Mikey and Bonnie

The other day I consented to see a chick flick with Bonnie, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. (I’m not ashamed of watching a chick flick to please my wife). While the movie had its fair share of eye rolling and false hope moments (i.e. A gourmet roof top meal complete with pillows, flowers and hundreds of candles prepared for the beautiful but awkward heroin by the ridiculously good looking male nude model from her art class) both Bonnie and I cringed and rolled our eyes more at the conversation behind us which we were forced to listen too before the movie started.  A bunch of preteen girls sat down behind us and started a conversation about which celebrity was gay or not, which Jonas Brother they would sleep with, why one of the girls would not sleep with a guy from school, who at their school was a slut… along with the usual high pitched screaming and giggling. We were both stunned and Bonnie looked like she was going to be sick because she felt so bad for those girls. I wanted to find out who the parents were so that I could give them a piece of my mind. The whole conversation saddened us both. The loss of innocence and coarseness of today’s youth that Bonnie and I have witnessed working with kids at YD and in that theatre makes us both want to be better parents when the time comes.

            Anyway, just before the movie started there was a short film of a grotesque looking mouse trying to get some cheese from a mouse trap. One of the girls exclaimed, “That mouse is so ugly, it looks like he is on Chemo! He’s a Chemo mouse.” Bonnie and I looked at each other totally shocked and had to laugh because after all the awful stuff those girls had been talking about, what was the chance that they would say something more inappropriate. Since getting cancer I have made a few cancer jokes myself so how could I be upset with other people doing the same thing. That comment did make me think though. I realized that going through this whole cancer thing has fundamentally changed who I am. I have been given a whole new perspective on something I was completely ignorant of; in the same way that leaving home for the first time or getting married or standing on top of a mountain or traveling all over the world has given me new perspective on life. I have fallen into the trap of looking at this cancer time as a purposeless disruption of my life instead of a life changing, worldview altering time. That girl’s comment renewed the excitement I had for this crazy time in my life and made me want to encourage and be apart of other people’s life changing experiences; whether it is through travel, cancer, school, watching the sunset or even just driving to work. Whatever their life changing experience is I want to be apart of it and I never want to minimize it by joking about it or not taking it seriously.

Cancer has been one of the hardest trials I have ever gone through and I know that I have had a relatively easy time of it compared to many other people. My cancer has been difficult emotionally more than physically but it has given me new insight and understanding I couldn’t have gained any other way. My worldview has been changed dramatically because of cancer. I know this is true because I can’t even listen to a meaningless conversation in a movie theatre without going home and writing a whole page about it… hehehe

Checking out one of the absolutely amazing sunsets that we see from the back deck of our house almost every night!!

Great for me to practice with my new camera without leaving the house… 

Hey everyone!

Well, we recently had friends from down in Washington at YDA make us a video about their family hucking it huge their way (they have two little kids and a new baby so their style was different that ours, but super cute and intense all the same!). So we decided to make one as well in response, and it was done over chemo treatment #5. Although it’s more specific to the Bryant family, it gives a glimpse of our lives while at the Cancer Centre, so feel free to check it out! It’s a typical chemo day, complete with the IV, pushups in the hospital, and some jumping pictures at the end to boot. Enjoy! Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVSNKlbgSHw

Happy end of summer and we hope you guys are doing great wherever this post finds you reading!

Love, Bonnie and Mikey Lang

Well, it’s been a while since we wrote, but a few things have transpired since we last logged on to the site, so we thought we’d share some news with you! One bit of news concerns these beautiful photos that Mikey took on our recent trip to Petain Basin in Elk Lakes Provincial Park. We took advantage of a free Saturday and Sunday and headed out into the mountains, our excitement and passion having been renewed by the simple act of packing up our backpacks and getting our meals together. This has been a time of lost passion and purpose for us as we feel like our lives have been somewhat on hold…getting out there together to hike and cook and swim in rivers reminded us of some of our deeply shared passions together.

