Chili Benefit

This post is dedicated to everyone that donated, volunteered, ordered chili and did anything they could to help towards this benefit!!!

Many of mine and Alan's close friends put together a chili benefit for Alan. It was AMAZING and God has put some amazing friends in our lives. I wish I could thank each person individually, but I would end up forgetting someone. Please just know if you helped in any way, we appreciate it....more than we could ever put into words!! We love you all so very much and thank you!!

Here are just a few snap shots I got that day. They had carry out, delivery or dine in. Fortunately, Alan has been doing better these last couple of weeks, so he was able to come and eat chili and personally thank the ones that were there. I know I didn't get pictures of everyone, but I promise, we know you were there:-) There are a few people I do not have pictures of that I know helped alot and that is Paula, Leigh and Debbie. I know there were some husbands helping too!

Shawna (green shirt) and Sarah in the red. These are two of my very good friends. We have all been good friends since elementary school. I know they worked hard and were covered in chili! HA

Kayla and Patty Higginbotham, Tina Carter

These are some of the ones that decided to Dine In.

Alan, Gary and Trent.

Some of the hard workers...Jane Johnson, Dru and Heather Burford, Jackie Sivils, Melinda Harris, Jenny Lynn Strebeck, Shawna Hawkins. There were many others in the kitchen, but these are the ones I just happen to get.

At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
Ephesians 5:20

Halloween 09

Once again I'm about a week behind with my post. There are just not enough hours in a day.

Sydney at her "Pumpkin Party" at school.

Carson and Lanee

Jessie, Autumn and Lanee. This is part of Carson's second family. I never got a picture of Carson and Kayla...:-(...Sorry KK!!

Carson is a train conductor and Sydney is "The Flash" superhero....the girl version! She is all about the superhero's.

The boys...Carson, Landon, Grant. The girls...Sydney, Lainey, Julia. We all just happen to be at my parents house at the same time. Cute group picture.

And last but not least, our adorable nephews. This is Grant...

and here is Ethan. We were all together for Halloween and it was wonderful.

We partied in the USA with....

...Miley Cyrus in Little Rock this past weekend!!!! And not only that, we managed to become a VIP instead of sitting in our nosebleed/section 208!! Ok, well, we were not really VIP, but it sure felt like it. We ended up in the Coke suite with a friends in-laws. It was amazing...from the food to the free drinks, to the awesome seating for the girls. There is no way we could thank the James family for everything they did for us. We will never be able to take these girls to another concert in regular seating. Spoiled Rotten...all of us!! :-) It was wonderful in so many ways.

Lainey Taunton, Anna Claire Strebeck, Jenna Cate Roberts, Alia Jones, Laney Bolin, Sydney

The one time in Sydney's life she doesn't wear pink and everyone else does. I thought that was funny. We always like to keep it different! haha

The moms...eating the free food!! haha

Me and my girl.

Gary and Renae James with the girls. Thank you James Family for a wonderful night!!

The whole group. The picture is not very clear. Sorry.

Check out the video. Be sure to pause the music below on the playlist! Sorry about the blur at the end. Sydney was looking for her "flashlight"!

After our wonderful weekend, we came home to find out that one of our dogs had been run over. We have tried everything to prevent this from happening. Thankfully Alan's dad was here with him when it happened, so Rusty had to take care of it. We told Sydney he ran away.

Alan's parents stayed with him and Carson at our house so Sydney and I could enjoy our girl weekend. We also celebrated Alia and Anna Claire's birthday at Party Time Pizza. This place was great. It's like Chucky Cheese X's 10.

Pumpkin Patch in Grady!

Last weekend the kids and I went to Hardin Farms in Grady, AR. This is a really neat place with alot of activities for the kids. Basically, you kind of play at the farm for a while and then hop on board the hay ride to the pumpkin patch and pick your own pumpkins. We went with a group of our friends and we had a great time. Alan did not get to join us for this trip...:-( I know the kids and I wished so much for him to be with us, but it just didn't work out. I don't know how we got so lucky that it actually did not rain this day. Thank you Lord for allowing our kids to enjoy this day outside and not cooped up in a house! We all came prepared with our rain boots on, but thankfully the farm was not too muddy. Thank you also to my friends for helping with my two kids. They were always wanting to go in opposite directions. Now for pictures!

Carson's FAVORITE toy at the Farm.

Swinging on the large Oak trees.

Sydney, Anna Claire, Alia, Laney, Anna Kate

Me, Jenny Lynn Strebeck, Stormy Jones, Ashley Bolin & Amber Pope...hehe

The goats on the roof.

Carson thought this nasty hog was pretty neat.

Carson playing on the hay bales.

Sydney milking the cow. It was wooden, but it had pretend utters in that "area" so you could give it a try, lol.

On the hay ride to the patch.

Carson and Sydney in the pumpkin patch. Sydney had her fake smiles on for sure this day.

Laney Bolin, Anna Kate Pope, Alia Jones, Anna Claire Strebeck and Sydney

"I Will Rise"

This morning I was doing a little "blog searching"...catching up on some of my friends blogs. I feel like lately I have been so wrapped up in our battle, that I have not had time to give to others. Anyway, I came up on this post with Chris Tomlin's "I Will Rise". I love this song, so I wanted to share this video with my followers. Sometimes words you need to hear just pop up, but that is God working in your life and leading you. I hope you enjoy this.

Be sure to scroll to the bottom and pause my playlist first!!

Houston Update!

We are home!!! Thank you Lord!! First let me start out by saying Alan's report was pretty good, well actually, it was great considering what I thought we were going to hear. I'm going to break this post into sections. I think it will be easier to follow. Before I get started, I just want to thank our wonderful friends, family and community for your prayers and love. Thank you all for everything you have done and are doing for us.

Traveling South
Our trip south was not good. It rained pretty much the whole way. Just when we thought we were out of it, the bottom would fall out again. At times it was hard to see the car in front of you. Alan was able to sleep most of the trip down. I felt like his personal ambulance service. He had a pretty comfy bed in the back, but it was still a rough ride for him. We made it to Houston, called in dinner, ate, went to bed!!

Alan's Scans
Alan had an MRI and CT done Monday. It was a long day of waiting, but again, he handled it like a trooper. I think the MRI was pretty hard on him. We finished up with the scans, grabbed a bite to eat from the near deli and Alan went back to the car to lay down. His dad stayed with him, while his mom and I went and waited in the Dr. office for his appointment. Nothing is close at this place. You have to park in the parking garage, and then walk pretty far to get to Amato's office. Everything is inside and all of the buildings are attached, but it's all very spaced out. Anyway, when it was Alan's turn, we called him and his dad for them to come up. It worked out pretty good b/c Alan was able to rest. I think we waited another 45 minutes in the exam room before we actually saw Amato. Very long wait!! ughhhh

The Report
First I want to start with there is no new cancer! That was a major blessing!! I was expecting some pretty bad news because of how this last month has been. I can't even explain the relief I felt, but still on guard. That's just me. Many of the spots in Alan's lungs have decreased in size, so that was also very good news. The bad part about Alan's lungs is that they are full of inflammation and look pretty bad. Dr. Amato says this is from his chemo, so he will be off his chemo for 2 weeks starting today. Hopefully this will clear them up. The inflammation is also the reason for the low grade fever and shortness of breath Alan has been dealing with.

Alan's Back
The tumor in Alan's back has not changed any. Yes, we wanted something, but that something is that at least it didn't grow. The tumor has just taken over so much of the bone and of course, that is the reason for all of Alan's pain and for him not being able to walk. Although, he is getting around pretty good with the walker still. Dr. Amato talked to us about Alan having back surgery sometime during the beginning of next year. I guess the plan is to wait and see how much the tumor in his back is going to change and then they, Dr. Amato and the Neurosurgeon, will go in and put a rod in Alan's back for support and pain relief. The bone is a weight bearing bone that the cancer is in. For now, the pain meds are just going to have to be the relief. Dr. Doshi, another oncologist we see in Amato's office, changed up Alan's pain meds again, and let me tell you, he is doing so much better. He rode home most of the way today in the front seat. What a major change from our trip down. Update...I think Alan wishes he would not have ridden up front so long yesterday. He said this morning it felt like someone beat him all over his body!! Ughhh

Alan's parents went with us this time and what a big help they were and it was just nice to have some family with us. I was also glad they were able to meet Dr. Amato and his staff.

I guess for now that is it. If I think of something later, I'll add it in another post. We go back to Houston November 30th for the same process...minus the MRI...I hope for Alan's sake. It was pretty bad. I get on my soapbox usually at the end of my post, so I won't this time...mainly I'm just really tired, but...God is Great and always believe in prayer and the power that it has. Look at us...our family...everything we are experiencing and going through right now. It's for a reason, and that reason might be to bring someone reading this very blog closer to God. If it's just for that one person or many, so be it. Well, so much for not getting on my soapbox.

We love you all and thank you for everything!! I'm going to bed!! I wonder how many words I spelled wrong or left out!! HA I'm sure my "special friend" I work with will let me know tomorrow, hehe. I'm not naming names, but she knows who she is.

Heading to Houston

Well, the weekend has finally arrived that we head back to Houston. I can't say I'm real excited about it. I wish my outlook was a bit more positive, but I'm just a little nervous. I'm nervous about our trip and I'm nervous about Alan's appointment Monday.

