Nana's Little Sweetie Pie

Little Joe Yahnke!

Looking for squirrels.

Singing as he marches.

Of course Aidan had to clean.

We sure did have a good time on Saturday. Having this little fellow around is THE BEST MEDICINE!

Just wanted to share.
Doris

Back To Work

I just got home from work. I haven't said that in a very long time. I worked a half-day today. I was a little apprehensive about going in but once I was there I was fine. I have my own electronic key so I was able to let myself in and sneak into the building without the kids seeing me. I made it to a room that has been assigned to me (away from kids) and began working on the school store program which I have always supervised. I also interviewed several teachers; gathering information for two grants that I am to research. By the time I finished those projects it was time for me to head for home.

I was surprised how quickly I fell right back into a routine. I guess 21 years of experience does not quickly leave one's mind. It was "just like riding a bike".

My biggest problem was stopping people from hugging me. I am a natural hugger so it is very hard for me too but the doctor said NO CONTACT with other humans so I felt like I was constantly sticking my hands out to stop others from hugging me. Now that they know this shouldn't be a problem.

I did get to vist long distance (from the doorway) with my students. They all have grown so much. It was great to see their smiling faces and all of their cheery hellos.

It felt good to accomplish something and exercise my brain and get paid while doing it! If I feel up to it I will go back tomorrow morning.

Right now I am working on eating a little lunch then I will head outside. It is a bit breezy but I am hoping the sun will keep me warm enough to allow me to stay outside long enough to rake some of my yard. I am SO TIRED of being inside.

On Monday I go for my new scan. Tuesday I see Dr. T and get the scan results. On Thursday I begin chemo treatment #7.

I have been staying busy with lots of inside projects. My basement has a lot less "STUFF" in it now. Things either went to the trash, goodwill, my school store, or in boxes for Julie or Travis. It feels great to be able to move some of my "STUFF" to their houses...LOL.

I have boxes of old pictures and one rainy day I will scan some of them and post them here. It's a lot of fun to look at the pictures and remember when. Somehow I do not seem as old as some family members. I must be caught in a time warp....LOL.

Have a great day everyone!

Doris

Another Housekeeper

It has been great to see all of the newsie posts. It is always nice to keep up with what is going on in peoples lives.

I wanted to let you all know that Aidan is not the only kid in the family who enjoys house cleaning. Dalton's mother tells me he loves to help her with the dishes and I have to keep my broom and mop behind a closed door or he starts cleaning. His favorite thing is when I leave the vacuum cleaner out. LaDonna

Good Morning from Windsor

Its great to see everyone posting now. Love all the news and pictures.

Yesterday was the first day we used our big new purchase at the fire house, after a year's worth of hounding Julie that we really needed to spend the money and buy new appliances and a stove. Boy is she a Scrooge! lol You'd think it was her money. Of course, this is what you need to keep money from being wasted at fire companies..Anyway, me and 3 others were on a committee to purchase a new gas stove, refrigerate and freezer, the first ones bought in about 30 yrs.....The first ones we looked at, the stove alone was priced at $10,000. We did some shopping and ended up with a 10 burner,double oven stove, a 2door freezer(commercial size),and a 3door refrigerator(commercial size) for less than $10,000. really nice....We had a soup and sandwich sale at the station yesterday and initiated the new stove. Worked great. The lady that made the soup is one of the older members and she initated the old stove 30 years ago and had the honor yesterday. So I am hoping it will bring us good luck for the next 30 years. Now all we have to do is get the younger members like Julie to learn how to make 60 quarts of chicken corn soup and ham and bean soup from the old recipes of years ago. Anyway it was a successful day, and we already have the ingredients paid for the next one in November..
I have to tell you that when we did the last one, the day of the sale we had a man come in with a 5 gallon dry wall bucket and sit it on the table and say"Fill it up". Everyone's mouth dropped to the floor. lol..We said did you preorder that and he said NO, I want to see it first to see if its any good.....He got some soup but not 5 gallons....We didn't have enough left to fill his bucket.....He didn't show up yesterday so we are not sure if he didn't like it or died from eating out of that bucket...
Of course, Aidan was there to help..he had to taste the baked goods to see if they were any good. He liked the carrot cake with cream cheese icing the best. He is so funny because he was eating it with his hands and he doesn't like for his fingers to get sticky so all I got done was wash his fingers between bites....And he had to show me his new sneakers he and Daddy got last week.....New hair cut and sneakers all in the same week, he was really proud...such a joy, that boy is....

