Getting Stronger by inches

Our Spring vacation was a busy one this year.    Mine started with a trip to Walla Walla to visit my hairdresser for a hair cut.   I jokingly refer to it as a "few hairs cut".   Coleen shaped up the edges and trimmed the extra long white hair on top.  It is nice to have hair to cut, and to have it look more purposeful.   with a little gel to give it definition I have a new look.  My hair is a little different than it was before chemo.  It is a bit darker... so the gray shows more, and it has some curl to it.  Something I have never had in my life.    I have been told both will fade so I will enjoy it while it lasts.   The fun of this forced style change is that I will get to try all kinds of hair style as it is growing out and just might find a new look to keep along the way. 

 

Mom and Daughter Kendra

After my visit to see Coleen, I drove to Medford via Portland  to spend some time with my parents.  I hadn't seen them since my diagnosis.  It  was wonderful to visit with them and help them out for a few days.   I was able to go to church with them and personally thank all the wonderful people there who had  been praying for me. (I bet they still are :)

On Monday, I drove to Corvallis to pick up Preston and Daniel.  We headed to Seattle to catch our flight to Washington DC.  My main reason for going was to see Kendra and Tim (daughter & son-in-law) and see their "world" and meet their friends, coworkers and neighbors.    See their home, experience their life.  We  had a wonderful time.    On Wednesday - Saturday we saw lots of sights(Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Smithsonians: Air & Space, Natural History(Gems and Minerals), Art & Portrait, Botanical Garden, Sculpture Garden, walked miles, visited "the kids" favorite haunts: restaurants, Eastern Market (like a very big Saturday Market.....    oh the list goes on and on.  Lots of fun, very tiring for me.  I usually had to sleep in during the mornings while the guys did something else. I just couldn't keep up with the pace.  I suppose that is to be expected.    We didn't do a good job at all of taking pictures until Kendra was with us on Saturday.  Here are some of my favorites.

 

Tim, Daniel, Kendra, Me, Preston 

on the balcony of the Newseum, with the Capitol Building in the background. 

   A major part of their life is Metro.  Here is Weston we don't have anything remotely like it.  I enjoyed learning the system, although Daniel would tell you I never did really get it.  We had some pretty good chuckles at our "country goes to city" bumbles.  I am really thankful for this system that allowed us to move throughout the city.   I am thankful for the escalators.  Some of them are astoundingly long.   We walked everywhere the Metro wouldn't take us.  

 

This is a hat I saw at Eastern Market, a few months ago I probably would have bought it.   But.... I have hair!

some cool wooden vases and buckets, I wanted to use one as a carry on 

There were lots of jewelry vendors ( my favorite).... and sooo much more!

   This is the owner of the place we ate breakfast, that became lunch at Eastern Market.  He was a hoot!  

All together it was a very fun and memorable trip.  

However, I came home absolutely exhausted, it took me a week to get back on my feet.  
I still need to be patient with  myself.

This weekend I  began weeding flowerbeds, my garden therapy: turning soil, conversing with God, listening to the birds, feeling the gentle breeze.  I don't think I will be up to the 8 hour days of that kind of work quite yet, but I am thankful for the strength to use a shovel and spade, to be able to dig in the dirt and pull weeds!  God is good.