To Show You My Love.....

I feel guilty for dropping this blog that served me so well when I was sick.  I could communicate with you all, share my fears, explain my pain, and connect virtually on a daily basis.  Now, like the opposite of a fair-weather friend, I have dropped off the face of the earth.   I hope you will forgive me.

My life is so good, you guys.  The kids are amazing.  They seem to become better friends every day...and nothing could make me prouder.  My heath is good - thank you, God.  Our four-legged family continues to grow but mums the word on that for fear of an intervention.  LOL  My job is wonderful.  I am busy and happy and grateful right down to my pinky toe!

Here are the photos from a recent family photo session.  Enjoy.  (Best viewed full screen in 720HD...select 720 and double click on the pictures to make full screen)

The Moons - September 2012




Please know that we send all of our love and good wishes to you and yours.


xoxo

Testing, testing, 1 - 2 - 3

Hi! Anyone there? I can't imagine you would be after 6 months of silence from me. I'm sorry.

I am going to start blogging here again. Nothing is wrong. I just miss having a place to come and write about everything and nothing.

I am healthy and happy. I hope you are all doing well also.

xoxo

Absolutely beautiful

Steve Jobs...what a loss. I thought this tribute was really nice...albeit heartbreaking.


Universe Dented, Grass Underfoot
Thursday, 6 October 2011
by John Gruber


After the WWDC keynote four months ago, I saw Steve, up close.

He looked old. Not old in a way that could be measured in years or even decades, but impossibly old. Not tired, but weary; not ill or unwell, but rather, somehow, ancient. But not his eyes. His eyes were young and bright, their weapons-grade intensity intact. His sweater was well-worn, his jeans frayed at the cuffs.

But the thing that struck me were his shoes, those famous gray New Balance 993s. They too were well-worn. But also this: fresh bright green grass stains all over the heels.

Those grass stains filled my mind with questions. How did he get them? When? They looked fresh, two, three days old, at the most. Apple keynote preparation is notoriously and unsurprisingly intense. But not so intense, those stains suggested, as to consume the entirety of Jobs’s days. There is no grass in Moscone West.

Surely, my mind raced, surely he has more than one pair of those shoes. He could afford to buy the factory that made them. Why wear this grass-stained pair for the keynote, a rare and immeasurably high-profile public appearance? My guess: he didn’t notice, didn’t care. One of Jobs’s many gifts was that he knew what to give a shit about. He knew how to focus and prioritize his time and attention. Grass stains on his sneakers didn’t make the cut.


Late last night, long hours after the news broke that he was gone, my thoughts returned to those grass stains on his shoes back in June. I realize only now why they caught my eye. Those grass stained sneakers were the product of limited time, well spent. And so the story I’ve told myself is this:

I like to think that in the run-up to his final keynote, Steve made time for a long, peaceful walk. Somewhere beautiful, where there are no footpaths and the grass grows thick. Hand-in-hand with his wife and family, the sun warm on their backs, smiles on their faces, love in their hearts, at peace with their fate

So proud........yeah Michigan!!!

If you can't see it above, click here:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/beautiful-place-america-revealed-sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan-14323307

My birthday

Today is my birthday. Thank you all who wished me happy birthday on Facebook. I am really bad at FB. I wish I could says thanks to each of you for the warm wishes.

This is what I woke up to this morning. A flower from the garden and a message cut from paper (their version of a banner) on the kitchen table from my kids.

I just doesn't get any better. I love my life. Thank you, God, for another birthday and for my truly blessed life.

xoxo

It's not a tooo-mah!

Hi all -

Sorry for the oh-so-very lazy nature of this blog. I am constantly thinking about posting....to create a keepsake of a funny something, or to share a story, or to tell you about the news of us Moons'. But then life happens and I get distracted. Part of the problem is, I think, that I don't have a very easy/convenient way to get pictures off my camera and into the www.

I did have a scare but I will tell you right now that the pathology came back fine. I will also preface this by saying that I do not want to ever be one of those people who is unduly preoccupied with personal health and believes that illness is nearly always present or imminent. Really, I strongly dislike all the drama.

