From "go" this evening Lisa spent 2 hours and 45 minutes on the phone with Frontier Airlines attempting to get our little tour over Seattle and back to Denver, re-scheduled for later. Well, she finally got it. Looks like we'll be going to Seattle on the 9th of January and leaving on the 18th. I would have lost it tonight if I had been the one on the phone... I am very thankful Lisa did it.

Barring another great white-out in the Great Pacific NW, we should be up there soon to see you all! (And to celebrate my 27th Birthday!) Details, I am sure, will be fourth-coming.

~B.

Labels: praise, travel

10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
-Psalm 33:10

Lisa and I were having a conversation the other day about God "thwarting" our plans. (Based off of Psalm 33:10 the idea of God "thwarting" the plans of those He loves. (The peoples)) I told her that I didn't really feel like God had ever "thwarted" a plan of mine. (Changed directions, pointed out a newer/ better alternative or maybe steered me another way, but to my mind "thwarted" was more like: being blocked at every turn.)

Well be careful what you ask for... (not that I remember asking, but maybe it was time for an object lesson none-the-less) so last night/ this morning, I felt thwarted. Blocked at every turn. Planes can't get in. bam. Trains are all booked, Bam. Driving will suck the life and soul right out of you and make you miserable most of the week and it's icy and snowy, BAM. So while we pursued the different routes there seems to be a reason for us to stay here this Christmas.

We'll see what comes.

~B.

Labels: praise

Lisa called up the architecture company that she talked with the time we came up here in September and the lady wants to interview Lisa next week. It'll be right before we leave for vacation, but that is pretty cool! If you could remember 9:30am next Friday in prayer that would be great!

~B.

Labels: praise, prayer request

Under the cover of darkness, we cooked out first turkey. I mentioned that we are cooking this weekend some of the Thanksgiving classics as we were hankering to do so. We were thinking about times last night and realized that we didn't really have 4 to 5 hours in the day to cook the bird. What to do? We dressed him, and tossed him in the oven when we got home from the OC Christmas party. We checked on him 3 hours later and then pulled him out when he was done. Let him sit and we went back to bed. Today will involve some of the things that take a bit of "putting together" and then hanging out in the oven for a bit. Nothing too big.

We're going out to look at some houses this morning. (Condo is set to close on Monday or Tuesday. Everyone is happy and money will flow.)

Please continue to pray for Lisa's job hunt. On Tuesday she sent out 60 some odd resumes into the wilds of Colorado Springs. Pray that she gets some bites for employment!

I'll write up more on the OC dinner later.

~B.

Labels: food, praise, prayer request

Today I am thanking God for Food. Granted that might seem like a semi-silly thing to be thankful for after all the other things I have been thankful for this week, but I learned while I was in the hospital that I get a lot of enjoyment from food. God has blessed us all with wonderful varieties of food and the creativity in which we can combine them! And hey, even if we choose to eat nothing but ________ and we get enjoyment out of it, then we can be thankful to God for providing us with ___________!

Food is great on many levels: Not only is it used to nourish our bodies, but it can also be used to nourish other people's souls. When we prepare a meal and bring it to someone who is sick (we were blessed by this) or when we prepare a special meal and have friends/family/neighbors over for dinner we are telling them that we care. (Excuse potential sappiness here) Food is a tool that God has given us to reach out to people. When you say to someone, "Hey wanna go grab lunch/ dinner" people don't often say, "No, I really don't eat." It's something EVERYONE in the world shares in common, and it's one of the few things that everyone in the world can actually enjoy together!

I am thankful for God giving us the creativity to not only nourish ourselves but to connect with other people as we do so. So, friends, Lisa and I look forward to cooking for you!

~B.

Labels: praise

Today I am thankful for medicine! (In the general sense: IE: the study of, not anything specific, like hydromorphone.)

Medical staff: The Lord has blessed my life through the service of many medical staffers. From students, to Doctors, and especially, Nurses. While not all of them were especially easy to work with, they were all out to make my life better. What kind of special calling is that, to do a job whose goal is to save lives. Granted I help people in a service related field, but what I do is nothing like what they do.

Thank you Father for amazing medical staff! Bless them richly!

I am also thankful for the "geeks" (engineers) who created the medical equipment, or chemicals (looking at you Wes) who 1. saved my life, or 2. will help people in the future.

God has blessed a lot of people with a special kind of technical creativity and the applications are so many and I am thankful for the time and place I live in that I can take part in that.

So if you are a doctor, medical student, or nurse (past, present or future) thank you.

~B.

Labels: praise

Today I am thankful for friends. My list is quite long of the people I call friends, and who call me friend.

My friends have been there for all sorts of adventures in my life. (From the exciting to the not so exciting ones) In my pyramid of support friends would come right after parents.

