I have a new design. The reason for a new blog is that I've changed...a lot since I started this blog and just needed/wanted to a brand new blog.
Hope to see you there!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
For Anyone Still Reading This Blog...
Hello all! I decided to start a new blog. The address is: ericalynnandersontriplea.blogspot.com.
Monday, November 22, 2010
My Special Day
Today is my 7 year wedding anniversary. That's me and my love on our wedding day. The day we had our first kiss (no, I'm not kidding you). Our wedding kiss was our first kiss and it was amazing.
He sent me 3 roses today, 2 red and 1 white. Red and white. He remembered our wedding colors.
He is the most amazing man I've ever met in my life. He beat cancer. He's been home the last year raising our kids, cooking dinner, doing laundry, and cleaning the house. Is he perfect? Obviously not, but he is perfect for me.
He puts up with the neurotic, over emotional person that I am. God truly blessed me when He brought Derek and I together.
The last year and half was probably the hardest time of my life, but he stood by me. He waited for me, he prayed for me, and he loved me. Unconditionally.
I get butterflies when I look at him. I melt when he touches me. I have the best husband in the world. I thought I'd brag about him. Thanks for reading my boasting.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
A Side Comment and My Horror Movie Moment
Before I get to my super awesome post that I know you are all so excited to read I want to say that the Yankees have been eliminated by the Texas Rangers!! I'm stoked because frankly I hate the Yankees, almost as much as I hate the Jets.
Now on to the awesome.
Last night as we were closing up shop to go to bed the phone starts ringing, but not like a phone call ring, it's like a pager ring. I found this odd so I picked up the phone. I hear noises and stuff. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
In my imaginative watch too many moves mind the first thing I think of is some crazy killer took my phone and paged the other one to mess with me. If you've ever seen When A Stranger Calls you'd understand a little bit why I might be freaked out.
Anyway, I go check on kids under the guise that I thought maybe the kids had the phone and fell asleep with it and were rolling around with it in bed. When really I was scared that this crazy psycho who in my mind now has a hockey mask, knives for finger nails, and every other cliche horror movie villain has my kids held captive using my cordless phone as bait to kill me too.
Good news and bad news though was that my kids were fine, but I was no closer to finding where the phone was.
Here is where it gets funny. Derek goes outside to look for the phone. Turns out he took outside when he was working out there in case Kellogg's called and offered him the job (which they haven't done yet). Any who, Dubs grabbed the phone and had been chewing on it and had paged the inside phone! When Derek brought the phone in it had all of these little teeth marks on it.
I had a good laugh, hopefully you did too.
Now on to the awesome.
Last night as we were closing up shop to go to bed the phone starts ringing, but not like a phone call ring, it's like a pager ring. I found this odd so I picked up the phone. I hear noises and stuff. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
In my imaginative watch too many moves mind the first thing I think of is some crazy killer took my phone and paged the other one to mess with me. If you've ever seen When A Stranger Calls you'd understand a little bit why I might be freaked out.
Anyway, I go check on kids under the guise that I thought maybe the kids had the phone and fell asleep with it and were rolling around with it in bed. When really I was scared that this crazy psycho who in my mind now has a hockey mask, knives for finger nails, and every other cliche horror movie villain has my kids held captive using my cordless phone as bait to kill me too.
Good news and bad news though was that my kids were fine, but I was no closer to finding where the phone was.
Here is where it gets funny. Derek goes outside to look for the phone. Turns out he took outside when he was working out there in case Kellogg's called and offered him the job (which they haven't done yet). Any who, Dubs grabbed the phone and had been chewing on it and had paged the inside phone! When Derek brought the phone in it had all of these little teeth marks on it.
I had a good laugh, hopefully you did too.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Things I love
I thought I'd copy my sister (cause she's so smart and all) and write about some of my favorite things as they come to me, not in order of importance.
- My husband and everything about him. I'm truly blessed.
- Sticky hugs and kisses from the 3 cutest kids in the world.
- Puppy kisses and snuggles from Dubs.
- Coffee. Lots of it.
- E-mailing Sarah again. It's wonderful, I missed her.
- Talking to my Mom and Meg again. I missed them too.
- Snow, we need some by the way.
- Rain and thunderstorms.
- A nice rare steak with sauteed mushrooms (now I'm hungry!)
- Movies-funny ones, romantic ones, sometimes sad ones.
- Jamming out in the car while people stare at you like you escaped from the "special" hospital.
- Technology of all kinds. Seriously, I could go bankrupt.
- Reading, I get lost doing it. Derek says he calls my name for like 5 min and I don't hear him (thanks Mom!)
- My new Skis, again I need snow so I can use them.
- My blanket, pillow, and sheet. I've had the blanket and sheet since I was in 7th grade. It will stay around forever.
- My new video game. It rocks.
- My $6 pack of french tip nails. They are way cool.
