It's been awhile...

I last posted at the end of June-sorry for the long time lapse. It has been busy!
Some side effects are continuing to hold on - numbness in fingers and toes - from the last knuckle to the tip on my fingers and from the ball of my foot to the end, so it is still the same.  Sun sensitivity continues to be annoying - I bathe in sunscreen and still have dark skin discoloration!   
Other stuff is tapering off - my hair is growing back - there are small flecks of grey in some of the strands, but it seems to be pretty much like it was!  
My eyebrows are slowly coming back - very slowly....
The chemicals had shown up in my finger and toenails.  It turned them cloudy, yellowish and thick.  I only have a little bit of the discoloration left on my thumbnails - all the rest has been cut off :) 
My energy has been really good - getting better!  I'm able to do things without getting as tired as quickly, tho I do have times when it hits quickly with a headache. 
   I am so very thankful to see all these positive things happening!

We did not take the call to California.  After much prayer and many conversations, it became clear we were to stay.  One of the reasons I didn't write was that it was a very difficult time for me--just too much to share.  I am very thankful to be staying close to family.....

Other happenings at the Moritzes - 
my 3 mo bloodwork last week, including cancer and liver panels were very good
   tumor markers dropped since the last blood work!  :)
I got new contact lenses!  (Your eyes change while on chemo) 
Paul turned 22 and Karl turned 24
Karl was promoted to Manager at Red Robin so is full time now - praise God!
We rode 675 miles on a motorcycle in 4 days (yes I have a great chiropractor!)
We hosted a Mexican Fiesta with Dave and Angie Hensley 
We spent ten wonderful days in Montana for Karl's wedding - After the wedding, we rented
  a house up near Glacier with Todd's brother and family. Gretchen's family was in the
  same neighborhood, so we got to connect with them as well.  Karl and Gretchen spent a 
  day with us up there too, which was a special treat!
Fourth of July saw us off to North Carolina to see Todd's parents, who were unable to 
   attend the wedding.  It was a very quick trip - but great to see them!
Todd was elected to be the President of our congregation.  [Some men fish, others collect stamps or bowl -- Todd's hobby is church work :)]
And here we are - in the "pre-school" time of year. 

Here's some of the things I have observed....
It is very easy to lose good habits and start bad ones. 

Good habits which suffered and bad habits that appeared over the Summer:
Being thankful                    complaining, being critical, edgy and crabby
Devotion time
Eating and sleeping well    Eating too much sugar/carbs
Exercising enough              
Keeping a neat house        chaos (can't have anyone over syndrome - from Flylady.net) 
                                             "Busyness" but not accomplishing things

God has a funny way of prodding you back to where you should be....
I had said I would lead Bible Study so we could continue to meet over the Summer. A friend lead it for the first half so I was "off the hook."  Now however I am leading a study on Intimacy with the Almighty by Charles Swindoll.  

You cannot teach what you do not know!
It has kicked my butt to get me back to where I need to be!  

So, in the spirit of regaining lost ground - I am very thankful for:
Summer - the green, the flowers and birds
being outside a lot
walking outside
friends - family and time to be together
fresh fruits and vegetables
Chance - and our great neighbors who take care of him when we are gone
Karl and Gretchen's marriage being grounded in God
Paul coming home in 15 days
getting stronger
our nephew's and niece 
medicine
God opening his hand and blessing me with my heart's desire....(ps 145:16)

I hope this has been a good Summer for you so far and that you truly enjoy the last few weeks.  

Be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances - (1 Thess 5:16-18)
Not necessarily for all circumstances but in any situation, look for things to be thankful for.  
It helps you to get through.  

As always, thanks for checkin' in!