Moody Gardens

We had a great time at Moody Gardens over the Labor Day weekend. We were planning on staying until Monday, but with Hurricane Gustav barrelling into the Gulf we decided that it would be smart to get back to our home base on Sunday in case we needed to prepare the boat the possibly evacuate. Fortunately that didn't happen. We did enjoy getting out on the water. I got to get some great dolphin pictures as they swam along with us for about 20 minutes in the ship channel.

Man has always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much...the wheel, New York, wars and so on...while all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man...for precisely the same reason. ~Douglas Adams

Dinghy Regatta / Bayland Cruise

We had a great time last weekend. We cruised to Bayland Marina with TMCA. We had the wind right on our nose Saturday so we didn't even both trying to sail and there was practically no wind on Sunday on the way home. Even though we didn't get to sail we were happy to be out on the water and having fun!

At Bayland we competed in TMCA's annual Dinghy Regatta. Lots of crazy fun events. The hardest one was the Greased Watermelon event. I fought so hard for that watermelon that I felt like I had been in a bar fight. I have the bruises to show for it!

Troy - Men's Rowing

Deana - Preparing for Women's Rowing

Deana (after getting a little help from Troy off the blocks) - Yes, those are my feet straight up in the air!

I managed to rally and snatch the gold medal from Lorna!

Blindfolded Rowing - this was fun!

What a game! It's hard to say who's winning this one.

Phil and Rhonda headed home on Slowride.

Around the Bay in One Day

We had a great weekend, even though it was a little wet. The girls rented a beach house on Crystal Beach to celebrate Sam's 21st birthday. They even consented to a visit from their parents! We decided to visit with them on Saturday afternoon and then continue on around the bay to see our friends at Channel Marker 17 on Double Bayou. I think it was 150 miles round trip and the first time that we've been all they way around Galveston/Trinity Bay in one day. Other than the rain we had a great time. We played on the beach with the girls and surprised everyone at Channel Marker, they're used to us showing up in a boat, not a car!

Tori did hear back from the Neurosurgeon on Friday. He reviewed her X-rays and MRI films and decided that she does not have Chiari I Malformation. He wants her to see a Neurologist and he recommended one - we scheduled an appointment for next week. That seems to be good news, we went from Neurosurgeon to Neurologist. On another note, she was on vacation with Danny's family last week and broke her leg jumping in the river. I just don't know what to do with that girl! Wait till you see the pictures of her enjoying the beach!

For more pictures of fun at the beach check out this link:

http://imageevent.com/deanaj/crystalbeach2008?n=0&z=2&c=4&x=1&m=24&w=0&p=0

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown

It's a Boy!!!!!!!!!

Jessica and David are having a boy! The official word came today. We are all so excited. Troy's looking forward to having a little side kick to hang out with. Future sailor? How soon can we get him started? Now we just have to wait patiently while mom and dad figure out a name.

It's amazing how grandparents seem so young once you become one. ~Author Unknown

We had an awesome sail last weekend with some great friends and family. Robert and Carolyn, our friends from Blue Dolphin and Ronda and Kenny came to visit on Saturday and we had one of those perfect days out on the bay. Great wind, great company and plenty of cold Coronas!

Carolyn Dresses the Coronas!

Robert Loves to Sail!

Kenny Enjoys His Stogie

Ronda Enjoys the Day

A Visit from the Coast Guard on the Bay

"A sailor's joys are as simple as a child's" - Bernard Moitessier

Tori's Medical Diagnosis

Last week, on the same day we got the great news about Troy's PET Scan, we also got some results from a MRI that Tori had. She has been having some trouble with headaches and numbness in her right arm and leg. Apparently she has some issues with a few discs in her spinal column, but the real surprise was another diagnosis. Her doctor informed her that she has Chiari I Malformation.

This is a rare genetic disorder that she has probably had since birth, but it is common not to see any symptoms until adulthood. To simplify the explanation, part of her brain, where it attaches to the spinal chord is protruding outside of her skull and into the spinal column. It restricts the flow of spinal fluid between the brain and spine. This is all kinda scary so we have been just a little freaked out. We made contact with a highly recommended Neurosurgeon and he will be looking at her MRI and X-rays this week. He will then call us and schedule an appointment to see what needs to happen next. Of course, we have done our own research (thanks to Google). Apparently the recommended treatment is surgery which will relieve the pressure and restore circulation of the spinal fluid. The long term prognosis is excellent so we will just see what the doctor recommends and go from there. Please pray for us while we are going through this ordeal. Tori is a strong woman, so we are confident that everything will turn out just fine.

On a fun note - check back tomorrow. We get to find out of Jessica and David are having a boy or a girl!!

Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there. ~Author Unknown

N.E.D.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Troy just got finished with his PET Scan and blood work. Lucky for us, this time the PET Scan was scheduled early in the day and Dr. Amato had the results when he saw Troy this afternoon. No Evidence of Disease! What wonderful news. Dr. Amato is very pleased with Troy's progress and we have until December before the next PET Scan. It's such a relief to hear that news. Thanks for all the prayers!!!!

May you live every day of your life. ~Jonathan Swift

Tropical Storm Edouard

We decided to ride out the storm at our house in Spring. We secured Storyville today and headed for higher ground. We took all the sails and canvas off the boat and added lots of extra dock lines. Now we are just praying that she stays safe and sound, we sure don't like leaving her to the whims of Edouard, but I guess we don't have much choice. Here's a picture of Storyville as we left her. She looks kinda naked and sad (but secure!).

Since we were at the house we had dinner with most of our girls, only Samantha was missing. It was lots of fun to get to visit with everyone. We got to spend some time with Jessica and David, Shawn & Josh, Tori and Danny and Amy and Bobby. Proving once again my NNGP status, I had my camera but did not take a single picture. I just can't believe it. Jessica and David find out whether they are having a boy or a girl next week. We can't wait! The girls did help us in our quest to downsize our "stuff". They had a great time helping us with that problem!

Speaking of prayers - Troy is scheduled for his next PET Scan on Wednesday (weather permitting I guess). We would appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers! We feel confident that everthing will be clear, but it sure will be nice to hear that from the doctor's mouth. Troy's oncologist, Dr. Jac, has informed us that he is leaving his practice to work on cancer research. We are sad to see him go because we credit alot of Troy's recovery to his care and expertise. Troy will see his partner, Dr. Amato, for the first time on Wednesday.

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it. ~Patrick Young