Fr. Tony Update: It's a Miracle and Birthday on the horizon...
oh.... and I made a mistake. Chemo is tomorrow. whoops
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Family Stuff

Fr. Tony Update: It's a Mircale!!!

You'll all be pleased to know that Fr. Tony continues to walk without the aid of a walker or need of a wheelchair!!! Six months ago I'd have never contemplated that we'd be spending days appreciating the simple act of walking (or, well... ummm... "waddling", in Tony's case- grin). So, never..... ever.... take your feet, ankles, knees or legs for granted.

Tony's doing so well, one can't help but be a bit nervous about him undergoing another round of chemo tomorrow. hrumph Yesterday the physical therapist came and put him through some exercises. She's a good sized farm girl from Minnesota, and convinced she'll be able to cure Tony of his "waddle". HA! Not Likely! Tony's convinced she's going to kill him with exercises. What a pair!

I think by now most of you have been able to grasp the concept of "one step forward and three/four/five/six steps back", by following the blog. Since the diagnosis of Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, last October, daily life has become a series of ups and downs. One wakes up each morning wondering what the day will bring. Quite crazy making, aye? I wonder if they'll let me bring my artsy/craftsy things to the padded cell. :)

67th Birthday on the horizon!

Fr. Tony will be turning 67 on April 19th. Although I insisted several years back that he's no longer allowed to have birthdays, they just keep coming! I'm thinking after the past several months, he's due a grand celebration. I just hope and pray he's up to a celebration!

Oregon, here she comes!

Things are beginning to unfold in a glorious way for our Megan. She's got the OK to defer till the fall of 2008 for the Masters Program in Public Health. From July of '07 to August of '08 she'll be living and working in Oregon. I've been contacting friends and church connections, to assist with finding her lodging, possible job opportunities. So far the seeds of inquiry are being fruitful and multiplying.

Masters Program in Public Health The Oregon Master of Public Health Program (OMPH) is a unique collaborative statewide degree program offered through Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), Oregon State University (OSU), and Portland State University (PSU). The OMPH Program has been ranked 2nd in the nation!

The most exciting news is, by waiting a year, Megan will have more scholarships and a possible professor assistant position available to her, and by establishing residency, the tuition will drop that much more! I didn't realize till late this morning that OSU is in Corvallis, which lies halfway between Eugene (where we have friends) and Portland... Better still, due west of Corvallis is a little known town called Toledo, where our friends Judy and Michael live! CLICK HERE to visit Michael's virtual gallery.

So, with the help of friends (God's little angels), we hope all these exciting prospects will continue to fall into place nicely.

Megan had a bit of sad reality during all the good news. She found out today the airlines will not extend her plane ticket the extra month she'd been counting on. This means she'll be returning to the states on May 8th. I know it will break her heart to leave her new found friends in Thailand, and all the lovely children, but I suspect it won't be all that long before she finds way back.

Thai Bound

In a little over a week our Abbey and Lee will be jetting their way to Thailand, for a visit with Megan and a bit of Thai sight-seeing. Oh, if only I could fit into their carry on luggage! Best get my wish list completed soon! :)

HEAVY SIGH

In a few weeks or so, I'll be heading south to meet up with my dear friend Larry. He may be taking my Daisy to live just outside of Memphis. Over the past months it's become more and more obvious that I've not the time (between school, doctor's visits, Tony's chemo, and life's ups and downs) needed for my cuddle bug, Daisy. Because I think it not fair for her to be caged up more then "normal" (normal = on my shoulder most of the day), Larry is contemplating taking her.

Larry has been a friend since we were living in France. He raises and shows bearded collies, and is poppa to two African Greys. He seemed the perfect new daddy for my Daisy, and we've been blessed that he would agree to try and take Daisy into the fold. If, for some reason, Daisy doesn't take to Larry's abode, then she'll probably go live with another parrot friend, Julia, whose a saint when it comes to taking in parrots in need.

I shall greatly miss my Daisy, and fully expect it to take some time to get over the loss. She's been a source of joy and pleasure from the time we adopted her