It’s been a few months since I’ve blogged on Eli’s journey. I feel monotonous posting as his treatment continues to be the same, although I shouldn’t as each day looks different for him and us. Some days are amazing and one would never guess in a million years what he’s walking through, while other days are long, painful and just plain hard on him. Each of us chose our ‘word’ for 2017 and Eli picked BOLD: not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring; necessitating courage and daring; beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action. Such a fitting adjective for this little guy;) Soooo… in honor of his BOLDNESS I’ll blog on some of his accomplishments and our fun over the last few months rather than the sad, hard side of treatment!
Eli’s ‘word’ for 2017!
He’s taking swim lessons with Miss Sam and doing awesome! It’s taken Eli a long time- 5 years to be exact, to be ready to learn to swim. It’s just not been his thing, however, living on the lake, it’s always been my thing for him simply from a safety standpoint! He’s floating and going under water and jumping in and diving for rings and swimming half the length of the pool, and everything else I’ve been impatiently waiting for him to do!!! Lets just say he’s been getting a lot of praise around here for his swimming;)
Despite our not-so-great-skiing winter, Eli has progressed quite well! He’s able to hold his own… now we just need to wait for next winter to rain down mass amounts of snow for us!
He’s also participated in Kids Kicking Cancer as well as some of their social events, like a Detroit Piston’s game.
We’ve had some unbelievably warm temperatures this winter so Eli’s enjoyed playing outside with Baylor… who returns to Leader Dogs for the Blind in April, which is SO BITTERSWEET!! He’s been the BEST dog EVER! God’s got big plans for this very special puppy!
We were in the midst of planning our dream trip when Eli was diagnosed. We put it on hold for about eight months and then just decided that life’s short, he’s in a good place right now, received a thumbs up from his oncologist so dove back into planning mode…well, Jody plans and I pack;) We’d been saving airline miles to head to New Zealand for several years and finally had enough so… we went. We made a pit stop in Tokyo, Japan because it was on the way and “we’re so close”… that’s my line to Jody when we’re within 10 hours of any country we haven’t yet visited;) We were there for a little less than three days and to be honest, we were pretty jet lagged so my facts and timeline may be a little remiss. We toured Tokyo with a lovely gentleman named Mr. Somo. It was an incredible 7 HOUR walking tour- yes, SEVEN HOURS! Jody had more faith in us than we could muster. The one thing I can tell you about Tokyo is that it is probably the cleanest city we’ve ever visited. I’m kind of a germ-phobe and I could’ve eaten off the subway floors! No lie! Everything was glistening… yet there were no garbage cans to be found ANYWHERE! Truly amazing to me.
On the subway with Mr. Somo.
Lunch at an authentic Japanese noodle bar.
Cool Chinese dude
Visiting the statue of Hachiko, the dog who waited for his owner at the Shibuya subway station for more than nine years after his owner’s death. He’s a symbol of loyalty and fidelity in Japanese culture.
Shibuya Crossing; this is reportedly the busiest intersection in the world. It was INSANE!
From Tokyo we flew 10 hours south to Auckland, New Zealand where we stayed for about 24 hours and then boarded a short flight to the south island of New Zealand. Our goal was to tour the south island, which is known for its natural beauty and hiking. And it sure was BEAUTIFUL! It’s pretty desolate along the coast so we stayed in everything from hostels to tents to hotels. Our first stay was in a snazzy hostel called Jucy Snooze… yes, you read correctly JUCY SNOOZE. I have to be honest, we were a little nervous about staying in a hostel with strangers with the kids but God was good and we ended up with a sweet French couple that spoke as much English as Lexie speaks French so all was good! There were eight ‘pods’ per room and the kids LOVED this place! It was super clean and safe so this mama was A-ok!
Eli thought he’d died and gone to heaven; his own private spaceship!
There was an Antarctica museum/experience close to Jucy Snooze so we ventured over to check it out and found out that McMurdo Station is an American Naval base right across the street that flies people/supplies to Antarctica! One day….
They had huskies here and this guy was my fav… clearly the feelings were mutual;)
We drove through Arthur’s Pass which is the highest pass across the Southern Alps. We visited Pancake Rocks, which Eli thought was hysterical.
We fed eels- sorry , they’re still a yuck for me!
Hiked to Frantz Joseph glacier….
