We had a wonderful, fast paced celebration with the Dew Crew yesterday after church and before Awana. EZ planned the menu of French Dip sandwiches, kettle cooked chips and pretzels, and cookies & cream ice cream pie with Oreo crust. (For all the food critics out there, I KNOW this isn't the healthiest menu...it was his birthday, so we indulged! Back to leafy greens, veggies, fruit, lean meats, and much less sugar tomorrow:-)
This year we have been heavily involved with downsizing and moving to a new home that requires much less maintenance on our part. We sold our house of nine years, and moved to our new home on August 9th, which is the reason I have been absent from the blogging world. Now that we are somewhat settled, I hope to do alot of catching up.
Once again we have so much to be grateful for. Here are just a few things that come to mind:
1. No hospitalizations or major illnesses this year.
2. EZ can sit for longer periods of time and we have enjoyed dinners out.
3. EZ flew for the first time! Six hours from Charlotte to Seattle, first class, no problems.
4. We were able to take a cruise to Alaska, courtesy of my sweet mom. Amazing!
5. EZ almost single handedly packed up our entire basement, making multiple trips with his trailer to
a storage unit to unpack. His physical stamina and ability to build and work on projects has
greatly improved.
6. He remains on 10 mg Revlimid daily, and continues to be in complete response with no detectable
M-spike.
When you live with an incurable cancer, you never know when the tables will turn, so for now, we celebrate special 'anniversaries' such as this, with much joy. Sleep remains elusive, peripheral neuropathy wreaks havoc in his legs and feet, he lives with pain every day, and fatigue hits pretty hard sometimes, but he copes, never complains, and carries on.
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| (Can you tell Samuel wasn't too happy about this picture?) |
We don't ever want to take this day for granted and thoroughly enjoyed planning and celebrating! We are grateful to be in our new home, creating new memories, and remembering God's goodness to us.
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| (Our daughter, Leah, created this housewarming sign for us!) |
Thank you so much for stopping by to rejoice with us!
Rejoicing with you!!! Hope to see you soon and hug both of your necks :)
ReplyDeleteI am celebrating God's mercy and goodness this day and always. What a glorious difference these three years have made in Ernie's ability to do things and get around. He ever ceases to amaze me! God is good!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to celebrate with you. Sending prayers for many more birthdays in the future!
ReplyDeleteThank you Suzanne! Prayers are always appreciated!
DeleteSo glad to celebrate. We just celebrated our 34 year old daughters one year anniversary of stem cell transplant. She is still in complete remission. Every day I thank God for her strength & remission.
ReplyDeleteWonderful news Terrij! 34 years old is so young to be fighting MM. So happy she is in complete remission...something we never take for granted.
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ReplyDeleteSo, so thankful for the past 3 years and the continued remission! Love you so very, very much Dad!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful post!! Celebrating with you guys!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jen...the more celebrating the merrier!
DeleteHappy and rejoicing with you!! We celebrate life and yours so wonderfully surrounded by loved ones.
ReplyDeleteI am blessed with a Savior who loves me and provides grace and mercy that only He can provide, a sea of saints that pray for me consistently, and a loving family whose sacrificial love and actions sustain me on a daily basis. Praise Him and a big thank you to all those who show me such kindness and love.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday (a little late)! I'm Jenni, Steven Ritter's wife. I just wanted to say thank you for the inspiration you've been to Steve and for being a listening post for him as he goes into treatment. He has really enjoyed your's and Linda's friendship, even though it's been through a blog and emails only. Blessings to you both!
ReplyDeleteJenni,
DeleteBlessings to you and Steve as well! We rejoice over Steve's recent news about not having to start treatment. We too enjoy your friendship through our blogs!
We're so glad you and Ernie have this Anniversary to celebrate. We wish you so much in your new home - lots of kids and grandkids, good meals, great gatherings and much love. We feel like we know you! Your kids are *amazing*.
ReplyDeleteAll the best, Kathy and Dave.
Hi Linda, just saw your message on my blog - because I actually posted again! I love reading all the memories in the blog posts. We will be in TN (Sieverville) in June 2014. Steve and I actually talked about whether we could fly in somewhere close enough to have lunch or something and meet you in person. I've looked at Charlotte or Greenville as possibilities as they are closer to you. First though, since Steve's sister and her husband are coming with us, we'll need to see if they are okay with not going through Nashville. Not sure yet, but at least it's a possibility! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Linda and EZ! such a beautiful blog of your celebrations! Congrats on continued remission EZ! So happy everything has been going so well for you guys personally and medically! Congrats on your new home, good times with family, beautiful pictures and good health! So much to be grateful for! Thank you for sharing your beautiful life with all of us! xoxo Julie from CA
ReplyDeleteJulie,
DeleteThank you for your good wishes, especially after your recent news. Your journey has been so similar to EZ's from diagnosis date to SCT. We all know what the stats say about relapse, and pray we are the exception. Thankful there are new options for beating it back into submission. You are in our prayers! XOXO