Happy New Year

We went to Seaside on the 28th and are staying until Jan. 1st. We spent New Years here last year, too. Scott, Julie, Kyle, Tori and Dakota came with us. The weather hasn't been too bad. We stay at a place that is only a couple of blocks from the ocean and we can walk to the Prom. We get a free breakfast here and we go out to eat each night..........my kind of living! This place also has a great work out room and swimming pool. The kids have spent most of their time swimming. Tori can now swim from the deep end of the pool to the shallow end.

Dakota is a good swimmer and helped Kyle become more comfortable in the deep end of the pool.

Dakota and Kyle bought fake mustaches and had more fun wearing them.All three kids have electric Razor scooters so they rode them on the Prom while we walked. The kids loved the jacuzzi bathtub and I put shower gel in it and boy, did it ever make good bubbles.I wish all of you a Happy, Healthy New Year.

Love to you all,

JO

Merry Christmas and Happy 7th Birthday Tori

It is about time I write on my blog. I have been neglecting it because I have been busy with Christmas and Faceboook.

We drove to Scott and Julie's on Christmas Eve. We had about 14" of snow so we weren't sure if we were going to be able to go. We had noodle soup and ham for dinner that night. It was great.

Christmas morning, Kyle and Tori slept in and then opened their presents. Tori got a "Betty scooter." Notice our dog, Sara, got in the picture.

Kyle got a gas powered scooter.The next day, it was Tori's 7th birthday. We gave her the Butterscotch pony that she has wanted for two years.

That afternoon, we met Justin and Vickie in The Dalles to pick up Dakota. The weather through the gorge was a little icy but we made it okay. Here he is with the picture that Mom and Lloyd made for him. It is a jigsaw puzzle that they put together and then framed. It is pretty cool.We gave him a new shotgun because he loves to hunt ducks and pheasants with his Dad.

We all had a great Christmas and hope all of you did, too.

Love to you all,

JO

OMG! I can not believe the amount of snow we have. It is now snowing harder than it has the last few days and we already have over a foot of snow! It is beautiful but I keep thinking about how this weather is going to impact our plans because of Christmas.

Today is Sunday and we didn't get an Oregonian newspaper. Boy, do we miss sitting and ready the Sunday paper since it takes us several hours. It is our favorite paper. This morning, we decided to walk to Fred Meyers (about 2 miles away) to get one. We got all bundled up and took off. Well, we got about four blocks away and decided to come home since it had started raining ice pellets. Not too much fun and super cold. So decided to come home and eat waffles with strawberries and whipping cream. Smart decision, don't you think?!

Because of my cold, we really haven't been out to play in the snow. Wish we lived closer to the kids so we could play with them. Scott, Julie, Kyle and Tori have been playing a lot in the snow since they have lots of hills around the Newberg area. Here is a picture she just sent of them.

Here is a picture of our house. Denny took it yesterday before it had snowed very much.

I am feeling better but still have my cold. It has been 8 days and I know that sometimes it takes a couple of weeks to get over a cold, so I am hoping to kick this cold soon. I did call the doctor yesterday and he ordered me an antibiotic in case I have a sinus infection. I am not going to take it unless I think it is necessary because I know it isn't good to take antibiotics unless you have a bacterial infection and I think right now, mine is viral. But I wanted to have it on hand since we will be gone for Christmas and might not be able to get in touch with my doctor.

We will go to Scott and Julie's for Christmas Eve and stay all night so we can celebrate Christmas day with them. The next day, we are supposed to drive to pick up Dakota so he can go to the beach with us. I am really hoping that the gorge will be good enough for us to pick him up. Looking out the window right now, it doesn't look good.

I hope all of you are staying safe and warm. Drive careful if you go out in this snow.

Love to you all,

JO

It's Snowing.....And I Have A Cold!

I am doing a terrible job with my blog. Sorry. Maybe I should give it up. I have been trying to get my Christmas letter done. I hope to have it in the mail tomorrow or the next day. I don't have Word on my computer so it takes me forever to get my pictures with captions on them. And they look so "elementary." Not professional at all. Maybe I will buy Word for next year. This year I am sending out just pictures....no written letter.

We have had snow all week. Most of the schools have been closed the entire week. Don't know about tomorrow yet but I bet they will be closed again. I am sure some of the mothers are ready to pull their hair out. Christmas vacation starts next Monday so they will be out two more weeks. I love the snow but it sure has screwed up a lot of my plans. We did drive to Newberg on Monday for Kyle's basketball practice. It was a little scary driving home. Practice was cancelled on Tuesday, as was my support group meeting. We were going to have our Christmas party. Darn! Then on Thursday, I didn't get to go to my monthly girlfriend's luncheon or meet with the Lunch Bunch gals.

You would think I would be getting tons of things done around here since I am "house bound." But because I have had a cold for the last five days, I don't have a lot of energy. Each day I think I will feel better but I don't. I will give it a few more days and then will maybe have to see what the doctor says. I know it is just a cold and so many people have said that it hangs on forever. I just want to feel good for Christmas. And I sure hope Denny doesn't get it.

If I feel well enough tomorrow, I would like to take a picture of our house with the snow on it. I haven't even been out in the snow yet! Now, that sucks! Who ever heard of having snow and not playing in it?!

We love our weight room. I remember last year when the weather was icy and we couldn't get out and walk. We felt awful. But with our weight equipment, we can exercise inside. We both feel so much better when we work out. With my cold, I am taking it a little easy.

Hope all of you are staying warm and safe. And hope you are all ready for the holidays.

Love to you all,

JO

It's Basketball Time

Oh, my gosh. It has been over a week since I have written on my blog. I have been busy playing on Facebook. If you haven't joined it, try it....you'll like it!

Last weekend I went to Newport Bay for happy hour with our friends, Dick, Jan, John, Rita, Bill and Lynne. Denny had basketball practice and joined us later at Dick and Jan's. It had been months since we had seen John and Rita. They live near us so we are hoping to get together more often with them in 2009 since they are not going to travel as much next year.

On Saturday, we went to Kyle's basketball tournament in Clackamas. They played two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. They all played so hard because they only have 7 boys on their team. Denny is helping coach the team and is really enjoying it. It is a little tough to go to three practices a week and games on Saturday and sometimes Sunday as well. Good thing gas is cheaper!

Julie's birthday was on Monday, so we went to Newberg to help her celebrate it. The boys also had practice. Tori picked out a great gift for her Mom. It was a necklace engraved with, "A Mother holds her child's hand for a short while but holds her heart forever." It was beautiful and Tori was so excited to give it to Julie.

On Wednesday I went to my support group meeting. I missed it last week so it was really nice to see all the gals. Shauna was there and she looks great and is on a chemo break until after the first of the year. Yea, Shauna! Next week we will have our Christmas party since the following Wednesday is the 24th and a lot of the gals will be out of town.

Yesterday we had our friends, Jim and Charlotte, for dinner and they stayed all night with us. Justin's wife, Vickie, had surgery and is doing well and should go home tomorrow.

Today we are in Newberg for basketball practice. We will go to Kyle's basketball tournament tomorrow. We need to head home right after the game because it could possibly snow since it is going to get really cold the next couple of days.

On Sunday we are going to Bill and Lynne's for their annual Christmas party. Lynne works so hard on it and invites so many people. It is so nice of her to have the party every year. I know it takes a lot of time and money to put on a party like that. Thank you, Lynne and Bill.

I have another busy week coming up. (Tori's recital, support group meeting, my monthly luncheon with the gals, get together with the Lunch Bunch gals and we are going to Cascade Locks to watch Justin coach his team.)

Hope all of you have a great weekend. IF we get snow or ice, drive careful.

Love to you all,

JO

In Newberg With The Kids

We went to Newberg on Monday so Denny could help with Kyle's basketball practice. They have their first tournament this weekend in Clackamas. He is playing on a traveling team so it will be fun to go to different locations. They will have a tournament in Seaside sometime in March so they will have some overnight trips. Kyle also had practice on Tuesday so be decided to stay both Monday and Tuesday nights.

