Beautiful Weekend!

We just spent a wonderful weekend on Orcas Island, thanks to sister Juli and brother-in-law Bill.  They set us up for a weekend at a timeshare for Chris's birthday.  We couldn't have picked a better weekend at this time of year...the weather was gorgeous, sunny and blue skies and crisp fall air.  We had a nice unit with a deck and hot tub that overlooked Deer Harbor and spent the weekend out in the hot tub, inside playing games and in town exploring. 

Chris had chemo again last week, as well as another blood transfusion, and wasn't feeling good Friday after work.  He decided he still wanted to go as all he had to do when he got home was get in the car and he could sleep for a few hours.  Once we got there and checked in, he woke up and felt much better, enough to stay up until about 1 in the morning playing games.  He did pretty well on Saturday, going at his own pace and taking a nap after we returned from town, which helped a lot.  That was the day that is usually the hardest on him after chemo but he did great.

Now that we've been there for the first time, we wonder why we haven't taken more trips to the San Juan Islands.  It is only a couple of hours to drive to the ferry and then an hour ferry ride.  It was fun to just decompress and follow our own schedule, having a wonderful family-focused weekend in a beautiful place.  We were also able to pray, reflect and stay unplugged for most of the weekend.

Here are some pictures:

In town Sat at the bookstore

One of the timeshare units



Our deck and hot tub

View from our drive

View through the blinds from our bedroom window

View of one of the marinas

Good Lab Results Today!

Since starting the new chemo, the cancer markers in Chris's blood have gone down 40%! He was so encouraged to hear that today. He's been feeling pretty good considering how much chemo his body has gone through. This helped confirm the chemo is doing something good.

On the flip side, this chemo is causing his hair to fall out. I guess we can't complain, he's been spared so many side effects so far. It is the Abraxane that is causing the hair loss.  We're not sure if he'll be able to keep his facial hair long enough to complete Movember but we'll see. I think he's beautiful no matter what!

Thanks to all of the prayer warriors out there!  Please keep it up!

Thankfulness

I am so full of love and gratitude for all of the encouragement Chris has been receiving, especially on his birthday.  Friends and family have shared so many meaningful, sincere words that will stay with us always. They have given of their time and talents to serve us and others so we celebrated Chris's birthday in style! They have hosted us throughout the weekend as we transitioned from birthday to Halloween to nights out to Seahawk game day What a busy few days it has been and Chris is doing great, though tired. Are we the only ones feeling it is later than it actually is due to the time change? Probably not, especially with how busy many have been with the holiday, etc. :-)

It is typical for some people to share every day in November something they are thankful for. I am thankful for how much people have loved us, served us and celebrated Chris this past week.

With gratitude,
Wendy