Home

This photo sums up what I love most about our family...

(and it answers so many people's question of: "where does the dog sleep?")

But I digress... 

The point is that as of this Tuesday (May 20th) Jason will complete his 6-week regimen of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for brain cancer.

So basically, we are home!

While I recognize that our "road trip" is not over, I can't help but think that making it through both surgery and treatment is a kind of end of at least a major part of this journey. I feel that we can now re-calibrate our lives for just a moment to better prepare ourselves for wherever the next turn takes us!

And presumably, there will be a few more "left turns";

~ Most noticeably, Jason continues to rehabilitate his left side - Physical and Occupational Therapy (along side some good canine therapy and baseball therapy!) are parts of the complex puzzle of rebuilding neurological connections. There is belief that he should make a 100% muscular recovery, but not without a lot of hard work and patience.

~ Then there is the fact that radiation has left Jason exhausted. I mean, what little energy he has is totally used up just having a conversation or sitting through a meal! I understand that this is a temporary side effect, but am also anxious to see him build stamina and be more alert.

~ And finally, we are all naturally anxious to take another gander at that noggin of his and see what's left in there! Unfortunately, we will have to wait 2-3 more weeks until the inflammation from radiation treatment subsides so that an MRI can show a clear picture.

* sigh *

But that is all just information ~ what has really been going on the past couple of weeks has been beautiful.

EATING

Jason and I had been staying in Grand Junction during the week for treatments (thus the joy of being home!) and savored our time together and enjoyed being entertained by good friends! While being away from home provided plenty of time to rest, we did manage to get out and support Grand Junction's local restaurant economy. We loved our daily outings either to celebrate or visit with friends, discover a new, fun place to eat, or even just satisfy a craving!

Our dear friend Heidi's birthday celebration dinner at The Ale House:

Dinner on the back deck at the new Edgewater Brewery:

Satisfying a craving for a spicy tuna roll at No Coast:

Celebrating Lena's graduation from GJHS:

BASEBALL

And then there is Beaver Baseball!

We have caught the weekend games for sure ~ and the first weekend home was so cold: while it snowed in Meeker we were out of town and bundled up pretty tightly to see them almost pull off a win in the cold rain.

oh this picture! I laugh every time I look at it because Jason looks like a crazy homeless man!
(it was just cold and he was cheering... I swear)

Then the next weekend was absolutely gorgeous!

We watched them eke out a win in extra innings while the warm sun beat down on Meeker and sunburned anything we forgot to cover!

PARTY!

We made it home one Friday afternoon just in time to get the boys to the Elementary School PTO-sponsored annual Spring Fling! The kids were all excited to celebrate the school year...

the fearsome first-graders:

and the fearless fourth-graders:

... then last weekend it was the adults' turn to dress up and celebrate with the annual
Pioneers Healthcare Foundation Spring Gala.

We were lucky enough to have friends come party with us for the weekend:

the Furman University contingency

Jason and his bevy of beauties!

All in all, the past couple of weeks have been fun.
It has been like that late hour of the road trip when you know you're close to home and you start to recognize familiar landscapes... and you sit back, relax and enjoy the journey knowing that you will be in your own bed at the end of the day.