UPDATE & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Mrs. Claus

An update from my last post about Valerie's rising tumor markers and growing tumor.  She had a new blood draw and doctor's appointment last week.  Her tumor marker went up some BUT it did not rise by as much of an increment as it had before.  So, the doctor wants to wait one more month before making any decisions or changes - which we were in total agreement with.

Our little Charlie Brown tipsy tree - with the
tree skirt my (Tracie's) mother made while
she was pregnant with me.

The waiting and hoping and planning and watching are excruciating at times and there have been some emotional moments.  But we both continue to draw any strength we can from each other and from you and your thoughts, prayers, chants, and gifts.

We had a delightful and spontaneous visit from one of Valerie's sisters (Michelle) over the weekend of December 7th.  It was truly a wonderful and emotionally fulfilling weekend!  Thank you Michelle!!

And a couple of weeks ago Valerie decided she needed to go caroling (she LOVES to go caroling).  She found a meetup group and went and came out with ALL smiles. :)  The people there invited her to join their choir - it's the Namaste Center for Spiritual Living.  So.... SHE DID!  Tomorrow night I'm going to watch her perform at their Christmas Eve service.  She has thoroughly enjoyed going to choir practice and she's in the back room with the keyboard practicing right now.  It's completely heartwarming and joyful - two things we grab around here any chance we get!  I'll post performance pics later.

Enjoying the new porch.

Our new porch furniture!

So, the next news we will have will be the next blood draw and doctor's appointment on 1/18/13.  
Until then, happy holidays to you, your families and your loved ones.

NOVEMBER 2012

Last month, we had a fire at the beach.  That's Valerie at sunset.
It was beautiful - in more ways than one.

I've been meaning to do a quick update.  We need some more of your chants, howling, prayers, positive mojo, and whatever else you have that inspires health and goodness.  Valerie's tumor marker (see last post for more explanation) has continued to rise.  It is now at 497.  Her tumor has gotten noticeably bigger.  And we are waiting for the doctors here and in Mexico to give us their advice about how to proceed.

For those that have been to our house, we
added a bamboo plant on our porch.  We
LOVE it!

Valerie started a new medication in October that was supposed to address the rising tumor marker and they thought it would shrink the tumor.  So far, it doesn't seem to be working.  There's a chance the doctors will say continue and check again.  There's also a chance they'll say start chemo or something similar.

We used to go camping every other month or so.  After NOT
going for the past 2 years, we finally went camping about 2
weeks ago.  It was WONDERFUL!

We are, understandably, concerned and hopeful for some changes to happen sooner, rather than later.  Many of you have been so considerate, so concerned, so attentive, and so supportive.  I like to keep you up to date and I'm sorry when I lag behind.  It is a comfort to me to know that others are thinking, praying, chanting, and thinking positively for Valerie.  Thank you for continuing the fight with us.

On a side note, I started writing thank you notes a year ago.  Many of you have donated money, time, sweat, and given considerable amount of yourself to help in Valerie's healing process.  Those thank you cards have sat, unfinished, in a basket.  I work on them occasionally, but I fear they may be a loftier goal than I can achieve.  Please know how much we both appreciate all of you and your assistance and attention to Valerie's health and our wellbeing.  You may never receive an actual card, but one was purchased and thought of, you can be sure.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME!

A recent trip back east provided lots of laughs and hugs.

I can't tell you how often I've thought of blogging about how Valerie is doing.... but it's been VERY often.

I'm not going to back track to fill in the past few months, but instead I'll just pick right up where we are now. Doing that though requires a bit of an explanation.  For the past year, Valerie has gotten her blood drawn every 2 weeks - or pretty darn close to every 2 weeks.  They track several different levels in her blood and one of those is a"tumor marker."

More laughs and hugs!

A bit about the tumor marker.  Apparently there are many different markers and they are affiliated with different cancers.  In March of last year, when she was first diagnosed, they ran a CA 12-5 and a CA 27-29.  They were both normal.  In July they switched to a CA 15-3 (no idea why) and it was elevated (normal is below 32 and it was 97).  The CA 15-3 is the one they have stuck with and it's the one they routinely check now.  It went as high as 161 back in September 2011.  By January of this year it was 28 and it has stayed below 30 until June, when it showed up at 33, one point above normal.

