My Journal

May 17, 2014  We got back from the ER at 2am this morning.  Griffin was running a high temperature;  heart rate and blood pressure was high and he couldn't move his neck.  The bones in his body felt like they were on fire and he described liquid in his lungs.  He could have picked up a bug from the clinic or it could be side affects of the biphosphonates.  They gave him a cocktail of medicines and his pulse was fine and temperature back down by the time we left with medicine to take every 6 hours.  The higher the pain = higher temperature and pulse.  He has t o take control of the pain so the pain doesn't take control of him. 

 

May 16, 2014  This is the day after Griffin's first Pamidronate Biphosphanate IV infusion  at Duke Children's Hospital.  The reason for this is to slow the advancement of bone disease, decrease his bone pain by rebuilding the bone density and reduce the high levels of calcium and rebuilding his bones.  Griffin's calcium has been going into his bloodstream instead of in his bones.  He is in severe bone pain right now and is finally resting again after receiving half a valium.  He is also experiencing a low grade fever and flu-like symptoms.  Valium seems to be the only medicine that will give him relief from pain especially when traveling to the doctor appointments.  The bumps and turns in the road are unbearable.  We've been slow in updating facebook and the site due to the following symptoms and events:

 

In the past two weeks, he has gone from hypotension to hypertension.  His blood pressure has been increasing to dangerous levels.  He has a Cardiologist appointment coming up soon;

He has been fitted for a mobility device so that he can become more independent;

He has been to genetic testing and is awaiting results which should be in September;

He had an episode where the jaw stopped functioning, he had excessive swelling on the left side of his jaw  and he couldn't speak or eat anything besides liquids;

He was fitted for orthotics due to stress fracturing of his toes and ankles;

He was diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease four months ago and has since reduced his BMI back to an excellent rate for his age by losing 35 pounds.  He did this by cutting out all soft drinks, drinking only water and cutting out any sugars and carbs;

His orthopedic doctor has suggested a spinal cord stimulator and sent home a cd to watch and we are doing our research on this.  It appears to have come a long way since inception and we're finding a lot of positive feedback on this.  Our biggest concern is whether MRI's would be allowed later on - I guess it depends upon which SCS is used. 

 

These are just a few of the things that have been going on.  I'll try to come back and be more precise with dates and treatments.  I know he would like to keep his site updated as an educational tool for others going through similar experiences. 

 

UPDATES FROM JULY 2012 TO MAY 2014 ARE CAN BE FOUND ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE "PRAYERS FOR GRIFFIN"

 

July 24, 2012  Of all the days not to have a camera - me & 20 ladies in the pool for water therapy (age 70 & up).  Luanne (my water therapist) even picked on me not to be giving out my phone number.  One ladies name was Alabanya.  They were all very chatty & talked a lot about their lives.  They should write a book.  One lady brought her therapist a bunch of tomatoes & he was so happy.  Yesterday we met with Mary Hartsell & my mom got all my medicines right for our Boston trip.  Tomorrow is a rest day and Thursday is my third sympathetic spinal block with Dr. Zimmerman.

 

January 23, 2012  No matter what is going on in my life, I know there are many things that I should be thankful for.  I am thankful for my mom who is always there for me.  She always makes me feel loved.  I am thankful for my friends who keep my mind off my sad thoughts.  I have a small amount of close friends that have things in common with me.  I am thankful for my dogs - Sparky, Bleu, Spike & Benson.  They always wait for me to get home everyday from school.  They always love me.  I am thankful for being able to travel with my mom.  We have driven across most of the states & I even have five acres of land in Texas.  I am thankful for my cousins, dad, aunts & my grandpa & our family farmhouse in Seagrove & our lake house.

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January 18, 2012  I was able to go back to school today.  I can take the brace off & bend my knee but I'm not allowed to put any weight on it. 

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January 15, 2012  Since I went to YFC last night, I have homework today.  Ch 9 in Language Arts & a Math test.  I don't have school tomorrow so I'm getting it done now.  We also filled out our paperwork so that I can return to RCS next year. 

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January 14, 2012  I was able to go to YFC tonight & used my wheelchair so that I could move around & not be stuck on the couch all night.

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January 13, 2012  I got out of school today at 12:30pm.  For LA I have to read 3 Cups of Tea Ch 7-11;  take the Wordly Wise Lesson 11 quiz; Math p. 371 12-31;  Science Ch 8 vocabulary!

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January 11, 2012  I had Mr. Whaley check on my toe & see how it was healing. He took a look at my toe & to do this he had to take off all the bandages.  He also had me taking some antibiotic medicine to help with the infection.  I was still in pain from the nail being removed & the bandages that had stuck to my toenail.  My knee was also hurting.  The podiatrist tried to make me feel better by joking with me.  I wasn't in such a good mood to laugh.  Everyone at Triangle Orthopedics is very nice.  They tried to make my visit there painless.  I was told my toenail was healing nicely.

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January 9, 2012  The sleep study didn't end until 10pm today so we didn't get back home until midnight.  ​

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January 8, 2012  I had to have a sleep study done.  It started at 7pm, so my mom & I left our house by 5pm for the 2-hour drive to Raleigh Neurology.  When we got to the place where the sleep study was being held, we had to buzz someone from the front door.  At first, noone would answer so my mom called the number they gave us but noone answered there either.  It was very cold & dark outside & there weren't many cars around so we double-checked the appointment papers they gave us & buzzed again on the door.  After about 10 minutes we weren't sure we were at the right place but finally someone answered the buzzing.  They said a bunch of directions really fast & opened the automatic doors but they closed before we could get through them.  I'm not that fast on my cruches!  The night of the sleep study, the doctor had to bring me into a room with another patient.  It looked like a barber shop.  They moved me to the area where they put a lot of glue & wires into my hair.  They had to attach each of the wires from my head, my chest, down my right pants leg with the sticky glue.  The other end of the wires, they attached to a box that held all the wires together.  They walked me back down a very long hallway (I was on my crutches) until I got to my room.  The room had one big hidden camera over the door with a bright flashing light over the top of it.  They also pressed an innercom to make sure they could talk to me from their camera room.

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January 7, 2012  I got to go to Youth For Christ & meet my friends tonight.  I took my wheelchair so I could keep my leg stretched out. 

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January 6, 2012  My mom is going to get a bigger car since I can't fit in the mustang.  I'm 6'3" now & with my leg extended, they only way I can get in is for my mom to take the top down & let me stretch out in the back seat & once I get in, she puts the top back up.  Emily is going to keep an eye on me in case I need anything. 

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January 3, 2012  I have too much work to catch up on for school.  Social studies - vocabulary words, Language Arts - Read "Invincible" & complete 2 weeks of reading logs, study SAT words, take the L2 Test, read "3 Cups of Tea", Wordly Wise Lesson 10, Daily Language 7,8 & Math homework.  My computer wouldn't sync with the school so my mom had to take it in to the school to have it fixed.  My mom stopped to pick me up a wheelchair from the Medical Supply store.  It was so windy outside & cold & we had to let down the top of the mustang in order to get the wheelchair in the back seat.  Then, we had to let the top back up so we wouldn't freeze.  It fit in perfect!

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January 2, 2012  Aunt Amanda came to visit me today & she brought Marshall's new puppy, Daisy, with her.  She stayed awhile & made me some of my favorite food & the whole table was full of food she cooked for me! 

