A Fun Fall Day

Stan Here:

I just returned from a 2 day trip to Youngstown, Ohio learning some things about a new product we are selling. Instead of air compressors we learned about vacuum pumps.  These things are used in many industrial applications and for me it is harder.  Some of the math is harder than the other stuff we handle. Now that we have that exciting news out of the way let me tell you I returned home to what seemed to me a better health situation than when I left.

It seemed to me that the last week was hard on Deb. She had some problems with headaches in the night and some problems with just not feeling well during the days.  But now she looks better and says she feels better.  She had a nice bunch of friends and family around last night and when I called it sounded like they were having a good time.  Deb, Laurie, Jackie and Mieke spent some time and I am sure they talked about the wedding.  (Just a guess)  Given the recent loss of our long time Yorkie we had a nice offer come in today.   Pete and Sally have a 5 year old Yorkie and with some plans to travel they offered it to us.  I think what we will do is offer to take care of it when they want to travel. We do kind of miss Spencer but we also may want to not be tied down with dog arrangements.  It will be nice again though to have a dog around again. We were pretty used to it.  That is such a nice offer!

We are looking forward to seeing Alden do a beer and wine tasting tomorrow night. He does a great job, and we are so proud of him.

What happened to my taste buds??

I want you to meet Leigh and Tara. They are the two wonderful nurses who administer my chemo every week. They are great and so efficient at what they do. I look forward to seeing them every week. We really do have some fun times there. Here is a look at the room with the 8 recliners I spend lots of time in:

I had a good day today, other than the metallic taste is really getting constant. Food is just not tasting the same these days.

I attended a meeting with my PEO sisters today. We learned about PET MI-Holland.  PET stands for Personal Energy Transportation. They are special wheelchairs for children without use of feet or legs in the third world. It was so interesting to learn about this great organization. Please ask me if you want to know more, or google it to read more about these great devices.

You are not going to find a more generous or giving group of woman than my PEO sisters. A big thank you to Marty and Karen for their chix soup, pie and muffins. Karen, I am praying for you and hope you get some answers soon. Karol, thanks for your enchiladas, dumplings and cider. So fun talking "weddings". Looking forward to Friday night. Ann, you are such a wonderful mentor to students, thanks for your cherry gift box. We will really enjoy it! 

Lynn, your gift to Mieke is so kind. She will have so much fun with her new surger. We found out that there is another "Mieke Joy" in this world. She was born to my second cousin in Lynden, WA. Congrats Jon and Shelly!

Chemo Day #8

Hi, It's been a while since I blogged. I will try and catch you up with what I have been up to since last Friday. Had a fun lunch with church friends on Friday. We started that stitching group when Alden started Kindergarten, so that was 23 yrs. ago. Where has the time gone?

We had a wonderful time with my family in Plymouth. The performance of Carmina Burana was amazing. It is usually performed with just singers and orchestra. This performance also added action and dance and it featured incredible acrobats who have performed with Cirque du Soleil. We loved it!! Almost took your breath away the final act. Thanks again Jim and Nancy for your hospitality.

We celebrated my Father-in-laws birthday Sat. night with a great meal and all the siblings there. Stan's Mom is looking and doing better. Keep it up Shirley, we need you to keep making those crafts.

I did have kind of a rough week after my big round of chemo, headaches and felt pretty tired this weekend. I had what my chemo nurse calls a "jama" day Sunday. Never got dressed. She told me that was OK. I got some reading done, watched a movie, watched some travelogue movies, didn't move much off the couch.

Chemo went well today, only there 2 1/4 hrs. The shortest time yet. Thanks Jodi for taking me. We'll miss you this winter while you are in Florida. My fellow chemo patient Tammie came over with her IV pole today, made me stand up and taught me how to do the "happy dance". Both of our CA-125 counts were better!! Thanks for your inspiration Tammie.  My white blood counts were up a bit too, which is good. I think this is a direct result of all the candles and prayers that were said for me throughout Europe. I happen to have some good friends who emailed me that they were lighting candles in all the cathedrals in Italy they went to, and then I got a note from a dear friend, who has been traveling for a month in Barcelona, Vienna, London and she also said that she and her husband offered a prayer in all those towns. Thanks Karen and Chuck and Anne and Ted, so kind of you.

Need to thank Linda for the great dinner Sunday, Susan for the pumpkins muffins and being such a great mentor for Mieke. Lori your carmel cake was to die for, thanks for your calls and concern.

Brandi, thanks for your meal, so kind of you to care for me when I know you are busy with four little ones of your own. I love your method of keeping the kids happy in the van with movies and blankets while you deliver the food. You are teaching those kids by example.

Naomi, so good to catch up with you again. Congrats on your marriage. He is a lucky guy. Thanks for the tulips and the goodies.

Jodi, thanks for the Wild Chef night out, so generous of you. Have to thank my sister Krista for the S & P gift certificate and thanks to your church in Tulsa for sending me all those CD's of their church choir. I will love listening to them!

We are having fun with some early wedding plans. Please know that the date is Oct.13, 2012 here in Holland. Of course Mieke wants everyone in town to come. She and Aaron were supposed to have some engagement pictures taken yesterday, but he got a black eye in a rugby match. We are kidding him, that he didn't have to go to such extremes to not have his picture taken.

I have been celebrating all week the wonderful news that the chemo must be working. Thanks for all your kind words regarding that and for the care and concern over Spencer. We are still sad and we miss him terribly, but it is getting easier every day.

Our sympathy goes out to Aaron's family today. His Grandma, who was 90 yrs old. passed away today. Laurie and Conrad and your whole family, please know that we are thinking about you all and praying for you. She was a true matriarch and will be deeply missed. The funeral will be on Sat. and we are looking forward to meeting Aaron's relatives coming in from Texas and Colorado. Safe travels everyone.

Just want you all to know that if you made warm things for my feet, I am wearing them, if you gave me hats for my bald head, I am using them, if you gave me books to read, I am reading them, if  you gave us food to eat, we are eating it. It you gave me prayer shawls, quilts, blankets or stuffed toys to snuggle with, I am doing that too. All your expressions of love and concern have been so humbling I don't know what to say, other than thank you so much. It is what keeps me going, staying positive and ready to beat this cancer!! Deb

Goodbye Spencer.....

We changed our blog picture because we want you all to see our precious little Yorkie Spencer. We had him put to sleep this am. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. He was almost 14 yrs old. He was the best dog we could ever have wanted. We buried him in our backyard in a shoebox that Mieke had decorated in 3rd grade as a time capsule that she opened when she graduated as a senior in high school. We thought it was appropriate because Spencer was really her dog. We wrapped him up in a special velor cheetah blanket that was make by Jackie. He used to sleep on it. We also put in a few of his favorite treats, and a chewy rawhide. We decided to take off his collar and his Halloween scarf to keep. I used to think people were crazy when they got so upset when their pet died. But, that was before I had gone through it myself.  Mieke and I have got sore eyes and headaches now, but we will be OK. Thanks for all the kind words on emails and Facebook.

Tomorrow Stan and I are going to Detroit to attend a performance of Carmina Burana at the Detroit Opera House. My wonderful "little" brother Jim bought tickets for us all to attend it when he first heard it was coming to town. He knew it was my favorite because I played the piano with my high school choir and Ann Arbor Pioneer HS choir along with both schools orchestras at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. It has always brought back such fond memories and I thank you Jim from the bottom of my heart. I need something to look forward to after this day.

Dinner was brought over by my friend Deb S. who along with her husband organizes the mission trips to Honduras that Mieke and I have gone on. They are very special people and those trips were life changing for us. I still would like to go on one again..........

Thanks to my friend from church Barb who just delivered the book "King's Cross" by Timothy Keller. It says it is the story of the world in The Life of Jesus. I can't wait to read it, thanks so much Barb.

Jill and Candy are taking me to lunch tomorrow at Salt and Pepper, so nice.......Hopefully the tears will stop by then. Thanks for letting me vent. Deb



Hi everyone, it's Mieke. Yes, as my mom said, it has been a very hard day. I don't think I have ever done anything that difficult in my life. The whole family is really broken up about Spencer not being here anymore. I keep looking at the floor and wishing he was lying at our feet like he always did. He was very loved. The kind of dog who rode in a "pooch pouch" on my dad's chest all the way to the beach and back every week or so. The kind of dog who made everyone laugh with his signature "bang" trick. He made us smile every single day. My mom would always ask him "Spence, why are you so cute?" Grandpa V. always said "Good little puppy....that's a good little puppy" as Spencer lay for hours in his lap. I came into my house every day looking forward to my little puppy greeting. Last night I came in from church and he ran right up to me. First time he has done that in a long time, I think he knew I need a little extra love. Many of you know that Spencer's tongue always stuck out of his mouth just a little, today we rode to the vet, cozy on his back, tongue out and fell asleep the entire ride. I think he was ready to go, but that doesn't make this any easier. Thanks for all the kind things you have said, it has made us feel better through all of this. Goodbye puppy, I still can't believe that you are gone.

