The Best Monday Ever!!

Easter was really different for us this year, but still a wonderful blessing.  We began on Thursday evening with my bible study/home church group.  Every year on Maundy Thursday we have a (semi) traditional Middle Eastern meal and invite our families and friends to join us to enjoy a meal together while we reflect on what Jesus did for us and celebrate his new covenant with us through communion.

Friday was meant to be a day at home catching up on chores for me, but I ended up having to brave the big grocery store when our small neighborhood one didn't have everything I wanted.  It was lunchtime when I finished and my daughter asked me to ride along to a local outlet place that sells craft and decorating things to look for wedding stuff.  We found a couple of cute signs, but that was it.  After that she dropped me at home and I did finally do some dusting, dishes, and laundry.  We threw some delicious steaks on the grill and I made corn-on-the-cob and baked potatoes.  Our daughter and her family came back for that because her fiance's birthday was earlier in the week and we were celebrating that.

We went to Pittsburgh on Saturday to see our son and his family.  We got a bit of time with the kids.  We snacked on the hummus (I made it!) and veggies and shrimp we took down and watched the kids see what was in their baskets and dye eggs.

Our grandson showing the sidewalk chalk he got from my
mom and stepdad and one of the Twizzlers that was
in his basket from us.  I asked him to hold up some
of his stuff.  That's what he chose.  I love that boy.
He is a real character!

Our granddaughter chose to show the fleece blanket she got
from my mom and stepdad and the rabbit and Farmer
Barbie (complete with a chicken) we got her.

I think that's Pappy's hand dunking a shrimp while
the kids are dying Easter eggs.  That dish right
past Pappy's hand is the hummus I made. It was
the first time on my own.  I'm ridiculously proud!

Our daughter called and said she and her family were on their way to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and wanted to know if we all wanted to meet up there.  It wasn't exactly the day we had in mind, but we all went so it was nice that the kids all got to see each other.

It was our future son-in-law's first time at the museum
so we had to take his picture with the dinosaurs.

There were a lot of kids' activities going on
and the kiddos got to meet up with
Rexy, the museum's mascot.

I don't know that the little one was excited
or even interested in Rexy, but Rexy was
certainly excited about meeting a baby!

Our littlest guy and spending some time with
his uncle.  It was the first time they'd been
together since Christmas.  It's so cool to watch
your kids step into adult roles as parents and
aunts and uncles.  It does make you feel a
bit old, though!

The hubby and I tired out before the kids and called it a day while they were all still on the last few exhibits.  Hubby really wasn't feeling too well.  He was hungry, though, so we stopped for dinner on the way home and nearly froze to death since our table was right under the air conditioning duct.  Brrr!

Yesterday, was a very quiet day for us, very unusual for our Easters.  Since our son and his family weren't coming home, my mom and stepdad decided to spend the day with my stepdad's family...something he hasn't done a lot of since joining our family.  Our daughter and her family were around for a bit in the morning and we went out to a local restaurant for the Easter buffet rather than me cooking a big meal because they left from dinner to go celebrate with her fiance's family.  The hubs and I just enjoyed relaxing at home the rest of the day.

I am still off work today.  I went to the hubby's urology appointment with him this morning.  I can talk about it now.  He didn't allow me to (our families don't even know) until we heard what got said today.

It started 2 weeks ago when he saw our PCP following some tests he had done because of pain in his side and groin.  What he heard at that visit was that the cyst we had known was on his kidney was not a cyst at all, but a tumor and the initial tests indicated cancer.  The doctor ordered a CT scan and set up the appointment with the urologist.  We have been trying not to worry and praying...and I did share the prayer need with my bible study group and a private prayer group on Facebook.  So the whole thing has been covered in prayer.

Basically, we walked into today's appointment expecting to hear how bad the cancer was and what the next step would be.  What we heard was that he does not have tumor.  He does indeed have a cyst.  The cyst has a small hard spot that bears watching, but it's classified as 2F which means it has a 5% chance of malignancy and since it hasn't changed in 2 years the urologist feels it's highly unlikely.  With regard to Hubby's pain, she was a bit concerned so she did a scope on his bladder and found a pretty significant bladder stone.  He is scheduled to have that removed on May 31 and she will take a better look at his bladder then and do a biopsy if necessary, but she really doesn't seem to think so.  The CT scan showed nothing else going on but the cyst.  Now what we have to do is figure out the source of his side/back pain.  The urologist said the kidney stone could account for the groin pain, but the other is definitely not urologic.

All I can say is GOD IS GOOD!