Christmas Eve in Birtville

The Christmas Grinch has caught Jude and Jett

Julie Morrison and Justin

Art and Jett

Alex and Jude

Adam

Christmas 2009 was very nice indeed. Friends and family were able to join us for the holiday and a good time was had by all. As you can see the kids had a great time as usual, although we did miss Erica and Brenna who were spending the holidays with family in Presque Isle. They will be here for New Year's Eve/Day and will be able to get the gifts that Santa left them. My sister took these pictures of Christmas Eve and hopefully within a couple days Adam will give me copies of the pics he took Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas Week!!

Well, I had hoped that this week I would be able to post some pictures of Birtville at Christmastime but alas my little camera died. Now, since Santa probably won't bring me a new one this year, I'm going to have to rely on Adam to get me some pictures. This in and of itself shouldn't be too difficult BUT getting them out of his camera to me seems to be an issue. Being a good mother though, I will nag to best of my ability and just to shut me up, he will come through. So until I can get some more pictures out here, everyone have a very Merry Christmas week!

More Wedding Pics

Happy parents of the groom

Best of friends

Art

Adam and Beth

Adam before the wedding

Wedding

Beth

The mother of the groom reads the "Irish Wedding Blessing"

Steve and Amy Rolfe

Whispering Pines Main Lodge

Whispering Pines Campfire Area

This past weekend, we went to Rhode Island for the wedding of my best friend's son. We had beautiful weather and the wedding was lovely even if it was a bit cold during the evening. The wedding was held at Whispering Pines Conference Center in West Greenwich, RI which is associated with the University of Rhode Island which is where Steve (the groom) and his fiancee Amy went to school.

Just a brief catch up

Well, school starts on Monday and once again I'll be busy enough so that I can barely catch my breath but it has been so much fun getting the new program up and running! Things are falling into place and we will be ready to go on Monday.

Meanwhile, the weather has been much nicer since it started to cool off. The 9 or 10 days of summer we had, (9o degrees and 90% humidity) were oppressive and many folks felt that they would have preferred the rainy June and July over the heat and humidity. For me, it's coming up on "sweater weather"...my favorite time of the year.

Once again, I am holding my own. All my testing has finally been finished and I think it's safe to say that I'm in remission again. It's a good feeling, my friends and I want to thank all of you for your good wishes. I love each and every one of you very dearly and because of you all, my life is so much fuller!

The Last Hurrah

Taylor holding the bag

This one is going to be one classy dinner date someday! You should be proud, Steve...

Since Taylor and Shelby have to start school in a week, their Auntie Di took them on a mini-vacation after they were here visiting with the old folks. They had a great time as you can see.

Beach Pics

Clouding up at the end of the day

Shelby enjoying her book

A Day at the Beach

We took Wednesday afternoon and went to the beach for a few hours to see the "sights" that one can see at the beach, to relax and and to read. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. According to the the kids the beach we went to isn't even one of the best but so far I kind of like it and best of all, I KNOW HOW TO GET THERE!

Here's a pic of Taylor just kind of zoning out in the sun.

Just some sunbathers....the lighthouse off in the distance actually sits on the beach in front of Southern Maine Community College where I teach.

More random sunbathers and the ocean

Shelby and her blue tongue from the Gatorade

Time to change position...it was a nice afternoon and like I said, we saw a few interesting sites.

Vacation Week!

This week has so far been one of the best of the summer. While Taylor was here a couple weeks ago with me and we had such a great week, just the two of us, I've got double the pleasure and fun this week, with Taylor and Shelby both here this week. We've done quite a bit of "stuff", and had some great discussions. We've been shopping, to see Harry Potter #6, shopping, to the beach, shopping, and oh did I mention, we've been shopping? Tomorrow, we're going to Boston to let Shelby experience some of the things Taylor and I did last month. And yes, we might even do a bit of shopping. Thursday, we will help my friend Beth find a dress for her son's wedding and Friday, possibly more beach time. We have had movie afternoons, and afternoons where we've just spent time together reading. It's been a great week and as usual, "auntie" is enjoying herself to the fullest. Thanks girls!

