A lot has been going on this month and I thought I would do my best to give a little update. A little different than in the past, I thought I would share a mix of the many things and goings on from August. So more of “this is what my life has been looking like lately.” If you are familiar with “Dressing Your Truth,” I am largely a Type 2, which means I naturally am ALL about details… so that means I have to be very intentional to just give highlights of the many things so this post isn’t TOO LONG! I will try… but no promises!!! But to give you a heads up, this is more of a “this is what I have been up to” update than a “this is an update on my health.” (okay, after writing this and reviewing it -- welp, this is a long blog post, if you read through to the bottom you are quite amazing!)
Circulating Tumor Cells
Well I posted back in July that I needed to retake the CTC test because something went wrong with the first attempt on June 9. Well, as it turns out, after a few more attempts and things going awry we drew more blood last Tuesday and now I am awaiting THOSE results.
My mom used to say, “When things go wrong, just do the next best thing!” So, that is what I have been doing. Though, sometimes my mind has wandered over these past few months about this test, but then I would remind myself to think positive as worrying doesn’t produce anything beneficial. I am choosing to listen to my body and trust the Lord and we will get those results when it’s supposed to happen. In the meantime… if you are praying for me, maybe you could pray along with me that things come together as they should and the results are as they should be… all in the right direction.
Thanks to Tiana who covered the cost due to our financial concerns from the cancer treatment, I traveled a little this month to…
The Sawtooths
Tiana is an adventure elopement photographer that helps couples create personalized wedding experiences in the great outdoors. She can be found at Tiana Olivia Photography. Why am I sharing this with you? Because she had extra space in her AirBnB and invited Dan and I along with her on an elopement photoshoot at the Sawtooths. None of us had been there before and so we thought it would be a fun adventure together. I felt this would also be a great way to get away and take my mind off things for a few days. It was SO PEACEFUL and SO FUN to explore an area that was new to all of us. We stayed at a very cute AirBnB in Stanley that was on the river and very quiet and peaceful. It was very relaxing for my body and soul.
Being able to prepare my meals and bring them with me is key to me being able to travel. Having a kitchen to work in to warm things up, etc. was perfect and an inspiration to find more ways to travel as I am healing.
We did some scouting the day after we arrived for Tiana to get pictures and information so she can promote her services in this area more. Newkirk was so happy to be on this trip with Tiana!
Something Tiana and I share is the bug for exploring and adventure. She takes it further than I ever did and I am so happy to see her follow those dreams. Living vicariously through my children is a beautiful thing!
Yellowstone
Tiana had another elopement to shoot, this time in Yellowstone. She invited me to tag along as a gift to me, no cost (again considering our financial difficulties from the cancer treatment). What a sweet gift from my daughter to just go and be with her on her adventure. Our first full day in Yellowstone was dedicated to scouting out the ceremony area the bride and groom chose and on the way we decided to make some stops and enjoy the scenery.
PC Tiana Outdoors
On the way to the Lamar Valley we saw the best thing ever. Tiana has developed a LOVE for bears, particularly Grizzly Bears, which includes a healthy respect for how dangerous they are. So, please don’t worry about her going in for a furry cuddly hug! This was her 6th trip to Yellowstone and she has been hoping to see one each time. We saw a baby black bear on our drive and that was exciting… but we have seen black bears at Yellowstone and in Lake Tahoe before. When we realized the cars ahead were stopping because a Grizzly was sauntering along the riverbank Tiana quickly hopped out of the car and ran up to where the other photographers were with her professional camera and got a few shots. It was a true HIGHLIGHT of our day… we both would occasionally bring up how exciting it was that we both finally saw a real life Grizzly! A memory we will always have together! I mean, I did once see Big Ben, the TV Grizzly, back in the 1980’s… but he was in captivity, so that doesn’t really count in my book.
Tiana’s couple chose a remote lake called Trout Lake in the Lamar Valley and that was our destination on our scouting day. It was a short STEEP hike to the lake and then there was a nice trail around the lake. Needless to say, it was beautiful. Whether it was the high elevation, the fact that I have lacked in hikes over the summer months, or just my condition… It was a challenge for me and I could feel my body wearing thin from this hike and two days later my calves were painfully tight and sore… that last part is just my calves not being used for steep climbs like that often enough.
On the way back to our Inn we stopped in at Mammoth for a quick picture. We have spent a bit of time here in past trips so didn’t feel the need to explore too much, it was getting late and we were tired. We ended up being out driving and exploring for ten hours, which was enough for both of us. Something I enjoyed was all the history and science Tiana relayed to me that has come from her research about Yellowstone Park. Her love of this area, its terrain, and history is very evident.
Tiana’s photo shoot schedule was an all day event so that meant I had a full day to do whatever I wanted in the Old Faithful area, where we stayed. Tiana booked our room at the Old Faithful Inn, and we got to be in the original building that was built in 1904 to Tiana’s delight. The history of this building is amazing and I would just encourage anyone interested to make the trip and go listen to the tour, it’s very interesting.
So, I thought I would have a super relaxing day… and I did, though I did more walking around than I expected as I wanted to see things in the different shops, the visitor’s center, the Old Faithful Lodge, and the trails. They post the times we can expect Old Faithful to blow and so I decided to watch a couple of times. The first time, I settled in between two couples who were holding umbrellas as it was raining. The couple to the left of me and I got to talking and, long story short, we connected over her and my cancer stories. I won’t go into those details, but I really felt my heart fill up with gratitude that I was right there, at that place, at that moment. You see, as I was preparing for this trip I had some thoughts, maybe even some concerns that maybe I was pushing it too much because I wasn’t going to have a kitchen to warm up meals and a really good space to do all my protocol (I learned I can give myself injections on the road, in the car, though) and I was feeling a bit worn down to start with. I prayed about it and the Lord gave me peace to move forward. As I was talking to this couple I had such a strong sense that our meeting was orchestrated by the Lord. I won’t go into all the details, but we exchanged information and committed to pray for each other. She was open and looking for some new resources for her healing journey as she got some bad news before they left for their trip and I was so grateful to have some ideas for her. She is a very precious and beautiful lady, and what a gift to become acquainted with her and her dear husband who traveled all the way from north Georgia.
Tiana got back to the Inn a little earlier than expected and we both decided to walk around the geyser boardwalk in the dark. The stars were out and so beautiful and it was what we both needed before we retired for the night. The Big Dipper was larger than life. It was a beautiful glorious night to remember with my sweet daughter.
We both woke up to a super foggy morning and not wanting to go home, but knowing we needed to get on the road. So, what did we do? We decided to take a long walk in the fog and enjoy the last morning together in Yellowstone. We slowly moseyed out of the park and on the way home.
I just want to give a shout out to Tiana for being so sweet and caring for me in general, but especially on this trip. There were times where I was lagging behind and having a hard time and she made me feel so cared for, one time carrying one of my heavy bags up the stairs to our room because I was feeling worn down and struggling. She made sure I knew that she didn’t have any expectations of me doing anything more than I could do, and checked in with me about whether it was something I could do when there were some steeper inclines in our adventures. She is a precious blessing from the Lord and I am so grateful to call her my daughter.
I wouldn’t change anything about this trip for anything and I am SO GLAD I went with Tiana. I could tell my body was struggling as I laid in bed the last morning and made myself get up and get things together. It was a long day of travel home and we both were beat. This next morning I woke up with a cold sore, which is my body’s way of telling me it’s stressed. Today, I needed to just chill and that I have, thankfully, been able to do. I am back on my detoxing protocol, and back to my general protocol and got to spend the day doing basically nothing… which consisted of a sweet long talk with Daniel, pulling out some resources to share with my new friend from Georgia, making some food, catching up with my family of origin, doing some writing, and just resting.
I do have to say that I feel a new sense of inspiration for goal setting for my health protocols the next few months and that is something I am wrapping my mind fully around and hope to have some things to share about that. I am feeling hopeful, inspired, and encouraged about the days, weeks, and months ahead.
So, my IV’s went through a period of feeling hard, but lately they have been much better. I think I was dehydrated with the coffee enema’s I started as part of my detox protocol early last month. I have been learning about more natural ways to get in my electrolytes which helps hydrate through eating more raw veggies and fruit. I notice it’s making a BIG difference.
My oldest daughter, Sereina, knows how to throw a party and she and her husband, Kaleb, did a beautiful job of hosting my daughter, Alina and her husband Justin’s baby shower. It was a delightful day with friends and family from both ours and Justin’s side that fed my soul. What a delight to be soon welcoming our 3rd precious grandbaby gift.
