The Big Weekend

Sorry things have been quiet around here since my birthday. Most of
the week was pretty chill except Wednesday. I had court that morning
and just about everything went wrong - wrong parking structure, wrong
building, several blocks of walking back and forth, forgot to ask if
the ticket went on my record and didn't remember till I had gotten
back to my car. Drove to a new spot - which was by the ferry landing,
so I took my camera backpack so I could snap some pix when I was done.
Well they wouldn't let me in with it and was told to either throw it
away (yeah right! $1000 worth of camera equipment are they nuts?) or
put it back in my car - so more walking, then I had to go back into
the courtroom and talk to the judge so it was more wasted time. Then I
walked back to my car for my bag then walked to the landing to get pix
of downtown N.O. Afterwards I had an appointment at my plastic
surgeons office. He gave me another 125 cc's of saline which left me
with near 500. We're going to do two more fills then I'll be going
into surgery to get the final reconstruction done. If all goes well
we're talking in about a month. Thing is this last fill really hurt.
Hurt more than just skin stretching. I felt like my muscle was/is
ripping. Which is possible since radiation ruined it. He's likely
going to have to take a section of muscle from my back. So anyway I've
been lying around in pain.

Yesterday Ruben and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. Natalie stayed
over at a friends house last night so we went out and had a nice
dinner alone.

Today we have tickets to go to Monster Jam. We're going with our
friend from around the corner. Can't wait! Ruben and I have been to
like 6 of 'em in the past. This year we're skipping the pit party
cause it would be an all day event then and it's just too much for me
considering the pain I'm in. Oh and the worst part of this all is how
embarassing I look. My expanders have both shifted in the wrong
direction so I look completely ridiculous!

Tomorrow Ruben is making some carne asada, rice and beans for a Super
Bowl party we're going to over at our neighbors house. I'm not a huge
football fan but I love watching SB. I think it's cause the
commercials - though I am rooting for the Cards to win, and I hope one
of my squares wins me the pool. I have the 7 & 4 square and some
other. Everyone says I have the best square so cross your fingers and
wish me luck!

Angi

"Whoever said winning isn't everything never had to fight cancer"

Http://scrapaddictnv2.blogspot.com/

Sent from my iPhone

Birthday Surprise

Ruben came home just a bit ago with a surprise for me. My Durango has
been cleaned inside and out, my oil changed, the nails removed from my
tires and he walked in carrying these goodies for me.

As you know he had previously bought me a laser/radar detector cause I
was caught speeding last month - he took me to the French Quarter
Saturday to eat and shop -and yesterday he served me pancakes in bed
and scrubbed my kitchen clean. Now I get another present, roses,
balloons and a cake? Damn I must be a lucky girl! I am one loved
biotch :)

Help Raise Money for Diabetes

Natalie is participating again in her school's diabetes walk. Last year she did quite well, raising the 3rd highest amount. I'm hoping she will meet her goals once again this year. If you would like to make a donation for the walk, you may do so here.

Pre-birthday Breakfast in Bed

Ruben made me apple cinnamon pancakes and served them in bed the way I
like - plain. Mmm.

Kickin' Off the Birthday Weekend

Went to the French Quarter to walk, shop and eat as part of my
birthday weekend celebration -- though my birthday isn't really till
Monday. First stop FOOD. I know we should enjoy the local cruisine but
we've never eaten at this Hard Rock in the 2 1/2 years here. So to
kick things off I started with a birthday Waborita.....though good, I
still prefer the one at Olive Garden that comes with an Amaretto
shooter. Cheers!

Trolley

Not the best picture since I took it while turning on Carrollton but
here are two New Orlean Trolleys.

Early morning drive

Since there is a lane foreclosure on the HP I had to get up extra
early and drive the long way to get to my new pain doc's office. Yawn.
Wjen I get home I'll need a nap.
Notice all the fog near the 310?

One day

A pair of these will be mine!

(incase you can't tell, these are breast implants. we're moving forward despite the shrinking skin - I got my first saline fill in a year!)

Wasting time

I got to my plastic surgeons office way too early today - so I thought
I'd share my dermatologist appt. with you. The doctor thinks I have
Rosacea and Acne and prescribed doxycycline, finacea, and clindamycin.
We'll see if it helps any. Rosacea can flare up for months at a time
and triggers include sun, stress, heat, humidity, and sweating. Great.

Oh do you recall the "honest scrap" post I did about a month or so
ago? Well my friend emailed me yesterday to tell me that dude that
was driving well he's been on the news for like the last year. He
impersonated a police officer in a small town in MO. They gave him a
badge and gun and even went on drug raids. He was sentenced to 5 years
in prison. Well isn't that just special?

Ok hopefully I've wasted enough time and can go inside now. The lane
closure on the Huey P has really messed up my drive time and I ended
up over compensating for it...ugh. And one more thing, to everyone who
claimed the inauguration was all paid for through donations is
incorrect. Congress released near $50 million in funds for security 'n
such. Money I think truly would have been better spent on the American
people 'n fixing the economy - right?

Angi

"Whoever said winning isn't everything never had to fight cancer"

Http://scrapaddictnv2.blogspot.com/

Sent from my iPhone

My Life with Laura.....a book review

Today may be the Inauguration, but I'm not here today to talk about that. Today I post my review of the book My Life with Laura: A Love Story.








When I was first approached, asking if I would like to participate in this book tour, I happily agreed. Though I knew the story ended tragically, I was eager to read the love story behind it all. I find often times breast cancer consumes our lives, and at times even defines us though it should not and does not. For once I thought it would be nice to know more about a person than just her diagnosis – and I was right. Though I set out with a promise not to cry when I read the book, I can say that the shear magnitude of real and raw emotions portrayed left me with no other choice in the matter.

Upon receiving my copy of My Life with Laura, the first thing I noticed while flipping through the pages, aside from tons of lovely photos, was the personal inscription that Chad had written to me. As I read through the book, this inscription stuck with me the entire time because it truly was a fitting description of who Laura was – Chad wrote “I hope you appreciate this book and Laura’s strength & faith battling her breast cancer.” From what I read, Laura was a deeply grounded individual who had a good set of morals and values, a positive disposition, unshakable faith and understanding, and strength like no other. Testament to this was her detailed list of ideal traits for what she was looking for in a man - her ten must haves and ten can’t stands – a list every single women needs to have!

From the get go Chad and Laura seemed like a perfect match – this here was not a case of opposites attract. Both Chad and Laura were similar in nearly every way. So it stands to reason they both fell in love with each other around the same time. Over the course of a year they went from emails to courtship to living together to becoming engaged. They even discovered upon moving in together that their furniture and pictures even went well with one another. Within six months they were married. By the next year they became parents. Life was perfect for them until Laura began experiencing pain in one of her breast that ultimately forced her to stop breast feeding after just 10 months. The pain continued on for many months even after being treated with antibiotics. It was during this time they learned Laura had cancer despite having a negative mammogram. Over the course of the next year and a half Laura’s condition worsened greatly as the cancer metastasized throughout her body and skin.

As described this book truly is a love story despite its tragic ending. Laura remained positive throughout her battle, never giving up hope. She kept meticulous records – calendars with appointments, schedules, baby’s firsts & journals of many private, personal thoughts and prayers – all of which helped Chad to write this memoir for their daughter, so she can know her mother and how she came to be. There are many details to this story, and the story’s main focus is NOT about the cancer, but rather their life together. I think this book serves as a beautiful reminder of that life and love, and it’s something their daughter will cherish forever. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it because of those reasons.

