Day 482 - Roxy Rolls In & Panic Packing

The gorjuss Roxy showed up this morning for a visit. I’m doing my very best to get organized & everything packed & ready for the big departure. I still had some errands to run in the city, so her & I decided we would go into town & stop by a raw shop she’d discovered, go for lunch at a raw café & then meet Collet at Ikea.

And then I took too long. For everything. Roxy ended up rushing home to sort out a tenant issue, so we missed our stop at the Light Cellar (Bowness – check it out!), as well as our lunch. I did meet up with Collet at Ikea. That seems to be our thing as of late! I think the past 3 times I’ve seen Collet, it’s been at Ikea!

Zeke has grown so much! He is a little cutie! He was very smiley & happy-go-lucky. Ezra, well, Ezra was a handful. He certainly didn’t like me! He went spastic when I tried to push the cart – he didn’t want me to touch the cart & tried to peel off my hands, punch my hands & scream VERY loudly. Oh dear. I’m telling you… Give me girls!

It was a long day & a VERY cold day. I can’t get out of this country quick enough! Give me heat & sunshine!

Oh! I also posted Jaco’s application for Canada! Finally! It’s on its way! We’re one step closer to living in Canada together!

Gotta run… plenty of packing yet to do!

xxxxMaria

Gorjuss Roxy - even at -20 or whatever the temperature was!

Gorjuss Collet - Mama of 2 busy boys & she still looks stunning!

Day 409 - Off to Roxy's

I was up early this morning to finish getting ready for Kevin & Roxy's. They arrived mid-morning & unloaded my car for me. I then hopped in with them & left for Red Deer. We stopped in Olds & had pitas & bought a few dog treats. Because the girls don't have quite enough yet!

Naturally, Oceana wee'd on the rug as soon as we got to Roxy's. Thanks. Can't take these dogs anywhere! Grr!

Roxy whipped up some mushroom soup. It was raw. It was delicious! She also made us some chaga shilajit lattés, which I thoroughly enjoy! I can see how having a Vita-Mix blender makes all the difference in the world. When you don't have warm food in the winter, raw isn't so much fun!

Roxy is involved with her local community centre and they are planning their annual Christmas party. Roxy is in charge of the fliers, so she typed them up, printed them & then her & I drove around the neighbourhood dropping them off in mailboxes. We had some good laughs, as I madly scribbled one last snippet of information on the bottom, the e-brake that didn't work & trying to drive as close to the mailbox as possible... Never a dull moment when I'm with Roxy! We always have a good laugh!

We watched Knight & Day in the evening. I really liked it. I had heard less than positive reviews a few months back, but I really liked it! 'With me, without me. With me, without me.' Hey, what can I say? I'm an easy critic. Just give me a couple of laughs along the way.

I was pretty exhausted by the end of the movie. I've been getting up early & going to bed early. This was my latest night yet! 2300 is late! Give me a break! I'm enjoying the early to bed, early to rise thing!

On that note... sweet dreams! xxxx Maria, Valentina, & Oceana

How lucky is Kevin? This girl is FOXY no matter what! What a beautiful girl! 

Stunning hoar frost on the trees in their yard. 

I get the feeling of days gone by. 

A little blurry, but this is my backside & you can see mailboxes in the background.

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 386 - A Day of Sadness.

Well today was just plain crummy. We left for the airport around 1030. I managed to take 3 wrong turns on my way to the airport - Stony Trail/Metis Trail just gets me confused. Thankfully we were there in time for the flight & it was even delayed, which meant a little more time with my Baby.

We went back out to the car for about 20 minutes to say goodbye to the dogs again. Valentina was already pouting on our way to the airport. Poor Oceana had no clue what was happening. Valentina wouldn't even come out to say goodbye to Jaco when we left the car. Jaco said a prayer for me that I recorded on the camera so I can play it before my remaining 4 rounds of chemo. The dogs & I will be like three little lost puppy dogs after today. This sucks.

I walked Jaco to the security checkpoint & watched him get radiated in the millimeter wave scanner. Good thing our kids are already on ice! He waved goodbye each step of the way until I couldn't see him any longer. I choked up & walked back to the car. Oceana whined the entire time we left the airport. Valentina pouted in the kennel. I drove out to an industrial area where I could park the car on the side of the road & walk over to the fence to watch his plane fly away.

