Cruisin' Alaska

Mom, Dad and I woke early on Sunday morning to fly to Vancouver, Canada via Seattle!  We realized when we got to the airport that someone forgot to grab the bag that had my makeup and mom's hair stuff.  Gratefully I had my hair stuff and mom had her makeup, even though we use different but similar products we at least had the bare necessities! When we got to the Vancouver airport we boarded a bus that took us to customs.  Unfortunately the pain medications don't seem to be working much and any walking or standing causes me horrible back pain.  I've also started getting some pretty significant numbness in my thighs, which is most annoying.  Because I was being wheeled in a wheelchair, we were able to go to the very short lines for people like me.  On our way through customs we saw President and Sister Uchtdorf.  It was awesome.  They were so kind and spoke with us.  They were going with their family on a cruise.  Sadly it wasn't on our ship.

Again, because of our wheel chair status, we were able to board the ship first.  I must say there are some perks to having a wheel chair!  We loved our ship.  It was fancy and clean and we even had a window.  You need a window if you are going on an Alaskan Cruise.  We were a tiny bit hungry so we of course had to go and check out the food.  Unfortunately the entire trip, my stomach wasn't very happy and I wasn't able to eat much, but I did enjoy what food I did eat.  They say you gain 10 pounds on a cruise.  I may have gained 1 ounce.  Our first dinner we were seated with a very nice couple from Utah celebrating their 20th anniversary.  Come to find out they have a daughter who had a benign ovarian tumor and a sister who had one too, which were found incidentally.  Small world and small reasons why you meet the people you meet.

Monday we stayed on the ship.  We kept ourselves busy by reading, listening to a lady talk about all the different jewelry stores we could visit when we got to land and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I really loved being bundled up in a blanket, book in hand and relaxing surrounded by so much beauty.

 Tuesday was the only day we really had bad weather.  It was pouring like crazy the entire time we were in Ketchikan.  We didn't have any excursions set up, but wandering the little downtown.  We enjoyed the shops, especially the jewelry shops.  We bought some jewelry and some Christmas presents.  It's never to early to shop for Christmas.  What time we spent in the rainy streets, I enjoyed this lumberjack like town.  Mom and I bought rain boots before our trip and loved wearing them.  I also got a great deal at the Goodwill on my LL Bean rain jacket.  I'm always up for a good deal!  I'm glad I got to put these to good use.  When you live in a state that doesn't get much rain you enjoy the times when it does rain.  Of course each evening we had a delicious dinner and wonderful entertainment!  There was a quintet made up of 2 violins, a cello, a viola and a pianist.  They performed each night and sometimes during the day when we stayed on the ship.  I'd say they were probably one of my favorite entertainment groups.  Every performance they had a different theme. 

Wednesday was our day in Juneau.  For weeks before our cruise I kept thinking that I needed to email my friend who I met way back in the 6th grade when we were in orchestra.  She played the cello and I the fiddle.  I knew she was living in Juneau, but being busy and such, I didn't end up emailing her until the night before we left.  I am so happy that I did.  When we got to Juneau we decided that we would meet up for dinner.  Well she was coming into town and she saw us go into a store and came over and surprised us.  It was so awesome to see her.  We chatted for a bit before we went on a tour and she went to help out in her husbands jewelry shop.  We then went with our private tour guide who took us all over Juneau, which is actually quite small and then to the Mendenhall Glacier.  This was a favorite stop for sure.  Glaciers are incredible.  There really is nothing like them.

We did indeed meet back up with my friend Kristi and her 4 year old triplets and 3 year old.  Yep, she is a busy lady! We also had the most incredible crab legs I've ever and probably will ever have.  Kristy also took us to Fred Myers so I could get some much needed makeup.  Then we sat in her car for a while and caught up.  Such a great part of our trip for sure. 

Wednesday night the musicians I spoke of earlier and some other performers gave one of the greatest performances I've ever seen.  In fact dad went to it twice because it was so amazing.  They played, while on screen there were scenes of Alaska all year round and the music went with the scenery.  I'm sure I'll never see anything so amazing in my life.  It was just incredible.

Thursday we got up super early for our much anticipated Hummer Excursion from Skagway and into the Yukon of Canada.  I would venture to say that this ended up being one of my most favorite days of my life.  The beauty that we witnessed was far more than any I might have seen in my life and I've seen a lot of beautiful places.  We had our own Hummer which we let dad drive the entire time, because we did get it for him for fathers day.  There were a couple other families that were behind us and a driver who talked through walkie talkies ahead of us.  We stopped at various sights along the way.  One of my favorites was to see both a brown bear and a black bear together.  We were informed that this was a very rare sighting to see them together.

We also stopped in this tiny town where I was able to get the Canada stamp on my passport.  Did you know there are many places that don't stamp your passport these days?  Disappointing for sure.

