oopsy daisy

I took a while to get back on here and will forget so much!

Its November. ??? What? I don’t get it!

We are on season 4 of Survivor, in case you wanted to know. I should be out on a night walk, getting fresh air and sluffing off the blah on me…but here I am. Shopping for an area rug for the new house…watching TV, and typing.

Okay. Where were we. Saturday? I don’t know. I just know that we look forward to the weekend like we just busted out 40 hours on a job we loathe and hate. Wed-Friday seemed rough, pain wise, for Mark. His back. I know, I’m like a broken record! But for, me, as a wife who just struggles with the notion that I’m not doing enough or the right thing…its really hard to watch him wither away and then struggle to do the very basics like walk, or get up out of a chair without some sort of assistance. And I don’t totally trust the medical system. I feel like the patients are their experiments sometimes and they are very disconnected to the world they are really going through.

So Saturday was Regionals for Alyeska. Kent City slowly worked their way up throughout the season, battling with Covenant Christian at several invitationals. We knew though, if each girl pulled out their best…we could win. The girls ran fantastically and they DID take the title! I as so hoping Mark would feel good enough to be able to go but he is just not there yet. He can’t walk that far and stand that long and his back could just really say NO so…I was able to pick up my daughter Felicity and bring her to regionals with us so she was able to see Aly run and we were able to just spend time together as we really have not for a very long time.

Mark continues to pee. Never have we been so excited about urine. He is still urinating the same large amount and he is also losing weight on non dialysis days because his body is excreting on his own which is good and encouraging. I can’t remember Saturday night. Oh yeah, we went up to the house and I met with a potential drywaller and our stair guy came so we can chat about the rest of the project and be on the same page. Mark came up because we weren’t there long. He had started working on the windowsills and they are very cool.

Sunday we watched church and afterward Karson came by with Abby (you know…my future daughter in law!) and I put off going north in order to chat wedding and hernia surgeries. Mark decided to go to the house with me and my good childhood (and adult friend) came to the house to help take a load with us up to the house. We kind of spoiled our kids plans to hang out with friends…so Aly came to the house with her friend and they helped burn junk, train Bucky on the the hidden fence, feed the deer, blow off the deck, empty the house, put away tools, haul wood and cement blocks. They did it with good attitudes. My mom came and planted some perenials for me and Theresa helped to vaccuum every crack in the subfloor. We were preparing for the floor to go down and I was at a very anxious high because two days before that we weren’t even sure if we could use the floor I ordered last APRIL and had waited and waited for and loved. Then there was a bunch of little last minute things that just had me really worked up about it. It ended up being a good afternoon and we went home to be the sloths we have become to enjoy NOT having to do dialysis.

Bonus was that today (Monday) I also did not have to do dialysis, but Mark did. I had agreed to take Felicity to her first OB appointment and we had worked to get that all scheduled adn so I scheduled Mark at Davita so he could have dialysis there and I could take Felicity to her appt and we could just enjoy that. I was nice to spend time with her in different roles than we had years ago. The OB is a midwife who happens to be Karson’s step-mom. Funny how relationships pan out. She was very good with Felicity and Felicity was able to hear the heartbeat of her baby for the first time. It was a sweet sound. She is 15 weeks along. Our next appointment includes an ultrasound. We had gotten back and were waiting for Mark and I had told Felicity about our friend Sean who we befriended on facebook and was also going through dialysis at the same training center (do you remember the story?) and when we were in conversation (about life and men and value etc) I saw Sean come out. I got out of the truck and yelled his name and was able to meet him in real life for the first time and he is such nice guy! I was able to meet his mom as well and talk about the whoas of dialysis life and cancer. We joked and laughed and it was nice. Mark finally came out and was able to meet him too. I’m so thankful for that. Remember I told you that I think a really cool story is happening within the story.

I forgot. A friend stopped by Sunday night and dropped off a really nice gift. Cards with favorite scriptures and a cash gift as well. I love talking to her because her life changed so much over the past 4/5 years during a hard time in her own life and thats when she saught Jesus. That’s when her life changed. She nows uses her social ability and her occupation to talk to everyone about who HE is and how HE changed her life. She talked about us and asked peopel to pray and to share scripture…and show how a cash gift was in there too. People are incredible.

*** I forgot. My friend Alma. A heart of stinking gold. So sweet and so giving. So loving. A sister in Christ. Such a long story and I want to highlite it at some point but she said on Wed morning that Mark has really been on her heart. That was the first really hard morning for Mark and his back. Friday she messaged me and asked if she could stop by and pray for Mark. That he had been so heavy on her heart. You see, she has always been very quiet. I’ve known her since middle school. We reconnected years ago on FB (that’s why I personally like facebook). I think through our freindship I have encouraged her to be more bold and courageous but you see…I would never ask someone if I can come to their house to pray with them. She won’t agree with me but in many ways she is much more courageous than me. She is bold in what she believes and it is so admirable. She came over with her son, and we called down our kids and she asked Mark if she could put her hand on his back where it hurts most. See…we aren’t hand raising, laying hands, charismatic christians…and either is she. This was not an obnoxious gesture at all. She prayed in spanish with us and than sang a hymn. I’ve known her for….30 years…and I have never heard her sweet voice sing. Of course, the quiete soft spoken kind girl…has the beautiful voice. It was lovely and the whole episode was emotional. I tell this story to encourage you to act on the direction that the Holy Spirit gives you…and that just because you aren’t loud and outspoken, or haven’t done alot of things or experienced alot, doesn’t mean you aren’t bold. That’s not how Christ sees bold. The other reason I tell the story is to encourage you to keep relationships! Reach out, make room, and mold relationships. Alma and I are opposites…but we love each other dearly. :). We have a bond in Christ.

Video appointment with oncologist. She is excited about the kidney!!! She thinks the Lenvima and immunotherapy are working quickly and that is why he is peeing and if the tumor is shrinking then it may take some pain off the back as well. I was has some frustration as well but I’ll share that later…this is getting long. We see her in 2 weeks for more labs and she will order another ultrsound so look at kidney!

Still the goal is to eat!

I’m off to make a Sak so we can do dialysis at home tomorrow afternoon after our follow up with the Dr who did his fistula and then an MRI.