House progress

We've been working very hard on the house and it's easy to feel like our to-do list is never ending. Today I took some "now" pictures. I won't say before and after because nothing is at a point of "after," instead it's all in progress!


Before we could move in we had the entire house rewired which was it's own disaster.  The knob and tube wires spliced with new wires and the wires were tied in the wrong spots at every outlet.  The electric company would not even turn the power on because it was so much of a hazard.

We had to up our service amperage from the pole because it wasn't sufficient and the previous owner had the electric running illegally into the house around the meter.

We had to have a gas inspection before they would turn on the natural gas for the hot water heater.

The front window was cracked in half and so that had to be replaced.

The house had rodents living in the walls so we had all of the insulation removed in all of the walls and had new insulation blown in while the rodents were chemically evacuated.


Exterior

Before

First Floor

The previous owner had several German Shepherds and the floors were destroyed.  Paul refinished the hardwood floors.  

 After

Basement

The basement floor was concrete and Paul installed a water barrier and pergo floors.

Paul also created a sealed crawl space in the basement under the kitchen floor for storage.

Trim

The woodwork in the house was stained a dark color.  We heard many people criticize the idea of painting it, but it was so dark I hated it.  We (mostly Olivia) painted the trim a bright white and it is so much more cheerful!

It's not finished yet but it's well on it's way.

Before

After

Living Room

The living room was a dark brown color.  We painted it a light beige and also painted the trim.  

The Kitchen

Before:  The kitchen was a dark  yellow with non-functioning appliances.  We painted the kitchen and replaced the appliances.  Paul ran a gas line to convert the stove to gas and he installed a new faucet to replace the leaky one.  He also installed a new garbage disposal after the current one exploded on us.  

Noah's Bedroom

Before:  This room is a loft that we are in the process of putting walls up around.  It is a good enough size for a bedroom.  It was painted dark gray and also had the same dirty carpet.  We painted the walls white, removed the carpet, and painted the floors (Under the carpet upstairs it was just subfloor. The wood on the second floor was not hardwood but just a plywood type base)

Master Bedroom

Before:  The master was dark brown with gross carpet and had large holes into the crawl space.  We removed the carpet, painted, installed new lighting, sealed the holes and painted the floor. 

Maeve's Bedroom

Before it was a dark blue.  It had a floating vinyl floor on top of red painted wood.  We removed the vinyl, painted the walls, and painted the floor

Bathroom


Before:  A deep spa tub that was really gross!

Paul removed the tub and tile and put in a new shower with subway tile and a new glass shower door

Guest Room


We ripped up the carpet

Office

Again we removed the carpeting in here.  What isn't visible in these pictures is that these rooms were FULL of boxes and junk from moving and now they are functioning spaces. 

     

Currently, I'm still getting boxes unpacked and put away.  Paul is installing  new door in the kitchen as I type.  He is 80% finished the basement bathroom.  He installed a new tub and walls down there and is ready to begin tiling.  Our "handyman" is coming next weekend to repair the front steps that are broken and we have several contractors coming this week to talk through the issues with the front porch again.

So, for those of you who have asked for progress updates there you go!!!!!!

