Reprieve

 WELL. Look how much time has passed.

To catch up since the last post:

Bethany went through with the surgery, and got her colon removed. It had over 100 polyps in it, so it was good that she got it done. She does have a stoma for the time being, but they already built her a new colon, and it is inside of her body and healing as I type this. She'll get another surgery to hook it up to her system sometime early August. Hopefully all will go well, and she won't ever have to deal with having a stoma again.

During the two weeks I was in MN with my family while the surgery stuff was happening, I was practicing for the pageant. Had to take the electric bass to the shop and all that jazz. Came home on the 21st (late at night), and left again on the 24th very early in the morning for Detroit to get to the World Steam Expo. The WSE always provides a good time, and it was another fun year there. Tons of amazing people and things to see. The pageant was super fun, but I didn't place. I am definitely ok with that, as I was nervous as hell, messed up terribly, and kept nervously talking. It was an experience I really did enjoy, and may take another swing at next year. Who knows?

After returning from the expo, I had a few days home to work at the restaurant, then it was off again to LA for E3. Busy but fun week! Got to hang out with Lani, Chris, and Marc. We did have a bit of a panic session about not knowing where our camera guy went, but things turned out ok in the end.

The weeks after that were just lots of working and writing. It's all quite a blur honestly. Beth is doing much better, though her losing some 20-odd pounds in about a month did give us a bit of a scare.

This past weekend I worked at Supercon in Miami, FL with Sir Montague Jaque Fromage (The bloke in the middle of the top picture). The time away was much needed, and it was quite fun! This upcoming weekend will be going to Indianapolis for Days of the Dead. I've never been to a horror convention, so this will be interesting. It makes me wonder what the attendees will be like compared to other conventions. I won't have long to wonder I suppose.

That sums up just about everything. (The condensed version at least) It's been a wild ride thus far, but things are settling out, and picking up speed. Just the way I like it. :)

Surgery Day

^^^^^^^^^

This is my sister Bethany

Alright people. It's the day of the surgery. Bethany is in prep at the moment, but I wanted to explain why she's getting the surgery, as it may be confusing for a lot of people.

Beth and Dad both have a really rare genetic disease called familial polyposis. It basically starts off with a build up of polyps in your colon, and becomes cancer. (There are tons of other things involved with it, but that's the biggie) Dad has had his colon out for years, but Beth has known since she was twelve that she would have to have her colon removed at some point. The only thing is that she thought this wouldn't be coming for several more years. You can imagine how tough it would be to have something like this weighing on your mind all the time, and finding out that you're going to have it a whole lot sooner than you thought.

We landed in Minnesota late on the 9^th, and honestly didn't know if she'd be doing the surgery for sure or not. She did testing yesterday on the 10^th, and at the end of the day was in a room full of specialists and doctors who were discussing possibilities, but in the end were really just scratching their heads. Dad and Beth are really the pioneers for this particular case, so there are dangers no matter what way you turn. The real debate was whether they should put off the surgery and wait (increasing the chances of cancer hitting), or do the surgery, and deal with scar tissue and adhesions. The reason adhesions are an issue is because after Dad had his colon removed, these things formed a desmoid tumor around his vital organs. To remove this tumor would have obvious consequences.

SO. Beth has chosen to do the surgery and take her chances. It's a very scary time, and we need as many prayers, positive thoughts, and good vibes as everyone can muster. If you know Beth, blow up her phone with texts, send her messages on Facebook, or find some way to show her your support. Please and thank you.  

Insanity

SO! I haven't touched this blog-thing in a long time. And honestly, I'm only bothering with it again because my brain is spazzing out a bit from all that's going on. This blog is mainly for my friends and family who want to be kept in the loop, but if you stumble across this, congratulations! I'm another human being who does things.

I normally put up pictures with my ramblings, and as I haven't used this in some time, I will put up an old, extremely unfinished doodle. His name is Tucker.

Ok so, here's the low-down:

Tomorrow, I'm traveling to Rochester, Minnesota to MAYO clinic with the family because my sister is getting her colon removed. This is scary for us, but I can't even begin to imagine where her head-space is like. The most we can do is just be there for her. I'll be there from the 9th-21st/23rd? There will be lots of waiting, but I may use this bloggy-deal as a way to update those who want to know what's going on. That remains to be seen.

Upon returning at the end of the month, I'll be heading out again for the World Steam Expo in Dearborn, MI where I'll be competing in the Miss World Steam Pageant. Woo! Then I'll be back in town for four days, then off to LA for E3 with the GamerFront crew. A brief reprise, then I start my convention job at the Steampunk Funk Bizarre with Sir Montague. Then school starts up again. There will be much going on in between, who can tell what all will happen. 

Here's to hoping everything will turn out alright. If you pray, or send positive vibes or anything, I would appreciate it if you send some along to my sister. Thankies.