Surprises

Well, I'm sure it is no surprise to you that what we anticipated hasn't happened. That's life - surprises that we don't want as well as ones we are delighted with. Though we expected radiation to begin July 28, we haven't received the call yet. So we are on hold.

Last week Vernon came down with a cold and stayed home from work starting Wednesday but was able to return today, though still coughing some. It seems to settle in his lungs and when he coughs it takes a lot out of him.

When I last wrote, I mentioned our Saturday plan and there was another surprise that morning. We found the Scandinavian bakery closed when we arrived for our anticipated breakfast. There was no explanatory sign on the door but as we peered in through the glass, we could tell it wasn't empty. When I dialed the phone number, it was still a working number. So our theory is they were on vacation. Not knowing Clermont very well, we asked a woman in a nearby business and received a recommendation of somewhere else to eat. We passed up the Cracker Barrel that was nearby because we can eat there anytime.

We safely arrived at our planned destination, the nearly finished retirement home of a couple that Vernon went to high school with in Atlanta. It is built on Pine Island, near Weeki Watchee on the gulf directly west of Orlando. Here Vernon is looking out at the water.
Tom has built this house mostly himself with help from friends. It seemed very comfortable inside. Notice the pillars that support it, part of the hurricane code that should keep the living portion above water should a hurricane strike here. Our car is visible in the lower left corner of the picture and Vernon is in the center with his back to the camera.
This is the view from the upstairs bedroom that looks out on the gulf, mostly above the treetops.
And this view is toward the east and the bay/salt marsh. There is a narrow two-lane road that connects this island to the mainland. I guess you can tell it is a narrow bit of land that this house is on.
We were the first guests to arrive at 11 AM and it was 8 PM when we left. As we drove away I realized there were no pictures of us so we stopped and held the camera ourselves to take this one. The island is behind us.
Here's the same view without us. I think the colors are nice with the fading light and the palm tree in silhouette.
And toward the west, this large cloud formation was illuminated by the sunlight.
We had a good trip that day, being with friends and their family and enjoying the scenery.

Quick Update

Briefly, here's our news: Vernon returned to work this past Monday and is feeling pretty good. On Tuesday he was approved for radiation on the right side of his face because the skin has healed enough after the surgery March 31. Today, he saw the radiation doctor, Jenkins, and we understand radiation will begin Monday, July 28.

Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to celebrate the 60th birthday of a high school classmate of Vernon's. We'll be driving mostly west from Orlando all the way to the gulf coast, approximately two hours, to get to the retirement home they've built next to the water. We are looking forward to breakfast at a Skandinavian bakery we've heard about about 30 miles west of us. Since the route takes us through Clermont, the bakery is on the way.

Other news: after 7 chemo treatments, the CT scan done on my mother showed NO growth of the cancer. Prior to chemo, it had been growing fast. The doctor told her prior to chemo that he hoped to slow down the cancer but he didn't expect the chemo to cure it. The doctor was pleased that the cancer hasn't grown, and Mom was, too. So she will receive more treatments and has had no negative side effects whatsover. She attributes all this to God answering prayer and I agree.

Home Again

Vernon was released from the hospital at 2 PM Saturday but this picture shows him sleeping Friday afternoon. I took some pictures to show you where we were.This wall unit was on the opposite wall and the left section contained the murphy bed that I slept on three nights. The remaining parts of the wall unit provided lots of storage.
This was the view directly under our 9th floor windows and is the entrance to the part of the hospital called M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
And this is the view farther away looking toward downtown.
We enjoyed watching the fireworks from our windows Friday night. Every direction we looked we could fireworks, most of them farther away but the ones downtown were great. For music, we tuned the TV to PBS for the Capital Fourth concert.
It is great to be home again. I return to work tomorrow but Vernon will stay home this week. He still has some low level pain and cannot drive until he sees the surgeon. Please pray that he recovers well and completely.

July 4 in hospital

Happy 4th of July to all! I thank God that I was born and raised in this country that He has blessed so richly. Here's a photo of a flag that I took one night while in Vero Beach recently. Vernon and I plan to watch fireworks tonight from the window of his room on the 9th floor of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at Orlando Regional Medical Center. He's been hospitalized since this past Sunday. He'd been in abdominal pain for 3 hours and woke me at 2 AM to drive him to the ER. After ultrasounds, an x-ray, CT scan and blood work over several days, it was decided that he'd passed a gall stone and his gall bladder needed removed. He had laparoscopic surgery Wednesday morning without complications, thank God. We are still here Friday because his G.I. tract hasn't returned to full functioning.

The office I'm in at Campus Crusade sent this dish garden to Vernon Wednesday afternoon.
This part of ORMC is very nice and comfortable. Each room includes a twin-size murphy bed, so I've spent the last two nights here with Vernon. Here's how we looked Thursday morning.
The tech who came in to take his vital signs took this picture of us. Do you like my colorful flannel pjs? A friend gave those to me last October and I chose to bring them to the hospital because the room was very cool.
I discovered a very nice "chapel" here on the 2nd floor. I'd call it more of a prayer room and here are the stained glass windows along one wall. Be sure to notice the one-syllable word at the bottom of each one.
These sofas face the windows in the opposite wall. Notice the mural behind the sofas.
On the bench in front of one sofa are some devotional books, a Bible and a journal. Inside the journal are hand-written prayer requests and also prayers that people have written while in the room.

My favorite part of the room doesn't show well in a photograph. Imagine a 6 foot mirror on the entry wall with water running down the surface, almost silently. Engraved on the mirror are these words: "Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this place. May God wash away your concern and fill you with an overflowing feeling of hope and love."

I noticed while standing in front of it that besides seeing my reflection, the water also appeared to wash over me as if to indeed wash away my worries and concern. It was a wonderful experience. The whole room is explained by this statement on a mirror opposite the waterfall: "We were inspired by God, Dr. Clarence Brown and Anne Peach to create a place where blessings abound, and where you will be lifted up, and will leave with a feeling of faith, hope, love, and healing." ~Cynthia C. & William E. Perry.

Also yesterday, while on an elevator, I noted the invitation below:
So I went to the tea room and enjoyed talking to some other women there. One was an 80+ year old volunteer who helps serve tea every Thursday afternoon and loves it. After selecting a tea cup and saucer and a small piece of cake, I added "clotted cream" and honey to the cup before hot tea was added. This was a nice treat and another experience making this hospital a pleasant place for visitors and patients alike.

The last bit of news I'll share at this time is our new car. Last Saturday morning, Vernon and I purchased this car, just in time before his hospital stay. It is a 2007 Hyundai Azera and we like it alot. Our other car is 10 years old, has 150,000 miles and is having some problems.
We hope to be home again tomorrow, Saturday. Thank you for praying for Vernon's complete healing. I have been able to miss work this week and be with him, so I am grateful.