My Battles with Cancer!!!

Chemotherapy

2011-03-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have one more dose of Busulfan left and then I'm moving onto Cyclophosphamide, Mesna, Thymoglobulin and Tacrolimus for the next three days. (Days -3, -2 and -1) Cyclophosphamide is another chemotherapy to kill off all my cells before the transplant (day 0). The Mesna is used so I don't get any harmful effects in my bladder due to the chemo. Thymoglobulin and Tacrolimus are medicines to help prevent rejection after the transplant. I will also be taking Methotrexate on day +1, +3, +6 and day +11, this drug is used to help prevent Graft vs. Hose Disease.

This whole experience is really taking a toll on me emotionally. I can't see my kids which is very hard for me. The girls text me a lot especially Hailey. I am missing out on Hailey's birthday party today because we didn't think it would be a good idea to have me around a bunch of kids right before my transplant. It will be nice because Taylor is going to help Josh with the party. Taylor promised to take tons of pictures for me. I can't wait to see them.

I'm actually going to see about meeting with Doctor about getting my anti-depression and anti-anxiety meds increased. I'm tired of crying all the time. I know that this is not an easy process and there is a lot of fighting that I need to do but I need a little more help to keep it under control. I miss my family and home so much. This is great being in such a big hospital room but its hard at the same time.

I'm gonna go for now and see if I can catch the kids and Josh on Skype. We bought a webcam for my laptop so we can see each other. I love you all very much!!!

Back at the hospital

2011-03-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back in the hospital for my transplant. I was was checked in yesterday after I was finished with getting a PICC line put in. It was not the best experience because I have weird blood vanes. My regular chest port is on my left side so they wanted to use my right arm for my PICC line. Well since I have weird vanes they were not able to thread the cord to the correct part of my body so it only went into the mid part of my chest. So we will use the PICC line for just the stem cells and we are using my chest port access for everything else.

I'm on day 2 of chemo and have 6 days left. Then on March 29th, I will do the actual transplant. I was fortunate to find out my donor is a 10 out of 10 match, 50 year old female. Thats all they will tell me about her for up to a year. My hospital room is amazing, it is huge. I have a closet and a dresser for my clothes. I also have table and three chairs, plus a recliner bed for visitors. Not that they really want me having too many overnight visitors but once in a while is okay.

Monday the 21st was Hailey's birthday so it was really nice I didn't have to go into the hospital until after her birthday. Dad is letting her have a slumber party this weekend which I'm bummed I'm going to miss. We couldn't take the chance of me getting sick before I came in. Taylor is in charge of taking pictures so I will get some uploaded after the party.

Well I'm gonna go and relax for a while, take a shower and wait for Josh to get here. I am going to do my best at updating my blog on a more daily basis, so please feel free to leave comments and I will comment back.

xoxo

10 out of 10 Match

2011-02-27T17:50:00.000-08:00

We got GREAT news this last Thursday...They have found me a bone marrow donor. The donor is a 10 out of 10 match!!! We don't know much more than that right now but we will find out more on Tuesday when we meet with the transplant doctor. My Oncologist did say that it could be within the next few weeks, so I shouldn't need to do another consolidation treatment. I will need to do one more bone marrow biopsy before the transplant to be 100% certain the cancer is still gone!!!

I have to admit I wasn't really sure how to react when my oncologist told me the good news. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy but at the same time I am pretty scared. I actually just requested some more learning material from NMDP or National Marrow Donor Program. The NMDP has support resources for patients, caregivers and families.

One of the guidelines of the transplant is that I can't know who my donor is for one year. Also my donor will not know who I am. At the one year mark either party can request to get the others information. I am so greatful that there are people who are willing to be donors. Thank you so much to the man or woman who is a perfect match to me, you are truly a lifesaver.

I will post more on Tuesday after I meet with the transplant doctor.

xoxoxo

Going home

2011-02-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

Just finished up my first five day consolidation treatment. It actually hasn't been too bad. The nausea still comes and goes but nothing I can't deal with! I will be back in about 30 days for another consolidation treatment and as long as my blood work stays in line I won't need to get another bone marrow biopsy.

I'm still waiting to be matched up with a bone marrow donor, so hopefully I hear something soon. If a donor is found we will move straight to a transplant and no more consolidation treatments. I'm really nervous about the transplant but I know it needs to be done. I could be in the hospital for a minimum of 30 days which I don't look forward too. It's really hard being away from the family that long.

Well enough about that for now. I'm gonna go home and enjoy my family!!!!

Xoxoxo

Great news!!!!

2011-02-02T16:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry I didn't write yesterday. I do have great news, the cancer is still gone and I only need to do 5 days of treatment. Below is a breakdown of my treatment.

Tuesday night - 1 bag of chemo
Wednesday morning - 1 bag of chemo
Rest
Thursday night - 1 bag of chemo
Friday morning - 1 bag of chemo
Rest
Saturday night - 1 bag of chemo
Sunday morning - 1 bag of chemo

On my rest days I get to go downstairs to the gift shop or the cafe, get a little fresh air. Much different from my last visit!!!

I get to leave Sunday after the chemo is done. Each bag takes about 3 hours to complete. I should be home in time for football, not that I'm a big football fan but it will still be nice.

The girls and Josh should be here any minute so I will write more later!

Xoxo

Back at UC Davis

2011-01-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last post. I kind of lost my motivation for a while. I ended up being in the hospital from November 5th to January 4th! I got really depressed and didn't even want to get out of bed. I wasn't on Facebook much, didn't really have any interest in reading or writing. I pretty much slept my days away. That was until my mom flew down from Idaho to put her foot in my ass. Lol.

I think the hardest part was being confined to the same room for so long and not being able to do Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas morning. I didn't get to help with any cooking, shopping or any of the fun of the holidays. Josh was wonderful though, he made a homemade Thanksgiving dinner and brought it to me at the hospital. It was awesome! For Christmas the kids and Josh brought me up a mini decorated tree for my room, it was perfect! Then Christmas morning they all came up and we opened presents and hung out for the day.

On January 4th, when I was discharged Josh planned a great surprise for my arrival home. My mom drove me home from the hospital and every 20 minutes Josh would call her so I knew they were up to something. When we pulled into the driveway I had about 15 people in the driveway holding big poster boards that said "Welcome Home". It was such a great surprise and then
Josh made me his homemade Chili! The family really pulled together and got the house super clean. It was great!

The last couple weeks have been family time at the Steele household. We've been to a couple movies, went out to lunches or dinners with friends, played on the wii. Since I got discharged with all my counts being up I was able to be out and about and not have to worry too much. While I was home Fox40 news and several other local companies organized a blood drive at the Modesto mall in my honor. I actually was on tv because I got interviewed by Fox40. It was a great day and such an awesome experience. The goal was to get 100 donors to attend the event, the actual count was 131. I can't thank everyone enough for their participation.

Today I was admitted back to UC Davis to get a bone marrow biopsy, which we just finished up
doing. Thanks Dr. Sands you did an awesome job, I barely felt a thing. We are hoping to have the preliminary report tomorrow so we can start the next round of chemotherapy. As long as no cancer cells show in the biopsy then I am here for a 5 day consolidation treatment. Very
worse case and they do see cancer cells then I will need to redo the induction process, which
could keep me here for a month. So needless to say I am praying for no cancer cells!!!!

I am going to do my very best to keep my blog updated on a more regular basis. Thank you all so much for the love and support!

G.I. Jane

2010-12-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Okay so I finally decided to shave my head. Between the amount I pulled out in the shower and how much I pulled out when I was trying to comb it I said enough is enough.

Sorry its been a while since I've updated my blog. I haven't been feeling to good the past week and I've been spending a lot of time in bed. The doctor actually gave me my own pain pump so I don't have to bug my nurses as much. lol

The great news is that my bone marrow biopsy came back clean. In terms of Leukemia I have hit remission so now I'm just waiting for my numbers to go back up so I can go home. I will still undergo more chemo treatments and I will still undergo the bone marrow transplant just not sure when. I will try better to keep my blog updated.

xoxo

My new haircut

2010-12-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

Nana came down from Redding today to cut my hair!!! It's been falling out like crazy so hopefully this will make things a bit nicer!!

Nausea

2010-12-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

I am on my last day of chemo and I can't believe how badly the nausea has gotten to me this time. I know they have all these meds that are suppose to help but they make me sleepy and I sleep my whole day away. The docs say that I'll probably have a few more days of feeling like this before I feel better. Hopefully by the time the girls come up for a visit this weekend I will feel better.

Black Friday

2010-11-26T14:37:00.000-08:00

To my extended family at JCPenney's, I really hope you guys have a great day today! I wish I was there to be with you through the craziness!! I remember opening last year and I had a blast. It was crazy but it was a ton of fun!!! Love you all very much!!

Mom and dad left for Idaho today. Hopefully the weather doesn't slow them down too much. There are quite of few bad winter storms they are gonna have to drive through, so please keep them in your thoughts.

Bone Marrow Biopsy Results

2010-11-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

Well I made it through the biopsy with minimal pain. Thank goodness for pain meds. The doc just came in to let me know that there is still some Leukemia cells in my bone marrow. So it looks like my hospital stay just got extended :-( I will need to do a 7 day chemotherapy treatment, starting tonight. It will consist of two different kind of chemotherapy drugs. I will start both tonight and one of them will last for 3 days and the other will continue until day 7.

Petechiae

2010-11-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning with my legs feeling like they were on fire. I remember waking up last night because I was itching them. Well the doc came in to tell me that it is Petechiae, due to my low platelet count. From the sounds of it this is pretty normal when the platelet count is so low. The doctor is going to give me a steroid creme and I'm also going to get a platelet transfusion today.

Petechiae (pronounced puh-TEE-kee-ee) are pinpoint, round spots that appear on the skin as a result of bleeding under the skin. The bleeding causes the petechiae to appear red, brown or purple. Petechiae may look like a rash.

Leukemia

2010-11-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

I've decided to start blogging again, so my first post is gonna be an update.

Over the last couple months I have been feeling really run down. I was having really bad headaches and this crazy pulsating in my right ear. So after meeting with my doctor, he had me get lab work done and a CT scan of my head on October 6th. After review of the lab work and scan, I was admitted to the hospital on October 7th. I was told that I had a sinus infection and that I was anemic and that I needed to get a blood transfusion. Over the next month or so, I had more lab work done and the doctor mentioned the chance that the cancer may be back. On November 3rd, I had a Bone Marrow Biopsy to confirm that I did have cancer. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

On November 6th, I was admitted to UC Davis to begin my battle with Leukemia. The treatment plan for Leukemia is so much different than Lymphoma. The first part of the treatment is called an Induction, which will keep me in the hospital for about a month. After about a months time, I will get to go home for a couple weeks and then return for a process call Consolidation. Consolidation is a 5 day hospital stay of chemotherapy and then I go home to get my counts back up. From what I'm told I will do about 4 Consolidation treatments. I have been told that the doctors also want to do a Bone Marrow Transplant. Not all Leukemia patients get a transplant but considering I am a previous cancer patient it is a very good idea to do so. This will help reduce my chances of another relapse.

