IVF & PGD

John and I are so happy to share that we get to start our family! We have wanted this day to come for a long time but have not had the means to make it happen, But thanks to lovely and genereous parents we are now able to!

As all of you know my Dad has Muscual Dystrophy. MD is a x-linked genetic disorder, which means it is passed from on generation to the next on the x chromosome, so that makes me a carrier of the disease. That means if John and I were to conceive natually our sons would have a 50 /50 chance of having MD, and our daughters would have a 50/50 chance of being carriers of MD.

MD =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscular_dystrophy

Up until a couple of years ago, we didn't think that there was anything we could do, and we would just live with the possiblility that our sons could have MD. Thanks to Shelley and Cory and their hard work, patience and research we now know that there is something we can do!

Through

IVF =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_fertilization

And

PGD =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preimplantation_genetic_diagnosis

we can bring healthy kids into this world! And we start the whole process September 3rd, and we couldn't be happier! So keep us in your prayers that everything will work out great and we can be pregnant by october!

California knows how to party...

So this weekend we were excited to have our cousin (who shall remain namless), come and visit. Well things don't always turn out as planned, and due to a recent outbreak of the swine flu, she wasn't able to make it...so we decided to IMPROVISE...which included taking a spur of the moment trip to sunny california...more specificly vallejo (six flags) and one of the most ridculous cities this side of the Mississippi!! Apparently this city is soooo special you have to pay a toll just for thinking about going there!!! Here is a look back...

We arrived at six flags early saturday morning ready to ride this ----> The Medusa...well we get there and get in, we start our way up the big incline...then stop...uhhhh...ok its normal...just waiting for the previous ride to finish...waiting...then we start back up...then stop...alrighty then...maybe this isn't normal...so 30 minutes later, sitting on the incline, or sunbathing as i liked to call it, we are all being evacuated off and we get FREE tickets!!!so not the best way to start a day at a theme park ...

*a quick note...there are a few if any times when asking about your saftey when the reply is "you should be alright" ummmm..."i should be alright" isn't what you like to hear sitting on a giant rollercoaster while its broken and you're strapped in!!...maybe we should get off...ya that's a better answer...."check please"....nevertheless we went on to our next ride.

Next up was KONG...hahaha (devilish laugh)...which can be seen here

----->
and we really did have our feet dangling like that!!! no joke...

but i'm not really sure what it had to do with, im assuming King Kong...unless it means you will be violently thrown around, dissoriented, and want to vomit when your done, then it all makes sense...

Another favorite was the mighty ROAR...wich sounds like a nice and
happy relaxing ride....Think again!!!!it was a freakishly intense

wooden rollarcoaster!!! as you can see pictured to your right ---->

Then we got to see some really cool animal shows...Shouka the killer whale, Merlins dolphins and Odin's temple of the Tiger...First up was Shouka...we'll just let the pictures do the talking...and for those who are wondering...we were in the splash zone and we did get splashed...and we liked it...YEEEA BOOII!

Shouka gettin' her ball touching on...

She ain't scared to show off the goods...

Here are the dolphins...

Here is the...nice kitty...ok maybe he is a 5 year old Bengal tiger...and weighs 400 lbs...and could rip us all to shreds!!! I don't know who that guy is...but he is ca-ra-zy uhhhh ya...that's about 8 ft tall...wouldn't recommend this...

You've heard of jaws...well meet claws...original...i know...


This is Taj...one of the oldest elephants in the world!!!! she was born in 1940!!!!that's 69 years old!! She looks enthusiastic and happy to be there doesen't she....

Next we went somewhere else....

I Wonder what bridge this could be...

hmmm.......

Still can't figure it out?

ahh yes....the Golden Gate Bridge...the bridge of dreams, fantasy, and freezing cold windy weather!!!! It was fun to go on the bridge and freeze...I'll just let the pictures do the talking... Crazy streets...what are people thinking!!!!

This is the bay bridge...4 dollars to cross...just to get to San Fransisco...They should pay US to go to this ridiculous city!!!!

If you ever get the chance to eat here.....don't.... Nasty with a capital N....

It's like Mexico...but Chinese...and everything has to be authentic because everything they sell has a sticker that says 'made in china'....

more bridge....

Susan posing with the bridge...

now this is artistic....

Just hangin' out on the Golden gate bridge...that's all I'm tryin' to say...

Can't feel noses or toeses...frozen tozen

The Fog has lifted....

So that was our fun filled weekend....full of wild rides, wild animals, wild cities, bridges, tolls, tolls, and did i mention tolls...

IF THESE TWO AREN'T THE CUTEST....

I tell you we have the cutest nieces and nephews in the whole world!

SmashMouth Concert

Smash Mouth put on a free concert a couple weeks ago, so we went and checked them out. Sadly he was off key alot of the time, so we left early!

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Camping like a Frenchman

A couple weeks ago we went camping at Frenchmens Lake in California. We haven't been all summer...so we decided it was time to get in touch with nature and the great outdoors. It was really nice to get away from all the hustle and bustle of work and the daily routines of life. not to mention it was a good opportunity to get some of dad's famous dutch oven cookin'!! Here are a few snapshots from the weekend...

Myself, Mark, and Sheila...sitting by the worlds biggest fly catcher!!If you notice that double screen room to the right...we wanted to put it over the table so when we ate we could keep all the bugs out...well the bugs didn't get the memo that they (the bugs) were suppose to stay out and we (the humans) were suppose to stay in...so by nightfall the bugs had completley taken it over and i think the more bug spray susan sprayed in it...the more bugs came in...so make sure when you buy bug spray it is a repellent and not an attractant...

Here is Susan striking a pose in a little valley we explored...

...and here is us...those rocks were sharp!!

this looks like a cozy place for a nap...or...a SWEET picture!

you may think this is a nice picture of the valley...but take a closer look...go ahead...get the magnifying glass out...we managed to sneek into this one...

hey...there we are...

Here we are getting ready to enter the "cave of death"...not really...but there sure were a lot of spiders!!!

Here is the 30 ft anaconda we found and wrestled into submission...ok maybe it was like 12 inches...and i didn't touch it...but who's counting...

so that was our adventure filled weekend...we are going camping again in the near future...so we will have more great adventure stories from the "Wild Willinghams"...sounds like a cool TV show...

We have entered the world of blogging

I finally broke down and created a blog. I have not wanted to do it, for 2 reasons.
1) I thought it was going to be hard and take to much time, and
2) I didn't think I would have anything to blog about
But I have realized that neither of my two excuses were valid so here I am! Diving into the wonderful world of blogs! I love looking at everyone elses so I thought it was time for us to share our lives with all of you! Hope you enjoy!