I climbed up onto a concrete block & took some snaps of the Lufthansa plane that would whisk my Baby far, far away. I watched as the last of the luggage was loaded & the walkway was pulled back. The Air Traffic Controllers removed the wheel blocks & towed the plane out of its parking spot. Slowly the giant plane pulled out of sight, moving further down the runway.

It seemed like forever for the plane to take off. As luck would have it, I moved to a different concrete block & about the time I decided to move back to my original block was about the time his plane took off. I managed to gash my hand trying to hoist my big butt up onto the concrete block. And before I knew it, he was gone. The plane just disappeared right out of sight.

I snivelled my way back to the car, had a little cry & cuddle with the dogs who were as confused as I was. We then drove north to Innisfail to see Trisha & the boys.

Trisha's in-laws live in Innisfail & they were out for the weekend, so I decided to drive one hour north to see them. We sat outside & had tea while her two sons, Buster & Huxley, played with their cousin & the dogs. The in-laws dog was a neutered male, although you'd never know it. Once he had the right end figured out, he wouldn't leave poor Valentina alone. All she wanted to do was mourn the loss of her Papa & now this hormonal pooch wouldn't get off her backside. Literally. Oceana just outran the fellow & snapped at him whenever he got too close.

Trisha was tickled pink at the little goodies I brought her. I found a mouse named 'Huxley' at Starbucks, as well as a child's sippy cup. She was quite happy that I brought them for her & her little guy.

Her Father-in-Law had built an amazing barn for the boys. Shingles, sliding doors, box stalls, gates & all. It was really impressive! She took a few photos of the puppies inside the barn, but I didn't have my camera with me! Whoops!

I left their place around 1730 & drove 20 minutes to Roxy's house. It poured rain on the way - making me a little nervous for the drive home. I sure hoped it didn't freeze or turn to snow!

When I arrived at Roxy & Kevin's place, they were just finishing up supper. They were babysitting Roxy's nephew's, Mason & Rylan, who are 6 & 3. And apparently quite the bundle of fun. They had taken them to the Agri-Fair in Red Deer today. On the way in, the brother's played a game. One brother said, 'Let's see who can go the longest without talking'. So the other brother proceeds to make all sorts of noises, not words... Click, click, clack, clack, whistle, whistle... What a stinker! At the next turn, the brother tries another approach. 'Let's see who can go the longest without making any noises with their mouth.' And the other brother proceeds to clap his hands & slap his legs... Oh to be a kid again.

The girls played really well with Roxy's dogs. In fact, Annie & Oceana seemed to have quite a good time. Annie is like a little coiled spring, jumping here & there. Oceana didn't stand a chance at keeping up, but she tried! She didn't think much of Thrash & snapped at him a few times, poor fella! He's such a sweetie, I think he was too big for Oceana & she felt intimidated. Valentina didn't play much at all. She just laid down at my feet & moped.

Roxy showed me her raw living collection of goodies. Everything from chaga to grounding mats. I'm excited to learn more from her & start my own raw lifestyle. We're going to get together soon & she's going to teach me a thing or two about 'uncooking'.

I left their place around 2030 & headed for home. I hate driving on hwy 2, as everyone drives like maniacs, but I figured I best keep to a busy road incase I had car troubles. Luckily I didn't & I took Stony Trail home, instead of cutting across at Olds or Airdrie. It was quite a quick route home. I was glad to be home safe & sound, but sad to be all alone. This is going to be a tough one!

Lekker slaap & fly safe Papa! xxxxMV&O

 Farewell to the kids

Look at how sad Tweet Pea is already! 

 Mama's sad too!

Now Mama's really sad! 

 Waitin' on a plane

 Where the buck stops.

 I guess ATC needs a Christmas tree too?!?

 

 

Day 370 - Flames Game Anyone?

After a lovely lie-in I woke up to a few phone calls. I had to have the Picc line flushed & the dressing changed today. The gals at PLC had told me I would work with a Cochrane Homecare Nurse. Although they told me I would most likely have to drive to Cochrane to have the dressing changed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but how is it Homecare if I have to leave my home & drive to them? Anyhow, it ended up I had to work the the Homecare nurses from Black Diamond, which suits me fine, as I like the Black Diamond Doctors, so why not the nurses too?!

