Getting Closer

I know that it's been a little while since my last post. I have been putting stuff right after I get my treatments and I'm a little late. The reason for this is that, quite simply, I'm tired of writing about cancer. I'm tired of my life and my blog revolving around it. And I'm sure that anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis is probably tired of reading about it.

A good example of the reason that I'm tired of writing about it is happening right now as I type. It's a sunny Saturday afternoon and I'm sitting on the couch resting my legs while my wife is outside mowing the grass and hauling wheelbarrow loads of mowed grass back into the woods behind our house. She would never say anything, but I know that she's got to be getting tired of doing the work of two people around the house and yard.

So, just a couple quick things in the way of an update. I had my sixth treatment on Tuesday, which means only two more to go. My legs have been giving me a lot of trouble lately, just from being so weak, so they changed my treatment a little bit. They eliminated one of the chemo drugs that I get and fortunately for me it's also the one that causes the cold sensitivity in my hands and mouth. The doctor thought that that particular part of the treatment might be messing with the nerves in my legs so he stopped it at least for the next two weeks so we can see of there's any improvement.

So enough about that. On to some stuff that's more fun to talk about it. We recently celebrated Shane's graduation and open house last Sunday. It went very well. There were lots of people at the open house and everyone seemed to have a good time. Despite mine and Kelly's skepticism regarding the jerky bar that Shane wanted, it went over extremely well. Lots of people were up there sampling all the different kinds that we had and everyone seemed to like it. We also had an ice cream bar that didn't go over quite as well. We probably have 50 small containers of vanilla and chocolate ice cream in our freezer. So if you'd like a bite of ice cream or two, come see us. We might even throw in some chocolate or caramel topping. Shane also did well at the graduation. One of the benefits of a small school ceremony like that is that you get to hear some more about an individual graduate than simply his or her name as they walk across the stage. One of the things that Brimley does is announce all the scholarships won by the seniors. Shane did pretty well here, laying claim to five of them. They came all at once, so it seemed like he was just walking off the stage with one in his hand and walking right back around to the entry stairs to head up and claim another one.

Callie finished her softball season off with quite a bang. In their final game of the season, she came up to bat with runners on first and second while trailing 7-5. She hit a double, driving in both runners to tie the game. After going to third on a pass ball, she scored by stealing home on another pass ball. For those of you who know Callie, you understand what a big deal it was for her to take off for home and slide to score the winning run.

Andrew has got himself a job at a new restaurant in town and will start on June 10 or 11^th. He is pretty excited about it and I am too. It will be a big challenge for him because it's a lot of stuff that he's never had to do before. It will be his first real step towards real responsibility and I hope he rises to the occasion.

Sydney has officially moved in with her grandparents in Clare and is working at the Doherty Hotel. She is planning on taking a statistics class that will allow her to attend Saginaw Valley in the fall and continue to pursue her nursing career.

This leaves us with Abbie Church. She is very disappointed that all her brothers and sisters are now done with school and she still has to go for another week. It is a very unfair and unjust world that we live in in her point of view. She got to go to an indoor water park in Mackinaw City the other day and had a great time. We went to the VFW Hall for a fish fry and Kelly, Abbie and I had a great time eating and laughing together.

These are the life events that I'd like to keep people up to date on and not stupid cancer or chemotherapy. In another month, I'll be able to do that. I have maintained all along that I'm going to beat this thing and continue to live my life. I am close to accomplishing that goal and being able to truly enjoy the things that are important to me. Twenty-four more days, two more treatments, and one victory.

I Will Win