Day 353 - Finally! We Saw It!

Last night Jaco gave me my Neupogen shot & this morning found me with plenty o' bone pain. I wasn't moving too swiftly, as any up/down movements would send me over the edge! Jaco cleaned the pantry, vacuumed the bedroom, swept the kitchen & folded the laundry. I washed/dried the clothes & edited the rest of the Stirr photos. 


We decided to go to Cochrane & attempt to see Life As We Know It for the 3rd time. We tried on Saturday evening, but the show was sold out at Chinook & the only 2 seats together were in the very front row. We couldn't even see the screen properly! We asked for a refund & left for home. We tried again last night on the way home from Ken's, but we had missed the first 12 minutes of the movie. 


We were going to go this afternoon to a matinée, which I thought started at 1620, but as it turned out, it started at 1530! We finally decided to go to the 1920 show. We left a little late, got stuck behind a big fuel truck & lo & behold, the movie started at 1930! We were actually early!! Mark it on the wall! 


We both really enjoyed the movie. It was funny - the audience was chuckling the entire way through - and it was sad & it was lovey-dovey. All the necessary items to have you leave the theatre feeling good about life. It's worth the money & buttery fingers!


We fuelled up at Safeway, picked up a few things for tomorrow & headed home. I had bathed both dogs before we left for the movie, so they were dry by the time we arrived home. And they smelled a lot better, too! 


Tomorrow is round 7. I am so NOT excited about it. I hope the day flies by & the night too. I wish they could just give me a drug to induce a 24 hr coma. I pray this ends soon. 


xxxxMJV&O

Day 312 - All Day Edit

Today is a short post. I edited from 1300 until 0300. Yes, that is a lot of hours. My eyes are crossed & dry from staring at the screen. But I am happy with the end result. I just hope the folks at Stirr! are too! We’ll find out tomorrow!

Here’s a sneak peek at the photos… (Did I mention how YUMMY & FUN the class was?!? If you’re in need of a fun thing to do on a Friday night – TAKE a class! Me, the non-cooker, TOTALLY recommends it!)

xxxxx

Sleep hard!

Maria, Jaco & Valentina

A proper, super sharp knife makes all the difference!

Potato Bacon Leek soup with Balderson cheese

Clayton doesn't cry when he cuts onions!

Spicy Thai Basil Feta Salad with chickpeas & quinoa

Clayton & Lainey of Stirr!

Black Diamond - next to the Pharmasave!

Day 237 - Rainy Day

This morning had me in the city for 1030. I love how my mother wakes me up & reminds me that I have an appointment at 1000. Three times. Ugh! Just five more minutes of sleep please! I know, I know, I'm going to miss the school bus... :o)


Dr. Drobot is a Naturopathic Doctor at the Calgary Centre for Naturopathic Medicine & was recommended to me by Andrea. She went to Dr. Drobot & he helped her get rid of her cancer after the chemo wouldn't do it. I thought I would see him prior to chemo & see if we couldn't take a few steps prior to chemo to help safeguard some of my other organs & body systems. 


He was very knowledgeable & personable. I am looking forward to working with him! I warned him that my finances are limited & he reassured me that I could get by on several of his treatments that were only $20 or $50. I have been given some homework, so I'll keep you posted on what I find out!


I drove straight home, well, with a small detour to the post office. THE WIGS ARE FINALLY HERE! Hooray! I'm so relieved to finally have them! There is only one that I'm not tickled with. It's a little darker than I'd expected & the style isn't just right. But otherwise, I LOVE them all! The red pixie cut is my favourite... I think! I let Mom try on two, but I've decided they're only meant for my head. I have a hair hygiene 'thing'. In any case, she had a good laugh at how they made her feel. It's true though! You really do feel like you take on a new persona simply by changing your hair. We'll see the persona I get with no hair at all! 


