¡Amigos Felices De Sábado!

So happy it's Saturday. I just got back from a great ride with Nick to get breakfast and am looking forward to hanging out with my brother, Ryan, today.

As mom said below, I had lunch at Bentree this week and had such a great time. I was so happy to be able to thank everyone for the wonderful support they have given to Nick and I. I feel so blessed that we have such amazing people around us.

I had a great visit yesterday from my high school friend and college roomate, Kirsten. We chated for hours and swapped pictures of our families. Lots of fun and laughs.

My dad's sister has sent me copies of The Godfather movies as I have never seen them (can you believe that??). So I am getting caught up on them. What a great flick.

Little Matthew will be with us for 2 weeks, starting today, so we are really looking forward to that. He has been such a trooper through all of this and has always put a smile on my face.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll write early next week.

Love,
Jen

Thanks Once More

I can hardly believe it will be a week tomorrow since the Broadlane luncheon and auction for Jen. It was so wonderful to have the chance to meet many of the people she has talked about and very humbling to experience such generosity. We had such a fun day and are still talking about it all of the time!

The week has been busy as usual. We have continued to research the best options for Jen long term and it seems as if Nick and she are close to making the right decision. Ryan came yesterday for 10 days and will be filling in as her "personal assistant" as I have just returned to Wichita for a few days. I have already talked to them both and it seems as if they are doing fine without me! :) I plan to return early next week and am hopeful that we will be moving forward with the more permanent prosthetics.

Today, the ladies golf group at Bentree, invited Jen to lunch so they could all meet each other and it was a great time. Cecile and Ann were of course on hand and made sure all went smoothly.

Kirsten, another long time frind of Jen's will be coming by the house to spend time with her tomorrow. She brought some great meals to freeze and have for the days ahead. It is so thoughtful and Jen is excited to have the time with her to catch up.

All for now...just checking in, but I am sure we will have bigger news soon. Just wanted to say say thank you again for all of the selfless acts of love and kindness that have come our way. I wish there were the right words to express how we all feel and how truly grateful we are.

Look forward to all of the new posts...wasn't that amazing from Betty in Louisiana? How special!! Jen is going to keep posting at least once or twice a week to keep everyone updated on her progress.

Thank you to everyone!

Love,
Marilyn

The Power of Friendship

Hi all! It's Sunday night and it's been a great weekend. My weekend started on Thursday with my best friends Jill and Shannon (friends from 3rd and 4th grade) coming into town and staying up with me all night telling stories and laughing. My poor husband kept talking until he fell asleep but still managed to keep a smile on his face. :)

Friday I was surprised by my brother and uncle coming to Dallas for the luncheon at my work along with Brenda and Michelle from high school. My friends at Broadlane did such a great job with the auction and absolutely made our day. It was such a special thing to have been a part of and feel so lucky that I have been blessed with the generosity that has come my way. The effort and donations that were made will be forever in my thoughts.

Saturday morning was spent with my husband running errands and realizing how much we have missed doing these things. It was a great way to start my day. I spent the rest of the day with Jill and Shannon and realizing that without each others love and support we wouldn't be the same. How precious is that! I also had a great surprise visit from one of my nurses and it was such an emotional thing to have a conversation with a person who helped save my life, very rewarding for both of us.

My cousin Sarah turned 21 today! Happy birthday and can't wait to see you! My younger brother Ryan is coming on Wednesday and staying for 10 days and I am really looking forward to this.

We have an appointment in St. Louis tomorrow and will hopefully have a plan for prosthetics this week. Mom misses you all and I want to thank all of her friends for always being there. It means the world to her. Mother Muffy, I'm counting down the days. :)

Love,
Jen

Silent Online Auction

For those who aren't aware, the company that I work for, Broadloane, Inc. and all of the generous employees who work with me, have sponsored an online auction.

There are lots of wonderful items to bid on and they have worked so hard to put this together, so I wanted to share it with all of you!

http://stores.ebay.com/Jennifer-Griffin-Fundraiser-2007

We had a fun evening at Walt and Ann's last night. It was mom's birthday and Ann prepared a delicious meal! Cecile and Harry were also there and she brought a great dessert! It was so special and I am so appreciative.

We have learned about a new hand termed the iHand and are gathering information to see if I could possible be a candidate. I will keep you posted.

I am looking forward to the luncheon Friday at Broadlane and seeing all my co-workers who I miss so much. Shannon, Jill and Pam are coming from Kansas as well as other friends from here and some of my family so it promises to be a VERY special time.

Love,
Jen

Four Months Later

Hey! This is Jen and it's 8:15 on Sunday night. We jut finished a wonderful lasagna dinner to celebrate mom's birthday. I spent yesterday cooking the lasagna (in my own little way) with a friend and her family and it was really fun.

Last night I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants with some great friends of the family. She has cancer and is such an inspiration for me and has such a beautiful spirit. Take time for friendships, because they keep your soul happy.

I have had so much fun reading the comments on the blog and am so thrilled that I have inspired "strangers" to comment. Whenever I have a tough moment I read these comments and realize how lucky I really am.

I have a few more appointments this week and hope to make a decision very soon. Miss you all and looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend.

Love,
Jen