Valerie's 51st birthday - snorkeling!

We were advised not to worry (yet) but to watch and see if it steadily climbs up.  Well, it has steadily been climbing since June.  It is now 75 and the tumor itself has grown during that time as well.

We are pretty certain that we know the cause.  There were some medication changes that we think were the cause of that and she has started a new med (a low dose chemo different from the one she had taken before) that we hope will bring things back to normal.

We've started volunteering at a local nature center - it is
quite beautiful and a nice getaway.

She has, otherwise, felt good and strong for the most part.  She was determined to have an active birthday because she was unable to do much of anything last year.  So we spent July 15th on Catalina Island.  We rode our bikes, we went snorkeling, we played miniature golf, and we ate some good food.  So, there are definitely a lot more good days than bad - especially compared to last year.

Valerie has started going to yoga regularly and using a guided imagery cd that helps her sleep.  I've been going to therapy and arguing with people on facebook about politics (my other therapy).   We plan to go watch the final movie on the beach on Tuesday night - Jaws!

We recently took a tour of a local island that looks pretty
from the shore but really is a major oil operation.

It's a weird thing this cancer battle.  We know people who get diagnosed, have surgery, and are fine and move on.  We know other people who get diagnosed and have progressively gotten worse until their fight is over.  We are learning that our fight, at least right now, is a bit of a marathon.  We have to pace ourselves and deal with what we can right at each moment.  There are bumps in the road and there are scares along the way, but we keep making each other laugh and picking each other up and that's good enough for me.

P.S.  My cousin Timmy died last night from his battle with cancer.  Our most sincere thoughts and love are with my Aunt Bell, Uncle Wayne and their families.

OASIS AND BACK TO LONG BEACH

The last day of family being here - Michelle and Valerie.
I had some pictures of the last few days that I forgot about
and wanted to include a few.

I've been meaning to post to finish off our stay at Oasis and update everyone about the status of the PET scan.

Valerie had another full day of treatment on Thursday and we went to class from 11am-12:30pm.  Even when we hear some of the same information, we learn so much.  And I should mention that the cafeteria staff are always so friendly and concerned about Valerie.  We always eat in the room because Valerie is attached to an IV poll and she often has to be on oxygen during some of the treatments.... so it's usually just easier.  The staff always ask how she is doing and they sometimes make a point to visit the room "to pick up our tray" so they can see her and tell her hello.

Our last breakfast out - sweet Lily and Great Aunt Val.

Friday we woke up and started to pack up.  Melissa had made plans to drive down to Rosarito with Jermaine and go horseback riding on the beach.  And I was up and down in the courtyard waiting for my uncle and cousin.  My cousin, Timmy (my dad's twin sister's middle son) has been struggling with his own bout with cancer and his dad, my Uncle Wayne, had made arrangements for them to go to Oasis for an in person consultation.  So the two of them, plus Timmy's wife, Kim, arrived around 9:30am and we hugged and talked for awhile before they saw the doctor.  They had to leave right after seeing the doctor, but not before Wayne came up and met Valerie and hugged her neck.  (I am so disappointed that I did not get any pictures of Wayne, Timmy, and Kim.)

Lily and Tracie acting
silly.  :-)

Valerie and I went to class at 11am again.  When we got back to the room (around 12:30pm), Melissa had returned.  I don't think I mentioned before, but Melissa did not have a passport with her when we got to Mexico, but her parents overnighted it on Tuesday.  As of 1pm Friday, we still had not received it.  Needless to say, we couldn't leave until we had her passport.

We got the passport around 4pm and proceeded to pack up the car and head out.  All of our experiences crossing back into the U.S. have involved a LOOOOOOONG wait.  This was, thankfully, the shortest wait we had ever had - and we even had time to pull over and make some shopping from our car.

We stayed the night in San Diego - partly because it was late and Valerie was tired and worn out from a week of treatment, and partly so I could see my uncle and cousin before they flew out the next morning.  It turned out that Valerie had a migraine and went right to bed and Timmy was exhausted from the day and he and Kim headed to their room around 7pm.  I met up with my Uncle Wayne and a couple of his coworkers.  They had been there the previous week for work purposes are were all leaving the next morning.  I got to spend a delightful evening with 3 Tennessee gentleman and talk to my Uncle Wayne about their trip to Oasis of Hope.  It really was an enjoyable dinner.  It turns out that Timmy wasn't sold on what they told him at Oasis - they did say they thought they could help him, but with the travel involved, which is very difficult for him, and with the unknown results, he wanted time to think.

The next morning - Saturday - we headed home.  That Tuesday was my birthday... mind you, last year, my birthday was exactly 10 days after Valerie found the lump in her breast and we headed to Urgent Care - it was a CRAPPY birthday.  This year, I took the day off work, decided I wanted to go see Star Wars: Phantom Menace in 3D ---- I LOVE Star Wars!!  And then we went to Parker's Lighthouse - paid for by my mom and dad and Valerie's mom (THANK YOU!).  I had crab legs that were BEYOND DELICIOUS!!!  And my sweet beloved spouse would not even take one bite because she knew how much I was completely enjoying them.  It was a thousand percent better birthday!!

Melissa and Valerie snuggling during an IV with Oxygen.

Then, that Friday, we had a scheduled appointment with Valerie's U.S. oncologist, Dr. Chen.  We met with him and talked about the need for a PET scan.  After much explaining, he finally understood and agreed that a PET scan would be helpful.  The catch is that he said a regular PET scan is not helpful in determining if the cancer is still in the bones - just in tissue and other organs - but that a special PET scan, a sodium chloride PET scan, is the only one that would show cancer in bones.  And of course, it's not a PET scan that they do at our hospital ... even though it's the "best."  But Dr. Chen also works in Long Beach and says he used this PET scan with Medicare patients all the time, so he ordered it and we will wait to see how much it will cost us to have it done through the PPO side of our insurance.

Me enjoying my crab legs ... they were DELICIOUS!

So, for now, we will just continue to plug along.  Getting the house done is still priority number one.  We have taken some time off to entertain and thank family and friends but are determined to get back to it now.  There are still some basic things around the house that will make healing and health a much easier goal once we are done.  I think people sometimes think we place too much emphasis on this, but I can not say enough how much impact it has on our health and well-being.  And of course, I am focused more on Valerie's health and well-being right now, but it really does impact us both in huge ways.  We will both be more relaxed and more healthy after this intensely stressful year, once we have a few more things done around the house.

Love to you all!

OASIS OF HOPE - ROUND 3

Lucia, one of our enfermas favoritas!

We arrived at Oasis yesterday morning for a week of "booster" treatment as they called it.  The doctors here recommended a week of treatment to continue the positive momentum Valerie has been showing.  Their reaction to seeing her this time has been so fun to watch.  :)  Her doctors literally just stare at her and smile... then they look at me with their mouths hanging open and point to her as if to say, "can you believe this?!"  And one of the nurses asked "Como estas?" as he rounded the corner into our room.  Valerie responded "Muy bien!" And when he looked up and saw her he said, "Muy bonita!"

It has been such a different trip this time around.

I suppose I should back up a bit... After Valerie's family left at the end of January, we've spent the past few weeks getting used to an empty house, reestablishing routines, and continuing our work on the house.  Then last Friday, Valerie's niece called and said that she and a friend would be at our house for dinner!  They had taken off on a spontaneous road trip, were currently in Las Vegas and headed our way!  :)

After a series of twists and turns in their trip, Melissa ended up being able to come with us to Mexico!  So, the three of us are currently at Oasis of Hope for the week.  And did I mention how different things are?! :)

Valerie & Melissa - walking along the boardwalk - Tuesday.

