Thank-You Dr. Radoff!

Geoffrey Radoff of Alternative Health of AZ was such a blessing to us this year. He was the first DAN doctor and holistic practitioner we'd ever been to. At first we were blown away by the amount of time he spent getting to know our family. He was always asking, helping, prodding, learning. His efforts never ended in regards to our family and Asher. Here the boys are waiting patiently for him to make his rounds. Aren't they cute? In many ways, Dr. Radoff helped start us on the road to getting our Ashy back. We will forever be grateful to him for this.

We Meet Again

This was the first time we'd seen our little Arizona nieces and nephew in years! We had a meet-n-greet in September while trying to make the decision as to whether we would move into Bryon's townhome in Phoenix or not. We were trying to put our Surprise (Veramonte) house on the market and get a quick sell, so we felt that being moved out might facilitate our efforts better. It also turned out that Bryon worked nights with his security business and could use the supervision of his kids while he was away. So, instead of continuing to hire a nanny, we moved in!

Looking back on it, although living with so many people under one roof was definitely tough, we're grateful for the time we got to know the kids, Jason's grateful to have developed a relationship with his brothers again, and we learned a lot about what matters in this world. It was a family sacrifice on Asher's behalf in order to get him the medical treatment and supplements he needed from Dr. Cindy Schneider as well. Once again, Ash, don't say we don't love you!!

Dream Date

This was a truly remarkable gift. Jase and I had planned to simply go out on a date---no special occasions, nada. Allison stayed with the kids and I picked Jase up from a Phoenix location that evening. As he proceeded to tell me he had someplace we would eat, I noticed after a while that we had been walking for an awfully long time. Finally, after riding the tram, we ended up in front of a beautiful, sky-scraper condominium unit I had never seen before. A security guard opened the door to let us in and welcomed me by name--what?! I was completely baffled.

Well, it turns out that Jase has planned this whole thing to be hosted by Bryon (who does security for that building). Bryon already had a beautiful table decorated for us on the top floor of an unfinished, million-dollar condo unit overlooking the city of Phoenix. I was blown away when the elevator opened and Bryon stood there with a dozen red roses for me from Jase. Our dinner was lovely, with sparkling cider, appetizers, the most delicious chicken salad I've ever had, breadsticks, and strawberries dipped in chocolate for dessert (my idea--the chocolate bars melted!). Man--was it good. I was so in heaven that even after we finished eating and Bryon went home I lingered forever on that balcony in the dark. We even had music to entertain us from a nearby club. The execution by Jase was flawless--except that he didn't tell me to wear comfortable shoes :*)

"For what do I owe this honor?" I asked him. "No reason," he said. That's my husband.

Sedona

Jase and I decided to get away from it all one weekend and travel to Sedona, AZ spontaneously. This was a first for us, but it went off without a hitch. I couldn't have planned a nicer weekend! The kids were with Papa and Kallie, so we were home-free! Well, at least for 48 hours :*)

Once we found out hotel (the most difficult part of the trip!), we settled in and woke up to the most amazing view of the red rock from our patio and a gourmet breakfast (well, Jase did. I was still only eating fruit). After that we window shopped for a bit on Main and ended up having lunch at the most amazing, incredible korean restaurant. We didn't expect much, but Jason ordered a roast beef sandwich to die for. It was so good that we went back there 6 months later just to eat it again before we moved out of Arizona. Yes, it was that good. Oh, and the kimchi was pretty amazing too. Also, spontaneously, we decided to take a Red Rock Jeep Tour out into the wilderness. It didn't do Jase's back any favors, but was one of the funnest things I had ever experienced. Our guide was very knowledgeable about all the plant-life and history of Sedona. He had us picking needles and boiling them into tea once we got back home ("Mormon tea"). It was supposed to stimulate your nervous system gently and give you energy most of the day. And it really worked! Wow, we had a blast. So glad I got to experience Sedona at least once in my lifetime.

Final Sedona Trip

Jase and I had the BEST time in Sedona, AZ over Labor Day. Papa and Kallie were sweet enough to take the kids for us so we could have a weekend together. And we just HAD to have another taste of our favorite roast beef sandwich...yes, it really is that good! The weather was perfect and we got to visit my first raw restaurant, the ChocolaTree. It was SO yummy and we enjoyed ordering dish after dish there. Ending with chocolate, of course :*)