Well, we are finally home. Another parade in the books. This years seemed to go on a bit longer than others...it didnt help when the fire station had some activity that held up the hydro semis for a bit. Anyway, everyone had a great time. The kids did great. Maddie did kind of freak out when the Pirates came by. She was crawling under our chairs to avoid contact with the crazy guys. Kenzie on the other hand got 3-4 handouts from them. Oh well, Steph and I did the same thing when we were 6.
Oh by the way, Steph made the news. While on her "shift" she was interviewed by KIRO TV. It was the iWitness grouop off the website. When we got home we found the clip. Here is the link:
http://www.kirotv.com/video/13776233/index.html
If that doesnt work, go to iWitness Video then click on the "Excited Spectators Light Up Torchlight Parade" link. They only used a few seconds of a longer interview.
Thats all for now. Happy Torchlight!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Mobile torchlight parade post 1
We successfully scoped out our spot at 8:30am at the corner of 4th and
wall. Steph did first shift from 12 to 3. Nana J and nana C took
second shift from 3 to 5. All of us arrived at 5pm with dinner and
ready for the show. Biggest thing we have seen so far is a marriage
proposal in front of the pirates. We think she said yes, but she got
taken away on the ship :-)
wall. Steph did first shift from 12 to 3. Nana J and nana C took
second shift from 3 to 5. All of us arrived at 5pm with dinner and
ready for the show. Biggest thing we have seen so far is a marriage
proposal in front of the pirates. We think she said yes, but she got
taken away on the ship :-)
More later.....
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, July 27, 2007
Where have we been?
Hard to believe that it has been 3 weeks since our last post. Unfortunately we have been going going going, and go figure...no time. Here is a recap of whats been keeping us on our toes:
- Over the 4th of July we were lucky to have Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren in town. It was great to see them and hang out. One night while the grandparents watched the kids, Jeff, Amy, Steph and I headed out to Matador in the junction.
- The next weekend Steph and I had a great opportunity to attend the PAO Coach's Time Out conference in Redmond. We almost didnt get there as the SS Jensen (aka our Suburban) started having some transmission issues. We had to turn around on Mercer Island and get our other car. We finally made it out to the conference, and really enjoyed the weekend. The conference is very motivational and helps put a lot of things in perspective...both in life, as well as in coaching. We will definately try to make this an annual event.
- During this same weekend, after a week on the market, I broke down and got the iPhone...
Everyone that knows me, knows that I love gadgets and this is the ultimate Gadget. Before the iPhone I was a blackberry guy....I liked that a lot, but as Steph woudl say, I was pretty much addicted to my email. This phone isnt a "Push email" device, so it has curbed my addition a bit :-) It is pretty darn cool!!!
- Last week we were lucky to have Ryan, Stacey and Haas in town. They flew up for Haas' first Seattle visit...and Ryan and I went to Wentachee with 6 other guys for a Guy Golfing Weekend. We played Desert Canyon on Friday afternoon, then Highlander on Saturday morning, followed by Bear Mountain Ranch Saturday afternoon. The final round was at Leavenworth on Sunday before heading home. Of course we had quality "guy time" on both Friday and Saturday night. The topper was walking through the Taco Bell drive through at 1am. Thats about all I can share :-)
So, that is what has been going on. Coming up, Maddie is in swimming class next week. After that, Maddie has VBS the following week. This year Steph is going to be the "Craft Leader" and she is excited about that...so is Maddie!
- Over the 4th of July we were lucky to have Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren in town. It was great to see them and hang out. One night while the grandparents watched the kids, Jeff, Amy, Steph and I headed out to Matador in the junction.
- The next weekend Steph and I had a great opportunity to attend the PAO Coach's Time Out conference in Redmond. We almost didnt get there as the SS Jensen (aka our Suburban) started having some transmission issues. We had to turn around on Mercer Island and get our other car. We finally made it out to the conference, and really enjoyed the weekend. The conference is very motivational and helps put a lot of things in perspective...both in life, as well as in coaching. We will definately try to make this an annual event.
- During this same weekend, after a week on the market, I broke down and got the iPhone...
Everyone that knows me, knows that I love gadgets and this is the ultimate Gadget. Before the iPhone I was a blackberry guy....I liked that a lot, but as Steph woudl say, I was pretty much addicted to my email. This phone isnt a "Push email" device, so it has curbed my addition a bit :-) It is pretty darn cool!!!
- Last week we were lucky to have Ryan, Stacey and Haas in town. They flew up for Haas' first Seattle visit...and Ryan and I went to Wentachee with 6 other guys for a Guy Golfing Weekend. We played Desert Canyon on Friday afternoon, then Highlander on Saturday morning, followed by Bear Mountain Ranch Saturday afternoon. The final round was at Leavenworth on Sunday before heading home. Of course we had quality "guy time" on both Friday and Saturday night. The topper was walking through the Taco Bell drive through at 1am. Thats about all I can share :-)
So, that is what has been going on. Coming up, Maddie is in swimming class next week. After that, Maddie has VBS the following week. This year Steph is going to be the "Craft Leader" and she is excited about that...so is Maddie!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
4th of July Recap
"Wow...That's all I can say about that is Wow!"
Our day started out early, with a 7:30am wake up call. After getting our stuff together, we headed down to Krispy Kreme for Red/White/Blue sprinkled donuts. From there we headed to the Doerrs to decorate our scooter/bikes for the annual Admiral 4th of July Kids parade. Our "vehicles" were decorated with ribbon, cords, etc. Thanks to the moms for all the great decorations. The parade was bigger and better than ever. Rumor had it that there were over 800 kids there with their bikes. As you can see from the picture below, that might be about right.
After the parade, we walked "all the way" back to the Doerr's house (it is like 200 yards from the end of the parade) for Popsicles, pool time and lunch. We played a little hoops and just hung out. The weather was awesome...sunny and over 80 degrees.
After lunch we headed home to prepare for the 2nd part of our day. The kids went down for a nap while we made brownies and some secret baked beans. We headed over to Nana and Papa J's house for a BBQ. All the great grandparents were there as well. It was quite the feast with Red/White/Blue Jello, chips, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, etc. The kids had a great time playing as well....almost too good of a time :-) But it was great to get them together...they really enjoy their time.
After things settled down at 9:15, we thought about going home, but then Maddie asked about watching fireworks...So, we made our last stop at the Landskov's 4th of July bash. We got there just in time for the impromptu fireworks show. Technically fireworks are illegal in the city, but from the sound of things on 49th street, that must not be the case. It was great to see everyone there and the kids loved their 4th of July Finale!
Thanks to the Doerrs, Mom and Dad and the Landskov's for hosting all the festivities!!!
Our day started out early, with a 7:30am wake up call. After getting our stuff together, we headed down to Krispy Kreme for Red/White/Blue sprinkled donuts. From there we headed to the Doerrs to decorate our scooter/bikes for the annual Admiral 4th of July Kids parade. Our "vehicles" were decorated with ribbon, cords, etc. Thanks to the moms for all the great decorations. The parade was bigger and better than ever. Rumor had it that there were over 800 kids there with their bikes. As you can see from the picture below, that might be about right.
After the parade, we walked "all the way" back to the Doerr's house (it is like 200 yards from the end of the parade) for Popsicles, pool time and lunch. We played a little hoops and just hung out. The weather was awesome...sunny and over 80 degrees.
After lunch we headed home to prepare for the 2nd part of our day. The kids went down for a nap while we made brownies and some secret baked beans. We headed over to Nana and Papa J's house for a BBQ. All the great grandparents were there as well. It was quite the feast with Red/White/Blue Jello, chips, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, etc. The kids had a great time playing as well....almost too good of a time :-) But it was great to get them together...they really enjoy their time.
After things settled down at 9:15, we thought about going home, but then Maddie asked about watching fireworks...So, we made our last stop at the Landskov's 4th of July bash. We got there just in time for the impromptu fireworks show. Technically fireworks are illegal in the city, but from the sound of things on 49th street, that must not be the case. It was great to see everyone there and the kids loved their 4th of July Finale!
Thanks to the Doerrs, Mom and Dad and the Landskov's for hosting all the festivities!!!
Monday, July 2, 2007
BUSY Summer....
Wow....It has been a long time. Since the first week in June it has been..ummm...CRAZY! Between business trips, end of school year parties, vacations, etc. there has been almost no time to sit down and post some updates. Not sure I can really do all the event justice, so here are few highlights:
- In early June, I had two business trips...One to KC and the other to Phoenix. With the visit to Phoenix, I was able to see cousin Ethan and played a round of golf.
- Maddie officially graduated from Kindergarten and is moving on to 1st grade. She passed all her classes with high marks. She will be in Mrs. Gruenhagen's class at Hope next year...The same teacher that Steph and I had...
- The day after graduation we went on a visit to San Jose to see Baby Haas. We had a great time hanging out with the new parents and the new addition to the extended family. Mom and Dad Perry are adjusting great.
- The day we got back from San Jose, Maddie wrapped up the T-ball season. We finished 0-0-12 :-) The kids were great and I really enjoyed coaching them. We will see what next year brings. Maddie might move on to Softball with other girls....we'll see.
- We spend the last weekend in June on a Family camping trip. The Doerrs, McAllisters, Meyers and Jensens headed up to Denny Creek for a fun filled camping weekend. Friday was tough with a big rain storm that forced us under the tarp, but the weather cleared for Saturday and Sunday.
- Finally, this week, Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren are in town from Long Beach for a the 4th of July Holiday. They leave on Friday, so we have a few days for some quality Cousin time. Today we made the traditional visit to Spuds, followed by a quick stop at Whale Tail park, then off to Husky Deli for some Ice Cream.
So, that is the long/short of it. We will try to keep up on the blogs more often. Happy 4th of July to everyone!
- In early June, I had two business trips...One to KC and the other to Phoenix. With the visit to Phoenix, I was able to see cousin Ethan and played a round of golf.
- Maddie officially graduated from Kindergarten and is moving on to 1st grade. She passed all her classes with high marks. She will be in Mrs. Gruenhagen's class at Hope next year...The same teacher that Steph and I had...
- The day after graduation we went on a visit to San Jose to see Baby Haas. We had a great time hanging out with the new parents and the new addition to the extended family. Mom and Dad Perry are adjusting great.
- The day we got back from San Jose, Maddie wrapped up the T-ball season. We finished 0-0-12 :-) The kids were great and I really enjoyed coaching them. We will see what next year brings. Maddie might move on to Softball with other girls....we'll see.
- We spend the last weekend in June on a Family camping trip. The Doerrs, McAllisters, Meyers and Jensens headed up to Denny Creek for a fun filled camping weekend. Friday was tough with a big rain storm that forced us under the tarp, but the weather cleared for Saturday and Sunday.
- Finally, this week, Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren are in town from Long Beach for a the 4th of July Holiday. They leave on Friday, so we have a few days for some quality Cousin time. Today we made the traditional visit to Spuds, followed by a quick stop at Whale Tail park, then off to Husky Deli for some Ice Cream.
So, that is the long/short of it. We will try to keep up on the blogs more often. Happy 4th of July to everyone!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Amy update
Good news? Bad news? Sometimes in the cancer business, it's hard to know.
What's for certain is that the circumstances surrounding Big MRI 2 (the sequel to last month's mostly positive/slightly ambiguous brain X-ray) were nothing short of frustrating. On Tuesday morning, around 3 AM, Amy woke up with a partial seizure—the same kind of seizure that she had throughout February following the surgery, the same kind of seizure that she hasn't had in over three months. If you recall, these unsettling tremors last about one minute and involve lots of muscle spasms in the face, much drooling, and slurred speech for several minutes after they pass. To have one now, after three months of not having any, left us both rather dismayed. What happened? What could be causing this? A question for our doctor. And fortunately for us, we were seeing our neurologist later in the day. Seizures are unwanted visitors, but at least this one had good timing.
