Living a Blessed Life

I have been absent for a little over a week - for good reason. We were in Chicago on our annual family vacation. The timing couldn’t have been better for this, as I have not had an infusion since July 6th. Aside from occasional neuropathy I have been feeling great, and eating well. This was especially beneficial in Chicago, as we do a LOT of walking each day, burning many calories. My favorite stop in Chicago is Juice Rx . If they ever decide to franchise, I selfishly hope and pray they come to Minnesota, and somewhere near me. They craft fresh juices, superfood smoothies, smoothie bowls, and superfood toast. YUM! I realize this doesn’t sound delicious to everybody, but honestly if you give it a try you may just surprise yourself! :) A quick update on my status and coming events, then I’m diving into the topic at hand: I will have surgery (liver resection) on August 10th, and a 4-6 week recovery to follow. I will spend a couple of days in the hospital, and fully expect everything t...

It’s the BEST NEWS ever! Circling back to my previous post, I have had a pretty busy start to this week with test after test and appointment after appointment. The week started with an MRI on Monday morning followed by a Thyroid Biopsy. Everything went well, aside from being delayed in the Ultrasound department for an hour before the biopsy took place. The radiologist performing the biopsy this time was incredibly quick, and the procedure was much less painful / uncomfortable than last time. He looked at the image on the screen, numbed my neck and within about 5 minutes he had taken four samples. The tech placed a band-aid on my neck and we were finished. I am still waiting for the results of that biopsy, but I am not concerned about it. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalms 56:3 Tuesday was our day to meet with the surgeon and go over the results of the MRI, ultimately giving us a more clear direction regarding my future treatment and possible surgery. The results were no...

This year is the year of the Forties for the majority of my graduating class (of 2000). Darek and I both celebrated our 40th birthday’s in May, and of course he surprised me me with a dinner out with one of my long time best friends. It was such a sweet surprise, and a great night out!! I have mentioned this previously, but Darek is a great gift giver! He pays attention, and does a great job surprising me in many different ways. This past Friday we had plans to go to a Twins Baseball game at Target Field with these same friends as a surprise for Her 40th birthday (or so I was told). A dear friend from church and her daughter babysat for us, which our kids completely loved! Friday was a pretty busy day with gymnastics for Carina in the morning, a fantastic birthday party for Makaiya and her friend Maddie in the afternoon, and finally the Twins Game. I hurried home after dropping Makaiya’s friend off in order to change clothes and grab a hat and water bottle and the gift for my frie...