Team #wegotthis

lovely days of summer ... week 8 of chemo

My consultation with my oncologist Dr. Roberts in Poulsbo and chemo went well yesterday. Laurynn and Carter kept me entertained and preoccupied for the first hour. I did find out that I need a blood transfusion tomorrow, Thursday, July 27. I will have a CT scan at 11a followed up with a 4 hour blood transfusion and then my Gavetix shot to increase my white blood cell count. Yes, a busy week.

Monday, July 31 Forrest will take me to my consultation appointment with Dr. Shawl, my Oncologist surgeon at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Ty will meet us there. Given the results of the CT scan Dr. Shawl will determine when surgery will be. I am hoping the week of Aug. 22, so stay tuned.

Steve and Dian want me to come and visit them in Portland, so we are working on tentative dates. Marilyn has indicated that she would like to come to visit not sure if that will be before or after surgery, stay tuned. My niece Lyn will be coming to stay with me after surgery to help with my recovery. Such an amazing team of of love and support!

Rosemary, Melinda, Arnie, and Debbie keep me busy and entertained with movie nights, card nights, BBQ's and outdoor concerts. Hoping to get on the water sometime soon ... maybe this weekend?

EnJOY these lazy days of summer and the sweet life of July.

Love, Laughter, and JOY,

Lynn

Team #wegotthis

The good news is the MRI results are normal!

and

the head shaving party was a great success! Laughter, Love, and tears brought us all closer together in this journey. Although you may not have been with us your spirit was present!

Such an amazing lifestyle change I am experiencing. I wake up to the three C's: Chocolate, Cannabis, and Coffee. Having just completed the 5th chemo treatment of 9 I feel confident that the cannabis is playing a significant role in keeping me calm, good natured, and ready to take the next step towards healing.

My next chemo treatment is Tuesday, July 11th and that will be week 6 of 9. Things are progressing and if all goes well at the CT Scan in week 8, then we will prepare for surgery.

Thank you for your Love and Support,
Lynn

Team 'wegothis'

living life large ... week 2 of Chemo

Tuesday, June 13 was a big day. Ashlee drove me to my first MRI (brain scan) and that was an absolute torture chamber! I endured, survived, and complained for hours afterwords! I have a water bottle that has "SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP" printed in it and that is what got me through the MRI. On a good note, Chemo went well. So fortune to have Laurynn drive me and hang out during the procedure.

Reminder:

Hair shaving party here at my house, 7076 1/2 Twin Ponds Rd. NE, BI, WA, on Friday, June 23rd at 5:00pm. My hairstylist of 28 years, Kim, will be here to do the honors. Hope to see you!

Have a great week you all!

Live. Love. Laugh.

Team 'wegotthis' 

The Journey continues ... week 1 of Chemo

I have been told by the 3rd - 4th week I will be losing my hair. Looking at scarf and cap options for the summer. 

On that note ... my hair shaving party is at my house Friday, June 23rd at 5:00p. YOU are invited and I would love to have you with me at that time. I will admit, this will be a hard step for me ... but in hindsight with what I have been through over 5 decades makes this a 'walk in the park' :)

Treatment on Tuesday, June 6 went well. Laurynn was with me and she really helped me stay calm, focused and she brought her sense of humor along, so there was laughter. I so appreciate the support and love from all of you!

I feel great today and it may be the tincture that I started last night.  Took 1/2 dose and feel very calm and relaxed. First time I woke up in years and didn't need to take ibuprofen! That accomplishment in itself is worth the trial:)

Looking forward to this week I will have my stomach drain #6 this Friday, June 9. I had to cancel my trip to Dallas this weekend to see my family and celebrate Paul's 50th birthday! Sadness and disappointment mixed with determination and perseverance on this treatment path.

Attached is my SUMMER 2017 Mantra ... the virtue lies in the struggle, not in the prize.

In closing ...

If you would like to be removed form this list or need help opening or operating within, please send me a message or call.

LIFE ... LOVE ... LAUGH

#wegotthis

Another new journey begins ...

Yesterday, May 30th, was a big day. I spent 1 1/2 hours in my Chemo Consultation appointment. The following photo is an explanation of my diagnosis.

In a nut shell ...