Julie and I went shopping on Tuesday at Target in Sherwood. I was able to get a find a few gifts and get some Christmas gift ideas. Then we went to Tori's Hip Hop dance class. That was fun to watch. She is a great dancer and they will have their recital in a couple of weeks.

It was fun to spend time with the kids. Kyle just had his hair cut, which he didn't want to do. But it looks great. He still has bangs that almost hang in his eyes. He had to have his side burns cut and he really, really likes side burns. Scott and Julie wanted him to have his hair cut for Thanksgiving. He had a hooded sweatshirt on when he came downstairs to go to school, after having had several days off, due to Thanksgiving vacation. I asked him if he was going to wear his hood up all day and he said that he was not allowed to have his hood up during school, so I am sure he was really dreading having to take his hood off later! Poor boy.

Tori also had her hair cut and had bangs cut, for the first time ever. She really looked cute and her hair doesn't hang in her eyes now. She really liked her hair cut and couldn't wait to show her friends.

I didn't go to my support group meeting on Wednesday because we wanted to stop by Costco on our way home from Newberg. Shauna wasn't feeling well and wasn't going to be at the meeting either. I will go next week for sure.

Today I got out my Christmas decorations and started putting them up. I definitely am going to get rid of some of them. Last year I down sized my decorations and I plan on doing it again. Gotta get down to about six boxes instead of twelve!

Tomorrow I am going to a Christmas bazaar at the Southwest Washington Medical Center. One of my friends, Susan, is selling some of her fantastic photos. Then we are going to happy hour at New Port Bay with friends. Looking forward to a fun day.

Hope all of you are having a great week.

Love to you all,

JO

Boring...............

Absolutely, nothing exciting to write about. And I don't have any pictures to post.

Denny and I ate out on Thanksgiving since both kids were with their in-laws. We had a nice dinner at Shari's. They served us so much food that we had left overs for the following day. Plus, you got to choose any piece of pie we wanted. Can't beat coconut cream!

We have stayed home every day since Thanksgiving. I am going crazy....gotta get out of here. Actually, we are going to Newberg tomorrow and might go to a movie with the grandkids. Plus, Denny is going to go to Kyle's basketball practices tomorrow and Tuesday. So we will probably stay all night at Scott and Julie's tomorrow night.

What I have been doing lately, is playing on Facebook. It is a website for people to keep in touch with each other. Julie and Jan kept telling me that I should join it but warned me that it is addicting. Well, I have been playing with it for several days. It is still confusing to me. I need a teenager around to explain all this computer/electronic stuff to me. I made a HUGE mistake today with Facebook. I accidentally invited EVERYONE in my address book to join Facebook. It wasn't even an up to date list, it was an older one that I some how brought up. I thought I would have to make a check mark all the names of the people I wanted to invite to join, but I didn't notice that ALL the names were already checked, and before I caught my mistake, I had clicked on send. Oops! The cool thing is that I received several responses from people that wanted to join. That was good. So I decided that I better send out another email explaining to everyone that had received their "invite" that I had made a boo-boo. But that was when I noticed they were not exactly the same names in my current address book. So I had to print the list of people I sent the invite to, and cross check them with my current address book list. To top it off, the list was not in alphabetical order! Do you know how long that took me?! Get this..................I sent a copy to a travel agent, realtor, some of Denny's boat racing buddies (he doesn't know this yet....hope he doesn't read this blog!), the facilitator of my support group, etc. The list goes on and on. It was well over a hundred people. So, I have to learn more about how to use Facebook! But, I really am pleased that some of my address book contacts joined! If some of you want to join it, you should. It is tons of fun. Just don't screw up like I did!

Hope all of you have a great week.

