We had a wonderful time celebrating Father's Day. My parents were here visiting from Washington State, so Melissa and I took both sets of our parents out to a Brazilian steakhouse for lunch - first time for both sets of parents. We took lots of Father's Day pictures with the kids, and had a great time!

Raegann was not thrilled about taking this picture; Matthew looks on in wonder

On Monday, I spent the day in the chair receiving chemo infusion #6. With this round, it seems that the fatigue was as severe as it's ever been - I spent most of the day on Tuesday and Wednesday, and part of the day Thursday resting or sleeping. Part of it is fatigue from the chemo drugs, part of it is fatigue caused by the anti-nausea meds that I've been prescribed to help with the side-effects.

The nausea meds did their part, and I didn't have any significant nausea or pain with this round of chemo, which was a blessing. I generally have no appetite in the days following chemo, so I eat very little. By Thursday, when I feel good enough to eat again, I have to take it slowly as I introduce food into my system again.

Today was a rough day, emotionally. After receiving the good news from MD Anderson that the chemo is working, you'd think that I'd be excited about my prospects. The difficulty is that I only have three more rounds of this chemo regimen; after that, we have to find something else and hope that it works. It has been tough to face the reality that the rest of my life will likely consist of chemo treatment after chemo treatment until the available treatments run out or stop working and the cancer kills me. It was especially hard today, thinking about Raegann's 2nd birthday next month, and Matthew's 4th birthday in August, knowing that those might be the last birthday celebrations I share with my children.

Sometimes it takes a phone call from a close friend to drag you up from the pit. Today, I received one of those calls when I needed it the most. The wisdom my friend shared was this: "Do not sacrifice today between the twin thieves of yesterday and tomorrow." It is so easy to waste your energy mourning the lost dreams of a future that will never be, reliving past triumphs that won't be repeated, or wallowing in the regrets of old failures that cannot be undone. In truth, today is all we ever get - use today with purpose. I so needed to hear this advice today and be challenged to live it.

None of us know how our lives will turn out. We have ideas and plans and dreams. Sometimes those ideas and plans and dreams come to fruition, sometimes they don't. For me, it is often too easy to forget that God's plans are always better than my own, even when it doesn't seem like it at the time. James Chapter 1 discusses the idea that experiencing trials leads to wisdom. I have found over the past several months that you learn things through trials that you simply don't learn any other way. So, although I wish this trial was not mine to experience, I am finding joy in the wisdom that I gain in these times.

We continue to covet your prayers for my health and our family. Specifically,

• That my remaining chemo treatments with Oxaliplatin and 5FU will continue to be effective.
• That the genetic testing of my cancer would reveal promising options for targeting the cancer more directly.
• That the second-line treatment for my cancer would be effective at slowing the cancer and extending my life.