10 years of HOPE

10 years ago today, Gleevec was approved as a first line treatment for leukemia. What a revolutionary change that was! Targeted therapies have continued to be explored, allowing cancer to be attacked without significant toxicities to patients. Imagine how you would feel if you finally had HOPE again after a cancer diagnosis. That is what Gleevec did for so many!

http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/2001/gleevecpressrelease

Read the original press release above.

Fabulous Friends and Finally Getting Away

One of the things that I had to put on hold while Tyler was sick was the ability to travel for fun.  This weekend I got to take a step forward again in my travels.  It was just a short road trip, but I truly enjoyed the opportunity to get away to the other side of the state to visit my friends, Andy and Amy, for the weekend.

As an added bonus to the great company I kept, this weekend was Spring Release in Walla Walla.  That means that I had the opportunity to taste some very good wines on Friday and Saturday.

Many thanks to Andy and Amy for letting me spend the weekend with them and get my traveling bug a little more active again.  I'm already looking forward to my next visit out to see them and their lovely little girl!

Swapped Out!

The home decor swap on Sunday was wonderful! There were many people that were excited about the opportunity to clean out their house, as well as find some great new treasures. I think that a few of the first timers were amazed at how quickly the stuff disappeared into "taken" piles. I got a great shelving unit and some holiday decorations, but I was trying really hard not to shop!

We also raised a couple hundred dollars for the leukemia and lymphoma Society and Team Firefly, so thanks to everyone who helped with that effort as well.

Our next swap is for craft items (on June 12th). It will be a great opportunity to clean out unused crafting supplies or find new items or a new hobby. If you would like to join us at the craft swap, please let me know.

Lamb Day

One of my friends invited several of us out to her mom's farm to see this year's lambs. I borrowed Rachel for the weekend to make sure I fit in with the rest of the parents that would be there. We started the morning with some tasty snacks, while Rachel got to know the other kids there. Everyone was surprised at how big she is getting!

After everyone had a chance to get a snack, we headed out to the barn to see the sheep. Rachel was all bundled up for a day at the farm with her jacket and boots, but she was very excited to see the "farm animals". She had been admiring the sheep through the windows while she had her snack.

The weather has been pretty rainy over the last 4 or 5 months, so the ground was plenty moist and there were several mud puddles for the kids to stomp through.

Rachel was starting to feel a little bit brave and inched towards the herd of sheep she saw, but they got spooked by some of the other kids that were chasing them so she wasn't able to get too close out in the field.

Once the sheep were up in the barn, she was actually brave enough to pet one of them. A couple of the adults caught lambs and would hold them so that the kids could get close and pet them, but Rachel decided not to risk it.

One of the highlights for her was getting to see cousin Mitch. He was dressed in camouflage for the outing so it was hard for me to see him, but Rachel has her father's hunting instincts and was able to pick him out easily.

Unfortunately, the mud got the better of her and she face planted in the biggest puddle that she could find. After she got her entire front covered in mud and whatever else the sheep drip out there, she lost some of her zest to chase after the sheep. Aunt Julie helped me to capture Rachel's feeling on the subject.

After enjoying the lambs and mud (and wearing their parents out), everyone trooped inside for pizza and fruit and tasty cookies. For some reason, every child had on different pants in the afternoon than they had in the morning! We changed Rachel's entire outfit, but Aunt Mandy forgot to bring a change of clothes for herself and got to stay muddy.


Thanks to the Jensen family for Lamb Day! We had so much fun!