Attitude of Gratitude

I just like the sound of that, and what better time to have an attitude of gratitude than as a chaotic and stressful year comes to a close?! It's the characteristic that most entices me to return to our current place of worship. Every act of cleaning, assistance, fund-raising, charity, etc., that I have participated in at St. Columba's has been rewarded with a sincere thank you from someone not directly benefitting from my actions. Most are just glad that there are fresh folks to offer the many hands to make the work light.

I/we have a great deal of things to express gratitude for - SYMPTOMS!! We live in a country with medical resources to facilitate the early detection of cancers, we have adequate health care provided by our employer (our bill for my whole episode was under $1500). Friends and family were willing to care for the boys, me and my extended family upon request. Medical developments in surgical procedures that allow quick recovery within 2 months of surgery. Boys willing take mom for walks and to push a wheelchair for a few weeks, noticing the reactions of others and aware of challenges faced during that time. A new-found dedication to eating better... well, at least 80% of the time. And mostly, the chance to spend more precious time with my family, friends and raising the boys to be healthy, independent gentlemen - with a totally whacked sense of humor.

We've been trying for the last three days to catch Santa for our annual photo - Sunday he left 1/2 hour before we arrived, last night we just saw him pulling out of the parking lot and today we are going to be in line at the stroke of 5:00. One of those "simply have to's" of the season. Joe's fighting tooth and nail not to be subjected to this commercial display of advertising melee - but don't get me wrong, he TOTALLY wants gifts - and of the impractical variety. Nick is all over the Santa photo thing. It means he doesn't have to shop or spend $ on Mom. Dan would prefer to submit to a Santa photo than any thing else I've requested of him this year. Putting up house lights, making Dr. appts., etc. But he's had a heck of a year too, and been a great partner.

I hope this Season finds you healthy, wealthy in non-material ways, blessed in every way and peaceful as you enjoy the holidays in whatever manner suits your soul, psyche, and spirit.

Wishing you lasting Peace and MANY Blessings!
Michelle ;-P

Tampa Trip

All is well, travelling with my sister in Tampa (85 and HUMID, my bra's clammy) and this has been the Just in Time trip so far. Just in time for my connecting flight from O'Hare to Tampa, just in time for her class Monday after getting lost 3 times en route, just in time for a dolphin spotting cruise while I was getting lost going elsewhere. But it's great weather, somewhat relaxing and we have a convertible we can actually use here. What a concept. It has also cured me of desiring to purchase a convertible - no trunk room, two-doors with a 6' 13 yo would not work (I would be the one in the back seat). Among other things. Sun roof, may be a more reasonable adjustment! Left my photo transfer materials in room, will post photos including blurry dolphin shots later.

Peace and Blessings ;-P
Michelle

41 and olding... I mean holding.

Turned 41 today and survived it. I found a saying recently that was timely, "Don't complain about growing older, it is a privilege denied to many." Of unknown origin, but it makes sense. Had we been born at any other time, in any other country, to other parents our chances of mere survival would be vastly different. The last year has been trying, frustrating, greatly clarifying, and has provided some new priorities like exercise and eating correctly - at least 50% of the time. Also clarified what is truly important and what can be trimmed away from my stress factors. Thanks for hanging with me and being my BRA Chix this year, here's to more good times, great memories and adventures that await us in the coming year(s)!

Peace and Blessings ;-P
Michelle

What to do when we don't know what to do...

So many times we hear someone is ill or has a challenge in their lives and we call to say let me know how I can help. When I received these calls, I was like "OK, but I don't even know what to do myself right now let alone what to ask anyone else to do..." I saw this article on the CarePages.com website and think it's a good one to keep with our condolence cards and such to remind us of positive steps and simple things to really make a difference. My usual MO was "they are so busy right now, I'll leave them alone." My new MO is at least to check in and let them know I'm thinking about them, I also give a time in the next week that I can help with housework, meals or errands. Our pals and family members aren't getting any younger and the sooner we learn to comfort the better comforters we will be.

27 ways to comfort a sick friend

We all want to be there when a friend or loved one needs us most. Why not step outside the box and use these creative ways to offer help, a boost or just some much-needed distractions?

Provide a dose of delight. Take a sick friend on an excursion to a “delightful place,” such as a botanical garden, nature trail, beach or forest preserve. It can be a soul-soothing experience.

For a friend who is seriously ill and housebound, drop off some food, books or videos, but keep your visit short so as not to tire them out.

Burn a CD of your friend’s favorite songs or a selection of soothing, tranquil music.

Organize a group care network for a sick loved one. Email a group of close friends and set up a rotating system for coming over and helping with household chores or caregiving.

Offer to help with the day-to-day stuff that needs to be done, such as a grocery trip, a Target run, doing a load of laundry, bringing home cooked food or walking the dog.

When you’re at the grocery store call your sick friend and say “I'm here what do you need?” Or, “I have the kids after school... don't worry.”

Be a stable, reliable presence in your friend's life. Speaking calmly and checking in regularly can be a huge comfort to someone whose life has been turned upside down by a health challenge.

Keep in touch through regular emails or CarePages website postings. Say something. Say anything. Let him or her know they are not alone.

Send a weekly care package to a sick co-worker. Set up a drop box on your desk and ask co-workers to “lend” their favorite magazines, DVDs, and/or CDs to help your colleague pass the time.

A plant or a small bouquet of flowers is always appreciated--even after the healing process of surgery, chemo or other illnesses has begun.

Offer to arrange child care at no cost to the family when an illness happens that involves small children.

A health crisis can create chaos in so many ways. Send over a cleaning service to clean the house and restore a sense of serenity and order.

Create a gift basket with fruits, granola bars, magazines, a deck of cards, candies, a package of thank you cards, stamps, a notebook and a pen.

Donate your frequent flyer miles or give an airline gift certificate to a family member of a sick friend who lives far away.

Send books, DVDs or CDs through Amazon to help a sick friend pass the time.

Send a box of seasonal fresh fruit through Harry and David to a friend who is recovering from illness or surgery.

Hire a manicurist/pedicurist to do a house call for a sick friend.

Buy a gift membership to an online DVD rental service so your recovering friend can receive movies through the mail. Gift memberships can be purchased for one month up to a year.

If your friend is bed-bound or in the hospital for a while, send or drop off some soft, fluffy slippers, a soft bed pillow, lavender scented linen spray, wonderful pajamas, comfy socks, or foot massage cream to make them feel pampered.

Throw a feel-good get-together. Shower a friend with practical and meaningful gifts to help him or her get through a tough time, such as surgery or chemo.

Provide food for the soul. Organize a pool of cooks to whip up comfort food to give and share, and make sure you've got a team in place to create your own meals-on-wheels network.

Become the wheels. Offer to accompany your friend to his or her medical appointment.

Put together a get-well kit. Include bottled water, green tea, Kleenex, fruits, vitamin C, and a bundle of healthy remedies.

Provide healing hands. Massage can be a powerful tool for calming our psyches. Get your friend a gift certificate for a massage that can be redeemed when he or she feels up to it.

Empower your friend or loved one by providing them with a box filled with inspirational books, inspiring quotes and music.

Provide entertainment. Offer to take a sick friend to the movies. Or bring over a DVD, make some popcorn and watch a funny movie together.

