More blessings!

Long story, but another church we are not even affiliated with gave us a card with a large amount of money in it... the name is APEX. It was through someone Ron knows in his job that they heard about us... WE WERE SHOCKED!!! Plus, a couple of ladies from that church came and cleaned my house a couple of days later!

Ron also cut down a tree for a neighbor, who paid him well... not as much as was required by a tree company (of course, Ron didn't want that much), but it made it possible for Ron to buy a long desired item... a laptop! It sure looks scary to watch him climb up in trees and do this type of job... I don't always watch him, because I think it would just make me a nervous wreck. He hasn't been doing this side job really since he has been out of the hospital. It is hard work, and he doesn't want to push himself too far... but, he's been eating healthy and exercising, and I must applaud him for that! Now, I need to join him :-)

Then, our church stopped by one day with... MORE GROCERIES!!! We are definitely NOT starving!!!

We had a very Merry Christmas! Faith loved her guitar, and Charity her violin, and Hope the wrapping paper... HA! They got a beautiful dollhouse and other gifts from Mimi, different little toys from Grandma, an outfit from Aunt Pam, candy from Aunt Rachel, etc. They had lots of fun!

AAAAAUGH!!!

Last year, it was some groceries but a mountain of presents (thanks to Kenwood Bible Methodist, Wesleyan Evangelistic Church, and especially an enormous amount from Grace United Methodist... I mean that church did something I have never seen!!! It took DAYS to open all of those presents!!!). This year, it is GROCERIES, and I am not talking about a few bags or a couple of boxes, I mean, I could invite my whole church over and just feed mac-n-cheese, and I think everyone would get filled!!! I am trying to find room for all the food, cleaners, detergent, and everything... guess what church did this?! THANK YOU, FRANKLIN BIBLE METHODIST CHURCH!!! What can I say?! ...but, thank you so much for caring about our family and doing this for us!!! Now, I want to know who my spy was!!! How did you know what size diaper Hope wore... how did you know what foods we liked... how did you know I was out of some of those things??? My children think they are in Heaven, I think... I mean, they absolutely LOVE mac-n-cheese!!! AND... the CHOCOLATE... oooh, that is my weak spot!!! Those fattening little truffles are nearly GONE ALREADY!!! MMMMM!!!! Well, I need to go find places for all of my goodies... any volunteers to help put it all away... I can make you lunch... he he!

A Merry Christmas from ours to yours!

Our princess, Faith, and our little love, Charity... this photo was paid for by my friend, Trisha Perkins, while she was watching my girls the last weekend Ron was in the hospital.

Our Little Hope

This is a picture of a picture taken at Walmart (the burgandy stripes are from my comforter on my bed). I know think you are not supposed to copy pictures taken by professional photographers... does anyone know if this violates that?

Ron's hair is growing back... but, it looks blond and is very soft.

A Good Night's Sleep

Although Charity still had that runny nose, we mananged to sleep quite well last night (I think too well for Charity... she had an accident), and without cold medicine (read previous post), and I was very glad not to be kept up all night.

The girls have been "reading" books, playing David and Goliath (I think that is why one is a "giant"), and eating cereal. I was trying to get the house cleaned for Saturday's celebration and strip the girls' bedding. I stop to get on the computer, and Charity climbs on my lap, and I realize how wonderful it is to have such precious little people... I have been overly stressed lately and not always felt so thankful, but I really am blessed. I love my runny-nosed, mess making, "Mommy, I need you" calling, "I can to do it by myself" crying, beautiful little girls. I am proud to be their "Mommy Lion." If this doesn't make sense to you, that is because you don't live here :-)

Milestones

Sooo excited to announce that Faith has begun to read!!! She is only 4! She is learning to sound out blends, and surprised me a couple of days ago when she read her first 3 letter word. I felt proud to be able to teach her that important step!

