Eight T.V. Shows I Love to Watch:
1. Lost
2. The Office
3. Ugly Betty
4. House
5. Bones
6. Grey’s Anatomy
7. SNL
8. 30 Rock
Eight Favorite Places to Eat:
1. Mom’s food, I miss her casserole
2. Sushi Express
3. Little Dave’s
4. Morelia
5. Wendy’s
6. The Aunts
7. Sweet Home Chicago Pizza
8. Johnny Franks (for all beef Chicago Dogs!!)
Eight Things that Happened Yesterday:
1. I finished a horrific project at work
2. My coworker promised me an elk steak
3. I visited Mom and gave her the book we were working on
4. I put up Mom’s push board decorations
5. The DOW closed up
6. I bought a life insurance policy
7. I went swimming
8. I did some homework
Eight Things I Look Forward To:
1. Mom’s cancer being in remission
2. Getting kisses from Ainsleigh
3. Getting kisses from Lottie … when she learns how
4. Curling up with a good book
5. My next vacation … where oh where will it be?
6. Spring
7. President Obama's first speach as President (that was for you Matt Baker)
8. Going to Special Needs tonight
Eight Things I Love About the Fall:
1. The leaves falling
2. Raking up the leaves that have fallen
3. Jumping in the leaves
4. Repeat steps 1-3
5. Sweaters
6. All you need is a light jacket
7. New TV season
8. Election time!!
Eight Things on My Wish List:
1. Mom’s cancer goes into remission
2. A healthy baby for Pat & Kate
3. A baby for Candice & Hutch
4. New shoes
5. As good of hair as I used to have
6. Reaching my goal weight
7. Wii Monopoly
8.
I choose to leave #8 vacant…
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Day 5
Today is Mom's 5th day after her transplant and she is just still so tired. This is as expected. Her white cell count is 0.1 so we have limited the visitors that can go see her. Everyone who is allowed (family) has to wash really well and wear gloves all the time. Many have to wear masks too. Anyone who will have prolonged contact must wear a gown too, but that is mostly the nurses, etc. Her desire for food is at a minimal, they call this the anorexic phase meaning a general loss of appetite. When I wrote the other day about Day 0 I mentioned that she had hurt her wrist and they did not know what was wrong, well Rob the PA sent her for an x-ray and they found she has broken her wrist and there is a floating piece of bone. This bone will need to stay where it is until she is well enough to do anything about it. The cancer in her bones weakens them so much that she can break so easily, obviously. She still is trying to do things like paint and has been able to do her word puzzles, but it is hard when her right wrist is broken and she is right handed.
As a funny story that is not really related to Mom in any way except that she is anorexic right now (by the way she is not starving, she eats enough to get her calorie count in) I had a friend when I lived in Chicago named Lily Recsik (pronounced rec-sick) who has a sister named Anna. This is for real I met Anna and everything. I admit when I put two and two together and realized her name was Anna Recsik I was mortified for her. Some parents… but to be fair anorexia nervosa was not a widely recognized issue in the 70’s so much as it is now.
As a funny story that is not really related to Mom in any way except that she is anorexic right now (by the way she is not starving, she eats enough to get her calorie count in) I had a friend when I lived in Chicago named Lily Recsik (pronounced rec-sick) who has a sister named Anna. This is for real I met Anna and everything. I admit when I put two and two together and realized her name was Anna Recsik I was mortified for her. Some parents… but to be fair anorexia nervosa was not a widely recognized issue in the 70’s so much as it is now.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
American Cheese
Can I talk for a minute about American Cheese? Or as I call it Death in my Mouth...
Seriously is this the best we can come up with? I look at the Swiss and they have a great cheese named after them ... all white with holes in it and tastes great. Oh no no, American cheese is processed and served in a wrapper and tastes like orange wax. I understand that there will be some in the blogger world who love American cheese, so to you I say rant on your blog about how I am a cheese-ist.
I do not know where I got a love for cheese from because we were raised on American cheese slices, and I did not need therapy growing up because of it. But now that I have tasted what real good cheese is like I can not stand the cheep imitation that is American cheese. For a good cheese experience I recommend visiting any Harmon’s in the Salt Lake Valley. They have a gourmet cheese counter now where you may sample any cheese they have there. Plus they have cool tips. The cheese guru at the Midvale Harmon’s is very knowledgeable and even has some fun flavor tips that include fruit and vinegar with cheese. A really good cheese tray is served at the Grand American Hotel in Salt Lake, but it is spendy. My favorite place to actually purchase cheeses that I have found to like is at Pirate-O’s in Draper, they tend to be a little less expensive on import cheese. For a fun night Raclette is my personal favorite. I love the Swiss variety (shock horror for Peggy) over the French, as the French is a little more pungent than I like. That being said I do enjoy French Raclette when it has not been curing for over a month especially since it is much cheaper than the Swiss. Makes me want to have another Raclette party… hm… It is fondue but backwards. (For you Peggy: Hmmm Child, Cheeeeeese, Child clap clap clap!) I love cheese; I would love suggestions for new cheeses that maybe I have not tried… so comment away!
This is the end of this rant about cheese. My next rant…. Mac ‘n Cheese.
Seriously is this the best we can come up with? I look at the Swiss and they have a great cheese named after them ... all white with holes in it and tastes great. Oh no no, American cheese is processed and served in a wrapper and tastes like orange wax. I understand that there will be some in the blogger world who love American cheese, so to you I say rant on your blog about how I am a cheese-ist.
I do not know where I got a love for cheese from because we were raised on American cheese slices, and I did not need therapy growing up because of it. But now that I have tasted what real good cheese is like I can not stand the cheep imitation that is American cheese. For a good cheese experience I recommend visiting any Harmon’s in the Salt Lake Valley. They have a gourmet cheese counter now where you may sample any cheese they have there. Plus they have cool tips. The cheese guru at the Midvale Harmon’s is very knowledgeable and even has some fun flavor tips that include fruit and vinegar with cheese. A really good cheese tray is served at the Grand American Hotel in Salt Lake, but it is spendy. My favorite place to actually purchase cheeses that I have found to like is at Pirate-O’s in Draper, they tend to be a little less expensive on import cheese. For a fun night Raclette is my personal favorite. I love the Swiss variety (shock horror for Peggy) over the French, as the French is a little more pungent than I like. That being said I do enjoy French Raclette when it has not been curing for over a month especially since it is much cheaper than the Swiss. Makes me want to have another Raclette party… hm… It is fondue but backwards. (For you Peggy: Hmmm Child, Cheeeeeese, Child clap clap clap!) I love cheese; I would love suggestions for new cheeses that maybe I have not tried… so comment away!
This is the end of this rant about cheese. My next rant…. Mac ‘n Cheese.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Soooooo Tired
I am sitting in my mom's hospital room where she has been asleep for 2-1/2 hours. Her white cell count is down to 0.1 which is the lowest it can do. We have new quarantine procedures in place. Everyone in the room must wear gloves at all time and any one who has direct contact with her must wear a gown and mask. Anyone who is sick MUST stay away for sure now.
