Adventures with Yeti & Other Everyday Occurances

You may be wondering what we've been up to now that our Adventures in Rochester have come to an end. Fear not, for we are still finding time to seek Adventure and it recently came in the form of the Yeti (aka Bigfoot).

After radiation ended, Greg's aunt and uncle invited us to spend a week with them in sunny Florida. The offer was readily accepted, so we packed our bags &  headed to the airport. Our first day there was spent watching Greg's cousin play softball... in the rain :) Sunny FL: 0. Rainy FL: 1.

The only natural thing to do while in Florida was (obviously) go to Disney World. We spent a day at Animal Kingdom enjoying the sunshine, searching for Yeti, & exploring the African grasslands.

The rest of our week passed quickly with a few visits to the beach and good time with the family. Leaving warmth & sunshine was difficult, but the Iowa snow has melted quickly & spring is in the air :)

 Oh, and we found Bigfoot on Mt. Everest (well, it's really just a roller coaster). This is right as we came upon him. Yikes! 

Our time was much enjoyed, but returning to Iowa life has been good. We are very blessed to have such great friends & family.

Thank you for all you do.

G & K 

Day 25: Check.

The last day of radiation was a huge success, as 18 friends & family members made the trek through snow & ice to celebrate Greg's HUGE accomplishment of finishing 5 weeks of treatments. Stefan & Lori even flew in for the big event :)

After the nurses gave the whole clan a tour of the radiation room, we eagerly waited for Greg to come out from his last treatment & ring the bell. The bell is mounted on the wall in the waiting room & when you finish your last treatment you ring it 3 times. Throughout our 5 weeks there, we saw some funny incidences with people and their bell ringing.

1. One lady stuck her head under it to look closer & simultaneously rang it with her head under it. I think her ears were ringing louder than the bell.

2. One man was wheeled out on a stretcher and was practically covered in a body bag & neck brace. He reached over to ring the bell, which is always followed by clapping & cheering from Waiting Room patients, and the nurse asked if he had anything to say to the people. He responded, "Get well soon."

3. Some people simply emerge from their last treatment to ring the bell by themselves, which made it all the more enjoyable for Greg to have so many friends & family there to support him.

We have been incredibly blessed through this process to have so many people supporting & praying. Our needs have been met abundantly through extreme generosity & we are so thankful for different roles each of you play in our lives. Greg will start his next round of chemotherapy on March 22, which will last for one week. He'll have four weeks off, and then begin another week of chemo. The process will continue for 6 months & sometime in there the doctors will take an MRI or two to see how the tumor has responded.

Greg is back to 100% energy levels (Praise the Lord :)) and is on the job hunt. We are praying for an opportunity to arise so we can set a wedding date -- the next thing on the agenda.

Coming soon: Adventures & Narrow Escapes with the Yeti.

Much Love to All,
G & K