Vegas Baby!!

Susan, Nancy and I spent a few days in Las Vegas for a little quiet time. Oops, there is nothing quiet about Vegas. AND, I want to know who said it won't feel as hot because it is a dry heat. IT WAS HOT. It felt every bit of the 100+ degrees. Ok, so I didn't sweat as much, but it still felt really, really hot!! We had a great time and probably walked 100 miles or more. At least that is what it felt like to me. We did lots of sight seeing of the hotels, watched a couple of shows, played a few slots, ate interesting food, people-watched, and walked and walked and walked.

Susan and Nancy on the steps of our hotel - the Venetian. In the background you can see the hotel Mirage. We watched a Cirque du Soleil show called Love - it was based on the music of the Beatles. We also attended the show - Jersey Boys, which was based on Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Needless to say, we did a lot of singing along with the music in both shows.

Susan put ONE dollar into a slot machine as we waited to be seated for dinner just after we arrived at the hotel - and she immediately won $15. Of course, she cashed it out to prove that she won.

Susan and Nancy at the Bellagio water show. You can see Caesar's Palace on the left and Bally's sign on the right.

Ok, so maybe I broke all the photography rules with this photo - I have a balloon growing out of Susan's head. The balloon is in front of the Paris hotel, you can also see the replica of the Eiffel Tower in the background. We went to the top of the tower for a night view of the Las Vegas strip. The tower is one-third the size of the actual one in Paris.

Nancy and I in front of the Luxor hotel. It is the one built in the shape of a pyramid.

Happy Anniversary to Debbie and Greg

My sister Debbie and my brother-in-law in Greg - Happy Anniversary!

Ok, since Debbie had a little bit of a groggy look on her face in the previous photo, I thought I would include this one as well. It is from Jody's graduation for her master's degree in May.

Mostly about cousins Hallie and Anna

Anna and Grandpa Siefers

Anna

Sam

Hallie

Nancy

Nancy mediated a few disagreements between Anna and Hallie

I think things were getting a little tense for Anna at the moment I took this photo.

Hallie

Anna

Sam

Hallie didn't mind that Anna dumped water on her during their bath.

Anna was really getting into her work of bathing Hallie.

Hallie

Anna

School of Leadership Studies July Birthday party

We celebrated July birthdays at the School of Leadership Studies today at the Manhattan Country Club buffet. We (formerly known as Leadership Studies and Programs) became our own school on July 1. We are still working out many of the details, but the transition has gone smoothly to this point. As you probably remember, we broke ground in April for a new building on campus. The actual ground breaking will occur late this fall or early in 2009. If you have an extra million or two, please let me know and I can arrange for a room or two to be named after you. I have a feeling most of you reading this are probably in the category of getting a stapler or paper clip named after you.

Some of the group at the party: Suzanne, Lynda, Kim, Dana, Sue, MK, Candi, Monica, Grace, Julie, Alicia, Irma, Todd, John, and DeMarcus

MK, Sue, Kim, Suzanne, Lynda, and Irma

Susan gave Todd the 'atta boy' slap. Grace just hoped she wouldn't be next.

Todd and Alicia in their 'cheesy' pose.

The birthday girls: MK, Irma, Sue, and Monica with Kim in the front. She was the only one young enough to actually get back up from a kneeling position.

Sue and Alicia just could not resist hiding in the gardens at the Country Club

Irma and son DeMarcus

Ben and Candi

Birthdays - one late birthday wish and two on time wishes

Happy Birthday to my friend and colleague Irma (in the red shirt) seen here with another friend and colleague Sue.

Happy Birthday to Myles who is the son of Candi (on the left). Our friend Brandi is on the right.

Happy Belated Birthday to my cousin Blaine (with his wife Janet). Blain and I were born six days apart way back in 1960 so we spent lots of time together as youngsters. His birthday was July 11th.

Retirement party for Kathie and a surprise for me

What a better way to celebrate Kathie's retirement than with good friends and a cherry pie. Of course, the guest of honor Kathie is holding the world's best cherry pie. Standing - Susan, Debbie, Nancy, Carol, Gayle, and Anita. Debbie hosted the party at her house. You guessed it we had delicious and creative foods and drinks to enjoy. Nancy and I did not get home until 12:30, but the fun and frivolity was definitely worth it.

With this group of friends you know a quilt or two will make an appearance. We were all admiring the quilt when they told Nancy and me to read the label.