I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up my desk, which is almost useable now! I edited Mom's 2011 Day Planner, chatted with a few buddies & put up the new shower curtain. The old one leaks water through it. Oh the joys of a rainy day! 


Tomorrow Ilo is coming to visit! Yay! I'm so excited to see her & have Shasta meet the girls! Hopefully I'll be back from town quickly & we can get a good gab session in! 


But it's an early morning for me (again!), so I'm outta here... 


xxxxx
Maria, Adios & Valentina

Wait! Don't take my picture without makeup on! (My Mom used to put makeup on to feed the cows! Guess it made the hay taste better?!)

Cowgirl 'Curly' Sue

Still real hair under there!

Miss Rodeo USA

Day 216 - Grumpy Pants

Today will be another short post. Clearly I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Everything I touched or did, fell apart. 


I attempted editing Mom's day planner layout. I changed all the little corner calendars (52 of them) & when I finished, I realized I'd changed the dates to 2012, not 2011. Grr. Then I had to change the fold-out calendar at the back. Thinking I would save time, I copied 2011 to take the place of 2010 & then I would only have to change 2010 to 2012. I was halfway through 2011 when all the text disappeared. I could NOT get it back. Then the shortcut for pasting an object into place quit working - half way through my re-editing edit. 


My pills gave me a nice flush, followed by some nausea, then some heat in my face, followed by EXTREME itching on my neck. Seriously, I wanted a straight jacket & the fetal position.


I have so much to do to get ready to leave on Friday & tomorrow is a late night. I wanted to get to town, but by the time I finished the edits, it was too late. Now tomorrow will be a rat race to get it all done. 


I tried to pack most of my things, but as usual, I have too much stuff. You'd think it would be easy to take one bag for 7 days. Ha! I'll revisit it sometime tomorrow? Hopefully?


Oh yeah, Jaco called & his procrastination caught up with him & it's a hefty price to pay. Then I found out that I overpaid on my Westjet flights, as they have a seat sale on right now. They won't price match, but instead wanted to charge me the $50 change fee, which ends up costing me more. Then I discovered that the companies I ordered my wigs from has double charged me! One company I couldn't even finish the order because of shipping/billing address complications & they still charged me! CHEEKY!!!


Lastly, the straw that broke the camel's back... It really urks me when people call & ask how I am. Okay, I get that people are concerned about my health & if I've kicked cancer's butt. BUT(T), sometimes the people doing the asking aren't really concerned. They just go through the motions, to be polite. It really bothers me that they don't even ask to talk to me or email me or leave me a comment on the blog... They ask my mother. Call me crazy, but it just REALLY TICKS ME OFF. Yeah, it's a bad day & maybe tomorrow I won't mind so much. I asked Mom to be vague. Be nonspecific. They don't need to know the details. Just tell them I'm fine. If I'm on my deathbed, then we'll let them know I'm not so good. In the meantime, read the stinkin' blog & send some prayers or white light this way. (Perhaps prayers for patience?) :o) I started the blog so I wouldn't have to send 40 emails a day & tell everyone the exact same thing. It's the same for Mom. She's got a million & one things to do... Next time you call, ask her about her 'nitty-gritty's' & see how vague & non-specific she becomes! Okay, last comment & then I'll stop... It's very RUDE to talk about someone when they are in the same room or within earshot, even if you're concerned about their wellbeing. FULL STOP.


Alas, the blog has now evolved into an 'online journal' of sorts. It's a way for me to de-stress, unwind & express what's been happening. I know some of you read it faithfully & I am grateful for that!


On that horribly not-so-positive note, I'm going to get some shut eye & wake up on the sunnier side of the bed tomorrow! Lekker slaap,


Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Okay, so fair enough, I broke the handle on the frying pan at the back of the image. It was still attached up until a few days ago. I replaced the broken one with the pan in the foreground. I'm beginning to think my Mother has a hard time letting go...

Here lies the handle from the old frying pan. I replaced the frying pan in March. I'm just sayin'...