Here’s how this cancer business all went down. I’m gonna give you the long version because, well, I can. Simon was born with a heart condition. He had three surgeries before his first birthday and had blood transfusions. He contracted Hepatitis C through one of those transfusions – the 1970’s weren’t the best years for…

Our kids.  Our sweet, precious children.  They are seven, five, and two years old.  A firstborn green eyed son then two curly haired, blue eyed girls. They know “Daddy doesn’t feel well” and we’re leaving it at that for now.  It’s what is recommended by psychologists (we have consulted more than one) and it’s what…

It can be hard to find the good after having a week like ours. The last three times we went to the hospital, they gave us a cute baby to take home. This time, they gave us stage four cancer. Here are few tiny things that have happened the past year that now seem HUGE,…

Many have asked how Simon is at this moment. He is in abdominal pain daily and has trouble being comfortable when he sits or lies down. He has a variety of pain meds and is figuring out what the right combination is. The best words to describe his attitude are reflective, peaceful, and, as always,…

It’s so important to remember when and why we fell in love with the person we love. This is going to be long because I like details and because Simon is sleeping right now and because nobody is forcing you to read this and because someday our kids will want to know this story and…

Before we  continue the saga of how Simon and I met,  it would only be fair to tell you about his setback today.  We promised to be honest and keep everyone updated so here goes.  He spent the day in the ER trying to get his pain under control.  He woke up today and couldn’t…

It was September 2003.  I was on the plane headed back to California after a weekend in Texas that left my mind racing. I had spent an unforgettable day with a charming Southern gentleman unlike any California guy I had ever dated. (Note: There are definitely quality California guys out there. At the time, I…

This title probably sounds much more spiritual than this post is going to be.  We literally went to get his heart checked today.  He goes to a specialty  cardiology clinic at UCLA once a year for long term follow up on his congenital defect. It was only seven months since his last visit, but the…

Simon and I were inseparable once I moved to Texas.  There were a few moments where he would not-so-eloquently tell me to go away and give him space.  But he was usually just hungry or tired and got over it pretty quick.  We all get like that from time to time, amiright? We spent the…

Simon’s local oncologist encouraged us to get second opinions because every facility offers their own clinical trials or experimental treatments.  We’re realistic that this cancer isn’t curable (by man – God can cure it if He wills) but have been told there are options to slow it down.   So I called City of Hope to…

Simon has been back in the hospital three full days now.  Long enough to start decorating. Thank you, Texas Flag Fairy. It feels like we’re at an impasse. They drained over two liters of fluid from his abdomen again and gave him another blood transfusion.  It seems so redundant to take blood and put it…

We have already figured out that we need to parent each of our children a little differently.  Visiting Simon in the hospital with our middle daughter today was very different than with our oldest son yesterday.  Our daughter was totally in to it.  Like ALL IN.  She was definitely concerned about her dad’s health but…

Simon has a special bond with our youngest daughter.  I know he loves all three children unconditionally, but our baby girl is the most like him.  She has the same long, skinny body type. She has his bright blue eyes.  She has his medium brown hair.  And at two and a half, she is observant,…

Simon is on day six at the hospital.  We know most of the doctors and nurses by name now.  We’re becoming experts with all the new medical terminology.  One of our friends noticed some of Simon’s breathing equipment was operating improperly and fixed it . We even had a romantic, custom made dinner for two delivered from…

My younger brother is getting married this Saturday. He and his fiance have dated for four years and have wanted to get married since day one.  They are innocent, sweet, and both equally into cute, nerdy stuff like steampunk. This will be one of the last weddings on both sides of our families for a…

SIMON IS HOME!!!!! He spent a full week in the hospital.  Everyone was missing him here, especially Goomba.  I would turn around and get this look a thousand times a day. During Simon’s stay, he had four procedures, over eight liters of fluid drained, and six blood transfusions. We had meetings with specialists in Oncology,…

Our wedding was near perfect in our opinion. We had hundreds of friends and family attend our ceremony and reception in California on a breezy October afternoon in 2004. We had an additional reception in Texas a week later. We spent our wedding night in a hotel near LAX since we would be leaving for…

My brother’s wedding was yesterday.  It was joyful. Truly.  I did all my ugly crying the night before and spent the day in the moment.  There was much laughter and no awkward questions to answer.  And as predicted, our middle daughter had to be peeled away from the dancing when it was time to leave.…

We want to thank everyone who has supported us in our journey these past four weeks. So many have visited, helped with errands, played with the kids, contributed financially, and prayed fervently. You are blessing us so deeply and allowing us to focus on life, not the things that distract us from life. Today I…

One month ago today, it was Father’s Day. Simon worked out in our yard for three hours. He finally finished ripping out the massive bougainvillea that was terrorizing our back fence. I was working on a to-do list for the week. Here’s that list: Monday Drop off kids at school, all need lunches packed Pick…