17/15/15 =3 miles in the McDowell MoutainsX2

The cancer's gone. GONE. Not in remission. Cancer's GONE.
My hair is coming in so fast. I even have enough to make sure it stays behind my ear :)
Cea is waiting with baited breath to start tweezing the eyebrows that are starting to come in too. And let's just say, as far as downstairs is concerned...I'm no longer 12. Closer to 14 I think.
How about 2 weeks in a row I've got to hike the mountains With Julie and Emily. The mountains are beautiful. My muscles are tending to work as though I've been on chemo for 6 months. Wussybutt muscles I say. They had better get in gear and start shaping up. I liked when they were stronger and bigger and could climb a mountain much more easy and willingly. I have faith they will get back to where they should before too long.Next week I really want to double that to 6 miles. I plan on getting to abuse these muscles to play softball here soon. I called the surgeon to get the ports out too. 3 Ca-125's have come back at numbers that are quite celebratory. They are staying below 25. I really really appreciate that.
Work started. It's OK. I really like getting to be a nurse again. But really not appreciating getting up in the morning for that am routine of rushing out the door for school, work...work late...miss madi's softball camp at school. Then having to come home and fit in fixing dinner and housework. Dang being off for 7 months has it's bonus'. I see the Dr on Feb 9th so he can tell me all the scans and labs have come back with no cancer, and let's pull the ports.
Today I got to get down on the field to take pictures at a celebrity baseball game. There were lots of old timers, some new timers, and some guys that just simply paid a lot of money to help sponsor the game to benefit little league. I had a blast talking with all of them. They were all so nice. Pete LaCock from Kansas kept rubbing my head. He told me how he got to be a bone marrow donor and save someones life. It doesn't get much better than that. I only took approx 700 pictures. they should be happy with that. Pete was going to put me out on second base. How cool would that have been??? Then the boss guy cut that plan down. Bummer. But I did get a Giants baseball cap, just in case I played...had to have a hat to play.
My intent is to start getting up and riding soon. I really suck at being cold, so once the sun starts coming up a little later, I'll be good.
Lastly, I did get to beat Chewy up the stairs. It wasn't my fault he was sleeping and didn't hear me get up right away. right when I got to the stairs, I started running. That's when Chewy heard and came running up too. I beat him by a step.....Yeah. I'm sure thinks I was cheating, but if you snooze.. you lose... I say.
I found a lucky penny on the trail Sat. Bonus. :)
Camping is coming up soon :)
I'll put some pics up soon from the baseball game, and hikes. there's some good ones

Cancer?????? What cancer

I just want to let all know that I have done one heck of a job at this faking cancer stuff. Cuz per the PET scan and tumor markers....There ain't no cancer 'round these parts. I must say I am very happy with this news. Now I just need to have my appt with that cancer dr guy, and inform him of all this faking stuff, get my ports all taken out, and begin my life as it was. Sorta kinda like it was. It gets to be better now that all the cancers in my life have been eliminated. I plan on getting my tires pumped up on my bike and get those quads and my gastrocnemius ' all built up again. I really need to tougheb up my poor biceps. They look so sad. I cant EVEN believe these muscles belong to me actually.
Then on to get all the things done on my list that I really really want to get done in my life before I turn 97 1/2.
I did get back into the working world this week. They were so kind as to give me the desk job stuff, so I could get back into the swing of things. I truly think seeing patients would have been easier than having to mutlitask 5 nurses and exist with chemobrain still. At least I have a great excuse for awhile for any goof ups that may come from my direction. And I really really missed Nancy my oasis mate at work. I was able to get blood out of turnip today. that is a bonus for the day. And I got to sorta impress some family members, since none of the home care nurses could get it.
Sunday Julie is taking me out on a hike. Cant wait for that. I WILL finish this hike. No wussybutts here anymore.
My goal this month......Beat Chewy up the stairs :)