Some of my favorite parts of the book are listed below:

• “She was less concerned about how others perceived her; instead she knew that she needed down time, either with me or on her own. I came to appreciate and respect this aspect of her, knowing that it was not personal. After all, I often needed my alone time too.”
• Chad’s Valentine’s letter to Laura in 2006 – it’s rather long so I won’t re-type it.
• “I finally know what I am dealing with; I can deal with cancer….can’t I?”
• “Sitting there among these senior citizens, we were reminded that this was not supposed to happen. No one should be dealing with cancer and radiation and chemotherapy in their 30’s! (Or at any age for that matter.)…..My favorite part of the lesson was the topic of sex. She discussed the need for using condoms during chemotherapy, and I looked around the room. Laura and I both laughed later that Trish was clearly speaking to us and not our fellow classmates!”
• “Her breathing had been erratic for some time, but it was not until I sat beside her and held her hand that she let go. I do not know if that notion is true – that Laura waited for me before she died. Regardless, I was so happy that it was just the two of us together when she passed. I will never forget that last moment with Laura for as long as I live. Although it was tragic, it was at the same time profoundly romantic – the two of us holding hands just as Laura’s spirit was released to heaven.”

Originally, I planned on asking Chad a few questions - but by time I finished the book I was so flooded with tears I could hardly lay down and go to sleep, let alone think a single thought. I laid there and sobbed uncontrollably, feeling as if I was about to have a panic attack. I felt as though I had lost a friend, because the way Chad wrote this book was completely inviting - taking you into their life, sharing private thoughts and journals - you really do feel as if you know them personally. And from this experience, I walk away sad that Breast Cancer claimed another life before a cure was found, that this woman left behind a daughter that will have virtually no memories of her mother, and a husband who loved her very much - so much that he wrote a book of her to share with the world.

You can check out Chad's site here, and purchase the book from Lulu here.

Proof of my addictions

How many bottles of perfume/lotion can you count?
There are over twenty brand name products. Lots of CK, a few Gucci,
Guess, Cool Water, Tresor and plenty others. I kid you not.

My Addictions

Per Heather, I'm supposed to name 5 addictions....this should be easy. Oh and this list is in no particular order., either list!












1. Soda! Lots of it, though I do drink ice tea in the summer.


2. Anything on my computer.....Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, reading Hollywood gossip. It's always on even when I'm not in front of it!


3. Watching TV or Movies. We prefer to watch stuff in our own home rather than the theater - of course if you'd seen our "movie" room, then you'd understand. I have more shows set to record than my DVR can handle - and the TV is always on even if I'm not watching it. I think I like the background noise when I'm home alone.


4. Pajamas or lounge-y type of clothes. I'm built for comfort!


5. Perfume - I have at least a dozen different bottles on my dresser.


Five blogs that I think are fabulous:

1. Lora
2. Cynthia
3. Sonia
4. Cari
5. Deb

The Weekend Update, The Week Ahead

Last night we spent close to 6 hours watching the Lord Of the Rings - Return Of the King extended edition and commentary. It's one of our absolute favorite movies and Ruben is all into his, err our new receiver for the surround sound that requires two more speakers we are still waiting on which will bring us to NINE speakers. How much you wanna bet we blow some windows out when it's all rigged up? Anyway, my point about that movie - though it is a spectacular film, is that the film has like 25 different points at which you think is the end. One scene even fades out, then right back in. It drags on forever, but I love the way everything is wrapped up nice and neat. I look forward to watching The Hobbit whenever it actually gets made - which in this economy who has $50 million for a film budget?

Speaking of economy - have you seen that new Allstate commercial? The one that says it opened it's doors in 1934 and has survived the 12 recessions since? TWELVE? Good God. I know we'll eventually get through this, but all I can wonder is WTF brought each one on? Greed? Power? Stupid ass Presidents? All I know is Mr. Bush certainly screwed things up for us this time, and because he has run this country into the ground, my husband and I were forced to have a discussion I hope never comes a reality. His mom mentioned moving here, yet in this economy she'll never sell the house as a friend of mine has had her house on the market for like a year. Then affording a house here will be hard - especially finding a job. She's worked at a casino for the last 15 years. The biggest casino here is in the French Quarter - 20 miles away, not some place we drive too - oh, and I forgot to mention for those of you that don't know us personally - my mother in law has never driven. His family is old school Mexican and many of the females never learned to drive. Hell I don't even know if the bus runs near here. It's all too much for me to worry about, because there are some dangerous places around here....and let's not forget the hurricanes. I don't know if I could handle 4 adult people living with us for who knows how long. But having family near would be nice. It's just a very scary thought!

