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  • 2010
    • April
      • Relay for Life
        04/12/10
        The Hockly County Relay for Life is coming up on April 30th. Amber and I are participating again this year. We'll be helping out with the Survivor's activities early in the evening, and then walking throughout the night. We've made it our goal to raise $200 for the American Cancer

    • March
      • Fasting
        03/28/10
        I just completed a 36-hour fast, from midnight Friday night thru noon today. It was not the first time I had fasted, but I think it was the most difficult one I have ever done. By Saturday afternoon, I was hungry, tired, and GRUMPY. I so badly wanted to give in and just eat, or at the very least, bu

    • February
      • The Battle Within: a moment of transparency
        02/01/10
        I have been grappling with so many things lately. My heart is heavy and burdened with my own struggles against sin, with brokenness for the hurting around me, and with questions about my future. The battle is raging within me, and too often of late I feel like my own stupid, selfish flesh is coming

    • January
      • 2 years past
        01/06/10
        Well, I had my follow-up check-up with my oncologist today. Everything is all clear. I see him again in 6 months. Also exciting in my world of pathetically small and rolly veins, both the CT tech and lab tech hit my veins on the FIRST stick with no digging! It's a record. The lab girls told me

      • A New Years Prayer
        01/03/10
        [I know I have not posted a blog here in a long time, but I'm hoping to get back into the habit of posting short tid-bits about the things God is laying on my heart. If you would like to receive regular updates about my music, please sign up for our email list at www.ScenicRoots.com Thanks!]

  • 2009
    • June
      • Clean bill of health
        06/03/09
        I got another clean bill of health from my dr. today. Had a CT scan, lab work, and physical exam. Everything looks great-- no evidence of cancer anywhere in my body. I don't have to go back for another 6 months! Praise God!!! Thanks to each of you who have been holding me up in prayer over

      • Birthdays and Check-Ups
        06/02/09
        This is a big week in my life. Yesterday I turned 22. Tomorrow I have my next CT scan to make sure my cancer is still gone. Looking back over the past 22 years, it's hard to believe how many different things I've done. I was going through some old pictures and it was like a trip down m

    • May
      • End of the Semester
        05/14/09
        It's hard to believe the end of our semester is here. It seems like school just started, but here we are finished. Due to the "swine flu" scare, we had all of our finals, music juries/barriers, AND "fest week" last week. Amber and I are packing up the last of our stuff to

    • April
      • Jeremiah
        04/09/09
        Jeremiah 20, especially verse 9 has been on my heart lately. Jeremiah is crying out to God, complaining about the torture he has been enduring because of what God's been telling him to tell the people. Then he says:

        I will not make mention of Him,
        Nor speak anymore in H

    • March
      • The Sadly Neglected Blog
        03/13/09
        I'm finally sitting down to put my thoughts in writing on this little blog. I had great intentions of getting to this much sooner, but I kept waiting until I had "time" to really write out all the things on my heart. Now it has been such a long time since I last posted that I hardly

    • February
      • Colorado Bound
        02/05/09
        Amber and I are headed to Ft. Collins, CO this weekend, where I will be teaching mountain dulcimer workshops at the 6th Annual Colorado Dulcimer Festival. We drove part way last night and spent the night with Kasey's family in Folsom, NM. We'll be leaving in a few minutes to drive the re

    • January
      • Why I love Music
        01/26/09
        I love music. All kinds of music, really. It has the power to touch people's lives like nothing else. Music can prompt someone to get up and dance, or fall on their knees in tears. Being a musician is a really big responsibility. There are times when you hold the audience in the palm of yo

      • We Made It!
        01/20/09
        Amber & I have safely arrived in TEXAS! We left home on Thursday, after a very eventful morning. We got up at 5:30am to pack the car and say good-bye to Dad before he left for work. We successfully fit everything we needed into the car and were set to leave at 7:06am-- just 6 minutes late! And

      • Christmas Break is Over
        01/14/09
        Sis and I leave for school tomorrow morning at 7:00, if all goes as planned. We've had a wonderful, amazing, super-duper, fantastic break. :-) We're feeling sad about leaving home, but we're really excited about our classes. We successfully filled the trunk of the car this afternoo

  • 2008
    • December
      • Special Moments
        12/24/08
        This past week has been filled with many special moments. I am completely overwhelmed by God's goodness. I am SSOOOO blessed!

        As you know, I had my CT scan and check-up with Dr. Beck. I got good news from him-- "You're still cured on paper", he told me. While that

      • PARTY!
        12/17/08
        IT"S TIME TO CELEBRATE! Erin's CANCER FREE! YEAH! SISTER IS HAPPY!!!

