Time

We are back up and running driving!  Brad wins best-husband-ever points again as he bought us a minivan.  There are many adventures to come, and all four of us are excited.  When he went to get the license plates off my old car, he also had the brilliance to retrieve the bumper stickers.  It worked, and he promptly put the stickers on the new van.  Woo!  We have capitalized on our cargo capacity and filled all seven seats a few times already, so we are really taking advantage of the new vehicle.  Yay Brad!

Physically, I am in a place where I have more energy than I did for the six months prior.  The treatment change has meant less flu-like symptoms, so I’m quite happy about that change.  As ever, my body keeps my on my toes though; I have a bunch of side effects that I’m constantly buffering (but again, all of them combined are less than the “funk” of the last drug, so I’ll take it!)  My toe infections are back, and oddly my right thumb is giving me problems too.  Joint stiffness, dry skin, hot flashes, and stomach issues also require management.  I have a predictable-but-not-predictable bout of nausea every seventy-two hours or so.  Weird.  Last, but not least is my hot pink face.  Dr. Wonderful officially labeled it a severe acne rash today, brought on by the new drug, which causes photosensitivity, which causes the rash, so I take another drug to manage the rash, which also causes more photosensitivity.  Luckily, with no breasts and on-again-off-again hair over the past few years, I have a lot of practice at not feeling self-conscious about my physical appearance.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; we’re walking that out daily around my house.

With these transitions, changes around my house, the leaves falling, and time passing, I’m feeling a bit of a season of change.  I’m itching to put “what’s next” on the calendar, but I don’t know what “it” should be.  I’m at loathe to overcommit and engage where I shouldn’t be, so I’m trying to wait it out and sift the priorities (and resources) to the surface.  I’m very fixed on my insular goal of Do Today Well, but the practicalities of how to execute that hour-by-hour, week-by-week requires intentionality.  It would be wonderful if you all would pray for me about that; my brain is spinning but having a hard time getting traction.

You can also pray for my cancer.  Feeling better is wonderful, and I pray that the cancer is halted and strangled.  I want a miracle and a long life of adventuring!

Well, that’s enough of the medical update, right?  Let’s talk about Halloween.

The girls had a slumber party with Aunt Chief in September to plan, strategize, and purchase Halloween costumes.  Chief’s favorite holiday is Halloween and it shows in her affection for her nieces.  We really enjoy the DIY and creativity that this holiday affords.

Greta opted to be a rockstar, and there is no doubt she was the most authentic rocker there ever was:

After much debate and brainstorming, Maren was a jellyfish, and her costume was an attention-getter:

Let us talk a walk down memory lane of Halloweens past, okay?  (Obviously, we are not the kind of family who is organized to take the same picture in the same place every year.  We are in-the-moment-on-the-fly and the very-most-important memories are stored in our hearts, not on the camera.)  But, still.  These pictures make my heart smile.  My good deed for the day is dredging the archives for these pictures to share the joy with you today.  Do today well, people!

2015:

2014:

2013:

2012:

2011:

2010:

2009:

2008:

2007: