Sitting at the dock in The Bay

I had grand plans of waking up early to watch our approach to the Golden Gate.  I woke up at 3:00 am. on Saturday some stepped onto the balcony. Gratefully, the sun was not yet rising, so I was able to look up into the multitudes of heaven.  The sky was clear and the stars were just simply awesome. But, it was too early so I crawled back into bed. I laid there and looked at the clock at 4, and then 5.  I figured that since our ship was supposed to dock at 7 and our approximate speed was 20 m.p.h. that if I got up at 6, I would be able to watch our entrance into SF Bay.

Linda took this picture.

 I got up at 6 and looked out our window and saw... Alcatraz Island! It took me a second to register that we were already in the bay!  I turned on the TV to check the bridge cam and sure enough, there we were! The City looming in front of us!  And oh what a beautiful morning!

Ed took this from the starboard side

After watching the captain and tug maneuver us into place easier than I can parallel park, and keeping a wary eye on the may seagulls, we got a quick bite to eat, took a few last pictures from the Lido deck, then made our way to our disembarkation location.  As you can imagine, it is quite a process to offload almost 3000 people and all of their luggage, while preparing for the afternoon departure of another 3000 guests. It was a bit chaotic but with the help of our expert cruisers, Linda and Ed, we navigated the whole process fairly well.  We met our car out in front of the cruise terminal and were home to our happy puppy in about an hour.




We cruised almost 3000 miles, never had to drive, only had to pack and unpack once and someone else did the cooking! We saw stunning scenery, relaxed in the sun, and spent quality time with each other and our friends. It was truly a memorable vacation!



We had a wonderful time but I am happy to be home! Though I could resist looking at what upcoming cruises depart from SF....

Our Route

Ketchikan and Victoria

We arrived back home yesterday (Saturday), docking around 7 am, disembarkation at 8:40 and home by 10:30 a.m.  After playing with the dog and starting laundry (which we are still working on today), we rested (he napped, I watched chick flicks) and ate whatever we could find in the house. It's good to be home.

That said, we had a fabulous trip. The seas were incredibly calm, we only had one day of rain and of course, the companionship was delightful.  It was wonderful to be introduced to cruising by our dear friends, Linda and Ed.  They showed us the ropes (or on a ship, they are lines) and gave us needed diversion when we had cabin fever.

 Without network access, we weren't able to any posting the last few days of our trip, so here are some highlights.

After the glacier, we sailed south to Ketchikan.  We were running low on painkillers so we scheduled a quick trip to the ship's doctor for the afternoon.  We finally got Jim on a schedule with his pain management and wanted to make sure we kept him pain free.  We disembarked and walked into the cute little village of Ketchikan. There was a light rain so we finally got to put on our windbreakers, but it was so warm we quickly shed them!  By now we had decided that any planned, organized shore excursions were not going to work for us, so we just walked around, shopped, looked at a few little museums and just enjoyed the local flavor.

On the bow

We came back to the ship in time to meet with the doctor, who was a super cute South African with an adorable accent who looked great in dress whites...oh, and he really was nice and helpful and was able to give Jim the meds he needed.  We relaxed into a nice evening and another day at sea followed, allowing for plenty of rest and relaxation.  The final port was Victoria, B.C.  We decided to stay on the ship, which was kind of fun because almost no one else did, so it felt as if we had the ship to ourselves. We explored most of the decks made some new discoveries. We had a really nice relaxing morning.


Sail away is a big event on cruise ships, with most passengers hanging out on deck out on their balconies. Since Victoria was our last sail away, we decide to have a little party. We joined Linda and Ed in their cabin, since they were on the starboard side which was next to the dock.  Linda and I went to the buffet (which was on our deck, the Lido deck, and yes, every time the elevator said Lido Deck, we started singing, Lido -o-o-oh-oh) to make a few plates of snack food, and we had drinks and food out on the balcony. We got to watch the shore workers let loose the lines as we pulled away from the dock.  It was really interesting to watch.

Before the seagull

Apparently, the seagulls also like sail away because as I was looking out across the sound a seagull flew extremely close directly at me, thinking the cheese in my hand was a treat for him! I screamed and ducked behind the glass, Linda screamed and dove for the cabin and our men just stared at us like we were crazy.  Once we overcame our trauma we laughed about that all the way out to sea!  Laughter really is a great medicine!


We had one more full day at sea and the weather was just beautiful.  Again, calm seas, sunny skies and warm temps... we really  had a great introduction to cruising!

Glacier!

It is hard to find the words to describe the beauty and awesomeness of our beautiful planet. 