Sometimes you have to step away from something before you can truely see what the thing you had was/ is. Our moving to Colorado, after the dust settled, has really given me a much better idea of the role that friends play in my life. (When you go from a bunch to nothing, it makes what you had seem that much clearer.)

Lisa and I are striving to find new friends here in COS but it's not as easy when you jump into a place fresh and new. We trust God has people for us here, we just need to find them. (And / or, be open to God leading them to us)

So all my friends, all over the world (you know who you are) thank you for being my friend! Weather young or old, new friend, or long time friend, thank you! I look forward to seeing many of you around Christmas time, but if not, please drop me a line and tell me how you're doing!

Thank you God for the many wonderful friends you have placed in our lives! They enrich me and make me a better person to be sure!

~B.

Labels: praise

I continue my week of thanks by thanking God for my Parents. (And, by proxy my parents-in-law)

If I was to create a drawing of a pyramid of support from this last couple of years, God would be the base, followed by Lisa, and then the parents. They filled gaps that Lisa couldn't and were my constant companion in prayers for my health.

My dad's support of his family through working tirelessly on his own business allowed me many opportunities (private school) that helped shaped me into who I am today. God used my parents to help me become who I am, and without them I would be a completely different person.

I thank my mom for the emotional support she gave over the years of the many things she has supported me in. From making sure I did my homework, to supporting drama stuff, to "just chatting" as I got older.

I would also like to thank Lisa's parents for bringing up (though hard at times I hear... =) ) a wonderful young lady who was equipped to love and support her husband. They also stood by as I was sick and helped in many ways as well.

I am thankful today for the parents in my life. Continuing to shape and guide us even after we have left home. Thank you God for bringing such wonderful people into my life!

~B.

Labels: praise

Today I am continuing my week of thanks to God by thanking Him for my wife. Lisa has been an untold blessing to me in the three and a half years we have been married and before that when we were dating.

There have been times where my mind has wandered to places like, "Where would I be today if I had married X" (X isn't anyone particular, just one of a number of girls I was interested in before I married Lisa). Or "What would my life be like now if Lisa and I hadn't gotten married and I had staid single?" A lot of the answers to those questions are that I wouldn't be in the place I am right now. I don't think I would be in the same physical state I am in today. Lisa has been able to support me, financially, emotionally and physically, while I was sick and her support meant a lot to me, and makes me think that if it wasn't for her that I would be in a much, much different place today.

Lisa's support as we moved was vital as well. This wouldn't have been possible if Lisa hadn't been behind it, and me, or had decided to go but chose to be upset at me for the move. She has been my support through the move and while it put a lot of stress on her she has endured and we both are stronger for what we have been through.

I am thankful for Lisa's sense of adventure. She likes to travel and has a heart for helping people with the skills that God has given her. Her recent trip to Asia was easier on me because I knew that we moved to COS so that I could use my skills and passions to help other people further the kingdom of God, and so letting Lisa go to Asia to do that was very reassuring to me.

I don't know what the future holds for us (Kids? Houses? Pets? Sickness? Adventures? Travel? Cooking?) but I do know that I am very thankful to God for the wonderful young woman He has placed in my life.

I love you Lisa.

~B.

Labels: praise

I figured as this is the week of Thanksgiving that I would take the time and spend a little bit of each day recording something I am thankful for. Before I do that however I wanted to share a bit of what was spoken about in chapel this morning at OC:

The first part of Luke chapter 17 tells the story of Jesus healing ten lepers. The ten men were healed and only one of them came back to thank Jesus for his healing. That man also happened to be a Samaritan. (The other nine were Jewish) The guy sharing with us asked if maybe the other nine lepers, who were Jewish, had felt some kind of "entitlement" to their healing, while the Samaritan hadn't, which is what made him thankful enough to come back and thank Jesus. He was tying it all together with us today by saying that sometimes it seems natural for us as Christians to ask God for things and then when they happen feel like we are entitled to them because we are God's children, and we don't end up thanking Him enough/ at all when we are in this situation. It really made me think about myself and my inner motivations.

To bring it home to me: Do I feel a sense of entitlement to healing because I try to serve God and do what he asks? Or on the other side, now that I am doing better do I properly thank God, and praise Him for the mercies He has shown me?

Overall I am not worthy of any sort of gift from God. The fact that I got anything other than death is a miracle and probably something that I cannot even comprehend.

To start off this week, I am thankful in a very big way for everything I am going to list this week. They are all the blessings of God and there is no way that I could pay for them, repay them, or trade them in for something better. God knows me, and He knows what I need in my life. I am thankful He has chosen me to be a child of His and I eagerly await the future to see what He has in store for me.

~B.

Labels: praise

Let me start by saying: going on a mission trip as an adult completely wins over going on mission trips as a teen. Yes, at the time they were exciting learning experiences and the youth pastors planned so very well. But now, I have specialized skills to offer, I'm enjoy talking with people I don't know very well, and the "teen angst/insecurity/crush on one of the boys on the trip" quotient is gone. In other words, I greatly enjoyed getting to know my team and the ministry we worked with, and helping them to improve their facilities (and thus their work in God's Kingdom!)