The Grand Canyon is soooo grand!! And beautiful

Sunday 12-27-09
Patti, Patrick,Madi, Courtney and I all headed up for the wonderful Grand Canyon so I could finally see the snow on the canyon. It was so fabulous. There was so much snow and ice. Patrick and I had hayday shooting a ton of neat shots. While Patrick and I were gone, the others decided to sit on the bench with Patti's new Flip video camera, and get all the foreign visitors slipping, sliddin', and falling on the black ice on the pathway. They were also privy to all the cuss words each country had in their vocabulary once they had fallen on their butts. Think I should start studying the video an then no one will know what I'm saying to them :) Not even me, I'm sure. Even the dogs were slipping. It was kinda funny. Patti decided to impale her forehead on a branch, despite multiple warnings of "BRANCHES.....WATCH OUT" so of course there was blood and guts spraying everywhere. Lucky she knows a good wound care nurse. We went to the first aid station, where they gladly showed us where everything was. No one knew what the hech to do. I improvised steri strips from the fabric band aids, and she looked fantastic!..of course. My sister then proceeded to loose all the strawberry donut holes from QT...All out the window of my car. Mind you, when you're going 65 mph, puke doesn't just slip out the window. It totally sprayed all the way down my car, across the windows, and down the inside too a bit. LOVELY. poor Courtney had quite the view in front of the pretty snow. I got t peak through a quaint little opening for the rear view mirror. We pretty much laughed the whole way home. She was fine, and we had a good lunch at Beaver Street Brewery.
Then Thursday for New Years Eve, Julie, Emily, Ethan, Madi, Katrina and I went up to Flag to celebrate the new year. We had a blast playing games all night, we would have played pictionary...but someone forgot it. We thenall went out into the freezing midnight air to yell, get yelled at.. and drink champagne. (fake out stuff for kids of course).
The next day we went back to the Grand Canyon, lots more snow more beautiful pictures, and kids waiting to go play in the snow and leave the stupid big hole in the ground.
We had lots of snow ball fights, snow husband and wife, sledding, and freezing feet. I'm betting Ethan will never go to the snow in tennis shoes ever ever ever!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone

I have to admit this has been one great xmas season. A lot to appreciate. And, I had a great time seeing and talking to all my family and friends. Wed we all got to go see Grandma. My best present ... Her German potato salad...Yummy. It was great to see her. We attended a great Christmas Eve service at McDowell Mountain Community Church. Then off to dinner at my sister's house. Santa came and brought us all kinds of goodies at our house. Christmas night we moved on to Sabra and Lou's house where we had a fantastic prime rib dinner with Julie, Emily, Ethan, Kevin, and Madi. Jake had to work sadly. We had fun playing Apples to Apples and waking up and watching proposal. Poor Julie took off to the ER to treat whatever was making her throat swell to the size of Georgia. All's well now. Home on antibiotics and good drugs.
Madi, Emily, Ethan and I watched Avatar in 3-D. It was a great movie. We all loved it. Dont think I'll probably do the 3-D thing again. It was OK, but not fantastic.
As we speak I am downloading all my camera cards, and cleaning my lenses for one of my most exciting trips yet. We're finally going to the Grand Canyon to take pictures while there is snow everywhere. Patrick is in town still. We had to cancel earlier this week since the universe decided to make it extra good and give us lots of snow for our pictures. The high is 30, and the low is 7. I truly think I am going to freeze my butt off. But, I am taking plenty of warm clothes, and a heater, and gloves... Can't wait. I hope the black ice stays minimal. So I'm gonna go get Jake from work right now, and get to bed. :)

Like mother like daughter...studmuffins

So I sit here with every muscle fiber below my butt screaming at me and calling me an idiot for actually playing catcher Wed nite in the parents versus daughters game for Madi's softball team. (parents won!!) I donned the gear and played for an inning. Thank God that's all I played. What a blast. And how fortunate that 2 weeks after my last chemo, I am able to get out there and actually field a ball, much less play catcher for fastpitch softball. I pretty much sucked at the hitting though. My body felt like it was 97and a half. My poor arm muscles have dwindled to the size they were when I was an infant; I believe. That's OK, I'll get them back to speed here pretty soon. Oh....ask how fun it was to catch a ball with neuropathy in my hands. I think it'll be a bit before I try and play catch. Enough complaining I had a great time getting to play ball again.
I get to do xmas baking this Mon with the Shirk family. Cant wait........Then comes Tuesday, and I get to take pictures of the Grand Canyon. I really really hope that the snow hasn't melted. That would be an ultimate bummer.
My labs came back today and the marker we were so happily celebrating at 17 last month went to 23. Kinda scary, but let's just pray that it's a fluke, and not a trend. The dr pretty much said chemo gets to start again if it hits 25. Maybe I need to play more softball, and start riding my bike more. Scare it back to 17...better yet, 7.
Well I'm off to party with Madi's ball team tonight. Parents are having a white elephant exchange, and girls are doing a slipper exchange. How cute. Then we get to gamble off a whole 3 dollars in left right center. Hope I'm as lucky this Fri, as I was last Fri at Bunco :)

Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times!!

