Standing Firm

Howdy Folks!I wanted you to witness the popsicle fetish!! Does he look happy or what?? And yes you will notice some left over orange Popsicle on Dad's face :) I am telling you, he eats one after another!! :)




The little furry guy you see in his lap is my step doggy.....Louie. Dad loved a furry friend that could get in his lap! He called him "LuLu." Pretty Funny:)




Tyler and Papa Gene in their matching orange Harley shirts!


Dad is tolerating the medication very well. He has not been sick at all.....PRAISE GOD :) He is through with the pills for now-Now they just take a few weeks to do their damage :) We go back in early October to see where we are.

We are so thankful that things are going well. Our prayer is that Dad will continue to tolerate the Chemo well, and that it shrinks that tumor!!

Most of you remember Dad's clinging cross. He has carried it with him through this trial. it has been a great tool to remind him of God's love and promises. The other day I found him a pocket size clinging cross. He didn't want it in his pocket-He wanted to wear it around his neck.....Right by his heart. That is just a little sign to show you where Dad stands! We Stand Firm in God's grace and mercy--We fully trust Him and know that He is in control.

WE BELIEVE!!

Report

Good News/Bad News......Which do you want first??? Let's start with the bad....the tumor has grown. However, that is not surprising since there has been no Chemo since June 9th. The good news is that we are going to try Chemo again. Dr. Loghin was very impressed with how well Dad is doing. We are going to try another type of Chemo that will be in pill form. He takes a combination of pills for 5 days, and then we sit and let it do its thing. The cycle is 42 days so we will go back for an MRI, blood work and doctor visit in six weeks. The hope is that the Chemo will at least stabilize the nasty little tumor, but hopefully even shrink it! Dad is in great spirits and wants to fight this as long as he can........

My admiration for him grows as this journey continues. He is tired, and has had his life turned upside down, but he has never once thought of giving up. That is what makes him our hero...... What an inspiration he is to all of us........

I am thankful to call him Dad.

I am also thankful today for a God who still performs miracles. 13 months ago we were told that Dad had a few months left to live...... He is still here and fighting.....Folks, in my book that is a miracle from our great Lord!!

We Believe!!!

Howdy folks- Sorry I have been out of pocket-I am back to school and it has been a whirlwind! I will be teaching at a new school this year, and so far everything is going great!I love my team and the kids are great :) I am so thankful that God blessed me with a great school! I also have a gracious new principal that has allowed me to miss training tomorrow in order to attend the appointment with Mom and Dad. I am so glad I can be there with them. I will let you know what we find out. This is a big day! As always, we appreciate your prayers and we are trusting that God has a hand in this and we trust Him.

We Believe!
Mrs. Cox :)

Dad is doing well being at home......All he wants to do is eat, sleep and consume Popsicles!! We have a nurse that comes out once a week and an aide that comes out three times a week to help take care of him. We have an appointment at MDA on Thursday the 21st for a reevaluation. Then we will know if we are going to do more Chemo. We'll keep you posted :)

We Believe!

There is No Place Like Home

From the ER to ICU........a hospital room to a nursing home........ hiccups to viral Meningitis...........52 days later DAD IS COMING HOME TODAY!!! We are so, so glad to get him out of that nursing home and home again! We have also talked to Dad about Chemo and he wants to try it again! We could not get in to MDA until Thursday, August 21st. They will do a re-evaluation and see where we go from here. In the meantime Dad will be at home and we will get some Home Health to help Mom take care of him.

I am so thankful that Dad is such a fighter, and that even after all that he has been through he is not giving up!! Thank you so much for your continued prayers that give him the strength to keep fighting!

We Believe!

BAHAMAS!!

Well folks for those of you that are interested, here are the long awaited honeymoon pictures!!

The trip was amazing!!

I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who treats me like a queen! Allan, thank you for being you. I love you and I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a husband as wonderful as you. You have a heart of gold, and I am a lucky gal ;) I Thank God everyday for you.

As you can see, I had a hard time narrowing down the pics so enjoy :)

Dinner our first night at an Italian Restaurant

This is the view we had each day from the cafe where we ate lunch.
One of our favorite things we did was have dinner on the pier. Eating steak and lobster with my sweet husband over the ocean as the sun sets is about as good as it gets ;)Below you will my salad, oh I mean OUR appetizer that I ATE!!! Whoops....I thought it was my salad!! We got a good laugh out of that!

Did I mention it was really good?!!?

It is kind of hard to see but Allan wrote in the sand:

A & G 6-7-8

Here are few pics of the resort.

Above is the view from our room.
This is the private island that is part of Sandals. There is a pool and restaurant on the island. Around the back was a secluded beach that we could enjoy without people right on top of us. It was really neat.

We went into the city one day to shop. Allan just loved going through the straw market...NOT! It was really hot and crowded, but he was a trooper and let me shop away! Ok, the highlight of our trip. We took this 60 ft power boat 40 miles out from the Bahamas to the Exuma Islands. It was breathtaking. The first stop was to an island where we fed the Bahamian Rock Iguanas. This is the only place in the world that this species of Iguana lives. When we pulled up, they were everywhere! It was crazy!! Let's just say the next few pictures will show that my new hubby was in hog heaven!!!! I was content to keep my distance from the the little critters.( Taking pictures is such a good excuse! :)

After feeding the Iguanas we Arrived at the Island where we would spend the day. There are sting Rays, sharks, Gar, and tons of fish swimming around everywhere. The day included feeding sting rays, watching these locals catch sharks, a great lunch prepared fresh by the tour guides and snorkeling. It is hard to describe how beautiful it was. Hopefully the pictures will tell the story. Allan feeding a sting-ray! Again, Someone had to take pictures, right?!?
Yes my husband is in the water swimming with Sharks!

This is the guy who was shooting a video. This shows you how big these sharks were!
These are all the sharks and sting rays that were swimming right by the shore.This wild hog lives on the island!!! It was hilarious to see him out there swimming!

And that is the Beautiful water.............. Hope you enjoyed ;)

You and You Alone

Howdy Folks-

Looks like we are going to try and get Dad home by this weekend. YEAH!! He has about had enough of that place, and he wants to come home. Mom has checked to see what kind of help she can get at home. We are still checking on how much of that insurance will approve. While it will be tough on her, she is ready for the challenge! We are looking forward to having Dad back home. Please pray for a smooth transition!! We are also trying to make a decision about doing more Chemo. Dr. Loghin originally said that we were not going to do anymore because she thought it would hurt him more than it would help him. However, when Dad bounced back from the meningitis, she told him if he regained his strength, and wanted to give it another shot, to call her. Please pray for discernment in this area. It is a very tough place to be. Do you do more Chemo, and run the risk of complications? Or do you not do Chemo, and therefore do nothing to stop this tumor from taking over? Not an easy decision to make. We appreciate your prayers so much as we continue to travel this beaten path. While these decisions are hard, God is in control and we trust that no doctor, chemo treatment or decision that we make will control Dad's future.....Our Lord has full power and control and He is faithful. One of my favorite scriptures is:

Jeremiah 29:11.

For I know the plans I have for you, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, Plans to give you a hope and a future.

Lord, thank you for loving us more than we can fathom, and more than we deserve. Guide us in the days ahead as we seek your will, and seek to make the best decisions for Dad. Thank you for the hope we have in you and you alone.