Laugh, chat, and share as you normally would. Remember that a person is not defined by illness. They are still the same friend to you and want to continue to do their part in the give and take of friendship.

Peace and Blessings ;-P
Michelle

FL Trip in 3 weeks and counting...

Check out the cover... not Vogue or anything stylish.

http://www.nwhospital.org

Scroll down 1/2 page to the right and see if you recognize the BRA chick in the lavender jacket...

I'm the cover story for the NW Hospital Med Info magazine. It's never a for sure thing until it is published, so I kept it quiet for a while. Take a peek. I'm getting a few issues for "posterity". Yuk!

This should be the final wrap on all things cancerous/surgical/recovery for me, except keeping others in prayers for their own adventures.

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle

Last published on Aug 9?!... Life Happens.

Hey, sorry to have been in disposed so long. Life has been in rapid-fire motion since mid-August but not doing anything substantial - kids camps, work, short day trips, etc., and balancing the juggling balls of work, school, boys, house, you know the drill. Then, on top of things D/D (the newlyweds) decided this current housing market slump was the perfect time to buy! So they've been dragging us along for acquiring moving boxes, and then helping to pack them, moving to an apartment this weekend (because of course no house could close by the time their rental lease was up), and then moving to a house 3 months later. It will be great for them and is large enough I won't be hosting every family gathering (SCORE !)

As if that weren't enough, my sister then invited me to accompany her on a CME trip to Florida in October - and knowing I cannot resist travel without Dan and the boys I said not only yes, but HECK YES! So, we'll be off 10/14 through 10/18 carousing in the greater Tampa area armed with a rental car and GPS, since we can both get lost in the bathtub. But you know what that will mean for the blog - TRAVEL photos! Whoo hoo! I picked up a FL travel guide at the library yesterday and was just bemoaning the fact that I didn't go snorkeling in AUS - guess what?! Another opportunity may present itself in the near future - and I may wimp out again, but it will be an informed wimpout and only called so due to shark sightings. Swimming with dolphins is another attaraction I may have to explore.

School news - Joe is now attending FWPA Federal Way Public Academy and is enthused about school, learning and his classes - reread for emphasis... we haven't seen this since 3rd grade and it's a welcome change. This is the kid that asked me if he could get his GED at 13 last year, because school was just a waste of time. So we are thrilled, he's writing down assignments, doing homework, learning Spanish for the first time and charged up about participating in extra-curricular activities!! He has a group of about 5-8 "homies" pals and seems to be fitting in well. The school has a very diverse cultural base, common for Federal Way, covers Grades 6-10 and after 10 the kids are ready to assimilate into another FW high for Int'l Baccalaureate program or to community colleges for Running Start. A win/win plan either way.

Nick is at the old school Kent Mountain View Academy KMVA and I see a wide chasm already between the two schools in comparison. High parental involvement makes a big difference. We'll transfer Nick over to FWPA (pronounced Fwhoppa, that's what all the kids call it) at 6th grade and he and Joe will again be in the same school for the next 3 years - YEA! But he's comfortable with his old friends and teachers for another year.

We found an existing carpool to join that had space and ride with 5 other kids, two Muslim families and mostly girls so conversation with Joe while girls are in the car is strictly VERBOTEN!! I was informed of such at the end of my inaugural carpool drive - Joe may get some prime walking opportunities very soon. He walks from the last carpool stop when I do not drive which gives him some fresh air and exercise toting his substantial backpack. Good thing Dan invested in an REI product for him.

I reduced my work week to 3 days and spend the other two mornings in the pool committed to an exercise program! It's slow starting and I creep around like I'm an 80 yo woman the next day, but I feel good after doing it and the community pool is a new and well-designed facility with lots of perks like steam/sauna, hot tubs and an exercise floor upstairs with exercise machines. When I get into the schedule I'll arrive at 8:30, dry exercise for 30 mins and then do a 1 hour cardio water class. So I should be in good shape in about 6-7 years.

Had an outing with long-time gal pal Wendy from NC this week and she has self-published a book of poetic art with 2 other poets. With her permission, I'll post one of my faves from her treasures. We had dinner at Green Lake and picked up boxes for my sister, am I a fun date or what?

I nearly forgot the most important development. I had a call from my surgeon a few weeks back asking if Iwould be the NW Hospital cover story for their bimonthly magazine. I thought about it for 10 seconds and said sure. Had a phone interview and photo shoot the next week and the issue should be out soon. I'll scan a cover shot for the blog and we'll witness my one shot at being a cover girl. I don't think Vogue will be calling anytime soon. You may recognize the cover girl in your mailbox if you live in North Seattle.

Peace and blessings, hope all is well and you're safe, happy and well-loved,

Michelle ;-P

The Shack - great book to chew on...

I was recently given the book, The Shack to read by a pal. Without giving any plot spoilers away, it is the story of a man dueling with his faith and his place in life after a tragic incident. The resulting pilgrimage he undertakes after a strange invitation brings him closure, understanding and greater faith as a result. This book will put your own faith into question, give you some good questions to mull over and change the face of your personification of ?, whatever you call Nature, higher power, God, The Force of the Universe.

The question I have been considering for days is: "When you use your imagination as an adult, is it to deal with the past, the present or the future?" Find a favorite point to ponder and we'll hash it out in future posts...

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle ;-P

LAST Medical Update - I hope

Baby Jack - living temporarily at Grandma's house in Tacoma with his mom. Respiratory is normal and he's gaining weight. Home for them is Ocean Shores and they feel need to be near a Neo-natal ICU for a few more weeks of good check ups.

Ian - has had several chemo doses by spinal tap. Has lost his hair, gained some weight due to steroids and is generally taking it all pretty well. Next steps are chemo into his port every 10 days so they are spacing out his doses. His #'s are increasing so the chemo is doing what it is supposed to.

Michelle - had 6 mo mammo check up yesterday and no surprises. I DARE them to find anything weird at this point. I've been scanned, scoped, ultrasounded and probed deep wide and often. Good riddance! I've had my fill of docs for 2008. Meet with nutritionist the 13th and then I'm DONE!

Boys are well and have their check ups next, so the most they should need is immunization updates. FINGERS crossed!

Hope all is well with you and yours, we are at 22 good colo check-ups!
Peace and blessings ;-P
Michelle

BRA Chix hit the Books

I found a few books during my recuperation time to recommend. Not a romance novel in the bunch - some have small semi-plots of near-romance, but no bodice-ripping, heaving, studs of raging passion to be found here. I'm still pondering a passionate parody...

The Alpine Mystery series by Mary Daheim. The Emma Lord mysteries are a good read, entertaining, not requiring too much thought and an endearing look into the fictional town and residents of Alpine, WA. A real place in the dawn of railroad time, that has since faded away in upper Snohomish County. So it has local appeal, good plots and characters we welcome into our reading respites. The main character Emma is the editor of the local weekly paper and in her "spare time" finds herself helping the local law enforcement do their job as well all in the name of news. It is an A-Z series, the Alpine Advocate through the Alpine Quilt, I believe is the most current addition. Not necessary to read in any order, the stories stand alone.

