Kristina Johnson Bell:  

Life Well, I have been a married lady for 11 years - seems like about three weeks. John and I have so much fun together. In January of 2011 John and I became parents to two little boys - one 2 1/2 and the other on 4 - through adoption. Our sons have amazed us as we have become a family. They came to us scared and frail, lacking basic toddler vocabulary or skills. Now, what a wonderfully different picture - both boys are loving school - we homeschool them. They have been studying violin for almost 3 years - violins come as small as 1/16th size - and that is where we started with our littlest son. Both boys love the rural life - they came from a metropolitan city, but now they are not fond of any town bigger than Cheyenne. The last 4 years have been a medical challenge for our oldest son - and will continue to be for the foreseeable future because he is on peritoneal kidney dialysis and has been since one month after we brought the boys home. Yes, we knew the medical history and yes, we chose to adopt a child with kidney disease. John spent 10 1/2 years on kidney dialysis and is a living donor kidney transplant recipient and I had helped with dialysis for my cousin when I was in college so we are quite comfortable dealing with all that goes into dialysis. Before you thnk -oh, no! - our oldest son is one of the healthiest and most normal kids - he doesn't act or look sick. Last month, he convinced us to allow him to start ballet in January . . . .We are truly enjoying the journey. (And I know several of you are shaking your heads at two things: First - married and second - children.) Work I am working as a term intermittant park guard at Fort Laramie National Historic Site - I feel so priviledged to work in and help protect a place I have loved all my life. I also teach CPR, First Aid and coordinate Emergency Medical Techinican Classes. Home John and I live where I grew up - on the 80 acres my parents had near Wheatland. We try to sustainably produce meat, milk and produce . . . some years, lately, that is a true challenge. At the moment we have 6 female registed Milking Shorthorn cows and heifers and one bull and I am STILL buying milk. Also sharing the barn are sheep, chickens, geese, turkeys, a burro, a horse that we keep for friends and 3 adult pigs plus the latest litter of piglets. We have two border collies and a stock dog/lab cross that is a sweetheart, but useless at herding if a bird flies over. Keeping us mouse free are Fur-Fur and Muffin. (12/20/2014) Update written on 11/27/21: Seven years have sped by……… My beloved John died of a heart attack/cardiac arrest on February 16, 2016. He collapsed in the kitchen here at home. I started CPR immediately, but as is a frequent outcome, he did not recover. The boys were here and of great help. They knew exactly what I needed, where to find it and how to help. Because of suddenly becoming a single mom, critter keeper and solo homeschool teacher, I resigned my job at Fort Laramie NHS in July of 2016. Later in July of 2016, our older son had a major lung surgery, of 6.5 hours, to remove encapsulated aspergillis and the upper right lobe of his lung. He recovered rapidly and his lung function and lung issues were dramatically impr...Expand for more