Ron has been back to work since Monday. I felt sorry for him last night. He came home from work, ate, went to do some business, then went to the church board meeting, then visited with me, brushed Faith and Charity's teeth for bed, gave them a drink of water, then... what do you think happened?! Faith and Charity were waking up off and on ALL NIGHT!!! Come 4 something in the morning, I HAD ENOUGH... I was VERY frustrated!!! I gave them a little cold medicine with antihystamine in it... and, finally, they fell asleep for several hours... which was nice for me because I nearly felt ill with exhaustion... but, it was too late for Ron. He had to leave for work. I am sure he will be ready for a nap when he gets home. The girls are in such better moods now that they have gotten some rest. Charity has had a cold, but I am not sure what was up with Faith. Glad I got some rest... I am in a much better mood, too :-)

Charity is doing FANASTIC with potty-training now!!! She occasionally has an accident, but she is basically finished with the training!!!

My little Hope turns ONE this Saturday! Can you believe it?!

I had been searching for several days for my cell phone (I had let Hope play with it when it turned up missing), and finally found it yesterday. I searched high and low, and I even went out in the rain yesterday and went through our trash dumpster thinking somehow it could have gotten thrown away... it was really gross (baby diapers are never fun to rummage through), I searched about everywhere I could think of. Then, yesterday, knowing how the girls like to play in closets, I searched through mine. I had put a laundry basket of nicely folded linens in my closet, and I could see that several articles were on the floor... so the girls HAD been in there messing around. I dug through it, and REJOICED when I spotted the familiar little pink cell phone! I felt like calling everyone I knew... then, I thought about it...
You know those Scriptures about the lady who lost the coin and she was searching EVERYWHERE until she found it, then she rejoiced!
Isn't it wonderful to know that God searches for us that way! He wants us sooo badly! He will even dig through the trash! Isn't that beautiful!
Ron pointed something else out to me. If people really want God bad enough, they will seek Him with all their hearts... they will go all out!
I love it when Scriptures seem to CLICK in a new way. It brought tears to my eyes thinking about how badly God wants us... He isn't ready to throw us away! Praise God!

Two posts in one day...whew!

Well, what happened to Hope was... well, how do I explain it... um, the older girls were playing "manger scene" (Faith was Mary, Charity was Joseph, and poor little Hope was being forced to be Baby Jesus). Well, Baby Jesus was not appreciating "his" mangers, and I kept getting after the girls to leave Hope alone. For some reason they got into the closet with her, and in the process, smashed two of her fingers badly... I was very angry with "Mary" (She wouldn't let me call her Faith for a while) for hurting "Jesus." I became an evil ruler ready to show my power... don't worry, they didn't have to escape Bethleham. Her fingers should be okay, but it did take some skin off, and they are still red, and a little sensitive... we'll see how they look tomorrow.

Anyway, I didn't tell you that I made myself a camo skirt, face covering, and part of a shirt yesterday... bought the cheapest material I could find in Walmart, which happened to be flannel, so I was very happy that it should be warmer than the other nicer looking camo material. I am NOT a seamstress, but I like to try stuff now and then... been working on a quilt, too, but it certainly is NOT professional... I am just kind-of throwing it together and hoping for the best... It is tough to do when one had three children four years and under.

Did I mention how many baths I had to give today?! It has been a very messy day. Between potty-training accidents and baby with "stuff" going up her back, and speghetti being eaten very messily (is that a word?), and the routine daily baths, I think my children should be the cleanest in the state.

Why, oh, why, do I feel so frustrated with my children that I have to apologize, but then when they are sleeping, I just want to squeeze them. You should have seen how cute they were earlier. They fell asleep on the computer chair, and their heads were together, and well, I just had to have a picture... do any other moms have this thing going on? One moment you just can't figure out how they can be, well, so... ummm, baby-ish... why can't they get along without complaining that so-and-so is in their chair, has their toy, is in their way, you know what I mean? Then, the next moment they are like angels... kissing, hugging, telling you how great you are, how they want to be good all the time, how excited they are about Heaven, how they love Jesus, wanting to help do "jobs" in the house, playing church, entertaining the baby (without stuffing her in a box... I mean, manger), and just awesome to have around. I'm sure I did the same to my mom... it was just one of those days here.

