Here are a few pictures from baseball and our trip. The video at the bottom is us telling the kids about the trip.

April Fool's

Things have been a little hectic at our house in the past few weeks. Last Wednesday, April Fools Day, we surprised the kids with a trip to Phoenix. They were really excited when we woke them to break the news. Then they remembered what day it was. Terry & I had to convince them that we really were going. I don't think they were sure until we actually got on the plane.

The trip was a blast. We went to the last M's spring training game. It was pretty cool. The kids managed to get a few autographs. Alyssa got Griffey's, not sure she really understands how cool that is though. We spent the rest of the trip sitting by the pool. It was sunny and hot every day, absolutely perfect! We stayed at Squaw Peaks Resort. I strongly recommend it if you have kids. Floating down the lazy river with a maragrita was my favorite part. The kids loved all of the fun activities they had at the pool. Nicholas won the water slide races twice and Alyssa won the cannon ball contest for the smallest splash!

It was the break that we needed. It was nice to reconnect as a family. A great way to relax before starting radiation.

I was supposed to start this week but now I'm not sure. I have my next planning appointment on Monday. Apparently the first plan was going to cause too much lung damage so it is taking longer to figure it out. I'm all for having the least amount of lung damage possible!!!! Terry & I signed up for the Seattle Rock n Roll half marathon at the end of June. Now I might have an excuse for walking!

We also started baseball games this week. With both kids playing and Terry coaching T ball, things are pretty busy. Nicholas' first game was Monday. He's playing triple A, which is kid pitch. It was a good game with our team winning. Nicholas had 2 doubles and then was called out looking by his own Dad! Terry had to fill in as umpire. Nicholas didn't seem to mind but I thought he should have walked him.

Alyssa's had her first T ball game last night. What a riot! It is so much fun to watch. Terry is coaching 14 little kids! He has so much more patience than I ever will. I'm pretty sure Alyssa is only playing because we bought her pink glove and bat! She had fun and thinks she hit a home run. The last batter in each inning runs all the way around the bases!

I hope to add a few pictures when I get my camera downloaded. As much as I wanted to get going with radiation, it's nice to have a few more days of feeling good. I still have some fatigue but otherwise feel great.

NO MORE CHEMO!!!!!

This will be short & sweet as we are on our way out to celebrate! My scan was clear. I'm done with chemo!!! My PICC line is out! Today has been awesome! Thank you all for your thoughts & prayers. It means a lot to have so much support.

More to follow...

Going Crazy

Friday I had what will hopefully be my last chemo. Johnene & Kristin came along for moral support and entertainment! We even managed to go out to lunch with Erika to celebrate. At the very least, I've gotten to the point of repeating my scans to check on my progress. That alone seems worth celebrating. My CT/PET scan is scheduled for March 24th. Only one more week to wait. Time is moving very slowly. I know the results will be better than my first one, but as to whether the cancer will be gone, we'll just have to wait & see. I'm hoping to move on to radiation and be done with chemo. Not that I'm really excited about radiation, but at least it will feel like progress.

I am much more tired after this round of chemo. I've been very good about doing nothing this time. My only activity for the last 4 days has been a trip to the grocery store. Never thought that could be so much fun. I'm getting a little crazy and definitely driving Terry there! While the fatigue seems to be worse, the aches & pains are not. I probably shouldn't be complaining because it could be so much worse!

I've got a pedicure planned for the end of the week. Seems like a great way to recover. Hopefully there won't be snow on the ground! My Dad is coming to visit us on Sunday, which we are all looking forward to. Alyssa is probably the most excited, not sure if it's because Grandpa is coming or that he's bringing her first American Girl Doll!

Happy St Patrick's Day to all.

One More Chemo Left....

I'm a week out from my 5th chemo and now I feel pretty good. I have one more scheduled chemo day and then I repeat my scan. Hopefully that will be it for the chemo. I am ready to be done. I don't think anyone will want to be around me if I need more, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when it comes.

As I said in my last post, I'm getting impatient! Which led me to do a few stupid things this week, making my recovery longer. I'm going crazy at home, so I made a few too many plans this week!!!! Poor Terry bears the brunt of my crabbiness when I don't feel well or when I push it too far. Fortunately for Terry, I cancelled most of my plans after exhausting myself. It could have been worse.

On Tuesday, 4 days after chemo, I thought it would be a good idea to go over to Seattle for a class at Children's. How hard could it be to sit in a class for a few hours? It was great to actually do something and see lots of my friends at work. That being said, I was totally exhausted after spending all day in Seattle. I added several days to my recovery this time. I'd like to say I've learned my lesson, but we'll just have to wait until next time to see.

Update

Just wanted to thank my Mom for a great visit. It was shorter than we would have liked but fun. Nicholas talked Grandma into a game of Fantasy Football monopoly that lasted the whole weekend. Hopefully now I won't have to play for a while! Mom, Alyssa and I enjoyed a beautiful sunny day walking around Poulsbo and shopping. Alyssa had fun trying on shoes with my Mom. They both have expensive taste! It was really nice to have my Mom out here to take of me for a few days! Now I have a clean house and a stocked freezer!!!

Acupuncture is helping a lot. I have finally progressed to only 2 times per week. I feel like I spend all of my time managing & going to appointments! I don't seem to be getting anyworse after each chemo which is nice. I am definitely getting impatient. I want it to move along faster. I find myself wishing for another chemo day just so I can get that much closer to the end. I realize it has only been a couple of months but on the days when I feel like crap I just want to be done. Patience is not really my thing. Alyssa seems to be getting tired of it too. Last week she asked when my cancer would be done. When I asked what she meant, she said will it be done in February or March? We finally figured out she was talking about chemo!

Thanks for all the great meals over the last few weeks. Last week several of our friends from church came over to help with a few projects. It was a huge help to us. Thank you for giving up a Sunday afternoon to help out. It is difficult for me to ask for help but so appreciated.

My next chemo day is Friday. Hopefully it will go as smoothly as the last four. Only 2 left until I get my scans.

Only 2 more chemo days!

Chemo went well Friday. I had fun catching up with Wendy, a good friend from work. I feel pretty good so far. Sunday through Tuesday are usually the hardest days. I think acupuncture and herbs are making a huge difference in the way I feel. I am a little tired throughout the 2 weeks but not too bad. I'm sure some of it has to do with me trying to do too much when I feel good.

Sorry I haven't posted for 2 weeks but I'm not getting up at 5am as much and then I never seem to find the time to do it. I guess I'm not quite ready to go to day shift at work! That may take a few more years.

I want to give a huge thanks to my coworkers who have donated annual leave. That is such a tremendous help to us. It helps relieve some of the stress of not working. Thank you for being so generous with your time.

I'm looking forward to my Mom visting next week. It's difficult being so far from your family when things are challenging. We have a great group of family and friends here but it will be nice to see my family.

Thanks for all the great meals over these past 2 weeks. The evenings seem to be my most tired time so it's a relief not to have to think about meals everyday. Terry's a great guy but not much of a cook.