Family
My family is the most important thing to me. In practice, most entries that I post deal with family. This is the biggest category on the site.
This year, we had a family Christmas at the Schumann's. Unfortunately, Mom, Dad, and Karen couldn't make it due to illness. Here's a quick video that Mandy put together of the festivities:
Christmas at the Schumann's from Mandy Benson on Vimeo.
This weekend, we had a great trip to Chicago for a baby shower with Mandy's family and friends. I'm still working through the pictures we took, but here's a nice one of Wendy and Shelly:
A few months ago, Mandy and I got a dog. Sydney just turned 5 months recently, and we've been so glad that we got her. Read on for a photo of Sydney, and a description of a new digital imaging technique I've been trying out called HDRI.
Mandy and I got a chance to babysit Carter and Watson the other day. It was a nice night and so we spent most of the time outside. Both Carter and Watson kept repeatedly running full sprints to the neighbors house and back. Read on for a few photos. The full set is on Flickr here, or you can see a slideshow of the same.
I just got accepted to the Ph.D. program in Computer Science at the University of Minnesota and I couldn't be more grateful. This is something I've wanted to do for nearly 10 years. Until now, it hasn't seemed achievable.
On December 23rd, 2006, Brian and Jill gave birth to Bode Davis Benson. What a cute little guy! Congratulations Brian and Jill. Bode was 8 lb, 6 oz, and 21 in long. Brian and Jill and doing great and are settling in to their new home. Read on for some photos.
Mandy's sister JoAnne, her brother-in-law Peter, and their son Brenden adopted a new member into their family today: Autumn Jankowski. She arrived on a plane this afternoon and a number of us were there to celebrate her life. Photos are on Flickr (slideshow), and Mandy has a more detailed writup on her blog. Welcome Autumn!
This past weekend, the family got together at Brian and Jill's place for some tasty BBQ. Grandma Dot, Aunt Ruby and Aunt Ruth came along too which made it that much greater.
Almost 8 months ago, right after my Brother's motorcycle accident, our family was ecstatic to report that he had pink feet. This week, I'm tickled pink (pun intended) to announce that Brian has cold feet. Boo-yah! Read on for an exciting update on Brian's recovery.
A few weeks ago we had Benson Christmas in Minneapolis, and in late November we had Thanksgiving in Taylor's Falls; here's photo highlights from both.
This weekend, we had Hughes Family Christmas in Chicago which was downright dynamite as usual. Here's a few photo highlights.
This week, due to personal circumstances that I don't want to blog about, I've been reminded of how precious my wife is to me. Thanks to everyone who knows what's going on and has been helping us through this unsettling time. Here are some photos and a few words.
For those of you that know about my brother Brian and the accident he was in this past summer, you may be interested to know that last week, he played his first bit of tennis.
Recently, Mandy and I visited Chicago to see family, and to attend Mandy's cousin's engagement party. Here's some photos from the weekend.
As many of you know, my brother Brian Benson got in a motorcycle accident this summer. Over time, he's moved from ICU, to a hospital room, to a wheel chair, to crutches, and now: he's able to walk completely on his own!
Thanks to every body who helped refinish floors, clean, carpet, repair the bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, and doors of the Marshall House this summer. It was a lot of work, and now it's done! Here's some photos of the completed project.
On September 3rd, 2005, Mandy and I got a phone call from Shelly--She and Barney got engaged! They were in Mississippi over Labor Day weekend visiting Barney's family.
My Dad sent me a copy of an article that ran in the West Central Tribune (our hometown newspaper) yesterday about Brian's accident. As my Dad said about Rand, the author: "he got most of it right". Here's a transcript of the article.
My Dad sent me a copy of an article that ran in the West Central Tribune (our hometown newspaper) yesterday about Brian's accident. As my Dad said about Rand, the author: "he got most of it right". Here's a transcript of the article.
Today, at Brian's visit to the doctor, they gave him the go-ahead to use crutches!. This is so exciting! Read on for details.
Last weekend, I had the guilty pleasure of attending Beatles Fest, Chicago. I didn't get many good picture oppurtunities, but here's one of Ma, Pa, Shelly, Mandy and myself.
Brian paid a visit to the doctor yesterday to get X-Rays, and to see how his wounds were healing. Again, I wasn't able to be there, but Mom and Dad (and Jill of course) were. Here's the low-down from Jill.
We just got back from the Northwoods Triathlon in Nevis, MN. My last entry (Northwoods Triathlon: Part I) gave a little introduction into the triathlon and how much training has gone in to it. Now that we're back, I have stories and photos.
This weekend is the Northwoods Triathlon. Mandy is racing in it along with her friends Chloe H. and Matt C.. Mandy has been training for a year in preparation for this weekend and nervous tension is high.
A few people have asked how Brian's surgery went yesterday. Who better to tell you, than Brian and Jill themselves? Since I'm in Santa Barbara and haven't been able to be around, Brian and Jill sent me the following update via the miracle of Email.