- My new purple Roos.
- Football (nothing else needs to be said)
- Christmas, oh how I love that time of year.
- Cooking and baking for my family.
- Listening to Ashley sing, that's all she does; seriously.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sweet Funny Boy
Here is my Grizzie bear yesterday morning. This picture absolutely brightens my heart. I kinda need it right now too.
Day Off? What Day Off?
Today is supposed to be my day off. I had a whole plan in place. I was going to thoroughly enjoy my children, bake, and overall relax.
What happened instead is that I got called by two customers and my boss. My boss called twice and I called her back once to clear up an issue. She was not happy and told me as much on the phone. I'm apparently not doing my job well enough.
This saddens my heart. I try very hard at my job and take pride in my work. I try the hardest I can to take care of my customers and get them what they need. The problem is that I've been there a year and have had various co-workers come and go. People whom take no pride in their work. People who lie, cheat, and steal. While I'm left to deal with angry customers who have no trust in our branch. I try the best I can to assuage their misgivings. Sometimes it goes over well sometimes not so much. We should have 3 consultants, there was usually just me. The last girl had no idea what she was doing and didn't care. She was a warm body. I was doing her work and mine. So have I made mistakes? Yes. Have I overlooked some things? Definitely. Should I be chided for it? I don't think so. Especially when I'm doing the best I can.
I love my boss. She's great. I get that she's under tons of pressure from her superiors to get numbers. Do I blame her? NO. I do, however, blame the people at the top who have no idea what it is to be the salesperson in a crumbling economy when the unemployment rate is at an all time high. I'm trying to sell a product that let's face it is a luxury and in hard times the first thing people get rid of are their luxury items. I'm doing the best I can. I can put it out there, but in the end it's their decision.
I can't wait until Derek gets a job and I can do what I'm meant to do, what I'm good at. Being a stay at home wife and mother. At least Derek won't call me up to chide me and if he did he'd be eating cereal for dinner.
There is my venting about my non-day off and my current work situation. Thanks for listening.
What happened instead is that I got called by two customers and my boss. My boss called twice and I called her back once to clear up an issue. She was not happy and told me as much on the phone. I'm apparently not doing my job well enough.
This saddens my heart. I try very hard at my job and take pride in my work. I try the hardest I can to take care of my customers and get them what they need. The problem is that I've been there a year and have had various co-workers come and go. People whom take no pride in their work. People who lie, cheat, and steal. While I'm left to deal with angry customers who have no trust in our branch. I try the best I can to assuage their misgivings. Sometimes it goes over well sometimes not so much. We should have 3 consultants, there was usually just me. The last girl had no idea what she was doing and didn't care. She was a warm body. I was doing her work and mine. So have I made mistakes? Yes. Have I overlooked some things? Definitely. Should I be chided for it? I don't think so. Especially when I'm doing the best I can.
I love my boss. She's great. I get that she's under tons of pressure from her superiors to get numbers. Do I blame her? NO. I do, however, blame the people at the top who have no idea what it is to be the salesperson in a crumbling economy when the unemployment rate is at an all time high. I'm trying to sell a product that let's face it is a luxury and in hard times the first thing people get rid of are their luxury items. I'm doing the best I can. I can put it out there, but in the end it's their decision.
I can't wait until Derek gets a job and I can do what I'm meant to do, what I'm good at. Being a stay at home wife and mother. At least Derek won't call me up to chide me and if he did he'd be eating cereal for dinner.
There is my venting about my non-day off and my current work situation. Thanks for listening.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Overtime While Exciting Causes Me Issues
So yesterday UW went into double overtime with Oregon State and won when Oregon State's 2 point conversion failed. It was a very good game, but so so stressful. That's two ranked teams UW has beat this year, while everyone refuses to acknowledge just how good they are. Take that BSC rankings!! Jake Locker won't win the Heisman trophy, but he is easily the best quarterback in college football. I think him not winning the Heisman is a good things. There aren't many Heisman winners that are doing exceptionally well. I won't go into it. He should go in the first round of the draft next year. I can't wait until rankings come out tomorrow morning, Ohio State was knocked off by Wisconsin which means Boise State SHOULD be #1. It probably won't happen though because everyone refuses to acknowledge that Boise State is the best team in college football. Oregon (the criminal team) will be ranked #1 even though they had a bye yesterday. BCS rankings are crap and not at all a good indication of how good a team is.