The MRI later that morning was uneventful. Aftesaw our neurologist, who explained that this new seizure was pretty much nothing to worry about. What could have caused it? Most likely, he said, something happened that diluted the potency of Amy's anti-seizure medication, a drug called Keppra, which she takes every day. What could have impacted the drug? A change in diet—and as it turns out, Amy hadn't had much to eat or drink that day. But stress can do the trick, too, and the doctor suggested that Amy's recent struggles with mild depression could have produced the kind of anxiety that could have undermined Keppra's effectiveness. Finally, our doctor pointed out that Amy has always been on a rather low dosage, so he advised her to take some more.
That was yesterday. Today, we again trekked up to Los Angeles—a 30 plus mile drive each way, an hour up and an hour back—to meet with our neurosurgeon to discuss the results of the MRI. When we got there, we learned that… we didn't have an appointment! Apparently, the scheduler screwed up. She never inputted our appointment in the computer. Oh, well. It happens. But the appointment most definitely wasn't: our doctor was in surgery. We had come all that way for this big news, only to learn that our newscaster was in the field on assignment. We were pretty irked. And all we could do was trek back home and wait on the good doctor to call.
Which he did. The big news: No news. As it turns out, Big MRI 2 looks EXACTLY like Big MRI 1—a healthy looking brain, no new tumor growth, but an small ring-shaped spot on the perimeter of where they removed Amy's original cancer mass. This ring-shaped spot—exact same location, exact same size. Now, based on what we were told last month, we were expecting that spot to be gone, or at least smaller; our doctor suspected the spot to merely be the result of inflammation caused by radiation. Now, there are three theories:
1. We're stilll looking at radiation damage—which is fine. No worries.
2. We're looking at a pool of contrast—the dye used to take the MRI photo. Fine. No worries.
3. We're looking at one weirdly shaped tumor. Worrisome.
Our doctor was "very pleased" with this MRI. In his book, as long as that ring doesn't grow, Amy is "healthy." Moreover, as long as that ring stays exactly the size and shape that it is at present, then Amy will live a very long life. Still, this wasn't the news we wanted to hear today. We wanted to enter this new phase of Life With Cancer with a clean picture. The ambiguity of Amy's condition is challenging enough as it is. To have this ring—well, it's like someone decided to underline the "ambiguity" part of this whole business, like, 50 times, just in case we had missed the point--which we hadn't, by the way. And so it goes that Amy will have another MRI next month. It would be cool if you guys would ask the big guy upstairs if he could use his magic eraser and wipe that spot out of Amy's head. And if He could buck up our spirits, and teach us how to live graciously, thankfully, and wisely in this protracted state of Not Knowing, well, that would be even better.
And so, life goes on. Lauren is sitting next to me, flipping through baby photo albums and recounting today's episode of "Dora The Explorer." Ben is building a spaceship with his Legos and fighting the Clone Wars. Amy just left to go see a movie with some friends.
Could life be a lot worse ? Hell yes.
But right now, I wish it was just a little better.
We are thankful for your love and support. All of you are truly blessings from God. Thank you—for taking care of us, and for listening.
Much love,
Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren
--------------------
Sent via blackberry
What's for certain is that the circumstances surrounding Big MRI 2 (the sequel to last month's mostly positive/slightly ambiguous brain X-ray) were nothing short of frustrating. On Tuesday morning, around 3 AM, Amy woke up with a partial seizure—the same kind of seizure that she had throughout February following the surgery, the same kind of seizure that she hasn't had in over three months. If you recall, these unsettling tremors last about one minute and involve lots of muscle spasms in the face, much drooling, and slurred speech for several minutes after they pass. To have one now, after three months of not having any, left us both rather dismayed. What happened? What could be causing this? A question for our doctor. And fortunately for us, we were seeing our neurologist later in the day. Seizures are unwanted visitors, but at least this one had good timing.
The MRI later that morning was uneventful. Aftesaw our neurologist, who explained that this new seizure was pretty much nothing to worry about. What could have caused it? Most likely, he said, something happened that diluted the potency of Amy's anti-seizure medication, a drug called Keppra, which she takes every day. What could have impacted the drug? A change in diet—and as it turns out, Amy hadn't had much to eat or drink that day. But stress can do the trick, too, and the doctor suggested that Amy's recent struggles with mild depression could have produced the kind of anxiety that could have undermined Keppra's effectiveness. Finally, our doctor pointed out that Amy has always been on a rather low dosage, so he advised her to take some more.
That was yesterday. Today, we again trekked up to Los Angeles—a 30 plus mile drive each way, an hour up and an hour back—to meet with our neurosurgeon to discuss the results of the MRI. When we got there, we learned that… we didn't have an appointment! Apparently, the scheduler screwed up. She never inputted our appointment in the computer. Oh, well. It happens. But the appointment most definitely wasn't: our doctor was in surgery. We had come all that way for this big news, only to learn that our newscaster was in the field on assignment. We were pretty irked. And all we could do was trek back home and wait on the good doctor to call.
Which he did. The big news: No news. As it turns out, Big MRI 2 looks EXACTLY like Big MRI 1—a healthy looking brain, no new tumor growth, but an small ring-shaped spot on the perimeter of where they removed Amy's original cancer mass. This ring-shaped spot—exact same location, exact same size. Now, based on what we were told last month, we were expecting that spot to be gone, or at least smaller; our doctor suspected the spot to merely be the result of inflammation caused by radiation. Now, there are three theories:
1. We're stilll looking at radiation damage—which is fine. No worries.
2. We're looking at a pool of contrast—the dye used to take the MRI photo. Fine. No worries.
3. We're looking at one weirdly shaped tumor. Worrisome.
Our doctor was "very pleased" with this MRI. In his book, as long as that ring doesn't grow, Amy is "healthy." Moreover, as long as that ring stays exactly the size and shape that it is at present, then Amy will live a very long life. Still, this wasn't the news we wanted to hear today. We wanted to enter this new phase of Life With Cancer with a clean picture. The ambiguity of Amy's condition is challenging enough as it is. To have this ring—well, it's like someone decided to underline the "ambiguity" part of this whole business, like, 50 times, just in case we had missed the point--which we hadn't, by the way. And so it goes that Amy will have another MRI next month. It would be cool if you guys would ask the big guy upstairs if he could use his magic eraser and wipe that spot out of Amy's head. And if He could buck up our spirits, and teach us how to live graciously, thankfully, and wisely in this protracted state of Not Knowing, well, that would be even better.
And so, life goes on. Lauren is sitting next to me, flipping through baby photo albums and recounting today's episode of "Dora The Explorer." Ben is building a spaceship with his Legos and fighting the Clone Wars. Amy just left to go see a movie with some friends.
Could life be a lot worse ? Hell yes.
But right now, I wish it was just a little better.
We are thankful for your love and support. All of you are truly blessings from God. Thank you—for taking care of us, and for listening.
Much love,
Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren
--------------------
Sent via blackberry
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Continued prayers for Amy
As I finished my last post, this just came to my blackberry. I'll let you know if they toss me in jail for using my electronic device while the doors were closed......shhh, don't tell.
------
Dear friends and family,
We hope this finds letter finds you all well.
In the time since our last update--in which we joyfully informed you that Amy has responded well to treatment and that an MRI showed there has been no new tumor growth—we have been coming to grips with the fact that life with cancer is more complicated than we first thought. Naively, we kinda assumed that once we reached the MRI and got a thumb's up from the doctors, The Jensens of Lakewood, California would be allowed to return to "the way things used to be." But that has turned out to be a case of wishful thinking.
First of all, Amy has begun her year of monthly chemo treatments. For five consecutive days every month, she takes a pill that's not quite double the dosage of what she was taking when she was on the daily regimen of chemo after her surgery. This new treatment leaves her totally wiped out. By the third day, she startreally worn down. And after the last day of pill popping, she needs 2-3 days to recover. I'm helping out by working from home during these treatment windows. Please keep Amy in her prayers; the physical ordeal of her experience is not yet over.
