"Six Crunchy Tacos and a Large Iced Tea, Please."

Brain cancer is...

...winning everyday victories.

Everyone works.  I'm doing some curriculum development for my department, so Darrell worked hard on home projects like getting the car smogged.  (Yes, Christine, I know you'll be considering this information as a re-opener in upcoming talks.)

Darrell came home with Del Taco for lunch.  Everyday victory:  He went through the drive through. He made himself understood via that speaker, which I surmise none of us holds as an "easy exercise in clear communication" activity.

It's the first time Darrell's taken the drive through solo, and it strikes me as a very brave thing to do. 

Thanks, Darrell, for continuing to try things that seemed impossible for us a couple years ago.

(No pressure on the rest of us, right Team D?)

Adventures Best Left Un Had

Brain cancer is...

...sometimes choosing the prudent decision.

As we were out and about today, our major conclusion was, "What a beautiful spring day!"  But that didn't sound very blog worthy.  So we put on our adventure goggles and saw a few adventures that could have been:

How thrilling would this have been?

One small leap...

Okay, now that we are on the topic, imagine, if you will, this story unfolding the other day at the beach:

Darrell contemplates a joy ride on a police trike.

Today we decided that some adventures may be best left un had.  Sometimes it may be best to simply conclude:  It's a beautiful spring day.:*

*All right, because we can't resist:  Darrell spotted one monarch butterfly today.  Can you, above? 

Monarch Migration Badge: 2,500 Miles

Brain cancer is...

...well traveled.

Back at Craig Park today, heading up the hill for our steps, Darrell said, "This is hard!"  Our beach walks were flat.

We were rewarded for our efforts, though, when halfway through the walk, this notification came through on my phone:

Yes, today we hit our next Fit bit lifetime miles badge.  Since December 2016, we have walked 2,500 miles.  Two things.

First: About the Butterflies 

No single butterfly travels 2,500 miles, and it takes more than a year for the complete migration.  (Yes, that does make us feel better about ourselves for taking 17 months to achieve the butterfly badge.)

The monarch migration is a complicated thing, which you can study if you're interested. (Yes, this is me exercising restraint.)  Our favorite site for the day is this one, which tracks people's sightings of the current migration (click here, and watch the animation.)  Citizen science at its finest.

Second:  About Darrell's 2,500 Miles

Our Fit bit "lifetime" commenced December 12, 2016.  That's the date when we finally faced the fact that we mourned the Fit bit I lost in Chicago (5/16), bought a new one, and opened a new account.

Thus, Darrell was diagnosed with GBM  7 months before our monarch migration trek began, and every single one of these 2,500 miles he walked was with brain cancer.

We don't have a map, the way the butterflies do, but we have a list.  These 2,500 miles took us through 10 states:

1. Arizona
2. California
3. Florida
4. Hawaii
5. Louisiana
6. New Mexico
7. Oregon
8. Pennsylvania
9. Texas
10. Washington

And most of the miles were within some great California cities:

• Big Bear
• Cambria
• Carlsbad
• Carpinteria
• Dana Point
• Fawnskin
• Hemet
• Long Beach
• Los Angeles
• Monterrey
• Oceanside
• Oxnard
• San Clemente
• San Diego
• San Luis Obispo
• Santa Barbara
• Temecula
• Ventura

Darrell chose Johnny Cash's "I've Been Everywhere, Man!" as the song of the day.

Here's to the next 2,500 miles!

Bonus Day

Brain cancer is...

 ...still hanging at Dana Point.

We extended our anniversary stay by a day.  We needed the day to plan Anniversary #35, of course. Above is the view at breakfast, and that's pretty much how the day went. 

Three Hots and a Cot

Brain cancer is...

...making basic survival decisions. 

The view at breakfast:

 

Ceiling fish?  Great start to the day!

Lunch:

My face!  Ow!

And dinner:

Love the view.

That’s three hots.  Here's the cot: 

Anniversary #34, Day 2.  Yay!

 

Anniversary #34

Brain cancer is...

...happy to see another anniversary.

We have always made a big deal out of our wedding anniversary because, it seems  to us, anniversaries are the only holidays that we have to work to earn.  All the other holidays we just need to stay alive to see.  That’s why today, our 34th anniversary, is doubly cool.  We worked to earn it and we survived to see it.  Really; Darrell feels very happy to sing the anniversary song today.

Zachary asked Darrell’s advice on marriage this morning. Sweet! Here’s what I know, in looking back over 34 years:  If you choose a partner who asks you to skip out of the church after your ceremony,  you have an adventure ahead.

We're spending this weekend at Dana Point.  Dinner with Beth and Geoff at Javiers.

Happy Adventures!

Photo credits:  1984:  Denri.  2018:  Beth and Geoff.

Framily Friday

Brain cancer is...

...ready to advise on the topic of "Fridays."

We really appreciate that a tough day (yesterday) is usually followed by a bright one (today).

Darrell highly recommends Framily Fridays.

For family:  We had breakfast with Gordon, celebrating his 91st birthday:

Mimosas and birthday lemon bar at 9:30 am on a Friday?  Must recommend!

Ninety one years of appreciating your parent?  Must highly recommend!

More family:  We spent lunch and the afternoon with LuAnn.

Also highly recommend.  (We missed you, Gail.  Rain check.)

Family would have been enough to make it a great day.  And then the "FR" part of "framily" texted:  Happy hour with the Mayfields?  Hurrah!!

Apparently...Happy "hours" is a thing.

Please do feel free to consult with Darrell should you need additional recommendations for how to spend your Friday.

Welcome to the weekend, Team D!

"My husband is my hero."

Brain cancer is...

 ...[still] making Andi cry.

Today, in honor of Brain Tumor Awareness month, Andi participated in the "A Day with Optune Users" event.  It was a call-in hour with an Optune user, a caregiver (us), and time for Q and A.

I shared "our story" (the copy that made it through the story writer and through "legal") for the first time publicly outside of Team D.

I made it all the way through the story until the line that you've heard before many times but that is difficult to say aloud:  "My husband is my hero."  Then I cried. 

I also cried because we heard Brian's story during the event.  Even Optune rock stars like Brian (check him out here or Google him:  Optune Brian) are mortal.  I cried because the human story of trauma, of pain, and of loss strike me as the universal story.

Or maybe I am crying, instead, because we are in it together.  Hold tight, Team Human.

Darrell's Fan

Brain cancer is...

...loving words with multiple meanings.

Were you thinking you'd hear about one of Darrell's admirers when you read the title of this post?  Got you!  Gotta love the English language! 

We meant Darrell's bathroom fan.

This fan

needed to fit into this space

and here's just the guy to make it happen:

Yes!  He did make it happen! And the person* who held the fan against the ceiling during the process and pushed the fan into place at the finale gets credit for the assist:

Our work here is done.

*Christine:  Just thought you might need this information in order to negotiate most effectively on behalf of your client.

Routinely Awesome

Brain cancer is...

...back to our routines.

Above you see Darrell attending to his forsaken rock paths at the park.

Also routine:  Darrell achieved a 98% compliance rating for Optune this month.  Again.

Ho hum.  Routine.  Routine awesomeness that is! 

The Best Is Yet to Be

Brain cancer is...

 

...having fun anticipating the kids' adventure.

With completion of the master's degrees and a wedding ahead, Summer and Zachary are taking their show on the road.  Summer will be attending the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley to earn her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision.  Zachary will be pursuing several different kinds of opportunities that make use of his work as a historian.

Here's to kids' adventures.

We had fun yesterday before Zach's ceremony with a photo shoot at the Fullerton Arboretum.  It gave us a chance to think about not just commencement but about Zach and Summer as a couple.  Somehow the way they approach life together seemed to bubble up to the surface through the photos.  

Here are a few shots of the fun.

The way master's hoods should be worn. Wizardry?

 

The future:  Bring it!

Zachary Commences

Brain cancer is...

...here to congratulate Zach upon completion of his master’s degree.

Darrell wasn’t sure he’d be around to see Alex graduate from medical school.  That was soooo a year ago! (Click here for the post of Alex and Tiana's commencement.) 

Darrell  wants you to know just how happy he is to be here to witness Zachary commence with his master’s degree in history today.  

I would like to add that it was especially wonderful to experience Cal State Fullerton through our children's perspectives.  We have loved CSUF for 27 years through my experience as a faculty member in education, but even those years of happiness did not prepare us for the phenomenal experience Summer would have in the counseling program or Zachary in history.

Summer and Zach both worked with incredible faculty who supported them as scholars and researchers and who mentored them at each step of the way.  CSUF has been a newly amazing part of our lives for the past three years.

Congratulations, Masters!

Thanks, Team D members, for all of your support.  Everything you did for us, you did also for Zachary and Summer during their programs.

And special thanks to Heather, who secured preferred parking and seating for us for both ceremonies. We felt very special! 

Family Day

Brain cancer is...

...happy for a day with family.

Alex and Tiana came over for the day to join the fun.  Hurrah!  Above is Lebanese food for lunch.  Then we enjoyed a walk in Carbon Canyon.  You can imagine, perhaps, the string of events surrounding this moment in time:

Being with family:  It never gets old.

Happy Saturday everyone.

Summer Commences

Brain cancer is...

At left are Rachel (Summer's niece) and Sienna (Summer's sister).  Sue is center.

 ...so proud of Summer.

Tonight Summer was award her Masters of Science degree in Counseling.  We were so happy to be there with her family and friends to celebrate her accomplishments.
 

McKenna's Family and Zach, plus graduates

Summer and McKenna (great friend)

 

What a wonderful ending.

Spring Cleaning for Fun and Profit

Brain cancer is...

...getting our walk in at home today.

We feel a little like you've been holding out on us, Team D.  We did not know until today that one does not need to go to the park in order to walk.

Especially after much time away, we decided that today was the day for spring cleaning...inside...

...and out.

We feel satisfied.  And check out our steps (top pic):  16,000 steps, seven and a half miles--without traveling farther than the front yard.

Home looks great and we got in a good work out??  Win-win!!

(PS...Another win:  Yes, that is the Guillaume Dove candy bowl you see in the "inside" pic, above.  The bowl's always full.  Stop on by.)