back to normal?

It's true. Richard is finally back from his journeys, and now has no work travel scheduled for the foreseeable future. I can't tell you how happy this fact makes me. Rich is not only my husband, but he is also my best friend, and everything that we've gone through over the last year has brought us even closer together. And when he's gone, I realize how much I depend on him to keep my spirits up. All this traveling has been hard on both of us, but it's over now, and we're both very happy about it.

Baby Viv continues to be very active. This week, our cat Doyle has decided that my stomach is a great place to knead and lie down on. Vivian is not really on board with this. When he lays down on my tummy, she starts kicking back. This doesn't seem to bother Doyle, so I'm caught in the middle -- cat pressing down, baby kicking up. Ouch. Next Wednesday, we have another ultrasound, so we get another peek at Viv. It's a scary time, but I seem to be doing really well, so we're doing our best to keep our spirits up.

This Sunday is the Arthritis Walk, and it seems to be going really well, despite the likelihood of rain. Yes, I work at the AF, but I'm also raising money in honor of my friend Carolyn, or Caro as we call her. Carolyn was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age 3. JRA meant that she couldn't sit on the floor with her class, tie her own shoes or lift her arm to brush her hair. This disease ravaged her body, but not her spirit. For the last 13 years, she has dedicated her life to helping others living with arthritis.

Carolyn is now leaving the Arthritis Foundation staff to become a full-time mom. Currently 8 1/2 months pregnant, Carolyn has had a difficult pregnancy. She has had to stop taking many of the medicines that help her everyday, as they could impact the baby growing inside of her. Arthritis affects 1-in-5 people, including 300,000 children. If you'd like to help me make a difference, you can make a donation to my walk campaign by going here.

And finally, this Saturday, Allison, Jeff & Evan head out to Phoenix for a consultation with Barrow Neurological Institute. Hopefully, they'll get good news about Evan's tumor, and be able to set up a date for surgery. If you get a chance, visit Allison's blog and leave her a message. Allison, you'll be in our thoughts.