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...

Believe it or not we are halfway to Christmas!! What does that mean for our family? It means that our youngest, Makaiya, has turned 7! She loves that her birthday is at the halfway point because she gets gifts every 6 months. This birthday had a little more significance for me, as each day is a gift, more than before. Every day, event, or milestone takes up special residence in my memory in a way it hasn’t before. I feel caught in the place of wishing time would slow down, but simultaneously speed up so I can enjoy every minute, but also never miss a moment to come. My 4th round of chemo began on June 21st, and completed on the 23rd. This was a more challenging round for me again. I came home with a couple of new side effects this time, including a numb tongue and throat. It was a strange sensation when I would swallow. I could breath fine, and swallow fine, but it was quite uncomfortable. I called my nurse line and was instructed by my oncologist to take a Benadryl and see if that ...

The heat index today reached 105 degrees here in central Minnesota. That’s pretty toasty if you ask me! I do really love the heat, though. I will never complain when it is warm or even hot outside. One of my favorite things about hot, breezy days is that I get to hang my clothes on the clothesline to dry. Call me old fashioned but something about this brings me peace. Not to mention that it was so hot outside today that the clothes probably dried in 10 minutes. Win! Win! Earlier this morning I had my biweekly appointment with my oncologist. I have mentioned this previously, but she is absolutely fabulous. I honestly feel like she cares about my personal health and progress at every single visit. Today we discussed my current treatment plan, and she mentioned that after my July 6th infusion she would have my MRI and follow up with the surgeon scheduled. Praise the Lord! I am looking forward to this. It is at this point that we will know how the tumor is responding to the chemothera...

“Praise may not shift our circumstances, but it will definitely begin to change our hearts. We don’t always get to choose our situations, but we can choose how we live through them.” - Lysa TerKeurst This past weekend was another busy one with a baseball tournament for Toby, consisting of five games over the course of Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday. His team took first AGAIN, going undefeated through the weekend. It was a lot of fun watching the boys play ball, and they really came together as a team both on and off the field. It has been such a joy to watch them become friends and encourage each other to be the best. My mama heart swells with humble pride as this team wins in such a classy way. Additionally, I mentioned previously that Darek is coaching this team, and he is doing a fantastic job!! His patience (where did this come from?), encouragement, calm temperament with the umpires, and overall coaching ability are truly impressive. He seems to be in his element on the b...

This past weekend was full of baseball, family, and Makaiya’s first dance recital. We all had a wonderful time hopping around to the many events, and celebrating one another along the way. Uncle Mark was able to stay for the weekend, and Grandpa & Grandma Ford drove up from Iowa on Sunday to watch Toby’s last tournament game and Kaiya’s recital. What a sweet surprise for Toby when he heard Grandpa and Grandma cheering him on! It was a great weekend to help ease my anxiety for the upcoming infusion week. Monday, June 6 , was the start of round 3 for me. I was at the clinic bright and early (7:30AM) to begin my day with the desensitization protocol and a 6 hour infusion of Oxaliplatin. This time around my dose was decreased by 20% and that seems to have made a tremendous difference. I did not experience any of the neuropathy (tingling) sensations in my hands during the infusion, and have had very little of it after. The cramping in my jaw has significantly decreased, and only hap...