LAKE REFLECTIONS

MOSTLY MITCHELL ...

Hi!

This blog is mostly about Mitchell and his visit during the past week,
but first I will bring you up to date on Pepper.  She is gone.  I turned
her back in to the shelter where I got her Monday a.m. before Mitchell's
arrival Monday afternoon.  (I think she knew something was up because
she mostly just laid around and drank during the days prior to her
departure.) 

She was put through obedience school and was just adopted out again
yesterday.  I wish her well in her new life and with her "drinking problems." 
(It is far more peaceful around here without her, but I do sort of miss her.)

Now on to the star of the blog ... Mitchell McGarry. 

We were very busy the week that they were here.  As soon as we
got out of the airport, we stopped at a new shopping area in northern
Kansas City called Zona Rosa.  We hit the Disney shop and had a
great lunch.  We drove around in the area a little bit as that is the
area I think I prefer if we were to buy a house in KC.

We found a playground filled with soft fruit for Mitchell to play on at the
shopping center.

Our first activity at the lake was to ride the go carts. He is really quite a
good driver, and he definitely takes it very seriously.

The next stop was the miniature golf course.  His form is a little iffy
and once in a while, he switches over to a "handball" style of play,
but he sure has fun.  The course was nice and shady, so although
the weather was hot and muggy, we were quite comfortable.  It was
very pretty, too.

I believe Suzanne had the winning score.

We had a wonderful sunset one of the nights they were here.  Had it not been
for Suzanne being outside watering our flowers, we might have missed it!

Here, we are at yet another go-kart track.  This was a faster machine
and longer track, but Mitchell still proved himself to be quite a driver!

One plus about not yet selling the condo is that we still have
access to the condominium pool, which is where we headed
one hot day during their stay.

Even I ("GaGa") enjoyed a dip in the pool!

We always seemed to be out and about when it was meal time, so we
ate out quite a bit, which made it sort of a vacation for me as well!  We
had some good experiences and meals and some bad.  Bob Evans
was great; Denny's was disgusting.

Our big event of the week was to drive to Columbia, MO, to visit NASCAR
driver Carl Edwards' shop.  He is Mitchell's favorite and Columbia is Carl's
hometown, so we couldn't pass up the chance to go check it out.   Mitchell
was absolutely delighted with everything he saw.  These are some of the
actual trophies Edwards has won.

Is that a happy kid, or what?

Just before we left, Mitchell wrote a note to Carl to let him
know that he is his favorite driver.  Carl stops by the store
every once in a while, so the store clerk (Carl's neighbor)
promised to keep it safe until he could personally give it
to him.

Here we are leaving the store.  The store is called "I.B. Nuts and Fruits"
the front section is called "I.B. Racing" and that is the part that is
devoted to Carl Edwards.  It is apparently owned by some of his
relatives.  We had a great time.

After leaving the NASCAR shop, we went to Chuckie Cheese's to ride on
the stuff and to win tickets.  Among the three of us, we ended up with over
1,000 tickets and Mitchell got to pick one of the really cool prizes!

We went through Jefferson City on the way home, so we decided to
check out the Missouri State Capitol!  It was really quite impressive.
This is a view of the Missouri River from the cliff on which the
capitol sits.

There is an exact replica of the Liberty Bell on display on the grounds. 
Kind of neat.

On one of the last days, we just went shopping in Osage Beach -- hitting
WalMart and Target's toy departments, of course.  Then, we went to the
"Bagnell Dam Strip," for something to eat.  I had not been there for years,
so I didn't realize how scarce the eating places are.  We found one but we
had to leave because there was no "no-smoking" section (Mitchell must
be very careful of second hand smoke because of his CF).  So, we
went to a couple of stores and then left.  One of the stores was another
place that had a lot of NASCAR stuff.  He loved these tires!

We had to say goodbye to the Lake and all its fun stuff on Sunday so
we could spend sometime with Rob and his family before Suzanne
and Mitchell flew out on Monday evening for their return to Denver.

I decided that the T-Rex Restaurant would be a great grand finale
to their trip, so we gathered all of the kids and off we went to T-Rex
and all the dinosaurs.