• Port installed before Tuesday, June 6
• Start Chemo Tuesday, June 6
• Every Friday continue drain of fluid from my abdomen

I will be on Chemo for 9 weeks and then another CT scan will be performed to measure the size of the nodules. If things look how the surgeon expects, then surgery. If things haven't shrank enough then another round of Chemo. Like my technical explanation?

The surgery will include a full hysterectomy and also into the abdomen to remove cancer there.

This Journey is a life lesson for me and if you choose to share the journey with me, then here we go. I only request that you bring positive energy, a sense of humor, and forward thinking thoughts as we move along.

Tally Ho~

Lynn

summertime and the livin' is ...

The sweltering heat and sunshine has me exhausted! Am I complaining? No. Simply stating a point. 

I AM enJOYing morning bike rides or walks and evening paddles on the SUP or being with friends by the water. We have such a beautiful environment to "play" in.

What did you do today to "play?" For a child their "work" is their play. As adults we work and often find it hard to "play." It took me a few adult decades to realize that PLAY is as important then WORK; if not more so!

Playtime is even more fulfilling when we are with a friend. Friends appreciate the opportunity to PLAY with you. Friends support and encourage us to try something new, or go further than we thought we could, and remind us how much FUN is its to PLAY. Take time to thank your friend. Take time to be with your friend! 

Today is a Gift that is why it is called the Present.

take time to be in the present. take time to be with friends and family. take time to enjoy life.

Time Change

We have all changed our clocks except if you live in a city in Indiana or if you live in the state of AZ.

Here we are in the days of Darkness. Consider this ... light extra candles in your living space when you arrive home to enhance the magic of lighting and celebrate the darkness.

After Thanksgiving, or maybe the week of ...  string little twinkle lights around your living space for some added playful light. Continue to add twinkle lights in spaces you may not have thought of before ... Bathroom mirror, kitchen window, around the desk, strung along the mantel with festive decorations in front of the lightening. Outside and inside ... get creative and play with twinkle lights.!

This time of year can become drab and worrisome, so lighten up your Spirits and Play with lighting. Go to the pool for a swim in the wee hours of the morning light or in the darkness after work. Drop in to a Yoga session and feel the day lift away from your soul as you stretch, bend and twist away the fatigue. Consider an early afternoon walk in the moist and pleasant trails in the area. When was the last time you went to Bloedel?

Tonight embrace the fact that seasons change, life changes and we change.

today is October 31, 2014

I am not a fan of Halloween ... but I remember how much my mother enjoyed it and this blog is about telling our story. My Mom ... creative, entertaining, joyful, full of Love, imaginative, unique, to say a few of her attributes.

I looked out at the Human Race tonight in a local community where I frequent and said to myself, "is this who we are?" NO, "This" is who we hope to be ... This is who we pretend to be .... This is who .... I still don't get "it."

So Halloween aside; there is another topic that is pressing me to communicate ... Spirits.

We have all lost loved ones, we have all experienced the HOLE that resides is our being when our loved one leave this physical space, Defined as Sadness. Abandoned. Misery. Emptiness. Those words try to explain feelings even 3, 5 10. 18. 20+ years after the loss has been experienced. Where do we go for comfort? How do we seek fulfillment? When will there be resolve?

I don't have the answers, but the calm in this journey is that I seek the questions and in time the answers will come. My love in those who have passed before me plus the resolve that the answers are not the end to the mean give me comfort in knowing that this journey is well worth the experience and the joy that is shared two fold; with Them and You.

Each day brings amazing surprises and revelations ... don't you agree? I work in the Public sector and I am a full-time student, so I see, witness, experience, and participate in the most enriching and cultivating relationships that you can imagine. I am so very fortunate to be engaged with life at this level daily!

On the flip side with all this stimulation and interacting comes exhaustion and burnout! When and where do we recharge our batteries? Well the good news, as a professional coach, I know the first place for me to turn to is physical activity and I can't wait to participate in Happy Hour Yoga tomorrow night at Bainbridge Yoga House off Day Rd. West.

My other and most preferred physical activity is swimming. The joy and delight that I receive from swimming is immeasurable and relieves all the stresses of life!

Go inside and listen to what your physical body is calling for. l i s t e n ... it will tell you. Respond to what it wants. Take heed to allow the process of love and acceptance move into this physical time and place.

IN DOING SO  ... take the Risk and Feel the Rush.

Where have we been?