A few people have asked how Brian's surgery went yesterday. Who better to tell you, than Brian and Jill themselves? Since I'm in Santa Barbara and haven't been able to be around, Brian and Jill sent me the following update via the miracle of Email.
I've finally weeded through all the photos we took from our trip to Washington. Here's some highlights.
Well, as you've probably guessed by now, Mandy and I are back from Washington. On our way there, it just so happened that our flight left Minneapolis around the same time that my Dad left for Ukraine.
Last night, my Dad, Aunt Annette, Cousin Ashlee, and a few other close friends got back from their 10-day trip to the Ukraine with the MBC, and Brian and Jill were there to greet them!
Last night, my Dad, Aunt Annette, Cousin Ashlee, and a few other close friends got back from their 10-day trip to the Ukraine with the MBC, and Brian and Jill were there to greet them!
Brian and Jill are now back online. They have an internet connection at their new place and are now beginning to read through all the comments you have written here. Here's a special message from Jill.
Last weekend, the Hughes family met up at Mirror Lake, Wisconsin (halfway between Minneapolis and Chicago) to go camping. Here's a rundown of the main events of the weekend, and some photos.
My updates on Brian's recovery are going to less often now that he's out of the hospital, at home and resting, but I want to tell you about his trip to the hospital yesterday.
My updates on Brian's recovery are going to less often now that he's out of the hospital, at home and resting, but I want to tell you about his trip to the hospital yesterday.
Mark has given me permission to add an entry to his blog. I wanted to thank every one of you for your prayers, kind notes, and many other ways you've shown Brian, Jill, and our entire family love and concern. I want to give a personal, heartfelt thank you to those who have watched our kids so I/we could be at the hospital with Brian and the family. Brian has overcome many obstacles so far in his recovery. Now he is entering a time of intense healing and rehabilitation. This is where my personal challenge comes in . . .
Today has finally arrived. It's sooner than I had expected, but things are going so well with Brian's recovery, that he is going home today.
I've got some remarkable news. Yesterday and today, Brian has been tooling around in the wheelchair; and today, Brian (with the help of Jill only) was able to get in to the wheelchair by himself! The doctors and nurses have been waiting until this point to start the discussion of when he will be ready to go home and it looks to be sooner than I had expected!
I've got some remarkable news. Yesterday and today, Brian has been tooling around in the wheelchair; and today, Brian (with the help of Jill only) was able to get in to the wheelchair by himself! The doctors and nurses have been waiting until this point to start the discussion of when he will be ready to go home and it looks to be sooner than I had expected!
Mandy and I brought a pizza to Brian and Jill over lunch today. When we arrived in his hospital room, there was no one to be found. Jill wasn't in her usual spot on the couch and Brian wasn't in his usual spot: his bed!
Brian got another chance today to get out of his hospital bed and in to his wheelchair. Jill was running some errands, but Roger (Jill's Dad) was there, and gladly took Brian on a field trip down to the end of the hall and back to play some checkers.
On Monday, we celebrated the 4th of July with JoAnne, Peter and Brenden by devouring delectable grilled delights thanks to Peter's gratuitous BBQ skillz, followed by the Blaine city fireworks display.
After a good night's rest, the doctors came and got Brian at 7:30 AM (earlier than we had thought) this morning and took him to the operating room for his last planned surgery: skin grafting.
Today was the first day that Brian was out of Bed! The nurse, along with help from a few of us, lifted Brian from his hospital bed, to a wheelchair. We then then took him for a walk around the hospital and outside for some rays of sun.
Brian's I & D went well today. His left leg has been very swollen, and the doctors tried to remove dead tissue in order to reduce the size of his leg in preparation for the skin grafting operation early this coming week.
Today was the first day that Brian has been able to lay on his side. Until now, he's been flat on his back. After he was rolled over, he got a good backrub from his nurse. He said afterwards, "That was the best back rub of my life."
Today, Brian had a successful I & D operation. It lasted 4 hours and he got out around 6:00 PM. Following the operation, he was in a considerable amount of pain. The doctor came and increased his medication which has helped.
Some of our family already knows this, but Mandy and I are officially graduate students! This fall, Mandy will be going to Bethel Seminary for a Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS), and I'll be going to the University of Minnesota for a Master of Science in Software Engineering (MSSE).
Today, Brian is eating solid food and his body is getting used to digesting again. Previously, he was being fed intrevenously, and in recent days, he's been eating Jello and Chicken Broth.
Brian's surgery lasted 4 1/2 hours today. His left leg is now all stitched up and has two rods (in his femur and tibia) and a metal plate on his tibia as well. Evidently, the doctors were also contemplating putting a plate on his left femur, but when they were in the surgery, they found that the fracture wasn't as bad as they thought and they didn't need it.
Brian's surgery yesterday went as planned. Besides doing the I & D, they also put rods in his right leg, and sewed it all up. That leg is now bandaged and healing, but still very sensitive. It's possible that someday down the road, they will need to open his leg back up and do some bone grafting.
