March Memories.....

 I can't believe March is almost over with. I have thought about sitting down to express my thoughts and happenings of the past few weeks but........okay really here is my silly excuse.......I usually leave my web window open on my regular sites as a reminder to slow down my scattered self. However, I shut everything down one day for a re-boot and never remembered to open things back up. A sad excuse I know but it is all I can offer.

What can I share today? How about the fun weekend that just passed? Surprises and off the wall encounters were plenty.

Thursday evening as my husband was pulling into the driveway, he met up with these little friends. I personally know nothing about chickens. My only real thought was focused on trying to keep the dogs away from them as we did our evening things. I figured these biddies would take their cute chatter back to wherever they came from when they were good and ready.

The fuzzy boys eventually settled for the evening and we all got some sleep so I didn't give the chickens another thought except for gratefulness that they had moved on.

I was wrong. Friday morning found the boys once again beside themselves with hunter/stalker instincts in full force. They slobbered all over my front windows as the chickens casually took turns walking around my front yard. Our landlord sent someone down to catch them but had success with only bagging the black one. The brown one mysteriously disappeared.

Finally I gathered my whits and set out to find her, partially out of curiosity and partially because the dogs were getting on my last nerve. I followed the dogs' clues for a rousing game of  peek-n-seek with that chicken. Where was she hiding? She had decided to nest under my front porch and laid an egg!

Now, remember I said I have no experience with chickens? Keep that in mind as you picture me running around the yard with a slice of bread and a bath towel while trying to corner and capture this fast chicken. It was a hilarious sight indeed. Eventually I gave up and went to our landlord for help.  Once he had both chickens safely in a cage, he even found whom they belonged to.

The fuzzy boys were wrung out for the rest of the day. Protecting the house is such hard work! Aren't the just a sight to see?

~~~~~
Saturday was Hubby's birthday and he asked to spend the day hiking around Forest Park. We did up our day packs with sandwiches and dog supplies and set out for adventure. I cannot believe how long we have lived here and never stepped a single foot into the biggest city park in North America. Wow! I thought we had to be in the Gorge area to be spectators of such green beauty. This park sports well over 70 miles of hiking trails in the middle of the city.

The fuzzy boys were so very happy to wander, explore, claim territory and make friends with everyone on the well traveled pathway. The water stream intrigued Kekoa and he wanted to dive for stick treasures to take home. Congito on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the noisy cold water and stuck to me like glue.

 Were it not for our mighty little explorers wanting to keep on the go, 

I would have loved to simply sit for a while and watch the water 

flow over the rocks to destinations ahead.

 

~~~~~
In true typical fashion for us, the birthday DAY became the birthday WEEKEND by continuing the celebration with my folks after church on Sunday. Mom made a dinner feast and everyone had a grand time cutting up, goofing off and enjoying one another.

I gave Hubby the choice of having a decadent type of cake or a low fat healthy type of cake. Was that really a choice?  He picked the decadent surprise and I created the cake you see below. It is a Coca Cola Cake.  It looks sort of lumpy because it was so sweet and sticky that I had a hard time getting it out of the pan. But it tasted good and bumps helped to accent the decorations of "spilled coke bottles".   Hubby was positively thrilled with the cake because he is an avid Coca Cola collector. All of his treasures have pretty much taken over our bedroom walls (but that is another story for another day).

For now I need to scoot. The change in the air has given me cause to uncharacteristically clean my house like a woman on a mission.I pray that you have a wonderfully blessed week that is filled with God's joy and love that makes you smile from your inner most being.

Below is the recipe if you are interested. One look at the ingredients and you will see that it is not designed in any way for the calorie conscious person. I read that you can do a more calorie modest style by using a box cake mix and diet soda. Simply google "low fat coca cola cake recipe" if you want to try it instead of this.

