Jan. 2008

It hardly seems that a full year has come and gone. So much has happened in this last year. The best thing is how the year ended. I received news in the middle of Dec. that the increased medicines has decreased the bad chromosomes in the blood. This is a really good thing and I truly am feeling sooooooo much better. Then to top that off..........all the kids were here for Christmas. That's right...12 kids all under one roof. David, Jared and Rachel, Jonathan and Julie, Rebecca and her soon to be husband Daniel, my Daniel, Roger, Anna, Robert and Andrew. For all the people it was the calmest Christmas I have had in a while. We spent time with each other....playing with each others toys. The boys and a few girls shot a black powder gun, BB gun, and cap gun. We then moved to archery. And of course there was the electronic helicopters and hoover crafts flying in all directions. We ate well and played Canasta by the hours. Before Christmas we took care of some of the wedding plans and even made appointments to take care of more wedding plans after Christmas. Then like all good things...kids had to go back to their homes and places and life at home settled down to a quieter routine. All in all - a great end of the year and beginning of a new year.

A time for Thanks

Nov. has arrived with all its activities and cooler weather. I started the month out with a quick, and I mean quick trip to TX to visit all that I could see there. Went to Waco and saw Rachel and Jared, my brother and mother, Rebecca and her Daniel, and last but not least my Daniel. We saw and worked on Rachel's classroom, ate out, shopped, ate out some more, went to a movie, ate out even more. I think we all enjoyed ourselves even if it was for different reasons...at least we all had a chance to spend some time loving on each other. Then home to spend some time with my best friend Cindy on Mon., Tues. brought some medical test and 4H archery. Wed. we have a field trip to a pizza place and Georgia goes to the groomers to become beautiful...and I am not sure if there is a free hour to sit down on Thurs. with dentist, vet visit, teacher visits, and company for dinner. I wanted to share a song that has really touched my heart at this time in my life...I will let it speak for itself.
GRACE FOR THE MOMENT
lyrics by Tricia Walker & Buddy Greene
music by Buddy Greene
Grace for the moment, all that I need
Grace for the moment and faith to receive
The promises given to those who believe
Grace for the moment, all that I need.

When I fret over outcomes that I cannot see
It's for certain I'll not have the peace meant for me
But when with thanksgiving I just look to Him
He will answer me time and again with

chorus

If I understand faith, it's not counting on me
It's the hope and assurance of what I can't see
It's the daily relying on Jesus to be
Providing more grace faithfully
Further proving His great love for me with

And with all that said....God has been loving me a lot recently...hope you are all feeling his love and grace as well. This is truly something to give THANKS for as Thanksgiving approaches

Well here is the news from the sunny, but colder than normal bamboo forest in CA. Oct. has started out with a bang. In just the first week we will celebrate Larry's bday...and I will post more on that later.
I had another cancer dr. appointment. 5 short weeks ago I saw him and he thought that I might be close to remission so we sent blood work to Stanford and waited for the results. I was suppose to be going in to see what the next steps would be. Surprise, when I arrived the finger stick showed an elevated WBC...out of limits that are allowed. Let's not worry about it yet till I get the results from Stanford....so the results came in while I was on my way home. The counts have all increased and we are not increasing my meds... that's right. The really nasty one that swells my face and makes me feel all warm and queasy inside... So other than having a big emotional upset...when you think your winning and then the score board doesn't say you are....you just go to your knees and tell the coach that you will keep on trying and to let you stay in the game. And of course, he will keep you playing as long as he can and he has a great game plan...I just don't know it yet. I think the hardest part was telling all the team players...not being able to hug the girls and tell them it will be alright...looking at the boys faces and seeing that they don't know how to react...and praising God for the grace that the little ones truly don't understand or comprehend what lies ahead.
So after a day of increased meds...my stomach stopped hurting right before dinner....I take the meds after dinner and it starts again. But at least I had a great hamburger (homemade) and beans with home grown tomatoes... I just hope I don't loose more of my taste buds like I did when I started the meds....I LIKE FOOD!
Well another road to travel down, another day to trust God for the little things since I already trust him with the big stuff (I learned that I can't do anything about the big stuff). And now another night to rest the old bag of bones and see if I can keep Larry awake with my snoring.....Life is Good...the other option is not so good.