I'm sure everyone is anxious to know how we are getting to Houston, so here is the plan:
We have put a mattress in the back of my mom's Expedition. We did a trial run last week to see if Alan could get in the vehicle. He used a step ladder and did pretty good getting in. Then we took a short drive just down the road. He said he could feel every bump, but he said it seemed ok. I know it's not going to be the most comfortable ride for him, but it's the best we could come up with. We did have the option of some family friends flying us down in their plane, but Alan will have to be in a seat, buckled in, during take off and landing. I'm just not sure if he could do all of that. We also wanted a vehicle in Houston that we knew he would be able to travel in, so all in all, my mom's vehicle just seemed the smarter route. Alan's parents will also be traveling with us, but they will be in their car. We can't all travel together since we have the mattress taking up the full back part of my moms. We also need extra room b/c we will have to bring the walker and a wheel chair. So, anyway, that's the plan.

Alan's scans start Monday morning at 9:15. He will have an MRI of his lumbar spine first and then around 10:45 he will have his normal CT. After that I'm sure we will grab a bite to eat close and then go and wait to see Dr. Amato. You never know what time you are going to be called back, so it's just a long day of waiting. I have no idea how Alan is going to be able to handle all of this waiting and having to sit up for so long. This is going to be a long, tough day. Our plan is to head back home Tuesday, unless plans change when we get there.

I'm sure I've forgotten some details, but it's 11:oopm and I'm still not completely packed and by no means ready to go. I feel like I've been in slow motion all day. Maybe because I wanted to be because I'm trying to drag this day out as long as possible. I say it so often, and I'm saying it again....please just pray. Pray for our travels, Alan's pain, Alan's scan results, strength, comfort, healing!! There is no possible way I can stress to you how important my next statement is, but you NEVER know what tomorrow holds for you...NEVER, so I hope you have God in your life!!! If he was not in mine and Alan's I can't even imagine how our life would be right now. I lean on him alot and I know he has a plan....a plan that I'm not allowed to see the future of. Don't you know I have prayed to see the future, but that's not how it work. I struggle with this, but have peace with it too.

Also, please remember in your prayers our good friends Jeff and Lisa Woods. They will be in Houston also this week and Jeff will be getting new scans to see how his new chemo is working. Also remember Blayton Craig. After 7 months of fighting Leukemia, this family is finally all together and home. What a wonderful feeling. Blayton seems to being doing very well. Cancer is everywhere and it is literally a nightmare. For those of you that have never been impacted by this, I pray you never will be. For those of you that have been, I pray for your strength to get through the numbing and uncertain days. As my grandmother would say..."It's the pits!!"

Love and Prayers to you all!!

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18

Quilts and Kiddie Kamp!

Lets start with Carson. Alan's Grandmother has made everyone in our family a quilt. And when I mean made, I mean made by hand and not with a sewing machine. They are wonderful and we treasure them. She recently brought Carson his and I wanted to share it with everyone. Can everyone say "Woooooo Pig Sooiee!!! She made Carson a Razorback quilt. He LOVES it!!

Next we have Sydney at Kiddie Kamp that our cheerleaders put on yearly. It's so funny to see Sydney out there and brings back the memories of me doing Kiddie Kamp when I was her age and also teaching it when I was a cheerleader. The good ole days!! HA Sydney had fun during the week, but I'm sure she worked on her teachers pretty hard, LOL. See the Eagle mascot...yep, Sydney attacked that poor little bird. I could see it in her eyes before she pounced. She kept hiding under her tail and would not leave her alone. It was pretty funny and not a surprise!

Jenna Cate, Sydney and Anna Claire

8 Years of Marriage!

Yesterday Alan and I celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe it's been 8 years. Actually, if you put all of our years together, it's a total of 13. Last year we celebrated our anniversary in the hospital after Alan's surgery. You can look back at my post from last year and you will see a picture from our wedding. Alan was pulling me down the isle. haha This year we celebrated our anniversary not much different from last year. Alan was not in the hospital this year, but he was not able to get out and go anywhere. Alan's mom made us dinner last night and it was wonderful. Thank you Cookie.

Also, poor little Carson came down with a stomach bug yesterday. He just happened to be at Alan's parents when all this started, so besides them making us dinner, they also were dealing with a very sick little boy. He threw up ALOT. I think he finally stopped about 4:30 this morning. Cookie said you would have never guessed he was sick as of 8 this morning. He was running around like nothing ever happened. Kids!!! I'm sure Cookie and Rusty are anxiously waiting for him to take a nap. I'm just so glad he is feeling better. Obviously he stayed with the McCone's last night b/c he could not be around Alan and I could not help Alan and take care of Carson at the same time. Thank you Nena and Papaw!!