And then, there is the emotional aspect of her experience. Over the past two weeks, Amy has struggled with emotional weariness and something that someone like me might imprecisely call depression. The old, ordinary things feel daunting, even getting ready for bed, which ironic, considering that her overwhelming desire right now is to just lay down and sleep. Amy also finds herself thinking about her mortality and worrying about new tumors growing in her brain. The nature of her cancer is such that the only guarantee of never getting a brain tumor again is… never getting another brain tumor. We know the cancer cells are in her head. They may be irreparably "injured," or they may be only stunned—there's just no way of knowing for certain unless they start doing something. Something bad. And so, what Amy has realized is that she's stuck in a state of scary ambiguity—like living life waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The good news is that our family is doing well amid this trial, and overall, Amy's will and sense of humor remain strong. She's getting the help she needs and has the support of her friends and family. Still, we ask for a renewed round of directed prayer for her. (If you can also toss in a request for extra energy for me and extra patience for the kids, that would be awesome). Specifically, we ask for God's blessing on her the morning of Tuesday, June 5, when she goes in for a follow-up MRI. We hope to see a clean picture—no new tumors, no residual swelling from the radiation, no strange "blips" that leave our doctors going "Huh. I have no idea what that is." We will learn the results of this new MRI the next day, and I will post a new update at that time letting you know what we know.
We thank you all for your love and support. For our friends and family in Portland and Seattle, we look forward to seeing all of you in a few short weeks, when we make our annual summertime swing through the Pacific Northwest.
Love to all,
Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren
--------------------
Sent via blackberry
------
Dear friends and family,
We hope this finds letter finds you all well.
In the time since our last update--in which we joyfully informed you that Amy has responded well to treatment and that an MRI showed there has been no new tumor growth—we have been coming to grips with the fact that life with cancer is more complicated than we first thought. Naively, we kinda assumed that once we reached the MRI and got a thumb's up from the doctors, The Jensens of Lakewood, California would be allowed to return to "the way things used to be." But that has turned out to be a case of wishful thinking.
First of all, Amy has begun her year of monthly chemo treatments. For five consecutive days every month, she takes a pill that's not quite double the dosage of what she was taking when she was on the daily regimen of chemo after her surgery. This new treatment leaves her totally wiped out. By the third day, she startreally worn down. And after the last day of pill popping, she needs 2-3 days to recover. I'm helping out by working from home during these treatment windows. Please keep Amy in her prayers; the physical ordeal of her experience is not yet over.
And then, there is the emotional aspect of her experience. Over the past two weeks, Amy has struggled with emotional weariness and something that someone like me might imprecisely call depression. The old, ordinary things feel daunting, even getting ready for bed, which ironic, considering that her overwhelming desire right now is to just lay down and sleep. Amy also finds herself thinking about her mortality and worrying about new tumors growing in her brain. The nature of her cancer is such that the only guarantee of never getting a brain tumor again is… never getting another brain tumor. We know the cancer cells are in her head. They may be irreparably "injured," or they may be only stunned—there's just no way of knowing for certain unless they start doing something. Something bad. And so, what Amy has realized is that she's stuck in a state of scary ambiguity—like living life waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The good news is that our family is doing well amid this trial, and overall, Amy's will and sense of humor remain strong. She's getting the help she needs and has the support of her friends and family. Still, we ask for a renewed round of directed prayer for her. (If you can also toss in a request for extra energy for me and extra patience for the kids, that would be awesome). Specifically, we ask for God's blessing on her the morning of Tuesday, June 5, when she goes in for a follow-up MRI. We hope to see a clean picture—no new tumors, no residual swelling from the radiation, no strange "blips" that leave our doctors going "Huh. I have no idea what that is." We will learn the results of this new MRI the next day, and I will post a new update at that time letting you know what we know.
We thank you all for your love and support. For our friends and family in Portland and Seattle, we look forward to seeing all of you in a few short weeks, when we make our annual summertime swing through the Pacific Northwest.
Love to all,
Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren
--------------------
Sent via blackberry
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