Mitchell was a little leery at first, but he got braver as time
went on.   Sam had been there three times, so he was super
cool.

Mitchell was so pleased to find his favorite dinosaur ... the Apatosaurus!

Tessa and her best pal, Abby, were content to skip the dinosaur tour and
just drink their fancy drinks and work the puzzles in the kid's booklets.

Mitchell loves pizza.  He survived on it and chicken nuggets all week.

Here's Mr. Cool again.  He and his family had just returned from a
terrific vacation in Cancun on Saturday, so Sam was sporting quite
a handsome suntan!  (This photo reminds me so much of his dad, Rob!)

Here's the whole gang.

Here's the pizza boy.  Judging from the look on his face, I think
he enjoyed his meal and visit to T-Rex.

Mitchell celebrates his 5th birthday on Saturday, June 30! 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MITCHELL!!!!

I bought him a Lego Star Wars space ship thing for his birthday
that he really wanted, so he opened it while he was here.  Poor
Suzanne spent 5 - 1/2 hours putting it together one afternoon!
Her back paid a price for such a long, tedious process.

I am sure I didn't get photos of everything we did, but that
certainly gives you a good idea of our activities this past week.
We had a great time.  The hard part is always saying good-bye. 
Mitchell thinks saying "goodbye" is just too sad, so he says
"corn" instead.  We said our "corns" Monday night and
I came back home to an empty house on Tuesday.  No
Michell, no Suzanne, no Jerry and no Pepper!  Man, was
it ever quiet! 

Jerry is still in Iowa visiting his kids and grandkids.  He is
due back on Sunday.  It will be really nice to see him!  I
have been trying to keep our yard mowed while he is gone
using the riding mower, which I have little or no experience
with.  He was also mowing the neighbor's yard, so I have
been trying to do that, too.  I need practice.  I wrecked
the mower at the neighbors by running into a pole.  The
hood of the mower will not snap into place since the accident.
(I keep forgetting to tell Jerry about it!)

I am not very good about steering around plants, etc, in our
yard, so I fear I mowed a few down yesterday.  Oh well.
Hopefully, they will grow back.  :-)

I had some not so good news from my doctor on Tuesday.
According to their records, my tumor marker counts were 53
last month; this month they were 98.  That's a significant
jump, which is not good, and it is also an indication that I
need to get back on some medication. 

She put me on Aromasin right away, a hormone therapy
type drug.   I have tried them twice before and they have
done no good, but I am hoping this one will be different. 

After a month of being on Aromasin, I am to have PET and CT
Scans to pinpoint what is happening and where.  At that point,
I assume I will have to go back on the "big gun" chemotherapy
drugs.   (There goes the hair again!) 

The kind of scary part of all this is that my bone marrow is wearing
out and is not able to restore my blood to normal levels any more. 
The red and white cells and platelets are still too low.  If I had more
time between chemos, they might be able to get back
where they should be, but chemo cannot be postponed indefinitely
as the cancer is obviously active and growing. 

At some point, chemo will no longer be an option, and that is
when things will get really scary.  I hope that is a long time from
now, but only God knows when that day will come.

I am noticing a few side effects to the Aromasin, but nothing
major.  I just hope it is doing what it is supposed to do.
I can put up with side effects, I just want the drugs to work!

Anyway, that it what is happening here.  I will keep you posted.

We changed realtors for the condo, so I am hoping for some
renewed interest and activity.  Plus, I have been interviewing
realtors for the house today.  I expect that we will have it on
the market by next week.  Wow!  I sure hope one or the other
sells soon.  It's kind of overwhelming to think about it all.

The boat is finally up and running, so hopefully, we can enjoy
the rest of the summer without any more mechanical
problems!

Next week Cody, Amy, Jude and Elena are coming to visit.
I can hardly wait.  They will have 4-5 days with us, which is
a first!  They have only been here twice and both times have
been just weekend trips.

Well, the third and last realtor is coming soon, so I better stop
to have a little lunch first. 

HAPPY JULY 4TH!  Be safe and be happy!