        We started our morning out ROUGH. Erin's scan was scheduled for 10:00am so I was headed out to warm the car up at 8:30am. It started up just like it always does but the heater wouldn't turn on UH OH!

      • Home Sweet Home
        12/15/08
        It is very good to be home! Amber & I arrived safely about dinner time last Wednesday. We're nearly unpacked and have been thoroughly enjoying our time together as a family. We even got to play music together for a church service on Sunday evening. *happiness*

        I've had a

      • School's Out
        12/10/08
        Amber & I finished the last of our classes and finals today. We're headed home bright and early tomorrow morning. It's hard to believe an entire semester has passed already. "Time flies when you're having fun", they say, and we've certainly had fun this semester.

    • November
      • Pulling an All-Nighter... a trip to ER
        11/23/08
        We've had an exciting weekend here in Levelland, Texas. It started bright and early Friday morning when my alarm went off at 5:50am. My friends Kacy and Peter and I went to Carlsbad Caverns for a tour of the cave. Amber didn't come with us because she injured her left foot and was on cr

      • Celtic Concert
        11/13/08
        Just a quick note to remind you all that our Celtic Concert is tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 7pm Central. You can watch the live stream of it HERE. If you don't catch it then, there will be an archive of it which I will post a link to when I find out what it is.

        This week has been

      • Low Batteries
        11/09/08
        It has been so long since I posted a blog here that I hardly know where to start. I guess I'll begin with an apology for not keeping this updated better. It has been sadly neglected over the past several weeks, but I am determined to get back into the habit of writing regularly. Writing is a

    • October
      • Pictures
        10/13/08
        Go check out the pictures page for some photos of our weekend in Guthrie, OK.
        1) Me and Sister... I'm wearing "bluegrass boppers"
        2) Mom and Dad... enjoying some fine music
        3) The Hunt Family Band... we have enjoyed jamming with them and getting to know them over the

      • Highs and Lows
        10/08/08
        The past week has been something of a roller coaster ride, with a great high over the weekend and a difficult low this week. Let's start with the good part! :-) Last weekend was the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival in Guthrie, OK. Scenic Roots once again performed in the Children&

    • September
      • Update
        09/30/08
        Wow, it's been a while since we updated you folks at home. Sorry for keeping you out of the loop.
        Erin and I had a great time at Winfield, it was really different this year, but as usual we got to see some very special people and do some fine picking. My favorite band that we saw were Dai

      • Fwap your Shizoozy
        09/17/08
        We're going to Winfield!!! As soon as we finish classes tomorrow, we're hitting the road. It should be about an eight hour drive, putting us in Winfield by midnight. We really can't wait!

        For those of you who don't know about Winfield, it is home of the Walnut Val

      • Mark O'Connor
        09/06/08
        Amber and I got to see Mark O'Connor on Thursday!!!! We were in the 2nd row!! He did a two-hour solo violin concert and it was amazing. I definitely rank it among the top 10 best concerts I have been to. He played all his own compositions or arrangements, mostly Classical, but with a lot of

    • August
      • Classes have begun
        08/27/08
        Classes started Monday here at South Plains College. So far, Amber & I are loving school! We have all music classes and we are having a ton of fun. This week has been kind of crazy in the Creative Arts department, with ensemble auditions, re-arranging class schedules, and scheduling private l

      • We're in Texas!
        08/22/08
        We're here! We're finally in Levelland, Texas at South Plains College. Our long-awaited dream is finally coming true!

        We started out on Monday evening after Mom & Dad got off work and drove to our cousin's house in Modoc to spend the night. Tuesday we got up early fo

      • hi ho, hi ho....
        08/18/08
        ...it's off to school we go! We leave tonight as soon as Dad gets home from work. We're driving about 4 hours tonight and the other 7 hours to Levelland, TX tomorrow. The goal is to get there in time to check in and start moving into our new apartment on Tuesday. Mom & Dad will have al

      • One Last weekend
        08/14/08
        Erin and I are getting ready for our last weekend at home for a while. We have had a really busy couple of weeks visiting people, going to doctor appointments, and finishing up everything we wanted to get done.
        Being the emotional mess that I usually am, I've had a few good cries about lea

      • One Year Ago
        08/06/08
        It was one year ago today that I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. What a year it has been! There have been many hard days, but so many blessings in the midst of them. My faith has been strengthened, my understanding of who God is has grown, and I have had many opportunities I otherwise

      • HI-HO, Hi-HO it is off to school we go!
        08/05/08
        It has been a while since we've updated you and today is the perfect day to do so! Erin and I had a wonderful weekend. I went to Springfield, Mo to spend time with WONDERFUL friends. I got to see some sites and play in LOTS of water. A little work mixed in kept me off of cloud 9. Erin spent her

    • July
      • Lilies in Bloom
        07/22/08
        Some days I feel like God is smiling on me. The past couple of days have been like that. Tonight was especially like that. You see, the lilies in our backyard are in bloom. Tonight, as I sat on the back patio admiring them, the fireflies were flitting around, the birds were chirping, and my dog was

      • Scenic Roots to Perform a CD Release Concert
        07/16/08
        I would like to invite everyone to a Scenic Roots CD release concert.