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December 28, 2011   I went to Triangle Orthopedic to have the doctor check out my knee & to see how good it was healing.  He told me to try to start bending it next week & in five more weeks that I could start to put pressure on my leg again.  He sat down with me to look at the photographs of my knee that he had taken during my surgery & explained each picture to me.  The way the kneecap should look was not the way mine looked.  Mine had no cartilage attached to it & he showed me where he had screwed in my loose bone & cartilage in the pictures.  He said that I would have a long road ahead of me & if this surgery is not successful that the next step would be for me to have a surgery with a cadaver bone that already had the cartilage attached.  After we were finished looking at the photos from my surgery, mom mom told the doctor that we were going to go to the urgent care center to have them look at my in-grown toenail because it was not getting any better.  The doctor took a look at my toe & said that it was infected & they had a podiatrist in their office.  He said that Jimmy Whaley was their podiatrist (he is the one that showed me how to re-use my crutches the right way since I already had to have x-rays of my ribs from rubbing them the wrong way).  I would not have to go to the urgent care center because he could do it right there.  Mr. Whaley came in the room & he said he would need to operate on the nail.  He had his nurse come in with the supplies to operate & when they shot my toe with the numbing medicine, it was the worst pain I ever felt.  I was not happy about that.  Surgery on my toenail was even worse than my knee surgery.  I couldn't help but scream when the podiatrist put the needle in my toe to numb it before he could operate.  He told me that the operation would be painless after the toe went numb.  I had to wait awhile before he could cut the nail.  The numbing medicine still did not work very good so he had to shoot my toe again with more of it before he could continue.  When he did finally get to do the surgery, it didn't take too long.  He cut off my nail & pulled out the part that was causing the infection.  He also went over with me how to take care of my nail after he bandaged it up.  He had a huge bandage & I would have to come back for a follow-up.

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December 25, 2011  I woke up at 2am throwing up & had a high fever.  My mom called the surgery center & they had her keep an eye on me throughout the night for any changes.  Since I was already up & Santa had already come to our house, I decided to open up my presents!  Santa must have known I wasn't feeling well because he had left me a brand new trash can & a new throw rug for my bedroom. 

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December 22, 2011

Greyson came to visit me after my surgery & spent the night.  It was nice having my friend visit.

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December 19, 2011  This morning I have to be at Person Memorial for my knee surgery.  We have to be there at 9am & I couldn't have anything to eat or drink since midnight last night.  ​

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December 17, 2011 Me & my mom are missing my cousin Ashley's college graduation cook out.  I am too tired to ride to Raleigh & decided I should stay at home & rest. 

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December 13, 2011 I met Jeanie at the outpatient registration to pick up my surgical package.  I was told to take my bath the morning of surgery & to use the scrub brush she gave me really good on my knee before I come in for surgery.

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December 12, 2011  Today I met with Dr. Rosenburg for pre-op.  He checked out my knee & gave me a special knee brace that has a pump on it to make it secure against my knee.  It has an ice pack that goes inside of it.

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December 10, 2011  We finally put up the Christmas tree but had to go back into the building to find the lights.  Many of them had to be thrown away because they would not light up & we didn't want to go through eery bulb to try & fix them.  I look forward to putting up the Christmas decorations because they each have a special memory.  Aunt Jan & my cousins always make a new ornament every year to put on our tree & our friends have sent us ornaments that we hang up every year.  Our tree is always shorter than me but it is very special.

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December 2, 2011  I woke up at 7am & my mom & I drove about 2 hrs. & I was asleep for the whole drive to the Raleigh Neurology Medical Center.  When we got there, my mom went to the front desk & I sat down in the waiting room.  I noticed that it looked a lot like a hotel.  Then, we got into the elevator to the second floor.  We registered at the front desk & then went into another waiting room.  The nurse called out the name Griffin.  Me & the only other kid in the waiting room got up at the same time.  We asked each other "Are you Griffin?" & then we asked the nurse which Griffin she was calling for & she looked at us both & said "the short one" (I'm over 6' tall & the other Griffin was about 4' tall).  When we left the doctors office, we went to see my cousin Zac.  They live in Raleigh & I don't get to visit as much as I would like to.  They have a huge gameroom in their basement & we were able to play games.  Aunt Jan made us some big fluffy homemade waffles with perfectly cooked bacon.  Zac has a big fluffy dog named Tanner.  She is 12 yrs old or 84 yrs old in dog years.  She managed to get across the barrier of stuff that Zac had put up to keep her from getting to the game room.  We played Halo Reach on his Xbox 360.  My mom saw how much I liked the Xbox so she called someone on Craigslist & picked me up one for Christmas.  It was an early present because as soon as I got home, I hooked it up & started playing.

