Vince's Journey

I know its been a few weeks since my last update but unlike last year when there seemed to be medical updates on a weekly basis, I'm to the point where I only see the docotr once every three months. Yesterday I had an appointmet and received my third round of maintenance Rituxin and everything went well. My recent chest X-ray and CT scans all came back normal and there were no reactions to the Rituxin. So, if all goes well I won't be back to see Dr. Leming until June 11. The aches and pains I've been experiencing don't seem to be as annoying as they were and I'm hoping they will continue to ease - with golf season right around the corner I don't need any annoying aches hindering my already mediocre game.

This past weekend I was a chaperone for Abbey's 8th grade class trip to Washington, DC. There were 52 kids on the trip along with about 20 chaperones and we had a wonderful time. I think the kids had a great time and the trip is something they'll remember for a long time. We crammed a lot of sights into two days; the White House, The Holocaust Museum, the Smithsonian, the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington Cemetary which featured Kennedy's grave and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Vietnam Memorial Wall, Korean Memorial, WWII Memorial, Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and Mass at the National Shrine to the Immaculate Conception - the largest church in the Western Hemisphere. There were obviously many highlights but for me nothing topped something that happened at the pizza party/dance the kids had on Saturday night. The DJ said the kids had to pick someone to dance with and Abbey picked me. Even if it was only for 45 seconds, that really made the trip for me.

Our other big news of the weekend was that Judd has been offered full tuition exchange at the University of Dayton! This means he will have 100% of his tuition paid as long as he maintains a 3.0 average. Dayton has been his top choice for quite a while so it was quite a relief to hear that he received the full tuition package. So it looks like we're going to have a Dayton Flyer in the house - that might make for some interesting Xavier/Dayton games over the next four years!

The boys sports seasons are in full force; Judd will be playing varsity volleyball while Aaron will be a member of the JV lacrosse team at Moeller. Needless to say Julie and I will be spending a great deal of time these next few months at the volleyball courts and lacrosse fields. Judd's team has a great shot at playing for the state championship this year while Aaron should get a great deal more playing time than he got as a freshman last season.

I hope all is well with all of you who take the time to check in on my blog. Your friendship and support means a lot to us and it always touches my heart when someone comes up and makes a comment about my recent blog entries. Knowing there are so many people out there who care has been a blessing to our family. Peace and blessings to all!

Vince