Well here it is July 26th already. Just as I imagined the trip to Alaska is behind me and chemo looms before me. Time is sure a funny thing. In the moment you feel as if the day will never end and then blink....... and you are transformed into the future which is really just a month from that very long day.
I have had one chemo treatment already. My PET Scan results were not as I had prayed but not as bad as it could have been. The spots did progress again but in very small increments. We are talking one or two millimeters. So we must press on with the chemo. My body sure knows what is happening. All those nasty side effects that finally went away after three months BAM! are back as if they never left. My plan although I forgot to mention it to my doc are to go four treatments and take a small break. Kind of like two months on and one off. That gives me something to look forward to anyway.
One thing I have noticed is my emotional disconnection. During the week of chemo I am pretty much out of commission. I communicate very little either by phone or computer. I just don't feel like talking. I am trying hard just to endure the yucks. But when that happens there is a huge disconnect in my relationships. I now feel like I am on the outside looking in. My world is in motion but without me in it. I am not really sure how to fix that. I know all my friends are out there praying for me and I know they think about me but inside my head there is a sadness and a loneliness that just kind of tugs at me. I guess I will have to pray about that. Some how I need to stay connected both emotionally and physically.
An update on Annie. She is doing really well. I have discovered she is more puppy than I thought. She has some chewing issues but I have lots of chew toys and treats to help with that. The cats are almost okay with her. They will come out of hiding now and join us in the evening again. She is a real blessing and I do love her so.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
No matter how hard I try ........
Today is Saturday July 16th. It has been three whole months since I started my break from chemo. I have done so much and seen so much and of course eaten so much. I have been able to spend time with friends and take an amazing trip and even bring a new critter into the family.
But still....... Monday the 18th looms in front of me. I can feel my heart rate increase and I have to take my little white pills to get some good sleep in. No matter how hard I try I can't keep my mind from going to that place of unrest and anticipation. I pray about it and I know I have the faith it takes to get through it but no matter how hard I try I can't forget it.
I have so much to be thankful for. I thank my amazing husband for his thoughtful acts of kindness. Especially making my dream of going to Alaska again come true and his ability to hold his tongue when I walked in the door with a three legged year old dog named Annie. But still ......Monday is only a day away.
On all my other breaks I have always had a cough and even though it sounds gross I was always coughing up flem from my chest. At some point during the breaks I would start coughing up those teeny tiny threads of blood that were reminders of my ever looming disease. This break I noticed I wasn't coughing up anything......until the other day. Right before my PET scan I started coughing up gunk again and sure enough there was the smallest amount of blood mixed in with the gunk. DARN IT !!!!! I am still very hopeful that the "stuff" hasn't gone hog wild inside me. I am thinking if I can just do four more treatments and take another small break. Four treatments is basically two months. I can actually wrap my heart and mind around that number. Living by faith and knowing there is a plan is the only way to get through this. My God wouldn't have gifted me my new special Annie if He didn't have a plan.
My plan of course is turn Annie into a therapy dog and when I am not sitting getting chemo I will be sharing Annie with my friends that are. Be thankful !!!! That's all I can say. Don't focus on the silly stuff. One of my dear FaceBook friends made a comment this week. She said " wow it's only Wednesday". My response to her was" different perspective, wow it's Wednesday already, chemo on Monday". Not that she shouldn't feel like her week is dragging, because I am sure that is how she feels but don't waste time worrying about it. Time goes faster than you think. Another person made the comment that she was 70 year old already, my comment was basically I pray I can reach 70.
I want to tell you all again how much I love all of you. Knowing you are out there praying and cheering me on. Live life to your fullest. Make sure you listen and get all the blessings and gifts God has to offer. I will post results from the PET scan as soon as I can.
But still....... Monday the 18th looms in front of me. I can feel my heart rate increase and I have to take my little white pills to get some good sleep in. No matter how hard I try I can't keep my mind from going to that place of unrest and anticipation. I pray about it and I know I have the faith it takes to get through it but no matter how hard I try I can't forget it.