Just now the Pats beat the Ravens by 3 in overtime. I didn't get to watch the game though because television execs only want to televise the garbage teams!! Makes me angry...anyway I had to keep up on the game with an ESPN app. Constantly refreshing it and waiting, hoping they beat the jerks that eliminated them in the playoffs last year. Take that Ray Lewis!! They play the Chargers next week, not saying it's going to be an easy one because you never know what could happen from week to week. I strongly dislike Philip Rivers, they talk that guy up like he's on the same playing field as Brady when clearly he's not. How many Superbowl titles has Rivers won? That'd be a big fat 0! The Pats are 4-1, pretty good record. They just need to hold on and play their game. When the Pats play the way I know they can play they are unstoppable. The Jets are playing the Broncos today. While I'm not a huge Broncos fan I hope they crush the Jets. I despise the Jets. If they lose the Pats take over the conference. The Jets are so overrated. They disgust me.
Blockage
No, not that kind of blockage. Get your mind out of the gutter! A life blockage.
As you can see I haven't posted in a year. My life the last year and a half or so has been to put it mildly, stressful.
(Not in chronological order) My husband got cancer, my beloved grandmother died, I went crazy (for a short time), I was separated from my husband for two weeks, things were stressed with my family (it's getting better now), I lost my beloved dogs, No church family for a time, started a new job, moved etc... (I'm sure I'm missing stuff and yes I love parenthesis).
So now that I got that out I'll expound on it. Derek is in complete remission and looking for a job. He made the top 3 and has an interview with the big boss next Wednesday. I'm dealing with the loss of my grandmother, but it's still pretty hard. I'm no longer crazy (well a little, but in a good way) Derek and I are doing wonderfully thanks to God. My family and I are talking again, I'm confident things will be fully restored-again thanks to God. I have a new dog named Dubs and while he doesn't take their place he does help heal my heart where my dogs were concerned. We found a church and the people there are great. My job to put it frankly sucks, but at least I have one and God provides and is teaching me through it. We are very happy in Butte. I love it here and unless God moves us (pauses in fear) we will raise our kids here and live happily ever after with a lot of stuff in between.
So there you go. A reintroduction to my life in it's current state. Since I now have you thoroughly enthralled I will make sure to keep you informed on all the going ons.
As you can see I haven't posted in a year. My life the last year and a half or so has been to put it mildly, stressful.
(Not in chronological order) My husband got cancer, my beloved grandmother died, I went crazy (for a short time), I was separated from my husband for two weeks, things were stressed with my family (it's getting better now), I lost my beloved dogs, No church family for a time, started a new job, moved etc... (I'm sure I'm missing stuff and yes I love parenthesis).
So now that I got that out I'll expound on it. Derek is in complete remission and looking for a job. He made the top 3 and has an interview with the big boss next Wednesday. I'm dealing with the loss of my grandmother, but it's still pretty hard. I'm no longer crazy (well a little, but in a good way) Derek and I are doing wonderfully thanks to God. My family and I are talking again, I'm confident things will be fully restored-again thanks to God. I have a new dog named Dubs and while he doesn't take their place he does help heal my heart where my dogs were concerned. We found a church and the people there are great. My job to put it frankly sucks, but at least I have one and God provides and is teaching me through it. We are very happy in Butte. I love it here and unless God moves us (pauses in fear) we will raise our kids here and live happily ever after with a lot of stuff in between.
So there you go. A reintroduction to my life in it's current state. Since I now have you thoroughly enthralled I will make sure to keep you informed on all the going ons.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
One Giant Leap For...Erica
I start my first day of work today. I'm really excited, albeit nervous. God is really stretching me (I should be taller, but alas it's spiritually). I am doing things that are causing some discomfort, but I know that's what He wants. When we are uncomfortable, we go to Him. Being in 0ur comfort zone constantly causes us to become lukewarm.
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." ~Revelation 3:15&16
I'm thankful to God that He is putting me in situations that cause some discomfort.
I asked God to calm nerves this morning so I opened my Bible to this:
"Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee;" Jeremiah 16:28(part)
God bless!
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." ~Revelation 3:15&16
I'm thankful to God that He is putting me in situations that cause some discomfort.
I asked God to calm nerves this morning so I opened my Bible to this:
"Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee;" Jeremiah 16:28(part)
God bless!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Winter
It's snowing right now! I love it! I've been waiting for it since we moved here. When Alexander saw it he asked me "Mom, are we going to put up our tree now and get presents?"
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wow...
Wow, it's been awhile huh? Sorry about that. I have a very good reason though.
Well, we moved to Butte! I know it was fast and unexpected, but sometimes that's how God works. We knew without a doubt God wanted us back here.
The day after we got here Derek's grandmother passed away. It was peaceful, but hard nonetheless. We are consoled with the fact that we know she is in heaven. That was followed by an intensely busy week.
Just today I finally got internet! I was going through withdrawal. That's probably a good thing though. I was also trying to find a job. I'll be working while Derek recovers. Which I'm happy to report I got the job I interviewed for on Friday! God has blessed us abundantly.
Derek is doing very well. He gets better everyday. His appetite has improved and he seems like he has more energy. He still gets fatigued, but it seems less frequent.