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December 1, 2011  Today is the band rehearsal for our parade this weekend.  I am not going because I had to stop band because of my knee.  I was supposed to have my arthascopic knee surgery this week but it was changed until later this month because I have to get surgical approval by a neurologist since I am sleeping so much plus the knee is so swollen.  When we left school today there was a small rain outside.  The rain drops really hurt my knee when they hit my skin.  We stopped by the Just Save grocery store.  I wanted to look around the aisles to see if there was any new food in stock that I might like.  I also wanted to get some exercise.  I walked a little bit but then I got tired very quickly & my knee started to hurt when I walked so, I wen to the front of the grocery store & got in a wheel chair & left my crutches leaning against the wall.  Next, my mom pushed me down every aisle & I put all my favorite foods into the basket on the wheelchair.  On the way of the rain had picked up so the worker at the store helped us with our groceries. 

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November 27, 2011  We went to Massanutten Ski Resort over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Instead of skiing like we usually do, we hung out at the water park.  My mom twisted both of her ankles the first day stepping off the handicap ramp after me.  I didn't go in the water.  We watched & it looked too dangerous & I wouldn't be able to push myself away from the walls on the lazy river & there were too many other kids running around that might bump into my knee.  I did play games in the arcade but it was very hard to do this.  I am so high up on my crutches & couldn't bend down to put the tokens or the card into the games.  My mom helped me put the tokens in but we didn't stay too long.  I enjoyed relaxing back in the room watching television.

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November 22, 2011  I went to sleep yesterday at 4pm & just woke up (12pm).  I am sleeping a lot but I feel like I haven't slept at all when I wake up I am still so tired.

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November 13, 2011  My mom bought me an extra futon that is more comfortable than the bed I just grew out of.  This one actually raises up in the back so that I can sit up when I am on Skype for my classes or when I am doing my homework.  I hope I can also be comfortable on it.  I know I have grown a lot in the past couple of months.

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November 10, 2011  I had to be in Durham today for my MRI on my knee.  The machine was just like the one I had for my CAT scan so this time I wasn't as nervous as I was before.  I remember the CAT scan, the first time, was very frightening.  My mom sat next to me the whole time.  This time, she sat in the next room while I had it done.

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November 8, 2011  I sold a lot of magazines for our school fundraiser so today I get to go to the IMAX Theater at South Point with some of my classmates.  Since the expedition burned up, I am having to ride in the mustang & I think I have grown even more since I broke my knee.  I was 5'9" and now it is very hard to get in the mustang, especially with a brace on one leg.  We weren't sure how I was going to get to the IMAX.  The bus would be too bumpy & since I broke my knee, I am in so much pain.  Even getting down the gravel road from our house in the morning takes us 20 minutes.  When we got to the school, Melissa had a wheelchair rented for me!  My mom & I followed the bus in our car to the theater & I was able to ride in the wheelchair up the elevator to Chick Filet.  We all got to eat there as part of our reward!  The movie was a lot of fun.  I was able to park my wheelchair & go up a few steps with my crutches to see the movie.  I had to sit by the aisle so my mom sat with me.  As soon as the movie was over, we had to leave immediately after because I had to be at Person Hospital for a CAT Scan for my memory loss by 3pm.  We got there right on time. 

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November 7, 2011  I went to see my dentist today for my check up.  He showed me where my x-ray showed I had four wisdom teeth coming in.  Two were coming in sideways so they will all have to come out.  I seem to be having a lot of things going on right now.  Russell is coming over tonight to keep me company & keep me cheered up.

