Check out this picture!

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took this fall.  I love fall and I thought the background was unique.

One of the blogs I visit, Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground, had a chance to have your photo edited.  I entered and she did it for me!  Thanks so much Lynette!  You can click here to check out her blog.  She is an amazing women with an even more amazing story!

So here is one of the edits.  It is cropped and brightened.

This my favorite one though.  It is antiqued!

This so makes me want to go out and figure out how to edit photos!   Another time though…I am really supposed to be reading two chapters and discussing them on blackboard for my class!  Oh, how I love college =)

 

1 Peter 5:10

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast

1 Peter 5:10

I was sitting here this afternoon with my Bible and just thinking about this past year.  Where we started, where we have gone, where we are now.  I prayed that the Lord would lead me to a verse that would speak to me.  This is the one He led me to.  Wow!  What a wonderful word He had for me today.

I was struck by “after you have suffered for a little while…”  I surely don’t feel some days like this journey has been just a little while.  Some days, quite honestly, have felt like a lifetime.  In Job 7:7, we are reminded that “Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath“.  Our lifetime here on earth is so brief compared to the life that is waiting for us in Heaven.    So honestly this suffering that we have endured this past year is truly just a little while.

The next part of the verse is the best.  This suffering for a little while, “will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast”.  Amen to that!  Out of the many  things that this year has taught me, one that stands out is  is that I am way stronger than I ever thought I could be.  It has made me strong, firm, and steadfast!  Would I rather He have taught me this a different way…absolutely!  However, if this is the way that He has chosen, then I am thankful. 

 I am thankful that He loves me enough to make this suffering last just a little while. I am thankful that He has called me to His eternal glory.   I am thankful that He loves me enough to restore me Himself.  I am ever so thankful for God’s grace, which I need every single day =)  I am so thankful for the strength that He has given me and shown me that I have.  I am thankful that I can be firm and steadfast in my faith.  Most of all…

I am thankful for Him!

What are you thankful for today?

September/October Pictures

My laptop is still in the “hospital”.  It’s been 2 months.  Not sure if I’ll ever see it again.  I finally figured out how to download pictures on this one, which is only for school purposes.  Shhhh….don’t tell Ricky!  Enjoy these photos from our blessed couple of months!

Riley’s First Day of School

Cheese!

Riley’s birthday party at Pump it Up!

4 years old!

Fun with Luke!

He loved the boxing!

Gymnastics get together!  Picnic time.

 

Hanging out with Daddy!

Bonfire…

Lily and Lana

Riley and Monty

Batman birthday wings

Batmobile from Grandpa and Nana

Finally Riley is old enough to play sports!  He was so excited to carry his soccer  bag to the field.

Ready to play

Riley and his mini pumpkin and non matching camo.  Some things are so not worth the fight =)

My handsome hubby!  I love this picture of him!!

Daddy, Lily, and Riley

Trip to Barn N Bunk…Love the old wagon

Riley loving the apple slingshot

Lily had to get in on the action too!

The perfect pumpkins

Roller girl

Kayla and Lily at Kayla’s birthday party…on Halloween!  Girls Rock =)

My sweet candy corn princess

Power Ranger Riley.  We won’t mention that this is not the costume he had me buy.  We won’t mention that this was the garage sale find that someone gave him this summer.  We won’t mention the huge fit he through on Halloween AGAIN this year.  Click here and scroll down to see the debacle from last year.   We won’t mention the huge hole in the butt either.  Ahem… on to the picture!

 My precious Halloween cuties!

Riley showing off his Power Ranger moves

Lily, Riley, and Power Ranger Luke from next door

Daddy, Lily, and Riley

Our neighbor, Jennifer, and her four girls.  How amazing is this Michael Jackson tribute?  Seriously, she was kind of creepy it looked so real =)

All of us at Trunk or Treat at church.

Loved this cute trunk.  Every trunk had a memory verse.  Lily enjoyed reading them all as we went through.

This one was amazing…

Here’s the Jesus pumpkin up close.  WOW

Loving the chocolate!

Yummy!

 

If you made it this far, that is the end of my two month photo montage.  In other news…

RICKY’S LAST ROUND OF CHEMO STARTS MONDAY!  Yes, I had to yell it!  We are so excited.  He can’t wait to have these 12 treatments behind him.  Please pray for him this week that the side effects are minimal.  Please pray for me as well, the guilt of me working and going back to school always hits hard on chemo week and the week after.  I feel bad having him do so much when he feels yucky!

Wow, That’s About All I Can Say

We were playing some praise and worship music the other night and the kids were getting on it.  I couldn’t help but turn on the video camera and tape them.  I can honestly say that they get their moves from Ricky =)  Enjoy!!  (Make sure the volume is turned on!)

done

All Clear!

Ricky’s scan today showed no regrowth.  Everything is in place for his LAST ROUND OF CHEMO!!!  The first week in November is his last round.  I cannot even begin to tell you how excited we are!  God continues to amaze us with His faithfulness!

Dr. Yung wants us to continue to come out to see him every 2 months for the next year.  We thought he may bump it to every 3 months, but he wants to keep a close eye on him.  He said that it is especially important since he won’t be on chemo anymore.

Please continue to pray that there is no regrowth.  Please continue to pray for strength as Ricky has a lot more responsibility at home with me being in school and at work.  Please continue to pray for peace as we will be moving to the next phase without any treatment.  Please continue to pray for complete healing!

Love,

Tracey

Round 11 is Underway…

Today is day 2 of round 11 of chemo.  Not going great, but could always be worse!  They are trying a new type of anti nausea patch that Ricky put on Sunday night.  It’s supposed administer the medicine for a week through the patch.  He felt sick immediately last nightafter he took the chemo pills and had to take some stronger medicine to sleep.  He is napping now and has been tired and queasy today!  No vomiting so that’s always a plus =)

Including today, he only has 9 days of chemo left!!!  How awesome is that?!? Last year at this time he had not even started chemo.  He was still going through radiation.   4 days left this round and the last 5 days will be the first week in November.  Please continue to pray him through this week.  He goes for the MRI on Friday.  It’s  always fun to lay completely still for 45 minutes when you don’t feel well.  We then head to Houston on Sunday night and his appointment is on Tuesday.  Continue to pray for strength to get through his round and for the new meds to kick in and take away the queasiness.

I have a ton of pics to update, but cannot download any of them until my laptop is back from the “hospital”.  It’s been gone over a month so hopefully it will be fixed and feeling better soon!

Hope everyone is doing well!  If you want to leave any uplifting messages to Ricky, you can leave them as a comment.  I’m sure he could use some this week!

Love,

Tracey

Where Have We Been and What Have We Been Doing?

Ok, I know it’s been forever.  Life has been crazy, but in a great way.  So much is going on that it is probably easier for me to update by family member…

Ricky… He is on Day 3 of Round 10 of chemo!  Do you know what that means?!?  2 left to go after this week.  He has not felt too great this round, but he is getting through it.  Today he has been queasy and tired, yet he insisted on mowing the lawn.  He will not let cancer and chemo run his life! 

Lily… Lily started first grade and LOVES going to school all day!  Her reading has really taken off and she is a wonderful student.  She is also still in gymnastics 3 days a week and we have added another practice on Tuesday mornings.  She was invited to be part of the TOP (Talent opportunity program) program and she goes from 6-9 AM before school.  This was her first week and she had a blast.  She climbed the rope halfway to the top with her legs in a pike position using only her arms…AMAZING! (I don’t even think I would make it up the rope with knots LOL) She is so proud of her accomplishments!  Gymnastics has taught her discipline and the value of hard work!

Riley… My little man turns 4 today!  Where has the time gone?  He started preschool last week and is going Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  He loves school but wants me to be his teacher.  Go figure!  However, he loves Ms. Pam and is doing great.  He can finally do organized sports and is thrilled to be starting soccer next week.  He will get to play basketball this winter and baseball in the spring.  He is so excited that he gets to play sports and not just watch sissy!