Doris was able to come up and pickup some soup and it was really good to see her out and about, even if it was only for a little while....She is doing an amazing job battling this cancer...So proud of her...

Hope everyone is doing fine and am looking forward to seeing all soon.

Love, Aunt P

Per Julie/Aidan

I was delighted to see that Julie finally made her way to the family website. I have been sitting on her "good news" about being the first woman firefighter hired because I wanted her to be able to share that with all of you. She has educated herself, worked very hard and competed in an almost ALL MALE dominated area to earn this distinction. I just hope that they realize the "prize" they have among them!!!!!!!!

Now for Aidan and his unique interest in cleaning. I am not sure where he got that from. I am pretty sure he did not pick it up from osmosis....LOL. Since he was big enough to toddle about he has been cleaning. I actually lost a feather duster here at the house when he was just 10 months old. He was "dusting" and I think when he was done he tossed my feather duster in the trash can. his favorite toy in my house is my vacuum....the kind restaruants use to clean around tables. He also loves my broom.

Last Friday when he was here all day he spilled some juice on the floor. He got my tea towel from the kitchen, wiped up the spill and then hung my towel back up on the cabinet. THAT IS JUST SO NOT RIGHT!!!!! Gosh he is not even two yet. That I KNOW he learned from Julie because I used to yell at her for using my kitchen towels to wipe up spills!!!!

On Easter Sunday instead of playing with his new toys he got out the Windex and was cleaning the patio door. If he sees lint on the carpet he picks it up and throws it in the trash.

I don't know.....something just seems a bit amiss about all of this. We are keeping a watchful eye......may have to call 'children and youth services'...LOL.

Julie and Joe have done a WONDERFUL job parenting Aidan. He is so articulate and knows his own mind. He can clearly define what he likes and does not like, what he wants or does not want and always answers a question with a clear yes or no. We LOVE that he can carry on a conversation that makes sense!

Michael and I were watching him playing and you could see "the wheels turning". He is always thinking "what next". It is PAYBACK TIME!!!!!!!

So I am not only a proud Nana but a very proud mom too!

I can't wait to see Travis and Stefani with children though I think Travis is a bit worried about his first born being a girl just like Julie.....LOL....because Aidan is very much in personality like Travis was when he was a baby. (I'm sorry Stefani.....LOL.)

So I am delighted to see Julie posting here. Now we need to get Travis and Stefani on here so they can tell you all about what they are doing at the farm. They have some exciting times ahead of them!!!!!!

Doris

Finally Checking In

I have finally had a few moments to sneak around the family site while at work! For the family picnic, we will be arriving late Saturday, as our Open House at the fire station is the same day from 10-2. We hope to be out there between 5-6 so we can be in time for the 2nd round of food! Closer to the time we will know, but hopefully we can stay through til Monday as well. I can't wait to see Dalton & Aidan together now that they are more interactive!

Been a bit busy in our household as I started a new part-time job. I am officially the first paid female for Springettsbury Township Fire, which is a fully paid, newly merged department in York County. For location purposes, I am mainly working out of the station on East Market St. in York, near the Home Depot & Wal Mart. It has been going well, been putting in more hours that I should so I can get through their training program a little faster. I had applied for a tull-time EMT position, but after they saw my training records, they offered me this position instead, which is not what I wanted, but for them, they are hoping I move into full-time for fire as being a female looks good on paper! I have a lot of adjusting to do, coming from a large volunteer station with a typical crew of 5-6 guys who look out for me, now I am part of a 2 man crew doing the same amount of work. I am also non-union as the only part-time position while everyone else is union, so there has been plenty of phone calls pre-warning me, but so far so good. I am still at New Freedom part-time as an EMT and will start the phase that out, but didn't want to burn by bridges before I knew if this position was going to work out. This is also by 9th year at Ettline, so doing alot of thinking about a full-time job change. Advantages and disadvantages to both...

Joe is still at West York part-time as well as IR full-time. Aidan is still at daycare and seems to be thriving there. He is now babbling stories to us and sometimes goes on for 20 minutes or so and we have no idea what he says but he tells it with such emotion you can't help but keep your attention!

We watched Marley & Me last weekend so I had some extra appreciation for Tucker for a few days until he ate Aidan's little horse's leg. Joe wasn't too upset as he thought it was too girly anyhow. Tucker wants so much attention from Joe & I, but Aidan wants to give him so much attention and Tucker seems to shy away from him at times. I know it will happen in time. Now after watching the movie I am dreading the day Tucker dies and we have to explain to Aidan what has happened. Can you tell I'm a planner?? So that bad dog better stay around for quite some time yet, even if I keep threatening to get rid of him.

I am considering using Tucker's collar for the yard on Aidan to keep him from going into our bad neighbors yards. I'm afraid the cops will be called on us a few times this coming summer as Aidan loves to be outside and for such little legs can run quite fast and is sneaky about it!

Don't believe everything mom says, I certainly do not MAKE Aidan clean, he chooses to clean the floor and the windows and put away shoes and throw away trash. I'm not stopping him as I know in a few years I won't be able to get him to do those things! I'll enjoy it for now! He is a joy and so much fun! He has received a few new babysitters, a couple from the fire station and Joe's brother & sister-in-law. Aidan has attached himself to Allie, their 14 YO special needs daughter and he does so well with her, it's nice to see. Some days Aidan specifically asks to go to the fire station and cheers when we arrive. Then we have to sit in EVERY seat of EVERY piece of equipment before we say goodbye to the fire trucks. He was up for training this week and learned how to use the jacks and hand tools for vehicle rescue. I was amazed how quickly he picked up teh correct way to use stuff, I'm afraid I'll see him tearing apart the mowing this year just so he can crib it!

You'll have to get Aunt P to tell you about the new purchase at the fire station she assisted in. As President, I cringe when we spend large amounts of money, and she made me do more than cringe, but I believe she is pretty proud of our newest purchase.

The weather is to be perfect this weekend here and I am taking Tucker to a doggie egg hunt Saturday. Hope you all get out and enjoy the sunshine as well!

Julie

What is Beta

I didn't know what it was either until Ashley got involved, but it's an honor club. I went to the Aubrey ISD website and here is how it describes Jr. Beta: Jr. Beta is a national, service-based honor club. Not everyone qualifies for membership. Each clubs’ criteria varies, but at AMS we base membership on grades, community service hours, discipline, school involvement and involvement within our club itself. We only open membership to 7th and 8th graders who meet the set standards.

I think the girls get their brains from their Grandma King . . . LOL!! Just kidding, they have very talented parents so I have to give them the credit.

Kathy

You Go Girl

Way to go Ashley! I don't know what the Beta club is but I thought the wreath was awesome. Now you go and kick some booty at the National level. LaDonna

Congratulations Ashley

Nicole probably will not have time to post, but since I am Ashley's grandma I have bragging rights. Ashley belongs to the Jr. Beta honor club at Aubrey Middle School and this week her project (wreath) placed first at State. She will be going on to the Nationals in Orlando, FL in June. We are very proud of her and her accomplishments. Here are a couple pictures.

EM AND DALTON

LOVE THE PICTURE..BOY I CAN SEE A RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN THEM.

I PLAN TO BE THERE IN JUNE--I WOULDN'T MISS SEEING DORIS IN THE BEAR BAIT CHAIR AGAIN..SURE HOPE YOU STILL HAVE IT....

LOVE AUNT P

Holly June Family Gathering

You can count on Michael and I being in Greensburg for this year's family gathering. I will have my June chemo treatment on Thursday and my white blood cell injection on Friday. We will probably make our way to Greensburg on Friday so that I have time to rest overnight before Saturday's events. We will then plan to return home on Sunday hopefully before the side effects set in. I am looking forward to seeing everyone.

I also know Travis and Stefani are planning on attending. They will have to let you know if the are "camping" or making other arrangements. I know Stefani LOVES to camp.

I am pretty sure that Joe, Julie and Aidan will be there too.

Can't imagine Patsy would miss this event either....although she might have to rent a U-haul to bring here "catnapper chair" with her....LOL....just make a space close to the campfire for her.

Do you have a plan for "food expenses"? Are we all to bring something or send you cash ahead of time to help cover expenses?

Inquiring minds want to know....LOL.

By the way, cute picture of Em and Dalton. It sounds like you all had a wonderful Easter together.

Love,
Doris

Hello.....





Now that I finally have a day to actually be home I'll take a few minutes to catch up. Dalton and I are playing ball while I'm typing so bear with me.