Coca Cola Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 cup Coca-Cola
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• .
• Frosting:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 6 tablespoons Coca-Cola
• 1 box confectioner's sugar, (1pound)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside. In a large bowl combine flour and sugar. In a saucepan combine the cocoa, Coca-Cola, butter, and marshmallows; bring to a boil. Combine the boiled mixture with the flour and sugar mixture.
In a separate bowl mix eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla; add to the first mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, until cake tests done.
Frosting: In a saucepan, bring butter, cocoa, and Coca-Cola to a boil. Stir in the sugar and mix well. Stir in nuts. Spread over the cake while both cake and frosting are still warm.
Serves about 16.

October-fest

 October has come in like the wind that carries it. The air has a chill as it pulls through the leaves of color falling to the ground. While we are nailing down the house in preparation of winter's delights, October also brings about celebrations for us. It is the month of our anniversary and this year made 22 years strong.

Hubby and I decided to take off for 4 wonderful days and head up north in exploring new countrysides. We  booked our resort in Birch Bay, Washington located just 7 miles from the USA / Canada border. Neither of us have a current passport, so crossing the border was never an option. But hiking trails and exploring the local culture always makes for a time of refreshing.

From the moment we checked in, we felt so very celebrated. When we said we were there to celebrate, we were given a gift bag with a bottle of sparkling cocktail, chocolate mints and these adorable little toy ducks. 

Speaking of being blessed, it seemed that everywhere we went we made friends.  One couple that lives up there takes great sport in crabbing for Dungeness all through the season. Then with their freezer stocked piled, they delight in giving it all away.  I had tasted real crab only once before and was not impressed. I didn't want to offend them so I took all the fixings with a big smile and thank you and figured if nothing else, we would have a grand adventure of trying something new. Oh my goodness! Dungeness Crab fresh from the bay is so amazing! Hubby and I smacked our lips as we ate 4 crabs with salad, bread and our bottle of celebration cocktail until out tummies were round as beach balls.

As I said before, we hiked a lot during our stay. We pulled out our letterboxing kit and blew the dust off. It was good to explore the area while gaining insights to the area from our clue maps. The thrill of finding our treasure was quick to infect us with that old fever of treasure hunting delight and we began discussing other areas to explore or plant treasure boxes even before we were finished with the task finding at hand.

Here we are in Semiahmoo Marine Park.  Thought it is hard to see in this picture, right behind us and across the bay is the border crossing and Peace Arch Park. It was beautiful to sit here and watch the wildlife. The locals have taken great care in preserving the area for nature and it seems all live together with pride of harmony.

Peace Arch Park is a beautiful area where both counties work together to create an environment of unity in honor of peace. Visitors can picnic and take pictures in this small boundary land while having the thrill of saying they literally crossed the boundary line of countries without the pains of passports and such. Everywhere I looked there were people like us with their cameras clicking away. There were also border crossing guards everywhere just to make sure everyone was indeed safe. We noticed one gentleman sitting alone on a park bench and then another gentleman walked over and sat on the opposite end for a time and then left. It was like an espionage movie. I didn't think much about it but the border patrol sure did. They were on those two quick with all sorts of questions. Needless to say, we didn't stick around to see the outcome.

 My camera was faithful seemed permanently attached to my hands as shots were everywhere to be taken. This is a picture of Mt. Baker as seen from the marina at Semiahmoo Resort. I am told that it rains up there as much as it does down here in Portland. But we were blessed with these blue sunny skies all weekend for our delight. 

Papa God how grateful I am for the beautiful colors You created.

 

 

Here are a couple of sunset shots I took in the evenings while hiking. 

I loved the wisp of the clouds in the picture above.

Below, I was laying on the shore taking shots as the sun set. 

Hubby was having fun casting rocks and we happened to time everything just right to get this shot.

 

We loved our trip and are already discussing when to go back. 

Once we drove back into our city, the schedules we waiting at the door for us. There is work, office, the hub-bub of teen/young adult energy in the house, play practices, wedding plans, job interviews and the last of our babies about to be 18 and driving. Phew! It makes my head threaten to go light headed as I take in and savor each moment with the pride and joy of being a mom to my own as well as all of my heart adopted children.

