Day 403 - Round 10. Only 2 left! Amen!!!

Thank goodness I had a decent night's sleep! Finally! Mom & I left about 0745 & managed to make it to PLC by 0900. I had my blood drawn & we patiently waited. While we waited, I went to Second Cup to get a hot drink & some pastries. Lo & behold Mom accidentally spilled the hot chocolate EVERYWHERE. Yes, on my black leather purse, my fur mittens, on my book, on my wallet, inside my purse on every item possible, on my blanket, the Lulu bag, on the pastries I hadn't even bit into. I was furious. Yes, it was an accident, but who is going to replace all of the above that are stained & ruined? Sorry sure isn't! Grrr! I'm slowly getting over it... :o(

Chemo went fine. I managed to doze off & on throughout & listened to some classical music to stay chilled out. We left the hospital just before 4, although it could have been 1/2 an hour earlier, had Mom picked up the prescriptions & made the appointment rather than slept. She's not as well trained as Jaco, but I guess she hasn't been there that often, either. If there's one thing I can't tolerate is sitting & waiting in the hospital after I'm done treatment. I need to get out of there & NOW!

We drove home & had a quick bite to eat. I noticed, while having dinner, my Picc line had some blood in it. Oh dear. I called the Health Link, no luck. I called PLC, no on call Oncologist. I called Yup... back to bed again. This time I went to bed at 1800. I woke up at 2100 when Jaco called. I spoke to him for a bit, but I was so exhausted that I started to fall asleep during our conversation! Whoops! I fell asleep straight after we said goodbye!

I managed to wake up at 0000, 0330 & then at 0530... And so the following day started!

xxxxMV&O

Meet Rihanna (& my new passport photo - with a white background & a lower eyebrow!)

Day 402 - The Doctor's Appointment That Wasn't

Last night found freezing fog in our area. This meant that Mom couldn't get back in time to take me to my appointments in the city. I called at 0800 to cancel & wanted to make sure that I could still come in for treatment tomorrow. The receptionist said she'd call me back as soon as she heard from Dr. Daly. By 3 o'clock I still hadn't heard back.

My picc line has been giving me issues, so Mom drove me over the the hospital in the afternoon. The Home Care girls took a look at it & said the adhesive was causing a reaction. They changed the bandage, but covered it in more adhesive with gauze underneath. And thank goodness the picc line isn't infected - I don't want to have it taken out with only 3 rounds to go!

Mom & stopped at the pet food place in Black Diamond & I picked up some more food for the girls. Mom was complaining about Valentina's squeaky toy on the way over, so I picked up 2 salmon skin bones for the girls to chew 'silently' on. Well. Mom had a hissy fit about the smell! She had to roll the window down the entire drive home & was paranoid her car would smell of rotten salmon. All I could do was giggle & roll my eyes, because I knew how much the girls loved the bones. And naturally the smell went away as soon as they devoured their treats.

I was getting pretty tired by the time we arrived home. I'd been up since 0530 with only 2 hours of sleep. I managed to eat some supper & then Jaco called. He was safe on the ship & finished his first day back at work. We had a good chat & I'm anxious to hear from him again.

I collapsed into bed about 0730. I can't remember being this tired. Ever.

G'Night!
xxxxMV&O

Meet Britney

Cuddling with Mama 

Um, there's something on the end of your nose!

Day 401 - Rawxy Rocks the Raw Kitchen

What a write off. I'm getting pretty fed up with this sleep habit/pattern thing. I went to bed at 1000 this morning. Got outta bed at 1800 when Roxy showed up. I had tossed & turned a little, but never really had a deep sleep. I'm starting to worry, as I know my body only heals when it gets the rest it needs. Here's hoping it gets straightened out soon!

I skyped with Jaco briefly, as our connection wasn't great. (What else is new?!) He's safely in Barbados & enjoying his beachfront hotel room before he has to join the ship tomorrow. I'm anxiously awaiting the day I can join him. He brought it to my attention that I officially have one month of chemo left! Yay!!! Bring it on!!! Let's get this show on the road!!!

