The eternal optimist in me, everytime, figures that the chemo is going to be better. Not! The five days "going in" is really no big deal (once you get past the fact that you have to carry chemo around with you for 96 hours), but the five days "coming out" are a bitch, to put it mildly. You don't want to move. Your lips crack. Your throat is so sore that you get something to write on rather than talk. And, did I mention you don't want to move?
Well, I'm passed that today so it's on to something more fun. Working and playing.
I know you knew that I went to my granddaughter's wedding and was asked to say the "family blessing." I have been asked to "publish" it, so here it comes.

Our gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the many blessing that you have already given Erin and Lynn. And, thank you for all the blessings that are being prayed down on then right now.
Lord, tonight, I would ask that you endow their lives with and extra layer of discernment.
First, to know when to share in word or deed, the love of your Son to those You place in their lives.
Second, wisdom to know "when to think before you speak." To understand that sometimes a word in anger or perceived hurt can cause pain that can take years to heal.
Third, that when they have children that they speak to them as one, tempered with Your teachings.
And last, that when they are blessed with grandchildren, they realize, along with their children, that these are their true stars in their crowns.
In Your Son's precious and Holy Name,
Amen

The Scan is Back and the news is good. The surgeon, (who is 50 and does triathlons --- and I sure put my faith in people who like to take care of their own bodies!), told me today that we are "a go" if I want to do surgery to "route around the twist." Now, even better news. I'm now able to get down soups and such, again, and this time without regurgitating them back up. Lynda and I look at it this way. The Lord, just may, be using the chemo to "untwist the twist" so we are putting the surgeon "on hold."
We lost a week of chemo and now this week I am doing my 96 hour 5FU. The "skip" did allow me to be at the top of my game for the Lawn Chair Drill Team performance last weekend (more on that later) and it will allow me to go to my nephew's wedding in Santa Fe on Oct. 3. Lynda and I will join Gary and Angie for one day at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. Will send pictures. The only down side of doing the 5FU this week that I will hauling around Friday and Saturday at our big parts move --- but Lynda and spent all of yesterday reviewing all that's to be done so now she will working with Ed and I'll be the kibitzer from the sidelines. Hey, I can handle that.
The deal last Saturday night was the awards banquet for our Chamber of Commerce. (And, our LCDT performance was the opening act, not only for the gala but for the grand opening of the new Hurst Convention Center.) Our Chamber represents three cities, Hurst, Euless and Bedford. I have been a director two times. Once in the 90's and then I was asked again late 2008 and then as you know, I broke my leg January 2009 and then found out I had cancer June of the same year. My participation has been limited, to say the least. Well, to my great surprise, I was awarded the last award.
I was so stunned that I didn't listen as to why. It must have been for "Lifetime Achievement." I was humbled and honored. Lynda and laughed (and cried) that they decided to do it while I was still around.
The Lord has been beside us thru this whole journey but this week we were able to scrap away all the stuff that we had allowed to come between He and us and feel so much more of his love. And you know, His love, also, comes to us thru your prayers and we feel them every day. Love you all.

To "clean up" some thoughts that I skipped over earlier.
I did remark earlier in August that when I did the first round (of the second round) of chemo, it knocked me down pretty good. So, the doc cut the doseage by 20% on the second round and, boy, did I think it was a piece of cake. Sailed thru it with flying colors just wondering when we could do this again! (Not really.) And, then the second day after chemo finished, the sun rose and I didn't want to. Then, the third and fourth day you could have used me for a rug. "Hey," I said to my self, "this dang stuff is working!" Fifth day began to come back. First thing you do in those circumstances is start looking at your schedule. So with what's coming up, --- a trip to NM, a lawn chair drill team performance and a big parts move for a BMW dealership --- how am I going to feel when each of these come up? At this point I made it by last weekend in New Mexico with flying colors and was looking forward to starting chemo yesterday so that I would finish Aug. 11, LCDT performance, and then would have "bounced back" by the August 17, 18 and 19 parts move. Well, after my CT Scan at 8 AM I ventured over to my chemo doc. "Pal," sez Doc Turner, "your white blood count is down so you get only 1/2 (the not so bad part) of your chemo today. Come back next Tuesday and let's see how you are doing and by that time Tommy (my general surgeon) will have read you scan. We would not want to be in chemo mode if wants to operate." So now, here I sit. Gonna be in great shape for the fun weekend but may be down and out for the working weekend. Lynda sez, yesterday, "OK, let's you bring me up to date on all that's going on in this move and I'll be you next weekend if you start chemo on Tuesday." What a girl. What would I do without her. Not to mention, in the last six months, our son in law, Ed, has worked his butt off keeping us at home (for the most part) and helping taking care of our business.
So, that's where we are, again. Waiting, but, hey! I'm still here to wait around. As a friend Jan Rowe told me today, we see such a small part of the big picture that it's hard to determine "why." So, we just accept that we are living the Lord's purpose and smell the roses along the way.
Oh yeah, one other thing on our schedule. A wedding, my nephew Daniel, October 3, in Santa Fe. Did I ever mention how important "short term" goals are? They keep you from feeling sorry for yourself and make you plan for life as it happens, not dwell on what you can't do. Love you all.