"Upta Camp"

Shelby and Taylor on vacation....they are just too cool for words! Next week they will be back here for another "vacation" with their old "auntie"....I can't wait!

Jude and Jett July 2009

Julie posted these to her Facebook page and I just wanted to share them with those of you who don't use Facebook or have Julie on your list of "friends". These are two of the most precious boys I have ever seen! Jett will be 1-year old in just a mere two weeks, and Jude will be 4 the last day of August. They have grown so much this summer!

A Good Read

Taylor and I spent an afternoon at Border's bookstore while she was here. That is one of my favorite activities and while I would love to work at a bookstore, I'd be broke because my paychecks would go for merchandise. Anyway, I digress. I picked up the newest book by one of my favorite authors, Jenn Lancaster, called "Pretty in Plaid". I've also read her other books, "Bitter is the new Black", "Such a pretty Fat", and "Bright Lights, Big Ass". All of these books are hilarious and have made me laugh out loud (just ask Taylor). But my favorite of these is "Bright Lights, Big Ass". I don't know how to describe Jen's writing, but one of my friends who has read BLBA, says that it was like she was talking to me. Jen writes these books about herself and her life, and really takes an honest look at who she is and why she is the way she is. Anyone who is looking for a good read and a great laugh should pick these books up. But especially read "Bright Lights, Big Ass". I highly, highly recommend it.

More Pictures in Boston

Taylor on the train to come home after a long hot day

At North Station in the TD Banknorth Center in Boston

We saw these bronze "statues" at Quincy Market in Fanueil Hall. Taylor was quite surprised when they moved. If you notice the statue in the tri-corner hat, you'll see that he is in different positions in the the two pictures.

Taylor and Carla's Big Adventure

My cousin Steve's daughter, Taylor was here to visit last week while her sister Shelby, was at a writing camp at the University of Maine in Orono. We had a great time just shopping, going to the movies, relaxing at home, amongst other things. On Saturday, she and I took the Amtrak Downeaster to Boston for the day. It was a beautiful day! The sun was shining, it was warm (actually very warm, and we both had a wonderful time. Heat got a bit much for auntie here by the end of the afternoon but we still had fun. We saw lots of things...some of them very, very strange indeed. Unfortunately we couldn't get pictures of the very strange things we saw without someone assaulting us but trust me when I say that some things were definitely WRONG on oh, so many levels. One of the fun things we did was go to the Observation Deck on the 50th floor of the Prudential Center in downtown Boston. Here are a few of the pics that we got from the deck.


The Charles River

Taylor Lane

Fenway Park

The John Hancock building

Taylor on the Observation Deck

Happy 4th of July!

It has been raining here in Maine for about 3 weeks now and it's getting pretty darn depressing. Everything is wet, streams are high and plants etc., are drowning. The lawn hasn't been mowed in about 2 1/2 weeks and I'm beginning to believe that we'll have a moat around the house before too long.

My US results came back yesterday. I'll be having another Ovarian US in 6 weeks to re-evaluate the mass to see if it has grown. Nobody seems to be worried about it so I'm not going to be either.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July and remember that everyone has a July 4th but only we as Americans have the wonderful reason for the holiday that we have!!

Reflections

Over the past few days America has lost 3 well-known entertainers. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and of course, the legendary, Michael Jackson. Of the 3, I personally liked Ed McMahon the best, simply because I loved the Johnny Carson show and Ed, Johnny, and Doc Severinsen were part of my life from the first night Johnny was on TV.

But, the reflecting I've done has been while I watched the news reels about Farrah Fawcett and her experience with cancer. What a journey she was on! Is it any different than what other cancer patients go through? I don't know. I'm betting some of it is different simply because of the resources available to her because of her social/financial standings. But for the most part, her experiences with the emotions, feeling, and physical effects of treatment were probably pretty much like anyone else. I will admit that as a cancer patient/survivor myself, I was really hoping she would do well. Anyone who has cancer will tell you, you're always a cancer patient, even if you're a survivor. I have been watching with a bit of trepidation the things that she experienced. As a nurse, I'm aware of the disease, some of it's treatments, the sequelae of treatment, etc. But as a patient, I'm thinking of my own mortality. From what I can get from her story and reports, just a few short months ago, she was told that her 5 year chance of survival was over 70%, and that she was "cured". 70%. To a cancer patient, 70% is a lot. A year ago, I was told essentially the same thing. Cured. 5 year survival chance greater than 75%. Makes one think.

