Another Week Begins

It is the last Sunday of June - how can July start this week? I guess I should be happy the summer is flying by as everyday gone is one step closer to me being finished with my chemo protocol. Today was a bit challenging but I have now figured out it is because I am stepping down the steroids and have stopped the Emend (anti-nausea med). Tomorrow will most likely be more of the same but I hope by Tuesday to turn the tide to feeling better. However the weather report for the July 4th weekend has definitely got me down - scattered thunderstorms each day!

This weekend was interesting. I attended my aunt's birthday celebration and was happy to see so many of my family and friends. When we left I found a small package on my windshield: a gift bag with TO: JANE CLARE on it made of cut out letters and decorated with flowers. There was no "FROM:". I pulled out the tissue and nestled within was a necklace of St. Agatha, the patron saint over women who have breast cancer. I searched for a note, a card, anything that might give me some sign as to who left me this gift. My aunt Karen and I shared a laugh when we discussed it later saying I had actually received two gifts - one the necklace itself and two, the mystery giver to ponder over so as to forget my daily ills!

So to my gift giver I say THANK YOU! St. Agatha hangs around my neck as I type this. I truly appreciate you thinking of me!

We left the party before cake since I can't eat it (Sugar just does not taste good or do nice things to me!) and stopped at home for some down time before going on to Laurie and Rodger's annual 4th bash. I knew my meltdown was immminent but wanted to at least say "hello". Greg graciously returned me home when I needed to leave.

I awoke this morning feeling "okay" and went out to lose myself to the mindless task of weeding. Arming myself with Ipod, hat, sunscreen and bug spray I did what I could to tackle our hillside. We had a quick visit from Erin who supplied us with two incredible meat lasangas. Greg and I shared some for lunch with a salad - meat and dark leafy greens, I am trying to get that iron any way I can! (Again, can I mention how great my friends are?) The weather prevented me from making further forays into the weeds but provided a perfect environment for a much needed nap. I suppose it is easier for me to "let go" when I have an excuse such as rain...

I see a very early bedtime for me tonight. Karen brought us some pictures from Lorna's party tonight and boy I am really getting bald. It is depressing as I really liked my buzzcut and it now means I have to wear my hats, scarves and maybe even my wig. Sigh... At least my port has settled down!

What is left of the Buzzcut

Thinking this may be the last weekend of walking around without a head cover. Thought I would share how much hair I have left after treatment #3. These photos were taken on 6/27.

3 Down - 13 To Go!

Chemo treatment #3 went okay yesterday. I say only okay because once again my iron levels fell. I am now taking Repliva once a day. I started my morning off by eating enriched farina (50%RDA of iron) topped with Bran One ceral (25%RDA of iron) and raisins(6%RDA). It appears I may also need to become more of a carnivore and incorpate some red meat into my diet. My thought is we will need to hide beef in red sauce, chili, and under cheese.

This is also the 1st of my three treatments where I was so tired afterwards I even fell asleep in the car during the ride home. I took a late afternoon nap and felt better. Greg and I were able to have dinner together and while he went out to help a friend I settled in on the couch and watched, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". For those of you who enjoy French films and do not mind subtitles, it was excellent. Fair warning: it is very heavy stuff as it is based on the true life story of the editor of Elle magazine in France.

My port continues to bother me but my oncolgist also looked at it and said it looks fine. I am back to having lay only on my back as if I lie on either side my port does not like it!

It appears it may be a rainy day here in Northern NJ today. I have taken my Emend so hoping I feel well for awhile. I can feel the fatigue creeping up on me but just popped my steroid so I may soon be feeling a bit more livley. Could just be the grey skies and impeding rain although my gardens would enjoy a good dousing.

P.S. - I have added photos from Doug and Meridith's wedding under the post "Meltdown"!

Off to NYC

Thursday morning and it is thick and gray outside. Lovely. Getting my things together to venture for my 3rd chemo treatment. Let's see, ipod? Check. Sweater?(it gets cold on that office)Check. Emend? (Anti-nausea drug) Big Check! Neulasta? Oh wait I do not need to bring that as I inject it tomorrow. Ice-pop? Check. (I eat that when receiving the Adrmiycin) Snack? Check - a delicious pumpkin muffin! Adequate reading material? Check. Magic cream so my port IV does not hurt? Check! I think I am ready!