Not only were we blessed with incredible weather, but we were virtually alone once we made the rough trek up to the basin (after numerous people, including a Park Ranger, lifted their eyebrows at us when we told them where we headed with overnight packs and Chaco (sandals) on!), leaving us with a sense of refreshment between the two of us. We lived like Adam and Eve in a beautiful paradise for two days and loved laughing together, living in our tent out there, and getting to know how to use our new camera (that’s Mikey’s area of expertise).

After some incredible moments out there together, we headed down and JUST beat the weather as a tropical-feeling storm came in and the rain started pouring down. Our drive back home was full of smiles and tired, blistered feet and sore quads that were already speaking to us! We arrived home to meet up with Maurice and Muriel who had just been out using their new van-sized RV called the RoadTrek out in Lake Louise. Catherine arrived the next day from Edmonton, so everyone was out enjoying their weekends to the fullest.

The next day, however, was a bit of a jolt back to reality as we moved back into the flow of work at the gym with clients and the bi-monthly visit to the Cancer Centre for blood work and an exam. On Tuesday we went back in for the 6th chemo treatment…half-way done! Although it was good to get that one out of the way and overwith, our hearts were still down as we were hit with the stark contrast between our previous few days and where we currently were, especially knowing that the rest of the week won’t be an easy one.

We’ve been doing alright lately, but our hearts have been struggling to stay positive as we try to understand where God is in our lives. We trust and we continue to seek Him, but these days it’s harder to hear His Voice; we pray for clarity and understanding as we try to see Him in this time. This weekend should be a fun one as we say goodbye to Cath and her boyfriend Dave (not the fun part) as they head back to school at TWU with a Friday night BBQ and as Mikey and I enjoy the weekend together! We’re glad to hear of good reports from my brother, Taylor, who just left on Sunday to go to L’Abri in Switzerland for a semester, so the families on all sides are doing well these days. Thanks for your prayers and encouragements - we are surrounded by incredible people who help lift us up! Huck it huge and thanks for being in our lives.

-Mikey and Bon

This week marks the completion of the 5th chemo treatment in Mikey’s cancer process thus far! 

The treatment itself went really well as we had just bought a new camera and were thrilled about trying it out - even if that meant documenting the treatment day! We’re in the process of selling some other cameras and Mikey was so excited to get a great deal on a used one…so it made the day go by a lot faster overall. However, the days following have been hard again; it’s almost like we forget how rough it can be on his body and then are rudely reminded by some rough patches.  But today is a new day, and we trust that God will bring us through it as we live each day in the moment, anticipating what God will bring our way!

huckin’ it huge, cancer style!

sanitization: once, twice, three times in a short walk! 

the reality of chemo treatments…not too fun, but #5 is done!

Today in church we were encouraged with the reminder to remember from Hebrews 10: 32 and following. The author writes to his audience,

“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. ‘Yet a little while,
   and the coming one will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one shall live by faith,
   and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.’

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

And so we do not give up hope! but look back to God’s faithfulness and how He has carried us through different trials thus far; He has not taught us to swim through the storm just to let us flounder! Huck it huge with endurance through faith this week and every day, friends!

 -bonnie and mikey

We…love…to…jump. Praise God for bodies that can move and bend and fly and land, and for being able to do that with other people! We had a great long weekend with the cousins from Manitoba floating down the Elbow River and jiggin’ it up with other folkies at the Canmore Folk Fest! This week we’re back in the chemo groove with treatment #5 coming up tomorrow at 2:45 pm and followed by my second “real” day of working as a personal trainer! My first day today was great… it was excellent to actually get going, meet people, and work out with them; it was a confirming day of this new job I’ve launched into, all with my husband’s incredible support. More info on life to come later, but thank you for all the prayers and thoughts that you continue to send our way as we still go between days of struggle and days of joy - it’s all part of the process that we’re going through! We appreciate the people in our lives so deeply; a special thanks this week to the encouraging card from the Huskey family in Lynden and the Bryant family for the fun home video in Anacortes!

 We love all you guys! Huck it huge in the week ahead!