So has of today, Monday November 22nd, I am still in the hospital. The doctors are meeting with the transplant team today to decide a time frame for the transplant.   The doctors I spoke with last week stated that if approved I could be getting a transplant within the next couple months depending if we can find a bone marrow donor match in that time. I'm hoping to hear an outcome of the doctors meeting sometime today or tomorrow.

The doctors tell me that I will be here for about another week and half to two weeks. My WBC or white blood count needs to get to a certain number before they will let me go home. During the Consolidation treatments I will go home to get my counts to go back up. The doctors tell me that the transplant will be another 30 day stay in the hospital. So I will definitely be sick of the hospitals by the time I'm done but it will be well worth it.

I've been using Facebook to keep my friends and family updated but the downfall of Facebook is I am limited to the amount of words I can type. I've decided that I put so much time into this blog when I was going through Lymphoma that I am going to take the same effort for Leukemia.   So please feel free to leave comments on my post. I would love to hear from you all!!!

JUST STAND UP!

2010-09-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

Mobile Blogging

2010-09-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

Trying to figure out how this mobile blogging works!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

September 2010

2010-09-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I have let my blog go for so long. I've decided that I am going to start blogging again. I'll start with an update of the last 2 years or so.

Update:

I'm now 33 years old and still cancer free. My last check up was about 6 months ago. We are still living in Manteca. Taylor is now in the 8th grade and she is still involved in band. She is getting really excited about becoming a freshman next year. Hailey is in the 4th grade and she joined choir this year. Josh is now working at Red Robin as a bartender / server, and I am now working full time at JCPenney. I am the jcp.com/catalog supervisor.

Since I won my fight with cancer I have been fighting my battle with obesity. When I was going through my chemotherapy the doctor had me on steroids, so needless to say I put on a lot of weight. But the good news is I have taken off 60 pounds and I am working on the last 60 pounds. I was doing really well for a while and then after my promotion at work, I started working full time hours and not going to the gym or eating like I should. I think the fact that I just had another birthday has made me realize life is moving forward and its not waiting for me to loose weight. So I better loose weight so I can move forward with my life. I want to be there for my children and their children. (Which better be many many years from now, lol) Life is too short to just sit back and watch it fly by.

I'm going to blog more. I don't promise that it will be everyday, but I will make more of an effort to keep up on it. Not every two years lol.

Some pics from my mom's camera

2008-12-29T19:58:00.001-08:00

WHERE HAVE I BEEN????

2008-12-28T20:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been 6 months since I have written on my blog. My life has seemed non-stop the last several months. Where do I begin?

Lets see! As you all know I just started my new job at Mervyns in July. My processing company was pretty much extinct. I had maybe three loans if I was lucky. I decided that I was going to sign up for the Medical Terminology class at our local adult school. Also, the girls went back to school in August. Hailey in the 2nd grade and Taylor in the 6th grade.

In September, Josh bought me airplane ticket to go to Idaho for my birthday. It was great, only my brother and LeeAnn knew I was coming. My mom flew my grandpa out for his birthday the same weekend. So it was great to be able to surprise my mom and dad but also my grandpa. (pictures to follow - I have not been very good about keeping my pictures up to date, so I had to ask my mom to email me some) The last couple months have been pretty busy with work and school.

Found out at the end of October that Mervyn's is going out of business. So starting November 1st, the liquidation company was in charge. November and December were crazy busy because I was finishing up first quarter for school and working almost full time hours. I ended up passing Terminology 1 with a 96%. I am so proud of myself. I start Terminology 2 on January 5th, I can't wait. Once I finish the class in March, I will receive a Certificate of Completion. I'm hoping it helps my resume enough to get me into something in the medical industry.

I did end up getting a job at JC Penney's though. I will be working in the Window Coverings department. I will get paid hourly plus commission. A great possibility of full time, which means benefits, so hopefully I can get medical insurance again.
I really need to get insurance again because it's been over 6 months since my last PET Scan. I've been feeling good but I still have that worry inside of me. Every once in a while I get a tightness feeling in the area my tumor was. The only other problem is that I get crazy numbness in my hands, especially my right hand. I'm sure it has to do with my carpel tunnel, its just gotten so much worse since I went through chemo.

Josh is still at the Elephant Bar. He also has been extremely busy. He has a few different job titles at the restaurant. Sometimes, he does "Maintenance", others days he is a "Server", occasionally a "Trainer, and about one to two times a week he is a "Shift Leader". His check actually have 4 different wages. He is loving it and really hoping to get more into a management position.

We also moved right before Thanksgiving into the house Nana has been fixing up. (Right behind the house we were in) Since Nana owns both houses, she offered us to move into the bigger one and she is going to rent out the smaller one. It has been great. We had both Thanksgiving and Christmas at our house.

I truly hope everyone has been doing well during my absence. I am going to do better about being in touch with more people. I hope you all had Happy Holidays and are looking forward to the New Year!!

XOXO

ALL CLEAN

2008-07-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

I got my PET Scan results back and everything is normal. I can't believe how stressed out I was waiting to hear back for the results. My doctor is going to have me go ahead and get a venogram done because of the collapsed blood vein in my right arm. It could be the cause of the pain and tingling I get. Who knows!!! I've had problems with carpal tunnel in the past, I wouldn't be surprised if it is just that. Anyway, the venogram is done a lot like a CT scan, so should be pretty painless. And the great news is that I don't have to drink the baruim mixture. They inject me with a special dye for the venogram.

Well I finally got my schedule for my new job and I have to say I am a bit disappointed. I get a whole whoppin 8 hours. 2 - four hour shifts... I knew going into this that it was part-time but I really thought it would be closer to the 20 hours a week mark. I'm still looking for another job, so maybe one of my applications will come through for me.

Well, I'm gonna run for now but I will try to post more often.

xoxo

PET Scan

2008-07-08T12:41:00.001-07:00

Today, I got my PET Scan done, so hopefully by the end of the week I will have the results back. Getting a PET Scan done is so much nicer than a CT Scan. I can't stand that disgusting barium sulfate crap that you have to drink before a CT Scan. I can barely get it down without getting sick.

The girls should be home by Friday. I can't wait!!! I'm getting stir-crazy without them around. I decided that I would clean both of their bedrooms before they came home. WOW, TAYLOR IS A MESS!! All I can say now is "They better stay clean!" lol yeah right!

Today, I have orientation for my new part-time seasonal job at Mervyns. I was really hoping it was going to be full-time but they did say they may hire a few people on once the back to school rush is over. I'll just have to prove to them I'm a hard worker and I want to stay. A lot of the girls that got hired are in school, so that will work to my advantage a bit.

Anyway, gotta run! I hope everyone is doing well. I'm not sure how many readers I have anymore but that isn't going to stop me from blogging.

xoxo

4th of July in Idaho

2008-07-05T11:29:00.001-07:00

The girls looked like they had a blast!! They should be in home in about a week, I can't wait.

Space Needle

2008-07-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks mom!! Here are a few pictures from the Space Needle in Seattle Washington. The girls look like they had a blast!

The Girls in Idaho - Week 2

2008-07-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures my mom sent me. This is their trip over to Seattle, Washington for Jim & Krissy's wedding. They got to go to the Space Needle, on a ferry ride and even got to see snow in June. By the way mom, wheres the pictures at the Space Needle?

Josh and I are missing the girls like crazy and are counting down the days until they get home.

xoxo

CT Results

2008-06-30T15:47:00.001-07:00

The results are in...NEED MORE TESTING!!

I really hate to hear that but it is what it is. The CT Scan showed that I have enlarged lymphnodes. It aslo showed a collapsed blood vessel in my right armpit area. My doctor says I could be one of those people that just have larger lymphnodes but she wants to be certain so she has ordered a PET Scan. She is forwarding the CT Scan to a vascular doctor to look at the collapsed blood vessel. She doesn't seem to concerned but we would rather be safe than sorry. The PET Scan does such a better job picking up Lymphoma than a CT Scan does, so I'm all for it.

To be honest, I feel okay about this. At first to hear that more testing had to be done had me a little discouraged but I'm trying to be more positive. I'm a bigger girl, so why not have bigger lymphnodes. Hey, I have to be positive or I would drive myself absolutely crazy. Especially with the girls not home, I have way to much time to think about it.

My parents and the girls went to Seattle this weekend for one of my lifelong friends wedding. I wish I could have been there. I will share pictures once my mom sends them to me. Congratulations, Krissy and Jim!!!

XOXO

The Girls in Idaho - Week 1

2008-06-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well, the girls have been gone for a little over a week now. They drove up with Josh's Nana to Idaho last week. On Friday, my mom and dad picked them up and will have them for about 3 weeks and then they will drive back down with Nana. My mom sent me some pictures from their first week away.

I can't believe how quiet is has been around here. I think I'm going crazy. I don't know what to do with myself. I have been taking a lot of time to look for a new job. I think I've applied at probably 20 different places. I would really like to get in the health care industry. I've applied for about 15 different positions at Kaiser Permanente. So I'm hoping that with 35 applications out there, I will find something soon.

I've decided that I am going to take Medical Terminology in August and the local adult school. They offer Medical Terminology 1 & 2 and also a Medical Billing and Coding class. I figured if I can get in the door at Kaiser the possibilities are endless.

Last week, I went in for my follow up appointment with my Oncologist. It was overall a very good appointment. Back when I was getting my chest port put in, the surgeon noticed that my blood veins on the right side of my chest, shoulder and arm area were protruding more than he thought they should. At that time, we figured it was because my tumor was on that side. Well it's been a little over 6 months since the tumor has been gone, but the blood veins are still as visible. So She decided that she didn't want to wait until October for a CT scan. So this last Tuesday, I got a CT Scan done. I still don't have the results but as soon as I do, I will let everyone know.

Well, I'm gonna go for now. I hope everyone is doing well.

xoxo

RELAY FOR LIFE 2008

2008-06-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend! This had to be one of the most emotional times in my life.

Josh and I just barely made it in time for the opening ceremony...the Survivor Walk. With the weather being in the 90's by 9:00am, I was told that the outcome was a bit less than last year. Josh and I hung out until about 10:30am because he had to get ready for work. When we left the track it was 97 degrees. There was no way I would have made it in the heat all day.

I went back around 7pm so I could see the Luminera Ceremony. Wow, it was so beautiful!! To start of the Luminera Ceremony, all of us survivors got a candle and were asked to do one lap around the track. I have to say I cried all the way around. Even though I was surrounded by so many other survivors, I felt so alone. This is something I don't think I can do by myself again. Josh was at work and the girls were in Idaho with my parents. As soon as I left, I called my mom and cried even more.

In the slide show above you'll see the Luminera's that were donated by my friends and family.

In Memory Of : Agnes Runions (my great grandmother), Becky Best (my grandmother), and Char Best-Kurecki (my aunt)

In Honory Of: Joannie McCann (Lifelong family friend), Mary "Jane" Steele (me), and
My Fellow Cancer Bloggers (to name a few; Kelly, Sandy, Duane, Bekah, Kelsi, Sandi, Jon, Brandi, and so many, many more) I thank you all so very much for all your wonderful blogs; they helped me so much every day. I love you guys!!!

