For those who are curious about the status of my health situation, or for those who have absolutely no idea what I am talking about but might like to know...I thought it would easiest to inform and update my blog and in that way, everyone who cares will be in the know on how I am doing :)
So, how do I summarize a 5 month and counting experience? I'll try to keep it as short as possible.
- After a miscarriage in July, 2 D&C's (both related to same m/c), and months of continuous and major bleeding, my doctors figure there's something wrong.
- 2 biopsies, a gazilion ultrasounds, and CT scan later, I find my self sitting in front of an oncologist who gives me a diagnosis:
Gestational Trophoblastic Disease
- Apparently after I m/c, some of the 'tissue' embedded into my uterus and formed a small tumor. So, while GTD is a form of cancer, I have a 99% chance of a full recovery as long as it hasn't spread elsewhere...and it hasn't (phew!)
- I've had 2 weekly chemo treatments and so far I've got 4 more scheduled...but the dose is very mild and the side effects have been really minimal. PLUS, test results show that the medicine is working...already! Hallelujah! I'm ready for this to be over!
So that's my story, in as few of words as I could manage! The hardest part of the whole thing really has been that the bleeding has made me very anemic so I am weak and tired all the time. And did I mention, grouchy? Yikes, poor Joe and the boys! Anyways, I will try to remember to post any updates on me when I hear any news from my doctor.
I also wanted to mention...it snowed here in Texas! How cool is that? It was very strange to wake up and to see white all around (a very thin layer, but still!)
2) One of our closest friends, Brent and Kristen Rigby, happened to move just 20 minutes away from us! We all went to Ohio State together...Brent and Joe in dental school, Kristen in dental hygiene, and me in social work. Being one of the few LDS couples without kids, we hung out a ton and had so much fun. Coincidentally, their little boy is about the same age as Samuel and Mason, so its been so fun to get together once again and watch our boys run wild. 
The reason why we decided to go in September is so it wouldn't be as crowded. We were loving how there were no lines. The boys went on this horse ride 3 times in a row!
The boys loved the beach! Mason was scared of the water, but boy did they love playing in the sand. 
They loved it when the tide was low and we could dig little baby pools for them to splash in. Samuel would stand on that hill and say "I'm the king!" Joe and I are giving thumbs up because that is Samuel's latest thing...when he approves, he gives you a thumbs up with wink. 
Joe and Mason searching for little sea crabs.
3) Airshow in Fort Worth. I'd never been to one so I had just as good of a time as the boys. They loved looking through all the different planes and then watching them perform tricks in the sky. We were there all day long and were very exausted that afternoon, let me tell you!
4) Pumpkin fun: The boys were excited to have their pumpkins lit for the first time. Thanks Brent for helping us carve them! 
Boy did our boys love the pumpkin patches this year! We went to 2 of them a total of 5 times!! There is just so much to do that they couldn't get enough. Here are the boys on a hay ride. 
5) Halloween: Samuel has been in a major pirate phase for the past few months so there was no question as to what he was going to be Halloween. See this pirate fight stance? This is not just a pose for Halloween pictures, this is Samuel who believes he's a pirate through and through! Thanks mom for the beautiful costumes straight from Disney World. Samuel is Captain Jack Sparrow...dreadlocks and all!
Samuel the pirate, fighting every spider and ghost he faced that dark Halloween night!! 
Mason wants to do whatever Samuel does, so he claimed that he wanted to be a pirate too. Grandma got him the cutest Captain Hook outfit and he loved it! Held the hook all night long!
7) Mason and I flew to Missouri for my grandma's 80th birthday party. During our visit we got to see Dave and Jada, our really good friends from Wisconsin who now live in Kansas City, MO. It was a quick dinner, but it was so good to see them! Jada was on the verge of having her baby but she was tiny and gorgeous as ever. So unfair! People asked me if I was having twins when I was only 7 months pregnant! 
Here's Joe relaxing on the balcony of our room. One of my absolute favorite things we did was sleep-in and then order room service breakfast which we ate on our balcony. The life!
On our previous cruises, Joe and I would be super busy trying to squeeze in as many activities as possible...from art auctions to excursions to sport events on the ship. Not this time. For me at least. I took advantage of the "no kid" time and sat in the hot tub, read by the pool, and slept!
Isn't this cool? It hangs over the ocean. 
Surfing on the ship's flowrider. Sometimes he'd be up at 8 AM to be the crowds on this wave. He actually got pretty decent...I did not dare try it after watching the majority of surfers wipeout in 2 seconds. Plus, some swimsuits were lost!
While I laid around like a "slug" as Joe referred to me, he entered the ping pong and the speed rock climbing tournament...and actually won both. "I get better with age" qoutes Joe triumphantly, since I tease him all the time for being "old". 
Joe owes his gold medals to the 10 ice-cream cones he gets a day. I owe the extra pound I put on to these twist cones. The machine is right by the pool...what else am I suppose to do?
Our first stop is Labadee, Haiti. Beautiful place!
These swim mats are my favorite things! I could continue my lounging in the ocean!
Our next stop: Jaimaca. The thrill of the cruise was our drive up a mountain on a 1 lane, 2 way street. It was the mix of cliff drop-offs and horrible Jamaican driving that made my life flash before my eyes. This picture is of 2 cars in front of us stuck b/c neither of them honked like they were supposed to let other cars know they were coming along a curve in the road. 
Thankfully, we made it to our excursion where we tubed down the White River. It was absolutely beautiful and there were fun rapids along the way. I managed to be one of the few that flipped over...of course!
Along the way, there were some Jaimacan families barbequing while the kids played in the river. They wanted Joe to take a picture of them.
We snacked on some burgers and fresh cococanuts afterwards. This picture is for my parents!
So here is a fun couple that we dined with every night. They are Chris Fountain and Amy Diamond from England. Chris is actually a soap opera star in England and a pretty well known celebrity. His girlfriend Amy is a model and singer who has sung all over, in cruise ships, tours around the world, and a show in Vegas. It was interesting to see people (from England) recognize him and ask for autographs. They were even invited to dine with the Captain which I think is a pretty big deal. Anyways, despite our completely different lifestyles, we got along really well. 
Hanging out at 70's night.
4th stop: Cozumel. We've been there plenty of times and love just going to a beach with good food and things to do. We went with our Chris and Amy. Joe and Chris played on the waverunners.
And football in the ocean.
How can you not love the automatic doors, trunk, and dvd player? I am definitely spoiled and loving our "blue whale". To anyone trying to decide: SUV or minivan? All I have to say is, minivans aren't too bad! 
