Celebrating weddings and anniversaries

I returned home from Palm Springs last Friday, the 24th. A lot happened in the two weeks that I spent with Mom and Dad. Mom's sudden hospitalization and our ongoing concern that they not live alone much longer, caused us to get serious about addressing their increasing need for care.

Jim, Barb, and I have been in discusssion about this for some time and proposed a plan to Mom and Dad that they have both embraced with amazing openness and peace!! The plan is that they will move to the Oklahoma City area where Barb and Buddy are building a new home and where both of their sons and their families live. Not only would they be just a few minutes from family, the cost of assisted living and eventually nursing home care is much more affordable than southern California.

There are a couple of assisted living facilities that they are considering in OKC--with the option that they might even live in Barb and Buddy's new home at first. They put their home on the market a week ago and much depends on the speed in which it sells.

It's incredible to think that they have lived in this very home in Palm Springs for one third of their lives and a little less than half of their marriage!!

And . . . last week they celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary!! Here they are all ready to head out to The Outback for a steak dinner.

Bob and I had to delay celebrating our anniversary until I got home. We took this picture last evening after we had supper on our patio, which is just about our favourite place to dine!!

Bob is having a two-week rest from chemo and will have his last two treatments toward the end of September. Doesn't he look great in spite of his illness? We are FULL of thanks to the Lord.

This Labour Day weekend, we're flying up to Edmonton to attend Vi's step-son's wedding. Bob will actually be performing the ceremony and David, who's coming from NY, and I will provide the music!!

And at the end of next week, Barbie's flying out to visit us for a week. We are SO blessed!!

Summer in Palm Springs

I (Carol) flew down to Palm Springs, CA to spend a couple of weeks with my parents who have been unwell--especially Mom. The day after I arrived, Mom was taken by ambulance to the hospital where they discovered that she had pneumonia!! Within a few hours of being on oxygen and getting IV antibiotics, she improved dramatically, and was discharged four days later.

Her headaches have diminished quite a lot and she isn't experiencing the terrible shakiness and periodic jerkiness that was making her so unsteady. We're so grateful. BUT it's time to put plans in motion for longterm care for Mom and Dad.

Jim came out to spend the day with us today and here's a picture of the three of them eating lunch in the kitchen.

Jim's feeling pretty well, but he can't seem to put on any weight even though he's eating well. He'd also like to have more energy, but continues to work from his home and either go for a walk or short bike-ride daily.

Bob saw his oncologist this week and she is pleased at how well he's doing. He'll continue chemo until the end of September when he'll have a CT scan and the tumour markers in his blood will be measured again. Dr. Le is suggesting that his cancer might continue to be managed with a series of chemo treatments every few months followed by a few months' rest. That's so amazing, considering that 17 months ago she gave him a prognosis of 12 to 18 months, with no expectation the the chemo would be nearly as effective as it has been. Of course, she wasn't taking into account God's healing power!!

"THANK YOU LORD!"

We have much to be thankful for this week. On Tuesday, Mom and Dad Dodds will celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary and on Wednesday, Bob and I will celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary!! But we'll have to wait a few days to celebrate that wonderful milestone together!!

More Grandchildren Therapy!!

While Papa and I were getting ready for the arrival of Tim, Kim, and family, ALL of our children and grandchildren were having a great time together in Regina. The six cousins are quite close in age and love spending time together, even though they only see one another a couple of times a year.

Here are all of our precious grandchildren posing for a picture beside a beautiful canola field near the horse stable where Tim and Kim live near Regina.

And here they all are with Super Auntie Barb, who is trying desperately to calm them all down with a bedtime story before all six of them attempt to go to sleep in the same bedroom--such laughter and shenanigans!!


Shortly after David, Ann, Billy, and Manny left Regina for the final leg of their road trip home to New York, Tim, Kim, Colby, Gracyn, Carson, and Mykenna flew out here for five wonderful days. Their almost 24/7 duties at the horse stable prevent them from getting much time off.

The pictures really tell the story of the exciting time we had together.

What a wonderful little family!! They've been through a lot this past year with Kim's breast cancer. She continues to get a drug called Herceptin intravenously every three weeks until the end of the year, and apart from being tired at times, she's doing very well.

Of course we had to go and see Papa at dialysis!!! His hemoglobin has dipped in the past couple of weeks so he wasn't as energetic as he would like to have been. Bob was supposed to have chemo today, but his white blood cell and platelet count were too low. So tonight he's getting a couple of pints of blood while he's on dialysis.

We were encouraged this week when Bob's oncologist phoned to tell us that his tumour markers are continuing to drop. Last week they were 23.5 compared with 30 at the end of June. They were about 47 when he began chemo at the end of April. The medical professionals are reluctant to speculate on the significance of the numbers and what would be most optimal, but always say that the fact that they are decreasing is positive.


On Wednesday, I will be flying down to Palm Springs to spend a couple of weeks with my folks. Mom is still suffering with very bad headaches and pain in her neck, although the CT scan came back clear of any tumour or aneurysim. She's getting some relief with heavy painkillers and cortisone shots, but is still feeling quite unwell. Mom and Dad continue to phone us every evening so that we can pray together for one another and our extended family.

It really is true that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear . . . " Psalm 46:1

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!!