        Please join us on Sunday, July 27th at 3:00PM. The concert will be held at the LCL Buffalo Ranch near Clifton, KS.

        The concert will feature songs from our two new CD projects "Dance All Night, Fiddle A

      • Another FUN trip!!!
        07/14/08
        Hello there,
        Sister and I are doing a joint blog tonight. ENJOY!!

        We'll start back at the front of the trip...all the way back to July 3rd.
        E- Scenic Roots played for the Wilsey Community 4th of July picnic on July 3rd! We had a splendid time playing with Dad again.
      • Heading Out Again
        07/03/08
        In just a few minutes, we'll be headed out the door again. Scenic Roots has a gig in small-town Wilsey, KS this evening. Our family will be spending the night there, then spending the day tomorrow having fun in Wichita. Mom & Dad will then leave Amber with friends in Wichita and come bac

    • June
      • Tulsa Trip
        06/28/08
        I had a really good trip to Tulsa earlier this week. Amber and I were scheduled to play at a church Wednesday evening. Amber woke up really sick Wednesday morning with a sinus infection, so she was unable to come. Feeling a bit uncomfortable with the idea of driving 5 hours and dealing with all t

      • Quiet Sunshine CDs are HERE!
        06/27/08
        My CDs are HERE!!! I'm very excited to finally have them in my hands after months of working and waiting! If you pre-ordered one, they will be mailed out Monday morning. If you would like to order one, they are $15 + $2 for shipping. Send me a note and I'll put one in the mail to you.

      • I am so blessed
        06/20/08
        We've been home from our trip for 3 full days now. Amber is off at 4-H camp herding around a group of 6-8 year olds until Monday afternoon. I've been enjoying the last few days at home without an agenda. I even got to read a book this morning. *happy sigh* Tomorrow, I speak at Salina&#

      • HOME!!!
        06/18/08
        Erin and I made it HOME last night at 7:00pm. We had such a WONDERFUL TRIP! THe actual end of trip blog will be coming where we total miles, gas fill ups, number of gigs, ect. For now you'll just have to be ok with it was GREAT SUPER SUPER GREAT!
        Pally did a nice job of getting us home alt

      • Next stop
        06/11/08
        Well, this message is coming from MOM Rogers. The girls asked me to make an entry for them, as internet access has been spotty on this great adventure. Thankfully cell phone coverage has been excellent, so they keep me up to date on their travels.
        They had a wonderful few days in North Carolin

      • Final Destination
        06/05/08
        Today, Day number 14 we will reach our final destination of Bryson City, NC!!!! We will drive over the river and through the woods, right through the heart of the smokey mountains to get there. In NC we will be jamming and learning music.

        I don't remember when we updated last sooooo

      • 1,000 miles
        06/03/08
        Hi friends,
        We turned 1,000 miles on the car yesterday. WE are currently in Nashville. We are currently at Steve Seiferts home where Erin and Steve are doing a little jazz. It sounds pretty good. We spent the night last evening with some fellow homeschool alumni students. We had a great time

      • Sister's Birthday
        06/02/08
        Guess what? Yesterday was Sister's 21st BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! She is OLD now!!! We had a good birthday for her I think. In the morning, Anita found the special china, silver ware and a SPECIAL plate with something on it that I won't share wtih you now. We had a bagle and this really tasty tomato

    • May
      • Fourth State
        05/31/08
        We crossed into our fourth state of the trip and are now in Memphis, TN. Amber gave a private fiddle lesson this afternoon and now we're getting ready for our concert tonight at 8:00. We're feeling very comfortable at the "Sherman Inn". The accomodations are lovely, and Amber

      • In Arkansas
        05/30/08
        Hi friends,
        Erin and I are both doing great! We are in a very cute little coffee shop here in Batesville Arkansas. We had some really really good gigs the last few days!!! It is great to share our music with so many folks. Tonight we are going to perform at the Ozark Folk Center in Mt. View

      • Checking in from Ozark, MO
        05/27/08
        Hi friends
        We have had a really good few days on the road. We started our journey visiting friends in the hospital. It was great to see them and hopefully we brightened their day. On Friday night we arrived at "Tater Fest". It was great seeing friends from Winfield! Erin and I got c

