Day 451 - Shrimp Tacos & Other Stuff

Besides dealing with every single possible family member who could remotely ruffle my feathers today, I continued to pack & try to get a few things done.

I went to the city in the late afternoon & took Mom2 & Dad2 out for shrimp tacos at Chili’s. I had promised Dad2 dinner at Chili’s before I left as a ‘thank you’ for looking after the girls. (Who, btw, managed to gain only a little weight. Valentina got into the cat bag on several occasions, so we have yet to get it right! Argh!) Greg had the biggest burger I’ve ever seen & Mom2 & I had shrimp tacos. They are by far the best I’ve had since Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It could also be that it’s been so long since I’ve had them that any shrimp taco is starting to taste good! Ha ha. We had a great meal & some wonderful laughs over dinner. They took my mind off the silliness that occurred earlier in the day!

Oh! I think I forgot to mention… Before I left for Cuba, when I had the arm pain & had phoned Dr. Daly about it, I’d mentioned that I would need my scan results over the phone. He wasn’t too impressed & had tried to change the date of my scan to ensure I would have the results before I left to join Jaco. Unfortunately the office had rescheduled it for the afternoon I was flying back from Havana! In fact, our plane hadn’t even left the ground & they were wanting me on the PET scan bed! I phoned today & it has been scheduled for the 15^th of February, shortly after I return from Florida. I am pleased about this, as I wanted the three weeks in Florida to ‘detox’ & increase my chances of a cold scan. Fingers crossed & prayers answered there will be NO MORE CANCER IN THIS CHICK’S FUTURE!

xxxxMaria, Oceana, Valentina & Adios

Now THAT'S a burger!

Ooooh!!! Shrimp tacos!!!

Day 437 - Dad, April & Lulu

I slept late again. I'm feeling quite rubbish, actually. My legs are achy at night & I still feel REALLY tired. I phoned Dad & he was nearly in the city, so I went out to see if my car would start. Of course Contemplate started! I let her warm up for awhile & loaded 6 boxes in the car. I got myself ready & headed to town. I unloaded the boxes at M&D2's & said a quick hello. I motored over to Chili's & found the only cowboy hat in the joint.

We had a great visit. April is off to Mexico soon & just bought a MacBook Air. I'm only a slight shade of green! I offered advice on backing up her iBooks when she gets the new machine. I told Dad about the MagicJack. They are trying to remember the 'My Passport' suggestion & the MagicJack. April said it would end up MagicPort & PassJack! We had a good laugh!

We visited for a few hours before they had to go. It was already dark out & they wanted to get home before midnight. I went to Lulu to see if they had a running skirt in my size. I bought one the other day, but it was a little too small. I'm optimistic, but I've already had one miracle. Let's not get greedy! Luckily they had my size. I was trying to decide on a tank to match when I asked the clerk's opinion. She came over & helped me decide. While we were talking, she commented on my hair. She liked the colour. I was wearing the Gisele wig today. I proceeded to tell her about the chemo, the hair loss, when I was healthy, my future plans to get healthy, etc, etc. She suddenly disappeared & said she'd be right back. I wandered around a little, picked out a top to try on & when I walked over to her, she said, 'Pick a mat that you like. You can pick any of these colours. I'm giving you one. And you can have 5 yoga class passes.' I'm sure my jaw hit the floor! Really! Wow! She wanted to encourage me to get health & start doing some yoga again. Never in my life! I've always said, 'I'm the luckiest person I know.' And I think I just reinforced that belief! Wow! Thanks Lululemon! I can't wait to get started now!

I went back to M&D2's after that & shared my exciting news with them. I tried some of Mom2's fantastic soup, talked about cruising & then I had to boogie home. It was already 2100! Where did the time go? I was exhausted (still) & wanted to go to bed NOW!

When I got home, Mom had just arrived & was unloading her car. Thankfully she didn't go into cardiac arrest when she saw the state of the house. I'm making progress! Really I am! We're back in the city tomorrow for an eye appointment for her. She's having laser surgery & has her pupil dilation exam tomorrow. I'll drive her home afterwards.

Only a few more sleeps until Cuba! I can hardly wait! The only thing I've packed so far is my camera bag! Priorities! Ha ha!

Sleep well & see you tomorrow! Oh! I have 19 followers now! I'm pretty excited about that! I'm pretty excited about most things, but that really makes my day!

xxxx Maria, Valentina, Oceana & Adios

Day 425 - Little Miss Late, Little Miss Worry & A Little Christmas Shopping

Ugh... I just can't seem to catch up! I'll do my best!

Tonight I went to the city to meet M&D2 for dinner at Chili's. I was running late - as usual. Mom2 was totally stressed out & thankfully I showed up when I did, as they were just walking out the door. She was mad at me for not getting there sooner, but more mad because it's winter, my car is old & I don't have a cell phone. Anyhow, it was so cute when they took their jackets off at the restaurant, as they were both wearing sweatshirts from Disneyland. One was in Mickey & the other in one of Snow White's dwarves! They didn't even plan it! Awh!

After dinner, Mom2 & I went to do a little Christmas shopping. I'm not too well off this year, so I picked up a few tops for Mom & a jacket for Mom2. That's it. Done. I'll make the rest of the pressies.

I always enjoy giving gifts & in past years, I would always hear the words, 'You can't buy for everyone!' As much as I heard it, I still tried to do it! It feels so good to give!

We stopped at Wal-Mart, Chapters, RW & Co., Lulu & ran out of time! Where does the time go!? Good thing I wasn't buying for anyone else!

It doesn't really feel like Christmas this year. Jaco isn't here, I'm finishing chemo, and I'm completely unprepared for the holidays. Here's to next year!

xxxxMVO&A