08/27/04 Update to Gail Behler

8/27/2004

Letter to Gail Behler

I am sorry to hear about your mom – I think my mom mentioned something some time ago.  I guess not too many of us are safe from Breast Cancer.  I hope they can zap the cancer and she gets feeling better soon.

Grandma Laurito and Holly

My mom is deteriorating.  She seems to get worse every time I see her.  She says she has lost over 40 lbs since I saw her just over a month ago.  (she lost 40 lbs in 11 days).  She has switched from one medication to another but her cancer continues to spread.  She has it in her liver, spine, head…just about everywhere.  She has a really good attitude and doesn’t complain much but I know she is suffering quite a bit.  She is in pain most of the time.  She was diagnosed 13 years ago so she feels really lucky to still be here.  She is going to try to come visit us this weekend.  I am really surprised she is making the trip but I think it helps her to have company and to do “things” to forget for a little while.

So are you doing well?  What are you up to?  Do you get to see your family very often?  How is Gloria and Geri?  Didn’t Geri have a little boy?  How old is he now?  

Things are busy like crazy here.  The kids started school on 8/16 and we have been running non stop ever since.  We have a ward swim party BBQ tonight and my mom’s coming to visit for the weekend.  Our friends are getting married in the temple tomorrow.  Just busy busy.

The boys are doing well – AJ’s is 8th grade. (13 tomorrow) Can you believe that?  I feel so old.  He is a smart little cookie and working on getting his Eagle Scout.  By this time next year he should have it.

Aj's 13th birthday with Katie

Dallas is in 4th grade. (9 years old) He is my little sweetie.  He always wants to help with the work to be done and his sisters.  I don’t think I’d make it without him.

Dallas and Millie

Bryce is in 3rd grade. (8 years old) He is too smart for his own good.  I think he “gets” things really quick and then gets bored and “busy”.  He is always moving around and laughing and crying and just a pip.  He is our spicy one.

Bryce learning to mow the lawn

Katie is 2 and just this week finally got the potty thing.  We have a Cinderella Barbie in the closet that she gets to have tomorrow if she gets through today good.  It finally clicked this week and she has done really well.  

Katie

Holly is 8 ½ months and teething.  Poor little pumpkin has double barrel boogie nose and is a little cranky.  She is also trying to walk and has a nice shiner on her eye from it.  Her balance isn’t great yet and she hit her head into a desk.  She is a tough little thing.  Between Bryce and Katie I don’t know how she survives.

Holly

Well I better run – hope things go well for your mom and that you are also well.  Take care. Sg.

8/25/04 Update on life to Karen Hoffman

8/25/2004 LETTER TO KAREN VASCONEZ (FRIEND FROM HIGH SCHOOL)

Shelly and Baby Holly

Hey I really enjoyed the why men shouldn't babysit pictures.  We have one or

two of our own we could add to that!  I had one I wanted to send you of

Katie in the fridge buck naked - but I am at work and I guess that one never

got sent here.  So I sent a couple of other fun pictures.

Did you know Becky had twins last October 31?  Two little spooks, Sydney

(girl) and Sam (boy).  They were 6lb14 oz and 8 lb 3 oz or something like

Kevin and Becky Chase Famiy

that - poor girl was HUGE.  Course with 15 lb of baby, what do you expect???

I love that picture of the two of us pregnant together.  That was 2 or 3

weeks before she delivered.  And 8 or 9 weeks before I delivered my 9 lb 13

oz girl.

So how are things going there?  Do you still have the 2 little girls or have

you had some more?  Are you in Florida or New Jersey now?  Are you enjoying

life?  How old are the kids now and what are they up to?  Do you do that

dance thing or anything like that?

We are busy here - I'm still working - just got a "title increase" and a

merit raise.  I haven't had a raise in 2 years so thankfully this will be a

nice raise.  Couple dollars an hour, theoretically.

The boys are doing boy scouts and cub scouts and AJ plays TUBA.  That thing

is huge.  His bus driver told him he can't bring it on the bus anymore!!!

