Good Holiday News

Well, this certainly is a better looking Christmas than last year.  At this time last year, I was finishing finals at school and preparing to fly to Ohio to help Mom as she got her cancer diagnosis.  This year I'm once again finishing finals but I will be staying put in Utah because Mom's latest tests show her blood having less cancer cells than the average person.  We're all so happy and thankful for the blessings of this year.  To show that Mom is recovering quite nicely, Dad took some pictures today---Mom had enough hair growth to get a perm!  Sure Mom, spend money on a perm instead of buying me something. So, the world looks better for Mom at this time.  (Mom looks better to the world too!)  See if you agree.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone and thanks for your support and prayers!

Like a Poltergeist.............she's baaaaaaaccccccck!

So, if you've talked on the phone to Mom lately, she's back.  You're probably getting her Obama-hate mails and old people joke forwards.  She sounds like she has some energy.  She and Dad bought a trailer and being the good little woman that she is, she spent the day cleaning it like the good ol' days. After doing all that work she had time to call me to tell me how wonderful she was and how much she was her old self.  So yours prayers all worked.  Maybe now we can use that prayer energy to recover her sanity and kindness.  Naaaa, that would be asking WAY too much!
On the other side of Mom's coin, Dad is now facing health issues.  His old heart isn't what it used to be.  He may be faced with having to have an oblation.  His heart speeds up and they need to get it under control.  So, we could use prayers in his behalf in addition to those for Mom's continued recovery.  It's not unusual for that nasty cancer to come back so Mom has to have continual scans to keep it in check.  At least we know to check for it now.
On the fun side, Dad went to get his hairs (yes, I meant to say hairs!) cut the other day and he told Mom her hair was looking scraggly so she finally had to get a trim.  How far she's come!
We're very happy for the good progress, the great attention from the doctors, and all the support.  Y'all are great!

Great News!

Ok, so I am writing less and less.  Sorry.  BYU School of Accountancy kicks your butt, but guess what?  With as much as cancer kicked Mom's butt, the chemo and Mom's determination kicked cancer's butt back!  I always knew my mom was a butt-kicker!  Now the world has evidence.  Mom went in this week for her screenings and all tests show she's cancer free.  We know that cancer is a wicked disease that you have to continue to watch and screen for, but this news is great news at this time considering that 9 months ago they told her she had stage four ovarian cancer.  We now happily get more time having Mom awaken us at horrendously early hours to sing us happy birthday.
Know what Mom likes best about all of this?  She doesn't have to do more chemo and lose her hair!  Can you believe that?  Who'd've known my mom was so vain?  If her head wasn't the shape of a perfect bowling ball I might understand, but geez......
Thanks everyone for their support.  I imagine very soon she will be back to forwarding you her anti-Obama e-mails.  My, how we've missed those!

Couldn't get her in a bikini....

I just got home from spending 10 days with Mom and Dad in Ohio.  They are doing great.  Not long ago Mom was down to 116 pounds and didn't have any energy, but....  I came to visit and fed her my delicious quinoa muffins and voila---she's gained 10 pounds and look how happy she is...

This picture was taken immediately after I told her she needs to be renamed "Butch" with that lovely haircut of hers!  Actually she has a full head of hair and it  even has dark roots!  (By the way she wasn't laughing because I called her "Butch", but that's another story for another time.)




She really has gained 10 pounds and is walking around the block every morning before sunrise.  Then she comes home and eats frosty shakes and energy bites that I made her.  I tried to get her to eat her greens, but she's a very bad girl.

Here she is with Dad-

This is before she gets into her lazy-boy chair (that chair is named that for a reason!).  She gets into the chair and falls asleep watching Fox News every day.  I don't know how she knows political issues because she goes to sleep when they come on.  Must be osmosis or something.  When her mouth is gaping wide and the snores rock the house, Dad lovingly wakes her to walk her to her room for the night and she goes to sleep like a good girl.  (unlike the bad girl for not eating her greens)

Anyways, yesterday she took a 4 hour drive with us to Amish country.  We stopped at a restaurant to eat and wouldn't you know it, all she orders is a grilled chicken sandwich while Dad and I get complete dinners and milkshakes and guess whose dinner isn't cooked?  Yep, Mom.  All she ordered was a sandwich and the chicken was pink inside so she had to return it.  She ended up settling for some of Dad's fries and the restaurant didn't charge us.  Man, it's not like she eats much and what she does order, she can't even get!  But, the good news is that she made the trip, came home and did dishes and a couple other things before hitting that lazy boy for Fox News and snoring into oblivion for the night.

This was her smile today---

We got such smiley-faced pictures because I was getting ready to leave.  After all the vegetarian dishes I made her, and the migraines Dad and I had during the week, I think she was glad to get back to normal!  

We actually had a lovely visit and it was so good to see Mom up and about more, eating well, exercising and understanding her limits while trying to push herself.  She has her next cancer screening appointment September 15.  Please keep her in your prayers.  We're hoping for a good bill of health so I can get her out to Utah to clean my kitchen since Lora isn't doing it.

Mom isn't able to get online to respond to your well-wishes, but we read them to her.  She has chemo-brain and that is a good thing because they discovered she has a brain!  On the down side, she isn't able to concentrate enough to talk a whole lot, read or even finish Fox News at night.  Wait, did I say not being able to finish Fox News at night is a down side?  I'll be disinherited!

Love you loads, thanks for all your support out there.  

She's moving

I told Mom I hadn't posted for a long time.  There's not much to add.  Aunt Sherry came to visit her this week and that really lifted Mom's spirits.  She left today and Mom did laundry.  Considering laundry is down a flight of stairs that's really good.  She's also put on 3 pounds and weighs 119.5 pounds.  Unfortunately, she hasn't weighed that since junior high!  I can't see my mom at that weight.  They need to post pictures so I can see what she looked like in junior high.  Mom's walking around the block.  She's not up to doing the hike to Timp Cave or Y mount with me yet, but then, I'm not up to either either.  (pronounced eyether, eether)  Dad needs to take some pictures so we can keep up don't you think?  I guess I could post pictures of my beautiful new grandson instead.  He has more hair than her!
Mom won't be going back to the oncologist until September as her energy level was so low they are waiting 3 months and will see where they are.  In the meantime, please remember her in your prayers.  Thanks so much for your support.
Deb

In memory of Mom's cheerleading days!

Memorial Day Thoughts

Today is Memorial Day.  I'm grateful I don't just have old memories of Mom, but that I can still create new ones.