Day 489 - At Sea

M&D2 are still recuperating from jetlag, so they enjoyed a nice lie in. I left them alone for the day & when I found them later on in the day, they had been outside for a while & started to find their way around. Dad2 went for a smoke & I showed Mom2 around the ship. She didn’t realize there was so much on the ship! They hadn’t explored too much! She was going to show Dad2 later on.

Our dinner reservation was for 1830. Jaco was later than I was, so we had a late start to our dinner. Jaco also had to do the wave tonight at the Captain’s Welcome Aboard party, so we left half-way through our dinner to watch Jaco be introduced by Captain Stenzil & take a photo of him on stage. We then returned to our table to have dessert. I think we may have had the longest dinner on record!

After our dinner, we went out into the atrium & had some portraits taken by Craig on the stairs & then by Larisa on the white background. M&D2 were so cute, as they started to take their own photo on the backdrop after the Photographer had finished. I gently shuffled them away & told them that is a big no-no in Photog territory!

I wore the Jennifer wig this evening & confused a few people along the way. Oh what fun! I’ve also lost a little more weight, as my pants were a lot looser than they were a week ago! Yay! Probably due to the fact that I haven’t been eating much, as I don’t have a blender! Jaco thought I could use one on board, but when I arrived, we discovered the extras are all in need of repair. Looks like I’m blender-less until Aruba.

Mom2 looked absolutely stunning in her navy velvet gown & of course, Dad2 looked handsome as ever in his Italian silk suit. And naturally, Jaco looked like a million bucks. I’m so lucky!

xxxxMaria

Jaco during the Captain's Welcome Speech

Trying to look smart in Mom2's new specs

Jaco looking smart in de specs

Awh! What a lovely couple!

Larisa taking some stunning portraits

Day 250 - 'Twas the Night Before Chemo & All Through the House...

Not a creature was stirring, well, except for the patient. Yup, it's 0200 & I can't fall asleep. I'm so tired, but I know what I have to wake up to & I'm not excited about it. At all. 


Today was the last day of my life as I know it. Tomorrow I will begin a journey that will forever change the course of my life. It has been an interesting journey so far & I'm sure that it will continue to evolve into bigger & better things, but I realize these next 6 months will be a challenge I never dreamt I'd have to embrace. I joked with a friend tonight that Chemotherapy was never on my Bucket List. Not even at the bottom! But I suppose if it will help me attain the things that are at the top of my Bucket List, then why not?


It has become blatantly apparent to me that although I am the patient, I am the one enduring the treatments, the side effects & the health complications, some people in my life are not ready to deal with MY illness. This has been a difficult acceptance for me. At the time in my life where I feel I need the biggest amount of support, the ones I thought would be by my side are the very ones hiding in the shadows, no where to be seen. The beauty of it is that I understand the value of support & friendship & I am grateful for the friends I do have that have pulled on their 'Big Girl Panties' & taken me by the hand. It is so touching to have people come out of the woodwork & fill me with hope, faith & reassurance that I'm not alone. Yes, the journey is mine to walk, but it is wonderful to know that I have amazing friends helping me take the steps I need to. The mountain ahead is high, but it's one step at a time!


Mom & I had a spontaneous photo shoot today. We went to town for some portraits with a local Photographer, Peter Gold. He showed us the photos immediately after the shoot & they look fantastic! I wanted to get a few portraits done with my 'old' hair & of course with Mom. I called Mom2, but sadly she was busy with work today. Not to worry, we'll have some 'new' hair shots when it's finally back!!! 


I came home & decided to tackle the bunkhouse for awhile. I keep a lot of 'stuff' in there & decided I would pilfer through a few boxes. Well, 2+ hrs later, I'd emptied about 10 boxes of junk, consolidated several other boxes of junk & cleared a few things out of my life. There is still a lot of work to do, but I've got 6 months. One box at a time! 


I also started laundry, but my sheets seemed to ball themselves up, with a nice wet towel inside, so here I sit, no duvet cover & a partially made bed. Oh well... Valentina is keeping me warm. 