But that is not all of the updates.
Our son called the morning after we got back. I was unpacking and sorting when he begged the question, "Hey Mom, what are your plans today?" He tried to sound casual but I know him too well. He and his wife had gotten up that morning and decided a drive would be fun and spontaneous. They had put the baby girls in the car and were on the 6 hour drive to surprise us.

Oh my goodness how quickly they grow!  And even though we had not seen them in 5 months, they were both so quick to allow us to love on them and share special moments.

This is my little Miss Izabell. She is now 8 months old. 

Those big blue eyes get me every time.

This is my little Miss Abbigail. She will be 2 years old in a couple of weeks. 

She also has those piercing blue eyes.

 It was a quick over night visit but we were so grateful for the time. They say they will be back over the summer with all 5 of the grand children. That will be a blast. We will have to make plans for great fun.

Thank You God for treasures of all shapes and sizes. 

Thank You for the celebration of time and the provisions of fun places to do it in.

 

Spring Break, Birthday and Love....

I am sorry I haven't been around and made you wonder. Days just sort of piled up together and have found myself avoiding fun computer things in lieu of paperwork, phone calls and daily home chores.  At the end of the day when I lay my head on the pillow I think, "I sure need to find some time to write" and "I wonder how my blogger friends are." But then the next day starts off all over again.  Again I am so sorry I made you wonder.

It is Spring Break here and my girls....one is thrilled at being able to sleep in and go window shopping with friends while the other is picking up extra hours at work and doing all night dvd sessions with her friend visits from Seattle.

They all left at 10pm last night to watch a movie at "Raph's" house so that my hubby could have uninterrupted sleep here. It wasn't too long until they were sending me text messages to keep me in stitches even while not at home. Here is what one of them said,

"Terribly sorry, dear mother, but sister seems to have left her telephone inside our lovely home. If you are in need of contacting us for any precarious reason, please call me instead of my dear sister."

Yeah....they are goofy and fun that way.

My brother seems to be healing just splendidly.  He has taken to watching Angel-girl alone now and says he can handle all the aspects of tending to their almost 20 month old blessing without aide until he is fit enough to go back to work.

Mind you, that does not leave me twiddling my thumbs. I have put my hands to use in helping different people and ministries in my church. I have been organizing meals for those in need, being 'Mama Julie' to all who desire and have also been blessed with the pleasure and honor of helping to launch something of a counseling ministry.

I truly am having fun and feeling like I am doing something worthwhile.

For months after we stopped home schooling I felt at a loss of knowing where I was supposed to step next. Then came the year of taking care of my father. Once I came home from that, it was a scary thing to commit to anything and I wanted to hide behind my curtains every day. My heart felt empty and there was nothing to give to anyone. It was only the truth of my belief that got me out of bed every day. Now that empty feeling is gone and I feel my wells filling back up ready to bless and encourage.

Today is Hubby's birthday. Part of me can't help but remember that this time last year I had just gotten home for a quick visit from taking care of Daddy and we were giggling around a table at Claim Jumper celebrating  our time. Daddy had sent me home with money for the dinner so that in his own way he could feel a part of things even though he was so far away. That is the way he was in all things.

Anyway, Hubby and I went to Roadhouse for our favorite yummy salads and of course we couldn't deny the heavenly sweet and warm dinner rolls that our waitress set on our table.  We giggled the evening away and shot peanuts at each other when we thought no one was looking.  When our waitress showed up at the table with co-workers, happy birthday dessert and a song that attracted the whole restaurant Hubby said I was in trouble.  Sure......we shall see.

Our sweet waitress had a story of her own. I got the impression with her first visit to our table that something was amiss and her heart was down. I let her do her thing and then asked her if she was having a good night. She said it was okay. I responded with a smile and a knowing comment of not completely believing her (in love). She then set her notepad down and half looked like she was going to sit down next to me as she opened up about her day.

To some it may have been a day that was of little consequence, but to her it mattered and that means to God it mattered as well. I let her talk it out and gave her the reassurring words that I thought appropriate for the small amount of time she had. She smiled and thanked me and even patted my shoulder as she walked off to the next table. I thought it was amazing that she reached out like that to a stranger and crossed the boundaries of physical touch.

As hubby and I played and ate, I kept asking God if there was anything I could say or do to help her along. Towards the end of the evening she brought us to-go boxes and seemed to hover at our table for an extra second and I knew that was my opportunity. I called her by name and said, "Can I just tell you that you are such a blessing. You have such a tender and soft heart. The very fact that your situation hurts your heart today is a testament to how much compassion you have. You are so amazing and special!"

Had no one ever told her she is special before?
I don't know her background but she stuttered an awkward thank you and then lunged past the table to give me a big hug that lasted a long time as she fought back tears.

Thank You God for the opportunity to share Your love with Haley.

I pray for Your encouraging blessings and presence to be on and around her.

When we got home tonight, Puddin' surprised her dad with a birthday video that she made today in his honor. She said I could share it here so here is the video and a link as well if it ends up that I can't figure Blogger too well.

 Happy Birthday Daddy! 2011

 God bless you today and know how greatly you are loved!

Would You Believe It's Been 21 Years?....

Thursday, October 14, was like any other day for me for the most part. I did things around the house and took care of Daddy. Tia needed a trip to the vet clinic and that gave me a new round of doggie meds to add to the daily routine. I made a quick dinner so that my sister and niece could come over for a visit. A few times I thought about the fact that it was our wedding anniversary but told myself to focus on the task at hand. Hubby sent me nice text messages throughout the day and recorded a goofy sing song video on his phone for me and that gave me a good laugh.

As I closed up the house for the night I heard my phone going off with a call from Hubby but my hands were full with syringes and tubes so I let it ring. Then the house phone rang and I thought, " bless his heart he is persistent today."

He said, "Hi honey. I just wanted to talk to you one more time for real before the day is over. I have a problem though and was wondering if you could help me with it. See, I think every married couple should kiss at least once on their anniversary. Would you please open the door for me and let me in?"

Yes for real! He had secretly made plans a month ago to surprise me. I was in shock! God bless him. He has set up surprises for me many times in all our years together and I have feigned the wool being pulled over my eyes because it was the effort that was special. But wow! This is what it feels like to really be surprised.

Hubby had even made arrangements for my cousins to stay with Daddy so we could get away. He told me to pack a bag because he had a road trip in mind and reservations waiting for us. He knew I had been missing the breeze and serenity of the beach so this was our hotel room view in Corpus Christi.

Oh my goodness what a relaxing time. I let my hair down and felt the tension roll off and away from my shoulders as I sat listening to the warm waters of the Gulf and did some beach combing for seashell treasures.



We spent the next day driving around and laughing at ourselves getting lost numerous times as we wound around the Gulf islands of Mustang and Arnasas. All too soon it was time to head back into San Antonio. My cousins insisted that we not rush home so we spent the following evening walking the River Walk downtown. We rode a tour boat and threw snacks to the resident ducks. Then we grabbed a dinner table next to the water and feasted on the local cuisine.

It was such a wonderful weekend, a weekend that I will treasure for a long time.
Yesterday I took Hubby to the airport and we had to say an all too quick goodbye. All the same, I feel rejuvenated and more focused on the tasks at hand. I am so grateful for the blessings of each day.

And guess what? I am typing this on my brand new laptop that Hubby brought for me!
Yes I am one spoiled lady.

Toys, Games & Time....

I just got off the phone from a visit with my cousin from the back woods of Louisiana. What a wonderful surprise to be able to talk with him. We haven't visited since I was something like 13 years old. Oh my goodness.....the swirl of memories associated with that thought.