Have laundry going and frantically trying to get done anything I wanted to get done before I put on the lead suit...

Just opened my "Thursday morning mail" from my niece and nephews to find three beautiful hand drawn cards full of flowers and color. Now, I definitely have everything I need to make it through today!

A-OK

After a sleepless night, a trip to the city to see Dr. Hiotis put my mind at ease. She examined my port and confirmed I did NOT have an infection and she could feel the catheter wire but sent me for a chest x-ray just to make sure the port did not move.

Just hearing her say everything looks okay made me feel so much better. However hearing that the pain is "part of the healing process" did not exactly make me happy but considering I was convinced I was feeling my port wire puncturing some important artery I can live to learn to live with this. Many thanks to my aunt Lorna for accompanying me into NYC.

I returned home (thanks to my aunt Karen) to receive a message that my x-ray showed my port was still where it should be. WHEW!!! I'll be able to sleep tonight; well, somewhat - I face treatment #3 tomorrow and do not look forward to its aftermath!

Greg and I had a wonderful evening with our friends Art and Karen: it was a good way to end 48 hours of ups and downs - on an up! The Wednesday prior to chemo has become out unoffical "date night" since it is usually the day I feel the best!

I also send out my thanks to Amy for exchanging my laptop for me and to Christine for providing an iron-rich breakfast for us to eat tomorrow! I continue to be overwhelmed by the suppot of all of you, THANK YOU!!!

Port Pain

Well the day started off great: went running with Jess (3 miles) and felt really good. Headed off to the office still without head cover; still not ready to make the leap!

About 1/2 way through the day I noticed my port was feeling uncomfortable; to the point where I mentioned to a co-worker that I thought I would call my doctor. Call my doctor I did; 1st my oncologist where I spoke to Eileen (my nurse Beth was out today)who advised me to call the surgeon who implanted it. At this point I was beginning to freak myself out as every time I turned my head I could feel something jab my in the neck. It was a cruel reminder of exactly how long the tubing of my port actually is! I called Dr. Hitotis but she was in surgery so I spoke to her nurse. She actually called Dr. Hitotis at the hospital and advised I should come in to the office (The NYU Cancer Center) tomorrow. I agreed, hung up and made the fatal error of googling "chemo port pinching"... I promptly called back the nurse and asked point blank - "um, could I possibly die from whatever is causing this pinching?" She assured me that if the doctor thought I was in any immediate harm she would have referred me directly to the nearest ER. Sometimes too much info is not a good thing!

So I am still freaked as I am to have chemo on Thursday morning and I do not want that schedule to change but worry if something is indeed wrong with my port they would want to surgically reposition it. Oh, good thing I have an anti-anxiety medication to get me through the night!

A New Week

After a wonderful weekend, I begin the new week full of energy and optimism mixed with a bit a dread and fear as chemo treatment #3 approaches quickly.

The weekend was good, we spent Saturday relaxing by the lake with Greg's dad and Jean until I reached my maximum "awake" time and we needed to depart. It was a perfect summer day so wearing my 50 (yes, that is not a typo, they make 50 spf!) sunscreen and a large hat, we sat on the deck and enjoyed the day.

Sunday was spent running errands and working on the cabin and our yard. She is shaping up fast! Dodging rain drops throughout the day we ended the night with a fabulous dinner with friends Laurie and Rodger to celebrate the fact that Greg has finished his 1st book and submitted all 32 chapters, 380+ pages to his editor! Hooray! We'll let everyone know when it hits Borders...;-) Publish date is Spring '09. What's next? Well, book 2 of course! I did partake of some champagne and am happy to report my taste buds were back to normal, somewhat. Anything sweet still tastes extremely sweet and anything with "fake sugar", i.e. aspartame, etc. tastes awful.

I started the week with a good 3 mile run (thanks Amy!) and hope to get runs in tomorrow and Wednesday as well. I am trying my best not to think about Thursday and the week or so that will follow. I need to reframe my thinking to, "well this is treatment #3 so only one more round of Adrimycin and Cytoxin to go...." I am hopeful the weekly Taxol treatments won't be a "taxing" on my system. (Sorry had to do it!)

