Round Two

LadyBug started her second drug treatment this week. Dr. Chemo gave her an extra half week so she would be feeling good enough to go to ZeldaPrincess' Jr. Prom. And he is giving her a full 2 1/2 weeks until her next treatment to give her blood count time to get where it needs to be. So far, this drug does not make her quite as nauseous as the previous combination, but she has a lot of joint pain and bone pain. She said if it wasn't for the pain, this would be much easier than the first drug round. She is looking much better, though, so I will take whatever I can get!

   

On the diet front, I have now lost almost 45 lbs. My awesome summer shorts are now too big for me, my belts are getting too big for me, but some of my shirts fit better now. I am getting between 10 and 30 minutes of exercise every day but Sunday, and feeling pretty good. It would be great if it wasn't so much more expensive to eat a healthy diet. If I could get healthy and thin eating at McDonald's I could save a ton of money. It's just as well, though since I despise Micky-D's food! 

  

We are also into the fifth month of LadyBug not working. Sh went in a couple of days early on, but only stayed for two hours at a time. Her boss didn't know what to have her do for only two hours, but everyone will be thrilled when she can return. The lady doing her job right now is at the front of the welcoming line. The best thing about all of this is that we only have three of us home right now, so it doesn't cost as much to feed us. We bought a 40 lb. box of chicken breasts some time back, and even have a few left! We also have had a couple of turkeys that we were able to stretch for quite some time. Luckily, chicken and turkey (and the tilapia in the freezer) are on the list if things we can both eat!

   

Skitl, our oldest, called us last week to inform us that his car's engine had seized (he hadn't been checking oil like he should for the thousands of miles he was putting on it). He got a loan to pay for a used engine to be installed (I know, used isn't great, but it has fewer miles on it than his original engine...). He should be coming home sometime within the next week or two, so we'll see how the new engine runs. He plans to go north, get an apartment, and start school with StarGazer this fall.

   

Speaking of StarGazer, he is doing great. His new job starts any day now. He will be working tech support for a smart phone (I think). He is living in the first big city north of us and going to school. He takes a yoga class every semester that he loves, and has been going for sushi with his roommate, who is our newest convert to all things sushi. Soon, we will take over the world with our sushi ways!

   

I may as well finish with the rest of the clan. Kissa is loving college. She dances about 40 hours a week. She can't do a work schedule around that, but she gets by. She just made the main dance squad for next year, so is very excited. She is home right now for Spring Break, sleeping on the sofa, even though she still has a bed in her old room....

  

ZeldaPrincess loved her dress for the prom. Her long-distance boyfriend (now State Debate Champ) drove the two hours or so to get here, since he had a game in a neighboring town, spent the night in that town, then drove home the day after prom. Z.P.'s dress was very pretty. This was our second purple prom dress. 

   

It's hard to believe she will be a senior next year. She was also just voted team captain for our varsity girl's soccer team. She will have to attend camp this summer to keep the position, but she is perfectly okay with that. She will have to skip out on their Summer Games tournament, since she will have to work to pay her expense with camp, car, etc., but I think putting in a little extra time makes you appreciate what you have even more.

   

So wow. That was quite the load of information. We continue keeping our heads up and our eyes open through all of this. We love seeing the Lord's hand in things, and have been overcome by the generosity of the people in our town. We know we are not above the trials others have to face, and seeing some of those are truly humbling to us. For those of you in the boat with us, or in worse circumstances, know we pray for you. For those who generously pray for us, thank you, we pray for you, too. Take care, all.