Merry Christmas Weekend

I am so excited--it is Christmas weekend!  I really like the fact that we've got an entire weekend plus Monday before Christmas.  I have most everything done in preparation for Christmas except for those few things that you can't do until just before (like preparing some foods).  So it will (hopefully) be a relaxing, enjoyable weekend with Ed and Dan.  Last night I baked up some Cranberry Nut Bread and it filled the house with the wonderful smells of Christmas.

The best gift is that Dan came home last nite after work. He surprised me by getting home earlier than I thought (he got out of work early).  I know...he's only been gone 4 days...but I love having my family together.  It sounds like his new job is going really well and he enjoys the people and the work.  It also sounds like a very nice place to work.  Now if we can just find him a place to live.  Although Nate and his family have been very welcoming of Dan and making him feel at home which I soooo appreciate.  They better be careful, though--he may not want to leave!

Well, I'm off to be productive but before I do, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and hope you have the opportunity to spend the holiday with family and friends!

Everyone seems to be posting on FB what their "Elf on a Shelf" brought their child.
So Ed took this picture of what our "Elves on a Shelf" brought us!!

An Exciting Week

Wow--what a week it has been!

I am thrilled to share that Dan got a full-time job in his field of study (architecture).  He interviewed on Friday, December 7th, was offered a job and accepted it by the 11th, and starts on Tuesday, 12/18.  He'll be working at Donald Lang Architects in Waban (Newton), MA, as an Architectural Designer.  Waban is about 1.5 hrs from here so he will be staying with his friend Nate and his family in Beverly until he can find a place of his own.

So this past week, Dan has been working full-time at ES (he usually only works 18-20 hrs) since he was only able to give a 1-week notice.  On top of that we've been trying to find a place for him to live and he has also been trying to get ready for Christmas since he now has less time for that than originally planned.  It is all good though.

I am sorry to report that Dan and Cassie have broken up.  They have been together for about 3.5 (almost 4) years.  The past 1.5 yrs have been tough on them as they have been apart (Cassie in NY and Dan in RI then at home).  I wish them both the best--they are both sweet people and I hope they still remain friends since they so enjoyed each other's company and doing things together.  But both their lives have changed since graduating college and that just makes it tough.

And in more bad news, Wednesday night Ed called me at work to let me know Dan needed to go to the ER.  He dropped a sheet of glass on his foot and it landed on the top of his left foot giving him a good gash (yes, he was barefoot).  Our neighbor Kay (retired ER nurse) came over and confirmed it needed stitches and she wrapped it up and called her friends at the Mary Lane ER to let them know we were on our way.  It required 5 stitches and thankfully Dan is getting around fine with it--just needs to change the bandage daily and then get stitches out in 7-10 days (which we're trying to figure out since he'll be in Newton/Beverly and then it's Christmas).



Dan at Mary Lane ER waiting for the doctor.

Ed had another treatment this past week and continues to experience stomach pain but he's trying to cope although it is slowing him down and he's tired and having some level of pain most days.  I'm trying to be patient, but anyone who knows me, knows I'm not the most patient person in the world (poor Ed).

Of course, as much as I was beginning to think I needed less drama in my life, the events in Newtown, CT unfolded Friday and put my life in perspective.  As with many of you, we are deeply saddened by this tragic event and we are reminded to hold our loved ones closer and cherish each day.  May God bless the victims of that tradegy and may their families be comforted by our prayers.

Today we put up our tree so it's beginning to feel a bit more like Christmas around here.  It will be so odd not having Dan with us this week, but he'll be home next weekend and thankfully has both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off so he'll be home from Friday night and go back Wednesday early morning (he'll drive right to work).  We have loved having him home with us this past year and I keep reminding myself that we're lucky he's "only" 1.5 hrs away.

If I don't get a chance to write again in the next week, may you have a Merry Christmas!

Time to Get Ready for Christmas

I just returned from a business trip in Tallahassee.  It was a good meeting and the weather was beautiful (in the upper 70s).  But I was away three days and at this time of year that is so hard.  It took me a bit to get back in the groove on Saturday, but as of today I am back into being productive.  It's a good thing too since Christmas is just 2 weeks away!  Gasp!  How did that happen?!

Thankfully I've got most of my shopping and baking done.  Ed and Dan put some outside decorations up a couple weeks ago and today Ed did more decorating inside while I worked on Christmas cards.

Ed has not been feeling well the last several days and spent all day Saturday in bed.  He's tired and his stomach is bothering him and he's achy.  He's up today though doing some decorating so that's a good sign.  Here's hoping things improve, but he does have another treatment this week so who knows what that will bring.  Well, need to go turn on the Christmas lights.  I love this time of year.  I just wish it lasted longer.

An Elf on a Shelf arrived on December 1st thanks to my sister Theresa

Stayed at the Doubletree while in Tallahassee.  They take good care of the Hilton HHonors members!

The view from my room.  Capital building directly in the middle.  Turlington Buiding to the right where our client is located (the Dept of Ed).

Celebrating Three Years

Here we are....three years after Ed's original diagnosis.  Hard to believe it's been 3 years, but we are very grateful.  We never thought of or imagined three years.  At the time of the diagnosis, we were hoping for 6 months, then another 6 months, and then another.  Milestones are harder to set at this time since we never thought beyond those first few milestones.  And with every CT scan or any random day of the week, I keep waiting for the gauntlet to fall.  I know it's looming over our heads ready to strike at any moment, but it hasn't and so we continue to press on and live life to the fullest.  We realize that, although Ed is living with cancer, the key is that he is "living".  There are so many people who have passed in the past three years either due to this terrible disease or for some other unforeseen tragedy and we realize how lucky we are and are continually reminded how every day is and remains a gift.

And although there are days like today where Ed is in pain and he doesn't feel well and goes back to bed, the good days outnumber the bad and there are so many who are so much worse off, dealing with terrible health issues or have sudden tragedies and lose loved ones.  So instead of focusing on our negatives, we continually remind ourselves of the positive and that's a much healthier perspective to have in life.

Ed did have a CT scan last week and the good news is that there are no new growths.  His shoulder pain looks like arthritis and Dr. B will be referring him to the orthopedist.  He also gave him some stronger pain medication and a prescription for a Lidoderm patch which should help with the pain in the meantime.  This is the biggest issue Ed is having right now and the pain keeps him awake at night.  The pain meds and patch seem to help and it will be good when he can see an orthopedist.  I am glad that we asked them to look at this area more closely during the CT scan.  At least now we can rule out cancer in that area as the cause of the pain.

In terms of the cancer, the lungs are stable; lymph nodes in the neck are down.  Tumors in the chest have shrunk and no changes in the liver.  This is all good news since it means the current treatment regimen is effective at knocking down the tumors and/or keeping them at bay.

There was some evidence of additional fluid in the abdomen and the mesentery (described as the "saran wrap" holding intestines) is more prominent and could be causing some weeping of fluid into the abdomen.  Difficult to tell though and something to watch in the future.

Ed's white and red blood counts are okay; liver function test is slightly elevated but same as September and there is no protein in the urine.

So, in other words...no significant changes and the current regimen is keeping the tumors from growing.  So we'll continue with the current treatment pattern for now.

Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers!