So sick...

So the past 2 days have been the worst.. My stomach doesn't like me, my legs don't like me and neither does my head for that matter.

Very sad to not be able to make it to Tim's first homecoming football game.

Quite frankly this stinks.

Halfway done........

as I said Tuesday was treatment #3 of 6 planned rounds. Today has been a rough day...feel really tired and sick. I can honestly say that this is the worst I have felt yet. I spent most of the day in bed trying to rest.

Poor Bella is so restless..she has been really good overall, but she needs some play timethat I just can not give her these past couple of days.

That really is about it for now.

Wordless Wednesday.....

Half way done!

I am now officially halfway done with my chemo treatments. Another reaction today so that means I now have to have Benadryl and get that medicine really low so my average time will now be 5 hours for what should normally be a 3 hours treatment. But it is working so I won't complain. The tumor shrunk another centimeter so it is now half of its original size and flat instead shaped like a golf ball.

My friend Beth was my driver and "nurse" today.. so good to spend some time catching up with her. It is amazing how you can have a job for 2 months and make a friend like that. And my cousin Eileen stopped by for a little bit to visit too...so much love today for sure!

Super tired from the Benadryl so I am going to check out now.. wordless Wednesday tomorrow will feature my Oncologist Dr. Carroll. He is the best!

Monday.....

and so much to do and absolutely NO energy to do it! Tomorrow is chemo day and I normally spend the 2 days before getting all the laundry done, cleaning the house, changing the bed linens and all of that kind of stuff. Since I actually worked this weekend (which I am not complaining about since money is so tight right now) I am extra tired and have extra laundry to do too.

Also, I really want to go see Emily's volleyball game today since I did not make it last week and won't make it Wednesday I am sure. She is starting to play now so I have to see the "Spiked Ziti" in action!

Enough blogging for now.. have to start being productive!

and....the funniest part of the day....

Was when Abbey (Betsy's daughter and one of my "kids") saw me for the first time without hair...I asked her what she thought.. her response "I don't like it!" So I showed her my wig.... and asked Is this better.. her reply. "No!" I did finally get a hug but I did have to assure her it would grow back after Christmas!

Gotta love a kid who is honest to a fault!

Oh and a little Advil and the fever came right down.. now I am off to bed!

Wild weekend

OK, so I may have over done it just a little.. I have a low fever :(

But both weddings went off without a hitch and both brides were so happy. I have to talk about today's wedding a little bit. I met this couple and the bride's Aunt (who was gifting them their reception) in late June/early July. In all the weddings I have done I have not cried.. until today. When I spoke with the bride shortly after my diagnosis, she shared with me that she had lost her mother to breast cancer as a child. Then she went on to tell me that her step-mother is a survivor and dyed her hair pink in support! Today I found out that the groom had previously married and had lost his wife to Lukemia, this is when I cried.

Most of their planning was done through August when I was beginning my treatment and dealing with the lack of brain function and adjusting to all the changes in my life. As they live in the DC area, she needed some help with centerpieces and this had to be done via email. I initially thought I was going to be able to do them a bit more than I was able to in the long run. Enter Betsy....my boss, my friend and the most amazing florist around.  She swooped in on very short notice and created exactly what the bride had in mind, without knowing exactly what she wanted...so if you are in Gainesville or not and have plant of floral needs call The Plant Shoppe Florist.. but please don't wait until the last minute. You can even call from out of the area and have things delivered locally and you get much more bang for your buck than using a wire service or internet service!

When it came time to cut the cake, the bride turned to me and said are you going to take the wig off and be comfortable or not? So off came the hair and in this amazing group of families who have been through so much.. nobody batted an eye! Not so much the case the night before.

I am happy with my wig, but it is a bit hot and scratchy!If you want to check out pictures, check out Chef Brothers facebook page!

Off I go, hopefully the Advil will kick in quickly as my Dr. does not want me anywhere near an ER!

What a great day!

I went to see the wonderful Laurie and she smoothed out my stubble and got my wig all straightened out for me. Came home and frosted some cupcakes for a visit tonight. Go to see one of my all time favorite people.. Dave tonight and finally meet his beautiful wife and sweet daughter. Rick was kind enough to play host for the evening for his house guests and lots of catching up, laughter and new friends were made... not to mention lots of kids running around. A Happy household for sure with old and new friends.

So nice to go out and feel almost normal again... and I did not wear a hat or a wig and nobody batted an eye! Those are friends for sure. So to Dave, Rick and Penny... thanks for the invite and let's not make it so long before we do it again!

Busy weekend ahead so don't worry if you do not hear from me!

Friends.....

Those of you that know me know that I have a hard time asking for help.. I will accept it when offered, but it is not in my nature to ask. I am grateful to those friends of mine who have been there for me so much through all of this. I just wish you were closer physically. I will admit I am feeling a bit lonely lately ... not the norm for me at all.

I have to give some major props to Laurie... she took me to my first chemo appointment, shaved my head when the time came, listens to me whenever I need her and today she will be finishing off the stubble and maybe tweaking my wig a bit too. I do not know what I would do without her.. or any of you who have been calling and checking in on me, sending GREAT cards in the mail and commenting here.

Ok gotta shake off this funk and get outta here!

Happy Friday everyone!

Food issues

Ok so one of the things I am struggling with is tasting food. The chemo has shot my taste buds to maybe 20%. So I have to find food with lots of flavor to be able to enjoy it. This causes me to want really weird things like: Wendy's spicy chicken sandwiches, enchiladas (home made by me which I want right now but am too tired to fix) and the awesome tilapia that my Mom makes oh and the walnut and rosemary encrusted chicken over angel hair pasta with mushrooms and cream sauce and some garlic rolls from Leonardo's 706...which is NOT right down the street........sigh........

Busy. busy week...

Has been rolling along nicely. After three nights of little to know sleep I actually got some last night, but woke up with stomach issues this morning.. hopefully I will be able to get out of here soon and make it to a noon time meeting.

Yesterday's pictures included two of my favorite baldies! The big guy is Fred from Dream Day Cakes and the little guy is sweet little Andrew.. son of Betsy of The Plant Shoppe Florist. I must say that they are both some of the best medicine out there! I will work on a picture in the wig....probably after the weekend.


Just about everything is done for my weddings this weekend. I am so happy to have some work to do again. But I am grateful that I was able to have the time to deal with my health issues during what ended up being a quiet time for me wedding wise. I also have a few computer and paperwork related projects to work on during next week when I am in my chemo funk, so that will help. I also picked up a couple of new weddings this week!

Did not make it Emily's volleyball games this week due to work stuff and her family still carrying some germs around. I would say that is the hardest part of all of this.. having to stay away from people who are sick. Especially when they are people I love and enjoy being around. Speaking of that.. tomorrow evening I am going to get to spend a little time with one of my old friends who I met when I worked at the dental school and he was a student. He and his wife and little girl will be in town visiting and I can not to meet the women who tamed this crazy guy!!!! Well maybe not tamed, but pinned him down I guess.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Today I bought a wig...

and I am surprised at how happy I am with how close it looks to my former hairdo... slightly darker but darn close! Once L:aurie tweeks it a little I am sure it will be great!

Tomorrow's wordless Wednesday will feature my bald head and 2 of my favorite bald guys!

Insomnia......

is the latest issue in my life. Bella just moves from room to room with me.. as long as she can put her head on my foot if I am sitting in a chair, she can sleep.... I wish it was that easy for me. Last night was 2:00 am, and tonight I am quickly approaching 1:00 am. Yuck.

Did have some good snuggle time with the sweet little Andrew and a surprise visit while at The Shoppe from my other favorite bald guy.. Fred... wait until you see the wordless Wednesday this week!

That's all for now.. gotta get the puggie off my foot and head back to bed.

Tomorrow...

Will be the beginning of the busiest week since this has all begun. Going to go into the florist tomorrow and do some work.Although due to the chemicals I can not play with the flowers and plants very much, I CAN help get caught upon some paper and computer work. It will be nice to go and do something useful and "work like"again. And of course Monday means Emily has a voleyball game.

Tuesday I have a teeth cleaning appointment at the office of the wonderful Dr. Meg Romeo..and prior to that I will be heading to Jacksonville to buy a wig... I know, I know.. this is not something I really thought I would do, but I have decide that it is a good idea to have one to wear to my weddings. Although all of my bride and grooms are aware of my health issues (and have been so beyond understanding) I feel that a bald chick would be a distraction for people and thatis the LAST thing I want on their day. So wig shopping I will go. Hopefully I willbe able to find something close to my natural hair. There is the large boutique in Jacksonville that caters to chemo patients and appear to have a huge selection...cross your fingers!

Wednesday and Thursday have nothin firm yet with the exception of volleyball game #2 for Emily this week.
But there will be wedding prep in there too since I have not 1 but 2 weddings this weekend. SoFriday will be set-up for Saturday's wedding and I have a fewprojects for Sunday's wedding.

Wow, that sounds almost like a normal schedule. Looking forward to it and will justhave to remember to pace myself! What will Bella do without me all day?

Next Tuesday willbe chemo #3 and then it will be halfway over!!!! WooHoo!

Thanks for all the thoughts prayers, cards and emails!

Steroids....

mean I am hungry..... luckily theother 2 weeks I am not hungry much so I guess it will balance out. Football Saturday means football food... I am looing at a sugar free chocolate cherry crock pot cake... and some yummy 7 layer nacho dip.. cheesy, meaty, veggie goodness.

