Resting up for the next arrival of kids!!

David, Ann, Billy, and Manny left here a week ago after a wonderful week together.

Papa and I are all rested up now and ready for Tim, Kim, Colby, Gracyn, Carson, and Mykenna to arrive on Sunday for five days!!

Actually, all of our children and grandchildren have been together in Regina for the past few days and we're awaiting pictures of them all to post on the blog. David, Ann, and the boys leave Regina tomorrow to head home to Fredonia, NY.

Bob will have chemo again this Friday if his white blood cell count and platelets are high enough. He has two more three-week runs of chemo to complete this second regime of chemotherapy.

He's been feeling so well that he's encouraged me to fly down to visit my parents in Palm Springs mid-August. My mom has been battling an unrelenting pounding headache for over a month now. Last week she had a CT scan and will get the results tomorrow and we're hoping and praying that she will soon get some relief. It will be good to be with them for almost two weeks.

Grandchildren Therapy!!

David, Ann, Billy, and Manny arrived here on Monday, after a seven-day roadtrip!! We've been having a wonderful time with them. The pictures really tell the story.

Playing games, going to the beach, taking the SkyTrain into Vancouver and the SeaBus over to North Vancouver, and visiting Papa at dialysis were just a few of the things we did together.

It seems that our days are full of some kind of "therapy"--mostly chemotherapy and renal dialysis, but the BEST therapy of all is being with our grandchildren!! Each type of therapy brings its special kind of healing and renewal, but all have a common side-effect--tiredness!!!

David, Ann and the boys leave for Regina on Monday, and Papa and I will have a couple of weeks to rest up before the arrival of Tim, Kim, and their precious four--for another week of "Grandchildren Therapy"--yippee!!

Summer has come to BC at last!!

The weather finally turned to warm sunshine this week and we are so thankful.

I worked back at the notary office this week and Bob took seriously his role as "house husband" and made some delicious meals, serving them with flair--including a special Fourth of July dinner, since we are both half Americans!!

Bob's platelet count rose again this week enabling him to have chemo on Friday. He continues to feel quite well, except that he's more tired than he'd like to be.

My brother Jim is also doing pretty well, but again he wishes he weren't so tired. Since a good portion of his stomach and esophagus were removed, he needs to eat smaller portions of food more frequently. He feels that he's back to eating as much as he used to, but can't seem to put on any weight. He continues to ride his bike and is also exercising in an effort to gain strength.

Jim will see his oncologist in September and have a CT scan to monitor his condidion. Gastro-esophageal cancer is a particularly nasty one, and he has done incredibly well, considering all he has been through. We are so grateful to the Lord.

Jim spent a couple of days out in Palm Springs this week with our parents. Dad had a small surgical procedure on his back on Thursday but didn't need to be hospitalized. He's recovering quite nicely, however at 90 he doesn't bounce back quite so quickly. Mom's been really struggling with very bad headaches for over a month now, so they have more than their share of aches and pains.

Mom and Dad still phone us every evening at 9:00 pm to pray with us, a practice they began well over a year ago when Bob was so sick. They phone Jim and Barb as well. It gives us the opportunity to pray for them too, and "tuck them into bed" with the assurance and comfort of God's presence and peace.

Tim and Kim celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary last Friday. It was a great time of thanksgiving for God's faithfulness to them, particularly in this past year with Kim's breast cancer. She's doing very well and loving being back in the barn and in the garden, and she made dozens of jars of strawberry jam this week!!

David, Ann, and the boys will arrive here tomorrow evening. They decided to take a long roadtrip here this summer rather than flying, and they've had an awesome time on their seven-day journey from western NY, travelling through the Badlands of South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park. Bob and I are so excited about their weeklong visit with us and are presently "resting up"!!

Then Tim and Kim and their four fly here towards the end of the month. Barbie plans to come out later in August, so we have so much to look forward to. And if these sunny moderate temperatures continue, we have the perfect venue to get out and make great memories!!

"Happy Canada Day!"

Here in BC we're sure hoping that the sun will shine on our national holiday!! June has been so wet and cool that it's being called "Junuary"!!

Bob was supposed to have had chemo yesterday morning, but his platelet count was too low, so he'll wait until next Friday, hoping that his platelets will rise sufficiently.

He saw his own oncologist on Wednesday (she's been on sabbatical since January) and she was so pleased at how well he is looking and feeling. He'll continue his chemo until the end of August, then he'll have a CT scan in September, and that along with his tumor markers should give a clearer picture of his condition.

At this point he has lived beyond the prognosis that he was originally given last April--praise God!! Dealing with tiredness is his main issue right now, and since he's retired he can rest whenever he needs to.

I retired from my work at the notary public office over two years ago, but I've been asked to come back for three weeks this summer to fill in while some staff are on vacation. So I'll be working next week and then later in the summer.

Bob's sister Vi was here in Vancouver this week on business and we had a lovely evening with her in the city.

And now we look forward to David, Ann, Billy and Manny coming to visit us the second week of July. They're driving here from western New York--quite a trip!!

And . . . "Happy Fourth of July" for all of you American family and friends!!

Just pics!!

There isn't much news to share this week, so thought we'd just post some pictures of our favourite little people!!

Here are a few of Tim and Kim's kids who are definitely very "at home" with horses, tractors, and all things country!!



Colby, Carson, and Mykenna love going for a spin with "Tractor Grandma". They have called Kim's mom "Tractor Grandma" from the very start, not to be confused with me, "Grammy", who has never even sat on a tractor!!! Kim's mom Theresa owns at least three tractors so she has been aptly named "Tractor Grandma"!!



