Here's what we did....

Oh my goodness!!! This has taken me months to finish!!! 

So here is what we did on our break!

At the end of March, Elliott and I went on a 10 day honeymoon to Orlando. While we were there, we went to Disney World and Universal studios. We had so much FUN, and it was great to get away for a while. Thank you to everyone who helped with our honeymoon fund! We are so blessed!

Elliott and I on the plane. Elliott's first plane ride with his wife ;)

This was the first time we saw the sun in five months...not even exaggerating. 

Towel art in our room.

We stayed right at a Disney Resort, so we could be shuttled right to the parks. 

We had hopper passes at Disney which were really nice. We could go to the parks early, come back and take a nap in the afternoon, and go to a different park for dinner. 

El and I at Magic Kingdom.

(I tried to get Elliott to buy the matching bride and groom ears, but it didn't happen. So I just got bride ears) 

Then I made him do a wedding photo shoot with me. 

  

Epcot was probably my favorite spot. There was plenty of things to do and the flowers there were so pretty. 

French montage.

Elliott's favorite part was the food, and riding expedition Everest 6 times!!

After we stayed at Disney for a week, we went to Universal Studios for 3 days. We stayed at a brand new resort there and the rooms were super awesome! 

It basically had two rooms. A living room and then a bedroom. 

...and Harry Potter World!

The weekend after we got back, Elliott went to Louisville for a Together for the Gospel conference. He had a lot of fun hanging out with college buddies, and he learned a lot from the speakers there. It was weird not having him home, but I did massive spring cleaning while he was gone. 

And to finish out the traveling section of our vacation, we went Minnesota to see friends from project that we got to know two summers ago. I missed them so very much. They are just so encouraging and God glorifying, and I wished they/we lived closer. 

 After we got back from all the traveling, we started coaching JV soccer. Because of all the cancellations due to weather, a lot of weeks we had three games. It took a lot more time then I thought it would, but it was really fun. And we are thankful for the opportunity to coach. 

That probably brings you up too this treatment. 

We are thankful for the "normal" phases and we are also thankful for the "not normal" phases. In all seasons we are learning about God's faithfulness and mercy. I am so glad we got to have this time off! It was such a joy! 

Vacation!!

Hello friends and family! 

Here is an update on Elliott's health. Today we went to Ann Arbor for El's appointment with his oncologist before his monthly chemotherapy. The chemotherapy has been doing its job in stopping the cancer from growing which we are so thankful for! There have been no new growths from his tumors in his lungs and hips! Praise God! But the chemotherapy they are using is starting to take a toll on Elliott's body. Not a significant amount, but you can see it in his kidney function and blood counts. 

So Elliott's oncologist is giving us a two month break! I am very excited about because it means we can be a little normal again and go on trips and things. If the cancer continues not to grow then we could be on break longer. 

The downside is that during this break there is nothing medically stopping this tumor from spreading. But, I know that God has the power to heal or keep the cancer from growing.

 Honestly, I am a little bit nervous about the break because we are not doing active medical things to stop the cancer. I am also thankful for the break though because that means Elliott will feel better, and he hasn't felt really great since before we got married. We are looking forward to taking some trips in the next couple months. 

We are so thankful that God has answered our prayers and has kept the osteosarcoma at bay. How mighty is our God who is always there to shelter us in our darkest moments and hear our pleas. He is our foundation and our rock. I know this fight might not be over, but I am just so thankful for the faithfulness of God.

So keep praying for us. Firstly, continue to pray that people come to know the Lord through this experience and for God's will to be done. Secondly, pray that the cancer stays at bay, and that Elliott is not in pain on our "vacation". Lastly, pray for wisdom as Elliott and I try to figure out what to do in our free time. 

Elliott's health update

So yesterday was frustrating. Elliott had a fever, and it was fairly high so we were advised to go to the nearest ER. We first went to the Marlette ER, but they wanted him to transfer because they did not have platelets on site. We went to Lapeer, and after talk about being admitted there, the on-call oncologist was not answering their phone, so we got transferred again to Ann Arbor. Where El sat in the emergency room for four hours waiting to get a room upstairs. Hospitals are frustrating, but they are also helpful I suppose. 

Usually we would be out soon, but we have come to find out that Elliott has a bacterial infection in his intestines. Please pray that we don't have to spend all our off weeks in the hospital, and that this infection will respond well to antibiotics. Thanks for your prayers!! 

Some Random Blog

Hello all!! My New Years resolution to start writing more blogs...lol. 

I was going to write a serious blog, but I am not feeling it today. Plus, I feel like Elliott stole all my material, dang husband lol jk. 

So here are some fun things that have happened since my blogging absence.

We got a dog, and I am totally in love with her. I love her so much that I call her the same pet names as I call Elliott (little love, boo boo, etc). He says he does not know who I am talking to most of the time, Him or Nema. Nema is just so sweet, a pain in the butt sometimes but mostly sweet!! 

