Home again, home again

Well, we made it home, safe and sound. It snowed from midnight on last night and we got about six inches of snow in Maine. Charmine got up and cleaned off the car....brave soul that she is.

We went to Bessies again for breakfast, but I couldn't eat that much...I had made a protein shake in the hotel room before we went for breakfast! That was a mistake I guess.

After breakfast, we just packed up our stuff and headed home. The roads were pretty clear and once we hit the Massachusetts line, they were bare. We dropped Maria off at home and then headed to CT. We got home around 2pm...Sandy made me a cup of hamburger soup and then I went up and rested.

It was a great, great weekend. I had a wonderful time...and it was so great to go away and do something that wasn't associated with going to the hospital or the doctor's office! YAY!!! Normal life...that's what it is...and I love it!

Jack surprised me last night by telling me that he had purchased a ticket for me for the Notre Dame game next month! I was shocked...I had told them that I wasn't going to get a ticket because I'm not sure about the timing of it, considering my chemo sessions. When I told Sandy about it, she said that the timing should be perfect...I should be in a "good week" when I am bouncing back from the chemo effects...just as I was this weekend. Anne-Marie said she would swing by and pick me up so I don't have to drive to Hartford...so it's all set! I'm going to the Notre Dame game with the whole gang! We're going to go out to eat too!

There was another mouse episode last night while I was away...Bubbles ended up catching it sometime after midnight...Sandy said she had a tough time falling back to sleep after all the excitement. We MUST figure out where they are coming in...we know it's that coat closet on the first floor, but we have to figure out how they get to the closet!

Sandy set the traps so between the traps, Murphy and Bubbles the mice don't live long...but they might roam a bit before their demise...particularly if Murph insists on bringing them upstairs to us! I told Sandy that if I hear him make that sound again, I'm putting the light on IMMEDIATELY!! She thinks that's a good idea.

Well...I'm pooped from all my excitement.

Nighty night!

Ogunquit--Sunday

I see that in my entry last night I failed to note that I had been drinking! I did have one drink...a sombrero...(how old fashioned) after dinner. It was VERY STRONG...so I only had one. I had to be able to get up on the stage and sing after all. But after I made my blog entry I climbed into bed and drank one of those little Bailey's "nip bottles" that Phil and Renee had put in my Christmas basket....and I drank half of it in the dark....while Maria slept. I think I may becoming an alcoholic!

We'll worry about that later...for now we are enjoying the "Winter Wonderland" outside our hotel room. The guy just came to plow and it started snowing again. It looks like there is about six inches of snow out there, maybe less.

I put "Mustafa" in the snow drift outside our room and took his picture. I a voice yell from the second floor balcony, "What are you doing to that little gnome??" It was Anne-Marie, who just happened to come out on her balcony and spotted his little blue head in the snow! Very funny!

We are rousting ourselves out of bed. Have to meet the gang at 9 to head for breakfast. Charmine's car should be able to handle the snow drift in the parking lot. I am having a protein shake before I go...to start the day off right.

I'm in that phase now, after chemo...where my appetite comes back...big time. Sandy says I have to eat a lot and pack on the pounds, because after the chemo they come off again, big time. So...yesterday I ate just about all day and will do so again today. I just hope my new pants aren't too tight for the ride home!

I think we are going to be watching the "Geno Roast" when we get back and then we will be hitting the road to home. It's been so much fun and already I'm looking forward to coming back next year!

I'm going to post my pictures from this trip on my Facebook page...so you'll have to join Facebook and become my friend to check them out!

Enjoy the snow!

Ogunquit...Day 1

We went to "Bessies" for breakfast. I brought my new UConn gnome and told folks that we had to come up with a name for him. I had the thought that whatever our waiter's name was is what we would name him. Anne-Marie said we better hope that our waiter's name wasn't Sally! We all laughed.

Well..we did have a waiter and he started out being kind of snipppy with us...so we knew he was a character. We asked him what his name was and he got all suspicious...but he told us it was "Mustafa"...later I told him why we were asking and he got all excited! He told us that Mustafa means "the Chosen One"...which we thought was appropriate. We got a picture of him holding the gnome...he was so pleased.

After breakfast we maintained tradition by immediately heading to Renny's to shop. We got some great bargains and all gathered at the checkout at the same time. It was Charmine (driving); Maria; Anne-Marie, her daughter Kellie (who is JUST LIKE Anne-Marie) and me. As we were going out...Kellie noticed that one of the cashiers names was Sallee! So, we took her picture with the gnome...holding it up by her nametag. Can you believe it? She said her yard was full of gnomes.