It is almost midnight, and Hope is awake. Not sure what the problem is, but she is having trouble going to sleep and staying asleep tonight. I did let her drink some cow's milk the last couple of days (I still nurse her, I was just experimenting to see how she would like it), I am not sure if it settles well with her... sure hope that Hope ;-) goes to sleep soon!

Ron is planning to go back to work Monday!!! Can you believe it!? Fatigue will probably be the biggest issue. He got his central line out Tuesday, and, I guess all his counts are doing well. He should have his next PET in a couple of months.

Christmas at the Cooks

Well, since I just left a massive comment on my friend's blog, I realized that I could share some fun information with you all.

First of all, our house got decorated for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving this year. The children have been having way too much fun with the tree... It is probably not something you would ever see in a catalog... just fun for the kids.

Planning to only get each child two things for Christmas... they don't need anything really, but my two older children have been praying for something. Faith has been earnestly praying for a guitar... pink, at that! Charity is praying for a violin. Well, Faith's guitar and Charity's toy violin are proudly being hidden in my closet. I am a little disappointed in the guitar, as it has a crack in the paint around the neck and looks like it would be pretty easy for a pre-schooler to break... but it is pink and 25 inches, and rather cute... now I need to get it tuned. I found both items online. Hope's is getting a musical octopus and a classical music CD for babies. Charity is also getting a set of Berenstein Bears books that I ordered from Focus on the Family. Faith WAS going to get finger paints, but I let them use them today... oops! I was hoping to preoccupy them while I cleaned their room. (I am getting rid of some more toys and clothes, and don't want them to mourn their disappearances, but they have A LOT of stuff!)

Here's a piece of information that might interest you in some sort of way. I, Sarah, have my hunting license... yes, I, Sarah, may have the privilege this year of getting a big buck!!! I actually target practiced with a crossbow the other day, and found it quite fun.

I do have a some fear of guns since I went to a little four old's funeral a few years ago. It was a family Ron and I visited and brought several of the children to church, and, sadly, the twelve year old accidently shot the four year old. I still remember that little boy's constant runny nose when we would visit their home. I had never been to a funeral with such a small casket. I felt badly for the child who shot him, too, as I know he must have felt terrible... Don't know how the child got access to the gun, but, anyway... let's talk about something else...

Has any of you ever been bit by a spider? Nearly two weeks ago, I got these terribly itchy, yet painful spots on my back. Thought it would just go away, but they were miserable. Finally went to the doctor yesterday to see what was up. She said it could have been shingles resolving or it could be a spider bite. Since they were so itchy and there was only one small area with three spots, it must be spider.

Baby Hope just got hurt. Gotta go!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have a lot to be thankful for, as I have had a year of HOPE.

H- Happy and hard hours, but hours nevertheless, with my family of five

O- Operations and ongoing treatments that went well for Ron

P- People who pray

E- Extra energy for evergoing tasks; eternal life

Today, I saw lots of family, and that was really special. We ate at my grandparents house, where my girls saw fit to entertain everyone.
Charity fell in love with my Uncle David, and she told me that she loved my dad (whom she used to be afraid of, but she has grown out of much of her shyness).
Faith told my grandmother that she (grandma) has "squishy arms," and that she (Faith) has squishy cheeks, but they don't have lines in them like my grandma's! I could have fallen over! Just wait, Faith, until you grow to be 80, and see if your skin doesn't get squishy and wrinkly! My grandma looks great to me, and I am glad that she has a good sense of humor.
Today, Faith told me she wants to be Daddy's kid and Mommy's kid... I was glad, because she doesn't exactly get a choice :-) She also told me again how much she loves me... she says she loves me all night and all day! She lay in my bed last night chatting with me for a very long time... she is growing up so fast, and could go on talking to me for hours... which I enjoy, but it was time for her to go to sleep, and quite difficult to turn off the chatterbox (wonder where she gets that!).
Hope took a little step or two the other day... it won't me long now!
Well, I need to go check on my girls... Faith keeps getting out of bed to report that Charity was on her side of the bed, and was kicking her. Maybe having them share a full sized bed with each other wasn't such a good idea after all!