And he said the most precious thing to me in his deep southern drawl. (typed in italics because somehow that makes the southern accent more prominent in my mind.) "Do ya know who ya sound like? Ya sound like how she would'a sounded if she had ever owned a northerly accent. And she had an elderly flare to her voice but don'cha talk just with that same soft grace that she always had. Yep ya sound just like Grandmother."
Instantly tears came to my eyes. Sigh....

I dreamed of Grandmother yesterday. Daddy and I were in the sun room doing crosswords and Sudoku puzzles and I fell asleep in my chair. All of a sudden Grandmother was there talking with Daddy. I couldn't hear all they were saying but Daddy asked her how it was that she was able to be sitting there when she had been gone from this world for so long. Her reply was, "I am here because I love you and just because I can."

Then I woke up and Daddy was staring at me and smiling with that parental expression that says, "that's my little girl". It never occurred to me until just now but I wonder if I was smiling or talking or something to warrant his attention. I shared my dream with him and he was touched. Sitting there a few more minutes and the emotion of my dream came so strong that I had to go find a corner and cry.

I am not going to debate the scriptural ramifications of anything here with my dream. I only want to say that I was utterly overwhelmed with how real it all felt.

~~~~~

Daddy is doing well. We went to see his doctor for a check up a couple of days ago. His symptoms are once again disappearing from the chemo treatments and now we are trying to decide if he will begin again this coming Monday or wait one more week. Once he does begin treatment again, we will only do the Xeloda strength at 75%. If he reacts again then we will cut it to a full 50%. It doesn't really mean anything bad to cut the strength of the medication back. It just means that his metabolism doesn't need as much of it as some people.

Daddy's scan came back great and we were really encouraged. Nothing was smaller in size but nothing had grown in size either and there were no new masses. That is really good news and Daddy was relieved. He has been off the chemo for so long now and I know he was silently worrying that it would give the cancer opportunity to advance.

~~~~~

Our quality of time together is changing and growing. Each morning I read to him from a devotional that my brother and sister-in-law sent to us. In the evenings we either fill in more pages of the Father's Legacy journal I bought for him or we listen to Bible audios. Someone had purchased The Word of Promise for Daddy a while back. He has been anxious to listen to it but his little stereo didn't want to accept the mp3 format on the Cd's. Remember the mp3 player I was blessed with last fall in preparation for coming to Texas? I loaded the whole New Testament onto it and we have it plugged into a small docking station that my cousin gave me. He falls asleep to it every time but that is okay. I figure that his spirit hears it all the same and helps to bring him peacefulness.

~~~~~

I have got to be the most spoiled wife in the entire world. Father's Day weekend my husband called me and suggested that I needed to go purchase that coveted e-reader I had been drooling over. He certainly didn't have to tell me twice.


It has taken me a few days to learn the ins and outs of things but I am really enjoying it. I have loaded 18 books onto it so far. Why 18 already? Well because I can. Most of them are free classics that I have always enjoyed and have used them as a learning tool in figuring out my new toy. I have even named it Sir Leonard. Why? Because I can. There is a slot for naming and personalizing the device in the personal profile summary. And the girls and I always name our tech things because we think it is funny.


Well I better get back to my chores. Thank you for sitting with me and having a visit. I pray that you have a blessed and wonderfully loaded destiny filled day of purpose and presence.

post script: It has now been decided that we will wait another 10 days before starting chemo again. So that gives Daddy until July 7th to build up more strength. I will have to see what kinds of things I can cook and tempt him with.

Two Weeks Are Up....

Hubby is on his way home now driving a 14' truck filled with items that Daddy wanted my brother and I to have. I have never been good at "guess-timating" the size of things so I am so grateful we were given the 14' trailer instead of the original 10' that we were thinking would do the job. It was a long day to say the least, because not only was I packing things in bubble wrap but I needed to make sure that the house was still left in functioning and comfortable order. Daddy is still here and that would be so depressing to walk around viewing large empty spaces where items used to be.

How am I doing? I get asked that a lot and my answer is that I am fine. My answer always brings on a barrage of pep talks encouraging me to take care of myself and the slight whispering hinted idea that I can be truthful with whomever is doing the asking. But really I am fine......until I am not. It hits me suddenly even when when I have recently accessed myself in knowing I am fine. Yesterday was one of those days for me. I worked hard at joking around with the others helping out and stayed diligent in focusing on goals. But every now and again a wave would flood up from my heart without warning and I would find a secret corner to breathe.

I truly don't mean to do it but I have found that my mind is clicking away each hour like something of an abacus. I watch Daddy each day and without realizing what I am doing I begin to mentally calculate how well I think he is in comparison to how long I know I can be here. From the very first doctor report a few months ago, the cry of my heart has been that I want to be here....I need to be here. Now the urgency that I feel in picturing myself next to Daddy as he walks away with Jesus is such a consuming emotion. I don't know if it is driven by the fact that he is my daddy or if it is a given spiritual knowledge from God. I am too close to know the difference right now. I want Daddy to be here as long as possible but at the same time I have such a pleading cry that rises up within me saying please don't make me go home and leave Daddy in a hospital bed.