Hoping my Gators don't let me down today and wishing I could go footballin with the Boehleins but since there is sickness running around their house it is home I stay.

GO GATORS!!!!

Chemo Sucks....

the cancer out of you.. so Yay Chemo!  That was the message on a card I received today from my girl B-Dub! LOVE IT!!!!!

In other news.. the hives are coming back, so back on the steroids I went today...apparently this is going to be my side effect....ugh!

Go Gators!!!!

Quiet week....

Been a pretty quiet week here. Been getting caught up on some work as my head as felt pretty clear for a change. Doing a couple of computer projects as a side job.. so I am at least feeling productive. Bella is getting too used to me being home and now when I am gone for any length of time she is out of control when I come home. Nice to know I am loved I guess.

Something to keep in mind, especially for those of you who know me well. I do not ASK for things.. I am learning to accept offers when they are extended but have always been pretty independent so asking is not in my nature. Also, if you want to insure I get a message, please email me directly. Either here, yahoo or a facebook email is best.

No football game for the boy this week as he is sick :(    However the "Spiked Ziti" Emily was in action twice this week in volleyball and I made it to both games.. lost one won one.. so off to a good start. Hoping my other family gets well soon so we can football with the Gators tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday.....

What Cancer Cannot do!

Cancer is so limited
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corral faith
It cannot eat away peace
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot shut out memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot reduce eternal life
It cannot quench the spirit
It cannot lessen the power of resurrection

More mail.....

I am also a little behind on talking about all of the wonderful things I have received in the mail.

This week brought the most amazing gift from a group at my best buddy Laura's church. They have a group who puts together "chemo caddies" for chemo patients. It is full of the most amazing assortment of things.. I am sure I have still not uncovered everything but it is a tote bag (handmade with a personalized name tag inside) mine is orange (of course) it had a blanket, a neck pillow, candy, gum, slipper socks, game books, colored pencils, a smaller bag with all kind of lotions and toiletries in it, some earrings (blue!), a journal, a hand crocheted prayer pocket with some inspirational messages, notepads, drink mixes, thank you cards, the list is endless. What an amazing gift from people who don't even know me. And I thank you Laura for submitting me for it.. I love you so much.

I also received an assortment of card and an envelope full of fun scarves, I think these are from my Aunt as they were mailed locally and came the same day as some cards from her too.

Been having lots of bone pain this weekend, so Bella and I are taking it easy today so we can go out tomorrow. The groomers for her and my sweet Emily's first middle school volleyball game tomorrow afternoon. So excited to see her play. I need my rest to cheer on all of my athletes! I am so lucky to have them in my life. They are a big reason for me to keep fighting.

And of course, I can not let today go by without remembering 9/11....there are just no words. But I will send a thank you to Randy..Laura's husband..who still serves in the reserves and left his family to serve in Afghanistan for all of the freedoms we enjoy every day.

Catching up...

So Thursday I was able to get most of the decorations done for the St. Francis High School tuition assitance fund raising dinner. Then on Friday I was able to spend a whole hour catching up with Betsy and snuggling the sweet little Andrew.. he is the best medicine for sure! Stopped by the school and finished the flowers for the centerpieces and then home.

Bella is not cooperating with my need for a nap when I want them. The poor little thing is not getting enough play timewith Mom being so tired. She is getting a little pudgy too...but still not like her birth Mom!

Did not get to see Tim play on Thursday night, but he was sweet enough to send me a link so I could see it on video... the kid has some potential building up.,. and I am so proud! Love being a football pseudo "mom".

Made it through the dinnner last night, but I was only able to sit at the table and not walk around much do to the pain in my knees and hips. Lots of well wishes from so many people who care about me made it all worth while. It was my first public outing since this all began where I knew a lot of people.

I am even sitting here at work today babysitting an event for the morning, while my friend Rob checks my brakes for me. How come when you need it least your car decides to have multiple issues? Thankfully I am lucky to have a car friendly friend who takes good care of me.

Think I will have a quiet rest of the weekend once I am done here.. looking forward to Gator football tonight of course!

Today is the day to be tired..

So apparently day 2 after chemo is going to be my.. OMG I am so tired day. But reading the comment from my dear friend Terri about her daughter wanting to run for the cure in my honor this year made me cry. Katie has to be one of the sweetest kids I know.. especially since she has met me exactly twice in her life and doesn't remember the first time as she was quite young.

My friendship with Terri is proof positive that sometimes the best of friends are the ones we do not see or talk to daily, but they are the ones who are always there in a pinch. Of course, Laura is a great example of this too. Not that my daily friends suck that is for sure. I am so blessed to have all of you in my life and don't think i don't appreciate it!

