Hey all..
Not really sure where I left off last month so I will do my best to do a continuation from the last post, which I think was somewhere at the end of June. I've tried to take lots of pictures again so hang tight as I post pics.
July is scheduled to be a super busy for me and Ty....and as soon as July is over... School will be close to starting. I'm not sure where the summer has gone!
On June 29th, I took a 1/2 day from work to spend the day with the boys. We opted to go up to Ober Gatlinburg (which I don't think I have done in 15+ years). I remember as a kid riding the alpine slide with my dad and cousins and I knew Tyler had never be on the slide or be on the tram. I have GREAT memories of doing this with my family so off we went. I wasn't sure how Todd would do because of all the walking and uneven pavement/ground. We started out in Gatlinburg and rode the tram up to Ober Gatlinburg. From there we walked around and while Ty and I did some rides and the chairlift, Todd sat and waited for us. :( Here are a couple of pictures of us from the day.
Ty and I up on top of the mountain after we took the chairlift to the very tippy top of the mountain.
Yes.. Ty's hair is a bit long (haircut coming very soon-because he was called a GIRL 2x during the week)
The Alpine Slide
Next we roll into 4th of July weekend. On Saturday, July 2 we all went to my moms to see Rockin at the Docks Fireworks. This is the first time in over 10 years Todd was able to join us. Typically in previous years Todd was working. I was excited that we all could share the night together. Here are a few pics of that night.
Me, Mom and Tyler... Ty with a new haircut of over 3 inches off the bangs
I love this picture of the 3 of us
Ty and Pops with his crazy hair.
We opted for the 4th of July to have a fairly quite day. We started out with the neighborhood parade, which I swear every year is Tyler's last year. I only do it for the mingling with the neighbors and I love 4th of July. The evening part started out as a quite "few person" day and by the end of the night we among many neighbors and friends. Again, here are a few pics of our night.
Our best buddy family friends-Tim and Renee
Another picture of the 3 of us... I love this one!
The family boys- Mason, Tyler and Cameron
Tyler and Mason (for those of you who did not pick it up from another post, Mason is my new nephew and Ty's cousin)
Our neighbor buddies-Dylan and Avery
And so our busy July continues... (Will tell you about our Duke, July 7, visit afterwards) Tyler and I went to Myrtle Beach July 10-14 to stay with our Friends, Amy and her Mom. This is a trip that we try to do every year. Lots of fun with friends and their kiddos. Last set of pics, I promise!
My dear, dear friends who will hate me since I posted a pic of them in a bathing suit... These 2 women are one of a few rocks in my life. April (in blue) is my new buddy and Amy has been bff for almost 20 years!
Ty and Amy's girls- oh someday...
Lastly, I know I know, what you have been waiting on-An UPDATE on Todd. On July 7, we took a trip over to Duke. This week had been a bit stressful because we had so much going on at home AND I knew Todd was a bit 'off.' Without going into to much detail, I will hit the highlights. We met with Nurse Practitioner and she asked lots of 'mental health' questions. I think this is where things got wishy washy... The honeymoon period of chemo and life is over and now we are faced with REALITY. Todd has realized that he is 'handicapped' and life has come to a screeching halt. We knew this was coming and it was only a matter of time. The NP suggested that Todd (and me) find a local support group, find a Occupational Therapist that deals with brain injurys/tramuna and she put him on an anti-depressant. HOLD PLEASE... there definitely is a brighter side to this story. Dr. Desjardins talked to us about all of the above but then she put in the latest scan and proceeded to show us what she saw. According to her, it appears the tumor is SLOWLY breaking down from the top. She said it was super faint but as she compared the last 2 scans, we could see the difference. So with all the ugliness of life's issues, there was a shining star. We asked her if she would consider going more aggressive and she wanted to wait since we saw a bit of 'something' for the positive. The PLAN: stick with Temodar for another 4 months and see her back in November with a scan in September and November.
Since I have just gotten back, I will spend this week finding a support group and an Occupational Therapist for Todd. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! I also leave next Monday for a trip to Denver with work (whew, July is busy!)
Also, We dropped Tyler off at camp today. He will be gone all week to Wesley Woods. It was bittersweet pulling out of the camp. Pray that I can make it though all week with him being gone. I KNOW he will have such a blast and he is a big guy!!! Will update next post!
Thanks for reading the entire post... I know it was longgggggg.... Thanks all!
