And I'm back

I'm really sorry that it's been so long between posts lately.  I had planned to be better about it this time, but this round was full of ups and downs.  More so than the first round.  I was hoping it would be easier.  It was in a way, since we knew more of what to expect.  However, the side effects lasted longer this time.  The Sunday and Monday were still the worst days with the nausea and flu-like symptoms pretty much round the clock.  But for some reason the nausea would not go away.  After Monday, I dealt with the nausea every morning.  But would always feel a bit better in the late afternoon/evening.  It was much like a roller coaster to me.  I was so tired of feeling ill.

By Friday morning, my friend, Lisa, came over to get some things and the poor girl had to listen to me cry and complain.  I had just gotten off the phone with the doctor's office and had some new things to try.  I had been crying to them too.  I was just so tired.  No sleep, not being able to eat much of anything, nausea, vomiting, and other tummy troubles.  It all just equals a tired cranky girl at my house!  She was so sweet to take the kids and go get the things the nurse suggested, and by that afternoon I was feeling so much better.  I just thank God for sending her when He did.  She asked if they came at a bad time, and inside I kept thinking it was the absolute perfect time.  Maybe I just needed a new shoulder to cry on.  Maybe I just needed to let it out and really cry.  I don't know.  I know He always takes care of us, often in ways that we don't anticipate.

So the weekend has been a reprieve for me.  The first time in a week or so that I've had 2 good days in a row.  So thankful for that.

Today I was able to worship with Brian and one of my very best friends right beside me.  I am so humbled each Sunday as I look around at the faces in the sanctuary with me, knowing that so many of them are praying for us and genuinely care for us. 

I was able to help out in the preschool program today.  One of the little girls made me out of play-doh.  She gave me orange hair.  I love those kids! 

I got to talk to some of my favorite people after church, see how their weeks were going. 

I got to eat lunch at a new place with Art and Nyla and their girls and Brian and Elliott. 

I got to take a nap. 

It was such a good day!

Looking forward to more this week!

the "w" project

Remember the first post I wrote about being diagnosed with cancer?  Some of you many remember that I was working on a project that came to an immediate halt as our lives flew into a total 180.  It was supposed to be a quick afternoon type of project that ended up taking more than a few weeks to finish.

Here's a little jolt for your memory:

Well, I finished it and hung it on the front door and it looked awesome..........until it fell off the door onto our porch in the sweltering humid Missouri heat we've been forced to endure lately.

So it came inside and, not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with it next, I let it live on the floor of the living room........until one day I crawled off the couch and saw that it was missing.  I didn't feel up to discovering its whereabouts right then.  None of the little people in the house seemed to have a clue about it when I asked.  I thought for sure they were using it as part of a fort or a mountain for Lego building or something.  So I kind of forgot about it until I went to the basement one day.  There it was!  Apparently it wasn't a little person that decided to move it.  I guess Brian was tired of looking at it on the floor of the living room and thought it would be better down there.  I forgave him.

So I rescued it and brought it back upstairs to live.  Once again it lived in the living room for a while.  That's okay.  I knew where it was going this time.  I just had to figure out exactly how to get it on the wall.  It's made of cardboard which makes hanging it kind of tricky.

I finally figured it out with some of those small clear 3M hooks and lots of prayers that it would go on straight.  It fell the first time, so we had to have a talk and it's been up there ever since.

I think it looks good where it is.  I really liked it on the door, but maybe that's going to have to be for Fall or Winter when the glue works better.

I do have to say that some minifigures were found jumping onto it from the balcony, so my instincts were right that the boys would find some way to work it into their Lego universe :)

And now you know.......the rest of the story. 

(Sorry, just had to say that).

grandma and grandpa's house

A few weeks ago the boys spent the week at Grandma's and Grandpa's house.  They look forward to this every summer.  Trees to climb.  A dog to play with.  Acres of yard to play in.  Being spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa.

I loved going to my Grandma's house.  I don't know how many days and nights I spent there.  Too many to count.  Sometimes I would be there with my sisters.  Sometimes some of our cousins were there too.  We got to ride tractors with Grandpa.  Feed animals.  Go for walks.  Follow the path in the woods (which was always somewhat scary to me).  Play in the barn.  Always had meat and potatoes for dinner.  I can still smell dinner cooking.  Watched Jeopardy with Grandpa.  Sat outside under this huge oak tree shucking corn.  Learned to crochet in her living room.  Grandma let us pour milk from the creamer into our cereal because we thought that was so cool.  I know our kids are going to have fond memories just like I do.

Grandma and Grandpa with all of their grandchildren 1984

(To my sisters and cousins - sorry about the incredibly unflattering picture

of all of us - it was the only one I could find)

Elliott was graduated to driving the golf cart on his own this year - oh happy day!

