ON HALLOWEEN IT WILL BE THE

three year anniversary of our surgery. We celebrated our anniversary, and that our kidney is doing fantastic, with a delicious dinner at Marco Polo.
Larry, Dennis and Mary - I love you guys!!

TODAY IS A WONDERFUL DAY

to celebrate the anniversary of our kidney transplant - it's been two years!

RECYCLE YOUR BODY

Are you registered with the National Marrow Donor Program?

Or with the National Kidney Foundation?

You can make a difference!

WE CELEBRATED THE ONE

year anniversary of our kidney transplant tonight with an incredible dinner and a lot of laughter.... Dennis is doing fantastic, and if you're wondering, his eyes are still green.
Here's to many more years...

I LOVE YOU DEN!

50 YEARS OF

transplants at OHSU were celebrated today by donors, recipients and their families...

Dennis among other kidney recipients...

Dennis and I with other donors and recipients...

On the 31st, it will be our 9 month anniversary!

I'VE RECEIVED MANY EMAILS FROM YOU

about wanting to see Dennis' eyes...

From chocolate brown to green, and they keep getting greener. Amazing isn't it.....

IT'S BEEN 83 DAYS

since the kidney transplant surgery....

Before the surgery, I had green eyes and ate lots and lots of chicken...


Before the surgery, Dennis had brown eyes and loved beef....

After the surgery, I still have green eyes and eat a lot of chicken and Dennis still likes beef BUT there have been changes.......

He is really liking chicken and the most amazing thing is HIS EYES HAVE TURNED GREEN.

He started noticing green flecks on his eyes, then he got a green circle and now they are green eyes. Amazing, isn't it.

Things that make you go hmmmmmm.....

Eye photos by SodaHead

LARRY & I HAD A DOUBLE DATE

with Dennis & Mary...It's our 6 week surgery anniversary and we celebrated with Mexican food.
It was a delicious evening with fabulous company...

WE TALK ABOUT OUR KIDNEY

like a person or a pet, so it has a name now.

KRANKIE

(KD + Frankie = Krankie)

Update: Dennis, Krankie and I are doing awesome and our recovery is going quite smoothly. Dennis and Krankie are doing so great they don't have to go back to the doctor for 3 weeks!

O.H.S.U. SENT

me my scans. Here are two of my favorite.
This one is the best, it is when I was injected with dye...

This one shows my kidneys. I really like the scan on the right in the middle...

I think this is fasinating!!

THIS PAST WEEK I

have two best friends and they have shown me a few things I haven't seen before.
Black yarn spiders as large as a plate crawling across my ceiling, pink flowers on the ceiling, among a few other things.

The one on the right won't be my friend for long......

MY FATHER TOOK THESE

comparison photos while at the hospital. I thought they were very interesting.
This photo is of my vital monitoring unit.... And here is Den's...

WE ARE OUT OF

the hospital and here are a few shots of our kidney journey...

We arrived to O.H.S.U. at 5:45 on Halloween morning. We were admitted quickly and said goodbye to our loved ones.

Mary and Larry were able to stay with us for a little longer...

Here is Dennis with two of his surgeons. His doctor is THE MAN with kidney transplants. Everyone was incredibly nice...

These are the last two things I saw before they wheeled me away. I hollered goodbye to Dennis and Mary but I couldn't see them - my glasses were already put away and I'm pretty blind without my contacts or glasses!

This is my favorite kidney photo. Here is my left kidney that they have just taken off the ice bath and it is getting ready to be put into Dennis.

When we woke up we had our family there. Some of them I didn't get pictures of, SORRY - it's the drugs!! Dennis got to see more family a few days later when he was out of ICU.

And I've included a self portrait I don't remember taking....

Here is Dennis lounging in his suite, that's no joke, he had the rooms of all rooms...

I can't remember what this leg contraption is called but it was awesome. It massaged our legs so we would have good circulation. And here's Dennis on his first walk down to see me...

The boys enjoyed visiting Dennis' room, relaxing and putting together puzzles...

Mary sent these two photos of Dennis getting his central line taken out. Can you believe how huge it is! I was lucky and didn't need one of those!

Mary sent this photo also from her phone of Dennis getting ready to be released.

He is going to be the masked man around others for a while so he doesn't get sick.

We had our 1 week check ups today and we are both doing well and getting better everyday!

TODAY IS THE

day and I am so thankful that Heavenly Father is allowing me the privilege to be a part of this modern day miracle for Dennis. I am so excited for his new lease on life and I am absolutely giddy!

I am thankful that we are a close extended family that loves each other. We haven't always been this close and I'm thankful for every family member that has made the choice to try harder, forgive past and present choices made and to move on. I'm very proud of our family. On our great days, and not so great days, you all are still awesome and I love you very much.

I love you so much Larry. Thank you for loving me, respecting me and thank you very much for standing by me. You are the best husband and father and I love how every day you show us how much you love our little family.

Larry J, Laird, Landon and Lach - I love you more than you could ever imagine and I am so proud of you and the young men you are becoming. You bring me absolute joy and I love being your mother.

I am so thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. I bear my testimony that I know the church is true and I am thankful that we have the guidance of our prophet Thomas S. Monson. I am thankful for the atonement of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the priesthood. And, I am so thankful that we are families forever.

I am thankful for my friendships and I am thankful for all the love, fasting and prayers given on behalf of Dennis and I. It means so much.

Love your guts! ~Laura

DENNIS AND I WERE UP

at O.H.S.U. today for more testing to make sure there were no changes with us.

Dennis is getting my left kidney and I will be having laparoscopic surgery.
(Both great news!)

I should be home in 3 days. Dennis, of course, will be staying longer...

Thank you again for all your prayers, we appreciate it!! We'll keep you posted...

MEET

Frankie and K.D.

We're ready for our
science experiment
on Friday morning!

THIS MORNING WE

got pedi's.
Mary's sporting "Cowgirl Up" with some awesome hand painted fall leaves, I'm painted with Canadian Maple Leaf (a.k.a. burgundy), and Den has manly clear...

We're ready for Friday!

WE HAD A FAMILY FAST

today for Dennis and I. We got together for dinner to break the fast.
The theme was comfort foods and all I can say about the food is yummmmm!

Mom isn't feeling to well, she brought home Australian germs with her, so she wore a mask all night. Thanks mom!

Family dinner is always so fun; we laugh a lot and eat way too much.
We ended the evening seeing pictures from the Australian trip - incredible!

It's our last Sunday family dinner before the big day! Yeah!!

MY SWEET SON LAIRD

made Dennis a kidney.
With toothpicks and marshmallows, the possibilites are endless.....

I RECEIVED AN UNEXPECTED GIFT

at church today. It was so sweet and thoughtful!!

Isn't it a crack up?!
Thanks Ruth, Monica, Debbie and Martha! Love ya!!