Oh, and last week I was talking about computer problems - well they're not resolved yet, but I *think* Ruben's computer is hanging on by a thread. Last night it wouldn't boot up at all at first, then it would slightly but freeze or go black. Today it has booted up, frozen, recovered, and is in the process of scans right now, that aren't going anywhere. However, if he stops the tasks, it does appear to be working! What really sucks is his warranty expired last month. I fear having to purchase another laptop, let alone two. He's especially hard on his as his first had problems just after a year - it's still running and our daughter uses it now, but the dvd drive died. So we'll see what happens - but keep your fingers crossed! If we have to go back to our desktops then neither of us will be spending much time online, otherwise we'll be overheated in there......have you seen the size of our desktop monitors? They are HUGE, and they put out so much heat!

Here's a little humor for ya if you've been following me. We got our humidor and the cigar cutter Friday - and then the "cigars" showed up. Well the Havana Honeys Ruben bought...some vanilla flavored cigars he's had in the past - well there was a little mis-understanding with what he was ordering - and I as an ex-smoker should have realized what was actually being bought. We ended up with 2 CARTONS of Havana Honey vanilla flavored cigarettes. 2 CARTONS! They aren't even cigars! I like them, but we both feel that it may be bad to have something like this around, cause I might smoke them more frequently than I should because of stress or something. So now we wonder how we're going to unload all these packs of cigarettes. Ugh. Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea....the vanilla tastes so good, but no matter how it's packaged or sold, it is still a cigarette and not a cigar. The difference being a cigar is something you smoke maybe once a month. Granted the cigarettes are filtered, but it's easier to smoke these bitty things cause they burn faster. Bad, bad, bad. If we can't unload them Ruben will be putting at least one carton in the trash!

Next week is going to be crazy! Tomorrow may be a holiday, but Tuesday I have an appointment with a dermatologist, plus my book review - which I'll post more on later. Wednesday I see my plastic surgeon and Natalie has a doctors appointment. Thursday I have an appointment waaayy too early over at the hospital for pain management. The problem here is that the bridge is closed to one lane, traffic is horrible, and I have NO MEDICAL RECORDS. My previous pain doctor closed his office here and never transferred over my records and no one has returned my call. I am PISSED off he's done this to me after being a patient of his for over a year. I'm hoping my rx bottles will help, but with no records I'm not sure if I'll be able to stay on the same treatment regimen. Friday the groomer is coming, thank goodness cause the dog stinks and Natalie has another doctor appointment. She's become excessively worried over the last year and we want her to talk with someone. It all started or progressed cause some kid on the bus told her I was going to die. We'll see if talking with someone other than us will help. The thought of doing all these things while my face is still healing kills me, but at least my face is still horribly scarred from whatever it is I have, for the dermatologist can see it. And if they tell me one more time to use Cetaphil, I think I might lose it!

Ok, so I know this has been a long post - but I want to say a little more about my upcoming book review. I'm very nervous going into this. As most of you have guessed by now, I'm no writer. My blogging lacks the proper use of grammar and punctuation.....and some time it includes lots of typo's. My education is a very faint memory. Chemo stole my mind, my thoughts and left me with this fog I just can't shake. My mind jumps from one topic to the next, and I forget things so easily causing me to always take notes and live life by a written list of things to do. I worry my review will be sub par - that it won't be worthy of the book for which it was written. I guess only time will tell. We'll see what kind of traffic I bring in on Tuesday, and if anyone shares their thoughts with me. This book review was a passion project for me, and is something close to my heart - cause it's supporting my cause - breast cancer. Bringing awareness to the disease - which thankfully I am free of at the time. But just cause I am in remission, it does not change things for me. Breast cancer will forever be a part of my life.