Gracyn sits so relaxed on the railing of the horse corral at Tractor Grandma's. Of course she lives every day in the company of thirty horses at their stable near Regina.



Our youngest granddaughter, Mykenna, had her third birthday this past week. She's growing up way too fast!!

David flew home last Sunday and had a happy reunion with Ann and the boys. Billy and Manny's lives are a bit more "tame" than their cousins, but they love being out and about. They live just five miles from Lake Erie and often go to the beach to wade, splash, skip rocks, and collect shells and stones.





And they have a lovely back yard that slopes down to a little creek called Canadaway Creek!! Here they all are in their yard after Ann's graduation in May.





In just a week, David, Ann and the boys will be starting their seven-day roadtrip to visit us, then on to Regina to spend a week with their cousins before returning to western NY. Hopefully the many hours Billy and Manny have spent sitting still through lengthy recitals and concerts over their short lives will have prepared them for the long days of travel!!

And at the end of July, Tim, Kim and their four are coming here to visit us. Can't wait!!
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Bob continues to be feeling quite well. He had his break from chemo this past week and hopefully his blood counts will be good enough to enable him to resume his chemo on Friday. We are so thankful for all of the ways that God is strengthening him.

We just finished reading an autobiographical book by Madeleine L'Engle called "Two-Part Invention", which is the story of her wonderful 40 year marriage that ended when her husband died of cancer. It was a poignant read for us at this time. We cherish the gift of our love for one another for almost 43 years now and treasure every moment without fearing the future, knowing that the Lord will give grace and strength for whatever the future holds. We continue to pray for full healing, whether here (which is our preference) or in heaven (which ultimately will be glorious).

So thankful!!

We've had a wonderful week, beginning last Friday when we drove to Fairhaven near Vernon for their annual board retreat and dedication of the beautiful new lodge. Bob even had his larger chemo treatment on Friday morning and we were in the car by noon heading out on the five hour trip up to Fairhaven. Bob felt quite well and drove the bulk of the way through the gorgeous mountains.

It was a wonderful weekend of celebration and thanks to God for all He has done at Fairhaven. Here are a couple of pictures of the lodge nestled on the side of the mountain overlooking Vernon and halfway up the mountain to the ski resort Silver Star.



This is the view of the lodge as you round the corner after entering the grounds at Fairhaven. The view from those massive windows onto the valley below and two lakes is absolutely breathtaking.



And here is the back of the building which really is the main entrance. This lodge, named the Charles Shepson Lodge, honouring the founder of Fairhaven Ministries, will greatly enhance the retreat's facilities and offerings.



This is the cottage where Bob and I stayed for three nights--the Country Cottage. What a peaceful place of rest and renewal. Bob was able to participate in all of the events of the weekend and we drove home early Monday morning so that he could get dialysis that afternoon, having missed it on Saturday. He was none the worse for having had chemo as well as missing his regular dialysis. MUCH to be thankful for.
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Then on Tuesday evening our son David arrived from western NY to spend five days with us. What a treat!! We're having a wonderful time together--just relaxing, getting caught up, going for walks, and enjoying good food--EVEN some very healthy juice we made using kale, spinach, celery, asparagus, and apples. Actually, David and I enjoyed it while Bob finally agreed to take a sip, which was all that he wanted!!



Bob much preferred the back and shoulder rubs that David lovingly administered while we watched the evening news!!



Yesterday we drove into Vancouver and walked in the drizzle at Kitsilano Beach. David lived in Vancouver in the '90's when he studied at UBC and played in the VSO for a few years, so this beautiful city has a special place in his heart.







This morning David went with Bob for his chemo treatment and then out for a father/son lunch together. He'll return home to Ann and the boys on Sunday evening. Then in mid July all four are going to take a roadtrip here from NY, spend a week with us, and then drive to Regina to spend a week with Barbie, Tim, Kim and their four. The cousins can hardly wait!!

We continue to marvel how well Bob is doing and his doctors are very pleased. We are FULL of thanks to the Lord.

Family time

We just spent six wonderful days with Barbie, who flew back home to Regina yesterday. She's always a "breath of fresh air" and seems to find the company of Mom and Dad more enticing than taking trips to exotic places--hard to believe, but we're so grateful!! Here are a few pictures to prove it!!



Although White Rock isn't the tropics, it's about as close as you can get in Canada!!



Even though the weather was a bit cool, we still barbecued and even ate outside a couple of times!!



Enjoying ice cream cones is always such a summer delight--even in our warm sweaters AND just an hour after we'd eaten breakfast!!



And always the "Dialysis Tea Party"!!

Bob is doing amazingly well and we're pretty confident that he'll be able to have chemo this Friday. We expect that his white blood cell count will have risen sufficiently. We plan to drive to Vernon right after he has chemo on Friday morning to spend the weekend at Fairhaven, a wonderful Christian leadership retreat. Bob serves on the board at Fairhaven and he'll be participating in their board meeting on Saturday. Fairhaven has just completed the construction of a beautiful lodge which will be dedicated on Sunday afternoon. We're so excited to be able to be present at that momentous occasion. We're praying that Bob won't have any negative side-effects from his chemo so that we can enjoy all of the activities as well as the road trip through the mountains.

Bob will be permitted to miss dialysis on Saturday evening, as long as we get home by Monday noon so that he can have it that afternoon. THEN . . . David arrives from western New York on Tuesday to spend five days with us!! Later in the summer David and Ann and the boys will be coming for a week and Tim and Kim will be coming with their children as well--at different times. We are SO blessed!!