Today Mom asked me to get her painting stuff out so she could entertain herself this afternoon. She is working on a project for Barry and Debbie. She painted while I took a nap (LOL) and then the took her down for an x-ray of her wrist. I have never seen her more tired looking than when they brought her back from x-ray. I helped her get into bed and she has been asleep since.
Overall though she is on schedule for what the transplant is supposed to do. Her blood counts are where they expect her to be, but unlike other people who have had a transplant she has not had to have a blood transfusion. The doctor thinks this might change tomorrow. Mom told me they expect to have to give her one then. Mom's biggest complaint that she is expressing is that she is so very tired. Mom is a doer and likes to be able to work. She does not like to have to be in bed and hates feeling tired all of the time. Everyone keeps telling her this is normal but nevertheless she hates is.
Mom just woke up so I am off, more later.
Today Mom asked me to get her painting stuff out so she could entertain herself this afternoon. She is working on a project for Barry and Debbie. She painted while I took a nap (LOL) and then the took her down for an x-ray of her wrist. I have never seen her more tired looking than when they brought her back from x-ray. I helped her get into bed and she has been asleep since.
Overall though she is on schedule for what the transplant is supposed to do. Her blood counts are where they expect her to be, but unlike other people who have had a transplant she has not had to have a blood transfusion. The doctor thinks this might change tomorrow. Mom told me they expect to have to give her one then. Mom's biggest complaint that she is expressing is that she is so very tired. Mom is a doer and likes to be able to work. She does not like to have to be in bed and hates feeling tired all of the time. Everyone keeps telling her this is normal but nevertheless she hates is.
Mom just woke up so I am off, more later.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Transplant Video
This is a short clip of the transplant and how easy it really was. I say easy like I had to do it, Mom was nervous and rightly so! Near the end you will hear the oxygen sensor go off because Mom's oxygen was getting low and Gayle called in for some oxygen tubing. Really it is like a blood transfusion but way way cooler and much harder since Mom had so much prep for it before she could get her cells back. She had to get 7 bags like the one they are hanging in this video. The whole process lasted about an hour.
Transplant Day 0
This picture is actually of Day -2Mom's second day of chemo. Thursday Day -1 was Mom's rest day. She had a good day on Thursday with the exception of tweaking her wrist. She was painting and put the items to dry in her window and hurt herself. They actually think it had something to do with the physical therapy exercises they have her do daily; one probably was done wrong and the painting just hurt it a little. Her friend Kathy came to visit; and then Colleen and Brad visited in the evening. They took some cute pictures with Lottie posted on their blog. Pat and Katie came up too...
Day 0 arrived and Mom was admitedly nervous. We soon found there was no reason for this but I understand her fear of the unknown. Raj from the UofU brought her stem cells and a little ice cream in a portable subzero freezer... okay not really the later, but it would have been cool if he did.
This is Raj taking the actual stem cells out of his portable freezer. You will see on Mom a box of Lemonheads and at her side Raj brought her a box of candy. The transplant smells to everyone who is in the room, but Mom could taste it. So they give her something to suck on to combat this.
Day 0 arrived and Mom was admitedly nervous. We soon found there was no reason for this but I understand her fear of the unknown. Raj from the UofU brought her stem cells and a little ice cream in a portable subzero freezer... okay not really the later, but it would have been cool if he did.
This is Raj taking the actual stem cells out of his portable freezer. You will see on Mom a box of Lemonheads and at her side Raj brought her a box of candy. The transplant smells to everyone who is in the room, but Mom could taste it. So they give her something to suck on to combat this.
Mom did really well during the transplant and even managed to smile for the camera. The cells they put back are cold, so she got chilled. That is until they went in faster and that caused her to get flushed until they slowed it down.
On the left is Gayle her nurse hanging another bag of cells and Raj on the right is verifying she is getting the right cells.
Today Mom claims to have more energy than yesterday but her breakfast made her a little sick to her stomach. This is normal a few days after chemo. Colleen and Lottie visited this morning; and Barry and Debbie are up there now with Ainsleigh. Today Mom's blood sugar is back to normal so no more insulin, which she loves!
On the left is Gayle her nurse hanging another bag of cells and Raj on the right is verifying she is getting the right cells.
The transplant left Mom a little tired and she really had no energy. She did manage to get up for a walk with me later in the afternoon but that was about it. Colleen brought in Lottie long enough for a kiss and Colleen stayed with Mom in the evening while I took Lottie home with me. We were not sure if the chemicals that were mixed with the cells were safe for her.
Today Mom claims to have more energy than yesterday but her breakfast made her a little sick to her stomach. This is normal a few days after chemo. Colleen and Lottie visited this morning; and Barry and Debbie are up there now with Ainsleigh. Today Mom's blood sugar is back to normal so no more insulin, which she loves!
I wish I could effectively tell you all what the smell of the transplant is like. It smells like sweet creamed corn that has been left out for a few days. Mom said it tasted like creamed corn too which would be torture to me as I dislike creamed corn greatly. Dad and I got used to the smell and by the time Colleen got up there at 7 it was not so strong.
This week has gone better than we could have imagined and we pray for the best for next week. Next week her white cell counts are going to be low so she will not be able to fight infection were she to be exposed to it. Also the rest of her hair should fall out and she has a possibility of mouth and throat sores. But since this week went so well, again we are praying for the best!
By the way MOM since no one on the floor did it yesterday allow me:
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Mom
Happy Birthday to you!
Friday, October 24, 2008
This post is brought to you by the letter H
Wretchel had a fun post on her blog a while ago listing 10 things with a letter that was assigned to her. She has since assigned letters to those who want them and looking for a fun distraction I signed up. I got the letter H or aych, if you will.
1 – Happy & Hope: Some words just go together. Hope brings great happiness to me (or happyness if you are a Will Smith movie.)
2 – Hospital: This is where I live every afternoon from 1:30 until someone comes to visit with Mom. Actually the LDS Hospital is staffed with wonderful people who treat my mom as I would want her treated.
3 – Hair & Hats: Had to be together right now. I have 2 beanies that I have been wearing since shaving my head. One is from the Statue of Liberty in New York and the other I got in Alaska. Mom was wearing the Alaska hat the other day and Aunt Della asked her who gave it to her, Sarah? Subtle yet funny Palin joke. These hats keep my head (also with H!) warm... it is cold!
4 – Hell: My favorite of the Biblical swears. I told Mom I would pay her $5 every time someone walked into her room and asked “And how are we today?” if she would answer “Well I have cancer, what the hell is wrong with you?” See Mom is not a swearer, she is a really good example of how I should be, but I do have to say so far I owe Mom $10… granted I kind of bated her on those.
5 – Humor: I love to laugh! I am a fan of making people laugh. Yes sometimes humor is a defense mechanism for me but out of the coping techniques, I like it the best! My favorite comedian right now is Jeff Dunham, or if you are his puppet: Jefafa Dun-HAM dot com.
6 – Homestar Runner: Hello I’m Homestar Runner and this is my website Homestarrunner.net, it’s dot com. Homestar is a great site! I love the Teen Girl Squad. I have heard rumor of a video game for the Wii from Strong Bad. I need to do some checking on this.