I think I have bored you enough for one day. You probably won't hear much from me next week cause it's so busy....unless I send a post from my phone. Then the following week is my 35th birthday on the 26th. I have court for my traffic accident on the 28th - fun....but at least I was let off a bit for my speeding ticket. No court, doesn't go on my record, but I paid a hefty fine - which is why Ruben bought me a radar/laser detector for my birthday. LOL. Then the 30th is my 9th anniversary - which is after my daughter's 9th birthday, but a month before the 10 year anniversary of our first "real" date. So we've got lots going on here. We're bombarded with birthdays till March.

Day 4 Tamoxifen....not 3 oops.

Okkkkkkkkkkk. The side effects seem to have kicked into high gear. Here it is freezing cold - at least for the south. We got the heater cranked up, the blankie on - I even have a coat on. But then those damn hot flashes hit overdrive and I start sweating - so I uncover and take the jacket off. I'll be damned if all the sudden I'm not cold again cause the sweat on my brow was hit by the chill in the air. How is it possible to be both hot and freaken cold? The ONE side effect I was hoping to gain with this new med was WEIGHT LOSS. Of course that would require me to get off my ass, sign off the computer and actually use that treadmill we bought last year. But I can't cause I don't like sweating and I hate hot flashes, but I don't like the cold and I hate snow - so I have to live somewhere warm, but for some god forsaken reason it's been unseasonably cold here this past week. So I just can't win and I worry that this new med is destined to make me miserable or if I will adjust to it sooner or later. I guess it doesn't matter as long as it works - but fact is my hot flashes haven't been this horrible since I had my hysterectomy.
Ok, now I'm cold again, so time to put the jacket back on.
Just remember - this rant was brought to you by Tamoxifen, the breast cancer med of choice for over 30 years.

Ya Gotta See This

This is just too hilarious. Watch!

New Blogs

Today I have added some new blogs to my Adore list. I think you will find them as entertaining as I do, so please check them out - I'm sure in no time they'll be your favorites too!

Bubba & Cooter's Pick Up Lines

Got this mail forwarded to me and I just HAD to share, especially for those of you looking to pick a girl up in a bar or something. Enjoy!

1) Did you fart?
cuz you just blew me away.
2) Are yer parents retarded?
cuz ya sure are special.
3) My Love fer you is like diarrhea ..
I can't hold it in.
4) Do you have a library card?
cuz I'd like to sign you out
5) Is there a mirror in yer pants?
cuz I can see myself in em.
6) If you was a tree & I was a Squirrel,
I'd store my nuts in yer hole.
7) You might not be the best lookin girl here,
but beauty's only a light switch away.
8) I know I'm not no Fred Flintstone,
but I bet I can make yer bed-rock.
9) Yer eyes are as blue as window cleaner.
10) If yer gunna regret this in the mornin,
we kin sleep til afternoon.
AND.. the best for last!
11) Yer face reminds me of a wrench,
every time I think of it, my nuts tighten up