Mrs. Perfect was recommended by BRA Chick Kathleen as we all have one or more of them in our life, the women we love to hate or would like to hate them if they weren't so fun to be around. Taylor Young has a closetful of designer togs, a Street of Dreams home, great sex life and is the IT mom of her girl's school chairing the auction and getting it all done better than anyone else. Her life falls off its pedestal and instead of crumpling, it's tempting, she finds her bootstraps, tightens them and becomes part of the solution instead of part of the problem, much to the surprise of her friends, enemies and her family. It sounds cheesy, but has some good heart to it. I kept wondering when she was going to come to the realization that her closet is a vault and take her clothes to consignment and discover "a whole new world," but it never happened. Can you imagine if the Bellevue set discovered "consignment"? Oh, the horrors.
By Jane Porter, she also has Odd Mom Out which is next on my list to find.

The last one is the Queen of Babble series by Meg Cabot, Queen of Babble in the Big City - I'll be looking for the rest of the series at the library. Wanna-be wedding dress renovator Lizzy found a remote prince on her last vacation to France and is living with him in his mother's Manhattan apartment. She needs to find a job, an apartment and herself, not necessarily in that order. A high profile wedding in New York brings her opportunity and benevolent friends and neighbors make things click for her amid some major snags in the system. Well-developed characters, decent plot - this is a good by the pool, on the beach, last vacation of the summer read.

Happy reading, let me know what has been in your bag while you shuttle and wait for kids. For isn't that our passion from June to August? The secret bliss of a good novel to indulge in while we wait for our charges to emerge... and wait.
Peace and Blessings,
Michelle ;-P

Joe hit 6' and learns to beat the economy...

Well, I don't know who wins the pool, but we measured Joe yesterday and he is 6'.75" at 13 years old. We had a bet whether or not he would hit it by his birthday last month or by the first of July. Not quite, but this week I went out to buy pants for school. Noted his current pants size and brought home some slim fit jeans - too short and too tight. That puzzled us, how can the same size jeans be too short. Don't know but they are. Cleaned out all of his drawers and rooted out clothing and shoes that no longer fit, so our local Goodwill is going to have some good finds unless Joe decides to photo the items and put them on Craigslist. Our whole main level of our home came from Craigs list over time.

The clothes in this photo no longer fit and he hits the top of the panel above his head now... new photo due, I'll add later. He thinks he wants to do cross-country running team at the new school so running shoes are next on the agenda for him. $$$ I made him a deal on school clothes, I buy pants and shoes and he buys t-shirts since he's picky about which ones he will wear. We had an economics lesson on Friday night - $15 buys one to two shirts at Fred Meyer, but 7 at Value Village, I may have a newly-minted follower. Recent articles in the newspaper are signing the praises of thrifty spending and recycling for housewares and clothing, nothing new to me, I've been a VV faithful for YEARS. The thing that cracked us up in a recent Parade article was that the family looks forward to a big tax return for home improvements and scrimps and saves all year - the money they "loan" to Uncle Sam would be better used to pad their budget and they would get more investing in their own savings. How is that a benefit?

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle ;-P

Prayers and Blessings

New prayer request - my cousin Wendy had a son, Jack, Wednesday night by c-section and he inspirated some amniotic fluid in the process. He now has a lung infection and is in the neonatal intensive care section of Tacoma General. Very stressful for a first time mom and her family. He is a 9 pounder so he has some resilience and they have requested prayers for his recovery, mom's recovery and for successful breastfeeding which will bring him needed antibodies. We racked up the miles for me and know it works...

Ian is responding well to his treatments. He gets a spinal tap of chemo every Thursday and needed a blood transfusion last week, so that was a new experience for his family - 9 hours at Mary Bridge. They are assembling a hospital survival kit for those trips b/c who knows how long they will take each week. It's a roll of the dice. He's much cooler with is new hairdo to boot.

Nick spent the week at tennis camp with 2 buddies and Joe worked wrangling 40 kids at Vacation Bible School at church. He seemed to enjoy himself but learned he doesn't want more than 2 kids when he is an adult, so it taught him things on a variety of levels. Boys have a week off of activities until August 4-8. Joe in b-ball and Nick... we'll find something to occupy him.

We are well. Had a busy week last week and another coming up, so I've been a couch potato this weekend. Our washing machine is on its way to a quick retirement. The main issue is we bought the house from a single occupant and it came with a front load small capacity washing machine. With a family of 4 and two boys, right?! So it's days were numbered. It's been peeing on the floor like a geriatric puppy for months and Dan took it apart this weekend. Brilliant design, plastic compartment to hold the drum in place and steel screws. So the plastic housings break and you are ... screwed. Just what I need this week. Fortunately, Friday was 7 loads of washing day, which may have been the straw that broke this swaybacked camel. We'll do our part to stimulate the economy. The boys are off tomorrow for a M's game with the g-rent's and overnight. I'll work a long day and then take a pal to her colonoscopy on Tuesday - I'm everyone's butt buddy now; required ride home from the light at the end of the tunnel.

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle

SD trip - final days!

I need to stay on track, I've left you in suspense with the final days of the SD trip. Heavens! On July 1, we rode into Hill City and ambushed the Alpine Saloon for a great lunch of more German food, got to observe a thunderstorm outside while we ate and then explored some of the merchantiles in the burg. The boys and I ended up at the end of town in front of an old time photo studio. I sent them back to roust the troops and all 8 of us partook in a 1/2 hour of revelry posing as the outlaw in-laws. J was less than enthusiastic and N was all over it because he was equipped with not 1 BUT 2 GUNS!!! Talk about a s**t-eating grin on his face. The photo shoot was a hoot and I thought we'd have to twist arms to get my parents to participate. Not so. I've been trying to get a good scan of the photo, but it always comes out sideways. When I get it right, I will post. We took the 1880 steam train from Hill City to Keystone through the lower Black Hills of SD and lots of rustic homes, ranches, old decrepit farms and mines. Some new and interesting construction in the mix as well. A brief stop in Keystone and we saw we should make a return trip in the next day or two.
We arrived back at Palmer Gulch in time for a potluck to eat up any remaining leftovers at Rick and Mary Lyons cabin. This is one of the PLUSH cabins with several rooms, a big porch and large dining table which heard many great stories and much laughter that night - and saw a few empty wine bottles as well. We did a good job clearing out the leftovers - like a hoard of locusts.
The morning of July 2, Dan wanted to get us up early to go to Mt. Rushmore, into Keystone for some entertainment and onward to Custer State Park to our next lodging so he and Joe could run down to the Badlands for the sunset. The Presidents were foggy, so we skipped the tour and saw them later in all their glory in the tunnel view in Custer State Park. We had seen them at night all lit up due to several wrong turns the first night in so the novelty had worn off at that point. In Keystone, the guys tolerated some shopping with Mom then wanted to do the Alpine Slide. A ski lift takes you to the top of a small mtn., and you ride down on a luge sled in a concrete track. You really get zipping. Dan took a film of one of his runs and if I can get him to post in on YouTube, I'll post the link here. It was a hit for all 3 boys and I found my commemorative t-shirt "Don't make me open this can" of Whoop-Ass. Well worth the cost.
We headed onward to Custer State Park and found our cabin to be cozy but quite plush with a heat pump and satellite TV, much to Nick's amusement. I had a nap, Nick watched an informative outer space show and Dan and Joe headed for the hills. Moseyed in to Custer for dinner and caught a street corner Indian dance performance with the rents and the newlyweds, and returned to the lodge for pie for dessert. While walking back to our cabins, the forward group grew suddenly quiet and moved rapidly. There was a bison the size of a mini-van 25 feet from D/D's cabin, so we watched him for about an our out the back windows, 1/2 of us in the bathroom and half in the bedroom. So nice to have a close family. At 10:00 it was too dark to see if he was lingering and we used camera flashes to return to our own cabin. Joe and Dan returned about 11:00 and Joe had sat on a cactus in one of their hikes, he wasn't hurt but his jeans were handled gingerly. They stopped at Wall Drug and Joe drove for a bit in the middle of nowhere, so they had a bonding experience.
Early on the 3rd, we ventured back into Rapid City for our return flight home via Salt Lake City. We found cooperative flight personnel who cut our layover time by 5 hours and got us in to Seattle by 5 p.m., so the return trip kept me a happy camper without spending much time in SLC. I'd learned my lesson and napped from Rapid City to SLC. I sat next to Joe, who is not a social flight partner. Overall, the trip was good, we made some cool memories for our parents, ourselves, our relatives and the boys. Safe travels, no major mishaps and good times.

