Sunday June 12th

• It's hard to update the blog very regularly. For many reasons, but mostly very little time to even think about what to post. But then once I do actually get started, it seems that I can't stop :) We are starting to get used to the routine but have not quite perfected it yet. Our days start about 5am and don't finish till around 10:30pm, if we are lucky. We are really looking forward to the next 5 day "off supplements" schedule which is upcoming. At least we'll be able to sleep through the night. Even though Ric is the one actually getting up at 1:30am to take the supplements, I still wake up with him.
• We've realized that we need to be limited as to what we do during his "on supplements" days. So if you ask us to do something with you and we decline, please know that it probably has to do with Ric's schedule. There are "routines" that he has to do every morning and every evening that require him to be in a place where he can be comfortable which usually means at our own home. We are trying to do "normal" activities at times but it requires alot of pre-planning to make sure we have everything covered and are staying as stress-free as possible. The UP side to all of this is that Ric is feeling stronger every day and I continue to see longer glimpses of my husband showing up which totally encourages me to keep going on all the things that I am needed to do for him. There are many times that I get discouraged only because there is so much for me to do right now - so for that I ask for prayers for me - to keep my strength, stamina & health up and for me to be able to get the rest I need each night to keep going. Ric is very concerned about me which is one of the things I love about him - he's always thinking of others way before himself! I know many of you have asked what can you do to help but it's hard to think of what ahead of time. There are times that I can think of something but it's at that moment and unless you all want to move in with us (which is not happening!) then it's not something that you can help with. There are things around the house that as we get some nicer weather we will be asking for some assistance. If you know Ric & I though, it's really hard to ask for help as we are the ones who live to help others. Maybe that's one of the many character building lessons that we are meant to learn in this journey.
• Just found out this past week that three more people that we know have been recently diagnosed with cancer - my older stepbrother Allen (colorectal cancer - he's in his mid 50's), a friend of my mom's Janelle (breast cancer - she's in her 40's) and my great-aunt Eula (breast cancer - she's in her 80's). So if you would add them to your prayers along with Frank, Octaviano and Hannah we would so appreciate it.

Wow it's June already

• Can't believe it's June already - time is passing by so quickly lately. We are both sooooo happy that we will be getting some warm weather this weekend especially Ric. The cold weather has not been his friend. Normally he wears shorts almost year round outside work but not this spring. I joke with him that if he doesn't start gaining more weight we might have to move to Arizona - not!
• We have been learning so much lately but one thing that is so obvious to us is that there is no room for us to be feeling sorry for ourselves because of what we are going through. There are so many people who are dealing with alot more than we are. We have really truly been blessed in so many ways so far during this journey. We have connected with so many amazing people just in the last couple of months - some are people from our past and others are people who God has placed in our path to encourage us and allow us to encourage them. Nothing is coincidental - it is all of a much bigger plan and we are excited to see where we are headed and who else God will bring into our lives.
• We are requesting prayers not only for Ric's continued healing but also for some specific people dealing with major illnesses. Ric's youngest sister Minerva (the one he donated the kidney to) is currently in the hospital. She continues to be on dialysis due to the kidney failing about 7 yrs ago. She was just starting home dialysis a couple weeks ago but is having some issues that they needed to hospitalize her. Please also pray for Ric's former boss Frank and childhood friend Octaviano who are fighting their own battles with cancer. And last but not least please pray for little Hannah - a 5 yr old who is fighting leukemia. We just met Hannah's mom Carrie this week. It's really quite interesting how our paths were set up to cross so that we could be an encouragement to each other. We look forward to getting to know Carrie & Hannah better.
• So hope you all enjoy the sunshine this weekend. We know that we will be!