1st series of Chemo is done!

Yes! I accepted those toxic chemicals into my body without fear. Ha Ha Ha! I have a little nausea but nothing serious. Being very creative about what I can eat now that I have metal running through my body and my taste buds have completely changed. I have a strange metallic taste in my mouth. Spearmint gum seems to work well and I can eat melon, applesauce, cottage cheese and crackers, chips and guac (thank goodness!). Still working on the vegetables. Oh, and I can eat those First Street Creamery Chocolate fudge bars from Smart and Final anytime! You want to bring me a treat. That would be the best.

My belly is a bit enlarged at the moment. I told Steve I'm about 5 months along now. He didn't think that was very funny. ahh! I have to get my laughs in every day. Keeps my spirits high.

I am scheduled to recieve my 2nd round of chemo September 14th 15th and 16th. I am lucky to be able to have the infusion done close to my home in Huntingon Beach so I don't have to travel to UCLA. I still have access to UCLA for treatment ideas and I am very blessed to have this option. Cause UCLA rocks and accomplishes some amazing healing there. Especially with the help from my fellow nursing students at Mount Saint Mary's College. Yeah! Miss you stressed out nursing students!

UCLA & Time for Chemo

I met a wonderful oncologist for a second opinion up at UCLA today. He answered all my questions and was willing to stay longer to answer more. He thinks Cisplatin and Etoposide are the way to go to blast these unruly cells and send them on their way. I will see him again in 6 weeks after I have been toxified with chemo. He will decide what the next step will be.
Chemo starts tomorrow at the oncology office and then Sat and Sun it will be at Hoag Hopsital. I really have no idea what I am getting myself into except for all the stories I am sure all of you have heard. The doctor thinks I will feel better after the initial 2 weeks of utter crappiness. I am committed to being a couch potato for a while if that is what it is going to take to get me through. The kids have instructions to feed me every 3 hours. ha! We shall see how that works out. Luckily, I have only lost 2 lbs so far. Force feeding has never been my forte, but I am learning.

Marry me again

Today was an extroadinary day. Steve and I set off to meet Jason at Crosspoint church while the girls' stayed home. Jess was still feeling feverish from yesterday. Little did we know today was the day Pastor Bruce would renew marriage vows for anyone in the church who was willing. Steve and I were married September 23, 1989 in front of a man-made waterfall in Calabasas and had a wedding officient marry us. I had always wanted to renew our vows in the church and today was the perfect day. When the time came to renew our vows we faced each other and held hands. Steve was afraid he couldn't get the words out because of the pent up emotion of all we had been through and are enduring at this time. It took everything I had to whisper my vows to my husband of nearly 20 years. It was absolutely wonderful! I later found out we weren't the only ones moved by our love and committment towards each other.

Thanks Pastor Bruce! I feel blessed to be witness to your awesome ability to allow the Lord to work through you.

Blogging isn't easy

Okay. So far I have changed the darn template 5 times and the colors and the fonts and oh my goodness I guess this is what I get. It is not perfect... but I will take it. Don't be confused if the next time you visit my blog it is c o m p l e t e l y different. I like the picture. I received it in an email and stole it. haha! There is no other feeling than being in the middle of a barrel on your board. Total awesomeness. Ok, surfer chick is leaving now. I have passed that down to my beautiful daughter, Jessica. Steve used to call her Gidget when she was 9 and just learning how to surf. She has turned out to respect and enjoy the ocean for the God given beauty it possesses. She loves to surf with her dad and her surfin' buddy Katie. Katie's dad often comes along too. Fun times!

Why smile?

I remember reading a story a long time ago about the impact a smile can have on another person. The story spoke about positive attitudes and energy and how we can create that in our lives. They went on to say that providing a genuine smile, and I mean a heart warming smile, can promote the flow of positive energy from one person to the next and act as a catalyst to spread this energy from one person to the next.

Let's say one person is having a bad day. You are at work or on the street and give this person a cheerful, heartfelt smile. The sad person smiles back in response, maybe wondering what in the world you are up to or maybe catches your positive energy and smiles back to someone else on the street. You following me here? This may in turn create a flow of positive energy she takes to work and transfers throughout her workplace. In chemistry they have a word for reactions that create energy without losing energy. This is the tipping point. The point I want to make about smiles and why I do it every chance I can. :)