      • summer tour 08
        05/21/08
        Erin and I are packing like crazy here at our house! Erin and I leave on THIS FRIDAY for our SUMER TOUR 08! We have gigs planned all along the way. Our final destination is Brison City, NC. Erin and I are planning on doing a vidoe blog while we travel. We are deciding where to put it. Once we decide

      • Happy Birthday Amber!!!
        05/15/08
        Amber turns 19 today! :-) She gets really excited about her birthday-- she's been reminding us all week that it's coming up. ;-) We're doing our best to make it extra special for her. This is her theme for the day:

        Queen for a Day (by Ceili Rain)
        She's the qu

      • It's been a long week
        05/11/08
        We could use some extra prayers. This past week has been really stressful. Over the course of the week, a lot has happened.
        +Our next-door neighbor, 15-year old Mallory, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and started on chemo treatment.
        +Our friends found out the 3-yea

      • General Update
        05/05/08
        It's been a while since I've posted anything, so I thought I'd give a general update on life in the Rogers household. Things have been going really well. :-)

        Our weekend in Arkansas was wonderful. Our band took 2nd place (out of 2 bands :-P ) in the ensemble contest an

    • April
      • :)
        04/22/08
        Good news from the dr! My scan and bloodwork came back good. In the doctor's words, I "look good on paper". :-) Both the IV stick for the CT scan and the blood draw were accomplished with only one stick. Yay! My next CT scan and check-up is scheduled for August right before Amber

      • 3 month check-up tomorrow
        04/21/08
        My CT scan and 3-month appointment with Dr. Beck is tomorrow morning. My scan is at 8:45am and my dr. appointment is at 11:30. I have to start drinking barium at 6:45am! Yuck! Your prayers would be appreciated that everything goes smoothly and we get a good report. They have to start an IV for m

      • Crazy Hair
        04/18/08
        We did it! We tie-dyed my hair! Yesterday afternoon, our friend Christie came over and turned my hair red, green, and purple. She brought all the supplies and spent a couple hours making my head a beautiful, crazy masterpiece. :-) Here's a picture of the finished product:

        Amber

      • Noticing the Little Things
        04/06/08
        We just got home from a busy weekend in Wichita and have over-night company arriving soon, but I really wanted to share some of my recent ponderings. I've been thinking a lot, as usual, but simply haven't taken the time to get on here and write them down. A note from a dear sister in Chr

      • Recording Finished!!
        04/01/08
        I got my recording finished last weekend! :-) I will still have to make at least one more trip to Hill City to work on mixing, but I am really excited to have all the tracks laid down. On Thursday, I met up with my friend Ben. He wrote a song called "I Rest In You" for me soon after I

    • March
      • Recording update and Prayer Request
        03/21/08
        It's been a while since I last wrote and we've been busy. My fatigue is getting better. I am able to do more and need fewer naps. Praise Jesus! :-) Overall, my health is very good. I am taking walks every morning, doing strengthening exercises recommended by my physical therapist Mom

      • Pictures
        03/10/08
        Erin informed me today that I was doing a terrible job keeping up with pictures. SO...I fixed that and posted so many that you need to look at page two as well! I'll give you a brief description so you know what you're looking at....

        1. Erin after her deportation
        2.That wou

      • Fighting Fatigue
        03/08/08
        The past week has been a constant battle against fatigue. Some days I win; some days it wins. Some days are really productive; some days all I accomplish is sleep. Some days it is a draw and I can get several things done before I crash. I am trying to do as much as I can when I feel good and not

      • Hair Report!
        03/04/08
        It is time once again for a hair report. I need your help this time! Erin has some nice spikes going on! Now, she needs color! Reds, blues, greens, yellows, oragnes...how do I go about coloring the tips of her spikes? She is putting goop in to spike it all about. It's great! I love it!!! If you

    • February
      • Port Report
        02/29/08
        I've been de-port-ed! :P Surgery went good this morning. They gave me a local anesthetic and "popped" the port right out. Ok, it wasn't quite that easy, but it wasn't bad. This was my first surgery to ever be awake for... it felt pretty weird to be able to feel the pres

      • Port Removal Tomorrow and Recording Update
        02/28/08
        I get my port-a-cath taken out at 11:30 tomorrow (Friday) morning. This is supposed to be a simple, out-patient procedure, but I would appreciate your prayers that everything goes smoothly. I'm excited about getting it out. It's kind of like the final step to being done with all of this

      • Hair and Strings
        02/22/08
        First off, its time for another hair update!!! Sisters hair is no long enough to SPIKE!!! She is putting jel on it and it just spikes up! It's awesome!!! It is not quite as dark, looking a little more blonde! Anyway its looking good!!!

