Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. We had so much fun visiting with everybody that came to Idaho. The kids had a great time playing together and getting to know their Utah cousins a little better.


















Thanks again, Darla and Scott for opening up your home to all 46 of us! The food was great and the company was better!




I hope those of you who were crazy enough (see picture above, person on left) to hit the early sales had good luck and the hassle was worthwhile.


Paul is trying to get rested and ready for the next round of chemo, which starts on Monday the 26th. I registered for school this week. I was able to get the classes I wanted. I am starting out slow with just two. They are Book of Mormon and an English class that covers several plays by Shakespeare. I will have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Jacob asked me if I would be living in an apartment with roommates. I guess he thought that if you go to college you don't live at home anymore... hmm...I wonder. Nah, I would much rather live with a bunch of boys than hormonal females any day. Besides, I like my roommate. And he never wants to borrow my clothes.

Round 3

Paul finished his third round of chemo last Thursday. He was able to work in the morning most of the days. The weekend was pretty rough again, but he toughed it out until his appointment on Monday. He lost 20 pounds in 4 days. On Tuesday, we got a phone call from the Huntsman Cancer Institute. They wanted to know if we could come down for a consultation with Dr. Robert Andtbacka at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. He is their Oncology Surgeon, specializing in Melanoma. We quickly packed, farmed Hayden out, and took Cameron and Jacob to Utah with us Tuesday night. Parker stayed home. The appointment went well. He recommended that Paul complete the last 2 chemo treatments to try and get the tumor as small as possible. Then he wants to take it and the lymph nodes in Paul's right arm out after the first of the year.

Thanks to Lynn for driving us to Salt Lake (and for lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory). We stopped by Cathy and Brian's house and saw their new baby boy, Zachary. He is very cute! We also figured out that one of Paul's doctors used to be Cathy and Brian's home teacher! Small world. Thanks to Mom and Dad Carling for room and board. Sorry everyone else that we didn't visit, it was such a quick trip. We'll see you next time.

Paul gets a break from now until November 26, which is the Monday after Thanksgiving. Hopefully he can build up his strength and energy levels by eating lots of pie and Turkey.

Hayden finished his merit badge Pow wow at BYU-I last Saturday. He was able to meet Del Parsons, the artist. He has done some paintings for the Church. Parker is chomping at the bit to go snowboarding. Grand Targhee opens on Saturday. Cameron and Jacob had a good time in Utah. They got to play with Brandon and Grandpa and Grandma. They were good company on the drive down and back, since they actually talked to us instead of being plugged into headphones the whole time! (Does this sound like anyone you know?)

I will be registering for school on the 20th of November so I am trying to narrow down my choices for classes that I will take during my first semester. I sure hope my brain can remember how to think!

Miracles

Paul met with the doctor yesterday to discuss his follow-up PET scan. When Dr. Hancock called on Friday and said the scan looked good, that was an understatement. The difference between his two scans is nothing short of miraculous. Dallin, the P. A. that works with Drs. Dickson and Hancock was giddy. He said that Paul's scan was the best he'd ever seen. The nurses said this was what they became nurses for. The cancer is responding extremely well to treatment, so Paul started round three of chemo. So far, everything is going well. He hasn't been nauseated and was able to go to work this morning. His next appointment is today at 1 p.m.

We are so thankful for all the prayers, fasting and support from everyone. We know that miracles are taking place and we know their source.

The Light of Hope

I got a phone call today from one of Paul's team of oncologists. He said he didn't want us to have to wait until Monday for the results of the PET scan. My heartbeat sped up as I waited for his next words. He said that most of the spots that showed up on Paul's bones in the last scan are now GONE!!!!! His sternum area still lit up some, but he said that might be partly due to the marrow. And the lump in his armpit area has shrunk. I felt it the other day, and it is about the size of a marble instead of a golfball. Dr. Hancock is conferring with a colleague of his at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, who is a Soft Tissue surgeon, about going back in and removing the lump, now that it is much smaller. We should have more detailed information on Monday.

We want to thank you all for your prayers and faith on our behalf. We truly believe that miracles happen. Have a great weekend!

Return to the long, dark tunnel...

It was Halloween morning and a thick blanket of fog lay over the road as he drove to Idaho Falls. Paul had been summoned yet again to the lab for more testing. He knew what awaited him - a dark room, needles, radioactive isotopes, and of course, the long, dark tunnel. But he was ready...for another PET scan. Everything went well. We have an appointment with the oncologist on Monday to discuss the results of the test and decide what course to pursue. If things look good, then we'll continue with chemotherapy. If nothing has changed, then we'll look into other options. Paul is feeling good and has been working since we resolved a glitch with one of his medications (thanks, Carol!). The boys are busy with school activities. Cameron was in his 4th grade play and did a great job. Parker had fun on his date and at the Halloween Dance afterwards. Hayden is getting ready to attend the Boy Scout PowWow at BYU-I for the next two Saturdays. He was ordained a Deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood last Sunday by Parker. That was a neat experience for us. Parker did a good job, in spite of being a little nervous. Hayden is also going to be working for the same guy that Parker works for, filling nail holes in the trim work on a house he is building. Jacob is working hard at school and very interested in Transformers, especially after seeing the movie multiple times! Tyler is staying busy working with Paul. I am trying to get ready to register for school in a few weeks. I'm going to visit with an academic advisor to get some suggestions. I may be rethinking my major. But I can still get busy with my Generals. The University has reworked the General Studies curriculum so that it is pretty much the same for all majors. Theoretically, you can change your major anytime in your freshman or sophomore year and you won't have any wasted credits that don't apply towards a major.

It's hard to believe it is November already! Thanksgiving is just about three weeks away and we are looking forward to seeing many of you then.