And Now....

With our anniversary trip behind us, we only had a weekend to prepare for a whole summer to be away from our home.  With Ron being posted to Waterton, we packed the truck to the max and on Monday morning we set off for Pincher Creek.  Ron was on the motorcycle and me in the truck.

When we got to Pincher Creek we checked into our chalet and were pleasantly surprised with the roominess of our summer home.  We unloaded everything and settled into our home away from home.

Ron started working the next day in Waterton.

He saw the effects of last year's fire first hand and saw how the wildlife are returning to the area.  Many of the roads and trails are closed to protect the wildlife and help with the new growth of the forest. 

While he was at work, I got groceries and found places for everything.  On Wednesday, I got to work.  I set up my portable office and got lots done.

We've been doing lots of walks around Pincher Creek when we aren't working to try and get the feel of the community.  There are lots of trees blooming and deer roaming.

On Friday morning, we went for a motorcycle ride to the park so I could see the area.  The fires left their mark.  Half burned trees are left standing with new growth showing the evidence of the area repairing itself.

The missing visitors' office is gone.  I remember last year being here and seeing the big horned sheep relaxing in the lawn.

The beauty of the area is still very real.  The mountains have less trees but the water is just as blue and the grass is vibrant.

 It is a strange feeling sitting here in our little chalet.  Ron is working his last night this set.  Tomorrow we will start our three days off.  We plan to go to church, go for a motorcycle ride into BC and maybe bike in Waterton.  After that, it will be back to work for us.

Being a way for the whole summer is crazy.  It's like we are on holidays, but not.  I miss our friends in Three Hills but I'm thankful that Ron and I can do this adventure together.  If our house sells, we will be living here permanently....and if not, we will be back to Three Hills.  We are leaving all of that in God's hands because He knows best and we will be content with His plan!

Anniversary Trip

When you celebrate your 35th anniversary and come through cancer surgery you just need to get away.  We booked our tickets and arrived on Vancouver Island.  The weather was beautiful when we landed and the colourful flowers and trees were just what the doctor ordered.  We checked into our ocean front resort and were pleasantly surprised with a spacious, private condo.

This next day we met up with Pastor Paul and Tammy Israelson from Swift Current and had a great time visiting in Butchart Gardens.

 I did leave my camera in the "capable" hands of Paul for a few minutes and I really wasn't surprised to find a selfie on it.

We spent a few hours strolling and chatting through the most beautiful gardens.  With Paul and Tammy being from Saskatchewan and us from Alberta we were being immersed in colours and TREES!

After our walk through the gorgeous pathways we headed to wharf to have fish and chips.

After our goodbyes, we went separate ways.  We went back to our resort and Paul and Tammy went to a castle to let Tammy experience her inner princess self.

The next day was Mother's Day and we went to church and I got a carnation.  From then on, each day we found new places to hike and explore.  We checked out lots of beaches.

And we explored different hikes which most ended up at a beach along the way.  We walked through lots of trails.  Some were rain forest walks with lots of ferns.  The paths were sometimes hard to find and others were marked out well by bridges, stumps and wood chippings.

At the end of each hike the last few steps were hard to take but it was good to be moving so much and my fitbit was very happy with me.

When we drove back to the resort we would soak our tired legs before sitting back and enjoying our view.

We renjoyed this type of holiday with lots of exploring and then ending up at the same place each night.  In the evenings we would sometime venture out for another little stroll.  There seemed to be lots to see in the area.

35 years is a long time but really it isn't nearly long enough.  The joy of marriage is enjoying spending time with each other, looking at life as a journey together and being there for each other through everything.

Some may say that at age 19 we were too young to get married but I'm just glad we made the decision and all these years later we are still having fun!  Notice...my neck scar is healing quite nicely.

Another Follow Up

I'm a little behind in my blogging due to LIFE!  I will try and catch up on our past few weeks in the next couple of blogs but first I need to finish up on surgery talk.

Ron and I went to an appointment a few weeks ago to my very amazing
endocrinologist.  If it hadn't been for her I would not have found out that I had thyroid cancer and had it removed in a timely manner. 

Our follow-up appointment with her was to see if my medication was right and also to check and see if I would need any further treatment.  We needed to go over the blood work with her.  My heart started beating a little faster when I first looked at the lab.  The surgeon had told me that because I no longer have a thyroid my thyroglobulin level should be zero.  If had any count it would mean that cancer was still present.  My reading was over 300!  I took a deep breath and waited for the doctor to tell me what I was now fearing.  She explained that my levels should be zero but because I also have Hashimoto's disease (an autoimmune disease) that the lab results could not be truly trusted.  After a year of taking high synthroid medication my blood work should then be more reliable.

So....how do I know if the cancer is gone?  First, the lymph nodes taken around the thyroid did not have cancer.  The three cancer nodules that were removed were very contained, small and at the early stages.  So, no treatments at this point!

In September, I will need to go for another neck ultrasound to ensure that the cancer hasn't spread and have more blood work done to make sure that the medication is doing what the thyroid was suppose to do.

How am I feeling?  I would say pretty much back to normal.  I still get very tired when we have had a busy day.  I have heard from others that have gone through the same surgery that the tiredness is something that I will also have to deal with.

I am so thankful to be at this end of things and know that all I need to do now is continue to build my strength back up and enjoy the summer!

More on that in my next blog....

Surgeon Update

Last week Ron and I visited the surgeon to have him give us the report from my operation.  The surgery went well.  He wanted to check my vocal chords through my nose again....fun!  Everything looked good.

The pathology report confirmed that the nodule on the left side of the thyroid was cancerous.  The right side also had two cancer spots.  It kind of took me by surprise but so thankful that everything was removed.  The lymph nodes were also tested but they were clear!

My next stop was to get blood work and wait to see if I am on the right meds...one a day keeps me awake.

The blood work will also show my thyroglobin level.  If it is close to zero then all is good and if it is elevated then there still could be cancer which would mean that I would need treatments.  We will know on Monday what the results are.

We are expecting good news.  The really great news is that all of our snow has disappeared and we are now enjoying some beautiful weather.

Happy Spring!