Brian's new pain medication (Dilaudid) is working better. He was able to rest a little last night but he's starting to get pretty stiff from being in the same place so long.
Brian got moved to his own room yesterday. It's the next step from ICU where he no longer needs his vitals checked constantly. For this, and the fact that there isn't so much noise and beeping around him, we're thankful. It's a more restful place.
Brian got moved to his own room yesterday. It's the next step from ICU where he no longer needs his vitals checked constantly. For this, and the fact that there isn't so much noise and beeping around him, we're thankful. It's a more restful place.
Brian had his breathing tube removed last night and he is now breathing on his own. None of his injuries require him to be on a ventilator, but being heavily sedated, it was important to have the ventilator hooked up to make sure that he was getting good oxygen saturation while he was in such a deep sleep. Having his breathing tube out doesn't imply a drastic change in his condition, but it's nice for all of us to finally be able to talk with him--and for him to have that thing out of his throat!
Brian's had his sedation medication changed to a new kind where they can wake him up in 3 minutes if needed as oppposed to an entire day. This will give the doctors and nurses more control over how deep a sleep he is in at a given time.
On Tuesday night, June 21st, at about 8:00 PM, my brother Brian got in a motorcycle accident. He's currently in the Intensive Care Unit at the Hennepin County Medical Center and the main concern is his legs. He had compound fractures in his femurs, fibulas and tibias and went through 11 hours in the operating room where orthopedic and vascular surgeons worked to save his legs.
Last weekend, Brian, Mandy and myself went to Grandma's Marathon in Duluth to offer cheer and felicity to Jill as she gracefully endured a torturesome 26 miles.
After our weekend at the Spicer Castle and on the way back home, we stopped at a park off Green Lake. We sat here for a few hours, reading and watching the water and wind. Very peaceful.
On Friday, we went to the Chisago Lakes Spring Pops Concert which was at the Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom, MN.
We had a few people over last night to celebrate Mandy's Birthday. Mandy is still recovering from having her wisdom teeth removed, but somehow managed to choke down some cake! JoAnne does bake a marvelous cake.
Here's some pictures from Mother's Day in Willmar. Mandy, Brian, Jill, and myself made the trip. We spent the day at Uncle Art and Annette's place and ate tender steak, asian salad, and sweet cookies.
Mandy and I gave Grandma a book of norwegian jokes, thinking that they would be right up her alley. I came to find out, after my grandma started reading the jokes out loud to the group, that a lot of them were raunchy and sexual. Oops. Happy Mother's Day Grandma!
Mandy got 3 wisdom teeth pulled on Friday. Thanks to Chloe, JoAnne, Brenden, and Nicole for taking care of her until I got home from work. Also, thanks to JoAnne who made us a whole bunch of great cheesy broccoli noodle soup.
Brenden was being very kind to Auntie Mandy by wiping her face and wishing her well. He was being a good helper. There's one picture below, of that that.
Last night, Esther had her spring violin recital at the McPhail Center For Music in Minneapolis.
The recital was for students of Mary West and the level of skill displayed was astonishing.
Kids from 3rd or 4th grade, on up through high-school seniors played things that didn't seem natural. I was very impressed, and it's been a long time since I've listened to music with that high of quality.
Esther did a wonderful job, although she said afterwards that she was nervous about the fact that she wasn't playing her own violin (it's getting repaired), and instead, was playing May West's.
Brenden turned 2 on Saturday (April 23rd). Grandma and Grandpa Hughes, Shelly, and Wendy made the trip from Chicago to spend the weekend celebrating.
Saturday was the party, and Sunday, we relaxed, talked, and played "Don't Spill the Beans", "Don't Break the Ice", and Imaginiff...". All very fun.
Mandy and I took Madeline bowling on Saturday at the New Hope Bowl and Lounge. It was a lot of fun, and Madeline scored a 91! Also, I was confronted with the sad reality that my bowling skills are roughly equivalent to a 5-year olds. I barely squeaked out a win with a 112 (and we were using bumpers!)
Carter and Watson had their 6-month birthday on March 16th.
Well, I've been meaning to get some of these pictures up for a while, but haven't gotten around to it until now. Here's some pictures from the Hughes Family New Year in IL.
This year, the Bensons congregated in Willmar at Art and Annette's new place.
Christmas Eve was practically a tragedy when we made our trip to the grocery store at about 6:30 PM to snag some tasty steaks, only to realize that grocery stores aren't open on Christmas Even. The nerve!
We ended up scrounging around the house to find some uneaten chips, and a frozen pizza. Definitely memorable.
Well, Mandy and I visited Willmar this weekend for a little pre-christmas celebration. Here's proof.
Brenden came over the other day and enjoyed a ride on the pedal car. Isn't he great?
This year, for the Hughes Family Thanksgiving, we were in Minneapolis at our house. It took a few days to get everyone in the same place, and with Chuck being bitten by a Brown Recluse, we had quite an eventful, and wonderfully memorable time.
Here's some grand pictures of the beautiful Sheard children. They get it all from their parents. :-)