7 – Hairspray: Oh oh oh woke up today feeling the way I always do. While not the first show I saw on Broadway, one of my favorites mostly because I saw it for free. It pays to know the producer. I went on a trip to New York a few years ago with Candice, her mom and her sister. We had a blast (also where I got my NY beanie from, see #3). Also seen on Broadway: Miss Saigon, Les Mis, The Rockettes, Swing! and Wicked.
8 – Hawaii: Loves me some Maui and Kauai. I spent my 30th birthday in Hawaii with my family on a cruise. It was so great. We went to 4 of the islands. Everyone should turn 30 in a tropical paradise!
9 – Hanukkah: My favorite of the Jewish holidays. I lived with Jews in Chicago and have taken to practicing this High Holy Day every year. Last year for the Hanukkah party my brother and sister in law were in a pretty nasty car accident and it kind out put a damper on it. They are fine, though, and we are hoping for no snow storms for the Hanukkah party this year.
10 – Hugh Jackman: Yummy, yummy man! He is a quadruple threat: he sings, dances, acts, and just looks good doing it.
Honorable Mentions: Hate; Heart; Hamburger; Hillcrest High School: Go Huskies; Home; Hyperbole (I'm not one to use hyperbole, ladies and gentlemen but I'll tell you this, for the first time in my life I had the caca scared out of me!); Hero; Hot Chocolate; House (the TV show) because of Hugh Laurie.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Another Great Day
All is well again. Day -2 went really well. She has today off of major things and then the transplant is tomorrow. Her neighbor received her cells yesterday and Dr. Peterson was not kidding that there is a distinct smell that comes from the transplant. He says it is the DMSO that they put in to help transplant the stem cells. Imagine stank cream corn... I do not like cream corn.
So Day -2 we played some games. Mom spanked Dad and I on Five Crowns but could not best me in Hooey. Good times. Colleen, Brad and Lottie visited with her last night. I am sure Mom appreciated kissing on a grand baby!
So Day -2 we played some games. Mom spanked Dad and I on Five Crowns but could not best me in Hooey. Good times. Colleen, Brad and Lottie visited with her last night. I am sure Mom appreciated kissing on a grand baby!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Smile ... you're on chemo-camera
This pic is of Mom's Last Dinner before her big day. From left to right: Aunt Della, Aunt Colleen, Mom, Dad. 
So Day -3 was alright for mom. She had chemo at about 2. They brought it in to her and hooked her up. She did really well. The chemo lasts for about 20 minutes and so far, knock on wood, no nausia or other adverse reactions.
The chemo is on the left, the antibiotic is on the right. They just give a broad spectrum of antibiotics to prevent infections since Mom will not be able to naturally fight them.
And they are nice enough to label what they are giving her... nice!
So far the only reaction she is having is of the steriod they are giving her. She had some reactions to it when she took it earlier too. Her blood sugar is high and they are giving her insulin; we hear that only one person out of the 8 who is on it right now has normal blood sugar. This is kind of a pain for her since they are checking her every 2 hours and shooting her up. So that brings us to the second thing the steriods are doing for her: insomnia. She did not sleep so much last night and when she called me a few minutes ago she said she was ready for a nap. When she took this steriod before with her other chemo she would get a lot of energy for Saturday - Monday and then crash Tuesday and Wednesday. She did not sleep well then either.
But I am very happy that she is doing so well right now. Her nurses are really great with her. Her room is pretty boring so we are going to decorate it over the next few days. She also did not have a DVD player so I am taking her one of mine today. But her spirits are high and she was up walking the halls a few times yesterday.
So Day -3 was alright for mom. She had chemo at about 2. They brought it in to her and hooked her up. She did really well. The chemo lasts for about 20 minutes and so far, knock on wood, no nausia or other adverse reactions.
The chemo is on the left, the antibiotic is on the right. They just give a broad spectrum of antibiotics to prevent infections since Mom will not be able to naturally fight them.
And they are nice enough to label what they are giving her... nice!
So far the only reaction she is having is of the steriod they are giving her. She had some reactions to it when she took it earlier too. Her blood sugar is high and they are giving her insulin; we hear that only one person out of the 8 who is on it right now has normal blood sugar. This is kind of a pain for her since they are checking her every 2 hours and shooting her up. So that brings us to the second thing the steriods are doing for her: insomnia. She did not sleep so much last night and when she called me a few minutes ago she said she was ready for a nap. When she took this steriod before with her other chemo she would get a lot of energy for Saturday - Monday and then crash Tuesday and Wednesday. She did not sleep well then either.But I am very happy that she is doing so well right now. Her nurses are really great with her. Her room is pretty boring so we are going to decorate it over the next few days. She also did not have a DVD player so I am taking her one of mine today. But her spirits are high and she was up walking the halls a few times yesterday.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Phase 2 - The Transplant Day -3
Today is Day -3 for Mom. She needs to be at the hospital at 9 this morning. They will show her to her room and then she has today and tomorrow of chemo. The doctor told us yesterday that the kind of chemo they are giving her is fast acting and that within 12 hours of administering it her immune system will be dead and the chemo will be out of her system. They give her one day off (Thursday) to kind of regain some strength and then on Friday (Day 0) she will be given her 3+mils of her stem cells back. I do not really know what the measurement of 3 mils is in relation to the amount of blood that we have in our body (5 liters or so) but they bring in her frozen stem cells and thaw it right in her room, hook her up, and that is her transplant. However, they have mixed a chemical in with her stem cells that can be harmful to those of us not getting the transplant. For example, Katie my pregnant sister in law, can not visit with her for a little while, and the babies are going to stay away. In the next few days Mom will have a few whole blood or platelet transfusions to help build her blood up faster to what it should be. They used to give white cell transfusions but stopped because while it brought the immune system back up 2-4 days faster, the white cells tend to clot in the lungs and heart which is too dangerous.
How is Mom? Well over all I think she is just fine! We all, except for Colleen's hubby Brad who had to work, went to dinner last night at Red Lobster. I told Mom she could go anywhere she wanted and she chose Red Lobster because she really likes the cheese biscuts they bring out. Her sister's (my aunts) Colleen and Della came with us too. Aunt Della had a heart attack 2 weekends ago and is doing really well. Aunt Colleen told her they needed to come because she needed to learn to eat and like fish.
After dinner Mom and I went home and packed a bag for her stay. She has pj's that open in the front so she does not have to wear the hospital gowns and slippers of her own. We also packed her 2 television series she liked from the 90's so she could watch them. She took some knitting and I will take up some painting projects for her for after her transplant. She has a few books as well, so I think she is as set as she can be for a 3 week stay!
How is Mom? Well over all I think she is just fine! We all, except for Colleen's hubby Brad who had to work, went to dinner last night at Red Lobster. I told Mom she could go anywhere she wanted and she chose Red Lobster because she really likes the cheese biscuts they bring out. Her sister's (my aunts) Colleen and Della came with us too. Aunt Della had a heart attack 2 weekends ago and is doing really well. Aunt Colleen told her they needed to come because she needed to learn to eat and like fish.