My biggest life lesson this weekend occurred courtesy of my sister-in-law Christine. Christine e-mailed me a very nice note along with a photo of my niece and her very good friend hugging each other on the beach; two beautiful 8 year old girls with smiles from ear to ear. Why would this photo provide a life lesson for me?
My niece's very good friend has alopecia. She is totally bald. So while I deal with losing my hair and "oh what do people think", this little girl has never had hair and who knows, may never have it. Yet she is beautiful and happy and lives her life. I then look at my niece who obviously adores this little girl and am so proud of her for being someone who does not judge a person on appearance alone. I printed the photo and posted it on my fridge to make me smile each time I see it. This photo reminds me of just how precious this thing called life is, along with the friends we have in it!

BayCity Rollers

Why the title of this post? Well, here I go totally dating myself but for some bizarre reason I woke up this beautiful Saturday morning with their lovely one-hit wonder "Saturday Night" playing on an endless loop in my head. I cannot recall any dreams I may have had with this song playing as a soundtrack (or nightmares depending on how you view things)- just plain weird.

I am happy to have made it through this past week. It was tough trying to remain positive. I am quickly learning I can no longer do everything I want to do and even in one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make, made the choice to stay home last night rather than go see one of my all time favorite bands, The Cure.
I of course always picture Robert Smith as he looked in 1987 so it is probably for the best we did not venture into the city as our seats were pretty decent... Jess was a great friend, she instead brought over the pre-requisite chick flick and we just hung out and watched "The Holiday". For those who have not seen it; don't bother! We also received another wonderful meal from Denise. Earlier in the week we received one from Laurie too. I am not sure if I have said it enough, I really have the most wonderful friends, who just happen to all be wonderful cooks!

This week was one of many eye-opening life lessons for me most of which is boy, cancer really does suck! It has the ability to make me feel very tired, not want to eat, make me cry over nothing at all, make me feel helpless about something happening to my own body, make me frustrated that I cannot live the life I want be living and then I realized my situation is one of the ones that isn't so bad! Yes, I have gone through the surgery but it was same day surgery. I did not lose a body part. Aside from my scars, which have healed quite nicely, you would not know I have any health issues - oh wait, there is the bald head , but that could be a fashion statement right? So big picture even though I may need to nap (a lot), need to cry (daily) and lighten up my control issues (going to have work on this one!), I know I have it pretty good. Like I said I have wonderful friends, an incredible family and a husband who has the good sense to know to say - "No , that hat doesn't make you look fat...."

So thank you to all of you who helped me through this past week. Special thanks to Laurie's mom Gail, a breast cancer survivor, who passed along her angel pin to me; for my mom for letting my stay at her house to escape the cabin dust; to my brother Bill for reminding me this is "just temporary": and to Greg for reminding me how I felt at mile 22 of the Marine Corps Marathon and yet I pressed on and finished: one step at a time. One step at time, no matter how fast or slow will get me to the finish line. Being a typical type A, I like to win, so let the race continue!

Feeling better

Tomorrow is mid-week. I am finally starting to feel a bit human again after a tough Monday. I either pushed myself too much over the weekend or truly felt the effects of "chemo fatigue" for the 1st time. I was in bed by 7:30 last night and slept through the night. Still staying at my mom's as the work on the cabin continues. She (the cabin I refer to, not my mom! ) is looking good - the blasting is complete and her natural beauty is showing! The stain application begins tomorrow. I'll most likely return home Thursday which is when the Cabin Doctor crew predicts they will be done. Also, by Thursday I should be "myself" again and able to assist Greg in clean-up.

My hair is falling out fast and furious. I am starting to feel very "not pretty" but I am not ready yet to don my wig. Nor am I ready to wear a scarf but I am growing sensitive (which is surprising to me!) to the looks I am receiving at work and while out in public at large. Some folks apparently think I am some aging punk rocker (expressions of shock followed by a smirk....) but there are times when I catch a glimpse of what can only be described as pity. I guess I should have expected it being so public in my diagnosis and obvious treatment but I really did not think it would bother me. I am trying to remain strong but there are days when this whole mess just seems so overwhelming. Hmm, seems it is my bedtime: it is just past 8pm! I look forward to waking up and feeling even a bit better! I may even attempt to run in the AM!

Meltdown

Day 3 after treatment and I am okay. It has been a weekend filled with ups and downs.