Joan drove out late that afternoon to see me & was very nice. She is the perfect image of a Nurse. She is kind, soft spoken, caring, thoughtful & of course, good at what she does! They visit Jim every Monday, so we set up the schedule so they can hit two birds with one stone, so to speak.

We had been trying to arrange for Flames tickets for Jaco, Greg & Ken, without much luck. That's when Jacqueline called. She asked if we would like to go to the Flames game! Her parents have season tickets & they weren't going tonight. I told her that we were looking to send the guys & she said we could go if we wanted. So, Jaco & Greg were going, but Ken couldn't make it. We called Roxy's husband, Kevin, & he drove down from Sylvan Lake to go to the game.

The seats were in the 2nd row right next to the ice. Jaco LOVED the game. He told me later that he could have gotten into hockey if he only knew how to skate & use the stick. Is that all, eh? The boys looked like little kids on Christmas day when they came home! It was fabulous to see those grins! Thanks for thinking of us Jacqueline!

Roxy & I stopped at Planet Organic on our way in. She had never been there before, so we strolled from aisle to aisle checking out all the interesting things. Roxy is on a mainly raw diet, which I admire her for, as I don't currently have the discipline to stick to a diet like that. We enjoyed some coconut water/passion fruit drinks & I picked up some lemon sorbet to enjoy later on.

Roxy & I then went in to Mom2's place & fitted Oceana's Halloween costume. She's a burger. Valentina is a hot dog. I'm the mustard. Now to find the ketchup for Papa. We'll be one fast food family!

The 3 hockey widows sipped tea & gabbed about life & all it's wonderful paths.

I'm sacked. Lekker slaap!
xxxxMJV&O

 Finnegan tries on the burger

Does he look impressed? 

 Oceana teasing Valentina

Hamburger & hot dog. 

 Hot diggety dog(s)!

Tweet Pea as a Burger 

The Happy Fans! 

Three thumbs up!

Day 369 - Round 8

Well, today was Round 8. I'm officially 66.67% finished. On the way in Jaco turned & said to me, 'You're 3/4's of the way there today!' 'Really? That's awesome!' 'Oh, wait. No you're not. You're 2/3's of the way there.' 'Awh Man! I was all excited for a moment there! Thanks a lot!'

In any case, I am happy that I am finished with another round. The blood work went well & my appointment with Dr. Daly went fine. We were about to leave for awhile when he walked through the waiting area. He sent me to see the Picc Line girls. That was fun. NOT QUITE!

In case you don't know what a Picc line is, it's a peripherally inserted central catheter. In case you're none the wiser after that statement (I wasn't), basically they stick a silicone tube in your arm that runs inside the vein up your arm to a much bigger vein close to the heart. This helps to prevent irritation to the vein in my arm & also allows the Dacarbazine to be administered at the regular rate. (1 hr vs. 2 hrs) It will be in my arm until I finish chemo & they will send someone out to change the dressing once a week.

The actual procedure to insert the Picc line was less than pleasant. I thought they would put it in my left arm, as I use my right hand for most things. Nope, apparently the right side is preferable to put the Picc line in. Preferable for who, I'm not sure. The gal who was doing the procedure wasn't too 'warm' - to say the least. She tried my right arm. Thankfully she froze the site. She only got the tube in 15 cm & then it stopped. No luck. She pulled it out & tried another site a little lower. She didn't freeze this site. And it got stuck at 15 cm. Great. That was fun. Her boss came in a few times & tried to hurry her along. Thanks. Rush the job & pay less attention to your patient. Great. Thankfully they called another gal in. Sandra. She was much more pleasant. She tried the left arm & first try she got it. (with freezing) When she was inserting the tube further up my arm, she asked me to try & put my head in my armpit & lift my head off the bed. Then she asked me if I could hear my pulse beating in my ears. Apparently there's a nasty turn in the veins & the Picc line can head up my neck. Just what I need! Chemo in my brain! Yeesh! She taped things up & sent me to Radiology to have a chest x-ray. They needed to make sure the line ended at the right spot. It was 2 cm too close to my heart, so they pulled it out slightly. I was officially ready for treatment.

