Gettin' Things Done At Home

I have been organizing my pictures. I looked through all my photo albums and scrap books (I have way too many) and now I have to put all my loose pictures in picture boxes. I'm not putting them in albums any more since they take up too much space. I bought picture boxes and have them labeled. This is going to take a day or two since I have lots of pictures. I know most people just have their pictures on their computers (and I do also) but I like to have hard copies of some of my pictures. I like looking at them and I think the kids will enjoy looking at them later in their lives. I have albums for each of the grandkids.

I've been at home the last couple of days, other than grocery shopping. It is nice to get some odds and ends taken care of around here. I made reservations to go to Seaside in a couple of weeks with Amy and Carolyn. We went there last year and had so much fun. We like to shop and they have the outlet mall there. Plus, I like the down town area of Seaside. They have really improved it. We always go out to eat and hope to go to a movie this time. We ran out of time last year when we were there. And, boy, are there a lot of good movies to see now. Did you watch the Academy Awards? The review in the Oregonian wasn't very good but I liked them. Haven't seen any of the movies but still liked looking at all the good looking people and the previews of the movies.

My primary doctor sent me an email over the weekend (can you believe he works on Saturday?!) and said that he wants me to start taking a B-12 vitamin because he thinks it might help my red blood cell count. I knew my white count and platelets were low but didn't know that my red blood cell count is also dropping. I have been a little more tired lately, which I absolutely hate. I am also having minor headaches, so hopefully, the B-12 vitamin will help. It is sure worth a try.

Tomorrow we are going to Newberg for Kyle's basketball party. It is going to be at Scott and Julie's house. We are anxious to see the kids. We will stay all night and then I will go to my support group meeting on Wednesday. Julie and I are going to meet Shauna and her friend, Paris, after class. They haven't met Julie and I haven't met Paris. So I am looking forward to that.

Denny is going skiing on Thursday and I haven't decided what I am going to do. .

Hope all of you have a great week. It's raining again. Darn.

Love to you all,

JO

Basketball & Appointments

We had a great weekend. Kyle had a basketball tournament in Aloha. They lost two games and won one. Kyle played great and is getting so much better with each game. He is really playing aggressively and was high point man in two games.

Tori stayed all night with us on Saturday night and we had tons of fun. It seems like we don't get to have the kids here as much as we would like to since they are both involved in so many activities.

Tuesday I had my eyes checked and there wasn't much of a change from last year. That night we went to watch the Roosevelt girl's basketball team play. Steve Duin, a writer for the Oregonian, wrote an article stating that no one ever goes to watch their games and they have lost 18 consecutive games. Well, they didn't win but they played their best game ever and only lost by two points. There were 1,600 people there cheering for them! I am sure it was a once in a lifetime experience for all the Roosevelt girls.

Today I had my yearly physical. I am pleased that my cholesterol is good and has improved from last year. All my blood work was good except for my white blood cell count and platelets. Both have dropped even more. I will have them checked next month to see if they continue to drop. I had a tetanus shot and made an appointment for my mammogram. I then went to my support group meeting and then had my port flushed this afternoon.

Tomorrow I am meeting Amy and Carolyn for some serious shopping and we are meeting Eileen and Julie for lunch at Little Cooper's Town in Hillsboro.

Hope all of you are having a great week. It is suppose to be 60 degrees on Friday so get out and enjoy it. We might go for a Harley ride. Haven't ridden it since last summer.

Love to you all,

JO

Cruise and Update

OMG. I can't believe it has been so long since I have written on my Blog. We have been busy, as usual. I recently had a CT scan, blood tests and an appointment with my oncologist. At the bottom of this posting I will attach a copy of the update I sent out to people telling them about my results.

Our cruise to the Western Caribbean was fun. We went on the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship. It had free style dining, which we thought we would like but every time we went to dinner, we had to wait 30 - 60 minutes. The food was just so-so. The entertainment was awful. But the ship was really nice and we loved our suite.

The weather was a little cool about four days. We didn't like Roatan (Honduras) or Belize. The children of Roatan held up this sign as our ship was leaving.

We liked Cozumel. We were suppose to go to a private island but the weather was too bad so we went to Key West, which was nice. Our cruise ship took off from Miami so when we returned there after our cruise, we went on an excursion to the Everglades on an air boat and saw lots of alligators.

We went on the cruise with our friends, Jan and Dick and Lynne and Bill. Jan and Lynne are the gals I go to Reno with each year.Denny and I didn't have any formal pictures taken on this cruise and I kind of regret it. This is the only one we had taken of ourselves.Last night we went to Arlington to watch Justin coach his varsity Echo boy's basketball team. They won. Today we went to Kyle's basketball tournament in Aloha. They lost and will play two more games tomorrow. Kyle played great. Tori came home with us and Kyle went to one of the other player's house to spend the night. She just beat me bowling on our Wii.

Here is the update I sent out:

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Hi Everyone:

It has been a while since I sent out an update so I thought I would let you know what is going on. I met with my oncologist on Monday. She said my recent CT scan was good. It doesn't show any signs of cancer. This is amazing since I have a "triple-negative" cancer, which is considered a fast growing and aggressive cancer. I think that is why the first two oncologists I met with, when I was first diagnosed, didn't even suggest any treatments for me. Guess I showed them!

The problem now is with my blood. My white blood cells and platelets are continuing to drop. There isn't any reason for this since I am not on any drugs or having any treatments. I had a bone marrow biopsy three months ago, in hopes of finding out what is causing the drops. But nothing showed up...................that's good and bad. So I will continue to have my blood tested every month and will have another bone marrow biopsy (my favorite procedure) in three months. Denny said he will take meds before watching it, even if I don't take any! My oncologist is looking for Myelodysplasia, which is when your bone marrow makes abnormal cells. The symptoms are excessive bruising and weight loss. Duh................don't have those! I think I am an unusual case for my oncologist because I don't seem to "follow the rules." I have lots of energy and think I look okay so I am not exhibiting the signs of someone with Myelodysplasia or any other cancer of the blood. With my low counts, I need to be careful about being around sick people and getting a bacterial infection, since my body might have a tough time fighting it. But, I am around sick people occasionally and don't seem to get sick and when I had a cold recently, it only took me 3 days to get over it. I think my body is stronger than my blood counts are showing. As my granddaughter would say, "Grandma is one tough chick!" So I will continue to have my blood tested monthly, have a bone marrow biopsy in 3 months and will have another CT scan in 4-6 months.

Now on to some fun stuff...............We just got home from a Caribbean cruise with friends. 'Had a great time. Today is our 44th wedding anniversary and we are driving to Arlington tonight to watch Justin coach his basketball team. This weekend we will be watching Kyle play in his basketball tournament in Aloha. I am signed up to participate in the Shamrock Run next month with Julie and Lori. We are looking forward to having fun with the kids during spring break. Might also go skiing at Anthony Lakes near Baker next month. I am helping plan our 45th class reunion which will be in September. As you can see, I am not slowing down and am keeping busy. I just don't have time for cancer in my life right now so I'm planning on continuing to do fun things with my family and friends.

I want to thank all of you for your continued support, friendship and love. I know one of the reasons I am doing so well is because of all of you.

Happy Valentine's Day..........

Love to you all,

JO

Cougars Team Up Against Cancer

Another busy week. I went to Eleanor's "celebration of life"on Saturday and then to Kyle's basketball tournament, which was also on Sunday. They didn't win but had fun.

On Monday, I went to Mary Etta's, in Newberg, to help plan our 45th class reunion. It will be on September 12th at Sandy and Merlin's house outside of Newberg. It is a humongous house and the yard and patios make it a super place for a large gathering.

On Tuesday, the day we had snow, we decided at the last minute to drive to Echo to watch Justin's basketball teams play. Instead of taking the usual 3 1/2 hours, it took us 4 1/2 because the gorge had snow and ice. The trip home was fine because it had warmed up. Justin's JV team won and the Varsity lost by about 10. That team had beat them bad previously so they did a great job of staying so close. They were even tied at half time. It was so fun to watch Justin coach. He does such a good job and you can tell that the kids like him.