And last, but never ever least… We celebrated Daniel’s 23rd birthday. These past few years the kids haven’t been interested in candles, so I got rid of all my extras. When Sereina found out, she gave me some candles for Daniel because Rosemary would enjoy it… well, Daniel did too. It was fun having the family together to celebrate his birthday and just “be” together. With all our adult children's birthday celebrations, they have been morphing and looking different than they once did. To be honest, I don’t really know how to navigate it all, except to try to honor what each child prefers or doesn’t prefer. I know this is off topic from my blog purpose… How does your family do adult birthday celebrations with your kids who have their own households now?
This week we will be getting the mold in our house taken care of and I am continuing to research and figure out how to limit my body from taking in heavy metals and environmental toxins, while I work on detoxing the high levels of these out of my body.
Wow! You made it to the end. I congratulate you for sticking with me! I continue to be grateful for those of you who are still praying for me and with me in this journey and for those of you who continue to generously contribute to my journey financially either privately to us or through our GoFundMe.
For now, my prayer requests are the same as always, that my body would respond to the treatments, that my immune system would become strengthened, that my T-Cells would grow strong and kill the cancer cells, that my detox pathways would open up and work as God created them to, that I would have a clear sense to anything I need to change in my diet and/or protocol, that I would daily feel the comfort of the Lord’s arms around me and that I would trust Him like I have trusted no other and like I have never trusted Him before. Oh, and that my CTC results and my next round of terrain tests would show favorable results, all going in the right direction… cancer cells and inflammation continue to go down and cells that support my immune system would increase and grow strong.
Circulating Tumor Cells
Well I posted back in July that I needed to retake the CTC test because something went wrong with the first attempt on June 9. Well, as it turns out, after a few more attempts and things going awry we drew more blood last Tuesday and now I am awaiting THOSE results.
My mom used to say, “When things go wrong, just do the next best thing!” So, that is what I have been doing. Though, sometimes my mind has wandered over these past few months about this test, but then I would remind myself to think positive as worrying doesn’t produce anything beneficial. I am choosing to listen to my body and trust the Lord and we will get those results when it’s supposed to happen. In the meantime… if you are praying for me, maybe you could pray along with me that things come together as they should and the results are as they should be… all in the right direction.
Thanks to Tiana who covered the cost due to our financial concerns from the cancer treatment, I traveled a little this month to…
The Sawtooths
Tiana is an adventure elopement photographer that helps couples create personalized wedding experiences in the great outdoors. She can be found at Tiana Olivia Photography. Why am I sharing this with you? Because she had extra space in her AirBnB and invited Dan and I along with her on an elopement photoshoot at the Sawtooths. None of us had been there before and so we thought it would be a fun adventure together. I felt this would also be a great way to get away and take my mind off things for a few days. It was SO PEACEFUL and SO FUN to explore an area that was new to all of us. We stayed at a very cute AirBnB in Stanley that was on the river and very quiet and peaceful. It was very relaxing for my body and soul.
Being able to prepare my meals and bring them with me is key to me being able to travel. Having a kitchen to work in to warm things up, etc. was perfect and an inspiration to find more ways to travel as I am healing.
Yellowstone
PC Tiana Outdoors
On the way to the Lamar Valley we saw the best thing ever. Tiana has developed a LOVE for bears, particularly Grizzly Bears, which includes a healthy respect for how dangerous they are. So, please don’t worry about her going in for a furry cuddly hug! This was her 6th trip to Yellowstone and she has been hoping to see one each time. We saw a baby black bear on our drive and that was exciting… but we have seen black bears at Yellowstone and in Lake Tahoe before. When we realized the cars ahead were stopping because a Grizzly was sauntering along the riverbank Tiana quickly hopped out of the car and ran up to where the other photographers were with her professional camera and got a few shots. It was a true HIGHLIGHT of our day… we both would occasionally bring up how exciting it was that we both finally saw a real life Grizzly! A memory we will always have together! I mean, I did once see Big Ben, the TV Grizzly, back in the 1980’s… but he was in captivity, so that doesn’t really count in my book.
Tiana’s couple chose a remote lake called Trout Lake in the Lamar Valley and that was our destination on our scouting day. It was a short STEEP hike to the lake and then there was a nice trail around the lake. Needless to say, it was beautiful. Whether it was the high elevation, the fact that I have lacked in hikes over the summer months, or just my condition… It was a challenge for me and I could feel my body wearing thin from this hike and two days later my calves were painfully tight and sore… that last part is just my calves not being used for steep climbs like that often enough.