Our day started with sunrise around 3:30 AM. Yes, really.  The sun really does come up that early.  So almost every hour James would announce, “it is 4 o’clock”, “it is 5”, all the way through until 8, which is about the time we knew we’d be heading into Tracy Arm, the fjord that is home to the North and South Sawyer glaciers. 

The seas were so very calm today, it was stunning.  The sun was shining and sparkling off the water.  As we got closer to the glacier, we started to see small ice chunks floating that had broken off the glacier. Tracy Arm is known as little Yosemite, and some of the views were definitely reminiscent of our home state glacier valley.

All along the valley were relatively small waterfalls all the way down the cliffs.  In the distance, we could see the Southern Sawyer Glacier. We could see the valley and the glacier field from afar. Along the way we saw the spouts and tails of one or two small orcas. Then we got even closer to the glacier and the ice chunks were even bigger.  Little groups of harbor seal families were sunning themselves in these mini-icebergs.  We saw several little guys jump into the frigid channel as our ship approached.

The fjord is about 30 miles long, and almost 1000 feet deep and we cruised at a slow but steady pace.  Finally, the moment I’d been waiting for … the glacier.  It was huge!  The face was rough and had beautiful tones of blues and greys.  The sun was shining and reflecting off the snow above the glacial ice.  Our Captain Herriot executed a 360 degree turn so we could all get a great view!

After a beautiful sunny day, an afternoon sunning on the deck and a lovely evening watching whales during dinner, a storm moved in near the southeast and we have been treated to a lightning storm, though the seas around our ship are still relatively calm, with a wave height of only .3 feet…yes POINT THREE!  Very calm seas, we have been so lucky!

After a day of rest yesterday, Jim is feeling much better; though eating still has been a challenge, due to pain, which is really frustrating for him given the abundance and wide selection of food on board.  He’s been mostly enjoying watermelon, jello and ice cream.  Beer hurts but tequila seems to help.  As the day draws to a close, we are grateful that we could take this trip now and enjoy the beauty and majesty of the world we have been blessed to live in!

Skagway. Day 4

I think walking over 10,000 steps through the city of Juneau and around the ship took its toll. We mostly rested today after the ship quietly slipped into port in Scagway.



Skagway is a charming old mining town nestled right up to the forested mountains. The weather today is incredibly warm. Linda and I walked to and through town in t-shirts.









I sat enjoying the view from the balcony while Jim is resting up for dinner.







We really lucked out with our room. We are on the Lido deck, which has the buffet food place, 2 pools, multiple bars and Jim's favorite... The hot dog place! The spa is right upstairs along with great spots to just sit and soak in the stunning scenery.

The weather today was perfect. Linda and I sat out by the pool


and tonight James and I are enjoying our balcony. The sun is shining and we are in shirtsleeves. Life is good. It's as simple as that.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Main St,Skagway,United States

Relay for life: McMinnville.

Thank you, Sharon & Todd


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wonderful day

We had a wonderful day in port at Juneau. Simply amazing. We did laundry on board.





After docking at Juneau we are lunch on board them ventured into town.





Lots of local color.





Then sail away. Next stop - Skagway.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Mill St,Juneau,United States

Docked in Juneau, Alaska

Wow, watching the bridge move a 980+ Foot ship into a slip was magnificent.  It was very impressive and the guys you see on the extensions off the side of the ship performed it all.

I am doing well and Dr. Sandra and Trying-Not-To-Be-Nurse Ratchet are keeping schedules and assuring my eating and pain management continues.  These ladies are awesome!! 

This is the view from both sides of the channel.  Wow and it is 60+ degrees.

Sandra taking in a view from the Aft of the ship with a coffee.



















Will keep all posted as we continue this adventure.  We are thinking of you all and wish you were here sharing this with us.

Love to all,

Jim and Sandra

At Sea - Day 1

Yesterday we set sail under clear blue skies.  We cast off just after 4 local time in San Francisco.  As we sailed through the bay we noted how small Alcatraz appeared from our vantage point, 15 floors above sea level.  We sat on the top deck of the Grand Princess, feeling grand indeed.  Not only were we embarking on our first cruise, but we had gotten some great news earlier in the day.

James had his last radiation appointment and received a diploma and celebratory split of sparkling cider.  But better yet, he received a fantastic report from his doctor.  Doctor Sinha reported that the results they were seeing were much better than they had anticipated.  All three of the tumors appear to have shrunk appreciably and the bronchial tube seems to have remained clear after the tumors were removed.  He has responded well to the aggressive  treatment, though not with out cost.

He has a lot of pain on swallowing so eating and drinking continue to be difficult.  The doc expects those symptoms to subside in the next 4 days saying Jim will "feel like a new man."  In the meantime, though we are medicating, the pain is at times excruciating and it is hard for both of us.  He also has radiation burns both on his chest and his back.  The front just looks like a sunburn, but the back is more like a bad sunburn with blistering.  We hope that the itching and blistering will get better soon, too.