We had a wonderful Easter although it was very busy. This picture was taken on Easter. I think Dalton adores his cousin Emily. Now that Dalton is starting to understand a little more it's so exciting to see him react. We came downstairs Easter morning and he saw all of the new outdoor toys from the Easter Bunny he got all excited and said "this.....this". Needless to say he was spoiled. He got sand box toys for the new sand box from grammy & pap, a bubble mower, a set of a rake, hoe and shovel, a silly water sprinkler and of course a new quad. And then he got more spoiled from everything from my family. I think he made out pretty well.





Also his daddy made out pretty well. I was told even though we have Dalton now that doesn't mean he gets neglected. So I had to make him a basket again this year just like I have done for the past 11 years. (thanks LaDonna).





I also wanted to check in and see if anyone could let us know if they were coming in June. We want to get some idea of a number so we know how many beds that are going to be needed. I think there will the 3 campers here plus tent spaces. Our camper can sleep 7 comfortably and we also have our tent with a queen air mattress on a frame.





If you don't have my e-mail or phone number check with Doris or LaDonna. Hope to see you all soon.

Holly

Happy Easter from MO

Patsy, I remember those big solid bunnies and those fruit eggs. We always painted Easter eggs and Easter morning found candy in our baskets. The Easter Bunny would hide the eggs we painted -- if the weather was nice they would be outside but if it was nasty weather he hid them inside the house. Norman said just the other day that he could sure go for some Fitzkees candy. I guess they are still around? They always had the best. No candy or Easter baskets here at our house this year, but we are having our neighbors over for dinner later today. Their kids are not close by either and they had no plans. We have become good friends with them and they are such good people. They are a little older than us and retired . . . well, kind of. They have mamma cows so they stay pretty busy taking care of them. Last time I asked they had 22 babies. I'm making a ham and scalloped potatoes and a veggie, nothing fancy. LaDonna, your rolls look delicious. I get by but Nicole has all the cooking talent in this family -- my bread is the store bought kind that you just heat in the oven! I am thinking about making a cake, though. I found a recipe for a Belgium Honey Cake that sounds really good -- sounds similar to a pound cake I think. I have a little honey left from the folks that I moved bees for last fall so I thought I mght try it.

Doris, I know you will have a wonderful Easter with your family and I pray that you feel good throughout the day and so you can enjoy every minute of it . . . and of course, that the coming days are not so bad for you.

Today is cloudy and cooler with rain in the forecast. Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day and Norman is home so we loaded up the mules and went to Noblett Lake to ride. It was just perfect, couldn't get any better for riding. I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy days like yesterday -- each day truly is a gift, especially days like that. The dogwood are starting to bloom and if we have a few more warm days they should be beautiful by next weekend.

Well, guess I better get upstairs and get busy. Just wanted to say hello and wish everyone a wonderful Easter Day.

Kathy

Other Goodies

Love the chocolate story Doris---Your description of Patsy in her chair sounds like heaven to me.

While we have very little chocolate here today. With Wade not being able to eat sugar and Kenny recently diagnosed with diabetes, I thought it was best not to have too many sweets around. I do plan to make some of Granny's rolls. I have become quite proficient at bread making, so will take the recipe that Granny dictated to Wade many years ago (written on the back of an envelope--bred dow). I think this gang will like that better than chocolate. LaDonna

Cat Nappper

I JUST READ YOUR POST DORIS---YOU ARE JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE MY CATNAPPER IS BIGGER THAT YOURS AND IT EVEN VIBRATES YOU EYEBROWS......
I AM SAVORING THE CHOCOLATES, THANK-YOU....I AM LIMITING MY SELF TO NO MORE THAT 4 OR 5 PIECES AT A TIME.....OF COURSE, I AM NOT ADMITTING HOW MANY TIMES A DAY THAT IS......
PATSY

HAPPY EASTER

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE.
You made me think of Easter's past, LaDonna. Remember the solid Chocolate Easter Bunnies we used to get, now they are all hollow and small. They used to have great big ones and what a treat it was to get one. They would last forever. It was always a big decision as how to eat them. Did you start at the ears and eat down or start at the tail and eat up. Then you would go look for yours and someone had broken the ear off and taken it. (Probably Tommy).
I was also thinking of the coconut,fruit, caramel, and chocolate eggs. They sold them in pound sizes and smaller. Now you can hardly find them. I remember Frances McDowell used to always make homemade ones, of all flavors, decorate them, and bring them out from Baltimore. Wow where they good. It was a tradition for her, and she always wore those seer-sucker outfits that matched. Skirt and blouse, so neat, she had them in all colors. Do you remember that Kenny? It was when we lived at the old schoolhouse.