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November 6, 2011  Russell, my neighbor, came to visit me & stayed most of the afternoon & evening playing games on the Wii & computer & kept me company.  Russell is the only other boy in my neighborhood.  He is a lot younger than me but that does not matter.  He is a great friend.

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November 4, 2011  I didn't go to school today.  I slept from yesterday until today at lunch.  My mom took me to my family doctor & I had a memory test & was tested for diabetes.  I also had an appointment with my orthopedic doctor & he went over ways to help me walk again.  He talked with us about what he would do to fix my knee when the swelling goes down.  The test showed that I do not have diabetes!​

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November 3, 2011  This morning I went to school until lunch time.  I spent an hour on my homework when I got home & then could not stay awake. 

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November 2, 2011  I did not do any homework today except for my journal.  I was too tired & slept most of the day.

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November 1, 2011  Nothing much but homework.  I spent 3-1/2 hours on homework.   I am having a hard time remembering my work & how to do it.

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October 27, 2011  I had Skpe class today from 8-10am.  I am very sad.  My leg hurts really bad & I can't stay awake for my classes even though it is such a short day.  My mom came upstairs to check on me after class & I was so sad.  I fell asleep right after class.  I also have an in-grown toenail that hurts so much.  Tomorrow, we are going to see my family doctor to have them take a look at my toe.  It is on my good side.  My mom cut a hole in my sock on that foot so that the sock wouldn't hurt my toe.  My other leg is still in a brace & it's hard to take a bath. 

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October 23, 2011  We went to Aunt Amanda's today.  It is Darryl's 50th birthday & to celebrate, everyone is dressing up in costumes from the '50's.  I am dressed up as a Greaser & my mom is Ava Gardner. 

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October 18, 2011  My mom is taking me to YFC so that I can meet my friends there.  When we go there, we all get together & work on our cartoons.  I am the web designer.

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October 14, 2011  My friend, Greyson is spending the night tonight.  I got out of school early today so my mom is going back to RCS to pick him up & tomorrow we are going to go to YFC together & his mom will pick him up from there. 

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October 11, 2011  Today I went back to school but only for half a day.  I had a hard time waking up & was at school from 8-11:30 and then worked on homework and was asleep by 6pm.  ​

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October 10, 2011  There is no school today so I get to rest!!

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October 8, 2011  Tonight I am going to YFC to meet my friends.  I plan on staying on the couch area so that I can keep my leg elevated & can stay out of everyone's way so that I don't get bumped.

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October 7, 2011  I started Skyping my classes today at 12:30 & I was so tired.  I'm having a hard time staying awake.  It's too hard to catch up all my homework.  My leg hurts & is in a brace still.  I have to keep it elevated all the time.  When I am in the bath, if a drop of water touches my knee I am in pain.

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October 6, 2011  Today, I started Skype classes at RCS.  Then, this afternoon, I met with my Orthopedic Doctor, Dr. Rosenburg.  He showed me the x-rays of my knee.  There is a lose bone that has to be located & reattached.  My leg is still very swollen & I will have to wait for the swelling to go down before he can do surgery on it. 

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October 1, 2011   I didn't go to Youth for Christ today.  Instead we relaxed at momma Patsy's house & spent the night there.  We ate some really good food & I tried to catch up on my reading homework.

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Septmeber 27, 2011  I was too sore & in too much pain to go to Youth For Christ today.  I just hung out at my house & played on my Wii & tried to catch up on homework.

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September 24, 2011  I went with my mom to a shaker party at our friends house, Keith & Becky.  It was hard for me to get comfortable with my broken knee in a brace.  The smoothies were really good for being so healthy.