Love to you all,

JO

Biopsy Results

Sorry I haven't been keeping up on my blogging. I emailed most of you to let you know that my bone marrow biopsy was NORMAL. My appointment was at 8:00 on Monday morning and my oncologist emailed me on Sunday night to let me know that she did not have my results yet so she cancelled my appointment and said she would let me know when she heard something. Well, she called at 8:35 am and said she had just received them. She said there were no abnormal cells that would indicate leukemia, lymphoma or myelodysplasia. My chromosomes were also normal. I had my blood tested the day I had my biopsy and she said my white blood cell counts and platelets are still very low. She doesn't know why they are low but said that sometimes a person's blood doesn't recover after having had chemo (and I have had chemo treatments twice). When I had my port flushed, I mentioned to the nurse about my low counts and she said that it sounds like my body is adapting to my low counts. With such low counts, I should not have the energy that I have (my red blood cell counts are also low) and I should be catching colds, flu, etc. from people that I am around that are sick. But I am not. I went to Disneyland and was among all those kids (and germs!) and only had 10 hours sleep in three days, and still didn't get sick. I will have my blood tested every two months and will have a CT scan and meet with my oncologist every three months. She said I might have to have another bone marrow biopsy at some time. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it! So I will have my blood tested in January and my CT scan and meet with her in February AFTER our cruise to the Western Caribbean!

Now on to better things..............I went shopping with Amy and Carolyn last Thursday. We went to Marshall's and it is hard not to buy something since the prices are so good. Well, I bought another coat. I tried it on and liked it but decided I didn't need another coat. So I put it back and forgot about it. But I walked by it later and Amy was with me and I showed it to her. She said it was a great looking coat and I should try it on so she could see it. That's all it took! She loved it and said we should find Carolyn to get her opinion. As Carolyn saw me, she said, "Oh my gosh, that coat is perfect for you." So.............I had to buy it. They made me! Denny liked it but said he is signing me up for "coats aholics!" The best part is that it was a $200 coat and I bought it for $29!

I went to my support group meeting today and run into one of my favorite vice principals, Rick. We got to visit for a while before I had to go to my meeting. He and his wife, Annette, just got back from Hawaii. It was so nice to see him. I loved working with him.

Hope all of you have a wonder Thanksgiving. Eat lots. You can always diet next week!

Love to you all,

JO

Bone Marrow Biopsy & CALIFORNIA

I had my bone marrow biopsy yesterday and it went well. We had to be there by 8:00 am and we got right in, since I think I was her first patient. I didn't have any pre meds because my oncologist said they really don't help much with the pain but might help someone that is all "keyed" up with anxiety. She gave me a shot to deaden the skin and she went to work! It hurt but really not as bad as I had expected. I squeezed Denny's hand real often. He said he is NEVER having a bone marrow biopsy since he has now seen one! I will get the results when I see her on Monday or she might call me if she gets them sooner. I am feeling so good that I am going to be surprised and disappointed if the results are not good.

Now on to the fun stuff........my trip with Jan to San Diego. Lindsay, her daughter, lives there so we were able to stay at her place, which is about 5 blocks from the beach and a couple of blocks from the stores and restaurants. Her friend, Kristin, owns the townhouse and it is fantastic.

Jan drove me around and showed my lots of fun places to visit, like the Hotel Del Coronado. What a super and expensive place.

We went to Mission Beach and had a two hour bike ride along the water front. It was awesome. What a wonderful way to see everything while also getting some exercise. Lindsay had to work but met us for coffee before our "bike tour." Here is a picture of Kristin, Lindsay, Jan and myself. Isn't it hard to pick out the two hot babes from San Diego?!

Jan said that she had a surprise for me. I thought maybe it was that we were going on a "brunch cruise" but it was far better than that. We were going to DISNEYLAND!

Jan's daughter-in-law had a conference in Anaheim and decided at the last minute to have her husband and 4 year old son go along. Since we were going to be near there, Jan decided it would be fun for us to join them. Of course, Jan's husband, couldn't miss out on their grandson's first visit to Disneyland, so he also went. Here is a picture of their family. It has been over 32 years since I have been to Disneyland so it was pretty over whelming to see all the new things. California Adventures is also awesome. We spent the entire day going between those two places. In fact, I had almost 30,000 steps on my pedometer! There are just as many rides for adults as there are for kids. I can't wait to go back with my grandkids and kids. Actually, Julie had a trip planned for all of us a couple of years ago, but I wasn't doing real well with my cancer at that time, so we cancelled our plans. I like to set goals for myself, and my goal now is to go there again with my family.

