Friend or Foe?

This week was my first chemo treatment.  It was really hard for me. I started feeling the effects about half way through the treatment....a "chemically", fuzzy feeling.  About midnight, it really hit, nausea...the whole bit.  I was in bed for the first three days unable to mostly move.  Each day since I keep thinking it will get better and go away more.  So far not much luck.  I've called to have medications changed because I've been told sometimes it's just finding the right combo that helps.  Today is the first day I even feel like sitting up for a while but am weak as a kitten...as though I've had the flu for 2 weeks.  I'm pretty discouraged about it because I am normally a "doer" and all my "doing" has stopped.  I think "Can I really go through 7 more of these??" One has definitely been  enough!  I guess stopping is not really an option but I certainly would if I could. I was told that my particular regime of drugs was a rough one.  I had wanted to work through all this the best that I could but am now really discouraged about that too.  (They have been wonderfully supportive though...)  For now, will try to do what I think will put me on the right track.  (Hair...my last post...is such a superficial thing when in the middle of feeling so ill!) Thanks for the uplifting supportive comments and cards...they DO help!!!

It's Just.....Hair!

For the first two years of my life, it was reported that I had not much hair at all and what there was, -was blonde.

During the next few years it came in thick, dark and very wavy.  The fact that my mother insisted on  giving us children "permanents' was not something I was fond of.  See the ponytail and bangs on the left....after one of these traumatic experiences, I was always very sad that the bangs were even higher than my hairline!

I spent a lot of time trying to look cool...putting my hair in these jumbo sized rollers and then sleeping on them!  I don't think that I could even manage 5 minutes sleep with them in now!!!  That ancient contraption in the foreground is a hairdryer that I would sit under for at least half an hour.

This was me in a wedding with long hair down to my derriere` that I ironed till straight!

 And this was in nursing school and the required "do",- not touching your collar.

Here again, the long style...

followed in a few years by a short one!

This week starts my chemo treatments....so I am lamenting not having hair...or eyelashes...or eyebrows at all. It just makes you feel so much like a girl!

I decided to take one last pic before it all falls out...sigh.  A person close to me told me that when she had chemo -after the first treatment, hers turned lackluster and she could literally feel it 'dying'.  After the second treatment, it all fell out.  Mine is projected to do the same.   I know there are much worse things and it will certainly save my life....but right now, I'm moping.  I know...it's just hair.

Weekend Happenings...

 This weekend, the weather was nice, I felt better and it was nice to be invited to some weekend activities.  The first our Mission Team was invited to present a slide show of our trip to a local church.  It was wonderful to see the many familiar faces of this terrific team that had been there!  Some of the folks in this picture were "behind the scenes" as well as those who actually went on the trip.

The slides were fun to see again and reminisce about with friends present.

One of the "founding fathers' of this trip Bill Wolfe, helped organize 10 of these missions.  He passed away two months before the last trip.  Our team decided to honor him by naming these and any future trips  after him.   This is his widow hugging Ron, one of our team.

The most jaw dropping moment of the day came when our missionary from the Dominican decided to make a surprise appearance!  He looked like Indiana Jones in his fedora.  He knew that we were having this commemorative day and that he had several speaking engagements in the US this week.  He also planned his trip around taking his youngest daughter to college.  He and two of his children walked in just as the slide show was over.  I think we ALL just stood there gaping for a few minutes!

Dr. Lisa and husband Pete (planner of this trip taking Bill's job responsibilities over...) talking with Donnie, missionaries son.

From this event, we went to a surprise birthday party for our long time friend Sophie!  She is here with her grandson. She is 80 and I always tell her that I think she looks more like 60 and certainly has that much energy!

Everyone singing and taking pictures...

 Here doing "face-time" with her granddaughter in Boston who got to participate with this technology!   Happy Birthday Sophie...and many more!!  May we all grow old so gracefully!

Last but not least, Kathy made these de-lucious creations and brought them over...YUM!!  Her famous Spanakopita and Baklava...to die for!  She even had her GREEK tee-shirt on....ha!  We all fight over this food (Chelsea knew that she had made some and was bringing it so asked if she could come over for some too...none was left!).  It was the perfect ending to the weekend...thanks, Kathy!!

This Week....

Wonderful lamb cake that my neighbor Joan made for us! 

Once again, this has been a week of extreme highs and lows.  The low was that my father-in-law passed away.  After his wife of 70 years died in October he didn't have a will to live any more.  He was eating little and became more and more distant and died two days short of his 91st birthday.  We had the funeral Friday and our cousin-good friend Dr. Jack Starkey  officiated.  After the funeral at our luncheon, we told old family stories (Larry's uncle was Jack's father.  Larry's dad and Jack's grandfather were brothers...) and some were quite amusing.
Later Larry brought home a diary that Joe had kept the last couple of years.  He had pasted to the cover many of the great grandchildren's pictures.  It touched both our hearts a great deal.  Being the week of Easter, it brought many poignant thoughts to light.  The Savior's death and Resurrection first, and then family and how you just want to keep them all close.  We were lucky enough to see all our kids this week...if not in the same day.

Emma and Bailey last weekend on an Easter egg hunt...

Dad-Mike helping a little

A beautiful warm day so we could spend some of it outside.

Uncle Tim with Mike helping Bailey...push the trike??

Today, the rest of the clan came and it was the "boy's day"!  Love Cooper's expression here after brunch as we begin their egg hunt!

While it was cool out, the boys still wanted to be outdoors....here throwing sticks and  stones in the creek.

It's so much fun to just watch them be boys! 

Did I say it was fun to watch them??

Here they were chasing butter-flies to put under the bug-microscope.

Did they catch one, -nope.  

But I bet they both went home tired little guys.  It was a happy ending to a busy week.  Certainly it  kept me contemplating God, life and family...and making the most of all our time together.  Happy Easter!!