Our 1 bedroom/bath apartment is for rent. I am attaching pics and the description is below. If you know of anyone that needs a place please forward on the information.

1 bed/bath

full size washer/dryer

Storage area

Small back porch area

Built in shelving in closet

Tenant pays electric/trash

couple blocks from Temple, close to downtown Mesa, couple miles from Light rail

Brittney or Bennett 480-325-9034

br_oden@msn.com

Apartment for Rent

Please see our post here http://odensoasis.blogspot.com/2009/06/apartment-for-rent.html for details and pictures.

Amazing Success!!

Our hearts are overwhelmed by the great success we had a couple weekends ago with the fundraiser. We couldn't have done it without our many wonderful family, loved ones, friends and honestly some very giving perfect strangers.

It was a crazy ride getting it organized, accepting donations, trying to sort and price through everything and then the whirlwind that was the sale. It started out in my mind as just a simple yardsale. I myself was gathering things off of freecycle and craigslist to try and gather a few things. Then my sister helped me with a flyer and it took off from there. The sale and donations we received were beyond any expectations I might have had.

Bennett and I would like to offer our sincerest gratitude to everyone who helped make this a success. I know there are people that we will never be able to personally thank as so many people helped, so many in fact that we will never know.

May the Lord bless you and your families for the generosity and kindness you have shown our family in out time of need.

Fundraiser

We are having a fundraiser for Kyle October 9&10th. I am posting the flyer my sister Starr made for it. If you have any questions please let me know.

Christmas in July!

July has arrived with hotter days and we find ourselves trying to stay indoors and think of cooler months. Our family has a few projects to keep us busy. We are excited to share them with you, our family and friends. First up is a service project for the Oncology clinic where Kyle is receiving his weekly chemo treatments. After discussing several options with our Social Worker Gina we decided to make stockings for the clinic for Christmas. I have already started to plan this with my mom. Our goal is to make 100 string quilted stockings by December 1st. My mom has generously donated several boxes of Christmas fabric scraps. We have been ironing & sorting these scraps into pieces that will be easier to work with. I am excited to organize a few service activity nights where we can all come together and work on this wonderful project. We were trying for a date sometime this July but with Mom trying to get Bennett off on his mission I am thinking this wont happen until August and then we will have another one or two in the Fall. So stay tuned for more details. If you would like to get started or think you cant make it to the big activities please let me know and we can arrange to get you some fabric. You can help by sewing, ironing or sorting fabric. All help will be greatly appreciated as our goal of 100 stockings seems like quite the undertaking.

Now our 2nd project is a fundraiser to help offset some of the rising medical bills and expenses. We will be doing a yard sale/bake sale sometime in October. My sister Marian in Utah was going to host one as well but she is afraid she wont have enough time to organize it and pull it off before it gets to cold up there. She is however going to do something, we have kicked around several ideas. So if you are in Utah and would like to help her organize something or paticipate in her fundraiser please contact Marian in Utah. If you do not have her information please let me know and I will get you in contact with her. Now for the one is AZ if you have any items you would like to donate or would like to help with the bake sale or in any other way please let me know. If you have things you have been meaning to get rid of but haven't found the time to take it to goodwill or DI just let us know. Don't get out in that heat when we will come do it for you!

Our family is grateful for all the Lord has blessed us with. Including many wonderful family and friends. Thank you for all the prayers and words of kindness. Thank you to those individuals who have come over to help my family or have offered other assistance. We pray that Kyle will heal in the Lord's time and that we may continue to be blessed with patience and peace during this time.

Love,

The Oden's

Bennett, Brittney & Kyle

Apartment for Rent

Well people keep bugging me to update my blog. But between working 10 hour days, taking care of Kyle alone at Night (Bennett is working swing shift), treatments on Friday, and taking care of Kyle over the weekend there isn't much time for anything else.

So here is a new post. One out of necessity. Our 1 bedroom apartment is still for rent. The description is below as well as pictures. We have lowered the rent and are now over $100 below the other one bedroom apartments we have seen in our neighborhood. If you guys have any questions please let me know. Please feel free to hand out our contact info to anyone you know needing an apartment.

Thank you

1 bed/1 bath

Fullsize washer/dryer
Small outside porch area
Storage area
Tenants pay for electric/trash
Hardwood floors
Built in shelving in closet
couple blocks from temple
close to downtown Mesa & Light rail

Contact: Brittney or Bennett 480-325-9034
br_oden@msn.com

Update...We are going where now? How do you say that?.....

So I am sorry I know I didnt get an update posted as soon as I would have liked. Here is the run down and below is the latest update. We ended up having to go for an MRI. Kyle was so congested I wasn’t even sure they would do it. What a stressful day that was. Then the next day our appointment with the pediatric neurosurgeon was cancelled because he was sick. So we met Monday with his associate. In the meantime we took Kyle to the pediatrician because his cold didn’t seem to be going away. He had a double ear infection. Then Bennett got sick...went to the doc and he has a sinus infection. Then this last weekend I got sick and I am debating if I should go to the doc because it has been a week now. Ok back to our appointment with the neurosurgeon. He referred us to a Geneticist...A what? And how do you say that? Anyway, even though we pretty much knew this tumor was caused to Neurofibromatosis with Kyle gets from his dad's side of the family we had to get an official diagnosis. So that Wednesday we were back up at Phoenix Children's Hospital. Only to have that specialist say he hadn’t looked at the images of the MRI yet. I would have been so frustrated but this doctor is really nice. He actually carries a little black doctor’s bag around! So he gave the diagnosis without any further tests (I was very relieved) because he had to markers for it. He said to call him back Monday to see if he had reviewed the images or to remind him to look at them. Below is that update.....



We heard from the Geneticist yesterday. He said that he had a chance to look at the MRI images and something does need to be done with the tumor. It is pushing the eye out 3mm. At this point Kyle has little to no vision in that eye. So the doctor is hoping that whatever medical treatment we go with will restore most if not all of the vision to his eye. He said that they will be reviewing Kyle's case at their next Oncology conference next Wednesday. I am supposed to call him Wednesday morning to remind him to call us back with what they decided on. He is leaving Friday for 2 weeks so he said I am to call and bug him until I get a hold of him. I assured him that wouldn't be a problem! ha ha So by next Thursday at the latest we should know what they want to do for treatment. Once again we will let you know when we hear anything. Thank you for the continued support. We have truly felt our Savior's love and blessings through this.

But I am just here for a pair of cute glasses

We took Kyle to the eye doctor thinking he might have a lazy eye. From everyone I had talked to I figured our options were 1) do nothing 2) eye patch 3) cute pair of glasses or 4) surgery. Well when the specialist came in he said he was really concerned with the vision in his right eye. Kyle didn't really react to anything the doctor flashed in front of him when he covered the left eye. The doc said he wsant really using his vision in that eye. He was also concerned because Kyle's right eye sticks further out than his left one. When we dilated the eye he said there were signs of pressure on the nerve on the backside of his eye. He said it was swollen, irritated and showed some signs of hemorrhaging. He said it could be a bone growth, a tumor or something else (i cant remember what he said). He just kept saying he was concerned (which wasn't really helping me stay calm) and that we needed to get him in for a ct scan as soon as possible. So if they couldn't get us in soon he told us that he would have us go to the ER so they could get it done. He said they would call us by end of day last Thursday to let us know if they got us an appointment of if we need to take him to the ER. I left thinking but wait I was here for some cute glasses.


When we went for the ct scan I was running late because I initially went into the wrong building. There are a lot of building at Phoenix Children's Hospital. Anyway we went to admitting and they put a bracelet on Kyle. He didn't like that at all. I thought oh no this is going to be rough. They finally called us back. The tech was a really nice guy and asked if I thought he would lay still. Well I honestly didn't think he would. But the tech said well lets try anyway. So we went in the room and there were Disney cut outs all over the walls and the machine. They had a hand held dvd player for Kyle to hold and put on Nemo. They also had a Elmo doll the size of Kyle and they put it on the machine and showed Kyle what it would do. Then they asked Kyle if he would like a turn. He eagerly laid down and they got him buckled in. He laid there like a champ and let them take the "pictures" they needed to. They gave him a beanie baby and we were out of there by 12:58 (our appointment was for 1pm)!! I asked how soon the doc would get the results, they said it might be Monday. Once the radiologist signs off on the scans they are electronically sent to the doctor. So we settled in for a long weekend.

Kyle did great all day Friday. We had a couple rough moments when he couldn't eat or drink. I felt so bad as he asked for juice and I couldnt give him any. On the way home he downed some serious juice and enjoyed some fishy crackers. he was a little lethargic on the way home but once he got some fluids and something to eat he perked right up. A few hours after getting home he started sounded sick. Well he ended up pretty sick all weekend. We even cancelled our babysitter for V-day night. I know it sounds wierd but I am so thankful he was just the right amount of sick to lay still on that table. I honestly believe that was Heavenly Father taking care of me. I was worried about them sedating him. I had to take him alone and I was nervous. But he wasnt so sick that they wouldnt do the scan. I really loved all the cuddle time I received this weekend. To bad it was theresult of him being so sick.

Well it is Monday and the doctor called this morning. Kyle has a tumor in his optical nerve. He is referring us to a pediatric neurosurgeon, we should get in to him in the next day or two and then we will be going for an MRI, where they will also be checking his other optical nerve. The tumor is benign and most likely due to a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis from his dad’s side. Thank you so much for all the prayers (from those that already know). We will have several appointments with the eye specialist after the neurosurgeon is done with whatever ends up happening to monitor Kyle and the vision in that eye. We will make sure to keep everyone updated. And to think I had myself all excited for a cute pair of glasses! ha ha

The lord has truely comforted us already and helped so many people be intune to help us get procedures and appointments quickly. We have amazing home teachers that have been there for us along with family and a multitude of friends that have helped us through the last several days. Thank you for all the prayers and continued prayers on our behalf.

We love you all
Bennett,Brittney & Kyle

Apartment for Rent

I know it has been a long time since I have posted and I have pictures of the finished porch I will post later. I just wanted to get this information posted as soon as I could.

Our tenants are leaving the middle/end of March. We are very sad to see them go but are happy and excited for them and they new adventures that await them. So our apartment will be available. If anyone is looking for a place or knows someone who is the information is below. Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks.

$500/mo
1 bed/1 bath
Fullsize washer/dryer
Small outside porch area
Storage area
Tenants pay for electric/trash