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle ;-P

Running at normal chaotic speed

Well, life is as much back to normal as it is going to get - boys running to concurrent events in separate parts of the city, mom trying to squeeze some work in and the housework going to pot as usual during the summer. Sounds like nothing's changed at Chez Meeker. Appt with my PCP the naturopath yesterday and we scheduled a session with a nutritionist in August. So that should help me figurer out a plan for the future that won't tax my system. I've been erring on the side of excess caution. Oncologist put me on calcium, low dose aspirin daily and vitamin D, specifically for colon health because I have no more tubing to spare. I'm assembling the associated costs of having colon cancer just because I find it astounding what medical procedures cost and think others would too. So, when I get the final bills in, I will post. Just getting the pre-diagnostics in now from early May.

N's had a busy week of 3 hours of tennis camp daily with 2 pals, J has been helping with Vacation Bible School as a crew leader (kid wrangler) and comes home pooped. We've been baking for a Friday night church fund-raiser carnival cake walk and we're in high 80-90 degree weather. This weekend N goes to NW Trek for an overnight event and he's pumped!

Glad to be out of constant dr. appts., no need for a wheelchair and released for normal activity. Now how do I catch up on the two months that slipped by while I was otherwise occupied?! My doc yesterday asked, "But how are you doing mentally with all of the last two months you've dealt with?" Hmmm, let's just move forward and leave it in the past. Over and onward. Can't believe summer is 1/2 over and if I ask the boys, we "haven't done anything".

Hope all is well in your side of the pond and the tadpoles are hopping!
Peace and Blessings
Michelle ;-P

Discharged from oncolcogist for 1 year!

Last doc appts. with surgeon and oncologist yesterday. Surgeon - back to full activity as of next week and no dietary restrictions; "there are some things you might find good to stay away from popcorn, granola, etc. but have what appeals to you and see how it goes." Ohhh-kay. Easy for you to say.
Oncologist, nothing conclusive on the pathology reports on my tumor. They still won't give it to me to whack with a shoe. Scheduled my next CT scan for May 11, 2009 to check back on things. Which means every Monday in May 2009 will be a procedure day, colon scope, blood draws, CT scan and appt to recap all of the above. Yeehaw! I'd better also plan a good reward weekend for Memorial Day 2009 then, I think.
Worked a bit with the boys in tow, Diane took them to see Wall-E during my doc appts. It was a hit, both liked it.

Hope I find the energy to resume full activity soon. Just figuring out what needs to be done after taking a month off to recover is daunting. Then the trip on top of it all set me back further. The calendar just seems to fill up on its own and the have tos just keep piling up. Work piles are unnerving, laundry piles are annoying, the boys' rooms and bathrooms are disasters, I still have wedding stuff piled in my basement just from the stuff we packed in for the day. Anyone have a bulldozer and dynamite handy? I'm at the point where I need help, but I don't know what kind or where to get it or what to do about it. I don't have the energy to attack it or think about it yet. Just frustrated with my lack of focus and energy level. Guess mom is going to have to call in the calvary next week or two to catch up. Thanks for letting me vent off - now I need to crack some boys heads to get going around here.

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle ;-P

This Bud's for You... no, it's not Beer.

It's been a busy week and I'm forgetting days of the SD trip, so I need to regroup and make some notes. In the interim, I haven't posted any of the floral photos from NZ and AUS, so here are some blooms to take you through the week.

Some flowers were snapped on the street and some are from the Wintergarden in Auckland near the Auckland Museum. I don't know the names of any of them, several appear to be from the orchid family, but I just snapped for the aesthetic views... if they were pretty, I snapped.

Trip Recap - Day 3

Trip recap day 3 - 6/30 - My sister awoke to discover that at some point she had broken a tooth, so our duty for the day was to find her an emergency dentist and get her there. The rest of the group decided to spend the day at the Palmer Gulch relaxing, recovering and visiting with relatives. My dad and I took a roll in the park, the kids played in the pool, jumped on the bouncy pillow and Dan worked on some projects he had brought along. We all read, napped, and passed the day at will.

My sister's appointment was in Rapid City at 2:00 and we hung out until she returned. At 33, she has never had so much as a filling, so she was a little apprehensive. Fortunately she had her new husband to go along and he's an experienced dental patient. When we were young, by parents would reward us for good dental check ups with a toy or Barbie doll. Mom and I were perusing the camp gift shops selection of Black Hills Gold jewelry and determined that a broken tooth ramped up the reward a bit. We chose a simple pinky ring for her and presented it to her after she returned - from having a crown AND a root canal performed in 2 hours of chair time. She was fully recovered, had little pain and was able to enjoy the rest of the trip.

We gathered again that evening with the extended family group for an evening of visiting and had a great chicken dinner - nice soft food for both Denise and me! We answered SD trivia and tested each other to see how many new family members we could name from memory. My mom and sister worked well as a team and then many of the cousins shared memories of family members no longer with us. Another great night culminated with S'mores at my parent's cabin and the boys bunked with them that night, so... Dan and I EACH got a double bed to ourselves! Hey, after almost 20 years of marriage there is just so much romance we can handle.

On July 1, the guys went on a trail ride on horseback and then we drove into Hill City. More on that subject tomorrow...

Med update and trip recap - day 2

Medical update: M's energy is at 75-80%; Ian is beginning to lose his hair from chemo, but being 8, thinks it's cool for now. We are at 17 people who have had butt scopes due to my experience and all have come out with no surprises - clean bills of health! ;-P

SD trip recap 6/29 - I was much better after a full night's sleep. Dan and I were unsure of how sharing a double bed would go since we have a king at home. I think once I finally fell asleep I didn't move until 7 a.m., so he had no complaints. We met the first wave of cousins at the breakfast room of our lodge (www.palmergulch.com) and one of the local cousins had brought two large coolers filled with snow from last January for a snowball fight in July! Great fun and a welcome cool down as it was already 75 degrees at 10 a.m.

We met the families of cousin LaVer's 4 girls including identical twin cousins I had not seen since I was 4 and they were 9. Found we have 3 sets of twins in the family of which I was not aware - glad I dodged that bullet! Hope we didn't jinx my sister as it usually skips a generation. Spent the day visiting and catching up on who was connected to who, sharing old photos and new photos of D/D wedding. Had a nap just after the snowball fight , a wheelchair tour of the park with my dad and Nick and then hung out with family and another nap. We gathered for a BBQ dinner and cousin Barney made the grub. He worked for the Forest Service feeding forest fire volunteers and smoke jumpers, so he's a grubbin' pro.

