Happy Pumpkin Day

We have never been a big Halloween family. I love that my kids have no idea that they are 'supposed' to go and Trick or Treat. Yes, they do enjoy getting dressed up, and would certainly never refuse candy, but if we didn't do it, it wouldn't be missed.
That being said, I think Eric will try to take them to a couple of neighbors we know and we will take the cute pictures - you can NEVER have too many of those! (says the scrapbooker Mom) Our house is decorated for fall (thanks to a couple of wonderful friends) and we can continue with this decor for the remainder of November - yea!
As much as I am trying to stay away from sugar (a Whole Foods trip is planned to find SOMETHING to satisfy my sweet tooth) I am certain I will not make it through fall without a loaf of my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread! Yum-O! A few years ago I tried to make a 'healthy' version of this recipe - let's just say that you can't replace every ingredient with a healthier substitution and come out with something that tastes as good - or is even edible! Maybe just a slice - or two - of the real thing. =)

A Recap...

Is it too early to be tired of being tired? I think yes.
But I promised a recap of events, so here it is.
September 30th - Eric and I were planning on celebrating our 13 years of marriage, but it ended up as a family event in the ER instead. I had been having severe pain in my right side and it was getting tough to breathe. After lab work at the doctor's office and an ultrasound that afternoon, the Dr called and said for me to head to the ER. That can't be good, can it? Nope.
I had both kids in tow and called and requested Eric take an early departure from work to meet me at the hospital. Earlier that day, while waiting for the doctor to come in and see me, I recollected an incident that may have contributed to my current pain. Sunday afternoon the kids and I were playing in their room when I laid down on my back and closed my eyes for a second - never a safe choice with 2 small children. My youngest, a very active two year-old, took that opportunity to pounce on me - right below the rib cage. Fast forward to Tuesday in the exam room contemplating the events and realizing that I really hadn't felt right since then. Loss of appetite, pain, etc. Hmmm...
After the MRI in the emergency room, plus more lab work, they finally came in to tell us what they had found. I was hoping it was a simple gall bladder issue - I don't really need one of those, right? But what the doctor told us, I could never have been prepared for. They had discovered a very large tumor on my adrenal gland and I would need to stay in the hospital until it was taken care of. One of the blessings was the 'pouncing event' from Sunday. Across the board the doctors felt that when my son jumped on me it caused the tumor to hemorrhage (bleed inside the tumor - as was found on the scans) which increased the size of the tumor enough for me to take notice -therefore getting this thing out of me when they did!
I kept telling myself that I couldn't freak out until it was removed and analyzed - which was nearly 2 weeks later. Then they did come back with news worthy of freaking out. I am, for the most part, OK. I worry most about my kids and how much I want to be around to see them grow up. I believe that even with the diagnosis of Adrenal Cancer, that is still possible. With God, ALL things are possible. A friend of mine recently shared her interpretation of the events this month - Cancer was not God's will for my life - and we found it in time for the entire tumor to be removed and to deal with it now. Not later. Now. More Hope. More time.

Cookies from Heaven

My posts won't be in chronological order for awhile, but I still feel like I need to get some of my 'God Moments' out there even if they aren't in order =)
I'm not sure if it was day 1 or day 3 in the hospital, but I spent most of the afternoon craving homemade chocolate chip cookies. Probably for their comfort food factor!
Having been in Dallas such a short time, there wasn't anyone I could call and make that request of. So I just kept hoping for the impossible.
Right around 5pm one of the ladies from my Bible Study (we had only been meeting for about 3 weeks) came by to see me. Wow, a visitor! And with her she had HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES! Made fresh that morning and she listened to the prompting of the Holy Spirit (my interpretation) and grabbed some off the cookie sheet and tied them with a sweet little ribbon and delivered them to my hospital room! Straight from God in my opinion. It was just what I needed. Not just the solution to my sweet tooth dilemma, but the reassurance that God is with me. He cares about EVERY detail. Even chocolate chip cookies! He is in the details. If He can deliver me fresh Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies via angels here on earth, He can handle the rest as well =) Faith is a gift. Faith is a blessing. Faith is what gets me through each day.

A New Start

I am moving my carebridges posts over to blogspot...
patience while I transition =)
Today is a good day so far. I am trying to hang out with the family in Eric's recliner. Eric made a great breakfast and we are enjoying a lazy day in Jammies. Daniel and I have been up since before 6. I hope that means we get to take an early nap!

Our helpers this week have been amazing. Each new crew brings something different to the table. All wonderful things that are perfect in their timing.

We are tentatively scheduled for MD Anderson on November 3rd. We will be down there for at least a week. As much as I hate to pull Em out of school, I think it will be best for the family to go together. The kiddos have enough trauma this past month, having both Eric and I gone might be their undoing.

I am looking forward to having a treatment plan in place and getting an education on what diet recommendations are. I am trying to eliminate sugar for the time being, but am finding that to be nearly impossible.

Will keep you posted...
Triann

Hope On!

Romans 15:13 - One of my many messages from God this month. I am currently doing a Beth Moore study on the Patriarchs and we are covering a large portion of Genesis (the first book in the Old Testament). The morning after I was admitted into the hospital, via the ER, Eric brought me a few things I had requested from home. My Bible Study book was among those things. What a great opportunity to spend some extra time with God - the One who sees me. I picked up where I had left off a few days beforehand, which happened to be in the middle of the lesson. It was to look up Romans 15:13 and record what it says. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
WOW! Talk about God meeting me where I was. Oh how I needed to hear those words. I read it every day - several times a day - as a reminder that God is with me. He cares. He is my Hope, my source of joy and peace in a scary and uncertain situation.
I hope you are encouraged by those words as well today. Hope On dear friends! Hope On!

Surprise!

Life is full of surprises...unfortunately, they are not always welcome surprises. I am home from the hospital -finally - and starting to feel a little more like myself again. Eventually I will write a summary of events that led me to this place, but it may take a few days for me to post it. I thank all of you for your prayers and support. Apparently, this journey has just begun. Is it possible to be on several journeys at one time? Or are our paths lined up next to each other and we are alone on our own path, with our family members' paths side by side holding each other up? I will have to contemplate that some more...