Friends who bear burdens

As I'm trying to get this place together I find myself making more and more bins of "memories." Beyond the kids school photos and preschool art, I have piles of cards, letters, pictures, posters, and more that remind me of different sacred moments in my journey. I even found a can of spam the other day. I am pretty sure I preached a sermon about spam or about how I had never had it and someone bought it for me. It's still there unopened. This morning's devotion for me was from the book of Galatians and it was about friends. I really miss my good, strong friends these days. I can't possibly name names but I really truly miss you. And in the midst of that bit of sadness I am reminded of how incredibly blessed I am. You have upheld me in so many ways in my life and continue to do so and I know you always will, whether I am sick or I am well. Your texts and notes that let me know you are continuing to pray for me are so meaningful and life giving and I know that God is using you to help me. So, enjoy this devotion, thanks for being this friend and hopefully we can all do this and be this to others. Happy Friday!!! Carry One Another’s Burdens Text: Galatians 6:1-18, James 5:19-20, Romans 15:1-7, Hebrews 12:3, 2 Thessalonians 2:13 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2 My best friend lives 2,000 miles away, on the other side of the ocean. (But we live in Hawaii, so that’s true of a lot of our friends!) Throughout the week she and I send texts back and forth, full of emojis, scripture, encouragement, and real-life struggles. We preach truth to each other, because sometimes you need to hear the truth from someone other than yourself. She’s my most encouraging friend— always holding me up when I fall, and always reminding me of God’s truth, His promises, and His faithfulness in all circumstances. I can be gut-honest with her, and she can be the same with me. In Galatians 6:2, Paul encourages us to, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” He had just finished telling the Galatians to love each other, to put away the things of the flesh (like jealousy, envy, divisions, and hatred. Anyone been there? I sure have!) and to put on the things of the Spirit (like love and patience and kindness— you know, all things that make for a sweet friendship or relationship). Then Paul gives us this command: bear each other’s burdens. The thing is, life is hard. Not all the time, for sure. There are so many things to give thanks for and to rejoice in, laugh at, and rest in. But there are days and seasons of life that are just flat-out difficult. Devastating. Heartbreaking. Gut-wrenching. You may feel alone and abandoned, overwhelmed and anxious, fearful, stressed, or heavy-hearted. You may feel hopeless. But God, in His ever-gracious, all-loving, and all-knowing way, gives us each other to do life with. This life is not meant to be lived alone. Yes, God has given us Himself, which is the greatest gift of all. He’s also given us His Word, which is chock-full of His promises and stories of His faithfulness and character. His Word empowers me, fills me with hope, and gives me strength and courage to face those hard days. He gives us prayer. I know I can cry out to God all day, every day. He is so sweet to us! But He ALSO gives us friends. Friends who listen, who let us ugly-cry in front of them, and who help us regain perspective. Friends who remind us of truth and hope when we ourselves don’t believe. Friends who pray for us when we’re too weak and give us grace when we fail. Friends who know when we’re sad and hurting, and press in to ask us why. Friends who bring us coffee when we’re having a hard day. Friends who send us a card across the ocean just to let us know we’re loved. Paul is telling us here to be that friend. Be that friend to your friends, to your family, to people new to your neck of the woods, to people a bit younger than you and a bit older than you. Be that friend to your brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Not only is this beautiful, but it fulfills the law of Christ. The law of Christ is not a set of rules, a list of dos and don’ts. It’s not about going to church, or reading your Bible for so many minutes a day. The law of Christ is to love others as He so abundantly loves you. Jesus gets so much delight and glory when we love those around us— when we think of them, serve them tangibly, and get on our knees to pray for them. Friends, we have been set free to love. To give ourselves. To bear each other’s burdens. May we do that today.

falling in to place...

Ha ha... get it? falling? It's fall! Ok, I know that was really corny. In any case, we've had a few great weeks and it feels like we are all doing really well. I haven't been able to say that in a long while. This round seemed to affect me greatly during the 5 day pill cycle, but the following fatigue has not come on as it did in the past. For this little reprieve I am incredibly grateful. I've had energy to be outside, walk and run. I'm not crashing as much and I actually feel a little clearer. I'm enjoying a few extra days with the kids before school starts (on Thursday!) and I am making headway on the house. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers and encouragement. I feel really well loved and cared for. I also have great news to report that in random sections my hair is growing back! Most people don't know I lost any hair because of how I wear it in a ponytail, but a large section on the right side of my head was completely bald. In random little spots it is growing back in. It's patchy and interesting where it is growing, but this kind of new growth I'll welcome! I long for a day when I can wear my hair down again and maybe that will happen sometime but it isn't terrible the way it is. I hope you'll continue to join me praying for healing and keeping the tumor at bay, for my friend Bill who returned to the classroom teaching last week, and for my friend Jamie who had the seizures this year... her community is rallying around them and holding a 5K this weekend to raise money for brain tumor research. Enjoy your fall!