I will continue to do Relay For Life every year and I urge you all to do the same. It is such a wonderful event to raise money for a CURE!!!

xoxo

The Washcloth

2008-06-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

For the Ladies...... There is not a woman alive today who won't crack up over this!

I was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week. Early one morning, I received a call from the doctor's office to tell me that I have been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30 am. I had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45 am. The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so I didn't have any time to spare. As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort.

So, I rushed upstairs, threw off my pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave myself a quick wash in that area to make sure I was at least presentable. I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment.

I was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called in.

Knowing the procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended that I was in Paris or some other place a million miles away.

I was a little surprised when the doctor said. "My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we? I didn't respond.

After the appointment, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day was normal. Some shopping, cleaning, cooking. After school when my 6 year old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom, "Mommy, where's my washcloth?" I told her to get another one from the cupboard. She replied, "No, I need the one that was here by the sink, it had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it."

Never going back to that doctor. Ever.

*******************************************

I hope everyone enjoyed that. I couldn't help but laugh out loud and it felt great!!

XOXO

LIFE

2008-06-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post.

I've just been trying to figure out this thing called life. I really thought after cancer my life would be full of joy, sunshine, happiness and all those other beautiful things. Well, I haven't really been feeling that way.

I'm actually not afraid to admit that I have decided to see a Psychologist. I know a lot has changed in my life over the last year and I need help getting back to where I was before I got diagnosed with cancer. I'm sure I can't be the only one feeling like this. Having a life threatening disease has a way of messing with your emotions.

So anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still here and why I haven't posted lately. I hope everyone is doing well.

xoxo

Elephant Bar

2008-05-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am so excited. Josh has been looking to find something in the food/hospitality industry and he did it. Josh got hired as a server at the brand new Elephant Bar Restaurant in Dublin, California. The guy he interviewed with said that he did better than some seasoned servers that he interviewed. He will have about two weeks of training and then the grand opening is June 13th. This is such a great opportunity for him!!

Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown

2008-05-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

"The fastest riders on two wheels will return to Infineon Raceway in 2008 for another great doubleheader weekend of racing at the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Supercuts."

Josh is gettng the opportunity to bartend at this 3 day event. We absolutley love watching motorcycle races. So even though Josh has to work it should be a great weekend for him. I wish the girls and I could go for a while. You never know maybe we will drag Great Nana out of the house for a couple hours.

Hope everyone is doing well!!

xoxo

Baskin Robbin's Birthday Party

2008-05-11T11:46:00.001-07:00

After the party the majority of the girls came back to the house and ended up staying for a sleepover. We have lots of tired girls today :)

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful moms!!!

xoxo

Tips on Pumping Gas

2008-05-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

I got this in an email and I thought I would share!

"I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... But here in California we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon. Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose, CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount. Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! WHERE TO BUY USA GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON...

Gas rationing in the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor. An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis. I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil. These companies import Middle Eastern oil: Shell.......................... 205,742,000 barrels, Chevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrels, Exxon /Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels, Marathon/Speedway.. 117,740,000 barrels, Amoco...........................62,231,000 barrels, Citgo gas is from South America. If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (Oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel) Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil: Sunoco..................0 barrels, Conoco..................0 barrels, Sinclair................0 barrels, B P/Phillips...........0 barrels, Hess........................0 barrels, ARCO....................0 barrels.

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing. But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas Buyers.. It's really simple to do. Now, don't wimp out at this point.... Please forward this on to everyone you know.

Can you believe tomorrow is May 1st?

2008-04-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how time just flies by. Tomorrow is May 1st. Taylor is going to be 11 years old on May 5th. She is growing up so fast. Today is her third day at science camp. I hope she is having a lot of fun.

I got my chest port out yesterday!!! They did it with only one incision instead of two like when they put it in. The area is a little sore but I'm feeling great. It is a big thing for me mentally to not have it anymore.

Josh's first bartending gig went great. He passed out some business cards and actually may have gotten me a lead for my processing company.

Besides that not much is going on. We are going to take Hailey to .31 cent ice cream at Baskin Robbins tonight. From my understanding, it is nationwide, so if you have Baskin Robbins, go enjoy an ice cream cone for .31 cents from 5 -10.

xoxo

NO MORE CANCER = NO MORE CHEST PORT

2008-04-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

I am so excited, I finally have my surgery scheduled to get my chest port out!!! My Oncologist put the order in 3 weeks ago and I finally got the call today. My appointment is for Tuesday, April 29th!!!

Josh got his first bartending job. This Saturday he is doing a private birthday party in Oakland. He seems excited but a bit nervous. I'm sure he will do a great job.

Taylor leaves for science camp on Monday and will be gone for a whole week. I think I'm going to go crazy. She's never been gone for more than a day. I think Hailey will love it the first day or so, because there will be no one to fight with over the WII. But by the end of the week, Hailey will want her big sister home too! Taylor is bringing two disposable cameras, so I will share pictures with everyone once we get them developed. Developed?? I haven't gotten a role of film developed in years. Damn digital camera have me spoiled :)

Well, I'm not sure who even reads this anymore, but to all who do, I hope you had a wonderful week and have a fun weekend!

xoxo

Mr. Bartender

2008-04-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

Josh got his bartending certificate today!!! He attended a course so he can look for some extra work. He had to take a written test and a speed test. He got 80 out of 84 on his written test and sucessfully completed the speed test; 12 drinks in 7 minutes!!! So if anyone is looking for a bartender, let me know!!

xoxo

BEFORE, DURING & AFTER CANCER!!!

2008-04-12T17:53:00.001-07:00

mAss Kickers

2008-04-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am so excited!!! My blog has been selected to be featured on a new website called wwww.masskickers.com (below I've copies some items from their website to give you an idea what mAss Kickers is all about)

**********************************************************************************
The MISSION of mAss Kickers is to EMPOWER patients and their loved ones through KNOWLEDGE and to make them feel less helpless when faced with an intimidating diagnosis.

mAss Kickers is a HUB for online resources to provide INFORMATION to patients and their loved ones.

As the power of the internet provides more information about one’s new diagnosis, the need for an online health store for the newly diagnosed patient and their loved ones has emerged. Patients are continually looking for information online. mAss Kickers will fulfill this need by offering links to diagnosis specific organizations, offer informational books by leading experts, and inspirational books by survivors of specific diagnoses to provide knowledge, courage, and strength in unity through this intimidating process.

mAss Kickers strives to:

• Promote courage for patients and their loved ones through unity and a fighting attitude.
• Offer support for the newly diagnosed patient, current patients, loved ones of patients, and survivors via a unique diagnosis specific discussion board
• Empower patients, their loved ones, and most importantly the newly diagnosed patient through knowledge
• Offer diagnosis specific books for purchase written by leading experts and inspirational survivors
• Offer links to diagnosis specific organizations
• Provide links to informational and inspirational videos for specific diagnoses.
• Fundraise for research and support in diagnosis specific organizations
***********************************************************************************
I wish I would have known about this website when I was diagnosed. It has so many resources. I remember being told I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma and thinking to myself...."what the hell is that?" I knew it was cancer but I knew nothing about it. I searched up and down to try and educate myself. The doctor's give you great handouts, but the internet has so much more information. This site is wonderful because it has all of the medical resources, but it also has one of the most useful resources I have found...links to other cancer patients and survivors. Being able to communicate with other cancer patients and survivors has made my journey with cancer so much easier. There are other people like me, I wasn't alone.

On the website, my blog is described as "A thoughtful and insightful blog by a survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma who is in remission and looks towards a cancer-free future with her family." I couldn't have said it better myself, thank you mAss Kickers and thank you Eric for considering me.

xoxo

PET Scan Results

2008-04-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

"NO EVIDENCE OF RESIDUAL OR RECURRENT HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA" - as written on the results of my PET Scan. I am so excited!!! My doctor also said is was okay for me to get my chest port removed!! I'm not quite sure of the date yet, but the order is in. I just wanted to share my good news! I hope everyone is doing well. Please take the time to read my blog regarding RELAY FOR LIFE 2008

xoxo

Relay for Life 2008

2008-04-07T17:49:00.001-07:00

This year I have decided to get involved with Relay For Life. We (Josh, Jane, Taylor & Hailey) will be participating on June 21-22nd at Johansen High School in Modesto, California.

"At Relay, people from within the community gather to celebrate survivors, remember those lost to cancer, and to fight back against this disease. Relay participants help raise money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society in its lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a major health issue."

I'm asking you as a Cancer Survivor to please help me raise money to support the fight against cancer. There are two ways of raising money. One is a straight donation made to the American Cancer Society and the other is by donating $10.00 for a Luminaria? A Luminaria (pictured above) is simply a bag filled with sand and a small candle that makes it glow. Each Luminaria bears the name of a person who has battled cancer. There is a special Luminaria Ceremony at each Relay For Life event.

If you are interested in making a donation, please email me at janeandjosh@verizon.net.

xoxo

Kelsi Cruse - Fight Against Cancer Benefit

2008-04-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

KELSI CRUSE:
FIGHT AGAINST CANCER BENEFIT

AT THE EAGLES LODGE
209 SHERMAN AVE.
COEUR D'ALENE, ID 83814

Saturday, APRIL 12, 2008 6 -11 P.M.

MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT:
*THE RHYTHM DAWGS*
*The Lost Faculties*
*B 4*
*THE SISTERS OF SELKET*

$10.00 Ticket

SILENT AUCTIONS/RAFFLES/FOOD/REFRESHMENTS

FOR INFORMATION, TICKET PURCHASES, OR TO MAKE DONATIONS
CONTACT: Renée 762-4217 or Kitty 762-2600

JOIN US FOR A GREAT CAUSE AND A GOOD TIME

Kelsi’s web site is www.caringbridge.org/visit/kelsicruse

Please make any donations to The Kelsi Cruse Fund
Community First bank
707 N. Post St Post Falls, Idaho 83854

Pictures from Party on Easter Sunday!!!!

2008-03-31T17:30:00.001-07:00

Vacation Pictures

2008-03-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time in Idaho but I have to say I'm glad to be home. I don't think that I could ever live in the snow again :) I sure do miss my family and friends though. Our party on Easter Sunday was a huge success. I will be posting pictures from the party shortly. Below are a few random pictures from our vacation. I can't chat to much right now because I need to get back to work. I'll write more soon!!

xoxo

SCOTT FIREFIGHTER STAIRCLIMB 2008

2008-03-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

Columbia Center

On Sunday, March 2, 2008 more than 1,300 firefighters from 200 departments across the Pacific Northwest and beyond competed in this timed race to the top of the Columbia Center in full combat gear and self contained breathing apparati (SCBA). This unique event is the largest individual firefighter competition in the world.

At 788 feet of vertical elevation, the Columbia Center (formerly Bank of America Tower) in downtown Seattle stands as the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. It takes 69 flights of stairs and 1,311 steps to reach the highly acclaimed observation deck overlooking the city.

The Scott Firefighter Stairclimb supports the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising money through sponsorships, individual and department fundraising, and entry fees. In 2007, the event brought in a record $365,000 for blood-cancer research and patient services. Awards are given to the fastest climbers and to the top fundraisers.

*all the above written information obtained from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website*

Bob Jaeger

Christina Jaeger

Above is pictures of two very good friends of mine; Bob and Christina getting ready for the climb. Aren't they awesome?! I love you guys! I can't wait to see you...only a little over a week!

xoxo

Medical Update

2008-03-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

Dr. Tomita has decided that I will see her every 3 months or so and I will get scans done every 6 months. So I have my last PET Scan on March 31st and then in October, I will start doing CT Scans. So instead of being injected with radioactive stuff, I will have to drink that nasty drink. UUCCKK!!! I think I would rather have the radioactive stuff :) Just kidding, I'm just very happy that I am at this point in my remission. I'm working everyday on getting myself healthier so I can be here for so many more years to come.

We leave for Idaho 2 weeks from tomorrow!!! Can't wait!

xoxo

FINGERPRINTS

2008-03-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

Translation:

Have you ever compared your Values to your fingerprints? Probably not, but this is a very true statement. Our Values and Beliefs are the backbone of everything we do. They form the foundation of our thoughts and reactions. Many of us have not spent adequate time thinking about and developing our Values and Beliefs. Set some time aside to think about why you do what you do or think what you think. Remember that your Values and Beliefs leave a mark on everything you do.

Updated Picture

2008-03-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

YUCK!!! I HATE MY HAIR!!

Okay, now that I got that out. I thought I would post an updated picture of myself. My hair is growing back but oh' so slow. I wish I could get some turbo hair growth shampoo.

Well, I'm off to see Dr. Tomita, my primary Oncologist. First follow up appointment since I finished chemo. Tomorrow, I have my first follow up appointment with Dr. Sien, my Radiation Oncologist. My next PET Scan is on March 31st, which is a little more than the recommended 6 weeks after completion of radiation. I'm sure it will be fine.

xoxo

2nd Trimester Progress Reports

2008-02-29T10:37:00.000-08:00

It's that time again. We had parent - teacher conference's this week. Here's a little recap.

Hailey continues to do very well in class. In the first grade they still get graded with E, S and N's. (Excellent, Satisfactory and Needs Improvement) Hailey received all E's and S's.

Reading S+

Writing S

Spelling E

Social Studies / Science / Health S

PE S

Math S

She improved in every subject since 1st Trimester. One problem that we had to discuss with Hailey is the fact that she likes to talk a little to much when she shouldn't be. To be honest, I am surprised that this didn't come up 1st Trimester too, because I live with the girl and she never shuts up! :)

Taylor also did very well this trimester. She actually improved her grade point average from a 2.83% to a 3.50%, which in turn puts her on honor roll. We are so proud of her.

Reading A

Writing B

Spelling A

Science / Health A

Social Studies A

Math C+ (79.3%)

Music E

PE S

It's kind of hard to see but I thought I would share it with everyone. I also wanted to share a picture of Emmitt. He seems to think that he is going to Idaho with us. Crazy Cat!!!

I hope everyone is doing well. To all of you up in Idaho, we can't wait to see you. Also, we are thinking of going home through Seattle, so we can see some more family and friends. Who knows when we will be able to take a vacation again. :)

xoxo

Yesterday

2008-02-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

Translation:
Bad days are bound to happen to everyone. You could be having the best week of your life, only to have some calamity smack you right in the forehead. But is this the end-all and be-all? Probably not. If you wake up the next day and the sun has risen, chances are you will be just fine. Work to fix whatever problems you may have encountered, but don’t let them take a central role in your life. Do whatever it takes to resolve the issue and move on. Maybe that means not being too proud to apologize, or maybe even humble enough to accept an apology. You can make it work. Each day is a new opportunity; make as much use of it as you can.

Spark People

2008-02-26T12:52:00.001-08:00

I joined a free diet website back in January called Spark People. I absolutely love it. I can track my food, my exercise, weight loss and have access to so many great articles. It is such a great website because everyone who signs up is there for pretty much the same reason. To loose weight and to live a healthy lifestyle. I have met so many wonderful people. I actually met my new walking partner, Geri there. If you are interested please check it out.

One of the other great parts of the website is the motivational section. Below is one that really caught my attention. Enjoy!

Translation:

Do you hold yourself to the standards of other people, wishing you could be better than the next guy? Maybe this is motivating you, but an even greater skill is to just want to be better than yourself. How about pushing yourself to eat better, or walk longer after dinner each day? Goal setting is a great way to “compete” against yourself. You select the end result that you want in any concentration that you choose. Then, it is up to you, and only you, to work to achieve those goals. Thus, you’ll be pushing yourself towards greatness, not creating unnecessary competition against others.

Magazine Covers

2008-02-23T19:22:00.000-08:00

You have to check out this website and do some with pictures of yourself. I would love to see them if you want to share. http://www.magmypic.com/ Below are a few I've done. To see them all you can find them on my myspace page.

Have fun!!

xoxo

MY MOM & I AT "CRAZY SEXY CANCER" BOOK SIGNING

MY BROTHER

Kelsi Cruse

2008-02-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's always hard to hear that someone else is battling the fight against cancer. Above is a picture of Kelsi Cruse. I don't know Kelsi personally but she is from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho where I grew up.

Kelsi is 25 years old and currently battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma for the 3rd time. She is currently in the hospital undergoing the process of a stem cell transplant. I personally don't know much about the stem cell transplant process. Kelsi's mom is updating Kelsi's page everyday so we can continue to know how she is doing. Please stop by and check out her page and if you can please take the time to leave her a comment.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kelsicruse

Kelsi, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

xoxo

I'M ALL DONE!!!

2008-02-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

I am officially done with radiation. I just thought I would share the certificate I got. Just in case you can't read the certificate.

Prigge Radiation Oncology Center
Certificate of Completion
is hereby granted to:
Mary Steele

To certify that she has completed her prescribed
Radiation therapy treatment with
high honors in courage,
cooperation and good spirits!!

Granted: February 14th, 2008

I feel awesome right now. I've lost 8 pounds since I started my radiation. Now I only have about 92 more pounds to go.

I'm working on planning my trip to Idaho in March. I can't wait to see everyone. We will try and bring up some of the wonderful California sun!!

I will be mailing out invitations to the party we are going to have soon. I would love it if everyone could send me their mailing address. My mom gave me a list and I have my address book but I want to make sure I don't miss anyone!! You can send them to my email address: steele052000@yahoo.com

xoxo

Tomorrow is the big day!!!

2008-01-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

Today I went in for my final simulation for radiation. They set you up on the machine and make sure all the measurements are right and they have this thing with coloring on you with markers. :) Then they take pictures for my file. I will do 12 total treatments. So my last treatment will be on Valentine's Day!!!

I am a member of Kaiser Permanente and up until this point all my doctors have been Kaiser doctors. As far as radiation goes I got referred out of network to Prigge Radiation which honors my Kaiser insurance. Anyway, I can't begin to tell you how happy I am with Prigge Radiation. The whole staff is wonderful to work with. They have really made this experience for me a lot less stressful. I thought I would be more nervous about tomorrow but I'm not, I feel great!!!

I really feel that I have become a much stronger person from all of this. I have met so many wonderful people during my journey with cancer. I hope that I've touched their lives like they have touched mine. Thank you!!

xoxo

Radiation

2008-01-21T16:33:00.001-08:00

I met with the Radiation Oncologist today and I have decided to go ahead with radiation. He is going to have me do a 2 1/2 week low dose plan. I've weighed my pros and cons to radiation and the pros are on top. I know that I have been extremely adamant about not doing radiation and I think a lot of that is because I was scared. After talking to the doctor I feel much more comfortable in doing the radiation.

I have another appointment on Tuesday to undergo a simulation. The simulation is a process of measuring my anatomy and marking my skin to help direct the beams of radiation safely and exactly to the intended locations. After the simulation is complete, I will be given tiny tatoos to help align me correctly for each treatment. The tatoos are permanent but I'm being told that they are unnoticeable to most people. Hey, what's one more marking...between the scars I've gotten from all the procedures I've had during cancer, what is three little dots going to matter :)

I will keep everyone posted as to when I start and all that fun stuff. I hope everyone is doing well.

xoxo

Easter and Idaho

2008-01-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

My mom called me this morning and reminded me that the 23rd of March is Easter. March 23rd is when I told everyone we would be having a get together at my moms. Please know that we are still going to and you are still welcome. Feel free to stop by anytime. We understand if you already have plans for Easter Sunday.

The girls are very excited about the road trip. I think Hailey is planning on packing most of her room so she can show Lily. Hailey said she's bringing her bowling ball so she can bowl with Nana and Papa. It makes me so happy that they are excited for the road trip. I'm sure after the drive up, they won't be so happy about the drive home.

I hope all is well!! No school on Monday because of Martin Luther King Jr Day. Have a good one!

xoxo

Spring Break 08

2008-01-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

I am so excited because we are planning a trip home to Idaho. I can't wait to see all my family and friends. The next two months are going to go by so slow for me. Josh, the girls and I plan on leaving either March 20th or the 21st. The girls are supposed to have school on the 21st (Hailey's Birthday), but we may pull them out a day early because we are driving. The last time we drove that far is when we moved down to California 8 years ago and then it was Josh and I in a big ass U-Haul with no kids. (Josh's sister; Rhiannon and Taylor flew down) I will be driving home to California with just the girls. Josh will fly home on the 24th, because of work and the animals.

On March 23rd, we are planning a big get together at my mom's. Everyone is welcome!!! Not exactly sure of the time but I will keep you all posted. If you think you can make it please let me know. It is going to be a mix of celebrations....the fact that we haven't been home since Christmas of 2006, the fact that I am cancer free and Hailey's 7th Birthday, I think that is a lot of good reasons to throw a PARTY!!!

XOXO

Kitty Kitty

2008-01-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, I wanted to show everyone what Josh made for Emmitt and Stuart. It has 4 levels; the floor and the three levels you see above. Josh is thinking about making these on the side and then selling them at the town fairs. I think it would be fun.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

xoxo

5th Grade Social Studies

2008-01-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

Taylor's class has been studying the 13 Colonies in Social Studies and they had to do a Colony Project. The project is two parts; written and a model or diarama. Taylor got to choose which colony she did her report on, so she picked New Hampshire. According to her teacher "the project is intended to be a fun learning experience for you and your family." I'm okay if we don't have another project like this until 6th grade but don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun for everyone.

The project is due tomorrow, so don't know yet what kind of grade she got on it but we promise to let everyone know.

xoxo

CANCER FREE

2008-01-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

I am so excited!! I am officially cancer free and in remission. This has been hardest thing I have ever had to do. Fighting this cancer has gotten me to my lowest. At times, I wanted to stop fighting. My mind, body and soul were drained. I want to thank all those people who supported me during this fight. I couldn't have done this without you.