~~~~~~

But enough about that for now. Other things have been going on as well. Daddy has been insistent that we have some fun while here, "because you can only stare at a sleeping old man for so long."

Saturday was my niece's 27th birthday and we all gathered at Magnolia Pancake Haus for a celebration brunch. I took great joy in making a love bag for her. I bought her a bracelet with a remembrance card that talked about the importance of love and family in our hearts and then I filled her gift bags with Hershey's Hugs and Kisses for her to grab whenever she needs a reminder of how much she is loved and York Mint patties because she is "worth a mint".

It was very hard for Daddy to make the trip but he was determined to be there and love on his grand daughter. He ate a healthy sized plate of french toast and bacon and was able to taste a bit of the bacon so that was good.

Here is a picture of my girls with the birthday girl.

We all gathered for Hubby to take a picture of everyone.

The back row is my cousin (the ICU nurse) and her husband,

my step-sister, then myself and Puddin'.

The bottom row is Daddy, my two nieces and Pippin.

After church on Sunday, we took our girls to El Mercado for shopping adventures and souvenir thrills. For their friends they bought the most perfect ......... awe I can't say here because they read it. :-)

But we did get hats.

I fell in love with a classic Austin style cowboy hat

that will be great for my hikes back home.

Puddin' and Pippin picked out hats that suited their styles perfectly

as well and I think they look adorable.

On Monday we spent the day at Sea World. We had fun fun fun....until we were tired of having fun. The best fun of the day for me was a new show they have just started with the beluga whales. It is something of a Sea World meets Cirque de Soleil . There were acrobats jumping off spring boards into the water, belugas and porpoises flipping and parrots and macaws flying back and forth on cue. It was amazing!

Puddin' found a cuddly penguin that quickly became

her forever friend because of his huggability.

Here is Pippin doing a self portrait while she and I

waited for Hubby and Puddin' to get off a roller coaster ride.

I had so much fun taking this picture of Hubby and Puddin'.

At the end of the day we found ourselves at the local bbq specialty to fill up our hungry tummies after all that walking. The place is called Rudy's. To eat there, you simply go up to the ordering bar and choose how what kind and how much meat you want and they carve it for you on the spot and wrap it in butcher paper. Along with your meat you pick out complimentary sides like coleslaw, beans, or peach cobbler. It all gets loaded into a crate for you to carry and you go find a spot to sit on one of the many picnic tables available. Be sure to grab more butcher paper and napkins because they are your plates. huge bottles of Rudy's famous bbq sauce are found at every table so that you can smother your food as much as you want. It was really good and totally hit the spot for satisfying our hunger.