On a happy note, we want to celebrate with our nephew Kayle and his wife Angie on the birth of their baby Caleb yesterday. They live in Seattle. We are so thrilled for you guys and can't wait to meet him. 

Tiger Koala Bear

Our new header picture is Stan and I with our friends Vickie from Australia, she and her husband do cancer research in Sidney, Jimmy from Caledonia, and their mom Linda from California with my new Build-A-Bear Koala! I'm sure if I had him for the last game, the Tigers would have won!  It was a fun year. We don't know what to do with ourselves now without the games to watch.


I have a few other people to thank. My friend Jackie's niece was kind enough to knit me an Infinity scarf. Thanks so much Sarah, that was very kind of you. I love it, and may even try my hand at making one. Thanks for the pattern.


I have a few thank you's to do. Dave brought lots of gifts from Virginia, a Down Under hanging potted clay pot, a Christian CD Of Iris Dement, a potted plant and some garden produce. So kind of you Dave. I think you left a book here, I will mail it to you.



Thanks Linda for the little pumpkin with the flowers in it, I thought the "pumpkin fairy" had been here. I wish I could have attended the activity at Beechwood.

 Deb from church, a cancer survivor and an inspiration to me was kind enough to give me a bag full of great stuff. A Kickin' cancer cup, Queasy Drops (the natural way to ease a queasy stomach) just what I need, and a Christmas ornament which says  A Season of Hope...a prayer for a cure 2011. So sweet of you, and thanks for the info about the free wigs from the American Cancer Society. Hopefully everyone reading this knows about this. I got two free ones on loan, all you have to do is return them when I'm done!

Wendal and Carolyn, your bran muffins really hit the spot. So kind of you. Thanks for the prayers.

Thanks Nancy for the awesome dinner tonight. Ribs are Stan's very favorite, that is what he always orders at restaurants. Everything was wonderful! and so nice to come home to after a long day at chemo. Wish you the best in your daughter's wedding planning.

My neighbor Will was kind enough to bring over a pumpkin pie tonight and stayed to visit for a little while. So good to see you and catch up with you and hear what your family is up to.

A very special package arrived in the mail today. Stan and I sat with a great group of woman last Friday at Grandmare's funeral luncheon. They were good friend's of Mary's mom Meg. One woman had a daughter die at a young age of breast cancer, other of them offered to pray for us, and one woman Norma was kind enough to send me a book "Praying Through Cancer" a 90 Day Devotional for Women, written by women who have faced cancer and, with triumphant spirits, found comfort and sometimes even joy in the midst of it.  I can't wait to start reading it every day. She also sent me a CD called "More Jesus".  It was made by a church near Traverse City, MI. These things are so special, and I am so thankful I met you. Lot's of people, (including me) may say they will send something, but I am so impressed when people really do it!   I have found joy in the midst of this journey. Let me try to explain how.
      A portion of my devotional from Oct 16 in "Jesus Calling" said "When you need comfort, I love to enfold you in My arms. I enable you not only to feel comforted but also to be a channel through whom I comfort others. Thus you are doubly blessed, because a living channel absorbs some of whatever flows through it."

Many of you have said you have found some measure of inspiration from these blogs. This is the joy and comfort I am finding. Thanks for all the notes today sharing in our good news of the greatly lowered blood test!!  Your prayers are working and I am so happy. Deb

Hoorah!

This is Mieke, here to report some exciting news! Mom got another CA-125 test today. Remember this test when we first found out about her cancer? Her number (telling us her levels of cancer) was above 1,000! We saw the doctor today and he said she would have another test today. Would anyone like to guess the number? Okay, okay I guess we will just tell you....

110. What an itty bitty number compared to 1,003. I love that number 110. I will keep saying it, 110, 110, 110. Less cancer. 110.