After dinner Mom and I went home and packed a bag for her stay. She has pj's that open in the front so she does not have to wear the hospital gowns and slippers of her own. We also packed her 2 television series she liked from the 90's so she could watch them. She took some knitting and I will take up some painting projects for her for after her transplant. She has a few books as well, so I think she is as set as she can be for a 3 week stay!
Cancer Walk Photos
Here are the pics from the Cancer Walk on October 11 (Happy Birthday Barry!) It was cold, it snowed a little that day!
From left to right Colleen, Patrick, Brad, Katie, Debbie, Barry, Liz, Candice, me, Dad and the babies down front are Lottie and Ainsleigh. Mom's treatment prevented her from coming and Everett was sick.
Lottie bundled up ready to go.
Ainsleigh has the coolest wrap to keep her toes warm.
And we're walking, we're walking...
My chum Carrie gave me some pink hairspray and this is what we did to Patrick with it. Colleen and I tried to do our whole head with it. It looked pink on her, red on me.
The walk was fun. I ran into Damon Yauney from Fox 13 news. Damon and I did a show together a few years ago, Oklahoma. He was Curly and I was Aunt Eller. So we walked together for a minute and he said, "I was thinking about you and Matt (Jud) the other day because I found my cowboy hat in the closet. It still has a bullet hole in it." In the scene Poor Jud is Ded the guns we were using misfired in his face and it was... oh man it was something. Damon does the news in the morning and he had to have some work done to make him pretty again. So it was nice to see him again, and yes he is just as pretty in person as he is on the news.
From left to right Colleen, Patrick, Brad, Katie, Debbie, Barry, Liz, Candice, me, Dad and the babies down front are Lottie and Ainsleigh. Mom's treatment prevented her from coming and Everett was sick.
Lottie bundled up ready to go.
Ainsleigh has the coolest wrap to keep her toes warm.
And we're walking, we're walking...
My chum Carrie gave me some pink hairspray and this is what we did to Patrick with it. Colleen and I tried to do our whole head with it. It looked pink on her, red on me.The walk was fun. I ran into Damon Yauney from Fox 13 news. Damon and I did a show together a few years ago, Oklahoma. He was Curly and I was Aunt Eller. So we walked together for a minute and he said, "I was thinking about you and Matt (Jud) the other day because I found my cowboy hat in the closet. It still has a bullet hole in it." In the scene Poor Jud is Ded the guns we were using misfired in his face and it was... oh man it was something. Damon does the news in the morning and he had to have some work done to make him pretty again. So it was nice to see him again, and yes he is just as pretty in person as he is on the news.
It was a fun day and I am glad we did it. Our team raised $1,850 for cancer research. Thanks to all who participated and helped us with donations.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Family Hair Evening
So here is the story: My mom, once coming to grips with having cancer, told my sister Colleen and I one day that she did not want to lose her hair to chemo. The first chemo she was on was not strong enough to make her lose her hair but the chemo she will have Tuesday and Wednesday this week will. Colleen, and keep in mind that this is my sister who was Miss Midvale 2000, decided that if mom was going to lose her hair we all were. My brothers Barry and Everett have not had a hair cut in months to prepare for it. Sunday night was Family Hair Evening and the photos are below, enjoy! I know we did!
Above is the whole family. Notice my brothers on the extreme sides. Barry is the one with the goofy grin and his hair was longer than everyone's but Colleen (squatting by the babies), Everett is the one with the beard. Pat is standing in the middle and his wonderful wife took all of these photos.
Mom was first, such a sad face. I think she cried just a little.
So what we did was each choose a fun outrageous hairdo first. Mom is a punk rocker...
There is the smile we were waiting for!
Dad has had a mustache for as long as I can remember. He was a brave little toaster and let Mom cut it off. Then Barry did a little Foo Man Choo on him.
This is me trying to do the Joe Biden, but looking more like a Benedictine monk.
We shaved Cancer Sucks into Patrick's head.
Everett did some extreme spikes
Colleen was Cyndi Lauper circa Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun/True Colors era.
And Candice's hubby Hutch even joined in the fun...
Barry wanted a Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek... look at his daughter's face looking at her daddy... priceless. Right after this she burst into tears.
What no one tells you is that this itches!!
Colleen the beauty queen with her one braid up front. Business up front, party in the back!
Colleen with her family right after. Brad was a sport about his wife losing her hair. Colleen looks great even bald, if I did not love her so much...
Barry looking so preeetty in a hat that Mom's friend Mirriam sent her.
Thanks Mirriam for the hats, they are so soft!!
The crew all bald now.
The crew plus Hutch, thanks for being a part of our fun Hutch!
Mom and Dad, seriously without a stache he looks 10 years younger!
Barry grabbed my head and asked if it felt like velcro...
It does....
Above is the whole family. Notice my brothers on the extreme sides. Barry is the one with the goofy grin and his hair was longer than everyone's but Colleen (squatting by the babies), Everett is the one with the beard. Pat is standing in the middle and his wonderful wife took all of these photos.
Mom was first, such a sad face. I think she cried just a little.
So what we did was each choose a fun outrageous hairdo first. Mom is a punk rocker...
There is the smile we were waiting for!
Dad has had a mustache for as long as I can remember. He was a brave little toaster and let Mom cut it off. Then Barry did a little Foo Man Choo on him.
This is me trying to do the Joe Biden, but looking more like a Benedictine monk.
We shaved Cancer Sucks into Patrick's head.
Everett did some extreme spikes
Colleen was Cyndi Lauper circa Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun/True Colors era.
And Candice's hubby Hutch even joined in the fun...
Barry wanted a Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek... look at his daughter's face looking at her daddy... priceless. Right after this she burst into tears.
What no one tells you is that this itches!!
Colleen the beauty queen with her one braid up front. Business up front, party in the back!
Colleen with her family right after. Brad was a sport about his wife losing her hair. Colleen looks great even bald, if I did not love her so much...
Barry looking so preeetty in a hat that Mom's friend Mirriam sent her.
Thanks Mirriam for the hats, they are so soft!!
The crew all bald now.
The crew plus Hutch, thanks for being a part of our fun Hutch!
Mom and Dad, seriously without a stache he looks 10 years younger!
Barry grabbed my head and asked if it felt like velcro...
It does....So that was our fun night... FHE can stand for more than Family Home Evening...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Explaination
Someone asked me why I was putting a lot of information on this blog about Mom's treatment for cancer and why I am posting so often. The answer is simple: Mom is telling her friends to check here for updates on her progress which is cool with me. Not only does is give me an outlet for expressing somethings, but also am able to provide that service for her.
In about two hours our family is having Family Hair Evening (FHE) and Mom promised her Seattle friends pictures. Hopefully they will be up tomorrow. I have been meaning to put up pictures of the walk for over a week now. By the way Mirriam thanks for the hat! It is so soft that I am excited to wear it on my soon to be cold head!
I am just excited I had one last really good hair day today!
By way of one more explination: during phase 2 the days start as a negative. When mom goes into the hospital it will be day -3. Day 0 is her transplant (Friday) and then they start counting up from there. They also call Friday her birthday. I will need to ask why. Monday we have one last meeting with the BMT team as a family before she is admitted Tuesday.
In about two hours our family is having Family Hair Evening (FHE) and Mom promised her Seattle friends pictures. Hopefully they will be up tomorrow. I have been meaning to put up pictures of the walk for over a week now. By the way Mirriam thanks for the hat! It is so soft that I am excited to wear it on my soon to be cold head!
I am just excited I had one last really good hair day today!
By way of one more explination: during phase 2 the days start as a negative. When mom goes into the hospital it will be day -3. Day 0 is her transplant (Friday) and then they start counting up from there. They also call Friday her birthday. I will need to ask why. Monday we have one last meeting with the BMT team as a family before she is admitted Tuesday.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Harvest is Over
Mom was told by the BMT team that her harvest is over. She was able to harvest enough for 2 transplants not 3 but the process is just beating her up enough that they feel it best to call the harvest good enough. So she gets the weekend off. Tuesday she will check into the hospital for the next 3 weeks. The next phase of the transplant is Phase 2 - The Transplant.
I am proud of you Mom! I know this has been harder on you than I am sure anything else you have physically gone through. You are my hero.
I am proud of you Mom! I know this has been harder on you than I am sure anything else you have physically gone through. You are my hero.
Harvest Update
Day 5 (Tuesday) began the harvest. It went really well. The goal is to hopefully get 15 units, but they would settle for 10. Today she was able to produce just under 3. This is processing 15 liters of blood in about 3 hours. The blood is taken out of one port in her central line, spun through a centrofuge to separate the various elements of the blood. The stem cells and a bag of platelets are kept out and the rest is combined back together and put back into Mom using another port in her line. At night she sleeps best upstairs in her recliner so I am camped out in the other one so someone is with her all night in case of an emergency. The only concern was her O2 levels were a little low in her blood so they sent her home with oxygen and she slept well. 6 hours is more sleep that she has had in some time.
Day 6 (Wednesday) Another good day of harvest. There were some power outages at the hospital so the machines were working on emergency power. She was able to get just over 1 unit. My brother Barry came over to spend the night with her so I could sleep in my bed for a night. Mom is really tired. Really, really tired.
Day 7 (Thursday) Not such a great day. Mom's tube inside her leading to the vein has a pin prick in it that caused her to bleed into her chest. They caught it early, thankfully, but the loss of blood made her really light headed and they had to take her off the machines and up to radiology to have her line replaced. They put her in a bed in the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) Ward to recoup a little and feed her some lunch. We took her back down to the Apheresis department about 2. Apheresis is the process to harvest the cells. They were able to hook her back up to the same bags as earlier so none of her earlier blood was lost. They processed 10 liters of blood and we do not know the counts for her collection yet since she finished to late in the day. The bruise in her right chest is impressive! I took her home around 4 and got her settled in for the night and then had a night out with Candice. My sister Colleen came over to spend the night. Around 10 I got a text that Mom's line was bleeding and they were taking her up to LDS (this is the hospital) and Colleen's daughter was home with my brother Everett. So I went home to help take care of Lottie while Colleen and Dad were with Mom. Around 1 they decided to admit her, Colleen stayed with Mom, and Lottie and I had a big girl sleepover (well as best one can with a 5 month old) Mom's line bled all night until about 5 this morning when it started to clot. They are exploring the option to move it to the left side of her chest and close up the right side. We have been told that they think she can still harvest today. If they can harvest today and tomorrow she might have enough to stop the harvest and just get on with the transplant; at least this is what we are praying for. It really is taking a lot out of her. But she is a fighter and I know she can come through all of this crap and get healthy.
Below is a picture of what she gets hooked up to for the harvest. The bag on the right with the red is her stem cells. The one just to the left of it is her platelets. There is a bag of liquid used to help with the harvest and another bag of liquid that is mixed with the blood that goes back into her body to help so it does not clot wrong.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Caught up
I have not been lurking on blogs lately. I just caught up with over a week's worth of blog reading... you all had a lot to say! I am also sitting in my office right now trying to find the motivation to work. I can not find it! I work for a company that sells air and heat systems but we can not seem to get ours to work right. Yesterday it was 80 in our offices so I brought a t-shirt with me just in case it was hot again. Today it is 65. A nice happy medium would be nice. I have not, however, given up on wearing flip flops for the season. My co-worker told me once that he knows it is cold when I start wearing actual shoes and socks. Who needs Mark Eubank's White Snow-coat when you have Stephanie's flip flops?
By the way Mom is about 40% done with her stem cell collection. This is good news!
By the way Mom is about 40% done with her stem cell collection. This is good news!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Evereything I need to know I learned from Grey's Anatomy
So I am a fan of the afore mentioned show. I love the DVR as well, so I can watch it later when I have time. So last week Meredith gets a patient who has cancer. This patient's sister is totally focused on getting her well that cancer is all that they talk about. So this girl sends her sister out of the hospital room and BEGS Meredith to talk about anything but cancer whereupon Meredith tells cancer girl about Derek and her roommates. This makes cancer girl's day ... I shall forbear from telling the rest of the story …
I realize that my last few posts are all about cancer, and I totally understand where the Grey's story is coming from, my next many posts will be about cancer. Cancer is all encompassing. It does more than eat away at your body; it eats away at your life. You wake up in the morning thinking about cancer, think about cancer all day, and then go to be thinking about cancer. Our life is more than just cancer right now. For the rest of this post no more mention of the word that shall not be named…
My sister-in-law Katie called me today to tell me that she and Pat had just gone to the doctor for her first appointment because she is going to have a baby. The baby (I think it is a boy) is healthy and strong with a good heartbeat. Katie is doing well also. Her due date is May… um … I think the 15th. We have named all of the trimesters for the babies that have come before, and we decided to name him Xander the Xygote. (I know it is spelled wrong but I do not like Xander spelled with a Z. Alexander shortens to Xander. It is not Alezander...) So she is now in her second trimester and little Xander is no longer a zygote... Patrick has a name suggestion for the embryo but he gets a say in the actual name of the child. So I need to come up with equally good names for the embryo and fetus... I think the embryo is going to be a girl name...
Lottie has started to smile A LOT!! It is so cute I can almost forgive her propensity to poo on me.
Ainsleigh has started to crawl every where. She really loves to take out the DVDs from the shelves. Sunday I took some gaff (I am going to register for gaffers tape when I finally find the man of my dreams) and taped the DVDs into place. She did not go near them Sunday night. When Ainsleigh laughs, all is forgotten.
I love gaff tape. I had a stage manager once who made useful items out of gaff tape during down time in a show. She made a stop watch holder and a wallet. Liz is an amazing stage manager.
My brother Barry has really long hair. His hair is thick so it looks… well frankly really bad. The Halloween we took Patrick to the MTC Barry also had long hair. He put it in hot rollers (I think they were Candice’s and Colleen's… like it took 4 sets of hot rollers to do it) and dressed up like Greg Brady. Needless to say he looked odd at the MTC. You could almost see the new missionaries eyeing him to give him the first discussion.
My Aunt Bonnie just stopped by my office to drop of Season 1 of NCIS that she borrowed from my mom. Aunt Bonnie is not my blood aunt, but was married to my Uncle Tim who died long before I was born. I was in my teens before I knew she was not my blood aunt. I thought she was my mom’s sister married to Uncle Walt (her second and far grumpier husband. In fact he is the person we stole Dad’s nickname from: Grumpa)
After seeing Candice in Into The Woods a few weeks ago, my mom and sisters all went to Afternoon Tea at the Grand America. How fun is afternoon tea? I am convinced I should be British…. not Canadian… British. But when I go to Victoria British Columbia in Canada again I want to do afternoon tea at The Empress. That would be very cool. (yes it was herbal!)
I like my planner. I have a planner for work and personal use. The one for work is big and stays in my desk. The one for personal use basically holds my life. I would be lost without it. However I did not give it a gender based identity or name it.
Why did it take so long for someone to put White Out in a tape form?
I start a new class in school today. I should probably check in!!
I might just need to stop babbling now. (if you know me well you will know that right now in my head: lovely ivory tower of Babel, babble babble babble, rabble, rabble, babble)
I realize that my last few posts are all about cancer, and I totally understand where the Grey's story is coming from, my next many posts will be about cancer. Cancer is all encompassing. It does more than eat away at your body; it eats away at your life. You wake up in the morning thinking about cancer, think about cancer all day, and then go to be thinking about cancer. Our life is more than just cancer right now. For the rest of this post no more mention of the word that shall not be named…
My sister-in-law Katie called me today to tell me that she and Pat had just gone to the doctor for her first appointment because she is going to have a baby. The baby (I think it is a boy) is healthy and strong with a good heartbeat. Katie is doing well also. Her due date is May… um … I think the 15th. We have named all of the trimesters for the babies that have come before, and we decided to name him Xander the Xygote. (I know it is spelled wrong but I do not like Xander spelled with a Z. Alexander shortens to Xander. It is not Alezander...) So she is now in her second trimester and little Xander is no longer a zygote... Patrick has a name suggestion for the embryo but he gets a say in the actual name of the child. So I need to come up with equally good names for the embryo and fetus... I think the embryo is going to be a girl name...
Lottie has started to smile A LOT!! It is so cute I can almost forgive her propensity to poo on me.
Ainsleigh has started to crawl every where. She really loves to take out the DVDs from the shelves. Sunday I took some gaff (I am going to register for gaffers tape when I finally find the man of my dreams) and taped the DVDs into place. She did not go near them Sunday night. When Ainsleigh laughs, all is forgotten.
I love gaff tape. I had a stage manager once who made useful items out of gaff tape during down time in a show. She made a stop watch holder and a wallet. Liz is an amazing stage manager.
My brother Barry has really long hair. His hair is thick so it looks… well frankly really bad. The Halloween we took Patrick to the MTC Barry also had long hair. He put it in hot rollers (I think they were Candice’s and Colleen's… like it took 4 sets of hot rollers to do it) and dressed up like Greg Brady. Needless to say he looked odd at the MTC. You could almost see the new missionaries eyeing him to give him the first discussion.
My Aunt Bonnie just stopped by my office to drop of Season 1 of NCIS that she borrowed from my mom. Aunt Bonnie is not my blood aunt, but was married to my Uncle Tim who died long before I was born. I was in my teens before I knew she was not my blood aunt. I thought she was my mom’s sister married to Uncle Walt (her second and far grumpier husband. In fact he is the person we stole Dad’s nickname from: Grumpa)
After seeing Candice in Into The Woods a few weeks ago, my mom and sisters all went to Afternoon Tea at the Grand America. How fun is afternoon tea? I am convinced I should be British…. not Canadian… British. But when I go to Victoria British Columbia in Canada again I want to do afternoon tea at The Empress. That would be very cool. (yes it was herbal!)
I like my planner. I have a planner for work and personal use. The one for work is big and stays in my desk. The one for personal use basically holds my life. I would be lost without it. However I did not give it a gender based identity or name it.
Why did it take so long for someone to put White Out in a tape form?
I start a new class in school today. I should probably check in!!
I might just need to stop babbling now. (if you know me well you will know that right now in my head: lovely ivory tower of Babel, babble babble babble, rabble, rabble, babble)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Day 4
Mom's Central Line placement went well. She came home around 1 and felt great. Around 4 she spiked a fever so I had to take her back into the hospital to get checked out. They feel it is an affect of the blood building shots but gave her a 24-hour dose of a broad spectrum antibiotic. It was nice for her to get to use her line for it so she did not have to get poked. We came home around 7. She still has a fever but they said the antibiotics could cause it to go up if she did have an infection.
The great news is that her stem cell count numbers are good and she will start her harvest tomorrow morning. That is great news. It means that the pain she was in all weekend was worth it; her stem cells mobilized quickly. Her harvest tomorrow will consist of blood being drawn out from her central line, put through a centrifuge where the stem cells are separated from the white, red, and plasma cells, and then the rest of the blood is put back into her body through another port in the central line.
To those who have been asking: What can I do to help? Well I now have something we need. Mom will need probably 5 blood transfusions. They get the blood from the American Red Cross blood bank. Our family has been asked to donate blood to replace it if possible. So if you can donate blood I encourage you to go to the Red Cross and donate blood within the next two weeks I would appreciate it!
The great news is that her stem cell count numbers are good and she will start her harvest tomorrow morning. That is great news. It means that the pain she was in all weekend was worth it; her stem cells mobilized quickly. Her harvest tomorrow will consist of blood being drawn out from her central line, put through a centrifuge where the stem cells are separated from the white, red, and plasma cells, and then the rest of the blood is put back into her body through another port in the central line.
To those who have been asking: What can I do to help? Well I now have something we need. Mom will need probably 5 blood transfusions. They get the blood from the American Red Cross blood bank. Our family has been asked to donate blood to replace it if possible. So if you can donate blood I encourage you to go to the Red Cross and donate blood within the next two weeks I would appreciate it!
Bone Marrow Transplant - Phase 1 - The Harvest
Day 1 – Friday
In order to harvest stem cells from Mom’s blood she first has to produce new healthy stem cells. She gives herself 7 shots a day, 6 are for blood growth. The 3 shots in the morning were not so bad. She still had a nice day overall. But the shots at night were a different story. She had to do the 3 shots from earlier in the day again and then added another intense shot to promote stem cell growth. This one, apparently, is supposed to mobilize the stem cells quickly. The major side effect from this procedure is flu like symptoms. Mom had a really bad headache day 1 during the night and did not sleep well. Add to this that her sister called to tell us her other sister had a heart attack. Aunt Della is doing better now and is home, but obviously Mom was worried about this.
Day 2 – Saturday
The shots continue today. However unlike day 1 today was a little more painful. Mom skipped the cancer walk today. She just was not feeling up to it. The rest of us left at 8 to head to Liberty Park. Together our team, Cancer Sucks, raised just shy of $1900 for cancer research. (pictures from the walk to come later) We walked around the park 2 out of the 3 times and decided we should go home and take care of Mom. Plus it was getting really cold! Mom was in good spirits when we got home, we all had hot chocolate or herbal tea to warm up. Later in the day Mom started to really feel the effects of the shots. Bone pain is something that you really have to live through to know exactly what it is. Well Mom’s was so bad that her body was reacting with spasms. I sat and watched her entire body spasm for hours. We called the hospital twice and they finally decided that her pain medication was not working as it should. They told us to give her the stronger pain meds that we had been given for Monday, day 4. These pills put Mom to sleep within hours, and her body relaxed.
Day 3 – Sunday
I kept Mom on the pain meds on schedule today so she mostly slept. Aunt Colleen called to tell Mom that her cousin Larry died from complications of his diabetes, Larry also had the same cancer Mom has. In fact they had the same doctor at the Cancer Specialists. We had visits today from my cousins Sam and Leslie. Les made us vinyl Cancer Sucks ribbons to put on our car windows. Candice dropped by for a second as well to exchange some videos so Mom can watch them when she is in the hospital. Barry and Debbie came by because Mom had asked for a blessing before she goes in on Monday. I am amazed how the Lord knows us and knows what we need, when we need it. Mom was given a beautiful blessing about the power of the atonement and made some promises for her healing process. We went to sleep around 10 and Mom slept well until about 1 a.m. I guess if you sleep all day you do not sleep all night. At about 4:30 she moved to the other room to see if she could get comfortable on a couch. That brings us to now, it is 5:30 and decided since my alarm is going off at 6 I would stay up and get some things done. This is one of the things I have been meaning to do.
Today starts Day 4 – Monday. Mom gets her central line put in today. The harvest of stem cells starts tomorrow. If all goes well she will be admitted into the hospital Tuesday October 21.
In order to harvest stem cells from Mom’s blood she first has to produce new healthy stem cells. She gives herself 7 shots a day, 6 are for blood growth. The 3 shots in the morning were not so bad. She still had a nice day overall. But the shots at night were a different story. She had to do the 3 shots from earlier in the day again and then added another intense shot to promote stem cell growth. This one, apparently, is supposed to mobilize the stem cells quickly. The major side effect from this procedure is flu like symptoms. Mom had a really bad headache day 1 during the night and did not sleep well. Add to this that her sister called to tell us her other sister had a heart attack. Aunt Della is doing better now and is home, but obviously Mom was worried about this.
Day 2 – Saturday
The shots continue today. However unlike day 1 today was a little more painful. Mom skipped the cancer walk today. She just was not feeling up to it. The rest of us left at 8 to head to Liberty Park. Together our team, Cancer Sucks, raised just shy of $1900 for cancer research. (pictures from the walk to come later) We walked around the park 2 out of the 3 times and decided we should go home and take care of Mom. Plus it was getting really cold! Mom was in good spirits when we got home, we all had hot chocolate or herbal tea to warm up. Later in the day Mom started to really feel the effects of the shots. Bone pain is something that you really have to live through to know exactly what it is. Well Mom’s was so bad that her body was reacting with spasms. I sat and watched her entire body spasm for hours. We called the hospital twice and they finally decided that her pain medication was not working as it should. They told us to give her the stronger pain meds that we had been given for Monday, day 4. These pills put Mom to sleep within hours, and her body relaxed.
Day 3 – Sunday
I kept Mom on the pain meds on schedule today so she mostly slept. Aunt Colleen called to tell Mom that her cousin Larry died from complications of his diabetes, Larry also had the same cancer Mom has. In fact they had the same doctor at the Cancer Specialists. We had visits today from my cousins Sam and Leslie. Les made us vinyl Cancer Sucks ribbons to put on our car windows. Candice dropped by for a second as well to exchange some videos so Mom can watch them when she is in the hospital. Barry and Debbie came by because Mom had asked for a blessing before she goes in on Monday. I am amazed how the Lord knows us and knows what we need, when we need it. Mom was given a beautiful blessing about the power of the atonement and made some promises for her healing process. We went to sleep around 10 and Mom slept well until about 1 a.m. I guess if you sleep all day you do not sleep all night. At about 4:30 she moved to the other room to see if she could get comfortable on a couch. That brings us to now, it is 5:30 and decided since my alarm is going off at 6 I would stay up and get some things done. This is one of the things I have been meaning to do.
Today starts Day 4 – Monday. Mom gets her central line put in today. The harvest of stem cells starts tomorrow. If all goes well she will be admitted into the hospital Tuesday October 21.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Cancer Walk Progress and Mom Update
Just an update on the Cancer Walk that my family is participating in on Saturday:
We have a team goal of $2,000 and so far have raised $1,400!
Although the donation widget to the right says, for some reason, that we have raised $0 we are doing really great. My family all bought matching pink (YES I SAID PINK) shirts for the walk, even the little girls have pink onesies. If you feel like taking a possible rain drenched walk with us on Saturday we would love to have you. My mom got a pin for everyone who comes with us on the walk. You can reply to this post asking for more information if you want!
And mom is doing well. We have an appointment tomorrow with her transplant team to find out if there is any reason she can not have the transplant. (It is a bone marrow transplant if you are new to the blog!) She starts blood building shots on Friday if it is all a GO and Monday will have her central line installed. Then it is a waiting game. Hopefully she will produce enough stem cells quickly and get in the hospital quick, but it could take up to 3 weeks for her to produce enough stem cells. Basically she gets a call one day that says "We are ready, come in tomorrow." We found out a few interesting things this week: she cannot have fresh flowers in her hospital room because of mold possibilities and she basically can not clean the house for 6 months after she gets out; it is a drastic way to get out of house work if you ask me!
We have a team goal of $2,000 and so far have raised $1,400!
Although the donation widget to the right says, for some reason, that we have raised $0 we are doing really great. My family all bought matching pink (YES I SAID PINK) shirts for the walk, even the little girls have pink onesies. If you feel like taking a possible rain drenched walk with us on Saturday we would love to have you. My mom got a pin for everyone who comes with us on the walk. You can reply to this post asking for more information if you want!
And mom is doing well. We have an appointment tomorrow with her transplant team to find out if there is any reason she can not have the transplant. (It is a bone marrow transplant if you are new to the blog!) She starts blood building shots on Friday if it is all a GO and Monday will have her central line installed. Then it is a waiting game. Hopefully she will produce enough stem cells quickly and get in the hospital quick, but it could take up to 3 weeks for her to produce enough stem cells. Basically she gets a call one day that says "We are ready, come in tomorrow." We found out a few interesting things this week: she cannot have fresh flowers in her hospital room because of mold possibilities and she basically can not clean the house for 6 months after she gets out; it is a drastic way to get out of house work if you ask me!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Deep Thoughts... by Starbuck
It is a sad commentary on our time when I drive past the gas station and get excited because gas is down to $3.41... I remember when I was in high school and got mad when gas jumped to $1. Sad commentary.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Regestration Deadline
Stepping on soap box, ahem...
If you are not registered to vote the deadline for mail-in registration is Sunday (which is odd since they do not postmark mail on Sunday so really it is tomorrow October 4) or in person you have until 15 days before the general election. This is of course if you live in Utah. If you do not live in Utah your voting rules might differ.