I am going to get myself focused on the next chapter of my life. Between the chemo and the fact I stopped smoking, I put on some extra weight over the last 8 months. So it's now time to start living a healthy lifestyle. I am going to loose the weight. This isn't a diet to me, it is a life change that the whole family will be a part of. Having cancer has made me change my whole outlook on life. I want to live life to the fullest and I want my children to live life to the fullest.

To a long healthy life!!

xoxo

STEELE FLOORS

2008-01-09T13:31:00.000-08:00

I AM SO EXCITED. JOSH IS OFFICIALLY A LICENSED CONTRACTOR FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA (AGAIN)!!!! STEELE FLOORS IS OFFICIALLY OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

This is such a big thing for us. I am so excited that 2008 is going to be our year. Our year for things to turn around!!

I hope that everyone is doing well and is enjoying the New Year!

xoxo

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had an awesome New Years!!! Ours was nice and quiet. We stayed home and watched movies.

I had chemo on 12/28 and I don't think I recovered until yesterday morning. For some reason this treatment kicked my ass and now to make things worse....Josh has strep throat. He has been in bed for 2 days and has a 10 day supply of penicillin. He seems to be feeling a little better this afternoon. It's so cute, our new kitten Stuart has been keeping him company.

The weather has been pretty crazy around here lately. On Friday, the girls and I went to get my oil changed on my Jeep. Well instead of waiting at Speedee Oil Change, we walked over to Jack in the Box. It was raining a little on the walk over but on the way back it was raining so bad that the puddles were above my ankles. We were SOAKED!!! Gotta love the rain!!!

I better get going so I can get the girls some dinner. I hope everyone is doing well and is looking forward to 2008 like I am!!

xoxo

Happy Holidays!!

2007-12-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe how time flies. I've been meaning to get on and do some blogging but every time I turn around something gets me distracted. Now that Christmas is over, I will be able to find more time.

The last couple weeks have been crazy for me. My last chemo treatment was December 7th. I was supposed to have treatment on December 21st but I ended up catching Taylor's cold. So that pushed back my chemo by another week, so I go in for treatment 6B tomorrow. I'm really hoping for no more reasons to push back my treatments. If everything goes as scheduled from here on out, I should have my last treatment on February 22nd. That is assuming I do the full 8 cycles (16 treatments)!!

We had a very nice Christmas this year. Josh's Nana, Aunt Tina and cousins; Chris and James came down from Redding. We decided this year we would try something new for dinner. Instead of the typical ham or turkey dinner, we had Steak, Crab Legs and Bacon wrapped Scallops. Since I don't eat seafood, I had steak; which was awesome!! The girls tried the crab legs but wouldn't go near the scallops. I hope they don't grow up like me....picky!!! Josh will pretty much try anything once and I'm hoping that rubs off on the girls.

Josh and I were able to get the girls the Nintendo WII this year. Talk about a journey getting it though. Josh and I got up really early a couple weeks ago to stand in line at Circuit City to be 3 away from getting one. Luckily Nana and Aunt Tina ended up finding one in Redding. They waited 3 hours in line to get it. Talk about crazy. People were putting them on Craigslist and EBAY for $200 more than what the stores were selling them for. No way were we going to pay that!! Anyway, I am so glad we got it. It is so much fun. Josh and I actually stayed up last night playing golf, bowling and baseball. I kicked his butt at bowling but he kicked my butt at golf.

Okay, I'm rambling. I hope that you all had a very nice Holiday Season! I will try better to write more often. To all my cancer friends, I'm sorry I haven't stopped by and left comments lately, I have been reading each of your blogs and promise to stop by soon.

Love you all!!

Welcome Stuart

2007-12-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

Josh and I decided that we are going to add to our family this year for Christmas. We would like you to meet Stuart! Stuart is our baby kitten. He is about 3 months old. Emmitt isn't too sure of him yet. Actually Emmitt doesn't want anything to do with him, he just hisses and growls at him. But I'm not giving up hope they will be friends before we know it.
Is everyone ready for Christmas? We almost our. We finally have the tree up and just a little bit more shopping to do.
xoxo

Taylor's Band Recital

2007-12-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

Taylor had her band recital tonight. She was awesome. Attached is the solo that she did. "Song of the Fjords" Enjoy xoxo

Taylor's Band Recital

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Happy Birthday

2007-12-10T17:32:00.000-08:00

Today is Josh's 29th Birthday!!!
We went out to Musashi's on Saturday for his dinner. It is a Japanese restaurant where they cook in front of you. It was awesome!
I've put together a little slide show.
Enjoy!
xoxo

Just for fun

2007-12-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share some pics!!

Back to Chemo

2007-12-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

Well I met with my Oncologist yesterday and she is okay with me starting chemo again next Friday, December 7th. If my surgery wouldn't have been laparoscopic I would have had to wait 4 weeks before starting again. Thank goodness the surgery went the way I wanted it to, I really didn't want to wait that long. She did want me to get new blood work done, so I went downstairs to the lab. An hour later, I was finally on my way home. They had one guy working in the lab and 25 people in the waiting room. It was crazy!

So now that Thanksgiving is done, who's ready for Christmas? Who has their trees up? Decorations up? Shopping done? Not me. The other night Taylor spotted the top of a house that got our attention so we drove through the neighborhood until we found it. (Pictures below) All I can say is these people had a lot of time on their hands.

I better get going so I can do my Saturday morning chores. Gotta get that never ending laundry done.

xoxo

NO CHEMO TOMORROW

2007-11-27T12:44:00.001-08:00

Just got word that I won't be having chemo tomorrow. My Oncologist wants to meet with me on Friday to discuss my recent surgery and decide when my next chemo treatment will be. I have to say I've kind of enjoyed the break from chemo but I don't want to much of a break....I'd like to be done with it.

Anyway, just wanted to give you all an update!

xoxo

Gallbladder NO MORE

2007-11-25T16:07:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy week for me. Monday night I was in the Emergency Room again because of my gallbladder and then again on Friday morning. I can't keep going to the ER every time I turn around, so I told the ER Doc I didn't want to put off the surgery anymore. She agreed and called the on-call surgeon. The cool thing is that the on-call surgeon is the same surgeon I met with originally when my mom was here. She knew my medical history and since my last PET Scan showed no Residual Disease, she agreed it was time to have the surgery. I had to stay the night at the hospital but I got to go home on Saturday. I've pretty much been a bum the whole weekend. I'm still pretty sore but I'm feeling good!

Well, I just wanted to stop by and let everyone know that I am finally done battling my gallbladder. I will write more when I can sit longer in front of the computer. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

We are having our Thanksgiving dinner today instead of tomorrow. Josh's Aunt Tina lives in Redding and has to work on Friday so she would have to drive home on Thursday. We figured this way she won't be so sleepy from eating a Turkey dinner if we ate today instead. I don't know about Aunt Tina but I will have leftovers on Thanksgiving!!!! From our family to yours, we hope everyone has a very nice Thanksgiving!

Gobble Gobble

Not quite what I wanted to hear

2007-11-12T15:30:00.000-08:00

First off, I wanted to start by saying that when I wrote on Saturday, I told you that I had gained 5 pounds. Well, I went to my doctor's appointment today and I am down 4 of those 5 pounds. How crazy a few days can change things. Even crazier, I didn't do anything to loose those 4 pounds. Maybe the scales are off :(

Anyway, I met with my oncologyst today and it looks like I may be extending my treatments. I was really hoping to be done after 6 or 7 cycles (12 - 14 treatments), but it looks like it will be pushed out to 8 cycles (16 treatments). I will get another PET Scan done in December to find out for sure but the way she was talking today, I might as well plan on 8 cycles. Doing all 8 cycles puts me into February before I am done with chemo. UGGHH!!

I know I shouldn't be upset because I am going to have the rest of my life but it the news was still a little disappointing to me. Most people on chemo loose weight, not gain it. I really want to be able to diet and get myself on the right track with my weight. Having cancer and being able to eventually beat cancer gives me so much strength to conquer my forever weight battle. I'm just anxious to get started but until the doctor says I can start dieting, she is the boss.

xoxo

Completed Cycle 5 (10 total treatments)

2007-11-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I completed Cycle 5 or Treatment 10 however you want to look at it. It was a tough one. They had to increase my dosages just a little bit because I put on 5 pounds. UGH!!! Such a shitty feeling!!! I meet with Dr. Tomita on Monday to discuss how much longer I need to be on Chemo. I'm really hoping I have one more cycle. I am so ready to start my diet and move on to a healthier life. I will post more on Monday once I get home from the Dr's on Monday! I hope everyone has a great weekend!!
Love you all!!

PET SCAN & MUGA RESULTS

2007-11-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good with medical terminology so I decided I would look up the definition and share it with everyone.

Residual disease - Cancer cells that remain after attempts to remove the cancer have been made.

Now that I know what Residual disease means, I am VERY, VERY HAPPY to share that my PET Scan showed NO RESIDUAL DISEASE. Also, my MUGA Scan came back very good.

At this point in time, I received the news via email from my doctor. She does want to continue chemotherapy for a bit longer to make sure the cancer is completely gone. I won't know exactly how much longer until I meet with her but I'm assuming that it will be 7 full cycles (14 treatments). It would be really nice to be done with chemo before Christmas.

Anyway, I will keep everyone posted. Thank you all for the wonderful comments you have left me. I truly appreciate it.

xoxo

Trick or Treat

2007-11-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a few pictures of the girls dressed up in their costumes. Josh and I must have walked around with the girls for nearly 2 hours. I swear they have enough candy to last a lifetime.
xoxo

Halloween Eve

2007-10-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

We finally carved our pumpkins...nothing like waiting to the last minute huh? We hope that everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!!
xoxo
Josh, Jane, Taylor & Hailey

Missing in Action

2007-10-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've been feeling kind of blah lately. My last treatment kind of stuck with me. I don't know what it is but the nausea seems to be sticking around longer.

Not much has really been going on. Just trying to close some loans which hasn't really been happening. All the changes to the market, the amount of foreclosures and now the California Wildfires is really making lenders take a second look before lending. Fortunately, no one that I know was affected by the wildfires but I feel so sorry for all those people who were affected. The last I heard, 1800 homes were destroyed and 7 people died because of the fires. What a horrible disaster!!

Yesterday, I got A MUGA Scan done. The MUGA scan (MUltiple Gated Acquisition scan) is a noninvasive test that produces a moving image of the heart. From this image, the health of the heart’s major pumping chamber (the left ventricle) can be assessed. Adriamycin (generic name – doxorubicin) is a chemotherapeutic drug that is commonly used, in combination with other drugs, in the treatment of cancer. A serious problem with Adriamycin is that it can be toxic to the heart muscle, and can lead to heart failure.