Love, Mieke

i'm still sitting in the chemo chair, today is a long day. Saw the Dr. first, he said they will repeat this blood test every 3 wks when I see him. He will not say when they will do a CT scan yet, too early to say......... But we are very happy for this news. Prayers are being answered! Deb

Something Old and Something New

Stan here:
         I do not have anything borrowed or blue but I have a few old and new things to tell you about.  Deb had an old friend by the name of Dave travel to meet her. When she was in grade school they had 13 in their class and over the years they have stayed in touch. Some of these friends live locally and have helped Deb with some of the medical appointments and have come over to show their support. Dave lives in Virginia and was close to Michigan in his travels and called to see if he could come and see Deb.  We had a nice visit with him.  Ross was playing for the GR symphony yesterday and Dave met us at the concert and then stayed overnight with us before his return trip.  It was fun to see him again.

       After the concert we had a nice meal and visit with some other friends in GR. Dave came along with us and we returned home at night.  We had been contacted by some of the families that we had helped years ago with resettlement to the USA from the Vietnam war era.  I wrote about some of these experiences someplace in the middle of my blog stories.  I also called them to tell them about Deb's condition.  To our great surprise and delight many of them came over to our house today.  Not only did they bring some wonderful gifts but it was just really good to see them again.  We talked about the years when we were involved with them.  We have maintained touch over the years. It is interesting the huge ability levels in their families and it was really fun to hear about their children and what they are doing now.   A nice thing now is that their children are totally bilingual and now we are able to understand each other at a higher level than we could when they first arrived.  It is really a fascinating story of success when you know the story.  I asked them today to make sure I had the facts right in the stories I told and for the most part they thought I had them right.  As we recalled those days some tears were shed.  A really cool thing happened.  Quan the father of one of the families asked if we could all join hands and say a prayer.  His English is still a little broken so he said his prayer in his native tongue and then it was translated by Van who was just a little girl when they first came over.  It was moving to have him do this.  If you feel like it read the story on my blog about a "One way conversation with feeling" and you will see why this event had a huge amount of impact on both Deb and I.  It brings a tear to my eye even as I write about it now.

This picture shows representatives of  the all of the families we were involved with during the resettlement days.  All of them came here with no possessions and now are doing quite well.  The man on the right is Dave who visited us from Virginia.

This picture below is a picture of Van (Vickie) and her husband Marsel and their little boy James. She was the little girl who broke her arm on the playground when they first arrived in this country that Stan talked about in his blog. They now live in Australia.

 
    Another day of  Chemo tomorrow.  Every three weeks they administer two extra drugs and it takes a little longer.  So Deb is expecting the procedure to take 5 hours at least.  Mieke is taking her and I am hoping they can talk about wedding plans and get some things finalized.  I am just not that good at that stuff.  It is looking to me like this is going to be a pretty big deal not in terms of the financial side but just the planning.

How is Deb?  She is doing OK but this thing does have its moments. Lately she has been visited by some pretty strong headaches during the night time.  It has also been a little harder for her to keep her stamina on the high energy plane.  She is really bothered by her wig which seems to squeeze her head more than she had expected.  Other than that things are pretty good.  She thinks the tumor that pressed up against her stomach might be shrinking a little. At least she does not feel it as much which from the optimistic side might be a sign that the chemo is working.   

Thanks to Bonnie for the wonderful Chicken Divan on Sunday. The apple crisp was great too.
That is all for now.  We will keep you posted with the updates. Thanks for all of your concern and prayers.

A Cap and a nap

We are watching the Tiger game, hoping for a better outcome than last night. That was so sad!!

Things here are a little more like normal and they are back into sort of a routine.  Every week it seems like chemo on Tuesday, feeling OK for one day, and then some tougher times on Wednesday and Thursday and then again a little better on the weekends. 

I am not saying that there is anything routine about chemo treatments but that does seem to be the way it has been going.  So we are thinking these blogs have been kind of falling into the "lack of new stuff information class" and I am going to update the thing a little less frequently. Stan finished his blog. His hands are kind of itching to write.  By the way his g-mail is stanhoksbergen@gmail.com  He seemed to kind of have fun writing his blog.  But now he is done.   So if you think of something for him to write about let him know.

I don't enjoy the way it feels wearing the wig, so I am much more comfortable wearing caps and hats.  I think hearing from friends who have been through this, I am not the only one who feels that way.
 