The first day of treatment was Monday, the day we arrived, because we did lab work last week and brought it with us.  So after getting here promptly at 10am, they brought Valerie's first IV at about 1pm.  :-/  Such is life here at the Oasis.  Even with that late start, Valerie still finished by about 7:00pm (6 treatments).

Tuesday, Valerie began treatment at about 9am and finished (6 treatments) by 1:30pm.  I don't think that has EVER happened.  There are several things that impact how quickly she can finish... how quickly they change the IVs when they are finished, how early they start once we tell them she is ready, and how well she is feeling and how well she is tolerating the treatments.  Obviously, the only ones we have any control over are the latter 2.  So, needless to say, Valerie feels much better this time around and is plowing through the IVs like they are water.  :-)

Our view at dinner - Tuesday.

Tuesday afternoon was a bit of a roller coaster.  Patients here can participate in the doctor's treatment team meeting if they request it - soooooo we requested it.  At 2pm, they called us to the meeting.  Valerie's regular doctors were there - Dr. Cecena, Dr. Carbajal, and El Jefe, Dr. Contreras - as well as 2 other doctors that are part of the team.  From this meeting we learned that they are THRILLED with her progress, and that their recommendations are:  1) for her to continue all current treatment for at least the next 3 months; 2) for her to have a PET scan (because it lights up the areas that are malignant - in her bones and in her breast); and 3) then to decide if she'd like to have surgery (likely a mastectomy).

Melissa and Valerie watching the sunset - Tuesday.

Their current impressions are that with her HUGE improvements in strength, weight gain, tumor markers, and overall general well-being, it's likely that she's pretty close to being in remission.  They would consider her completely in remission if they could see a PET scan with nothing lighting up (which is pretty much what they expect) and if they removed the lump or breast.

This was VERY exciting news.  To think it's been ONE year since Valerie found the tumor and they are now talking about taking steps to validate that she is in remission.  Unbelievable.

So we headed back to the room and I immediately called Valerie's U.S. oncologist.  I left a message asking if he would order the PET scan when we return.  His P.A., Jennifer, who we generally talk to, said that after talking to Dr. Chen, he doesn't see any need for the PET scan.  In their view, Valerie will always have Stage IV Breast Cancer, so there's not really any benefit to imaging.  And for the same reasons, they would likely never do surgery.  WOW.  Talking about taking the wind out of someone's sails!!  I was V.E.R.Y. angry.  I explained more fully to Jennifer why the doctors were requesting the scan and what their long term goals are for surgery.  She agreed to talk to Dr. Chen more about it.

Watching another sunset - Wednesday.

After hanging up and relaying her words to Valerie and Melissa, I could see that my anger was stressful for Valerie, so I went out in the hallway to pace and cry.  So now I'm thinking I've got to find out how much it costs to get a PET scan here and how much surgery will cost here.  This just never ends.  I would have liked to throw something, but hey, they've been really nice to us here.... I'll just have to wait until next Friday when we are in Dr. Chen's office. :) 

Sunset - Wednesday night.

After awhile, Valerie came out to find me and we hugged and talked and agreed that no matter what, she's going to be fine and we are going to figure this out one way or the other.  It's hard to believe how much there is to deal with - over and over and over and over.  Just when we think we've got a handle on one thing, another one pops up.  But Valerie is healthy and strong and we do both believe that things will continue to get better.

Today, Wednesday, treatment began about 9:30am and finished around 3.  Things are going SO smoothly that sometimes it's hard to believe how difficult the first 2 times were.  I told Melissa today that I sometimes look around and see the stress of other people who are here and it all just comes flooding back to me - I feel their stress and worry and remember my own.  But as long as Valerie continues to make huge strides and outdo herself everyday, I'm good.  And I wish the same and more for all of those here now.

Melissa doing a photo shoot at sunset with Jermaine.

Tonight we all 3 walked down to the water to see another sunset and to meet a friend that Melissa had made today - Jermaine.  She had agreed to take some pictures of him... and yes, we wanted to tag along and make sure he wasn't a serial killer. :)

Couple of more days of treatment and then back home to keep on keeping on.  Thank you all for reading and caring!