        Strings, I changed my fiddle strings today! I bo

      • Good Report
        02/19/08
        I got a good report from the doctor today!! :-) My CT scan looked just fine. He will continue to monitor me closely, but he is not concerned about anything at this point. My next CT scan will be in two months.

        The CT scan went all right. The barium did not taste as bad as I thought

      • One Month Check-Up
        02/18/08
        My one month check-up is tomorrow. I have a CT scan at 7am, lab work and flush my port at 9:30, and an appointment with my doctor at 11:45. Please pray that everything will go smoothly and I will get good results from the CT scan. I have to drink 450mL of Barium Sulfate Suspension before I get th

      • Preparing to Record
        02/14/08
        HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! :-)

        The biggest news from here is that Scenic Roots is getting ready to record a new CD. We're going to a studio in Wichita on February 24-25. The focus of this album is going to be dance tunes-- some old-time fiddle tunes, New England contra dance

      • Hair Update
        02/11/08
        It is time for the weekly hair update!

        Erin's hair is NOT red, it is NOT curly.....yet :-P

        The current length of Erin's hair is approximately 1 inch long. Be sure to check the picture page for the latest look. She is very worried that she has TERRIBLE hat hair in th

      • Hang-Over
        02/06/08
        I have a hang-over. Induced by ice cream. :-P

        Last night, the snow was coming down hard as it had been all day. The wind was blowing like a hurricane causing a lot of drifting. It was so cold the Abominable Snowman was probably freezing. Every person in their right mind was hunkere

      • Celebrating
        02/05/08
        We're having a family celebration today.
        -Dad's celebrating the 2 year anniversary of working at the post office. He got to celebrate by having the day off. :-) It was especially nice since it snowed all day today.
        -Mom's celebrating because our insurance is going to

    • January
      • Music Fix
        01/31/08
        We're headed to Lawrence tomorrow morning for a MUSIC FIX!! :-) We're going to the bluegrass festival there, staying in a motel all weekend, and planning to get our fill (if that's possible) of music--both playing and listening. We're going to enter the band contest tomorrow.

      • What a way to finish...
        01/28/08
        With a cold. :-( I made it through 12 chemo treatments without getting sick... until Saturday. I called my dr. and he told me not to worry about it unless I start running a fever, so I'm living on Sudafed for now. I was so looking forward to starting to feel better this week, but I guess I&

      • HAIR
        01/25/08
        Erin has HAIR!!! She had her first BAD hair day today. I got home from work and found her hair ALL messed up. It made me ever so happy! Her hair is coming in pretty dark, not black but dark. It is about 1/4-1/2 inch long. I'll keep you up to date on the length!

        Erin is still feeling

      • Chemo # 12
        01/22/08
        We made it through another chemo treatment. This was number 12, the last one! We had a wonderful little party. When we arrived the chemo nurses had party hats and a very cool pin for Erin to wear. Anyone who did anything with Erin today had to wear a party hat, even the doctor! We had fun hats, cupc

      • Almost
        01/20/08
        It's almost time for my last chemo treatment. More than ever before, I'm having mixed feelings about it. I'm so incredibly excited about being done that I'm almost looking forward to Tuesday. This whole week has seemed to creep by as I wait for Tuesday to arrive. Yet, it is a

      • Randomnosity
        01/15/08
        It's exactly one week since chemo, which means it's also exactly one week until my next and LAST chemo! I'm excited! I'm also in a very random mood, which this blog will probably reflect. :-P

        My hair is growing back! I guess when they took the bleomyacin out of my

      • Rejoicing in the shadow of His wings
        01/07/08
        Back on August 19th, I wrote about taking comfort in Psalm 57:1-
        Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
        For my soul trusts in You;
        And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
        Until these calamaties have passed by.

        At that time, I felt like a little

      • New pictures
        01/05/08
        Be sure to check the picture page for the latest updates! Yes, Erin's secretary has been sick for a while and got behind, but please go take a look and seee what we've been up to.

      • Happy New Year!!
        01/01/08
        It's 2008! :-) With the new year come high hopes of good health, new adventures, and growing in my walk with the Lord. Looking back over the past year, there have been many hard times, yet numerous blessings through those times. We ended the year strong:

        Last Wednesday, I had my

  • 2007
    • December
      • Erin's Benefit Concert
        12/28/07
        Well, Erin's secretary is sick. So her fill-in secretary is taking over the blog today ;-)

        This Sunday there will be an "Erin Rogers' Benefit Concert" at The Brown Grand Theatre here in Concordia...featuring Scenic Roots! The concert begins at 2:00pm. Admission is by

      • A Merry Christmas
        12/25/07
        Merry Christmas everyone!
        "For unto us a Child is born,
        Unto us a Son is given;
        And the government will be upon His shoulder.
        And His name will be called
        Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
        Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

      • Christmas is Coming...
        12/21/07
        ...whether we're ready for it or not! Guess what? We're not. Things have been a little stressful around here as Christmas approaches and we still have a million things to do to get ready. Here's an idea of what's been going on:

        *Wednesday, Dad was offered a hog

      • Salina Journal Article
        12/17/07
        You can view the Salina Journal article about me online HERE. Be sure to check out the video at the bottom of the page too.

