Hanging w/Shasta & Andrew

As most of you know, Shasta and I have been friends ever since Junior High and we are still best friends! Shasta and Andrew live in Mountain Home so we don’t get to see them very often, mostly because of our work schedules… Anyway, for Christmas last year Andrew’s present to Shasta was tickets to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Instead of just getting 2 tickets, Andrew got 4 tickets and their present to us was that we come along too. FUN! We were finally able to work out schedules and went and saw The Comedy of Errors and Twelfth Night. We had a “box seat” with a table and chairs, so we were able to bring in our dinner to eat while enjoying the shows. We were in charge of most of the food since they paid for the tickets, which was fine with us. Both shows were good, although I think we all liked Twelfth Night a little better than The Comedy of Errors. The food was good and the company was GREAT! We got to the show early so that we could eat and chat, and then stayed a little while afterwards to let the crowd die down and to have to opportunity to chat some more. Here are some pictures of us goofing off and having fun:

What a cute couple!

Another cute couple!

Gotta love this one! :o)

Right before this picture, Andrew sprayed water on Curtis,

he doesn't like this picture, but I like it!

Trying another hat on

Ok, this is his prefered style...

Thanks Shasta and Andrew for the Fun time!

Hearing Aids

Every year I have to get my hearing tested, mostly because some of the antibiotics that I take can cause hearing loss. This used to not be a big deal until a couple years ago. The end of October of 2007 I got gentamycin toxicity. I have vestibular bilateral weakness, which affects the middle ear. I was dizzy for 2 months and couldn’t drive, I had to walk with a cane, and I had to do 6 weeks of therapy to learn to adjust to my balance problems. (not a fun time in my life…) At that time I had some hearing loss in both ears, but it wasn’t enough to need hearing aids. Even with therapy I still have some problems with my balance. However, I have learned what makes me dizzy and/or causes me to not be able to walk well and how to deal with it. I was supposed to get my hearing checked again in Nov. 2008, but we kept putting it off because our insurance had changed and we were going to have to go to someone who was in our insurance network.

DISCLAIMER: Yes, I was informed of potential hearing problems a long time ago and my doctor was often monitoring my dosage and levels to make sure that my body could handle the medicine. This was not my doctor’s fault. As can happen with anyone at anytime, the last time I used that particular medication my body decided that it could no longer handle it. So I can no longer have any amino-glycoside antibiotics. It does make it more of a challenge to find something that I’m not resistant to, but we make it work.

Anyway, I finally got my hearing checked in June and was told that I was “an excellent candidate for hearing aids”. Not too surprising, but a little hard to accept. I couldn’t tell you all of the details of my hearing loss except that I have loss in the upper frequencies, more on the left then right (so female voices are hard to hear and I have problems if there is a lot of background noise or if you’re in the kitchen trying to talk to me when I’m in the next room)…like I don’t know the percentage of loss I have in each ear. Curtis came to my appt. and saw the chart and he could explain it all to you in technical terms…but he is an engineer and finds it all very fascinating. (if you really want to know all the technical stuff, then you can ask him…I do love him for it though!)

We tried some hearing aids on in the office and tested how I did listening to the doctor and also to Curtis. They let me then take them home for several weeks to try them in some of my normal settings, to see if they helped at all. I was also trying to decide if I wanted to buy both, just one of them, or none at all. The seller for me to buy both was that I could hear my Grandma Myers on the phone and I understood my clients better. It was a very expensive investment (especially since our insurance covers 0% of hearing aids), but we made it work.

Despite the expense, they really are nice and fairly comfortable to wear. I have 4 different “channels” that I can use: 1-for normal everyday interactions, 2- crowd setting, where it filters out some of the background noise when I’m in a group setting, 3- church/theater setting, where it picks up the microphone and filters some of the background noise, and 4-telephone setting, obviously for use when I’m on the phone. I can also adjust the overall volume with my cell phone as a remote control, which is really nice! Since my hearing aids are digital, they can use the computer to adjust different frequencies and if my hearing loss worsens, they can adjust them accordingly. My hearing aids don’t fix all of my hearing loss…there are still some things that I have a hard time with, but it’s 95% better than before.

size of one hearing aid

both of them together

You can hardly tell that I'm wearing them.

I love that the color matches my hair color!

Paddle Boats

This summer Curtis and I have been pretty busy with work, scouting stuff, various projects, family get-togethers and taking care of my health. Despite being pretty busy, we have tried to find time to spend with each other. In June we went to one of Boise's favorite summer attractons...the Paddle Boats at Julia Davis Park. They have a nice little pond that you can paddle around, it's beautiful and very relaxing! It's also pretty reasonable too: $8 for 1/2 hr and $12 for 1 hr. (if I would have thought about it sooner I would have packed a picnic dinner for us to enjoy in the park too.)

A beautiful view!

one of the few fish we saw in the pond

one of the many duck families in the area

What a cute matching couple....

I just need to get a BSU hat for it to be complete

CF Walk

May 30th was the annual CF Great Strides Walk. This year we weren’t really into getting a team together and asking people for money, I think mostly because we were so busy and we had originally planned on being out of town that weekend. Anyway, we were in town so Samantha, Curtis and I participated in the walk. My friend Shasta even came from Mountain Home to walk with us. It’s always fun to see her! The CF walk has always been at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Boise. They have a great walking path that is about 1 ½ miles (which is funny because the walk is advertised as being a 5 K…but I don’t mind that it’s shorter) It’s fun walking next to the Boise River and enjoying the beauties of nature. (the only not so fun thing is that the cotton from the cotton trees that is flying ever where and aggravating my allergies a lot….hmm, maybe that is why it’s shorter)

After the walk there is food and a raffle w/prizes. This year they had some pretty awesome prizes to give away (a kitchen aid mixer, BSU tickets and other memorabilia, gift certificates, collectible dolls and more). We contributed around $10 and won a gift bag that had gardening supplies in it. Can’t wait until next year’s walk...I’m hoping to at least get more people to come and walk with us. Like they say at the walk: Let’s make CF stand for Cure Found!

Sam

Shasta

modeling our garden basket that we won

Best Friends

Forever Friends!!!

Happy 4th Anniversary, Sara!!

Okay, first of all a bonus point to anyone who can name the movie this quote comes from:

“Well at least she said my age in years. Usually she says it in months like I’m still an infant…How’s Mitch? Oh, good. He’s 468 months today.”

Anyway, since Sara and I have only been married for four years today, and coming up with only four things I love about her would be way too easy, I decided to come up with a list of 48 things that I love about her. One for each month we’ve been married. Anyway, here goes…

1. She has a beautiful smile that lights up a room.
2. She’s drawn to babies and small children.
3. Small babies and children are drawn to her.
4. She endures her trials without really getting down and depressed.
5. She does things even when she is not feeling good or is in pain (I have a tough time doing much of anything when I am sick).
6. She is a good example in taking care of herself.
7. She is a good example of studying the scriptures every day.
8. She doesn’t think the fact that I’m a nerd is a bad thing.
9. She is genuinely concerned about my health and well-being.
10. She doesn’t use words that would even questionably be considered “swear words.”
11. She has a whole lot of patience with me.
12. She has very beautiful eyes.
13. She puts up with “Cahoon Humor.”
14. She was a very dedicated student when she was in school.
15. She is very diligent in the things she does.
16. She’s a Boise State fan.
17. She enjoys watching Boise State sports with me.
18. She is a great photographer.
19. She is an excellent cook.
20. She has beautiful, golden blonde hair.
21. She puts up with all of my Kuna jokes.
22. She is very sensitive to the spirit.
23. She is very sensitive and aware of others’ feelings.
24. She is great at giving hugs.
25. She is great at kissing… :o)
26. She is a friend to everyone around her.
27. She does a great job as our ward historian.
28. She likes to cuddle with me.
29. She likes to hold hands with me.
30. She is an excellent singer (much better than me).
31. She tells me she loves me often.
32. She is my best friend.
33. She enjoys just spending time with me.
34. She loves to read.
35. She is excellent at remembering things (and I am…not so excellent at remembering things).
36. She is dedicated to doing her job the best she can.
37. She understands her limitations, but…
38. She doesn’t let those limitations keep her from living a full life.
39. She listens to me when I complain.
40. She laughs at my jokes (most of the time…).
41. She thinks I’m very handsome and attractive.
42. She loves to play games (board games, card games, etc).
43. She is beautiful when she sleeps.
44. She is beautiful when she’s awake.
45. She has a good sense of humor.
46. She is going to be an excellent mother.
47. She is an excellent, loving wife.
48. She is my eternal companion. I can’t imagine my life without her.
Happy anniversary, Sara my love!!

Happy (Late) Birthday Dad

So this post is a little late....but it's been a crazy busy summer, so better late than never. :o) Last month (July 14th) was my Dad's birthday. We celebrated Dad's birthday with a family dinner at our house.

Brenda is always trying to get a pictrue with me...
What a cute picture!!

Smile Nicole!!!

Parley laughing at something that was said

Dad and Mom before dinner

Thanks Dad for all that you have done for me. Thanks for working hard to provide for our family, making sure that we had a home, food and the health care that we needed. I know that we didn't always have all of the newest movies/games, brand new name brand clothes, or a fancy new car but I always knew that we had the things that we most needed: food, shelter, each other and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks so much Mom and Dad for always believing in me, teaching me to pray to Heavenly Father, teaching me to read my scriptures, teaching me the importance of serving others and for taking me to Church. I've been extremely blessed to have the family that I have and to have the Gospel in my life.

