Gotta make this quick today

Today my schedule is packed full. I see my medical oncologist Dr. B and will hopefully find out what kinds of chemo program he will have me on. I'm really hoping to retain my hair this time - so cross your fingers for me. I just got it cut yesterday and I so badly wanted to get some color put in it....for one my roots are coming in a rather different color, and I'm not sure if radiation is having an affect on it - but I see a significant increase in grays. Jesus people, I am only 34 - first cancer, now grays? Gimme a break! My mom always wanted the gray hair my grandma had and never got the grays - now it looks like I will be the silver haired 40 year old. Aren't family genes just great sometime? The other reason I wanted to do some color, is because I wanted to do something slightly funky like add dark tips - instead of the usual highlights I would get. But I just hate to spend $60+ dollars just to lose my hair in another month. Though I don't mind being bald, I really don't want to lose my hair cause it just grew out a bit from chopping it off last summer - and I want to go long in hope of my curly hair turning more wavy - like the sexy beach wavy hair that is the trend now, instead of the spirally 'fro I have now. The stylist seemed to think it was possible because the weight of my hair (cause it's so damn thick!) causes a portion of about 2-3" from the roots to be straight, then the ends spiral. It's very weird and I hate the massively curly hair I have, but I can't blow dry it straight here cause the humidity just won't allow it to STAY straight. So really, why waste an hour with the dryer in the heat of the summer when 15 minutes later it's just going to frizz and kink up? So I'm slowly trying to learn how to re-style my hair - and it had just grown out to be able to put back in a ponytail, but after the cut yesterday I can tell it's going to be hard to get it all to reach back for a tail. I told her not to shorten it, but to layer it and thin it out some, but I think in the process I lost some of the length anyway.

Also today I have to do blood work, then of course radiation, then a trip to the dentist. Needless to say I won't make it home till probably 6 or even later due to traffic. But I did find out yesterday what the number of treatments will be. After getting my hopes up about a possible 28-30, and knowing yesterday was #23 and maybe only having 5 days left, I was told that the final number will be 31. Still better than 35, but the thought of being done in a week got me so excited!

Yesterday on the way to treatment I noticed that gas was down 20 cents - $3.99 to 3.79, and I thought that was rather odd considering we just had a HUGE oil spill here on the Mississippi that has royally effed up our port. Supposedly it is costing like $250 million a day - that we have about a 100 ships waiting to dock....and the barge that spilled the 419,000 gallons of oil was still sitting on the river leaking. The Carnival Cruise ship couldn't even dock here Sunday - instead it left out of Mobile, AL. Carnival had to provide transportation for all the passengers, which I bet was lovely considering it's a 3 hour drive - either that or they flew and I'm sure that was no picnic either with TSA and all the requirements now. I doubt when it comes back to port on Saturday that it will be able to dock here then either, as clean up crews are still working on it. It's also triggers being potentially dangerous for our drinking water, which is usually rather great instead of the crud you'd get in Vegas. Hopefully they will get it cleaned up soon - it would also be nice if the gas prices would continue to drop some....like another dollar, LOL!

Oh and if you have time, check out my sister's blog : Perfection is Boring. She's still working on it - but let her know your thoughts on perfection. To me the title is a catch 22 cause I think that I am rather boring, yet I am far from perfect!

Not Sure Where My Mind Is At.....

Can you believe I actually left the house this afternoon for radiation, got half way there - and realized I forgot to brush my teeth. Imagine the horror, knowing you don't have the time to go home and your about to be face to face with someone. Thankfully I have an Orbit White BigePak of gum in the car.
Actually I know where my mind was. My mind is in STL going down memory lane wishing I was with Ruben and able to show him some of my favorite places and stuff. Now that he has been there briefly for this training trip, planning a family vacay there is required!
So did you hear about the 5.4 earthquake to hit L.A. today? Supposedly it could be felt as far east as Vegas. So glad I'm not in the southwest - though the southeast has it's fair share of not fun things. It's hurricane season here and we've been having thunderstorms and downpours nearly daily for weeks now - but hey, at least we don't have to water the grass....but at the same time the grass grows like crazy, and it's humid as hell!

I Figured it Out

If this works correctly I should be posting this from my iPhone - no
app needed. I sure hope it works, cause I'll want to use it during
chemo.
Today after radiation I saw the dr and found that I will probably be
doing only 28 to 30 treatments instead of the 35 I initially thought,
so good news there. Bad news is my burn is getting worse and now
extends across my chest (upper & lower) into my armpit - which is
doing wonders for my lymphedema!
Ruben landed safely in STL and got to see the Arch and other things
while driving downtown, which upsets me so......he is so close to my
childhood home and there is so much I want to show him there. It's my
trip down memory lane.....hrmph! I guess we'll be planning a trip
there soon.

Sent from my iPhone

3 More Weeks

Today marks 3 more weeks left of radiation. I fear that I won't be finished by August 15th cause I noticed this weekend that my chest has gotten a lot darker and the skin is beginning to peel. I won't get to see the doctor till tomorrow - unless the radiation tech takes one look at me and send me to the doctor instead of the machine.
I'm not BADLY burned, but I am rather dark. It worries me because the worse it gets, the longer I may have to wait to finish reconstruction - that and I have heard stories about the radiated skin being unusable for reconstruction with implants and that donor skin may have to be used from another area of my body. Which on one hand is fine with me - use all my stomach muscle, tissue and fat needed so I get the benefit of a tummy tuck out of it.....but on the other hand, then I will have multiple incision areas, and I'm not sure if I want to be in all that pain. But for now one step at a time, which means lathering on the lotion several times through-out the day.

Also in 3 weeks Natalie starts school. I cannot believe school starts in mid-August. I thought it would be closer to the end of August. It kind of sucks for her since today she started a week long reading camp at school, but it's only half days - but she just came home all excited about her reading group and informed me she doesn't have to wear her uniforms this week......great, so now I have to find 4 appropriate outfits to sit out for the remainder of the week, after I just prepped her uniforms!

Ruben is in St. Louis for the week attending some training classes. it sucks to me that he got to go and we're stuck here because of my radiation - since I am after all from just across the river. It would have been nice to go "home" and show Natalie all the cool things like the the Arch and my favorite parks, museums, and the zoo. But Ruben wouldn't have been able to enjoy any of it as he would've been stuck in class all day. Maybe we'll head up there for Thanksgiving or something......of course that all depends on if gas prices drop some and my treatment - which by the way is time to go get ready for. I say hopefully I'll get a week off since I'm peeling, but I really don't want to prolong any treatments unless it is absolutely necessary!

Post Secret

Last night as I was writing my post, Ruben was curious what it was I was posting about - so I told him. He then informed me that I have a sizable audience of readers within his company, and I should probably watch what I say - especially when it comes to him. He is more of a private person, whereas to me, this is MY forum, MY place to be myself, My place to say anything I want. I rarely hold back - but now I wonder what some of his co-workers may think of me after some of the things I have posted, LOL! Ah well, it's all in good fun. I'm sure most people just get a little chuckle out of the things I say as most can relate on one level or another. Oh and I should mention to everyone that while I made a comment about the pictures in Playboy - it is neither here nor there. I think that women who are comfortable with themselves, can most certainly look at another women and say to herself "nice rack or she's hot or I want that ass" and never mean it in a sexual way. We recognize beauty in other women, and we can appreciate it. Men however, would NEVER admit that another man looks good - they are certainly different creatures than the rest of us.

But as many of you already know, I try not to name names or companies or give away any pertinent information - that is unless you piss me off, LOL. I don't want any stranger to know where we live live or where to track us down - especially my daughter - that's why I try to leave out our last name (though I know I have mentioned it before) and the names of her schools.

Speaking of which, next week she goes to a week long reading camp at school for half days. Gives her a nice chance to be prepared and become a stronger reader for the upcoming school year! Hence the reason I bought her books yesterday. Last night we read Little Miss Chatterbox and Little Miss Bossy - for appearing to be easy to read books, they were not - but I thought that Natalie might learn a little lesson out of them......let's see how long she retains that lesson, LOL.

So after I finished my post, I surfed some of my favorite blogs. One of them being PostSecret, which really upset me. Not sure if you've ever visited PostSecret, but it is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I've never sent one in because I honestly can't think of a secret worth sharing. I mean let's face it - I am a pretty vocal person. I don't hold too much back. So anyway, I am browsing through this week's secrets and I come across two items that bothered me and made me cry. Ruben asked what was wrong and I showed him. He says to me - "you don't seriously think that one is from me, do you?" I said "no" - I knew he had no way of sending it in, as he hardly even knew about the site, let alone what to do or where to send it. I don't read the secrets looking for one that pertains to me, I just simply like reading them. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry, sometimes I am disturbed. Last night I was just upset cause the postcards hit a little close to home, and I could relate to them in a way. I don't worry so much about my scars anymore, but I do worry that I have pushed him away. I remember in the beginning I couldn't even stand to look at my scars let alone let him look at them or touch them. Today I wear those scars with great pride because it shows how strong I am, and that I will go to any length to be here with my family. I feel awful for the woman who wrote this card, thinking that her insecurities drove her man away and I hope one day she comes to terms and is no longer ashamed of her disfigurement. For the other card, I say shame on you. Love is unconditional. Your wife would still love you if you had testicular cancer and had to have your balls removed. There is more to a marriage than what is on the outside. Is being fortunate enough to still have a living wife not good enough for him, would he rather have someone with boobs? That is vain and selfish. I feel for his wife, because I'm sure she has her own personal struggles from dealing with cancer. She deserves a man that is sympathetic and understanding.

These cards make me feel so blessed to have the husband I do. One that loves me and stands by me no matter what - even though I have tried to push him away, he refuses to budge. One that told me that it did not matter if I chose not to get reconstruction - that if I am going to do it, then do it for myself. I am extremely fortunate to have a husband like this - and rather than take him for granted, I try to remind myself of this day in and day out. I wish all women faced with breast cancer were as fortunate as myself to have such a loving, caring partner - and that they have the strength and courage I now have.

If I had more time before radiation I would send Frank over at PostSecret an email response regarding these two cards, but it's a little late now as he posts new secrets every Sunday - so any chances of the emails being posted or seen before Sunday would be slim. Ah well, maybe next time I will remember to check earlier in the week.

On another note, I am so loving my new iPhone. It's so handy to not have to call 411 when you need a phone number, cause you have the web right there! Plus I am really becoming addicted to some of the game apps I have downloaded! I just wish the battery was as good as they advertised. I charge it AT LEAST once a day....300 hours of stand-by time my fat ass! My iPod has a better battery. Thankfully I bought the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend my coverage to 2 years - and it does cover the battery, thank goodness!

I may be sick, but I'm a good wife =)

I haven't been feeling well the last few days - in fact I humiliated myself to many drivers along Clearview as I was pulled over at a Shell Station puking my guts out after radiation on Tuesday. Since then I haven't been feeling well. Very exhausted and worn out, but no longer puking. After tomorrow I will only have 3 WEEKS left till I am done with radiation - YAY!!!! So far other than feeling exhausted, treatment is going well. I have no badly burned areas or intense pain.

Today after radiation I stopped by Barnes & Noble, got a few books for Natalie - but my main purpose for going there was to pick up August's issue of Playboy for Ruben so he could see the pictures of Susie Sprague-Feldman....Corey Feldman's hot 26 year old wife. Ruben now says she makes his list of 5. I will admit she has a body....perfectly round surgically enhanced breast - and a pierced vajayjay to top it off. He saw her once on an episode of The Two Corey's and wondered how Corey scored such a hot wife. When I heard that she was in August's issue, I knew I just had to get the magazine. He gave up his subscription years ago, and hell the price of one is damn near close the price of a yearly subscription! Ah well, I just wanted to treat him with a nice little surprise.

Day 730

Yup, still counting the days - and after two years it still isn't any easier.

Ruben being the super supportive husband that he is, woke me up with breakfast in bed. So at least my morning was off to a good start. Then he let me chill the rest of the day. The stress free day was much needed. Though the stress is definitely showing on my face, and I hate it. Anytime I tweeze my eyebrow I aggravate an abscess, then all acne breaks loose. Of course the stuff I use helps, but it also peals off like 5 layers of skin before the spot heals. It's time for me to see another dermatologist - and not one who suggests washing my face with Cetaphil, as that's not much of a solution. Speaking of which, it's time for me to go wash my face and call it a night. Tomorrow starts another fun week of radiation - yay!

Trying to Blog from my iPhone

Played with my phone lots today. Got it all set up, played some fun games - but when it comes to blogging, though I can view and log in to my page, I can't make a post. Not sure why. I know MySpace makes an application for for the phone, so maybe that's the problem - maybe I need a blogger app, but they don't make one. Still though, even if I can't blog, I can do lots of other stuff to pass the time while I'm at various doctor's office. I still need to check and see if I'm able to answer questions or blog for the breast cancer sites I work independently for. instead of checking to see about the important stuff I've been too busy playing games and such, lol! Oh, but I think I'm in love. How in the world did I ever manage before without an Apple iPhone?


Oh - was also wondering something else.....what could possibly be the reason behind wanting and eating tuna every day, like those little fat free tuna salad lunch kits that comes with crackers? Would a vitamin deficiency lead to such cravings? I'm I putting myself at risk of mercury poisoning by eating it everyday? I wonder if the radiation is somehow involved. Just something that I've noticed myself doing and am curious as to the reasoning behind it. Any suggestions?

Got me an iPhone today

A week after it's debut, my direct fulfillment order came in and I got my new 3g iPhone today. I've spent half the day trying to set it up - installing a bunch of applications, music & ring tones (once I go through it all, figure out what I want and get it all synced) This baby has lots of bells and whistles and I love it! It's definitely going to take some getting used to, but I'm sure I'll have fun playing along the way!

Birthday Boy

Today marks Ruben's big 35. We decorated the house in signs, enjoyed a simple evening at home and topped it off with cake.

Another Week of Radiation

Mondays mark the beginning of another lovely week of radiation - though I should specify that treatment itself is not bad, it's just the traffic. But so far I have 12 down and 23 left to go - which is roughly 4 1/2 weeks, perhaps longer if I miss days or because of holidays. Slowly but surely I am getting there.

So how was every one's weekend?

We went into town so I could order my iPhone on direct fulfillment, cause I was unable to get it on Friday as promised. Apparently the stupid regional manager for the AT&T stored here only ordered like 60 per store because he thought that there wasn't a big need for them. He told me that everyone who wanted an iPhone already had one - yeah but he didn't factor in the hundreds of us waiting for the new one so we could upgrade. The stores had lines that formed at 5am. It was ridiculous. But at least with direct fulfillment I should have my phone in 3 to 10 days, and since it is paid for I will get it before walk-ins.

I was pretty pissed Friday because I had gotten up early and went into town just to get my phone, and since that plan back-fired, I ended up walking through the mall buying gifts for Ruben's birthday tomorrow. All that walking around and standing not only killed my knee, causing it to inflame once again, but also caused my ankles to swell. I wasn't exactly happy cause my knee was finally healing, though it still popped and cracked with each step. I can't afford to damage it any further - and I've been waiting about 2 months for it to heal so I can get back on the Wii Fit!

So after ordering my phone we had lunch and bought a new 42" HDTV 1080p. One of our old TV's has been going bad for a while and since several repairmen could not fix it, RC Willey reimbursed us the full cost of that TV minus the extended warranty. I swear that was the best damn extended warranty ever - no wait, we bought a 37" Olevia from Office Depot about 8 months ago and one of the speakers went out so they shipped us a brand new model. So Natalie now has that 37" HDTV 1080i, and we have the 42" one in our bedroom. The old TV is still kicking and has been in the guest room every since we thought it was about to go out. We got tired of the screen going gray while playing video games so we took the 57" in the living room and put it in the game room, and bought a new 61" for our TV room. Once we reported the problems we were having they replaced like a motherboard within that TV, so it works great again, it's just that on one side it picks up interference and shows these little static white lines that are about 2 inches long every minute or so - but it has done this since 2004, so I don't think it poses a real problem - and if it should go out it's just the guest room TV. All our other TV's are less than a year old, so it's all good. though I find it kinda funny that our 8 year old has a bigger, better TV than most people have in their living rooms. I swear Ruben created a monster when he turned me on to electronics. Before I could never tell the difference between a regular TV and an HD LCD TV - but now, whoa! I want the biggest, bestest TV's around - besides I'm pretty much blind so bigger is always better!

So tomorrow is Ruben's birthday. Since it falls during the week we really don't plan on much. Just a little cake that I'll either buy tomorrow after treatment, or one that Natalie will make. We kinda already celebrated this weekend, as that is when I gave him his gifts and we had a nice meal out. I gave him his gifts early cause I am always so impatient and excited. I just bought him some clothes, nothing too special cause we're adults - we buy what we want when we want it. We don't need an excuse to buy something we like, I mean as long as we can afford it we buy it when we see it. Now that my iPhone is out of the way, I will be pooling my extra money together to buy that $1200 Nikon DSLR camera & lens combo I want. I guess I've been putting it off cause I really don't need it. I have an awesome Sony digital point & shoot with 3 extra lenses, but it's an obsession of mine. Especially every time we go to a VooDoo game or Saint's game and I see the photojournalist there with their cameras with huge ass lenses. Ah well, one day soon. I promise. I want it so I can take more artistic photos and not just pictures of the family. Plus a remote for those self pictures will be nice!

Ok, well it's time for me to get ready for radiation. Oh joy!

Almost forgot, I saw one of the bunnies out on Friday, so they're still surviving somehow. It makes me glad to know the gator haven't eaten them!

Calgon Take Me Away

There is never a day so bad that a 60+ gallon jetted jacuzzi roman tub can't take away.

Things here have been pretty good. I'm finally getting over my head cold, though I am still somewhat sad about Ruben's mom leaving and the upcoming anniversary of my mother's death. Radiation has been good, no problems there - just tired of driving in the traffic! Although one thing did happen yesterday that called for Calgon......my weekly visit to the lab. UGH! I have the worst veins ever and am limited to one arm, since my right has no lymph nodes in it. This lady was having a hard ass time hitting my vein, and fished for it. Then she was surprised when she couldn't get even a spoonful out of me. So she had to stick me again in a different spot. Now I have a nice bruise where she popped my vein. I so hate these weekly test, but I will be having them done all through radiation and well into chemo. YAY, not!

After my visit to the lab I stopped into Dr. B's office to schedule an appointment and find out what his plans are for chemo. I don't know if I can do both at the same time, but if I could I think I rather would - though I am not really looking forward to losing my hair and have decided that I will not shave my head this time, but rather wait and see how much I lose. I have extremely thick curly hair. If I only have to do 4 sessions like last time I'm hoping there's a chance I can keep most of it. I'll find out more once I see the doctor at the end of the month.

Last night after a nice relaxing bath I pondered cutting bangs. I still can't quite decide. On one hand I believe that it won't matter as soon I will be bald, on the other I think there are new combinations of chemo out there now and my next one might not have that side effect, and do I really want to suffer through another grow out period? I say suffer because I have been in a grow out period for a year now cause last summer I decided to cut all my hair short. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Shortly after I did it I wished I hadn't, but the heat of summer and the increase of hot flashes drove me to doing it. Now my hair is jest finally long enough to make a small decent ponytail, and I wish it longer even though it's hot and humid. I guess only time will tell what I am left with after chemo - I can do bald if I need to, but I would rather not!

Well I have a few hours before it's time to get ready, so I think I'm going to go play some Guitar Hero Aerosmith, as I have not played it yet - and tomorrow I will be leaving early so I can run by an AT&T store and pick up a new iPhone......oh I so cannot wait for it!!!

Oh, and I am sad to say that the little bunnies I had seen in the previous weeks have not been around and I worry that the gators got them. Poor things. Also, it's STILL raining here!

Another Day

Today I took another day off from radiation, extending my holiday weekend. It seems sometime during my weekend I got this damn awful head cold, and now I'm full blown sick and it sucks. I need to put a stop to this congestion before it gets any worse. What's weird is that I have been loading up on my vitamins and I still got sick! So now I'm loading up on Mucinex and Benedryl and am so tired from it. I think it's kind of like a sinus infection because not only does my forehead hurt, but my cheeks and teeth hurt as well. Luckily I had a refill on my antibiotics, and hopefully through a miracle I will fell better in time for tomorrow's radiation treatment! And though I have been in bed sick, I'm sure my Durango, as well as my pocketbook appreciated the rest!

Yesterday Ruben's mom left after spending the last 3 weeks here. It was really hard for me, as she's all I have now that my mom is gone. I couldn't even tell her how I felt, I had to have Ruben do it. I'm hoping that by next year I will be able to open up more to her and let her know how much I love her and appreciate everything she does. It's just very hard for me during this time of year as day 730 is quickly approaching. Yes I am still counting days as I take it day by day. I miss her so much. I don't think I will ever get over her death.

Before she left, I had to burn 4 discs full of photos for her, which reminded me I have lots of pictures to upload - just wish I would have been feeling up to it this weekend cause I just don't have much time during the week. But I will try to get to them soon. Friday is the big day, that day I get my new iPhone. I so cannot wait. I got one of my paychecks today, just in time to pay for it and whatever accessories I need. I'm so excited!

This weekend aside from lying in bed being sick I also watched some of the new movies that are piling up. One of them was the Other Boleyn Girl. It was good, though I did not like Scarlett Johansson in it. I also found it odd that it differs so much from The Tudors. Unfortunately high school seemed to focus mostly on US history, so I don't know a whole lot about the history of England. So I'm curious which is more accurately displayed.
Oh and I think I've officially made my decision to start trying to put together a book on breast cancer and somehow shop it around for publishing. I've already got a title in mind and Ruben is very supportive on this as he knows that it has been my mission to try to help women with breast cancer, and more importantly educate younger women in the importance of self exams. Breast cancer is not an old lady disease anymore. Younger women are being diagnosed yearly, but at the same time women are living longer too!

So much on my plate to do and no time to be sick!

Who Needs Fireworks When You Have Thunder & Lightening?

Yes, another mostly cloudy day of thunderstorms, which is also what we have in store for Saturday & Sunday. After all, it is hurricane season and thunderstorms are a big part of the season. But seriously, who needs fireworks when you have thunder that rocks your house? Besides, last year when Mr. Ruben (as the kids call him) put on a fireworks show for the neighborhood kids, the sheriff came by and paid us a nice 'lil visit to let us know that in our Parish fireworks are illegal - however if you drive 20 miles to another Parish it's perfectly ok. So this year no fireworks, ah well. But we're still having a BBQ as it's not raining at the moment, then we'll probably all watch one of many new movies together or perhaps play some Guitar Hero or other video games. New Orleans doesn't really offer much in the way of fireworks shows like Vegas did. The city is still re-building after Hurricane Katrina, and tourism is not what it once was - especially with this economy. It's just as well though, who needs to waste all that money on gas, when you can stay home and have family fun, right?

Oh I also forgot to mention in my random ramblings that I have finally gotten a hold of my brother. He's doing well at both jobs and he's paying his bills and stuff. He's just a little depressed cause he misses our mom and he's lonely cause my other brother & his wife are selfish and refuse to be a part of his life - cause they will be damned if they are left to be responsible for caring for him. I wish that he's just retire from working and come live with here with us, like I have offered a million times. But he's just not ready to give up Vegas yet.

The other thing is that last week I saw bunnies up the road, not near the golf course or clubhouse, but up near the highway where there are swampy, marshy areas. Natalie and I both wonder how they survive when there alligators up there. I dunno where they go when the gators come, but they are obviously smarter than them.

Oh and get this. With all this nasty weather we've been having, Natalie comes in and tells me this story that grandma told her (my mom). She said Grandma would always say that don't be scared of thunderstorms, just think of it as one happy and one mad cloud. The mad cloud is thunder and the happy cloud is lightening. To me that is just too funny that she remembers this little tidbit my mom told her years ago. When I was growing up my mom always told me that thunder was just god bowling, and lightening happened when he got a strike.....hahaha.

Anyway, Happy 4th - Have a safe & happy weekend!

More Free Graphics and Myspace Layouts at pYzam.com

Random Ramblings

• I took Lexie to the vet today. Luckily she was feeling much better and declared healthy - unfortunately she got several shots, which in itself wouldn't have been too harsh on the pocketbook, but after purchasing 6 month supply of heart worm/flea guard the cost of the visit went through the roof! Still though knowing my baby is healthy is worth it - and people say you can't buy happiness. Well a family pet certainly brings me a lot of happiness and keeping her healthy, and making sure she leads a long, full life is key!
• I despise traffic. The best part of being a SAHM is "missing" out on all that rush hour traffic. But now with daily freaken radiation, I run into quite a bit of traffic all over and on the way home. Along with that sporadic traffic comes a lot of STUPID drivers! UGH! I thought Vegas was bad, but I guess no matter where you go you are bound to run into bad drivers - and it sucks! Not to mention that gassing up both Dodge's is seriously putting a dent in the finances!
• So far radiation is going well. I've had 10 treatments of 35, and so far there have been NO nasty burning side effects that you expect from radiation. That doesn't mean that it won't happen, but I am applying lotion 3 times a day as instructed. All this lotioning up makes me think of Silence of The Lambs and Wild Bill with his lotion. I saw Dr. J my plastic surgeon today and he said things are looking great - told me how he would like to handle things (i.e. pushing, massaging, etc.)
• This weekend I used my huge ass jacuzzi tub for the first time ever - and we've owned this house for a year and a half! I am not kidding when I say that it took over 30 minutes to fill up half-way, 20 to drain - and it was SO BIG that I had to sit sideways to shave my legs cause every time I would lift a leg to soap up I would slip down into the tub. I dunno why I never used this tub before......other than it's ugly color!
• I think I'm addicted to Vitamin Water, irregardless of what those stupid ads say (you know, the ones that say I have to do blah, blah, blah to burn off this water - WHATEVER!) I totally love XXX, Defense, Essential and Formula 50 - besides, I am so in need of all those vitamins now!
• We have Guitar Hero Aerosmith and I can't wait to rock out on it. I truly hope Metallica makes a version!
• This is the last week my mother in law is here. Having her here has been so priceless. Her help so valuable. She has looked after Natalie & myself as if she were my own mother, and for that I love her. What I don't love is the fact that she is on vacation, and she won't go a day without cleaning! I just wish that she would relax and enjoy her time off work, away from home - but I can't change her, just love her the way she is and be thankful for all she has done. My house is never cleaner than it is when she is here. My laundry washed, dried, & folded. Natalie's room clean and organized. Dishes done. She is truly a god-send! My brother in law, who is in Chicago visiting a friend right now comes back this weekend and will be here till mid-September to continue helping out - thank god!

Other than that, life is good at the moment - plus I'm happy that there's no radiation on Friday. Happy 4th of July.....yay!