Day 31 - The Interview

The Interview: Round 2

How are you holding up? (Grandma Lien - Lake Stevens, WA)
Sarah: Um…I don’t know…Kirk you go first.
Kirk: Tired; overwhelmed; 101 things to do; no down time.
Sarah: Can I just say ‘ditto’?
[brief pause]
Sarah: ‘Ditto’ plus ‘I’m hormonal’; apparently I can blame that on Chemotherapy. Isn’t that what P.A. Mark said?

Other than the obvious of healing, what would you like God to do in your life? (Mom Lien – Arlington, WA)
Kirk (to Sarah): That one’s directed at you.
Mom Lien (to Kirk): No, it’s not.
Sarah: I think I have two. # 1 - Since I have to go through the walk of breast cancer then I’d like to get to touch as many lives as possible. #2 - I want healthy babies who do not have the cancer gene.
Kirk (positively interjects): It can skip generations!
Sarah: I want the cancer to end with me.

Where you thought you would be right now in your life three years ago when you guys got married. How has it changed? (Chris Hite – Marysville, WA)
Kirk: I thought we would be just like everybody else: house and kids.
Sarah: NO.
Kirk: What do you mean ‘NO’?
Sarah: We were going to wait 3 ½ years.
Kirk: 5 years.
Sarah: No, 3 ½ years and go on missions trips before kids.
Kirk: You know, all of what you’re saying is going on the blog!
Sarah: Well I want to be real!
Kirk: That’s going on the blog too.

For Kirk: Did you kiss Sarah's head after it got shaved? (Chris Hite – Marysville, WA)
Kirk: Yes…Sarah didn’t like it though.
Sarah (with attitude/irritation): Yes, and he rubbed my head like a Chia Pet!

For Sarah: I know you have such a kind and loving heart. What do you wish people could or would do for you to help spread the love you have for other people in your situation? (Chris Hite – Marysville, WA)
Sarah: Since I can’t visit people while I’m receiving chemotherapy treatment, I would like my visitors on chemo day to visit with the other patients and ask them their story…because they have amazing stories to share and it would brighten their day. It breaks my heart to see men and women there facing a 3-5 hour treatment alone. I am so blessed to always have more than 5 people in the room with me.

For Kirk: Other than Sarah’s smile, what attracted you to her? (Laurie Breon – Arlington, WA)
Sarah interjects: My blonde hair (waiving her hands over her wigged head).
Kirk: She likes to have fun.
Sarah interjects again: Was it me stalking you?
Kirk: She’s always thinking about what she can do for other people; I admire that. And, it’s nice to be needed – that’s always attractive.

When you were little, what was your favorite cartoon? (Ronnett Rachinski – Ferndale, WA)
Kirk (incredulously): Me???
[pause]
Kirk: Probably ‘Wiley Coyote’.
Sarah: What’s mine? I don’t remember.
[long pause]
Kirk: ‘Talespin’.
Sarah: Ahh! ‘Talespin’. Thank you, Honey.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? (Ronnett Rachinski – Ferndale, WA)
Kirk: Albertson’s Denali Caramel Caribou (any store-bought brand has it, and it’s the best)!
Sarah: Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough…and their Strawberry Cheesecake. Apparently I have higher taste in ice cream than my husband.
Ellice Lien (blog administrator): You have a sophisticated palate…
Sarah: …that’s being ruined by this chemotherapy.

What’s something people might be surprised to know about you? (Diana Breon – Arlington, WA)
Sarah: Well, I don’t know. I actually feel more comfortable with my wig off than with it on.
Kirk: Didn’t you say that you feel liberated?
Sarah: I actually feel free.
Ellice: Kirk, how about you?
[long pause]
Mom Lien interjects: I was surprised that you like molasses cookies.
Kirk: I’m an open book. I like long walks on the beach, long meandering bike rides...
[laughter follows]
Kirk: I’ve got it. I HATE gloves. I barely tolerate wearing them, will not hold hands with Sarah if she is, and come close to puking if someone touches me with gloves. It’s literally true.
[pause]
Kirk (emphatically): It’s because you [pointing at Mom Lien] used yellow, rubber gloves my whole growing up! I hate gloves!

