2005 ROCK-TOBER CHEMO GIRLS

TracyNY

Me at the beach on Wednesday. Do you understand why I'm griping about the bloody cold here now?!

TracyNY

My littlest goddaughter, Kara and I. She is mischief incarnate!!

TracyNY

Just chilling in Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados.

marymelodi

Tadah - you look marvelous and after seeing that beach, I have no quibble with your complaints about the cold. How did you ever force yourself to come back? Little Miss Mischief is a cutie!

Debbie - okay, explain . . . "went to get wine and an Indian." Don't tell me you guys were doing a three-some!@??!! lol I figured out that "pranged" must mean "smashed" as in "I smashed my fender" or possibly "I wrecked my car." One of the great things about being friends with you is how my vocabulary is expanding. I have not read the author Stephen Booth but I am going to the library this morning so I will look him up.

O-o-o-0 the wind is howling here this morning, but I have things to do and places to go . . . library, shopping, etc. Back on goes the extra pants, socks, hats, and gloves.

Be well,
Mary

ravdeb

TracyNY..I just smiled BIG when I saw your gorgeous pictures. You are just absolutely beautiful! And I'm thinking Barbados is THE place to be! Your little goddaughter is soooooooooo cute! How old is she?

Victoria... My heart goes out to you..your mixed feelings about the move, the changes.. Sometimes we don't see how change can be good..not just "for the best" but really good. It took me close to 20 years to realize that...well..let's say I'm still working on it but I've progressed.

Mary..you are special. Your thoughts are deep and good. BUT..the lemonade out of lemons..I DO believe you meant to say lemon drop martini out of lemons!!! Seriously..your words are soothing and I do believe you could take on the role of Mother, like Mary-Anne said, for all of us. You are always there with the kinds words...

Mary-Anne..I don't know how you do it...but you do it. You are strong. Teenagers, like you said, are not always there for a good chat, that's for sure! It can be lonely without dh at home..even if THEY don't talk and are snoring on the sofa! The warm fire sounds inviting, though..

I will ride in the car and let Debbie drive. This is virtual so we will have an amazing, dangerously adventerous drive down curvey paths, up and down mountain sides and if we crash..well, that's okay. We just get out and we are fine, of course, with no scratches and the car..well..we'll just get a NEW one in a different color with our virtual money!!!

Love those outfits, Ladies.

Back at the home front...I made it through the funeral... It was actually not that bad, I did put the flowers on the grave as I didn't feel that the two other congregants who were with me really represented the congregation but that's another story... What was touching was this... The man who died was retarded (and had had a stroke and tumor). He had been living in a home of some kind since a child (sp. ed. is not developed here and certainly was not developed some 50 years ago..another long story since I have a masters in sp. ed). Anyway...some of his friends from where he had been living were there. One of them gave a speech and I was so touched by it. He said he had started school with Eitan (the man who died)when they were 6 years old and they were together since then. He said he'd miss him as he was a good friend (interesting because Eitan barely spoke...a whole different culture that naturally fascinates me..I worked with severe and profound young adults..I know this world..but these adults whoe were at the funeral were not severely challenged..nevermind..OT)and he had tears in his eyes, and the others from this home were looking and sort of understood what was going on..I was touched by it. Hardly any family was there, there are conflicts in the family and so we have our work cut out for us this week. Our congregant was grateful for the 3 of us who came and she came to services last night and got the needed support from those who were there.

Thanks for "being there" with me. I felt it...

Anonymous

Tracy -
You look FAB! Wow...you really do! Your GodDaughter is adorable!

ravdeb -
Glad you made it through the sevices. Eitan sounds like he was quite an inspiration in his own special way. The power of communication - in any form - is amazing!

AMY -
This one's for Pebbles!

ravdeb

Debbie..I also wondered about the Indian. And the prang..never heard of that and it's not in my trusty Oxford dictionary for British speakers! But much more interesting...Rog drew a bath for YOU, too? Are Rog and Roy one and the same or is there more than one Bath Drawing Man here? I mean..candles and wine??? It's not your birthday yet, even!

Where did I go wrong???


OMG Laura..for Pebbles! That is tooooooooo funny!

Ladies..We have decided that Casey, our dog who will be 17 years old next month, is senile. Sad but true. She is piddling (puddling? peeing?)wherever she feels like it, she barks at me when I walk through the gate until I get closer, she isn't eating as much as she used to, she sometimes doesn't understand where she is and runs through the house wanting to go out, wanting to come in, wanting to go to her bed in the laundry room but then wanting to leave that room and run to my studio where she goes crazy. She is very restless. I feel sorry for her. I've been trying to pay more attention to her but she gets mad at me and shows me her funny teeth (she has lost some but she can still chew and clean her paws).

What to do? When I told my daughter that I am now thinking about getting another dog because I don't think Casey will live too much longer, she said that wasn't nice. Maybe...but I want to prepare everybody. She has been with us for over 16 years! Amazing, right?

Sad..but.... she doesn't look happy anymore.

ravdeb

Hey..that counter you are sitting at, Tracy, with Kara..that looks like our kitchen counter!!! Really, really!! Ours is a synthetic thing mixed with marble...made here in Caesarea near where I walk the beach.

Anonymous

dev, love that counter and the color!! It looks like Corian or Caeserstone (that was the original company, now there are others doing it, too). I looked up Caeserstone on the net and it is a company from Israel. It's real popular here. Silestone is the other company. I love that stuff because you can get Corian and the quartz-stone in different colors like green, red, etc! What color is your kitchen counter??

Tracy, you look wonderful! So glad that you got to go home and see your family. I know it was to attend a funeral, but aren't you glad your family isn't from Alaska????

Today is a work day, Teryn went to a slumber party last night and I have to go get her before the babysitter comes over. Nothing else going on.

maryannecb

Hi, here are my "wild" pics as promised.

Tadah, you look so young! I have lost my age list. How old are you?

Fists up!

Anonymous

ravdeb -
So very sorry about Casey...it's so difficult. I'm totally dreading when Buddy gets old. Although lately, I feel that he's going to out live me!

EVERYONE -
OMG - I talked to TaDah this morning on the phone! She has an incredible accent - not New York - LOL, but like a tea-toting gal from England...not sure...perhaps Debbie sounds the same? I was so surprised, if anything I expected a Brooklyn accent. She was out and about going to the Lenox outlet! I told her to photograph whatever she buys and post it here.

And btw - I have less pain today! I stopped taking the Lortab (Vicadan) and am just taking the Nurontin. But I think that the pain is less because I have not worn a bra or anything tight around that area since Thursday afternoon! I'm going to do a test this weekend to see if that's what's aggravating it. If it is, I'll just have to look like an 8 year old...no one will know if I'm coming or going!!! But, I have an appt on Monday with a Naturopath. She is going to do Aromatherapy and diet suggestions, etc. And within the next week, I am going to visit with an Acupuncturist (sp?). Hopefully I will be pain free! But now I need botox between my eyes, because the frown lines have gotten so bad throughout this! LOL

Laura

Anonymous

maryanne -
Love the nighty and robe! That's pretty "snazzy" compared to my flannel ones! You look great!
Laura

ravdeb

YOu look wonderful, funny, cute...Mary-Anne. I'm cracking up over here because I think we've all gone bananas..taking pics of ourselves in cheetah gear in front of the mirror!! This is tooooooooooooo funny! I love you all. You all so remind me of my college friends. We are a crazy bunch!!!

Yes, Kelly...Caesarstone. I had to think a minute because I never heard it in English! It is made on a kibbutz near the beach where I walk. That kibbutz is also on the beach. When we built our house, it was THE thing to put in the kitchen. Now there are lots of colors. My first floor is in the tans, off white colors, light wood and terracotta and so the countertop is a tan color to blend in.

ravdeb

Laura..we were posting at the same time! I'm so glad to hear your pains are not so bad. Acupuncture..they say it works miracles. Give it a try. There is also acupressure which is based on the same thing but without the needles.

That is cool that you and TracyNY spoke by phone. I can't wait to meet up with all of you. Am anxious to do that already!!!!!

marymelodi

Oh Maryanne - you are all ready for our pajama party in August. Now I really have to find a caftan or make one. Love the pictures.

Hi, ravdeb - glad you made it through the funeral. What a story. You have the stuff of angels in you.

Yeah Laura - less pain!! We rejoice for you.

Well, have to go get my prescriptions from the store. They were busy earlier today and told me to come back later. Now it is later and I have to get there before they close. I think I'll rent a DVD for the evening. Watched the latest version of Pride & Prejudice earlier. Wow, that Jane Austen tells a good story. And, I noticed some of it takes place in Derbyshire. I kept hoping I would see scenery that might be close to Debbie's locale.

bye~~
Mary

Anonymous

I am going to have Teryn take a picture of me in my cheetah coat. I called Laura and told her I had forgotten I have this jacket!!! It's a white backround with cheetah spots on it and then pink and blue flowers all over it. Guys at work always comment how wild it is!! But with a pair of white pants and a brown tank top, it looks very snazzy. You'll see later when Teryn takes the photo.

Dev, it is funny how we got this far and now we have official Rocktober things .......... we are the new Cheetah girls!! LOL

Anonymous

Just finished skimming through days of posts:

Gail and Kelly: You DO look like sisters!

TracySeattle: How romantic!

Victoria: Are you moving to a different city or state? Sorry you have misgivings about whatever it is you're trying to do...

Debbie: How awful for your brother and the stepkids. What party? Mary had a party and did not invite me? I'm always the last to know...

TracyNY: Welcome back! I'm with you on the cancer thing. I keep saying I HAD cancer. Now I'm fine. Great pics! You look like you're in your twenties!

RavishingDeb: You are so kind and caring. I wish you were my neighbor.

MaryAnne: Thank you for reminding me how short I am. It's quite humbling (Short people have no reason to live...). You look naughty in your cheetah nightie.

Laura: Here's a gentle hug for you...

Mary: I think you DID mean lemon drop martinis and not lemonade.

To everyone else: Have a great weekend, wherever you are!!

Anonymous

Mary-Anne, just fyi, I cannot see your outfit here from work. All pictures are blocked due to my firewall! Can't wait to get home to see your wild attire!!

maryannecb

LOL Kelly, just thought I was too wild for comments. I looked for my coat but I think I gave it away in a cleaning frenzy last summer.

Fists up!

TracyNY

I said I was done shopping. I really meant it when I said it but a wicked girlfriend of mine enticed me back to Lenox for a blowout sale.

Here is what $1600 of china looks like!!



Believe it or not the sale was 95% off!! 80% was the regular sale and they mailed out discount coupons for an additional 15% so I ended up paying about $260 for that lot. Don't know where I'm going to put it though.

Kara has just turned two although from the conversations she holds you'd never guess it. The kitchen I was in belongs to a school friend of mine who just built a sprawling home.

Me, I turned forty on August 23rd. Thank you for asking!! I do look kinda young don't I?! My plastic surgeon says I have the skin of a 26 yr old!!

I had a lovely chat with Laura today and I look forward to calling all of you eventually.

Pray for me that I can get this demon shopping off my back!!

TracySeattle

MaryAnne!! I love your cheetah stuff!

Tracy - GREAT PICS!! You look Awesome! I love your china and furniture too.

Larua I am so glad that you are starting to feel better.

Ravdeb - I am glad you got thru the funeral. You are a devoted leader and friend to those in your congregation.

I have started selling some furniture and I am downsizing. Dave and I are combining our households. We can both save A LOT of $$ by living together, not to mention that we are together continually anyway. We spent today running a million errands.

We are shopping for some furniture together and I think we are learning a lot about each other. We are both very independent and stubborn people, compromising is a challenge!

We have Killian this weekend so we spent part of the day at the park. I swear that dog never gets tired of running after a ball!

Well, better go for now. I hope you are all having a great weekend.

Anonymous

Mary-Anne, you look gorgeous!!! Ya gotta wear that outfit when your hubby comes back and I LOVE THE COLOR of your walls!!!!

Anonymous

I think I know where I will want to eat dinner if I ever get to NYC with my little cheetah girl!

Anonymous

Ok, here is the Cheetah Jacket ...... Ravdeb is right, this is hysterical!!!!

ravdeb

Kelly..you are one hot chic!! (I can't believe I said that!!! )BTW..love the floor tiles. That is so Israeli!!

TracyNY..you just go and buy! What the heck! Beautiful china. Believe me..if I had the opportunity I would! Just this morning I decided I'll go out and buy new waste baskets for the bathrooms!! Such a splurge. I have the opposite problem..I can't get myself to spend any money!

TracySeattle..it's not easy to combine tastes when buying furniture. My dh has good taste in furniture..just not exactly what I like. I learned that it's not that important (we bought a dresser that I could have done without, if you know what I mean! ). There are other things that are a whole lot more important than the style of the home. Whatever you choose, it's the people in the home that make it a home (unless you are living alone like TracyNY!!! )

Brenda..I was ROFL..short people have no reason to live..I used to sing that to my college friend who is quite short!!! But that's just from somebody called Ravishing Deb!!!

RoseMarie

I love it when the house is quiet and I'm the only one up. I know it won't last long so I have to type fast!

Shoot...That's how long it lasted...

Ok...I can't remember what I was going to say - TracyNY-you're beautiful! I love the pics!!! What an AWESOME deal on the china!! I love your taste!!
Kelly-woohoo!! My dh just walked in and asked if I'm going to post my cheetah wear...I must say they are the most comfy pj's I own. He's not getting this!
Debbie - another dh preparing a bath?? Wow, who are these men and where did they come from??
Laura - hoping you're feeling even better today!
Well not cheetah pics but here's a pic of John Michael yesterday - he won 1st place in the PineWood derby for the Bear Cubs and won 2nd place overall for the pack.



And here he is with the car he and Mike made:

ravdeb

RoseMarie..John Michael is so cute! How proud you must me!
I remember when I loved the quiet mornings and would get up really early and try to beat the kids up. Now my kids sleep all day long on the weekends and it is sometimes toooooooooooooooooo quiet here!

Must get some cheetah wear..not sure socks will suffice!

maryannecb

Ravdb, thought you'd like this pic of another old dog. This is a pic from last years Run. The dog belongs to a friend of mine. He has developed severe back problems and is no longer able to walk. Yup, that is a doggie wheel chair. Not sure if there is doggie"incontinence wear" but I bet there is. I guess you have to look at your dogs quality of life. If she is pain free and still enjoying your company then it is not time to think otherwise. But if her life is a misery...

Rosemarie your son looks so proud of himself. Thanks.

Kelly, looks like you have the same color in your DR as I have in living room. I have bold colors in DR-cranberry,kitchen-blue and a couple of bedrooms. My sons room ishalf red half white,. The pic was taken in Hannah's room which is turquoise. Luckily you cannot see the rest of the room which is knee-deep in discarded clothing and general disarray. LOL.

A beautiful sunny day here, all looks so calm after yesterdays blizzard. I think we got 30cm(12") of snow. It makes everything look so clean, I love it. I will take some pics of the neighborhood and post them.

Tracy, nice to see you and Dave are progressing to the next level. Don't forget to protect yourself for the future...always the optimistic pessimist or am I a pessimistic optimist?HMmmmmmmmmmm. Having been divorced once and finding it a major financial disaster I did have a prenup when I remarried. Likely will never be necessary but I did feel more secure. Both of us had about equal assets coming in to it so had no trouble with it, especially as both of us had been divorced after fairly contented marriages. Sometimes things unpredictably come to a crashing end! I know, I know, mind my business, but I don't like to see people hurt.

Debbie, how is your WE going?

Fists up!

Anonymous

We should get the ball rolling here...I think from what you girls have posted, most of you want to be in the heart of downtown? If so, see attached hotel links. Millenium Park is really nice and of course Mich Avenue is too. The museums aren't too far either. Keep in mind some hotels only have indoor pools. That may or may not be a problem depending on your own personal preferences.

I'm a little confused about the plans...

Is there going to be a pj party night? If so, do we get a suite for that night and all meet there? Would that be our official get together night? And I'm wondering what everyone's plans are for the duration of their stay. Some mentioned the museums, others shopping. And for those staying several days especially those with kids, if you want to head to a water park with slides and restaurant or shopping in an antique village...or whatever...maybe we can arrange mini-meets. If you all want to remain in the downtown area for the duration, that's fine too. I'm open to anything. I'm throwing out options for those interested. I certainly don't mind heading downtown as necessary. I just want to make sure everyone has a great time! Also, you have to decide if you want to rent a car or take a taxi to downtown from the airport. For those that don't want access to a rental car...I can pick up some of you and drive you to your hotel, but I would need to know what day, time, etc. Who's bringing significant others, kids, etc.? PM ME so I have an idea of how many total. For those traveling here alone, you may want to hook up with one another and share a room or a suite and perhaps fly in at the same time and share a ride downtown. Has an exact date been decided? Is it August 18th, 25th? Or...? What day would you all be flying in on... We need to start by setting our Get-Together date, and we can make plans from there.

http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qsc...9993351402&

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/s...mberOfAdults=04

maryannecb

I think we have decided on the 25th weekend. I will be traveling alone and Tracy Seattle and I are planning to be roomies. Can't wait. For me I would likely try to get in on Thursday night and out on Sunday morning. That would be three nights and two full days. My purpose would be primarily to hang out in a nice location. Friday Am I would like to see Oprah if she tapes in August, as long as the topic is not too inane.

How far away from Downtown are you Laura? From the airport? Do you think we would be more comfortable away from the big city? A resort or B and B. I guess it all depends on the focus. For me it is not to see Chicago it is to see you.

Fists up!