 

Can you spot the huge cancer ribbon in this picture, or at least it looks like it?  Smack in the middle of the mountain.

We finished our excursion at Emerald Lake; probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

And then we toured the tiny town of Skagway, but after our adventure in the morning, it was definitely time for a much needed nap and some time in the hot tub.

Friday we had again one of the best days ever.  We spent most of it inside Glacier Bay.  The best thing about this day was the sun was shining and no clouds or fog.  They said this was very rare and kept talking about how amazing the views were that day.  It was so peaceful and almost sacred to view such beauty.  The sound of the ice from the glacier falling was so powerful. 

We spent a lot of time on the deck, bundled up enjoying the scenery and the fact that we had to bundle up in the middle of July was pretty fun.  There was even a point when I enjoyed the glacier from the hot tub.

Saturday we were on the ship the entire day.  It was relaxing and fun.  They had a cancer walk which of course we had to participate in.  It was a little chilly because we were traveling at a higher speed and farther out from shore.

Sunday we docked early in Seward and went to church where we met our friends the Jensen's.  We then did a little touring seeing yet another glacier, before driving 2 hours to Kenai.  The Jensen's drove their trailer up to Alaska.  They have been wanting us to visit them for several Summers.  Home Sweet Home in the trailer, which is parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot. 

Monday, we pretty much stayed in the trailer and relaxed because it was raining and we'd had a long week.  We did hit the walmart for some candy, soda and chips; all things unhealthy but oh so yummy.  We saw a momma moose and her baby running across the parking lot, the only time I saw a moose.  I wanted to see more moose, but no such luck.  The men woke up each morning at like 3 to go fishing.  Crazy men for sure.  Ken broke his rod the first morning, so of course the guys had to go buy another one. 

Tuesday was the only day dad caught fish.  He was pretty excited and had quite the fish stories.  They actually hit their limit and were home by 9am. 

Again we relaxed which means sitting around reading, but we also hit the most amazing fabric store.

Linda's sister in law and brother in law are trailer neighbors.  We also did a little touring of this cute little town.  They came over in the evening and played cards. 

Wednesday no one caught fish.   They were not happy about this one bit.  And soon after we left they ended the season in this spot.  People literally line up like this in the river.  I'd never do this, but the guys have no fear.  They told a story about a guy who was swept down the way and someone pulled him up.  He only had a broken leg, but he lived.

We took a trip a few hours away to Homer where we had one of the most beautiful views and delicious chowder. 

When we were visiting this area, we ran into some people from Germany who had been to Denali and had a clear day which was unusual.  They were able to see the highest mountain peak in North America.  They were kind enough to share their pictures.

Thursday we went back to the fabric store and bought fabric for a project; which one never knows when it will get done, said our goodbyes and flew from Kenai to Anchorage to Seattle, where we stayed in a crappy hotel, getting hardly any sleep before returning to Boise early in the morning for my cousins wedding.  To say we were exhausted when we got home is an understatement. 

From the air there were tons of lakes which were so beautiful.

I would do this trip over in a heartbeat.  The scenery was seriously out of this world amazing.  I would venture to say it was even spiritual seeing the creations of our Heavenly Father.  Yes, I certainly had days where I felt down right awful, but the window from our room still allowed me to enjoy the scenery.  And of course a nap always made me feel better.  We had lots of laughs and enjoyed every moment of our trip, except maybe the snoring.  Ahh, finally I've blogged this trip.  Yes it has taken me forever but life happens.

A Few Things Before We Go Cruisin'

I flew home Wednesday and had my routine scan and blood work Thursday.  I then went to MSTI Nampa to have my dressing changed and as soon as I got there the nurse asked to look at my eyes.  He had just gotten a call from Boise MSTI that my Hemoglobin was low and that I needed to have a blood transfusion.  Um no wonder I've been vomiting in dressing rooms, in the parking lot at Costco and other entities.  I finally get it, when my heart rate goes up, I get short of breath and start vomiting with even the slightest exertion it means I need a transfusion.  I'm pretty sure I had other plans for my day, actually I was going to have lunch with Alisha, but that changed rather quickly.  Instead I had a date on the 4th floor with my amazing nurses, one of which was recently diagnosed and treated for breast cancer (she actually is positive for BRCA1 and 2 which is rare) and one who took care of me when I was really sick.  I was the only one there.  It was kind of nice to have their one on one attention and to talk freely.  Every time I get blood I think about the people who took the time to donate for me.  I'm so grateful for them.  Someday I hope that I will know who they are and can thank them personally.  It is such a gift that I can't live without.

