Weekend was a success

Our trip to Lake Tahoe was a smashing success, we all had a great time. When we left of Friday we were really worried about what we were getting ourselves into. Haley is a real handful right now, no matter where we are, so going anywhere overnight with her is a challenge in itself. On top of that Emily had been in a really gloomy and down mood most of last week, she wasn't excited at all about going anywhere. There were over 1000 wildfires in California last week, and by Friday there was so much smoke everywhere, we drove in smoke from the Bay Area ALL the way to Lake Tahoe. It was really smokey when we arrived, you could not see across the lake. All signs were this was going to be an tough weekend.....But at the moment we arrived to he cabin everything started to look up for the entire weekend. All of a sudden Emily was excited, she had a new house to explore, she's been to this Cabin but it's been a while, all she could remember was there were two sets of bunk beds, but where they were she had no idea. Our friends cabin was comfy, clean and quiet, just like we like. We put Haley to bed, and Tracy, Emily, and I played a few hands of Uno before we all hit the sack. Emily was noticably upbeat.

By Saturday morning the skies had cleared quite a bit. We took a nice walk around Tahoe City and Commons park by the lake. Later on we packed up our beach gear and drove to a beach Tracy and I really like in a city called Tahoe Vista. It's right near the CA/NV stateline on the CA side. It was a perfect, yet hot, afternoon. The water in Lake Tahoe is really cold, so not a problem on a hot day. Being the translucent family we are, we slathered ourselves in sunscreen and the girls hit the water. Tracy and I took turns watching the girls and resting. It was just perfect. I grew up spending a good deal of time in the summer in Tahoe, and being there with my family is really special to me, and making it up with Emily while on Chemo made it even more special. After plenty of sun, we packed it up and drove back to Tahoe City where the cabin is. We are within walking distance of Rosie's Cafe a well known local spot. We were lucky to get a table outside facing the lake in the shade. Given that it was walking distance to the cabin, Tracy and I also enjoyed a few margartitas on the rocks. After a delicious dinner we walked back to the cabin. Haley fell asleep first, then I was next. Emily and Tracy stayed up a little later and played connect 4 and the Simpson's version of the board game Life. Emily took her Chemo and went to bed. Tracy wasn't far behind.

Today we woke up early, got dressed and took a walk and got some coffee and bagels. We found a nice place to sit outside overlooking the lake. By this morning the sky was pretty clear, and very blue. As we drank our coffee we watched Emily run around and play, while Haley repeatedly told us there were dogs in the park. We walked back to the cabin, packed up and did some cleaning. After that we ate lunch outside, the weather was perfect. Around 2 we got in the car and drove to Tracy's Mom's house in Auburn, which is on our way home from Tahoe. Tracy's Mom and her 3 sisters each have 5 acre parcels next to each other, so Emily went to visit her Great Aunt Ann and had a swim in her pool. It was around 90 degrees and Emily came back to her Grandparent's house reporting having a great time. I took a nap while they all went swimming. We had a great steak dinner together, and drove home after. It was a nice visit.

Now it's back to reality, Chemo, hospitals, and treatment. Tracy and I are so happy we got away, we hadn't been more than 40 miles from our home since March 9th. We both continue to be amazed at Emily's abilty to physically deal with Chemo and her ability to lift her and everyone's spirit. She will have her labs drawn Tuesday to determine if she goes in the hospital Wednesday.