Negative and positive

Considering that school was cancelled in my town today because it was just too cold, I think it's safe to say that despite some of the difficulties of not being at home, I'd rather be back in Florida!

Thank you to all of those who suggested the FastPass option. To let you know, Disney, as well as Universal, offers a free FastPass option for those going through chemo and their family members. They don't seem to advertise it. And the workers look at you like they have no idea what you're talking about. But if you push for it, you'll get up to 6 Fastpasses, which helped my family get on rides faster.

Now me, I couldn't really do the rides, which saddened me a bit. Last time we were in Disney was the first time I was able to enjoy some bigger rides with Cameron. And since I love all things roller coasters and such, it was a lot of fun to experience the thrill with him. But this time, all I could do was walk around the park and watch the little kids enjoy the rides on the days when I had the energy.

On a great note, my best friend Lanette and my sister Dana finished the Disney Marathon, which was the entire purpose of the trip to begin with. I wish I could have joined them as planned, but obviously that was not going to happen. But I'm very proud of them for their accomplishment.

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I went to see another doctor today about a Cyberknife procedure. This kind of procedure would allow the doctor to do very high-tech specific/localized radiation therapy. The surgeon would be able to use the radiation to cut out the cancer from my spine. Sounds great. Except in my case, it would only be used as a very last resort. With me, it's too risky, because of where the tumor in the spine is. I could actually lose several bodily functions and even become paralyzed. So that appointment was disappointing, but at least the doctors were honest and clear in their opinions.

I see my oncologist again tomorrow to figure out what our plan will be for treatment...again. Hopefully whatever options they give me will not only get rid of this cancer, but also the pain that won't seem to leave the back of my head and base of my neck.

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Psalm 138: 2-3

I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified your word above all Your name! In the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with the strength in my inner self.

Snow?

We're back. With a couple sick kids. Bone scan today. More details later.

Still Here

Florida is sunny and warm today. The kids are enjoying the backyard, heated pool. Yesterday we did Universal/Islands of Adventure. Today we're just relaxing.

I hate to even write it, but I received more bad news from the my oncologist yesterday when we were coming back from one of the parks. When the doctors injected me with the chemo through my back, they also took out some spinal fluid to test. It came back positive for cancer cells. The last test did not show this.

I am also feeling more pain as each day goes by. But the Vicodin helps, and when we return to Minnesota, we'll be looking at even more options for treatment.

So keep praying. I appreciate all your kind thoughts, encouragement and prayers. I really do.

What a trip.

Sometimes you realize how wonderful people can be. There was a large apartment fire a week or so around here. People came forward with so many toy and clothes donations that they had to donate many of the toys elsewhere and they had to eventually turn away clothes because they just had too many. One person even donated a million dollars to be split evenly among the families, who were basically left with nothing...especially since many of them did not have renters insurance.

Sometimes people are wonderful. And sometimes people need a lot of prayer.

My sister and niece are visiting from New Jersey. They had a heck of a time getting here with all the weather issues because they had to fly through Chicago. Because their flight was canceled, they had to come in the next day on a different flight and airline, (Midwest) through Milwaukee this time. But first they had a 3 hour delay out of Philadelphia.

Their Milwaukee flight appeared be on time...appeared being the operative word. They were up in the air and almost all the way to the to Minneapolis when the pilot announced that they had to come home due to a mechanical problem. Why they flew all the way back to Milwaukee, when they were MUCH closer to Minneapolis makes no sense to me. But nonetheless, my sister and niece were delayed yet again.

They arrived back in Milwaukee, and had to wait for a new plane. Then they were delayed yet again because apparently an unhappy flyer wrote something on a comment card that he probably should not have, apparently posing a threat. However, after the pilots talked to him, they allowed hi to stay on the plane. Finally, my sister and niece were able to fly back, arriving in our frozen tundra about 24 hours after they were supposed to be here. But they were safe, and that's what's really important.

But the drama doesn't end there. When my sister came home and started unpacking her suitcase to put the gifts under the tree, she discovered some gifts missing. Soon she discovered over $300 worth of gifts missing...gifts for her daughter that she saved up for. Gifts like a digital camera. Somebody went through my sister's luggage, opened the gifts to see if they were worth stealing (apparently kids books are not), and then took what they wanted. We have NO IDEA where they were stolen from, and it has not been easy to try to contact someone to file a claim.