We are going up to Traverse City for Mary's grandma's funeral tomorrow.  Stan also has a business appointment up there. We will then spend some time at the Hoksbergen Homestead. We will be home Sat. night when Ross and Rumy come over night because they will be serving at Beechwood on Sunday.

Tigers are tied now 2-2. I think we are in trouble on this thing but your never know. I put my arm around the pitcher of this game a couple of weeks ago and I hope it works.  We will see what happens.!!!!

Chemo day #6

Stan Here:
It is the first time this happened but somehow I wrote one of these last night and Deb put some pictures in and I went to post it and the whole things was gone in cyberspace never to be found again.   So now I have a couple of days of information and I am getting old enough that all of the stuff from yesterday is hard to remember.  Yesterday Deb's friend Sally stopped by in the morning and brought some breakfast. Then at night Deb B brought over a chicken  dinner. Very nice gestures and lots of work for you all but also very much appreciated. Then today we got a nice Tiger blanket done by an old friend who now lives in California. Shelly was her name and I remember her. She was good at sports.  She had a note with it that she had prayed as she tied every knot that God would keep watch over Deb.  It is one of those kinds that have knots around the outside. I think Deb called it a fleece blanket.  She is under it as she watches the game which is tied 1-1.

Today was Chemo six and not feeling all the best. Deb's friend Ellen took her to this in GR. Ellen is a nurse and recently endured cancer and has been a help as she can relate to many of the things Deb is experiencing. Thanks Ellen.

We went tonight to visit my mom.  She has really struggled with some complications that she has had with recently breaking here leg and then having gallbladder surgery.  Really a tough time for her and she is trying to find the strength to fight her way through it.

Sunday night Alden' wife Mary's grandmother passed  away. She suffered a heart attack just about a week ago and was not able to recover from it.  She was really quite an interesting person. She resided in the Boston area but had a nice ranch home near Traverse City with a pasture and some cool horses.  She was fun to be around and everyone liked her. Alden has even played golf with her.  I think we will attend the funeral in Traverse City.  Her husband Wally passed away earlier this year. In his later years he suffered from Alzheimer's.  It seems to me that their whole family is close and they really care for each other. She will be missed.
 
I finished my blog last night except for some pictures I am going to post for the last one. For a while I am going to help Deb with hers.  Does anybody know what you do with a blog when you are done?  Writing those things brought back a lot of memories but now I think it is time to help with these updates on Deb.

Stan


Here are a couple pics from the other night when Aaron and Mieke surprised us with their great news.

The gift of a nice day

Stan here:

For the people that live outside of this state let me tell you that we have had a 5 day stretch of weather that is about second to none. About 70-75 degrees, no wind, all sun and about as good as it can get in the State of Michigan at this time of year.  Plus, we had the chance to do something kind of fun this weekend.  Friends (neighbors from years back) own a condo right on the water in Douglas. They offered to let us use it for a change of scenery.  So on perhaps the two most pristine days I have ever seen we took them up on this.  A view of the water, people outside, and perhaps some of the nicer decorating I have ever seen on the inside of the place made it a really nice weekend.  In their bedroom they have a really nice painted picture of their boys so when I woke up in the morning I had the chance to reflect on younger years and bring back some memories of some good times. We just got home and Barb brought over a really nice quiche with some other stuff. I know the old saying real men do not eat quiche but I did not have any problem with just eating a couple of the pieces. Thanks Barb!

When we were at the condo some friends of ours, Mark and Laura, visited us. She had a neat book on a recent trip they made to the Netherlands and I read this thing from cover to cover.  I might make another post on my blog about the experience our family had over there. It just brought back a bunch of thoughts and I kind of feel like writing about it again.

But how is Deb?  She had a nice weekend but still has some trouble with the nagging feeling of just not feeling right.  She has adjusted real well to the loss of her hair and looks good in her wig.  But the things kind of squeezes her head and is just a little bit of a pain..  She and I wandered around Saugatuck this morning and she held my hand just like all the other people walking around.  The one unique thing is that we were the only man women combination that was doing this..

Deb had a nice visit from a classmate from years ago. His name is Bill  and he drove all the way down here from Reed City.  He brought some really good stuff and they had a nice visit.  Bill has recently taken up the game of golf and I am anxious to get out with he and his wife who also likes to play.  When Deb and he were in school together they had kind of a tight knit group and all of those classmates have maintained a relationship ever since.