Anywho, a couple months ago I felt a hard little lump in my neck. It did not away and maybe gotten slightly bigger. It was closer to my jaw than my collarbone. It didn't hurt. It’s wasn't tender. It was just a hard little bump, like a hard pea under my skin. It was on the right side, same side as my BC. I am blessed to have a brother-in-law (Donald, many of you know) that is a magnificent doctor!! He is an Otorhinolaryngology surgeon …an ENT but the long word is more fun to say. :) He is in another state so he referred me to a doctor near me that he has known and respected for 20 years. After some due diligence, it was recommended that I get a biopsy.


Nothing about cutting my neck sounded quick or easy. Seems to me, as a lay person, that there is a LOT of important stuff in there. It was a really tough decision to get the biopsy but I am glad I did because I have such peace now.

And, oh my gosh, The Great Healer has blessed me with a body that heals remarkably fast. The first picture below is of the day after the surgery. The second is 5 days later. I also had a talented surgeon. It's all good!!

xoxo

Big tease....another FUNNY dog video

See if you can watch this just once. Betchya can't!

I love this!!

Dogs are just the best. Look at how cute his is. He just wants to play!

Part of the problem...

I think one of the other reasons I have not been posting as much lately is the volume of spam I get with each post. I feel like I am playing "Space Invaders" soon after each post (vintage arcade at its best, for those of you that don't know what I am talking about). I am picking off the SPAM messages as fast as they come in. Many are left in the comments area so please disregard. Hilary, for example, from Milan Escorts felt compelled to write about how great my site it. Wasn't that nice of her?

Have a great Sunday!

xoxo

Adorable!

I have been completely MIA. So sorry. I came up for air tonight, as Angelica is tortuing the kitties and Oscar's playing X-box with a friend. I logged on and saw I still had the "Noel" theme background...and, holy cow, has it been a while since I posted! Or even logged on for that matter.

I have been so busy at work and what a blessing that is!

Anyway, I saw this and had to share!



xoxo

OMGosh...crazy!

You guys will not believe this...! Tom Daldin, the host of the video in my last post, was walking in downtown Rochester and was hit by a car. Such a sad story...but thank goodness he is okay. But isn't that weird?!?!? The show had not even aired yet when we was hit. Crazy!

Here is the story:

http://www.candgnews.com/news/pedestrian-motorist-%E2%80%98lucky%E2%80%99-outcome-accident

p.s. I feel bad for calling him goofy.

xoxo

Rochester...under the radar...

I love our little town! It was just featured on PBS. Kinda long, kinda goofy host...but it's neat to see our town on TV. If you want nothing else, fast forward to 13:58 to see the light show!

Guffaw

We were eating breakfast this morning and Angelica, as per the usual, make me laugh so hard that milk nearly came outta my nose.

I was very hungry and wolfing down pancakes. I didn't realize she was quietly watching me, but when I turned to look at her she said -totally serious, "Hey....slow down, little pokey".








xoxo

What a way to start this Lord's day!

I woke this morning to feel a warm little snuggler next to me in my bed. Angelica came in my room at some time during the night, which I just love. It doesn't happen very often so I don't worry about it. I know there will come a day when she won't want to anymore so I cherish those warm, wonderful snuggle times.

And then came the sound of boys laughter from Oscar's room down the hall. Oscar had one of his best buddies here for a sleep over. They stayed up too late, ate too much junk food and giggled until past 11:00. Pure fun!

And then I walked into the kitchen to see a doe (a deer...a female deer...) right outside my window. She was around last night too. She just looked up, wiggled her tail and went back to eating. I am amazed at the size of the deer here. The deer in Texas were mostly mule deer....and were about the size of large dogs. The white tail deer around here are huge.....huge! I guess it comes from eating all my shrubs.

And then I looked up to see my crab apple tree covered in Goldfinch and other bright songbirds. I think there were even some Orioles, although that wouldn't make sense this deep in a Michigan winter. Anyway, the crab apples didn't drop because we had such a warm fall. So the tree is covered with these birds snacking. It was so gorgeous!!!

I hope you each experience something beautiful today too.

Thank you, Lord, for this glorious day!

xoxo

Merry CHRISTmas!

I did not manage to get Christmas cards out this year. I am ashamed...there are many others that are much busier than I am that pulled it together. :-/ I have the cards. I have the photos. I just never got them coupled up, signed, sealed or delivered.

