Solid week vacation. No charge. At the beach. No strings attached. That's what we received last week. There is an organization called Little Pink Houses of Hope whose mission is: To promote breast cancer recovery by offering opportunities for survivors to reconnect and celebrate life.  It's true. How do they do this?  Here's how: 

We provide FREE week long vacations for breast cancer patients and their families.

We believe a cancer diagnosis does not just affect the patient, but the entire family. Every beach retreat is designed to help families relax, reconnect and rejuvenate during the cancer journey.

How about that!?? So, last week, our family went to Carolina Beach, NC on the dime of a bunch of wonderful and generous donors ranging from beach homeowners to restaurant managers to water-fun activities businesses. It was amazing. 

We stayed in a condo overlooking the harbor, ate free meals at Kate's Pancake House and other local restaurants, learned to Paddle Board thanks to Ocean Cure, pedal-boated around Carolina Beach Lake even though they're closed for the season (they opened just for us), and spent lots of time on the beautiful Atlantic beaches. We (our family) were one of 11 families selected to receive this vacation. And we are so grateful. Here are some photos of the week - they speak louder than my typing.

 Daniel in historic Wilmington

 Me with my dear "handler", Jill, from Charlotte

 Photogenic pelican

 Fishermen and women at Kure Beach pier

 Cuties

 Tim, our new photographer

 Ocean view at Fort Fischer, on the southern end of Pleasure Island, NC

 Daniel and the live oak grove

 Cutie

 Fort Fischer live oak stand

 The beautiful Atlantic with some nuts

 We went to the aquarium while there!

Seagulls love Doritos. apparently.

 Our condo is at the center of this pic in the end of the harbor

 What we saw when we first went to the beach

 Family pic

 Pedal boating

We had such a great time! It's hard to come home and settle back into work/school routine. But it's necessary. I'm also settling into a new normal. I am cancer free! The PET scan done the Friday before we left on vacation is completely clear! No cancer at all! So so happy. Elated in fact. So, everyday from here on out is a celebration that I have another day. I beat it. We beat it. Your support, love, prayers, actions, were all weapons in this war against cancer. The chemo and radiation were the cannon balls and everything else was artillery. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's done.