I have another blog titled, "Reflections on Faith and Life." I had to change the address to it, because Blogger kept confusing it with this blog, and posting entries wherever it wanted to.
The new address is faithandlifereflections2.blogspot.com. I hope you find it meaningful, and I would appreciate your comments and conversation.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Wedding Album Update
This is a photo album of all four McKean family weddings. It doesn't seem to be working correctly, so click the "larger" link just below the album, and you will see it in a new window. Don't laugh at the young kids :)
Family Weddings
Click here to view this photo book larger
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Sunday, October 27, 2013
"You have cancer." An unexpected journey
As almost all of you know, I (Rod) have been battling cancer for the past year and a half. I guess I should say "we" because it is just as much a battle for Carolyn and for me. In the summer of 2012 I had chemotherapy to try to shrink the cancer before surgery, but it didn't work. The chemo put me in the hospital in grave condition. But after 2 1/2 weeks I was on my feet again, and came home to build up strength for surgery. The surgery in August didn't go exactly as planned. The cancer had spread, and they had to remove my entire stomach. And still there was some cancer left behind. This required more chemotherapy which did more damage to me than to my cancer. It continued to grow throughout the winter and spring. All of this was done at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles which has one of the top stomach cancer surgeons in the country.
And then in the spring we learned that our insurance was changing, and we would have to change doctors and hospitals. I am now being cared for by a team of doctors at Loma Linda University. Throughout the summer my pain increased, and my ability to swallow and eat diminished. I started losing even more weight. (I've lost over 70 pounds total in the past year and a half.) Then, just as I was about to start radiation therapy, my bowel burst filling my abdomen cavity with toxic fluid. I went to the emergency room in extreme pain, and was rushed to surgery. Over the next week I had three surgeries to remove toxins, dead tissue, gangue green, and most of my intestines. I was in the hospital for two weeks, and came home with a feeding tube which supplies all of my nutrition.
Because of my frequent doctor visits, and my lack of strength and energy, I had to retire from teaching earlier than I wanted to. On the day I was told I had cancer, I said to Carolyn that I felt like Bilbo Baggins who had to go on an adventure that he didn't choose. Later that day I learned that a new version of The Hobbit was coming out, and it's subtitle were the exact words I said to Carolyn, "an unexpected journey."
I am now gaining weight and strength and energy. We have made a couple of visits to Disneyland and to Sacramento. This fall our daughter, Holly, and her three daughters are staying with us while Holly's husband is deployed to Afghanistan. They left the tropical paradise of Hawaii to come stay with us and help Carolyn with taking care of me and the house, and to bring some happy energy to the place. We are enjoying their stay very much.
Though there have many many dark days (or dark woods) on this journey, I have seen the hand of God at every turn. We just as a side thought shared my cancer report with my primary care physician, who called our house that evening and recommended the surgeon at Cedars. My first hospital stay occurred because I was dehydrated and didn't know it. If I had waited one more day to go to the doctor, my systems would have shut down for good. I made it through "the valley of the shadow of death" and it wasn't the only time that's happened. Every time there has been a set-back, I have recovered to all of the doctors' amazement. It is nice to give God the glory for the health that I have. Many of us have prayed for my healing, and though it hasn't been instantaneous or complete, it has been health-giving, and I thank Him for it.
The journey is not over. As we face an uncertain future, we have a lot of decisions to make. We need to downsize and simplify our lifestyle. Our income is now half of what we have grown accustomed to, so that is also an adjustment. We are now seriously considering moving to the Sacramento area to be nearer to parts of our family that we haven't been near for many years.
Please continue to pray for us as we hold God's hand, and travel through this "unexpected journey."
And then in the spring we learned that our insurance was changing, and we would have to change doctors and hospitals. I am now being cared for by a team of doctors at Loma Linda University. Throughout the summer my pain increased, and my ability to swallow and eat diminished. I started losing even more weight. (I've lost over 70 pounds total in the past year and a half.) Then, just as I was about to start radiation therapy, my bowel burst filling my abdomen cavity with toxic fluid. I went to the emergency room in extreme pain, and was rushed to surgery. Over the next week I had three surgeries to remove toxins, dead tissue, gangue green, and most of my intestines. I was in the hospital for two weeks, and came home with a feeding tube which supplies all of my nutrition.
Because of my frequent doctor visits, and my lack of strength and energy, I had to retire from teaching earlier than I wanted to. On the day I was told I had cancer, I said to Carolyn that I felt like Bilbo Baggins who had to go on an adventure that he didn't choose. Later that day I learned that a new version of The Hobbit was coming out, and it's subtitle were the exact words I said to Carolyn, "an unexpected journey."
