West Glacier, Montana

After serving for 2 weeks at Echo Ranch, we were ready for some R&R.  We flew from Juneau AK to Kalispel, MT, rented a car ( which turned out to be a BRAND NEW 4 Runner with 4 miles on it), and drove to Apgar Village on the West side of Glacier National park.  I had never here, and Steve had been here as a young teen with his family and didn't remember much, or so he thought....

We had the tiniest hotel room I have ever seen, but it did have this nice view of MacDonald creek


The interior of Lake MacDonald Lodge. After the park was formed in 1910 (thank you Teddy Roosevelt!), the Northern Pacific Railroad built several lodges within the park. They all have different themes, and this one highlights the Native Culture.
As we walked in, Steve stopped and said,
"I've been here before, I remember this".  He said nothing much has changed.
There are Native carvings around the fireplace, which was lit and felt good on a cool day.

The stones in the floor had Indian words carved into them.  This is a local tribes word for Water

Lake MacDonald. We took a boat ride in one of the wooden sightseeing boats available.  It was beautiful but cold and windy  The Iconic "Red Buses"  Most of these were built in the 1930's, and have been in service ever since.  The canvas top rolls back on nice days so the views can be fully appreciated.  It was still early spring in Montana, and the tours were just getting started.

 The thriving metropolis of Polebridge, MT.  There was a saloon, a general store(which turned out to have a pretty good bakery/sandwich shop), and some rental cabins.  It was miles from anywhere!

The inside of the general store.  Prices were definitely high!

 We drove even further north, and hiked along the shores of Bowman Lake.What the rental car company doesn't know, won't hurt them!

  Since we were there so early in the season, many trails were not open yet, so we had to choose carefully.

These trilliums are very similar to the ones we have here in the Smokies.  They start out white and turn pink as they age. 

Although the weather remained cloudy,it was still beautiful!Every time I turned around, I was saying, oh my gosh, would you look at that! There was a beautiful scene at every turn of the road.

Echo Ranch Bible Camp

Steve and I spent 2 weeks volunteering at Echo Ranch Bible Camp, about an hour north of Juneau, AK in late May-early June 2018.  We spent 1 week here in 2017, and were so impressed with the ministry here that we decided to return.  I worked in the kitchen, and Steve completed a variety of projects, including this tower for the zip line. I made these cream puff cakes for dessert one night.   The view of Echo cove from the dining hall.  We saw whales swimming in the bay several times.

The camp is a traditional kid's camp, with cabins, bathhouses, a dining hall, gym and chapel. They host around 100 campers each week, and most come from SouthEast Alaska.  Many have had NO exposure to the Gospel, and have no concept of who Jesus is.

This was the view from the cabin where we stayed.  It was quite basic, but the view made up for it! 

The camp has about 20 horses, and campers and sometimes volunteers are allowed to ride.  Naturally I was quick to say yes.

  They also have a Wilderness Camp which is even more isolated and rustic.  This is our friend Austin, and Steve walking to the wilderness camp.

 Steve and I on the Wilderness Camp Road.

We're almost there!  The final step to the Wilderness camp was this Trolley across the river.  

This is our friends Mary and Susy.  They are sisters from Ohio, and came to volunteer just like we did.  

 One of the wilderness camp cabins.  The dandelions were very healthy, and so were the mosquitoes! Although these were very scenic, and are used during the summer, we are thankful
that our cabin was just a bit more modern. (only a bit!)

You have to look closely, but there are 3 black bears that we saw on the way back from Wilderness Camp!  They were pretty far away, and we weren't in any danger.

 The camp is literately at the "end of the road", then you have to take a boat, or if it is low tide, and you have a sturdy truck, you can drive in.  Although it is a challenge to get there, it's well worth it for these views!

 Shooting stars.  We have these in Tennessee, but they are white, and very rare.  There were fields of these purple ones in AK, and I thought they were just beautiful

 Skunk Cabbage.  This is supposedly edible, but it smelled so bad, that I would have to be pretty hungry to try it.  On the right are Forget-Me-Nots, Alaska's state flower

Ringing the bell!

Apparently I had good intentions, but never actually finished this post.  Its now almost 2 years later, and I am doing well.  I've had several checkups, and all went well.  I am so thankful! I decided to go ahead and publish this post anyway, to keep some continuity.

Well, it's been a while. Chemo does have a way of sidelining a person!  But the good news is, I'm done!   I finished chemo on June 28, and my granddaughter Anna Caroline, was born that same day. Although I tolerated chemo well, it was very difficult and I hope I don't have to go through that ever again! My hair is growing back and is about 2" long. After a lengthy battle with the insurance company, I was approved to receive Proton Therapy at Provision in Knoxville TN, and have been doing that for the past 6 weeks. Today I finished!  The only side effects from this treatment is some skin burning ( like a sunburn) and some tiredness. I do still have to receive Herceptin every three weeks until next March, and there is a pill I will be starting soon, but I definitely feel like I at the end of a very long journey.

