SPRING BREAK

Last summer, I spent some time looking for condos in Florida for spring break. I had lined up a real nice unit on Siesta Key and was looking forward to our annual spring break week as a family. When my cancer diagnosis leveled my family, all plans for spring break were cancelled. I thought for sure we would be planning my funeral by this March. But by Christmas, once I knew that the chemotherapy was not ravaging my body, and felt sure that I would still be alive by March, we decided to start planning once again, and were lucky enough at that later date to find a unit in our time-share’s building for the week that Sam had off. God is so good. This past week we have been vacationing in Florida!!

Nope, we were not planning my funeral last week. We were soaking up rays, walking the Gulf beach, swimming, playing pool and shuffleboard and tennis (mind you, I was the designated ballboy for the guys’ heated matches, scrambling around the courts picking up stray balls and only played 3 tennis games and that only because my son, who knew I got a C in college in tennis, indulged me, let me serve from the cheater’s line and intentionally withheld his hardest volleys so that I could lose the 3 games with some dignity intact.....but, I digress). We had an amazing 7 days of 75-80 degree weather and sun, and we couldn’t be more thankful for the memories.

 I've always loved the orange glow from the sun setting

over the Gulf....we got the timing just right on this shot....

If you would like to read a 19-year-old’s humorous perspective on our choice of Florida venue, read the first few paragraphs of my son’s blog dated March 19, “March Madness in Person." Just click on the link here. The blog post is about the NCAA Round 1 games Dick and Sam went to see in Tampa on Thursday night, but he starts out with some reflections about our family vacation. It is all true, but we love it all the same!!

 March Madness/Tampa

Chemotherapy resumes tomorrow. My only prayer request would be that the side effects would be as minimal as they were last round. I will be sitting in the infusion room thinking about our Florida memories. Nothing better than going to your “happy place” when the poisons are swirling within! Thanks so much for your prayers.