I am so lucky to have such a special friend, Jan, that shares her family and their fun times with me. They always make me feel so welcome and I love them all.

The day we got home, I went to the Carrie Underwood concert with Denny, Scott and Julie. It was fantastic. She sang for two hours straight. She is so beautiful and acts like such a normal person. Thanks, Julie, for getting the tickets so many months ago.

Today I went to my support group meeting and it was so nice to see three of the gals there that hadn't been there for a long time. Of course, it is always such a treat to sit by Shauna. She bought me a pink tee shirt while she was in Seattle and on the front of it is written,"Fight Like A Girl," and it has the breast cancer insignia on it. I love it. Thanks, Shauna.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our son-in-law, Scott. Love you!

Hope all of you are having a great week. Bet none of you have had as much fun as I have the past few days (San Diego, Disneyland, Carrie Underwood concert). But then, I bet none of you have had a bone marrow biopsy, either! I WIN!

Love to you all,

JO

San Diego, Here I Come

I am flying to San Diego in the morning with my special friend, Jan. Her daughter, Lindsay, lives there so we will be staying at her place. Not sure what all we will be doing but I am really looking forward to it. Denny and I have only been to San Diego to board the cruise ship for our Mexican cruise. So we have only spent a partial day there. It will be fun to be there with Jan and Lindsay, since they know what to see and do. I will let you know how I liked it and what we did. My body certainly isn't ready for warm/hot weather. My legs are white and I have put on a few pounds. Thank goodness I don't have to wear a bathing suit!

I went to my support group meeting on Wednesday. One of the "original gals" isn't doing too well. Her cancer has spread to her brain and to top it off, she just found out her husband has melanoma in his eye. I feel so sorry for them but they have a great support system. It is always a treat to see Shauna, my good bud, there. That is one of the main reasons I go, is to see her. Love ya, Shauna.

I will be home Monday morning and Denny, Scott, Julie and I are going to the Carrie Underwood concert that night. Did you see the Country Music Awards last night? Carrie is so gorgeous. She looked so good in all 7-8 clothing changes!

On Tuesday morning, we are off for my bone marrow biopsy. I will let you know how fun that is! But I won't get the results until the following week. And then it will be Thanksgiving. The holidays are fast approaching.

Hope all of you have a great weekend.....................like I plan on having.

Love to you all,

JO

Nothin' Goin' On This Weekend

On Thursday, Jan, Lynne and I went to IKEA near the airport. I just bought a couple of small items. It is always fun to look around that store. It is so huge. Then we met Susan, a friend that Jan and I worked with at Hilhi and Century. She has started a photography business. She retired from the school district and then went to work for the Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver. Her husband has worked there for years. She just retired from her job there so she can spend more time on her photography business. She has pictures displayed in a couple of shops in Vancouver. She does awesome work. You should check out her website at: http://www.susyphotoart.net/.


On Friday, we had to take our dog, Sara, to the vet because her mouth was bothering her. She has already had three surgeries on her lower jaw. Many months ago, she had a cyst growing near her gum line, so we took her in and the vet cut it out. It was not malignant. We don't think that he cut out enough, so we took her back in and he cut away some more of her gum line. But it grew back again, so we took her back and the vet really cut deep into her jaw-right to the bone. Well, it has grown back again. Now the plan is to keep cutting it out as it grows back each time. At first the vet said that he couldn't cut anymore away from her jaw bone and we would have to take her to a specialist, but apparently, he changed his mind and he will cut on it as often as we want him to. We can't let it grow too large because it can cut off Sara's air passage. It doesn't seem to bother her too much each time she has it cut away. So we will take her in on Monday for her 4th surgery.


