Holding My Breath

I think I just realized today that I am holding my breath every once in awhile. Big scans, blood work and doctors appointments for Rich this Friday and the following Monday. REMISSION, no signs of cancer are the words we are praying to hear on Monday April 7th when we meet with Rich's team at the City of Hope. I am not letting my brain go any further than those exact words. March has been a great a month and I am kind of sad to see it end. Rich feeling better, birthday's, trips to Vegas and Easter, Jeff, Mike and Meghan doing just fine and living life. Yeah, it has been a good March 2008. This weekend was really good, Rich had his first glass of wine since last November, went to friends for dinner Friday, a surprise birthday party last night, he went and hit a bucket of golf balls, he walks around the lake nearly everyday. You don't realize how much you like your normal life til it goes away for a short (I say short - now) time and comes back. Love NOTHING, just the everyday.... in other words just taking a walk, hitting some golf balls, watching TV, having a glass of tea. Who needs excitement (although we still have plenty at Hyland's Island), when Normal feels so right. AMEN! Love to everyone along with lots of ALOHA spirit and enjoy the last couple of days of a GREAT month MARCH. Off to try and be creative...

30th BD - Fun- FishTales - Next Chapter

Celebrated Jeff's 30th birthday by going out on a half day fishing boat Sunday. We went on the San Mateo out of Dana Wharf Fishing company they were GREAT and I highly recommend them. Everyone put money in the pot for the biggest fish and guess who won.... Grandma (my mom), she won for biggest, most, last and whatever other category there might have been. That Fish is a 30 to 50 pound Black Sea Bass, it is about 20+ years old and protected so yes, it went back into the ocean. It took mom all of her 71 years and lots of help from the captain about 30 minutes to land this beauty. They even strapped her in that apparatus that you put around your body to hold the pole... You can see it in the picture looks like a fanny pack almost. GOOD JOB MOM. Needless to say it is the biggest fish she has ever caught and at one point the captain said to her "that's no rainbow trout"... Obviously.... It was a great day and all the fisher people came back here after the trip to celebrate with BBQ, brownies and cookies. We celebrated 3 birthdays, Jeff his friend Nelo and our nephew Jonathan who turned 10 on Sunday. I hope he looks back and really remembers how much fun his 10th birthday was someday.

SHE DID IT! Meghan's 2nd time ever scrapbooking and she completed a MAYA ROAD, album this weekend of her and Michael's trip to Oahu from last June. Her technique, texture and arts form was so very cool. She must be a natural cause she just sat at the scrap table and off she went. It was so amazing to see her using so many different techniques (and lots of product, I too need to make room for the new stuff) UNDERSTAND- she has never looked inside a scrap book magazine and as far as I know she has never been on line to scrap sites.

The pink & blue page you can't tell by the picture but she took fabric and rolled it up into a frame and safety pinned it with little pins. So much creativity. The only other time Meghan scrapped was at the Scrapbook Oasis, back in the spring when we took a class. It kind of feels like when your child takes their first steps or makes honor roll or graduates from college.

Meghan and Mike being here for the weekend was so nice. They could not stay for fishing -Not enough time wish they could stay for weeks or months. Michael had to get back to work yesterday and Meghan had yet another round of Chemo. We got to see her in one of her new wigs and she looked like a total rock star. Our news on hubby was not what we expected or wanted last week either... Lymphoma is still there and the treatment he received last May did not work the way it was supposed to or the way we wanted it to. More scans next week and we will meet with the doctor to discuss our next chapter and course of action. Maybe more Chemo and maybe City of Hope for a stem cell transplant... Prayers for Meghan and Rich are always appreciated.

This is Hard

Day one of Rich's harvest is now turning into day 4 tomorrow. They are almost done with harvesting the stem cells but one more long day to go. To say he/we have seen enough of the Hoag Cancer center is an understatement. Wow there are some really sick people that go there for treatment and it does not feel to me that we are sick like they are so my question is what are we doing there? We both need a really good night sleep and it is just about impossible for him to sleep with that catheter in his right shoulder - has to sleep on his back... Can't wait for tomorrow to be over for my wonderful husband, the harvest should be complete and they will pull the catheter. I get the day off and I am already feeling guilty since I am going to play a little tennis and go to lunch with a friend - late birthday gift...We have logged a lot of together hours over the past three days. The day ended great. Mom and I went to David's Salon in Costa Mesa to get our hair tinted, weaved and cut we look beautiful. Early BD gift for mom since her birthday is on Easter Sunday this year....

Tomorrow's Harvest

Monday April 2, 2007. Big day they will be harvesting Rich's bone marrow/stem cells and putting them in the bank in case they are needed in the future. He has an unbelievable doctor who met him at his office in Fashion Island yesterday at 6:30 am for his shots and he met us there again today at 11:15 on a Sunday so Rich could get the next round of shots... We love this guy and know God has put us in good hands to fight and manage this lymphoma. Rich is amazing and handling this all so well, I feel he handles it better than me. Sometimes it all seems so distant and not real but as tomorrow gets closer it gets all to real very fast. My love my inspiration- I think I have a new saying for a scrapbook page "we each have our own wings - but together we can SOAR". We need to soar together right now to lift each other up... trying times again. Counting the blessings - Counting the blessings - Counting the blessings. Time to go finish those Easter cards I need to get mailed off tomorrow... Creativity helps everything as long as you can put one foot in front of the other and avoid the fetal ball position.