 

September 22, 2011  Two days after I broke my knee & on my way back from the Orthopedic Doctor, about 3 miles away from my house, our Expedition started to smell like smoke.  Then, black smoke started coming up for the inside floorboard & fire started coming from under the hood.  My mom quickly parked the car & said when she looked back to see if I was ok & could get out safely, she found I was already out of the car about 100 yards on the grassy knoll (broken knee & all) yelling "run mamma, run!".  A man in a pick up truck parked behind our burning car & ran over to it with a fire extinguisher in his hand.  He started spraying the hood of the Expedition.  It stopped burning then, flames began leaping up!  My mom called 911 & a fire truck came & the fire fighters hosed down the Expedition until it stopped smoking.  When the fire was over, there was nothing left of the expedition.  Even the hood discentigrated!  Joel, one of the fire fighters, gave us a ride home.

 

September 20, 2011  Tuesdays, after school, if I don't have very much homework, me & my mom usually go to my friend Trey's house & wait for his bus to drop him off so we can take him to Youth For Christ with me.  When we get there, we have to sign our names & the time we got there on the sign in sheet before we go inside.  Every now & then, they have random searches with a metal detector.....Well, I just shattered my knee playing dodgeball.  I wasn't actually playing at the time but was in the court and just collapsed!  So, I'm now trying to walk using my crutches & trying to let my knee heal back in place.  Right when I broke it, it make a really loud snap & then I blacked out & screamed in pain so two kids there tried to help me up.  They lifted me & carried me to two office chairs.  One was for me to sit on & the other was for my leg.  Then, they called my mom.  They told her I hurt my leg and asked if it was ok to give me some aspirin.  My mom said she would be there right away.  When my mom got there, she saw that my leg was swollen & I was in a lot of pain.  They wanted to help me to the car but my mom called the paramedics.  When the paramedics were on the phone with my mom, they overheard someone offering me a bottle of water & they told her to not let me drink anything.  When I got to the emergency room, the doctor said that the bone came apart from my knee & there were floating bone pieces that needed to be reattached.  The surgeon was in a meeting so they sent me home in a splint.  P.S. It was also my mom's birthday.  I guess in a positive way fracturing my knee was a good thing because I spent quality time with my mom for about 5 hours in the emergency room.

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September 19, 2011   ​We came back from our afternoon walk after school & we saw Ms. Emily in her yard watering her garden.  Spike & Bleu were walking slowly right behind us.  Spike & Bleu were then walking beside us - Bleu was beside me & Spike was beside my mom.  When I looked past Ms. Emily, I saw Benson, Snoopy & Sparky.  Sparky & Benson were chasing Snoopy into our neighbors yard.  They jumped past a line of bushes & ran onto the neighbors dock & then Snoopy jumped off the edge of the dock & Sparky and Benson jumped in after him.  By the time we walked up to them, they had stopped chasing Snoopy & they were all soaking wet.

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September 13, 2011  Today, me & my mom decided to take our dogs Sparky, Spike, Bleu & Benson outside for a walk.  When we got outside, our neighbors dog, Snoopy, was in our yard waiting to play with my dogs.  So, we let Snoopy walk with us.  We walked about 50 feet when Benson sat down in the driveway & started chasing his small numb of a tail.  We waited patiently for him to stop & catch up to us.  He stayed in the gravel driveway so we decided to leave him.  Snoopy ran off & a few minutes later he came back & right behind him was our other neighbors dog Zeke.  Zeke kept his distance from us while still following us then he ran forward towards Snoopy.  Soon after, Tommy drove by & Sparky, Snoopy & Zeke ran after him & left me, my mom, Spike & Bleu behind.  Before Zeke joined us on our walk, Snoopy ran down the lake path to Zeke's house to invite him to walk with us.  Zeke is always a little hesitant about getting near us because Spike & Sparky get very jealous when he is around us.  Whenever Zeke tries to get our attention, Spike & Sparky bully him away.  So, this time, Zeke stopped before he joined us & thought long and hard about it.  He decided to walk with us anyway.  He decided it was worth the risk of possibly getting chased away.  He did keep his distance though.  One time, during the walk, he turned around to face us thinking it would be safe to sneak in a quick rub.  Then, Spike ran up to him & started acting like he was going to bite Zeke.  Then, Zeke quickly turned back around & continued walking.  We had continued walking along Fox Lair & saw Russell & his mom coming home from school.  They pulled into their driveway that has two huge iron wagon wheels at the entrance.  At this time, we had Zeke, Snoopy, Spike, Sparky & Bleu with us.  They smiled at all the dogs as they drove by.  It would have been funny if their four miniature black & white pug nose Pekinese dogs had joined us on our walk.  We continued walking until we got about 1/2 a mile from our house which was also about 1/2 mile from the horse farm.  At this point, Spike was so exhausted he was drooling & panting heavily.  Bleu was smiling & walking behind me.  Sparky ran back & caught up with us after chasing Tommy's truck.  By then, we were already walking back home.  Bleu a& I started racing each other.  She stopped & waited for my mom &Spike to catch up with us.

