Deep Breath, Garage Sale, and RELAY FOR LIFE!!

My sis sporting some head gear with me on our double date night :)

I thought Tuesday might be a fluke…but it happened Wednesday and today too! Even in the humidity…I took a deep breath!! AND NO PAIN!! Wow, it feels so good to take a deep breath again! Praise God and praise Chemo drugs!! :) I am just so thrilled. This must mean that the tumor has shrunk so I’m on the right track! I never doubted I wouldn’t be :) (BTW, jaw pain is completely gone again...just like last time!) So to celebrate that and my brother-in-law's new job…we 4 went on a double date to Japan West in Findlay. One of our FAVORITE Japanese restaurants! Andrew and I love our sushi and thought we would get a head start for when we eat at the Fort Wayne Sushi restaurant on Saturday with his family. Once again, I am grateful for family to keep me busy. Even with all my jumbled up thoughts, I’m still doing a lot of thinking and processing about cancer, and yesterday was a good distraction with great conversations (and funny moments that involved unnoticed poles ;) Glad I’m not the only clumsy Hochstetler! We also went to a movie, but before that I drove through the 'red part on the weather radar map' that shows you should be inside of your house instead of driving a car because BAD weather is coming! My sister and I were doing our usual karaoke singing to the Glee soundtrack when all of the sudden, we saw lightening like we have never seen! It was literally blinding when it would strike it was so bright and close. And the rain came down in such a weird pattern that I was driving 40 MPH on I-75. Ford needs to make faster windshield wipers I have decided! SO SCARY! I was tense the whole time driving back that I woke up with sore back muscles today:) But I prayed we would just get home safe and God carried us there.

The Garage Sale Gang (my Moma, my sis Sarah, and me...Our other Amigo, my sis Julie was getting us lunch, and helped out when Sarah had to work. She's her own moma of 3 so those kiddies keep her busy. But all 3 came to the Garage Sale and they get more cute everyday! And SO funny!! I love my nieces and nephews and am SO glad we all live so close :)Our Garage Sale has been a success too! I was a real champ and hung in there for the whole 8 hours! And I couldn't believe how many people I met who have been diagnosed with cancer in their life at the Garage Sale!! They saw my port (who can't since it sticks out like the Grand Canyon!) and would start asking questions. Many ladies had breast cancer, one other lady had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and another family had a daughter with leukemia. Each person had their own unique take on cancer, and everyone had their own interesting journey with encouraging words for me. Honestly, it felt weird to be able to relate with someone who has cancer. I never would have before this, and it makes it seem that much more real to me.
I knew I wanted to donate the money I made this year at the Garage Sale to something, but I couldn’t figure out what. Last year, I donated the money to our church who was going on a missions trip to Mexico. They used the money to buy bed sheets for the children at the orphanage to sleep on. The things we take for granted, huh? Then, like God sent her here, I met a lady at the Garage Sale who is on the committee for Relay For Life here in Lima. She also fills in for the nurses at the Cancer Center, so I may even see her there too! Then it dawned on me…makes sense to donate the money to Relay for Life this year since it’s so close to my heart right now, right? Relay For Life is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. People can create a team and then walk and donate money to help do more research for prevention, detection, and treatment programs and to community support programs as well as other things! It was like a light went on in my brain, so she is going to give me a call next year when they do another event in Lima. I can't believe I'm going to say this...but I think I am going to take this on! I’m not sure how long I will be doing this blog, but if you are interested in joining my team next year, send me an email at laurabelle03@hotmail.com and I will contact you when I get more information on this event in the Spring! :) Go to www.relayforlife.org to get tons of information. I’m actually getting more excited the more I think about it! This definitely feels like the right donation decision this year. I've NEVER done anything like this so I am taking another step out of my box :) It's so much easier to just make a donation, but I told myself I was going to start doing MORE with my Life, so 'why not?' right? If you have never done Relay for Life, or even if you have, do it for the first time with me so I'm not alone!! Yes, I'm one of those people who don't like to do anything alone quite yet...maybe that will change too one day...but not just yet :) I know so many people are supporting me through my Pursuit this year, and actually, this would be a great way to CELEBRATE my REMISSION in the Spring with you all, too! Oh, I'm getting excited thinking about this, do you think this is a good idea?!? OOOh, I hope you can join me next year and make me stick to this Relay for Life commitment...again, way out of my comfort zone to do, but the cause is so worth it!!! I can finally say thank you to all of you, and meet some of you I have never met before at this Relay event!! I will definitely be praying about this and I will look into it more and get you more information in the future. And contact me at that email if you know anything more about Relay for Life or if you have any questions I can hopefully get answered. This is down the road a ways and I am WAY new at this, but you know what...I am really excited! Thanks for your continues, on going, never ending, full support you all!!