It has been a whirlwind since we started back to school.  We are busy, busy, busy!!  I have started to sit down and blog a few times, but by the time I check my email, facebook, and couponing sites, I am too tired to think.  So this is my catch up blog post.  School is going really well.  The kids are involved in lots of activities this year....I guess we are making up for last year.   Dave had his first outing today.  He rode with me to take the kids to tutoring and tennis.  He is still moving slowly.  He has done really well, but the pain is still there and the recovery is slow.  He is still planning to try to get back to work next week.  This may be too soon....we will see.  I know he is ready to get back to normal.  The emotional turmoil has been as bad as the pain from the surgery.  He has (we have) spent the last year in the fight mode while  he was taking chemotherapy and radiation, and now when we should be relieved at the results of the surgery, there seems to be some sadness.  I say sadness for lack of a better word.  I think we have to continually remind ourselves what a miracle it was to even find the cancer as early as we did.  We need to be reminded what a miracle it was for the doctor to be able to get everything without taking anything else.  We need to constantly be thankful for all the miracles we have seen over the past year.  So that is where we are.  I'm sure there is so much more I need to write. I know that there is lots stuff that has happened this week that I need to write down so I can read it this time next year....but I am just too tired to write it tonight.  Maybe tomorrow.

Our first two days of school were great.  I am very pleased with our curriculum and the kids attitudes. 

Dave is doing very well.  He has been up moving around alot today.  wow....I am sleepy....I will ramble more about school sometime later.   

night :) 

I started to title this post, First Day of School and A Trip to the ER.....but that was such a long title.  Well today will be our first day of school and Dave and I took a little trip to the ER during the night.  I woke up at 2:15 with him standing beside the bed.  He was having pain in his chest.  I called 911 and they came and checked him out.  His blood pressure was really high so they wanted to take him to the hospital and check him out.  When they asked me which hospital, I said MDA....they said which local hospital?.....I knew that...I just really wished we were near the MDA ER right then.  But we went to RMC and they checked him out thoroughly and even called and talked with the surgical team at MDA.  Everything looked fine.  So the big question is why was he having chest pain.  We are relieved that there was nothing wrong.  We will talk to the surgeon's office later today.  He is still having a lot of pain but we assume this is normal.  So that is how we spent our night.  I was thankful to be able to call Kim to run over and stay with the kids.  Now I am going to cook a yummy breakfast  for our first day of school.  Just when I think everything is back to normal....I am reminded how cancer really does change things.

home

We have been home for a little over 24 hours now.  Yesterday brought alot of emotions for me.  I had almost a sad feeling as our plane taxied to the runway.  There was a sense of relief that the surgery was over but still a sadness to be leaving Houston.  When we got home my mama helped me get all the clothes out of the suit cases put away and all the suit cases put in the closet.....way back in the closet.  I feel like we have been living in limbo since last September.  Last year we spent the first week of September on pins and needles waiting on biopsy results.  Then we spent the rest of September and first of October waiting on an appointment at MD Anderson.  The rest of the story is history.  As I was putting away clothes yesterday and getting everything in order, there was definitely  sense of closure.  We will still have to travel to Houston for scans but for the most part we are done.  This makes me sad in some ways.  Even though some of the hardest days of my life were spent there during this past year, it was a special time, a time probably never to be repeated. Don't get me wrong,  I hope the cancer part never is repeated.  But the time we spent as a family and the friendships we formed and the way we saw God work in our lives was so special.  

OK...this is something that makes me laugh.  I've told you how Dave laughs outloud watching tv.  We were watching The Office tonight and he laughed and it made him hurt.  So it ends up being a laugh/cry sound.  He has done this several times.  Don't think I'm being mean....he thinks it's funny too.  It's just good to hear him laugh.  He is doing really well although he is still very sore.  Our kiddos were very glad to see us.  We enjoyed spending the day with  them.  It's finally back to school time for us on Tuesday.  I think we are all ready.  Abby is going to be in the play Little Women in December.  She will be playing the part of Amy.  I can't wait to see her performance.  Erin and Abby are taking piano this fall and Erin is continuing with violin lessons.  Samo has aspirations to play the drums, but until then he will be playing football and taking karate.  We are also participating in a co-op this fall.  Abby is taking a Civics class and a Composition class.  Erin and Samuel are taking a Nature class and a Composition class.  I am excited and ready to begin this school year. 

Time to head home

Tomorrow  is the day we are heading home.  We are actually getting to go home a few days ahead of schedule.  Dave has had a good day.  He is moving slowly...but he is moving.  He has taken several walks down the hall today.  Sarah and Ron brought dinner to us tonight.  We had some sweet time with them tonight.  They wouldn't want me to say this....but this is my blog, so I can say what I would like :)  They have been wonderful!! Such good friends to us.  We are going to miss them.

Dave is already dreading the travel time tomorrow.  Riding on bumpy roads is no fun after surgery.....and Houston sure has some bumpy roads.  Hopefully everything will go smoothly.  Alrighty then.  Time for me to hit the sack.  Can't wait to see Abby, Erin, and Samo tomorrow. 

Dave is getting out the hospital today. We are going to spend the next two nights at a hotel, and if all goes well, go home Wednesday. He is sore. That is probably an understatement. He is having some pain. He can always tell when it's time for pain meds.....sometimes he can tell way before it's time. But he is really doing so well. He looks good, his hair is coming in (although it is very fine, thin hair). I got him a new hat the other day. He has this navy blue Houston Texans hat that he has worn everyday since treatment began. I think of that hat as the cancer hat, so I thought we should retire that hat and start life after surgery with a new hat. We will put that hat up and remember this time in our life when we run across it in the future. Maybe I'll find it when I'm cleaning out a closet in a few years, when all of this is a distant memory.

Sunday

He is doing very well today. They will probably release him tomorrow. He was able to take a nice hot shower today, which always makes you feel better. The hospital is boring on Sunday's. Not that it's really fun any other day, but it's especially boring on the weekend. Hope you enjoy the video.

Don't forget to turn down the music.