The kids are doing very well. They love being able to play outside in the yard. We feel such peace here. I know the Lord is working.
I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I will be more regular, hopefully you are all still reading this.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support. It's greatly appreciated.
"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19
God Bless!
Well, we moved to Butte! I know it was fast and unexpected, but sometimes that's how God works. We knew without a doubt God wanted us back here.
The day after we got here Derek's grandmother passed away. It was peaceful, but hard nonetheless. We are consoled with the fact that we know she is in heaven. That was followed by an intensely busy week.
Just today I finally got internet! I was going through withdrawal. That's probably a good thing though. I was also trying to find a job. I'll be working while Derek recovers. Which I'm happy to report I got the job I interviewed for on Friday! God has blessed us abundantly.
Derek is doing very well. He gets better everyday. His appetite has improved and he seems like he has more energy. He still gets fatigued, but it seems less frequent.
The kids are doing very well. They love being able to play outside in the yard. We feel such peace here. I know the Lord is working.
I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I will be more regular, hopefully you are all still reading this.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support. It's greatly appreciated.
"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19
God Bless!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Great News and Some Bad News...For You
Hello all! Sorry about the lack of updates, there hasn't been much to report and what I needed to report I wanted to make sure of the facts before I informed all of you.
Would you like the good news or bad news first? Since this isn't an interactive blog I will make the choice for you. I was trying to be nice in letting you think you had a choice when in fact you don't. I always want the bad news first, then the good news assuages any negative impact the bad news had.
From the blog title you probably gathered that this is bad news for you. I'm ecstatic and feel very positive about the new direction God is taking my family, you however, may not feel that way. We are moving back to Butte! Like I said we're very excited for it, we will miss all of you terribly, but we know this is the direction God is taking us right now. One day God just whispered upon my heart that we needed to go to Butte. I talked to Derek about it and he prayed and felt that yes that is the direction the Lord is taking us. Then we got some news that Grandma Kay (Derek's grandmother) isn't doing well health wise and we want to be there for her. I know you all probably feel blindsided by this; we did too. But this is a positive thing. I feel so encouraged by the Lord and Butte is somewhere we enjoy living.
Now for the good news. We had a conference with Derek's doctor yesterday. It was the end conference. The doctor officially used the word remission. They did 3 different tests to see if they could find the original degenerative cell that caused the myelofibrosis and in all 3 tests they couldn't find it. Now Derek's body needs time to heal. His liver and kidneys took a beating from the chemo and medication, but they are on their to healing. His spleen will continue to shrink as well as the new cells eradicate the fibrosis and make room for even more cells to grow. I was so encouraged yesterday to hear that he is in remission. It's my new favorite word.
We are leaving Seattle, but this journey is far from over. Things are uncertain as with every new journey, but one thing I am certain of is that God is directing our steps and is with us every moment.
Thank you all so much for your prayers during this trying time. We appreciate it more than you know. If you want keep coming back. I will continue to update you all on our lives and the progress of Derek's health. God has certainly blessed us.
"21And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
22He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." Exodus 13:21&22
God Bless!
Would you like the good news or bad news first? Since this isn't an interactive blog I will make the choice for you. I was trying to be nice in letting you think you had a choice when in fact you don't. I always want the bad news first, then the good news assuages any negative impact the bad news had.
From the blog title you probably gathered that this is bad news for you. I'm ecstatic and feel very positive about the new direction God is taking my family, you however, may not feel that way. We are moving back to Butte! Like I said we're very excited for it, we will miss all of you terribly, but we know this is the direction God is taking us right now. One day God just whispered upon my heart that we needed to go to Butte. I talked to Derek about it and he prayed and felt that yes that is the direction the Lord is taking us. Then we got some news that Grandma Kay (Derek's grandmother) isn't doing well health wise and we want to be there for her. I know you all probably feel blindsided by this; we did too. But this is a positive thing. I feel so encouraged by the Lord and Butte is somewhere we enjoy living.
Now for the good news. We had a conference with Derek's doctor yesterday. It was the end conference. The doctor officially used the word remission. They did 3 different tests to see if they could find the original degenerative cell that caused the myelofibrosis and in all 3 tests they couldn't find it. Now Derek's body needs time to heal. His liver and kidneys took a beating from the chemo and medication, but they are on their to healing. His spleen will continue to shrink as well as the new cells eradicate the fibrosis and make room for even more cells to grow. I was so encouraged yesterday to hear that he is in remission. It's my new favorite word.
We are leaving Seattle, but this journey is far from over. Things are uncertain as with every new journey, but one thing I am certain of is that God is directing our steps and is with us every moment.
Thank you all so much for your prayers during this trying time. We appreciate it more than you know. If you want keep coming back. I will continue to update you all on our lives and the progress of Derek's health. God has certainly blessed us.
