Wednesday, March 31, 2010

THE ART OF WAITING

Waiting! I don't know about you but I hate to wait for anything. I hate waiting for the computer to start up, waiting in line at Starbucks drive thru and I especially hate waiting for my little grandson to be born.

Well 11 days from tomorrow and waiting! Erin is doing great! She goes to the doctor tomorrow for a full checkup and hopefully we will know how soon we have to WAIT!!! Markie said the other day, with all the technology why can't they tell when the baby will be born. I agree.

They are ready and yes "Waiting" for little Markie to be born. I thought to myself how fast these nine months went by. I'm sure if you asked Erin she would disagree. But I also realize how fast the years go by too. I thought, "it will be two years this September, I received my heart transplant". The years go by!!!

My heart is so full of joy knowing in just a week or so I will be holding my little grandson. I prayed to God each day I was sick that he would give me time to become a grandmother. I remember when I was being considered for the heart transplant telling the doctors "Just keep me living long enough to be a Grandma". I'm so blessed to be here today to cherish this moment. To see my son, Mark, become a father will be a moment that takes my breath away and one I will never forget.

Mark and I will be celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary on Friday. Now where did 33 years go! We are going to the trailer for the weekend and will most likely go to dinner Friday night. We are on call for the baby to be born and will come home the minute Erin goes into labor. On Easter Sunday we are going to Scott and Linda Ford's house. I really enjoy going there for Easter and being around all her grandkids. Oh by the way she has 7. 6 girls and 1 boy. They are the best kids and their parents are too! Linda makes it so much fun. The kids play in the jumpie and hunt for eggs. The food is great and I plan to make my Ravioli lasagna. It will be a fun day!

Next year at Easter we will be celebrating little Markie's first birthday. I plan to spend this next year making memories with him to last forever. For me time is so precious and I don't want to miss a moment. I have dreamed of taking him to the trailer to go fishing, feeding the ducks and taking walks through the park. There are so many people who own trailers there who have been going to the park since they were very young. This is the reason why we brought the trailer to have moments with family and friends. I plan to spend many weekends at the trailer this summer entertaining friends and family. I call it "Memories in the Making".

Have a wonderful Easter. I will post the minute little Markie is born.

Love,
Debbie

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Cousin Nick, Me, Auntie Babe and Mom


Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater
featuring "Oklahoma!"



Auntie Babe and Mom
What a fun weekend! Last weekend Mom and I drove to Fresno to visit Auntie Babe and my cousin Nick. Auntie Babe is my god mother. Sadly my Uncle Nick passed away a few years ago and she has not seen me since my heart transplant.
As a young girl I spent my summers in Fresno with my Mom's parents. My grandparents lived in a great neighborhood and each year me and my brother and sisters would get on the greyhound bus and visit them. I have wonderful memories of my summers in Fresno.
Uncle Nick and Auntie Babe owed the best restaurant in Fresno, called Nicola's. It was famous for its stuffed steak. I only ordered the cheesecake. Chocolate chip cheesecake to be exact. When I passed my real estate broker's test, my aunt and uncle brought me a whole chocolate chip cheesecake to celebrate. I ate so much of it - it was HEAVEN!!
All weekend we talked until at least one or two in the morning about old times. Auntie Babe was so happy to have us there. Her birthday was Sunday and we got to celebrate with her.
On Saturday night she took us to Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater to see the play "Oklahoma!" What a great show. The pre show was the junior company. It consisted of kids from as young as 6 years old up. I never laughed so hard watching these kids sing and dance to their heart's content. It was a wonderful moment. After their performance was the main show "Oklahoma!". Wow these performers were great! I just could not believe that I was sitting in Fresno watching this wonderful performance. Most of them volunteer to perform and are paid nothing. That did not matter they gave a great performance. That night was filled with moments that took my breath away!! Can't wait to visit Auntie again.
Baby Update: Erin is doing great and baby Markie is getting BIG!!! Only 2 and half weeks till due date (April 12th). I can not wait to see my grandson's little face, kiss his little cheeks and just sit and hold him forever. I dream about all the wonderful things we will share with him. I plan to make every moment with him a moment that takes my breath away!!
Friday Mark and I are going to spend with Matthew. He moved into a new home and Mark is going to paint the living room and Matt's bedroom. As we have done each time he moves, we hang all his pictures and help decorate. I'm happy to spend time with him and glad he moved back to Northern California. He is doing great!
After Mark is done painting on Saturday we are driving to the trailer to spend the rest of the weekend there. Mark finished all the projects last weekend and I am excited to see it all finished. He is so tired of working on the trailer for the past month and just wants to go there and enjoy it. That's exactly what we are going to do. Enjoy it!!
I found a book given to me by Erin's Mom about 50 things that really matter. A quote read "Happiness doesn't lie in the objects we gather around us. It lies within us. To find it, all we need to do is open our eyes". Open your eyes and enjoy the moment!
Love,
Debbie




Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Doctor Appointment at Stanford

Yesterday I saw Dr. Schrier at Stanford. I was prepared to ask for a three month break from chemo and decadron treatments. I have been suffering from numbness in my feet and hands and soreness after each treatment. Also, extreme fatigue on the third day. It doesn't make my quality of life good.

So I saw Dr. Wittles first and I asked her if I could take a three month break. My lambha light chain count was 109 this month. It has been at the 100 mark for the last 4 months. They think I'm stable at this time and they feel the current treatment is not working to lower it anymore. So what is the next step.