Kenny remember when they had the Easter Egg Hunt out at the Stewartstown Fair Grounds? They were real colored eggs and we would go up there days after the hunt and still find eggs. They gave out Easter Baskets, etc. if you found a prize egg. Now you couldn't do that because someone would protest if their child didn't get the prize....
It made me think of Mom and her deviled eggs, she would make two plates of them, hide one, because she knew Charlie would eat one plate before dinner....
The pictures of your GRAND kids are wonderful...Em is growing up way too fast----

I'm going to join Joe, Julie, Aidan, Travis, Stephi, Doris, Michael, Kenny for dinner this evening, around 5 too. Julie told me to bring desserts, which is right up my alley, so I made a Coconut Flan, and a Chocolate cake with Peanut Butter Icing to take....

Hope everyone has a wonderful day and that Doris can enjoy and next week isn't as bad as other weeks after Chemo have been.

Love to all,
Aunt P

Happy Blessed Easter From Red Lion

Good morning!

It is indeed a good morning. I was able to sleep most of the night and awoke feeling rested. So far the nasties have stayed away and I am praying that will continue as the day goes on.

So far the most annoying side effect has been severe swelling of my legs, ankles and feet. This is directly related to two of the medications given during the chemo treatment. Today I will rest as much as possible with my lets elevated and use my multi-chamber leg pumps in order to reduce the swelling before evening.

I am currently cooking macaroni to make a LARGE pan of baked macaroni and cheese to take to Julie's for supper tonight. I am COUNTING ON being there!!!!!!



Friday was a WONDERFUL day for me. Michael came over in the morning after work and helped me to "babysit" Aidan all day. Daycare was closed for the day but Nana's was open for business! We played, had breakfast, watched the squirrels play in the backyard and then Aidan traveled with us to the medical center where I had to go to have my white blood cell injection. Aidan and Michael walked the mall at the medical center until I was finished. Michael observed that Aidan is a real "chick magnet".....LOL.



From there we took Aidan shopping at Lowe's. He had a grand time there. Poppy Mike allowed Aidan to "ride" every lawn mower in the store. We checked out all of the garden supplies and flowers until Nana got a bit overwhelmed with all of the smells and then we went back inside where Aidan did some serious shopping. He was the only one who made a purchase.

His first selection was a minature rake which he will use to help Nana get her lawn in shape. He tried ALL of them out while in the store and finally settled on the first one which we placed in the cart and then quickly made our get away before he could reconsider.

We aren't sure how we feel about Aidan's second selection. As we turned the corner and started down Aisle 12 Aidan's eyes lit up and he began to clap and shout "yeah". We were in the aisle where all of the brooms and mops are displayed. He chose a minature broom with a dust pan. I swear I have never seen a bigger smile on his face as he clutched his new broom in his little hands. (We think we know who does the cleaning at the Yahnke home.)

We then came home, had some lunch and ALL THREE OF US WENT DOWN FOR AN AFTERNOON NAP! By the time Aidan was awake the temperature outside was in the 60's so he and I headed outside to check out the yard and try out his new rake. All too soon mommy was here to pick up her precious little boy. He left the house dragging his new broom and dustpan to the car. When Julie offered to carry it he gave her a very profound "NO" and off he went down the sidewalk. LOL.....PAYBACK TIME!!!!!

I have not felt well enough to have Aidan very much so Friday was a real joy and a blessing. He is the BEST MEDICINE of all. Of course, Poppy Mike thinks Aidan is "all that" and throughly enjoyed him too. He was disappointed when he awoke for his nap to find that Aidan had already gone home.

Later in the evening Michael and I went for a walk down my street. I have been trying to walk at least every-other-day (on my good days) and some days can walk 3/4 of a mile. My muscles have atrophied and it is critical to my recovery to get them built back up. Now that my drain has been removed I can ride my recumbent bike and lift my hand weights as the chemo side effects allow me to do so. Eventually I will get there. I have come a long way already!!!!!


So I am truly looking forward to this evening and spending some quality time with my family. I am wondering if Patsy will make it for the gathering. She has been retreating to her new vibrating, heat massaging recliner a great deal. Then I added fuel to the fire by gifting her with a five pound box of chocolates as a "thank you" for all of her help in the recent months. I am picturing her in a sugar induced "coma nap"....vibrating right through the dinner hour....with chocolate sticking to the corners of her mouth as she drools....LOL.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter Sunday with your respective families. Great memories are waiting to be made!!!!

