Long Time No Blog

Well, I started working on a blog but got sidetracked by not feeling so well. I just got another round of chemo yesterday and am feeling okay at the moment so I decided I better blog away while I can!

At yesterday's chemo session I got to visit with a nice lady and her husband who I met several rounds ago. She is being treated for breast cancer- she actually has two different kinds of cancer at the same time, not very common from my understanding. When I first met her she was just starting her treatment and was quite scared. I am happy to report that she is now plugging along wearing cool scarves on her shiny bald head and both her and her husband are determined to kick cancer's butt- my attitude as well- I like to see it rubbing off! I also got to visit a little bit with one of Kelsey's friend's mom who also has breast cancer. She is married to one of the top commander's here and I imagine it must be very difficult for her to continue all of her social and military obligations while battling cancer. She looked extrememly tired but was happy to be celebrating her last chemo treatment! Hooray for her!

I have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people while getting chemo. We all have different kinds of cancer and different treatment schedules so some people I may only meet up with once. It is very rewarding to share our stories, whine about our side effects to people who have been there and the praise some of the good side effects- a favorite of all the ladies is not having to shave our legs! We compare head gear and share websites where we can buy funny cancer related tshirts, stickers and buttons. It is a nice benefit to cancer treatment.

I am hoping that this round of chemo is a bit easier than my last two. I just hate feeling blah and tired and aching for days. No fun!

Driver's Ed is going well for Derek. He is a very conscientious driver and he doesn't scare me too much! ("brake! brake") haha :) The summer job hunt continues for Kelsey, although she is starting to use her time at home a little wiser by working on her driver's ed online and getting college applications and essays done. She is also busy with her AP English summer assignment.
We have school registration coming up in the next few weeks. With everyone starting new schools this year, I have lots of paperwork to fill out but at least in this school district I am able to pick up the registration packets early so I can get a head start.

We've been able to have a little social time with some of our friends in the past week- Pat and I were actually feeling good for a few days at the same time so we had to squeeze it in when we can. We are also getting ready for Wil's first birthday coming up on Aug 10th. We can hardly believe it has been a whole year already! Hopefully we will all be feeling good for his party.

Both Pat and I were very sad to hear about the death of former White House press secretary and Fox News host, the amazing Tony Snow. He has been such an inspiration to us as he has battled his colon cancer. His attitude and outlook on life really made an impact on how we are handling our cancer diagnosis and treatment. He will be truly missed and our prayers are with both him and his wonderful family.

On a lighter note, we are enjoying following Pope Benedict's participation in World Youth Day taking place this week in Australia. We have actually been staying up WAY too late at night to watch the live coverage on EWTN. It is so moving and uplifting to see so many young people from all over the world celebrating being Catholic. It reminds Pat and I of our visit to Rome in 2006 when we were able to attend Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican. It was amazing and such a wonderful experience to be able to have taken part in that! it is something we will never forget.

Well, we are hanging in there and moving right along as usual. I will try and post my saved blog that I was working on last week after this one. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Give an extra hug to someone you love today!

Today's Glass Half-Full: "Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." -Joshua J. Marine