Vegas, Baby

If you have never been to Vegas - it is worth a trip. I was there for work and while work trips typically don't allow for much outside of meetings, this one presented some opportunity to stroll down the strip, visit some hotels, and see a show. Below is a shot of the strip at night. A colleague of mine took me to the Venetian during one of our breaks. Absolutely amazing...you go into one section of the hotel and it really feels like you are in Venice. Coming up an escalator you see the site below. I thought the sky was really outside, but it is a painted ceiling with clouds that move. Apparently it turns to night and has thunder and lighting too (but I didn't see that). It really felt like you were in another country - such a cool experience. Below is another shot from the Venetian - the gondoliers singing through the canals in the hotel. It kind of takes a lot to impress me, but this was pretty spectacular. I didn't go to Paris or some of the other hotels so I could save some excitement for the next time I visit - hopefully with Brian or some of my friends.

I did get to see a show. We saw The Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil. It was a fun show - was expecting a little more of acrobatic wonder but it was fun listening to all the Beatles songs. If you want to get a flavor of the show - check it out below. http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/love/intro/intro.htm

I never thought I would like Vegas. Gambling is such a second thought while you are there. It just felt like it could be such a fun adventurous weekend by checking out the hotels, shopping, and seeing some shows. I'm looking forward to going back.

The Quest to 10,000 Steps

Each day I wake up with a quest to reach 10,000 steps. It is not a simple goal, but it is accomplishable...and that is the beauty of it.

I started at the end of December when I got a pedometer for Christmas. I asked for it after starting on an account at work that involves obesity.

Did you know that the average U.S. adult will gain about 22 lbs between ages 20 to 50, and as little as 125 calories (e.g., a can of soda, a candy bar, a glass of wine) excess per day leads to 13 lbs weight gain in a year? Kind of scarey, but totally believable. After being engulfed in stats like these, learning about the impact this weight has on your health, and listening to doctors in market research talk about how sedentary we are - the quest began and there is no turning back.

So why 10,000 steps? While there may not be any proven studies that make 10,000 steps a magic number, some sites have said it classifies someone as 'active.' Think of it this way, less than 5,000 steps is sedentary and this is what the majority of us (with no additional physical activity) accomplish in a day.

So everyday I wake up with a quest to 10,000 steps. It means I walk at lunch, at night with the dog, and whenever I can (to the local store vs. driving, to meet a colleague vs. calling). Sure, I could be running (which I dislike tremendously) or doing a DVD exercise video (I guess I forget to push play), but there is something so peaceful and gratifying with a walk and reaching a goal of 10,000 steps a day. It is something that I can feel good about everyday. And...I think I lost 2-3 lbs (but who is counting?).

Mrs. Kenney's Famous Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Brian always raved about this coffee cake his mom used to make. I never understood what could be so special since I was never a coffee cake fan. Plus, any food with the word cake in it is Brian's favorite food...so I had every right to be a bit skeptical.

A few weeks back Brian was craving some cake (go figure) and whipped out the recipe that had been tucked away for years and carefully mixed all the ingredients together that were on the exact card his mother used to use. Now Brian is the cook in the family (when we cook) - so it is normal to see him in the kitchen while I am no where in sight.

But it didn't take long for my interest to peak when the house quickly began to smell of cinnamon and sugar. This famous coffee cake came out of the oven with a perfect cinnamon, sugar crust & chocolate chips soft to the touch. I eagerly grabbed a knife to cut into what Brian had been raving about for years - but quickly got scolded for even thinking about cutting into his masterpiece before it cools.

It was agonizing waiting for it to cool - I mean agonizing. Every few minutes I asked and Brian patiently answered, "Not yet."

It finally became time for me to sink my teeth into this famous cake and it was everything that Brian spoke about and more. It was moist and fluffy with the perfect sweet combination of chocolate chips, cinnamon and sugar. I've never had anything like it. Mrs. Kenney would be proud. And since my first bite, I have made Brian make it for me every week. It takes only a week for it to be devoured in our house. The picture above is actually from today though. I made him make it for me before he left for a business trip. Brian asked that I leave some for him - he returns on Thursday. I hope I can do it...it is just that good.