Love,
Judy and Jerry

P.S.  The new realtor just called, they have a couple who is
super interested in the condo!!!  Hot diggity!  I sure hope they
decide they want it and then make us a nice offer!  :-)

 

Party Time!

Hi, everybody.
Here are a few photos from some parties I recently attended ...

This is Sam jumping in the annual "jumpy tent" at Tessa and Rob's birthday party.

He, as well as the other kids, jumped in this thing for hour upon hour upon
hour -- all day and into the night and then again the first thing the next
morning.  I tried it in year's past, and it is NOT easy!  They all had to be
exhausted, but they sure had fun.

Here's the birthday girl, Tessa Jean.  She is now 11 years old.  Wow! 
Where does the time go????

Here are both honorees.  Rob turned 42.  It seems like only yesterday
that I was 42 and now he is 42!  Yikes!

Here are a couple more of Tessa.  In the second one she had just opened
a little piece of the beach that I put together for her.  She loves Sanibel,
so I gathered some Sanibel sand and shells and put them in a shadow box
frame.  She seemed pleased.

The next shot is definitely not a party.  It is the mess that we have 
had to contend with at the condominiums where we are trying to sell
our condo.  With the water such a disgusting sight, it is no wonder no
one seems to be interested in it.

I haven't been back over since taking this picture.  I sure hope this gunk
has washed out by now.  The manager says it just happens when we have
a lot of rain.  I am not sure that is exactly true.  I do know that I wish they
would clean it up!

Now back to the parties!  I drove to Glenwood for Kelly (niece) and
Hugh's USA wedding reception.  They had a lovely party, delicious food,
and a happy and good sized crowd.  They provided these fun toys for
the kids.

In the far back is Ellie, next is Nathan and then Maddy -- all grandkids of
Doug (cousin) and Karen.  On the far right is Sophia, Pam's (sister) grand-
daughter.

Here's Doug with his newest Granddaughter, Carly.  She belongs to Bridget and Wes.


Above is his second newest ... Sidney with her mom, Bobbi Jo.

Below is Tessa with her notebook.  She and Rob came to the party and
she was introduced to so many relatives, etc. that she decided to start
writing down all the names.  Rob doesn't make it to Glenwood very often,
so she had lots of names on her list.

The next photo is of Angela and Scott.  They have been living in
Iowa City, but Angela moved to Glenwood with Pam recently due
to a new job with United Airlines in Omaha.  She plans to live there
for a couple of years; Scott will visit on weekends. Her son, Milan,
will be moving in at Pam's also so he can attend Glenwood schools.

Below are some long time family friends ... Chris, Craig and David. 

Some of the adults enjoyed the funny glasses also.  (Kelly)                                                

(Rob)

(Susie)

Pam is shown below wearing her pretty mother of the bride dress that
she wore to Kelly and Hugh's London wedding.  Another long time friend,
Doug, is sitting with her.  Pam is recovering slowly but surely, but it is
definitely taking longer than she (and the rest of us) had hoped.

I am sorry, but the photos I took of Hugh did not turn out.  You may
remember him from the wedding photos I took.  Trust me, he's just
as handsome as ever. 

The next party was a "girl's night out" with my Des Moines pals.  I
drove from Glenwood to Des Moines in order to see "the girls" and
also to spend some time with Cody and his family.

It had been at least a year since I had seen all my "gal pals."

The photo below is of Marilyn Yeager and Roz Ansher.

This is Karen Moriarity.

Here is the organizer of this fun event, Maggie Horvath.  You have seen
photos of her and her husband, Craig, before as we visited them in Florida
and they just recently spent some time with us here at our house on the lake. 

This is Carla Clark.  We all go back quite a ways, but I think I met Carla before
I met any of the other women in our little "group."

There were other ladies at the party as well, but these are the ones I
have known the longest.

Being with Jude and Elena is always like a party.  Here's Jude
making one of his many funny faces.

This is his newest look.  :-)

Here's daddy (Cody) with his kids.

Here's Elena giving me one of her glamor poses.  :-)

I am not real sure what she is doing here.  :-)  They are cuties.

