Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Not much to update

That is always good - right? Nothing new. John's lab work was great this week and he is feeling good. His swelling is gone from his feet and blood pressure has been normal every day. His cyclo taper is going good. One night he did have rapid heart beat and low blood pressure. But, it passed and he has been fine. He has realized that he might not be able to walk a half marathon this summer though. His feet killed him at Disneyland so we will probably start with a 5K and see how it goes.

For some reason these past few days I have been thinking a lot about our journey these past 18 months. This has definitely been the longest 18 months of my life! Everything about our lives has changed. Although John is doing great, no signs of cancer, GVH or infections, we still have a different daily life. From lysol wiping all 3 bathrooms every day, making sure John does not eat any food older than 2 days, making sure he gets his right meds (only twice a day now), wearing his mask whenever out in public . . . I have just been counting our blessings and so grateful for all we have, for how the Lord has watched over us. I have never in my life felt so close to my Father in Heaven. I KNOW he has been mindful of us and been watching me and blessing me. He knows what I need. My testimony has grown a ton and I have grown closer to my Savior. There were times when I honestly did not know if John would make it off of East 8 at LDS Hospital alive, there were times, I knew he would :) There have been times I have not cared a single bit about the cleanliness of my house or homework getting done and times I have been way overly compulsive with all that. There have been nights I have cried myself to sleep because I was so scared and nights I cried myself to sleep because I was overwhelmed with blessings. Miracles do happen, the Lord is real. We don't know how much longer John has on earth. But as far as cancer the further out he goes the better. In the beginning I had an impression John would make it through this just fine. And I think of that all the time. Although I do not wish this on anyone, I would not trade what I have learned for anything.

Monday, March 3, 2014

California . . .

First of all John is doing really well.  He had another cold that hit him hard and he held on to it for several weeks.  We weren't even sure if we would be able to go on our trip. But we did :) We had been waiting for blood test results to see if his cancer was trying to come back and gratefully that came back normal and looks like his body is still fighting the cancer just fine!! It kept us very much on edge while waiting the 7 days for those results though. John is loving teaching voice and is now I believe at 14 students - I told him NO MORE! But he loves it so much. And it is nice having a little more of an income to pay off bills and also for this bedroom we are still working on adding upstairs.

And yes - John finally got to go more than 45 minutes from LDS Hospital! It was an amazing trip. We did everything we wanted to and loved every minute of it. He bought a week of John's parents time share so it was super nice to stay in a 3 bedroom "condo".  We had plenty of room.

We drove our on Saturday February 22. We drove to my cousins house in LA for his sons birthday party. It was fun to visit with family and for the kids to get a break and run around. So we didn't get to the hotel until like 9 pm. We were so so tired and ready to be out of the car. Sunday we pretty much spent all day at the beach :) we met my sister and had lunch and the kids played and played and got super sandy. Then we went back and swam in the pool too. Monday was a family day at Disneyland. We surprised the kids and met our best friends from Sacramento for dinner at Rainforest Cafe. It was so fun. Tuesday John took a break and stayed at the hotel and rested his swollen feet. The kids and I had a fabulous time at Disneyland and met the Crans for a while too. Wednesday John was able to take Abby and Michael to the San Diego temple. They loved it. Then the Crans came and we all went to the beach and took pictures. Then John and Erick went golfing. Linzi and I took all the kids to the pool for a few hours. We had dinner and then went back to the beach to play and watch the sunset. Thursday we were back at California Adventure. It was a perfect day and we met my Aunt and cousin B for a while too. It was a long day and John was so exhausted. Friday was supposed to be a beach day, but it was raining all day. We played in the pool and I took the kids to see the Lego movie - they loved it - I did not :) Then we had dinner with the Crans and played for a while. And then Saturday we just did not want to leave. So, we went to the pool for a while and waiting for the last minute possible to check out :) It was a long drive home and we did not get home until 1:30 am. But every thing was worth it.

We REALLY needed the break and family time together. The kids were really good and it was the perfect time to go. Disneyland was not too busy. All our kids could go on every ride. The kids took their own backpacks and carried their sweatshirts, water, snacks. lunch. It was fabulous. John had the disability pass so we were able to walk on the rides through fast pass or the exit. We did over 10 rides 2 times! The kids loved it. We let the kids stay up late every night!!! They were exhausted. Honestly, I can't wait to go again.
John was very protected at the beach :)

YAY - day 1 at Disneyland. 

Family Beach picture.

John and I.