Dan will be editing the numerous photos he took of the family reunion, a side trip to the Badlands he took with J, and other assorted photos and I'll provide the link when they are ready to go. At the BBQ, he was a snapping fool because he wanted to get photos of each family group as well as individual conversational groups when all were wearing name tags. Then he would have a master to figure out names and faces on subsequent photos. Good plan, man!

First day of SD travel 6/28 recap

We started our travel to Rapid City, SD for a family reunion of my grandmother's siblings children. All of the grand-siblings are deceased and we wanted the 3rd and 4th generations to make some connections for the future of the family reunion planning; because you know the old folks will want to make this an annual thing now. So 6/28 at 8:00 a.m., my extended family - parents, sister and bro-in-law converged at our home to catch the airport shuttle and have a community breakfast. I had been up at 3 a.m. covering the many myriad of things crossing my brain in fleeting ferocity and was a little drained by 8. We arrived at SeaTac and I began my wheelchair experiences for the trip just after snaking through the security area. That wheelchair was a welcome sight at that point. Flew from Seattle to Salt Lake City (SLC). The SLC airport is adequate except for 1 small thing - there are no chairs without arms enabling someone to say, stretch out and take a nap (which I was really needing by that time). I tried to nap on the floor, I tried to nap close to a door, I tried to nap from 1-4 and there was no nap to be had for sure. So on to Rapid City, SD. Flight was OK, sat next to a private charter pilot from Florida who brings FL bigwigs to SD and other areas in their private planes for fishing, R/R, meetings, whatever. Too interesting of a seatmate to sleep on the flight. So we arrive in Rapid City about 5:30 p.m., tired, hungry, disoriented. Decided to fix the hungry first at a restaurant called Sanford's Grub and Pub - if you leave hungry there is something wrong. I had a deep-fried OREO sundae that was a near-BTS (better than s*x) experience. Then we began the navigation process to get to our lodging. From the instructions we had, it would be 25 miles from the airport - as the crow flies maybe... we rolled into Palmer Gulch Lodge about 2 hours later. THEN, my mom rolls in to claim her reservation and finds out she made our reservation to start SUNDAY night, not Saturday. At that point, I had been near tears since about 3:30 p.m. due to extreme fatigue, and just the strain of travel, after navigating with Dan for hours I dissolved right there in the lobby into convulsive hysterical sobs. We did however manage to get 2 rooms for the night promptly. When we were safely in our room, Dan's comment was "Nice job on the pity cry timing," few words and subtle humor, that's why I keep him around. High points of the day were 1-we all arrived safely (including luggage), 2-saw Mt. Rushmore lit up at night en route to our hotel, 3-had a great meal in RC, 4-my wheelchair service was excellent in airports, and 5-the boys were helpful and cooperative all the way. More anecdotes for your amusement tomorrow.
Peace and Blessings,
Michelle ;-P

We're home!

Arrived home at 5:00 p.m. 7/3, and the trip was good. No major mishaps, some minor ones. I'll have to assemble the travel anecdotes and figure out which ones to share, those are my favorite to write and the ones most fun to read. We travelled from 6/28 - 7/3 to Rapid City, SD via Salt Lake City. We rented a wheelchair to conserve my strength and we returned it EARLY yesterday! The altitude helped build strength and took lots of short naps. The campground we were in is Palmer Gulch for the first few days and then the last day at Lake Legion in Custer State Park. Palmer Gulch (PG) is close to Mt. Rushmore and many of the nearby towns look like Radiator Springs from the CARS movie according to my sons. PG has numerous family activities as well as a $2.50 all you can eat pancakes from 7-11 every morning. Two outdoor pools, horseback trail rides, movies, mini golf, trails, bike rentals, arcade, 3 restaurants and cafe's, all the comforts of home. Some of the cabins are plush and some are more rustICK! A very cool place for a family vacation or reunion.

Late Night/Early Morning Brain Activity

Too many brain farts to sleep. I keep thinking of things I need to do, pack, complete, get, etc. and today is my sister, Denise's b-day (she is 30-teen too!). News about Ian, his bone marrow treatment is going well, "clearing" is the official term and he's having some trouble with nausea from the chemo but doing well overall. Any good news is welcome when the bad news was initially so devastating.

Well, Wednesday night after getting the all clear for liquor - I overdid with a 1/2 bottle of reisling. Spoke to a few people and have very little recollection of the evening, but I was still wearing my knickers in the a.m., so it couldn't have gotten too racy as I didn't leave the house. Slept REALLY well that night too and no hangover?! Might be onto something here. The packing is wrapping up and the boys are getting wound tighter than springs to escape the usual boring summer at home and actually DO SOMETHING!

I've been spending a few days trying to put my finger on what this whole experience has changed about me or taught me over the last two months. I'm not sure I have it exactly, but it's making me be really present and focused on what I am doing and why and how it affects me and those around me. I'm listening more, explaining my feelings and requests to the boys and letting them know how their actions affect those around them. I'm finding perceptions in the weirdest places and realizing that EVERYONE we encounter in a day has their own "cancer scare" going on in their life and we need to be more patient, honest, compassionate and trust each other more. I'm also learning I can ask for help and extra time and the world won't crash to a halt.

Spending some time in a wheelchair for errands at Fred Meyer and on our trip through airports will give and have given me new perspectives on life from that angle. Reaching desired items in a store is infuriating while seated. Waiting for people to acknowledge that they are in your way requires saintly patience and most people look through you without acknowledgment. A great learning experience for me and the boys as well. Hope it will change our responses in the future when this episode is a distant memory.

By the time we return from this trip I should be fair to middling and gaining ground in endurance, exercise aspirations, meet with a nutritionist to get ideas on what changes I need to make to accommodate a reduced intestinal processing system and get back to work. An ambitious week that tires me out now just looking at it.
Have a safe and festive 4th with rest and relaxation with your leisure activity of choice.
Peace and Blessings ;-P
Michelle

Sydney Aquarium

These jelly fish in black light look more like glass art than sea creatures to me.








With just one day in Sydney, I spent three hours in the Sydney Aquarium.



My favorite part was walking through the ocean tubes while sharks, immense sea turtles and sting rays swim over, around and beside you. The closest thing to scuba diving for the water fearful. I love to visit aquariums almost more than anything else when traveling.

The sea turtle pictured is about the size of a small living room CHAIR, roughly 4' head to tail and 3' across.

Coral reef fishes in among the rocks and an assortment of corals. This was a better view than I had at the GBR, and more varieties of sea creatures and corals live in deeper currents.

Peaceful blessings,
Michelle ;-P

Sydney Chinese Garden

It's getting harder to remember what locales I was in each day, so I'm going to start jumping to specific places and stray from my actual itinerary.

Today, we have photos all from the Sydney Chinese Garden of Friendship.

This is the one stop Dan asked me to make in Sydney and it was just what I needed at the time I was there, peaceful, rustic, a piece of nature in the middle of the city. He has good instincts and knows worthwhile stops.

Would have been nice to have him there with me but he was with me in spirit. That prevented all the complicated map and navigational confrontations of traveling with a spouse or partner.