So I finally got my computer up and running at home. Geez, I thought it would never get up right. But my cousin Chucky did the geek squad thing and took off the virus, and then my computer was down to nothing. So sorry the blogging hasn't been as it should. I'll try and do better now.
Still love the house. It's big and wonderful. I've met all my neighbors and they are all really nice people. How cool is that. I did buy a beebee gun to scare away pidgeons. That will be fun.
Well I have to say, my last chemo was a butt kicker. On top of that I caught a cold. I was down for the count for about 3 days. But I'm good now. Just have a grand case of peripheral neuropathy. My hands, feet, and face all hate me about now. Here's to hoping Neurontin does what its supposed to!!
This cold weather is Hell on neuropathy.Those little hand warmers they sell at Walmart are my new best friends. They work fabulously. I think I should buy stock in them. Not before the divorce is final though. No sense in giving up a good thing if I don't have to :)
Anddddd......That quarter inch of peach fuzz I now have on my head, is NOT blond!!!! Its freakin silver!! I have silver hair or gray ..Whatever you want to call it. I've been told that my old color will come in after about a year. I guess time will tell. In the mean time, I guess the Annie Lennox doo will have to have a slightly different look. It'll just have to be the Peg Downs doo :) Madi cut off all her long blond beautiful hair. Its a cute doo. Just hasn't been this short since she was still trying to grow it when she was 2 years old.
I became an official Arizonian today. Cea taught me how to make tamales. So I made a couple dozen of them at best. I'm certain they were a far cry from the south of the border standard. But what the heck. Hopefully no one will look too closely.
Patrick is comin to town this week, and with that...I get to start my bucket list. I have NEVER been to the Grand Canyon when it has snow. Our plan is to go and take probably several hundred pictures of all of it. I cant wait. Did I tell you I cant wait. Just dont look forward to my hands getting cold trying to operate the camera. It will be nice to spend time with Patrick too.
One last good story of sorts before I crash tonight that you all might like to know. Last night I slept with a new boy. Yep cute,blonde, young, playful, smart. One bad habit though... had to put my shoes up so he wouldn't chew them to pieces. I must say, Beau was a great sleeping companion at Julie's house last night. Gotcha all huh? Yeah whatever....but I think I might still share the first part of that with a boy I am still related to. Make him jealous that I found a cute young blonde boy( lab) to sleep with :) He doesn't have to know the whole story.
I love you all and all your support. Thanks Aunt Diane for staying here and helping me past my zombie stage. It has made this all so much easier. I have blood work again this week, so pray that "I'm 17 again". Hey, we should make a movie with that title.

There is no heavier burden than a big potential.

Well finally I have the ability to get on and blog. Getting chemo as I write. By the way, need I to mention that today is the LAST one. Kinda cool. Im kinda sorta happy about that.

Sorry to say that right before the move the computer crashed with very bad virus. So I've been unable to blog . But here are some of the hightlights.. My tumor markers have all decided to scoot down into the normal range. My CA-125 has moved to 17. Started out at around 250. So I'm keeping all my prayers going, not walking under any ladders, and keeping my fingers crossed that it stays there. The plan will be to have labs and scans to make sure everything stays down. Work will ne sometime in Jan. Yeah.

GOT HAIR lots of cute fuzziness on that perfectly round bald head. It's kinda neat. I can rub it and relax when I get upset at certain people I'm still realted to for approx 90 more days. Plus eyebrows are coming in all haphazzardly. Cea will have a hayday with that. I'm taking 5 pain pills before that torture session.

As you can see, I decided to start my getting back in shape. I rode my bike today about 4 miles. My legs going down the stairs felt like they were about 97 and a half years old. Day at a time. Once my blood counts get back in the normal range that should get easier. But I was finally riding again.

Last but not least today, I can finally go back to work in Jan. And my aim should begin improving while I'm throwing stuff at folks (Dr Patel is first on the list). My biggest goal inrelation to this would be to not hit people that were not meant to be on the receiving end, and have them not beat me up.
My new house is fabulous beautiful, sunny, and has now become a home. All the boxes are empty and put away. And BONUS we have up all the Christmas decorations and lights up. They look so pretty. We just have uninvited guests in the attic. PIDGEONS. Yuck. they make noise all nite, and coo, and poo all over the front porch.Hoping to get that resolved shortly.
Thanks to all for all your love and prayers, and support.
Thanksgiving was probably best yet. All my family was there. Food good, and the kids had a blast playing cornhole. NIce Nice Nice.
I'm very excited for Sunday. Starting with our hospice dinner Sunday around 1pm. Then Cea and I will take off to Trans Siberian Orchestra concert at 8pm. Hopin I can stay awake, and keep it a good day with chemo crap.