Jan 2008--Ain't it Great?

Good Sunday morning, Jewels.  Got a wee bit of snow last night…for some reason, the snow always comes when DH is gone.  Do you suppose he’s got a deal going with Mother Nature??  Luckily, not a lot to shovel, as I’ve got to tidy up for the open house the realtor is having today.  Had quite a few showings last week.  A ‘second’ showing yesterday.  Got a call to have someone come by later this morning before the open…then, got another call to have someone come by at 9:00 a.m.  I had to say no to the 9.  Geez…it’s Sunday morning, for crying out loud.  

Carol – Glad to hear you’re safe and sound.  Has that weather system finally moved east?  

Paula – Been thinking about you all weekend.  I am hopeful, and am sending prayers and positive vibes to you and DH for good news tomorrow.  

Carla – Spill the beans on the tat, friend!  I’ve been thinking about one for a long, long time.

D1 – You always say just the right thing…nailing it on the head.  You’re the glue, dear.

Maz – Sending good vibes your way, too.  Believe me, I’ve got lots to go around!  Think positive, friend, think positive!

Kimberly – DH doesn’t ski, either.  However, I am a fair weather skier.  I’m the one on the slopes first thing in the morning, before the mountain is all torn up by the shredders.  I’m usually “done” by early afternoon, and looking for a sauna and hot tub.  I suppose I’ll need to cut those last two activities out so as not to aggravate the LE.
A note about the students…don’t discount the life lessons you impart on them…I think you’d be surprised how many, later in their lives, will recall those memories.  The reason I say that, is that I do it all the time!

Patty – Was reading a foodie mag last night, and ran across this web site:  www.glutenfreemall.com  Apparently, lots of gluten-free products by mail.

Gotta run Jewels, have a relaxing Sunday.
Tina

Well, can I just say, wahoo for the Ravens!!  SisKimberly, I'm hoping you were kidding about not knowing who they are.    By all counts, they should have lost yesterday, but they didn't, and we'll take it!!  Kathy - are you saying you went to collage with our guy Joe Flacco??  Of course we know he came from DE.

Vegas in July?  Yes, it'll be hot as blazes, but I don't care.  DH might not want to come with that kind of heat, but if it's just for 2 nights, I can go without him this one time...  My schedule is totally flexible, so whenever it is, I'll try my darndest to be there!  It's hard to imagine heat when it's so cold here right now, and later in the week it's supposed to be a high in the mid-20's.  Yikes!

Tinalee - that's awesome that you are getting traffic on your house.  We were trying to sell ours this time last year (in the middle of my chemo) and there were almost no potential buyers.  And the market is supposedly a lot worse now.  But all real estate is local, and I hope you get 'er done quickly!!

That's all for now - 

CHJ

Hello Jewels!!

I had the privledge of talking to Carol last night..even vetteguy had chat with her. I was a very memorable conversation and i have been blessed to finally put a voice to a photo. And yes photobucket is kicking my ass!!! I cant load a photo if my life deended on it......

D1-great inspirational words..read it to vetteguy and he said we are strong women and happy that we all found each other.

CHJ-your ravens did well...we will see when they come to pittsburgh for a grudge match!! I hope we win today!!!GO STEELERS!!!

I did mention vegas to vetteguy..with me and possibly hysterectomy i have to use all of my vacation and personal time then STD..i may have to take a few days without pay and say fuck it..i am going to VEGAS BABY! I can help you plan this....i have been there too many times and my casino host will help us out with whatever we need..Planet Hollywood is mid strip..view of Bellagio..I may have to hibernate in the casino and pool side..I hate the heat!!

Going to watch some football.. Enjoy your day today Jewels..i be checking in later...

Patty

Brain fart!  I missed this entire page of posts.  Duh!

Tina: We missed all the snow here; got NOTHING but a little rain last night.  I couldn't believe it.  Good luck with your showing.

Therese:  The nursing shortage is such a mess.  There are days I'm sure my hospital wishes they could clone us all!

CHJ:  Yes, I went to school with Flacco.  He is a bit younger than me, but we were at UD overlapping years.  I'm glad they won yesterday.  I'd personally love to see them play the Eagles (and beat them!) in the SB.

Carol:  I like your list better than mine!  Add me, too.  I hope to be able to go.

First off, I want to thank you all for your support. I cannot express how much you all mean to me… women I’ve never seen face-to-face, and yet you are all my sisters.Thank you for “listening” and I’ll ask forgiveness in advance for this long post. It seems to help to pour my heart out here.

There’s no improvement at all from dh's increased steroids. Guess the tumors must be affecting the speech center. He seems to understand, just can’t communicate well. He’s always been pretty easy-going and, thankfully, he’s staying in character. He’ll try to say something and then just shake his head after awhile and say “never mind.” Most of the time I’m able to guess what he’s trying to say.The perks of a 26-year relationship, I suppose. 

