Day 337 - And That's More Like It!!!

Wow! What a stunner of a day today was! I was so shocked when I stepped out onto the deck & was blasted with warm air! What a concept! I can't believe it! It's almost like, *gasp* summer! Whoo hoo! Bring it on!


I took the dogs for a walk to EVIC to see Joe, as it's been awhile. We chit chatted about this & that. Hard to believe next weekend is one year since their wedding! Time is flying by! The girls are becoming quite the guard dogs. They would give a little growl at every person who walked into the centre! 


However, the best part of my day was when we walked back & found a few cows & calves in front of the house. Valentina spots them & goes charging over, barking the entire way. She was running around one of the cows like it was on fire. It was the funniest thing I think I've ever seen. Do wiener dogs generally herd cattle when given the chance? That poor cow didn't know what was going on. It couldn't keep track of Valentina as she ran circles around it... I'm still chuckling! What a dog...


I took the recycling (finally Mom & Jaco are saying) & forgot to take the back way into Bragg Creek. On weekends when the weather is wonderful, the traffic can get pretty ridiculous at the 4-way stop. It took me about 15 minutes to get through the intersection! Crazy! 


I'm hoping tomorrow will be just as stunning. The Fall foliage is at it's peak right now... I just love the look of bright yellow poplar leaves dancing in the wind, the white bark of the trees & the perfect blue skies sitting as a backdrop. If only it would hold on... Another month of Fall & one less of winter would suit me just fine. 


I managed to do my injection myself today, but I'm starting to feel some bone pain, so I'm off to bed... Have a great rest of the weekend & get some Vitamin D while the gettin's good!


xxxxMJV&O

 Oceana & Papa passed out for the night...

Papa in his jeans - what a looker!

Day 296 - Volunteering & My Camping Cousins

Today was a pretty quiet day on the Richter scale. (4.0) I volunteered at EVIC while Shauna did an amazing Search & Rescue course. It was limited to 6 participants & when Shauna inquired about taking the course again, it was full. The Instructor offered to let Shauna come along as a 'guest' Instructor. Naturally Shauna was floored! I was more than happy to help out & harass Joe for a day while Jaco got over his jet lag. It was fun to fall back into the swing of things, although I didn't miss my Smoky the Bear girdle pants. (Think standard uniform designed in the 1980's that come up somewhere between my bellybutton & bosom. NOT flattering!)


It was a semi-busy day, seeing as the weather was nice, so we had quite a few visitors in the Centre. The day went well. I only had one fellow call me 'Sir'. Yes, not a word of a lie. I was wearing big earrings & makeup. Perhaps it was the men's size large fleece vest that gave me a 'unisex' look. I don't really know. In any case, it made me laugh. What was even funnier was when he showed up later in the day with all of his buddies who had to come in & see the 'She-Man' or 'Man-She' depending on which side of the fence you're on! :oP


Jaco & Valentina came to visit for a bit. Jaco & Joe gabbed about bears & cougars & things to do in K-Country. Here's hoping we can accomplish a few fun things while he's here! 


After work Jaco & I went for ice cream at the RIGHT place. Scoops & Snacks! We enjoyed our dairy delight & when we arrived home, Mom informed me that my cousin, Jamee, & her daughter, Rayna, were on their way over. They were on a summer holiday around Calgary & they were coming to camp in our yard. 


Mom left to chase some cows out of the pasture that kept crawling through the fence. Shortly after she left, Jamee & Rayna arrived. Rayna is 5 & a barrel of fun. She was pretty pumped to sleep in a tent tonight! She was also excited to see Valentina. By the time I helped them set up their tent, we had decided that Valentina would join them in her mini-tent. Then Mom was joining them, along with Oceana. It was pretty cozy inside the tent by the time they were all settled in with their sleeping bags, blankets & dogs! But I think they had a memorable time! The first thing Rayna said upon waking, was, 'Mom, next time you have meetings, can I come here to be babysat?' Cute. Very cute. 


It was after midnight by the time Jaco & I crawled into bed. We'd stayed up talking about our plans for the time he would be here. It had been a long day & I was happy to hit the hay! Tomorrow is a day of not much activity & I'm glad!


Lekker slaap!
Maria, Jaco & Valentina
xoxoxoxxxoxoxoxooxoxx

EVIC or Elbow Valley Information Centre

 Rayna & Valentina

It's a girls night out!

 Oceana & Valentina are slightly excited to be in the tent too!

Joe & his 'pose' & his directional heading on the desk.

Day 234 - Sunny Sunday!