Almost back to school

I have been waiting for the kids to get back to school because I knew I would finally have time to unpack everything that has been piling up. It has been eating away at me to have everything scattered all over the house without any order or system. I kept September 9th as the day when I would begin to get the house together. Our teachers have been in talks with the school district for months and months and we knew that there were unresolved issues and so it turned out that the teachers decided to strike. We support them and believe their decision was the right one. Today was actually quite an enjoyable day. Noah had a friend over and Maeve went away with a friend so it was kind of like I was alone anyway! The summer has been full of many twists and turns in our life and we have felt very unprepared for some of the challenges in our path, but today I felt such a great calm about everything. Noah made a competitive rock climbing team for kids age 9-19. He will practice 3-4 times a week and it will be difficult, but he is very excited and is happy to have something he loves. Paul is excited about that too and wants to climb with him when he can. Noah's classroom assignment puts him in a room with his best buddies and I am so grateful for that. Maeve is starting a new gymnastics academy and local soccer. She also wants to sign up for Daisies so she and I can have a special activity together. I finally convinced Paul to sit down with me and do some planning for schedules and food and chores and I think we both feel so much better about the fall and what is in store. Paul and I both have retreats (men's and women's) coming up at church that we are excited about. There are some other great things in process that we are praying about and hoping will work out. I realized a few months ago that I was always drawn to the seasons of the church because I could handle things for a season. I played basketball in high school and I loved that it was short sprints back and forth and not a constant run. I like new beginnings and new things. I like change. I like a time to regroup an a time to finish! And so in the church I was always drawn to Advent and Lent as times to really focus, at least for a short while, on one idea, one concept, one book and then finish and move on. I'm hoping and praying that this new season gives us some stability and clarity and a little bit of peace. I am very focused on this time and grateful for fall. The leaves are changing here and it is cool and refreshing. Pumpkin and apple and nutmeg are on the way and I can taste the warmth of my afternoon tea in my favorite mug on a rainy PNW day.

Vacation, drive home!!!

We woke up Saturday to a wild wind storm and we lost electricity. We packed up to head home. Long the way we passed through Astoria which is where the goonies was filmed. We saw the rocks and the house before we stopped at the Rogue brewery for lunch. Outside the brewery was a rocky shore covered in deals that serenaded us!!

Round 4, in process

I took my last round 4 pills this week. I'm learning to change how I phrase things. I was about to say I finished round 4. The reality is that I take 400 mg. for 5 days and then I spend the rest of the month dealing with the side effects of the chemo. For some reason I seem to do okay during the actual pill time and then when I am finished the fatigue starts to grow and grow each day. This round I felt particularly nauseas which was new for me, but subsided when the pills were finished. Over the past few days I have felt very strong headaches and dizziness but it isn't consistent and it isn't all the time so I'm just giving it some time to see if it goes away. At my doctor's appointment last week he noted that my platelet count was low, but that was the first time. I'll have my blood checked again on day 21 of this cycle. Low platelets isn't a huge deal. It just means that my blood might not clot as quickly or that I will bruise easily. If my numbers drop too much they will consider suspending the next round of chemo. I meet with my doctors again on October 1st at 9 AM. That day I will have my bi-monthly MRI with blood work. Those are the days I covet the most prayers. I turn into some sort of anxious monster the week preceding those tests and I am filled with trepidation as I wait each time for the results. I know that God is with me through it all and God has been so faithful to me and calmed me so many times and reminded me that I shouldn't fear, but alas I'm human and it's difficult. Paul keeps walking around saying I only have two months left and I keep correcting him because we don't know yet what the course of action will be. I would love to be done in two months. The thought of having energy again, the ability to make it through a week fully awake, the desire to go outside and run and play with the kids... I started to get excited about the thought and the more I looked the more I found that outcomes are better with a 12 month course of Temodar. It will be interesting to see what the doctors say. I thought I found a good study last week comparing the different outcomes, but I can't find it anymore. The hard part is that my instincts are that they will tell me it is my choice. Because I have good genetic markers and I haven't had a terrible response and because they don't agree on the grade of my tumor, my guess is they will leave the decision up to me. This makes it much harder! I am going to ask for the studies and see the difference in prognosis myself. In the meantime, I'll rest.

Vacation, Day 8 Rockaway and Tillamook

We woke up our second to last day to clouds and rain. We decided to head to Tilamook factory nearby to see the cheese and ice cream production. The portions were huge and it was great! The skies were clearing and so we headed back to the beach for our last evening!!

Vacation Day 7, beach time!!

We woke up slowly and headed out to the sand. Our townhouse was right on the beach but the beach was sooo long it took a few minutes to get close to the ocean. The water was frigid and had a strong rip tide. Noah was nervous to go in with stitches even though we found him an awesome sand sock. He stayed beach side and dug a huge sand hole. 

Maeve couldn't get enough of the water and spent the day shivering. 

It was so peaceful and enjoyable. The beach was nearly empty and the mountains sat quietly next to us. It is so incredibly different than the Jersey shore!