WadYaSayDude?

It has been a while since I updated on my Dad's cancer battle. Sorry. I have had several people ask me recently about this subject, so now is probably a good time to share what is happening. First a quick catch-up for newbees.

My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2008. He endured five rounds of chemo from January through May and found he was in remission. We celebrated his 80th B-day in August with a big-birthday-bash. In September 2008, scans showed active cancer growth. Not good news. Since September he has endured six more rounds of chemo. His condition remained status-quo through much of this time but recent scans show some new growth. Very discouraging news after all the chemo. His oncologist has recommended a new chemo drug but first Dad needed an EKG to see if his heart was strong enough to handle this more powerful drug. We will know the EKG results tomorrow morning and if all goes well, he will begin a new round of chemo. I should know more details tomorrow evening and may do a quick update then. Thank you to all who have been holding my Dad and Mom in prayer. It means so much to our family. We feel very blessed and surrounded by God's supernatural peace. I know I've said that many times, but there is simply no other way for me to explain what we experience on a daily basis.

My sister-in-love, Young, will be flying to her native home Seoul, Korea, this week for a month long visit with her family. She has not been "home" in ten years. We are excited for her. My much older brother will not be traveling at this time for he is not comfortable leaving the States with our Dad sick. My sis is a great help to me and my family and will be sorely missed during her sabbatical. If it crosses your mind, please pray for her safety as she travels.

Big C went on a blind date last week. He spent seven hours with a young lady he had never met. This is completely out of character for my quiet, reflective son. He had heard only wonderful things about this young lady and was told they had much in common. They did speak by phone a few days prior to the date and talked for a marathon 1 hour and 17 minutes. The sum of Big I's phone conversation minutes in his 19 years on the planet add up to slightly over 15 minutes. We marked this historical event on the calendar in red and feel it should become a national holiday. Anyway, at one point during the "date", I demanded that MDH call and check to see if they had eloped. That was the only scenario besides death that I could put together for his absence with this young woman. What little information I can pull from Big C is all went well and they plan to get together again. The good news is that the guy who set them up is MDH's cousin and he works with her mother. I should hear much more information tomorrow evening through the grapevine. I'll keep you posted. He is doing well with his college classes, by the way, and especially likes his cool Speech teacher. While Prob and Stats is not a problem for him, Intro to Theatre is giving him a little trouble. It is a subjective class and Big C is more of a literal thinker. English II and History II are "no big deal."

At twelve years old, Big I is now two inches taller than Big C. Big C says he is learning to accept reality. Big I is now playing rhythm guitar for his youth group's praise band. This from a little boy who would not sing "Jesus Loves Me" for a crowd bigger than Mom, Dad and Brother. Not that he is shy in any way, shape or form, he just was never a "performer". Until recently. He is so comfortable behind a guitar that it becomes part of him. When you watch him it is as though he was born knowing how to play. His instructor has told us that the only thing that will hold Big I back, is Big I. He has the knowledge and ability to do anything he wants on the guitar. Who knew? My Dad is thrilled! Not only that, he has inspired my much older brother to take bass guitar lessons. Again, my Dad is thrilled!

We are slowly trudging through school. The stretch between Christmas break and spring break is brutal. Gloomy winter days dampen our motivation for learning; however, we are diligently plowing through Spelling, Language, Creative Writing and Math. Science and History has been put aside for a bit; although, in Language we are going through the steps of writing a research paper on Pearl Harbor. I know that is a hard concept for traditional schoolers to understand being that the government pounds into the brains of this nation's parents their idea of a great education curriculum. And who am I, the little peon that I am, to argue. Don't even get me started! But just let me say that when this nation's kids can graduate from high-school with a reading comprehension beyond 6th grade, can perform basic math applications without using a calculator and can look me in the eye and carry on a conversation without saying, "wadyasaydude" then come talk to me. When they can spell the words antemeridian and antediluvian, know their definition and use them in context for daily conversation, then I might let the idea of government education drift swiftly through my mind. Until then, do not tell me homeschooling is bad. Big I is twelve years old and does have, what I call the pre-teen idiot factor, in that he watches Sponge Bob and repeats of Drake and Josh, listens to his iPod and knows how to text message, so he is "normal" by society standards. Plus, he has a twisted sense of humor just like his dear mother. I would smack him sometimes if I could quit laughing long enough.

I have not been sewing lately which bothers me. I have some gorgeous prints and some sweet bead trim I am itching to put together. It is on my "to do list" and I will eventually get to it so stay tuned.

Oakie, doakie then! There you have an update in my rockin' little world. By the way, just in case you do not have your speakers on, I have some great music linked to this site. My music taste are eclectic so you never know to what I might be listening.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.