So after about 30 hours of travel we arrived at the LDi camp. Because I'm going to reveal some specifics of our work, I'm still not going to name the country we were in. However, Ben has mentioned it in previous blog entries so you faithful readers are probably already aware of it. We spent nine days working with a break on Sunday, then two days sight-seeing in the large city nearby.

The campus we stayed at and worked on was a camp/conference center with high and low ropes courses. These are fairly rare in that country, but apparently the people naturally relate to symbolic meanings so the discussions involved in the course are meaningful and can lead to new spiritual understandings for them. The camp director used to lead ropes courses in Sweden and with his family is learning to relate to a new culture. This camp was only begun about three years ago. At present, the high ropes course is a garden, much more cultivated than the American-woods versions I've seen. However, the only functioning building on campus has some problems, as does the new building being constructed.

What did we do? The three civil engineers and graphic designer spent most of the time surveying the three complicated sites ("legal boundaries" were more or less defined by fruit trees and the site was on a huge slope) and testing local water supplies. I worked with one of the planners at first to map out the ropes course. Meanwhile, the structural engineer and electrical engineer were evaluating everything. A camp director from Washington, his father, and a man who is probably the superstar of Christian camp-planning in America were all there for part of the trip, mostly spending time with the camp director refining his vision and asking him a long list of questions. The electrical engineer's daughter photo-documented the site. During the second half of our time, the team leader (an architect) and I worked on a proposal for an ideal new lodge. On the last day I worked on the report, designed a storage shed and figured out how to improve the existing bathrooms.

Result? We'll give the ministry a report which evaluates their current conditions and our suggestions for both immediate improvements and long term development. Up to now they've been guessing on a lot of things. Now, they have an accurate map and a lot to think about :)

The camp planning did run into some difficulties. The property owner is not a part of LDi, and was not present for most of our trip, so some of the decisions to be made had to be postponed. The source of funds for future development is also in question. To top it off the government is aware of this camp, as small as it is, due to their evangelism in the local village. During out time there, the camp director was considering approaching the government to discuss LDi's work (in a Daniel 1 format: aka we want to eat veggies - let us give it a try and see if we're more healthy!)

At the end, our time in the large city nearby was a superb tourist experience and gave us a chance to hang out and debrief. Actually, the entire trip was a great chance to observe a different culture. I had difficulties with the language, but the camp facilitators all spoke English and by the end of the trip I had managed to master four phrases with a convincing accent :) Still, white people were somewhat a novelty and sometimes the locals wanted to take pictures with me.

The Christians we met were encouragingly bold, especially one woman who tried to witness to us in her native tongue. The staff at the camp had all made sacrifices to be there, and the director truly had a passion for spreading the gospel which I can only believe comes straight from God.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was when our team (from all over the US and even Canada) shared the "short versions" of our testimonies. Somehow I had begun to think that God had no big exciting plans to use me in the world, that this move to Colorado would separate me from the way I had been serving God - in the friendships, family, and high school group of my church. There were no prospects for anything new. But as I heard about the journeys which my team members were on I was reminded that our lives are a continuous story of God's faithfulness. Whatever their age or background, God was revealed himself and kingdom to the folks I worked with more and more. Wonderfully, a couple of the middle-aged men were on their first mission trip; another man had been on ten trips with EMI. Through the rest of the trip as I read the Bible, God reminded me "I make all things new!" and that he had "works prepared in advance for (me) to do."

Now, to respond to the prayer requests from my first letter:

• Being the lead architect was not overwhelming, since this trip was "architecture-lite"


• Having CAD on my laptop was very important! Again, praise God for providence of the software!


• The design for the new building was only at the "design development" stage, a point at which I was competent to handle the drawings with input from the structural engineer and team leader


• For the most part, Ben was content with his time home alone and even enjoyed the relaxation for awhile. We were able to keep in touch over email - that made a big difference!


• LDi didn't have a very specific vision for the camp, but now they should at least know where to start.


• There were almost no problems with our travel arrangements and health!


• The backgrounds and skills of our team adequately covered the needs of this project. Praise God!

I'm glad God provided the circumstances for me to go on this trip. Our goal is to finish our report and sketches by mid-December.

My pictures can be found on Facebook: (You shouldn't need an account to view them.)
album 1, album 2, and album 3.

-L

Labels: pictures, praise, travel

A really big praise: My wisdom teeth extraction went without incident and the teeth came right out. (Dental assistant: "Do you want to keep the teeth when they are out?" Me: "No, no! I don't even want to see them!")

I was a little nauseous when I first woke up and tossed up a bunch of blood, but I came home and slept a bit and was fine. I've been on Tylenol most of the day and I feel just fine. I'm a little hungry, but everything in it's own time. (I do crazy things like watching food network when I am hungry and can't eat... explain the logic in that...)