Love,

Doris

Happy Easter

Good Morning and a very Happy Easter to you all.

Wade & family arrived late Thursday evening and we have been having a grand time together. Emily & I spent Friday shopping and eating lunch out. It has become increasingly difficult to know what to put in her Easter basket, so I offered her money or a shopping trip. We headed to the mall and had a fun time doing all of the teenage type stores. Though Em is not someone who often wears a dress, she decided she would like to have a dress. The picture at the end of this email is the outfit she decided on. I thought she looked real cute and very feminine. She wore her new digs when she went out to dinner yesterday evening with her mom & dad and other Nana, to celebrate Easter with Nana.

While we were shopping, Justin called my cell phone to inform me that everyone was coming to my house for supper. I said,"OK, what are we having?" He said that he was bringing his turkey fryer over and they were making chicken wings and chips. Justin & Holly brought all of the supplies and Wade, Kenny and Justin did all of the cooking, so that worked for me.

Yesterday was a bit quieter as everyone stayed busy doing their own thing. Nancy came and picked Em up for another shopping trip and the boys went off to do some MAN shopping. We were all talking about old Easter traditions yesterday. It was interesting to hear what each family had done. In my family our parents filled baskets with candy and at least one egg that we had colored the day before with our name on it. On Easter morning we would have to hunt for our basket. No telling the others if you found their basket. Holly's family always got a fruit basket with a couple of pieces of candy stuck in and their baskets would be sitting on the kitchen table when they got up Easter morning. In Nancy's family the eggs and candy would be individually hidden and you had to take your basket and go on the hunt for things.

Justin & Holly will take Dalton this morning to the farm to join all of his little cousins for an Easter egg hunt. It will be his first as he was too little last year. Justin decided to make it a little more challenging for their nephew Donovan (six years old) and purchased camouflage eggs. Last year Holly's sister filled most of the eggs with money but decided on candy this year. They should have fun. The kids are 6, 5, 4, 2 and Dalton at 15 months.

The gang will all end up here for a ham dinner around five this evening. I hope you all have a wonderful and family filled day. Doris, I just hope you have not been kicked by the latest treatment and can enjoy your day with your family. LaDonna

Short Update

Yesterday I saw the oncologist. He was delighted with my progress. There are no palpable tumors. As Aidan says, "all gone". We can only surmise that the large tumor in my abdomen has continued to shrink with treatments.

The drain was removed from my right side last Friday and all major organs are once again functioning normally.I will have another full body scan after this next treatment that will tell us exactly what is going on. Dr. T said he firmly believes he will have wonderful news to share with me after the scan.

I have a lump just above my belly button that I have been concerned about. Turns out it is a muscle. With all the weight I have lost it is very pronounced. I also have found my sternum and hips....LOL.


I go this Thursday for my next chemo treatment. I will be at Apple Hill from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM. I am praying the side effects do not present until after Sunday so that I can enjoy Easter with the kids.


Next week will be the "not so good days" so please remember me in your prayers. It gets more difficult to handle those days each time they roll around.


Dr. T feels I am tolerating these extreme treatments very well in spite of how sick I get. Apparently some patients DO NOT do as well. Therefore I am very grateful and feel very blessed. I am sure all of the prayers and support I receive plays a huge part in how well I am doing.


I will post another update after the chemo has had a chance to wear off.



Wishing everyone a blessed Easter!


Doris

Pictures

Thanks LaDonna -- next time I'll make the pics smaller and see if that helps. I think I did resize some before now that you mention it.

As far as going back to younger years, I have to agree it would be wonderful to be young again and know what we know now, but it's all those experiences, both good and bad, that teach us and mold us into the people we become as we mature. I know what you mean about the weight, though . . . as we look through our old pictures I have grown and shrunk several times! I was doing pretty well the last few years we were in TX -- I think the longest I've ever maintained a good weight -- but through the upheaval in our lives and all the stress of starting over, plus now working at home, I have "blossomed" once again and need to lose about 25 pounds. Not only do I have a closet full of jeans I can't get in to, but it's important for health reasons that I watch my weight . . . plus those extra pounds make it much harder to climb on my mule! I know I need to get my head on straight again before it gets any more out of hand.