"21And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
22He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." Exodus 13:21&22
God Bless!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Despair
What happens when despair threatens to overtake every fiber of our being? When desperation mars our feelings and decisions, it infiltrates and spreads like a disease. It’s the disease of hopelessness.
One of the definitions of disease is listed as:
Any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society.
You can guess how this fits in. Despair, hopelessness, desperation and all feelings like it are a morbid condition for us Christians. They prompt us to make bad and rash decisions. Decisions we wouldn’t have otherwise made if we had prayed, read our Bibles, and spent some quiet non-verbal time with God.
19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, 20who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. 21By Him ye believe in God, who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:19-21)
That our faith and hope might be in God! There is never cause to feel desperate or hopeless if our faith and hope is rooted in our never changing, all powerful, loving God.
It is hard, I must admit, when the circumstances staring us down are grim. That’s when our minds need to immediately focus on God. We need to condition ourselves as Christians to have God be our foremost thought when anything good or bad happens.
How do we condition ourselves? It is like any other conditioning method. If we want to run a marathon we don’t simply enter ourselves and go there on race day with some Gatorade and expect to finish. It takes months and months of hard work and training to prepare for something that big.
In our walk with God, we need to condition and train by being in constant communication with Him. Praying, reading, and meditation are all essential. I find myself thinking I have everything under control. I run ahead of Him only to find I am out of shape and have to stop for a moment to catch my breath. That stop I took cost me precious time, time I could have spent in communion with Him. Instead I end up playing catch up, pouring my remorseful, sinful heart out to Him. It’s a setback that should have never happened. I took my eyes off the prize and had a false sense of confidence that I could do it on my own. We all know what happens when we attempt things on our own. I’ll leave you with this.
24Know ye not that those who run in a race all run, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain it. 25And every man that striveth for mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.26I therefore so run, but not with uncertainty; I so fight, but not as one that beateth the air. (1 Corinthians 9:24-26)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Halleluiah!
"Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications." Psalm 28:6
This is going to be a short post, not much news since last night. Other than I guess some of the most important news I have shared so far on our journey.
Derek felt great today! The best I think since the transplant took place. God has certainly blessed him and us today. It's so amazing to watch Derek be, well, normal. It was great to watch him. It's good to have him back. Praise God!
That's all for now, thank you for your prayers. They are obviously working.
God bless!
This is going to be a short post, not much news since last night. Other than I guess some of the most important news I have shared so far on our journey.
Derek felt great today! The best I think since the transplant took place. God has certainly blessed him and us today. It's so amazing to watch Derek be, well, normal. It was great to watch him. It's good to have him back. Praise God!
That's all for now, thank you for your prayers. They are obviously working.
God bless!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
My Sunday, Marrow Results, and My Foolish Panic
First off, thank you for the outpouring of support, well wishes, and prayers on Sunday. They are so appreciated. I love that God has blessed Derek and I with such a wonderful, prayerful church family. You all bless my heart.
God blessed my Sunday immensely. I got to see all of you and spend time with one of my dearest friends who is like a sister. It's funny, I didn't plan on seeing her, but God had other plans. We were supposed to see each other so we could encourage one another in the Lord. He is so good!
I picked the kids up and the drive back went fine other than hitting some heavy traffic outside of
Easton. We were literally stopped on the freeway. I say that's not what the freeway is for, you are supposed to go fast (of course by that I mean the speed limit).
So now with the stuff you probably want to know. We had clinic today and they got the results from his day 80 marrow from Monday (he was actually day 82 when they did it). The results were great. There is a percentage they look for when they do a biopsy/aspiration. This percentage gauges how well Brian's cells are growing in Derek's body. The last marrow they did (before Monday's) was at 44%, it is now at 66%. The doctors are impressed by these numbers. It means the graph is successful and growing on it's own. Praise God! Derek is doing well other than the fluid retention he is experiencing. They prescribed him a diuretic that will hopefully get rid of all the water. I will let you know how it goes.
Now for my foolish panic. It really was foolish because at the root of my panic was a lack of trust in God. I asked if they had a date yet for when we go home (thinking we had like 3 weeks). The doctor then says "Probably next week or early the next one". I'm thinking WHAT?!?. We don't have a house, I don't have a job, we're not packed etc...For those who know me well know I like to come up with all sorts of plans and not just 1 plan, there has to be 3 plans in case you know the other 2 don't work out. I start laying these out in my head. Thinking of people to call and papers to fill out. I'm exhausted just writing it. After the doctor left Derek (he knows me well) asks what I was doing because he said and I quote "I know that look". He tried to calm and reassure me. I say try because I wasn't listening. I wanted to panic, I at least then felt like I was doing something even if it was the wrong thing. When we got home I tried to make some phone calls and do some things, but they all came to a dead end. Derek in his wisdom said "God doesn't want you figuring it out." His answer irritated me at the time because I knew he was right and in my pride I didn't want him to be. After we laid the kids down Derek told me I needed to read the excerpt for today in 'My Utmost For His Highest'. The title: Are You Ever Troubled? Immediately I thought, every stinking day. I sobered up and prayed for understanding and acceptance. It was amazing.