Hiked to Fox Glacier and had the amazing privilege of seeing and HEARING an avalanche!
Thankfully we took along our photographer, Lexie;) She was able to capture some gorgeous scenery.
A hike into the mountains…
We eventually made it to the adrenaline capital of the world, Queenstown. Little too touristy for our taste but fun just the same. We opted for the original jet boat tour along the Shotover River… WOW! I’ve always had a lead foot so I think I have some career options there!
And Lexie chose to bungy jump off the Kawarau Bridge, which was the first site for bungy jumping. I couldn’t help but wonder who the first young man was that decided it’d be outrageous entertainment to tie rope to their feet and jump just for the fun of it?!?! I have to admit that I worked for a bungy jumping company in college one summer but the thought of my daughter jumping caused me serious anxiety!! And she was as cool as a cucumber and as graceful as a dove… totally from her daddy;)
We ‘glamped’ in this incredible tent with true furniture, beds, bunkbeds, etc. This was definitely a first! I have to plug AirBnB here because this is why I love this company so much; truly original, authentic properties. I also have to mention that New Zealand is an incredibly diverse country- LOVED THIS!!- and the couple we rented this tent from owned a Thai restaurant that we visited. We had the best Thai food, outside of Thailand, that we’ve ever eaten! And they were authentic New Zealanders, not Thais!
And this video is for pure laughter… enjoy;) The family Sriracha Challenge!
We kayaked…
Took a boat tour of Milford Sound where we were fortunate to have phenomenal weather; the first sunny day since Christmas! They said it’s usually so cloudy that you can’t see the tops of the mountains.
A picnic lunch spot…. ahhhh, just majestic.
Of course we had to tour the Cadbury chocolate factory in Dunedin on the eastern coast! We were all in sugar comas by the time we exited;/
I had to take some pictures of the city landscape in ChristChurch. They’re still doing some serious rebuilding from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. So very sad. They’ve acquired quite a character of perseverance there though. One area that we loved was a shopping mall called Re:Start built entirely of shipping containers; it was beyond creative and entrepreneurial.
We had a quick 24 hour layover in Sydney, Australia so had to grab a quick picture at the Opera House;) Sydney was warm and sunny so we enjoyed a perfect day at Manly Beach via a ferry boat ride.
We were able to enjoy some low key family times as well as create some amazing family memories;) We’re in a huddle presently with some amazing couples and are currently encouraging/challenging each other to make time for margin and rest in our family lives…we’ve realized that’s one of the top reasons we enjoy traveling so much. It allows us to create intentional family time, family identity, rest and margin… ahhhh. We’re at peace when we’re traveling;)
One other fun thing about our time in NZ and Australia… it was over Chinese New Year!! They receive tons of Chinese tourists during this time so every place was decorated to the gills to honor them.
Unfortunately we had to return home so Eli could receive chemo and a lumber puncture;( Good news is there continues to be no leukemia cells found in his blood- seriously Praise Jesus!! Bad news, he grew just enough to have all his chemotherapy and steroid dosages increased…again;( It’s been a rough few weeks for him as his body adjusts to the higher levels of drugs, but he’s tough and God is good!
Aunt Andrea came down to hang with us so these two goofballs had a photo shoot;-) Crack me up! She filled his lil’ love tank to the brim with games, good books and loads of snuggles;)
Eli asked if he could be paid to pick up sticks in the yard and I said “YES, sir!” Being the youngest and fairly physically weak oftentimes we, unfortunately, overlook him in the heavy chore department so this was a great way to sow into some good ole’ manual labor! Wish I would’ve taken a final pic but his stick pile was HUGE when he was finished. He toured the yard gathering sticks for an HOUR! We were super proud of him!
Another major highlight for Eli, and honestly, the rest of us!, was getting to meet Ellie Holcomb after her concert at 20 Front Street!! She is truly ordained and has such a gift for both music and preaching God’s Word! We’ve loved one of her songs, Find You Here, only to find out last night that she wrote it for her father when he was diagnosed with cancer. Honestly!
We continue to thank God for your interceding over Eli and our family! I hope I can convey how appreciative of you that we are! Prayers in the area of continued medication adjustment for Eli and how his body metabolizes these drugs would be appreciated.
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous (BOLD). Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Parenthesis mine.
“Cancer is only going to be a chapter in my life and not the whole story.” by Joe Wasser, a Lymphoma Club
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