Just another day at the Cooks...

Not that this gives anyone warm fuzzy feelings, but I had an endoscopy today (still trying to resolve the swallowing problem), and found that I have a medium hiatal hernia... I know, it is common, and I am not surprised after all the years I have had heartburn and reflux issues. So... now I get to take medicine for the thyroid nodule AND for the hernia... yeah! Maybe they both are working together in a scheme... HA!

Faith has been saying such sweet things to me lately. She tells me all the time how much she loves me. I just love it, of course!

Got a prayer request for you... would you all pray for the young people we work with... my heart has been heavy for them, and I would like to see them allow God to move in their lives. Thanks!

Father and daughter deer hunting...

***edit*** Just thought I would throw in that Faith didn't actually see him shoot the deer, because they were in a trailer or some-sort of building where they could stay warm but still shoot a deer... and, no, she did not watch him gut it. She had fun, but sometimes does not like to get too close to a large animal. ***end edit***

Faithy and daddy went deer hunting, and Ron shot one tonight! Don't know if this excites you, but it does us... well, Faith didn't like it as much as Ron did, but it does mean meat for our freezer.

Hey, does anyone out there know what to do if someone keeps calling you and hanging up several times a day? I have caller ID, so I tried to call them back, but it was busy. I Googled the number, and there are lots of other complaints about the number... I would maybe report it to the police, but I think the number is from CA and probably related to telemarketing... I am a busy woman, and could be in the middle of something important (like changing a diaper or washing a mountain of dishes), and do NOT appreciate prank calls. I reported it to one website, and I plan on reporting it to my phone company, and see what they say. What do you think?

Besides caring for my children, cleaning house, doing laundry, cooking, shopping online for Christmas presents so I don't have to run all over the place to find what I would like the girls to have and at a low price, and reading a novel (not sure that fits in the pattern), I have been trying to finish a quilt up that I started over a year ago for my mother-in-law... you would probably laugh if you saw it... very unprofessional, but it does look like a quilt. I thought I might as well see how difficult it was... you'll never know if you can do something if you never try. There are major mistakes in it, but I think she will like it still.

So, how are you my dear friends?! Been missing those comments... but, I am a lurker, too. Just loving to spy on people. HA! Hope everyone is doing well. Until next post... good bye!

Going back to "normal" step by step

You may not believe this... but guess what Ron has been doing?! We have friends who own land where they feed and lure in deer with corn and clover, etc. They have trailers or somesort of buildings that people can sit in and be out of the weather and hunt. So... Ron shot at a deer last night (with a bow... it is not gun season yet), but the scope was off, so he missed twice! They fixed it last night, and out he goes again this morning!!! He is hoping for a buck this year.

He and his dad went to Columbus for Ron's doctor appointment yesterday. The doctor told him it was okay to do the hunting. I haven't gotten to see his numbers yet, but Ron said he believes the platelets are back to normal, and the hemoglobin was getting better, and, athough his white blood count sounds a little low to me, it is stable. Drumroll... the big concern was the creatin (sp?) levels, which they were watching because they had been high after the treatment... and, it sounds like they are now about normal!!! Yeah! If Ron feels up to it, he could even start work as early as next month... but, I do hope he doesn't overdo himself. I think his tastebuds might be starting to work now too. He eating a little more. For those who haven't seen him, he's lost some weight, but he looks good. He is getting his central line out December 2... yeah!

The girls and I had a big day yesterday. We went thrift store shopping, then to Burger King Playland, then the pet-store (a favorite of the girls), and to Wal-Mart. Because Ron was in The James on his b-day, the girl didn't get to celebrate his 33rd b-day with him... so yesterday I bought a cake for him, had it signed, and we had a quick little celebration with daddy before he left to hunt.

That's what is goin' on here... back being a family, and I am very glad!

Here are a few more thanks...