      • A Story to Tell
        12/17/07
        I know it has been a while since I have posted anything. I apologize. I had chemo on Wednesday... more about that in a minute. Then I had my normal sick for several days afterwards. This weekend was really good. We got to spend some time with Nashville musician Kyle Cooper, who was in town for

      • Ice Storm
        12/11/07
        I just wanted to write to let you know that we are all fine here in the winter wonderland. We have 1/2-3/4 inch of ice accumulation. The temperatures are just high enough that the streets are slushy...but still slick enough to keep us indoors. So far we have only lost 1/2 of a tree. It missed Dad�

      • CELEBRATING!!
        12/05/07
        My PET Scan results were TERRIFIC!! The cancer is gone. Nada. Zip. Gone. Yay Jesus!!!

        My blood draws had been getting increasingly difficult. Today, after two unsuccessful sticks, including one in my foot, they finally used my port. I talked to Dr. Beck about it, and he said I sho

      • Continued from Yesterday
        12/04/07
        As a continuation of my thoughts from yesterday, I'd like to ask you all to pray for a couple of little boys and their families. The first one is a six-year old named Zachary with Craniopharyngioma, a rare benign tumor on his pituitary. I haven't met him, but our Moms work together and I

      • PET Scan
        12/03/07
        I lived through my PET scan this morning. It turned out to be a less-than-fun experience. They had to start an IV to inject me with radio-active dye for the test. It took 4 sticks. The first guy tried twice-- missed completely the first time and my vein collapsed the second time. He called in a

      • Christmas in the Aire
        12/01/07
        Christmas time is coming!! As I sit on the couch typing this, Mom and Amber are setting up our Christmas tree and we're listening to Manheim Steamroller Christmas music. *happy sigh* We got a real tree this year. In the past, we have had a fake tree due to allergies, cost, convenience, etc.

    • November
      • made it through another
        11/29/07
        Erin had another chemotherapy treatment yesterday. Before chemo all of us girls when shopping and had a royal time! We each found something for ourselves and something for someone else. Erins blood draw went well with only one stick and a little digging. Chemo went well, we forgot to put on Erin

      • Household Projects
        11/26/07
        First, I had a very good Thanksgiving. We spent the day with Mom's side of the family. Amber & I helped in the kitchen-- with what little Grandpa didn't have ready ahead of time. There were nineteen of us, and we did the whole meal family-style, passing food around the table. After

      • It's Snowing!!!
        11/21/07
        IT'S SNOWING!!!! IT'S SNOWING!!! IT'S SNOWING!!!!!

        This morning starting at about 10:00 it started snowing! Yes, that's right!!! Amber was right and it did snow before Thanksgiving. It snowed for about 5 hours, and is slowing down now with just a few flurries. After th

      • Back Among the Living
        11/20/07
        Today I'm finally feeling like I'm back among the living again. WooHoo! :-)

        Thursday and Friday of last week, I mainly slept. The chemo just makes me plumb miserable for a few days. My spirits remained fairly high this time though. Sometimes I get really blue during those

      • Chemo
        11/14/07
        We got home from chemo about 5:00 this evening. I'm feeling really drugged, so if there are a lot of errors in this blog, it's the chemo's fault! ;-) Dad ended up getting called into work, so he didn't get to go with us. They had about 6 hours of over-time mail that Dad carri

      • Getting ready for another
        11/14/07
        Tomorrow is the day for another chemo treatment. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are really hard on us here in the Rogers' house. For me I have a really tough day on Tuesday knowing what is to come the rest of the week. I try to keep a positive attitude for sis, but let me tell you it is not easy. Wedn

      • Potion Mixer
        11/11/07
        That's right, I am the official potion mixer! I mix, I stir, I pour, I wash... that is the job of the potion mixer...Erin is taking a suplimental vitamin thingy that tastes REALLY SUPER bad, so I mix her a cool- ade drink to chase it and then usually some type of snack or yummy drink to chase t

      • Over-view of the Week
        11/09/07
        Monday: A pretty good day. Still low on energy. Reading "Red" by Ted Dekker-- the 2nd book in the Circle trilogy, which I have been really enjoying! Final band rehearsal before our concert on Sunday. The concert will be in the Cook Theatre at the Cloud County Community College at 2pm.