It was for me!! And it was definitely a surprise. As I read the label to the group, tears formed in my eyes and a tightness swelled in my throat. I was touched and became a little emotional as I read the note on the back of the quilt. Thanks friends for this special gift and thank you for your friendship.

The artists and amazing women - Anita, Kathie, Debbie, and Gayle. I also want to thank Karen who could not be at the party.

Nancy with a wine-a-rita and Debbie's version of bruschetta.

Gayle, Debbie, Kathie, and Anita and their version of a high school prom pose.

Quilters toes

Gayle and a quilt in progress

Kathie

Kathie received a new necklace in honor of her retirement. This is the 50th anniversary of the peace sign.

We just didn't go to the doctor in KC, we also spent time with family and friends

Foolishness with my nieces Jody and Rebecca

We ate at the Cheesecake Factory with our dear friend Mechelle. She will soon be leaving for Beijing to cover the Olympics for the Kansas City Star.

Just a little foolery in front of a fountain in Country Club Plaza

Rebecca - running up my cell phone minutes with a call to her second-favorite aunt - Susan.

Jody - flashing her movie-star smile

Rebecca in front of her cute house - she gave us the tour.

This photo reminds me of a young child who is posing for the 'first day of school' photo.

Good news on the cancer front - NO evidence of metastases

I had a bone scan and ct scan today at the Westwood Cancer Center in KC and both tests came back with the same result - no evidence of metastases. It is the best 48th birthday present a person could get. I now feel as though I can move forward to a new stage in my life - after cancer. There will always be the possibility of recurrence or metastases, but at least for now things are good. Of course, I will continue on the aromatase inhibitor drug, Femara, for five years. My cancer was estrogen positive so the drug helps reduce the estrogen in my body. It does have it side effects, but they are worth it to keep the cancer from returning.

The only downer from the day was the reminder of all the people at the cancer center who are dealing with this disease. I saw some who looked dazed and confused because their diagnosis was new and they did not know what to expect or where to go. I saw others who looked like the disease was winning. I spoke with one woman who had her cancer return after 12 years of being disease free. I will appreciate my status, but I won't celebrate too much. This disease has a way of humbling a person - I don't want to 'talk trash' with cancer. There are just too many people who are suffering and getting much different news than I received today. I owe it to them to live my life with zest, vigor, and a whole lot of love and laughter. That is the best we can do for others - appreciate the life we have and do the best we can do for ourselves.

As I think back on the past 15 months of this crazy cancer thing, it seems a bit surreal to me. I have to ask myself sometimes if it really happened to me. Did I really get diagnosed with cancer? Did I really go through chemotherapy? Did I really have a bilateral mastectomy? Did I really receive all that love and support from so many family and friends? Did I really learn any life lessons from the ordeal? The answer is a resounding yes to all of those questions. It all happened. I'm guessing it will take me a few weeks to transition to a new way of thinking about myself as a cancer survivor and as cancer free, or as the doctors say - no evidence of disease. I can tell you that spending the last month in Dorrance helping with harvest probably helped me move forward more than anything else could have. Well, maybe spending lots of time on the golf course will help me move forward, too. In fact, I am going to look at golf as part of my 'moving on' therapy. Please let me know if you want to be part of my 'moving on' therapy on the golf course.

Love to all,
Mary Kay

Photos from our last day of harvest

Harvest mornings always start by servicing combines and other equipment. This photo was taken on what we thought was the last day of harvest on Sunday, July 13, but when Matt started the combine he felt something did not sound right.

The look on his face says it all - this combine had a bearing going out and it needed a new part. The final few acres of harvest were cut using only one combine so it took an extra day to finish.

The pit crew - Susan and Nancy. They spent lots of hours together during harvest and both teased me more than I deserved.

Our final meal in the harvest field - yes, we did have homemade ice cream for dessert. My mom - the best mom in the world - made her best in the world homemade ice cream for us.
Thanks Mom!

Garrett put a little razzle dazzle on his hamburger.

A harvest version of the last supper

This was my last trip to the truck with the 8650 tractor and grain cart. Nancy rode with me to celebrate the event.

Based on the look on Matt's face I am not sure he believed Mick's story.

Joey decided I (and whoever joined me for the photo) should pose in front of the equipment I drove - the 8650 and the grain cart.

The (green) truck - all pieces of equipment have a special name - such as numbers, colors, or in the case of the service vehicle - the toner, based on the weight of a ton.

And my favorite tractor - the 8400 - because it is comfortable and easy to drive. I also drove the 9600 combine a couple of times, but didn't get a photo of me in it.