"When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always "spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63"
"A peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment"
"If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security."
"...If you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled..."(John 14:27)"
-Excerpts from "My Utmost For His Highest" (August 26)
Sorry about how long those were, but they really spoke to my heart. I give it all to Him and trust that He take care of it, He has so far.
Prayer requests: A house in Yakima with 3 bedrooms that allows a dog, a job for me; preferably secretarial work, trust in Him, and listening more than talking.
Hope you are all doing well.
God bless!
God blessed my Sunday immensely. I got to see all of you and spend time with one of my dearest friends who is like a sister. It's funny, I didn't plan on seeing her, but God had other plans. We were supposed to see each other so we could encourage one another in the Lord. He is so good!
I picked the kids up and the drive back went fine other than hitting some heavy traffic outside of
Easton. We were literally stopped on the freeway. I say that's not what the freeway is for, you are supposed to go fast (of course by that I mean the speed limit).
So now with the stuff you probably want to know. We had clinic today and they got the results from his day 80 marrow from Monday (he was actually day 82 when they did it). The results were great. There is a percentage they look for when they do a biopsy/aspiration. This percentage gauges how well Brian's cells are growing in Derek's body. The last marrow they did (before Monday's) was at 44%, it is now at 66%. The doctors are impressed by these numbers. It means the graph is successful and growing on it's own. Praise God! Derek is doing well other than the fluid retention he is experiencing. They prescribed him a diuretic that will hopefully get rid of all the water. I will let you know how it goes.
Now for my foolish panic. It really was foolish because at the root of my panic was a lack of trust in God. I asked if they had a date yet for when we go home (thinking we had like 3 weeks). The doctor then says "Probably next week or early the next one". I'm thinking WHAT?!?. We don't have a house, I don't have a job, we're not packed etc...For those who know me well know I like to come up with all sorts of plans and not just 1 plan, there has to be 3 plans in case you know the other 2 don't work out. I start laying these out in my head. Thinking of people to call and papers to fill out. I'm exhausted just writing it. After the doctor left Derek (he knows me well) asks what I was doing because he said and I quote "I know that look". He tried to calm and reassure me. I say try because I wasn't listening. I wanted to panic, I at least then felt like I was doing something even if it was the wrong thing. When we got home I tried to make some phone calls and do some things, but they all came to a dead end. Derek in his wisdom said "God doesn't want you figuring it out." His answer irritated me at the time because I knew he was right and in my pride I didn't want him to be. After we laid the kids down Derek told me I needed to read the excerpt for today in 'My Utmost For His Highest'. The title: Are You Ever Troubled? Immediately I thought, every stinking day. I sobered up and prayed for understanding and acceptance. It was amazing.
"When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always "spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63"
"A peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment"
"If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security."
"...If you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled..."(John 14:27)"
-Excerpts from "My Utmost For His Highest" (August 26)
Sorry about how long those were, but they really spoke to my heart. I give it all to Him and trust that He take care of it, He has so far.
Prayer requests: A house in Yakima with 3 bedrooms that allows a dog, a job for me; preferably secretarial work, trust in Him, and listening more than talking.
Hope you are all doing well.
God bless!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Hello My Loyal Readers!
Hi! How are you guys? We're doing pretty good. I'm happy, the Partriots beat the Eagles on Thursday. Brady looked good.
Now on to the stuff you guys want to know about. Derek is doing pretty good. He got blood Saturday, but like I said that's routine. His neutrophils took a big jump from Saturday to Sunday on their own. That's a good sign.
Here is the big exciting news! While we don't yet have a go home date they said they are going to start his go home work up next week. I think all the tests take around 2 weeks. So if everything goes according to plan (ha!) we should be able to go home mid-September! The tests they do are similar to the work up when we first got here.
Some prayer requests for when we leave if you please: A house that allows us to have a dog. It can't be on well water. We'll need it when we get out of here. All of my family is on well water so we can't stay with them when we get back. Well water isn't as purified as normal water so Derek can't consume it. A job for me. Something with relatively good hours. I'm thinking some type secretary job. I'm pretty good with computers and such and they usually have good hours.
I appreciate the prayers so much! They are so beneficial to our health. Not just physical but spiritual as well. I can't wait to come home and see all of you. We can all praise God for how He has taken care of us. We serve such an awesome God!
I'll let you know more when we have some dates. I'll post our phone number again in case anyone hears of any houses.
206-262-9003
"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well .My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee." Psalm 139:13-18.
God bless!