A MUGA scan is performed by attaching a radioactive substance, Technetium 99, to red blood cells, then injecting the red blood cells into the patient’s bloodstream. (The level of radiation to which a patient is exposed during this test is considered minimal.) The patient is then placed under a special camera (a gamma camera), and with some fancy computer manipulation, a “movie” of the beating heart is made. From this moving image, the MUGA scan gives an accurate and reproducible way to measure the ejection fraction of the left ventricle.

Today, I had my 9th chemo treatment. For some reason, I felt sick half way through. Catherine (my nurse) gave me all my anti-nausea medicine but for some reason it wasn't enough. After treatment, I came home and rested. I'm feeling a little better now but I think I'm hitting the hay early tonight.

I have another PET Scan scheduled for Tuesday. When I met with Dr. Tomita on Tuesday, she said that I am probably going to go for at least a full 7 Cycles or 14 treatments. So with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years in there, I am hoping that I will be done with Chemo by January 15th. I was really hoping to be done by Christmas but chances are I won't be. I would rather be safe than sorry.

I am so tired of cancer and chemotherapy; it is so draining. I have gained about 30 pounds since I was diagnosed with cancer. Between the fact that I quit smoking and also the anti-nausea medicine I take has steroids. Dr. Tomita is okay with the weight gain. She would rather see weight gain than weight loss. I guess I understand, it just sucks. How many of you know about THE BIGGEST LOSER on NBC? I have religiously watched it for the past 4 years and many times thought about applying to be on the show. Anyway, I am going to use everything they do to loose weight once I am done with cancer. I have the Biggest Loser Book, Cookbook, Calorie Counter and Fittness book. I just need to get the workout DVD's that they have and a membership to the gym and I'm set. I'm reading all the books now, so I can be more educated when it comes to dieting. I've tried many diets in the past and I've lost weight, I just don't keep it off. So I'm actually going to get the whole family involved. The girls loved it when we had our membership to the gym before because they have areas for them to go to. The Biggest Loser isn't just a diet, it's a life style change.

Well not much else is going on, so I'm going to go rest for awhile. I hope everyone is doing well. If anyone has some healthy recipes to share I would love to have them.

xoxo

A New Me

2007-10-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's me. I finally decided it was time for a wig. I can't handle the way my hair looks anymore. So what does everyone think?

I had Chemo yesterday. I kind of kicked my butt this time. I got some good rest though and was up at 7:00 this morning. Which is very unusual for me. Today, I'm feeling pretty good so I am going to meet up with Arian for lunch. Arian and I use to work at Hidalgo Properties together and we both went our seperate ways from there. So it's been a while since I've seen her. I can't wait.

Besides that last Wednesday we had the carpet replaced throughout the house. It was actually because the carpet that was in the house when Nana purchased this house had dye issues so the mill replaced it at no cost to us. Good thing about buying a new house and having a husband in the business. He noticed the problems with the carpet right away. The thing that we have to do now is put the kids romms back together. They've decided they want to share a room so they can have a play room. So that is my big project.

Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and show everyone my new dew. I hope everyone is well and I hope you have a great weekend.

xoxo

Camp Kesem

2007-10-10T17:24:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share a picture that my mom got in a Thank You card from the kids at Camp Kesem. A bunch of people that my mom works with at Hospice of North Idaho, donated items to Camp Kesem Berkeley this year. Taylor and Hailey weren't able to go this year but they are on the waiting list for next year. I also want to thank everyone who donated to the camp. Thank you!!!

Catching Up

2007-09-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

I thought I would do one more post for September. Last Thursday, Debbie and I went and got pedicure's done. OOOHHHH, how relaxing that was. I haven't done that in months. Thanks Deb, I wish we had some more time to hang out though. Sandy and Marcia got me a gift certificate to a spa that I can't wait to use. Thank you Sandy and Marcia.

Josh found out late last week that he didn't end up getting the job at Home Depot. They ended up hiring internally and told him they would hold onto his application. THAT TOTALLY SUCKS!!! I was really hoping that he would get a good job with benefits. This whole Cobra Insurance is KILLING us and of course we are pushed up against a brick wall because I have to have insurance. The only way for me to be covered is to get on group insurance. So hopefully Josh will find something else soon. I am really hoping that the PET Scan comes back clean next time so I can finish up on Chemo early. I need to find a second job and I can't really do that until I'm better. I can't risk getting sick and I need to make sure I'm resting as much as I can.

I am working on getting all my receipts together so I can turn them into the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They will reimburse up to $500 a year. Considering my insurance premium is $900 a month, I pretty sure I will qualify for the full $500. It will probably take a several weeks to get but its better than nothing.

I wanted to thank those of you that have participated in Taylor's fundraiser for Science Camp. It truly means a lot to us. Taylor has even been earning money helping Great Nana with house chores. For those of you that don't know, Josh's Nana bought a house behind ours that she is fixing up and going to turn around and sell once she is done. The house has so much potential and if anyone is going to do it right, its gonna be Nana.

Taylor and Hailey are doing really good in school this year. Taylor came home last week very excited because she got an A on her spelling test and a B on her math test. Hailey is reading really well now. She comes home and grabs a notepad and just starts writing stories. Her spelling isn't perfect but she sure is trying. Both Hailey and Taylor are making tons of friends. Taylor has been exchanging phone numbers with her friends. I've already had to tell one of her friends not to call so late. It was a little after 8:00 but on a school night I like the girls to be in bed no later than about 8:30 and that particular night the girls were acting up and went to bed at 8:00. I can't believe how fast they grow up.

The girls are getting excited for Halloween. Of course they haven't made up their mind on what they want to be this year but I'm sure it will be good. The 10th annual Pumpkin Maze is open. www.pumpkinmaze.com They have a huge pumpkin maze, a pumpkin blaster, haunted house and so much more. They do the maze different each year. The picture I downloaded is from their website.

Not much else has really been going on here. Just trying to keep ourselves in one piece. It's time for some more anti-nausea pills, so I'm gonna go but I will write more soon. Love you all!!! Take care!!

xoxo

PET SCAN RESULTS

2007-09-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

GREAT NEWS!!!! THE PET SCAN SHOWED DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT. MY DOCTOR IS VERY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS. SHE SAID WE MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO CUT OFF A TREATMENT OR TWO. SHE HAS SCHEDULED ME TO GET ANOTHER PET SCAN DONE THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER. SO I COULD BE DONE WITH CHEMO BY DECEMBER 7TH. THAT WILL PUT ME AT 6 FULL CYCLES, IF NOT AND WE DECIDE TO GO THE FULL 8, I WILL BE DONE FEBRUARY 1ST. SEEMS LIKE FOREVER BUT I KNOW IT'S REALLY NOT. I'M A LOT CLOSER TO KICKING CANCER'S ASS THAN I WAS 3 MONTHS AGO, SO I CAN'T COMPLAIN.

JOSH SHOULD BE STARTING ORIENTATION AT HOME DEPOT ANYTIME NOW. HE WAS HIRED AS "DEPARTMENT HEAD FOR LUMBER". WE ARE VERY EXCITED BECAUSE THEY OFFER FULL BENEFITS. SO HOPEFULLY, I CAN BE COVERED UNDER HIS INSURANCE IN 90 DAYS. THE COBRA PREMIUM I AM PAYING NOW IS RIDICULOUS.

ANYWAY, NOT MUCH ELSE IS GOING ON. I JUST TALKED TO MY NURSE AND MY BLOODWORK LOOKS GOOD, SO I HAVE CHEMO IN THE MORNING. I HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING WELL.

XOXO

Interesting

2007-09-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

I received this email and I thought I would share it with everyone. Have fun and enjoy!!

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.Treasury.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%.
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400.
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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000.
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~
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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
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Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of th huan nid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
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YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2006 when...
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

Avon for Science Camp

2007-09-21T14:35:00.001-07:00

Below is an email from my friend Kellie.

Hi everyone,

I am Jane's friend Kellie. I wanted to help Taylor and since I am an Avon Rep I offered that if any of the Family and Friends of Jane would like to order Avon I will give all my profits to Jane for Taylor to go to Science Camp. You can call me to order or request the latest catalog at 209-951-1474 (leave message if I am not there). Or you can go to www.youravon.com/kcrnkovich and order directly on-line (please e-mail me at avon.bykellie@yahoo.com if you order through the website letting me know your name and that you are buying for Taylor's Science camp trip. If you order on-line and are in the area I can still deliver to you and you can pay at that time or if you live out of the area or just want it delivered directly to you choose direct ship and it can be sent to you and you pay by credit/debit card. If ordering $40 or more type in the code REP40 and you will get free delivery from the website.

The new Avon Holiday items have started coming out so it is a fun time to get Avon.

Thank you,

Kellie Crnkovich

Fundraiser & Science Camp

2007-09-21T09:42:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how fast Taylor is growing up. She is in the 5th grade now and man do they have her busy. She's decided to join the band and play the clarinet this year. She is also working on going to Science Camp. The school has put together a fundraiser to help the student's raise money for Science Camp. If anyone is interested in purchasing something from her fundraiser please see the information below.

Taylor is currently doing an online fundraiser for BROCK ELLIOT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL... and you can help!
Go to www.kathrynbeich.com before 10/26/2007
Shop from their great selection of personalized items, chocolates, and more!
Enter 120448 under Option 1 after selecting an item.
By entering number 120448, you'll credit Taylor and Brock Elliot Elementary School with a large percentage of your purchase price.
Taylor thanks you for all your help!

xoxo

Feeling pretty lousy

2007-09-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

The last week has been pretty bad for me. This chemo treatment kicked my butt. I felt sick to my stomach until Tuesday. Wednesday wasn't too bad and today I pretty much felt normal until about 4:00 this afternoon, now I'm feeling like crap again. Gotta love chemo!!!

I had my PET Scan done on Sunday and the guy who was getting me prepped ended up bruising my hand trying to put my IV in. I usually don't bruise that easy but under the circumstances I'm know my body is more sensitive. I have an appointment on the 26th with my Oncologist to find out the results.

Things have been really tight for Josh and I lately. He works when his step dad has work for him, and I'm trying to work but I don't have many loan files and I have felt so crappy after each treatment. Josh decided that it was time to look for another job so he applied and Home Depot and they want him to be a "Lumber Supervisor". In 90 days, he will get full benefits which will be great. I'm hoping that we can get Kaiser Insurance and they still cover me or I'll have to be on my own policy and let Josh and the girls on his. I can't believe the cost of insurance. But I also don't know what I would do without it. Does anyone know about disability? I'm not sure I could qualify because I'm self employed. UUUGGGHH!!

I have to admit, I'm getting really tired of having cancer. I want to live a normal life again. No more chemo, no more daily trips to the injection center to get my nuprogen shots, no more blood work and no more tests!!!! I feel so helpless!!! I don't usually express this side of my emotions but I really feel if I don't I'm going to explode. Our luck the last year has been really bad and I'm just frustrated. I truly do appreciate everyone's support and can't tell you enough how much easier you have made this for me but I guess I'm having one of those moments.