Yes, it is hard to imagine that both Ashley and Emily will be driving in less than two years! Seems like only yesterday Nicole was learning to drive. I have to say I'm glad I will not be the one sitting in the passenger seat this time -- Nicole will be the one with the white knuckles. LOL

Well, time to get ready for a new week. Hope it's a good one for all.

Kathy

Info for Laurie

Laurie, I just checked and the only two emails that are listed to receive this blog in their emails are Kathy and I. If you want me to add your email address to the list let me know. I do not have your email address so you will need to send it to me. This is a public blog so I would rather not post email address on here. If you don't have my or Kathy's email addresses, just email Doris or Patsy and they can get the info to us. Hope you and your family are doing well. LaDonna

Nice Car

What a great looking car Kathy. I bet you have really enjoyed it. As far as Emily getting old enough to drive---yikes! Wade has been teasing her that he is going to get her a small pickup truck so that she can only have one passenger and no room for any shenanigans. She doesn't think he is very funny.

As far as your posting problems, I'm not sure what the problem might be. I do know it is sometimes hard to get things lined up the way you want, as about the time you get things lined up and publish---IT, decides to move things around. I think you have done fine and it is all readable and understandable. Perhaps make your pictures a little smaller might help things line up better. It seems that when you make the pictures large the thing seems to line things up differently. If people want to see the pictures up closer they can click on them and get a full screen picture. LaDonna

Laurie Speaks

Didn't know if anyone has checked back on comments for awhile but Laurie has posted several comments lately. One question she asked was about the family camping weekend. Laurie, it is to be the weekend of June 12th. People may come when ever they want to but we hope to have as many as can make it on Sat. the 13th for a fun day and overnight stay. We hope to do all of our cooking outdoors. There are two lakes directly behind Justin and Holly's home. You can rent paddle boats or go fishing. Sorry but they don't allow swimming. Justin & Holly have lots of yard games for you younger folks and perhaps even some quad riding at Holly's families farm. We are all hoping that Doris will be at a good place in her treatment so that she will be able to be with us that weekend. I know she is looking forward to coming. LaDonna

Yowza

Well Kathy, we were some babes. Of course that was 26 some years and for me probably 80-90 pounds ago. I am with Kenny though, I'm not sure I would want to go back there. I liked it fine when I was that age but I like where we are now too. Kenny says he would go back if he could take all of the knowledge that he has gained over the years with him. I must say I wouldn't mind being that weight again but can't see that that will ever happen. Thanks for sharing the picture. LaDonna

OMG!

Wow, who are these skinny, sexy babes? Date on the back of the picture says June 1983 . . . and I don't think we've changed much, have we? LOL

Kathy

What am I doing wrong?

Can someone tell me why my pictures don't stay where I put them in the draft? They were supposed to all be left aligned and my print was to the right, but when I posted things moved around. Evidently I am doing something wrong. Suggestions are welcome!

Thanks!
Kathy

Cool Ride

I washed my car today and Norman took some pictures while it's clean. We had been considering selling it, and he thought it might make a good 16th birthday present for one of the up and coming drivers in our family. Nicole and Ron already nixed the idea for Ashley so we thought Wade might want to think about it for Emily -- didn't she say once she was a car buff? It could get her to school on time with the 400 HP LS2 Corvette motor . . . a good, practical car for a teenager, don't you think? LOL

We probably should keep it as it might be a collector's item some day since they only made them three years and ours is a 2006, the only year with this motor. They were made in Australia by GM and they came out around the same time gas went through the roof. Ours only has about 19,000 miles on it, most of which were accumulated in TX when I was still commuting. These day's it doesn't often leave the garage. I do wish we had gotten a stick instead of an automatic, though.

Note the 200 MPH on the speedometer . . . I have no idea if it will go that fast and I'm afraid to ask Norman if he knows. It actually gets pretty good fuel mileage except when he drives it!

Hope everyone is doing fine. Don't know about other parts of the country but MO is going to have a blast of winter again -- they said it could be 20 or below Monday and/or Tuesday night. We just hate to see damage to the trees that are now in bloom. Norman mowed the yard last week -- how things can change! Never saw such up and down temps like we've had this year, and windy. Seems every day we have gusts up to 25 or more and you have to nail everything down! We keep thinking it has to soon get warm and stay warm, then we will probably be complaining about the heat!

