Well...I landed in Minot yesterday at 12:40 and hit the ground running. The first stop was an appointment with Dr. Fischbach. (If you didn't read the last blog - click here.) I was very glad that Matt was able to be at the appointment with me. We talked to Dr. Fischbach about what has been going on since I finished Lupron, the emergency room visits, the blood work, and my long-term history. He wants to do a robotic laproscopic procedure to make sure we know exactly what we are dealing with before we move forward with any possible procedures/medications. I will be having the procedure on the 3rd of September...yes, next Friday! It is the route Matt and I were planning for and wanting to happen. We think this will be a great next step and are hoping it will be the solution. We will continue to keep you updated.
.katherine.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Holy Buffalo!!!
We did it. We did what everyone says you HAVE to do if you are stationed at Minot. We left Minot. Not for good, just for a quick 3-day weekend of sorts. We travelled to North Dakota's number one tourist attraction, Medora. We didn't partake in the Bully Pulpit golf course or the Chateau de Mores, any of the horse back riding or even the famous musical. Heck, we didn't even go for the pitchfork steak fondue. What we did do was far more like what you would expect the Matt and Kat of 2005 to do: we camped.
Our travels were largely uneventful.
I drove.
Kat photographed.
We arrived.
We arrived early at the campground and were the first and only tent campers. After picking the very best spot, we started assembling our site.
Before it got too dark we were able to go scout out the next day's hiking trail head. When we pulled up, while there were no other cars, we were certainly not alone. HOLY BUFFALO!!! No more than 80 feet away was a single buffalo just chillin'. Katherine freaked out, then took some pictures.
Oh, and there were prairie dogs too. LOTS of prairie dogs.
We ended the day with a perfect view, a comfy home, some great food, and some relaxation ladder-ball style.
7 feet from the car!!
So we FINALLY got to the trail head and started our hike.
We made great time and after a whopping 400ft down the trail we saw 3 horses playing.
So we went up the hill to see if they were still there and instead we met Katherine's nightmare:
These buffalo were only about 400 feet away. Even I was a little wary of some of the bigger ones. So we went off trail to avoid any beef with the buffalo. On our way back to the trail we ran into buffalo herd number 2. THIS guy was about 70 feet from us. He was just as shocked to see us as we were to see him. We took advantage of his shock to calmly (kinda) walk a wide circle around him and what turned out to be his 30 or so closest buffalo buddies.
As if that wasn't exciting enough, we could just see buffalo herd number three coming up the next ridge.
Shown next are some beautiful scenic photos Katherine was able to take standing quite still while I went ahead to find a path decidedly buffalo-free.
From here on out we were much more buffalo and worry free. It was refreshing to see a more scenic and beautiful side of North Dakota. Even more exciting was the topography.
As the hike wore on we happened across a very rude buffalo that was walking along our trail just a little bit slower than we were. Our options were to quit, risk walking too close to him, or go around him and up one of several large hills. We went with option three, but by the time we made it to the top we were beat. We stopped for a quick lunch break then headed back to the car.
We made good time on the way back and saw a bird hunting and several prairie dogs on the way.
To our surprise, when we got back to the car, all three herds of buffalo had converged about 800 ft from the parking lot. When we got back to the car we were filthy and exhausted but had a great hike.
We drove around the outside of the whole park to catch any last scenery we might have missed.
Of course, we couldn't make it out of the park without seeing one last buffalo, only 30 ft from the road.
Brats and s'mores for dinner and another game of ladder-ball wrapped up our last evening at the campground.
Before we left in the morning we packed up all of our gear, did a quick shopping loop through town, and played a quick round of mini-golf. It was a great relaxing 3 day break. So relaxing in fact that Katherine decided that she needed a break from it and ran off to the beach and Virginia for two weeks, but that is her next blog.
-matt
Our travels were largely uneventful.
I drove.
We arrived early at the campground and were the first and only tent campers. After picking the very best spot, we started assembling our site.
While I was putting up our new tent, Katherine unloaded the car and took care of the essentials.
After a good night's rest we woke up and before we could even get back to the trail head this happened:
So we FINALLY got to the trail head and started our hike.
-matt
Sunday, August 8, 2010
air force academy quilt
As many of you know, Matt has been gone for the last week. I didn't have too many plans for the week but I wanted to work on the quilt top I started for Matt over three years ago!
When I dug out the bag (which I first had to find) I had the beginning of the centerpiece and the stars completed...that was it. Everything else was just a pile of fabric and uniforms and a vague memory of the pattern I was going to do. After sorting everything and laying it all out I planned out the rest of the top and got started. First I ironed on the pieces I had cut out for the center "block." There will also be a plane and "Cadet McPherson, Class of 2007" on here...but those have not been done.
When I finished sewing the pieces together and trimming the excess off, I laid it all out to see how it would look.
I sewed the two boarders onto the center block only to notice that the center piece was not even. It was not laying correctly, so I took the boarders off, fixed it as best as I could, and resewed on boarders. Even with that set-back, I was still on track to get the top put together before Matt got home. I started adding another small boarder of white before the stars when my needle broke. It was about noon then and I decided not to make a run to the store, instead I put everything away and did some cleaning around the house.
When Matt came home he was very excited to see the top sitting on the table and all of the different pieces put together. I am planning on getting the quilt done before another three years goes by but we will just have to see...
.katherine.
When I dug out the bag (which I first had to find) I had the beginning of the centerpiece and the stars completed...that was it. Everything else was just a pile of fabric and uniforms and a vague memory of the pattern I was going to do. After sorting everything and laying it all out I planned out the rest of the top and got started. First I ironed on the pieces I had cut out for the center "block." There will also be a plane and "Cadet McPherson, Class of 2007" on here...but those have not been done.
Next I began on the boarder of old uniforms. I took Matt's BDUs, PT shirt, blues shirt, a hat, and a glove that he wore at the academy as well as a t-shirt he got me from the academy apart and sewed them into a boarders.
When I finished sewing the pieces together and trimming the excess off, I laid it all out to see how it would look.
I sewed the two boarders onto the center block only to notice that the center piece was not even. It was not laying correctly, so I took the boarders off, fixed it as best as I could, and resewed on boarders. Even with that set-back, I was still on track to get the top put together before Matt got home. I started adding another small boarder of white before the stars when my needle broke. It was about noon then and I decided not to make a run to the store, instead I put everything away and did some cleaning around the house.
When Matt came home he was very excited to see the top sitting on the table and all of the different pieces put together. I am planning on getting the quilt done before another three years goes by but we will just have to see...
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
jenny's visit
Jenny came to visit!!! We had a great time visiting, seeing the sites, and just hanging out!
She arrived safely on Thursday, the 29th. We spent the day running some errands up to base, getting lunch with Mandy, taking naps, and ordering pizza for dinner. Matt was on alert so it was a lot of catching up and girl time! It wasn't an overly exciting day but what we both needed to get into "relaxation mode".
On Friday, we hung out in the morning and got ready to have people over in the evening. Matt and I planned a little get-together while Jenny was in town so she could meet some of our friends. We grilled out, played ladder ball, and just hung out. It was a lot of fun to get everyone together.
On Saturday we took Jenny to Wild Things Cafe for lunch. It is a fun little place that is a unique experience.
Then we meet up with Marlee for the last day of the North Dakota State Fair. We made sure Jenny got to see Pioneer village, all the farm equipment, the animals, and had some fair food.
That evening we went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Baan Rao. We also drove to a Missile Alert Facility and Launch Facility so Jenny could see what the outside looks like.
Sunday we went to another favorite restaurant, the Roll-n-Pin. We had a great breakfast then headed to base. We gave Jenny a tour of base, the wing building, and Matt's squadron area.
That afternoon, Matt was at work so Jenny and I went to the Scandinavian Park. It is a beautiful little area in the middle of town with some history and fun little buildings.
On Monday, Jenny and I went to Main Street for the day. It has a bunch of cute little shops and fun places to hang out. Of course we had to get pictures at the train station!
Overall it was a wonderful visit! Thanks for coming to visit Jenny!
.katherine.
She arrived safely on Thursday, the 29th. We spent the day running some errands up to base, getting lunch with Mandy, taking naps, and ordering pizza for dinner. Matt was on alert so it was a lot of catching up and girl time! It wasn't an overly exciting day but what we both needed to get into "relaxation mode".
On Friday, we hung out in the morning and got ready to have people over in the evening. Matt and I planned a little get-together while Jenny was in town so she could meet some of our friends. We grilled out, played ladder ball, and just hung out. It was a lot of fun to get everyone together.
On Saturday we took Jenny to Wild Things Cafe for lunch. It is a fun little place that is a unique experience.
Sunday we went to another favorite restaurant, the Roll-n-Pin. We had a great breakfast then headed to base. We gave Jenny a tour of base, the wing building, and Matt's squadron area.
On Monday, Jenny and I went to Main Street for the day. It has a bunch of cute little shops and fun places to hang out. Of course we had to get pictures at the train station!
.katherine.
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