Christmas 2016

We have been so blessed to have our kids home for Christmas.  Melissa and Jon arrived on December 24th and Max joined us that same day.

We went to our Christmas Eve service at the church and ... I actually enjoyed it.  (I'm not a real fan of Christmas, but I am learning....I'm trying...).

The best part of the service:

https://www.facebook.com/colwoodpc/videos/vb.170283339652473/1511690188845108/?type=2&theater

Your joy may be skewed?

 Opening gifts, Max got a chef's knife

He's amped for his Christmas gift....

More kitchen themed gifts....

Kent got a smoker for his bees.

We hiked Christmas Hill on Christmas Day

So impressed I pulled out my camera

It's better that they don't know I'm taking photos

My best beloved

Max and Jonathan, Christmas Hill, Christmas Day

Boxing Day, Mystic Beach Hike

West Coast. Best Coast.

Totally drawn to the rope swing....

Rope swing won, I got so wet.

End of the Mystic Beach hike, we were soaked.

Wine and Paint Night Date

New Years Eve we celebrated Cheryl's birthday

I tried a new recipe for Prime Rib Roast

Right place. Right time. Tofino time.

For Christmas this year, I gave Kent, "11 Dates in 2017" 11 preplanned, prepaid for dates.  Why not 12?  Because I thought he'd like to plan our anniversary together.

This weekend Kent and I escaped on our first "Date of 2017".  A weekend away to Tofino.  When I was planning this date, we didn't know what 2017 would bring......surgery? Chemotherapy? radiation? I decided we should escape first.

On Saturday as we were heading out of town, Kent stated he wanted to go to Best Buy and get a cord...for doing something electronic-y.

We head to Uptown and knowing that we'd never find parking near Best Buy, I told Kent that I'd keep circling the parking lot while he ran in for said cord.

He stopped in front of Best Buy, we trade places and I'm now driving around the lot when WHAM-O!  Not really, but WoW!  There's a parking spot.  I waited to see if anyone else wanted it--and no one seemed to want it, so I took it!  I turned off the car engine and thought, I'll go get us a drink.

I got out of the car headed towards Starbucks when I see a Dad with 2 toddlers.  There was something odd about it all, I was slightly intrigued....so I followed him as he turned toward the "up" escalator.  I was quite a distance from him, he and the 2 kids about 1/2 way up the escalator, when it happens.

The older toddler, about 3 was holding Dad's hand.  The younger child, about 18 months old, wasn't and it took seconds for him to lose his balance and tumble down the escalator. 

I started running.  I was thinking, jacket pulls, shoe laces, baby fingers--all don't mix well with the metal of the escalator. 

Dad started running....down the "up" escalator. I caught the babe just as he hit the bottom of the escalator.  I waited for Dad to make it to the bottom as his 3 year old has slowly made his way to the top of the escalator.

I said to the Dad, "I think this is yours?"

He abruptly states, "Yes." and turned on his heel and ran away--to his older toddler who was being taken care of by another stranger.

I think this is a day at the mall his baby Mama's not going to hear about.

I love moments like this in life, right place, right time.  What seems like an ordinary day when we changed gears, went to Uptown, all orchestrated....providentially orchestrated so that a toddler and his dad are cared for....with all fingers intact.

Onto Tofino we went for a quiet weekend.

We walked on beaches, watched crashing waves, ate, slept, played, rested.  It was a great weekend.

MacKENTzie Beach. ;)

Beach at Incinerator Rock

While taking this photo Kent was in the way....

This was his solution to me getting this cool picture....

STORM Surf Shop, a shirt for Max

At the local grocery store....we found Barney.

Relaxed.

Going through hell? Keep going!

Winston Churchill quotes are amazing, this is one of my favourites:

If you are going through hell, keep going.  It's a great reminder to put one foot in front of the other and keep.walking.just.keep.walking.

Today was a loaded day.  We moved out office from Royal Jubilee Hospital to Queen Alexandra Centre.  I'm going to miss the folks at Research and Capacity Building, when you work with awesome people, the place is going to expand and movement is a necessity. I just didn't want it to be so far away.

It's also the day that I met my new medical oncologist.  I was really fine all day, but when Kent and  I pulled into the front of the BC Cancer Agency, (Vancouver Island Centre), I started to cry...just a little.

You see, I can go there for a meeting, without a problem.  I can go to the little cafeteria for lunch or a great latte, without a problem.  When I approach the building as a patient, I have a very different reaction. I pulled myself together and headed in.

I had a great appointment with a new physician.  He was compassionate, answered all my questions, did a examination and gave us a great outline for treatment.  And in a gross situation, he gave us the greatest news.

I won't need chemotherapy.  Can I hear a woot-woot?

Because I have chosen to have the mastectomy, I won't need radiation therapy.  If I had chosen a smaller surgery, I'd need the radiation.

I will be on Tamoxifen for 5-10 years (research is changing on the time frame...he's waiting for another publication, should be landing on his desk in about 2-3 months).

The other things we discussed, I am going to be a part of a research project.  I am going to be doing the genetic testing and I will be talking with some people in the hereditary cancer program in Vancouver.  All of which probably won't help me much at all, but will be a great asset to future generations.

This is exactly what I have been praying for.  No chemo.  That's exactly what I've gotten!

The plan for this week, I'll get my prescription for Tamoxifen, I'll have a follow up with the medical oncologist for after my next surgery ~4 months from now.  I will check with the surgeons (general and plastics) about the surgery date...and I did a happy dance on my way to the car.

So through this process, it's just one step in front of the other.  Keep walking through hell, until it's all  behind me.