On the way back to our Inn we stopped in at Mammoth for a quick picture. We have spent a bit of time here in past trips so didn’t feel the need to explore too much, it was getting late and we were tired. We ended up being out driving and exploring for ten hours, which was enough for both of us. Something I enjoyed was all the history and science Tiana relayed to me that has come from her research about Yellowstone Park. Her love of this area, its terrain, and history is very evident.
Tiana’s photo shoot schedule was an all day event so that meant I had a full day to do whatever I wanted in the Old Faithful area, where we stayed. Tiana booked our room at the Old Faithful Inn, and we got to be in the original building that was built in 1904 to Tiana’s delight. The history of this building is amazing and I would just encourage anyone interested to make the trip and go listen to the tour, it’s very interesting.
Tiana got back to the Inn a little earlier than expected and we both decided to walk around the geyser boardwalk in the dark. The stars were out and so beautiful and it was what we both needed before we retired for the night. The Big Dipper was larger than life. It was a beautiful glorious night to remember with my sweet daughter.
We both woke up to a super foggy morning and not wanting to go home, but knowing we needed to get on the road. So, what did we do? We decided to take a long walk in the fog and enjoy the last morning together in Yellowstone. We slowly moseyed out of the park and on the way home.
I just want to give a shout out to Tiana for being so sweet and caring for me in general, but especially on this trip. There were times where I was lagging behind and having a hard time and she made me feel so cared for, one time carrying one of my heavy bags up the stairs to our room because I was feeling worn down and struggling. She made sure I knew that she didn’t have any expectations of me doing anything more than I could do, and checked in with me about whether it was something I could do when there were some steeper inclines in our adventures. She is a precious blessing from the Lord and I am so grateful to call her my daughter.
I wouldn’t change anything about this trip for anything and I am SO GLAD I went with Tiana. I could tell my body was struggling as I laid in bed the last morning and made myself get up and get things together. It was a long day of travel home and we both were beat. This next morning I woke up with a cold sore, which is my body’s way of telling me it’s stressed. Today, I needed to just chill and that I have, thankfully, been able to do. I am back on my detoxing protocol, and back to my general protocol and got to spend the day doing basically nothing… which consisted of a sweet long talk with Daniel, pulling out some resources to share with my new friend from Georgia, making some food, catching up with my family of origin, doing some writing, and just resting.
I do have to say that I feel a new sense of inspiration for goal setting for my health protocols the next few months and that is something I am wrapping my mind fully around and hope to have some things to share about that. I am feeling hopeful, inspired, and encouraged about the days, weeks, and months ahead.
So, my IV’s went through a period of feeling hard, but lately they have been much better. I think I was dehydrated with the coffee enema’s I started as part of my detox protocol early last month. I have been learning about more natural ways to get in my electrolytes which helps hydrate through eating more raw veggies and fruit. I notice it’s making a BIG difference.
And last, but never ever least… We celebrated Daniel’s 23rd birthday. These past few years the kids haven’t been interested in candles, so I got rid of all my extras. When Sereina found out, she gave me some candles for Daniel because Rosemary would enjoy it… well, Daniel did too. It was fun having the family together to celebrate his birthday and just “be” together. With all our adult children's birthday celebrations, they have been morphing and looking different than they once did. To be honest, I don’t really know how to navigate it all, except to try to honor what each child prefers or doesn’t prefer. I know this is off topic from my blog purpose… How does your family do adult birthday celebrations with your kids who have their own households now?
This week we will be getting the mold in our house taken care of and I am continuing to research and figure out how to limit my body from taking in heavy metals and environmental toxins, while I work on detoxing the high levels of these out of my body.
Wow! You made it to the end. I congratulate you for sticking with me! I continue to be grateful for those of you who are still praying for me and with me in this journey and for those of you who continue to generously contribute to my journey financially either privately to us or through our GoFundMe.
For now, my prayer requests are the same as always, that my body would respond to the treatments, that my immune system would become strengthened, that my T-Cells would grow strong and kill the cancer cells, that my detox pathways would open up and work as God created them to, that I would have a clear sense to anything I need to change in my diet and/or protocol, that I would daily feel the comfort of the Lord’s arms around me and that I would trust Him like I have trusted no other and like I have never trusted Him before. Oh, and that my CTC results and my next round of terrain tests would show favorable results, all going in the right direction… cancer cells and inflammation continue to go down and cells that support my immune system would increase and grow strong.
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