Photo Freedom

I don't know about the rest of you but I am not organized when it comes to scrapbooking. I have lots 'o tools and plenty of cute papers but there is no rhyme or reason to my madness and quite frankly, I'm sick of it.

Photo Freedom by Stacy Julian is truly inspiring. If you're a scrapbooker, be sure to check it out. It will change your life! If you're like me, you need and want to be more organized but you don't know where to start. Not only that but it's way too overwhelming. You take one look at your box of photos and run! I'm finally going to get organized. I just started but I already feel better and by the end I'll be able to scrap better and faster!

I got my copy at my local Archiver's but if you don't have one of those, you order it from the Simple Scrapbooks website. Also, be sure to check out her blog. I've found it to be quite helpful.

I realize this isn't a blog about scrapbooks so if you aren't a scrapbooker, I apologize. It's just that I really like this book and I wanted to share. Enjoy!

Update

After I got off of work yesterday, Tim gave me the full story. The doctor said his counts have gone up a lot in a short amount of time and if this next treatment doesn't work, we should speak with hospice. And in his opinion, Tim would only have weeks or months to live.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this. And after the initial shock and sadness, I have finally realized that I have absolutely no control. I've never had it and why it has taken me this long to figure it out is beyond me. I am constantly trying to figure out the why. I want to see the big picture. I have a million questions but it comes down to one thing. Only God knows the future and the plans he has for us. To spend my energy in this way is pointless. And quite frankly, it's exhausting.

I know the next couple of weeks will be hard especially since I am prone to worry and expect the worse. And so, while I certainly appreciate the doctor's honesty, I have decided; it will not defeat me. I will not be saddened by it. There is still a Hope. And regardless of the outcome, I will take care of my Timmy and let God handle the rest.

More Chemo

The ultrasound of Tim's liver didn't show any cancer and his liver counts have gone down. That is good. On the other hand, his CEA count has gone back up into the 50s.

So today he is having a new combo of chemo drugs. Some we've been saving as a last resort. There are some clinical trials available. But Tim is not a candidate because his liver is only operating at about 60%.

My Paulie Pup

Here's some super cute pics of my Paulie puppy. She's a crazy but I just love her! There's a lot of pictures so you might want to increase the number of seconds per pic. To do this, click on the slide show. Move your cursor to the top and then adjust the slider bar. Enjoy!

Doctor's Appointment

Tim had an appointment with his oncologist in CS today. His CEA which was hovering around 13 is back up to 34. Since the counts are increasing, the three options mentioned previously are out. So he is going to speak with our Denver doc and possibly try something different.His liver counts are also up. [1] antibiotics [2] TPN [3] gallbladder [4] tumor could be causing the increase. He is going to have an ultrasound at Memorial in the next couple of days.

Nephrostomy

Tomorrow Tim is having the tubing for his nephrostomy changed. He should have had it done about 6 weeks ago. His appointment is tomorrow around 11 a.m. and should be pretty straight forward. I'll post updates in the comments of this post.

Music

It changes us. It can make us happy, sad or even angry. I like to listen to music while I run. I especially like listening to Rascal Flatts because their music makes me smile. It encourages and motivates me. Their songs give me an energy I can't describe and just when I think I can't last another second, I find the strength to keep going. This song in particular helps me get through tough moments like those.