          Well, it’s been another neat week full of new blessings for Mikey and I through this cancer journey, which is more and more less of a “season” but rather our lives as we settle into routine here in Calgary. But out of the routine has come some family visits, including (da da da daaaa!): Sarah and Craig Portell! Mikey’s older sister (Sarah) and her husband (Craig - a fellow American!) have been up visiting for the week on a break from working down in WA with YD Adventures. It’s been neat to hear stories from them about trips down south with students and to get to know them as a couple a bit more. Plus, with their arrival, we’ve been able to hit the trails and see some sights around the area. Here’s a sampling of our time with them, beginning with a time at Sunshine Meadows: 

the “cute lean-over” pose 

lookin’ good! 

jump it!

in a flax field - they’re beautifully purple when they’re blooming! 

hiking along a ridge (think Beatles…) at Drumheller           

          It’s been a great week and Mikey’s felt better after one or two hard days of nausea and heart burn (chemo just really isn’t fun!)… and now Mikey’s family who visited in Manitoba is coming out here for the August long weekend, so the fun continues. :)          

          I’ve officially begun my job as a personal trainer and am going through my own training, getting in some face-time at the gym as I get to know people, and already have two clients! It’s great to have the free membership, get to know other people there, and get some regular days of working scheduled into our lives. I think I’m really going to love it! And Mikey applied to work at MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-Op) downtown part-time, which not only means a discount on great gear and clothing, but a great job and a chance to get out a bit more.          

          So…things are going well! The Canadian side of the family has been doing great with visits from family and as Cath keeps working at the hospital, Maurice at his dental clinic, and Muriel baking amazing things around the house! It’s also been fun to hang out with Cath’s boyfriend Dave on occassion; we’re surrounded by neat Canadians up here. The California side of the family has moved into a new house about 10 minutes away from their home of 17 years in Walnut Creek, CA to nearby Orinda. On Monday, August 4th, my mom “reopens” for business after jostling around her gym equipment to a new location. I guess you could say that fitness just runs in the family! Even with the move (their wonderful and kind landlords decided to sell after 17 years of my parents renting there on a fun little cul-de-sac) and a time of uncertainty, God has continued to show Himself sovereign to them and provided yet again! So we praise Him for His action in their lives as we’ve seen it in our own as well. Man…God is good. We’ll write some more later, but just thought we’d jot a few thoughts down here and there with some photos. Enjoy, and huck it huge! :)                     bonnie and mikey 

          It’s been yet another unexpected and happily eventful week since we last posted, and we’re still enjoying the remnants of a spur-of-the-moment vacation across Canada! On Monday night Mikey was feeling really good earlier than expected in the chemo cycle. So after a fun and successful second interview with Good Life Fitness on Tuesday morning (I landed the job as a personal trainer with Mikey helping to “show” my credentials (aka my six pack abs!) to my new boss, and supporting me all the way!) we hit the road… Manitoba-bound! 1214 km and 11 hours, 24 minutes later we were at Ditch Lake and already felt that this was going to be one incredible holiday.

          We just returned from spending a jam-packed week in Manitoba with Mikey’s family: Aunty Betty Ann, Uncle Darrel, and Dylan and Katie (two of the most talented young musician cousins we know!). We even got to hang out with our cousin Andrew, back from teaching English in Korea for a month. On the last night, Darrel’s parents and Mikey’s Grandma Hilda came out from Brandon, making for a fun and full little cabin of people, conversations, laughter, pellet gun shooting competitions, and campfire singing. So it was a great time to connect with family and catch up on life together. As if that wasn’t enough, we even got some wakeboarding and waterskiing sessions in, two days of sailing (I didn’t know that I married a sailor when I married my man!), and an outdoor concert (featuring Dylan’s band, Open Highway, and Katie on guitar among others) in cute little Neepawa to boot. (And since Mikey’s hair was already coming out in chunks, we decided to do the deed and shave it off! He’ll fit into the cancer centre a bit more now, although his beard is still growing strong!)

