Busy, Busy and Busy!!!

Wow lots of things have been going on the past few weeks. First, I have been spending at least every weekend at the trailer. It has been so relaxing! Some days I never even get out of my pjs and sit and watch movies all day. I love it! We found a great little restaurant called the Sports Stop. We go there every Sunday morning for breakfast and watch football. The owner, Mike is so nice to us and we have alot of fun. Mark and I have done some things to the trailer to make it more homely. We brought furniture from home up there and replace curtains. It feels like home! The other day I saw these pictures a few months back at this little shop next to us. So Christine and I went there to look at the pictures again. I walked in and went to the little room where they displayed the pictures but they only had ones saying "lake house" or some other stupid sayings. I remember when I walked in there was one sitting in the main store and I looked up and couldn't believe what I was reading. It is the saying I live by and here it is again for all of you to live by:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away!

So this is how I choose to live my life now. I live for the moments I make each and every day. I hope you will too!!!

Tonight was sad. I attend a rosary for my Uncle Sammy. My cousins, Angie, Michael, Sandy and Vince were very close to me growing up. We lived only blocks away and I went to school with Angie. Uncle Sammy died on Saturday after a 9 month battle with heart disease and other complications. He was 85 years old and lived a good life. I was happy to be able to attend tonight and see my cousins, aunts and uncles.

This weekend I will be leaving for Beverly Hills. Nana is coming with me and she is so excited. It will be her first trip to the Montage hotel and she is really looking forward to it. We will go to E'Baldi Italian restaurant, my favorite, on Friday night for dinner. Saturday night we will have dinner in the kitchen at the Montage with our private chef. I'm so excited for Mom to experience it because she loves to cook and she will be able to ask questions about cooking tips. We did it a few months ago and it was such a great experience. We will have late check out on Sunday so we can enjoy our beautiful room. I get to take Mia with me too. I'm didn't want to leave her for 3 days. The Montage accommodates animals and the general manager, Mr. Kaski said it was perfectly fine for me to bring her. I will visit Matthew on Saturday and take him to Costco for a Costco run. He needs food and Mom is the only one that can give him what he needs. Big Mark leaves on Thursday morning for Pittsburg to see his Pittsburg Penguins and the Steelers play. He is so excited. So we both will have a great weekend. Talk about moments that will take my breath away. I get to bring my Mom and see how much she appreciates these special little moments. She will be smiling from ear to ear and I get to savor the moment. That is what life is all about.

I wanted everyone to know the update on the headstone. We have chosen a few patterns but having trouble with the color - yellow. The online company has the color but I'm a little nervous about ordering from an online company for something so special like that. We found a place in Napa who agreed to install (another big problem ordering on line finding someone to agreed to install) and there is another company in Hayward who we are looking at to order the headstone from. I thought this process would be simple but it wasn't. Either the headstone we pick is too big for the gravesite, no one will install it or it doesn't come in the color we want. It has been so frustrating. Hopefully soon we will have it ordered and I can breathe a sign of relief that finally Jazmin will get her dream. I have been communicating and saw Evelyn a few times. The girls are doing great but poor Evelyn has been sick with the flu for weeks. She is just now getting better and that's why I haven't seen her. We talk often and I love her very much. She has always shown me her love and support and I am grateful to have her in my life.

Now as for my health. Things are going well. My lambha count went down last week to 130 from 137. Not a big jump down but it was down. Normal range is 26 so I have a long way to go. I was hoping it would be below 100 this time but the doctors say it will plateau and then I will have to look at other treatments. We will cross that bridge when we come to it but for now it's working. Thank God! I have been working out with my trainer every Wednesday. I'm up to 205 on the leg press and Tim is so happy with my progress. I am too! It makes me feel normal. My hair is growing back about 1-2 inches and full of curls. I don't know where the curls came from but it's cute. The weight is coming on again due to the steroid Decadron. My appetite is back and I'm always hungry. Oh well I have other things to worry about. I do need to start walking again and hopefully soon. It will help with my bones and of course weight gain. For now I will continue taking chemo each week and hopefully my numbers continue to come down. No other big procedures until January when I go back for heart biopsy. The heart is doing great. No complications and I just have to say healthy and away from anyone who is sick.

Well its almost 11:30PM and I have a big day tomorrow. I work out with Tim and then I have my first teeth cleaning since stem cell transplant. The high dose chemo did damage on my gums and I was not able to brush with a regular brush or floss for two months after. So you can imagine I will not have a good time. I'm going to tell Karen to take it easy this time especially because I don't want any problems this weekend. I want to do it every month for a few months until the problem is cured.

Have a wonderful weekend and remember go out and make moments that take your breath away!

Love,

Debbie