Last Day of Spring Break (sort of)

After being stuck in a blizzard trying to fly out of Colorado, this downpour of rain isn't so bad. Nathan had his practice cancelled, so I had some extra time to put food in the crockpot, clean the kitchen and work on my bible study. I have to prep for the high school lit class I am teaching next week, but, like the kids, it's been hard to get motivated. I've been pretty tired since getting back from our trip, so I guess it's okay for me to use this extra time to recover. The kids and I will probably regret the lack of work that was accomplished in the past couple of days...or not. Sometimes a time of refreshment away from the workload provides just the energy needed to be more productive when we do jump back in. We all hope so!

I ran into my friend Lori at Costco today. She was diagnosed with breast cancer over four years ago. We've been in contact since my diagnosis, but this is the first time I've seen her. It was the second time I've run into her at Costco. I complemented her on her beautiful, shoulder length hair. She smiled and said she's proof hair grows back. I told her I'm enjoying that, too, and am very glad it's not growing back in the tight corkscrew curls she described with her hair. We talked about the importance of living in the today, especially the further away from treatment we get, but it's a good lesson to learn for everyone.

I certainly enjoyed spending time with my family on our trip. I told Becca that even though it was a tiring trip, and we had to battle the weather and long shuttle drives, it was so worth investing in the people in our lives. She was thankful to spend time with her grandpa, aunts, uncle, cousins, and second cousins. Of course, she was a bit overwhelmed when she saw all the extended family converge on our condo the first night. With my Aunt Enie's gift of playing games and a horseback ride to connect with the girls she didn't know, Becca was soon fitting right in. She  was sad to see everyone leave for the airport as our time together came to an end. One nice blessing of having our early morning plane cancelled was we were able to get on the same plane in the afternoon with Nicole. We were the last three to leave the hotel and then the airport. We had time  to connect with my dad and help him get to the right gate that had changed after he checked in. We helped him navigate the way Southwest organizes passengers for boarding and received one final hug from him before he left for Arizona. Since that was also our gate for our flight an ninety minutes later, we were able to enjoy a leisurely lunch and play one of the card games Aunt Enie taught Becca.  Nicole, who had an earlier boarding position than we had, was able to save two seats in her row for us. Such a blessing to have a smooth trip home after the chaos of the day before. It was a great trip, and I am thankful for all the great talks, hugs, memories, songs and laughs we shared during those four days in Colorado.

Posting from Colorado

I had intended to blog about the fun Easter we had, but now it's almost a week later and I have too many other things to say. One thing I wanted to mention is that when Jesus came back and showed Himself to the disciples, the first thing He said was, "Peace be with you." I know, too, that when my eyes are on Him and His word and I'm not overspending my time and energy on cancer blogs and websites, I, too, experience His peace. It's a great reminder as I continue this journey of surviving cancer.

Today I'm in Fort Collins, Colorado. I have been having a great time reconnecting with my extended family, taking long walks and seeing the sun. This morning my sister Patty, my dad and I took a leisurely stroll to the grocery store. Then I took a quicker trip down around Colorado State University and a bit of Old Towne. Then Patty and I walked to New Belgium Brewery where my brother, John, works. My aunt Enie, dad, and some other family met us there, and John gave us a fun tour. After eating a delicious spinach salad for lunch, I took another walk to see if I could find a book light. Even though I was unsuccessful in my shopping, I cannot ask for nicer scenery or weather. On one of my walks, I even got to chat with Walt back home via phone. Becca went with the rest of our family to take a horseback ride in Estes Park. They stopped at a few shops and had lunch on the way home and haven't gotten back yet. I'm eager to hear how her day went.

On the Thursday before I left for Colorado, I thought I had a 9 a.m. appointment for Herceptin. After battling traffic and rushing for my appointment, I got there only to discover that my appointment was switched to noon, and I needed to see the doctor, too. After a bit further investigation, I discovered the mis-communication happened when I wasn't aware that Dr. Kohn wanted to check in with me after my Echo and I should have picked up a revised schedule the last time I was in the hospital. So, I had to rearrange my day to get kids to their lit co-op and a backup plan for Becca's horseback lesson in case I couldn't make it back in time. I went home for a few hours to help the kids with school and get a few things done and returned for my second trip to the hospital.

Dr. Kohn explained that the result of my echo wasn't worrisome. My baseline echo showed an ejection fraction of 60-65. My previous echo saw a drop to 55. This recent echo had a range of 55-60. She thinks it's probably a normal range of my heart, especially since I haven't experienced any other side effects of heart problems. So, that should be the final echo I'll need to undergo. My next Herceptin is April 26, which I'll do along with my mammogram. Then I have one Herceptin and doctor visit in May, and my last Herceptin and doctor visit is on June 7th! That date is one week prior to the year anniversary of my first chemo treatment. After my mammogram hopefully comes out clear, and I have nothing else worrisome, I will be asking Dr. Kohn when I can get my port removed. For the most part, the port hasn't been a problem, but it does prevent me from swinging a golf cub or tennis racket. I look forward to doing both of those sports again.

Becca and the gang just got back from Estes Park. She had a fun time on a chestnut and white horse named Lakota. Her aunt Sue bought her a new Estes Park sweatshirt. She's looking tired but happy. Everyone filled the room with stories of their horses and which ones wanted to eat or was too slow or was just perfect. I'm running out of battery right now, so I'm going to wrap up this latest report. My cousin Kevin is sitting on the couch with me, and my other cousin Joe came in to watch the last half of the Wichita State Louisville basketball game. I think I'll be social now and help with dinner prep.