Most of his deficits are mental. Physically he can still take care of himself for the most part—getting dressed, hygiene, etc. The right side of his mouth draws down and he has slight weakness on the right side (kinda like a stroke patient). His voice is weak, but no swallowing problems. I’ve got a lot of experience working with stroke and head injury patients, so my training will be of benefit in taking care of him.

I’m making arrangements for regular check-ins by family/neighbors. I hope that’s enough… it is so hard to judge. I don’t want anything to happen to him and having a history of seizures means he’s at high risk with the tumors growing…. On the other hand, he’s able to take care of himself so well that having a presence here throughout the day may upset him… FUBC!!! I want him to be safe, but also want him to be happy. His sister is coming in from Ohio Tuesday, so I’ll have a couple of anxiety-free days this week as far as dh is concerned.

Ds is working, dd out with her bf at his parents’ home. I’ve got some papers to grade, bills to pay, laundry to do, etc. BUT, I had to take care of the important stuff first—checking in my Jewel gals!

Carol- I spent yesterday working with my music, too. My iPod had to be reformatted to work on my Mac, which means all the music got wiped out. It was all on CDs anyway, so I spent the afternoon uploading all my music to iTunes and then syncing my iPod again. I quit after the 40^th CD. I’ve got 2GB uploaded and have room on my iPod for 2 more.

Therese- another 3-Dayer. Congrats on getting involved. I sent Carol a couple of books about preparing for the 3-Day last summer.“Foot Soldiers: Stories from the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk” and “The Complete Guide to Marathon Walking.” I’m not sure which one she recommends, but I know at least one of them was pretty helpful. You can get them both on Amazon.

Norma- FUBC again! I’m bummed that Toni is going through treatment again. She’s really been hammered with this beast. Please let her know she’s in my thoughts and prayers.

Dale will do his senior project next semester, which begins in a couple of weeks. Ours is a combo portfolio/scrapbook—very similar to what you described. They have to reflect back on the stages of their life thus far, include pics, and also complete a cover letter & resume, document community service, articulate a 5-year plan for reaching career goals, etc. It includes an interview. The judging committee is made up of English teachers and business professionals from the community, who volunteer to help. It takes place over several days (each student gets an appointment, like a job interview). So, although it will be a wonderful experience, there’s a butt-load of work involved! I envy you that your ds’s is completed already! There’s going to be a lot going on this spring—scholarship deadlines, conferences, prom, graduation plans… Lord, give me strength!

So glad your onc. is taking you off of Tamox permanently. I’ll be thinking of you this week as you see your docs and make those decisions about treatment and surgery.

Patty- so, you’ll schedule your surgery this week. With Aunt Flo dropping in unannounced (inconsiderate bitch!), I know you’ll be looking forward to getting rid ofthose organs.

LOL at snapfish… they come up with some interesting names for these photo websites, don’t they?

Ditto what the other Jewels said about taking care of yourself emotionally. You’ve been through a lot, gf!

Oh yeah, GO STEELERS! Lots of Steeler fans in this neck of the woods.

Kimberly- (passing you a tissue and some Tylenol) sorry you’re sick again. Hope you’re on the mend.  I am so happy that you liked the twin heart weaving, and touched that you’re displaying it with a treasured photo of you and ds!

You put me to shame with your exercise routine. I’m hitting the treadmill haphazardly, doing a few yoga stretches… that’s it. Need to do better, just don’t have the energy or the motivation.

You, my dear, are a WONDERFUL teacher! I know you’re having a positive impact on your students, even though you’ll have to wait years before you ever hear from them about it. I got visits from 3 of my former students during their Christmas break from college. Two of them are 2^nd year nursing students, the other is 3^rd year pre-med. They all gave me warm fuzzies about how much my program has helped them in college. I’ve got those comments logged in my memory bank to dredge up when I feel that my efforts in the classroom are futile! I know you’ve mentioned similar visits from former students—keep those memories nearby when you’re frustrated.

Good advice to Sherry.

Hmmm, your dream interpretation seems to be right on the money!

About that size 4 prom dress… it belongs to my niece. Rach brought it home for me to see recently… it is way to revealing for Mama—dd has some nice-sized jugs and they’re spilling out of it. So, this is a source of conflict here.SIGH!

Carla- remind me again about your new tattoo—was it a butterfly? Where’d you get tattooed?

LOL at the weather- grocery angle. Same thing happens here when weather warnings head our way. Ds works at the local grocery store and has complained about how busy it gets when bad weather is headed our way.

Happy early Bday to the twins. How cool that you’ve kept in touch with your hospital roomie from 20 years ago.

LJ- you’re right there again with good research to share. What would we do without you?! Glad you’re a Jewel!

Kathy- sounds like you’re doing well about the de-porting (haha).  Hope ds gets that bike (sounds like a win-win situation to me!)