How did you know Kirk/Sarah was the ONE? (Mom Lien – Arlington, WA)
Kirk: There’s never any reason. You just know.
Sarah: Well, you didn’t know the first time you saw me.
Sarah: I knew that Kirk was the one because I had a very strong feeling that I needed to be with him the moment I saw him…playing up there [in a school chapel service] with his little drum set…he was so cute. Everybody thought I was crazy for picking him out to be my date for the end of the year dance.
Sarah: Kirk, how did you know?
Kirk: I just looked into those green eyes…no, just kidding! [There’s an inside story to this one. Sarah’s eyes are actually brown.]
Kirk: I think you just reach a point when you go “yeah”. It’s like this point of no return…but in a romantic way. Like there’s no return from the romance…uh, never mind.

Your all-time favorite movie? (Mom Lien – Arlington, WA)
Kirk: Ooo. We’ll let Sarah answer first.
[very brief pause]
Kirk: What if you have different ones for different occasions? For falling asleep, ‘Sleepless in Seattle’. All I have to hear is the first line: “Mommy - got - sick.” But overall, the “Ocean’s” series: ‘Ocean’s 11, 12 & 13’.
Kirk (to Sarah): What’s your favorite movie?
Sarah: I like the “Ocean’s” movies too…but for when I’m sick, ‘My Fair Lady’. Another one of my favorites that makes me laugh is ‘Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day’.

Is it true that blondes have more fun? (Mom Lien – Arlington, WA)
Sarah: [laughs] Well, since this is the first day of being a blonde and I went over to Mom and Dad Lien’s and ate dinner, I can’t say that it was more fun than being a brunette. Nobody broke out into dancing, so I don’t believe in the myth…
[Mom Lien stands up and starts dancing]
Sarah: …but that won’t stop me from wearing my blonde wig to other places.

If you could have dinner with any 5 people (famous or otherwise, past or present), who would they be…and why? (Diana Breon – Arlington, WA)
Sarah: Audrey Hepburn - because she had a tremendous heart for people and I would just like to emulate that aspect of her life. I would love to meet…
[long pause]
Kirk interjects: Billy Ray Cyrus.
[laughter]
Sarah: He will not be at my table.
[more laughter]
Sarah: George W. and Laura Bush. My slight attraction to George W. aside, I would like to talk to him about all of his world travels. I think it’s super cool that he gets to meet everybody – all the world leaders…and all the countries that he’s visited and everything. Laura, I think she has a tremendous heart for people, as well as her family and country; plus she’s just adorable.
[pause]
Sarah: Let’s take a break and talk about Kirk’s choices.
Ellice: Kirk, have you thought about all of yours?
Sarah interjects: Oh, I have another one! I’d like to meet Beth Moore and her husband, because Beth is so inspiring and I bet her husband is just as inspiring. I want to be their friends so we can go on double dates or something. You hear about their marriage in books and stories, and they sound so cool!
Ellice (to Kirk): Now it’s your turn.
Kirk: I would say, The Edge [guitar player of U2], Brian Eno [producer/recording engineer], Tom Hanks, Martin Smith [of Delirious?] and Paul McCartney.
Ellice: Why these five individuals?
Kirk: The musicians and recording people because all of them are extremely intelligent and creative…and I would just want to be around it so it would rub off. Tom Hanks, I just like his acting and it seems like he would be fun to joke around with, and Martin Smith because he is a Christian artist who has achieved extreme notoriety in the secular world in the UK. He’s got a lot of integrity.
Ellice: On to the next question?
Kirk (interjects with a 6th individual): Chris Martin [of Coldplay], because he’s so famous and talented but so humble about his skills. That would be a nice take on fame to be around…
Sarah: I guess we’ll have to put a leaf in the table.

What have you found to do in your free time to help take your mind off of the tough stuff? (Lindsey Norton – Arlington, WA)
Kirk: What free time?
Sarah: With my free time I’m making baby hats to donate to the hospital. It takes my mind off of the tough stuff and helps me give back to all the people who have been giving to me.

If you could go back in time and show your spouse one moment in your life that you experienced and wanted them to see or experience it with you, what would it be? (Vanessa Anderson – Granite Falls, WA)
Sarah: I would want Kirk to see me in 7th grade on top of our cheer-leading pyramid. Go Badgers! That’s what I want…at a basketball game. It was the very top.
Sarah (to Kirk): You would have been proud of me.
Kirk: My senior year of basketball. I scored my career high of 31 points; the same as my jersey number.

Ellice: That’s all folks! Until next time…
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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 the next interview! Feel free to have fun and get creative! Serious or random – it’s up to you!