PC Problems

My computer has been acting weird lately and I fear it's on a downward spiral that will eventually lead to having to buy a new notebook. I've gotten that dreaded blue screen a few times and I'm not really sure what caused it. Plus I often get these error messages that will take me from whatever page I'm looking at to a blank white page, and I honestly can't tell you what either the message or white page says but if I go "back" the page loads fine - and then other times when I visit a page my computer freezes up and stops responding. Of course all those problems are happening in AOL. I'm no computer expert, so I haven't the slightest clue. I checked my log and supposedly I defrag every Wednesday morning. Maybe half the problem is just AOL. I don't know, but it's irritating me! Ruben knows quite a bit about computers - he builds all of our desktops - yet he doesn't have the time to sit around and diagnose a problem and repair them cause he spends too much time working lately, even when he's home he's often on the phone or Blackberry taking care of stuff because of the time difference between here and Nevada....not to mention in his job he's basically on 24/7 - and that's even when he's on vacation or takes days off to take me to appointments. The last time my notebook was acting up I think I fixed it by removing some music I downloaded. It was all I could come up with as to why it was fine one day and windows popping up the next - but I haven't downloaded anything recently that I know of. Even a McAfee scan doesn't detect anything. Maybe it's just ancient. After all it is more than 2 years old. Then again maybe it's just the user. Who knows. So it looks like today I will be trying to figure out what's wrong with it. Wish me luck that I don't end up making matters worse. LOL.

Felon Spy

I added a new link to my page over the weekend. Ruben got it from one of his friends, and I find it amazing that a resource like this is still free. On this site you can find out if any felons live near you - and depending on the address you enter, the results may vary as I think it only pulls info with a certain radius - so try it also using an address a block away as well. It's important to know if you have convicted rapists, felons, abusers, and robbers living in your area. this way if you know who's living near you, then you can take the necessary precautions to protect your family and child. I wish I had known about this info prior to someone trying to pick her up - I'm not sure if it would have made a difference, but it certainly proves that the neighborhood you life in isn't as safe as the people around you may think!

Check it out. Felon Spy.

Beautiful Sunset

Look at all the pretty colors.

The Results Are In....(drumroll)

This morning I had my appointment with my oncologist to get my PET scan results and ultimately find out if I will need to do chemo or not. I've been feeling pretty good about this - kinda like a new year, fresh start. I mean seriously - at some point your luck's gotta turn right?

My PET scan came back with the following findings:
Physiological activity is present within the brain, oropharynx, GI and GU tracts. Bilateral breast implants present. There is a 9mm lymph node adjacent to the posterior left lateral aspect of the breast implant demonstrating a mild FDG activity. Overall, no hypermetabolic findings within the head, neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis.
Impression:
Mild FDG activity associated with a 9mm lymph node adjacent to the left breast implant. the CT portion of the exam demonstrates a normal fatty hilum within this nose and is felt to represent a benign lymph node. Overall, no hypermetabolic findings to suggest local or distant metastatic disease.

FDG has to do with the radioactive glucose they injected into me. My doctor isn't concerned with this lymph node finding - he also said my labs were great. He prescribed Tamoxifen and I go back in 4 months for blood work and another PET scan. We also talked about me moving forward with my breast reconstruction, which as soon as I see my PS I am hoping to be able to do just that. He suggested mentioning this lymph node to him, so when I go in to surgery to have the expanders replaced with implants he can take a look at what is there and see if it's a lymph node, scar tissue or possible tumor and either test it or remove it if needed. It's possible it could have been swollen or infected because of a recent cold or something and could be absolutely nothing at all. To be honest, I'm not really concerned with it. I am confident with my army of doctors and regular tests, that if it were anything to be worried about that it would be taken care of correctly and timely. So tomorrow I begin my Tamoxifen, today I just hope the side effects aren't all bad! Things are good! Tomorrow I'll call my PS and schedule an appointment and see when we can start my fills again now that I am finished with treatment. I'm anxious to get these boobs over with!

I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me or even keeping me in their thoughts. I appreciate all your concern! I'm positive this year is going to remain on a good course....besides, our luck is usually bad every other year - so this year should be good for us. I'm really hoping that now I can finally finish reconstruction and start a new chapter in my book of life...the one I've been waiting almost 4 years for - so fingers crossed that I get there.

Follow Me

I added some widgets recently - you can now follow my blog or follow me on Twitter - if you follow me, I'll follow you too =)
If you want you can also find me on Facebook. I do keep a MySpace account, but rarely use it....I should just delete it, but I like how you can customize the look. Wish Facebook would allow that.
Anyway, with the whole iPhone, I'm all into updating my status now. It's so convenient! Sometimes I wonder how I ever lived before that phone came along?

