Florida, Day 1

This is the first in a series of posts that I wrote during our vacation to Florida over our February break.  I did not publish them "as it happened" just to keep a modicum of security about us being away.  Lots of people knew, but people we trust.  

So, today, Friday, February 14th, 2014, was a day to remember, if only for the fact that I was doing things I never thought would happen 3 months ago.

The day started by getting up early (after picking up a rental car and staying up late packing the night before) to pack some stuff in the car, and get ready for our family adventure.  Also the day before, I had learned that my Aunt had passed away from lung cancer, and my mother had also been admitted to the hospital for burns from her oxygen tank.

We were to drop Adam off early with his teacher, who volunteered to watch him before school (Adam loves Mrs. Wadhams, and the deal was sweetened by her taking him to breakfast at Tim Hortons), so that we could get to the east side of Rochester for a CT scan to see if my cancer had changed, or responded to the chemotherapy.  We are waiting until we return to find out the results, by the way.

The CT scan went smoothly, and the hardest part is actually drinking what feels like a gallon of liquid before the exam.  Thankfully I didn't have to fast for a long time before this one.  Again, we are waiting until we return to get the results.

After the CT, we headed home with a quick stop at Wegmans to pick up some lunch (I love Wegmans hot food bar!).  Once back in Albion we dropped off a prescription at the local Wal-Mart, hoping it would be ready by the time we left for our trip (it was).  Then, a glutton for punishment, we returned to school to work the second half of the day.  To my surprise, upon checking my school mailbox, was a gift card and some cash (given anonymously).  I felt so blessed!

The end of school couldn't come fast enough, simply because I was excited to get out of the snow and cold.  The cold sensation I get in my extremities has lasted longer with each treatment, and I have to admit - I was tired of it, despite everything I did to counteract it.  We stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up my prescription, and grab dinner for the road.  Upon returning home, it took about 20 minutes to finish getting ready and in the car (which happens to be the nicest car I've ever driven - though that isn't saying much).  As I type, I'm still worried I left something on or open at the house!

We drove about 6 hours with stops (Lisa and I traded off), traveling with our friends the Kriegers, to West Virginia, where we were staying for the night.  On the drive, we did encounter a lot of snow, but our vehicles handled it well, and we still made good time.  The Comfort Inn in Fairmont WV is a decent hotel, with cool USB looking keys for the rooms.  It was next to a municipal airport, and fairly secluded.  I slept well, and was ready for Day 2.