Thursday, April 22, 2010

Day 38 - The Interview

The Interview: 3rd Time's a Charm

What is your most favorite memory of each other? (Dawn Watson - Lake Stevens, WA)
Sarah: That’s a hard one. I guess my favorite memory is…seeing each other for the first time on our wedding day from the stage.
Sarah (to Kirk): How are you going to top that?
Kirk: I can’t.
Sarah: And you can’t say ‘ditto’.
Kirk: When we were leaving the church after our wedding, Sarah stuffed her whole wedding dress in the car, and it was like up to the window on the passenger side because she had such a big train.
Kirk (to Sarah): You were loving every minute of it.

If you could be any animal, what would it be? (Brianna Rachinski - Ferndale, WA)
Kirk: Good thing she didn’t ask why.
Sarah: Now you’re going to have to answer that
Kirk: Probably a tiger – I have no reason why.
Sarah: Umm…I would be...a pretty bird. Okay, a tropical bird. Technically, I’m in a bad mood, so the first animal I thought of was a bald eagle because I’m bald.

Until now, did either of you really have any idea how cold the top of my head really is? (Dad Lien – Arlington, WA)
Sarah: I had no idea what Dad goes though every day.
Sarah (to Dad Lien): I could let you borrow my blonde wig.
Dad Lien interjects: I’ll pray about it.
Kirk: I would say ‘yes’. I’ve been this way before - at birth and when I was 11 - but it’s probably not really the same thing.

What is your favorite color(s)? (Anonymous)
Sarah: Well, pink is my favorite color but now it’s just starting to remind me of breast cancer all the time. So maybe I’ll change my color to “hot pink”…because I’m a hot chick, right?
Ellice Lien (blog administrator): That’s still pink.
Sarah: But it’s a whole different shade/classification and you’ve got to watch out for the “hot pink” girls.
Kirk: I don’t know. I don’t really have one.
Sarah: Yes you do. Stop it.
Kirk (to Sarah): What do you think my favorite color is?
Sarah (to Kirk): You like neutral colors.
Dad Lien interjects (with a guitar-related comment): ‘Sunburst’ is your favorite color.
Kirk: My favorite color for guitars is ‘lake placid blue’.
Ellice: Is that your final answer?
Kirk: Mm hmm.

For Kirk: Does your head itch since you shaved it? (Liz Woolms - Arlington, WA)
Kirk: Does mine? No.
Ellice: Sarah, do you want to answer this question? What’s your answer?
Sarah: ‘No’…but it’s getting smoother since I’m losing my hair.

If you had to choose only one country to visit, which would it be? (Anonymous)
Sarah: Mmm…“visit” is hard. It would be South Africa for me. I want to visit…and then commit a crime so I can’t leave.
Ellice: Do you want me to put that on the blog?!
Sarah: Well you said “visit”! I don’t want to leave!
[brief pause]
Sarah: Maybe say I want to lose my passport.
Kirk: Am I supposed to answer that one too?
Ellice: Yes.
Sarah interjects: It’s kind of like saying what flavor ice cream you would like to have just one bite of one time.
Kirk: I would say that I’m on the fence - - England and South Africa.
[brief pause]
Kirk: Actually, I should say Germany, but that’s okay.
Ellice: Why Germany?
Kirk: Great auto-making...
Ellice: I would agree.
Kirk: ...and they have the cool versions of everything that we don’t get over here…because they don’t export them.

For Kirk: If you dyed your hair, what color would it be? (Nathaniel Rachinski - Ferndale, WA)
Kirk: I don’t know…the same color as yours [Nathaniel’s] probably.
[laughter]

If you were a Winnie-the-Pooh character, which would you be and why? (Diana Breon – Arlington, WA)
Kirk (quickly and with confidence): Oh, I’ve got it. I’d be Christopher Robin. He’s the only human in that whole story.
[brief pause]
Kirk: I mean, like how weird…it’s like one child…and a whole bunch of…
Sarah: It’s his imagination…that’s why he’s the only human.
Kirk: Either that or I’d be one of the “heffalumps”. I hear they’re very confusal.
[brief pause]
Kirk (to Sarah): I didn’t know that was his imagination.
Kirk: I should have said I’d be ‘Mister Rogers’. In other words, I don’t want to be any of the characters in Winnie-the-Pooh.
[laughter]
Kirk (to Sarah): Who would you be?
Sarah: I would be piglet, because piglet is small and a very worried creature…just like me.
[brief pause]
Sarah: Kirk, you could have been the gopher.

