another week, another list

1. i've been meaning to give an update on my dad for a while. i usually do them around the time of his scans because that's when i remember. he had a scan about 2 weeks ago. it was his first scan since switching to a new chemo drug in may. he's been feeling pretty good ever since starting this drug, so he was hoping for good news. unfortunately it wasn't the best news, but it could have been worse. the reason he was feeling so good is that the drug successfully shrunk his spine/shoulder tumors a bit, but his lung tumor has grown....again. and we're officially getting to the point where we are starting to run out of new treatment options for him. his oncologist gave him a few choices: stay on the drug he is on now (while it's not working great, he is feeling pretty good and it may be slowing the tumor growth), switch to a weekly chemo drug that he hasn't tried yet (but would have the side effect of him always having a low white blood cell count, which would make him very vulnerable to infection), go back to the first chemo drug that he was on almost 2 years ago, which was very effective, but very potent and can do a lot of damage to your body if you do more than a few rounds, or the option that hit me like a ton of bricks - stop treatment all together. now i know that we will get to that point eventually, but wow....i did not expect to hear those words already. and thankfully my dad is not considering that route right now. he is feeling pretty good and he hasn't lost all hope. so for now, he will stay on this drug and they will do a scan again in 2 months and see where things are at. i can tell he's not as strong as he was even a year ago. he is still pretty active, but gets tired more easily and coughs a lot. we hope that he can stay strong for a number of months more until some new treatment options are approved by the fda. it's hard not knowing how everything will play out. but i do my best to stay positive! 

2. i feel like summer is just flying by. it's already august this week. we've been making the most of the gorgeous weather with trips to the parks, wading pools, splash pads, and having picnics. thanks lauren for inviting us on so many fun outings. august will be busy with our block party, neighborhood festival, some birthday parties, and the state fair (yessssss!). 

theodore wirth park/beach is my favorite discovery of the summer

coffee shops with toys are the ones getting most of my business these days :) 

we spent a morning at the edina aquatic center this week. i hadn't been there in about 15 years (this is just the little kid area). the water felt like a bathtub! 

3. i've been frequenting coffee shops lately more than i'd like to admit. i used to have a self-imposed 'once a week' rule....but let's just say that has gone out the window. can i blame it on the fact that ashford doesn't sleep at night? :) but last week i decided to try a new (to me) drink on a whim because it was only $2 (vs. $4 for all the other drinks i like). iced vanilla coffee with half n half is my new go-to! fewer calories than most of the other drinks and half the price. almost makes me not feel guilty about my habit :) 

4. speaking of justifying buying things that i don't need....i picked up this entire outfit for less than $10 at gap recently. i have the top in two other colors and i love it! and the skirt is linen and super comfy! 

5. finally, last weekend we went to a circus-themed party thrown by a family who lives in our neighborhood that we recently met. it was just a family-friendly summer party and they went all out! it was pinterest-perfect with cute, creative signs along the driveway, games for the kids, face painting, a hotdog bar, and more! azalea loved getting her face painted! 

hope your summer is going well too!