A moose on our street!

Dear friends,

On Saturday when Greg went out to clear snow and ice away from drains with the neighbors, he spotted moose tracks! 6-7 inches long. They went up the side of the street and around the corner and up the next street. One of my goals is to see a moose in person, and although I didn't see it, I am closer to my goal than I was a week ago. There is so much snow in the mountains that they are coming down into populated areas more than normal this year. My friends know to call me if they see one so I can possibly get a glimpse.

The last time I wrote we had just gotten to Orlando for the Call2All Congress. The congress was very inspirational. The worship was excellent and we enjoyed fellowship with pastors and mission leaders from around the world, as well as a few former co-workers and friends. It was so great for Greg to be there to represent Partners in that setting. He was able to share what Partners is doing in the least reached parts of the world with indigenous ministries. As agencies were strategizing ways to get the last 600+ groups reached, it was good for Greg to be able to offer information about what our partner ministries might already be doing amoung these groups.

The schedule was demanding and we stayed 40-60 minutes away, so I got pretty tired. I felt sick on Thursday that week and actually took a 2 hour nap on 4 seats up in the balcony of Northland Church while Greg attended a round table discussion. We saw a preview showing of the Ben Stein movie called Expelled. It was very powerful. Ben Stein was actually there. It is being released by the same company that did The Passion. It will be relased in theaters in April. Also, we heard about a new website about to be debuted called YahWay. It is similar to Yahoo but being done by Christians.

After the conference we visited Greg's Uncle Fred and Aunt Beth who have a winter home in The Villages north west of Orlando. Allison was able to meet us and we had a relaxing time with them and her until we left for home at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday the 3rd. Jesse ended up having the entire week off from school because of snow and had a great time with Andrew and his friends.

Allison is in the home stretch and graduation is April 27th at Southeastern. Her student teaching is in full gear. Greg and I hope to go for her graduation. Thank you for praying for her and our other kids.

I have had some medical check ups. My hysterectomy/rectocele has healed well, but she told me to be careful of lifting and to avoid it when I can for the rest of my life. Also, now that my rectum is back where it is supposed to be, my bladder is decending into the viod where my rectum was. I am not planning to do anything about that, and so far it isn't a problem.

I had an ultrasound last week to check the scar tissue on my left side. It is new since last May and is from radiation. I learned that it usually grows for about 1 1/2 years and then stops. It has been 13 1/2 months since I finished radiation. I also learned that if there were cancer in my scar tissue, there would be an active blood supply there. The ultrasound indicated that it is just scar tissue, but my surgical oncologist also wanted me to have an MRI to make sure the ultrasound picked up everything. If after comparing them, the ultrasound showed everything, next time she can check it with just the ultrasound which is much cheaper. I had the MRI yesterday.

The MRI people had me positioned like Superman flying for 40 minutes which has made my shoulder sore. But I am sure that is just temporary. My shoulder is doing well and after PT next week, I am going to be able to finish my therapy at home. My range is good, but I just need to strengthen my shoulder for over the head reaching. I forget a lot of days that I even had my shoulder fixed.

I will see my oncologist later this month. I tried going off my Femara for two weeks to see if I would feel less achy. There was no change, so I am back on Femara and my oncologist will have to see if he can figure out what is going on. I had blood work done which will hopefully give him some clues. My integrative medicine doctor and breast surgeon are also planning to see me in the next few weeks. I would appreciate your prayers for me to have pereverence. Greg and I were talking over the weekend and when thinking about it, I couldn't think of the last time I felt good. I feel like I got hit by a truck most days. We are tired of all the doctor visits, and would love to turn the corner from that...for me to feel good and have energy again. I have a bad sore throat today and spent the day resting.

Greg turns 50 on Sunday. He got Geritol outside his office yesterday and a deck of "Uh Oh, Five O!" cards today. The staff are having fun teasing him! He is such an amazing guy. It is an honor to be his wife. This summer it will be 25 years. I remember his 25th birthday back in Pasadena.

I need to get to sleep, but know that it was important to get this done today as I haven't written for 2 weeks. God bless you! I will write soon and let you know how the MRI results come out.
Blessings- Nancy