 

September 8, 2011  My mom wanted to make a koi pond next to our house.  We spent the summer digging it & building soil up around it so we could put in a waterfall fountain.  Before we started digging we had someone measure our liner & spray out a design on the ground for us to dig by.  When we were through digging, the hole ended up being so big with a deeper section so the fish could live in the winter without freezing.  Our liner is not big enough to fill in the hole.  Today we had a huge rain storm & when I came home from school, the koi pond was full of rain water.  We took pictures to see what it would look like when it is finished. 

 

September 7, 2011  My room has a bed that I sleep on and a futon that my dogs Benson, Sparky & Spike took over.  They really mess up the futon in my room like Sparky & Spike scratching themselves on it.  Spike always gets muddy paws when he comes inside the house & gets the futon all muddy and Benson usually doesn't mess up the futon at all but he does fall asleep on it & will snore for almost four hours.  I have a couple of futon covers that my mom washes every day.  My mom is the best.  I feel she works too hard sometimes & I love her very much.  Most of the time, I wipe off the futon so she doesn't have to change the covers on it.

 

September 6, 2011​  We were invited to go to The Landing at the lake this past weekend for their No Labor Day Celebration.  when we got there we were immediately distracted by Jimmy Harris' Fat Boy Catering.  I ate three hot dogs & drank two caffeine free Mountain Dews.  We knew quite a few people there.  When we got there the van carrying the Re/Max hot air balloon had just arrived.  While the hot air balloon was being set up, we watched a blue grass band & laid out a towel to relax on.  We filled out one raffle ticket for a Day at the Spa & my mom won!  To end the day, we signed up for the hot air balloon ride & enjoyed the 100' view as we floated over the event.

 

August 30, 2011​  I couldn't think of anything to write about so I'm just going to write about my English Bulldog, Benson.  We got him when someone had to move & couldn't keep him.  So we said that we would take care of Benson for them.  They said we could have him.  They told us he was 4 years old & he previously had 4 homes.  One person could not keep him because he was not potty trained, another couldn't keep him because they couldn't have pets, another person kept him chained outside over the summer heat & one person was going to put him to sleep.  He now lives with us & his old owner gave us snacks to feed him.  For the first five weeks he beat up my dog Sparky.  Now they are the best of friends & now Benson is spoiled rotten & is a very kind dog.  We also potty trained him several days after we got him.​

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August 29, 2011  Today my mom picked me up from school & I noticed my English Bulldog, Benson, was in the front seat of my mustang convertible with the top down.  My mom told me that when she was driving to pick me up from school, that he was walking along the road near the horse farm so, so she got him to ride in the mustang with her & he jumped right in.  After my mom picked me up & we got home all my dogs, except Spike, jumped into the car & we drove them around the neighborhood, then Sparky & Bleu got out & let Spike in.  He's like the Godfather of the group.  This time, Bleu got laid down on the sundeck of the mustang & Sparky just ran beside us 'til we got home.  Spike & Benson stayed in the mustang ^ would not get out until for 30 minutes after me & my mom went inside the house.

