"Leap of Faith and into His Will" by Mary LaFrance

It was March 2005, and we were getting ready to go to Hawaii for two weeks with friends. We would go to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary and Leon’s upcoming retirement from the Georgia Pacific paper mill in Camas.

I had gotten a message from my PCP at Vancouver Clinic that I was overdue for my annual exam. How could that be? I was always right on time like clockwork.

But then I remembered. The Spring of 2004 was chucked full of busyness with my daughter Aliceson’s upcoming graduation from high school. I had cancelled my doctor appointment for my annual check up and told the receptionist I would call at a later date and make the appointment. Time went on by, Aliceson graduated, summer flew by, and another school year began, my 12th year as a Washougal School District employee.

Fast forward to March 2005, and off we went to Hawaii! We had the best time with Chuck and Julie Phipps those two weeks of fun in the sun. Little did I know what I was going to embark upon just 2 months later, on May 19, 2005. It was this date in time that began the incredible journey that I have taken the last 19 years…