Well, I had better get back to laundry and such. Tomorrow the girls get on a plane to head home and I better make sure they are ready.

Thank you so much for your support and your prayers.

I pray that you have a blessed and purpose filled week full of destiny and love.

Fried Okra....

Time is going by way too fast. This time last week I was making dinner for my group of "adopted" teens while visiting with my sweet sister-in-law and Angel-girl. Next week at this time Hubby will be crossing the California/Oregon border in a moving van towards home and the girls will be flying into Portland International. We have all been working at making visiting and sight-seeing mesh together in the best way possible. Our heads hit the pillows late at night and we try to spring right up in the morning to take advantage of every moment in between errands and such.

See, there is always room for a smile.

Here is Puddin' donning a real Texas style hat

while helping me run errands at the local everything store.

Downtown Culture

A couple of evenings ago, we loaded up the girls and headed downtown for dinner at my favorite locale...Mi Tierra. I love Mexican food! Not only do they do it authentic at this restaurant but the celebration of culture and life in decoration is never tiring to view. Lights, banners, bright colors and pinatas meet the eye everywhere you look as mariachi bands walk around tables offering their musical talents.

The wall Puddin' and Pippin are standing in front of is

a huge banquet hall sized mural at Mi Tierra.

It is filled with portraits of people both famous and un-sung who have

been an influence in San Antonio and Texas at large.

Afterwards we headed over for a stroll along the River Walk (click link for website photos). The combination of warm air, music and lights mixed with the sounds of lapping water as the gondolas drove by. Fragrant flowers and grilled food sat in the air and gave everything such a feeling of "stop and savor this moment". I could have pulled up a chair and sat all night just watching and listening. But we headed home anticipating a restful sleep so we could hit Sea World the next day.

Doctors and Fried Okra

That didn't happen though; I mean the Sea World part. Hubby's shoulder had been bothering him more and more as each day passed and it was getting quite unbearable for him. Because of that, we opted to hold off on Sea World and get Hubby's shoulder looked at. X-rays and a doctor's exam showed he has been having a problem for a while with bone spurs and kept thinking it was arthritis. He was given medicine and strict orders to follow up once back home.

I am learning my way with driving around town now for the most part and realized we would be passing a Cracker Barrel on the way home. Hmmm....Hubby needed food to take his medicine and I didn't have anything prepared at home. Do you see my smile? That is where the fried okra comes into play. I LOVE fried okra but with it being very much a southern style food, I can't get it in the NW. I have never even noticed okra in the produce at home. Shucks, food always tastes better when someone else makes it anyway right? Hubby did a turkey dinner platter and I enjoyed a sandwich with my perfectly seasoned fried okra. If only you could hear my sigh of contentment.

Currently

Today Hubby and girls went with my cousin and niece to experience the awesomeness of Schlitterbahn. In my opinion it is the most amazing water park in north America. If you have opportunity to be even remotely close to it in your travels sometime....you MUST take a day to play at this park. I just know they will be full of stories and laughs tonight.

While they left to splash, Daddy and I headed the opposite direction for a general appointment with his new chemo doctor. His first chemo doc retired, the second was shipped to Iraq and now he was able to meet with this third one today. We discussed the current game plan and made adjustments. He made sure we were well informed and I very much appreciated his attentiveness to our personal thoughts and opinions.

Daddy is doing well with all of the treatment rounds but he is starting to show some signs of wear. He is looking more pale these days instead of resilient. The leaking of his tear ducts is a side affect from one of the chemo meds and the burns on his palms and soles are showing that his body isn't processing quite all of the other chemo medication he is being given. Because of that, it is recommended we hold off a week before starting another regiment. Daddy isn't shying away from the treatments at all but I think he is grateful to hold it at bay just a little too. Maybe it will give him opportunity to store up more energy.

His taste buds are mostly gone and that frustrates him. The tumor in his throat is now small enough for him to swallow food but he can't taste and enjoy most things. All the same, we stopped for a sandwich on the way home just for the experience.