Thank you to Esther Beatty for being my laundry lady. What a great help! Also, helping with laundry was my MIL and Trisha P.

Thank you also to the holiness churches out there who have live-stream church services... What an awesome help while Ron was in the hospital. Particularly, Franklin Bible Methodist and Hobe Sound Bible Church. We also enjoyed some programs from Focus on the Family. Even though Ron couldn't physically be in church... he and I had church with you in his room.

A Special Thank-You!

I am sure to leave someone out... if I do, please say something... it is not intentional.

First of all, allow me to explain the babysitters. NO children under the age of 12 are allowed in the unit. Ron would have to put on a mask and walk out to the family waiting area to visit the children. I felt that I needed to be with him as much as possible, because in this treatment one can have tough side effects, and it can get a bit lonely. I am usually very picky about babysitters, if I even leave my children... Even though I tried to be wise and the babysitters worked hard to help my children, it was difficult for the kids, and different for this stay-at-home-mom. They are doing fine now, and I am sooo grateful for everyone's help.

Thank you, Ben and Sonya Blowers (pastoring the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Church in Columbus), for helping numerous times babysit my two older children... You have a very nice church and a lovely family... the girls still talk about Shayla. And, thank you, Beth Blair (Pastor's Wife from Zanesville Bible Methodist) for referring me to this kind family.



Thank you, Martha Brugger (also a pastor's wife from Marion... I hope I am getting this all right, a fellow Bible Methodist!) for watching my older children overnight one night, and on another occasion taking them to the Columbus Zoo.



Thank you, Amy Sowers (a dear friend and homeschooling mom from my church), for watching my older children one weekend.



Thank you, Karen Beatty (a long-time friend of the family, and also from our church) for watching them for several nights.



Thank you, Trisha Perkins, Kimberly Brown, and friends for watching them the last weekend of Ron's stay at the hospital. It was neat knowing that my children were getting to sleep in their own beds.

And... BIG THANK YOU to Ron's parents for staying with me in Columbus and watching Hope so that I could get to her easily to nurse her. I know that the past few weeks were very tough for the both of you.

Thank you, GBS, our church family, relatives, and loved ones, for the nice cards.

Thank you to Josh A for visiting regularly, providing preaching CDs, a bag of cookies, and the other nice gifts. You were such an encouragement to Ron.

Thank you, Melonie M, for being my travelling buddy and for helping to rescue me when my car wouldn't start.

Thank you, Pastor Manley, for visiting Ron... He really enjoyed your company.

Thank you to my parents for spending a day with Ron, me, and the baby.

Thank you to Gloria Jean McGinnis for visiting, and helping me when I had a choking spell ;-)
Thank you to 8th Street Wesleyan Alliance Church for the prayer shawl.

Thank you to the many friends who have prayed with and for us, who gave gas cards, and other gifts while we were there... wow, what a blessing you have been!!!

Thank you, Brother Brugger, for stopping in for a visit.

Ummm, maybe I shouldn't have done this... I know there are so many others who deserve recognition, and I want you to know how much everything has meant to us. May God bless you!

Thank you to our church...
You know, they did something really neat. Personally, I really don't like Halloween... I really don't want any part of it, so I thought it was so cool when I found out that they were having a special thing for the church children and teens so that they wouldn't get involved in other Halloween-ish stuff, and my two older children got to go to the little kids part. I think it was a harvest type of thing, and they had a good turn out from what I heard. I heard that the teens were outside playing a guitar (might have been Ron's), and singing Christian music around a chimnea (not sure how it is spelled).

It was a little sad to me, as we normally take our youth group to their activities, not to be able to go to Youth Challenge... but, I heard good reports from our young people that they had a great time... Our pastor is the President over Youth Challenge, and the teens had a blast watching his face turn red during some funny part of the service. I received a late night call from some of the teens one night, just reporting in on all the fun. That was really cool! I also heard that Youth Challenge had prayer for us... now that was really encouraging... youth pastors and youth praying for a fellow youth pastor in desparate need of prayer... well, your prayers were answered, and Ron got out of the hospital rather quickly, and he seems to have gained lots more energy and he seems to be getting a little more back to normal... although, they are not planning on doing anymore scans for probably two or three months... just pray that his cancer will never come back (Lord willing), because stem-cell and bone marrow transplants are very difficult for one to go through... I don't want to see him have to go through that ever again!!!

