Meet Me in St. Louie

...couldn't resist naming the post that...

Don't look too close... the iPhone panorama of moving people always looks weird :) 

But, it gives you an idea of the patio where we had our lunch gathering.

We flew out of Montana, had a layover in Seattle, and then boarded our flight to St. Louis. There, my momma and Tyler finally got to meet! We stayed with Aunt Adrienne and Uncle Gene for the weekend. My mom single-handedly planned a beautiful luncheon in Grafton the next day to give our midwestern family a chance to meet Tyler. My great Uncle Lou took several gorgeous pictures, preserving the day beautifully, and gifted us prints in an album a week later. I, however, realized today I do not have a digital copy, so I'm left with just the iPhone pics (most of which my Uncle Ray took) to share on here right now. It is always fun to get together with the extended family members that I sure don't see often enough. I am amazed at how grown up my cousins' kids are becoming!! 

To the left, I am with my cousin, Kayla. And to the right of that, I am with her daughter, Leah Michelle.



Since it was such a pretty day, Uncle Ray took us out for a boat ride on the Mississippi. That was a lot of fun, too.

Willow thought the wind was a bit much and 

curled up in Tyler's arms for most of the ride. 

Enjoying the ride! 

Willow getting a little feisty 

 Dad and Mom with Me and Ty

Me with my cousin, Alicia

Dad and Uncle Lou 

View of St. Louis from the Arch

Before driving further south to Tennessee, my parents dropped Tyler and I off at the Gateway Arch. I figured we should do a little sightseeing since we were there... We had another gorgeous day for the drive to TN. The weekend went by really fast. Between it being the first time Tyler and my mom met, Tyler meeting lots of extended family, having everyone together for only a couple hours, trying to catch up with everyone... it was kind of a whirlwind. I wish I could have had more time to really spend with everyone- but it wasn't really feasible!! (It looks like you're all just going to have to plan to visit us here in Alaska and get some quality time that way!) Pretty much the only thing I don't LOVE about Alaska is how far away it is. It is not easy for family to come visit and vice versa. I am so thankful to everyone that made it to our luncheon, and especially my momma for planning it all. Truly a lovely weekend! 

Montana!

So crazy to see my new name all official,
before our (2nd) wedding! 

Almost a year ago, Tyler and I started toying with the idea of a trip together to the lower 48... We could spend a week or so in Montana, and a week or so in Tennessee and Atlanta... Honestly, I thought this trip would be the soonest he MIGHT propose... Funny how things work out. :) 

In October, after saying our vows on a beach in Anchorage, being married for almost 2 months, and dealing with a [mis]diagnosis of cancer... we made it south! Tyler and I first flew down to Montana. After the past crazy couple of months, it was really wonderful to be surrounded by his family. While in MT, Ty took me to Glacier National Park. It was gorgeous! We see tons of beauty here in Alaska, but this was different and special.

Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park

Quick Stop along the road at a cool lake formed by a creek

Another view of the creek/river we stopped at. 

Wouldn't these rocks make an awesome hearth??
They were all over GNP. 

After GNP, we traveled to Helena to visit my new brother-in-law and his family; and, there we added little Willow to our family! What a joy…and challenge…she has been. We spent a day with Jonathan and Emily, and many of her family members, who were in town visiting. We checked out the fall festival in town (all their kiddos loved it!) and I got to cuddle my new puppy. :)

Hanging out with a sleepy Willow at the festival

Willow LOVED Emily's pumpkins

Willow settling in at the Weavers' in Whitefish

View from the Weavers' house- GORGEOUS!

After a couple more days in Whitefish, and getting Willow some meds for her UTI (poor pup!) we traveled to Idaho and hiked to some amazing hot springs. Then, back to Whitefish for another short visit with family and friends before traveling further south. It was pretty amazing and eye-opening to see where Ty (mostly) grew up, meet many of his high school friends, and get to know his my (new) family a bit better. I have been so fortunate to have a great family, and feel beyond blessed to have married into a wonderful one as well. 

Driving to Idaho

Willow, a little unsure of new adventures so early! 

The hot springs

Our first camping trip! 

View from sitting in the hot springs

Tired and happy to be dry after a warm swim

Snoozing in the sun! 

Next up, St. Louis and traveling further south!

Ready for our adventures!

Friday we met with Ty's pulmonologist. All in all, great news. Tyler has stage 2 sarcoidosis (staged that way because it affects his lungs), but because he is not experiencing any discomfort or symptoms (other than the enlarged lymph nodes), no treatment is necessary. The doctor wants an EKG, breathing test, tb test, and blood work to have a base line measurement so we will know if there are any significant changes/worsening conditions. Ty will be closely monitoring his body and visiting the doc again in 3 months. Now, with all that happily "out of the way" ... We can focus a little more on our upcoming trip to the lower 48! We are so excited to see our family and friends, and of course bring home our new puppy. We are going to have our wedding ceremony as originally planned with our immediate families... And, we finally created a registry on Amazon.

Registering was a bit of a daunting task. Tyler and I don't want anyone to feel pressured into purchasing something for us, but we also don’t want anyone to feel as if we expect them to come up with something on their own. In light of our unexpected journey into marital bliss, we've already combined our two homes and fortunately have what we need. However, there are a few things we have come up with on this registry that we know we will enjoy. Please don't feel obligated to purchase from this registry, or to even purchase anything at all. The real gift is having you all as an integral part of our lives.

You can access our Amazon registry here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wedding/3GGNERKDMMCDH

Misdiagnosis or Miracle?

I'm gonna go with miracle. Got the news yesterday that Tyler does not have lymphoma... Instead, he has a type of autoimmune disease called sarcoidosis. It is not curable, but it is treatable/manageable with a healthy lifestyle (check!) and steroids when needed. Webmd has some good info on it.  We'll be seeing a pulmonologist probably next week. I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers, support, and love that you've extended to us these past few weeks. We are so blessed...

Waiting

Fall is settling in

Andy Stanley has a message series out that I've been watching online called In the Meantime. Its premise is: What do you do when there is nothing you can do? It's been a very timely message series... One thing I am finding through all this waiting is that I truly have so much to be thankful for. We believe wholeheartedly that God is good, and He will use all of this for good. Tyler is so strong, so determined. That strength can only come from one place.

One thing I am so grateful for is yesterday. After the pre-op, we decided to go have some fun. Tyler, Emily, and I went for a float and even caught a couple fish. :) Fall is really taking shape here in Alaska and it is just gorgeous... There is nothing like the crisp chill in the air, vibrant yellows and reds taking over the green, and basking in all the goodness with two of my favorite people.

Happy to be on the water! 

Her first catch this season

My biggest catch of the season... We named him Bill... 

Ty reeling one in

Yeah, another rainbow! 

I had been waiting for more information before I posted again... But, time allows me to write now so I am, though I still have little new information. It seems like "hurry up and wait" is our new mantra. Each doctor's visit requires another one, and it seems we are just in a holding pattern for a while before we can figure out exactly what we're dealing with. Ty has been to his doctor, a nutritionalist, and the surgeon this week. Surgery to remove a lymph node is scheduled for Monday; though, there is some concern he may have pneumonia. They took a chest x-ray yesterday and we're still waiting to hear back on that before we know if we can proceed with the biopsy on Monday. So, we will continue to wait, and be thankful for and make the most of all we have in the meantime!

Quick update... Chest x-ray was clear enough and Ty will get the biopsy done Monday!