SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 09:59 PM, CDT

Well, I'm back from the retreat. What an amazing time! It was just awesome.
Thank you so much for coming Glenda and Terri. What a blessing it was to listen to your wisdom and to hear you present God's word to us. I pray that we will all apply the truth that we learned in our lives right away. It was great getting to know you both and I hope we can see you again very soon.
Okay girls, between the Chubby Bunny, the breakdancing, the cartwheels and the choking I just ran out of energy! That was SO fun! I will always remember those long nights with you guys. I haven't laughed so hard in a LONG time. I love you guys!
Claire, I'm so glad you got to go. I hope you had as much fun as I did. I love that we're continuing to get closer. See you in the neighborhood! :-)
Seems like I had a great connection with almost all of you this weekend at some point or another. You are all such wonderful sisters in Christ. You all are one of the greatest blessings in my life. Don't know what I'd do without you.
Stef, thank you for quickly analyzing the nutrition book and helping me get my head right about eating well. I am so ready to fight! I am a cancer survivor!!! Until and unless it becomes clear that the Lord believes otherwise, that's the way I'm looking at this. Also, thanks for not eating sugar with me.:-)
As much fun as I had, it was great to get back home. I missed my family a lot. Thank you mom and John for taking such good care of the girls while I was gone. It was so great to see their little faces today.
I think I hit a wall a little bit this afternoon and had to take a nap. But tonight I've felt great. John, the girls and I went out to eat. I just finished giving the girlies a bath and we're about to get ready for bed. I can't wait to see my church family tomorrow. Terri, hopefully we'll see you there as well.
Thank you all for your prayers and continued encouragement. Keep it coming! It really helps.
Blessings,
Kristina

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 09:04 PM, CDT

Off to retreat we go, off to retreat we go! Can you tell I'm excited? I won't be able to journal while I'm gone. I'll be back on Saturday and will update then.
What a beautiful day it was. I played outside with the girls this morning and then took them out for pizza. It was nice spending the day with them.
I'm off to pack and put two little girls to bed. I hope everyone has a good rest of the week.
Blessings,
Kristina

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2006 08:11 PM, CDT

Today has been AWESOME! I was able to go walking with Stef. and Claire. I feel pretty confident I can do the Making Strides walk. Stef, thanks for pushing both babies in the stroller.
We also did a little shopping. Claire, you looked too cute in those black capris.
Teri, you go girl on the yard sale. I can't wait to see how you guys do. Thanks for doing this. What an AWESOME cause. I'm so excited about everyone getting involved.
Alicia and Misti, go to email author and e-mail me your address and I will send you a bracelet. Kae, are shirts still available to order?
Two more days and off to retreat we go. Karen, you can ride with Mel or me. We will be leaving early Thursday. We're taking full advantage of having babysitters that day. Teri, make sure you bring the walkie talkies. I know we have cell phones, but the walkie talkies are so much more fun!
Kelly, I will totally hold Preston for you and love on that sweet bug just because he is soooo cute. I will probably need a baby fix before the weekend is up anyway. I'm so excited about spending the weekend with all you wonderful women. I can't wait to see what God wants to teach me.
I had such a down night last night. I got on the internet to read some survival stories (I know I shouldn't be reading the internet). I realized pretty quickly what a mistake that was. There aren't very many for the type of cancer I have. God is really teaching me to TRUST HIM AND HIM ALONE. I have prayed a lot today for peace and comfort and tonight I have both. Stef and Claire, I'm sorry I was such a downer today. Stef, you're right, God has not given us grace for that yet. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I have a feeling you will be using a walker way before me. :-)
Please pray for my dad. He was in a car accident today. He is doing fine, but really sore. Praise God he is doing well and is at home tonight.
Well, I'm off to put two little girls in the tub and hopefully in bed.
Have an wonderful Wednesday!
Blessings,
Kristina

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2006 09:18 PM, CDT

Today has been pretty good. I was able to take Emily to ballet and run a few errands. I started getting a little tired this afternoon. I took a short nap and felt pretty good after that. Praise!
I'm so glad to know there are people out there that can't spell too. :-)
Mel, please let us know that you made it there safely. I can't believe you're driving that far with two kids. You're crazy! Mom Wood, I hope we can control her without kids. I can't wait to hear some more Mel stories. We all know a lot about Mel! Teri, are you blushing?
Claire, we're all so excited that you're going with us on retreat. It is such a fun time of fellowship and growing closer to our Lord.
Stef, I feel weird just bringing clothes and my Bible. It took us like a hour to load all of our stuff last year. What were we thinking? The babies were happy though.
I am looking forward to the "healthy snacks", but just in case anyone needs a fix our room will be the room to visit. Just keep that in mind. :-)
Well, I'm off to put two little girls to bed.
Blessings,
Kristina

