Just a Pursuit Update...

Hey there, I wanted to give you all an update on everything. Nothing specific, just everything. As you know I am on a Pursuit and at the beginning I didn’t know what I was pursuing, but it is getting clearer everyday. It’s something that I have been referring to as Life. But I’m still going through this process and don’t want to get into that Life discussion yet…but it is coming:) Here are some other updates though that you might be wondering about…
Cridersville is getting back to normal after the tornado. The town has calmed down and everyone is building back the pieces that were left behind from the storm. It was a relief to know that there really is calm after the storm. Some storms (or life situations) may only last a couple minutes, others can last several years. It just gives me peace in my heart to know that my calm is coming soon. May not have been as soon as I would have liked it to be, but it is coming.
Cooper is amazing. He is totally potty trained by ringing the bell on the door (yes, Andrew won that bet because I thought it would never happen) and he just learned how to shake! Cooper keeps me warm on these cold days, he can cuddle up just right. He still hasn’t learned how to hide if he wants to chew on something, he brings it right to me or just does it in front of me. Kinda makes me wish I did that with all the stuff I’m not ‘suppose’ to do in Life. Just bring it to Andrew before I do it to stop me from getting in trouble. I’m not a drug addict or criminal, I’m talking about anything here…I’m not perfect :)
Dena is holding down the fort in my classroom. I told her I feel like I forget how to teach, but I think that also has to do with my ‘chemo brain’ right now. I may just have to ease back into this if we really want to be realistic. I’m really grateful for her and how she has truly taken things over so I can rest. I don’t think you realize how stressful and time consuming teaching can be. She has really allowed me to be able to relax and recover without my health being compromised because of the work put into working.
I’m proud to say that my friends who were sick there for awhile are being healed as we speak. We were in scary water there for a couple days, but they are doing well and getting back to Life. Me on the other hand, I’m just waiting it seems. Waiting to go get treatment, waiting to hear about radiation, waiting to get my CT scan and results, waiting for my lungs to feels better, waiting to get the clear to go back to work, waiting for my hair to grow back, waiting to get my Life on schedule again. I’m waiting, and if you don’t know me, I’m not the most patient of people. I get very antsy, very quickly. I’m sure you have seen that on some of the blogs :)
Hey, I’m living too! I have done things that challenge me that I wouldn’t have done in the past, like buying a dog, taking risks, and opening myself up for new opportunities (my first Relay for Life meeting is this Thursday…start getting your legs warmed up! :) Sometimes my plans work out and sometimes God intervenes and says just wait though. Like the hot air balloon ride I wanted to take this fall to see the beautiful fall colors we had this year. It got cancelled three times for chemo and bad weather. So this summer it will be something fun and relaxing to look forward too. And my vacation trip to celebrate being done with this…we aren’t doing that either. We did something better!! But I will show you after chemo is done on Thursday. I got a great Chemo is Done gift from my husband :) And I want to share it with you too for helping me get through chemo!
On another note, God is looking out for us not only in my health life, but Andrew’s Army life too. We dodged the bullet again. Just two weeks after Andrew was done serving in the Army this past summer, his unit got orders to deploy next year. We literally missed it by two weeks. I can not count my blessings enough to know that he has fulfilled his duty to the Army and does not have to deploy with them for a year. I could cry I am so happy he gets to stay (hopefully, keep your fingers crossed!!) God is totally watching over us right now, truly not giving us more than we can handle at the moment. Trust me, the first year of marriage is hard enough as it is getting to know each other and your personalities, but the first year of marriage with cancer has really tested our strength as a couple. I’m learning about forgiveness, patience, and communication hardcore! We have our ups and downs, but every couple does. And if they don’t, they are lying to you :) Thank you Andrew, for loving me when I know it can be so hard to sometimes. And for never, ever doubting our love for each other.
I’m also learning how to Let Go and Let God. Before this diagnosis, I had things so under control that things usually went my way. I’m learning that not everything goes my way, and that my way is not always the right way. I was getting to a point in my life where this was driving a wedge between me and a lot of people and things I care about. Sometimes you need a wake up call in life. Maybe my wake up call was cancer. But whether it be something that was out of your control or just a bad decision you made, it can be one of the best things to happen because it can change your life for the better…but you have to let it. I held this guilt of control for a longtime through this Pursuit and to be honest, I’m still working through it. But just remember, there is nothing that God can’t forgive. It says ‘that as far as the east is from the west, so far He has moved our sin from us’ (Psalm 103:12). All we have to do is acknowledge that it is there and do our very best to change. Sometimes I forget how freeing it feels to just give it to God and give Him the driver’s seat again. Please know I pray for you all as a group and thank you so much for your support. There's the Pursuit update...free of charge in this world that demands ever penny we make! HAHA :) Thanks again everyone!

“Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone” (Psalm 32:5).

**Just as a side note, I'm think about the King family today...you are missed by many Dan and I hope we are all reminded of just how precious life can be and how easily it can be taken away. Let us all remember how you made us laugh and would want us to live Life to the fullest!**