It's About Time

Hey everybody...It's about time I'm back online, huh? I cannot tell you how crazy life has been. I've spent virtually every moment of every day facilitating my move to California. Today is the first day where I feel like I've actually made some real progress. Ironically, all I really want to do is spend the last few days I have at home with the people I love. Instead, I end up glued to the phone or this computer. YUCK!

I received a call from Maryellen (my nurse at Loma Linda). My plan is ready to g(You know "the plan." The one Bloomington couldn't start until July 25. The one that takes 4 weeks at a minimum for a team of doctors and physicists to complete? Hmm...must be a different type of "plan" if it only took LLUMC a little over a week?)and I am on track to start radiation on Monday, June 5. We have a couple of apartment options at this point, and I will probably work hard to firm something up from California when I'm there the first week of treatment. I think it will be better to see these places in person if possible.

As you all know, I really wanted to start on June 12 so that I could finish out the school year, be here for graduation, etc. Dr. Luu was not going for that. But Maryellen promised to get me the earliest possible appointment on Friday morning and the latest possible Monday appointment so I can fly home that weekend. The girls will stay in the apartment for the last week of school, and we will be moving on Saturday, June 10. I think this will be my best move yet. You see, I have doctor's orders not to lift anything over 10 pounds. I am picturing myself in a director's chair with a glass of lemonade barking out orders. Hey... if any of you out there have absolutely nothing better to do on a Saturday, we sure could use some help with the heavy lifting. The good news is I am anal retentive. Our boxes are color-coded and labeled according to where they are going.storage. I'm working hard to make it as seamless as possible.

Most of you have been patiently waiting for some news/photos of Hawaii. It's here! For those of you who don't know, Kelly Crocker (Moses) was my college roommate for two years at Bethel. We weren't always the greatest roomies, but we ended up terrific friends and have kept in close contact over the years. I was in her wedding, she was in mine (okay...it's not true. It just sounded good). Anyway, her husband, Curt, is in the Air Force and they have been stationed in Misawa, Japan for the last few years. Curt & Kelly have one daughter, Jordan, who is 2 1/2 going on 12. She is a quite bright and pretty indepdendent. Well, Jordan was having some problems with her eyes that could not be treated on base, so they shipped them off to Hawaii to Tripler Army Medical to a pediatric opthamologist. So, the Moses family had already been in Hawaii for one week when we arrived. Jordan was diagnosed with three separate eye conditions. She is scheduled to have surgery back in Hawaii in the fall and the other conditions she will likely outgrow.

Having a reunion with Crocker in Hawaii was especially meaningful. First of all, she's been away from home/friends/family through a number of difficult times. Secondly, she's had a lot on her plate in dealing with Jordan's medical concerns. Finally, maintaining a close friendship over seas and sushi can be difficult. Kelly has some great photos of Hawaii; however, she wanted me to issue this disclaimer: She is a proud mother. Don't get annoyed if you end up scrolling through lots of pictures of her kid.

I also want to issue a disclaimer regarding my album. You will not see many photos of me. In fact, it was incredibly difficult to include the ones I did include.
My face was pretty swollen from the flight and change in weather. Furthermore, my best friend, Bells Palsy, decided to tuck himself into my suitcase and sneak on the trip. My nerve damage was at its peak in Hawaii. I really prefered to stay out of pictures altogether, but Kelly is almost as stubborn as me, and I ended up in a few. I posted them, but I give you fair warning. It is not pretty. Secondly, this camera that the EMHS math/language arts departments gave us was amazing. So, be prepared... I was trying to act like a real photographer on the trip.

To see our pics, copy and paste the link into the address bar. You can create your own kodak gallery account and it will keep a copy of these albums in a section called "Friends' Albums" or you can choose to view the albums without signing in. Either way, I would recommend that you view the albums as a slide show rather than clicking on individual pictures (hindsight is 20/20).

Hope you enjoy the photos!

Our Hawaii Photo Album
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=10ajd8i6.9rsxmva&x=0&y=-crlnzn

Kelly's Hawaii Photo Album:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=9g4g2jt.244xwalt&x=0&y=y8dugh