Can't sleep...

I'm thinking of Tyson, Leslie & TJ. Tyson & I graduated in the same high school class. He is a great guy and though we haven't talked a lot since then, I still consider him a wonderful friend. He sang in a quartet with my cousins Joel & Darin and another friend, Chad at our wedding. I have not had the privilege to meet his wife Leslie but can tell that she is a lovely woman. TJ is their 2 year old son.

They have been through an unbelievable battle over the past 7 months or so; physically, spiritually, emotionally. (I may not get all the details correct...)I think in Oct. Leslie was to have a pretty straight forward outpatient surgery to remove a polyp in her nose when they discovered a mass behind her eye, it was cancer. She has had multiple major surgeries since then, went through radiation, removal of her forehead due to bone infection, long term IV antibiotics through PICC line.... Just recently they learned it has spread to her lungs, Stage 4 Squamous Cell Carcinoma. I believe she will begin chemotherapy soon and they are exploring other treatment options as well.

They have a blog Leslie's Journey. It starts at the very beginning of this journey, when they first found the mass behind her eye, up until now. I had heard bits and pieces from my mom after she had talked to Tyson's mom and then spent many hours one weekend reading their blog; crying with them, praying for them and rejoicing with them. I have been impressed with their strength, their faith and their honesty. Please remember them.

I recently read a book called The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. The author (a young women in her 30's with 2 small children) is diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing treatment when she finds out her father also has cancer. She writes about her present challenges as well as reflecting on her childhood and the wonderful bond she has always had with her father.

Arizona, here we come!!

So Saturday Chad and I are leaving for Scottsdale Arizona. Chad will be taking his oral Ophthalmology boards on Tuesday (think of him on Tuesday!) and then attending a conference Thurs.-Sunday. I am tagging along! I have high hopes of getting some R & R and reading some books, perhaps by the pool or just in our hotel. I also want to do some shopping/looking without two impatient boy shoppers, as well see what Arizona is all about! I have no intention of reading all of the above books while we are gone, they are some I would like to read someday. I made a request at the library for these books (and actually picked up two more today!) and I had no idea how many they would actually have available, sometimes it takes days other times weeks. I got 90 Minutes in Heaven from our church library on Sunday because none of the library books were available yet. I'm probably 3/4 of the way done with that, interesting book.

I am meeting my parents half way between our houses tomorrow afternoon to hand over the boys. I was telling Andrew about it today (I didn't want to tell him too soon because as it is now, he is saying "I want to go now!") I was telling him how we were going to meet them, put his car seat and clothes and everything else in their car and he would go to their house with them. His response was "I have a busy day tomorrow!" They will be with my parents till Wednesday and then with Chad's parents till we get home on Sunday. I know they will have so much fun, probably get spoiled a little bit ~ that is what grandparents are for, and I will probably miss them more than they will miss me!

It is oh so quiet here!

This afternoon Chad needed to finish a few charts at the office. At lunch he mentioned he would be going. Andrew really wanted to go with him. So they packed up the portable DVD player and off they went. Carson played for a little while and then I put him in his bed for a nap. He played in his crib for 40 min. and then started crying. I gave him a bottle and he has been asleep now for 1hr 15 min. It is oh so quiet here!

Before we had kids, I enjoyed reading books. After Andrew was born I had a hard time fitting reading books into my day. When I read I like it to be quiet so I can relax and focus on what I'm reading. (I tend to be easily distracted) And when I did have quiet time after Andrew was born, mainly when he was asleep, there were so many other things that I needed to get done.

This year I'm going to try to read more. The first book I read was The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls. I read a lot of this book while Chad and I were in Chicago in mid Jan. (my parents watched the boys for us. We had a wonderful time! so did the boys with Grandma and Grandpa) This book made me so thankful for the blessed childhood I had. It is hard for me to imagine living as she did. The next book I read was The Christmas Blessing by Donna VanLiere. This book was given to me by my mother-in-law a couple of years ago. It is the second in a series, the first is The Christmas Shoes. I haven't read the first but I now plan on it. The book was an easy read, which I enjoy, and it was very touching, easily bringing me to tears.

I am currently reading Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. This book is in the Fantasy section, which I normally wouldn't be drawn to. However we saw the show Wicked while in Chicago. We really enjoyed the show. The book is really different than the show. (Much less singing!) I'm enjoying it so far though it is a little "racey" as my mother might say.

My quiet time is over...Carson woke up mid post and Chad and Andrew are now home. I enjoyed my quiet time to sit and read but I welcome the activity that these 3 provide! If you have any good book recommendations I would love to hear about them.