Friday was uneventful other than I worked from my aunt's as the cabin continues to be sandblasted. (More on that later!) I admit I felt a bit more fatigued than last treatment which could be in part the severe anemia I now have. I have always had extremely low hemoglobin and have never been able to donate blood but the chemo is making it worse. I have been given prescription strength horse pills- er, I mean iron pills, which I can't even start until Tuesday so that my GI tract might recover from Thursday a bit! We ended the workweek with a wonderful dinner compliments of Jess; she even made spinach at my request as I am on a quest for iron rich food! It was nice to be able to spend a quiet evening with her and Tony.

Saturday morning we celebrated Father's Day with my grandfather by taking him to the diner for breakfast. At 85 years old, he amazes me constantly. He is sharp as tack and funny to boot. His optimism towards life makes me proud to be his granddaughter. From there I traipsed off for a wig fitting! Now that I have no hair, (or very little,) I could be properly fitted. Once fit snugly upon my head, my "new" hair glistened in the sunlight. It was oh - about 98 degrees out, so I promptly removed it, had it bagged and decided my thinning buzzcut was the way to go. I was headed to meet Ted and Misty for lunch in NYC and quickly realized I had two issues: one, I did not have a hat to protect my quickly emerging scalp and I could not leave my wig in a hot car. What to do, what to do? A quick call to Erin saved my wig - and a quick stop at Target saved my head!

Although it was a hot day, I so enjoyed seeing both Ted and Misty - they are both truly genuine people and quickly made me forget my ills with stories of those we know in common. It was a great way to pass the afternoon. After a quick stop to pick up my wig from its sitter(Thank you Pillepich Family!) I arrived home to a total mess and proceed to have a total meltdown.

Now, don't get me wrong, the work on our cabin is progressing quite quickly and "The Cabin Doctor" guys have been very meticulous in cleaning up , etc. but the sandblasting of the black stain from our chestnut logs leaves in its wake a fine black dust - ON EVERYTHING!!! I could not stay in my home. Everything I touched was dusty and I was exhausted. I couldn't help Greg clean, all I could do was cry and - flee to my mother's! I am so thankful she is nearby and I can go at a moment's notice! My niece and nephews were there to help distract me. Greg joined us for dinner along with my grandfather. I was in bed by 7:30 and slept about 12 hours. Like I said, I am tired!

I did get up and go down to the track for my daily exercise. I ran/walked 2 miles and felt pretty good. Greg came and got me around 10 and we headed off to Doug and Meridith's beautiful wedding! We had a wonderful time watching them exchange vows and visiting with their friends and family - most importantly their lovely daughter, Ella Jane. (Yes, I will brag - that middle name is after moi; I had a hand in introducing her Mom and Dad!) I also was able to talk to Mer and Doug's friend Susan who is battling a brain tumor - her 2nd occurrence. (We had matching ports!) She is a very brave woman and made me feel like nothing is impossible with her incredible viewpoint on life. I will keep her in my prayers. So I am back home, exhausted once again and looking forward to a very early evening. MANY THANKS TO DENISE AND JOEL for dropping off dinner! It is a life saver on a night like tonight! Greg has done what he can with the house; unfortunately our best laid plans of having me be able to work from home while I recover from chemo and be here while the workers are here to give them access to the inside of our home are not panning out - I'll stay tonight but will have to leave home again once the blasting begins.

One last note - another "down" for the weekend.... seems our home study expires September 22 so of course, we need to update it. The home study includes updated medical records. I spoke to our social worker Friday who could not really say one way or another if we still have any hope of having a daughter from China. I'll be calling my surgeon and oncologist tomorrow to request letters detailing my diagnosis, treatment and most importantly, my prognosis. I am doing my best not to dwell on this and we will do what we can, but fate shall take its path and I will follow.

#2 - DONE!

Hooray - chemo treatment #2 is over! Today went well, I had no major issues to complain about. Many thanks to Lorna and Marlee for keeping me laughing the entire time. Next round - 6/26. I should be totally bald by then which is too bad I am starting to really enjoy my buzzcut. But, then again, it will be totally interesting to see what happens when it starts to grow back! My nurse predicted I should see major hairloss within next two or three days. I will be sure to post my progress through this round. My hope is it is no worse than last go around.