Becky belly and Shelly belly!

Katie is potty training and Holly is teething.  Fun...

Katie will be 3 at Christmas time and Holly will be 1.  They are adorable

and fun.

Andy is still doing broadcasting and sports writing and his season just

Katie

started last week.  So I'll be a lonely woman for many months...if you can

really be lonely with 5 kids!

Anymore it takes me all night Friday and part of Saturday morning to do the

laundry and house cleaning so the time goes pretty quickly.

Well if you have digital photos of the kids etc, send me some.  I'd love to

see you and Edgar and the girls and your house.  Hope to hear from you soon.

Sg.

   

    

8/25/04 BBQ, double-barrel boogie nose and beds

Elmo and Holly

8/25/2004

(letter to Mom - Deanna Laurito) 

I’m glad you wrote – sorry to hear you are not feeling too good though.  Darn medications.

I’ve been having problems with my court computer and just didn’t log into messenger last night – it usually logs in automatically but we had turned it on earlier in the day and then when I came in my office it kicked that one out.  Needless to say – I was working – just didn’t look like it!

My computer geek is looking into the virus situation.  He thinks we may have something network wide here.  He is not sure.  Hopefully he’ll figure something out.  It is a little annoying but not too much of a bother.  I almost deleted this message thinking it was just more crap!!!  

Grandma Laurito and Holly

That will be fun to see you this weekend if you guys make it down.  We have a ward swim party BBQ Friday night so if you get to our house before 9 p.m. that’s where we’ll be.  If you can get down by 6 p.m. or so you can come have dinner with us.  Saturday morning (I think it’s in the a.m.) our good friends are being sealed in the Temple – so it’ll be good if you are there.  I won’t feel so apprehensive about leaving Holly – we still don’t leave her home very often…ever…with the boys.  I think they can handle it but I worry too much.

Holly was up last night cutting teeth and screaming about it.  Poor thing.  She had double barrel boogie nose and sore gums and nothing would make her happy.  We finally – at 1 a.m. gave her motrin and Dimetapp (or something like that) and after about ½ hour or more she settled in and went to sleep.  I don’t know how she’s doing this morning.  So she should have 8 teeth when you get here.  She has 6 now I think.

Shelly and double-barrel boogie Holly

We set up a badminton game in our backyard and the kids have been out playing every night since.  Me and Andy go with them.  They love it.  I like it because they are not plugged into the stupid video games all the time.  We don’t let them play during the school week.  They are so much nicer when they are not “plugged in.”

We have the blender from Grandma that you gave me some time ago.  I don’t know if yours is better, worse or the same.  It is a very nice blender and we use it often – so you’ll have to make the call on that.  The buttons on ours stick but besides that I have no complaints.  .

I’ve looked and looked for some captain’s beds for the boys but they are really pricey.  They sell plans to make them but I don’t think we have the time, skills, equipment etc to actually make them.  I wish you were feeling better because I bet you’d be able to do it.  I will probably leave things as they are until I come across a good deal or they move out.  

Things are going to be crazy at work for awhile.  They hired the utilities manager to be the assistant to the city manager.  So they are not going to have a boss starting Sept 1.  Sept 8 the #2 girl in utilities is having another operation on her arm (she’s been out of work since January but had come back for the last couple of weeks).  I don’t know what they intend to do but I have a feeling I’m going to be picking up so slack until they do it!  

Take care, love you lots.  Hope to see you soon.  Shelly

8/24/04 Letter from Deanna Laurito

8/24/2004

Letter from Deanna Laurito:  

Ray Laurito standing, Deanna Laurito seated,
Dillon Chase, Dallas and Bryce Griffin

Dear Shelly,

I continue to get the "message" - we have the anti-virus scan running all the time and we have run it to specifically try to eliminate the "message".  I don't want to send anything to you at work to create or generate more of them.