Happy Birthday!!! I love you!!!

Happy 31st Birthday Curtis!!!!

Today is Curtis' birthday. In honor of him, I thought that I would post 31 reasons why I love him. (This is not a complete list and they are in no particular order...)

Why I Love Curtis:
1-He has had patience with me from the beginning (he liked me from the start and it took 2 yrs of friendship before I finally decided that I liked him too...)
2-He works hard to make sure that our family is provided for.
3-He honors his priesthood.
4-He tries to learn everything he can about Cystic Fibrosis so that he can know how to best help me to be in my best health.
5-He is a nerd!
6-He is VERY good at Math
7-He is always joking around to make me smile and laugh!
8-Curtis always says "It doesn't matter how much money he has to spend on my health care because he says I'm worth it and sooo much more!!!"
9-He is a good scout leader and enjoys working with the scouts.
10-He tells me several times a day that I am beautiful
11-He ALWAYS opens the car door for me
12-He does the yard work
13-He helps cook and clean (including vacuuming & folding laundry)
14-He makes sure we have Family Home Evening every week
15-He is reading Harry Potter (and LOVING it!!!!)
16-He helps me take care of myself by making sure I take all my medicine, do my treatments and that I get all the rest that I need.
17-He is continually trying to learn new things
18-He loves getting my PFT results and analysing each of the numbers.
19-He supports me in whatever decision I make and in whatever I want to do
20-He is a BSU football fan and a Chicago Cubs fan
21-He loves to hold my hand
22-Even though he can't breathe for me, he holds me and loves me when I do struggle to breathe & it always helps!!
23-He will deal with all the medical bills because he knows how much it stresses me out.
24-He loves to sing
25-He tells me he loves me several times a day!
26-He always tells me that I'm the most important person in his life and that I'm more important than BSU football and the Cubs
27-He always makes the bed
28-His favorite thing to do is spend time with me.
29-He listens to me and talks things out with me.
30-He is my BEST friend
31-He married me for Time and All Eternity.

Happy Birthday Curtis! I love you!!!

Chelsea's Graduation

Last week we went down to Utah so that we could attend Chelsea's High School graduation. For those of you who don't know, Chelsea is one of my many adopted sisters. :o) She lived in Kuna for several years. I use to babysit her when she was 8. After I graduated High School, I use to spend the night at her home several nights a week and "watch" her while both her parents were at work. In October 2004, I ended up moving in with her and her parents and 10 months later I moved out because I got married. A year after that, Chelsea and her family moved to Utah (I miss them a lot!!!). Chelsea and I have been through a lot together and I love her just like I love my sisters. Chelsea also introduces me as her sister to others whenever I'm around, which always throws people off because she is an only child....we love it! Chelsea always makes me laugh and can always cheer me up when I'm feeling down. I wanted to make sure that we made it down to her graduation, even if it was a fast trip down and back. I'm so proud of her for all of her accomplishments! Congrats Chelsea!!!!! I love you!!!!!

Waiting for our food at Olive Garden
Sisters! :o)

Trina, Scott & Chelsea

Congrats sis!!!

After graduation was over

Shasta, Curtis & I tied a Kuna High School fleece

blanket for Chelsea for graduation.

She was WAY excited about getting it!!!!!

CONGRATS CHELSEA!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Playing with our Nephew's

During our most recent Utah trip we stayed at Curtis' sister's home. (We went down to attend Chelsea's graduation...read the previous post). While we were at Heather's, Curtis and I enjoyed visiting Heather & Ben and playing with our nephew's. Matthew is now 2 months old and is just starting to smile on his own. When he wasn't sleeping in my arms, I was able to get him to smile....and boy was it cute!! Spencer is turning 3 soon, so we had a Nemo cake and gave him our present (an eye-spy bag). Spencer really liked Uncle Curtis and was his shadow for a while. Below are some of the pictures from our visit.

Wow, I really like Aunt Sara...
Isn't he ADORABLE!!!

Good morning handsome!

Hmm, I think I'll lay here and watch my brother...

playing with Uncle Curtis

Giddy-up!!!

Family Medicine Residency of Idaho-Alumni & Friends Dinner

On Saturday May 16th, Curtis and I attended the FMRI Alumni & Friends Dinner (and fundraiser). The event was in the Double R Ranch Club room in the Stueckle Sky Center at BSU. We had the privilege of going to this event because I am on the Board of Directors for FMRI, where Dr. Perry Brown (my CF Doctor) works. Curtis was WAY excited about going to this event and see the AMAZING view of the football field & Boise area. He was also VERY excited to, hopefully, meet Coach Chris Petersen, who was a special guest at the event.