Me… Hmmmm….where to start!  I started teaching a PreK class at The Potter’s House on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  My class is wonderful and I am enjoying every moment with them.  Since it is a Christian preschool, I get to have prayer time and bible study time daily.  It is such a wonderful program and I feel so blessed to be a part of it! 

 I also am going back to school for my Master’s in Educational Leadership.  I am taking 6 credit hours and one of the classes, Politics in Education, just rocked my world.  My word… I don’t know if I’ll make it through the semester!  Lots of papers and high expectations.  I sat through the class and thought, “What in the world am I doing?”  After much deliberation, I am sticking it out and praying that I will make it through!

It has been such a change to go from both of us being home to me being gone so much!  Ricky has stepped in and helped out immensely.  It has been a tough transition and one that has made for a very tired mommy.  I’m sure that once we get into a routine, it will all slow down.  I am thankful that Ricky is at a point where he can help out again and I have the opportunity to go back to work and school. 

Thanks for sticking with us even when I don’t update as often as I used to!  We are still grateful for every single prayer!  Please say a prayer for Ricky to make it through this round especially with all of the added responsibilities at home!

Love to you all,

Tracey

Prayer is Powerful

Prayer is powerful and we are so thankful for all of your prayers.  When we come together to pray, wonderful things take place.

“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Matthew 18:19-20

Ricky’s appointment yesterday was great!  The remaining 10% of the tumor seems almost nonexistent.  Dr. Yung was very confident that he will end his chemo with the 12th round in November!  That means only 3 rounds of chemo left!  We were both thrilled because we thought that they were going to encourage him to continue on past the 12 rounds.  However, after reviewing the MRI, Dr. Yung felt no need to continue after that!

Let me explain the tumor part a little more clearly.  After his craniotomy, we found out that there was 10% of the tumor remaining.  After a couple of MRI’s, Dr. Yung wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was remaining tumor or necrosis from radiation.  So, he just made sure that there was no regrowth.  However, the past two MRI’s have shown a steady decrease in size of the little spot that he had been observing.  This last MRI showed such a decrease, that it is pretty much gone!  GONE!!!  How stinking exciting is that?!? 

While we waited two and a half hours for our appointment, ahem, we were really blessed by the people we met in the waiting room.  First, we were listening to two couples discuss their own situations. 

One gentleman was a 7 and a half year survivor of a Grade III Anaplastic Astrocytoma.  That is the same grade tumor as Ricky’s but a different type.  The lady is a  5 year survivor of a Grade IV GBM, which is the worst malignant type of tumor.  Her smile was contagious and her spirit was amazing.  She was talking about the Almighty Healer and how He has been known to just make those tumors disappear. ( I smiled as I typed this knowing that He snatched the remaining portion right up out of Ricky’s head!)

 It was such a blessing to hear her give all the glory to God and just lift Him up in this room full of people who need to hear His name during their trials.  It is hard to sit in the waiting room and look around.  You see all types of people and situations.  Young.  Old.  Female.  Male.   Scars. Wheelchairs.   Worry.  Fear.  Sadness.  But you also see Hope. Faith. Understanding.  Kindness.  Joy.  Love.  However, the start of our wait was blessed by those two couples.

Then, as we were entering our second hour of waiting time, I looked over and saw a young woman sitting at a table working on a puzzle.  I nudged Ricky and told him she looked familiar.  He said she didn’t to him, but I struck up a conversation anyway.  She was  a fiery little thing and her mom was with her.  Then it hit me, I had been on her carepage.  Her mom updates it for her.  I asked and sure enough it was her. 

She is going blind due to a very unruly Grade I tumor.  The doctors are baffled and her mom came with her for a biopsy.  We had such a good time with them.  Another blessing for us that day.  We prayed and continue to pray for her complete healing.  I hope that they leave a message on here so you two can read her story from their standpoint.  They are Christians who believe in the power of prayer as well!

So, the Lord blessed us with a two and a half hour waiting time, ahem, filled with fellowship.  Then He topped it off with a great report of healing and an answer to prayer!  I would say that’s a pretty good day!