Since you’ve been thrown this curve, what are your dreams/wishes for 5 years from now? (Mary Wilson - Arlington, WA)
Sarah: I’d like to be alive and have good surgery results, because I don’t want my body to look like a war zone that I have to pack around with me every day.
Kirk: I want all that stuff for Sarah, but then also kids and I would say promises that God has given us to come to pass.

What attribute of God has helped you the most in recent days? (Wendi Hansen – Arlington, WA)
Sarah: I think courage. I think it’s amazing that Jesus knew exactly what he had to do and he still had to keep on walking forward. And in order for me to live I know what’s to come and I still have to walk forward to the surgeries and sickness and nausea and all of that. I think just courage…’cause it’s hard to take steps forward.

You’ve been through a lot in 5 short weeks. If you were to have opportunity to speak with someone today who was just given the same news you were 5 weeks ago, what would you say to them? (Dad Lien – Arlington, WA)
Kirk: Get ready for a lot of information really fast.
Sarah: Bring a tape recorder and have your sister-in-law start a blog.
Ellice: Is that everything?
Sarah: The more people are in your support system, the better you feel.

For Sarah: Of all the food I cook for you what is your favorite? (Dad Hawkins – Lake Stevens, WA)
Sarah: My favorite is curry.
Kirk: Curry chicken…is that what it is?
Sarah: He puts too much meat in it…I’m not a meat eater. But I know everything’s good that my daddy makes.

For Sarah: How has the Chemo changed your taste of food? (Dad Hawkins – Lake Stevens, WA)
Sarah: Well, when you eat something, it tastes different; not bad but just different…but it’s the aftertaste that makes you not want to drink anything else or eat anything else. It’s not the actual eating that’s horrible, it’s the aftermath of taste.

For Sarah: When doing your Chemo treatment is there anything you want as a special treat (cards, candy, lotions, etc)? The days after Chemo do you like calls, cards, back rubs, cleaning to make you feel better? (Bethany Hawkins – Everett, WA)
Sarah: During Chemo I just like company but the days after I like flowers…but not the kind that will just die in a week. It’s the potted plants, but I’ll probably just kill them…I have a black thumb…but it’s the thought that counts. I would always take Victoria’s Secret gift cards…or…massages.
[brief pause]
Sarah: Oh…and clothing certificates or gift cards, because a new outfit just makes you feel pretty.

I know your heart is towards missions and service. Both of you have done short term mission for Katrina relief. If you could go on another short term mission, where would you go? (Mom Hawkins – Lake Stevens, WA)
Sarah: Definitely Africa…
Kirk: Mmm hmm.
Sarah: …to build wells and bring water to villages that don’t have water…and orphanages that need help.
Kirk: I would want to be alongside Sarah doing all the same things.
Sarah: Do you want to travel around with a wild recon guy?
Kirk: Kind of.
[laughter]
Kirk: That guy’s so cool [the host of the show: ‘Wild Recon’].
Sarah: You would not have your wife’s consent.

As you walk this very difficult road, what are some of the encouraging moments? (Mom Hawkins – Lake Stevens, WA)
Sarah: The rally of family and friends that are supporting us and even the people that don’t really know us are jumping on board and saying ‘we support you and we love you’. I think that gives me a really big boost of adrenaline that I have so many people praying for me and that they’re on my side.
Kirk: The news of Sarah’s largest lump being now virtually non-existent after only one dose of Chemo. I’m excited to see how well everything else responds.

[Side Note: Sarah is planning on having an additional PET scan done before her 3rd Chemo treatment to confirm the size change of the lumps.]

Ellice: C’est fini! Bonne nuit!
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Reader Participation: 
Would you like to ask Kirk & Sarah a question? Send your query (along with your name, city and state) to sarahshope2010@yahoo.com and maybe it will be featured in their next interview! Feel free to have fun and get creative! Serious or random – it’s up to you!

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