"voodoo doughnuts and gal pals"

It truly was a weekend of celebrating the good news from the latest scan - answered prayers and gratitude for healing. It's a small step, but a positive one and it was so wonderful to make the phone calls to family and friends this time. Dr. Karamlou had to repeat himself twice when he told me and mom the news :) I think I was so used to discouraging results that it took a moment to really register what he was telling us - all the tumors in the liver have shrunk, there are no new spots anywhere else and the lung and pancreas tumors have continued to stabilize. All three of us were grinning from ear to ear though as I left the office to go for chemo treatments. A great day!

Dr. Karamlou said to go and celebrate and I certainly did. Dear friends from Atlanta, Wyoming and Charlotte flew in for a long weekend and we kicked up our heels, Portland style. No trip to Portland is complete without a stop at Voodoo Doughnuts and we, along with many other Portlanders and visitors, joined the long line outside the shop on Saturday morning. If you're in town, I'll be sure to take you there and if you're truly adventurous, we can also go to Velveteria, the largest black velvet painting museum in the world (as far as we know :) And yes, we went there too. Who can miss the opportunity to see such a wide array of dogs playing poker or the requisite Elvis paintings?

I'll continue with this current chemo protocol for 3 more cycles (about 6-7 weeks) and then we'll do another scan. Side effects were a little stronger this time, but overall, I feel good and am still teaching full time. I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is next week and we've already finished the first quarter of the school year.

There is so much to be thankful for, not just with the holiday approaching but in the blessings of every day. I'm deeply grateful for so much and thank God for His healing and continued provision for me. I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, surrounded by the people you care most about. We are all so blessed, aren't we?

Love and hugs and heartfelt thanks,

Susan