The Day After

For Thanksgiving, we traveled to Greer, SC to visit at Leslie's sister's house. Neither Leslie or I felt well all day, so it wasn't as grand as it could have been. But the company and hospitality was great, and everyone else seemed to have a wonderful time.

Today we both woke up feeling better, and Leslie fixed a wonderful breakfast of eggs, turkey bacon, and chocolate chip pancakes. The kids gobbled it all down, of course, and the Munch ended up with her traditional chocolate ring around her mouth.

We worked on cleaning out the garage some more today. I started a couple of weeks ago, but today we made some real progress. I got several shelves put up, and then various items which were on the floor up on them. We're trying to get room cleared out so Leslie can get the van pulled in. The chemo makes her very sensitive to cold, so much so that she cannot open the fridge. So now that the temps are getting much cooler, getting the van inside is key, so that she doesn't have to be out in the cold any more than she has to.

While Les and I were working, the kids enjoyed a sunny but cool day outside. So often I look at our house and complain that we don't have a big flat yard. But the kids don't do that. They think, "what can we do with a big hill?!!" So they each got a hula hoop and enjoyed rolling the hoops down, countless times. Here are some pictures:

Headed up the hill - I'm not sure what Munchkin was so excited about
Chasing the hoop
Steering was a challenge
The trauma of a mis-steered hoop
Aggie posing
The Hoop Master
Loving the leaves
McGrooter
Always posing

After cleaning up, I enjoyed watching a beautiful full moon rise in the eastern sky. We warmed up inside, but I noticed Aggie wearing a scarf and gloves. She looked at me and said, "I have to wear these everyday because I can't breathe cold air." She has seen Leslie do this everyday due to the chemo. It's interesting to watch how each of the kids process their mother dealing with cancer. Soon she was helping Munchkin do the same thing.

Today was a good day for all of us. I continue to be extremely thankful for these days. Leslie had enough strength to do several things around the house and help with the garage. We were saddened tonight, however, to learn about the death of a close friend of one my co-workers. Anamaria lost the battle with cancer, at a very young age. She was a young Romanian girl, who just recently was diagnosed with cancer. Her battle was short, but she is now free of cancer and with her Lord.