Round 9 is over and the countdown is on for the last 3!  Keep praying…

 

One Year Ago…

One year ago…

   I woke up like any other normal day.  I headed out to talk with The Potter’s House about an upcoming  job opportunity and accepted the position.  The new job was going to offer the insurance my family needed since we had just returned home from Taiwan.  I headed back home happy and upbeat…things were good!

One year ago…

   Ricky met me at the door excited about the next step in our lives.  He had started teaching pitching lessons and enjoyed it tremendously.  The first boy he taught had called that morning to schedule an appointment for the next day.  He headed down to the Reds stadium to see all of his friends.  The Astros were in town and Roy was pitching.  He said he would be back in time for me to go the grocery store.

One year ago…

   Ricky returned home and I headed off to the grocery store with my older sister.  We spent a couple of hours getting groceries for both houses.  I dropped her off at home and was then greeted at our  door by Ricky.  He helped me carry in the groceries and put them away.  We snuggled up on the couch to watch  some cartoons.

One year ago…

   The kids were tired but I told them they could finish the show they were watching.  It was 8:20.  Ricky got up and sat down at the table to read his bible.  At 8:30 I turned off the tv and went to kiss Ricky on the cheek.  I peeked over his shoulder to see him reading Genesis and writing the ages of people in the bible.  Weird I thought, but I turned around and took the kids up for a bath.

One year ago…

   I got out jammies and took elastics out of Lily’s hair.  I started running the bathwater and plopped the kids in the tub.  As I leaned back Lily to wash her hair in the running water, I heard “Say his name.”  It took me a second, but I immediately shut off the water and ran to the corner of the stairs.  I shouted down “RICKY” and all I heard was a silent gasp for air.  I yelled to the kids to stay in the tub and leaped over all the stairs in one jump. (Okay, not really, but it felt like it)

One year ago…

   I made it around the corner to see the baseball game on tv and Ricky tensed up in a sitting position on the couch.  His body was jerking and his eyes were rolled back in his head.  His right arm was firmly grasped on his left.  I called 911.

One year ago…

   I thought Ricky was going to die on my living room floor.

One year ago…

   I got him on the floor and on his side.  His breathing was labored and his chest and face were speckled with broken blood vessels.  His body was still tense and his eyes were rolled back in his head.  He started foaming at the mouth.

One year ago…

   My naked kids ran down the stairs to find their daddy laying on the floor with their mommy praying over him.  I was trying to clean all of the dip out of his mouth (he has since quit dipping).  They ran to his left side and held his hand.  He was still seizing, but Lily still thinks to this day that he was intentionally holding her hand.

One year ago…

   I thought Ricky was having a heart attack, not a seizure.  Foolish, I know.  But I was so shaken up!  The 911 operator kept asking me if he was breathing.  He was, but barely.

One year ago…

   The kids and I prayed over Ricky’s jerking non responsive body.  Not knowing if Daddy would ever be with us again.

One year ago…

   Ricky’s body became motionless and he rolled onto his back.  His eyes came forward and there was a complete blank stare.  Everything stopped, even his breathing.

One year ago…

   The 911 operator told me to perform CPR on my husband with my kids at his side.  After two sets of rescue breaths, he was breathing again.  However, it was more labored than before.  But praise God that he was breathing.

One year ago…

   911 told me to go open  the door and get ready for the ambulance.

One year ago…

   The EMT’s told me, “You’ve done your job, now let us do ours.  Please do NOT come back into this room.  You can see him in the ambulance.”  I honestly didn’t know if I would see him again.  I took my naked children out on the back deck to look for help.

One year ago…

   We are in the ambulance headed to the hospital.  Ricky is still unresponsive.  I am praying out loud in the front and wondering why people arent’ moving faster or getting out of our way.  Don’t they know what is going on inside this ambulance roaring down the by pass?  I keep asking if he is responsive, and nothing.

One year ago…

   I asked for the millionth time if he is responsive.  I look back to see him lifting off his oxygen mask.  I ask him if he can hear me and he raises his arm. I praise God that my husband is alive and can respond.

One year ago…

    The doctor at the ER performed a CT scan on Ricky.  He told us that Ricky had an old fracture and he needed to be put on anti seizure medicine.  He tried to send us home.