Elliott and I spent our first Christmas together!! It was definitely one that will not be forgotten in the near future. Our house was out of power for six days due to the ice storm, so we spent a lot of time at my parents house (who have a wood stove) which was really fun! They did not have a tree because they were all frozen, so this is about as festive as it got. 

I spent my New Years in California, and went to the Rose Bowl!!!! It was so awesome!!! I told Elliott it was the best day of my life! But I forgot that I got married, so I changed it to one of the top five! I went with some of my friends from college: Darcy, Hannah, and Taylor. And I even got to sit with them (even though my ticket was for another seat)....and we WON!! Whoop whoop! 

And to conclude, my parents, Anna, Ben, Elliott, and I went to the MSU vs U of M basketball game. I had a good time, but it would have been better if we won! Oh well... 

Well I hope to write that serious blog soon--ish lol. 

17 Reasons My Husband is Great

I have realized that my blog has been kind of sad, but my life isn't all sad. I laugh, I smile, and I am joyful. I am especially happy with Elliott Orr in my life, and since it was his birthday, I thought I would let the internet celebrate with me what makes Elliott so great. I hope this makes you smile and laugh.

17 Reasons My Husband is Great

1. He has laughed the same since he was a little kid. 

    2. He holds puppies....

And they love him.

3. Once he dressed up like corn.

4. and a girl,

5. and a ballerina.

6. He really loves Christmas, including decorating the tree and wearing Christmas sweaters. 

7. Hair or no hair, he is still a cutey. 

8. He has abnormally large calves. 

9. He strikes poses. 

10. He helps me ruin photos.

11. He jams on the piano...and sings sometimes if you beg.

12. He acts like an 80 year old man. He hates sparklers...and also loud music. (But I act like I am 7, so we balance out).

13. Even when he doesn't feel that great, he does this...

14. While having our first bite of cake, I told Elliott, "I am going to shove this in your face." He said, "ok," and did not retaliate. 

15. He loves "playing" in the snow

16. And who can not laugh at this...

17. Or this...

Love you Owy!!! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

Pride

So once again it has been about a month since I have posted anything...sorry friends. 

So a little update...El and I have been doing pretty well. Our house is starting to feel more like home, and I have started cooking. I am an awful cook, but hopefully (fingers crossed) I will get better soon. We spent last weekend in East Lansing which was awesome! I miss it there! I got to go to the MIchigan State game where we stomped Michigan, while Elliott watched at a friends house. It was fun :)

But anyway, I have thought I needed to post a blog about pride for a while now. I have discovered that I have more pride in my ability to be independent than I anticipated.  I grew up in a family where my parents worked for everything they had, and growing up in that atmosphere was great. I learned the value of hard work in school, in jobs, and in life. No one gave us a free hand out, and if they did, it would be repaid almost instantly. 

Lately, I have been feeling this burden that I haven't been repaying all the gifts I have been given. It sometimes lays heavy on my heart. The sad thing is, I should feel over whelmed with blessings, but I don't. I feel that I have to pay back all the work that went into the house, the bills that have been paid by others, and the random acts of kindness people have done for us. Just another way sin has crept into my heart and has tainted all of the gifts the Lord has blessed me with. Looking at the bible though, I can see why my thinking is flawed.

Romans 6:23 states, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The Savior, who was sinless, died for all my past, present, and future sin and made me clean, so I could have eternal life. This is a free gift that cannot be repaid by any man or woman on earth. So saying I am a Christian, and that I believe in the free gift of eternal life through Jesus, how can I continue to allow my heart to be tainted by this? My life and world view is made up of a gift that cannot be repaid. 

So I repent of the ways I have not been grateful for the blessings God has given me. I also thank everyone who has helped with the wedding, with the house, with food, with gifts, and with life. Through the Gospel, I can truly say thank you. You guys are are a true blessing. 

Update

Sorry I have not posted an update in a while. I have been both extremely busy and lazy.

Anyway, a life update....

Last week, I finished my internship at Shared Pregnancy, which is awesome and sad. This was probably the first job that I actually loved (no offence, anyone who I worked for).  I loved working with clients at a place that could provide physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. God definitely blessed me with this opportunity, and I will miss it. But, I think that I will volunteer there when I need to take break away. I will officially get my degree in December...or so I think lol. As of now though, I am just taking care of Elliott :)

Our house is looking awesome! We put a canvas up of one of our wedding pictures, and we also put other pictures in our living room. We also got a rug. Our little house is becoming more homelike every week. It is kind of weird that "Ian's" is now my house, and my parents house is not really my house anymore. I am still in the habit of calling the Skelton's house, my house, and the Orr's house, Elliott's house. I am sure I will get used to it, someday.

Today, is the last day of chemo for this week. This is cycle five. WHOOP! I am so thankful that the only side effect El really has is fatigue. Usually by the 2nd and 3rd week of the cycle he is up and doing things with me which feels normal. It is almost a shock to have to come back to chemo because he feels so well. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We definitely feel them.

Thanks again friends. I will post again soon!!!! I will be better I promise!