WE'VE MADE IT THIS FAR - AN END AND A BEGINNING

Valerie & Lily dancing on the beach in our fair city.

HELLO!!!!  Sorry for leaving you hanging.... :)

I’ve gotten a few nudges since then and I’ve been thinking about updating - but somehow my THOUGHTS do NOT turn into actions!?!?  ..... if only...

So I’m just going to recap the month of January - because it was a DOOZY (from a business standpoint).

Since they had time to waste, Sara took advantage of the
local homemade tequila.

January was a bit of a whirlwind.  Janurary 4th, Valerie’s sister, Sara arrived (her 2nd trip).  She was here from 1/4-1/10.  You’d have to ask her, but I think she had a great time from the looks of her Facebook page!  She did a lot of kayaking, biking, and working out.  

We were running out of some of Valerie’s supplements (from Mexico) and had decided that we just needed to go down and get a refill.  [Background:  I communicate regularly with the aftercare people in Mexico and I can order SOME of her supplements and have them mailed, but due to the U.S.A.’s restrictive laws, we can’t get ALL of them mailed.]  So Sara rode with Valerie to the Oasis of Hope to get a bag full of supplements to last us a few months.  

Sorry for the graphics - but this ended up being a big part
of the last month.  Valerie's mom had to let Valerie take
care of her during this time - making her breakfast, cleaning
her wound, getting her medicine, and checking on her 24/7.

One of the meds was not readily available, so they had to waste some time before heading home.  Other than Valerie almost falling asleep while driving, they made it there and back in one piece with all of the medications and Valerie was grateful not to have to drive alone.  [Background:  I have to be very careful about the time I take off - with the time I’ve used to go to Mexico and the trip we plan to take soon - I don’t have a lot of time to spare.  Otherwise, I would have liked to have driven down and gotten them for her myself.]

The day after they returned from Mexico, Valerie had her monthly appointment at the oncologist's office.  She received her monthly IV of Zometa.  It's getting better, but it tends to wipe her out for days after - sometimes exhibiting flu like symptoms for up to 3 days.

Mom P's "bandaid"

The following weekend, Valerie and I were headed off on our bikes to eat brunch.  Valerie got a phone call from her mom asking for a bandaid.  We put the bikes back up and went to see what happened.  Let's just say that these pictures do not even come close to showing how AWFUL the cut on her leg was.  She ended up needing a trip to the ER and about 10 stitches.  After all of that and daily cleanings, she's gone through an infection, 2 rounds of antibiotics and she's still on the mend.  Glad we rushed over to give her a bandaid! :)

Joseph & Maria transforming our garage!

From 1/11-1/16, we went to physical therapy, work, a play, and worked A LOT around the house.  There is still so much to do - painting, moving boxes, reorganizing, hanging things on the walls, staining the cabinets, etc.  Valerie and I do those things every spare minute we have that we aren’t just wiped out.

The play we saw was at our local theater.  Valerie, her mom, and I went to see “Barefoot in the Park.”  We had been wanting to go since we moved here and it was fun to go with Mom P. - even though I think she may have snoozed for a minute or two.  :)

Joseph & Aunt Val

On January 17th, Valerie’s nephew, Joseph and his wife Maria, arrived.  We have not seen Joseph for about 10 years and we have never met his wife, Maria.  They stayed from 1/17-1/23.  And again... you’d have to ask them, but I’m pretty sure they had a great time!  They went whale watching, to Disneyland, and walking around Long Beach.

Joe & Lily / making "dinner" on our new kitchen nook
table - Michelle had it in storage & it belonged to her and
Valerie's grandmother

Joseph took a day to put some extra shelves in our garage and in our front closet.  Maria is a natural at organizing and taught us all about “totes.”  :)  She and Valerie went shopping for storage and before Valerie knew it, Maria had filled up their carts with large storage Rubbermaid containers!  We are SO thankful to have extra storage and to have “seen the light” when it comes to “totes.”  :)

Having dinner at one of our favorites - The Pizza Place
Joe, Michelle & Melissa

During that time, we continued to go to 

Physical Therapy twice a week, Valerie had a blood draw, and we had to attend an all day training for our continuing education units for our licenses.