I have so much to be thankful for. I thank my amazing husband for his thoughtful acts of kindness. Especially making my dream of going to Alaska again come true and his ability to hold his tongue when I walked in the door with a three legged year old dog named Annie. But still ......Monday is only a day away.
On all my other breaks I have always had a cough and even though it sounds gross I was always coughing up flem from my chest. At some point during the breaks I would start coughing up those teeny tiny threads of blood that were reminders of my ever looming disease. This break I noticed I wasn't coughing up anything......until the other day. Right before my PET scan I started coughing up gunk again and sure enough there was the smallest amount of blood mixed in with the gunk. DARN IT !!!!! I am still very hopeful that the "stuff" hasn't gone hog wild inside me. I am thinking if I can just do four more treatments and take another small break. Four treatments is basically two months. I can actually wrap my heart and mind around that number. Living by faith and knowing there is a plan is the only way to get through this. My God wouldn't have gifted me my new special Annie if He didn't have a plan.
My plan of course is turn Annie into a therapy dog and when I am not sitting getting chemo I will be sharing Annie with my friends that are. Be thankful !!!! That's all I can say. Don't focus on the silly stuff. One of my dear FaceBook friends made a comment this week. She said " wow it's only Wednesday". My response to her was" different perspective, wow it's Wednesday already, chemo on Monday". Not that she shouldn't feel like her week is dragging, because I am sure that is how she feels but don't waste time worrying about it. Time goes faster than you think. Another person made the comment that she was 70 year old already, my comment was basically I pray I can reach 70.
I want to tell you all again how much I love all of you. Knowing you are out there praying and cheering me on. Live life to your fullest. Make sure you listen and get all the blessings and gifts God has to offer. I will post results from the PET scan as soon as I can.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
And then along came Annie !
I am not sure if I have mentioned how many animals I had when we moved into our house. There was one dog, named Kaya, she was the best dog ever. A once in a lifetime kind of dog. There were two cats, Grey Kitty and Precious. Precious is still with us and is eighteen years young. As for horsey type animals I had Bubba the mule and Amy, my beautiful buckskin. That was it. Pretty simple.
Through the years there have been several different dogs that have blessed our home. My dear husband is often heard saying things like "NO MORE PETS". I of course hear those words but for some reason I guess I forget. How ridiculous that would be , me with no pets. Like not breathing for me.
So on the Saturday before our trip to Alaska I decided to stop in at PetsMart near the house. I needed some odor killer. In my brain I asked myself "I wonder if they are having the adoption thing today?" I walked in and sure enough there were a couple of portable corrals set up with several dogs and puppies. My eyes went right to Annie. She was in with a few very cute puppies but I didn't even see them. I only saw her. She was so beautiful and so sweet. I had already fallen in love with her when I realized she only had three legs. Yep, she's a cute tripod. It is her right front that is missing which makes things a little tougher.
Well I knew I couldn't take her home because we were leaving and I wouldn't have enough time to get her into our routine. I mentioned to the rescue girl I was very interested but I would have to wait. If she is still available when I get back I will adopt her. This is how I know when things are meant to be, as I drove off from PetsMart I cried like a baby. God had put that dog on my heart and I knew she was going to be part of our family soon. I thought about Annie during my trip. Wondering if she was still available. I was very excited to get home and find out.
Now you all must realize I haven't mentioned Annie to Gary yet. No point in getting into an argument for no reason. When it comes to new pets I am a firm believer in not asking for permission but asking for forgiveness. Once they are in the house they will have a safe and loving home for the rest of their lives. Gary loves them as much as I do. Especially the cats. We came home on Saturday late in the afternoon. On Sunday my friend Dona asked if I wanted to run an errand with her and I did. Off we went towards Alma School and Elliott. While on our way I thought what a perfect time to call Jen and check on Annie. Jen answered the phone and was so excited I called. It seems she didn't even take Annie to the last two PetsMart adoption days in hopes I would really call and adopt her. God thing !!!!!! Jen works and has been keeping Annie in a crate for almost 20 hours a day !! EEEEEEEKKKKKKK !!! She hates doing that and asked if I could pick her up now. God bless Dona, we were half way there as it was and Jen said she could come our way so we agreed to transfer Annie to me ASAP. We met at Guadalupe and McClintok in the parking lot. We were lucky there was a big tree with shade that we could park under and get Annie moved to Dona's car. After a little paperwork we were on our way. Annie is an awesome car traveler. She just lays down and enjoys the ride. On the way home my mind was pondering the approach to take to get her in the house. I decided to go around the back and get her into the yard. That way the other dogs could greet her out in the open. When I went around to the gate I couldn't get it open. Ahhhhhh ! Frustrating. Oh well we are going in the front door, what the heck. I opened the door and we came in. Bustah, Corky and Blue were there to greet Annie in typical dog style, lots of sniffs. Basically Gary came from the office and said "what do we have here? another dog?" "Yep her name is Annie, she has three legs, I love her and she made me cry". End of story, well not really the end but as far as any discussion it was.
Annie fell into place within five minutes. She fits into our groove as if she has been here all her life. I knew she would, that's why I was so intent on adopting her. I knew God had put her in my path for just that reason. One of my desires is to have a therapy dog to take to the cancer clinics and spread some joy. I know I love having a dog come around when I am feeling yucky. Annie is that dog !! I have to do some research and get her into a program. What an inspiration she will be. A three legged dog with a heart as big as the world. Annie is only a year old so hopefully with Gods grace spend many years together spreading cheer and happy times for lots of people.
Through the years there have been several different dogs that have blessed our home. My dear husband is often heard saying things like "NO MORE PETS". I of course hear those words but for some reason I guess I forget. How ridiculous that would be , me with no pets. Like not breathing for me.
So on the Saturday before our trip to Alaska I decided to stop in at PetsMart near the house. I needed some odor killer. In my brain I asked myself "I wonder if they are having the adoption thing today?" I walked in and sure enough there were a couple of portable corrals set up with several dogs and puppies. My eyes went right to Annie. She was in with a few very cute puppies but I didn't even see them. I only saw her. She was so beautiful and so sweet. I had already fallen in love with her when I realized she only had three legs. Yep, she's a cute tripod. It is her right front that is missing which makes things a little tougher.
Well I knew I couldn't take her home because we were leaving and I wouldn't have enough time to get her into our routine. I mentioned to the rescue girl I was very interested but I would have to wait. If she is still available when I get back I will adopt her. This is how I know when things are meant to be, as I drove off from PetsMart I cried like a baby. God had put that dog on my heart and I knew she was going to be part of our family soon. I thought about Annie during my trip. Wondering if she was still available. I was very excited to get home and find out.
Now you all must realize I haven't mentioned Annie to Gary yet. No point in getting into an argument for no reason. When it comes to new pets I am a firm believer in not asking for permission but asking for forgiveness. Once they are in the house they will have a safe and loving home for the rest of their lives. Gary loves them as much as I do. Especially the cats. We came home on Saturday late in the afternoon. On Sunday my friend Dona asked if I wanted to run an errand with her and I did. Off we went towards Alma School and Elliott. While on our way I thought what a perfect time to call Jen and check on Annie. Jen answered the phone and was so excited I called. It seems she didn't even take Annie to the last two PetsMart adoption days in hopes I would really call and adopt her. God thing !!!!!! Jen works and has been keeping Annie in a crate for almost 20 hours a day !! EEEEEEEKKKKKKK !!! She hates doing that and asked if I could pick her up now. God bless Dona, we were half way there as it was and Jen said she could come our way so we agreed to transfer Annie to me ASAP. We met at Guadalupe and McClintok in the parking lot. We were lucky there was a big tree with shade that we could park under and get Annie moved to Dona's car. After a little paperwork we were on our way. Annie is an awesome car traveler. She just lays down and enjoys the ride. On the way home my mind was pondering the approach to take to get her in the house. I decided to go around the back and get her into the yard. That way the other dogs could greet her out in the open. When I went around to the gate I couldn't get it open. Ahhhhhh ! Frustrating. Oh well we are going in the front door, what the heck. I opened the door and we came in. Bustah, Corky and Blue were there to greet Annie in typical dog style, lots of sniffs. Basically Gary came from the office and said "what do we have here? another dog?" "Yep her name is Annie, she has three legs, I love her and she made me cry". End of story, well not really the end but as far as any discussion it was.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
I'mmmmmm Back !!!!!!
Well I didn't fall off the face of the earth like it may seem. I did however go to one of the most beautiful spots on earth, Alaska !! This was our third time and it was just as amazing as the first two.
We saw sooooooo many whales. Our whale watching excursion started out rather slow. My thought was okay we were very blessed the first two times so whatever it is it is. Then of course the humpbacks came into view. They are awesome to watch. The problem is they are not as visible and they tend to dive more often. If you are lucky enough to see them dive you get that famous tail fluke and then off they go for 10- 15 minutes maybe. You can't get to close either so you better have some good binocs.
Then as a special blessing the orcas appeared. We have seen them all three cruises. The guides tell us that only about 10% of the tourists get to see them. Well we feel so blessed. We found a pretty big pod and they were stretched out all over the channel we were in. People were yelling out "hey over there" " there's one over there" "look here is two right next to the boat". It was amazing.
Well I could go on and on but I am still catching up on laundry and unpacking some stuff so I will go for now. Hopefully I will not wait so long in between writings.
Glad to be home, well most of me is, not the part that likes the cool weather in Alaska. Love ya all.
We saw sooooooo many whales. Our whale watching excursion started out rather slow. My thought was okay we were very blessed the first two times so whatever it is it is. Then of course the humpbacks came into view. They are awesome to watch. The problem is they are not as visible and they tend to dive more often. If you are lucky enough to see them dive you get that famous tail fluke and then off they go for 10- 15 minutes maybe. You can't get to close either so you better have some good binocs.
Then as a special blessing the orcas appeared. We have seen them all three cruises. The guides tell us that only about 10% of the tourists get to see them. Well we feel so blessed. We found a pretty big pod and they were stretched out all over the channel we were in. People were yelling out "hey over there" " there's one over there" "look here is two right next to the boat". It was amazing.
Well I could go on and on but I am still catching up on laundry and unpacking some stuff so I will go for now. Hopefully I will not wait so long in between writings.
Glad to be home, well most of me is, not the part that likes the cool weather in Alaska. Love ya all.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
To Hot !!!!!!!
I have really been enjoying my break from chemo. I was so blessed to start it when the weather was still good. Now...... not so much. IT"S HOT! I know so many people that can still function outside when it is 108 degrees. I just don't do very well. I do have to say though that the low humidity or as they say...it's a dry heat, makes it tolerable. When I go out in the afternoon to feed I can easily do that without getting even close to heat stroke. The way I have it set up I can pretty much stay in the shade. The animals are so much more adaptable than I am.
One of the problems with summer is what do you do all day???? I get up before the sun, around 4:00am now instead of 3:30. Big deal right... a whole 30 minutes, it helps though. Then I play on the computer until around 6:00am get dressed and head outside for poop duty. Any later than that and it is already to hot. I come in and either jump in the shower or fix breakfast. After my shower it's not like it takes any time to do my hair. Although it is growing some. But still, it only takes a few minutes to do makeup. Whoohoo now it is around 7:00am.........now what? Oh I have things I could do but I am so not motivated. Like sorting out all my doctor type paperwork and file it, or I could go all spiritual and read my bible. For some reason those things just don't grab me, at least everyday they don't. So yesterday I went from the couch to my desk, back to the couch and back to my desk. I repeated that many times, with of course a few rounds in the kitchen to EAT!!! I am still eating healthy trying to prepare for the cruise but I am so bored and think I am eating a little to much to loose any weight. No exercise !!!! I don't think moving from couch to desk to kitchen will actually burn many calories or get my heart rate up for a good cardio workout.
I could write more blog stuff but when you are bored the brain kind of shuts down, at least mine does. I didn't leave the house yesterday so today I need to go SOMEWHERE anywhere just to get out. Ohhh....... I know..... I will go to the new Big Lots and walk around. Of course that means spending a few dollars too. Thank goodness I have a lunch date tomorrow with Dani and I need to go to Sprouts. Well I hope everyone has a productive day. Later gator.