Treatment #2

It is a beautiful Thursday morning here in Butler ,NJ - the recent "summer steaminess" has not yet started and running 3 miles with Jess at 6am felt really, really good. Today is chemo treatment #2. I have mixed emotions - on one hand it will be one more treatment behind me; on the other it is another week of feeling like crap. The past few days have been great - I have been able to run in the morning and function during the day like a normal human being. I have quickly learned to embrace the days such as these.

Going to work with my buzzcut proved a non-issue. I even had two women I never met before come up to me in the cafeteria to tell me how much they liked my "look" and plan one day to do the same to their hair. Inside I prayed to the powers that be that they never, ever have to sport a buzzcut for the reasons I do and can truly make it a personal choice; outside I said thanks - it really helps "beat the heat".

I have many good things over the next few days to look forward to help me through this round: First, they began work on our cabin. It is being stripped, re-stained, and re-chinked. I can't wait to see how pretty she will look! I have attached some before photos taken during the winter. Also, we have the wedding of our very good friends Meridith and Doug to attend this weekend.

So I wait for my chemo date, my aunt Lorna for this round, listen to a mix of the Pixies and The Beatles Revolver album and can't help but smile. It is a sunny day...

The Haircut

GI Jane - More Pics

GI Jane

I am finally feeling exactly like myself again - sure I tire easily , but overall I feel good, more like me. Of course this is all in time for my next treatment which will be taking place this Thursday.

Greg and I had a wonderful weekend! We started on Friday with the Eastern Effects company day. Kudos to everyone one who helped make the day the great success it was. We started the morning out at the Bronx Zoo, took a late afternoon schooner ride on the Imagine down to the Statue of Liberty and capped the evening with dinner at Hill Country BBQ.

Saturday was hot! It was June 7th and WHAM - SUMMER! We had about 65 folks coming by to share in our celebration of life and to watch me shave my head. I have attached a few photos here; Will upload the video clip ASAP. The day was one I will never forget. I was feeling good and I was surrounded by people I love - doesn't get much better than that! My good friend Nancy who owns the salon where I normally get my hair cut, colored,etc. (she is the one who helped me get jet black hair!) graciously agreed to come to our party and do the honors. Greg went 1st. This man is still amazing me daily in how supportive he is being during this time in our lives. I was the one to actually shave his head! He looks awesome: almost scary (in a good way!) I do not worry that anyone will mess with him the subway!

It was soon my turn and I wanted to play Britney and do it myself but after the 1st swipe I handed the clippers off to a professional. It was relatively quick. I admit there were more than a few times when I would see my hair falling to the ground and my heart would stop or I would catch a glimpse of some one's face silently watching me be buzzed and my heart would stop and my head would start screaming STOP!!! THIS IS MY HAIR!!! but then then I would quickly remember "oh yeah, I choose to do this -it was going to happen anyway"! When the clippers were quiet, my brother Bill yelled "Hey Sinead" so I figured it could not be that bad. As I shook the hair from my face and rose to thundering applause, I felt - well, lighter! Not just outside by inside too. It was done. I had shaved my head and I was okay, in fact, after feeling how soft the "down" on my head was and peeking in the nearest mirror, I was more than okay. I knew I could walk down the street with head raised high. And, yes I know I will eventually lose my buzzcut but I am ready. I have the scarves, the hats and the wigs. We had so much fun trying on so many different looks Saturday that I figure the next six months will be the same. I can decide what my look will be. I can still walk around and not worry that I look sick. I can walk around and I can just be Jane. Although for now, call me GI Jane.... I am rockin' my cammos!

My brother Chris and our dear friend Rodger also followed suit. What a night! I cannot express in words my gratitude and love for all of you who helped me make Saturday a party, with you by my side I know I can say without a doubt, F*CK CANCER!!!

TGIF

My sister-in-law Mary kicked-off my Friday by passing along the below story which I have to say just hit the right chord for me! For those of you who do not know Mary, she is a woman I admire for she is also a survivor; her husband David lovingly donated his kidney to her almost two (could it be three?) years ago. She is able to relate to my stories of port pain having gone through her own journey involving dialysis, surgery, etc. They are both now doing very well and are spending the summer in David's native Switzerland. We miss them and wish we could visit - once this is all behind us we will make the journey over!

Spent Thursday evening seeing Sex and the City with Laurie, Erin, Tracey and Lauren. Thank you for a great night ladies! I was feeling good and laughing as we did is always an instant high! I was still giggling about the dangers of a Volvo wagon backdoor when I got home. (That's a "you had to be there" sort of story!)