Two days after Joe and Maria left, Valerie’s sister, Michelle, her husband Joe, and one of their daughter’s, Melissa arrived - from Colorado - by car.  And little did we know.... when they arrived, they had a 30 pound living, breathing 

surprise in the car with them.  They brought Savannah’s daughter, Lily with them!

Valerie said that different people brought different things -
some brought furniture, some brought their expertise....
and she said, Lily brought the Sunshine. :)

While they were here, Joe hung the last of the blinds to get put up in our place.  WHEW!!  He, Michelle, Melissa, and Mom P. spent the last few days posting things on Craigslist and cleaning out #12.  It was a BIG job!

Valerie had decided that she really wanted to do something nice as a “going away” for her family.  Her mom had been here for 4.5 months, and Michelle had been here 4 different times for a total of about 7 weeks - and she had opened and closed the #12 condo.   So, Valerie bought whale watching tickets as a “going away” thank you. 

Great Grandma (Grandma Gigi) putting
lipstick on Lily

It has been hard for Valerie to do fun physical things for several reasons - she has been so weak for so long, and now that she has some strength, she has taken back up the chore of our on-going remodel - in the hopes that she will have a warm, healing environment sometime soon.  Between all of that, plus working regularly, there's hardly a minute to spare.

Since family first started arriving - July 28th (Vanessa) - until they all (Joe & Michelle, Mom P., Jon, Melissa, Sara, Bill & Dianne, Joseph & Maria) left - January 31, this is a snapshot of what happened.....

Front Row! on the whale watching trip!

Aunt Val & Melissa headed out to see the whales.

• Valerie was hospitalized because the cancer had spread to her bones, causing her calcium levels to rise to a dangerous 14.8 (normal is 8.6-10.2) --- her calcium is now a smooth 9.6.
• Valerie came home from the hospital using a walker and sleeping in a hospital bed --- she now sleeps in her own bed and hasn’t used a walker in months.  (side note - her physical therapist just gave her permission to jog... see video below)
• Valerie’s “tumor markers” reached a high of 162 (normal is below 32) --- it is now a low 27.
• Valerie was sent home for palliative (look it up) care by her U.S. oncologist --- she has since been to Mexico for treatment and her Mexican oncologists say that she is doing fantastic and they expect her to live a long healthy life.

There are still many ongoing challenges:  daily mega-doses of supplements; medication side effects - hair loss due to the low doses of chemo she’s taking, hot flashes due to the hormone blocker; pressure not to eat sugar or carbs because the tumor loves those things (think about what you really WANT to eat when you’re stressed and/or down); oh yeah, and then there’s the whole - “you’ve got a deadly disease, but DON’T STRESS OUT because that will kill you sooner” advice.  

In spite of the challenges, and largely because of the love and support of all of you, we push on and laugh as much as possible, love each other the best we can, and send our most sincere thanks and gratitude for each of you who have sent packages, invested your time & sweat, sent money, love, texts, and your warm thoughts.  We wouldn’t be here without you.

Here's to 50 more years!

I will continue to sporadically update the blog when eventful things happen - i.e. trips to Mexico / changes in health / or when I randomly feel like it. :)  Those of you on Facebook see the posts quickly.  If you aren’t on Facebook, you can enter your email in the box provided at the top of the page on any post and you will receive the posts via email as soon as they are posted.

As I read back over this I feel a sense that the blog is lacking something.  There's so much to say about the month of January - about the past year (it will be one year since Valerie found the lump on 2/18) - about the ending of family being close by - about resuming some sense of a normal life.  It's so hard to encapsulate it in a blog.  I had a difficult time infusing the emotion this time around.  Just know that it comes from blood, sweat and tears... even if I didn't articulate the tears and emotion quite as well.


