Sunday, 30 September 07
Today is Austin's 15th birthday. We planned to do the cake and present presents to Austin this evening, but when we returned from dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, we discovered that all five kittens that had been born Thursday night were missing! We tore up the house looking for them, while the mother cat, named Bear (whom I call Savanah) seem unconcerned or unaware that her kittens were nowhere to be found. After a couple of hours, we gave up, as it was getting late. No time for Austin's presents because of the search mission. When Aric went to bed, with activity in the house now at a minimum, he heard the tell-tale sounds coming from within his room, and soon found the kittens, tucked safely away in a corner of his bedroom closet under a hat. So Savanah had carried her babies up the stairs and stashed them away while we were dining. So well are her cloaking skills that a search party of six could not find them!
Saturday, 29 September 07
The P-51 Mustang show proper was held today, complete with demonstrations by F-15, F-16, F-22, B2, P-47, B-17, B-25, a Lancaster bomber, P-63 and other aircraft. Several Heritage flights were performed in which a modern fighter flies in formation with one to three P-51s. The Thunderbirds performed, but the solo and group Mustang flights were the highlight of the day for me. The day concluded with a group of 20 P-51s clustered in a formation that formed the shape "51" Traffic was much better today than yesterday. More people, but more police and a better parking plan. It is reported that in excess of 150,000 people attended the Gathering.
Friday, 28 September 07
The 1st day of the air show for me; a practice show for the main performances on Saturday and Sunday. Traffic was unbelievable; I do not think the authorities expected this many people. Aside from automotive congestion, the show itself was awesome, and I had the best seat in the house, along with several new friends.
Thursday, 27 September 07
I left for Columbus, Ohio today to attend the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends air show, an event for which I have been waiting for perhaps two years. There will be more than 100 P-51s at the show, and this knowledge mitigates the fatigue incumbent upon me when I arrived at the hotel in Columbus at 1:30 am Friday morning!
Tuesday, 25 September 07
Dinner with my good friends Jon and Larry at Saltgrass. They have traveled from Oregon to Texas to consult with Dr. Stark-Vance concerning Jon's recurrent brain tumor, which will be resected Thursday. I enjoyed our visit and look forward to seeing them again.
Saturday, 22 September 07
This day began with the loading of a ton of wood (literally) onto a friend's trailer. Fortunately, the arrival of the trailer was coincidental with the appearance of Austin friends for a Heroes marathon. Thus, the available work crew doubled, making short work of this task. An unused basketball goal was then given to the irrigation guys working in our neighbors yard. Next, a few bushes in our back yard were trimmed, rose bushes staked, the pool was brushed down, and some tools were rescued from abandonment in the yard.
Improving efficiency and productivity, simplifying, discarding items, continuous improvement, trying to devise better ways of getting tasks completed - these are a few of my favorite things.
Friday, 21 September 07
CBC blood counts look good, although platelets have once again dropped, as in previous Carboplatin cycles. Today was a great time of fellowship as I received Avastin injection #8 through a vein in my left hand; Doris and Jerre were in the chemo room, as they were two weeks ago when I first met them. When I learned that Doris and Jerre are members of Lakeside Baptist Church, I did a double take and asked them to confirm that I had heard Lakeside Baptist. Then I told them a story about people who attend church regularly at Lakeside Baptist (e.g. going to the lake instead of church) or Bedside Baptist (e.g. sleeping instead of church). Of course, we as Christians do not really "go" to church. We "are" the church, when gathered together on Sunday, or Wednesday or any time. But we are also the church when dispersed during the week, at work or school or on vacation, or at the grocery store, or at a restaurant, or at a sporting event, or any other place.
Dr. Stark-Vance entered the chemo room and handed a book to me entitled Light Force by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen. This is the stirring account of the church caught in the Middle East crossfire. I have just about completed Brother Andrew's first work, God's Smuggler, a book on the recommended reading list, so the timing of this presentation from Dr. Stark-Vance is perfect.
Tuesday, 18 September 07
Aimee is inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. Kathy and I are so proud of her academic accomplishments, of her Level 7 gymnastics accomplishments, her understanding of the Bible and for just who she is.
Friday, 14 September 07
CBC tests from today look good. Ever wonder what you can do for a person with a brain tumor? Here are a few suggestions.
Sunday, 09 September 07
Aimee's first cake, in the shape of a guitar, in honor of her brothers' commitment to the X-Box 360 game Guitar Hero.
Friday, 07 September 07
My MRI from Wednesday, 29 August 07 has been reviewed as clean! Platelet counts again came roaring back to normal levels following the previous injection five weeks ago, so I received a infusion of Carboplatin chemotherapy and Avastin. All of this required 4 1/2 hours to accomplish at Dr. Stark-Vance's office. Aware of the time frame, I brought the book God's Smuggler to the event. But I typically have few opportunities to read a book during an infusion, because the people with me in the chemo room are invariably much more interesting than the current paperback selection. Today was no exception. Where else could you be afforded a conversation with Deputy County Sheriff (soon to be a DPS State Policeman), a radiologist, a school teacher a young American man who met his Swiss wife in a movie theater, three medical angels and the number #1 oncologist in the country?
Tuesday, 04 September 07
43 months have elapsed since the removal of a 4.3cm x 4.3cm x 3.2cm mass from the right temporal lobe of my brain, subsequently reviewed by four medical facilities a grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme (gbm). Since then, we have been dealing with this thorn in the flesh in a most aggressive way. I thank the Lord everyday for every day He gives me.
