Possibly Settled?

We have moved again...this house is a rental house that won't be for sale! It is a four BR with a mother-in-law apartment. Just right for all of us.

Let me just say that moving stinks. I cannot stand it. But each time we move, I have dumped more and more of my stuff, so now I am actually getting to the point where the next move won't be so bad. I hope we don't have to move again for a long, long time! We all like it here.

The Christmas decorations just went up, Thanksgiving is a wonderful memory and we are looking forward to being settled in for the winter.

No snow so far this year, but that can change in a hurry!

MRI Time Again

Another MRI, this time we weren't very worried, but there is still a nervous time just before we go. The wait for the MRI was a little longer, but we don't mind--we both usually take the day off, so time doesn't matter so much.

The MRI was good. The doctor was pleased and came in to tell us about it. He said the cancer looked the same, no changes. This time he didn't say it was shrinking, but no change is fine, too!

He said he would see us in 6 months!

A House...or Not.

We finally found a house! We have been looking for months and have not been very successful in finding anything that works for the six of us.

The house was just what we were looking for. Our lease would start the 1st of September. The landlord still had a contract with a Realtor to sell the house, but that would end on Aug 31. It had been for sale for over 2 1/2 years and had never had an offer. No one had looked at it for months, so the landlord decided to rent it instead.

He told us we could move in before the 1st. Since no one had looked at it for a few months, he figured no one would be interested during the last few days of the contract. So we moved in a few days earlier than September 1st, just to get a jump start. We moved in on a Friday night and knew we would love living there! The very next day, the house showed. And Sunday it sold.

We were stunned! So before we even got unpacked, we had to start looking again. Fortunately, the sale wasn't going to close until November, so at least we had a little time to look. Oh, my.

A New Job

I was offered a new job and I took it! I cannot believe the difference that it makes to have a job you LOVE as opposed to one you do because you can.

The office I used to work for had around 18 employees and 3 Optometrists. Now I work in a very small office with one doc and one other employee. It is amazing, challenging and fun. My coworker and I have to know how to do everything in the office, so it keeps our skills sharp. But the fun is, the things I don't like very well are things she loves to do, and the things she hates, I like to do. The doctor is young, but very fair, compassionate and encouraging as a boss.

It is like a breath of fresh air to go to work every day!

Lexi!

Lexi is born! She is a real sweetie and we can already tell she will be calmer than Jaxon! It is so fun to have a baby girl in the family!

Crazy Times

We were all packed and ready to move out of the house...and nowhere to go. It was a time to trust that God would do some kind of work and there would be a house for us. But it didn't happen. I have been a believer long enough to know that God does not always answer with a miracle! We were waiting to be guided, but did not get any tips, hints or ideas. So we got a storage unit and moved all our things in, except the most necessary.

Justin and I had a friend with a small empty house. She was getting ready to rent it, but said we could stay for a few days or weeks. It was too small for all of us, so the others went to live with the other Grandma. It was not the best plan for any of us, but it was a roof (or two!) over our heads.

Moving Again

The rental home we live in was sold and we have to find somewhere else to live. It has been quite hard to find a place that is suited to our special needs.

Jason found a house and we were negotiating a contract sale. Everything seemed to be going along normally, but yesterday at the very last second, the seller decided "I think I can do better." The deal was off. So here we are with 24 hours to get out of the rental and nowhere to go. We have looked at so many places, and for one reason or another, they don't work.

This is one of the times in life when you wonder what God is doing. In our hearts and heads we know He is in control, loves us and provides for us. But the waiting is really hard. Do we put everything in a U-Haul and take it to a storage unit and bunk with friends, or do we put everything in a U-Haul and sit in the driveway waiting for direction from God? Because at this time, there is nothing in our plans...and we don't want to have to live in a cardboard box!

Stay tuned for the next chapter, which will probably be all about how God came through with something great at the last second...

Unexpected News

Justin's doctor wanted to see another MRI with the new MRI instrument. He said there was a change, but he wanted to "compare apples to apples" before he made any comments. So for three long months we waited, wondering what the next MRI would reveal.

His appointment was set up for 6:50 AM, two hours from home. Ugh. It is so hard to get up that early in the morning. And it is hard to sleep the night before. Too many questions on your mind. You have to prepare your head and heart to hear the worst. Or not. Tammy, Jason and Jaxon went along to support Justin and to have a day out of town before the baby comes in July.

The MRI went well, then we walked over to the Radiology Oncology clinic. They got us in right away. Since we thought the news might not be very good, we were all a little nervous. The resident doctor saw Justin first, and did the usual neurological tests that we have come to expect. Then he said he had seen all the scans and since Justin's radiation treatments, the brain cancer seemed to have shrunk, just a little bit. He cautioned us that he was not Justin's doctor, so we would have to wait to see what the doctor had to say.

Justin's doctor came in right away, then shook all of our hands and started right in. "The scan looked good. It is a slow growing tumor, but it is actually slowly shrinking, not growing." He went on to explain the same thing the resident had told us, that the radiation had caused the cancer to stop growing and it was actually getting smaller.

We were just stunned. We never knew this was an option. We thought the radiation would kill some of the cancer cells, but it would continue to grow. We all sat there looking at each other and then started asking questions. The doctor said he was very pleased and felt very comfortable recommending Justin's next MRI would be in 6 months, instead of the usual three.

It is amazing, wonderful and awesome news! To God be the glory!

A Year of Stable Reports

Today marks the one year anniversary of Justin's last radiation treatment! It has been such a blessing to watch him live a normal life for the last year. We are so thankful for the doctors, nurses, and other staff that have treated us wonderfully along this tough road.

The last MRI showed that the cancer is still stable. It was a new MRI instrument, so the images are a little different. He goes back in April to have another one because the doctor wants to compare two images from the same instrument. We are OK with that.

If the next images show no change, then it will be 5 or 6 months until the next one, instead of the usual 3. What a blessing!

It's a GIRL!

There are so many boys in our extended family that it has become a fun thing to tease about. Girls don't come along very often. My parents have 9 grandsons and only 2 granddaughters. However, now that the boys are grown and getting married, the numbers are beginning to even out...and that is happening with my little family, too!There will be a GIRL born into our family in July 2010. We are having fun getting used to the idea!

Big Snow

This has been a very snowy, icy winter. Almost everyone I know is just sick of it. But I don't feel that way at all. I love snow. I even love ice, as long as I don't have to drive on it! It is beautiful, fresh and clean.

We have had blizzards, snow pellets, freezing rain, ice fog, sleet, rain, fog, frost, hoar frost, rime frost and who knows what else the last month! It has been breathtaking and interesting.

I'm not sure why I love winter. I really don't love the cold or the wind chill. I guess it is mostly the beauty and the weather tracking that I like. But I do know that winter ALWAYS brings in the spring. Winter is the birthing pains, spring is the birth. Watching winter unfold is a sign. A sign that spring will come. And that just makes me happy.

I have a cousin in Washington State. She has crocus already, and her tulips and daffodils are emerging. It's less than 2 weeks until Ground Hog's Day, then 6 weeks of winter or less. Enjoy the snow--spring is coming!