Hello, friends!

Sorry to have such a long time between posts. I have been back to work for a little over a month at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church where I am the Director of Children and Youth Ministries, which has kept me busy and away from posting. Additionally, last week I got to enjoy a week at the Oregon Coast with my extended family. It was a wonderful, renewing week with lots of walks, meals, card games, and quality time with my family. 

This week, I am gearing up for surgery, which will be next Tuesday, August 9. I have opted to do a lumpectomy, which is the recommended treatment from all sources on my care team. I had my pre-op appointment with Dr. Kaufman at the Bellingham Regional Breast Center yesterday and he was incredibly informative and calming. He's got 30 years experience doing these surgeries! I also had to have an echocardiogram today (to check for heart damage from chemotherapy), and will have an appointment with my oncologist and an infusion tomorrow.

Squeezing work in around my healthcare this week has been a bit of a challenge, especially with a congregation that is moving towards post-shutdown renewal, but I am managing to keep the plates spinning.

If you are part of my prayer team, please add my sweet 2-year-old pug, Riley, to your prayers. She has gotten very sick today and is under 24/7 vet care for the next day or so to see if they can help her. We love our little Riley and are all very worried about her.

EDITED to add: Sweet Riley girl passed away on Thursday evening. Please keep our family in your prayers as we grieve the loss of our beloved furry companion.

For my church folks, let's reflect on Psalm 91 today. It's a psalm that I love and I just picked up my bible this morning and read it out loud to myself.