Now on to the stuff you guys want to know about. Derek is doing pretty good. He got blood Saturday, but like I said that's routine. His neutrophils took a big jump from Saturday to Sunday on their own. That's a good sign.
Here is the big exciting news! While we don't yet have a go home date they said they are going to start his go home work up next week. I think all the tests take around 2 weeks. So if everything goes according to plan (ha!) we should be able to go home mid-September! The tests they do are similar to the work up when we first got here.
Some prayer requests for when we leave if you please: A house that allows us to have a dog. It can't be on well water. We'll need it when we get out of here. All of my family is on well water so we can't stay with them when we get back. Well water isn't as purified as normal water so Derek can't consume it. A job for me. Something with relatively good hours. I'm thinking some type secretary job. I'm pretty good with computers and such and they usually have good hours.
I appreciate the prayers so much! They are so beneficial to our health. Not just physical but spiritual as well. I can't wait to come home and see all of you. We can all praise God for how He has taken care of us. We serve such an awesome God!
I'll let you know more when we have some dates. I'll post our phone number again in case anyone hears of any houses.
206-262-9003
"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well .My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee." Psalm 139:13-18.
God bless!
Monday, August 10, 2009
I Can Finally Write!
Hello all! We're here and doing fine. I was gone all last week and our internet has been acting up. A trip that was supposed to last 1 night ended up lasting 4 nights. Jerry, Meg, and the kids were in town visiting and we decided to go camping with my Dad and step mom, Julie. Her family owns some property on Hood canal and we thought it'd be fun to go camping for a night. It was fun until Grizzie (Asher) spiked a fever in the middle of the night. He was pretty sick. I felt really bad for him. The fever was off and on, but we couldn't go home and risk exposing Derek to whatever Griz had. It was a hard week on that aspect. A good aspect is that I got to spend a lot of time with my Dad, sister, brother-in-law, and my niece and nephew. It was fun, but also good to get back home to Derek.
Derek is doing well. Since I last posted he contracted a virus (nothing serious). It's called CMV. It isn't serious unless you are immunosuppressed, which Derek is. They have him on an IV medication called Foscarnet. His numbers have continued to hold. He'll probably have to get blood tomorrow which is no big deal and is to be expected. The results of the bone marrow biopsy came back. They were good. No virus in the marrow and he has completely engrafted. I was worried at first when his numbers started to decline that it might be graph rejection, but the doctors said that he is fully engrafted, Praise God!
The kids are doing well. I took Ashley for a girls day yesterday. We went to the mall, had lunch, and she got a purse. It's pink and came with some little lip glosses in it. She slept with it. It was great though. I think we both really needed it. Derek and Alexander went with his Uncle Bill to their cabin. Brian, Danielle, and their kids are in town for vacation. It was a full day, but it sounds like they had fun. Alexander got to ride his first ferry. Derek said he asked questions the entire time. He is so inquisitive. Diann (Derek's aunt) took Asher to the zoo. She said he loved the gorillas. She said they were wrestling around and Griz loved it.
I hope everyone is doing well. Sorry for the delay in updates. I will try to be more diligent in writing. One last thing, football is starting soon! I can't wait! Sorry, I had to sneak that in. It's my favorite time of year. What's that I hear about USC being ranked something other than 1st?
"4Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4, 6&7
God bless!
Derek is doing well. Since I last posted he contracted a virus (nothing serious). It's called CMV. It isn't serious unless you are immunosuppressed, which Derek is. They have him on an IV medication called Foscarnet. His numbers have continued to hold. He'll probably have to get blood tomorrow which is no big deal and is to be expected. The results of the bone marrow biopsy came back. They were good. No virus in the marrow and he has completely engrafted. I was worried at first when his numbers started to decline that it might be graph rejection, but the doctors said that he is fully engrafted, Praise God!
The kids are doing well. I took Ashley for a girls day yesterday. We went to the mall, had lunch, and she got a purse. It's pink and came with some little lip glosses in it. She slept with it. It was great though. I think we both really needed it. Derek and Alexander went with his Uncle Bill to their cabin. Brian, Danielle, and their kids are in town for vacation. It was a full day, but it sounds like they had fun. Alexander got to ride his first ferry. Derek said he asked questions the entire time. He is so inquisitive. Diann (Derek's aunt) took Asher to the zoo. She said he loved the gorillas. She said they were wrestling around and Griz loved it.
I hope everyone is doing well. Sorry for the delay in updates. I will try to be more diligent in writing. One last thing, football is starting soon! I can't wait! Sorry, I had to sneak that in. It's my favorite time of year. What's that I hear about USC being ranked something other than 1st?
"4Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4, 6&7
God bless!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sorry For The Gap
I know it's been awhile. Sorry about that. The only excuse I can provide is that we've been busy. Derek's numbers have continued to decline and the doctors have been rearranging things in hopes that it would cause his numbers to increase. His appointments have been different than what we're used to, he's been getting blood, and there have been some medication changes. The problem is that his numbers have continued to decline.