I uploaded some new pictures on my myspace page so please check them out when you have a chance. www.myspace.com/steele052000 I'll write more later.

xoxo

NEW HAIRCUT - AGAIN

2007-09-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I just wanted to stop by and show you my most recent haircut. I am really having a hard time with the fact that my hair is getting so thin. I always complained about how thick my hair was but now I would do anything to get it back. I also threw a picture in of my niece and I at the Jelly Belly Factory. Anyway, I had chemo today so I am getting a bit tired and gonna have to cut this blog a little short this time. Tomorrow I am going to Walnut Creek to meet Kris Carr; author of "Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips". Then on Sunday I am going to Sacramento to get my PET Scan done. I hope everyone is doing well.
xoxo

My Birthday Weekend!!!

2007-09-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend.

On Friday, we went to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, California. Fairfield is a little over an hour from my house. We met Sandy, Marcia and Alexa there because they flew into Sacramento the night before. It has been years since I've seen Marcia and I've never seen her daughter Alexa before. It was a lot of fun. After we got home from the Jelly Belly Factory, I was going to go to the grocery store to pick up some stuff for our picnic on Saturday. But instead I got stopped in my tracks by a dead car battery. Luckily, my brother saved the day. He even hooked me up and I got a discount on a new battery because he put it on his company account. Thanks little brother!!! After we got that all taken care of it was time to run to the grocery store and rush home so we could leave for dinner. Yeah, we went to La Villa's for my favorite mexican food. It was such a nice time. After we got home and was getting ready for bed, the phone rang. It was my mom telling me that she was in the Emergency Room with my grandfather. So off the ER I go. (Same ER that I went too!) After a bunch of testing, we find out Grandpa was having a mini stroke and that it wasn't the first. The CT Scan that they did showed that he must of had one before. The doc sent him on his way and told him that he needs to follow up with his primary doctor in Tennessee when he gets home and to make sure he is taking one baby aspirin a day.

On Saturday, we loaded up four cars full of my family and friends and headed to San Francisco. My Aunt Carol, Uncle Paul and cousin David drove from Phoenix, Arizona to join us for the weekend. I haven't seen my cousin David for 5 years. Wow, what a young man he has grown up to be. Anyway, we first went to The Precidio where most everyone stayed at the beach. Josh, Harry, Amber, David, Marcia and I drove over to Haight Ashbury. Harry, David and Marcia had never been. Once we walked around there for a while we went back and met up with everyone else at the beach to have our picnic lunch. It was really cold at the beach but it was still a lot of fun. After the beach, we headed over to Lombard Street and then down to Pier 39. We took the kids to the Aquarium at the Pier which was a blast and then walked around a bit before we found a great Italian restaurant for dinner. I don't think we got home until about 9:00 or so but I was exhausted. It was time for me to go to bed before I collapsed.

On Sunday, Josh woke up and made breakfast for my birthday. There were a total of 17 people to feed. He is such an awesome cook. After breakfast, my guests all started to leave. Sandy and Marcia had to head back to Sacramento to catch their plane. My parents drove Grandpa to Oakland to catch his plane. Aunt Carol, Uncle Paul and David hit the road for Phoenix. The rest of the day was pretty much a lounge day. We did get up and go to Musashi's for my birthday dinner. That is my next favorite place to La Villas. Musashi's is a Japanese restaurant where they cook in front of you. I love their fried rice....yummy!!

On Monday, my brother, Amber and my niece Lily left back to Idaho. I wish they didn't have to leave so soon. My niece was finally warming up to me. It usually takes her a couple days.

Now that I've gotten everyone caught up...today, I met with the surgeon regarding my gallbladder. She wants to wait until after I am done with Chemo to take out my gallbladder. She says that it is not infected and there is no need to take it out right now. She wants to make sure I heal correctly and being under Chemo, I have that chance of not healing 100%.

Tonight I am taking Taylor to band night. She wants to sign up to play the clarinet in the 5th grade band. I remember playing the violin in 5th grade and then I played the trumpet in 6th through 8th grade. I hope she sticks with it. I know she is for at least 5th grade. That is part of the agreement, she can't quit half way through.

Okay, I'm done rambling. I will uploaded some pictures when I get them off my moms camera. I hope everyone is doing well.

xoxo

Jelly Belly Factory

2007-09-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple of days. My brother, his wife and daughter arrived at 3:00 in the morning yesterday from Idaho. Then my brother and I went and picked up our grandfather from the airport in Oakland. Today we are off to the Jelly Belly Factory to do one of their tours. This isn't the first time we've been but the girls love it and it gets us out of the house. And of course, I get to pick up some of my favorite chocolates.....JBz. We are also meeting Sandy and Marcia there. They flew into Sacramento late last night and will be coming to my house today. Tonight, we will be doing my birthday dinner at La Villas; my favorite mexican restaurant. Then tomorrow is our big trip to the city (San Francisco). I can't wait. When my brother and I went to Oakland yesterday there was a 20 degree difference in the weather. It was so nice. I love going into the Bay!!!

I also wanted to tell you about my Chemo Angels. I found this great website that hooks up current chemo patients with Chemo Angels. Chemo Angels are cancer survivors or someone who has been affected by cancer in one way or another who volunteer to spread a little love and encouragement to current chemo patients. I have two angels...Shelby from Massachusetts and Bonnie from New York. I got this great card from Shelby earlier this week and yesterday from Bonnie I got a gift for my birthday. A nice box of chocolates and a gift card to Barnes and Noble. What a great surprise! I know that once I am done with my chemo, I am going to apply to be a chemo angel. If you get a chance check out the website; www.chemoangels.com - Thank you Shelby and Bonnie you made my day!

I better get my butt moving so we can get on the road. We live about an hour or so away from the Jelly Belly Factory and it is Friday, so who knows how traffic is going to be.

xoxo

Chemo 3A

2007-09-01T14:37:00.001-07:00

Friday I had my first chemo treatment in Modesto. I'm very excited I made the change. The nurses are awesome. My new Onc is great, she decided since I was having problems with my gallbladder that she wanted to move my PET Scan up. So I'm now getting my PET Scan done on September 16th instead of late October. They wanted to schedule it on the 9th but I told them that is the last thing I want to do on my birthday so I have to wait an extra week. The Oncology Pharmacist prescribed me two more medications to take since I've been having my little gallbladder issues. One is Pepcid and the other is Decadron. The Decadron is one of my pre meds for chemo. But he is going to have me take it in pill format for about 5 days after chemo to help my stomach/gallbladder out. For those of you who don't recognize the picture above that is a PET Scan machine.

My mom ordered me the LIVESTRONG Survivorship Notebook. I just got it in the mail today. I'm still going through it but it is a 3 ring notebook with tons of information and a great place to stay organized with all my test results, prescriptions, receipts and any thing else I gather during this journey. There is no charge for the notebook, just a small shipping and handling fee. I suggest that anyone who is dealing with cancer, any kind of cancer go to www.livestrong.org and order your own.

Anyway, my mom and dad left Idaho about 5:30 this morning and were in Oregon the last time I talked to them. They should make it to our house hopefully around dinner time. I hope everyone has an awesome Labor Day Weekend, be safe and enjoy!!!

xoxo

Crazy Sexy Cancer

2007-08-30T15:43:00.001-07:00

Did anyone watch "Crazy Sexy Cancer" on TLC last night? Kris Carr did a great job putting that film together. For those of you that don't know Kris was diagnosed with Epithelioid Hemangio-endothelioma (EHE)Stage IV. EHE is an extremely rare vascular cancer. There is no cure and no definitive treatment for EHE. Kris was diagnosed on Valentines Day, 2003. 4 years later she is still living with cancer. I also bought her book; "Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips". She has been a great inspiration to me. My mom and I are actually going to see her on her book tour in San Francisco when she is here. This book is wonderful for people who have cancer or someone who knows someone who has cancer. Check out her website www.crazysexycancer.com

I went and met with my primary today. He said that it is not urgent that I get my gallbladder removed but I should definitely do it soon. He set me up to meet with a surgeon on September 11th. She will go over the procedure and I can decide from there if I want to move forward now or later.

I have chemo tomorrow so I wanted to give everyone an update. Hope all is well. 2 more days until my mom, dad and Pete (their dog) are here!!!
xoxo

Back to the ER

2007-08-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

I woke up around 2:00 Monday morning to more pain. I tried the pain pills that I got on Friday, but they weren't working. So by 4:30am or so I was back at the ER. This time it took the doctors 5 times of giving me pain meds before I had no pain. The ER doc had me wait until I could get an ultrasound done. The woman who did the ultrasound said she did see a gallstone in my gallbladder. She said it looks to be a couple of centimeters. So next in comes a surgeon. He said we could operate today if I wanted him to. I declined the surgery until I spoke with my Oncologist and my Primary doctor. I don't want this to mess up my chemo treatments. Can't I beat one problem before I have to deal with another? I spoke with my Oncologist and she said that if my gallbladder is giving me issues because of inflammation then I should proceed with the removal of it. If it is just acting up and I can change my diet and use the pain pills I have then I could probably put off the surgery until once I'm done with chemo. She said to meet with my Primary doctor and go over a plan of attack. I have an appointment on Thursday to meet with my primary. That's all the news I have for now. I will keep everyone posted as to what my primary says.
xoxo

What a crazy week!!!

2007-08-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry it's been a while since I have been on. It's been a pretty crazy week for me. Earlier this week I met with my new Oncologyst. I was having such a hard time understanding my previous Onc, that I felt I need to make a change. My new doctor, Dr. Tomika is wonderful. She went over all my tests from day one. We reviewed my initial CT and PET Scan and we talked about what to look forward to. It was a great visit. My old doctor was in Stockton and my new doctor is in Modesto, so I took advantage of being in Modesto. I met up for lunch with my friend Sabrina that I haven't seen in ages. We went to the mall and had lunch at Sweet River. It was pretty good.

On Friday, I was feeling pretty bad. I had such bad pains in my stomach it was making me double over. I wasn't sure if I should call my primary doctor or my Onc. I got a hold of my Onc. office and they told me to go to the ER. So off I go. $100 co-pay later, I have no answer to what's wrong. At this point in time, the doctor believes it's tied to my gallbladdder. The ER Doc gave me a shot of Dilaudid. WOW, that did the trick...before I knew it I was feeling much better. He also did an onsight ultrasound but since it was a traveling ultrasound machine, it didn't pick up much. So this week sometime, I will be going into radiology for an ultrasound. He did sent me home with my own bottle of Dilaudid.

On Saturday, I received another beautiful boquet of flowers. This time from very good friends of mine in Fresno; Lupe & Patty. I can't tell you how much they made my day. I've been a bit emotional lately and they couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you Lupe and Patty!

Only a week until my mom and dad are here!!!! I can't wait to see my family. My brother and his family will be here in about a week and a half. Oh yeah, I turn 30 in two weeks. I can't beleive how time flies. I feel like I was just 21 yesterday! Life can sure sneak up on ya. I will try to post more this week!!

xo

IMS Financial Services

2007-08-18T13:16:00.001-07:00

After Chemo yesterday I wasn't doing too well. I was as white as a ghost and I felt so tired and out of it. I usually try to come home after my chemo and try to work on files, but yesterday I could barely sit in the upright position. It was pretty much straight to bed when I got home.