LOL at dh’s birthday present. That has always been my dh’s favorite “gift.” I can relate to where you’re at right now with small children and a busy work life—except you’re also a BC survivor on top of all that…

I'm actually grieving for the loss of that aspect of my relationship with dh. My libido was never up to par with dh's, but we had a good sex life until this fall. He hasn't initiated anything since Oct. and I won't make the first move-- it would be devastating to him if he couldn't perform. (Sorry, TMI!) 

D1- WELL SAID!

Tina- hope the house showings go well today. I don’t envy you in having to keep the house ship-shape all the time. I imagine it helps that your boys are out of the house. Our house looks pretty good with the exception of the kids’ rooms.

CHJ- Go Ravens!!

I’m all over the Jewels FUBC Reunion Tour (how apt, Vettegal!). Hopefully, my life will cooperate and allow me to participate.  

Sorry again for the length. If you’re still here at this point, you deserve a medal for making it thru this post!

Paula

Just my 2 cents regarding our Reunion Tour -

Sun.- Wed. would work the best for me since I work on the weekends only. Whatever works for all of us! Just let me know when & where I sign up.

Have a great week everyone!

Therese

Hi Jewels!! This post is on behalf of Vettegal......these pics were taken at Laguna Beach California during the trip she won.

Sunset view from our room...awesome!

the two of us before my first meeting - the foliage was fabulous

Enjoy!

Patty -- the pic files were too large. I took them into Picture Manager and reduced the size a bit, then they worked.

Thanks Jules for posting the photos!!!

just checking in from work...after a "wonderful" Steeler victory last night!!!

This city is going nuts!!!

The flights to Tampa are filling up..everyone wants to get there for the super bowl!! If i had the extra cash i would go, i got a cousin there and we could stay with him! Now I think i amsaving up for vegas.......

hugs to everyone......xxoo

Patty

jewels..

CHJ-i was waiting for the comment..gotta love this competition...LOL we both love our football teams..that is awsome!!

patty

Hello Jewels,

Happy Healthy New Year to all!

Let me start by saying thank you to SIS Kimberly for the nice card and update it was very nice of you to think of me.  I reallty enjoyed reading it.

Paula I don't know how you do it!  Thank you also for the card.  My thoughts are with you and Ed I will be praying Duke can help him.

Maz I hope things go good for you. FUBC!  

I have spent the last hour and a half updating myself on the Jewels although I don't chime in much I lurk on occasion and think of you all often.

I read a lot of us have the same sleep and medical meno issues.  My primary has put me on trazadone (sp?) it helps a somewhat with sleeping but I'm not comfortable taking anti-depressents either.  I never thought I would be a candidate for them but I never thought I would be here on BC.org talking with my SIS's dealing wth BC.

I here your planning a trip to Vegus Baby, I am interested in meeting everyone in person but since I don't chime in much I not sure you'all would remember me.  I will check in for the updates on when and where.

My new years resolution,  stay in better touch with my SIS Jewels.

My Patriots got a raw deal!!!!!!!  I don't know who to cheer for I'm out of the playoff element without my team. 

Think Spring!!!! 

Wendy

Good evening Jewels,

Wow, such a chatty bunch!  I am trying to read all the posts and my head is spinning!  I'll have to find some more time tomorrow.

I had my mammo and appointment with my bc surgeon and everything is CLEAR! I'm so relieved. She also said my scar has healed beautifully. On Thursday, I go to the onc for my 3 month check. So far, hot flashes and some joint pain in my fingers are the only apparent se's from the Arimidex.

Paula, I'm so sorry to hear about your dh. My prayers are with you and hope he can find some comfort and relief.

Maz - my prayers are with you too. FUBC!!!

SIS Kimberly - yes its starting already with all the paperwork. And to make it even worse they are changing some of the formats for doing the IEP's!  I really can't wait till this part of the year is over.

Carol - Lucy doesn't act any differently after being at the groomer's. However she manages to get the pink ribbon off pretty fast!

D1 - Your Inauguration Day plans sound like a real blast. I wish I could be there while history is being made. I actually know someone who will be at the Ball!

The Vegas reunion sounds great! Since I'm off at that time the days would not matter. I hope I can make it. I'm also planning on Ireland this summer with my sister who has never been there yet. We want to include London as well. So if we can firm up the dates I can work around them.

 I'm all for staying by the pool and air conditioning too!

Joan

D1

Was checking out Caesar's (Colloseum Venue) , looks like it might actually be dark ... atleast on the websites I was checking out.  Sir Elton John is going to be in Europe the first week of July ... and it did not show Bette Midler or Cher ... I believe all three share the same stage.

Back to snooping ... Carol 

Therese, I believe you mentioned staying at the Mirage ... checked it out ... I loved the looks of the pool area !!!   Personally I wasn't so crazy about the pics of Planet Hollywoods pool area,  it was missing a palm tree or two. 

Just throwing out some thoughts ... was checking Expedia's site. 

Paula, CathyCA isn't quite last, I have one more Herceptin on 1/30. I'll be de-ported sometime in Feb., whenever I can fit it in with work deadlines.