This weekend Scott and I had a bit of fun with the ladies from TeamSurvivor Madison. One member (Mary) has a team of sled dogs and invited us all out to try her new paddling machine, see the dogs and learn a bit about sled dogs and sledding.

So, Scott and stopped at the new house to see the progress (I am uploading pictures tonight) then headed to Brodhead, a town we had not seen yet. It is southest of Madison about 45 minutes. The drive was nice and Scott and I were able to get a dog fix to keep us going for a while longer. We plan to get new dogs when we move into the house. We also took a quick walk to see a replica covered bridge on a trail next to Mary and Scott (her husband) house. I can not remember the name of the place, but I think we will have to visit again in the spring when it is warmer and I have enough energy to walk the trail.

The house is coming along quite well. They have all flooring except the carpet and all the cabinetry is now in. Most of the doors went in this week as well. We are getting really excited to have a bit of room to move around and also things to do. Winter in the condo when I do not feel up to doing things is drive Scott nuts! He really needs his shop and some projects to keep him busy. Right now all he gets to do is clean house and take care of me which can be a bit overwhelming with no other outlets.

As for me, I am still struggling quite a bit with my lungs. They did some tests last week and have determined that there are no infections or any other reasons that I would continue to cough like I have been except the cancer. So, I hope that we can find a more aggressive approach to getting rid of the cancer in my lungs so I can breath better. It is probably more exhausting than the chemo. I keep thinking that it will pass and then I can start doing things again, but so far it does not look like it is leaving any time soon.

Work is still good and keeps my mind off of my troubles and on more positive things. Scott even had a really good week at work. He has been putting his troubleshooting skills to the test working on some equipment in Viola (2 hours South of Madison). They have solved most of the problems, but he has put in quite a bit of overtime trying to get things straightened out. He enjoys the challenge and even though he had to work a lot of hours, he had a great week.

Now, it is Sunday evening and we are preparing to get back to work. I will be teaching my two classes (USF and UW) and reviewing proposals for the Distance Teaching and Learning Conference this week. That will keep me quite busy. I am also having my port replaced on Wednesday. It stopped working about 2 months ago and they can not get it to work again. So, they will replace it with a power port which can be used for much more than just chemo and blood draws. Although I am not looking forward to the surgery, I am looking forward to not having to use up the veins in my arms. Once they finish putting the port in on Wednesday I will go straight to chemo as I start my 4th round of Abraxane.

Scott will probably have to go back to Viola to fine tune a few more things, but at least it gives him something to do. The weather has been a bit cold, but after being acclimated to cold weather again in Alaska, Wisconsin temps do not seem so bad.

It has been good to hear from many of you and I apologize to those who keep looking for new photos. Try now, there are many to enjoy. Take care and stay warm everyone! - S&S