I am now gaining weight and strength and energy. We have made a couple of visits to Disneyland and to Sacramento. This fall our daughter, Holly, and her three daughters are staying with us while Holly's husband is deployed to Afghanistan. They left the tropical paradise of Hawaii to come stay with us and help Carolyn with taking care of me and the house, and to bring some happy energy to the place. We are enjoying their stay very much.
Though there have many many dark days (or dark woods) on this journey, I have seen the hand of God at every turn. We just as a side thought shared my cancer report with my primary care physician, who called our house that evening and recommended the surgeon at Cedars. My first hospital stay occurred because I was dehydrated and didn't know it. If I had waited one more day to go to the doctor, my systems would have shut down for good. I made it through "the valley of the shadow of death" and it wasn't the only time that's happened. Every time there has been a set-back, I have recovered to all of the doctors' amazement. It is nice to give God the glory for the health that I have. Many of us have prayed for my healing, and though it hasn't been instantaneous or complete, it has been health-giving, and I thank Him for it.
The journey is not over. As we face an uncertain future, we have a lot of decisions to make. We need to downsize and simplify our lifestyle. Our income is now half of what we have grown accustomed to, so that is also an adjustment. We are now seriously considering moving to the Sacramento area to be nearer to parts of our family that we haven't been near for many years.
Please continue to pray for us as we hold God's hand, and travel through this "unexpected journey."
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Spring Update
Since this is the first update since Jan 3, most people have probably stopped reading this. So this is for all the "exceptions" out there. Or should I say "exceptional people" out there?
NASCAR
In February, Rod's brother, David, and his son, Jon, came down from Sacramento for a weekend of NASCAR races. Through a contact at church, we ended up with 4 tickets in the Toyota executive suite. We had seats (both outdoors & indoors) just above pit road, buffet lunch and unlimited drinks, and free Scan-view for the weekend, so we could listen to different channels. If you're not into NASCAR that doesn't mean much, but for us, it was great! Of course, our favorite drivers didn't win, but we still had fun.
CANCER RELAY-FOR-LIFE
In April a club from Rod's school participated in the 24-hour American Cancer Society Relay-for-Life. As a cancer survivor, Carolyn got to walk in the first lap. I'm getting too old to stay up all night in the freezing wind--especially when the teenagers won't stay up!
DISNEYLAND
For Carolyn's birthday in February, I got her 4 days of Disneyland passes. We finally got to go a couple of weeks ago, and had a great time. It's nice not feeling like you have to do everything in one day. We saw a great "Aladdin" show at the Hyperion Theater in California Adventure, then had one of the best meals we've ever had at the Cafe Orleans in Disneyland. We couldn't get into the Blue Bayou, so we had to "settle" for something less. It was great! The "less" was the price. We stayed until fireworks, then relaxed listening to a swing band before the long drive home.
Mostly we do schoolwork and yard work -- both of which seem to be perpetual.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The Twelve Days of Christmas
From Dec 20 - Jan 1, we celebrated Christmas with our entire family. If you count from the afternoon of the 20th to the afternoon of the 1st, that's 12 days.
Holly & Dan flew out from Washington, DC and join Tim & Stef and Carolyn and I for a wonderful Christmas week. They were one of the first flights out after the major DC snowstorm on Sat the 19th.
Holly & Dan flew out from Washington, DC and join Tim & Stef and Carolyn and I for a wonderful Christmas week. They were one of the first flights out after the major DC snowstorm on Sat the 19th.
Mike & Kallie were in Colorado for Christmas Eve, and had a great dinner in the camp dining hall. We took Holly & Dan to LAX on Saturday, then left on Sunday for Colorado, arriving there Monday afternoon.
We spent all week enjoying being Grandparents.
On New Year's Eve all the power in the valley went out while we were playing Wii, so we played Scrabble by kerosene lamp and candlelight. We had just fixed hot drinks, so it was a pleasant surprise.
If you would like to see more pictures of our Christmas, here is a link to Snapfish
Now we are trying to get ready for school tomorrow. Like we'll ever really be ready. :)
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The best kind of homework
As an AP Government teacher, it has been a real treat to spend a couple of days as a tourist in the Washington, DC area.
We took a "Monuments by Moonlight" tour of DC on Sunday night. 
This picture is through the window of our tour trolley.
This is the Washington Monument from the FDR Monument across the tidal basin.
After Dan's promotion on Monday morning, Carolyn and I visited the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. We even got to sit in the court for a tourist lecture.
It was raining as we walked around the Capitol building.
Today we visited Thomas Jefferson's home of Monticello. Very impressive.
For lunch we ate at Five Guys Hamburger, which is supposed to be the East Coast's version of In-n-Out, complete with red and white ceramic tile. Not!!!!! Can wait to get back to the real thing!
Tomorrow we plan to go visit the home of James Madison, that author of the Constitution. Now this is my kind of homework!
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