It’s a short entry tonight, y’all; I had a long day on Tuesday, and am still feeling it on Wednesday night. Ah, but it was SO worth it! More on that in a minute.

First , the news: I had a visit with my oncologist on Monday. I’ve gained 3 lbs. since the last visit—good news. He said that the rash, while annoying now, may actually go away on its own—good news. AND he said to make another appointment in 4 weeks, which means he thinks I’ll still be here in 4 weeks—more good news! Hey, I don’t assume anything anymore, and none of us are promised another day, anyway.

Now for the adventure. Thanks to some very generous people, my sons and I had an hour-long ride in a hot air balloon on Tuesday evening! It was awesome. A very thoughtful co-worker made all the arrangements, and all we had to do was show up. So we did. We flew as high as 1000 feet, and then low enough to pick leaves from a tree. The scenery was quite rural and very pretty; lots of farmland and forests. We saw deer running through the woods, saw a hawk and later, an owl in flight. We waved to people on the ground, who waved back. And yes, we took lots of pictures. I’m the one with the big grin. Once back on the ground, we had a little ceremony where my sons and I received certificates stating that we went up in the balloon, and we had a little sparkling juice to celebrate. Dinner was provided for us by another thoughtful co-worker. Truly an event to remember. If you ever have a chance to go, run to sign up. It’s magical.

I know that I’ll remember the adventure and the thoughtfulness behind it for a long, long time. Thanks for sharing my good news and my adventure!

¶ 5:49 PM