It makes me angry that somebody stole the gifts my sister bought for my niece. But really, staying mad won't help anything. We need to pray for them and hope they don't continue to steal people's items.

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19)

I had cancer...now hear me roar!

Since finishing all my cancer treatment, I feel that I've discovered some new sense of strength.

For example:

I just traveled over 12 hours with the 3 kiddos. Driving to Detroit, when we usually fly, was actually my suggestion. Surprisingly, it went quite well.

Then we will probably be returning with 4 extra kids...to stay with us for a couple weeks.

Extra strength?

or Extra nuts?

Doing a lot

These next few weeks are going to be BUSY for me.

We're going to be traveling soon...to Florida. And since the weather people are actually calling for possible snow this weekend (it was 75 degrees yesterday!), I'm more than happy to leave this state. But with that means a lot preparation, since all of the packing is my responsibility. Although Max has an assortment of Cameron's old summer clothes to choose from, Cameron and Ella both need new shorts and such. Plus everyone needs sandals and swimsuits. I'm not complaining at all. Just stating that I have a lot to do.

Also, I haven't mentioned this before, but for the past few months, I've been working on a project for a friend of mine who is a literacy professor at a university (Hi L!). I've been developing middle school and high school booklists and gathering information for each book to be used on a website to help teachers in their classrom. I REALLY enjoy doing this, since it keeps me connected to Adolescent literature while I am out of the classroom, and I think when finished, the site will be an amazing resource. But it's also a lot of work (mainly because I'm quite the inefficient worker). I've already asked for an extension on the due date of my work, so I need to just stick with my new deadline...which is the end of this month!!!! I really need to buckle down these next few days and just work, work, work.

And furthermore, our town's big Garage Sale is in 2 weeks. My Bible study group is participating in the sale in order to raise money to pay our babysitters while we meet each week to delve into the Word and support each other while we discover God's plan for our lives. I'm hosting this 9-family sale. So not only do I need to really start going through all my "treasures," but I also need to start organizing everyone else's stuff as they begin to drop their items off.

Plus, I do have 3 kids to take care of, and a husband to try to spend time with, and some clothes to wash and meals to make, etc.

My point of this blog is, if you haven't heard from me, I'm sorry! I KNOW that I owe some of you phone calls and e-mails. I know that I'm supposed to arrange some meetings with some of my acquaintances. I have on my mind the packages I need to send to my friends and family members who have just had their own little bundles of joy. So I apologize, sincerely, that I haven't responded to people in a timely manner. It's NOT because I've forgotten about you or am ignoring you.

Give me 3 weeks, please oh please, 3 weeks and I'll get my act together. If after then I haven't responded to you, then you may send me hate mail and rude messages. Then, I certainly deserve them!

Interesting...very interesting.

The Chambers Hotel, where we stayed for our 10th annivesary, is also an art gallery. Now I could sit here and write some very serious artistic interpretations of what I viewed in the hallways and in our room. However, lately I prefer to take a more light-hearted approach to art and see the humor in it....more fun that way, don't ya think?

Below are just some of the works of art displayed, and under each one my highly-educated commentary!

Teletubbie Poe on a diet.

Who knew you could take a piece of solid wrapping paper, frame it poorly and call it art!

A great distraction when you're climbing five flights of stairs.

This 3D sculpture looked so real it was creepy! (I'm talking about the face on the right, of course.)

When we first passed this pile of trash, I thought to myself, "Hmm. Wonder why such a nice hotel would leave these bags sitting in the hallway." Then we passed it again later on and I jokingly said to my husband, "What if they keep this trash here and we're supposed to think that it's art." My husband then nudged it a little with his foot and discovered that the bags were not bags at all, but solid masses of painted plaster. The "trash" really was part of the art display!

Celebrating a decade

Yesterday, January 17th, was our 10th wedding anniversary. Last year when we were at the Bahamas and thinking about how we were going to celebrate the milestone event, we discussed going back to where we had our honeymoon in Jamaica.

Obviously, being in the middle of chemo, I decided that it wouldn't be best if we ventured out of the country to warmer climates.

So we got to hang out in sub-zero temperatures in downtown Minneapolis.

With Sara watching our kids, we were free to do whatever we wanted for 2 days and nights. I booked us a room at an artsy boutique-type hotel, we ate dinner at some nice places, had drinks at some fun spots, listened to some jazz, watched a movie, had a couples massage, navigated the skyways of downtown, and just relaxed in our hotel room.