The one drawback to ALL of my AUS photos is that I mistakenly reset my camera to a lower resolution on photos. When I got home I had almost 1000 photos on one memory card. So, the possibilities of enlarging to anything other than 4x6 or making note cards or anything other than posting online, basically, is not possible. But at least I have photos and amazing experiences to recall. Enjoy, peace and blessings! Permission granted to copy and use for your own personal wallpaper, screen savers, etc.

Michelle ;-P

Moreton Island, Brisbane QLD

Found some of my old emails to accompany photos of what I'm talking about. I'll try including those for a few days and see if it is more or less confusing. The posts coming between now 6/25 and 7/3 will be prepped and remotely posted -- ooooh, technological. These photos are of the 4WD bus on Moreton Island, Mt. Tempest and North Beach, Moreton Island.

"Shopping DAY! Found some great goodies to bring home and wanted to hit the last suburb before I pay Sydney prices. Seems to have already jumped for summer in some areas. It's been 2 days without shops, hot, sweaty clothing and no music.
Anyway, we are in Byron Bay just south (?) of Surfers Paradise and since I had two days without a little town to explore, I decided to skip surfing for 3 hours and explore the shops to find some lighter wear. I gave up the sarong and bikini once we hit larger towns - fine for campsites and on a hot bus, but I still have a modicum of modesty in general public. Found some great ones to bring home as they pack well.
For the last two days (I think I last emailed late Tuesday night) we were in a remote area out of Brisbane called Moreton Island. The island is the largest vegetated sand island (you know what I mean - I've been vegetating on beaches so much lately I scarcely have a brain cell left.) Well, that and rum and coke comes in cans like beer here. HAPPY CAMPER! The island is accessible only by ferry and 4WD bus once you are off the ferry. The 4WD is major, with swaths cut through hills where you are below land level. The travel to and from points of interest is horrendous but once you get there OMG! We swam in a freshwater lagoon - no waterfalls - but small fish nibbled your toes, hiked to Moreton lighthouse and then swam in North Beach with body surfing boards (Joe, bringing one on the plane would be a nightmare, we'll order online next summer). They are 1/2 length surfboards that let you float in along the waves. Great for a non-swimmer like me as you can do it in less than 3 feet of water. The area we were in is too cold for jellies, but considerably warmer than Puget Sound, so I was a happy camper - got some salt water mouthwash, but no worries!
The nights here have brought fabulous thunder and lightning storms about 10-11 pm which clear to beautiful weather by 10 a.m. Just in time for us and the area is desperate for water there are drought notices all over Queensland. We hiked to the top of Mt. Tempest (very steep, but it didn't kill the old lady and I slept like a baby! Went sandboarding in a place called the desert, but the sand has so much silica it is not hot to the feet. Then back to the beach for more body surfing. We ended up towing one of the small girls, Ellie in the surf, snoozing on the beach and only a slight sunburn. I have shared the vinegar therapy with the girls and they were shocked how well it worked. Vinegar bottles are in PVC tubes on all beaches to treat jelly stings, so it's easily accessible. Provided by the beach communities as a public courtesy like toilet paper.
I have moments of being VERY homesick, but now I only have 8 days left, 2 until we reach Sydney and I'm on my own for 5 in Auckland. Kind of looking forward to alone time and no real schedule. We've been up early and arrive at most sites late enough to have little time to explore the area. I would have liked to do a city tour here, but couldn't get guide to arrange as he was "otherwise occupied". I've learned a great deal about the ins and outs of things and packing and such from the others. But there are some I will not miss.
The guys were all to share a room with the guide last night and once Adam saw that yhe "gal pal" was moving in, he knocked on our door to see if he could score a bed in our mutliple room. We gave him our last bed and had quite a giggle about sharing a bunk bed with me on top. RISQUE HUMOR, has to substitute for other things. He was taking quite a kidding about sharing with 4 girls. When we all came out this a.m., several of the kids at the hostel clapped and waved at him. He played it up quite well looking very tired and bedraggled.
Anyway, we heard about the latest school shooting in the US. The kids ask me how someone can get a gun into schools and I tell them how crowded classess are and underpaid and stressed teachers are and they just shake their heads.
While riding next to the guide last night, he was explaining that in AU your auto license has a 12 point system and if you perform an infraction, you lose points. Not wearing a seatbelt doubles the infraction and an infraction over holiday weekends doubles as well. So it is possible to lose ones license by losing all 12 points at one time. They are very strict about traffic laws in New South Wales NSW, where we are now.
It is HEAVILY fined to remove sand or shells from any national park beach. That is one thing the TSA luggage search really looks for when leaving the country, so I'm taking photos of the really good ones. I'll have more beach time this afternoon when the kids hang-glide - I know my limits. Hard to get around Auckland in a body cast. I'm taking more time to JUST BE in each area and separate myself from the kids, so that I can share something they did not get to see while they are thrill seeking.

Love, peace and blessings to all!
Michelle Friday 11:09 a.m. ;-P

Off Baby Food and Cleared for Drinks!

SCORE! Visit to the surgeon was OK today. I can introduce any foods but not high fiber, popcorn, corn, nuts or granola. Anything that "wouldn't travel well from point A to point B". Got my note to travel that I need food on my person and a butt skate for the airport. AND, I can now drink - a good thing when convening with multiple family relations. Woo hoo! Fire up the blender for something other than smoothies!

Drove to North Seattle in crappy traffic, went to dr. appt., stopped by WARM for a bit to do some data entry and have a snack and got home at 1:30 - VERY ready for a nap. And it was all good! If it would have been me on a normal day, I would have done some damage at Northgate in the process, so I'm not back to 100% yet - next appt. for sure! Did notice some new stores to check out as I passed by on the freeway, so the shopping muscles are alive, just flabby.

We'll be packing voraciously Thursday and Friday to get OOT and then we have an 8:00 a.m. p/u for the airport to be ready for. That's an amusing anecdote waiting to happen - my parents, the newlyweds, our boys and me vertical and ready at 8:00 a.m.?! Dan's up at 5 daily, even weekends, so he's a no-brainer - but he's planning to pack Saturday a.m. Can you say PRO-crastinator; he gives me s**t because I was packed for Australia 3 weeks ahead of departure; so we balance. ;-P

WARNING: The following is NOT G-rated. Some years ago, during my early 90s working stint, a list called the boobie list made the rounds when we passed jokes on PAPER, and not the Internet - remember those days?!? Since I've christened the BRA chix, I thought it would be fun to find and post again. And, eureka, you really can find almost anything on the blasted i-net. I'm sure we can come up with other variations as well, with our creative and deviant minds. The first two that come to my mind are tattooed breasts (*o)(o*) and
breast cancer survivor breasts X (o) - ({HUGS} you know who you are! ;-P). Put your additions in comments.