I like playing on Facebook, the website I joined a few weeks ago. I love it when someone new is added as a friend to my page. Special friends of ours from Forest Grove, Brad and Widdy, have a daughter that has now graduated from college and is a speech pathologist at the Sunnyside Kaiser Hospital. I am so proud of her. I remember when she was born. She is gorgeous and the nicest young lady you could ever meet. We plan on looking her up next time we go to Sunnyside, unless we are there for an emergency, which seems to be the only reason we go there! Anyway, she just added me as her friend on Facebook. It was so much fun to see the pictures she has posted on her site since we know a lot of her family and haven't seen some of them in years.


I am continuing to walk/run on our treadmill every day. I just have this vision of walking into my oncologist's office on the 18th for my bone marrow biopsy and when she asks how I am feeling I can tell her that I have run/walked everyday on the treadmill. She then will say, "Well, if you have that much energy and feel that good, I must be wrong and you must not have cancer!" Yeah, right!! But you have to admit, it is a nice vision!


Hope all of you are having a great weekend. Ours is very relaxing since we don't have anything going on. Wish the weather was nicer, though.

Love to you all,

JO


PS: I went to school with a guy whose wife just had a double mastectomy. Please say a little prayer for Cathy. Thanks.

Welcome to November

The weather is crummy today, so it is a good day to catch up on my blog. On Sunday, we met our friends, Gary and Diana, for brunch at the Red Lion. It was great. They are friends from Denny's teaching and coaching days at Lake Oswego High School. It was so nice to get "caught up" with news about our families and mutual friends. We don't see them often but sure do think of them a lot. They are life long friends that we love and hope to see more often.

Yesterday, I went to see the movie, "The Secret Lives of Bees," with Jan. It was really good. It is great to go to a Regal theater on a Tuesday because you get free buttered popcorn when you show your Regal card. Hey, that's a $5 freebie! Can you believe popcorn costs that much? I always sneak pop in since it is costs about the same as popcorn!

Today I went to my support group meeting. I told the gals about my bone marrow biopsy that I will be having on the 18th. They are always so helpful with sharing information and giving encouragement.

I just joined Facebook. Julie and Justin both are on it and Julie and my friend, Jan, kept telling me that I should join. So, I did. It is very addictive. I love it. For some of you who don't know what Facebook is, it is a website where you can keep in contact with people. I have a lot to learn on how it works, but so far, it has been great fun. Just what I need........I hardly have time to blog!

I have decided to fly to San Diego with Jan, on Friday, Nov. 15. We will come home on Monday. She had asked me last week to go, but I wasn't sure if it was a good idea with so much going on right now. But then I decided, GO FOR IT! Her daughter, Lindsay, lives there so it will be fun to see her. I have only been to San Diego a couple of times and it was just overnight while we were waiting for our cruise to begin. So, it will be nice to see more of it and discover fun places to visit. It is always nice to go somewhere with people that know their way around.

We'll be home Monday morning and that night, Denny, Julie, Scott and I are going to the Carrie Underwood concert. 'Looking forward to that. The next day, I have my biopsy. So, I am going to be so busy between now and then, I don't even have time to worry about it!

We talked to Justin and he is starting to coach basketball at Echo. He will be the JV and assistant varsity coach. Echo is a little town about 15 minutes from Hermiston. We are hoping we can go to a couple of the games that are played in the Hood River area. He is also going to help coach Dakota's basketball team, so he will be busy.

Hope all of you are having a great week. Sure don't like this rain but guess it is necessary since we have been spoiled with such nice weather.

Love to you all,

JO

The End Of October

We met with my oncologist on Thursday and got the results of my CAT scan. It was good. However, she is concerned about my recent blood tests. I have had my blood checked monthly for the last three months and my white & red blood cell counts and platelets are continuing to drop. There isn't any reason why they should be going down since I am not currently having any treatments. She suggested I have a bone marrow biopsy, so I will have it on the 18th to see if they can figure out what is going on. She described the procedure to us and it sounds like a heck of a lot of fun! She will stick this humongous needle into my teeny tiny hip! Ah, you all know my hips are not petite! She said I will just need to have a hand to squeeze. Denny's going to find out just how hard I can squeeze! I will get the results back when I meet with her on the 24th.