Here it is two years later and I am revisiting my blog. Dang time files, yes? My intention is to reclaim our connection and allow you the opportunity to share your thoughts and feelings.

The past two years have been full of love, joy, expansion, life, recovery, death, growth, and exploration to name a few things. Currently I am in my junior year of college with WWU in the College of Business and Economics which is a journey I began MANY moons ago. Stepping up to complete this journey has raised many questions with my friends and family. To keep it simple I have heard ... Why?, What?, Where?, What will you be when you finish? Where will this take you? All very valid questions seeking finite answers. Truth be told ... today I do not have an answer to any one of those questions, but what I do sense is that I am on a journey that will lead me to greater heights than I have never experienced in my past and that I am an open book. I AM open to learn, receive, and navigate a life of immeasurable possibilities and that is exciting!

Enough about me! What have you been up to over the past couple of years?

I would love to here from you as we are all in this Journey called Life and it is full of Love, Joy, and experiences and stories that we can draw from. Know that your story matters and the best time to express it is NOW!

Peace & Love to All,
Lynn

BAMFest and the Beat Goes On!

Welcome to another FUN and exciting swim season! 

The first SCY meet of the season has pasted and now we look forward to SCM Zones in a couple of weeks.  Get registered soon as you don't want to miss this awesome Championship meet at King County Aquatic Center (KCAC) in Federal Way, WA on October 21 & 22.

Effective March 6, 2012 we started a new U.S. Masters Swim team at the North Kitsap Pool in Poulsbo, WA.  Since then we have participated in SAA just last month in Lake WA and most recently four swimmers attended BAMFest.  Today we have two swimmers committed to the Zone meet at KCAC on Oct. 21/22 and we are looking for more brave souls to swim and/or attend in support or as "swimmers in waiting."  Not sure what a Masters swim meet entails?  Come and find out.  In my past experience with a swimmer she attended swim meets with us for almost a year before see swam in a meet.  We teased her by saying she was checking out her competition.

Look forward to you comments, concerns and questions.

swimming for life ...
Coach Lynn

SPRING 2012!

Are you ready to plant the garden?  Beginning your OW swim training in the frigid lakes and Sound of the PNW?  Time to FLY a KITE?  Out for some awesome Bike Rides?  Participating in a great day Hike in our fabulous Mountains?  Preparing to Host a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta?  Getting excited about the child Graduating from College?  Clearing out the influences of old patterns and setting new priorities fro a clean and clear Mind, Body and Soul?  Practicing your Golf Swing inside on your Computer Game or outside at the Driving Range?  Out SUP'n enjoying the beautiful sunny Sunday's or Training for a Race?  enJOYing the extended Training Runs in preparation for an up coming Marathon or Trail Run Event?  Writing s Strategic Plan for a business operation?  Presenting your complete Business Plan and Proposal to Investors?  Branding your product and preparing to send it out into the Market?  Shifting from Solider to Student in the study of Programing?  Clearing out the old of a Fifteen Year Lifestyle to adjusting to the Newness that is Ready to come forth?  Advocating your passion and presenting positive action to a new belief?  Preparing to Swim your Royal ASS off at USMS Nationals this weekend in Greensboro, NC?  Adjusting to the Newness and Changes of Life as it has taken a new turn this Year?

I embrace and hold you ALL close to my Heart!  We have endured, survived, grown, developed, encouraged, participated, cried, laughed, traveled, changed, cleared a new path, forgiven, trained, loved and a MILLION other positive and satisfying actions!

CONGRATULATIONS on arriving to the Spring of 2012 with Grace, Dignity and Insight to flourish into the SUMMER of 2012!

Let us All Embrace Life and Love oxo.

Lynn

Welcome 2012

My ... it has been well over a year since my last post!  Time flies when we are busy managing the daily operation of living and dying.

I want to write something clever and funny.  No make that insightful and full of metaphors.  Rather try speaking from my heart with raw human emotion.  Hmmmm ... none of those options sound within my realm of possibility and yet each option presents a way to communicate how I really feel.

Human emotions ... my emotions, thoughts and gut feelings are not the best thing to publish here.  Why not?  I am in control of this blog?

Key word here ... Control.

con·trol

   [kuhn-trohl]  Show IPA verb, -trolled, -trol·ling, noun

verb (used with object)

1.

to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate; command.

2.

to hold in check; curb: to control a horse; to control one's emotions.

