A Week of Fun & Appointments

Hi everyone

Well, this will be a long one, as it is a weeks worth of information and pictures!!

Last Thursday, my girlfriend Sandy and I drove out to Fort Langley to wander around - we had been trying to do this for about 6 months! We found a perfect parking spot in the shade and then began our attempt to find just the right place to go for lunch! The first store we looked into was a candle store - it was great - Old Candle Factory Ltd. I bought a couple of pairs of tapers that looks very interesting. And you can make your own candles there. So, we thought it might be interesting to get some of the gals that we go out for dinner with there and make some candles and then go out for lunch. And I am thinking about getting my girls and going there and doing the same. We wandered up and down Glover Road to see what was interesting for lunch. There were several and one that we thought would be fun didn't open till 4:30 - so you know what that means - we have to go back. But we found one that was so cute - the house was built as a family home in 1923. It is called Beatniks Bistro! They had more seating on the deck compared to inside. We sat on the deck and enjoyed a wonderful lunch and some wine of course. And I will go back for sure, good food, wine, prices and staff! We then wandered around and just snooped in stores to see what was there. But we had to go into Roxanne's Hats as I needed to find a red hat - will explain that one in another blog!!! We were allowed to take only one picture in there - fear of us taking pictures and then designing our own - have you seen my craft work!!! But I did manage to find one I liked - even if "some" people laugh at it. We did manage to find a funky 50's diner up the street and had to go in for some ice cream! They even had the little gizmos at each table with pages of songs in them to play - and we did! But realized that we knew almost every single song and the words that went with the song!!!

Combined lunches - Sandy had a wonderful salad & I had the ussels in a creamy white

sauce

Friday - what a blast - Meghan, Ryan, Patrick and I went to the Reiffel Bird Sancturay in Ladner - we has so much fun. Ryan did too - feeding the ducks and talking to them as well. We had a goose follow us for about half the trail - he walked right up by Meghan and if he decided to nibble on food, he would run to catch up with us. I think he thought Ryan was another goose, they were about the same height!!! Not sure who was more tired, us or Ryan!!! He eventually fell asleep in the van on the long ride home - traffic was a mess!

Ok, that was a good day - now for the weekend!

On Sunday, we had a surprise baby shower for Meghan. We had a lot of fun - about 25 friends and family were there. And "Madelynn" sure got a lot of very nice things - lots of pretty pink outfits. Meghan and Corey won't have to do laundry for a while! It was great to see old neighbours, new neighbours, and freinds and family from both sides. And lots of good food too - especially the Guacamole made by Dwayne - mmmmm was so good! And the beautiful cake made by Kim H for Meghan - looked so cute and tasted very good. There were 4 little ones - Linnea 5, Sophie 2, Ryan 2 and Alexus 13 months. They all played so well together and later Alexus and Ryan were an item - holding hands (she started it) and hugging - so very cute. We used a bit of a mean ruse to get Meghan here, but all in all she was ok with it - once her blood pressure went back down and she gave the culprits the evil eye!!! The young guys (Dwayne, Corey and Patrick) did a great job of getting all the tables and chairs from the deck to the lawn and then brought them all back up again. Decorating team of Tamara, Pat and Lindsay did an awesome job of putting up the balloons and streamers. And then the phone call for Meghan from Maui - her Dad and Chantal are there and unfortunately missed the shower, but they called during it and it sure brought a smile to Meghan's face. A good time was had by all - nice to have gatherings like this - and especially when you can still do it outside at the end of September!

On Monday, Meghan and I went to the cancer clinic for the Stress Reduction Series put on by the CCS. We got there for 1:30.... knocked on the door several times. No one was answering the door. Went to the receptionist and asked and she wasn't sure what was going on. Then read the sign and got the extention of the gal who had called me. She said it had been cancelled due to the instructor being sick. She said she had left a message for me at home - well I was at home at 11 and she didn't call the land line! She had called the cell which was off (which it is when I am home!). So, we went shopping instead!!! I had told her and Corey that Brian and I would by the play pen or play yards are they are called now! So we went to Wal-Mart - and there was one that had everything she needed and at a really good price. It came home with us - and Meghan being Meghan - put it together immediately!! And put all of the stuff she got from the shower into it till she is able to put them in the baby room once Ryan moves out!

Tuesday - visit with Dr. P - to get the results of the CT scan and to just talk about the current treatment. Some of the larger tumours have shrunk - wahooo and that is a promising feeling. Though will still hold off till the next CT to get really excited. I had several questions for him - why my tumour markers have gone up so high - they were 374. He said that they do go up and down - depending on how the chemo is going, so nothing to really worry about. I was happy to see that my weight had gone down a kilo from the last visit - every woman's dream!!! He listened to my heart and lungs and said they sounded good. He is a little concerned over me being winded so easily - so along with the liver ultrasound he is going to book, he is also booking a heart ultrasound. Hopefully these will get done before I see him again. He also said depending as to what happens on Thursday, he may space out the weeks between treatments - say 4 or5 weeks between in order to give my body time to recoup and get the numbers up a little higher. Hopefully Thursday will be a good day and have great numbers!!!

Then it was time to go to Meghan's appointment with her OBGYN - a very nice doctor. She is doing well - even if Madelynn is growing like a sprout. Dr. Ho said that it would be fine for her to have the baby at any time and Meghan was just fine with that. So lots of walking for her the next while.....LOL! Let's get this baby here - we all want to meet her. Afterwards, went to Sears to check out strollers. Holy crap some of them are so damned expensive - over $500 for some. It is a stroller already! But she found one on sale and then got an additional 10% off, so brought the price down considerably. And as per usual, she put it all together last night!

Thursday - chemo day! Shannon came with me this time - now for those of you who know Shannon, she is not a friend of needles or blood - so when they accessed the port and such - she looked the other way - same as in chemo when they checked the blood flow - she looked the other way! Phil was my nurse today and I got to take a picture of him. My numbers were awesome! Ok, some were still low, but better then what they have been for a long time. Maybe there is hope yet!!! White count was 4.3, Red count 2.85, HB was 98 (down 1 from last time) and Neutrophilis 1.9 - way up from the last time! Not sure what the tumour markers were, didn't get that sheet. It went along smoothly which is so nice for a change!! Have some questions to call into the office about tomorrow - wrong times for blood work and not sure why I am being sent to another doctor. And also to check as to why not the heart ultrasound - sending me for and ECG and I phoned and checked with Meghan to see if she had heard the same thing as me - ultrasound - and the woman said it back to me to try and get them on the same day. Possibly they are doing the ultrasound and the ECG. Booked into November now - holy crap! Ok - got the dates and doctors straightened around. Have the Echocardiogram done on the 22nd - good, one down and one to go. Got Dr. P booked for Oct 27 and not the other doctor the unit clerk booked me with. Cher will call me with the date of the liver ultrasound and she is hoping to try and book it for the same day as the heart ultrasound, wishful thinking. And got the blood work back to the same day as chemo. Whew!

That is all for now.... lots to absorb, I know.

Hugz to everyone. Call me or email me or comment here! Gets very boring when I hear from no one - ok, there are one or two who contact me - that is it! I love hearing from people - no matter what way.... I can only read so much or be in the hot tub so much! Or come for a visit or we can always go out for a cup of coffee or tea; a glass of wine or two; a funky drink! A walk along the sea wall - long as I take breaks!!

Roni