Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

Sloan, I must admit I am addicted to Paris (and elsewhere in France), with New Orleans a close second. (See a connection)? I studied French for a year in grade school, then all through high school and a year of college. I am by no means bilingual, but I get by. It’s nice when in France not to have to rack my brain for the correct words, flip the syntax or have to ask if they speak English (which I can now ask in four languages--never learned it in Hebrew or Mandarin). I suspect my love of food & wine may be largely to blame.

We are both Hilton Grand Vacation owners and Hilton Honors members--thanks to Bob having to stay down at the Oak Lawn Hilton or Hilton Garden Inn Midway the night before echo-reading mornings, and our putting up my sis in the Hilton Garden Inn Evanston (soon to have a Hampton Inn in s. Rogers Park, walking distance from us), we’ve racked up enough points that we get upgraded to the Executive Level at every Hilton--including the Hilton & Towers downtown (formerly the infamous Conrad Hilton of the 1968 Dem. convention riot) when I’m in the Bar Show across the street. For our pre-cruise stay in Rome last month, we stayed at the Hilton Rome Airport--we walked with our bags from the terminal--for half-price using HH points; full hot breakfast and happy hour were free in the Exec Lounge; and there was a free hourly shuttle to the Capitoline Hill/Jewish Quarter, with pickup on the half-hour. Saved us a mint in cabs. We’ll do that again in July, but this time buy tickets to the Vatican museums & Sistine Chapel, and dinner reservations (I am now a Quandoo.it--sort of like OpenTable--member, though I can’t understand any of the weekly e-mails they send) ahead of time. We’ll either rent a car at Rome airport and drive to our resort condo in Selvatelle (Tuscany), or take a short hop by plane or rail to Pisa or Florence and pick the car up there. The nearest train station to Selvatelle is too far away to make a taxi affordable (and it being rural Italy, reliable). We’ll either finish up with a couple of days in Florence before flying home, or skip Florence and go back to Rome.

I've loved all the pet pictures! I do miss having a pet/pal!

Chisandy - I have to admit my love of Paris, too. Because most people speak English there, I've never learned French. Before my bc, my DH and I planned to live there for 3 months or so. But Fall came and went while I was in chemo. So, I've been taking French lessons every other week for the past 4 months- I speak advanced tourist now! I could only dream of being semi-fluent. We are traveling to a different part of France this time, and not as many people will speak English. Out of respect and necessity, I'm thrilled to learn French. My teacher said, "Not matter how good your accent is, the French will correct you. They even correct each other! The French don't care what you say just how you say it." Haha. We will splurge on a 2-week Rick Steve's tour of Eastern France, but we will stay for "free" for a week on our Hilton points in Paris. Yep, gotta love them points! We'll do B&B's and VRBO for the other 2 weeks. I'm cheap because if I'm flying there, I'm going to stay for a while. I couldn't pass up Florence if I were you. I could skip Pisa. Old Town Florence by Uffizi is so beautiful, but the Hilton is so far from there! I'm amazed you are going back again so soon! That is so wonderful! Summer will be here before you know it.

Marijen - Yes I believe Panadol is the same as Tylenol.

Actually, Sloan, I plan on going back to Europe even sooner: at the end of March, the Chi. Bar Assn. is running its annual CLE trip, this time to Lausanne, Switzerland--with pre-extension in London and post-extension in Paris. (Last year was Madrid-Barcelona-Seville, and the year before that was Paris & Normandy). Bob went with me to Paris & Normandy, but couldn’t take the time off last year for Spain or for this year’s trip. Where in E. France will you be going? My first trip to France actually started in Germany, in the Nahe and Rheingau; from there we drove through Lorraine to Burgundy, then through the Loire into the Charentes (Cognac country), then Bordeaux and finally Paris before heading back east to the Nahe and home to Chi. A few years later we were in the Alps, Provence & the Riviera (it was one of those “if it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium” bus tours). I’ve visited Champagne and the Loire chateaux on day trips out of Paris.

Where in Paris did you stay? One year (before we’d racked up HH points), we got an amazing deal at the Hilton near the Eiffel Tower--$99/night. We booked Gordy his own adjoining room and in effect had a suite. We never ate there except for breakfast: the restaurant specialized in “California cuisine.” So wrong......

Which reminds me--I’d better call the CBA’s travel agent to book flights & Eurail for this upcoming trip--only 2-1/2 mos. away!

Melclarity, you shouldn't be taking more than 2000mg Acetimeniphinper day, 4000 is toxic. Ibuprofen makes me retain water and can cause stomach bleeding. It raised my sister's ALP, she stopped and it went back to normal. Just giving you a head's up.