      • In My Weakness
        11/04/07
        Chemo was on Wednesday. Everything went fine-- very routine. My vampire bite (blood draw) went really well. I guess all that drinking water and peeing 5 million times a day really did pay off. :-P Since the occasion was Halloween, our family dressed up as.... *drum roll*.... Mr. Rogers' N

    • October
      • A Good Week
        10/30/07
        It's been a week since I last posted, and it has been a very good week. I have been thinking and learning and exploring new ideas a lot. For a time, my thoughts were completely consumed with my cancer-- how to deal with it, what it means, how it makes me feel, etc. This week, I have been abl

      • Just some thoughts
        10/23/07
        I've been thinking a lot lately. Especially Sunday. My mouth hurt really bad, which kept me from talking very much. Therefore I became rather introspective. Everything is still pretty jumbled inside my brain. As I get things sorted out, I will have much more to write. Until then, here are

      • Nothing Profound
        10/19/07
        I don't have anything profound or exciting to say. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes it takes all my energy to just move my foot... but somehow God always gives me the strength I need for right now. Hey, I even managed to take a shower this morning! ;-)
      • CT Results
        10/17/07
        We just got back from chemo #5. I'm feeling a wee bit drugged--imagine that! :-) -- but I wanted to post the CT results. They were okay, but not quite what we had hoped for. It turns out that there were some miscommunications between us and the dr., so our expectations weren't correct.

      • Weekend in MO & CT Scan
        10/15/07
        Amber & I had a wonderful weekend in the Springfield, MO area. We stayed with our dear friends, the Fuchs' and had many fun times with them. I laughed more than I had in a long time. It was good to get away and relax and be silly. :-P
        Friday, we left at 9am and arrived at the Fuc

      • Pictures are now up
        10/15/07
        I just wanted to let you all know that the picture section of Quiet Sunshine is now up and running. We will be adding pictures every now and then so be sure to check in. WE had a great weekend traveling I am sure Erin will tell you more about that later today. She just got home from her CT scan and

      • Galavanting
        10/11/07
        Amber & I are hitting the road again tomorrow morning. This time we're making a weekend trip to Springfield, MO to visit friends. We'll be staying with a wonderful Christian homeschool family who have been very dear friends off ours for years. We have no real plans other than to hav

      • Surprise Visit, Chemo, & Bluegrass
        10/08/07
        It's been a while since I posted a new blog, so I'll try to up-date you on everything that has happened. Warning: it's gonna be long! ;-) Briefly, Tuesday I had a surprise visitor. Wednesday morning I had chemo and then we went straight to Guthrie, OK for the Oklahoma Internationa

      • Phone call from Japan
        10/01/07
        We just got a phone call from Japan!!! *jumps up and down* For those of you who don't know, my family hosted Japanese exchange students for one month every summer from the time I was 10 till I was 16. Our family went to Japan the spring of '05 and stayed with three of those families. I

    • September
      • Wonderful Weekend & Haircut
        09/30/07
        I had a wonderful weekend!! On Friday, my very own chromatic dulcimer arrived in the mail in a bright yellow case!! :-) The dulcimer is built by Modern Mountain Dulcimer. It has a redwood top, walnut back & sides, and spruce bottom soundboard, with an ebony fretboard. It is a real beauty!

      • Pictures for Now
        09/26/07
        I am currently having technical difficulties with figuring out how to post pictures here. What that means is I am far too technically challenged to learn long-distance from my friend who designed the site. By next month, I'm hoping to get it figured out. Until then, you can take a look at so

      • The difference a day makes
        09/25/07
        Thursday thru Saturday after chemo #3 were really rough. I felt really lousy and I was in a bad mood. I was tired of being sick. I was lonely, but I didn't want to do anything or talk to anyone. I was tired of sitting around the house, but I didn't want to go anywhere. I was wallowing

      • Poor sis
        09/23/07
        It has been really sad watching Erin's hair fall out. She has a number of bald spots now.
        On the other hand it has been fun, I never knew it could be so much fun to pull my sisters hair out!! I still walk up to her and rub her head to see how big of a handfull I can get...it sounds really

      • Winfield Stories-- Part 2
        09/21/07
        Here are some more stories from our trip to Winfield, as well as an up-date on chemo #3.

        We got to see so many people!! In addition to the people we were camped with, we saw some old friends who were just down for a day-- Josh, a friend from Teens for Christ, now going to college in Winf

      • Winfield Stories- Part 1
        09/18/07
        As promised, here are some stories from our trip to Winfield. We spent 10 days camping out in the Pecan Grove at the Walnut Valley Festival, and it was fantastic. Special thanks to everyone who came by the camp to visit. It was great to see all of you!! And now, the stories!

