May 23, 2025

 Kellisa is 26

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22

 GO BIG or Stay Home!

After years of going big for Kellisa's birthday, we stayed home for the second year in a row due to the global pandemic. We had HUGE plans last year for Kellisa's 21st birthday, but didn't even think about doing much this year. We're still playing it safe since Kellisa is considered high risk. 

Kellisa woke up a 22-year-old young lady and enjoyed a low key day at home with family. She enjoyed a push through the neighborhood before opening presents from family and friends. Kellisa watched and listened to plenty of The Wiggles and Hannah Montana. She selected a Poke bowl with brown rice, raw salmon, avocado, and house sauce for dinner. We ended the festivities with a best of both world cake, half vanilla and half chocolate. All in all another great birthday.

We are so ready and hopeful.....2022 will be a very big year as we make up for lost time! 

Enjoy a few pictures from today:

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Full Circle Champagne

Kellisa's first sip of alcohol on her 21st birthday came from a bottle of champagne we bought on December 31, 1998. We made the purchase with the intention to toast the new year with sips of the bubbly, but Lisa wanted to make sure she wasn't pregnant before partaking. The story is told in greater detail here. Long story short, that's the night we found out Lisa was pregnant (with Kirsten and Kellisa), so we never opened the bottle of champagne. 

The bottle of champagne has moved with us from Bolingbrook, IL to Edgewater, FL to Jacksonville, FL to Jacksonville, FL to Jacksonville, FL and finally, Roseville, CA. The years passed and we never had a need or plan for the bottle when Lisa got the idea to save it for Kellisa's 21st birthday first drink. We kept the bottle safe and chilled it a few hours before we would share it with Kellisa.

Lisa tried to take a video of me opening the bottle, but it wouldn't open. It might be me and my lack of experience or more likely, it was the old bottle making it difficult. After several attempts, I was able to pry the top off with little fanfare. There was no 'POP' with bubbling champagne spilling out as the kids had hoped. The bottle just opened.

Shark Cake with Dripping Blood

1. Kellisa loves creepy and scary creatures from spiders to lizards to snakes to sharks. 

2. Laurel has been doing quite a bit of cooking and a little baking during the COVID-19 lock down.

3. Lisa purchased the ingredients and Laurel did all the baking and decorating herself.

4. The end result - Kellisa was blown away with her birthday cake's appearance.

5. And the shark cake tasted amazing! 

Laurel's Birthday and Total Inclusion

June 8, 2018

aka Laurel's 9th Birthday

Roseville, CA

Laurel woke up excited to be a 9-year-old early this morning, but it's what she did to make this day special for someone else is what really melted my heart. Today is her last day of third grade and her teacher said she could bring in a birthday treat. Laurel was concerned because a classmate can't eat gluten. The teacher told us not to worry about doing something extra (I think they would have provided a gluten free treat), but that wasn't good enough for Laurel. She wanted to get a treat that every kid could eat...100% inclusion for her birthday celebration. Lisa helped Laurel taste and purchase gluten free birthday cupcakes earlier in the week for her class to enjoy today. Just after Lisa delivered the cupcakes, the teacher asked Laurel's class if anyone knew, "why it was a special day?" Laurel's gluten free friend was the first to raise his hand and his answer was, "because there's gluten free treats for everyone"? I couldn't be more proud of Laurel and her staunch advocate heart.

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An Evening of Train Rides

May 23, 2018

aka Kellisa's 19th Birthday

Sacramento, CA

We went all out for Kellisa's 18th birthday last year, so we didn't plan anything crazy this year. In fact, we didn't really have a plan until Lisa suggested taking Kellisa for a ride on Sacramento's Light Rail System since she loves trains so much. The plan evolved to riding the train downtown where we would find a place to eat dinner, have cake, and then ride the train back. Since her birthday was a Wednesday and it was also a school and work day, we planned her train adventure for the evening.

Kellisa's birthday started with getting ready for school in her birthday dress before catching her bus. A little later, Lisa dropped off a dragonfly birthday cupcake so Kellisa could celebrate with her teachers and classmates. Even at 19, it can be hard picturing Kellisa going off to school and living a huge part of her life without mom and dad. This hit home when Kellisa's teacher sent a picture of Kellisa taken at McDonald's for a birthday lunch. We had no idea she was going to McDonald's for lunch. A little mind blowing when we think about it.

We didn't really have a plan, just drive to the nearest light rail train stop closest to our house and take a ride downtown. We'd pick a spot to get off and hopefully find a restaurant close. Since this was our first ride, buying tickets from a machine was a little confusing, especially not being able to really see the screen due to the glaring sun, but it all worked out when we hopped on the train at Watts/I-80 West. We got off at the Cathedral Square stop in downtown Sacramento.

Kellisa's Sweet 16

May 23, 2015

Driving, planes, trains, hiking, swimming, and boats for a sweet 16 birthday celebration. Not bad for a girl who wasn't suppose to live more than a few minutes.

Campbell Hill

Kellisa's 4th State Highpoint:

Campbell Hill, Ohio

1,547ft.

May 2006

Campbell Hill was our second Highpoint of the day after stopping at Hoosier Hill in neighboring Indiana. It was another easy summit with a drive-up and short walk along a sidewalk. We were in Ohio to celebrate Kellisa's Uncle Jim's 50th Birthday Party:

 Our gift: Older than Dirt t-shirt

Kellisa enjoying the party in the above two pictures. Kellisa has short hair because she had her head shaved for a shunt revision surgery 6 months earlier in December 2005. Kellisa had a shunt for 2 1/2 years without any issues before she started having some swelling behind her ear over the shunt's tubing. In October 2005, Kellisa had surgery to replace just the tubing. As she healed from the surgery, the swelling returned. In November 2005, the neurosurgeon replaced the tubing a second time. Since the swelling continued for no apparent reason, the doctor decided to remove the shunt and change the location of the new shunt and tubing with a surgery in December 2005. Because the shunt was moved to an area just above her forehead with the tube running along her hairline, back around the left ear and down the neck to the stomach, the doctor had to shave her entire head.

Kellisa had another Bilateral VDRO surgery in January 2006. It would be her 4th surgery in as many months and 19th to date. It was another 6 weeks of constant pain and suffering during the recovery period. You would never know it from Kellisa's face just a couple of months later.