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2006 09:14 AM, CDT

Well, today is a little better and I know how to spell nauseous. I'll start using spell check. I'm sure I have mispelled many words on this thing. I apologize.
My best friend Stef. and my husband who are both English majors didn't spot it. I appreciate that guys. Thanks Kae.
I'm taking Emily to ballet and I pray today goes better. I'm seeing a pattern here. I start going down hill in the afternoon.
I missed not going to church last night. I hope to see everyone on Wednesday.
I hope everyone has a GREAT Monday. I'll post later.
Blessings,
Kristina

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2006 08:11 PM, CDT

Today has been a little tough. I've been very tired and a little nauseous for most of the day.
It was great to see my church family this morning. I so look forward to that. Can't wait to go to the retreat this weekend! I may have to take some naps while I'm there.
I'm starting to get really tired so I'm going to cut it short tonight and get to bed. Thank you to everyone for posting. Keep it coming!
Blessings,
Kristina

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2006 08:56 PM, CDT

Well, my day started out GREAT! We went and had an early lunch with Daniel, Kelly, Reece, Preston and Trisha. It was good to see you again Trish. We had a great time! I'm sorry Abby was such a toot. Daniel, did you get those carpets clean?
It was kind of downhill from there. I became so tired after that. We came home and I took a nap. Thank you John for playing with the girls. When I woke up, I was so nautious. It took about an hour for me to start feeling better. I've felt really good tonight! I guess my body is getting used to this new chemo. This is still a lot better than the other chemo. Praise!
Thank you Kyle and Claire for helping John on the garage. I'm sorry I slept through all of that. John thanks for all your work on the garage. Jonathan now has a place he can work out! We've really enjoyed having him here.
Well, I've been cooking for Jonathan's birthday lunch tomorrow. I made my world famous pizzas and spaghetti. Okay, the pizzas are Amy's recipe, but they are delicous. I can't wait to see my family. It should be a lot of fun.
Claire, I'm saving the pie for tomorrow. It looks delicious. Thank you. I'm sorry your church picnic got rained out. :-(
Stef and Teri, I really enjoyed talking to you guys today. Who's excited about the retreat? WE ARE!!!!
I'm off to start the bedtime process with Em and Abby. They are both really hyper tonight. I think John fed them one too many cookies. He has been watching the OU game and giving them whatever they want as long as they stay quiet. Pretty funny!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Saturday. I look forward to going to church tomorrow.
Blessings,
Kristina

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2006 10:03 PM, CDT

I hope everyone had a wonderful Friday. I had a pretty good day today. I've felt really nautious at times today. My doctor said I might feel that way for the first few days of taking this chemo. I pray this goes away in the next few days.
Mom and I got out and did all of our errands today. Jonathan's birthday is Sunday. We're planning a big lunch with my family after church Sunday. It should be a lot of fun.
John ordered more bracelets today. Let me know who still needs/wants one. Thank you Emilie F. for being so patient. I will get yours to you very soon. :-)
Kae, thanks for all you're doing with the walk. I can't wait to see the shirts. Also, thank you Anna Young! Kae said you've been awesome.
I'M READY FOR THE RETREAT! No babies, not nursing or pregnant. This is going to be sooooo much fun. What a blessing this is going to be for all of us. I can't wait.
Grandma Schlegel, Emily is really missing you guys. I wish we were with you guys in Colorado too. Maybe next year. I'll give the girls extra kisses for you tonight. Enjoy your vacation and we look forward to seeing you both soon. Tell everyone in Oklahoma hello from us.
I hope everyone has an AWESOME Saturday! We're planning on just having a lot of family time. We sure missed John last weekend.
Keep posting!
Blessings,
Kristina

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 08:51 PM, CDT

Well, today went well. I was able to take Abby to her well visit and then I headed to my appointment to have the Avastin. I thought I would only be there 30 minutes, but I was there 1 1/2 hours. They wanted to make sure I wouldn't have a reaction.
So far so good with the new chemo. My mouth is a little sore and tingly. Please pray I don't have any side effects. I'm ready to start feeling good again.
Thanks Stef for calling during my treatment. It made the time go by a lot faster. We need to work on getting me in on your three-way calls!
Kim took Emily tonight. I think Emily would move in with her aunt Kim right now if she could. John and I went out to dinner. It was nice just having Abby. We don't get to spend a lot of time with them one on one.
Mom went to Jonathan's game tonight in Hendersonville. Go Wildcats! He really seems to like playing football. Wish we could have gone. I just didn't want to take any chances with this being my first day on the new chemo.
Thank you Kelly for helping us in so many ways. It was good seeing you last night and I'm looking forward to seeing you this weekend.
Abby is a fussy one tonight! She's very tired so I'm going to take her to bed.
Thank you all for your sweet posts, your prayers, your words of encouragement and your friendship.
Blessings,
Kristina