Yesterday I visited Dr. Dan and reviewed my scan.  Unfortunately there is some growth from my scan in March, especially the one on the vaginal anal wall, the mass in the upper abdomen and some new spots on the liver.  But there was also some tumors in the lungs that shrunk.  We decided that we would stay on tamoxifen and start cytoxan which is an oral chemo.  It has been quite a while since I have been on chemo.  Thankfully I won't lose my hair on this.  However, I am getting really tired of the bone pain that is caused from the tamoxifen.  My hips and thighs feel like I've been hit with a baseball bat.  Unfortunately the long acting pain medication isn't really helping my spine pain.  I feel like I'm counting down the hours until I can take my next short acting pain medication.  Of course I had to visit nurse Pat while I was there.  I will be so sad when she retires in October.  She is one of the only nurses who can actually get my port to work.

The kids came over for a little swimming today.  Unfortunately I'm not really allowed to swim with this lovely back jewelry.  I'm sure I will from time to time, but not today.  It is always fun to watch the kids swim though.

Dad and mom always want to get rid of this airplane, but I keep reminding them how much fun the kids have on it.

The rest of this evening was spent packing and getting ready for our big Alaskan Cruise.  We leave tomorrow!  I can't wait.  I've heard this is a trip of a lifetime.  I guess we shall see!

3 Weeks of Phoenix

I returned to Phoenix on June 19, yes the day after my stint removal.  I was sore, so very sore.  I thought I'd bounce back quickly, actually I wasn't sore from the stint removal but from the nephrostomy tube placement.  I returned home so that I could work.  Ha, well that was what I'd hoped.  Thankfully I work with amazing people who help me and limit my patient load.  I had expected to work more, but that didn't happen.  On the 24th, I had come home from church and my bandage was leaking.  I had the tube over my shoulder waiting for my neighbor who is a hospice nurse to come help me change this.  Well, somehow someway the tube caught on the door handle and came completely out, therefore causing urine to dribble down my back.  UGH!  I called Dr. D asking if there was something I could do besides go to the ER.  I was out of luck, she sent me to the ED.  The Chandler ER is fantastic.  They got me in quickly and the Dr. and nurses were so kind.  Unfortunately, the interventional radiologist had just started on a case so I wasn't going to be able to get this fixed for a few hours. They had a very difficult time getting it in, because it had been several hours that it had been out.  The IR said he would try one more time, but that if it didn't work I'd have to come back the next day and they'd have to kind of start all over.  I said a very quick prayer and seconds later it was in!  The IR said that it was luck, I told him I said a prayer and that it was a blessing.  I thought I was sore before, I was really sore after all the poking and prodding. 

My good friends Blake and Nicole and baby Hadley have been staying at my house since the beginning of June.  Blake got into PA school in Miami and their lease was up the end of May and they weren't needing to be in Miami until mid August.  I was happy to have them stay in my home.  They thought I was a blessing to them, but I know that Heavenly Father knew that I was going to need them more than they needed me.  They have been such a huge blessing, taking me to the ER when the tube came out, Nicole has been my nurse at odd times when the dressing needed changed, we've cooked a few meals together.   They have literally been my angels.  The greatest part is that Blake has taken out the garbage's; one of the things I despise doing.  I have especially enjoyed having their 6 month old baby in my home.  I can't believe the beautiful spirit that is here with her being so fresh from Heaven. 

On June 23 I went with my friend Danelle and her family up to Prescott.  It was so much fun.  We went for a bluegrass festival that Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband were playing at.  It was so nice to be up there with a breeze and only in the 80's instead of 115.  We were only there for a few hours, but it was such a fun day. 

I've had a few bowel obstructions since I've been home.  They hurt so badly, but they eventually resolve after 24 hours.  I'm grateful that Blake has been here to give me blessings.  I've been puking lately when I hardly do any exertion.  It is so strange.  It has happened in parking lots and dressing rooms.  I do feel better after puking, which is a plus. 

4th of July weekend I went with Laura and Jesse and Gordan and Leslie up to the mountains of Heber, AZ.  It was so nice yet again to get away from the heat and to even have a few rain storms.  We went up on Thursday evening, that day I had another vomiting episode and then a headache that night.  I thought it was strange, since I don't typically get headaches.  I woke with the headache the next morning and then developed chills and a fever and body aches.  It was one of the worst fever and chills I've ever had.  Thankfully I had been given an antibiotic in the ER from the tube coming out, but hadn't taken it.  So I started taking it and by Saturday morning I was feeling a little better.  I don't know what it was, but it felt like I was septic.  Jennifer and her family came up for the day, so I ended up going home with them that night, expecting the same symptoms Saturday evening, but they didn't happen and all of a sudden I was better.  Gordan had given me a blessing and in it had told me that I wasn't finished with my journey on earth.  That was reassuring.  Saturday morning I was sitting on the porch, smelling bacon and breakfast as it was being made.  For a few minutes I felt Grandma and Grandpa Young with me.  They loved the mountains and breakfast. 

I leave tomorrow to go back to Nampa.  Its been a crazy few weeks.  Hoping I feel better and back to my normal, whatever normal is.