One year ago…

   I thought that doctor was a nutcase.  I was not taking him home.  He needed a night in the hospital after all that had transpired.  We argued.  I won.  Ricky spent the night.

One year ago…

   I spent the night in a chair in his room.  It was cold.  I was alone.  I had peace knowing that it was just a fracture.  I quick fix with just some medicine.  He was going to be just fine.

One year ago…

   They wheeled him off for his MRI.  I called everyone I could think of to let them  know the good news.  Just a fracture with an easy fix.  They were doing an MRI just to confirm the fracture.

One year ago…

   My world stopped.  The MRI results showed a large tumor.  He needed brain surgery to remove it.  It appeared to be benign, but we would have to wait for pathology results.

One year ago…

   It hit me that we had no insurance. 

One year ago…

   Our amazing friends set up an account to cover all medical expenses and household through Helping Hands Ministries.  Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) also agreed to help us out financially.  Other friends set up an online auction.  Major League Baseball came together and donated so many awesome items for the auction.  God provided for our family in our time in need.  He is good.

One year ago…

   We scheduled a craniotomy for August 22.  Never thought I would be saying that =)

 

I could spend forever writing about the entire year, but I welcome you to look through the archives.  I’ll save that for another post!

 

Today…

   I thought would be a hard day for me.  It is the day that changed our world forever.  It is not a hard day though.  It is a day of celebration.

Today…

   We celebrate that Ricky does not appear to have any remaining tumor in his brain.  The MRI’s continue to be clean and show no regrowth.

Today…

   We celebrate 8 rounds of chemo down with round 9 to start on Monday.  The side effects have been minimal compared to others.

Today…

   We celebrate that although Ricky is fatigued and must nap everyday, he is able to do most activities with our family.  We have been able to go on vacation and go to Kings Island.  We took a mini trip to Louisville for his first bull pen in a year. 

Today…

  I have realized that it is okay to mourn the loss of our old life.  I miss many of the things that we used to be able to do but can’t now that cancer is a factor in our household.  There are days when I wake up praying it has all been a bad dream.  But, it’s not.  And I move on. 

Today…

   We celebrate the new normal in house.  Ricky is able to help out more, which gives me some time by myself.  I can go to the grocery store or run an errand while the kids stay with him.  He is able to get out and go visit his dad or go on a visit with some friends from church.  There were days like this one when it was hard for me to even think about life in a year.  However, we have slowly become our new normal.

Today…

  We celebrate God’s goodness.  He continues to amaze me with all that He has done for our family.  There are have been so many God things that have happened over the past year. 

Today…

   My faith is stronger than it has ever been.  I wrote this last year and it holds true today.  Our future is still unknown.  Ricky’s cancer is still an uncertainty.  We never know what tomorrow will bring.  But I do have faith that whatever happens, it will be in will with the one and only God.  I have faith that He will not put more on me than I can handle. 

Today…

   I am going to spend the day with my family and celebrate today!  We never know what tomorrow may bring, so celebrate today!

 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything

James 1:2-4

Weekend In Louisville

We had an opportunity to go down to Louisville for the weekend and we thought it would be  a great little getaway.  So we packed up and headed down on Friday night.  We started off the evening going for a walk around downtown.  We saw all kinds of neat artwork, sculptures, and fountains.  Here are the kids with a lion in front of Ruth Chris Steakhouse.  Riley’s eyes are closed because of the sun and Lily is roaring.  They are a mess =)

There were so many neat fountains around the area.  Riley tried to dive head first into this one.  Notice the tight grip Ricky has on him!

We ended up at Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner!

After dinner we had to walk a couple blocks back to the hotel.  I saw this and thought it was just a neat picture.

We found some interesting sculptures around the city.  The kids (and Ricky) wanted to touch and climb on them all.

I just loved this picture…

After a little rest at the hotel…

we headed out for a horse drawn carriage ride through the city.

Our horse Jessie

What Lily and Riley thought of Jessie…

The next day I took the kids swimming while Ricky napped.  The pool was on top of the roof and it was a beautiful view of the river.  The water was cold, but that didn’t stop them!

