I know I'm her pop, but don't you think my daughter is beautiful??

This little place was our best food find. Real local hang out with Hawain comfort food. Mmm.

Para Sailing in Hawaii

On our way out to para sail.

Sandy Beach

The waves at Sandy Beach were ferocious. A little too ferocious for Adam and Camille to actually get into. I went in and got pretty beaten up by the surf.

Adam in Sub

One of the coolest things we did in Hawaii was ride in a submarine. We are at 113 ft below sea level. The veiws were amazing.

Camille at Hanauma Bay

Thank You Erin Stryker and Make a Wish!

It may have taken 22 hours to get there (thanks to Delta where their new slogan 'Sorry for the Inconvenience' is going over nicely...that wasn't very nice was it?), but it was totally worth it.

Thanks to Erin Stryker and the Make a Wish Foundation we had a really terrific time. We will never be able to thank Erin enough for all the hard work she put into this trip but it really paid off.

Adam had a ball. Camille was so sorry to be leaving. Martha and I would like to move their when we 'retire' (yeah, right).

We were busy the whole time. We road a submarine and saw sea turtles resting on a ship wreck, we para sailed, we visited the only royal palace in the the United States, we hiked into and onto Diamond Head, we ventured to Sandy Beach (apparently one of the best beaches for body and surfing and also a beach with a very high rescue frequency. The waves were gnarly and a little scary!), we snorkeled, we took a day trip to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center, we visited Punchbowl Crater, we reverently visited Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial, we watched surfers as young a two (no kidding) hitting the waves, we hung out at the beach, we slept (well), we ate well, we wondered why there were ABC Stores on every block, we met a lot of friendly locals, we marvelled at the beauty of the place. It was just fantastic.

Adam's treatment is a memory (not fading, but receding) so this trip was like a pure gift and somehow we will have to pay it forward (as they say).

Again, a truly heartfelt THANKS to all who made this possible but especially Erin.

Friday the 13th (one year out)

Friday the 13th is considered a bad luck day by some (I heard today on NPR that there are more than usual Friday the 13ths this year). I guess last year's Thursday the 13th was bad luck for us. Today marks Adam's one year anniversary of his diagnoses. And what a year it has been. We celebrated by going to our favorite Chinese restaurant tonight. Everyone is healthy. As we count our blessings we are looking forward to our Hawaii trip next week. Make a Wish is doing all the planning so for the most part what we are going to be doing is still a mystery. We find out our itinerary tomorrow night.
All I know now is that early Monday morning (5 something) we are being picked up in a limo to be taken to the airport. We are flying to Atlanta and then 10 hours straight to the islands.

I wonder what Adam will think about all the girls in straw skirts and skimpy bikinis on the beaches?

Adam has another day of imaging coming up in April (I think).

Off to Raccoon Mt.

Nothing much to report really. Adam is doing great. He's on another scouting trip this weekend. They are going to Raccoon Mountain to spend the night in a cave. How cool is that. We (Martha, me and Camille) are headed to Atlanta for my niece's birthday and to just hang with Jared and Heather. Family is good. Especially in times like these....we can commiserate.

My new practice is building slowly, but positively. I am optimistic that it will be where it needs to be when the critical time comes. It's great to work for yourself and your clients with no b.s. Hell, I can wear jeans to work.

Camille is fantastic and happy and talkative, and talkative. She is loving school and worries that her teacher, Ms. A, will miss her when we go to Hawaii for a week over spring break. This is the Make a Wish Foundation Trip. Should be a hoot. Camille is looking forward to the 10 plane ride. The Make a Wish folks are throwing a pizza party for Adam next Saturday to give all the details.

Camp time is coming up. Adam will be returning to Camp Horizon, but this time as a post treatment camper. It will give him an opportunity to help others till in chemo.

It is Lent, and in my bad Catholic fashion I am going to church only inconsistently but I am reading a book by an early Christian mystic called the Cloud of Unknowing. Trying to read it daily. Basically it's a early text on mindfulness practice from a Christian mystic point of view. It's thought provoking.

Have a great weekend!