It wasn't Jamaica, but it was still fun. Cold...but fun.

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Our room had 2 bathrooms! Check out those funky sinks and blue glass tile. The floors were heated, and the larger bathroom had a flatscreen right in front of the toilet, plus a large rainshower.

With dark wood floors, minimalist decorating and orginal art, we at first had a hard time feeling "cozy" in our room. But the we soon "warmed up" to the cool interior and didn't want to say goodbye to our museum-like place.

The hotel had a really awesome courtyard with a funky ice bar housed in what looked like a square freeezer. Ironically, they had to shut the icebar down because it was just too cold!

We thought we'd warm up at the hottest place one can think of.

Up up and away

We're in Detroit this weekend for my mother-in-law's wedding. It should be a festive occasion.

Not the best travel timing, as we had all three kids, switching planes, during meal and bed times, and with me still dealing with chemo fatigue. But my husband was so patient with the kids, such a saint.

And we get to do it all again tomorrow!

Travel challenge

I just survived a 3 hour flight alone with my three munchkins. Oh, and also, add to that about 40 minutes waiting on the runway during which time Ella made it quite clear to the entire full plane that she was not happy.

As I was leaving the plane, one man looked at me and said, "God bless you!"

Now onto a glass....or two...or three...of wine.

Up, up and away...hopefully

If the flight attendant from this flight is the same one on our flight leaving this Saturday,

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070712/ap_on_re_us/toddler_booted


we'll be booted from the plane before we even find our seats.

At least it's not supposed to rain.

My husband has a conference in San Diego, so we're heading there for a few days.

When I checked weatherchannel.com on Monday to confirm for me that the temperature in Southern California was going to be much warmer than the temperature in Minnesota...like at least 80 degrees...nice beach weather....I was incredibly disappointed...with forcast in the lower 60s there!

Now, each time I go on the computer, I think really sunny thoughts when I check the weather, believing that if I do this, the temperature will go up a degree or two.

And so far, it has worked!

Maybe, just maybe, we'll at least reach mid 7os..closer to Minnesota temperatures...by the time we actually get there.

No matter what the temperature, we'll still have fun. I mean come on....look at this kid. How can it not be fun with him to entertain us?

Traveling through pages

When I’m flying, and I don’t have portable DVDs I have to arrange, snacks I have to distribute, cups of juice I have to fill up, feet I have to keep pushing off the seat in front of them, and screams I need to tone down….

I can actually READ (and even sleep a little).

I finished 2 books on my flight to and from Philadelphia without the kids. They’re Young Adult books to review for my grad project, and they both were wonderful.

Laurie Halse Anderson is back at the top of her game with her newest novel Twisted. If you loved Speak (and I don’t know anyone who didn’t), then you will enjoy this story of a high school boy just as much. She writes it in the same sarcastic style and does not try to sugar-coat what actually goes on with boys in high schools today.

Cynthia Lord's book Rules is a well-crafted story of what it is like to live with an autistic sibling. The main character struggles to be a "normal" teenager, while also trying to protect her brother who most kids just think is "strange."


And this book wasn’t one I read this weekend, but one I read recently that was beautifully written, but hard to “digest.” Sold, by Patricia McCormick details one young girl's experience as she becomes the victim of sexual exploitation in India. It’s absolutely heartbreaking, but important to read.

If you haven’t discovered Young Adult literature for your adolescent or yourself…I highly suggest you pick up one of these texts and (re)discover the joy of a good book!

Racing out the door

It's almost 10 PM. At 5:30 AM tomorrow, I'm supposed to leave here to catch an airplane to the East Coast. I haven't even begun to pack yet. But I'm only packing for one!

I'm running a half-marathon with my friend Lanette in Central Park. Being the slacker that I am, I've hardly trained and am not really prepared. But I figure once you've run 26.2 miles, 13.1 should be a piece of cake.....right?

Of course the race is just an excuse for us to talk for a few hours without interruptions. And a couple chocolate martini's afterwards....but only a couple this time!

I wonder if it will be harder for me to run this half marathon, or harder for my husband to take care of all three kids all weekend by himself. Hmmmm. I guess it will depend on whether the screamfests occur with him as much as they do with me. What do you think?