We are starting to come out of the dregs of our grey winter, and I now am feeling enough enthusiasm to blog about life again, so our family has been up to this;
- For Spring Break we went on a road trip to Moab, the Grand Canyon, Phoenix (to visit Rene and John!), Disneyland, Stockton (to visit the Traub cousins) and Ashland, OR. Even though we covered a lot quickly - even one 16 hour day - it was a complete blast. There were so many wonderful places we got to see - hiking the Bright Angel Trail and in Arches NP made me very excited for our upcoming hiking season. My kids are definitely tough! I was so thankful for the friends and family that let us stay - having our family is a little like an invasion, not a visit, but we enjoyed our visits so much.
- The girls have started their interferon treatments for Hep C - they will get a shot a week, medicine twice daily, and blood draws frequently (lucky I can do all of this at home)...but after a year they should be hep C free and their livers should last them a good long time. They are doing awesome, even though it is hard, especially for Shkuri, who hates needles. I am really grateful for good medical insurance, so we can afford the treatment, which runs to a mind numbing 10,000$/week for both girls.
- Isaac and Shkuri both turned 8!
- My sister has been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndrome, which is a sort of a chronic, pre-leukemic disease. For now she is out of the hospital and living a pretty regular life (she is a single Mom, making it even tougher), but it has been very scary. We are not super close, but she is moving closer to my parents and I, so that we can be there if she needs us.
- School ends the week of June 22nd - for all of us! Shkuri and Isaac finish 2nd, Hamda finishes 1st, Elias graduates preschool, and I complete my 22nd year of college! I still have to pass my boards, but I am beyond excited about finishing school..and I have two great jobs lined up. I will work about 20 hours a week with an M.D. who has a holistic medicine practice in town and about 5 hours a week at two jails in Grays Harbor County seeing inmates. I am terrified, because I have a lot to learn, but I am looking forward to learning it.