Wow! What a stunner of a day! A nice sleep-in (I think it will take several weeks to regain lost sleep from last week!) & no an overly exciting day, but that's just the way I like it!


Mom & I had a chat in the morning & then she left for Cook's branding. I took the chance to walk down to EVIC & visit both Joe & Shauna. They are working together on weekends now, so that will be fun to visit them this summer. Joe was just finishing up his shift, but stayed a little longer to chat. He was quick to tell me his new doctor is from South Africa & he had quizzed her about the process of immigrating to Canada. She ONLY had to work 5 (five - FIVE) years at Athabasca before she could move to Calgary. I guess that's close to Sylvia & Laura... but the winters!!!! Where oh where is... AUSTRALIA?!?!? 


Shauna shared with me a crazy story about her neighbour's Rottweiler that attacked the neighbour's roommate. Apparently there was blood everywhere & he had a ridiculous amount of puncture wounds. Sadly, the owner asked the roommate to LIE about the incident so the dog wouldn't be put down. Even worse is the fact that the dog has attacked the owner's wife previously!!! So frustrating!!!! Your dog has a problem & needs to be rehabilitated & SO DO YOU!!!! Shauna knows First Aid to the -enth degree & helped stop the bleeding & luckily she did, as the owner didn't even want the roommate to go to the hospital! CRAZY!!!! 


Joe & Shauna were both excited about their upcoming 'Information Officer Education Day'. Last year we had a bunch of lectures about the park & some issues surrounding it. This year they were having an action packed day full of:
1. Hiking
2. Mountain Biking
3. Horseback Riding
4. Rafting
5. Lunch at the Stoney Nakoda Resort
6. A HELICOPTER RIDE!!!!


Boy, did I pick the wrong summer to do chemo!!! :o) I'll be anxious to hear about Joe's John Wayne experience... I miss working with the both of them. They are absolutely wonderful people & they made my job completely the opposite of work. Be sure to stop in the visitor's centre on your way to Elbow Falls (It's 13.5 kms past the Info Centre) & write them a positive comment card!


On the way home I threw the ball for Valentina. She is becoming slightly obsessed with balls. This one is orange & very bouncy. It is pure entertainment to watch her run her hardest to get the ball. As it was quite hot, her tongue would hang out the side of her mouth, she was panting & of course, the big orange ball stuck in her yap. Man, that dog is so special to me. Can you tell? I'm blogging about throwing a ball. :o) (But I'm getting better at throwing less like a girl!)


I saw an elk strutting through our yard tonight! It's a rare sight to see elk on the meadow, so I stopped & watched him for awhile. In fact, come to think of it, we've had a lot of deer hanging about too. Perhaps they know something I don't. In any case, it's always interesting to see wildlife.


This week is a busy one. I have appointments every day in town, but Friday. Joy. I love driving to the city. Not really. Tomorrow is the Chemotherapy Orientation. Ugh. I feel nauseated just thinking of it. Let the fun & games begin. Wish me luck!


Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

I love a good pair of Aviators

Please Mama! Can we go now? Play ball?

Got the ball!

Oh so happy!

Elk!

Day 198 - Unpacking

Well, here I am, home again. My Mom has really outdone herself this time. I arrived home to find that her & Roxy had spent an entire day swapping Mom & I’s rooms around. Yes, my Mother is that caring. She is so concerned that I will need the room while I am in treatment. My previous room was very small. I feel quite guilty when I see her dressers & things crammed into it. She doesn’t even have a bed in there yet! She slept on the futon last night.

She thinks it will work out fine, as the room is close to her office, she can get up & work, use the treadmill, kitchen, etc, etc & I will be able to sleep in peace & quiet, with a bathroom 4’ from the bed. I don’t know how my body will react to the chemo, but Lord help me, I hope I’m not that bad!

In any case, I slept until 1145, with wakeups at 0500, 0700, 0900 & then finally out of bed at 1145. I woke up with a splitting headache. I haven’t had one like this in a long time! Every time I stand up, my head throbs. I finally took a pill about 2000 & went to bed at 2100 with peppermint oil all over my face.

I spent the majority of the afternoon unpacking. I had a mountain of things to put away & arrange. I’ve made a big dent in it, but I’m nowhere near finished! Most items survived the flights & no leaking bottles this time! Thank goodness! Valentina enjoyed bringing me toys & rolling in the piles I was trying to put away. She’s such good help! :o)

I hung up my butterflies above the bed. I love them. They are so beautiful. One of God’s most magnificent creations! From a lowly caterpillar to cocoon to a floating rainbow, they are incredible! I picked up another frame in Aruba, so my collection has grown again!

About 1500 I decided to take Valentina for a walk. We went to EVIC, where I worked last summer. It was a Saturday, so Joe was working until 1600. We had a great chat & of course, Valentina was excited to see him! Although she did bark at every person who came through the door! Looks like we need to work on our ‘Silenzio!’ Joe’s birthday is in a few weeks, so I’ll be sure to stop in again to see him! He’s a really wonderful guy. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think my job would have been near as enjoyable as it was. He has to be one of the funniest & quickest witted people I have ever met. I was in stitches for most of the summer!

Valentina & I walked back home. On the way we saw 2 Canada geese strutting around the old kill pile site. After we crossed the cattle guard, I let her off the leash to run. She was hilarious! She’d burn past me, stop, smell & wait until I caught up. Then she’d burn past me again… I practiced making her sit & come off leash. At first she didn’t want to listen, but after that, she was great! Atta girl!

Jaco phoned & he was exhausted! Poor fella! He’s had a few long days & nights since I left & is in dire need of sleep. He was fading away on the phone! We spoke for an hour & then he went to bed. And so did I! It was 2100 & I was crawling in to bed. Of course, I woke up at 2200 & then 0100. It’s now 0258 & I’m going to try falling asleep again. I spotted Dad on Skype as I was messaging Petro, Jaco’s Mom, so I messaged Dad to ask why he couldn’t sleep either! He had heartburn. A quick phone call & then he was off to bed again.

Valentina is snoring now, so I guess it’s my turn to try & do the same… Lekker slaap!

Maria & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

'doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my front door'

Who wants snow in May? Not I.

But I am happy it's melting!

En route to EVIC

Mud puddles & puppy dog tails

Passed out cold!

Do you mind? I'm trying to sleep here!

Day 122 - Yuen Method Day 2

Up & at it again, I was out the door a little later than planned. I am one of those people who likes to hit the snooze button. Again & again. I’ve been known to press snooze for 1 hour. I know, just reset the alarm, right? Well, I must say, I LOVE the feeling of being able to hit snooze & fall back asleep. I think it comes from reading Farley Mowat’s ‘Never Cry Wolf’ in school… I had an obsession with wolves for a time & I remember reading how wolves only sleep for 15 minute intervals, they get up & turn around, then go back to sleep. I press snooze, wake up every 5 minutes & roll over. That counts, right? :o)

Anyhow, I managed to make it to class on time, saw Joe in his groovy Parks van on the way to work – oh the perks of a Government job!

I shared with the class that I felt a little like the dumb kid in math class. I had no clue what I was doing, but I was there. Jessica reassured me that this was completely normal. I was excited to learn that she is offering a small level 3 class in 2 weeks time. I jumped at the chance to take it! It focuses more specifically on cancers, fetuses & sex. I suppose now that it’s not cancer, I can focus on the sex? :o)

We worked in partners & things became a little clearer, although, I must say, I am still a little foggy in some areas. I promise I will keep plugging away. I’ve got a lovely drive across rural Canada these next 10 days, so I’ll have plenty of time to practice.

If you have any issues, health or otherwise, I would highly recommend calling Jessica. She’s done some amazing things! http://www.intuitiveedge.ca

Oh, I did visit the pool & hot tub over lunch. It was spectacular! I haven’t been in the hot tub since Mexico, so I felt like I was there, if only for a moment. I’ve also realized that not only will I be missing my friends from Dr. Castillo’s clinic, but I no longer have my hairdresser! I was so excited to have another silent haircut! That was the best $13 I ever spent! But I suppose I can forgo the haircut in exchange for a no cancer bill of health! Oh yeah!

On another note… Needles. I called Dr. Castillo on Friday to ask him about my protocol & whether or not I should keep taking the needles & all the pills. He said to keep going. Come on! Really? I can’t take a break? Needles once every three days? At least? Nope. So, like a true junkie, there I sat in the bathroom at the Delta. After my swim, I pricked myself in the leg. I must say, it was very distracting, trying to focus on jabbing myself, with other ladies giggling, talking & making all sorts of bodily functioning noises next to me. How happy will I be when I no longer have to do these needles!

Alright… Tomorrow is the big day. Day 1 of the big road trip! Luckily I’m still packed for Mexico, so I will just exchange a few shorts for sweats, a few tanks for sweaters & I should be good to go!

Sleep well & I’ll be seeing you in Speedy Creek! (Swift Current, SK)

Maria & Valentina

xxxxxx

Pool tiles

Gotta love a good hot tub over lunch!

Our class!

Jessica