This past week I had my 1 year CT scan. Most of it looked good but I had another ovarian US yesterday to evaluate a small mass on my ovary that is new. Then to come home and find out that Farrah had succumbed to this insidious disease made me think. And I'm still thinking. You wouldn't believe all the things that go through your mind. You look in the mirror and you don't look any different. At least until you start treatment. It doesn't show from the outside how there are cells inside you mutating and growing so incredibly fast and out of control. So you continue to watch and think. I've been lucky. I haven't had to be treated with the chemo drugs. Only surgery. I still have my hair. I can still taste things. But, just how much of this is only temporary?

Don't get me wrong--I am thoroughly enjoying life, not sitting here "waiting for the other shoe to drop". I'm working at two jobs I love, pretty much going where and doing what I want, and yes, even looking outside and watching the grass grow. Wouldn't do anything differently, with maybe the exception of going to Disney World. I am enjoying my family who continue to be a source of support and love. But, the happenings of the past few days, have definitely given me pause to stop and think. For all my friends out there--enjoy life and make the best of what you have. We are so much more fortunate than we think.

New Events

While this week didn't quite turn out like we expected and we had to cancel our trip to Boston, we are still managing to enjoy life. No matter what, life is still good. As every one knows I had my 1 year CT scan this week. I recieved my final report on it on Friday and while most of it came back excellently there is a "spot" by my left ovary that wasn't on last years CT, and didn't show up on my US in October, so I will have to have that evaluated again. Will have to have it done by US because CT really does not detect ovarian malformations very well. Am not worried since this could actually be a glitch in the CT pics themselves.

Earlier in the week I got into something that I'm allergic to and turned into one huge "hive". We have narrowed it down to some possibilities such as CT contrast, peanut butter, and strawberries. Ended up doing 2 stints in the ER at Mercy Hospital to receive IV steroids, Benadryl, Atarax...etc. What a mess! I actually looked like a cross between the Michelin Man and a burn victim. The last visit and injections on Saturday seemed to have helped and while some of the hives are still there, the burning, itching, and the swelling is going away. I can open my eyes now and my hands aren't 3 times their normal size anymore. Needless to say, I'm going to end up having a work up of some sort for that. What a week!

The good parts about all this: Art is home for a few days, he's resting and the stress of caring for his mother is a bit less, the boys were able to have their get together with their friends last night as they planned, the hives were caught early enough before my airway could fully swell, and Adam was around to do what needed to be done for me on Wednesday night. God does watch over us all.

Happy Birthday to Me!

This morning I had my one year follow-up nose to knees CT scan. Since it's now almost 6 hours later, and no one has called to tell me there is an alien living inside me, I am going to presume that the old saying "no news is good news" is holding true. Last year when I found out I had cancer, I was not even home from having the CT scan and there was a message waiting for me to call my physician. This year it looks like I dodged a bullet but we'll keep our fingers crossed until we get the official word.

Enjoying the summer

Summer Daze

Triple trouble

Here I come!

Jude and Jett

Jude and his pool

A new bike!

Jett gets the prize--a frog!

In the pool we go

Jett at about 9 months

One of the joys of our long life together has been having not only our own boys but being able to enjoy their friends and their friends children as well. Alex and Julie have very graciously and lovingly allowed us to be part of their lives and their children's lives over the past few years and we so appreciate it.

Since Art's been taking care of the elderly and currently spends his time in Millinocket with his mother, we haven't been able to get together with our "extended" family of friends as often as we'd like. We both miss this alot. We've also missed most of Jett's first year. Unlike with Jude, we haven't been able to be as much a part of life as we'd have liked. Here are some pics that Julie sent out the other day to her friends on Facebook. Aren't these two of the most precious little guys?

Roses

Anyone that knows me, knows that flowers make my heart go "zing"! Especially roses....the hubs, God Bless him, brought me red roses for our anniversary.