Sept. is coming to a close. Much has happened in the Gullman family. We all went to fair (except Dad just came for a short visit with Jonathan)for a long fivc days. We had meat goats for the first time. So of course there were pens to clean, goats to clean and feed, pens to decorate, and of course fair food to consume. We worked in the clover deli selling food for 4H, worked taking pictures in the GVCC booth for community service, and made lots of new friends.

Then we came home to starting school, doctors appointments, getting some year round goats. I also went to Pastor Koppers wedding. While that may seem sort of normal...Pastor Kopper is 90 years old. He is full of life and chose a beautiful bride. After the wedding Jared (Rachel's husband) arrived with Doug (a college friend) and a well driller machine. The visit was very short but is was fun.

Now we are preparing for Andrew to turn 8 in a day or so. So life marches on...Soon it will be Dad's b'day and then Mom Gullman comes for two weeks...and Oct. will be over before we know it.

Where have all the days gone??

It is hard to believe that summer is coming to a close. It seems like only yesterday school ended and summer adventures began. Yet, time is gone and life long memories have been made. May was a big graduation month for us with Rachel and Jonathan both graduating from LETU. And I will add with honors as well. Then home to CA and plans were set into play.

A sailing trip of grand perportion was planned. Larry, David, Jonathan,Daniel, and Roger set sail to see how far south they could go. With adventure and excitement mixed with days of boredom and windless seas the days passed. It would be 40 days before Larry came home and almost 60 before the rest of the crew would set foot on American soil.

Mom and the girls and young boys had another type of adventure. We hosted two young ladies from France and had a great time showing off our great views and culture to them. I also had several great opportunities to get to know my future son-in-law Daniel over the summer. That is right Rebecca is getting married next May "08". We attended concerts, parades, movies, dinners, beach trips, shopping, church, aquariums, ostrich farm tours, boardwalk, Dairy Queen (soft serve cones, not available in France), plays at the local college... and spent lots of time laughing and having fun.

Then we finished off with a trip for the whole family to Mexico to pick up the boys and spend some time in the sun. After a good amount of sunburn and fish we returned home to leave Julie at her new home for the school year in Azusa. We also left Daniel and Rebecca there to start their trip to LETU and Texas. Then finished and drove home and have settled in for the first day of school and back to work.

Well I will be posting more in the future. I seem to have remember the password and codes to be able to start back up this time consuming activity.

Well another week has ended. I am actually feeling like I am able to get more done in a week. Yesterday I had to see the heart specialist....and while he says my heart is under stress...I do not have congestive heart failure. Lots of water retention so double the lasix and potassium. It is all due to the Gleevec I think. If the Leukemia doesn't kill me I am sure the treatment might. Just teasing although it feels like it at times. Next Mon. I send more blood to Stanford. I have mixed feelings about this...if the blood work is better then I have to have a bone marrow test...if not then more medicine and time. I have to take the medicine anyways... I am scared about the bone marrow...I never have been one to like pain and not much has changed.
I have started making plans for the next few months. It helps keep the depression at bay and gives me something to look forward to. So after Easter, we shall get on the road and take a vacation...hopefully for several weeks and end up in TX the beginning of May for two kids graduations! I am very proud of all the hard work they both have put into their education...the money too.
The La Honda house is rented again. Larry has been working weeks and weeks to get it ready. Still has a few more weeks but hopefully before March is up he will be done. He put in a new bamboo floor in the loft bedroom up front. Looks cool with all the stripes. He is having Jim come up and help clean up the entry way and gravel the driveway.
It is also Fri. so date night is tonight. We go in the back office which is attached to our bedroom and eat dinner without the kids, watch a movie and then get in the hot tub. The rule of thumb is, no blood or guts don't interrupt.

Week three

After being in bed mostly for three days...I am up for a short period of time. Larry lovingly looked at me and asked if I was taking those water pills cause he had never seen me so puffy. It is so nice how he put it. I basically have lost my neck and facial features due to the medicine and water weight. I look and feel like the good year blimp...just hopefully not as grey. The good new is that my white blood count is down...the bad so is my red blood cell count..below where it needs to be. I keep hoping that this will be the worse of it...and I guess I have to wait and see.
It is time for bed again...I am glad that I like my bed. So does Georgia. She seems to sense that all is not well with her mistress...she keeps trying to clean my ears as if that will help. At least she is content to stay across me in the bed, guarding me from who knows what.
This Fri. Larry and I will be married 28 years. Some times it really feels like a life time and others I still wonder who is this man that I married. Guess that is what I like about him...some comfort and he keeps me guessing.