Roxy came down to do Mom's books & also to show me a few things about raw food. I'm pretty excited! We did breakfast dishes (at 2000!) but it was really neat! We made almond mylk & raw granola, followed by a shilajit chaga latté. The mylk & latté were blended long enough that they actually heated up, so it wasn't a cold meal! I was amazed at how full I was after a small bowl of granola & the drink. I felt full, but not bloated & uncomfortable. It was (r)awesome!

Roxy has taken classes over the past year or so & has learned a lot about raw food. I'm anxious to learn from her & start a new path of healthy eating. She has some incredible knowledge on how to prepare food & what is good for you & why... Oh & we even used young coconut water in the almond mylk. It was delicious! Although I think I need a sharper knife if I'm going to hack into them!

Roxy worked on the books while I made a DVD of some information I'd recently found on raw food. I think she knows most of it already, but in case she doesn't, she'll have some new stuff.

We chit chatted about funny stories from our 'younger days' & enjoyed a cup of tea. She was pretty exhausted from 2 busy days, so she told me to get to bed, as she herself was falling asleep standing up!

I went to bed & typed a few emails & managed to turn the light out at 0300-ish & actually slept for 2 hours! The earliest I've slept in over 2 weeks! Unfortunately I woke up at 0530 & couldn't get back to sleep. Roxy had told me to count down from 300 in multiples of 3's in order to fall asleep. It didn't work. But I got good at my numbers! I read 35 pages in a book & I still wasn't tired, so I decided to get up. It was 0700 by then. I had a necklace my Grandma had given me to repair for her - I think it's nearing a year ago that she gave it to me! So I decided to fix it. I put matching spacer beads & an easier clasp to close on it. I also made her a pair of matching earrings to go with it. Hopefully that will make up for the wait! I then realized that I had 2 other necklaces belonging to Collet & her Mom. I've fixed the one for Peggy & only have Collet's left to repair.

My back is starting to ache, so I'll try to sleep again. (It's 0920 the following day!) Sigh.

xxxxMV&O

Meet Florence (from Florence & the Machine)

Rawxy'z whippin' up a storm of UNcooking

Raw granola, almond nut mylk, along with goji berries, banana & bee pollen - Yummy stuff!!!

Day 400 - Wenda.

It is with a heavy heart that I received the email this morning that my friend Wenda, whom I met in Tijuana at Dr. Castillo's, has passed away. Her bright & beautiful smile had the capacity to light up an entire room & warm the hearts of those in it. She always wore colourful socks to cheer up herself & others around her. Bless your heart Wenda. I miss you!

What a beautiful woman. Look at that smile.

This morning I called Jenn bright & early, as I was still awake. We had a wonderful chat about life & all the amazing things that are happening for the both of us. She has introduced me to the Bethel Church in Redding, California that has had many miracles. They have Healing Rooms on Saturday mornings & you can travel to Redding for a healing or you can skype them if you are unable to travel there. I tried to skype them last week, but didn't get through. I tried to call them during the week, but they are very busy! So, this morning I tried to skype them again. About the time I decided I was tired, I heard the skype phone ringing! It was the Healing Room! 

They prayed for me 3 times during our call & as soon as the first prayer began, I felt a huge heat wave rush through my body & when I looked at myself in the webcam, my face was beet red. I had my hand on my neck while the man prayed for me. I checked my neck after the prayers & the lumps were so much softer & smaller! Wow! It's a miracle! Praise God! Can you believe it! We said goodbye & I laid in bed, reciting a prayer over & over again with my hand on my neck. Shortly thereafter, they called me again! I had sent a message to both of their skype addresses, so I got a second call 'by accident'. Thus, I received more prayers! Whoo hoo! 