Thank you to one of my teens who called me a couple of times while we were in Columbus... Thanks, Jenn, you made me not feel so left out!

And, a major thank you goes to the West Broad Street Missionary Chapel for giving me, my children, and Ron's parents and sometimes brother, a very nice apartment to live in while Ron was in the hospital! THANKS SO VERY MUCH!!!

Thank you, Dr. Devine, other docs, nurses, FELLOWs, PCAs, housecleaning, Nutritional Services, Social Workers, transplant coordinators, all the people who were involved in removing and storing his stem cells, etc... Thank you for working hard to make sure Ron did well through this! For giving him excellent care! For giving me good training! For working hard to beat cancer!

If I have forgotten you, please pat yourself on the back, and count yourself thanked... It is almost 2 in the morning, and I need to get off of this computer!

THANK YOU!!!

Husbands are great for many reasons...

1. When you are out of town and your vehicle refuses to start... who are ya goin' to call?
2. When your right headlight, left turn signal, and windshield wipers kill over... who's usually available?
2. When you have raked leaves until you are exhausted, who can carry the load?
3. When the house has a gas leak, and the fumes are high enough for an explosion... who knows what to do?
4. When the gutters are clogged, and you decide to be macho-woman, and you climb on the roof, just to remember that you are terribly afraid of heights... and, you are frozen, unable to move, and crying your eyes out like an infant because your mind won't let your body step back onto the ladder to get off of the roof... who gets a big kick out of ya?

Well, I have certainly had quite the past few weeks.
The first incident is a long story, but I had a friend with me who had a friend who had AAA... Ron was in the hospital, so I had to make decisions without him.
The second situations were taken care of by my father-in-law, Ron, Perk, etc. It was funny, I am sure, to see me trying to fix that turn signal... I had no clue at first, so I climbed under the van, and did all sorts of stuff trying to get the cover off of that thing... all I was missing was this little extention thingy and I could have done it my myself, but I am glad that Perk stopped by to pick something up, and offered to help us in any way, so I took him up on the offer, and told him about the turn signal. (Excuse the major run-on sentences... I am in a hurry... Momma duty is calling.)
The third incident was after we came home from the hospital and there was a HUGE amount of leaves in my yard. I wasn't really THAT exhausted, but it sure was nice when the pastor showed up with his lawn mower and blew alot of leaves to the bottom of our yard... that made it look way too easy!
The fourth incident was during Ron's hospital stay, and I called the landlord and our gas company, and the gas company came quite quickly, and fixed a spraying pipe in the basement!!! The girls and I stayed overnight at my neighbor's house that night.
The fifth incident was today... Ron later went up on the roof and did it... he probably shouldn't have, but he did. He still thinks the sight of me stuck of the roof crying was quite the sight.

I sure am happy that the family is back together... have been thanking God for things I have never thank him for... even children's messes!!! At least that means my children are near!

Hope can now just stand right up in the middle of the floor! She also sounds like she is trying to sing sometimes.
Charity is back into the swing of things with her potty training... HURRAY!
Faith is praying for a certain item for Christmas, and after she prayed for it the other day, she came back and told me that Jesus said YES. We started pre-school again today.
We have been playing SOOO much the past few days, and I love it!!!

If you are in the mood for soup beans tonight, stop on by... having some trouble getting a couple of children to eat much of it... although, they don't have a choice but to eat some, because I don't want them to go up picky about what is given them to eat.

Well, "daddy" keeps telling me that the family is waiting for me to get done on the computer... which means HELP!

So, signing off... and, remember not to climb on roofs if you are already afraid of heights.

Finally home!!!