Kelli's Birthday Party

My friend Kelli (pictured on the left) turned 29 on Friday and we celebrated at the Public House in Philadelphia last night. Now Kelli is one of my adorable sorority sisters...she is one of those girls that seems to always have a million friends...and last night was no different. There were probably more than 50 friends who showed up to celebrate with her. Some traveling from out of town to attend in her honor. It was nice for me since some who came included other sorority sisters (Devon, Jamie, Nicole - who traveled from DC, Joanne - who traveled from Long Island, and Laura K.). Kelli totally deserves all the attention and hopefully she had a great time - I know I did.

Sad News...

I attended the viewing (Tuesday evening) and funeral (Wednesday) this week for my cousin, Monty Campuzano. He was only 50 years old and passed away from cancer. Julie was away so she was unable to attend with me, although I know that she wanted to.

Funerals are never easy, and this one was certainly no different. Its unbelievable how someone is here one day and gone the next. We had just seen Monty in October at a fundraiser that was held to help raise money to assist with some of his medical costs. Even at that time the average person would not have known he was sick. Being that he was always such a big (literally -- about 6'4"), caring guy, when I saw him that night it was like any other night, his smile was ear to ear and he jokingly punched me in my arm and almost knocked me right off my feet. He really was a gentle giant.

I was honored that his children asked Bob (my brother) and me to read at the mass. I went first and battled my way through an Old Testament reading (Wisdom 3:1-9) and Bob had the New Testament (Romans 6:3-9) and did a nice job (I think he had practiced beforehand).

Under the circumstances it was good to see the family. Makes you realize how important family and friends really are in life.

There was a short passage in the front of the program that they passed out at the funeral. I thought I would include it here since it did bring a certain sense of peace to the whole situation as I read it sitting there in church.

Remember Me....
To the living, I am gone;
To the sorrowful, I will never return;
But to the happy, I am at peace.
And to the faithful, I have never left
I cannot speak, but I can listen
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.
So, as you stand upon a shore,
Gazing at the beautiful sea....
As you look upon a flower,
And admire its simplicity....
Remember me in your heart,
Your thoughts and your memories.
Of the times we loved, the times we fought,
And of the times we laughed.
For if you always think of me....
I will never be gone.

We'll miss you, Monty.

Smell Shocked

So we had Chinese food for dinner last night while we watched the football game. Disappointed Jacksonville couldn't pull out the W -- I mean who can tolerate the New England "Cheaters."

Anyway, back to the story. So I woke up this morning and decided to head out for a cup of coffee to clear out some of the morning cobwebs. What I didn't realize was that Julie had taken the Jeep to pick up the Chinese food last night, so when I opened the door -- wham! I was smell shocked.

Residual Chinese food odor just came pouring out of the Jeep. For those of you that remember the Peppy La Pue cartoon, it was like you could actually see the odor exiting the car. A pungent smell that was a blend of hunan shrimp, shredded pork and garlic sauce (convinced this is actually cocker spaniel) and singapore noodles that stewed in the Jeep overnight.

It eventually did get better, or perhaps I built up a tolerance to it. Next time I think we will opt to have our Chinese food delivered.

My MS Story

As you may know, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in October...October 9th, 2007 to be exact. I'm going to use this post to explain what led to that diagnosis and let you know what I'm doing about it and how I am - since many of you have asked or are afraid to ask. Sorry, but it's a long post.

It all started when I got off a plane after our honeymoon 2005. I thought I slept weird on the plane, because every time I put my chin to my chest, I would get this odd vibration/sensation down my back, arms, and into my legs. It didn't hurt...it was just odd. I went to my PCP for a check up and mentioned it to him and he just said, "Just stop putting your chin to your chest." It lasted about a month and then went away and forgot all about it.

In March of 2007 I lost vision in my right eye. It was kind of a mix between blurriness and parts of vision in that eye completely gone (they call that a scotoma). I went to an optometrist, ophthalmologist, and a retina specialist and received healthy eye exams. My PCP ordered an MRI of my brian which showed a tiny lesion (pretty much every Neurologist who has reviewed my film cannot find it though). I went to an amazing neuro ophthalmologist at Wills Eye and after the most thorough eye exam and review of my MRI, he diagnosed me with optic neuritis (swelling of the optic nerve). He explained that patients who present optic neuritis are at increased risk of MS, but he said he couldn't make a diagnosis at that time. He explained that my vision would continue to improve but may never heal completely. He was right - when I returned in May 2007, my eye exam showed 20/20 vision in my right eye. While it appears perfect on paper, my right eye isn't the same, but I can see fine.

