NEARLY HERE

I am in my final countdown for our trip to the Montana house. To say that I want Dave to immediately love the house and all of its changes, would be an understatement. We have poured a lot of time, energy and not to mention money, into transforming this house into our HOME and I want Dave to be pleased...Last night we received the invoice from our Contractor for the latest project, our second wood burning stove. He told me earlier that he would NOT send me any pictures because he wants us to be surprised, he also told me how pleased he was with the way it turned out. Knowing that he is a perfectionist, I am certain that we are going to be thrilled!

In the office area I hung some family pictures back in April to give the place a more personal touch. I have a couple more packed in my suitcase that I'll be hanging here. Next year we will start on the upstairs but will wait to put in the stair railing until we make our move in 3 years, figuring it will make moving furniture upstairs easier.

This summer has definitely had its challenges. In April 2011, right before my Mom passed away from Colon Cancer, Dave was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. He had surgery to remove the Prostate since the cancer was aggressive and outside of the Prostate. The Surgeon felt very confident that things looked good but he did inform us that there was always the risk of it returning since it was outside the Prostate. In January we were disappointed to learn that it had returned. Although the PSA tests aren't 100% accurate, he had repeated tests and each one was elevated. This indicated that there was something going on. Through more tests and scans we learned that it wasn't anywhere else (bones, blood, organs, etc) which we were thankful for. The Radiologist explained to us that you could have over 10,000 cancer cells in an area just the size of the very tip of your pinky finger and since this cancer wasn't being picked up on the MRI's, it indicated that it was very minute and slow growing. Dave made the decision to have radiation and target the general area. The first phase was having a hormone therapy shot to suppress the manufacturing of Testosterone and then a couple of months later he began radiation for eight weeks. Last Thursday was his last radiation treatment and now we wait. We won't know anything until after the first of the year once the effects of the shot have completely worn off and his body begins producing Testosterone once again. Living with cancer has taught us to enjoy the day...just today because we don't know what the future holds. This trip to the house will be especially poignant after having the reality of cancer treatment in our lives. Time for the both of us to begin making memories at our retirement home!!

Five more days and we will be off into the wild blue yonder and heading up to Montana! This week will be filled with packing, list making and so on. We've double checked on deliveries scheduled to arrive, sent three large boxes via UPS to the house and have gathered together whatever paperwork we need. We've arranged a Dinner party and have a tentative date set for visiting some friends in Idaho. All we need to do, is finish our packing and drive to the airport. I am hoping this week goes by pretty fast!!

GOING NATIVE

Preparations have commenced for our trip to our Sweet Montana Home! In just nineteen days we will board an airplane and fly first to Denver, then catch a flight into Kalispell. Almost one year to the day since we purchased our little piece of heaven, Dave will FINALLY set eyes on it, in person for the very first time! I can hardly wait to see what he thinks since he has only seen pictures up to this point. He and I have had countless conversations, usually during our morning walks, about how we will spend those ten days. We will do some painting upstairs, take some deliveries, take a road trip to visit friends in Idaho, shop for some rustic furnishings, plan a "dinner party", visit Fresh Life Church in Kalsipell, hike in Glacier and make fires in the wood stove while we watch movies (specifically Westerns) in the Family Room at night. I have begun making various lists and lining up the septic tank guy to come out and inspect/clean the tank. I hate that those ten days will fly by!

The house has come a LONG way this past year but we still have more to do, mainly the upstairs. From the day we bought the house, I have determined that we give the place a name. The first time I brought it up, right after we closed on the house, Dave said,

"We have 1000 things to do on the house and that is about number 999!"

I have asked family members and friends for suggestions; the most creative so far comes from my Dad:

"NARNIA always winter never summer."

Last night I had a light bulb moment! I suggested to Dave that we give our place a name that relates to the region, specifically something that the Native Peoples that have been here long before the white man, might say. So, in all likelihood our place will have a name in the SALISH language, the common language spoken by North Western Tribes. I think we need to come up with a name and then have it translated into the Salish language, I won't be able to pronounce it but hey...it seems right!

Salish men on July 4th stand by tepees near St. Ignatius Mission, Flathead Reservation, Montana, 1903