I have been dreaming of Nachos since yesterday... that might have to be a "solid food" I tackle early on.

It is strange (as I ramble my way through this entry) how I can feel the absence of the four teeth (1, 16, 17 and 32... gone, but not forgotten) in my mouth. It could be the large gaping holes as well.

Tonight I booked our return flights to Seattle for Christmas! Someone explain this to me: It's cheaper to fly from Colorado Springs to Denver to Seattle than to fly Denver to Seattle. More time, but about 20 bucks LESS per person than flying out of Denver. (Which would require a drive up to Denver as well.)

We're working on packing our things up. The list I listed earlier is still up. Ask if you have any questions. It'll go up on Craigslist this next week. (Big ticket item that I need to get rid of as it costs a lot to move/ ship is the TV. I'm willing to haggle on that...)

Missions Fest this weekend. At least one person I will be working with will be there, and my new company will be represented. I think Lisa and I will head down on Saturday and check out the scene. That was something I liked about Urbana so much was the HUGE halls of exhibitors where you could see what kinds of groups were around and what God was doing in the world. Fun stuff.

Again, thanks for the prayers, I look forward to telling you more as we have it. Don't forget our going away party as well! We tried to cover everyone we know via email and Facebook, but if you haven't heard details and want to join in please email me and I'll hit you up with the details.

~B.

Labels: praise

(That title is for you Dan "Slider" McCurley)

The title comes from the time I was set to have a biopsy to find out what was going on inside me and the nurse was trying to get me to swallow a pill and she suggested I give it the "Old College Try". Dan and I have had a good laugh about that since then.

Anyway, we made it back safe from Colorado. Yep... Great trip. Weather was nice... What? Did you want to know something?! Oh, right... my potential job. How could I forget?

Since Lisa and I have talked to the people we felt needed to hear it first (no offense, but the blog isn't really the best place to deliver brand new information to people like your parents) I feel safe in writing here that Lisa and I are officially attempting to move to Colorado. I say "attempting" because I have to undergo a formal interview process where I fill out pages and pages of information, and then they get together a group of people to interview me. I am currently the only one in the "running" for this position (there was another guy, but he felt God calling him elsewhere) so it seems a pretty safe bet that we'll be moving to Colorado Springs. However, while Lisa and I are proceeding forward with this we are both still open to the option that it might not happen. Sometimes God calls us down a path and it doesn't work out for one reason or another. We're open to that as well.

Assuming I get this application done soon I am guessing that they will be "formally interviewing" me in about 2 weeks. So by October 1st we should know if we are going or not. We have hopes of leaving mid-October for Colorado at this point.

I have an appointment at this time for the 1st and the 2nd of October to have my Wisdom teeth removed. (1st is the pre-surgery appointment and the 2nd is the actual extraction) I'm not a big fan of surgery... but I am more confident about it since last November's "surgical escipades". Pray about that is appreciated.

Prayer is also appreciated for both OC and Lisa and myself as we try and figure this whole thing out. We'll keep you all posted as we progress! Time to start packing up the condo... again. (We tried it last time right before I got sick, April 2007.) Maybe the Lord will bless us with good health, and a clear path to Colorado this time! (Thank the Lord for the time I've been given!)

~B.

Labels: praise, prayer request, travel

Today Lisa and I were able to celebrate our 3rd Wedding Anniversary. We had plans to do it last weekend, but then we had to cancel them to go to California for Lisa's grandfather's memorial service, and then I ended up in the hospital for 4 days. So we really haven't had time to celebrate since the 16th.

The first thing we did this morning was to go to the Woodland Park Zoo. We had a good time walking around and seeing creatures that normally aren't seen in these parts. (We continue to marvel as well how much birds act like birds no matter if they are parrots, owls, or raptors)

Following the Zoo we went to the Bush School, where we say a presentation of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)". We ended up seeing that because I had heard it was funny, and because a co-worker of mine at TTC, has a husband who directed it. (And it was Free... which is great.) It was a fun performance, and we enjoyed ourselves.

For dinner tonight we went to "Cascadia" which is a fine eating establishment in Bell Town. (Which is a part of Downtown Seattle.) They are famous for their "mini burgers" which are 2oz burgers made of hanger steak. Add some garlic fries to that order and a "coconut-chocolate lava cake" and it completes a GREAT day together.

Since getting home we've been packing for Seaside. Cheryl (Lisa's sister) will be living at the condo during our away time to look after the bird. (And she can experience the cool-ness that is living in an 800sqft condo in Bellevue, on the edge of Redmond. Not many people get that experience... so you gotta take it while you got it.)

I would like to thank all of you for your continued prayers for my health. I am interested to see how things "settle-down" after August and what life will look like. I'm continuing to seek guidance on that and being open to what God has for me and what He wants me to be doing and how I am to be using the skills he has given me.