I spoke with an old friend today. She had recently ventured to Kentucky for a photo workshop on horses. She has found her passion & her niche in life. I am so thrilled for her! I can't wait to see her work! I just need to find/pursue my passion & get this show on the road! My camera is twitchin' for some clickin'! Don't tell Jaco, but my dream is to spend every sunrise & sunset in a game park in Africa photographing wildlife. :oP


I also spoke with 2 other dear & cherished girlfriends. They both asked if they could pray for me. Of course I said 'YES!'. I appreciate any prayer immensely & I have compiled a list of specific prayers, as per Jenn's request. If you have a minute & care to take a 'lucky dip' & pick a prayer to through my way, here's what I'll be praying for these next 6 months:
1. The Lord will keep me calm & relaxed throughout my chemotherapy administration.
2. God will watch over me to ensure I  have little to no side effects from the drugs.
3. He will send the chemotherapy straight to the dark cells in my body that need to be targeted, destroyed & eliminated in order for me to live a healthy, long life.
4. He will send me Doctors & Nurses that are happy & positive & kind & the best in their field.
5. The Lord will heal me quickly & help me remain strong in receiving & recovering from treatment.
6. He will help me find & follow my purpose throughout this trying time.
7. He will make his presence & love known to me - Let Him stir my heart like it has never been stirred before!
8. May God help me to keep a positive & laughing attitude throughout my treatments.
9. May God guide Jaco here safely & swiftly & may He give Jaco the wisdom to care for me emotionally, mentally, physically & physiologically.
10. Frank is big, but God is BIGGER.
11. May the Lord take the darkness from my body & fill it with his light & love.
12. May nothing but goodness come from these next 12 rounds of chemotherapy & let there be a 100% cure at the end of it.
13. May God use me as a testimony to His power & grace & mercy.
14. May He ensure I eliminate swiftly & easily the dead cancer cells, toxic drugs & other bodily waste, leaving no residue of cancer or chemotherapy behind.
15. May He ensure I get adequate rest, nourishment & exercise throughout the chemotherapy sessions so I can finish stronger mentally, physically & spiritually than when I started this journey.


Well, wish me luck. Tomorrow is the big day. Finally. May Frank finally take that hike he's been meaning to for 2+ yrs. 
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxx

Get cher grin ready!

Peter in action!

Thank you Peter!

The last day as me as I know me.

Yup, here's a sneak peek at what's to come! (This is a new shade of shocking red that's not so Courtney Love-ish)

Day 192 - Grenada

Today was a short port day. We sailed at 1400, which meant all crew & passengers had to be onboard by 1330. By the time I got myself organized & then Valentina organized, it was nearly noon when we exited the ship.

Today was Sunday, so no wig shopping for me. :o( I thought I might get lucky & find something in the terminal, but no. I took Valentina for a walk over to the water taxi station & on our way there, a local girl & her Mom stopped to visit with Valentina. They were very impressed with her. They wanted to know if she had puppies & when I said no, they told me I needed to come back & make sure she had puppies on the ship next time so they could get one! Yeesh, they really liked her! They were selling spice necklaces, so I bought one from them. I bought some last time I was here & they are delicious! The have nutmeg, cloves, lemongrass, cocoa beans, and saffron(?) on them. Grenada is known as the Spice Island.

I found a shirt for Eddie. He had been mentioning a particular pirate shirt he was after – ‘The beatings will continue until morale improves’ but he wanted a white t-shirt & they are generally in black. One of the shops in the terminal had white ones, so that would be his thank you gift for taking Jaco & I out during our visit.

I also met a security guard who was a pleasure to visit with. She has 5 children & offered one to Jaco & I if we can’t have our own. :o) I told her our story & she is going to pray for my health to return quickly.

I must say, the people in the Caribbean are incredibly helpful. I have been here many times before, but I don’t recall everyone being this hospitable. It’s wonderful!

I went back to the ship & headed upstairs for a bite to eat. I ended up sitting with 2 wonderful couples from eastern USA, Pennsylvania, I think! We had a great chat & I hope I’ll bump into them again throughout the rest of the trip. They are going to have a great time!

Tonight was also formal night and Jaco had to do his ‘wave’ when the Captain introduced the Senior Officers onboard. The Captain approached me after the introductions were finished & said hello. I worked the Captain Stenzel previously & he is a wonderful man. He would officiate the weddings & I always thought he put a little extra TLC into the ceremony that many others didn’t. Anyhow, he saw Valentina’s bag & clearly didn’t realize I had a dog inside. He asked me if I’d just arrived & had I been dropped off, luggage & all? I didn’t want to tell him, no, there’s actually a dog inside, so I just laughed along with him. He & Jaco will be leaving on the same day.

Jaco & I decided to go for pizza after the ‘wave’ & then a few portraits with Valentina & Eddie. Oh dear, we had quite the crowd! I’m sure I’ll be hearing about it tomorrow! NOTE TO SELF: Wear dark glasses & big hat!

Just another day in paradise! Here’s to a wonderful sleep & a fine day in Bonaire tomorrow! Lekker slaap!

Maria, Jaco & Valentina

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Look near the bottom of the shot - on the rocks...

Big building across the street from the terminal area

Jaco doing his 'wave'

Out for Pizza

Portraits

What a pair!

Happy girls!

Eddie joins the family!