I strongly encourage everyone who is not registered to vote to do so. In Utah visit the Lt. Gov. site to find out more information: http://elections.utah.gov/voterregistrationnewhow.html
And then your county clerk will have a list of all of the elections in your area. For example I live in Salt Lake County:
http://www.clerk.slco.org/
In a few weeks I will be able to see the ballot for my area.
Of course the great thing about our democratic system of voting is that you have the right not to vote. But change cannot happen unless the citizens demand it and also things do not change if we want them the same. This year in Salt Lake County we will be voting for more than people, we have a chance to vote for a zoo tax as well. The bill is designed to raise $65 billion in funding for renewing Hogle Zoo. You might want to vote for or against this as well.
I again encourage everyone to register to vote!
Steps off soap box.
Have a nice day.
If you are not registered to vote the deadline for mail-in registration is Sunday (which is odd since they do not postmark mail on Sunday so really it is tomorrow October 4) or in person you have until 15 days before the general election. This is of course if you live in Utah. If you do not live in Utah your voting rules might differ.
I strongly encourage everyone who is not registered to vote to do so. In Utah visit the Lt. Gov. site to find out more information: http://elections.utah.gov/voterregistrationnewhow.html
And then your county clerk will have a list of all of the elections in your area. For example I live in Salt Lake County:
http://www.clerk.slco.org/
In a few weeks I will be able to see the ballot for my area.
Of course the great thing about our democratic system of voting is that you have the right not to vote. But change cannot happen unless the citizens demand it and also things do not change if we want them the same. This year in Salt Lake County we will be voting for more than people, we have a chance to vote for a zoo tax as well. The bill is designed to raise $65 billion in funding for renewing Hogle Zoo. You might want to vote for or against this as well.
I again encourage everyone to register to vote!
Steps off soap box.
Have a nice day.
It's a brighter day
I woke up this morning with a song belting in my head.
Oh,Oh,Oh
Woke up today feeling the way I always do
Oh,Oh,Oh
Hungry for something that I can't eat
Then I hear that beat
that rythm of town starts hauling me down
It's like a message from high above
Oh,Oh,Oh
Pulling me out to the smiles and streets that I love.
Good Morning Baltimore
Every days like an open door
Every nights like a fantacy
Every sounds like a symphony
Good Morning Baltimore and some day when I take to the floor
The worlds gonna wake up and see Baltimore and Me.
Any day that starts with Tracy Turnblad in your head is going to be a good one! It is a theory I am testing... Now I just can not figure out if I am hearing Ricki Lake, Marissa Jaret Winokur or Nicki Blonsky. Probably not Ricki since she never really sang that song.
Oh,Oh,Oh
Woke up today feeling the way I always do
Oh,Oh,Oh
Hungry for something that I can't eat
Then I hear that beat
that rythm of town starts hauling me down
It's like a message from high above
Oh,Oh,Oh
Pulling me out to the smiles and streets that I love.
Good Morning Baltimore
Every days like an open door
Every nights like a fantacy
Every sounds like a symphony
Good Morning Baltimore and some day when I take to the floor
The worlds gonna wake up and see Baltimore and Me.
Any day that starts with Tracy Turnblad in your head is going to be a good one! It is a theory I am testing... Now I just can not figure out if I am hearing Ricki Lake, Marissa Jaret Winokur or Nicki Blonsky. Probably not Ricki since she never really sang that song.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
So They Say...
I have heard it said that if you cannot say anything nice don't say anything at all... might be why my blog is missing some posts this week.
I say if you cannot say anything nice come sit by me.
I vent… randomly… at no one in particular, especially no one who reads my blog.
First off I want to tell that guy who almost ran into me 3 times on my way to work today to pay attention to the road or next time I will let you hit me and collect money from your insurance company. The fourth time I will not slam on my breaks and swerve …
If you are hired to work from 8-5 daily do not come in at 7, leave at 3:30 and take an hour and a half lunch.
If you are hired to answer the phone in the office sit at your desk and answer the phone when it rings; the rest of us have our job to do and are tired of covering for you.
In this modern day there is no reason not to be on direct deposit for pay checks.
If I pay you a compliment at an event to which you performed graciously accept it and do not attack a prior performance of mine that you thought you should have been a part of.
Do not call me after 10 at night. I am usually in bed. This is of course not applicable if you are a really good friend who needs help. If you just want to chat, call me tomorrow.
The purpose of a political debate is not for you to tell me why I am wrong but why you think you are right. Stop attacking my political views. If you want to convert me to your way of thinking just tell me what your thoughts on the issues are and why. Maybe I will agree, maybe not.
If we invested the outrageous amount of money being spent on attack political ads into our struggling economy we might be better served…
Just because I am female does not mean that I am a secretary or the receptionist. Also do not refer to me as “your girl” unless you want to take me home to meet your mom.
If you are trying to talk to someone and she says, “Not right now.” She means come back later, do not keep talking to her.
If someone looks up at you with tears in her eyes because she is having a bad day do not ask if she is having her period, maybe she has not had a period for 4 years, she might just be having a bad day. Just might be having a bad day and you might be a part of why.
Do not think any of these are directed at you because you are reading it on my blog. If I wanted to say this to you I would say it to your face… or inbox as the case might be. I might just be venting.
End transmission
I say if you cannot say anything nice come sit by me.
I vent… randomly… at no one in particular, especially no one who reads my blog.
First off I want to tell that guy who almost ran into me 3 times on my way to work today to pay attention to the road or next time I will let you hit me and collect money from your insurance company. The fourth time I will not slam on my breaks and swerve …
If you are hired to work from 8-5 daily do not come in at 7, leave at 3:30 and take an hour and a half lunch.
If you are hired to answer the phone in the office sit at your desk and answer the phone when it rings; the rest of us have our job to do and are tired of covering for you.
In this modern day there is no reason not to be on direct deposit for pay checks.
If I pay you a compliment at an event to which you performed graciously accept it and do not attack a prior performance of mine that you thought you should have been a part of.
Do not call me after 10 at night. I am usually in bed. This is of course not applicable if you are a really good friend who needs help. If you just want to chat, call me tomorrow.
The purpose of a political debate is not for you to tell me why I am wrong but why you think you are right. Stop attacking my political views. If you want to convert me to your way of thinking just tell me what your thoughts on the issues are and why. Maybe I will agree, maybe not.
If we invested the outrageous amount of money being spent on attack political ads into our struggling economy we might be better served…
Just because I am female does not mean that I am a secretary or the receptionist. Also do not refer to me as “your girl” unless you want to take me home to meet your mom.
If you are trying to talk to someone and she says, “Not right now.” She means come back later, do not keep talking to her.
If someone looks up at you with tears in her eyes because she is having a bad day do not ask if she is having her period, maybe she has not had a period for 4 years, she might just be having a bad day. Just might be having a bad day and you might be a part of why.
Do not think any of these are directed at you because you are reading it on my blog. If I wanted to say this to you I would say it to your face… or inbox as the case might be. I might just be venting.
End transmission
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