As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but notice the brightness behind my eyelids. It was as though the sun was beaming into the room. At first I thought, 'How am I going to sleep if it's this bright?' I opened my eyes, only to see NO SUNSHINE in the room! I closed my eyes & the brightness returned. It continued for about 10 minutes or until I finally drifted asleep! What a crazy way to start/end the day!

I woke up at 1800 this evening. Whoops. I was supposed to go to Mom2's via Black Diamond to shoot some Christmas photos for Stirr, but I realized that my Picc line wasn't looking so good. I think I may have an infection. I was about to drive to Black Diamond when I realized that I had the heavy boxes in my car & I couldn't lift them out. Hopefully things won't deteriorate too much by tomorrow morning (or afternoon at my rate!) So, I didn't go to the city today, either. I managed to catch up on the blog (finally!) & do some more reading. I seem to find all of these controversial topics... I'm not sure why, but I seem to be an advocate for some pretty crazy topics these days! Oh well, keeps things interesting! 

Phew. What a day. Have a great sleep & we'll see you tomorrow! 

xxxxMV&O

Meet Florence (as in Florence & the Machine)

Day 399 - Miss Communication & Food, Inc.

Okay! Here's another BBC Animals video if you didn't see them all yet!

Today was a day of miscommunication. I am still not sleeping well. I finally fell asleep about 0500 this morning. Mom's SCREAMING (not whistling) tea kettle woke me up at 0615. It screamed for 9 minutes. Really. I checked the clock. I thought surely to goodness she would shut it off. Now. Now? NOW?! I think I know what she's getting for Christmas. Perhaps early at this rate!

I managed to fall back asleep at 0800 until my alarm went off at 1130. I was supposed to go stay with Mom2 for the weekend. Plans got shuffled around as much as sanely possible, so I ended up not going. I may go tomorrow if all goes well! I was on the phone with Roxy, Mom2 & Collet for the better part of the afternoon trying to sort out the agenda. By the time 1700 rolled around, I was exhausted. I fell asleep for one hour. Mom came home briefly & I was back to sleep just past 1800.

Of course, I slept until 2100 & was subsequently awake until 1100 the following morning. I don't understand why my body is so messed up. I just can't seem to straighten things out. It's getting old! And so am I from the lack of sleep! I used to be able to sleep & sleep & sleep! Now, not so!

I watched a documentary this evening called Food, Inc. I was eating chicken while watching it. I couldn't finish my chicken. I gave it to the dogs. If you watch one film this month/week/year, pick this one! It is incredible. It basically educates the viewer about corporate control over our food sources. Of course, it is based on American companies, but as you & I both know, America controls & owns a lot of the companies in Canada. It isn't for one type of eater - carnivore, vegetarian, vegan, raw - it educates you on so many different levels. Basically they encourage you to buy from companies that treat the workers, animals & environment with respect. It would be wonderful if these large corporations would do that without our asking, but sadly, very sadly, this is not the case. This film changed my, well, life! It did! As cliché as that sounds, it's totally true! Just watch it already!

And with that, another day is done. Tomorrow Jaco should be in Barbados, soaking up the Caribbean sun. Sigh. Soon enough I'll be able to join him. I sure do miss him!

xxxxMV&O

Meet Gwyneth - her son, Moses, & I share the same birthday!

As for Apple, well, I'm typing this blog on one, does that count?

Day 398 - No Lines & Movie Night!

Today was the big day! I was actually going to leave the house & go further than Bragg Creek! Mom & I were off to prayers for the evening. I was quite excited, as we were watching Finger of God - an amazing documentary about miracle healings that happen all over the globe. It's a pretty unorthodox film for Christians & non-Christians alike. It certainly tests the boundaries for what you believe & find believable. To my delight, everyone loved it! We are watching Furious Love next week & I can't wait to hear the reactions!

I also went to the passport office. To my delight, there were only 2 other people in the building & they were already being helped! No line up! Awesome! Everything went smoothly & I will have my new 48 page passport in a week or so. I requested 48 instead of 24 to avoid this situation in the future. I'm pretty excited to travel as a Mrs. now!

My days & nights are still completely upside down & backwards. I am beginning to wonder if they will ever straighten out. At least I can chat with my husband on Skype when he wakes up! I'm still up from the previous day! It always amazes me that it's daytime somewhere else in the world when it's night time here. Everyone is off in their own little world, living the life they know...

I wore the same wig to the passport office today so I would look the same as my photo. We stopped at a bookstore after the passport office & I inquired about the Finger of God DVD. As I was leaving the shop, the lady said, 'Can I ask you a question?' 'Sure!' 'Where do you get your hair done? I LOVE the colour.' Ha ha ha. I laughed hard. I said, 'Wowwigs.com' It made my day. I'm going to have a hard time doing my real hair when it grows back. I have a feeling wigs could certainly become part of my permanent personality!

The roads were still a bit icy, so I'm not brave enough to drive quite yet. Another day or so of nice weather & I should be good to go. Hopefully! Stay safe & stay warm!

xxxxMV&O

Meet Gigi

Day 397 - Redhead Photos

Today I went to town & had my passport photo retaken. My passport has no blank pages on it & it doesn't expire for another 2 years. Sigh. I wanted to use my previous photos, as Peter & Gail always do a great job. It's more like a glamour shoot than a mug shot! Unfortunately the Government require passport photos to be current within 6 months. Hmm... Bald passport photos? I don't think so! I won't post the photo just yet, but I think it's pretty good. I'll be anxious to see the look on the immigration officer's face when he compares the real thing to the photo!

I hadn't worn this particular wig out in public until today. I previously thought it was a bit much, and perhaps it was for a passport photo, but oh well. It is fun & I get a kick out of looking completely different from day to day or at least time to time!

Mom had errands in Cochrane & the city, so she dropped me off at home & I took the afternoon to putz around with my stamping tools. I hadn't attempted much until today. I am learning a lot! I put a placemat under the anvil, as I didn't want to wreck Mom's table. As I stamped away, some of the stamps really jumped around, giving a poor impression. I thought to myself, 'Hmpf. These are crappy stamps! I won't order any more of them!' I went on the website to check out what was available in the other, 'superior' kind & I read the find print on the 'crappy stamps'. It said: Do NOT put anything under the anvil when using these stamps. Enough said. My stamping looks pretty crude right now, but it was a lot of fun. If you have any inspirational quotes or sayings that are short-ish, email me & I'll try to stamp them. I thought I had a lot of words in my head, but while I was stamping, my brain went blank.

On a completely unrelated note, have you checked out these BBC animals videos?  I think they are particularly hilarious! There are several - be sure to watch them all!

Have a great night!
xxxxMV&O

Meet Macy

Day 396 - Passoporto

Thank goodness it has warmed up today & we are no longer the 2nd coldest place on Earth. There was actually some sunshine today! Vitamin D! Yay! The girls didn't even mind going outside to do their 'business'. 

I'm frantically trying to organize all of my passport papers for tomorrow. I am applying for a name change, to my married name, so I need to submit a new application, not just a renewal. Here's hoping the lines aren't too long tomorrow! I need to get crackin' on it, as I don't want to be left at the last minute frantically trying to get it done when the Doctors have given me the green light to head for the skies & seas! Hooray! I can smell the jet fuel & taste the salty sea air! BRING IT ON!!!! Three rounds to go & the biggest hurdle of life is finally over with!

Tomorrow is Opt-Out day in the States. I'm anxious to know how it will go. I'm feeling very passionate about the backscatter machines & the aggressive pat downs. I am hoping the Americans will make an impact on the TSA. 

I'm going to post all of the wig photos at the end & have a little vote to see which ones make the cut as Top Three... I hope you'll cast a vote & have a say as to whether or not I look completely ridiculous or totally fashionable! :oP

xxxxMV&O

Meet Jennifer

Day 395 - Antarctica 1st, Calgary 2nd

Apparently today found Antarctica the coldest place on Earth. Calgary was second. Something is terribly wrong with this picture. I shouldn't be here! Not that I should be in Antarctica either, but at least they have cute penguins!