          We had an amazing time being on that beautiful lake and sleeping in, eating great food, tooling around the quaint towns out that way, and even driving across Canada together. For us these days, car rides mean an energy drink for Mikey as the principle driver and hours of reading for me as the principle reader between us! We read through I and II Samuel, finished C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle, and got half-way through another great book in the series, The Silver Chair. We’ve been really encouraged lately as we learn to read the Bible as the true historical book and epic story that it truly is - a Living Word that affects change and works and moves. As we read through the Chronicles of Narnia and continue to enjoy movies like The Lord of the Rings, we are more convinced that we should be reading the Bible not to seek for application or life principles to change us, but simply enjoying it as the stupendous (and often outrageous!) story that it is. Only then, after understanding where and whom we come from, can we begin to learn more about God’s character and then find our own place in this story. With this perspective, we zoomed through the lives of Samuel, Saul, and David. These stories came before stories like Robin Hood, Achilles, and other heroes of our films and folklore in ancient times and today, and they all seem to find their roots in these Bible stories! The lives of these men, the bravery of women like Esther, and the reality of this history amazed us and we completely loved spending time in the Word together across the prairies.

          So from reading great stories to sleeping in through thunder storms, from boating in Ditch Lake to sailing across Clear Lake, from great conversations to great music, we had a great holiday away with the MacDonald clan! What a blessing to be taken away from our routine for an unexpected week of fun with family. Today we write from the hospital, back at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, where Mikey’s getting blood work done before his fourth chemo treatment tomorrow. We hope that Mikey will recover just as quickly from these next 9 treatments as he did from the last one. So we’re back in the action around Calgary as we return to the rhythm of life with cancer and learn the new ropes of a job in Calgary. Hope all of you are enjoying your summer!!! Huck it huge. 

          suffer: transitive verb1 a: to submit to or be forced to endure <suffer martyrdom> b: to feel keenly : labor under <suffer thirst>2: undergo, experience3: to put up with especially as inevitable or unavoidable4: to allow especially by reason of indifference <the eagle suffers little birds to sing — Shakespeare>intransitive verb1: to endure death, pain, or distress2: to sustain loss or damage3: to be subject to disability or handicap.

          What interesting insights into the meaning of suffering…from being forced to endure something to experiencing loss and withstanding pain, suffering is a real part of everyone’s lives. There are days when Mikey and I feel down, when we get overwhelmed with the thoughts of the next few months, but there aren’t many days when I feel like we’re truly suffering. Perhaps it’s because others have gone through so much more, or because looking at the real pain of other people’s lives makes it hard(er) to complain. I think I’m learning to not just try to “tough things out,” as my pride often dictates in times like these, but to acknowledge what’s happening and learn to pray and live in a new and fresh way.

          These thoughts are triggered by a great book that I’m reading (thanks to my parents!) called, “Humility: True Greatness” penned by C. J. Mahaney. Here I am, thinking I will be applying new and deeper truths about humility to my already pretty-humble life, when I only just now realize that I’m missing the point… I’m learning to live out humility not by my own aggressive intentions in seeking humility, but rather as I recognize my need to confront the pride in myself and strip it away. God continues to reveal such insights into my self through this process, and it’s a lot to digest! This book has been like a launching pad of sorts through the “cancer journey” that profoundly affects Mikey and his body but has made an impact on my heart at the same time.

          Although the book highlights Jesus’ life, discusses pride, and gives practical ways to live out humility, a section that I’ve been hit with is from Mahaney’s chapter entitled, “Responding Humbly to Trials.” The author focuses on the life of Habakkuk and how he moves from a godly but confused and complaining prophet to a humble man marked by God-centered prayer with a focus on salvation, not suffering (pg. 142, 143). A chunk struck me as I read:

          “Here’s what Habakkuk learned: Those who know true joy in the midst of suffering are those who recognize that, in this life, our suffering is never as great or as serious as our sins. As Jonathan Edwards wrote, ‘How far less [are] the greatest afflications that we meet with in this world…than we have deserved!’ That’s a divine perspective of suffering. Regardless of the severity of suffering we experience in this life, it will always be less than what we have deserved for our sins.” 