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2006 08:41 PM, CDT

What an AWESOME day start to finish. I have felt pretty good today. I spent the day at Stef's house. It was nice just hanging out and letting our kids play.
I really enjoyed seeing my church family. Great job Pastor Alan on the message. I loved this verse: But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 1 Cor. 15:10
Kim F., I'm ready to go out and celebrate by eating bad food anytime you're ready! Have I mentioned Kim is cute and single? Kim, I had to put that in there. God has healed Kim. Please pray that her cancer will not return. I know that is always a concern after you battle this.
Mel, I know you like that restaurant, but I don't think you can go back. :-) Seriously, I hope you're feeling better. Please pray for Melissa. She is having really bad back pain.
I go to the doctor in the morning to get the Avastin through an IV. I wish I was able to avoid the stick, but I can't. I will start Xeloda in the morning as well. Please pray that this is the chemo that is going to work.
My niece Macy is over spending the night with Em. I guess I'd better go get three little girls ready for bed.
Keep posting!
Blessings,
Kristina

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2006 08:01 AM, CDT

I'm sorry I didn't journal last night. I didn't feel well. My lungs were really hurting and I was coughing. I know a lot of people are struggling with their allergies right now. I pray that's all this is.
Enough about that. Praise God. What an answer to prayer yesterday. I could have jumped up and down. I'm just ready to get started on the new chemo and Avastin. I pray this is the chemo that will work. Thank you Melanie for spending extra time with us and always making me feel like your only patient.
Today is going to be beautiful. I think I might take the girls to the park or something. This weather is just too nice to stay in.
Thank you Lisa and mom for helping out with Stef's boys. Stef, THANK YOU! I really enjoyed having a good morning with you. We needed some good news didn't we?
Thanks to ALL of you that are in this for the LONG HAUL. I thank God for you every day.
I can't wait to see my church family tonight.
Thanks for all of your sweet posts. Keep posting!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday.
Blessings,
Kristina

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2006 10:31 AM, CDT

This is John. I just wanted to let everyone know the latest following Kristina's big appointment.
The cancer in Kristina’s lymph nodes is breast cancer. This is great news. It means she won’t have to have surgery to remove a more significant piece of her lymph node to be biopsied. It also means she has a less complicated situation than it could have been had she had two different primary cancers.
We’re not out of the woods for sure but we at least know our course now. Kristina will begin taking an oral chemotherapy called Xeloda on Thursday. She also will begin receiving an experimental drug called Avastin at that time as well. There is a chance she has already been receiving Avastin as part of a blind study but we’ll never know for sure. Now we know for sure she’ll be getting it. That is administered intravenously but only takes about 30 minutes.
Please continue to pray that God will decide to use these medications to eliminate the cancer from Kristina’s body completely. And pray for her stability, patience and dependence on God through the process.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2006 08:18 PM, CDT

I've had good day. I have felt a lot better today. My lungs are still hurting though.
I had lunch with Kim (the lady we met at the gas station). I had to put that in there Kim. I had a great time getting to know you. Thank you for lunch. YUMMY! You're such a positive person! Kim is a breast cancer survivor! She finished her last treatment about a month ago. She is single and really cute. Kim, I told you I would work on this for you. :-)
I'm ready to get the results from the biopsy! Please pray for good results.
I was listening to an Elisabeth Elliot tape today. It was just what I needed to hear. God's plan is perfect. He knows exactly what me, John and the girls can handle. He loves John and the girls more than I can imagine. I'm still praying for healing, but I'm trusting Him completely. Kelly, I'm not giving these tapes back. :-)
If you would like a bumper sticker, please e-mail Teri at sketr75@yahoo.com.
I took Emily to ballet today. It's getting hard to keep Abby out of that room. She wants to do everything Em does. I think we may have another ballerina on our hands soon!
I hope everyone had a good Monday. Thanks for the posts. I really enjoy reading them.
I'll post as soon as I can tomorrow.
Blessings,
Kristina

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2006 08:21 PM, CDT

I hope everyone had a wonderful Sunday. I haven't felt well today. I'm not sure why. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Please continue to pray for my results on Tuesday. God is really teaching me patience right now.
WOW....on the yard sale. You guys ROCK! I really appreciate you guys spending your weekend doing that. Teri, thanks for doing another one in a few weeks. Let's get these garages cleaned out and support some cancer research. What a blessing. I'm getting excited about the walk. Who has been training?
I'm ready for another girls night out too. Let's do it soon before I start another chemo. Karen, I think you should be the driver for sure. Anyone who would risk getting a ticket to beat Kelly Williams to Steak 'n Shake deserves driving rights.:-) Kelly, did you even know we were racing you? HILARIOUS!
Amy, I really enjoyed talking to you yesterday. Thanks for just listening and being such an awesome friend.
John, WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK HOME? We sure have missed you. I had to go to Home Depot and everything by myself. I think you will like what mom, me and the girls did. Let's just say, spreading mulch is a really hard job. Stef, stop laughing. Thanks mom for doing almost all the work.
I'm planning on going to my first cancer support group tomorrow night. I've been praying about this for a while. Please pray I get some much needed encouragement from it. My Nene (my mom's mom) will be there. She has survived three different cancers. That's an encouragement alone.
I need to say a HUGE thank you to Brian Robbins. We now have bumper stickers! They read Kristina's Krusaders, have Psalms 118:17 and have my website on them. That was an AWESOME surprise and just what I needed on Friday.
Have an great week. Keep posting!
Blessings,
Kristina