They smile the entire time they are swimming.  Especially Riley…

Spiky hair that Riley can’t stand!  He let Lily put it in a mohawk once and then smoothed it all down.

After swimming and a little rest, we were headed off to the Louisville Bats game.  We were headed out at 2 even though the game didn’t start until 6.  Ricky was excited to see everyone and throw BP.  What better way to get to the field than take a trolley ride through the city.  Right?  Don’t you agree?  Let’s just say that the Lord had a lesson in store for me =)

We missed the first trolley that runs every 12-15 minutes right by the hotel.  I forgot my phone in the room and had to run back up and get it.  So Ricky wanted to just walk the 6 blocks.  Nope!  We were taking the trolley and that was final.  It was going to be fun and I was determined.  So, 15 minutes later we get on the trolley.  All was well, fun was being had by all!  Until…

We get to the Louisville Slugger Museum Stop, which was about 6 blocks from where we started and now 12 blocks from the field.  Our lovely and kind trolley driver ( snicker, snicker) informs us that he is going on a 30 minute break.  Come on!  I just want to take a nice family trolley ride to the field.

Ricky is silent.  He gets off the trolley with our transfer tickets and goes to the shade to wait for the next trolley.  I smile and decide that it is a great opportunity to take our picture with the huge bat.  Make lemonade out of lemons, right?

I even convinced Ricky to come and take a picture.  Still silent though…

So, we take pictures and then stand at the trolley stop.  Then we watch the trolley drive right by us.  Yes, that’s right, it passes us.  We are now about 30 minutes into our trolley trip, 5 of which was actually spent on the trolley.  Ricky looks at me and walks back into the shade.  Not a word.  Silent. 

I take the kids to the bat again.  Walk around a bit.  Now it’s getting hot.  The kids are whining.  Ricky is still staring at me silently from his shady spot.  I just want the darn trolley to stop so we can get on and have our fun family trolley ride to the ball park.  Is that too much to ask?

After another 15 minutes in the hot sun with two whiny kids and a silent, staring husband…the trolley arrives.  It actually stops this time!  We all climb on and hand the new trolley driver our tickets. 

Now we are on our way.  We turn the corner to head back down towards Market Street and the 12 blocks to the field.  Until the new trolley driver pulls over.  She said she needs to take a 5 minute break to stretch her legs.  WHAT?!?!  You’ve got to be kidding me?  Where is the hidden camera?  Ricky looks back at me with his all knowing stare and turns back around.  Still no words… 

Soooo…over an hour after our journey began, we made it to Louisville Slugger Field.  What lesson did the Lord teach me?  That sometimes, and only sometimes, Ricky is right!  I said it! 

We were only there a few minutes when the Gortner’s arrived.  Bill, Becky, Christian, and Anna drove down for the game!  The kids loved running around the stadium since it was empty!  I loved watching Ricky get out there and throw for the first time since his seizure.  He threw a bull pen and it went great!  He had such a good time!

Lily and Riley now think of the Gortners as family!  Lily and Riley were all over them!  Every time I looked down from our seats one of them was climbing a Gortner =) 

Lily and Anna

We got to go down into the clubhouse to visit.  This was on the wall when we walked in!  I thought it was pretty neat!

Then we found the stash of costumes.  Here is Christian the Tomato and Lily Bat!

Anna, Riley, and Lily chillin in the big mitt

Christian and Riley.  Riley would not leave him alone! 

Lily and the Gortner clan.

Sweet Anna!  We LOVE her =)

Riley with Buddy Bat.  He stalked him all night.  Christian finally ran him down there to meet him!

First, Riley spied Christian’s ice cream. 

Riley then stared down the ice cream hoping it would leap from the cone to his mouth.  Christian tried so hard not to look into those puppy dog eyes.

Pleasssseee…..ice cream….come to me!!!  Notice the smirk on Christian’s face in this pic. 

I then took him up to get him his own ice cream.  Unfortunately, they were out of mint chocolate chip.  He did settle for chocolate though =)