Norman talked to Hugh King today. He is 84 years old. Said he has macular degeneration of the retina (which my mother also had). There isn't much they can do for it but he can still see well enough to drive during the day and he's hoping to get a couple more years. Doris, he asked about you and Norman told him what you are going through -- he had no idea. He said he goes to the Rutters there by you and one day he might stop in to see you. We'll give him your phone number so that way he can call before he comes to make sure you are up to company.

Not much else new here in the Show Me state.

Love to all,

Kathy & Norman

Red Lion Checking In

Thanks for the kind words about my "new hair". It surely makes a difference in how I feel. It lifted my spirits immediately. Now people will see me again and not the cancer.

I am feeling pretty good today. Yesterday was a "funky" day for some reason. I awoke around 1:30 in the morning with screaming pain and I was shaking was the inside out. I worked all day at getting warm and finally had to retreat to bed with heating pads to get that accomplished. I didn't have a fever so we think it was possibly one of the chemo mediations finally leaving my system. Today was a much better day.

Tomorrow I go back to the hospital to have the biliary drain removed. I am not looking forward to going back to the hospital but am looking forward to having this drain out of my side. It has been a "real" pain. I haven't been able to lift anything over 15 pounds and driving was uncomfortable because the seatbelt went right over the drain. So it is time for this thing to disappear!

The principal from my school is coming to see me on Sunday. We are going to discuss a plan for my intermittent part-time return to work. The school district has agreed to allow me to work when I can on the "good days" between the chemo treatments. This will allow me to keep my employee status current so that my benefits stay in place. I am hoping to work half days both at school and from home. I can't work with children because of the high risk of infection when my white blood cell count is low. However, I can do clerical work and my boss is delighted to have me return in this capacity.

I am cleaning closets and tossing away "stuff". I do not want the clutter in my home or my life anymore. I am also toying with the idea of selling my house and moving to something smaller, all on one floor. I will have to see what the real estate agent thinks he can get for my house before I can make a decision. I am a little concerned about the cost of electric going up next year. They are saying it can triple. My house is all electric heat, though I do supplement with a gas fireplace.

The hardest part about moving is giving up my beautiful yard (and gardening) and leaving my wonderful neighbors who look out for me all of the time. The place I am looking at is a 55+ community. I wouldn't have to mow or shovel snow. There are no stairs - one story home with no basement.

Right now I am just in the "thinking" stages but plan to go look at two homes next week. My real estate agent will meet with me and then I need to meet with the bank. If I can get fair market value for my house, I could pay for the new house and pay off my oustanding debt and be slightly better off financially than I am right now.

I just don't know if I can be happy in such a controlled environment. I will really have to think this through.

Next week I need to grocery shop to make sure I have lots of beverages, soups, and easy to heat foods in the house for the "not so good" week after chemo. My next treatment is April 9th. If this time goes like the rest I the side effects will probably hit me Sunday or Monday and then I count forward 6 days. I AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING THROUGH THIS AGAIN. After this treatment there are only five more. My treatments will take me up to the end of August. What happens from there depends on what the scans and bloodwork show.

In May, Michael will be away for a week in Mexico. It just happens to be the bad week after chemo. We talked about it and I told him to go diving. I am in bed sleeping for most of that time and am not very good company. He has taken care of me non-stop since January and I want him to have this break. So I will be calling on others to step up and help with my care during that time.

It's actually sort of funny that at the very time you want to be left alone the doctors insist that you can't be alone. There are just too many things that can go wrong during that time. So far I have not had any "allergic" reactions to the chemo but I am told that can happen at any stage of the game and that is why I have access to the doctors 24/7.

For the most part I just go on living my life and don't give much thought to the cancer. Soon it will not be a part of my life.

I spend lots of time near the window where I can watch these crazy squirrels playing in the yard and I bird watch daily. It seems that each day there is a new bird hanging out in the backyard. I even had a rather large hawk hanging out Sunday and Monday. Several days I have managed to walk a half mile.....then have to nap. I am looking forward to warm days when I get outside to rake and begin the spring clean-up in my yard. Michael is going to mulch for me and we hope to get that done before he leaves in May.

Also paid a visit to Rita's this week. It just happened to be "on the way" as we returned from the cancer center. Chocolate Chip Mint.....mmmmmm. Now I have to tell you, it took me from Monday until this evening to finish a small cup so I am not feeling guilty at all!

So that is what's going on in my little corner of the world.

WARNING: I found a box of old pictures today. As soon as I can get them scanned I will post some of them. Tommy also gave me a few good ones too.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Doris