        "Sce

      • Home Safe
        09/16/07
        We made it home from Winfield safe and sound this evening at about 7:00. We are tired, yet refreshed. We had a really wonderful time. I will be posting more stories throughout the week... For now, I just wanted to let you all know that we are home. My next chemo treatment is on Wednesday. Unti

      • Brrrr
        09/10/07
        I'm sitting in our camper at Winfield. A cold front moved in this afternoon and it is cold! I'm hunkering down where it is warm and thought I would write a little up-date. I'm so happy to be here at Winfield! :-)

        I slept through most of the first couple days we were he

      • winfield
        09/08/07
        Erin made it through chemo # 2. She took her dulcimer and played music for most of the treatment. We made it to Winfield safe and sound to find Dad and a lot of our friends working hard to set up camp. Friday Erin spend much of her day in dream land she slept for about 23 hours! Today she is up and

      • Headed Out
        09/05/07
        We're leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for Winfield for the Walnut Valley Music Festival. Dad will go straight there with the camper to get our campground staked out and everything set up. The three of us girls will follow after my chemo treatment in Salina.
        I have lab work done

      • Count Your Blessings...
        09/04/07
        ...Name them one by one.

        I was thinking today about all the little ways God has provided for me in the past several weeks. I have already written about some of the big things... getting the Neupagen shots at home, Dad's insurance coverage, Stage 2 Hodgkin's instead of 3 or 4...

      • Last Twinkle Juice
        09/01/07
        I got my last "Twinkle Juice" for this round today! Hallelujah!! I'm really looking forward to getting it from Mom from now on. At the hospital, I had a different nurse each day and they all had very different shot-giving techniques. Depending on which nurse I had, sometimes the s

    • August
      • In the Mail
        08/30/07
        The mail was exciting today!! First, my Neupagen was delivered this morning. Starting after my next chemo treatment, Mom will be Head Twinkle Juice Admnister!

        Second, I got a new dulcimer in the mail!! Well, it's really just a trial instrument, but it's new and I'm exc

      • Medicine, Mouth, & Moon
        08/28/07
        MEDICINE: We got the approval to get my Neupagen shots at home. They are going to be delivered on Thursday. Hooray! It really is a miracle. Dad’s insurance has been an incredible blessing to us.
        Dad started working at the Post Office about a year and a half ago. He originally applied for th

      • Jam and Hat Party!
        08/26/07
        Last night we had a great jam here at the house. Seventeen people came, both musicians and listeners. I was able to play for about 2 1/2 hours before my arm got too tired. People were still here picking and grinning until about midnight. The music was wonderful threapy. I love how it brings peo

      • Twinkle Juice
        08/25/07
        I just got my second Neupagen shot. I am getting them at the hospital here in town. Since I hate shots so much, Amber started calling them my "Twinkle Juice" instead of "shots". It makes me feel so much better about life to call it by a nicer name... hehe. Yesterday, the shot

      • First Chemo Treatment
        08/24/07
        I had my first chemo treatment this afternoon. Everything went very well. We spent the first hour learning about the chemo drugs and their possible side effects and what kinds of things to look for while I am on the treatment.

        My chemo is called "ABVD". Each letter stands for

      • Successful Surgery
        08/22/07
        I had my porta-cath put in this morning at 7:30. We got up at 4:15AM, so we've had a rather long day. The surgery went very well and only took about 25 minutes. They put me in "la-la land" so I didn't feel a thing. I am sore tonight, but regular Tylenol has been sufficient to

      • Today was the day (by Amber)
        08/21/07
        A lot has happened in the last two weeks. Just 14 days ago we were planning and packing getting ready to move to Texas to attend South Plains College. 14 days later we have changed those plans and are getting ready to spend hours in chemotherapy rooms. One of the hardest things for me with Erin gett

      • Resting in the Shadow of His Wings
        08/19/07
        I want to share with you some scriptures and how they have encouraged me in the past weeks.

        Psalm 57:1-3 "Be merciful to me, O God! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamaties have passed by. I will cry out to God Most Hi

      • The Haircut
        08/16/07
        I got my hair butched today. When my doctor told me that I would have to have chemo therapy which would probably make my hair fall out, I decided I wanted to donate my hair to Locks of Love before I lost it. Today I finally worked up the courage to actually do it! My pony-tail was about 12-13 inc

      • Oncologist Visit
        08/15/07
        I saw the oncologist this afternoon for a follow-up visit after my PET scan Monday. This is what we learned:

        I have Stage 2 Hodgkin's Disease. There are no lymphnodes involoved below my diaphragm and no other organs have been affected. This is very good. There are 2 groups of lym