MRI Update......

Hey Everyone! Well today was my special meetings with my Doctors at the City of Hope. Based on some issues that I had been having, my MRI got moved from the seventh of August to today. First, it is simply awesome that you are able to get an MRI and then a few minutes later the whole set of pictures are available to see at any computer, anywhere at the City of Hope. Fantastic. Anyway I got mine done today and the little white spot in my head has gotten bigger over the last 6 weeks. So after almost and hour of talking with my awesome doctor we decided to change gears again. While I am not ready to get all excited about surgery, since number 6 is a little tough to make everything still be correct, we are going to try another different plan. I am off the chemo as it was not stopping my growth and will start taking a chemo pill that I will take one every six weeks. Pretty interesting to start now on a pill that is taken once every 6 weeks as the new thing that will hopefully stop the growth in my head. Interesting. I just wanted to let you all know about my fun Friday. Don't get me wrong, I am still extremely excited to still be here on earth with my family and friends, but sometimes it is a little harder to know how long this joy will be able to continue. While I know that I will be very excited to be in the amazingness of God, I know that it will be a tremendous unhappy time for those that are left here without me.

Today's Gift

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to say what a great time we had at a baby shower with some good friends of ours. It was nice sharing time and fun with many others and as a whole family, not just a cool place for ladies. Anyway I wanted to give my beautiful wife Hallie some tremendous credit over the last couple of days. When I started on this unique life so many months ago it was very easy to only worry about tomorrow, not worrying about the future. Having a great feeling from everyday thanking God for allowing me to be here another day to share with my family, friends, and neighbors. Well as time goes through your life it is very easy to start to fall back to the old ways where you begin to worry about next week, next month, and next year. I had once again returned to be the man who was continuously trying to stop or solve the problems, forgetting that each day is again a great gift from God. I had lost the ability to thank God each day for another opportunity to spend another day with my family. Well it was great for me to have been reminded by Hallie since I had been focusing on the challenge, not the joy of another moment to be spend with the family. The reason that I have brought up the subject was not only to share with you how amazing my wife is by being able to remind me whats important in our lives, but I also had the ability to share it with with another. While being at the baby's shower, I met a woman who was starting to worry about a specific future challenge. I was very surprised that I was able to share with her the same thing that I had been reminded of just a few days ago. Awesome! God had given me the opportunity to take that thing which had just been reminded to me and allow me to share it with someone else. I hope you have not forgotten that yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift which is why it is called the present. Just in case you have here is your reminder, live today for today and enjoy each moment, nobody really knows the mystery of tomorrow.

Hmmmmm...

Hey Everyone! Well for those of you who were not sure that I was going to be able to write more often, well forget it! Anyway I am trying a little bit harder than I was previously. I just wanted to share a thought with you all. Over the last 2 1/2 days I have been really trying to work out my challenge. I have spent lots of time sitting and thinking, walking and thinking, and even just simply thinking. All of that time spent trying to get the solution to my challenge. And then I thought of my earlier days (really earlier). Having a challenge and taking an immediate response to set to my solution. Some were successful and some were...oh my... some were horrific. I was thinking that then, it was for me too learn that I should take a moment and decide which of the activities was going to bring me the best response for the challenge. Well time has gone by for us all and I am afraid that sometimes we spend too much time looking for the answer to our challenge. Too much time spent will leave you petrified, never settling for any answer and just leaving yourself to feel overlooked by the challenge that was never fixed. I just want everyone to know that it is ok to check the different solutions to your challenge, but don't ever do nothing. Take time to evaluate all your choices, but then make sure that you take an action. Just know that some will be awesome and some will suck but either way you have the ability to tell everyone that you took a chance. And as life goes for us all, some were good and others were not so good. Gotta run and go finish since I have found the answer to my previous challenge.

Whew, Back Again, Finally

Hey Everyone! Let me wish that the 4th of July was a fantastic and great family moment for you all. A day of fun, fireworks, and a small beverage or two. First, and foremost, I would like to thank my wonderful friends who took us in and allowed us to stay at their gorgeous home for several days in the great city of Kona, Hawaii. You both were awesome, fantastic, and simply great. Thank you again for such a wonderful adventure. Let me say that for being in a place that allowed up to zip along nature, snorkel in the ocean (very challenging as Hunter does not like it ever again), saw a volcano dropping lava into the ocean during the day and night, seeing a family member that I have missed for 30 years, driving to the southern point of the island and the U.S., and most important lighting fireworks legally was a great couple of days. Whew a lot of truly cool things.

Next I wanted to let you know that my chemo with one medicine happened on Friday and I am doing pretty good, compared to that previous two medicines moments which was horrific. I am feeling pretty good and able to do some things as compared to being able to do absolutely nothing. I am on track for my next chemo on the 24th and my next MRI on the 7th of August. Hopefully my head is doing well with only one medicine, but I have a little time before I can find out for sure.

My mid year resolution is to update my blog a bit more often. I want share more moments good bad and ugly. So keep your a look out and we will see.