We left for lunch while they ordered the drugs. As we were exiting the parking lot, I saw a girl that looked a lot like Roxy. It was Roxy! We picked her up & went to Nando's for chicken. I was unaware that we even had a Nando's in Calgary. I knew there was one in Vancouver. What's Nando's? It's a restaurant chain I know from South Africa. I have actually never eaten at the ones in SA, but I know them from their controversial advertisements. Check one out here.

Roxy came into the Treatment Room for a bit & then had to boogie out to the Ranch to help Mom with the books. Jaco left for a bit & had the oil changed. I have to call Mr. Lube & find out when to have the oil changed, as they recorded it to be changed in 500 kms. Yeah. They also wrote down the current mileage as 4 million instead of 4 hundred thousand. Oops.

We finished up just before 1700, which was great, considering we started well after 1300. This Picc line is going to make things A LOT better! Bring it on!!!!

We drove home & spent most of the evening visiting with Roxy. Mom made two of the vegan dishes & we had a nice supper. I got busy on the laptop looking for old photos & before I knew it, it was 0200! Yikes! Time to get to sleep! Usually I sleep straight after chemo, so this was a good thing! I think!

Lekker slaap & Round 8 is done & dusted!!! xxxxMJV&O

 Okay, so this photo is pretty rubbish, but this chick had her leg in a brace/cast, her opposite arm in a sling & her only free arm was using the crutch. BUT. She was still able to hobble outside for a ciggy. 

 The Picc line finally in.

All taped up & ready to roll. 

 The sick chick & her hubby.

Roxy & the girls warming up. 

That's the smile I know & love!

Day 311 - Edit. Argh.

Today was supposed to be a full day of editing the Stirr! photos, but as my luck would have it, Photoshop CS2 would not accept my beautiful new CR2 files. I tried my laptop, Mom’s laptop, Mom’s desktop. Nope. Nothing. I tried googling, downloading & nothing. Nada. Are you kidding me? I have a boat load of images to edit & I can’t even open the files to get started?!? What is this rubbish?!?

Thankfully Adobe is offering a free 30-day trial of the new CS5 version of Photoshop. I’ll just download that! What? 1.12 gb?!? Right. Well, that is going to take the rest of the day! But, I really didn’t have much else to consider as far as options go. I started the download & left the computer alone. 7 hours later it was done. Needless to say, I wasn’t going to start editing at 2200, so no editing was done today. I did cull a few more photos while I was waiting though!

Roxy had come down to help Mom with her book work today, so Jaco & I visited with her once she was finished the books. I had just removed the tape off of my head to reveal my glorious henna design, so Roxy was marveling at it. She asked if she could touch my head & when she did, at that precise moment, someone said something & I laughed. Apparently when I laugh, my scalp moves, as it frightened the daylights out of Roxy! :o) I thought it was hilarious, Roxy, not so much!

While the download was taking its sweet time, Jaco cleaned the bathroom & bedroom while I did the laundry. Poor Jaco, I send him to Mom’s closet to fetch the vacuum. When he walks through the kitchen dragging the vacuum, my Mom’s bra is attached to the hose. Jaco barely bats an eyelash until I comment, upon which we both burst into giggles. I doubt Mom will be giggling when she reads this, but how can you not make light of a situation that no son-in-law should be exposed to? :o)

Wish me luck, for tomorrow I edit…

Maria, Jaco & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Jaco taped my head on Sunday night & then we removed it Monday afternoon...

Sexxy new shower cap, no?

Day 290 - Runnin' Roxy & Burnett Boxes

So I filled you in on my lovely headache experience through the previous night - I'm glad to say it was LONG gone when I woke up! That was a rough one, if I do say so myself! 


The little dogs woke me up with their incessant & unnecessary barking. Grrr. I worked on the blog posts & then headed out into the world. Well, maybe just the kitchen. Roxy was hard at work on Mom's books, but stopped to chat for a bit. We made plans to go for lunch once Mom got home from the city. I thought it would be best for me to get ready, but of course I got sidetracked!


