“Life is Good”

Hey everyone! Hope your week is getting off to a good start and that you had a peaceful and relaxing weekend. I started my 5 days of chemotherapy last Thursday. Tonight will be my last round. I am trusting that the chemotherapy is helping me stay around a little longer, but I do not enjoy the chemotherapy in any way. If you have been on chemo, or had a loved one on chemo, you understand how “unpleasant it can be.” It always takes me 2-3 days after I finish to truly start feeling better, looking forward to the end of the week!!!!!

One more thing before I share something that was very special to me. I have some dear friends who have been working on a 5k run for me. The date will be, November 6th, in Denton, Tx. I believe details are coming out this week, and I will begin to include those in this and other places. My kids will be here and I am excited for this event. My running will be slow, but I am planning on enjoying the run!!!

One of my favorite places in the world is, PORTLAND, OR. I have been there with, Natalie, Michael and Mason. Now I have been there with my amazing daughter, Madison.

Madison and I took off last Saturday. She found some great prices on airline tickets and we stayed with one of my dearest friends, Bill Hunt. I met Bill and his wife Julie almost 30 years ago. He and I were leaders at a youth camp in New Mexico. Bill and I connected very quickly and became great friends. He and Julie were living in Texas, and I was living in Edmond Oklahoma. He moved to Portland several years later, and we have stayed connected over all those years. Bill was helping me walk through my cancer and after my last surgery we did not visit for about 2 months. I was a vegetable and not talking much.

We set up our weekly video talk and the first reconnection, Bill told me he now had “lung cancer.” That broke my heart but also another story. Wanted to give you a little update to where and who, Madison and I stayed with in Portland.

It was a very special trip for many reasons. Madi and I were able to do several things I had done with her brothers.

Sunday, Madison and I went salmon fishing on the huge river that runs through Portland. I talked to Mason, her brother yesterday and told him. He still has the record for the biggest salmon with the 3 of us, his at 21lbs. He had one that day and I had one that day. But his sister caught 3 salmon on our trip. Her 3rd one was almost as big as the one Mason caught.

I don’t know how many of you have caught large salmon, but they are challenging. This was Madison’s first fishing trip for salmon and she fished like a pro. Watching her catch fish was much better than I would have enjoyed catching my own. Fishing has always been a very important part of my life. To go fishing with my daughter and see her catch the fish she did could not have been any better or more special.

The second very special thing we did was to have Bill take us to a mountain Traill that I have walked with Bill and both of my boys. We got to (can’t remember the trail name!?!?) early Tuesday morning. The sun was shining and it was a little cool as we got started. That part of the world is beautiful.

The boys and I have hiked this trail in the past. It is a little over 5 miles to get to a beautiful area of this mountain. A beautiful hike and Mason and I actually ran down the mountain on our trip together. There was no running this time, in fact if I am being honest, we only made it a little over 2 miles up the trail. I wish I could blame that on Bill who also has cancer, but I was tired and ready to head back down.

I know Madison was worried about me and probably didn’t enjoy that hike like I wanted her to experience. It was still very special and she got to see beautiful country side and enjoy time with her dad who loves her and thinks she is very special.

The pictures are special and you can see some of what I am talking about, but the pics don’t truly show how special this trip truly was.

Going through a terminal disease is not anything I wanted or would have ask for. So many things in this life happen without our choice or preference. The challenge is, “How will You Live, when you know your time is limited?” We each have a choice. I am working on choosing well.

Until next time remember……… You are loved by God and of great value!!!!!!