Minnie the wonder horse and other short stories is still coming soon.
One of the problems with summer is what do you do all day???? I get up before the sun, around 4:00am now instead of 3:30. Big deal right... a whole 30 minutes, it helps though. Then I play on the computer until around 6:00am get dressed and head outside for poop duty. Any later than that and it is already to hot. I come in and either jump in the shower or fix breakfast. After my shower it's not like it takes any time to do my hair. Although it is growing some. But still, it only takes a few minutes to do makeup. Whoohoo now it is around 7:00am.........now what? Oh I have things I could do but I am so not motivated. Like sorting out all my doctor type paperwork and file it, or I could go all spiritual and read my bible. For some reason those things just don't grab me, at least everyday they don't. So yesterday I went from the couch to my desk, back to the couch and back to my desk. I repeated that many times, with of course a few rounds in the kitchen to EAT!!! I am still eating healthy trying to prepare for the cruise but I am so bored and think I am eating a little to much to loose any weight. No exercise !!!! I don't think moving from couch to desk to kitchen will actually burn many calories or get my heart rate up for a good cardio workout.
I could write more blog stuff but when you are bored the brain kind of shuts down, at least mine does. I didn't leave the house yesterday so today I need to go SOMEWHERE anywhere just to get out. Ohhh....... I know..... I will go to the new Big Lots and walk around. Of course that means spending a few dollars too. Thank goodness I have a lunch date tomorrow with Dani and I need to go to Sprouts. Well I hope everyone has a productive day. Later gator.
Minnie the wonder horse and other short stories is still coming soon.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
What a week continued.
The line up included; Sue, who is such a dear friend and last year at this time we were headed for Europe. Michelle B., is Sue's youngest and beautiful daughter who I adore. Michelle M., is my BFF dinner partner on Wednesdays and was also on our cruise in Europe. Tracy, I don't have enough paper to describe what Tracy has meant to me, I will save that for another blog story. Erica, I was privileged to work with Eric at church in children's ministry a beautiful lady inside and out. Lori, my special friend and my travel agent who takes such good care of me when we travel, she is the best. Melissa, I understand was part of organizing this little surprise, thank you sweetie you're the best! Jennifer, one of those people you don't see very often but when you do you pick up right where you left off, warm heart. Gina, has one of the biggest hearts you will ever find, we share the love of kids. Jackie, we share a special friendship, we both have had huge health scares and both have survived using our faith in God and our love for life. Of course I mentioned Julia, my best ever hugging friend. Julia also has a heart as big as Texas. Thank you so much for compiling such a great group of friends. We vowed to try and do a get together at least once a year. Till next time then !!!!!!!!!!
Friday, June 10, 2011
I want to share the past week with you'all.
Soon I will start writing a kind of series of stories but first I want to share how I just spent this week with some of my mostest favorite peeps.
It is startling how different our time together was but how much the same it is when it comes to sharing special time with ones you love.
On Monday night Suz arrived at my house around 8:30pm. She bravely drove down from Payson after her grueling kick boxing class. She is one lean mean kicking machine. I have had the honor of watching a couple of her classes and let me tell you, they are intense. We stayed up for a while and talked then off to bed because we had a BIG day ahead. When Suz and I get together we manage to cover an amazing amount of ground in a very short time. I may forget a few stops or even the order in which we traveled but you will get the idea.
So first stop was my cardiologist appointment. The arrival time needed to be around 7:00am. So we were out the door by 6:30am. Of course I had already fed the horses and cleaned poop. We left the doctor's office, which was at Broadway and Power. We headed down the street to the Village Inn for a yummy breakfast, then on to Target at Power & Ray. After we couldn't find exactly what we needed we went across the street to Wally World. Better known as WalMart. Had zero luck at that one. We went back to my house to grab a cheese cake from the freezer. Suz makes the most amazing cheese cakes. This one was headed to a friend at the Superstition Ranch Market near Meridian and Main. Before we went there though we stopped at the WalMart just North of my house. Found what we needed, and of course some items we didn't need but had to have. On to the market. On the way to the market Suz's husband, Glen, called and was meeting us at the market. We shopped and delivered the cheesecake and then headed back to my house to unload all the fruit and veggies. Whew !!!! I am tired all over again. Unloaded groceries then off to Kohls with our 30% coupon. It was Suz's Bday and she had a coupon for free food at Famous Dave's Barbecue. Gotta love those coupons. We still had errands to run but Glenn wasn't really interested in tagging along so we stopped by my house again and dropped him at his car. Off we were to the Michael's at Power and Ray. Sound familiar? We had gone full circle from this morning. Done at Michaels we headed to the house again to feed critters. It was going on 3:30 by now. While I fed the dogs Suz started cleaning and cutting her rhubarb. She also makes 52 different kinds of jam. She is multi-talented, and can multi-task like no body's business. Then we both went out to feed and water the horses. Back in the house and now she is cleaning apricots. Our other BFF Michelle comes and we have a little Lemon Chello. It is a yummy lemon wine. Michelle's Bday was the 6th and Suz's is actually the 8th so were were going to dinner to celebrate. We left for Carrabas about 10 minutes to six. Gary met us there for dinner too. After dinner we walked across the parking lot and enjoyed some gelato. I guess it is around 7:30 or 8:00pm by now. We needed to get to bed so we could be at Kohls by 8:00am because we both had $10 coupons to use. We earned them on our earlier visit today. Heaven forbid you should let a coupon go by. In the morning we went to Einsteins for a quick bagel then Kohls. Suz needed ice so we stopped at a Circle K and headed for home. We packed her car with fruit and veggies and the ever precious purchases from yesterday. She had a very full little Mini-Cooper.
I then had already packed for my next adventure. Gary needed a ride to Phoenix so we left around 9:00am. I dropped him off and headed for the West Valley. I was on my way to see Judi and my beloved girls Cami and Maddie. Judi's husband and son were in California so we had two days of just the girls. I was very excited to see them. They are like my adopted grandbabies. I arrived around 10am. Judi and I used to do the same thing Suz and I did. Now Judi does a lot of running with the three kids and has a very busy schedule. Our favorite thing to do together now is just hang. Spend our time just gellin and talking and spending quality time with the girls. We did head over to Judi's very special friends house to go swimming. I love Gaye too. She is so sweet and warm. We clicked the first time we met I think. We hung around the pool for quite a while just relaxing and catchin some rays. After that we went back to Judi's house. Cami, who is seven, called a friend and asked if she could come over. So that meant it was just Judi, Maddie and me. We headed off to one of the yummiest places to eat. Blu Burger. Yum !!!!!! Judi lives basically at Camelback and Jackrabbit and we went to somewhere north of Westgate. Judi said we were on the edge of Peoria. I have never been to Peoria so now I can claim I was. I know, it's not that exciting but it is always fun to go to new places.
Is this a boring blog? I hope I am not boring you all. It will be nice to have this in writing so I can go back and read it later. It will mean amazing memories for me. If you can't hang I will understand.
After dinner we went back and picked up Cami. We went back to the house and did a little more relaxing. I finally gave in and went to bed at 9:00. Me being the early riser woke up at a very late hour for me 7:00am. It felt good though. Nothing to feed but me!!! I made some coffee and sat out on their back patio. It was there I wrote the intro to my next set of blogs. There were birds to watch and I big crane hauling trusses around for the new houses being built behind their house. Judi and the girls woke around 9:00ish. We then did something I rarely do....NOTHING !!! we just relaxed, made a very healthy and yummy breakfast, watched Marmaduke, made a yummy healthy lunch. Judi needed to take Maddie to the dentist for a filling. Her appointment was at 1:10pm. Cami and I just stayed at home and watched a little more TV. At this point I really have been on the couch most of the day. I loved it and needed it. When Judi and Maddie came home we packed up our swim stuff and headed for Verado to get some gelato. My second round of gelato in just three days. Yum again!!! Maddie was so funny. Her mouth was numb from the dentist. When she smiled she had the cutest crooked smile. Maddie is almost five. She requested chocolate gelato. Oh my !!! We had the gelato experience. There was chocolate everywhere. It was fun!!!! After our tasty treats we went back over to Gaye's house for some more swimming. I got in the pool and did some moving around. After a day on the couch I felt like I needed a little exercise. Gaye made us a wonderful dinner too. After dinner and strawberry shortcake for dessert we went back to Judi's. Judi's husband and son were coming home that evening and Judi had to drive to the airport and pick them up. Their plane came in around 10:00pm. I stayed home with the girls. I went to bed around 10:00. I was tired but in such a relaxed way. It felt so good. In the morning I got up at 6:30. I got dressed and went out on the patio again. Tim came out when he saw me and we chatted for a few minutes. I went in and made a big strong cup of coffee. Pretty soon everyone was up. I planned to leave around 11:00ish so we had a few more hours together. I had recorded the movie Eat Pray and Love for Judi and I to try and watch. With three kids in the house we knew it wasn't going to be easy but that was our goal before I had to come home. We did it !!!! There were a few interruptions but the movie ended just about 11:00. Off Judi went dropping kids here and there and I drove home.
Wow !!! Talk about a vacation. I really had so much fun. Running and running with Suz then chillin and swimmin with the girls. Lots of memories made in just a couple of days. Thank you Suz and Judi. I am so blessed to have both of you in my life. Love you!!!!
It is startling how different our time together was but how much the same it is when it comes to sharing special time with ones you love.
On Monday night Suz arrived at my house around 8:30pm. She bravely drove down from Payson after her grueling kick boxing class. She is one lean mean kicking machine. I have had the honor of watching a couple of her classes and let me tell you, they are intense. We stayed up for a while and talked then off to bed because we had a BIG day ahead. When Suz and I get together we manage to cover an amazing amount of ground in a very short time. I may forget a few stops or even the order in which we traveled but you will get the idea.
So first stop was my cardiologist appointment. The arrival time needed to be around 7:00am. So we were out the door by 6:30am. Of course I had already fed the horses and cleaned poop. We left the doctor's office, which was at Broadway and Power. We headed down the street to the Village Inn for a yummy breakfast, then on to Target at Power & Ray. After we couldn't find exactly what we needed we went across the street to Wally World. Better known as WalMart. Had zero luck at that one. We went back to my house to grab a cheese cake from the freezer. Suz makes the most amazing cheese cakes. This one was headed to a friend at the Superstition Ranch Market near Meridian and Main. Before we went there though we stopped at the WalMart just North of my house. Found what we needed, and of course some items we didn't need but had to have. On to the market. On the way to the market Suz's husband, Glen, called and was meeting us at the market. We shopped and delivered the cheesecake and then headed back to my house to unload all the fruit and veggies. Whew !!!! I am tired all over again. Unloaded groceries then off to Kohls with our 30% coupon. It was Suz's Bday and she had a coupon for free food at Famous Dave's Barbecue. Gotta love those coupons. We still had errands to run but Glenn wasn't really interested in tagging along so we stopped by my house again and dropped him at his car. Off we were to the Michael's at Power and Ray. Sound familiar? We had gone full circle from this morning. Done at Michaels we headed to the house again to feed critters. It was going on 3:30 by now. While I fed the dogs Suz started cleaning and cutting her rhubarb. She also makes 52 different kinds of jam. She is multi-talented, and can multi-task like no body's business. Then we both went out to feed and water the horses. Back in the house and now she is cleaning apricots. Our other BFF Michelle comes and we have a little Lemon Chello. It is a yummy lemon wine. Michelle's Bday was the 6th and Suz's is actually the 8th so were were going to dinner to celebrate. We left for Carrabas about 10 minutes to six. Gary met us there for dinner too. After dinner we walked across the parking lot and enjoyed some gelato. I guess it is around 7:30 or 8:00pm by now. We needed to get to bed so we could be at Kohls by 8:00am because we both had $10 coupons to use. We earned them on our earlier visit today. Heaven forbid you should let a coupon go by. In the morning we went to Einsteins for a quick bagel then Kohls. Suz needed ice so we stopped at a Circle K and headed for home. We packed her car with fruit and veggies and the ever precious purchases from yesterday. She had a very full little Mini-Cooper.