I returned from that Glenwood/Des Moines trip late Thursday night.
On Saturday morning, I got a call from my good friend, Deloma, telling
me that her father, Charlie Hunt, had passed away during the night.  He
died in his sleep, most likely from a heart attack or stroke.  He had only
been in the hospital for a few days and only because he was running a
temp they couldn't find the source of.  That is a wonderful way to go for
him, but even at his age (88), it comes as a difficult blow to the family. 
Charlie and Genevieve had just celebrated their wedding anniversary. 
I think it was probably around 68 years.  Charlie served in the
Army in WWII and had four children, Deloma being the second child. 
They had always been like second parents to me, so it was a sad loss
for me as well.  He was quite a guy and they were both very close friends
with my parents.  Just one more special person from that era who is
now gone.

We just returned from that Glenwood trip this afternoon.  (Jerry was
with me this time.)

I had an oncologist's appointment in Jeff City at 2:30, so we just stopped
there before coming home.  Dr. Hopkins was also a little bummed about
the increase in my tumor markers, so she ordered another tumor marker
test today; we should have the results by Monday. 

She talked like the numbers will tell the tale.  If they are up a fairly significant
degree, it is back on chemo.  She mentioned a drug she would try next that is
a derivivative of the Taxol that I just stopped taking in March.  I am pretty sure
it means that I will lose my hair again.  Darn.  I was just getting to where I had
enough to blow in the wind.  I was also just starting to feel kind of normal after
a three month break from chemo!  Oh well, as long as it keeps working, I will
keep taking it and doing whatever I have to do -- and be darn glad for the
drug's success.  I will keep you posted.

Our boat is still in the shop as far as I know.  I sure hope it is operable soon!
The summer is disappearing much too quickly!

Suzanne and Mitchell arrive next Monday for a week's stay.  I can hardly
wait!  Jerry leaves on Friday for a two week stay with his kids, so we will
be on our own!  Jerry and I will meet in Des Moines on Saturday, June 30,
for his nephew's wedding.  The following weekend Cody, Amy and the kids
are coming here for a visit.  What fun!

I am afraid I made a terrible mistake when I adopted Pepper.  She has
turned out to be a disappointment and big problem.  She bites and bites bad. 
Most of it is puppy and/or Blue Heeler stuff, but she turned on me the other
day and I was even kind of frightened of her.  She is small enough that I still
had the upper hand, but she was definitely trying to really hurt me.  She was
growling and behaving very viciously.  I can't have that with the little ones
around, so I am afraid that she is going to have to go back to the shelter.

There are positive sides to her that we have grown to love, so this will
not be easy to do.  I haven't called them yet, but I will tomorrow morning.
Mitchell arrives Monday and he is still spooked about dogs from when
he was biten by Daisy, our last dog!  This one is far, far worse than Daisy.

(In addition to the biting, she backed up to my custom made honeycomb
shades in the living room tonight and pooped all over them.  I can barely
deal with that kind of stuff now, let alone if I go back on chemo!)

If they will take her back, this will be the last Pepper report I will send.
:-(

Well, it is getting late, so I better wrap this up.

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying your summer.  Take care,
and as always, thanks for your continued prayers and concern.

Love,
Judy, Jerry and Pepper

P.S.  We have decided that we have no choice but to put this
house on the market to see if it sells before the condo.  I will
probably call a realtor so it can be on the market by early July.

If the house sells first, we could move back to the condo while
we continue to try to sell it.  Or, we could move to KC and live
in Rob and Susan's carriage house apartment that they have
offered to us.  We could stay there until both have sold and we
can find our own place.  Doing so would allow me to be closer to
a Cancer Center, and it would put us both closer to our kids, family,
friends, etc.

If the condo sells first, we will probably continue to try to sell
the house and still make the move to KC.  The reasons for
the move would still be valid (e.g., better medical care, closer
to loved ones, an airport, etc.) 

I hate the thought of moving again, as I really like it here and I
love this house, but I've always liked KC also.  As slow as the
market is, this plan could take a couple of years!

Time will tell.  I will, of course, keep you posted.