Now I can't type in the other font ... what the ----?

Hmmm CONTROL

Guess I will work on that word for today ... 

Lake WA and the Joy of Summer ...

Remember when we were kids and we would run to the lake with our sibs, cousins and/or friends by our side and we'd holler, "Beat you to the water!" Or ... "last one in is a rotten egg!"  Remember those FUN filled HOT summer days at the lake?  Well ... today three fortunate friends got to experience that delightful memory.

Oh sure, we pretended to be grown ups, in our wetsuits working on using our legs LESS during OW swimming, focusing on our breathing technique and sighting drills.  But, all in all when we "mastered" those skills and others ... off we went to the diving platform and climbed on the ladder  ... looking foolish in our full armored wetsuits, we promptly JUMPED IN just like kids!  As we surfaced we looked at one another and said, "Let's do that again!"  We swam back to the ladder, climbed up on the diving platform and looked around at all the girls in their bikini's and guys in their jams basking in the sun SMILING at us!  We didn't feel foolish ... we were High on Life!  

So we line up, the three of us, and this time one of us says, "let's dive!"  Ok!  One, two, three, GO!  WhooHoo ... we surface, look at each other smiling from ear to ear, and we say ... "let's do that again!"  Our third time we line up and others have joined us and on "three" we ALL dove into the water and swam to the rope by the beach ... some of us swam Butterfly 'cause we could in a wetsuit:).

Sheri and Kim ... Thank YOU for rekindling the memories from childhood and creating new ones!  Good luck at Fat Salmon and enjoy the ride of the wave and life.

Getting back on the Horse

This Sunday, June 27, 2010 I will be coaching a FREE swim clinic at the Port Townsend Municipal pool.  The PT Masters swim team has graciously provided me with free pool time to conduct this clinic during their workout time.  Thank you PT Masters Swimmers and Nancy, the Aquatic Director.

So is this about the clinic?  No.  Is this about coaching?  No.  Is this about life lessons?  Yes.  I am ready for a breakthrough.  My passion is coaching, my breath is the water and my mission is to provide swimming opportunities to adults ... I AM a swim Ambassador.

Is this point in time an opportunity for me to pursue what I have wanted to do over the past sevens years?  Yes.  Have I been provided the tools to step into my new direction?  Yes.  Do I have the tenacity and perseverance to step it up?  Yes.

Then the lesson has just been delivered ... here we go!!!

It's not as Easy as it Looks

Happy Father's Day

This morning I grabbed my Coaches cap and joined three brave souls at Manzanita Bay.  We headed out at 11:12am and swam eighteen minutes, with two brief stops to check in on one another.  One swimmer was out for the first time this season and I was able to do some one on one coaching with her while I paddled the surfboard.  The advantage of being on the board versus the kayak is being on the water ~  eye level with  the swimmer, it is easier to talk with the swimmer and control the craft.  Also, the swimmer may join me on the board or drape over the board for a rest.

As we returned to our launching spot the water made our journey very interesting.  The swells that came up with the incoming tide were FUN, as the rolling motion of the water is soothing, although the current made the paddle/swim very challenging.

Having a safety tube is a good thing to have ... sometimes folks just get pooped, disorientated or panic.  No problem, just clip the tube around your middle, roll over on your back and relax.  As I paddle you just relax and gently kick.

"Sweet ... there's the beach" I say.  "Ready to take that tube off and swim in?"  "Sure!" says the rested and confident swimmer.

Thank you for the joy you bring when we are on the water together!

New Beginings

Sat., June 19, 2010

What happens when a Masters Swim Coach becomes a Masters Swimmer? She just ... "Unleashed the Beast within!" She empowers herself with the physical and mental strength needed to participate in the workout with her lane mates.

After four short months the power I am attaining from swimming four to five times per week is exciting, satisfying, exhilarating, and FUN at best!

My legs have always been my strong suit ~ in both looks and power. The more I swim the stronger my core and legs become. As my kick continues to strengthen the power that is delivered into my stroke is amazing.

Just as in life ~ find your strongest feature and develop it to the MAX ~ and all the other components will follow and become more efficient and effective.

My life philosophy: KINDNESS. If I am kind to my body, mind and soul the world blossoms before me and within me. Thank you BAM for the love and kindness to allow this flower to bloom.

Stay tuned as the unfolding continues ..