James will go back into the hospital on the 22nd for another round of tests: CT, PET and possibly MRI and bone, as well as the other blood tests he has been subjected to all along.  We really believe that the prayers of so many and positive thinking have made a real difference.  It's funny because I have him on quite a selection of supplements and at this point we don't want to drop any of them because we aren't sure which ones, or which combination, is working so we'll keep them all!

It's always a good sign when the doctors are as pleased with themselves as they are with the results.

Back to the cruise.... So far the highlight for me was sailing out under the Golden Gate Bridge.  We were sitting on lounge chairs near the bow on the starboard side. (See how I did that... Front, right side for you landlubbers.). The sun was low in the sky and it was simply exhilarating!

We have enjoyed good food, a very comfortable room with an incredible view of the sea from our balcony, impeccable service, endless opportunities for entertainment and of course, the wonderful friendship of our traveling companions, Linda and Ed.

As we are writing, we are almost at the Oregon/Washington border and the seas are quite calm.  The sun is shining though there are white clouds on the horizon.  It is quite cool on deck so we are wearing sweatshirts and jeans.  Our speed is 20.5 knots, heading NorthWest. We have travelled 480 miles and our next (first) port is Juneau.

Cruisin'

Got the final okay to go on our cruise!  We leave tomorrow and are gone for 10 days.  We will meet with our oncologist when we return to determine next steps.  He wants to make sure Jim is completely healed from the surgery and radiation before we proceed to 'big boy' chemo. Today we met with the oncologist and he gave us some other strategies for dealing with pain and side effects so hopefully James will be feeling better more consistently.

We are very excited to leave tomorrow.  Here is a link to our "bridge cam".

Bon Voyage!

Last baby chemo

Today we had our last baby chemo. Blood work all looks good. Two more radiation (which spell check wanted to make into eradication - also appropriate) treatments then we are north to Alaska!  Today was a tough day but it ended with roses and smiles.  We will get though this and be the better for it.

Cancer Sux!

We found a way around the trademark.  You can now order a Cancer Sux shirt from and show your support for team McConnell!  Proceeds go the American Lung Association!

Go to
http://campaign.customink.com/teammcconnell and check it out!

Campaign only lasts about two weeks so order soon!

Good news all around!

So we've had several appointments in the last few days and wanted to share the good news.  Jim met with the radiation doctor yesterday with a follow up to last week's CT scan.  The scan showed that the three tumors had shrunk by at least 20%.  So they are moving into a refined, targeted treatment.  They will essential zap a smaller areas but with stronger radiation, focusing more precisely on the tumor in his lung and the two adrenal glands.  The area in his bronchial tube where Dr. Ganesh removed the tumors shows the cancer there to be completely eradicated!!  

He also met with his Chemo doc today who, though not quite giddy, was very pleased with the results of the radiation+chemo treatments.  Best of all, all three doctors were happy to hear we are going on a cruise!  He's had only a 1% drop in red and white blood cell counts since starting treatment! And he doesn't have to use the nebulizer anymore, as that was related the stent, which is gone.   All good news!

Jim is still having a lot of pain in the center of his chest.  They upped the volume on his pain meds and gave him liquid lidocaine to soothe his esophagus and stomach, which have been irritated by the radiation. He still isn't eating enough and continues to lose weight so we are hoping that dulling the pain so he can eat will help put some weight back on his bones.  He also finds Patron to help in this regard.

In addition to Linda keeping us in chili mac, meatballs and salads, A few families at school continue to send home dinners which has kept me from going hungry since my chef seems to be on strike. So I'm not losing any weight, darn it!

So the plan is to keep going with the targeted radiation therapy through the 19th.  Then when we get back from our cruise, we will meet with chemo doc to determine when to start the 'real deal' doses.

Thanks for the continued love and prayers.

T-shirts, get your t-shirts!

The rare moment awake at chemo!

We have had such positive response to our t--shirts that we wanted to make them available to more people at a low cost. We have partnered with Custom Ink to create a campaign.  You will be able to order the shirt and they'll ship it directly to you will all profits going to American Lung Association.

James has had people walk up to him at appointments and offer to take the shirt off his back, and you know him, he'd give it. Soon,  he can just point them to this link...  http://campaign.customink.com/teammcconnell

The reason you can't order yet is that  in getting the design approved for the campaign, it was determined that Cancer Sucks! is trademarked. So I have written a letter to the cancer Sucks! Organization, a charity organization, asking their permission to print more shirts.  Stay tuned!

"Real strength is not just a condition of one's muscle, but the tenderness in one's spirit" ~ McCallister Dodds