The Weekend Recap

Ruben and I decided to occasionally go ahead and indulge a bit in a shameful habit. A while back one of our neighbors brought out some small cigars which were supposedly Cuban. Personally, we both thought they tasted kind of crappy - worse than Swisher Sweets. However, every since we've both been wanting a cigar. Last night he bought an inexpensive, small humidor and a couple dozen vanilla cigars that he's had before. It's not something we plan to do all the time, but maybe only once in a while enjoy one while we're sitting around the fire pit, drinking beers. I think it's just kind of funny because I smoked for a good 10 years before I quit, and the man would knock me upside my head (figuratively speaking) if I dared to ever smoke a cigarette again - yet it's ok for me to enjoy an occasional cigar with him. Last night when we had one that he bought while out shopping, Natalie told us she was going to call the police on us for smoking. LMAO!

We spent last night catching up on some new movies we had - plus we re-watched The Dark Knight cause Ruben got a new receiver for the surround sound. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference - but then again I am deaf in one ear!
Speaking of The Dark Knight, Health Ledger won a Golden Globe for his performance in it. The director or producer accepting for him and the speech was truly tragic. He gave the performance of a lifetime. It's just so sad. If you haven't seen it I would recommend it. Ruben has become obsessed with Batman lately - buying collectible cars and bobbleheads.

Tomorrow morning I get my PET scan results. They didn't say anything one way or another, you know cause they can't give results like that over the phone. I do tend to think though if it were bad news they would have told me to bring my husband, but they did not. I'm trying not to get all worked up thinking about it. I do feel pretty positive about it, so let's hope I'm not wrong!

Birthday Pix

I just finally went through and posted 70+ pictures from Natalie's birthday weekend. We didn't get to go to the Insectarium or Children's Museum Sunday like we wanted to - we were just so exhausted from Saturday's events, but we will make it there another weekend. Check out the pix on Flickr. Ruben bought trick candles and I have over a dozen shots of Natalie attempting to blow out the candles and all the smoke filling the air. Too funny!

On another note I still have not heard back about my PET scan results. Tomorrow I plan to call the doc and see when they'll have them. I'm also going to make an appointment to see a dermatologist again. I saw one in Vegas who told me to use Cetaphil, which obviously did not work - well since then I have been told twice that I could possibly have a form of Lupus. Lupus also cause miscarriages, as well as joint pain. Or I could have chronic Rosacea or Eczema instead of cystic acne. Who knows. All I know is that I am tired of hiding, so it's time I see another doctor and not let them brush me off with some over the counter soap - cause no acne medicine is working no matter what I do, Now if only I could get my ass up on that treadmill, then my new year would be off to the right start. LOL.

Book Giveaway

Wanna win book?
Well Clergygirl (Jennifer) will be having a book giveaway on January 22. She will be giving away a copy of Chad Moutray's book, My Life with Laura: A Love Story. Everyone who posts a comment on her site (or posting one on the site that she cross-posts on, Mothers with Cancer) will be entered in a drawing to win the book. The winner will be posted on Chad's site - The Moutray Chronicles on January 23, which is the last day of his blog book tour. You can find the schedule for his tour on his site.
Now go post a comment to win this amazing book! Good luck!

Breakfast at Cracker Barrel

This morning we got up early to drive to Baton Rouge to eat at Cracker
Barrel and kick off Natalie's big birthday weekend.
First we ate and now we shop!

365

Last night I enrolled in a Flickr Group called 365 of 2009. It's one "self portrait" for every day of the year. You can find my set here. My face doesn't have to really be in the pictures just as long as some part of me is showing - hands, feet, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing just how creative I can get with this - and if I can really so rawly expose myself. I know right now some pix are just gonna have to be photoshopped - but maybe by doing this I can stop the subconscious scratching and picking at my face, and be acne free again. Also maybe the repulsion from looking at my fat ass will make me want to use that treadmill daily! Let's hope so! Oh and don't forget to go check out the photos I'll be posting along with all the other group members of 365 of 2009.

Here's to what I hope to be a better New Year!

Hope you all had a wonderful NYE!
Last night we spent the evening sitting around a warm fire pit with some friends that live around the corner from us, we enjoyed many beers and some great fireworks. It was a bit chilly out, so the fire pit was nice - but man is the stink bad afterwards! We don't have a lot of friends around here, so it was nice being among the few we do have. The evening kicked off after we came over with a veggie platter and a bottle of Asti - they served us this nice homemade chicken lo mien type soup that was so reminiscent of something your mom would make....which is exactly what it was. Our friend's mom is here visiting, so she's the one who made this wonderful meal. As we sat around the pit and shot off artillery shell fireworks, some other neighbors came over with a dish of hummus and melba toast. At midnight Ruben popped the bottle of Asti and we traditionally rang in the New Year with a toast, hugs, and kisses and watched some serious firework show put on one street over. I mean this man had to be a professional cause they were definitely set off using electrical triggers - they went off one right after another, and none of it was anything you could buy from the tent at the parish line! I swear it was just like the 4th of July! By time we walked home it was nearly 2 am and the poor dog was scared shit less from all the noise, but we had a great time. Of course once the two girls got to playing together it wasn't long before they asked for a sleep over, so Ruben and I had the house to ourselves till nearly 3 pm today when I finally called over there and told them to send her home.
Once Natalie got home we all decided to go see a movie since we didn't get the chance to go on Christmas. On our way to the theater some asshole blazed through a red light, got hit by a car that was turning - the car spun around, came across the median and nearly hit the back end of my car. If Ruben hadn't pulled forward when he did we surely would have been hit. The whole thing scared the crap out of me, but luckily no one was injured - the only thing was this guy who caused the accident and had the side of his car smashed in, his rim bent - the tire rubbing on the car and his bumper hanging took off before anyone could do anything. At first he acted like he was going to stop, but he only stopped long enough for 2 female passengers to hop out of the car and take off running down the road - then like a complete dumb ass this guy hopped on a freeway that has no exits for 6 miles. So eventually he got caught and in the process he crossed into another parish. We stuck around to talk with the police and write a statement, which I'm sure Ruben will be subpoenaed for. I'm sure the idiot driving got several tickets as a hit and run is a felony - plus it all happening in two different parishes. I'm just curious if it was worth it. Seriously if he ran cause he had drugs or something, I truly hope he was still carrying when he got pulled over - cause I hate to think he passed it off to the girls that got out of his car. We just couldn't believe he drove away after such a serious accident. I mean I would be way too shaken up to even drive let alone think about it. The dude really had some set of balls on him to attempt to pull off what he did. I'm just glad he got caught, otherwise I would have been pissed off the rest of the night thinking he got away with what he did!
After that whole fiasco, we still got to the theater with plenty of time to spare. We went to see Marley & Me and I'll tell you I did not see that end coming at all. Half the theater was in tears. Natalie was so upset at the thought that someday that might be our dog who gets too old and sick to make it up the steps and has to be put down. Imagine explaining to your child in the theater what was going on when Marley gets put down? Man what a tear jerker - and I'll admit, I was balling cause I don't even want to think about my dog dying some day! I kinda regret not seeing Bedtime Stories - but don't get me wrong - it was a great movie. It had LOTS of funny parts. Ruben laughed so hard he had tears. We just did not know how it ended. I'm sorry I just blew the whole ending for you - but it's still worth seeing!
I'm hoping tomorrow I might hear something back on my PET scan, but I think realistically cause of the holiday I won't know anything till the following week....but you'll know when I know! I'm really hoping this will be a better year for us, as I hope it will be for everyone else!