Life as a Lewis

Thanks for all the emails and Facebook messages over the past few days. I apologize for not commenting on every single one. You guys overwhelm me (in the best possible way) with your persistent and intentional encouragement. We've had very dreary, cold, rainy days yesterday and today so Rory and I have spent lots of time curled up on the couch reading and watching The Food Network. Yes, it is possible for Chopped to take your mind off cancer. Bright and early tomorrow morning we're flying to Dallas to spend a couple of days with our Clearview friends. It may seem like an odd time for a trip, but I actually think it's a great opportunity to spend time with friends and get away. I'm having a few new chemo side effects and would appreciate your prayers that they would not hinder our trip in any way. And here are a few pictures from the week. I haven't had the camera out nearly often enough. I always forget how hard it is to make the transition to indoor,

I remember this well with Camden. He turned 5 and almost immediately turned into a silly  monster. It must be an age thing because Rory has been 5 for exactly 1 month, and she has turned up the silliness factor big time. Big, open-mouthed grins, giggles that won't stop, cracking herself up over and over again. Dressing in knee socks with no pants and pulling out the cheerleading pom poms. :)

Knowing my recent health history, you're not expecting good news, right? As I suspected, it was not pleasant to hear how difficult my physical situation is. Basically, the doctor told us that the best we can hope for is to keep the cancer stable, and I will remain on chemo indefinitely. I could not make myself ask how long that might be. Despite the bad news, I realized after several hours of reflection (and by reflection I mean crying and resisting the urge to scream at someone, something) that God did answer our prayer. We asked to feel calm, and we asked that the choice would be clear. The cancer center treated us very well; the staff was compassionate; the doctor spent a full hour with us giving us more information on ovarian cancer and treatment than we have received in the last 7 months. My treatment would have been the same at Vanderbilt as it was with Dr. W. The Taxol/Cistplatin/Carboplatin is the standard treatment. Ovarian cancer is rare enough and complicated enough th

Thank you to the 126 of you who liked my FB status last week when I announced that I was pulling out the mascara for the first time in months. :) Here are two pictures taken exactly one week apart. Friday, October 14. Friday, October 21 (clearly, our self-portrait skills deteriorated during the week). You can see them, right? I promise they are there.  And check out my 5 o'clock shadow eyebrows! My hair is also growing back in; you can see a difference almost daily. And I'd show you a picture of that, but shaggy fuzz is pretty unflattering. :) I actually have mixed feeling about all this hair growth going on. Losing your hair is such a universal symbol of cancer and being sick, and I have long looked forward to the day that it grows back. But always when I thought about that time, it was as I moved past cancer, our life got back to normal, etc. Not once did I consider the fact that when my hair grew back, it would be while I still lived with cancer and

Based on the incredible amount of attention we have received the last few weeks, Rory must be getting cuter. It's either that or the cute bob she's sporting these days because she has gotten a ridiculous amount of attention from strangers in the last few weeks. And why don't I just announce it here since I've had no less than 4 specific requests from strangers: Jennifer at The Hair Gallery in Springfield cuts her hair. You can get the same cut for yourself! We should start getting commission. In case you've ever wondered how pumpkin and chocolate chips might be together, I can personally vouch for these cookies . "If I were a football player, at the same age I am right now, I would get hurt. And that would make me sad." Definitely from Rory. Camden just tells us "that's the reason I don't play football" every time he sees someone get tackled. Yep, brave children I have. Rory poked her head in from playing outside yesterday an

Why I feel compelled to post all of these, I'll never know. Feel free to skim or skip all together. Unless you're the grandparents. Last Saturday Brian took the kids to the fall festival at Camden's school. For some strange reason, he could not get them to pose with these endearing creatures. They did, however, play on the inflatables. . . . . . get their faces painted. Rory started out wanting to get something princess-y, but ended up with a spider on her hand. Go figure.   Monday, Rory stayed with Gram (and later met us for lunch) while mom and I went for bloodwork, grocery shopped, looked at baby clothes for Liz's baby, shopped for jeans, boots, etc. We also got coffee at the new kiosk at the hospital. Imagine my happiness (and surprise) when the hospital coffee lady can make a mean mocha. I actually have a picture of this, but am feeling much too lazy to grab from my phone. While I had chemo and a doctor's appointment Tuesday Ro

649. new coffee kiosk at the hospital 650. feeling well enough to attend soccer practice 651. Fields of Faith 652. a healthy 8 year check-up for Camden 653. multiple good days in a row 654. Camden's joyful face each day when I pick him up from school 655. date night! 656. squirrels 656. a walk in the park 658. Casting Crowns 659. Voice of Truth 660. music that moves me 661. having my mom with me 662. 3 straight days of running errands; shopping is fun! 663. falling leaves 664. fall decorations 665.  baby clothes 666. eyelashes finally long enough for mascara 667. eyebrows that are beginning to frame my eyes 6678. Rory's sweet voice telling me how much she loves me 669. Camden's fabulous report card 670. a lower CA125 level 671. glowing report from Camden's teacher 672. the color purple 673. travel safety for my parents 674. that Grandpa and Grandma got to be here for Rory's soccer tournament 675. Hope

In the days following chemo, I vacillate between trying to keep my eyes open and talking 100 miles a minute. The steroids made me hyper while the chemo makes me weak and fatigued. The steroids also make me even more impatient than normal. Yes, I am a complete joy to be around on these days. Thankfully, the effects are starting to wear off and I am mostly fatigued at this point. My mom was in town this week, and we spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday shopping, having lunch at fun places to eat as well as throwing in a little bloodwork, chemo, and a Neulasta shot. I have become incredibly behind on running errands so we took care of lots of necessities while also throwing in some fun shopping. I'm still on my 3 year search for the perfect boot. Tried on several pairs this week and, of course, the only pair that met all my criteria was $275. I actually found them in a magazine at Dr. W's office, tore the page out, then took the picture to the shoe store. They were just about as

I am incredibly lucky to be a part of The Lilypad . It has been my favorite digital scrapping store since its very beginning, and it continues to be my favorite digital place to hang out. And not only is it my favorite hang out, but I have the great privilege of being a part of the Lilypad team. About a week ago I was surprised and humbled to find a note in my inbox from the designers. They have created a beautiful kit in my honor, and I am not sure I could think of anything more encouraging to me personally than this kit full of words of hope and faith. You can purchase it by clicking here if you're a scrapper looking for a gorgeous kit by my favorite designers. Or you can just look at the beautiful pages and say a prayer of thanks for God's goodness in my life. Here is the page I scrapped with it. And here is Becky's page. I dare you to read it without crying. I certainly can't. Journaling is as follows: This wasn't supposed to happen. Y