I can't stress this enough though, nobody seems too worried. While they want to figure out what's going on they don't seem to believe it's anything really big. My big worry is that the graph is failing, but his nurse has assured us that the graph took.
They said that myelofibrosis is the hardest disease to come back from in relation to the graph. It takes a really long time for your numbers to reflect your progress. This being because of the scar tissue that has built up in the bone marrow. It's hard for the baby cells to get in there and start to reproduce. The scar tissue has to be eradicated and that takes time.
Derek is having a bone marrow aspiration done today. Your prayers would be appreciated. I'll let you know how it goes and what the doctors say.
I hope you all are doing well and staying cool. It's been very hot here. I love it, except at night.
"Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
~Psalm 107:19-21
God bless!
I can't stress this enough though, nobody seems too worried. While they want to figure out what's going on they don't seem to believe it's anything really big. My big worry is that the graph is failing, but his nurse has assured us that the graph took.
They said that myelofibrosis is the hardest disease to come back from in relation to the graph. It takes a really long time for your numbers to reflect your progress. This being because of the scar tissue that has built up in the bone marrow. It's hard for the baby cells to get in there and start to reproduce. The scar tissue has to be eradicated and that takes time.
Derek is having a bone marrow aspiration done today. Your prayers would be appreciated. I'll let you know how it goes and what the doctors say.
I hope you all are doing well and staying cool. It's been very hot here. I love it, except at night.
"Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
~Psalm 107:19-21
God bless!
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Actual Blog
So here is the post I promised. I put the kids down (for a nap, not forever), changed Derek's Hickman line dressing, and hooked him up to some hydration.
Yes, you read that right. He is back on hydration (did I already tell you that?). He also had to go get 2 units of blood yesterday. His hematocrit was pretty low (23%). All is well though, so no worries.
I think I told you that his kidney numbers were up (I think that was the reason for more hydration). The numbers are still elevated, but they are running some new tests and keeping him on fluids to make sure everything functions properly.
One reason for his hematocrit dropping so rapidly is that before transplant Derek's blood type was A+. Brian's blood type is O+. Thus making Derek O+ after transplant. Well, Brian's cells are alive and well in Derek's body and they are now recognizing Derek's A+ cells as foreign. They are playing a game of Space Invaders inside Derek's body and killing off the A+ blood cells. This causes his hematocrit level to drop.
Some good news! His spleen is getting smaller!
The doctors aren't worried about all of the new developments, but because small things can turn into big things, they need to check out and maintain every tiny detail of Derek's body.
The kids are doing well, the weather has been nice here. We take them to a park that is by our apartment. They enjoy that.
I'm still trying to find my groove. It's coming along, but at times it's hard to shift into the different roles I need to fill. Going from mother to caregiver to wife can be a struggle sometimes, but God is definitley there helping me along. He gave me this yesterday:
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
~Isaiah 41:10
Awesome, huh? The verse speaks for itself. It was a great comfort to my heart yesterday morning when I read that. I'm not doing it by myself, I have the Creator of the universe telling me not to fear and that He will uphold me with His right hand. I love it.
Thanks for the prayers and support. We miss you all. Hope you are all doing well.
God bless!
Yes, you read that right. He is back on hydration (did I already tell you that?). He also had to go get 2 units of blood yesterday. His hematocrit was pretty low (23%). All is well though, so no worries.
I think I told you that his kidney numbers were up (I think that was the reason for more hydration). The numbers are still elevated, but they are running some new tests and keeping him on fluids to make sure everything functions properly.
One reason for his hematocrit dropping so rapidly is that before transplant Derek's blood type was A+. Brian's blood type is O+. Thus making Derek O+ after transplant. Well, Brian's cells are alive and well in Derek's body and they are now recognizing Derek's A+ cells as foreign. They are playing a game of Space Invaders inside Derek's body and killing off the A+ blood cells. This causes his hematocrit level to drop.
Some good news! His spleen is getting smaller!
The doctors aren't worried about all of the new developments, but because small things can turn into big things, they need to check out and maintain every tiny detail of Derek's body.
The kids are doing well, the weather has been nice here. We take them to a park that is by our apartment. They enjoy that.
I'm still trying to find my groove. It's coming along, but at times it's hard to shift into the different roles I need to fill. Going from mother to caregiver to wife can be a struggle sometimes, but God is definitley there helping me along. He gave me this yesterday:
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
~Isaiah 41:10
Awesome, huh? The verse speaks for itself. It was a great comfort to my heart yesterday morning when I read that. I'm not doing it by myself, I have the Creator of the universe telling me not to fear and that He will uphold me with His right hand. I love it.
Thanks for the prayers and support. We miss you all. Hope you are all doing well.
God bless!
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