I thought I ought to tidy things up a bit & make some space for my husband in my room! I quickly filled 2 bins with 'stuff' (still worth keeping!) & managed to clear a shelf in the bathroom, a space in the closet, a shelf in the closet & a shelf in the small wardrobe. Not bad! 


I still have a lot to tidy & organize before he gets here, so tomorrow will be busy. I spoke with him on Skype today & he is set on getting a hotel room & cabbing it out to Bragg Creek on Friday. I told him it's not an option! Besides, cabbing it to Bragg Creek is preposterous! Nobody cabs it to the middle of nowhere! Adding to that, I won't get to shock him with my 'mysterious wig' & outfit! He won't recognize his wife & that will be more fun for me! :o)


My Taslie gift packs arrived today - even the gift wrap is plant based & biodegradable! I packaged up the rest of the baby gifts & they are all ready to deliver. So are some of the Moms! ;oP Thanks Tami!


Roxy & I ended up dining in Bragg Creek at the Boardwalk Cafe. She treated me to a delicious soup & sandwich. It was a curry soup & boy, was it every good! My curry taste buds are a bit selective, but they approved! I caught up on what's happening in her world these days. She's a busy girl! Adding to her already busy life, she's decided to run a full marathon this October in Niagara Falls. It's the only marathon that is held in 2 different countries simultaneously! She starts on the US side & ends up on the Canadian side. Yesterday she ran 24 kms, her longest distance yet! And I thought I was doing great to do 5 kms! Hah! 


It was intriguing & inspiring to hear about her training process & all the interesting snippets that I would have never thought of! Roxy also eats a mainly raw diet, so she always has something new on the menu. I'll be anxious to hear all about her marathon come October. 


On that note, my friends are making me feel quite lazy - Triathlon, Marathon... hmm... Maybe I should catch on to this little trend... Could I do a marathon while I'm on chemo? Half of me says, 'Don't be crazy!', while the other half says, 'Crazy? Count me in!' And then reality hits & that would mean giving up my weekly dose of chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Ooooh, I was so close! :o)


Roxy dropped me off at home & was on her way to see her husband, Kevin. They were headed to Brooks for her sister's farewell party. Jamie, her sister, is relocating her family to Pennsylvania, where her husband got a new job. No doubt a tearful farewell is in store!


I hopped out of Roxy's car & into Mom's. She was headed to Cochrane to her windup Toastmaster's BBQ, so I thought I would pop in at the Burnett's & help them pack. Luckily they just arrived home about the time we drove into Cochrane. I was happy I was there early enough to see Heidi & Harrison still awake. I took 'Tina' so Harrison could play with her one last time. :o( After Harrison went to bed, Valentina was depressed. It was quite cute. Heidi is up & at it everywhere! Crazy! I can't believe how much she's grown! Still so happy & smiley! 


Jenn & I managed to pack up most of the kitchen & poor Mike carried box after box all by himself to the van & then to storage! Jenn was grateful for the help, but I felt like there was still so much more to be done! If I only had the time to help them out! I am hoping they can stop on the weekend to meet Jaco. I'm really going to miss them! The lump in my throat was a giant one. I was glad Jenn was far enough away & Mom was on the phone, as I couldn't have spoken if I'd wanted to! 


I stopped at Safeway & bought some rice crackers & 7 layer dip. I thought I bought the seafood kind. Nope, it was the Mexican kind. With guacamole. It was dark & I'd already eaten about 6 mouthfuls when I realized it wasn't sour cream. I'm sensitive, not allergic, to avocados. I get horrible belly pains & I look like I'm a few months pregnant. Tonight was no exception. I wasn't feeling so hot by the time I made it home.


I knew it was time to go to bed when my tummy rumbled & Valentina 'woofed' at it. Then a bug flew in my mouth while I was brushing my teeth. Lovely. On that note... I hope your day ran smooth, sans bugs & tummy troubles!


Love & hugs,
Valentina & Maria
xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoo

Runnin' Roxy on the go!

Valentina gets a bug!

Harrison hams it up for Aunty 'Jo'

Heidi Jo grinnin' & goin'

Tweet Pea lets Heidi have a play

The fabulous & now famous 'Mama J'