She is surprised that I feel so good and have so much energy. Some of the symptoms of someone with a blood disorder, low blood cell counts, someone requiring a biopsy, are: fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, sweating, swollen lymph nodes. I don't have any of these, especially the loss of appetite or weight loss! And I am going to walk/run on our treadmill everyday until my biopsy, just to prove that I still have energy.

So, we will just have to wait and see. I hate waiting!!!!!!! In fact, she said we could wait a month or two before doing the biopsy and just keep checking my blood, and I said I wanted it done a.s.a.p. I hate the unknown. I say, "Get 'er done!" Find out what the problem is and tackle it.

Now, on to a brighter subject. We went to Tori's last soccer game today. She made their team's first goal.

Julie is one of her coaches and does an awesome job. Here is a picture of Kyle in his Halloween costume. Isn't he a great looking kid?

Here is Tori in hers. And isn't she just the cutest cheetah you ever saw?!We had quite a few trick or treaters last night. Good thing I hadn't eaten all the candy! Hope all of you had a happy Halloween.

Love to you all,

JO

Catch Up Blog - Lynne & Bill's Wedding

Before I type my entry about what has been happening the last couple of days, I need to write about Lynne and Bill's wedding that we went to on Oct. 18th. Lynne is one of the gals I go to Reno with each year. It was at the Sheraton Hotel at the airport. It was a beautiful and fun wedding. This is Jan, my special friend, another gal I go to Reno with. We worked together for over 20 years and she and Dick live by us. She and Lynne are cousins. Here she is with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and grandson. Aren't they a nice looking family?!

And of course, here are Denny and I at the reception. We sure enjoyed the music and we danced a lot. Here is a picture of Tera and her family. She also went to Reno with us. Another great looking family.........can you tell the girls are twins? I guess I forgot to blog about the wedding because I took off the next day for my slumber party at the beach. Just wanted all of you to see and hear about Lynne and Bill's wedding. What fun it was! We wish them much happiness.

Love to you all,

JO

Great Weekend With The Kids

We went to Tori's soccer game on Saturday and brought her and Kyle home to spend the weekend with us. They both have electric scooters so they had fun riding them. We have a small electric bike that Kyle loves to ride and Tori decided she wanted to ride it, too. So she hopped on it and rode it great. Guess we will have to buy another one to have here when both kids come over.

We went to the school and rode around the track and played on the play equipment.

We packed a snack and enjoyed eating outdoors.

Tori and I went to see the movie High School Musical 3. It was really cute and Tori was up dancing during a lot of the show! After the movie, she wanted to have our picture taken in one of those picture booths. I hadn't done that since I was in school!It was so much fun to have the kids with us. They are both so good and appreciate all we do for them.

Today I had my CT scan. While I was there, I picked up a copy of the results of my blood test that I had on Thursday . My white blood cell count continues to be very low, at 2.0. It should be between 4.0 - 10.0. My platelets and neutrophils were also low. But my red blood cell count was up a tiny bit. I will meet with my oncologist on Thursday and get my CT results and see what she says about my blood tests.

After my scan, I went to Fern's (a gal in my metastatic support group) house to help her sew on her grandkid's Halloween costumes. She makes costumes each year for them but this year she isn't feeling as well as she should, so she asked for help. It was fun to see her and a few of the other gals. We all brought food and had a great lunch.

On Wednesday, I am planning on going to my support group, since I have missed the last two weeks and on Thursday, I have my oncology appointment.

My brother, Richard, is in the hospital with blood clots in his leg and lung. They have him on blood thinners, so he will probably be there a few days. He is in charge of a big project in Vegas that is happening in about a week, so he is anxious to get out of there!

Hope all of you are having a great week. Love this weather!

Love to you all,

JO

Fun At Devils Lake

I am so lucky to have such an awesome girlfriend, that I attended school with, who shares so many of her things with her friends. Sandy and her husband, recently acquired a beach house on Devils Lake. She invited some of us gals, she went to school with, to spend a few days with her at it. It is four years old and is a fantastic house. I certainly wasn't expecting to stay in such a nice place. This is the front of the house.