Our good friend Karen brought 2 nice arrangements of roses. One for Deb and one for Mieke to celebrate her recent engagement. They are beautiful!!  Her aunt and uncle Al and Cora visited and also brought some nice flowers.  We have many memories of them. During the college years they would have us over on Sunday afternoon each week for dinner. It sure beat the food they were serving at school and we have always enjoyed being around them.

Maggie's mom Louisa brought a handmade knit red cap over.  As I am writing now Deb is wearing it. So kind of you. She looks pretty good but my feelings are that she has always looked pretty good in whatever she throws on.  We have been married 36 years.  If I figure it right 13,140 days at least have been spent together.  You know something. As far as I am concerned she has always looked good.  And as many times as I can remember I have told her this. "Deb you look good today".  And today is no exception. 

Thanks to all.................

WHAT A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a quick post, because it is late. The Tigers just won. I am so excited!! What a fun game!! Can't wait until Sat. night.

The really exciting part of the day came when we found out that Mieke and Aaron got engaged today!!!!! We are thrilled. We have loved Aaron and have considered him part of the family for a while now. This just makes it official. Don't know any details yet. We happened to be planning to have dinner with Aaron's parents. We were sitting outside on their deck having appetizers when around 6:30 who should walk up on the path coming out of the woods hand in hand but Mieke and Aaron.   I will give you all the details next time.

Thanks Laurie for my sleep hat. I needed that.

I received a fun surprise in the mail today. A big soft "Squishable" moose from my niece Laura Maria. Thanks Laura, I love him. I squeezed him all through the nerve wracking Tiger game tonight.
I will post a picture of him soon too.

I will try to sleep but it will be hard. I will be dreaming of Tigers and weddings..............

A new kind of pain.....

My good friend Dave commented on my last post that the Tigers are inflicting a new kind of pain on us. I agree completely!!   I get so nervous, I think my ulcers are going to get worse.  I agree they should never have traded Granderson. My Dad still wears a jersey with his name on the back. :(  Oh well, hope things go better tomorrow night. Hope you keep feeling better Dave. Prayers going up for you too.

Chemo was the shortest yesterday, only 2 1/2 hrs!! Also, they gave me oral Benadryl instead of the IV stuff, and I felt sooooo much better. So things are looking up on Tues.

Ginger, your tea infuser and the different teas were such a nice surprise. How did you know I never had one of those? Often times in the afternoon, a cup of tea is the only thing that sounds good. So thank you so much for thinking of me. Please come over some day and have a cup with me. (We went to the same high school, Grosse Pointe South!) Go Blue Devils!

I am sorry I did not get a blog done yesterday, but I had a fun night at my friends condo in Douglas. Thanks Joan, aside from the bad Tiger game on TV, it was a great night and so fun to see the lights of Saugatuck at night and watch the sun come up this am. Your place is so beautiful, thanks for sharing. Ken, I appreciate all the "how to notes". I am very proud of myself for figuring out how to turn on the TV. I am technologically challenged.  Breakfast at Ida Reds this am was fun too.

I stopped at Holland Hospital today to get my flu shot. The chemo nurses recommended I get it, and any people I am with a lot. My family was thrilled to hear that. Come on guys, you can do it. Stan got his first one ever Tue. night. That is BIG for him. I appreciate it honey. I stopped up to see my pals on the birth center. So good to see so many of  you! Thanks for all the hugs and words of encouragement. I especially want to thank Kim for the bracelets. She gave me some for my whole family. All the nurses on the Boven Birth Center got one too. They look like this:

 

Kim explained, "that the concept of hope has been identified as an important phenomenon rooted in the NICU setting. The hope concept can inspire, enable, enhance, and foster hope in the BBC. Recognizing the important role hope plays in the day-to-day experiences of others can improve the overall experience at such a stressful crossroad in our lives. Fostering and maintaining hope should be a priority for those we care for- our BBC Family. The bracelets with an inspirational message will be available to staff to remind us to send positive energy and thoughts to our fellow staff members in their time of need."

I know that there are many of us who work on the unit who are experiencing different "journeys" right now. I thank you for these bracelets from the bottom of my heart and know that Hope is what keeps me and others going. You guys are wonderful!!