Getting ready for fireworks.  There is plenty of land so they can shoot them off with no fear of hitting anyone else's house (which is what I fear here at my house every 4th of July)

He truly used to fit into this Gator.  Now look at his long 1st grader legs.

They spent a couple of days over at Holiday World (where they will not let you take pictures, which I think is crazy) and Evansville.  Got to see this cool military ship docked in Evansville.

Celebrating Eli's 3rd birthday.  Happy Birthday big guy!!!

Relaxing on Grandma Hosselton's chair.

weekend update

It seems like we're kind of on the same timeline for side effects as we were for the first round.  I've had occasional nausea, but been able to curb that with meds so far.  And the achiness started settling in late last night from the Neulasta shot.  And of course the dry mouth and sore throat.  At least they are similar effects from last time and we kind of know what to expect.  I don't like it, but it's familiar now anyway.

What is really annoying to me is that every type of medicine I take has a side effect that causes me to need another drug.  So today I've slept quite a bit and just really feel out of it.  I hate that feeling.  I hate having to take a pill almost all day long.  Yet thankful they are there to help at the same time.  Hmmm.....could I complain just a little bit more?

100 degree heat + bags of fluid + not staying off your feet =

swollen feet (and ankles and legs).

I'm staying off of them today.

more generosity

Over the past three weeks we've again experienced love and generosity from so many people!  Besides all the meals, treats, lunch dates, play dates, etc. here are some pictures of some of the other gifts of generosity that have shown up at our house lately.  We're amazed every time someone shows such love to us.  We are so incredibly blessed by the people we love.

This was a delicious surpise treat from my friend Sharon that I taught with in Georgia.  It came at the perfect time when we had lots of visitors to share the yummy fruit with.  She is the sweetest!  She was a mentor to me while I was there and is a good friend to me.  I don't think she intended to be a mentor to me, but I asked her questions and advice all the time so she had no choice :)  Having people that you trust at work with you is awesome.  For them to be good Christian friends on top of that is priceless.  Thank you Sharon.

I love this orange tea kettle from my friend Shoba and her husband, Greg, and their sweet little girl (whose name sounds a lot like mine).  A tea kettle is something I have always wanted but never bought for myself, and now is the perfect time.  Tea is one of the only beverages that taste good to me besides water right now so this will be put to very good use!  They sent the cutest strawberry diffuser with it too.  Thanks guys.

Our friend Judy sent these beautiful flowers Wednesday, along with a beautiful verse

"He is with you....."  Phil 4:13

They sit on our mantle right now so I'll be able to see them while I'm laying on the couch this week - they will be a bright spot in my day!  Thank you Judy.

And these beauties came from my parents this week.  They sit on the kitchen table so I see them and their orange wonderfulness every morning.  Thank you Mom and Dad.



And this was part of a goodie bag for chemo visits from Nyla and Kim.  I'm so excited to look at this magazine and get some new recipes, because my friend, Erin, loves this magazine and she's awesome in the kitchen.  In that goodie bag was also stashed some Hershey bars (which I already ate of course), a cute pink breast cancer beanie baby and a massage gift certificate.  There may have been more but I can't remember everything.  I'll blame it on the chemo brain :)  Thanks so much girls!

Cancer Card Exchange

The weekend after my first chemo treatment I received this card in the mail.  I couldn't believe what all was inside that card when I opened it.  Two gift cards to Target, one for Chick-fil-a, and one for Dominoes.  It was so nice of someone to do this!  Inside the card it was signed Emily Thomas, and in fine print at the bottom of the card was a website for the Cancer Card Exchange. 

Now we were (almost) totally puzzled.  None of us knew anyone named Emily Thomas.  None of us had heard of the Cancer Card Exchange.  For a while I thought they had the wrong person.  But my name and address were on the front.  And, seriously, it had a Chick-fil-a card in there so it obviously was intended for our family :) 

The return address was what gave it away.  Collierville, TN.  I know one single person who lives in Collierville.  My roommate from grad school, Ashley.  We had just reconnected on Facebook a few weeks earlier, and, interestingly, she had asked for my mailing address earlier that week.  Hmmmmmm......

But I was still curious how the Cancer Card Exchange organization and Emily Thomas fit into the equation, so Amber and I looked up the website.  We loved it instantly!  You'll have to get on there and read it for yourselves, but basically Emily is a cancer survivor whose family received a restaurant gift card in their hotel (I think) on their first trip to MD Anderson to treat her cancer.  From that kind gesture was eventually born the Cancer Card Exchange.  She accepts unused gift cards or donations of new gift cards (or she even has a spot to order gift cards online directly on the website!) to send to other cancer patients as a way to brighten and ease the journey they are now on.  I've never met her, but she sounds like an awesome creative woman!

Emily and Ashley......thank you from the bottom of my heart for thinking of our family!!  We are so humbled by your generosity and thoughtfulness.  What a blessing you are to so many families going through such a difficult time.