Catch up Post!

It's been a while and so much has happened. I'm going to try and squeeze it all into one post!

This last weekend I had the privilege of traveling to San Antonio, Texas to watch my little brother graduate from boot camp. It was so cool to see how things operate in an Air Force Base. I am so proud of my brother for accomplishing such a hard thing. I can’t wait to see how this impacts his life.

We had a great time going to graduation, the Alamo, the River Walk, and Sea World! I even saw a horse with a hat like me!! Hats are so popular right now!

I was impressed by how selfless the men and women in the Air Force are. Their motto is “Service before self.” Hmmm kind of like what we should do as Christians!

I was very impacted by the church service we attended. It was different than anything I have experienced before.  It’s not a common practice to hear “yes sir” shouted by hundreds of airmen during a Sunday service at Northstar! 

During communion, the praise band played Laura Story’s song “Blessings.”

I know this song has been out there for a while and lot of people have been impacted by it, but one line of the song really hit home for me in a new way.

“What if the trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?”

I have tried very hard to consider this trial in my life a blessing. My biggest prayer through all of this is that God would use it for good, that my life could somehow inspire others or lead them to know Christ, that me having cancer would be beneficial for the Kingdom.

However, I have never thought about the fact that I have cancer and have to wait to have babies could be mercies from God. What if these trials are God showing mercy to me? He could actually be saving me from something so much worse! I mean He is healing me for goodness sakes! From a cancer that is not aggressive, in a time frame that is not ridiculous. (I met a woman at chemo that has been going through treatments for 9 years!)

Hodgkins could be a mercy from the Father, and because of that, I am choosing to be grateful. What trials are you facing right now? What could God be saving you from?

Today was my 5th round of chemo!

Health/ symptom update:
~I have one more treatment and then I will be halfway done and can get a CT scan. Woot Woot! This scan will hopefully show what the doctors think, that my tumors are completely gone!
~I unfortunately picked up a bug of some kind in Texas. Throat hurts, stuffy nose, pounding headache. Not so great, but we decided to go through my treatment today anyway. They prescribed an antibiotic to hopefully clear it up. Just pray it doesn't develop into anything else and we can clear it up! Bring on the hand sanitizer!
~My weight is up 10 pounds from when I started. Most people lose weight on chemo, but I have managed to gain it! This is however not uncommon in Hodgkins patients. One symptom of Hodgkins is that you lose weight or can't gain any weight. The fact that I am able to gain weight actually means that the chemo is working and my Hodgkins is going away! Praise God! It also doesn't help that I turn to starchy foods to help with the nausea! I know I shouldn't worry about it, but it's hard for any woman to gain weight.
~My hair is dwindling. I thought I would have shaved it by now. I'm pretty bald on top. I still have a tiny ponytail though that makes me look more normal when I wear a hat, so I think I'll wait a while.
~I am so humbled by everyone's continued generosity. That Nalgene bottle is my new gift from Jessica and Kate! I also got packages from some sweet ladies in David's parent's church, the amazing Tempa Bader, and my sweet friend Meghan! Plus my hubby bought me new shoes...

 The nurses at the infusion center were taken aback by my highlighter colored shoes! I love them though!

And he bought me a sewing machine! This will serve more than adequately as my anniversary present! Can you believe that next month we will have been married for 2 years?? Crazy!

That's about it! Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I fight the emotional mind battles that come along with cancer. Satan would love to defeat me starting first with my mind! I will win this battle by the grace and mercy of God! To quote the American Airmen "...AND I WILL NOT FAIL!" (Try to imagine 700 men and women yelling this phrase! Very powerful!)

We're getting there! 5 down, 7 to go!