For now I should go but I will write again when opportunity presents itself.
Thank you so much for your support and prayers.
God bless your day with destiny and purpose.

Review......

The first week of being home was a reprieve of sorts. Puddin' was on spring break from school and my family purposed to keep the calendar blank for my sake. During that time I hugged and cuddled a lot with Hubby and girls. I put a few things in order to help me regain familiarity around the house and I chose to ignore other things that will beg for cleaning inspection at a later date.

Birthday Milestone

That week Hubby celebrated his 55th birthday. Daddy had sent a money gift home with me for us to go out and celebrate with so we went to one of our family favorites - Claim Jumpers. As always the food was scrumptious, atmosphere supercharged, and the company memorable.

Our girls were so cheerful with their smiles and stories that kept us entertained. A family friend met us there too and it was his first experience eating the yummy food. We were blessed to be able to share it all with him.

Goodbye to the Truck

Hubby called me one day for a ride home from work. His truck had broken......again. Over the years he has been so patient with jimmy-rigging his vehicle into function. Part of it has been out of financial desperation and part of it because it once belonged to his father. (To clarify...it is not the truck in the above picture. I just liked the nostalgia of the shot.) It is now however beyond the point of being worth fixing. It is hard to let his old Chevy go but we really do need to figure out a replacement.

I am so grateful to my mom and dad letting us use their spare vehicle while we figure out what to do. We have so many youth that are always wanting to hang around so it has been really nice to have the extra seat capacity of their Expedition. The only down side is that it is much too big of a vehicle for Pippin to drive and help me with all of our errands. I sure have gotten used to her extra driving hands. But I am still grateful for the wheels even if I am the sole driver.

Hiking Adventures

One of the things that I sorely missed while being in Texas was going on one of my treasured hikes. Recently we packed up food and friends for a day of exploration along the Historic Gorge Highway. We set our feet to tread around LaTourelle Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Horsetail Falls, Ponytail Falls, and Multnomah Falls. Can I just sigh here? Sigh..................
I never tired of feeling so intimate with God's amazing creative beauty.

LaTourelle Falls

Do you see the tiny colored specs of red and blue

just to the right of the falls?

Those are our kids hiking around.

Bridal Veil Falls

This is one of my favorites that I can sit and breathe in

for hours while getting lost in the quiet nature all around.

Horsetail Falls

Pippin and friend "Jerry" looking like very daring lil' monkeys.

Ponytail Falls

This one is a hike about a mile in from Horsetail.

The hiking path goes behind the falls so it is quite the reward

for those willing to walk up the hill a sort bit.

Those are all our kids exploring the pool area.

Daddy

Rocks at Ponytail Falls

It has taken me a few days to come to grips with Daddy's latest scan results. The scan images show that while the tumors in his esophagus and kidney shrank during our vigilant regime, they also spread to his liver and stomach. There is no more talk of surgery or success from the doctors. Now they only speak of time and comfort.

My first reaction was to cry and coddle with denial. I couldn't comprehend his cancer advancing when we had worked so hard to get him better. I had left him feeling confident. Things played tag races through my mind of what the rest of the year will look like and left me with nothing but fitful sleep for many days.

-I have to pack his house - I have to get all the little doggies up here - The girls need to see him soon - If I pull Puddin' out of school for 2 weeks will it submarine all of her grades - How long do I stay next time - Our oldest daughter is getting married in August - I wanted to forget everything and just get back there to hold him again.
Then I went numb. The slightest thing brought me to tears but I had no concept of understanding any of it.

Now I am snapping out of it to find reason and purpose to my thoughts. Even in the depths, I knew God was with me for I heard Him over and over again saying so. I can't plan out all this is going to happen. It isn't my job or place to do so. My job is to concentrate on this minute. the next minute will take care of itself and doesn't need my attention until it is actually here.