So begins Friday. Greg and I are have been invited to attend the Eastern Effects Employee Day which starts at the Bronx Zoo. I am a bit apprehensive about how I will feel but will be bringing my saltines, meds, etc. and will have water on hand at all times. Let the weekend begin!



Attitude

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

"Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today."
So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"Hmmm," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today."
So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said, "Today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEA!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly...

Leave the rest to God or to whatever higher being you believe in!

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain!

Is this week over yet?

Yesterday was a bad day. Let me qualify that, it was actually the worst "post-chemo" day I have had yet. I had not slept the night before very much and think of course that fact only added to my general malaise. My head hurt, my mouth was bothering me, and overall I felt so awful that I tried to lie down but turns out I was actually somewhat wired and could not even keep my eyes closed. At one point I was ready to dig this port out of my chest - no one mentioned it would feel like it was alive and trying to embed itself in my inner chest wall all on its own! I am giving it until the end of the day today and may need to call my surgeon to make sure that lovely feeling is normal. Of course I have no one to blame but myself for trying to sleep without chemical assistance. Thankfully last night I gave in and took some drugs. I feel much better today - imagine that!

I did have to share the highlight of my day. Greg and I attempted to do some grocery shopping but my timeframe for being vertical was very slim so we raced through the market and returned home. I was calling the night the winner in my battle fro the day when I remembered an e-mail I had received earlier that day from my sister-in-law Christine. I asked Greg to bring it up on his computer. They say laughter is the best medicine. We laughed until we were crying. I have to tell you I went to sleep with a smile on my face and in my heart due to these kids. My bad day vanished immediately as Greg quickly printed me a copy.

My niece and nephews are such incredible kids; they truly have the power to restore my positive outlook when I am down (along with their parents!).... hmmm I might need to borrow that curly blonde one from Aaron....

The "Week After" begins

Ah, yes I know the week truly starts with Sunday but I guess I am referring to the beginning of the ever-dreaded "workweek". Started my day with a lovely jaunt into NYC; a wonderful drive on a sunny Monday morning... actually the traffic gods were with me today and the ride was bearable. However, I was cutting it very close to my 9am appt. time with Dr. Shapiro and I did not want to keep the good doctor waiting, sooo, I hate to admit it but will, I used the valet parking service at the cancer center! It was actually quite sweet! After Dr. Shapiro took a look at my now well healed scars (that lumpectomy seems so long ago!)and said I looked "perfect" and Dr. Hiotis (who I ran into in the hallway) removed my steri-strips from my port incision, all I had to do was call and my car was there when I reached the ground floor. City living!

I headed from NYC back to Franklin Lakes and tried to assimilate back into the masses at Medco. It felt good to be out of the house but as I have tried to articulate to many people, my internal rhythm is "off" and while I can function normally things just feel plain weird. I hope to feel like "me" again soon! I am going to try running Wednesday and see how that goes. I took a 45 minute walk this evening and that seemed to make me feel somewhat better. My port in bothering me a bit - it feels like it is sticking me from the inside - like I said - things are weird. Wig shopping tomorrow!!! Stay tuned!!!

5 DAYS UNTIL GI JANE.....

Summer Sunday

Sunday dawned sunny and warm and I awoke feeling, well, pretty good! So good we decide on a road trip down to New Hope, PA. We strolled the streets, admired the multitude of bikes and then headed off to Shelly and John's for a lovely, lazy afternoon lunch. Olivia is beautiful and getting so big - birthday #1 is just around the corner. We missed seeing Miss Julia but know that 11 year olds have so many better things to do than hang out with us boring adults.

It appears late afternoon/early evening is my witching hour. I start to "melt" for better lack of a term. I suddenly felt extremely tired and just wanted to lie down. We drove home and I dozed in the warm car. By the time we were home I was feeling a bit better. We walked Tacoma, had a light meal and I am feeling fine. The one ever present issue I seem to be dealing with a tingling in my mouth which is fine if I have ice or anything cold. I try to not to think about it for what I visualize is not what I actually see!

Mondayquickly approaches - I have a 9am visit with Dr. Shapiro, just a follow-up. Then- off to work. Eating every two hours ought to prove interesting!