The Shoe.....continued!!!!

So.....remember the missing shoe? Apparently shoes go on vacation. Like the toys in Toy Story. When no one is looking they come alive and do things.....This one did. It camped all winter. I can only imagine where it went and what it did. But there is was....in the camper. The very last place I saw it last summer when we packed up after all of our summer adventures.

The camper is opened up again and getting ready to roll! We have a few fun adventures planned for this spring and summer. I can't wait!

As for the shoe, my toes have been freed and sandals or the green crocks are what are on my feet until the cold temperatures of fall remind the toes to go back to the shoes.

I thought about doing a theological reflection on the lost shoe and being found....there is a sermon there somewhere :)    But it is the days after Easter and my brain is fried!

Blessings to All! Elayne

The Lost Tupperware Has Been Found.....and it was not in a box, hmmm!

For the past few years, I have been trying to find the Tupperware that I have carefully collected over the years.....The Modular Mates of all sizes, the eco water bottles, the Wondlier bowls, the super cereal storage set, the serving center, the entire set of Thatsa Bowls, the Stack and store boxes that have so many uses.........Could not find any of them....I asked my family "where is my Tupperware" or "have you seen that giant orange Tupperware bowl?" Their response: "Tupperware? I have not seen your Tupperware."I thought I was loosing my mind. I thought I was leaving tupperware bowls at the churches or at the potlucks, or perhaps it never got unpacked.......Well today some of the missing Tupperware has been found....and I did not put it there. We seem to have a squirrel in the family...putting Tupperware in far off safe places, away from eyes that could find it and fill it up with tasty treats, or cold cuts, Saving these treasures like nuts for a rainy day, or perhaps another attitude emerges where the squirrel stashed them away after he (or them) had deemed the bowls unimportant and useless . Perhaps he hoped they would never be seen again or ???? Well my dear (alleged) squirrels, whom I love with all my heart....the Tupperware has been found and will be marked with medical tape with my name written with a sharpie (a Stoen Family Tradition) and then put on in a cupboard in the kitchen so I will no longer wonder where I could have left them. My mental health has been restored and I am not so absent minded as some may have once thought!

I know! It is not like they were the size of the thimble!

That did not go as planned......so what else is new?

Thursday......You will never guess what happened.....went to the chair all was going well, I ate a cookie......then I had an "episode".  Sweating, upset tummy, and probably passed out. I don't remember that part.....now I am sitting in a hospital bed for observation,  talk about unplanned adventures!

Timing for this is less than ideal.....so we will make lemonade and dance in the rain!

Kevin was my driver today. Had a nice chat!

So the rest of the story! After I wrote the above, I had some supper, got settled in, they pumped saline into my iv port, and then I fell asleep. I woke up about 10 feeling great. Watched a movie, read a book, and went back to sleep a few hours later.....I slept ok, but woke up when someone came by to check up on me, or the fluids that went in had to come out, and anytime there was action in the hall way, which was actually quite frequently. So to prevent that, I shut the door, but then the room was too hot.....UGGG!

Still not a bad stay. Ordered a delicious breakfast and waited to be discharged.  Read a great book (work related, so I worked in the hospital) Worked on my sermon for Sunday (yup I am that dedicated), Wrote down some ideas for a project I am working on, Had a very nice visit with the doctor on call, my doctor, and the chaplain that came to chat....loved it! We talked about ministry!

After all that Dave came to pick me up and we headed for home.

So as I was headed for home, my brother Ed, and my parents, were headed to the hospital for what ended up to be an emergency appendectomy for Ed.....all turned out well. But here is the funny thing....The fact that I was discharged, and he was admitted on the same day, might be enough of a coincidence....But he was assigned the room that was  next door to the room I was in! And my nurse from yesterday was there wondering why I was back.....Humm! The Stoen's are keeping the hospital in business this week!

Note on Ed, he is recovering and seems to be doing fine. He could use your prayers tho!

You just never know with these things......

Soooo, got up early on Thursday......met my mom and dad, drivers for the day.....drove to LaCrosse.....went to the clinic.....checked in.....Went to the lab for the port installation and blood draw.....waited.....went to get vitals done......BTW lost weight!.....saw the doctor.....most of the labs were good, but the platelets were low....NO CHEMO today!.....rescheduled appointment for next week......packed up.....went home.

I am not sure if I am pleased there is no chemo.....or be delighted because I can have another good week! I guess we will see. With these things, I guess you just can't plan things. What I think, the doctors think, and what the body things are not always the same....and what the body says, always wins......

Eventually the platelets will recover....but how quickly is the question. So we will go next week, but if there is no improvement I may be completely done, or we wait week and see. or we call it good and we move into the every three month cycle of visits, scans, and checks.

So the adventure continues and we dance! And if you have ever seen me dance you know that is a big deal! Soli Deo Gloria!

(I learned to dance from the Dancing Bear on Kaptain Kangaroo and I have no rhythm!)

Life is Good!

Today is the 4th Wednesday of Lent.....it will be a busy day. I am officially back to work, tho I will not be leading worship until March 13...long story.

Anyhoo....today in addition to going to Lenten Lunch and preparing for Lenten worship services tonight (4:30 and 6:30 with a Lagsana supper in-between. You should come!), we prepare the what we hope will be the last and final chemo treatment on Thursday.

Uggg.....I am not looking forward to the exhaustion and fatigue that comes after. I am looking forward to it being the last one. Life really is an adventure!

Thank you for the prayers and support. I am humbled and grateful.

Soli Deo Gloria!