Justin and Denny are looking over the stats.
This picture is a little blurry but I like it because it shows how Justin likes talking to the opposing coach.
This week is Cancer Week at Echo and they are selling pink shirts that say, "Cougars Team Up Against Cancer." I was wondering why Justin was wearing the pretty pink tee shirt when we walked into the gym! He bought me one so we both wore them during the games. Tonight at their game, there will be lots of people wearing their pink cancer tee shirts. Thanks, Justin, for my shirt and for wearing yours! That really means a lot to me. It was fun to see Dakota and DJ. We hope to go to one of Dakota's basketball tournaments and another one of Justin's games when we get back from our trip.
On Wednesday I went to my support group meeting and there were 25 women there! I think that is the most that have ever been there since I have been going. Two new gals were there and one has two children under the age of two. Makes me so mad that cancer has to happen to such young people.

Yesterday I had my CT scan and I won't get the results until my oncology appointment on the 10th. I planned it that way because we are going on a Western Caribbean cruise on Saturday. I don't want the results until we get back. We are going on the cruise with Jan, Dick, Lynne and Bill. We have never been on an Norwegian Cruise Ship so I hope we like it. It is a newer ship and they have open seating for dining. And they do not have a formal night. I packed a little different for this cruise than I have previously for other cruises we have been on. I will let you all know how we liked it.

The bad thing is that I started coming down with a cold. Don't like the thought of flying on an airplane with a cold. But, it could be worse. I feel lucky just to be going on this trip. We are flying first class and using air miles. We have never flown first class before but people seem to like it.

I hope all of you have a great weekend and a great week. Will blog more after we return from our cruise.

Love to you all,

JO

CCR and Justin's Now A Varsity Basketball Coach

On Thursday morning I met Amy and Carolyn at 9:30 for our monthly shopping trip. Then we met Eileen and Julie for our monthly luncheon. We ate at The Venetian in Hillsboro. It was great. It used to be an old movie theater and now it is a very nice restaurant and bar plus a newly remodeled movie theater and performance center. Then at 4:00 I met the Lunch Bunch gals at The Roadhouse. We usually get together a couple of times a year. It was so nice to see everyone and especially Karen, who looks fantastic. So that was a fun day.

On Friday we dropped Sara (our dog) off at Scott and Julie's because they were nice enough to take care of her while we went to the beach to see Creedence Clearwater Survival. They were great but we didn't like the smoke in the casino. Guess that is the only place now days where smoking is allowed so smokers love to hang out there. After the performance (9:30 PM) we ate at the seafood buffet.......................I said we ate a buffet at 9:30 at night! Can you believe it?! I hate eating late and especially eating lots. OMG......................never again.

We got up on Saturday and went for a walk on the beach. It was nice, with no wind or rain. We then drove to Canby for Kyle's basketball tournament. We missed the first game since it was at 9:30 AM. Unfortunately, they lost both games. They will play two more tomorrow.

Justin is now the JV AND Varsity basketball coach at Echo. The head coach was "let go" so they asked Justin if he would take over. They only have 8 more games. The JV's won their games yesterday and today. I think they have only lost one game this season. The Varsity lost yesterday and WON today. They played their rival, Ione, at home. Ione has won their last 7 games so everyone was really excited Echo won. Congratulations to Justin for winning his first game as a Varsity coach. He said he was so proud of his boys because they played so hard.

Tomorrow I am going to a Celebration of Life ceremony for Eleanor. She passed away from cancer, just before Christmas. She was a super lady that will missed by so many. Then I will go to Kyle's basketball tournament in Canby.

We have another busy week ahead. Will write about it later. Hope all of you are having a great week. ( I know Shauna is..................she is in San Francisco!)

Love to you all,

JO

Another Busy Week

It's been a week and I know I have been neglecting my Blog. Just seem to spend most of my computer time on Facebook. If you haven't joined it yet, you should give it a try.


We have had another busy week. My support group meeting was great. Pam, my friend who has recently diagnosed with cancer, went for the second week in a row with me. She will miss this week because she is having chemo on Wednesday. But Shauna and Fern were there and I love seeing them both, not to mention all the other gals.

Denny went skiing with our friend, Gary, and had a blast. They drove to Hermiston and visited with Justin and then headed to Baker to stay all night. They got up the next morning and skied at Anthony Lakes. We had skied there many years ago with Gary and his family. It is such a neat place to ski and too bad it takes about 5 hours to drive there. Denny's knee did not bother him one bit and he skied like he was a pro. Apparently, it is like riding a bike...........once you learn how to do it, you don't forget. He loved it so much that he bought himself a new pair of skis, boots and poles. Kay and Rod: He just might be calling you two to go skiing with him!

On Friday we went to Newberg for Kyle's basketball practice. We stayed all night since they had a tournament in Molalla on Saturday and Sunday. They lost two and won two. The boys are playing so well and Denny is pleased with the way they are executing the plays.

Justin's JV boys won their game on Friday night but don't know about Saturday night's game. Since Dakota didn't have school today, I am sure the two of them are out duck hunting.

Today I cleaned my house. Boy, did it need it. The windows look pretty dirty, though. With the beautiful sunshine, they really are looking bad.

We will head to Newberg tomorrow for practice. I will go to my support group meeting on Wednesday. I am meeting with girlfriends for shopping and lunch on Thursday and then we are headed to the beach on Friday to see Creedence Clearwater Revival. And I am taking Jan and Dick to the airport Friday morning at 4:00 AM! Haven't been up that early since, I don't remember when! Kyle has a basketball tournament in Canby this weekend. Plus, I am going to a celebration of life, on Sunday, for a friend that passed away. Then another week starts and looking at my calendar, I have something every day! I hope my cancer is aware that I don't have time for it and it will just lay low for a long time. ( I have my CT scan on the 29th.)

Hope all of you are having a nice week and enjoying the sunshine.

Love to you all,

JO

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, tomorrow, to Shauna!

Basketball, Basketball, Basketball

We went to Kyle's basketball tournament in Wilsonville last weekend. They won two games and lost two. It is so much fun to see the progress the boys are making. They are all in the 5th grade and just beginning to learn "plays." Denny is really enjoying helping to coach the team. It was fun to run into Ron, Linda and Doug, our friends from Forest Grove. Doug's son, Ronnie, is in the 5th grade and plays on the Forest Grove team. We will have a tournament there in a few weeks. After the game on Saturday night, we went to eat at Juan's, my favorite Mexican restaurant. On Sunday night, we went to eat at Red Robin. Scott and Julie's neighbors and their three girls also went because they were at the game. So the weekend wasn't the best "eating" weekend for me as far as calories but it was sure a fun "eating" weekend! They will have a tournament this weekend in Molalla.


Denny and Kyle had basketball practice on Monday so we went to Newberg and stayed all night since they also had practice today (Tuesday). We will go home tonight because I am going to my support group meeting tomorrow and Denny is going skiing at Anthony Lakes with Gary. Denny hasn't skied for over 20 years so it will be interesting. Sure hope he doesn't hurt his knee that he has had surgery on. They are going to stop and see Justin on their way there.


Today I went to the Woodburn Outlet Stores. I hadn't been there for a long time. It was fun to walk through the stores. There are more stores there than I was aware of. I bought a pair of Nike running shoes and some cheap Converse tennis shoes. Now I have to get rid of a couple of pair of shoes in my closet so I have room for my new ones!


I am looking forward to meeting my friend, Kay, tomorrow after my support group meeting. We try to get together at least once a month. We were neighbors in Tigard over 30 years ago.



Haven't heard yet if Justin's JV's won their game last night. They are 7-0.


Hope all of you are having a great week.


Love to you all,


JO