Archive for March, 2006

Peek!

Thursday, March 30th, 2006

Peek-A-Boo!!

I took this with my cell phone camera so it’s not great quality… but the subject is pretty darned cute if I do say so myself!

Charleigh is 3 weeks old. She opens her eyes up real wide like this whenever we talk to her. She is a real Daddy’s girl already… she is always is looking at Matt and where ever she can hear his voice. It is very sweet! He says that they have a lot of good talks in the late night and wee morning hours when no one else is awake. He also said she has been listening to his problems and giving him advice…. not great advice, but, advice none the less. :o)

I have been working on a web page for Matt’s airbrushing. I still have a bit of fixing and adding to do and I am no expert. I work on our websites as a stress reliever. Sort of like how other people exercise etc. Anyway, Matt is doing really great with his painting. He is currently painting a “crotch rocket” as they call it (motorcycle) and when he is done with that he has a 1956 Triumph chopper he is going to work on for a guy . (Triumph is a British motorcycle). He is very excited. In between he has been doing motorcycle and welding helmets.

I have lost about 30 pounds since having the baby. Doing pretty good in that department! And it’s come off very easily - I haven’t really done anything to try to lose it.

The kids sure have been happy playing outside in this nice weather. We have been losing a few birds again - for the first time since we have had Zeus. He got kicked by one of our horses a week ago so he hasn’t been chasing things off like he normally does. We know we have a weasel and we suspect owls and maybe racoons or something. Today we were stunned, and though it was cool in a Discovery channel sort of way, we were saddened to witness a bird of prey carrying off one of our guineas. The kids were a bit traumatized by it. I can’t say it was “pretty” by any means. Maybe an experience we will never have again and a heck of a homeschooling lesson. I am not sure if it was a hawk or what (I don’t know my birds of prey). When I told Matt how huge it was he said that it may have even been a golden eagle. I am pretty sure it was the largest bird I have ever seen in real life, except maybe at the zoo! Anyway, we were creeped out and I think we would much rather see that sort of thing on TV instead.
In other news… My sister started chemo again this week and will continue that for a while…. They will do tests in another week or so to see how it’s helping. They did find more cancer in a lymph node in her neck and one in her chest area. My mom is on her 4th chemo. She seems to be doing better with it — it’s not making her so sick anymore.

We hope you are all doing well! Happy Spring!

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Prayers Please

Saturday, March 18th, 2006
Above: My oldest, Madison, with my nephew’s daughter, Taylor.
Dear friends,

I would like to ask you all for your prayers and thoughts. I have been crying for the last 24 hours trying to understand the most recent round of devestating news received in my family. I am going on very little sleep here so bear with me and my emotional plea. I don’t know what to do… because there isn’t much I can do I guess…

My sister has been battling lung cancer since July. She went through chemo, radiation, lung surgery, and tons of poking and prodding. In January she was told she was cancer free and would only have to go through one more round of radiation to her brain to minimize the chances of the cancer coming back. Last week she found a lump in her neck. They did a biopsy and it is the lung cancer, metastasized into her lymph nodes. We will not know how far, how many lymph nodes, or where else it may be until next week after the PT Scan. This is small cell lung cancer, the worst kind. The odds don’t look good at this point and we are praying that the results will show that there is not much spread or that it is still treatable…. anything good at all, anything better than them saying there is nothing they can do for her anymore.

I am the baby of 6 kids and this is my oldest sister. She is like a second mother to me. She is like a grandma to my kids (even though she is too young to be). She is a wonderful, wonderful person…. this just can’t be happening to her! She sat here yesterday and told me the news and then started talking about going to Heaven and how good people get cancer…. I think I was in complete shock. I couldn’t believe I was hearing it. We did NOT expect this news… We thought she was on the road to being “cured” at least for a few more years…

My other sister has been battling progressive multiple sclerosis since 1996. She is to the point where it is getting hard for her to eat and swallow. She has already lost much of the use of her arms, legs, and body…. it is taking her in ways that remind me of Lou Gerhigs disease. So brutal. We have been told that not being able to swallow is one of the last things that happens to a person with MS.

To make matters worse, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in October. She had surgery and is now going through chemo. Her prognosis is much better than my sister’s - but it is still just unbelievable that all of this has happened to our family in such a short period of time.

Finally, my nephew is in Iraq with the army and he is having to hear all this news from long distance, with no family around him now. He drives the Buffalo, a monster vehicle which disarms IEDs. He has a big job and they’re saving a lot of lives. I hate to think he is burdened with thoughts of what is going on back home.

Anyway, I would appreciate it if you all would send your healing thoughts and prayers in the direction of my family. Every prayer counts! I can’t thank you all enough! And don’t forget to give all your loved ones hugs and tell them how much you love them. I know I have not done that enough and now we’re facing losing loved ones much too soon.

Thank you thank you thank you!!

Blessings,
Tarra Hartl

Above: My sister with my nephew while he was home for 2 weeks from Iraq

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Charleigh has arrived

Saturday, March 18th, 2006

Above: Charleigh’s birth announcement

Above: My sweetheart with his new daughter when she was just hours old.

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