Guide to Breasts (Through the medium of ASCII text):

(o)(o) perfect breasts
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( + )( + ) fake silicone breasts
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(*)(*) high nipple breasts
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(@)(@) big nipple breasts (you know who you are)
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oo A cups
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{ O }{ O } D cups
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(oYo) wonder bra breasts
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( ^)( ^) cold breasts
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(o)(O) lopsided breasts
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(Q)(Q) pierced breasts
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(p)(q) breasts w/hanging tassels
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(:o)(o) bitten by a vampire breasts
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\o/\o/ Grandma's breasts
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( - )( - ) flat against the shower door breasts
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< o < o electric shock breasts
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|o||o| android breasts
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(/)(o) scratched breasts (ouch)
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(%)(o) extra nipple breasts
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($)($) Elle McPherson's breasts
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( o0o )( o0o ) Barbell pierced breast
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(^o)(o) zit on your breast
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( o Y o ) poses for playboy magazine breasts

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle ;-p 8 >= It's almost bikini weather

Wild and Weird week

Packing for SD trip, butting heads with the boys who want their first week of summer vacation to be all about them and the energy level is at about 60%. Ever want to just slow the world down to about 1/2 speed so you can catch up? That's where I am this week. The shock of the past several weeks hit me this week and I felt like I was having post-traumatic stress episode, anxiety, moodiness, depression all at once. The simple fact of HAVING to get things done snapped me out of that one quickly and here we go again. Six phone calls to get our Rx refilled, one kid needs shoes AND sandals prior to trip, can't find his goggles, all of the clean laundry I had the boys put away cannot now be located to PACK, and a temperamental washing machine... now I know why we never leave the house for extended trips as a family.

As a form of escape, I started reading some of the "bodice rippers" some pals have lent me for recuperation reading. These are high humor in truest form from the intense alliteration at peak points in the passionate parts, to the names of the characters. This prose is just prime for a parody of epic proportions - not to mention the appendages of the protagonists. The one I'm reading now took 286 pages to get to the first love scene between the main characters - people, by the time they got through their three pages of heaving bosoms and turgid tumescence I needed a shower, a cigarette and a dictionary to look up some of these phrases. NOTE: Don't give romance novels to anyone recovering from heart issues; they may not survive.

Felt good enough to go get a lip/brow wax - 6 weeks of neglect is hard to get control of without desperate measures. Tomorrow is my last meeting with the surgeon to assess the recovery and post-op situation. My first question is "Can I drink yet?" A little more tame than the last meeting. I'll fill you in tomorrow night and share something funny I found online if I can find it again.

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle ;-P

More Infrequent Posts... must mean I'm getting better.

Sorry it's been a while since I posted. Must mean life is getting busier and I'm getting better or having a relapse and spending more time off my feet. Today it is the latter. Next Saturday, we (my immediate and extended family) embark on a whirlwind flight to Rapid City, SD for a first ever family reunion of my grandmother's siblings' children. All of the original siblings have previoously exited life as we know it and are partying in the great hereafter.

It's time for the next generation to get acquainted - thankfully, I know some and no one is of the Star Trek variety, as far as I am aware, yet. Some I last saw when I was 5 and visited my great-grandparents; some I've seen as recently as my sister's wedding, some I've hung out with somewhere in between and some I have never met. The plan is to take it slow and easy, use wheelchair to conserve my energy and spend lots of time supervising the boys in the pool... in my bikini purchased in Australia! Surprisingly enough, my incisions are below the lines of my suit (thanks, Dr YUM!) and it's a hell of a testimony for a cancer survivor to be wearing a bikini less than a month after surgery - one small step for a BRA chick, one GIANT step for a 40 yo mom with a very disfigured belly button due to the amazing advances in laparoscopic surgical procedures, but a very brave one... there may even be photos at some point in the future. ;-P

The story behind the bikini purchase is somewhat amusing. When I planned my trip I had two swimsuits I planned to take with me and felt a bikini was just pushing it for a 40 yo mom. The first lost it's elastic in the boob department on our GBR trip, I tucked someone's camera case in for a moment and it was the straw that broke the camel's back - had to buy a $20 souvenir t-shirt on the boat to prevent indecent exposure. The other one-piece I had with me - a true mom suit with tummy control lining, was just too hot to be comfortable. The third day of our trip we were in a resort town that had a few boutiques. I popped in one morning while the kids were preparing to sky dive (not in my itinerary) and asked if they happened to have any in my size. Thankfully, they had 3 to choose from in the generous boob carriage department, and I found 1 I liked. However, when you purchase a bikini in a resort town, they tend to be priced at a premium. Before the trip, the core BRA chix had given me VISA gift cards for a splurge of my choice during my excursion - once I used all three VISA cards (!), my bikini was reduced in price from obscene to almost affordable, so splurge I did. What a rejuvenating experience. The result was not pretty, but it was refreshing. And now that my controlled diet has removed another dozen pounds, it's even a slight improvement.

Back to AUS trip photos (YAY!). Day 5 was the day we embarked and broke camp at 5 a.m., traveled in a van w/ no A/C to get to the Steve Irwin Zoo by opening at 9. We arrived in the parking lot at 8:30, breakfasted and packed lunches from our community food kitty and spent the entire day in the zoo, while our guide spent the day getting the AC fixed - great use of time!





Still learning layout tricks on this system... Photo 1 is the entrance sign so I know where I took the photos... Photo 2 is snack time for the crocks with the goofy Americans first on the menu, just kidding, he's a 14 ft long preserved croc. No way I'd be that close to a live one. Even the lizards running free like our zoo pigeons were freaking me out (photo # 5). The prerequisite kangaroo feeding (3) and (4) a wombat on a leash. The park was ridiculously expensive to gain admission ($48/person) but was fastidiously clean and there were visible improvements in every exhibit. It appears that the death of Steve Irwin has given the means to preserve and improve the park, the employees and visitors feel a deep sense of honor to support the animals he used to educate the public and protect. The amount of information about each animal was impressive. I took lots of photos of each for future kid reports - not everyone will have a cassowary report in 5th grade.

This was the morning I only saw my live kangaroos as we were leaving our campground, they were grazing near the entrance much like deer. I came to realize that we see kangas as an exotic animal and to the Australians, they are much like our deer - roving grazers that don't respect private property, populations explode and the meat is highly nutritious and sustainable. I read an article that kangaroo meat is one of the most healthy available in the world due to the fact that they exist in a less polluted habitat, get vital exercise in their method of movement, eat a more healthy natural diet than commercially raised cattle and chicken and have less fat due to their energy level. I only tried kangaroo meat once and it was a taste which reminded me of dark meat turkey crossed with steak texture.

This week will be busy with errands prepping for the SD trip, one last surgical post-op appt., getting the guys to help with packing and just getting it all completed before 10:00 a.m. Saturday?! I'll touch base from SD as Dan will not leave home w/o his laptop. He will be the photo guru for the week to capture all the festivities. He did so well with Denise's wedding, it's now a given role for him and makes social interaction easier to hide behind a camera.

It will be a week of pushing the envelope and many, many naps - pray for patience, energy and safe travels. I may post again later this week, but time may get away from me. I'll at least make a short one after the surgeon report on Wed.

Peace and Blessings!
Michelle ;-P 8 >= <-- me wearing said bikini, the emoticons just keep getting more unique...

Whitsunday Island Sailing trip

Ian is getting sprung early from Mary Bridge! He will be home Friday and go in weekly for treatments. He has been a real trooper during this period and his body is responding well to the chemotherapy. Many thanks for the prayers and holding his family in our hearts!

I was up 6 hours today and went to the dentist, the bad news is I have a toothache, the good news is it is just an overactive nerve that can be topically desensitized. I was fearing a root canal on top of everything else. Whew! Maybe my luck is holding out! The boys last day of school is Friday and Joe will transfer to Federal Way Public Academy for 8th grade. Nick will stay at KMVA until he joins Joe for 6th grade - he'll be in 5th next year. Summer will be busy with sports camps, some math skills classes for Joe and possibly science summer classes, a trip to South Dakota and a possible camping trip to Orcas Island. So much to do and only 8 weeks of school break?!