I just went back and reread everyone's comments, and prayers, and I have to say I am blown away by everyone's concern!  Thank you all so much! Your encouragement, love and prayers mean so much to me.
I am doing well.  My first chemo treatment was Jan 15, and that went well. My mom went with me and waited on me hand and foot, and if I didn't need her she was helping out others in the center that had no one with them!  Then when I got home Steve did the same thing. I had a few days of being very tired, and I still get tired easily.  I am happy to report that the anti nausea meds that they give you work very well! I only needed to take them for a few days, and I was happy to stop because they can make one lightheaded and driving is definitely not recommended while taking them. But believe me, I would have taken them for as long as I needed them!  I also received a series of shots to boost my immune system, and my insurance approved me for Neulasta, which does the same thing, but in only one shot with fewer side effects.  I'll get that the day after my next chemo treatment.
I still have my hair, for the moment anyway.  It could fall out any day now, or it could hang in there for a few weeks.  There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what people have experienced. I talked to one woman who lost hers within a week of starting treatment, and another that finished chemo, then woke up a few days later with a pillow full of hair. The only certainly is that it will fall out at some point.
I am still considered immune suppressed, and will be for some time.  I have to be very careful about what I eat, and where I go.  Basically I can't eat anything raw unless I can wash it myself, no buffet lines, potlucks, salad bars or anything prepackaged.  Goodbye, bagged salad! I also have to avoid crowds, and obviously anyone who is even slightly under the weather. Soap and hand sanitizer are my best friends these days.
My next chemo treatment is Feb 5, and hopefully I will tolerate that one as well as I did this last one. The following weekend we are planning to go to TN for about 10 days, and while we are there, check out this facility  http://provisionproton.com/about-us    Proton therapy takes the place of traditional radiation, and there are fewer side effects and much less chance of damage to surrounding organs.  Since my heart is right under where the tumor was, this is a big concern.  I have been in contact with them and the possibility of being treated there is looking promising.
Again, thank you for your calls, emails, texts, and visits.   Keep them coming.  If it's not a good day, I promise I will tell you!

Short hair

 In preparation for the next side effect of chemo (hair loss), I decided to get my hair cut very short.  My sweet hairdresser, Bonnie, met me at her shop on a Sunday, so I wouldn't be exposed to everyone's germs.  I haven't had hair this short since I was about 10!

Goodbye, Long hair!

 Time lapse video of the process

The result!  I actually like it a lot better than I thought I would.  

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Tonight, Steve gave me this cap that he has been working on for quite a while.  He managed to get both kids, their spouses, and all 5 grandkids to trace their handprints, and put their names on this hat.  Once my hair falls out completely, I am told that I will feel cold at night, since normally hair would keep my head warm.  So a sleep hat is recommended.   The front of the hat says "Prayers for GiGi"  How comforting it will be to fall asleep with the hands of my loved ones on me!

Next step on the journey

Tomorrow , Friday, I will begin the next step on the road to a cure. Chemo is scheduled to begin at 9:30 and will probably take most of the day. The oncologist ordered 3 different nausea medications and I plan to take them as directed. I sure don't want to feel sick!
Am I nervous?  Yes, a little bit, but more than that I am impatient to start this process so I can be finished. Most people have told me that it wasn't as bad as they expected. I will lose my hair in about 10 days, so I am getting it cut short in the next day or two. I already have a wig, which looks remarkably like my real hair.
I am thankful for modern medicine, which means I have the drugs at my disposal to fight this disease, and a method of early detection, to catch the cancer before it spreads.
I am thankful for the support of family and friends. Everyone, even relative strangers, have been so supportive and helpful. I know that I am on the prayer list at at least 8 churches, and I'll take all the prayers anyone wants to offer!
I am thankful that we have good insurance coverage, in spite of the fact that I really don't like dealing with them.  Several of the drugs that I'll be taking are not approved in countries with socialized medicine because they are too expensive. If you want them, you pay yourself.
I will update this as I am able, and in the meantime, I welcome prayers, calls, and texts. Visits too if you are local, but please call first in case it's not a good day.

When your life is turned upside down...

How quickly a routine medical checkup can turn into a life changing diagnosis!  After a long several weeks of mammograms, ultrasounds, and a biopsy, I was diagnosed with breast cancer just before Thanksgiving.  I was immediately referred to an oncologist, a surgeon, and a radiation oncologist, and spent the next several days alternating between walking around in shock, and making/keeping doctors appointments.  Our first appointment was with an oncologist, and I found out that not only did I have cancer, but that I was estrogen receptor positive, and HER2 positive, both of which can make the cancer more aggressive, making chemo a necessity.  I was really hoping to avoid that! I'll also have 4 weeks of radiation following the chemo, and a pill I have to take for a very long time.
     The good news is that a lumpectomy was recommended, not a mastectomy, and I had that and a lymph node removal done Dec 9.  I had my followup two days before Christmas, and there is no lymph node involvement, and the surgeon got all of the tumor.  Best news I've had in a long time!  This news doesn't really change the treatment, but there is a better chance for long term success now.
     I had a port installed on Jan 7, to make receiving the chemo treatments easier. Chemo is very hard on veins, and mine are not good to begin with, so a port was the way to go.  I will begin chemo as soon as the insurance company authorizes the treatment.  I don't expect any problem with that, it just takes time.

What I've learned:
     God gives us all a certain number of days, and only He knows what they are.  We can improve our chances somewhat by our behavior, but ultimately He decides.  It's up to me to make the most of my days. Whether I live 1 more day, or 30 more years, I want to be greeted in heaven with the words, Well done, my good and faithful servant.
     Fear is not from God!
I have real hope in Jesus Christ!  There was a time right after my diagnosis, that I couldn't even find the words to pray in any way that made sense.  That Sunday our pastor mentioned that when that happens, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and prays when we can't.  Donnie had no idea of our situation, but somehow he knew to say that.
     Chemo brain is a real syndrome, and it starts the minute you find out that you have to have it.  I can't remember squat these days!  I see a lot of list making in my future.
     I was reminded that I have the best family and friends on the planet! Especially my sweet husband, who has taken so many days off work, and comes home and listens to me ramble on about whatever I've learned about treatment that day. Everyone has been so supportive, and it's hard to really express my gratitude.