Ron was discharged Sunday afternoon, and after taking a nap, we left for Dayton!!! Ron went to church, but sat up in the balcony away from the crowd, and wore his mask (a must, for now). How exciting it is to have our family back together!

I have to take good care of my man. I am honored to have the job! I like being his nurse ;-)

Just thought I would share my happy heart! Have a great night!

Bebound!!!

Hurray! His white blood count has begun its climb!!!

He had a platelet transfusion a couple of days ago, and today he is getting another transfusion because of his hemoglobin count. I am getting classes on caring for his central line, and other discharge care... hmmm, I wonder if I can get an honorary degree for all I have learned :-)

If his other counts all improve, he could go home as early as this weekend or Monday. He is cheerful and has his great sense of humor back. Plenty of energy! And, wow, has he been witnessing!!!

Thank you, dear friends and family, for praying! This was a very tough thing to go through, but I thank God for being with us each step of the way, and for taking care of our needs.

We have made friends with some really neat people!

Oh, before I forget, I think my little baby is about to walk!!! She stands now for a little while after letting go of the furniture. Where is the time going? Charity is talking like a big girl! Faith has fallen in love with coloring. They have huge imaginations... and, well, they are my little bundles of joy!

Okay, yes, I am happy this afternoon... happy that soon our family will be back together! Rejoice with me!!!

About the lowest point...

He has most of the common side-effects people receive with this treatment... but tries to be active at least once a day... like taking a walk, etc., which is good. He tries to witness some.

Faith and Charity got to see their daddy for the first time in about a week and a half this morning. It went VERY well! Last time, it was very sad as Faith fell apart when we had to leave him. This time, she had no tears, but lots of love to share.

Hopefully, the counts will start their climb within the next few days. I can hardly wait.

It is not a walk in the park...

The stem cell transplant was Tuesday. Ron has not been feeling well, especially today... but, he did get to witness to another patient today by praying with him. He still tries to walk on the treadmill some, and has so far kept down a couple of bites of his lunch... which is better than nothing. His counts are starting their dive.

Thank you for your continued prayer for our family.

another update

Ron just finished the last chemo a little bit ago. He is doing well so far. The transplant is scheduled for tomorrow, and then if all goes well, he might get to go home in a just two more weeks. I can hardly wait!!!
The children are okay... missing Daddy, but doing they are doing fine otherwise.
I have to tell you that I am so thankful that my good friend Gloria Jean McGinnis was with me the other day when I had a moment of not being able to swallow my food (remember that thyriod nodule), and I threw up big time in the Wendy's here in the hospital... I was so embarrassed. I don't usually do that, but I was choking... what a memory.... She just kept running for more napkins. I actually had a good laugh about it later! It is funny now, but scary then. I certainly hope that nodule shrinks really soon.
I am having fun learning my way around here. When I first came up, I kept getting lost. Now, it is very easy (well, if traffic isn't too heavy and I have good directions).
I am so grateful for the fantastic babysitters I have, and all of the other support we have received. I have received backrubs, got travelling companions, received laundry help and financial boosts, got cards and have seen visitors, heard prayers, received hugs, free lodging and... well, you name it... it means sooo much. I just want to say THANK YOU! Most of all, I want to thank God, because He is teaching me some things during this time... I have not been abandoned (although I may not always "feel" He is near, I know that I can trust Him! He is the One who has worked out our needs.)

*I just edited this post... sorry if you did not get to read what I wrote earlier, because you would have been SHOCKED! I didn't proof-read it (and, it is still poorly written, but definitely better than what I had written), and it looked like I was saying something that I was not, and I laughed out loud when I came back and read it later! It would not have been good if you had read it. If you are a close enough friend, just ask me what I wrote and I can tell you in person. OOOPS! How embarrassing! HA!

little update...

Here we are at OSU Hospital... and, I am using the laptop they loaned Ron. Ron has had several doses of chemo in the last couple of days. Everything is on schedule. God is helping us. Ron has had many opportunities to witness to medical staff, etc. We are sooo thankful for the support we have received from friends and family. We have even had some BIG surprises already with friends we haven't seen in a VERY long time popping in to say "Hi." They were sooo encouraging!