 Betsy, the mom of Mieke's friend knit for me the most beautiful pair of soft wool socks. That was so kind of you, I love the fall colors.You guys are going to make sure I stay warm this winter.

 

I enjoyed the wonder weather by taking a small walk with my neighbor Deb and her 3 dogs. Deb is an inspiration to me by being a cancer survivor. Thanks for you support.

 We enjoyed poppyseed chicken tonight. Thanks so much Barb, it was great to visit for a little today. I love my pumpkin too!! It is a big brother to my little Tiger one.

Art Prize Monday

I finally got to GR to see some of Art Prize. It was a beautiful fall day, not a cloud in the sky. I felt the best today that I have all week. Jackie was so kind to drop me off and pick me up with the car. We stop and rested lots whenever we saw a chair or a bench. It is so great to see so many people in the museums and school kids enjoying the art. Not sure I loved the art as much as I did last year, but still very worth seeing.

A package came in the mail today from my "Aunt" Dorothy. What a nice surprise to get 4 pair of my favorite knit slippers. Thank you so much!! I will think of you fondly when I wear them, which I have a pair on right now. Our families did so much together growing up, I have many fond memories. I have appreciated all the messages from Susie too. I know that people who have been through cancer treatment are a big help to me. Thanks so much.

A delicious meal was brought over by my friend Vickie. Stan said it was better than the best restaurant.

While waiting for the Tiger game to start, Lori stopped by with a plate of pumpkins bars. Yum, you are so sweet.

I am ready for a nice short day at chemo tomorrow. Maybe I can even stop at Meijer Fredrick Gardens on the way home?????

Tigers are doing well.............so far

Lions, Tigers and no hair... OH my!

Hi, Ross here doing my first ever blog.  We are sitting here with Mom, Dad, Rumyana and Spencer watching the Tiger's game.  After seeing the Lions come back again today in the football contest I think we are all starting to realize that anything is possible. 
  Mom had some guests today including Joan, who is my friend Chris' mother and they used to live a few doors down from us.  They are letting us use their condo in Saugatuck for the next two weeks, and Mom is so excited, she is going to check it out tonight.  She made a wonderful salmon appetizer that we are enjoying right now...  Joan is always very kind, and somehow in the midst of conversation, she promised to write in her will that I would be the benefactor of their families grandfather clock.  I always had admired that clock, as a symbol of wealth and success, and maybe someday it will be mine.  ( I hope she wasn't pulling my leg!)
  Gayle and Deb, two of my Mom's friends from Holland stopped by as well and brought an amazing smelling dinner ( I might have to take some back with me to Lansing) and a pie.  Mom has great friends.
  Rumyana and I played at Beechwood church this morning, the first time of many this fall.  Everyone there is really kind, and people seemed excited to have some musical guests.  It is the first time that Rumyana and I have been able to direct the music ministry as a team, and there are certainly going to be some great moments. 
Mom has a few wigs which she seems to switch on a whim, and they all look really good!   We are making some plans right now which include finding a couch, going to Ikea, and redecorating my trumpet studio. 
Dad is watching the game, and wondering where he should apply to be a professional blogger.  He really likes writing them, and I think he should write more.  Well, that is all for now.  All the best,
Ross

Can You Guess What this Says?

What a beautiful fall day today! Stan played 34 holes of golf. He is going to be sore tomorrow.

We are watching the Tigers, and they are not doing so well. Come on Team!!

Ross and Rumy are here, we are anxious to hear them tomorrow.

Aaron's (Mieke's boyfriend) Hope rugby team beat Grand Valley today 44-6!! Way to go guys.

I felt pretty good today, an occasional stomach ache. I did mow a little lawn (Stan said I was getting soft). But he had to finish, just got too tired.

I wanted to share one of the cute pictures I received from Mieke's kids , a part of the "quilt". I finally figured out what it says and what the picture is. Can you guess?

I had a nice visit from my friend Helen today. Thanks for the beautiful flowers! Have a wonderful trip to Ireland, don't forget to write.

I also want to thank my friends Karen and Paul for coming over. Karen's Mom's funeral was this past week. Thanks for sharing those beautiful pictures and special memories of your Mom and family.

My daughter-in-law's grandma had a heart attack and is in the hospital in Traverse City. Please remember "Grand Mar" in your prayers. She is a wonderful woman and we wish her strength and complete recovery.