Monday, May 30, 2005
Bill's Big Birthday Bash
...or, "Everybody Loves Bill." They came from all over the Puget Sound to celebrate his birthday. From Bellingham and Seattle, they came to pay tribute to the man of the hour. Tom, Kari, Dave, Mieko, Bill, Soozi, Barry, Lisa & Jane. We laughed a lot and ate a massive amount of ribs. The lemon cake (which appears to be on fire below, but wasn't) was devoured in record time. And the presents! An all-in-one printer, web cams (a necessity for the dad on the road), and a collector's bottle of Marilyn Merlot were just a few of the lovely gifts received. Thanks, everyone, for the food and the fun!
Friday, May 27, 2005
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Fly me to the Moon!
Jack got to go with his class on a field trip to the Museum of Flight today. Bill went along to chaperone.... Jack got to play Neil Armstrong in a little lunar landing simulation. A good time was had by all!
Mom ended up getting 2 pints of whole blood yesterday along with a platelet chaser. She woke up with a couple of rashes and some spontaneous bruising, and knew it was time to go in for a fill up. She said she's feeling really good today--she tried one of those nutra/protein/vitamin-type drinks, loved it, and thought it helped her to NOT feel nauseous today. I'm very glad they got her pumped up before the long weekend.
We are having a party for Bill on Sunday night--drop by if you're in town!
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Down but not out
Mom's a little discouraged today: red blood is at 7.9, platelets are down to 22,000. Since this is an expected outcome after a week of shots...I'm not too bummed. But when I talked to mom tonight, she seemed a little down.
I had a wonderful three-day weekend with her. She is very thin--boney, actually! I've never seen her this thin before. She told Bill last week that she's almost back to her wedding weight of 1950. Yikes! Anyway, she was in great spirits, and we went to church Sunday morning to see our friend Nobie preach. We talked, and laughed and I felt very close to her. So nice.
I had a wonderful three-day weekend with her. She is very thin--boney, actually! I've never seen her this thin before. She told Bill last week that she's almost back to her wedding weight of 1950. Yikes! Anyway, she was in great spirits, and we went to church Sunday morning to see our friend Nobie preach. We talked, and laughed and I felt very close to her. So nice.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
I admit it: I'm beginning to allow myself to feel hopeful
The news even surprised the doctor--which is saying a lot: Mom's platelets are up to 45,000. Amazing. The medicine may actually be working. Her whole blood level fell only 2/10 of a point to 9.9. Not too shabby! I can't wait to see her this weekend.
Another great piece of news today: our show has five entries that have made it to the "finalist" level in the New York Festivals competition. It's a national contest with entrants from every corner of your radio dial. This is absolutely unbelieveable--being our first year on the air, and knowing how hard we've worked and how far we've come. If any of the stories wind up earning a medal (gold, silver or bronze) I'll get to go to New York at the end of June and accept the award. With honor!
Another great piece of news today: our show has five entries that have made it to the "finalist" level in the New York Festivals competition. It's a national contest with entrants from every corner of your radio dial. This is absolutely unbelieveable--being our first year on the air, and knowing how hard we've worked and how far we've come. If any of the stories wind up earning a medal (gold, silver or bronze) I'll get to go to New York at the end of June and accept the award. With honor!
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Serving up Platelets!
This Just In on the Mom Watch 2005 report: platelets JUMPED to 33,000...and her hemoglobin is at 10.1. (She got blood on Wednesday.) She starts her next round of Vidaza shots on Monday, and her counts are much higher all around than they were at the beginning of Round 1. Yea!!!
We went to Seattle last night to see a comedy show, and I had my first case of...something....!
Panic attack? Vertigo? Claustrophobia? We were in the 2nd balcony at the Moore Theatre. It was VERY high, VERY steep, and VERY close to the ceiling. You know how it feels when you are dreaming that you're going down stairs, and you miss that stair? That's how I felt, except I was sitting down and very much awake. It was better when they turned off the lights, and the show got going...but in the meantime, my mouth was all dry and I was sweating profusely. I felt like such an idiot.
We went to Seattle last night to see a comedy show, and I had my first case of...something....!
Panic attack? Vertigo? Claustrophobia? We were in the 2nd balcony at the Moore Theatre. It was VERY high, VERY steep, and VERY close to the ceiling. You know how it feels when you are dreaming that you're going down stairs, and you miss that stair? That's how I felt, except I was sitting down and very much awake. It was better when they turned off the lights, and the show got going...but in the meantime, my mouth was all dry and I was sweating profusely. I felt like such an idiot.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Strange Days
Have you ever had the feeling that the whole world around you has gone crazy? That's how I've felt the past several days. (And the amazing thing about this all is, my mom's situation has nothing to do with it!)
Yesterday morning as I was driving in to work, I saw the oddest thing: a large male peacock walking on the sidewalk along a very busy street, dragging his royal blue and vivid green train behind him. I thought, 'Wow, you don't see THAT every day!'
At work, which was so wild I can't even begin to elaborate, I learned that a very dear friend is getting divorced. So, so sad!
Later at home, I read on the Internet that the man responsible for killing himself, his mother, his wife and his three kids down in Riverside County this week was David McGowan-- a good friend of mine from junior high and high school. I had asked one of our mutual friends about him at our HS reunion last October. I hadn't thought about Dave in years, but when I saw Paul, I said, "What in the world happened to David--what's he up to?" "Oh, he's been in law enforcement out in the desert. Hear he's doing pretty well for himself," I was told. David & I had tons of classes together...walked home from school together from time to time.... We were just buddies, never dated, as I was probably a foot taller than he was back then. I am having a hard time understanding why I'm just so upset about this, after not having seen this person for 25 years.
The capper to the day was, when I went outside to feed the dog-- our neighbor, who's having his backyard landscaped, HAD MOVED TWO OF OUR TREES OFF OF OUR PROPERTY AND ONTO HIS. In plain sight! How crazy is that??? These are two lovely little red maples that Kari & I had given Bill last year for his birthday. Bill had gone over and spoken with the neighbor on Monday, because the guys doing the landscaping were also doing work on our land, which we thought was rather strange..... Bill made a point of telling the guy to please stay clear of his beloved trees, but apparently there was a mix up in the translation with the Spanish-speaking crew....AND THEY DUG UP OUR TREES AND MOVED THEM.
Looking over all the stuff above--I suppose a couple of purloined trees is not all that bad.
Yesterday morning as I was driving in to work, I saw the oddest thing: a large male peacock walking on the sidewalk along a very busy street, dragging his royal blue and vivid green train behind him. I thought, 'Wow, you don't see THAT every day!'
At work, which was so wild I can't even begin to elaborate, I learned that a very dear friend is getting divorced. So, so sad!
Later at home, I read on the Internet that the man responsible for killing himself, his mother, his wife and his three kids down in Riverside County this week was David McGowan-- a good friend of mine from junior high and high school. I had asked one of our mutual friends about him at our HS reunion last October. I hadn't thought about Dave in years, but when I saw Paul, I said, "What in the world happened to David--what's he up to?" "Oh, he's been in law enforcement out in the desert. Hear he's doing pretty well for himself," I was told. David & I had tons of classes together...walked home from school together from time to time.... We were just buddies, never dated, as I was probably a foot taller than he was back then. I am having a hard time understanding why I'm just so upset about this, after not having seen this person for 25 years.
The capper to the day was, when I went outside to feed the dog-- our neighbor, who's having his backyard landscaped, HAD MOVED TWO OF OUR TREES OFF OF OUR PROPERTY AND ONTO HIS. In plain sight! How crazy is that??? These are two lovely little red maples that Kari & I had given Bill last year for his birthday. Bill had gone over and spoken with the neighbor on Monday, because the guys doing the landscaping were also doing work on our land, which we thought was rather strange..... Bill made a point of telling the guy to please stay clear of his beloved trees, but apparently there was a mix up in the translation with the Spanish-speaking crew....AND THEY DUG UP OUR TREES AND MOVED THEM.
Looking over all the stuff above--I suppose a couple of purloined trees is not all that bad.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Life on a Tuesday
In the big scheme of things, darned well, thank you very much. First, the Mom Report: Platelets: a spectacular 16,000. That's UP 3,000 for those of you keeping score! Hemoglobin: 7.9, so she'll probably end up getting a transfusion tomorrow. And that will make it three entire weeks since her last one. That, my friends, is a great improvement. Bill has a job in L.A., so he's driving over to Mom's today to check in and deliver some goodies.
Me: I've had a wicked headache since Saturday. It is actually much better....but there's still a pinpoint of pain on the brain. Worked from home yesterday in an attempt to recuperate. Started throbbing a little when I got into work today. Do you think work has anything to do with it? Hahahahahahahahaha.
Me: I've had a wicked headache since Saturday. It is actually much better....but there's still a pinpoint of pain on the brain. Worked from home yesterday in an attempt to recuperate. Started throbbing a little when I got into work today. Do you think work has anything to do with it? Hahahahahahahahaha.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Friday Update
Mom's hemoglobin continues to rise, ever so slightly....8.9 Monday, 9.0 Tuesday, 9.1 Thursday. Platelets are down again, at 13,000. That puts her back near the danger level...with the weekend upon us. Thanks for keeping this in your prayers!
Thursday, May 05, 2005
A tiny ray of hope?
On Tuesday, Mom's red blood count actually went UP a tenth of a point, and her platelets increased from 15,000 to 16,000.
Is the Vidaza kicking in, as we are fervently praying? She has lost 4 pounds, however, and is having a hard time keeping things down. She got the day off from a blood test yesterday, since her levels rose. Results from the blood test later today will be in tomorrow.
Is the Vidaza kicking in, as we are fervently praying? She has lost 4 pounds, however, and is having a hard time keeping things down. She got the day off from a blood test yesterday, since her levels rose. Results from the blood test later today will be in tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Mocha turns 1 year old!!
It's hard to believe, but our baby girl just turned one. Except for several unfortunate 'happy pees' over the past couple of days, she is pure perfection. Gorgeous. Funny. Winning. Silly. Smart. Pretty much, the perfect girl. We could not love her any more. Except for when she's chewing on our shoes.
A cat and her dog
The other night, I heard Bill laughing hysterically from the kitchen. He comes into the bedroom later with a camera...and shows me the series of photos below. Louise, our cat, jumped up on the counter an proceeded to snag the one remaining hot dog that would have been Jack's lunch the next day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
