• Mom went to see Dr Kapur, a GI specialist, for a follow-up to her endoscopy. The procedure didn't show any abnormalities in the esophagus or stomach and she tested negative for H. Pylori. The doc agreed with us that her acid reflux may be from allergies, so he scheduled her to see an allergy specialist on Friday.
• My CA125 test (for ovarian cancer) came back negative--yeah! I am having another ultrasound done on Aug. 19 and am very curious to see what they say about this cyst on my right ovary b/c it's rather uncomfortable. I really would like to urge all of you women in the family to get involved in this study at UK. Just call 1-800-766-8279. Check out their website at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Sauna/1913/.
• Jaden was bitten by a mosquito and must have been allergic b/c his face swelled up rather badly.
• Mom and Dad's basement flooded in Dad's computer room. It really stinks down there and I'm wondering if the carpet doesn't need to come up. Fred went out and got Mom a dehumidifier and hooked it up so it's draining through a tube, so Mom doesn't have to empty it. The computer really needs to be moved upstairs b/c one of these days Dad's going to fall down those stairs to the basement, but Dad refuses to have the computer moved. He wants a laptop and Mom promised him that when a certain CD comes due, she'll let him have the money to get a laptop.
  

August Birthdays & Anniversaries

Birthdays

• Jim--Tues, Aug. 11--49
• Sarah--Sat, Aug. 15--2
• Kevin--Thurs, Aug. 20--57
• Simone--Tues, Aug. 25--39
• Fred--Wed, Aug. 26--49
• Jo Ann--Wed, Aug. 26--54
• Bridget--Sat, Aug. 29--42
• Amy--Sat, Aug. 29--31

Anniversaries

• Fritz & Robin--Mon, Aug 3, 1974--35
  
• Phil & Serena--Fri, Aug. 21, 1947--62
• Chris & Cyndi--Mon, Aug. 24, 1985--24

Dad

• Mom said Dad fell again and got another wound on his forehead. This was also in the bedroom b/c he was coming in when the light was out. Apparently, he grabbed the door b/c she said he pulled the hinges out! Dad said he'd tripped on the rug, but Mom took the rug up, so I don't know why he fell this second time.

• The doctor said his wounds weren't very deep. She was concerned b/c Dad has lost 8 lb in the last month. His next appointment is in a month, so she said to keep an eye on his weight then. She also talked to him about going for physical therapy for his Parkinson's but he is not open to the idea. He thinks they just throw a ball around. It's also difficult for Mom b/c she has to take him downtown where they specialize in PT for Parkinson's patients.

My Law Suit Update

• Please do not share this information with anyone outside of the immediate family!
  
• Anna's deposition was taken today, so my lawyer grilled her (very nicely) for 1 1/2 hours. Luckily they agreed to not have Mike present.
  
• Anna contradicted herself quit a bit, and I think she got frustrated when my lawyer seemed to be asking the same question again, for clarification.
• Interestingly enough, Anna said she had never seen the deed to the house which supposedly had her signature on it. She said it didn't look like her signature and she didn't remember signing it.
• My lawyer was pleased that she agreed that I had taken wonderful care of Mary and done everything for her.
• Anna agreed that Mary thought of me as a daughter.
• Anna said that she had known that Mary was leaving her the house in her will of 2002 and had not known anything about the will of 2005 and that in her opinion, Mary was not of sound mind enough to change her will in 2005, that I had coerced her and that in her opinion the will was invalid. She said that both I and Mom knew that Mary was not of sound mind in 2005. That will be very interesting if they have to prove that in court!
• My lawyer said that he'd be in contact with me in about 2 months, unless Anna's lawyer asks to deposition me before then. He said that he felt better about the case after Anna's deposition but that a lawsuit is always a crap-shoot. He told me to consider whether I'd be willing to give the matter over to a mediator and settle out of court so as to maintain some control instead of completely being at the mercy of the jury's decision and to consider how much I'd be willing to pay Anna to drop her claim on the house. Personally, I'm not inclined to settle. Perhaps I'm just being stubborn, but I'd rather not give Anna the satisfaction of my appearing to say that she was right. I never asked Mary for her house or her money or tried to influence her in any way to leave anything to me, I didn't bring a lawyer in to have her make a new will, and Mary knew exactly what she was doing when she made her last will. I was not even in the house when she signed it.
  

I'm just writing to let you all know that Dad fell in the bedroom around 11:30 PM tonight and but his head in two places. Mom called 911 and they sent an ambulance, but the EMTs said they didn't think he'd need stitches. He had bled profusely but the bleeding had stopped. They wrapped his head up in gauze. Mom said she's going to take him in tomorrow to the doctor who checks his blood every week.

July Birthdays & Anniversaries

Birthdays

• Gus--Wed, July 1--58
• Jeremy--Mon, July 6--31
• Sam (Roberts)--Wed, July 15--??
• Hannah--Fri, July 17--3
• Serena--Wed, July 22--81
• August--Tues, July 28--34
  
• Cyndi--Wed, July 29--48

Anniversaries

• Gina and Jim--July 21, 1990
• Gus and Pat--July 28, 1973--37
  

Pictures from Barbara's 80th Birthday Party

Barbara (one of Uncle Vince's children, grew up with Mom)

Sonja (one of B's daughter), Paula (one of B's sister), Serena

Serena and Carrie (one of B's sisters)

Serena and Barbara

Larry (Cousin Vince's son), Serena, Gus

Irene (Oh, no! Ask Mom! I just know she was married to a Link) and Serena

• Mom's endoscopy went well. The doctor said everything looked really good. He took some biopsies from her stomach and is testing for H-Pylori, which Nikki has. She's supposed to go back to see this doctor soon.
• Mom had an MRA done a few days ago. Dr. Rivera ordered this because of several people in the family having vascular dementia. Apparently there is a problem with one of her arteries and she is being sent to an neurosurgeon to see if there is a medication she can take. I think the artery is enlarged and pressing on something... sorry but I wasn't there when the doctor called and I was tired when Mom told me about it. If anyone gets a better idea of what's going on, please comment below!
• Jan is planning on bringing Alec and Erik to Louisville around July 4.