Another PET scan

Okay, so the good news first: I had a PET scan on Monday of last week and got the results on Thursday. GOOD news! Everything is shrinking. At a pretty quick rate. If this keeps up, there will be NO need for surgery! Hurrah!!!!

And I said, good news first, like there was bad news. There is no bad news, so that is good news, too! I have continued to ride the roller coaster of good days, bad days but I guess that is to be expected. It is frustrating not to be able to plan anything ahead of time because we aren't sure how I am going to be feeling, so we are grateful to see good results and know that this is all working and accomplishing what we want.

Overall, it has been a good month for our family. The kids have had lots of fun with cousins as the pictures below show. And, this weekend, to celebrate my good results and because Rick starts work on Monday morning, we drove over to San Diego spur of the moment to spend a day at the beach. Thanks to Jon and Megan for letting us just come jump on their weekend. We had a great day at the beach! I hope to get some pictures up from the beach at some point. But, it was a glorious, beautiful day. The kids and Rick played on the beach and in the water all afternoon while I got sun-burned on the sand, watching them and reading -- just relaxing!

Rick, Caleb and Emma ready to watch the Sharks 3D movie at the Science Center.

Abby and Emma at the Science Center.

A group of cousins with us at the Science Center.

Jacob, Caleb and McKay doing Rock Band 2. It was noisy and fun.

The Grass is Always Greener

Why is it that we want something other than what we have?

When we lived in Texas, we missed Trader Joes, but now that we are in Arizona, we want HEB back (okay we DID know we would miss it but, darn them for being so great!). When my sister sees dead deer on the side of the road, she says, “Why did you have to think the grass was greener on the other side? Why couldn’t you have just stayed where you are?” I say there are never enough hours in the day to get things done, but when I can’t sleep after a chemo treatment I get discouraged about not sleeping instead of using that time to be productive. My daughter has the body I always wanted (those LONG beautiful legs), but I stress about finding clothes that fit and are modest and cute for her ultra-thin body.

You get the idea.

Today, this cute cute body (in the above picture) that I love so much put on an apron and wanted to make herb rolls with me for dinner. I was thrilled. This little person is someone who pops over to visit several times a day from next door and I adore her! Today, she measured, stirred and mixed and then kneaded away until the dough was ready.

The ironic part: HER mom was making bread next door and she was not interested in helping her at all. MY kids were watching “Herbie: Fully Loaded” and weren’t interested in helping ME at all, but I am sure if they knew Aunt Karson was making bread next door, they would have thought it was fun to help her.

Regardless, fun, cute Gracie – I love her. I did NOT feel good after chemo today – this was a hard day. And she brought a little sunshine into my life.

Happy 4th of July!

Our Fourth of July celebration started waaaayyy too early. The ward had a breakfast/parade/flag ceremony that started at 7:00am. The kids got up at 6:00 to decorate their bikes, then off to the church to we went.

Here is a picture of Emma and her friend Maddy. It has been so nice for the kids to already know people here from last year. It has definitely made the transition a little easier.

Here is Caleb with two friends: Tyler and Josh.

Stopping in the "parade" long enough for me to get a picture.

Our patriotic puppy: mad because we wouldn't let him join the parade. He was thrilled with all the kids there!

Later in the day, we swam and had fun. Brady and Berta came over and Polly and Ken. The trampoline ring became a "sparring" ring. The funniest part about it was the audience on the side. The little girls lined up chairs to watch (just like fair maidens), then they were joined by the younger boys, as well.

Emma had a bit of a rough day, physically, though. Early in the day, I got to watch her racing down the street on a scooter (with Dobby attached to the handlebars by his leash) and do a flip in the middle of the road -- landing on her head and sliding on her knee. Ouch! Then, later, while swimming, she flipped off the diving board and hit her back. MORE ouch! Then, as soon as she recovered from that, she and Rick were playing and she bent her fingers back and couldn't use her hand the rest of the day. When it still hurt this morning and had some black and blue and swelling, we were worried that it was broken, so we took a quick trip to the urgent care. Thank goodness, it was okay. She got to see x-rays for the first time and was fascinated by the whole thing.

Overall, it was a fun day. And we are happy that it didn't end with a cast on a hand. Not swimming or playing the piano for 6 weeks were thoughts she couldn't bear.

Today Feels Like Friday, but I Know Sunday Will Come

Yesterday was a hard day and it went on a lot of the night. I learned yesterday afternoon that a friend from last summer had passed away yesterday morning. This man is one who came to be treated by Dr. Lodi also. I fell in love with Tom and Dana as a couple. They were my age, full of life and enthusiasm and spunk. You rarely see people as in love as these two! They loved each other, their kids and just being a family. It has been hard to think about Tom passing away. I had just recently learned that he wasn't doing well and I know he was in a dreadful amount of pain. There has been many tears and much introspection. I wish I could just fly up to Colorado and give Dana a big squeeze. I love Dana with all my heart.

I have been trying not to wonder why there has to be so much pain in life sometimes. I only know that through this all I have been so grateful for the One who can help us through it. I am grateful for the timeliness of this message that the Church put on their website only this week. I have watched it several times in the last 24 hours, including early morning hours when I should have been sleeping, but my heart was aching instead. The resurrection has become so much more real for me in the last year. I am grateful for the Savior, for His Gift. I know that someday I will have two legs to kneel at my Savior's feet to thank Him for all He has done. But I will not let that stop me from kneeling with one leg today. Today, I need to remember to be grateful to be with MY family and to be alive. I am truly grateful for the knowledge that if I can be worthy, I can be with my family forever.