(Hopefully I can actually complete this vacation without coming home early for some sort of medical reason!)

~B.

Labels: anniversary, family, praise, prayer request, travel

Wednesday morning coming back from the peninsula with Ryan my stomach really hurt and I spent the drive back in the car reclined and not feeling so great. When I got home I laid down for a handful of hours and the pain eventually went away.

Thursday was pretty normal and everything was going just fine, I staid up a little late with Lisa as she was working and around 10pm my stomach started to hurt again, and then by 12:00 it was REALLY hurting. Like second most painful thing I have ever felt type pain. (Shingles, I am thinking will always be number one) Anyway, if it's enough pain to make me cry out odds are good it's at least an 8 on the pain scale.

Lisa called the nurse care line and they said we should go to the ER. We went to the ER and hung out there until about 6am when they decided they had a room for me in the Hospital. Friday is almost a complete wash as I had been awake since Thursday morning, I was on painkillers and they were trying to keep my awake by asking me questions and asking about tests, etc. I don't remember Friday.

They ended up doing a CT scan and a lot of blood work. Good news, still no signs of tumors in the old "abdominal region". Praise God. They determined that it is either an ulcer (no signs of H. Pilori in the bloodwork though) or a Gastro-intestinal virus. After a couple days of watching me, an being on a "clean liquid diet", I am doing well and looking forward to this week.

I'm going to take it easy today and get back into the grindstone tomorrow. 4 days at the hospital can be tiring!

Thanks for all the prayers and putting up with a lack of news. I did a LOT of sleeping Friday through Sunday morning.

~B.

Labels: praise

Steve's sermon can be downloaded here.

I think you should all do yourself a favor and give it a listen to. This entry will wait. I'm not going anywhere. It'll be a good 38 minutes well spent. I'd like to comment more on this in a few days. Interested to hear your thoughts as well.

~B.

Labels: praise

Thus far it's been a "new" weekend for Lisa and I. Friday night we started our careers as High School staffers by joining the event "Urban Expedition". (We went all over down town Seattle in a photo scavenger hunt.) Possibly needless to say that is more walking than I have done in a year and a half and it left me a little tired. We got a taste for the group however and had a good time doing it. We're looking forward to more later today.

Saturday we went to church and heard a great sermon preached by Steve Allen. (I'll link to the sermon once it goes live. It is REALLY worth a listen.) I'd like to post some commentary on it when it's live so you can listen to it and compare notes with me. After church they had some food out and we hung around and chatted with friends for a bit.

This morning we're going to go to the HS group and try to look like Staff people. (Ryan has been doing it for a while now, so I guess I can give it a try.)

Health wise things continue to roll on. I get stronger (I can't imagine walking around Seattle even a few months ago) and the Lord continues to show me what He wants me to do. I was realizing last night that I am someone who tends to find inspiration from other people. Things that have happened in my life (battling cancer) has been tough, and something that God has blessed me with the strength to get through, but I don't draw inspiration from that. It's part of who I am, and as such I have the whole view of how it has effected my life. I get inspiration from other people around me. I get inspired by what Steve said last night, and even so much as the guy leading worship last night. I've known him for a long time and I've seen him (from a distance) go through some kind of rough times, or "slow points" in his spiritual life, and to see him leading worship like he did last night was really inspiring to me. It's a way I can see God moving.

~B.

Labels: praise

My half birthday doesn't roll around until July 10th, so I haven't made it halfway through 26 yet (interesting... I feel like the first half of the year always goes slower than the 2nd half...) but today I received three birthday cards!

Today Karen Lund handed me a little gift bag and it had 3 cards in it. One celebrating my 30th birthday, and a note on how scared we all were "a couple of years ago" when I had cancer. The next card celebrates my 60th birthday and says some nice things about my wife and the children I have. The final card was a (most likely) belated 90th birthday card.

I wanted to thank Karen for her thoughtfulness and creativity to encourage me through the next 64 years of life. It made me smile and I think perhaps I will try to keep these cards for the rest of my life. (I've tried to keep all the "cancer support" cards I have gotten this past year as well)

Thank you for believing that God has much more in store for me. Seriously all of your support has lifted me when I felt the darkest!

~B.

Labels: Funny, praise

This past week a hope of mine from being sick has started to become realized again. I am no longer too weak where I cannot do a full day of work AND come home and do some cooking. Thus since I have gained some strength back (thank you for your prayers) I have been in the kitchen a little more this week.

Last night Lisa and I made a kind of "Asian Chicken" where we breaded the chicken, fried it a bit, then cooked up some onion and peppers and covered it all with a glaze. Good stuff!