          In all of the changes and ups and downs recently, this truth is not actually one that I have thought about! No matter what we may go through, the reality is that we deserve so much worse. I have thought about being refined, about learning from this time, and about how much harder others have it, but I haven’t thought about our circumstances in light of where my sins actually place me. And in one sense, it’s in a place that is deserving of punishment! But praise God for what He has accomplished through Jesus’ life, death, and ressurection! And reminding ourselves that God did not cause this suffering or hardship but instead is choosing to use it for our good and for His glory is key in responding humbly to trials, I think. Mikey and I have talked with friends at YD about this at length and have been encouraged to know that nothing “bad” or “evil” comes from God; He is pure good. Instead, He chooses to work in situations such as these and in the mean time refines and purifies us. Plus, how much worse do we really deserve anyways? Grace…I’m so thankful for grace.

          Another note of encouragement comes from this book via D. A. Carson, who writes, “In the darkest night of our soul, we have something to hold on to that Job never knew. We know Christ crucified. Christians have learned that when there seems to be no other evidence of God’s love, they cannot escape the cross.” What a thought of hope! It’s amazing to think that Job, that Habakkuk, that so many other prophets and people before us had faith in the midst of trials without knowing that the final penalty had been paid by another for their sins. WOW…Sure makes me never want to complain about things, because what a living hope we have in the cross! Christ (already) came that we may have life to the full (John 10:10)…”The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10)….It’s been accomplished!

         As Mikey and I learn to respond to God in our situation, we know that there are others close to us going through hard times right now, and I hope these thoughts from a much humbler and wiser man (not to mention a more talented writer) can be an encouragement. We can be transformed not only in retrospect but even in the midst of our trials as we learn to respond humbly to them and focus on our salvation - the future is secure for those of us in Christ! And for those who do not believe that He came for those reasons, there is still hope, time, and reason to believe, even though we are all undeserving! That’s what’s so amazing about grace, and why the cross is forever at the center of what we believe.

          Huck it huge and keep hoping!

                    Bonnie

…Thus begins our commentary on Chemo Treatment #3! Today we took another trip to the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and had a different experience than in times before as this treatment took place in a recliner, not a bed (they switch you out every few treatments or depending on how long your treatment is compared to others) and was physically harder for Mikey than the two prior to this. It just doesn’t get easier to watch him sit (or lay) down and watch the chemicals drip into his body; it doesn’t get easier for those chemicals to drip into him either! I’m not sure if we were expecting it would, but it still surprised us that the day was hard to face. Luckily these days are two weeks apart. But man, as Mikey shared while gazing up expectantly at the last drug left to drip down, “that bag is too damn big!” Sometimes those bags seems bigger and slower than they did before…just a long day.

But while it was a rougher day chemo-wise, God helps us through these times and works through the difficulty. Lately we’ve experienced many of God’s “kisses” from above in simple ways:

• Going to the Calgary Stampede was a day of PURE fun!
• Mikey was able to reconnect with an old friend and go golfing;
• I’ve had some great runs lately on the great trails around here;
• We went to a new church last week and were encouraged by being reminded of the power and amazing-ness of our salvation!
• I’ve almost for sure got a job as a personal trainer in a brand new gym and am thrilled about starting my training (next week, if all goes well!)…like mother, like daughter!
• We met a great new Christian couple over dinner at their home and had a needed and fun night of fellowship with them.  

So in the midst of days that are rough and times that seem confusing to our finite perspectives, God continues to move us along and speak to us in fresh, neat ways. Verses we’re clinging to these days are verses like Psalm 37:5: “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act,” and “Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil” (verse 8). Thanks for your continued support in prayer, cards (thanks YD friends - we got your FUN card in the mail today!!), and thoughts. Have a great week ahead and we’ll try to keep you updated as life goes on.

Huck it huge!

mikey and bon

Here’s a quick visual summary of our day of thrills, fun, and good ‘ol cowboy “YAHOO’s!” at the Calgary Stampede!

 mid-ride shot!  in the cockpit!

   great colors  chuck wagon races!

 mmm boy!  ”heavy horses…” huge!

 great fire works, and on the 4th of July even! lots of celebrating on this day.