 

August 26, 2011  The horse farm, on the right side of the road, leading to our house has three horses.  There is one white horse, one brown horse & one black horse.  When we try to feed them carrots, the white one comes right up to you and eats the carrot;  the brown one walks very cautiously when we are feeding him; & the black horse usually stays away from people.  When we feed them apples, they spin the apple in your hand & leave the core.  Many times when we drive by the white horse is tied up to a tree outside of the fence beside the road.  This way he gets to eat fresh grown grass.  They are usually in a very big shed at night with a light on so they can see their owners coming.  Sometimes, they even roam free in the front yard around their porch.  It's funny to see them watch their owner climb the ladder to the roof.  I hope they don't knock the ladder down.  Mostly, they run around the pasture enjoying each others company.  Every day we pass the white horse, we get a free wish for the day.

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August 25, 2011  Every day after school we cross three bridges to get to our house at the lake.  After the third bridge we take the first paved road to the right & then the first gravel road to the right.  If you see the Llama farm & African Pigmy goat farm, then you've driven too far.  When you turn right on to our gravel drive, the first thing you see is two horse farms on each side of the road.  Usually, there is a little brown fox with a bushy tail running across the road.  The first time we saw him, my mom thought it was a really big cat lying in the middle of the road getting some sun.  Two days out of the week we usually see either a rabbit or a squirrel run across the road in front of our car.  My mom calls them suicide squirrel & suicide bunny every times she sees them.

 

August 24, 2011   My ride home from school begins with my mom picking me up at 2:50pm from RCS.  I meet her in the parking lot in my silver mustang convertible.  We always dodge the stoplight on Main Street by taking the last right turn before Long Memorial Church.  On the way home, we stop at Twin's Country Store for 2 cold root beers & my mom's favorite snack, a cow pie, which is really a no bake chocolate and oatmeal cookie.  We usually end up getting gasoline for the ride home.  It takes us about 40 minutes to get home from school each day.  This is my favorite part of the day because I know I am going home to see my dogs Sparky, Spike, Bleu & Benson& usually the neighbors dog, Snoopy, who keeps coming to my house every day.

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​August 23, 2011​  My goals for the year are to get good grades, try to finish homework & classwork the best that I can.  Eat healthier, play with my dogs more, do my chores more often, try to charge my computer more often, watch less TV, play less video games, get outside more, exercise more, try not to be stressed all the time like last year & the 2 years before, clean my room more, start walking my dogs, get more sleep, pet my dogs more, visit my cousins more, go swimming more, ride on the boat more, hang out with my friends more at Youth For Christ Warehouse, spend more time with my family, try to get my dog Benson to stop biting & barking at Sparky, vacuum my room, wash the car, try to focus more, lift weights, get to school earlier, try to stay after school for tutoring, volunteer more to help the teachers, my school, the environment & my community, be more involved in my church at Concord United Methodist where most of my favorite teachers go, make home made apple juice & orange juice, practice on my trumpet more.​

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August 22, 2011  I was born March 21, 1997 at Greensboro Women's Hospital as a 2 month preemie.  My dad, Brian is a Bank V.P. & my mom, Sandy is a retired/disabled Finance Manger with Fibromyalgia.  My parents are divorced & I live with my mom at Hyco Lake.  My best friend is Greyson & we go to the following classes together like Band, Language Arts, & Casee.  We both play the same game.  I have a brother & sister from my dad's new family.  I am the first born child.  When I was young I broke my arm at Disney World and my ankle at my dad's.  I wear glasses & I have 4 dogs: Bleu, Sparky, Benson & Spike.  Benson is an English Bulldog, Spike is an American Bulldog, Bleu is a Cocker Spaniel Beagle & Sparky is a German Shepard Chow.  All of my dogs are adopted.  I earned the Arrow of Light Award in Scouts & The Young Eagle Award for co-piloting a sport plane.  I am a lifetime member of the Young Eagles.  I have won multiple sport awards & I used to go to Scouts every Monday but I quit  because of all the homework that I was given in school.  I really love my life at Hyco Lake.  "It's a little piece of Heaven off Route 57"....griffin