Tonight we went "all out" I made steak in our dutch oven (nothing like cast iron to put a really nice "char" on the outside of meat!), and I made up a kind of warm potato salad type thing using red potatoes, sour cream, tapenade, garlic, salt and pepper which turned out pretty good. Lisa went ahead and made a Morrell family favorite, Yorkshire Pudding. She makes it off the recipe my mom gave her and she does it perfectly! (Good stuff) Round that meal out with some peas and you almost have a "Morrell Classic" meal. (Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding)

In (possibly unrelated news) I am up 14 pounds over my "radiation weight"! In fact today someone commented that I looked fat. (I think the idea was fat(ter) than a couple months ago. (Working around actors can lead to some interesting things being said...))

I covet your prayers as June has started. I hope to enjoy this summer a little more than last summer's "lets stay in (a) bed-a-thon." Thank you all for your prayers, I couldn't have gotten this far without them!

~B.

Labels: food, praise

Don't worry, this Memorial Day's festivities does not include cooking horse meat. Yesterday Lisa and I went with Katie and Nate (for Katie's birthday) to Emerald Downs. Horse racing is something that I myself have enjoyed a time or two on TV when the Kentucky Derby was on. No one informed me however that in person horse races are 98% waiting for something to happen and 2% waiting for that something to end. While it was an interesting experience I will not be going back again. I guess the "fun" part comes from betting. I know nothing about horses, or even really the statistics which drive the odds, so I didn't feel like I could "bet" with any consistency or knowledge, and "blind betting" is not my idea of a good time. Lisa gave it a shot, but we didn't win anything. (no real surprise there) I think from now on I'll stick to televised races where I can also do something else during the race.

We also saw Indiana Jones last night. It was a good action film and a lot of good shots and what-not, but the "old indy" took some getting used to. I think my movie ranking for this summer so far is as follows:

• Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
• Indiana Jones
• Iron Man

I'll continue to update that list as I see movies this summer so you can tell where you and I fall on the movie scale in regards to one another.

Today Lisa and I will be at two BBQ's. What better way to start off the "BBQing Season" than by doing two in one day? Honestly it's all about hanging out with other people and seeing them though. I missed that a lot last year. (Well, and the food... I missed the food as well.)

Health wise, I continue to mend. My muscles seem to be almost always sore though... but I expect that is because I am continually asking more and more from them. I assume when I get back some of my original strength that the general soreness will go away. I am also thinking about starting up some exercise as well. At this point it won't be anything spectacular... probably a few songs a day on the Xbox's "Dance Dance Revolution." (If you don't think that is exercise you haven't tried it.)

I would appreciate your prayers for continued healing. Also, a reminder that you can come out and celebrate with Lisa and I next Sunday as we celebrate "Ben's Cancer Free" party.

Also another prayer request, Lisa's cousin, the one who has breast cancer and was pregnant, had her baby on Saturday. He was a month early and it sounds like he'll be in the hospital for a week or two. Sounds like everyone is positive that he will make it through though. Congratulations to the new parents! Please continue to pray for her cancer treatments and the new baby! (I had problems with just cancer treatments, I can't imagine adding a new baby to that mix.)

Have a great day everyone!

~B.

Labels: parties, praise, prayer request

The first annual Chemoday is now behind us and here we are at the 2nd annual Chemoday. (Only this time there isn't any Chemo, just a really nice day.)

It's been a year today since I started Chemo. I thought for a second that maybe I would go back and read over some of the entries surrounding that day a year ago, but I realized I am still too close to that time in my life and I am trying to go forward and at this point reading about the past would not help me move forward.

I am so very thankful to family, friends and people I don't even know for all the incredible support this past year. It's been a very scary time, and while I don't know what the future for me looks like (only God does, same with everyone) I really find myself enjoying life a lot more than I did a year and a half ago.

God has really brought me through to this point, and I am excited to see what the future has for Lisa and I. Onward!

~B.

Labels: cancer, praise

I wanted to say "Thank You" to everyone who has prayed for Lisa and I this past year and has helped us through these tough times. As the news of being cancer free at the moment hit I was pleased to receive all the congratulations and warm wishes. Some of you that have conveyed this wishes in person have commented that I don't seem as "excited" as maybe I should be. While I am very, very glad to hear my current state you all must realize that just because I got good news doesn't mean that I am suddenly well again and have the energy I need. (To run around being excited all day long, or even to work a full day for that matter.)

I want you all to know that I really appreciate your enthusiasm because I feel like you all are doing for me what I wish I had the energy to do. My thanks my enthusiastic friends!

I also wanted to say thank you because, quite honestly, I don't know what else to say. I could go on about all the great things you all have done to help, but honestly I can't be more sincere than thank you. Prayers for us, thank you! Food brought to us, thank you!

My strength is coming back slowly but surely (I worked 8 hours today) and I hope my rising energy level will help me to be able to continue to serve the Lord in news ways. You all will have to simply be content with the energy my fingers can provide as I type out my thoughts here on the blog!

Thanks for the continued support. I'm not completely clear from all this yet, but that won't stop us from thanking and praising God for what He has done in and through us so far!

~B.

Labels: medical, praise, prayer request

Thank you all for your outpouring of love and support as I dealt with the earlier parts of this week and the outcome to my scan from Monday. I have to admit it's been kind of strange these past few days knowing for the moment that I am cancer free. It's been just about a year now since I was told the opposite news (and all but handed a brochure on coffins) and I've been laboring away this past year to remedy the situation. Now here I am with the news that I (we) had been praying for.

Of course I still am just as weak as I was before the news, hearing the information didn't suddenly give me the strength I had lost, so it's kind of sinking in slowly. I am very thankful for everyone's excitement around me though. I can't think of better news honestly.

This last year I prayed very strongly for healing, and I continue to pray for it, so being as God has answered some of my prayer I think it only appropriate to spend this year fervently thanking Him as well. (Of course we should ALWAYS thank God for everything, but while 25 was the year of Cancer, and praying for healing, 26 is going to be themed the year of Thanks.)

Thank you all, please continue to pray for my continued healing, but please also remember to thank Him for what he has done.

~B.

Labels: medical, praise

To a cancer free life!? Our appointment today was amazing. We checked in at 4pm, and we were into and had seen the doctor and were out again at 4:30. Pretty impressive.

The other thing that was pretty impressive was the scan. The doctor couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Everything looked just fine to him. The word "remission" was tossed about as well. (I even LOOKED at the scans myself this time... pretty cool)

My blood counts are still low, but the doctor said it can take 6 months to a year for those to come back to normal after what I have been through and he's not worried about that.

I guess I am still in a bit of shock. I pretty much was trying NOT to expect the worst, but I was. I got the complete opposite of the worst news, I got the best news.

My prayer before I went in was that if the news was good I wouldn't slip into mediocrity in my life, and if the news was bad that I wouldn't let it effect my attitude. Well, the news was good, so it looks like I have a more difficult task ahead of me.

My next appointment is in August and I won't require another scan until October. Great news all around.

Thank you all for your support, prayers, letters, notes and thoughts. Praise God for His blessings. Thank you all. Praise the Lord.

~B.

Labels: medical, praise

Yesterday I had my blood drawn for the first time in a week. Everything is trending upwards... just not very quickly. The "goal" for normal platelets is 150. I went from 27 last week to 33 this week. Going up slowly.

Each day is better than the day before it though. I am getting stronger on a daily basis and I can feel it. This evening I have an appointment with the Radiologist as a "follow up" visit. I don't know what I am expecting from a "follow up" visit, but it still kind of freaks me out. I don't know if the trepidation from going to the doctor will EVER go away.

Plans for going to California in a few weeks are proceeding. I ordered up some "Trip Tiks" from AAA, I'll be firing up the GPS for the laptop, and making sure we have everyone's addresses and everyone knows what day we are coming.

Lisa's been having some continued eye issues as of late, the "worst" option could be that she can't wear contacts. (Which she is bummed out about) Continue to pray for my health, I am trending upwards, but still susceptible to all sorts of things. Also I would like some prayer for my weight as well. It still has yet to crest over where I was before radiation, even though I have been eating a lot and lifting more things lately. Also pray for the plans of a vacation (to Cali) that those will work and we won't have to stay home for some reason.

Thanks!

~B.

Labels: cancer, praise, prayer request

Yesterday Lisa dropped me off at work (Taproot) and I worked 10 hours! Then she showed up, we had dinner, and took in the Wednesday evening show. It was a long day, possibly the longest day I have had in a very long time. However if I work around 7 hours tomorrow, I will have worked 40 hours this week! This will be the first time since May that I will have worked a 40 hour week!

I am really glad and I am praising God that I have been able to get back to work like this. Granted my blood counts are all low right now, but they are rising and life is continuing. It's exciting. Lisa and I are heading up to the Island for the weekend as a kind of retreat and I think it will be nice to relax after my first 40 hour week in more than 9 months!

Lisa is feeling better today, and yesterday didn't seem so rough for her either. Also in the prayer/ praise department Lisa's cousin Julie had surgery this morning to remove the cancer from her lymph nodes and breast. From the report the surgery went well and they got everything they could see. The baby is also doing well and she'll be staying overnight for observation. Sounds like we also get to stay with them on the way home from our road trip. I hope we can encourage one another and have a great time together. Keep praying for the both of us and healing!

Follow up appointment with the radiologist next Wednesday.

Bed time! Thanks for the wonderful support!

~B.

Labels: cancer, praise, prayer request

Yesterday evening (Saturday) Lisa and I sorted through some of our music CDs, (Including the domestic version of Mancy A'lan Kane's CD "Paper Moon". (How's THAT for obscure? (She sang with Jars of Clay on the song "World's Apart"))) and then we went to Robinswood park and walked around the pond in the mid-50 degree weather. (Making fun of the ducks most of the way around.) Following that we went to church, and then we went out to dinner at a place in Issaquah called, Pogacha. The atmosphere was very warm and inviting, and the food was really good. Lisa and I would both recommend it to you. (Gentle reader with an appetite)

Tonight we are headed to some friends house for dinner, and the Oscars are on, but not sure if I'll get a chance to watch or not. We shall see. I always think it's fun to see people take themselves WAY to seriously.