Not much of an update, I know, but at least you know that we continue to press on!

LET ME BE REAL FOR A MOMENT...

Well, the stem cell apheresis is completed. Ron is glad! It was getting old getting poked over and over, and sitting for 5 hours at a time while they did this procedure... plus, getting all those Nupogen (sp?) shots every morning does give bone pain. I was able to be with him one of the days while they did apheresis (not for people who cannot handle watching blood being pumped out and through a machine and then returned... can be a bit woozy to watch if you ten d to get light-headed). The minimum requirement is 2 million stem cells and 5 million is the highest goal. In three days, they were able to get about 3.5 million, I think. They quit after that.

That was the easy step! He starts the BIG deal on his 33rd birthday... this week. Poor Ron! We are so thankful for all of the great Christian and family helpers we have lined up! We have house watchers, fish sitters, great trustworthy babysitters, mail collectors, laundry service, house cleaners, etc. I even have a lady friend at church who gives me backrubs!!! Wow!!! God is taking good care of us!!! Please, pray for our little girls as this will be hard for them, I am afraid, with their schedules being messed up and their parents not being there all the time. Well, I will be with them part of the time, but it is still tough.

Please, pray for Ron! The stories we have heard about this procedure is not fun! He will need prayer and your friendship! He has done sooo very well through everything, I am amazed! I know it is because you are praying for him!

This month marks about a year since we started this journey... beginning with the first biopsy... oh, what a journey! I never knew the struggles that families go through, marriages battle... yes, it is a battle. New thoughts, uncertainities, disagreements, hurts, a roller-coaster of emotions... pains physically and emotionally. Spiritually, there are mountains I have had to hurdle. Sometimes, it is like I am in a fog... not sure which way is up. Or, in a bad dream, waiting to be awakened back to that day when we first found out the news... hoping to be awakened and told it was just some nasty infection and that 10 days of antibiotics would take care of it all. Told that my fears were in vain... but, nay, here we are not sure what this all means... knowing this must fit into a great plan, but not sure how... you want to know what it is really like behind the happy mask... well, now you know a little, but you cannot know in whole unless you have walked this path. I lay in bed last night thinking about if Ron didn't make it through this transplant... I imagined myself yelling at him that he could not leave me... we have three little girls to raise! Oh, God, give us more time together! But, then, God knows best... We don't have to understand.

Ron is at church with Charity. I am home with Faith and Hope. Faithy is sick with a fever and pains and aches. I sure hope I don't catch it! I want to be able to be with Ron at the hospital, and I won't be allowed if I am sick.

We had some good family time this past week. I am thankful. Whatever happens, it will be okay, because God will carry us through. Thank you for your loving comments and prayers!

Forgive me for being drab today, but, I thought I would let those who are going through simular things know, it is normal to have confusing feelings and extra struggles. I just choose not to go around sad all of the time, because we are in good HANDS!

The new look...

I know that the pictures below are a bit overwhelming, but when I have a chance to go to the library, I like to be thorough... since it is very difficult to upload pictures on my computer, I felt compelled to catch you up on some fun photos. There is more I would like to share with you, but I would have spend more time on the computer at the library.
How do you like the new look? I like it quite well... I tend to get bored after a while, so I was ready for a change. You must stroll to the end of the page to see a large picture of our family! Ron doesn't care for the picture because of the look on his face, but it is difficult to get a decent picture with everyone looking okay.
This next week, things are planned to start the stem-cell transplant process, so please pray for us very hard for the next 6 weeks!!! It is goin' to get tough... help us hang on by praying for us, would you?

While we have been on this journey...

We have been able to do many things...
Here are just a few!
A late-winter trip to a cabin

Our family trip to Cincinnati Zoo for Faith's birthday in July.

Ron, please forgive me... but, I just had to do it! HA!

I know... it is pathetically late, but here are some pictures from Youth Camp

Dark or light... here are some pictures from the Baby Hope's Dedication