I then had already packed for my next adventure. Gary needed a ride to Phoenix so we left around 9:00am. I dropped him off and headed for the West Valley. I was on my way to see Judi and my beloved girls Cami and Maddie. Judi's husband and son were in California so we had two days of just the girls. I was very excited to see them. They are like my adopted grandbabies. I arrived around 10am. Judi and I used to do the same thing Suz and I did. Now Judi does a lot of running with the three kids and has a very busy schedule. Our favorite thing to do together now is just hang. Spend our time just gellin and talking and spending quality time with the girls. We did head over to Judi's very special friends house to go swimming. I love Gaye too. She is so sweet and warm. We clicked the first time we met I think. We hung around the pool for quite a while just relaxing and catchin some rays. After that we went back to Judi's house. Cami, who is seven, called a friend and asked if she could come over. So that meant it was just Judi, Maddie and me. We headed off to one of the yummiest places to eat. Blu Burger. Yum !!!!!! Judi lives basically at Camelback and Jackrabbit and we went to somewhere north of Westgate. Judi said we were on the edge of Peoria. I have never been to Peoria so now I can claim I was. I know, it's not that exciting but it is always fun to go to new places.
Is this a boring blog? I hope I am not boring you all. It will be nice to have this in writing so I can go back and read it later. It will mean amazing memories for me. If you can't hang I will understand.
After dinner we went back and picked up Cami. We went back to the house and did a little more relaxing. I finally gave in and went to bed at 9:00. Me being the early riser woke up at a very late hour for me 7:00am. It felt good though. Nothing to feed but me!!! I made some coffee and sat out on their back patio. It was there I wrote the intro to my next set of blogs. There were birds to watch and I big crane hauling trusses around for the new houses being built behind their house. Judi and the girls woke around 9:00ish. We then did something I rarely do....NOTHING !!! we just relaxed, made a very healthy and yummy breakfast, watched Marmaduke, made a yummy healthy lunch. Judi needed to take Maddie to the dentist for a filling. Her appointment was at 1:10pm. Cami and I just stayed at home and watched a little more TV. At this point I really have been on the couch most of the day. I loved it and needed it. When Judi and Maddie came home we packed up our swim stuff and headed for Verado to get some gelato. My second round of gelato in just three days. Yum again!!! Maddie was so funny. Her mouth was numb from the dentist. When she smiled she had the cutest crooked smile. Maddie is almost five. She requested chocolate gelato. Oh my !!! We had the gelato experience. There was chocolate everywhere. It was fun!!!! After our tasty treats we went back over to Gaye's house for some more swimming. I got in the pool and did some moving around. After a day on the couch I felt like I needed a little exercise. Gaye made us a wonderful dinner too. After dinner and strawberry shortcake for dessert we went back to Judi's. Judi's husband and son were coming home that evening and Judi had to drive to the airport and pick them up. Their plane came in around 10:00pm. I stayed home with the girls. I went to bed around 10:00. I was tired but in such a relaxed way. It felt so good. In the morning I got up at 6:30. I got dressed and went out on the patio again. Tim came out when he saw me and we chatted for a few minutes. I went in and made a big strong cup of coffee. Pretty soon everyone was up. I planned to leave around 11:00ish so we had a few more hours together. I had recorded the movie Eat Pray and Love for Judi and I to try and watch. With three kids in the house we knew it wasn't going to be easy but that was our goal before I had to come home. We did it !!!! There were a few interruptions but the movie ended just about 11:00. Off Judi went dropping kids here and there and I drove home.
Wow !!! Talk about a vacation. I really had so much fun. Running and running with Suz then chillin and swimmin with the girls. Lots of memories made in just a couple of days. Thank you Suz and Judi. I am so blessed to have both of you in my life. Love you!!!!
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