I am off to St. Francis high School soon to oversee the decor for the tuition assistance dinner tomorrow night. Don't worry, I won't overdo... they have a chair for me to sit in and direct from and some rope in case I try to get out of it. It is doubtful I will make Tim's game tonight though, gotta save my strength for tomorrow night!

I left out a very important piece of info!

The tumor has shrunk 3 cm after the first treatment!

Feeling pretty good this morning, going to go do a couple of very small errands, then come back home for a rest.

Thanks for all of the prayers and positive thoughts, it is obviously working!

Marathon of a day for sure!

So my oncologist appointment was at 10 am. I was called back to the room at 11:05 and the Dr finally came in at 11:45. I had chemo at noon. Needless to say I was late. Had planned on lunch in between, that didn't happen.
First bag finally started flowing at 2:00, had an awful reaction to the first medicine they gave me, so they had to give me some other meds and then restart the first med at a slower drip. The IV came out at 8:30 PM and I was able to go home...yes 10 1/2 hours for a 2 hour chemo appointment. But I was rocking my pink John Deere hat soo it was all good!

I did meet a really cool lady today, who actually knows my brother-in-laws law partner in Winter Springs... Small world for sure. Today I was in a small room with just one other person so it was nice that she was pleasant but not over bearingley so. We were even reading the same book!

Needless to say I am beat so am going to have some food and go to bed... if I can Bella to calm down. She missed me today for sure.

Thanks for checking on me!

Labor Day....

So since tomorrow is chemo day #2 I got my house all cleaned up yesterday I decided today would be my day. So I went and loaded my car full of linens for a charity event his coming weekend and then went to Michale's (where lots of little kids stared at me) and had a very nice chat with a lovely lady who was buying lots of soft looking yarn, so I inquired was she crocheting or knitting, as I was thinking of taking up crocheting to make myself some winter hats. I sure wished I had paid more attention when I was younger and my Grandmother tried to teach me. It is amazing how a bald head opens up doors for complete strangers to ask you what kind of cancer you have. Surprisingly, it does not bother me.. I guess I would rather they ask than stare.

Then I went and saw "The Help" I had a $4 fandango ticket and a free popcorn, so including my drink I paid $8.75 and saw a movie and had popcorn and a drink.. not bad! Excellent movie for sure.. I have the book on Audible on my phone thanks to Laurie, so I think I will listen to it tomorrow while they poison me. ; )

Wen to the folks for a family dinner... my youngest nephew Nick did not even bat an eye at my lack of hair... you gotta love the innocence of kids!

So we shall see how I make out tomorrow.... Dad is taking me to my oncology appointment in the AM then leaving me to the treatment and will come back and pick me up. So if anyone is around Shands tomorrow at noonish... I will be over in the infusion center at the cancer center.. feel free to stop by and visit I will be there for 2-3 hours!

Thanks for checking in and I hope everyone had a great Labor Day!

Hmmmmmm....

I am having a hard time coming up with anything these past couple of days... things are kind of in a holding pattern until the next chemo which is Tuesday. Not feeling good or bad, just tired really. Trying to get all of the "chores" done before this week since I will most likely be wiped out for a few days again. Would be easier if I had not slammed my finger in the door Friday. Feels (and looks) like the tip of it is broken.. makes typing and washing dishes a bit hard. It is a lovely shade of purple though. : )

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend, or at least part of it!


And of course.. Go Gators!!!!

What I learned today.....

1. It takes so much less time to get ready to go somewhere when you do not have to do your hair!

2. Make-up is important.

Tonight is football night... home game, can't wait!

Had to make a 3rd post today....

The last one I made right after Laurie shaved the hair. I arrived home to yet another box of goodies from another long lost friend from high school. This is probably the thing I am most grateful for is the reconnecting of friend that facebook has brought to me and I want to thank you all for respecting my wishes to keep it off of there. After all it is social media and this is my life.

So onto my latest fun hats (and the timing was perfect!) four.. not just one but FOUR cool John Deere hats! Cause we all know I am a country girl at heart and was probably in the FFA with the sender of the hats Rob Lightsey. There is a pink visor, a pink hat, a pink and camo hat and an all camo hat.. all just as cool as the next! So to Ron and his wife Michelle I send you a public thank you (to go with the private one I already sent). I will probably wear one to work tomorrow!

Love you all and I hope you will all love my baldness once you see it! Maybe I will take a picture at the game tomorrow night with my best ball player!

Well, it is officially gone!

My hair that is...it kept coming out in bigger and bigger hand fulls as the week went on so It is now in its final resting place inside the vacuum dustpan at Laurie's shop. Not sure how I would have gotten through the process if I did not have a friend to shave it for me. So now I am rocking a blue head wrap and a head full of slpotchy stubble. I will say it was not as bad as I thought it would be and we did try a mohawk but it was not a good look for me (sorry Fred that hair style can be all you!).