Your reward is more Australia photos! Today we are in Airlie Beach and take a sailing trip to the Whitsunday Islands. The Whitsundays is a popular vacation spot for native Aussies and I can see why, beautiful pristine beaches, amazing resorts (way out of my $ range) and friendly folks.


Meg, Sylvia and Joe BBQ kabobs on the beach for the hungry masses - since we didn't eat until 9 p.m., most had preciously hit the bottle shop and any form of protein was hastily consumed without regard for taste or doneness. I stuck to roasted veggies that night as the gals were not the most thorough cooks... such is the luck of the draw with communal cooking.





Took this sailing vessel to the Whitsundays. It carried a crew of 8 and about 50 passengers and was a very soothing trip. I napped both ways on the deck. Luckily, I was buddied with Caroline a med student who was fastidious about sunscreen application every 2 hours, so I didn't burn to a crisp.







Petra, Jurgen, Caroline and Me. By that time, the four of us were getting tired of the other 10, so it was good to be apart for several hours break. We were kind of the four odd men out. Jurgen spoke mainly German and the British kids spoke too quickly for him, Petra was 30 - nuf said and Caroline was responsible and fun to be around.
We clicked and would separate when the "kids" got on our nerves.





Whitsunday Island Beach - the sand had so much silica, it was not hot to the touch on your feet, the water was pure turquoise and clear. This is the beach I visualized during my MRI and CT scans. So good to have that in my imagination to pull up for those periods. Never knew how useful it would come to be in the near future!

Peace and blessings!
Michelle ;-P

Back Down Under! Mission Beach Sunrise

This is a SUNRISE on the Pacific! One of the highlights of my trip - I had to get up at 5 a.m. to capture it and I shot photos for 45 minutes. One of those "moments" of the trip with no cost but my investment of time and awe. Like the Mastercard commercial: Airline ticket to Australia: $4500 on Mastercard; tour expenses: $1200 on Mastercard; seeing your first ever SUNRISE over the Pacific in 40 years: Priceless.






My cohorts for the excursion of the morning, Petra and Natalie. Petra was so sunburned from the previous day's whitewater raft trip that she was awake when we were heading to the beach and I showed her that vinegar takes the sting out of sunburn. Bottles of vinegar are posted along AUS beaches to alleviate jelly stings. Nat was from Wales and Petra from Amsterdam.







These photos are from a sunrise over the Pacific at 5:00 a.m. on the first week in AUS. The birds were making so much ruckus and the humidity was climbing even at that ungodly hour, being up was better than being in a sticky sleeping bag and we got first showers to boot.

This is a kookaburra who posed for us and watched the sunrise as well. This is the closest I ever got to one and they have a heck of a laugh. These birds are AUS national alarm clocks.


Two more days of school for the boys and I'll sort through more photos to post tomorrow. Peace and Blessings,

Michelle ;-P

How am I feeling - 2 weeks post-op

I keep getting asked how I feel and hadn't really thought about it much. Physically, the scars are healing well considering what was done, I feel some intestinal progress just under the skin surface which can be unsettling, but glad it is working as intended. Emotionally, relieved that this recovery period will be the most difficult part of the return to full health/activity, a new sense of priorities to take care of myself and become dedicated to daily exercise, eager to enjoy the boys for the summer break and enjoy being a mom again.

Mentally, I feel much more ambitious than my body can support - I want to leap and turn cartwheels and go do all sorts of things now that I'm without cancer that I could not muster interest in last month; but my body will revolt if I try, so I'm just making a long list of things to do when I can do them. I took a good look in the mirror last night and 6 weeks off daily maintenance of the little things is a lot of energy to restore - legs need to be shaved, brows and lip waxed, the gray hairs are in far ahead of the coloring schedule - no small wonder I've been under a LITTLE stress recently. The boys' rooms are toxic waste dumps and the housekeeping, well, it's non-existent. But in the big picture, all is well. In a few weeks, I'll be hustling at full capacity (mid-July), and can recover what's wacky now in a dedicated week of work... I haven't even considered the backlog there, the first day back will be a doozy - too ambitious for this week.

Spiritually, I still feel very blessed, thankful and on the right track. I see a need to find a purpose even more strongly, probably from all the Oprah magazines I've been reading. Why have an article about a destitute women's village in Africa right next to cellulite reduction program cream and pills - our values are so skewed; they need assistance to survive and would be thrilled to have enough reserve fat to form cellulite. We wouldn't survive a week in the life of a really impoverished woman in the third world. We have no idea how fortunate we are to be born here, have access to medical care, food, family, conveniences, roads, traffic, and all the blights of progressive society to complain about.

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle ;-P

Mission Beach, QLD in 10/07

When we were not housed in hostels, we "beach camped" this was our first stop - Mission Beach Caravan Park. I would have been happy to stay here for a few days - it was our longest stop of 3 days. The kids sky dove onto the beach, white water rafted and hung in town and at the beach. I shopped for a bikini, saw some waterfalls (!) and hung at the beach. This time was when we started hitting the high humidity at 7:30 a.m. Sarongs and bikinis no matter what shape you are in.

This is our oh so cozy travel bus for 14 passengers and the blue trailer held all of our worldly possessions en route - tents, sleeping bags and pads, cooking utensils and FOOD!


Milla Milla Falls - the highlight of the day. The kids were white water rafting and our guide took us on a three waterfall loop so we got to see some of the natural beauty of the area - don't ask where it is, I have no clue - it was a good thing we were driving with a local.

The pool was a welcome amenity with the humidity. We hung at the deep end and drank beer at the hottest part of the day - no glass near the pool but cans are OK and I never drink beer except when it is the only thing to cool you off.

Sylvia, Megan and Jurgen at far table, Alex, Charlotte and Charlie at near. Waiting for the rest of the group to break camp and travel.

We have a really great sunrise OVER the Pacific tomorrow a.m. to share...

Michelle ;-P

Escape to Australia anyone?

This weather sure sucks for June, and my energy level sagged so I took a step back today. Drove boys to school, bed, tea, chat with Lucy, bed, pick up boys, send Joe for one errand on the way home, bed, phone calls, computer work, shower, dinner, bed. What an exciting day... Up for an Australian escape? Good, me too!


Nat, Caroline, Alex, Charlotte cold and wet on glass-bottom boat trip.











Me with giant clam shell on Michaelmas Cay.
$15K fine to take that puppy home - that would have blown a big hole in the vacation budget on the first day of tour.








From left Sylvia, Charlie, Petra, Meg, me Adam, Charlie, Ellie (blonde w/back to us) we are signing the releases to do snorkeling and scuba. I didn't do either, having just met my group and not sure who would truly stick with a new partner - I observed. It was also about 60 degrees and a bit nippy.



Staghorn coral from glass-bottom boat trip. No other photos came out well and I really missed the sea turtle. That one had to be experienced live.

Weather improved the next day as we hit Mission Beach. Camped in an RV park and it was the best so far b/c it had a pool. We hit the humid weather then and spent HOURS just hanging in the pool and viewing Mirra Mirra Falls. MUCH better photos come tomorrow!

Michelle ;-P