Ok I just don't trust the docs on prescribing too much. Getting late here. Goodnight

I just caught up ! I hope everyone is feeling better today.

I never mentioned my BC in Facebook. I value my privacy. I have a love hate relationship with Facebook anyway. It bothers me when someone asks me to copy and paste or share or say amen. I guess I don't like being told what to do lol.

I have zero support and my pets seem to be the only ones that understand. What kind of Mom would I be if I didn't post their pictures as well?

jclc- great pictures of your "family". The parrot picture is really cool!

Question... I'm preparing for my upcoming surgery which is a week from tomorrow... How long should I expect to be in button down shirts? I have some cozy flannels and ordered the cutest boyfriend flannels from Madewell, thinking one more wouldn't hurt. I'm not a cardigan girl and most of my wardrobe is pullovers, with the exception of a few button down silk shirts(which won't be comfy lounging around in).

ChiSandy - Wow! You go so often. I'd love that except the flight. April and May can't get here fast enough for me. We're starting in Paris St Honoree Hilton (1 "free" week) because I'm a museum fan. Then, the Loire Valley for a week, then our Tour starts in Reins: Verdun, Colmar, Beaune, Chamonix and Annecy, Vaison la Romsine, then Marseille. On our own well go to Nice for a week. So excited! ANY "Don't Miss" things we should do? Regarding Switzerland, I loved Wengen. There are beautiful B&Bs, and the hiking is splendid! Loved it. I'd have to say 1 Paris, 2 Stockholm, 3 Wengen, 4 Vienna, 5 most places in Italy! I'm Italian, so they all tie for me! Our son works for Boston Consult. in Chicago, and our second grandbaby is due in the summer. We'll probably be going back there in June. I'd love to meet you and hear about your travels! Maybe we can go to another restaurant I hear about on the food channel, too! That would be fun.

Brit -Where are you going on your trip? I was just saying in an earlier post that I'm feeling the urgency to travel. I want to get back to Italy. My favorite trip started in Venice, down trough Tuscany towns, ended in Lake Orta. LOVED it! I'm drawn to small towns. It's almost like a fresh start in life when you travel after chemo. Nothing seems to bother me; late trains or strikes become part of the adventure! Oh, the Euro is $1.07, so a great time to travel!

I have a friend whose daughter is a graphic artist, and her home is a different yourh hostel around the world. In the last 3 monrhs she was in Austrailia, then Vietnam, now she is in Nepal. She's been traveling for 2 years! What a free spirit.

I didn't wear many button downs either....maybe a day or two, but I didn't bother to buy any: just made do with hubby's shirts...just didn't need them.

Hugs

Octogirl

Thanks girls!

MLP3 - I didn't buy anything special.....but I spent a couple of days in my comfy VS zip up sweatshirts with a sports bra and leggings.

Cyndi

CyndiNic:

Great pics! They are adorable!!

Oh my goodness! I am so far behind I'll never catch up~! I'll just give y'all an update and go from there.

We came home from FL yesterday, after spending a week with DH's sister and her obsessively fussy husband. Can't eat this, won't eat that, all the food has to be salt-and- spice-free, everyone has to go to bed at 9pm, everyone has to be out of the house at 9am. Oh, and he wants me to consult with him about his latest medical test results. Sheesh. We usually only stay about 2-3 days with them, otherwise we go to a hotel. It's no wonder the kids never want to visit their aunt and uncle. His sister is a sweetheart, but her husband is just a little old lady.

Got my husband's mother buried in the family plot on Sat. with only a little up-fluff. As you may recall, the whereabouts of DH's dad were in question on Thurs--there was some issue that he *may* have been buried in the wrong spot. Thankfully, the funeral home and the cemetery were able to figure out that Dad *is* buried in nearly the right location, just a little to the right. Not a serious enough slip to warrant digging him up and moving him 4 feet over. He's still in the family plot, at least.

This was the first graveside service that I have attended where they lowered the casket into the vault while the family is still standing around. Very interesting. So, we could see right down in there and see that there was a vault butting up against the head of MILs vault. My husband's sister was still so worked up about the issue of where her dad was that she actually JUMPED DOWN INTO THE GRAVE TO LOOK! I thought some of the elders were going to faint right there. And then she started digging around madly in the underground dirt with her fingers, trying to find the corners of the other vault (she was trying to determine in which direction the vault was stationed.) I have never in my life seen anything like it.

Whew! God strike me dead, but I'm glad to have this event behind us. Of course, DH is sad about his mother and I don't think he realizes how it is affecting him. He has been much more irritable and tired than usual, which is totally understandable. I try to keep things quiet and not pester him to do things. He'll come around in his own time. In the meantime, I'll try manage meals and stuff.