First Shot

Hubby had his first shot today of the medication that is supposed to make him make more blood cells so they can harvest his bone marrow next Monday... He is so brave only five more shots to go...

This Week????

yes ????? what will this week hold and be like...BIG QUESTION! Things I know for sure... I am officially older this week than last and as my hubby would say "are we done Celebrating your birthday yet?" My response and life lesson to live by is this... "the older you get the fewer birthdays you have left... so you need to celebrate them longer..." especially longer than for one freaking day.... REALLY. WE find out about when the bone marrow stem cell harvest will take place this week. Waiting for Hoag hospital to call to confirm. Hubby is ready to go and feels he has settled in on the treatment that will be covered by insurance. Had a scare last week with the other lymphoma treatment drug and a Doctor asking for $30,000. As Rich said not ready to mortgage the house yet. I know it is all in God's hands so I will continue to pray for God's will and guidance. He is ultimate healer... NEXT... I am ready for National Scrapping book day already... Need to know what my favorite store is up too... I won't dilly dally this year I want my name to be first on the list!... Pleasure is a cup of warm TAZO ZEN green tea in the afternoon.... try it..

Bone Marrow

Later today they will be testing my sweet hubby's body to be sure he is making bone marrow before they go further with his next stage of Lymphoma treatment. It will be in the Doc's office so that is good. Says he will just have to wear his Ipod so he does not hear the sound... YUCK. God love him he has a word doc all typed out and ready to go with about 20 questions. The questions have more to do with further treatments and the future than what is going on today. He is brave.

On a lighter note had a great time at my first every St. Patrick's Day party at our new neighbors but long time acquaintances home. Didn't know limericks could be so dirty. Although some were funny. What a great Party and the corned beef and cabbage so very good. Birthday tomorrow and I will finally get to have a glass of wine. Going to Newport Landing in Newport Beach, one of my favorite places and I have a bottle of my favorite wine "Stags Leap" Merlot- being on those antibiotics it's been a long dry spell with no wine.... Oh I take that back had a sip at Communion yesterday... Lord knows I need that time for forgiveness. Almost done with my scrappy room.... I can see the floor and half the table. I will have to post before and after pictures later.... Love

Happy SPD to you!

HAPPY St. Patrick's day to you.... My mom tells me I was due on SPD but decided to show up the first day of spring instead. I think my name was going to be Michael Patrick had I been the joy of being a boy. Can you imagine she was only 18 years old (turned 19 a couple of weeks later). We joke about how we will be old people together. When she is 80 (God willing) I will be 60.... seniors together! We can both get the discounts together at Denny's (YUCK). Have a great day and a Green beer for me I think the only thing around here that will be green is the leftover guacamole.

YIPPPPEEEE

How darn exciting to see my name under the blogs list on the Scrapbook Oasis site... I feel like one of the cool people now.... Love that store. And another big YIPPPEEE only 4 days tell we leave for Orlando and Disney World with the nieces... any advise? BUNCO tonight with the BUNCO sisters can't wait to see them - the last time was in October.. wow was it really that long ago...

Yesterday

was an absolutely beautiful day. Love waking up to those clear Southern California Blue Skies... uhhh! Since hubby was still not 100% he cancelled his normal Saturday tee time and we spent some Saturday time together. Took a walk up to Ruby's Restaurant for breakfast along with Jeff. Went to Green Thumb nursery, brought some plants, came home planted them and then prepared for some company. Friends visited and we sat outside at Hyland's Island with the fireplace on and some blankets for more warmth, under the clear star filled night skies, talked visited and enjoyed each other company... It was our little piece of heaven right here on earth.

Hoag Hospital

is not a place you want to spend four hours (be there by 6:30 am) but you do what you have to do and the entire time you just pray for good results and conclusive results. Yes, hubby had to have that needle CT biopsy again today. A year ago they could not get enough of that little bugger lymph to be conclusive but doctor was 99% sure the lymphoma had returned... so he treated for a year and the current "manage your disease" routine is not working and again we are trying for some type of confirmation to move onto the next step....

How do I feel... not sure. We have seen tougher times when he was a stage 4 in November 2001. Being a stage 1 in February 2007, not the best news but liveable. And to quote the guy I have been married to for 32 years... LIFE IS GOOD.

So good in fact that we leave for Orlando with the neices in less than two weeks... Something very positive out there in the near future and I can not wait to take pictures, pictures and more pictures and come home and scrap 4ever... Can't wait to use my new lens too.

FIRST TIME AGAIN

Here it is again Hyland's Island BLOG maybe the 8th time is the charm... I so want to have a blog if not to share my fifty (ish) thoughts with the world than just a random place for me to Journal what is happening in our life at the Island. Like most people I so lose track of what I did last week, come to think of it I lose track of what I did yesterday. Does anyone have brain adhesive? Maybe I could get some stuff to stick. Not that I am complaining (although I can) it is just that recently when I tried to look back on some of the detail of 2006, and the many places we went, the great things we did and spending time with friends it all seems a little fuzzy and the thoughts, feelings and emotions I experienced at the time (and the things that made us laugh) all seemed to fade... Being a blogger along with a scrapbooker seems to be the answer at least for now...