We took his picture in all kinds of places this weekend, in the Renny's cart; in a lobster trap; at the restaurant; etc. It was fun...and he's keeping the name Mustafa.

After shopping we went to Perkins Cove to eat. We had chowder and I order fish and chips...pretty good meal.

Then we came back to the hotel, got into our bathing suits and bathrobes and went into the Roman Spa. Maria and I hiked across the snow to the outside hot tub....when we got out of that I was shocked when I toweled myself off...there were ice cubes on my towel! And when I put my bathrobe back on...ice cubes in that too!

We took a nap for a couple of hours and then it was off to Maxwell's for dinner and karaoke. We video taped the performances this year. Anne-Marie's daughter Kellie is a "ringer"...she was FANTASTIC! The karaoke guy told her she should be singing professionally and should try out for American Idol..which it turns out that she already did...and was rejected. What a voice!

I sang "Goodbye Earl" (badly) and Anne-Marie and Maria did a good job backing me up. Charmine, Maria, Anne-Marie and I also sang "Sweet Caroline," we had a great time.

We left around 11 and now Maria is asleep....and I'm writing this. Have to get to bed. We meet tomorrow at 9am for breakfast again...and it should be snowing then. It hasn't started yet. We were a bit concerned about driving home tomorrow...but it sounds like the snow isn't going to be as bad as they first thought. Charmine has four wheeled drive, so it shouldn't be a problem. Just have to watch out for the other drivers!

Time for some shut eye...nighty night!

We made it to Maine in one piece and are settling into our beautiful hotel rooms. We stopped along the way in Saugus to eat at Applebee's...another gauche choice according to Ms. Audrey's standards. We caught up with Annie, Harvey and Diane, Jack and Anne-Marie in the pub when we arrived and I splurged by having a coffee with Bailey's in it. Now my face is flaming and I'll sleep like a rock!

Tomorrow we are up early to go to breakfast together and then the serious shopping begins.

Marie and Don can't make it this year, but Don expects us to sing "New York New York" for him...I tell you, it ain't happening! AND...we have ALREADY started engaging in serious talk about Marie and Don and all the others who aren't along on this Camp Husky weekend!!!

More on this later, I'm sure.

Nighty night....

Murphy

In the wee hours of the morning we both heard Murphy make that same "little cry" at the bedroom door. Then he came in through the kitty door and jumped up on my nightstand...then took off running. We didn't hear him again all night.

This AM when I got up to let Bubbles out to go potty, Murphy was in the upstairs hallway...waiting for me to admire the "little package" he had dropped off by the door...you got it!! A mangled mouse. I picked it up with kleenex and Murphy went flying into the spare room...all full of himself!!!

What a guy! I told Sandy that the mousetraps her mother sent up are not doing us any good sitting in the plastic bag in the dining room! Maybe she'll put them out while I'm away.

I'm busy packing my stuff to go to Maine. I have to take my little blender to make my protein shakes...but I hope to be able to get enough protein through my food. I also have to pack a lot more medications and "potions" than last year! I'm bringing my camcorder for karaoke...maybe we can post some videos on U-Tube; my digital camera and my bathrobe...which makes packing tough. I am also bringing my new UConn Husky gnome...so we can put him in compromising positions and take pictures...also I want to start a collection of pictures of him situated in places we travel to...I think I'll even take him on the cruise next fall!

So...off I go to pack! And awaaaaaaaaaayyyyy we go!

Busy day at home. I washed the sheets, cleaned the bathrooms (all of them); dusted upstairs and down; shredded the pile of old bills, checks, etc that had accumulated since November; went through the box of stuff Sandy had put aside for me while I was in the hospital; and made phone calls to JuJu, Trudy, my Dad and got a nice call from Jan Gothers-one of my co-workers at UConn.

Sandy took Lily for a walk around the neighborhood while Truman and Bubbles clung about the windowsills in the dining room, screaming, because Lil was going for a walk and not them.

Then Sandy took the two of them up to Pachaug Forest...no worries about dead bodies today. They went for a nice walk and made it through the snow squall that blew up suddenly.

Now I'm vegging in the recliner...watching Sandy play Zelda on the Wii. She loves that game...even though she got it for me, obstensibly.

Last night Sandy and I played Rock Band...she worked the drums and I sang. She is really getting better on the drums (and the guitar)...we were able to unlock another set of songs...they get harder with each set. I don't do bad singing, even the songs that I never heard before!