Oh, in other news we got a notice in the mail... actually it was in 5 parts. (They mailed me 22 pages of text in 5 separate envelopes... now don't get me wrong but would one envelope at something like 1.50 be cheaper than the 2.25 they cost to send me 5 letters?) Anyway, the notice was for my current standing with Group Health and what last year looked like cost wise. Wanna guess how much 9 months of chemo and a surgery cost? (Radiation was in this year) I can wait... go ahead.

Well if you said 207,000 dollars you would be right! PRAISE GOD for health insurance. At my current rate if we had to pay for that it would have taken me about 11 years (if I paid everything I was making) to pay that off. Either that or we could have sold off our condo and maybe paid for part of it. CrAzY. Thank the Lord for His foresight and wisdom. We only had to pay $2500 of that total amount. Amazing.

Lord willing I won't have to be "paying" for things like that anytime soon again. But as this past year has shown He knows best. Keep praying for recovery!

~B.

Labels: food, praise

It would seem that Lisa and I are headed to Guatemala. We booked the plane tickets yesterday and confirmed with the project leader that we would be wanted additions to the trip. (We were)

We'll be working with a group that Lisa interned with a couple of summer's ago called eMi. They are a Christian organization based in Colorado Springs. (with satellite offices all over the world) Lisa knows a lot of the staff members from her summer there and the team leader we'll be working with was the same guy who lead her trip to Honduras. The eMi project information can be found here.

We'll be working with an already established Orphanage group called Casa Bernabe. It will be Lisa's job, as well as the other architect on the team, to design a High School for the orphanage. They already have a grade school and have several options as to where to put the new school. It should be a fairly good challenge for Lisa and the team to figure out the location and then the design for the school. I meanwhile will be sitting back and sipping some form of tropical drink. Ok, not really. I will be working with the electrical engineer to work over some of the wiring (including network cables) that will be in the high school. (As well as the phone system that will be in place) It stands to reason that I will be learning a thing or two on this trip and it is always nice to be able to lend what I DO know about a thing to helping those that need that information.

Lisa and I depart the Seattle area on February 1st and the "missions" part of the trip will last until the 9th. We will be sticking around Guatemala for a few extra days to see some extra things while we are down there.

We would LOVE to have your support as we embark on this adventure. It's less than a month away AND it'll be not too long after my radiation. We would appreciate your prayers before we go and while we are on the trip.

The trip isn't too costly (around 2,000 dollars for the two of us) but if you would like to help us out, other than praying, you can log onto eMi's website and hit the "Donate" tab. Funds should be designated: "Ben and Lisa Morrell, Guatemala trip".

Lisa and I both thank you for your support as we head out to try something we haven't done together before. God's provided us with an adventure that we feel He is calling us to go on and we are going to answer that call. I will endeavor to update the blog while we are away, but I don't know if that will be possible. You will be able to get a full run-down when we get back though, complete with pictures.

Until then however I have to get through radiation and a birthday! We just wanted to share with you all what we were up to!

~B.

Labels: cancer, praise, prayer request, travel

While it's not an evening ABC Family special yet or anything I am pleased to announce that the cute little green guy who lived with us for a bit (The bird... not the alien) is going to be returning to our little condo. His many travels will soon be over as we seek to setup a solid home for him. I'm sure you are bound to see pictures of him here before too long. Hopefully all his traveling won't have damaged him too much and we can work to make him feel like he is home again.

Yesterday I put in half a day at work and then came home and tried to shake the pain in my face. The rest dulled it down a bit, but when I went to pickup Lisa from work it was still feeling pretty bad. Tylenol doesn't seem to do a whole lot to it unless I can get it down pretty far on the pain scale. Last night wasn't too bad before bed so I took some meds and fell asleep. (I only woke up once last night when Lisa turned on her light in the middle of the night and wanted to count all the chocolate on the floor. I woke her up and she turned off her light and went back to bed. (And all my chocolate that I had left on the floor was safe... ok I kid. I keep my chocolate in the kitchen, but she didn't want to count that.))

Last night we went out to dinner with Lisa's family and her uncle Dannie. (Niko's original father) It seems he has decided to move to California and enjoy the "reverse commute" that comes with driving north to WA and OR instead of driving south to CA and OR for business. Sounds like he's got a pretty nice place down there that will hopefully close in about a month or so. Maybe Lisa and I can swing by on our road-trip in March.

This morning my face still hurts a bit, it's narrowed down to a much smaller area and I don't hurt as much. Hopefully a day of activity will cure my head.

Radia