I wanted to share the beautiful flower arrangement that was just delivered to me from my broker in North Hollywood, CA. IMS Financial is the only office I am processing loans for right now and they have been so supportive through this whole cancer process. The doctors appointments, the surgeries and the Chemo treatments. I am completely blessed to have them in my life. Thank you Ali and the whole crew at IMS, you guys are the best!

xo

It's that time again

2007-08-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

I just called my nurses and my white blood count is good for Chemo tomorrow. I'm very excited that having 7 days versus 10 days of Nuprogen shots worked out. The less I can get poked the better!! I also got news that my grandfather is going to be flying from Tennessee for my birthday. Not much else is going on right now. I just wanted to drop in and tell everyone the good news. It's almost time to pick the girls up from school.

xo

First Day of School & New Haircuts

2007-08-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

Today is the girl's first day of school. I think Hailey was up before the sun was. She got up, got dresses, brushed her teeth, made her lunch and was ready to go. She didn't care if Taylor was ready or not. I'm so glad to see she is so excited. Taylor on the other hand moved a little slower. Taylor is a little nervous. This is a new school, and she has to make new friends. I'm sure they will both do fine. Me on the other hand was balling before I even left the school. I cry every year on the first day of school. I can't believe how big my babies are getting.

Yesterday, the girls and I went and got new haircuts. Taylor just got hers trimmed up. Hailey and I went a little more extreme. It's going to take me a while to get use to mine and to actually know how to style it.

Not a lot has been going on so I havn't been online in a while. I get my bloodwork done tomorrow for Chemo on Friday. This will be Cycle 2, Day 15. I'm actually looking forward to Friday. One more treatment down, and hopefully only 8 - 12 more to go.

I am so excited for my family to be here in September. We are planning a trip into the city (San Francisco) on the 8th. Some people who will be here have never been. Josh knows his way around the city like the back of his hand. He doesn't know it yet, but he is going to be the tour guide. lol I can't wait. I haven't been to the city in months. I'm having withdrawls.

Anyway, I need to get some work done, but I promise to write more often. I hope everyone is doing well. Love you!!

xoxo

Long Time

2007-08-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

Today has been a awesome day for me. Some very special people that I haven't talked to in a long time made contact with me; Arian, Jared, Sandra and Terry. I can't tell you guys how much I have missed you and appreciate your support. The picture above is from Taylor's birthday last year. Look at all those smiles!!! I love it!

As many of you have noticed, I haven't been online very much. Well that's because my modem took a dump. Verizon has been such a pain in the ass to deal with on replacing it. I finally got the new modem yesterday and they sent me the wrong power adaptor. Luckily the old power adapter still worked. I had been down since last Thursday. Thursday evening I was running around with my head cut off trying to find an Internet Cafe of something so I could finish up on some files before my chemo on Friday. I finally found this quiet little cafe that had kiosk's and free wireless connection. Grabbed the ol' laptop and worked at the cafe for a couple hours. It was actually very relaxing and the coffee was good too!

So Friday, was Chemo #3. It's actually considered Cycle 2, day 1. Each cycle has two treatments; day 1 and day 15. I met with my Oncologist before my treatment. He said that we will do another PET Scan and CT Scan at the end of my 4th Cycle. Which puts me at the end of October. From there he will decide if I will be doing 2 or 4 more cycles. He said the Nuprogen that I was taking put my white blood cell count through the roof, so instead of 10 days, we will only do 7 this time. I had a different nurse this time. Her name was Victoria. Her and Judy (my nurse the first two times) are so funny. They crack jokes with each other the whole time. I love it. They really know how to make the patients feel better.

I got the book "The Secret" from some great friends in Idaho this weekend. Thanks Bob, Maddy, Lilly, Bunn and Mom #2. I practically lived at their house when I lived up in Idaho. If I wasn't home, I was there. My mom had gotten me a copy of the book too a while back. It's great cuz now I have one for the side of my bed and one for my Chemo bag. I also used my gift certificate from Barnes and Noble to purchase the CD's. I downloaded it onto my Ipod! http://www.thesecret.tv/home.html

Debbie came over on Sunday with a box full of goodies. She had a beautiful centerpiece made for me and surprised me with a gift certificate so her and I can go get pedicures. She also got me the Sharon Osbourne Autobiography; which I am going to try and start tonight. On top of all that she got me a Flag for my front yard. It has a beautiful saying about "Miracles" on it. I love it!!

For those of you who don't know (I'm not sure if I've mentioned it yet or not) My 30th birthday is coming up and my mom and dad will be here for two weeks, my brother, his wife, my neice and nephew will be here. My Aunt Carol and Uncle Paul are coming from Arizona. My grandfather is probably coming from Tennessee. I've also heard that Tina and Jeremy from Idaho will be here and possibly Sandy and Larry from Idaho. I hope I didn't miss anyone. We are probably going to have my favorite resturant cater dinner; La Villa's in Tracy has the absolute best mexican food. Not quite sure of all the details yet but I will let everyone know.

Gonna run and make some dinner. Hoope everyone is doing well.

xoxo

Happy Monday

2007-07-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share some pictures that I took this weekend. The picture above is artwork that my niece and nephews sent me. Isn't it the best!!!

Hailey and Emmitt playing Candyland

My sister-in-law, Amber sent me this beautiful necklace and prayer card of St. Jude. I'm not sure if you can read the card in the picture but here is what it says. "May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand." - An Irish Blessing

On Saturday, I got another package in the mail. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened it. Thank you so much Sandy and Larry, I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you have done.

Hope everyone is enjoying all the pics I've been posting. I would love for you all to send me some. I can't believe the girls start school on the 15th of August. Wow, summer break seemed short form them this year. I know they are both very excited to be going back to school. Hailey is going to be in 1st grade and Taylor in 5th. WOW, I'm getting old :)

Time to get to work. I gotta close those files.

xoxo

Picture Time

2007-07-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since my last chemo treatment and today is probably the first day that I woke up and didn't feel sick to my stomach. I think I'll be taking my Zofran longer than the three days suggested. The cool thing about the Zofran is it seems to work in about 20 minutes. I had a bit more energy than normal today. I felt pretty good overall.

I wanted to share a few more pictures with you of me and the girls. I had Josh take some pictures with all three of us in them. My mom sent the girls a box of goodies. The shirts that we are wearing are from her work. Hospice of North Idaho. They are the "Relay for Life 2007" shirts that they had made. I'm even throwing in a picture of my mom.

My mom is the one on the right holding the sign

My neice Lily

Okay, I'm done with the pictures for tonight. Love you all!

Update on Joe Arpaio

2007-07-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio who created the " Tent City Jail": He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them. He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights cut off all but "G" movies. He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination. He took away cable TV until he found out there was a federal court order that required cable TV For Jails. So he hooked up the cable TV again but only let in the Disney Channel and The Weather Channel. When asked why the weather channel he replied, "So they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs. He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value. When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz/Carlton. If you don't like it, don't come back." He bought Newt Gingrich' lecture series on videotape that he pipes into the jails. When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series might explain why a lot of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.

More on the Arizona Sheriff: With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), the Associated Press Reports:

About 2,000 inmates living in a Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment at the Maricopa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts. On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before. Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat collected on their chests and dripped down to their PINK SOCKS. "It feels like we are in a furnace," Said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in The TENTS for 1 year. "It's Inhumane." Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our Soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!" Way to go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves. Sheriff Joe was just re-elected Sheriff in Maricopa County , Arizona

I got this in an email today that I wanted to share with everyone. I believe everyone should have their own believes, especially in politics so please don't think I am trying trying to preach any politics to anyone. In my opinion I agree with what Sheriff Joe Arpaio is doing. I think more jails should do this and I also think its time for our soilders to come home. God Bless our Soilders!!!

Thank You

2007-07-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

I was laying down this morning because I wasn't feeling too good and the doorbell rings. It was the mail person leaving me a wonderful surprise. Sandy and Larry sent me a goodie box from North Idaho. For those of you who don't know, I was pretty much raised in North Idaho. I have known Sandy and Larry since I was about 5 years old. Back to the wonderful surprise....I opened up the box and it was full of goodies. A beautiful card, hershey kisses, peanut granola bars, a gift card to Barnes and Noble, a journal and the most beautiful quilt ever. This is her very first quilt and its perfect. I love it. I thought it would be nice to take some pictures of the girls and I with the quilt to share with everyone. Also I wanted to share with you what is on the cover of the journal is says the following "just when then caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly"

Sandy and Larry, thank you so very much. I can't even begin to tell you how you made my day! I love you guys very much and I can't wait until I'm better so I can come "home" and see everyone.

Hailey and I

Taylor and I

One more for fun...Emmitt decided he was going to take a bath with me this morning. He's become very clingy since I started my treatment.

Tired But Clean

2007-07-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

I’m back and my hair is clean!!

I’ve been doing a lot of resting the last couple days. I have to admit, I washed my hair for the first time in 5 days. I can’t get the area where my port is wet until it completely heals. So taking a bath is the only option and since the area has been pretty tender, I have not been able to lean over the tub or sink to wash my hair. Nana got me a new shower head to make my life easier (and cleaner). I hate not having clean hair.

I got a phone call from my doctor’s office after I posted my last blog telling me that my white blood cell count was too low for my scheduled treatment. So instead of having Chemo on Wednesday, I had to go see the nurse so she could show me how to give myself injections of Neupogen (medicine to help build my white blood cells). Like I’ve said a hundred times, I hate needles. So instead of giving myself the injection, I am going into the injection center at the hospital. By Friday, I had my count up enough to undergo my 2nd round of Chemo; it was my first round using my chest port.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty uneventful. I took a nap both days and lounged around in my new rocking chair the rest of the time. Josh and Nana didn’t let me do much and they wouldn’t let me go anywhere. I think I am going a little crazy L Between that and the fact that I have started loosing my hair. I know it’s only hair and it will grow back but it is still hard seeing it in my hand every time I touch my head.

Today, I had to start the Neupogen again. I have to do it for the next 10 days and then I stop a couple days before my next Chemo treatment. It causes me to have body ache and a major headache. The headache wasn’t as bad today as it was last week but the body aching was still pretty bad today.

I talked to my mom this morning and she told me that her friends at work have been bringing in donations for Camp Kesem. How wonderful is that? They even know that Taylor and Hailey won’t be able to attend this year but they still want to give their donations. Thank you all so very much. It means so much that you all care so much. My mom is very lucky to have friends like you and I can’t wait until I can meet you all.

Ohh, I forgot to tell everyone, On Friday, it was 60 days since my last cigarette and Josh is going on 45 days. I can’t believe how good it feels to not smoke anymore and to not smell like a cigarette anymore. They say reformed smoker’s are the worse. Sorry!!

I’m going to go and watch “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?” with the family. The girls love this show. After that, Josh and I will watch “Hell’s Kitchen” and then it’s time for more sleep. I hope everyone is doing well and had a great weekend.

xoxo