I have been really nauseated and actually threw up again today.  Immediately took an anti-nausea pill. I have taken them about 4 days (out of 5 days) since receiving the new chemo on Thurs.  Don't know if you have communicated with Becky this week, but we went up there on Saturday.  Kevin was putting in new windows with the help of his neighbor, Kevin.  Ray pretty much supervised but actually held the window in place while they located a tool or something and helped lift the windows into place - two outside and one inside.  Becky and I were to scrapbook.  My head had hung low most of the way there but when we tried to do the scrapbooking, I could hardly hold my eyes open or my head up.  

Completed the first 4 pages of pictures and gave in to sitting in a chair and sleeping.  I receive the next dose of chemo this Thurs and may be in the same vegetative state this coming weekend.  The reaction to the drug seems to occur a little earlier with this drug than any I've had so far.  I was pretty much the same way on Sun thru Sacrament meeting.    

Had an eye exam at noon today and ordered new glasses at Costco.  They should be in within 7 to 10 working days.  Maybe I'll have them next week.

We are currently planning to make the trip down to WC for AJ's birthday unless something goes radically wrong.  I won't be much company during the drive.  I'll probably sleep most of both ways.  Even short trips result in my eyes being closed.  We will come down Friday (arriving there hopefully before everyone is in bed).  We will probably come back Sun.  We may be able to go to Sac meeting with all of you and leave sometime after that.  I don't like displacing Bryce from his bed on a school night.  (Ray had said something about coming back Monday if I wanted to...but I don't think that is a good idea.)

One of the stairs has been poured.  It looks good.  It is framed in for the next step so that whenever Mike is available to pick up the AA U-haul cement it can go forward without delay.  It is exciting to think that I might actually be able to walk over to Mike and Ruth's without killing myself in the uneven ground and dirt piles.  I have been driving over.

Mike and Ruth got a new table and chairs.  They have the new tall legs.  I have never been able to sit on "bar stools".  They are just too uncomfortable.  The three of them sit at the table for dinner and Ean sits in his high chair next to me who is sitting in one of the roll-around chairs from a desk and a TV snack tray in front of me for eating.  It may seem silly, but it works for me.

The nanny's husband-to-be works for Back-to-Basics (they are small appliance manufacturers).  At our combined request, he purchased 2 new blenders for Ruth and I with his employee discount and was reimbursed.  These blenders have 1,000 watt motors.  They are very fancy.  Mike and Ruth paid for both of them and Mike told us it was our Valentine's Day, Birthday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, and Hanukkah gift!  LOL  Ruth had a pretty nice relatively new blender which we have to bring to you, if you can use it.  I think it has a 300 or 350 watt motor.  Let me know if you would like to have it.  I'm sure we'll be talking to each other before we make the trip.

Hope all of you are well.  I looked for you online, but you weren't there.  Knowing this is court night I was surprised that you weren't on-line, but figure I should not bother you, you have plenty of work to do.

Love, Mom

8/18/04 Nieman-Marcus Cookies

8/18/2004

 I LOVE COOKIES AND THIS IS A GREAT RECIPE!

NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES (Recipe may be halved)

      2 cups butter

      24 oz. chocolate chips

      4 cups flour

      2 cups brown sugar

      2 tsp. soda

      1 tsp. salt

      2 cups sugar

      1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)

      5 cups blended oatmeal

      4 eggs

      2 tsp. baking powder

      2 tsp. vanilla

      3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

      Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder.

      Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla,

      mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda.

      Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar, and nuts. Roll into balls,

      and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.

      Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

      Makes 112 cookies.

Story of the Nieman Marcus Cookie (wives tale!)
My daughter & I had just finished a salad at Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas & decided to have a small dessert. Because our family are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus Cookie". It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe and they said with a small frown, "I'm afraid not." Well, I said, would you let me buy the recipe? With a cute smile, she said, "Yes." I asked how much, and she responded, "Two fifty." I said with approval, just add it to my tab. 

Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was $285.00. I looked again and I remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe - $250.00." Boy, was I upset!! I called Neiman's Accounting Dept. and told them the waitress said it was "two fifty," and I did not realize she meant $250.00 for a cookie recipe. I asked them to take back the recipe and reduce my bill and they said they were sorry, but because all the recipes were this expensive so not just everyone could duplicate any of our bakery recipes....the bill would stand. I waited, thinking of how I could get even or even try and get any of my money back. 

I just said, "Okay, you folks got my $250.00 and now I'm going to have $250.00 worth of fun." I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover will have a $250.00 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus for nothing. She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this." I said, "I'm sorry but this is the only way I feel I could get even," and I will. 

So, here it is, and please pass it to someone else or run a few copies.... I paid for it; now you can have it for free.

8/10/04 Little girls growing up, hot rooms & millie mellowing out

8/10/2004 LETTER TO ROD & JEAN GRIFFIN ON THEIR MISSION

Holly is just adorable.  She isn’t into everything – Katie takes care of that still.  She does love to eat books and papers though so you have to be careful with that kind of thing.  She also is a magnet for a drink on the fireplace.  She has spilled Andy’s drink several times.  I can’t read books when I’m around her because she keeps trying to grab it out of my hands.  She is a super crawler.  She can disappear in no time.  She loves to follow the kids back and play in the bedroom with them.  She stands up a lot and holds onto things – sofa, chair, toys etc.  
I’m sure she’ll be on schedule to walk like the other kids – by 10 ½ months for sure.  Dallas was my only late walker waiting until 13 months to get going.  I think he knew I needed him to walk since I was 8 months pregnant by that time and was taking his time on purpose!!

We had hope the ceiling fan would help but it hasn’t made too much difference.  It just circulates our 88-90 degree air.  There has to be a way to get the a/c in there.  I don’t know what it is though.  That room and our kitchen are always toasty.  Oh well, summer is coming to a close, we’ll survive!!!!!

I don’t know if Mike realizes or not.  They have talked about Andy doing a show but it is hard with him being a dad too.  I think in a couple of years when the girls are in school that there is a good possibility they will hook him up with an afternoon show or something.  We’ll see.

Millie has been very easy and mellow since our return from NJ.  I think she finally realized how good she had it and decided she better quit causing trouble.  She poops over in the dirt instead of the lawn now.  She always acts excited when we come out.  She never goes near the babies.  She quit whining.  (she used to whine every time we went anywhere – school, walks etc.)  She just eats her can of food a day and behaves.  Andy took some cute pictures of her and the kids.  I don’t think he has sent them yet, has he?  Anyway, if he hasn’t they will be coming soon.

The car is no big deal.  Whatever vehicle is at the end of the driveway is usually HOT but besides that it’s ok.  We really don’t drive much so all the vehicles just sit in the driveway most days.  We try to rotate the vehicles and get them all out at least once a week.  Once it cools down a little it really won’t matter.  All the vehicles need a bath – we haven’t gotten into St. George for a car wash for quite some time.  

 My mom is hanging in there.  She really seems to have a better attitude since that blessing dad gave her.  I don’t know if her medications are working – she has an appointment soon to find out I think.  She has been really sick with stomach problems.  She goes from one extreme to the other.  First she can’t go – and that hurts and then she can’t stop – and that hurts.  It is a side effect of her current chemo treatment.   She went swimming with us last time we were up – first time she’s gone in a long while.  I really think she tries hard to “act” good while we are there.  Plus I think having us lifts her spirits.  I don’t know when we’ll get up there again – Andy’s crazy schedule begins next Friday night I think.  

Well today is going to be BUSY – I hope you have a good one.  Thank you for being great examples to our kids.  They really enjoy hearing your letters every Monday and learning about the scripture.  It has really helped us with our FHE to have something to start with.  We watched the first vision last night and talked about getting answers to prayer afterward so it tied in good with what you had sent.  

Take care and enjoy your last 10 ½ months.  It will go fast!!!  We love you.