Speaking of Alan, he had to start a stronger pain med Monday along with what he started taking last Friday. He was still in alot of pain over the weekend and just needed something stronger. He can tell that it is finally helping. He is still having the break through pain here and there, but I guess not the constant pain. I hate that he is on so much pain med, and he does too, but whatever it takes to get him through this. His spirits are good and he sounds better in his voice. He is still using the walker. I'm sorry, but that walker is a blessing. Thank you Kami and Ms. Wanda for letting us use that. We are still working on arrangements for our October 5th visit to Houston. I guess we are kind of holding off making final arrangements until closer to time to see how Alan's pain is. I'm just kind of stumped on the right way to handle this.

As always, I just ask that you continue to pray for us. So many people tell us that our strength is amazing or that they are inspired by us. I have a hard time thinking of us in that way. I just think that we are doing what anyone would do...putting up a fight against cancer and cancer is NOT going to win!! No, I don't know what God's plan is and whatever it is, I will make peace with it, but right now, we are just in fight mode!

We love you all and thank you!
Melissa

Alan Update

I just want to thank everyone for your prayers, emails, visits, calls...everything!! What wonderful friends we have! We love you guys!

I just wanted to give a quick update about Alan. Not much has changed really. As of today, he is starting a stronger pain med. The other is just not doing enough to help control his pain. We need to get his pain under control before we can get to Houston and just to give him better relief. As far as we know, we are still keeping the October 5th appointment. I don't think they want us to come earlier b/c they want to get the pain under control before we travel south. Of course we wish we were leaving tomorrow for new scans and to see Dr. Amato in Houston, but that's just not going to happen. I wish I had some amazing news to give, but like I said, everything is still pretty much the same. Of course, Alan's spirits are still good. What an amazing person he is!! God love him for being so strong right now! Alan is a fighter and thank goodness for that.

Alan Update

I have gone back and forth on whether or not to post about our latest, but I feel that I have shared our life thus far, so why keep everyone in the dark now!

If you follow my blog and read updates about Alan, then you know about his back trouble and the cancer in his back. The cancer is in the L2, L3 and T11 vertebrae. It is also in the spinal canal and nerves. The last 2 weeks have been very challenging around our house. While Alan continues to keep his spirits up and make everyone believe that he is doing just great, his back is telling him different. Alan is in alot of pain right now. He is not able to sit or stand for very long and he is pretty much in the bed most hours of the day. We did get him a lift chair that he is able to sit up in. He will be mad at me for telling this, but he is having to walk with a walker right now. Mentally, Alan is doing great...just being stubborn!! :-) I finally got him to start taking pain meds Saturday. He did not want to start taking them with, I'm sure, the fear of having to depend on them. He is taking the pain meds like he should and I can tell it his helping him get some relief.

I know Alan and I both have so many emotions going on with both of us, well, our whole family does. So many concerns, questions. There is much more involved to this situation, but not anything that I care to share at the moment....sorry. It gets too personal at this point. I just ask that you continue to pray for Alan, Me, our kids, our family. Our kids are 6 and 2 and they do not understand. Sydney is very concerned for her daddy and Carson can't understand why they can't play horsey anymore. These are just very sad days for us. Another sad situation is that we are working on Alan's Long Term Disability. I never thought it would come to this, but it has. It's all very heartbreaking actually.

Alan's next appointment is October 5th in Houston. If things do not improve, then we see no way for him to make the trip. Not even by plane. We have had some other suggestion thrown our way that we are going to consider as far as traveling. It's all just one day at a time and sometimes one hour at a time!

Thank you for your prayers and love!

"fear not, for I am with you;be not dismayed, for I am your God;I will strengthen you, I will help you,I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
—Isaiah 41:10

A Stomach Bug???

I know I have not posted lately, but last week was not a good week at the McCone household so there has just been no time. Alan started feeling sick last Tuesday evening and stayed sick...throwing up, etc., until Saturday. Like I said, it was not a good week. We were not 100% sure if it was a stomach bug or his chemo. How do you tell??? He takes his chemo daily, so we are just not sure. He finally started feeling human again Saturday evening and was able to enjoy some "real" cooking Sunday. My dad cooked ribs Sunday and they were WONDERFUL!!! If Alan would have missed that, he would have been not a happy camper.

Alan continues to have the back trouble, so just please pray for him. It has gotten to the point where the back issues are making his day to day activities harder. I can't even begin to tell you how hard it is for him to not be able to do things with the kids. It's devastating actually. I just ask that you pray for our family. I do not say this to be ugly, but until you have lived the life of cancer, you can never fully understand what families deal with on a day to day basis. Selfishly, I never did and I will admit that to anyone. Unfortunately, now I do. It's very hard and very stressful. Just pray for our family and any family dealing with that C word.

Back to the stomach bug, if it was a stomach bug, Lord, please do not let me or the kids get it. It hit Alan HARD!!!

Side Note***Sydney is doing great in school!!! No notes...yet!! WooHoo
Carson continues to get smarter and smarter every day!

"Our God is an Awesome God!!"