Lots of Love!!

It was so amazing being the SITS featured blog!!

I felt so encouraged and uplifted by all my visitors- thank you sooo much, everyone!!!

FEATURED!!

I'm so excited to be the SITS Featured Blog today!! Thank you to everyone for stopping by!!!

Hello!! Here we are, at the end of our second week! The weather is so perfect, and we've been enjoying walks outside after treatment practically every day.

We are ALL leg. hahaha!!

George enjoying a shallow wade in the surf...

OOPS!! big wave!!!

We are halfway through the treatment! We found out yesterday that George's white blood cell count is now up to normal range! It has been low for years- around 1. something- and it's up to 4.4!! The immunotherapy is working!! That's very encouraging news!

Things are still going really well. We are enjoying the gorgeousness of this area. the next 5 days will be sunny and 70's.

Thanks for all your prayers and well-wishes!

Just a quick update- George has begun his second week, and so far so good!! He is very happy to be here, and things are going along really well.
We spent the weekend doing fun stuff. We went on a whale watch cruise on Saturday! That was amazing, because we saw 4 enormous blue whales and hundreds and hundreds of dolphins (we got into a school of them!!!). I uploaded some videos to my youtube account- you can click on them over the right there --->>

Here we are on the cruise- the boat went out to Santa Cruz Island, and this is us inside the entrance of the Painted Cave.

I have located a coffee shop (the Coffee Cat! isn't that cute??) that offers free wi-fi as well as the library across the street, so I now have a couple places I can go hang out at while he's in his therapies. Fun!!

I will try to update now and then!! :-) Hope everyone's well- sorry I haven't done much "visiting".

Some pics of our trip so far....

Here we are having a picnic on the grounds of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, overlooking the Simi Valley.







Here's George fixing breakfast in the apartment in Santa Barbara.

This is our view from the livingroom windows- we also have this view from our bedroom window!!












George getting his daily IV drip of "goodies" to fight his cancer.






















George with his "hero", Bill Darlington. Bill is at the clinic this week to get a "boost" after a chemo treatment for his second cancer, lymphoma. He is a walking miracle!!
Bill's testimony is one of the primary reasons we chose Issels- he has the exact same cancer as George- only his was much further progressed.

California!

First of all- I brought too much stuff. Now I have no room to take anything back!!!!

We made it to California- it is GORGEOUS here. Oh, how I want to live here. I do not want to go home. Our apartment is right up the cliff from the ocean, so we have a panoramic ocean view from every window on the west side. What a joy!!
The treatment center is turning out to be everything we hoped it would be. I have to admit- I started to have last-minute panic attacks, but once getting here and talking to the doctors and seeing George receiving his treatments... I know we made the right choice.
The other patients here who are in the middle or toward the end of their program are all doing SO WELL. Everyone seems to come here, and within a week feel better than they have felt in months or even years. It's really amazing. There is one young man (33) here with a rare form of bile duct cancer that has spread to his stomach and other parts, and you can just see him coming back to life with all the immune-boosting treatments he is receiving. His mom is here with him, and finally has hope!
There is a man here who "should have been" dead a long time ago, and is here for a "boost"- and he is so chipper and energetic it makes you want to cry and sing every time you see him.
You immediately develop close relationships with the other caretakers of the patients, and it's such a warm and loving and hopeful environment.

So, we are doing well!! George is doing great!! How can I ever thank all the ones who contributed and helped spread our fundraiser?!?! YOU made this happen.
Thank you.

I will try to stay in touch- our days our full and internet is not always available.
Take care, bloggy friends!!

Going, going.....!!!

I have been packing ALLLLL day. I cannot believe it has taken me the entire day to pack for 3 weeks. But it has. It totally has. And on TOP of it all- I even had to go buy a BIGGER suitcase because mine is basically a carry-on size roller bag and there is NO WAY I am going to fit 3 weeks' worth of "choices" in that bag!!! I was due for a new one. PLUS, we have to PAY for our FIRST checked bag- which I think just totally STINKS! so I am going to push it to the max. My bag is 62". I am allowed 62". I think my weight is just at 49 lbs. We're allowed 50. I figure what I don't take up in seat weight I am going to completely take up in bag weight. Only fair. Especially since I have to pay for it!!!

Okay. There's my little rant. :-)

We fly out super early Saturday morning!!!!! I have to work tomorrow so today is my last full day at home to get everything under control- and I do NOT feel under control. SIGH.
But's it's ok.
I can sleep on the plane.

I will do my best to give updates while we're out there!!!

Most of all, friends- please PRAY!!!!
I know you will. :-)

Love to all!!!!!!!

Guess what! I have a new computer! I am so amazed at how clear everything looks on here. I have been using an old laptop whose monitor had gone out and had an external dinosaur of a monitor hooked up to it. Talk about eye strain!!! Now I will be able to keep in touch while I am in CA!!
We leave in 7 days!!!

Another great blogger has taken up our torch- http://anenchantedcottage.blogspot.com/

Trying to make the rounds- sorry I'm not commenting much. Trying to figure out this new laptop and lots of preparation for our trip...
Will try to update as I can!