The evening started at 6 pm with a no-host reception (aka open bar...) and Chris Petersen mingling among the crowd talking. We used this time to take in the view of the valley and blue turf. (Wow, a football game from there would be tons of fun....but way expensive!!). We did get to say hello to Chris Petersen & shake his hand but sadly did not get a picture with him. I thought Curtis was going to pass-out on me when he talked to him....but he handled himself very well.

Dinner was DELICIOUS!!! We had a small salad, rolls, breaded trout, rice, a small steak and asparagus. Curtis even ate his fish...and he is NOT a seafood person. After dinner they recognized a few people and their contributions to FMRI over the past 30+ yrs, had one of the residents talk about their experience at FMRI, and then Dr. Ted Epperly (Program Director & CEO) talked about what FMRI is all about and what the future holds. I am really impressed with Dr. Epperly. He is so kind and caring and truly believes in helping others. Even with his busy schedule, he still times a few minutes each month to ask how I am doing and what he can do to help me. I remember being upset when my doctor moved his office to FMRI, but now I'm so glad! Dr. Epperly recruited Perry to oversee the education of the residents in pediatrics and also CF. The residents may still annoy me when I'm in the office, but because of this opportunity more Doctor's are learning about what Cystic Fibrosis is and how to treat it. (don't worry, I still tell the residents how to do their job and will only agree to any kind of treatment after we have talked with Perry about it) I also really appreciate Perry because he value's my opinion and he is really trying hard to do all he can to help fight CF.

Anyway, here are some pictures that we got of the evening....

View of the blue turf...AMAZING!!

I was very amused by the center piece. It's an FMRI water bottle with a rose in it. Sadly I didn't get the opportunity to take it home. However the dessert that you see was to die for!!

A view of the room and all the people standing around the bar.

The view of the valley from one side of the room

A view from another corner of the room

Dr. Rulon and I after the event was over.

I just have to say it again...I look HOT!!!

A self portrait of us outside the building

Since I don't look this good all the time,

I was having fun playing with the camera

My handsome husband!!!!

We go so well together! :o)

Our Nephew's Baby Blessing

Last weekend (May 1st-3rd) Curtis and I went down to Utah to attend the baby blessing of our newest nephew. Matthew Charles Shores was born on March 26th to Curtis' sister Heather and her husband Ben. We were excited to go down because we were the only ones in the Cahoon immediate family who had yet to see Matthew, and we were not able to attend Spencer's baby blessing because they lived in Arizona at the time. I just have to say that Matthew is just as cute as his older brother!!!

We stayed with my adopted family (Scott & Trina Martin and their daughter Chelsea). On Saturday we went to Heather & Ben's for a family dinner. Curtis and I both got to play with Spencer, hold Matthew, and visit with family. Before this visit, Curtis had never held a baby that weighed less than 14 lbs. (We saw Spencer for the first time when he was 5 months old and I believe he was wearing 9-12 month clothes by then...) Curtis was a little nervous before holding him, but he did a great job!!! I got some really cute pictures of them together below...

Saturday after our visit with the family, we went out to ice cream with the Maritn's. We had fresh home-made ice cream that was made with liquid nitrogen....it was pretty cool to watch! (I should have brought the camera and taken some pictures of it). The place is called Sub Zero. You pick your ice cream base (it ranged from Premium 14% fat to low fat yogurt, rice milk and soy milk), then you picked as many ingredient flavors that you wanted (like chocolate, vanilla, carmel, pina colada, root beer etc.) and then some mix-ins (snickers, heath bar, marshmallows etc.). They mixed all of those together, put it under a faucet with liquid nitrogen for a minute or so (depending on the size you ordered) and mixed away. Ta-da....your very own ice cream flavor created right before your eyes. It was fun to watch and very yummy to eat!!!

After church Sunday we went to Heather & Ben's for pictures and some lunch before the drive home. I was able to hold Matthew and get him to sleep for the 3rd time that weekend....what can I say, he just must really love his Aunt Sara!!! :o) It was so much fun to go down and see friends and family...and to be able to hold such a cute sweet little baby. (We'll be doing it again in a few weeks when we go down for Chelsea's high school graduation) Thanks Heather & Ben for letting us spoil your kids! We love you!!!!!

Curtis holding Matthew for the first time.

I LOVE this picture!!!

(isn't he going to be such a great Dad someday!!!)

His first nap w/Aunt Sara

Curtis decided to be brave and try holding him while standing.
He did a GREAT job, especially for his first time!!!

Showing off his church outfit that Uncle Curtis & Aunt Sara got

for him. It's still a little big, but he'll be out of it before we know it.

Spencer playing with his Grandpa Shores

I LOVE his smile!!!

Isn't he adorable!!!

A rare awake moment with Aunt Sara

Heather, Ben, Matthew & Spencer

I love my husband!!!!