Chava Raphaela

Today I changed my name to Chava Raphaela (I thought I was going to keep the Rivka, but apparently that was dropped). A huge thank you to all of my wonderful friends who came to witness this very meaningful step in my healing process. I am confident that I will not have any potential evil fate that was destined for Chava Rivka. The guy next to me at the pulpit also reminded me that if there were any winning lottery tickets slated for Chava Rivka, I would be out of luck. I told him it was worth the trade…

So – from now on, when you say prayers for me, please make them for either Eve Raphaela or Chava (basically means “Eve” in Hebrew) Raphaela. I want to make sure that all of those wonderful healing prayers come to me!

This afternoon my dear friend Brent came over and removed my staples (it’s good to have a doctor friend who will make house calls). I am healing quickly from my surgery and plan to complete my recovery by January 1st (heck – it’s an aggressive goal – but I feel up to the challenge).

Prior to the diagnosis, our family planned to travel to Lake Isabella (near Bakersfield) to spend the upcoming week with my sister and her family. Apparently, there’s a small ski area (perfect for kids) and lots of snow fun to be had. We were going to cancel that trip due to my surgery (we weren’t so sure that a 5-6 hour car ride would be all that much fun). However, since I am healing well and we have renewed our desire to make the most out of every day, we have decided to make the trek down there. I will plan to rest down there while the kids enjoy playing with their cousins. Still dreading that car ride, but I’ll get through it!

Thank you again for all of your prayers, positive thoughts and love. I can’t express how much that has meant to me and my family. I wish you and yours a wonderful end of 2009 and a happy and healthy 2010.