I couldn't sleep last night...I had trouble falling asleep and got up at 11:30, came downstairs to have a protein shake...I was hungry. Then I sat up, watching old episodes of The Office while I waited for the shake to digest a bit before I laid down again. I did fall asleep, but woke up a few times and each time would have trouble falling asleep. I think I was too excited about my news to sleep.

Jan tells me that my levels could go up and down and to not get discouraged. I was wondering about this and Sandy is going to research it for me. I will prepare myself for the number being a bit higher next time, just in case.

I am really looking forward to hitting the road with Charmine tomorrow. She'll come get me at 2pm and then we head up to Maria's. She won't get home from work until after 5:00, so Charmine and I may roam around S. Boston..I can show her the sights as Maria has shown me, Goodwill being the highlight, of course! Then the three of us will head north, stopping for supper along the way...probably something guache like The 99 Restaurant...which I wouldn't mind at all..I've been thinking alot about fish tacos!

This weekend we'll be in Oquonquit...at the Meadowmere Resort. Jack got us all rooms on the first floor, to accomodate me. We are near the Roman Spa...and I plan to be in there a couple of times this weekend! I also hope I make it into the hot tub out in the snow. I will be bringing the camera to take pics and will post them here, hopefully...or on my Facebook page. I can post more pics there.

Saturday it will be breakfast and dinner with the whole crew and shopping at Renny's with Maria, Charmine and I'm sure Anne-Marie and her daughter. I hope to pick up some more small size clothes there...I have established a goal of staying close to this size!

Interesting...this group of Husky fans are going to be missing the game on Saturday....we'll be too busy singing karaoke!

I will be bringing the laptop with me to Maine, and they have wi-fi in the hotel..so if anything wild happens, I'll be sure to blog about it! I'm so happy to have something other than my bowels, chemo, etc to report on!

Nighty night!

Big Day!

Today was Dr. Lachance day. I went for my bloodwork at Backus and then we toodled down to Waterford, to pick up Lynne, who was waiting in the Target parking lot for us. We went over to L&M and who is making himself a cup of coffee in the waiting room? Dr. Lachance. I introduced him to Lynne and they proceded to have a long conversation about coffee makers, like they had known each other for ages.

The nurse talked to me about glutamine...something that some say helps eliminate the possible side effect of neuropathy...something I would like to avoid. Dr. Lachance came in and they discussed this...he isn't opposed to me taking it, but takes the positions that it hasn't been proven that it helps. The nurse snuck me a bottle of it on our way out..Dr. Lachance is going to have the dietician come talk to me about the plusses and minuses of it next week when I'm at my next chemo treatment.

I thought I had to have a pelvic exam today...I was wrong! YAY!

I have now been having the same sensation in my right lung as I have been having in my left lung. Dr. Lachance thinks it's more muscular than fluid in my lung. He told me that with the way I'm going it would be bizarre that fluid was building in my lungs..and then he laid the news on me....my CA125 test that they gave me the last time I had chemo showed that my level was 53!!!!

Can you believe it? Normal is 35...so I am already 18 points away from NORMAL!!!
I am SO LUCKY! Of course, I have to continue with the chemo right through the end...and will have to continue to be monitored..probably for the rest of my life....but it seems like I just started this journey and to already be experiencing this type of success is unbelievable!

Dr. Lachance said he and Wendy, the nurse who works with the clinical trials were so excited. They couldn't believe it either.

So, we went to Olive Garden to celebrate (Maria thinks that is so gauche)...I paid. I ate salad for the first time in like FOR-EVER and I even had a half a glass of soda. I also had a great shrimp and pasta dinner...three quarters of which is in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch or supper.

Afterwards we dropped Lynne off at her car and ran some errands. I was starting to fade a bit...but was so surprised that I had so much energy. We ended up buying great pastry at Arremony's Bakery...and dropping some off to Carol and Mark--to thank them for the apple crisp and icecream they dropped off last night. I also wanted to see their new furniture...they got the great blue and white striped easy chairs I love at IKEA.

Then we came home and I made a fire and now we are just relaxing with our feet up, our bellies full of Olive Garden and Arremony's....

I told Sandy that maybe there is something to crying over a diagnosis for all of less than five seconds and then getting on with it....Sandy agreed. I think what we are doing is the right thing and the right way to approach everything....

We're going to keep on keeping on.....

It's a VERY GOOD DAY! The best of this young year!