Directionitis

We have been meaning to blog about a condition that affects Julie's parents -- directionitis. Never heard of this chronic condition before? Well, allow us to provide you with some insights as Julie and I have witnessed symptoms of directionitis many, many times with her parents.

Let's say for instance that we are going to PNC Park to watch the Phillies beat the Bucs, Bill will start heading in the direction consistent with his experiences of traveling to the stadium. However, Carole's sense of direction to the stadium directly challenges Bill's and the symptoms almost instantaneously begin to manifest (e.g., disorientation, banter on most direct route, heightened inflection in voice when directing to 'turn here!', awkward feelings among passengers, etc.). The condition becomes more severe during traffic jams, road construction, detours and inclement weather.

If you know of anyone else suffering from this condition, please let us know because if they invented a drug for restless leg syndrome, surely there is a market for directionitis.

But honestly, we wouldn't want it any other way! Can't wait for our next trip to Pittsburgh!

E-A-S-T-E-R, Easter!

We celebrated Easter this year at Bob & Mary's house and had lots of fun watching Ava and Rylie go on a hunt for eggs. Now Ava is 19 months and Rylie is around 14 months so the hunt was more like looking at a sea of eggs in the middle of the lawn and hoping they see them and pick them up - and better yet put them in a basket. Mary's Mom was more hopeful in the girls actually picking up the eggs with their name on them. She has every right to hope since Ava walked us over to sign on the wall and spelled E-A-S-T-E-R and then cheered "Easter Yea!" It was pretty precious.

Mary cooked a delicious feast that we all enjoyed - ham, pineapple stuffing, scalloped potatoes, and more! And to top it all off, they celebrated my birthday with a cake and song.

If I count it all out - my birthday lasted an entire 17 days - starting with Jessie & Craig's visit and ending with my cake at Easter. Thanks to all who celebrated with me.

Ribs still hurt...

...from laughing so hard. We went to Helium comedy club to celebrate Julie's 30th birthday on Saturday night with some friends. (It also gave us an opportunity to celebrate Joe's 50th birthday) .

We started with a great dinner at a great restaurant -- Loie. From there, it was over to see Nick DiPaolo for an out-of-control blast of a time. We've now been to Helium twice and have seen two great shows -- Joe DeVito (not the Joe that turned 50) was the first (wonder if Joe D will post a comment again on our blog like he did before?) and now Nick D. Thanks to everyone for joining us for a fun evening, and for those unable to join, sorry you couldn't, you missed a great time/night. Particularly when we were all leaving and we found a bag of $350k sitting in the street that we divided up among the group. Happy b-day, Julie!!

Labrador Torpedo

The days are longer, our bulbs are popping through the ground, and Val is eager to go swimming. Brian and I are looking forward to our hikes in Chestnut Hill. Needless to say, so is the puppy monster.

MS Update

It's been 5 months since my MS diagnosis and exactly 4 months since I started Rebif - my disease modifying drug (DMD) - I thought I'd give you an update on how I'm doing since some of you have asked.

So far so good.

I inject myself 3 times a week - Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday either in my thigh, stomach, lower back, or tricep area. It doesn't really hurt - except in my thigh - but it goes so fast so it is easy to get through. Sometimes the drug makes me feel achy or tired (a normal side effect), but if I pop two Advil after I inject and when I wake up, then everything seems to be fine.

I go on this website forum for MS patients (patientslikeme.com) and see what patients are saying and I have found many people just like me - newly diagnosed, on DMD, feeling good, and with no other relapses since their diagnosis. I am positive and it is easy to be positive when you feel good and don't have a relapse, but it is all about awareness and knowing the facts. It is an unpredictable disease, but realizing that many people out there have been doing great for a very long time, makes it not so scary.

I will see my neurologist at the end of May for a normal check in. There is no plan to get more MRIs or other tests since that won't change anything we are doing now...so there you have it.

For those interested - pictured below is my self injector & my syringe in its packaging.