Please accept this as our warmest holiday wishes and prayers for good health, happiness and joy to all of you and your family! God bless each of you!

xoxo

Please tell me.....!

We received some boxes from someone. But we don't know who. Kinda reminiscent of years past, especially Christmas 2008. I wish I knew who sent these gifts.

Okay, I have to respect that whoever sent this wants to remain anonymous. Unless I missed a tag somewhere...? I called the UPS Store it was shipped from (Little Rock) but got nowhere.

I have this stongly intense, primal need to write a thank you note...to express my gratitude...to acknowledge the generosity of the person who sent these gifts for my children.

Whoever you are, if you are reading, please accept my most heartfelt thanks for the gifts you sent Oscar and Angelica!

Look for a video next week of the kids in action with their secret Santa gifts.

xoxo

Go Tell It On The Mountain

Love this version of one of my favorites. Jewel sings like an angel.




xoxo

San Antoinio Breast Cancer Symposium

Every year there is a conference in San Antonio (http://www.sabcs.org/) that is dedicated solely to breast cancer. The best oncology minds in the world gather for 5 days. It wrapped up yesterday. I am always facinated to read about the incredible advancements being made.


MOST exciting for me is the report on the trial I was in!!!!! Long read so I will summarize: I had some of the best medicine available!!! My Herceptin and Taxol were adjuvent but still a wonderful regime!!


Drug Combo Tames HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
BY MELISSA WEBER

Treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer turned a corner more than a decade ago with the approval of Herceptin (trastuzumab). More recently, another successful drug called Tykerb (lapatinib) hit the market. The question then became whether Herceptin, Tykerb or a combination of the two would be most effective in stifling the aggressive disease. Two studies presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium offer some clues.
Print this Article

HER2-Targeted Drugs Excel Before Surgery
In the first study, nicknamed NeoALTTO, a combination of Tykerb, Herceptin and the chemotherapy drug Taxol (paclitaxel) outdid either targeted agent alone. Among 455 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, giving the three-drug combo before surgery—known as neoadjuvant therapy—resulted in half of patients seeing cancer cells disappear completely in the breast at the time of surgery. The same pathological complete response was seen in only 30 percent of women receiving Herceptin alone, and 25 percent for Tykerb alone. Serious side effects were more common in the Tykerb-alone arm and included diarrhea, liver function problems, low white blood cell counts and rash. Although heart damage has been associated with HER2-targeted drugs, no patients experienced toxic effects to the heart at the time of surgery, researchers reported.
Similarly, investigators in the GeparQuinto study wanted to know which of the HER2-targeted drugs was more effective when given before surgery. In a head-to-head comparison, 620 women with HER2-positive disease received chemotherapy (epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by Taxotere [docetaxel]) plus either Herceptin or Tykerb. Like the NeoALTTO results, Herceptin edged out Tykerb when added to chemotherapy. No cancer cells were detected in the breast or lymph nodes at the time of surgery in 31 percent of patients on Herceptin compared with 22 percent receiving Tykerb. Serious cases of diarrhea and low white blood cell counts were seen in the Tykerb arm of the study.
Investigators of both studies will follow patients to see whether the absence of cancer cells at the time of surgery results in longer survival.
The HER2-targeted drug combo also works in combating advanced breast cancer. Last year in San Antonio, researchers reported that combining Herceptin and Tykerb helped women with heavily pretreated metastatic disease live approximately 4.5 months longer than Tykerb alone.
Excessive amounts of the HER2 protein cause cancer cells to grow more rapidly—a scenario associated with 20 to 25 percent of all breast cancers. Herceptin, approved for both early-stage and advanced cancers, targets the HER2 protein on the outside of cancer cells. Tykerb, currently approved only for advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, enters the cancer cell and blocks HER2—as well as growth signals from another protein called HER1—from inside the cell. Combining the two drugs could essentially knock out the cancer cell with a double blow.
While the studies were very encouraging, they’re not ready for use outside a clinical trial, said Eric Winer, MD, chief of the division of women’s cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “We’ve been misled too often with early results. And while on the one hand we want to bring the best treatments to people as soon as possible, on the other hand, we have to have some greater assurance that they’re really having a meaningful effect.”

So fast...thank God

When I wrote about Elizabeth Edwards this morning she was still here...now she is gone. What a blessing. Not that she is gone but that it happened so fast. If you have ever watched someone you love die of cancer, you understand. And I seriously doubt that there is anyone reading who hasn't had the wretched experience.

It is a horrible death but she was such a powerful, beautiful woman that she managed to even handle the process of her death with dignity. I love this quote from her:

"The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful."

Amen.

xoxo

Elizabeth Edwards

The news of Elizabeth Edwards imminent death has kicked me in the gut. Every time someone loses their battle with cancer it is devastating. For me, the loses to breast cancer just plain scare me…obviously.

Elizabeth has been my beacon. I have always marveled at how much she has endured and her grace through it all. Losing a child, the public betrayal by her husband, and so much more.

I remember thinking about her when I was diagnosed in 2008...and specifically thinking that she will be fine and so will I.

Dear God, please give her peace.

xoxo

So much to tell...

I am sorry to have been away so long. My life has been very busy, as I am sure yours have also. We had a very special visitor from Guatemala. A member of Oscar’s foster family was here with us. Her visit was incredible. We will forever cherish the memories we made while she was here. I have oodles of photos to post and will do that soon. Jandy, thank you for being with us. We love you!

xoxo

AFV

We love America's Funniest Videos. It seems like a safe, family-friendly show. Not too much trouble to get into by letting the kids watch it and giggle uncontrollably...right...?

Last night the kids were up in my bed watching. I was 20 feet away getting ready for bed (okay....busted.....we go to bed REALLY early around here). I hear Oscar shout out a groan slash laugh after one of the scenes. Here is the exchange I hear next:

Oscar: Ohhhhhhh....dude...aughhhh!
Angelica: What happened Oscar?
Oscar: He got hit in the crouch (yes, he said crouch...as in "to hunker down"...lol)
Angelica: Oh no....his weenis!!!
Oscar: Yes, Angelica, his privates...his weeeenis!

Time for Anatomy 101. LOL!

xoxo

GREAT news....the recession is over...

At least it appears that way by the amount of candy people were giving out last night. The kids went trick or treating in our neighborhood only and, oh my gosh, they were loaded down with candy. It was a boondoggle! When we were kids no one gave out full size candy bars. My kids buckets are full of them!

We had a great time that started with Halloween parties on Friday in the kid's classes. Angelica was a princess (shocking!) and Oscar was a Star Wars trooper (doubly shocking!!). Then on the actual Halloween day we had block party down the street with all the neighbors. From there the kids went out begging for candy. It was a blast!

Hope you had a happy Halloween too!



A certain angel was not very happy here.... :-/

Oscar is checking out the competition.

xoxo

Oscar's 8th birthday

Oscar is 8. How the h.e.double hockey sticks did that happen? My precious little man is growing up way too fast. Here is a golden oldie!






I am a little slow in posting pictures. It was a delightful night with Molly, Megan, Marty and the boys. Here is a self timer of all of us. I love our family so much.



You can see the delight in Oscar's face when he opened the gift from our Guatemalan family, the Vela's. We love that family so much too! :-)



As a fun surprise for Oscar, I strung yarn all throughout the house. He had to follow the yarn and every once in a while there would be a little surprise for him. It was fun for the kids but a little challenging for me! Ha. I got tangled more than once.






I made Oscar's cake. It was a Star Wars theme. I made the frosting from scratch. Thanks, Megan, for the recipe. I crumbled oreos for the dirt. It turned out hideous. He loved it. :-)



xoxo

My 2nd Cancerversary

Every person I speak with has a different opinion on what constitutes the date that survival statistics begin. For example, if you talk to a surgeon, they say the date of surgery is when the clock starts. Some say it is the date of diagnosis, since we are survivors starting the day we find out we have cancer. And still others say the anniversary date is the day that you stop chemo or treatments.

It is estimated that 207,090 women will be diagnosed with and nearly 40,000 women will die of cancer of the breast in 2010. Statistics are very important. Specifically, the 2 year mark and then again the 5 year mark have the greatest drop in recurrance risk. Of course, it would help to know what day that mark is. LOL

October 1, 2008 was the day I was diagnosed. So, regardless of when the clock starts, Friday was an important day in my little world. I spent it with the neighborhood girls and my sister playing Bunco and drinking jello shots. Seriously. It was so much fun!!

xoxo