This is the back of the house and their dock for their paddle boat and canoe.Sandy, Midge, Mary Etta and myself, went there on Monday. It rained that afternoon so we stayed inside and visited the entire day. Of course, we ate and drank, too! Everyone had their own bedroom since it sleeps 12 and it also has couches to sleep on. This is the awesome bedroom I got to sleep in.

The next day it was beautiful and the sun was shining. People say that the best time to go to the beach is in September and October. Boy, that sure is right. When we walked out of the front door to go for our walk, there were two deer in the yard. Look how close they came to us. They certainly weren't afraid of people. Try not to think about my deer hunting Blog from last week!

When we got home from our walk, Judy and Rita arrived. Again, we visited, ate, drank, and then we went out for dinner at Kyllo's Seafood Restaurant. It is right on the ocean. Great food and view.

Here are pictures of us. I had to put two in since Rita and Sandy took turns taking the pictures. Too bad I don't have a picture of all of us when we were in high school together! Ah, we probably don't look any different!

Thanks, Sandy and all you other gals, for such a fun time. I can't believe we are 60 year old women having fun at a "slumber party," just like we did when we were in high school. This was such a memorable time that I will cherish.

I have my blood tested tomorrow and pick up my drink packets for my CT scan on Monday. I have my 3 month appointment with my oncologist on Thursday.

Hope all of you are having a great week.

Love to you all,

JO

We Have Been A Huntin'

First of all............if anyone doesn't like seeing pictures of a dead deer, don't go any further!

We just got home from our annual family deer hunting trip. We sat up our camp this year in a cow pasture! Usually we are able to stay at the near by RV park but it wasn't open this year so we had to rough it. But we had generators so it wasn't all that bad.

The first two days were very cold and windy....like really windy! But the next three days were nice. Tori slept each night with us so she and I didn't go on the early morning hunts. It was about 23 degrees so we were happy to hear the 4-wheelers take off as we were laying in our cozy bed!

The goal this year was for Kyle (our 11 year old grandson) to get his first deer. For several months, Grandpa (Denny)has had him out practicing his shooting and getting used to his gun. He did a great job hitting the cardboard targets of a deer. But it is so much different when you are aiming at a real deer. But he got one! It was perfect because it was during an afternoon/evening hunt so we were all there.

We were all so excited and jumping up and down and yelling. IF there were any more deer around, they were long gone by now! Here are Kyle with his proud parents, Julie and Scott.
And here is Kyle with his proud grandparents!

Scott also got a deer but Tori and I weren't there since it was during a morning hunt.

The other two grandsons have each gotten a deer, so Kyle was happy to get one. But Dakota has already gotten an elk, so pressure is still on Kyle!

Here are a few pictures I took on our hunting trip. This is Scott, Julie, Kyle and Tori on their way hunting.

Here are Denny, Tori and I on our 4-wheeler.

The kids had fun riding the 4-wheelers around our camp...cow pasture!

Justin took his boys deer hunting up to a cabin, about a two hour walk from our camping spot. Unfortunately, they didn't see many deer. They came "down off the mountain" early on Monday so the kids could spend some time together. Here are the three boys together.(DJ, Dakota, Kyle)
Dakota found a huge "elk shed" and brought it back with him along with about 50 pounds of rocks that he carried on his back in his pack. He and Kyle love rocks. Every year we go to Jim and Charlotte's for a BQ, while hunting on their property. Here are Denny, Charlotte and Justin. Here is a family picture of Scott, Julie, Kyle and Tori. Here we are with Kyle and Tori. I didn't get a good picture of Justin and his boys (darn) but here is one of him in his pickup as they are leaving our campsite.We had a great time on our hunting trip. Kyle should be very proud of getting his first deer. He is anxious to have some pepperoni and jerky made so he can share it with his friends.

I feel very blessed to have felt good enough to go on our annual family deer hunting trip. I am looking forward to another hunting trip next year!!!

Love to you all,

JO