30 in Pittsburgh

It just so happened that I had a work meeting in Pittsburgh on 3/13. Our clients had a cocktail party and dinner scheduled on 3/12, so my two colleagues (pictured above - left is Matt and right is Chris) and I drove into the Burgh. We have decided we like driving now better than flying. With travel to and from the airport, security, and delays...it is just easier to drive.

My 30th was nice - while I was with clients and colleagues, my special day didn't go unnoticed. They got me a cake and sang at dinner and to top things off, on Thursday I did get to see my Mom, Dad & Uncle George at Fat Heads in South Side. It was a nice trip and an excellent birthday.

ABC's

Bob, Mary, and Ava visited today. We all had gone to mass for Mrs. Kenney and then went to lunch at the Kitchen Bar. While our service at the Kitchen Bar was much to be desired, Ava kept us all entertained with her coloring and showing off of her knowledge of the ABC's. At 18 months, Ava can look at any letter of the alphabet and tell you what it is. I found it pretty amazing. Also, another fun fact is that Ava knows my name and likes to recite it often "Juwie." As always, Val was as excited as Ava was to visit. They both love each other's company and enjoyed playing together.

Birthday Surprise

So my Friday evening started off pretty typical - I got home from work, walked the dog, and Brian and I contemplated on what to do for dinner. We ended up ordering chinese and watched TV while trying to stay awake past 9PM. A very typical Friday night...embarrassing, but that's the way we roll.

Well 8PM came along, and with it, a knock at the door. Now...who could it be I thought to myself. It isn't normal to get a knock at the door on a Friday night cause most of our friends are like us and can't hang past 9PM.

To my complete surprise, Jessie and Craig walked through the door! Apparently Jessie and Brian had been planning this for some time. Jessie is my lifelong best friend and she and her husband (Craig) made the trip from Pittsburgh to surprise me for an early birthday weekend. For those of you who don't know - I'm turning 30 on Wednesday March 12th (hint).

What an awesome surprise! Brian and I had such a nice time with our good friends from the Burgh. Miss them already and I'm so thankful to have such great friends. Below are pictures from the weekend.

Grandpa's Nose

Alana's 1st Birthday

My Goddaughter and niece, Alana, turned 1 this past Sunday (March 2nd). It feels like yesterday when I got the call from my proud brother - so emotional and excited about the birth of his daughter.

Alana was a sweetheart on her special day - she partied the entire time with no nap or tears - just smiles all around to all her guests.

Pictured below was her attempt at eating her cake. She played with it, clapping and flinging it, but that was about it. She is very opinionated at what she eats. Nothing like her Aunt Julie.

Mackenna Turns 3

So I traveled solo to Pittsburgh this weekend to celebrate two big birthdays - Mackenna turned 3 and Alana turned 1. See next post on Alana's celebration, because this one is dedicated to the little princess of the day, Mackenna. The techical term for my relationship to Mackenna is cousin once removed - she is my cousins, Maureen and Greg's, youngest daughter and she is a cutie pie.

We had lots of fun at Maureen and Greg's house...good eats, even better company, and the Wii. This was my first time playing it and Tyler (Mackenna's older brother) helped my dad and I make our avatars and we battled it out in tennis. Shane (Mackenna's younger brother) was my coach throughout the tennis game and thanks to him, I beat my dad 2 games out of 3. Every shot, Shane coached me by instructing me to, "hit it over there." Best coaching ever! If you haven't tried the Wii, it is so worth it and now I think I want to go buy it for Brian and me. Rather than sitting on the couch with our laptops at night, we could be bowling, playing tennis, or boxing right in our living room.

Mackenna was a true princess at her birthday party and so sweet as she patiently waited to open up her gifts. Happy Birthday Mackenna!!! Pictured below are: Me and Mackenna, Ashley (Mackenna's older sister) and Kylie (my cousin Nancy's daughter), and Tyler and Shane.

Sausage

One of the best commercials ever.