This past week was extra special because we took our family on vacation.  The whole family; the six of us, together.  It was a vacation that has been planned since the beginning of February.  A vacation that very well should have been canceled given the tumultuous months following that booking.  Fortunately for us though, it was a vacation that was just meant to be — Amber is with us and is doing well AND it happened to be scheduled just right too, in between radiation and her next MRI.  It was the vacation that was just meant to be.

This year’s summer family vacation was to Ogunquit, ME.  A very quaint, small town bustling with all sorts of things to do:  beaches, shopping, restaurants, antiquing, hiking a mountain, a theater with Broadway musicals, art galleries, trolleys, etc.  This was the first time taking our family there as a whole.  Ogunquit has always held a very special place in my heart and it was time to share that with my own family.

We found ourselves at the beach a few times throughout our vacation and I can say for sure that it certainly helps soothe the soul.  The warm white sand beneath our toes, the ocean breeze, the ebb and flow of the waves . . . the children’s laughter, the scent of sunscreen in the air, the seagulls cawing — these wonderful things combined with our family getting to experience them together, that was soul soothing.  And when it was evening and we got to witness the sun going down and casting a beautiful golden hue reflecting off the ocean and the beach, that too was soul soothing.  A naturally gorgeous gift from God himself to help remind us just how precious and magnificent life can be.  Thank you for that God and thank you for having Amber be apart of this year’s summer family vacation.

Now we are looking ahead to the next significant thing, which is Amber’s MRI.  Her MRI is scheduled for Wednesday, July 25th, around 10AM.  This is our next big step in discovering what our plan of action is.  So now we pray, and we pray hard.  We ask that if you wouldn’t mind saying extra prayers for Amber near/on Wednesday, July 25th, that would be greatly appreciated!  Also, if anyone is interested, our friends have set up another Holy Hour for Amber’s approaching MRI.  It is scheduled for this Friday, July 20th, from 7-8PM at our Church, St. Mary’s Church in Baltic.

Thank you again for everything — your positive thoughts and prayers have had such a positive impact on her, and on us!