I need to get all of my papers in order for a new passport application. That means, finding a guarantor, having new photos done, certifying copies of my Driver's License, Marriage Certificate, previous employer addresses, emergency contacts... The list is overwhelming! But it has to be done if I'm going to spend anytime with my husband next year! Hooray! Sunshine, sand & HEAT is in my future!!! Certainly not today, but in the future!

Otherwise, another quiet day on the home front. The girls DEFINITELY didn't want to go outside for their business today! And who can blame them!

xxxxMV&O

Meet Gisele

Day 394 - Ho Hum Boredom.

Today was another (!) low-key day. It's still stinkin' cold out, so I stayed inside. I slept for a good 10 or 11 hours, maybe I've got the sleep patterns straightened out. My bones are finally feeling normal today.

My biggest drama for the day was Valentina's facebook profile. They have disabled it 3 times now. I think they have permanently removed her. Frustrating! People can be mostly nude or more, promoting all sorts of horrible things & sweet little Tweet Pea gets booted off of facebook? What gives? Here's her new profile if you want to be her 'friend': Valentina

I managed to skype with Nico & Talia - two very dear friends still on ships & currently sailing around Asia for the next 6 months. They were in Nagasaki, Japan when we spoke. I hope to see them when I'm in South Africa next time.

I also caught up with Kristina, after a few months of her trying to track me down! Trisha phoned & we talked about her adorable boys, Buster & Huxley. And then I spoke to Joanne. I was reading her some notes that I'd written while talking to a friend's relative who cured his cancer with diet & supplements. Apparently I'd read it to Joanne before, and obviously I wrote it, but what shocked me was that the Uncle went to the same Radiologist that I'm booked to see in a few weeks! And he loathed him! Great! And, the other crazy thing was that the Uncle also told me about a clinic in Tijuana that uses the Hoxey Tonic. Ha! I wrote that in June of 2009. I went to Castillo's clinic in October of 2009. Castillo prescribed the Hoxey Tonic! I didn't put it all together until tonight! CRAZY!!! I love moments like this in life! Let's just hope the radiology appointment goes smoothly!

xxxxMV&O

Meet Megan

Day 393 - Tutu Terrific Tweet Pea!

The other night, while Mom & I were leaving Neil's place after prayers, the girls were trotting across the parking lot, in their matching sweaters. Tweet Pea had a squeaky toy in her mouth. We spotted a fellow walking 2 dogs, with a 3rd dog off leash. Uh-oh. The girls spotted the other dogs & immediately started barking, tails up. The 3rd dog trots over & the sniffing begins. The 3rd dog tries to sniff Oceana & she's having none of it! Of course, Valentina just shoves her snout right up the 3rd dog's backside. Oh so polite! Naturally the 3rd dog whips around as if to say, 'EXCUSE ME?!' At which point the 3rd dog decides she doesn't want anything to do with the girls. Valentina takes off after the 3rd dog, rather aggressively, toy in her mouth & shaking her head violently back & forth. It was so funny. I've never seen her behave like that! It was as though she thought she was a Rottweiler!

Anyhow... Today I slept until 1300. I managed to stay up until about 0100. I took some photos of Valentina today in her tutu. Her what? Yes, her tutu. My friend, Julie, who I went to high school with, curled with, played volleyball, and learned piano from, has started making tutus. They are adorable! Whether you are a big kid or a little kid, or a dog, she has a colourful tutu for everyone! Here's her facebook page - Tutu Terrific by Julie - & be sure to 'like' her, as she does free giveaways every so many fans.  Here are the photos from Valentina's Ballerina debut!

xxxxMV&O

 Meet Angelina

 plié

 Pthhhhht!

 Pirouette!