Thank you all so much for your continued support and love.  We feel it and appreciate it daily. xoxo

CHRISTMAS & THE NEW YEAR

Valerie stylin' on Christmas morning. :)

WOW! - It's been over a month since I've posted.  Valerie and I have thought about you all and TALKED about posting quite a lot (no kidding).  I'm going to break up the last month in at least 2 different blogs.

To pick up where we left off.... my parents left on 12/17 and Valerie's mom returned on 12/18.  Christmas (or Christmahanukwanzukah as we say in our house) came soon after and we decided low key was the best plan.  To start the day, Valerie and I headed off on our bikes for brunch.  Valerie embraced the low key, relaxed idea so much, she wore her PJs - no kidding - and her awesome new boots that I got her for Christmas.  Then we went back and picked up Mom Paget (and some of us finished dressing).  The 3 of us saw a couple of movies, ate some chinese food, and looked at EXTRAVAGANT Christmas lights that weekend.  It was very fun and relaxing.  (I've put extra pictures of the lights down below if you're interested.)

A row of houses lit up along the canal. (more pics below)

New Year's was a little chaotic.  One of my cousins died suddenly (he was only in his mid 40s) and I flew to Nashville for the funeral.  I left EARLY Friday morning, arriving at the funeral home that night in time for the visitation.  Then I went to the funeral the following morning and afterwards I got to spend some time with family that I hadn't seen in quite awhile - crappy circumstances, but I had some wonderful moments with my family.  A special thank you to my mom and dad who paid for half of my ticket - you can imagine the cost of a last minute plane ticket on New Year's Eve weekend.

RIP Barry

 Valerie and her mom had planned a New Year's night out at a local restaurant by the water with fireworks afterward at 9pm (hey, it's midnight in New York by then!).  :)  Their evening was pretty "interesting" to say the least.  They got to the restaurant - got their appetizers right away - then sat - and waited - and sat - and waited.  After about an hour of that, with no more food being brought to their table - or anyone's table - they got up and left.  Plus, it was almost 9pm and they wanted to see the fireworks........ except, there was one small problem with that plan.  Fog.  They saw the clouds/fog light up with different colors, but they never saw an actual bursting firework.  :-/  They did laugh a lot while retelling the story though.  Definitely made some memories.

I flew home from Nashville EARLY Sunday morning, just in time to be picked up and whisked away to our pre-planned birthday brunch for Valerie's mom, at.... you guessed it... the Queen Mary.  As always, it was fantastic, the food was delicious, and we had a great time.  They sang happy birthday to Mom Paget from a center stage right before we left - a perfect ending to the brunch and a perfect beginning to the New Year.

Mom Paget's 80th Birthday Celebration

About the middle of December, Valerie and I both started going to Physical Therapy (PT) twice a week - she for all of the stiffness and pain from being bed ridden in the summer, plus having dislocated her knee last year (2010) and never regaining that strength back - and me for a pain I've had in my hamstring up through my hip/glute area.  We've been going twice a week and are still doing that, with much improvements.

Just as a side note, but for you to understand more of our hassles, when Valerie was first diagnosed, we had to switch our medical group from Pasadena to Long Beach (we hadn't changed it since we moved several months before).  With the diagnosis, we wanted to be particular about the doctors and hospital we chose.  We chose Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach (30 minutes south of us), instead of the 2 hospitals that are minutes away from our home right here in Long Beach.  Hoag has a wonderful reputation, especially for treatment of women and treatment of cancer.  I say that to explain that, now, all of our referrals and doctors are 30-45 minutes away from us, including PT.  And for reference, my job is 25 minutes north (opposite the doctors) and Valerie's work is an hour north.  So, scheduling any appointment takes a flow chart, some luck, and patience.  Having said that, I know how lucky we are to have the choice to go to Hoag and their affiliated doctors.

I will pick up with the first week in January in the next blog.  It's hard to keep things straight after such a long time... SO MUCH happens in one short month!

Continued love and gratitude from us to all of you - whether you read the blog, check in on us every now and then, send love long distance, or just having a passing positive thought about us and Valerie's continued improving health.