Happy New Year. We're going to our favorite hot spot to celebrate

Hi folks:

Well, our New Year's Even hot spot is a charm, as this is the third time in a row that we've gone there. Well, different rooms, but same party type. Jim does his partying intravenously. I've kicked the habit. We drink from a pink plastic pitcher with styrofoam. We pour it into clear plastic cups marked with the millimeters so we know how much we're consuming. When we're really in the mood, we go into the "party" room and get some jello. It's kind of like jello shots. Okay, okay I'm done. ;)

This will be our third time celebrating the new year in the hospital. I think if I were to have to host a party or spend the night at the hospital, I would pick the hospital. :)

Happy New Year everyone.

Us

Christmas, New Years, The Rest of our Lives

Hi Everyone:

Christmas was good. I suppose I should report that it was the best Christmas ever. And it was. Even if it didn't feel like it was throughout it all.

Happy New Years. I suppose I should hope that it will be the best New Year ever. And maybe it will be. Even if it doesn't feel like it through it all.

Which leads me to the movie Groundhog Day. I feel like I am living it in a reversed order. Allow me to explain.

As the monotony of "Phil's" life plays havoc on his emotions, his forecast to Rita goes something like, this... "it will be cold and gray, and it's going to last you for the rest of your life."

The monotony continues over and over. The same day over and over and over, for months, possibly years, until Phil has an emotional/mental ephiphany that leads him to say, "When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter."

Jim's in the hospital. He has bronchitis. It happened that fast. Another hospital stay. Another co-pay. Another day.

After everything we have been through, and despite seeing God's love and his hand on our lives, I feel like the beginning of the movie. I feel bleak and bereft of hope of anything other than the monotony of a life of nothing but care taking. And it feels like it "will be cold and gray and it's going to last me the rest of my life."

Pray for Jim. Pray for me. Pray for the rapture or something.

Happy Birthday to Jim

Good Evening all:

Today is Jim's 48th Birthday. I am humbled and so thankful to be celebrating this day with my husband. The last few weeks, I have been blown away by the thought of it.

We did something normal for the first time in I can't even begin to tell you. We went to lunch and saw a movie. It's the first movie, in I can't even begin to tell you. We saw the Blind Side. We both enjoyed it so much. It made me cry, but it was a good cry.

Sure Jim was in pain, but he's asking the Lord to help him enjoy some things through the pain. :) He hopes to continue to make the mental decision to do this, so he's not a prisoner of bed. He really misses attending church. He misses his guys groups, so please pray that he would be able to attend things like this. He needs some type of fellowship REALLY bad, so please join us in praying for this. We still ask God for his COMPLETE healing each and every day. We wish he could go to his group on Weds mornings and on Sundays. We wish he could go to work again. We still think of getting him an electric cart, but I'm not sure how we would even get it in the car to go out. So, keep praying for Jim.

I plan on teaching Ephesians starting this January, so please pray for me and protection from the enemy as I start planning my lessons. If you would like to attend, e-mail me. I would like to have you join us. As I tell all the ladies in the group, we (ESPECIALLY ME) don't go to the bible study as bible scholars, but we do attend to become bible scholars, so COME AND JOIN US. But you'll have to accept the fact that my sister insists that she's the TEACHER'S PET. Hmmmmm.

Well, I bought Jim the Waltons, season 1 and 2. So, we're going to watch some TV right now.

Talk to you soon.

Us

Remember last year

Hi Everyone:

Well, the Christmas card idea isn't going so well, and I have the nicest cards this year, too. They even match some present that I got for folks....3 YEARS AGO, but hey...I was busy.

Which reminds me of why I decided to post. To say thanks....again.

Last year at this time, amazingly, Jim went from "mostly dead all day" to "feeling like crap from chemo...again" But the chemo was shrinking, and Stem Cell kits were being sent out, and we had no idea what to expect about a Stem Cell Transplant, and 2 very scared people spent their pre Christmas days alone. But we weren't alone. You were there, praying for us, sending us pj's, lighted christmas trees, ornaments, cards, candy, baskets, etc. I felt so much love and support, and it makes me cry when I think of it. Thank you so very much for loving us. We needed it. We still do. And we still thank you. We have the best family, friends and church in the world. Thank you Jesus for your many blessings. Our cup runneth over.

Just like last year, John and Leah are going to be spending Christmas with us again this year. Like last year, I hope I don't puke on them, and have to kick them out of the "Inn." LOL. Sorry guys. Had to go out with a laugh, to dry up these fast flowing tears.

Gloria

Gloria

The rest of the story

Hi Everyone:

Paul Harvey here. Just kidding.

Well, as I said, Jim is still cancer free. So, I asked the question. "Doc, as we get further and further away from the Stem Cell Transplant, are the chances greater or lesser for the cancer to return. Without missing a beat, all 3 of them said, "Oh, the odds get better and better the further you get away with no recurrence. The head of the team said, "I would find it unlikely at this point that the cancer would even return. I think we almost fell over on the inside. Now, they are usually super positive, but we'll take that.

Funny thing is we've been trusting the Lord day by day, but it was reassuring to hear that from the Doc. I guess because God didn't shout the same thing down from heaven. Odd that human reassurance can warm the heart, while often my heart would tremble while "trusting" in God. Hmm... More to think of. But not tonight. Tired.

Speaking with a wife of another surviver, her words are "Now, the hard part comes." Living with pain, bad blood, no friends, selling your house, moving to condo, no sun, blah blah blah. Yeah, it's hard. But it would have been harder living without my Jim. I'll take him over everything.

We are not even close to figuring out how to live this new life, so please keep praying for us.

Oh me. What happened?

Well, we went to breakfast, and I told Jim I would take my vitamins during breakfast, so he put them in my purse. Well, he put his meds in my purse, too. Now I know my container is pink and his blue, but I wasn't thinking and I grabbed his and swallowed the first handful, and went for the second handful, when I spit them out cause I didn't recognize that blue pill. That's when I discovered I took the methadone. I went to the bathroom and tried to throw it up. Couldn't do it. (wish I had. I ate a big breakfast. ;) Anyway. I took a butter knife in and again, tried, to no avail. We called the NIH, they called the Poison Center, but we missed their call. They didn't think I needed to go to the hopt., but they wanted us to get a hotel and stay close cause I was going to get sick. Well, boy was that an understatement. I was soooooooooooooo sick. Poor Jim had to drive, and he was worn out. In Breezewood, Jim had to walk me to the WC. The world was spinning. I threw up buckets, and it was just nasty. It actually took 48 hours for me to feel normal again. Had I took 2 pills, which is what Jim used to be on, I would have had to have had my stomach pumped. I could have died. So. that's all there was too that. What a way to celebrate.

Jim's dentist appt was a bit scary. The chemo has weakened his teeth, and the GVHD of the mouth (he has GVHD of the mouth in case I didn't mention it) causes less saliva. With less saliva, the bacteria isn't being washed away and in 2 months, he has 2 teeth that have really bad decay. The dentist feels he can save them, but if the weakened state from chemo and the GVHD continue, well, ....you know.

(Maddy, heads up there, for Sam in the teeth department)

Well, I had really hoped to get Christmas cards out this year with a very long thank you to many people, but that isn't going to happen again. As I said. We're just trying to figure out how to live this life. It's very weird/odd. And I'm scared and tired and often confused. But please don't think I don't love you and wish you a Merry Christmas.

Love us

Me. Well,

great news, short form

Hi folks:

Jim's PET scan is clean as a whistle - more info to come.

I took Jim's medicine by mistake - METHADONE. Jim had t drive home, I'm puking, dizzy, still sick, so pray for me - more info to come.