No excuses, just update

So I have been neglecting this blog for about 3 years!

In May of 2010, I got the official word from my oncologist that I was in complete remission! And in October of this year (2012), she confirmed that I am still in remission and I don't have to check in for a year. I continue to take the Gleevec every day in the same amount. Since it is working so well for me, we are not going to change anything. There are still side effects associated with the Gleevec, but I consider them manageable and much better than the alternatives.

I am still working part time for the Fire Department. Someone has to organize the paperwork because the firefighters (including the Chief) sure don't want to! No one becomes a firefighter because they want to know how to purchase the equipment or deal with the Borough's red tape. This is a perfect job for me because it has all the flexibility I need. We went through the process of trying to get me on disability so I would qualify for Medicare, but they didn't think I was disabled enough. I can still work, just not at the level of detail that used to be involved in what I did.

I am stitching right along too. It's especially something I do while sitting still for a couple hours in the evening to wait for the Gleevec effects to settle down before I go to bed. I haven't done any large projects for a while, but I am heading toward several.

I charted the names for "Mother's Tree" by MLI which sparked a HUGE genealogy project. I was having so much fun doing the research. Information gathering and data organization is a big part of who I am and I hadn't realized how much I missed it until I started the genealogy stuff. It's like putting together a puzzle. There is a little thrill feeling every time I find a new little piece of it.

I am still friends with the people I've met through Team in Training. Most of them are no longer raising funds for L&L, but still doing marathons and sometimes raising funds for other causes. We travel to some of the marathons together.

OK, I will try to be better about posting here and keeping this updated. I see I left off about this same time of year in 2009. I don't have any excuses - just went off in another direction.

Check-up, check-in

I had my six month check-up at the oncologist on Monday. She says I'm doing great. The leukemic cells are still slightly detectable at less than one percent. We would like them to be undetectable, but this result has been consistent for 18 months now, and that's good. I am also still a bit anemic, but that is consistent too.
I did lose 10 pounds, which I hope will spur me on to manage my weight better. It's hard to get in any walking time when my pronated ankle is hurting. I just need to spend more time on the exercise bike and less on the computer.
I haven't been stitching since we got back from California even though I purchased some nice things at Needle in a Haystack. I did have a nice exchange with Pam in Chicago. She wanted Starbucks coffee mugs and sent me a 123Stitch gift certificate in payment. So now I get to shop again!

The Fire Dept. held a successful haunted house for Halloween. We had over 600 people come through and made over $300 in donations. Plus it was a lot of fun for everyone!
Now I'm getting into a Xmas holiday frame of mind already. I want to put lights on the decks and clean up the house to get it ready for decorations. I've gotten a couple of cards in the mail from 123Stitch members and want to get mine ready to go too. The lack of snow here doesn't make for a Christmasy landscape though.

Fall Trip

I'm slow sometimes to get updates on my blog, but this time I have a great excuse! Larry, Tanya, and I just spent ten days in California. My Valley Angels in Training went to San Francisco for the Nike Women's Marathon.

We stayed all together in a vacation rental house with 8 women in the 4 bedroom unit and the 3 of us downstairs in the "In-Law" suite. It was fun being all together like that.

We all went to see "Wicked" Friday night, Alacatraz on Saturday, and the Team did the Marathon on Sunday. Tanya's first 1/2 marathon! I'm so proud of her! Here she is at mile 12, still smiling.

After the Team left on Monday, the 3 of us spent the rest of the week exploring wine country and the coast North of SF. Then on Saturday, I met with a bunch of the 123 stitchers at Needle in a Haystack. It was a wonderful trip, but I am glad to be home where there are not so many people and vehicles! And we saw a couple of moose just after leaving the airport in Anchorage.

Angels in Training is done. Now I just have to wash and finish it into a wall hanging. I was hoping to be able to stitch 4 more angels onto a second piece, but may not have the time.
Working has put a limit on my sewing and stitching and scrapbooking time. I need to finish the ornament for the Xmas exchange too.

Trista, Chevelle, and I went to see The Lion King. What a great show! I had picked some fantastic seats, so Chevelle had animals passing down the aisle right next to her. She was thrilled and named that the best part of the show. At times there was so much going n in the theater that it was hard to take it all in. I'm sure it will be something Chevelle will remember all her life.

I had my flu shot and now I need to get my next genetic blood test on its way. It's called a PCR-ABL and it checks for the existence of the leukemic cells. I have been at .01 twice now and am aiming for PCRU, which means they are undetectable.
Since I have been taking the Gleevec, my hair got thinner. When it started to come back a bit, it got really curly. I have darkened it for the Fall season and went for an expensive haircut. It now has some layers to help the curls not be frizzes. Next I need new glasses and then some weight loss. Soon I will be a whole new woman!

I did not end up stitching for Labor Day. Sometimes the best laid plans......

Here is a cute pic that we took at the Fair. We don't know why these ladies were dressed like that, but they were so cute sitting there having some food.

Since then we attended the annual 911 Remembrance Ceremony at the Central fire station. Most of the pics are on Tanya's camera, but I did get this one of the flags on the lawn.

Every year about this time, Larry and I seem to end up taking a day to "have a Fall adventure". One year we drove out the Petersville Road until we saw a spectacular sunset. This year we were invited by friends to go up to Eureka for the afternoon. It was chilly and rainy - we almost backed out. But the further up the Glenn Hwy, the nicer the weather got. There was still a bit of a chilly breeze, but it IS Fall. I don't remember going this way at this time of year before. We stopped at Bonnie Lake to stretch our legs and I took some pics of the colors and the great scenery.

Just this side of Eureka, there is a communications tower on top of what looks like a hill because it is so much shorter than the mountains surrounding it. We turned off the highway on the gravel road that goes toward the tower and saw a lynx cross the road in front of us. I wish we hadn't been in the car so we could have gotten a pic of it. We met another couple and the dogs there at the base of the tower and walked down to the stream to play in the water and look for a bit of gold. For today, all the gold was on the trees. Once we drove to the top of the "hill", we found it was much higher than it looked. And the views from the top were wonderful!

Labor Day week-end

Ahh, Labor Day week-end. It is supposed to be for relaxing.
Friday evening we picked up the grand-daughters and went to have tacos with the duty crew at the Fire station. The girls were very well behaved while we ate. They played with the paper dolls that came with their Happy Meals (they don't like tacos). Since the duty crew was practicing stopping sprinklers and the weather was nice, we watched them get soaked for a while and let the girls run around on the lawn.
Saturday was lots of fun just playing. In the afternoon, we put the girls in the tub and set up the old Pachinko machine. that kept them busy until it was time to take them home. I did get to have some stitching time for a couple hours before bed.
Today is Sunday. So far we have been out to breakfast with a couple of friends, I decorated a hat, and fixed the wireless connection on Tanya's computer. Then I picked up my friend Vicki, and went to a Ladies Tea
at our English friend's house. She sets a beautiful table with fine English china and fresh lilys from her garden!
I think I need to spend some time with my needle! I've got a horrible leg cramp (a side effect of my meds) that gets worse when I drive for some reason.
Now I am hoping there won't be much planned for tomorrow as I really do need to have a date with my sewing machine and more time stitching. The good part of the week-end is the beautiful Fall weather. The leaves are turning yellow, but the sun is out and the days are bright. I'm glad Tanya and I went to the Fair last week as I would rather enjoy this weather away from the crowds.

Finally!

Whew! The red tape has been untangled and I have been officially hired by the Fire Dept.! Some of the paperwork has been piling up just waiting for me to get my hands on it. We are going to do "Fill the Boot" for MDA this week-end first though. I'l be taking pics of the firefighters for our scrapbook.

Tanya and I have been scrapbooking in our bits of spare time. Time when I should be stitching on "Angels in Training". I desperately want to have it done for our trip to San Francisco in October. I need to do more outlining on the portrait of my mother before I get on a plane too. Actually, today would be a great time to catch up a bit. The weather is fabulous. I've got maybe 1 1/2 hours before I need to be in Big Lake, so I'm going to leave the computer and get out on the deck right now!