In August 2007, the right side of my head and face went numb with pins and needles. Now, if you go online and search "loss of vision" or "facial numbness," MS is pretty much the diagnosis you would find. At this point, I went back to my PCP and got another MRI - showed no change from before. I also went back to my neuro ophthalmologist - who couldn't find anything.

I was glued to the computer...on MS chat rooms, searching content on MS and trying to find an answer. After all this, I stumbled on a symptom of MS that I never heard of, "Lhermittes sign" which describes the vibration sensation when you put your chin to your chest. I remembered that sensation back in 2005.

September I saw a neurologist. He did a complete physical work up, reviewed my MRIs, asked all the right questions and couldn't provide a diagnosis. He recommended I get an MRI of my cervical spine and thoracic spine due to my symptom a while back of Lhermittes. As you may have guessed, the MRI showed two old lesions and at that point my neurologist could provide a confident diagnosis of relapsing/remitting MS (most popular and less serious type). I ended up seeing the best of the best MS specialists in Philadelphia for a second and third opinion and they both confidently agreed with my neurologist.

So...what does this all mean. I started medication (Rebif) which is a self injection I inject three times a week at home. The medication has been proven to basically decrease relapses and chance for disability. It really doesn't hurt to inject and I fortunately haven't had the side effect of "flu-like symptoms." My neurologist has told me I should plan on living my life as I always have, but to avoid heat/cold temperatures as that aggravates symptoms. What that means is those minor residual symptoms from my eye and my face seem to get exacerbated when I'm out in the cold/heat - but then it gets better. No big deal at all.

I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been scared or sad...scared cause this disease is unpredictable and sad cause no one wants to have a disease in which the perception is that you end up in a wheel chair and have some other crappy symptoms. But I'm past all that because I have the most supportive husband (who came with me to every doctor appointment), I have supportive friends and family, and the medication that I am taking has proven to be successful for many people. I plan to be one of many who will change the way people perceive this disease because I expect to not have any more relapses. I feel great and I choose to be positive and hope you are too.

If you have any questions or want to know more, I'm an open book so just ask.

Flyered Up

Jules got me Flyers tickets for Christmas and today was game day - it was a matinee game against the Boston Bruins. It's been a couple of years since I had been to a game and we had a great time - good seats, good eats, a beer, and tons of Flyer energy throughout the arena. The game was entertaining and went into overtime - unfortunately 45 seconds into OT, the Flyers lost. I must say though, there is nothing like going to an arena and watching a hockey game LIVE.

Lets go FLYERS!

My Hero

During creative writing class in second grade we were asked to write about our hero. While those in my class wrote about Superman and other superheroes, there was no hesitation in my decision to write about my Grandpa Morse. I remember my dad putting my creative writing work on the fridge and it being a big deal that I had chosen my grandfather as 'my hero.' My gramps still gets a kick out of when I say it.

I recently looked at the definition of a hero...some of the definitions are 1) a legendary figure often of divine descent with great strength or ability 2) an illustrious warrior 3) a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities or 4) one that shows great courage

For me, none of these definitions even come close to capturing the essense of my hero. Sure I admire him for his achievements (a successful engineer for Westinghouse, a patriarch, a furniture maker, designing his house, a farmer...) and sure he shows great courage (faced with multiple health challenges), but it is more about who he really is as a person, what he has taught us all (big and small), and who we have become as people that starts to just scratch the surface of why I look up to this amazing man.

I also must add that it is very clear to me that my grandfather could not be who he is without my grandmother. Over 60 years of marriage...she has been by his side in sickness and in health and truly amazes me with her dedication and love for 'my hero.'

Below is a recent picture of Brian and me with my Grandma and Grandpa Morse. We love them so much!

Thanksgiving 2007

This year we decided to head to Pittsburgh to celebrate Thanksgiving. We typically switch off holidays - Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh one year and then the next in Philadelphia. While we were in Pittsburgh last year for Thanksgiving, we heard the Kelly's (my cousin Keri and her family) were heading up from Virginia and had to switch it up again since we don't get to see them often and we have so much fun with them.

It is a Morse Thankgiving tradition to start the morning with a hike in the park. Those that weren't afraid of the cold, wet weather were Uncle George, Patrick, Keri, Brigette, Garrett, David, Brian, Val, me, and my dad (the hike organizer).

After the trek through the park, battling through slippery, muddy trails, we headed back to the house to clean up for the Thanksgiving feast. My mom hosts a massive event - this year was around 40 I believe. All my cousins and their families join us to celebrate. Pictured below is my Aunt Tina, Mom, and Uncle George.

I am thankful for so many things - my number one being Brian - he has given me an immense amount of love and support this year and it makes me the luckiest girl in the world to have him by my side.

Total Garbage

So our township distributed these new trash and recycling cans several months ago. We have the most stylish refuse containers around -- go ahead, take a look, logo and everthing on these puppies. I know, you are all probably jealous that your taxpayer dollars aren't as hard at work as ours.

No more garbage men anymore in our neighborhood, just a guy (usually on his cell phone) driving around in a big truck that has this immense claw that extends, picks up the can and dumps everything in the top.

With these beautiful large bins came instructions -- leave cans three feet apart at the curb on your respective trash/recycling days. No problem, being the upstanding township residents that we are, we follow the instructions and low and behold for the past two weeks we come home to find our containers still full and sitting on the curb (three feet apart as we had left them mind you).

What a great upgrade for the township -- not. Never had this problem when we actually had trash men...or I guess I should say trash people to be politically correct. ARGH! Maybe we'll just start a landfill in our backyard.

The Early Years

Ruff Night

Dad's 60th Birthday

My dad turned 60 back in August and we had an incredible celebratory weekend in Pittsburgh. Brian's family came out to celebrate - we walked in South Park, visited the game preserve , and went to PNC Park to watch the Pirates beat the Phillies. A disappointing game for us Phillies fans. On Sunday my mom hosted a brunch fit for a king - which makes sense since that is how we feel about my dad.

Visiting Kim in Chicago

Devon, Kelli and I went to visit Kim in Chicago to celebrate her 30th birthday in October. Kim and Ryan were great hosts and we had so much fun seeing the sites of Chicago. Below is a shot of the beautiful city & the four of us at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

New Year's Eve

Jean, Tom, Julie and I went to Helium comedy club last night for our pre-New Year's Eve celebration. Their New Year's Eve "package" included tickets and a free finger food buffet for an hour or so before the show began. Only problem was that it was so crowded it was like standing in a bread line in Russia trying to get 1 freakin' piggy in a blanket. Anyway, thank heaven for dirty martinis as that made everyting better...and so did the follow up Heinekens.

The headliner was Joe DeVito, who was hysterical -- highly recommend seeing him if you have an opportunity. The set up guys were funny too.

As for our post-New Year's celebration, I went on a search for some food when we returned home as the one piggy in a blanket that I had did not hold me over. I was disappointed to find find that both Burger King and Wendy's were closed - don't really know why I thought they would be open on New Year's Eve - just needed some grease. When I came home empty handed at 11 pm, I was resigned to making a bacon sandwich. Julie was already passed out on the couch.

I watched the ball drop with Val and the cast of characters on the Dick Clarke special and then passed out myself. Wow, we are getting old.

Happy and healthy New Year to all!

Looking forward to Stone Harbor 2008

There were just too many fun and memorable events in 2007 to not post about...so the next few posts will capture many of them. This was our second annual trip to Stone Harbor, NJ. We rent a dog friendly house the first week in October and are pretty much the only family in Stone Harbor. You may not believe it, but the weather is still great at this time - this year in the 80's, sunny skies, and the water was perfect for riding in the waves. Below are pictures of us on the beach - Aunt Marilyn and Jessa joining us in the water and the guys playing an intense game of bocce ball. This year Aunt Marilyn rented a house close to us and Jessa, John, Josh, Ryan, and Brendan's family (Marissa, Grace, Baby Brendan, and Kristen) came down for the week. David, Ellen, and Alana also joined the fun on the weekend. Below captures Marissa and Grace with Aunt Charlene, Ryan with Baby Brendan, Jessa and John, and Dave, Ellen, and Alana.

Bob, Mary and Ava also join us in our house. What is nice is what good friends Ava and Val are. Everytime we turned around, Ava was plopped down in Val's arms.
Brian took Ava down to the beach. Ava enjoyed the beach chair and Brian's arms. She wasn't a big fan of the sand.
And then of course, I have to get in a picture too. Mom and I on the beach with blue skies behind us. We had a great time and can't wait for 2008!