Dr. Schrier did not agree to a three month break. He decided to lower the Decadron dosage from 40mg to 20mg. Also, he decided to decrease the number of weeks on chemo from 3 to 2 per month. Well I would have liked a three month break but I'm thankful for this change. Dr. Schrier said if my numbers start to go up, then everything is back on. He even feels I might have to increase my dosage of Velcade from 2.6 to 3.3 or go on another type of chemo drug called Reviland. I'm not happy about going on Reviland because it has caused or they think it has, heart rejection. Dr. Kevin Anderson had a heart rejection after starting this drug but since he has been on it and is doing quite well. The Mayo Clinic uses this drug and has not had any heart rejections in heart transplant patients with Amyloidosis. It is still alarming and I don't want to take any chances with my new shared heart. So I will have to think about it further. I told Dr. Schrier my concerns and I said I would try the increase in Velcade first. But I hope I can stay stable and ride this out for a few years at this treatment level. Wouldn't that be great!!

Other than all this I'm doing fine. I recently was diagnosed with sleep apea and I am using the CPAP machine each night. Just one more thing!!!! It is helping and I will use it to protect my new shared heart and my other organs. I didn't realize how serious this was. So take it from me if you snore or someone tells you that you stop breathing when you sleep, contact your doctor immediately. This is serious. It can damage your heart, cause a stoke and much more. Please contact your doctor if this describes your symptoms.

This weekend Mom and I are going to Fresno to visit my Godmother, Auntie Babe. Mom hasn't seen her in years and its time to enjoy the moment with her. She is so excited about us coming down. It's her birthday on Sunday and we are going to celebrate with her.

Baby Markie is due April 12th and he is getting bigger each day. Erin is starting to feel things changing and will be going to the doctor on Friday. We will see what the doctor says and when they think Markie will be born. I can't wait for the moment to see my beautiful grandson. It will be a moment that definitely takes my breath away!!!

Update on the headstone. Evelyn spoke to Bras and Mattos and they said they would have the artwork to her next week. They feel the headstone will be complete by next month. I will be so happy to see that beautiful headstone on Jazmin and Jamae's resting place. Those beautiful girls deserved a beautiful headstone. I again thank everyone who donated to help purchase the headstone. I will never forget the love and support everyone gave to us that day.

Have a wonderful weekend. I found this quote and wanted to share with you:
Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration.
The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation.
Make moments that take your breath away!
Love,
Debbie

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Congratulations Alex





CONGRATULATIONS ALEX!!!!
Maxwell's girlfriend Alexandria was a contestant in the Miss Sonoma County Beauty Contest last night at the Speckles Center in Rohnert Park. We are so proud of her. She was the fourth runner up in the contest. What an accomplishment! She has been working so hard for the last few months preparing for this night. She has been through alot. The contestants had interviews with the judges, practices for their on stage performance, and many other things to be prepared for this night. I'm happy I was able to be there to see Alex's moment!!!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Weekend in Las Vegas

SISSY IN FRONT OF THE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SIGN FOR THE SHOW
THE BEATLES LOVE
SISSY AND I NEXT TO THE LIGHTED WALL FOR THE SHOW "LOVE"

HEATHER AND I OVERLOOKING THE FOUNTAINS


HEATHER, HER MOM MARIE AND ME



FOUNTAINS AT NIGHT!
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT!

FOUNTAINS AT BELLAGIO


ME IN FRONT OF THE FOUNTAINS OVERLOOKING THE
EIFFEL TOWER OF PARIS


MIRROR HORSE IN THE LOBBY

THE CEILING IN THE LOBBY AT THE BELLAGIO
IT IS GLASS BLOWN FLOWERS. ITS BEAUTIFUL!!!



SISSY IN FRONT OF THE TIGER SYMBOL FOR
CHINESE NEW YEAR


OUR VIEW FROM OUR ROOM OF THE SWIMMING POOLS
THERE ARE SEVEN!

OUR ROOM AT BELLAGIO

THE BELLAGIO

AT THE AIRPORT!
I spent the most fabulous weekend in Las Vegas with my sister, Mary Ann, for her 50th birthday. We had so much fun as you can see in these pictures.
Friday we arrive in Las Vegas at 3:00PM to check into our room at the Bellgaio. Our room was on the 15th floor overlooking the pools. What a beautiful room. Almost as nice as the one I stay at the Montage in Beverly Hills. Sissy was so excited to be staying in such a beautiful hotel. I never knew how much she enjoyed doing these kind of things. I can't wait to take her to the Montage someday and make moments there.
That night we decided to have dinner at Spago's. What a wonderful dinner. Sissy had braised short ribs and I had a veal chop. The most exciting part about the dinner was meeting the chef, Eric Klein, Associate Partner. I had all my pills and pudding on the table and he came by to ask whether I liked his dinner or not. We joked about having to take all those pills. The dinner was fabulous and he made a special birthday dessert for Sissy. It was definitely a night to make moments.
The next day we walked up and down the Las Vegas strip. Wow is that a long way! We picked up our tickets for the show that night and met our friends, Heather and Marie for lunch at Pf Changs. It was so nice to see them. They are special friends Max met when he lived in Las Vegas. They have been so concerned and always ask how I'm doing. It was so great to see them! Again, another beautiful moment I won't forget.
That night we went to the Cirque De Soiel show, The Beatles, Love. It was the greatest! I'm just so surprised how athletic these performers are. They were flying from the walls, the ceiling and the floor. What a show. Best part it was played to several Beatle songs. Sissy is a big Beatle fan. She cried when the songs started playing. What can I say! Another moment!
This weekend was all about living my life making moments. This is what life is all about. It's not about the money, cars, houses or jobs. Its about making moments that take your breath away!
A quote from George Harrison before he passed "Life goes with you or without you! Think about it. Where do you want to be?
Love,
Debbie