You gotta love livin', baby, 'cause dyin' is a pain in the ass. Frank Sinatra

Yes, the posts are getting few and far between and for that, I apologize.  It is difficult to write when it is the same thing over and over again.  The pain is getting worse.  Much much worse.  Tonight, for example, the amount of pain Sam is in is almost too much for me to bear. The radiation proved to be ineffective, at least so far.  The entire left leg is in pain and Sam is unable to lift his leg by itself, he must use his hands to help lift.  The talk now is of getting a walker or a wheelchair as he is unable to walk or stand without any pain.  We expected possible issues from his back, but not from his leg.  It is heartbreaking.  The amount of pain meds also increased at the last appointment and I am now thinking the next appointment might even bring a whole new ballgame.

Sam, Dara, Gina, Mitch
and the Alaska Railroad Hurricane Train

The Mighty Susitna!

On a happier note, Sam's sister Gina and
partner, Mitch, came for a visit over Memorial Day.  They met us in Talkeetna where I worked all last week.  One of the activities we wanted to do was jetboat up the Susitna River through Devils Canyon.  Well...if you have not heard...summer did not arrive in Alaska until late last week.  The river did not begin break up until Saturday.  Instead, we rode the Hurricane Train, basically the local service, to and from Talkeetna.  We almost did not make it back to town because the ice was coming up over the track.  Oh boy!  But, the river subsided enough for us to safely return quickly.

Thank you to all who sponsored myeslf and/or members of the Glass Half Full team in the 2013 Alaska Clean Air Challenge.  WOW.  What a ride.  Next year is going to be even bigger and better, so if you have any desire whatsoever, the Glass Half Full team would love to have you join us.  The first day was a blizzard and the second day was sunshine which made the ride that much more challenging for those who chose to ride on the first day.  Brakes, tires, gears, everything froze up so most people rode in one gear for a good part of the way, if not all of the way.  It was amazing.  Glass Half Full raised the most money as a team and, thanks to all of you, I managed to raise the most funds individually with 3 of my team members raising over $1000 each as well.  We broke records this year.  Alaska is one of the remaining states in which smoking is allowed in some workplaces throughout the state.  I will not get into the craziness of how this all works, but in the 2014 legislative season, the Alaska Chapter of the American Lung Association will be working hard to make it illegal to smoke in any and all workplaces throughout the entire state.

Glass Half Full - Joann, Kimi, Ellie, Cindi & Dara
2013 Alaska Clean Air Challenge

Just so you know, as I sit here looking at the thermometer on our deck with the sun shining directly upon it...it reads 100 degrees. Yikes.  Thank goodness it is only because of the location of the sunshine.  Otherwise, it is probably about 70 out and very, very sunny.  At least for another day.

q'ua