 and 4.50. Mine was a whopping 57.20! Oddly, the high number indicates an under active thyroid, or hypothyroidism. Allegedly I am supposed to feel tired & sluggish, have unexpected weight gain, experience an increased sensitivity to cold, notice muscle aches, and be suffering from a myriad of other symptoms. With the exception of being cold, I feel pretty much the same as always. The doctor decided to error on the side of caution and redo the TSH test, plus check my T3 and T4 levels as well. (I still need to research what these T things are!) The redone blood work came back wacky, so on Saturday I began taking a small dose of Synthroid to try to regulate my numbers. I will have my blood checked again in six weeks to see if the meds will need to be increased. In the meantime, the doctor has told me that even though I feel fine, the symptoms have probably come on so gradually that I haven't noticed them. He promised that I will feel "a lot better" when the Synthroid kicks in. A friend who has hypothyroidism has told me the same thing. In addition, my friend told me that the meds helped her easily lose 10 pounds. So far, I feel exactly the same, but I am expecting a burst of energy and a shapely, toned body any day now. (Big ha-ha!) We'll see how all that works out!

Chopstick Challenge

Tonight I ate at a Chinese restaurant for the very first time. Jacob and I met up with Richie, Steve, Nancy, Laura, and Rob at "New Peking" to celebrate Steve's upcoming birthday. Apparently Steve is no stranger at the establishment because as soon as we waltzed through the door, the hostess and several waitresses called out "Steve!" (Yep, just like when everyone shouted "Norm" on Cheers.) After perusing the 8-page menu, I chose to order the safe-sounding entree of Chicken Fried Rice. It was surprisingly yummy and the portion size of the meal was enormous. I only managed to finish about one third of my dinner so I have a ready-made lunch for tomorrow. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we tried, Jacob and I could not master the art of using chopsticks. With practice, however, I'm certain that I will be able to properly utilize them the next time I eat Chinese food. It definitely adds a fun spin to the dining experience when you are expected to lift your food with two thin, tapered, wand-like pieces of wood. I'm already eager to try again.

Jacob poked around with his chopsticks, but was unsuccessful at ever transferring any food into his mouth.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

It has certainly been a strange winter in southeast Michigan so far. Officially, we have received only 12 or 13 inches of snow, and whenever we do get some it doesn't stick around for a very long time. Which is too bad, because I really do love snow. In addition, we have had more wind and rain than usual this winter. Icky, cold, driving rain. I just hope that we at least reach our normal snowfall total by the time spring arrives. We have a lot of catching up to do.

Below is a picture of Irma at her birthday party last week. Following that are a few pix taken at our New Year's Eve bash at Wayne & Carol's house. I really need to stay a bit more up-to-date with downloading my photos. There's nothing like looking at New Year's Eve pictures when Groundhog Day is right around the corner.

Irma's 88th birthday.

Jacob got sweaty during the New Year's Eve air hockey tournament.

Muffin was decked out in a party hat and his snazzy, new glasses.

After beating numerous opponents, Steve came out as the annual air hockey victor and took home the "Millennium Cup."